Cinder Reign: The Midnight Flame: A Sword & Sorcery Fantasy Adventure

by Vinn Winters

  “Good, now be out of my sight. All of you. And keep her quiet this time,” Radek said.

  Vyra saw the captain turn and walk towards the rear gate. Then she felt another throbbing pain on the back of her head and her world faded to black.

  ~

  The shock of cold water woke Vyra with a jolt. She opened her mouth to breath, but only water entered. Choking, she pushed to the surface, but found that movement was difficult and that she would not rise. Frantically feeling her way through the liquid darkness, her hands finally found stone. With great effort, she managed to pull herself upwards.

  Vyra gasped for breath as her head breached the surface of the pool. Moonlight trickling down revealed that she was at the bottom of a well. Vyra coughed and sputtered, trying to clear her lungs. Hysterical laughter echoed overhead.

  “I expected you to snap your neck against the side, or sink right to the bottom. Maybe there is a knight in there after all,” Maefus said with another shrill laugh.

  “Help!” Vyra shouted.

  “Scream all you want, no one can hear you out here!” Rat-face added. “This well was the only thing that survived Cinder Reign. No one comes out here since; since it’s so near the Scarred Forest—”

  “Would you like to draw her a map while you’re at it?” Maefus said crossly to his friend.

  “Sorry,” Rat-face replied meekly.

  “Please, let me out of here! Let me ou—”

  Dark murky water filled Vyra’s mouth as she felt herself being pulled back under, her hands struggled to keep grip against the smooth wet stone wall. With significant effort she was able to pull herself back to the surface.

  “Please — have mercy,” Vyra said between gasps for air.

  “Mercy is rarely shown to a Silverclad Knight,” Maefus sneered. “You want to be one so badly, it’s time you felt their burdens.”

  In the faint moonlight, Vyra noticed that she was covered in tarnished armor, full-plate armor.

  “Oh, don’t worry, we wouldn’t waste the good armor on you,” Maefus jeered.

  “Yeah, that’s just the old rusted Silverclad armor that’s been lying around for ages,” Brother-one added. “Smelled funny too.”

  “Thanks for cleaning it for us!” Rat-face shouted down the well.

  “It’s great that Lord Salderon knew about this place,” Brother-two said.

  “Yeah, it is,” Maefus replied. “Her former servant quarters does not befit a woman knight; this however, is perfect!

  Vyra’s hands slipped on the rocks and she sank deeper into the water. It seemed that no matter how far she sunk, her feet did not touch ground.

  I can’t keep holding myself up like this, she thought, fighting the rising panic.

  Using all of her strength, she pulled her way up once again.

  “Get me out of here!” Vyra shouted.

  “Get me out of here,” Brother-one mockingly mimicked. The boys laughed like jackals.

  “You wanted a trial to become a knight, well here it is,” Maefus said. “Hopefully it isn’t too heavy for you to bear. Failing your duties can often be a deadly experience.”

  Vyra’s grip was slipping. She did not know if she could pull herself up again if she sunk another time.

  “You were a fool to ever think you could make it with us,” Maefus sneered. “Now you’ll rot at the bottom of this well, where you belong—”

  A blood-curdling roar fell over the area.

  “What the hell was that?” Rat-face shouted.

  “That didn’t sound like no goblin,” Brother-one replied nervously.

  “It’s probably deep in the forest, I wouldn’t worry about it. She won’t last much longer anyways,” Maefus said confidently. “I want to see that face vanish beneath the water for the last time.”

  The roar echoed again across the field, closer this time.

  “I don’t think we should be here,” Brother-two said anxiously.

  “Don’t be cowards! We’re squires of the Silverclad Knights. We’re afraid of nothing,” Maefus commanded.

  “What’s that over there?” Brother-one asked loudly.

  “Witch’s Blight, something is coming out of the forest!” Rat-face shouted. “It’s heading this way!”

  The boys backed away from the well. Vyra heard the ringing of swords being drawn.

  “Holy Willow protect us, what is that thing? I think it’s getting… bigger,” Brother-one shouted.

