Silent Requiem (Tales of Ashkar Book 3)

by Kayl Karadjian

  She must have slain a hundred bugs when she reached an opening at the end of the tunnel. Light poured through the tunnel, and when she jumped through its mouth she landed on hot, burning sand.

  Arwynn scrambled up just before a pincer caught her foot. She then turned around and hurled the stinger right through the eyes of the bug with the velocity of an arrow. It punctured right through and flew out the other end into the tunnel.

  She looked up, catching the bright, blue sky and basking in the sun for just a moment until she continued into her freedom, into the… vast desert.

  Now what?

  Arwynn looked everywhere for a sign of anybody, but there was just more sand dunes. She kicked the sand in fury, then picked a random direction and sprinted across the sands.

  An explosion mimicking the ones before emanated from her left, and she turned to witness the kind of fiery explosion that she only knew one person to be capable of.

  She pivoted her foot so that she turned left without sacrificing too much momentum. The explosion seemed like a mile away, her leg muscles pleading for her to stop running.

  Arwynn forced herself on until she saw that familiar hammer and the figure that went with it. Butterflies danced in her stomach, her heart threatening to burst from her chest. When Raxxil noticed her, he too burst into a sprint.

  Arwynn stopped only when she found herself in Raxxil’s arms, her heart pounding so much from exertion that she was hyperventilating. Raxxil’s hold was gentle, the kind that she wished from him every night.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. It’s okay.”

  “Where are… the others?” Arwynn asked after catching her breath a little.

  “We split up to find you,” Raxxil answered as he carried Arwynn across the sands. “Those explosions were meant for both them and you to find me.” Raxxil looked up at something, spat a curse, and rushed into another sprint.

  “What’s going on?” Arwynn asked.

  “Sandstorm,” Raxxil answered. “A big one. We need to find some cover.”

  Arwynn held on as Raxxil carried her, his pack, and his hammer without slowing down one bit. She smiled at him with droopy eyes, but his attention was set on his mission and he didn’t look down to meet her gaze.

  The wind picked up, sand getting all over Arwynn. She closed her eyes until the specks of sand stopped stinging her skin, leaving only the howling wind. She reopened her eyes to Raxxil again, who lowered her against the base of the large rock that he had found.

  He took his place next to her, and she rested her head upon his shoulders. She then wrapped her arm against his chest, expecting him to push away her hand. He didn’t.

  “Raxxil, I… I need to tell you something,” Arwynn said as she looked up to him, but his gaze was fixed on the desert. “Raxxil—“

  “Don’t,” he warned, his eyes still averted.

  Arwynn watched Raxxil for a while, hoping that he would look down at her and say something, anything, but he continued to avoid her gaze.

  “Raxxil, I love you,” Arwynn said as she drew up to give Raxxil a kiss on the lips.

  He jerked away, then pushed Arwynn back. Still he didn’t lock eyes with her.

  Will you not even look at me?

  Tears started to form under Arwynn’s eyes. Her head spun. She did not know what to do. The words had come straight from her heart, and he had stabbed it in his silence.

  “I can’t continue like this, Raxxil,” she said, risking full-blown sobs from erupting. “I just can’t. You’re suffocating me. If you’re going to stay this way, then I can’t be at your side.”

  He did not answer, but the tears that rolled down his cheeks said it all anyway.

  Chapter 27

  304th Dusk of the 5010th Age of Lion

  It was almost time, and Incindir was ready.

  On a normal night on the outskirts of the kingdom of Arcadia at this time of year, the weather would have been temperate. However, even the leaves of the forest trees had frost on them now.

  Incindir sat at the base of one such tree, as he had done for nearly three days now in a focused state. In that time he had amassed as much ice as he could in a three-dozen-foot radius. The heat absorbed by his body by such an action threatened to send him into hyperthermia, but it was by spacing out the energy across several days that Incindir had managed to endure.

  The only drawback was that he was weakened to a state where he would not be able to defend himself nor Halcyon should his plan fail. The amount of ice that he had conjured up was enough to stop any creature, living or otherwise, but he only had one shot. It all hinged on one dire moment.

