by DM Fike
Across the chasm, camouflaged by the terrain, a hulking monster shook its long white fur and growled. The beast rose, easily twice as tall as Desert Rose, its enormous paws like a gorilla’s dangling in front to keep it steady.
Desert Rose brought her fingers to her lips and whistled again, the shrill sound echoing down the chasm. The beast roared as Desert Rose took a step closer to the beast on the other side. The mercenary raised Kay over her head with both hands like some sort of power lifter.
No. She wouldn’t. Avalon tried to rush across the unsteady ground toward them, but snow drifts impeded her movements.
“Kay!” she cried.
Avalon could only watch as Desert Rose hurtled Kay into the chasm.
The beast screamed and took a flying leap after him. By the time Avalon made it to the edge, the monster’s fur had disappeared into the darkness below.
Kay was gone.
Angry and shaking, Avalon intended to fight Desert Rose, but she could not move. Her numbed body froze into place, even though a contrary warm trickle ran through her too.
“Welcome to Llenwald,” she heard Desert Rose say as her vision faded, as blinding white as the blizzard around them.
CHAPTER 24
AVALON PERCEIVED THE heat before the cold. It crept into her bones, thawing her core and spreading its way outward toward her head, fingertips, and toes. It cut through the darkness of her mind, her mental limbs stretching as she asked herself questions. What is going on? What happened? Where am I?
Who am I?
She thought she heard a faint reply, then the blackness receded, replaced by a pinpoint of golden light that shone in the distance at first, then brighter and closer, growing fiercer as the heat continued to course through her. She realized she was staring into a fire. A shadowy figure crouched next to it.
Kay.
But no. She remembered Kay, limp like a reed, falling downward into the chasm, toward his certain death.
“Desert… Rose…” Avalon managed between chattering teeth. She tried to move, but her body would not comply. A simple tilt of her head triggered a massive neck cramp that pulsated down her left side.
“It will hurt more if you move.” Desert Rose had changed into a light tunic and pants, definitely not Earth clothes. The cold wind swirled snowflake glitter at the edges of the night, but she seemed unfazed by it.
Avalon managed to raise a hand toward her, every muscle screaming with pain.
Desert Rose sneered. “Go on. Release that energy. I’m right here.”
Hatred like Avalon had never felt before surged in her breast. She would kill Desert Rose. Reaching down deep into her soul, she searched for that tingling sensation, to gather the electricity in the atmosphere and hurl it toward the mercenary.
Nothing. Not a pinch of magical energy. Just her empty stomach, churning.
She didn’t have any magic.
Desert Rose searched Avalon’s expression. Without warning, she grabbed a handful of snow and tossed it into Avalon’s face.
The cold slap contrasted with the heat slithering in her veins, sending chills through her nervous system. Avalon inhaled a chunk of ice up one nostril, sputtering and wheezing on the ground.
“That’s what I thought.” Desert Rose stood. “You can’t wield magic. No human can. It was all a hoax.”
Avalon rolled over onto her side, staring up at Desert Rose stoking the fire. Avalon gathered snow in her half-bent fingers. She made a pitiful little snowball and raised it.
“I wouldn’t do that unless you want it shoved back into your face.” Desert Rose kept her back to Avalon. “I’m giving you another hour to thaw, then we move. You’ll either keep up with me, or you’ll die of exposure in those clothes.”
Avalon realized she still had on the same shirt and shorts from Earth. Although she could feel the snow, she realized she should be completely numb.
Desert Rose answered her question by showing off her glowing palm. “I’m keeping you alive with fire.” As the light brightened, the heat in Avalon’s core surged. “So, think twice before knocking me out.”
Desert Rose spread out a thin mat from her pack, sat down, and took a few swigs from a metal flask. Avalon’s fingers kneaded the snow, her thoughts as wild as the wind rushing through the pale dawn sky.
