Holding back a swell of tears, E’enna kissed him softly on the cheek. “Thank you, Rabbit.”
Nodding bashfully, Rabbit took his leave, joining the other men at the edge of the rim of firelight. E’enna turned her back to the fire and stared into the thick darkness that surrounded the camp. Somewhere out there, Kazen was staring into the same darkness, probably cold and frightened. Closing her eyes, E’enna wished she could reach out to him somehow, let him know that they were coming for him, let him know that he wasn’t alone.
Wiping a tear from her cheek, she glanced over at Shanks, who paced the perimeter of their camp anxiously, shaking his head and muttering curses under his breath. Patience was never one of his stronger traits, but in this case she could understand his restlessness. Until they met up with Ilagon and Kazen, it had always been just him and her, as far back as she could remember. It was always about preparing for the inevitable rise of darkness. Moving from region to region, trying to convince kings to march their armies against an invisible enemy, only to be mocked or even banished on charges of warmongering and treachery. But that never mattered to her. As long as she had Shanks, it didn’t matter that there was no place to call home. After all, in her heart she always knew she would live to see the end of all days, and that these people, with their happy families and untroubled lives, were all living on borrowed time. But after meeting Ilagon and Kazen, there was a glimmer of hope for the very first time, a chance to escape the dark future she had always foreseen. Especially after growing so close to Kazen, living and dying for a lost cause, even a noble one, was no longer enough. She wanted more. She wanted to live. She wanted a family, and a home, and a normal, tedious, uninteresting life.
Now, the only dream she had ever dared to dream was fading around her. Hugging her knees up close under her chin, she allowed the tears to wash freely down her face. They were selfish tears, shed not for the loss of the Flame Weaver, but for her own loneliness. Let the world fall to pieces, so long as she could see Kazen one last time, touch his hand with hers. They were selfish thoughts of a ridiculous girl who had fallen in love at the absolute worst time that could ever have been imagined, but she didn’t care. Let the world grieve for itself, this was her time.
“There, there, my darlin’,” Shanks said as he sat beside her, wrapping both his arms tightly around her shoulders. “You know I can’t stand to see you cry. Everything’s all right.”
“No,” she sniffled, leaning her head against his cheek, “it’s not. Nothing’s all right at all, is it?”
Staring into the darkness, Shanks sighed. “No. No, I suppose it’s not.”
Finding no comfort in even Shanks’ company, E’enna found herself desiring solitude more than anything else. Escaping to the farthest edge of the camp, she strolled somberly along the flickering path of light. With the toe of her shoe, she absently traced swirling designs into the soft soil. Almost losing herself in the mindless patterns, she was suddenly overwhelmed by a dreadful chill.
Wrapping her arms around her shoulders, she shuddered as the sting of icy breath brushed over the back of her neck. Spinning around, her heart stopped in her chest as she found herself face-to-face with a shadow image of herself. Black and horrible, floating like a listless fog, it was as a wisp of shadow, a demon, with an exact likeness of E’enna’s face molded into the folds of its ghostly form. Its flowing body, draped from its shoulders like a shadowy gown, fluttered behind as if caught in some haunted wind. Its eyes wide and mouth agape in mock portrayal of E’enna’s terror, it loomed heavily over her.
Screaming in horror, E’enna stumbled backward onto the ground, closely pursued by the terrifying creature. Scrambling frantically backward on the heels of her hands, she averted her eyes, recoiling from the cruel demon, which delighted in torturing her with twisted and grotesque images of her own reflection. Paralyzed by fear, she buried her head beneath her quivering arms, bawling in uncontrollable terror.
Her cries were soon joined by those of the startled men who quickly rushed to her aid, vainly hacking and jabbing at the ghostly creature. Still huddled into a ball, E’enna felt herself being hoisted up by powerful arms. Feeling the comforting warmth of a human body, she threw her arms around the man’s shoulders, hugging herself to his chest as she was carried off. Peering over his shoulder, she watched as the shadow creature took turns mimicking the faces of the angry men that surrounded it. Yelling and waving their swords in the air, the men kept the attention of the demon long enough for Ilagon to snatch a flaming log from the fire. Darting through the crowd, he hurled the fiery torch at the demon, passing it directly through its middle. With a sound like a fleeting exhale, the creature was instantly snuffed to a puff of black smoke, vanishing into the still air.
