Land of Shadows

by Jeff Gunzel

  * * *

  There was flint and steel in the leather bag, so Eric was able to start a small fire before the rain started. His companion and him both knew a fire could easily attract unwanted guests, but after everything they had been through, they just didn’t care. The rain was really coming down now, and they wanted to try and stay somewhat warm.

  Aena had found a waterskin, small pot, and some tea in the sack as well. It was exactly what they wanted right now. Aena poured two hot cups from the pot she brewed and handed one to Eric. They sat in silence for a moment, sipping away. “So what are we going to do when we get to Taron?” she asked in a soft voice. “I mean, we don’t have any money, and there is only a little food in that sack. There isn’t even a change of clothes.”

  Eric kept sipping his tea in silence for a moment, considering the question. “I’m not sure, to tell you the truth. I just know it’s important to get there. As long as we have each other, I’ll think of something.” He set down his tin cup and placed his fingers on his temples, rubbing in circles as his head began to throb.

  “What the— My head.” He tried to stand up, but his legs would not support him. He stumbled to the side and fell, kicking his teacup over in the process. Eric looked over at Aena as he lay on the ground. There seemed to be two of her circling each other. Then the two images of her began laughing as they moved towards him.

  “How sweet,” the far-away voice echoed. “We will be together? Well, I have a better idea. The Dark Lord wants you alive, and for that I will be given eternal life!” Eric shook his head violently, trying to stay focused. The two images finally came together as one, but the single image was now holding a dagger and still moving towards him. He tried to inch away, worming along on his elbows and backside.

  “I’ll have to remove your feet and hands to make you less dangerous, of course. But don’t worry, that’s nothing compared to what the Dark Lord has in store for you!”

  “N-no…st-stop,” he muttered as he tried desperately to stay conscious—a battle he was on the verge of losing.

  Right as she positioned herself on top of him, Aena suddenly whirled around, blades in hand. A sharp clang rang out as she deflected the speeding dagger that was hurling towards her head. She followed the action with two backward handsprings and landed in a low crouch, crossed daggers defensively in front of her face. Eric was fighting hard to stay conscious by slapping himself in the face repeatedly. Again he saw two figures in black robes, but they were facing each other this time and did not seem to be the same person, although their snakelike movements were awfully similar.

  Crackling lightning lit up the immediate area, revealing two hooded reapers circling each other, both wielding a dagger in either hand. Each shifted their daggers from pointing down to pointing up and back again by rolling them individually across the backs of their hands, as they stalked one another in a tight circle. Only trained killers with marvelous dexterity could have made the shifts look so effortless. For all Eric knew, they were fighting over who would kill him first. He had to move, but his body was shutting down. How could she do this to me? He watched helplessly as the reapers continued to circle, switching blade angles constantly, searching for a weakness in the other’s defense.

  One struck out at the other in two viper-like slashes, each parried solidly by a set of daggers, followed by return strikes that were just a fast. The probing shots continued as each one tested the speed and skill of the other with quick strikes sent out as feelers. Then the dance of blades began, each pair of arms whirling and pumping in an intricate series of thrusts and parries.

  Each of the cloaked figures appeared to have eight arms, as it seemed impossible only two could move with such tenacity. The steel-on-steel blows were so heavy that a shower of continuous sparks fired off in every direction. Each time the sky lit up with a flash of lightning, the scene showed a portrait of violence, that exact moment frozen in time forever. As the display of whirling blades raged on, it became clear that one of the figures was taking more slashes than the other, although they had both taken several. Individual blade collisions could no longer be deciphered from one another.

  The cloaked figures rolled their bodies with the blows to keep the slashes from doing no more than grazing, while countering hard as the other did the same with unimaginable speed. It was impossible to believe humans could move like this.

  One reaper began to really press the attack as the other’s body jolted, then jolted again with fresh, deep cuts. At last, the first reaper parried both his opponent’s daggers out wide while dropping his own, then grabbed the cloak of the other figure, doing a backward somersault while locked together tightly, and ended up on top.

  The reaper on the bottom slashed up once, twice, three times, each one dodged by lightning-quick reflexes as the other continued to squeeze and twist the neck of his victim. A loud, sickening crack echoed through the night, and then it was over...

  His head spinning, nausea flooded through Eric. He knew this was it—he would be out within seconds, certain never to wake up. The remaining reaper limped towards him.

  Blink

  It was closer now, almost on him.

  Blink

  The figure pulled its hood back to reveal a beautiful face with crystal-blue eyes. “I’ve searched my whole life for you...Gate Keeper.”

  Blink

  Eric’s world faded into darkness.

  Chapter 8

  Dragot gazed out his window, beyond his personal paradise and into the lifeless desert. Deceitful winds brought the illusion of comfort as they spun hot, dry air along the scorched, sandy surface. Brilliantly colored birds continued to mock the lifeless desert as they sang their cheerful songs filled with unwavering happiness born from an oh-too-easy life, constantly soaring through the waterfall before landing on a lush, green tree branch only to shake off the precious liquid in a fine white mist.

  The demon’s large yellow eyes were glazed over with calm serenity, scanning the wasteland yet looking for nothing in particular while the narcissistic being continued to dwell upon his genius. He marveled at the plans he’d concocted and which were now set in motion, plans to not only stop the Gate Keeper, but to bring him to the tower for judgment as well. The demon wanted to show his enemy the error of his ways, the sheer betrayal of being born and posing a threat to his greatness, his immortality—crimes that could never be forgiven, even through death. Oh, death would come eventually, but by then it would be more accurate to call it mercy!

  Even though the silent intruder never made a sound, Dragot knew the briggit had wandered into the room. “Yes?” he hissed, his eyes never leaving the desert scenery. His acknowledgement of the creature was followed by a series of anxious clicks. Even as Dragot whirled around like a top, his face portrayed a deathly calm. “What do you mean she failed?” The nervous clicking continued while skinny, cloaked arms flapped up and down like a hummingbird.

  Massive clawed hands moved tauntingly slow towards the bringer of bad news. The messenger’s only crime was being the informant on this particular day, a crime considered quite severe. Dragot had no need to rush; the little servant knew better than to move. His claws moved ever so slowly as they dug deep into the hooded fabric while hoisting the messenger high in the air. As easily as ripping a piece of paper, Dragot pulled in both directions at once with a quick twist. He was left holding two halves of a brown cloak, a piece in each hand, with no blood, flesh, or any remains; there was not the slightest clue that anything had ever existed inside the coarse brown fabric.

  Calmly throwing both pieces to the ground, he left the room, exuding calm serenity once more. He walked down the stairs, contemplating the new events. That girl had been recruited at the age of five. She had been trained painfully hard every single day, knowing full well the inevitable results of failure. In fact, her final test of loyalty had been to take the lives of her long-forgotten family—surely not a test of skill, but merely to prove her unwavering allegiance. Even tho
ugh she had not seen them in many years at that point, the test was still valid. Only the coldest person could take the lives of blood relatives, regardless of their relationship. She’d done it without blinking. Her soul was black as coal. She’d been ready, but had somehow failed. In combat, no less.

  She was a blademaster who had no equal. How is this possible?

  The demon wandered though his fortress, across shiny black marble, until he arrived at the chamber where his pet humans resided. So docile and domesticated, they could hardly be called humans anymore. Their moaning was constant, but intensified as he entered the chamber. It was hard to tell if they were afraid one of their own would be taken away, or happy because it was feeding time. The primitive groaning always sounded the same.

  It was time for them to prove their worth, but preparations needed to be made first.

  Dragot roamed past the cages as bony arms eagerly reached through the bars. He ignored them as usual and continued on to the witch’s chamber. He’d never cared much for the little troll—she was human, for one thing. However, she was unfortunately very important to him, now more than ever. Her powers and abilities were...unique. This was why she never showed the proper respect: She was perfectly aware of her importance to the demon. As physically powerful as Dragot was, his prowess with summoning and practicing general forms of elemental magic was...limited. He needed the imp to complete his plan. Besides, as much as he didn’t like dealing with her, it seemed a far better idea than reporting to Krytoes that their prized assassin had been bested by another mortal. I still can’t believe it!

  But it was time to move on with the real plan. Luckily, the first part did not need to involve Krytoes. This one demanded a different sort of demon—the whole reason these cattle had been kept alive in the first place.

  He barged through the door.

  The old hag spared him a glance but remained seated in her lush handcrafted chair. With thick white cushions embroidered with tiny colorful flowers strung together by bright green vines, the fine oak chair seemed oddly out of place, given the drab, gloomy surroundings. An old wooden table with the finish long worn away graced the center of the room. On the table’s center sat a pearl-like sphere held in place by a golden stand in the shape of a human hand. In the corner of the room lay an old mattress with a single dingy, yellow pillow. A worn-out blue blanket full of holes lay in a messy pile at its base. There was no art of any kind to help cover the dull green walls, where old paint seemed to peel from every spot.

  Addel sat back and stared with her one good eye. That amused smile seemed to always cross her face whenever she knew Dragot was in a bad mood. It was like looking at a wild animal behind bars, knowing no matter how much you teased it, it could never hurt you. She seemed to relish it.

