by Ross Turner
“But they will get stronger again.” Zanriath concluded somewhat dimly. “And Thorn will raise even more demons.”
“Yes.” Isabel said. “We need to get to Hinaktor.” She asserted, knowing they had little option but to continue.
“It isn’t too far now.” Zanriath assured her.
Rose continued at her slow, steady pace, her legs heavy, and the tapping of her claws against the smooth, solid stone bridge the only gradual measure of passing time in the mist, their only way of marking how many precious hours they were losing to fatigue.
As Zanriath had predicted, but still not soon enough, the fog thinned, and the golden, sloping shores of Hinaktor came into view. The sandy beaches were illuminated in the orange rays of twilight as the sun set far over to the west, only just touching the horizon of water, its light bouncing off the ocean in countless directions, concealing the horrid darkness that was surely lying below.
They had spent practically the entire day crossing through Compii tower, unintentionally, but they had been left with little option, and the ambush had nearly cost them their lives.
There was a daunting familiarity about the whole thing that Isabel struggled to ignore.
Deciding it would be wisest to make camp immediately, it took less than an hour to navigate a little way from the shoreline and set up for the night, in fact, in exactly the same clump of trees that they had rested in nearly twenty years ago.
Cole still had not awoken, and since they had no food or provisions after the incident on the bridge, Zanriath created a fire and they all fell almost immediately to sleep, Zanriath with Isabel on one side of the fire, and Rose wrapped around Cole on the other.
Exhaustion consumed them all, even Zanriath. And where he usually slept fitfully, he did not awake for the entire night.
The darkness passed quietly and without interruption and, along with the return of the morning sun, Cole stirred and woke from his exhausted coma, his head pounding vigorously.
He squinted as the yellow glow filtered down through the thin canopy above and he looked up through the trees at the beautiful, clear blue sky. Slowly, he recalled the events from the previous day, convinced at first for quite some time that it had all been a dream.
Suddenly he shot up, startling Rose and waking his parents.
“Cole!?” His mother gasped.
“Are you ok?” His father asked worriedly as they dashed round the fire to check on him.
“What happened?” He questioned, still confused and weary as he stumbled to his feet. Zanriath caught and steadied him, giving him chance to sit down again. Cole edged closer to the fire - the morning was not a warm one, and there was frost all around.
“You stopped the demons Cole.” Isabel told him reassuringly. “You saved us.” He looked back at her for a moment, perplexed.
“I killed them all?” He asked doubtfully.
“You got most of them sweetheart.” She said almost absently, quietly kissing him on his forehead. “Please don’t ever scare me like that again.”
Cole stared into the flickering fire and sighed with expected disappointment. He shivered slightly and edged a little closer to the warmth of the flames.
“I can’t promise that.” He said honestly, looking back to his parents. “Not while the demons are still alive.” The look they gave him then was something he had not seen before: it consisted of compassion, understanding, sympathy, and even despair, knowing now with absolute finality that their son would go to any lengths to rid the world of this infestation, regardless of what that meant for his own life.
They were interrupted then by the infuriated grumble of Cole’s stomach, informing him that it had indeed been far too long since he last ate. Rose dutifully and almost obediently climbed to her feet; her strength renewed considerably, though admittedly not wholly, she disappeared quickly through the thin outlining of trees. Cole smiled after her thankfully.
“Where’s she going?” Zanriath asked, following the young demon with his gaze until she vanished from sight.
“To find breakfast.” Cole replied somewhat delightedly.
Rose returned only a quarter of an hour later carrying two rabbits and a small dog in her enormous jaws. She pranced into the small patch of trees and dumped her catch merrily on the ground, before once again disappearing off.
“Where’s she going now?” Isabel asked as she scooped up their lifeless bundle, pulled out her knife and moved over to the fire.
“To get her own breakfast.” Cole replied.
