Light's Rise

by Yvette Bostic

  I edged around the corner of the blacksmith’s shop and looked up at the balcony. The small door was closed. Cyrus nudged me, and I turned back to look at him. His incredulous expression said he knew what I was thinking. I traveled up to the balcony, and he followed me. I made sure my illusion was very close, then closed my eyes and searched the room with my mind. There were two cases next to the bed, and the door into the hallway was open. A man and woman came through the door, and I immediately recognized them. I pulled my mind back to the balcony and stood. Cyrus looked at me with bewilderment. I knew it would be reckless, but this was the same couple who met with the French strategist that Mikel and I dealt with several years ago in Paris. It could not be coincidence that they were here. Should I approach them? My French fluency would enable me to question them, but would they tell Zar’Asur about my involvement? I looked over at Cyrus, who had the same worried expression.

  I knelt close to his ear. “I know these people and would talk to them. Stay very close to me, but do not release your concealment. I may need you to remove both of us from the room.”

  He nodded his understanding.

  I dropped my illusion and opened the balcony door. The woman startled when she saw me, and the man stepped in front of her protectively. His eyes narrowed as he looked at me, then recognition washed over his face.

  “I know you,” he said in French. “You’re the man who warned us of Suzette’s troubles in Paris.”

  I nodded and said, “I’m the same man, and I’m here to warn you again.”

  “Warn me of what?” he asked defensively.

  “Do you know with whom you are trying to build an alliance?” I asked.

  “He claims he can rid us of Napoleon Bonaparte, that is all I need to know,” he replied spitefully.

  “Robert, I think he knows more,” the woman said as she tried to push past him. “We should listen to him.”

  “Don’t be a silly girl!” he replied. “You are smitten by his handsome features.” He pushed her aside and turned back to me.

  “How did you know of Suzette’s master, and what did you do with him?” he demanded.

  “I didn’t even know of Suzette until I saw her in the room with her master. How I knew of him is a long and complicated story,” I replied. “Do you know why you were not invited into the castle by your host?” I asked and pointed towards the castle.

  He scowled at my evasion. “No, I’m offended by his rudeness. We should not be staying at the local inn.”

  “Be glad you are not at the castle,” I said with relief. They still did not know who he really was and were not aware of the demons. “Do you know who Suzette’s master served?”

  “He served Bonaparte!” Robert spat on the ground with a look of disgust on his face.

  “He also served the one you are trying to ally with.”

  “Lies! How could that pig serve both? Our new ally promises to destroy Bonaparte and his Army.” Confusion and anger mingled as one on his face.

  “Your new ally would destroy everything, not just Napoleon Bonaparte,” I replied. “My warning to you is this: once you walk into that castle, and he reveals himself to you, there is no turning back. Your only escape from him will be your death.”

  I felt a pulse against my spine and looked towards Cyrus, who was standing next to me. It pulsed again and I fell to me knees in pain. “This is your only warning,” I said to Robert through my pain, and I nodded my head at Cyrus.

  He carried us back to the tree line, but I could still feel the book pulsing through me. “Back to Santuario, hurry!” I cried out as my hands flickered with flames.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  Zar’Asur left his guests at the inn with a smile. They would be so easy to mold into what he needed. Their anger and need for vengeance would make them the perfect puppets. He had promised them that he would eliminate Napoleon Bonaparte and give them control of what remained of France’s holdings. They claimed to hate Napoleon’s tyranny, but they were no different. They nearly drooled at the offer of power.

  As he made his way through the castle, the book pulsing in his pocket indicated that his master called. He hurried to his private chamber and laid the book on the small pedestal. He opened it and knelt down, waiting for his master’s presence.

  “My son, how do you not feel Darian’s presence when he is within your midst?” His master’s harsh voice filled the room.

  Zar’Asur thought of defending himself but decided humility was best. If the master said Darian was here, then he must be. “My power does not compare to yours, Master. I will find him and bring him to you.”

  “You are too late. He felt my summons, the same as you did, and he fled.”

