by Jason Kenyon
‘I’m not sure I like you giving her more incentive to murder us all,’ Archimegadon said.
‘I should not worry about that,’ Ithalna said. ‘Currently, I have no designs to “off” you, as Miss Nightshot put it.’
‘Not taking any chances,’ Mellara said.
‘Yes, smart indeed,’ Ithalna said.
‘You sure must’ve put some thought into this back at the hold,’ Obdo remarked.
‘She’s not the first mage prisoner I’ve had to deal with,’ Mellara said.
‘I don’t recall you going to this trouble with me,’ Archimegadon said.
‘You weren’t exactly high-priority.’
Before Archimegadon could voice his outrage, Ithalna cut in. ‘You said you wanted a magic lesson, though?’
‘Indeed, but without you casting any magic, I suppose,’ Archimegadon replied, forgetting his indignation immediately as he remembered his plan to get out of mountain-climbing.
‘That will be unusual, but I can certainly try it,’ Ithalna said. She smiled. ‘I think we will leave out lessons on silencing, mind you.’
As the two mages made their way through the trees to find a clearing, Mellara and Tharanor made to follow. Ithalna turned and folded her arms stubbornly.
‘And what are you both after?’
‘Take a guess, princess,’ Mellara replied. ‘You try to pull any tricks, and you’ll be dead before you hit the ground.’
‘Ah, Mellara, I wish we could be friends as before,’ Ithalna said.
‘We were hardly that,’ Mellara said. ‘Now go on, let’s get this stupid lesson out of the way so we can get going to Arenfel again.’
Once they’d found a suitable area for training, Ithalna perched on a tree root, while Tharanor and Mellara stood to either side to watch. Archimegadon disliked having them present, but supposed he’d have to put up with it if he was to delay the inevitable ascent into the vile mountains.
‘So, Master Forseld, I presume that there was a particular form of magic that you had in mind for today’s lesson?’ Ithalna asked.
‘Ah, yes,’ Archimegadon replied, though this wasn’t true in the slightest. He cast his mind around for some inspiration. ‘How about… we learn some, erm… fire abilities?’
‘I was hoping for something more unique, but very well – we can work on making you more versatile with those prodigious flames of yours,’ Ithalna replied. ‘As I am bound, I will not be able to “guide” you as I did before, so you will need to work with theory alone.’
‘That should be fine,’ Archimegadon said.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. He soon found that trying new tricks without Ithalna demonstrating it first, or magically sharing the feeling, made it vastly more difficult to grasp any of what she tried to show him. She tried to get him to light small leaves on fire, which only resulted in huge patches of earth erupting in flames, so she moved on to a trick that would allow him to draw his own name out of flames in the air.
‘Who is Alksssssss?’ Mellara asked as she looked at his latest attempt to write Archimegadon.
‘Argh, be quiet!’ Archimegadon replied.
He glanced over at Ithalna to see if she was going to snap at Mellara, but she was instead looking slightly puzzled. He also noticed that her blonde hair had started to darken; presumably, she’d been using magic to change her hair colour before, and now its original black hue was starting to make a return.
‘Something on your mind, princess?’ Mellara asked.
‘Yes, something is wrong,’ Ithalna replied. ‘Do you not sense it?’
Mellara’s eyes narrowed. ‘Actually, you might have a point.’
Archimegadon looked between them. ‘What are you both on about?’
‘Can you hear anything, Ardon?’ Ithalna asked.
‘Erm, no.’
‘Precisely,’ Ithalna said, rising to her feet. ‘Let us go back to the others. We will end the lesson there.’
She strode off, with Tharanor following close behind, and Archimegadon looked over at Mellara.
‘What was that all about?’ he asked.
‘There’s not a sound at all,’ Mellara replied. ‘No wind in the trees, no birds or animals… it’s just us.’
Archimegadon listened again, and found that she was right – but perhaps it was just a quiet day. That surely happened in nature, it didn’t mean they had to just cut the lesson short and go fumbling across the mountains so soon? Mellara didn’t seem to agree with him, as she set off after the others, and then urged them all to head out back onto the open plains, instead of remaining in the forest’s gloom.
