Trail of Flames

by Marlow York

  The men relaxed their hold on the wind and water, confident the job had been completed. Calima focused on the second scouting ship, lurching to stay above water. With the rush of a wave, the scouting ship disappeared, leaving a plume of smoke behind. Just like that, the attack was over.

  The injured Therian man was pulled aboard the damaged rowboat. He lay out of sight as the boat made its way back to the docks, but I noticed red water seeping out of the holes. His Istkaal companion was pale and shaking.

  I finally released the breath I’d been holding. Captain Lagan’s boat returned to the docks, but many of the other ships stayed far out at sea—scanning for more airships.

  Calima met her frowning husband. “How did they get so close to the island?”

  “Complacency?” Anza suggested.

  Captain Lagan shot her a look. “Never. We have Blackguards watching the wind and water at all times.” He scanned the horizon. “Somehow they managed to sneak past us.”

  Saven and I exchanged looks. “The City is more advanced than we could ever imagine,” I said.

  Captain Lagan and Calima turned to me. “You have seen it?” Calima asked.

  I shook my head. “Not with my own eyes; Fiero weren’t allowed within the City. But my friend, Sarrenke, she knew more about them than anyone I’ve met.”

  “How?” Captain Lagan asked.

  “She was a City Dweller, a runaway who sought refuge with the Grakkir.”

  Husband and wife looked to Anza, waiting for her to nod.

  “It is true,” Anza confirmed. “She lived a Shunned life, but she was adopted Grakkir nonetheless.”

  “They also kidnapped several Grakkir and Fiero during their attacks,” I continued. “My…husband was one of them. They did experiments on him. I’m afraid they may have learned things about the Ancient Bloodlines from the prisoners and they’re using it to make themselves stronger.”

  A woman’s scream erupted to my left. When the dead Therian man was laid on the dock, she cradled his head in her lap, her hands pressing uselessly on the holes in his chest and torso. Her sobs echoed across the water and found their way into my heart. I inhaled deeply, trying to loosen the tightness in my chest.

  Captain Lagan closed his eyes, his forehead wrinkled with concern. “I knew this day would come,” he murmured. “But I had always envisioned myself more confident we would win.”

  Calima squeezed his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked into hers, hardened with determination like a stormy sea. “We have done all we can to prepare for this. The only thing left to do is act.”

  “This may sound strange, but she reminds me of my mother,” Saven said.

  Calima held herself with confidence and quiet wisdom. Captain Lagan raised his chin and looked at her with determination. We had not known them long, but I could tell he would never let her down. They would be each other’s strength when one was weak. I felt my eyes water as I remembered my parents and how they looked at each other the exact same way.

  “When do we leave?” Cypress asked.

  Captain Lagan looked at each of us in turn, his expression determined. “As soon as Roger’s ship is fixed.”

  “But he cannot fight,” Anza said.

  “He brought our allies to us,” Captain Lagan said. “He deserves to return home.”

  “He is our dear friend. Our family,” Calima added. “We take care of our own and don’t leave anyone behind.”

  Chapter 19

  News of our leaving spread quickly. The Blackguards prepared their ships for battle while everyone with knowledge of shipbuilding helped Roger. By the time the sun crossed the sky, the Salty Mutt was ready to set sail, flanked by dozens of Blackguard ships. Saven, Cypress, and I stood on deck, watching the ocean as we neared the mainland.

  “This is really happening.” My voice came out shakier than I intended. We probably didn’t have the numbers we needed, but there was no choice but to make do with what we had.

  “Are you scared?” Cypress asked.

  I looked up at Saven, our feelings of fear and anxiety mixing with an adrenaline-rush of unexpected excitement.

  “Yes, but I think I’m also ready. And not ready.” I looked at Cypress. “I don’t know exactly what I’m feeling.”

  “That’s okay, neither do I.” He touched my wrist and turned to me. “Whatever happens, I’m glad I found you on that mountain. Even if we lose, we can die knowing we tried.”

