Demons of the Hunter

by Stephen Allan

  The cries of the people became a massive conflict of information. Some cried that the emperor had perished. Others said they got that ugly witch and that the empire was saved. A few people cried out in pain, unjustly punched or kicked or even hit by wayward magic. Some swore they would never trust the magi again. A few, though, said the emperor’s games had failed him once more, but the time to appreciate that was not here.

  The temptation to use magic increased with each passing moment that a citizen stumbled in front of her, shoved her accidentally, or just blocked her by pausing to watch the madness. But for as chaotic a scene as it was, Zelda refused to use her magic on the innocent. A guard? Whatever it took, perhaps short of death. But for the people who had genuinely come expecting a display of peace? They didn’t deserve—

  A man in front of her, in his forties, with a brown beard and green robes, froze. Ice surrounded him and encased him. In the heat of the late summer, he would quickly come to, but Zelda knew this did no favors for making the magi look good today. She turned and saw Yeva’s hands turning from ice back to their normal state.

  “Go!” she said.

  The unspoken words reached Zelda all the same. Ponder our decisions later. Survival is all that matters.

  What did morality or decisions matter? No matter who was right, a frightening amount of disorder had come to Caia. The scythe of death had come to cut down magi and humans alike, and though the scythe had its eyes set for the magi, it was indiscriminate in whom it cut down.

  Zelda could ponder this all later. For right now, she had to run until her feet gave out.

  They came to the last row of the crowd, but their danger was only about to intensify. Guards from around the city had converged onto the palace. The streets had deserted of citizens, although the homeless population still remained a significant factor. Nevertheless, even the homeless remained out of the way, careful not to stand in the war zone between the magi and the now-formed imperial guard. There’s no more temptation. I’ll use magic as I have to. Just not to kill if I can help it.

  They escaped the last row and saw three guards jogging forward. Almost immediately, the guard at the front, a brute over six feet tall with blonde locks coming from his helmet, shouted “Magi!” and charged at the girls. Zelda instinctively raised her hands and blasted her ice spell.

  She was not prepared for what happened next. The force of the ice not only froze the soldiers in place, it froze the ground beneath them. The ice capturing them was not just a semi-thin layer that would melt within a few minutes. It was a thick sheet that looked to withstand hours, if not days, of direct sunlight and heat.

  “Zelda…” Yeva said in awe. “No, keep going. Keep going!”

  But Zelda needed a minute. The ice spell hadn’t rendered her incapable of escaping, but she had not anticipated its power. The road ahead would contain many more guards and dangers, and the last thing they needed was for Zelda to lose her energy. She motioned toward an empty alleyway, and the two girls ducked in just as another dozen guards turned the corner, charging toward the center of the storm. When those guards passed her, Zelda slumped to the ground, her emotions threatening to overtake her.

  So much death. All because of who they were. Not what they had done. If they were to be judged for what they had done, they wouldn’t have to flee in the end. If anything, the emperor would compensate them for slaughtering Indica, not punish them. I should’ve known better. I’m so stupid! Why did I think the empire would change? Why?!?

  Her mother. Magi in the street. Members of the Shadows. Gaius, probably. Almost certainly Kara. All gone. She hadn’t witnessed their deaths, but it was all but a given. Too many soldiers, too few magi, too little chance of survival. The Shadows of the Empire were no more, and Zelda knew it could just as easily be her if luck, good fortune, and some proper timing had not fallen upon her. I can’t keep relying on these chances to keep me alive. This won’t last forever. Seems like the only thing that does is hatred.

  Would she ever know peace? Would she ever see the day in which the people of Caia accepted her for who she was, realizing that just because she was a witch didn’t mean that she was going to hurt them? Would the magi ever be accepted, period?

  At this rate… as long as Emperor Rufus Syrast lived… as long as the blood of the magi shed by violent means in the street… Zelda gulped as she understood her naive mindset had dissolved, replaced by the truth.

  Not in this city, no. Not in her home. Not in the place she was born and raised.

