by Aubrie Nixon
Zad couldn’t hide his horror. Daegan laughed but quickly masked it with a cough.
Brenner never looked up from his work. His brow was furrowed in silent concentration. He placed his hands on Chantry’s leg. With a quick movement, he used all of his weight to push the bone back into place. The crack of the bone filled the air. Sephera grimaced at the horrendous sound. Now that her role as comforter was made obsolete by Chantry’s unconsciousness, she left her post to join Brenner. She glanced at the leg and gasped. The bone was almost completely healed. She gently touched Brenner's shoulder. He was burning up. He was using up too much of his energy.
“Brenner, the bone is healed. We can just close the wound with needle and thread. You need to stop. You are burning up.” Brenner didn’t seem to hear her. She shook him hard. “BRENNER! Stop!” Still the mage didn’t seem to hear her, his mind entirely focused on healing the bone.
She closed her eyes and concentrated, clenching her jaw hard. BRENNER! STOP! The words screamed from her mind. Suddenly the mage dropped his hands, shaking. He looked at her with weary surprise.
You did it, he praised softly.
She smiled, relieved. “Daegan, the needle and thread please.” She motioned for it with an open hand. “Zad, get Brenner some food and water. He can have what I have left in my pack.” They followed her orders without question.
She looked at Chantry’s leg, no longer mangled or broken. She held the needle carefully between her fingers and began to thread the skin back together as quickly and cleanly as she could, praying to the gods that it wouldn’t scar horribly. What felt like an eternity passed before she was done.
When she was finished, she carefully poured what little ointment they had left onto the wound and dressed it. Then she wrapped it carefully. Exhausted, she sat back and folded her arms across her chest.
Sephera addressed the group. “We can rest until dawn, which is in a few hours. But then we need to head out.”
Even if any of them disagreed, they were all too exhausted to argue. Sephera unrolled her bedding next to Zad, her mood somber. She rested her head on his shoulder. His fingers entwined with hers. In that moment, even if it was for just a heartbeat, she felt peace.
CHAPTER 15
Dawn came all too soon. Sephera awoke to a nuzzling at her side. Smiling, she opened her eyes. Dorjan gave a playful growl and pawed her face. She laughed, petting the hound softly behind his brown-striped ears. He gave a happy bark and ran towards Brenner, who was hard at work on a crutch for Chantry. Sitting up, she knocked Zad’s arm away, which had been wrapped around her protectively. Her heart fluttered softly. She watched as he slept, the sunlight kissing his face and illuminating his soft features. His blonde hair was swept to the side of his face, revealing the small scar on his eyebrow. She smiled, remembering how he had gotten it.
Attom had been taunting her for days, boasting about his missions when she had yet to receive her first. He hung around her during archery lessons, doing everything he could to break her concentration. She never hit the target when he was around. Not that that she ever hit it anyway, but she liked to blame it on Attom.
Attom had been strutting about the range when Zad was working with her on her aim. True to form, he started insulting her.
"Breathe, Sephera. Ignore him," Zad whispered gently in her ear, one hand on her shoulder, the other placed on her arm, holding it steady.
"I am, but he's making it diff-i-cult," she said through gritted teeth.
"SEPPHHERRA!! Still working on that aim? Why don't you put those hands to good use, and join me in my chambers tonight?" Attom called.
She tensed and let the arrow fly. She missed.
She heard his boisterous laughter. He brushed past her, grabbing the bow from her hands. “Here love, let me show you how a MAN does it."
With barely a glance at the target, he drew the string and let go. The arrow struck the center of the target with a dull thud. Smirking, he turned to face her. "Now, why don't you make yourself useful and join me in the bath?"
Zad grabbed her shoulder before she could launch herself at Attom. She screamed in frustration, throwing Zad’s arm off and elbowing him in the face. She ran at Attom, hitting him in the gut and knocking him to the ground. She straddled his stomach, and started pummeling his face, not stopping until she felt herself being pulled off of him. Zad had to use all of his strength to contain her feral rage. He was much taller than her, and he held her tightly. She thrashed, trying to break free to reach a laughing, blood-stained Attom. From the looks of it, she had broken his nose.
