by E. A. Copen
Slowly, with shaky hands, I reached out to touch the skull. The bone was cool and smooth under my fingers, as real as any I had ever touched, though I knew I wasn’t really there, touching anything. “This is a dream.” The forest had grown quiet. My words echoed in the emptiness. “But you’re real, aren’t you?”
The shadow warrior leaned into my hand. Its red eyes flickered and then faded into strangely familiar gunmetal blue eyes. Its armor creaked, receding back to wherever it had grown from, revealing the naked body of a man. After the armor disappeared, the skull came loose and fell aside on its own.
My jaw fell open in surprise at the sight of the man beneath. “Dex?”
He took a single, shuddering breath before collapsing into my lap.
I woke up back in the hut with my breath caught in my throat and sweat on my back.
Dex stumbled back a step before falling on his ass. “Damn,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “That’s quite a right hook.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, and put my head in my hands.
“Bad dreams?”
I nodded.
“Figured. You were tossing and turning pretty good.” He stood up, dusting himself off. “That’ll teach me to wake up someone in the middle of a nightmare.”
I lifted my head. “It wasn’t a nightmare. But it wasn’t a good dream either. It was…” I didn’t know how to describe it. It had seemed so real, but so strange. Almost as if the dream were magic.
I didn’t like the idea of someone using magic to mess with my head while I was sleeping, though, so I dismissed the idea. The elves wouldn’t have reason to do that, and neither would Dex or Zia. It was easier to just dismiss it as a weird dream and move on.
Zia ducked back through the tent flap and scanned the room before scowling. “You’re still in bed? Are you serious? Get up! Let’s go! The sun’s almost up!”
“Coming, coming.” I grumbled to myself as I pushed back the blankets and got out of bed.
Leseran and a handful of other armored elves waited outside when I finally made it out there, still trying to tie the sword to my belt. “Finally,” he breathed.
“Give me a break, will you? I had a few rough days to recover from.” I finished adjusting the sword.
The elf gestured for his people to come forward with their blindfolds.
Dex sighed. “Again with the blindfolds? I thought we were past this.”
Leseran shrugged. “It’s not my policy. Not that I disagree, mind you.”
After blindfolding us, the elves led us to horses and helped us up onto them. Then, with a few clicks of the tongue, we were off, moving through the forest and back toward our convoy. The early morning forest was as quiet as it’d been in my dream. A few crickets sang from the bushes and birds chirped in the branches above, but no one spoke. I listened to the sound of hooves on our horses moving through the wild land and couldn’t help but replay the dream in my head. Did it mean something? Maybe not. I’d read somewhere that dreams were the brain’s way of working through problems, and I certainly had my fair share of those lately.
“It’ll be nice to get back,” Zia said suddenly off to my right. “I hope they haven’t had too much trouble with my vampires.”
“How do you know they didn’t put them down?” I asked. “They were talking about it as a possibility when I left.”
“Ash would never… Well, I suppose if they were out of control, maybe. But the wagon was re-enforced, and I left instructions to strengthen it. Even if the wagon failed to contain them, I had contingencies and failsafes in place that would’ve rendered them harmless. There would be no need to put them down simply because I was indisposed. They certainly don’t deserve it.” She cleared her throat. “Besides, if something had happened, I would know. We share a bond, and if it were permanently severed, I would feel it.”
I shrugged. “They seemed pretty wild when we took off. All I’m saying is someone mentioned it as an option.”
Leather creaked on Zia’s side. “What’s your problem with my vampires?”
“Nothing,” I answered, “except I don’t like the idea of having my throat ripped out by blood sucking monsters.”
“They’re not monsters!”
“You’re right. I misspoke. They’re weapons of mass destruction, and the only thing keeping them from killing us all is a metal circle on your head. If that enchanted tiara falls off, they’d kill us all in an instant. I don’t care what failsafes you have in place or how many. There are always ways it can go wrong. When you play with fire, you get burned and those vampires… They’re an open flame next to gasoline.”
