Severance

by Fergal F. Nally

  “Shades! Agathe I didn’t know. He’s taken you, what are we to do?”

  “Fight on, break their grip on us and defeat them, as we mean to defeat the Shiffante,” Agathe said defiantly. Q’uaina could see fear in Agathe’s eyes.

  “There has to be a way to reverse this. Your father may know of something, maybe even the light walkers?”

  “Come let’s leave this place, already the shadows are beginning to appear.” Agathe stepped away and down towards the river valley below.

  They continued in silence and made good progress. Q’uaina was deep in thought thinking on the implications of Agathe’s predicament. She mustered all her knowledge on vampires; long life, powers of healing, their need for blood. They lived in a great coven far to the north of here and were not known to disturb other peoples. What had brought about this change? Maybe this was just one rogue vampire, as the drow were not known to mix with the vampire nation.

  Q’uaina thought on her own journey so far. Her clan markings had long gone; instead she had developed butterfly markings on her hands. She had felt a quickening but knew not where her talents lay. She feared what was ahead, she feared for Agathe. She wondered how Ossian was faring, where he was and if he had even survived. There were too many unknowns; a giant puzzle.

  “Halt, stop where you are!” A clear male voice rang out loudly over the sound of the river nearby.

  Q’uaina stopped in her tracks and looked around. Agathe was a few paces ahead of her and she did the same. For a moment, nothing happened then from behind another spoke, this time a woman’s voice.

  “Lay down your weapons and step away from them. Do this slowly and be aware you have arrows pointed at your hearts as we speak. Do now as I say and you will be spared.”

  Q’uaina and Agathe did as the voice requested and stepped away from their weapons. Then, from behind some trees to the left, appeared a female figure followed by three others. Deeper in amongst the trees Q’uaina thought she saw more shadows move. She held her breath and watched the strangers approach. Her heart leapt.

  Chapter 29

  Ambush

  “Illiana, thank the ancestors!” Q’uaina declared. “It’s me, Q’uaina, we’ve met before. Ossian and I were seeking the Beekeeper. You helped us defeat the cat beast. We’re here in peace and need your help.”

  Illiana stopped in her tracks and regarded Q’uaina inscrutably. “You carry the mark of the grave, you may pass. I remember these things you speak of. We’ve been battling strange beasts since you and I last met. Things have got worse. You keep strange company Q’uaina, who is this shevente you walk with? What has befallen Ossian?”

  “Illiana, I will answer your questions and more but we need to act fast. Two others are pursuing us on horseback, they are not far behind. One is a vampire or shevente as you say, the other a drow. I know this seems unlikely but it’s the truth. The longer we stand here the more danger we are in.”

  Another of the light walkers emerged from the forest, went to Illiana, and whispered into her ear. She nodded imperceptibly and spoke. “You speak the truth; those you speak of are indeed near. Come, you and your friend follow us. We alone know these lands and the secrets she carries we keep close to our hearts. Bring your weapons and be swift.”

  Agathe gave Q’uaina a questioning look. They both took up their weapons from the ground and followed the light walkers. As they manoeuvred through the rustling trees Q’uaina experienced an unsettling feeling of deja vue. An irrational dread filled her bones and briefly she became dizzy and her legs heavy.

  “What’s wrong Q’uaina?” Agathe queried, concern evident in her voice.

  “Nothing, I just felt I’ve been here before, I can’t explain. I’ve a bad feeling about this.”

  “What do you mean? Is it the light walkers, don’t you trust them? Is this a trap?”

  “I don’t know, just be prepared. For anything. Don’t trust anyone, watch your back.”

  They continued through the trees and low brush. The light walkers’ outlines blurring at times; their natural ability to blend with their surroundings evident. Then they walked into a wall of cold; their breath frosted the air. The cold was no ordinary chill. It pierced their bones and made them slow, sluggish. Q’uaina felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck and arms.

