The tunnel was dark, lit only by the glowing of his staff. The air was thick with something far worse than decay, making it unbearable. It stung his eyes, aggressively choked his lungs. Qenn felt another presence right away. It was smothering him. It was in the dirt walls; it was in the thick air. It was dark and uninviting. He waited for it to attack him, waited for the darkness to take shape and consume him. The power of the staff grew to meet the challenge, its brightness extending in an orb around him, touching the walls and floor, sparking with what he thought of as friction. He whispered to his staff, gently assuring it that the time was near. But he felt like it knew far better than he. The staff tightened in his hands, as if it was swelled up to capacity. It was on the verge of releasing.
-Let me go-
“Soon.”
-Now-
“When I say.”
-When I say-
“No!”
Qenn tightened his grip on the staff, as if to emphasize that he was in control of it. With the staff held before him, he pressed forward, ignoring his urges to flee. There he was alone, heading into the belly of the beast, the evilness birthing the Takers. Days ago he would not have thought it possible, certainly not with the idea being his. Drifting up the Spira, he had been worried that Kamen and his men would leave him. He would have begged them to continue with him. And he never would have dreamt about leaving Kandish for any reason. His flight from Meadow left him running away from the terror. Only to lead him right to it.
The tunnel descended gradually, winding deeper under the ground. With each step, the air became more flagrant. It was almost as if its intention was to choke him, to strangle his lungs and leave him for dead. It was the poisonous magic in the air, he knew. It was everywhere. He could feel it in the ground too, shuttering slightly. Small waves, like ripples across water, came and went in a breathing-like rhythm, throbbing gently, softly. Still he walked forward.
-Release me!-
It was getting harder to control the magic within the staff. Its attempts to break free, to tear loose and do what it had intended on doing, were almost too frequent for Qenn to keep in check. It was harder to block out the voice urging him to let go; it was becoming harder for him to disagree with it.
-Use me!-
Qenn began to worry that the window of opportunity would pass him by when he could listen to the LifeWaters reasoning and live to tell about it.
-Do it, now!-
Sweat dripped from Kandish and Kamen Ode like rain drops as they slowed their approach to the tunnel. Kamen quickly found a long chunk of dead wood, snapped it in half and handed a piece to Kandish while finding stones to ignite a fire. Moments later, his was lit and he was using the flames to light hers. With their torches burning brightly, they cautiously entered the tunnel.
“Be alert,” Kamen whispered. His face was hard, with shadow and yellow light swaying across it. He held his torch up high with one hand, the other held his sword. “The night will attack us.”
Kandish understood. Her magic was rolling through her, anxiously waiting. She could feel it, too. All around her. Somewhere deep ahead, it was waiting.
Then she heard something. A soft scraping against the rocks. She stopped walking at once, Kamen stopping beside her, listening too. But the tunnel filled with silence. They waited a few moments, seeing nothing in front of them, nor behind them. With eyes scanning intensely, they continued forward.
A few seconds later, they both heard it again. They raised their torches higher, shedding light further. They saw nothing.
“Qenn?” Kandish called out softly.
Kamen turned, looking behind him, his senses screaming at him. He could feel it; it was close. Then something wet dripped onto his head. Puzzled, he looked up.
“Run, Kandish!”
Kandish turned back to him quickly, seeing Kamen Ode raise his sword up, about the same time she noticed something large and black detach itself from the ceiling. Kamen screamed for her to run again, and she did, fast, hearing the creature hit the ground with an audible thud, hearing Kamen grunt with exertion as he struck it repeatedly, hearing the thing wail terribly as it was cut by Kamen’s sword.
She looked back and prepared to unleash her magic, but saw the torchlight sway from side to side as the big man began to follow. He was covered in blood; his face looked worn and tired.
“Go!” Kamen screamed at her. “Find Qenn! Do what you have to do!”
“Are you okay?” Kandish saw him slow, and then stop. His breathing was ragged. “Kamen?”
