The Edge of Nothing_The Lex Chronicles_Book 1

by Crystal Crawford

  Standing outside the gates was Baram, holding a large black panther in his arms. The creature was unconscious and wrapped in a thin blanket, which was already soaked through with blood. “It happened so fast,” Baram blurted as he gently lowered the animal to the ground. “An Aiac got her in The Fallows. She only barely survived.”

  Acarius rushed over and knelt beside the animal.

  “Call the healer!” someone yelled, and the guards inside the gates burst into motion.

  “They’re coming,” Baram said, looking up at Acarius. “Aiacs, wrasseks, all of them. They’re almost here. And if the rumors in the villages we passed on the way here have any truth to them, Malleck himself is with them.”

  Lex was still trying to process what was happening when the panther began shifting beneath the blanket. He focused on its face, afraid it would awaken startled and attack someone… but it was still unconscious. The movement wasn’t from it waking, it was from it changing. The creature shrank and morphed right before his eyes, the dark, fierce face of the panther suddenly becoming the unusually pale, very non-panther face of Lytira.

  “What the–” Lex whispered. So that was what Lytira could do. His mind raced back, remembering the panther in the forest. Had it been her? Could all her people do that, or only Lytira?

  Lex sank to his knees beside Acarius, the seriousness of the situation suddenly hitting him. That was Lytira’s blood covering the blanket… lots of it.

  “The healers are on their way,” a guard said, placing his hand on Acarius’ shoulder. “We should not move her until they assess her injuries.”

  Acarius pushed Lytira’s matted hair back from face tenderly, his face desperate and helpless. His fingers came away streaked with blood, and he stared at them wordlessly.

  Baram stood. “Tell King Rahman my people are near. We will fight with you, if he wills it.” He turned, his clothes shredding as his large body morphed into a giant bear before racing off along the treeline into the distance.

  Lex stood in shock, trying to process what he’d just seen and filled with concern for Lytira.

  The king burst through the crowd at the gates, shoving aside anyone who didn’t move quickly enough. “What happened?” he shouted, seeing Lytira on the ground. “Who did this?”

  A group of healers ran up and dropped to their knees around her, touching her face, lifting her eyelids. One of them lifted the edge of the blanket and peered under. “We must get her inside,” he said, standing.

  The guards lifted her at once and rushed her into the gates, the healers right behind them.

  Acarius stood to follow.

  “No,” the king growled. “You will stay here. You have brought enough trouble on my people.” He spun toward the gates.

  “My lord,” Acarius called out, his voice hollow.

  The king stopped and turned back. “What?” he spat.

  “Baram had a message. The forces of Galgor are coming. The Alowens will fight with us, if you wish. But you should alert the people. Get everyone to safety.”

  “To safety?” the king spat. “And where would you have us go? This is on you, half-blood, you and your ‘son of prophecy.’ If Lytira survives this, if any of us do, I will ensure you never see her again. Tell Baram we do not need his help; we will be remaining inside our walls. This is your battle, not ours. Let him help you if he desires.” He stormed inside the city. “Close the gates!” he called. “Prepare the defenses!”

  Lex and Acarius watched as the gates slammed shut in front of them.

  CHAPTER 17

  Lex and Acarius stared at each other.

  “What do we do now?” Lex asked.

  Suddenly shouting was heard from inside the city. “Get her away from my daughter!” the king's voice boomed.

  Lex and Acarius moved toward the gates. What was going on inside the city? A moment later, one of the gates inched open and Nigel's head poked out.

  “Hurry!” he whispered, waving them toward him. “Come inside!”

  Lex and Acarius slid in through the gap in the gate. Hardly anyone noticed their entrance, as all the attention was on the scene the king was creating in the courtyard.

  “I want that daughter of power out of my city,” he snarled. “I will not stand by and watch any of my people die because of her!”

  “But, my king,” pleaded one of the healers, “she is still too weak. We cannot move her.”

  “I do not care how weak she is!” the king yelled. “Put her outside the gates!”

