The Ajoiner Realm (Defenders of Radiance Book 1)

by Rebekah Carroll

  In one of the last entries, years after the attack, Charles stated there were voices—people—that spoke to him from the walls. They cried out to him every time he entered the room, so he concluded that someone lived inside his walls. And he didn’t want them there. He attacked the walls trying to silence the noise, but to no avail. After that, the writings became so incoherent that Warren assumed the man had gone mad.

  Warren leaned back, the chair teetering as he shifted. This Charles Kerron must have been the old man he’d fought. Warren wasn’t sure what to think. From what he’d read and what he’d seen, there wasn’t much of a man left inside that skin, yet his death haunted Warren.

  He had never believed in omens, good or bad, but the odd fragrance he had noticed earlier had faded. If Warren had known the outcome, he would have considered other tactics. Maybe then Charles Kerron wouldn’t have died.

  Somewhere in the distance, a kellnox cried. Warren’s hand tightened into a fist. The Darkness wasn’t to blame for what he’d done, but the wretched war was the only reason he was there. He ground his teeth; determination renewed.

  In the morning, Warren and the rest of the team retrieved the body and buried the man outside his inn. It was a pitiful grave, shallow and unmarked. For several moments, Warren stared bleary-eyed at the mound of earth.

  “Warren, let’s go,” Cassidy said, putting his hand on Warren’s shoulder.

  Warren turned away and followed Cassidy to the horses.

  4

  L ovely. Cassidy frowned. Their path brought them to a dismal forest, laden with black, withered trees. Thick fog hung in the air, blocking their view of the trail. Strange howls and wicked croaks of beasts poisoned by the foul dark seeped through the woodland. Just lovely.

  “Stay together and stay quiet.” Warren led the way.

  Cassidy glanced at his wife. Her beauty was a stark contrast to the pathetic background. She turned her emerald eyes toward him. Now that’s the kind of green the forest should be. Rich with life. Her adorable dimples appeared with her smile as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  Cassidy nudged Dusty to follow Echo as Vallerie passed him. What a woman. He took in the silhouette of her slender body with the thought before refocusing on the woods.

  For miles, the land shifted from dry soil to mushy earth to marsh with water deep enough to graze Cassidy’s feet as he rode astride Dusty. It’s a good thing these boots don’t have holes in them. Vallerie had found him new boots a few months ago to replace the pair he had worn through the sole.

  For five mind-numbing days, they had pressed through the grueling lands, with only a few minor confrontations with the beasts that lurked in the shadows. Uneventful as they were, the last five days felt like a vacation compared to their time in Methril.

  Fear of attack had forced him and Vallerie to set aside their needs for affection. The few hours of sleep they got at night were spent apart. One of them keeping an eye out for drevics and kellnox, the other regaining what brief rest they could afford. These few days with Vallerie were a welcomed change. True, the Darkness-infested forest was a sobering reminder of what awaited should they fail, but sleeping next to his wife for most of the night and holding her hand during the day left Cassidy in a cheery mood.

  Just before nightfall, the team halted in a small clearing and lowered their stiff bodies from tired steeds. Within minutes, Cassidy sat back on his heels, after setting out his bedroll, and admired his work. He had everything prepared, and before anyone else finished, for that matter. He turned his gaze to Val, who was about half way done with her belongings.

  “Need a hand?” Cassidy picked up one of her throwing knives.

  She was by no means struggling to lay out her bed roll, but with his help, she’d be finished sooner.

  “I’ll manage. Why don’t you relax for a bit?” Vallerie smiled as she slipped the blade from his fingers.

  “Relaxing is better when you’re doing it with me,” Cassidy said, leaning back.

  “You can suffer for a few more minutes.” She kissed him, then frowned at his facial hair, but didn’t comment on its length.

  He never understood why the length mattered so much. She preferred a bit of facial hair on him, but for reasons unknown to him, once it grew long enough for her to pinch, she found it distasteful.

  He lay back, fingers laced behind his head with his legs crossed, enjoying the dreary canopy above him. The charcoal-like branches wove in and out of each other, like a spider’s web. He drummed on the back of his head with his thumb. Lonely howls echoed around him, and temptation to issue his own forlorn cry scratched at his throat.

