by BJ Hanlon
It was too far left though when it hit, and a spray of rock erupted like a high dive into still water. Then the bits started to come down like large and deadly hail. A few dematians that were still climbing down face first lost their balance and dropped. He almost felt them crunching into the ground.
Others, as well as the men, turned toward Edin. Edin heard a great roaring cheer and saw a giant sword being hoisted overhead. Then the sword tore forward like a scythe through wheat and took out three in one strike.
It roused the rest and then the men began pushing forward.
Behind, Edin heard the thundering of horses. Edin looked up as more dematians appeared at the entrance of the cave. He took a breath and nearly fell. The dizziness was coming again and he wasn’t dealing with it very well. One more and he’d be under, and if Por Fen monks were coming, he’d be skewered...
With Berka and the captain down there he closed his eyes. “Not even a choice,” Edin whispered and felt the same crackling and snapping of electricity in the air. He envisioned the dark cave entrance. It grew larger in his mind, so large it took up the entirety of his vision.
Edin whipped his hand forward again and felt something other than a lightning bolt fly from it. Something that felt rounder and somehow more volatile.
Edin opened his eyes as the yellowish blue ball struck the far wall of the cave. There was an explosion that sent stone, lightning, and dead dematians flying through the sky.
He dropped to his knees and felt the weariness rolling over him. Edin slowly lowered himself further and leaned his back against a tree. A few moments later, he heard the horses rushing past him and down the hill.
He blinked again and saw whipping black and purple cloaks as cavalry charged the dematians and the small group of defenders.
8
Skipping Town
There was a stillness and quietness about the area when he woke. It was dusk with a dark blue sky. As far as he could tell, he hadn’t been moved or killed. That was good.
Edin glanced around and could barely make out the dark outlines of trees near him though he couldn’t see beyond the lip of the hill. He shivered in the cool air. He was alone in the woods and now beginning to smell blood and death.
To the right, he heard snapping of something in the woods and nearly jumped. A moment later he spotted a dark figure exiting while carrying a large bundle of what looked like firewood.
“You’ve been busy I see,” a familiar voice came from the left. He turned and saw a figure leaning against a tree but looking the other way. He saw the copper hair long and over the shoulder.
“Like a squirrel in autumn,” the bundle carrier called. He knew both and leaned his head back against the tree.
“It’s not easy saving the world,” Edin said.
Dephina snorted. “Got a big head since I last saw you.”
“Like his old man. I’m afraid Rihkar has rubbed off on him far too much.”
“Possibly,” Dephina said. “But I think he was always an arrogant little noble. A bit too caught up in his own feelings and plans.” She turned toward him and smirked, her thin lips spread to show white teeth and the fair, bard’s face he’d had a crush on so long ago.
“I thought,” Edin looked to Grent, “you had a child coming.”
“Our son is resting with your friend,” Grent said. “We heard a rumor you had gone to see the Raven and hadn’t returned. So we went there to search, found out what happened and kind of had to rush out.”
It took Edin a moment to realize what he was saying. “You know she’s a criminal?”
“So are you,” Dephina said.
“Forever I only thought of him as a weasel,” Grent said dropping the bundle near him. Sticks clattered to the ground and rolled up to his leg.
“Thanks, my guardian,” Edin said.
“He did save you a bit ago,” Berka called, walking up the hill before him. “They’re about to start the fires,” he said.
Edin watched in the gloom as Grent started to pile the wood and he pulled out a sparkstone. Using his connection to the talent he tried to grab the sparks. Edin missed the first one but caught the second. Edin reformed it and lit the pile of sticks with a large whoosh that caused Grent to topple backward.
“Gahh,” Grent cried as he fell. Then he scrambled back to his toes, his beard glowing with small red coals he quickly fought to put out. Then it smelled like brunt hair.
“Did you soak the branches in oil?” asked Dephina.
Edin said nothing. Berka was grinning on the other side of the fire. Then, down in the valley below, he saw more fires starting and the piles of bodies in the flames.
After a few moments he looked toward the mountain. “Was the entrance destroyed?”
“Yes. A bit of a shock to the captain’s men,” Berka said.
“And some relief,” Grent added, his head tilting in that very Grent-ian way. He pulled out his knife and sat across from Dephina.
“What of Dorset?”
“The kid with the sword near his head?” Grent began picking at his fingernails with the tip of the blade but stopped there.
Dephina frowned at him. “Stop that,” she grumbled and Grent looked up guiltily.
For a moment he looked confused. Then Grent said, “I had one of the Raven’s people take him back to the city to Rihkar.”
“Those were the Raven’s men on horseback?” Edin asked.
“And us,” Dephina added, “and a few Por Fen monks.”
“How’d you all join together?”
“Well first those soulless black cloaks were setting a posse to look for this escaped abomination. They went to the Raven’s where we,” Dephina pointed to Grent and then herself, “were having tea with Yassima. When the Por Fen showed up they demanded you be given to them. Apparently, she’d already given you up.” Dephina looked at Edin who nodded. “I nearly gutted her,” Dephina said twirling her long thin blades in her hand.
