Into Storm

by Jason Hamilton

  Gabriel stared at her for some time, his soup forgotten, as if trying to sort through many thoughts racing in his head. “Well, you seem to be fine. No side effects I assume?”

  Jak shook her head. “I feel great, physically at least.”

  “Yes, well. I suppose that’s a good thing. Just be careful with some of the others. Perhaps if you asked Yewin to help.”

  “The link is dangerous,” Jak said. “True, it makes it easier for me to know what to do. After all, it helped me brand Naem long before I could create a stable brand on my own. But it almost killed Yewin.”

  “But what you said about how you obtained the Pillar of Eternity…”

  “That was necessary at the time. And it only worked because there were many Fae linked together. If I had kept the link open, they would have died, like many of their brothers and sisters already had.”

  “Very well,” said Gabriel, going back to his soup. “Just promise me you won’t try Telekinesis until we’re very certain it works for you.”

  Jak nodded. “I promise. I don’t want to end up floating five feet above the ground anyway.” She winked at Gabriel, who chuckled and took the last few spoonfuls of his soup. Jak watched him eat, marvelling at how little hunger she felt.

  “Elva wants me to brand her and some of the others.” she said after a while.

  Gabriel put down his bowl, empty now. “And you’re wondering if it’s a good idea.”

  Jak nodded. “Part of me doesn’t want to risk it, but another part can acknowledge that it would be incredibly helpful. At the very least we could cut back on the rations.”

  “Do you think you’re up to the job?” Gabriel asked.

  “Maybe. I did successfully give Skellig a Healing brand. We haven’t seen any signs that it’s harmful.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Ultimately, I think that decision is yours to make. You know the risks of turning someone, but you are also something we haven’t seen before in recent history. You miraculously have the gift of giving more than one brand. Perhaps it would be best to use that gift to its fullest. But I, for one, will not blame you if you choose otherwise. That is not a decision that anyone can make for you.”

  Jak stood, feeling a new strength filling her that had nothing to do with her brands. “Thank you, Gabriel.”

  “Anytime, Jak.” he said, choosing that moment to stand up himself. “I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but I trust you.”

  Ordinarily, Jak would have grimaced at the remark. People kept saying it to her lately. But right now she had other things to think about. With a last farewell to Gabriel, she made her way to where Seph and his followers generally stayed.

  Once there, it didn’t take her long to make her way to Elva’s small tent. She peeked her head inside and found the woman asleep. Well that made sense. She had been out all night sending their message to the queen. She was about to leave and come back later, when Elva’s voice spoke up.

  “Lady Oren?” she muttered, blinking at the light coming through the tent flap. She cleared her throat. “What can I do for you?”

  “It’s what I can do for you that brings me here,” said Jak. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I have something you’ll want to hear.”

  In an instant, Elva was on her feet. Jak smiled as she saw the glimmer of hope on the woman’s face. “Yes?” was all she said, but her eyes never left Jak’s.

  “I have decided to give additional brands to you and any others you trust.”

  Elva breathed out a long sigh that ended in a choking sob. Or perhaps it was laughter. She breathed in again as if not finding the right words to say, and brought her hands up to cup her own face.

  Jak couldn’t help but smile. “It’s okay, you can say something.”

  “Thank you so much, Lady Oren. I will do what I can to be worthy of your gifts.”

  “I do have some conditions,” Jak said. “Only people that you or Seph personally know and trust, and I’m only giving passive brands. No Flamedancer or Telekinesis.” She didn’t mention that she couldn’t even perform the latter. She didn’t want to give Elva too many doubts of her abilities.

  Elva nodded. “Those are acceptable terms.” She didn’t even bat an eyelash at not getting the more weaponized brands. That was good. She wasn’t power hungry at least.

  “Gather a handful of the others and come see me in one hour,” Jak said, turning to go back to her tent. “At the council circle. And try not to make a scene. I suppose people will find out about it eventually but for now I don’t want everyone crowding around my tent asking for more brands.”

