by B. T. Narro
She let out a light laugh and leaned into me for an embrace. For a while, we held each other in silence, her head against my chest.
“I don’t know where your sorcery will take you, but will you wait for me?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean more temptations might present themselves to you.” She seemed nervous as she looked at the ground.
“Hadley, if I would turn Nijja away for you, then there’s certainly no one else for you to worry about.”
She wore a half grin as she looked up. “So she really is that beautiful?”
“She is, but not as beautiful as you.”
Hadley stepped close, and I knew this would be the last time in a while that we could let out our passion without causing a scene.
But again we were interrupted as I heard shouts of fear from the nearby woodsmen, who darted toward us and ultimately in the direction of the fort behind us. A massive cantar prowled in the distance, stalking between the trees as if looking for unsuspecting prey. Unfortunately, it seemed to think the men running away were its best chance for a meal as it suddenly darted toward one of them.
I sighed as I took out my sword.
CHAPTER TWENTY
I was sitting and cleaning cantar blood off my sword in the fortress when I noticed Reuben rushing toward Leon, a fork in one hand. I couldn’t see his face as I stood with Hadley and Michael, the three of us gravitating toward Leon after we saw Reuben sprint away from Charlie and his meal.
“I’ve never seen Reuben move like that,” Michael said.
We jogged over as Reuben looked around and found me. “Jon!” he called, as Leon gestured for me to hurry.
“What is it?” I asked as I tossed myself lightly with dvinia, landing in front of them in what was basically one massive leap.
“I felt an enchantment pass by faster than a man on horseback,” Reuben said. “It had to be a demigod.”
“Fly up and see what you can,” Leon said as he handed me a spyglass.
“Which direction should I look?” I asked as I readied myself.
“That way, toward the road.” Reuben pointed east.
I hoisted myself up into the sky. The forest extended for about a mile east before it met the road and came to an end. I looked southward to find someone soaring away from us. I put the spyglass to my eye.
I couldn’t quite track the fast-moving demigod as I held myself up with dvinia, but I managed to get a few good glimpses. It looked to be Valinox, and he seemed to be carrying a girl with long brown hair.
I was about to descend and inform the others what I’d seen when I noticed another demigod coming from the north. I put the spyglass to my eye again and recognized Souriff by her silvery blond hair billowing behind her. Her whole body was covered in a glistening metallic material that I figured was a suit of Valaer steel armor. Far behind her was a third figure. Even with the spyglass, I couldn’t discern any of her features, but I knew it had to be Failina simply because there was no one else who could fly like that. She looked like a beam of glowing light, no doubt covered in the same armor as Souriff.
I let myself freefall back into the fort, slowing at the last moment to avoid injury. I gave the spyglass back to Leon.
“Get my armor, Michael,” I said.
“Just yours?”
“Yes.”
As he ran off, I continued, “It was Valinox you felt, Reuben. He has someone with him, and he seems to be taking her to Rohaer. Souriff is chasing Valinox, and Failina is far behind. It looks like they are ready to fight. I should be able to catch up to Failina and find out what’s going on, but depending on the circumstances I might not be able to return to inform the rest of you.”
“Who did Valinox take?” Leon asked.
The obvious answer came to me. “Most likely the princess, but I can’t be sure.” I suppressed my horror and fear as I focused on my duty to get her back.
Men were quickly gathering around, Byron included. There was no time for me to stay and chat, or I’d miss Failina.
“I have to go now,” I said as I noticed Michael returning with not just my breastplate but a wooden shield as well.
“I overheard,” he said. “You might need this.”
I lifted my arms as Michael and Leon helped me into the armor. Then I slid my left arm through the straps on the inside of the shield and took out my sword.
I soared out of the fortress and toward the road. I made it there as Failina was about to cross by. She spotted me and shifted in the air. Wind whipped her short hair as it carried her toward me.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Valinox broke into the castle and stole the princess while we were meeting with the king.”
She spoke while out of breath. I held myself suspended with dvinia, something I still wasn’t quite used to. The difference was like holding something heavy with my arms rather than tossing it and resting before another toss. However, Failina seemed even less comfortable remaining in one spot as her wind jittered her left and right, forward and back. She gestured for us to land. We went down onto the empty road.
“He was outfitting us with armor when we heard the screams,” she continued. “We hoped to catch up before Valinox could bring the princess to his army, but even Souriff can’t match his speed. We have to either steal her back or take someone else of equal value for a trade.”
“There’s an officer, a metal mage who seems as valuable to Valinox as Cason was.”
“You will look for him when we arrive. Defend me from arrows with that shield, and I will create a blizzard. If the princess is guarded too heavily, then take the metal mage. Bundle up and meet us south. Souriff will provide a distraction. She should be able to keep herself alive and take all the attention off us until my blizzard sets in.”
“All right,” I replied with an uneasy tone, remembering how the cold of Failina’s blizzard had nearly killed me the last time.
“I will inform my sister of the plan. We must hurry. I’m not sure if Valinox was aware we were in the castle. I don’t believe he can sense us when we are not using sorcery, but he probably felt us following him. He will tell his army to set up a defense against us. Go now.”
