The Shadowed Land

by Ryan W. Mueller

  The others were laughing around the campfire. Lost in thought, Berig hadn't heard what was so funny. He resolved to become more a part of this party. It was difficult, though. He'd always been alone, ever since his brother's death . . . disappearance—whatever it was.

  "Berig," Danica said, "you've been rather quiet."

  "Just thinking, I guess."

  "And worrying," she said. "I can see it in your eyes."

  "You know me too well."

  "What is there to worry about?" Klint said, tossing a small branch into the fire, which he had lit with his staff. "We haven't seen any monsters, haven't seen anything dangerous at all? Yeah, we'll keep an eye out, but this world's gotta be better than what we left."

  "I guess I don't have your faith," Berig said. "Life's never given me a break."

  Klint leaned forward. "Let me share a story with you, Berig. You're not the only one who's lived a rough life. You think I've always had it easy?"

  "Well, no. I guess not. But didn't you choose this life?"

  "In a way," Aric said, "we all choose our own lives. It is our decisions that define us, not the circumstances that have been thrust upon us."

  Klint gave Aric a sharp look. "Thanks for the philosophy. As I was saying, Berig, my life's been rough. You don't end up in the smuggling business if you've had an easy life. I grew up in the poorest part of Marion. There, you learn to fight or you don't last very long. You learn to steal or you don't have anything to eat. You learn to kill."

  "I've heard some parts of Marion can be quite rough," Aric said.

  Klint was silent a few moments. "I killed my first man when I was nine. He tried to rape my older sister, so I slit his throat. Turned out he was a member of a local thieves' organization. I thought I was dead for sure, but instead they offered to let me join them." He chuckled. "Guess they weren't too fond of that guy either."

  Berig felt a greater kinship for Klint now. By the sounds of it, he'd faced similar struggles growing up. Not quite like Berig's, but close enough. And if Klint could make something of his life, however illegal, maybe Berig could do the same.

  "As a kid," Klint said, "I made a good thief and pickpocket. My family wasn't happy about my choice, but I got food on their table. I got them protection. Eventually, they came to see the benefits. As I grew older, I learned the art of fighting. Dagger. Sword. Bow. Give me a weapon and I can kill someone with it. In fact, I was even better at that than thieving. So my thief lord put me to other uses. I ran afoul of the law a few times, but I always escaped." He ran a hand through his messy brown hair. "Along the way, I lost a lot of good friends."

  "I'm sorry," Berig said. "I know how it is to lose someone."

  Klint looked down at the crackling fire. "I even lost my sister. Ironic, ain't it? In protecting her, I got a spot in the organization, and my role there made her a target. I tried to keep her away from my life, but I couldn't do it." He shook his head, and when he spoke again, tears constricted his voice. "I got her killed."

  Danica put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

  Klint pulled away from her touch. "You remind me of her, you know. She always had a way of staying positive through everything. I know she wouldn't blame me, but that doesn't keep me from blaming myself. Doesn't keep my mother from blaming me."

  Berig leaned closer with interest. It was strange to see a different side of Klint. For all the time he'd been with them, he'd seemed so strong, as if nothing ever fazed him. But beneath that stony mask, that rough exterior, there was great pain and sorrow.

  "I was fifteen when my sister died," Klint said, choking up. "My mother cast me out then, and I found my home with my fellow thieves. It was good for a while, but I wanted more out of life. That's when my thief lord mentioned the possibility of smuggling. Thieving was good money, but smuggling was even better. I won't deny it. I wanted money. I thought I could drown out my pain if I became rich. As if money could make everything all right."

  "When did you realize it couldn't?" Aric asked.

  Klint gave a hollow laugh. "Just a few weeks ago, when I thought I was gonna die in Imperial Guard custody. Nothing like prison and certain death to make you question your priorities in life. Don't get me wrong. I still like money, but maybe there's more out there."

  "I think you'll find something more now that you're with us," Danica said.

  Klint looked down at the ground. "I sure hope so."

