Catching Epics

by Halie Fewkes

  “The Escalis did drop them on the shores of Tekada,” Tarace said, struggling to keep his voice steady. “We all thought King Kelian would send them right back to us, since magic is banned there.”

  Several large veins emerged on Tarace’s temples as he clenched and unclenched his jaw several times, and I glanced at Archie to see fear on his face too as Tarace set a closed fist on the desk.

  Maverick, his voice maddeningly calm, explained, “Instead of sending them back, King Kelian declared the mages criminals for returning to his sacred lands, and one at a time, he executed them.” Maverick spoke like he was discussing the weather. “Every mage involved in the Dincaran battle is now dead.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Allie

  My spit grew hot and bitter in my mouth, and my limbs fell numb. Our mages, my friends, Humanity’s only hope against the Escalis, had all been murdered?

  Murdered. And it was my fault.

  Archie was saying something, maybe to me, maybe to Tarace, but I was seconds away from vomiting on the floor of Anna’s old study, and the words sounded like a jumble.

  All our mages?

  I fled the room in a confused mess, flew through the caves without a care as to who I passed, and stumbled over the boulders that separated the Wreck from the forest. My feet took me into the fresh air and crunched through fallen pine cones and tree needles, trying to escape the horrible word…

  Executed.

  I leapt over a tiny creek and crashed straight through two huckleberry bushes before nearly tumbling over the edge of a massive cliff cut into the mountainside. A beautiful green expanse stretched below me, dotted with trees and open fields beneath a deep blue sky, and I released an angry, hideous shriek to echo over it all.

  It wasn’t their fault they’d been sent back! How could anybody be so disgustingly cruel?

  I braced one hand against a crumbling stump and used the other to grab my hair as I hunched over in violent illness.

  Once my watery venison stew from yesterday lay on the bed of moss in front of me, I grabbed a massive fallen limb, wrenched it from the wild vines holding it down, and slammed it into the nearest tree with an angry snarl. It broke, so I smashed my hands onto either side of the trunk and tried to crush it, sinking my teeth into the bark in an attempt to make it feel some fraction of my own pain.

  Something crashed through the huckleberry bushes and I whipped around with bared teeth, ready to bite and claw through whatever had decided to pursue me now, but it was Archie, and ripping one of his arms off wouldn’t necessarily make me feel any better.

  Archie skidded to a stop and froze, watching my face as though he also harbored concern that I might try to dismember him.

  Of all the things I needed to scream, the one that mattered most came through first. “Archie, you can’t...” I gasped a frantic gulp of air. “You can’t leave. Don’t leave me to do this alone.”

  I stared hard at him, ready to defend myself and shout that it wasn’t him I needed, I just needed his ability to hunt, and his memories of my past, and his sense of humor, and his nearly-unending patience. I was still entirely self-sufficient, but having him around… well, it helped.

  Archie curled his fingers into his hair and tugged at it, watching me warily. “I was… trying to make things better by leaving,” he finally said, dropping his hand back to his side. “But I’m not about to abandon you. I’ll always be here when you need me.”

  Archie took a step toward me, using a caution I would usually reserve for approaching rabid wolves, and I turned my gaze to the rolling hills of green below, wishing he’d given me reason to shout at him. On any other day, the bright sunlight and cloudless sky would have been beautiful. Today, they were just bright, a strain on the eyes.

  “This is my fault,” I finally said as hollowness rotted me away, sluffing off every bit of my soul that had ever existed. “I made the wrong decision.”

  And Archie laughed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” he said as my throat tightened around a large lump. “For making the deal that spared their lives?”

  I rubbed at my eyes, which were thankfully not leaking. “They never would have been sent to Tekada if not for me.”

  Two hands grabbed my shoulders, and when I pulled my hand off my face, Archie pressed his forehead to mine. I felt one degree calmer with him so close and closed my eyes to appreciate how steady he felt. “Allie, every survivor from Dincara belongs on the Saved side of your list. What Kelian did wasn’t our fault. We never could have guessed this would happen.”

