by A. Evermore
‘Rhul’ynth, I think something is wrong,’ she said as calmly as she could, but her words were lost in the din as the less observant of the crowd cheered again. I must not be afraid, she thought, fingering the blade at her side as the blood quickened in her veins. She scanned the trees again and again, her awareness sharpened to a knifepoint. Soon, it would be here soon, she was sure of it.
‘Rhul’ynth, there is danger,’ she said more loudly. Rhul’ynth finished her sentence and turned to her.
‘Nonsense, we have slain the only danger for fifty miles around or more,’ the karalanth replied.
Issa didn’t hear her. Slowly she took her bow and notched an arrow. Rhul’ynth must have seen the deadly look in her eyes as she scanned the forest for she too now shifted uneasily.
‘Karalanths and two-feet, the Raven Queen senses danger,’ Rhul’ynth said.
In her peripheral vision Issa saw the karalanths immediately take heed. All who had weapons now had them in their hands in a blink. Laughing children, unaware of the imminent danger, were being rounded up.
Something moved in the distance, paused, recalculated and changed its course. She lost it again. The sun was beginning to dip into the trees and its heat weakened as the late afternoon began to turn into evening. She saw it again clearly in her mind. That abomination of nature running and growling in a maddened frenzy as it hurtled towards the cries of triumph echoing through the forest like a beacon.
Like an unseen wave the forest fell silent before the Life Seeker, the size of a buffalo and twice as fast. It was more doglike in its appearance than a foltoy, short ears, long snout, large canines, oily matted pelt that was neither scales nor fur but something in between. But it seemed to lack the intelligence of a foltoy.
This beast, wholly Maphraxie, served one purpose; to capture or kill all that had life. Baelthrom must know she was here, she thought, for the forest was filled with his immortals today. Cold fury flowed through her veins and she no longer saw the confused crowd before her, so intent was she upon the Life Seeker.
‘Rhul’ynth, get ready,’ she said quietly yet her voice cut through the air like a knife.
Rhul’ynth’s face was filled with worry and she shifted on her feet, gripping her bow tightly. ‘We must get the most vulnerable away!’ she shouted, fingering her notched arrow.
The crowd hurried faster, mothers and fathers dragged their children away, panic building in their eyes. Issa knew they now sensed what she felt, what the whole forest felt. I need something better than this, she thought looking down at her small bow and arrow. She darted into the smithy behind and grabbed a freshly sharpened steel short sword and scabbard from the wall. This time she would not be using a wooden one. She stuffed it into her blacksmith’s belt next to her hunting knife.
‘Almost upon us,’ she whispered. A strange excited fear tinged her voice.
The other villagers, seeing her grab the sword, also grabbed extra weapons from the smithy. Coronos joined the hunting party behind her and they drew close together. Calmly, quickly, they all notched arrows.
Issa gathered the flows of magic around her one by one, reaching deep into the earth and pulling them to her. She fed the magical threads into a single stream that flowed through her so that it seemed she stood in the Flow like a great tree made of magic; the energy flowing up from her roots and spreading out through her branches. The forest’s earthy magic was strong here amongst the karalanths blessed by Woetala. The energy came to her in earthy waves of golden brown and emerald green flecked through with silver. The sound it made was at first like the rushing wind and then the faintest tinkle, like that made with pipes yet less airy, echoed around her.
She focused on drawing more to her. Soon the stream became a river and then a great torrent that roared and surged through her. Exhilarating! Like swimming in a raging tide or flying in a great storm! She should be afraid but she was not, in fact it seemed the most natural thing, the most enlivening thing, in all the world. For miles around her power would most certainly be felt but she could not care now in the face of imminent danger.
Through the torrent of the Flow she felt another stream separate to the magic she was wielding. It was Coronos channelling his own magic close behind her, but it came from a glowing ball of light about three feet in diameter that hung in her vision of the Flow to her left. The Orb of Air. It comforted her that he was beside her in the Flow but she also worried for his safety. If the Life Seekers really were hunting only her she had put them all in danger by staying here. She held the Flow firm and turned her attention back to the trees ahead.