  Zar’Asur’s anger flared. “How can he feel your summons when I hold the book?”

  “Check your pride and anger before I check it for you,” the master commanded. “His attunement to the book is admirable, but I will not let it distract me from our true purpose. Will your guests be cooperative?”

  “I’m sorry, Master, forgive my outburst,” Zar’Asur said, trying to portray humility. “Yes, the rebels will join my cause. They are eager for power and revenge.”

  “Good. Do not fail me,” he said as the book closed.

  Zar’Asur rose, leaving the book on its pedestal. He needed time to think without being summoned by his master. He left his private chamber and walked towards the castle’s great hall, where the demons were currently residing.

  How did Darian know where to find us? And how did I not feel his presence? he asked himself. If the master had not noticed him, he could have ruined all my plans. He snarled at the thought of any failures, as it always meant severe punishment. He reached the great hall and looked at his army of demons. It had been so easy to build that army, summoning as many as he wanted. It only took a handful of human sacrifices, and there were plenty of humans available for the task. He chuckled and looked forward to his meeting with his newest allies.

  One of the Csökkent approached him and knelt on the floor. “Master, your guests have requested to meet tomorrow,” he said with fear in his voice. “The woman has become ill from the long journey and wishes to be at her best when you meet.”

  Zar’Asur looked at the man before him with his forehead on the floor. The man feared bringing such news would ensure his death. Zar’Asur took a deep breath. “Tell our guests I would like to meet them for lunch tomorrow, here in the great hall.”

  “Yes, Master.” The Csökkent rose and rushed from the hall.

  Zar’Asur was disgusted by human frailty, especially in their women, but he would be patient. No doubt they were offended that he did not offer to house them in the castle. Lunch would be satisfying tomorrow. Either they would join him, or they would be the next sacrifices.

  At midnight, two horses quietly walked through the gates as the guards split a large sum of coins between them.

  Chapter 19

  When Cyrus and I arrived at the gates of Santuario, I looked at him with glowing eyes, and he nodded.

  “I need to release this,” I said. “I’ll be right back.” I traveled to what had become my favorite practice area on the large plateau. I released the pent-up power and fell to my knees in the grass, wishing there was a way for me to counter the effects of that damn book. I traveled back to Santuario to find Cyrus talking to the guards while he waited for my return.

  “It’s been a while since we’ve seen you arrive like that, Darian,” one of the guards said. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, it was a small encounter, thankfully,” I replied.

  They opened the gates for us, and we headed for the tower. Mikel was walking across the courtyard when he spotted us.

  “You’re back early,” he began. “What happened?”

  “Can we get everyone together so we only have to tell the tale once?” I asked.

  “Absolutely! I’m on my way to the Warriors’ Arena to talk to Adalina,” Mikel replied. “Raphael should already be there. Do you need Magd
elin as well?”

  “No, I managed not to hurt myself this time,” I replied, making Mikel grin.

  When we reached the arena, Adalina was going through drills with her warriors while Raphael was standing on the edge, watching intently.

  “What is Raphael looking for?” I asked.

  “He’s planning to etch protective runes into their weapons,” Mikel replied.

  “What will the runes protect them from?” Cyrus asked.

  “Hopefully, it will prevent them from being controlled by Zar’Asur.” Mikel’s expression was severe. “Eli’s experience cannot be repeated. Can you imagine what would happen if Zar’Asur could control our warriors?”

  “Unfortunately, I can imagine it,” I replied. “It’s brilliant that you thought to protect them.”

  “Raphael has something for you as well,” Mikel said knowingly.

  “Why can’t we have another one like him?” I asked, only half joking. “He’s brilliant.”

  “I’ve asked that same thing numerous times.”

  Mikel caught Adalina’s attention and she joined us, Raphael following right behind her.

  “Darian, you’re back early,” Raphael exclaimed. “I have something for you, but it’ll wait. It looks like your news is more urgent.”

  I recounted the events from the last few hours, ending with my conversation with Robert and his wife.

