by Mary Coffin
“It was like they didn’t know who I was,” Zack explained. “I thought they were playing some kind of a joke but,” he shook his head back and forth, “they weren’t.”
“And, no sign of Simon or Anton?” asked Katarina.
“No. I don’t get it.” Zack’s mind tried to grasp this turn of events. “I…I just don’t get it.”
Katarina’s face scrunched up. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
The sound of a wagon and horses broke through the quiet.
“Take cover,” she said to Zack.
He turned and trotted to her right, farther into the trees. Katarina receded back as well. She only hoped that Geoffrey and James heard the sounds and stayed out of sight.
Before long, the horse drawn wagon appeared. Its driver was a man, wearing the black cape of a member of the Brethren of Darkness. He stopped on the edge of the old lake bed. Behind him were six other members on horseback. The man in the wagon studied the cliff on the other side of the old lake and then drove the wagon forward, in a big half-loop, so the wagon came to a stop up against the cliff. He jumped down, stepped back several paces and observed his location. The other Brethren had dismounted as well and they gathered in the lake bed, as if discussing what they were about to do.
Katarina didn’t like their odds. There were four Guardians and seven Brethren. The only two things the Guardians had in their favor, though, were that they were still mounted, and they had the element of surprise.
“May the light be with us,” whispered Katarina as she quietly unsheathed her sword. At first, she wasn’t sure of the correct action to take. They didn’t know where Simon and Anton were and Tannis and Pria acted as if their memory had just been stolen, or they were playing a very sick game.
Tannis had shown her on the map where he believed the crystal crevice was located but he also admitted that he wasn’t certain. The Brethren arriving in the same vicinity made her think there was some truth to Tannis’s thinking. Should they wait and see if the Brethren obtain the crystal and then attack? Or should they attack the Brethren first and then locate the crystal?
She had concluded that they should attack first and was about to shout an order to the Guardians when she noticed a strange mist forming off to her left. It started as a small puff but quickly expanded toward the lake bed where the Brethren stood.
Then she caught sight of James near the cliff, coming out of the trees on the right. He led his horse by the reins and was heading straight toward the Brethren, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
Zack shouted, “James, no!”
Most members of the Brethren looked in the direction of the shout, except for one who kept his eyes on James as he approached. Oddly enough, the Brethren smiled, as if he found the Guardian walking toward him amusing.
Then he said, “Brothers, look who joins us.”
James walked right up to him and gave him a hug.
Katarina couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She watched as James pointed in her direction, and signaled where Zack and Geoffrey were hiding. James! A spy!
Then he shouted. “Come on out, Katarina. Zack. Geoffrey.”
Holding her sword at the ready, Katarina walked her horse forward, until she just broke past the tree line. Zack did the same and appeared about fifty feet to her right, his sword also at the ready. Geoffrey stepped out from his place near the cliff and stopped where he could see Katarina, on the other side of the lake bed. He kept an eye on the Brethren and their position but also glanced at Katarina, waiting for a signal to act.
The fog was growing in size and rapidly spread in multiple directions at once. In fact, it was about to block her eye contact with Geoffrey. Katarina heard a faint sound, like distant tiny bells playing soft music. She felt the slightest air movement brush past her face but there was no breeze. The leaves on the trees weren’t moving. The blanket of fog became dense as it moved, like a dark storm cloud building over the ground.
Suddenly, the gray cloud quit moving forward. There was a distinct line where it stopped, as if an unseen force was holding it back, so it had no direction to go but up toward the sky. As the fog continued to increase in size, it became an ominous billowy gray wall. Katarina thought she heard the bells again. She glanced around and saw that the fog had everyone’s attention.
She gazed to her right, past Zack, hoping to see Tannis and Pria arriving. Their behavior didn’t make sense but she sure wished they were there right now to help even the odds. She caught Zack’s attention and made a gesture with her sword, nodding her head in the direction of the Brethren. She prayed like heck that Tannis and Pria would arrive at any moment.