  That moment would soon be upon him.

  Halcyon stood as bait just on the other side of the tree in the middle of a small clearing, waiting for that purple-eyed executioner to show up. It was fortunate that the boy had no need to eat or sleep, but Incindir wasn’t so lucky.

  Had he attempted this as he wanted to on Falrethar, the frozen environment would have been more than enough to fuel his trap. But, it was hard to say no to the Child of Light and it wasn’t just because of his beaming eyes.

  A droplet of rain touched his forehead. Then he felt another fall onto his hand. Then two more on his leg. They all froze as they made contact with Incindir or the ground around him. Soon the droplets turned into a light shower, and he looked up at the dark sky.

  Rain, never a good omen…

  Incindir craned his neck around the base of the tree to get a good look at Halcyon, who looked his way with more trepidation than Incindir was accustomed to.

  The boy seemed to be mouthing some words, but in the rainfall and the dark of night it was hard to make out. Incindir could have sworn that he made out the word ‘orb’.

  Halcyon tried again, this time slowing down each syllable and exaggerating the movement of his lips until Incindir could make out the vaguest combination of words.

  Ano… er… orb.

  Incindir furrowed his brows. What could Halcyon possibly be saying about an orb at such a critical moment? He needn’t waste his time to notify Incindir about the executioner; there was no doubt that she would fall right into their hands. It was the delusion of omnipotence that brought down the mightiest of people.

  So what was Halcyon so concerned about? The boy continued mouthing the same two words over and over again. He pointed frantically in Incindir’s direction.

  Another orb?

  It was then that Incindir heard it, the rustling of leaves and shrubbery behind him. He whipped back to reach for his blade, throwing his steel up just in time to parry a familiar blade.

  The force of the attacker pushed Incindir against the tree, and he let out a grunt in pain. When he looked at the man behind the sword, his eyes widened.

  “Hello, Brother,” said Sevag.

  _ _ _

  Jace gazed out at the Ghadji Desert from his terrace at his palace in Lenas. The desert was unforgiving, just like the war for Arcadia had been, and therefore just like… God had been. The question on Jace’s mind since the very moment that they left the coastline of Arcadia’s eastern coast was why.

  Why had God shown him the path, and then let that same path crumble? Why was Jace rushing back to Lenas empty-handed? His army was crushed, with only ten percent of it returning home alive.

  Granted, most of the lives that were lost had been from those not citizens of Lenas and thus had left the main bulk of the Order of the Faith intact. Even that did not faze Jace. He alone could take on an army himself, but it was never about that.

  It was about freedom. Liberty. Liberty to all the lost souls in the world pleading for something to hold onto. And now? What had this bloody path led Jace to? Where had he erred, and where should he begin anew?

  “Liberty?” asked the voice of General Von Doley, bringing Jace out of his thoughts.

  “What is it, General?” Jace responded.

  General Von Doley, with his helmet at his side, stepped forward until he was a few feet a
way from Jace. “You’ve hardly said a word since we left Arcadia, Liberty. I mean no disrespect, but we just lost the war.”

  “Just as God has hardly said a word, General,” Jace said, his hand wrapping the orb buried in his clothes. He wasn’t using its power, but rather hoping that it would give him solace. It wasn’t. “He has yet to divulge what is to come next.”

  “You are his voice, Liberty,” said the general with a bow.

  “Am I, General?” Jace asked. “What do the men and women of the Order of the Faith say now?”

  “You needn’t worry of that, Liberty,” said General Von Doley. “I will not tolerate insubordination, nor will I allow doubt and confusion to fester in our ranks. You have my word.”

  Yours, but not God’s…

  “Thank you, General,” Jace said with a smile. “I must ask you a question, and you will tell me the truth.”

  “Of course, Liberty,” said the general.

  “Why was I led astray?” Jace asked.

  The general thought for a while. “I wish I knew the answer, Liberty. You must forgive me when I say this, but perhaps your faith is in question.”

