Skye Light

by A R Maloney

  He has a voice, I mused silently to myself. “Thank you.” I said quietly with a quick glance. I looked at the piece of dark, dried fish, turning it over in my hand and without waiting another second I bit off a chunk. How bad can it be? I let it roll over my tongue, tasting the mixture, the sweetness of the berries, the tang of the fish, and the briny aftertaste of salt. It was slightly sweet and bitter at the same time, and it was very chewy for fish. I quietly ate as quickly as I could and washed it down with a couple of swallows from my water skin so I could have both hands free again.

  We had been running for what seemed like hours, only stopping briefly to stretch and refill our water skins as we crossed a stream here and there. The sun was dipping low in the sky when Roman finally motioned for us to stop. My legs had been moving at such a pace for so long it seemed hard to let them slow. Niera whispered another spell and I felt the quickness leave my body. “My muscles are going to ache like hell tomorrow.”

  Niera gave me a sympathetic smile as she turned to stretch. “You did well, recruit.”

  I looked around and saw we had wound our way to the mouth of a small cave on the side of a large ridge. I could hear water running from a stream nearby.

  Roman stretched while announcing, “We will camp here for tonight.” He began giving us all jobs. Cooper was to secure the campsite. Niera left to gather firewood and Roman would find us meat. I found myself heading to the nearby spring to carry water back to the camp.

  I approached the creek, which was tumbling rapidly down the steep hillside over craggy rocks, bubbling and foaming as it streamed by. The noise from the falling water was music to my ears, calling me closer. Sitting along the bank, I removed my shoes. Sinking my legs into the cool, deep water. I washed my feet, arms and face, and then stretched the ache of the days run from my body. Quickly redressing, I cupped my hands, taking several long drinks and let the water run down my chin and neck. It tasted sweet on my tongue, cooling my throat as I quenched my thirst. I looked up and saw that the sky was darkening quickly, so I filled the water bags and stood, and began my trek back to the campsite, not wanting to waste any more time.

  Niera was returning with a large bundle of dried branches in her arms. I set the bags of water against a large oak tree and then went to help her. Together we began breaking the wood down into more manageable pieces. She looked at me when we finally had the wood stacked in our makeshift fire pit and pointed to the firepit, “You're up!”

  Any one of them could have started the fire quite efficiently, but as I met her eyes, I could see this was to be a test for me alone. I looked at the pile of wood, tempted to show off, but instead merely nodded at her. I turned toward the wood we had piled inside our newly made firepit and spoke, “Ignis!” The call from my mouth was a low command. An orange ball formed in the palm of my right hand, giving a soft glow and the tips of my fingers were tingling with power. I hoped I was showing confidence, and not the trepidation I was feeling. This was an easy spell; one I had performed hundreds of times. But I didn't want to let anyone down. I prayed quickly that I wouldn't miss my mark, fearful of melting her armor or singeing her hair...or mine! I turned my hand and sent the ball of flame flying away from me, landing in the shallow fire pit. Flames began to lick at the pile of wood. I inhaled, closing my eyes as the calming breath took hold of my lungs and with a quiet sigh of relief I sat down.

  Niera smiled at me and nodded, “Well done, recruit. Keep it up and I may have to learn your name.” She smirked, catching my eyes rolling.

  About this time Cooper and Roman returned. Roman was holding a few squirrels which he set on a stone and swiftly began dressing. Cooper had brought back more wood which he and Niera were already making quick work of. I looked around feeling a little out of place, not sure what was expected of me. “Is there anything I can help with?” I asked shyly.

  “Not unless you can make Roman's stew any better!” Cooper joked with a loud laugh. Niera joined in the laughter and Roman glared at Cooper, raising an eyebrow with a look that clearly suggested the next meal would be his to cook.

  I poured some water into a small cooking pot Cooper had produced. Roman began dropping in chunks of meat, herbs, and vegetables. Niera leaned over and explained, “The stew's really not so bad! We just tease each other like this all the time. It makes everything easier when we can find things to laugh about, time passes faster.”

