“Your campaign ends today.”
—Bold words, but empty. You have lost—accept it and the end will be easier for you.—
“Your spawn took my honor—there is no forgiveness for him, or for you his master.”
—You let him, girl.— He moved closer, his dark robes swirling around him like the smoke in the air. —You have brought about your own death, and it will be at my hand.—
She let loose a wild yell and charged at him. Images of friends and family flew by in her mind as she ran, spurring her on even more; she saw Hiran’s young face and held on to it as she ran.
My child, she thought, I am sorry.
Something struck her in the chest, piercing through effortlessly to her heart. There was no blocking it—she recoiled from the impact, the momentum from her running carrying her several feet before she landed with her back against the pavement. She could do nothing but lie there, her body growing cold, her senses growing dull, the world before her eyes dimming.
She could still feel Bralon hovering over her.
—I have won today. Tomorrow I will start to take the world, and you will realize even in the afterlife how wrong you were to oppose me.—
Darkness swallowed her vision. She felt herself falling…
Calla awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright, breathing hard as her heart pounded inside her chest. She looked around—she was still in the forest, Mai still slept on the ground, the air itself was quiet. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She had had nightmares in the past, but they were never like this. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead on her knees. She sat like that for several minutes, taking deep breaths, before lying back down on the ground.
What in the world…? she thought. She found herself replaying the dream in her head a few times before she finally drifted off to sleep again.
X
The Watcher
The Elf-like creature sat up in the branches of a tree, holding his balance on a limb as he sat on his heels. He listened intently to the night air around him, sighing with relief when he couldn’t detect the sound of anyone pursuing. He could sense the girl and the Nymph somewhere ahead of him, and hoped that neither would be able to sense him following. He was just trying to make sure that nothing could sneak up on them from behind.
The girl had gone too far down this road now—there was no going back now for her.
But still he was worried. The girl was still vulnerable—her true power had not yet begun to surface, remaining locked away out of her reach. If anything were to happen to them, she would be incapable of protecting herself. Mai was strong—he knew that, after so many years of knowing her—but by the standards of her people she was still quite young and too inexperienced. She didn’t have the knowledge or the skill to actually defend her charge if they were attacked, especially by a large group; if that happened, she would most certainly fall.
He stood up on his perch and looked out through the crisscrossing limbs before him. For some reason, he knew he would soon end up stepping in to get the girl through.
XI
Mai
“And that’s how it ended,” said Calla as she carefully stepped over a root protruding a foot out of the ground. “The weird thing about it is I don’t think I was me—I think I was seeing everything as someone else.”
Mai hopped up and grabbed an overhanging branch with both hands, slowly swinging on it for a moment as she thought on what Calla had just told her. Clearly the dream Calla had the night before had bothered her, so Mai had listened patiently as she did her best to describe what happened, never interrupting her. By the time Calla had finished her tale Mai was quiet, thinking over every detail as she tried to come up with an explanation for her.
Calla was growing anxious from the Nymph’s continued silence. “What do you think about it Mai?” she asked nervously.
Mai dropped down from the branch, kicking up dirt and leaves with her landing. “It is strange,” she said at last. “Somehow I think I know what it was you saw. But it happened before your time, so how…?”
“I just find it a little unsettling that I seemed to know exactly what was going on and who was around me. But I’ve never been in battle before; I’ve never seen that kind of death, destruction and loss and I hope I never have to.”
“What is the phrase your people use? ‘Never say never’?”
“That man that…killed ‘me’—he was frightening, like something from my nightmares. I don’t want to find out if he exists in the flesh.”
“Unfortunately he does exist. We can only hope you do not meet Bralon—if he does not corrupt all he encounters he kills them. But the child you saw, the one ‘you’ called Hiran…” Mai’s voice trailed off.
“I definitely don’t know anyone by that name.” Calla must have seen the concern growing on Mai’s face. “Do you have an idea who the child was?”
“I suspect I might, though I am not completely certain—I do know someone named Hiran. He is from the same country I am. He has kept mostly to himself, rarely visiting anyone, keeping very few friends. In the entire time we have been friends, he has never talked about his past or why he prefers his solitude. A few years ago he just disappeared, leaving no clues as to where he went or why; it has actually come to the point that my Lady wants him found, because she is afraid for him. Yet I cannot help but think there is more to it than that.
“As for what you say you saw, I think I have an idea of what that was: at least ten years ago we were not yet at war with the Lord of Death and the forces of the Dead Lands—there were only a few skirmishes in some of the surrounding villages at the time, only the start of the troubles to come. It was the last of these that started the war we deal with now.”
“What happened?”
“Bralon and His minions obliterated one of our larger cities—He destroyed it down to its foundations. A warrior woman was there at the time. She was a bit older than you are now; she did not have the Druid’s gift like you, but she had superior skill in battle. But even being the best warrior in the world was not enough to help her. The Lord of Death was present at the battle and killed her Himself.”
Calla pushed a small branch out of her way. “But why would I have a dream about something that happened a long time ago?”
“Perhaps it is the Lady’s will.” Mai hopped down from the root she was standing on into the fern-filled lane between trees. “Perhaps it is Her way of telling you about what you may find yourself up against.”
