“Elf, wake up. Qenn?”
Kandish knelt down beside Qenn, gently nudging him with her slender hands. She was worried. Something terrible had taken place while she was gone. The air was filled with the scent of burning wood and something else, something magical. Black burns were latticed against the walls and floor in long arcs that were still steaming.
Tane was missing and his slender brother was lying before her unmoving.
“Qenn?” She continued to shake him, still gently, not knowing if he was injured or not. The deep worry in her heart began to lessen as she watched Qenn stir slowly, mumbling something about Tane. When his eyes met hers, he smiled and sat upright.
“Hi, Kandish.”
“Qenn, are you okay? What happened here?”
Qenn rose to his feet, unable to meet Kandish’s urgency. “We were saved by a sorcerer named Shadox. Do you know him?”
“No, I don’t. Saved from what?”
“Takers. They found us.”
“Where’s Tane?”
“Gone with Shadox. Tane is to be part of the war against the Takers. Shadox is taking him to Cillitran to fight with the army of Men.”
Even saying the words, Qenn could barely believe that they were the truth. Qenn looked away from Kandish’s eyes to the old woman next to her.
“Who are you?”
“I am a Seer, child. Your friend has rescued me this night.” The old woman stretched out her hand and shook Qenn’s. She read the worry in his eyes and smiled. “Do not be afraid for your brother. You will meet him again.”
“I…how did…?”
“I see a great many things, child. Your brother goes one way, you go another.” She smiled. “But do not worry. You each serve the same purpose. We have waited for you to come, to save us. You are lights in the darkness.”
Qenn almost cried. Might have if Kandish was not there to see it. But he held his composure, looking into the old woman’s eyes, believing what she was saying. It was the way in which she said it that comforted him. He didn’t fully understand what she was trying to say, but he saw hope in her face and that eased the discomfort of losing his brother. Seers had a great power, he knew. They could see more than just the future.
“It’s okay, child. You will be fine.”
“I’m not even sure what it is that I’m doing,” Qenn shrugged. He watched the Seer turn away from him quickly and look back to the door. He felt Kandish lean into him, but he didn’t look at her to see why. He kept his focus on the door. He could hear movements coming fast.
Bodies came rushing in almost immediately. Several of them, moving quickly with purpose. They ran in the room, heading right for Kandish and Qenn, who both stood in front of the Seer, but split up. Some formed a circle around the three, others stationed themselves at the windows. They were armed with swords and pipes and axes, clothing dirty and ripped, faces angry and alert. Splitting the sea was one man, who walked right up to them and stopped.
“They are coming,” Kamen Ode barked. The anger on his face washed clean once he saw the old woman. “You!”
She stood staring at him with a smile. “You cannot escape your destiny, Kamen. All of your running has only led you back to where you started.”
For the first time in his life, Kamen Ode was at a loss for words. It was the Seer he had been looking for, standing before him like a beacon of hope. His men grunted around him, shouting warnings, scrambling into a defensive stance around Kamen and the Seer. But Kamen barely heard. His eyes fixed on the old woman’s. She was right, he thought. Things were just as she had said they would be.
“I’m going to save you,” Kamen promised. He shook his head as her lips parted. “No, woman. Things will be different. I am going to save you.”
The Seer held her tongue, changing her approach. “You will do what you can.”
Kamen moved around the room, barking orders to his men. “Attack upon sight! Do not give them a chance!”
Men rushed here and there, weapons drawn, faces mean and sweaty. Takers were coming and they had to be ready.
Qenn and Kandish looked at each other in question. The Seer turned to them, her aged face warm and friendly in all the chaos, her eyes sad. “Love can conquer all. It can guide you right. It can give you strength. It can be your greatest ally.”
She moved in closer, drawing them closer in return. “When the darkness begins to overtake you both, focus on the other. Remember your love. Love is the key. Love is a catalyst. I want you both to remember that. Be lights for each other.”
