by Eric Vall
There were a few seconds of quiet before I heard wood scrape against itself as the men below tried to escape. Then there was a creak before one of the wooden beams snapped in half. The top of the rubble collapsed onto the workers, but I quickly stabilized the debris before the men could be buried further.
“Everyone okay?” I called down.
Silence answered me, and I cursed. That couldn’t be good.
I maneuvered more stone to help secure the rubble, and then I breathed my healing dust down into the depths of the hole.
“Hey!” I yelled again. “Henry, can you hear me?”
After a few tense seconds, I heard a faint cough, and I sighed in relief.
“I think we’re okay!” Henry called in a hoarse voice. “Just shaken up.”
“Okay, good,” I shouted back. “Can you see any light around you? If you can see light, I might be able to pinpoint your location.”
Several voices began to speak, but I couldn’t keep track of them all.
“Lord Evan,” Henry’s familiar voice finally cut above the others, “some men can see light, but most of us are trapped in darkness. We don’t even know which way is up.”
“Don’t worry,” I assured the men. “I’ll get you out. I just need to think of a plan.”
I flapped my massive wings and flew around the destroyed building as I thought, and my body cast a shadow over the damage, which gave me an idea.
“Henry,” I called again as I went back to hover over the mill, “I’m going to fly overhead. To those of you who can see some form of light, let me know when it flickers out for a moment. Then I’ll have a general idea of the area where some of you are stuck.”
It may not have been the best plan, but it was all I could do for now. I had to begin the retraction as soon as possible, or else the men would suffocate down there.
“We understand, sir,” Henry shouted back. “They’re ready whenever you are.”
I flapped my wings and gained some altitude again, and my shadow cast down over the rubble as I slowly began to circle. I made sure I covered every inch of the collapsed structure, but after a few laps, I growled in irritation. My plan obviously hadn’t worked the way I wanted it to, so I dove back down to the ground.
“There!” Henry suddenly yelled. “The light vanished for the men a few moments ago!”
I let out my wings to slow my speed as I crept back up into the sky.
“There, again!” Henry cried.
I glanced down. I was above the northern section of the mill.
“Okay!” I roared. “I think I know where they are!”
I dove back toward the ground and landed a safe distance away, but my stone magic helped keep the earth stable as I slowly crept toward the debris. When I was finally close enough, I began to dig along the edges of the mill to help reach the workers, and I could dig a hell of a lot faster than any human could.
After a few moments of digging, I could hear frantic voices below me.
“Hey,” I yelled. “I found you! You’ll be out soon.”
The voices cheered as I continued to dig for them, and it only took a few minutes before I reached a handful of men.
“Lord Evan!” several voices called out in relief, and I could just barely make out dirty and dusty faces through the hole I’d dug.
“Come on out,” I instructed, “but be careful to not collapse the hole after you.”
The men nodded and grunted in agreement, and one by one, they all eagerly climbed out of the hole. It took several minutes for the handful of workers to crawl out, but when they were finally freed and reunited with their families, I leapt back into the skies.
I’d rescued some of the men, but they were still many more buried beneath the hill.
“Henry?” I shouted and flew as low to the debris as I dared. “How is everyone else?”
“We’re alive,” Henry called back. “For now, that is enough.”
“I’m going to get you all out, don’t worry,” I promised. “All of you will see your families again today.”
“We trust you, my lord, just tell me what you need us to do,” Henry’s muffled voice echoed from below.
I flew around the area as I tried to figure out what to do. The mill was too unstable to dig the remainder of the workers out, and I didn’t even know how far anyone was buried or where exactly they were.
Well, if I couldn’t dig them out, I’d just have to bring them to the surface another way.
“I have an idea,” I yelled as a plan started to form in my head. “I’ll use my stone magic to lift the ground underneath you up to the surface. I’ll try to hold everything steady so no one gets crushed, but I need all of you to help me out. Let me know if something starts to fall or crush you.”
“We’re ready whenever you are, Lord Evan,” Henry shouted.
“Okay,” I muttered to myself as I hovered in the air above the mill, “let’s do this.”
I reached out with my stone magic, and the earth rattled for a brief moment before the mill began to shake as I slowly pulled the men to the surface. I could hear various beams begin to snap as I worked, but no one called out, so I didn’t pause. I just continued to bring the crushed mill and the men buried inside it toward me.
“I see light!” Henry yelled, and I could hear the relief in his voice.
I also heard a few coughs from below, though, and I stopped to listen. Then I could see movement within the metal and wood, and a man suddenly stumbled out of the debris. Blood stained the top half of his shirt and covered his skin, but it was dried and dark, and he seemed to be relatively okay. There were cheers from the onlookers as the man was rushed by his family, and then he was carted off to be looked over.
I continued to raise the ground below the mill, and I only stopped when I could hear or see the trapped men inside the rubble.
“How many are left?” I called down after a dozen more workers had escaped.
“I think it’s just me,” Henry shouted back. “No one else has responded in a while.”
“Okay, good,” I sighed. “We’re almost done then. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Ready to be out of here.”
“It shouldn’t be too much longer,” I assured him. “I almost have the entire building out.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard a snap followed by a deep rumble. Then, before I could move, the entire structure of the mill collapsed once more.
