by Nichelle Rae
I thought about Reese lying next to me and oddly found myself wanting to get to know him better. After all, why not? He was my protector, and we’d be spending a good amount of time together before we got to Triple Peaks.
“Reese,” I asked, “do you know where I’m going or why?”
“No,” he replied after a moment. “I was only told that I was to go with you.”
I rolled over on my opposite side so I could face him. He was lying on his back, staring up at the sky, his fingers interlaced with each other as they rested on his stomach.
“I’m on my way to Triple Peaks to find out where I’ll be taking a magic necklace.”
“A necklace?” he asked, turning his head to look at me.
I smiled in spite of myself and looked down. “Sounds foolish, doesn’t it?”
He remained quiet until I finally looked back up at him. “You’re serious?” he asked.
I nodded. “I’m told it’s a very important necklace, though.”
“What does it look like?”
“I’d show it to you, but while I was having my mental breakdown I gave it to my friend Ortheldo.” Reese laughed and looked up at the sky. “I’m not joking,” I said insistently, grinning at the sound of his laughter.
He looked back at me and we shared a warm smile for a moment before he looked up at the sky again.
My smile faded as I thought back to when we were in the library. I remembered that suicidal look that had come into his eyes when I had my Salynn blade to his neck. “Reese?” He gave a questioning hum as he turned to look at me again. “Why were you so sad when we were in the library?” His soft smile faded. “I have a talent for reading eyes and the sadness I saw in yours was so deep that it was as if there was no end to it. The only other being I’ve seen with such sadness was”—I twisted my mouth to the side—“well, someone who’s been through more heartache and misery then you could have possible seen in your life.”
He was quiet for a moment and looked up at the sky again. “Why couldn’t I have seen such misery in my life?”
“Believe me, no one could even touch the misery this creature had to live through.”
He sighed softly. “There are many depths to sadness, and all can be triggered by different things.”
I studied him for a moment. “What triggered yours?”
He looked at me, then cast his eyes down. “I too have a talent for reading eyes, though in a much different way than you do.” His eyes came up to meet mine. “If I get the chance to look deeply into a person’s eyes, I immediately live their entire past in seconds.”
My heart stopped. He’d seen my life, my past? He saw what I’d been through? He saw what I’d done? I suddenly felt very cold. He’d seen everything of my life? No, he couldn’t be serious.
“I saw yours,” he said softly. “I saw and felt everything that was done to you in The Pitt.” I held my breath as he went on. “I did see the good times with your mother and Rabryn, and the times when you were growing up with your father and Ortheldo.” He shook his head slowly. “But your pain, your humiliation, and your misery overwhelmed all of that.”
My throat burned with sobs that I refused to let out. It took everything I had to hold in the cry that wanted to burst forth. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Could I have an ally, a partner in my pain? If he’d truly felt what I felt, I just might.
His forehead creased with sympathy. “My heart exploded for you,” he whispered. “I wanted to die or have you kill me, or something, anything to allow you to release the pain you’ve had to endure.” A tear rolled from the corner of his eye and dripped into his dark brown hair. “I never knew humans were so brutally heartless and cruel.” He swallowed hard. “I had to use my magic to seal off the tears and screams that wanted to burst forth for you and all those times you courageously stayed silent.”
He paused, seeming suddenly in thought. “Now that I think back to your memories, I realize that above all, your bravery stood out more than all else that I’d seen.” He turned to look at me again. “No one deserves to carry that sword more than you do.”
As we stared at each other, I felt the need to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. I wondered if he was thinking about my memories, thinking about what my life was like right now.
“I’m so sorry you had to live through that,” he whispered. He shook his head gently. “It took all the strength I had to be as crude to you as I had been after seeing that.” He turned his face to the sky again. “But I had to do my job and get you out of there as soon as possible, before Fali’s plan was carried out.” He tightened his jaw. “After seeing that, I wanted to protect you more than anything, keep you safe and away from harm. I had to get you away and I knew that in order to do that, I had to make you feel as unwanted as possible, as alone as possible. It broke my heart to do it, especially after seeing your life through your eyes.”
