Spotting him in the distance, she watched as he swung away from one of the black-skinned creatures and glanced briefly into the hills, his eyes wide with terror. She cringed as another one tackled him from behind and he hastily jabbed his sword into the creature’s side.
A gurgle erupted from her throat as she choked on her tears. The vision was like her dreams, vivid and real, as though she was really standing on the hill watching it all. Nothing but grief poured through her. She had to convince the Kiirar to let her awaken Avred. There had to be something she could do to help. All of them were fighting for her. She recognized the kinfolk from Evennses. Even Pux was fighting.
When she opened her eyes she was laying on the sand at the edge of the lagoon. Nothing but quiet, crickets creaking, water lapping up against forest vegetation, surrounded her. She watched a lily pad float across the surface, beautiful, benign. It was the last wisps of life, fleeting, fragile. Nonexistent. She furrowed her brow in frustration and squeezed her eyes shut, the battlefield coming into view again, her astral form planted at the top of the hill.
She found Krishani in the midst of the fray, and she watched him fight. Even when her heart felt like it was going to explode, even when screams pierced the air, even when tears made her vision blurry. She watched because she couldn’t help them, because she couldn’t face what they were facing.
She flushed with heat as the Daed swept across the battlefield, their long flowing cloaks flapping in the wind. She recognized them. Flashes of the flames rolling across one of them crossed her mind. She pushed it away along with the rosy pink eyes of the Flame that was trapped in a little orb, a prisoner to the foe. As she watched six of them surrounded the battlefield, intense apprehension filled her. One of them pulled out a thin blade and began stalking towards Krishani.
“Krishani!” she yelped. Her eyes flew open. The wind rippled across the lagoon and rustled her hair. She braced herself, palms against the sand, heaving in and out, the revelation hitting her with full force.
“He’ll die,” she whispered, her voice hollow.
She glanced at the bushes, hoping the Shee knew what they were putting her through, hoping they heard what she said.
“He will die!” she screamed at them, her tone sharp, cutting.
The bushes rustled and the Kiirar emerged, the little woman keeping her distance as she hung at the edge of the beach. Her silver eyes bore into Kaliel’s. “One death does not mean all will perish.”
Kaliel growled. She had never heard anything more primitive erupt from her lips, but it escaped from her mouth in a giant roar. She wanted to tackle the Kiirar and force her to give up the secret to awakening Avred. She wanted to rip the trees from their roots and destroy the homes of the Shee. She had never been so angry in all her life. The Flame flooded to the surface, her aura erupting in a shower of amethyst flames that flared off her body like the sun. She felt a pseudo sense of strength and saw her reflection in the lagoon, her eyes glowing a piercing violet.
“Wretched Kiirar!” she spat.
The Shee withdrew to their homes, cowering from the grandeur of her presence.
Kaliel pushed herself up and rested on her knees. She gazed at the water, trying to pull together the pieces of her heart. If she didn’t awaken Avred, the foe that craved to possess her would find her and take her, and everything would be lost. She felt sick at the thought of being his pawn.
“Ro tulten lye,” she said quietly into the night. Insure if the Kiirar heard it, she wanted them to understand her pain. Nothing happened. The night remained quiet. She sat there staring at the lagoon, waiting for Krishani to die. Her stomach dropped. Her body slumped as she hung her head and let the blackness engulf her.
Krishani was no expert with the enemy. He simply moved when he felt the need to move and thrust his sword when he had a good opportunity. The defensive training finally began to make sense. He could feel the creatures near him and knew when to dodge, duck, lunge and block. It was like a dance, and the more creatures that fell, the better he began to feel.
He closed his eyes and twisted around, his sword piercing the body of another one behind him. He pulled it out and then raised it straight above his head and thrust it into the back of one that was smothering a fallen comrade. Krishani kicked it in the side. His heart lunged as he looked at the face of the kinfolk. It was one of the brothers from Amersil. As hard as they were fighting, the creatures were stronger.
