Reckoning

by David Adams

  “It must have been a tough winter here,” Uesra commented, “or else that deer was sick.”

  “I think winter was tough all over Corterra,” Silas said.

  “But we noted how much worse things were outside of Longvale,” Darius said, thinking back to the early stages of their journey.

  “That was last year,” Adrianna pointed out.

  “I know. And I know things have likely changed here since then. But the way that deer looked… I fear it will be much worse here than I expected, or maybe I should say ‘hoped,’ and who knows how bad it may have become elsewhere. Even if we defeat Kaelesh...” He shook his head and said no more.

  “I won’t accept that it’s too late,” Silas said, replying to Darius’ implied fear. “Not while we have strength left to fight.”

  There was a general consensus that he spoke for the group, and Darius nodded as well. There was never a question in his mind about turning away from their quest, just the dread of thinking that Kaelesh and his brothers might have so poisoned Corterra that nothing the companions could do now could turn the world away from slow decay and death. Darius realized he wasn’t normally so morbid, and he didn’t like the kind of gruesome images that came unbidden to his mind, but he couldn’t berate himself too much for any if it. Even after Luke’s death he hadn’t considered vengeance a motivator for any of his actions, and he wouldn’t use it now. They’d face Kaelesh and, if they won, he’d have to hope Corterra still had the strength and the will to heal given enough time. With great doubt he wondered if his lifetime would be time enough.

  * * *

  Over the next several days they were unhindered and, as far as they could tell, unwatched as they continued relentlessly toward Old Bern. They managed to snare two rabbits that were as scrawny as the deer had been, and by careful rationing were able to maintain an adequate supply of water, but the subtle changes they had begun to note had continued past the point where any could question the differences that had come over this part of the world. The landscape grew more barren the closer to Old Bern they traveled, and even the aspect of the land went from faded green, yellow, and brown to a sickly grey pallor. To be sure, color could be found if one looked for it, but everything appeared unhealthy and washed out, as if the land had been drained of all its former vitality. The streams they found were fewer and narrower, and they started to wonder how long it would be until they only came upon muddy beds. Of finding further food they began to despair.

  As if the aspect of the world was not grey enough, they had marched under heavy clouds almost non-stop for three days. When the sun pierced through the thinning overcast one morning it drew their gazes and seemed almost unbearably bright, although its warmth was welcome on their faces. For a time they passed under blue skies and their hearts lifted a bit, but as midday came a new and different kind of cloud started to darken the sky. It came up from the south, high and thin and reddish-pink, as light seen through a red glass. A warm wind came with it, a breeze that offered no comfort to them, being too close and stifling. The wind whistled and howled, a steady background under the crackle of lightning that frequently slashed across the sky.

  “I take it we’re getting close,” Xanar said.

  Darius looked up at the reddish overcast with a grimace and said, “Apparently.”

  “Hate to see what sort of rain would fall from such a sky,” Adrianna said. She held a hand out, as if expecting the first drop to fall any second.

  “Not much in the way of shelter around here,” Uesra said. “Perhaps the trees when in bloom, but now they’re so bare… We’ll have to trust to our luck.”

  “We’ve seem to be doing that a lot lately,” Darius said.

  Silas agreed, but added, “Sometimes that’s all we’ve got.”

  When they finally stopped for the night they guessed from the usual aches and pains that they had traveled longer than normal. The sky had remained unchanged, and even though they knew it had to now be well past sunset, the world still was bathed in the same reddish hue. The wind was constant, and the lightning nearly so, but no rain had fallen, and for that they were grateful. If anything the land looked even bleaker in the strange light, less grey but now of an alien hue that gave no hint of supporting life. They didn’t bother to make a fire that night, not needing its warmth or light, and none of them feeling up to eating despite the hunger that gnawed at them. They dared only a few sips of water and tried to sleep in the dubious shelter of some scraggly trees, but found little rest. It was less with the dawn they could not see and more with a growing sense of restlessness that they decided to push on the next day.

  Late that morning the weather shifted again. A stiffer breeze rolled in from the northeast, one carrying cold air and thick, leaden clouds. It portended a storm, but the kind to which they had grown accustomed to over the course of their lives. What would normally be termed a turn for the worse in the weather was welcomed gladly. They could almost sense a heavenly battle of the two storm fronts, and wondered at what catastrophe might be born where the edges crashed together, but the northern storm was the more insistent, and soon it blew past them and rode to the horizon. Snow started to fall, wet, heavy flakes that clung to the companions as they walked.

  “Looks like a big one,” Silas said, but his tone was positive. “Guess winter has one last hurrah left.”

  Darius held out his hand and caught a few flakes, drawing them to his mouth. “Tastes as clean as it looks,” he reported. “We should be able to replenish out water.”

  The storm was not as mighty as some in the north, but it was a classic late-season snow. Before it was done a blanket of white six inches deep covered the world, and a stillness fell over everything. “I don’t know that I’ve ever appreciated a snowfall as much as this one,” Darius said as he surveyed the landscape. “It makes everything seem so clean and pure, even here where the land has fallen ill.”