I bit my lip to hold back the cries of sadness and joy that wanted to escape. Someone understood me! Someone had felt the pain, had felt the loneliness, someone empathized with me! Though it was through a secondhand source, it was closer to understanding my pain than anyone else had gotten. Even Rabryn didn’t fully understand because he was accepted in The Pitt. He wasn’t hated or tortured. He just watched it happen to me and pitied me because he saw my pain. Reese, though, had felt it.
I reached over for his hand. I held it tightly, not daring to speak. I don’t think I could have even if I tried. He turned to me and looked so deeply into my eyes I felt myself start to tremble. There was something familiar about the way he was looking at me. It wasn’t a bad familiar, but an odd familiar. I studied him for a long moment and realized that he had the same look in his eyes that Addredoc had every time he looked at me, a sort of intense longing. I wondered why they looked at me so. It must have something to do with being a protector.
I held his hand for a long time and although we didn’t speak, he knew it was a gesture of thanks. I let him go and rolled over on my opposite side, putting my back to him. “Get some sleep. We’re going to have to wake soon and get a move on if we’re ever going to catch up to them. Ortheldo has the necklace, and I’m worried for his safety.”
“Is the necklace dangerous then?”
I finally felt myself getting tired and ready to fall asleep. “I’ll explain tomorrow. Get some sleep.”
“As you wish, White Warrior.”
I smiled to myself. “Call me Azrel. All my friends do.”
I felt the air warm with his smile. A ten-foot block of ice wouldn’t stand a chance against it. “As you wish, Azrel.”
The next day was fine and we made good progress, but it worried me that we hadn’t caught up to Ortheldo yet. The only explanation was that he was riding longer and harder than we were. I decided I might have to ride the night through with no sleep tonight.
That night was the darkest I’d ever seen. It was like being trapped in a black void of nothing! I couldn’t make out any shapes or outlines anywhere around us. There was no moon and no stars. I wondered if Reese’s Salynn eyes could pierce anything in the distance ahead. I doubted it, as we both were leaning over our horses’ necks to try to see the ground. I didn’t like this at all. Apparently Reese didn’t, either.
“Why is it so bloody dark?” he asked.
“I wish I knew.”
We gazed around a little. Something didn’t feel quite right to me. Panic came into my heart as that dark foreboding shadow grew in my mind! Something was going to go wrong. I hadn’t felt that shadow in a while, and now it weighed me down with dread.
“Reese,” I said trying to keep my voice from shaking, “be on your guard. Something isn’t right.”
Before I could form another thought, Forfirith faltered and fell hard with a loud cry. My shrill scream rang loud through the darkness before being silenced with the thud of my horse and I hitting the ground. The wind was completely knocked out of me.
Reese reared Teglia up on her back legs and s
topped fast. He dismounted and ran to my side as I gathered my senses. “Azrel, are you all right?”
I barely heard him as I scrambled on my hands and knees to my horse's face, stroking his head and praising Goodness that he was still alive. My beloved horse, my trustworthy best friend. “Forfirith, what…” I didn't even finish my words as I saw the tail of a thick, black-feathered arrow sticking out of his chest. My eyes bulged and burned with tears. My throat closed up on me. Not my horse! Please Gods, not my horse! He couldn’t die! He couldn’t.
A roar of raspy cheers rose up over the plain. I jumped to my feet and spun around to try to discern what it was in the darkness, but all I saw was black!
“Gibirs!” Reese whispered in a breath.
“How do you know?” I whispered back.
“I can hear them speaking.”
Suddenly the pounding sounds of a full charge from a large host of beings to the west came to my ears. I waited a moment to be sure and soon I felt the ground tremble under my feet. Before I could think of what to do, I heard the twang of bow strings and the whistling of air as arrows flew.
“Get down!” Reese cried and tackled me to the ground, completely covering my body with his. I heard the thud of arrows impacting the ground around us as they rained down. Reese screamed, and one of his legs jerked with all I could guess was the impact of an arrow. Instead of recoiling like I expected, he curled his body tighter around me.