Vertigo set in as he gazed across the battlefield. More were coming from the northeast. The ground was already covered with bodies. He glanced down. Not only were the bodies of the enemy strewn around him, but the bodies of the kinfolk lay beside them. Wispy smoke rose from the kinfolks’ bodies and twisted into the sky. Their numbers were dwindling; it would be dumb luck if they won. His eyes found the cavalry and his heart sunk. Only six of them were left.
Another creature rushed him and he listlessly raised his sword. He desperately wanted it to be over. The creature growled and his mind switched back to focusing on the battle. He clutched his sword and when the creature tried to land a blow, he ducked out of the way and stabbed it in the neck. Dark liquid poured out of the wound as the creature fell on the grass.
A horn sounded at the far edge of the field and everything stopped. The creatures scampered away, regrouping, forming a cluster near the opposite end of the field. There was a moan nearby and Krishani glanced around. He saw someone he didn’t recognize laying in the grass, his arm covered in blood. He was panting and clutching his chest plate. Krishani offered him his hand and pulled the kinfolk to his feet.
“Thank you,” the kinfolk mumbled as he stood and tried to regain himself.
Krishani went to say something when a cold wind pulled his attention away.
The Daed emerged from the northeast with elegance, their cloaks sweeping across the land as their muscular forms towered above the creatures. Krishani panicked as he counted six of them. They spread to either side of the battlefield and removed their hoods, revealing elven features and haunting hate-filled eyes. There was no doubt by the way that they carried themselves that they were extremely skilled warriors. He watched as one with tattoos on his face and long dark hair approached Istar.
“I’runya,” one of the Daed hissed.
Istar roared in contempt and kicked him. The Daed was too quick. He slid away from Istar, laughing and turning from the battlefield.
The kinfolk had gathered on one side of the field and were tending to their wounds. Krishani stood with the lot of them and noticed Pux in the crowd. He was still standing. There was an eerie chill in the air as the Daed withdrew to the edges of the field. Istar rode towards the kinfolk, his mouth working like he was speaking but no sound came out. A shrill cry pierced the sky as the gargoyles overhead became restless. The creatures, seemingly under the hypnosis of the Daed, snapped back to life and the battle continued. Krishani noticed that both groups were quickly losing numbers, even the gargoyles were strewn across the land, licking their wounds.
Krishani raised his sword as the creatures bounded towards him and the kinfolk, the battlefield becoming a mess. This time his eyes followed the Daed with the tattoos on his face. Krishani felt like he was being watched, and as he kicked another of the black-skinned creatures away, the Daed with the tattooed face singled him out. Krishani twisted his sword into another of the creatures and froze. His eyes met with those of the tattooed foe. Anger washed over him. Tonight, this Daed would die. He just didn’t know who or what would kill him.
The Daed pulled out a thin sword and cocked his head to the side, a silent challenge.
Krishani knew what it meant and he gulped and backed away, thinking of Wraynas. He was no match for this foe. Even if he could focus on anything but Kaliel and her safety, there was no way he would live. His foot slipped on a body and he went careening to the ground. He landed on armor-covered carcasses and lost weapons. He yelped as his hand tread over something hard. Krishani scrambled to his feet and turned away from th
e battlefield. There was no way he was strong enough to face a formidable enemy like The Daed. Again, he tripped and tumbled onto his hands and knees, his helmet falling on the ground. He glanced at the stables and relief washed over him. Atara and the other ladies approached the battlefield. He took a deep breath as the elders glided past him and began striking down enemies with their force.
Krishani went to stab another of the creatures when he saw someone riding from the northwest of Avristar. His eyes widened as Mallorn came into view. He ran towards him. Mallorn would know if Kaliel was safe.
“Mallorn!” Krishani shouted as he tried to bring his hand up to wave. His shoulder ached with stitches of pain that shot into the back of his head and made him dizzy. He swayed on his heels and tried to find his balance as the horse neared the battle. Mallorn had a grave expression on his face.