  “Remove that smile or I’ll remove it for you, witch,” he said in a smooth voice that seemed at odds with his cold stare.

  She knew she was pushing it now, but couldn’t fight it. Her smile grew larger. Knowing she was now playing with fire, Addel recovered as quickly as she could. Her smile seemed at odds with her grayish skin and wild stringy white hair. “To what do I owe this great honor?” she said, trying to stand up from the chair but clearly having great difficulty. When she finally pulled herself up, aided by two hands pushing hard off the wooden table, she bent her already hunched body farther in a ridiculous-looking bow.

  Dragot took several deep breaths as he leaned his full weight hard against the wall. “Witch,” he said in a menacing hiss before composing himself, “Addel. You will aid me in a matter that requires your attention. It seems our little spy failed at the simple task assigned to her.”

  No doubt the witch was already aware of this little setback—yet another thing about her that got on his nerves—but she pretended to look shocked anyway.

  “We will proceed with my original plan. The time is now, and we’ve already wasted enough of it!” Dragot concluded.

  Bent over the way she was, combined with the look of dread in her eye, the witch looked quite feeble for the first time. She knew where this was going. She had known for decades what the demon’s mad plan was—at least, as much as he shared with her anyway, but not the why of it. It seemed she was about to find that out as well.

  It was Dragot’s turn to smile as he uttered the words that she had dreaded for so long, they hardly registered now. “Summon the puppeteers!”

  Addel let out a long sigh. Her head sank even further. The puppeteers, she thought to herself. Also known as krabbers. Vile, dangerous things! They were unpredictable at best, but at worst... The thought of their very nature sent shivers through her, like cold water was being poured down her shirt. The true danger with them was in their ability to coexist in two dimensions at once. They were the only known beings that could do such a thing.

  “Summon one for now. We will begin this slowly,” Dragot said, his smile firmly in place. “Oh, don’t be frightened. I’m sure you will be able to control it,” he said through outright laughter as he leaned back clenching his stomach. “That is, as long as you concentrate on what you’re doing...my dear.”

  His voice turned from laughter to frost. “I’ll be back in half an hour. The summoning better be finished by then!” He marched from her room and back up the stairs.

  To get a human from one of the cages, no doubt. Addel wiped a tear from her eye as she tried to collect herself. Terror filled her. She braced her hands on the table to control her shaking. Summoning a krabber was not really all that hard, given how easily they could move from one plane of existence to another. For her, it shouldn’t really be all that dangerous—she hoped. It was just that the nature of their behavior was chilling.

  Krabbers, or puppeteers, could take many different forms because they have no physical bodies of their own. In their purest form, they appear as nothing more than a gray mist floating in the air. They did seem to have faces, but not in the traditional sense. Looking closely into the gray mist, human-like expressions will appear for brief periods of time before fading away. They had no physical bodies, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t steal them—well, borrow them, really. If a person was weak-minded or feeble in any way, he becomes the perfect target.

  A puppeteer can wrap itself around a person’s very life force, or soul, if you will, while pulling it back to their plane of existence. But even when doing this, they still have a partial foothold in this world as well. From here, they have the ability to control the victim’s every move. Essentially, they are that person now. Of course, they are only controlling the animated body and nothing else.

  The puppeteers won’t feel any pain or hunger; will feel none of the physical limits placed on the body, no matter how long they keep their host. The bodies are nothing but a husk, a pod linking the krabber to this world.

  Carefully observing the “pod,” faint golden strings can be seen attached all over the victim’s body. These strings are a connection to the other world. They are vital for full control of the body to continue. The illusion, in which the victim appears to look like a stringed puppet, aided in the creation of the creatures’ nickname of “puppeteers.” A krabber can only do this if a person is mentally weak or susceptible, but the person may also be willing and offer no resistance at all.

  Krabbers have been known to perform their craft on someone who is asleep or in a weakened mental state. It is said that when you have the sensation of falling in your sleep, a krabber is pulling at your life force. When you jolt awake all of a sudden, it was your life force snapping back into you. Addel took one last deep breath, knowing she had better hurry and get this over with. She tried her best to reassure herself her mind was far too strong to be at any risk.

  Hobbling up to the sphere resting on her table, she placed both hands upon it and began her chant. “Pherum...doesingtal...parthumal...ulundra!”

  The color in the sphere began to swirl, giving the appearance of milky, white smoke. As the rolling white mist mixed with a bluish swirl filled the globe
, Addel’s head snapped back as she continued the chant. “Teruma...fimlisia...predutu...comeallia!”

  To any that didn’t understand the intricacies involved when performing summonings, or any elemental magic for that matter, this would appear difficult and draining. The truth of it was, as long as the being that’s called forth is willing, it’s quite easy. The chants simply set up a line of communication between the two worlds. This takes very little energy, considering the channels already exist and just need to be reopened. Of course, this also depends on the dimension that’s being connected. They differ greatly in size, distance from contact point, and density of barrier. In the case of the puppeteers, their dimension is adjacent to the world of Tarmerria. This is why they have so little difficulty accessing poor souls as they dream.

  However, this goes both ways. When a person dreams, part of their life force might wander through dimensional doors, seeing as how dreaming only partially takes place in the mind. Most of the time it’s nothing to worry about, though. When a person’s life force flashes into another dimension, it’s usually only for second or two, no time at all for a krabber to take hold. The person’s life force tends to return back to his dream almost immediately. On the very rare occasion a puppeteer is able to grab and hold on to a life force that quickly, the unlucky victim’s body goes into a coma-like state. He remains this way until the physical body dies or his life force is released. A puppeteer cannot control a body if the life force was captured during a person’s sleep, seeing as how the body will always remain unconscious.

  Addel finished the chant and leaned back in her chair. The milky fog in the globe had dissipated, and everything in the room seemed quiet—too quiet. She folded her hands on the table as her eyes swept around the room. Addel’s anxiety was barely under control as she tried to gather up as much courage as she could.

  “I know you’re here. Show yourself,” she commanded in a quiet voice. Given how silent the room was anyway, it seemed as if she was shouting. Then, ever so slowly, like sand dripping through an hourglass, the being began to take shape. Faint at first, the thin mist hovered in the air, like a kitten that feared the strangers in the house, not wanting to come out of hiding. Then, becoming a bit bolder, the steamy figure began to gain in strength and density.

  Human-like expressions pressed hard against the fog, as if its steamy, shapeless body were a translucent bag full of people pushing their faces against the rubbery surface, trying to escape. No two looked alike, either; a completely different face formed each time.

  Dragot walked back into the room dragging by a leash a naked human male who whimpered as his eyes darted around the room wildly.

  No doubt he had been watching. The timing was a little too perfect to be coincidence.

  Dragot stood there for a moment, wearing that grotesque smile, his tusks elevated higher than usual. Yellow cat eyes the size of saucers rested on the living gray mist as the shifting expressions changed constantly. “Do you know who I am?” Dragot stated with even more calm than usual, holding out his hand towards the floating specter.

  The mist just hovered there like a kite made of vapor. The shifting expressions seemed to slow down a bit.

  “I see. Let me explain to you how this is going to work.” Dragot fearlessly marched right up to the mist, towing his reluctant pet along. “I offer the very thing you want most in this world,” he said while pulling lightly on the leashed man.

  The kite-shaped being seemed to have caught a gust of wind for a moment, for the edges of the mist began to flutter with excitement.

  “Now, in exchange for my gift, you will animate the bodies from your realm, and have them do exactly as I say,” said Dragot in a voice that sounded more like he was talking to a child than to an extremely dangerous life form. “You can start with this one,” he said, pulling hard on the leash.

  The frightened human stumbled forward, falling down right in front of the mist. The man locked his hands behind his head and rolled up into a ball, trembling like a leaf on a windy day.

  It was not really all that easy for a puppeteer to take a life force that didn’t want to be taken, but factors like having a weak mind to begin with, combined with being completely terrified, helped tremendously. As the man quivered on the ground like a frightened child, the gray mist methodically settled on top of the poor soul.

  Addel watched uneasily, not sure what to expect. She wasn’t sure this was something she wanted to see.

  As the mist closed in around the helpless man, he began to make gurgling noises, as if he were drowning. Then the vaporous mist slowly lifted from the man’s back, but a bit remained in the form of two transparent gray arms with ghostly hands that slid up his body. As the misty arms found their way to his shoulders, the man was lifted onto his feet, still whimpering but not appearing to be in any pain. When the misty arms slid off his shoulders, thin golden strings attached all over the man’s body remained. The arms floated away into the ceiling, still grasping the tiny golden threads. Suddenly the man’s head drooped deeply, as if he were trying to place his mouth on his own chest. Then it snapped back up violently, his eyes wide open. The disturbing sight was the stuff of nightmares. His eyes were now blank and completely white. Between that and the white foam bubbling from his mouth, he appeared dead.

  Dragot howled triumphantly. It had worked exactly as he had planned. These humans would fall victim to the puppeteers rather easily. In turn, each one would be a nonstop killing machine that needed only the bare minimum of resources for survival.

