by Ben Hale
Overcoming her surprise, Elsin looked to Raine. “She is capable, but I still think the risk too great.”
“Perhaps,” Elenyr said, her lips twitching. “And for that I will depend on your Verinai.”
“How soon do we depart?” Raine asked.
“Four weeks,” Elenyr said.
Raine rounded on her. “A month?”
“We need time for the inquisition into what occurred in Terros,” Elenyr said firmly. “If we are to mete out justice, we must be certain it is deserved. Summon the oracles and we will convene. Then Raine will begin her hunt.”
Elenyr’s gaze flicked to Alydian, and she recognized why her mother had delayed the hunt. The time would give Alydian a chance to finish her training and kill Alethean. It wasn’t much, but it was all Elenyr could give. Alydian recognized the gift for what it was and bowed.
“Prepare yourself,” Elenyr admonished Raine. “This inquisition will be fraught with danger. Daughter, I suggest you return to your studies.”
Alydian nodded and turned away, but Elsin’s disturbing gaze followed her from the room. Her emotions in turmoil, Alydian made her way to her own quarters. She found her guards at her door, and the pair blinked in surprise when they saw her alone.
“Where is Captain Devkin?” one asked.
“Assisting the acolytes,” Alydian said. “I wished to visit my mother before returning to my studies.”
“You should not be without your guards,” he replied, his tone one of admonishment.
“We’re in Dawnskeep,” she said wearily. “I’m surrounded by guards.”
Before they could argue she stepped through the door and shut it behind herself. Closing her eyes, she leaned against the door, feeling the cool wood through her back. It felt like the world was disintegrating and she could not grasp the pieces. She sighed and opened her eyes, making her way across the room. Then a figure shifted and she turned—and froze.
The Soldier was in her room.
Chapter 22: Alydian’s Wrath
He stood near the door to block her exit, his silver mask obscuring his features. Dressed in a Runeguard’s uniform, it was clear how he’d infiltrated Dawnskeep. He held his sword in hand, the angle low and ready. Alydian took it all in an instant and reacted.
“Alydian,” the Soldier began, taking a step toward her.
She drew on her training and summoned her magic, calling on the ambient light in the room. The light orbs surrounding her chambers dimmed as she cast a warrior of pure light. It flowed into shape and hardened, swinging its sword as if eager, reflecting Alydian’s burgeoning rage.
“You were a fool to come here,” Alydian said.
The lightcast warrior leapt the length of the room and came down before the Soldier, swinging at his neck. The Soldier spun and deflected the strike, his anti-magic blade rotating back to slice a line across the warrior’s back, darkening his body. The warrior parried the next attack and struck again. By then Alydian had reached the duel.
She’d cast her own lightcast weapon and added an asunder hex along the blade. The light orbs in the room were all but extinguished, their power drawn into Alydian’s magic. Her sword ignited sparks along the blade, sending shadows dancing across the wall.
Coming at his flank, she drove her blade toward his gut. He leapt a couch and dived over the swinging blade, avoiding the warrior’s swinging weapon as well. Unwilling to let him escape, Alydian drew on the stones of the floor, causing them to flow into tiny hands that reached for the Soldier’s boots.
The Soldier leapt to a table and then a couch, his nimble path carrying him beyond the seeking hands. Alydian rushed at him from the opposite flank and pressed the attack the moment he landed again. The entity came at the Soldier’s back, its blade driving for his heart.
The Soldier parried Alydian’s blow and flicked his sword low, then he swung with his off-hand. Alydian flinched back, the fist coming inches from her nose. But the Soldier had not intended to land the blow. Instead he used the sudden space to whirl on the lightcast warrior. In a blur of dark steel he obliterated the warrior’s defenses and plunged his anti-magic blade into the warrior’s chest. With a deft spin he yanked it out and spun, severing the warrior’s head and sending it bouncing across the room. It disintegrated, plunging the room into darkness.
