“Your men love you,” E’enna assured him. “They are shocked by Kane’s actions, but they are as loyal to you now as ever they were. They follow you deeper into the shadows because they trust you.”
“I only wish they followed me to a better end. There will be no return from this quest.” Absently snapping a twig between his fingers, he slumped down glumly. “I have always known in my heart that I would die here. Be it by dragon, or spirit, or sword, I was prepared for death. But never did I think I would be undone by my own flesh and blood.”
“You can’t give up yet,” E’enna pleaded, pools of tears suddenly swelling in her eyes. “I know you have been here for so long, and that you have already endured so much, but I can’t bear to watch another strong man crumble before me. Kazen is out there alive somewhere, and I need your help to find him. I believe in him. I believe in the Watchers of Halifex, and I believe in you. Please, don’t give up hope now. Don’t breathe your last breath before the sword has even fallen.”
Lifting his head, Avin smiled as he put a tender hand on E’enna’s cheek. “I cannot allow myself to be the cause of tears in your eyes. For you, then, I shall hold on to the last threads of hope.”
Opening her mouth to speak, E’enna abruptly sucked in a sharp breath as a burning pain struck her across the forehead. Touching her hand gingerly to her brow, she was surprised to feel a warm stream of blood beneath her fingertips. Looking up at Avin, she was puzzled even more to see him staring past her with a staggered look upon his face. Turning her head to match his gaze, she gasped in horror at the sight of Fayn, collapsed to his knees, the feathered end of a thick arrow protruding from his chest.
“We’re under attack!” Avin bellowed as he swept up his sword. “Take up positions!”
Whipping the halved staff from over her back, E’enna darted across the camp, snapping the two ends together. Skidding onto the ground beside Fayn, she scooped his head into her arms and wiped away the blood that spilled from his parted lips. His chest was still, his eyes frozen wide and unblinking. As the color began to leave his face, E’enna could feel the unmistakable chill of death upon his skin. Gently, she laid his head down, closing his eyes with a tender brush of her hand.
A strange noise, like the buzzing of bees, sounded from beyond the wall of darkness.
“Arrows!” Avin shouted.
Shanks shoved E’enna to the ground and threw himself on top of her. Those few men who carried shields pitched them to the sky, shielding as many man as could huddle beneath them. The rest curled themselves into balls on the ground, burying their heads under their arms. A storm of whistling arrows fell on them. The thumping sound of arrows stabbing mutely into sandy soil was quickly lost beneath the wails of the men impaled by their jagged points.
“Avin!” Ilagon hollered above the dreadful screams. “We are too exposed!”
“Douse the fire, Dullin!” Avin yelled. “Do it now!”
Sweeping his arm across the loose dirt, Dullin heaved a pile of sand and rock onto the fire, instantly snuffing it in a huff of smoke. Their small sanctuary was immediately swallowed by darkness. Crushed by the heavy weight of shadow, every member of the company was struck silent. Even those in agony did not utter a whimper into the cold darkness. But not all the land had been claimed by shadow. From somewhere, a frail orange glow just scarcely touched the hillside. Not bright enough to see by, but enough to silhouette the pale faces that trembled in the darkness.
Unfamiliar voices whispered and conspired in the veil of shadow. The whispers carried in the darkness, sounding from every direction. Before long, several of the voices began to grow louder, arguing with one another. E’enna could hear Shanks unsheathing a dagger as he zeroed in on their location. Then a torch was lit with a blinding spark. Behind the sudden flame, a filthy man with a toothless snarl knocked another arrow onto his bow. With a soft zing, like that of a darting mosquito, a sleek dagger sliced through the air, finding its mark in the villain’s throat. As his head dropped to the ground, so did his flame. But the light was rekindled tenfold as torches suddenly lit up at every corner of the camp.
A throng of shabby mercenaries rushed the camp. Squealing and cackling like animals, they flailed stolen Halifexian swords clumsily over their heads. The Watchers leapt to their feet to meet them, and the still night erupted into a chaotic whirlwind of clashing steel and angry bellows. Shadow and light danced together in a dizzying frenzy as sputtering torches struggled to hold back the glowering darkness.