"Yes, Zadkiel, hold her back. Control the stupid bitch," he said, spitting blood in her direction.
Zad growled. He let her go and punched Attom in the eye. The blow sent him stumbling back. He tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground.
“I really hate that word,” Zad spat. Grabbing her hand he led her out of the range without saying a word. His own face was swollen from her elbow, which had left a bloody wound just above his eye.
* * *
Watching him sleep put her in a strange mood. She frowned in confusion at the feeling in her gut. She closed her eyes, trying to shake it off. Separating from Zad when they were all in danger was a difficult notion to wrap her head around. They were all dancing with death, and the thought of Zad meeting it first without her made her feel sick. He was a skilled warrior, but his compassion was his biggest weakness. He would put the needs of Chantry and Brenner above his own, doing whatever it took to get the others to safety, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
Feeling someone watching her, she looked up to see Zad smiling sheepishly at her. His grey eyes filled with unspoken sadness and worry. She smiled softly at him and hugged him tightly.
"Beasty," he whispered, stroking her hair. "I will see you in the village soon, all right? This isn't goodbye. You know if we had any other choice I would stay by your side."
She buried her face in his shoulder. "I know," she whispered.
Sephera stood up slowly, groaning while she stretched her sore muscles. She held out a hand to Zad, pulling him to his feet. She took her time rolling up their bedding and gathering up their supplies. She wasn’t stalling. She just needed the precious last minutes she had with Zad to last as long as possible. With no food left in their supply, she skipped breakfast, stomach grumbling. Sighing, she wound up the last of the perimeter wire and handed it to Brenner. She watched Zad carefully from across the camp. He was standing tall, watching the sky.
He will be okay. We all will. Focus on the mission, and we will see you in the village soon. Brenner put a hand on her shoulder.
She gave him a weak smile and went to help Chantry, who seemed to be struggling. She helped her tighten the bandages around her leg. Chantry never spoke, only watched as Sephera wrapped her leg in silent concentration. When she finished, she helped Chantry to her feet, and Zad brought her the makeshift crutch Brenner had made her. It was formed from two sturdy sticks fastened together using torn cloth. It was simple and flimsy, but it would have to do for the hike down the mountain.
Chantry rested her weight on the crutch and smiled grimly. Her blonde hair was dirtied with blood and soot. “Thank you all for helping me last night. It couldn’t have been easy,” she said to the team, which stood in an awkward circle around her. Everyone looked grim except Daegan, who just scowled.
“You all look positively horrible,” Chantry croaked. “Wasn’t I the one who had to have my leg pushed back together by a group of bloody killers? You must admit I’m the best-looking one here, though none of you are able to pull off broody and tortured as well as Daegan.” That quip earned a small laugh from Zad and a grunt from Daegan.
“She's right, I suppose,” Sephera said, brushing dirt off her shoulder. “Perhaps we should get started. We do have a world to save after all.” She gave a small nod to Chantry and Brenner before turning to Zad. “Get them to safety, okay? And by the Light, if you die without me and leave me to fix this mess by myself,
I will never forgive you.” She stared at him, taking in every detail of his face. His grey eyes were so full of determination. His soft features shone brilliantly in the sunlight. And his lips . . . his perfectly round lips. She parted her mouth slightly, licking her bottom lip.
“My eyes are up here, Sephera,” Zad said softly, a hint of laughter in his voice.
She shuddered, embarrassed by his keen observation, and felt her cheeks redden. Before she could turn away, he grabbed her with his toned, strong arms. He held her in his embrace as she laid her head against his cool armor. Feeling tears start to sting the back of her eyes, she closed them, letting only a few escape.
He kissed the top of her head. “I love you, Sephera Travelle,” he whispered to her.