  “Do you think they stayed or tried to find a way to leave?” Adalina asked.

  “I hope they found a way to leave, but I’m not sure,” I replied. “Robert was especially focused on his hatred for Napoleon Bonaparte. It’s possible they are now the enemy.”

  “Or that they’re dead,” Mikel added. “Most people will not be capable of the evil that Zar’Asur will require. If they denied him, he would not hesitate to kill them. He would not let them leave with the knowledge of what he was without their loyalty.”

  “I hope they made it out,” Cyrus said quietly. I’d forgotten he was standing there.

  “Are you okay, Cyrus?” I asked. “You had quite the experience on your first day.”

  “Yes, better than I thought I’d be anyway,” he replied.

  “You did very well today, especially getting us out of there as quickly as you did. Thank you for not panicking.” He deserved all the praise I could give him. He easily could have frozen, but instead he followed instructions and was there when I needed him most.

  “Thank you for spending so much time training me,” he replied shyly. “If you hadn’t pushed me so hard, making my ability second nature, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with the stress of today.”

  “Good!” I said and slapped him on the shoulder. “I thought of a fighting technique that might come in handy. I’ll explain later.”

  “So, what do we do now?” Adalina asked.

  I shrugged and looked at Raphael, who was looking at Mikel.

  “Give me an hour to think about it, then meet me in the tower,” he said.

  “Come on, Cyrus. I think this will be fun,” I said, visualizing the technique I thought we could use.

  “Can I join you?” Adalina asked. “I would love to see a fighting method that I haven’t already thought of.”

  “Of course, you can,” I replied. “Actually, would you be willing to spar with one of us?”

  “I’ll take on both of you at once if it’ll make you happy, beautiful.” She raised her eyebrows at me and grinned, something she hadn’t done in a long time.

  “Two against one isn’t fair, Adalina,” Cyrus said.

  I laughed. “We would never win a fair fight against her, Cyrus.” He looked at me skeptically. “Do you know why they’re so good?”

  “Because they spend so much time training?” he suggested.

  “There is that, but they are able to see your next move moments before it happens,” I replied. “Almost as if they can slow time for a fraction of a second.”

  Adalina glared at me and I blew her a kiss.

  “So, I’ll never be able to beat Edwin?”

  “Not in a fair fight,” I replied. “He will always see it coming.”

  Cyrus was speechless and I took advantage of his silence. “Adalina, pick a partner. We’ll make it two versus two.” She stomped off, but I knew she was enjoying the attention. I turned back to Cyrus and explained my plan. His smile grew into a wicked grin as he envisioned his triumph.

  “Don’t get cocky,” I warned. “We haven’t practiced this, and they are very good.”

  “I know, but I can see it working,” he said with a smile. “They won’t be able to see us coming.”

  “Exactly!”

  We joined Adalina in the arena, where she was standing next to Edwin. As we approached them I said, “You focus on Edwin and I’ll stay with Adalina, unless one of us gets overwhelmed.” Cyrus nodded and we fell into a ready stance.

  Adalina nodded at Edwin, and they stepped forward to engage us. When they were within arm’s reach, Cyrus and I disappeared, racing around behind them before reappearing and smacking each of them with our training swords. Adalina bellowed as she turned.

  “You cannot travel inside Santuario! How did you do that?” she yelled, and she brought her sword towards me, trying to decapitate me. I pulled my illusion around myself again, jumping to her left and reappearing long enough to smack her off-hand weapon. I laughed heartily as I disappeared again. She roared and joined Edwin in his defense against Cyrus. Cyrus was toying with him as well, and I heard him chuckle each time he disappeared. After a very short five minutes, I decided we had frustrated Adalina enough. I appeared on the edge of the arena and called to Cyrus to join me.

  Adalina was in a rage, but she stood her ground in the middle of the arena.

  “We should practice together,” I suggested to her. “That way Cyrus and I can perfect our method, and you can find holes in our techniques.”