‘Almost upon us,’ she whispered again, licking her lips in that same excited fear. She was certain could feel the earth shudder from the pounding of the beast’s feet. Calm and focused, she pulled back her bow and spread her feet. It surely came for her but why? They must have felt the death of Keteth and the power of the two orbs combining. I had no idea they would know, no idea they could act so quickly. They had come too soon. She remembered her dream of Duskar screaming and rearing. She shivered. Something had happened, something terrible, and they had known where to search for her.
The sound of splintering rock echoed through the forest and the tops of the trees quivered. She could hear others following, how many she could not be sure. A blood curdling baying ripped out across the forest like crazed wild dogs in some terrible hunt.
‘How many are there?’ Grat’anth breathed. He had come to stand next to Rhul’ynth and Issa was glad he was there. Rul’ynth simply shook her head, eyes wide.
‘I smell death hounds, lots of them,’ Paul’anth spat in disgust.
‘This is going to be a tough fight,’ Issa said.
Rhul’ynth drew her bow, a fierce look in her eyes. ‘Let them come, we are ready.’
The huge dark shape of the Life Seeker paused within the trees out of range. Ten large dogs with smouldering yellow eyes burst forth from the darkness of the woods. They moved with lightning speed and Issa grimaced from the sight and smell of the immortal corruption that exuded from them. The death hounds were the size of wolves yet wholly vicious and with half a wolf’s intelligence.
She loosed her arrow and drew another whilst it was in mid-flight. It fell short but the second struck the paw of a death hound. It screamed and rolled and was taken down by another arrow not her own. Five more were struck dead by karalanth arrows in seconds. The others jumped, unfazed, over their dead and more hounds streamed out of the woods, baying a bloodcurdling noise. The karalanths around her spread out to sight and loosen their arrows more effectively.
Issa reached out to death hounds’ minds, searching for any connection that she might have had with a living creature. It was a struggle to even find their minds. They are blank! She thought in surprise, simple, there is nothing I recognise here. All they want is to kill and feed upon the living. The blood of the living is what gives them energy, they have no life of their own!
That realisation came as a shock to her and she stood there dumbly for a moment whilst the others loosed their arrows. I should not have looked… A death hound narrowly dodged two arrows and veered straight towards her. Too late to notch and draw an arrow she dropped her bow and freed her sword. She raised her blade but the death hound never came within reach and instead ran right past her without a glance. Her sword sliced uselessly through air.
‘Huh?!’ she squeaked in surprised disappointment. There would be more coming, she consoled her missed opportunity.
Grast’anth swung his sword into the death hound that had ignored her and gone for him instead. His great stroke lifted it bodily into the air and severed it in two. It thudded to the ground dead and twitching, dripping blood so dark it was almost black as it oozed over its matted fur. Issa grimaced in disgust.
Her attention whipped back to the forest when another screaming howl ripped through the air. The Life Seeker all but exploded out of the trees, roots and earth flying up around it as it surged towards her surrounded by a thick pack of de
ath hounds. Her blood ran cold. It looked like a demon flying straight out of the gates to the Murk in those old picture books, Issa thought. And I’ll bet it is coming straight for me.
She would not put any more in danger. She pushed past the karalanths and ran away from them to the right, hoping the beast would follow her. She ignored the horrified shouts of, “What are you doing?” “Where are you going?” She could barely hear them, so intent was she upon the beast before her. Like the foltoy it wants only me. They must not give their lives protecting me, no more must die. They had their work cut out anyway, for the death hounds had picked their targets and were now heading for them, none were interested in her as they sped past.
‘Are you coming for me, you bastard,’ she growled lifting her sword, eyes never leaving the slavering beast that had angled towards her. ‘Or is it I that come for you?’
It remained out of the range of arrows and she ran towards it. The stench of rotting flesh on its cold breath made her gag. She took her sword in her left hand and raised her right, fingers splayed wide. The Flow was ready and waiting.