  “Let’s get the hell out of here!” Brother-two yelled.

  A noise followed, a rumble that fell over the land, one that could only fit the ravenous growl of a creature of nightmares.

  “Eygodon’s piss, what the hell is that?” Brother-two added.

  “Hold your ground, we’ve got it outnumbered,” Maefus commanded. The sound of scuffling and clanging of swords followed.

  “Send it to hell where it belongs!” Maefus ordered.

  The boys yelled in unison.

  Their war cry was drowned out by another noise, an abominable shriek so shrill it made Vyra’s ears ring; followed by a person squealing in agony.

  “Let him go! Let him go, you bastard!” Brother-two shouted desperately.

  “Go for its throat, stab it in the throat!” Maefus shouted.

  “What the hell — it just—”

  Another otherworldly shriek chilled Vyra’s blood.

  “It’s got me!” Brother-two cried out. “Help me! It’s got me!”

  “Maefus, what are we going to do?” Rat-face yelled, his voice wild and frantic. “What are we—”

  Something heavy dropped. There was the rustling of feet, fading in the distance.

  “Maefus, get back here! You coward!” Brother-two shouted. “Help me! Please! Help—”

  Something snapped, or ripped; Vyra wasn’t sure which.

  “Oh Holy Willow,” Rat-face pleaded, his voice trembling. “Protect us from the encroaching darkness. Guide us to safety with your undying light. Keep us from the sharp claws of evil. Help us in our time of—”

  Another shriek, followed by quick increasing thuds.

  A blur of motion and there was a boy leaping over the well. No, he was leaping into the well.

  Vyra’s eyes locked with Rat-face’s as he jumped. His skin looked drained of all its color, his mouth hung open, and his eyes were stretched as wide as they could be. A giant, ebony hand of twisted flesh and skeletal thorns lunged across the well, its fingers wrapping around the boy before he could fall; in a blur it jerked him out of the air and back over the side of the well.

  “No, please no!” Rat-face wailed.

  For a moment there was silence, and then Rat-face’s scream pierced Vyra’s ears; his cries quickly turning to gurgles joined by the sound of ripping flesh. And then an eerie silence fell over the area.

  Vyra shivered quietly in the murky water. Her knuckles turning white, her eyes locked to the top of the well.

  Oh…Holy—Holy Willow, Vyra thought desperately. She held perfectly still in the water, not daring to risk any movement.

  Her left hand slipped on the rock. As she started to slip under the water, Vyra swiftly turned to catch her grip with her right; and pulled herself back up. Vyra cringed as the swirling sounds of the well water echoed upward. She froze as the sounds slowly faded and the silence of the night returned.

  Please, please not have heard that, she begged silently, over and over.

  Her blood ran cold as she heard the sound of footsteps growing louder.

  A cloaked figure leaned over the edge of the well, her eyes clouded under the shadow of a robe covered in swirls of azure and indigo. She looked familiar, but Vyra could not pinpoint where.

  “You need to get out of here. There’s something— something vicious up there!” Vyra shouted.

  The woman at the top of the well said nothing

  “Is there, a rope up there? Maybe something that you could throw down? I could really use some help,” Vyra continued.

  There was no response.
<
br />   “Hello?” Vyra shouted. “Hello?”

  The woman just stared down at her.

  “Have we met?” Vyra asked nervously. “I feel like I know you from somewhere.”

  Silence. Vyra felt a chill course through her body.

  “You’re not here to help, are you?” Vyra asked meekly.

  The woman’s lips curled into a sly smile.

  The water around Vyra felt much colder, yet sinking deeper into the water seemed like a safer idea than what lurked above.

  Slowly, the woman backed away from the well, the smile not leaving her face.

  “Hello?” Vyra yelled again. “Please don’t leave me here to—”

  Her hands slipped on the rocks again and she sank into the water. Frantically, Vyra tried to pull the armor off, but her lungs begged for more air.

  She sank further and further. With a final burst of strength, she gasped the wall and thrust herself upwards again. Her arms burned. She could feel muscles threatening to rip from the strain.