  “Apologies, my king,” said another healer, giving a small bow, “but we cannot. We are sworn to heal and not harm. Putting her outside the city would undoubtedly harm her.”

  The king roared in frustration. “Then at least move my daughter to another house! I don't want her anywhere near that thing.” He stormed off toward the tower.

  The healers rushed back toward the ring of houses and ducked into one with a sign hanging above the second story. It occurred to Lex suddenly that the signs probably indicated where different tradespeople lived; rather than having a business district, the tradesman and healers of Zeriphath simply took up shop in their homes among the people.

  As the king stormed past the crowd, his eyes caught on Lex and Acarius. “How did you get back in here?” he yelled. He rounded on Acarius, backing him up against the gate. “This is your fault somehow,” he snarled. “What was she doing out of the city? Was this your idea?”

  “No. I didn’t even know she had gone,” Acarius answered, meeting the king’s eyes.

  “Why would she go?” the king bellowed, leaning right into Acarius’ face.

  Acarius stared back, his face blank. “I have no idea,” he said. “Perhaps you should ask Baram.”

  The king growled and spun away, stomping back toward his palace. “Throw them out of the city! All of them!” he yelled without looking back.

  Lex glanced around at the guards then at Acarius, unsure whether the plan was to go willingly or put up a fight.

  But the guards weren't moving. They shifted uncomfortably, glancing at one another as though uncertain whether to obey the king's orders. After a moment one of them stepped forward.

  “I'm sorry, Master Acarius,” he said, “but we must obey the king.” He pulled the cord to open the gates. “Call to us if anyone approaches. We will not leave you to fight alone.”

  Lex, Acarius, and Nigel were just stepping through the open gate and back out into The Fallows when the elders who had served as Heart and Ear rushed toward them. “Shut the gates,” they said to the guards. “These men will remain inside.” To the guards’ questioning glances, the Heart replied, “The king is unwell. He will be remaining in his quarters for a while. You will tend to the needs of these men and equip them with whatever they require for battle.” With that they turned away and headed back toward the palace.

  As soon as they were gone, Acarius rushed toward the house where the healers had disappeared. Lex followed. The house they entered was set up like a normal dwelling, with a small kitchen area and a place for sitting. The healers were still on the bottom floor, preparing something in a bowl in the kitchen, but Amelia and Lytira were nowhere in sight.

  Acarius hurried toward one of the healers. “Please, can I see her?” he asked.

  “I am sorry, Master Acarius, but I do not think that is a good idea,” one of them answered. “She is hurt very badly, and we are in the middle of treating her.”

  “How is she?” Acarius asked. “Will she be alright?”

  “It is too soon to tell,” the healer answered.

  Acarius turned and walked out of the building.

  The healer moved toward the stairs in the back.

  “Wait,” Lex said. “What about Amelia? Can I see her now?”

  “I do not think that is a good idea either,” the healer said. “She is still very fragile, and it is best if she rests.” She placed her hand on his arm. “Do not worry. As soon as we have word on eithe
r one of them, we will let you know.” She gave him a small smile and went back up the stairs.

  Lex moved outside and found Acarius pacing in front of the house. Lex hesitated a moment, but his curiosity was too much for him. He just needed something in his life to make a little bit of sense for once. “Hey, Acarius,” he said gently, “I know this might not be the best time, but… what just happened… outside the gates?”

  Acarius didn’t answer; he just sank to the ground and dropped his head between his knees.

  “Oh, you mean the panther thing?” Nigel asked, moving toward them. “Yeah, they all do that. Well, not that exactly, I mean, they don't all turn into panthers. Each has his or her own animal.”

  Lex stared. “What?”

  “Yeah, it's the Sephram thing,” Nigel said with a shrug. “They turn into animals. I thought that was pretty obvious by now.”

  Lex shook his head. “Yeah…I get that part…I just… They all do it? You mean they’re, like, born turning into animals? Do the children do it, too? How does it work? Don’t they ever hurt each other?”