  And stay quiet. Warren’s voice reverberated in his mind. They had been doing that for days. A little noise couldn’t hurt, right?

  Warren shifted his gear next to his bedroll. Cassidy frowned and squinted at him. Quiet, what’s the fun in that?

  Cassidy groaned, as he rolled onto his stomach. Vallerie barely glanced his way. He stared at the leaves and dirt. Shifting his gaze to the side, he noticed a long stick on the ground next to him. He lazily picked it up and flipped onto his back. Cassidy extended the stick skyward. It was sturdy and had a two-inch diameter. Closing one eye, he gauged the straightness of the branch. It curved to the right and bore a small knobby lump in the center.

  He swirled it through the air for a few seconds, then cast a wicked glance at the others. They seemed busy with personal activities.

  Before anyone observed his plotting, he scoured the ground for another branch. There! Three trees to his right, he found a similar branch. After a final once over of the camp, Cassidy strolled over to the stick. With a twisted smile, he snatched it from the ground.

  A branch in each hand, Cassidy sized up his opponents. Warren would destroy him in a heartbeat, and he didn’t dare fight his wife —she knew all his weaknesses, which left Emron.

  Licking his lips, Cassidy approached the goliath and tossed the branch before him. Cassidy walked away, daring him to accept the challenge. When Cassidy turned back, Emron stood several feet behind him with the stick in hand. Warren and Vallerie caught wind of the duel and moved under a tree.

  “I hope you’re ready to lose.” Cassidy twirled his stick through the air.

  Emron stared down at him. Anyone else would have been in a fit of quivering tears under the glower of his gaze, but Cassidy knew Emron’s scare tactics. He and Emron circled each other, calculating and waiting. Flashing forward, Emron lashed out. Cassidy ducked away well before the blow could render any harm. Hoping to catch Emron off guard, Cassidy took a swing at Emron’s leg, but he jumped aside. The battle continued. Emon striking with long powerful sweeping motions. Cassidy using more thrusts and stabs.

  Back at Hilltop, Cassidy had never been the best of students with a sword, but that was fine. He easily made up for it with his archery skills. Other than his excellent physique, Cassidy liked to think it was his skill with a bow that caught Vallerie’s attention.

  Cassidy turned to the side, dodging another one of Emron’s strikes. The wind from the blow cooled a trickle of sweat on Cassidy’s brow. Though he had landed a few small strikes, none of them were enough to slow Emron. He needed to get creative.

  Emron took a wide swing at his head. Grinning, Cassidy ducked under the blow to strike at Emron’s heart. As he lunged forward, Emron shifted. His perfect shot vanished. Cassidy cursed and stumbled to the side.

  Out of the fog, Warren appeared, brandishing a hefty stick of his own. With a single sweep, he knocked Cassidy’s feet clean from under him and faced Emron. Leave it to Warren to ruin a perfectly good fight, Cassidy thought, rubbing the back of his head.

  Emron and Warren fought on. Scowling, Cassidy stood. He’d show them. Had Warren been using a real blade, Cassidy would have been out of the fight and lost at least one of his feet, but to get revenge, he could ignore that fact.

  He launched himself at Warren. Just when Cassidy thought he’d won, Warren twisted out of the way. As he staggered pa
st Warren, Cassidy swore he saw the man smirk. With a steady hand, Cassidy smashed into Emron, who threw him to the side and kept attacking Warren. Cassidy growled and attacked again.

  The contest with Emron ended. Now the chief priority was defeating Warren. Side by side, Cassidy and Emron bore down on their general. If they attacked fast enough, Warren would be overwhelmed—at least, it should have worked that way.

  Whack!

  Warren slapped Emron across the knuckles with his stick. Emron dropped his branch. Bad move. Warren lunged for Emron, forcing him to leave his stick in the dirt.

  Cassidy threw a wild swing in Warren’s direction, hoping he’d get lucky.

  But Warren kicked Emron’s stick off the ground and into his free hand while he blocked Cassidy’s attack with the other.

  Not good.

  Cassidy stumbled back. The whoosh of powerful swings cut through the air. Sweat raced down his back as he ducked and dodged, trying to escape his attacker.

  Thud! Thud! Thud!

