Jak almost wanted to snort. The pain she had caused him? What about what he had done to her, not to mention the gnomes, the dwarves, and probably countless others? But just as she was about to say as much, something caught her off guard.
Cain’s image...flickered slightly. For a moment, she saw a wretched creature, covered in flesh that appeared to have melted all over, further covered in glowing lines. It was the same image she had seen of Cain before, at other times when her headaches worsened.
But as quickly as it came, the image vanished, replaced by the more handsome Cain that she had first come to know. Cain seemed not to have noticed the change. Could that hideous thing be what Cain truly looked like now? She had always known he would get away from that fight with the dragon, even if it began in an erupting volcano. But she hadn’t given thought to any injuries he might have obtained. Good. Anything that could give them an advantage, however slight, was something she could get behind.
“Why are you talking to me?” Jak said. “If you know what I’m doing, why not come here yourself?”
“All in good time,” he said. “But I needed to test out this connection of ours. A curious thing, isn’t it? Perhaps it has something to do with us being the only Orens currently living. The first, and the last.”
“We spoke like this long before you knew I was an Oren.”
“That was different, I initiated that conversation. And I am capable of far more. But no, I’m talking about more recently. You’ve been having visions of me. I suspect they’re accompanied by a rather uncomfortable pain in the head.”
Jak swallowed. Just how much did Cain know?
“That’s how I found out about where you are, and what you’re doing,” he said, matter of factly. “A rather useful ability. But unfortunately, one that I cannot allow to continue.”
“Why not?” Jak narrowed her eyes at Cain. Something bothered her, a feeling like watching a snake about to strike. “If you get to spy on me, what does it serve you to stop?”
“Because it appears that ability goes both ways. I cannot have you knowing what I have planned, that simply would not do. So I came to sever the connection.”
Then, he vanished.
Jak blinked, but in a split second he had appeared again, closer to her this time. He was no longer the handsome, muscular Cain, but the demon-like mess of melted flesh. Before she could react, two hands reached for her head, and passed right through.
Pain lanced through her forehead, like her earlier headaches only much, much worse. She screamed, but the lungful of air quickly escaped her. She tried to pull away, but her muscles would not respond. They all remained taut as Cain played with her head.
When he was finished, he removed his ethereal hands from inside her skull, and the pain deadened to a throbbing echo of what it had been.
“I will see you again soon,” he said, his voice a raspy growl now that she could see his true form. He vanished.
Howls echoed down the length of the canyon. At first, Jak had trouble recognizing that they were real. Actual sounds coming from all around her. Those were not wolf howls.
Those were demons.
Sprinting, she pushed herself back toward the camp with as much speed as she could muster. Something was attacking. Perhaps this had been Cain’s plan all along, distract her long enough for his children to arrive and kill the others. Why had she left them?
She rounded a bend and saw all three of her companions on their feet, awakened by the howls, or by her earlier scream.
Seph caught sight of her first in the moonlight, and his face softened with relief upon seeing her. He said something to Karlona, who turned to find a glimpse of Jak.
But just as she did so, another figure leaped out of the darkness. It fell on Karlona.
The woman wasted no time in fighting off the demon attack. She allowed herself to fall, kicking upward at the demon as she did so. It flew off of her, and she landed on the ground in a graceful roll, both daggers out.
Jak activated her Flamedancer brand, shooting a burst of fire onto the ground at their fireplace. What remained of the wood on the fire burst to life again, giving them a better glimpse of the figures around them.
More demons came at them from all sides, running on all fours. They hurtled down the paths, and climbed down the cliff sides like animals. Many of them.
With a tap of the Pillar of Eternity on the ground, Jak stopped time. Everything froze. Her mother paused in mid-stride as she faced the next oncoming demon. Seph was notching an arrow to his bow. Marek was doing his best to get out of the way of an oncoming demon. His hands were still tied, and he had no weapon.
The Pillar of Eternity would not let her kill, even a demon. So she had to use it wisely. She had to use it to get to her spear.
Running, despite the fact that she did not need to do so when time stood still, she came up next to her pack. The spear still lay there, next to the rest of her things. The shaft was polished and gilded, a work of art reserved only for the elite of the Watchers. It had belonged to her father and had somehow survived with Jak to this day. She picked it up in her free hand, and replaced it with the Pillar of Eternity.
As soon as her fingers left the powerful Relic, time began again. Howls surrounded her on all sides.
A demon leapt at her. Instinctively, she sidestepped and redirected its motion with the length of her spear. Thanks to Naem for teaching her that one. With a Strength-enhanced blow, she brought the butt of the spear to bear on the demon like a club. It crumpled as its skull cracked.
Panic struck her as she saw a demon hurl itself at Marek. Restrained as he was, Marek could only raise his bound arms to try and catch the demon as it barrelled into him. Together they fell, with Marek’s hands holding the demon by its throat, barely managing to keep its jaws from closing on his face. The demon’s claws raked into Marek’s arms, and he yelled in pain.
