by Ali Winters
They ran, leaving Nivian's body lying in the dirt. Kain pushed through the brush to the clearing, dragging Karen behind him.
She was dying. Nivian squeezed her eyes shut, finally letting her tears fall.
Thirty-One
Nivian
Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Slowly, Nivian peeled her eyes open. She was still alive? Taking a deep breath, she sat up and looked down at herself. Kain's attack missed. The small area of ground between her neck and shoulder smoldered and sizzled… He’d missed her on purpose. Inhaling a shaky breath, she looked around, her mind racing with unanswered questions.
He missed. Why didn’t he destroy me when he had the chance?
What was she going to do now? Nivian didn’t know why he saved her, but if she showed her face again in the clearing, she would blow his cover. But, what choice did she have?
Kain
The two hunters burst into the clearing and took in the sight before them. Caspian and Finn argued. Both men were poised to attack, dark energy and light energy in their hands. They had stopped firing at each other for the moment while they argued. Their voices were heated and low.
Unable to make out what they were saying, Kain wanted to get closer. He motioned for her to stay quiet.
Karen jerked her arm out of his grasp. “What the hell was that about, Kain?" she demanded, rubbing her bruised arm.
Slowly turning his head to face her, Kain narrowed his eyes. Unbelievable! Doesn’t this woman know that now is not the time to discuss things?
He shot her a warning look. He ignored her question and turned his attention back to the two men in the middle of the clearing.
“We are not stepping out of place. We have maintained the balance for longer than you have been alive. And we have been managing well enough to keep the balance without interference from your little group." Caspian sneered and flicked a bolt of energy at the man, barely missing his boot.
“That's crap, and you know it, Caspian. Don’t bother denying it. Yeva is the only reason we still have some semblance of balance left," Finn shouted.
Caspian smirked. “You are funny mortal. The balance was stable for countless centuries until your group overstepped your boundaries once again." He flicked his wrist, shooting out a small burst of darkness, hitting the hunter in his right leg inches above his knee.
Furious, Finn raised his hand and prepared to strike.
BOOM! The earth shook violently, halting their argument. The rumbling started low, almost unnoticeable. The deep rattling grew, faster, and louder. It rippled through the island. Hunters and reapers all turned to face the rolling land heading toward them. The forest floor rippled and cracked as it weaved its way through the earth, splitting it straight through the clearing. The ground fell away, pulling trees down as the land beneath them disappeared.
Finn took off limping, shouting to Kain and Karen as he passed. “The veil is breaking down, move!” He pointed away from the source of the rumbling. The two younger hunters followed suit. Kain pushed Karen in front of him to watch her back. He didn't need to be told twice. Caspian ran close behind them. Kain said nothing to alert the others to the reaper’s presence.
Kain quickly realized they were heading in the direction he had left Nivian. Swearing under his breath, he pushed himself to run harder. Why couldn’t this be easy?
Karen ran. Breathing hard, she slowed down to look back. “Kain...” She huffed. “That reaper... he's... catching... up... to us.” The ground beneath them shuddered once more. Karen stumbled.
"Never mind him, just keep moving, woman!" Kain reprimanded. Reaching out to catch her, he pulled her along.
Karen glared. Kain insulted her by not using her name, as if now was the time to care about inconsequential facts. He knew what it was. Continuing to stumble beside him as they ran, she glared daggers.
They broke through the edge of the forest and stopped. Dead end. They had nowhere else to run.
Kain hoped the rumbling stopped before it reached them or they would fall down the edge of the cliff to the rocky ravine below. The wind picked up. If it weren’t for the trees at their back, they would be in danger of being pushed over the edge. Growing more annoyed with each passing second, he ground his teeth.
A flash of white caught his attention from out of the corner of his eye. Nivian peeked from behind a tree. Two sharp crystal daggers formed in her palms.
Karen wandered quickly around the area, looking for something she could use as a weapon. “There is nothing here to use as a weapon.” Karen stomped her foot.
“Karen. It’s fine. Just use your powers.” Kain rubbed his forehead.
