After the message went through the crystal went dark. Aidan went to put it in his pack when it began to glow again. This time, it was definitely Timothy’s power that shone through.
“Hey mate. Where are you?” he asked.
“We’re outside Wyvern’s Roost now. Aaliyah is coming here later today. Where are you?”
“The outskirts of some town. We aren’t going to go into it until Garret is dead, but I’ve seen some griffins. Eleanor is sleeping now, so we can talk. Do you need any help dealing with Garret?”
Aidan shook his head, then felt like an idiot. Timothy obviously couldn’t see him.
“No, the three of us have got it. Just keep Eleanor safe. What about the elders from Kyra’s village?”
“That’s a long story, and I don’t have the magic to keep this connection up forever,” Timothy answered. “If Kyra asks, tell her the Northern Swamp Coven is taking care of them. And tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”
Aidan repeated the message through the notebook. For some reason, Kyra’s eyes filled with tears, but she replied with a nod and a “thank you.”
“Aidan, I asked some new friends about the phoenixes. I don’t think you’ll like what they had to say.”
Timothy quickly relayed what the witch had said about the cult of worshipers and the demon. As his friend spoke, Aidan began to recall bits of the prophecy. The Guardian falls, the Dark Angel will rise, the Demon will be the King’s demise.
Aidan shuddered and pushed aside his dread. They would end Garret as soon as Aaliyah got there, and the prophecy would mean nothing.
“One more thing mate, before we go. I’m getting a premonition … Make sure you handle Garret today. Something is going to go wrong tomorrow.”
The fear in Aidan’s gut rose again. All wizards, except himself, had premonitions. They weren’t nearly as tangible as Kyra’s prophecies, but Aidan had never known Timothy’s predictions to be wrong.
“Don’t worry Timothy,” Aidan said. “By this time tomorrow the Dark Angel will be dead, and we can find a way to get you here.”
“I hope so,” the younger wizard replied. “I need to go now. I want to have some magic ready if things go wrong. Good luck, Aidan.”
The crystal’s light dimmed, and Aidan put it back in his pack.
The young boy looked up at the sky. The sun was slowly rising, its light filling every layer of the forest. Kyra had crawled back into her sleeping mat, but Aidan wasn’t feeling very tired. After a few minutes, he decided to go scout out Wyvern’s roost.
He kept following the path for about a half mile. He was a little surprised that they hadn’t seen anyone on the old road, though it made sense. Why walk up a mountain when you can fly on the back of a griffin or wyvern?
The tress broke suddenly, and Wyvern’s Roost came into view. Aidan suddenly felt very, very small.
It was a castle. There was no other word that could aptly describe the massive, stunning creation in front of him. There were three layers of walls, each with their own towers. The whole thing was built into the mountain, so each tower was higher than the last. An attacking army would be vulnerable to archers from all three sets of walls. At the top of the structure was the keep. The keep alone was larger than Aidan’s entire village.
And the castle wasn’t empty. All along the walls, guards patrolled. Aidan couldn’t see what was behind the walls, but he was willing to bet there was farmland behind some of them, and he could hear the cries of wyverns too.
While he watched, one of the creatures soared up over the fortress and landed on the outermost tower. Stone crumbled under its massive feet. Aidan had never seen a wyvern this close before. It was smaller than a dragon, but not by much. Instead of four legs, the creature had two, and sat upright on them like a bird. Its scales were somewhere between blue and green, and shone in the sunlight. Its eyes were wild and feral, not at all like the vast intelligence Aidan had seen inside dragon pupils. Even from where he sat, the wizard could tell that the serpent’s scales didn’t hold the same anti-magical properties of a dragon.
The wyvern bore a single rider, perched on a saddle. The person, whoever it was, was dressed like a dragon rider. Black clothes covered his or her entire body, and black scarfs had been wrapped around their face.
The wyvern gave a cry, somewhere between a roar and an eagle’s call, and soared off into the sky.