*
The rest of the day’s travelling was uneventful, and concluded beneath the looming mountains. Archimegadon spent much of his time on watch glaring at the ominous peaks and jumping at shadows. Nothing sinister presented itself, though, and the next morning came earlier than he would have desired.
‘Are we sure we can’t just blast our way through the paladin checkpoint?’ Archimegadon asked. ‘What if Valia destroyed it? There’s a reasonable chance of that!’
‘Now we have come this way, it would be a further day added to the journey if we wished to go south to scout that out,’ Ithalna said. ‘If the checkpoint was still running, we would then need to walk back here, and you would still need to cross the mountains after. As to your suggestion of “blasting” through, you would rather risk death against armed and fortified holy knights, instead of simply walking up a few inclines?’
‘Yes!’
‘We’ll take the mountain route,’ Mellara said. ‘Archie, you are hopeless!’
Archimegadon grumbled, but since standing around by himself at the base of the mountain in protest was unlikely to yield any positive results, he slunk along in the group’s wake. From what he could tell, this had once been a popular route, but had since been left to fall apart once the Central Way had been laid out. The few steps and pathways that remained were worn and crumbling, and there were crevices where stone bridges reached out towards the far side, but had now collapsed in the middle. A more adventurous traveller might have been tempted to vault across the void, but Archimegadon was not so inclined.
Mellara led the group, taking all the risks so that the rest did not have to, though since she was the most spry, this didn’t particularly trouble her. Archimegadon guarded the rear, mostly because he was still sulking. Obdo was chattering away to Ithalna about his fishing stories, which she appeared to be enjoying quite a bit, to judge from her laughter. Archimegadon glared at her; she should have been miserable after being caught out for her lying, but instead it was he who was indisposed, having to cross this wretched mountain!
‘Hold up,’ Mellara said at one point, pausing as they turned a corner in the mountain trail.
Archimegadon peered round, and saw that the trail, which was hugging the sheer wall of stone to the left, had partially collapsed on the right-hand side, promising a delightful and fatal drop to anyone who slipped. He peered over the side and took in the scale of the drop, though he did at least feel slightly proud that they’d actually ascended this high so far.
‘Well, that’s it,’ Archimegadon said. ‘We shall have to go back.’
‘Don’t be stupid, old man,’ Mellara said. ‘It’s not that far, but we’ll need to go one at a time.’
‘This sort of thing never goes well,’ Archimegadon said.
‘Look, I’ll go first,’ Mellara said. ‘If I drop off, then sure, you can go back – but otherwise, shut up and follow carefully.’
She ventured out across the pathway, but made it look as easy as if the path was still in one piece. Noticing Archimegadon’s look of bemusement as she turned around, Mellara grinned and gave a mocking bow.
‘Okay, now Neurion,’ Mellara said. ‘Take it carefully, and if anything goes wrong, I’ll be here to save you.’
Neurion scratched at his sandy hair, which was looking in dire need of a trim. ‘D-don’t worry. I am confident that I can m-make it.�
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With his back against the mountainside, and his arms held out to either side like wings, Neurion slid his feet sideways along the pathway, looking absurd but at least making some reliable progress across the void. Mellara stood poised at the far side, ready to assist if needed, but Neurion was more successful than Archimegadon had expected, and he made it to the far side. When he turned quickly to try to emulate Mellara’s triumphant bow, though, he slipped, falling into Mellara’s arms.
‘Neurion,’ Mellara said. ‘No.’
Neurion scrabbled out of Mellara’s arms, red-faced, and stepped away from the path’s edge. ‘Sorry! I, uhm… sorry.’
Mellara ruffled his hair. ‘Never mind! Alright, let’s have the princess come across next.’
Ithalna shot Mellara a glare, but began to make her way across the unstable path without any comment. Obdo was standing close behind her, and it was just as well, for Ithalna slipped and fell backwards. With a cry of dismay, Obdo lunged forward and caught her, grunting as the momentum slammed him back against the mountainside.
‘Should’ve known you’d be the problem,’ Mellara said. ‘Need me to help you across?’
‘Miss Nightshot, if you would please…’ Ithalna began, but then she slipped again in Obdo’s arms.