  Dragot had been planning this for years, and up until now he had had nothing but time. Now, looking in hindsight, he feared this might have aided in his becoming complacent. Now that the Gate Keeper had been found and seemed to be getting help, he needed to get everything in order as quickly as possible.

  Addel stood there, stooped over with a horrified yet confused expression. She tried to contemplate the logic here, but it just didn’t add up. Dragot was thrilled that he would have full control of these humans, control with the aid of these...puppeteers. It was a dangerous gamble in its own right as far as she was concerned. She always knew this was part of his plan, but didn’t understand why. Why use the puppeteers at all, seeing as how these sheep were broken at best? They were the perfect clay to mold into an army, if that’s what he had intended all along. They had never known freedom or even any other sort of reality. There would have been no temptation to resist or rebel. Why go through this trouble?

  “You don’t understand my motives, do you, witch?” Dragot asked with a sly grin.

  Addel’s head shot up as she realized for the first time that she must have looked dumbfounded as these thoughts were occurring to her. She hated giving him the upper hand like that.

  “Walk with me, witch, and bring our new pet as well,” the half-demon said with a slight hand gesture as he turned towards the door.

  She walked beside him in silence, feeling uneasy as this unnatural thing limped along behind them. Its movements seemed forced and clumsy. Every single step appeared labored and difficult. She shivered at how synthetic and fake the human now seemed.

  “Have you ever seen a human use a shovel to dig up ground, or swing a hammer, Addel?” Dragot asked without looking down at her. “Any form of labor at all,” he added.

  She said nothing, wondering where all this was going.

  “You see, once they’ve been doing it for a while, they begin to protest and complain. The weaklings cry, ‘my back hurts, I’m tired.’ But my personal favorite is, ‘I can’t do this any longer.’ Well, this isn’t really true, is it, Addel? They are not even close to a human’s physical limits—limits I’ve discovered through my extensive research!”

  A flood of horror washed through the witch like a raging river as she stopped dead in her tracks. However, the human puppet did not, and that thing practically walked up her back. Feeling that imitation of life pressed against her did nothing to alleviate her horror.

  “Are you
starting to see the potential here?” Dragot asked, now looking right at her with that grotesque smile.

  Addel’s breaths came in short bursts. They were going to be used as mindless tools? She knew their lives meant nothing to her demonic master, but this was cruel beyond comprehension.

  The small group continued on until they reached the cellar. Briggits scampered away like little bugs as they entered.

  The room was made of a coarse gray stone that felt rigid to the touch. Oak barrels and glass bottles stacked in wooden racks were scattered about. The bottles mostly contained wine, while a few with white labels held water. A musty damp scent hung in the air from the many mold spots around the room. Above the bottles of wine hung a lone picture that seemed oddly out of place, as a cellar rarely contained art of any kind. It was a pirate wearing an eyepatch, with a large colorful bird perched on his shoulder. He looked like a captain, with his proper blue coat covered with medals. However, the far wall had no pictures or racks, just bare gray stone.

  “I will give you a final demonstration, Addel,” Dragot said with just a little too much joy in his voice.

  She knew she did not want to see this, but what choice did she have? She tensed up for what would no doubt be a shockingly gruesome demonstration, one that he didn’t have to do to make a point but just wanted to.

  Dragot turned to face the living puppet. “Run through that wall,” he said as he pointed across the room.

  Addel wanted to turn away, to run from the room, but she didn’t dare.

  The puppet ran right at the wall without any hesitation and collided with a sickening thud. The sound of a wet towel being smacked against a tree echoed through the room. The part that horrified Addel the most, surprised her even, was not just the sound, or even watching something that should have been incredibly painful have almost no effect on the pod—although those factors were real as well. It was the unnatural response to it.

  Even if you were forced to do something like this, a person would still put their hands up at the last second to take some of the blow, or turn their head slightly so as not to take it head on. There should have been some kind of human flinch or automatic response that a normal person couldn’t control even if they wanted to. The puppet did none of these things. It was as if the order was just to run, and he did not even know the wall was there, thus taking the brunt of it right in the face.

  If she’d had chills before, the next sentence that came out of Dragot’s tusked face sent ice though her veins. “Keep running into the wall until you get through...or are dead!” His voice was sickeningly calm.

  The shell of a man did, or tried to do, exactly what he’d been ordered.

  Addel was not sure how long they were there or how many times the semblance of a human crashed into the wall, but she thought she would pass out by the third attempt. By the fifth, her stomach was empty, and convulsing hard to release more. It had to be the most horrifying experience of her life. She had never wished someone to die before, but she did now. Addel wanted this to end, but it didn’t.

  Even with his eye hanging from the socket and the wall stained red, the sickening spectacle of the man running into the wall continued.

  Through all the carnage the witch tried desperately to block from her mind, a clear thought came to her. She was repulsed by it, but there it was nonetheless: Dragot had been absolutely right! The pure endurance and physical limits of humans were unreal if you took out all other factors like conscious thought, common sense...pain.

  Addel huddled in the corner with her eye shut and hands clasped tightly over her ears. Hearing it might have been worse than watching it. She couldn’t take it anymore!

  Dragot finally went over and pulled her hands from her ears. “It’s over now,” he said in that bloody calm voice, smiling with those hideous features. “Tell me something. Do you think the bravest, most loyal warrior in the world would do that for his allegiance...his deity...his family?”

  She looked at the bloody mess crumpled up on the floor, then sunk her head between her knees as she began to sob. His point was well taken.

  Dragot beamed. “As I told you once before: the perfect soldiers.”

  Chapter 9

  The sky was pitch-black with dark, leathery creatures swirling through air. Yellow eyes gazed down on him, judging...mocking...laughing. He tried to get to his feet and run, but his legs wouldn’t work. Lying in the street flat on his back, all he could do was look up at the sky and watch them soar in a spinning circle. There was no way to tell if it was day or night, as wings, eyes, and wicked pointed tails covered every inch of visible sky. However, they didn’t attack. They simply pointed and laughed at him as he lay there, humiliated and unable to move.

  The swarm divided in half, swirling faster and faster in the air until it looked like two living black tornadoes spinning next to each other. Suddenly, the tornadoes began to take shape. Each formed the outline of a human dressed in black. The black figures slashed away at each other with silver daggers while still elevated high in the sky. Steel on steel rang through the night as he lay there paralyzed, still hearing the laughing and taunting as they called out to him...Eric...Eric...

  “Eric. Eric, wake up!” he heard the faraway voice somewhere off in the distance. “Come on, you’ve slept long enough. We have to move now!”

  Groaning loudly, he could feel his body being rolled back and forth. The nightmares were fading as the real world began to seep into his consciousness. He was drenched with sweat and came to the quick conclusion that, although the nightmares were twisted and unsettling, they hurt far less. His head was throbbing like never before. He felt like he had been drinking ale for two weeks straight. After attempting to sit up, he got no further than lifting his head a few inches from the ground before a spinning nausea flooded through him. He slowly sank back into the ground.

  “Look, I know you feel like you’re at death’s door, but we have to leave. Are you listening to me? Eric!” The voice had been mixed in with the nightmares, making it seem a far-off reality. It was only during that last clear sentence that he knew someone was really next to him. His eyes shot wide open and he tried to stand once more, but got only a little farther than the first attempt.

  Jade put her hands on his shoulders lightly. “Look,” she said in a soft, reassuring voice, “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m here to help you, but I can’t explain everything right now.”

  Eric was turning green. Every time he tried to speak, a quick dry heave proved to him it would be best not to try again.

  It was morning now, and the sun was making things worse as it peeked through the treetops. Bright beams hit his face on and off as the leaves shifted in the light breeze.

  “Look, I see you can’t even stand right now, so we’ll wait a bit, but we can’t wait long.” The girl sighed and hobbled over to a small bag placed near the campfire. Her movements proved she was clearly in pain. “I can make you something that will help your head,” she shouted over her shoulder as she dug through the bag. “I don’t know why she had the cure on her as well as the poison, but consider yourself lucky.”

  “Aena?” he groaned, sitting up as the memory of last night started to come back to him. She had poisoned him and threatened to cut off his hands and feet. The memory of her betrayal was so painful now. He’d really thought he cared for her, but now he just felt stupid. But someone had stopped her. It…it was her! He remembered the fight now. This girl here with him had gotten there just in time to stop... Oh, my head! He saw lights flashing in front of his eyes as he lay back down, his head continuing to throb.

  “Aena, huh?” Jade said sarcastically. “So that’s the name she gave you.” Jade just shook her head as she stirred a pot of water containing the brown herbs she had found on the girl. “I can’t say I know what she had in mind for you. I mean, knowing what you are and how important you are...well, I would have just killed you. Trying to take you alive was simply arrogant and risky.”

  She kep
t stirring away, as if she were just talking about the weather. “But don’t get me wrong, we are all pretty lucky you are still in one piece. Lesson number one: Don’t trust anyone!” She poured the sweet-smelling brew into a tin cup and ran it over to Eric. When she tried to give it to him, he jerked his hand away as if she were handing him a snake. Impatiently, she forced his fingers around it before muttering something about forcing it down his throat as she limped back towards the fire.