Alydian called on the air, sending a gust charm at the Soldier’s back. Unable to see it coming in the dim light, he was knocked sprawling, a clatter of steel indicating he’d dropped his blade. Alydian sprinted forward—and skidded to a halt.
The Soldier hadn’t dropped his sword, he’d dropped a knife, using the ruse to draw her in. He rolled to his feet and lunged for her. On instinct she struck back, sending a barrage of fire at him. He whipped his sword up, catching the magic against the weapon.
The fires split against the blade and went to either side, parting as the anti-magic sword cleaved its way through the magic. The fire caught on a couch and table, scorching the cloth and wood. She pressed harder, forcing him back as she called on the bits of flame falling behind his body.
Beyond the Soldier the heat coagulated into small gremlins. The creatures resembled monkeys but carried tiny knives of fire. More and more appeared, until two became ten, and then she lost count. The room gained a chill as she used the heat, with frost appearing on the water in a pitcher, and creeping across the stone walls. When the focus to maintain them became too great she unleashed them with a triumphant shout and extinguished her attack. The moment she did the Soldier spun.
Dozens of tiny creatures leapt for him, tearing at his clothing, nicking his flesh. He growled and fought to strike at them but there were too many. His black sword whipped across them, rending three into oblivion. Crying out, he went down amidst the horde of entities, their knives drawing blood, the fire of their forms igniting on his armor.
Alydian strode forward, flicking her lightcast blade in anticipation. As she rounded a corner she found the Soldier rolling across the floor, his black sword slicing through the entities as he went. More and more were killed but he kept rolling.
“Very clever, Alydian,” the Soldier said, his voice strained as he rolled away. “Did you learn that as an acolyte?”
His statement brought a wave of confusion and fear, and most of the remaining entities disintegrated. Alydian ground her teeth together, recognizing his question as a calculated move intended to distract her. Before she could cast more he cut the last few apart and climbed to his feet.
Smoke and cinders littered his form, and small wounds bloodied his body. Some of the entities had dug their claws into his mask but the barrier had kept them at bay. Others had sliced against his armor, scorching the dark material.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied evenly.
He laughed. “Alethean? The name alone reveals your identity. That and your knowledge of magic gives it away. No one knows about lightning magic.”
Alydian felt a surge of fear—but it burned into rage. How had he witnessed her answer in the Requiem? Had he been one of the trainers at the back of the training hall? It was a bold move to infiltrate the Runeguard, but to step into a Requiem to observe Alydian was truly daring.
“Or shadow magic,” she replied. “But an oracle is still required to study it.”
With the room and dark and cold, she called on the shadows. Like liquid smoke, they poured off the wall and crept toward the Soldier. He tried to dance away but the floor was his enemy, and the shadows climbed up his legs, attaching to his clothing and dragging him to the floor.
He struggled but the bonds just got thicker. Alydian plunged the searing sword into the floor and stalked forward, leaving the pool of light behind. Then she drew on the shadows, crafting a dagger of pure darkness. Striding to him, she found him bound and inert on the floor. His sword remained in his grip but his arm could not move, the shadows binding him to the floor. The muscles in his neck bulged but he was helpless.
Alydian straddled him and leaned down
to place her dagger against his throat. Through the mask she saw his eyes, but they held no fear. Instead he seemed surprised and impressed. Alydian scowled at him.
“Even bound you are smug?”
“Last time you were a frightened kitten. Now you are an enraged dragon.”
“I should cut your throat here and be done with it.”
“But you’re not a killer,” he said.
She pressed on her dagger but the motion caused the shadow bindings to tremble, betraying her uncertainty. Grinding her teeth together, she growled and the shadows held their form.
“Alydian,” he said softly. “I came to talk.”
“I don’t believe you,” she said, and rose to her feet. “But I’ll let the guards handle it. I wager Captain Devkin will enjoy a second conversation.”
“Please,” he said.