  The sun’s light dimmed and it became difficult to see each other. Q’uaina stopped and stood still, her bow drawn in readiness.

  “You think you could escape us? You think you could flee into this land, with the protection of these light walkers? How you underestimate us, it is disappointing. We will take you now, you belong to us.”

  Agathe’s voice rang out. “They’re here, stand and fight, to me to me…”

  Shadowy shapes darted this way and that through the low light. Q’uaina heard the sound of arrows being released; she saw wraiths rise up from the ground and attack Agathe’s position. Q’uaina however, was not attracting any attention from either side. Figures ran by her without stopping. She felt a strange sensation envelop her shoulders, then a warmth surged through her. She seemed to hover through the air this way and that; she looked down and saw leaves and twigs on the forest floor in great detail.

  She caught sight of first one wing then another, a flash of red and blue. Then realisation hit her. The transformation was complete. Her quickening had brought her to this. She had become a butterfly. She floated through the air upwards and alighted on a branch. She watched events unfold below.

  The wraiths were too numerous for Illiana and her light walkers. After a concerted effort to fight them, the light walkers melted away through the trees. Agathe was nowhere to be seen. Q’uaina knew Agathe could look after herself. Then two dark figures on horseback entered the glade below; the vampire LeSouris and the dark elf.

  “S’Jukdara my friend they have evaded us again, and yet. I sense something remains. Something watches us. Use your drow magic to tease it out.” LeSouris leaned forwards on his saddle sticking his tongue out and tasted the air. “Yes my friend one remains here shrouded in Erthe magic, we are close. Seek her heartbeat, seek her blood.” LeSouris looked formidable; four burning skulls surrounded his head. The skulls swept their empty gaze this way and that, spitting fireballs at anything that moved.

  S’Jukdara jumped down off his mount, his dark skin and drow features clearly visible to Q’uaina. She had a choice, she could remain and learn more of this enemy, or she could flee like the others. She chose to stay, watch and learn.

  The one called S’Jukdara was examining her footprints on the forest floor below. He ran his hands along the earth and brought his fingers to his nose. He inhaled and closed his eyes seeming to think for a while. His eyes snapped open and he looked up directly at Q’uaina. Fear coursed through her and she was tempted to flee.

  “The other one was here, the green eyed girl with the Erthe power. Her magic has left a residue, it lingers still. She has evolved and is now a mistress of concealment. I will try and flush her out with my cold flame,” S’Jukdara whispered to LeSouris. Q’uaina found she could hear his words clearly. Her quickening had brought unexpected gifts. His talk of cold flame however alarmed her so she took flight, retreating to a tree right at the fringe of the glade.

  The wraiths had disappeared into the earth; LeSouris remained seated on his horse, the four flaming skulls suspended around his head like a macabre crown. S’Jukdara knelt on the earth and produced a pouch from under his cape. He sprinkled its contents on the ground and mumbled some words. Finally, he spat on an iron dagger and threw it into the earth.

  A blue shimmering curtain of fire burst out of the ground and stood tall in front of him. Even LeSouris took his mount back a step. S’Jukdara then reached out and grabbed the blue curtain from the air swinging it over his head like a giant net. He threw the blue curtain up and high into the trees. Everything it touched froze, turned black and dropped to the ground as ice. Leaves, twigs, insects, birds all fell victim to the cold fire.

  The dark
elf worked his way systematically around the glade; with each throw, the net of blue fire grew longer destroying more living things. Q’uaina looked on horrified. Soon the whole glade was bare, devoid of life. Everything lay blackened, dead on the forest floor. She was far enough removed not to be affected by the drow sorcery.

  She felt a deep chill in her bones. A chill that no amount of sun could warm. Where did this dark elf draw his powers from? What was keeping these two unlikely co-conspirators together? She shivered and continued to watch and wait for their next move.

  “She has moved away from this place,” S’Jukdara declared. His dark eyes flashed around the glade. His long, silver hair was beaded and platted severely right down to his skull. His gaze alighted upon Q’uaina’s position, lingered there briefly and moved on.