“Go. I’ll catch up.”
“I can’t leave—”
“Now!”
Kandish slowly turned away, walking alone into the dark.
Kamen Ode watched her light sway and flicker as she moved further out of sight. Once he was alone, he dropped to the ground.
White fire spewed from Shadox’s fingers as he raced alongside Tane, working their way to the front of the assault. Takers that had swept in from the backside of the army all fell victim to their wrath, burned by Shadox, destroyed by Tane. Together they wiped the area clean, killing wave after wave, as Takers flooded towards them. Shadox gave Tane direction with his sword, teaching him how to understand it better, how to unlock the potential. Tane caught on quickly that the power was directly related to him. Each time he pressed deeper, pushing himself, pushing the limits of the magic, destroying dozens at a time.
Running hard now, he saw a cluster of dark forms heading for them. Tane brought up his sword, screaming in defiance. The sword lit, shot out into the Takers, pulling the life-source from them. Empty husks fell to the ground. A thin dark spool of air seeped from them, disappearing into his sword.
The land ahead of them was full of bodies: dead ones, dying ones, fighting ones. The air was lit in streaking colors and explosions. White fire raced away in arcs, red fire shot back. Tane swallowed hard. The front of the storm was at his doorstep.
“There!” Shadox pointed to where a swarm of dark figures were emerging towards them. He led Tane towards them, his own magic flaring from his hands.
Tane raced forward, his sword glowing in crimson coils. Takers met them head on, their red beams of fiery destruction blazing in the air between them. But Tane’s sword absorbed it all. Shadox fire burst into them then, instantly burning them into showers of ash and smoke. Tane’s sword shot a light back into the Takers, a light that smothered them and withdrew their life, pulling it back into the blade with it.
Dozens of yards away, Terill Estrial saw and watched in confusion. He asked Ankar Rie, “Who is that?”
Ankar knew right away. “Shadox!”
His feet were moving instantly, rushing to aid his friend. Terill followed quickly, knowing Shadox had found the sword.
“Shadox!” Ankar Rie shouted as he came towards the sorcerer. Ankar’s face was smudged with dark stains.
Shadox greeted them and then introduced Tane. “Ankar Rie, Lord Terill Estrial, I present to you the new King of Cillitran: Tane Andelline.”
“How do we stand with the demon numbers?” Tane asked, unsure as what to say. The other two marveled at his sword.
Terill replied, “We’ve lost a lot of Elves and Men. And we are unsure how deep the enemy lines are. The east flank has fallen. The west holds, for now. For every one of us, there seems to be a dozen of them.”
“They are as deep as the night is dark,” Shadox said. “But the night comes to an end. And with it, so do they.”
“Look!” Ankar shouted, facing skyward. Something dark was descending towards them rapidly. Ankar’s head cocked questionably, his fingers glowing.
But Terill stepped before him. “Wait!”
Xtalt landed before them and slender Slina dismounted. She carried something in both hands, it was large and covered by a dark blanket. Carefully, she set it in the grass next to Terill’s feet. “I was careful.”
Terill smiled. “You were, indeed.” Terill turned to the others around him as he reached for the blanket. “Behold, men of Cillitran a
nd Illken Dor. A new aid to our cause.”
They circled around Terill curiously. He withdrew the blanket with one quick motion. A box was underneath, one made of magic, sparkling black. Terill touched it once, speaking a few quick phrases in the Elven language that the others did not understand, then stepped away. The sides to the box unfolded and black images flew up into the night. They shot like a blur, each darker than the sky they ascended to. Terill waved his hand, motioning for the ground next to him. The black images landed instantly.
“What are those?” Tane asked.
Terill’s smile was a cautious one. “Blooders, King Andelline. Birds of magic. Subdued by the Dark Elves. Transformed into something else. These birds are dangerous. They have an appetite for the flesh.”
Tane grimaced. In the night it was hard to see the details of the birds. But he could tell right away that they were not normal. They were the size of his fists, with long pointed beaks that shined in the flickering of the burning catapults. Their feathers were made of something else, but from his angle, he could not tell what it was.
