by Jon Bender
“I think that is the best option we have for the night,” the former merchant said, pointing off in the distance.
Looking in the direction he had indicated, Harlow could see the stand of trees about two miles off that he had been eyeing to make camp. There was a long depression in the land near it indicating the possibility of water. He nodded and turned the cart in that direction, hoping that the hot sun had not turned it into cracked clay as many other water sources had been.
They traveled for another twenty minutes when Hailey’s hood jerked up and she stared to the west. The sudden movement startled him at first, and then he realized she was staring into the lowering sun, something she would not do unless absolutely necessary.
Looking west, he searched for whatever had disturbed her. “What is it he asked?”
His question drew the attention of both Harlow and the man in the back of cart, each looking on edge as they gripped weapons. Hailey did not respond as she continued to stare. He could see her eyes turning wet and the swirling mask creeping higher to shield them. Her brow scrunched up in pain as she continued to watch the horizon.
“There,” she said, pointing into the sky.
Harlow saw several flying shapes silhouetted against the sun. He had never seen them up close, but knew of the giant birds that the priests of Or’Keer turned themselves into to fight from the sky. They might not have seen the caravan yet, but it was only a matter of time.
He turned back to the fighter in the cart who had moved his daughter behind him. “Spread the word. Get those who can’t fight low in the grass as we discussed, and have everyone else move up here.”
The man nodded and jumped down from the cart. Pulling his daughter down behind him, he took off at a jog while calling out to the rest of the caravan. People began running both away from and toward the cart. The fighters came forward to form a rough square formation just ahead as the others disappeared into the tall grass. He looked at Fulvia who had turned her head in their direction, but had otherwise not moved. The dark shapes in the sky, six that he could see now, were coming closer and there was no time to get her away. Instead, he jumped in the back and laid her down amongst the sacks and covered her with them as best he could. Climbing down, he took his place in front of the formation. There were no more than ninety with him. They outnumbered the priests considerably, but he had heard the stories of how deadly their transformed bodies could be. There was a good chance that none of his people would survive what was coming.
“Do you know how to fight them?” he asked, looking at Hailey who had moved up beside him and Marish. Both had their swords bared.
She met his eyes with her own crystal blues above the swirling shadow mask and shook her head. “The best we can do is spread out so they can’t take many of us in one dive.”
Her words caused his heart to drop into his stomach, but he nodded in agreement and began commanding his fighters to move. The men and women began spreading out into groups of ten. Turning back, he watched as the dark shapes veered toward them and did not alter course again.
“Get ready!” he called out over his shoulder and drew his own sword.
With every passing second they grew larger. His muscles tensed and his skin began to tingle in fear and anticipation. When they flew lower to the ground and landed, he was surprised and pleased. Maybe the stories were not true and they could not snatch men from the air. Maybe they would have to fight on the ground giving them a chance. The bird-like creatures landed only fifty yards away and he could finally see them clearly. They were not made in the shape of birds at all, but strange almost bear-like creatures with large feathered wings and six legs. Strangest of all, was that astride their backs sat people. The monsters moved forward at only a walk, and soon he could see the glowing white orbs where the eyes should have been. The people who rode them were odd in appearance as well. Four wore uniforms of leather armor and held bows in hand. They all carried swords sheathed at their hips except for the only woman among them who carried a wicked flanged-mace. The fifth carried no weapon at all, but his arm was covered in a dull white armor with many sharp protrusions. If Harlow had to guess, he would say that the whole piece was constructed from human bones.
It was obvious who their leader was. He rode slightly ahead of the rest and was dressed completely in black. The lines of his face were sharp, and he held himself with authority and self-assuredness. The very presence of the man, made Harlow think he would not want to meet him in single combat. At the man’s hip was a sword unlike the rest. It was longer, and even at that distance he could see the pommel was formed into the shape of a skull. When the strangers finally came to a stop, less than thirty feet away, it was the leader’s eyes that held his attention. They were the purest black Harlow had ever seen, and what he saw in them was death. He knew this man had faced more than Harlow could have imagined and still stood. These were nothing like any of Or’Keer’s servants he had seen before, and that thought alone put fear into Harlow.
The six sat atop their monstrous mounts for what seemed an eternity, all simply looking at the battered group of fighters. “Who are you and where is it that you are going,” the leader said. His voice was not what Harlow had expected. Firm but not brutal, and there was almost a friendly tone beneath the hardness of it.
“Who are you to ask?” Harlow demanded surprised at the strength in his own voice before what were obviously very powerful people. The leader smiled as the others shifted in their saddles, and Harlow thought for sure the bone armor had shifted and moved of its own accord.
“You are speaking to Jaxom Baldrin, lord of Terika, leader of the death mage school, and brother to the king of Ale’adaria. You will show some respect,” the woman said, leaning forward slightly in her saddle and gripping her bow more tightly. Harlow had not really paid her any attention until then, but found her to be quite beautiful with her long black hair tied back in a braid.