  My mouth opened, but I didn’t know what to say. I smiled and gave a nod.

  “I would happily die a Warrior’s death if it means I have killed some City soldiers in the process,” Anza interrupted, stepping beside Cypress.

  I admired the way Anza held her head high, the blood of a true Grakkir Warrior pumping through her veins. If she was at all afraid to fight—which I doubted—she didn’t show it. Her eyes stayed fixed on the horizon, waiting for land to come into view. Mjoll stood beside her, just as brave as her human companion.

  I looked past them at the Nautilus, leading the fleet slightly to our left. Calima stood beside Captain Lagan, refusing to stay behind on Three Winds. Their argument was brief, but eventually she agreed to stay at the back of the group and to fight only if necessary.

  We planned to dock near Roger’s home and leave him there, then make our way towards the City. The Grakkir would approach from the western side, the Secara from the north, and the rest of us from the east. We still had no idea how many allies we had, but there was no one left to ask. We had done all we could; the only thing left to do was attack.

  I forced air into my lungs. My world lay in the ashes of the Fiero village. Now I would lead an army against an enemy we didn’t understand. Before insecurity could cloud my mind, I squeezed Cypress’s hand and glanced at Saven. He gave me a reassuring nod.

  The mainland appeared as a faint strip of dark green across the ocean. As we got closer, I spotted a dark cloud hovering over the trees.

  “Smoke,” Saven observed, flicking his tongue.

  “Smoke?” I asked aloud.

  “The City?” Cypress asked.

  “What’s there for the City to destroy?” I asked. “There’s nothing out here but the ruins of Landsend and—” My voice faltered as I realized what was left.

  I turned to Roger, and the look on his face said he feared exactly what I suspected. He called to the Nautilus, “Lagan! We need to move faster!”

  The captain nodded. By now everyone had spotted the cloud of smoke. He glanced at Calima, who raised her hands above her head. The wind blew harder into the sails, urging every ship across the water at remarkable speed.

  There were no airships in the sky, nor soldiers lining the shores waiting for us. In fact, the land was so eerily quiet one would think no one had been there in years.

  “I don’t like this,” Saven said nervously. He glanced at Mjoll and hissed. She growled back in agreement.

  “Do you smell anything?” I asked.

  Saven shook his head. “Nothing but smoke.”

  “Mjoll does not hear anything either,” Anza said.

  “That’s what makes me nervous,” Saven added. “There should at least be animals here.”

  My heart thumped as I looked to Roger. The old man’s face was creased with worry and fear. I rested my hand on my war axe. “We should move cautiously and be prepared for anything.”

  The Salty Mutt and the Nautilus reached land before the others. The Mutt eased into its hidden pool where Roger dropped anchor. We looked around the quiet forest. Even the birds were silent.

  “Cypress,” I said. “Do the trees know what’s going on?”

  We made our way off the boat and Cypress placed his hand on a tall pine tree. He closed his eyes, listening intently while his brows creased with concern. “They say someone, or something, had been in the forest. The trees west of here were terribly frightened, but they have not been able to speak to them for hours.”

  “West is where Roger’s house is,” I said quietly.

&nbs
p; The old man silently tied down his boat, his hands moving quickly but faltering despite their experience. I wanted to say something reassuring, but it would be wrong of me to fill him with false hope.

  “The others are coming,” Cypress said.

  Surely the trees had passed the message along before we heard footsteps approaching from the sea. Captain Lagan and Calima led a small group of Blackguards through the forest.

  “Where are the rest of your men?” I asked.

  “Waiting at the ships,” Captain Lagan said. His eyes scanned the forest uneasily. “No sense leading everyone into danger before we know what awaits us.”

  Roger wordlessly headed towards his house. The scent of smoke filled my nose and scratched my throat, growing stronger with each step. By the time we reached the clearing, Roger’s fears were realized.

