The Silver Arrow

by Larry Itejere

  “It’s all over now; they are gone, and you should be safe,” Samuel said as Jayden walked over to his cart. “You know, you are welcome to join us—that is, my father and two brothers—if you’d like.”

  Jayden was silent as Samuel continued, “You know the roads can sometimes be just as dangerous out there as they are inside the city.”

  “I do,” Jayden said regretfully. “I do.” His voice was laden with the sad reality of that fact. “Thank you again for your help, but I must go,” he said, excusing himself.

  Samuel wanted him to come with them, but didn’t know what else to say, so he said the only thing that came to his mind. “We are at the Stone Hog Inn, if you change your mind, and you can have anything you want to eat,” he said aloud as Jayden made his way toward the crowded street.

  As Samuel watched him leave, pushing his cart in front, he thought there was something peculiar about Jayden that he couldn’t put his finger on. It wasn’t that he’d never seen a youth from the delta before, even though mainly older men leave the island to trade for the most part.

  It seemed like he’d known this stranger all his life, but that was impossible, since they had just met. So why did he feel they were connected somehow? This was the first thing he didn’t understand. The second thing was how open he was with this stranger; Jayden had stirred something inside him that he couldn’t explain. He had felt strong and more alive during that short time than he had ever felt in his life.

  Even more than that, he thought almost in disbelief, the bruise on Jayden’s face and the cut on his lip was fading away like they had never happened.

  “No, people don’t heal that fast,” Samuel thought, trying to convince himself that it must have been his imagination.

  While Jayden’s attackers fled in fear, Jayden did not appear surprised or afraid—just shocked that someone had come to his aid, even though he didn’t call out for help. As these thoughts ran through Samuel’s mind, he started walking back in the direction he came. As he took his second step, his eyes fell on an object that reflected from the ground.

  Samuel picked up the object; it was an emerald ring on a silver necklace. He brushed his finger over the ring’s smooth surface. It was the spot Jayden had curled on the ground as he protected himself, Samuel thought. He must have dropped it.

  He ran in the direction Jayden went, trying to find him, but he was gone, lost in the crowd. After several minutes of searching, Samuel gave up.

  “What am I going to do with this?” he thought and slid the ring into his pocket.

  “I wonder when he’ll discover his necklace is missing,” he said to himself. “Maybe he’ll stop by the inn.” Hoping to meet this stranger again, he began making his way back to the magic show.

  All that had happened as a result of his attempted aid left him bemused. The competition he had been looking forward to and had trained so hard for was now of no real interest.

  He wasn’t sure he could talk to anyone about it, not while he was still trying to figure it out himself. The unexplainable experience was hard to deny and he knew it. And if he was finding it hard to comprehend, then how could he expect anyone else to understand?

  Unaware of the time, Samuel made his way over to Elye, consumed by his own thoughts.

  Chapter 8

  Ladies of the Deep

  Iseac and the Ackalans rode through the night and continued the following day, heading southeast toward the town of Tru’tia. It was a clear night on the second day and the moon was at its highest point in the sky when they stopped for the night, about a quarter of a mile from the main road. Tru’tia was going to be another full day’s ride.

  They had navigated through the densely forested area to this open space. The area had a few fallen trees, and on one of the corners stood four boulders that rested against one another, forming a jagged tooth-like shape. Iseac set up his tent in front of it.

  Clearing a small area, they built a campfire close to one of the fallen trees. Horses were unsaddled and they settled in for the night. Several of the men sat around the fire talking, as images of their shadows stretched across the ground. While most of the men stayed in the open field, a few of them kept watch around the site, hidden by their cloaks in the night sky, away from the main group. It was a quiet night, and only the normal sounds of nocturnal creatures could be heard around the camp.

  Inside the tent, Iseac sat down, crossing his legs. He placed the tip of his right finger on the ground and began the process known as yosterio, or mirror boarding. As instructed, he did this every night before going to bed, remembering the words of Gabram:

  “While people go to sleep assuming their night will be safe, you must go to sleep knowing yours is.”

  Concentrating, he touched at the core of his mind, causing the amulet on his chest to unlace itself. With the crystal unveiled, he placed the image of a human at the core, which set off a vibration from his fingertip to the ground. He saw nothing out of the ordinary outside of the people in his vicinity, and with this knowledge, he lay down, closed his eyes, and was soon overcome by sleep.

  As the fire in the camp died down to an orange glow, one of the Ackalans rode out from within the trees, passing the horse stand, which was several feet from the main group. He stepped off his horse before it came to a complete stop and rushed straight to his commander.

  A few minutes later, Tremay rushed out of his tent with the same Ackalan following behind. He knocked on Iseac’s tent, but did not wait for an invitation before stepping inside.

  “Sorry for the intrusion, but I just got report from one of my scouts; over five hundred Agoras are heading our way, south of our position, and they are about three leagues from here.”

