Faolan thought about the healer’s soft kiss for a while, enjoying its pleasant feeling. It was his first, or at least the first he could remember beyond his amnesia.
He paused for a moment in thought as a pair of unfamiliar memories floated to the forefront of his mind. He did not know where the two separate memories originated or why they came back to him. They were not clear, and they were brief. One came to him while on the battlefield with the champion and the other while in the courtyard with Aili. There were no words or explanation in his foreign memories, only unfamiliarity and mystery. The first memory was just a flash of feathers, white and pristine. The other memory was that of a castle with black stone and no name.
◆◆◆
“Caedmon!” Bayne shouted as the knight sprinted down the road.
Caedmon turned around. The knight was breathing hard, and his expression was urgent. The ancient wolf stood fast and prepared for the news. The knight’s armor clanked, and beads of sweat dripped down his reddened face.
Bayne stopped in front of Caedmon, doubled over and heaving air. “I have got to get another job. All this running is killing me,” he whispered under his breath.
“Where is your horse?” Caedmon asked.
Bayne waved off to the side. “Getting her horseshoes repaired at the farrier. The lass is getting pampered while I do her job.” He laughed lightly through his huffs of air.
The wolf nodded. “You had something urgent to tell me?”
“Oh, right! We just received word. A tracker from our town has spotted the demon,” Bayne said.
“Where?”
“The tracker is waiting at the gate and is offering to take you to it. Her name is Ireli, but she is known around here as Lightfoot.”
“Thank you, Bayne,” Caedmon said and left the knight to catch his breath.
Caedmon ran toward the front gate at full stride and made a few turns around ruined buildings. The old guardian wondered how a human scout could have so easily found the demon when he struggled to follow it after it had been summoned. Perhaps it was searching for something nearby, or maybe the scout got lucky while eating lunch, and it happened to cross paths with her.
It did not take him long to reach the gate, and he quickly spotted the tracker. She was leaning up against the wall of the archway with her arms crossed and a stern expression. She looked tough, but her beauty diminished her sharp demeanor. Ireli’s long hair was fiery red, and her eyes were a vibrant green. Her naturally pale skin was tanned from her time under the beating sun. Her lean frame was fitted with lightweight leather armor and several daggers. She was a stunning figure if you looked past her scowl.
“Ireli?” he asked.
“About time, ya sloth! We are going to lose the beast. Let’s go,” the scout sassed. She ducked under the warped gate and began walking away.
“How did you find it?” Caedmon inquired as he ducked under the gate behind her and followed her out of town.
“I found it by being smart,” she quipped.
He did not know what to say to that and was surprised by her disrespectful nature.
The brazen girl climbed onto her horse. “Hurry up!”
Caedmon matched the pace of her horse, and they headed southwest. He blindly followed her and hoped he could trust her. He did not know her at all, and her attitude left something to be desired.
“Are you from Mor?” he asked, trying to figure the girl out.
“No.”
“Where are you from?”
“Vira.” The scout glanced at the old wolf out of the corner of her eye.
He had not expected that answer as he knew the town of Vira well. It was a human town far to the southwest and home to thieves, assassins, and murderers. Vira was a town without travelers, a dark recess in the human world. He had been there before and was surprised a girl like her survived in such a dangerous town. Her hard exterior was no doubt a product of that world, as well as her tracking abilities, though criminals did not usually allow a girl as beautiful as this to mature without mistreatment.
“Thank you, Ireli, for aiding me in this endeavor,” he said, trying to soften her, but she did not react to the pleasantries.
“I hope you are ready for this demon, Caedmon. You cannot hold back. Not like you did with those Hyips yesterday.”
“You were there?”
“Yes, in the shadows.”
He was shocked. “Then your skills are more exceptional then I assumed.”
“My father was an assassin. He taught me well.”
He agreed because even he had not realized she had been in their proximity. She had remained completely beyond his senses, which was nearly impossible for any being. Her skills were indeed impressive, and he began to understand how she survived in Vira, undoubtedly with her father’s protection.
