Chased by Fire (The Cloud Warrior Saga Book 1)

by D. K. Holmberg

  “He has before.”

  Fur turned to the other. His angry eyes seemed like candles flickering. “Only when there was no other way.”

  “What then?”

  Fur hissed. The sound carried his anger and rage and the night surged again with heat as he did. Tan sensed it clearly from the protection of the water, and felt a swell of its fear.

  “Theondar.”

  25

  Twisted Fire

  Tan looked up to the darkening sky. Though he saw nothing but the sheeting rain and darkness above him, his heart leapt in his chest with sudden hope.

  The lisincend had said Theondar.

  How could Roine have survived the lisincend attack?

  Thunder rumbled through the valley in response.

  He held his head low and walked along the lake, inching slowly toward where Amia was imprisoned. The hound guarding her paced around the flames, looking from Amia to the night, sniffing the air as it did and growling low in its throat. The streamers of flame stretching from the ground sizzled with the downpour, not weakening even as the rain came harder.

  Another crackle of lightning split the sky, followed by the loudest peal of thunder yet. Rain sluiced down and Tan ducked under the water for protection. As he did, a blast of lightning streaked toward the lisincend. It struck the ground in an explosion of earth and water.

  Tan pushed his head out of the water and rubbed his eyes. A painful scream, like the splintering of a falling tree, tore through the night as another explosion spewed rocks and spray toward the lisincend.

  Theondar?

  Was this a warrior in his fury?

  Tan needed to reach Amia. Whatever was happening would provide enough of a distraction. If he could slip past the hound, he might reach her.

  Another explosion crashed through the night. The lisincend sent blasts of flame and waves of heat at something unseen. The night grew bright with the fury of their attack. Smoke rose from the flames to cover everything in twisting shadows, like the veil of the lisincend.

  With his focus on the lisincend attack, Tan almost didn’t see the hound.

  It had prowled close to the water, spying him. It sat back on its haunches to stay clear of the water and swiped a long paw at Tan’s face. Wickedly sharp claws whistled too close, almost shaving the surface of his cheek.

  He dropped below the surface of the water and grabbed his hunting knife. Determination rolled through him. He had to get rid of the hound to reach Amia.

  Tan broke the surface of the water and launched himself forward, the knife held outstretched in his hand. The hound pranced back and Tan landed awkwardly on the ground, nearly at its feet. It surged forward, teeth bared, lunging for his throat.

  Tan rolled wildly, struggling to keep his knife in front of him. He came to his feet just as the hound pounced.

  Dropping low, Tan hoped to have the hound leap over him, but the hound had timed its jump well. Sharp claws dug painfully into his back as it passed over him, roaring in his ears as it jumped past his head. The hound’s breath smelled of a fetid rot, hot upon his face. Tan stabbed with his knife, frantic. He had less chance of survival the longer the hound attacked.

  A pained cry erupted from the hound. The burning on Tan’s back eased.

  He spun, clutching tightly to his knife, now slippery with hot blood. The hound backed from him a few steps, the hackles upon its back raised. A long gash along its side oozed blood that steamed as it struck the ground.

  The short tail twitched once. Then the hound growled and jumped.

  This time, it was not as well timed. Tan turned, thrusting his knife into the hound’s belly as it jumped. He pushed it out and over him, toward the water of the lake.

  The hound cried as it struck the water, which bubbled as the hound sank slowly, thrashing and howling wildly.

  Tan watched until the beast was no longer visible, fearful that it would spring forward once more. It never did.

  He turned to Amia. Pain tore through his back where the hound had gashed his flesh. Warmth and wetness different from the rain ran down his back. Tan ignored the injury. He’d taken too long with the hound. How much longer would the lisincend be distracted?

  Amia hunched inside the fiery cage. The rain didn’t seem able to penetrate the cage and she remained dry. Heat unlike anything Tan had ever experienced radiated from the flames and he struggled to near but was pressed back. If he couldn’t pass through the cage, there would be no way he could save her.