  “It was our job to guess,” I said, opening my eyes to glare at the grass beneath my feet as the blades shuffled in the breeze. “We know King Kelian is a dirty bastard. We know he hates magic. We should have given the Humans information before the battle instead of the Escalis.”

  “Look, you can’t do this to yourself,” Archie said rather unkindly, stepping back from me. “We didn’t have any good tips to give to our side, and we barely gave the Escalis any information at all. That battle was going to be lost, and if not for us, it would have just ended in slaughter.”

  I leaned against the mossy, needly stump beside me and dug my nails in, hoping for a second to not talk about slaughter. “How are you just... holding yourself together right now?” I asked weakly.

  “This is just how I cope,” Archie said. “I just... push the situation into the back of my mind and pretend it isn’t happening. I laugh and tell everyone I’m fine, and then I can go about my life. It’s how I’ve always done it.”

  Even now, his only emotion was a caring smile. “That can’t be healthy,” I said, wiping my nose on the back of my hand.

  Archie just shrugged. “Yeah, well, neither was crying in a corner for two years of my life. Sometimes you’ve got to pick your unhealthy.”

  I closed my stinging eyes for a moment. If I was capable of burying this hurt under a mountain of distraction, it would be tempting… But guilt, anger, and pain don’t just disappear because they’re ignored. If I put them out of mind, they’d be left to fester and eat at me in the space between thoughts, returning as dreams and haunting the quiet moments when all I had was myself.

  “You created a saying once,” Archie said, wrapping his fingers around my hand. “Well, actually, you carved it in big letters across my wall. You told everyone, all darkness is only shadow.”

  “All darkness is only shadow…” I repeated, the next words surfacing from a place of deep familiarity, “for unless light has ceased to exist, it is merely an obstacle away.”

  Archie didn’t hide his surprise and studied my face in uncertainty. “You remember that?”

  “I… don’t know. It feels engrained, I guess. Like I’ve been saying it all my life.”

  “Well, you’re not wrong,” Archie said, chuckling airily. “We’ve all said it so many times over the years, it’s become a long standing joke among the Tallies, and a way to identify each other. But… all too often, we’re brought back to its real meaning, which is that there’s always good in the world, and a happier tomorrow if you can get through today.”

  I sighed heavily because the saying was hopeful and personal — a reminder than no matter how low we fall, no shade of darkness is permanent. Light is merely an obstacle away. At least in theory. Practically though, some places just never see light. Like the inside of a cave, or the bottom of a dungeon.

  I shrugged and said, “Some obstacles are just too big to be moved.”

  Archie squeezed my hand and said, “I once told you the exact same thing, and you replied that sometimes you have to move yourself.”

  I rubbed my palms down my face, startled as wings stirred the air above my head. Flak landed on my shoulder, and I gritted my teeth as she dug her sharp talons in to stay up. My grey-flecked bird butted her head against mine, making me smile.

  “What… are we going to do?” I finally whispered, taking a steadying breath. “We can’t give Ebby’s location to the Zhauri, but Humanity needs her ba
ck. The Escalis are too strong to withstand without mages.”

  “There are still the Dincaran kids,” Archie said. “Tarace and the other city leaders are going to find a way to rescue them — they have no choice now. As for Ebby…” Archie let go of my hand at a clear loss for words, and we both jerked in surprise as Prince Avalask appeared beside us.

  “Hey, you two,” he said softly. “I’ve heard the news. I’m so sorry.”

  Flak leapt off my shoulder and flapped twice before Prince Avalask held an arm out and she landed gracefully, bowing her head to the Epic.

  “Our friend Michael was one of the mages on those ships,” I said heavily.

  “And Sir Bruscan, our sword trainer, could use magic,” Archie added.

  “And I’d hoped maybe Anna survived the battle and would be coming back,” I said, blinking several times to avoid the shame of tears. “I just don’t understand. They were mages. Even with an army, King Kelian shouldn’t have been able to kill them.”

  “It was…” Prince Avalask cleared his throat, settling his eyes on Flak as he went on, “Kelian used the one-at-a-time technique. Took them individually for questioning, starting with anybody who could communicate by thought. And by the time they realized nobody was coming back, it was too late.”

