Light Chasers (The World of Lasniniar Book 0)

by Jacquelyn Smith

  Iadrawyn watched the sky in fascination, her blindfold on the ground beside her. As the light hours ended, the fiery disc disappeared into the west and the sky went through a myriad of changes, fading from blue to pink, to violet, to darkness. Now a pale, silvery-white crescent hung suspended in the heavens, like a glowing nail paring. Scattered silver pinpricks of light glimmered overhead. It was the most incredible sight she had ever seen. Valanandir sat beside her in the grass, equally entranced.

  “Whatever has happened to our world, it can’t possibly be the work of the dark creatures,” he murmured. “It’s too beautiful.”

  Iadrawyn nodded, unable to tear her eyes away. She didn’t know how long they sat like that, neither of them wanting to sleep. It seemed like only moments, but she suspected it was quite a bit longer. A rustle in the grass from the south finally caught her attention. She pulled her gaze away with reluctance.

  A murmur she had failed to notice grew louder and more distinct. Iadrawyn strained her ears, trying to make sense of what she was hearing. The harsh syllables of the Black Tongue made her heart hammer in her chest. It was a group of drakhalu. Dragons did not walk without making quite a bit of noise, and the Fire Folk rarely spoke at all.

  Iadrawyn looked to Valanandir. He was crouched beside her, his knife already in hand. She realized she was gripping the hilt of her own weapon, for all the good it would do them. Drakhalu could only be killed by a wooden stake to the heart or decapitation. She wished she had taken the time to gather some stout branches to sharpen before leaving the woods.

  Both elves remained motionless. The slightest movement would cause the grass to move and attract notice. Even though the drakhalu seemed unaware of their presence, they continued walking straight toward them.

  Iadrawyn wished she could understand what they were saying. Were these creatures a search party summoned by her village, or just another pack that had stumbled across their path? Either way, confrontation seemed inevitable. The drakhalu were only a few feet away. They should have caught the elves’ scent by now.

  Iadrawyn’s eyes met Valanandir’s. He gave a grim nod. They would make a last stand together. It frustrated Iadrawyn that their efforts to escape should come to this. Still, she was glad she had gotten to experience the changes in the world, if not for very long. She took a deep breath, committing herself to the attack. If she and Valanandir didn’t move now, they would lose the element of surprise. Iadrawyn launched herself at the approaching creatures. She heard Valanandir somewhere just behind her, joining the fray.

  There were three of them.

  Judging from their surprised expressions, they had been unaware anyone else was nearby. Their pale skin seemed to glow in the darkness. Iadrawyn threw herself at the one closest to her. It was a female. Her amethyst eyes widened as Iadrawyn made contact, slashing with her knife. She couldn’t kill the creature with it, but she could wound her as much as possible.

  The female drakhal didn’t seem to know how to react to Iadrawyn’s attack. She stumbled backward, trying to ward the blows with her hands before reaching for her own knife. Behind her, Iadrawyn heard Valanandir fighting off the other two creatures.

  Iadrawyn was thrown off by the drakhal’s uncertainty. Why didn’t the creature try to use her strange eyes to bewitch her into becoming her next meal?

  Iadrawyn and her opponent exchanged cuts, but Iadrawyn was clearly the more competent fighter. The female drakhal bled strange, dark blood from several wounds, including a gash on her forehead that disappeared into her black hair.

  Iadrawyn could hear Valanandir struggling. It was time to even the odds. She feinted to the left, drawing the female in, while switching her momentum to the right at the last moment. Iadrawyn flipped her blade into her hand and gave the drakhal a smart rap on the temple. Her opponent crumpled to the ground.

  Iadrawyn whirled to help Valanandir. He was being pressed on both sides by the remaining two males. He could do little but deflect and sidestep their attacks. Iadrawyn didn’t want to hit one of them from behind and have them stumble into Valanandir. Still, she could use the element of surprise.

  Gripping the hilt of her knife tight in her fist, she tapped the closest creature on the shoulder. The drakhal turned, probably expecting his female companion. Iadrawyn slammed her dagger-weighted fist into his face as hard as she could. There was a satisfying crunch as his nose broke. The creature howled in pain before launching at her.