  He fell silent. Exposing his vulnerable side had clearly taken a toll on him. For a few minutes, everyone joined him in silence broken only by the crackling fire. Insects chirped and buzzed in the distance, but otherwise the world seemed empty.

  "Where are all the people?" Berig asked. "Is there anyone out here?"

  Danica forced a smile. "Cyrus said there were people out there, and I trust him. He wouldn't have led us out here otherwise."

  "It's probably just a sparsely populated area," Aric said.

  A shuffling sound came from the distance, startling Berig. "Anyone else hear that?"

  They all shook their heads, so Berig listened more closely. Something was coming, stalking them through the darkness, its shuffling steps growing closer. Berig hopped to his feet and pulled out his dagger.

  "I don't hear anything," Aric said, and the others nodded their agreement.

  "Must be my strange senses," Berig said.

  A shadow was silhouetted against the eastern horizon, just visible in the pale moonlight.

  He pointed into the distance. "You sure you don't hear anything?"

  "Yeah, I think I might hear something now," Klint said.

  Everyone jumped to their feet and peered into the distance as the shadow grew nearer. It looked like an animal of some kind, tall and standing on two legs. The way it moved suggested that it wasn't human, but Berig couldn't be sure.

  As if it sensed them, the creature burst toward them, moving with speed that looked impossible. Its long legs carried it across the gently rolling hills of the vast plain.

  The creature let out a piercing shriek, and Berig covered his ears. His dagger felt small and useless in his hands. To his right, Danica was pale. Aric and Klint looked ready, though—Aric with his sword and Klint with his staff.

  The creature burst into their thicket of trees. Once it passed within range, Klint launched a burst of fire at it. The monster recoiled, shrieking and looking enraged.

  In the light of the flames, Berig could finally see the beast. It stood about ten feet tall, with thin brown fur and nearly a dozen eyes ringing its head. Its shape was that of a man, but it moved jerkily on long, thin legs. Its arms ended in claws as long as swords.

  "You better keep those flames going," Aric said. "I don't know how to fight this thing." He stepped closer to it, then retreated. The beast had stopped as the flames hit it. It shrieked in pain, but it didn't retreat. If anything, it looked more eager to kill them.

  Berig rushed back to Danica, and she clung to him, trembling violently. There was no way either of them could do anything against this creature.

  Klint stopped the flames and switched to a burst of lightning. This time, the creature did retreat. It covered its head as though that could stop the lightning. For a moment, Berig felt sorry for the creature, but then he reminded himself that it intended to kill them.

  The lightning turned to a jet of water that struck the creature in the chest, sending it to the ground, where it twitched in pain. Klint advanced on it, and a cascade of sharp rocks emerged from the tip of his staff, striking the creature in the chest like dozens of knives.

  At last, the monster gave up. It scrambled to its feet and raced into the distance at its seemingly impossible speed. Berig's legs trembled until it disappeared from view.

  Klint wiped sweat from his forehead. "Guess we found our first monster."

  "I hope it's our last," Berig muttered.

  No one could get back to sleep that night, so they started traveling a few hours before sunrise. The world seemed quiet, but that didn't mean anything. It
had felt the same way moments before that monster appeared. Did these monsters show up at random? Where did they come from? Cyrus hadn't been clear on that, and Berig wished he had some clarity.

  But when had the world ever listened to his wishes?

  Berig was tired when the sun rose, but at least nothing had threatened them. Maybe the monsters only appeared at night. Maybe. He had the feeling it didn't matter.

  By midday, they all felt the effects of a poor night's sleep. They started yelling at each other for yawning. Berig's feet ached. No matter what might be out here, they needed to rest, but Berig didn't want to call for it himself.

  Eventually, Aric said, "I'm sorry, but I need to take a break."

  Was his sickness returning already?

  "All right," Klint said, though he didn't look happy. They settled down on a patch of ground free of the plain's long grasses and ate from their dwindling stores. Every few seconds, Berig peered into the distance, expecting another monster.

  Much to his dismay, his expectations were correct.

