B008P7JX7Q EBOK

by Ijaz, Usman

  He watched the boys sleep as the night passed. The two lay close to one another, sharing blankets, and their faces were calm and serene in sleep. He reflected on how he and his companions had stolen their peace from them. It was a saddening thought, and he accepted it stoically, knowing that they had done what had needed to be done. His thoughts drifted to what he himself had left behind. They were bitter and heart-wrenching thoughts. The consequences of every decision, he told himself as he stood and began a slow circle of their camp. His eyes scanned the darkness and the ground, ears tuned to any sound. Still, the thoughts would not entirely leave him. I did what I had to do.

  An owl hooted suddenly above him, startling him out of his thoughts. Alexis had a gun drawn and aimed at the bird in a flash. He laughed as he saw the owl. “You’re extremely lucky, friend.” The owl blinked and flew off.

  He returned to the fire and waited for nearly another two hours, awake with his thoughts. In the early hours of the morning, when dawn had not yet broken across the sky, he lay down and slept. His sleep was a thin membrane from the waking world; at times the sound of the wood crackling in the fire was enough to wake him.

  3

  Adrian felt the cold spatters of rain on his face and sat up. He looked around, saw the fire reduced to smoldering coals, and Alexis and Connor sitting nearby and breakfasting on more hard bread.

  “This is going to be a hard day,” remarked Alexis, voice and face resigned.

  Adrian folded his blanket and placed it in the haversack. He took out one of the waterskins - there were three, and one was already empty and the others only half full - and drank a few sips before putting it back. Connor tossed him a piece of the tough bread and Adrian munched on it with no great enthusiasm.

  He looked up at the gray sky and more raindrops fell upon his naked face. It wasn’t raining hard, just a light drizzle, but that also meant it would continue for a while. The woods twinkled with dewdrops.

  They set off again soon after, with Adrian carrying the haversack.

  “Are the dreams still troubling you?” Connor asked quietly once they were on the march.

  “No... not as much as they did before,” Adrian said as he stepped over a large root that was in his path.

  “Are these the same dreams you spoke of before?” Alexis asked without turning to look back.

  “They are just dreams,” Adrian quietly. He suddenly felt reluctant to share them with his friends, afraid of what they would make of them.

  “What kind of dreams?” Alexis persisted.

  Adrian sighed. “For the past month or so, I've been having dreams in which a woman is killed by an angry mob. I’m sure she was an Ascillian ... and I’m almost certain she was my mother.”

  Alexis halted and looked at him then. “Your ... mother? Are you sure?”

  “I believe so,” admitted Adrian. “The dreams have stopped, but I still see her sometimes. Now I sometimes dream of something else as well.”

  “What?” Alexis asked.

  “I don’t know,” Adrian said. “All I see in my dreams is darkness, and sometimes a bright light. It wavers in and out of existence. Sometimes it is there, and sometimes there is only the dark.” He left out the other dreams, where he was the precursor of death.

  Alexis looked at him for a long time and Adrian began to feel uncomfortable. At last the Legionnaire said, “It calls to you.”

  “But how can that be?” Connor asked once they were on the move again.

  “The Ascillians and the Source were closely related,” Alexis explained. “It is easy to believe that they could touch one another in some manner.”

  “How long can the Source last ... without an Ascillian’s touch?” Adrian asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

  “It has lasted for the last several decades, let’s hope that it lasts for a while longer,” Alexis answered. “It’s said that when the last known Ascillian was hunted down, she was running into the Ruins. If she had reached her destination, perhaps the Source would not be in the state it is now; perhaps we would have a few more years.”

  Adrian’s hands tightened at Alexis’s words. He wasn’t mad at his friends, or his uncle and cousins, but he felt the need to blame someone strongly. And it was simply too easy to point the blame towards all humankind. He understood what his duty was, what was expected of him, and he supposed that there really was no choice for him, it was either do or don’t, but he wished that he didn’t feel as though he was doing it for those that didn’t deserve it. At times a malevolent thought crept upon him. Why not let the Source die? Perhaps then they would repent their unforgivable sin. But the thought always made him feel at odds with himself, as if he were going against what he truly believed and knew to be right, and so he always pushed it away.

