by K Fisher
“Okay, it’s just around the side of the house and tied up near the water,” Eve whispered, pausing near the edge of the tree line as Taber stopped and leaned down next to her, looking where she pointed.
The moonlight shone down on the large home beside the Yurel Oceans, dancing along the waves that crashed against the shore and creating an almost peaceful scene. For a brief moment Eve did not take any steps closer and simply stared at the house with a vacant expression on her face. Her short, dark hair was as black as the night, the wind pushing it against her face and hiding any further emotions from his sight. The only clear thing Taber could see were her bright green eyes and the intensity that burned within them the second before she broke free of the trees and raced across the grounds.
Taber cursed under his breath, finding he had no choice but to follow Eve as she darted around a bench alongside the house, racing through flower beds on her way around the backside of the house and to the back porch. No sounds came from the home, despite two rooms glowing with life. In one, Taber could see the curtains were drawn but the light appeared dim, suggesting the one inside was doing something on the other side of the room. The other was brightly lit and the two shadows of people speaking could be seen dancing along the outline of the curtains. If they weren’t careful, he’d be forced to use more magic before it was necessary.
One hand lowered to the key in the pocket of his cloak, confident when his fingers enveloped the long object. Releasing it, he used the security of its presence to propel him forward, legs dragging around the corner of her home when his foot caught on the sand and he sunk several inches. Still, Eve was running as fast as her legs could carry her, stopping only when she approached the bobbing outline of a medium-sized rowboat in the water, a long rope tying it to a stake at the shore.
It was smaller than he had anticipated but still better than he had. The wolf, Iris, was nowhere to be seen but he had come to expect fleeting presence from the creature. It did not seem to approve of him and it was seldom he didn’t see Iris without the wolf threatening his safety. Whether it was a snarl or a snap of her teeth, Taber quickly learned to keep his distance and above all, not approach Eve with anything but kind words.
In his frustration it had often been difficult but his body was under duress.
Eve tapped the side of the boat and gave Taber two small thumbs in the air as he finally made his way to her once again. “I told you there was a boat here!” Eve exclaimed in a whisper, her smile was the first he had seen since he obtained her favorite snack at the previous town.
He had been filled with an odd joy when she ate the peach, her smile of approval enough to fill him with pride. He assured himself this was simply because Eve was taken care of and that ensured that the task would continue without him having to resort to other measures, but he was enjoying the company of the witty little necromancer.
“You did say there was a boat. Now get in, I’ll push us off. Is… The wolf going to be getting in with you?”
“Iris, come here,” Eve said softly, her smile disappearing as the serious child reached a hand out to her invisible friend.
The boat tilted and groaned as an unseen weight pulled itself over the side and into the wooden seat in the back. Eve was next to get in, Iris coming into focus as she stumbled to keep her balance against the moving boat and the waves that crashed against it. Once Eve was settled in the seat with her small hands gripping either side of the boat, Taber decided it was time to get far away from the coastline.
Pulling the rope from the stake in the ground and bundling it up in his hands, Taber put one hand in front of the other and urged the boat closer to the shore so he could grab hold of it. Preparing to push it and jump onto the back, Taber took a breath and dug his feet into the sand to push off.
“Eve?” A voice broke above the waves and Taber froze, the rope still in his hands as he turned to face the booming voice that greeted them.
The large man stood before the porch leading into Eve’s former home. His black hair was messy atop his head, glasses adjusted by long fingers as grey eyes narrowed in on the two intruders. When he focused more on the small shape in the boat he appeared to make up his mind, growling in anger as he started to make his way across the yard and sand.
“Where in Desin have you been? Get over here right now! And YOU? WHO ARE YOU?” the man screamed, pointing a shaking finger in Taber’s direction.
“Papa…” But Eve’s voice trailed off as she scooted as far back as she could in the boat, clearly not interested in interacting with him.
That was enough of a cue for Taber. He didn’t need to know why the little girl was scared of the enraged man approaching, nor did he need to have any sort of discussion with the brute. It didn’t matter if he was a loving father or an abusive one, Eve was no longer living under his roof and had a new group to protect her. Taber was her family, no matter the circumstances, and he didn’t have time to waste on a human.
Focusing on the magic that stirred just beneath his skin, Taber released the rope and took a step in Eve’s father’s direction. One hand extended forward and the other swept back, summoning the magic from the ground beneath him. Immediately the power responded to him and a smile crossed Taber’s face as he stomped a foot forward on the ground and took the hand behind his back forward in a sweep. The motion pushed his magic forward, the sand exploding beneath her father’s feet as he was thrown backward.
A deep, guttural growl escaped from Iris’s lips when the man rose to his feet and started forward again, this time reaching for the long object at his back. An object Taber had not seen much growing up in the West but had observed enough recently to know its danger.
The rifle rose and aimed at Taber with quick expertise and the man almost didn’t have a chance to dodge the shot. When Eve’s father fired Taber threw himself to the side, the sand beside him erupting. Lowering his head, Taber began running as fast as he could toward the man who had tried to kill him, intent upon getting to him before he had a chance to fire again.
