Into Storm

by Jason Hamilton

The big troll roared, again trying to communicate something to his comrade. But the enemy troll merely shook its head, either as an answer or to recover from the recent blow, before launching itself once more at its larger opponent. The giant Fae caught his companion in its arms as it tried to knock him over, his feet sliding a bit on the stone ground. Jak caught a glimpse of its eyes. They were...sad.

  With a ripping sound that made Jak flinch, the larger troll tore the one remaining arm off of his companion. The smaller troll bellowed in agony, and dropped to its knees. One-arm continued to scream in that earthy roar, before its enemy gave it one last, massive blow to the head. Its screams cut off, and it fell to the ground with a thud that shook the ground around them.

  All was silent for half a second, before the larger of the trolls roared into the night air. It was not one of triumph, it was one of despair. It had just become the first Fae to kill another of its kind.

  Its eyes turned to consider its brothers still trapped in the stone wall. Then it spoke in a loud, bellowing voice. Jak could almost understand the words that it said, though its voice was so different from that of a human, that she couldn’t really make it out. The other trolls seemed to understand though. They responded in equally loud, but somewhat less aggressive tones. They were submitting themselves to their new leader.

  “I...I think we won’t have to worry about them anymore,” Jak said, feeling out of breath though she hadn’t done anything to personally participate in the recent battle.

  Skellig glanced at her and swallowed. “I hope you’re right. Because if that one wanted, he could probably devastate this company.”

  “I never got a chance to tell you, but I met this one in Riverbrook. We formed a connection of some kind. I don’t think he will hurt us. Not as long as we do nothing to provoke it.”

  Ignoring their conversation, the giant Fae smashed one shoulder into the rocky barrier the gnomes, Water Fae, and Flamedancers had erected. It shuddered and buckled under his massive form. Again, the troll rammed itself into the wall, and again. Finally, it broke under his pounding. Jak and the others took a few steps backward as massive clouds of dust rose out of the crumbling rubble.

  Now was the moment of truth. Jak braced herself as the other trolls, these Fae of Energy, shook the remaining stone and rubble off their torsos. If they attacked…

  But they did not attack. One by one, they took steps closer to the large one. They gave no physical sign of obeisance, but each one faced their new leader with an air of respect. Something about the way they stood confirmed what Jak hoped. They would follow this new leader of theirs, and the rest of them could relax. The trolls were no longer an immediate threat to Jak and her army.

  Skellig stood like she was ready to run at any moment. But time passed and the trolls gave no indication that they would attack. Their new leader turned towards them, towards Jak. She nodded at the giant Fae. He nodded back. Yes, they were safe from this group, thank the ancestors.

  As if knowing that sticking around would stress the rest of them out, the big troll waved one arm as if telling the rest of the trolls to follow. One by one, they retreated through the rubble of the rock wall, and back into the mountain pass. Their leader met Jak’s eyes and continued pointing. She thought she understood.

  “You’ll wait for us back there?” she asked.

  He nodded, arm still raised.

  “Very well. We’ll finish what we have left to do, then we will join you.”

  A grunt was the only reply before the troll turned to follow his companions down the windy road that led further into the mountains. Jak could almost feel the collective sigh of relief from everyone around her as he disappeared.

  Jak shrugged inwardly. She was fairly certain that the trolls would no longer provide any kind of threat, but it would take time to convince everyone else of that.

  “Well, I’d say that was handled about as well as anyone could have hoped.” Gabriel’s voice was cheery. Both he and Skellig came to stand next to Jak. “Now may I ask what exactly happened back there with the demons? All we saw was the mountainside light up with an unnatural thunderstorm. The sound was deafening.”

  “It’s a long story…” said Jak, bracing herself.