  By noon Adrian loathed the damned woods. He had had enough with them and wanted to get out as soon as possible. He detested their gloomy appearance, and he hated the sensation of walking in place. No matter how long they marched, they still remained in the woods when they stopped.

  They came to a small stream and refilled their waterskins. Then they were on the move again. It stopped raining, but the ground beneath them was soggy and the trees that brushed their clothes were wet with rainwater.

  “This is turning out to be a great day,” Connor said dismally.

  Chapter 15

  The Tribe of the Woods

  1

  Adrian and Connor began to spread their blankets beneath a large tree as Alexis constructed a small fire. Overhead the moon shone through drifting waves of clouds. Despite the day’s rain the night was gratefully not as frigid as the previous one. They were all tired and all they had to eat was Rebecca’s bread with some fruitberries Alexis had found. The Legionnaire gave most of his berries to Adrian and Connor.

  “Don’t you want some?” Adrian asked.

  “I prefer the bread,” Alexis said. He sat down with his back against the tree.

  Adrian knew it to be a lie but didn’t say anything. He and Connor ate the somber meal and washed it down with water. Alexis took out his guns and began cleaning them as he munched on his bread. For a while they sat around the fire in quiet silence, each of them drifting with their own thoughts.

  “Do you think the assassins are still on our trail?” Adrian asked into the quietness.

  Alexis looked up from his guns and mulled the question over. “I don’t know,” he said at last. “I’m beginning to think that they might not have followed us into the woods, but that leads me to wonder what we can expect once we get out of here.”

  “Who do you think sent them?” Connor asked, drawing his blanket tight around him.

  “I told you before that it is possible others are looking for Adrian,” Alexis said patiently. “It could be anyone.”

  “What about Hamar and Owain? Do you think they are all right?” Connor asked.

  “I don’t know,” Alexis answered wearily. Adrian could see his patience wearing thin. “We’ll have to see once we make it out of these infernal woods.”

  They all relapsed into silence once more. The Legionnaire continued cleaning his guns and the boys eventually lay down to sleep.

  2

  The night deepened and Alexis was left with his thoughts again. He stared into the flames, in his mind going over the scenario that had caused them to flee from Haven as fast as they could. He wanted to be able to answer the boys’ questions, but he simply didn’t know what to tell them. He didn’t know if Hamar and Owain had survived, if they had killed their attackers or had been killed themselves. He didn’t know how long they were going to be in these woods, and he didn’t know who else might be after Adrian. For the first time he began to feel the weight of the duty that had been dropped onto his shoulders.

  Duty binds a man stronger than any chain, he recited to himself and smiled a small smile.

  He wanted to get out of these woods and send word to King Aeiron and ask for advice. Perhaps even to tell him to send more Legionnaires to aid thi
s mad quest. Sitting here, before a small fire in the middle of these strange woods, all that he imagined lay ahead of them seemed daunting. And he was by himself. He began to wonder if they would even reach Gale. The capital of Teihr was nothing more than another stop in their long and arduous road, but there he knew that they could catch a respite; it had been for this reason that the king had agreed that they should stop there. Gale was the one place where they could expect help. And now it was the only place that he was sure they could be safe for a while.

  The night deepened and Alexis kept his silent vigil as he had done so many of these past nights. The lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll on his body, but it was nothing that he couldn’t overcome - at least for a little while longer. He kept his watch, and in the early hours of the morning began to lay his blankets down to catch some rest.

  Crack!

