The Grey Ghost: Book Two of the Archaic Ring Series

by Reed R. Stevens

  “As long as you understand.”

  She got up and focused for the better half of a minute, detecting over a hundred spatial bags within the immediate vicinity. Although the disciples’ belongings were fair game, she didn’t like the idea of taking from the mercenaries who had so valiantly fought to protect their charges. She also didn’t want to take from the dead travellers. Still, it would be a waste to leave such an impressive amount of wealth lying around for some wayward bandit to happen upon, so she made sure to collect anything of value that could be found within the area regardless of who it had belonged to.

  As she picked through the wreckage, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was the last that they would see of the Bloodhand Sect, or if this instance would cause further problems for them. They couldn’t afford to go back to Greenwall, not when so many disciples had been ready to follow them to Ferguson.

  There was also the disciple that had fled earlier. During the battle, one of the weaker enemies had broken off and fled the scene with frantic steps. She feared that he would report what had happened to their leaders, and that another group would come after them.

  Jason… Despite the wide range of their spiritual senses, she and Nolan hadn’t found any traces of him anywhere in the city, or on the caravan. Common sense was that he’d likely been murdered by the disciples that had infiltrated the city, since they killed Remus and his family as well. Her brother had also died.

  With next to no chances that he’d survived, they couldn’t afford to return to such a hostile area.

  She turned to look at Nolan, whose expression was contorted from pain. What will he think?

  A fit of lighting lit up the sky overhead, a crack of thunder and an army of raindrops announcing the arrival of a creeping storm. As the first droplets began to wash away the stains of battle from Nyla’s body, she couldn’t help but notice that the more ominous clouds still loomed off in the distance, where gargantuan webs of lighting had spread throughout the sky like a massive, reaching hand.

  Chapter Thirty-two: A Perilous Fall

  Although Jason wasn’t particularly scared of heights, there was something about sitting on the back of a giant bird as it soared across the sky at high speeds that had his heart racing like a champion horse. Admittedly, the concept of flying atop an enormous eagle sounded quite impressive, but actually experiencing the violent streams of wind that constantly assailed him and the fear of suddenly hanging from the bird’s back whenever it abruptly climbed higher up into the sky, those unsavory moments left him wary and on edge all throughout the journey.

  He recalled how the flying beast had responded to the summons of the black-haired woman, quickly and obediently. He’d never have imagined that an intimidating beast like this could have been tamed as a mount. He took note of the fact that the austere young woman hadn’t given the eagle a single prompt of direction, which made him suspect that some sort of unspoken understanding existed between the two.

  The view that spread out below them was reminiscent of the perspective from a small airplane at a relatively low altitude, though it was violently windy and damn-near freezing. If the black-haired woman, Aelia, hadn’t covered Amy in a strange layer of energy almost as soon as the flight began, the young Arizonan wouldn’t have had much of a chance at surviving the trip.

  Amy’s temples were damp from windblown tears as she clung to the eagle’s back, about an arm’s stretch away from Jason. The dark handprint on her puffed up cheek might have been painted on for all of its unsightliness, her ratty hair whipping about as if the tawny strands had come alive in an effort to break free from her scalp. She hadn’t stopped crying since the moment they’d left the lands around Greenwall, the terror in her watery eyes only growing more apparent as the day dragged on. At times he regretted hitting her with such a hard hand, though these sentiments always melted away at the recollection of a sword piercing his midsection.

  Whether it was the intimidating Aelia or the younger Lucia, they’d completely ignored all of the questions that Jason had thrown their way once they had levelled off thousands of metres above the ground. He decided early on to keep to himself, and so quietly listened in on any conversation that took place between his captors.

  “The Origin Energy in this area is completely unremarkable,” said Aelia. “We’re supposed to believe that seven entire patches of falling star herbs could naturally foster in this environment?” She grew ponderously quiet. “Tell me, Young Miss, what is your opinion of the fourth elder?”