  “What?” Iseac thought, his expression giving away what he was thinking. Agoras hadn’t been seen for over seven generations. These soulless creatures were in the form of a man. They had white bloodless skin with thin flesh pressed to their skulls. Their eyes were dead blue and had teeth jagged like the Se’monia fish. Agoras were fast and ate anything with blood. They normally hunted at night.

  “At the pace they are coming, we can’t outrun them, and the Agoras’ vision is better than humans at night,” Tremay said.

  “True,” Iseac replied, “but your men are no ordinary men, either. Another one of your scouts, I believe, is here with more news.” Someone tapped his tent.

  “Come in,” Tremay said, and the man saluted with a bow as he stepped in.

  “I have news from the field, Ashra.”

  “Speak!” Tremay commanded.

  Glancing at Iseac, the man turned to face his commander. He spoke with a sense of urgency, but without any sign of astonishment or fear. He explained seeing people come out of flames that dropped from the sky as if it were a common occurrence.

  While the Ackalans were talking, Iseac was already spreading his mind again across the area. Images of people like smoke flowed through his mind’s eye as he scanned around them. People came from all corners. Three figures in the group heading from the west seemed to be aware of his presence; one of them, with his face like dry clay, turned to look straight at him from within his hood.

  The creature’s awareness of his presence took him by surprise, causing him to retreat. He immediately spoke, cutting into their conversation as Tremay and Ackalans turned to look at him.

  “They are not just in the south and west of us, but also in the east. The heavier force is coming from the west, and they are just as far away as those coming from the east.”

  No one had to say it, as it was clear that they were been ambushed; somehow, someone knew exactly where they were, and they were coming for them.

  Dismissing his scouts, Tremay commanded one of them to have the men ready to leave and the others to get Hildra, his second in command. Hildra showed up a second later, and Tremay explained what was going on and how they had been cornered.

  A plan was formulated before they made their way out of Iseac’s tent, and it wasn’t long before the me
n were all ready to go.

  Iseac could not help noticing how efficient the Ackalans were in preparing to leave, as if it was always their plan. If it wasn’t for the horses, no one would have known they were ever there. Since he had no time to pack properly, Iseac broke his tent and hurriedly hid it between one of the boulders. The anticipation of what was to come, even after all his years of training and practice, still made his heart race, even though outwardly, he was calm.

  Getting on their horses, now saddled, they rode south in the night sky. Based on Iseac’s calculations using yosterio, he immediately started counting down the distance between them and the group heading their way.

  A few minutes into their ride, Iseac gave the signal, and they broke into different groups with Tremay and Hildra each leading a team of Ackalans as planned.

  They broke to the right and left of Iseac, fading into the night, while Iseac led his group straight, riding to meet what awaited them.

  It wasn’t long before they heard the sound of stomping feet, and they rode closer to one another in a tighter formation. Swords and axes were drawn just before their assailants came into view.

  Once the Agoras were in sight, Iseac saw they were spread across the plain, creating a wall of people that, from a distance, were the size of an ear of corn. A small group of horsemen armed with bows and arrows rode behind the wall of Agoras.

  They launched a volley of arrows at Iseac and the Ackalans while others rushed to meet them with their weapons drawn.

  Stretching his hands in front of him, the thumb of his fingers almost touching, Iseac recited an incantation as he spread his hands out:

  “The crystal within I call to seal,

  Cast the path upon the wind,

  Hold the air as firm as seal,

  Follow the path my hand will lead.”

  The air above Iseac seemed to stir as he spread his arms apart. The arrows that rained from the sky were suddenly deflected by an invisible shield several feet above them, even as they rode with Iseac at their head.

  The Agoras, too, had spotted them at a distance and charged like bees to a hive with their weapons raised. At the distance, one could see their beady eyes drawing close in what looked like a fog of black smoke. Iseac held his quarterstaff firmly in his hand while loosening the tension in his body, and for a brief minute, everything was quiet just before it exploded into chaos.

  An Agora rushed up to Iseac on his right and was struck down by his quarterstaff. The metal ring at the end of his quarterstaff cracked the creature’s skull on impact. As it dropped to the ground, another Agora was rushing in to take its place. Iseac’s quarterstaff was still in motion when he struck another one to his left. It fell backward, causing the Agora behind it to stumble. It pushed its dying companion out of the way, snarling as it charged forward.

  The Ackalans swung into action, moving with grace and speed as they came off their horses. They moved in and out through dozens of Agoras, sometimes working in pairs, and Agoras died all around them. These creatures, however, were determined to overwhelm the Ackalans with their sheer numbers. Their thirst for blood seemed to mute everything else; for them, the death of humans was worth the cost.

  A few feet in, Iseac jumped off Durack for a better balance on the uneven field and to be less of an easy target. He struck another Agora that swung at him as others rushed forward to fill in its place. Iseac’s quarterstaff was in constant motion, like a wagon wheel spinning from a horse in full motion. Its rotation slowed only when it came into contact with an intended target.

  Now all they had to do was hold on while Tremay and Hildra attacked from their flanks, hopefully creating enough uproar and confusion to give them the room they needed. They had a short window to get this right, since the other groups were closing in from the east and west.