Aidan slowly backed up into the woods. If Garret was in that keep, then there was no way the wizard would be able to reach him. Even if he, Kyra, and Aaliyah could infiltrate the keep, they would be trapped behind three walls with a lot of angry soldiers and the Dark Angel.
The young boy made his way back to the campsite and sat down on his sleeping mat. He could feel power buzzing inside of him, longing to get out in any way possible. Even though he felt awful admitting it to himself, the wizard had been looking forward to a chance to do battle with the Dark Angel. It would give him a reason to release some of that pent up magic and rage, and save a friend at the same time.
When Kyra woke up he brought her to the castle. This time there was no wyvern to greet them, but the structure was no less ominous. They spent the rest of the morning sharing ideas in the enchanted notebook, until only a few pages remained untouched. They built tiny models of the castle out of rocks and sticks and counted up every resource they had. They thought of everything, from a full frontal rampage to a silent attack from the rear. Aidan even mentioned that he could use his one favor with Azeo the roc, but even if the great bird would agree to help, he wasn’t invincible. The wyverns and ballistae would tear him apart.
Finally, around noon, Kyra threw her arms up and said what Aidan had been thinking for the past several hours.
“This is hopeless. The only way we are getting into that keep is with an army.”
They sat in glum silence, surrounded by miniature models of walls and drawings in the dirt.
It was with great relief that Aidan heard a whooshing noise above his head. A small griffin hovered right above the canopy. A human figure jumped from the creature and landed on one of the tallest branches, then made her way down the tree. The griffin immediately flew off in the direction it had come from. Aidan wished they could have used the beast to help infiltrate the castle, but it probably would have drawn too much attention from wyverns.
Aaliyah touched the ground gracefully. She had a crossbow strapped to her back, and a mace at her side. Aidan noticed that the Aaliyah and Kyra shot glares at eachother when the amogh made eye contact.
“I saw Wyvern’s Roost when I flew in. What’s the plan?”
Aidan sighed. He had hoped their reunion would at least get him a hug.
“It’s good to see you too, Aaliyah. We’ve got nothing.”
“Right,” the amogh said. “I need to see it from the ground. Show me what you know.”
So for the third time that day Aidan made his way to the hiding spot on the edge of the forest.
“Were you able to see what was behind those walls when you were on the griffin?” Aidan asked.
“No,” Aaliyah said. “I flew low. Didn’t want to be spotted from the fortress. Perhaps I could climb over the walls and take Garret out with my Rakka steel blade.”
Aidan shook his head. “You could be dropping right into a wyvern pit for all we know. And how would you get out?”
He saw Aaliyah bite her bottom lip. “Maybe if we climbed the mountain from the rear—”
“We already thought of that. Even if we survived the trip, we would be way too exposed getting into the fort. And again, once we got there we would have no way out. Aaliyah … I’m not sure if we can get in.”
“Maybe we don’t have to,” the amogh said. “Look.”
The front gates on the outermost wall were swinging open. It was an impressive sight, and all the more intimidating to Aidan. But he felt his and Aaliyah’s hearts start to beat faster as the gates opened to their fullest extent.
First came soldiers, about five of t
hem. Then came a black enclosed carriage, pulled by two black horses. On the sides of the carriage, someone had painted two white wings. Following the cart were fifteen more soldiers, each of them well armed.
The whole caravan made its way down the road that Aidan and Kyra had been walking the past several days. It drew close enough to their hiding spot that the wizard was able to make out individual features. More importantly though, Aidan was able to feel the magic. There was something vastly powerful and dark sitting inside that carriage. It was unlike anything Aidan had ever felt before. It felt hungry and sad and angry, all at the same time. The one thing Aidan definitely recognized was the mark, that same magic that he and the egg and Kyra’s prophecies possessed.
He suddenly realized that if he could feel Garret, then the Dark Angel could probably feel him. He quietly moved back behind Aaliyah, in hopes that she would block some of his magic.
“There’s no way we’re this lucky,” the amogh whispered.
Kyra pointed at the carriage with ice in her eyes. “Garret” she whispered.