“Are you alright?” I breathed, trying to get out from under him to look at his wound, but he held onto me with strength I didn’t expect him to have.
“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth as he endured the pain.
When the arrow storm silenced, I pushed him off of me and looked down at him. The tail of an arrow stuck out the back of his right thigh. I surveyed the ground, which now looked like a giant pin cushion. I couldn’t believe it. When he’d said he was ready to die for me, he been actually serious. “Reese—” I tried to manage, but couldn’t produce any further words.
“It’s my job,” he said between breaths. “I’m fine, just help me up.”
I pulled him to his feet—well, to one foot—and he quickly prepared to fire back. I watched for a moment, amazed at his determination and bravery, before I switched into battle mode and grabbed hold of my quiver. I brought it to the front of my shoulder and counted my arrows. I only had two dozen. I glanced at Reese’s arrows. He had fewer than I did. I looked west and was finally able to make out a moving shadow that drew nearer every moment. I couldn’t make out one Gibir, just a moving mass that was even darker then the unnatural night.
I clenched my teeth and went to Forfirith. I removed my cloak and covered him with it, then bent down to kiss his forehead. “Hold on my friend,” I whispered. I secured my quiver properly, tightening the belt across my chest, and took my bow in hand as I turned to face the nearing mass.
Reese was right next to me, already taking aim. “Can you see anything?” I asked.
“No. My senses are almost useless against this deep black.” He shook his head, “This isn’t normal, Azrel. Some sort of powerful magic is making the night like this.”
I gazed out to see if I had a decent target. I couldn’t afford to waste a single shot, but I saw nothing but the black mass. I loaded my bow regardless.
As I stared ahead, the veil of darkness seemed to lift suddenly from my eyes. I could see the large, hideous party coming at us as if I were looking at it through glowing white mesh. Too overjoyed to question it, I launched my first arrow and smiled as the Gibir cried out and fell dead.
Reese looked over at me with wide eyes. “You can see?” The instant he asked, he suddenly smiled. “Of course you can,” he replied, answering his own question.
What did he mean by that?
I shot arrow after arrow, my bow singing beautifully before each cry of death. Not a single shot was missed. My quiver was empty all too soon though, so I snatched Reese’s arrows and shot them as well. Those arrows were soon gone too.
I dropped my quiver and bow from my back and drew out my blades, preparing to take on the remaining mass as best I could. “Arm yourself.”
Reese dropped his bow and quiver then reached down behind him. He gripped the arrow shaft sticking out of his thigh and, with a scream of pain, broke it off, leaving the arrow head in his skin then he drew out his sword.
“Do you know how to use that thing?”
He gave me a sidelong glance and a half smile. “Of course I do. I’d be a pretty lousy protector if I didn’t.”
We both grinned despite the fact we were staring death in the face. “Excellent.”
As we watched the Gibirs approach, I sudden noticed a light out of the corner of my eye. I snapped my head to the side and realized it was a white light from my sword. No, wait, the blade wasn’t on fire like when I used my magic. It was reflecting light from elsewhere. On a hunch, I brought my sword closer to my face and looked at my reflection in it. Sure enough, my eyes were glowing white even though I hadn’t summoned my magic.
I glared at my reflection. “You promised,” I growled softly, knowing she would hear me.
I continued to stare as the white light in my eyes faded and turned back to the normal blue and everything went dark again. I hadn’t called on my magic to use for sight, and she promised she would consult with me before using it! I’d known she wouldn’t keep her end of the bargain. I’d been right!
I looked out to the west again, where I could now make out some shapes of the mass. I raised my blade as it plowed into me and Reese. I sliced the closest one's belly. Avoiding a stab, I spun around, bringing my blade up, and sliced a second one’s throat. Thrusting forward, I stabbed a third in the chest while at the same time my Salynn blade whipped out behind me and sliced another Gibir across the throat. After bringing up my foot to ward off a blow from another, I spun around and sliced it across the eyes with my Salynn blade.
