The Call of Ancient Light

by Ben Wolf

  One more shift, one more brutal kick to that knife would finish it.

  She glared at him as he slumped to the floor again, a look of pained desperation in his eyes. “This is for Colm.”

  She delivered a blow so hard to the knife hilt that her foot hurt afterward.

  The knife hilt all but disappeared into Captain Fulton’s thick neck, and his mouth widened even farther. He coughed and hacked up specks of blood onto her torso and face, then he slumped onto his side. His eyes rolled back, and he stopped moving entirely.

  Either he was dead or he wasn’t—Lilly had no desire to find out—but either way, he wouldn’t be chasing her anymore. She whirled around and twisted the key in the lock, and the carriage door swung open. A gust of cool night air washed away the combined scent of sweat, flowers, and blood, and it renewed Lilly’s spirit.

  Freedom.

  Part of her wanted to retrieve the knife from Captain Fulton’s neck, but another part of her, a part she knew was totally irrational, worried he might come back from the dead if she pulled the knife out. She left the knife, but snatched up the vial of Aliophos Nectar that lay next to his motionless body.

  She never would’ve expected it, but she found herself thanking the Overlord for the color of her burgundy dress. It disguised the spattered blood that coated her upper half, and she used the fabric near the hem to wipe off her face, neck, and hands.

  Enough. It doesn’t have to be perfect.

  Lilly let the hem drop back down and peered out of the carriage into the night. From what she could tell, Montrose hadn’t finished his walk and wasn’t yet nearby. Maybe she could make a clean escape.

  No. Not yet. She still had to find and recover her armor and her cape, or she’d have no chance of getting home safely.

  She crept back toward the auction house, but instead of going inside, she rounded the side of the building. If her armor was still in Roderick’s wagon, the one pulled by the brown donkey, then perhaps she wouldn’t have to go back inside at all.

  Sure enough, she found a row of familiar wagons, some of them big barred boxes like the one the slave traders had confined her to during her trip across Trader’s Pass, and some of them small and loaded with crates and barrels and other supplies.

  The only problem was that all the donkeys and horses pulling the carts had been unhitched and now lingered in a small stable adjacent to where the wagons were parked.

  Lilly cursed under her breath. A man emerged from the stables with a shovel in-hand. Lilly ducked behind the nearest wagon and crouched by the wheel.

  The man shut the door and set the shovel next to it, then he walked in her direction. He stopped at the wagon just ahead of hers and leaned against the bars.

  How would she get to the wagons with a guard posted there? The Aliophos Nectar wouldn’t work unless he breathed its fumes or drank it, and the only thing around that could’ve served as a weapon was the shovel, but she couldn’t get to that without him seeing her either.

  Lilly cursed silently again.

  “Hey,” the man hissed. He craned his head and bent down, his eyes fixed on her location. “Who’s there?”

  She ducked behind the wagon wheel again and bit her lip. Apparently, she hadn’t cursed silently enough.

  Hurried footsteps approached her position.

  Chapter Thirty

  Lilly had no time—she just reacted.

  “Who are y—”

  Lilly uncorked the vial, sprang at him, and tossed the full payload of the Aliophos Nectar at his head. The violet liquid splashed on his face, and he recoiled a step, sputtering.

  “What is… what did you…?”

  It was the new guy, the one who had escorted her to Montrose and Captain Fulton. The one with the dark eyes, green armor, and curly black hair.

  He blinked at her and pointed an accusing finger. “You’re… not supposed to…”

  His legs wobbled, gave out, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious and snoring.

  No time to enjoy the sight. Montrose would find Captain Fulton any minute now, and who knew how long the Aliophos Nectar would keep the new guy unconscious? She shuffled over to the wagons and began to rummage through their contents.

  Three wagons in, she found her armor, her bow and arrows, and her cape. Joy and relief and excitement cascaded through her veins at the sight.

