by Ben Wolf
“I’m with Calum,” Lilly said.
“Me too.” Riley stepped forward. “I know it’s not a sure thing that they’ll be here, but I can stick around here and watch them. Then I’ll report back to you guys when I know it’s safe to move forward.”
“That could be days. Weeks, even.” Magnus shook his head. “We do not have enough food to last us that long.” Magnus’s golden eyes widened, and he clacked his talons against his breastplate. “Unless…”
“Oh, great. Where is this going?” Axel raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Unless what?”
Magnus grinned. “Unless we go fishing.”
Chapter Two
Calum blinked. “Huh?”
Magnus stared out over the Valley of the Tri-Lakes. “We can catch our food. The lakes are teeming with fish and other creatures fit for eating.”
“I thought the lakes were off-limits.” Calum’s gaze followed Magnus’s line of sight.
“I’m not sure about the lakes to the south and north of that one—” Magnus pointed to an expansive stretch of blue water set into the gray wasteland around it. “—but there is at least one small port town that borders the Central Lake not far from here.”
“A ‘port town?’ You told us nothing can survive in the valley.” Axel folded his arms.
“And I was not lying. You will find no vegetation or animal life in this wasteland, but the lakes can provide ample sustenance for anyone willing to brave their dangerous waters.”
“It’s true,” Lilly said. “Some Windgales live out here as well, fishing and whatnot. There’s a high demand for fresh fish back in Aeropolis.”
Magnus motioned to the east with his head. “And Kanarah City has a flourishing fish market in the southwest quadrant of the city, near the entrance to Trader’s Pass. They get their goods from fishermen who catch fish and transport it back to the city.”
“So we can just cast a line out from the shore and catch something?” Axel asked.
“No. We will have to charter a vessel already equipped for a fishing excursion and venture into deeper waters if we mean to catch enough to sustain ourselves.”
“Good thing I’m scouting.” Riley glanced between Calum and Magnus. “I don’t do boats.”
“So you wanna go to that port town, get a boat, and spend time fishing to replenish our food reserves?” Calum asked. “Instead of heading back along the pass and taking shelter until the Dactyls pass?”
Magnus nodded. “I think it would be to our benefit. I noticed a well-trodden path a couple miles back that led toward the Central Lake. We can backtrack a little and camp there for the night.”
“I saw that path, too. That should put you out of range for the Dactyls. They avoid cities, so I don’t think they’d travel that far east without a good reason. And when they run across these dead bandits, they’ll be occupied for awhile, anyway.” Riley eyed Calum. “I say you do it. I’ll meet you later on, once the Dactyls have gone away.”
Calum glanced between Lilly and Axel. “You two alright with this?”
“I still think we can take ’em,” Axel placed his hand on his stomach, “but I’ve never been fishing before, and I’m sick of not eating my fill at dinner time. I say we do it.”
Lilly shrugged. “I just need to get home to my parents. If this is the way we do it safely, then I’ll go along with it.”
Calum grinned. If nothing else, it was a new sort of adventure, and they had to find more food if they were going to make it across the pass to free Lumen, anyway.
“Riley?” he said.
“Yeah?”
“Stay safe. Don’t take any unnecessary risks. If anything happens, we’ll meet up with you at the western end of Trader’s Pass. Crystal?”
Riley nodded. “Clear.”
“A large dead tree stands about fifty paces south from the western end of Trader’s Pass,” Magnus said. “You cannot miss it. If you fail to find us on the pass, meet us there.”
“Yeah, I know it.” Riley nodded again. “I’ll be there, if I have to be.”
Calum unslung a sack of food from his shoulder, only about a third full, and set it in front of Riley. “This should last you awhile if you’re careful. We’ll see you later.”
Riley maneuvered his head through the strap and shifted it over his back. “Thanks. You be careful, too.”
Magnus grinned again, the same as when he’d first proposed the idea of going fishing. “Let us go.”
