by Shelley Cass
I was frowning in disbelief, and also with regret for how I had just introduced myself to this saviour of ours. Kiana.
“Dalin,” he said meaningfully. “She saved all of our lives. And I trust her.”
I nodded without speaking as he went on to describe the fight she had put up to save my life.
“I’m grateful to her then,” I admitted gruffly at last.
“But I don’t know why she tried to kill you, after all of that,” Noal added curiously.
I sighed in agitation. “I thought something had gone wrong. I didn’t know where you were or what we were doing here. So I found a knife and searched the place. I found her asleep, and she woke up to find me in here with the knife,” I admitted.
“You must’ve been standing rather close,” he speculated with his eyebrows raised.
“It was still an overreaction,” I shrugged. “Surely she could expect me to wake feeling threatened and disoriented.”
“It was odd,” Noal pondered, and I nodded tiredly.
“I’m sure I can fix things with her when she returns,” I told Noal confidently, but he gave me a knowing expression.
“I don’t think she’s quite like the girls who usually forgive you anything at the Palace,” he warned with a hint of amusement.
“We’ll see.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, too exhausted to think about it all.
Chapter Twenty One
Noal
The doe had been prepared, Dalin and I had eaten, and I’d stored the rest, coming to wait by the fire for Kiana a little worriedly while Dalin rested in the bedroom again.
Night had come and I didn’t know Kiana was even back until she made a coughing sound to signal her arrival. I twisted in the chair, surprised, and found her leaning against the frame of the door, arms folded, hair tumbling loose and tucked behind one ear. Her face was expressionless.
I bounded out of the chair, and a feeling of uneasiness I hadn’t registered twisting in my gut unravelled. I realised I’d grown to rely on her.
“Kiana, you’ve been gone for an age!” I exclaimed. “What was wrong? Are you well?” I sucked in some air. “And, are you hungry?”
She smiled a small smile, but there was a grim steeliness in her eyes and I stopped talking at her.
“I don’t wake well to armed figures standing over me. I went for a walk. Now I’ll fix something for myself.”
“It’s alright, I’ll get your dinner, you can do your check up, healing work on Dalin,” I said, rushing to cut her some meat.
“He can rest for now,” Kiana answered bluntly. “I’ll see to him later.” She walked past me to the table, scraping a chair out and sitting down.
While I got her dinner ready, she cleaned one of her daggers, her face showing that her mind was turning over some absorbing thoughts. And as I watched her I knew with great certainty that I didn’t want to leave her here when Dalin and I went on our journey again.
Dalin and I had to convince Kiana to join our Quest.
I just had to convince Dalin.
Chapter Twenty Two
Dalin
I was taking steps which were gaining in strength around the bedroom, but I was still feeling like I’d swallowed hot sand.
I paused to gaze at a Unicorn figurine sitting alone on a shelf, and reached to take it down, examining it on my palm with a little surprise. For in the abrupt and volatile meeting we’d shared the day before, I hadn’t seen Kiana as the type to collect such trinkets.
I closed my fingers around it and resumed my careful pacing again – only to jump when Kiana stepped soundlessly through the door, crossing the room with a cup in her grasp.
“Sit,” she said as if nobody had dared argue with an order from her in her life, and I sat on the bed in an offhand sort of way, as if I’d been planning to be seated all along.
Now was the moment to make peace between us.
“I’d like to thank you for your help,” I told her winningly.
She gave a curt nod.
“You have such a wonderful, pastoral little cottage,” I went on with a big smile. “Very cosy.”
“Please be quiet. I need to concentrate.” She put her palm against my chest and I froze. “Stop that,” Kiana instructed. “Breathe normally and stop being so rigid, I need to feel your heart beat.”
I tried to relax, watching her face as she concentrated on my heart.
Then she removed her hand from my chest, its warmth disappearing, and she bent forward to examine my neck, her face close to mine. She smelt like pine and flowers.
She lifted my chin to lightly touch the bruise around my neck and I flinched at the sudden pain that shot through my skin. Her fingers stopped their gentle sweep when she saw me wince, and she drew back.
“The bruise around your neck is still concerning, but it’s starting to fade. Your heart and the temperature of your skin is normal enough for me to stop checking. After some bed rest you should be well enough to leave.”
“Thank you again,” I sat up straighter and put my smile back on. “By the way, this is a delightful piece.” I held up the white Unicorn figurine, still in my hand, for her to see. “Did you make it?”
Kiana’s eyes hardened from pretty blue to bitter frost and the big smile planted on my face started to get hard to hold up. She held out her hand, and I quickly surrendered the Unicorn to her. She put it straight in her pocket and pushed the cup she’d carried with her into my hand in return.
“Drink that,” she instructed. “You probably won’t need any more after tonight.”
“Sure,” I answered weakly, though she’d already left the room again.
At a loss, staring after her, I gulped down the entire contents of the cup thoughtlessly.
“GODS!” I rasped, spluttering uncontrollably at the smouldering sensation spreading from my throat to the rest of me. It flooded from my core, around my chest, all the way out to my extremities. It felt as though even my fingernails and the tips of my ears would start glowing pink with heat.