  However, after taking one swallow, Eric felt better almost instantly. He eagerly downed the rest. Sure, there was a voice inside his head sounding the alarm. He was drinking some strange liquid handed to him by a person he didn’t know, making jokes about how he should be dead. The strange thing was, he just didn’t care right now. He had never felt this sick in his life, and this stuff was making him feel better. For now, that was good enough.

  With his head starting to clear and now able to stand, he did so and cautiously walked towards the girl. His eyes darted around as if he didn’t even trust the trees. He wouldn’t feel safe until he had a better idea of his surroundings, so that became priority.

  The trees were thin here, and the road was not far off, only fifty feet or so.

  “I’ve checked the whole area. We are alright for now, but we have to keep moving. Are you feeling better?” Jade asked, but did not seem interested in the answer, as she kept packing things into bags and loading them onto her horse.

  Eric was getting sick and tired of nothing making any sense. This girl had just killed someone and was acting like nothing had even happened. Then a disturbing thought flashed through his head. “Hey, where is—” he swallowed hard, trying to say the name, “Aena’s body? What did you do with it?”

  This time she finally spared him a look, although for only a second. “First off, I highly doubt that was her name—not that it matters anymore.” She rolled her eyes at what she seemed to think was trivial small talk. “Second of all, I searched her for any notes or instructions as to who sent her, then I buried her over there.” She gestured with her hand to a mound only twenty feet away.

  Buried was an overstatement. “Barely covered with dirt and leaves” would have been more accurate.

  Eric didn’t go over to have a closer look. That was not an image he needed to carry around with him. What was done was done, and besides, she had tried to kill him. Or more accurately, it seems, tried to take him prisoner? To whom? For what? So many questions… Then he remembered the answers he wanted could be found in Taron.

  “My name is Jade, by the way,” his savior said in a lighthearted voice, but she winced a bit when she turned to face him.

  Eric started to make a comment about her obvious pain, but she cut him off. “I’m fine. I’ve already stitched the wound that needed it. Look, we have to go now, alright?” she said, now clearly becoming impatient. “You can ride with me until we find you a—”

  “I have to get to Taron!” Eric blurted out, cutting her off. She just looked at him evenly as she waited for him to finish. “My father,” just saying that word wounded him yet again, “my father said I need to go there as soon as possible. I need to show someone—”

  It was her turn to cut him off. “The necklace, I know. I made sure you had it when you were unconscious. We will need to speak to the Queen, and—what do you mean, your father? You mean your mentor, right? Of course; I assume he has been playing the part of your father and—”

  The look on Eric’s face betrayed his thoughts.

  Jade was beginning to see what was going on here but had a hard time accepting it. “You have been living in Bryer all this time, have you not?” she said in a voice that grew in intensity with every word. “You have been training for years...have you not? You are ready to take your place in history and stop the— Do you even know what I’m talking about?” She was outright screaming now. “What have you been doing all this—” She grabbed her side as she collapsed on one knee, obviously more hurt than she had let on.

  Eric ran to her side, putting his hand on her shoulder.

  “Don’t touch me! I said I’m fine.” she spat out the words.

  “Alright, listen to me,” Eric said in a slow, calm voice. “You’re right. I don’t know what you’re talking about, and you’re obviously upset about that, but we will get to the bottom of everything, I promise.” He wished he really believed that. “But right now you’re hurt, and it requires attention.”

  She looked him right in the eye for the first time with a burning stare. Then, tightlipped, she nodded her head in agreement.

  He started walking towards her bag, but he stopped halfway and looked back at her. “I didn’t say thank you for what you did last night.”

  The heat in her eyes faded for a second before the scowl returned, almost as if she were afraid to show weakness. “It was my job,” she said in barely a whisper, more to herself than to him.

  Eric retrieved the small bag of supplies. He started to lift the side of her shirt to check the worst cut.

  She angrily jerked away from him. “I’ll do it,” she said in an irritated voice. “I’m just going to touch it up now. The least you can do is stay out of the way.”

  Eric just set the bag down beside her and walked back by the fire. He began busying himself by taking his time kicking dirt on it. They were going to leave soon; at least it felt like he was doing something useful.

  As he half-heartedly went through the motions, his mind wandered to thoughts of Aena. He’d never really thought of himself as gullible until now. Was he really that easily tricked? She had been leading him around by the nose like a bloody fool! And this other girl...Jade. She had come just in the nick of time to save his life. But what was she talking about? His training? He had just found out his father was not really his father, but for some reason this girl already knew that. Someone he had never met before knew more about his life than he did! When she realized all this information was new to him, she became angry, as if he’d been supposed to know the whole time.

  In fact, now that his head was clear, he could remember last night even better. He remembered the battle in surprising detail. Those two girls were good, possibly the best he had ever seen, and somehow he was directly involved in that conflict. One wanted to capture him for some dark something or other, while the other one had risked her life to protect him. This much he knew. How could he possibly be that important? These two must have trained most of their lives to achieve such dazzling skill, and he was somehow the focus of their training? Eric just couldn’t accept that. It made no sense.

  That reminded him of yet another painful reality. All those lives lost back in Bryer... Could that attack really have been over him? If he really believed that, he would have gladly offered himself to those things in the place of the hundreds of lives stolen. By the gods, did Jacob get out alive? Did anyone? Is this really my fault? So many questions...

  “All right, farm boy, let’s go,” Jade said as she gingerly got to her feet. “I don’t know if they are going to send anyone looking for her or not,” she gestured in the direction of Aena’s body, “but we need to put some miles between us and her,” she finished, once again not looking at Eric, only picking up the last of her items and placing them in saddlebags. Then suddenly she whirled to face him.

  He jumped a little at the aggressive movement.

  Her blue eyes sparkled with the reflection of the sun. “I know you have questions. I’m sorry I got mad earlier. It’s just that—” Her eyes went to the ground, filled with pain and regret. “My life was given to this purpose. I have been preparing for this for as long as I can remember, and in the grand scheme of things, my life means nothing compared to yours. Yet you’ve given up nothing! No sacrifices of any sort, as best as I can tell. Part of what kept me going was knowing no matter how hard I worked—no matter how much blood, sweat and tears I had sacrificed—the Gate Keeper was working twice as hard.” Her voice went soft. “It seems nothing could be farther from the truth.” Sh
e looked as if she would cry.

  “I don’t know what to—”

  “Don’t say anything!” she snapped, cutting him off. “Let’s just go.” Her voice trailed off as she mounted her horse. Eric reluctantly climbed on behind her. “We can only ride a few miles like this. Then we will walk a mile and repeat. There is no other way she can bear both of us all day.”

  “What’s her name?” asked Eric, trying to do anything to lighten the mood. As expected, silence was her reply.

  Off they rode, down the light brown gravel path. Jade’s head was on a swivel, for she knew the many dangers of riding this far from a town or city. The few that ever did such a thing were merchants traveling in packs. They often hired leathers to help escort them through the rough country. Now it was just the two of them, though, and they needed to be careful. Taron was a long way away, and they would need to get Eric a horse eventually, but first things first—they needed to get some distance between them and the battle site.

  It had been a battle worthy of songs and poems, yet Eric had been the only witness to the epic struggle. He found that incredibly ironic. On they raced through the green forest, a chill still hanging in the air from the heavy rain from the night before. Jade held her hood low with one hand to keep her hair from blowing in Eric’s face, and held the reins with the other. They rode on in silence, each consumed by their own thoughts.

  The trees continued to whip by, although the scenery never seemed to change much no matter how far they rode. The gravel trail had now turned to a combination of rock and black dirt, and it had also narrowed considerably. Two wagons could not pass if they were going in opposite directions, although it made little difference this far away from town. They were very unlikely to encounter anyone on the path this far out—not anyone friendly, anyway.

  Eric started to get a funny feeling that he was having a hard time ignoring. Regardless of what Jade thought, he’d had quite a bit of training; he just never knew why it was happening. Some of his experience translated into a feeling, sort of knowing when things were a little off. The air around him seemed to change as the hunter in him came out. “We are being followed,” he whispered in his companion’s ear, as if someone nearby would hear.

  “I know,” she replied, her voice at full strength. “They’ve been there for at least three miles. That’s why I haven’t stopped to rest the horse yet. The problem is I can’t determine how many there are.” She began reaching into one of the saddlebags, clearly having difficulty riding and fumbling to grab whatever it was she was looking for.

  Eric reached around her waist with both hands to grab the reins.

  She paused, for a second seeming unsure of how to respond, but only for a moment. She accepted the help and used both her hands to rummage through the leather bag. She finally pulled out a looking glass and reached back to hand it to Eric as she retook the reins once again. “I’m going to slow down to let them catch up,” Jade shouted into the wind. “Let me know exactly what you see. How many, what kind of horses—everything!”

  Eric did his best to turn around as they continued to ride. He made it a point to be sure no matter what he saw, to turn all the way around again before reporting it to her. The last thing he needed was for her to take off suddenly and find himself face first on the ground.