  “The enemy does not control everything,” Silas agreed with a smile.

  Traveling in the snow did bring into even sharper focus how devoid of life this area had become. They had hoped to find tracks to aid their hunt for food, but the only ones they spotted were their own when they looked over their shoulders. They tried to take some comfort in another day passing without any spy or agent of the enemy being seen.

  Dawn seemed to come early, but it was not the sunrise that lit the sky. The red overcast had returned. The camp stirred awake early, trained as they were to respond to the coming of day, and they felt they would gain little from further rest once they had been roused. After he had gathered his things and was ready to move out for the day, Silas looked heavenward, feeling the warm breeze on his face and blinking away the aftereffects of the lightning from his eyes.

  After a time Darius joined him. “I think the storm clouds cleared out several hours ago,” he said. “Left a void this stuff could fill. It’s not like it pushed the regular storm aside in the end.”

  “I know,” Silas replied, “but thanks for saying so anyway. It really matters little at this point, as long as it’s just a show. We aren’t turning aside now, and we already knew he had power…”

  “It was still nice to see that other storm shove this stuff aside. Bet that annoyed Kaelesh, assuming this display is his doing, and for our benefit.”

  Silas smiled and shrugged. “I’m just glad we’re close to the end of this road. I want to finish this, one way or another.”

  “What do you make of our chances?”

  “Not good,” he said with honesty, but then he smiled. “Just like when we went up against Praad and Orgoth.”

  Xanar had approached while they spoke, and he now chimed in. “Oh, they’ve got to be better than that. We’re experienced at bringing down demon-lords now.”

  “Fair enough,” Silas said. “I guess regardless of the odds, that makes us the best choice for the job.”

  The light from the sky turned the snow-covered ground a pink color, and none could help feeling that they walked now in a
world wholly different than the one they knew, as if they had been magically transported to a realm more to Kaelesh’s liking. The sun remained hidden, and while it never grew dark things never progressed beyond dim, and every tree, plant, or rock cast deep shadows that might be hiding anything. The warm breeze continued to blow from the south, and eventually the air warmed to the point that the snow began to melt, and as it did a fog started to rise, thin and wispy at first but then growing denser. The shadows began to recede and the fire-lit sky to fade as the greyness closed about them.

  They walked as near to the river as they dared, finding the best visibility along the banks. Even so, as the fog reached its densest they had to nearly touch one another as they walked so as not to lose themselves. Their weapons they kept ready, knowing at any moment something could spring from the mist to assail them. Their pace slowed to an unbearable crawl.

  “It almost feels like the silence presses in upon us,” Adrianna whispered. And indeed, it did seem as if the stillness was close now, a tingle of expectation lingering in the air, where each step could bring terrors unnamed. Adrianna even winced at the sound of her own voice, soft as it was. She felt as if she had shouted, “Here we are!” to anything close enough to hear.

  They couldn’t silence the sound of their own footfalls, careful as they might be, and they had no inclination to stop, knowing that while each step brought risk, it also brought them that much closer to being free of the fog. The gentle sound of the flowing river seemed far away, even though it was only a few feet to their right.

  The tension grew to the point that Xanar preferred to break the quiet, even if it might give them away. If they were being stalked, he was ready to face whatever it was that was doing so. “At least we know this is no device of the enemy. Fogs like this one are far from uncommon when such mixed conditions exist.”

  “Not his device,” Uesra said, “but it aids him.”

  “Perhaps not,” Silas countered. “It slows us, but it might just hide us from his roving eye or his spies.”

  “And speed isn’t necessarily to our advantage,” added Darius. “We don’t know what the next few days will bring.”

  Uesra had felt a growing need to get to Kaelesh ever since they had overcome Orgoth, an instinct inside her that fundamentally disagreed with what Darius was saying. She had no hard evidence that delay harmed them and helped him, and would not speak out based on feelings alone. She could have pointed out their dwindling food and water supplies certainly indicated that speed was of value, but arguing by pointing out only problems would not help them. She forced a smile and said, “We’ve had our share of luck. You are probably right. This may turn to our advantage, not his.”

  It was difficult to say whether the fog lifted or they simply escaped it, but after what seemed several painful hours it thinned and gave way. The hellish sky was unchanged, but the land had continued to become more lifeless, and the change was starker for them having traveled so long without being able to see the differences in subtle increments over a period of time. They halted as one, surveying the grim tableau before them.

  The ground was parched and cracked, the scruffy grass that remained in sparse patches withered and dry. The trees were devoid of foliage and were blackened and gnarled. The brush and odd plants that had previously found a foothold here and there were wilted or brittle, barely clinging to the last vestiges of life. The air was as dry as the land, arid and hot like an oven. It was as if the whole of the countryside had been blasted in some fiery cataclysm.

  “I feel like I should say ‘What happened?’ ” Darius said, “But I already know. Maybe not what, but who.”

  “Looks like he missed home,” Xanar said, getting a laugh—albeit a small one—that he wasn’t even after. He wasn’t joking.