  The words stabbed Jace in the heart, and he could not stop himself from closing his eyes in pain. Could that be the answer? His efforts were not zealous enough? He had followed the scripture and all its tenets immaculately.

  But neither Arcadia nor the Child of Light were his.

  “I believe that you are right, General,” Jace said.

  “I am?” asked the general.

  Jace nodded. “My conviction is to be tested, and I must not disappoint.”

  _ _ _

  “Where should we begin first?” Kalic asked Jed as the two dragoons and Vanessa made their way down the once-lively streets of Lorine toward the southern exit where crumbled, mossy stone gave way to the forests near Terra Sur’s southwestern coast.

  “We haven’t a way to track any of the orbs,” Jed admitted. “All we have to go on is the legend, and it speaks of one such place to the west. On a cartographer’s map of Ashkar, the continent of Garen is the most western of all landmasses. I believe it to be wise to start there first. The Veri might have some knowledge on the orbs.”

  “Actually, I possess a way to sense them,” Vanessa said, much to Jed’s surprise.

  “How?” he asked.

  Vanessa thought for a while. “It is difficult to explain. For reasons that escape me, it is as though I have some sort of connection with the orbs. At least, it was that way with the orb on the Isle of Undeath. The only problem is that I must be fairly near to them to feel their presence.”

  “Still, that is much better than having nothing,” Jed said as he rubbed his chin. He then narrowed his eyes at Vanessa. “What are you, exactly?”

  Vanessa bared her fangs. “Care to guess?”

  Jed eyed her nervously, his body becoming tense. “An unholy creature, one that every dragoon has sworn to vanquish in the defense of Ashkar.”

  Both Vanessa and Kalic looked at each other blankly.

  “She is my betrothed,” Kalic said.

  A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Jed’s face. “Sorry. This is the first time that I’ve encountered a minion of Hell without malicious intent.”

  “How many hast thou encountered?” Vanessa asked.

  “Including you, or…?” Jed mumbled as his eyes darted to the ground and back.

  Vanessa scoffed.

  “It matters not,” Kalic said. “We shall make haste to Garen. Hast thou a boat prepared for us?”

  “I won’t be going with you,” Jed said.

  “No?” was all that came out of Kalic’s mouth.

  “The Dragoons are spread thin with all nine orbs,” Jed explained. “We’ve decided to split our attention. With First Dragoon Kalic taking care of one, the rest of us can focus on the others. Our focus is further split from attempting to rouse the Great Dragons in Ashkar’s time of need.”

  “I understand,” Kalic said as he nodded at Vanessa.

  “Then I shall be on my way,” Jed said as he bowed. “The Dragoons are honored to have you aiding us in our mission, First Dragoon Kalic. With your help, I have complete faith that we will succeed.”

  With that, Jed returned to a standing position, turned around, and went about his own way until he vanished behind the cover of a crumbled building. Kalic and Vanessa were left in the middle of Kormel Square, once the heart of trade inside Lorine.

  Vanessa laid eyes on Kalic, who returned her gaze. They shared another silent embrace, one that lasted long enough to make up for the century apart. She was content in staying in the embrace for all eternity, but she knew Kalic to be a man who always found something to defend.

  “Will thou share this new journey with me?” Kalic asked while the two were still locked together.

  “I’ve been waiting for this for a hundred years, my love,” Vanessa said, her arms hugging Kalic’s breastplate so hard that the metal screeched as she dented it. “We can travel the world, no kingdom or duty to hold down our will. Not even death could separate me from thou.”

  “Come, then,” Kalic said as he peeled back, grabbed Vanessa’s hand, and led her further from the heart of the kingdom. “This place no longer means anything.”

  “We could raze it to the ground,” Vanessa suggested with a grin. “It appears as though thou didn’t follow through that night.”

  “The land has already claimed it,” Kalic said, his free hand gesturing at the vegetation surrounding them. “Besides, we must be on our way. We cannot spend eternity together if there is no Ashkar beneath our feet.”