‘Fire,’ she howled, the voice always gave greater weight to any magical command.
A massive flaring ball of green fire exploded from her outstretched hand, scorching the grass black beneath it as it smacked into and engulfed the beast. It screamed a sound that rang painfully in her ears, its momentum halted as the green fire burned ferociously.
A slick dark flow of magic moved around her then, quite apart from the Flow she could see in her mind. It has magic? Its own magic? I have never seen that magic before, not even from Keteth. The thought was a game changer and her mouth went dry as the Life Seeker drew upon its own black magic. This magic was from another source, a source of power that did not connect to and bind all things, a power she did not understand.
Issa hesitated. It was indeed going to be a hard fight. Her green fire dissipated, extinguished by a black cloud of magic, but smoke still smouldered from patches of charred flesh on the beast’s massive muzzle and bulging shoulders. Its eyes were all pupil, yet those pupils were grey, so it seemed that it wasn’t even looking at her, but she knew it was. Those dead, soulless eyes made her shiver. It snarled revealing its long yellow teeth and crouched low as it stepped towards her in a snaking movement, like a cat stalking a cornered mouse.
She gripped her blade in her right hand and measured up her opponent, taking in the slightest movement. More death hounds streamed past her, doing away with any hope she might have had with assistance from the struggling karalanths. Behind her came screams and shouts of a vicious battle being fought. Metal thumped and sliced through flesh, arrows whistled and thudded, but she dared not take her eyes off the beast in front of her. She didn’t need to see to know the karalanths were outnumbered.
If I was not here they would never have come. This beast is mine to defeat, or not…
The Life Seeker stepped to the left and she stepped to the right. They circled each other. Her fire had left five bloody burns, like rakes across its face, that oozed black-red blood, immortal blood, thick and dark and dead. Its ears flickered back and forth and its matted pelt was stiff and tough and looked as hard as steel. Dead grey eyes calculated her every move. Fear gnawed at her.
The beast seemed to grin at her and then it leapt so fast it was a blur. Instinctively she rolled and sliced at its claws, slashing the air above her. Thick dark blood splattered down upon her face and the beast howled once more. She jumped to stand and spun to face it. She licked a drop of the beast’s blood from her lips as the battle fury surged within her. The immortal blood was acrid and powerful and she spat it out quickly. The beast laughed, an awful rasping chuckle.
She snarled and charged but it moved fast, too fast for a thing that size, and her sword struck only air. Dimly she was aware of her bruised and aching ribs as her body rebelled against two battles fought in one day. She staggered and reached for the Flow knowing she could not fight this battle with strength or speed. It flooded into her willingly, filling her with renewed energy and resolve.
If the Dark Moon were with me this fight would be already won. But it was not, and she had to rely on her own skill with magic and sword. With a flick of her hand and a whisper of her intention orange lightning snaked forth and struck the beast flinging it backwards. It hurtled head over tail into a tree that splintered under the force of the beast’s weight, bark and branches sprayed out around it.
Magic could buy her time, could rest her body, but even with magic she was still a novice. Without having recovered from the earlier fight her reserves were pitifully low and she could feel the drain of it upon her soul. Though the earth based magic came to her willingly, and each time she used magic she understood more about it, her ability to command, direct and wield it was weakened by fatigue and inexperience. The Life Seeker clawed to its feet, its flesh flickering with static and it laughed, unhurt, and snaked towards her once more.
‘The Immortal Lord will be pleased to know you have been found,’ the beast spoke with difficulty in a growling voice through vocal chords never meant for human words. ‘I shall be well rewarded for this day.’
She laughed back at it, ignoring the unnerving fact that it could also speak. Her voice was strong, belying her fear and fatigue. ‘Let him come, let them all come, come to their deaths as you will soon meet yours, you pathetic rabid beast,’ she snarled.
The beast leapt before she finished her sentence, claws spread wide like a rack of knives ready to dice her. She sidestepped wide but not quite far enough for its massive reach. A claw caught her, sending her with crushing force to the ground. The breath exploded out of lungs and her injured ribs made her scream in pain. She rolled as much as she could, her clothes tearing under razor sharp claws as she tried to get away.