“Yes, my love, you wanted blood,” Grent said and Edin noticed he no longer blushed when he said that. “Then there was the lightning display we saw from the window. It was like a sign.”
“That was the idea,” Edin said.
“So, we rode out. Your friend Yassima lent us horses. We came upon the dead dematians and the one still breathing human. Then a shape disappeared into the trees.” Grent pointed his knife at Edin. “So, we followed. The explosion we didn’t see, but the soldiers surrounded by dematians, that we did.”
Berka said, “The exploding rock was amazing. Nearly as awesome as my twisting stab.”
Edin gave a single chuckle.
Then there was silence and a minute or two later Grent spoke. “I wonder about dematians who’ve already gotten through.” He looked to Edin. “If there were that many dematians pouring through the underground now, how many came before you closed it?”
Edin shrugged.
“Don’t suppose the wall would do much for their exposed backside.”
“Probably not,” Edin said and his stomach growled. He realized he had nearly slept through an entire day.
“Hungry?” Dephina said somehow hearing it. Or maybe it was just that loud.
Edin nodded.
“We’ll head back to the city shortly. You can take my horse. I’ll ride with the husband.”
Edin leaned his head back and thought about going back through those gates. He knew he couldn’t. He’d destroyed the tunnel, he had to move on. He had to find the she-elf and her cadre. If Suuli was right, he’d need to complete his task to find Arianne.
But was finding the elves his real task? Also, he was completely void of any supplies, he hadn’t even a waterskin.
If he could even get through the gates, he didn’t know if he could get out. Feldspart may help but Edin wasn’t certain that the Por Fen wouldn’t try to capture him again.
“I cannot go back.” He paused and his stomach growled again. “I need to move on. I promised Sinndilo I would go to the elfin village.”
&
nbsp; “Elves?” Grent guffawed and Dephina joined with a big laugh.
After it had died down a bit Edin nodded. “Elves.”
“Are you going after her, or are you going after Arianne?”
“Who’s Arianne?” Dephina said.
“His girlfriend,” Grent said.
“You didn’t tell me he had—”
“Please,” Edin pleaded. “Do not do this now.” He looked to Berka. “I don’t know where Arianne is. But I do know where I last saw the she-elf.”
“You’re serious?” Dephina said. “There are elves in the world still?”
“You are the bard, haven’t you sung about them? Haven’t they been part of your world for decades?”
“In verse, not in real life.” She turned to Grent. “Do you think?”
Grent shook his head. “We have Horston. He needs his mother and father.”
Edin raised an eyebrow. “No you two. I don’t want any of you to come. The she-elf was rather adamant that I never return and that humans who stray into their land are met with a quick and certain death.”
“He’s weaned and our friends can watch him.”
“El could help,” Berka said hopefully. Why, Edin didn’t know. Then Berka turned to Edin.
“Who’s El?” Dephina said. “Is he a traitor like this one?” She pointed to Berka with her long knife.
Despite being easily twice her size, Berka seemed to suppress a shiver.
“He was never a traitor,” Grent said. “Only a fool.”
“Thank you,” Berka said. “El is my lady friend.”
“Just as red up top,” Edin said. “But she’s very nice and very quiet.”
“Not always.” Berka smirked.
Edin ignored it, “we saved her and her grandparents in Glustown.”
“Hero’s complex,” Grent said shaking his head.
“Berka really did,” Edin said and his friend flushed. “I just chased her through the streets and slew some dematians.” Then he paused. “Regardless, thank you two for your offer, but you cannot join, none of you. I have to do this part alone.”
“I’m coming you blotard,” Berka said. “You cannot do this yourself. If I have to, I’ll tie you up and throw a wan stone over your neck to make sure you stay with me.”
“We are too,” Dephina said.
“We have no supplies,” Grent said. He was the only one that didn’t seem as excited. “And we have our son.”
“I do not know if I’ll make it back alive,” Edin said. “And I doubt I’ll ever come back here.”
They ignored him. “We go into town. All but Edin,” Dephina said. “We can tie him up like the ginger kid said.” The three stared at him for a few awkward minutes.
He pleaded with his eyes but none, not even Grent looked away. Finally, Edin nodded.
Dephina started again. “Okay, we get supplies and meet here at sunrise. Edin, I would probably hide from the Por Fen until then.”
“Check on Dorset. Get him on the ship to the Isles.”
“We will,” Berka said. “Even I started to like the little geek.”
They hopped on their horses and started back through the forest toward Carrow. Edin looked down at the fires still burning below; then he spent a few minutes tending his own. He threw more sticks onto the flames or put some under already burning ones.
An hour or so later it was fully dark and he heard, “Nice night for fire.” Edin didn’t need to turn to know it was Merik. The justicar, no Inquisitor de Demar, was somewhere in the darkness probably fiddling with a blade and ready to stick him.
“It is,” Edin said without looking. “How is the army?”
“We’ve had a few attacks from the south…. It is why I was sent to search for the source.”
“Rihkar told you of the tunnels.”
“Yes, but it would be like looking for a single fish in a swarm. A dust mote in a tornado.”
“We found it.”