  Opening the looking glass, he held it to his eye. It was hard to see anything with the horse trotting like this. It would have been easier to either keep galloping or stop, as there would not be so much up and down movement. He tried to sway his head up and down to the rhythm of the horse trotting along. He could see something now. It looked like two riders. No, wait...two horses. He kept looking, trying to focus while squinting the other eye. Should they get ready for a fight, or try to flee? What if they were just merchants? What if— “Stop!” he shouted. “Stop the horse!” He jumped right off the back and began running towards the two horses with one rider.

  Jacob could see his friend clearly now, and started riding faster. He was riding his own horse but had Eric’s by the reins. “It’s about time you waited for me,” Jacob shouted as he reared up. “If there weren’t two of you on that horse, I never would have caught you!”

  Eric couldn’t believe how happy he was to see Jacob. In all this chaos, at least one familiar thing seemed to wander back into his life.

  He didn’t feel so alone anymore. Jacob jumped off his horse, and they embraced.

  “Ahem,” came the impatient voice from only a few feet away. Jade sat high on her white horse with fire burning in her eyes, no doubt sick of all the interruptions. “I can already see I can’t talk you out of bringing your friend. And I must say, I’m relieved he brought you a horse. That’s one less problem to deal with. But all the catching up will have to wait.” The fire in her eyes settled, and for a moment she looked very weary. “There is an inn about fifteen miles up the road. Trust me when I say we all have a lot to talk about, but this is not the time or place. We have to keep moving.”

  Jacob waltzed over to Jade as she leaned back with her head high, suddenly appearing more like a queen than an assassin. “And who is this lovely creature?” he asked as he bowed so deeply it appeared he was mocking her. “My name is Jacob.” He started to take her hand to give his customary inappropriate kiss, but never got that far.

  She seized his collar with lightning speed and began to twist like she was wringing water from a towel. “Well, Jacob,” she hissed as the fire returned to her eyes once more, “I think you’ve cost us enough time already. If I were you, I’d mount up and not say another word until we got to the inn.” She released his collar with a not-so-gentle push before he turned blue. Then, in the softest, sweetest voice, she said, “But I’m not you, am I? So you can do whatever you wish. That includes going back the way you came.” She flashed a dark smile as she reared her horse around and trotted off, not waiting for them.

  Jacob continued to rub his neck as he ambled past Eric. “Where did you find that one?” he spat as he mounted his horse. “And where is Aena? Is she alright?”

  “It’s a long story; I’ll tell you everything when we get to the inn, and I expect you to return the favor.” Eric said with a surprising edge to his voice.

  Jacob just nodded. They turned the horses around and tried to catch up. The forest seemed to become less congested the farther they rode. In a strange way, the more thinned-out the trees became, the more it put their minds at ease. Thinking there is something hiding behind every tree and bush can quickly test a person’s sanity.

  Now that the path was opening up a bit, all three could ride side by side if they chose to, but instead they each decided to fall into their own space as they rode in a line. The sun was no longer breaking through the treetops here and there when it got a chance. Instead, now it was constantly shining brightly through the sparse leaves.

  Even when they were still surrounded by thick forest, very few sounds could be heard. The surrounding silence made the clopping sound of the horses’ hooves seem alarmingly loud, as if every living thing for miles would hear them coming.

  Eric could hardly wait to get to the inn, and not just because of the weariness sinking into his bones, although that certainly was a factor. He had so many questions for Jacob, and Jade too for that matter. But the first thing he needed to know was what had happened after he left, who was still alive. Was his dad—Henry—still alive? He was so full of questions he thought he would burst.

  Jade lifted her hand without ever turning back to look at them and pointed off to the left. A good many feet off the path grew an absolutely enormous tree. It seemed odd, given there were hardly any trees in this area at all. There were several horses tied to a thick wooden rail at the base of the tree, but there didn’t seem to be any inn. That is, not until they got closer, anyway. On the other side of the tree was a retractable set of steps leading up into the thick leaves, and sure enough, the inn was more or less a giant tree house.

  They pulled up to the rail and gingerly slid of
f their horses, relieved to have finally stopped. Jade seemed to be struggling when she attempted to dismount. Eric rushed over to help her off, assuming she would just shoo him away and refuse the help, but he was wrong. She braced herself heavily on his shoulder as he helped her down, continuing to lean against him for a moment before proving she could stand on her own.

  A sudden feeling of guilt flooded through Eric. The girl had several wounds, he knew, but her brave face had fooled him this whole time. Just because she didn’t complain every two seconds didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt badly. He had practically forgotten. Being shaken around while riding a horse on the long trip surely didn’t help.

  The three of them walked around to the side of the stairway. Jacob and Eric each eyed it suspiciously. It looked light and flimsy.

  “It’s retractable in case of attack,” Jade said in a weak, tired voice. “Yes, I know what you two are thinking. The attackers would just climb the tree or find some other way up. It’s not humans they are worried about.”

  Jacob and Eric glanced at each other, wondering exactly what that meant.

  Jade rolled her eyes at both of them. “Many of the threats that roam these parts are certainly dangerous, but not very smart. This method has kept them safe for a long time.” She let out a long sigh, and her expression turned to one of sadness. “You two really know nothing of the world, do you?” With that, on unsteady legs she began her ascent. There was a thin rail on both sides, so it posed no problem.

  The inn, called “The Acorn,” was truly enormous once they got a good look at it. It seemed surprising a tree could hold something that big, no matter how strong it was. At the top was a thick wooden door with an ornamental knocker in the shape of a hog’s face. The scent of pipe smoke and cooking hit them before they opened the door.

  Jade went in first, not bothering to knock, while the other two followed. The place certainly had a festive feel to it. A man wearing a green suit with matching hat and brown boots sat in the corner as he played a lively tune on his fiddle. He stomped his feet as he played, while everyone around the room clapped along. Two couples were dancing while being heavily encouraged by all the loud folk at the bar, who had clearly been drinking for a long time. They whistled and clapped at them as the couples spun in tight circles around the white-walled room.

  The art hanging on the walls was rather odd. Oil paintings of carnivals and men wearing face paint and colored wigs made the place seem more like a playroom for children than an inn.

  Jade hobbled straight over to the tall, balding man behind the bar. “I would like a room for the night. Do you have one with three beds?” she asked in a voice that was barely even a whisper.

  The thin man seemed more occupied with washing the mug he was holding than listening to anything she had to say. He finally responded in a surprisingly shrill voice for a man his size. “We have a couple of rooms left with two beds only, but I can have an extra blanket and pillow sent in if you want.” He kept wiping the same sparkling glass over and over, as if there were some kind of stubborn spot he couldn’t remove. He held it up in the air to get a good look before continuing to labor over it.

  “Yes, that will be fine. Thank you. I would also like whatever tonight’s special is sent to the room, as well as whatever those two...gentlemen...would like.” She gestured towards the boys, who were gazing around the room as if they were lost. She just shook her head and threw a few coins on the surprisingly clean bar.

  It seemed the barman had finally removed the invisible spot. He set the mug down. After collecting the coins with both hands, he gave a little salute. “No problem, little lady. You go on now and I’ll make sure those two know where you went.”

  Jade gave a very weak nod in reply. She took the key he handed her and slowly walked off towards the room. There were no stairs leading to an upper level, so Jade just assumed all the sleeping rooms must be down the hall.

  The two boys took a table in the corner, since oddly enough there were no booths. In fact, there were only a handful of tables, but it made no difference, since the only two couples in this room were dancing and everyone else was at the bar.

  A waitress with a tight green dress and gaudy pearl necklace marched over to their table. She had her red hair tied up in a bun and was holding a black tray balanced on one hand, while the other was strapped across her flat stomach. “Hi boys,” she said with a wink. “Your friend already went to your room, so I guess it’s just us tonight.” She bobbed her head back and forth as she spoke, smiling widely. “She also paid for your food. Pork roast is the main dish tonight. Shall I bring two?”

  The two gave each other an awkward glance. They weren’t really in the mood for this right now.

  Eric finally spoke up. “Yes, that will be fine. Thank you.”

  The waitress winked one last time, flashing all her teeth like a piranha and strutting away in her tight dress and black high heels.

  As soon as she was out of sight, Eric slammed his hand on the table in front of Jacob. “Tell me what happened after I left. Is Henry still alive? Does Bryer even exist anymore? Tell me everything.”

  Jacob leaned way back in his chair. With a solemn look on his face, he quietly replied, “Nothing happened.”

  Eric’s eyes grew narrow at the coy statement. He was not in the mood for this.

  Jacob, reading his friend’s expression, quickly continued, “After you left, nothing else happened. Those things left the second you were gone. I went to your house to find you, but found your dad—er, Henry—instead.”

  Eric’s face turned white with the way his friend said that.

  “Yes, he told me everything,” Jacob said in a whisper while nervously rubbing his hands together. “Well, almost everything.” His head shot up and he looked Eric right in the eye. “He told me to bring your horse and catch up with you as fast as I could. I know you’re headed to Taron. I can help you!” His voice picked up intensity as his fist came down hard on the table. Then he drew himself in again, trying to keep his emotions in check. “Eric, I have a message for you.”

  Eric wasn’t sure he wanted to hear this.

  “Henry said it was real for him too.” Jacob paused a moment to let that sink in. “He is sorry he didn’t tell you before, but as the years went by, he learned to love you like a son. That’s why he didn’t know how to tell you.”