  She caught them up on the battle, leaving nothing out, though she didn’t mention how she felt with all that power coursing through her. Best not to cause any alarm. As she spoke, they all began walking back towards the main battlefield, now that their little crisis with the trolls was at an end. Gabriel’s jaw dropped as he saw the remains of the thousands of demons among the grass, wisps of smoke still rising from the bodies of some. Though Jak was busy focusing on the queen’s army. They had stopped, which was good. But if they came any closer...

  “You did all of this?” Skellig said. She sounded like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing, and said nothing of the queen.

  “Not just me,” said Jak. “I formed a link with Yewin and that large troll you just met.”

  “And you’re saying the troll is what gave you the power to do this?” Gabriel said, equally amazed.

  “I guess. The link with the troll was different than the others. It seemed to be made of the energy I needed to perform the link. Before I would drain that energy out of the Fae. But this time it didn’t make a difference. I was even able to channel some of that energy back into Yewin, to keep him from weakening.”

  “Incredible,” said Gabriel, moving among the dead bodies of demons. “We’ve never seen the Thunder brand do anything like this. What you’ve managed to achieve with the link to these trolls...”

  “It may be the key to everything,” said a voice from behind them. Jak and the others turned to see Yewin approaching them. His body was as bright as ever, and a healthy color surrounded his face. “I can see the truth in it. Those trolls are literally the missing link. Their absence was the reason we could not link properly in the first place.”

  “Their element is what gives all living things life,” said Jak. “I could feel it. We all have the same energy, but compared to us, they’re like a mountain standing next to a pebble. It was more power than I’ve ever felt.”

  Skellig gave her a flat stare as she said that. Did she suspect the temptation Jak had faced? But the major said nothing.

  “I’ve heard some theorize this,” said Gabriel thoughtfully. “Some suspect that what powers the brain is the same thing that powers a storm, though on a smaller, more controlled level. This could have serious ramifications in academia.”

  “Indeed,” confirmed Yewin. “But I was thinking of its import in more relevant matters, like the formation of Illadar.”

  “I don’t catch your meaning.” Gabriel cocked his head.

  “The young Seph, and his book, they mention that these trolls will be instrumental in the creation of Illadar, whatever that place ultimately entails.”

  That much was true, though Jak didn’t really like the idea. She still didn’t know what Illadar meant. Was such a place of peace brought about because of the power she would wield? Would peace come as a result of fear? Fear of her? She already knew that she could take out the queen and any army the woman threw at her. Was that the source of peace? Because it didn’t feel very peaceful. A quick glance to the north told her that the queen was still advancing. Perhaps she would have to do something about the monarch sooner rather than later.

  “I’m going to have to read that book in its entirety,” said Skellig. “After everything that’s happened, I think I can finally say: I’m a believer.”

  Jak glanced around at the Watchers and Fae who were busy recovering the bodies of the dead and wounded. Where was Seph? Her stomach did a somersault. He couldn’t be…

  Forgetting about Gabriel, Skellig, and Yewin, she dashed ahead, passing by the Fae and Watchers that carried the dead. She glanced at each one as she went.

  “Seph,” she called out. “Seph!”

  There weren’t many dead, not nearly as many as Jak would have feared before this all started, but
she didn’t spend much time rejoicing over that fact. Those that had been recovered were lined up next to each other, each one carried there by one of the Watchers or Fae. Less than a dozen, and none of them were Seph.

  But not all the dead were accounted for yet, she’d have to order a full headcount. “Seph!” she yelled again, this time turning away from the main group and running into the field where the battle had taken place. Seph didn’t have any kind of brand or combat training. He wouldn’t have been foolish enough to try and fight, would he? A demon would have torn him to pieces.

  She scanned the ground, searching for any non-demon bodies. If she didn’t find him here, perhaps he was back towards the mountain pass. That would make more sense for a non-combatant like him.

  Yes, that was more likely where he was. He had to be. Because if he wasn’t…

  A groan reached her ears, and her head snapped towards the sound. It was coming from just up ahead.

  Sprinting, she covered the distance in a single bound. Someone was there, underneath a demon corpse. Without pausing to think, she pushed the body away and revealed a bloodied Seph underneath. Red blood. He was hurt!

