Into Storm

by Jason Hamilton

  “I don’t like that line of thinking, Gabriel,” said Yewin. “Shutting ourselves off can only lead to less understanding, not more.”

  “I agree,” said Gabriel, and grit his teeth. “I don’t see many positive outcomes out of all this, short of killing Cain. But even then, what would we do about the queen?”

  Jak swallowed. That question had been what had haunted her for the last few days now. The only solution she saw was one in which they replaced the queen with their own rule. And that idea did not appeal to her at all. For one, she wasn’t fit to be a queen, and she wasn’t sure who she would trust with that kind of a responsibility. Skellig maybe, but even she made some pretty ruthless decisions at times. Was that what the kingdom needed? And would everyone even agree to follow someone like Skellig? Jak was fairly certain that they would not.

  “Maybe we’ll know more once I speak to the queen,” she said. She pushed back the thought of telling them her doubts about what might be necessary. Better to wait to discuss that when they had more time and information to go on.

  Naem opened his mouth as if to say something to Jak, but he was interrupted by Yewin, who hadn’t noticed. “Very well, Jak. I’m sure you know to be careful.”

  Gabriel also nodded in agreement. “We don’t know what she has planned. See to it you use that—” he pointed at the Pillar of Eternity, “—to ensure she doesn’t get a chance to get the drop on you.”

  Jak nodded. “I will.” With that, she turned, took a deep breath, and began marching towards the incoming royal army.

  She hadn’t made it twenty paces when a voice sounded from behind. “Jak,” it said. Jak’s eyes closed, but she did not stop walking.

  “Now’s not a good time, Naem,” she said as she marched.

  “I know, but from the way you look at me, I’m not sure there will ever be a good time. And I told you, I don’t need to talk about our relationship.”

  He pulled up alongside her, but she still did not stop her forward momentum. “So what do you want?” she asked.

  “I don’t think you should go to the queen alone,” he said. “You don’t know what she’s planning.”

  “And you haven’t seen what I can do with the Pillar of Eternity.”

  “Exactly,” he said, surprising her. “She has seen that power, and she’s not a fool.”

  “If you’re so worried, why didn’t you say something back there. Maybe the others would have agreed with you.” Or maybe they would have sided with her, and Naem would have seen how stupid he was being.

  “I think they knew they couldn’t stop you if they tried.”

  She rounded on him, “or maybe, they don’t think I’m as incapable as you seem to think.”

  “What? No, you’re very capable. More than any of us.”

  “Then I don’t see why I need your help.”

  “Because one person can’t go up against a huge army. And what happens if the Pillar of Eternity creates more of those trolls? Do you have a plan on dealing with them?”

  Jak’s lip curled. Seph hadn’t said any of these things. He had wished her well. He trusted her. Naem on the other hand couldn’t seem to realize that she didn’t want to be bothered by him. How had she found herself so attracted to the Watcher boy before? That was definitely one imperfection she was glad to have rectified.

  “I don’t need to explain myself to you,” she said, turning back towards the army. They were almost within bow shot now. It was probably about time to use the Pillar of Eternity before going closer. The queen’s probably had word that she was on her way by now.

  “Look, I’ve been sneaking around the queen and those loyal to her for months now. Ever since you left. I’m just saying it might help to have me along.”

  “I don’t want you, Naem,” she called back. “If you want to help, go back and work with the others to clear the pass so we can leave.”

  He did not respond, and she did not look back. But from what she could hear, he was not following her. Good. Now that was over…

  She called on the magic of the Pillar of Eternity. Blessed silence greeted her as time froze. For the first time that night, she felt at peace. With this power, she had all the time in the world. She didn’t have to feel rushed, or worry about Naem coming to nag at her. She could just take a few deep breaths and focus on one thing at a time. And right now, that meant getting to the queen.

  As she neared, she could clearly see the front line of soldiers. There were a few archers with their bows at the ready, though none looked like they were getting ready to fire on her last position. Hopefully the queen had not given orders to fire on her as she approached, not that they could hurt her anyway. The queen likely knew that.

  She wove her way through the ranks, doing her best not to bump into the soldiers. Seeing as, to them, she was moving at breakneck speed, even the slightest touch would send one of them flying. Best to avoid that where possible. And if she managed to touch one of them on their skin, it might bring them into the bubble she had created around herself, meaning they would move at a higher speed as well. At least for as long as their connection remained.

  Finally she made it past the front line, searching for a more heavily-guarded center position, one where she might find the queen. Maybe on a horse or…

  There. Not far from where she stood, she could see a group of armed guards. That had to be where the queen was. She approached, stepping carefully so as to avoid touching anyone. All of the guards were packed rather close together, and wearing leather armor which was odd. But they were heavily armed. They knew that the queen would be in danger if they came this close.

  They were right to fear. They just didn’t realize how futile their little preparations were.

  Managing to squeeze past an elite archer of some kind, she entered a small clearing made by a circle of heavily armed guards and archers. And in the center was the queen. She wore those same riding clothes that her decoy had worn on that first day when she had tried to have Jak assassinated.

