Avarice Twilight

by R. A Davidson

  The next thing I know, Barin has whipped the reins, causing the horses to uproar.

  They begin to charge through the crowd, trampling over any in their path. The scene is horrible, with bodies being mangled by the horses' feet and flesh sticking in the wheels. What's more disturbing than that is that none of them are screaming from the pain, and no one seems to mind seeing others getting trampled.

  "The drug really must make them experience quite an amazing dream; how else can one explain this sight," Isla states.

  I turn to look at her. She has such a stern expression. She has built the resolve needed for this. It's the only way one could bear the sight of what Barin is doing.

  Her hand is trembling. Maybe she's just acting tough for me to feel better? She really is a kind person.

  Barin's expression is entirely different. He's so focused… even now.

  "Don't look at me. Keep your eyes on the rooftops," Barin instructs.

  Isla and I look towards the rooftops following Barin's order. Shadows are moving from roof to roof… more mercenaries? Did Barin notice and make the decision to trample through the crowd to outpace them?

  I see something shiny in the darkness, coming from one of the rooftops. I cover Isla on instinct; a sharp ache radiates from my shoulder.

  I scream in pain and grasp my shoulder; there's a bolt protruding from my arm.

  "Asteria!" Isla yells. She immediately examines the wound. "I will have to pull the bolt out, Asteria. The bolt head may stay imbedded, so I will use my magic to remove it," she informs me.

  "Barin, keep the carriage as steady as possible," she orders.

  "Bodies don't make for the smoothest roads," he replies.

  Isla pulls the bolt shaft from my shoulder. I hold in my tears, but I wince from the pain. I thought I'd be able to handle the pain… that I could have the same resolution as the others. No. I need to learn from this pain. I need to get stronger… I will become stronger.

  "Almost done, Asteria. I just have to get the bolt head out. I will change the metal's shape, so it may feel weird," Isla warns.

  I won't let this bother me; I sit up straight. "When you remove the metal, send it back at the one who shot me," I respond.

  Isla doesn't reply to my words, but Barin chuckles at them.

  "Now that's the kind of attitude I like to hear," he comments.

  Isla begins to remove the bolt head. The sensation is strange; it feels like there's a worm wiggling around in my flesh.

  Isla slowly manipulates the metal from the wound. It emerges as a liquid.

  "That is the entirety of the head," she states.

  "Thank you, I can heal my own wound," I remark. "While I do, take out as many of them as you can."

  She smiles at me as she manipulates the metal into several small needles.

  "You can use magic without chanting?" Barin asks.

  "I need chants if I have to create the metal myself. I am just manipulating existing metal at the moment," Isla replies.

  She sends the needles flying towards the rooftops behind us. "Steel Storm," she chants. Metal spears appear in the air around the carriage.

  "I thought that attack fell down from the sky?" I ask.

  "So do those who have experienced the spell. The true purpose of this spell is to attack with precision," she responds. “I cannot let possible enemies know all of my tricks.”

  The spears begin to soar at the rooftops on either side of the street. One by one, Isla aims at the shadows that appear in the dim light.

  My wound has healed; I wish I could do something to help Isla at the moment.

  Barin grabs Isla and pulls her down.

  "What was that for!?" she exclaims.

  Barin points forward; we're almost at the gate to leave the city, and… it's closed. The top of the wall is lined with guards as well. They don't intend to let us escape so easily.

  Barin hands Isla the reins. "Keep the horses straight and hold tight," he orders.

  Isla takes hold of the reins, wrapping them around her wrists. I secure myself the best I can. What does Barin have planned?

  Barin stands. "Pitfall."

  The ground trembles and, suddenly, the wall falls into the ground. A hole has opened in the ground and swallowed the main gate. The screaming from the guards reaches us as they fall into the pit.

  "How do you plan on us getting pass that!?" Isla yells.

  "Stone Causeway," Barin chants.

  The ground rumbles again, this time, rising up from the earth. Within the hole, a pathway starts to form.