  I nodded and gave a small smile, quietly observing the three, trying not to feel like the outsider I was.

  We ate as the sun left the sky. The light from the campfire danced on the leaves of the forest canopy above us. The night air was warm and dry. As we quieted, the sounds of the night forest came to life around us. Wolves began to call to each other in the distance, a single howl was joined by another, and another still. Whippoorwills and crickets added to the night song.

  We lounged around the fire, relaxing after our long days run. Suddenly, my lips twisted into a smile that I couldn't hide as a thought came into my mind. “Can I ask something?” Niera looked over quizzically. “I've...I'm sorry.” I said, blushing a deep red with embarrassment. “I've never really seen a sentinel before today. Never up close. I've only heard of them in stories long ago. I feel like a child to even ask...is it true?” I looked away, trying to regain my composure.

  Cooper raised his head, looking at me with a curious tilt to his chin.

  Roman wore a similar expression, “Never seen a sentinel?” his look said he was clearly astonished. All three were focused on me and I squirmed in my seat while I watched their eyes as they looked from one to the other in what appeared to be silent conversation. Moments passed and I locked my eyes on the fire before me, gazing intently. When I looked up again Roman's eyes were back upon me, studying me hard with a curious intensity. He continued questioning, “Did Sera never speak to you of this?”

  I shook my head. “No. Growing up...there were some things we just weren’t allowed to ever discuss in my house. The wars, politics, other things too. I think it had something to do with my father. But like I said, never discussed. The only things I have ever heard were stories brought by traders, and they rarely came out as far as our closest village.”

  Had our solitude caused me to miss that much? I had always felt there was something my mom had been holding back, hiding from me, though I knew not what that was.

  Niera clucked her tongue and gave Roman a sharp look, then turned her attention to me and gently asked, “Is what true, Skye? Ask what you will.”

  I shifted uncomfortably on the ground again. “I was wondering, because the stories say, you know...I've heard....” I was truly embarrassed, but I finally sat forward and blurted out, “Do you really have wings? I mean, I've always heard stories of sentinels flying, ya know? When the traders came, sometimes they told us these epic tales of men and women from neighboring villages ascending, becoming sentinels, and being called to the High Priests in Plano, but I never saw any of those men or women again and news of them was rarely heard, but…” I peered from face to face, “I don't see any wings.” It all came flying from my mouth fast, as a mass of jumbled words, like a child who had had too much holiday candy.

  With this they began to laugh. “Yes,” Niera said, “we do have wings.”

  Cooper took this moment to add, “All but Roman. He's just got two horns and a tail, especially in the morning. I would swear the Lluren were invading our camp, but it’s just Roman…waking up.” We all laughed at that. Niera stood up and raised her arms high in a long stretch. She then walked over to Cooper and popped him on the back of his head with a loud slap. “Get up big guy!” she crooned. “She can see real wings, and I can get a chance to see how those chicken bones are healing!”

  Cooper gave her a mock glare and protested, “Chicken bones? Pfffft!” he stood, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms skyward as he rose to his full height. He gave me a quick wink, “Watch this,” and with a small grunt, two great wings pushed forth from between his shoulder blades. The
y shone silvery white in the glow of the fire. I tried unsuccessfully not to stare.

  Niera inspected them with a finely trained eye, stretching each wing to its full length and checking the bones for their strength and range of motion. Cooper stood patiently, wearing a confident smile. “You appear to be healing nicely,” she said. “However, we still should wait another week before you can try gliding, and an additional two to three weeks after that before you attempt to fly.” She looked to me and explained, “Cooper just returned from the badlands. His company was involved in quite the battle...but maybe he should be the one to discuss this. Cooper?” Niera tilted her head, looking at the warrior with her soft brown eyes.