  He had still not seen her. She assimilated this information. Not only had she taken the form of a butterfly but she was also invisible to her enemies. She decided to follow the vampire and the drow for as long as she could. Knowledge was power and the more information she could gather about their pursuers the better. She looked around and wondered where Agathe was. Agathe could handle herself. Once more, her thoughts turned to the Beekeeper; he was supposed to have met up with them by now. Another missing piece of the puzzle.

  “Curse these humans, they are beginning to irritate me. We need the Shard and soon. It’s only a matter of time before the Shiffante work out where we are and how to reach us. And without the Shard we might as well allow them to cut our throats.” LeSouris spoke under his breath but once again, Q’uaina could hear every word clearly.

  “I have an idea.” S’Jukdara spoke. “If we can capture the girl’s father, the Beekeeper, they will come to us.”

  “How do you propose we do that?” LeSouris sneered.

  The drow smiled. “The whispering caves are near here, what lies within, once activated will draw the Beekeeper to us.” The drow bent down to the ground and picked up a long feather. Q’uaina looked hard and saw it was an eagle’s feather. It was where Agathe had been standing when she had last seen her.

  “I can use this to create a double in that flying one’s image, we can then release her distress on the winds and this Beekeeper will come to the caves where we will be waiting.” S’Jukdara spat on the ground and put Agathe’s feather in his jacket.

  LeSouris gave a backward glance at the ruined glade as they left on horseback. Sometimes the drow did actually have good ideas. He smiled cruelly, the game was not over. The sport had just begun.

  ~

  The Aerithryl Shard lay close to Carutha’s heart. She was atop Firewing and they were approaching the White Spine range. The last three days had been gruelling and frightening. Long hours were spent in the air riding the thermal currents. Lightwing was their scout; he was using Silverwing’s instructions to find the range, which proved difficult. They had to rest when the sun went down and the temperature dropped, as the thermals were no longer strong enough to carry them.

  Carutha had felt unsafe and vulnerable when they were forced to take shelter on the ground. There were not only shattered cities but ruined towns and villages also. Danger lurked at every turn; she had seen shuffling, misshapen forms patrolling the towns when they had flown over at close quarters.

  “They are the undead, those that refuse to die. Cursed to wander this land for all eternity, until the final day of days. Something corrupt from their time has kept them alive; there were many insults the Erthe received at the hands of these people. Some of their experiments turned against them and you can see the result below. We need to keep away from settlements, any habitation. We are better keeping to the high ground and will need to keep watch at night,” Firewing informed Carutha after she had pointed out the unnatural skeletal forms.

  Three nights of cold and discomfort. Little sleep, stress and hunger. Stiff, weary bones and tired muscles. Three long days had brought them at last to the elusive misty mountains deep inland; the White Spine range. Their task was to find the highest of all the peaks, the one named the Forge. Carutha was concerned for Firewing and Lightwing, they were exhausted after the long and arduous flight with little or no sustenance. Carutha had not even enquired how they were to return home to the island.

  “Do you see how the range is clear but for that area of cloud to the northwest?” Lightwing had commented on their last stop. “That’s where we need to go. The Forge is so high it will create its own weather system, storms and all,” he spoke with respect in his voice.

  Carutha felt a deep foreboding in her bones when he said this. “How high can you fly without the thermals? The air at that height will be turbulent and cold.”

  Firewing shot a glance at Lightwing. “I’m not sure, I guess we’re about to find out.”

  Chapter 30

  The White Spine

  They continued along the White Spine range towards the high clouds. The air grew colder and in the distance, Carutha thought she could hear a deep rumbling amongst the angry looking clouds. They entered a fine mist and visibility started to deteriorate. The rumbling grew nearer and a forked flash exploded from the cloud to their right. Rain fell down in sheets.