As they both nodded, Qenn felt Kandish find his hand and hold it tight. He turned to stare at her, feeling his heartbeat quicken as his eyes met hers. The look she held was that of a promise. He squeezed her hand to confirm that he would look after her as well. The look she gave him then made him realize that she was thinking of something else altogether. He began thinking that she knew something he did not.
“Get down!” a man screamed seconds before a section of the wall exploded in flames. Shattered wood and beams of fire shot everywhere as a group of Takers entered, hands glowing red with magic, eyes glowing from something more unpleasant. They attacked at once, shooting red magic into the foremost of Kamen’s men, burning them into nothing. Screams filled the night.
“We’re getting out of here,” Kamen cursed to the Seer, grabbing her by the arm. Qenn and Kandish followed, snaking their way through the fighting, staying clear of the hooded monsters. They were met by a tall man wielding a long sword with several daggers strapped to his waist. He motioned for Qenn and Kandish to stay low and move quick. Bodies were being strewn across the room all around them. Red fire burned in streaks everywhere. Black smoke began choking the night air in heavy clouds as the building caught fire.
Takers overflowed into the room, too many for Kamen Ode to count. Screams were continuous. Kamen’s men fought to the death, holding their ground like soldiers. Kamen Ode knew he had to get his men out, what was left of them.
“Fall back!”
But before he could do anything further, a glowing red hand appeared in front of him. Immediately his sword came up, slicing the hand clean off before he even saw the rest of the Taker. With his back to the Seer, Kamen began a series of swinging strides into the black monster, almost faster than Qenn could follow. In a terrible howl, the Taker went down. Almost instantly two more took its place. Kamen’s sword never slowed. Two of his men joined him, striking the Takers from behind like men chopping down trees. With his strength feeding off of his anger, Kamen Ode swung hard and fast, decapitating the Takers before they could ignite their magic.
Kandish could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was struggling to breathe. She was sweating freely, her hands were cold and tingling. She felt as if the enormity of it all was going to make her explode. She knew what was coming, what was happening to her. She saw Qenn look at her, then quickly look away. She swallowed hard, pushing back her fears, looking to the Seer for direction. But instead she witnessed the man next to them disintegrate. She had barely seen the red magic burst into him before it was too late. Qenn screamed and threw himself across her, protecting her as he could, yelling to Kamen for help.
“Prevost!” Kamen yelled into the sea of chaos. In seconds a gangly man appeared at his side, clean face sweaty, hands holding two bloody swords. Words were exchanged between them, then Prevost was fighting next to Qenn and Kandish. Kamen pointed to a section of the wall where the support beams were cracked leaving a narrow gap outside. “Get them out of here!”
Prevost nodded, seeing the opening. The building was burning heavily now, smoke rolling freely, twisting upwards in cyclone shapes. The fire was roaring up the walls and into the ceiling, and still the Takers rampaged.
“Kandish? Are you okay?” Qenn asked, his eyes full of worry.
Kandish looked sick. “I need away from here!”
A section of the ceiling collapsed then, smashing wood and fiery embers in a thunderous splash next to them, knocking them off their feet. As Prevost y
anked Qenn up, he saw Kamen and the Seer sneaking away. Kandish followed.
“Let’s go, elf!” Prevost yelled.
In all the commotion, all of the burning magic searing past them, all the bodies rushing this way and that, all the clouds of smoke and the waves of horrible screaming, Qenn became disoriented. His eyes lost focus for a second. As Prevost pulled him out of harm’s way, he looked for Kandish again. But she was gone.
“Take this!” Prevost thrust a long sword he picked up off the floor into Qenn’s hand. It was bloodied. Not from Takers. “Swing, elf! Don’t stop! We have to make it across the room!”
Qenn looked in the direction that the man pointed. Across the room, there was the door. Open and waiting. But in between them was a pool of black cloaked demons and only a few of Kamen’s men still lived to fight. Fire was everywhere. Clouds of smoke wisped past them like ghosts. Qenn gripped his sword tight and prepared to die.
