by Kara Jaynes
13
Glacia
The earth began to shake some time before dawn. When I opened my eyes, my bedroom door stood wide open, my servants nowhere in sight. The world rumbled, and my bed skidded a few inches, bumping into the wall.
It was a terrifying, unreal experience. It had happened before, however. I was no stranger to earthquakes, living under the rock. I lay quietly in bed and waited.
Except the rumbling didn’t stop. The world continued to shake and shake, and it took me a moment to realize my limbs were trembling, too. Climbing out of bed, I stood on unsteady feet. I was still clad in a pale colored party dress from the day before, too tired to undress last night. It was wrinkled from sleep, but I didn't change, eyeing the rattling wardrobe in the corner with apprehension.
Barefoot, I staggered out into the hall. It was chaos, servants and Chosen alike running up and down the stone passages, fear painted on every face.
A familiar servant ran by, and I reached out to touch her shoulder. “What is going on?”
“The world is ending!” she wailed. She didn't stop her sprint as she turned a sharp corner in the hall.
I frowned, trying to look stern, hoping it hid the uncertainty and fear that now skittered about inside of me. I clenched my fists and walked down to the great hall. Surely Mother and Father would be there. They would know what was going on. They would know what to do.
The earth tilted and I fell, my shoulder banging against the stone wall. People around me screamed as they stumbled and scrambled to their feet, fleeing in all directions. “Fire!” someone cried, but I couldn't see any, and when I sniffed the air, I couldn’t detect any smoke.
I continued until I came to the great hall, where my parents usually made announcements. It was packed with people, everyone milling about like ants. Fear stuck in my throat at the sight. Whatever had happened, whatever was going on, was real. Something was terribly wrong.
“They’ve found us!” a man roared as he charged past me. I jumped out of the way, watching him leave the room. He looked vaguely familiar, probably seen at one of the banquets or meetings my parents held. Several other people streamed past me, others fleeing in the opposite direction, deeper into the mountain.
I watched everyone, but no one watched me, no one looked in my direction. A flash of white darted past me, and I blinked, seeing my mother hurry past me. “Mother!” I called out. My breath quickened. Where would we go? Did my father know of another safe place?
My mother spun around, chest heaving from exertion as she faced me, gazes locked. My heart froze, seeing the confused look she gave me, her head tilted as if trying to remember something. “It’s me,” I whispered. “Glacia.” Your daughter.
My mother looked at me, her expression stricken and filled with that same confusion.
I stood completely still, grief and uncertainty rippling through me. “Why did you leave me?” I choked out. “Why did you abandon me?” I didn't know why, but I wanted to know. I wanted to understand.
Mother’s eyes widened as if remembering something, and then narrowed. “This is your doing,” she hissed. “Cursed child. Your father should have listened to me. Now you’ve doomed us all.”
I stumbled away from her, almost falling, my legs were shaking so badly. “What did I do wrong?” I whimpered, tears springing to my eyes.
“Thank goodness I found you.” My father's voice sounded behind me. “I'd feared the worst.”
Heart soaring, I turned to face him. All these years of wondering, hoping, and he had finally acknowledged his affection for me. After all, I was his daughter. Someday, I would want answers, but for now, I would settle for anything I could get.
He rushed past me, grabbing Mother’s hand. “Come, there’s an escape route this way.”
They never looked back, both running hand in hand toward the room’s far exit. Leaving me alone.
Alone.
I snorted, covering my mouth when it turned into a sob. I wouldn’t cry. They’d already made me cry, once. I would never cry for them again. Ever.
Who could I turn to? Where could I run? The mountains trembled, throwing me to my knees. I was well and truly by myself, despite the fact that the halls were full of people. Everyone ran to and fro. Not one looked at me. They didn’t even look at each other, everyone scrambling to save themselves.
Still crouched on the ground, I closed my eyes, willing my mind to calmness. What could I do? Where could I go?
My heart warmed. Silvan. He would come. I could feel it, the knowledge of it spreading through my body.
