“What are they called now? I assume one of them was the Skull King?” Alrion said.
“Exactly. Cathar became known as the ‘Face of the Blight’ due to his unique transformation. But he was widely known as the Skull King and actively embraced the name. Rindale was known as the ‘Hand of the Blight’. We’re not sure what happened to him.”
“I can answer part of that,” Vincent said quietly. All eyes turned to him instantly. Lara was shocked. But Alrion spoke before she could.
“I don’t understand. What did you have to do with him?”
“He was the one that captured me, and infected me with the Blight. He was targeting my father. However, since he was with me he was also healed of the Blight when Avaria was cleansed. Well, that’s what I assume. I never did go and check for myself.”
“That’s quite interesting, I never would have suspected that,” Alyx said.
“Wow, I hope your grandfather’s spell worked. If it can cure the four generals of the Blight, it can cure anyone!” Lara said.
“I hope so. The fact that nobody has kept track of Rindale since then is a good sign,” Vincent said. Alrion nodded, and looked to be thinking over something.
“What about the others?” he said.
“Darvin became known as the ‘Heart of the Blight’ and is thought to be leading them in some capacity. And finally, we have Fermur, who became the ‘Legs of the Blight’. Some believe he is being used as a messenger, since he has been seen all around the country.”
“How do you know all this?” Lara said.
“I spent my entire life devoted to one thing; getting revenge on the Skull King. It made sense to track those he was working with.”
“There’s so much more to this than I knew. How does Wraith factor in?” Alrion said.
“You’ve mentioned him a few times. What is he exactly?”
“He’s a wizard that has drunk from the Pool of Knowledge, as I have. But he’s been transformed into a Shade. But he retains his power. So, he’s this impossible creature now. All the resilience and danger of a Shade, with the magical power of a wizard.”
“I can see why that would be a problem,” Alyx said. She looked thoughtful.
“I must say though, I’m not sure how much magic he can actually use. It did seem like he was either holding back, or there’s some constraints,” Alrion said.
“Hopefully we don’t need to find that out,” Lara said.
“Oh, we will at some stage. I need to take him out.”
“One step at a time,” Vincent said.
“You also seem quite knowledgeable about Valrytir. Did you live there?” Alrion said to Alyx.
“Of course. How else did you think I trained to be a living weapon?”
“Sounds like an interesting place.
“It is if you need to learn about battle. All the best smiths work there, and are constantly refining weapons of war. For warriors the training is brutal. Sparring is done with slightly muted versions of real weapons, no wooden swords allowed. Fractures, bruises, and even cuts and slashes are common, and you soon learn to avoid them.”
“That sounds intense. Have either of you been there?” Alrion said. He looked at his father and Lara. Lara looked away, not wanting to respond.
“I spent some time there, many years ago. But I decided that I didn’t want to create tools of war and revolve my life around that so, I ended up in Brangtur,” Vincent said. He looked over at Lara.
“I lived there a long time ago, but didn’t really get into all that military stuff. Not my style,” she said. She hated that she couldn’t really talk about it, and she didn’t have the impressive battle experience that Alyx did. It seemed to be important to Alrion. She could understand that, given all they had gone through. And now his power was unavailable, he needed something else to defend himself.
“Wow. It’s just me then who hasn’t been?” Alrion said.
“I did give you a pretty sheltered life, sorry about that,” Vincent said. He chuckled and looked a bit sheepish.
“Well, it sounds like somewhere I should visit. Especially if they know where the source of the Blight is!” Alrion said. He looked at Alyx expectantly.
“I’m not sure there’s anyone alive who still knows that. But it could be an option. I must admit I never thought about that myself. Is that somewhere you need to go?”
“I really don’t know. I’ve been relying on the information from the Pool to guide me. Maybe I need to find that place, maybe I don’t. It’s a bit frustrating, but I have other things to focus on first. Like finding a cure.”
“I’d like you to focus on that too.”
“Of course! I’m responsible for your infection, and I am taking it seriously,” Alrion said.
“Very well. Let us walk a bit further and when we find a suitable spot we should settle in for the night. The horses can rest and we will leave at first light.”
“I agree,” Vincent said. He started actively looking around, presumably for good places to set up camp.
“Anything coming from that amulet?” Alrion said. Alyx held it up and peered at it.
“I don’t see anything special. How about you?” She offered it to Alrion and he took a look as well.
“Doesn’t look any different.”
“Then we continue on the same way tomorrow. I’ll check it periodically as we go, see if there’s anything we can use.”
“I’m happy with the camp,” Vincent said. He had settled into a spot leaning against a nearby tree. One of the few around.
“In that case, you need to train some more. I’ll just be borrowing this,” Alyx said, grabbing Vincent’s sword. He gave out a friendly laugh, and watched the two square off. Lara felt a bit left out, so had to find herself something to do.
“I’ll just go scout a bit, see what’s out there.”
“Good idea, take care and don’t go too far. We’re not familiar with the country here,” Vincent said.
“Sure.” Lara looked over at Alrion but he was already engrossed in watching Alyx demonstrate a movement.
