They’d made for the trees, hoping to gain some cover so they could free the family inside and hide before the soldiers could give chase…unfortunately that strategy was now working against them. Individual riders were much better able to navigate over the less than smooth terrain, and very soon the carriage would be unable to fit between the trees.
Just give us a few extra minutes, she begged, though she wasn’t sure who she was directing her thoughts toward. If they could just gain enough time to stop and pull out her bow, she could bring down these three and they could set up a trap for the others. Killing them as they ate their breakfast unsuspectingly wasn’t something she had even considered…but taking down soldiers who would likely kill them all if they were able to recover the prison-carriage? She would do it. The lives of Jenie’s family were worth far more than the lives of the kind of men who joined the king’s army.
As she watched, one of the soldiers failed to duck in time and was swept from his horse by an overhanging tree limb. Amischel smiled faintly. The other two passed him, looks of surprise on their faces. Her smile faded. If she could make out their expressions they were much too close…and just a little ways behind them, she could see the figures of more horses quickly catching up. Irakyll, where are you? she thought desperately.
* * * * *
Arys had finished explaining the three types of mages and why the Destroyer could only transition to a person with certain attributes—attributes that Ky’ara realized were uncomfortably similar to her own. Closely related to the Royal bloodline? Check. Emotion-oriented mage? Check, (at least, according to Arys). Pain and suffering? Check. While she liked to think that she had weathered the trials in her life well, it was still a fact that she had lost her parents at a young age and struggled to feel accepted by her peers. She’d also been through an incredibly traumatic experience when she had discovered the massacre of the council, and over the last year she’d suffered a great deal of physical and emotional pain. If these were the only criteria for becoming the next Destroyer, she was as good a candidate as any other…though Arys had noted that the Darkness seemed to favor younger hosts—someone who hadn’t already determined their path in life yet.
Something that had been bothering her since Taren had first brought up the Destroyer’s lineage came to her mind. “Who is the Destroyer?” Ky’ara asked. “It’s been eating away at me ever since Taren told me it was a member of the aristocracy…I can’t imagine any of the people I know being responsible for the kinds of things Ekzhad did, and yet he was apparently small fish compared to the Destroyer.”
Arys looked into the distance. “My view is somewhat limited, but I have been able to scry for bits and pieces of what has gone on in the last five hundred years—I passed some of that on to Taren while he was sealed…” she paused as though trying to gather her thoughts. “I believe the last time the Destroyer switched was just before you were born…the Queen had just died and her daughter suffered some sort of extended illness. The next time I scried her, the Light was gone from her aura.”
“The past-queen’s daughter…Il’esandra?” Ky’ara cried in astonishment, “Il’esandra is the Destroyer?
Arys nodded even as Ky’ara shook her head in disbelief. “But I’ve met her! She’s somewhat arrogant, sure. A little self-absorbed? absolutely. But does not thinking about others really make her evil? I always just thought she felt a little…empty.”
“What is Good and Evil but the difference between what is there and what is not?” Arys said philosophically, “Darkness is merely the absence of light.”
Ky’ara considered this, still unable to reconcile the idea that she had been to parties and court events with the enemy she was destined to fight. She tried to think back on any of the dozen or so interactions she’d had with the woman, and could only come up with a vague idea of what she looked like and the fact that she had seemed standoffish. Surely she would have recognized that she was speaking to someone so evil her darkness threatened the existence of the universe?
Arys moved on, not waiting for Ky’ara to come to grips with this revelation. “The King’s sister is ideally placed for influencing his actions. She has been manipulating policy from behind the scenes for nearly the last two decades, first with her father, and now with her brother. I only see fragments, but I know that the darkness senses how close it is to winning this world…it will seek the soonest opportunity to pass…I cannot see the future—well, nothing other than vague shadows and premonitions—but three months ago I sensed a change. The King’s wife is pregnant and the child is suited to the Destroyer’s needs. You have six months to find a way to defeat it, or all is lost.”
“SIX MONTHS!” Ky’ara looked at Arys in astonishment. The druid nodded, her face serious.
Six months. Half a year to take what she now knew and try to find a solution to the problem that had plagued the world for almost two thousand years. How was she supposed to accomplish that when she didn’t even have a complete knowledge of basic magical theory? If the combined efforts and research of the thousands of druids who had served over the last two millennia had been unable to uncover the answer, how was she supposed to do it in six short months?
“Of course, you do have the option of extending that deadline…” Arys said, “It could take decades for another suitable candidate for Transition to present itself…the occurrence of three in the last two decades is somewhat of an anomaly.”
Ky’ara gave her a quizzical look, and then understanding dawned on her. She felt sick inside at the very thought.
“Absolutely not.”
“Obviously I would not suggest such an action as anything but a last resort,” Myrnai’s sister sounded somewhat irritated by Ky’ara’s reaction.
“But you would suggest it as a last resort!?” Ky’ara couldn’t keep the disbelief and disgust out of her voice, “Killing an innocent pregnant woman? I can tell you right now that that will not happen. And if anyone else tries it, I will defend Rei’alee to my very last breath!”
