His Dark Empire (Tears of Blood)

by Forbes, M. R.

  Eryn thought about Malik, and his journal. It had suggested that the Curse turned him into a monster. What if he had been wrong? Maybe the two things were unrelated?

  "Everyone in Watertown was terrified that they would be Cursed, or someone they knew would be Cursed," she said. "When I discovered I was one of them... for months I was terrified. After a while I was curious. I couldn't get rid of it, so I thought I should stop wishing it hadn't happened to me, and make the best of it. I didn't understand how it could be a bad thing to have the power to do things other people couldn't. Like opening a lock. Even so, it took a long time for me to be able to open myself up to the power. It still isn't easy, and other than doing small things I have no control. I just concentrate on what I want, and it sort of takes over. Having the Curse... Losing my family is the Curse. Being hunted is the Curse. Not what I can do with it."

  "It makes me wonder," Silas said. "What if he is Cursed?"

  Eryn thought about that. "Silas?"

  "Yes?"

  "The message. If he is Cursed... maybe he used his power on you. Maybe he made you drink. Maybe he made you forget? If not him... maybe it was the Overlord? How else would he have known you were drunk, and why else would he be afraid you'd remember?"

  Silas didn't say anything after that, but she could tell by his face that he was beginning to wonder if she might be right. If the Overlord had been responsible, the question was, why?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Silas

  It took four days for them to reach the outskirts of the Rushes. Silas had allowed them only a minimum of sleep, and had stopped for food only when he became desperate. He was impressed with Eryn, for she never complained. Not of the walking, or the hunger, or the thirst that he knew she must be sharing in. She even approached his lessons in foraging and hunting with enthusiasm, as though when he was teaching all of their other cares and needs fell away.

  Try as he might, he found he was becoming attached to the girl. He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. The energy and strength she had exhibited made him feel ten years younger, and drove him to work harder to keep them both safe. He and Alyssa had raised only sons, but he knew that Eryn was exactly the kind of daughter he'd want to have.

  Being around her had also helped him squelch the voice in his head, the constant guilt of what he had done. She had accepted his past, and forgiven him for it. She was willing to accept that he had changed, and he valued that more than he would ever let on. In the past he had been a murderer, a dark but effective weapon. In the present... he was still a weapon, but he fought for those who could not fend for themselves.

  As far as he could tell, they had been successful in staying ahead of his soldiers. They hadn't seen a single red eye since they had headed west from the Baden, though they had also seen few enough villagers either. Many of the farms and small enclaves they had passed had already been burned to the ground, leading Silas to wonder if there was more to the activity than just a growing occurrence of Cursed. That in itself was a cause for curiosity. Why were there suddenly so many more Cursed coming into the world? He knew the Curse revealed itself not long after boys and girls became men and women, in body if not in mind. Why had so many been born then, around the same time his son had died?

  The Rushes were a series of flat masses piled on top of one another, and covered in a layer of moss, grasses, brush, and short trees. In some places, they looked liked steps for giants, leading up into the skies. In others, they were sheer cliffs like the walls of a castle. They rose and sunk as far as they could see, covering the entire horizon from north to south.

  "It doesn't look like anybody lives here," Eryn said, upon seeing them. "I don't know why not, it's beautiful."

  "It is beautiful," Silas said. "The beauty isn't of much use to farmers. The terrain is too uneven to plant large crops on, and it would be too much work to bring livestock to graze there."

  Silas took the saddlebags from the horse, draping them over his shoulder. They weren't very heavy, since they were filled with bread and vegetables. He had been hoping for salted meat when they had purchased it in a village called Croughton, but it turned out his soldiers had been through not long before on their way to retrieve a Cursed, and had taken all of the meat the villagers hadn't had time to hide away.

  He smacked the horse on the rump and shouted. It whined, and then headed back the way they'd come.

  "It's hard to hide anywhere with a horse," he said to Eryn, in answer to the look she was giving him. She didn't argue.

  They walked until nightfall, reaching the top of the first set of stepped mounds of earth. From there they could see back the way they had come, for miles across the plains. If the soldiers came with any kind of light to guide their way, they'd be seen well before they could catch up to them.

  "I'll take the first watch," he said. "This is the best chance for sleep you'll have for some time."

  Eryn laid down on the thick green grass that coated the Rushes. She put her arms behind her head to support it, and closed her eyes. Silas watched her for a while, until her breathing was deep and even, and then he went and sat on the graded edge of the step, where he'd be able to see if any soldiers approached. He reached into his pocket and took out the Overlord's message again.

  He stared at it, considering what she had said to him days before. It was a thought that he was having trouble accepting, but having even more trouble denying. He had seen some of what the Cursed could do. How could he dismiss that they could have made him forget?

  The answers would come, he was sure of that.

  Four hours passed without incident. Silas kept his eyes down the slopes of the Rushes, expecting to see the orange dot of a torch crest the invisible horizon at any moment. He had known they had traveled light and fast, but he still hadn't expected to have more than a day's distance.

  "Unless the soldiers aren't coming," he whispered to himself. "Maybe we aren't so important after all."