Suddenly a Taker swept in between him and Prevost. Its hands were reaching for Prevost’s head. Qenn reacted out of fear, striking the monster with fluent strokes, hard and fast. The Taker turned then and focused on him. He saw into the cowl a set of red eyes and a face wrinkled with lines of hate. He froze. Its hands stretched towards Qenn’s head. As its hands began to form a ball of red magic, Qenn saw Prevost lunge into the Taker, knocking it to the floor. In one quick motion, Prevost swung his blade down across its neck as its hands released the magic, shooting into the sea of Takers, knocking two into the far wall, burning them to ash.
Qenn helped Prevost to his feet. As soon as he stood, Prevost took hold of the elf’s arm and raced him across the room for the door. They moved into a line of smoke and used it for a screen, racing for the exit with their heads down and their blades out. If something were to step into their way, Prevost was ready to barrel into it. But the smoke hid them, and nothing challenged them save for a small fire that they ran right through. Once to the door, Prevost and Qenn ran through, out into the night, keeping their stride down the sidewalk into the city. They never slowed. They never looked back.
Three blocks away they stopped for air. Qenn could see the fire behind a few buildings, the black smoke rising into the air darker than the night. He could still hear screams from within. A second later, they heard an enormous crash as the building collapsed in flames.
“My name is Prevost, by the way.” He smiled and patted Qenn’s shoulder. “Beautiful night for a fire, eh?”
“I’m Qenn. And I never want to see a fire again.” Qenn held his smile in check as Prevost chuckled. They stared down the street for a few moments longer, expecting to see one of the black monsters following. None did. Neither did Kamen’s men.
“Those were my friends,” Prevost said quietly, seemingly to himself. He sighed. “We have to find Kamen and the others. Let’s go, elf.”
They walked away from the burning building with the chill of death still clinging to them. They hung to the shadows, moving down the alleys, not lingering anywhere for long. They were moving in a zigzag line across the city, turning at each intersection, heading towards the bay. Prevost told Qenn that Kamen would be taking the Seer there to transport her out of the city. He wouldn’t risk her capture, now that they had finally found her. When Qenn had asked why they had been looking for her, Prevost shrugged and simply stated that he only understood that Kamen and the Seer were friends a long time ago. The fact that she was a Seer was enough for him to rescue her.
“I’m sorry for your friends back there,” Qenn said quietly, not expecting a reply. None was given, though he thought he saw the other nod. Gangly and tall, Prevost had a way about him that Qenn liked. He was easy to talk to, and genuine. He smiled easy, but was also very quick and deadly when he had to be.
“Water?”
Qenn looked over to Prevost, who was offering a small pouch. Qenn drank eagerly, then thanked him. They stopped walking for a few minutes, checking out their surroundings, checking to see if they were being followed. People filled the streets, mostly drunks staggering about, or just finding someplace to sleep for the night. But everyone was alive, and no one was running from demons, so Qenn didn’t mind their presence.
“How do you know Kamen Ode?” Qenn wanted to ask the question for a time now, and decided that now would be just as good a time as any.
Prevost smiled, looked to the stars overhead for a second, then motioned for them to continue walking while he talked. “I met Kamen in prison, actually. Tannindell. Far north, next to the Upper Krune. I was in my fifth year of a life sentence when Kamen arrived. He was young, brash. Reckless as he is now, I guess. Tough. You could tell just by looking at him that he was all business.”
They came to an intersection and they slowed to check things out before turning right and walking down an alley. Prevost waited a few moments before continuing. “He was in the cell next to mine. We chatted for a while, bonding I guess, the way inmates do. We had some things in common. We both shared the same dreams for the future and wanted to help them to fruition. Mostly, we both just wanted out of Tannindell.”
Prevost gave Qenn a half-smile. “We’re brothers now. We’d give our lives for one another.”
Without thinking it through, Qenn blurted out, “Why were you in prison?”
Prevost didn’t look at him. “I killed a man.” He paused as if he was reconsidering his answer, then added, “And then another.”
Qenn had no more questions. He wondered if his quietness made Prevost feel awkward. He guessed it did, by the way that he too had nothing further to say either.