Arys considered her with a serious expression. “The fate of whole worlds lies in your hands. Just consider carefully what one or two lives are worth when the future of multitudes is at stake. And it may be possible preserve the mother’s life and only take the child. There are certain poisons—“
Ky’ara gave her a look of such revulsion that Arys broke off her sentence and sighed. “I don’t like it either! But sometimes we do what we have to, for the sake of the greater good.”
“Doing something evil, even for the sake of good, doesn’t make it right,” Ky’ara contended, “and that would still only be a stalling action…I’ll just have to make sure I find the solution before the six months is up.”
Arys opened her mouth to reply, thought better of it, and settled with a single resigned nod. “The responsibility rests on your shoulders, so the choice is yours. Just remember what you just read—your actions will be the culmination of generations of work and sacrifice. Don’t let that trust be misplaced.”
Ky’ara nodded mutely. It still didn’t feel quite real. She’d been feeling the weight of her responsibility increase since the day she had set out with Joran, but somehow the general idea of “defeat the Destroyer” and the implications of “the destruction of whole worlds” were hard to connect. She was a little afraid that if she did finally comprehend the issue, the weight of it would crush her.
* * * * *
Geri ducked as something flew over him, striking a tree a few feet ahead. He cursed, risking another quick glance behind. A few more soldiers had caught up with the other two. One of them had a crossbow.
Amischel couldn’t return fire—she was precariously balanced as it was, and he didn’t dare slow down enough for her to move towards the front. Another crossbow bolt flew past, this time barely missing the horse’s shoulder as Geri turned the carriage to avoid a tree. The poor creature was starting to slow down. Hauling the heavy prison-carriage at breakneck speed had worn it out quickly.
Sorr
y Jenie, Geri thought regretfully. He grabbed both reins in one hand and pulled his sword awkwardly from its sheath. If he came to a sudden stop and attacked, maybe he’d have the element of surprise…it was a long shot, but better than waiting for them to come alongside and shoot him in the head before he could even fight back.
Just as he was about to yank on the reins, an odd trill filled the air.
“What the—?”
A red and gold blur shot out of the trees ahead and streaked past him. He twisted quickly in his seat, nearly falling for what seemed like the umpteenth time. All he managed to glimpse was a quick burst of flame and a flurry of wings as the creature attacked the soldier with the crossbow.
A dragon.
Geri felt hope blossom in his chest, a searing heat that burned away the sick feeling completely. He turned back to the front just in time to narrowly avoid hitting a tree. Amischel was calling for him to slow down, and after hitting a particularly frightening bump, he complied, pulling on the reins. The relieved horse instantly slowed to a walk. A moment later Amischel had carefully scooted along the edge of the carriage and climbed onto the seat next to him. Her face was flushed and her eyes a little wild.
“A little too exciting?” Geri asked.
The woman nodded, smiling faintly. She pulled her bow off and then knelt on the seat, facing behind them and holding onto the backrest for balance. A moment later she let go and nocked, drew back, and released an arrow all in one smooth motion, grabbing the seat again as they turned to avoid a tree. A cry of pain just behind them told Geri it had found its mark. Amischel had pulled another arrow out and was steadying herself for another shot when suddenly the horse stumbled and fell heavily to the side, whinnying loudly as it struggled to regain its footing. The carriage teetered dangerously and Geri cursed. He leapt free, drawing his sword and cutting the traces before the animal could pull the entire conveyance over. It crashed back down on all four wheels and came to a stop with the loud crunch of breaking wood.
“You ok?” Geri called to Amischel, who’d been flung off the seat dangerously close to the flailing horse.
She answered affirmatively, her voice muffled by the foliage. A moment later she cursed angrily, and Geri looked up in surprise.
“What?” he asked frantically, hoping she hadn’t broken any bones.
“The wheel of the carriage is seriously damaged…there’s no way we’re getting out of here with it.”
“I don’t think the horse could pull it anyways,” Geri replied, looking at the animal where it had fallen a few paces ahead of the carriage. It was blowing loudly, struggling to stand and neighing in pain every time it tried to put weight on its front left leg.
“You come see if you can get the door of the carriage open,” Amischel said, “I’ll hold them off. Between Irakyll and me, we should be able to keep them far enough away for at least some of you to escape.”
Geri quickly rounded the carriage, pulling out his belt-knife. The dragon was harrying the riders, doing an admirable job of keeping them away. Two had fallen off their horses, but were still headed towards the carriage on foot. The others were getting close. Amischel was on her hands and knees, feeling around in the grass for her bow. She found it, and let out a frustrated groan. It was broken, snapped in half by the falling carriage.
“You work on the door.” Geri tossed the knife to her and drew his sword again. “I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”
He ran to engage the closest soldier, wondering how long he could really last against the seven who had pursued. Suddenly a dozen or so riders swept out of the trees behind him, splitting around the fallen carriage and crossing the short distance to the enemy in minutes. Before they knew what was happening, the astonished soldiers were surrounded and forced to dismount and give up their weapons. Geri stood, frozen in shock, his mind still processing that they had been rescued.
Irakyll trilled happily, spurting fire at one of the soldiers almost playfully as the poor man flinched and glared at the dragon.
