The Legacy (The Darkness Within Saga Book 1)

by JD Franx

  Ember could see Kael in the distance, hurt and struggling to stay conscious. She kicked her horse to run even faster, but only managed to get fifteen feet closer when the robed being holding Kael nodded to her and bowed. Panicking, thinking that she’d never make it in time to stop whatever was going to happen, she cried out, her heart breaking.

  “Kael! Kael!” she screamed, at the top of her lungs.

  They pulled their horses to a halt at the same time as the creature holding Kael grabbed a smaller man with a blonde woman in his arms. A crack of thunder rolled through the air and shook the ground as they vanished into thin air with a flash of bright, white light. Ember screamed a second time, her voice laden with anger as she realized Kael was gone.

  Max was the first to speak, shock riding his voice. “What the fuck was that? What the hell just happened, Giddeon? Where the fuck did they go?”

  “I… I have no idea,” Giddeon replied in awe. “That’s... not... it’s impossible. I’ve never seen anything like that. Yrlissa? Anybody?” All he got were head shakes and open-mouthed stares of confusion, along with a dark frown and heavy scowl from Yrlissa as she stared at where Kael had disappeared.

  The only one who paid no attention to Giddeon’s question was Ember. She jumped from her horse and slowly walked to the last place she had laid eyes on Kael. A dozen feet behind, Max rushed to catch her as she fell to her knees. Kneeling beside her, he wrapped his arms around her for comfort.

  “We’re never going to find him now. He could be anywhere. I miss him so much, it hurts to breathe.”

  “I know...” he began, cutting his words short as Ember kept talking.

  “I hate this fucking place, Max. I hate the fucking people and I hate the fucking secrets. What are we supposed to do?” she sighed. Her body relaxed as she crumpled into his arms and cried for the first time since they’d arrived.

  “I don’t know. But I won’t give up, and neither will you. We will find him Ember, I promise you. I will spend the rest of my god damn life looking if need be, but I’ll find him. We’ll find him.” As Ember looked up into his face, she could tell that he meant it. But it was a promise she dreaded he might very well never be able to keep.

  NORTHERN YUSAT

  Exhausted physically and drained emotionally, Giddeon led his disheartened group to a popular overnight site located just outside the mouth of the mountain pass. The small clearing had the benefit of towering mountains at their back for added security. Yusat’s Northern Forest began across the trail two hundred yards ahead of them and gave countless avenues of escape should it be needed. It was a quiet and a reasonably safe place to spend the night.

  Having just finished the evening meal and noticing Ember had eaten very little, Yrlissa sat with her around the fire, holding her and trying to give her what support she could. She stroked her hair and hummed softly in her ear. In mere seconds, the torments of the day faded and Ember was sound asleep.

  The long-forgotten spell, known to the Elvehn families descended from the Dyrranai Forest as the Rest of Comforting Souls, would make sure Ember got the sleep she needed. It was used by Yrlissa’s people in times long past to comfort the sick and dying, or to calm frightened children during the night. With a quiet whisper she asked Max to put Ember in her bedroll.

  When they returned to their spots at the fire, Giddeon asked, “What did you do to her?”

  “I helped her, Giddeon. She will get some sleep and some peace of mind. For tonight anyway.” Yrlissa smiled as she answered, but only in an attempt to avoid waking Ember because of the argument that would ensue otherwise.

  Max helped divert further problems as well, looking ahead to the next day. “What are we going to do now? Do any of you have a clue where to look for Kael?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. With what happened today... Such things just aren’t possible…” Giddeon offered.

  Shaking her head, Yrlissa couldn’t remain quiet. “Gods, Giddeon. It was a realm-jump spell. What kind of an ArchWizard are you? You know full well what you saw; you’re just too stubborn or too stupid to admit it.”

  “It’s not possible, Yrlissa, you know that. The Fae are gone, and no one else ever had the capability.”

  Max snorted. “It’s pretty clear that you’re wrong on that one, Giddeon. Not that it ultimately matters.”

  “Fair enough,” the ArchWizard sighed, holding his hands up in a gesture of defeat. “There aren’t a lot of options here though. I suppose if we can find the tribute, we could go to the DragonKin and maybe, maybe get an audience with the Queen Superior. She has the magic to find Kael and perhaps tell us who took him.”