  “No, no, no,” Nigel said, “It's way more complicated than that. These people don't know how to do anything simply.” He sighed. “Children can't turn. It happens at puberty, and there's a whole process for it, like a rite-of-passage ceremony. They send them into the woods to figure out which animal they are each naturally attuned to, and approach it in the wild. Supposing a Sephram doesn't die by choosing the wrong animal and getting mauled to death, a bonding occurs and gives the Sephram the ability to turn into that animal at will for the rest of their life.”

  “So…” Lex said, still confused.

  Nigel stared at him and spoke slowly. “A Sephram only gets one animal form for life. Lytira’s is a black panther. All the other people have different animals. Of course there is some overlap – some of them turn into the same animal – but it's not like it goes by family or anything like that. It's a very individual sort of thing.”

  A startling thought suddenly occurred to Lex. “So then the lions behind the barn, are they...”

  Nigel laughed. “No, no, those are lions. Just regular, plain old lions.”

  “Then why are they here?” Lex asked.

  “It's the second part of the bond,” Nigel answered. “Once the bond is sealed, a Sephram also has the ability to communicate with and call on animals of his bonded type. Sometimes, when a Sephram spends a lot of time in the wild in his animal form for whatever reason, he becomes part of a natural animal group, just like a regular animal would in the wild, except in this case one of those animals is a Sephram. You follow me?”

  Lex thought he did. He nodded.

  Nigel looked pleased, and continued. “The Sephram aren't always the leaders of their animal groups, but in this case, being as honking big as he is in his Sephram form, the king had no trouble winning the leadership of the pride, if you see what I mean.”

  Lex was still trying to process everything. “So they can all do this?” he asked.

  “Except the children, yes,” Nigel answered. “Why do you think Ardis uses them to make Aiacs? She needs their shifting ability. Of course she turns it all demonic, which is a different kind of thing, but it's still the same ability at its core.”

  Oh, Lex thought. Despite being one of the coolest things he'd ever seen, the Sephrams’ ability was still a lot to take in.

  “Now, if you don’t mind,” Nigel said, “I am going to go hide. I didn’t much like getting nearly killed the last time, and I’d like to avoid it. I’ll just wait in the house with Amelia and Lytira – I know you’ll be protecting that.” He winked at Lex and went inside.

  Acarius stood, seeming to wake from his stupor. “Don’t be fooled,” he said. “He pretends to be a coward, but he’ll be out fighting with the rest of us.”

  Unsure what to say, Lex simply nodded. The two of them stood for a moment in silence.

  A few breaths later, Nigel appeared beside them, holding a sword. “Alright, you got me,” he said, shrugging. “I’m a sucker for a fight. I did have to swipe a sword from one of Amelia’s guards, though. Did you know Sephram carried swords? I thought they all used arrows. But it’s a good thing, because I’m a lousy aim with a bow.” He turned to Lex. “Oh, Amelia says hi, by the way.”

  Lex felt a jolt shoot through his chest. “What? She’s awake?”

  But before Nigel had a chance to answer, an ear-splitting siren sounded throughout the city.

  “The alarm!” Acarius shouted as they all threw their hands over their ears. “The city is under attack!”

  “Aiacs and wrasseks approaching!” a guard yelled. “Everyone inside! Guards, to the walls!”

  Lex turned to Acarius and Nigel, who stared back at him. It was happening.

  “Master Acarius,” one of the guards called, running up to them. “One of my men believes he spotted Malleck Dross among the Aiacs. He is here.”

  Lex looked between Acarius and the guard in surprise. Was Acarius calling the shots now? What had happened to the king and the elders?

  Acarius simply nodded once. “Send a runner to Baram,” he said. “He and the Alowens are waiting in the western edge of the forest. And tell the archers to–”

  “Son of prophecy!” A deep voice boomed through the air, seeming to come from the sky itself.

  Lex cut his eyes to Acarius. “What is that?” he asked, feeling an edge of panic mounting in his chest.

  “Malleck Dross,” Acarius sighed. “Nigel, will you–” He started to ask, but Nigel was already running back for the healer’s house. “Okay, so maybe he’s a bit of a coward,” Acarius said, turning back to Lex. “But can you blame him? He’s a crazy, bird-boned old man.”