  Barin turns around, "I don't have time to make the road smooth, so we'll have a bumpy ride," Barin warns.

  "Are you not planning on taking the reins back?" Isla asks.

  Barin collapses to his knee. "Shit!" he exclaims.

  Barin's body has been pierced by several arrows. He doesn't seem to be fazed by them; instead, he stands back up to survey for enemies.

  I go to stand, so I can count the numbers following us; as soon as I move, Barin shoves me back down.

  "It's too dangerous," he remarks. "I don't know what magic they used, but they can make arrows appear in your body. There must be a condition to it, seeing as they have only now used it," he states.

  The carriage makes it onto the pathway Barin created. The uneven rocks make the carriage shake vigorously. Despite the unstable motion, Barin kneels down to give himself first aid.

  I reach for an arrow to help him pull them out.

  Barin grabs my hand. "Have you ever treated an arrow wound?" he asks.

  "Is it not the same as with the bolt?" I respond.

  Barin sighs. "Guess I can teach you now; that way, you've got future knowledge," he states.

  He takes an arrow that punctured his arm by its shaft. Instead of pulling it out, he pushes it further in… piercing through to the other side.

  "W-what are you doing!?" I yell, panicked.

  "The arrow is close to going all the way through my arm. If you pull the arrow out, the ears will hook into my flesh and rip it out," he replies.

  He then breaks the back end of the arrow off. Finally, he pulls the arrow through the other side of his arm. He's so composed as he does so, not even flinching. It just shows how much more experience he has dealing with these things. It's pathetic that I cried in pain from the bolt being removed.

  I start to heal the arrow wound as Barin moves on to another arrow. Slowly, one by one, we tend to each of his injuries.

  "Would it not be better for me to fight off the assailants?" Isla asks.

  Barin holds his hand out for the reins.

  Isla smiles. "I am pleased that you know I am a better combatant for this situation!" she cheers.

  Barin takes the reins from Isla and hands them to me.

  "W-what are you doing!? I can't steer a wagon!" I exclaim.

  "Time to learn," he jeers. He grabs my wrists. "Keep your arms firm. When you want to move, pull in the direction you want to go," he explains.

  "Is that it?" I ask

  "That, and not getting us killed," he answers. "Just take whatever path you think you can."

  A spear shoots through Barin's shoulder. Before he can react, claws unhinge from its sides. He's pulled into the wagon. "Don't stop the wagon!" he yells just as he disappears behind the cloth.

  "Do not lower your guard or hesitate Asteria, the enemy is attempting to surround us in the trees," Isla states.

  I gaze around; I didn’t even realize that we have already entered the forest.

  I look at the treetops; shadows are leaping from the branches. The wagon almost runs off the road. I panic to reposition us onto the path. This is too scary. I don't want this to be when I learn how to control a horse… let alone multiple.

  "Keep your eyes on the damn road!" Barin screams from the back of the wagon.

  I see a person leap from the trees out of the corner of my eye. He manages to catch the side of the wagon and hang on. What should I do? I doubt I have the capabilities to maneu
ver the wagon in order to shake him off.

  "I will deal with him, focus on the road," Isla states.

  A ball of flames is fired from the trees. It's too large to avoid, even if I could handle a wagon.

  "Iron Defense," Isla chants as she raises her hand.

  Something begins to spiral and group together in front of Isla's hand, getting larger and larger. The spiral forms into a large disk… is it a shield of sorts?

  Will her spell make it in time?

  The disk manages to become large enough to cover the entire side of the wagon. The attack hits… instead of the flames wrapping around the shield, the shield seems to absorb the attack.

  The guy who jumped onto the wagon has made his way next to me. I try to hit him, but as soon as I let go of the reins, the wagon sways off the path.

  Panicking, I grab ahold of the reins again. Isla is defending us from the magic, and I can't control the horses with one hand. What do I do to get him off?