  “You’re serious aren’t you? DragonKin? The kin of dragons? Huh, how cool is that?” Max asked, as he stared back and forth at the others sitting around the fire. “I don’t even want to imagine what kind of tribute a god damn dragon would want. Do I?”

  “No, you don’t,” scoffed Kasik. Approaching out of the darkness, he placed more wood onto their fire, careful not to rouse a tower of sparks that might give away their location.

  “The other option is to try and find one of the remaining mountain witches, but that’s a more dangerous route to take. There were only two practising Whites that we knew of. One is in DormaSai. The other likely died years ago. At least I hope she did,” Giddeon grumbled.

  Saleece leaned forward and removed a teapot from her travel pack. Adding some sweet smelling leaves, she said, “Plenty of people who seek out a mountain witch never return, Father. The only one left that we know for sure who practises the White is Ella Navasha, and she’s likely very much alive. She swore that if she saw you again, she’d turn you inside out and toss the mess to her wolves.”

  “Werewolves, you mean,” Kasik corrected, and then spit over his shoulder, his disgust clear.

  “Werewolves? Fuck, this place just keeps getting better,” Max mumbled. “Probably not our safest choice then.” He carried on, as pragmatic as ever. “Forgetting the wolves for a minute, are you talking about the same kind of witch that attacked us back in Corynth?”

  Using her leather water bag, Saleece filled the teapot as she answered. “No, Max. Mountain witches are a lot more powerful and they usually live alone. Weres protect the area miles from her home. One or two mountain witches used to be friendly, Ella still might be if Father stays behind…”

  “You have a definite habit of pissing people off, don’t you, Giddeon?” Yrlissa enquired with a cocky smile. He ignored her jab and looked back to his daughter.

  Saleece gave Yrlissa a dirty look. Hanging the teapot from the spit over the fire, she continued. “There’s no way to find another witch, except by rumour or village gossip, and you never know whether they practise the White until it’s too late. However, they can see things and often have information that no one else does. The benefits of communing with Angels, I guess.”

  “Angels?” Max asked, incredulously. “Really? In a matter of five minutes, we’ve gone from Dragons to werewolves to Angels? Jesus fucking Christ. You guys would be so fucking unneeded in our world, you’d literally die of boredom. Fucking Angels. What’s next? Demons? Or giants maybe? Hey Kasik, who’s stronger? You or a giant?” He laughed, clearly enjoying himself, especially when Kasik didn’t answer.

  “Can I continue?” Saleece asked. Rolling her eyes, she got a nod from Max, but he didn’t stop laughing for several seconds. “Real witches of the White are blessed by the Higher Brethren, or Angels. Their abilities are legendary throughout the Blood Kingdoms and the rest of Talohna.”

  Though previously quiet, Kasik finally added his thoughts to the matter. “If we go that route, even my natural resistance to magic and my sword’s silence runes won’t help us. Mountain witch’s magic is different than yours, you two know that. True Angelic power is hard to defend against, keep it in mind.”

  “He’s right,” Giddeon said. “The risk is too great compared to going to the DragonKin. I’m positive they’ll help us find Kael. I’ve met the Fer Skala, their Qu
een will help us, as long as we can pay the tribute required to step foot on the island of Ver Karmot,” Giddeon said.

  “Why would we consider finding a mountain witch if the DragonKin will help so readily?” Max asked, a little dumbfounded.

  Checking to see if her tea was ready, Saleece answered. “Because in order to even enter their realm, we’ll need two WraithLord crystals, one for the Kin and one for the Queen. Some people who step foot on Ver Karmot don’t return either. The DragonKin are... different, Max. Their reasoning is very peculiar compared to ours.” Satisfied the tea was ready, she lifted it from the fire, poured herself a cup and passed the kettle to Kasik. Taking a cup for himself, he also passed it along, offering it to Max.

  “Do I even want to know what a WraithLord is, let alone where to find one?” Max smiled a thanks and poured a small amount of tea before handing it to Giddeon.

