In Creation's Heart

by Jason Hamilton

  “That much I’m sure I can do.” Skellig remarked in a stronger tone.

  “I’ll see you soon,” Jak called out before calling on the Pillar of Space and vanishing.

  8

  She found herself in the dark, empty streets of Skyecliff. The small amount of cheer she had felt when talking to Skellig suddenly escaped her. There was nothing to be cheerful about here. A city that had once bustled with life was now empty.

  Homes lay in ruins, some of them from fires, others from what appeared to be demon claws. Carts and wagons lay abandoned in the streets, some of them accompanied by the bones of unfortunate cart-horses. Human skeletons were visible here and there as well, hiding beneath the weeds growing through the cobblestones and around the houses and shops.

  She activated her Telekinesis brand to raise herself into the air, getting a good look at the place. The moon was out, but it was still hard to see. She would have to wait a while until the sun rose.

  Thinking quickly, she sent a jet of fire into the air, making it white hot enough that it illuminated much of the city. That would draw people close, hopefully, assuming anyone was left.

  It was time to check on the Royal Priest and the queen. Using her powers of flight to cover more ground, she raced towards the towering peninsula that held the Royal Palace and Cathedral. This time, rather than go through the main doors, she swung around to the balcony that belonged to the queen.

  Everything was just so quiet. She could hear only the sound of the wind rushing through her ears. No bird sang, no other animals rustled through the bushes. There weren’t even any demons to break the silence. Where were they and their master?

  Jak alighted on the balcony, and immediately heard something, a startled gasp.

  Her eyes sought out the sound and spied the Royal Priest, looking pale and thin as always, though perhaps more sunken in his eyes.

  “She’s gone,” he said, turning his face away from Jak.

  “What do you mean?” Jak asked.

  “I went to scrounge up some breakfast,” the Royal Priest continued, “And when I returned, she was no longer in her bed.” He sniffed. “I assume she jumped off the balcony, though I couldn’t see a body from here.”

  “When was this?”

  “Yesterday morning.”

  Jak sighed. If only she had come here sooner. She stepped over to the balcony and looked down. Waves crashed against the shoreline below. She would see nothing from this height in the darkness. Instead she turned back to the Royal Priest.

  “I saw nothing of Cain or demons, if that’s what you’re going to ask next,” said the Priest. His voice was low and sorrowful. Almost monotone. “And there was no other way she could have gone. I searched the whole palace and the outer doors were still locked.”

  “What about the secret passage in the kitchens?” He shook his head. “Also locked. She could not have secured them from the other side. There was only one escape for her.” He stared again at the balcony’s edge.

  Jak swallowed. “How are you holding up?”

  “I’m...fine,” he said, though he didn’t look it. “I’ve just been sitting here. Contemplating…” he stopped there. Jak swallowed again. Had the Royal Priest been considering throwing himself off the balcony as well?

  “You’re not safe here,” she said.

  “I can manage.”

  But Jak shook her head. She wasn’t having that. If the queen had committed suicide, she would not let the Priest follow in her footsteps.

  “I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to stay.” Without another word she closed the distance between them so she could grab hold of his tunic before activating the Pillar of Space and sending him to Illadar.

  She stood alone in the darkened private chambers of Queen Telma. Yewin would know what to do with the Royal Priest. He would help.

  Flying back out of the balcony, Jak lowered herself until she was level with the rocks below. Just as the Royal Priest had said, there was no sign of the queen’s body. Had she jumped, it could have been swept away by the high tide. But there was no way to tell. Jak spent the next few minutes searching for any evidence, even a scrap of clothing. But she found nothing. The last ruler of Skyecliff was gone. It seemed the last nail in the coffin for what had once been a great city.

  A sudden wave of anger swept through her. Cain was responsible for this, the entire downfall of a major civilization. Jak had rescued many from this place and others from Tradehall and elsewhere, but none of that would have been necessary had it not been for the demon king.

  Knitting her brow, she sped back to the place where she had previously lit her beacon. No one was there, not a soul had seen her flame. There was nothing left for her here.

  With an audible shout, she used the Pillar of Space to take her away.

  This time she arrived in Tradehall, another dead city. She knew for a fact that it was completely empty by now, having saved the last remaining refugees just a few months previously. But that was not why she was here. This had been the last place where she had seen her enemy.

  “Where are you, Cain!?” she yelled into the night. Only the sound of her own voice replied, fading into the distance.

  She sped through every passage of the city, tearing through ruined buildings, and even searching through every room in the wooden palace at the center of the city where Cain had made his home. But the demon king was not there, and nothing but the bones of his dead demons remained.

  With a growl of frustration, Jak used her magic again. She didn’t care where she went. She would hunt Cain down if she had to travel all across the world to find him. He could not hide from her, not when she had the Pillar of Space on her side. She could get anywhere. And she would find him eventually. It was only a matter of time.

  She searched Mt. Harafast, Mt. Knot, and just about every place she could think of. She checked in on Perchel and his scouts, but found none of them had anything useful to report.

