by R S Penney
Squeezing her eyes shut, Desa sucked in ragged breath after ragged breath. Why was her heart racing? Midnight was the one doing all the work. “You can do this,” she murmured. “Keep going.”
Behind her, the beast screamed in impotent fury.
Twisting to look over her shoulder, Desa flashed a cheeky grin. “What’s the matter?” she called out. “You getting tired already?”
Midnight’s hooves pounded the earth. He was like the wind itself, refusing to slow down, refusing to let Hanak Tuvar gain even an inch on him. The poor boy couldn’t keep that up forever.
“It’s time,” Desa muttered.
She urged Midnight slightly to the right, guiding him around the hidden Force-Source. It sat there in the grass: a small rock about the size of her baby finger, tied to a shard of crystal almost three times as large.
Hanak Tuvar continued its deadly pursuit.
A line of redness cut through the grasslands, a narrow corridor just large enough to encompass the squid demon. The creature wasn’t bothering to expand its territory in any other way. It had focused all of its energy on one task: catching Desa.
“Slow down,” she urged Midnight. “Let it think you’re tired.”
Her horse was eager to obey, losing speed. She could almost feel Hanak Tuvar’s anticipation. She ventured a glance and saw a horrifying vision. The crimson corridor stretched toward her, the massive demon moving within it. Thick tentacles sliding over the ground as it closed in on her. It passed over the rock that Tommy had left behind.
Desa triggered the Force-Source.
The crystal shattered, and a rainbow surged up over Hanak Tuvar, causing the beast to scream and scuttle away. It vanished in an instant. Since the corridor was so narrow, the rainbow was able to spread further along it, healing the distortion field for almost half a mile. When it faded, full colour had returned to the world. The grass on that narrow strip of land had been reduced to ash, but the redness was gone.
Somewhere in the distance, Hanak Tuvar screeched. Rather than gaining on Desa, it had lost ground. And possibly suffered a few wounds in the process. Now, it would have to expend even more energy to catch up, and she could already tell that it was tired.
Sadly, Midnight wasn’t doing much better.
“Come on,” she said, urging him forward at a quick trot. “We’ve got to get out of here before it comes after us again.”
The sun left a fringe of silver on every cloud that dotted the blue sky. It was just past noon on their second day of travel. The horses were grazing in the field, and Desa’s companions? They were eating as well.
Rojan had brought twenty Field Binders with them, leaving the rest in Ofalla with orders to spread out to the neighbouring communities and offer whatever assistance they could. Most of his people wore their simple, gray cloaks, though they usually kept the hoods down. Desa recognized a few from her time in Ithanar. Jensia, Tara, Novalo. Men and women fought together in Rojan’s army.
Hanak Tuvar had chased them well into the evening. They had been forced to keep going after sunset, using glowing rings, coins and pendants for illumination. Rojan hadn’t called a halt until midnight, and then, it was a fitful sleep.
Two people were put on watch at all times. Their instructions were simple: if they saw redness approaching from the east, rouse the others. Of course, that was a lot harder to do at night, when a subtle change in colour might be unnoticeable; so, they had placed Infused pebbles a few miles away from the camp. Each one projected a beam of light into the sky. If those beams turned red, they would know that Hanak Tuvar was nearby.
Desa had not been assigned to watch duty. Everyone seemed to think that since she had been the one to provoke the demon, she deserved a little rest. She appreciated the thought, but sleep had been hard to find. The enemy might sneak up on them at any time. She had to be ready to pack up her gear and leave at a moment’s notice. It was hard to relax under those circumstances.
Mercy came toward her in an orange riding dress with short sleeves, a garment that she had purchased in Ofalla. The former goddess carried a bag with a strap over one shoulder. “Here,” she said, retrieving an apple and tossing it to Desa. “Eat something.”-
Desa caught it, held it up and squinted. “You know, you’re not my mother, right?” she muttered. “You don’t have to feed me.”
“You will need your strength when we arrive at the pyramid. I will need you to help me return the demon to its prison.”
