by Timothy Ray
He had already had similar thoughts, but he saw little choice, and the elf nodded in unspoken understanding. “I have a letter from my father. The seal is unbroken. I was going to read it later tonight, but it’ll serve better sealed. Give it to my brother. If it contains what I think it does, then he might be persuaded to hear you out. But I want it back. It’s my father’s last words to me, and I charge you to keep it safe until you see me again.” He reached into his pouch and withdrew the scroll.
There was a bit of blood on the fringes, must have seeped through during the battle, but otherwise it was unharmed—the seal still intact. If it had been broken, then his brother could question the contents; this way there would be no doubt that it was their father’s hand. With a heavy heart, he handed it over, and the Guardian took it respectively and tucked it away.
“Are you okay to ride?” he asked, remembering the Guardian’s breath when he had first approached.
“Sire, I’m an elf. It’d take more than a swig of Dwarven ale to hinder me,” Windel assured him.
“Then ride like the wind. Don’t let anything hinder you. Get to my brother and expose Clint for what he is. When I return to Lancaster, I want to see his corpse hanging on the battlements for the entire world to see,” he sneered; feeling the anger in his heart over his parent’s deaths.
The elf bowed. “As you command.” Then the Guardian sprinted for his horse. Untied and mounted, Windel gave them one last wave then rode into the night.
Chapter 12
Ascension
I
“My original intention was to leave Kylee here to guard our backs and the horses, but after last night—I don’t think that’s wise,” Merlin told Tristan as the two breakfasted on a fallen tree overlooking the path leading to the heights above.
Willow had gone off with Kylee almost immediately after waking, accompanying her on a quick scout of the area. The ranger had been cool towards him and he shook his head at her demeanor; he was only trying to save her from doing something reckless and stupid.
“You expected Jared to make the climb? I’m sorry, powers aside, the boy is blind. Climbing a mountain is no place for a handicap like that. He says he uses other people’s vision to allow him to see; I don’t see how that’ll help him scale a cliff. We’d all be watching what we’re doing, not paying attention to him. He’d be a liability and a danger to the rest of us,” he observed, finding it refreshing that Merlin was involving him with the decision making; even if it were only for show. “And if Jared doesn’t go—Reyna won’t.”
“And I wouldn’t let Token climb a tree stump, much less a mountain face,” Merlin continued, not disagreeing.
“The real danger should be down here anyways, right?” he ventured, the childhood stories coming to the forefront of his mind.
Merlin shook his head. “I don’t know. A powerful magic resides in the heights above and it clouds my vision. Superstitions are usually based on some fact.”
“Out of the pan—,” he blurted.
“And into the fire,” Merlin finished with a nod. “No way to tell until we’re there. Six of us should do just fine.”
He laughed. “You get to tell Reyna she’s guarding the horses again; no way am I stepping into that lion’s den.”
Merlin chuckled along with him. “Thanks a lot.”
Half an hour later, they were packed and on the trail that led up the mountainside. Reyna had already come to the same conclusion they had, and had been prepared to argue if Merlin had insisted on taking Jared along. The only complaint she had, had to deal with babysitting of the still sleeping dwarf.
Kylee and Willow had appeared shortly after and confirmed that no sign of the enemy had been found. They worked on packing light for the next leg of their journey; the pair keeping to themselves. Tuskar had been left behind, and he saw the remorse in the ranger’s face at their parting. But as with Jared, it would just be impossible to take the wolf with them.
So far, the trail wasn’t half-bad, as it wound through the boulders at a slight grade. Kylee was in the lead, followed by Kore. Merlin strode just in front of Willow, and Preik was to his rear. With Reyna and Jared watching their backs, they were more worried about what lay ahead—rather than behind.
“How’s she doing?” he asked Willow, nodding in the ranger’s direction. They hadn’t talked much since the night before, and there was little else to do as they made their way forward.
“Clint killed your father, how are you doing?” she threw back.
“Whoa, I surrender,” he remarked, throwing his hands up in the air. He couldn’t explain the hostility that lined her voice. What’ve I done to deserve this?
She was furious as she spoke and he cringed with each word. “She just found out that she’s within striking distance of the man that killed her mother, our brother, your parents, and she’s being told not to act on it. She’s spent her entire adult life hunting that butcher; dedicated her soul to that quest. Who are we to stand in her way?”
“So, we just let her run off to her death; tell her to have fun storming the castle? If Merlin says her time will come, I trust in his word,” he fired back, feeling his own anger rising. The mention of his parents stung.
“Since when?” she rounded on him. “You’ve been fighting this the whole way; never once trusting anything he says. You’ve had your doubts and stood up to him more than once. Now you’re his trusting lackey?”
“My father trusted—.”
“And where did that get him?” she cut off.
He unsheathed his sword and offered it to her hilt first. “You want to cut me some more—here. It’d be less painful.”
“Stop being dramatic,” she growled, ignoring the blade.
As he slowly slid his father’s sword back in its scabbard, he spoke to her in a soft and slow monotone. “I want nothing more than to kill that man, and not just for the death of my parents. I grew up with him, tutored under him, trusted him. The betrayal I feel seeks his blood upon my sword.”