  She sliced her dress down the center of the bodice with one of her arrowheads and shed it from her body, then strapped her armor on, piece by piece. She hooked her cape onto her back, and slung her bow across her chest.

  Time to fly.

  For the first time in nearly two months, her feet left the ground, and she ascended into the night air as effortlessly as taking a breath. She hovered ten feet off the ground, then twenty, then she matched the height of the building. Exhilaration swelled in her chest the higher she climbed. Now she could zoom away and leave all of this behind as nothing more than a bad memory.

  But what about Sharion? What about the other slaves?

  No. She didn’t have time. Montrose had to be close to the carriage by now. More importantly, she had responsibilities to her family and her parents back home. She couldn’t linger here.

  But was she truly willing to condemn all of the other people in those cages to fates like the one she’d just escaped?

  It wasn’t condemnation, she rationalized. She’d escaped. They could do the same if they wanted.

  Could they? She pulled the keys from her boot and jingled them in her gauntleted hand.

  “When the time is right, I’ll help you escape, but not before then.”

  Lilly had said that to Sharion after Colm died, after she’d clocked Sharion in the chin for trying to use the keys and the knife to escape then and there.

  Was it a lie?

  Or was it a promise?

  Lilly’s jaw hardened, and she exhaled a sigh through her nose.

  Then she drew an arrow from her quiver, nocked it in her bow, and headed back toward the auction house door.

  Lilly pushed the cellblock door open. Thanks to the black curtains and the commotion on the other side, Lilly had made it through the auction house all but undetected, and the one guy she did encounter went down with an arrow to his throat, unable to call for help. At least she hadn’t lost her accuracy.

  She trotted down the cellblock, her head swiveling.

  The cells were empty. Every single one.

  She was too late.

  She stopped at her cell and peered inside. Maybe Sharion had huddled in the corner and they had missed her?

  No such luck. She was gone.

  Well, she’d tried. Nothing left to do now but escape herself, once and for all. She turned toward the cellblock door and—

  “Hey!” a voice, hushed, hissed from behind her.

  She whirled around and drew her arrow back, ready to skewer whoever had found her, but found no one. The corridor was empty.

  “Down here.” The voice sounded from the end of the cellblock, in the last cell. Almost no light entered that cell from the torches in the cellblock. No wonder Lilly hadn’t seen anyone in there.

  Still, Lilly didn’t move. She squinted and kept her arrow trained on the source of the sound—at least as best as she could tell. “Who’s there?”

  “Come closer.”

  “Why?”

  “Your friend isn’t here. They already took her.” The voice took on a feminine tone, but it didn’t sound like that of a human or another Windgale. “But if you free me, I can help you find her.”

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Windsor. Hurry—there’s little time.”

  Lilly glanced over her shoulder, then she started toward the end of the cellblock. She relaxed the tension in her bowstring and pulled the keys from her belt. “What are you?”

  “Unlock the cell, and I can show you.”

  Lilly pushed the key into the cell’s lock but didn’t turn it. “How do I know you won’t try to hurt me?”

  �
�You don’t. But if you want to see your friend again, you’ll let me out.”

  Did she want to see Sharion again? They weren’t exactly friends, after all…

  “Open. The. Cell,” the voice growled.

  Lilly’s eyes narrowed. She’d do it, but she’d be ready if the prisoner came at her. She turned the key, nocked her arrow, and—

  The cell door burst open, and a black blur knocked her onto her back. Teeth flashed under a set of vivid blue eyes and a furry snout.

  The Wolf. The one that had almost escaped Roderick’s men and given Lilly one of her failed opportunities to escape.

  She snarled at Lilly, and her forepaws gripped the top of Lilly’s armor. “You shouldn’t have tried to shoot me.”

  Lilly glared up at her and tried to shift, but Windsor was heavier than she looked. Bigger than Lilly had expected, too. “You shouldn’t have been so brusque. Now tell me where my friend is.”

  Windsor growled. “You’re in no position to make demands.”