“Why did you hold back?” She was curious. “That boy almost died, and if he had not succeeded, then those healers would have too.”
“Nonsense. Leith was holding off the Hyip just fine.”
She raised an eyebrow at the wolf. “That elf barely knew how to hold his sword. Do not insult me.”
Caedmon did not answer.
“Did you wish them to die?”
“Hardly.”
“Then why did you leave an unfit boy alone to battle a champion? You could have easily taken care of it and still caught up with the others.” Ireli betrayed her awareness of his abilities.
He could hear the discontent in her voice. “Faolan needed to be tested.”
“Tested? Why?”
Caedmon hesitated, not really wanting to discuss this with a stranger, but he wanted to maintain her trust. “There is something different about him. I get this strange feeling when he is near.”
“Aww, are you in love?”
He ignored her quip. “It was something I never felt before, as if there was something surrounding him. It felt like power, but the sensation did not make sense to me, even as I explain it now.”
“Perhaps because it doesn’t make sense. How can you feel power?” She laughed off the notion. “What does that even feel like?”
Caedmon shook his head. “That is why I was testing him and why I did not use my magic. I wanted to see if anything would happen—if he would do anything out of the ordinary. I was hoping it was Ikalreev magic I was feeling. Finding another such as myself was toying with my mind, but I think I misjudged him and that feeling.”
“How do you know with only one test?”
“It would not be fair to Faolan to repeatedly test him. Extreme emotional moments can be hazardous to one’s health, and I do not wish to break him; therefore, I will test him no more. Though as I understand it, one must be pressed to their limits through an extreme emotional response to stress in order for the Ikalreev magic to awaken,” he said. “Though my interpretation of the prophecies may be incorrect. I am not omniscient, and the mechanics of the spell are plagued with obscurity.”
Ireli stopped her horse and dismounted, and Caedmon stopped next to her. She placed an index finger to her lips, motioning for silence. She patted the horse, and it moved away. They had traveled a fair distance from Mor, and they found themselves standing near the north face of the Onbaiai Plateau. The plateau stood nearly a mile high, and it was the only plateau on the Gashindran Plains.
“There it is!” Ireli whispered, pointing to the plateau’s base.
The demon stood before a circular stone doorway, which was fixed into the plateau’s base and covered with unfamiliar characters engraved on its surface. Oddly, it looked to be unweathered. The demon was inspecting the tall doorway and examining the characters carved into its surface. It reached out with one hand and touched a set of characters, which began to glow dark green. The demon retracted its arm.
“What’s happening?” Ireli whispered. “What’s the stone?”
“That is a seal,” Caedmon said. “It would appear it’s activating it.”
“What?” She tilted her head.
�
��It is preparing it.”
“Why?”
“So it will open when the proper beast finds it.”
“Why would it want to open the seal?” She had a puzzled expression; she was clearly not familiar with the intricacies of the Ikalreev Prophecies.
Caedmon glanced at her in response to the questions, annoyed.
“Should we not stop it?” Ireli asked.
He wanted to stop the demon, but he did not know if he could. The prophecies said all five Ikalreev mages must be present in order to stop the Initiate. He was only one, which was not even close to what the prophecies depicted.
He shook his head at her. “Now is not the time.”
Her eyes widened. “Caedmon?”
“What?” He redirected his attention from his own thoughts to her.
“It sees us,” she whispered.
Caedmon looked back at the demon, and it was staring right at them. Yet it was not staring with eyes; it had none. Where the demon’s eyes should have been were two empty sockets producing a thick mist glowing shades of purple and green. The illuminated mist rose out of its eye sockets and over its forehead and then dissipated above its brow. Two recurved horns sprouted out of its forehead, its skin was charred black by fire, and its hardened skin was broken into segments by slender streams of a red liquid. The thin streams looked like lava flows, glowing a deep orange and red. The demon’s form was large and humanoid, standing nearly nine feet tall. The beast’s horns extended a foot and a half farther over its head.