I rushed back through the air until I was over the fort, then I let gravity take me down, slowing at the last moment.
A few hundred archers had gathered by then, as well as all of my peers.
“Valinox took the king’s daughter from the castle,” I explained, “no doubt to use her as ransom. I’m going with Failina and Souriff to get her back, or at least to take Valinox’s metal mage if we can’t get her. Failina is going to make a blizzard. I need as much protection from the cold as possible, but I still need to be able to fight.”
“I have furs,” Hadley said.
“You can use my coif,” Michael added.
A few others ran off as well, and soon I was bombarded with furs, coats, and hats. By then I had explained that the demigod sisters were in the castle when this happened.
“This sounds like it could be a trap,” Byron said.
“I agree,” said Leon. “They could have all their casters and archers ready. If you see a formation that you won’t be able to get through, turn back. I don’t care what Failina or Souriff try to make you do. Do you hear me?”
“I do.”
During the time it took me to prepare for the cold, a few of the onlookers had asked if there was anything anyone could do, but Rohaer’s army was too far away. We didn’t have the means to surprise them except by air.
I was certain that Valinox planned to use Callie, but he might very well have her killed if he saw us about to rescue her. That gave me pause for just a moment, but it was all the time we had. If we waited too long, Souriff would lose sight of him, and we wouldn’t be able to get her back.
“I have to go now.”
“Go,” Leon said.
I flew out of the fortress and headed south. The demigod sisters seemed to be about a mile ahead
when I reached their altitude, and it looked like they were waiting for me. They started moving before I arrived, no doubt expecting me to catch up.
I was covered in fur and wool, my limbs less mobile, but I just had to grab Callie and get out of there. Failina’s blizzard should take care of everyone trying to stop me.
“We’re just about to lose him,” Souriff called back to me and jutted forward.
Failina flew more smoothly, while I soared like Souriff, with sudden lurches from powerful tosses of my mind. It didn’t take long before I surpassed Failina, but the distance between us and Souriff had increased.
The road ran out from under us between a long range of mountains to my left and the forest to my right. Rohaer was tucked far to the south, the nearby mountains blocking our view, but the camp of Rohaer’s army soon came to be in plain sight.
I hurled myself one more time before I let my momentum slow, then I held myself up with dvinia and took the spyglass out of my pocket for a look.
White tents not too unlike ours sat in clustered rows and made up the bulk of their huge encampment. There seemed to be little order to their massive group of thousands, though just about everyone seemed to be looking up at Valinox as he landed near the largest tent in the center. He tossed Callie to the ground and pointed at her. A bunch of men with ropes in hand surrounded her.
“What do you see?” Souriff asked as Failina caught up. “Did he hand her off?”
“He did. She’s there near the largest tent in the middle.”
I watched as they tied her hands and ankles, then moved her into the tent. About ten men stood watch outside. Many others were pointing in our direction, some with spyglasses of their own. I grew tired as I held myself, but I stayed there a while longer as I described the scene to the demigods.
“They’re giving Valinox a spyglass. He’s looking our way. I haven’t seen any signs of a trap. Men are running for their bows. It’s only going to get harder the longer we wait.”
“Then we go now,” Souriff said.
“After I find Davon, the metal mage.” I surveyed the encampment for a long while but couldn’t locate him.
“Hurry up,” Souriff said.
“You’re not helping,” I replied.
Many of the men seemed to be grouping around someone as if to protect him, like they did the large tent. However, I did not recognize the dark-haired man they’d gathered around. He must’ve been someone else of importance.
I noticed more groups forming as archers took their places at the front of the encampment. Priority targets, surely, but neither I nor the demigods knew our enemies well enough to tell who these people were and why exactly they were so important. It served to remind me just how disadvantaged we were.
I eventually found Davon toward the back. There had to be fifty men packed closely around him. Valinox stood nearby, in front of the large tent. I was content to ignore him if I could.
I described everything as I handed the spyglass to Souriff, who glanced quickly before passing it off to her sister.
“Keep Failina safe in the beginning,” Souriff told me.
I waited for her to soar toward the waiting army, but she didn’t move.
Souriff looked back at us. “It’s not worth it.”
“What?” I said.
“We might not get back alive. It’s not worth it.”
Was that fear in her voice?
“You have met the king of Lycast,” Failina said. “He is soft for his daughter. He will order his men back from the defile if Valinox threatens the life of the princess.”
“No, he won’t. He knows not to do something so foolish.”
“He is a father as much as a king.”
“Then he should’ve kept her better guarded,” Souriff said. “Or better yet, we can put someone else in charge who has the stomach to do the job.”
I was about to speak up, but it seemed like Failina was doing it for me. “The people have love for their king, but not for us. That will not work. The longer we wait, the more prepared they will be for us.”
Souriff stared at the army, unmoving.
“We discussed this even before the princess was captured,” Failina said. “We were prepared to infiltrate their army and take a prized sorcerer. We were just about to leave to find the fortress and bring Jon with us. We agreed that now that Valinox has taken the princess, it’s even more important.”