“That is enough palita,” Hallahna chided her fondly, holding out her forearm for the dragon. “You have frightened them most thoroughly.”
Irakyll swooped in a circle and reluctantly returned to her master. Hallahna barked a few quick orders to her companions, which were mostly composed of Shari warriors, then turned to face him.
“You ran toward a fight you would not win. Apparently Calistra’s taste, it is better than I thought.”
Geri just gawked, unsure how the two statements related. He was tired from getting up so early and the stress of their crash, as well still startled by the unexpected arrival of the Shaari riders.
“Or not,” The Shaari princess frowned at him, and then motioned back towards the trees. “The family, they are in the carriage, yes?”
Geri snapped out of his confusion and nodded briskly. “Your timing was impeccable, princess. The carriage broke down right before your arrival…Amischel is trying to unlock the door now. One of those soldiers may have the keys.”
“You drove it away without getting the keys first?” Hallahna asked, seeming amused, “Kyshi hulden, all of you.”
Though he could tell it was clearly not a flattering assessment, Geri ignored the potential insult since Hallahna had already turned and directed a sharp question to the captive soldiers. One of them shook his head, pointing back towards the town. She eyed him suspiciously for a moment, then turned to Geri and motioned for him to follow her. When they reached the carriage, she gave Amischel a stiff hug. Then, after a moment’s consideration, she set her glaive carefully beneath the top hinge. With a swift twist of her wrist as she thrust upwards, she popped the pin out of place. She repeated the motion with the lower hinge, and then used the glaive as leverage to pry the door open despite the locks on the other edge.
Jenie and Hal emerged, holding their wailing children tightly and looking a little sick. “Never again!” Jenie gasped as she started laughing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face. “Never let me be the one to plan an escape again!”
Amischel hugged the hysterical woman and gave Hal a friendly nod. The children had ceased their crying and were watching their mother with concern. Geri turned to Hallahna, “What next?”
The Shaari warrior grinned wolfishly, picking up her glaive.
“Now we take the town.”
Chapter 20: A New Day
Arys sighed suddenly, absently tracing the length of a bookshelf with her finger. She was looking more and more insubstantial as time passed. Ky’ara wondered what that meant. They’d talked for a while about some of the finer points of magical theory relating to the things Myrnai had taught Ky’ara as well as the abilities she had that apparently circumvented the rules of magic. The druid didn’t have all the answers, nor did she pretend to. Magic, she had explained, was meant to be mysterious. For all their technical terms and explanations of how it worked, the druids had never fully defined or understood every magical phenomenon, and that was how it was supposed to be.
“Emotion-oriented mages in particular draw some of their strength from their sheer belief in their abilities. If we could delineate each and every possibility with absolute certainty, knowing that in and of itself would limit what you could do,” she had said. Ky’ara wasn’t sure if knowing that helped or hurt her confidence in her abilities. Knowledge was power…except when it wasn’t. Because innocence could also be power, and knowledge so often destroyed that attribute. It was confusing.
Ky’ara tore her thoughts away from the rules of magic and their apparent incongruence. Arys did not seem to have any more to say to her and it was probably almost morning. Taren and Joran would be worried. She was about to suggest as much to Arys, but then hesitated. The druid seemed so weighed down by the burdens she carried…perhaps she could do something to lighten the load.
“Arys,” Ky’ara began. The woman’s head snapped up and she regarded the girl with an unfathomable expression.
“I think—I know—that it would mean
a great deal to Taren if he could talk to you. Even for just a few moments. Could you—?”She didn’t quite know what to ask. Myrnai had summoned her to the Dreamworld once before. Arys had done the same thing, in a way, by calling Ky’ara through her dreams. She should be able to bring Taren there too, shouldn’t she?
Arys looked for a moment like she was going to object, but then she sighed, nodding slowly. “I suppose I owe him that, at the very least.”
She closed her eyes, going incredibly still, and a moment later Taren materialized next to Ky’ara. He seemed surprisingly calm for having been wrenched from his dreams.
“Are you alright?” he asked her immediately, carefully scanning the area for threats. His demeanor changed as he recognized the room around them, his posture stiffening.
“I’m fine,” Ky’ara replied, giving him a small smile of reassurance. “I have a lot to think about, that’s all.”
“Then why am I here—” Taren broke off mid-word when he saw the hazy figure across from them.
“Hello Taren,” the druid spoke softly, looking at the book shelves next to her.
“Arys,” the Keeper replied tersely, clearly struggling to keep his cool.
“I know I hurt you,” the ghostly woman murmured, turning slightly towards them but keeping her gaze on the floor. “I’m sorry for tearing you away from everything that you knew and loved. I cannot say that I am sorry for doing it, for I feel more than ever that it was necessary, but I am sorry it had to happen. There was no one else I could trust to do what is right.”
Arys finally turned her eyes on Taren, searching his face for some sign of forgiveness. “Are you still angry?” she asked softly.
Taren shook his head. Ky’ara reached out and took his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze of support. She knew how hard this must be for him, being here, seeing Arys again after what she had done to him the last time.
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