A Summoner's Calling

by Jacquelyn Evans

  “Come on, hurry! We have to go! Move! Move! Move!” The chief exhorts people as they run towards the hole in the mountain. The people run as fast as they can, but the blackness races like a tsunami. It fills the streets, seizing people and eating them alive. The chief looks around. His little girl is missing, while his wife is running back down the street.

  “No, come back!” he yells.

  The chief tries to run after them, but the shaman holds him back, pleading, “Chief, forgive me, but I can’t let you. Please. Your people need you.”

  “That’s my family down there.” The chief tries to break the shaman’s hold.

  “What are they doing? No, don’t go in there,” He yells pointlessly down the street.

  Down a different path, a giant stone golem is covered in a blackness rage from the vile substance. His hammer now smashes into the few people who haven’t been taken by the Kozrot.

  “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think it’s time to go,” Jet says, pointing to Chris in his murderous rage and charging towards them. Then, out of the house steps the chief’s wife holding a baby and their child by the hand. But then, the blackness extends its poisonous tentacles behind them.

  “Oh my god, no! Run! Run!” The chief watches as his wife and child begin to run. “No, no, no, NO,” the chief cries as the blackness wraps around them, eating them. All he can hear is their dying screams.

  In the distance, beyond the bodies which include the chief’s dead wife and child, is the man who brought all this chaos. His face is one of victory as he vanishes back through the portal. The golem is charging towards them faster than the Kozrot. They hurtle towards the exit before it can clobber them. The golem swings its hammer indiscriminately, hitting the walls as he goes, and weakens the mountain.

  It caves in the skull of a man to its right. It breaks the leg of a girl in front, who barely manages a whimper as she is taken by the Kozrot. People trample each other as they try making their way to the exit. The chief, Thomas, Richard, the shaman, Ilyana and Jet all break free of the mountain. Just as they do, the weakened opening collapses. It buries the last of the people and Osmium forever.

  “Grant, I’m so sorry,” Thomas says.

  The chief turns away, tears in his eyes.

  “Who was that man?” Jet asks.

  “His name is Kosmos, Father of the Gods,” the shaman says.

  “What did he want with Chris?” Jet persists.

  “Chris is his son. He has defied him for years. I expect that Kosmos was exacting revenge,” Richard says.

  “Poor Chris. He loved his people, and they loved him. What a terrible way to go.” Jet hangs her head in sorrow.

  “Damn Kosmos. Damn him to hell. We can’t let any of that Kozrot get outside of Osmium, or else I fear life will cease to exist,” the chief says.

  “I agree. We can keep an eye on things from Inbitwit as a second defense,” Richard offers.

  “Thank you. I’m sorry, Thomas, but I’m afraid we can’t risk Jet’s safety in our current state,” Chief Grant says.

  “I understand. I do believe it was meant to be her time to return with me anyways,” Thomas says.

  “I will miss you guys. Thank you for everything. Please stay safe,” Jet hugs both Chief Grant and the shaman goodbye, wiping her tears. The mountain men, many of whom have never been above ground, walk tentatively towards the woods. Meanwhile, Thomas, Richard, Ilyana, and Jet head down the dirt path through the woods to Inbitwit.

  Woods : Erryn

  3

  Common, you got this, she thought and lunges into the bushes. To her relief, two big plump rabbits hop away. She steadies her aim, pulling the string taut with a deep inhale as she calms her excitement. With her aim aligned, she exhales and releases the arrow as it strikes true before the rabbit could escape its fate. Erryn dashes over, looking around to where the other rabbit could have gone. But it escaped.

  “Looks like the sun is just past the high point. Might as well have some lunch,” She grabs the rabbit and gathers things from the wilderness, making a small campfire. After cooking and eating the branch—skewered rabbit her stomach is beyond satisfied. It makes her feel stuffed to her fullest. But then, a sudden grogginess saps her energy. Trying to keep her eyes open, she fights to stay awake. Kicking some dirt on the fire to put it out, Erryn attempts to stand. Her limbs feel heavy and refuse to abandon their comfortable state. She submits, slowly closing her eyes for only a moment as she lays on the ground to regain her energy.