“Enough. We need to move out.” Daegan’s cool voice cut through the air.
Breathing in heavily, she looked up at Zad. “I love you, too,” she said, smiling sadly.
“Try not to kill him, will you?” Zad raised his voice as his head motioned in Daegan’s direction.
“He would only be so lucky.” Sephera laughed darkly.
Zad gave her one final squeeze before letting her go. “Careful, Beasty.”
She watched as three silhouettes made their way carefully down the rocky mountainside. Daegan huffed behind her impatiently.
Once they disappeared from view she finally turned to him, looking straight into his cold eyes. “Lead the way, Sir Knight,” she hissed.
CHAPTER 16
They walked in silence back through the woods to the charred field they had only just battled in. The air was filled with the remnants of burned wood and the charred flesh of the dead creatures. She wrinkled her nose at the stench. Smoke billowed around them, dissipating into the sky and leaving behind ash and embers. She followed after Daegan, her hands resting on her weapons. Although Daegan had said the creatures were long gone, she didn’t want to risk another attack.
They arrived at the stone path with the strange carvings. She tried to reach out to Brenner with her mind to tell him that they had made it to the path, but she wasn’t sure if he would respond. He had said it was more difficult the further away you were, especially for someone untrained in the art, though it did help to calm her rapidly beating heart. She hoped they were doing all right.
Stopping near a stone pillar, Daegan pulled off a glove and gently touched the old carvings.
“Is fingering an old pillar going to give you the answers you need?” Sephera quipped. “I mean, I’m sure it's lonely being up here, far from civilization, but buy a girl a drink first.”
“Yes, I’m sure you could figure out a better use for an old pillar, Sephera,” he mused.
She laughed loudly, throwing her head back. “I’m sure I could, if you ever finished with it.”
“As motivating as that thought is, my dear, some things simply take time. Especially things that require the use of one's mental faculties. I am aware that you do not have much experience in that regard, but for the sake of the mission, please do your best to reign in your perverse desires.” With a sly grin he added, “I am sure we can find a good use for them later.”
She blushed and glared at him. Then she sat down and took her dark hair out of its braid and ran her fingers through it. She finished by pulling it back tightly from her face. She grunted in annoyance as he continued to work.
“Patience, Sephera. I am deciphering the markings.”
“Deciphering? This language is extinct. How could you possibly understand it?” She rose and joined him.
He raised an eyebrow at her. “There are ways to understand ancient languages, though the process can be long and tedious. One must look for patterns and repeated characters. This appears to be a hieroglyphic language—one made with pictures and symbols. I think it is a message. Do you see how this one resembles the full moon?” He walked to the next pillar, “And this one, the waning moon.”
“I suppose the next would be the new moon and the one after that the waxing?” she asked curiously.
“You would be correct. But beyond that, I have no idea what any of it means,” he said, his hand on his chin. “We need to keep moving. The altar should not be more than a few hours’ walk up the path.”
He shrugged his bag onto his back and stalked up the path without another word. Rolling her eyes, Sephera followed after him. The path they took was surprisingly free from debris and wear. It was as if time itself had stopped, leaving the stones untouched by the elements. They followed the path to a clearing. In the center of the clearing lay a group of large stones arranged in a circular pattern around an obsidian block. Etchings and divots marred the block. Sephera imagined they had been made when sacrifices were offered up to appease the gods.
“What are we looking for?” she asked, her eyes searching the clearing for anything out of place.
He paced around the edge of the clearing, ignoring her question, his brow knit in thought. “There are legends of a powerful priestess who served at the will of the Dark King. She sacrificed thousands to gain his praise. Yet nothing she did could appease his appetite for death and suffering. She longed to be with her master for all eternity, so she devised a plan: she would kill the King of Light, effectively rendering her dark master King of the Earth. For years, she tried to get close to the King of Light, infiltrating the ranks of his court until he asked for her hand in marriage. When the time came for them to marry, she could not bring herself to kill him, for she had fallen in love with him. She no longer wished to be a part of the darkness. She married the king and devoted her life to serving their people and cleansing her soul of darkness. She was pregnant with his twins when the palace was seized by her old lover and his dark forces. The Light King delivered one living child as his wife lay dying. Then he mingled her blood with his and placed a spell on the child that would bring balance to the world. The Light King used his dying breath to create a barrier stripping the world of the Darkness. He chose to sacrifice his life for his people. His child was lost when he severed the Light from the Darkness.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Sephera asked him quietly.