  Eric’s eyes began to tear up, and his lip quivered with swelling emotion.

  Jacob reached out and touched his friend’s hand. Leaning in close, he said, “There is one more thing.” The words hung in the air for a bit. “He said the daily physical training, the books he had you read every day—well, they were no accident. He was preparing you for a higher purpose.” Then Jacob’s head sank back down again as he whispered, “It was his job.” A long minute went by. “That’s it. That’s all he told me.” Then his voice came strong with renewed energy, “But I’m here now. I’m really not sure what is going on, but I’m not going to leave you. We’ll get through this.”

  Eric was all choked up and just couldn’t find the words.

  When the waitress came back with their food, they were both sitting in silence with solemn expressions. She almost started her usual flirting but thought better of it, as she could feel the serious mood in the air.

  The two of them ate in silence, listening to the fiddler and watching the couples dance.

  “I think I’m going to turn in. You coming?” Eric asked his friend in a voice heavy with fatigue.

  “I think I’m going to just sit here a while,” Jacob replied, trying to force a smile. “I’ll be in soon. You go on and check on Jade, make sure she’s alright.”

  “Alright then,” Eric replied, trying to force a smile of his own. Away he went, down the hall. His heart was heavy, but he still wanted answers. A part of him hoped she was still up so he could get some answers tonight, but the other part of him felt guilty for even thinking that; she was hurt and needed to rest.

  When he got t
o the room, he opened the door slowly. Jade was lying on the floor with the extra blanket and pillow she’d had the bartender bring in. Eric winced at the sight. For starters, she was hurt and needed a bed, but for another thing, she had paid for this room. Eric stepped over her and knelt down. He gently rocked her shoulder a few times. She groaned a bit before opening her eyes.

  He whispered in her ear, “Don’t you dare sleep on the floor. Here, let me help you.” He lifted her up gently and set her on the bed, covering her up. He couldn’t help the strange thoughts that struck him after that. She is really light for such a fierce fighter, he chuckled to himself, but the other thought surprised him even more. He wanted answers from her so badly, but now all he cared about was her getting enough rest and feeling better. As he lay down on the floor, he said to no one in particular, “We’ll talk in the morning. Good night.”

  Chapter 10

  The room was lit up with morning sunlight gleaming through the shades, which were not doing their job very well.

  Eric was the first to wake. He stretched hard, with hands and feet going opposite directions, threatening to rip himself in half. A sudden jolt of soreness served as a reminder that he had been on the floor the whole night. Sitting up gingerly, he continued a series of stretches and flexing to try and remove some of the stiffness. He glanced over at Jade, who slept peacefully. He considered waking her but thought better of it. She needed rest more than anything else. Jacob lay face down in the other bed, snoring like a bear. Eric laughed to himself, looking at the two of them. It’s not that any of this struck him as funny, it was just that this was the most peaceful he had felt in a while, and it would seem they also felt the same. No one was chasing them right now. At least, no one he knew of, anyway. He had a feeling this peaceful break would not last, so he wanted to embrace it for as long as possible.

  Quietly opening the door to the hallway proved to be difficult, as it creaked and popped with every inch. He didn’t bother looking back to see if anyone had stirred or not. He quickly shuffled out and made the short walk into the common room, flagging down the first waitress he saw. After ordering breakfast for three and asking to have it sent to their room, he slowly walked back, wondering if they would be up by now and also accepting the possibility it was his fault because of the loud door. As he carefully opened the door and peeked in, he saw his caution had been wasted, as both were awake now, stirring in their beds.

  There were no chairs or furniture in this room aside from one nightstand with a mirror attached and a filled washbowl on its base.

  “Breakfast will be coming shortly guys,” he said rather softly, considering he was unsure of everyone’s mood this morning. Nobody answered, so he remained unsure. Moving over to Jade’s bed, he cautiously took a seat beside her. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, softly placing a hand on her shoulder.

  She tilted her head a bit, looking at him with messy hair wrapped around her face. “I’m much better than yesterday. Thank you,” she said, brushing the hair from her eyes with one hand and lifting her shirt with the other, revealing a cut that looked like it had healed significantly. It had very good stitching, and was covered with some kind of brown herbs she had dressed the wound with. There were other cuts, certainly, but they were not as deep as this one had been. Whatever those herbs were, they were performing nothing short of a miracle, as far as Eric was concerned. “Eric, we really need to—”

  A knock on the door interrupted them. Jacob sprung from the bed to get it, driven by his stomach more than anything else. A tall girl with green eyes and a matching dress stood at the door, pushing a cart with covered plates of fried eggs and bacon. There were also bowls of porridge sprinkled with fruit and a pitcher of tea.

  Jade smiled at Eric as she stood up to go pay for the banquet.

  “I didn’t know they were going to send this much,” Eric said, a little embarrassed about being so vague when he ordered. After all, neither he nor Jacob had any money. Everything so far had been Jade’s treat. He started to wonder why she had so much coin.

  “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it,” she replied over her shoulder as she pushed three coins into the girl’s hand. “This gets pretty normal the farther north we travel.” She took a deep breath. “I have so much to teach you, to tell you, so hurry up and finish, because that part starts today. We have to talk.”

  Jacob nodded as he chewed, even though she was not really talking to him at the time.

  Once everyone finished eating, Jade gathered the two guys next to the bed. “Eric, I can see that you trust Jacob as much as I trust you, so I will not send him away for this.” She sat on the bed with her legs crossed, putting her head in her hands. “This is going to sound unbelievable, and for that I will understand your initial doubt and resistance to accept that what I am going to tell you is fact, fact that should have been told to you years ago by your surrogate father. All I ask for right now is that you let me finish, and don’t interrupt. Please keep an open mind.”

  They nodded, but both looked a bit uneasy, especially Eric. How ironic, he thought. All this time I’ve been waiting to find out why my whole world had changed right before my eyes, and now that the time has come, I’m not sure I want to hear it anymore.

  Jade tried to picture being on the other side of this conversation. She knew how crazy this was all going to sound, but she had their word they would let her finish before coming to any conclusions, so she just let it all out like a flood. Everything, from the well-documented prophecies to what would happen when the planets were aligned in the power phase; her own personal struggles with not remembering her parents; being drafted into this chaos since birth and having no other purpose than to find and guide him; the Gate Keeper’s role in this when the planets became aligned. She would never forget the looks on both their faces as she detailed that part.

  To help ease some of the madness, she would tell stories of her time with Ben, even though it pained her greatly to speak of him. They needed to see the human side to all of this, to see that many had lost loved ones and many more would, unless they acted. “I can’t even imagine how hard this must be to accept,” she said with great compassion and patience in her voice, which bordered on pleading, “but I want each of you to search your hearts for the truth, for I can’t make you accept it. All I can do is show you the facts. You must come to your own conclusions,” she finished.

  She couldn’t imagine what they must be thinking. The only reason she believed this madness was because it had been her life for as long as she could remember. “Do you guys need a minute? I can go to the common room and return later, if that’s what you wish.”

  Eric was absolutely numb. His head spun in circles. He had no idea what to believe. He was the Gate Keeper, born with innate abilities no other possessed? Henry’s only job was to get him ready for this? How would any normal, “sane” man accept this story without question?

  But at the same time, there was a burning logic hidden inside this fable. He had to admit many of the pieces fit. Jade said Henry was to take the child as his own and NEVER give away his location. When Eric came of age and his powers matured, all would be able to detect him. Just weeks after he turned twenty seasons, everything happened. His father started acting really strange after his nameday. Those things attacked Bryer shortly afterward, but as far as he knew, no other town was hit. Jade had been able to ride right to him, even though she shouldn’t have known where he was. The part about her necklace locating his power was nearly undeniable. He had made his decision, but wanted to speak to Jacob first. “Jade, I will take you up on your offer. Please give Jacob and I a moment,” he said in a surprisingly confident voice as his eyes locked onto hers.

  Her eyes fell to the floor. She nodded agreement, then scurried off. She closed the door behind her so carefully, it seemed as if she was afraid to make the slightest sound.

  Before Eric could even mention what he was considering—that there is truth in this —Jacob blurted out
his own thoughts. “I believe her!” he said, staring a hole right through Eric. “I mean, I believe at least some of this has to true. Look at the facts. Henry admitted he is not your real father,” Jacob winced as he said the words, seeing the sadness in Eric’s eyes, but continued on, “he knew this was coming. Search your memory; all the signs were there. Remember how depressed he got when Brinton was raided years ago?”

  Eric’s eyes grew wide, as he could see where his friend was going with this. “He thought Jade, the one who was supposed to by my guide, was killed during that raid,” Eric whispered to no one, suddenly with a very blank look on his face.

  “Exactly!” said Jacob, pointing a finger right at his friend’s face. “Look, all we know for sure is a lot of people think you’re important. Some are trying to protect you, others are trying to kill you,” he said with a sarcastic smile. Then the smile started to fade as he whispered, “But make no mistake, they all think you are this Gate Keeper, and until we learn more, I think we should stay close to the ones who are trying to protect you.” He kept his eyes locked onto Eric’s for a long while.