  Half of me wanted to vomit and the other half wanted to sail to Tekada to set the place ablaze. “Why are we still calling Kelian our king?” I demanded of Archie. “We should be rebelling against him, not sending supplies across the ocean to appease him. We should be… renaming our continent, and sending him ships of horse scat.”

  “Believe me, you’re not the only person who wants to,” Archie said, eyes narrowed bitterly like he wished he could conspire with me. “But we have a standing deal with Tekada. As soon as we stop sending supplies, Kelian’s made it clear he’ll kill every child who can use magic rather than banish them, and we need those mages.”

  I clenched my fists and said, “Why can’t we go conquer Tekada?”

  “Because if our forces are all on Tekada, who’s going to defend against the Escalis?”

  “It’s possible the Human-Escali war won’t be lasting much longer,” Prince Avalask said rather casually. “So perhaps Kelian could be your next focus after all.”

  Archie and I fell silent, waiting for him to mock our shocked faces and say he was joking. I finally cleared my throat to speak, then stopped again to avoid sounding foolish.

  Prince Avalask smirked like a mischievous child who’d pulled off the heist of his life, and said, “I spoke with a couple people, made a couple promises, and threatened to turn every hair on Savaul’s head stark white if he sabotaged me. And in the end, I persuaded my uncle to release the kids from the Dincaran battle.”

  My jaw fell open. There was no way. There was just no way.

  Archie asked, “Why would he give them up like that?”

  “As part of a bargain,” Prince Avalask said. He stroked Flak’s feathers thoughtfully, but she hopped sideways to avoid him, drawing an amused smile from the Epic. “War has grown tiresome, and we could easily kill those kids from Dincara, dooming Humanity to certain defeat, but it would be a tedious victory. We’d still have to stomp on Humankind until they’re all dead — stubborn mules that they are. Whereas if we offer to return those kids unharmed, that puts us in a strong position to negotiate for laws and lands. And I have one rather large demand of my own that’s not negotiable.” Prince Avalask looked abruptly from me to Archie, the jerky movement reminding me he wasn’t Human, or a Tally. “We’ll return the Dincaran kids, but I’m keeping Ebby.”

  Archie’s entire body slouched as he ran a hand down his face. “That’s the one thing you can’t do,” he groaned.

  “Listen,” Prince Avalask said, “I know how much you need to bring her home, but you don’t know her. Ebby is a malleable, pliable little girl. She will become whatever you tell her to become.” Prince Avalask narrowed his eyes and said, “Neither of you know Sir Avery as I do. If he gets her back, this war will recommence in five years, tops. He wants her because she’s powerful, not because he loves her.”

  “You have no idea how much he loves her,” Archie said sharply. “You can’t just run around kidnapping kids because you think you’d make a better parent.”

  “I can, and I have,” Prince Avalask replied. “And I will continue to do so for as long I like.”

  “Archie.” I tried to grab his arm, but his shield blocked me. “Think about it, this is perfect,” I said, taking my hand back. “Ebby’s safe from the Zhauri, we’re safe from the Zhauri if the war is over, and the Dincaran kids will be home — no bloodshed required.”

  Prince Avalask glanced gratefully to me and said, “Thank you. Now, I need a hand meeting the right people, starting with Tarace—”

  “Hang on,” Archie said, taking a step between us. “There’s another side of this to consider, and we’re not rushing to help you before we address it.”

  Prince Avalask raised his eyebrows and asked, “Have you explained to Allie why bringing Ebby home is important to you?”

  “She’s. been. kidnapped,” Archie growled.

  “She and Vack could change the world if they became friends. We’ll bring an end to the war now, and then they can prevent it from ever rekindling,” Prince Avalask replied in scathing annoyance. “Your need to bring her home is entirely selfish.”

  “Allie and I aren’t helping you until we’ve come to an informed decision,” Archie said, standing stiffly. “And if Ebby’s not part of the deal, we won’t be helping at all.”

  “Archie,” I hissed.