  Alexis jerked his gaze away from his bedding and peered into the woods. The dry sound of leaves crunching beneath heavy feet came from the surrounding forest again, barely audible. An animal, came the thought, but he pushed it away; he wouldn’t take the chance. He was suddenly filled with the premonition that they were not alone. He watched the darkness around the camp, straining his eyes to catch the slightest movement, but could see nothing. He was nightblinded, and cursed himself for it. But he could hear them.

  He drew his guns and straightened, a dead certainty in his head that the assassins had found them at last. The wind blowing through the trees stirred his hair as he moved toward the edge of the light cast by the fire. He looked behind him to check on the boys, saw them sleeping peacefully, and returned to studying the woods.

  At first he saw nothing but darkness. Then a shadow moved further off into the woods. Alexis raised a gun towards it. The sound of a cracking branch from his right caused him to wheel in that direction, his other gun leveled towards the noise. He caught a glimpse of another shadow scurrying behind a tree, nothing else. Again came the sound of running feet from behind him, and he turned to face the woods in that direction, trying to assess the situation. Whoever they are, they’re keeping away until they’re certain they have us trapped. A low growl from the woods answered his thought, and Alexis realized that they were being surrounded. He turned and strode briskly to where the boys lay. He knelt beside them and shook them both awake.

  “Alexis, what’s--?” Connor began, yawning, but Alexis cut him off.

  “We have to move. We’re not alone anymore.”

  The two boys startled and rose from their blankets. Alexis stood up and went to the haversack, he threw it at their feet and told them to quickly repack their belongings. While they did this, he kept a wary watch on the woods, his fingers flexing on the butts of his guns. If only he could determine where the assassins were.

  The sound of several hurried feet carelessly running through the underbrush came from somewhere to his right. They know we’re aware of their presence. He looked at the two boys and saw them staring into the woods, eyes wide with fear and hands trembling as they readied the pack.

  Alexis turned around in full circle, fighting to hold on to his own composure, trying to decide which direction was safest. And even as he thought on this an arrow flew from the dark and buried itself in his shoulder. He screamed aloud as sudden pain lanced down his arm and through his chest. He nearly dropped his gun. He gasped in surprise and pain and stumbled back several steps. He looked at the thin shaft protruding from his left shoulder, and in some distant part of his mind realized that had it gone in another few inches below it would have likely punctured his heart.

  “Alexis!” Adrian shouted. “Are you-”

  Alexis shouted through clenched teeth. “Hurry!”

  From the woods came the sound of heavy feet moving in rapid succession, followed by the sound of branches and small trees snapping. Whoever was in the woods, they didn’t intend to wait any longer.

  Alexis holstered his guns so that he could grab at the arrow. He gripped the shaft in both hands and gasped as a spasm of pain shot through him. He clenched his jaw as he snapped the shaft close to where it was buried in his shoulder and screamed aloud from the pain. Blood flowed from the wound and down the inside of his shirt and coat. He tossed the broken shaft aside, and drew his guns out again. “Let’s... go,” he grunted.

  The boys, in their fear, had readied the sack as quickly as they could; Alexis took it. As he slipped it on, a loud, harsh roar came from directly behind them. He wheeled around, wincing at the pain that flared in his shoulder, and fired his gun at a large shadow just outside of the fire’s light. A howl of pain rose as a large form fell back with a heavy thud.

  “What was that?” Connor asked, his voice near panic.

  “Do you really want to find out?” Alexis demanded as he grabbed him by the shoulder. Connor shook his head. “Now, run!”

  The three fled into the woods, and all around them the shadows followed.

  2

  Adrian ran with Connor beside him and with Alexis following them both. His heart drummed against his chest with a savage beat, making him think it must explode any moment. His eyes were frantic and wide. From behind them he heard the loud vicious snarls and the sounds of pounding feet, and ran faster.

  The woods made tough going. The branches whipped at them as they passed, trying to hinder their progress, and the brush hid what the night held. As he ran he glanced down from time to time to make sure that he did not trip. Adrian looked ahead into the woods. Shadows nearly twice the size of a man rushed out from behind the trees, emitting the loud snarling noises that only an animal can produce. What was perhaps most unsettling about the charging forms were the pale yellow eyes that appeared to be floating in the night. The creatures moved with deathly speed and without care, ripping branches and saplings aside in order to get at the three of them.

