“I’m told that it feels something dark spreading across the land. It feels it in its bones.”
Linaera knew that magical creatures like the Basilisk could feel magic like a wolf smelled prey. Basilisks also possessed a natural resistance to anything magical, which was why it had gone past their wards without issue, Harold had told them. Attacking it with magic was also difficult: few knew spells that were effective against it. It was one of the reasons why it was so feared. (Besides the sharp claws and deadly fangs.)
“Why don’t you ask it if it can help us?” Harold questioned.
Damon’s face scrunched up as he relayed the message. “He says that he cannot move fast enough to keep up with us. Flight is a gift only his dragon cousins possess.”
“Pity. We could have done well with a creature like that,” Jake mused.
“May I also remind you that the creature you speak of nearly took off my head?” Stella shrieked uncharacteristically.
I guess your near-death experience shook you badly eh?
Truthfully, she couldn’t blame Stella: she might have been the same in the circumstances.
“Stella, please. Gragl thought we were trying to kill him.”
“Well, I don’t care! He’s a monster.”
“You don’t know him like I do!”
Stella turned around and stalked off.
“Well… that was amusing,” Jake commented.
“Shut up Jake. You never help. If it wasn’t for Damon, we’d be dead now. Keep that in mind before you go out of your way to annoy him,” Linaera snapped.
“What about Stella?” Sasha asked.
“She will get over it. Damon, talk anything you need with your new… friend. The rest, get packing. We’re only a few more days from where Eiliara was last seen,” Perrien ordered.
Everyone did as he directed, all having been sobered by the reminder of why they were there.
Damon walked towards the cave. He seemed in awe; and if Linaera had been asked to describe him then, she would have said he was a man whose purpose was won and lost.
She couldn’t imagine what it was like to be in his position – to feel mentally connected with such a being, but to also feel torn between your friend and your new-found supernatural companion.
Linaera was now sure that there was something going on between Damon and Stella, although she doubted any of them would admit to it.
Linaera banished thoughts of Stella and Damon from her mind soon however. The fact was, they still had to travel many leagues before they reached their destination… and the necromancer. She shivered at the thought.
Damon soon went out of the cave, leaving the basilisk to become accustomed to its new world. An expression of sadness was etched on his face; and in his eyes she saw a longing – a knowledge that he would do anything to meet Gragl again.
***
Soon after, the party mounted and continued on their journey. They passed through the remainder of the valley. It no longer appeared so frightening under the bright, happy sunshine that graced them.
The weather had indeed improved: the sky was azure blue, a pleasure to look at; the wind had finally dropped off a little, though their clothes still ruffled; and the temperature was almost warm. It made the previous weather – the perennial clouds, the powerful gales – seem distant and absurd, even.
The landscape was beginning to resolve itself. The mountains were getting taller, prouder, while forests had sprung up in green swathes. Pine trees were the staple, their needles glistening a soft green; and the melting frost reflecting a variety of hues that dressed them in multi-coloured finery.
Such a beautiful place; such an awful place.
The sun moved across the sky as the day wore on. Despite the lack of roads, they made good progress: by afternoon, they had traversed about fifteen leagues.
Perrien stopped.
Around them, the birds chirped peacefully, so at odds with the situation.
“We are approximately eighty leagues away from the site where Eiliara was last seen,” he said, pointing at the map. On it, they could see a dark red X marking the location, right next to some forests.
“How certain are we Eiliara was located there?” Harold asked.
“Fairly certain. She was giving regular reports on the situation when she… disappeared.”
“Will the necromancer be there?” Sasha enquired. Always to the point.
“Unlikely. But quite possibly close. If we do find him though…”
“We’ll kick his butt.”
The party laughed, nervously. It seemed they were not the only ones who lacked Sasha’s confidence.
“Such discussions are trivial. We will camp in the forest tonight. I want everyone to practise their magic: we may need it,” Perrien interrupted.
Understatement of the year, thought Linaera.
The party trotted on, determined to cover as much distance as possible in the time they had before sundown.
Abruptly, John pulled up beside her.
“I’ve come to talk to you, Linaera. I don’t really know you very well, but I think you’re the most likely to understand,” he started nervously.
“Me? Why, I’m flattered John. What is it that you want to talk about?”
“Have you ever felt afraid?”
“Afraid? Of course. Why would you think otherwise?”
“I was just wondering… what you did to those swamp monsters…”
“I was so terrified you’d be gone that I literally have no clear memories of it whatsoever John.”
“Well, that’s good. That’s really good. I’m scared Linaera. Terrified. I know what I keep saying, but what happened with the basilisk… that really brought it home to me.”
“Everyone in the party is scared John. Even Sasha – despite her bravado. Even Perrien.”
John’s face contorted in surprise.
“Really? I never knew. Everyone seems so… so powerful,” he mused.
“We all try to hide it just like you do. Everyone here has learned to deal with fear. Otherwise, we would never do anything in life.”
“Well, I never really knew fear until now,” John said, looking away.
“How so?”
“I grew up in a big family. There were five of us: my parents, and my two older brothers.
“My parents are both powerful mages; my brothers are also very capable. Yet I never really wanted to be a Battle Mage. I felt very protected, but also like I was living in the shadow of someone else.”
“Do you know, I understand you perfectly.”
“How come?”
“Even though I’m an orphan, I do feel like I’ve been living as a shadow a lot. Terrin has such high expectations of me, but… I don’t know what I want to be. Most of the time, I just hang around with Sasha and Mark and try to stay out of the way.”
“Mark? Who’s he?”
“He’s my other friend. He got left behind at school. You might have seen him – remember, blond haired guy? Continuously followed by swooning teenage girls?”
“Oh. Him. Hah. I never knew.”
“It’s all right.”
For a few moments, both chose to let silence ease the tension. Then John said:
“Well, it was good talking to you Linaera. Maybe we might live with you at our side,” he joked.
Linaera laughed.
“It was good talking to you too John. Come, it’s dark. Perrien will be going on about making camp and how close we are.”
They split up; and soon enough, Perrien did stop.
“Very well everyone, darkness has arrived and we need to camp. How about here.” He pointed towards a clearing.
It was perfect: the trees would provide fuel for a fire, and it was secluded, invisible unless you looked closely. Plus, any attackers would have to go through the forest (and make a lot of noise) before they reached you.
“Good place,” Harold agreed. There were murmurs of approval from the rest of the party as they dismounted.
“Harold, Damon, you know the procedure now.”
Damon looked sleepily at Perrien. Linaera guessed parting with the basilisk had been hard for him. He looked out of it. Seeing his expression, Perrien re-evaluated.
“On second thoughts, Sasha you help Harold.”
Nobody uttered a word; everybody wanted a bit of space.
Linaera settled down into their regular routine: she tied the horses – never a chore – while the others set up camp, lit the fire, and Perrien ordered them about. He seemed to enjoy doing that, a bit unusual for a guide.
Soon, Linaera was relaxing to a chorus of lone crickets. The stars shone with incredible brightness out here in the North, and the night was quiet, the animals now having gone to sleep.
Linaera had been taught the constellations by Terrin. He fancied himself as an astronomer, he had told her. She spotted Orion in the sky; the constellation had always reminded her of a diamond with two legs. It was a strange way to think of enormous spheres of gas, producing incomprehensible amounts of heat millions of leagues away.
The party was talking about the events of last night. It was hard to believe that only a matter of hours ago, they had brushed so close to death. Conversation centred around Damon and his “valiant rescue of Stella”. He just sat there, not listening to any of it. Linaera hoped he would sort himself out fast. She liked Damon, and didn’t want to see him saddened like this.
“I see you’ve been observing the stars,” Perrien said. He sat next to her; his face – now hardened by travel – did not cloud the brightness in his eyes.
“Yes I have, Perrien. Do you know anything about astronomy?”
“A modest amount.”
“Any constellations that stand out to you tonight?”
“I can see Scorpius quite clearly tonight. The name is most apt.”
Linaera could indeed see the scorpion-like tail of the constellation shining in the night sky.
“Leo is also visible,” he continued.
Linaera had never thought of it as looking like a lion; the term seemed ridiculous.
“Why are they so clear here?”
“That’s because of several different reasons. For one, there are no lamp lights to obscure the sky; for two, stars are more visible here in the north. The atmosphere is also thinner the higher you are.”
“Do you wonder what it would be like to be a star?”
“I don’t know if stars feel anything. They look bright, but they are like fire: dangerous, unpredictable and completely unapproachable.”
“I don’t know. I imagine that if they are conscious, they would be quite dangerous. But strangely, I think of them as cold. Like we are beneath them.”
“Like gods you mean.”
Linaera smiled. “Yes, like gods. They are probably the closest things to gods.”
“Very well then, Linaera. But we must sleep now. We will have plenty of time to discuss this when we return,” he stated.
Linaera followed his advice, and curled into her sleeping bag. Soon, there was quiet. (Though the occasional snore did temper it.)
***
She was almost asleep.
But then, nature called. She got out of her sleeping bag, dreading the freezing temperatures. Fortunately, the night was surprisingly warm. She walked to the forest – those trees seemed forged of silver in the moon’s deceptive light; shadows played underneath their canopies.
Then she heard a noise.
She altered her course. No longer were the trees so playful; instead their perfidious heart was all the more clear.
Another snap – a turning of the head. And there: two figures.
They were glued to a tree. One was distinctly masculine; the other feminine. She was running her hands through his – kissing him. And making sounds she ought not hear.
Oh shit. Damon and Stella. I should’ve known. She turned around to leave them be, but tripped on a tree root.
“Who’s there?” Damon called out.
“It’s me Linaera. Sorry guys, I didn’t mean to… ehrr… peek.”
Damon’s eyes adjusted to the gloom; he became more embarrassed still upon noticing Linaera’s proximity.
“It’s okay Lin. We didn’t expect to be… doing this,” he finished lamely.
Stella put her clothes back on, although her hair was still ruffled.
“Hi, Lin. Sorry we embarrassed you,” she apologised.
“No, no it’s okay. I shouldn’t have intervened. Bye,” Linaera said hurriedly, the toilet now forgotten.
“Uhm, okay. You won’t tell will you?” Stella asked.
Damon smiled at her naïveté. “Stella, I think everyone knows. We should probably tell them ourselves.”
Linaera mumbled some more excuses and ran back to bed.
But her dreams were not peaceful...
***
Linaera stood inside the pentagram.
The Dead lay on the floor. The spirits were entering their bodies. The Dead convulsed sporadically... and then stilled.
A Revenant stood next to her. Its inhuman eyes were filled with a bizarre, sadistic amusement, even though it possessed no intelligence.
Then it twisted its head. Impossibly, words sprang forth:
“Flying pigs and fleshless monsters. Bah!” Its voice was twisted, rasping like leaves in the grip of autumn winds.
Linaera merely found this amusing. She lifted her head.
Her laughter rang on endlessly, as the bodies of the fallen began to raise themselves... smiling.
SIXTEEN
Linaera winced.
The cold was intense, powerful, and deadly. It bit in through all her layers, ate through her flesh and sucked the warmth out of her bones.
It had arrived the moment they awoke. Fortunately, Harold had been kind enough to provide a warming spell. Unfortunately, he had not been able to maintain it – it was a tiring one, apparently.
Linaera expected to warm up: after all, that’s what riding was supposed to do, didn’t it? Yet of course they hadn’t. Linaera could have worn five layers; or ten; or twenty. It wouldn’t have made much difference, she guessed. Whatever this weather was, no benign substance could hope to counter it.
Even though Linaera was occupied shivering, riding, paying attention to her surroundings (there were a great many unsteady rocks), shivering some more, and generally feeling hopeless, she still managed to notice certain things. Damon remained quiet; Stella just as silent. The party did not press them for details. They could guessed what had transpired: and they could continue guessing, for Linaera was not a prude.
There were good parts in their journey of ceaseless monotony, however.
They had made good progress. They had travelled the abysmal mountains, with their slippery rocks, devious distances and hidden mudholes. They had done so to the point that Perrien – who had become increasingly anxious – was now confident they could reach their destination.
Two days. That was his hope; that was when they would determine what happened; and that was when they would confront Him, as she had come to call the necromancer.
Linaera wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic about that as Perrien might have hoped.
To pass the time, she had discussed things with John.
***
“How was life before you went to the academy, Linaera?”
“I’ve lived all my life there. I don’t remember anything... before.”
“Really? What about your parents?”
“My parents are no more; I am an orphan.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
Linaera smiled – it was a self-depreciating sort of smile, the one long used to tragedies beyond one’s control.
“No, it’s okay: you couldn’t have known. But enough about me. I want to know more about you.”
“Do you want me to tell you what happened once? Well, okay. I was with my older brothers, you see. It was summer: we were playing by the riverside, bathing in the river and making jokes and stuff.
“
Then we heard this noise. Whimpering. We all stopped; we all listened. Edward – the oldest of us – decided to investigate. Eventually, he came back. He had found... something.” He stopped briefly.
“We walked. He led us near a tree. The noise came from a puppy: it was a small little thing, so small. And the eyes... oh god Linaera, it was the eyes that got me. There was pain; suffering; but the worst thing was the expectation. It was caught in an owl trap; it knew it was going to die.”
He stopped. This pause was longer.
“Its leg – his leg, as I would later find out – was mangled to bits. Clark, my other brother, suggested we kill it. I said no. Edward told me the puppy was a stray: it wouldn’t survive, not without a leg.”
“What did you say?”
“If they wouldn’t take care of it, I would.”
“What did your parents say?”
“They didn’t believe father would let me. But I put my foot down. It was the first time I said no to them, and it felt good.”
“What happened? To the dog, I mean?”
“We kept him; we fed him; we treated him. He eventually grew up. Stallion, we named him.”
“Why?”
“He was hot tempered – bit lots of people despite missing a leg.” He smiled.
“What of him now?”
“He passed away. He was a good dog.”
Quiet descended. At last, she had found something like a kindred spirit.
***
Linaera’s recollections were once again disturbed; Perrien had ordered a stop.
“Look over the horizon.”
Linaera looked. She could – thanks to their vantage point on the mountain – see quite clearly. There were mountains: huge, rocky and (almost) impassable.
That was not the reason for their attention; the valley was. It penetrated the mountain’s armour like a spear of colour. The trees were the cause – they were coniferous, green, dark and otherwordly. A breathtaking sight.
“This is the last – true – barrier left,” Perrien finished.
“Can we cross it by nightfall?” Jake asked, unimpressed by the scenery, as per usual.
“I doubt it Jake. The place spans leagues.”
“Why can’t we sleep in it?” Stella asked, mystified.
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