  “I let you out. I held up my end. Now tell me where she is.” Lilly raised an eyebrow. “Or does the word of a Wolf mean nothing?”

  “I should kill you for saying that.” Windsor leaned in close, and Lilly smelled rancid meat on her breath. “I could tear out your throat right now and I’d be none the worse for it. You’d be the first fresh meat I’ve had in a month.”

  “I don’t have time for this.” Lilly’s voice sharpened. “If you’re going to kill me, then either do it, or let me up so I can get out of here. If your word means nothing to you and you’re not going to help me, then I’ll find her myself.”

  “You’re brave—for a Windgale.” Windsor growled again, then she stepped off of Lilly’s chest. “I’ll help you find her, but then I’m out of here.”

  Lilly pushed herself up to her feet and recovered her bow and arrow. “Lead the way.”

  Windsor headed to Lilly’s old cell first to pick up Sharion’s scent from a scrap of the rags she’d worn, then she led Lilly out the cellblock and back into the auction house. Lilly noted a patch of white fur on the tip of her tail, the only part of her coat that wasn’t black. It didn’t seem to affect her ability to hide in darkness in the least.

  Windsor hid in the shadows seamlessly while Lilly slunk along the wall in the main room of the auction house. The commotion on the other side had subsided, now replaced with Roderick’s voice.

  “…you can see this isn’t our finest crop ever, but at least the opening prices are competitive.” The crowd laughed, and Roderick continued, “As usual, we start at the low end and save the good stuff for later. We’ve got a gorgeous black she-Wolf locked up, but she’s a handful, so she’ll be the last prize for you to bid on. For now, let’s start with this guy, here. He’s got bad teeth, but he’s cooperative. Who’ll make me an offer?”

  “One gold coin,” a man from the audience called.

  “Jethro bids one gold coin, but he always was cheap.” The crowd laughed again. Roderick said, “Any other takers?”

  The auction had begun, and patrons perpetuated it with shouts of various amounts of money.

  “Your friend—” Windsor motioned toward the curtains with her head. “—she’s already out there.”

  Lilly’s jaw tightened. “How do I get her away from them?”

  Windsor shook her head. “Not my problem. I’m out of here.”

  “But you—”

  “I said I’d help you find her, and I did,” Windsor snapped. “I’m not sticking around any longer than I have to. Neither should you. It’s too late for her. You should get out while you still have the chance, before they find you again.”

  Windsor trotted toward the auction house’s door, but Lilly took to the air and beat her there—how good it felt to fly again, even for a short amount of time. “Don’t you want to take revenge on these guys for what they did to you? They locked you up. Abused you.”

  “And now I’m free, and I’m out of here.” Windsor growled at Lilly. “Move aside, or I’ll move you aside.”

  “I need your help, Windsor. I have to free them. Not just Sharion, but all of them. This is wrong, and you know it.”

  “What I know is that it’s none of my business,” Winsdor snarled, “so get out of my way.”

  Lilly scowled at her but stepped aside.

  “Have a nice life.” Windsor nudged the door open with her nose and disappeared into the night.

  “You should get out while you still have the chance,” Windsor had said. Perhaps she was right.

  No. Lilly had made a promise to Sharion. She had to find a way to free her.

  She rounded the corner of the curtains and spotted the table where the new guy had gotten her water after she’d retched all over Roderick. A big man stood there, his arms folded, but he wasn’t looking her direction. A half-dozen slaves, all of them human, stood near him, shackled and chained to each other.

  Sharion wasn’t one of them.

  Lilly drew her bow back and launched an arrow at him. It embedded in the side of his head and he slumped to the floor, dead. She swooped over and landed next to him, careful not to ascend above the curtains. The slaves gawked and gasped at her, but she shushed them.

  “Easy, easy.” She held her hands up to quiet them. True to Roderick’s words, they looked healthier and more capable than some of the other slaves she’d seen. He really was saving the “good stuff” for later on. “I’m here to help you, but I need your help as well.”