  She rests in the comfort of darkness as her lids finally close.

  The sudden noise of swishing alarms her to open her eyes. Erryn opens her eyes to a submerged darkness as her body bounces against the buoyancy of the rushing stream. Her left ankle screams of pain, caught in a crushing grip. She feels herself being yanked back. Erryn’s right foot plants on a steel bar while flailing her arms to reach the water surface.

  Erryn tries to call out to Jet but gurgles her words. She struggles to keep afloat with no skill which has never been taught in swimming. She tries again, only to have foul tasting water rush once more into her mouth and steal her voice. Adrenaline gives her strength to surge through the water, where she grabs onto a support pole. It integrates with the castle wall as she screams for Jet. Her call grabs Jet’s attention who immediately spins around, starting to bounce against the current back to her. The soldier who managed to catch Erryn laughs, grabbing her with his other hand on the back crevice of her knee.

  Erryn’s body shifts to facing the surface as the soldier’s hand tightens. She knows he’s about to pull her back through. She uses her right foot, pushing off one of the sewer grate’s bars and reaches for Jet. Jet trudges through the water nearing within her reach. She lunges toward Erryn, trying to catch her forearm. Erryn feels her fingers touching her skin as the soldier heaves.

  Erryn submerges again, water filling her mouth. Panic and exhaustion force air bubbles from her nose. Her arms slam into the other sewer grate bars, as she immediately grips her arms around them. Erryn hears muffled cackling from the soldiers above water. Inching her arms up, she barely brings her face to the water’s surface before spiting water from her mouth in exchange for air.

  “Erryn, I’m here! Kick them. Don’t. Stop.” Jet cups her arms under her armpits, scooping her up and starts to pull Erryn away. Erryn feels the leather hands from her ankles slide further up. One grips her hip as his other hand slithers up to the bottoms of her ribs. Her sister keeps wrenching her backwards. With each step Jet takes, Erryn’s face submerges and resurfaces in between tugs.

  The soldier refuses to loosen his hold but Erryn’s other arm wails into him, bludgeoning his rib. Erryn witnesses him turning to the pain as Jet pulls her in a desperate struggle, trying to separate her from the soldier. Erryn reestablishes her footing against the underwater bar, only to feel it break free from the strain. As it’s swept away in the current, Erryn feels it brush by her hand.

  She manages to snatch it, and with great effort, swings it through the water smashing the soldier’s face. He loses his grip and consciousness, falling back into the water with a bloodied nose. After being pulled out of reaching distance from the soldiers, Jet releases her to find her footing. Erryn grips Jet’s hand as they work further down the stream. They bounce with a sure footing as the current carries them to the tunnel’s opening, revealing a shore to Dragonar.

  “Damn brats! You there; get down this tunnel on the double.” Erryn hears the echo following Jet out of the water as she helps to pull her out. They breathe for a moment as their rubbery legs find gravity on land and water drips from them. Then splashing reverberates from the tunnel. Jet and Erryn slowly turn to one another.

  “These guys don’t quit,” Erryn carps.

  “Come on. It’s only a matter of time before castle’s main gate opens.” Jet stands, lending her hand. Erryn groans, running into town as the soldier reaches the tunnel’s exit.

  “Halt! Stop! Get back here.”

  Erryn hustl
es alongside Jet in between people wearing tattered clothes, riddled with filth and bruises wary to their hustle. Unlike the castle, buildings in Dragonar are cracked and crumbling (including the kingdom’s temple). All efforts to restore it had been halted by Vladimir’s command. Suddenly, a noise from behind the girls rattles both the air and the unstable buildings sapping the sisters’ attention.

  Erryn turns to face it, as she sees soldiers pouring out of the castle’s main gate down to the castle’s entry gate to Dragonar. Then two soaked guards trample to the center of the main road, where they spot them.

  “You there. Stop! By the decree of his majesty, surrender!”

  The grip on Erryn’s hand tightens as she’s pulled by Jet running about the people. The town’s entrance draws within sight as a smile of bliss falls upon Erryn. However, a crowd grows throughout the main road, surrounding the interest of disciplinary injustice between a subject and their owner. Erryn tries to look around with blurry eyes, pressing through only to be shoved back onto the ground.