“I’m not sure how. Was it magic? One of your… Gifts.” The way he said it seemed like he was taking a bite from a bitter fruit.
“No.” He thought for a moment. “A historian at the library knew about it, an old man. Very old.”
Merik sighed. “That would’ve been a good place to start. I suppose some historian would have learned about them.”
Merik appeared in the firelight and sat down a few feet to Edin’s right, in the same spot that Grent had occupied a bit earlier. Oddly enough, Edin didn’t feel a wan stone. A moment later, he noticed both of Merik’s hands were in the open, and empty.
“You’re not hear to assassinate me.” Edin stated and then he paused for a moment. “Or are there more of you in the woods ready to pounce at your direction?”
“I’m not here to kill you.” They both stared at the fire for a long time and it was a very long time before Merik spoke again. He seemed to be remembering someone. “I have been treated more graciously by magi than I have by men and even my fellow monks.”
This was the first time they’d ever spoken alone. Something Edin doubted his people would look kindly on.
“How about Diophin? He didn’t seem like a very good person.”
Merik snorted. “He was a blotard and a half. I don’t know what happened in that cabin or what came over Ashtol and Feracrucio, but I do not blame either man.”
Edin was quiet, then said “where is the Prince of Resholt? We could use help.”
“He has his own issues: the border with Porinstol and the random pockets throughout the state.”
“My friend discovered a tunnel north of Calerrat.”
“I know. The Raven showed one of my men the letter you’d sent. The monk was smart enough to let the lad go.”
“I knew I couldn’t trust her.”
“The Raven does what she thinks is best for her people. Sometimes her people are that gang, others it is the city.”
“And now?”
“She’s like you. Her people are the world.”
“And yours?”
“The dematians are a threat to all. I had a magus, a special person once showed me that wasn’t the case with your kind.” Merik shifted uncomfortably as if the words were acidic in his mouth. “Not all of your kind of course and when this is over, if it turns out in our favor, humanity’s favor, we will be at odds again. Despite what I say, the Church will condemn you and the Book of Truth will proclaim you to be evil.”
Edin stared at the flames. There was a crack and a small burst of red in the yellow glow. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from those people.”
“Me neither,” Merik said, he pushed himself to his feet and nodded. “The war has started and we could use all the help we can get. The rest of this can be decided after. The enemy of my enemy is my friend sort of thing.”
“If we live, a war after a war.” Edin sighed. “I really pray that is not the case.” There wasn’t an answer so Edin said, “are you still sending men after me?”
Merik just smiled and started down the hill toward the burying pyres of dead dematians.
Edin watched as the leader of the Por Fen disappeared into the darkness. His black cloak making him look like a wraith disappearing into the great beyond.
Edin remembered the first time he saw him outside of the manor. The evil on his face. The only reason Edin didn’t kill him for taking his mother’s and Kes’s lives was that Merik was not at the manor when it was burnt down. Berka told him that.
The people that burned it were Edin’s friends. People he grew up with. Edin closed his eyes and listened to the popping trees and the sad rush of wind through them. How many of those people were still alive in Yaultan? Was Yaultan even standing anymore?
The morning came and he was dying to eat something. The night before he stayed up and watched the soldiers climb the hill and disappear into the forest. The city guards, led by Feldspart, stopped before him and saluted. Edin pushed himself to his feet and did the same back to them.
“Thank you for believing me,” he
said as Feldspart shook his hand.
“Thank you for saving my men, and my city.”
“It wasn’t me. It was us.”
The Por Fen had looked on, a few with admiration and smiles, others with loathing. Merik led them quietly and said nothing nor even looked in Edin’s direction.
From behind him, he began to hear horses coming up the hill, the hooves pounding the ground. Edin stood and turned and was nearly struck with a large piece of smoked meat thrown his way. He caught it and cradled it in the elbow of his left arm.
“Ready to ride?” Grent said. “This time we’ve got horses. And I got you another staff as apparently you’re really into that duel wielding now.”
Edin wanted to thank them but also wanted to protest, to tell them not to come, that it was going to be difficult and probably a death sentence. He wondered if Yechill understood that when they went to the north and if he would’ve declined then.
One look in each of their eyes told him not to even try to fight it.
“Yes,” Edin said. He bit into the meat and tore a large chunk from it. For dry and chewy meat, it tasted better than a steak. At least any steak he had today.
“So where is this place?” Grent said resting his hands on the horse’s neck.
Edin looked up at the sky and honestly could barely guess. He knew one thing. It was to the west. “I cannot tell you.” Edin said. “Not yet. But I’m taking Jont’s Pass.”
“Have you been through there? It is mountains, cliffs, and deep gorges on either side,” Dephina said. “It’s a funnel.”
“Or a death trap,” Berka said.
Edin looked to the direct west past the remains of the burning dematians and past Falic Mount. More mountains grew there like the rest of the huge forest.
They looked steep and treacherous, even from here. He saw deep crags and rocky terrain. He thought about that ancient road that lead to Erastio’s Rise and to the hunter. From either he should be able to find the Susot Vale. The sellswords and the Por Fen found a way. They’d even brought carts.