In Calum’s dream that night, Lumen’s form materialized with so much brightness that Calum had to squint and shield his eyes with his hands. As before, Lumen traced a large circle with the tip of his sword, and an image focused within.
Tall red mountains, some with snowy caps, sharpened under Kanarah’s golden sun. The image panned down to the base of the mountains, swooped over several red snowcapped peaks, and lowered down into a valley set between two ridges. The picture ended at a wall of red rock. A concealed door set into the wall opened like the giant mouth of a crimson beast.
“Find the Arcanum.” Lumen’s golden eyes glistened with fresh fire from behind his emotionless white mask. “Discover the way to set me free.”
Before Calum could respond, the vision disappeared in a quick spiral.
When Calum’s eyes opened, Lilly was standing over him with her hands on his shoulders.
She tilted her head. “Are you alright?”
Even in the dim light of the campfire, she looked incredible—like an angelic being staring down at him, her hair aglow with golden light.
He nodded, immediately restored. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“Bad dream?” It was Lilly’s shift to stand guard for a few hours, which meant Axel and Magnus were asleep.
“Yeah, I guess.”
He still hadn’t told Lilly about his commission from Lumen, delivered to him in a series of dreams since just after he’d met Magnus. In truth, he didn’t know how to tell her why they were traveling to Western Kanarah.
So far, she’d been operating under the assumption they were fleeing Eastern Kanarah as fugitives for escaping the quarry and Axel’s family farm, and for resisting the King’s men after that. Calum hadn’t corrected her, Axel wasn’t about to say anything, and Magnus undoubtedly felt like it wasn’t his place to speak up.
But Calum was fast reaching a point where he couldn’t hide what they were doing anymore. He really liked Lilly and had come to view her as a friend—more than that, if he were honest about it—and he really wanted her to know what he was trying to do.
Another part of him was mortified at what she might say or think of him. The reality of his intentions landed just shy of outright madness—and that was how Calum viewed his mission. How would someone like Lilly view his quest? Would she believe him? Accept him?
“Tell me about it,” she said with a soft grin.
Calum chuckled, sat up, and rubbed the back of his neck. Only one way to find out.
“You’re… you’re gonna think I’m crazy,” he said.
She smiled and sat down next to him, closer than he’d expected. “Try me.”
“Alright.” Calum swallowed the lump in his throat, ignored his nerves and the sweat trickling down the middle of his back, and explained his series of dreams to her, starting with his first dream while still at the King’s quarry.
Lumen had appeared to him in several successive dreams since then, each of them almost identical up until this point. A path across the Valley of the Tri-Lakes formed in the center of Lumen’s circle and then stopped at the base of the Blood Mountains, where a black hole opened like a gaping mouth.
Then, of course, this last dream seemed to get more specific as to the way to reach that opening. Lumen had called it the Arcanum, which somehow apparently held the secret to releasing him.
“So that’s why we’re out here in the first place.” Calum let his gaze linger on her a little too long, and she turned her head away. Stupid.
“That’s—” She bit her lip. “—different.
”
“Different?” Yep. She thought he was crazy. “That’s all you have to say?”
She refocused on him, totally serious. “I believe you.”
Calum blinked. He hadn’t expected that. “You do?”
Lilly nodded. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because it’s ridiculous. Because we’re risking our lives for something we aren’t even sure is real.”
“No. You’re risking your lives to make Kanarah a better place for everyone. That’s a worthy cause, even if you fail, even if it’s not real.” Lilly broke eye contact with him and stared up at the stars. “Besides, I believe Lumen is real. I believe he can set Kanarah free.”
“What makes you say that?” Calum stoked the fire with a stick, and a plume of orange and yellow embers spilled into the sky.
“When I was young, my parents taught me that he was real. It’s not something I’ve really even questioned because I believe my parents. He’s a part of Kanarah’s history, and if you believe the prophecies, he’s part of our future, too.”