  “Of course, my love,” Vanessa replied, her thoughts turning to the temptation of blood that she hadn’t satisfied since leaving the Isle of Undeath many months ago. She envisioned sinking her teeth into the flesh of something juicy—

  Vanessa shook away the thought. She would never turn a hapless creature in the way that she had turned. Somehow, she would have to find a way to circumvent her thirst.

  “Is something the matter, Vanessa?” Kalic asked.

  “No, no,” she said.

  “Tell me of this curse of thine,” he continued, “and I’ll tell you mine. What powers dost thou have?”

  “Regeneration, just like thine,” she said. “But I require blood to activate it and even then it has a limit. The same goes for my transformation. It augments my strength and speed, but only the blood of others will fuel it.”

  “How did my blood taste?” Kalic asked.

  Vanessa blushed. “W-what?”

  Kalic smiled.

  “Good,” she answered, her eyes lost in Kalic’s. She looked around expecting to see somebody, and when she didn’t, she threw Kalic to the ground and hopped on top of him.

  “Now thou tell me how I taste,” she said to his delight.

  _ _ _

  Tarla dispelled the illusion of Jed the dragoon as soon as she was far enough away from Kalic and Vanessa.

  The plan had worked. She was able to convince Vanessa to go to the Veri, and from there she hoped that the presence of a demon would trigger the wards. At the very least, such an event should place the Veri at high alert.

  The demon-free centuries had led the Veri to languish in their watch over Hell’s minions, and King Tethaine was too arrogant to see his fall coming.

  Tarla hoped that her actions had just prevented that.

  It had been a boon for her to know about the Dragoons. At first, Tarla had only been after Vanessa, but when the witch had realized that Erendil and a dragoon—the first ever, at that—was also there…

  Well, the plan certainly changed.

  In a way she was glad that Erendil had not elected to go. It would have been a suicide mission for him, but given the powers of those other two, Tarla wasn’t too worried about their safety. All that mattered was reaching Garen and alerting the Veri.

  Gilbel could not be allowed anywhere near Bacille, the Veri capital. If that little demon was able to slip through her, Tarla w
as certain that he could get by the Veri.

  Now, all that remained was to prepare and wait for whatever came. If the Veri managed to prevent Gilbel from reaching his destination, then none of that gibberish from Serraemas would matter.

  Although… there was one thing that Tarla didn’t know, and that was what would happen if Hell did manage to invade Ashkar again? The Skyward Hands would need to get ahold of all the orbs.

  In all her wealth of ancient text and knowledge, Tarla was limited on that one legend. There seemed to be something lacking in it, a key aspect omitted intentionally.

  Gather them all up, and then what?

  _ _ _

  “Brother…” Incindir repeated, but while Sevag’s use of the word had been endearing, Incindir’s was anything but.

  Sevag’s features softened. “Don’t you miss me?”

  “After all that you’ve done?” Incindir spat, his arms shaking from holding Sevag back.

  “Family shouldn’t treat each other like that,” Sevag said with a frown. “It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. Couldn’t you at least be a little happy?”

  “Why don’t you say that to Endelis?” Incindir roared as he pushed Sevag back, the ringing of metal echoing throughout the forest.

  Sevag made no motion to continue his assault, instead twirling his sword around for a moment before pointing its tip at Incindir. “If I recall, it was you two who caused that mission to fail. Endelis’s fate was his own, as is yours. You abandoned us, remember?”

  “The Skyward Hands was not meant to become the very thing it sought to dismantle!” Incindir said. “It’s been twisted, just like your soul has been. You are not the brother I grew up with, Sevag.”

  “Then who am I?” Sevag teased.

  Incindir looked down in shame. “You’ve become a monster, Sevag. Mother didn’t raise you to be this way.”

  “Don’t drag her into this,” Sevag whipped. “Who was responsible for her death?”

  “The Asmani deserved to be brought down, but killing innocents was not the way to go,” Incindir said.

  “Collateral is just a product of warfare,” Sevag said as his eyes danced along the length of his blade.