“No!” I roared as I dove toward the ground.
I was tired of this, so I landed on top of the rubble and began to furiously dig through the scraps of wood and twisted beams.
“Henry?” I yelled down as I dug my way through the mess below. “Are you okay?”
Silence answered me, and my healing magic rushed out of my mouth in a glittery rainbow.
I heard a shaky breath not too far below me, and I let out another roar before I broke into a small gap and saw a hand covered in blood and dirt. I carefully moved the rest of the debris away, reached out with my clawed talon, and lifted Henry’s limp body from the wreckage. Then I lifted both of us back into the air just as the mill collapsed completely in on itself.
I landed on the ground a dozen yards away, but Henry was still unconscious in my grasp. I set him down gently, and my magic brushed over him again in another wave of glitter.
“Come on, Henry,” I muttered, “don’t give up on me now.”
A moment later, he let out a cough and turned on his side with a wince.
“Lord Evan,” he rasped up at me, and then a weak smile flashed across his face. “It’s an honor to meet you in person.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” I chuckled, and my magic quickly healed his broken bones and the other injuries created by the accident.
“Henry!” The dark haired woman I spoke to earlier let out a sob as she fell to her knees beside us and clung to the man. “I thought for sure I would never see you again!”
“I’m alright, my love,
” Henry whispered into her ear. “You won’t be rid of me that easily.”
The woman let out a laugh as she ran the end of her dress over his dust covered eyes.
I shifted back into my human form beside them, but then I decided to give the couple some privacy. So, I walked over to the other men I’d freed, and my magic rushed over them, but I couldn’t sense any other injuries.
“Are you all okay?” I asked them as they reunited with their families.
“We are alive, thanks to you, Lord Evan, Guardian of Hatra,” Henry intoned behind me, and I turned to see him on his feet as the dark haired woman propped him up. “We are proud to serve you.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I said with a smile. “Does anyone know what happened?”’
“I don’t, I’m sorry.” Henry frowned, and everyone else shook their heads.
“Well, stay away from the area for now,” I instructed with a furrowed brow. “It could have been a sinkhole, and I don’t want anyone else to get hurt.”
“Yes, of course,” Henry nodded, “I’ll make sure a barrier is set up so the children don’t get too close.”
“Thank you for the suggestion, and thank you for your help today, Henry.” I grinned and held out a hand. “You helped save these men down there. You should be proud of yourself.”
Henry’s wife beamed at my praise while Henry blushed and shook my hand.
“I’m no hero, my lord,” the man argued. “You’re the one who saved lives today. The honor of that title is yours.”
“You’re a good man, Henry.” I nodded at him in respect. “I’m honored you chose Hatra as your home.”
With the workers all rescued now, the news of the mill spread quickly through the city, and I heard the gossip as I walked back toward the palace. I’d just passed the first few rows of houses when I heard my name called, and I turned as Natalya and Maksim ran toward me.
“Lord Evan!” Natalya, the blacksmith of Hatra, yelled, and her voice was frantic. “Ilya is missing.”
Chapter 2
“What do you mean, Ilya is missing?” I gasped when the Asurans reached me. “When was the last time you saw him?”
Natalya panted as she tried to calm down. Her pale, silver blue hair was tied back into a tight ponytail, her Asuran horns protruded from her forehead, and she still wore her blacksmith apron over her clothes. Tears streamed down her face, though, and her eyes were wide and panicked.
“Last night,” Maksim replied for the blacksmith as he rubbed her back in comfort. His hair, the same silvery blue color that was specific to all Asurans, was a mess around his head, like his hands had continuously run through it due to his worry. His horns were larger and more prominent than Natalya’s and sat in the middle of his forehead, which was furrowed in concern. “I sent him and Ilyushina to bed together. When I went to wake them for breakfast, Ilya was gone. Ilyushina doesn’t remember if he woke up in the night and left or if something happened. He’s never been on his own this long before, so we’re both worried.”
“I can’t lose the young lord, too,” Natalya hiccuped and covered her face. “After the village … it’s just too much.”
“It’s okay.” I placed a hand on her shoulder. “Both of you, go find Ilyushina and stay with her. I’m sure she’s worried about her brother. I’ll look for Ilya, he has to be here somewhere.”
“Okay. Thank you, Lord Evan.” She nodded and dried her eyes. “Please, let me know the second you find him.”
“Of course.” I gave her a reassuring smile, even though my gut churned with unease. “I’m sure he’s probably off with the other kids somewhere. Don’t worry. I’ll bring him home.”
Natalya nodded, and then she and Maksim turned back toward their house, which was right next to Natalya’s smithy.
“Okay,” I whispered to myself when I was alone. “Where to start?”
I glanced around the area and took a few deep breaths. Then I caught Ilya’s scent. It was stale, at least a few hours old, but it was better than nothing. So, I followed the scent around the city, but I still found no sign of him.