  “Amia!”

  She looked up, a lost and sad expression upon her face. Her eyes were distant, slowly focusing on him. Shaking her head, she spit out the gag. “Tan? How…?”

  “There isn’t time. Roine attacked the lisincend. I need to get you out of here.”

  She looked over toward the lisincend, knowing immediately where they were. “You can’t,” she said. “This can only be brought down by one of the lisincend. I think Fur himself holds the cage.”

  “I need to try!”

  Amia shook her head and turned away from him. Her head dropped and she didn’t move.

  Taking a careful step forward, he couldn’t do more than that. The heat from the flames pressed him away from the bars of flame, away from Amia.

  How could she tolerate the heat, sitting within the center of it all?

  Tan paced to the water’s edge, looking for something—anything—to extinguish the flames of the cage. He needed to act quickly.

  As he kneeled at the edge of the lake, a faint glowing ran along the shore. He had seen the same glowing earlier, near the nymid. Desperation made him wonder if they could help.

  Letting his mind grow blank, he stretched out his senses, not knowing what he would need to reach the water creatures, but he had to try. Tan tried to ignore everything around him: the chaos of the explosions, the crackle of the nearby flames, the pulsating heat threatening to overwhelm him. All of it he pushed out of his mind.

  Slowly, hesitantly, he pressed out with his thoughts, remembering like a dream what it had felt like when he had communicated with the nymid. A soft pressure built in his ears and remained.

  Nymid. He sent the thought out as a request, focusing a pleading note to the thought. I need your help to save the Daughter.

  Tan kept his eyes closed, listening intently, afraid that the noise around him would make him miss any communication from the nymid.

  Nothing came. There was only silence within his head.

  He opened his eyes and looked out over the water. In spite of the down-pouring rain disturbing the surface, there remained a soft glow toward the middle of the lake, faint and pale and almost imagined. Had Tan not had the memory of his time underwater surrounded by the nymid, he would think nothing of the glowing light. As he stared, the light moved slowly, swimming and undulating almost purposefully through the water.

  Tan fixed his focus upon the glowing water, praying quickly to the Great Mother that the nymid would hear him. He had no other idea how to save Amia.

  He stretched out his focus toward the light, listening and sensing as his father had taught him, sending his awareness far across the water. Vaguely, he had a distant sense of vertigo. Tan pressed that away, as well.

  Nymid! I need your help!

  Tan staggered back, exhausted from everything he had been through. The night around him swam and he slumped to the muddy ground, sinking into the muck.

  He Who is Tan.

  Tan heard the words distantly, an echo in the back of his mind. He looked up, bringing his eyes into focus as he tried to stare at the surface of the water.

  The soft glowing light swam toward him, slipping through the water as if unaffected by the pouring rain. Slowly, the light neared, and Tan felt his strength gradually returning as it did, able to regain his footing and pull himself from the mud as he stood.

  Nymid, Tan thought again.

  They were nearer and it was not as difficult to send the thought as it had been before. Tan felt only a momentary wave of dizziness t
hat passed quickly.

  You called us, He Who is Tan.

  There was a hint of surprise that Tan felt as much as heard in his thoughts. He tried to structure his thoughts in a way the nymid would understand. I called. I cannot save the Daughter. Twisted Fire has her trapped in such a way I can’t rescue her.

  Twisted Fire, the nymid repeated. The water around the faint light rippled and formed the figure of the lisincend before smoothing.

  Suddenly, the water surged up, forming a figure as if standing atop the water. Tan recognized the figure as one of the nymid, a physical manifestation of the creature. The nymid glowed more brightly than before and eyes formed on the watery face, peering around at the destruction littering the shore where the lisincend still battled Roine before turning to Amia’s fiery prison.

  You must save the Daughter.

  Tan looked from Amia to the nymid. I can’t get past the fire.

  The nymid sank back into the water. The pale light swimming slowly in the lake moved closer together, clumping. We will help.

