by Paul Heisel
Behind her she heard the clopping of hooves. Her horse was coming back. Another obstacle to contend with.
“Owori!”
She didn’t turn at the voice. She kept her eye on the demons. They would be here any moment.
“Qio!” she shouted as loud as she could into the storm.
“I see them!”
“Do something! Now!”
The air became cold and the raindrops became hail, showering the area with ice. A massive wall of ice took form in the air and came crashing down on the first horse demon’s head, sending it sprawling on the hill. The wall shattered into a thousand shards.
“The ground!” she shouted. “Freeze the ground!”
It took a moment for Qio to figure out what she had said. The air became colder and frost extended down the hill, covering it in a layer of ice. The rain, now mixed with hail and sleet, poured down from the sky and made it slicker. The horse demons tried to stay upright, couldn’t get footing, and fell over. After one tripped to the ground, the remaining demons became inundated with flame and stood fast, melting the ice around them. They came up the hill slower with flame directed at the ground in front of them. Another wall of ice came crashing down and didn’t break, pinning one demon to the ground. There was an explosion that cracked the slab of ice, flames shot out from the sides as it fought to escape. Three of the horse demons kept coming and met another wall of ice, which sent two of them spinning down the hill backwards. The other kept advancing.
“I can’t last any longer,” Qio said. “I need to rest.”
Owori didn’t waste her energy with a reply. She stepped to the side to meet the oncoming horse demon. Flames fanned out from it as it came at her. Though her shield protected her, she could feel the heat of the creature getting closer. Dual blades slashing, she cut the demon deep. Its claws raked across her shoulder and only her swiftness avoided the full force of the blow. The other claws came at her, missing, and she darted to the side. The demon turned, slipped on the ice, and flailed its arms for balance. Owori struck its midsection, the slashes deep and deadly. It slid down the slush and mud, hit the ground, and exploded into a ring of flame.
The other two were coming at them before Owori could recover her breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Qio had tired further. He raised his arms and a spitting ray of frost came forth and snuffed out the flames on one of the demons. The air was frigid now and the hill slippery again with ice. Their advance stalled as they tried to recover. One thing was clear; the demons weren’t going to stop no matter what obstacles were in the way. Owori sheathed her blades, grabbed Qio, and fled. They came upon one of the horses, climbed atop, and galloped away. Behind them the horse demons screeched and screamed. Owori guided the horse through the gloom and she was aware of Qio’s weak grip on her. Ahead she saw lights and made for them. They drew closer and a host of soldiers met them. They were organized into three lines with the soldiers offset. She recognized this as a battle formation. Good, they came to fight.
“Horse demons,” she shouted, pointing at the two columns of flame moving toward them. The horse demons, unfortunately for them, had made up an enormous amount of ground without the ice to hinder them. They were moving fast.
Captain Barka shouted orders and the soldiers in the first line advanced with spears. As Owori headed toward the cottage, she heard the whistles of arrows from the stationary back row. There was no doubt that the soldiers could handle the horse demons, but what lurked in the back of her mind was the question, why were they here and what was their goal? She ran past the exterior guards and into the cottage with the tired Qio in tow. There were soldiers stationed inside as well. Guests were in the lounge, servants were all over the place – it was chaos. Not what she wanted to see.
“Where’s the Emperor?”
“Upstairs. The Dragonguards, Qia, and the Warlord are protecting him,” a soldier answered.
“Upstairs? Fools! Order them to leave immediately. Now! Go! To the garrison!” To the side she saw Qio nod in agreement. His face had color now and he was recovering. “Soldier, go! This cottage is a death trap! Go!”
The soldier shot up the stairs.
“The garrison can handle those horse demons,” Qio said. “We’ll get everyone clear of here until we know it’s safe.”
“It may be too late. What if the horse demons were a diversion to keep us busy?” Owori meandered toward the fire pit. She was soaked and cold. “We need to figure out what the killing blow is going to be, and figure it out before it happens. First we need to get everyone out of this building.”
“A servant saw a ghost earlier,” Qio blurted out. “Does that mean anything to you?”
“Ghost?”
“Over there.”
“Shades, it’s worse than I thought,” she said. “We have to get out of here now. Everyone out!”
In the middle of the room, eight translucent figures appeared. Four of them were making hand movements, the other four were passengers along for the ride. They became corporeal as they arrived from Malurrion. There were four Furies taking stances, while the four masked assassins had sharp katanas at the ready. Before Owori could get the words of warning out, the Furies were invoking their magic.
#
Though he had lost a handful of soldiers, Captain Barka deemed the battle a success. The horse demons were dead, ash scattered to the mud and being trampled by his soldiers as they collected their dead brethren. He gave orders; he was sure they would be needed back at the cottage to evacuate, so he posted guards here as a precaution and organized the remainder into their marching battle formation. Bright lights shined in the distance and attracted his attention toward the cemetery, chilling him. Columns of flame appeared. Six in all. More horse demons. He quickly did the math. He sent one soldier back to gather more assistance and to warn the others. Captain Barka was sure they would be dead even if they could retreat. They had to take as many horse demons with them as they could, and prevent them from getting to the Emperor. All his life he had trained for this, now was the time for him to be at his best.