  “Agreed. So we keep traveling to Taron. I admit, I still can’t wrap my head around this,” Eric said, lowering his eyes as well as his voice. “It’s not like I can go back to Bryer anyway. I have nothing to go back to.” Then he raised his head as he held a clenched fist in the air. “But if those things are chasing me, I have to lead them away. Let’s get Jade and get out of here.”

  Jacob patted his friend’s shoulder before using it to whirl him around so they were face to face. “I’m with you every step of the way. I’m not going to leave you!”

  When they entered the common room, Jade was easy enough to spot—she was the only girl in the room wearing a black cloak when everyone else seemed to be dressed in bright, festive colors. She might as well have been giving off smoke signals. She looked up from her cup of tea wearing a hopeful, nervous smile that touched her eyes.

  Eric leaned down and whispered in her ear, “We have to go, Taron awaits.”

  Jade’s smile split her face. She jumped out of the chair and ran to the room to collect the last of her things. Within minutes, they were on the road.

  If Eric had a lot of things on his mind before, now he was about to explode. Not that he truly believed all of this was real. There had been no hints or clues at any point in his life that he might be destined for bigger things, no memory that he could recall that hinted he might have been born with a power no one else had. But there was no denying that many people had been watching him from the time he was very young, all of them dedicated to playing their roles in his development, giving their lives if necessary.

  Again, one conversation was not going to transform how he viewed his own life, but the extreme level of blind dedication from this many people who had never even met him was very hard to ignore.

  The journey took about another four days or so. The boys simply didn’t know what they would have done without Jade. She had dried food in her bags and waterskins they could refill when they passed a stream. She was completely prepared, while the guys had nothing. They had brought the clothes they were wearing and not much else. Of course, the circumstances in which they left their homes did not allow for much preparation. However, a simple change of clothes would have at least been something. Still, they traveled on, trying to make the best of what they had. Each of them promised themselves a hot bath and a new wardrobe the second they got to Taron. Of course, the unspoken truth of it was that Jade would have to pay for that too, but the boys didn’t feel like mentioning that part.

  At night they camped far off the path, as it seemed the lesser of two evils. If they stayed close to the road, the odds of bandits or something worse riding up on them was far greater, but if they camped farther away from the road, the chances of an encounter with a wild beast went up significantly. There was nothing to be done for it; being anywhere away from a town or city, you were always in danger. Such was the way of life in Tarmerria, hence why travel was so rare. In fact, they had not seen a living soul since leaving the inn, not even a band of merchants. That would have been a welcome sight, given how Jade was the only one who had spare clothes, and not many at that.

  After choosing a spot, they made a small campfire to sit around. Each one knew giving away their location like that was not the smartest idea, but they did their best to keep it small and under control, as this somehow justified it in their minds.

  Both Eric and Jacob, especially Jacob, would take turns telling funny stories of the mischief they got into back in Bryer. He told the story of how he released a bag full of frogs into the local bakery. Everyone had run out screaming. He got switched good for that one.

  Eric told the story of when he nailed two small wooden blocks to the back wheels of old man Crimpy’s wagon, so when he rode down the street, the wagon wobbled back and forth every time it ran over a block. The man had driven through the whole town rocking back and forth, believing it was just an uneven spot along the road.

  Jade sat there, listening intently with a constant smile, her eyes sparkling. Of course she had no such stories to tell, given her shallow childhood, but she loved hearing the adventures these two had had over the years. Whenever Eric or Jacob finished a story, she eagerly wanted to hear another, and pressed them hard to keep going. In a way, she wanted to be part of those stories. She felt as if she were part of them as long as they were being told—like she was somehow there, having fun like a normal child.

  Other times, the three of them would spar together. At first, Jacob and Eric would take it easy on Jade. Not that they thought she wasn’t capable—far from it! They, especially Eric, knew exactly what she could do. It’s just how they were brought up. There weren’t many girls back in Bryer who knew anything about weapons, and certainly no female warriors, but a couple of blinding strikes across each of their faces made it clear they needed to change their thinking on the relationship between girls and weapons.

  As much as Eric had seen of her formidable skill, it was only through sparring that he realized how good she really was. It was breathtaking how flawless and lightning-fast her movements were. At first he thought her preference of using daggers as opposed to a staff or sword had more to do with her being a girl. He just assumed they were her weapon of choice because they were light and didn’t require much strength to wield. But that was not it at all. Her speed was second to none. She almost always struck the first blow. Although her defensive skills were as good as anyone’s, it almost never came to that. Her objective was to end the battle quickly, before it ever got started, hence her choice of such fast weapons.

  Thus the routine repeated for several days, until at last Taron was only a day’s journey away. It was bittersweet for the three of them, as they had formed a tight bond with each other, and in some ways didn’t want to arrive at the big city. For now they were carefree, riding along the open road, but when they arrived at Taron, a whole new set of challenges would be exposed to them. For now, it just seemed best not to think about.

  The trio sat around the campfire in silence, each deep in thought, wondering what they were going to do tomorrow.

  It was really hitting Eric for the first time that he would have to speak to the queen of Taron. What was he going to say? He had done his best to not think about any of this until now. Jade and Jacob’s wonderful company had done well to distract him, but after tonight, he would not be able to pretend any longer.

  Jade curled up by the fire, holding her knees to her chest, with her face hidden beneath the black hood. She was dealing with demons of her own. Having recently promised herself never to get close to anyone again, she had locked all those feelings up in her heart, never to be betrayed by them again. It wasn’t just the unbearable pain of losing another close friend, it was just that sometimes it felt like it had all been her fault —as if anyone close to her suffered a terrible fate. Well, it was too late for all that now. The shield of ice had melted away, whet
her she wanted it to or not. She now had two friends she could hardly imagine being without. What had she done before she met them? It was like she could not remember her lonely life any more, as recent as it was. She never wanted to feel that way again.

  A twig snapping off in the distance made them freeze in place. A bird? A squirrel perhaps? They all knew better than to give away the fact they had been alerted. Nobody lifted their head or made a move, but each one kept a subtle eye on each other, trying to get some idea how they would deal with the possible threat.

  Jade suddenly felt stupid. They’d had nothing but time to devise a plan in case something like this happened. They had gotten this far without incident, which in itself was hard to believe, and now here they were out in the open, in front of a comfortable fire they never should have built in the first place. She had become too relaxed, too complacent, and now the very person she swore to protect could be in danger, all because she lowered her guard. She gave a subtle nod, then exploded into action with the familiar clicking sound coming from her wrists.

  The three friends might have been reflections in a mirror as they leaped into forward somersaults at the exact same time, hoping to put distance between themselves and any danger that might be right behind them. The three reflections came to their feet and spun to face the would-be attackers. Now armed with very different weapons, this was the first time they did not appear to be the same person.

  Two large shadows came charging at them through the darkness, growling and snarling as they galloped.

  “Alcatross!” Jade was able to scream as two silver projectiles launched from her hands towards one of the beasts. She dove to the side as the giant panther-like creature came to a stop right where she had been standing less than a second ago. It turned to face her with its enormous head bearing a dog-like snout and three tiny horns on its forehead. It had one dagger lodged deep in its eye and another protruding from its chest. She leaped back into a double handspring as it lunged towards her, but it never got that far. It stumbled forward as it took heavy, unseen blows from behind.

  Jacob twirled his staff in an offensive explosion, driven more by fear than any channeled aggression. His trademark barrage of pitter-patter shots that didn’t carry full force but were certainly hard enough assaulted every inch of the beast’s back legs and finally its head.

  The beast winced from the reckless assault coming from multiple angles at once. Eric held his stance low and tight as the second beast charged into the camp. It was clear he could easily impale the creature the way it was coming right at him, straight as an arrow, but he would also take the brunt of the charge. This was not a time to take a blow to give a blow, given the size of the thing. He dipped his shoulder and rolled to the side as the beast lumbered past, but not before slashing the creature’s leg as it galloped by.

  The hit was solid, and the alcatross howled as it fumbled to regain its balance. Eric knew his blow was true, and pressed the assault immediately. Keep the pressure on. Don’t ever relent, his dad always told him.

  As the creature turned back to let out a roar, cold steel slashed across its face, buckling the great beast. It lowered its head and retreated on all fours, cowering and shaking its head the whole way. Eric knew he had the upper hand. He effortlessly worked his sword into its dance of death, slashing high and low through the creature’s flesh with absolutely no wasted movement or fear of needing to defend. For the helpless creature now on the ground, the merciful deathblow came quickly. The other beast was on the move. It had dealt with Jacob’s flurry and was now trying to press through the whirling attack, wincing through the tight, quick shots but still moving forward. Jacob worked his staff in probing defensive shots towards the eye of the beast as he backed up.

  Jade jumped onto its back from behind. She held the dagger lodged in its eye as a handle to pull herself higher onto the beast. The creature roared in agony. It shook and bucked wildly to remove the new threat. Hanging on with everything she had, Jade thrust her other dagger into its remaining good eye. The blind creature howled as it bucked its head repeatedly. Jade grabbed both daggers and pulled as hard as she could, leaning all her weight backward. The beast had little choice but to lean back with her. “Jacob, now!” Jade screamed, her body now fully arched back, the creature being forced to look at the sky.