They walked in silence for a while, working their way towards the fresh air blowing in from the Lower Krune. The port was not far away. Still there was no sign of Kamen Ode.
“Life is full of choices, Qenn.” Prevost began suddenly, still not looking at the elf. Qenn snuck a quick look at Prevost when the other wasn’t aware, not fully understanding why he chose to speak as he did. Qenn wanted to believe it had something to do with the reason why he went to prison, but he wasn’t sure. Nonetheless, Qenn didn’t want to ask any more questions.
“You don’t know what to think of me now.” Prevost made it a statement. He slowed and stopped, staring at Qenn like a child that had just been scolded. “I had the wrong idea about life, about what a man’s life was worth, back then. I had no respect for anyone, even myself. So when two men came along one night, who had lives that I thought were better than my mine, I allowed my jealousy to act, and thought nothing of it. I harassed them, hoping they would fight me. But they were real men, not anything like I was. I became enraged. I struck them both, killing them cold-heartedly.”
Prevost spit, his eyes enraged in bitterness and remorse. “I went to prison then. For a long time I was left alone with my conscience. And it was only then, in the depths of Tannindell’s pit, where I discovered life and what it meant.” Prevost paused, straightening himself, regaining his composure.
Qenn was sorry for asking. “It’s none of my business, Prevost.”
“I want you to know, Qenn. I want everyone I meet to know. I am not the same person. Going to Tannindell allowed me to find myself, to discover what I knew nothing about. And how important life is. When I left there, I left with a purpose. I left to make a difference. To gain back something I had lost. To give, when all I ever did was take. I was a killer, Qenn. Now, thanks to Kamen, I am a savior.”
Prevost smiled in spite of himself. “Now you really don’t know what to think of me.”
Qenn realized that the look on his face revealed too much. “It’s a lot to take in, I guess. But from what I know of you, I believe you. You saved me back there. That’s enough for me.”
Prevost smiled. “Life is full of choices, Qenn. Learn to follow your heart.”
Prevost walked away then, Qenn hurried to stay at his side. The story that Prevost told him was still running through his mind, over and over, when they came to an intersection and Prevost stopped him. They stayed close to the building, looking around cautiously. The
n Prevost began to whistle like a bird. Qenn thought it was odd at first, but then a whistle came back.
“Let’s go.”
Prevost motioned with his head to move forward across the street to a large building. Once there, they looked around again to make certain that they were not being watched or followed, then entered.
Qenn followed Prevost inside the building to find a slew of hard-faced men, and sitting on a bucket away from everyone was a sour looking Kandish. Greetings were dispersed immediately, smiles of relief abroad. Prevost began telling them about his escape from the building. Qenn worked his way over to Kandish, who rose to greet him with a quick hug.
“I was worried sick about you!”
Qenn was surprised. “How are you?”
Kandish only nodded. “We’ve been here for a while, waiting. Kamen said you guys would meet up with us, but it didn’t look like anyone was going to ever show up.”
“Where is Kamen?”
Kandish pointed to the far end of the room where Kamen stood next to the Seer, talking privately. “When we arrived, Kamen’s men said that there were Takers moving in swarms, looking for the Seer. Kamen started cursing, breaking everything in sight, swearing that nothing was going to happen to her.”
Kandish looked at Qenn with sadness. “I think he’s wrong. Something is going to happen. And none of us will be able to protect her.”
“I don’t know. These men will fight to the death.” Qenn looked around the room, then back to Kandish. The look she gave him made him feel small. It was as if he was completely missing what she was saying.
Just as Qenn was about to ask Kandish to elaborate, a gruff looking man charged into the room, his face flush with fear. “They’re here! Legions of them!”
Kamen Ode moved at once, rushing to the center of his men, looking past them into the street where swarms of glowing red eyes moved for them. “Break up! We need to flank—”
“You stand no chance if you separate!” The Seer yelled at Kamen, her eyes vivid. “You must stay together!”
Kamen grunted. Another man yelled that the Takers were reaching the building and that they had better act fast if they wanted to escape. Kamen snatched the Seer by the arm and ran.