  Maybe Cain was no longer in the kingdom at all. He had the Pillar of Time, which meant he could potentially move out of danger in an instant. He could easily elude even the keen eyes of the Sky Fae. Though he couldn’t also hide all his demons. So where were they?

  The Sky Fae did have some good news though. Their recruiting efforts were going better than expected. Each town they visited had essentially erupted into chaos, and most were eager for some good news. When the Sky Fae visited and offered them a place of peace, and a chance of a good life on Illadar, most of them agreed without question.

  Two of the Fae did have a report Jak found even more interesting. Two of the villages they visited had mentioned the death of their local Gifter. Gifters weren’t as common in small towns, but a few usually had at least one in residence. And yet they seemed to be disappearing.

  It was the first clue Jak had that Cain might still be in the area. He wasn’t particularly fond of Gifters, since they were the key to empowering the people. Some, like Jak, could be potential Orens. And so by eliminating Gifters, Cain removed his chances of competition. If Jak found any Gifters still alive, she would have to send them to Illadar immediately, for their own safety. But so far, she had found none.

  After several long days of searching, and periodically checking up on Perchel and his scouts, Jak went back to Foothold. It had been several days since her last meal, and even with Hungerless, she was starting to feel the need for nourishment.

  To her knowledge, Skellig had found some Watchers at the fortress, and they were so scattered and cut off from knowledge of the outside world that it hadn’t taken much effort for Skellig to take command. Technically, Skellig had been relieved of duty from the Watchers, though few of the troops in Foothold knew about that, and those that did generally kept quiet when they realized that Skellig and all she brought with her had multiple brands and yet somehow were not demons.

  Jak chose to appear outside the fortress rather than inside. The guardians of the place would probably want to feel as if they had some control to let her in
, rather than her just popping up wherever she felt like it. She owed them that much.

  Walking towards the drawbridge, she paused to take in the land around her. Something felt...off about it. And a sinking feeling spoiled her gut. She narrowed her eyes as she looked around. It felt too much like the feeling she had when Cain was near. Had he been around Foothold this entire time?

  Turning back to the fortress, she squared her shoulders. Hopefully nothing had happened since she last checked in with Skellig. She strode to the edge of the road, which dropped off into the moat below. The drawbridge was raised all of the time, out of principle at this point. Not that it would do much good against enemies like Cain. But it might keep a few demons out at least.

  Someone was watching. Jak heard shouts from the wall as someone spotted her lone form walking towards the fortress. Jak allowed a slight smile as the drawbridge began to lower. The last time she had tried to get the Watchers to lower the drawbridge she had pleaded and begged to no avail. Now all she had to do was draw near and she was allowed in. So much had changed.

  The drawbridge landed with a thud, only inches away from Jak’s feet. She took a step forward and strode across the entrance to Foothold. She had so many important memories here. She had killed Kuldain, fought off a demon army, even snuck in with Naem to rescue her mother, barely escaping with the help of Marek.

  Jak let her gaze stray towards the mountains. She hoped Marek was alright. Though he had seemingly betrayed her to Cain by taking her powers away, he had also been the instrument of regaining those powers. He had proven that he wasn’t just some mindless demon with no choice but to obey Cain. He had become Cain’s trusted confidant, true. And that meant he was now one of the greatest assets they had to take down the demon king. Assuming they could find each other. What was Marek up to?

  Skellig met her at the gate. “Any news?”

  Jak shook her head. “The queen has vanished, possibly killed herself. I sent the Royal Priest back to Illadar. But the Sky Fae have found nothing.”

  “Well,” said Skellig, with a grim smile. “We may have found something.”

  Jak leaned in. Finally something to go on. “What is it?”

  Skellig turned and waved Jak to walk alongside her. “There have been mild reports of demons in the mountains. Only glimpses. Several people in a village just east of here have seen them moving up and down the slopes.”

  Jak started, “That’s not far from where I was first taken by demons, over two years ago.”

  Skellig nodded, “I know. I’m beginning to wonder if that’s not a coincidence.”

  Of course! Jak wanted to hit herself for not seeing it sooner. When she had first been in this area, she and the Watchers had been attacked by demons. But rather than killing Jak, they had dragged her off, taking her up the side of the mountain. She had only escaped thanks to the aid of the Shadow Elves.

  “If I recall,” continued Skellig. “Kuldain even mentioned that those demons were taking you to see their master. Perhaps he has some kind of hideout in the mountains.”

  Yes, it all made sense. “They are called the Hollow Peaks for a reason.” Jak confirmed, wringing her hands together and feeling excitement bubble up in her stomach.

  “We were hoping you could bring us more of the Shadow Elves,” said Skellig. “Their expertise with these mountains would be appreciated.”

  Jak nodded eagerly. “Of course. I have them combing the area around Mt. Harafast for recruits. But it makes sense to bring them here.”

  “Good,” said Skellig, looking satisfied. “That will help. Also I think it’s about time we brought in more of our army from Illadar.”

  Jak considered that. “You think there will be a battle?”