“My reserves are fading fast, and I don’t know how much longer they’ll last,” she whispered harshly. “And that reaper looks strong. I wasn’t prepared for this.” A whine was beginning to enter her voice.
Karen’s eyes followed Kain’s. Wind swirled Nivian's hair, exposing her location. “What the hell!” Karen screeched, turning on Kain, anger flashing in her eyes. “I thought you killed her!”
Nivian stepped out of hiding just as Caspian caught up with them.
“Surrounded again. Finn is useless with that stupid leg of his, and you let that thing live! You betrayed us Kain.” Karen growled.
“You don’t understand Karen.”
“Oh, I understand perfectly, Kain.” She snapped. Turning her back on the reapers, Karen quickly pulled her power to her, a small bright light forming in her hands. She spun around to face the reaper, throwing her power at Nivian. It was a weak attack, but her aim was spot on. Caught off guard, the light hit Nivian, square in the chest. The force of the blow threw her back. Her form briefly wavered in and out before solidifying. Kain’s heart dropped. Had Caspian been wrong about Nivian’s strength?
Kain watched as everyone moved at once.
Nivian moved her hand, trying to lift it, and dropped it—the effort was more than she could manage.
"Caspian... Help," she choked out, her voice catching in her throat.
Caspian rushed toward her. Karen and Finn saw Caspian’s path and ran to cut him off.
"Nivian!" he called, reaching out his hand to her.
Finn and Karen gathered in their powers, striking at him. The attacks hit their target in unison. He realized too late that he had fallen into their trap. Caspian went down on his knees, stunned momentarily. Pushing up himself up, he lifted his arms to gather his power. Karen hit him again. Caspian’s arms dropped to his sides, and he fell forward. Lying face down on the ground, the reaper’s form wavered in and out.
Kain knew Nivian would never forgive him if he took part in this attack.
"Wake up, Nivian!" he hissed, shaking her. "You have to get up now!"
She moaned.
Kain grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her violently.
"Mmmm. Can't," she mumbled. Her hands pushed at his in annoyance, trying to loosen his grip.
"Get up!" Kain shook Nivian harder.
Karen stomped over to him, grabbed a fistful of hair, and jerked his head back. "Kain, what the hell are you doing?"
Kain shoved her hard, causing her to stumble. "It doesn't matter, Karen. Just do your job, and I'll do mine." Catching herself, she sneered at him and stormed off toward Finn.
Disgusted she snapped at him, "Finn, take care of Kain, now. He saved that reaper before, and he's trying to do it again."
Finn concentrated on the reaper wavering in and out in front of him. "Of course he is, Karen. She's saved him before, and he thinks he owes her. Let it go. I need you to find Holter."
With a huff, Karen gave Finn a curt nod and walked off, calling for Holter.
Kain got to his feet. Nivian was alive, but he needed Holter’s help if he was going to make sure she stayed that way. He hated to leave her unprotected. Though Finn only seemed concerned with Caspian for the moment. She should be safe, for a while at least.
Camira
Camira pulled herself up. She wasn't healing. Her power wasn’t strong enoug
h to heal her and keep her from fading out. If the hunter had any kind of aim, it would have destroyed her. Grinding her teeth, she hissed and sucked in a sharp breath.
The ground around her was broken. A ravine split the once peaceful looking area into a sharp drop-off. Disguised by fallen branches and rocks, the edge was hidden to anyone not paying close attention to where they were headed. Trees were shattered, and debris littered the ground, or what was left of it. Looking around, she was alone. The second the ground had started to shake, they all took off like the disloyal cowards they were. They had all left her. “How could they just forget about me like this?” She seethed.
She didn’t need this. She needed to heal.
“Screw this! I can't believe Silas didn't prepare us better. All the reapers at his disposal and he doesn't even use a fraction of them!”
She wasn't about to stick around and get killed because he didn't know how to run things. He should have spent more time outside of Mophar instead of locking himself away. Maybe we would have taken care of the hunters by now, and I wouldn't be injured and abandoned. This is such crap! She refused to put up with this treatment anymore. They would pay for this.