  The smile dropped from his face as he stretched again, rolling his head from side to side. I heard his neck popping as he folded his wings back in and he sat, reclaiming his spot on the mossy ground. He pulled a knife from his waist. A honing stone lay on his thigh and he slowly ran the knife over the flat surface of the stone, occasionally examining the blade for any dullness or imperfection. With a sigh he said, “Yes, she should know what is happening out there...I can tell news rarely travels this far....”

  Cooper stared into the fire as he spoke quietly, “We'd been stationed at the Dusk Fortress for some time. There was a massive attack by the Ustenians. They were so numerous that they blocked out the sky. We fought hard for hours that day. Neither side would give up. The Ustenian crows would gain a foothold, but we would push them back. It seemed we were at an impasse. Then, without warning, a Lluren battleship came over us. Those demons seemed to be dropping from every door. We were all overrun in minutes. Both Lucenia and Ustenia lost many that day. Several from my company fell, the rest were just…gone, never to be seen again. It was believed I had fallen. I had been knocked from the sky and badly injured. I was left for dead, while those who could manage made a hasty retreat. For over two days I was left among the corpses of my fallen brothers and sisters, as well as fallen enemies before I was able to move again. Finally, I dug myself out of that pit of death and was able to find a place to heal enough that I could alert a patrol detail. They were able to transport me back to Dusk Fortress where they left me with the healers. But some wounds take more than the spells of a priest to fix.” Cooper's jaw twitched as he tried to mask the sadness, but his eyes betrayed him. He chewed at the inside of his lip and continued staring into the fire, not looking up again for a long time.

  “I'm sorry for your losses.” I said, bowing my head to him and holding my right hand in a fist over my heart. I wished there was more I could say or do. His eyes appeared almost black, he was handsome, even in his grief. We fell quiet, the crackling of the campfire seemed loud in my ears. I hadn't really realized what was happening away from my own doorstep, away from our own valley, not really.

  Of course, I had heard of the Ustenians and Lluren. These were the boogeymen of bedtime stories told to keep children from causing mischief. The violence of war on such a broad scale didn't seem like a possibility. Sure, we had our problems with the raiders and the wildlings, but the Lluren have returned? I sighed as my heart broke for Cooper.

  Roman looked at the warrior, then to me and said, “His injuries were so great, it's a wonder he could carry himself to the tower. He has the heart of a wolf and the will of a giant!” Roman smiled sadly at Cooper and took a long drink from his flask.

  Cooper placed his knife back into its sheath. He picked up a long branch and began poking at the base of the fire with it as he continued to stare deep into the flames. His lips were pressed together in a tight line as he wrestled with his thoughts.

  Roman, Niera, and I talked off and on, deep into the night, eventually drawing Cooper back out of his head. They all shared stories of their pasts, their battles, of friends made and friends lost. They spoke of the war, the badlands, of Ustenia, and Lucenia, and of their own homes. I listened long until my eyes became heavy. Finally, I stretched out onto the soft forest bed, using my pack as a pillow, and closed my eyes. It wasn't long before I was lost to sleep.

  Chapter 3—Climbing

  THE NIGHT AIR WAS warm and calm. The fire crackled as it burned down, becoming a bed of orange and gold coals in the fire pit at the mouth of the cave in the side of the ridge. The calls of owls and the occasional howl of wolves sung out through the dense forest night. As I slept, visions of the night’s stories filled my head. Scattered pictures of epic battles ran through my unconscious mind. Swords clashed and fire and ice soared through the air, flashing and exploding around me. There were bodies and faces, wings and war. Nameless demons and beasts came at me from every angle. Magic flew from my fingertips, surrounding my enemies in explosions of fire and ice. They inched closer, snarling at me in angry foreign tongues. Promising my death. The shadow of a mighty blade came crashing down over my head. Blackness.

  I woke with a start, gasping, and rubbing the sleep from my eyes as I looked around, remembering my new surroundings. Cooper was standing silently at the edge of the campsite with his back to me. Niera and Roman slept peacefully. I tried to pull myself together, getting my bearings once again. We were alone here. There was no enemy, no raging demons attacking, no need to protect myself. I shifted to stretch, feeling silly to have been woken by what I considered a child's nightmare.