“Terrific, I feel so much better about all of this now.”
For much of the afternoon the two kept walking in silence. On and on they trekked through the forest. As much as she felt at home here in this wood Mai couldn’t ignore the uneasiness that was settling in her mind, a feeling she couldn’t ignore. Why would Calla dream of an event that happened so long ago, a moment from someone else’s life no less? That kind of thing could end up scaring her away and leave them to fend for themselves. Dreams, she had been taught, were supposed to be messages from Fate.
But sometimes receiving messages like that turned out to be omens of disaster.
Mai was still lost in thought when they came to the edge of the forest. The trees ended in a sharp wall that opened out to a vast plain that was brightly lit with midday sunlight, giving the green grass a golden hue. It was dotted with the occasional clump of bushes or patch of brightly-colored flowers. A warm breeze blew towards them, stirring the dead leaves at their feet and tickling at Mai’s face.
The Plains of Kaltin—despite the danger that could be lurking nearby, Mai thought it would feel good to walk under an open sky again.
Calla must not have been paying attention to where she was going, for she suddenly walked right into her.
“Ouch!” Mai turned to look at her.
“Sorry Mai.” Calla adjusted the pack sitting on her good shoulder. “I was letting my mind wander. I didn’t realize you stopped.”
“I know I have given you a lot to think abou
t, but could you try to keep your attention on the now?”
Calla nodded, turning her eyes on the green grass ahead of them.
Mai smiled and waved for her to follow. “Come on—it would be best if we did not dawdle here.” It didn’t take them long to leave the trees behind them. In a few minutes they stood in knee-high grass gazing out over rolling hills.
Calla craned her neck back as she tilted her face up into the warm sunshine. “Warmth,” she said, drawing out the word. “I thought it felt kind of cold back there.”
“Enjoy this now while you can,” replied Mai. “After a while you will love it as much as you loved the trees these past few days.”
They set off through the tall grass. Mai encouraged her companion to keep up at a fast pace; she’d feel better if they covered a few more miles before resting, even though the sun was dropping quickly towards the horizon. The Plains of Kaltin were at least a hundred miles across if not more, and ended at the feet of a mountain chain her people called Rhaniad Rhewllyd, the Icy Divide; the two of them would have plenty of chances to rest after they reached the mountains, as finding a safe passage through would be difficult. Dusk had settled around them by the time they finally stopped, leaving the trees quite a distance behind them already. Other than bidding each other goodnight the two said nothing to each other as they stretched out on the ground to sleep, exhausted from all the walking they had been doing. Mai stayed up for most of the night and watched Calla while she slept, worried that she might be terrorized by another dream like the one from last night. The girl slept soundly for hours, so Mai finally gave in to her own exhaustion.
The next morning they were woken up by the rising sun. Eating quickly they set off again, leaving a trail of slightly tramped-down grass behind them. For much of the day the sky was perfectly clear, making the walk more enjoyable for both of them. But by midday the clouds kept rolling in, until the sky had turned a solid gray in the afternoon. Both Calla and Mai glanced upwards on occasion, as if waiting for the heavens to open up on them.
As they walked Mai could sense Calla looking back behind them, quite often, as though she felt something was following them. Stretching her mind out behind her, Mai thought she could sense some other presence that seemed to follow, hovering just at the edge of her range where it was difficult to identify. That didn’t make her feel much better. She pushed them on faster, wanting to cover as much more distance as they possibly could. Something wasn’t right—she could feel it in the air around her. The faint scent of danger seemed to hang in the air.
The sun was just passing noon when she abruptly stopped. Every hair on her scalp was prickling, her heart was racing, and she had a painful tingling in her fingertips when she reached out to touch the air. She felt her eyes widen with fear—something here was very wrong.
Calla noticed her stop, the sound of her footsteps in the grass behind her ending. “What is it Mai?” she asked, concerned.
Mai was about to answer when a loud, deep roar sounded from somewhere off to their left. Startled, the two girls froze. Mai felt her eyes widen in fear—that sound…
No, she thought, please, no. Do not let it be… Not a moment later the source of that roar rose from the grass on the hill next to them.
The hairs on the back of Mai’s neck stood straight up at the sight of it.
The creature glaring down at them was huge, at least twice the height of any man of the mortal world and much broader across the shoulders. It looked like some kind of lizard, its skin covered in large, hard-looking scales, spines rising from the top of its head down to the tip of its long, spade-shaped tail. Its hands and feet had long, sharp claws. Its head was clearly reptilian, long, narrow, and rather flat like an alligator’s with several long tusks rising from its lower jaw. Its eyes glowed bright orange.
Mai thought her heart had stopped beating. “Oh gods,” she whispered faintly while Calla jumped behind her, clinging to her arm. “This far? How have they penetrated this far unaided, without our noticing?”
There was a loud growling from behind them. Turning, the girls were horrified to see a second creature standing a little too close to them at the bottom of the hill, the only difference with this one being a broken tusk on the right side of its mouth. But even more of them were coming, walking towards them to stand behind each of the first two and cut off any escape routes.