Desert Rose kept her word, setting a brisk pace about sixty minutes later, heading toward the rising sun. Despite wearing flat pumps without traction, she had no trouble navigating the knee-high drifts of snow, barely sinking in past her ankles. Avalon followed in her literal footsteps, sinking in much farther with her sneakers. Desert Rose would often walk ahead a fair distance, sipping her flask while waiting for Avalon to catch up. Out of breath, Avalon would never get a chance to rest as Desert Rose would push forward as soon as Avalon caught up.
Avalon’s mind raced with every possible escape route, but she kept coming up empty. The winter plains stretched on endlessly, and when the distance between Desert Rose and herself widened, the magical heat diminished, sapping her strength. She considered succumbing to the elements, but the image of Kay plunging into the ravine gnawed at her, making her body go a different kind of numb.
She would not give Desert Rose the satisfaction of killing her too. Somehow, she would avenge him.
As the sun continued to climb higher, the terrain developed a slope, slight at first, then gradually increasing. A ridgeline formed, sharp boulders and rocks jutting from underneath the powdery snow. Desert Rose squatted down ahead of her, examining something on the ground.
Avalon faltered beside her, willing the stitch in her side to disappear. “Give… me… a sec.” She heaved in large swallows of air.
Desert Rose stood abruptly. “Pick up the pace.”
“Are you… kidding… me?” Avalon panted as Desert Rose jogged away, down the other side of the ridgeline into even deeper snow. Avalon scanned the horizon, seeing nothing but more rolling hills and valleys. What had spooked the mercenary? She glanced down where Desert Rose had stood moments before.
Footprints.
Two pairs traveled together, the larger set sunk more deeply in the snow than the smaller, narrow ones. They meandered across the ridge, toes pointed away from where Desert Rose was heading.
“Come!” Desert Rose’s sharp command split the quiet air.
“I’m tying my laces!” Avalon bent over, pretending to tie her shoe. Instead, she ran her fingers through loose pebbles and formed a stout pile of dirt and rocks pointing toward Desert Rose. She wasn’t expecting miracles, but she also couldn’t pass up an opportunity to let someone else know she was alive in this barren wasteland.
Avalon scrambled to catch up to Desert Rose at the bottom of the hill. As she approached, Desert Rose raised her hand as if to strike Avalon. Avalon flinched, waiting for the blow.
None came. Instead, the snow behind them swirled at the mercenary’s command. Desert Rose had summoned her ice magic to cover their newly made tracks. She plunged forward, dragging Avalon away from the mysterious footprints.
CHAPTER 25
AVALON’S LEGS BURNED as they crested countless powdered slopes. They had been half walking, half jogging for hours, with Avalon now teetering on the edge of exhaustion. She stumbled on a wet rock and fell onto a sharp stone, tearing a gash below her knee. She tried to stand but faltered, blood dripping down to her socks.
“Get up!” Desert Rose yelled from far ahead, her magical heat waning.
Avalon hesitated. A different kind of warmth settled on her, one caused by her own foggy brain. Maybe she should just lie here for a second.
“Skraaa!”
The hawk’s call refocused her attention. It was the first animal they had encountered in this barren place. It circled high overhead before soaring away to a tower in the distance.
Avalon eyes traced the bird’s flight path. A squat, square fortress nestled against a stubby plateau on the horizon. It sat on an odd slope, not level, as if someone had picked it up and dropped it there. Th
e outer wall leaned a bit toward them, as if it might topple at any moment.
“What is that?” Avalon asked, floundering next to Desert Rose.
“Your new home.”
The snow deepened and the winds howled as they approached the fortress. The sun shifted to throw a beam of light on the structure’s facade. The stone had a dull gray luster, outlined by the pale rocks of the plateau behind it. Wide windows dotted the walls, an odd choice for a building burrowed in the snow.
A torch’s light bobbed along the outer walls, a soldier pacing the archway above the front gate. The torch stopped moving when they arrived. “Who goes there?” a deep voice shouted.
“Desert Rose, mercenary, hired by Bedwyr.”
“You are not expected here,” the voice echoed down. “Why should we let you in?”
“Because I have the next Child of the Statue.”
The blood drained from Avalon’s face. She whipped her head around to speak, but Desert Rose grabbed her by the arm, squeezing so hard that Avalon gasped out in pain.
