by Devan Skyles
“Not anymore, I don’t,” he said darkly.
Auram scrambled to his feet and snatched up his sword, pointing it at the general.
“I thought you weren’t the hero type,” he said.
“I’m not,” he replied, keeping his eyes locked on Corvus. “It’s what Kora wanted.”
“Well, whatever your reasons, thank you.”
“Don’t mention it— ever.”
The two circled Corvus together, forcing him back toward the stone alter where the glowing timekeepers still vibrated in a pile of broken glass from their shattered crystals.
Corvus smiled wickedly. “Oh well. Now it’s almost a fair fight!”
He lunged at Desmond, slashing at his right shoulder, but Desmond was too quick, deflecting the blade. Auram jumped in and attacked then, but none of his cuts or thrusts could make it through Corvus’s defenses. The general expertly parried both of their attacks, advancing and retreating, ducking and feinting. He was a masterfully skilled swordsman with many years of combat experience. Neither of them could land a blow on him.
Corvus sidestepped around so that Desmond was between Auram and himself. He swung and locked blades with Desmond. Rotating his hilt around Desmond’s sword, he cast it downward and bashed him in the face with the pommel of his sword. Desmond dropped his sword and fell back, hitting his head on the stone alter and collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
For the briefest of moments, Corvus was at a disadvantage, his sword point swept back behind him. Auram seized the moment and came down swiftly in an impressive overhead attack. Corvus, startled, brought his sword around to counter the attack, but he was too slow. As he raised his sword, Auram’s blade came down on his hand. Corvus’s sword fell to the ground, spattered with blood from the fresh wound.
Corvus winced in pain and retreated, defenseless. Auram wasted no time, lunging at the general with his sword extended, ready to run him through to the hilt. But Corvus was quick and cunning and he stepped sideways to avoid the attack, while at the same time grasping the sword with both hands by the blade and the hilt. In one swift motion, he lunged in close and twisted the sword around in a wide circle until Auram’s wrists crossed awkwardly. Eventually they twisted to the point where he could no longer grasp the weapon and he was forced to relinquish it. Turning the weapon on his opponent, Corvus jabbed the point of the sword up into Auram’s abdomen.
Auram felt as though he’d been punched, but as he looked down, he saw the blade of his own weapon protruding from his body, and he was suddenly aware of the biting, cold steel piercing up through his chest. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. His thoughts fell on his friends and he gazed about at the raging battle that surrounded them. Taya was desperately fighting to make her way through the ranks of Corvus’s men, hoping to get through to help him. Ellie, astride Brighteye, was fearlessly hacking away with her sword, valiantly fighting for a cause she had known nothing about just a few days earlier. Rhydian, continuing his father’s legacy, fought alongside his new Grimalkin allies through the dwindling enemy ranks. When he finally pushed his way through, he stood aghast at the scene of his dearest friend at the point of a sword. There were tears in his eyes, a look of shock and disbelief on his face.
Auram turned back to look into Corvus’s eyes, which were filled with malice and fury.
Auram raised his head high and said, “Look around, General. You’ve lost.”
“I may have lost this battle,” Corvus said through gritted teeth, “but I will soon be on the other side, out of your friends’ reach. The rift has already begun. In a few hours, the entire human world will crumble at my feet, and I will be there to ensure the survival and expansion of Ilimíra. Finally, our people will have a leader with the courage to restore us to our former glory, as malevolent leaders of the earth and sky!”
“I hope you’re not talking about yourself,” he replied through short gasps, blood trailing from his mouth. “You’ll never be a great leader to these people.”
“And why would you say that?” he challenged.
“Because,” he coughed through a mouth full of blood, “Greatness comes from the heart.”
Corvus’s face twisted with malice, and he drove the sword all the way up through Auram’s body until it came up through his back.
The pain surged through Auram like a lightning bolt until his eyes went dark and his consciousness began to fade. Corvus left the sword in his body and stepped away, letting Auram drop helplessly to his knees.
