by Franc Ingram
Tannin’s thin lips pulled back in a tight snarl. “Never say such things about him again. Never speak of him again,” he said taking large steps forward.
Oleana pulled her twin blades, feeling stronger with the weight of them in her hands. He may look like Cornelius but he was nothing more than a cheap imitation. His capture, or death, would deal a blow to the false god that would bring Oleana no end of pleasure. It may even ease her apprehension.
Tannin seemed as eager to fight as Oleana. He charged with claws out. Before the two foes could meet, a dagger sliced through the air catching Tannin in the right shoulder.
The multiform whirled around, showing the source of the attack. Leith was at the opposite end of the street, hand outstretched, that smirk painted on his smooth features. They locked eyes, ignoring the raging multiform between them.
“Run,” Oleana said in an intimate whisper that failed to carry the distance. “Run.”
Leith darted down the street and into an alley that Oleana hadn’t even noticed. Tannin moved to pursue, but Oleana was faster. She rushed him, jabbing him in his spine, between the shoulder blades.
Tannin moved with uncanny speed dodging left, catching a glancing blow along his outer arm. He backhanded her hard enough to knock her over and dot her vision. Lorn was at her side, cradling her head while Daycia worked in front of them, facing Tannin down. She moved fast and with anger, keeping the strong man at bay with frenzied stabs.
Receiving one hit after another, Tannin’s gray fur became dotted with red splotches. They were minor cuts. He must have realized his odds of success were minimal, for Tannin began to run, changed into a bird, and took off flying toward the mountain.
“Go after him,” Oleana yelled, seeing that no one pursued her enemy, “you know what his escape means”
“Killing him would bring the same thing upon us,” Daycia walked toward her explaining. “Tannin changed form too many times, he will need time to recover. We will not see him again any time soon.”
Oleana’s desperate cry pierced the air. “Cornelius will be down on our heads,” Oleana panted, trying to regain her breath. “How could I have been so reckless? Trying to show off, and look what that has gotten us! Bringing that...that thing to our door.” She shook her head in disgust.
“Who was he anyway?” Lorn asked in confusion.
“Tannin, chief agent of Cornelius. Second generation ultra, offspring of Cornelius and Emmaray, and a very dangerous multiform,” Daycia explained.
“Making him your half-brother?”
Daycia ignored Lorn’s question. “We must get you out of here now.”
“We can’t just leave you to face Cornelius and his yetis alone,” Oleana said.
“He won't attack here with you gone,” Daycia reassured Oleana. “He’s not prepared for that fight. We have been defending this city against him for a long time. Believe it or not, I think we can manage without the Guardian.”
“Why in the name of The Twelve did I let my guard down? Why did I start to believe, for just a moment, that we could be safe anywhere close to that thing?” Oleana said pointing in the general direction of the mountain. “I can’t do it again,” she said hopelessness sitting like a lead weight in her chest. “Not here. Not like this. Not when I’m so close.” Oleana looked helplessly at Daycia.
“The argument is mute. We can’t leave without Leith and there’s no telling where he ran off to,” Lorn laid his arm across Oleana's shoulders.
“Not going to be getting too far away from you two,” Leith said coming up behind them. “Just circled ‘round.”
“Thank the Twelve you’re all right,” Oleana said. She was fighting the panicked thought that he had disappeared back into the underworld from which he came.
“Mom, what do we do now?’ Lorn said, his voice soft as if he were afraid his words would break Oleana.
Oleana gripped her sais so tight it felt like her knuckles might snap. She closed her eyes tight and took deep breaths to get her body under control. “We run,” she said. “Leith, I’m sorry, but if you stay here Cornelius will kill you. I didn’t want it to be this way for you,” Oleana said.
“That were my favorite dagger,” Leith said staring at the space Tannin vacated seeming dazed.
Oleana shook Leith out of his stupor. “You can mourn it later. I’ll follow you to pack your stuff. Lorn and Daycia make what arrangements you can, and we’ll meet back at the carriage stop in fifteen.”