Camira pulled out her cloak, enlarging it, and swung it around her shoulders. Pulling the hood over her head, she disappeared.
Holter
Holter held his arm tight against his core. That damn shift had nearly killed him. He’d been lucky to escape with a broken rib or two. He reached the edge of the clearing, panting in shallow breaths, just in time to see the reaper disappear.
Where is she going? He pulled out a small handheld device, punched the symbols on the side, and then slid it back into his pocket.
Nivian
Nivian cracked open her eyes. It was almost completely dark. The crazy blonde woman was yelling at... Finn, was it? Trying to sit up, her head spun. She pressed a hand to her head, trying to calm the effects of the attack. She looked down at her wound. It was healing quickly before her eyes. Taking a deep breath to steady her swirling vision, she forced herself to stand, moving slowly.
No one had noticed her move. Kain was chasing after Karen… or was he running somewhere with her? Nivian tried to shake the fog from her head. She couldn't think clearly.
Bringing her hands together, Nivian drew her energy into herself.
“Stay down, reaper. I don’t want to hurt you.” Finn’s harsh voice commanded.
Her head shot up. Finn stood with his back to her. She must have made a noise for him to know she was conscious again. Nivian dropped her gaze from the back of his head to Caspian's body sprawled out on the ground. He was injured; his body flickered in and out.
“No—” She covered her mouth with both hands, shaking her head. Nivian narrowed her blurry eyes at the hunter’s back.
With slow, deliberate movements, she gathered her power. The golden sparks of light scattered throughout went unnoticed. Pushing herself up in one fluid motion, Nivian ran at him.
Kain
Karen ran out from between the trees with Holter and Kain following close behind. “That reaper is going to kill him. How could he turn his back on that little...?” Karen took off running. “Finn!” She yelled throwing her body hard against his, just as Nivian let her attack fly.
With a deep thunk, the power hit Karen directly in the heart, pushing her body into Finn and shoving him forward. He landed on his hands and knees, with a grunt.
“Nivian, no,” Kain yelled hurrying over. He needed to stop further bloodshed.
Karen’s body crumpled beneath her. Gurgling and gasping for breath, her body shook. Finn pushed himself up.
Reaching out to her, Finn turned Karen over. Blood dripped from her mouth. She opened her mouth to talk, but no sound came out. Her body shuddered again.
Nivian waved her hands over her body, exposing her life thread.
"Don't you dare reaper," Finn warned.
"She will never heal. Do you want her to suffer?" Nivian asked pointedly.
Finn looked down at his fellow hunter. Kain placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. He didn't want her to suffer, but this was Finn’s decision.
“But…she is a hunter; our healing abilities are more than human,” he sobbed. “Our numbers are so small now. We can’t lose her… I—”
Nivian didn't give him time to finish. Pulling out her scythe, she severed Karen’s life thread. The blonde took one last shallow breath and closed her eyes, her body going still in Finn’s arms.
"Noooo!" Finn threw his head back. Tears slid down his face. He buried his face in her neck crying her name. Kain lowered his head.
Nivian looked over at Caspian's body, and stepping past the two hunters, she ran to him. Kain followed, not knowing what else to do—he didn’t know these hunters very well, his presence felt intrusive.
He’d never seen a solid body flicker in and out before.
“Caspian’s fading. I can’t let that happen.” Nivian fell to her knees. “He needs more power. If I can give him enough, he’ll be alright.”
“Nivi… don’t do this, you know what will happen to you.”
“I have to, Kain.” Placing both hands on Caspian, closed her eyes, and concentrated. Darkness flowed around her arms and out through her fingertips. It hovered over his chest and swirled into a vortex before plunging into his chest. Caspian’s back arched as his form absorbed the power.
Caspian’s body slowed its flickering.
“It’s working!” Nivian whispered, her energy continuing to flow.