  “Help!” she choked, her mouth barely above the murky surface. “Some — someone, please!”

  Her body tensed as she heard footsteps again approaching the well.

  Someone, anyone, please save me from this cruel fate! she begged internally.

  “Help!” she yelled.

  “Vyra?” the voice was music to Vyra’s ears.

  “Maek!” Vyra shouted. “I’m down here!”

  “Witch’s Blight, I’m glad you’re okay!” Maek said. “Hang in there; I’m going to look for a rope!”

  “Please hur—” Vyra started, but her grip slipped again and she began to sink. She tried to raise her arms again but she felt her muscles give way. As much as she tried, she could not push herself back up.

  A splash hit the surface above her and a rope sunk to her level. She wrapped herself around the rope and felt herself being pulled up.

  Vyra gasped hungrily for breath as her face again breached the murky surface.

  “Twisted Toadstools,” Maek swore, sounding strained. “You’re a lot heavier than I remember you being.”

  “Maybe you’re just weaker,” Vyra shot back reflexively, but a wave of anxiety rushed over her.

  “Maek, you have to leave me! There’s something vicious up there!” Vyra shouted.

  “I’m not leaving you, Vyra!” Maek shouted, breathing hard between words. “Any beast that comes by will just have to help me pull you up!”

  “I’ll try and help!” Vyra replied. With half her body still wrapped around the rope, it was easier to untie some of the armor. With great effort, she painfully wiggled one of the rusty pauldrons off, and then the other. She wouldn’t be able to get the chest plate off until she was out of the well.

  “Whatever you did, it helped!” Maek said. “Now use your feet to help push up the wall.”

  Vyra slowly climbed up the well. At first it was hard to get her feet to not slip on the rocks, but she was able to get traction.

  “I hope you’re not—expecting me to protect you from any goblins,” Maek grunted. “I’m going to need a week’s slumber after this.”

  “You’re doing great!” Vrya said, clenching her teeth as she continued to climb with her feet.

  Her heart skipped a beat as her hands slid a few inches further down the rope, and she quickly wrapped the remaining slack around her arm.

  “Almost there!” Vyra shouted.

  “Holy Willow this is hard!” Maek heaved.

  “Just a little further!” Vyra said, straining with all her might.

  With one final pull, Vyra climbed over the mouth of the well and collapsed on Maek. The both fell to the ground, exhausted.

  “Vyra,” Maek said, breathing heavily after a few moments had passed.

  “Yes, Maek?” she replied, wheezing.

  “You stink,” Maek replied.

  The two burst out into laughter.

  “It’s the swamp I’ve been swimming in,” Vyra joked.

  “Funny, that’s how I see the barracks too,” Maek added, with a tone that told Vyra that her friend thought he was being clever.

  Vyra’s eyes widened as her terror from earlier caught up to her. Her eyes darted frantically about. Night had passed but dawn had not broken yet. In the dim light, she could make out the familiar twisted, lifeless trees that told her they were on the edge of The Scarred Forest. The grass surrounding the well was darkened, but Vyra doubted it was like that yesterday.

  “We need to go! We need to get out of here, now!” Vyra stammered.

  “What’s wrong? I don’t know where the other boys they went, but they aren’t here,” Maek said, trying to reassure her.

  “I… know where they went,” Vyra said, shivering as she felt the icy chill from earlier return.

  “Alright, I’m not entirely sure what’s going on, but you aren’t going to get far with that rusty cage on you,” Maek replied. Vyra could tell the slowness of his voice was to try and calm her down.

  “I’m not crazy,” she quickly snapped.

  “I never said that, I would never think that. I’d be shaken to hell and back if I’d been stuck in that well too. Now, let me help you out of that so we can get out of here,” Maek said warmly.

  “Sure, thank you,” Vyra replied, forcing a smile.

  As soon as the armor hit the ground, Vyra’s feet took flight.

  “Hey, wait up!” Maek shouted as he rushed to catch up with her.

