Power and the Dark Divide : Book Two, page 7
This one had been alone, but Reinhart assumed more were prowling around nearby.
He’d left Fitz an hour ago and was making his way back out of Coremount under the cover of darkness. He had almost made it to the south gate before this single guard had spotted him and decided to follow. With a lack of cover in this narrow alley, he’d thought it best to end the confrontation before it began.
He stuffed the man’s body behind some trailing leaves and then peeked out of the alley. All seemed clear; only a few local residents were walking by, and they hadn’t seen anything. Reinhart took a left and continued toward the south gate.
It was a few hours until midnight, and the town typically bustled around this time of night. Taverns buzzed with denizens as Reinhart neared the gate. Beyond it, moonlit mountain peaks were visible. Coremount was mostly surrounded by mountains and trees, save for the eastern edge, which gave way to the coast and Hangman’s Fjord, which he would need to cross to get to Provinth.
But Reinhart’s current destination was due west, to cut through the mountain pass that opened into Pronghorn Forest. That was where Raine and her children were hiding. He could not wait to see them. It had been difficult not to just go straight there after the events at Henrith Castle a few weeks ago, but he had thought it best to have a solid plan of action first. Now, he could present Raine with a surefire plan to ferry them away to safety. If he was being honest with himself, if he had come to them without any plan at all, Raine would never have let him hear the end of it.
The gate was open, plenty of traveling merchants coming in and out. Reinhart was sure he could slip out unnoticed. There were only five guards posted here, and the bustling square that made up the southern entrance of Coremount was the most commonly used. He singled out a merchant about to leave and sparked up a conversation with him. Between Reinhart’s silver and the few trading goodies Fitz had sent him away with, the merchant was more than happy to accept Reinhart into his small crew of men. Reinhart rode through the gate atop the cart without drawing a single glance from the guards.
Reinhart breathed in the scent of pine trees. He was now on foot, having separated from his oddly charming group of traveling merchants. Reinhart had actually felt somewhat at home with them, and they had enjoyed teasing each other—but a few hours ago, he’d branched off to cut through the rough terrain of the Core Mountains. By now he was deep within Pronghorn Forest.
The Pronghorn was probably the largest stretch of timber in all the north, though it was modest compared to the never-ending Kaelenwood. Even so, Reinhart had enjoyed coming here to hunt over the years. Four Winds Village, where he had grown up, was only a day’s hike along the edge of the Black-Heart Alps.
He was following one of the main travel routes through the forest, a decently kept road used often for trade between Coremount and the king’s city of Eldenroth. In fact, another traveling merchant cart was heading his way from the north. Reinhart gave the couple a curt nod and a wave. The woman gave him a kind smile and waved back, but the man was sterner, almost glaring at him. Reinhart chuckled as he strode past. Probably just being protective.
A rabbit scurried across the road and disappeared into the trees too quickly for him to shoot at it. Reinhart cursed—he wanted to bring his family some food. The forest housed all manner of creatures, from bears and wolves to mountain lions, wild dogs, and—
A fat-bellied raven cawed directly overhead. Reinhart admired its sleek, bluish-black feathers as it landed on a limb and started cawing again. Taking up his crossbow, he plucked it off the branch effortlessly. Breakfast.
With the raven slung over his shoulder, he veered off the main path at the familiar sight of scattered rose bushes. He trudged for another couple of hours, keeping his eyes peeled for tracks. There were none. A twinkling of pride turned up the corners of his mouth. He and Raine had taught the children well; he knew for certain his family had been using these trails frequently.
He himself had taken this path a thousand times. Over to the right was a narrow-mouthed cave he’d played in as a kid; to the left was a ridge he had often used to scan the area for game. The path forked in two directions. He went right, heading towards Pronghorn River. He’d felled a large spruce tree a few years back so that it stretched across the river. Crossing it, he found himself looking at signs of a gathering. Well, the remains of one.