“How is Kaliel?” Krishani asked, forgetting all about the battle behind him, and the foes that were winning.
Mallorn pressed his lips together. “She’s fine, the Shee will help,” he answered. “Are you wounded?”
Krishani shook his head. He closed his eyes and tried to force out the crippling feelings of uncertainty and fear that weighed him down. It wasn’t the blood on the battlefield, but what the Ferryman had said to him. You will find similar sorry sites I’m sure. This wasn’t a dream. He felt the souls rising out of the bodies, their pain curling around him, forcing him to feel delirious and sick. He wanted to touch their foreheads, allow them safe passage to the Great Hall, but he knew he couldn’t go back without endangering himself.
“Are you certain she’s safe?” Krishani asked.
Mallorn nodded. “She’s going to see Avred. Crestaos won’t find her.”
Krishani wanted to throw himself into the battle, but the word on Pux’s lips stopped him. “Avred isn’t a volcano, is he?”
A shadow crossed Mallorn’s face, but it was gone as fast as it had appeared. “Avred won’t let Crestaos take her.”
Krishani nodded, strength flowing into him. He gripped his sword with all the force he could muster and held it aloft. “Then we will end them,” he said. It was a promise.
He got his second wind as Mallorn grimaced and followed him into battle.
Little Flame.
The slithering voice of Crestaos hit her senses with striking magnitude. Kaliel opened her eyes to find herself hovering in the grove near Mallorn’s cabin. There was an unnatural chill in the air and she rubbed the tops of her arms with her palms. The grove was where she awakened, where she gave in to the desire racing through her, where she said goodbye to Krishani. She didn’t know why she would be having a vision of being there instead of envisioning the battle.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as someone floated through the trees. As she stumbled to her feet, Crestaos himself drifted into the grove, the grass turning to ash. He was impossibly tall, his clothes confused her. He wore a long jacket with silver cufflinks and a wide hood covered his features. He had straight, black pants covering what looked like rough leather boots. She cried out as the last memory of Krishani was forever replaced by the image of his silent and unnatural destruction.
I see you.
His voice was like poison as it wafted through the air. She felt like her astral body glowed, showing the fear streaked across her expression. She could never hide how she felt. She glanced at his shadowy form, she could see him and he could see her. He said nothing as he floated towards the Village of the Shee.
Stop! she said, putting as much strength behind the thought as she was able. She fell on her knees and brought her hands to her heart. Hot pain curled around her as the energy of the foe pressed against her, crushing her.
Her eyes snapped open and she found herself kneeling on the beach at the glade. She glanced at the bushes; the Kiirar Shee stood there, a worried expression on her face. Kaliel realized she had screamed “Stop!” into the night air. Shivers ran through her as she looked into the small woman’s silver eyes.
“He’s almost here,” Kaliel said.
The Kiirar nodded, understanding. She ducked into the brush and moved deep into the rainforest. Kaliel waited, her body slumped forward as the spasms of pain shot through her. The agony was getting worse as Crestaos neared her. She didn’t know how long she could take the feeling of knives stabbing her insides. She coughed involuntarily and tasted blood in her mouth. She spat it on the white sand and winced.
The Kiirar emerged from the brush carrying a dagger half the size of her body. She flew towards the girl and laid it beside her. “The pure one must shed their blood and tears for the mountain to have mercy.”
Kaliel didn’t think she could feel worse. Yet the quiet chimes of the Kiirar made her scream as the pain lashed at her heart. This pain wasn’t caused by the foe that was on his way, or because Krishani would die, this pain was caused by the parable she could never escape. Bloom the weed of temptation and expire the great garden of life. Liquid caught in her throat and she choked on it.