  For a second, Jak hesitated. The queen was right there. She could just as easily kill the woman as blink. Then all of their troubles would be over. The army would enter into chaos, and those that hated the Fae would no longer have a leader at their helm. It would be so easy…

  Once again, a tiny voice in the back of her head whispered to her. What is right is never easy. She closed her eyes and sighed. The little voice was right, of course.

  For the second time now, she wondered what the source of that voice was. Was it the Pillar of Eternity? Before, when the Pillar had mysteriously reached out to her, it had been easier to discern. This time she wasn’t sure. Was it even a real voice, or was it just in her head?

  Shaking off the momentary distraction, she turned her attention back to the queen. If she could not kill the woman, or would not, then it was time to have one last conversation with her.

  She stepped forward, reaching out to touch the exposed skin of the queen’s pale hand.

  To her credit, the queen did not react as surprised this time. She merely blinked and stared down at her hand.

  “I assumed I would see you sooner or later. That was quite some show you put on out there.” She gestured at the rain clouds that no longer thundered. There was not even a flicker of fear on her face. Well of course not. She had to put on some kind of facade after all.

  “I’ve come to make peace,” said Jak.

  “We’ve talked about this already,” said the queen. Her voice was bored. Bored! Did she not know how close Jak had been to killing her on the spot? “I can’t exactly ignore the Fae as they are, and you’ve already proven that I can’t trust you. After what happened to certain of my men…”

  “That was not me,” said Jak. “They were turning into Fae, like all the others.”

  “After exposure to your little toy there?” said the queen. “Yes, we suspected as much.”

  “Then you know that I had no intentions of harming you. So why then would you break your oath to leave us in pea
ce?”

  “Simple, girl. The people would not have it. One thing you’ll learn, if you ever get to that point, is that a ruler simply can’t rule without the people’s consent. When their friends changed before their eyes and began attacking those they had served with for years and years, well you can imagine that my little promise, that we never formalized I might add, meant very little to them. Once we recovered from our losses I promised we would attack as soon as reinforcement arrived from Tradehall.”

  Jak grit her teeth. “Even when you knew that I could decimate your army before any of them could blink?”

  The queen met her eyes squarely. “Yes.”

  She said it so plainly, so directly, that it took Jak aback. “Why?” she asked.

  “Because I believe myself to be a better judge of character than you seem to think. I knew you would not kill me without at least presenting your case one last time. I figured we could have a little chat.” She shifted her weight onto her heels, nearly leaning into the guard behind her, though Jak kept a firm grip on the queen’s hand. “So, I’ve explained the predicament I am in. Perhaps you would like to present solutions.”

  Jak took a deep breath. Was the queen really willing to listen? Or was she up to something? Jak glanced around, but there was no way the guards could hurt her while she was using the Pillar of Eternity. They wouldn’t even be able to see her at this speed. The queen herself held no weapons. Jak met the queen’s eyes.

  “Very well. Let’s talk.”

  “Alright. As I explained, I can’t go against the wishes of my people. So I suggest we start by discussing how we can tactfully explain to them that you are not a threat.”

  Jak brought her lips together. “I did just kill off all of the demons.”

  “Hm, yes you did do that. And I suppose the enlightened would see that as being at odds with the assumption that you are in league with them.”

  “Only the enlightened? Shouldn’t it be obvious?”

  “You would think so, but even I can think of a half-dozen explanations for it. You slaughtered them to gain our trust, you are two warring factions among demonkind, or perhaps they were all an illusion. To name a few.”

  “But they weren’t any of those things.”

  Queen Telma laughed. Actually laughed! “Girl, if you really want to play at this leader business you must learn some things. Chief among them is that the truth does not matter, only that which people believe matters. And we are instrumental in crafting that truth for them.”

  “I can’t believe that.”

  “You see, even you cannot accept truth when it stares you in the face.” The queen shrugged. “Well I guess you are still young.”

  “Stop patronizing me and talk real solutions,” said Jak, her eyes flashing.

  “I was hoping you would have ideas,” said the queen. “If I had some we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”

  Jak grit her teeth. If she didn’t know better, she’d say that the queen was stalling. But there was nothing to stall for. Everyone else around them was frozen in…

  Something thudded into her from behind, something sharp. She blinked, her breath caught in her throat. A slow, thin smile spread across the queen’s lips. “Well done, Jerrik.” Who was she talking to? There was no one else but…

  And then the pain caught up with her. White hot and agonizing, it spread from her back to her front. Jak looked down to see the bloodied tip of a long, thin sword protruding from her chest, just below her collar bone. What...what was…

  She fell to her knees in front of the queen, letting go of the woman’s hand. The Pillar of Eternity clattered to the ground.

  23

  Motion sprang to life around her. All of the guards surrounding the queen pointed swords and spears at her. It was like they knew she was there all along. But how could that be possible? Jak reached out a hand to summon her Thunder brand. But nothing came. The firelight surrounding them was beginning to blur in her eyes.

  “What…” she managed to croak out.

