Finding Kai

by David A Willson

  The monster reached to the roof of the short building and grabbed the edge, ripping off a rafter, and destroying the roof in the process. A strength rune, too. This was just getting worse!

  It took several steps forward, positioning itself between her and the open gate. No exit. Gwyn flared her vision to see two runes, one on each leg, flaring hot. Strength and health. And now it wielded a seven-foot club.

  She turned and ran, and almost made it to the open area near the field latrine when she felt a crushing impact against her right shoulder and upper back, sending her sprawling forward to the ground. A dull pain echoed through her back and down her arm, forcing her to lose the grip on her sword. She turned to look through blurred vision and saw the giant’s makeshift club lying on the ground next to her. He had thrown it, and now she was out of the fight.

  Rolling onto one side, she reached for her dagger with her left hand and tried to look back at the monster but couldn’t focus. The children were safe, and, hopefully, so was Yury, but she would die right here. But she wouldn’t go easily, and if she could stab this monster once more before he crushed her skull, it would be the best she could hope for.

  Her fingers tightened on the dagger and her heartbeat raced as the monster loomed close, standing just beyond her reach and holding another giant rafter over its head. This was her executioner, and his axe was about to fall.

  Then a blur knocked the club from the beast’s hands. Two wounds appeared on the side of its torso. It screamed and spun, looking for the new threat.

  Yury circled back around, stabbing at the giant beast, but each time the wounds closed. The giant retrieved its club and engaged, but Yury was too fast and delivered strike after strike, wounds appearing all over the monster’s chest, then fading as the beast flared health.

  Over to the right, Yury stopped, far from the giant’s reach. His torso was drenched in blood, and he was heaving hard, obviously exhausted. His light was low, and he was running out of strength. She looked at the giant, whose light burned brightly. Yury was outmatched.

  “Run!” Gwyn said.

  But Yury charged, and the giant’s club took him square in the chest, knocking him at least twenty feet. He screamed in pain and rolled, stunned, probably with broken ribs. Hopefully, he could heal and still escape with the strength he had left.

  “Yury, go! It’s too strong!”

  Gwyn struggled weakly to her feet and brandished the dagger at the beast, hoping to delay him long enough for Yury to escape. Her head swam with the pain in her shoulder and back, and she strained to focus on the monster before her. It turned its attention to her once again, then charged.

  Then she felt the grip of strong hands tightening around her, followed by a rush of wind through her hair. In the confusion, the dagger in her hand slipped free. She struggled to escape the tight grip on her, but pain racked her body. Through dreary eyes, she caught images of the retreating walls of the outpost. She was being carried, but it wasn’t the monster who held her.

  Yury.

  She closed her eyes and let him whisk her away.

  32

  The Pass

  Nara stood on the high hill at the vanguard of her army, overlooking the final pass that would take them into the slopes that descended into Fairmont. Jahmai wanted them to skirt this chokepoint, veering far to the east, worried that Kayna’s forces would ambush and destroy them as they move through the pass, but Nara wanted the army to rest and refused to take the detour.

  To the northwest, the Twins peaks of Mount Fi towered over the other mountains, adding to the dread of the impending conflict. The battle would be joined tomorrow, most likely. If they could get through the pass and form up, that was. But the troops would be tired, and a debate had raged much of last night. Rest today and go through the pass tomorrow, or charge forward today and end up fighting tired in the morning?

  Nara had finally ordered them to rest while she watched for enemy troop movement. They would go through the pass early in the morning, before sunrise, long before Kayna’s general could form up his lines.

  Mykel joined her on the high hill. “Reminds me of Dimmitt.”

  Nara cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”

  “Not really, I suppose. Big city, giant mountains. Nothing like Dimmitt at all. I guess it’s just the feeling. You and I standing together and looking down, right before the announcement. Wondering what tomorrow holds.”

  “Oh. I see what you mean. Last time we were in this position, things didn’t go as planned.”

  “Tomorrow will be different.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  He smiled with confidence. “I am.”