  “Seph!” she cried, her voice catching in her throat. A wave of something both euphoric and unpleasant passed through her, and her knees grew weak. “I’ve got you.”

  Seph groaned again as she helped him sit up. “Was that storm your doing?” he said, shaking his head as if to clear it. “It was about to kill me when a bolt of lightning struck right through it, and it collapsed right on top of me.”

  “You’re bleeding.” Jak said. “I...I think it’s fine.” Seph raised his arm, inspecting a torn and bloodied sleeve. “It only got my arm and I think it missed the artery. Looks worse than it is.”

  “What compelled you to even try to fight like that?” Jak said, standing straight and putting her hands on her hips. He looked at her, stunned at her change in attitude. Well serve him right for worrying her to death like that. “You know you don’t stand a chance in battle.”

  “Thanks,” he said dryly, getting to his feet and wincing as he put pressure on one leg. Like his arm, the leg had a long, shallow gash in it.

  “You’ll have to get those washed,” she said, gesturing at his wounds. “Maybe if we’re lucky we can find a Healer for you. We don’t have any in the camp, so we’ll have to travel to one of the nearby towns.”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “You would be if you just let me brand you like all the others,” she said, hands on hips again. “I can give more than one brand, so if you were worried about which one to pick, you don’t have to anymore.”

  “That was never the issue,” he said, testing his leg by putting extra pressure on it. He took one limping step, but managed to do so without too much difficulty.

  “Well what is, then?”

  “I was told not to.”

  “By whom? They obviously aren’t that smart if they’re keeping you from healing.”

  “Well, since you can give second brands to anyone, why can’t you give someone else a Healer brand? That way they could heal me and there would be no harm done.”

  She opened her mouth to retort, but nothing came out. She hadn’t thought of that. She closed her mouth and put on an air of confidence, like she had known about the idea all along. But his eye twinkled at her. He knew.

  “Well maybe you deserve the extra pain. Might teach you a lesson,” she said, and crossed her arms. But as Seph took another wincing step towards her, she softened. “Come on, we can get someone to look at that at least.”

  “I told you I’ll be fine. And don’t you have other things to worry about right now?” He nodded in the direction of the queen’s army. Jak stared in that direction. Yes, they were very close now. She would have to deal with them soon. The thought brought all the relief of finding Seph crashing back down again. They weren’t out of this yet. First the demons, then the trolls, and now the queen. What would be next after today, would the mountain collapse on them? Or would the dragon at Mt. Harafast come for them? Or Cain himself, now that his army lay desolate.

  “You can go on,” said Seph. “I’ll work my way to the river to get washed up.”

  “And find some fresh bandages.” Jak added, cocking her head at Seph’s bloodied and torn clothes. She hoped Seph was right that the wounds really looked worse than they were.

  “Right, and that,” said Seph. He took a step away from her, towards the nearest part of the river.

  Without thinking, she took a series of rapid steps towards him and wrapped her arms around his torso, bloody sleeves and all. A moment later, he returned the embrace.

  “Don’t do that to me again,” she said.

  “Okay, I won’t,” he said. “Though maybe it would be a good idea for you to teach me some of those techniques you’ve learned.” She looked up at him to see him smiling down at her. He was talking about fighting techniques, right?

  A sudden urge to hold him for a long time nearly overcame her. And maybe a little more than that. But she pushed those feelings aside. Seph needed medical attention, and she had pressing concerns at the moment. She released Seph.

  “I guess I’ll see you when I get back from dealing with the queen.”

  Seph nodded. “Be careful, she will find a way to surprise you if she can.”

  “I will. And…” she searched for words to say, something that would convey what she was feeling for him right now. Nothing adequate came to mind. “I hope you feel better soon,” was what she eventually landed on.

  She faced the army approaching them from the north. They were close enough to hear now, the collective clink of armor and rhythm of marching soldiers drifted to her through the air.