A rumbling sound emerged from the gate, the ground rattling beneath them as the two large entrance doors inched apart. A vast courtyard of bare dirt contained two tight rows of soldiers creating a path toward the inner building. Their armor matched the fortress itself—bland and stark, save for a handful of stubby horns on headgear here and there. Their helmets had slits for eyes, like a monster peering through a crack in the dark for a child. A perpendicular opening also allowed their noses and mouths to breathe, displaying small bits of skin in all the normal skin tones and a few rainbow-hued ones as well. Desert Rose pulled Avalon forward through the rows of expressionless faces to a soldier near the inner door.
“Where is Scawale?” Desert Rose demanded.
“Prepping for Transport,” the soldier said. “You’re lucky we’re still here.”
Desert Rose attempted to brush past him, but the soldier wedged himself in front of her. “You cannot interrupt her.”
Desert Rose threw her head back toward Avalon. “She’s more important than Transport.”
“The Child?” the soldier said with a sneer. “If that’s truly what she is.”
“You want to take the chance she isn’t?”
The two glared at each other. Finally, the soldier grunted, letting Desert Rose pass. “It will not be my neck if you are wrong.” The warning did not seem to upset Desert Rose as she led Avalon inside.
Worn red carpets, tattered around the edges and caked with mud, lined the inside hallway. They passed many closed doors on either side of them. Desert Rose did not so much as glance at an open doorway that held beds overflowing with injured people, Aossi in drab smocks with glowing hands attending them. Avalon was sure they were heading for a large set of doors at the hallway’s end, but Desert Rose made a sudden right turn into an archway that held stone steps leading downward, torches lighting the cramped space.
The steps spiraled before becoming a long dark hallway, barely tall and wide enough to let them walk side by side. Desert Rose snapped her fingers, creating a small flame on the tips that shone on the passageway. They strode forward along the narrow corridor, thick wooden doors with tiny barred windows on either side.
“I won’t stay here,” Avalon’s voice sounded louder than she expected in the confined space.
A snarl erupted behind the door next to her, accentuated by a series of slamming vibrations as something hit the other side of the barred door. Avalon would have shrieked if Desert Rose’s unlit hand hadn’t slapped over her mouth.
Desert Rose gave her a critical glare, raising a finger to her lips and making a “shush” sound. Avalon didn’t dare disobey as Desert Rose pulled her forward.
Finally, the barred doors disappeared, and bright light illuminated the end of the hallway. Desert Rose extinguished her own flame as they entered a surprisingly large room lit by hundreds of small candles along the outside edge. Several cross-legged people in hooded robes meditated on tasseled cushions, humming, forming a ring around a center dais. An Aossi, her ears almost bat like atop an asymmetrical buzz cut, sat in the center, a tunic over her chest with legs tucked neatly under her thighs like origami, perfectly still.
Without opening her eyes, the bat-eared Aossi called, “Who disturbs us?”
“Desert Rose with the Child of the Statue,” she called from the entryway.
The humming immediately stopped. Hoods raised their heads from bowed positions.
The woman in the center rose to her feet. She couldn’t have been much taller than four and a half feet, making her muscled arms and legs that much more impressive. Despite her youthful body, her face held sharp wrinkles.
“You are not kneeling,” the woman observed down her nose.
“My apologies, Scawale,” Desert Rose said, hiding a brief flash of irritation. She slowly got down on one knee, knocking Avalon off balance to force her to do the same.
“Explain yourself, Mercenary,” Scawale commanded, now at an even bigger height advantage.
“Saluzyme became compromised.” Desert Rose bowed to the floor. “I brought the Child to the next best place for delivery.”
“Compromised? By your other target, Nobody, I presume?”
Desert Rose set her jaw in reply.
“I do not like changes in carefully laid plans, but I told Bedwyr this is what comes of hiring a sach like you. How nice of you to meet my expectations.” Scawale’s face twisted in a sinister smile.
Again, Desert Rose did not reply, but Avalon thought she saw a flicker of light crackle in her fist.