I had no idea of this plan. They must’ve formed it recently with the king. I was surprised. It was a good plan that would’ve done a lot to help our cause in this war. Now it would only keep Callie safe, but that was enough.
“You don’t need to remind me,” Souriff said.
“It seems like I do!” Failina replied in anger. “Airinold is right about you, isn’t he? You created dvinia in a way that only you could use it. You have sacrificed nothing, while Airinold and I sacrificed so much more. I have held my tongue all these years, but I can’t any longer. You have seen what Caarda has become because of your actions. You even drove our other brother to attempt to kill you. That is on you, sister, you and Valinox. The rest of us are doing our part to put an end to this, and so must you. That means putting yourself at risk of death. It is the least you can do after all the trouble you’ve caused. This is when you decide what your legacy will be, this war and this moment. You and Valinox can live on in history as the instigators of war and the reason Airinold created dteria, or you can change that and make up for your selfishness!”
Souriff looked back at her sister. She gathered herself quickly with a few strong breaths, then wiped burgeoning tears from her eyes. A hardened look came across her face.
“I will go in first with a shield of dvinia and disrupt the archers. You will make the snowstorm, Failina, as Jon protects you. Unlike Lina, I cannot take the cold much longer than the mortals, Jon, so you must be quick. Once everyone’s vision is impaired, it’s up to you to retrieve the metal mage. I would help you, but it’s unlikely I’ll be able to find you during the chaos. My brother, however, I can sense. I will distract him so that you can escape back to the fortress. If I do not meet you there, then do not come back for me. Are you both ready?”
“I’m ready,” I said, as Failina put her hand on her sister’s shoulder and looked proud.
Souriff flew off at a blurring speed. We followed some distance behind as she descended over the archers. They took aim.
“Stay behind me until I say so, Jon,” Failina said as she zipped in front of me with a powerful gust of wind.
“Fire!” ordered a man wearing a decorated uniform and standing among the hundreds of archers.
A swarm of arrows came at Souriff, but she did not slow. Many missed while a dozen others became embedded in her shield of dvinia. A few passed by Souriff, splitting the air with a screeching sound, but Failina’s wall of wind deflected them away from us.
Souriff landed hard among the archers and pushed out her hands. A wave of dvinia knocked over hundreds and caused those farther from her to stumble away.
“Now,” Failina said as she suspended herself in the air above the army.
I put myself beneath her and readied my lowly shield. Failina’s wind whipped at my back as I hovered a few hundred feet off the ground. The sisters had put a lot of faith in my ability to protect Failina from not only arrows but fireballs as well, as I saw a couple forming above the many ranks of sorcerers below us. I could block almost anything with dvinia, but I had never tried to do so while suspending myself at the same time.
Souriff, however, had all the archers disabled for now. There were just a few others along the outskirts, disorganized, as they fired frantically.
Most of the arrows slowed on their way up to us, making it easy for me to see that none would hit their mark. The temperature of the air dropped suddenly. Snow fell, lightly at first, but quickly became dense.
I used my shield to block an arrow that I had not seen coming until the last instant. The force of it reverberated through my arm, but it
didn’t do much else. Then two large fireballs rose and fell beneath us. We were too far for any sorcerer or even most archers to reach us, and it looked like they were starting to realize this. Men in decorated uniforms yelled to kill Souriff first.
“Go now,” Failina said. “My blizzard will soon be upon them.”
I kept my eyes on the metal mage. There was no way to tell what kind of sorcerers protected him, just that dozens stayed close as if they knew I was coming for him.
I let go of myself with dvinia and formed a wall of it beneath my feet. Letting myself freefall while keeping the dvinia intact with my mind, I had effectively created a shield beneath me in case an archer or a fire mage got lucky.
The snow was so dense by then, the air so cold, that I felt as though I couldn’t breathe as the frigid wind sapped my strength. I steeled my nerves as everything became white.
I could no longer see my enemies. I couldn’t even see the ground. But I had seen where they were a moment ago. I slowed before coming down onto a group of them, landing on one man and rolling off him across the ground.
I took a note from Souriff’s book and blasted out dvinia in every direction, knocking over too many to count. I couldn’t see past my hands, the snow was so dense. Shouts of confusion rang out from every direction, too many orders at once for most to be understood.
I had lost Davon, but I knew he was close. I took out my sword as I saw a blade come for my head without seeing the hand attached to it. I ducked as a heavily bearded face burst through the white wall and growled at me. I took one step past him, and he sounded a mile away as he shouted that the bladedancer was here. I bumped into the shoulder of someone else who didn’t seem to realize I was the enemy.
“Where is he?”
“Behind me, I think,” I replied.
“It’s you!” said the soldier as his eyes widened. “He’s here!”
There was a scream of agony, then, “You stabbed me!”
“Goddammit, I thought you were him!”
I found no one for a breath. I figured I was about to lose Davon for good. I couldn’t stay here much longer. The cold felt like daggers in my lungs. My body urged me to get out as my joints became stiff and my eyes burned.
