“Let’s find out.” I balled my fists and sunk into the fighting stance Zhealocera had taught me long ago. Dimitri snickered and settled into his own stance. Our eyes locked and slowly, we began to circle each other drawing closer and closer. My mind raced, trying to anticipate when and how he would attack and how I would fend him off without a weapon or shield.
When we were only about two meters apart, Dimitri twitched; feinting right, but striking from the left. I had anticipated his deception and somersaulted beneath the blade. He recovered quickly and struck again, sweeping his sword to and fro a hand’s width above the ground. I was forced to back flip to avoid it, but as I did, I grabbed handfuls of dirt. Once back on my feet, I hurled one handful of dirt towards his eyes, whispering a spell to guide it true. The instant the earth hit his face and exploded in a small cloud of dust, Dimitri recoiled as if touched by a hot iron. In that instant, I sprang forward and tackled him to the ground. His dual sword flew out of his hand, landing too far out of reach for what I had planned. I resorted to punching him in the face several times, managing to break his nose and fracture his jaw before he kicked me off.
I landed on my back with an ‘oof’ and forced myself to get up quickly. I scrambled to where Dimitri’s dual blade lay, determined to snatch it before it ended up in his possession. His hand caught my ankle and jerked me back, leaving only inches between my outstretched hand and the weapon. He dragged me even further away and I screamed in fury. Dimitri sneered as he pinned me directly beneath him. I spit in his face and jerked my knee up to the junction between his thighs. I smirked as his face flushed red and contorted with pain.
Through gritted teeth, he snarled at me, “You wretch!” And he followed it with a hard punch to my jaw, then another to my clavicle, which gave way with a loud snap. I cried out in agony as he laughed.
The ground shuddered roughly, jarring both of us and knocking him off me. He rolled to all fours, covering his ears as an angry rumble echoed nearby. I used the short respite to heal as much as I could before it was too late. I swore as the energy drain of healing my shattered clavicle hit me and left me lightheaded. The noise of the collapse finally settled and I forced myself to get up. Dimitri had recovered, and began rushing towards his weapon. I was on my feet and chasing after him a heartbeat later.
He got there first.
Picking the weapon from the grass, Dimitri turned and aimed it straight for me. Realizing I could not stop in time to avoid the weapon, I twisted and hoped it missed. I gasped as cold steel sliced through my leathers and buried itself deep in my left side, just beneath my ribcage. Still grasping the hilt firmly, Dimitri got to his feet and laughed victoriously.
“We’re not done yet.” I quietly growled. He seemed not to notice as I grasped the blade with both hands and muttered, “Hyerjam.”
The blade shattered like glass.
Before Dimitri could react, I jerked the shard free from my side with a wordless holler and planted it firmly in his neck. I backed away slowly, taking the fraction of the blade with me. His red barrier dropped and I heard a chorus of twelve shrieks echo from all around. He made a sick, gurgling noise and blood gushed from the wound and his mouth. His eyes went wide and his body grew rigid, as if he had been shackled to a board. A white light suddenly burst from the wound and red crystal began to creep over him, consuming him like a ravenous beast.
I chucked the shard away and turned my back on him as another angry rumble rocked the platform. Clutching my wounded side, I began to move away as fast as my tired and sore body would allow. The rumbling grew louder and louder, reaching a terrifying crescendo. Suddenly it went silent and the ground stopped shaking.
I froze where I stood and dared a glance back at the scene. As I did so, a deafening crack ripped the air. A split second later the entire platform began to crumble into the bay, spewing billowing clouds of dust into the air. It had started at the easternmost edge, but was rapidly moving towards me.
I swore and took off running as fast as I could, trying to ignore the searing pain in my side. No matter how fast I pushed myself to go, the landslide was faster still. It caught up with me before I had gone twenty meters. I resorted to spending the last bit of energy I had on a quickening spell and managed to pull ahead of the collapse.
I flew passed the palace gate and kept going, pushing myself well beyond my limit. The landslide continued to chase me, quickening as it reached the cobblestone bridge. Even with my magic, I was too slow to outrun it and found myself running over sideways sections of the bridge.
The landslide finally came to a stop several meters ahead. I leapt off the last crumbling bridge section and on to firm ground. Completely drained of energy and breath, I collapsed. I stared at the sky, trying to catch my breath as my eyelids grew heavy. I knew I should get up, for people were calling my name, but the ground was so soft beneath me. All I really wanted to do was close my eyes and sleep….
"Why did I agree to help Amorez?" Artimista scoffed at my query. "I didn't. I agreed to help my brother. He was the one eager for the challenge to create everlasting homunculi. Why Amorez sought him out, I cannot say. Though, I will admit I enjoyed her company, as well as the others. They had proven themselves capable warriors."
– FROM “THE UNSUNG” BY J’VAC TAIG (TRANSLATED BY B’REG KUNGA)
Kitfox sat alone on the cold, hard ground; one arm resting on a bent knee. He reclined against the dingy, stone wall of a peasant’s abandoned home. He did not care about the dampness or the stench of mold upon it. Nor did he care that it was dismally dark and nippy. He was too miserable to care about anything right now. All he wanted was to see her smile again. To hear her laughter; her voice. To look into her beautiful eyes and tell her that he loved her.