  Now Iadrawyn had to focus solely on defense. The drakhal slashed at her from all angles, his battered face dripping with dark blood. Its coppery tang filled her nostrils. She could feel her arms growing heavy. Her blocks became slower. Her opponent sensed weakness and continued his unrelenting attack, scoring several hits. He smiled, white fangs gleaming. His tongue darted out of his mouth to taste his own blood. He savored it before smiling even wider. His bloodstained grin made Iadrawyn shiver.

  Valanandir was still too busy with the other male to come to her rescue. On the ground, the female drakhal was stirring. A tide of despair rose within Iadrawyn. She could only hope the creatures would kill them outright. The idea of spending thousands of years as a drakhal made her physically ill. She forced herself to swallow and tasted bile.

  Iadrawyn ignored the stinging pain of her wounds and forced her leaden arms to keep moving. She noticed for the first time that the sky had become completely dark. The glowing crescent and sparks were hidden. An ominous rumble made her jump back. The drakhal seemed equally surprised, his red eyes widening before continuing his attack.

  Several more rumbles echoed across the darkened sky, followed by a crackling bolt of light. It shot from the heavens to the ground several feet away before disappearing. The air took on a scorched scent. Iadrawyn’s skin tingled.

  What was happening? Was this the apocalypse her people had predicted?

  Iadrawyn held her trembling arm ready to defend, but the drakhalu were mesmerized by the phenomenon, the fight temporarily forgotten. Another rumble boomed almost directly overhead. Another crackling zigzag of light followed, this time only a few feet away.

  Iadrawyn was startled by a large drop of cold water landing on her head. She looked up, only to have another land on her face. Within moments, the entire sky was unleashing a torrent of water, pelting the combatants below. Iadrawyn’s clothes became plastered to her body. Her hair flattened against her scalp. It was a strange sensation, but in some ways refreshing.

  This new development proved more than the drakhalu could bear. The one facing Valanandir shouted something to the others in their own tongue. The creatures abandoned the battle, fleeing south. In moments, they disappeared into the darkness.

  Iadrawyn looked over at Valanandir. His puzzled expression mirrored her own. Was it possible the dark creatures were just as confused about what had been happening lately? Perhaps they believed all the strange phenomena were the work of the elves.

  “Why didn’t they try to mesmerize us?” Iadrawyn asked, breaking the silence.

  “Those were lower caste drakhalu. They were not powerful enough to rely on the tricks of their more powerful brethren.”

  “How do you know they were lower caste? I thought all drakhalu were the same. They look the same to me.” Iadrawyn tried to pinpoint the difference between the ones that had attacked them and the one who had visited her village and came up empty.

  “Higher caste drakhalu don’t need weapons. They are the weapon. Only the weaker ones would need to rely on a knife. Purebloods are the most dangerous. These ones must have been elves who were turned.” Valanandir tilted his head to look up at the sky, allowing the drops of water to fall on his face. “What do you make of this weather?”

  Iadrawyn frowned before answering. “I think it’s snow.”

  “Snow?”

  “Well, not snow exactly. Snow is just frozen moisture. The weather is warmer now, so it’s melted snow. This storm is something else though. I have never heard of anything like it. The drakhalu seemed to think it was our doing.
”

  “What do we do now?” Another flash of light in the distance briefly illuminated Valanandir’s worn features.

  Although she felt for him, Iadrawyn forced herself to be practical. “I think we should move on. We can use this weather to provide us with cover. I know we’re both tired, but if we stay here, we risk those drakhalu going back to wherever they came from and telling others of our campsite. If we move now, the water should make it impossible for even drakhalu to track us. Our scent will be washed away.”

  Valanandir said nothing, but gave a grim nod. They gathered their scattered belongings. Even though they were both already soaked, the water continued to fall from the sky. Iadrawyn drew up the hood of her cloak and shouldered her pack before looking to make sure Valanandir was ready. Together, they began walking east.