Unskilled with their blades, and stinking of ale, the heavy-handed thugs were little match for the men of Halifex. Ilagon and Shanks had taken positions to protect the injured men; graceful and swift, they struck down the enemy with ease. But the mercenaries kept coming and coming. For every one that was put down, another would take his place. All the while, hidden behind the wall of darkness, a handful of incompetent archers shot haphazardly into the fray.
“This tide is endless!” Shanks shouted. “How many more can there be?”
Stabbing his sword into the ground, Ilagon rubbed his hands together. “Let us find out.”
A familiar stirring sensation filled the air as the hum of wizard song lifted from Ilagon’s lips. The ground trembled slightly, unnoticed by those so preoccupied in battle. Then, with a sound like a muffled drum, a fist-size chunk of rock burst from beneath the surface of soil and whistled through the air. Combat ceased abruptly as the ground began to crackle and groan beneath their feet. Both enemy and friend looked on in fright as the land suddenly exploded in a hail of flying rocks, which blasted outward into the murky shadows. Shrieks of terror flooded the night as the brutes, who skulked in the shadows, fled madly from the bludgeoning stones. Their silence was hastened as the crushing rocks pelted them without pity.
“Is that it?” E’enna called, swinging her staff across the chin of a fleeing pirate. “Is this all of them?”
“Behind you!” Dullin cried, pointing with his bloodied sword.
Spinning on her heels, E’enna saw a flash of steel as a ragged mercenary bore down on her. Barreling across the camp, Avin plowed into the man, tackling him to the ground. Ripping his kinsman’s sword from the scoundrel’s grip, Avin used it to finish the man off.
“That,” Avin panted with a wry grin, “is the last of them.”
Standing to his feet, Avin began to speak again when he was suddenly thrown backward by a tremendous force. Flopping squarely onto his back, he laid motionless beneath the starless sky, a thick black spear protruding from his chest.
“Avin!” E’enna shrieked.
Spinning her head, she saw the cruel grin of a filthy rogue just beyond the ring of torches, still laid upon the ground. Ilagon was already on top of him by the time E’enna rushed to Avin’s side. Collapsing to her knees, she scooped his hand into hers and brushed the sand from his face.
“You’re going to be fine,” she assured him through a tearful whisper. “I’m going to heal you. Just don’t move. We . . . We need to pull out the spear.”
Avin grabbed her wrist as she reached for the spear. “No,” he gurgled between raspy breaths. “Not this time . . . The wound goes too deep.” Gasping for air, he coughed and sputtered as blood filled his lungs.
“I can do it,” E’enna stammered through her sobs. “I can do it! I just need to be careful!”
With a trembling hand, Avin reached blindly for her face, his eyes already clouding as his life drained away. “I told you before, no tears for me.” His face suddenly contorted in pain, and his hands instinctively grabbed at the spear, but he recoiled in agony at its slightest shift.
“Avin, please,” she begged, taking up his hand again and holding it to her chest. “You can’t leave. We need you here, with us.”
His whole body now shuddering, Avin squeezed her hand with last bit strength. “When you find . . . When you find Kazen . . . You … You let him know what a lucky man he is.”
“No.” She shook her head vehemently. “No, I won’t. You tell him. Y
ou tell him, because you’re not going to die!” Her words became almost unintelligible as her voice crackled into sobs. “Please . . . Please! Don’t die! Don’t you dare die!”
The pain slowly slipped from Avin’s face, as did the brave smile he had kept for E’enna. With a whispering sigh, his eyes closed and his body fell limp.
“Avin?” E’enna whispered as his hand slipped from hers. “Avin!” She shrieked angrily, grabbing him by his shirt and shaking him weakly.
Mournful sobs of the loyal Watchers filled the dark night as each man fell to their knees and placed a hand on their captain’s broken body. Unclenching her trembling fingers from Avin’s shirt, E’enna rose unsteadily to her feet. She wiped the tears from her face and staggered past Shanks’ open arms. The woeful weeping of the Halifex men droned in her ears like a sad song as she gazed out numbly into the shadow. It seemed colder now, as though it grew more bitter with every good life felled beneath it, and it made her shiver as it never had before.