Archimegadon was watching the scene unfold impatiently when his sight flashed with darkness, and he heard Ithalna scream in fear and Obdo let out a yell of pain. As Obdo fell backwards to the ground, with Ithalna tumbling next to him, Mellara grabbed her bow and turned to look across the chasm. Anjilo pushed past Archimegadon and tugged Obdo away from the crumbling path, while Tharanor gave Ithalna a hand getting to her feet.
‘What’s going on?’ Archimegadon asked.
‘It’s him!’ Mellara shouted back, her eyes roving the far side. ‘There!’
She nocked an arrow and drew it back, only to release it prematurely with a curse. The arrow sailed wildly into the air, striking a random patch of rock and dropping into the chasm. Mellara threw her bow to the ground and grabbed her old injury while ducking for cover behind a nearby boulder, swearing with frustration.
All remained still, though, and Archimegadon ventured forward to see what had happened. Anjilo was tending to Obdo with her powers, and Archimegadon felt a jolt of fear go through him as he saw the familiar plumage of a black arrow, much like the one that had struck Mellara before. Ithalna, leaning against the wall and breathing hard, caught his eye.
‘It is him,’ she said. ‘Zillon.’
‘The shadow hunter?’ Archimegadon asked. ‘I thought I killed him!’
‘Unless there are other shadow hunters Salestis found, that looks very much like his arrow,’ Ithalna replied.
‘What about Obdo?’ Archimegadon asked. ‘Is he alright?’
‘It got him in the left shoulder,’ Anjilo replied. ‘I think I’ll be able to sort him out, but I don’t think he’s quite so tough as Mellara. Give me a few minutes.’
Ithalna looked down at Obdo. ‘Could I help? If I had not slipped in his grasp, the arrow would have taken me instead.’
‘Rules are rules,’ Anjilo replied. ‘No magic for you, sorry! Just as well you did slip, though – I bet that arrow would have gone through your heart otherwise.’
‘Would’ve saved us all some trouble,’ Tharanor said.
Ithalna gave him a surprised look.
Tharanor scratched his hair, looking a bit ashamed. ‘Look, sorry, but after what your people did to Ferrina…’
‘I understand,’ Ithalna said with a sigh. She sank to the floor and sat in silence.
Archimegadon crouched next to Obdo, looking at the farmhand’s unhealthy pallor. Was this really how their adventures would end, with a mistaken injury intended to kill another, on this nameless mountain path?
‘Come on now, Obdo, you ass,’ Archimegadon said. ‘You should have known not to act the hero.’
Obdo made no reply, though, murmuring indistinctly while Anjilo prayed to the Light at his side.
Chapter Twenty: On the Hunt
‘Comin’ in ‘ere armed like that?’ the innkeeper asked, his red face marked with shadows in the flickering torchlight. ‘I don’t think so.’
‘We have an injured man,’ Tharanor said, gesturing to Obdo, who was being carried between Anjilo and Mellara.
The companions had travelled onwards through the mountains, and Zillon had made no further appearances. Presumably the hunter was playing it safe, since he likely was aware that the group had at least two mages with it. Ithalna had tried to bargain with Mellara to have her anti-magic collar removed, but had no success. As the evening had begun to set in, they’d come across a collection of small dwellings and a tavern, acting as a waypoint of sorts for travellers, and after some pestering by Archimegadon, they’d decided to spend the night indoors.
‘Well, you all can come in,’ the innkeeper said after a few moments of further consideration, ‘but we’re a tough folk up ‘ere, an’ we’ll give you a good fight if you start any trouble.’
‘You don’t need to worry about that,’ Mellara said. ‘Right now, all I want is some decent food and drink.’
‘Got plenty o’ that ‘ere,’ the innkeeper said, brightening. ‘There’s a table in the corner ye can use for dinner, an’ ye’ll want two rooms I’d wager. Got a couple just freed up, not got a good view but they’ll do ye for sleepin’ in.’
‘That sounds splendid,’ Archimegadon said.
‘I’d rather ye left yer weapons in the rooms,’ the innkeeper said. ‘They’ve got keys so ye don’t need to worry ‘about ‘em bein’ stolen.’