“It’s all right, E’enna,” Avin said as he knelt beside the fire, still cradling her trembling body in his arms. “It’s gone.” Pulling her arms from around his neck, he wiped a tear from the bridge of her nose. “Those wisps . . . They can’t hurt you, they exist only to mock and frighten us.”
Sliding awkwardly out of Avin’s embrace, E’enna turned away, struck by a pang of guilt at having felt so safe in his arms. “I thought . . .” she started, her voice still quavering with fright, “I thought we were safe in the light.”
“The darker the shadows become, the braver the demons seem to become. This is not the first creature we have seen stray so near to a camp.”
Feeling the attentive eyes of all the other men upon her, E’enna began to feel increasingly embarrassed. She had made quite a fool of herself, shrieking and cowering, crying like a . . . like a girl. She had fought demons before, monsters far worse, why had this one frightened her so? Well, any hope of gaining the respect of the Halifexians was lost now, there was nothing else for it. Humiliated, she slowly rose to her feet, brushing the disheveled hair from her face.
“Thank you,” she said to the gathered men, managing a courteous smile. “Thank you all for your help. I’m sorry for having made such a fuss.”
Pulling hats from their heads and bowing reverently as she passed, the chivalrous courtesies of the men only fueled her humiliation.
“M’lady,” Dullin said, falling in step with E’enna’s hasty stride, “E’enna,” he said again, rethinking his words.
Stopping abruptly, E’enna turned impatiently to face him. “Dullin,” she said, feeling her face growing more flush by the second, “I’m really very tired, and would prefer to be left alone.”
“Of course.” Dullin nodded, but persistently fell back into step beside her. “I just wanted you to know that you have no reason to feel any shame.”
His words stopped her in her tracks and she glared back at him with annoyance.
“Not that you do . . .” he stumbled awkwardly. “What I am trying to say is that there is no man here who doubts your courage. Many of us owe our lives to you and your friends. I know that I have personally witnessed your strength, and well, I wanted you to know that it’s an honor to be in your company, no matter where these days may lead us.”
“Thank you,” E’enna said, smiling sincerely. “Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, m’lady,” Dullin replied with a bow, slipping away into the dim light of the tiny fire.
Rubbing her hands over her cold shoulders, E’enna breezed past Shanks without a word, sinking down sullenly next to a hollow tree and huddling into a ball.
“E’enna!” Shanks called after her.
“Leave her be,” Ilagon urged him, patting him on the shoulder.
“But she’s cold and scared,” Shanks insisted, his rough face melting as he watched her shivering.
“So are we all.” Ilagon shrugged. “Trust me. She will think better of you if you just let her be tonight.”
Frowning bitterly, Shanks crossed his arms and slumped to the ground. “Fine,” he grumbled. “but I’m staying right here where I can keep an eye on her.”
“Fair enough.” Ilagon grinned. “And I will just stay here as well so I can keep a
n eye on you.”
Morning sifted through the shadows, swathing the abandoned hills in its feeble glow. A gentle nudge stirring her awake, E’enna peered through sleepy eyes at the cold ash, which was all that remained of their comforting fire.
“It can’t be morning yet,” she mumbled, curling back into a tight ball. “I’ve only just closed my eyes.”
“I know it seems that way,” Shanks said, lumbering to his feet and stretching his arms. “The shadow drains the strength from us even in our sleep.”
“M’lady,” Dullin said, approaching from across the camp with a formal bow. “I am sorry, but if we are to have any chance of catching Kane before he reaches the shore, we must move swiftly.”
“Of course,” E’enna said, hurrying to her feet.
Ilagon made his way over to them. “Do we hold to any hope of finding resources along the way, Dullin? Few of us made it out with anything but the clothes on our backs.”