  His home had been reduced to a smoldering pile of lumber. His garden was little more than a charred spot in an even larger circle of destruction. Buttercup, the ox, lay dead on the ground, her side burned and reeking of singed hair. The trees all around his home had been toppled and burned.

  “Such a waste,” Cypress whispered, his eyes scanning the dead trees.

  “My…” Roger’s voice came out as a whimper. “My home.”

  The bushes to the right side of the house twitched and rubbed together, sounding more like sandpaper than leaves. Anza and I drew our weapons, standing ready to kill whatever was hiding there.

  “Come out!” Anza barked.

  A feeble mew rose from within the bush. The leaves parted, and a grey creature limped out, fur streaked with soot and eyes wide with fear.

  “Violet!” Roger cried. He stumbled to the cat, who gladly rushed to meet him. Her claws dug into his shirt as though she never wanted to be put down.

  Roger sobbed openly when he returned to us, perhaps as much from relief as from sadness. “I knew you could take care of yourself but if I’d known this would happen, I’d have taken you with me,” he lamented, stroking her fur.

  Mjoll lifted her nose to the cat, purring low and deep. The cat trilled and purred back.

  “Violet does not blame you,” Anza translated between Mjoll and the cat. “She was not in the house during the attack. She was hunting a chipmunk in the forest.”

  “Does she know what happened?” Roger asked.

  Anza looked at Mjoll. After a series of growls and meows, Anza translated again. “It happened two days ago. The sky roared and then the earth exploded. Violet was knocked out, but she smelled strange men who came and left. Then there was nothing but flames and smoke. She hid in the forest until now.”

  “So, they’re gone?” Cypress asked.

  “It appears that way,” Anza said, but she seemed suspicious.

  Captain Lagan laid his hand on Roger’s shoulder. “You have a home on Three Winds, old friend. Please, come back with us.”

  Roger glanced at his destroyed house, then nodded. “Yes, but I need to find a picture of my family.”

  We all looked at the rubble, no doubt thinking the same thing: there was no way a photograph had survived the flames.

  “Please, just let me look,” he pleaded desperately.

  As someone who had also lost their entire family, I would have wanted a photo of them if one existed. “I’ll go look,” I offered.

  I crossed the small clearing and lifted the charred boards. A few metal items clanked beneath the wood, but I saw nothing that could be salvaged.

  Shadows moved in the corner of my right eye. I froze while my heart jolted suddenly and pounded against my ribs. I tilted my head just enough to peer into the forest behind the house and paused. Something was standing there, but I couldn’t quite make out the shapes.

  Saven hissed worriedly behind me. “Valieri?”

  My lips parted. “Saven,” I murmured. Sweat prickled on my forehead. I kept completely still. So did the figures. It was like a predator stalking prey that knew it had been spotted, only I wasn’t sure which of us was the hunter and which was the hunted.

  The figures knew they had been seen. They moved suddenly, lifting something up and sprinting right for me.

  Saven hissed loudly and I heard him move. “Valieri, run!”

  I sprang upright and took a step as the men burst from the forest—two City soldiers clad in skin-like black armor. Their wild eyes were hardly visible through a thin strip of almost-transparent glass. I pulled my axe from its sheath, blocking the first attacker as another figure streaked past me in a dizzying blaze of grey and white.

  The second soldier was snared in the wolf’s powerful jaws before he even knew what hit him. The sickening crunch of breaking bones echoed across the trees, and a moment later the soldier lay mangled and dead on the ground.

  “Khero!” I gasped.

  The wolf god turned to me, yellow eyes blazing like fiery gems. He sprinted and grabbed my assailant by the legs, hurling him to the ground. His jaws found the man’s neck and ended the attack as quickly as it had begun.

  Khero growled low and menacingly. I noticed his matted and dirty fur, bloodstains streaking his paws and mouth. He looked nothing like the companion that had stood proudly at Tarek’s side. He took a step towards me.

  “Khero?” I asked worriedly. I gripped my axe handle tightly.

