The Hollow: At The Edge

by Andrew Day

  “I’ll take your word for it,” said Serrel. “Since you’re still alive, I guess they didn’t cut your head off like I’d have expected. What did you do?”

  “What anyone in that position does. We all got pissed.”

  “Of course you did.”

  “Fulgari Valley,” said Dhulrael thoughtfully. “Was that not the final battle during the orcish uprisings?”

  Dogbreath shrugged. “Dunno. I slept through most of it. There’s nothing like a good orcish mead. Puts hair on your chest hair, heheh.”

  “So you got drunk, and ended up taking the bronze. After your two years were up, why did you stay?” Serrel asked.

  “I left the first time, but I re-enlisted pretty damn quick. Believe it or not, I wasn’t always the fine specimen of a man you see before you. A long time ago, I was an ugly, mean, thick as two short planks, long streak of nothing slowly pissing his life away. Now look at me!” Dogbreath beamed proudly, arms outstretched. “There’s nothing quite like the life in the Legion, Fresh Meat.”

  “I suppose you’re just a short-termer, aren’t you, Fresh Meat?” said Holly. “Already planning your escape in two years.”

  “I haven’t really thought about it,” said Serrel. “When I signed up, it wasn’t as if I had anything else planned. I mean, yes, in hindsight I probably could have found work somewhere as a carpenter. Maybe finished an apprenticeship and then started my own business. Had I realised I was going to end up in the Faelands, having every choice I’ve ever made in life appraised by you judgemental buggers, then, hell, maybe I would have. At the moment, two years is a long way away, and to be perfectly honest, I’m more worried about just surviving until tomorrow.”

  “That’s the best way to live, Fresh Meat,” said Caellix. “Just day by day.”

  “So I take it you’re in for life?” Serrel asked Holly.

  “Of course,” replied Holly firmly. “This was the only thing I ever wanted. The only real choice I ever got to make for myself.”

  “And despite everything we’ve gone through, you still have no regrets?”

  “You mean, would I have preferred to spend the rest of my life married to some boorish farmer, milking cows and feeding pigs? To hell with that, Fresh Meat. The world is so damn big, why would I settle for being so small?”

  “What about you, Fresh Meat?” Caellix asked him. “Do you have regrets?”

  A lot, was the proper answer, but Serrel figured he knew what she meant. He wondered, had he thought it through, and perhaps not joined the Legion... It was hard to say where he would have ended up. Not here, for one thing. But then he might never have discovered his ability to weave. And as much as he had enjoyed the life of an honest craftsman, weaving the ether, exerting control over the world itself, no matter how tiny... He loved it. It was the only time he honestly felt in control. He never wanted to give that up.

  “Funnily enough, no,” he answered truthfully.

  Caellix didn’t reply, seemingly satisfied.

  They travelled until the light faded, then set up camp. Again, there was to be no fire, and rotating watches, but at least all their clothes were dry again.

  Serrel was to take the third watch, and decided to get some sleep beforehand. He had not been this exhausted since his first few days of training at Fort Amell. He wondered once more about the rest of Pond Scum. He wondered if they were having an easier time than he was.

  He had just stretched out on the ground, when Holly unexpectedly sat next to him.

  “So,” she asked slowly. “You think... You think you’re ever going to go home again?”

  Serrel shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d like to see my family again, but I don’t know. It might just cause them trouble.”

  “But don’t you want to see that girl again? The one that got you into trouble. Don’t you want to show her, and her stupid father what you’ve become?”

  He wondered where the sudden interest had come from.

  “Sure,” he replied. “But... She wouldn’t have waited for me. There wouldn’t be any point. Her father was clear about what would happen to me if he ever saw me again. She’s living her own life, and I hope it’s a good one. But it won’t involve me. As much as I would want them to, things can never go back to the way they were.”

  Holly was silent. Then she nodded. He had the feeling that he had not given her the answer she had wanted.