“They are metal.” Ankar gasped.
Terill nodded. “A liquid metal coats them, inside and out. They are nearly indestructible.” Terill noticed the grim look on Ankar’s face. “The Dark Elves changed a lot of things, sorcerer. Fortunately, we have found and gained control over these before they were set loose.”
“How fortunate indeed,” added Shadox. “How will they aid us?”
Terill spoke to the birds again and they disappeared into the sky. “They will attack the demons. They can withstand much, and can fly at great speeds. They will be almost unseen. They will tear into the monsters and eat them alive before their presence is even known.”
A giant explosion erupted ahead of them where a mass of Takers broke through one of the Elven lines of defense. They flooded everywhere, racing towards the group. Shadox and Ankar turned immediately, sending a series of their magic bolts searing into the charging threat. Red fire burned back in waves. They attacked from all sides, emerging out of the night as if a piece of the darkness itself had taken form. Tane held his sword high, absorbing the red fire. But there were too many.
“Ankar, behind you!” Shadox shouted to his friend as he saw a swarm of darkness rushing them from behind.
Ankar turned, his hands flaring his blue magic in endless streaks. He concentrated on those closest, and there were many. Lord Estrial and Shadox stood beside him, doing the same, as Tane’s sword shined red, absorbing everything sent their way. From afar, screams and shouts warned that more were coming as Elves and Men alike were trampled over. Takers came endlessly. Their sheer number alone would swallow any resistance. And only in a matter of moments did it appear to be taking place.
“Fall back!” Terill cried.
“We can’t,” Ankar yelled back. “There is no place to go!”
Then Tane screamed. He was scared of dying. He was scared of failing. And the war seemed impossible to win. As he stood in the reflection of the red heat overhead, he could feel his anxiety pulsating within. It ran from his chest and down to his toes, running through his arms and into his fingers. He screamed violently from the sensation. The pain seemed to gather in his hands, swelling up into the fingers he so tightly held around the sword’s pommel. It took all the strength he had just to keep the sword steady as more fire slammed into it.
Others around him were screaming, but their words were smeared with the intense friction above him. He stared at the sword, watching the magic coil and spark against it, and wished badly that it would end. Tane could feel the stress throb and build up to the point where he thought he would pass out.
“Shadox!” Tane screamed. The agony was something unexpected and new. Sweat trickled down his face and back in thin streams. His body began to shake. He screamed again, loud and terrible.
Then suddenly the magic within burst free. He could feel a burning race from his feet to his chest then out of his hands as all of what he could see vanished within a bright light. Tane staggered slightly, alone in the center of the explosion, those around him cloaked in the crimson light, watching the magic tear into the Takers and literally dissolve the life in them. Tane screamed as the sensation passed through his body, through the sword, and out into the night. The light of his magic swept in an arch around him for half a mile. Takers evaporated instantly. In a second, it was over.
Nothing around them moved then, save for surviving Men and Elves that scrambled to regroup. For the time being, there was no threat. The ground was singed and smoking, layered in hot ash.
Exhausted, Tane dropped to his knees. His body was tingling. Shadox and Ankar raced over to him, kneeling down beside him. The others stood in awe.
“What was that?” Tane was shivering.
Ankar noticed that Tane’s pupils sparkled like burning flames. He said nothing, watching the fire fade, watching Tane’s eyes find his own. Unable to answer him, they both turned to Shadox.
“The magic is reacting to your senses, Tane.” Shadox helped Tane stand, Ankar rising with them. They all stood staring at the sword. “It is a part of you. It is connected to your feelings.”
Tane kept his look of bewilderment. “I was worried that we were all going to die. Then I felt it…building inside me.”
Shadox smiled inwardly. “Learn how to use it, Tane. Do not be afraid.”
Ankar Rie smiled, patting Tane on the shoulder. His face was a mix of sweat and dirt. “Whatever you were thinking, Tane, do it again.”