Lorn looked worried. His hand still rested on Oleana’s shoulder, even though the side effects of the fight had since faded. Oleana didn’t want him out of her sight either.
“Move Swift. Be careful. I love you.” she encouraged him.
“Come on, my boy,” Daycia urged. “I need your help to finish things quickly.” A little push from Daycia, and Lorn started walking.
Oleana watched them go. “He’s too young,” she said to herself.
Leith turned to her, brows arched.
“That was a wonderful shot,” Oleana said pulling her eyes away from her son.
Leith nodded but his eyes were unfocused and his voice floated softly on the air threatening to be carried away. “This way.”
He headed down the main road then made an abrupt right turn down a brick alley. Oleana struggled to keep pace when her eyes were continually drawn to the sky, waiting for an attack. Leith lead her through the back of a woodcutting shop and out onto another small back street.
This one smelled of fresh cooked food, and the chatter of diners could be heard as whispers on the wind. Oleana was good at orienting herself in her surroundings, but after a few more swift turns she was lost. How Leith kept it all straight, Oleana couldn’t begin to guess. At least she was comforted by the fact that Tannin wouldn’t be able to keep up either.
“My humble home,” Leith said stopping at the bottom of a flight of steps.
When he lead her inside the old stone building, she had assumed it was yet another short cut, so she did nothing to try and remember what it looked like from the outside. She vaguely remembered following Leith down a hallway, and then down the stairs.
She looked around, not sure what to say about the place. It looked to be a converted workshop. There were metal tables bolted into the floor, and an industrial open-pit furnace taking up a good portion of the far-right wall. A low fire was going, warming up the large room.
Pieces of art were strewn about. Canvas paintings leaned against walls. Marble or onyx statues were positioned at random spots in the large space. Red curtains hung down from the ten-foot ceiling, sectioning off what looked to be a bedroom with the edges of a straw mattress peeking through. There were other pieces of miss-matched furniture.
They were older style pieces, but quality, well taken care of. The whole look was deceptive. If Oleana didn’t look too hard she would have dismissed it as a dumping ground for abandoned pieces, but when she got up close the quality and expense was made known.
“Did you buy any of this?” she asked before she could help herself.
“No,” Leith said, not an ounce of guilt in his voice. He disappeared into the bedroom.
“Well it's impressive,” Oleana shouted. She found herself amused by a finely detailed sculpture of Daycia, sitting in a corner near the stairs. The ultra had a serious look on her face, and wore a cape that was shaped to billow behind her.
Then Oleana found a chaise lounge with a dark blue velvet cushions, and a cherry wood base. When she sat on it, the smell of jasmine wafted up. Some older socialite must have been heartbroken when she found her prized lounge chair gone.
“Ready,” Leith said hefting a worn brown leather bag up onto his shoulder. It was a shoulder bag that couldn’t have held more than a few changes of clothes, and maybe an extra pair of shoes. Leith’s face looked set, so Oleana didn’t question him.
She gave one last look to all the treasures that would be left behind. She’d have to tell Daycia to come clear the place out once they were gone, maybe return th
e items to their rightful owners.
“Let's go.”
CHAPTER NINE: FIGHTING
Tannin fell at his father’s feet dripping in sweat despite the frigid temperatures in the ice cave. His every nerve felt like it was on fire. Blood swam in his ears and his head pounded, making it hard to think clearly, much less form words. He’d pushed his body too hard.
Cornelius stood at the mouth of one of the tunnels being built, carving out more of the heart of the mountain. A dozen yetis hacked away at the hard stone creating a rough archway. “Ah, there is my favorite son returned,” Cornelius greet him as Tannin dropped beside him. “I sent him to do a job, and he took all night to make sure …,”
“Father,” Tannin croaked, interrupting him. His eyes slammed shut against the pain and exhaustion.
Clawed fingers dug into Tannin’s neck at the base of his skull. Cold flooded his body pushing away the pain and fire shut up in his bones. He could breath. Could think. Tannin knew the energy exchange from his father was temporary. His body would need rest and fuel to recover. Tannin inhaled sharply, stretching muscles that felt like they were pulled too tight over brittle bones. “The guardian. Two of her kings. In Solon.”