It didn’t take long for Isabel to skin the carcasses and, with Cole and Zanriath’s intense flames weaving their way through the meat, ensuring it was cooked fully all the way through, it took barely any time at all to cook them either.
Rose returned as they were partway through eating, looking rather satisfied.
“How many!?” Cole burst out suddenly, choking a little on the mouthful he was chewing, startling his parents somewhat.
Isabel and Zanriath looked over to him confused, and then to Rose, who was now nodding gleefully.
“Seven!?” Cole exclaimed then, falling about in fits of laughter. “Seven rabbits!? And a horse!?”
Isabel and Zanriath finally caught on and fell about laughing also.
“I do hope the horse didn’t belong to anyone!” Isabel managed between her almost uncontrollable hysterics.
Soon breakfast was finished, Cole doused the fire, and they set off once again. Now that they were all rested and fed, Rose especially, following her rather lavish breakfast, they had considerably more energy.
Whilst they no longer had horses, it did not hinder their pace, and, though Rose found it at first difficult to juggle so many passengers, before long they almost flew northeast as she ran in great strides, covering huge distances with frightening speed.
Isabel was certain now that Cole’s energetic demon was indeed getting bigger by the day, and her muscles seemingly generated the power of a hundred horses as she ran.
Once again, Isabel and Cole kept tabs on exactly what the demons were doing out in the ocean. As perilous as the ambush on the bridge had been, it had at least bought Tamarack a little more time to mobilise and prepare.
They pressed on with as much speed as Rose could muster, which was a considerable amount, and they made excellent time across the flat expanses of Hinaktor and towards its capital, Kilkaw.
Since the landscape was so flat, offering very little in the way of obstacles, Rose could really push herself, and Isabel could feel the demon’s heart beating fiercely against her ribs as her speed increased evermore, faster and faster. Her powerful muscles rippled and battered Isabel’s legs, and the sliding of Rose’s enormous shoulder blades beneath her was an eerie sensation to say the least.
By noon they had made superb time, and the demons, though their numbers were multiplying again rather rapidly, were at least still confined to the parameters of the ocean, no doubt fearing another near-extinction. Sadly it was unlikely that Thorn, or the lost souls, would make that same mistake again.
They had perhaps expected their sheer numbers to overwhelm Isabel and her family in such a confined space, and indeed their plan had almost succeeded. It was only the fact that they had underestimated the limits of Cole’s power that they had been thwarted.
The thought was, admittedly, disconcerting, and played on Isabel’s, and indeed her son’s and husband’s minds also - that next time Thorn would quite simply wait until the demonic realm was open, and then his army’s numbers would truly be limitless.
Before too long Kilkaw was in sight, and still with renewed vigour and never-ending endurance, Rose headed directly for the makeshift town just inside the horizon at a dead sprint, almost throwing her passengers from her back in the process.
When they finally reached the capital, it was nothing like Isabel remembered it. The hastily built wooden walls that had defended the hustling, bustling market town, had been taken down, and its size was vastly reduced. So much so that now it
was barely the size of a small village, perhaps even smaller than Kalaris, and resembled almost nothing of Isabel’s memory of it.
There were still some erected tents and buildings to speak of, but nothing compared to the mobilisation Isabel recalled from the last time she had been there. Clearly the people of Hinaktor did indeed live truly sporadic and lonesome lives.
“Hmmm.” Zanriath said as they surveyed the reduced town from a distance. “I was afraid this might be the case.”
“I hadn’t thought of it.” Isabel admitted. “When they said people had only come to town because of the demons, I thought they were exaggerating.”
“Clearly not.” Zanriath observed. “We need supplies anyway, so we should see what we can find, and we may as well begin spreading the news now.”
“Yes.” Isabel agreed. “We need to start somewhere.”
This island it seemed was going to prove the most difficult to forewarn, since its people were spread so few and far between. It was at least a blessing that they were a hardy nation, and were likely already prepared for any kind of conflict. But a little forewarning never hurt anybody.