Then, at the top of her lungs, she shouted, “Guardians, charge!”
FIFTY NINE
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Overseers
Great Mountains
Morten regretted giving Loki the substance to help her sleep the previous night. It had too strong of an effect and they hadn’t been able to wake her that morning. Waysu left her a note, beside the vanishing rod, and told her to join them as soon as she woke but Morten wasn’t expecting her any time soon.
He swirled his finger in the air, creating a vortex of spinning energy, and flung it at the Sound Eating fog. He expected that it would dispel the mist but it had only a slight effect. He anticipated that the fog might be used again as a ploy but it clearly wasn’t created by the Brethren standing in the lake bed. In fact, they seemed oblivious to it. Someone else was in the area.
He signaled to the fairies positioned in the trees where they blended perfectly with the bark, like moths with splotches of brown on the backside of their wings. Morten watched as they abandoned their positions to help with the fog. As soon as they reached the sunny, open area, it appeared that they vanished but Morten knew they were there, working invisibly. He heard the faint sound of chimes as they fanned their wings in an effort to get rid of the fog. He only hoped that he’d brought along enough fairies to do the trick since the fog was spreading over a large area. He created another swirling vortex and directed it toward the mist, hoping to minimize their work.
He had observed seven Brethren in the lake bed but knew there was, at least, one more that had created the fog. Four Guardians entered the area as well, although, one was obviously a spy for the Brethren, which was evident since he broke his cover and exchanged greetings with his brothers. So that made a minimum of eight Brethren and three Guardians, which wasn’t even turf but it mattered not, knowing what the Overseers were about to do. Morten let his eyes roam some more, searching for additional people but saw none.
He glanced at the fog again. The fairies were managing to keep it away from the Guardians and the Brethren, which was critical for the Overseers to use their vanishing rods. If the fog engulfed them all, it would be likely that someone could slip away and also made it impossible for the Overseers to see their targets.
There was a distinct line where the cloud was held back, so the fairies were having some success but as he watched, Morten’s concern grew. The mist was still expanding and becoming dense but instead of disappearing, it climbed upward, against their wall of resistance. It looked ominous, like a huge ocean wave building in height before crashing back down to the surface. He feared that it was outgrowing the area that the fairies could cover. They had to act soon or the opportunity would be missed.
Just then, one of the Guardians shouted for her group to charge. Morten waited another moment, to see if other Guardians or Brethren surfaced but didn’t see anyone else.. He took one last look at the fog and knew that the fairies were losing the battle. The cloud was rolling over their wall of defense and ready to crash down onto the people fighting in the lake bed. They had to act quickly.
Morten charged forward, selected the closest Guardian, pointed the gold crystal and shouted, “Abeo!” The Guardian and his horse disappeared.
The other Overseers had been waiting for Morten to make the first
move and, as soon as he did, they bounded forth and used their vanishing rods to each eliminate another person. Fortunately, the Guardians and the Brethren were none the wiser that others were in the area, until there was a shout.
“Kado! Behind you!” screamed Waysu.
Morten saw Kado grab his arm as he dropped to the ground and rolled. He had been struck by a Brethren’s sword but managed to keep hold of the vanishing rod. With his good arm, he held the wounded arm, while his other arm pointed the rod at the man who was about to hurl his sword at him.
“Abeo,” shouted Kado.
“Waysu!” cried Silas. He watched one of the Guardians, on foot, charging toward her but they were too far away for Silas to use his wand. He might accidentally make Waysu disappear. The Guardian wrapped her arms around Waysu, before Waysu had a chance to turn and face her, and tackled her to the ground. As they fell, Waysu was underneath the Guardian but, by the time they hit the ground, Waysu had managed to pivot her wand enough to target the Guardian. The woman vaporized and Waysu struck the ground.