“How do you know? You wouldn’t know the first thing about magic. You’re just a dimwitted poacher with good tits and a sword.”
“I know!” I spat back. “I’ve seen it happen up close and personal, okay?”
“Enough!” Leseran’s voice cut through the forest just ahead. “Spirits, you two are arguing loud enough, I’m surprised every madman in the forest hasn’t descended on us.”
I turned away from Zia, though I couldn’t see her. Just the idea of being near her made me feel sick. If I could see where I was, I would’ve moved my horse and let Dex ride next to her.
We rode on in sullen silence for a short distance before Zia spoke again. “I’m sorry you had to see that. It must’ve been terrible. How old were you?”
“Does it matter?” There was less vitriol in my words and more exhaustion. Rather than argue and make things worse, though, I eventually decided I should answer. Maybe she’d understand my side of things and be more careful. “I was six. We went down to Macon for some festival or something.”
“You were at the Macon Massacre?”
“Is that what it’s called?” I shrugged. “I remember the quiet just before it happened. The stunned silence that stretched on and on as everyone in the square sucked in a collective breath, waiting to see what would happen. When the killing started, a shopkeeper took a bunch of us in. Said we’d be safe in the cold room under the floor. By the time we got there, it was already full. There was only enough room for me.” I squeezed my eyes closed. “People say it’s the screams you never forget, but there were so many. They all just blend together. It’s the scratching, the way they clawed at the floorboards above us for hours.”
“I don’t remember this,” Dex said. “What exactly happened?”
“A mentally unstable necromancer set himself on fire in the Macon town square,” Zia answered. “His two vampires were released from control and killed almost a hundred people. But he was a rogue, not a member of the Institute. If he had been, they would’ve known about his condition and helped him before he got so bad. I’m sorry about what happened to you, Ember, but that’s why the Institute is needed. Magic isn’t a toy you toss around to solve all your problems. It’s a responsibility.”
I sighed. “Sorry doesn’t bring my parents back, or anyone else.”
The horses stopped suddenly, and Leseran dismounted. A few seconds later, I was blinking at the light after my blindfold had been removed. Morning had crept into the sky, but it was still early. Most of the convoy would just be finishing their breakfast. If they weren’t vampire food, that was.
Leseran removed the last blindfold from Zia’s face. “Your convoy is about a half mile north of here. You’ll have to clear the distance on foot. Hopefully, the three of you can survive half a mile on your own.”
“We should be able to make it,” I said, rubbing my eyes. I dismounted and extended a hand. “Thank you.”
He wrinkled his nose and looked down at my hand. “Your thanks mean nothing to me. If you’re truly grateful, you’ll discard that sword and forget you ever met my people.” He glanced at Dex, but said nothing before going back to mount his horse. He waited for his people to tie the empty horses to their own before starting to back off.
Dex watched him go and sighed before adjusting his hat. “Elves.”
“Elves,” Zia agreed.
The walk back to the conv
oy wasn’t unpleasant. I spent it trying to figure out if they’d made any progress forward, or if they’d stayed in the same place for two days waiting on us to return. Ash wouldn’t have been happy about losing two days. We’d have to rush to make up for it or else risk getting low on basic supplies.
We didn’t spot the convoy until we were almost on top of it. Some scouts had gone into the woods to gather supplies. We stumbled on them pissing in the bushes, and they gave us an escort back to the main force.
Zia broke away and ran straight to the wagon holding her vampires. From the looks of it, Foggy and the others had spent the last two days reenforcing the outside, and the doors. They’d nailed several extra planks of wood in place. Zia was already frantically trying to find someone to pry the boards off.
“Ember?” Ash navigated his way through the gathering crowd. He sprouted a smile and threw his arms around me. “I was starting to worry something had happened to you.”
“I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” Dex quipped.
Ash ignored him and took a step back, his hands still on my shoulders. He wore a look of concern. “What happened out there?”
I glanced over at Dex. How much of the truth could I tell? We should’ve gotten our story straight.
