by Kelly Carr
Once they were equipped with everything necessary for their journey, they were disinclined to linger in the town. All three were eager to reach the low hills that the Humans considered mountains. The plains were far too open and exposed. They camped in whatever small patches of trees they could find in the flat, grassy farmlands, but none of them got much sleep.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they passed into the foothills of the Covian Mountains on the fourth day after they had left the Cliffs of Kerval.
“Do you want to stop for the night?” Elias asked.
Liana shook her head. “No, not just yet. It’s still light enough for us to keep going a while longer if that’s alright with you two.”
Elias inclined his head in agreement, and Valeria shrugged, so they continued onwards. In the end, they stopped two hours later, when the lengthening shadows made it hard to see between the trees. They made camp on the side of the road and ate a modest dinner, then almost immediately lay down to sleep. Only Elias remained awake, diligently scanning the trees for any sign of an attack. When the attack came, though, it was not in the form any of them had expected.
Deep in the night, he was jolted from his peaceful thoughts by a small sound in the distance. He waited, but all was still. He relaxed, his thoughts turning back to his memories of long ago. Suddenly he was startled by the sound of a cry. He glanced around the clearing, but nothing had changed.
He looked over at his companions. Valeria was sleeping soundly, but Liana’s face was contorted in a grimace, her fists tightly clenched.
Elias crept over to her and laid a hand lightly on her brow. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat bolt upright, breathing heavily as though she’d been running.
“Are you alright?” asked Elias.
Liana said nothing for a moment, then suddenly a wordless cry escaped her. Beside her, Valeria sat up too, her eyes wide. Then Elias felt it: a wave of panic washed over him, but it wasn’t his own. Somewhere far away, many Trevi were in great distress. He could feel their collective consciousness reaching out.
“What is—“ his words choked off in his throat as pain shot through his head. A thousand voices were suddenly calling out to him, screaming. He smelled smoke, the scent filling his lungs and making him cough, though he knew it wasn’t real.
His vision wavered, and the quiet woods were replaced with a vision of the Lorenai Mountains. The forest that coated their slopes was burning fiercely, the smoke leaking into the tunnels and caves within and sending the Trevi screaming out into the night. There, they were confronted by the heat of the fire and hundreds of the Genvu. The monsters waited just beyond the inferno, their teeth and claws gleaming evilly in the light of the flames.
Elias was as mentally present as if he were actually there, but unable to help the people he had lived with for centuries. He saw dozens die before he managed to wrench his mind back to his own body. He found Liana lying on the ground, screaming. Her eyes were shut, as though to block out the horrible vision, and tears streamed down her cheeks. Elias wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly until her screams subsided into sobs.
Finally, she drew a few deep, shuddering breaths. “We have to go back!” she said frantically. “We have to save them!”
“It’s already too late,” Elias said. “By the time we got back, everyone would be gone. Anyone who is left will likely flee to the south now. It’s clearly too dangerous to remain in the mountains. Even the Avenai Jevar will see that…” Whoever is left of them, he thought.
Liana drew her knees up and rested her head in her arms, effectively hiding her face. “They were all calling out for my help. I should have been there,” she said. “I should have protected them!”
Valeria laid a comforting hand on her arm. “You were trying to do just that by coming to Torvain to ask for help. You couldn’t have known this would happen. Everyone thought they would be safe in the mountains for a while.”
“I know,” Liana said, though she didn’t sound like she really believed it, “but I still feel guilty not being there for them now.”
“All we can do now is continue on the path you laid out for us,” Elias said. “We go to the capital, to Corralis, to speak with the king. I suspect the rest of the Trevi won’t be far behind us.”
They all sat in silence for a while. Finally, Liana sighed wearily. “Get some rest, you two. I’ll keep watch.”
Valeria laid down quietly. Elias considered arguing, but thought better of it and with a last reassuring squeeze of her shoulder, he took Liana’s place on the ground. He knew none of them would get any more sleep that night.
Liana said little in the days that followed, but Elias didn’t press her, and neither did Valeria. None of them felt much like talking. Liana had scried the mountains the morning after the attack. A thick blanket of ash lay where thousands of trees had once stood, and as the wind blew across the mountainside, it exposed the bodies of hundreds of Trevi who had been too slow or unprepared to face the Genvu.
Next, she scried Jina and found her battered, but alive. The Trevi around her were in bad shape, but as Elias had predicted, they were travelling south as fast as their feet could carry them.
Liana, Valeria, and Elias were all distracted. Quite apart from their preoccupation with the Trevi's fate, they all felt as if they were being followed or watched. They were constantly looking over their shoulders, and now and again Elias thought he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, but nothing was ever there when he turned to look. They kept their ears tuned to the slightest noise as they rose along, and kept their weapons within easy reach.
Chapter two: valeria
Late in the afternoon, on the seventh day after they left the Cliffs of Kerval, they came to the top of a rise and looked down into a broad valley. Below them lay a body of water of truly gigantic proportions. It was labelled on their map as ‘Ayora Lake.’ The south side of it was just visible, but to the east and west, it stretched away as far as the eye could see. The near side of the lake was occupied by a large town.
