Everlasting

by W. J. May

  She didn’t know where it was coming from. The sudden practicality. The newfound air of calm. But as the townsfolk laughed and twirled obliviously in front of the fire she found herself clinging to it with both hands. They had stayed here long enough. It was time to leave.

  “But, like I said...it’s a very generous offer.” She stood with a gracious smile, reaching out to shake Henry’s hand. “Thank you again, for everything. I really can’t say it enough.”

  He didn’t try to shame her, like he did to Dylan. He didn’t even try to change her mind. A flicker of genuine respect twinkled in his eyes as he shook her hand warmly. “Now that you know where to find us, we’ll expect to be seeing you again.”

  She smiled again, then reached for the bench to gather her up cloak. The others watched her for a moment, still trying to keep up, then pushed to their feet and followed suit. Apparently, the decision had been made. And, apparently, she was now the person who was making them.

  Only Dylan remained on the fence, a look of worry flickering in his eyes. He glanced once more towards the forest, as if he could see something the others could not, before turning with a forced smile to bid farewell to their generous host.

  “Thanks again,” he murmured, shaking the man’s hand. “I appreciate it.”

  Henry’s eyes twinkled once more as they flashed between the ranger and the princess. The hint of a smile curved the corners of his lips, but he said not a word. “So, where are you headed?”

  Katerina expected Dylan to lie. Or at least, not be so open with the truth. But it seemed the night was full of surprises for everyone.

  “North,” he answered automatically. “To the Black Hills.”

  For a second, Henry’s smile froze. He glanced at the others, like there was a chance they might be joking, before turning back to Dylan with a slight frown. “The Black Hills?”

  Something in his tone made Katerina pause. The others stopped what they were doing and straightened up uneasily, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “Yeah,” Dylan said cautiously, studying the man’s face. “Why?”

  Henry glanced between them for another moment, shaking his head in honest surprise. “Well, I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but a wildfire swept through the Black Hills about a week ago. Burned the whole area to the ground. There’s nothing left.”

  Katerina didn’t need to look at the others to understand the heavy significance of the words. She didn’t need to hear the hushed profanities, or see the looks of despair, or watch the way Tanya hurled down her bag to know exactly what had happened, and exactly what it meant.

  There was nothing left. Brookfield was gone.

  “THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!” Dylan cried. “Bloody unbelievable!”

  While it had certainly seemed strange to Henry, given that their destination had recently been destroyed, the gang had chosen to leave Vale that evening. After hearing the news that their safe house had been destroyed, no one felt in the mood for a party. And, given the fact that the entire royal army was closing in from all sides, they didn’t want to expose the lovely people of such a lovely town to any more danger than they already had.

  Granted, that decision had left them standing in the middle of nowhere. With no place to go.

  “I mean...the avalanche, the rockslide, the forest, the storm?!” Dylan threw up his hands to the sky, demanding answers when there were none to be had. “When will we catch a freakin’ break?”

  Tanya was just as enraged, but was keeping it to herself—furiously sharpening, then re-sharpening her blade on the edge of a stone. Cassiel had stayed very quiet—staring into the flames of their campfire, lost in troubled thought. Only Katerina was still on her feet. Standing a little off to the side as Dylan paced back and forth—ranting to the sky.

  “I swear, if I’d known things would turn out this way, I would have spent more time with the witches at that damn festival. Stocking up on amulets and talismans for luck—”

  “This isn’t about luck,” Katerina said quietly.

  The others turned to her, and even Dylan stopped his pacing long enough to listen. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left the village, but she’d been deep in thought. Trying to fit the pieces together. Trying to make sense in a world of chaos. She wasn’t making much progress, but something about Dylan’s words triggered an idea. Then illumination struck.

  “You said it yourself.” Her eyes danced with the light of the fire as she stared at each of them in turn. “The avalanche, the rockslide, the forest, the storm? That isn’t just coincidence. That isn’t just bad luck. There’s intent behind it. There’s a person at play.”