  The guy grabs my arm and pulls me towards him. I clasp the reins, causing the reins to be yanked as well. The wagon runs off the path and into the woods.

  "Let go!" I yell.

  The guy grins at me; he has such a detestable grimace.

  I hand comes from behind me, grabbing the man's wrist. "I told you to stay on the road!" Barin's voice booms.

  The guy winces in pain as he releases me. Immediately, Barin drags him into the back of the wagon. I can hear them rustling in the back as they fight. I wish I could help, but the only thing I can do right now is to keep the wagon straight.

  "Sword Symphony," Isla chants.

  Large swords form in the air, ten this time instead of five.

  How many of them can Isla create? Now isn't the time to think about something like that… I have to do the only thing I can.

  The swords begin spinning and circulate the wagon. Trees start falling down with loud thuds, and a few screams can be heard.

  "Have faith in yourself Asteria!" Isla shouts. "I know you can be counted upon when the situation desperately needs it!"

  Hearing Asteria's words, a fire is lit inside of me. Now I want to accomplish this for more than just survival. I have the trust of Isla and Barin to uphold as well.

  Barin emerges from the back. "Seems we have quite the number chasing us," he remarks.

  I hand the reins back to Barin, but he refuses.

  "What kind of teacher would I be if I let my student slack?" he remarks as he pushes the reins back.

  "If you require something to do, you could help attack the assailants," Isla snaps.

  "What do you think I was doing back there?" he replies. "I was getting information about the mercenaries. Hate to say it, but there're fifteen groups following us. Each group has a minimum of six people… well, that's if they were telling the truth."

  Fifteen groups!? If each mercenary group does have no less than six members… that's ninety enemies! That's only if they have six… if each group has more, then we could possibly be facing a militia.

  We emerge into a clearing, where a horde of people are amassed in front of us.

  "What do I do!?" I franticly ask.

  "Run them over," Barin responds.

  I don't want to, but I'll listen to Barin and keep the horses straight. He has more experience than I do in situations like this; this should be the right course of action.

  I whip the reins to make the horses gallop as fast as they can.

  Barin raises his hand. "Chastising Crows," he chants.

  A black cloud appears in the air; though, it seems to be a solid mass. It begins to bubble and stretch… like something inside is trying to escape. The cloud begins to move towards the group ahead of us. The cloud itself doesn't seem to be moving fast, yet it stays ahead of the wagon.

  Suddenly, it splits into several small clouds… no… it's divided into birds. I say birds, but they're more or less a black mass with wings.

  "Just keep going. The attack will reach before we come upon them,” Barin tells me.

  The weird birds fly towards the group at an increased pace. What will happen once that strange spell hits? The birds make their way into the crowd… nothing happens. All I can make out are some of the people waving their arms about.

  "The crows won't kill them; just keep them distracted until the horse run them over," Barin says.

  "Why not kill them?" Isla asks.

  "I want to grab a few for questioning; the most powerful thing to have in a battle is knowledge, and we don't have enough," he answers.

  I see… Barin really is thinking so far ahead. Instead of sitting around wondering, it would be easier for us to find as many people as we can and see if any information matches. Well, I say we, but it would really be Isla and Barin detaining them.

  A wall appears out of nowhere right in front of us.

  What should I do? Try to turn the wagon? Try to stop the horses?

  Think!

  Think!

  Barin grabs the reins and jerks them towards him. "Brace!" he screams.

  I open my eyes… I'm looking at the sky. Why is the sky so distorted?

  I try to stand. Why won't my body move? My body hurts… why does it hurt? That's right… we were heading headfirst into a wall. We must have hit it. Are Isla and Barin alright? I need to heal them if they're hurt.

  "Can you hear me, Asteria?" a voice calls out.

  I turn my head; Isla is lying next to me.

  "Are you alright Asteria? I believe my leg is broken. Moreover, I do not know Barin's whereabouts," she informs me.

  I have to heal Isla if she's hurt. It's the only thing I can do for her.