Valeria gave an inward sigh of relief. A steady rain had been falling all morning. The water was icy, although spring was now in full bloom, and all her clothes were unpleasantly damp. She would be glad to get inside.
As they made their way down the last hill and into the town, the rain began coming down even harder, and by the time they reached the outer row of houses, they were drenched. The three of them tied up their horses at the first public building they found and ducked inside, eager to get dry. The place was cheery and well lit, though its construction was unlike anything Valeria had ever seen before. She and Liana hurried over to the fireplace, looking around curiously as they warmed themselves. Elias disappeared momentarily and returned, holding a small iron key.
“I’ve bought us a room for the night,” he explained.
“Can’t we cross the lake today?” Liana asked hesitantly, glancing out the window at the downpour. “The sooner we get there, the sooner we can make this Queen Katya pay for what she’s done to the Trevi.”
Elias shook his head. “The rain is too hard, and the water too rough for us to cross today,” he explained. “Try not to think that way. We’re doing what we can to help, and meanwhile, the Trevi are putting as much distance as they can between themselves and Lezar.”
“I hope the weather is clear tomorrow,” Valeria said. “I bet the view from the lake on a clear day is lovely.”
Liana gave her an incredulous look. Valeria shrugged. “What? As long as we’re on this journey, we might as well enjoy all it has to offer.”
Elias nodded soberly. “True enough. There’s a lot of beauty and history in the world that you’ve not yet had the opportunity to see,” he said. “Constantly worrying about the Trevi won’t do anything to actually help them.”
Valeria was in complete agreement with him. Now that she was out beyond the borders of Trevi land, far from all she had ever known, her desire to see and experience everything she possibly coul
d was overwhelming.
The room Elias had procured for them was small, with barely enough space for the bed and dresser it contained, and perhaps enough space on the floor for one of them to lie out their bedroll. As Valeria had expected, Elias insisted that she and Liana take the bed. She thought she might have been just as happy on the floor, given the number of bugs that were likely to reside in the old straw mattress.
She peered into the dirty mirror on the wardrobe. It was the first time she had seen herself since they had been attacked in the forest. She frowned as she turned her head from side to side, examining the three scars that ran across her face from the left side of her brow to the right edge of her jaw. Finally she shrugged, deciding she liked them. They made her look dangerous and intimidating.
After changing into dry clothes, the trio went back down to the inn’s common room and ordered warm drinks and food for an early dinner. They ate in silence, each preoccupied with their own thoughts. Valeria let her eyes casually roam across the room, observing its occupants with mild interest.
There were two old men with crooked teeth enjoying a lively discussion, three young men in weather-beaten clothes silently nursing drinks, grim expressions etched across their features, and a few men in armor who appeared to be soldiers. In the corner opposite Valeria and her friends, was a small figure, wrapped in a cloak and clearly trying to look unobtrusive.
As Valeria watched, one of the soldiers called the innkeeper over and began asking him questions. Casually, Valeria twirled her fingers under the table, bringing the breath of air bearing the man’s words to her ear.
“…been through here?” the man said. “It would have been in the last few days. She’d be travelling alone, probably very quiet.”
“No one here by that description, sir,” the innkeeper said, frowning. “The lad over there is the only one travelling alone tonight.” He gestured towards the cloaked stranger, but he had left his table and was creeping towards the door.
“Halt!” one of the soldiers called.
The stranger bolted, wrenching the door open and plunging out into the dark.
Chapter three: Liana
Liana had been lost in her own thoughts, but she gasped as the door swung open. Outside, the rain had stopped, and a dense fog had rolled in. A wave of power washed over Liana, unlike anything she had ever felt before. It crackled across her skin like electricity as the mist crept into the room.
There was a crash from outside. The soldiers all stood and dashed after the cloaked stranger.
“Elias!” Liana gasped. “What is this? This weather was created by magic, but how can that be? Even I’m not powerful enough to affect the weather on this sort of scale.”
Elias’ face had gone pale with shock and horror. “I’ve only seen power like this once before, but I hope I’m wrong,” he said.
“When?” Liana asked, but before Elias had an opportunity to answer, there were shouts from outside.
Everyone rushed out to see what was wrong. The fog was icy cold and so thick, Liana could hardly see five feet in front of her. Its power was smothering, and Liana was trying to catch her breath when a man came careening through the mist, a look of terror on his face, hotly pursued by one of the Genvu.
In an instant, Liana’s sword was in her hand. “Valeria, help me clear away this fog. Everyone else, go back inside. Find the room with the fewest windows and barricade yourselves inside. Don’t make a sound. Elias,” she hesitated, unsure of where he would be most useful, “Do whatever you think best.”
Though Liana had never believed she deserved her role as leader of the Trevi, she had been brought up with the knowledge of how to lead. When she needed to be in command, no one could doubt her authority, whether they knew who she was or not. The Humans did as she said without question, and she turned to the problem at hand.