  Elva’s eyes glinted. “Of course, we wouldn’t want that,” she said, knowing full well that was exactly what she had done.

  An hour later, Jak sat on the stump in the small clearing near the river where they held their council meetings. Across from her stood Elva and about twelve others she had brought. That was a few more than Jak wanted, but she supposed she could still do what she needed to do. Branding that many people with several brands each would probably drain her, but it might be worth it. She could see the eagerness in each of their eyes. Not the eagerness of greed or lust for power, but the eagerness of a child about to receive a present on their naming day.

  Seph was also standing beside them, as was Gabriel, who had figured out what Jak was doing not long after she left him. He didn’t caution her, for which Jak was grateful. He knew that she understood the risks of what she was about to do.

  “You all know why you’re here?” She asked them. A chorus of nods greeted her. “And you all realized the potential danger of what I can do?”

  Again, each of them nodded, still with that eager look in their eyes. Jak went on. She had to make sure they fully understood the worst case scenario here. “If I fail, you will either die or become a demon, after which we would be forced to kill you.”

  Nothing but resolute stares. Jak met the eyes of each person in the group. None had even the barest hint of hesitation in their eyes. Elva, most of all, stood eager and ready. Seph had his arms folded to the side, watching closely but saying nothing. He had elected not to have a brand, though not because he was against them. Instead he...actually Jak wasn’t exactly sure why. He hadn’t talked about it much.

  Jak offered a hand to Elva. “I think it’s only fitting that you go first.”

  Elva let out another breath and knelt next to the stump. Once again, that uncomfortable feeling entered Jak’s chest as she saw Elva all but worship her, kneeling to her like this. The way the woman looked at Jak, it was like she was a queen. No, more than a queen. But what, Jak didn’t know. What she did know was that Elva was loyal, perhaps more so than any other person in her camp. And that deserved something in return.

  Jak concentrated, speaking her truth to her Gifter brand, allowing it to activate. The dark lines on her left hand turned suddenly a bright white. Jak conjured an image in her mind, one of several dark lines converging to a point and a small circle at the end. She imagined the shape as a complete object, as something whole and immovable. That was how you imagined a Healing brand.

  Elva’s sharp intake of breath signalled to Jak that the brand was taking hold. She looked down at the woman’s hand to see the black lines of the Healing brand etch into Elva’s skin, just above her first brand of Hungerless.

  Finally, Jak let her magic die, and Elva was left with a second brand. For a moment, no one said anything. They were all waiting to see what would happen. Would Elva turn into a demon, or had Jak been successful?

  Jak, however, knew from the moment the brand had finished coalescing on Elva’s skin that it had worked. She had performed that brand countless times by now. It was one of the first taught at the College of Skyecliff, and she had already given it to Skellig several weeks earlier. The brand was a success.

  Elva stared down at her hand, her eyes wide, waving her fingers as if not believing what she saw. Then tears began to stream down her face, and she flung herself at Jak. She nearly recoiled but instead wrappe
d her arms around the woman, letting her share her gratitude. “Thank you!” Elva sobbed into Jak’s shoulder. “Thank you so much. You don’t know what this means to me.”

  Jak could admit, Elva was right on that count. It was only a brand, after all. It wouldn’t save her from a mortal wound or anything. Elva’s reaction did seem a bit much, but she had been asking for this ever since Jak returned from Mt. Harafast. Jak supposed it must have been important to her.

  “Hang on,” she said, catching Elva’s arm as she broke the embrace and was about to return to her spot among the others. “I’m not done.”

  Elva’s eyes widened as Jak activated her Gifter brand again and began working on the Toughness brand. That would give Elva a much needed edge in battle, making it harder for her bones to break or her skin to rupture. With Toughness, one could fall from fifty feet and walk away without a scratch. When that was finished, Jak followed up with Sleeplessness, another useful passive brand. Now Elva would only need a few hours of sleep a week, if that.

