by Shelley Cass
She supported his genius with awe while he experimented and poured himself into creating new beasts to send into Awyalkna. She watched him bend the evil spirits he called to his will, and appreciated the craft he used in contaminating the foully pure Dragons they had captured. Nobody else could truly grasp how terrible and deliciously warped his experiments were as he moved on from making brutish trifles that could frighten people, and began producing beasts of true darkness and subtlety. His talent was such that he was now able to call poisonous entities from the Other Realm to serve as the spirits of these newest beasts – the same ones that were now hunting down the Awyalknian runaway boys of her vision.
These beasts were the first attempts since Darziates’ forefather Deimos had tried to bring spirits of the Other Realm into their own world, to meld even the different planes together in unity. And nobody had ever completely mastered the power of controlling the Other Realm spirits. Yet he had done it. The spirits responded to his compulsion, oozing into this world from their own to obey his summons, even though most died after undergoing his experiments.
She could see his brilliance, and often despaired at how rare it was for the King to be moved to be impressed by Agrona in return. Until she had displayed the power to be a vessel of prophecy and vision only recently. She’d been ecstatic to go to him to describe her new skill, and how she had been warned that, by some twist of fate decreed by the Gods, the Awyalknian boys could be dangerous if they reached the Jenran mountain people. He had been pleased, and she knew that she, Darziates’ Witch, had perhaps given her master something vital, something that could thwart the whims and threats of the Gods.
And when Agrona had kissed him, Darziates had allowed it, permitting a feeling of his magic to pass in wild thrills through her delighted body.
So she was sure that, after this night, if her warning did help them to avert the threat the boys posed, she would be recognised to be powerful enough. She would prove to him that he needed her. He would want her as his dread Queen.
Just as she hungered for him.
Chapter Thirteen
Kiana
For some time I stepped through the woods, checking dark groves and moving through the natural Palace of towering tree pillars. The chill was growing around me and I pulled my cloak tighter as I quietly stepped over fallen branches. I searched through a hollow in the ground that was shrouded in shadows, and noticed that my breath was starting to spread from my lips in clouds.
When my heart increased in pace to raise an internal bell of alarm, I gripped my sword hilt firmly. I had to be getting closer to the menace of the beast.
I observed that nothing stirred. No sounds of animals or wind rustled the peculiar silence.
It felt as if something had sapped the liveliness out of the air, as if the atmosphere was being turned to ice – until suddenly the stillness was split by a desperate cry for help.
The sound tore at my instincts and galvanised my limbs into a jagged sprint over roots and bushes, and around shadowy trunks while I now un-slung my longbow.
In a blink the arrow was fitted and I rushed on, steadily gaining the sense that I was nearing the presence of whatever icy power filled the beast until at last I slowed, and on soft feet, with taut bow ready, I moved around the final trees on the border of a clearing.
Then I saw properly for the first time what had been outside my window.
It was four feet tall, with sharply pointed limbs. Spikes protruded from each joint, clawed out from each digit, and poked gruesomely out along the thing’s spine. The legs were so long that they bent in a way that made the thing look constantly ready to pounce. It was insectile, with slit shaped features and burning white eyes.
I steadied myself against the shelter of the nearest tree trunk, the rough bark feeling reassuringly real against my straining hand as it gripped the bow. I tried to evaluate the creature and the odd chill that spread about it like an incapacitating weapon, and saw that past the beast there were two horses bumping together with their teeth showing in panic. Then peering further across the clearing revealed that there was another beast blending into the shadows.
Worse, one human victim was dangling from the clawed hands of the first beast, which was intent on the victim’s strangulation. The captive was gurgling weakly – still alive, which didn’t always happen on a hunt. The second beast was holding another person by the leg – less urgent.
A name flashed unbidden across my mind for a moment – the name of Sylranaeryn, a mythical Larnaeradee Fairy warrior who had taken the path of self-sacrifice against dark creatures of Sorcery.1 With that pure thought, I blocked out the swells of crippling, toxic emanations poisoning the area around the beasts to let myself be encased inside with the steel I always felt in place of fear.
I calmly loosed my arrow straight into the chest of the nearest beast, and then leapt lightly to a new position, drawing a new arrow. In an instant this was also hurtling into the second beast before I was again flitting to a better vantage point.
I paused, disconcerted to find that the creatures had not uttered any cry or shown any evidence of registering their grievous injuries. I slung my bow back over my shoulder grimly and unsheathed my sword again, sprinting forward from the trees to run a long slice across the nearest beast’s spiked back before I disappeared again for cover in the trees and whipped around to observe.
There was no reaction on either of the inanimate mask-like faces of the beasts, they simply continued to focus on gripping their two captives and in particular on watching the dangling victim choke.
“Frarshk,” I panted. But without hesitation I threw myself out into the open and charged at the fiend strangling its prey.
I swung my sword with all the might I could muster into the outstretched beast’s arm, forcing the blade to bite deeply into the flesh. And this time the towering fiend opened a mouth that had previously not been visible and began a hair raising shriek that revealed black gums and pointed fangs lining its jaws.