  “Is there no way out?” Erryn looks behind her as four wet guards are in pursuit of them and the town gate opening. She looks to Jet as she looks over people and to the sides of the main road, but then she pauses.

  “Jet?”

  Jet waves with her face, scrunched with curiosity. Erryn follows her refusing her eyes with a wipe to water. She scurries right behind her, looking around Jet to see a moss-grown broken wall which exposes a glimpse of trees behind it. Nodding to one another, they race down the narrow passage as Jet leads. Once at the wall, Jet pushes and bashes the wall with her shoulder, pushing the loose moss rocks and opening a gap.

  Jet wiggles through as Erryn readies her turn with Jet’s hand as her guide. However, Jet pauses with dilated pupils, looking past her. Erryn gives a gander behind her as soldiers are searching the crowd. However, one is also starring right at them in awe.

  “Here! Over here!” The soldier shouts, charging into the narrow passage. Erryn releases a squeal, hurrying through the gap as he grips her left wrist.

  “Let her go!” Jet screams in an angered tone, her plea falling on deaf ears as the soldier pulls hard on Erryn wrist. While desperate not to let go of Jet, her right elbow bangs into a loose rock from his pull. Seeing this, Erryn lets go of Jet and quickly grabs the rock. More soldiers follow down the passage. She retains the rock and frantically bashes the soldier’s face, spraying red back onto herself until her wrist is made free.

  Erryn throws the rock at the coming soldiers and hurries through the wall as Jet helps to pull her through.

  “Don’t lose them. We’ll cut them off!” Orders from behind the wall are shouted. Erryn sprints away with Jet.

  “They started off this way,” yells a Razor tracing their tracks. They keep running, not knowing where to go.

  “Damn. There’s more coming from a over there,” Jet says, as she stops running. Erryn looks around, for she was always discovered good hiding places.

  “Jet, what about over there?”

  “Quick,” Jet hurries, taking Erryn’s hand to a small hill that rolls off into a ditch covered by some bushes and low-bearing pine trees. The Razors meet in the area and begin looking for them.

  “Where did they go?” shouts a Razor.

  “They couldn’t possibly have gotten far. Spread out,” another says, as they separate throughout the woods. The sisters sit, catching their breath while waiting for an opportunity to open. Jet reaches up, peeking over the hillock. She slides back down, biting her lower lip.

  “I know that look. What’s up?” Erryn whispers.

  “You’re not going to like it,” Jet admits.

  “How bad could it be?” Erryn shrugs, forcing a smile.

  “Well, if you look over there, there’s a tree where someone could hide in the branches. We could stay there ‘til the woods are clear of Razors,” Jet whispers, pointing to the tree.

  “Why do I feel a ‘but’ is in there somewhere?” Erryn asks with a discerning eye.

  “Yeah, about that—someone will have to be a distraction away from said tree,” Jet tries to smile.

  “No, no way. Absolutely not. If you can’t come with me, then it’s not happening.” Erryn folds her arms in defiance.

  “I agree; it’s a crappy plan. But do you got anything better? You know I’m resourceful, so I’ll be fine. It wouldn’t be the first time I challenged their efforts.” She nudges her sister in the ribs. “Come on, don’t pout.”

  “Fine.” Erryn rolls her eyes.

  “Hey, we can do this. We’ll meet back up later.” Jet wraps her arm around Erryn’s shoulders with a firm hug.

  “You promise?” Erryn asks.

  “Promise,” she nods, and they crouch down. Jet and Erryn follow the ditch, remaining hidden. They sneak within the shadows of the pines without a stir. A soldier walks by Jet as she looks to Erryn. Nodding at each other, they’re ready to move. Jet throws a rock in the opposite direction and the soldier goes to investigate it. The girls skirt their way to the tree. Jet gives Erryn a boost as she climbs up into the thick branches, tucked into the tree and out of sight.

  “See you soon,” Jet whispers and steps away. The soldier turns, and as he lifts his head, he sees Jet just standing there.

  “Don’t you move.”

  “Oh, me? You want me? Come and get me,” she says and runs off. She runs by a lot of soldiers as they take notice and pursue her. She becomes surrounded by a mixed group of Black Razors and soldiers.