His family had clearly set up a fire here the night before; he could smell it. They had doused the flames, but unfortunately not quite removed all the burnt wood and coals as he’d shown them. Reinhart walked about the campfire, finding a few sets of tracks and some burnt rabbit bones in the ashy remains, before taking the path to the cavern.
Vines and dangling vegetation covered the entrance entirely. He swept aside the mass of greenery to find subtle flickers of firelight in the resounding darkness, and hints of whispers being cut short.
He waited a moment to see what they would do. Nothing. Not a peep.
“Anyone home?” he called into the darkness.
Children gasped, and the sound of frantic footsteps echoed through the narrow cavern, bringing his beloved family into view. First to reach him was Mikael, the eldest. He must have been thirteen now.
“Reinhart!” he yelled, sprinting to his uncle, jumping into his arms. Reinhart squeezed him tightly, tears welling up. They’re safe… He had been sure of it, or he would have come earlier. But the relief was no less potent.
Next came Sara and Finly, eight-year-old twins. They came and joined in the hug without restraint. Reinhart was kneeling now, having dropped the raven, and met Raine’s eyes over Mikael’s shoulder. Her dark brown hair was pulled back, revealing her pretty features. She was relieved as well, or so her teary-eyed gaze indicated. However, the twitch of a brow and a clenched jaw told him he was going to get an earful after this reunion.
Sweet Greta was in her mother’s arms, her face full of joy and tears. Raine set her down, and Greta moved in to join the embrace. She kissed Reinhart on the cheek and tucked the stem of a flower behind his ear.
“See, Mommy,” she announced. “I told you he would get here soon.”
Face flushed, Reinhart felt a tear roll down his cheek. He smiled from ear to ear. So did Raine.
Chapter 11
Endra
Endra traded blows with her opponent, who was fast. So fast. She threw an overhand right which was quickly countered, then answered with a lightning-fast jab to Endra’s ribs. She sucked in a breath, but managed to land a blow of her own into the gut of her attacker, who grunted. Endra blocked the next two strikes, but caught the third in her jaw. She growled; spittle flew from her mouth. Ribs aching, she ducked a heavy side kick and spun her body into a low sweeping kick of her own.
“Shit!” Sendana hissed as her feet were swept out from under her. She landed on the flat of her back with a mighty thud.
Endra had her knee on the female’s throat a heartbeat later, fist raised. She might have sparked lightning in her eyes for some dramatic flair.
“Alright, you can get off me now,” Sendana wheezed.
Endra smiled at her companion and removed her knee. She held out a hand, and Sendana grasped it. “Well fought,” Endra said, pulling her up.
“Easy for you to say,” Sendana croaked, hand to her throat. She coughed.
“You kidding?” Endra said, holding her side. Her ribs would definitely be bruised.
Geldria watched them intently. “Do I get to face the winner?”
Endra cast the female a glance. “I think I’ll pass. You minute-renders aren’t exactly fun to spar against,” she said, and meant it.
Amusement—and maybe something predatory—gleamed in Geldria’s eyes.
The party moved on swiftly after the brief training session. By mid-morning, they were discussing the encounter with the griffons as they passed by a bank of dancing ferns. It was the strangest thing to watch the plants bouncing and swaying of their own free will, perhaps thirty of them, with their long, jagged leaves. A few of the ferns were golden-leafed, but the majority were a flat, milky beige. The plants seemed to notice the passing elves; they all started shaking fervently, like they had just received visitors.
“Calm down, you buzzing drama queens,” Geldria said.
Endra could have sworn she heard the peculiar plants whining and sighing as the group passed them, but she was more interested in the conversation. “I’ve never seen a griffon do that before—protect its companion so fiercely. The ones I’ve come across were either alone or fighting each other as much as me.”
“It’s true,” Tristan agreed. “They are very territorial by nature, and do not typically commingle with one another. With the exception being mating season, of course, when females are in heat.”
“I thought that interesting as well,” Sendana chimed in. The dancing ferns had given way to a network of steaming hot springs. “That male… he was extremely aware. I saw so much recognition in his eyes. I’d dare say he had the intelligence of a familiar.”
