The man glanced in Ashley's direction and nodded. Turning his attention back to the approaching mercenaries, he reached down and drew his swords. The swords were difficult to identify and follow in the dim light, for they appeared to be forged of a dark metal, but they looked longer than the swords wielded by the Roman legionnaires of old, while being able to be held in one hand easily. The man began first walking, and then running, forward, his swords held out to his side, tips pointed toward the ground. He bent his legs at the knee and hunched over as he ran, allowing himself to stay lower to the ground and presenting a smaller target. Behind him, the wolf had run to the right and seemed to be circling the group of mercenaries.
As the man approached the first pair of mercenaries, he brought his swords up to parry their clumsy strikes. Sliding his swords off each of theirs, the man stabbed forward before they could react, piercing the chest of each man. He seemed to be moving faster than a normal man, his blades becoming blurs in his hands and difficult for Ashley to follow.
As the first two guards fell, the stranger continued advancing toward one of the crossbowmen. The man fired a bolt at close range and, before Ashley could stop it, the bolt had reached the stranger and gone right past him. Ashley blinked. She was certain the bolt was going to hit him, the aim had been perfect. Perhaps my depth perception is off, she thought.
The first crossbowman died and the man turned toward three guards who were approaching in unison. A fourth guard, attempting to approach unseen from behind, began charging toward him. The guard had just begun running when a furry blur came darting from the darkness to drag him to the ground, tearing into him.
The stranger glanced behind him before advancing on the three guards. Parrying the first guard’s sword into the path of the second guard’s sword, the stranger dodged the third guard and stabbed forward to impale the second guard in the stomach. Stepping backward, the man parried the next pair of strikes before blurring between the two men and stabbing them each in the back. The two men collapsed.
Several more guards died until, at last, only Horacio was alive. He had tried to flee in the confusion, but the wolf had him pinned to the ground not far from Ashley, growling. The stranger approached and stood over him. “Who do you work for?” he demanded. He pointed his blade toward Horacio’s face. “Who sent you to plague these woods?”
“Please don’t kill me,” Horacio whimpered, pressing himself into the ground as far as he could go. “Please, I’ll tell you anything!”
“Then start talking,” the stranger growled, moving the blade closer to Horacio’s neck. “Who is the leader of your band of slavers? It’s obvious you don’t work alone - you’re not smart enough or brave enough. You’re just a lackey.”
“There’s this mage, a man named Ferdinand. He’s the leader of all the slavers in this region. He…” Horacio cut off as the wolf growled.
“So it seems we’re on the right track, eh, Anwyn?” the man asked, referring to the wolf. “Where can we find this Ferdinand?”
“I don’t know. I ain’t never met him,” Horacio stammered. “He moves around a lot, never being caught. Rangers been hunting him for years and ain’t never found him. He’s like a ghost.”
“There is no such thing as ghosts,” the man replied. “You’re not being very helpful, Horacio. If you don’t start giving me more information, I will let Anwyn have her way with you. Trust me, she’s not in the mood to play. Where have you heard he was last? How do you get your orders?”
“Last I heard, he was down south, west of Stoneridge, hiding in the deep woods. We collect slaves and take them south to Stoneridge, then we go out and look for more.”
“Where do the slaves go once in Stoneridge? Slavery is illegal on this continent.”
“I don’t know, honest, I don’t. All I know is that we go, sell our slaves and leave. I heard they get shipped over to Imperial lands, but I don’t know how. I’ve told you everything I know. Are you going to let me go?”
The stranger sheathed his swords before reaching into his belt pouch and pulling out rope. “You’ll live, for now. But we can’t have you trying to run away.” As he knelt down next to the man he looked up at the wolf. “Anwyn, attend to the boy, he’s wounded. I’ve got this man.”
The wolf bowed her head in what looked like a nod before trotting over to John.
Chapter 5 - Stories
Jason stepped back from the wolf, but Ashley, fascinated, remained where she was.