“The Priestess was said to favor horses. She was also said to have died during the New Moon.” He stopped at the base of a cedar tree and bent down to examine the plants at the base. “She was also a skilled botanist. Ah! Rosemary!” He laughed and snatched something from the ground. “A carved pine horse.” He smirked, holding it up for Sephera to see.
She laughed. “Well, it seems you didn’t need me after all.”
She touched the small figurine and gasped. Darkness enshrouded her. She cried out, but no sound came out. She reached for Daegan, but he had disappeared. In his place was a vision of a hooded woman chanting over the obsidian altar. Sephera averted her eyes, not wanting to know what the woman had on the altar. She heard a baby crying as the woman chanted, and her eyes jerked back involuntarily to the altar. The woman dipped her fingers into a bowl and smeared a luminescent substance onto the child and then repeated the ritual. The woman’s face shone with a strange ecstasy. A branch snapped behind her, and the woman looked up suddenly, eyes wide.
“You!” she yelled. Sephera was reaching for her weapons when a tall man in dark armor stepped past her as if she wasn’t there.
“You cannot expect to win this, Malina. It is too late. You have already lost,” the man said. “Give me the child.”
The woman, who Sephera supposed was Malina, stood tall. “No, Gregour. It is you who is too late. The spell has been set. You will never win.” She laughed triumphantly and said one final word before the man could reach her. “Statera!” She howled in delight as the child disappeared. An arrow pierced her chest, killing her. Her face was frozen in a permanent cackle. The man, face as cold as stone, turned to Sephera and smiled wickedly.
“Sephera! Sephera! Damn it, open your eyes!” a deep voice said as invisible hands shook her. Her eyes flew open, and she found herself staring up at Daegan. His expression was full of deep worry, and
his eyes were wild with fear. He was holding her in his arms.
She smirked. “When you said later, I at least thought you would have the decency to wait until I'm conscious.”
He glared down at her. “You are disgusting,” he growled and then dropped her.
“I’m sorry, did I violate some sort of honor code of yours?” she cooed, brushing off her pants as she stood and met his eyes.
“Your sarcasm is one of your greatest weapons. But that is taking it too far.”
She cocked her head. “What happened?” she asked him.
“You tell me, Sephera. After you touched the horse carving, you fell to the ground. I have been trying to wake you for five minutes.”
“I—I don’t know. I had some sort of dream—a vision, perhaps? I’m not sure what it was.”
“Tell me what you saw,” he said.
She began to describe everything, sparing no detail. She didn’t realize she was shaking until Daegan gripped her shoulders “Easy, buttercup. It wasn’t real. You are safe,” he murmured.
“I don’t know what’s going on. Nothing's making any sense. What is wrong with me?” she cried.
Drawing her into his arms, he stroked her hair. “Nothing is wrong with you, Sephera. I believe what you witnessed was a memory—not your memory but someone else’s. Reina left the wooden horse here to find. She must have attached the memory to it. I do not know why she did it, but it must have meaning.”
“But you touched it before I did, and you didn’t see anything?” she asked him.
“No, I saw nothing. My best guess would be it chose you.” He let go of her and moved away. “We should set up camp. We can hunt in the woods and leave at dawn. We should reach the village by tomorrow evening.”
She shook her head. The thought of spending the evening with Daegan was repulsive. Perhaps she would just walk down the mountainside by herself, leaving Daegan to hunt. Her stomach growled as if in answer to her question.