Hearing the man’s name and titles stunned Harlow. He couldn’t believe that he was finally standing before the man that had faced the Dark God many times and won. His whole life, in the deepest part of his mind that he would never admit to, Harlow had thought that their cause was hopeless. Fighting on only because there was no other choice. Now, here was proof that it had not been for nothing. That what they’d done mattered.
Something had happened while he had been savoring the feeling. The death mage had drawn his sword while the others had nocked and drawn arrows. His other hand held out to the side as intertwining black and white smoke poured to the ground, its touch turning the grass black with decay. At first Harlow did not know what was happening, then he saw them staring at Hailey who had lifted her face to look upon them. In doing so, she had revealed the shadow-made mask.
“Wait!” Harlow shouted, raising his arms and dropping his sword. Without looking, he knew his fighters had inched forward ready to attack. “She’s with us.”
Jaxom met him with a long stare. Harlow had thought the man’s eyes hard before, and knew that he had been mistaken. What he saw there now was almost inhuman. “I still do not know who you are. Only that you travel with a shade.”
There was no emotion in the death mage’s voice now. It was cold, empty. “I’m Harlow of Karadin. We have just fled the city after attacking those who serve Or’Keer. We have been searching for the alliance to join them in their fight against the Dark God. Hailey was forced to become what she is, but saved us from the shadow mage and helped us get out of the city,” he said in a rush.
Jaxom did not break the stare, and Harlow thought he was being searched for falsehood. Finally, the magic pouring from his hand broke apart and life returned to his eyes. It was as if the last few seconds had never happened. “We have been looking for you. We met a nice woman named Renil a few days ago.”
“She is a trollop,” the woman said under her breath, but loud enough for all to hear. Harlow saw her narrow her eyes in annoyance and flick her braid. He could not help but smile. It was easy to imagine Ren
il flirting with such a man as this death mage. The comment had even brought a chuckle from some of his fighters.
“She told us of you and a man called Whisper,” Jaxom continued unperturbed by the interruption, even smiling a bit himself. “And what you and your people have done. My brother Corin, myself, and all of the other leaders of the alliance, are in your debt.”
The mention of Whisper brought up feelings of sadness and regret. From the way Marish shifted, he knew the man was feeling the same way. “Thank you, my lord. We only did it because it had to be done.”
Jaxom sighed and nodded slowly. “As we all do. So where is this Whisper, I would like to meet him and learn his real name.”
“His name was Prasil, the Lord of Karadin. He died fighting the shadow mage to save us.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Jaxom said softly, and Harlow believed he was earnest in his condolences. “But we are still here as are you. I promise that you will see your city free of Or’Keer. If your people are not too tired, we can reach our advance camp before sunrise. If not, we can rest the night and continue tomorrow.”
Harlow looked to Marish who nodded emphatically. “We will continue, if just to have our journey be done.”
The death mage gave small grin of approval. “Then get your people moving.”
“What of Hailey?” Harlow asked. She had not so much as twitched since the death mage’s violent reaction to her.
Jaxom did not look at him, instead directing his response to Hailey directly. “You may come with us. We will have many questions for you, and if I discover you to be anything else than what he claims, you will not die easy. Do you understand?”
Hailey nodded but did not seem afraid, only resigned. She turned without speaking and moved to the cart. With the matter settled for now, Harlow had his fighters gather the rest of their people, telling them to load as many of the children onto the carts as possible. He saw the death mage speak to his own people, and then the man with the strange arm and two of the soldiers lifted off into the air to fly away. Now that he was no longer in fear for the lives of his people, he could appreciate the power and beauty of the creatures they rode. Climbing into the back of the cart, he uncovered Fulvia to find that she had fallen asleep. Putting her into a more comfortable position, he jumped down letting Hailey take up the reins.
When all was ready, he saw Jaxom and the woman dismount and share a short embrace, the show of affection confirming his suspicion about their relationship. Then he learned something else about the man when he offered his mount to a woman with two young children. At first, she was afraid, but after his reassurance and a worried look to her children, she relented. At first the children were as afraid as their mother, but soon were laughing and giggling while petting the creature from the saddle. Harlow thought it strange to see a man such as him walking. The air about him and the way his people reacted to his presence, made Harlow think that he should just float across the ground.
When everyone was moving, Jaxom came to walk beside him. “So, you faced one of Or’Keer’s shadow mages?”
Harlow nodded. “We got lucky. If not for the fact that he was tired from slaughtering my people all night, I don’t think we would have survived. Still, it took three lives to do it,” he said, thinking back to the conversion room.
“They are powerful,” Jaxom said his brow furrowing. Harlow could tell he spoke from experience. “Tell me what you know about the one you faced.”
Harlow told him everything that had happened when the shadow mage arrived in Karadin, trying to remember every bit so that this man and the alliance he represented would destroy the mage and all like him. They spoke for hours as they walked. All the while, Harlow allowed himself to be filled with hope for a future without the Dark God.