“Issilix Delsoue!” Terill shouted victoriously. “Come, Tane! Let the Fire of Blood be tasted by them all!”
Terill moved away, racing to join his Elves in combat. Ankar paused momentarily, giving a reassuring nod to Tane before racing away to join Terill. Shadox stared at Tane with his intense eyes. “Tane, focus. Steady your mind. Command your talisman. Do not hesitate.”
Shadox stormed away, rushing towards the nearest line of defense under attack. Tane turned to Slina, who was mounting Xtalt.
“Wait. Can you take me up?”
Slina smiled. “Hurry!”
She helped Tane up behind her, making certain that he was strapped in tight, then whistled for Xtalt to fly. Instantly they shot skyward, traveling much faster than Tane anticipated. Within seconds they were cloud level.
Tane looked down, seeing the vast Plains stretch away before him. Though dark, much of it was speckled in red dots. Takers. He was aware then of Slina saying something, but he couldn’t understand. She pointed west, and he followed. Then he saw it too. Shifting like a black snake, a line of Takers pressed into the Lyyn Forest. The west flank had fallen.
Spread out all across the Shyl Plains under them, assorted lights flashed and burned. Magic fought magic. Xtalt turned sharply then, and he understood what Slina was saying. It was important that they return and tell Terill about the west, that the Ailia Court was in danger. Turning back, he spotted a similar line heading south, far to the east. Tane swallowed hard. The line ran long enough to disappear in the darkness. They would head for the southern cities, he knew. Cillitran would be destroyed. Meadow after that.
“No!” Slina yelled. “Look out!”
Tane turned just in time to see a light flash, a red beam streak from the ground towards them. He held tight to his sword as it slammed into it. He raised his weapon higher, as if to draw attention away from Xtalt as more red beams were heading for them. He screamed for Slina to hold steady, but she panicked. Xtalt sped drastically, weaving its way through the sky. Tane’s sword absorbed several blasts, but now the enemy knew where he was and how to reach him, and they poured it to him without mercy. Looking down, all Tane could see was a wash of red light.
Then everything shifted, tilting downward. Xtalt was hit in the right wing and they were spinning out of control. The ground became a blur as they sped towards it. The last thing Tane thought of was of his brother.
Qenn staggered along through the choking tunnel feeling lightheaded and dizzy. He wa
s hot, sweating through his clothing, struggling to keep a steady pace. He blamed it on the air, or the lack there of. He slowed, resting his narrow frame against the stone wall. Staring down at the hundreds of footsteps in the dirt, he realized that he could hear something moving towards him. It was powerful enough not to be concerned at all about hiding its approach. Steadily it came. Closer. Closer.
Qenn pressed himself tight against the wall in an attempt to hide. But even doing so, he knew he would be found and the evil lurking would attack him without pause. His heart was pummeling his chest. He was terrified. Wide eyes stared, waiting. When it became close enough to see, he would use the staff. He saw no other way around it. Just enough to destroy what was coming after him; no more than what was needed.
As he thought about it, he found it strange how he did not feel the staff urging him. The tight orb of light around the staff reassured him that it was ready for his signal. But he did not hear it. Or did he? There was something whispering to him softly, just out of reach. It had been there for so long now that he had simply grown used to it. Thinking of that made him realize that he felt something else as well. Something dark was in his midst. In the shadows just out of the light? Running towards him, or waiting for him to move closer? Its presence was unmistakable; it was dark and formidable.
He felt it against him as if it were a coat he was wearing. But he saw nothing. Qenn pressed his body harder against the stone and dirt wall, but doing so only made the strange feel become more evident. He became mad that he could not locate the source of the intrusion, mad that it felt like everything was slipping out of his control, mad that he was alone.
Then the whispering grew louder, bitter and malevolent. And then he realized it was the magic. The tunnel was laced with it.
And now he was.
