Demons of the Hunter

by Stephen Allan

  She placed her hand once more on the crystal, and the temperature rose. So, too, did the luminosity of the crystal.

  “I want you to take some power from this crystal. The two of you possess tremendous potential and I wish to see it enhanced with this crystal’s power. It will give you greater control over the elements of this world.”

  “Like what?” Zelda asked.

  “Fire. Ice. Water. Electricity. Wind. Earth. These are just a few of the elements that one can harness with the power of the crystal,” Kara said. “Call it external or elemental magic if you must. I want you to have this power to defend yourselves if necessary. I do not ask that you use it to go on the offensive. I have that myself with this power, power enough to bring down the entire palace if I so desire. But a weapon of this magnitude… it must be handled carefully. So collect this magic with caution.”

  “How?” Yeva said.

  “There are two ways. The first is to always carry a crystal by your side. But to dilute the greatness of this crystal on non-magi would be too risky, and I have already made that mistake once. As you are magi, I have found another way that works. Place both of your hands on the crystal and close your eyes. You will absorb the power yourself, making sure there is no source aside from yourself. You will know when you have finished.”

  Zelda gulped. The last thing she needed was the kind of power that could tilt entire battles. She had never wanted to use her magic for anything other than good. And was it necessary to have this much magic to use it for good?

  But then again, more power, as long as it wasn’t a ridiculous amount of power or in the wrong hands, couldn’t hurt. And she would do everything she could to make sure that she wasn’t the one who had power placed in the wrong hands. She would only use her magic to ensure peace in Hydor.

  Trust yourself. You can control it. You’ve never used your magic for evil. It’ll be OK.

  “Go ahead.”

  Zelda opened her hands and placed both of them on the crystal at the same time. She braced herself for her hands to burn or for a rush of energy to come.

  At first, she felt nothing unusual. The crystal was warm and hard to the touch, but not scalding—

  Her hand pulsed with a warm energy. Instinctively, she tried to pull back, but it was like something had glued her hands to the crystal. She could not budge her hands, no matter how shocking the feeling was. In fact, she couldn’t even open her eyes. Her body was not her mind’s to control. She had to surrender herself to the power of the crystal.

  Her entire body rose in temperature, but it was not a sweaty rise, but a warm, gentle, rolling glow of a feeling that encompassed her. As soon as Zelda stopped trying to fight it, it became a soothing sensation. In fact, she felt like she was in a warm bath, with the water massaging her as much as it warmed her.

  She felt it reach her skull, and the magic suddenly flooded back down through her body like a dam had opened. It was no longer a heated feeling but instead a cold, damp one, like a thunderstorm during the winter. She shivered as it went down her spine, then shook as it tickled her legs and arms.

  Once more, the feeling switched in temperature, returning to a much hotter sensation than when it had first started. Zelda began sweating as beads of salty water poured from her forehead and off of her nose and chin.

  Suddenly, in a burst, she had visions that came to her, none lasting longer than a second. Visions of bringing down monstrous blasts of fire energy. Visions of freezing an entire legion of soldiers. Visions of bringing down lightning that would ground many a dragon. Visions of wind that could blown men over two hundred pounds clean off their feet. The visions came by quickly, but she could feel the heat of the fire, the chill of the ice, the tingling of the electricity, and the force of the wind. She could hear the ice cracking, the burning of flames, and the howling of the gusts. However brief they were, the visions were as real as her conversation with Kara.

  Then she saw more specific visions, ones which did not last longer than a few seconds and whose details were not clear. She could not see color in the vision, and what black, gray, and white shades she could see were fuzzy.

  The first vision saw a burly hand holding her up by her neck, laughter in the background, and fire all around her. Zelda screamed, and the landscape shifted.

  In the next one, she stood on top of a mountain, screaming at a woman in the distance who stared down a large dragon within the depths of a valley.

  Her next vision saw her opening her eyes, looking at two young girls, a bit older than her, probably sisters, wielding swords but wearing uniforms she had never seen before, with two young boys who did not look related. Behind them, a massive dragon—so large, it blocked out the sun—bellowed in the sky.

  Her final vision saw two shadowy figures appearing, so large that she felt no larger than the being’s ankle. The first figure had wings and bright blue eyes, but no definable features otherwise. The second figure had red eyes, sharply defined features, and two horns. The two figures towered over her. Wherever this vision took place, it was not Hydor. There was no sky, no ground; just an empty black void surrounding the three of them.

  And then, without warning, Zelda found herself back in Kara’s room.

  She gasped as she moved her hands back. She could remove her hands. She looked at them. They looked no different than before.

  But Zelda knew she had changed. And whatever she had seen, it told her her journey had only just started. Defeating Indica no longer seemed like a culmination as it did an initiation.

  “Whatever you just saw is what you are now capable of,” Kara said. “You can execute magic up to that point. And Yeva. Like Zelda and, as of four weeks ago, like me. You now have a capability that is extremely rare in this world, a skill that you need to gain from a source of power as great as this. You no longer need to channel your magic through a medium.”