“Aye!” Endra barked, a little more loudly than she had intended. “He sure looked like he had Trimethia’s magic running through him, didn’t he? Those eyes were nearly glowing. Could you imagine claiming that creature as a familiar?”
“That would surely be more trouble than it was worth,” Tristan countered, his infallible logic settling over her once again, like a dusty haze blurring the inner workings of her imagination.
“Just imagine it, though. Riding atop a glimmering blue griffon, with the speed of a drake and the beauty of a crystalline eagle.”
“Aye,” Sendana said, a little quieter. “Not much can beat soaring through the skies on the back of a great, winged—friend.”
Endra scanned her face; Sendana looked to be in pain for some reason. Endra’s chest tightened. Resdin.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Sendana caught her eye as they climbed over some jagged yellow rocks, about to reach the Sandstone Bluffs. Her expression was heartbroken.
“Thank you,” she said with a nod. “I heard you rode atop a star wind stallion as you chased those wretched beings who stole our people. That had to be something.”
Geldria’s eyes went wide. “You did what?”
Endra couldn’t help but crack a grin.
“She did, in fact,” Tristan said. “It was absolutely incredible.”
“How, by the gods, did you manage that?” Geldria said, all but gasping.
Endra let pride course through her momentarily. “We found them grazing in a small clearing. There was the stallion, a mare, and their yearling.” She smiled, remembering how cute it had been, with its adorable little wings. “The stallion approached me and Tristan after we put on a bit of a magical show for them. He challenged me. We fought. And then he helped us rescue our people.”
“I didn’t see any flying horse at the battle of Henrith!” Geldria exclaimed in confusion, brows high.
“The stallion turned back before we exited the Kaelenwood,” Tristan told her.
Geldria remained quiet. She wore a comical scowl.
The terrain became precarious as the group started ascending the Sandstone Bluffs. Steep and riddled with layers of sunset golden rock, the bluff they were currently traversing was more of a narrow ridge than an actual bluff, but they it was quite a sight to behold, or at least the vast canyon surrounding them was. Endra gazed out to the east, where the bluff dropped off into a sheer-edged cliff that spread out into the canyon of jagged, protruding rocks. A sea of golden daggers staring up at her.
She had to focus on her footing as they made their way over the ridge. It was the most direct route, like balancing along the ridged spine of some great golden rock lizard. The pointed rocks and thousand-foot drop would certainly make for a rough landing, so they all took their time crossing.
“Look,” Tristan said, pointing south to the tree line at the far end of the bluffs. Endra strained to follow his direction. People stood there. It looked to be three elves and a white-haired wolf. A kurikai. “We have fellow travelers close by,” Tristan said warmly.
He waved a hand at them, and Endra saw the hunters return the gesture. She wondered which village they belonged to. Wellspring Village was the closest, maybe a day’s trek to the west. It was the largest tree village in the forest, apart from the capital.
“I can’t believe a star wind stallion chose you,” Geldria grumbled, apparently having been stewing on that bit of information. “A Ridge native.”
Endra tensed. “Are you implying that there’s something lacking in people from the Ridge, Geldria?”
Geldria glanced over her shoulder, that look of mischief plastered on her smug face again. A grin parted her lips, one sharp canine peeking out. “Well, apart from nearly killing my people with a lightning storm after they’d called for aid, I guess they aren’t so bad…”
Endra’s face heated as Geldria turned away. She opened her mouth to retort, but snapped it closed; a surge of guilt washed over her, leaving her feeling heavy and lethargic. The words she wanted to say would have undoubtedly escalated this farther. Again.
“What, nothing to say, baby storm-sower?”
Endra ground her teeth and swallowed down the anger. She knew she deserved it. Her sorrow for inadvertently harming those elves became even heavier, weighing down her shoulders.
“Enough, Geldria,” Tristan cut in. He was in the lead. “That’s enough.”
As much as Endra appreciated him defending her, her face heated a little more at the thought of Tristan thinking she was incapable of fighting her own battles. She supposed he couldn’t help it. He was chivalrous by nature, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. But Endra was not to be coddled. Surely Tristan knew that.