  “I’ll wake you when it’s your watch,” Holly said simply, and went off quickly.

  Serrel was too tired to be confused for long. He lay his head back and closed his eyes...

  And woke suddenly to find Caellix kicking him roughly in the side.

  “Get up, Fresh Meat! Come on!”

  Serrel groggily stood up, clutching his staff. He started to speak, then he noticed the sky.

  The sky was lit with green light from the Aurora Ethereal, just as it had been during the passage over the Dividing Sea. But this time they could see where the magical discharge causing the spectacular lights was coming from. In distance, the horizon was unfortunately blocked by the thick forest. But in the sky, through a small clearing in the tree canopy, they could see a narrow beam of bright red light shooting high into the starry heavens. At an impossibly high altitude, the beam spread outwards into the rolling waves of the aurora, which ebbed and flowed across the sky.

  Serrel stared. “Call me unnecessarily pessimistic, but that isn’t good.”

  “You think?” said Caellix darkly. “That beam of light, that’s where we were heading. We were supposed to meet the rest of the Legion there.”

  “You think the Legion did this?” asked Brant.

  “I doubt it. What worries me is if... We were supposed to get there first, but since we were delayed, and if Dillaini insisted on marching quickly... Shit.”

  “How long has it been going?” asked Serrel.

  “Maybe a few minutes.”

  “There’s no one on our side that has that much energy to burn,” said Serrel. “Even if everyone pooled their energy together, I doubt they could do something like that.”

  “Sergeant, there should not be anyone on the planet who could do something like that,” said Dhulrael. He paused in thought. “Unless...”

  “Unless what?” asked Serrel.

  Dhulrael pursed his lips. “This is just a theory you understa-”

  “Just spit it out, elf!” Caellix snapped.

  “Well, it’s-”

  The air was suddenly filled with a low pitched boom, like a clap of thunder. Except there were no storm clouds in the sky. A second and third explosion went off, each one briefly lighting up the sky with red light.

  “What the hell is that?” said Holly.

  “Nothing good. We need to get over there, now,” said Caellix.

  “You want to run... towards the explosions?” said Dhulrael slowly.

  “You don’t want to come, feel free to stay here.”

  Dhulrael looked around the dark forest. Considering the week he had been having, being blown up seemed like a welcome change from the constant threat of being eaten alive.

  “Perhaps I will come with you,” he said. “At least some of the way.”

  “I am so glad to hear it, Pointy. Come on, you lot, get your shit together. We are leaving, NOW!”

  They ran as fast as possible towards the light, and the sounds of explosions. The aurora overhead cast a green pall over the forest, but gave enough illumination to see any obstacles by. Strangely, the few glimpses of the wildlife Serrel had during their mad dash showed him several different birds and animals, all standing rigidly and staring straight into the night’s sky, as if the aurora held them hypnotised. He swore he even saw a giant bear, even bigger than the one that had nearly trampled them, standing completely frozen with its mouth agape.

  He wondered if they were watching in awe, or in horror?

  Up in front, Caellix ran determinedly ahead in silence, her dogs following obediently behind her. No one spoke, and no one wanted to voice a
ny ideas about what lay ahead.

  Then without warning, the beam of light switched off. The aurora flowed across the sky for a while longer, then slowly faded away. The forest drifted back into darkness, and any creatures previously caught in its thrall continued on their way as though nothing had happened.

  “Is that good or bad, you reckon?” asked Brant.

  “Bad,” said Caellix. “Whoever was doing that, they’ve gotten what they wanted.”

  “Which was?”

  “Everyone dead,” Holly suggested.

  “We can talk or we can run,” Caellix snapped. “Keep moving. It’ll be light soon.”

  The Bridge of Kaelthril, named for some famous elven builder, crossed over the Sileril River where it was wide and relatively calm. It had stood for centuries as the fastest way to Vollumir, weathering multiple conflicts and natural disasters with steadfast resolve.