  They didn't even get the chance to finish their small meal before a giant beast appeared perhaps a hundred feet away. Appeared was the best word for it. Berig had been looking at that spot. One second, there'd been nothing. The next, a giant beast had appeared.

  Berig hopped to his feet. "We've got another monster!"

  The others drew their weapons while Berig hung back with Danica. Hopefully Klint could drive this beast away, but Berig had his doubts. He always did. This creature looked like the largest bear he'd ever seen. It had to be at least fifteen feet long, and its hide looked thick and impenetrable. As it raced toward them, it growled.

  Klint sent fire at the creature, but it passed through the flames as though they were nothing. When Klint tried lightning, the monster hesitated a moment but ultimately shrugged off the spell. It growled with rage and hunger, and Berig's insides turned to water.

  He looked at his dagger and almost laughed. That beast would kill him in an instant.

  Berig's voice was strangely high-pitched. "Klint, you've gotta think of something."

  "I'm trying."

  Fifty feet away. Klint tried a jet of water, but that didn't slow the bear. Thirty feet. A blast of rock didn't deter it either. Berig felt like throwing up, like lying down there and waiting for the inevitable. They'd been stupid to leave the Empire. Maybe he could have found a life back there. Anything was better than monsters like this.

  "Wind ain't gonna work," Klint muttered, "but maybe pain will." He narrowed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and launched a jet of darkness at the creature. The beast recoiled, shrieking in pain, but after a moment, it resumed its course toward them.

  Klint retreated as it leapt atop him and tried to tear at him with its claws. A moment later, it rolled away from him, blood trickling from its fur and covering Klint's sword.

  Aric took advantage of the bear's moment of hesitation and plunged his sword through its side, aiming for its heart. It growled louder than ever and yanked its body away from his sword. More blood fell upon the ground, but the bear kept coming, more enraged than ever.

  This was no normal bear.

  "What can we do?" Danica whispered, clinging to Berig. He had no idea why she felt clinging to him would help. He was just as terrified, just as useless.

  Maybe more useless.

  The bear turned and launched itself toward Aric. Danica broke free from Berig, racing toward Aric. Berig wanted to call out to her, but no words came to him. She reached Aric before the bear and shoved him out of the way, but then the bear landed atop both of them, and Danica screamed as its claws tore into her chest.

  "Don't you even dare," Aric said. He had managed to crawl out from beneath the bear when it had focused its attention on Danica. Now he plunged his sword through its side again and again. Berig prayed that Aric would find the heart this time.

  From the bear's other side, Klint sent careful blasts of rock. A few of them almost hit Aric and Danica, who was still screaming, trying in vain to hold the bear's jaws at bay.

  Berig hung back, trembling, with no idea how he could help. He had to do something. Anything.

  Before he knew it, he was rushing toward the bear, holding his dagger out as if he could actually use it. He leapt atop the bear and wrapped his arms around its neck. It attempted to throw him, but he held strong, trying to slit its throat.

  With each jerk of the bear's massive head, Berig clung harder. Through his haze of panic, he saw Danica moving out from beneath it, her clothes drenched in blood. How much was hers, and how much belonged to the bear?

  No. He couldn't think about that right now. Holding strong, he brought his dagger around and tried to avoid the bear's jaws. He drew the dagger across its throat, pushing as hard as he could and drawing blood. A sudden jerk of the bear's head sent Berig flying. His stomach lurched, and he hit the ground hard. The impact knocked the wind out of him.

  He lay there for a few moments, feeling as if he couldn't breathe, panic igniting within him. When at last his breath returned, he looked up. The bear had raised its paws to its throat as if that could staunch the flow of blood, and then it toppled to the side.

  Klint put a hand on Berig's shoulder. "You okay?"

  "Yeah, I think so." Berig got to his feet gingerly. "How's Danica?"

  "Not good," Aric said from a few feet away as he removed Danica's shirt to get a look at the wounds. She lay on the ground, moaning and looking up at him with wide eyes. He turned to Berig. "Get my supplies. I have some alcohol, herbs, and bandages in there."