Desa stood up, pressing her lips together as she studied the other woman. “You’re sure that’s the way to go,” she said, eyebrows rising. “Isn’t there some way that we could destroy it?”
Mercy winced, shaking her head. “Don’t you think we’ve tried?” she snapped. “Dri and I threw everything we had at it. Nothing worked.”
“Have you tried using the crystals?”
Heaving out a sigh, Mercy spun around to stand beside Desa. For a moment, she just stared out on the endless expanse of grassland, saying nothing. “Yes, we tried that too,” she muttered at last. “You saw what happens. It simply disappears.”
Desa crossed her arms, nodding slowly as she considered that. “What if there was some way we could trap it?” she asked. “It can’t seem to manipulate anything outside of its distortion field. So, if we heal a large enough section-”
“It will simply recreate it,” Mercy cut in. “Where do you think that distortion field comes from? Hanak Tuvar twists the fabric of reality. There was no field in place when it hatched from Adele. It created the distortion while constructing its own body molecule by molecule. It is too powerful, Desa. You cannot beat it. You can only contain it.”
“All right,” Desa said. “All right, you win.”
“I hardly consider this a victory.”
Castrian – a hefty man with dark, bronze skin – was gasping as he came running through their camp. “Trouble!” he said, pointing to the eastern horizon. “Look!”
Desa noticed a band of redness at the line where green fields met the blue sky. Hanak Tuvar had found them. “Time to go!” she barked.
Rojan was two steps ahead of her. “Everyone, gather your things!” he shouted, doing up the saddlebags on his brown gelding. “We’re leaving! Now!”
The sun was sinking at the end of their third day of travel, golden light streaming over tallgrass that swayed in the wind. It was cool, but not unpleasantly so. A welcome change after a day spent in the saddle.
Desa stomped through their camp, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. “Remember when I said this would be a good idea?” she growled. “Well, why did you ever listen to me?”
Tommy was down on one knee with his back turned, relacing one of his boots. Miri stood over him, smiling fondly. It warmed Desa’s heart to see it. One look at Miri, and you could tell that she was in love with both of her young partners. And they with her. “Because you’re forceful and insistent?” Miri said. “Yes, that must be it.”
“I am not forceful and insistent.”
“Darling,” Miri grumbled. “Handle this one. I’m too tired.”
Tommy stood up, grumbling as he stretched his fists above his head and arched his back. He spun around to face her. “No offense, Mrs. Kincaid,” he said. “But you’re pretty damn forceful.”
“When have I ever been forceful?”
“The night we met,” Tommy said, “You busted into the sheriff’s office, beat up one of his deputies and demanded that I be set free.”
“And then there was the time you threatened to kill me if I didn’t tell you who I was and what I was planning,” Miri added.
Desa’s face was on fire. Sweet Mercy, had she really done that? It pained her to realize that yes, she had. A lot had changed in the last year. “All right,” she said. “So, I can be forceful on occasion, but-”
“Oh!” Tommy cut in. “And then there was the time that she pestered a goddess until she got what she wanted!”
“All right!” Desa said. “You win. I-
”
“Trouble!” someone shouted.
She twisted around and found a purple sky over an endless field of swaying tallgrass, a purple sky that was turning red. By the Eyes of Vengeance, that demon was relentless.
Rojan’s Field Binders began packing up their things and readying the horses. Dalen paused with a bowl of stew in one hand, a spoon raised halfway to his mouth. “Again?” he moaned. “Will it ever stop?”
Striding toward her at a brisk pace, Rojan glared daggers at anyone who crossed his path. “We need to slow it down,” he said. “Send flyers out. Hit it with a couple crystals.”
“I’ll go,” Desa volunteered.
One glance from Rojan put paid to that idea. “No,” he said. “Sorry, but you’re too important. Mercy says she will need you when we arrive at the pyramid. Donas, Temiel, fly out with a few crystals! Try to slow that thing down!”