  He walked over to where Eryn was sleeping on the grass, and knelt down beside her.

  "Eryn," he whispered.

  Her eyes shot open, and her body tensed.

  "It's okay," he said. "It's just me. You're safe."

  She relaxed and smiled up at him. "Is it my turn?" she asked.

  "Yes. Keep a close eye to the east."

  He helped her up, and then took her place on the ground. He closed his eyes, but sleep didn't come easily. This wasn't the first time he had asked her to stand watch, but it was the longest. He needed to trust her. He couldn't afford not to.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Eryn

  Eryn looked back at Silas, sleeping on the grass where she had been lying an hour before. She felt a contentment in her heart every time she saw him. He was someone to look up to, and be the father that she had lost. A father who could understand her, and who wanted to help her survive.

  "Thank you Amman, for delivering a savior to me," she said.

  Not that he would ever replace her real father. Every time she thought of him she was both happy and sad. She wondered how proud they would be, to see her fighting against his wrongs. To see her working hard to learn everything that Silas had to teach.

  She returned her gaze to the distant east, watching and waiting for the first sign of soldiers. While she kept the watch, she tried to practice calling on her Curse. She focused on her breath, and her concentration, and on staying calm. She didn't ask the power to do anything, but just to come to her, and thrum below the surface of her skin until she let it go. She practiced building it within her, gathering it slowly. She needed to be able to use it and not pass out.

  She felt the tingle between her ears, and the energy coursing down her spine. She held it, pooled it, and then let it go. It faded more slowly, the more she gathered. If she brought it on too fast, her head began to hurt. If she brought it too slow, it would eke away before it could be used for anything. She needed to discover the right measure, the right mix. It was not an easy task.
/>   It took two hours before she felt like she had succeeded a single time, and even then it left her sweaty, with the blood running from her eye and down her cheek to drip onto the grass. She saw the sun beginning to peak up above the horizon, and she quickly folded the cuff of her shirt and wiped away the blood. She didn't want Silas to worry about what she was doing.

  He came up behind her just as she finished.

  "Good morning, Eryn," he said.

  She felt her heart flutter while she wondered if he had seen. She didn't think he would be one to stay quiet if he disapproved, so she decided if he had seen, he didn't mind, but he probably hadn't.

  "Good morning, Silas. Isn't it incredible?" She pointed at the horizon.

  It was, from up on the steps of the Rushes. The sky was filled with color.

  "Look," Silas said, pointing down. At the base of the steps, nearly hidden by shadow, were his soldiers.

  "I never saw them," Eryn said, worried that she had failed in her duty. She had been so preoccupied with trying to control her Curse, she had never noticed them riding in.

  "It isn't your fault. To be this close, they had to have crested the horizon during my watch. I should have seen them."

  He walked over to the grass and scooped up the saddlebags and his sword. Eryn followed suit, strapping on her own sword, and grabbing her quiver and bow.

  "They'll be coming at nightfall," he said. "Hoping that we won't have seen them. They can't know how close they came to us either. We'll walk for half the day, and then try to find someplace to lie in wait. Maybe they'll go right by."

  They started walking, north now, towards the sea. The terrain stayed grassy and green, but in some places became much more steep, both up and down. Before long they were in a winding crevasse about ten feet wide and twenty feet deep. The sides were solid rock, but coated in a layer of green and blue moss.

  Eryn had her sword in hand, practicing the two basic defensive maneuvers Silas had gone over with her so far. She stepped into a fighting posture and pretended an attacker was thrusting their sword towards her. She stepped back and turned to the right, bringing the blade up in a simple parry. Then she stepped back and turned left, completing a similar move.

  "Very good," Silas said. He was walking ahead of her, but he would look back every now and then. "Your form is improving. Make sure you keep the blade up."

  She nodded and repeated the move a few more times.

  "Try not to wear yourself out. I know you're young, but we still have a few more hours to walk."

  Eryn smiled. She wasn't close to being tired. In fact, she felt wonderful. She repeated the posture again, stepping back and turning left.

  Something reflected in the shiny metal of the sword. Eryn focused on it, and saw a yellow eye.

  "Silas!" It was all she had time for. Something barreled into her, sending her sprawling onto the soft earth. The sword fell from her hands.

  He had his own blade out and ready, but he stood there, looking for her attacker. She turned her head, searching. Then she saw something at the top of the crevasse. A pair of yellow eyes, black skin, a mouth curled back in a snarl, full of sharp teeth. It looked vaguely like a person, but it was bent and twisted and scaly. It looked at her, and vanished.

  Eryn pushed herself to her feet and picked up her sword. She held it up in front of her and walked towards Silas.

  "What are they?" she asked.

  "I didn't see anything," he replied.

  She saw it. It was right behind him. It appeared from nowhere, shimmering as it came into view. It had sharp nails at the end of long fingers, raised up to strike.

  Silas ducked and turned as the hand came down, avoiding the blow and bringing his blade up and through its stomach in one swift move. The creature howled and fell to the ground. He had to have seen its reflection in the sword.

