Wielder's Rising

by T. B. Christensen

  “I’m not sure,” Traven replied as he tried to gauge the distance. “It’s about eight trees away now, and it’s still coming closer.”

  Suddenly he felt a disturbance to his right. He whipped around, and time froze. An arrow, pointing directly at his face lay frozen in mid air a foot away. He created a wedge of ice with a razor thin edge directly in front of the dark pointed tip of the long wooden arrow and pulled it into reality. Time returned as the arrow split in two. Each half flew by on either side of his head, ruffling his hair. All three guardians stared in shock as the two pieces whistled by and harmlessly disappeared into the dark.

  The slight distraction was all that the beast needed to clear the distance between itself and the camp in three fluid bounds. It flew into the light of the fire with sharp teeth bared and razor claws extended. Darian and Ethan dove out of the way, but Jorb was too slow. Traven watched with horror as the giant, catlike beast slammed into the guardian and knocked him backwards into the woods with incredible force. The two other guardians were instantly back on their feet with swords ready.

  Traven was about to join them when he felt a disturbance to his right once again. He dove to the ground as another arrow pierced the air where his head had been. He popped back up and ducked into the shadows of the forest. He would have to leave the beast to the guardians. Whoever was shooting the arrows had to be stopped. Two more arrows whizzed towards him in quick succession. He jumped behind a tree and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He could hear the growling and hissing of the beast as the guardians fought to bring it down. He turned his attention from the beast and let his senses range eastward, searching for the hidden threat.

  He located the assailant almost instantly. He wasn’t standing still but quickly making his way to the south. Traven left the protection of the tree trunk and took off after the man. It was hard for him to see in the dark shadows of the forest, but there was just enough light for his enhanced vision to pick out a clear path. He weaved in and out amongst the thick tree trunks, quickly gaining on his attacker.

  Out of instinct, he dropped to the ground just as another arrow whizzed by overhead. He lay completely still on the ground and listened. In the distance he could hear the struggle still continuing back at the camp. In front of him all was silent. The assailant had stopped and was probably ready to send another arrow his way.

  He stared forward, straining his eyes for any sign of movement. The man couldn’t be far away if he had been able to shoot an arrow so close to him in the dark. He realized how close he had come to being killed several times already. Whoever the assailant was, he was good, and he wanted Traven dead.

  He knew he needed to be more careful. He slowly got up and into a crouch. He shut out the sounds of fighting coming from the camp and concentrated on the task at hand. It seemed that if he didn’t kill his attacker first, the unknown man would kill him. He wished that he had a bow with him. It would be hard to get close enough to the man to do anything if the attacker continued shooting arrows his way. It would be much easier if he could attack the assailant from a distance.

  He reached out with his senses and located the man. He was about five trees in front of him. Traven slowly crept behind a trunk and stood up silently. He carefully looked around the edge of the trunk and stared at the tree where he knew the man was hiding. He patiently waited and watched. After a few moments the assailant quickly and silently moved from the shelter of one trunk to another.

  He wished for a bow once again. He could tell from the quick and silent movements of his attacker that the man was skilled and deadly. He wasn’t sure how close he wanted to get to the man. It finally donned on him that he didn’t need to get close, and he didn’t need a bow. He was a wielder. He had innumerable weapons at his disposal in the air all around him.

  Changing his frame of thinking, he instantly recognized the particles in the air around him and what would be easiest to create. Earlier he had created a wedge of ice to split the arrow because he had recognized instinctively that the cold, damp air of the forest was full of the particles he needed to quickly form ice. He supposed ice would work best.

  He was afraid if he used lightning or a fireball he would give away his position and accidentally set the forest on fire. However, if he created a spear of ice, he could send it silently through the dark forest and surprise his attacker.

  All went silent and still as he envisioned the thin spear of ice in the air at his side. He made sure it was perfectly straight with a sharp, deadly tip. He then pulled it to the border of reality and patiently waited for his assailant to move once again. He didn’t have to wait very long.

