by Ben Alderson
I opened my mouth to question her more as an overwhelming sense of worry weighed me down. Her words gave no comfort.
She raised her iridescent hands and placed them on my chest where they hovered above my heart.
You are kind as you are fearful, Zacriah, my child. You must learn to see that sometimes the greatest strength comes from your reluctant mind.
Before I could speak, images flooded my mind as Dalibael shared the Staff of Light’s location.
Like a bird, I flew over dark mountain ranges, over a castle nestled between snow and rock. I saw a room, a marble slab in its center. I smelled damp ash and heard the footsteps of a shadow figure. My bones chilled in the cold, vacant room. I tasted danger in the back of my throat. It is here. Slowly, the images flashed then built into a speed that my eyes could not keep up with. I lost my balance, stumbling back. My foot slipped, and I looked down as I began falling through the dark night.
When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the tree once more, Hadrian beside me and Bell nipping at my feet.
Frantically, I looked around for Her. Was it all a dream? A figment of my imagination? The images of the castle in the mountains was as clear as day. I was breathless, and my stomach flipped as if I had really fallen from a great height.
I tried to catch my breath and hold onto the images that lingered in the back of my mind. As I blinked, I could see them once more. I turned to Hadrian once my mind had stopped spinning only to see his expression empty, and the blue hue back in force. The light from the tree no longer spread over us.
"Did you see Her?” I asked Hadrian, stumbling over the dull vines to him. His face was pale, lips pulled thin.
He stood there, silent, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He nodded his head twice and dropped his gaze to the ground. The shake of Hadrian's hands and the fast rise and fall of his chest only added to my worry for him.
“What did you see? What did she show you?” I asked.
It took a moment for him to respond. His shoulders raised, and a cloud of air puffed from his mouth before he looked up.
“I’m sorry. I had to know.” Hadrian eyes wet with more tears. He looked broken, youthful in his sadness.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and another beneath his chin. I lifted his face until our eyes held. Although taller than me, in sadness he was small, back hunched, arms hung weak by his side. “You asked after your father…”
He nodded. “I had to.”
His sadness only meant one thing. The King's confirmed death.
“Don't be sorry, Hadrian; you did what you needed to do. Maybe now you know he had passed, you can move on from—”
“No, that is not what she showed me. He is still alive, Petal; my father is still alive. After all this time.”
As Hadrian said it, his tears intensified, and his body folded into itself.
Bell screeched at our feet and a ruckus of noise grew from the direction of the library. Yet I couldn’t tear my eyes from Hadrian.
“He’s alive. My father, I cannot believe it... All this time I was certain my hope was wasted. But she showed me. It is what I have longed to know. There is a chance."
I clapped my hands, a small laugh bursting from my lips as I too began to share his emotion. “Where is he?”
He shook his head. “I am unsure where it is. I saw darkness, smelled dirt. I felt close to finding out, but then She pulled away...”
“Is that all you saw?”
Footsteps echoed beyond us.
“Zacriah! Hadrian! We got here as fast as we could!” Jasrov shouted. “Bell alerted us...”
I looked over Hadrian’s shoulder to see Jasrov and Emaline. They were not alone, but the third person was hooded and held tight in Emaline’s grasp. The third figure made no effort to struggle.
Emaline stern face stilled as she looked at the tree. “What is this place?”
Jasrov looked between her and us. “What is what?”
“The Keeper, Emaline, this is what we’ve been looking for,” I called, pulling Hadrian with me towards them. We walked awkwardly over the vines, wings and horns still on display.
“Was this the tree you told us about?” I asked Jasrov, whose face was scrunched with confusion.
“Yes, it is. But what how is it the Keeper? It does not make sense,” Jasrov said.
I looked back, the tree bright with life and its silvery glow.
“What do you see, Emaline?” I asked, unsure what Jasrov was talking about.
“It’s beautiful. So bright, and that noise. Do you hear that noise?” she asked.