  Elva already had Hungerless, so she stopped at those three brands. “I’m afraid that’s all I will do for now,” she said to a now speechless Elva. The woman nodded and took a few steps back to join her comrades. She didn’t look at them though, instead she was staring at her left arm where all four of her brands now lay.

  The others crowded in around Elva to get a closer look, some in awe, others with what looked like relief that Elva was still herself. Jak could identify with that.

  “Who’s next?” Jak called out to the others.

  They could not have lined up faster. One by one they offered their arms to Jak. All of them already had one brand or another. Some had Hungerless like Elva, a common brand for low-born citizens. Others had Toughness or Strength. One young man even had Thunder, which surprised Jak. Thunder wasn’t one she saw often, seeing as Flamedancing was usually the more effective of the two, unless there was a storm present.

  She gave brands to each of them, making sure they all had Healing, Toughness, Hungerless, and Sleeplessness. Those were the most important passive brands. Perhaps in the future she would allow for some others, but she didn’t want to unwittingly provide a weapon to someone who would use it for harm.

  After about a half-hour later, she had finished giving out all of the brands. As she expected, she felt exhausted, though she also felt a strange elation, like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Sure, she was still an Oren, the only person in their company who could give multiple brands. But that responsibility seemed somehow diminished now that others had these extra abilities. Not everything lay on her anymore. At least, not as much as there had been before.

  “Rest up,” she said to each of them. A few of them chuckled. They wouldn’t need rest now that they had Sleeplessness. She caught Seph’s eye, and he smiled at her. This was a good thing she had done today. “I’m serious,” she said, addressing them again. “Don’t let your brands make you cocky. Tomorrow we face the queen.”

  4

  Even from a clear distance, Jak could see the queen. She sat on horseback several hundred yards ahead of them, along with a handful of her personal guard, and likely a few counselors too. Jak sat on a horse with Skellig on another. Seph sat behind her, and Gabriel behind Skellig. A few bodyguards surrounded them but they had come on foot, since they had very few horses. They didn’t need the human bodyguards necessarily, since they also had the Shadow Fae invisible at their sides, but they needed to keep up appearances at least.

  Jak swallowed as they continued to approach the queen’s entourage. This was not an encounter she looked forward to, but it was necessary if they wanted a chance at a peaceful resolution to all of this. They had huge advantages with what the Fae were capable of, but the queen’s army was much larger, and Jak didn’t want to test their capabilities in battle.

  A gust of wind sent Jak’s hair flying behind her, and the chill air gave her goose flesh. The Shadow Fae were close around them but she couldn’t help the feeling that they were too exposed. The queen’s army was still far behind the queen herself, and they could see nothing else in all directions but the river to their left and the empty grasslands to their right.

  No, she had the advantage here, even if the queen didn’t know it. She tightened her grip on the staff that lay in her hands, the Pillar of Eternity. The queen would know nothing about it, about what it could do. Jak still wasn’t even sure she knew. But she was sure that if she needed it, the power would come to her as it had on the slopes of Mt. Harafast. She hadn’t tested it since, but she could feel the power humming just below the sleek surface of the staff. It waited to be called.

  Yes, the queen had no idea what she was dealing with.

  Jak increased her pace, taking long strides until they closed the distance between themselves and the queen. As they approached, the queen met Jak’s eyes from her own horse. Jak met that stare.

  The queen’s face was obscured behind a small veil, something she had been known to use in public. Her riding outfit looked like it was made of the most expensive leathers and silks, but it was also practical for riding. She wore no headdress but her hair was pulled back in a tight bun and pinned with a golden brooch.

  “I’m surprised you actually came,” said the queen, peering down at Jak. “And without your pets.”

  Jak bristled, “They’re people, and of course I came. I want a peaceful solution as much as anyone.”