  Though I can't feel my body at the moment, I force my arm to move. I struggle to slowly move it to touch Isla.

  Seeing this, Isla grasps my hand. "You should not struggle so much," she fusses.

  I start to heal her, and the more mana I build up, the better my body feels. As I heal Isla, I cast an enchantment on myself to lessen any stress on my body.

  "You can let go Asteria, my leg is healed," she says as she stands. "Get yourself ready as fast as you can. The mercenaries are closing in on our position."

  I can feel strength returning to my body as my vision becomes clearer. I quickly inspect myself for injuries. I'm not bleeding from anywhere, and I don't feel any broken bones, either.

  My head hurts; I guess I hit it hard when we crashed.

  "So, these are the other two?" a mercenary remarks as he approaches us.

  "Iron Golems," Isla chants, summoning four giant golems from the ground.

  "Silver Knights," Isla then chants. This time ten of the smaller golems rise from the ground.

  The Iron Golems and Silver Knights form a perimeter around us.

  Isla hands me my mother's sword. I'm so used to only healing that I forgot about fighting with a weapon. Father said to pour my mana into the sword to attack… but what does that even mean?

  "Where is our comrade?" Isla questions.

  The mercenary chuckles. "He's on the other side of the wall. I’d say he's fighting about a hundred of our guys at the moment," he answers.

  A hundred!? And all by himself too? We have to go help now.

  I turn; mercenaries are all around us. We have no place to slip by and help Barin.

  "I sure hope you know how to use your mother's sword," Isla remarks.

  The mercenaries charge. There are too many of them chanting spells; I can't make out what attacks are heading our way.

  Isla gathers a large amount of mana quickly; is she planning a large-scale attack?

  She raises her hand towards the sky. "Heed my words and appear, hear the song of battle and dance, Platinum Petals," she incants.

  Just like when she used the spell against Aryn, the sound of scraping metal can be heard above us. The whirlwind that appears this time is larger than the one she used against Aryn.

  It falls down around us.

  The mercenaries try to dodge by jumping back or leaping forward. It looks like
a fair amount were caught in the attack… they scream as the petals shred them apart.

  The mercenaries that made it through charge at us. The golems intercept them, killing them in a more merciless and skilled manner than they showed when fighting Aryn.

  "Why are your spells so different than when you first used them?" I ask aloud.

  "If one must kill another, best do it with efficiency," Isla coldly answers.

  Something is weird about Isla… her presence feels like a different person. She's also killing the mercenaries so quickly… so mercilessly. She has yet to kill anyone so far. In fact, when those assassins attacked us, she gave a murderous aura for the first time.

  "Are you alright Isla?" I ask.

  "I have no idea who this Isla is, but do not speak to me unless spoken to," she replies.

  The way she's speaking is different too. There was no kindness in her tone just now.

  A stone flies out of nowhere and hits Isla in the back of the neck. She collapses, but I catch her before she hits the ground.

  "Isla!" I exclaim.

  I bend down to check on her, the stone didn't do serious harm; it just knocked her out.

  Due to Isla losing consciousness, her magic disappears. The mercenaries take the chance to surround us, walking over the dead bodies as if they are not there.

  "The Senate better make this job worth it," a mercenary says.

  "The quicker I capture them, the quicker I get my reward." another states.

  "Who said you get to take them back?" yet another mercenary challenges.

  That's right… these people aren't friends, at the end of the day. They just care about their own futures. I think I can use this to my advantage; if I get them to fight each other, I can meet up with Barin and get Isla to safety.

  A large group steps forward and a man emerges. "Listen… the way I see it, these two are ours. We clearly have the numbers and strength to take them by force. Now, I wouldn't want to kill all of you,” he jeers.

  The group begins to move towards us while everyone else stands still. Judging by the looks of the people standing still, this group must be quite strong.

  The group gets closer; they're taking their time. I have to do something. The sword; I have to use Mother's sword. I pick it up. "Do not make me resort to violence," I say as threatening as I can.