  They ogled her with wide eyes and mouths agape.

  “I’m going to unchain you. When I do, I need you to rush through the curtains to create a distraction so I can free the other slaves.”

  “Why in the Overlord’s name would we do that?” one man hissed. “You’re setting us free. We’re leaving.”

  The others murmured in agreement.

  Lilly shook her head. “How far do you think you’ll get without money or food? The crowd will have bags full of money in their possession. These slave traders took your freedom from you so they could sell you to those pigs out there. You might as well get something in return, right?”

  “B-but the s-slave traders have w-weapons,” another slave stammered.

  Lilly removed the dead slave trader’s sword from his belt and tossed it to the slave. “Now you do, too.”

  “That’s great, but what about the rest of us?” The first slave jammed his fists into his hips.

  “You’ll have to make do.”

  The slaves looked at each other, then at her. The first slave shook his head. “Sorry, miss, but we’d rather just be on our way.”

  First Windsor, now these people, too? “I need your help. What about the other slaves?”

  “Beggin’ your pardon, but if you had a chance at freedom, wouldn’t you take it?”

  “This is my chance at freedom. I was caged up with the rest of you not an hour ago, but I’m still here, trying to help all of you and those who are out on that platform right now.”

  A brief pause lingered between her and the slaves.

  “Look, you’re a good shot with that bow and all, but six of us against almost double the number of slave traders and dozens of other people? It’s lunacy. Just unlock us and we’ll leave.”

  “You’re not goin’ anywhere,” a voice behind them said.

  Lilly whirled around. She knew that voice.

  Montrose stood there, sword in-hand, with Luggs, Gammel, and Adgar at his side, each wielding weapons of their own. Two other slave traders also stood with them, bows nocked and ready.

  They were trapped.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The slaves huddled together behind Lilly, and the one to whom she’d handed the sword dropped it.

  “Drop the bow, pretty one.” Montrose pointed his sword at Lilly.

  “And if I don’t?”

  “Sold,” Roderick crooned on the other side of the curtains. “This one with the bad teeth goes to Jethro for five gold coins. As usual, you can claim your prize after the au
ction has concluded.”

  Montrose glanced at Luggs, who raised his arm. The archers drew back their arrows.

  “If you come quietly,” Montrose said, “I assure you that all of them will live, and so will you, though you must answer for Captain Fulton.”

  Lilly hesitated. She could bolt into the air and evade their arrows if she had to, but she couldn’t let the other slaves die because of her.

  Windsor had been right. She should’ve left when she had the chance.

  She dropped her bow at her side.

  Montrose nodded toward her. “Take her.”

  The archers relaxed their bowstrings, and Gammel and Adgar started forward.

  A black blur launched out of the shadows and collided with Montrose. His sword clattered toward Lilly. The two forms tumbled to the floor, but the shadow mounted him and lunged for his throat as he screamed. Its tail waved with delight as Montrose thrashed, and Lilly noticed a patch of white fur on its tip.

  Windsor. She’d come back.

  Pandemonium seized the room. Lilly tossed the key ring to the first slave, and he began to unlock his shackles, then she snatched up her bow and skinned an arrow from her quiver.

  In the chaos of the moment, the archers alternated surprised glances between Windsor tearing at Montrose’s throat and face and at the slaves. One of them took aim at Lilly again, but her arrow hit him in his face before he could get a shot off. Thanks to Lilly’s second arrow, the other went down right after noticing the first archer’s fate.

  Meanwhile, Luggs swung his dagger down at Windsor, but she darted away from Montrose, and Luggs’s dagger lodged in Montrose’s chest instead. Luggs staggered back, horrified, until Lilly’s arrow hit his shoulder. He yelped and went down, and Lilly regretted not hitting him as squarely as she’d hit the archers.

  The curtains spread wide, and Roderick’s towering form filled the open space. “What in the Overlord’s name is—”

  Lilly aimed her next arrow at him right as he noticed her. He glared at her, and she let the arrow fly.