Before I could answer, Zia swept in. “The heretics tried to poison me with some of their magicite blood. Lucky these two showed up or I would’ve been dead. Took a while to wrangle our way free.”
“I assume the heretics have been dealt with?” Ash let his hands drop to his sides.
“They’re dead,” Zia confirmed. “And we’re not, which means we can get back on schedule just as soon as you find someone with a hammer to open my wagon.”
“We’ll be just as dead as them if we keep going.” We all turned our heads as Ike and Foggy stormed up. Ike grasped a handful of papers.
Ash narrowed his eyes and turned to face Ike. “What’s going on?”
“This.” Ike shoved the papers at Ash. “I found out exactly where we’re headed. If we continue to follow this man, we’re all marching to our deaths.”
Kenny, who’d wandered up holding his arm, spat on the ground. “Not like you Iron Company freaks to be afraid of a little dragon fire, Ike.”
Foggy frowned. “It’s not the dragon fire we fear, lad. When it comes to beasts, you’ll find none braver than us, but even we know better than to go fucking around with rifts!”
“I’m sure we’ll give any rifts between here and there a wide berth,” I said.
The dwarf gestured to Ash before crossing his arms. “You best confer with your boyfriend here about where we’re headed, then. The way his maps are marked out, we’ll be headed straight into the shadow of a theta-class rift. Unstable, dangerous, and deadly.”
I looked to Ash for an explanation.
Ash lowered the papers Ike had thrust at him and smoothed them out. “The dragon we’re hunting keeps a nest inside the rift’s zone.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Ash, you know what will happen if we step into the zone. We can’t even get within fifty feet of the affected area without ill effects! People will die.”
“Calm down. We’re not going into the affected area. Why do you think we need the vampires?” He gestured to Zia. “They can go into the zone and draw the dragon out where we can take it down a safe distance from the rift.”
“So they’re bait?” I looked at Zia, scrutinizing her expression.
Her face was stone. “It’s like Ash said. We’ll use the vampires to draw the dragon away from the rift. I don’t see what everyone is so upset about.”
“I put my men’s lives in your hands.” Ike waved a finger at Ash and leaned in, threatening. “The guilds have specific rules about who’s allowed to go so close to a rift, and under what circumstances.”
“Why do you think this isn’t a guild-sanctioned hunt?” Ash shoved Ike’s finger out of his face. “We have to get close to take this thing down, but I’m not stupid. If I were to march everyone up there and kill you, I’d be a pariah. No one would ever work with me again. Not only that, but DEMO would be on my ass for the rest of my life, and so would the Institute for putting one of their own in danger. I know how to weigh benefits and risks, Ike. Don’t preach to me about how to run my hunt. If you don’t like it, it’s only a few days’ ride back to Atlanta. You and yours are welcome to leave at any time.”
“Boss?” Kenny tugged on Dex’s sleeve. He suddenly looked pale. “A word?”
Dex waved him off. “One second.”
“I don’t think…” Kenny grimaced in pain, then doubled over and vomited blood. When he rose, tears of blood trailed from the corners of his eyes. He tried to wipe it away before anyone saw, but it was too late.
Ash grabbed Kenny before he could slip away and yanked up his sleeve to reveal a nasty cut on Kenny’s upper arm. Several small crystals had already taken root in the gash. “He’s infected!” he spat in disgust and pushed Kenny away.
“No, I’m not!” Kenny struggled to his knees while everyone took a step back from him. “The crystals are still small. It hasn’t spread. They can still be removed, see?” He dug into his wound with his bare fingers to pry them out.
I turned away.
“The heretics must’ve used a powder on their weapons.” Foggy shook his head. “Poor lad.”
“Kenny…” Dex put a hand over his mouth and shook his head.
Kenny gasped and finally gave up on prying the crystals from his body. He staggered to his feet. “No, no. It’s fine, boss. I just need a healer and I’ll be back in fighting shape in no time.”
“This man is a threat to the entire hunting party,” Ike said, furrowing his brow.