And so, Zanriath and Isabel dismounted Rose’s back, dropped to the floor, and proceeded into Kilkaw. As always Cole held back with Rose until his parents had had ample opportunity to warn everyone of their coming.
Cole had not spoken for the majority of the ride that morning, and was still feeling the ill effects of his exertion the day before, though admittedly he felt his strength returning at a reasonable pace.
After a quarter of an hour Cole and Rose decided they had waited long enough, and headed toward the small gathering of tents and strange makeshift huts.
They soon found Isabel and Zanriath, surrounded by a small gaggle of townsfolk, each carrying either a heavy weapon of some description, or a lethal-looking set of bows and arrows. They approached cautiously, unsure what the peoples’ reaction would be.
They needn’t have worried however. As soon as Isabel highlighted their presence, the crowd almost immediately dispersed, sheathing their great swords and axes, and went to horse, taking off in every direction.
Clearly here, as had been the case on every island, his parents had great influence, and in less than twenty minutes, had begun the mobilisation of an entire island’s population, as easily as that.
As he had done for his entire life, Cole looked on in awe at his legendary parents, though, this time, somehow that endless pit of self-disappointment had lessened, even if only slightly, and a determined smile crept across the young boy’s lips.
32
Thundering southwards now, they had decided not to bother buying more horses, as, oddly, it would only have slowed their progress, and Rose seemed to never tire, feeding any strength she lost from Cole’s endless supplies. Having successfully purchased replacement supplies and clothes however, they had wasted little more time in Kilkaw, and now headed for the Southern Armouries’ encampment, on the southern-most tip of Hinaktor.
It was a notion suggested by one of the merchants that they had purchased good from: that the island’s finest, quite likely including many of the same men and women who fought against the last demonic intrusion, were all housed down in the Armouries.
And so, realising that the news of late would probably take, at best, a week to filter down to those expert craftsmen and warriors, they carried the information themselves, along one final stretch, it would seem, the last leg of their journey. After that, all four islands would, in theory, be prepared for what was to come. But where they would go from there, Isabel did not know, for they had no way to get to Thorn. They would simply have to await the inevitable.
Even with Rose running at full pelt and following the Great Road, carrying all of her passenger, it would still take them the best part of three days to make it down to the most southern tip of Hinaktor. The hours ticked by laboriously and the monotonous travel soon grew tiresome.
It was by now a silent agreement that Isabel and Cole would take turns monitoring the demons in the ocean, and their progress was as expected. By the end of the first day their ranks had swelled immensely, and were back up to a few hundred strong.
Isabel looked up to the slowly clouding sky for a few minutes as they set up camp for the first night of the journey southwards. She wondered what the demons would do next. If she was honest with herself, she had a very good idea. She was almost certain in fact, but it was a possibility, a reality, that she did not wish to consider, and so all she could do was hope for the best.
She sighed as she rifled through their somewhat meagre rations and began preparing dinner. The clouds above were looming more menacingly now, but it was unlikely to rain so soon. The most uncomfortable thing was the biting cold and driving wind, both which seemed to intensify harshly the second the sun vanished over the horizon.
Whilst Isabel prepared their supper, her husband and son worked together, still enhancing Cole’s elemental abilities. She could not begin to imagine the complexity of control Cole needed to manipulate two potentials.
She was simply grateful it was only the two - if it had been more, she could not imagine what might happen.
Rose returned from hunting her own dinner, having been away for about a quarter of an hour, and lay down contentedly and watched her Cole attempting to master one of his three arts. Even improving just one would surely increase control of another, and so any training endeavours were certainly worthwhile.
Before too long, Isabel called them for dinner and her family obediently submitted to their growling stomachs. Isabel and Zanriath sat together by the fire, warming themselves from the bitter cold. But as Cole sat with Rose, satisfying his hunger, something seemed to be nagging at him without relent.
