Daniel shook his head as he paced back and forth. “We just have to get to the keep.”
“Daniel, we’ve barely moved!” Clara said. “We can’t even get back on the main street. We’re surrounded. I’m pretty sure we’ve been at this spot before.”
“I know! What else do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I . . . I just . . . ”
They both went silent. Daniel stopped pacing and walked over to sit next to her while Alan slumped into a corner, an empty expression on his face. He reminded Daniel of Jeremy. That same look had been on his brother’s face when he and Daniel had slept in the forest so very long ago. The memory brought a smile. He hadn’t thought much about his family. Now that he was, he realized how much he truly missed his brother. He had always been with Jeremy, though more often than not he’d wished he wasn’t. Yet now he wanted nothing more than to see him and his mother again.
Alan’s voice was quiet as he spoke in the silence: “Do you think Zachery is okay?”
“Yeah, I’m sure he’s fine,” Daniel answered, attempting to sound confident. “He’s probably up in the keep right now.”
“Do you think we’ll be okay?”
Daniel felt his heart skip. “Yeah, I’ll make sure of it,” he said. He faked a smile.
Silence hung in the air again. Several times, they heard the flap of dragon wings and saw a shadow pass overhead, but they were too afraid to look up to see the actual beast. They couldn’t bring themselves to move. Daniel felt helpless and he knew Clara and Alan felt the same. They were trapped with no clear way out. They knew their goal but it was out of reach.
Then Daniel heard something, a low and guttural growl that brought back memories of Daniel’s jump from the falls in Sapella’s Crossing. It made him remember the woman being changed in the tunnels below the city, made him remember the choked plea for help and the blood that pooled on the stones. The valgret stepped around the corner and turned to look at them. It bared its teeth as it slowly approached, staying so low that it was almost crawling across the ground. Daniel, Clara, and Alan jumped to their feet and huddled together in the middle of the dead end, their backs against the wall. The valgret growled again. It was moving cautiously. Daniel knew that they were smarter than they looked. He guessed that it recognized their black clothing as a sign of danger. Daniel slowly slipped a finger under his left sleeve and gripped a metal ring. He pulled it carefully over his index and middle finger.
Even though none of them carried weapons, there was one thing Austin had told the ranger trainees to always have on them since it was easily hidden and light enough that Daniel often forgot he was wearing it—a dart launcher worn around the wrist and forearm. It was a single-shot weapon that fired a dart covered in a fast-acting poison. It would cause a target to quickly fall into a deep sleep before breathing stopped altogether.
The ring, which was now looped around his fingers, was attached to a thin wire that ran through several small, iron loops to keep it secure. It was then tied to a pin holding a coil of steel in place. When the pin was pulled, the coil fired the dart through a cylinder that ended at the wrist joint. Its range was less than ideal and the dart’s ability to penetrate dropped quickly with distance. Daniel would have to wait until the valgret was close to compensate for the thickness of its hide.
The valgret was about ten feet away. It started to advance faster. Daniel wasn’t very proficient in aiming with the launcher, so he waited until he was sure he wouldn’t miss. He wasn’t even sure if the poison would work. It was much larger than any human and the dosage was meant for an average-sized person. If anything, Daniel hoped the dart would at least slow the valgret down enough to let them escape.
He watched the muscles in the creature’s shoulders and legs, waiting for it to tense, signaling that it was about to pounce. He let it get a few steps closer before he raised his arm and aimed. The valgret took a step back at the motion, so Daniel waited. It had to be just a little closer before he could be sure the dart would pierce. Then the beast tensed and leapt for them, so fast that Daniel almost didn’t have time to react. He balled his hand into a fist to tighten the wire over his knuckle, then flexed his hand down by bending at the wrist while keeping his arm straight to pull the pin and release the dart.
He missed.