Ash drew his sword.
“No!” Kenny shook his head and gripped his arm. He staggered away from Ash, forcing everyone on my side of the circle to take another step back. He looked down at the blood dripping from his infected arm and turned to Dex, wild-eyed. “You… You’ll help me.” He reached for Dex with bloody fingers.
When Kenny saw even Dex shrink away, he let his hand fall limply to his side. “You can take the arm. Cut it off. I can fight with one arm. Lots of guys fight with one arm. Just cut off my arm and I’ll go back to Atlanta. I’ll be healed up by the time you get back, boss.”
Dex lowered his head. He was thinking the same thing as everyone else. Kenny’s infection was a death sentence. It’d progressed too far to just take the arm and be done with it. The bloody vomit, the bleeding eyes… The magicite was in his blood now. It was only a matter of time before the poison killed him or drove him insane.
Of course, I knew better. He might survive with antigen, at least for a while. That too would only delay the inevitable though. There was no cure for a magicite infection of the blood. Kenny was a dead man walking.
Foggy pulled a knife from his belt and tossed it into the dirt in front of Kenny.
Kenny stared at the knife, wide-eyed.
“Make the choice, lad,” the dwarf offered. “Go out on your own terms.”
Kenny kicked the knife away as if it were a snake. “No! I can’t! Dex, tell him! Tell him I’ll be fine!”
Dex stared at the ground in silence.
Kenny searched the faces of the gathering crowd, turning a circle. “Please! Someone! One of you has to believe me!”
Ash’s sword came down, swift and sure. Almost as quick as a blink, it moved in a perfect motion, separating Kenny’s head from his body. The head rolled to a stop in front of Dex while the body slumped into a lifeless pile. Blood pumped into the worn ground from Kenny’s stump neck.
The crowd stood in stunned silence. For a moment, I was back in the Macon town square, listening as everyone sucked in a collective breath.
Then I realized Dex was breathing hard next to me. His fingers curled into fists and he cliched his teeth. “You bastard!” He charged into the circle and landed one good punch to Ash’s chin.
Several of Ash’s people stepped out from the crowd to grab
Dex and hold him back before he could land another blow. Others drew their weapons. In response, Ike and Foggy readied their blades and took up a fighting stance.
Ash, stunned, touched his chin and glared at Dex. His face hardened. “Someone had to do it.”
Dex fought against his captors. “You had no right!”
Ash drew a thumb over his lip and rubbed the small stripe of blood between two fingers. “Dead is dead. My strike was clean. He felt only a flash of pain, and then it was over. What I did was a mercy compared to what the magicite would’ve done to him. You saw the heretics. Did you want him to end up like that?”
“He should have been given a choice!” Dex spat. “Kenny deserved better.”
“I agree,” Ike said. “This was murder, and you should have to answer for it.”
“Answer to whom exactly?” Ash sneered. “This my hunt, and these are my people. Atlanta is many miles behind us. What would you do? Kill my men, put me in chains, and drag me back to stand trial? This is an unsanctioned guild hunt, which means he knew the risks. You all knew.” He pointed around the circle before turning back to Ike. “No jury would convict me for making the hard choice that had to be made, and you know it. So, unless you plan to enact justice all on your own, your threats are fruitless.” He spread his arms wide. “But if you want to take your shot, take it.”
Ike looked almost ready to take the bait.
“That’s enough.” I stepped in and put a hand on Ash’s chest, pushing him back from Ike. “Ike, this isn’t your fight. Kenny was Dex's man. And he was infected beyond help. We all saw it. Maybe he should have been given the choice, but the result is the same. Whether we all agree, it’s done. More arguing is only going to make things worse.”
“I can’t follow a murderer into a fight,” Ike said, shaking his head. “And a fight that will probably kill the rest of us at that, despite what his pet necromancer says.”
“Then you may leave,” Ash spat. “This is not a democracy. I lead. You either follow or you get the hell out.”
Ike made a fist, turned, and stormed away.