  As the man quickly moved towards another trunk, Traven yanked the ice spear into existence and sent it flying towards the unidentified attacker with incredible speed. It slammed into the man, knocking him off of his feet and throwing him to the ground. The man lay silently and completely still on the bare forest floor.

  Traven carefully made his way towards the man. He wasn’t sure where the ice spear had hit him and whether or not the blow had truly been fatal. He quickly formed a small particle shield between himself and the still body just in case. His precaution paid off as a blade flashed through the air and bounced off his shield with a dull thud. He quickly leapt onto his attacker, pinning him down and laying the edge of his own blade at the man’s throat. The man glared up at him with a sneer.

  “I should have known better than to take an assignment to kill a wielder,” he wheezed. He then began coughing weakly.

  Traven glanced down and saw that the ice spear had taken the man in his side. His labored breathing and unfocused eyes were clear indicators that the blow would prove fatal. The man let out a few more coughs before his body went rigid and lifeless. He stared down at him wondering who he was, and who had sent him.

  His silent thoughts were interrupted as he heard a scream in the distance. He suddenly remembered the beast back at the camp. He leapt off of the lifeless attacker and ran towards the small clearing, gathering the power of the ambience around him.

  * * * * *

  Darian stared up at the giant beast. He had never seen anything like it in his entire life. While it resembled a mountain cat, it was obviously something much worse. It was easily ten feet tall and instead of fur had dull grey scales covering its entire body. It had huge claws and teeth, and its eyes shone a brilliant red. It looked like something out of a nightmare.

  He studied the beast, looking for an opportunity to strike. Ethan was on the other side, and the beast was trying to keep an eye on both of them at the same time. Ethan suddenly feigned an attack, and the beast turned towards him. Darian saw his chance and took it. He leapt towards the back of the monster with his sword flashing. His sword bit into the creature’s back but left only a small scratch.

  He jumped backwards as the beast swung a clawed hand at him and let out a snarl. The creature’s natural layer of armor would make things difficult. Darian kept his sword firmly between himself and the beast. He decided that he might as well attack it straight on. Hopefully that would give Ethan the opportunity to do some damage from behind.

  Darian made a few swipes with his sword, trying to keep the creature’s attention. The beast took another swipe at him. After dodging the monster’s claws, he sliced the back of its arm. The creature screamed in pain and jumped at him with jagged teeth bared. He dodged the attack and jumped to the side.

  Ethan took the opportunity to attack the beast from behind. He jumped forward, his sword flashing back and forth. He landed several strokes before the creature reached back and took a swipe at him. He wasn’t able to get out of the way fast enough and was caught by the beasts’ claws across his midsection. Darian watched with a grimace as the beast heaved Ethan into the forest with deadly force.

  Now it was just him left to face the beast alone. He gritted his teeth and stared back into the glowing eyes of the monster. It had sustained multiple cuts but didn’t appear to be weakened at all. He wasn’t sure if he
could outrun it or not but decided it wasn’t worth trying. Where would be the honor in fleeing from a difficult opponent? If he was quick enough, he could keep wounding the beast without getting mauled by its claws. Eventually all of the slashes would weaken the beast.

  He carefully danced about the monster, jumping in for a quick strike and then jumping back just as quickly out of the reach of its claws. The beast soon had multiple cuts on its arms and legs, but none of them seemed to bother it much. Darian knew that he needed to find an unprotected spot on its body if he was going to do any real damage. He concluded that the only accessible spots that weren’t covered in the thick scales were the beast’s eyes and mouth. However, he knew it would be extremely difficult to get within range to strike at the beast’s face while avoiding its teeth and claws.

  He lay a few more strikes on the creature’s legs before he lunged forward and slashed across its face. The beast screamed with rage and surged forward. Darian dove to the side but wasn’t fast enough to escape unscathed. A single claw caught his thigh, slashing it open. He propped himself up using his good leg and prepared for the beast’s next attack. He could feel the blood spilling from the deep wound on his thigh and knew he wouldn’t be able to fight much longer.