The dart went wide, past the valgret’s chest. The creature tackled the three of them. They rolled with it across the ground. The three trainees came to a stop as the valgret continued rolling past them. It jumped to its feet while they were only starting to rise. The creature reached for Clara, but Daniel managed to stand quickly enough and charged into it with his shoulder. All he did was push it backwards slightly and delay it.
Clara started to back away as the valgret growled at Daniel and reached for him. He jumped back and out of the way just as its claws swept past his face. He felt himself hit the wall as he was backing away and scolded himself for not taking note of his positioning. It was about to charge for him when it stopped and sniffed the air. It whirled and focused on Alan, who was just starting to rise. Alan’s forehead was bleeding. The valgret could smell the blood.
Daniel looked on in horror as the valgret ran to Alan and grabbed him by the neck. Daniel wanted to move, wanted to run over there and make the creature release Alan, but his legs wouldn’t listen to him. He wanted to scream but his voice stuck in his throat. Everything he wanted to do he couldn’t manage. An overwhelming wave of fear washed over him as he watched something he knew he couldn’t stop no matter how much he wanted to. The valgret stood at its full height and lifted Alan by the neck until he was at eye level. Daniel thought he saw the monster smile as it drove a clawed hand into Alan’s chest.
Alan never made a sound. His face never showed the pain he must have felt. His expression was frozen in pure terror as the valgret released his neck and let him fall to the ground, limp. Daniel couldn’t look away from the lifeless form of his friend. He never heard Clara scream. He didn’t see the valgret turn toward her and slowly make its way over. He never heard it laugh when it stopped in front of her and prepared to do it all again.
But he did hear the familiar voice, quiet yet clear, in the chaos of the city: “Stop.”
He turned to the voice and saw a woman in the white, hooded robe of a Disciple, her face hidden. The valgret turned and looked at her expectantly, its head tilted to one side and ears up.
The woman spoke again and he still couldn’t place the voice: “Come.”
At the single word, the valgret bounded over like an excited puppy before bowing low in front of her. She reached out and started to pet its head. It lifted itself higher to push into her hand. It was a sight Daniel hadn’t thought possible. The woman stood, still quietly petting the monster, as Daniel and Clara looked on in confusion.
The hooded figure spoke again, this time in a shaky voice: “Do you know what it’s like to grow up hating everything about yourself?” The more she talked, the more Daniel was sure he knew the voice. She continued as she knelt down in front of the beast, still giving it affection like a loved pet. “To grow up alone and then be taken in, and shown how to do these . . . things . . . that make you physically sick? To forever after have these voices in your head, always whispering these awful things to you?”
Daniel took a hesitant step forward. His legs shook and he was afraid they would give out under his weight. He tried to keep his eyes on the woman, but his gaze was drawn back to Alan as blood pooled around him on the stones.
She spoke again in a whisper. “Please leave. I don’t want anyone else to die.”
Clara had managed to stand. Tears streamed from her eyes. Her voice quivered as she spoke the name that had been eluding Daniel: “Lace?”
The woman didn’t look at her but Daniel saw her hand tense at the name. She stopped petting the valgret.
Daniel took another shaking step forward. “Lace,” he said, �
�what are you doing here?”
She took her hand away from the valgret, lowered her hood, and turned to Daniel. He saw tears in her eyes. “I don’t know anymore.”
Clara moved closer and raised a hand as if to help her stand. “Lace,” she said, “just come with us and we can fig—”
“Get away from me!” Lace shouted. The stones beneath her cracked.
Daniel and Clara both took several quick steps back as a wave of force sent the dirt and dust around Lace away like a ripple in water.
She saw them retreat and placed both hands over her face. “They’re talking to me again! I don’t want to hear any of them, but they just keep talking, and talking, and talking all the time!”
Daniel and Clara exchanged glances as Lace started rocking in place, mumbling to herself. The valgret seemed to be growing tense as it looked back and forth between Daniel and Clara while slowly standing.