A rough hand yanked Kain back by his arm. “Wha—”
A blast of bright white light rocketed passed him striking Nivian in the back with a blinding hit. Nivian screamed in pain and hunched over Caspian's form to shield him from the blows. Kain turned his head in time to see Finn raise his hand and strike her again and again.
Kain ripped his arm out of Holter’s grasp and ran to her. Why wasn't she defending herself? Nivian was just letting Finn attack her. She fell over Caspian, her body limp. Finn readied to strike again. Kain threw himself at Finn, tackling him to the ground.
“Stop!” Holter yelled. He pulled Kain off Finn by the neck of his shirt. "Stop! These reapers have been taken care of." His face contorted in pain as he scolded the younger men.
Kain and Finn stood glaring at each other, ready to strike the other. "We do not need to be fighting ourselves! We need to find Yeva and finish Silas," Holter scolded, shoving them farther apart. "Go," he yelled when they didn't move. He pushed them forward with a rough shove and jogged behind them as they went deeper into the forest.
It was slow going. Much of the ground was unstable and threatened to crumble beneath their feet. They ran, slowing only to climb over fallen trees. The earth had stopped rumbling for the time being. They moved along carefully, unsure of when, or if it would start again.
“What’s wrong?” Kain asked, motioning to the arm Holter held tightly around his middle.
“It’s nothing… just a few broken ribs.” He said, brushing off Kain’s concerns. He dropped his arm to his side. He walked ahead, signaling the conversation was over.
They followed the burn marks scattered along their path. Trees were snapped in half and charred by missed attacks. The three hunters stepped carefully around small craters on the ground. They slowed their pace, as the damage to the area grew too dangerous to continue at a run. The ground was littered with splinters, and trees that had once filled the area were shattered into confetti, creating a sad, dead clearing.
Yeva and Silas had stopped attacking by the time the three men had found them. Kain held back behind one of the few remaining trees. Something in his gut told him not to trust the situation. Holter and Finn might need back up.
Yeva's head snapped in their direction, her hawk-like eyes narrowed in on Holter and Finn as they approached.
“Have you finished them off yet?” she demanded. Her singed hair was wild around her face, and scorch marks covered her.
“They will be dead soo
n,” Finn said proudly.
“Soon?" Her voice was shrill. "I don't want soon. Finish them off, now!”
The two hunters hesitated for only a second before bowing and turning to head back. Yeva gave a nod of satisfaction, and turned her attention back to Silas.
Kain grabbed Holter's arm as he passed, catching his eye. Without a word, Holter nodded and ran to catch up with Finn. Kain knew he could trust in him to do what he was asking. He would protect Nivian.
“You have lost, Silas. Surrender now," Yeva demanded.
Kain swung his head to watch the exchange between Yeva and Silas.
“A few reapers may have been destroyed, but make no mistake, you have not won.”
“You never know when to surrender, do you, Silas?” Yeva threw a burst of energy at him. Silas leaped out of the way, the attack scorching the ends of his long hair.
“This will not work Yeva!”
“It has already worked, do you not see? My hunters will finish off those pathetic excuses for reapers, and we will destroy you. Then I will finally be in charge of the balance. I will have the power!”
“It will never work, Yeva. You have no power over death. The balance will only become weaker until the day everything ends."
Yeva ground her teeth, balling her delicate hands into fists. “I do not care. I would rather see the end of everything, than let you go on hoarding all of the power any longer.” She shook with the effort of maintaining her self-control.
Silas dropped his hands to his sides. “Yeva, I never—” His voice was soft and held a hint of sadness.
“No! Do not attempt to soothe me. You always treated me like a child. I can handle it, Silas!” She stomped her foot.
“You know as well as I that neither of us were meant to have all the power. Yeva, we were created to share the heavy burden. It has been exhausting without you all this time. Let us end this war now and go back to how things are meant to be.” Silas walked over to her slowly, his arms out to his sides.
Yeva was silent for a long time, her head bowed. He was only inches away from her. “No,” she growled, lifting her face to meet his eyes. “I will not share. It is my turn to rule!”