Qenn panicked. He brushed his hands against himself in a frantic fashion to wipe off the evil clinging to him. But that was not enough. It was in the air. It was in his lungs. It was making him dizzy. It was making him nauseous. He was cold.
How did things get so far wrong?
The magic in the tunnel was taking control of him. He felt insignificant, small and vulnerable. Leaving Kandish had been a mistake, he sadly realized.
What have I done?
Then the footsteps were so close that he had to fight off his urge to jump out of hiding prematurely. It would kill him. Everything in the tunnel would. It would do anything to make sure he did not use the LifeWaters’ power. Act fast, he thought.
Don’t hesitate. Don’t give it a second…
Then he saw it out of the corner of his eye. Qenn’s stomach was rolling in nervousness; he could not take it anymore. He quickly jumped in front of it with the staff pointed, already loosening the reigns, finally letting go of everything that bound the magic to the staff. He screamed in vengeance, cutting all restrictions, sending the magic in the staff bursting free. White light erupted, filling the tunnel, smashing into Qenn’s attacker.
Qenn saw his enemy engulfed in a brilliant white fire and felt relieved. The release was such a wondrous feeling, it put his nerves at peace. Then he saw something. He blinked in confusion. His eyes focused sharper into the blinding light.
Kandish? Could it be? Wait!
He was so disoriented that he did not fully understand what was taking place until he felt the staff go cold, the light dying. As the staff emptied out, he stared dumbfounded.
The magic struck Kandish, holding her fast, binding her motionless, pouring into her with abandoned mercy. She screamed painfully before her voice died away, lost within the humming of the magic consuming her.
Kandish’s body was coated in the LifeWaters’ power. Her body held the light for a second, then it absorbed in her, vanishing beneath her skin. Before Qenn could do or say anything, she fell to the ground.
“Take my hand!” Ern shouted, staring down at the man on the ground. The bandage wrapped around his right thigh was damp with blood. But Ern showed no sign of pain.
Tane was dizzy as he looked up to see a set of determined eyes and an outstretched hand. As the dizziness washed and he remembered what had happened, Tane looked around for Slina and Xtalt. He found them a few yards away. Slina was checking over Xtalt, which was making a high-pitched groan. Slina was moving gently. But it looked like they were fine. Using his right arm to reach Ern’s hand, Tane accepted the help. Ern pulled him to his feet.
“Are you alright?” Ern shouted.
“Yeah, I think so.” Tane extended his hand, Ern shook it hard. “Thank you.”
Slina raced over to them then. She told them that Xtalt had suffered minor injuries and simply needed to rest. It had cloaked itself and would not be seen by anyone. When it was ready, it would find her. “No one will ever find him. So don’t worry.”
Wails of terror swept across the Shyl then, instantly followed by a thunderous eruption that shook the ground beneath them. Tane paused, dropping to one knee cautiously. Ern and Slina followed as they watched a fireball smolder the ground yards away from them. Then they saw Takers sweeping through it. A line of axe men came rushing towards the Takers, swinging valiantly. But the Takers were too much for them. One by one they died.
“We’ve got to help them!” Ern screamed, already moving towards the fight.
But as they began to run, Tane stopped. His head turned in every direction.
“What is it?” Slina asked, noticing the worried expression.
Tane shook his head. “I’ve lost the sword.”
“Take these!” Ern shouted, handing Tane a set of daggers.
Tane shook his head, passing the daggers to Slina. “You don’t understand. It’s no ordinary sword!”
Ern saw the worry in Tane’s eyes, but he didn’t have time for insecurities. One sword was as good as another. Then Ern saw something in the grass behind them. It was an axe. He raced to it, pulling it out of the dirt, then thrusting it into Tane’s hand.
“Here! Let’s go!”
Without waiting for a reply, Ern charged forward into the swarm of demons. Tane ran beside him, Slina next to him. Her slender form moved effortlessly, her delicate hands held Ern’s daggers. Tane could not shake the feeling that he had just handed over victory to the Takers. The sword was lost. There was no time to find it.