  “She’s right,” Cassiel said quietly. “It’s like this whole journey has been cursed.”

  Dylan didn’t say a word, reserving his judgement, but Katerina could see those same pieces start fitting together in his eyes. Every decision, every turn, every step of the way. It was too much to happen by chance. There was another person in this game. One who’d been playing all along.

  “But who could do something like that?” Tanya asked in fright. She’d stopped her manic sharpening and was staring up with wide, worried eyes. “Who’d have that kind of power?”

  Cassiel and Dylan exchanged a quick glance, then the ranger looked away with a sigh.

  “A wizard,” he said quietly. “A dark wizard. It’s the only explanation.”

  A chill ran up Katerina’s arms and she stepped closer to the fire. “But I thought you said my father had all the wizards killed. There’s no one left—”

  “There are some,” Dylan replied bleakly. “Scattered about the five kingdoms, living in exile, living in disguise...even your father couldn’t get them all.”

  The princess sank suddenly down beside Tanya, unable to comprehend how they’d managed to pit themselves against such a deadly foe. “But why would a dark wizard help Kailas?” she finally forced herself to ask. “In their mind, wouldn’t he be the enemy?”

  “Help a Damaris, to kill a Damaris?” Cassiel’s lips curved up in a crooked smile, one that didn’t meet his eyes. “I can think of a lot of people ready to take that deal.”

  She flashed him a look but kept silent. He wasn’t trying to provoke her. In fact, he seemed to be the only person present who didn’t instinctively cringe from the truth.

  “So, what can we do?” All of that unshakable optimism had vanished, and Tanya looked as though she was afraid to even ask the question.

  What could they do? Against far-flung sorcery? Against an all-powerful wizard?

  For a long time, the campsite was quiet. The four friends sank into their own heads, reeling with the horror of it, trying in vain to come up with a plan. The only sound was the occasional spark or snapping of a twig as the logs collapsed slowly beneath the flames.

  Then all at once, a slow smile began to spread up the side of Katerina’s face.

  How will we fight against an all-powerful wizard? With an all-powerful wizard of our own.

  “Dylan?”

  With great effort he pulled himself out of his troubled mind, lifting his head to meet her eyes. The look on her face confused him, even more so when she pushed suddenly to her feet.

  “I need to find some water...”

  “SO, WAIT A MINUTE,” Tanya demanded, her short legs struggling to keep pace as the others swept quickly through the woods, “you’re telling me that all this time, you’ve had a magical way of contacting anyone in the outside world...and you didn’t say anything?!”

  “How was I supposed to know the thing was for real?” Katerina replied, ducking quickly under a low-hanging branch. “And who exactly would we have wanted to be contacting?” Her eyes met Dylan’s, and for a split second the two actually shared a grin. “Trinkets and talismans, right?”

  He laughed under his breath, making his way swiftly towards the pond. “Right.”

  The plan was simple. Use the seeing stone. Talk to Alwyn. If there was a dark wizard out there, one who was plotting against
them, he would know what to do.

  Of course, not everyone had been on board.

  Tanya was nervous about ‘meddling with sorcery,’ and Cassiel looked like he’d rather set himself on fire than put his trust in a wizard. But, at this point, they had no choice. They were out of options, and the enemy was closing in on all sides. Time to make a friend.

  “Just...be careful,” he said for the tenth time, standing a bit of a ways back as Dylan knelt beside the edge of the water, Katerina by his side.

  “Trust me.” She flashed him a reassuring smile, then pulled the stone from her pocket and dropped it into the water. “I know what I’m doing.”

  At once, a strange feeling of serenity washed over her. Her eyes snapped shut, and it was as though she was looking at a map. Not one she could see, but one she could feel. Her entire body warmed as she directed her thoughts to the palace. To the wizard sitting inside.

  Alwyn...

  There was a moment of silence. Then a voice lifted out of the water.