  “You don’t have as much to worry about there, sweet cheeks,” Yrlissa winked. “You’re not a wizard.” Giddeon passed her the tea. Lifting the lid, she inhaled the sweet vapour. “Tal Charang, Saleece? You never see this mixture outside the Southern Kingdom.”

  “I know. Queen Bale is from Salzara. Her brother brings it for me when he returns home.”

  “It’s very good.” Yrlissa nodded her thanks, lifting the cup. “Now. Where was I?”

  “WraithLords,” Max reminded her, offering a huge smirk as he added, “The current moment’s discussion about the complete and utter fucked-up things this world has that we don’t back on Earth. Go ahead, Yrlissa, don’t let me hold you back.” He laughed again, trailing off, still hung up on the previous topic. “Fucking Dragons...”

  “Fair enough. Wraiths were originally created for the sole purpose of destroying magic users. They’re fast and efficient. Their creation has been outlawed for thousands of years. Though I’m sure the magic still exists, I haven’t heard of one being created recently.”

  “I’d hope no one would be that stupid, or naive...” Giddeon offered.

  “Or that egotistical,” Saleece added.

  “A wraith is different than a WraithLord, I assume?” Max asked, noticing the difference.

  “It is. A wraith broken free from its creator’s control can’t be reasoned with or controlled by another. It’ll consume its creator’s life force if at all possible. It is very rare, but can happen. After it’s free, the WraithLord feeds on magic any chance it gets. It makes them stronger, literally absorbing its victim’s power. They’re dangerous to someone without magic, yes, but they’re devastatingly fatal to those who do. Especially those of us who use bonded magic. Death is often instantaneous.” A disturbing silence hung in the air as the information settled in.

  When it was clear she’d say no more about the topic, Giddeon carried on in her stead. “When a WraithLord is destroyed, the crystal that was used to bind the creature together is left, with all the power intact, including any the creature consumed over the years. Dragons, before their extinction, coveted them above any other magical artifact. Now so do the DragonKin,” he finished, a dark memory ghosting across his face.

  “Bind the creature together?” Max asked. “How the hell do you make such a thing?” Giddeon glanced at Yrlissa for an explanation, but she shook her head, letting him know she wasn’t interested in explaining.

  “It’s complicated,” Giddeon said, doing it himself. “From what I understand, it doesn’t always go as planned. I’ve read the few documents we have about their creation, whether accurate, or not. A wizard first uses a spell to draw a small piece of his life force from within his own body, then, using the binding crystal secures his life force to a desiccated corpse. Most often the crystal is put inside the chest. Using necromancy or demonic magic, that wizard steals or deals for a soul residing in Perdition. The farther down the dimensional hells, the better. Ripping this soul from the afterlife, it’s forced into the vacant husk of a body, where it’s bound to serve only the creating wizard. His or her life force ensures this, it’s why things go so wrong when the creator dies, I guess. Once... alive, if you’d call it that, the wizard and the Wraith use their combined knowledge to forge and spell the clawed weapons the Wraith uses to destroy mystics. Like I said, it’s clearly more complicated than that, I imagine, but you get the idea.”

  Shaking his head, Max sighed. “Sounds like powerful magic.” His smile and good humour were long gone.

  When it was clear Giddeon would say no more, Yrlissa spoke again, staring at Kasik. “It is. Very. Wizards strive to collect these crystals as well, though they’re normally not stupid enough to go after one themselves. Right, Giddeon?” she asked, with the slightest hint of malice in her voice. “I heard some gossip once that you tried and that Kasik dragged your half dead ass out of the… the HellisKor ruins, wasn’t it?”

  Grabbing his chest at the distant memory, Giddeon solemnly replied, “Yes, as a matter of fact, Kasik did save me. It was over twenty years ago. We were looking for a way to save Kael if he happened to be born during the upcoming Black Sun. My failure that day put us where we are today.”

  Though Yrlissa could tell that he was sincere, he couldn’t be more wrong in his opinion of that failure being what had put them where they were today. Giddeon had done that by sending Kael to another dimension the day he was born.

  “How do you know so much about these things?” Max asked, turning to Yrlissa.

