Herald of the Nine

by Tiger Hebert

  The dragon’s breath attack ended as Ausaliia lifted her head up and spread her wings. With her neck and back arched and her wings out, the stunning white dragon pulled out of her descent and she effortlessly broke out of her dive and soared away, a mere ten feet from the ground.

  The thrill of exhilaration and relief washed over Vacinne as she watched Ausaliia fly away. A shout caught her attention. She couldn’t tell what Renlar had said, she was too caught up in the moment. When she shifted her attention to Renlar, she realized he’d left her side, and he’d rushed toward the stones. Vacinne snapped out of her daze and rushed toward them too.

  She wasn’t prepared for what awaited them. The aftermath of the dragon breath was unlike anything she’d ever seen. It wasn’t even like what Ausaliia had done on the mountains when she’d helped them defeat the frost giants. No, this was something entirely different.

  The earth where the stones lay was once a soft, albeit dead, grassy terrain. That was no longer the case in a thirty-foot radius. It had been completely transformed and was now covered with white crystallized shards of ice of all different sizes, some as tall as a man. Some of the magical frozen shards had hit with so much force that they’d become embedded into the hard earth. Some of them were buried so deep that it almost appeared as if the shards were exploding up out of the ground.

  Whatever wasn’t covered with giant shards of ice, was similarly frozen. Dead grass and dirt alike were painted snow white. Renlar and Vacinne rushed forward while the frosty air still swirled around the site of the dragon’s fury. Renlar made his way forward, carefully navigating past the large, jagged shards of newly crystallized ice. The immense cold bit through his clothing. He tried not to shiver, but the sudden cold overwhelmed him as it dove past his flesh, and dug deep into his bones. They ached as the cold threatened to steal the very breath from his lungs. He gasped as he struggled to swallow the harsh dry air. Renlar doubled over and began coughing.

  Before Vacinne could ask what was wrong, she was doubled over right beside him. The coughing fits lasted for half a minute before either of them could catch their breath. Renlar stood up and finally drew a full breath. He wiped the tears from his eyes before exhaling. The cold still stung, but at least he could breath.

  Vacinne was a little slower recovering. She stood up and a series of smaller coughs followed before she was able to breathe normally again.

  “You okay now?” he asked.

  Still fighting to catch her breath, she stood there wide-eyed, nodding.

  Renlar said nothing more, he shifted his focus away from Vacinne, back to the maze of frozen spires. Cold vapors rose from the still steaming shards. He moved with care to move past them without touching anything. Then he found himself at the center of the blast site. Before he could even look upon the stones, Renlar found himself observing the aftermath of the dragon’s fury.

  He was standing at the center of what looked something like a gigantic frozen rosebud. Each sheet of ice a frozen petal, and he stood at its core. Renlar shook his head in amazement. He turned and looked down at his feet. There he saw the shattered remains of what was once twelve sealing stones. They were destroyed. The sheer power of the dragon’s arctic breath left them shattered and destroyed.

  Vacinne stepped to his side and gasped. Ausaliia ended her flight and landed gracefully a short distance away from them. Vacinne and Renlar’s eyes did not shift away from the remnants of the stones though.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it,” mumbled Renlar.

  “They are destroyed,” said Vacinne with a voice barely above a whisper.

  Vacinne looked at Renlar, and their eyes met. He simply nodded.

  “What does this mean though?” asked Renlar.

  “I’m hoping with the sealing stones gone, Jherenon won’t have complete control over the rifts anymore.”

  “Do you think it will help?”

  Vacinne said, “We can only hope.”

  Vacinne turned away until her eyes fell on the white dragon. “You are truly marvelous, Ausaliia.”

  “She is, and I’m glad that she’s on our side,” added Renlar.

  Vacinne laughed, “Jherenon is in for a surprise.”

  “More than you know,” said Renlar cryptically.

  Vacinne eyed him warily. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Oh, nothing. You said we need a plan.”

  Vacinne shook her head, “Yeah, that’s not going to work.”