“Run!”
Kamen ran through the building, Kandish and Qenn at his heels, Kamen’s men drawing weapons as they followed. The building was full of broken walls and gaping holes in the wooden floors. It was empty of furniture and of anything else but dust. Windows were broken and cracked, or not there at all. It appeared as if it used to be a type of manufacturing building, now long absent of use.
A thunderous crash startled the group as they ran in a line, entering the building’s largest room, where the ceiling was over thirty feet high and the walls were mostly small square windows. From the back of the group, a man screamed that the Takers had entered. The next time they heard the man scream, it was terrifying. Red lights glowed in the darkness behind them, followed by more screams.
Qenn ran next to Kandish, who looked pale and sweaty. She was ill, he thought. Whatever it was, it wasn’t good. “Kandish?”
He squeezed her hand and when she turned to stare at him, his stomach turned in knots. Her face was stricken with a terrible fear and she was ready to burst into tears. She said nothing to him; she simply shook her head so he would leave her alone.
“Duck!” a voice yelled as a section of a wall came bursting open, red fire blazing from the hands of dozens of Takers outside, working their way in.
Kamen yelled and turned direction, heading away from the Takers, running his group hard towards a small door at the far left of the building. He still had the Seer in his possession, half-dragging her along at his rapid pace, not really certain if anyone else was following save for the elf and the girl. He knew a few of his men stopped to fight the demons, but he didn’t expect any of them to live. He knew they had meant to only buy them some time to get the Seer out safely. Sacrifices, he thought. He had seen enough of them.
“They’re right behind us,” Prevost said to Qenn, only an arm’s length behind him. “Once we make it to the street, run straight for the boat. Don’t stop.”
Qenn nodded, looking over to Kandish to be certain she knew as well. They were closing in on the doorway, dodging piles of ceiling debris. Once to the door, the elf watched Kamen Ode throw it open without hesitation, barreling into the night like a train.
They ran outside the building and onto the street smelling the lake air right away. Kamen took them down the block, and then turned left down a wide street. The sounds of the waves on Lower Krune were close, another block or so away. Still they ran hard, knowing what was coming.
“There!” Prevost yelled, pointing to a mass of shadow stretching down the street a few intersections ahead of them.
“No!” Kamen growled. “Faster!”
They continued forward, watching the swarm of Takers close the distance between them. They raced for the first intersection and turned left down the street, the lake now visible, with a long dock stretching away at the end of the street. Tied to the end of the dock was a long wooden boat. Heavy breathing and pounding footsteps filled the night around them as they pushed for hope. A block behind them, the Takers turned to follow, red eyes and inhuman sounds giving chase.
“Get to the boat!” Kamen barked, looking behind him angrily.
Qenn stared straight ahead, eyes focused on the boat, his Elven senses screaming in warning. The lake was getting closer. One last intersection right at the lake. Then everything fell into slow motion for Qenn. Darkness swept in on both sides of his vision—clouds of Takers ahead of them. He felt Kandish squeeze his hand hard just before she pulled him down to the street with her, one of Kamen’s men flying into her back, his head glowing red with dark magic just before it exploded.
“Up!” Prevost yelled, pulling Qenn to his feet.
“Qenn, help me!” Kandish groaned. She was lying on her side, underneath a dead body.
As the group stopped, and Takers began to form a wall around them, Qenn helped the red-haired girl stand. Kamen and the Seer, Prevost and six other men, all formed a tight circle together, staring down the mass of demons surrounding them. The Seer reached behind her and found Kandish’s hand.
-Be strong, child. Be what you are and do not worry. Accept-
Kandish looked deep into the old woman’s eyes, then began crying. She blocked out all that was happening around her: the screaming cries of the demons as they saw their victory, the barking of Kamen Ode to his last soldiers, the concern from the elf next to her, the coolness of the wind off the lake, and the feeling of the need to escape. Kandish remembered what the Seer had told her. Even so, she thought, she was struggling to let it come.
“We need to get the Seer to the boat,” Kamen was saying out loud. “She must not die here. She cannot!
