by TJ Reynolds
Yet none seemed to consider him weak or question the order he issued next.
“Split Shield!” he bellowed, and the two lieutenants and the shield sergeants echoed soon after.
The interlocked shields defending the soldiers broken in two, opening wide enough to allow skills to be triggered from the second line of soldiers.
Four of the elites launched Earth attacks. Ripples broke the even expanse of the dungeon floor, tearing up shards of dense stone that hovered a moment in the air. A moment later, the rock shards exploded as one, blasting apart the golems.
With chilling efficiency, the shield slammed shut, and the soldiers advanced.
A final line of golems was summoned, and the hulking champion strode forward.
Imogen had done what she could to prepare for this last moment. The commander of this force was experienced, though. The group spotted the floor trap and wove around it. Then they engaged the golems from a distance, blunting their assault with the shield wall while a contingent of burly men wielding war hammers flanked them.
The golems were busted apart with terrifying efficiency.
Finally, Imogen’s champion roared. It used the skills it had at its disposal, breaking apart the formation of troops. A few of the men were killed instantly as huge spikes were torn up from the dungeon floor, impaling the soldiers.
Her champion held up its hands and a ball of icy ether formed between them. It turned its focus on the center of the soldiers, but before it could release the spell, the mighty golem was struck in the chest by a counter spell.
Rhona had no idea what she was seeing, but in a way, it did seem a little like Kai’s confusion spell. A sphere of black and purple energy splashed over the golem’s chest and torso. The liquid power seeped into its ice and stone body, turning portions of the creature black.
Regardless of what the skill was called, the effect was close enough.
Imogen’s champion froze in its tracks. The ether burst in its hands and dissipated into the air.
Then the soldiers fell on it, pounding its body apart with fell hammer strikes.
The sound of collapsing stone announced the champion’s death.
All fell quiet.
Rhona felt a spike of panic as a single man walked through the crowd of soldiers. He cried out in a voice as sharp as a whip. “Cover the exit! Third platoon, send two squads ahead! See if that tunnel leads to the surface or if this shivving Earth Core blocked the way.”
He made his way to the pool in the center of Imogen’s core room. Rhona felt her perspective flip a half dozen times as Imogen inspected the man from every angle.
He wore fine armor though the sword at his hip remained sheathed. His face was pale, and his eyes as green as Rhona’s. She’d have called him handsome but for the cold greed that filled his gaze.
This man was hungry.
He coveted the power Imogen held in her core.
In a voice only Imogen could hear, he spoke to her. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you. Normally, I’d ask if you might consider lending your strength to the king’s mighty empire. But I think we both know what I’m really here for.”
Imogen’s gaze shifted, focusing on the strange gauntlet that linked up into his vambrace and pauldron. Rhona noticed something was off about the armor. Lines of ether were running up from the steel glove, as if the equipment were somehow powered.
The man leapt over the pool of water in a display of strength and power beyond Rhona’s own abilities. How high is this man’s ascension? she wondered. Or is it this device that makes him stronger?
As if to answer her personally, the man held up his gauntleted hand and held it above the surface of Imogen’s glowing core. “Really, you are lending your strength to the Brintoshi. I serve the king, and now you will serve my needs. Thank you for your sacrifice.”
Panic shot through Imogen’s mind as the man’s gauntlet finally touched the surface of her core. The man’s vile grin filled Rhona’s mind. Then he faltered, a look of confusion passing over his features. “How many minds are here? How is this possible?” he asked, eyes searching the depths of the stone for answers.
He ground his teeth, somehow sensing Rhona’s connection to Imogen, but not understanding it. “No matter. I have what I’ve come for.”
Suddenly, a piercing pain cut into the Earth Core, stripping away the protective barriers that held her ether in place.
Then a crack resounded, and ether gushed from Imogen’s core into the man’s hand. It filled the stones embedded in the gauntlet’s palm. The power bled into the vambrace and into the pauldron. Finally, Rhona stared into the man’s eyes as they began to glow with the pale blue of pure ether.
Terror, cold and unyielding, clutched at her heart as her mind tore apart.
Rhona came to, sweat pouring from her face. Her fingers had sunken into the mud like claws, and her body was cramped and shaking.
She looked up into Kai’s face, and they both knew their friend had died.
There wasn’t any good way of knowing if the Vermillion Guard were closing in on them. Rhona had tossed the idea about in her head for some time.
They could no longer communicate with Imogen.
They’d all witnessed her chilling end.
Rhona’s stomach knotted up in the too-familiar sensation of losing a comrade. After calming down for a time, Ban had admitted he could no longer peer into her dungeon even with Soul Sphere’s help.
Still, Rhona knew if she were the commander, and had confidence in her strength, she’d sent a small contingent to scout ahead.
“I have a new spell,” Kai had offered at last. “It allows me to project my soul out of my body. I should be able to spy for us without being caught or harmed at least. I’m really not certain how it all works.”
Rhona had mulled it over. Eventually, she’d urged the group onward instead of scouting for their position. If there were soldiers coming up behind them, they’d have at least a little notice, given the squelching earth of the forest.
Risking the use of an untested spell at a time like this felt unwarranted.
She trotted ahead on Honor’s back, keeping her eyes focused.
A rough trail had begun to form and the soil was firmer now. She knew they were capable of a much faster pace. Honor could most likely gallop at top speed and not risk injury, but she wasn’t worried about the road.
It was what and who they might meet at the border.
As she considered the possibility of running into Hintari resistance, Rhona recalled a conversation she’d had not so long ago.
The herbalist half-gnome back in Mindonne had given her two vials of Briga’s Tears.
As quick as she dared, Rhona reined in Honor and wheeled around.
Kai and Ban adjusted their course and stopped beside her. Kai’s eyebrows asked the silent question that was most likely on his mind.
Rhona leapt down from Honor’s back and dove into her pack. “I forgot something. Gods, might have cost us our lives!”
She bit her lip, wincing at the reference to death. The loss of Imogen was all too soon.
When she found the vials, she ran over and showed them to Kai. “I doubt Honor will be recognized as a Brintoshi war horse. He’s never had that build, and Ban’s champion will stick out no matter what. The vials will help the two of us, however. Here, take one.”
“Slow down, Rhona. What in Andag’s green land are you talking about?” Kai pressed.
“In Mindonne I met with the herbalist to stock up on medicines and the like. She gave me these. Called ‘em Briga’s Tears. They infuse the body with ether which helps to defend against magical attacks. But, as a side-effect, they make you glow!”
Kai nodded pragmatically and took the vial from her hand.
It was Ban who needed more explanation. Pray tell, friend, why that should be considered a benefit to our party now?
“Because the Hintari might recognize it as a sign that we are not Brintoshi. That’s what she claimed at least, a
nd I’ll be damned if I don’t give it a shot.” Rhona drank down her vial and nudged Kai on the shoulder. “Your turn, Kai!”
The liquid tingled as it went down her throat, flashing between cold and hot like some chemicals do. The sensation transformed into an itch that covered her body.
She spared a glance at Kai who was scratching his neck and looking a little uncomfortable. More important, however, was the discovery that her riding companion had a faint glow about his face.
Seeing her in return, Kai gave a reluctant smile and a thumbs up.
Into Eastern Hintar we go, and shimmering like a moon moth to boot, she mused. Why not go for the authentic experience though?
An expression her father used to say made her smile despite the association. She could even hear his gruff voice and see her mother’s shocked expression. Eat, drink, and sleep with the locals. Best way to experience the soldier’s life.
If only the man could see her now.
Despite the heavy mood, she allowed herself a thread of satisfaction. She’d been an obedient and loyal daughter for many years. Since turning away from her father’s path, however, Rhona found she was delighted by acts of rebellion.
The trail ahead wound underneath a sprawling canopy of trees. These were vibrant and strong, their trunks massive. How long they might have lived here, she could not know. Rhona simply appreciated them. Grandfathers, she thought. One and all, they’re grandfathers of this forest.
A twig cracking a few paces away made her reach for a sword that wasn’t there.
She cursed and put a heel in Honor’s right flank. They turned and faced the tall man standing a dozen paces away.
Rhona froze, taking in the newcomer’s appearance in a blink.
He wore clothes dyed a dozen colors of the forest. A smile rested on his lips, and she saw his eyes flick to a position behind her. He isn’t alone. We are surrounded. And I led us into this mess.
She sighed, knowing there was little else they might have done, and held up her hands.
The man’s bow was drawn, the glinting steel arrowhead threatening. “Hold, friends. What business do you have in Hintar?”
4
Where the Cloak Turns
Rhona
They’d been blindfolded and bound. Dismounted, and being led through the forest by a group of hostile rangers, hadn’t been a pleasant experience.
Yet Rhona knew she’d have done the same if the tables were turned.
Rough hands had forced Rhona to her knees, and then her blindfold was off again.
Blinking around her, she saw Kai likewise kneeling, a small fire crackling before them. They’d been taken to the rangers’ hidden camp, a ring of bedrolls lining the base of the stone outcropping that rose above their heads.
The ranger woman lashed Honor to a nearby tree, and Rhona could just make out the four rangers surrounding Ban’s terrifying champion.
Rhona tried, for the tenth time that morning, to explain their plight, heat rising unbidden in her throat. “Yes, we’re shivving Brintoshi, but that doesn’t mean we’re here on the crown’s business.”
“Then why have you come at all?” a woman ranger asked. She had a braid so thick it made Rhona’s look like a child’s and the most beautiful eyes.
Kai cleared his throat, as if to answer himself. Rhona held up a hand though. “Please, Kai. I know we both have business, but mine is more pressing.”
Dubious looks were plastered to both of their faces, but the man seemed decidedly more amused.
Turning to the tall man who’d first stopped them, she repeated her plea. “I am here in an attempt to stop another War of the Dragons. The Kaltanese and the Brintoshi are forming another alliance with the sole purpose of claiming what is left of Hintar.”
The man turned and spat on the ground. “Pretty story, but why should we believe you. Rumors like this have been flitting across the border for a decade or more.”
“Because the bleeding Vermillion Guard is right behind us. They chased us from just outside of Mindonne, and have just…” Rhona let her words die off. What she’d been about to say could be considered pure madness.
“They’ve just what?” the ranger asked in a low tone.
A blush stole up Rhona’s cheeks and she shook her head. There’s no way they’ll believe us. Unless we tell and show them everything.
Kai gave Rhona a nod of encouragement and she spoke again. “They just killed the Earth Core who was called Imogen. Her dungeon is just a day’s ride from here, and I believe they’ll be following us here.”
The woman snorted. “Earth Cores can’t be killed, and the one in the swamps was shivvered years ago.”
Rhona, Kai, and Ban spent several long moments arguing how much they should reveal to these people. As time passed, the woman ranger’s impatience began to flare up, forcing Rhona to act according to her instinct.
They’d come all the way to Hintar to speak with these people. It seemed strange to her to begin their new relationship by lying. The only challenge Rhona foresaw was getting the rangers to believe the truth of it all.
“The two of us, him really,” Rhona said as she leaned her head toward Kai. “We… healed the Earth Core a while back. I know it sounds—”
“Like a fit of Spring Fever? Aye! How then did you manage to heal a broken Earth Core, girl?” The woman demanded.
Rhona growled in frustration.
Thankfully, Kai was there to take up her slack.
He cleared his throat, drawing the two rangers’ attention.
The man, seeming reasonable, asked the question anyone in their right mind would ask. “How, boy. How did you heal this Earth Core? Or is your friend as mad as she sounds?”