  “Uncle Suna?” Lucia’s blue eyes tilted upward in consideration. “He’s a kind-hearted man. He and Father are old friends, so he’s always been looking after me.”

  “How did your father react when he heard of the fourth elder’s report?”

  “It’s only natural that Uncle Suna wouldn’t keep the discovery to himself. Father believed him enough to plan an expedition of core disciples to go and get the herbs, so who are we to question him?”

  “Elder Suna is one of the most influential figures within the sect. Have you not wondered what a man with such status had been doing in this remote land at a time when tensions in the Western Isles are at an unprecedented peak?”

  “Father entrusts him with many tasks, so he leaves the sect quite regularly. Don’t be anxious, we’ll have refined all of the falling star herbs and left that place long before the others arrive.”

  Aelia turned her head, effectively killing the conversation. Lucia might not have been able to see it, but Jason didn’t miss the malcontent in her imposing companion’s pale grey eyes.

  The two girls sat cross-legged atop the eagle’s back as if they were resting upon a comfortable carpet, both completely unfazed by the bitter temperatures and heavy turbulence. It was clear that the two of them belonged to some sect or other, the first that Jason had heard of aside from the Bloodhand Sect that had pestered him and his friends so ruthlessly in the past weeks. From the sounds of it, Lucia was the daughter of its leader, whereas Aelia seemed to occupy a respectable position within its ranks.

  What would Nolan think if he knew that a giant bird was flying me across the sky? Would he be jealous? A strong torrent of wind almost nudged him into Amy, who cried silently into a fistful of feathers as they were jostled about for a few heart-stilling seconds. He’d probably just chirp me, and then I’d make a pun and he would…

  Jason fell under a spell of bitterness as he tried to distance his mind from thoughts of his late friend.

  The only silver lining to this frightening journey had to be the medley of colour that connected both edges of the discernable world. The Rainbow Fields of Flora had followed them for hundreds of kilometres after their departure from Greenwall, and still the vast meadows showed no signs of dwindling.

  It wasn’t until late in the evening that the occasional patches of woodland that dotted the fields began to appear with more consistency, large swathes of trees giving way to broad forests with lush upper canopies of deciduous foliage. Shouldn’t we have passed another city by now? A town, a village…something?

  The fields soon lost their chromatic lustre and were eventually replaced by an emerald sea of swaying tallgrasses. By the time nightfall came around, the ground below them was more forest than field.

  The eagle showed no signs of stopping as it continued to soar through the night skies, albeit with heavier shrugs of its wide-spanning wings. The more exhausted their mount became, the more unstable their ride. It wasn’t until the last minutes of gloaming that Jason could no longer endure the increasingly rough flight and was forced to speak up.

  “I know you don’t value anything I have to say, but is it possible to take a short break?”

  The two girls ignored him, only Lucia glancing back for the briefest of seconds.

  “Are you serious? You guy’s might be fine, but what about us? Amy’s seconds away from falling, for God’s sake!”

  Although he was more concerned about himself, the fact remained that his words were heavy with tru
th. Amy’s eyes had sunken in and shaded over, her delicate face now a few shades paler than it had been in the early afternoon, her skinny limbs shaking from overexertion. With his current physique, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that Jason would have been stronger and faster than anybody on Earth before the Interspatial Migration took place. Even so, he’d lost count of how many times his hands and legs had cramped up throughout the day, and it had been hours since his stomach had worked up the energy to even plea for a meal.

  Unlike him, Amy was just a regular person, a young girl who’d been underfed to the point of malnourishment and had only recently showed signs of improvement. She seemed like the sort of person that would hyperventilate on an airplane, let alone be able to face their current situation. Even though he didn’t like her, he couldn’t help but gain a bit of respect for the stupid girl after watching her struggle through the traumatic experience of clinging to a giant bird as it tore through the skies at ridiculous speeds.