  But as someone who already could use magic without a medium, Zelda had seemed to gain powers beyond what any natural magi had. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. This wasn’t magic—this was the ability to play goddess in a world in which most couldn’t even create fire with two sticks, let alone with their magical powers.

  And for Yeva, it made her move past the need for a weapon. What could the two of them do together?

  What can Kara do now with her capabilities?

  What will she do?

  “Be warned, just because you are capable of executing these new levels of magic does not mean you have the ability to control it. Keep that in mind if you come across a situation where you feel tempted to use such power. Also remember that if you have never practiced a spell, then you do not know how much it can sap your energy. We are stronger, but we must also become wiser than ever before.”

  Perhaps Yeva needed that advice. But for Zelda, all she had to do was remember her teleportation back to Caia. How she had found the strength to fight after using her magic was beyond any comprehension. If Chrystos was real, perhaps divine intervention had saved the day.

  “I pray, and I am completely serious, that you never have to use your magic for defense in the years ahead,” Kara said. “If you do, it means that the empire is still in charge. Or that a dragon has begun attacking. We must prepare you for the worst while simultaneously hoping for the absolute best to happen.”

  And yet you want to attack the emperor today? That doesn’t sound right.

  She then removed her hands from the crystal, and the heat and energy from it all but vanished. It returned to its normal bright blue color—with some light gleaming off it, but not nearly as much as moments before. Kara slumped in her chair, her eyes weary from the transfer of power.

  “Go and meet Gaius. He will help you with any questions you have about the magic. Please let me know if you have any more questions about the ceremony today. When the time comes, I will give you instructions.”

  Zelda had none that she would say out loud about today’s events.

  But in the back of her mind, she
sincerely wondered why Kara had given them the powers that she had. Their powers from before were enough to defeat Indica—now they had even more?

  It didn’t feel like she was preparing them for self-defense. It felt like she was preparing them for a war of apocalyptic proportions.

  But against who would she need such powers? Even the empire’s armies wouldn’t stand a chance against an organized magi militia. Though she didn’t want to admit it, Zelda also suspected that her newfound powers would give her the ability to handle many enemies at once.

  But I don’t want to fight. I want to use my magic for good.

  Zelda walked ahead of Yeva outside of Kara’s chamber. She waited until the door had shut behind her and they had walked a good minute before she turned to Yeva.

  “Whatever happens today… Yeva, I don’t want to hurt anyone. Mama said I have to use magic for good, and this…”

  She waited to gauge what sort of response Yeva would give. Agreeable? Shocked? Disgusted? Yeva’s body language gave nothing away. She shot a look back at Kara’s quarters and nodded for Zelda to follow. Zelda, feeling a bit hopeful, took a couple of steps forward, the clunking of stone beneath her filling the air.

  But even still, even with the space, Yeva said nothing. The two girls walked, the only sound in the hallway their feet clopping against the ground. The near silence gave Zelda two answers loudly, but the problem was figuring out which one was true and which one was false.

  Did she agree? Perhaps her silence indicated that she did, and she just didn’t want Kara, the warrior, to hear her.

  Or did she disagree? Perhaps the muteness of Yeva spoke to her desire to not show any agreement with young Zelda.

  They passed by Gaius’ room, but Yeva moved right past him. Zelda, not having any questions for the elder mage nor desiring to leave Yeva alone, followed her.

  Once they reached their room, Yeva plopped on her bed and let out a long sigh. Zelda, instead of seating on her bed, sat next to Yeva. Maybe this was overbearing, but Zelda wanted to understand, even if she would not agree.

  “I can’t forget what happened to Norius, Zelda,” she said, her eyes down on the ground.

  Zelda’s heart sunk as she anticipated the words that would follow. The ones that would express sympathy for Zelda’s ideals, but ones that would ultimately deny her kinship in her pacifism. Zelda had heard polite rationalization before when it came to letting her and her mother down.

  “He died because we had to do the empire’s work. The empire awoke Indica and we came here out of our care of humanity. But humanity spat on us and wants nothing to do with us. I don’t think Kara is wrong or lying about the empire continuing to figure out ways to get rid of us, even after we defeated Indica.”

  Zelda grimaced. She thought briefly of putting a reassuring hand on Yeva, but thought otherwise.

  What could she say? The worst thing she could do, in her mind, was to dispute the legitimacy of what Yeva was saying. Zelda didn’t see it as doing the empire’s work but saving humanity. That the empire survived was a bad side effect but a necessary one.

  “But…”

  Zelda felt her stomach fluttering and her heart rate elevating. She’s not sure.

  “I don’t know that I want to turn my back on humanity just yet.”

  Yeva let out a long, steady sigh. Her sigh indicated it was trying to push something back. Tears. Emotions. Sorrow. Memories. Doubts. Norius.

  “I keep thinking I should. But people in Dabira always told us that it’s when everyone else wants to burn everything to the ground that it becomes more imperative than ever to hold the line.”

  “That sounds like something my mother said,” Zelda added, softly at first, her voice increasing in volume when Yeva was settled. “My mother told me that in the darkest times, we had to be the light. She said that I always have to use my magic for good, no matter what. I never thought the darkness would come from the magi. I don’t think it is. But what Kara has said…”

  “What are you planning to do?”