  When Serrel saw it for the first time, the sun had already risen to find the bridge in pieces. Only one tall support of white stone stood upright. Everything else was rubble either swept away or slowly eroding in the Sileril.

  Having taken their impromptu swim the previous day, the Hounds were fortunately on the correct side. The rest of the Legion had seemingly crossed it late the previous evening, and set up a makeshift camp on the plain on the other side. What was left of it now was wreckage. The ground was blackened and still smouldered, the air still hazy with smoke that obscured their vision. A few small fires still burnt on what had once been tents. Most chilling were the strange craters that dotted the ground, the earth freshly churned up and seared. They were spread across the camp, all uniform in size.

  There were no people that the group could see. But there were bodies. Many of them were burnt and unrecognisable. But a few were ripped apart in an all too familiar fashion.

  They walked across the scorched earth in silence. It was almost too much to take in. The smell of burning flesh made Serrel want to retch.

  “Is... is everyone gone?” Holly asked in a small voice.

  “I don’t know,” replied Caellix with incredible calm. “There are a lot of bodies, but... Not enough.”

  “What the hell could have happened here?” asked Brant.

  “Someone very powerful attacked them,” said Serrel.

  “With the Ferine,” Caellix said. She kicked over a body, rolling it on its back to reveal pointed ears and sharp fangs. “But the Legion didn’t go quietly. Everyone’s in armour, or holding a weapon. We put up a fight.”

  Serrel forced back his fear, and tried to focus on the details, not the bodies. He pointed to the ground.

  “The scorch marks are shaped funny,” he noted. One blackened area of the ground did have a large crescent shaped section missing. “I think they were organised enough to deploy the support mages. They were shielded.”

  “For what good it did.”

  “Who knows how much energy we would need to shield against something like this...”

  Serrel trailed off, and cocked his head. The others listened intently, and heard voices, speaking in elvish.

  Caellix waved everyone to take cover. They piled into a large crater, and pressed themselves flat on the ground. The earth was still warm to the touch.

  There came the sound of light footsteps, and the voices became louder. Dhulrael listened carefully to what they were saying. There were at least three speakers, having something of a heated conversation.

  Caellix waved a hand, and made a gesture with her hands like she was pulling back a bow string. She pointed at Brant and mouthed, Left. Then at Holly, Center.

  The two nodded, and carefully strung arrows into their bows.

  Caellix counted soundlessly. One... Two... Three!

  Together the three stood up over the edge of the crater, sighted the three Ferine standing above them, and fired. With a crack of bowstrings, all three Ferine went down. Two died quickly, but the third let out a pained scream until Caellix finished it with a second shot.

  Serrel glanced around them for others, but no one came.

  “You think there are more?” whispered Holly.

  Caellix nodded. “Hunting for survivors.”

  “Luck may be with us,” said Dhulrael. “They were complaining about the smoke ruining their sense of smell.”

  “An advantage. That makes a nice change,” said Holly.

  “Unfortunately, they also mentioned that there was something called a childer here, and how it made them nervous.”

  “What the hell’s a childer?”

  “No idea. But with my luck, I would guess it is what they call those monsters from the forest.”

  “The wolf-bugs? Aw, hell.”

  “They die easily enough,” said Caellix. “We just have to stay alert. Don’t let them catch us unawares.”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Holly. “We can’t stay here if there are Ferine and gods know what else lurking around.”

  “There might be survivors,” said Serrel.

  “Maybe,” replied Caellix. “But if there is anyone here, then they’d be lying low to avoid the Ferine. We’d be hard pressed to find them. But anyone who could walk would have moved on. They couldn’t have retreated with the bridge gone, and the river curves north, blocking escape to the west. We’d have seen anyone running into the forest, so... North to Vollumir.”

  “You think they went there?”

  “If there were enough people left, hell, if there was even one person left, Dillaini would have marched them on to Vollumir. I would have.”

  “Well,” said Serrel. “It isn’t as though we can go back.”