I tried to listen, but the hum that had been evident before we touched the tree had disappeared.
“There was a noise, but I can’t hear it anymore. Can you?” I asked Hadrian.
“No.” His reply was no more than a whisper.
We stepped off the vines and left the barrier of light. He lifted his arms, looking closely at the dancing flames.
“The light, it must have cleansed you while you stood within it,” I said, taking Hadrian’s hand to look myself.
“What light? And I don’t hear a thing.” Jasrov placed a hand on his hip.
“Only a Dragori can seek the Keeper. That is what Cristilia told us. Maybe you cannot see it because you are not like us.” It was clear Hadrian, Emaline and I could still see it.
“There is nothing I seek to know,” Jasrov puffed. “At least tell me we got what we came for?”
“Yes, I have seen its location… in sorts.”
“STOP!” The hooded figure shouted, trying to break free from Emaline’s grasp. “Do not speak another word.”
The voice was muffled from the hood, but it was familiar.
“Be still!” Emaline growled, yanking on the arm of the figure.
“It is a trap,” the figure said again. “Do not say another word.”
“We found her. She was hiding amongst the ruins…” Jasrov shouted over the shouts.
The dagger was in my hand without much of a thought. Hadrian pulsed with light and stepped forward.
“Emaline, let her go,” I said, eyes narrowed as the figure’s voice filled my mind.
For a slight moment, Emaline faltered. But with a push, the hooded figure stumbled forward. A bruised hand reached up to grasp the hood and ripped it off.
As the light from the tree hit her face, I almost dropped to the ground.
“Illera?” I stepped forward then shouted, “Illera!”
Hadrian’s hard hands grabbed a hold of me as I sprang forward, my feet lifting from the floor as he pulled me back.
Illera dropped to her knees and raised her bloodied palms in surrender. “You have to leave. He knew you were coming; it is a trap.”
Her words didn’t register quickly enough. Not when she looked so broken and defeated. Her violet eyes were shadowed by dark rings, her cheeks hollow and bones sharp. Blotches of dirt and bruises covered most of her exposed skin. Her blonde hair, once strands of sun and wheat, was now muted of color and knotted.
This was not the Illera I knew.
A high-pitched ringing filled my head as anger began to fill my chest. I reached for my power instinctively, wrapping it around her frame until I lifted her from the ground.
She dangled before me, feet kicking in protest, hands grasping for her neck and veins bulging against her skin.
“Why are you here?” I growled.
The last I had seen her was fighting on the ship.
“I… deserted…must…leave.” My air wrapped around her throat; my vision turned red.
“Drop her.” Emaline stepped forward. “Zacriah, if you do not let her go this second, I will be forced to make you.”
“You don’t know what she’s done.”
A warm hand gripped my shoulder and squeezed. “Let her go, Petal.”
Hadrian’s smooth voice unraveled my anger enough for me to release the wind that pinned Illera in the air. The sound of her knees hitting the stone ground made me cringe with discomfort. This was not me.
I shouldn’t act like this.
Emaline moved quickly, picking her up and pulling her arms behind her back again. I didn't miss the expression of sorrow she had as she held Illera close.
“We were right. The Druid has been here, and this woman says she stayed behind,” Emaline said.
I burned holes through Illera with my gaze. I wanted her to look at me; I willed it. “I don’t trust her or anything she says. She is on his side. From day one, she worked alongside his closest confidant. Do not think she has changed.”
“You must leave. Please, you must. He knew you were coming. He knew you were looking for something. Leave me and go.” Illera coughed, neck blotched red from her lack of breath.
The hairs on my arms and neck stood to attention, and I felt suddenly exposed in the open. “How do I know you are not lying?” I spat.
“I know what I have done to you, Zacriah. I am sorry, but you must believe me. You must Leave now."
Jasrov wrapped his arms around his chest and looked around with a face paled with fear.
