The Darkling Tide (5 page)

“What is that?” Leona asked, pointing to the scepter Daniken held.

“It is a moon scepter,” she responded, closing both hands around the weapon and resting it before her like a cane.

“Like Celeste’s sun scepter?” Abagail asked, sheathing her short sword.

“Yes, and no,” Daniken answered. “This moon scepter, like so many others, has been opened.”

“What do you mean, opened?” Rorick asked, finally making his way back to the top of the hill, gasping for air again.

“When the scepters were given to the elves, we didn’t know that they could be opened. I’m sure you’ve seen how Celeste’s can hold back the darklings?”

They nodded.

“Well, once a scepter is opened, it can do so much more, it can be used as a weapon to kill the darklings, not just hold them at bay. I think this was the true reason for the scepters.” Daniken stroked the top of the scepter absentmindedly.

“Because as guardians of the light, you shouldn’t just be holding back the darklings, you should be killing them.” Rorick nodded. “That makes so much sense. Can anyone use these scepters?”

Daniken shrugged. “They’ve been trusted to the elves. No one but elves have tried, but I guess it’s possible.”

Rorick frowned.

“But, doesn’t it run out of power?” Leona asked. “Aren’t they filled with some kind of other worldly wyrd?”

“They are,” Daniken nodded. “But they can be recharged in the light of the Sleeping Eye, or the Waking Eye depending on what scepter it is. When the moon is full, I can recharge the moon scepter to full power.”

“So why isn’t Celeste’s opened?” Abagail asked.

“Difference of opinion,” Daniken sniffed.

“How can you have a difference of opinion about killing darklings?” Rorick asked.

Daniken shrugged. “Many of the elves don’t like the idea of opening the scepters. They feel that it could cause irreparable harm.”

“But if the darklings are allowed to take over all of the nine worlds like they have Agaranth, there
will
be irreparable harm!” The fire was back in Rorick’s voice.

“I know, and this is what we are fighting over.” Daniken sighed. “There is much happening right now with the elves, but I think we are at a point where we might reach a decision.”

“Is that why Celeste left?” Leona wondered.

“It is, but I’ve come to help lead you to the harbingers so you can stave off the growth of that shadow plague.”

Abagail let an inward sigh of relief. She hadn’t been sure how they were going to make it on their own without Celeste. If Daniken hadn’t shown up, they likely would have met their end just now, stumbling off the edge of the road after some elusive music. The music was gone now, as if it sensed the coming of the elf and hadn’t wanted to draw her attention.

“You’re all in grave danger while you are in the Fey Forest,” Daniken said. “Like I’ve told you before, there are places in each of the nine worlds where the fabric between dimensions is thinning. This allows travel between worlds, and the darklings are using that. The Fey Forest is such a place in Agaranth. This is their stronghold now.”

The elf turned away from them, and started leading the way ahead. Rorick gathered up their wood and his hammer and headed out behind her.

Daniken set a pace a ways ahead of them. Abagail realized that Daphne was allowing Daniken to lead. It seemed more to Abagail like the pixie was intentionally keeping her distance from the elf.

Maybe it was just her imagination.

Whatever the reason, Abagail didn’t trust the new elf.

“War is coming,” Daniken said.

“How do you know that?” Leona asked her.

“The tide of darklings is growing stronger, denser. The veil between worlds has already started to thin because of the tipping balance of darkness. Something is coming. The dark is preparing for an attack.” Daniken didn’t look back at them.

“Who is Hilda?” Rorick asked.

Helvegr
.

Abagail shivered.

“Where did you hear that name?” Daniken asked. This time she did look back at them.

“When we came through Eget Row, there was this house and we heard this man talking to Hilda about the god slayer, whatever that is,” Rorick said.

Abagail frowned. Everyone seemed so eager to talk to her about things Abagail didn’t think they should be.

“It’s as I figured,” Daniken said. She sighed and halted her progress. They had nearly made it to the other side of the hill and before them the canopy had opened up, or given way to the weight of the snow. There was a heavy bank of snow in front of them that they would have to cross.

“The god slayer is a weapon they’ve been looking for that will do exactly as it says,” Daniken said.

“So, it’s like a sword that can kill the gods?” Leona pressed.

“It’s not specifically a weapon like that, it could be a person, it could be a stone. We don’t know what it is precisely.”

“And who is Hilda?” Abagail asked. If they were giving her all of this information the least she could do was answer some of their questions.

“She is the leader of the harbingers of darkness. She is the most powerful, along with her two brothers, Gorjugan and Anthros,” Daniken told them. “They’ve been trying to raise an army for some time, and it seems they are finally getting their wishes.”

“So all they need is the god slayer for their war?” Rorick asked.

“Not their war, but to finish the gods and plunge the world into shadows, yes, they need the god slayer.”

“Do you think they can do it?” Leona asked, a quiver in her voice.

“Who knows,” Daniken said. “There are hard decisions to make, and if the guardians of the light and the harbingers of light don’t make the right decisions, the darklings can overrun us with sheer numbers.” Daniken seemed to think for a moment, and then turned to them. “Maybe you can convince Celeste to open the scepters!”

“Wait, how?” Abagail asked. “How would convincing one elf change anything?”

“She holds a lot of sway with the sun bearers, she could convince them if you could convince her!” Daniken seemed very excited. “If
humans
were pressing for this just as the fay were, they would be more likely to let it happen.”

“We can try—” Abagail started, but Rorick cut her off.

“You have our word,” he told her.

“Oh, thank you!” Daniken said, the first real glimpse of a smile they’d seen on her face.