“Half an accomplishment from half an Aossi means half a payment.”
Desert Rose raised her head. “But you promised that—”
“Or nothing, if you prefer.”
Desert Rose whipped her head back down, hiding her scowl.
“Well, bring it to me.” Scawale motioned to Avalon.
Avalon blanched. “You mean bring ‘her,’ right? I’m not an ‘it.’”
Scawale grimaced as if she had just swallowed a bug. A few of the hooded figures shifted nervously.
“Did it speak?” Scawale hissed, her question directed at Desert Rose.
“Yes,” Avalon answered, slapping away the warning hand Desert Rose put on her arm. “She did.”
A shadow slithered on the wall. Before Avalon could react, something had her by the throat, tightening, cutting off her air. She slapped at her neck but could feel nothing to grab. She tried to jerk away, but whatever clung to her had no form. There was nothing to grip. Her lungs burned and darkness formed around the edges of her eyesight, closing in.
“Bedwyr needs her alive,” Desert Rose’s voice sounded far away.
The tightening sensation lifted, and Avalon collapsed to the floor, gasping for air. She watched in horror as a black shadow melted away from her, snaking back to the candles along the outer edge of the wall before disappearing.
“That is the only reason it lives,” Scawale emphasized “it,” staring in contempt down at Avalon. Avalon, throat burning, could not have replied if she wanted to.
Satisfied that she made her point, Scawale faced Desert Rose. “Collect your payment and be gone.”
Desert Rose stood and bowed. She turned on her heels to leave, but Avalon grabbed her ankle before she could walk away.
“Let go,” Desert Rose whispered harshly down at her.
Avalon ignored the contempt in her voice. “You… killed… Kay. I will…” she trailed off as a hacking cough erupted from her throat.
“Can you not get out of its grasp?” Scawale called to Desert Rose, her voice dripping with derision.
Desert Rose yanked her ankle free. “You have no idea what I’ve done,” she hissed softly. The mercenary’s gaze could have held anger, pity, or perhaps both. Then Desert Rose left Avalon there, heading toward the exit.
“Dromond!” Scawale called. A soldier by the door took a step forward to give a salute. “Take it away,” she motioned to Avalon.
�
�Into one of the cells?” the soldier asked.
Avalon quivered at the thought of the creepy hallway.
“Unfortunately, I don’t think it would survive. Up to the north tower. Treat it like the expensive item it is, keep it comfortable but guarded. Then send a messenger to Bedwyr to let him know we have it here.
“And Transport?”
“Transport will wait until we have heard back from Bedwyr,” Scawale huffed in irritation. “Put the fortress on emergency protocol until further notice.”
“Aye.” Dromond seized Avalon’s arm. He dragged her away from Scawale and the murmuring cloaked figures.
CHAPTER 26
AVALON AWOKE TO the sound of swords clashing and people screaming. Her puffy eyes surveyed the tower room. A white dresser and matching screen cordoned off a dressing area. A wooden desk and chair held a wooden cup full of water and a dinner plate with a sizeable portion of bread. The lantern had extinguished in the middle of the night. A window let in streaks of morning light, but no heat came from the smoldering ashes in the fireplace. The room would have been adequate guest quarters had she not been a prisoner.
As the sound of metal hitting metal intensified, Avalon realized the noises were coming from outside. She was about to investigate when the room’s only door swung open. She pulled the soft blanket closer to her chest, the only armor available.
A stocky Aossi maid entered the room, carrying a new tray of bread, hard cheese, and a water cup in one hand, a fireplace poker in the other, and two new logs of wood under her arm. Her wispy brown hair fluttered about her cherub-like face, though she had the jaded look of someone going through puberty. The maid frowned when she saw the untouched food from last night. She shoved the old dishes aside, placed the new food down, and snapped her fingers, lighting the lantern.
Avalon marveled at the snapping fingers, scrutinizing the maid as she approached the fireplace with the logs and poker. The Aossi set the logs on the embers, poking around a bit. Again, she snapped her fingers and a fire sprang to life in the ashes.
“Fire magic,” Avalon said more to herself than the maid.