“All right,” Aidan said. “We need to get back to the campsite and make sure the egg is safe. Then we can do what we came here for.”
They carefully picked their way back through the forest. Aidan was sure to keep Aaliyah between him and the path, though he doubted it would do much good. If Garret hadn’t noticed them by now, he probably wouldn’t.
As soon as they got back to their little clearing Kyra started packing together a small pouch of powders and magic while Aaliyah buried the phoenix egg. Aidan supposed it was better than letting the thing sit out in the open, but anyone with magical training wouldn’t be deterred by three inches of dirt.
“Is your magic back?” Aaliyah asked.
Aidan smiled. He could feel the stuff screaming inside his head. “Oh yeah. It’s back.”
“Good,” Aaliyah said. “But I still don’t like our odds. Garret knows what every one of us can do. It would be nice to deliver something he isn’t expecting.”
Kyra seemed to be thinking the same thing. She let out a shrill whistle that sounded a bit like a bird call. Hopefully Garret would be fooled. A shadow appeared at the witch’s side, somewhere between a wolf and a ghost. The Black Dog.
“What is that unholy thing?” Aaliyah asked.
“A friend,” Aidan said. “A very creepy friend. But he can fight well.”
“I see I wasn’t the only one having adventures,” Aaliyah said. “Come on, we don’t want that caravan to get too far away.”
They picked their way along the side of the path until they caught back up to the carriage. Garret was now perched on top of the contraption. For a moment he turned around, and Aidan could see his face. The young boy had never seen anyone like the Dark Angel before. Aidan knew that Garret was some type of sorcerer, but he held no wand or staff, and there was no mark on his forehead. On his back was a crossbow made of swirling black energy, an “E” engraved into the handle.
The strangest thing about him was his eyes. They were unlike anything Aidan had seen before. There were no whites and no color. Just one massive pupil with actual flames smoldering inside them.
Aidan felt Kyra tense up beside him. Her hatred was almost palpable. Aaliyah sent waves of calming energy through the heartsoul link, but Aidan’s excitement and irrational anger overrode her intentions
“Are you ready?” the amogh whispered.
“Yes,” Aidan answered.
Aaliyah pulled her crossbow from her back and aimed it at Garret. Kyra started whispering to her little pouch, and the Black Dog disappeared into the woods.
“On my mark.”
Aidan drew his wand. His heart raced faster and faster, probably messing up Aaliyah’s aim. If so, he would hear about it later.
“Go,” the amogh whispered.
Several things happened almost simultaneously. Aaliyah’s bolt flew from its weapon and slammed into Garret’s chest. Kyra threw her little pouch under the carriage and it exploded. The carriage was ripped into hundreds of pieces. Its rider was thrown into a tree, head first, with more than enough force to break any man’s neck.
The horses screamed and charged forward. They must have been just outside of the blast radius. The beasts plowed through the five soldiers in the front of the line as if they were made of hay.
The fifteen soldiers in the back had no time to respond before a creature came from the shadows, tearing throats and disappearing back into the woods.
And then Aidan ran out. He threw all stealth and strategy to the side and yelled out his favorite spell.
“Ingo!”
He allowed his anger to consume him, and became a flaming ball of volatile magic. He felt his enemies crumple before him. He was the Guardian of The Light, the dragonslayer. Somewhere in the back of his head he heard some of the soldiers yelling “demon!” as they ran from his flames, but he cared not. For he was magic incarnate, and he would destroy those who threatened him. Some of them fell to his fists, some fell to flames that he hurled at a distance, but in the end all of them fell, even as they retreated and begged for mercy.
He came upon a final soldier. It was smaller than the rest of his enemies, and did not fight back. Instead, it stood with arms crossed.
“Aidan, stop!” it said.
He raised his hand to deliver the killing blow.
The tiny warrior caught his hand.
“Aidan,” it said. “Come back to me.”
The wizard felt the magic drain from his being as his foe stepped closer. Though, this wasn’t a foe. This was …
Oh no, Aidan realized. Oh no, no, no.