The pleading in his voice brought her to a halt, and she rotated. To her surprise he’d managed to turn his head and catch his mask against the foot of a table. With a twist he pulled it off, revealing his features.
He was elven, and only a few decades older than her. She’d expected scars but there were none, only a handsome face looking up at her. In the dim light his countenance was filled with a desperate hope. Attraction surged in her chest but she snuffed it as she would a stray ember fallen from the hearth.
“Why reveal yourself now?” she asked cautiously.
“I need you to trust me.”
“I don’t.”
“I know,” he said, pain abruptly twisting his features. “But you must.”
Still guarded, Alydian could not contain her curiosity. “Speak.”
“I did not kill King Talin.”
“You wish to claim innocence?” she asked. “I already know how many you have killed.”
“The Verinai are experimenting with magic,” he said. “They’ve created a guardian spell that is more dangerous than anything you can imagine.”
“I know,” she said. “Oracle Teriah witnessed its creation and approved its use.”
“The spell is created by infusing superheated magic directly with living tissue,” he said. “They did it with a man, but the sheer power robbed him of wits. They killed him to create the weapon.”
Alydian raised her hand, causing the shadows to lift the Soldier and drag him to a wall. Then she strode to him.
“You lie.”
In halting words the Soldier revealed the events at the castle, his voice tinged with regret and guilt. He spoke of the guardian’s madness and the king’s captivity before detailing Mineva’s act of betrayal. The more Alydian listened the more she wanted to argue, but heard the ring of disturbing truth to his words. He finished his tale by revealing the details of the Accord, and the Verinai’s desire to build a Mage Empire. She wanted to dismiss his tale, but the haunted look to his eyes could not be denied.
“Then why reveal yourself to me?” she asked. “Now that I know your face, I could find you anywhere on Lumineia. You will never hide again.”
“The Verinai are on the verge of casting down the kingdoms and replacing them with an empire—with themselves at the head. Single mages will be peasants, while the magicless will be slaves. Freedom will be extinguished. I have fought the Verinai for six years, but I cannot defeat a tyrant alone—and I cannot stop the rogue mage on your council.”
“You want me to help you?” she asked. “After you came to kill me?”
“I misjudged you,” he admitted. “And for that I am sorry. But the people need a hero . . . or perhaps they need a heroine.” His lips twitched into a smile.
Alydian suddenly realized that the shadows binding him to the wall had dissipated, but she made no effort to replace them. Despite what he’d done, she sensed he would not harm her, not now. He was desperate and lethal, but not to her.
For the first time she saw him for what he was, a warrior that fought for the people. He killed the Verinai because they were the oppressors, the tyrants. In the past, the oracles were the force that protected the rights of the people, but in recent years the oracles had been subverted by the Verinai. The Soldier was merely performing the duty of an oracle, albeit with a sword rather than farsight.
Then she frowned, a nagging suspicion tugging at her thoughts. “Either Oracle Teriah did not witness the guardian spell . . .”
“Or she was complicit in its creation,” the Soldier finished. “Perhaps she is your rogue mage.”
Alydian’s gaze was drawn to the tapestry of magic, to the symbol of an oracle at the center. Was it possible? Had Oracle Teriah betrayed them all? Her thoughts were interrupted when a soft knock came from the door.
On instinct she turned and pointed to the Soldier, drawing on the shadows once more. They engulfed him in an instant, obscuring him from view as the door swung open and Captain Devkin appeared. He came to an abrupt halt.
“Oracle,” he drawled, his gaze sweeping across the room.
Darkened and chilly, the receiving room bore the scars of battle. Couches were cut and broken, flames licking at their remains, while Alydian’s searing sword remained plunged in the stone, sputtering sparks. He stooped and picked up a small knife, the one the Soldier had thrown during the battle.
“Practicing in your chambers can be dangerous,” he said.
“My apologies,” she said wearily. “But I wanted to test some of the spells with other magics.”
His eyes were suspicious but he accepted her excuse with a nod. “What did your mother know?”