“I agree—will all of you just be quiet?” Sendana said from behind Endra, annoyed. “Do you all want to fall to your deaths? Is that it?”
“Not a fan of heights, Redwood?” Geldria asked mockingly.
“I’m fine with heights,” Sendana shot back. “It’s the tripping and falling to my death thing I’m not keen on.”
As if in response, Endra unintentionally shooed a few rocks off the edge of the ridge, causing a barrage of echoing cracks to ring out through the canyon as the pebbles tumbled below. Endra turned back and caught Sendana’s gaze. Her blue eyes were flat, and she cocked her head as if to say, really? Endra cast her an uneasy smile as the breeze died down and seemed to become unnaturally quiet.
Geldria stopped moving entirely.
“What are we doing, Gel—”
Endra was cut off by the red-haired elf, who held up a hand. “Quiet!” she whispered, deathly still.
The wind picked up again, but it sounded—strange. It was a steady humming and seemed to be growing. It almost reminded Endra of Tristan’s magic when he shot a water spear through the sky—a whistling… but it was different. She focused her senses. Apart from that growing sound, she wasn’t picking up on anything within the canyon. No movements within the rock formations, no aroma of potential attack. Just the sound of a humming current that seemed to emanate from all around them. The echo from the canyon?
She looked at Tristan. He was incredibly tense. His ears twitched.
“Get down!” Geldria screamed, just as a shadow caused the sunlight to flicker above them.
The minute render was on her stomach in a blink, but the rest of the group were a second slower. A screeching caw pierced Endra’s ears as she crouched down. Instinctively, she formed a lightning shield around herself.
A great gust of wind assaulted the group as the sun was blotted out entirely, a looming shadow of death swallowing them whole. Endra saw Tristan’s water taking form as she tried to steady herself on the sandstone ridge, but he wasn’t fast enough. The griffon crashed into them, sending both Endra and Sendana over the edge, down to the deathly pointed rocks below.
Chapter 12
Sendana
Sendana’s fire shield had saved her from the impact. They’d been bowled into with such force that without it she would undoubtedly be unconscious right now, or worse. She had just glimpsed him—half a breath before she was cast off the bluff, a blur of gleaming blue feathers had caught her eye.
“Shit!” she heard Endra scream as they fell, followed by the snap of wings. Tristan was certainly following. But there wouldn’t be time for that.
“Endra!” she screamed back, swimming through the wind and trying to grab her. Endra met her eye and allowed her to snatch her arm. “Like this!” Sendana instructed over the rushing air.
She let go of her companion and summoned the blue fire within her core, creating two separate torrents from her palms. She aimed them straight down. Full, thick streams of flame fanned the ground below, and she felt herself start to slow.
Endra let loose her brilliant orange light, attempting the same. Hell of a time to learn this little trick, but Endra has power for days. Yet as Sendana slowed more and more, Endra kept her trajectory, already well on her way to the jagged rocks at the bottom of the bluffs.
Auburn feathers blurred Sendana’s vision as Tristan went soaring past her. So close to the bottom now. Orange lightning assaulted the rocks below them. Sendana thought Endra was slowing, but would it be enough?
Endra
Endra was casting a lightning storm below her, but it was impossible to keep balanced. The torrents were sending her all over the place. It wouldn’t work, she knew it, and she had mere feet now.
She created a static imbalance in the air and formed a shield beneath her, crashing into it feet-first. The impact was harder than she’d expected. The lightning shield did slow her, but it also snapped her ankle.
Endra roared as she felt the bone break. She toppled over and lost her concentration, passing with a jolt through her own shield. She braced herself for the rocks below, closing her eyes, but the impact didn’t come; instead, powerful arms enveloped her. The beating of wings filled the air as a pool of water formed below them and softened their landing. It was still rough, with all the speed she had built up. Endra opened her eyes as they splashed across the squishy basin floor, right between a pair of four-foot-tall golden spikes.