Corvus looked around nervously at the troops converging on them. His men were being cut down mercilessly, many of them panicking and taking flight, only to be shot down by the Grimalkin archers. He had to find a way out, and fast.
Turning to the old Gatemaker, he shouted, “I need an exit! Make me a threshold, now!”
Nicodemus, who had sunk to his knees in despair, replied. “It is too risky while the rift is in progress. It could erode the barrier irreparably.”
Corvus grabbed the old man by the scruff of his robes and dragged him to his feet forcefully. “Make me a threshold, you old fool! Do it, or your granddaughter is as good as dead!”
With a look of scornful contempt, Nicodemus conceded and picked up his master timekeeper. Winding the device and fiddling with it for a brief moment, he looked at Corvus.
“If I do this, there’s no predicting where it will open on the other side.”
“NOW, OLD MAN!” the general commanded.
Nicodemus reached into his robes and retrieved a sackcloth pouch and loosened the drawstrings. Out of it he poured a handful of white sand onto the ground and pressed the winder on his timepiece. Instantly, a wave of energy exploded up from the sand and formed a torrent of threshold energy in the middle of the field.
Corvus snatched up all three master timekeepers and ran for the threshold. Without a word, he jumped into the roiling energy waves and vanished, leaving his victims bleeding on the ground.
“Auram!” Rhydian screamed, running across the battlefield to his friend’s side. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees. “Auram, no! Please no! NO!”
Auram swayed and fell against Rhydian’s shoulder, coughing blood. “Looks like I won’t have a chance to try those chilidogs after all.”
“Don’t talk like that! We’re going to get you some help!” he assured, casting his gaze about for anyone who might be able to offer assistance.
The battle was winding down now. With their overwhelming casualties and their General gone, Corvus’s men threw down their weapons in surrender. Ellie, Taya, and Brighteye approached with haste, stopping in shock as they saw the state of their friend. Desmond was beginning to come to and sat up, a large bump on his head.
“There’s nothing you can do for me, brother,” Auram said weakly, fading in and out of consciousness.
He held out one bloodied hand, which Rhydian took. In his weakness, his arm fell away, but he’d deposited something round and smooth in Rhydian’s hand. Looking down, Rhydian found that it was one of the amethyst stones they had used to track Redwing.
“Why are you giving me this now?” Rhydian asked.
Auram coughed and his head lolled to one side.
“Auram, please stay with me!” he pleaded, holding his friend in his arms, tears flooding his eyes. “Auram!”
Auram looked up into Rhydian’s eyes and smiled. “We finally had our adventure together.” And with that, he laid his head down and gave his last breath.
Rift
Rhydian held Auram’s body in his arms, sobbing mournfully. Taya shook her head in disbelief, both hands over her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. Ellie slid off of Brighteye’s back and hobbled over to Rhydian, trying to console him.
“I’m so sorry, Rhydian,” she said, stroking his hair with her fingers. “I know he meant a lot to you.”
“It wasn’t his time,” he sobbed. “He can’t be gone.”
“In war, we lose many noble warriors,” Brighteye said.
“We didn’t
lose him,” Rhydian said, gritting his teeth and trembling. “He was taken from us!”
Nicodemus walked slowly toward them, his gaze fixed on Ellie. “My dearest child! I thought you were lost to me.”
Ellie turned and stood. “Why?” she demanded. “Why did you do it? We saved my father!”
“I tried to do what was right,” he said woefully. “I tried to refuse, but he said he would kill you if I did. You must understand, I thought you were lost to me.”
Ellie trembled with anger. “I am lost to you! You’ve destroyed my world! And guess what. Your son is over there now, with the world falling apart around him, all thanks to YOU!”
Nicodemus hung his head in shame. “I am sorry, my child. I am weak, but I hope one day you can come to forgive me.” He walked over to Rhydian. “I am sorry for your loss, young Rhydian. But now is not the time to mourn. Right now, you must act.”
“There’s nothing left to do,” he said, his face buried in his hand. “It’s too late. We failed.”
“All is not lost. There is still a way to stop the rift,” he explained.
Rhydian looked up. “How?”
“The master timekeepers,” he explained. “They are the key to stopping the progression of the rift. If you take any one of them out beyond the rift’s influence, where it has not yet affected their world, it will revert the spread. But you must do this before it engulfs their whole world, or the effects will become permanent.”
Rhydian carefully laid Auram’s body down and stood up. “Where are they? Let’s do it!”
“I’m afraid Corvus took them with him through the threshold. You must follow him and retrieve them.”
“But we only need to get one of them beyond the rift, right?” Ellie clarified.
“That is correct,” he affirmed.
“What are we waiting for?” Ellie said. “Let’s go!”
“I think I’m going to stay here with Auram,” Taya said, trying hard to maintain her composure as her lip quivered. Her eyes were red from suppressing hot tears and she stroked Auram’s wavy, blonde hair tenderly with her bloodstained fingers. “I’m done with war.”
Everyone nodded respectfully.
“Aren’t we all forgetting something?” Desmond chimed in, rubbing his sore head. “We haven’t got a timekeeper to get through the threshold.”
“During the rift,” Nicodemus explained, “all the thresholds remain open, the way they once were naturally.”
Rhydian picked up his sword, anger and vengeance in his soul, and addressed the combined armies, both Ilimíra and Grimalkin. “Soldiers! Warriors! We have won the battle, but the war rages on on the other side! Your leaders have been slain, both of them murdered by the same traitor who betrayed my father! Well, I say we find the coward responsible for these heinous crimes and we avenge the deaths of our fallen brethren!
“Grimalkin, I promised you I would one day lead you back to your homeland.” He gestured at the roiling energy torrent of the threshold behind him. “That is the way through. Now, I call upon Ilimíra and Grimfolk alike to follow me there, save the human world from destruction, and SEEK OUR REVENGE ON GENERAL CORVUS!”
An uproar of battle cries went up from the legion as Rhydian turned, raised his sword, and charged through the threshold. Ellie and Desmond ran through behind him, followed closely by the Ilimíri and Grimalkin troops.
Rhydian was the first to step through into the human world and look around. The rift had clearly already begun to take effect, as he still had his wings and the world around him was in utter chaos. They stood in a crowded city street amongst skyscrapers and thousands of panicked people. Though it was still daytime, the sky above was darkening unnaturally and a gusty wind storm was arising, ripping violently at their hair and feathers. The tempest grew wilder as the darkness in the sky spread in all directions. All around, people screamed and shouted in frustration and anger. Many of the cars had clearly collided with each other, causing chaos and distress in the streets.
“All the technology has stopped working!” Ellie proclaimed. “The cars, the lights, everything!”
“Ilimíra’s laws of physics are spilling out across the human side,” Rhydian explained. “We need to find Corvus if we’re going to have any hope of reversing it.”
The troops came through and spread out through the streets. Humans screamed and panicked at the sight of the exotic warriors pouring into the streets, apparently materializing from nowhere.
“Everyone spread out and find Corvus!” Rhydian shouted to the troops as he took flight. “If you come across Corvus’s sleeper soldiers, make them wish they’d heeded the warning of ‘Auram’s word!’”
Gaining altitude proved difficult in the gusty storm. The sky was growing darker by the minute and lightning began to split the sky. The wind tossed them around violently as they struggled to maintain altitude between the immense human buildings and glass towers.
“I think we’re in Chicago!” Ellie shouted over the roar of the wind.
“What do you know about this place?” Rhydian asked.
“Well, for starters, it’s huge! I don’t know how we’ll ever find Corvus here! He could be anywhere!”
Rhydian began to despair, thinking that she was right. As they flew, he felt something cold and round in his hand. Looking down, he saw the amethyst Auram had handed him. He hadn’t realized he was still holding it. Tears again threatened to spill from his eyes, but he forced them back with his anger and thirst for revenge.
Staring at the amethyst, he felt it pull slightly to one side in the palm of his hand. A startling realization suddenly hit him. His heart quickened as he put it together.
“The amethyst!” he shouted. “Auram must have planted the other one on Corvus so we could follow him!”
He was overjoyed and saddened at the same time. He hadn’t given it to him for sentimental reasons. Even in his final moments, he was still trying to help his friends and fight the good fight.
“I don’t understand,” Ellie replied.
“We can track Corvus with this!” he said holding up the stone.
They followed the direction the stone led them in, flying between the massive skyscrapers. They struggled to stay aloft as the tempest grew more and more powerful and the darkness above spread further and further.
Off in the distance an airplane fell from the sky and collided with the ground with a tremendous noise. Below them in the streets, there was chaos as the Grimalkin warriors and Ilimíri rebels made their way through the city. There were, in fact, Fleet soldiers in the city, many of them doing their jobs trying to round up and control the humans, and the rest fighting the formidable opponents that were charging toward them through the streets. The humans, naturally scared and confused, tried to fight back, but in their ignorance, they were fighting their saviors as much as their oppressors. The sound of glass breaking and people rioting sounded all through the city, and the more the rift spread, the more chaos ensued. Traffic lights ceased to function, as well as vehicles, causing catastrophic collisions everywhere.
Lightning split the sky almost constantly now and the winds became nearly impossible to navigate, especially for Ellie, who had the least experience. At one point, the wind tore her wings aside and she collided with the side of a building. Rhydian, had been able to catch her and hold her up long enough for her to get control of her wings again, but they knew they would not be able to stay aloft much longer.
They finally came to a tall high-rise tower, on top of which stood the raven-winged General, watching the mayhem and destruction from above. The three swooped down and surrounded Corvus, swords drawn.
Corvus looked at them in alarm. “I’m impressed! You somehow managed to track me down! How in Ilimíra did you manage that?”
Rhydian tossed the stone down on the roof, which instantly rolled over to Corvus and stopped against his boot.
“Very clever!” he said, drawing his sword. “Your father would be impressed with your ingenuity, Rhydian. I only wish
you had greater courage than he did. He too lacked the conviction to do what was necessary.”
“My father had more courage than you’ll ever be capable of,” Rhydian said. “He had the courage to do what was right, not what was easy.”
“You think this was easy,” he shouted, “carefully orchestrating this plan all these years, all the while living in the shadow of my old friend? He would have destroyed Ilimíra and everything it stands for with his foolish idealism!”
“So you turned on him and let him die!” Rhydian shouted. “You’re a coward, and you always have been!”
Corvus laughed sinisterly. “Let him die? I did not let you father die, Rhydian.” He flared his wings as a bolt of lightning split the sky. “I killed the fool myself!”
Suddenly, all the anger and all the fear and doubt he’d carried with him throughout the years combined with his sorrow over losing Auram, and a rage like he’d never felt boiled within him until he exploded in a violent, vengeful outburst. Screaming in rage, he raised his sword and charged Corvus. Their blades clashed as the wind ripped at their hair and wings.
Ellie and Desmond jumped into the fight as well, all of them attacking simultaneously. As skilled as Corvus was, he could not handle three opponents at once for long. He had to parry more that he attacked, lunging in and out, maneuvering around them for better advantage. The sound of steel rang out above the storm as they fought vigorously, the sky growing darker and darker, the rift spreading.
Ellie, seeing an opening in Corvus’s defense, swung low, but he was too quick for her. He retreated half a step and let her sword slice upward through the air harmlessly. While her sword was off point, he lunged in and stabbed her in the shoulder.
Ellie balked and stepped back in pain, but at the same time, Desmond sliced down through Corvus’s right wing.
Screaming in agony and outrage, Corvus backed toward the edge of the roof, his sword gripped tight in one hand and the timekeepers dangling from the other. His injured wing hung by his side as Rhydian, Ellie, and Desmond closed in on him. There was nowhere for him to go.