  An image formed in his mind then and Tan knew what the nymid would do to help, though not how it would help. As he reached toward the water, the light coated his hand in a soft film. Tan took this and rubbed it across his arms and legs, his chest, everywhere on his body, as the nymid directed him.

  What now?

  Save the Daughter.

  How?

  You must trust. The Mother smiles upon you.

  The last seemed more distant. The remainder of the light atop the lake slowly swam away from the shore as the nymid returned to the depths of the lake.

  Save the Daughter, the nymid whispered again.

  The soft light of the nymid on his skin felt like a cool kiss, soft and comfortable. He stepped toward the cage. The flames didn’t feel as hot as they had and he was able to move closer than before seeking the nymid.

  But how, he wondered, was he to rescue Amia?

  Tan took another step closer to the flame, expecting the heat to overwhelm him and push him back. Instead, he was able to move easily, as if the soft nymid light was some sort of armor.

  Trust.

  He stepped forward again, almost to the edge of the fire. He still could tolerate the heat, if only barely.

  Trust.

  Then he stepped through the fire.

  Tan expected to be burned, or worse—blown back and away from the prison—yet he moved through the flames unharmed, like a curtain parting.

  Amia lay unmoving at the center of the circle of fire. Tan worried he was too late. The air within the circle was hot and dry and burned the inside of his mouth and his throat with each breath he took. Still, the nymid armor held.

  Holding his breath, he ran to Amia and picked her up. She did not look up or open her eyes as he hefted her. Tan cradled her carefully in his arms, enveloping her as much as possible to shield her with the nymid armor as he stepped back across the flames. Though Tan felt nothing other than a surge of heat as he crossed, Amia moaned softly under his arms.

  He needed to get her away from the lisincend but a feeling, an instinct, made him run toward the lake. A slight residual film of the glowing light remained on the surface. He lowered Amia carefully into the water, keeping her mouth above the surface.

  She gasped as her body hit the cool water. Her eyes fluttered open.

  Protect me.

  The thought rang through his mind again, like a tolling bell, and Tan knew he’d done what needed to be done. He lifted her from the water, her clothing dripping and glowing faintly, and ran with her toward the edge of the forest to escape the lisincend.

  Once they reached the trees, he paused. A loud explosion rocked the night. Tan held Amia carefully in his arms and looked to see what had caused the explosion.

  Not far from him, near where the line of trees thinned and became lakeshore, two of the lisincend lay motionless upon the ground. One was twisted awkwardly; one of the creature’s legs had bent underneath it. Or was simply missing. Tan couldn’t tell, nor did he care.

  That left only Fur standing.

  Roine stood before Fur, his face alight and nearly glowing. His hair stood on end. Roine was dressed in the same dark green Tan had first seen him in when meeting in the forest what felt like ages ago, yet something about the clothing seemed different, mystical, and exuded a sense of power.

  Roine reached his hands toward the dark sky and clenched them tightly into fists and thrust his closed fists toward Fur. The sky overhead darkened before a huge blast of lightning erupted, shooting straight down toward the ground and striking Fur, throwing him toward the water’s edge.

  Roine slumped, his shoulders worn and tired. This battle took nearly everything out him.

  Fur pulled himself back to his feet, appearing unharmed. He laughed as he stepped toward Roine. “You think to use fire against one of the lisincend?”

  Roine smiled then, and though tired, there was a dark malice to the expression. “Only to move you back.” Raising his hand again, this time toward the lake, he made a motion, pulling toward him, and the water in the lake surged forward in a wave.

  Fur looked over his shoulder, almost casually, and flicked a finger at the water. The water that had surged toward the lisincend turned to hot steam and the rest of the lake withdrew.

  Fur laughed again, a hot and dry sound, and looked back to Roine. “Not all of the lisincend fear water, Theondar.”

  Tan felt the building pressure of the shaping Fur readied, the rising heat the lisincend prepared to blast at Roine. Roine looked tired, nearly too tired to fight back.