A large number of crates and boxes were stacked up against the wall of a nearby building. Liana scrambled up them, heedless of the splinters that caught in her palms. At the top, she whistled, and Valeria began pushing the air around them outwards. Liana assisted her, using Undine magic to clear the moisture away.
Gradually, the fog cleared and Liana swore as she realized that it wasn’t just the one Genvu she had to deal with. From the roof, she could see at least a dozen of them. Some were smashing their way into buildings. Others were engaged in fights with the soldiers. A few were devouring the bodies of the poor unfortunate people who had been caught out on the streets when they arrived.
Liana immediately dropped down from the roof for fear she would be seen, and signalled to Valeria that they should spread out. Her friend disappeared around the corner, sword at the ready, but Elias stubbornly refused to leave her side.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Elias,” Liana hissed, keeping her voice low. “You’re not a fighter. Go inside where it’s safe!”
“I’m your protector. My place is by your side,” Elias said.
Liana opened her mouth to disagree with him, then decided against it. There wasn’t time to argue. “Fine,” she said, irritated. “Then, by all means, stay out here, but you’d better find a sword or an axe or something because your staff isn’t going to be enough this time.”
Before she could say anything more, her attention was drawn away as one of the Genvu barreled around the corner. It snarled as it saw them.
Liana threw herself at the creature, ramming her sword through its chest before it could raise its arms to defend itself. When she pulled the blade out, however, the monster didn’t collapse the way the ones at the spring festival had. Instead, it stumbled backwards slightly and looked down with amusement as its wound healed over before her eyes. Looking up again, it lunged at her, scratching and clawing as she swiped at it with her sword. Each time she struck a blow, the wounds closed instantly. She tried to behead the thing, but couldn’t find an opening to swing her sword at its neck.
Nearby she heard Elias, presumably experiencing the same difficulty. Frantically, she tried to think what had been different about the night of the festival. She ran through the series of events in her mind:
She had entered the clearing and tried to defend herself with an earthen barrier, but that hadn’t worked. An ice barrier had been even less effective. One of the Genvu had clawed at her, and she had fallen down. That was when she had found the sword she used to kill them…she had found the sword…and cut her hand on it as she grabbed it!
Without a thought, Liana slashed her palm with her sword, barely feeling the sting of it over the adrenaline rushing through her. Her blood slid down the blade.
The Genvu attacked again, grinning as though it knew she could do it no harm. She dodged it, whirled around, and rammed her blade through its back before it could turn to face her. This time, the blow had the desired effect. The monster howled and fell to the ground, its skin flaking away to reveal an ordinary man, no different than any other she had seen in Torvain. A single breath of air escaped his lips, then he closed his eyes and lay still.
Liana didn’t waste time worrying about the man’s death, or the others she was about to have on her conscience. She turned away from the body and went in search of the other Genvu. She found Valeria locked in a tangle with one of the monsters and hurriedly dispatched it. Showing her friend her bloody sword, she explained the conclusion she had drawn. Valeria grimaced with distaste but coated her sword with blood as well.
Now that they knew how to fight the creatures, the battle turned in their favor, and they quickly disposed of several more. There was no sign of Elias. Liana turned to look for him, then shrieked as a Genvu leapt from between two buildings and grabbed her by the hair. It raised a hand for a killing blow, and without a thought, Liana reached back and sliced her sword through her thick auburn locks, freeing herself. She dodged the monster’s claw and stabbed upward through its chest. It crumpled and lay still.
Liana looked down in dismay at the pile of hair on the ground, but she had no more than a moment to contemplate the loss. The sound
of another fight going on nearby caught her ears. Following the noises, she found the soldiers from the inn. Four lay on the ground, clearly dead. They had managed to behead two of the Genvu, and the last man was standing his ground against six more. Just as Liana reached him, one of them struck at him. He fell to the ground with a cry.
Valeria joined Liana, shooting flames from both hands, forcing the monsters back. Six was too many all at once. The Genvu came at them despite the fire. Desperately, Liana raised the sturdiest wall of stone she could manage. It worked no better than it had on the night of the festival. With a crash that shook the ground beneath them, their assailants smashed through the barrier, sending debris flying in all directions. With a jerk, a Genvu snatched Liana's sword from her hands. She watched in horror as it snapped the weapon like a twig. She looked around wildly for Valeria and found her lying on the ground, unconscious amid a pile of rubble. She ran her eyes across the ground, searching desperately for another weapon, but she was surrounded. She knew she was done for.
Liana closed her eyes, bracing for the blow that would end her life, but death didn’t come. Instead, something vile splashed across her face. She opened her eyes just in time to see the nearest creature’s head fall to the ground, a wicked smile still frozen on its face. Its body collapsed, and behind it stood Elias, his sword stained with fresh blood. He didn’t meet her eyes but instead turned and attacked the remaining Genvu.
He struck and dodged with the grace of a jungle cat. He had beheaded three of the creatures before the rest even realized what was going on.
Liana stood frozen in shock at the speed and power with which he wielded his blade. After a moment, though, she turned her attention back to the task at hand. Between her and Elias, the monsters were disposed of within minutes. Liana’s mind was reeling with questions, but she had no time for them.