  Over Warren’s shoulder, Cassidy saw Emron charging. A bold move, especially without a weapon, but it might keep Warren busy enough for Cassidy to land a strike. Cassidy prepared to attack as Warren spun and launched the stick in his left hand into Emron’s chest.

  Defeated, Emron fell to the ground, leaving Cassidy to fend for himself. Warren rained blows on Cassidy like a torrential storm, backing him into a tree. In a last desperate attack, he thrust his branch forward, but Warren knocked it aside and flicked him on the forehead.

  “You’re dead,” Warren said with a wry grin.

  “So are you,” Vallerie said from behind Warren, pressing a short stick against the back of his neck.

  Warren raised his hands.

  Cassidy grinned. She would show no mercy to avenge her husband’s “death.” A faint smile touched the corners of her lips. Warren swished his stick through the air, taking a defensive stance.

  In an instant, they locked in combat, Vallerie moved with far more speed and agility, while Warren attacked with more skill. Vallerie pursued the offensive, but she didn’t put her full strength in any of the attacks. Cassidy’s grin deepened. She had employed her bombardment to buy time while she waited and watched. The scariest part about fighting Vallerie wasn’t her lightning speed, it was her mind. She was one of the smartest people he had ever known, and she wielded that intelligence as a third blade.

  Vallerie came wide at Warren’s flank, forcing him to block outside, which allowed her to work inside his defenses. She stabbed his right shoulder between his armor plating. Cassidy cringed. In an actual fight, the blow would render his arm useless. Warren switched to his left hand and kept fighting, stealing the offensive.

  Cassidy bit his lip. How long could she hold out against him? Warren blocked her attempts to take back the offensive position. Blow after blow, he made it impossible to do anything but defend herself. Still, she continued to test Warren. She tilted her head to the side as she dodged past an overhead strike and frowned when she parried a thrust. When Warren’s next attack hesitated, she pushed his branch to the side and slipped in close, running her stick across his neck. Warren fell, defeated.

  Cassidy exhaled.

  “A word of advice”—Warren gripped Cassidy’s shoulder—“don’t upset her.”

  Cassidy kissed his wife. “Me? I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  They shared another laugh, and after a much-anticipated meal, the team retired for the night.

  For two more days, they rode in and out of the marsh. Haggard trees struggled to keep their footing in the sopping earth. But even in the thick mist, Cassidy kept his spirit high. At their last stop, he’d found a collection of pebbles to throw at Warren. Though it got him knocked on his rear, he relished Warren’s initial confusion.

  Cassidy chuckled. He’d missed being on Warren’s team. The last few years had been filled with heartache—especially after he lost Brackenwood. The smile he carried slipped away as he looked north. So many people died.

  Dusty pranced anxiously.

  “What is it?” Cassidy asked, patting his horse on the neck.

  Noble reared and neighed.

  Cassidy scanned the gloom, searching for what had startled the stallions, his gaze flicking from shadow to shadow, trying to understand what caused the ruckus among the horses. Then he saw them. Kellnox creeping in the fog.

  “Warren, look out!”

  Warren ducked as a black bolt shredded the ground mere inches away from his horse. Drevics oozed from the shadows like blood from a wound. Cassidy clenched his teeth and drew his bow. Four kellnox emerged from the darkness. Their hunched frames appeared deceptively tall with a head topped by two horns. Dark smoke curled off their black bodies, and once-human hands twisted into long claws. A jagged gash ripped through each one’s skull. Cassidy didn’t know the purpose or why it never healed, but every kellnox bore one.

  Cassidy cursed.

  They were outnumbered and faced frenzied monsters.

  One of the kellnox raised a hand. Shadows formed between its fingers, and it hurtled another bolt of shadows toward the team. A boom shook the ground. Dusty reared, clobbering a drevic with his hooves.

  “Cassidy!” Warren shouted.

  “On it!” Cassidy shot an arrow at the kellnox, only to have it deflected by the wall of shadows the kellnox conjured.

  Vallerie stayed close to Cassidy’s side, slicing apart any drevics that got too close.

  Cassidy loosed another arrow, this one at a different kellnox. Deflected again.

  “Emron, on me!” Warren spurred Noble into the mass of drevics toward the kellnox.

  “Warr—Ah, forget it,” Cassidy grumbled, stringing another arrow on his bow.