Aaliyah stood in front of him, holding his hand above his head. He was surrounded by the bodies. Some of them were no longer recognizable from their burns. Some had marks in the shape of a hand upon their faces and armor. So much death. So much pain. He remembered that most of them had dropped their weapons and surrendered.
“Aaliyah,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
The amogh blinked. For the first time since they had talked on the beach during their first journey, Aidan saw a tear run down his friend’s face.
He slowly turned his head to the right. Kyra stared at him, her eyes wide in terror. He could only imagine what she had seen in him as he slew fifteen men. The witch turned and ran into the forest before he could say anything to her.
Aaliyah slowly lowered their arms. Their heartbeat was calming down, but Aidan wished it wouldn’t. He wanted to feel every bit of pain and terror that these soldiers had felt as he took their lives.
“Aaliyah, I need help.”
The amogh let go of his hand. “I know. Aidan, we need to talk.”
She led him through the carnage slowly. He felt sick every time he passed a body. Many of them were sprawled on their front, slain as they tried to run from battle.
I did this. Aidan thought. His only consolation was that Marcus and Timothy hadn’t been there to see what he’d done.
At least Garret was dead. Aidan saw the Dark Angel lying against a tree. A crossbow bolt protruded from his heart, his neck was twisted all the way around, and the lower half of his body was charred beyond anything resembling human flesh. Yes, Garret was most certainly dead.
They came to a place in the forest a short ways from their camp. Aidan wasn’t ready to go back and face Kyra yet, and Aaliyah seemed in no rush to return.
The amogh sat down with her back against a tree, and Aidan leaned against one across from her.
“Do you know what happened?” Aaliyah asked.
Aidan didn’t answer for a long time. He needed to process everything. The fire, the screams, and worst of all, the joy in his heart as he destroyed human lives.
“I killed them. I killed all of them.”
Aaliyah slowly nodded. “Yes. But do you know how?”
Aidan put his head in his hands. He felt numb and cold.
“I lost control,” he said. “The magic took over.”
“Aidan, I haven’t
been completely honest with you,” Aaliyah said. “There’s something that I—no, that Bartemus and I have been keeping from you.”
The wizard looked up. “What does Bartemus have to do with any of this?”
Aaliyah bit her lip. Aidan could tell she was carefully choosing which words to use.
“After the Battle of the Isle, your master approached me. He knew you … had feelings for me. He wanted me to use those feelings.”
Aidan felt like his soul was being ripped apart. No, actually, the roc had done that. This was worse.
“For what?” he asked.
Aaliyah closed her eyes. “To turn you into a killer, Aidan. Not just someone who will do what needs to be done. Someone who won’t hesitate. Someone who won’t wait for another option. Someone whose first instinct is the blade and the arrow. He knew that for that to happen, you would need someone worth murdering for. And he thought I could be that person.”
Aidan felt the same way he had when his mother told him that his father wasn’t actually a ranger.
“So everything was a lie? That moment on the beach after I killed Edwin? You never felt anything for me?”
“Not everything was a lie, Aidan,” the amogh said. “Remember when we got to the coast after Argentah? I told you who I was. That was real. That was me.”
The young wizard clenched his fist until his nails drew blood. “Why are you telling me this now?”
“Because I’ve seen killers Aidan. And I’ve seen what you will become if you let revenge and hate rule you. And I don’t want that for you. I really do care for you.”
The young boy looked into Aaliyah’s eyes and finally worked up the thing he had been feeling for months.
“But you can never love me, can you.”
Aaliyah blinked. “I—I don’t know Aidan. What I do know is that you walk in the light, and I stalk the shadows. You’re fire and I’m ice, and before this war is over either you’ll melt me or I’ll put you out. And neither of us can afford that right now.”
Aidan let his gaze drift down to the ground. He knew everything she said was true. And somehow it felt better to have everything out in the open, even if he knew it was the end of his relationship with the only girl he had ever loved.
The Phoenix King: The Thunderheart Chronicles Book 2 Page 17