Typical. Lara took off, heading further ahead and towards the area with the most trees. She was actually curious if they were entering another area, and the way they had come had so little cover it wasn’t even worth looking over. Any sign of anyone coming would be obvious a long way away.
Lara pushed forward, the smells of moisture and flowers coming on stronger as she explored. It looked like they were on the boundary of another forest. Before long she was amongst it. She didn’t recognise the trees, they had a distinctive curled look to their branches and leaves. She plucked one of the leaves off and crushed it in her hand. It gave off a clean, fragrant smell.
I wonder if they use this in medicines, she thought. But her attention was quickly taken by something else.
That was definitely something.
She darted forward towards whatever she spotted, trying not to make too much noise. But she trampled fallen sticks and brushed past some thin branches, causing them to snap or bend noisily.
“Just press on,” she told herself. There were definitely signs of movement ahead. Lara pushed through some underbrush, trying to anticipate the direction. She stopped and looked around. Everything was quiet around her. She peered into the distance, trying to figure out where the natural paths were. Then she saw it. It was dark and faint and far away. But a dark shape flitted through her view and deeper into the forest.
What was that? She thought. It could have been nothing. But it did worry her.
It didn’t move like a Blighter. Maybe I’ll just keep an eye out.
She felt defeated and didn’t want to admit that she had let something get away. It seemed fine for now, to just be more watchful.
“I’ll find it again and confirm without alarming anyone,” she said to herself.
8
HUNTED
Alrion awoke swiftly, forcing his eyes open. It took a moment to reorient himself. It was just before daybreak and they were
camped in the forest.
It’s fine, just more dreams.
But the feelings lingered. It felt so real. But he couldn’t put anything specific to it. Just thoughts of darkness, fear, pain, and more.
“Right on time, let’s get ready,” Vincent said. He was packed and waiting.
“Do you ever sleep?” Alrion said.
“When I need to. You need less, as you get older. One of the few benefits.”
“If you say so. I’ll need a minute,” Alrion said. He packed as quickly as possible, but his hands were unresponsive and cold. Without the sun the morning was incredibly chilly.
“Get used to that, it’s only going to get worse as we travel north,” Alyx said. Alrion cupped his hands and blew hot air into them.
“If I only had my Spark,” he said, looking at his hands. He could generate as much heat as he wanted if that was the case.
“You’ll appreciate it more after this,” Vincent said. Alrion could tell his father was trying to lighten the mood a bit. But he wasn’t interested. He could hear the traces of whispers in his mind. Which meant that someone was trying to communicate with him. Most likely Wraith, but he had received other messages. He looked over at Alyx and she seemed preoccupied with something. She noticed his look and spoke.
“You did better yesterday. More controlled, better instincts. But you are very inconsistent. You can be making sudden progress then become clumsy.”
“Thanks,” Alrion said. He knew exactly what she was talking about. It made sense too, he was still figuring out what he was supposed to do. It was a completely different set of activities to what he was used to. Everything he had done had been so slow, precise, and careful. Especially the blacksmithing.
But the sword work had the same demands of precision, with the addition of speed, balance, and agility. But he feared something else was happening. The effects of the infection. It was like his body was starting to get confused, and there was interference from within. But he didn’t want to say anything yet. He would keep an eye on it. And also see how Alyx moved. Surely it would affect her too.
“How’d you sleep?” Lara said as she walked over. She was ready to go but looked tired.
“Not well. You too?”
“I was thinking about too many things.”
“Same.”
“You can tell me if anything else happens. I want to help,” she said. Alrion could see the truth in her words. And he knew he could trust her. But something felt off. Like he couldn’t share what was happening.
Maybe I don’t want to burden her with this? That was probably it. He didn’t want to dwell on it.
“Let’s get going, I don’t want to get caught here,” he said. He walked over to the horse and mounted, helping Lara up. She leaned against him as they rode off, and he appreciated the closeness.
Initially the ride was difficult, navigating the poor trails and finding a way through the new forest they had discovered nearby. Alrion had to concentrate fiercely, to not be ejected from the saddle by an obstacle or on steering the horse into dangerous territory.
Chirps of birds and unknown animals rang out from the forest, and Alrion found the sounds interesting but had no attention for them. He was not just focusing on the horse, but the growing distractions within.
The whispers he had felt before were becoming louder, and occasionally a word sounded within his mind. Often, they were too soft or unintelligible. But every now and then one popped up and he was sure of what it was, but ignored it. He glanced over at Alyx and saw her deep in concentration too.
Maybe she’s noticing as well?
Slowly the noise rose, but it didn’t become any more understandable. It became loud and annoying, like standing in a room full of people talking but not understanding what they were saying.
Alrion maintained his composure as best he could, but he needed his attention to be on navigating the dense forest. A bump here, a nick there, and quick adjustment of the horse, all these things niggled at him. All the while the cacophony grew inside his mind.
“Just shut up!” he yelled in frustration. Everyone stopped and stared at him. He realised in that instant that he had spoken the words aloud. He noticed a sympathetic look from Alyx, but concern and surprise from Vincent.