“Frarshk,” I breathed huskily, rubbing at my throat as my tongue throbbed. “Thank the Gods I won’t need that anymore.”
There was a knock at the door, and I wiped at the streaming tears that saturated my cheeks, wheezing as Noal entered.
Noal stifled a laugh.
“You know, your nose is running,” he remarked. “I thought our frilly, powdered Wilmont broke you of such flaws.”
Noal sat himself on the bed, wriggling his way into a nest like spot among the blankets and pillows without putting his shoes up to dirty anything on Kiana’s bed. That was likely the eternally disappointed Wilmont’s training too.
“Make yourself comfortable,” I croaked dryly, dabbing at my streaming nose while it still felt like smouldering pebbles had been tipped down my gullet and were burning grooves into the soft, pink lining of my innards.
“I did,” he reassured me with raised, wheat blonde eyebrows as he stretched out his long limbs. “Because we need to discuss something.”
“Discuss what?” I asked cautiously.
“Now, Wilmont also entrenched the rules of diplomacy into you, so hear me out,” Noal began.
I groaned loudly.
“Just listen,” he told me, and I gestured with resignation for him to continue.
“I believe we must still continue on with the Quest,” he told me. “But it has become clear that it’s going to be fraught with more danger than expected. And,” he continued, “I don’t think we should leave Kiana here alone.”
“What?!”
He crossed his arms as I sputtered in shock. “If you think about it, Dalin, she isn’t a normal girl.”
“That’s for sure,” I grunted.
“I mean,” he glared, “she would be an asset. She’s proven herself to be a better fighter than us. She’s a hunter of the things we could be up against, a tracker, and a healer. It’s a miracle we’ve found everyone we could ever need on a dangerous journey all in one.”
And I knew everything he’d said was true as he finished and clasped his hands over his rounded belly to sit back and wait for the inevitable.
“You’re … right,” I muttered grudgingly at last.
“We’re taking her?” he asked, his voice suddenly happy again.
“Fine,” I mumbled.
“Great!” he bounced up from the bed and punched me lightly on the shoulder. “That’s fantastic Dalin!” he beamed. “Now, you can help me to convince Kiana!”
Chapter Twenty Three
Time had nearly run out for Agrudek, and for the Awyalknian runaways. And though he had worked tirelessly to create only five of them, those boys didn’t stand a chance against the Evexus now.
Soon Darziates would rouse the shadows that made up the Evexus. The Sorcerer would pour those shadows into the strange case-like dummies, fusing the shadows with the bodies and manipulating them to life. The darkness would corrupt the building materials within the case bodies, becoming one with them.
And though Agrudek felt sure he had done everything properly this time, that these modified Evexus would not fail, he knew the King would want more. He wanted an army. Yet worse, was the fact that so far Agrudek had been unable to find the boys or the brave one who had helped them. And it was clear that Darziates had known the task to be impossible for one such as the scientist – it was designed for him to fail. Agrudek was no spy and had never been asked to gather foreign intelligence before.
Nonetheless he had tried, desperately tried to do all the King asked, for the sake of his family. He had sought to get notes to the Awyalknian, Wilmont, for information, but no reply had arrived. Agrudek had even sent out some more minor beasts to try to track the missing targets down, but the fire that had killed the first Evexus beasts had erased all trails to follow.
Time was running out. He knew.
Chapter Twenty Four
Great creatures writhed screaming in the wastelands outside of Krall. They stretched massive wings in agony, but were bound in the wastelands by a terrible magic that tormented and sickened them.
At every moment nightmares and hate were being pumped into their minds to warp and twist them into forgetting the wise, peaceful creatures they had once been. Their golden, gleaming scales had faded to lifeless grey, no longer an armour of light around them. They no longer spoke to each other, or even recognised each other. The evil ate their awareness away and broke them into beasts.
Dragons.
Outside of the wastelands, where the screams from below were faint and the size of each Dragon was reduced by distance, there stood a lone figure. Tall, straight, strong, immovable. His hair almost white in the desert sun, and his eyes harder than granite, Darziates watched the transformed, savage beasts writhing below impassively.
He strengthened the spell on the entrapments placed on the Dragons and lashed them with another vicious vision to scream over. He used the power of his mind, pushing and moulding reality, twisting and warping until what he wanted happened.
When he had discovered his true identity as heir to Deimos and as the world’s last hope for a leader to unify it, he had returned to Krall as King and had begun using his gifts to take a piece of the world at a time. These Dragons were not really needed for him to win his wars, they were simply one of the pieces to take, and Krall had been another. Containing the other magical races had been a crucial step too.
Another series of howls echoed up to him from the writhing Dragons below, and he considered how he could still make use of them as he seized his next piece – Awyalkna. He already had more numbers than Awyalkna could stand against and he knew he could win the war sheerly through his own dark power, with the remaining magical races too weak and isolated to stand against him. But unification rather than destruction was the goal.
Eventually even those weak magical ones left over would have to belong to him too, or he would not technically rule everything together.
He began to build his energy, readying to leave, but there was a squawk from the blue sky above him, and a circling black dot started to get larger, swooping down to meet the Sorcerer.