  She looked back, scanning the peaks above the pass for enemies who might rain arrows down on her troops.

  “No enemy,” Mykel said. “I’ve been racing around the hills and there are only a few scouts. She’s not worried about me at all.”

  “Apparently not.”

  “She thinks she can take you. And she thinks her army can take ours. She’s probably right about the army part.”

  “Yeah, I know. It will all be up to me.”

  Mykel shrugged. “I’ll help. She doesn’t have an answer for what I’m bringing to the fight. Not at all.”

  Evening came, and the troops rested but Nara stayed awake on a high cliff, watching on the slopes below for signs of enemy activity. Far in the distance, she saw torches moving on the plains just outside Fairmont, but they weren’t close enough to bring alarm. The fight would occur on the lower slopes of the Twins. Strange how that had worked out. Bylo believed the Twins’ importance to the church was based on an error in translation, yet this battle would rage under their watch.

  She thought about the scripture that Bylo thought so important:

  ‘And the phyili was put asunder; separated, but not destroyed. Each defied the other, bringing conflict, pain, and death to many. In the end, only one remained.’

  She hoped that the part about pain and death to many was wrong. War was far from ideal, but she didn’t know of another way to end this, and it was too late for a change of plans now.

  Dawn was still hours away and with no sign of the enemy approaching, Nara moved down from her vantage point and toward her troops. Some rose and prepared for the final push, Jahmai among them.

  “When do you want it?” she asked.

  “Any time. Try not to shine much farther ahead than our troops. They know we’re here but won’t expect us until dawn and I’d like to give as little notice as possible. Time to get through the pass and form up before they can block us.”

  “Agreed.”

  She climbed high on the cliffs once again, finding her way in the dark with her vision, rising through the hills and low mountains to find a small outcropping that faced the path below. Flaring the light rune, she shined on her army, bringing dawn far earlier than normal.

  A short time later, the soldiers marched and drove their wagons ahead, guided by the temporary sun that was their inspiration. Horses, archers, infantry, all moved as fast as they could through the pass toward Fairmont. Mykel and the other scouts manned the peaks, watching for enemy activity and giving reports to both Nara and Jahmai. Kayna’s general remained low on the plains, just outside Fairmont. At least three thousand troops camped with him, but they hadn’t yet formed battle lines.

  Three thousand enemy troops. Wow. She was far outmatched, but her army had hope, and they were the forces of good, locked in a battle with dark forces. If Dei existed, and the scriptures were true, then he had defeated Kai in an epic struggle long ago. He refused to let evil have the final say, and although He seemed to care little about individual people, or the pain that some people spread about, He might care about the big stuff. Nara hoped so. If there had ever been a demon of Kai on this earth, Kayna was it. They must win this fight. There was no other choice.

  33

  Battle Lines

  Dawn was breaking, and as Anne approached the outskirts of Fairmont, she considered what mus
t happen next. Gwyn would be waiting somewhere to the east, but as Anne looked ahead to the slopes of the Twins, she could see the torches of Fairmont’s army as they marched, forming up a camp on the plains between the city and the mountains. Nara’s army would be in those mountains and coming to clash with the enemy soon.

  Anne wouldn’t make it in time. Too old. Too slow. Her back was weak, her calves ached, and far too few had given her rides, making this one of the longest walks she’d endured in many years. If she could find Gwyn soon, perhaps the message would arrive in time. Everything depended on it.

  The sound of a racing wagon behind her forced Anne to step off the road, and she raised her walking stick in protest at the driver as he passed, going far too quickly in the near-darkness. The back of the wagon was filled with sacks, probably grain for Fairmont’s armies.

  She summoned the resolve to step up her pace despite the discomfort, and, several hours later, found her way into a forest near the northern slopes of the Twins. After another hour of wandering the woods, she took a rest, sitting on an old, dead stump.

  “I wondered when you’d get here.”

  Anne turned to see Gwyn, whose right arm rested in a sling. A large Roska stood behind her.