Cornelius howled high and loud like a wounded animal, sending Tannin’s recovering ears into a frenzy of pain. He held his head in his hands, fighting hard against the darkness pressing in on his mind. Ice fell off the walls in rivulets spreading shards of deadly slivers over the rocky floor.
“Three Heirs of Eternity in Solon!” Cornelius grabbed the nearest yeti and pulled it close. “You gather all the yetis that have strength to fight, and march them on Solon now.”
Tannin stood. His knees threatened to buckle but he held firm, gritting his teeth. He would join his brothers in battle.
“Not you. You’ve done enough,” Cornelius told his son cradling Tannin’s chin. “Describe these ones to me then go get rest. I’ll need you strong for what comes later.”
100101
When Oleana and Leith arrived at the carriage station Lorn and Daycia were already there, along with four rangers on horseback, and armored up to the neck. Daycia’s latest apprentice, Paley, hung at the back of the group. Oleana recognized her from the footage of the yeti fight. She was a young woman, no older than twenty. She had short black hair, just enough to brush behind her ears, and soft features like a porcelain doll. There was a strength in her hooded brown eyes that gave Oleana a glimpse into why Daycia had chosen her.
“What’s this?” Oleana asked.
“I couldn’t leave you vulnerable while you leave the city,” Daycia replied, as if it were self-explanatory.
“Are you trying to get them killed?” Oleana shook her head, furious. “I can’t stand for this.”
“It is our pleasure to fight and defend the Heirs of Eternity,” one of the rangers said. He was the one from the viewing room. The leader. Oleana couldn’t think of his name. He was tall and muscular, with a wisdom in his eyes that only came with experience. He was willing to risk his life for her without being asked, yet she couldn’t even keep track of his name.
Oleana couldn’t reject his sacrifice, even when every bit of her was scared she would end up with more deaths on her conscience. “Thank you,” she replied, her voice a heavy-hearted whisper.
“That first time around I failed to protect you,” Daycia choked out. She swallowed hard before continuing. “The next time I didn’t even know you were back until word of your death spread. Alwen…sorry, Oleana if you thought I would sit back and miss the opportunity to do what I should have done that first time, then you don’t know me at all. Besides, we can take care of ourselves.”
Oleana looked her over. Daycia looked ready to take on an army. She wore a black knit sweater with a round hem that hit her mid-thigh. She had slim-cut, forest-green pants that had padding along her thighs and knees, with her leather boots protecting the rest. A matching green corset with shining metal accents shielded her torso, and leather and metal guards protected her arms. Daycia had a short sword strapped to her back, two daggers sticking out of each boot, and a short fighting staff fastened to her saddle.
“I would never suggest that you couldn’t” Oleana said. She looked over the men and women who decided to join her and for once she felt protected and it felt good. “Inside,” she urged Leith and Lorn. “Time to go.”
As the carriage clicked away on the rough road, pulled by two armored horses with legs the size of Oleana’s torso, the boys chattered away to each other. Their hurried speech, and the light topics, spoke volumes about the tension they were feeling. Oleana kept her eyes on the sky, expecting Tannin to drop down on them at any minute. Daycia was on horseback running point, so Oleana couldn’t even voice her concerns to her friend. It was a quite a nerve wracking ride to the wall that had Oleana grinding her teeth. By the time she found the last Heir of Eternity she would need dentures, having ground her teeth down to nothing.
They made it past the rough transition to the outside of the great wall, and down the road past a lot of the pastureland, to the town of Erald where the train station was before they ran into any trouble. The carriage was pulling up to the stop when Oleana heard the shout from one of the rangers.
“Four behind,” he yelled.
Oleana jumped from the carriage while it was still rolling, bending her knees to absorb the jarring impact. Her twin sais were out and ready before she straightened.
“Get back inside,” Daycia yelled.