The scene was unnerving indeed.
The demon produced an alarming sound without opening its mouth, similar to the sound of distant thunder. An explosion of black smoke exited through its flaring nostrils. The smoke billowed before the demon, rising and expanding. There was something odd about the smoke, and while the detail eluded Ireli, Caedmon’s keen eyes could see the small particulate matter floating in the air. Ash. The demon walked forward through the cloud of ash, and the ash wrapped around its form as it passed through and advanced on Caedmon and Ireli.
Caedmon extended his arm and eased Ireli behind him. Her naturally brash personality abated, and she did not resist his direction. Caedmon stood between her and the approaching demon. Ireli unsheathed her twin daggers and nervously prepared for a conflict.
A smile crossed the demon’s face; her anxiety clearly pleased it.
Caedmon quietly spoke to her over his shoulder. “Ireli, you did your job. Now be a good girl and run along.”
“Girl?” She gave a disapproving glare.
“Now is not the time.” Caedmon glared down at her with a stern expression.
The demon picked up its pace and lengthened its stride, quickly approaching the pair. Caedmon stood tall and readied himself for the coming fight. “Go!” he commanded.
She respected his order and spun around on an unstable foot, dropping to one hand in the process. Within several steps, she stabilized and ran away from the impending battle. Her nickname did her justice, and her light footsteps faded into the slight breeze.
The demon roared as it lifted an arm to strike Caedmon. “I shall not fall at your feet, old guardian. I know of your purpose, and it shall not come to pass. The foolish Ikalreev were mistaken if they believed they could stop me!”
The demon’s attacks came fast and were influenced by a pure rage. The swings were wide, and Caedmon dodged them as best he could. The orange streams embedded within its skin turned a blood red as its rage intensified.
The demon roared once more. “You will not stop me! I am Maleuuenant. The herald of darkness.”
Caedmon lifted his arms in protection against the approaching onslaught. Maleuuenant’s claws sliced into the guardian’s forearms, and blood sprayed the ground. The old wolf staggered backward and winced. The demon attacked again and again. Its attacks increased in speed, and Caedmon could not keep up with the assault. Maleuuenant raked its claws across the guardian’s right shoulder and then the left side of his muzzle. Blood flowed from the fresh wounds and painted his fur a darker hue. Caedmon dug his feet into the loose dirt and ducked under an attack. He looked upward, and his legs exploded with extreme force off the ground as he launched himself at his adversary. He attacked the demon powerfully and buried his shoulder in its chest. The demon lifted off the ground and launched backward a fair distance. Its brief flight ended with a forceful collision into the ground. Caedmon’s movements stunned the demon, and it was temporarily incapacitated from the attack. The old guardian waited for the demon’s reaction, which was a grievous error on his part.
The demon rolled onto its feet and regained its composure. With a renewed vigor, the creature fell into a crouch and faced Caedmon. Its mouth opened wide, and a deep, inharmonious roar emanated from within the beast’s chest. The inside of its throat turned shades of orange and red from the heat housed within its body.
“The coming legions shall pry the precious races of this world from you, and you shall watch in horror as you witness yourself failing your masters. The Ikalreev shall not sway the outcome of this immortal war,” Maleuuenant roared.
Maleuuenant rose up and charged Caedmon at full speed.
The guardian could not react fast enough; the first swing of the demon’s claws raked across his muzzle. The old wolf recoiled, and another attack sliced across his chest. As the guardian twisted and fell, the third and fourth attacks sliced across the width of his back. He fell beneath the continuing onslaught and attempted to protect himself with raised arms.