  “You called?”

  Katerina’s eyes snapped open with a gasp, to see the watery reflection of the wizard staring back at her. He looked exactly the way she remembered. Same speckled robe. Same crooked spectacles. Same snow-white hair—clinging like a manic cloud to the top of his rounded head.

  “It worked,” she breathed, hardly believing what she saw. “You’re here.”

  The wrinkles on the wizard’s face melted into an affectionate smile as he chuckled softly. “Well, not exactly, dear one. I am most certainly still back at the castle, and while I don’t know where exactly you’re seeing me, you and I are speaking from the bottom of my wine glass.”

  The princess let out a breathless laugh, then leaned closer to the water, brought to tears with a wave of homesickness that caught her completely off-guard. “I miss you.”

  “I miss you, too, Katy.” The wind blew gentle waves across the water, and his voice thickened, as if he’d developed a sudden cold. “I can’t say how glad I am to see you safe.”

  “But, what about you?” she asked eagerly. “What all has happened since I’ve been gone—”

  A throat cleared quietly behind her, and she hastened to get back on point. There was no telling how long the magic of the stone would last, and there were important things to discuss.

  “Actually,” she amended quickly, “I haven’t got much time. Alwyn; we think there’s a dark wizard after us. Someone who’s doing everything they can to curse our journey from afar.”

  “Us?” He stretched upwards, trying to see past her fiery hair. “Ah, yes, I see you’ve made some friends on the road.”

  “A wizard,” Dylan interjected, bringing them back on point. “What can you tell us?”

  Alwyn gazed at him curiously, then turned back to the princess, looking more and more anxious all the while. “Well, it’s certainly possible,” he said slowly, turning it over in his mind. “In fact, judging by your brother’s mood the last few days, I’d say it was probable. If Kailas didn’t know where to find you, he’d have to rely upon less conventional means. Sorcery. Magic.”

  Cassiel stiffened, and walked briskly away as Katerina leaned closer to the pond.

  “What can we do?”

  It was an impossible problem, but her old mentor had never failed her before. And no matter how much distance was between them, she had every confidence in him now.

  Sure enough, Alwyn didn’t disappoint.

  “You leave the wizard to me.” His brow furrowed with a sudden frown. “In the meantime, we need to get you somewhere safe.”

  “We had a place in mind,” Katerina said helplessly. “But it burned down a few days ago.”

  The wizard considered this for a moment, poring over the vast stores of information tucked away in that wrinkled head, before looking up with sudden inspiration.

  “Katy, do you remember me telling you about the Talsing Sanctuary?”

  She shook her head, but Dylan leaned forward with a frown.

  “Talsing—I know it. It’s actually not far. But how would we—”

  “You need to get there,” Alwyn said urgently. “The monks will grant her safe passage. It’s the only place completely out of Kailas’ reach.”

  “If the monks grant her safe passage,” Dylan said uncertainly. “And why would they? She’s not a student; it isn’t a safe house for wayward royalty—”

  “They will,” Alwyn interrupted with certainty. “I’ll send them a message, and they will. You need to get there quickly; the longer you stay on the open road, the greater the risk.”

  The ranger opened his mouth to argue but closed it a second later. It might be yet another gamble, but the wizard was right. They were out of options. And they needed to get off the road.

  “Katy,” the ancient sorcerer leaned as close as he could to his goblet, the tip of his nose touching the surface of the wine, “just keep your head down and promise me you’ll stay safe. The monks at the monastery can help you. Let them. Don’t underestimate yourself, dear one. You have a lot to offer. You just need to find it. Inside.”

  A look of bewilderment rippled across the princess’ face, but she nodded quickly. “I will.”

  Alwyn nodded quickly. “In that case, I’d better be off. If there really is a wizard working against you, as you say, then there isn’t any time to—”

  There was a sudden splash, and his face vanished from the pond. A second later the water grew still, and the stone floated up from the bottom into Katerina’s waiting hand.