  As another Agora dropped to the ground, Iseac glanced up. At the crest of one of the hills in the landscape, he caught sight of the silhouette of several horsemen watching.

  They did not appear to be advancing, and two banner men stood on opposite sides of the figures.

  Just then the sound of the first horns went off; some of the Agoras turned to face it, as they had hoped. A few minutes later, the second horn went off on the opposite side, giving the illusion that there were more Ackalans than their enemy had anticipated. It created a brief confusion, as some of the Agoras turned to face the second sound while others kept their attention on the fight in which they were already engaged.

  At the crest of a hill, a man dressed in full battle gear sat on his black stallion, watching as the battle unfolded. He wore a finely crafted black and gold alloy helmet that was woven at the end into chain mail that extended to his shoulder. His chest was covered in a metal breastplate. The breastplate was crafted in brass, polished to a shine. The emblem of a two-headed serpent twisted around the sun was on his left breast. His feet were covered by metal shin guards.

  **************.

  “I see the council still uses those fools to run their errands,” the man on the stallion said. “No matter. By the end of this night, we shall have one more piece to this puzzle.” He could see the Ackalans appear from the right and left flank of his men.

  “While their futile attempt to escape is entertaining, we have more important matters to deal with. Rohac and Abojan!”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “See to it that the those who survive tonight swear fealty to our lord and master, and take care of any that don’t,” the man on the stallion said. “Now release the ladies of deep.”

  “Yes, my lord,” the soldier he was looking at said before hurrying off.

  As instructed, the soldier made his way to a wagon covered in a black tarp.

  He untied the tarp around the wagon and pulled it off to reveal a cage that held two dark masses. The figures rose from where they were lying, their scaled forms expanding like dough underneath the night sky. They stood over five feet tall and had to hunch forward for their heads not to hit the roof of the wagon. The two identically scaled creatures looked almost bat-like in their form. Even in the dark, you could not mistake their eyes−black lenses that were wider than those of an owl as they blinked, taking in their surroundings.

  Both creatures looked alike in every way and the only distinguishing feature between them were the gemstones that rested on their foreheads. One was blood red, and the other bright yellow. The wagon swayed from right to left as they made their way to the closed wagon door.

  The soldier unlocked the barred cage on their approach and took several measured steps away from the door.

  Once outside, the creatures waddled over to the man in command while most of the horses twitched nervously as they approached.

  “Bring me the amulet of the Anamerian, and then do with him as you will,” said the man on the stallion. The creatures blinked once without saying a word, turned, and took to the air, blending into the night.

  ****************

  As steel rang and blood from the dead and severed limbs stained the field of battle, Tremay called out to those in his company, speaking out loud enough for them to hear, “We are running out of time and need to get the Messenger moving faster before they catch up.”

  The Ackalans knew exactly what he meant; time was running out and the other groups would be closing in on them soon.

  So they picked up their pace, moving in a triangular formation.

  Agoras fell around them.

  A strange uneasiness began to build in Tremay. He was trying to shrug it off, even as they maintained their pace, when suddenly two things dropped from the sky, landing several feet from Iseac. The gleaming reflection from their black scales could only mean one thing: “Ladies of the deep,” Tremay thought in disbelief. He cried out, “Star formation after me.” The three Ackalans closest to him did as he commanded, with two of them moving to the right and left side of him while the third stood in front of him.

  So when Tremay leaped over his companions’ heads, it forced the Agoras to l
ook up, giving the Ackalan in front a quick opening to strike. They did this, picking up their pace even faster as they made their way toward Iseac.

  Tremay knew Iseac was as good as dead if they did not make it to him on time.

  Chapter 9

  The Rising Shadow

  Iseac felt the same thing at that instant and glanced up to see two creatures wrapped in shadow drop from the sky, landing with a thud several feet from him. Their weight broke pieces of earth and one of them landed on an Agora, crushing it underfoot.

  With their winged arms in front of them barely touching the ground, they rose from their crouched positions, fixing their eyes on their intended target.

  They moved slowly toward Iseac. As they did, something began to happen to their form. Like bubbling lava, the black tar that was their skin shift in and out of itself till they took on the shape of women. Both creatures appeared dressed in silky black gowns with the same color band at the waist. Their faces were unnaturally smooth and pale, with eyes that were black, like their hair, which was loose and extended just below their shoulder. Their faces were haunting, like those from a nightmare, and the only distinguishing feature between the two creatures were the gems that rested on their foreheads.

  As they walked toward Iseac, an Ackalan charged one of them with his sword, swinging and twisting his hands with amazing speed. The creature that was now in the form of a woman sinuously dodged his blows and then rushed into him, pinning both his hands.

  At that minute, Iseac could almost hear the Ackalan’s heart beating as the creature slid her hand to his head and twisted. It snapped the Ackalan’s neck as Iseac watched the man’s weapon slide from his hand. The creature released her grip on him, letting the lifeless body drop to the ground.