Morten glanced around to tally the count and caught the Brethren that ran toward him by surprise. The Brethren and his horse disappeared. There were only a few left but Morten noticed that the fog was nearly on top of them all. In fact, one of the Guardians squirmed as the mist engulfed him but it appeared the mist was physically sticking to him. He was unsuccessful in peeling it off and Morten quickly lost sight of him. Something was different about this cloud. It had a different property than the one that Elwyn had used.
Morten suddenly had the sense that he was being watched. He turned to his left and gazed back near the tree line. Draevil, the Lord of the Brethren, stood outside the fog’s reach and watched. Next to him was an old woman; a black patch covered one of her eyes. Morten turned to point his rod but his hand caught, held back by the sticky mist that had just grabbed him.
Morten’s experience with the vanishing rod had only been on living mammals but, he reasoned, the fog is a self-generating living thing. He decided that he had nothing to lose by trying it. Where his hand was stuck, the gold crystal pointed only at the cloud.
“Abeo!”
A small hole poked through the cloud and light filtered through it. He twisted his hand slightly.
“Abeo!”
Another hole developed, but it was so small in diameter, he knew it would take a long time to break free. He took one last look at Draevil. The intensity of his hardened glare was the last sight that Morten saw before he was fully enveloped by the cloud.
SIXTY
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Loki
Great Mountains
Loki had been drifting in and out of sleep, having difficulty shaking the oppressing drugged feeling that clouded her mind and gave her strange dreams. She thought she called out to Waysu, at least she imagined that she did, but there was no reply. She had no sense of how long she had slept or what time of day or night it was. Her eyelids felt like heavy slothful blankets that resisted being lifted.
She lay still for a few moments, willing her body and mind to wake, to come alert. Finally, she managed to force her eyelids to move. They rose slightly but immediately closed again.
Ugh! So groggy!
She shook her head, trying to clear the feeling.
Need…to move…the body.
She pushed her eyelids open again and held them there, blinking a few times. There was light in the room. She turned her head and saw a lit candle on the table between the beds. Beside it was a glass of water. With a groan, she rolled onto her side and pushed herself up with her arm. Her legs fell over the edge of the bed. The movement was helping. She stretched her body to force more life into it. She rubbed her eyes, slapped her cheeks and legs, and let out a grunt. The grogginess subsided some. She looked at the table and saw a note from Waysu.
Couldn’t wake you. Need your help outside the crystal cave. Come as soon as you can. Use the crevice and bring the vanishing rod.
She placed her hands on the side of the bed and bent over while she pushed herself off to a standing position. She nearly rolled right to the floor but caught herself and straightened up. As she looked down, she noticed she was still wearing the previous day’s clothes. The powdered substance she had put into her drink at the evening meal must have knocked her out before she changed clothes.
She reached for the water and gulped it, grateful for the lively feeling it brought to her senses. She set the empty cup on the table and saw the vanishing rod she used to vaporize her mother’s body. Thinking about it caused her to sigh. After a moment, she picked it up, grabbed her wrap and unsteadily walked out of the room.
The halls were empty and all was quiet as she wound her way to the stairs. As her senses came more awake, she noticed Overseers morphed into the tunnel walls as she passed by but she didn’t acknowledge them. It was enough, though, to let her know that something was going on so she walked with the gold crystal pointed outward, in case she got caught off guard by some intruder.
Before she reached the stairs, someone whispered.
“I thought she was outside with the others.”
“I thought so, too. Maybe we should go check on them.”
Loki stopped, before descending the stairs and turned toward the whispers.
“I can hear you, you know. I’m on my way now.”
She took the crudely carved stairs as quickly as possible. When she hit bottom, she rushed to the storage room, grabbed a lantern from the box, lit it and approached the crystal cave. It was dark so she knew the fairies were plastered all over the crystals lining the walls and ceiling. Soft light emanated from the cave that held the main crystal, though, so she walked quickly toward it, thinking that Morten was there. As she got closer, she heard voices and realized the light didn’t have the usual gold hue but was white and seemed to be moving around.
“Where is it?” demanded a deep, male voice.
A raspy woman’s voice responded, “It’s here. I hear the hum and feel its vibration through the floor.”
Loki stopped and immediately extinguished the lantern. Something is wrong! She crept quietly toward the opening to the main cave and stopped at the edge. Footsteps were crunching on the floor of the smaller cave, walking back and forth. When she thought they were walking away from her she snuck a glance around the corner. What she saw shocked her and she sucked in air.
The man turned at the sound and Loki ducked back behind the wall.
It took a moment for her brain to register what it saw. There was a man with a ball of bright white light that fit in the palm of his hand. He was tall and wore a black cape. Loki’s skin turned clammy and her heart pounded in her chest as she realized it was a member of the Brethren of Darkness but something about this one was menacingly dark. Maybe it was his black hair, with beard and mustache or his dark skin but everything about him oozed darkness, like it was coming through the pores of his being.
The dirt crunched under his heavy footsteps and the sound came closer. Loki shrank back further, careful not to touch the wall and hurt the fairies.
“It’s close. Over in this area,” said the woman. “It’s hidden somehow.”
The man stopped walking toward Loki and turned back. Loki quietly stepped forward to take another look. Both intruders had their backs to her. She held her breath as she studied them. The woman stood with her hands held out, trying to determine the source of the vibration. She had long gray hair and wore tattered, soiled clothing. She was hunched over slightly. The man was beside her, extending his hand so the ball of light shone on the walls.
As Loki looked on, something odd was happening with the woman. Her hair looked like it was changing. It flickered from frizzy gray to smooth black. It blinked back and forth a few times and then stayed black. While she still wore the ragged clothes, her posture straightened and from her backside, Loki thought she could have just as easily been observing a young person.
The woman turned sideways, lengthening her reach as though her hands followed an invisible trail, and Loki saw a patch over her eye. Then she turned to go in the opposite direction and Loki recognized her. Elwyn! How dare she come back here! The magic she used on herself had apparently just worn off but Elwyn acted as though she had no clue that she had returned to normal.
The man took a step to the side but moved his hand so that the light was on Elwyn. He watched for a moment and then said, “Well? Where is it, old woman?”
Loki noticed the irritation in his tone but Elwyn appeared oblivious.
“It’s in here. I know it is.” She let her hands sense the vibrations through the air. “It’s the cave. I can’t pinpoint…”
Elwyn stopped and a look of shock spread across her face. She stared at the back of her hands. They were young again.
“…the location…” Her voice was normal, no longer raspy like an old woman. She glanced at her hair that had draped over the front of her shoulder and touched its black, sleek surface. Then her gaze rose to meet Draevil’s glare and her jaw dropped.
In one fluid movement, his free hand wrapped tightly around her neck and his thumb pressed firmly into her throat. Elwyn choked and gasped for air. He dropped the ball of light to the floor and used both hands to strangle her.
“This is the last time you will play me for a fool!” His voice loudly echoed through the caverns.
Elwyn tried to speak but only gurgled rasps came out. Even in the dim light, Loki saw her sister’s body going limp. Loki rushed forward with vanishing rod in hand, making sure the gold crystal pointed outward. When she was nearly upon Draevil, she shouted.
“Abeo!”
In an instant, he disappeared and Elwyn dropped to the ground, gasping for air. Loki stood over her with the rod pointed at her chest. This was the first time she had seen Elwyn in over a year and she couldn’t help but notice that something was different. It wasn’t how her face looked different with a patch over her eye. As she stood there, in the close proximity, Loki shuddered at the strength of the dark energy that radiated from her sister. Not only did the man ooze with darkness; her sister had the same intense energy.
Several moments passed and Elwyn’s breathing was almost normal again before she looked up at the person that saved her.
SIXTY ONE
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