  Renlar’s expression was serious as the grave. “This isn’t just some mission or quest anymore, Vacinne. We are about to step into the middle of an all-out war, and one where both sides might initially think we’re the enemy. If we live long enough, the Wardens will realize that we are on their side, but until that time comes—all bets are off.”

  She wore the concern all over her face and it was evident in her voice. “What are you saying, Renny?”

  He sighed. “I’m just saying that we need to end this, no matter what it takes.”

  “Renny, you’re scaring me.”

  Renlar pulled his twin swords from his sheaths. Wisps of green magic crawled over the surface of one black blade while snaking tendrils of lightning arced over the surface of the other.

  “You’re not the one who needs to be scared.”

  16

  At the End of All Things, Is War

  Vacinne stood twenty paces away from the frozen rosebud. Mountains could be seen in the distance in just about every direction. The cool winds that swept down off them into the grassy valley where she stood told them winter was arriving. She looked down at her feet. The floor of this once green valley had turned brown and dead. The ground was getting colder by the day and would soon be frozen.

  Her eyes shifted north to the rising terrain before her. She couldn’t see the small town from here, it was hidden by the valley, but she could see the smoke from forges and fireplaces alike, rising into the midday sky. She shifted her gaze westward. Her eyes followed the valley walls till her gaze settled onto the Kothari Temple. Its high walls and towering spires looming threateningly.

  Renlar placed a hand upon her shoulder. She turned to see him standing off to her left.

  “We’ve come a long way. We will see it through,” he said with a cool confidence.

  “How do you know?”

  “I just—”

  “You know things,” she sighed as she cut him off.

  Renlar laughed. “The Light.”

  “Wait, what?”

  Renlar gave a forced smile and shrugged.

  Vacinne probed. “I don’t understand.”

  Renlar said nothing.

  “No, you don’t get off that easy! You’ve been against my religion since the day I met you and you’ve shown zero reverence for the Light, and you’re telling me how I need to respect the Pantheon. I don’t get it!”

  Renlar allowed his eyes to drift upward into the cloudy sky. He sighed.

  “I told you that as a child I dreamed of being a Warden. At least that’s what I thought I wanted. Fortunately, that never happened. What I really wanted was the Light. I just thought that’s what you did when you served the Light. I was just a boy; I didn’t know any better.”

  Renlar continued, “I’ve got issues that the Light and I are working through. I have been wrong so many times in my life, and I’ve committed many more wrongs. I’ve been angry with the Light. I’ve doubted Him, I’ve blamed Him, I’ve even asked him to let me die, but he never left me.”

  Renlar shifted in his stance, but his eyes shifted from the graying sky above to the temple looming ominously high upon the hilltop. “Perhaps the many laws and traditions of the Wardens were once a sacred and solemn act of worship to the Light, but when orphans roam the streets and mothers struggle to feed their children while the temple’s coffers overflow, and when fathers and sons die meaningless deaths trying to protect their families from demonic attacks that could have been stopped—then those laws and traditions become hollow, lifeless cha
rades, and the Light is not in them.”

  He took a deep breath. “The Light is found in the heart of those that serve Him. In the heart of people like you, Vacinne. You have constantly sought to bring the light of hope into a world full of darkness. The world needs more people like you. People who actually live out their faith, not just their traditions, but that actual meaning of their beliefs.

  “To clothe those that are naked, to feed those that are hungry, to befriend those that are friendless, to protect those that need to be defended, and to fight for justice. Those are the tenets of our faith, and somehow so many of us have lost our way—including the Wardens.”

  Renlar turned to Vacinne. His eyes were red and wet and full of emotion.

  Vacinne said, “How could you not tell me? This entire time I didn’t know what you believed. I really thought you followed the Pantheon.”

  He smiled, “Because I wanted you to figure it out for yourself.”

  “How’d that work out?”

  Renlar scrunched up his face. “Not too well.”