  Cooper spoke quietly, his back still to me, “There's still about an hour before the others will rise. You can still sleep more if you’d like.”

  Silently, I shook my head, not willing to let myself return to the dream which was still lingering in my mind. “No, I'm rested,” I lied. He turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow. Before he could say anything else, I continued, “I'll refresh our water supply and find some breakfast for us.”

  I needed a few moments alone to clear my thoughts. They want me to fight? To be some great protector? I laughed at myself...I can't even make it through bedtime stories.... I admonished myself angrily as I walked to the stream. I paused, hearing movement in the underbrush, trying not to spook myself. A small boar crossed the path in front of me. He looked at me briefly and snorted, sniffing the air, then lazily continued to wherever he had been going. For a moment I considered making him breakfast but thought better of it. We'd have to carry the extras, and I did not want to chance being so overloaded, or wasteful. So, the boar continued to live, and I found my way to the water’s edge.

  I splashed some water on my face and took a small drink from the stream, then filled the water bags and stood to stretch. There was a haze in this early dawn which gave the woods a mystical glow.

  Morning birds were beginning to chirp and sing, and squirrels scampered in the trees overhead. Looking up I saw a large nest in the branches of the tree next to me. I hung the water bags on a low branch and climbed upwards limb by limb. Angry birds squawked and dove at me as I waved them away. There, in the nest before me, lay five large eggs. Carefully, I gathered the eggs into the folds of my tunic, cautious not to break any. I made my way back down to the forest floor and was picking up the water skins again when I noticed more movement at the water’s edge.

  I heard a sharp *hiss* from my left and turned, taking a step back. I shouted, “Ignis Atras!” Once again, a ball of flame shot from my hands. A moment later a large forest lizard dropped to the ground, smoking slightly, and altogether lifeless. I hadn’t intended to bring back meat, but these lizards are particularly aggressive. It would have followed me back to the camp, attacking until we had been forced to kill it anyway.

  Just as I was wondering how I was to carry this all back to camp, Cooper came tearing down the trail. “I shouldn't have let you go alone while the others were still asleep!” he apologized, looking for the enemy.

  I looked at him quizzically. He looked me over, expecting to have found something amiss. “I heard you shout, saw the flash from your spell...and I thought.... Oh! Breakfast.” He said with a tilt of his head as he looked at the giant smoking skink on the bank of the stream. He gave me a silly grin.

  I grinned impishly back at him
flashing my green and brown eyes, and dramatically cried, “Thanks! You saved me! My hero!” I tossed the back of my hand up against my forehead and swung my brown braids as I sighed deeply and altogether overdramatically. I was failing at holding back my laugh.

  “Hardly,” he said, kicking at the path with his toes, looking a little embarrassed.

  “You saved me from carrying this all back by myself!” I joked, pushing him the water bags with a wink and a smile. The skink had stopped smoking by this point, and I picked it up by its long tail and tossed it over my shoulder. I felt the apprehension of the previous day fall away. I had made myself useful. Together we walked back to our camp. Today would be a good day.

  Roman had just returned with another armful of wood and was stoking the fire back to life. “Niera is checking our path, she should be down soon,” he said, glancing up the tall cliff-side above us. I looked up, following his gaze, and saw her nearing the top of the ridge.

  “We're climbing that??!!” I gasped, unsure of how I would make such a climb.

  Roman nodded at me saying, “It won't be as bad as you’d think.”

  I continued to look up doubtfully, thinking to myself that it would be easy for him to say, but my soul was not bound to any place on this earth. Some highly experienced, ancient sentinels could bind a portion of their souls, allowing them to return from what would normally be a fatal injury, but I was not that experienced with my spell work. If I died, I would stay dead. I was reminded of the frailty of my humanity.