Ignoring the others for now, Jak leapt over the nearest demon, throwing a jet of fire at it as she did so. A scorching sound and the demon’s yelp were the only clues as to its fate. She was focused on the demon attacking Marek.
She thrust her spear forward, hitting its mark in the demon’s side. Then she grabbed it with Telekinesis and lifted it into the air. It was already bleeding from the wound in its side, but it still snapped at thin air as she raised it up so it could do no more harm. Then she opened her mouth and shot a jet of fire at the beast. It consumed the creature, and its screams faded to nothing as the flames engulfed it.
She looked down at Marek. He was okay, apart from the wounds in his arms. He gave her the slightest appreciative nod before she switched her attention back to the rest of their group. Karlona was doing fine, weaving in and out of visibility so that Jak could barely even make out where she was at times. And neither could the demons, who fell one by one as her daggers found their marks.
Seph loosed shot after shot at the demons. But while the man was good at hunting, shooting at a fast, close ranged attacker was an entirely different scenario. He had only survived this long because most of the demons were focused on Jak or Karlona.
Taking a few steps forward so as to get in a position where she could easily stave off any demons coming at Seph or Marek, she continued the fight. One by one, the demons fell. But it wasn’t an army of demons like they had faced on the fields near Riverbrook. And Jak was no easy opponent. Soon enough, she and her mother dispatched the last of the approaching demons, and the canyon dipped into silence. It was an odd silence after all that howling and killing. It didn’t seem right.
Karlona was panting, as were the others. Jak was pretty spent too, though some of her brands managed to make up for that. She could keep going for a while yet. The sun was already brightening the sky, meaning their little battle must have lasted longer than she anticipated. It had been dark when Cain first appeared to her.
Cain. She put a hand to her head, where his ghostly form had touched her. What had the man done, and would she recover? From what he had said, he w
as only breaking the link between them. And, blessedly, the pain had diminished somewhat. That was a good sign at least. But had he done anything more to her? Was he even capable of doing more while he spoke to her remotely? If so, that was a troubling thought.
“We have to get moving,” Jak said, after they all took a moment to catch their breath. “Cain knows where we are, and he knows what we’re doing. We have to get to the Pillar of Eternity before he does.”
They did not question how she knew these things, but each set about collecting their things as quickly as possible.
When they had finished, Marek raised both of his bound hands to point to the road ahead. “There’s a path that breaks off from the main road just ahead there. We can take that to start climbing the mountain.”
Jak nodded, “then that’s where we need to go.” Taking two steps toward her old friend, she hoisted her spear so she only held the top portion of it. With that, she grabbed Marek’s hands and sliced the cords that bound them.
Marek stared at his hands, bringing them in front of his face, then he met Jak’s eyes. “Why?”
“You almost died back there, and we need you alive,” said Jak. “Besides, it will be difficult to climb without the proper use of your hands.”
Marek nodded. “Thank you.”
“Though may I ask, why didn’t you use your Telekinesis brand on that demon? You have it.”
Marek shrugged, “I guess I didn’t really think of it at the time. I never did have much training with it since Gabriel first gave it to me.”
That was true. Generally a Telekinetic required a five-year apprenticeship, but Marek hadn’t had that. He had trained for a few weeks under a Watcher, but that hadn’t served him much. Jak forgot how little time it took for her to pick things up. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that she had already trained extensively in one brand before she got more. Perhaps familiarity with one brand was enough to become easily accustomed to others. She would have to check in with those she had given extra brands, to see if they could report the same.
Together, they quickly found the path leading upward and began their climb. The terrain wasn’t too difficult at first, just a steady climb up a steep incline. Someone had made the trail sometime in the past. It had several, easy-to-follow switchbacks. But as time went on, the trail grew fainter and fainter. It was doubtful that many ever got very far.
Another howl sounded behind them. It lingered in the air, the sound echoing across countless mountain walls. Each of them froze, listening.
7
“That was another demon,” said Karlona.
“They’re probably hunting us,” said Seph. “They’ll find our scent and catch up quickly at the rate they run.”
Jak surveyed the area around them. It was not a good place to have a battle. They were on a rocky outcropping that wrapped around the mountain, and there was a lot of loose dirt and rock. If they slipped or the rock gave way, they could slide halfway back down the mountain. There wasn’t a good place to maintain a solid footing, much less keep a bunch of demons off their tail. And Jak could no longer clearly make out a man-made trail.
“You sure this is the right way, Marek?” she said, trying to find the best way to push forward quickly.
“Positive,” he replied. “Perhaps if we can come around the south side of the mountain, we might have a better place to set up some defenses. At least the sun would be in their eyes, not ours.”
It wasn’t much to go on, but it was all they had for now. Jak began pushing forward as another howl reached her ears. This time it was closer. Were they going to have to deal with demons on the entire climb? If the demons came on them at the wrong moment, it could all be over for them. But perhaps if she could buy them more time...