Simultaneously the other brute dropped its victim’s leg and began toward me in a menacing slouch, but I determinedly sawed with my blade to the chorus of continued screams while the first beast somehow withstood the severing of its arm to keep hold on the boy’s throat.
I grunted with effort, driving the blade deeper until finally tendons, muscles and ligaments sprang apart under the force, and I pulled free and whirled away to its other side as the beast’s hand lost function and the boy slipped down to the ground.
I raised my blade again and turned on the second being that had been circling with an arrow still embedded in its chest to try to get behind me. I darted closer, ducking under sharp, lashing talons, making a slice across its belly as I passed, and then slicing through the tendons and muscles behind its knees so that the beast toppled forward with a loud shriek.
I felt good until I glanced back at my original adversary, whose clawed hand dangled limply, disconnected from all nerves. But I gasped as I saw it reach with that flopping, nerveless, half-detached hand to pull my arrow from its chest, and as I saw the hole from the arrow re-seal with more shadowy darkness.
Then I saw the rent open gouge in its arm start to seal over as well, the muscles reconnecting and dragging the wrist and hand back up.
It flexed its long clawed fingers before its white eyes flickered onto me.
I quickly pounced to land on the second beast’s back before it could recover too and began sawing at its spikey spine for a more permanent injury, but it roared and jerked around fast so that I was thrown off, and at once I felt myself being snatched up by its healed comrade’s freezing grip as it seized my ankle and lifted me to hang upside down in a dizzying rush.
My mind was wiped clean for a moment as freezing ice seemed to shoot through my entire leg, but I began to wriggle desperately when its claws tightened, biting through my leather boot and into flesh so that it felt suddenly as though I was being sucked down into a frosty vortex of black water that could rip me from this wo
rld and into the Other Realm.
Frantically I kicked out with my free leg and my foot connected heavily with the thing’s face. When it blinked at the blow, I took the opportunity to pull myself upright, bending upward with all of the tensed muscles in my stomach burning until I could reach with my blade and jab at the thing’s neck.
The blade slid into its throat and it furiously raised its free hand to try to wrestle the sword buried in its gullet back out again. Then there was the throbbing agony of the second demon’s clawed hand seizing my middle, nearly entirely enclosing my waist.
I cried out with the shocking barrage of bitter cold, fervently trying to twist free while also keeping a grip on the sword spitting the first beast.
Trying to still me the second beast also now clamped its hold around my wrist before it took a step backward, pulling my middle and wrist along after it.
“Gods!” I shrieked in savage agony as I was pulled instantly in two different directions.
It took another step and I screamed as my body was pulled taut between my two captors, ready to rip apart at the seams.
As if it enjoyed my screams it gave a little teasing tug on my wrist and I heard my shoulder click while the creature’s sharp teeth glinted in what could’ve been a smile. Then my knee made a popping sound as the first, sword speared beast continued its agitated movements.
Agonised, I finally pulled my sword out of the first beast’s throat and it released my ankle in its own pain.
The other beast hadn’t been ready for this, and it was still pulling at me gleefully so that I, with my sword pointed forward, was miraculously tugged at great speed into its hard chest.
With a ghastly sound my blade penetrated deeply and those gloating, glowing eyes suddenly assumed surprise as I kicked off from its stomach to flip myself around its wrist, managing to twist free of the now howling beast’s grip.
I dropped back to the ground, but those two hulking figures shuddered and were already stretching out their healing bodies, unfolding their limbs to their full, spike lined extent, looking ready to chase me to the ends of the world.
Counting on it, I dashed away into the woods, only looking back to ensure they were pursuing me from the clearing as I sped through the trees and hastily dodged hurdles of the undergrowth.
I ducked under a branch that could have beheaded me, swatting its leaves from my face, but a few moments later I heard the same bough shatter as one beast ploughed straight through it.
As they came in closer I sheathed my blade and drew out my bow again, refitting another arrow in a blur. Then with as much accuracy as I could manage without pausing, I fired my arrow straight into one slitted eye of the beast on my right and watched it careen out of control to collide into a tree. The tree lifted with the impact, its roots ripping upward from the soil. Then I swerved to my left, refitting my bow and loosing at the other beast.
Immediately I skidded to a halt and dropped to the ground in front of a patch of bushes. I quickly tested the wind direction, making sure it was blowing away from Gangroah, the closest village, before I plucked two rocks from the ground and began to strike them desperately together over the bushes until they sparked and an ember began to eat into the leaves. Perhaps the legendary Fairy Sylranaeryn was magically assisting me to help a little flame to grow in the chilled air, because I was able to gently – if hurriedly nurse the embers to life.
I ran to a patch of fallen branches to create another spark, and looked about in a panicky rush, expecting to feel an icy hand around my neck at any moment. “Come on … Please Gods, let it burn!” I whispered frantically, wishing again for Sylranaeryn’s magic.
I gasped when I said the word ‘burn’, because as I said it, the pile of makeshift tinder seemed to magically listen and ignite. Flame abruptly caught hold of the sticks, bursting to life.