“Look at that!” one of the men shouted, breaking the solemn silence.
E’enna turned her head and squinted through teary eyes to see a brilliant blaze of orange flame rise upon the distance.
“Dragon!” the men began to shout in a panic.
“No,” Ilagon shook his head, his wide eyes gleaming. “That is no dragon fire. Those are flames born of magic!”
E’enna’s heart nearly leapt from her chest. “Kazen!”
“We must hurry,” Ilagon urged them, “before we lose the direction. Already the flames have expired.”
“I must stay,” Dullin said.
“You cannot stay here,” Ilagon stated. “This camp will be flooded with mercenaries at any moment.”
“My captain is dead,” Dullin answered gravely. “Along with five other of my men. I will not leave them here to be picked over by pillagers, or worse. Their souls must be freed by fire. Songs of their bravery will be sung over their bodies. Take what is left of the Watchers with you; I will put them in your charge.”
Still kneeling at Avin’s side, tiny Rabbit wiped the tears from his cheek. “I’ll stay on with you, Cap’n. I know a few songs.”
“All right, Rabbit.” Dullin smiled. “The rest of you men will follow Lord Ilagon’s orders as if they were my own.”
“Yes, Captain!”
Admiring Dullin’s stubborn bravery, E’enna couldn’t help but notice how much he really did remind her of Avin. “Good luck,” she whispered into his ear and kissed him softly on the cheek.
“My lady.” He bowed gallantly. “Now go, quickly. Take no torch, for it will only draw the enemy to you that much quicker. We will find you as soon as we can.”
Sparing a final glance at Avin’s still body, E’enna sadly turned away.
Taking a place alongside Ilagon, she stared into the black ocean of shadow that stood between them and Kazen. Reaching her arm out into the darkness, she could feel its chill upon her fingertips. It was like standing on the edge of an abyss. What terrible creatures lurked here, so near to the shadow’s heart? What monsters were watching them at that very moment, hungrily waiting for them to take a foolish step into their domain without the shield of fire?
“How will we ever find him in all this blackness?” she wondered despairingly.
Another flash of light sparked in the far distance as a pillar of fire shattered the darkness.
Ilagon took E’enna’s hand, interlacing his fingers with hers. Swallowing hard, E’enna took up Shanks’ hand as well.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been this terrified,” she admitted through quivering lips.
“We stay together,” Ilagon said. “No matter what.”
Her heart pounding, E’enna held her breath as they took their first step into the black shadow.
Chapter 25
Taking Kazen up by his bonds, Kane tugged him into closer view of the black dragon. “I promised to deliver the Flame Weaver to you. And I have kept my word.”
“Of course you have,” the dragon crooned condescendingly. “Watchers of Halifex are best known for their good word, after all.”
“And what of my family’s village?” Kane rumbled, pulling Kazen possessively to him. “What guarantee do I have that they will be spared?”
“Guarantee?” Vorath roared angrily. “The only thing guaranteed is your death if you do not stay your insolent tongue! I gave you my word once. I have no cause to give it again.”
“He is a scoundrel by nature,” Kazen whispered into Kane’s ear. “Do not trust him.”
“Trust!” Vorath laughed. “What would a traitor to his own people know of trust?”
His eyes flaming with anger, Kane shoved Kazen aside. “I have kept my word to you, Dragon! I have brought you the Flame Weaver—now I want something in return! You promised me the lives of my family . . . my daughter! I want to know if you are true to your word or if it was all a lie!”
Sinking his head nearly to the ground, Vorath poked Kane tauntingly with his massive snout. “It seems to me, a lie told to a fool so eager to hear it could hardly be considered a sin at all.”
Backing away from the dragon’s sneering fangs, Kane happened a glance at the beast’s horned head. There, draped about its pointed horns, carefully arranged among the dazzling jewels and glittering chains, were hundreds of golden crests belonging to his fallen brethren.
“Where did you . . .” Kane gasped, his face stricken white. “Where did you get those crests?”
“Ah, yes.” Vorath grinned with malevolent delight. “Do you like them? I acquired these after a visit to your den of thieves, last night.”