  “I don’t want to go back,” added Holly.

  “Brant?” Caellix turned him. “Thoughts?”

  “You know me, Sergeant. I’m game for anything.”

  “Dogbreath?”

  “Maybe they’ll have a pub,” Dogbreath grinned.

  Caellix turned to Dhulrael. “I don’t know what’s waiting for us. If you know of anywhere safe you can hide, we can probably get you there and-”

  “If it is all the same with you, Sergeant,” Dhulrael interrupted. “I will come with you. You will need my help.”

  “How?” Caellix asked suspiciously.

  “For one thing, I am quite sure I can get you into the city without anyone knowing.”

  Caellix regarded him carefully. “We can continue this discussion later. For know, let’s back track to the forest and...” She trailed off, and cocked her head listening.

  Serrel did the same, and he heard voices again, but this time speaking in Imperial.

  “Did you hear that?” said a male voice unnecessarily loudly.

  “Please be quiet,” a second voice told him.

  “Hello! Anyone there?” the first called out.

  “Shut up.”

  The group exchanged a glance. Caellix nodded to the right, and lead them in the direction of the unseen speakers.

  As they came around the remains of a smoking tent, staying out of sight, the group spotted three people in stained Legion uniforms. There were two men, or more accurately, two boys, as they looked about as old as Serrel, if that. The third speaker was a much smaller girl, with long, unbound brown hair. She spoke to the others with an infuriatingly calm voice.

  “If you keep shouting, the elves will find us,” said the girl, matter-of-factly.

  “But what if it’s someone hurt?” said one of the boys. He looked petrified.

  “Then we should go look. But quietly.”

  “This is so dumb,” said the second boy. He managed to look even more scared than his companion. He was visibly close to tears. “There are monsters out here. We should go back!”

  “Calm down,” the girl told him. “We can’t go back.”

  “Why not?”

  “Shush. If you don’t stay quiet, they’ll find us. Now listen, because I don’t want to say it again. If there are people out here, we should help them. How would you have felt if I had left you all alone out here?” The gir
l said all this in a completely level and unemotional tone. She seemed completely unaffected by the devastation around her.

  It took Serrel a moment to recognise her voice. He had not actually heard it that much in the month he had known her.

  “They’re all dead,” the second boy complained. “Everyone’s dead!”

  “We heard voices, so someone is alive,” the girl replied. “So what we’ll do is this. You and Theo can go that way. I’ll look over here. If you stay quiet and-”

  The attack was sudden, and took them all by surprise. A creature, just like the ones from the forest, bounded from the smoke and launched itself at the group. The Hounds sprinted out from cover to help, but even as Serrel lifted his staff, he knew he would be too slow.

  He opened his mouth to shout a warning, when the girl spun around, a staff in her hands pointed straight at the creature. Barely a second before it landed on her, she weaved a powerful bolt of energy and fired it point blank at the creature. It contained so much energy, the light it gave off left everyone in the vicinity seeing spots.

  The bolt hit the creature with enough force that it not only stopped its forward motion, it managed to throw it backwards several metres in an arc that dropped it hard onto the ground. The girl didn’t hesitate for even a second. She advanced on the creature as it tried to rise, and blasted it repeatedly with more magic. She paused an arm’s length away from it and raised her staff over her head. A huge lance of fire that burned white hot ignited from the end of her staff. With a single swipe she brought her staff down, and sliced the lance through the creature’s neck. It passed through with little resistance, and decapitated the creature with a single stroke.

  The body was still twitching when the girl turned, dousing the flame from her staff with a puff of smoke, and returned to the two boys, who were staring in abject terror and complete shock.

  “That’s why I said to be quiet,” she told them in the same level tone.

  The Hounds stared.

  “Mouse?” asked Serrel aloud.

  The girl turn to regard him casually, as though she was not in the slightest bit surprised that he was there. “Oh. Hello, Serrel. I didn’t see you there.”