#
One of the Furies dropped into a crouch as if he was pounding the ground. Owori felt a wave of energy wash over her, the magic shield keeping her from taking the full effect of the blast. All around, servants, soldiers, and Qio went flying back from the force. As the Fury stood up, the assassins engaged the soldiers first. Blood spilled as they hacked them with efficient, single-blow, killing strokes. A Fury shot out his arm and lightning forked into a group a dozen feet away from Owori. The screams were horrifying. Another forked bolt blasted into the room and more people died. Her red-robed Dragonguards flew down the stairs to assist, slamming into the next stroke of lightning and perishing. The Furies were going to eliminate resistance here first, then go after the Emperor who was trapped upstairs.
Owori launched herself forward, the Dragonblades emerging from their sheaths, twinkling green and red. Ice came at her in a spray, her shield deflecting the brunt of the magic harmlessly away. It slowed her though and the Furies retreated out of her path. She slashed a black clothed assassin as she went by, the blade felt as if it hadn’t touched him. He was dead before he hit the floor. The Furies were trying to figure out what to do with her, so she struck at the air in front of her and unleashed magic, extending it as far as she dared. A shock wave carried into the Furies and knocked them off balance. She retreated and ran up the stairs to the Emperor, pulling the stunned Qio with her. They had to protect the Emperor!
“Seal off the stairs!”
“But the others…”
“The Emperor!”
Qio concentrated and formed a wall of ice. It expanded into place between the wood walls, sealing the hallway from the stairs. He sent a spray of ice along the joints, making the ice stronger. From behind the ice they could hear the muffled screams of those trapped below. Lightning sizzled and cracked numerous times. Owori flew into the Emperor’s suite. Yuki had his katana out and his black brea
stplate on. The Emperor was pale. Qia, serious as always, looked ready to fight.
“We’re under attack,” Owori said, trying to catch her breath. “Four Furies, four assassins. One assassin is dead. We must get out of here. Qio blocked the hallway – it’ll give us a few minutes but nothing more.”
Qio arrived. “The wall won’t last long. They’ll melt it and be up here soon.” He bent over and put his hands on his knees, breathing hard.
Owori turned to the Emperor. “If I were them, I would just burn the place down. As soon as there’s no resistance downstairs, they’ll light this place on fire and watch it burn. We have to get out of here now!” Owori rushed to one of the back windows and pushed it open. The rain flew in. “Qio, it’s too far to drop.” He nodded as if he understood and went to the window. A long stream of ice came from his hands, and he let it fly out until he was blue and his fists were covered with frost. The magic ran dry and Qio staggered backwards.
“Qia, out first! Make sure no one is down there! Anything moves you kill it!”
She disappeared through the window. A whistle came from below. All clear.
The cottage shook from a considerable explosion. Owori was sure the first floor was engulfed in flames. That meant the assassins had exited the front. If they were smart, they would surround the place to make sure no one departed, picking off stragglers one by one. Time was short.
“Out! Now! We don’t have any time!”
The Warlord of Pyndira and Emperor went down the mound of ice, sliding to the waiting Qia. Owori grabbed Qio and they slid down together. The young man was spent and could barely stand on his own. She hauled him to his feet, otherwise he would have stayed on the ground. Looking down the length of the building both ways, she was deciding which way to go when the choice was made for her. A fireball impacted on the servant’s quarters, smashing into the wood structure and torching it.
“Everyone stay behind me,” she said. “Tight line single file. Qia, you stand right next to me. If anything moves toward us, I need you to destroy it.” She didn’t wait for anyone to comment on her commands. Owori took deep breaths, trying to recharge her chi – that was the only hope of getting them through this. If they could find their way to the garrison, there would be soldiers there to protect them. Bringing forth the shield was natural and came with little thought, but it took all her concentration to extend it around the group to shelter them. She took out the Dragonblades as they moved, the green and red glow of the blades was enough to light the way through the storm. She walked along the perimeter of the cottage until she was in the middle, took a right, and headed straight across the meadow toward the distant forest. The sky around them was alight as the fire from the building erupted into the night.
They kept stepping in time with her as they rushed toward the forest. She hoped the assassins wouldn’t see them retreat. They could hide in the forest, and if all went well, she could use her other talents to change the odds. They reached the forest edge and they went in, Owori leading them deeper so they would have more cover. They took up safe positions and she sheathed her blades, eliminating the light. The cottage was in full flame, as was the servants’ quarters. The fires licked into the sky in towers of orange and yellow. She couldn’t see their expressions, but she guessed everyone was in state of shock. Owori knew that they couldn’t stay here indefinitely, as they would be found, but they couldn’t move through the forest with any speed because it was so thick. They were safe now, but still trapped. “I’m going to even this fight,” she said to them.
“How?” asked Yuki.
“Never mind how. This is what I want you to do. Stay hidden here. I will come for you when it’s safe. Qia, anything gets close you need to eliminate them. Qio, they’ll need you eventually. Reach deep inside, find your chi, bring it back. Take deep breaths. We need you. You can do it.”