Finally, we were overpowered, as I knew we would be. One Gibir grabbed my wrist and twisted my arm back, making me cry out and drop my sword, which vanished in white flames before even hitting the ground. I really didn’t even have time to be amazed because another Gibir with small horns growing from its knuckles slammed its fist into my mouth. An explosion of pain filled my face as I went flying backwards and landed on my back on the ground. Their hideous cheers of joy filled my ears, intensifying the pain. I rolled to my knees and spit out the blood that had filled my mouth from the punch. I looked up at them with a hateful glare as blood continued dripping down my chin from the deep rip in my lip. They all started laughing, their circle tightening around me.
I hated being laughed at.
Two Gibirs went at me. One reached for my throat and the other kicked me hard in the ribs, knocking my breath out of me. Another kick came in the same spot, but harder! Before I could recover, I felt a hard, cruel claw take a tight hold of the back of my neck and mercilessly force me to my feet. Another hit me in stomach as I was being pulled up, which made me to lose what little breath I had left.
The lack of air and the pain made me feel I was going to vomit. The serious inability to breathe threw me into a panic! I struggled frantically to free myself from the hard grasp of the horrible claw, but it was useless. The more I struggled, the harder it held me. I could feel its claws ripping into my flesh behind my neck, and droplets of blood ran down my back. I reached back to take hold of the Gibir and hopefully loosen its hateful grip. I knew that I could get out of this—but how? My mind was racing with the thought of survival.
Though I knew I was in a panic, a small part of my brain that somehow had remained rational was nagging at me. I tried to force my mind to calm down so I could listen, as I was again punched in the stomach. I pushed away my pain and panic as much as far as they would go, so I could clear my mind and hear. I focused on the voice. It sounded like a voice from another world trying to talk to me.
I soon recognized it as it cried out, Use them! Use them now! You’ll die if you don’t!
Use me! Use me!
I remembered suddenly that it was the White Warrior. She had found a way to talk to me. I was so tempted to scream and fall to my knees, giving control up to her, but suddenly Beldorn’s words of secrecy pummeled her pleas into oblivion. I gritted my teeth and pushed her voice away from my mind. I couldn’t use my magic or allow her to use it. I had to stay hidden. At least she didn’t force me to it, like she usually did.
Before I could think a moment longer, the Gibir holding my neck thrust my head downward, managing a direct hit with a rock. Blackness dripped into my vision as if the colors of the already dark night were smeared with water. My arms fell limp at my sides and my knees buckled. Unbelievable, unbearable pain shot through my skull and beyond. The heat and shocking pain from the impact shook my bones down to my toes and I felt warm, sticky blood gush from the wound. It dripped down my face into my eyes, which started to roll in the back of my head.
The Gibir that still held the back of my neck prepared to slam my head into the rock again. I was dead. I was already fighting off darkness. My only thought was Thank Goodness I gave the necklace to Ortheldo when I did. Everything happens for a reason. I let my eyes drop closed and waited for the final blow. Hideous shrieks and cries of victory rose up through the group.
Suddenly the victory cries turned into terrified cries. I heard the sound of galloping horses and then, Thwip! Thwip, Thwip! Thwip!—the sounds of hundreds of arrows being launched all around me.
I opened my eyes to try to see what was happening. Though it was still black out, and my vision was blurry from the hit on the head, I saw the shadows of Gibirs scattering every which way. Racing after them were the shadows of men on horseback. The skilled archers were shooting arrows, killing Gibirs in large numbers.
Unable to hold myself up, I fell to the ground when the Gibir behind me was shot dead. As I laid face down on the ground, Reese came to my mind. He was probably dead. Then I thought of Forfirith. He wasn’t dead!
Worried for him, I forced myself to my elbows and knees and made my way towards my horse. The whole way I had to fight off the darkness that threatened to claim me. My head felt like it weighed ten times more than it should, and it was throbbing with burning pain, but I went on. I wouldn’t allow myself to collapse, no matter how badly I wanted to. I had to help my dear friend.