The Ajoiner Realm (Defenders of Radiance Book 1)

by Rebekah Carroll

  "It's fine," Warren said as he helped gather her things. "You just need a bit more practice.”

  Warren quickly slid the rope into a neat knot without thought.

  "How do you do that?" Lillian asked.

  "What?"

  "Tie that kind of a knot. I've seen men do it before, but I can never figure out how to do it on my own."

  "It's easy once you learn. You take this left end"—Warren grabbed the left rope and showed it to Lillian—"and loop it under the right like this. Then come back around and loop the left under the right and pull it tight.”

  Warren finished the knot and showed Lillian the finished product before untying it. "Now you try."

  Lillian looked at the rope, muttering the steps under her breath before taking the rope. Carefully looping the left end under the right again, she secured the knot in place.

  "I did it," Lillian said triumphantly.

  Warren grinned. "Well done.”

  Hours passed on the mountain with no one speaking. Normally, Lillian found the quiet comforting, but little comforted her now. The closer she got to the looming storm clouds, the harder it became to contain the shadow shifting under her skin. She clenched her fists and stuffed the feeling deeper, but it always proved nothing more than a temporary fix.

  Warren looked back at Lillian to confirm she was still all right. A swirling dark wind buffeted her hair every which way across her face. Her steps were slow as she stumbled left and right.

  Warren headed back to her. "Lillian?"

  She looked up at him with dark eyes that did not seem to recognize him. He put a hand on her shoulder, and Lillian stared at it as if she couldn't understand what it was. Suddenly, a crack of lightning burst overhead. A pulse of dark energy shot from her into Warren, knocking him to the ground.

  "Warren!" Lillian’s call of alarm drew him from his daze.

  "I'm so sorry! I—are you okay?" Lillian fretted.

  Her eyes had returned to normal.

  "I'm fine, see." Warren extended his arm and showed it to Lillian.

  His arm tingled, especially in the joints, but otherwise he was fine.

  "I told you, I can't control it!" She shoved her fists into her hair, clutching it tightly.

  "I'm not hurt, okay," Warren said. "We have to keep moving to try and cure you.”

  "What if we can’t?. What if I really hurt someone next time?" Lillian shuffled back on the narrow trail.

  "You won't. I promised you’d be okay and I intend to keep that promise."

  Lillian opened her mouth and closed it.

  Warren knew she disagreed with him, but he would never send her away.

  "Hey, Warren, you may want to take a look at this," Cassidy waved to him.

  Warren stood up and followed Cassidy a bit farther up the mountain path. The mouth of a strange cavern gaped before them; its jagged fangs threatened to swallow uninvited guests.

  "It's pitch black in there, I couldn't see an inch in front of my face," Cassidy said.

  "Did you try a torch?" Warren asked, analyzing the perpetual darkness before him.

  “Of course I did. I'm not an idiot.”

  “So, what's the problem?”

  Cassidy sparked a fire onto a torch and stepped into the cave. The shadow instantly consumed both man and flame. Cassidy stepped out of the cave, with the torch extinguished.

  "I've never seen anything like it," Cassidy said, gawking at the stick.

  "By the ancients," Lillian exclaimed in a low whisper.

  "What is it?" Warren said.

  "Some records state that, where the Darkness first entered the realm, it completely consumed the surrounding land. If this is it, the beacon is here."

  So, Ruben was right after all.

  "Is there a way to lift the Darkness?" Emron asked.

  Lillian shook her head. "I don’t know. The records only stated that the Darkness will grow from this point until every trace of the Ajoiner Realm is gone.”

  "Then how do we get through?" Cassidy asked.

  "I don't know," Lillian said.

  "But you are an expert on the subject?" Cassidy asked.

  "I’ve only read a couple of books about it. That hardly qualifies me as anything," Lillian denied, holding up her hands.

  "There has to be something that can help us," Vallerie encouraged.