“She isn’t mad at all. I can heal any Earth Core for one very simple reason. I will gladly tell you, but I would prefer to ask you a question first. Two questions actually. Is that permitted?”
The female ranger growled in frustration, but the leader called her off.
After receiving a nod, Kai continued. “What is your name? It would be a lot nicer if we exchanged pleasantries first. I’m Kai and this is Rhona.”
“You may call me Royar. Your second question?”
Kai stared the man in the eyes. Rhona was surprised to see the boldness of his posture and expression. Already, the lanky youth she’d first met was thickening his skin and strengthening his backbone. “Not so long ago, the Hintari nobles turned against their dragon allies. They betrayed them, and led them to a slaughter. What do you think of such an act? Was it wisdom or folly?”
Royar folded his arms and scrunched up his face. As if thinking aloud, he said, “Strange question coming from a half-blood boy who calls Mindonne home. Strange times to be having a conversation on the very border of my country.”
Royar tossed a wink to the woman, who still clutched her spear and wore a hungry expression. Then he eyed Kai again, taking in his armor, his newly forged pauldrons. Faint runes glowed on each of the pieces, evidence their party was more than commoners.
Finally, he answered. “The Rangers that guard our border are a diverse group. Many of us have allegiances to the very noble houses that were… involved in the War of Dragons. Most of our number, though, especially those who you find yourselves in company with, hold more ancient oaths. I’ve sworn to defend Hintar from any danger. That oath is protected and honored by the elected council. So, I am more or less able to speak my mind.”
Pausing once more, Royar chewed his lip. “I was just old enough to be called up to join the army in defense of this land when the war you speak of played out. My scrawny arse was lucky enough to avoid most of the main conflict, however. Yet, when I heard of the dragons’ fall, I wept openly. My fellows wept along with the common folk of Hintar. I do not consider any act of betrayal to be noble. Does that answer your question?”
Kai considered but ultimately nodded. “Thank you, Royar. You’ll understand why I asked in a moment. First, I need to retrieve something from my baggage.”
&
nbsp; The woman shook her head at the same time Royar said it was acceptable.
Royar unfastened Kai’s hands and apologized to his companion, then offered, “If it makes you feel more comfortable, love, why don’t you keep that needle of yours above his liver while he does so.”
Rhona watched as Kai walked over to where Ban’s champion stood. The woman held her spear pressed between a gap in Kai’s armor. She had but to thrust and he’d be a dead man.
Kai dug through the baggage, and at last pulled out Ban’s glowing core.
Rhona gasped at the same time the other rangers did. She watched Kai return with the heavy stone, its blue ether pulsing regularly.
Then Kai explained. “This, as you might suspect, is an Earth Core. It is my Earth Core, and his name is Bancroft. I don’t own him, but rather am bound to him as he is to me. You see… I’m a dragon, Royar. Half dragon to be exact, and that is why I’m capable of healing Earth Cores. Do you believe us now?”
Honor’s flanks twitched and Rhona’s heart leapt at the explosive laughter that burst from Royar. He fell to slapping his knees as well, and drew more disapproving glances from his woman. “Your tale is as mighty as a lake carp! How?… no, who?”
He took a few moments to compose himself, even wiping away a tear from the corner of his eyes. “Either you’ve been blessed by Shu, and your tongue is capable of the most convincing lies, or you’ve all lost your wits.”
“He speaks true,” Rhona growled, touching the edge of her power. If things went wrong, she’d already decided that she’d use Spirit Surge and kill the rangers where they stood.
“I’m sure you all believe that. Still, it is a lot to swallow. Yet I don’t know how else you might be in the possession of an Earth Core,” Royar admitted. Then he pointed to Ban’s lumbering champion. “And what of the strange beast? How came you to possess such a creature? And what of the Briga’s Tears? Your faces are still tinged with lilac.”
Rhona answered him quickly, her anger pushing her to act before considering Kai. “I purchased herbs from a half-gnome in Mindonne. She told me the Hintari would pause before striking down a fellow with a lilac cast about them.”