But I could only thank the Gods for another blessing and move on. The beasts were stirring and I rushed to spout more arrows in their direction before fleeing to start another little fire.
I heard the beasts crashing loudly behind me as the next fire began to grow, but I calmly fired once more so they never fully regained their sight, and went through the same process.
I dashed to another clump of bushes and did the same thing, then to every bush that I passed. I yelled “Burn!” at them and, as if by enchantment, they did.
I ripped a patch from my cloak and snatched up a branch as I ran. I wrapped the material around the branch and dipped it into a fire that was already crackling. The makeshift torch wouldn’t last for long without the proper oils, but it was enough.
Like a wild woman possessed, I danced my way around the wood, lighting as many bushes as I could, crying out for them to burn. Finally, inexplicably, fires had begun springing up everywhere, as despite it being a fresh night, the flames were truly taking hold, not even diminishing when the beasts and their cold drew close.
Whenever I could I scooped up leafy branches to dip them into the steadily growing fires, holding them out as I ran and lighting up all the trees I could get to.
I evaded my pursuers and spread fire until I was covered in sweat and ash, and my breaths were heaving. Only when smoke started to replace oxygen and the flinching, scorched looking beasts began to thaw and lag in speed during the chase, did I accept that soon the entire woods would be alight in a spectacular blaze.
Almost running out of arrows now, I fired once more at the beasts to slow them further, and to give myself the opportunity to run back to the clearing. I saw one beast jerk back with the impact, and it scorched itself on a burning bush. The flames started to crawl up its legs as if they were flammable.
I kept running, with the sounds of the creature desperately howling and beating at its legs echoing behind me.
The fires were joining together and I crashed through the burning woods with my arm protecting my head and my sword now out again, cutting through anything in my path.
Branches were crashing from treetops to the ground like bodies raining from the sky, burning leaves dropped like snow and it was as bright as daylight around me when I finally burst into the clearing again, to find the skittishly prancing horses straining to get as far from the burning as their tethering allowed.
I also found one of the survivors awake and pulling at his comrade, who seemed limp and unable to move.
Breathless, I held my hands out in a sign of peace. “I’m going to help you.”
The boy who was upright nodded, swallowing.
“We need to leave.” I said hastily as the flames gnawed at the edges of the clearing, their yellow light filling the area as they neared. “Can your friend move?”
He shook his head, pale faced.
“Get him up carefully. I’ll ready the horses.”
The clearing was a furnace that would be alight soon, and if we didn’t hurry the escape route I had planned on would be burning too, and we’d be trapped along with our enemies. But I steadily prepared the two nervous bays while the boy struggled to get the dead weight of his friend up.
I mounted one of the mares, still clutching the reins of the other, as the boy finally dragged his friend across and helped me to pull him up to lay over the saddle in front of me.
Then the blonde youth mounted hurriedly and obediently followed my lead towards the stream while the flames snarled at our heels.
The sight of the smooth dirt banks was a welcome one amidst a nightmare of suffocation and raining embers, and we gratefully steered our course into the stream just as, off into the blazing distance, two high pitched shrieks ripped through the woods.
They were the shrieks of fury and agony from two dying beasts unable to escape the flames that were searing away their ice.
And with a grim smile I leaned forward.
I could see the end of the woods.
* * *
1 The Tale of Sylranaeryn and her Unicorn are included at the end of this text.
Chapter Fourteen
Dalin
As my a
irways were constricted I became detached. I was drifting away into a blackness so smooth and rolling I felt I was floating.
Then I saw, in the shadows of my vision, a person rush in to attack the beast, and I dropped in a heap – shivering uncontrollably, spasming and twitching, and unable to help the person, who was surely a brave soldier from the search.
The poor soldier had used the last of his fortune when he’d found us, but I was just so cold that it hurt and any movement brought chilling agony that clawed through my anatomy. It felt as though shards of ice were tearing, ripping, slashing their way through my skin and muscles. Freezing knives had been let loose just beneath my flesh.
I’d not known real hurt until then and I was paralysed by it. I couldn’t even surface when I heard Noal urging me to wake.
He yanked on my arms, pulling me jerkily into a sitting position, and even in the roiling blackness of my mind my world lurched as I was pulled up and my head lolled to the side.
I did dimly hear a beautiful female voice and wonder if the voice was that of a guardian from the Gods.
I was relieved that an angelic guardian was here if I had to die.
At least I could be peaceful in the cold.
Chapter Fifteen
The night seemed darker in the lands of Krall. It was a vast, bleak country that looked as harsh and unwelcoming as the rumours accurately painted its King to be.
The castle slanted upwards, sprawling as it climbed the jagged desert landscape behind it. The castle was made of a dreary dark grey stone and, unlike Awyalkna’s Palace, which stood like a jewel of incredible height and width, it was a massive six story high structure that spanned outward for miles rather than in height. It was known for its brutal occupants and for the foul activities it concealed rather than for aesthetics. It appeared more imposing than the looming rocks it perched on.