  Caia wasn’t home anymore. Not as long as the empire still lived here. Not as long as the emperor had lived here. Not as long as the Syrast line…

  There was one hope.

  But he didn’t do anything to stop this.

  Tyus… how? Why? Why had he allowed this to happen? If he was the future emperor, couldn’t he have done something to stop this?

  Or could he even have done anything? Did his father rule with such an iron fist that not even Tyus could break free?

  Wasn’t he on the side of the hunters? Didn’t he fight with that one boy, Eric? He, of all people, looked like he genuinely had no idea of what was to happen. It made the attack even more sickening, that a father might lie to his only son to present public violence to him.

  But such thoughts came and went so fast that Zelda didn’t have time to ponder them.

  “We have to keep moving,” Yeva said. “They’re going to burn the rest of the buildings down to find us. They’re like rabid dogs who got a taste of us. We have to go, Zelda. Now.”

  Zelda didn’t even take a chance to take a deep breath. She stood, dusted herself off, and nodded. The only question now was which way to go—to the library with the Shadows of the Empire base, or to the west outside the city walls.

  Zelda quickly sneaked a look to where they’d come from. The military presence had only grown, and getting to the library would require freezing close to a hundred men. As powerful as Zelda realized she’d become, she didn’t believe she had the power to push through that.

  “Move west,” Zelda said, and she and Yeva ran, ignoring the lack of subtlety their movement had.

  Word of the violence by the imperial palace moved faster than their feet. She had to dart around soldiers looking to fight, not even sure who they would fight, just that they would fight; around women screaming hysterically; and around children crying. Out here, removed from the main scene, in the ruined streets, the poor side of town, and the horde of homeless people, Zelda hoped she could blend in. She pretended to be as panicked as everyone else, but sadly, she had too much experience in crowds. She was too used to wondering if someone would grab her by the collar and slide a knife into her or across her throat.

  She was beginning to understand Kara’s viewpoint. If the empire had not changed their mind about magi when they had literally prevented complete annihilation at the hands of Indica… when would they ever? When? Never?

  What would change their mind? What would cause the empire to allow the magi to live in peace? I don’t… it can’t be… but…

  Never.

  They had to fight. Or they had to retreat to Dabira and defend the city as its own. They had to treat it like its own kingdom, a land where no man without magic would ever come.

  It pained her to think. She couldn’t even bring the words to her mouth. The very act of accepting the truth felt like a betrayal of Mama’s wishes.

  But she gave up on the idea of peace. She just hoped that mutually assured destruction would be enough to keep the forces of the Syrast Empire at bay. At this point, she would settle for a lifelong standoff compared to lifelong persecution and death.

  “Stop!”

  A booming voice rang out as Yeva and Zelda paused. The streets cleared quickly. Zelda knew she’d heard that voice from somewhere before.

  Once all of the homeless had gotten out of the way, Zelda recognized the man immediately.

  “Do you remember me, witch?”

  Marcus. The guard who had blow
n her cover while trying to get a traveling permit. The guard whom she had frozen, along with a half-dozen of his men, to escape.

  Now he stood here, a bloody sword in his right hand, a thick iron shield in his left, and about five guards behind him.

  “I certainly remember you. I don’t give a dragon’s tail about your ‘peace’ with the empire. I’m going to kill you and I am going to enjoy it.”

  Zelda braced herself into fighting position. Yeva stood by her side, also crouching and preparing her magic.

  “Hah! I see you’ve brought help, knowing you won’t defeat me—”

  Zelda had enough. She fired a fire spell, but the soldier’s thick shield deflected most of it. Zelda lowered her hands, surprised at what she saw, as the guard laughed.

  “Yes, I’ve come prepared this time,” Marcus said. “You won’t defeat me. And I’ve got some help from my friends.”

  In addition to the guards behind him, over a dozen more surrounded the two magi.

  “You won’t escape now, much to my delight. Surrender now. Get to your knees, bow to me, and put your hands on the ground, and I will make your death quick.”