The wolf’s eyes glowed in the dim light as she assessed the bolt sticking out from John’s back. At last she raised her head, looked at Ashley, and turned to race into the woods.
“Wait,” Ashley called out. “Where are you going?”
“What are your names?” the stranger asked, startling Ashley, who had not noticed his approach.
Ashley tapped her chest. “My name is Ashley. This is Jason, my brother,” she pointed toward where Jason stood a short distance away, still watching the woods, “and this is John, my boyfriend. Please, can you help him?”
“We will do our best. Anwyn will be returning momentarily. My name is Dawyn. Let me unlock your cuffs.” In his hands he held a key ring. Moving toward them, he unlocked both pairs of cuffs from them and from John’s wrists.
Moments later, true to Dawyn’s word, a woman walked out of the woods, draped in a dark colored cloak. She approached the group and immediately fell to her knees next to John’s prone body. She ran her hands along his back, then moved to the arrow, which she stroked briefly. She seized one of John’s hands and turned it around. The blue symbol beneath his skin was lighter than it had been earlier, but it still glowed faintly. She looked up at Dawyn. “He has the mark.”
“What mark?” Ashley asked, as she studied the woman. “Who are you?”
“My name is Anwyn. You are Ashley, he,” she pointed toward Jason, “is your brother Jason and this,” she tapped John’s back, “is your boyfriend John.”
“But you - how did you…” Ashley began.
“There will be time for further explanations later,” Dawyn interrupted as Anwyn opened her mouth to speak. “Anwyn, we have to remove the bolt. Can you stem the bleeding long enough?”
Anwyn nodded. “Yes, I should be able to. But I will need some materials.” She pointed toward Ashley, “You, go fetch me some scraps of cloth - preferably clean. You,” she pointed at Jason, “go fetch several canteens of water from those corpses. We’ll need as much water as we can get. Don’t just stand there,” she barked, as the two looked at her dumbfounded for a moment, “get going.”
Shocked into action, Ashley and Jason set out collecting scraps of cloth and canteens. A short while later, a pile of canteens and cloth scraps sat next to John.
“Help me roll him onto his side,” Anwyn said. Jason grabbed him by the shoulder while Ashley placed a hand under his butt. Together they pushed up, bringing John into a side position.
“Good, hold him there and hold him steady.” Anwyn reached out and grabbed the bolt with a firm grip. “Take some of that cloth, roll it up and shove it in his mouth.” She waited until Ashley had complied. “Once I pull this out, Jason, I want you to pour water over the open wound to help clean it. Ashley, I want you to apply pressure to the wound from the front, while Jason applies pressure from the back.”
“What can I do?” Dawyn asked.
“Just wait over there,” Anwyn said. “There could be other dangers lurking. Alright, on three. One, two, three,” she began to extract the bolt with care. John moaned during the procedure. After a few painstaking moments the bolt had been removed. Blood began to run from the front and back of his chest. “Now, apply water and bandages.”
Ashley watched as Jason poured water from canteen after canteen over the wounds. Once the water was exhausted, Jason took several scraps of cloth and applied them to the wound in John’s back. Ashley did likewise with the front, applying pressure with one hand while holding him in a side position with the other.
Anwyn studied the
bolt for a moment, before tossing it into the woods. She looked up at Dawyn. “If the boy is anything like you, they won’t have to apply pressure for long.”
“Alright, we’ll wait for a time to see. Then we’ll make for town.” He pointed toward Jason. “You, Jason, come with me to help gather some firewood and bring that cart over here. We’ll need it to carry your friend back to town.” Without waiting for acknowledgment, Dawyn strode into the woods. Jason hurried after him, leaving Ashley to apply pressure to both wounds, using her body to keep him upright.