“The only things I know about Kanarah’s history are what Magnus has taught me since we left the quarry.” Calum tossed the stick on top of the flames and shifted a bit closer to the fire. “I didn’t get much of a formal education working in a place like that.”
“I bet you know more about rocks than I’ll ever know,” Lilly offered.
“Whoopee.” Calum’s voice flattened.
Lilly touched his shoulder. “Hey, I wasn’t trying to make fun of you.”
Calum nodded. “I know. It’s just that I lost eight years of my life when the King’s men killed my parents and sent me to the quarry. I don’t have many pleasant memories from that place. My favorite one was the day I left with Magnus.”
“I’m sure it was.” Lilly positioned herself so she could look directly into his eyes again. “I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. When Roderick and his men captured me, I didn’t know what to do. I thought my life was over. I hope you take comfort knowing you saved someone from a fate just as bad as what you endured during those eight years at the quarry.”
Calum managed a half-smile. “It does make me feel better when you put it that way.”
Lilly beamed. “Good.”
“You know, if you want to start sleeping a bit early, feel free. I’m wide awake now, so I might as well start my shift early.”
“I think I might.” Lilly tried to stifle a yawn but failed. “Yeah, I will. Thanks, Calum.”
Calum nodded. He watched her curl up and drape her cape over herself near the fire. After a moment, he whispered her name. “Lilly?”
“Hm?” She looked up at him.
“We will get you back to your parents. I promise.”
Lilly smiled again. “I know you will. And I know you’ll make it to Lumen.”
Calum wasn’t so sure of that, but he nodded nonetheless.
A screech jarred Axel from his sleep. He drew his sword and sprang to his feet.
Morning sunlight blinded him until a dark, winged form blotted out the sun. It grew larger and larger until he couldn’t see the sun at all.
The screech ripped through the air again, this time aimed right at Axel.
The winged monster was headed straight for him.
He raised his sword.
Chapter Three
Red metal flashed, and the flying beast smacked into the rocks next to him in two halves leaking glowing purple blood.
Axel turned his head and saw Calum standing next to him, sword in hand, its red blade streaked with more of the same purple goo.
Axel scowled as he tried to calm his hammering heartbeat. “Guess I can’t yell at you for not paying attention on your watch, can I?”
“Nope.” Calum shook his head. “Next time, don’t freeze up. I may not be there to save you.”
Axel tried to say something back, but Magnus spoke first.
“We must flee. Now.” Magnus motioned toward the path. “Dactyls can smell one of their own dead from miles away. They are doubtless headed for us right now. Calum, clean off your sword as best you can while we walk, and leave the rag behind. Their blood gives off a pheromone that attracts other Dactyls.”
“Gives off a what?” Axel jammed his supplies into his bag, sheathed his sword, and then started to help Lilly pack, even though she really didn’t need his help. But it was an excuse to get closer to her, and Axel didn’t want to pass it up.
“Pheromone. It is like a scent, only much more potent. Only Dactyls can sense it.”
“Watch out!” Lilly drew an arrow from her quiver and launched it into the sky. Another Dactyl screeched and plummeted to the ground right on top of their dwindling campfire.
Axel finished it off with one vicious swing at its neck, and it lay there, crackling and crisping atop the hot coals. The stench hit his nostrils then, and he almost retched all over the ground.
“Ugh. They really do stink.” He buried his nose in the crook of his elbow and backed away from the dead beast.
The Dactyl had expansive wings, plus four additional limbs—two arms and two legs. Pale green skin covered its human-like body, but the resemblance stopped there.
It had a huge charcoal-gray beak in place of its mouth. Talons tipped each of its three toes, its three long fingers and one thumb on each hand, and on the tip of its tail, not unlike the spike on the end of Magnus’s tail, except smaller.
The glow in its white eyes faded as more purple blood leaked from its severed head.