  “Keep moving!” Alexis shouted.

  Adrian and Connor ran on, their eyes wide as they saw the strange creatures grow closer and closer in the darkness. Thunder boomed overhead suddenly, and many of the forms running towards them toppled backwards. Adrian shoved a branch out of his way, and cursed himself for an idiot as he realized that the sound had been Alexis’s guns, not thunder.

  But the large beasts continued to move towards them, and no matter how many Alexis shot down there always appeared to be another pair of yellow eyes to take its place. They passed one of the fallen bodies. Adrian looked down to catch only a blur of a massive gray body.

  Alexis’s guns thundered behind them, and more shadows lurched and fell before them. Then they were in the clear, for there were none left in their path. But they could hear the rest of the strange beasts chasing after them, snarling.

  Adrian looked back once, and through the trees he saw one of the large hulks break through a heavy branch and come running after them, emitting an animalistic sound. It was too easy for him to imagine them foaming at the mouths. There were many more behind this one, and when he looked up he saw some scrambling up the trees and others leaping from tree to tree.

  What are they? The thought pounded through his head with the wild rush of blood. He tripped on a slope of uneven ground and nearly fell. Alexis’s strong hand grabbed him and steadied him. Adrian risked one more glance over his shoulder, and saw Alexis shoving bullets into the chamber of one gun, his face a harsh mask of pain.

  I hope you have enough, he thought.

  3

  Alexis’s guns roared behind Connor and he cringed at the deafening sound. He tripped over a small branch and fell to the ground, scraping his knee. He looked up in horror as Alexis and Adrian ran on for a few more steps before realizing he had fallen behind. He rushed to his feet and ran to join them. From behind him he could hear the horrible sounds of pursuit, and he thought he would break into tears.

  He stared in shock as Alexis raised one of the guns towards him, and then the Legionnaire fired. Connor felt the bullet pass over his head.

  “Hurry!” Alexis shouted.

  His ears ringing fro
m the loud piercing roar of the gun, Connor ran on, wondering if he had not gone deaf. He found it hard to believe that just a few moments ago they had been sleeping beside a peaceful fire.

  His legs ached as they never had before, feeling heavy as lead with every stride, and he felt as though he would collapse any moment. His lungs were dry and he gasped for breath with every step. He had only to look around to see that both Adrian and Alexis were in the same state. They could not keep running for much longer, he knew, and when they stopped it would be their end. The woods that slowed them down seemed to present no challenge to their pursuers.

  An arrow struck a tree beside him and Connor yelled in surprise. The sound of Alexis’s guns came in response, thundering several times before falling silent. Connor glanced back and saw Alexis reloading the guns. He wondered how many bullets the Legionnaire had left.

  4

  The thought of how much ammunition still remained didn’t cross Alexis’s mind. The pouch at his belt bulged with bullets. What gripped him was worry of whether or not they could escape the beasts that chased them. He fought the certainty that they would die in these woods. The pain in his shoulder flared with every step and seemed to spread through his entire body. At times he saw a faint darkness creeping in around his vision and felt the world begin to fade, but he fought to stay conscious, for the boys’ sake if not for his own.

  He had no way of telling how long they ran, only that by the time dawn at last broke its hazy fingers across the sky he felt like collapsing. His legs ached and his stomach pained him with severe stitches.

  In the growing light of day he could see the beasts that chased after them, closing the distance with every step. They were large hulks with skin so gray that it looked dead, and hair that flowed behind them in long dark tangles. Yellow, slanted eyes stared out with savage intent above wide snouts and gaping maws rimmed with large, broken teeth. Those that didn’t carry bows - and God be thanked there were not many of those - were armed with savage claws that tore through small trees and branches to get at their prey.