“There’s too many…” Calla’s voice trailed off.
Mai was already calling her magic to her, the earth already rumbling beneath her feet. Without looking she reached up to yank at a gold chain around her neck; it came off easily, and she pushed it into Calla’s hand. “Take this with you,” she said, her voice shaking. “When I tell you, run in the direction we were going. Do not stop running, do not look back, and do not wait for me—no matter what happens.”
“Mai…” The look on Calla’s face was a mix of confusion and horror all at once; she had a faint idea of what was about to happen.
“Whatever happens, you must come to my Lady’s throne. She will understand what will have happened.”
“But—“
“Go now!” Mai shoved Calla hard in the back to make her run before focusing on the monsters around them, her power surging so that the ground erupted into a series of vines and brambles; only after this did she finally hear the girl take off, her feet pounding against the ground as she raced to get away. She drew a shaky breath. She still had a duty to perform, to protect the girl from these creatures and their masters—she wouldn’t go down without a fight. She lashed out at the first two creatures with the brambles, wrapping them as tightly around the monsters’ scaly hides as she could manage; the thorns sank in deep in spite of the creatures’ thick scales.
As she searched for her next opponent a massive shadow loomed up over her. She turned and was just bringing her arm up but it was too late; she screamed as the beast plunged its claws through her midsection, twisting its hand around, tearing at the flesh and what lay underneath. As her eyes travelled around the plain desperately she heard someone scream her name. Mai saw Calla standing off several yards away, watching in horror.
She could not see the monster coming up behind her.
Mai had failed—it was all over now, the world’s hope was now lost. It was her last thought before she felt a sharp pain in her neck, and the world around her went dark.
XII
Dranl
How much longer before the world is mine? Dranl thought as he stared out over the gray plains of his kingdom. He couldn’t believe this war was still going on—it had waged on since long before his lifetime for reasons no longer remembered. The priests in his city all kept telling him of the ancient prophecy, how he, a servant of the Dark One—their master—would face the Forest Child chosen by their enemy to decide the course creation would follow, and that all the signs they read showed that he would be the victor; if he did indeed claim such a victory then he would be the greatest human to ever live, and he and his people could help shape the rest of the world. But the only greatness he had achieved so far was a greatness of patience, which even now was starting to wear thinner. The Malc, the ancient people that still managed to hold their own against him, believed in that same prophecy, and that their Champion was the favored in that final battle to come.
He wanted that final battle to be here already—he was getting tired of waiting. And he was starting to grow weary of practicing the same tricks of black magic over and over again on stones and prisoners.
Dranl turned away from the single window and walked back to his throne, a large, ornately carved piece of black stone made even darker by the dim light of the hall. He flopped down on it with a huff and rested his chin on one hand. Today he was bored—he needed something to grab his interest, something different and new. Lately everything else just made him feel tired.
The screeching of metal against stone pulled him out of his thoughts. He sat up a little straighter in his chair, stretching his neck up as he tried to see through the dark
ness to the other end of the hall. For a moment nothing happened, leaving the high-pitched echoes to bounce off the walls for several minutes. Dranl scoffed and was about to voice his annoyance to the silence when he heard a series of heavy footfalls coming towards him, along with the scratching of claws on the hard surface. Out of the gloom emerged one of his Brilken foot soldiers, its massive reptilian head partially illuminated by the flickering yellow torchlight. Two others appeared behind it, one of them carrying some kind of bundle over its shoulder. They stopped several feet from the throne.
He looked at them with a bored expression on his face. “Well?” he asked in their language. “What have you brought me this time? Another bag of gold or one of bones?”
The first of the Brilken shook its head, snapping its jaws as it did so. “Neither, my lord,” it said in a deep, snarling voice. “We found a girl on unconquered plains while we were scouting. A Nymph was with her. We think this one to be the Malc Champion foretold in the prophecy—your foe.”
Dranl raised one eyebrow. “The Malc Champion? I sent you to the wrong part of our borders for you to have caught one of the Malc.”
“She is not Malc, but she was following a Nymph; she is a Woods Daughter, we think.” Without another word the lead Brilken gestured to the one behind him holding the “sack”; the other creature promptly stepped forward and dumped its burden on the floor before them, then bowed and returned to its previous place. Intrigued, Dranl stood up and walked over to look.
It was no sack that now lay on the floor by his feet but a girl—she was somewhere around sixteen years of age at least, maybe a little older. The Brilken had tied her hands behind her back. Her face was hidden by a mane of long, wild hair, but he was still able to see her gracefully pointed ears poking out from among the strands. He stopped; that wasn’t right, unless…
She gave a low moan and started stirring; she was coming around. He stared down at her as she slowly raised her head off the floor, first noticing her secured hands and then turning her head to stare at his feet. While she started to tilt her head up Dranl reached down and clamped one hand on the back of her neck; his grip firm, he pulled her up off the floor onto her feet, ignoring her small whimpers of pain. As soon as he took his hand away she stood perfectly straight, her body going completely rigid. He stood in front of her for a little longer while she took in his appearance, noting how her skin grew paler with each second even in this dim light.
The Last Druid Page 6