  “Please be safe,” Erryn prays as she watches through the branches.

  “Where is she?” asks a Razor.

  “Safe, unlike you,” Jet says before a soldier moves in, his sword drawn. Jet ducks to the side as he swings, pulling her knife she swindled from the back-gate guard and stabs him in the ribs. As he doubles over in pain, she wrestles the blade from his hand.

  “That’s cute. Do you even know how to use that?” the Razor laughs .

  “Come find out,” she invites him, pointing the sword at him.

  “Remember, don’t cut her. Only subdue,” he shouts as all draw swords. They charge her on mass, but like an unforgotten reflex, she defends. Jet blocks every attack, fighting them off. A Black Razor comes in swinging a flail and stumps Jet on how to proceed. She steps back, creating space between them. After taking a few steps, surging pain courses down her shoulder. She reaches behind her and feels the hilt of a knife. It’s stabbed into her shoulder blade. She collapses to a knee and extracts it.

  “Oh, no. Jet,” Erryn’s eyes fill with tears as she watches Jet fall from afar.

  Jet looks behind her to see the soldier that she had swindled the sword from gloating.

  “Good job. I’m sorry this may take longer for me to see you again,” Jet says as lights charge through her. A darkness like shadows expands from her.

  “You fool. You’ve doomed us all. Razors,” he says as all the Black Razors step away, leaving the soldiers in the interior area surrounding her. The shadows ensnare each soldier crippling them and turning their organic bodies into darkness ash. They scream in agonizing pain with no way to stop the transformation. Then, a bright light charges around her, brightening the area and turning her skin to a blinding white light.

  “Jet, no,” Erryn cries softly, watching her beloved sister. A sonic explosion from Jet throws everyone around her away as the light blinds everything in sight.

  The nightmare never lessens in its intensity, leaving Erryn exhausted as she opens her blurry eyes. Her face is soaked from crying in her sleep. She dries her face with her shirt, clearing her vision.

  “And to think that there’s a rumor that you’re alive. I wonder if it’s a trap to lure me out. Or. it’s actually possible.” She recalled finding ashes scattered around where Jet had been kneeling. The ground had been impacted from the blast. But what had happened to Jet? Erryn couldn’t be sure.

  Erryn rises, gathering her things. She slings her backpack and quiver on her back. As she grabs her bow, she hears
a familiar scurrying of small feet run past. Then a snickering noise.

  Erryn freezes. This is what she has dreaded; being found by these sniveling creatures. Using only her eyes, she carefully looks left and right. The creatures continue to snicker as more scurry about. She hears at least two now accompanying her. Moving with caution, she reaches for an arrow from her quiver and notches it. With the bow taut and ready, she spins around, scanning the surrounding area. Trying to catch it, she doesn’t find anything.

  Dark anxiety falls over Erryn, one she hasn’t felt in over six months. Recollecting her days of capture, there was only one creature that behaved in such a way. And, it wasn’t indigenous to these woods. Goblins. Erryn steps backwards, treading deliberately to keep her balance so she can shoot. She eyes the nearby trees and bushes. Their fast feet make it hard to defend against their approach, while their blackish-green skin blends in with the vegetation. Both makes it hard to see- sweat beads on her forehead. Her breath quickens and her pulse races as their noises continue to grow in numbers. Sweat trickles down Erryn’s back as she remembers their jagged teeth shredding a victim. Their hideous yellow bug-like eyes can seek your heat, as they latch onto you with talon fingers.

  Erryn panics and turns to run, fearing their sense of smell. But on her third step, she headbutts into something. The impact causes her to fall onto her butt and she drops her bow. She rubs her head, looking up. Her eyes dilate and she inhales sharply. Red and black melded armor. She needs to think quickly.

  “You okay?” He bends down, lending her a hand.

  She sits there, confused and silent.

  “I’m not going to bite,” he says as she takes his hand.

  Erryn brushes off her butt and collects her bow.

  “You alright? You seemed startled,” he says.

  “I’m fine. I thought I heard something out of the norm. It was most likely nothing,” Erryn tries to shrug off his comment while looking around as the scurrying and snickering noises stop.