Tharanor looked as though he was about to object, but Mellara kicked his heel.
‘It’s fine,’ Mellara said.
They bundled through the doorway, with Tharanor, Archimegadon and Ithalna needing to duck, and the innkeeper sorted out their rooms swiftly, taking care to help them carry the still-unconscious Obdo up the stairs. He asked if it had been a climbing accident, and the group went with that, preferring not to mention deranged shadow hunters. Anjilo had queried the risks of drawing Zillon near to other people, but Mellara argued that Zillon would be less likely to attack them in a populated place. Archimegadon, determined to have a proper meal and sleep, had agreed with this theory on the spot.
Neurion offered to stay in the room to keep an eye on Obdo, as Anjilo had already worn herself out healing Obdo and then carrying him across the mountains. The remaining five members of the group headed downstairs, unarmed, and settled down around the table the innkeeper had offered them, which had already been set up with a few candles and six chairs. After asking after Obdo, the innkeeper offered to prepare some soup and supplies for him, and take a meal up to Neurion as well.
Though the companions were a bit down about the day’s events, having proper food and board did at least lift their spirits a little, and Archimegadon wasted no time in ordering a sizeable beef roast. Tharanor and Mellara gave it some consideration before opting to have the same, while Anjilo chose a spiced pheasant platter. Ithalna, after a particularly murderous stare from Mellara, decided to sit at the end of the table, quietly having some soup by herself.
‘So,’ Tharanor said after they’d all finished off most of their food. ‘Zillon. You think it was him in the mountains?’
‘It was the same arrow as the one that got me,’ Mellara replied with a dark look. She tugged back her sleeve to show the wound on her right arm, which was still an angry shade and bruised all around.
‘Ouch,’ Tharanor said. ‘I almost feel better about Malthanes.’
‘It wasn’t so bad once Anjilo sorted it out,’ Mellara said.
Archimegadon noticed Ithalna look up, and remembered that it had been her work that had cured Mellara. After a moment, she chose to say nothing, and returned to her soup.
‘Knocked me out right away,’ Mellara went on. ‘I don’t remember much, but I recall the sensation of having bad dreams. Just a feeling, you know? And it left me weak even after the healing.’
‘We’re going to need to do something about him,’ Tharanor said. ‘And I don’t mean handing Ithalna over to him either. If Salestis wants Ithalna dead, then that at least seems reason enough to keep her safe for now.’
Archimegadon wondered about that. He chanced another glance at Ithalna, but she hadn’t reacted to this discussion at least. He did sort of miss how things had been between them before, but there wasn’t much to be done about it. She was hardly likely to just stop being Unette.
‘So what’s your plan?’ Mellara asked.
‘Seems to me that this Zillon takes advantage of any places with cover,’ Tharanor replied. ‘As far as I know, a lot of the countryside from here to Arenfel is open, so we could leave the forests and mountains behind and stay out in relatively safe areas instead.’
‘We’re easier to spot and track in the open, though,’ Mellara said. ‘Not just for Zillon – don’t forget that the paladins are on the look-out for suspicious people too.’
‘True.’ Tharanor chewed on a tough bit of beef while replying. ‘Paladins or no, I think we should try to draw out Zillon and get rid of him. Long as he’s in the picture, we can’t sleep easy.’
‘Don’t talk with your mouth full,’ Anjilo said, and Tharanor blinked.
‘He’s got no manners,’ Mellara said. ‘I agree with taking out Zillon, but I don’t know how easy it’ll be to deal with a shadow hunter. Archie blew up half of Anji’s cave, but Zillon survived somehow.’
‘He clearly cheated,’ Archimegadon said. ‘Next time, I shall be certain he is dead.’
‘If we just leave princess here to one side, we’d be sorted,’ Mellara said.
Ithalna put her spoon down and her back straightened as she turned to glare at Mellara. ‘If you are so determined to have me die, Nightshot, why not simply use that knife there and be done with it here and now?’
Archimegadon made hurried hand signals at Ithalna, since she was talking loudly enough to cause a few others nearby to glance in their direction. Mellara just smirked and cocked an eyebrow.