Ashley looked down at John for a moment, seeing the pain on his face. He was still unconscious, which was fortunate, for Ashley knew that despite his bravado, John was not fond of being hurt. She recalled with a tiny smile the first time John had broken his leg. It was in middle school, while playing football. He had been the biggest baby she had ever seen, acting as if he were seriously crippled and unable to do anything. He had gotten better since then, but still complained at the slightest cut or bruise.
“It was fortunate you and Dawyn came when you did,” Ashley said as she looked up at Anwyn. The druid had sat down across from her and was sorting through her leather sack. “John could have died without your aid.” She removed the wad of cloth from John’s mouth.
“It was not random chance that brought us to you. We had been told you were going to be in this area. We found the cave you emerged from and tracked you here. As for John,” Anwyn looked down at him, “he likely would have survived, but it would have taken him much longer to heal.” She proceeded to pull out a roll of bandages, which she tied around his chest, holding the pieces of cloth in place and freeing Ashley’s hands.
Dawyn and Jason emerged from the woods carrying several pieces of wood, which they stacked in a pile. Removing flint and tinder from his pouch, Dawyn struck a spark and started a fire a short distance away from where Anwyn and Ashley sat.
Dawyn handed out small wrapped bundles of rations, a dried meat of some sort. Ashley washed her hands in the water from a remaining canteen and took a bite of the meat. It tasted a little like beef jerky. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was, and devoured the meat in moments.
Jason, for one of the first times since they had met the strangers, spoke, “Why do you say that John will heal quickly? He has a hole through his chest - that’s not likely to heal soon.” Ashley hadn’t realized he overheard their conversation.
Dawyn pointed a piece of jerky toward one of Jason’s arms. “Do you see those symbols? They’re more than just decorative. Somehow, and don’t ask me how, those symbols consist of millions of tiny machines called nanites. The nanites function autonomously to heal wounds quickly, regulate things like body temperature, weight and age and fight infections or illnesses. By morning, we will remove his bandage and the wounds should be healed without sign of even a scar.”
“Wait, you said age. How does that work?” Jason asked.
“I’m no scientist, but in my experience I have yet to age whilst I’ve had these machines inside me.” Seeing their surprised expressions that he too had nanites, he chuckled. “I may look like I’m of age with you three, but I’m actually closer to having seen fifty summers.”
“Does everyone have these nanites?” Ashley asked.
“No, you three are the only ones I know of, with the exception of my sister and I. If there are any others, they’ve done a splendid job of hiding the fact.” He offered another piece of jerky to her. “I believe it has something to do with us all coming from Earth.”
“What is this place?” Ashley asked as she accepted the jerky with a nod. “Is it another world? I don’t recognize any landmarks - all we saw were woods when we emerged from the cave.”
“Aye, it’s another world all right. I’ve traveled much of the northern hemisphere and none of the landmasses or landmarks resemble Earth. The people who settled on this world, called the Founders, named this planet Tar Ebon. You’re actually within the boundaries of the kingdom by the same name. Do you recall how you came here?”
“No, we don’t. One moment we were sitting at the local college studying, the next we were in total darkness. We stumbled around for a bit until we found a chamber with an altar and these strange bracelets.” She held up her wrists. “The bracelets melted into our skin and the door opened. Was that similar to your experience?”
“My sister and I appeared in a cabin in a hidden valley at the foot of the mountains. We too found those bracelets, along with several letters of instruction, which is the main reason we found you. There was also clothing and supplies awaiting us. We made our way out of the valley and have been here ever since.” By the light of the fire, Ashley could see a pained expression appear on Dawyn’s face.
“Is Anwyn,” Ashley gestured to where Anwyn sat next to Dawyn, “your sister?”
Dawyn laughed, a deep, hearty laugh. “No, Anwyn and I are not related, yet. We’re lovers. Back on Earth you would say we were dating.”
“Oh,” Ashley found herself blushing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“Nor would you have had any way to know. No, my sister is alive, or at least I think she is, but she’s lost to me for the time being.” Dawyn cleared his throat. “So, what time period on Earth did you come from?”