  Prince Avalask’s gaze sharpened as he asked, “Do you know how hard it’s going to be, contacting Human leaders without somebody to get me past their interaction spells?”

  Flak leapt off to soar over the fields rather than endure the jostle of his angry hands.

  “Not my problem,” Archie retorted. “I’m willing to help you, but we’re not negotiating over Ebby. You can keep pretending life with you is the best thing for her and the rest of the world, but it’s delusional. She’ll have influences in her life other than Sir Avery once she’s home. She and Vack could have play dates and become friends in other ways, without you holding her hostage.”

  Prince Avalask scoffed like Archie’s suggestion was stupid enough to be offensive, but a piercing falcon cry echoed across the hills, and we all fell silent to look over the green expanse. Flak’s warning had come just in time.

  Four men clad in white cloaks strolled below, carelessly letting their voices drift on the breeze. The two strongest Zhauri dragged the lifeless body of an Escali between them, each holding one arm. The other two walked behind, one with a pack on his shoulders, and Iquis with a hobble to his step. Four massive, furry snow-dogs trotted dutifully in their wake — black, white, brown, and grey with a few variations on their faces and paws.

  Prince Avalask turned to Archie, jaw gaping. “The Zhauri are staying at the Dragona?”

  “Yes,” Archie replied, eliciting a look of outrage from Prince Avalask. “I was going to tell you,” he said in exasperation. “They got here yesterday and insisted that Allie and I help find Ebby.”

  “They’re already wreaking havoc looking for her, and I couldn’t track them because of that shade,” Prince Avalask said, clasping his hands together with a sudden hunger in his eyes. “Zeen, the one with the pack. This is very good to know.”

  I glanced down to the Zhauri brother with the chestnut hair and thick beard like the rest of them, getting the feeling that Prince Avalask had a score to settle. And I already hated the Zhauri enough to add, “They’ve been told they can marry Ebby if they bring her home.”

  Prince Avalask snorted in revulsion. “They will never get anywhere near her or Vack. Not them, and not Sir Avery.”

  Archie was about to argue the point further, but I quickly cut in, “It’s good you’re here. This isn’t the first Escali they’ve grabbed to question, and they killed the last one. We couldn’t do
anything to stop them.”

  Prince Avalask took a pensive second to adjust his wind-ruffled black cloak, staring at the rolling field. “Neither can I.”

  He held up a finger to cut me off before I began to protest. “Listen. The Zhauri are unmatched, Allie. On the rare occasion they participate in matters of war, they’re Humanity’s most dangerous weapon. See the one with the black hair, looks like he’s half werewolf?” Prince Avalask pointed at the brother with the thick, dark facial features, dragging the Escali. “His name is Kit, and I’ve seen him singlehandedly demolish an entire stone fort up north. Exploded it from the inside, killed everyone in a fifty cubit radius. The one with the ugly face and the hobble is a mind mage of the worst sorts, called Iquis. Can’t read minds, but he can rip them apart. Zeen is a shade, but he’s also their lead interrogator. Don’t you two get mixed up with them. Ever.”

  “But you’re an Epic!” I exclaimed as quietly as possible.

  “Ebby’s an Epic too, but the girl would die if a sloth attacked her,” Prince Avalask exclaimed. “The Zhauri only have five gifts between them, but they’re the strongest mages in the world. That is far more dangerous than having access to all the powers.”

  I turned my gaze back to the field, not wanting to imagine the horrors in store for the Escali below.

  “What about Blond-beard down there, with the muscles?” Archie asked. The only one I’d seen smile. “He’s the second telekinetic?”

  Prince Avalask shook his head slowly. “No, he’s new. I managed to kill the brother who could stop motion a few years ago, and this is his replacement.” A triumphant smile crept onto Prince Avalask’s face as he studied the newest member. “Hakkrui could stop flying arrows or catapulted stones — he could freeze rioting crowds if he wanted to. He gave the Zhauri control over any situation. I can’t read the new one with Zeen so close, but I’m pretty sure he’s got your power, Archie.”

  Archie’s bitterness lightened as he tilted his head in interest.