  Several drevics closed in on Emron as he rode after Warren. Cassidy snatched two arrows from his quiver. Quick drawing, he released one arrow, then the second a heartbeat after. Thud! Thump!

  Swiveling in his saddle, he shot a drevic leaping toward him. The arrow tore through the creature’s skull between the horns protruding from its eye sockets. Cassidy’s gaze darted over the battlefield, marking his targets. Twenty-three...twenty-six...thirty. He loosed another set of arrows into a drevic duo coming after his wife. He barely had enough arrows in his quiver. He’d have to be careful with his shots.

  Cassidy cursed, steering Dusty to the side as one of the kellnox launched a bolt his way. Unnatural coldness nipped at him as the shadow-strike passed. He didn’t know how the kellnox magic worked, nor did he care. It was a pain in the teeth to deal with.

  “Cassidy!” Vallerie pointed at Warren.

  A drevic ripped Warren from his saddle.

  “No!” Cassidy drew five arrows, and rapid-released each one.

  The shorter draw didn’t slay the drevics, but it slowed them down. Ten arrows left. Cassidy’s grip tightened on his bow. His teeth almost cracked—he clenched them so tight. He didn’t care how many arrows it took; he’d protect Warren. As he strung another shot, Emron called out.

  Cassidy hesitated. Warren hadn’t gotten up. Then Warren stirred. Noble stomped on drevics nearby that Cassidy crippled, giving Warren enough time to stand and fight.

  “Cassidy!” Emron shouted.

  Cassidy squeezed his eyes shut, Emron was as much his friend as Warren. Cassidy screamed into the air and released several arrows into the monsters attacking Emron.

  Vallerie blurred through his peripherals, trampling with Echo while slicing with her blades, keeping drevics away from Cassidy as he supported Warren and Emron.

  Emron kicked Onyx toward Warren. A drevic jumped at him, and Emron grabbed it by the lower arm and launched it into several other drevics closing in on Warren. The attack bought Warren enough time to swing himself into Noble’s saddle and dart toward the kellnox. Cassidy loosed an arrow into the back of a drevic that charged Emron.

  Onyx crashed into the first kellnox, crushing it beneath giant hooves. The second howled, sprinting with impossible speed towards Emron. Cassidy couldn’t track i
t with his bow.

  The kellnox ducked around Emron’s war hammer and slashed Onyx’s hindquarters. His horse screamed. Cassidy winced at the cry. The kellnox twitched and jumped at Emron. Cassidy growled, drawing his bow back. He released. His arrow punched the kellnox to the side, missing Emron in its attack. Emron leapt from his stallion and rammed his hammer into the kellnox’s face.

  Vallerie snarled, tearing through drevics closing in on them. Though taking down a kellnox was a victory, celebration would have to wait.

  Warren trapped a kellnox against a cluster of trees. Raising his sword, he bellowed an enraged cry. Feet before he reached the monster, it conjured a shadow barrier. Warren jumped on Noble’s saddle and vaulted himself over the wall.

  “Warren!” Cassidy screamed as his friend disappeared.

  What is he thinking?

  Cassidy turned Dusty toward Warren. The wall receded.

  Warren straightened, stepping off the corpse of the kellnox and wrenched his blade free of its face.

  “Idiot,” Cassidy grumbled.

  “Cass, duck!” Vallerie’s panicked cry shrieked over the screeches of monsters.

  He flung himself against Dusty’s neck.

  A weight crashed against his back, nearly pulling him from the saddle. Cassidy blew horse hair out of his eyes and located the drevic that had tried to kill him. The creature untangled four arms and snarled, belly low to the ground. Echo’s hoof rammed its head into the ground.

  Cassidy straightened in his saddle, tossing an appreciative glance to his wife. He scanned the battlefield for his next target, only to realize the drevics were retreating. Cassidy turned to Warren. The last kellnox had fallen. With the kellnox eliminated, the drevics lost their battle rage and scattered. Cassidy warily lowered his bow.

  “Is everyone all right?” Warren asked, riding Noble back to Vallerie and Cassidy.

  “I’m fine,” Vallerie said.

  “Just dandy over here. Next time can you not run off to the most dangerous thing you can find? Makes it tougher to cover you,” Cassidy grumbled.