  Roine closed his eyes, almost as if awaiting his fate, motioning again at the water.

  A wave, larger than the first, surged toward Fur. The center of the wave started to glow, flickering brightly, and the wave surged higher and stronger. Fur turned to see the approaching wall of water.

  Fur made a sharp movement with his wrist, sending a shaping toward the water, but the power of his blast glanced off the wave and shot into the sky.

  The wave struck Fur, washing over him in a loud hiss. Swept from his feet, he went sliding across the muddy ground toward Roine.

  Tan heard a satisfied sound deep in the back of his head. Twisted Fire, it seemed to say as the water receded.

  Roine stood overtop Fur. The lisincend hissed as Roine lifted a booted foot and brought it down quickly, stomping upon the ground. Earth split under his feet. Fur slid into the crack in the earth, screaming a horrible sound. Roine made another quick motion with his hand and the ground closed, sealing overtop the lisincend.

  Roine stared at the ground blankly, a mixture of surprise and exhaustion plain on his face. Then he turned and looked at where Tan stood hidden and limped toward him. Roine’s face was bloodied and there were a few small tears in the flesh of his cheeks. His peppered hair, though soaked and sodden, stood nearly straight up.

  He fell, landing near Tan. “Surprised to see me?”

  Tan laughed softly and shook his head. “Surprised…yes. And relieved. But you need rest,” Tan told him. After Roine’s shapings, he would have to be exhausted.

  Roine shook his head and pulled himself to a stand. “We need to keep moving. I was not strong enough to destroy him. That will not hold Fur for long.”

  Tan dared not argue. Lifting Amia, he carried her as they walked along the edge of the trees, keeping the lake to one side and the forest to their other. She breathed slowly, but regularly. Tan felt relief that she appeared otherwise unharmed.

  After a while, the rain eased as they made their way around the edge of the lake. Tan felt Amia’s shaping, and followed its pull. When the clouds finally parted, the moon hung fat and bright overhead. When it seemed that neither he nor Roine could continue on, he stopped next to a fallen log to rest.

  He struggled against his fatigue to keep his eyes open. As tired as he felt, Roine looked ten times worse. The warrior was barely able to stand, keeping upright by the sheer force of his will. When they stopped, he fell forwa
rd to his knees. Tan carefully set Amia down and positioned Roine against the log for protection. They could go no further until they had rested.

  Tan sat as well and moved Amia so that her head was atop his lap and gently touched her golden hair. It was soft and in spite of all that she had been through today, still smelled of lavender. The tension in his body began to ease. He would not be able to stay awake much longer.

  Watch over us. Tan sent his message out and over the lake. He doubted that the nymid would even hear him.

  As he drifted to sleep, though, he distantly heard a thought circling in his mind that he should not have been able to hear.

  We will.

  26

  At the Edge of the Lake

  Tan opened his eyes slowly, squinting against the light of the sun. Roine crouched nearby, tending to a small, crackling fire, roasting something over the flames. Tan’s mouth salivated at the thought of fresh meat. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since he’d last eaten.

  “Good,” Roine said. “You’re awake.”

  “How long have you been up?”

  Roine shrugged. “Long enough.” He frowned at Tan before turning back to tend the fire. “You know, I’m surprised that you’re alive.”

  Tan shrugged, not quite ready to explain the nymid. “I would say the same to you.”

  Roine laughed. “I’m not killed as easily as Fur would believe.”

  “And you think Fur survived?”

  Roine frowned, setting his hands upon his legs and working his fingers for a moment before answering. “Fur is the oldest, and most powerful, of the lisincend. Perhaps once I could have destroyed him. Perhaps. Now I’m no longer strong enough.”

  “Why not?”

  Roine laughed softly. “There are many answers, probably. The simplest is likely the truest. Strength takes confidence—some would say arrogance—and I’m not the same man.”

  Tan watched Roine while he rotated the meat over the fire. “Who are you, then?”

  Roine looked up and there was a playful smile about his face and reaching his eyes. “I am Roine.”