He nodded.
“There are soldiers at the garrison,” Yuki said. “They’ll be able to help.”
“After I get rid of the Furies. They are the biggest threat. I’ll return – don’t move from this spot unless they are coming for you.” Owori didn’t give them a chance to say anything else. The rain pounded down on them, the trees offering partial shelter from the storm. The structures were fully consumed in flame, only the stables remained untouched. She could see figures near the conflagration, now they were searching for stragglers and intending to kill them one by one. They must have assumed the Emperor was dead, otherwise they would be searching. With a deep breath, she blinked. Invisible now, she went to make sure they all got out of here alive.
#
“It’s suicide,” Yuki said. “What is she doing? Is she crazy? There are what, seven or eight of them? Four Furies? She’s mad!”
From the light of the fires they could see Owori trudging through the trees. The rain came down harder and they huddled together, trying to keep warm.
“She must have a plan,” said Qia.
In front of them Owori vanished. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. They were too surprised to even gasp.
#
The rain would be a problem, she knew it, because it was hitting her while she was invisible. They would be able to spot her if she didn’t get to a better vantage point quickly. First she needed to eliminate the Furies and neutralize the magic being used. Then she would deal with the assassins. Or, she thought, she could just go to the garrison and get help. The latter option would take too much time, and she figured the soldiers would be coming because of the fire anyway. She had to get rid of those Furies.
She went toward the stables. At least from there she would have a view of the burning structures and protection from the rain and the assassins. Inside she would figure out her next move. As she approached the back end of the stables, she could hear horses stamping, children’s cries, and whimpering. She remained invisible and pushed open the door, slipping through the crack with caution. Lanterns hanging on iron spikes illuminated the barn, flickering as the wind whipped through the open door. In the middle of the stables were two assassins, katanas out, and they had the stable boys on their knees. The boys were bawling and screaming. Already one was dead, his head removed from his body. The remaining three were going to meet the same fate. She was sickened by what she saw. They were going to kill everyone! Unleashing the Dragonblades was silent, as were her footfalls. She knew rain was dripping from her, and she didn’t care if it gave her away or not. All she needed was an element of surprise, not full surprise. When she was ten feet away, she accelerated into the first assassin and slashed him before he could kill one of the boys. She was still moving and spun around, kicking the other assassin in the head. He recoiled from the blow and brought his katana up. Owori blasted him with her magic, sending him flying against a timber column. Twirling the blades, she changed the orientation and stabbed them down into the helpless assassin in quick succession. She turned to the boys as the body was sliding to the hay-covered floor. They were beyond horrified. There was no time, though, for words of comfort. “Each of you, take a horse. Ride to the garrison and get help. Now! Go out the back!”
Owori didn’t wait for them to respond to her orders and she went to the front of the stables where she peeked out of the large doors that were open a sliver. Behind her she could hear the boys moving. They were still crying. In the distance, she saw the four Furies together and the last assassin was there as well. They were waiting for their comrades to return. Shades!
“Lead the horses for a hundred feet toward the forest, then ride along the edge of the trees toward the garrison,” she told them. “Tell them there are Furies attacking. Go.”
Only one of the boys managed to respond with a weak yes. They pulled three horses from their stables and were putting saddles on.
“Forget the saddles! Bareback. Go!”
“But we won’t be able to get on,” one of them spoke. “You said to walk them to the forest. We aren’t big enough to get on them without help. They’re too tall.”
She ran and opened the back stable door.
“I’ll put you on them. Go easy until you reach the forest then,” she said. “Get to the garrison.”
“I don’t ride well,” one of them cried. “I don’t want to. I’m scared.”
“I need all of you to go get help.” She didn’t add in case one of you dies.
“I’ll do it,” the biggest boy said. “I can ride Star. She likes me. I can do just as you say. I’ll get help.”
The other two boys, still crying, looked relieved. Her choices were to have them remain here or for her to send them outside into the forest to hide. The notion of sending them to the Emperor came and went, as it would be foolish to draw attention to the location of the Emperor.
“All of you. You must do as I say. Tell everyone at the garrison that Furies are attacking the cottage. Can you remember that?”
“Furies are attacking the cottage. Got it.”
She led the horse out and it walked toward the forest at his guiding. In the rain and dark, the black horse was hard to see. After she was sure he was away, Owori closed the back door and returned to the stables. She had the other two boys hide and made them promise they wouldn’t move or make one sound. She was about to go to the front to see what the Furies were doing when the back door opened. She pulled out the blades as the figure slipped inside. It was Yuki. The stocky Warlord of Pyndira was soaking wet and breathing hard.
“What are you doing?”
“Helping you,” he said. “Qio and Qia are with the Emperor. They are moving deeper into the forest just in case we fail.”
She didn’t have time to argue with him or scold him. “They’re out front. Those two are dead.” She motioned toward the bloody dirt floor and the two bodies. “One of the stable hands is dead, two are hidden over there, and the fourth is getting help from the garrison.”
“I saw him on the horse,” he said. “We should stay here and let them come to us. They’ll be curious why their friends haven’t returned.”
“My thoughts exactly.”