  Zelda hadn’t given that question any thought other than “not what Kara wants.” But that wasn’t good enough, and she knew it. It left open too many possibilities and other avenues to go down, not all of them in line with Mama’s wishes.

  “Stay out of the line of fire,” Zelda said. “Just stay near the back. I want to be able to see what happens. Maybe Kara will change her mind.”

  “Doubtful,” Yeva said. I’m afraid she’s right. “But I like your idea. We can move away if it gets ugly or help if necessary. I want to see the empire suffer, but I’ve never killed someone. I’m not ready for that. But then, what will we do?”

  Zelda hated that such simple questions seemed to trip her up in a way the deep, philosophical ones wouldn’t even cause her to stutter in her steps. As much as she valued her street smarts and intelligence, she sometimes hated her inability to ask the obvious.

  “We find a place to blend in away from Kara, I suppose,” Zelda said. “We can—”

  Someone knocked on the door but didn’t bother to wait for one of the girls to open the door.

  Both Yeva and Zelda got off the bed as Gaius entered. Once more, Zelda felt sure he had somehow found the magic of youth in the days since killing Indica. But despite his new youth, his face was taut and grim.

  “We are to leave soon for the ceremony,” he said. “I am gathering all of the members we have left. Kara wants to go over our final plans before we make our public appearance.”

  Should I ask him to join us? Someone as respected and powerful as him could give us strength.

  But Zelda’s own question was answered by a quick glance from Yeva, which seemed to keep her away from asking the question. It seemed silly for Zelda to want to pry the eldest member of the Shadows of the Empire away from its leader. For how close she thought Kara and Gaius were, it was more likely he’d turn them in for punishment than join them.

  “Sounds good,” Yeva said with a bow.

  Gaius seemed to notice something by Zelda’s side and gave a wry smile. Zelda felt flustered. Was he reading her mind? No magi had done that yet, but—

  “You are reading with great frequency, Zelda,” he said. “You’re becoming one of the most active readers in my library. It’s a shame that we’ll have to pick up in a brand new library. There are so many hidden treasures here you won’t find in Dabira.”

  “I am just trying to catch up to what everyone else has already learned,” Zelda said, blushing at Gaius’ praise.

  “Should have learned, you mean. Many sons and daughters of nobles give the impression of coming to learn, but in reality take toward the streets during school hours to undertake more illicit activities.”

  Strange, wasn’t it. For their circumstances, Zelda and the wealthy children wound up going for completely different things. I can’t worry about them. I must focus and learn what Gaius teaches me.

  “Which book are you reading now?” Gaius said.

  “This one about the legend of Garo. ‘On Wizards, Witches, and Monsters,’ I think it’s called.”

  “Garo,” Yeva said. “The one who defeated Bahamut?”

  “The very one,” Gaius said. “A man who saved the world. And his thanks from the empire was to be erased from modern history. Fortunately, I have all of the information I need to continue the legacy of Garo. And no matter where we are, I intend to continue teaching his story.”

  “Don’t forget the age,” Yeva quipped.

  This drew a short laugh from Gaius, giving permission for Zelda to chuckle. It was kind of funny, although if Gaius hadn’t laughed, it would have seemed grossly offensive and bold. Still, Zelda liked having the tension in her teacher’s face dissipated.

  “I have seen many things in my years in this world, Yeva, so it is not inaccurate to say. In fact, it might be more accurate than you realize. In any case, I can only hope that the work of Garo is bound to see some results from today’s ceremony. Should the empire truly reward us, it will mark an era th
at has not truly been reached in over two hundred years. Now, come, please.”

  Gaius led Zelda and Yeva down the long hallway toward the meeting room where Zelda had first met Kara. Zelda thought of all of the times people had made the walk through that tunnel. How nervous must they all have felt to face Kara? Even Gaius seemed on edge when it came time to face her, and he looked old enough to have founded the organization. How nervous had they felt just to walk through there, period? Zelda had never heard of Kara before coming down these tunnels. Gaius could have just as easily been taking her to an imperial prison.

  She came to the room and stood, silently waiting for Kara to make her appearance and announcements. Six other magi appeared with them, drastically smaller numbers than they had a month ago—to say nothing about how many of these had come from Dabira and not yet returned to their hometown. How many of them looked forward to today? How many of them agreed with what Kara was about to do?

  How many of them knew what she was about to do?

  Zelda tried to justify what Kara planned. She’d seen the empire at its worst. She couldn’t believe, even in her most optimistic frame of mind, that the worst of Emperor Rufus Syrast had vanished just because one dragon had fallen. It might’ve subsided, but she knew how much he loved being a legend and speaking before audiences.

  The more she thought about it, the more terrified she felt. One side wanted to kill the other. One side might take the opportunity to mock the other and renege on its promise.

  She couldn’t partake in anything. She had to escape. She had to get to Dabira. Now, it was a true statement—she could not come back to Caia.

  But even if she did get her freedom in Dabira… then what? Would she just live her life in Dabira? Would she learn more? Read more? Get stronger with magic?