  Zelda tried to rush through the possibilities. Fire? Ice? Lightning—

  Yeva took two steps forward and spat on Marcus.

  “You witch!” he roared. “Kill her first!”

  Three guards descended upon Yeva, who held two of them off with an ice spell but the other one advanced. So, too, did the others. Zelda cried out “No!” She felt a surge of energy running through her. She felt the fire from within practically stand at the edge of her fingertips, and with a single release, she let the flames escape.

  Fire as if from the very mouth of Indica exploded out onto all of the guards, incinerating them and their armor. The men cried out in sheer pain, begging for mercy. Even Marcus had suffered grave injuries as he rolled to the ground, crying. Some of the men stopped moving, but the flames did not. Their faces darkened to black, some with their skin melted entirely.

  “Zelda…” Yeva said, in awe of her power.

  Zelda felt horror at what she’d done. She hadn’t even intended to use magic so great. It had come almost out of a protective instinct, refusing to let her friend die. She had just wanted to use enough to disable the guards, not turn them into ash.

  But that’s exactly what she’d done.

  “Come on!” Yeva said. “I’ll thank you when we escape.”

  Now Yeva was the one to grab Zelda by the hand and lead her further west. Zelda couldn’t help herself as she looked back. A couple of the guards still rolled on the ground, but most had perished, their bodies melting and turning into dust. Zelda gulped, fearful that she had also killed citizens in the process. But she would never know the collateral damage of her massive spells. She’d have to live with that possibility for some time.

  The two girls continued their escape west. By this point, anyone who wasn’t a soldier or a magi had the good sense to dive into the alleyways, waiting until the coast had cleared. It allowed Zelda and Yeva an easy path out, but it also made them more visible. The guards that came, though, did not have the organization or skill that Marcus and his men had.

  The real danger, though, came when archers perched on top of roofs rained arrows upon the two girls. Zelda used her fire magic to burn the arrows, but more than one arrow had launched with such accuracy that its ashes collided with the girls. It didn’t hurt, but Zelda knew she’d have to be perfect with her aim.

  With one final turn, Yeva and Zelda came to a straightaway of about a hundred feet to the gate.

  And in between them and their escape felt like every single remaining soldier in the imperial army, hell-bent on preventing their escape.

  “Lock the gates! Lock the gates!”

  Zelda had to move. She had to charge. She would risk injury not being cautious, yes, but caution would only get her trapped.

  She sprinted ahead. The gates began to close.

  Mama, I promise this is for good.

  Eventually..

  “Use magic on anything that stops us,” Zelda said. “Don’t—”

  But Yeva had already begun casting her magic. Lightning shot forth and shocked two of the guards and terrorized anyone within viewing. The men collapsed to the ground, twitching. They did not move.

  “Witch! Wiiiiiiiitch!” came the cries. “Kill them! Do whatever it takes!”

  They had to double down on their escape efforts. Zelda used a newfound power of lightning to electrocute all of the archers and enemies on top of the roofs and the wall. They screamed in pain, cries which would have reached the depths of Zelda’s conscience had survival not become her number one priority.

  The west side of town turned into a blur. Fire burned the guards. Lightning struck the arrows down. Ice froze the men.

  Still, the gate lowered. It had gotten halfway down.

  “No!” Zelda cried.

  I will get to Dabira. I will use my magic for good there. I will atone for the sins I’ve committed here.

  She unleashed a quick ice spell that slowed the gate down. Its descent still continued, but Zelda felt confident they could now beat it. Beside her, Yeva continued to use her ice spells to freeze guards around them.

  Fatigue set in. Zelda’s legs felt heavy. Her breathing intensified. Her hearing became like an echo, and her vision got blurry. She could hear her own heartbeat and very little of the surrounding madness.

  But the fight to live pressed her forward. With one final fire spell, she burned two guards which had converged to block the girls.