Dullin’s face remained stoic, but his eyes fell to his feet. “Haste will be our best ally, m’lord.” With another quick bow, he disappeared into the crowd of bustling men.
The Watchers hurried to erase any evidence of their camp, and within a few moments they were on their way. In their typical fashion, they set off in a single-file procession with Fayn, the tracker, at the lead. With his eyes to the ground he scanned for tracks and clues invisible to anyone not ably trained in the art. The landscape was barren, and the ground itself a waste of lifeless soil. With no trodden footsteps, no vegetation to be disturbed, it would be nearly impossible to pick up a trail.
Taking up the rear of the line, E’enna trailed a few steps behind the parade of Watchers, with Shanks and Ilagon traveling in her wake. Walking was a luxury that could no longer be afforded. Falling into a steady gait, they jogged with short strides and quiet steps. E’enna counted fifteen bobbing heads. Fifteen Halifexians marching their way into the bleak shadows.
Following close behind their tracker, Avin kept a watchful eye. He had spoken to no one other than Dullin since that morning. From his white knuckles that gripped the hilt of his sword, to his tightened jaw, every muscle of his body shuddered with tension. His eyes, sharp beneath a scornful brow, darted from side to side, scanning the gloomy horizon. Out here, in the ashen daylight, his face seemed drained of all color. Deep circles, set around his eyes, thinned his face and diminished the strength from his once commanding features. His soft green armor, blackened by soot and stained with blood, hung loosely from his stooped shoulders, painting him as a wisp of a man. No longer did a savvy boy look out from behind the eyes of a respected captain. He was a man re-forged by treachery.
A dreary fog descended upon the gray hills, shrouding the land in ghostly swells. The chalky taste of ash and dust was thick in the air. Brittle twigs and fallen limbs crumbled to dust beneath clomping feet as the travelers moved over lands already forgotten for the lush beauty it once nurtured. Like shadows themselves, bare skeletons of once-great trees emerged from the dismal mist, their bony fingers stretching longingly toward the stolen heavens.
Huffing and wheezing, E’enna rubbed a persistent cramp in her side as she struggled to keep up with the grueling pace set by Fayn and Avin. She was amazed at how effortlessly the Halifex men soldiered on. Even those with broken arms or bleeding wounds did not ask for rest, or even show signs of fatigue. They had all seemed so weak and lost at last night’s camp, but now, at their captain’s call, the Watchers of Halifex would do whatever was demanded of them without hesitation.
E’enna, however, was not a Watcher, and at more than half a day at such a punishing pace, she would not be able to go on much longer without rest. No sooner had she begun to fall behind when Fayn’s gruff voice suddenly rang out, calling for all to stop. Gasping for air as she steadied her wobbly legs, E’enna slowly made her way to where the others were gathering in a circle. Peeking her head through the crowd, she followed their gazes and pointing fingers to a small mound of black ash.
“This is a fresh camp,” Fayn said. “Less than a day old.”
“How do we know it’s them?” Ilagon asked.
“We don’t, not for sure. But Dullin had mentioned that Kazen was injured”—he pointed to a barely noticeable stain upon the rocks—“and there is a trail of blood. It leads away from the camp, to the east.”
“What does that mean?” E’enna asked.
“We are gaining on them,” Fayn replied. “If we hurry, we may meet them before they reach the coast.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Shanks shouted. “We dally here when we should be moving!”
“The men are tired,” Dullin said. “They need rest.”
“No,” Avin grumbled, grinding soot from the wasted fire between his fingers. “Lord Zaris is right. We must keep moving. We do not stop until nightfall.”
“Yes, Captain,” Dullin answered without question, and then turned to the men, who had already begun to sprawl out on the rocky ground. “On your feet, men! Rest is for old women and for the dead! Whose call do you answer?”
“Halifex!” the men cheered halfheartedly.
“Whose call do you answer!” Dullin demanded vehemently.
“Halifex!” Bellowing passionately, the men leapt to their feet and immediately began to fall into line.