  Lillian furrowed her brow. All eyes were on her. She had to find a way to help, but she didn't know what to do. She wasn't a great problem-solver. She wasn't much of anything. She was just a librarian. Actually, she wasn’t even that anymore. Reading about others was her passion. She never did anything heroic or brave. Several times, she opened her mouth to speak, but always ended up closing it again.

  Warren made leading look so easy. He made coming up with solutions look like child's play. Having him watch her struggle embarrassed her. Pounding tension made her head hurt. Underneath her skin, the Darkness slid about, anxiously waiting for her to make a mistake. She bit her tongue, trying to smother it.

  That was it!

  She held the Darkness inside of her, although she had little control over it. Maybe fighting the Darkness with darkness would remove it from the mountain.

  "I think I have an idea, but I don't know if it will work," Lillian said.

  "What's your plan?" Warren asked, meeting her gaze.

  "I might be able to use the Darkness inside of me to draw out the shadow in the cavern. I don't know if it will work, but it's the only thing I can think of."

  Warren dropped his gaze, and the others shifted uncomfortably.

  That is a stupid idea, Lillian thought, her cheeks growing hot.

  "Are you sure you want to do this?" Warren asked.

  He locked eyes with her, piercing her soul in a strangely soft way.

  "It may be our only hope." Lillian broke eye contact before he saw too much of her.

  Warren turned back to the cave.

  “I can do this.” Lillian said the words more to herself than anyone else, but they seemed so comfortless coming from her.

  Warren stepped to the side so Lillian could access the cave.

  As she stood in front of the cavern, overwhelming anxiety caused her heart to pound harder than ever, and sweat formed on her palms. Taking a deep breath, Lillian shook her hands out, determined to try.

  Closing her eyes, she let the Darkness come forth. A powerful surge rushed through her. It lashed out like a rabid animal, trying to take control. Lillian closed her eyes tighter. Concentrate, she told herself, struggling against her fear.

  She had to do this for Warren. She had to prove she wasn’t useless. He believed in her, and she refused to let him down. Lillian opened her eyes to a world of light and dark. She could see shadows and light striking every surface. The Darkness ripped through the light like wind. White, human outlines stood near her. Warren and his team.

  Terror struck her as she glanced toward the cave. Before her gaped an all-consuming blackness. It called to the shadows within her and tore at her skin, trying to connect with her.

  She tried to run, but the pull was so strong she couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. Any attempt she made to call for help failed. She was trapped, paralyzed in place, neither giving nor gaining control.

  She couldn’t do this.

  She had to get away from the Darkness. If she let go, she’d be consumed, but it took all her strength to simply stand in place. Darkness clouded her vision, closing in on her. Tears ran down her face. Strength vanished and blackness crashed into her.

  Warren clung to the side of the mountain. Wind whipped around him like a tornado, tearing and clawing at him, trying to sweep him away. To his left, Vallerie and Emron also clung to the mountain. He hoped Cassidy had caught hold as well. In the center of all the chaos, Lillian stood motionless, her blond hair and travel robe whipping in the harsh wind. With each passing moment, the wind grew stronger. It took everything he had to hold on to the tiny finger hold.

  Then wind shifted. Black winds p
oured into Lillian. Her skin and hair darkened, and though he wanted to save her, Warren didn’t know how.

  In the next instant, everything stopped.

  Panting softly, Warren stared at Lillian. She stood, still encompassed in shadow.

  "Lillian?" Warren called gently.

  No response.

  He reached out, but hesitated. He didn't know what would happen if he intervened. Fortunately, whatever had happened faded, and she returned to her normal color.

  “Lillian?”

  She crumpled to the ground.

  Before Warren could move forward, rain poured from the sky.

  “Everyone inside!” Warren said.

  He grabbed Lillian and carried her into the cave. The cave was still dark, but the Darkness had been removed. She had done it.

  31

  H ours passed, but Lillian—ice cold—never moved. They’d wrapped her in several blankets, but Warren feared it wouldn’t be enough.