“Then let’s turn around and end him,” she sneered. He had never in his life seen her this angry, this—blood-thirsty.
He thought long and hard before responding. He was on unfamiliar ground and it was shaking beneath his boots. “There are lives at stake and I have a responsibility to do what I can to preserve them. I didn’t ask to be here. It was thrust upon me; upon both of us. If we turn around, go back to the castle only to find him gone—what do we do then? We’ll be entrenched in a besieged castle; unable to give chase. Even if we survived that, where does this unending quest for vengeance lead us? To the gates of the Deadlands; to the Phoenix herself?”
“He is right there!” she yelled, pointing in the direction of the distant castle.
“Is he? How do you know? Sure, Clint was there when we left; he poisoned my father. But is he there now? Do you think he’ll stick around while the castle is under attack? Poison is a cowardly act; I don’t see him hanging out while the enemy horde comes knocking on the door,” he tried to reason with her. “I sent Windel with a message for my brother. If Clint is still there, then his corpse will be awaiting our return. If he’s not—then when we do it ourselves. I’ll help the two of you chase him to the ends of the Earth if that’s what it takes. But for now, we have to stay the course. Merlin promised Kylee would come face to face with the man. What if deviating from our quest prevents that from happening? Do you want to be responsible for that?”
“How can you trust him?” she asked weakly, the anger fleeing as reason began to take hold.
“He saved my life.”
She shook her head. “No, I did. As did my sister. He just let you get shot.”
His shoulders slumped. He hated this. “Why are we fighting?” There were many things that could still be said, but he didn’t have the energy to say them. He had made his argument; tried to reason with her. If she still insisted on going back, what was he going to do—physically restrain her? The thought of doing so pained his heart; it wasn�
�t in him to do that.
Kylee had slowed and was now walking beside them. Kore had taken the lead with Merlin following close behind; as if he knew nothing of what was happening back here. He glared at the mage for leaving him alone with these women. He was defending the man, the least he could do was help. Preik had fallen back a bit, eyes watchful, but offering no assistance if things became physical.
Once again, he was on his own.
“Willow, Tristan is right,” the ranger stated and his breath caught in his throat; the rebuttal quenched before given.
His fiancé was just as stunned. “What?”
“When I agreed to come along on this quest, I swore an oath to Merlin that I would stay by his side. He promised that by doing so, I’d come face to face with my family’s butcher, and nothing has happened to change that,” the elder elf remarked coolly.
“How can you say that, last night you were so adamant—?” Willow stammered.
Kylee hadn’t stopped walking, but she did turn to look east, her eyes misting over. The trees had begun to recede and the countryside was opening up the higher they went. He could see the fortress that was his home and his heart tugged with homesickness.
“Last night was full of revelations. You,” she nodded at Willow, “what happened to my mother, the name of the butcher, it was a lot to take in; I acted impulsively. But I haven’t survived this long on my own by acting on rash impulses. They’re right; I’d never get close. And I’m a woman of my word. I told Merlin I would stay with him. I just have to trust that at some point I’ll face this man and have my revenge.”
“You’re no longer alone,” he told the white-haired elf. They were bonded now in numerous ways. Jenna, Willow, but most importantly, the ranger had saved his life. It was a debt he meant to repay.
Willow reached out and took her sister’s hand. “We’re in this together.”
Kylee nodded. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had a family, to have people care about me. For so long it was just me and Tuskar; now I have two sisters and two brothers.” She glanced in his direction, clearly meaning him. “I don’t know how to handle that.”
His fiancé chuckled, then slipped him a slight grin. Was the fight over? “I don’t either,” she said, “but we’ll work it out together.”
II
Willow had broken away from the others; needing time to think. They’d been hiking all day, and as the afternoon light began to fade, she felt her strength going with it. The incline had increased and it had taken more out of them with every step. She sat on a large rock overlooking the valley below and allowed the scenery to calm her mind. It had been chaotic since the night before, and she had a rollercoaster of emotions as a result.
She’d finally made up with Tristan, but he was still giving her some space. Probably worried she’d go off on him again. Her earlier tirade had been out of character; she was usually the calm and collected one. But the revealing of a sister and an assassin had sent her reeling. She had heard the whispers about her father’s indiscretions, but she’d never given them any credence.
Now, she had an older sister, a product of a hidden affair with a palace maid, and it made her wonder how many other things she believed would soon to be revealed as false. How much more of her life would be ripped out from under her?
She looked at the cliff face to her left.
Merlin had taken hiking equipment out of that bag of his, and in the morning, they would begin to scale their way upwards. The path had ended at the base of the cliff, and though there might be another on a different side of the mountain, they didn’t have a way of getting to it.
She sighed.
What was the point to this climb? What was so important that they’d risk their lives to reach the mountainous heights? As ever, the mage had been secretive about their purpose, and it was starting to grate on her nerves. Were they all in this together or not?
Intense pain erupted from her hand. She screamed as a fierce burning began spreading through her palm and up her arm. A snake had buried its fangs in her exposed flesh. She’d been sitting there, hands on her knees, lost in thought, not paying attention to her surroundings, and got bit for it. She jerked it away but the snake refused to dislodge.