  “Son of prophecy!” the voice boomed again. “Show yourself!”

  “I’m pretty sure he means you,” Acarius said, raising one eyebrow at Lex.

  “Yeah, got it, thanks,” Lex said. “But what do we do?”

  “Nothing,” Acarius said. “I mean, eventually he’ll attack, and we’ll fight back. Beyond that, I’ve got no plan.”

  “Great,” Lex said.

  “Hey,” Acarius responded, sounding a little offended. “I’m not usually the strategist, you are. And besides, it’s not like I had a ton of time to plan.”

  “Perhaps I am not being clear,” the voice echoed. “Prince Marculian – he who called himself Marcus and was destroyed then reborn as Lex – the son of prophecy. Show yourself!”

  “At least he knows his history,” Acarius said.

  “This isn’t funny,” Lex said. “What should I do?”

  “Sorry,” Acarius sighed. “You and I always used to joke in battle. I forget sometimes that – nevermind, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, like I said, you should do nothing. It’s not like you’re just going to walk up on the wall and turn yourself over to him. That would be insane.”

  The deep voice called out again, this time sounding a bit amused. “Are you a coward, son of prophecy, one meant to heal the entire Worldforce?” He paused. “Do the people know whose dark power truly killed the masses that day? Or have you blamed that all on me?”

  The archers were still stationed on the wall, but townspeople began to peer out of their houses, eyeing Lex.

  “What’s he getting at?” Lex whispered.

  “He’s just messing with you,” Acarius answered. “He means what happened when you exploded, but everyone already knows that. He’s trying to get in your head.”

  “Where is he?” Acarius called up to one of the guards in a hushed voice.

  “We don’t know,” the guard answered. “We cannot spot him. But there must be at least a hundred wrasseks and Aiacs down there, just staring up at us.” The fear on the guard’s face was plain.

  “Just hold and wait,” Acarius told the guard, then turned back to Lex. “Why are they not attacking?” he whispered to himself.

  “People of Zeriphath,” the voice boomed, changing tactics. “Yo
u are harboring the son of prophecy and the daughter of power. They, and they alone, are what I seek. Release them to my army within the hour, and your people will be spared. Refuse to do so, and you will all be slaughtered. You have one hour.”

  The sky went eerily silent.

  Inside the city, chaos broke loose.

  “I say we turn them over!” a woman yelled, emerging from her house. “They aren’t part of us, and I will not allow my family to be slaughtered for their sake!”

  There was a murmur of assent around the courtyard as more townspeople joined the conversation.

  “He’s lying,” a man said. “They will attack us, no matter what we do! I say we barricade the children inside the barn, then shift and fight!”

  “There aren’t enough of us,” another man responded. “And the only grouping within miles are the king’s lions. Who knows, in his state, if he’ll even command them to fight! The king’s gone mad, you all saw it! I say we turn them over and be done with it.”

  One of the guards stepped forward. “He is Sulanashum,” he said. “We cannot betray him.”

  “Who believes in that Ardis-cursed prophecy anyway?” a woman spat. “I trust nothing from her or the Ancients. Turn them over!”

  “Silence!” a voice roared through the courtyard.

  A hush fell across the people as everyone turned toward the sound.

  The king stood in the courtyard just in front of his palace, lions flanking him on either side. He towered between them, every bit as intimidating as they were, even in his Sephram form. “We. Are. Sephram,” he bellowed, punching each word. “We do not betray our guests to an enemy, no matter how unwelcome those guests may be. In my pain over my daughter’s injury, I nearly forgot that. But I am your king, and I will not allow you to betray your honor simply because you are afraid. Sephram are often afraid. But we never bow to it. These people are here under the decree of asylum as part of the ceremony, and we will honor it. We will offer our guests our protection, come what may. The children will be placed with a force of guards in the barn. Every able-bodied adult will shift. We will fight like Sephram, with ferocity and honor. And when this is over, if any of our guests are still alive, they will leave.” He directed these last words at Lex and Acarius, then turned and strode past the crowd into the healers’ building, where his deep voice could be heard asking to see Lytira.