But he could not do that now.
He cast his gaze around the room, trying desperately to find something to take his mind off the grief… if only for a moment. The room was small; measuring about three meters wide and two long. A threadbare rug adorned the center of the trampled clay floor, and a half crumbled hearth formed the wall opposite him. The adjacent wall held a shabby, wooden door with rusty hinges that complained each time it was opened.
Inevitably though, his attention returned to the still form on the sleeping furs beside him. He sighed, and buried his face in his arms.
Three long days had passed since Bakari-Tokai’s collapse into the bay. Three miserable days without the love of his life by his side. Three days spent mostly alone, wallowing in a mix of guilt and grief. Despite being swamped with things to do to restore the world back into order, the others had taken the time to drop in and check on him and bring him food. They would leave soon after; returning to help organize the survivors and refugees in what little remained of Bakari-Tokai.
He should be helping.
He really wanted to.
But he simply did not have the will.
His ears twitched, catching the sound of footsteps prodding around nearby. He silently hoped that he was not about to have visitors; he was in no mood to entertain them.
“This city will take years to rebuild, maybe even decades.” This voice – Kitfox recognized – belonged to the Hume Healer, Jaxith. “Even then, Bakari-Tokai will never be the same.”
“The whole world will never be the same.” Said a gruff-voiced man. “We’ve lost so much and gained so little… hardly seems worth it.”
“Don’t say that!”
“Well, it’s true!”
“So you’re telling me we were better off under that dictator’s rule? Have you forgotten how his dragons brainwashed thousands of soldiers and turned them against their own friends and families? He could have done the exact same to any of us who opposed him. How is that better than what we have now?
“Yeah, we lost a city. It was a steep price. But we gained friends and allies amongst people we never even dreamed of! Look at the Wakari, for instance. They hid underground for nearly five centuries, yet here they are, aiding us in our most desperate time.
“Yes, the world will never be the same. It should never be the same after all the sacrifices made here. In the wake of destruction, a new and peaceful world has been born. We should strive to keep it that way forever.”
An awkward silence consumed the two. After a minute, the gruff-voiced man agreed. “But you didn’t have to preach it to me.”
Jaxith chuckled. “Sorry, man.”
Together the two shuffled away, talking about nothing of particular interest to their Demon eavesdropper.
Kitfox’s gaze once again returned to the still form beside him. “They have no idea just how much was really lost.” He whispered. But Jaxith is right; the world will never be the same again.
◆◆◆
Amorez hesitated outside the rickety door of the old peasant’s hut, all too aware of the miserable Demon within. She would have been content to leave him be, and return to her work securing the Shadow Dragons or helping to set up a new governing body. Thernu, however, had forced her away from those duties, saying a visit would do her some good. So Amorez had made her way across the refugee camp, only to stop outside the hut and stare at the door.
She felt like she was intruding. After all, it had been nearly two hundred years since she and Xyleena had grown apart. Amorez did not want to suddenly pop back into her daughter’s life and meet the man she had taken for a mate. Sure, she had heard great things about Kitfox, and had been impressed by his sacrifices for Xyleena. She wanted to meet him, really she did. She just felt awkward about it.
Amorez took a deep breath, steeled her nerves, and pushed the door open. She immediately silenced the cursed wail of the rusty hinges, and passed over the threshold. To her surprise, she was not greeted by the angry growl she had been warned to expect. In fact, the only sound in the room was that of slow and steady breathing. So she moved towards the middle of the tiny room, summoning a dim light orb as she did. The light scattered the shadows of night to the far corners of the room. Amorez took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the blue glow. At last she could see the room in its entirety.
Like a constant protector, Kitfox, reclined against the moldy wall beside his beloved. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed over his chest, which rose and fell in steady breaths. Amorez looked away from the sleeping Demon, to the still form atop a thick pile of sleeping furs. Her skin was as pale as snow and her body placid, almost as if Death had placed a kiss upon her. Many had actually believed the young Dragon Keeper had been killed in the final battle, but Amorez and a few others knew the truth. Xyleena’s body had become so exhausted from the continuous saps of energy used in spell craft that it needed time to recover. How long exactly remained unknown. Amorez truly hoped her daughter would revive soon.
With a sigh, she turned her gaze once again to the Demon. His eyes were open, glowing slightly as he stared at her. There was no anger or hatred in his amber orbs, only weariness. Suddenly, she felt even more awkward being there.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” She softly whispered, knowing his acute hearing would pick up her voice. When his ears twitched, she knew he heard her. She continued, turning away from him as she spoke. “I was just checking on you and Xy. I’ll leave you to rest now.”
“You don’t have to leave.” He muttered to her back. She looked at him over her shoulder, surprised that he would allow her to stay. His gaze, however, was no longer upon her. He was looking longingly at Xy as if begging her to awaken from her sleep. “It would be… nice… to have company for a while.”