  The queen stared down her nose at Jak. “Did you really think that I would negotiate with a child? And you, of all people, the one who ransacked Skyecliff and killed many of my best men.”

  Jak choked and something dark flew onto the ground. She wiped at her mouth with her sleeve. It was blood. “But you said…”

  “I said what you wanted to believe. I did not lie when I said that truth is only what you make of it. The trick to any monarch is to find the truths that will reap the greatest advantage, both for those that follow us, and those that do not.”

  Jak tried to say, “I will never believe that,” but the words were lost as she choked again. The queen smiled and knelt next to Jak.

  “You had me worried for a while there,” she whispered so that only Jak could hear. “I admit, I honestly didn’t know how we were going to stop you. But after our last encounter you gave me an idea. I realized that bringing someone into...whatever sort of time bubble you create with this thing…” she reached for the Pillar of Eternity.

  Jak’s eyes widened and summoning all her remaining strength she clutched at the Pillar, grabbing hold of it. Desperate, she tried to reach for its magic, to get her out of there. Anything that would help her escape, or stop the pain. But its magic did not come to her. Relics, it hurt so much. She couldn’t concentrate.

  The queen smiled. She knew Jak was helpless, and that she would have used the Pillar to escape if she could. Yes, she knew Jak was completely at her mercy. “We’ll take that staff off your corpse soon enough. Regardless, I was eventually able to figure it out. If I could keep my personal guard close, close enough to touch, than all I would need to do is touch one of them while you held me in the grip of...that thing’s magic.”

  Jak tried to breath, and it was not easy. She stared behind the queen at the nearest guard. That’s why they were all standing so close. They needed to touch each other. Jak tried to turn and stare behind her. Pain flashed in her chest, and she nearly fell off her knees to her side. But she saw enough to know that the person who had stabbed her was connected by a string of hands all the way to the queen. They had been brought into the time bubble with Jak and Telma, and Jak hadn’t even noticed.

  At a signal from the queen, the guard behind Jak pulled the long blade out. The pain redoubled, and this time Jak did fall to her side. If she hadn’t been so focused on just taking her next breath, she would have screamed. She had a Healing brand. It would be working now, doing its best to knit the wound together. If she could get away she might still have a chance of living. But a stab wound through the chest, that would take days to heal fully, and that was if she could get away and stop the bleeding.

  Her thoughts clouded, as did her eyes. She was loosing too much blood. She would pass out in a second if something…

  “Finish her off,” said the queen. Tears of pain and loss clouded Jak’s vision further. This was it, she was going to die here. Not in a blaze of glory fighting Cain, not overcome by hordes of demons, but lying broken in front of a corrupt queen.

  The guard behind the queen stepped forward, pulling a thin sword off his back.

  Jak summoned all the strength she had left in her, both her own and that of her brand, and brought herself back to her knees. An ordinary human would not have been able to fight through the pain, but she was not an ordinary human. White-hot pain blossomed in her chest, but she pushed herself upright. She would meet her death head on, not curled up and bleeding on the ground. She faced the guard as he held the sword above his head, reading to swing it down on her skull.

  “Persistent to the end,” said the queen. “I will say I admire that about you. In another life you would have found a place of honor at my side. But I’m afraid I can’t risk letting you live. A pity.”

  She turned away with a wave of her hand at the guard. He pulled back the sword, aimed directly at her face. She stared him down, her bloody lips pressed tightly together, warding off the pain and fear, replacing it with pure defiance. Nae
m had been right. Coming here alone had been a mistake, even after all that power she wielded. She had let it get to her head, made her complacent. And she would pay for it now with her life.

  Hopefully the others would learn from her mistakes. Hopefully they would run, and not fight back, not try to take out their vengeance over her death. The Fae needed to survive. That was what mattered most.

  Shouting sounded behind her, but she did not turn to look. She kept her eyes fixed on the man in front of her, bearing the instrument of her death. His eyes, however, glanced at something over her shoulder. What was he looking at now? The queen had disappeared behind a wall of soldiers. And Jak’s vision was closing in on her. She could see nothing but her executioner and his weapon. The man brought his attention back to Jak just long enough to finally bring his sword down.

  Perhaps the power of the Pillar of Eternity still worked, for Jak saw his arms descend as if in slow motion. It sped through the air, right at her head, growing larger in her vision.

  Then, out of nowhere, two hands reached out from above and behind her, and slapped on either side of the blade, pinning it in place.

  The hand belonged to a person who leapt over Jak in one fluid motion, his feet kicking out into the air as he did so to knock the sword out of the guard’s hand. Suddenly time sped up again and everything seemed to happen at once.

  Her savior was Naem. Even as her vision blurred in the dark of night, she could tell it was him by the way he fought. No one had the mastery over Grace like he did. No one could duck and weave, parry and strike like he could. Even the queen’s guard, at least one of whom had to be branded with Grace himself, could not keep up with him.

  Naem froze in midair as a Telekinetic seized hold of him with his mind. Jak spun her head to find the culprit. He was standing not far away with his arms out, in an attempt to mentally hold Naem in place while someone else dealt the killing blow.