“I’m the weed,” she whispered in disbelief. She pressed her hands into the sand and poured her energy into it. Whispers of the Shee flooded the village as she forced out more energy. Her lungs burst in exasperation, stitches of pain still lacing themselves around her. She opened her eyes in frustration and cried at the sight before her. The lagoon was covered in a thick bed of weeds, hundreds of them littering the surface of the water. She growled like a feral animal and pulled her hands out of the sand. She ran her fingers through her hair and clamped around clumps of it as she fought against the madness that threatened to consume her. There was nothing she could do but wait for Crestaos to find her. Nothing she could do to stop them from killing Krishani. Everyone would die, and she would become his pawn. She fell to the sand and her aura faded.
Numbness washed over Kaliel as she waited. The jolts of pain had become a comforting feeling like the waves of the lake as they lapped against the shore. Sleep was inevitable. Between the onslaughts of pain she felt false comfort. Bitter self-hatred filled her with hopelessness and regret. It was as though Crestaos had already won.
The trees rustled loudly and her eyes shot open. She pushed herself to her knees and gawked at the shivering bushes. It wasn’t the foe. There was a whimper from beyond the trees. She crawled across the beach to investigate the sound. Her hands pushed through the brush and found the ball of fur huddled in the bushes shaking uncontrollably.
“Pux!” she gasped. She tried to stifle the pain and reached for him, pulling him towards her. He was hurt; she could smell blood covering him. She found his hand and yanked him through the brush. He tumbled onto the sand, shaking his head back and forth and swiping at the air. He opened his eyes when he realized he wasn’t on the battlefield. He looked relieved.
“Kaliel.” His eyes were full of tears. “I—“ He grabbed his stomach, covering up the wound that stained the sand a deep crin. Falling on his knees he looking like he was going to pitch forward. “There were so many of them! I didn’t know what to do. I thought of you. I wanted to see you.” He was plainly delirious, shocked.
Kaliel gulped, another shock of pain rippling through her as the foe drew nearer to them. She couldn’t let Pux face him.
“Your side.” She knelt over him, running her hands just above his body, unsure where she should touch him. But this wound ...it was so deep he wouldn’t survive. Finally, she pushed her hands into the blood, feeling flesh and liquid between her fingers. She hoped she could stop the bleeding.
Pux cried out. Then, barely managing the words, “You were the only one I wanted to see before I died.”
Tears stung her eyes as she looked at him. “Me, too. It’s been so long since I saw you.” She pressed her hands harder into the wound as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Heart pounding, bile licked at her throat as she resisted the urge to vomit. She thought back to the flower, the one she had ran her hands under, and covered in the light of the Flame. It had bounced back to life at her touch. She ne
eded Pux to live. He was never meant to face any of this and yet he was being so strong. She desperately focused within, begging the Flame to erupt. She squeezed her eyes shut and it consumed her.
When she opened her eyes, violet-colored light flowed around her hands, healing the wound on his side. She smiled briefly to herself. “You won’t die.” She focused harder and the energy intensified, pulling skin together, searing the wound shut. The blood on her hands dried, remaining crusted against her palms. She carefully looked at Pux. He was the same, only with shadows dancing across his face.
“Why are your eyes that color?” he asked when he came to his senses.
Kaliel frowned, she knew what he meant. They must have turned amethyst during the healing. “I’m the Flame.” She bowed her head and looked away from him, unsure of his reaction.
“They came because of you!”
Kaliel moved towards the dagger that was lying in the sand. She wanted to plunge it into herself to stop the pain. The way he said it made her heart crushed in a way that was worse than heartache.
She pushed herself onto her knees. “I know.”
Pux rubbed his shoulders. “Krishani...”
She gritted her teeth. Why would he want to berate her about her relationship now? She narrowed her eyes. “Is he safe?”
Pux nodded. “He was fighting when I disappeared from battle. He hasn’t got a scratch on him.”
She breathed a sigh of relief, but the thought of a sword in his chest still made her shake. She wondered how much time he had left. Hugging her knees to her chest and closing her eyes she remembered when she caught Krishani’s attention behind the waterfall, when he saved her from falling in the pond. Every memory stung her heart.
SURRENDER (The Ferryman + The Flame) Page 29