  “And yet, you continue to amass a rebellion against me.”

  “That’s not what this is.”

  “Is it not? How else should I interpret a gathering of known hostiles in a place like this?” Her voice was pitched higher than Jak remembered. Was she perhaps scared?

  Movement from one of the others distracted Jak. She turned her head to see one of the queen’s dignitaries or advisors. Jak didn’t recognize him, but what caught her off guard was that the man seemed to be shaking. He looked...terrified. Something was wrong.

  “Jak,” Seph whispered from behind her. “That’s not the queen.”

  “What?” she said aloud, and began to turn her head to face him, when more movement caught her eye. The bodyguards next to the queen began sprinting forward, their fingers reaching for her. She leapt back just in time.

  “Get her!” The queen yelled and turned her horse back. Yes, now that Jak was listening, that definitely wasn’t the queen’s voice. No wonder she used that veil. She was hiding her true face. The real queen probably used it in public to keep people from knowing what she actually looked like.

  From all around them, gray figures seemed to flow out of the grass where they had been hiding. A few dozen at least. They had been waiting for them.

  The figures pushed forward, spooking the horses and knocking the nobles off as they did so. These were no ordinary guards. Their faces were hooded, and they were cloaked from head to toe in a shimmering gray that blended into the dim light of dawn. Few could have spotted them crouched in the grasslands. Only their hands were uncovered, and their fingers reached for Jak as they ran forward. Jak stumbled backward in an attempt to get away.

  The closest of them stopped in his tracks, his fingers mere inches from reaching Jak. Grunting, he strained against some invisible force that held him back. Then one of the Shadow Fae was there, materializing out of thin air.

  The gray-clad figure hesitated only for a moment before grabbing the Fae securely by the arm. With a sickening sizzle, the Shadow Fae screamed and died before Jak’s very eyes.

  These men were Blood-burners.

  “Don’t let them touch you!” Jak cried as she sent a spurt of flame flying at the nearest attacker. He dodged and came at her along with several of his companions. Jak could hear Skellig shouting something, but she didn’t have time to listen as she fended off her attackers with waves of flame magic. But from the way they avoided her attacks, one would think they also had brands of Grace. These were elite warriors, trained killers. And there were many of them.

  That left Jak with only on
e option.

  Feeling the cool hum beneath her fingers, Jak called on the magic of the Pillar of Eternity. Time froze around her in an instant, and Jak breathed a sigh of relief as she stared at those bare fingers of the assassin in front of her. Another second and those fingers would have found her throat.

  She straightened and looked around her. Skellig was fighting off one assassin with her own burst of flame magic, with Gabriel and Seph behind her. Most of the assassins were gathered around Jak, though. They knew she was the greater threat. That was good.

  Jak could tell from the slow movement of Skellig’s flame attack, that time wasn’t completely still. It had just slowed considerably. She had to act.

  Doing her best to avoid touching the skin of the Blood-burners, she pushed each of them away from where Skellig and the others stood. It felt like trying to move a large object through water, but it was effective. For an instant, she let the magic drop and as time resumed each of the assassins went flying in the direction she had sent them. Cries of surprise echoed across the clearing as each one arced through the air. They were cries of pain as well. Many clutched their sides as they fell. Jak winced. She had probably broken some bones when she pushed them at that speed. She would have to be careful when using this magic.

  Once she was sure that the attackers were all down, she activated the magic again, barely giving Skellig and the others a chance to look confused at what had just happened. This time, Jak turned to face the enemy camp. It was time she had a little chat with the queen, the real queen.

  In no particular rush, she strode ahead towards her enemies. On the way, she passed the decoy queen, frozen in time as she galloped back as fast as her horse could take her.

  It was a strange sensation, entering the enemy camp and staring around at all the soldiers frozen like statues around her. No sounds came from any direction, which was perhaps the most unnerving part of using the Pillar of Eternity.