I searched for hours, but Ilya seemed to have vanished into thin air. I asked the other children of the city, but none of them had seen him today. I asked other citizens and checked his and Ilyushina’s frequent haunts, but I turned up nothing. Worry began to creep into my thoughts, and I tried my best to reason with myself. It was unlikely the boy was kidnapped, since Alyona’s barrier still surrounded the city, and the only entrances or exits to Hatra were guarded at all times. The most likely scenario was Ilya chose to run away, but I still didn’t understand why he would do that. He knew how dangerous it could be outside the walls, he had witnessed that first hand when his village was attacked.
I had to find him before something happened to him.
Hours later, I’d walked around the entirety of the city when I finally returned back to Maksim and Natalya’s home.
I raised my fist to knock along the door, but then it was flung open, and Natalya’s worried face glanced around me before she sighed sadly.
“You didn’t find him,” she said in defeat and shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” I winced, “I looked and asked all over the city.”
“I don’t understand,” she murmured, and tears filled her eyes again. “Where could he be?”
“He has to be around here somewhere,” Maksim told her as he appeared behind her shoulder. “That boy does like to get into mischief. He’ll come home soon.”
“He’s never done this before, he could be hurt somewhere!” Natalya cried.
Inside their home, along the steps, Ilyushina flinched at the words. Then she looked up, and there was a guilty expression on her face.
“Ilyushina?” I asked softly.
Maksim and Natalya both turned to the young girl, but Ilyushina played with a strand of her pale blue hair, looked down at her feet, and refused to meet our eyes.
“Ilyushina,” I said again, this time with more authority in my voice. I also stepped inside the home and climbed the few steps to sit next to her. “Do you know where Ilya is?”
She bit her lip and refused to look up.
“He could be hurt,” I tried to reason with the child, “we need to make sure he’s okay. If you know where he is, you have to tell us.”
“Ilyushina promised she wouldn’t tell,” the girl whispered as tears brimmed in her eyes, and she quickly scrubbed at her face with the sleeve of her shirt.
“I know,” I sighed and forced her to look at me, “and I know keeping your word is important, but you have to tell us. We need to bring him home, do you understand? The sun has started to set. It will be dark within a few hours. He could be in a lot of danger if he’s out there alone.”
“He went back to our village,” Ilyushina murmured as a stray tear rolled down her cheek. “He heard someone talking about how you will leave Hatra soon, and he got mad. He said he wanted to go home. He said he knew the way.”
“Ilyushina, why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Natalya asked from behind me.
“Ilya made Ilyushina promise,” the little Asuran cried, and her face contorted in anguish. “He said he would be back before anyone knew he was gone.”
“Why don’t you go up to your room?” I told her gently. “I’ll go and get your brother back. I promise.”
Ilyushina nodded, stood from the steps, and ran up to her room, and then I heard the door shut softly behind her.
“I’ll fly to the Asuran village,” I said as I stood and turned to Natalya and Maksim. “Anton is stationed there, so if Ilya made it through the forest and reached the village, he would know.”
“Thank you, Lord Evan,” Natalya said as she bowed her head, “and I am sorry about all of this. I didn’t think Ilyushina would ever lie to us like that.”
“Don’t be sorry,” I assured the blacksmith. “I should have spoken to both of them about my campaign, I’ve just been so busy lately I haven’t had time. I’ll talk to Ilya when
I find him so he won’t do anything like this again.”
The pair nodded with tired smiles, and as I left their house, I sent a quick messenger dragon to my parents, Alyona, and Laika about the situation before I walked to the gates and slipped outside the city. Then I shifted into my dragon form and tore into the air.
I flew over the forest, and my eyes scanned the path to the Asuran village, just in case Ilya wasn’t able to reach his former home. It didn’t take too long for me to fly to the village, and I landed outside the mines. Then I shifted back into my human body just as Anton met me from the city.
“Lord Evan,” he bowed deeply, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Is Ilya here?” I asked quickly.
“Ilya?” Anton repeated with a furrowed brow. “The Asuran boy? No, is he supposed to be?”
“Damn it,” I cursed and rubbed my face. “If he’s not here, where is he?”
“I don’t understand.” The wolf Demi-Human frowned, and his bushy gray tail flicked behind him with unease. “Why would he be here alone? The forest can be tricky for adults to maneuver, that’s why the Asuran village was left alone all this time until the demons attacked. No one could find them, so I doubt a child could make his way from Hatra to here.”
I suppressed a groan. This situation continued to become more severe with each second that passed.
“He ran away last night,” I explained to the wolf, “but his sister said he was on his way here. Can you send a message to Laika? I sent her a message before I left Hatra to let her know Ilya was missing, but I’d hoped to find him here. Since that isn’t the case, we need to ready a search party. I don’t want Ilya to be lost in the woods overnight, so we need to locate him now. I’ll fly over the area and see if I can find him anywhere.”
“Sure.” Anton pressed a hand over the blue tree sigil on his chest and was silent as he spoke to his guild leader. Then he nodded to me. “She’ll prepare a search party immediately, and they’ll head out as soon as they are ready. I can gather a few of the people here as well. I have a few bodies to spare.”
“Good. I’ll look from the skies. Make sure to send a message to Laika and me if you find anything.” Then I turned away from the wolf Demi Human, shifted into my dragon form once more, and took off into the air.