She struck upwards sinking her sword deep into its shoulder, pushing with all her might. Its howl close to her ear was deafening. Dark blood spilled down her sword making it slippery. She tried to pull it away but her grip slipped, leaving it embedded in its shoulder as it reared.
She grappled for her knife whilst reaching frantically for the Flow. In the next few moments the exhausting fight unfolded like a macabre dance of flashing magic and slashing teeth and claws. The beast fell back from the wall of green flames that protected her. It reached a dextrous claw up and wrenched her sword from its shoulder. More black blood splattered on the ground as it tossed the blade aside.
The beast growled a laugh-like sound. ‘What is the point in fighting? You cannot win. You want to stay like this forever; a weak, pathetic, pawn to an absent goddess? The Immortal Lord gives so much more, foolish human.’
‘You are dead, you cannot feel the living force within all things. Stupid immortal.’
Fury made her lunge through her wall of her own fire towards her sword. But she never reached it for the beast lunged to meet her. Dark magic moved beneath her in a pool of black water that sloshed around her ankles. The energy was immediately drained from her muscles and the Flow drained from her into that pool. She slumped to her knees. Claws swiped towards her but she could not dodge them. Razor sharp nails sliced through her clothes and flung her high into the air.
She twisted mid air to try and ease the fall but the ground spun too fast. She smashed into the earth, all breath knocked from her as she rolled limply on the ground. Through the agony of her ribs and her gasping breath she opened herself fully to the Flow, uncaring of the danger if she pulled upon more than she could hold for it was over anyway. I will die at my own hands, and not this slavering beast!
the Flow flooded back into her once more. She called to the dark moon somewhere out there in the darkness, prayed to Zanufey to give her the strength to destroy the advancing Life Seeker. But they were far away and the dark moon could give her none of its power.
Issa pulled harder on the Flow, thinking she could hold no more and yet a little more came, a little more power flooded through her being. Through half-lidded eyes she saw the Flow fully, a
world ablaze in a maelstrom of earth and fire and lightning as the magic followed her intent, a torrent of pure destructive power.
She struck the beast with that magic again and again, driving it back, the Flow the only weapon she had. Lightning and fire flared between her and the beast, draining her resources at an alarming rate. It staggered bleeding and breathless under her onslaught. But slowly the beast formed a shimmering protective shield around it, rendering her attacks useless. She couldn’t fight for control of the Flow when the beast’s magic came from somewhere else entirely. The Under Flow, that was what Freydel called Baelthrom’s dark magic. Is that what his beasts use too?
When the flaring magic stopped briefly, Issa became aware of her own hot blood running down her arms and legs from jagged wounds. Her whole body trembled from physical and mental exhaustion. The Life Seeker shuddered too but even as she watched the magic surrounding it fed it and made it stronger. Its bloody wounds bled less and its muscles rippled under that ugly scaly fur.
Need more strength! She gripped her last weapon, the hunting knife, and pulled it from its sheathe grimacing, willing her muscles to obey. The beast leapt, she rolled, deflecting claws with her knife, buying time. It leapt again, and back she rolled, deflecting again.
She moved in desperation and pure survival for the beast moved too fast for her to think and form control over the Flow. Each time she rolled she managed to slice small wounds upon claws and legs but never enough to maim or injure. Each time it lunged at her it came closer and closer to pinning her as she weakened.
She staggered up too slowly and heavy claws dragged and pinned her to the ground. She screamed in pain as they pierced her shoulder and struggled to draw breath into her crushed lungs. The beast laughed triumphantly.
‘Too easy... why the Immortal Lord hunts you I do not know,’ it mocked.
She couldn’t speak, she couldn’t even breathe. And then the crushing weight was gone as it lifted off her, but she could not move as black rope slithered around her, binding her tightly. She gulped in a huge lungful of air, her mind reeling from exertion.