  There was howling and chittering now, and she thought she saw motion against the side of the passage. When she turned to look, another of the monsters came into view, jumping towards her.

  Silas' hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back out of harms way. The creature hissed and tried to spring towards her again, but Silas kicked it in the face. It tumbled backwards and disappeared.

  "We need to get out of here," Silas said, holding her wrist and running along the crevasse. He only made it a few feet before something slammed into him, knocking him against the wall. It appeared with its hand around his throat.

  "No," Eryn cried, thrusting forward with her blade. It sank into the creature's back, and the monster let go. "Come on, Silas."

  She took the lead, running along the natural corridor. Silas followed behind. They couldn't see their attackers, so there was no way to know if they were close, or even if they were still coming for them.

  She found out when three of the creatures appeared in front of her, blocking their way forward. Eryn came to a stop and looked back at Silas. He had turned around, because there were three more behind them.

  "They're boxing us in," Silas said.

  She looked up to the top of the crevasse. There were more of the things on either side.

  "What are they?" she asked.

  "Not human," he replied.

  They were moving in slowly, cautious of the swords. Silas pressed his back against hers.

  "Have you ever seen anything like this before?" she asked.

  "No. Never. These are the stories parents tell their children to scare them into compliance. Now we know the real reason nobody has settled here."

  "What are we going to do?"

  The creatures were getting closer. Above them, the others howled and chittered, the pitch rising in intensity.

  "We have to fight."

  Eryn took a deep breath. She knew she was going to die, unless she did something. She could try to use her Curse, but how? There were too many to throw aside, and she could never get to the blue stone before the monsters got to them. What good was it, if she didn't have it when she needed it?

  One of the creatures bounced forward, and then rocked back, testing her. She poked towards it with the sword, then retreated and turned, ready to parry an attack that didn't come.

  "Get ready," Silas said. The howling had gotten so loud, she could barely hear him above it.

  She reached for her Curse. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with it, but it had saved her before without her direct command. She hoped if she had the power ready, it would happen again.

  It was difficult to concentrate, surrounded by the black, humanoid monsters with the sharp fangs and terrifying eyes. Eryn closed her eyes and thought about working the forge with her father, pumping the bellows to keep the oven hot and the steel malleable. There was a rhythm to the bellows, a song to the up and down motion, and the soft sound that came out with each blow. She thought about that, found that rhythm in her mind, and didn't let it go.

  Time seemed to slow. She was vaguely aware of the creatures around them, crying out for their blood. She heard Silas scream her name, the sound coming so slowly that it stretched into nothing more than a deep rumble like thunder. Above it all she heard the bellows, felt the motion, played the song.

  She opened her eyes. She felt the power of the Curse between her ears, and coursing throughout her whole body. Everything was moving as though time was almost standing still.

  She stepped forward, her own body moving in normal time. Was she moving faster, or was everything else moving slower? She didn't know, and it didn't matter. She took her sword, and stabbed one creature, and then another, and then another. She plunged the blade into each of them, her motions so accelerated compared to theirs that they had no time to defend themselves. There was a part of her that felt guilty for killing them in such a way, but when she looked at Silas, and knew they would kill him if she didn't, it eased her mind.

  With the monsters around them mortally wounded, she put her sword in its scabbard and drew her bow. She pulled arrow after arrow, sending them upward and into the creatures around them. Her aim wasn
't the best, so it took more shots than there were monsters. It didn't matter, she hit them all before they could move.

  All the while, she could feel the tingling, the power running through her, the wetness of the blood under both of her eyes. Whatever she had done, she knew when the power fled she would pay for it. She only hoped that Silas would get them to safety.

  She leaned up to his nearly frozen cheek and kissed it, and then shoved him out of the way of a sharp claw. She stepped back behind the creatures and closed her eyes. She could still feel the rhythm of the bellows. She could still see herself at the forge with her father, keeping the fires hot.

  "I love you, father," she said.

  He looked up at her, his face streaked with sweat. "I love you too, my darling girl. I'm proud of you."

  She let the memory go.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Silas

  Silas saw the creatures coming at him. He raised his sword, ready to strike, not noticing the one that had come at him from the side, its sharp claws ready to rip into his side.

  "Eryn," he cried, giving her warning of the attack.

  The word hadn't even finished coming from his mouth, when he found himself stumbling forward, avoiding the unseen attack. Around him, the creatures were screaming, gushing blood, and falling to the ground.

  "Eryn," he said again. He spun around, searching for her, finding her in the center of the carnage, laying on the ground with blood running from both eyes. What had she done?

  A body plummeted from the side of the crevasse, landing on its back, an arrow jutting from its neck. He looked up and saw the rest of the beasts were gone. Or dead? He saw the bow lying next to her, and that her quiver was half empty. Somehow, she had attacked them all in the span of a single breath. Somehow, her Curse had made her impossibly fast.

  He didn't know all that it meant, but he knew enough. He bent down and put his ear to her chest, hearing her heart still beating. She was unconscious again, but alive. He picked her up, carrying her like he had from the soldier's camp. He didn't have a horse to help them get away this time.