  Berig rushed over to their campsite, grabbed the bag, and brought it back to Aric. Aric rummaged in the bag and pulled out some green stuff, which he shoved into Danica's mouth.

  "Chew on this," he said. "It should dull the pain."

  Looking pale, she did as he'd instructed. His hands shook as he tried to open a small bottle of whiskey.

  "Let me help," Klint said, taking the whiskey from him. Berig was glad Klint had offered because Berig figured he was shaking as much as Aric. How could Klint remain so calm in a situation like this? There was a lot Berig could learn from that man.

  When Klint poured the alcohol on Danica's wounds, she twitched and screamed through the mouthful of herbs. After a few moments, though, she relaxed.

  "I think I can do the bandages," Aric said, but he was still trembling.

  "No, let me do them," Klint said, pulling the bandages from Aric's leather sack. Working together, they wrapped the bandages around Danica. She stood on unsteady legs, wincing whenever they hit a tender spot. Once they finished, she leaned on Aric for support.

  "Can you walk like this?" he asked.

  "I-I'll have to."

  Berig shuddered, remembering how he'd felt back in the swamp after the swamp cat had gouged him with its claws. Danica's injuries didn't look as deep as his, but he'd also had the benefit of Farah's healing. Danica had no such luck and might face infection.

  "Looks like we have company," Klint said, startling Berig.

  Berig looked at the hill ahead of them. Cresting the ridge were at least a dozen people riding on horseback. Berig's stomach clenched. Were these people friends or foes?

  Chapter 4: The Sunset Army

  Kara was amazed that her injuries didn't bother her. The beast's claws had gouged her, but now her wounds were minor scratches. She'd never seen Markus's healing in action, and she wondered if he could heal as well as Alia.

  The party traveled across a barren landscape of cracked rocks and twisted, skeletal trees. Kara remained in the front with Aren and Lena.

  Mist swirled across their path in clouds of varying thickness. Kara felt as if that mist were suffocating her. She wished she could see more than a few dozen feet, wished she could change so much. But she'd never been one to dwell on the past.

  "How far is it to Millersville?" she asked.

  "We should be there in less than an hour," Aren said. He put a hand on her shoulder. "How're you holding up? Do we need
to go slower?"

  "I'm all right," Kara said. "The injuries are barely even bothering me." While she appreciated his concern, she hated it when people thought her weak or in need of special accommodations. Being a woman didn't make her useless.

  She didn't say anything, however, for she had little energy to argue.

  After a long silence, Aren said, "What's it like on Terra?"

  Kara didn't want to think about the world she might never see again. "It's a lot different. I don't really know how to explain it. It's what I've always known." She took a breath, feeling on the verge of tears. "Our world has its own problems. It might look more beautiful. We might have a sun. But it's far from perfect."

  "That doesn't surprise me," Lena said, scanning their surroundings, holding her staff ready.

  Kara told them about her life in Crayden, about Warrick and the Empire, about the Order and Nadia's dream of killing Warrick. They listened attentively, looking eager to hear news of the world they'd never seen. Once Kara finished, tense silence fell.

  After a while, she said, "Tell me about yourselves."

  Aren shrugged. "What is there to say? I've wanted to be a tracker my entire life. My parents thought I should join the Sierran army instead. They thought I was too talented to be a simple tracker for a small town like Millersville."

  "Do you ever think you made the wrong decision?" Kara asked.

  "Sometimes. I'll admit that life in Millersville can be boring at times. Sure, we fight monsters, but most of 'em don't present much of a challenge. There are times when I think I'd like to face off with the Sunset Army. I don’t have a wife or children. There's really nothing to tie me to Millersville."

  Kara felt a tiny flicker of hope. "Then maybe you could help me get home."

  "It's tempting, but I still think your hopes are foolish."

  "Can't you at least help me reach this sorcerer in Sierra City?"

  Aren ran a hand through his dark beard. "Look. I want to help you. I really do. But I'm just not sure I can abandon my duties to Millersville."