  He almost sensed the struggle within her, and hoped he hadn't pushed her too far. He leaned against a wall, seated on the ground, with one leg stretched out, and the other bent up to meet his forearm. He didn't know what he’d do if he lost her.

  He had lost soldiers, but this was different. Soldiers volunteered. Lillian was thrown into this whole mess upside down and backward and wasn't even given a map of what to expect. He’d sworn he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and yet, he had. His head dipped, and he closed his eyes, while clenching his fist. This was his fault.

  Lillian’s chest heaved.

  "Are you okay?" Warren asked.

  She put a hand to her head.

  Other than her obvious exhaustion, Warren couldn’t immediately identify anything wrong with her. He shifted closer, helping her sit up.

  Lillian rubbed her arms. “I’m guessing it worked?”

  “Sure did,” Cassidy said. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

  “How do you feel?” Vallerie asked.

  “Other than cold, I’m fine.”

  Lillian moved to stand, but Warren stopped her.

  “You should take it easy for a bit,” he said.

  “I’m okay. I’ll warm up as I move,” Lillian replied.

  Warren helped her to her feet, watching her face for any sign of discomfort.

  “So, now what?” Lillian asked.

  “If you're ready to move, we'll press on.”

  “I'm ready.”

  “All right.”

  As the team traveled onward, the light behind them shrank until it eventually disappeared. For a while, the group clustered tightly together, everyone on high alert. No one knew what to expect, but Warren hoped they would find the beacon and be done with this quest.

  Rounding a blind corner, he nearly blundered into a beast. In his fright, he staggered back and slashed. His blade sparked against the creature’s skin. It took him a moment to realize it, but the beast he sought to slay was stone.

  "Is that what I think it is?" Warren looked closer at the rock creature.

  It stood frozen mid-stride, completely drained of life. It towered half a foot taller than Warren. The lifeless creature had strange scythe-like appendages on its back, almost like two large arms that ended in points instead of hands. Two crests trailed clear to the back of its skull. Its eyes were large and almond-shaped, and it had four mandibles instead of lips. At the end of its actual arms were a pair of hands with thin fingers almost as long as its forearm. Its body seemed to be covered in some carapace material.

  "Ancients," Lillian said in a low voice. "A xellic.”

  “But xellics are native to the Realm of Magic. What’s one doing here?” Warren asked, brow furrowing.

  “And why is it stone?” Emron asked.

  “I don’t know. Just seeing it is incredible.” Lillian inspected the creature.

  "Uh, Warren...” Cassidy said.

  Warren turned to Cassidy, who gawked at a massive empire in a lower cavity of the cave. Above the city hung a wiry orb fashioned from black stone. From between the cracks, enough green light streamed forth to shine down on the kingdom and into its outer reaches. Colossal stone towers stretched in the massive expanse. Among the widely varied towers, one stood three times as tall as any other. It was roughly hourglass shaped with its base lay easily a mile round as did the widest portion of the top section. The flat top looked almost triangular with one side jutting out farther than the others.

  "This must be the xellic colony," Lillian said.

  She gazed at the city with widened eyes, then looked at the statue. Her face melted into confusion as she stepped closer to it, analyzing the stone.

  "What happened to it?" Vallerie asked.

  "I don't know. As far as I can tell, it was turned to stone hundreds of years ago," Lillian said.

  "How can you tell?" Warren inquired.

  "See the fuzzy spot there?" Lillian pointed at a spot just above its shoulders. "That's a lichen called Ninnyswarth. If undisturbed, it can grow almost indefinitely, but very slowly. For this much to collect in one location is very rare.”

  “They must have come here before the war started,” Vallerie said.

  Lillian nodded.

  Warren frowned. If the xellics were there before the war started, why didn’t they have any record of them?

  "As fascinating as all this is, we should keep moving. If we really did just stumble onto a kingdom full of statues, I'd hate to be around if whatever happened happens again," Cassidy urged.

  Behind the xellic lay a musty wooden bridge that hung low as if the weight of the dust it had collected was about to break it.