Then Ern was attacking, swinging his sword rapidly into the nightmares sweeping their magic in a frantic attempt to destroy him. But Ern was faster, slicing and stabbing his way through their midst in a madness unchecked. Then Tane and Slina were fighting beside him. Takers attacked them from every angle. Soon they were circled.
Tane felt his fingers begin to tingle. It was happening again, he thought.
“Tane!” Slina cried, watching him fight. “What is it?”
Before Tane could make sense of her question, he felt the axe grow hot. Looking up, he watched it turn a shade of red. It was the magic. Astonished, he turned back to his attackers rushing in quickly. Red fire was already burning the air between them. Red fire coiled around the axe, shooting an arc around the Takers. As the light touched them, they exploded in a shower of burning ash. Tane spun then, sending his fury in a circle around them, spreading out into the oncoming threats. Slina and Ern stood motionless, watching in awe as the magic destroyed the Takers like light in the darkness.
“What was that?” gasped Ern Dwull. “You have magic!”
Then red fire slammed into Tane’s weapon as several Takers advanced from behind them. The shock sent the axe hurtling out of Tane’s hands. Another volley slammed into the ground at his feet. Tane lost his footing and fell, toppling backward, his left hand landing on a broken arrow. It pierced his flesh and he began bleeding.
As Ern and Slina stood protectively around him, Tane saw his hand brighten. He stared in disbelief. Tiny beads of fire trickled out of his skin where the arrow scratched him. Tane panicked, wiping his palm with his fingers, spreading the fire further across his hand.
“This can’t be,” he whispered to himself. “What have the
y done to me?”
He ignored Ern’s pleas for him to rise and fight, he was too overwhelmed by what he discovered and what it meant.
“They are coming!” cried Slina. “Tane, get up!”
Red lights flashed by Tane, slamming into the ground beside him, showering him with soil. Then Ern was yanking at him, screaming at him to rise or he would die. As Tane brought his attention to the present emergency, he saw his hand turning redder, as more blood covered it.
Then the ground exploded underneath him. Everything went black. In the few seconds it took for him to hit the ground, he saw Slina and Ern screaming as they were sent toppling backwards, lost in the charred earth shower. Tane hit the ground hard; the air in his lungs disappeared, leaving him gasping for life. As he lay on his back, a set of red eyes towered over him. Then another. As Tane realized what it meant, he watched their fingertips burn red.
“No!” Tane screamed.
He had no weapon. Ern and Slina were elsewhere, maybe dead. As their hands brightened, readying their magic to devour his life, Tane scrambled to his feet to flee. But in the rush to do so, he accidentally brushed his bleeding hand against the leg of a Taker. As he felt his hand hit the cloak then the leg, he looked up in surprise. The blood from his hand ignited the Taker in a flame that melted it into nothing. It happened so fast that Tane barely saw it take place.
But the other Takers did not miss it.
Takers shrieked anew as Tane’s bleeding hand began to radiate with flames. Tane stood to his feet. Immediately they shot their energy at Tane, but they were too slow. Red and yellow light spewed from Tane’s hand in a wide arc, devouring the evilness circling him. Tane felt the sensation run through him, watching it unfold as though it was happening to someone else. But there it was, his own hand, burning with a light that the Takers could not withstand. In seconds the land was cleared.
For a hundred yards around him nothing moved. Ern and Slina rose from their bellies and came to his side. Their faces mirrored Tane’s own wonders.
“You killed everything,” Ern gasped. His mouth stayed sagging, his eyes wide as they stared upon Tane’s hand. “What are you?”
“I am the Flame of Blood.”
They were silent for a few moments. Screams sounded from further away: Men and Elves dying in a horrible fashion. Tane pressed his wound against his leg to stop the bleeding, to hide the glowing flame. “I have to find Shadox.”
“There!” Ern pointed. “You can see their sorcery! Let’s go!”
Tane raced away with a horrible feeling that he had no idea what he was.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT