She approached slowly, never stopping her stances, Marek keeping pace with ease. She would not stop and give Naem any satisfaction. When she arrived at the band’s temporary rest-stop, she almost fell at the quartermaster’s feet. The other Watchers, who were sitting down with their meals, chuckled at seeing her exhaustion. The quartermaster gave her some scraps of bread and she found a place to sit on one of the wagons. Sitting had never felt so good. Marek collected his food and sat nearby, glancing at her with a smile. She smiled back.
“You actually did it,” a voice said. It was Naem, who sat himself down beside her, sparing a sideways glance for Marek, who paused to look at them both, then slowly turned away and got back to his food. Naem watched him, then turned to look back at Jak. “Honestly, I didn’t think you’d make it this long before giving up on the footwork and catching up.”
“That wouldn’t help me learn.” Jak said through a mouthful of food.
Naem chuckled, “No it wouldn’t. Perhaps there’s potential in you after all.”
The bugle sounded, signaling the end of the break. Jak’s shoulders slumped. She had just arrived, and now they were leaving again.
Naem laughed at the disheartened look on her face. “Look, I’ve gained permission to let you ride on a wagon for a few hours. Be sure to massage your legs while you’re there. It will help them recover. But you’ll have to get up again and walk eventually. The worst thing you can do is let your legs rest for too long. You’ll never be able to stand on them again if you do.”
He rose and strode to the front of the camp. Everyone else got ready to push out again, but Jak climbed into the wagon and began massaging her legs as Naem had instructed. The rest felt good, but it almost hurt in a different way. Within minutes she was already stiff all over. But she’d been stiff before, working on her father’s farm. Perhaps the next day would be easier.
She was wrong.
For the next few days, Naem greeted her the same way every morning and they spent several hours rehearsing new techniques, techniques that she was later required to practice while they marched west. It was several days before Naem even let her hold a spear. Well, it wasn’t a spear really. It was more of a quarterstaff. But Naem insisted that she practice without a pointed spear first. He kept stressing the idea that the entire staff was a weapon, not just the pointy end. So she had to learn how to use the rest of the staff first before learning how to use a proper spear.
He started by showing her the guards, basic starting positions when defending with the staff. Jak was surprised at how many there were. She thought you just pointed the spear at the oncoming enemy and hoped to hit them. That wasn’t right at all. There were guards for short opponents, tall opponents, armored opponents, and animals. The latter was one that Naem stressed since it was most commonly used to fight approaching demons.
It took days, but Naem was surprised at how quickly she was learning. It wasn’t for nothing. Her brand was useless to her now, so all she had was her determination. Each day, when Naem assigned her a seemingly impossible task, she threw everything she had into it. Soon, it didn’t take as long for her to catch up with the band for lunch. Within weeks, she could keep pace, and her legs no longer felt like jelly. She would move seamlessly from one guard to another, raising her staff above her head with the tip pointing down, bringing it around sharply in front of her, holding it to her side, and so on. She kept her feet moving forward, keeping in step with the rest of the band. They had stopped snickering at her, and a few looked more than a little impressed.
Just a few days’ march and they came to the crossroads. Jak joined Marek in saying goodbye to his parents. His mother gave her a hug, whispering in her ear, “We’ll be praying for the two of you.”
“Watch over him, will you?” Naman said to Jak, smiling and giving her a light pat on the shoulder.
She nodded and smiled back as Marek’s face went indignant. “Watch over me?”
But Kuldain didn’t let the goodbyes linger. Moments later Jak and Marek were walking together, away from his parents, and away from the only other people Jak had known growing up. Now it was just her and Marek. Well, and Estel too, though she couldn’t have cared less about her.
The Watchers continued to move west, searching for the Fae or other signs of demon packs. But they did nothing but walk during the day, heading as fast as they could to Foothold, at the base of the mountains, where they would then search for the Fae. Kuldain, the Watcher leader, had said nothing to her since agreeing to let her join the march. He always led the band with an air of confidence, but that didn’t stop their days from becoming routine.
When Jak brought it up to Naem, he simply shrugged, “That’s the way it is for most of us. There are weeks of routine for every five minutes of anything exciting.” Many of the other Watchers seemed to share Naem’s uncaring attitude, but Jak thought she saw several of them grumbling from time to time.
The leader remained rather distant from the rest of the men. He never joined them for meals or said anything other than to bark orders when it was time to move out. Jak tried to find out more about the man, but the other Watchers were tight lipped. In fact, Jak was pretty sure they were afraid of him at some level. A Blood-burner would do that to a person, no matter how loyal the man was to the kingdom. A Blood-burner, even a legal Blood-burner, was someone you wanted to avoid.
But still, Jak thought, being a Blood-burner was much more useful in their current situation than being a Gifter. If only she could have more than one brand. It was a thought that had followed her ever since the attack on her village. She knew it was technically impossible for someone to have more than one brand. That was one of the mistakes that made demons. Put a second brand on a man and the two brands would fight for dominance. He would transform, screaming in agony, into a misshapen demon. If he didn’t die first.
But still, the possibility intrigued Jak. If she ever did find her way back to Skyecliff, she would make it her life’s worth to discover the secret to multiple brands.
As she daydreamed about branding, she almost didn’t notice Marek approach and sit next to her. It wasn’t the first time they had spent time together on this trip. He was good about not pushing her boundaries. Sometimes they simply sat next to each other for a while.
This time he looked like he wanted to talk. It had been a while since they had a decent conversation, probably since before they split with the villagers at the crossroads. Jak hadn’t seen much of him since.
“I’m glad you came,” he said. “With the Watchers I mean.”
“Yeah, well, I couldn’t leave you here with only Estel to keep you company.”
Marek laughed, “She has been unbelievable lately. She seriously never leaves me alone. I had to sneak away from my tent to get here.”
Jak chuckled. “How are you doing?”
“Well, it’s been a bit lonely since we split at the crossroads.”
“Yeah,” Jak said, her mood souring for a moment.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I am so insensitive. Truly, I’m sorry Jak.”
“It’s okay,” she responded. “It’s different for you, I know. You didn’t mean to be insensitive.”
“Thank you. I’m still here if you need anything.”
Jak felt him rest a hand on her shoulder. It wasn’t until that moment that she realized how much she needed the comfort. Right now, all she wanted was for him to put his arm all the way around her shoulders. Perhaps if she leaned in…
“Hey there, Jak!” it was Naem, coming to join them with a few scraps of dinner in hand. “Glad to see you found your friend.” He plopped down on the ground and put his hand out to Marek. “You know, I don’t think we properly met.”
Jak fought down her annoyance and introduced Marek to Naem. Marek was very cool about it, not even pausing when he learned Naem’s peculiar name.
“You did a good job today,” Naem said to Jak. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a little Grace in you.” He indicated his own brand of G
race.
“If I could go back in time, I would have taken Grace, or almost any other brand.”
“Gifting is useful.” Marek cut in. “We wouldn’t have any of the brands if it weren’t for the Gifters.”
Jak frowned at him. So far he hadn’t mentioned her brand. And he hadn’t been so enthusiastic right after the Branding. But she shrugged it off and continued. “There was a time I would have given anything to be a Gifter. As a girl, I collected every scrap of knowledge that I could about them. I’d find any scrap of paper or parchment to copy the brands. I knew every line, every contour. I’d take sticks and draw them in the dirt.”
“So what changed?” Naem asked.
Jak thought about that for a moment. “Back then I wasn’t alone.”
Naem nodded, understanding. The three of them sat there, watching the sun set and the stars appear. Jak liked it this way. Just herself and her friends, not needing to say anything. Just being there. Eventually Marek excused himself, despite Jak’s protests. She wanted him to stay, but Naem wasn’t showing any signs of leaving, so perhaps it was for the best. They weren’t going to have any more tender moments tonight. They sat in silence a while longer before Naem spoke again. “You know, the Fae are rumored to somehow have more than one stable brand.”
Jak looked at him. She had never heard such rumors. “Really?”
“Well, there are conflicting reports. Some say they have no brands, but we have two very well-documented cases that say they saw a Fae use more than one power. So either they conceal their brands, or….”
“Or they’re something completely different.” Jak finished. Naem nodded, and she let that sink in. Even on demons, the brands were clearly visible. They often pulsed with light, as if in constant, flawed use. Many scholars theorized that a demon’s brands constantly tried to function, but could not complete the use they were intended for, and that was what drove the demons mad. A second brand, or an incorrect brand could not complete its function, so it broke the human it was attached to. But if the Fae somehow had more than one power, and still maintained their ability to function, maybe that meant that Salizon’s first constant, that a living being may only receive one brand, might not be as universal as everyone thought.
She simply had to find the Fae. Perhaps they would have some answers, something new that the scholars had never encountered. This new knowledge was fascinating, bringing her back to when she would scribble new knowledge in her journal as a little girl. And yet, something about that bothered her. Her academic side was something reserved for peaceful times, back when she thought nothing could harm her family. Back then, the only thing that had bothered her was the thought of what people would say when they found out that she wanted to be a Gifter. The thought seemed so trivial to her now.
Night set in, and eventually Naem left her there, walking to his tent. She stayed sitting down, looking westward in the direction they traveled, her arms wrapped around her knees as she pondered her journey thus far. In the moonlight, she could make out the faintest shadows of animals roaming the plains ahead of them. Probably domestic animals from a nearby farm. They had passed several such farms on their way here.
But the shadows started growing closer, and Jak could tell they were moving too fast to be cows or sheep. She got to her feet, concern now causing her to look closer.
And that was when the sound of a warning horn split the night. A horn reserved for one thing.
Demons.
7
Soldiers leapt from where they had been lounging. Spears and swords rose in their hands. They were trained for this and did not waste time. Though many had already retired for the night, they all slept with their weapons close at hand. Major Skellig, Kuldain’s second, was already shouting orders. Jak had barely heard the horn and already Skellig looked prepared. One by one, the Watchers formed a wall against the shadows that grew steadily closer.
Jak raced to her tent, where she kept her father’s spear. She had never actually trained with a full spear. Naem had only taught her the use of a quarterstaff so far. But she knew enough. A quarterstaff wouldn’t do much against demons.
She quickly found what she was looking for, but by that time the demons had already closed the distance between them and the Watcher camp. As Jak turned to join them, the demons fell on the Watchers’ waiting weapons.
It was a slaughter.
No demon had a chance against these well prepared warriors. Most were cut down the moment they approached a Watcher. For a moment, Jak could only stare in awe at the skill these warriors demonstrated. All of them. Telekinetics stopped the demons short of their goals, making them easy to eliminate. Flamedancers created a wall of flame in front of them, consuming every demon that entered. Even those without advanced combat-friendly brands seemed to have far more skill than Jak could ever dream of having. She looked down at her spear, wondering why she thought she was ready to wield it.
A few demons finally broke through the front line and came charging through the camp. A second, smaller group of Watchers were waiting for them. Marek was among them, as was Kuldain who looked as calm as if he were on an evening stroll. One lunged at him, but he calmly sidestepped and grabbed it by a leg. The demon howled in agonizing pain. Jak swallowed as she realized what was happening.
Kuldain was boiling the demon’s blood.
The Watcher leader’s hand blazed with white light, the Blood-burner brand illuminated as it worked its magic. The demon kept howling and screaming with eerily human-like screams. But the sounds quickly faded as it died. Jak knew less about Blood-burning than any other brand, considering its taboo nature, but she knew it killed its victims with incredible speed. The brain would fry or the heart would implode within a matter of seconds.
Jak’s eyes were so focused on Kuldain’s Blood-burning, that she barely noticed a few other demons breaking the front line and charging at the other Watchers.
No, they weren’t coming at the Watchers anymore. They slipped past the Watchers. Some fell as a Watcher got in a lucky strike, but the rest moved past the waiting soldiers.
And they were coming right for Jak.
She almost ran, but she planted her feet. She had to face these monsters that murdered her father. She could make it right. She had to make it right.
Instinct and several weeks of training took over. Her body formed a defensive stance, with the point of the spear angling toward the oncoming demons. They didn’t even seem to notice the weapon. The first quickly impaled itself on the spear. Jak quickly realized the problem now. She struggled to get the spear free before the next demon lunged at her. Barely pulling the spear free, she used a technique Naem had taught her to use the shaft of the spear to redirect the demon’s forward momentum away from her. Perhaps there was some use to training in the quarterstaff after all.
The demon fell to the side but quickly recovered. It sprang again at Jak, and it wasn’t the only one. Three other demons were coming in her direction. She didn’t even have time to notice that they were all focused on her, completely ignoring the other Watchers around them.
Without thinking her body fell into the appropriate stances to ward off the incoming demons. But it wasn’t enough. There were just too many, and her experience with her weapon was still limited.
A demon barreled into her, knocking her down and snapping its pointed teeth as it did so. She barely held off its jaws, instinctively jamming the spear into the demon. The teeth stopped snapping and it fell off of her. But she was down now, and the remaining demons were moving in for the kill.
Suddenly, Kuldain was there. With skill Jak had never seen before, he managed to grab two of the approaching demons and Jak heard the sickening sizzle as their blood boiled. Other Watchers had arrived now, including Naem. That was the first time Jak had seen Naem join the battle. As she lay on her back, she watched the Watchers as they slaughtered the remaining demons.
That gave Jak time to get to her feet. But by the time she staggered upright, the battle was practica
lly done. It had happened so fast. All the demons that had come at her were dead, as were the rest that attacked the front line. Jak could hear demon cries cut off as the last stragglers were taken care of.
Silence finally greeted her, broken only by her heavy breathing.
Kuldain turned to look at her. “What was that?” he said. His voice was cold and darker than Jak had ever heard it.
“I…” Jak looked around. Kuldain wasn’t the only one looking at her. The rest of the Watchers looked at her too. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Don’t be foolish. The demons, they targeted you. Specifically. Demons don’t do that. They attack at random, like wild animals, worse than wild animals. It’s the biggest advantage we have over demons, that there is no strategy. None! And yet, somehow, they wanted to kill you.”
Jak looked around her, feeling every cold and confused stare. Even Naem was looking at her with confusion.
“I…I don’t know why they attacked me,” she said, starting to panic. “I don’t know!”
Kuldain narrowed his eyes at her. But it was Naem that came to her rescue once again. “Sir, she was the smallest and least armored member of the band. Perhaps the demons sensed her helplessness and sought her out. To cull out the weakest of the band.”
Jak let her head fall. She knew Naem was just trying to spare her some trouble, but being called weak still tore at her. Kuldain was pondering Naem’s words. “And what does that say of you, soldier. You, whose job it was to make sure she was prepared for battle. Her liabilities weaken the band, and they are your responsibility.”
That was unfair, and everyone knew it. Jak had only been training with the band for a matter of weeks. She couldn’t be expected to match up on the level of soldiers whose lives were devoted to battle.
“Yes sir,” Naem responded, saying nothing of the injustice of Kuldain’s words. “I take full responsibility.”
Out of Shadow: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 1) Page 7