The two men he had named triggered their Gravity-Sinks and launched themselves into the sky. Using the technique that Desa had developed during her time in Ithanr, they each tossed small objects out behind themselves. A rock for one, a coin for the other.
The blast of kinetic energy they unleashed sent them hurtling toward Hanak Tuvar. That patch of redness in the distance was growing larger. She almost thought she could hear the squid’s inhuman cries.
“Come on!” Rojan said. “We have to get moving.”
By the end of their fourth day of travel, Desa was beyond tired. Every night brought fitful sleep at best, outright insomnia at worst. The ever-present fear that the enemy might sneak up on them at any moment made it impossible for her to relax.
She was hungry. Zerena Dobrin had been kind enough to furnish their expedition with plenty of food, but those supplies were dwindling. But she suspected that it was the stress that made acid churn in her stomach. Keep moving. Never stop, never slow down. Or the demon would catch up.
She had taken watch duty for the second shift. She wasn’t going to get much sleep anyway; so, she may as well put her time to good use. The sky was black and dotted with tiny stars as a wind whistled over the open plains.
In the distance, three pillars of light stabbed the night sky, each one about as thick as her index finger, but bright enough for her to see them from miles away. It had taken an hour to Infuse coins with enough light energy to last the night. She had made one herself. Maintaining contact with the Ether while Midnight plodded along beneath her was a challenge in and of itself. She couldn’t move her body while she was creating an Infusion. And she was always tempted to let go so that she could adjust her posture or shift her weight. Only the instant she got back to work, the temptation returned. Still, she would have plenty of warning if Hanak Tuvar got too close.
Desa sat on a rock with her hands on her knees. She stared into the distance, thinking.
What would she do if they actually survived this, if Mercy returned Hanak Tuvar to its prison? Measures would have to be put in place to ensure that the demon never escaped again. She couldn’t even imagine what those might be. Was there a way to heal the land it had blighted? If not, the country might endure food shortages.
Even now, a voice whispered in her thoughts, you’re still alone.
Desa sat up straight, blinking. “You!” she hissed. “What do you want?”
I thought we should talk.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
Then just listen. For I have much to say to you. This quest of yours is futile. Do you think that I am unaware of your plan? You hope to lure me to the desert so that you may use the crystal to return me to my prison.
A chill went down Desa’s spine. Taking control of herself, she kept her voice even. Confidence. She had to project confidence. “If you know, why are you following us?”
Because your plan will fail. You lack the strength to complete it. Driala and Nari were enhanced, changed so that they could directly access the power that you call the Ether. Even working together, they were barely able to contain me. Now, Driala is gone. And Nari has lost her power. You cannot hope to succeed.
Desa stood up, pacing quickly to the edge of the camp. Something about this didn’t feel right. Those pillars of light were still bright and pure. No redness. So, if this wasn’t an attempt to distract her, then what was Hanak Tuvar’s purpose? “If that’s the case,” she began cautiously. “Then what are you doing here? Did you just come to gloat?”
You amuse me.
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t take that as a compliment.”
Humans flee from me, break before me like the pitiful creatures they are. A wasted form of life, unworthy of existence. But not you. You persist in your defiance even when you know your efforts are fruitless. And I must know why.
Desa shuffled through the grass with her head down. “I’m not so sure they are fruitless.” She turned on her heel and went back in the opposite direction. “You didn’t take Ofalla.”
A minor delay.
“We’ll see.”
Something occurred to Desa, and she reached for the Ether before she realized what she was doing. The ground became a vast expanse of particles packed tightly into a rigid structure. The air became a sea of loose particles swirling around. Her friends, her horse, the equipment: nothing but collections of molecules.
She stretched out with her thoughts, searching, searching. Unaided, her range of perception wasn’t much more than a mile. Perhaps she should wake the others? Was there time? She strained and strained, letting her mind slip over the land, looking for-
Emptiness.
An emptiness as profound as the void that surrounded her tiny planet. She had found Hanak Tuvar’s distortion field. And worse yet, she had found it in the wrong place. It was further west of here, ahead of them. Which meant…
Desa let go of the Ether.
“Wake up!” she screamed, running to her friends. She nudged Maladon with her boot, and when he groaned, she moved onto Jesina. Then Andriel, Donas and Tommy. “Wake up! It’s coming for us!”
Rojan stumbled toward her with bleary eyes. “They’re unchanged,” he said, pointing to the distant lights. “The demon isn’t out there.”
“It’s coming from the wrong direction.”
“What?”
“From the west, Rojan,” she snarled. “It went around us so that it could sneak up on us from behind!”
The colour drained out of his face as he stood there with his mouth hanging open. Quickly, he took control of himself and began barking orders. “Everyone up! Get ready to move! We’ll head north to get away from the demon!”
Desa strode up to him. “That won’t work!” she snapped. “We have to confront it, clear the way and keep moving forward!”
“What?”
She pushed past him and ran to the bag where they kept the crystals they had been making over the last few days. Dropping to her knees, she reached inside and retrieved five of the larger ones.
“Desa,” Rojan said, coming up behind her. “You can’t just go out there. If you try to confront Hanak Tuvar…”
She ignored him.
Standing up, she triggered her Gravity-Sink and then jumped. Untethered, she soared into the sky, the open plains dropping away beneath her, the campfire shrinking to an orange speck.
Desa closed her eyes, the wind caressing her face, blowing her hair back. “Sorry,” she whispered. “But we can’t afford to wait.”
She stuffed the crystals into her coat pocket and then pulled out her small coin. Tossing it into the distance, she triggered the Force-Source and rode a wave of kinetic energy toward her enemy.
The ring on her pinky finger called the coin back to her hand. She clutched it tightly. It was the only way to slow herself down or change direction.
The ground slid past beneath her: open fields illuminated by silver moonlight. She saw no sign of life or civilization, nothing to indicate the presence of another living soul. Or of her enemy for that matter. But she knew the beast was out here.
She felt it.
Pinning her arms to her sides, she flew belly-down over the fields. The harsh wind assaulted her, threatening to strip away her speed. That didn’t matter. She would use the coin again if she had to, but she was fairly certain she wouldn’t have to.
When her eyes adjusted, she found what she was looking for. A patch of land that was darker somehow, where the pale moonlight took on a ruddy hue. Hanak Tuvar was in there. She could feel the demon’s hatred. “All right, you piece of cow dung!” she hissed. “Let’s end this!”
She killed her Sink for an instant.
That put her into a quick descent. The patch of darkness was drawing near, growing larger and larger until it dominated her field of view. She retrieved the crystals from her pocket.
The instant she entered the distortion field, Desa shattered a few, creating a rainbow of light that protected her. She was wrapped in a halo of oscillating colours. Purple, then red, then orange. Yellow, then green, then blue. She streaked toward her enemy like a comet, causing the beast to retreat. Dark tentacles waved back and forth as Hanak Tuvar tried to shield itself.
She landed in a crouch, unconcerned by the snap of her leg bones breaking. The rainbow healed them in an instant. She crushed another crystal, and the halo expanded, driving the demon backward.
Hanak Tuvar vanished.
The rainbow faded, and when it was gone, she stood under an ordinary patch of land under the crescent moon. The grass beneath her feet had withered, but the distortion field was gone. Part of it anyway.
She turned to her left and found another patch of darkness a short distance away. Hanak Tuvar appeared there, towering over her. A boulder rose up behind the demon, flew over its head and rushed toward Desa, threatening to flatten her.
Bending her knees, she triggered her Gravity-Sink and jumped. She rose into the air, passed over the falling boulder, then briefly killed the Sink and dropped gracefully to the ground.
She landed in a crouch, one hand flying up to toss a glittering crystal into the air. As the shard fell, Desa splayed her fingers and released a surge of kinetic energy from her ring, sending the fragment zipping toward her enemy.