Lace looked up at the sky as her rocking ceased. “I just . . . I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore,” she said. She looked back at the valgret and started to stroke its nose, making it relax slightly. “Please, just go.”
As much as he wanted to figure out what she was talking about, who she was talking about, Daniel knew that if they stayed here much longer, whatever Lace was doing to keep the valgret in check wouldn’t last. He started toward Clara. The moment he moved, the valgret focused on him and tensed its muscles.
Daniel gently placed a hand on Clara’s shoulder and started to lead her away. “Come on, Clara,” he said. “We have to go.”
She looked at him and started to cry again. “We can’t leave Alan.”
He felt as if his heart was about to physically break with his next words: “We have to.”
Clara resisted for a moment before letting Daniel lead her out of the dead end and back into the maze of alleyways. When they were about to round the corner, he looked back one last time and saw Lace was openly crying into her hands. The valgret watched her, its head tilted to one side.
Chapter Thirty
30th of Sanya, 28th year of the Fourth Age.
Griffon swung her great sword in a wide sweep and knocked the Kriden’s axe to the side as he tried to bring it down on her, causing the weight of his own weapon throw him off balance. He recovered quickly and roared something in Kridic before charging at her and swinging wildly side to side. She backpedaled and tried to block the blows, but the man’s strength was far greater than her own. Each blow sent vibrations down the blade and up her arm, making her tremble and nearly forcing her to drop her weapon. He swung downward again, pinning her sword to the ground under the axe head. He raised a bare fist to strike her, but he was stopped short. An arrow struck him in the center of his chest, followed quickly by a second arrow to his throat.
The Kriden took another two steps toward her before falling forward onto the ground at her feet. She glanced behind her and saw a group of four rangers firing into the horde of Kridens pouring through the west gate. All the rangers save for the trainees had been sent to the south of the city to rescue whatever civilians they could. If these four were here now, then their efforts there were clearly over. She wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not. Griffon’s job when she had arrived with Captain Hawk had been to lead the civilians to the keep, along with a large group of the city watch. But shortly after they’d begun, the Kridens had started chanting.
When the dragons appeared over the gates and their necks began to glow, everyone panicked. People fled in all directions, getting seemingly nowhere while Griffon and several others were able to escape by taking cover in nearby alleyways and buildings. That didn’t save them all, as the fire spread like rushing water and spilled into the alleys like canals, burning many of them into nothingness. Griffon and her small group barely survived by taking cover inside a nearby building with the door closed. The rest of the civilians that had escaped the wave of flame were now heading up the street toward the keep as Dragon Guards and the city watch that had survived tried to stem the tide of attackers pouring through the newly destroyed gate.
Thankfully, the rubble of the gatehouse had reduced the size of the opening, creating a bottleneck that slowed the assault. In spite of this, the forces of Vigil were still being pushed back by the never-ending flow of bloodthirsty southerners. The Kridens seemed to have brought their entire nation to war. The three dragons hadn’t rejoined the battle yet. They seemed content to simply circle the city. Griffon was glad they didn’t have to deal with them, at least for the time being. How the Kridens could have aligned with a trio of dragons was beyond her. With those creatures on their side, she couldn’t see how they going to win this battle, even with the Dragon Guards’ reputation and prowess as ancient dragon slayers.
Griffon turned to her left and saw Zachery trying to dodge an oversized flanged mace. He ducked under a wide swing and lunged forward, driving his dagger into the Kriden’s unarmored gut, burying it up to the hilt. Before he could pull it free and strike again, the Kriden gripped Zachery’s wrist and threw him to the side, sending him skidding across the ground. With the giant’s back now to her, Griffon charged at him and with every ounce of strength she had, she swung in a downward arc at the back of his neck.
The blow was solid, breaking bone and killing him instantly. The Kriden fell to the ground, ripping the sword from her hands as he did. She planted a foot in his back and managed to pull it free before running to Zachery and dragging him to his feet.
He was bent over, trying to catch his breath. “Thanks,” he finally said.
She placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s stay together.”
He nodded and retrieved his dagger before they both looked out across the scene of battle. When the battle started, the two of them had been positioned at what was now the back line and told to stay put. They were out of the harshest combat and tasked to deal with any attackers that might slip through the front line during chaos. The Kridens were much stronger than any of the trainees. Out of all them that had come to the gate, Griffon and Zachery were the only ones still standing.
The rest had fallen one by one. Now the back line was only the two of them, the newly arrived rangers, and a handful of the city watch who Griffon hadn’t seen in the last several minutes. She glanced back again at the rangers as they let loose arrow after arrow into the thick crowd. She turned to the body of the Kriden at her feet.
She was somewhat stunned. She had expected to feel something the first time she killed. Obadiah had said as much during their training, had said that the first time one takes a life a small part of their own goes with them, making one feel almost unclean. But Griffon didn’t. What she felt was anger. She supposed it was because of who they were, what they had done, and what they were surely planning on doing. The fact was, they were here to slaughter anything and everyone they could. So perhaps anger was what she was supposed to feel.
From somewhere in the mass of bodies ahead of them she heard Hawk shouting orders with a voice that carried across the battle and the noise: “Fall back! Fall back to the keep!”
She and Zachery looked at one another before they turned and started running up the street as the forces of Vigil retreated. The two of them they were quickly overtaken by the majority of the defenders and ended up in the middle of the pack. Griffon glanced behind her over the sea of men and women and saw something odd. The Kridens weren’t pursing them. Instead, they seemed to be walking casually toward them, as if for them there was no rush to finish what they had begun. Confused, she turned her eyes forward again as they ran. When they were finally close enough, the gates of the keep slowly opened to allow them inside.
They filed in as quickly as they could. Roughly twenty minutes later, everyone was inside and the gates closed behind them. Griffon and Zachery split from the larger portion of the crowd and sat next to the northeastern guard tower to catch their breath and gather their thoughts in a brief moment of peace.
The sky which was now covered in a thick blanket of smoke that blocked out the stars. The Kridens had stopped firing their siege equipment long ago. It wasn’t needed anymore. Half the city was on fire and the flames were quickly spreading to the rest. Griffon didn’t want to admit it, but at this point she didn’t think it was possible to save Vigil.
“Griffon.” Zachery nudged her and nodded toward the gate.
Through the crowd, she saw Daniel and Clara speaking to Captain Hawk. When they were finished, the three of them made their way toward Griffon and Zachery until Hawk split off and went into the tower. Daniel and Clara continued heading for them. They looked haggard. Neither had armor or weapons and both were covered in dirt. Griffon was overjoyed to see that at least they had made it to the keep, mostly unharmed. But her joy quickly vanished when she saw their faces. They stopped a few steps away. Their eyes were bloodshot and puffy. Something had clearly happened, an idea that was confirmed when Clara started to cry.
Daniel took another step forward but kept his eyes on his feet. “Zachery . . . I . . . ” Tears started to stream down Daniel’s cheeks, leaving trails in the dirt and ash.
“What happened?” Zachery asked, fear evident in his tone.
Daniel’s voice cracked as he spoke. “Alan . . . I couldn’t stop it . . . Zachery, I’m so, so sorry.”
Griffon was dumbstruck. His meaning was clear but she couldn’t accept it. There was no way this could happen. She refused to believe it and started to look at every face in the courtyard, hoping that she would see him, hoping she would see Alan. Zachery said nothing for several moments. He simply stared at Daniel.
When he did speak, it was quietly. “Where is he?”
“We had to leave, Zachery . . . I’m sorry, we couldn’t stay there.”
Zachery stuttered as he spoke. “You . . . left him behind?” He was quiet for another moment. Then he struck out with his fist, punching Daniel in the jaw knocking him to the ground. He was shouting now as his tears flowed. “You left my brother out there! You let him die and then you left him!”
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