  The wolf snarled again, bearing his dagger-like teeth.

  Saven slithered between me and Khero, looming over the massive wolf and hissing a warning.

  “What’s wrong with him?” I asked.

  Saven hissed and bobbed his head, trying to speak to the wolf, but Khero didn’t reply.

  “He has been a long time without his human companion.” Saven’s voice was laced with sympathy. “It is very rare for a god to stay among the living after his companion has died. Most would return to the Higher Plains. Khero seems…lost without Tarek.”

  My heart ached for the wolf god. I heard someone move behind me. Anza and Mjoll stepped slowly towards us, both cautious yet understanding.

  “It is unnatural for an Animal God to stay among the living without their companion,” Anza said. “The bond between a god and their human is spirit-deep. To break that connection affects the one left behind more powerfully than if they were to lose a body part. It is as if they lose a part of their very soul.”

  When I looked at Khero, I saw what Anza meant. He appeared on the verge of a mental breakdown. He fumed with anger, yet he seemed confused. Did he want to kill us? If so, why had he saved me from the soldier?

  I sheathed my axe and stepped around Saven. I approached the wolf slowly with my hands out in front of me. “Khero, do you remember me?”

  “Careful, Valieri,” Saven warned.

  I kept my eyes on Khero’s. He stared through me as though I weren’t really there. He growled suddenly and I froze. “Khero, do you remember Saven?” I tilted my head towards the snake.

  Khero’s eyes drifted to Saven, then back to me. His legs shook. Through the matted fur, I made out the ripple of his ribs.

  “Do you know Anza?” I took another step. “She and I trained together when I became a Warrior. Tarek helped me become a Warrior.”

  At the mention of Tarek’s name, Khero’s ears twitched. His growl sounded like a whimper. He panted and trembled all over.

  “You miss him, don’t you?” I was almost within reach of the wolf’s face. He could’ve easily snapped my neck they way he’d done to the men lying at our feet.

  “I miss him too,” I said quietly. I felt my throat tighten as tears welled up in my eyes. It had been so long since I’d seen Khero that it made me remember how much I’d missed him, Tarek, and Sarrenke. “It’s okay to miss him,” I continued. “I’m sorry you’ve been alone so long. I’m sorry we left you. Please, let us help you.”

  I lifted my hand, but Khero bared his teeth in warning.

  “Please,” I begged softly. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

  I gently set my hand on his snout. Khero twitched under my palm. I felt the wild energy
radiating from him, having forgotten human touch and genuine companionship. He closed his mouth and whined softly.

  “You’re okay now,” I said. “You’re among friends and allies.”

  Saven leaned towards the wolf. Khero reached up with his nose, growling softly. Saven hissed quietly.

  “What a touching moment between such horrific beasts.”

  We all jumped at the sound of a man’s voice coming from above. The sound filled the air louder than any man could speak. Where did it come from? We looked around but couldn’t see anything. A soft hum drifted across the trees and a small silver disc floated over us.

  “Is that an airship?” Cypress asked.

  “None I’ve ever seen,” I said.

  “No, you wouldn’t have, Grakkir,” the disembodied voice spoke louder. “A savage like yourself could never wrap your small mind around the advanced technology created within the City. You all have to rely on your senses, which can be easily deceived, as you may or may not have already noticed.”

  The forest rustled and moved as hidden soldiers revealed themselves. They slipped through the foliage like black ghosts, their feet making hardly a sound as they scurried around the fallen trees and lined up in front of us.

  “Where did they come from?” Calima whispered.

  “They must have hidden themselves well if the gods didn’t sense them,” Captain Lagan replied.

  I looked at Saven and he shook his head. “The smoke covered their smell and they blend into the trees like camouflage.”

  “It must be that armor.” I eyed the dark suits.

  “Enough of this cat and mouse game,” the man’s voice said. “We all knew this day was coming, and now that it’s here, let’s finally meet face-to-face.”