“Quit staring and clean off your sword, Axel,” Magnus growled.
Axel unslung his pack and dug his hand into it. “Fragile birds, aren’t they?”
“Make no mistake—if one of them gets ahold of you, you’ll form quite the contrary opinion within a matter of seconds, if not less.” Magnus started down the path. “Follow me toward the lake. Calum, bring up the rear, and make sure you watch our backs.”
“Got it.”
Lilly took to the sky. “I’ll scout from here.”
“No,” Magnus waved her back down. “Stay low, with us. If they see you, it will only attract more of them.”
She glided back and landed behind him. “Alright.”
Axel wiped the edge of his sword with a piece of fabric he’d been saving in case someone needed a bandage, then he dropped it behind him as they ran. “I thought they attacked in groups. Dozens. Hundreds, you said.”
Magnus didn’t turn back, but Axel could hear him anyway. “We are fortunate there were not more. Just keep moving.”
“There’s one behind us,” Calum called from the rear. “Two behind us.”
Maybe they weren’t so lucky after all.
“Keep moving,” Magnus said. “We need to put distance between us and them. Lilly, can you shoot them down?”
“My pleasure.” She nocked another arrow and took to the sky, but stayed low.
Axel refocused on following Magnus. The view wasn’t nearly as good as when he’d trailed behind Lilly, but at least Magnus could get them somewhere safe.
Two bone-snapping crashes sounded behind them in quick succession. Lilly’s voice followed. “We’re clear.”
Does she ever miss?
Lilly swooped down behind Magnus and followed him like before, and Axel’s view improved once again.
He smiled.
To Calum’s relief, Magnus’s port town materialized on the horizon half a day later. After the first four Dactyls, they’d kept up their quickened pace for far longer than Calum thought he would last. Now, even at a walking pace, every step felt like a new and brutal punishment, both on his lungs and his aching feet.
“You don’t think they got Riley, do you?” Calum walked side-by-side with Axel and Lilly while Magnus led.
Axel shrugged. “I don’t know. Those things didn’t seem all that dangerous to me, but I guess with a few dozen it could get pretty rough.”
Calum rolled his eyes at Axel’s posturing. “Yeah, but Riley’s fast and stealthy, right? He
probably made it past them, don’t you think?”
“Like I said, I don’t know,” Axel repeated. “I can imagine plenty of scenarios where having a thief would be useful, so I hope he made it.”
“I’m sure he’s fine, Calum.” Lilly put her hand on his armored shoulder, and he liked it. “He’s a grown Wolf. He can take care of himself.”
“Yeah. We just need to take care of ourselves now.” Axel called ahead to Magnus, “You sure this is the right place?”
“Do you see any other signs of civilization around here?”
“No.”
“Then I am sure.”
A small wooden sign stuck in the arid ground in front of the town read “Sharkville” in scratchy letters marked with faded ink. Several months ago, Calum wouldn’t have been able to read it, but Magnus had taught both Axel and him the alphabet and how to use it over the course of their journey.
Why they’d named it Sharkville, Calum couldn’t say. Whatever a shark or a ville was, he didn’t know, so it seemed like a nothing-word to him—just the name of the town.
Sharkville itself resembled the surrounding landscape: gray, unimpressive, and dull. A few of the buildings were large enough to constitute warehouses, but most of them barely rose above the ground on which they stood. Gray wood, occasionally patched with green mildew, made each structure in the town look like every other.
Beyond Sharkville itself lay the Central Lake, glistening and blue under the sunshine. It extended as far as the eye could see, and for some reason, the sheer breadth of it gave Calum chills.
Magnus motioned to them with his head. “Come. Let us find a vessel to charter.”
A sprawling dock, also made of that same gray wood, lined the shore. Despite space for several dozen ships, only one—more of a large boat, really—floated in the waters adjacent to the dock.
“Doesn’t look like we’ve got many options,” Axel muttered.