Beyond the Dark Gate

by R. V. Johnson

  “We have to help; he’s not going to make it!” Jade screamed. Standing, her head touched the top of the net.

  The shorter ferryman pointed above her. “Look! We are too late.”

  Jade spun, looking up. The top of the ball had broken away and dropped toward them.

  “Use your wooden pole, but do not let them touch you with their stinger. They can fit it through a square of net,” Jarl said. Thrusting through one of the squares, he jabbed a creature and then withdrew the pole under the netting.

  Going to her knees, Jade stabbed upward at first one, then two, of the pale stinger creatures. The creatures dived, raining down in ever-growing numbers. Her world became an endless series of upward jabs. For every winged creature she burst, two took its place. Her arms quickly grew tired, but she couldn’t quit.

  For every one stabbed, two hit the netting and burst, adding watery weight to it before dissipating to mist. So many slammed into the netting, the center pole swayed dangerously, the squares stretching, drooping closer toward her. Still they came.

  No longer able to jab, Jade held her pole upright letting the translucent creatures impale upon it, until it, too, became heavy. On they dropped. Propping the pole against the deck, Jade wrapped her arms around it and leaned it against her shoulder.

  The netting drooped against her skin, which frightened her and gave her a second breath. Quickly finding a knot in the squares, she wedged the pole in it and lay back. Stingers stabbed through and then burst, each one dragging the net closer and closer. Jade despaired. A stinger would eventually—soon—impale her. The net was so heavy from the weight, the pole bent. You fought so hard, Dad, I’m sorry.

  The weight of the net lifted from her. “Jade, are you okay?”

  Jade blinked. Her dad stood above her, offering his hand. She stared at it in surprise. Struggling to her feet, Jade wrapped her arms around him. “Dad! I thought we’d had it!”

  Her father chuckled once, softly. He patted her affectionately on the back with his right arm. “I believed it over too, and then I suddenly found none were attacking me, they concentrated on going after you.”

  Jade disengaged from her father and took a step away, looking him over. The vibrant tanned pigment of his left hand had vanished, replaced by a washed-out gray, and his arm hung limp at his side. Her breath caught at her throat. “You’re hurt!”

  Her father flashed a brief smile. “Oh, it’s nothing I cannot live with. One of the buggers nicked my arm with a bloody stinger.”

  “The paralysis will not last long,” the shorter ferryman said. His swarthy grizzled face had the look of one rarely indoors. Taking hold of the net, he laboriously rolled it toward the center pole his companion removed. “I am Surn, proprietor of Black Bottom Ferry. My deckhand is Jarl. I thank you for your aid with the leechers; all would have been lost if not for your battle prowess, Citadel soldier.”

  Her father jumped upon the pier, gathered the reins one-handed, and led the two horses down the wooden ramp, halting beside her and the ferry owner before speaking. “Nay, it is we who owe our thanks to the two of you. I am called Garn, and this is my charge, Jade.”

  Surn’s dark eyes flicked to her briefly and then returned to his task. “I am puzzled as to why the swarm broke from the attack. They would have overrun us in a quarter bell, no more.”

  “I am uncertain, though they lost a quarter of their number. Perhaps that was too many,” her dad replied.

  Jarl glanced skyward. “In all my seasons, I have never seen such a swarm. Never before has the pole net failed.”

  Jade dropped to her knees, helping with the final two rolls of the net. “The pole and net didn’t fail. Your wonderful setup saved us all.”

  “Perhaps it did at that,” Jarl agreed, but he looked troubled.

  “What cost is the ferry from here to Gray Dust, and how far is it?” Garn inquired.

  Surn answered without looking up. “Gray Dust is a two-bell ferry ride; one would think a Citadel man would know this. There is no cost to you and you’re charge. The rest of your patrol shall cover it easily.”

  Confused by the comment, Jade followed her dad’s gaze, back along the pier. The dust cloud beyond it indicated riders coming at a fast pace.

  “Our time is limited. What cost for the two of us to make the crossing first, with the cost of the others riding toward us you’ll lose out on?” her dad asked next.

  After tying the rolled net and pole to rings on the deck, the ferry owner stood gazing at them for a while, his dark eyes unreadable. “Even if you have sufficient coin, I am contracted by the White Lands and Virun to make a certain amount of crossings a day. The two of us only have sufficient strength for three, which means I fill it with passengers or leave at certain bells. This is the third scheduled for today. We depart in half a bell. Your companions will arrive long before then.”

  Jade opened her mouth to plead, but a sharp glance from her dad stopped her cold.

  “We are in your debt and defer to your ways. Please, advise us of any assistance we can give to make the journey easier,” her dad said. He gave a small bow. Jade didn’t even know he knew how.

  Surn’s answering bow was deep. “Nay, my lord, as I have stated, we are indebted to you. Simply care for your mounts, we shall handle the rest.” Letting his deckhand finish clipping any unsecured item in place, he strode to the moorings to await the new arrivals.

  On an impulse, Jade slowed the aura spinning around the ferry owner, gazing at the three images as soon as they slowed enough to view. All three contained the same dark image. A tentacle groped about from a patch of darkness and then vanished, leaving only shadows behind. Startled, Jade let the images go and they whipped away, spinning into the gray misty cyclone around him. What do they mean? she wondered, dissatisfied with her useless ability. All it ever provided was riddles without answers. Utterly inadequate, it helped no one, least of all her.

  Jade crossed the ferry to stand beside her dad and wait for her captors to arrive.

  They did not have to wait long. Soon, the clatter of hooves tromping on the pier rang loud in Jade’s ears. “What are we going to do now?” she whispered.

  Her dad barely spoke above the din racing along the pier. “We let them launch, there are but nine of the general’s men left not including himself and Captain Bozlun. Midway across, I’ll finish this, stay alert.”

  Jade wasn’t certain she liked the coldness of his tone, but what choice did they have? The hooded man’s commanded escort wouldn’t let them go simply by asking. Jade felt tears building pressure from deep inside, which she quelled with difficulty. Why was everything bad on this world always after her? Pushing down another bout of tears threatening to overcome her, her eyes searched the sky for a pale blue glint.

  EMERALD EYES

  Crystalyn chafed at yet another delay. The pace set by the Vale refugees was maddeningly slow. Crossing the Even Flow River had cost hours yesterday. RaCorren’s recent request was the third pause asked for and barely after midday. How many rest stops did the people need in one day? Her first inclination was to deny it, but then a thought occurred to her. Crystalyn could use the time to gather information, something she should have done several stops ago.

  Crystalyn glanced sidelong at RaCorren as he strolled beside her warhorse, walking beside her as if out for a daily jaunt in the woods. They’d left the Vale behind a day ago, yet he showed no sign the distance traveled bothered him. One would think she’d have gotten used to the Valens’ prowess with slipping through forests at will.

  “Your request is granted with a condition,” she said to the towering Valen liaison, getting his attention. “Send someone to fetch Durandas for me. I’ll await him at the hill’s farthest edge, we stop there for half a bell, no longer,” she said, pointing to the top of the small mountain they climbed.

  Without missing a step, RaCorren bowed low. “Your command is my wish, Sarra’esiah,” he said. Straightening, he darted between a
mixed group of Valens and human druids who strode with their families, those who remained.

  Crystalyn tracked his progress by his great mane of golden hair until the crowd swallowed even someone of his tall stature. Apparently, he intended to perform the task personally, which shouldn’t have surprised her. For reasons unknown, he had taken it upon himself to attend to her since leaving the quarry.

  Giving up on fathoming what motivated a Valen, Crystalyn urged the warhorse to gallop the rest of the way up the hill. The great horse needed little prodding; its powerful muscles required flexing. A day of slow trotting had done little for them. At the final, steepest part of the slope, a log lay. Instead of going around, Crystalyn sailed over it, exhilarating in the feel of all four legs leaving the ground and a perfect, almost gentle landing on the other side.

  The Lore Mother stood at the top beside her mom. As she rode up and dismounted, neither woman looked happy.

  “A leader should refrain from foolhardy chances at an accident,” the Lore Mother said.

  “So should my eldest daughter,” her mom said.

  Crystalyn patted the warhorse’s front dark shoulder affectionately, the color giving her an idea for a name. Saying it aloud, she tried it out. “Murk is strong and surefooted, I was perfectly safe.” The horse gazed at her placidly. He seemed to like it, as she did.

  “I was speaking of the horse. We do not have enough to go around,” the Lore Mother drawled.

  Crystalyn glanced at her sharply. Her luminous eyes were as equable as the horse, her face smooth. She changed the subject. “The refugees desire a rest. I’ve sent for Durandas, when he gets here, I have a task for the two of you.”

  “What of me?” Sureen asked

  Looking around, she found Hastel nearby, beside Atoi. She gestured to him to watch Murk. As the dark horse cropped a clump of green mountain grass, she left the reins hanging on the saddle horn, turning to the two women. “Glad you asked. I’ve been mulling something over for a while. Walk with me, both of you.”

  Warmed by the sun radiating brightly above her right side, Crystalyn climbed toward the peak. Round and wide at the top, the view was only a hill sloping away. Crystalyn walked downhill until the area below spread out before them, the two other women coming up to stand one on each side of her.

  The forest thinned. A hillside, sloping down, waved with tall stalks of grass and sagebrush that swayed gently from a light breeze. In the distance, the ground leveled and uniform fields claimed great squared chunks of land. “Tell me what to expect from here,” she said quietly.

  The Lore Mother waved an age-spotted hand at the expanse below. “This particular hill, known as Barren Mount, slopes gently to the Great Plains to the east. The route is a good one. The refugees shall have an easier journey to Brown Recluse.”

  Leaning forward, her mother glanced at the Lore Mother. “Barren Mount is southeast of the Vale, is it not?”

  “Yes,” the Lore Mother said.

  Crystalyn grew alarmed. “Isn’t that taking us away from Jade?”

  Durandas said from behind them. “A necessary deviation to avoid Silent Blade,” He halted beside the Lore Mother. “Many of those from the Vale would be an easy mark for the filth that frequents the town. Bypassing it in exchange for a slightly longer though safer route is well worth it. What did you wish to speak with me about?”

  Crystalyn kept her face smooth with difficulty. How many days’ distance between her and Jade had he cost her by not consulting with her? She was ready to throttle the man, but she needed his talents first. “I want to speak with Jade.”

  Durandas clasped his hands together. A frown crinkled his forehead between his bushy white eyebrows. “A contacting of that magnitude would drain me for bells. We still have dangerous lands to pass through.”

  Crystalyn had grown tired of excuses. “Perhaps I used the wrong word. I have to speak with Jade.”

  Durandas’ frown deepened. Folding his hands behind his back, he paced along a narrow animal path that followed the ridge a short way, and then he turned back, his white robe brushing through the clumps of grass. “I distinctly recall we agreed contacting your sister may put her in grave danger.”

  “The time has come to take that chance.” Crystalyn put her hand on the Lore Mother’s shoulder and squeezed gently. “Will you help him complete the contactings?”

  The Lore Mother patted her hand and nodded as she spoke. ‘“Contactings’ imply more than one, dear.”

  Crystalyn smiled. Though she knew it cruel, keeping them off-balance made for easier manipulation. Besides, she should exercise her authority when appropriate. “Right after Jade, we contact Camoe.”

  Pacing to a point on an animal trail that only he knew as the boundary, Durandas froze in mid-step. Then, pivoting on a heel, he spun to look at her, his blue eyes bright. “You ask much from two old ones.”

  Crystalyn’s anger spiked, but she quelled it. “The Lore Mother grows old, you grow younger every time the two of you use together. Do not make the mistake of thinking I don’t know how the symbiotic, parasitic relationship works between a User and an Interrupter.”

  Durandas blew out a breath. “Very well, I shall make the attempt though I cannot speak for the Lore Mother. As I said, the contacting is dangerous and requires her to make her own decision.”

  “The prophecy vessel is right,” the Lore Mother said. “We may learn much by ascertaining Jade’s location. This is a good place to attempt it away from the others. Join me, old one,” she added, sitting cross-legged on the wildlife trail, likely made from the small herds of deer and elk they’d spotted along the way.

  Durandas flashed a small grin as he sat facing the Lore Mother on the path he’d only moments before been pacing. “I shall take focal point.” Reaching into a pocket of his white robes, he removed the leather strap with the glowing white stone tied in the center. Making certain the contact stone touched his forehead, he tied it in the back.

  The Lore Mother set two larger green crystal orbs triangularly away from the white stone of his leather strap.

  The warm scent of her mom wafted into her senses as she leaned close and spoke softly into her ear. “Are you certain this is wise, daughter? The Dark Users have developed a stronger ability to break into these transmissions.”

  The Lore Mother’s aged head swung abruptly toward them. “Prepare to sever the connection at the first sign of a Dark attack, Sureen. Crystalyn, you may begin picturing your sister in your mind and calling her name. We are ready.”

  Crystalyn thought of Jade, how her auburn hair always had a stray lock that insisted upon covering an eye, her habit of sucking her bottom lip into her mouth, and how she looked up to her for protection and friendship. Only three days had passed, but she missed her little sister badly already.

  The Lore Mother’s glowing eyes flared bright.

  His blue eyes vanishing behind their own burst of white radiance, Durandas sat transfixed. Triangulating from the white stone on his forehead to the two green orbs, an image stacked upward. Three-dimensional, the image formed quickly as countless cubes making the image stacked faster and faster from the ground up.

  Inside the triangle, Jade bounced in the saddle of a great warhorse galloping at top speed. Shrubbery and bare ground passed by in the background too fast to make out the landscape. “Can you hear me, Jade?” Crystalyn asked aloud.

  The image of Jade galloping through a faceless background continued uninterrupted.

  “You have to make contact for the contacting to triangulate,” her mom said. “Give the image a light touch. We both shall, you on one side, me on the other. Think about your sister, I shall think about my daughter.”

  Crystalyn set her palms on the top surface of the image and tried again recalling the way Jade sometimes pulled her bottom lip into her mouth when worried. “Jade, can you hear me?”

  Jade started. Then she looked up. “Crystalyn? Where are you?” Jade’s voice reverberated throu
gh her mind, as if from a great distance.

  Crystalyn nearly cried out with joy and then spoke aloud. “Coming to get you, tell me where to come.”

  Glancing over her shoulder, Jade’s eyes widened with fright. She lowered her head, matching her dark horse. “I don’t know where we are; spiderbees are after us. We’re galloping toward a dark lake.”

  “Where is there a dark lake, a huge one?” Crystalyn asked aloud.

  “Bracken Lake?” asked her mom.

  Crystalyn’s focus remained with her sister, as Jade tightened her grip on the saddle horn. “Who’s us?” Crystalyn asked silently.

  “Dad! Dad is with me, and he’s changed, Crystalyn, he’s strong! We’ve escaped from the soldiers, and once he kills the spiderbees, we’ll meet you in Brown Recluse. You don’t need to come get me,” Jade said aloud, the tone of her voice even. Then she glanced fearfully behind her again.

  Her mom’s urgent voice broke in. “The contacting is closing!”

  Crystalyn’s anxiety nearly stole her speech. “NO! Jade, make certain Dad uses wood against the spiderbees, it’s the—” Vanishing, one by one the blocks picked up speed and disappeared in reverse order as fast as they had stacked Leaving her palms touching only air.

  Durandas leaned back on his hands, the glow of his eyes winking out. “That is as long as I dare if you want to attempt a second contacting. You should tell Sureen what you wish to communicate with Camoe. I do not believe he has the sense of your mind. Please assure it is brief.” His eyes burst into the familiar radiance. The three-dimensional image stacked into the triangle faster this time. Contacting someone she’d never met might not work, but she was determined to try.

  Crystalyn thought about what little she knew of the druid from Jade’s descriptions. At first, Camoe had wanted to kill Jade, believing her a creature made by dark magic. Then he’d helped her escape the Dark Citadel, saving her life numerous times with the help of a magical creation made by a Dark User. Crystalyn owed the druid much for saving the one she cared most about in the world.