The circling demons were within twenty yards of them now. Besieged on all sides, it appeared to Qenn that there was no escape. Even with the boat so close to them, they would never reach it before the Takers fired upon them. And there were so many of them, he thought. With his sword in one hand, he reached over to find Kandish’s slender fingers with his other.
“Qenn, don’t look at me,” she cried.
Qenn didn’t understand. But the desperation in her voice was enough for him to obey. Whatever was wrong with her, he decided that in a few moments it wouldn’t matter. The Takers would finish their worries quickly.
Then three of Kamen’s men charged, swords slicing through the night with vengeance. Each of them went in different directions; it was the best distraction that they could think of. Kamen used that small amount of time to run the Seer closer to the dock. Prevost, Qenn, and Kandish followed, three of Kamen’s men remained for a moment, then retreated as well.
But they failed to reach the dock, so far still from the boat.
The ground exploded underneath them from a fire ball thrown by the Takers. The group went sprawling across the pavement. Bits of grave
l and rock rained down on them for a few seconds. As quickly as they could, they rose to their feet, only to find the black cloaked monsters slowly advancing. The group huddled around one another again, weapons drawn in vain.
-Child, do not be afraid. It is time-
Kandish turned to face the old woman. The Seer’s face was wet with her own tears, her eyes filled with a deep sorrow. Again she encouraged Kandish, nodding her head. Kandish swallowed hard, then nodded as well.
“I am not a monster,” she whispered.
“You are a savior.” The Seer smiled faintly. “It is time.”
Demons howled all around them. Red eyes began glowing, clawed hands the same. Together the small group watched helplessly as Takers closed in to finish them off.
“We will fight!” Kamen Ode cursed furiously. “You will not have her!”
Kamen and his men screamed in response, weapons ready, eyes mean with unacceptance. The mass of Takers were feet from them when they began to fire their burning red magic.
“No!” Kandish screamed, her body glowing with a bluish hue. Her body lifted off the ground, drawing the red fire onto her like a magnet.
The shock on Qenn’s face could only be matched by that of Kamen’s and his men as they watched Kandish absorb the burning fire. Her body rose into the air, towering above them now, the blue magic growing like a shroud until little of her was seen at all. Takers screamed angrily, flooding the night with their magic. Qenn knelt down, shielding his eyes from the brightness, while trying to see what was happening. Kamen and his men did the same. The howls grew deafening; the blue light blinding.
Then it exploded.
Qenn peeked through the cracks of his fingers to see Kamen diving across the Seer as the explosion sent everyone skidding away. The light flashed for a second, then disappeared. When Qenn opened his eyes again, Kandish was lying on the street next to him. Smoking piles of ash and charred blackened earth littered the area around them.
Qenn reached Kandish, rolling her over gently onto her back. Her face still white, pale and cool. But she was breathing.
“Kandish?” he whispered.
She opened her eyes slowly. “Do not hate me,” she whispered, then closed her eyes. Qenn wrapped her in his arms, still feeling her chest rise and fall faintly. He began whispering to her that everything was all right. That whatever she did worked. And that he didn’t think he could ever hate her.
He looked around, watching Kamen’s men move in, Prevost wiping ash from his body. Kamen was up too, cursing the demons for what they were. He began cheering, yelling aloud that he had saved the Seer as he had promised. His smile was broad; his eyes twinkled as though he were a little boy again. Kamen screamed his thanks to Kandish, and then looked down the street to see the Seer. He rushed to her, to get her up so they could get out of Skadar Port once and for all.
Prevost bent down next to Qenn, rubbing Kandish’s head. “She’s special. She saved us all.”
Qenn nodded. “When she comes to, I’ll tell her just that.”
Kamen reached the Seer, lying face down with a blanket of warm ash covering her. “I told you I would save you! You need to have more faith in me. Not everything you see has to come true, woman.”
Kamen reached down and held her in his strong arms, rolling her over. He stopped breathing.
The Seer’s eyes were distant, lifeless. Her body was cold.
“Mother!”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN