“You should probably stay off the roads,” he said. “I have seen these creatures, the animaru. They appear to be looking for something. Or someone. I have charms that give me some protection, primarily from being detected by them, but such wouldn’t work for you, even if I had any to spare. If you are who and what I think, you will draw them like a beacon if they are nearby. Better to take to the forest to go to Sitor-Kanda.”
“The forest?” Fahtin exclaimed. “The Grundenwald? There are dangers in that forest. Even if only wild animals—and legend has it that there are more than that—it will be dangerous. It will also make travel much slower.”
“True,” Dannel said, “but I think it will be the safer route. The travel will be slower through the trees and underbrush, but the distance is also shorter. The road winds around to avoid the bulk of the forest, so it’s much longer. I suggest, strongly, that you take the forest path.”
“We will consider it,” Aeden said. “Thank you for your information, Dannel Powfrey. Safe travels to you.”
“And to you.” The scholar mounted his horse and walked it down the road.
Aeden watched Dannel until he turned a bend in the road and was lost from sight. He had a lot to think about, and a lot to do, it seemed. The new information hadn’t changed his plans, though. He still needed more information and more help. Malatirsay or not, he was going to need plenty of both.
Chapter 29
“I don’t know,” Aeden said.
“He had a good point,” Fahtin said. “If he has already seen the creatures ahead of us, it might just be better to take the forest.”
“I’d not like to delay our task any more than necessary. I have traveled through forested areas, though not so thick as the Grundenwald is reported to be. We’ve seen it from the wagons passing through on this very road. It is a tiring, slow method of travel. That is not even considering the danger.”
“I don’t think the danger is as great as meeting up with dark creatures that cannot be killed,” she pointed out.
“Aye, but will we meet those creatures? The choice is between slowing our travel with certainty and the possibility of meeting these animaru. It just seems that the chances of us seeing them on the road is small.”
“But Dannel said he has already seen them ahead of us, on the road,” Raki said.
It seemed to Aeden that he was being overruled. Both of his travel companions wanted to take the forest, but they had never traveled like that before, didn’t know the danger from wild animals and how much it affected their travel speed. They didn’t understand the frustration of traveling only a few miles a day, backtracking and trying to find a path that allowed them to continue on. He wasn’t sure if he could make them see.
“And what of the creatures behind us?” Aeden asked. If we go into the forest, we will be easier to track. Worse, we will allow them to catch up to us. What if we meet some danger within the dark trees of that place, wild animal or something more powerful, and at the same time we are come upon from behind? I tell you, I do not relish the idea of being trapped between two dangers.”
Ah, that seemed to cause them to think. Fahtin had taken her lower lip into her teeth and was gently biting down on it. He almost had them convinced.
“What do you say we continue on the road and see what happens? We can travel carefully, but still quickly. If it appears to be too dangerous, we can change and move into the trees. Does that sound like a fair compromise?”
Fahtin and Raki both nodded.
“Very well, then,” Aeden said. “We have a few hours of daylight left. We can get some more miles under our feet before finding a suitable campsite and stopping for the night.”
They traveled three more hours, the other two darting looks forward and to the sides, occasionally behind them, as if nervous of attack. Aeden had to admit that his eyes darted around more than normal as well. He still didn’t think they would meet the dark creatures, but it was good to be prepared.
The next morning, they had broken camp and were two hours into their travels. The day was bright, a few wispy clouds in the still blue sky. The other two seemed to have relaxed. Aeden knew he had. The thoughts of attack from monsters were almost a day old, and the perfect conditions helped to push their fears deep into the backs of their minds.
It was a good day to be traveling, and the conversation was light. They did not speak of their quest or of foes; they did not refer to hidden dangers or what they would find when they finally made it to the Academy. The party was just three friends walking along a road, with not a care in the world.
As they came around a turn, both sides of the road overgrown with high bushes and low trees, they ran right into a small group of the familiar black creatures running toward them. Aeden wasn’t sure if they were more surprised or if the animaru were, but he regained his composure and reacted first.
He slid his swords free and charged into the mass of them. There were around ten enemies, though he could not take the time to get an accurate count. As he passed through them—and they continued running before they could turn—he had slashed at least three of them, removing the arm of one and the head of another. He stood alone in the road, the monsters behind him. All of them turned at the same time, understanding finally dawning on those black faces and muzzles.
Fahtin and Raki had reacted quickly enough to jump out of the way of the charging animaru, but they might as well not have existed. The enemies had eyes only for Aeden. As Dannel had said, they could sense him somehow, or how he looked had been described to them. In any case, they came at him, some growling like beasts.
Aeden laughed as they surrounded him. He spun and slashed with his swords, striking out with feet or knees when he had the opportunity. He felt most alive when he was in combat and he enjoyed it. Despite the danger of being killed, he thrived in situations like this. His swords flashed, and sickly brown blood splashed to the ground.
“The magic,” Fahtin yelled, throwing one of her knives as a creature came up behind Aeden. “Stop playing with them and use the magic. You can’t kill them with steel.”
She was right, of course. Even the one whose head he had taken had gotten back up and was slashing at the air with its claws. The only way to defeat the creatures permanently was to destroy them with the magic.
He smoothly worked into his motions the gestures needed to call the magic. He pronounced the words and power flared at his fingertips.
But there was something wrong. The energies came, but they flickered weakly at his command. He threw it at a nearby animaru and though the monster screamed in pain, it didn’t destroy him outright. And that was just one creature.
Aeden wasn’t sure what was happening. He continued his physical combat, but it seemed pointless, compared to just a moment before when he had rejoiced in it.
What had he done earlier to make the magic so powerful? Was it simply need? There were many more of the creatures then, enough to endanger the entire family. Was that it?
Ah, it came to him. The Song. He had sung the Song. He did so now, starting at the beginning and singing loud, as if the words themselves were talismans that he could utilize.
Repeating his motions from before, he was glad to see the power more potent, but still not nearly as much as the last time he had used it. He cast it about him, searing the dark creatures, filling the air with their cries and moans.
He had to attack each one individually, the power still a shadow of what it had been that night, but soon the numbers of the foes dwindled. The last two realized they could not defeat him and took off running, fleeing for their lives.
Aeden checked on his friends when the battle was over. The animaru had basically paid no attention to them at all, even as they threw sharpened projectiles at the creatures. Why was he so important that these creatures would turn their backs on foes to attack him? Maybe he was this Chosen One the Song talked about.
Two of the nine monsters defeated had disappeared without a trace, like those others he ha
d seen before he used his magic during their night battle. He wished he had asked Dannel about that, though he had a feeling the scholar wouldn’t have known anything. There did not seem to be a lot of information on the animaru. Maybe the Master of Prophecy at the Academy could tell him more.
Fahtin kicked one of the corpses, turning it over so she could retrieve her knife from its eye. Raki was pulling his throwing weapons from the bodies as well, wiping them on the grass at the side of the road and replacing them in their sheaths.
Aeden stood there, looking at the bodies of their enemies, trying to figure out why his magic was not as powerful as it had been before. The other two came up to him.
“Are you injured?” Fahtin asked him.
“No. Are either of you hurt?”
“They didn’t even come near us,” Fahtin said. “Their attention was fully on you. It was as if we didn’t exist, even though we were striking them with weapons. It’s eerie.”
“Aye,” he said. “It’s not too comfortable for me either. But no, they didn’t hurt me. There weren’t enough of them for that.”
“How come you didn’t do that magic burst thing you did the other night when you were in the camp?” Raki asked. “This time you just attacked them one at a time.”
“You saw that, eh?” Aeden said. “For some reason, the magic was not as powerful as it was the last time. I’ll have to think about it. I didn’t do anything different. Same words of power, same motions. I don’t know why it was weaker.”
“So,” Fahtin said, “does this change our plans?”
Aeden sighed. “Yes, we’ll do as you two wanted and leave the roads, Codaghan save us.” He tried to ignore their triumphant looks as they glanced at each other. “You’ll see why I don’t think it’s a good idea. Even without mythical dangers, it’s a miserable way to travel, and slow. We’ll go, though. It’s clear that Dannel was right. They’re looking for us in front and from behind.”
They left the road immediately, hoping that their tracks would be lost in all the marks from the battle. Aeden wasn’t sure if any of the creatures followed tracks or not, but he intended to be as careful as possible.
“Cachten siolach peitseag,” Aeden mumbled to himself as they headed into the dark, twisted trees off the road.
From the start, it was a chore to get through the thick underbrush. He tried to choose a path that would not show their passing as easily, but he didn’t fool himself. Anything they did would damage the thick vegetation and leave clues for those following. He hoped his foes were just mindless beasts. If they could think, he had a feeling they were in a great deal of trouble. They probably were anyway, even if the animaru could not think.
Khrazhti looked out the window of the stone tower in which she had taken residence. It provided her a good view of the surrounding countryside. It was becoming evening, the light finally dimming to an acceptable level, and in that wan light she could see the rugged terrain below.
It was fascinating to her how this world became bright for half the day. Not just bright, but so lighted that it hurt to be outside. Even the light coming in the windows of the fortress tower was blinding. There was no such thing in her world. The light dimmed at night, but it was never brighter than dusk in this world. What a strange place this was.
The fortress sat on a hill, commanding a clear view for miles on all sides. It was a rock-strewn area, some few plants clinging tenaciously to the thin soil between the huge piles of stone. Hills smaller than the one on which the fortress sat, thrust out of the ground at irregular intervals, looking to have jutted up so suddenly that they broke in the process. In places, they looked like rows of rotted teeth.
Thinking of rotted teeth, she almost laughed when a messenger came through the door behind her. It was one of the forgren, filthy as they typically were, face pock-marked and teeth cracked and broken. They were not pleasant to look at, but they made fine messengers. They were tireless and single-minded. They could memorize their missives and repeat them exactly when they arrived at their destinations.
Unfortunately, those attributes came at a cost. They could not think their way out of a simple problem. If one encountered an obstruction in its way, it could starve while trying to figure out how to pass.
“My Lady High Priestess,” the forgren said, this one a male. “We have word from two of your hunters. The one you seek has left the group he was traveling with. He is going west from where the warriors in the hills made their homes.”
“West?” Khrazhti asked. “They are coming toward us, then?”
“Farther north, my Lady. A patrol ran into them near the large forest. All were lost but the two who made it back to the fortress.” The forgren stumbled over the unfamiliar word, as many of the animaru did. There were none of these forests in Aruzhelim.
“I see,” she said. “Have the two attend me. I would ask them questions.”
“As you command.” The messenger saluted and left the room. Within minutes, two of her hunters came through the door. They stopped ten feet away from her and saluted.
“Report to me what happened to your patrol,” she said.
The soldiers looked at each other and then at her. One nodded to the other and then stepped forward. They were of the same rank, so either could provide the report.
“We chanced upon the one you seek near the great forest north of here. We were surprised. The Gneisprumay reacted more quickly than we, and by the time we organized, he had destroyed all but the two of us.”
Khrazhti raised an eyebrow. “Destroyed? Surely you are using the wrong word. Animaru cannot be destroyed.”
“The word is correct, my Lady. Two had the twinkling, so they disappeared to be respawned in Aruzhelim. The others, though, they were destroyed. This one, he has some power. Even being near its use, I could feel the life, the light, in it. It burns to be within the area when it is used. He attacked the others with the power and they ceased to be, their essence burned away. It is as the others, his family, did to a lesser extent. They have been destroyed.”
“Then it is truly as the prophecy foretold.” She tapped a long-nailed finger against her lips. “We must take the life from this one. He cannot be allowed to prevent our god from coming to this world. Is there anything further you need to report about this one or his powers?”
“No, my Lady.”
“Very well, then report to general Treclus for reassignment. You are dismissed.”
They saluted again and left the room.
“General Daosa.”
“Yes, High Priestess,” her general said, stepping toward the center of the room from where he had been standing near the wall.
“You will organize your troops. I would think two hundred would be enough. I want them to hunt down the Gneisprumay and put an end to him. The sooner we eliminate him, the sooner S’ru will come and take the accursed light from this world.”
“It will be done.”
“Daosa,” Khrazhti said. “Tell your troops to take care. The Gneisprumay has come into his power. He has the ability to destroy animaru.”
The general’s mottled gray face—the only part of him without hair—turned upward, confusion filling his eyes. “Is it truly possible?”
“It is. He has already extinguished the essence of some of our troops, as you yourself heard. He is to be killed on sight, as quickly as possible. Do not take chances with this one.”
“I will see it done.” He left the room quickly, calling to his under-officers to rally the troops he would need. Khrazhti wondered if it would be enough.
Chapter 30
“Okay,” Fahtin said halfway through the first morning of travel through the Grundenwald. “You were right. This is miserable and slow.” She swatted another of the bugs that landed on her neck. Where had they come from? She’d never seen the type before, even traveling the roads around and through the large forest.
“My Nani told me one time that there are ancient magics on the roads in some places,” Raki said. “Things tha
t keep smaller creatures and—” he smacked another bug that had landed on his arm, “—insects from passing from the forest. I always thought she was just teasing me. I think maybe she wasn’t.”
Fahtin thought about that. How could someone lay magic on hundreds of miles of roads? And how could that magic last for hundreds or thousands of years? It boggled the mind.
She looked over at Aeden, just in front of them, picking a trail for them to pass. A trail. She harrumphed. There were no trails here, only endless dark trees and thick underbrush. With how the boughs interlocked overhead, making it seem almost like night even during noontime, she wouldn’t have thought the bushes and shrubs could grow. But they did. They seemed to do very well.
Another sharp prickle-bush snagged at her clothing. Loose, flowing Gypta garb was a definite disadvantage when trying to get in between branches, especially ones with sharp thorns that reached out to grab you.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the bugs were driving her to distraction. They swarmed around her face, taking turns landing on her and biting her. She already had red bumps in several locations where they had done their dirty work. She wished she could kill them all. Maybe Aeden’s magic could do something. Maybe he could do one of those explosion things he did that night in the caravan camp.
Looking over at him to ask, she noticed something. Though she and Raki had insects buzzing around them in a cloud, he did not. In fact, as she looked more closely, she saw that the bugs were avoiding him completely. How did he do that?
“Aeden?” she said sweetly.
“Yes?”
“Why is it that we are being eaten alive by these flying monsters but none are bothering even to look at you?”
His eyebrows shot up, but then drew down as his brow furrowed. He looked at each of them and then shrugged. “I don’t know. They just don’t seem to like me. Maybe that’s what you get for being so beautiful.” He showed her all his teeth, though it was in no way a real smile.
Magic After Dark: A Collection of Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 126