  Seeing that the two girls had no intentions to respond, Jason ground his teeth together. “You stupid cunts!” he yelled in English. He switched back to the Universal Language. “We’re people, same as you! Just because you’re strong doesn’t mean you’re allowed to be evil! I don’t care how powerful you are, if you treat people like this just because they’re weaker than you—if there’s a hell then both of you are going to burn in it!”

  He and Amy ran the risk of falling to their deaths at any moment. It was true that they were of considerable value to the two girls, but Jason had a terrible suspicion that their kidnappers genuinely underestimated how long they could endure under such conditions. If this misjudgement was revealed and either he or Amy happened to fall from this height then they’d surely die.

  He could only lash out at someone as dangerous as Aelia because he truly believed himself to be in danger. Seconds passed as he waited for either an attack or a response, but neither outcome occurred. He was ignored.

  Jason didn’t know whether it was due to his words or by mere coincidence, but it wasn’t long before they began a slow, gradual descent. After gliding along for a short while, the massive bird retracted its wings and dipped its head, rapidly approaching the lush canopy of the forests beneath. The stomach-turning sensation of freefall only lasted several moments before the great beast’s menacing talons touched down within a large open field, the waist-high grasses madly flailing about with every flap of its straining wings.

  As soon as her mount settled into a comfortable position, Aelia hopped down from its back and landed without a sound. She slashed out with a slender arm and a garage-sized patch of grass was neatly sheared away, most of the healthy stalks toppling over on their sides and creating a cushiony layer of fresh hay.

  After a moment’s pause, Lucia turned and threw the completely exhausted Amy over her shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes and then followed her dark-haired companion down below. When she placed Amy onto a bed of mowed grass, it was with a surprising gentleness. The pitiful girl’s hair was now a mess of knotted strands, her face oddly stained around the corners of her eyes from all of the wind-dried tears she had shed throughout the day. She had also wet herself on the descent, so Lucia gave her a single robe that was thick and simple. In almost no time at all she’d shivered off into an incapacitated sleep, lost in the embrace of her new garment.

  Eager to get some rest, Jason quickly jumped down and then settled himself atop of a particularly dense cluster of grass about fifteen metres away from the giant eagle, at the very edge of the open space that Aelia had created. His aching body revelled in the stillness of the ground and the shyness of each passing breeze, his stressed nerves finally showing the first signs of calm after an entire day of wariness. He’d never been so content with doing absolutely nothing.

  With his back turned to the others, he could hear Lucia mumbling to Aelia from where they sat about eight metres away.

  “How long does he need to rest for?”

  “At least a few hours.”

  Jason perked up his ears, a faint question mark floating around in his head.

  A moment of silence prevailed, and then the blonde girl sighed. “You’re lucky to have him.”

  “Luck is irrelevant. I earned him.” Aelia spoke with a particular annoyance that was distinct from the naturally aggressive tone that she usually used.

  “Humph, he was supposed to be mine, but I had to concede him to you.”

  “You had no choice in the matter.”

  Could it be…?

  Lucia crossed her short arms with a snort. “Father was going to give him to me for my birthday. The evening before, you came back from your little quest all triumphant and became a Protector of the sect, so Father rewarded you with my present. Instead, I was given a blue-feather eagle.”

  “That has nothing to do with me.”

  “It has everything to do with you!”

  Jason stopped listening to the girls and completely relaxed his body. He planned on enjoying every second of rest to the fullest, for he suspected that many more hours of merciless flight lay ahead of him. Furthermore…

  Obviously they were talking about the eagle. He almost laughed.

  After dozing off in the field, Jason awoke to a sharp pain in his left leg. Aelia had thrown a pebble at him from where she stood beside the eagle, Lucia and Amy already on its back. The latter now wore a two-piece set of deep blue robes, thick fabric giving off a quality impression.

  Aelia gave him a dark glance and then hopped up to sit beside the other two girls. “Get over here.”

  The instant I wake up? Really?