Yelling out in rage, Taber’s hands glowed a bright yellow as his magic resurfaced once more. Instead of throwing the power at her father, he punched upward the moment he was within reach, the magic smashing into the rifle in his hands and knocking it across the sand. The second punch made contact with the man’s stomach, sending him flying once again.
This time, his low groans and minimal movements were enough to confirm he wouldn’t be too much of a problem. Turning to the gun, Taber grabbed it and sprinted to the boat once again, the rope that had been forgotten was already pulled into the dry, wooden rowboat by Eve, the waves starting to drift them away. She gathered the rope in her hands, preparing to throw it to him when her green eyes fell on the rifle in his hands.
“Throw the rope, Eve!” Taber bellowed, hands outstretched to catch it as the cold waves lapped at his feet and soaked his shoes.
“Leave the gun!” Eve yelled back, her eyes narrowed and focused on the weapon as Iris growled at her side.
Cursing, Taber tossed the rifle into the water and slapped his hands together several times impatiently. “The rope! Before I have to swim to you, damn it!”
Eve threw it as far as she could, his hand grabbing hold of the scratchy, wet material as he yanked the boat closer, grabbed hold of the stern and threw himself over the side. Reaching one hand over the side of the rowboat, Taber plunged it into the water and closed his eyes, focusing as he tried to remember the lessons he had been taught. Manipulating water had never been his strong suit, the deep depths the one thing that scared him above all else.
Calming his mind, Taber’s magic pushed the water behind them, leaving the oars and Eve’s father at the shore.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“So this is where the little girl lives? It looks enormous, even from up here,” Alni murmured, looking down from their position on Silthia’s back as they flew to the house alongside the coast.
“It is, we need to check in and see if there has b
een any sight of her. It won’t take long and it gives Silthia a chance to rest before we fly the rest of the way to the island,” Bethinium responded.
They had not gotten a lot of sleep and flown through most of the morning in an attempt to beat Taber and Eve. In the distance they had seen other dragons circling the Nevina forest but stuck to the outskirts of the coast as they made their way to their goal. It was not yet time to approach the dragons about what had transpired with the Mystic Dragon and they were too close to their goal to take a side trip; especially without knowing what manners they possessed and mindsets they adopted.
There was no telling how many days ahead they truly were but Bethinium had mentioned he believed they were close. This was just another stop along the way that was not only much needed but necessary. If Taber and Eve were resting at her old home, Bethinium and the others would easily be able to make their moves before anyone got too close to the island. Besides, no matter how powerful Alni and Silthia were feeling, the lack of proper sleep and the uncertainty over the magic they now possessed still left them clumsy and not fully proficient in their new skills.
There were a few children outside playing but the moment they caught sight of Silthia diving towards their home they raced inside, tripping over themselves along the way. By the time Silthia had made her landing upon the sandy ground outside Eve’s home, a few adult humans had made their way to the front yard with weapons in hand.
Alni immediately put his hands up, slowly sliding himself from the back of Silthia as Bethinium did the same. When they reached the ground, Bethinium spoke to the man who stood before the others, sweeping down into a polite bow as the end of the gun was slowly lowered and wide eyes rested on Silthia.
“We are simply here to inquire if you’ve seen the man we seek. He has dark hair… Tall and lean. A warlock and we believe he may know where your missing Eve is, even traveling with her. Unless she’s here?” Bethinium peered behind the small group and caught sight of the children inside the home, all lined up at the window as they peered out at the newcomers. He reached into his pocket slowly, pulling out the missing sign they had found in a neighboring town, the small girl’s face sketched roughly in the middle. “We are hoping to assist in returning your missing child. Have you seen the warlock we speak of or Eve recently?”
“They did come by here last night. Stole my damned boat and used his magic against me!” the largest man exclaimed loudly, pointing to the shore and a stake in the ground.
A sinking feeling filled Alni’s chest, eyes looking out to the untamed waves and clouds of billowing fog that blanketed the top of the water as far as the eye could see. There was no knowing just how far away the island was, but hopefully they would get there before Eve and Taber’s boat did.
“Where did he take my daughter?” the man yelled once again, his brow furrowed with rage as he took a step forward.
“We are going to get her back,” Alni started in, putting up a hand to stop the man from approaching. With Eve’s father’s hand so tight upon the gun still, he didn’t trust a closer distance. Irrational people could do knee-jerk things they would soon regret.
Suddenly, something whizzed through the air, producing a whistling Alni could not place and didn’t have time to avoid. Thankfully, Bethinium’s hands raised in the air, a shimmering ward protecting Alni from impending doom. The arrow was embedded in the magic, pointed end a mere few inches from Alni’s forehead. Behind Alni, Silthia roared and faced the trees where the arrow had been released.
All hell broke loose a second later. Eve’s father and the others ran for the safety of the home just as two strangers left the outskirts of the Nevina Forests and into the morning light. One hand a bow raised and another arrow loaded, pointing it at Bethinium just as the wizard dropped the ward around Alni and produced one of his own. The other man held a spear in his hands, one that was almost as long as his body. He did not throw it or aim it at anyone, but it was clear he was simply assessing who would receive the attack.