“Something isn’t right. Haven’t you noticed the lack of bodies? These temples are known for being home to many worshipers, and yet we have seen only one. We should leave.” Emaline looked behind her and took two steps back with Illera still in her hold.
“We leave her here,” I said. I strolled past the group, biting down on my lip to stop me from lashing out.
Illera didn’t respond or argue.
“No, Zacriah, stop and think. She comes with us; she may know more about the Druid, and we could do with all the information we can get. I would not feel right about leaving her alone here.” Illera seemed just as confused as I was at Emaline’s act of kindness.
“Stop and think? If we bring her, what is there to say she will not guide the Druid to us? What a coincidence you find her here. On Eldnol soil. Someone I know from home. The chances are slim. We leave her.”
“No,” Emaline snapped.
“I don’t trust her.”
“You don’t need to, but I ask you to trust me,” Emaline said. "She is no threat. I will be sure of that."
“Just go, leave me and go. I don’t deserve your trust, Zacriah, but let me try and make things right. You must leave.”
I walked before Illera, getting as close to her as I could. She held my stare this time, chin held high and muttered. “He will kill me either way.”
Not dropping her pleading stare, I flexed my wings in threat, then I looked to Emaline who held her still. "She is your responsibility. Let her out of your sight, and I can't promise what will happen to her."
"Lower your tone when you speak to me, Zacriah. Do not forget whom you speak to." Emaline's face pinched in anger. Her brows turned down as her face morphed before my eyes. "I have given you my word, and my word is final. But never think you are above me. I do not take orders from you, ever. And I never will."
"Then it is settled." Jasrov stepped awkwardly between us. Bell's teeth were bared as she sensed the tension between us. "But can we go now? All this arguing is both loud and leaving us in the open."
“Stay alert,” Emaline said, trident held before her.
We all moved, leaving the Keeper behind us without another glance. I didn’t look back to see if Illera was left or Emaline still kept her. I walked ahead, almost hoping the Druid would surprise us. The anger inside me could do with an outlet, and the face of that smug demon was exactly what would help me exercise it.
Hadrian was quiet. He had hardly said a word after the vision with the Keeper. And even now, he walked ahead silently, lost in thought. I wanted to console him. To help him talk about what the Keeper showed him. Instead, I seethed in my own silence.
There was no sign of the Druid or an ambush the entire way out of the temple. Not a sound or movement that caught my attention. Even as I bounded up the final set of stairs, I reached out my air for others that could be waiting outside but felt nothing.
This fact only angered me more, proving that Illera was again not to be trusted.
When I burst out into the open air, I turned on the group. “She lied. I told you!”
Illera was breathless but shook her head, her violet eyes wide. “Please…”
Emaline held on tighter and showed her teeth as I stepped forward. "Zacriah..." she growled.
"I told you. Let her crawl back into the dark hole you found her in... have you even asked how she got here—"
A jarring crack stopped my screaming. I turned slowly to see where it came from and watched as the bundles of vines coating the ruins broke. All around us, the earth jolted as movement spurred beneath it.
I turned my head sharply to a noise closest to us. The body Emaline had found when we arrived started to move. To my horror, it lifted its lifeless face and reached beyond its prison of earth. Its bones creaked as it stepped free.
Opal smoke seeped from the empty sockets of the dead elfin’s face. A golden patch stained the front of his tunic. A wound. He was dead, but moving like the creatures that attacked us in the forest days earlier.
“Be still,” Hadrian whispered beside me, heat flaring. He silently waved for everyone to step close until we were huddled together in the center of the courtyard surrounded by the waking dead.
The ground beneath us shook violently.
I tried to keep my balance as the many dirt-covered bodies crawled from the holes in the ground and joined the growing army. An army of countless dead.
An animalistic scream tore through the sky around us as a robed figure of the dead began to run forward. The ground shook again, sending me sprawling to the floor. Jasrov shouted; Emaline swore. In a blink, the running dead stopped. Emaline’s trident no longer had a place in her hand. Now, it protruded from the dead’s neck.