A vicious growl erupted on her left. She was still trying to get the creature off, but the pain had immobilized her arm, as it spread towards her right shoulder. Her vision began to throb. There was a blur of motion, another growl, and the fangs of the snake were pulled out of her hand with a loud crunch. She fell backwards, landing hard on her back, her head lolling to the side. There were fuzzy figures running her way, familiar voices shouting in alarm, but none of that mattered.
The darkness called to her, beckoning her to follow it; her soul answered.
III
Her scream tore through his thoughts and propelled him to his feet. In panic, he twisted and almost tripped as he plunged forward. Kylee was bounding past, her long feet carrying her swiftly to Willow’s side. Merlin rushed by and he wondered why he was moving in slow motion, while the rest of the world sped by? Her sister was sucking on Willow’s hand and fear leapt in his heart. She’d been bitten!
“Is she okay?” he asked, skidding to a halt by Merlin’s side. He crouched down and tried to lift Willow’s head. Her eyes were closed, face pale, and she didn’t respond to his touch.
Kylee spit on the ground and it hissed when the liquid struck the soil. The hand had swollen; black lines streaked up her wrist and disappeared under her armor. “This shit isn’t natural!”
Kore was poking his way through the short grass, but had yet to come up with the creature that had done this. His red eyes bore into the ground, searching.
Merlin was bending over Willow, his hand over her heart. “She’s fading.”
“Please,” he begged the mage, “don’t let her die.”
The older man’s eyes turned on him. “I’ll do what I can, but whether she lives or dies is up to her.” Then the mage’s hand began to glow, white light spreading forth and flowing into his fiancé’s chest.
The light began to throb, to be invaded by a gray mist. It spread across the white, eating away at it, and Merlin’s face began to show signs of strain. Black whirls appeared and started to attack the source of the magic. Merlin grunted, but pushed harder, white light pulsing to push it back. “I need your help, both of you,” he spoke, face contorted, a grimace upon his face.
On instinct, he reached out and put his hand on top of Merlin’s. Then Kylee laid hers on his and gripped them both. He jerked forward as his life force joined with theirs. He could feel his energy being funneled through his palm and into the white light below. Weakening, he tried to imagine the last time he and Willow had truly been happy together, to use that memory to sustain the flow.
They’d been on that balcony, having just made love and basking in the moon light. The touch of her hands, her lips, he recalled her voice whispering softly that she loved him. His heart swelled at the memory and he allowed all of the love he had for her to rush out all at once.
The light had grown so intense that it filled the entire cliff side with its glow.
There was a squeal in his head as the black tendrils of smoke whirled and suddenly evaporated. Unabated, the energy pushed through the gray mist, utterly destroying it, and flowing unhindered into the elven woman he loved.
Her whole body began to emanate a white green mist and he knew that it was burning the venom out of her. He didn’t know how long they’d been at it, but his body was exhausted, and he didn’t have much more to give. The green tint was gone; all that was left was the white pulsing energy that flowed through her body.
Slowly, it died, and the three of them held hands over the fallen girl; praying it had been enough.
He broke away and fell hard on his ass. Knees trembling, lips chapped and withered, he felt a severe drowsiness hit and threw up. Leaning over to retch, his arm couldn’t sustain his weight. His head hit the ground and stars floated above him. �
��What was that?” he moaned.
Kylee had also fallen and though she tried, she was unable to sit up. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Dark magic,” the mage told them. “Vile and treacherous. Had we been a few minutes later, she would never have had a chance.”
“Kore no find,” the orc stated grimly.
“You won’t,” Merlin replied after a moment. “The cat’s got it. Hopefully he knows better than to eat a creature that’s been tainted by the Phoenix’s evil.”
“Cat? What cat?” he groaned, as he tried and failed to sit up again; he was drained.
Merlin ignored the question as he checked Willow’s pulse. “Her heart is strong. She sleeps, but I think she’ll be fine. Your love is powerful, enough for her to turn from Hades grasp and deny the Dark God another soul to feast on.”
“You’re talking in riddles again,” he remarked and felt a bit stronger as his spirits lifted. She was going to live!
“Actually, I thought that was pretty straight forward,” the mage commented dryly.
“Hades?” Kylee inquired, eyebrows raised. She had managed to sit up and was inspecting the fang marks on Willow’s hand. It was still swollen, but the black streaks were gone.
He sat up as well. He reached over and stroked Willow’s hair. It had been so close. His heart ached at the thought of losing her. How would he survive? He knew he couldn’t. If she had died—he looked at the cliff to the right and imagined plunging down it.
“The God of the Underworld. The reason Tristan’s people put coins on the eyes of their dead, is to pay the ferryman to convey their souls across the River Styx,” Merlin explained.
“Bunch of rubbish,” Kylee shook her head in disapproval.
Merlin grinned weakly. “Who’s to say? That’s one adventure that I long for, but will be a very long time coming. Anyways, the Phoenix failed, and I hope that vile witch is killing more of her minions with her rage.”