  It was time for this long night to end.

  22

  She stopped briefly to speak to Yewin and Gabriel, who were still surveying the aftermath of the battle. Naem was nearby, helping to carry the dead. Jak avoided meeting his gaze. He was the last person she wanted to talk to right now. After what happened to Seph, and what she was about to do, she couldn’t be distracted by him just now.

  “I’m going to the queen,” she said as she approached Gabriel and Yewin.

  Gabriel nodded at her. “You’re taking that, I assume.” He nodded at the Pillar of Eternity clutched in her hand. She glanced down at it. She had almost forgotten it was there. Her spear had fallen out of her other hand at some point, but something had kept her from letting go of the Pillar. Even though it had done little to serve her in battle, something told her it would soon be useful. Very soon.

  “I’ll need it,” she said. “I doubt I’ll be able to talk to her otherwise.”

  Gabriel nodded. “Well you don’t need me to tell you to be careful.”

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Naem coming closer with interest. Well, now was as good a time to leave as any. She took two steps away towards the queen’s army before Gabriel made one last comment.

  “Before you go, you should know that we discovered something about the demons.”

  Her pace slowed and she turned back to Gabriel and Yewin. “What is it?” she asked, silently cursing as Naem stepped even closer, intrigued by Gabriel’s statement.

  “They’re not all from around here,” said Yewin, standing up after having been bent over to examine one of the demons.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well I was wondering where such a large army came from,” said Gabriel. “Normally we assume most of the demons come from stray travelers, or perhaps an unfortunate farmer who ran afoul of someone like Cain. There has been an increase in disappearances lately. Those without a home in the city, people living on the outskirts. But it’s never been enough to warrant an army of this size. And that’s in addition to the demons that attacked Foothold and Skyecliff.”

  “So where are they coming from?” said Naem, who had come to stand next to Gabriel as he spoke, pretending like he could just come in and be part of their conversation. Like he was important enough t
o be included. Jak pressed her lips together.

  Gabriel, however, didn’t seem to mind the question. “Well, we’re looking at the corpses, and while it’s sometimes difficult to discern after their changes, not to mention the mutilation they inflict on themselves, we think most of them are from outside the kingdom.”

  “You mean like the southern kingdoms?” Jak asked. She had met one of them before, he had been one of the Bright Fae. She didn’t know much about them other than the fact that they had darker skin and hair, and only lightly traded on this side of the mountains. She looked closer at the demon Yewin had been examining. It was hard to tell if it had similar characteristics.

  “Not just the southern kingdoms,” said Yewin. “But we’ve spotted some that were clearly from the east, beyond the sea.”

  Gabriel nodded, adding, “Where Seph is originally from.”

  “Exactly,” Yewin went on. “But it doesn’t stop there. We think there are people here from all over the world. There are demons here that have facial features, or clothing that we don’t recognize. And between the two of us—” he gestured at Gabriel, “—we’ve seen more than most.”

  “So Cain is gathering demons from all over. Do you know how he’s getting around that fast?”

  “Perhaps it hasn’t been recent,” offered Yewin. “It could be that he’s been building a demon army for untold years, but only recently began gathering them into one place.”

  Jak’s thoughts clouded. “That’s not a pleasant thought.”

  “No, it isn’t. But I thought it’s something you should be aware of. It might be something to bring to the queen’s attention as well.”

  Naem sniffed. “She’ll probably just use it as an excuse to blame outsiders for all her troubles, like she blames the Fae now.” Jak folded her arms at Naem. So he was an expert on the queen now? His apparent knowledge of the queen’s faults would have come in handy before he had betrayed Jak to her lackeys in Skyecliff.

  But Gabriel was nodding. “Perhaps, but at least it would reinforce the demons as a threat. Maybe enough for her to leave us alone in order to reinforce her own borders. As detrimental as it would be to things like trade and foreign relations, it might stop more demons to come in from outside.”