He quickly finished his food, hoping his discomfort had only been his complaining stomach, but his agitation seemed only to worsen.
“I think we might go for a walk for a minute.” He said quietly and quite suddenly to his parents.
“Is everything ok Cole?” Isabel asked instinctively. “Do you want us to come with you? Just in case anything happens?” She continued, presuming that his potential was the issue.
“No.” He said surely. “I don’t think it’s that, but I’m not quite sure what it is.”
“Ok…” His mother replied carefully. “Go on then. Just please don’t go too far.”
“We won’t.” He assured her as he clambered to his feet. “We shan’t be too long.”
And so, he and Rose made their way out into the darkness, away from the warmth and comfort and safety of the flames, disappearing into the night.
“What is it Isabel?” Zanriath asked quietly as their son moved out of earshot. “Are the demons coming?”
Isabel instantly closed her eyes and cast her thoughts far and wide over the entirety of Tamarack, but no, it was not the demons. She breathed deeply and opened her eyes back to the dancing firelight.
“No.” She reported thoughtfully. “They’re still quite far out in the ocean, regrouping I suppose. I don’t know what it is.” She admitted.
“He’ll be fine.” Zanriath assured his wife, holding her tightly. “He’s sensible enough not to try anything stupid.”
“It’s not what he might try to do that I’m worried about.” Isabel said in a whisper, warning bells sounding suddenly through her thoughts. “It’s what he might do without realising that concerns me.”
As Cole walked, wandered even, Rose trotted silently and faithfully at his side. Above them the sky was not clear, but the harmless clouds floated aimlessly in the dark, drifting through the night without a care.
‘I sense it too.’ Rose’s words formed in Cole’s thoughts. He sighed deeply and laid his hand atop the back of her neck, having to stretch up somewhat to reach her now she was taller.
‘What does he want?’ Cole thought in response.
‘I think we already know.’ Rose replied. Then she dipped her head and exhaled deeply, her huge ribs expanding and deflating dramatical
ly. ‘Poor Thorn.’
“Hmmm.” Cole sounded, out loud this time. “It’s such a terrible shame. And it’s all my fault.” Cole’s words rung with the truth of self-disappointment embedded deep within them, hanging tauntingly in the darkness all around.
‘Don’t be so hard on yourself Cole.’ Rose’s kind words sounded gently in his thoughts, silencing his torment. She rested her massive head delicately on his shoulder and he absently reached up and around her jaws to rub the top of her snout.
Then Cole became aware of another voice invading the privacy of his mind. It was the same voice that had filled him with so much dread only a few days ago, when they had stood atop the Black Cliffs, so far to the south now. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and Rose’s top lip furled back into a deathly snarl.
He quieted her gently, stroking her neck, and the voice began to speak.
‘Cole.’ Thorn’s voice sounded arrogantly. ‘You shouldn’t be out so late on your own.’ He tormented. ‘There are dangerous things hiding in the dark.’
‘What do you want?’ Cole responded calmly, somehow maintaining his cool composure. He rested his hand warningly on Rose’s neck and she too composed herself. He could hear Thorn chuckling quietly as he did so.
‘Why I want you Cole.’ He teased again. ‘I want us to be friends.’ Cole’s fists clenched slightly but he stayed calm.
‘You know that can never be Thorn.’ He said sadly. ‘Not while the lost souls are corrupting you.’
Then, suddenly Thorn’s voice changed. It deepened until it became the low rumble of a distant volcano, the noise of a thousand voices combined, holding between them an age-old bitterness and hatred that was simply indescribable.
Cole knew at once whom the voices he was hearing belonged to.
‘We do not wish to befriend you Colvan.’ They told him. ‘We do not know what you can possibly hope to achieve by defying us, but know that if you continue to do so, you will be destroyed.’ The countless voices combined into one carried with them a certainty that sounded utterly final, resolute, and absolute, as if Cole’s efforts were simply worthless.