A raven with silky feathers, a harsh beak and cruel, sharp talons landed before him, screeching a greeting to its master. Then the raven’s beak and feathers melted to become abnormally pale skin, a long nose and midnight hair. The outstretched wings twisted into themselves and split at the ends, becoming arms and fingers. Talons and legs stretched to become the legs and toes of a woman. Beady eyes became huge and beautiful, but just as dark as Agrona now stared at the Sorcerer in admiration and hunger.
“You have twisted these creatures so perfectly my King. Now we have Dragons to serve the will of the world’s saviour.” Crimson lips, standing out on the unnatural white of her skin, spread into a smile that would have been breathtakingly beautiful and terrible to behold for any other person.
“I have dealt with that little man, Agrudek’s, family,” she purred when Darziates did not respond, and she moved closer to him with an expression of greedy fixation.
But the Sorcerer’s emotionless gaze was fixed beyond her, having returned to the Dragons.
“It’s that scientist’s fault that the Evexus didn’t stop those Awyalknian boys. But with the help of my visions, we will be rid of their threat before the end of the ninth age.” She moved even closer, relishing the proximity of the Sorcerer’s power. “I love you my Dread Lord. And can help you in the future you are building.”
His magic stung her a little, as if she had flown too close to the sun.
“I will marry you, my Liege,” she went on lustfully. “I’ll breed with you the next generation of your world.”
He cast her a short glance.
“I must marry the most powerful woman to create the most powerful heir.”
Her laugh was low.
“I’m that woman.”
Chapter Twenty Five
Kiana
I crossed through the bobbing, long grass of my field to the back of the cottage, lowering two heavy pails of water to the ground. Rubbing the red, handle shaped indents across my palms, I found both boys sitting at the kitchen table acting as though they were plotting something dangerous.
“What are you two up to?” I asked, and their heads shot up to look at me with startled eyes.
“Gods, Kiana! I never hear you come in!” Noal exclaimed as he clutched his chest.
I grabbed myself an apple from the jar at the end of the kitchen, automatically tossing one to Noal, who groaned, but already had his hand up to catch it.
I crunched into mine, letting the juice freshen my mouth, chewing slowly. I swallowed and said casually: “The villagers say there were soldiers here some days gone by.”
I was satisfied to see the hurried glance of alarm they shared. I crunched slowly on my apple again, chewed, and swallowed.
“They were apparently asking for two nobles described to look much like you.”
Their eyes shifted to the floor guiltily.
Crunch, chew, swallow.
“I don’t want an explanation, but I’ll let you know that they left days ago, heading back toward Awyalkna Palace, and no others have been seen around here.”
Suddenly their faces brightened considerably.
Crunch, chew, swallow.
“Seeing as you’re both recovered, the weather appears to be fine and now you aren’t being searched for by soldiers or monsters in these parts, this would be a good time for escape.”
“Escape?” Noal puzzled.
“I’m not passing judgment. Lots of people don’t want to die in a war.”
“No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong,” Dalin cried.
Noal waved his hands, and the core of his apple, in dismay. “We’re not deserters!”
I shrugged and took another bite.
“Please, let us explain,” Dalin appeared personally wounded.
They both stood now, with the apprehension from earlier returning to their faces.
“What were
you plotting about just now, then?” I asked with an eyebrow cocked.
“Approaching you,” admitted Noal.
I frowned in consternation.
“We need your help,” he explained.
I put my hands up. “I’ve given you ample enough aid. I won’t help you abandon duties in the war.”
“I beg you, Kiana, to listen,” Noal appealed earnestly. “And then decide.”
I sighed and leant back against the cupboards, setting down the apple and crossing my arms to stare at them both, awaiting their explanation.
This time it was Dalin who drew a steadying breath and spoke. “We seek your aid, because we’re not trying to run from the war. We’re trying to save it.”
They saw the cynicism cloud my face. Nobody could be that much of a terrible fighter, where not participating could save the whole war.
Dalin continued, undeterred. “Everyone knows of the attack on Awyalkna’s most prosperous border village, Bwintam, and that other smaller ones have already been sacked too.”
I tried not to stiffen at the mention of Bwintam.
“But those attacks, and the unnatural beasts you hunt, are just the beginning,” Dalin proclaimed. “Spies have reported that the rumours are true. Darziates himself, and the woman he works with, are capable of impossible – magical things. Our enemy has in fact used his magic and terror to gather vast armies that are not entirely human.”
He looked at me imploringly now. But I wasn’t ready to say anything.
“So Darziates has access to unnatural, even evil measures to destroy anything in his path. Which is Awyalkna. And we have no means to match such forces.”
“That’s where we come in,” Noal asserted genuinely. “We’re on a Quest.”
Dalin was unwaveringly serious. “Noal and I have been kept from helping in the war – held in the Palace securely because of our fortunate lineage. But while we stayed, we saw that there were ways we could help, options open to Awyalkna that our leaders have refused to consider possible. The threat became too serious for us not to leave to try whatever we can to give Awyalkna some chance of survival.”