  “If he’s homesick, maybe we can cure him,” said Silas, twisting up the courage to move on. The blasted land seemed forbidding, a wasteland only those without hope would try to cross.

  They stepped out with solemn silence, like people trying to pass through a graveyard unseen and unheard, not wanting to disturb the dead. Other than themselves, the river was the only thing that showed any sign of life, but the reflection of the red of the sky on its surface reminded them far too much of how it had run with blood only days before, and while it was their guide it was a companion that brought them no comfort.

  Throughout the day the way grew harder, the cracks in the ground more frequent and widening, sometimes even giving off fumes and vapors they dared not inhale. Before they stopped for what they thought of as the night, they had to hop over several such crevices.

  “If this continues we’ll soon have to find alternate paths around the worst of these fissures,” Uesra said.

  “How long until we reach Old Bern?” Adriana asked.

  “If we don’t get sidetracked, I’d guess three days,” Silas replied. Darius nodded, agreeing with his estimate.

  No one knew how to take that news. They were close, so close, but as much as they wanted to arrive, being so near brought thoughts of what they might face to the front of their minds. The devastation around them was a constant reminder of the power of the being they proposed to engage in a battle of strength and will.

  Try as they might, they could not ration their food and water forever. That evening they finished the last of the meat they had taken from the deer and the rabbits, and their water supply continued to dwindle. Darius took a small sip and capped his water bottle, despite wanting desperately to take a long draught. The dry air had heightened his thirst. He gave the container a shake and winced at how empty it sounded. He wasn’t going to say anything, but Xanar had been watching.

  “Enough for three days?” the elf asked.

  “Two, maybe. You?”

  “Less.” He glanced at the river. “It’s maddening to have so much water so close and still go thirsty.”

  Darius nodded. “But even so, I’d not drink of it.”

  “Me, either, unless I go crazy from thirst.”

  “Well, that won’t take long. You’re half crazy already.”

  “Very amusing,” Xanar said with a smile. “But I had to be to come along on this journey.”

  Darius grew serious. “Regrets?”

  Xanar shook his head. “No, not even now. It was the right thing to do, for our world, and for friends.”

  Darius found he couldn’t meet the elf’s gaze. He looked down at the barren land between his feet. “I’m glad you’re here, all of you. Sometimes I think I started all of this, and you’ve all had to come along lest I meet with disaster.”

  “Taking on three demon-lords by yourself would be a tall task, Darius, even for one as mighty as you.”

  “Of course. It’s just… I just hope you all make it through this last battle. Luke and Barlow were a steep price to pay for what we’ve accomplished so far.”

  “Great numbers have died because of the evil our enemies brought into our world. And more will fall if we do not finish this task. The price of inaction is heavy as well.”

  “And so we go on,” Darius said with a nod, though he still looked away. “But we mourn more for one lost friend than a thousand strangers. The personal losses cut deeper.”

  “We elves are no different. If it makes you feel any better, I promise to try to avoid getting killed in Old Bern, seeing how that might bother you.”

  Darius chuckled and said, “I appreciate that.” He thought for a moment and then added, “I would not say our enemies have brought evil into this world. It was men that opened that door. Even if we win, such men will still exist…”

  “One battle at a time, my friend.”

  Darius knew Xanar was right. They already had a heavy task before them. If they succeeded, he would have plenty of time to ponder what would become of Corterra afterwards.

  Chapter 17: The Blasted Lands

  The next day saw the openings in the ground grow from cracks and fissures to ravines. Most of these they didn’t need to go around, being able to
see the bottom and therefore to enter and exit them. Even so, their progress was markedly slower than the day before, and far slower than they desired. At first they had gone around the wider openings, as from these emanated the fumes that swirled about them, but after a time even the air at ground level grew so thick with these mists that it seemed little worse to spend a brief period at lower elevations. Regardless of where they walked no one wanted to draw a deep breath, and by unspoken agreement they moved with as much haste as possible across the ravines, often holding their breath as they did so. The strange lightning-streaked sky and a hot, gusting wind remained constant companions, precursors to a violent storm that had yet to break.

  “You’d think the wind would at least blow these fumes away,” Darius lamented.

  “Think how much worse off we’d be without it,” Xanar replied. “They’d probably gather around us as thick as that fog a few days back.”

  “Don’t even mention that,” Adrianna said. “The way the ground is so broken up here… If our sight was that limited again, we could hardly dare to move.”

  They continued on past when they guessed sundown to be, knowing they had no food and wanting to put as many miles behind them as they could. It made for a long day, and it was slow, sweaty work to travel in such lands. When they finally decided to stop and rest, they needed no fire, having the ever-present red glow from the sky and all the warmth they could want from the stuffy air.

  “If anyone had tried to tell me I’d long for cold again after the winter we just passed,” Darius said, “I’d have laughed out loud.”

  “I certainly prefer a less balmy climate,” Uesra said with a wan smile.

  “Yeah, what happened to spring?” Xanar wanted to know.

  “Took a year off, I suppose,” Darius answered. “I guess we’ll get two spring seasons next year.”