  Jacob jumped forward, staff ready. He measured...measured...thrust! His staff drove hard and deep into the huge beast’s throat with a sickening crackling sound. It tried to roar, but only made a low gurgle as it crumpled to the ground.

  Jade still twisted the daggers the whole way down, just to make sure. The three friends rushed towards one another, urgently checking each other for wounds. Relief flooded Jacob and Jade upon seeing Eric was fine. In fact, he was more than fine, with not a single bruise or cut. He had taken down the other beast alone! Jade was so angry at herself. She was in charge of getting them to Taron, and her irresponsibility had almost cost them everything. “We can’t stay here. We need to ride—now!” she said with a real edge in her voice. She retrieved her daggers, wiping them off on the alcatross’s fur, and began packing up. She carried on without a word.

  The other two followed her lead without question. After that encounter, neither one of them felt much like staying here either. They rode into the night. None of them would have been able to sleep anyway had they stayed.

  The air was cool but pleasant as they dashed along in silence. The moon was hidden behind thin clouds, only allowing enough light to show its approximate location. Jacob and Eric were both feeling rather content with themselves despite how bad things could have gone. Those were the largest foes they had ever had to deal with, plus they had been caught off guard. However, Jade’s face was unreadable. They wondered how many times she had seen this sort of thing. How desensitized she must be. The sun was starting to show over the horizon, and the adrenaline from the fight had long faded.

  “About three more miles,” Jade said sleepily as she tried to stifle a yawn.

  The news snapped the other two out of their sleepy haze. They were getting close, and uneasiness was brewing in them now.

  Eric began to second-guess his decision to make this trip. He started getting cold feet at the thought of—well, being special. But what could I have done? he thought. The worst that can happen is that they realize I’m just like everyone else; that there is nothing special about me, and I get to go home. He believed that reasoning would comfort him, but somehow it didn’t. Searching his own feelings farther, he started to wonder if that was his real fear—that he was nothing special and would be sent home. He dismissed it all to butterflies in his stomach. I mean, who would actually want this? he thought, trying to convince himself. This...burden!

  “There,” Jade yelled out as she pointed off into the distance. As they got closer, it became more and more surreal. They knew it was a big city, but were not ready for its sheer beauty.

  Both Jacob and Eric let out deep breaths. This was the sort of sight that reminded them how far they were from home.

  Chapter 11

  The road’s surface had changed from gravel and dirt to gray cobblestones for several miles now. The horses clipped-clopped along easily on the smooth stone as the wide road became more condensed with riders and merchants’ wagons coming and going from each direction. Folk marching along on foot lined the street as well, but knew to stay far off to the side, away from the horses and wagons that puttered along.

  “Stunning” did not even scratch the surface when it came to trying to describe the breathtaking city. The great stone wall that surrounded the whole city was built for protection, but whether or not it was on purpose, the marvel was truly gorgeous. No doubt it was solid on the inside, but the gentle cream color looked more like it belonged on a gingerbread house—too smooth and delicate-looking to possibly be functional protection.

  As the companions trotted their tired mounts down the hill, sprawling rooftops made of smooth white tile came into view. As they got clos
er to the gate, wagons and horses began to bog down as the guards questioned folk one at a time, finding out their business in Taron and that sort of thing, which was routine for a large city.

  Both Eric and Jacob were failing miserably at trying to seem like locals. Their wide eyes and open jaws easily gave them away, and their old, ragged clothes did nothing to help.

  Meanwhile, Jade sat on her white horse looking like royalty with her head held high and her back straight as a board.

  Jacob had a mind to make idle conversation with a couple of girls that had pulled up beside them, sitting comfortably in a baby blue carriage that was pulled along by four large black horses. He almost jumped out of his skin when the two of them hung partially out the window to get a good look at him as well. They were almost certainly sisters, given how much they looked alike. Both had light brown skin with long straight black hair and large, glistening dark eyes. Even though they were speaking softly to each other and not to Jacob, he could hear them well enough to know their speech was very different from his. He had never seen people who looked that way either.

  “Did you think Bryer was the only town in Tarmerria?” Jade said with a sarcastic smile. “You two need to become more educated of the world around you. Yes, of its dangers, of course,” she eyed the pretty girls openly, “but of its beauty and diversity as well.” She backed her horse up a bit to get closer to the cart. Once there, she leaned over and began muttering something that sounded like complete gibberish to the girls.

  The two boys stared in awe as the dark-skinned girls’ faces lit up. Of course they replied in the same tongue, although in a much faster tone.

  Jade turned to Jacob and said in a plainly sarcastic voice, “She finds you desirable!” Jacob blushed a deep red as he looked away. He was never shy with girls, but somehow this was different. He truly felt like a small fish in a big pond.

  “They are from Dronin, guys, a large city far to the west, nestled within the Apili mountain range. Don’t worry, they aren’t used to boys who look like you two either,” Jade said with a sheepish grin, seeing how uncomfortable both had become. She pulled her horse back to its original position when she felt she had tormented them enough. True, Jade was still getting used to the idea of having friends and the normality of being social, but there was one thing she had learned for sure: Teasing boys was fun! Her smile started to fade as they approached the front of the line.

  The large metal gate was wide open. A steady stream of wagons, folk on foot and riders were flowing out on the other side of the road. The guards were not bothering any of them, but the stream heading in was being questioned briefly before being allowed to pass, mostly just a quick “state your name and business here in Taron.” A short, fat, balding man with an oversized brown robe was jotting down the names as they were being given.

  Two large guards, each wearing shiny chain mail armor, were doing all the questioning. Each was adorned with a green square on his breastplate with the yellow star at its center. Duplicates of the flag could be seen lined along the top of the wall in many forms. Some were actual flags flapping slowly in the light breeze, while others were permanent posters nailed to the wall, displaying the Queen’s crown.

  The three companions began to get nervous as their turn approached. The wagon in front of them slowly pulled on into the city.

  Jade led the way up to the guards, sitting high on her horse, trying to at least seem confident.

  “State your names,” the sleepy-eyed guard said in a dry, bored voice. He had clearly been here a long time, and asking the same two questions to every single person they saw would put anyone to sleep.

  They replied in order, each trying to sound confident and sure.

  “Jade Ethrista.”

  “Jacob Couture.”

  “Eric Aethello.”

  “State your business,” the guard said, now appearing even drowsier than before.

  “We will be inquiring—”

  “We have business with the Queen!” Jacob blurted out over Jade’s carefully considered words.

  She just slapped her hand to her forehead, wishing to be anywhere but here at the moment.

  “Come on, Eric, show him the necklace!” Jacob said, pointing directly at Eric’s neck. The necklace was tucked away and not on display, of course.

  Eric did not make a move, recognizing the seriousness of what Jacob had just done.

  “The Queen, eh?” said the guard, lifting one eyebrow and seeming quite interested all of a sudden. “Am I to assume you stole a necklace from the Queen and are bringing it back out of the goodness of your heart?” Horror flooded through the three young companions. The truth of it was, that necklace looked like it could bring in enough money to buy a small town. If the guard pushed this any farther and found it in their possession, one of two things was going to happen. He would either recognize it for what it was and they would get an immediate audience with Queen Ilirra, or they would be taken away as obvious thieves, to be punished in any way they saw fit. The punishment would surely come quickly.

  “What my friend is trying to say is that we were hoping to see Queen Ilirra Marosia on our tour of Taron,” Eric said, trying to think fast. “We are from a small farming community several miles south of here. As you can see, Jade here is well-traveled.” He gestured towards her as she smiled nervously. “She promised us a tour of Taron. We just thought we might get lucky and see Her Majesty. Nothing but wishful thinking from a couple of farm boys.” He did his best to force the most innocent-looking smile he could muster while the other two held their breaths. The silence couldn’t possibly have been as long as it seemed, but it certainly felt long enough.

  Suddenly, the fat man and both guards began laughing at the same time. “Go on, go on,” the guard said, chuckling as he dismissed them with a flick of his wrist. “Welcome to Taron, and enjoy your little tour.” As they rode through the gate, the guard belted out one last taunt. “I’ll tell the Queen to find you and say hello!” The laughter even spread to the people in line waiting to get in.

  Humiliated yet relieved at the same time, Eric and Jade both began browbeating Jacob for his rash thinking as they scurried through.

  The guard eyed them thoughtfully as he watched them disappear into the crowd. “Better keep an eye on those three,” he said to the second guard as he rubbed his chin. “Find out where they’re staying and report it, along with their names. It’s probably nothing, but it won’t hurt to check them out.”

  “But if they’re trying to hide something, the names they gave are almost certainly fake,” his partner said in a pleading voice, no doubt because his shift was ending and he didn’t feel like committing to anything else this late in the day. But a quick sharp glance proved to him there would be no arguing here. Seeing it was hopeless, he sighed hard as he rolled his eyes. “And who should I report this information to?” he said, clearly irritated.

  The soldier glared at the man incredulously. “Why, Captain Azek Lamanton, of course.”