  “Inevitably,” Skellig said. “And since we’ve had reports of some demons in this area and nowhere else—” She gave Jak a long look for confirmation that she hadn’t found anything. Jak nodded. “—then it’s likely that we will see combat soon, and it will be here. Foothold is the last bastion of defense against Cain in this region. I expect it won’t be long.”

  Jak nodded to herself. Skellig was making a lot of sense. “Very well, I will bring as many as I can.”

  Skellig stepped forward and put a hand on Jak’s shoulder. “You’re doing a lot, how are you holding up?”

  “I’ll be fine,” said Jak, resisting the urge to shrug off Skellig’s hand. “We’ll all rest once Cain is defeated.”

  Skellig looked uncomfortable, like she had something more to say. But in the end, she dropped her arm to her side. “Very well. Bring me the Shadow Elves and the rest of the armies, and we’ll be well on our way to mounting a proper defense.”

  “How have the local Watchers received you?” Jak asked.

  “There have been few problems,” Skellig said with a wave of her hand. “Honestly, most were happy to receive help, given what they’ve heard about what happened at Tradehall and Skyecliff. Some of the stories are far worse than the reality.”

  “I can imagine,” said Jak.

  “Though a few have been a little wary of us, seeing as we have multiple brands. Under normal circumstances we all would have been burned at the stake for heresy. Now…”

  Jak nodded. Now people understood it was possible, and most had probably heard of the girl with multiple brands. She had been the first to sport them, and now she was also the one giving them out.

  She grasped Skellig’s arm with her own. “I’ll be back as soon as I can with those reinforcements.”

  “Thank you, Jak.”

  Jak readied the Pillar of Space, preparing it to take her away towards Mt. Harafast. She would pick up the Shadow Elves first, then head back to Illadar.

  “Oh, and Jak.” Skellig said hastily before she could leave. Jak turned to face the major. There was some discomfort in Skellig’s face. “Uh...it will probably be best to leave the Brandless behind.”

  The muscles in Jak’s face tightened a bit. “Of course,” she said, but she didn’t like it. However, it made sense. Though many of the Brandless could fight, they would be at a serious disadvantage compared to all of the others. Besides, someone would have to stay behind.

  9

  It didn’t take her long to round up Viona and the rest of the Shadow Elves. Most were excited when she told them they were going back to the Hollow Peaks.

  “If Cain had a hideout in those mountains, none of us ever discovered it,” said Viona. “But we will happily search for it. No one knows those mountains better than us.”

  Jak was only too happy to have their help. It could be dangerous, with demons in those mountains. But there was no getting around danger these days. The Shadow Elves knew what they were getting into. Perhaps Cain didn’t have a hideout in the Hollow Peaks, or perhaps he had concealed it all this time. But they would look for it, and they would search for all of time if they had to. Perhaps Jak could give them a hand using the Pillar of Space to get to places they might not have usually explored.

  But she had more business to conduct before that was ready. With a burst of magic, she sent herself straight back to Illadar.

  When she told them that Skellig was ready for their help, almost everyone was eager to join. Naem was especially excited. He had been continuing his work of handing out the passive brands to all who asked for one, and his work was all but complete.

  “Just give me a spear, and I’ll take out every last demon myself,” he said with unbridled enthusiasm.

  Jak couldn’t help but smile at her old friend’s eagerness to help. But she wasn’t smiling when it came time to tell the Brandless that they had to stay behind.

  “We’re not useless,” said one. “It’s not like we spent all our lives farming or herding sheep. Most of us are warriors like you.”

  “I know,” said Jak, putting out both her hands as if to say that she understood. “But Foothold will be overcrowded as it is. We have to prioritize those who will have the best chance of surviving. And that, unfortunately, means you get left behind. S
omeone has to keep a watch on this place.”

  “For what, the nonexistent predators? For the crops? Everything’s perfect here, and the Nature Fae have control of the crops. Everything will be fine.”

  “There was that time with the dragon,” said a woman next to the man.

  “That was a special circumstance,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. That was true, though Jak didn’t bother to agree with the man right now.

  “I’m taking the Nature Fae with me,” said Jak. “And we still don’t know what this world could throw at us. Look, I’d love to take you with me as well, but we simply won’t have the space for you. Would you choose I select a thousand of the branded to stay, when they could have a much easier time remaining alive during a demon attack?”

  The man opened his mouth as if to say yes. But he closed it again. Even they had to admit that they were much easier to kill than the others. It still made logical sense, even though most of them, including Jak, were not happy with the situation.

  “I suppose we can wait,” he nearly spat after a moment to contemplate.

  Jak breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was taken care of for now.

  She let them be, choosing instead to walk through the ranks of those with brands, watching as they prepared themselves to travel.

  “Jak,” She turned to see Naman and Jamilla approach her from behind. They were both among the branded, with several brands running up and down their arms. Each had a pack on their back and looked ready to go. They must have been among the first to get ready.

  “Have you heard anything about our son?” asked Jamilla as she drew closer.

  Jak shook her head. “Marek hasn’t been seen, and neither has Cain. But we spotted several demons going up and down the Hollow Peaks. He might be close.”