“What’s happening?” Lara said from behind. She put her hand on his shoulder. He didn’t need to turn around to know she was worried.
“Sorry, there’s some sort of Blight communication going on. It’s so loud and intense, but just noise. I hate it and I can’t get rid of it. Please tell me you have it too?” he said, looking at Alyx.
“I do. But perhaps it is louder for you. For me, it’s more background noise.”
“It’s so frustrating. I can’t concentrate on anything else. And I can’t even understand what they are saying.”
“Do you even want to?” Lara said.
“No. But it just makes it all the more infuriating. Have you been in a room full of people shouting in another language?”
“I have. I see what you mean,” Lara said with a thoughtful look on her face.
“That does sound infuriating. Has it been happening a lot?” Vincent said.
“On and off. I can usually switch off or ignore it. But something is different. Like it’s insistent. That’s the only way I can describe it.”
“Just do your best. I think we should keep moving,” Vincent said.
“Agreed,” Alyx said.
“Sure, I’ll do what I can,” Alrion said. At least the Blight chatter had seemed to die down after his outburst. Although he didn’t want to continue that as a strategy. It didn’t seem like a good idea. And he had everyone worried.
As they rode on, the distractions started again. He could hear more of the insistent whispers, and almost understood words. But there was a changing intensity to it. Like it was building up to something.
“Hunt. Trap. Go.” Alrion heard these words amongst other garbled nonsense. He was sure of it. He looked over at Alyx.
“Did you hear something different?” he said.
“Yes. I heard the word ‘hunt’ quite clearly. What do you think?”
“I think they’re coordinating something. They must be tracking us, hunting us down. I even caught the word trap as well. Is there anything about this area that is special Alyx?”
“I’m not that familiar with it. I think we will be emerging from the forest soon. That could be opportunity to spring an attack.”
“Let’s just take a few precautions. I suggest we dismount, walk the horses from here. When we reach what we think is an ambush spot, approach carefully on foot,” Vincent said.
“You’re thinking of springing the trap if there is one, and keeping the horses safe.”
“Exactly. If they do this properly the horses won’t be able to get us away and could be injured or worse during the fighting. So, let’s be cautious.”
“That sounds wise. I will be able to point out when we need to leave them,” Alyx said. She seemed lost in thought.
“I hope I’m not alarming everyone for no reason, but I think it’s significant,” Alrion said. He didn’t want to ignore a possible sign then get them into trouble later.
They dismounted carefully, and stored all their extra provisions with the horses. Travelling light now, they would be ready to fight in an instant. Alrion grabbed the handle of his sword in anticipation. He felt more comfortable with it, but knew he would still struggle in a fight.
I’ll deal with that when it comes up. At least they can’t infect me. Can they? He thought. He had to chuckle to himself. There had to be some benefit to being infected, surely. And if they did indeed get attacked, it was good he had some sort of warning.
“Let’s tie up the horses now,” Alyx said. She gestured to a small space between trees that would do. Looking ahead Alrion could see more light penetrating the trees. It had to be the way out that Alyx had spotted.
Alrion patted his horse, checked that everything was tied up correctly and st
ood next to his father.
“I’m ready,” Alrion said. He was only half-lying.
“Good. Stay close to me. We will let Alyx take the front foot.”
“I’m expendable,” she said as they walked.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Vincent said.
“I did,” Alyx replied. She was focused on the path ahead and said nothing more. Within a few moments, she drew her sword and ran forward.
“There must be something ahead, stay calm and follow my lead,” Vincent said. He drew his sword and Alrion did the same. He could see a light glow from the diamond, and it didn’t seem like it was coming from him. Lara was close behind, scanning the area for any attackers.
“I’ll ensure we don’t get jumped from behind,” she said.
“Good. Let’s advance, we don’t want Alyx to get overwhelmed,” Vincent said. He moved forward at a steady pace and Alrion kept up.
As the forest started to drop away, the scene before them expanded into a mess. The ground was torn up and Alyx was fighting off several Blighters at once. There were more coming, but each group seemed to be paired up with a Tainted.
“They’re organised!” she shouted as Vincent approached. He didn’t bother replying, instead swinging his sword, and slicing through a Blighter that was trying to attack Alyx from the side.
“Thanks!” Alyx shouted, spinning to cut down another and move on to another angle. Vincent stepped up into the space where she had been, reinforcing her. Alrion hung back a few steps. A Blighter came out directly at him and he froze momentarily. He forced himself to step into one of the moves Alyx showed him and he managed to force the Blighter to stop and dodge.
Being mobile allowed Alrion the opportunity to let his muscles take over. He started to remember the feeling of the sword movement, and let it guide him. He mentally stepped back, allowing the sword form to swing and poke at the Blighter, effectively cutting it down.
I can do this.
Another two Blighters jumped in to replace the fallen one. As the first drew back its arm it fell to the ground, a dagger catching it square in the head.
Spark of Truth (The Hidden Wizard Book 3) Page 6