  “I’ve faced a couple. Like Giddeon, the first nearly killed me. My arrogance of youth. The next three, not so much. I still have one crystal, but it’s not somewhere we can get it.”

  Kasik snorted. “How convenient.”

  Yrlissa merely smirked back. “Yes, well, I wasn’t planning on my own guild trying to kill me, so it’s still hidden in my quarters at the guild hall,” she shot back.

  “Is there no way to get it back?” Saleece asked.

  “Not really—if it were go or die, I’d try, but... Any of us stupid enough to enter that sanctuary will be asking for an instant death sentence, even with the entire kingdom’s combined army behind us,” she answered, with stone cold certainty and a conviction that brooked no argument. “You don’t walk into a Broken Blade Sanctuary and dance out alive. Wards, enchantments, oh, and magical assassins. You do understand?” The snarky rhetorical question went unanswered.

  Giddeon sighed as he sat back against his travel pack. Removing a pipe from within his robe, he packed it with navarang and lit it with a smouldering branch from the fire. “So we need to make a decision then. Mountain witch or DragonKin? What does everyone think?”

  “Dragons,” Yrlissa answered first. “Max and Ember don’t have the experience to deal with a witch should things go wrong.”

  Max nodded, his smile and excitement returning the moment he heard the word DragonKin. “Yup, Dragons for me n’ Ember. Can’t bloody wait to meet a dragon’s kin,” he said, laughing.

  Giddeon sighed impatiently and shook his head. “DragonKin, Max. Not a mistake you want to make in their presence. Understand?”

  Max nodded as he replied, “All right, I understand that. But, where do we find these WraithLords? Besides the one that nearly killed you?”

  “BlackShade,” Yrlissa answered with no hesitation. “There is one in the old Blackshade outpost.”

  “Are you sure?” Giddeon enquired.

  “Positive. She was a bit much for me alone.”

  “There’s a town by there, just south of the mountain pass. Ben something, or Bender…” Giddeon guessed.

  “Bender’s Pass,” Kasik corrected.

  “That’s it. Why would they not have asked for help getting rid of it?” Giddeon wondered, more out loud than to anyone in particular. Kasik’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

  “Saleece? Are you all right? You don’t look so well.”

  Shaking her head lightly, she looked at him. “I’m not sure. I don’t feel well. My head hurts when I think about us going to Ver Karmot. I can’t tell if we should go or stay away,” she said, shaking her head once
more. After a few minutes, she calmed and breathed easier. “I’m all right. It’s passing. To the DragonKin we go, I guess.”

  Saleece put her head on her knees, cradled by her hands. Seconds later, her eyes rolled back in her head and she bent backwards, her spine twisted over the log with a sickening crunch. Convulsions shook her body, the force flinging her to the ground.

  Kasik rushed to her side and kept her from rolling onto the fire. “Tyr’s bloody sword, Giddeon, what’s wrong with her?”

  Kneeling at her side, Giddeon checked his daughter but could find nothing wrong. Yrlissa stepped around them and placed her hand on Saleece’s forehead. She closed her eyes and focused.

  “Giddeon? What in the nine hells?” she growled. “Someone’s been messing around inside her head. Was this you? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “I wouldn’t... What are you talking about?” he lashed back.

  The assassin continued concentrating. “It’s strange magic. I… I don’t know what it is. Let me see if I can bring her back. Quickly now, hold her still.” Yrlissa began whispering under her breath as Saleece’s condition worsened. White foam bubbled from her mouth and nose while blood trickled from the corners of both her eyes.

  “Assani’s blood,” Yrlissa cried out, as Saleece coughed, forcing blood to spray from her nose. “Father Arcathryl, help me. Please,” she prayed, but still the violent convulsions continued.

  Giddeon, in a state of near panic, yelled, “Help her, Yrlissa. Gods, I can’t do anything. I can’t even sense what’s wrong with her.” Yrlissa hurried and tried one more time to complete her spell. She finished, and Saleece slumped to the ground, the convulsions over.

  Saleece coughed and her eyes snapped wide. “We have to go to the Dragons, Father,” she panted, then rolled over and threw up, her body wracked with pain. Once she finished heaving, they helped her to sit up and gave her a mouthful of water.