“No.” Kane shook his head desperately.
“It was quite a sight.” The dragon beamed. “You really should have been there. Well, perhaps not. After all, most of your men seemed rather cross with you. I’m sure I heard them cursing your name even as their flesh was being devoured by the hounds.”
“No!” Kane cried again with pleading eyes. “I’ll kill you, Dragon!” Wielding his sword over his head, he hacked futilely at the dragon’s impenetrable hide.
“It was actually a bit disappointing,” continued Vorath. “I had expected the finest of Halifex to put up a better fight. Instead, they cowered in their holes like rabbits waiting to be plucked. By the end, every last one of them begged for death.”
“You followed me,” Kane uttered, collapsing to his knees. “I led you right to them.”
“Followed you?” Vorath snickered. “My dear, Kane, you practically held the door open for us.”
“What have I done?” Tears flooded from Kane’s eyes as he dropped his face into his hands.
Without warning, the ruthless dragon swiped at Kane with its massive talons, slicing him across the chest, and sending him writhing to the ground.
“You are truly pathetic!” Vorath growled. “Look at yourself, you humans, so soft and weak! Like leaches, you feed off the land, growing fatter and more arrogant with every century passed. Your entire race is a blight upon these lands! The sooner the shadows cleanse the world of your existence, the better!”
Gasping for breath and clutching his torn chest, Kane crawled his way over the rocky floor, finally collapsing at Kazen’s feet. Kazen, who saw Kane’s painful death as a preview to his own inevitable end, looked down at him with pity.
“My son,” Kane wheezed, looking up at Kazen with tearful eyes. “He was very much like you.” Coughing and sputtering, he managed to pull himself to his knees. “May you both forgive me for what I’ve done . . .” With his last breath, Kane grabbed the enchanted medallion from Kazen’s chest and pulled, snapping the gold chain in two and releasing Kazen from its black magic. Clutching the amulet to his own chest, Kane sank to the ground, his lifeless eyes still shedding penitent tears.
Feeling as though he could suddenly breathe for the first time, Kazen gratefully drew in the salty air. Looking down at his bonds, he whispered a hasty chant and the ropes burst into flames. The pain of wielding the fire was great, but
the exhilaration that came from calling upon his magic rejuvenated his spirit like a splash of cold rain on his face. With a tug of his hands, the smoldering ropes snapped and he was free.
Spinning his head to the sound of an angry hiss, Kazen found himself nose-to-nose with the massive dragon. Nearly stumbling to the ground as he backed away, he quickly gathered his courage and launched a fiery attack on the beast. Swirling his arms in graceful arcs, he wove his fire into flaming spheres, which he hurled at the dragon, again and again. But the flames broke and parted like waves upon stone against the dragon’s sleek scales.
“Fool!” Vorath chuckled. “I was born from fire! Your magic is nothing to me! I can assure you, however, that your pink flesh will most certainly melt from your bones under dragonfire.”
Cursing his own stupidity, Kazen made a run for cover as Vorath puffed up his chest. Catching a glimpse of his stolen sword tucked into Kane’s belt, Kazen awkwardly snatched it up before diving behind the shelter of a large boulder. An ocean of fire flooded over his head. Flames whipped around the sides of the boulder, lapping at his face and singeing his hair. The rock, itself, began to glow red under the scorching heat, forcing Kazen to the ground. The terrible roar of the flames as they passed overhead was deafening, and the smell of sulfur and ash was equally as choking. When the attack finally ceased, Kazen remained frozen, huddled to the ground amongst the smoking embers.
“Are you dead, Wizard?” Vorath hissed from behind a cloud of smoke.
Snapping out of his paralyzed fright, Kazen sprang to his knees and scurried into the concealing shadows.
Crouching to the ground, the dragon slinked forward like a prowling cat, cautiously peering around the rock where Kazen had been hiding. Growling impatiently, he spun about, scanning the darkness with his yellow eyes, straining to see through the black night.
“The shadows will not shield you,” the dragon snarled. “I can hear your breathing, wizard!”
The Flame Weaver Page 33