  The night was alive with sounds of chattering insects and shuffling plants. Dark yet not stiflingly so, the larger moon was full and strong with icy-blue brightness, the smaller one half shaded in its corner of the blackened night. The sky was pocked with large, looming clouds that stole away more than half of the moonlight.

  With no time to even rub the sleep from his eyes, Jason obediently ran over and jumped onto the beast’s frighteningly broad back. Amy’s sitting with them? She looked a lot better than she had earlier. Had they given her some sort of medicine?

  Not only did Lucia cloak her in a wide globe of strange energy, she gave Amy some soft jerky to eat and even conversed with her several times throughout the ride. He clung on all the while, wary of sudden jolts of wind and unannounced dips or climbs from the eagle’s heavy frame. The girls, Amy included, sat comfortably ahead of him, appearing as if they were glued to top of the mount’s back. He didn’t say a single word throughout the rest of the journey, although he had plenty to say in the safety of his mind.

  Four hours later, even the most stunted tree in sight was at least three times as tall as any that might have stuck out in the meadows closer to Greenwall. Gradually, a haze of intimidating peaks became discernible in the distance.

  Not a single hill preceded the giant swath of towering mountains, even the shortest ones tipped with a fine coating of powdery snow. The massive forests that blanketed the base of each gargantuan mountain were all healthy and lush, transitioning from deciduous to conifer as the height increased. The great eagle soared ever higher, countless river valleys passing beneath them along with many steep rock faces. Of the countless mountains that dominated the region, none of them stood less than five thousand metres.

  Jason had never laid eyes on such beautiful scenery, and this was right after leaving the Rainbow Fields of Flora behind.

  He was a bit taken aback that such a vast range of massive mountains had appeared so casually along their journey. Countless dozens of these looming peaks would have been among the largest on Earth if he to compare them to those famous goliaths that he’d only ever seen in pictures.

  “Young Miss, where do we go from here?”

  “The valley between the two largest mountains. The falling star herbs should be somewhere around its centre.”

  “Then we’ll have to go higher.” Aelia cast a quick glance back at Jason, a strange lay
er of energy enveloping him like a heavy splash of warm water.

  Before he could inspect the warmth that now encased him, the eagle began flapping its great wings with tremendous force. He held on tightly as they climbed higher and higher into the sky, the air growing crisp and cold as they gradually reached the average height of the shorter mountains.

  Isn’t it bad to go up so quickly? Jason noticed that the air was beginning to thin out. The tall trees that hugged the mountains had turned into tiny green specks in his vision. I’m fucked if I fall. Why is my luck so bad? Though he was ignorant of altitude sickness, he worried about it all the same. Will this energy keep me safe?

  They eventually levelled off at a terrifying height. Jason forced himself to glance downward and nearly lost all sense of balance, though he was anchored down by the blanket of energy that Aelia had covered him in.

  They flew on for half an hour before two giant summits stole away all attention from their surroundings. The lower parts of these two landmasses were connected by a huge mess of crumbled rock, which gave the impression that this place had originally been home to a single titanic mountain. Higher than several of the surrounding peaks, a majestic valley sat in the space between the two great mountains, an amazing sight to behold.

  This elevated valley was rife with rolling hills and gentle rivers that silently glistened in the beaming moonlight, with strong pillars of luminescence bearing down from gaps amid the clouds.

  How come that area hasn’t frozen over?

  The eagle fought its way upward at a rapid pace, and soon they were looking down at the valley from a few thousand metres above.

  “Look there, starlight trees!” A cute smile visited Lucia’s face as she excitedly pointed toward the centre of the valley, a regular child for just a moment. A dozen oak-like trees stood like skyscrapers in the night, all of them over three hundred metres tall and supported by vast networks of thick, leaf-laden branches. Thousands of yellow fruit hung from the trees, each one glowing like a dim lightbulb on a Christmas tree and looking quite the part with their circular shapes.