Ignoring her tired legs and aching lungs, E’enna, too, pushed on. Falling into step beside Ilagon, her heart sank to see her own fears reflected in his eyes. For the first time since growing to know him, she could see his strength being washed away. It was the sight of Kazen’s blood that played in his mind, she knew, for it was the same vision that haunted her. But to see the wise wizard faltering now, when his strength was so desperately needed, filled her with a new sense of despair.
All her hopes of picking up Kazen’s trail before nightfall withered away as a swift darkness crept over the hillside. Finally given sanction to stop for the night, the exhausted men collapsed to the ground. A minute fire was struck, and the men flocked to it like moths to a torch. Trembling in the bitter night air, they huddled together, drawing warmth from one another. A thin vessel of water was passed around to each man, though the tiny ration did more to foster their thirst than it did to quench it.
Sitting between Ilagon and Shanks, E’enna watched Fayn make his way across the camp, finally sitting himself down beside them.
“It’s not much,” he said, handing the flagon to E’enna. “But there’s enough to wet your lips, at least.”
“Thank you,” E’enna replied softly, seeing the fresh pain on Fayn’s haggard face. “I’m so sorry about your brother.”
Fayn’s eyes immediately shot to the ground. “Thank you, m’lady,” he whispered through slighted breath. “It was my fault. I should have kept a closer eye on him. I thought he was right behind me. He didn’t understand the danger. He had the mind of a child.”
“I cannot speak as to what was in your brother’s mind,” Shanks said, “but I do know that I looked into the eyes of a man last night. It was courage, not simplemindedness that drove him. He saved all of our lives. You should be very proud.”
“Thank you, Lord Zaris,” Fayn said with a tearful smile. “You have mended my heart. Should I live to see the end of these days, I will take your words home to my father. He will be proud to know the kind of man Gillus had become.” With a grateful bow, Fayn took his leave, joining his men by the fire.
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard you speak so eloquently,” E’enna smiled proudly at Shanks.
“I can be very charming when I want to be.” Shanks winked.
Abruptly standing to his feet, Ilagon sighed heavily as he scanned the darkness with careful eyes. “You two will excuse me,” he muttered before sullenly walking away beyond the ring of firelight.
E’enna rose to go after him, but Shanks stopped her. “Leave him go,” he said. “He’s worried about Kazen.”
“I know,” E’enna admitted sadly. “We all are.”
Shanks patted her on the leg.
“It’s different for Ilagon. He’s as much a father to that boy as I am to you. He feels responsible. Ilagon keeps up a strong front, but there are no words to describe the pain he must feel in his heart right now.”
E’enna nodded her understanding, but couldn’t help feeling a tad bitter over Shanks’ insinuation that Ilagon’s pain was any greater than hers. Quite a silly thing to be feeling, she knew, and she soon resolved herself to the fact that she was not the only one who cared for Kazen. In fact, as she looked around the camp, she soon realized that Kazen’s name was on the lips of nearly every man there. From the comical Rabbit, who stood before his friends, proudly reliving the brief passing he had shared with Kazen, to the brave Dullin and his handful of officers, who exchanged fantastic predictions of Kazen’s inevitable victory over darkness.
It was only Avin who sat alone, away from his men, his chin resting in his hand. Quietly, E’enna slipped across the camp and made her way over to him. He did not seem to take notice of her presence as she sat down beside him and stared into the same darkness that held his gaze.
“I did not see you take any water,” she finally said.
Startled by the sound of her voice, Avin turned to her and smiled weakly. “I’m fine, thank you. The men need it more than I do.”
Crossing her hands over her knees, E’enna watched him as he slipped back into his silent reverie. “Are you all right?” she asked.
Sighing in exasperation, Avin wished only to be left alone, but found he could not resist E’enna’s soft eyes. “I suppose I’m not,” he admitted reluctantly. “I worry about my men. I worry that their confidence in me is shaken because of Kane’s deceit.”
The Flame Weaver Page 32