  “We need to set down now,” Lightwing shouted above the noise.

  Firewing nodded. “There are some crags ahead of that ridge, follow me.” Without waiting for an answer, Firewing banked and dropped height, aiming for a cluster of teeth like cliffs sitting just below the main ridge of the range. Carutha hung on for dear life.

  Another flash and boom behind them, the whole ridge lit up for an instant in shocking light. The storm was chasing them to ground; it was upon them. The crags reared up through the mist and Firewing chose the largest, aiming her landing at the back of the ledge amongst the thickest of the vegetation.

  They landed with a hard thud, Carutha was thrown violently from Firewing’s back. Carutha’s head struck the rock at the rear of the ledge. A white explosion took her into unconsciousness. Her body went limp.

  Carutha entered a twilight world of unreality. Her legs felt heavy, unresponsive. She saw herself looking down from a great height and realised she must be at the Forge summit. A sense of panic suffused the scene, something was not right. The statues of the long forgotten king and queen were not there as in Silverwing’s vision. Instead, she saw two disfigured undead carved in stone, beside the Shard’s metal frame.

  Fear gripped Carutha, a feeling that she was about to release a terrible evil upon the Erthe by returning the Shard to its summit home. As she neared the top she felt a desire to turn around and look behind, something was following her. She could not bring herself to look and instead reached the Shard frame. It gaped at her like an evacuated socket, boring into her skull.

  She reached into her tunic for the Shard and then, with shaking hands placed it into its receptacle. At first, nothing happened then she became aware of buzzing in the air around her. The snow-capped summit became bathed in an orange glow and the snow at her feet melted. The summit was revealed as the snow retreated.

  The Shard turned from an opalescent white to inky black. Energy poured forth from the Shard as if released from a different dimension. The black energy entered the rock and spread rapidly down the mountainside. The two statues beside the Shard moved slightly. The female statue broke free of its rocky foundation and shook off a crust of stone to reveal rotting flesh beneath. It turned to face Carutha and charged at her with frightening speed. Its male cohort similarly awoke from its rocky slumber and joined in the attack.

  Carutha felt powerless and used. Betrayed. She had inadvertently delivered the killing blow to the Erthe by returning the Shard to its resting place. It had been separated from the rock for a reason. She had been manipulated, tricked by the Shiffante to complete this task. She froze, powerless in her fear and defeat. Her sorrow and shame overwhelmed her and she felt empty and degraded. The undead fell upon her numb body and took her down, teeth and nails rending and tearing at her flesh. Pain descended on her.

  She
awoke to a small flickering fire. She lay on her back and it was quiet. Her head hurt badly as if it had been trampled by a herd of wild horses. She moved her eyes and tried to make sense of what she saw. She lay in a dry cave, the only source of light was a small fire. Beside her on the stone floor her possessions were neatly arranged. Two bed rolls were on the ground further along.

  Where were Firewing and Lightwing, her escorts? She thought she heard voices and then a wave of nausea and pain dragged her down into a well of unconsciousness. This time she saw herself as a little girl, she was in her family garden playing with their dog. A feeling of temporary joy filled her heart and as the memory flooded her spirit, she felt something release within. Her fear evaporated, her strength returned all self-doubt vanished. She had turned a corner. She knew what she must do. She was the light and she needed to bring Erthe healing to this blasted and darkened world.

  “Carutha, wake up. It’s time. You’ve been gone too long now.” Gentle arms rocked and shook her body. She felt deep pain from her bruised muscles but the pain that had gripped her head previously had gone. She breathed with relief.

  “Look, her eyelids are moving, she hears you. Keep calling her, we may get her back,” Carutha recognised Lightwing’s voice. She felt her heaviness lifting and her consciousness surfaced. Her eyes fluttered open. The outside world flooded in.

  Faces. Familiar. Firewing and Lightwing knelt beside her. The fire’s embers glowing and warming her cold legs. Her voice croaked, “What happened? Where am I?”