  The monster hissed at him as it crouched, readying itself to leap towards him once again. Darian had the satisfaction of seeing that one of the beast’s eyes was closed tight with an angry slash across it. He would do his best to slash the beasts other eye when it attacked. If he didn’t survive, at least he could limit the creature’s ability to harm anyone else. He tensed as the beast prepared to leap. He was ready for it.

  He suddenly felt a wave of heat as a huge fireball flew past his right side and slammed directly into the face of the beast. The creature reared up on its hind legs, roaring in agony. Almost instantly a large, gleaming spear flashed through the air past him and embedded itself into the creature’s exposed stomach. The beast fell back onto all four feet, still roaring. Two more fireballs flew past and slammed into the monster in rapid succession.

  The beast screamed as it took several tentative steps forward. A large ball of ice flew through the air and took the monster directly in the face. The dazed beast turned and tried to run off into the forest but collapsed after a single bound. The spear had apparently penetrated deep enough to do much more damage than any of the sword wounds. The monster tried to rise but collapsed back to the ground and went still.

  Darian fell on his side, exhausted from the fight and the loss of so much blood. He glanced down at his mangled leg and cringed. He ripped his eyes away from the deep wound and glanced backwards into the shadows of the trees where the fireballs, spear, and ball of ice had come from. He could see Traven hurrying towards him. His master had saved his life. He had chosen well. His last thought as he began to lose consciousness was that he hoped he could still be of service to his master with only one good leg.

  26

  Traven knelt down over Darian’s body, breathing heavily. The elf had collapsed just before he had reached him. The only wound he could see was a giant gash across Darian’s left thigh. It looked like the elf had lost a significant amount of blood from the grotesque wound. He cut off a piece of cloth from Darian’s pant leg and wadded it up. He then firmly pushed it against the gash hoping to slow the bleeding. He glanced around the camp but saw no sign of Jorb or Ethan.

  He looked back down at Darian’s wound and decided that he would try to use the healing stone on it. Hopefully he would be able to do enough to stop the bleeding and help the elf’s leg to begin to heal. He pulled the deep orange stone out of his pocket and held it directly over the deep gash. He then did as Eldridge had instructed him.

  He first concentrated on the types of particles that swirled around the might stone. He pulled the same combination of particles from the forest air all around him and directed them into the stone, feeding it with energy. The stone instantly began to glow a brilliant white. He continued to pull the correct combination of particles into the stone, keeping it glowing.

  As the stone continued filling with energy, Traven felt his own being drained. However, the drain of his strength was secondary to the amazement he felt as he watched the gash begin to get smaller. He stared in awe as the giant gash continued to shrink. He felt a headache beginning and knew he should stop feeding the stone with energy but continued on regardless. He wanted to know if it was possible to completely heal the wound. He fought through the pain in his head and continued to feed the stone as the wound grew to a thin line and then disappeared altogether.

  He immediately let go of the ambience and dropped his hand to the ground to keep himself from falling over. He watched as the stone faded back to its normal color and then closed his eyes with a grimace. His head was pounding, and he had almost blacked out. He probably should have stopped earlier, but he felt that it was more important to heal Darian as much as he possibly could than to prevent himself from getting a severe headache.

  He rested for a few moments and then unsteadily got to his feet. He draped a blanket over Darian and looked around. He needed to see if he could find Jorb and Ethan. The last he had seen of them was when the beast had knocked Jorb into the woods. He wondered if the guardian was still where the beast had knocked him. He left the light of the fire and searched the woods in the general vicinity where he believed the guardian would have landed.