The demon hesitated. It could feel a change occurring inside Caedmon. A power radiated outward as an invisible shockwave rolled through its form. The grass blades that surrounded the demon extended and thickened. They swirled in the wind, just as a vine would grasp for a solid structure to hold on to, grasping for the demon’s ankles. The beast jumped back, but its efforts were futile for any blade of grass it neared lengthened and reached for its charred appendages. The blades of grass beyond range shrank back to their original state and allowed those closer to continue the effort. The grass blades rapidly increased their rate of growth as time progressed, and the beast attempted to dodge their quickening grasp. After it stumbled away from Caedmon, the demon’s ankles were seized by the magical grass blades. The demon tripped and hit the ground hard. Hundreds of grass blades burst forth and wrapped around the beast, restricting its arms and legs first, then its torso.
Caedmon stood up and turned toward the roaring demon as it fought with the grass. It looked at the old wolf’s eyes and saw they were glowing green. It now understood what was happening and realized the guardian was using his Ikalreev magic. The demon relaxed and let the grass overtake its body, allowing the foliage to completely encase it.
Relief washed over Caedmon, and for a second the guardian thought he might succeed. He had confined the demon without aid from the other Ikalreev mages. He believed he might be able to stop the Initiate alone, then watched in shock as the grass began to darken and decompose. The grass was dying, and the beast began to move again as the grass disintegrated.
“And so they shall be cursed for eternity. Killing or burning all they touch,” Maleuuenant dictated as it stood up.
With every step the demon took toward Caedmon, the grass blackened and died around its feet. The old guardian took a step back for every step the demon took forward. Caedmon opened his hands, and vines sprouted from his palms, quickly growing in length and girth. Within seconds the vines were several dozen feet in length, and the old wolf flicked them like whips. The vines struck the demon’s chest and cracked the air but caused no damage to the beast’s skin. Caedmon then tried to use them as constrictors and wrapped the vines around the creature’s arms and neck. The technique worked only for a moment, and then the vines began to turn black and decay, just as the grass had before. The guardian severed the dying vines from his palms so the touch of death would not travel up their length to his heart. Caedmon grew concerned because everything he attempted failed to stop the demon’s assault.
He crouched and slammed his hands flat against the green grass. “Call to your brothers. I am in need of their aid,” Caedmon whispered to the grass.
Maleuuenant stopped as it felt the ground begin to rumble. The demon knew Caedmon plotted another attack and moved to preempt it. The beast roared in rage and charged the old wolf, and with every step it took, the ground shook more violently.
The earth exploded at numerous points around the demon, and many large vines erupted from the ground. The vines were fast and grabbed the demon, wrapping around all parts of its body. The beast wrestled with the continuously sprouting vines, tearing them apart in rage. Its pace was slowing down, though the demon continued its advance. Vines died and decayed, but more sprouted in their place, and the demon roared in frustration as the vines overtook it.
“These vines will not stop me.” Maleuuenant laughed. “The Ikalreev knew your magic would not be enough to defeat me. Isn’t that right, pet of the Ikalreev?”
A few vines caught on fire, and then the flames intensified, spreading quickly. Soon every vine was either on fire or decaying, and their hold on the demon was relinquished. Dead vines rained down to the ground, and Maleuuenant charged with renewed vigor.
“How does your touch affect them so?” Caedmon wondered as he watched in disbelief.
“My skin is cursed. My charred hide is scorching to the touch,” Maleuuenant said with a laugh. “We were banished to live in flame for an eternity, only to become the flame itself.”
Caedmon finally understood as despair flooded into his mind. “Then nothing I attempt will work. You have the touch of both death and fire. My magic fails me, and without the others, it is impossible.”
Maleuuenant’s charge neared its end, but at that very moment, a figure appeared in the corner of Caedmon’s vision. She was moving fast and silently, twin daggers leading her charge. The demon did not see the surprise attack until the very last second, when the air about it moved ever so slightly at her presence. But it was too late; the daggers slipped deep into the demon’s side. Her shoulder followed as it rammed full speed into the demon, just above the daggers’ incision points. The demon was thrown off course by the unexpected attacker.
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