I staggered to my feet and ran back the way I’d come, lifting my skirts up to my thighs as my legs pumped, leaping over fallen statues and pushing past people. He would be there. He had to be.
I will love you. The words he’d spoken to me on our first meeting sprang to my mind, and I ran faster, the train of my dress streaming behind me like a banner. I hurtled to the upper levels of the halls, ignoring the stampede around me, pushing against the tide of Chosen as I sprinted. There was nothing holding me here, not anymore.
Hope grew in my heart the closer I drew my old bedroom. Nothing would be the same after today. My parents, my people, had made their choice, and I had made mine. That choice was Silvan. The only person in the world who really knew who I was, who cared for me, even though I was a nobody. And I cared for him. My breath came in painful gasps as I staggered down the final hall. I didn’t just care for him. I loved him.
I loved Silvan. And regardless of what happened tomorrow, today, within the next hour, within the next moment, everything I did, everything I was, would be for him. I loved him like I never loved anyone. And in this moment of uncertainty, this moment of fear, I knew he would help me.
14
Silvan
My brothers rallied as I spread the word, shouting at the top of my lungs. “Master calls! To arms, brothers, to arms! The Master calls!”
The Elite responded, everyone stopping whatever activity they were doing, seizing weapons, and running to me in leaps and bounds. Daiki came up, his dark eyes shining with excitement. “What’s the trouble? Raiders?”
I stared at him, startled to realize that he didn’t sense the coming danger. Were they really all so blind? “Demons,” I said, quietly, so only he could hear. “They are coming.”
Daiki’s face paled but he nodded. “I’ll alert the guards.”
I impulsively reached out, clasping Daiki on the shoulder in a brief gesture of friendship. “Thanks, Daiki.” For being a friend. Why did I feel this pang of loss?
Daiki returned the gesture before turning and running down the pebbly path that would take him to the entrance of our town, to the sentries standing guard.
I watched him until he disappeared around a corner. Turning, I ran back the way I had come.
The sense of evil grew, and I kept looking over my shoulder to confirm they weren’t close enough to see. Everything looked normal, besides the now flurried activity of the Elite. But the dread in my heart was real, and that Master could feel it confirmed my fears.
The demons were real. Somehow, released from their prison. And they were coming.
I ran back to where Master was now quickly giving out orders to those who had arrived. When he saw me, he pushed aside those students who stood too close, and strode over to me. “Come,” he said, striding away from town, up to a ridge that would give us a broader view of the mountain range below us. We were situated higher up on the mountains, farther than the Chosen, even. If danger was close, we would be sure to see it from this vantage point.
My master reached the top of the incline first, his shoulders sagging when he looked below. Heart hammering with fear, I followed him up, staring slack-jawed at the sight before me.
The world was burning.
The horizon was a red haze, and from this vantage point I could smell smoke. My stomach clenched. It would take a truly massive fire to have its scent carry this far. My eyes narrowed, piercing the distance. Where the v
illages had once nestled on the valley floor was now only molten rock. To think I had even considered sending Glacia there.
And the hall of the Chosen . . . I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. The halls of the Chosen were breaking. I swiftly knelt, and put my palms to the stone. I could feel a faint shifting of rock, rumbling nearer. It wouldn’t be long before it hit us.
“Earthquake,” I muttered. “And molten rock.” I knew he couldn't see as well as I. Few could.
My Master sighed. “It’s the sign of their coming. They destroy everything in their wake.”
I stood, my fists clenching. “I intend to stop that.”
Master chuckled; it sounded more like a wheeze. “You always were the fighter.”
“I still am.”
“I know.” His tone turned serious. “I am going to lift the shield, Silvan. It will only hold us back. Every Elite and Elite-in-training will need to be at the peak of their power.”
The shield of magic was what kept Elite from shifting in our home. I assumed it was to help keep the trainees in line. I nodded in agreement, my body tensed as I watched some of the turrets of the Chosen halls crumble. “It’s too late to save the villages,” I said, “but if we hurry, we can protect the Chosen.”
“The Chosen?” Master sounded confused for a moment. “No. I’m sorry, Silvan, but we cannot stretch our men at so dire a threat. We need every man here, to preserve our culture. Our way of life.”
“What?” I spun around to face him, my face heating with anger and shock. “We can’t turn our backs on the people, Master, we can’t. This is what we were made for; this is our way of life. We're the defenders of the people.”
“I can’t risk it, Silvan,” he said firmly. “We need to protect our brothers first, and then we’ll see what aid we can render later.”
I stared down at the halls, far below. Glacia was down there. I would go to her. I would save her. I could still feel the shield, the barrier, pressing down on me. Master hadn’t released it yet, and when I turned to look at him, I saw he was staring back, sorrow in his gaze. “Don’t go,” he said, his voice full of warning. “Don’t go to her, Silvan.”
“How did you know?” I choked, disbelief and disappointment welling up inside me. I realized that I was the reason for the shield.
“I’ve known for a long time,” Master replied. He still held the threads that controlled the barrier, stopping me from unleashing my full power. He didn’t trust me, not yet, and the realization of that coupled with the disapproval I read in his eyes broke my heart. “She’s my friend,” I whispered, unsuccessfully blinking back tears. “I have to help her.”
Master’s gaze hardened. “Your loyalties lie with me, with your brotherhood, or they lie, with her. Don’t do this, Silvan. We can't risk our brotherhood for a mere girl.”
A mere girl. I might agree with him, except Glacia was anything but that. I turned back to the edge of the precipice. It was a long way down, but there was a path, albeit a small and narrow one. I bit my lip. If I didn’t go to her, she would die.
“You’re an Elite,” Master said, his voice full of urgency. “You’re only one lesson away from becoming a Master yourself. Don’t turn your back on everything you've built for yourself, not now. I’ve been lenient with you because I care about you. You’re like a son to me, Silvan.”
I took a step forward.
“Don’t be a fool.” Master’s voice twisted into a snarl. “Don’t be rash. We need your power.”
He was right. But if didn’t go to her, she would die. I would die.
“Don't throw your future away.” Master's gaze was pinned on me, his hands curled into fists. “Don't throw it away for this girl. For nothing.”
Nothing. I inhaled sharply, my anger flaring, heating my gut.
“If I don’t go to her,” I said, “Then I am nothing.”
“You’re being reckless,” he shot back. “You don't understand the danger we're up against—”
I was done listening. I spun away, and leaped onto the narrow path. It was time to act. To protect.
“Silvan.” I ignored Master's voice. “Silvan. Silvan!”
I ran, my hair streaming out behind me as I sprinted down the rocky incline, my ability reaching out with unseen fingers, pressing against the barrier. The shield went far. Too far. I wouldn’t be able to unleash my power until I was a lot closer to the Chosen. Time was running out.
I cursed Master as I sprinted. How could he be so selfish, so blind?
I could see one of the demons on the horizon, a dark, horrid haze. It was huge, the creature taller than any tree. Death followed in its wake. I gritted my teeth, my breath coming in shallow gasps as I pushed myself harder. Master thought I was strong enough to repel the demons. But facing them now, doubt trembled through me.
With terrifying certainty, I knew my desire to protect Glacia was stronger than my need to war against the evil before me. I had to get her out. Now.
If she died, what would there be left to save?
15
Glacia
I came across the small door that led to my childhood chambers and, slamming it open, paused, looking inside.
I had only been away for a few short weeks, but it already looked strange to me; foreign. The furniture had been covered with white sheets and the pictures taken off the walls. I ran through the sitting room and into my bedroom, going up to the window. I pushed open the pane, reaching up to hug the nearest branch of the strong cherry tree. I wrinkled my nose, coughing. The air was heavy with the scent of fire and smoke. Dark and acrid, it smelled different from woodsmoke.
I climbed, and welcomed the feel of the rough bark against my palms. This tree was familiar to me. I knew it better than any human, except perhaps my silver-haired boy. The branches tugged and tore at my dress. I didn’t care, and continued my desperate climb. I didn’t care about any of this anymore. My future lay elsewhere.
I climbed to the top of the tree, and scrambled onto the shingled roof. I hurried up it, careful to keep my balance. There was a rarely used path up here. Little more than a catwalk, it led away from the Halls and up into the mountains. Up is where I wanted to go. The Elite were there.
Silvan had made it clear that I wouldn't be welcome among his people. But I wasn't sure I had a choice. I knew they’d protect me, even if it was just temporary.
When I had scrambled to the peak of the roof, I stood on shaky feet, surveying the scene before me.
The sky rained fire. Great, terrible streaks of flame shot through the sky, hitting the earth and city alike with forceful explosions. The air was heavy with the scent of ash and smoke, and I coughed, unable to clear my throat of the burning sensation. The air was hot, unnaturally so, and I realized with a jolt that much of the ground that I could see from this vantage point was covered in molten rock, the red lava churning in a bubbling frenzy.
I half-walked, half-crawled along the peak of the long roof, making my way to the stone-chiseled path I could see, leading away into the higher mountains. I had sneaked up here before as a child with Silvan a handful of times, but it had always been guarded by a couple of Chosen guards.
Now the way was empty, and glancing down to my little garden below, my heart clenched when I saw the wall had tumbled down, destroying the little pond where the fish had swum. Smoke rose from cracks in the ground. I inhaled sharply. I hoped Silvan wouldn't come that way.
When I finally reached the path, my hands were blackened with soot, my legs and arms scuffed and bleeding from sliding on the sharp, stone roof tiles. I stepped onto the catwalk with unsteady feet, telling myself not to look down. Why would anyone make a path this narrow? It felt like a cruel joke. Gritting my teeth, I took another step.
A streak of fire fell off to my left and I paused to watch. The comet left a flurry of sparks in its wake. It was strange that something so destructive could be so beautiful.
I continued walking slowly across the catwalk, when something dark flickered out of the corner of my e
ye.
A dark, massive fog hung on the burning horizon, and as I studied it, realized with a shock that the fog was split into two vaguely human-like forms. The creatures were locked in combat with each other, their forms blurred and insubstantial. Demons.
I trembled as the thought crossed my mind. In that same moment the fog shifted, and darkness clouded my mind as one of the forms turned its dark head, looking in my direction.
No. Looking at me.
It’s too late. I’m too late. I fell to my knees. I’m not wanted. I’m not needed. Give in. Give up.
I shook my head, the despair overwhelming me. Give up what? On what? On whom?
Give up. The feeling pressed against me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw myself off the path into the fiery furnace raging below me. I was a useless waste of time. I was nothing. What had I been thinking? Why had I come way up here? Why hadn’t I run away with everyone else?
“Glacia!”
The fog in my head lessened. I shook my head groggily. That voice . . . it sounded familiar.
“Glacia!” The voice shouted at me, and I looked up.
A young man sprinted headlong in leaps and bounds down the mountain slope on the other side of the narrow bridge, heedless of the danger around him. His hair caught the firelight, flashing brilliant silver.
Silvan. The fog retreated from my mind and I surged to my feet, despair replaced with hope. He could help me. He would help me.
Standing, I began walking slowly across the slender arch of stone. A hot wind beat at me, and I tried not to sway. The ground beneath me was nothing but molten rock, now. If I fell—I shook my head. I would not fall.
Silvan was practically flying, his form a silver, insubstantial blur as he careened down the slope, heedless of his own safety. He drew nearer.
My heart clenched in fear, and with a thrill of horror, I knew one of the demons was watching me again. I looked over just in time to see it raise a massive hand.
The bridge crumpled beneath me. I didn’t have time to even cry out before I found myself tumbling head over heels, plummeting to the fire below.