“It was 2013 when we left. You?”
“The same. It was the 11th day of the month of May when we disappeared. I remember it because I had just taken my exams and it was my sister Bridgette’s birthday. I suspect you three disappeared on the same day?”
“Yes,” Jason chimed in. “It was May 11th, because we were studying for our exams. How long have you been on this world?”
“Just over twenty-six years,” Dawyn replied.
“Wait, so you were taken from Earth on the same day as us, yet you’ve been here over twenty-six years? How does that work?”
“I don’t understand it either. Whoever or whatever sent us here must have had a reason both for sending us here in the first place and so far apart in time. Your accents - you’re American?”
“Yes,” Ashley said. “You don’t have much of an accent, though it sounds vaguely British.”
“Aye, my sister and I are both from England.”
“Well, now that we have introduced each other and found out where everyone is from,” Anwyn interjected, “what is the plan, Dawyn? We go to town, let John rest for a few days, and then what?”
“Well, I hadn’t thought that far ahead yet, my dear. The letter, though, says that these three,” he indicated the others with the sweep of his hand, “have the potential to wield magic, so I think it would be best to take them to Alivia in Tar Ebon. You and I know next to nothing about what mages do, and she’s a master.”
“Wait, magic,” Jason said. “We don’t have any magic. Magic doesn’t exist.”
“I said ‘potential’, and yes, magic does exist. You just haven’t tapped into your potential yet,” Dawyn said. “Alivia will help you tap into your power and harness it. The fate of the world may rest on your ability to use your magic.”
“The fate of the world,” Ashley said. “All we want to do is go home.”
“I have wanted to go home for twenty-six years,” Dawyn snapped. “There is no way home. This is your home now, so I suggest you get used to it.”
“What about the slave master? Shouldn’t we find him and bring him to justice?” Anwyn’s eyes glowed faintly as she referred to the slave master. “I have a debt to settle with one of his mages.”
“The slave master will have his just rewards, Anwyn. But first, I feel that it’s important to get these three to Tar Ebon with haste. Whatever they’re meant to do, it starts with being trained. Once we drop them off into Alivia’s care, you and I can go hunting for the slave master. Does that sound acceptable to you?”
Anwyn nodded. “Yes, that’s fine. I can wait a bit longer.”
Dawyn looked at Ashley and Jason. “I think it’s time for us all to get some sleep. I know the ground is hard, but get what sleep you can
. Anwyn and I will take turns keeping watch. We’ll make for town at dawn.”
With that, Ashley, Anwyn and Jason lay down to sleep, as Dawyn walked into the darkness to patrol.
Chapter 6 - Moonlight
The moon slid behind thick clouds as Boris approached the northeastern section of the palisade surrounding the Morozov estate. As Alexandra had stated, a hillock ran close to the palisade. Boris waited, until he saw the guards begin to move. Stepping back, Boris began running to pick up speed and leapt toward the wall. He grabbed hold of the top of a log making up the wall and pulled himself up. Flipping onto the platform vacated by the guards, Boris snuck toward the servants’ entrance.
Slipping through the servants’ entrance, Boris found the kitchens cold and quiet. In a few short hours, the cooks would once again be hard at work preparing the first meal of the day. This is strange, Boris thought. I would think there would be at least one guard here. It would be too easy for an intruder to slip in otherwise. A twisting feeling manifested in his gut, but he ignored it. Soon, he and Alexandra would be away from this place, together.
Retracing his steps from earlier that day, Boris arrived at the door outside Alexandra’s chambers. He looked further down the hall, but there did not appear to be anyone around. He tapped on the door.
Moments later, the latch was lifted and the door swung open, revealing the green eyes of Alexandra. She was dressed in the same blue dress as earlier - in fact, it did not appear she had changed apparel at all. She frowned and sighed. “Please come in, Boris.”
Time of Shadows (The Saga of the Seven Stars Book 2) Page 4