  “Hello,” Anne said to Yury, nodding her head in greeting.

  “Hi.”

  “You’re quite tall,” Anne said. “Didn’t expect that, I guess.”

  “Did we surprise you?” Gwyn asked.

  She nodded. “Don’t sneak up on old women,” Anne said. “It’s rude.”

  “I’ve never surprised you before. Are you okay?”

  Anne tried to stand but failed, slumping back down. “He doesn’t show me much anymore, but never mind that. I have something for you to do. Can you travel?”

  “Yes.”

  She pulled the cup from her pack and handed it to Gwyn. “Get this to Nara,” she said, then pointed in the direction of the pass near the Twins. “She should be in those hills. Coming through the pass this morning, if she hasn’t already.”

  “What does it do?”

  “It’s her most important lesson. The one she missed when she ran off to save the world, the silly girl.”

  Gwyn cleared her throat and adjusted her sling. “Um, there’s something else. Kayna has a cursed.”

  “Does she? That won’t go well. Doesn’t surprise me, though.” She looked at Yury again. “Looks like you have one, too.”

  “Kayna’s cursed is an angry one. And huge. I hope Mykel can take him,” Gwyn said. “Even without a weapon, he was too much for us.”

  “Just get Nara the cup. She’ll figure out what it means. And be careful with that shoulder.”

  Gwyn leaned in to give Anne a gentle embrace. “Sure you’re not coming?”

  “I’ll head that direction when I’ve taken a rest. Now go.” Anne turned to Yury. “Take care of this one, big boy. She’s important.”

  Gwyn and Yury set out at a furious pace, heading for the pass. It had been several days since freeing the children at the compound, and in her injured state, she had not been able to make sure the children found safety. When they went looking, she and Yury found tracks leading to nearby villages, so she hoped they were safe from Fairmont for now.

  The pain from Gwyn’s injuries had persisted, and her back and shoulder protested each step. Something was torn, perhaps even broken. Another few days of rest and she might draw a bowstring, but she would not wield a sword for a while.

  As the sun climbed the horizon, they skirted the woods at the base of the Twins, far from the assembling army near Fairmont. Their path carried them high through the hills and into the peaks, where they saw a second light, growing in intensity as they came closer. It was multicolored, and almost as bright as the sun but coming from the wrong direction.

  Nara.

  Once they got close enough, they could see that the army that accompanied Nara was small, nothing like the numbers Fairmont now assembled on the slopes nearby, and far too few wore armor. There were perhaps three dozen horses, so there would be minimal cavalry, and even fewer carried bows. Most of the army appeared to be civilians with wooden spears, if they could be called that, not even bearing steel spearheads. Pointed sticks. It wouldn’t be enough. Not against Kayna. Not against her army. And not against her cursed monster.

  Gwyn climbed the peaks toward Nara, guided by the blinding light that was her friend. Soon, she was by her side, her arm in front of her face to shield her eyes from the intensity.

  “I’ve never seen someone disguise themselves as a sun before,” Gwyn said. “Might want to let the real thing take over from here.”

  Nara turned, extinguishing her light, eyes widening. “Gwyn!”

  They embraced.

  “Easy on the shoulder,” Gwyn said. “Still smarts.”

  “What happened?”

  “Lost a fight with a giant. I’m lucky to be breathing.”

  “This him?” Nara asked, pointing to Gwyn’s large companion.

  “No. Different giant. Much bigger. This is Yury.”

  Yury stepped forward, offering a hand, and Nara shook it, his hand engulfing hers.

  “Boy, you are big,” Nara said. “Welcome to our little rebellion—we can use all the help we can get.” She turned back to Gwyn. “Where’s Anne?”

  “Coming. I think. Slowly. I have something for you.” Gwyn reached into belt pack and pulled out the cup, then handed it to Nara.

  “What’s this?”

  “A message from Anne. She said you’d figure it out.”

  “I’ll look at it later,” Nara said, stuffing it into her own pack. “I have so much to tell you, but first, let me tend to that shoulder.”