  She took long deep breaths as she tried to calm herself. I looked around at the crowd that had gathered to watch. All the warriors were there, along with Raphael and Magdelin.

  “That was brilliant, Darian,” Edwin exclaimed. “I share Adalina’s frustration, but there’s no way I could’ve hit Cyrus the way he phased in and out of combat. I had no idea where he was.”

  Cyrus beamed with pride and excitement. “Don’t say that too often, Edwin,” I said with a laugh. “I don’t think his ego can take it.”

  One of the other warriors stepped forward. “I could almost see him,” he said. “We might benefit most from watching first. It would help us to recognize what it looks like when you phase in and out.” Several of the others murmured their agreement.

  “Okay, but you get to be the training dummies!” Adalina exclaimed. “That was humiliating.”

  “It wasn’t my intention,” I said apologetically. “I wasn’t even sure it would work.”

  “Well, it certainly did!” she said. She was still angry, but it was fizzling out quickly. “Who wants to be next?” she bellowed at her warriors. To my surprise, several volunteered, and Cyrus and I had another hour of practice.

  At the end of the hour, we headed towards the tower to meet with Mikel. We were all in good spirits. Several of the warriors were able to see a slight flicker just before we appeared, giving them enough time to block our strikes. One was even able to anticipate where Cyrus would appear and land a blow. We discussed it all the way to Mikel’s office.

  When we got there, I remembered that Cyrus was still with us and felt bad that I would have to tell him to leave.

  As we filed into Mikel’s office, he noticed Cyrus. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad Cyrus is with you, as my plan involves him as well.” I was relieved that I wouldn’t have to have that conversation.

  Aneera, Eli, and Juana were already there, so the rest of us took a seat as well. The room was getting crowded, and apparently, I wasn’t the only one to notice.

  “Mikel, either your office is shrinking or we’re growing,” Adalina said. “Either way, we need to move
to a bigger room.”

  Several of us suppressed a grin and Mikel laughed. “I believe you’re right, Adalina, but not today,” he said then turned to me. “Darian, do you think you and Cyrus could infiltrate Robert’s group to find out if he joined with Zar’Asur?”

  I thought about it for a few minutes. “I might, but if Robert sees me, he will recognize me. Do you intend to use them to fight against the demons?”

  “No, nothing like that,” Mikel began. “I’d just like to know if we have another enemy. If he accepted Zar’Asur’s alliance, then he is probably now possessed by a demon.”

  “You know I cannot see if someone is possessed,” I reminded him.

  “I know, but the people closest to him would notice if he changed.”

  “Do you really think I’m ready?” Cyrus asked apprehensively.

  I looked at him and smiled. “You’ve had more training in the last four years than any of us had. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

  I turned to Mikel. “Give me a day to make a plan, then we’ll be ready to go.”

  “Thank you, Darian,” Mikel said with sincerity. “Adalina, there are reports of the Csökkent entering villages in Russia, and I don’t believe that it’s coincidence that Zar’Asur is also in Russia.”

  Adalina rose to leave. “I always enjoy this part of my job.”

  “Eli and Juana should go with you,” Mikel began. “With Zar’Asur that close, I have a feeling you will encounter larger numbers than normal.”

  After they left, Raphael looked at me. “I have something for you as well, but we’ll need to go to Magdelin’s.”

  “We’re adding to my tattoo?” I asked.

  “How’d you know?” Raphael asked with surprise.

  “Why else would we go to Magdelin’s, unless you were inflicting more pain?” I said with a laugh. Raphael laughed with me, and we rose to leave as well.

  “Darian, please let me know your plans before you leave,” Mikel requested.

  “I will,” I replied.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  As Raphael added another layer of runes on my back, he explained their purpose.

  “I got the idea from Eli, actually,” he said with enthusiasm. “I can’t imagine his frustration of being at the command of that tyrant.” Raphael shuddered. “So, I made a one-way barrier that will prevent anyone from entering your mind. With time and practice, you should be able to control the barrier, but I’m not sure why you would want anyone in your mind.”