  Practically crawling by the time they got there, Zelda and Yeva moved underneath the descending gate. The gate only gave them about three feet of overhead, but it was enough.

  When they got to the other side, the gate slammed shut, suddenly having shattered the ice that kept it in place. On the other side, guards shouted at her. Archers got back into position. Zelda just wanted to collapse and rest. So tired. So weary. So exhausted. Her arms felt like lead. Her knees felt like they’d shatter in a heartbeat.

  But a firm hand grabbed Zelda’s right arm, lifted her up, and dragged her forward.

  Zelda looked back every couple of seconds and sluggishly took out the arrows coming their way. She missed one that erred on hitting their bodies by about a foot. Yeva screamed. Zelda just wanted a moment of peace.

  They finally dragged themselves over a hill. Zelda collapsed. Yeva came to tears.

  They’d survived. They’d escaped Caia.

  But it had come at a permanent loss of hope. Zelda saw the demons of the emperor had never left, even after defeating Indica. If anything, they’d intensified.

  It would never end. The madness and death would never conclude. At least for as long as Emperor Rufus Syrast ruled Hydor, Zelda would never know peace.

  Tears filled her eyes as Yeva cursed loudly.

  “The empire must die,” Yeva said after swearing so much that Zelda thought she’d run out of breath. “Kara had it right. If I ever see her again, I’ll follow her to my grave. If I don’t, then I’ll start the Shadows back up in Dabira and prepare for war. First Norius, and now this? No. No. I’m done. I’ll slit the emperor’s throat myself.”

  More curses came. Zelda didn’t have the energy to argue. Her mind had begun to think about all that she had lost.

  It wasn’t just the people she saw or heard dying. It was her sense that peace could be found in her lifetime.

  Was she ready for war? She couldn’t say. Even now, even in acknowledging all that she’d done, she struggled to forgive herself when she thought of how many soldiers she’d just killed. More than one, to be certain. She didn’t have an exact number, but that just made it worse. She would never know how much death she’d inflicted.

  Am I just as bad as the empire? Am I as evil as the emperor? Am I capable of committing as much violence as he can?

  “Let’s just go to Dabira,” Zelda said, attempting to stave off the questions that felt too difficult for her to fac
e.

  She looked into Yeva’s eyes. The tears were still on her cheeks. The red surrounding her eyes remained. The sniffling continued.

  But a cold fire had emerged, one that reminded Zelda of the emperor and Kara. It frightened her. It took two to make peace, and if her own side had become so extremist that it would never consider peace as an option…

  Before they could ponder moving further ahead, though, they heard a loud, pained scream of a familiar voice.

  CHAPTER 7: TYUS

  Tyus gawked in horror as the first soldier drove his blade through the chest of the witch. Watching her squirm and the blood squirt from her chest, he realized he had become a part of something he had no intention of supporting or helping.

  What was the point of all this madness?!? To demonstrate the emperor’s rule? To demonstrate that magi could never be trusted? What was his father even thinking? To kill the magi because he wanted to claim victory? Did he not realize that it truly was the magi who had destroyed the dragon lying a mere fifty feet from them?

  A hard hand yanked him away just as a column of fire would have incinerated him. The mage who had cast the offensive spell—Kara—paid him no attention as she moved away. I guess my actions proved me wrong. I’m sorry, Gaius. I really am.

  When would it end? Why did they really need to kill all the magi? Was that a necessity?

  Tyus tripped as he backed up on the steps. Thinking that the ground was the safest spot, he watched as fighting poured out into the streets, killing citizens, magi, and guards alike. What his father had unleashed was not just war against the magi with his guards on one side. It was the magi versus the rest of humanity. They had given a combatant like Kara every single reason to never trust them again. Their war would become an eternal one.

  He would die at her hand, or she at his. It was impossible not to see any other outcome happening. And the same was true for his father. Really, the same was true for all of Hydor. What his father had unleashed was nothing short of what the legendary dragons would accomplish; humanity and magi would just take years instead of days to wipe out the world.