  She laughed at herself. “Sometimes, even I managed to surprise myself with how foolish I am.”

  Renlar studied her face. “All fall short in both thought and deed, it’s how we respond that shows our mettle.”

  “That sounds vaguely familiar. Who are you quoting?”

  Renlar’s gaze shifted back toward the temple, “Grand Master Jherenon, first and only Grand Master of the Kothari Temple.”

  Vacinne’s eyes were wide and her mouth fell open.

  “It’s time we bring an end to his madness, and allow the order to become what it once was,” said Renlar.

  Vacinne followed his gaze to the temple. “Let’s do this.”

  THE PLAN THAT RENLAR and Vacinne hatched was in motion. It was simple: don’t die. Ausaliia would aid them in battle, but they needed her to do something first. The temple was too close to the village. If the rifts were opened and demons were set loose in the city, there could be tens of thousands of casualties. They needed the dragon to guard the temple perimeter to ensure that the threat was contained.

  Vacinne’s thoughts immediately shifted to her family.

  We cannot fail.

  As Ausaliia was flying around the temple perimeter, they would make their ascent toward the temple. Vacinne and Renlar pulled their rations from their packs. She pulled out some breads and some dried fruit while he pulled out some peanut butter balls that had been rolled with some type of oats and seeds that she didn’t recognize.

  “What are those?” asked Vacinne.

  “Peanut butter balls. Here, try one.”

  They shared the foods, and she was surprised how good they tasted.

  “Those things are amazing,” she said.

  “Yeah, easy to make too.”

  “How’d you know to make them?”

  “Who do you think told King Goldenhall’s cooks how to make them?” he said with a wink.

  “Well good, because you need to make more of them for me when this is over with.”

  “Gerald makes them for me all the time,” added Renlar.

  Vacinne shook her head, “Nope. You need to make them for me.”

  Renlar cocked his head to the side and he eyed her, then he chuckled and said, “Okay, as soon as we get back to the Inn.”

  Without flinching, she said, “Sounds like a plan. Oh, I’m also going to want him to cook up another breakfast for me. I want the same exact one that he made for me last time. Cider too.”

  Renlar stared at her. “How long are you planning to stay at the Inn?”

  She looked up, but didn’t look at him. Instead her eyes went to the looming temple and the darkening sky. “At least until the next adventure.”

  “Oh, is that right? You see more adventure in your future?”

  Vacinne nodded as she popped the last peanut butter ball into her mouth and began to crunch loudly. “I don’t know, it all depends on if I can hire someone worth their salt.”

  Renlar quipped, “Yeah, I hear good help is hard to find.”

  “It really is,” she said with a laugh.

  Renlar and Vacinne washed down the light snack with water and prepared for battle. They left their packs behind and began their trek up out of the valley. Like the valley below, the terrain was mostly dead grass and the occasional outcropping of rocks. The journey was easy, but they took it slow. It was important that they preserved every possible ounce of energy for the battle to come.

  “How’s your Spirit?” Vacinne asked Renlar.

  “Good to go,” he replied.

  “No bluffing me,” she warned.

  “No, I’m good,” he assured her.

  “All right, because I really don’t want to have to save your ass again.”

  Renlar laughed, “I’m pretty sure, I’ve saved yours more.”

  “No way,” she said with bluster.

  Renlar just chuckled.

  Ausaliia patrolled the skies above. The clouds swirled high overhead and the afternoon sky continued to darken. Another storm was coming.

  "Great," mumbled Vacinne.

  "Hopefully it will hold off long enough for us to handle Jherenon. Then it can storm all it wants."

  Vacinne nodded. Her eyes never left the formidable defenses of the temple. They were drawing closer. They only had about a hundred yards between them and the wall, and a knot formed in the pit of her stomach. Her mind raced with possibilities, possibilities of defeat. She tried to force the thoughts from her mind, but that seemed like an increasingly impossible task.

  What if the gates remain closed?

  What if the Wardens attack us?

  What if the storm shifts and we can't fight?