“Who are they?” Alni spat, trying to clear his head and access his magic in the chaos of the sudden turn of events, his senses coming to life as his focus was regained and newfound sensitivities tapped into.
“I think I have a pretty good idea, and they are nothing good,” Bethinium yelled over the chorus of two more arrows flying through the air.
One of them landed behind Bethinium, tripping him when he took a step back to avoid the second arrow. Falling to the ground, the man with the spear took aim and ran forward to attack. Silthia was above Bethinium, her wings shielding him from another onslaught of arrows before she moved around him, thundering towards the two men with her head low and teeth bared.
Alni followed her lead, taking the two on without question. Before the man with the spear could attack, Alni had reached him, striking out with a fist. The magic warmed up his arm, vibrating through his entire body before it was released upon the stranger, sending him to the ground with a strangled sound of pain. But he didn’t stay down for long, leg swiping out to knock Alni to the ground before jumping to his feet. The man was stabbing his spear down wildly at Alni upon the ground, the young man rolling to avoid the end as the sand around his face erupted with the impact of the spear. There was no possible way he would live through an attack with that thing and knew he had to get the upper hand, and fast.
Alni threw his hands against the ground, the earth at his attacker’s feet launching upward with the power he pulled from Desin’s core, sending the man flying backward with his spear. He didn’t wait to see if it was enough to stop the man, scrambling to his feet just in time to see a third stranger erupt from the forest behind Bethinium, two knives at his side.
Silthia saw it at the same time, swiping her tail out in an attempt to knock the third to the ground and away from Bethinium. It was easily dodged, the nimble male jumping up onto her tail, launching himself off her body and onto Bethinium. Behind him, three massive black beasts launched from the forests and propelled themselves onto Silthia’s back. She growled and roared, large teeth snapping as she tried to knock the huge creatures off of her.
Alni had reached Bethinium and the attacker, hands extending to send magic to help but the two were too close to each other upon the ground. Both knives were held above Bethinium’s head as the man pressed forward, trying to bring them down upon the warlock. Thankfully, a shimmering magic entwined around the attacker’s wrists, holding the knives away from their intended mark and instead suspended in the air.
There was a roar from Silthia and Alni forced himself to look away from Bethinium, fire erupting in his hand as he focused on the warmth of his power and listened to the lessons he had been taught as he attempted to keep his cool. But when he saw the three arrows in Silthia’s wing and leg, he lost the intended focus.
Running to Bethinium, Alni launched the fire at the face of his attacker the moment the man leaned back to push forward with more strength, catching him off guard. There was a scream as the attacker dropped a knife and yanked away from Bethinium, reaching for his face to wipe away the flames and heat that remained. Grabbing Bethinium’s hand, Alni yanked him to his feet and the two pulled themselves back-to-back, assessing their attackers.
Bethinium’s hands were a pale blue, sparking like lightning as they held his walking stick and stared down the three recovering men before them. Alni’s were an amethyst hue, the power snaking up his arm and shoulders just looking for something to attack. Behind their backs, Silthia was heading to the water at an alarming speed, the creatures that had been attacking her temporarily stunned upon the ground, recovering from whatever she had done to them. When they saw her racing off they dragged themselves to their feet and took off after her.
At the same time, Alni and Bethinium propelled their magic at the man with arrows and the man with spears, Alni was able to knock one to the ground just as he reached the two of them. The one Bethinium was attacking dodged several of the blasts of lightning that had erupted from the end of the walkin
g stick, tucking behind a tree and out of sight to avoid further attacks.
“Get on!” Silthia yelled back to them, not wanting to waste any more time with the fight that had taken them by surprise and get out of there before anyone was too seriously injured.
They ran to her, arrows flying in the air behind them. Alni had just enough time to whip a hand out, a wall of magic spread like a shield to block the two of them as they ran. Several arrows hit it, embedding in the magic. Getting to Silthia, Alni and Bethinium climbed as fast as they could while fighting off the long, biting fangs of the three large panthers, the dragon hardly waiting to ensure they were safely on her back before kicking up from the sand and extending her massive wings, the beasts swiping against her side as they tried to jump on and drag them down, but were met with lightning from Bethinium’s hands that sent them flying against the sand. Cutting upward through the fog in the sky above, Alni felt a wave of relief begin to override the panic from before.
They were above the waves and breaking through the fog, leaving the three in the sand behind them. Standing at the edge of the water, they looked up at the targets escaping, vacant expressions on their cold faces.
Suddenly, there was a roar of pain as Silthia and her two riders began to drop rapidly towards the strong waves below. Alni had just enough time to see the end of the spear protruding from her side before they plummeted into the Yurel Ocean.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Castle Herrick
Elladora’s body was still in bed, the soft sound of her deep breathing filling the bedroom. Fast asleep and blissfully unaware, she did not stir when her door was slowly opened and someone entered. Not even when they approached the side of her bed did she awaken.
Phillip looked down at the young woman he had sworn to protect as she grasped onto the pillow under her head. No matter the promises he had made to the crown, bigger ones had been made to Anita and he’d do anything necessary to finish the job and bring her to the throne.