Oleana shook her head. “I know how to defend myself.” Lorn then poked his head out, craning to see, but Oleana glared at him. He scooted right back in with a groan.
Four yetis were coming down the main road. Erald didn’t have a wall to protect it, so they could stroll in without effort. Oleana felt some relief at the absence of Tannin and Cornelius. She knew her luck wouldn’t hold out long, it never did.
“With my help, we can dispatch these four quickly and be on our way,” Oleana said pleading with Daycia not to argue and waste valuable time.
The older woman frowned, but there was no use debating the issue. Oleana had the edge. Daycia pulled her up onto the horse. “Paley, keep an eye on the boys, if you would please,” Daycia instructed. The younger woman nodded. Daycia spun her horse around and spurred it forward with a kick of her heels, forcing Oleana to hold tight to her mentor’s midsection.
The lead yeti turned his head to the sky and let out a noise so ear-splitting the air around Oleana seemed to vibrate with it. The horse beneath her bucked in complaint, and Oleana held on with all that she had. Daycia pulled the reigns tight and the horse finally settled.
“What in the Twelve was that,” Oleana said into Daycia’s back. Her stomach felt like it was in her chest.
“A call for help,” Daycia replied, her voice tight.
The first yeti lunged at Daycia, who urged her horse to veer right, narrowly missing a claw to the face. Oleana pushed off Daycia’s back, sliding off the horse backwards. She pirouetted on her tiptoes to get herself facing the right way.
This yeti wasn’t like the others she’d fought recently. He wasn’t trying to play with his food, tease his opponent. He came at her hard. She caught one blow with the right guard of her sai. The other got through but it glanced off her shoulder, spinning her around.
Oleana landed on one knee, the impact shooting pain up her spine. She had no time to deal with it as she had to roll forward to avoid being swiped again. One of the rangers came to her aide, spearing the beast with his sword.
The blow landed on the yeti’s left shoulder, which seemed to anger the beast more than anything. It turned on the ranger, howling like a wild thing. Oleana took the advantage. She jumped up, coming down on the beast with both weapons, slicing into its back. The ranger finished it off with a swift slash across the neck, making a clean separation of its head from its neck.
Momentum took Oleana down on top of the crumpled body. Oleana used all the muscles in her back too free her weapons. She wip
ed the viscera clinging to her sais on the coarse fur. Up close the smell of a dead yeti wasn’t much worse than a live one. Either way the odor of fish and wet earth saturated air around them.
The ranger stood over her offering a hand up, which she took gladly. “Thank you…” she paused not knowing his name.
“Wade,” he offered.
“Wade,” Oleana repeated.
“Any time, Guardian. You know my brother is obsessed with all the lore on you four. He’s read every piece of information he could find. He’s not going to believe I got the chance to fight at your side today.”
Oleana smiled. “It’s so nice to hear about a true believer. They’re so rare these days. When you recount this encounter, be sure to leave out the part where I got knocked down,” she said brushing her pants off.
“Then how do I explain how great a hero I am for saving you?”
Oleana’s reply was cut off when she watched in horror as a yeti slammed all of its two hundred pounds into Daycia, while she was distracted by another opponent, knocking her from her horse. Oleana and Wade rushed forward together. Oleana pulled her mentor out of the way while Wade forced the yeti back on its heels.
“You’re bleeding,” Daycia said as she found her feet.
Oleana looked at her shoulder. Her sleeve was in shreds, and blood stained what cloth was left. She felt the sting, but the cold kept it to a minimum. “Well you’re lucky you have a hard head, otherwise you’d be out.”
Daycia shrugged before throwing herself back into the battle. Oleana was looking for her opening when she noticed the darkening sky. The temperature dropped sharply. Oleana breathed in and her chest tightened so much her ribs ached. Her brain tried to convince her it was just Lorn building up a storm, but the air was thick with cold. It wasn’t Lorn.
Oleana knew what that kind of change in atmosphere meant. It triggered the nightmare she couldn’t escape. Only the Ice Ultra, Cornelius, pushed a cold front ahead of him like the shadow of death.