  She stared at it blankly for a moment, then slipped it back into her pocket. “I guess these things come with a time limit—”

  “Talsing Sanctuary,” Cassiel interrupted, staring at Dylan with a very strange expression. “Is that an actual possibility? Is that somewhere you can go?”

  He stressed the word you in a way that Katerina didn’t understand, and she lifted her head curiously to see that the ranger had gone white as a sheet.

  “I don’t...I don’t see that we have much choice.”

  “Why wouldn’t you be able to go?” Katerina interjected. “What aren’t you saying?”

  Their eyes met for a moment before he brushed it off with a dismissive shrug.

  “Nothing. Of course, I can go, and it’s a good thing he said Talsing, because the sanctuary is less than a day away. We can head out in the morning—”

  “Uh...guys?”

  The others looked around to see Tanya staring with wide eyes into the valley. The same valley they’d just hiked out of in search of the little pond. The light of a thousand torches flickered in her eyes as the others turned slowly around to follow her gaze.

  It was the royal army. Not part of it, but all of it. The whole bloody thing.

  They found us.

  “Maybe we should leave right now instead...”

  THERE WAS NO TIME TO plan. There was no moment of deliberation. At this point, it wasn’t necessary. Dylan took one look at the scene before him and backed a step away.

  “We can’t fight this. We need to run.”

  Then they were off. Sprinting up the side of the mountain. Running like they’d never run before. Flying through the trees like the hounds of hell were behind them.

  ...because they probably are.

  In the dizzying hours that followed, the gang had only two things going for them. But they were two things that couldn’t possibly be overstated. First, there was a chance that the army scouts hadn’t actually seen them yet. Second, they’d had the entire day to sleep.

  Just two small advantages, but they clung to them with everything they had as they raced up one ravine and leapt down another. Not bothering to cover their tracks. Not daring to cast a glance behind them. Keeping their eyes locked on the target. On the tiny mountain ledge that served as a gateway to the one place on the planet they would be safe.

  The passage of time stopped making any sense in the hours that followed. Those precious moments between midnight and dawn. It flew past with breathles
s speed, then suddenly slowed as the four friends gave themselves entirely to the task at hand.

  The fatigue was overwhelming. The pain stunned them in their tracks. It got to the point where Katerina didn’t know if she was awake or dreaming. Perhaps she was in some state in between. The only thing that remained constant was their perpetual forward motion. And the fact that the little ledge was getting ever closer as the hint of dawn began to light the sky.

  Of course, that’s when the sound of the army grew loud behind them.

  We’re not going to make it, Katerina thought as the four of them tore their way up the stony mountain trail. Racing full speed to the top of the peak. They’ve seen us now. They’re getting close.

  It was true. No longer were her ears filled with a general hum of commotion. She could hear particular voices now. Individual people calling out to each other as the army closed in on their trail.

  Not two seconds later, a wooden spear went whizzing just inches past her head.

  She let out a shriek and stumbled dizzily to the side. It was the first time she’d broken pace in hours, and she felt like if she stopped moving there was a chance her body would simply shut down and she would never move again.

  Fortunately, a familiar hand shot out to steady her arm.

  “It’s okay,” Dylan panted. “I’ve got you.”

  He may have had a grip, but things were certainly not okay. As she spun back towards the ledge, Katerina caught sight of the massive horde of soldiers sprinting up behind them. Soldiers that looked better rested and better armed than she or her companions.

  “Don’t look back,” Dylan commanded, pulling her forward with a burst of speed. “Just keep your eyes forward. We’re almost there.”

  As shocking as it was, he was right.

  They rounded a curve in the mountain, and when they came out on the other side the doors of the sanctuary were finally in sight. It was nestled tranquilly on the top of the adjacent peak, built into the very mountain. The only thing that separated them was a long bridge that stretched from one peak to the other. A bridge of planks and rope. It was swinging slightly in the breeze.