Alydian sighed. “Everything.” His eyebrows shot up, but before he could ask more she shook her head. “I’ll explain in the morning. It’s been a rather long day.”
He regarded her for several moments. “As you order,” he said, and then reluctantly withdrew.
When the door clicked shut Alydian turned to the wall where the Soldier remained. Dismissing the shadows with a flick of her wrist, she stooped and picked up his mask. Then she tossed it to him and pointed to the balcony.
“You should go.”
“Why save me?”
She met his gaze, and after a moment said, “I don’t know.”
They were not close but it felt like they were inches from each other. Swallowing against the burgeoning emotions, she motioned to the balcony again.
“Don’t get caught on the way down,” she said.
“I won’t,” he replied, stepping to the railing. Then he paused and looked back. “My name is Raiden,” he said quietly. Then he was gone. Alone, Alydian stared after him, still grappling with what had just happened.
She felt an inexplicable kinship with him. Knowing his name and face heightened the attraction she felt. But how could such a man draw her attention? She tried to use her farsight to determine a shared future, but no amount of magic would reveal her fate. And questions remained.
Chapter 23: The Soldier’s Heart
Raiden caught the edge of Alydian’s balcony and descended. He’d borrowed Jester’s shadow whip, and used its enchantment to attach to the shadows under the balcony. Thumbing the rune, he lowered himself to the balcony below before dropping into the streets of Horizon. He stuck to the shadows as he advanced through the city, hiding the litany of damage he’d sustained in his fight with Alydian. Stopping to retrieve his horse, he left the city behind and followed the road northward, where Jester stepped into view.
Jester grinned as he spotted his torn and burnt clothing. “I had a past lover do that to me.”
Raiden smiled. “Only one?”
“Maybe two,” Jester said. “Maybe more. I lose track.”
“She’s much stronger than in our last engagement,” Raiden said.
Jester tossed him a change of clothes. “You favor her,” he accused.
“My feelings regarding the woman are irrelevant,” Raiden said, dismounting to change into merchant’s garb. “What matters is that she believed me.”
Jester began to laugh. “Deflection? So it’s true. How long have you felt something for her?”
&
nbsp; Realizing the man would not be dissuaded, Raiden grinned. “I think she’s attractive.”
“And?” Jester prompted.
“You aren’t going to let this go, are you.”
“Nope.”
Raiden laughed. “When we attacked her the first time, she was terrified but managed to overcome that and stand with courage. I saw something then and felt drawn to her. Today, she could have killed me, but she stayed her hand. I’ve never met anyone like her.”
“She’s an oracle,” Jester said with a snort. “There is no one like her.”
Raiden shared the tale of his duel and conversation with Alydian. Jester’s suspicion was accurate, but such attraction to an oracle would likely lead to ruin. Suppressing the emotion, Raiden finished the tale, and for several minutes they rode in silence through the dark countryside.
“How much do you favor her?”
“Is that all you have to ask?” Raiden asked. “You couldn’t stop talking about how dangerous it would be to infiltrate Dawnskeep, and now you want to know the state of my heart?”
“Of course,” Jester said, a sly smile spreading on his features. “Your heart died before I met you, so it’s good to see a spark.”
“The Soldier’s purpose is not to find love,” Raiden said caustically.
“Perhaps,” Jester said with a shrug. “But a victory without love is no victory at all.”
“I don’t love her,” Raiden protested.
“That’s what everyone says . . . in the beginning,” Jester said.
“Are you saying you have someone you care about?”
He smirked. “Of course.”
“And why haven’t you said anything?”
“Because you only talk about the Verinai.”
His tone was not harsh, but his words sounded like a rebuke. Chastened, Raiden sighed. “I’m sorry, my friend. I’ve been so afraid of the oracles discovering us that I refused to look anywhere else.”
“And now you’ve revealed yourself to one of them.”
“I believe she will become a powerful ally,” he said defensively.