  Kayna sat on a simple throne atop a stage near the back of her assembling forces. General Almit was still giving a briefing on the pending conflict, armored in full plate with the royal tabard on his chest.

  “Why didn’t you rush them this morning?” Kayna asked.

  “Last report was they were two days out,” he said. “They came fast and started early through the pass today. Surprised us. Not sure how they moved so well in the dark—there’s something motivating these troops. We could have attacked with some forces, but the full army was slow to assemble. So many were still on details to villages. Your orders, Majesty.”

  “How many do they have?”

  “Less than a thousand. Most are irregulars. Civilians with makeshift weapons. Spears. Axes. Less than three hundred actual soldiers. Maybe seventy archers, but they will have a lot of range at first. Their backs are to the Twins, and the forest covers their flank. Great position for them, until they break and run. There will be no escape except for the pass. I already have a hundred archers that will move on the pass to pick them apart when they try to escape.

  “Gifted?”

  “Our watchers pick out four gifted, maybe five. Aside from the cursed.”

  “And her.”

  “Yes, aside from her. We have the cursed, six bears, three racers, and a handful of flamers. Some steelskins here and there, but some may be new. I’m not expecting much from those.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Many are absent without leave, Majesty. Unhappy with the state of things, I guess. Traitorous of them to abandon us like this. We’ve made efforts to track them down, but gifted are bolder and harder to control than normal soldiers.”

  That was unfortunate. Not that it would make the difference. Still, she held the advantage and would get her chance to put this nonsense to rest. Despite the elevation advantage, Kayna had almost four thousand troops, more than half of the Great Land’s entire army in one place. It was a shame she couldn’t have assembled more, but the barbarian raids in the north and the village raids kept them too busy. Nevertheless, Almit would charge with heavy cavalry, hundreds of archers, more than a dozen gifted and two cursed. She might not need to fight at all.

  “Tell Ennis to get Beast ready. Armor, hammer, and shield. He’s eager to please and has been fabulous thi
s past week. Hold him back for the initial clash, though. I don’t want to risk him when they are strong. After that, send him in. Break their spirits.”

  “Yes, Majesty.” He did an about-face, then took a step to leave.

  “And, Jordan?”

  He turned back, taking a position at attention. “If things go badly, I’ll step in. Just make sure I have what I need.”

  “We’ve stayed many executions, Majesty. You’ll have plenty.”

  Kayna smiled. “Excellent work, General. Thank you.”

  34

  Advance

  Nara stood next to Jahmai at the front of the assembled army, high on the slope, surveying the enemy below. Kayna’s numbers had grown since the scouts saw them last night, and they had plenty of archers. The front line was, at least, eight ranks of infantry, perhaps fifty men wide. They bore spears and shields that would best withstand a charge by putting the butts of the spear shafts in the ground as Nara’s cavalry tried to break their lines.

  “We shouldn’t attack first,” Jahmai said. “Wait and let the enemy move uphill, with our archers picking them apart on the initial contact.”

  It was a safe tactic that didn’t account for Nara’s abilities. Nor did it start the conflict off with passion.

  “Smart, but playing it safe won’t get us a victory today,” Nara said. “No, we need a spark to light a fire in the hearts of our Troops. Get some courage flowing. We will not sit back and be victims; we will attack first.”

  Nara turned and looked at her army. As she surveyed the soldiers, citizens, young men and women, she wondered which would die today. Tired, but bearing smiles on their faces, they stood at attention. Proud to be here.

  Derik was near the front line, his leg now strong, shield held tight. Lieutenant Martel sat mounted at the front of the cavalry off to Nara’s right, his back straight, arm held in a salute. Mykel stood next to Gwyn and Yury at the far left. Gwyn held her bow, and her shoulder was now strong. Yury had a small sword and leather cuirass, light and good for fast movement. He would be useful today. Mykel had no armor, as always, bare feet eager to move as his toes squeezed the turf. He held the staff tight, base planted in the ground, his eyes forward, and his presence comforted Nara.