Abagail scoffed, anger flaring inside of her. She wasn’t really sure why she was angry. Maybe it was because Rorick was disregarding her, maybe it was jealousy, though she didn’t think that was it. She wasn’t normally jealous.

She just didn’t trust this woman. She seemed too contrary to Celeste, and that was unsettling for Abagail. For the rest of the day Daniken chatted away amiably with them. It seemed now that she had gotten something she’d wanted, she acted less like they were dirt and more like they were lifelong friends.

“Does the moon scepter heat areas like the sun scepter?” Leona asked Daniken when they decided to stop for the night.

“We brought wood,” Abagail said, cutting short any kind of conversation they were about to have about the scepter. She could feel everyone watching her as she pulled the wood out and started stacking it. Daniken wore a smirk that irritated Abagail beyond belief.

“Well?” Abagail asked Rorick. “Are you going to help?”

“Oh, yea,” he said and started helping her stack the wood.

“So, you said that you’ve been having visions?” Daniken asked Leona. Abagail didn’t like how close the other two had gotten to the elf so quickly. There was just a
feeling
about the elf that she didn’t like, just as there had been a feeling with Celeste that she
had
liked.

Silently she stacked the wood, waiting to hear anything that Leona might say that Abagail didn’t really want the elf to know about.

“Yea, I used to have a doll that talked to me, but she’s gone now,” Leona said.

“How did the doll talk to you?” Daniken asked.

Why is she so curious about us?
Abagail wondered.
What’s she after?

Leona went through how she used to get impressions about the future from Skuld, her wooden doll, and how she had killed the darkling with the doll and since then she hadn’t heard anything about the future.

“Sounds like darkling wyrd to me,” Daniken sniffed. The way her eyes studied Leona, as if she was testing her didn’t settle well with Abagail.

“Or it could be a spirit,” Abagail flared. Her heart was racing in her ears. How dare she suggest that Leona had
anything
to do with darklings? What was this elf? Was she from O where they jumped at their own shadow thinking it was darkling caused?

“It could be,” Daniken said as if she didn’t believe her. “But darklings are killed with the fire of the Waking Eye, and the light of Hafaress’ Hearth.

“Well, this was just fire, it didn’t come from a sanctified hearth,” Rorick said.

“Nonsense, all the fireplaces in Landanten are blessed by Hafaress, the fire came from his hearth. How else would it have killed the darkling?” Daniken wondered.

Abagail wasn’t sure that regular old fire wouldn’t do the same thing. Did it really have to be blessed? Didn’t light chase away the shadows anyway? It didn’t have to be special light.

The anger flared through Abagail and when it sticks Rorick was rubbing together, trying to light sparked violently and a towering flame roared forth from the fire. Rorick fell back away from the fire and stared at Abagail, worried.

Abagail shot to her feet and stalked away from them. The darklings were back at the edge of the road, howling and cawing into the night. It was a clear night, which meant it was going to be a cold one. Someone would have to sit up through the night watching the fire to make sure it didn’t go out, especially since it was obvious the darklings could affect things on the trail, even if they couldn’t get on the trail themselves.

“Abbie,” Rorick called, jogging up to her. “What is wrong with you?”

“Her!” Abagail roared, turning on him. The tone of her voice made Rorick step back a pace and glance at her hand. “Oh, Hafaress’ Fire, Rorick, this has nothing to do with the shadow plague. This is me being angry, on my own, without darkling interference.”

“Are you sure about that?” he asked her.

Her blood boiled.

“Pretty positive about that. She comes along and we all just believe her? Did you forget Celeste? Don’t you think it’s strange that the things Celeste seems against, Daniken wants?” Abagail waited for an answer, but the only one she got was Rorick glancing to his feet. “That’s what I thought. She so much as called Leona a darkling back there.”

“No she didn’t,” Rorick said.

“Yes, she suggested that Skuld was a darkling,” Abagail said. “And if there’s a reason Celeste is against opening the scepters, I bet there’s a good reason for it.”

“Don’t you find it strange that you trust Celeste the way I trust Daniken?”

“No,” Abagail answered flatly. “I don’t think it’s strange.”

“And why’s that?” Rorick asked.

“Because, Celeste didn’t
attack
us when we first met!” Abagail tossed her hands above her head. “You’ve heard one thing you like, and you’re sold on Daniken.”

“And what’s that?” Rorick asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Abagail didn’t care if she was pissing him off.

“That she has a way to destroy all the darklings, and that’s what you want.”

“Wouldn’t you?” Rorick asked, fire in his voice.

“All I want is to
fix this
!” She ripped her glove off. “Cure this plague so I can go home and take care of my family. I don’t want to play hero.”

“And you think my wanting to avenge my family has me playing the hero?” Rorick asked, his face incredulous.

“Yes. Why else would you want this holocaust?”

“We are talking about darklings here, right?” Rorick asked, spreading his hands wide. “The things that are
destroying
the nine worlds?”

Abagail shook her head and turned away from him.

“Are you sure the shadow plague isn’t tainting you?” he asked.

Abagail scoffed and tugged her glove back on but didn’t answer him.

“I don’t want to have to make good on our promise,” Rorick told her.

“Are you threatening me, Rorick?” Abagail asked. “Because I don’t agree with you?”

He didn’t answer her.

“You’re no better than the Light Guard at home. Claiming everyone you don’t like is a darkling and disposing of those that go against your wishes.”

Abagail heard Rorick walk away.

Come after me,
Abagail thought, turning to watch his retreating form against the silver light of the moon scepter and the wavering fire.
I’ve always protected what is mine, and you don’t want to threaten that.