I risked a glance at her and watched Emaline pull a sword free. “Tridents are never the best choice of weapon anyway. Get up,” Emaline commanded, pulling Illera up as she shouted at the rest of us. “Goddess bless us.”
Not one other shadowbeing moved. They all stood still, black smoking seeping from their eyes like a burned candle.
Hadrian did not reach for a weapon. He raised both hands until flames laced across his palms. His eyes reflected the blue blaze and something darker.
One of the dead beings stumbled forward, raised its arm slowly and pointed right at us in threat.
“Hold your ground and fight like your life depends on it…” Emaline called once more as she cocked her knees and readied her stance. “Because it does.”
THE THICK SCENT of earth filled my nose and mouth as flecks of it burst into the air. All around us grass and mud exploded, which blocked the view of our attackers for a moment. It was only a second, but it was all they needed to cause a distraction.
Surprised, I raised my arms and covered my face from being battered by stone and dirt. On cue, my wings wrapped around me and the dull thud of mud hitting their leather surface was all I could hear.
I felt unprotected in those seconds, so I threw my wings wide. It was impossible to count the number of bodies that sprang free from the ground. The animated bodies of recently buried monks stood entirely around us, blocking us in a compact circle.
There were only four of us, excluding Illera, compared to the alarming size of the army of dead. We had weapons; they had the power of the Druid. Our chances were slim, but I was ready for a fight. I almost longed for it.
The Druid was not here. I scanned the faces, but only his army stood immobile before us. Skin flaked off their faces, exposing yellow bone and grey muscle.
Illera had spoken the truth.
“What do we do? What do we do?” Jasrov’s panicked shout sounded from behind me as we stood in the eye of the dead's circle.
Hadrian raised a single finger to his lip. “Shh.”
“Let me help,” Illera whispered. “You are already outnumbered. Give me a weapon. I will fight with you.”
“No,” I hissed. “Emaline, keep her with you. If we don’t leave, we are dead.”
There was a loud crack as one of the bodies closest to me cocked his head. The sharp movement had snapped his neck and left it dangling awkwardly over his shoulder. Then smoke snaked out of his wide-open mouth, followed by a voice.
"Before I take what is mine, I must thank you. The Keeper was not as helpful when I asked for the Staff’s location. I am glad you did not have that same problem."
As the Druid’s voice billowed from the dead’s mouth, I reached for my air as comfort, wrapping it around us in a turning cyclone to drown it out. But the voice only raised again.
"I wish I were here to welcome you home personally, but I must say I am rather occupied elsewhere. I hope you do not mind dealing with my soldiers instead. I can assure you they will not harm you if you just tell me what I need to know."
Hadrian released a growl so ferocious it even had me flinching. Sudden bursts of blue fire dripped from his skin onto the ground like lava, causing stone to hiss as it ate away at it.
Emaline dropped Illera to the ground and stalked forward, evolving into her Dragori form with each step. Bell sprang before Jasrov and screeched in the direction of the body. Jasrov held the dagger in both shaking hands.
"Are you prepared to play along? Or am I going to have to take you by force?"
“A weapon please,” Illera pleaded as she stood behind Jasrov.
I recoiled from the glee in the voice. The black smoke that seeped from the dead's mouth was forming into the shape of a shadowed face. As the features became clear, so did the swaying runes that covered the face of shadow.
“Too scared to show yourself?” Emaline spat. “Are you so worried about what might happen to you that you send your creatures to do your bidding?”
"I think you may be my new favorite, Emaline Sowdin. Your spirit is strong, unlike your brothers."
"They are no brothers of mine," Emaline sneered.
"By blood, no. By spirit, yes," the booming voice replied.
Emaline was at the edge of my cyclone, screaming over the roaring wind. “I don’t blame you for hiding; I would do the same after the last time we met!”
"I will give you the chance to step forward and come to me. If you do not, I will take you."