  It didn’t take him long to find Jorb’s body. He was laying face down at the base of a large tree. At first it looked as though he was perfectly fine. There didn’t appear to be any injuries, but when Traven touched him to roll him over he felt no warmth. Upon closer inspection he found that he wasn’t breathing, and there was no sign of life. He wondered if he should try and use the healing stone but knew that Jorb was past healing. He also knew he didn’t have the strength left to use the stone effectively.

  He stood up numbly and searched the surrounding area for Ethan. He soon located the other guardian’s body. He was only several trees over. Traven began walking towards him but stopped before he reached him. It was painfully obvious that Ethan hadn’t survived the fight with the beast. A wave of nausea passed over him, and he had to brace himself against the trunk of a tree to stop from falling over.

  He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hold back the tears. Both had died trying to protect him. They would have been safe, happy, and alive at Faldor’s Keep if he hadn’t brought them with him. Now the guilt of both of their deaths lay at his feet. He didn’t have the strength left to bury them now and would have to wait until the morning. He flinched as a howl split the night air in the distance. Luckily, it was only the sound of a normal wolf.

  He realized that if he left the bodies in the woods, they would most likely be gone by morning. He gathered what little strength he had left and slowly dragged each of the guardians’ bodies back into the camp near the fire. He then piled most of the remaining wood onto the fire and collapsed. He hoped that the wolves would stay away during the night, because he didn’t know if he would have the strength to put up much of a fight if they didn’t.

  * * * * *

  Darian slowly opened his eyes and yawned. The first light of dawn was just beginning to chase away the shadows in the forest. He sat up carefully, blinking his eyes. The fire was low but still burning. To the left of the fire he could see Traven soundly asleep. Across the fire he could make out the bodies of his two fellow guardians. Both were completely still and neither one appeared to have any life in him. He bowed his head in respect. He hadn’t really expected that either would have survived the vicious blows that were inflicted by the beast. At least both had died with honor, facing the monstrous creature that had attacked them.

  He was grateful to still be alive after the ordeal. However, with only one good leg, he wondered if it really was better to be alive. He was afraid that the damage that had been done would leave him lame in his left leg. Perhaps in time it would heal to the point where he would only have a slight limp, but he knew hi
s skills as a warrior would never be the same.

  There was a definite chill in the air, and he decided that he should put an extra branch or two on the fire. He carefully shifted his weight to crawl over and add some more wood to the fire. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel any pain or soreness in his left thigh. He wondered if the damage was even more extensive than he had at first thought. He should be feeling at least some type of ache. He flexed his left leg and paused in surprise. He could feel his leg just fine, yet there was no pain.

  He glanced down at the blanket that still covered him from the waist down. He wondered if Traven had given him some type of drug to numb the pain. He took a deep breath and worked up the courage to take a look at the damage in the faint morning light. He would have to face it sooner or later, so why not face it now?

  He pulled off the blanket and stared at his thigh in complete amazement. It took him a moment to shake off the shock and fully process what he was seeing. He pulled up his torn pant leg and probed his thigh. While there was a huge tear in his pant leg and plenty of dried blood, there was absolutely no other sign of the wound. There wasn’t even the slightest mark on his skin where the massive slash had been.

  He shook his head, trying to clear it. Had he somehow imagined the injury? He knew he hadn’t. The tear and dried blood was proof of that. He turned and stared at the sleeping form of his master with an ever growing sense of awe and devotion. He had saved his life the night before but had then done even more. He had healed him and made him whole!

  * * * * *

  Traven awoke with a start. His dreams had been full of death. Instead of only seeing the lifeless body of the princess, as had been the case recently, he had seen the lifeless bodies of many others. Among them were the two guardians who had already died.

  He glanced around the camp and found it completely empty. He jumped up with a start, worried that the wolves had taken the bodies. He calmed down as he noticed that the fire had been added to and the blanket he had put on Darian was folded. He assumed the elf must have taken the bodies of the guardians out of the camp. He could hear what sounded like someone digging in the distance. He followed the sound and soon found Darian at the base of an enormous tree. The elf was finishing scooping dirt back into a large hole.