Amorez slowly turned to face him completely. Unsure of what to say, she settled for sitting on the threadbare rug. She silently watched Kitfox watch Xy, wishing she knew what to say to cheer him. Nothing she could think of seemed empathic enough, which is why she did not want to be here in the first place.
Amorez sighed. “I’m not good at this.”
Kitfox tore his gaze away from his beloved to look at the older Keeper. “Good at what?”
“Dealing with people.” She shrugged. “I’ve been hiding from the outside world so long that I have forgotten how to interact with them.”
“Where have you been keeping yourself anyway?”
“Various parts of the world, mostly secluded places like the mountains around Pletíxa.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “Because almost everyone I met would go on and on about my being the ‘savior of the world.’ I got tired of listening to them and having them regale me with my own exploits or ask a million questions. I would suggest you and Xyleena find a secluded spot to live for a few years so that you do not have to deal with the same thing.”
Kitfox nodded. “Thanks for the advice.”
“Tell me something,” his ears perked up at her words, “how long have you and Xy been together?”
“Romantically? About four months or so. But I have been on this adventure with her since Atoka.”
“So, quite a long time?”
He nodded.
“I’ve been told by quite a few people that you are very honorable and have been willing to sacrifice yourself for her on several occasions.”
“Yeah…” He muttered so softly Amorez barely heard him.
“Perhaps you would like to know that Blood Fang has nominated you for the role of the Demon Representative on the new High Council of Ithnez.” His ears went flat against his head as she spoke. “You do not like the idea?”
“Honestly, I have no idea what this High Council is that you speak of, much less if I am even suited for the job.”
Amorez nodded, secretly impressed by his modesty. “Let me tell you a little about the new council. Maybe then you can make up your mind on whether or not to accept the nomination.”
Kitfox slowly nodded in agreement.
“In the wake of the destruction that has happened here, many believe that a council should be set up to oversee the affairs of each race so that one does not become more powerful than the others and a harmony is maintained. The details are still being worked out, but the council will basically be made up of five representatives, one from each race. Each representative will be voted into the position for a duration, which lasts a total of five years.
“During those five years in service, the representatives will work together with each other and the five governments to resolve issues facing each race on a day-by-day basis. After the five years are up, another representative will be voted in. The same representative may be voted into the office again – to serve one other five year period – but after that he or she will have to step aside.
“The first four have been nominated, and you are one of them. The others include Pyrex of the Wakari, Vitaani of the Dákun Daju, and Thera of the Feykin. The Humes have yet to nominate one of their kind because there is no ruling family at the moment. Some seek to coronate Xyleena as High Queen because she has Djurdak’s blood, thus making her the only living person with royal blood. I doubt she would want it though.”
“You’re right,” mumbled a groggy voice. Kitfox and Amorez rushed to Xy’s side in an instant. She looked at them through sleepy, dragon green eyes and smiled. “I don’t want to be queen.”
Kitfox captured her mouth in a passionate kiss. Xyleena was taken aback for a moment, and then quickly returned his kiss. It lasted only seconds, but in those few seconds, Amorez could see just how much they loved each other. A smile touched Amorez’s lips and she secretly prayed for their eternal happiness.
When the two lovers parted, Kitfox helped prop Xy up to a sitting position. Then he whispered something in her ear. She smiled and stroked his cheek affectionately.
Amorez cleared her throat, earning their attention. “How are you feeling?”
“A little tired, and absolutely ravenous.”
Kitfox chuckled. “I’ll get you something from the mess hall.”
“Thank you.”
Kitfox placed a tender kiss on her forehead. Then, with a nod to Amorez, left the house in a hurry. An awkward silence swept over th
e room as Amorez fought to come up with something to say. To her, it felt like meeting a total stranger and inviting them for breakfast.
Thankfully, it was Xy who broke the silence first. “How long have I been asleep?”
“Almost four days now.”
“Wow.”
Amorez nodded. “And Kitfox has not left your side for a minute until now.” Xy look absolutely amazed at that bit of news. Amorez smiled and adjusted her position on the pile of furs. “He’s a good man. Fiercely loyal, too.”
“That he is.”
“So,” Amorez shifted her position again, “you are certain that you don’t want to be High Queen? You are technically a princess and can claim it if you desire.”
Xy shook her head negative. “I have no desire to rule. Besides, how would the people react? Overthrow one Dragon Keeper and replace him with another. No. All I want is to live a peaceful life with the man I love.”
“Your father said something similar.” Amorez smiled softly at the distant memory. She quickly pushed it aside; now was not the time to grow nostalgic. “Do you have anyone in mind who would accept the throne?”
Xy was quiet for a long while as she considered the question. There were quite a few people she knew of that would make wonderful kings or queens, but they all had one flaw: they weren’t Hume. And only a Hume can reign over Humes; at least that is what she learned from her history professor. At that thought, a name suddenly popped into her head. A smile crept its way across her lips. “Noralani Ithnez.”
Amorez gawked at her daughter in complete surprise. “I had totally forgotten that there was still one remaining member of the founding family!”
“Me too, until just a moment ago.”
Amorez quickly got to her feet. “I have to go tell the others of your nomination. That way we can send a message to her to get her reply quickly.”
Culmination Page 39