  Soon they were both running through the tall, dry grass of the Cinder Fields. In the far distance, a golden line breached the blanket of darkness

  Vyra kept running until she felt her legs give out, collapsing onto the soft prairie grass. She tried to get up but could not rise; she winced at the intense burning she felt in her muscles.

  “Vyra, wait!”

  She heard the approaching footsteps and Maek fell alongside her.

  “Don’t push yourself so hard! You’re injured, you need to rest,” Maek’s said, his voice filled with concern.

  “Can’t — rest,” Vyra said through gasping breaths. “Not until — not until…”

  Her vision grew hazy; she felt tears tickle down her cheeks.

  “Vyra…” she heard Maek’s voice again.

  “I wasn’t — I wasn’t strong enough to stop them!” Vyra yelled through the tears. “And I wasn’t strong enough to save them!”

  She felt Maek’s arms wrap around her as he held her close. She fell into sobs against his chest.

  Moments passed as they sat together, holding each other. A soft breeze blew over the prairie.

  “I don’t know what happened back there at the well,” Maek said gently. “But damn it Vyra… you’re one of the strongest people I know. You never surrender to what you don’t think is right; you were even willing to risk your life, going into this cursed forest, just to earn a chance to protect the kingdom from harm. I wish I had half the courage that you do.”

  “I think you have plenty of courage,” Vrya reassured.

  “Not like you though, it’s always been that way. Remember that time we stole enough coin to feed us for a whole quarter of a season?”

  “You mean back when we were street thieves?” Vyra asked, tilting her head.

  “Yeah,” Maek said.

  “Barely, we were just children.”

  “Well, it was traumatic for me, I still have nightmares about it,” Maek said with an uncertain chuckle. “I didn’t realize they were actually mages until we had already begun our heist. I could tell they were angry at me for bothering them, and I was so afraid one of them was going to cast a fireball at me. But before they could do anything, you were there. You stole their coin and we dashed off down the alley together laughing. I think the mages were both too shocked that they were robbed by a little girl to even respond.”

  “I wasn’t going to let them hurt you,” Vyra replied.

  “But that’s my point. I was terrified, blabbering nonsense hoping it would save me; and then you just jumped in there and
saved me without a second thought, without any doubt. You have so much strength, Vyra,” Maek said. “I don’t know a soul who comes anywhere close.”

  “Thank you,” Vyra said softly, holding him tighter. “That means so much to me.”

  Minutes passed as they sat together in silence. The crest of the sun peaked over the horizon, sending a glimmer across the field.

  “If I was half as strong as you, I would’ve rescued you before those damn piles of orc dung got anywhere close to throwing you in that well,” Maek added.

  “How did you find me?” Vyra whispered.

  “I saw those vandals dragging you out of the manor. I was waiting for the right moment to strike. When you got the guards attention I almost thought I wouldn’t have to; I couldn’t believe my eyes when they let them carry you away. The Captain made sure they got through the guards at the gate without a second glance, I had to wait until he left to try my luck at passing through.”

  “Did it work?” Vyra asked weakly.

  “Vyra, remember who you’re talking to. It’s me… of course it did. It wasn’t the same guards as last time, so I didn’t even have to change my tactics,” Maek said with a wide grin.

  “You tried to kiss them again, didn’t you?” Vyra asked, turning to Maek with a raised eyebrow.

  “Pretty sure they’d rather fend off a horde of goblins than deal with these lips,” Maek joked.

  “Your lips can’t be that bad,” Vyra replied, looking up at him. The light of the dawn added a golden hue to his crystal blue eyes.

  “Vyra…,” Maek whispered, too softly.

  “Yes?” she responded just as gently.

  The only sound that followed was the soft breeze gently swaying the tall grass.

  Maek slowly leaned towards her, she reciprocated, their lips drawing ever closer.

  My duel — at dawn! Vyra’s memory had the most inconvenient timing. Her head reflexively jerked back.

  She knew from the frown on Maek’s face that he had taken the movement the wrong way.

  “No, it’s not—” Vyra started.

  “Of course not,” Maek agreed.

  “I just have this duel. I need to be at it,” Vyra continued.

  “We should probably get you there then,” Maek replied.