  "All right. One person at a time," Warren said.

  "Right then," Cassidy agreed, stepping back from the bridge. "You first.”

  Warren smirked at Cassidy and halted at the ledge. He hesitated, trying to avoid imagining the dust-laden planks cracking under his weight. The ancient rope was so brittle that he worried a single movement might cause it to snap.

  Tentatively, he held his foot over the first plank. Softer than air, he set it on the wood, then shifted his weight onto that foot. The bridge held. Relief washed over him as he looked over his shoulder at the rest of the team. Cassidy beamed smugly at him.

  Warren inched across the planks, doing his best to avoid putting too much stress on any one point.

  Exhaling, Warren couldn't have been happier to be back on land. The rest of the team crept across the abyss-like darkness onto safety.

  It wasn't long before they encountered more statues and more bridges. Each bridge they crossed appeared impossibly frail, but like the first, each allowed the team to pass.

  As they descended, they circled the city, viewing it at every angle. Occasionally, the ledge dipped into narrow tunnels, but little else changed. Initially, the sight of the city had been awe-inspiring, but as the team drew nearer, the jagged spires became increasingly menacing.

  Warren noted little green lights wedged into the ravines and in the top portion of the spires. They weren't bright enough to light the ground below, and with the giant orb overhead, there was no need.

  What do those do?

  What kind of magic had the power to freeze an entire kingdom? He had never even heard legends of something so powerful. Were the xellics still alive in their frozen states? Or had they died, left as monuments to an evil curse?

  Warren dropped his gaze. Xellics were renowned magic users. For an entire city to fall to the Darkness, what hope did he and his tiny band have?

  He rounded a corner out of a tunnel and froze like the xellics around him. They had reached the city. Everywhere, thousands of xellics stood frozen in their tracks. His uncertainty overwhelmed him as he took in the full disaster.

  “Warren?” Lillian asked.

  He glanced at her. Deep worry filled her face. If they turned back now, that worry would become terror. He had made too many promises for him to flee now.

  “Stay close.” Warren stepped into the city.

  He wi
shed he could do something to save the xellics, but he didn’t even know if there was anything left to save. I’m sorry, Warren thought.

  Shaking off the numbness that had settled in the air, he pressed on, carefully weaving between statues. On the ground, even the smallest of the spires towered at least a thousand feet tall.

  As the team walked, Warren was forced to realize that male, female, and children of the xellics had been frozen. This is what the Darkness can do, doubt whispered to him. He set his jaw and marched on.

  In the crowd of xellics, Warren thought he saw movement. A shape weaved deeper into the kingdom. Taking a half-step forward, he paused, unsure of what he’d seen. If it was a xellic, how had it survived? Was it dangerous? Was it a trap?

  “What is it?” Vallerie asked.

  Warren stared at the last place he had seen the shape. “I’m not sure. We might not be alone down here.”

  He drew his sword and motioned for Lillian to get behind him. Armor clinked as his teammates armed themselves. Maneuvering the silent city was easier said than done. There were no paths whatsoever, only ancient stone. A number of times, it seemed as though the tower was moving farther away, yet when the team doubled back, the distance increased even more.

  As he turned from yet another dead end, Warren saw the weaving shape again. This time, it was much closer. Had it been holding still, he never would have given it a second thought, but it was definitely moving. About twenty feet ahead of them was a xellic.

  It turned to the side and waved Warren forward. The next second, it vanished. Warren stopped. Had it been tracking them? What did it want? And where did it go?

  “Hey, Warren, are we taking a break, or are we gonna keep trying for the tower?” Cassidy said.

  Warren shook his head.

  “Are you all right?” Vallerie asked.

  “Yeah, it’s just…” Warren started.

  If the xellic had wanted to harm them, wouldn’t it have done so by now? It blended in and could have easily attacked. Warren turned back to his team.

  “I think I just saw a xellic.”

  Cassidy laughed. “This may have escaped your notice, but they’re kind of everywhere.”