“I have an idea,” she said. With a tap of her staff on the ground, she activated the power of the Pillar of Eternity. The expressions on Marek, Seph and Karlona’s faces froze in place as time stilled around her.
She took in a deep breath. There was something relaxing about using the Pillar of Eternity. The way it bent time provided her with a feeling of respite. It gave her a chance to think while demons bore down on them.
She came close to Seph, and took his hand. Instantly, he joined her in the time bubble. He took one step back as, to his eyes, Jak instantly disappeared and reappeared right next to him. After a moment, his face relaxed as he realized what was happening.
“You’re using the staff. Smart. That should give us some time to get away from the demons.”
“It’s just to give us a head start, and possibly keep them from finding our scent. I can’t keep it up indefinitely.”
Seph nodded. “Understandable. I’m honored that you decided to take me first.” He flashed that dazzling grin of his and winked. Despite herself, she felt her cheeks redden. He could be disarming that way.
“I thought it best to start with the weakest,” she winked back at him.
“Ouch. But fair. I guess it’s my fault for refusing a brand all these years.”
“Actually, I’m not taking you alone. If you take their hands I can bring all of you into the bubble. We can go together. But since it’s just the two of us now,” she moved a little closer, tightening her grip on his hand. They kissed briefly, before something he had said brought her back to reality. “Remind me again why you do that? Refuse to take a brand?”
“Well,” Seph brought his free hand up to his neck. “To be honest, it was something I was told not to do.”
“By whom?” she asked.
“I…” he hesitated. There was something holding him back, she could tell. She waited patiently, though she was increasingly aware that they needed to move soon. She could spare a moment or two, however. When he finally spoke again, it was in a softer, more serious tone. “Do you remember when I told you about how I found the book of Illadar?”
“You said you wouldn’t tell us the specifics, that it was sacred to you.”
“It was, and...well I guess I don’t mind telling you some of it. Just you though, please don’t tell the others.”
She looked to him, taking a moment to stare into his eyes. He was serious. “I promise.” she said, and meant it.
“There were a lot of things that happened, but part of it involved a vision I had. I saw a woman, dressed all in white. She pointed me in the direction I needed to go.”
“And she also told you not to take a brand?” Jak asked. She stopped herself from raising an eyebrow. It wasn’t all that unusual to see a person dressed in white. There were some interesting religious sects out there, and this woman could have been from any one of them. But she kept her skepticism to herself. Seph was being vulnerable in telling her this. The least she could do was listen with an open mind.
“Yes, she did. She said I needed to keep myself unbiased for what was to come.”
“So branding yourself is biased?” This time she did raise an eyebrow at him.
“Not exactly, no. But they can lead you down one path or another. For some, that is fine. That is the path they want, or even need. But I was told I couldn’t do that if I was to be prepared for what was to come.”
“And what did she say was to come.”
“She wouldn’t go into much detail on that front, said it could disrupt the future. In fact, a lot of what she said didn’t make much sense to me.”
“Hm,” Jak thought it through. “And you just believed this woman?” she asked. “Was there nothing else special about her? Something that set her apart from just a woman wearing white.”
“Well…yes,” he hesitated again. He looked like he was trying to make up his mind about something.
“You can tell me,” she encouraged. “I promise I won’t laugh or anything, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
He didn’t say anything at first, long enough for Jak to wonder if she should repeat herself. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak again.
“She wasn’t just dressed in white. She was...light itself. She appeared
above me, while I was praying. And...when she was finished she just...disappeared.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, she just vanished. In a bright flash of light. I can’t really explain it. For the longest time I thought I had eaten a bad weed, or dreamed the whole thing.”
“And are you sure you didn’t?”
“I am, because I later went to the place she had described and found the book there. If she was right about that, perhaps she was right about other things as well.”
It was time to be moving, and Jak knew it, though she didn’t want to stop him from talking just yet. She placed her free hand on his neck for emphasis. “Thank you for telling me this,” she said, meeting his eyes.
“I…you’re the first person I’ve told this much. I should thank you for listening.”
“It’s quite a story, but it’s not like we haven’t seen stranger things in the past year or so,” she smiled at him, then winked. “I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.”
He smiled back at her. That face was ten times more attractive when he did that. Then pulling her close, he kissed her. It was the first time he had ever initiated a kiss. It was nice. She spared just enough mental energy to keep hold of the Pillar of Eternity, while the rest of her pressed up against him. One of his arms reached around her, pulling her in tighter, while the other reached for her face. It still wasn’t the hot and passionate way that Naem had kissed her, but there was something infinitely more enjoyable about the way Seph did it. With him, from the way his fingers caressed her face and neck, to the way he held her firmly but not too tight, she could tell he truly cared.
Once again, she was grateful for the Pillar of Eternity’s ability to stop time. She needed this moment to last, and she let it.
When they finally broke the kiss, she licked her lips and smiled. “Nice talk,” she said, playfully. “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”
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