  What if he opens multiple rifts?

  "Vacinne... Vacinne?"

  The familiar voice snapped her out of her trance. She turned to Renlar. He gave her a concerned look.

  "Are you okay?" he asked.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in my thoughts for a minute," she admitted.

  Renlar's expression and tone were grave. "There's no more time for that. I need you fully focused."

  "Yeah, I'm good. It... it was just overwhelming."

  "The good news is that when the swords start swinging, all that fades away.”

  "Thankfully," she said with relief.

  Their conversation was interrupted with a loud noise. A groaning sound filled the air.

  The gates were opening.

  Renlar reached down and drew his twin black swords from their sheaths. He willed his daggers from their sheaths. Twelve blades hovered in the air before him and his swords were at the ready. He whispered something under his breath. Thin tendrils of electricity arced and coursed over the black surface of each weapon.

  His enchantment, she realized.

  Vacinne pulled her trusty Ashthorill Runeblade from its sheath. The runes already had a pale golden light. Then the radiant golden light intensified as Vacinne commanded some of her power into the sword. The heavenly blade now blazed with the combination of its power and her own. Vacinne infused her shield with magical energy. She was ready for battle.

  The temple gates opened outward. Slowly, the scene unfolded before them. Right there in the center of the gate stood the Grand Master in all his glory. The old man looked surprisingly formidable in his resplendent white and gold armor. His golden cape swept to the side in the strengthening winds. Still fifty yards away from them, they could see his gaze settling upon them as he began to levitate off the ground. Then, before anyone uttered a word, a terrible roar came from the courtyard. Horrible screams of terror and pain followed.

  In a deep, seemingly enhanced voice, Jherenon said, "It has begun."

  Cries of terror and the sound of demons filled the air, yet his haunting laughter seemed to rise above it all, as if he were laughing into their minds.

  The violation of their minds was met with the horror of demons surging through the gate, toward them. Vacinne lost count quickly as dozens of demons c
harged forward. Spotted vorthors, crawlers, thrassalts, liconiths, jecarils, zyrtzargs, myzthalaks, vromaks, just about any other type of demon she’d ever heard of.

  A voice called out from behind her. "Got enough to go around?"

  She whipped around to see the sly grins on Draece and Thrazen's faces.

  Vacinne shouted, "What are you guys doing here?"

  "We've gotten in the habit of huntin' demons, an' we thought ye could spare a few," said the dwarf.

  "We couldn't let you have all the fun, now could we?" added Draece with a wink.

  Renlar smiled, "We are happy to share."

  Draece pulled his large curved blade from his belt and Thrazen already held a pair of axes. They looked like they were ready for battle, and they were a welcomed sight indeed.

  Vacinne turned back toward the advancing horde of demons. She did a double take. The number of demons had seemingly doubled in a matter of seconds, as did the screams from within the temple grounds. Vacinne's heart faltered as fear overtook her. In the face of the demonic horde, she froze. The laughter intensified in her mind.

  "You stupid, pathetic girl. Did you think you could stand up to my might? Did you think you were any match for my power?"

  Vacinne took a deep breath, No—but the Light is.

  Lightning crashed in the distance. Vacinne's fear melted away. She was steeled for battle.

  She sprinted toward battle, with the Black Blade and her friends by her side. The demons surged forward. A red-skinned vromak leapt from the back ranks. The minotaur-demon flew through the air with its massive axe held high. Renlar thrust outward with his magic. Surging wind whipped several daggers forward. Three black daggers burrowed deep into the minotaur's thick hide. The powerful enchantment on the blades came to life in an awesome display as lightning arced between the three blades. The minotaur was stunned by the electric shock in mid-air. The incapacitated demon crash landed several feet away from Vacinne. The massive beast landed awkwardly, and rolled toward them, while losing its axe in the process. It came to an abrupt stop right in front of Vacinne. The minotaur rolled over. It came face to face with Vacinne, rage still burning in its eyes. The beast roared.