The Ranger (Book 1) (29 page)

Auna entered the room and picked up the box. Delicately, he opened it. Vincent couldn’t see inside from where he was, but a pale red light seemed to glow from within.

“The first objective is complete,” Auna said, handing the box to Vincent. “You must now return to Master Silva. I’m afraid I cannot accompany you at this time as I have other, pressing engagements.” Auna seemed to be choosing his words carefully again. “I would advise you against following the road we came by. It is likely being watched. I will return by that way, and attempt to draw the Magi’s attention away from you. Do not stop in any cities, talk to no one until you have placed that box in Jason’s hands. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Lauren replied firmly.

“Very good,” Auna said as he opened the door. “Nicholas, we are ready to return to the surface.”

Nicholas seemed even colder than before and almost ran as he guided them again to the surface. Vincent glanced down the side tunnels as they passed. They now seemed packed with Draylor, all wearing identical blank, vacant expressions as they wandered about. Nicholas seemed to be the only one not wearing the bracelet.

“I have returned you to the surface,” Nicholas stated as they re-entered the sunlight. “Please leave our lands now.” He turned quickly and disappeared into the caverns once again.

The Draylor who had let them in initially stood once again in front of the gates. He wore the vacant expression that the other Draylor had worn.

“I can take you back the way you came, if you wish.” He had lost the edge in his voice, which now had an almost airy tone to it.

“I will be returning alone to Spacco,” Auna told the beast of a man. “However, my companions need to cross the mountains; would you be able to carry them across?”

“It is my duty to serve,” the Draylor replied vacantly. He transformed into a dragon and motioned for Lauren and Vincent to climb onto his back.

“I’ll see you in a few weeks,” Auna called as the Draylor kicked off and soared into the air. Vincent had to hold tightly to the neck of the flying creature as he zoomed through the sky. Lauren held firmly to him.

Vincent peered over the shoulder of the Draylor and looked below them. The mountains spread out in both directions as far as he could see. Snow covered the peaks of some of the tallest mountains. The Draylor flew onward, oblivious to the beauty below him. As they neared the end of the mountains, he started to drop, until he was skimming the trees that covered that side of the mountain.

When the ground finally leveled out, the Draylor landed, crashing through the trees and nearly throwing both Vincent and Lauren from his back. They both quickly slid from his back.

“I have taken you across the mountains,” the Draylor stated blankly. “I must now return to the Cavern.” He kicked off once again, crashing through the overhanging branches and into the open air.

It was late in the day when Vincent and Lauren set off through the woods. It was eerily quiet. The sound of the leaves crunching under their feet seemed to resonate through the forest. They traveled quickly, the force of the silence was pressing against them and they wished to be as far from it as possible.

When the sun finally set they made camp. Vincent started a fire while Lauren hunted. That night they were lucky, and Lauren returned with a small deer. However, their luck didn’t last. Storm clouds were gathering as the sun peeked over the horizon.

They trudged on through the rain, lightning danced through the sky. The trees did little to protect them from the driving rain.

The storm continued the remainder of that day. Vincent couldn’t even manage to maintain a fire when they set up camp that night. They were cold, wet and tired the next day.

Early in the afternoon of the following day the storm broke and the sun came out. They found a clearing and lay in the grass, basking in the sun as they dried their clothes in the warming rays.

“Where do you think we are right now?” Vincent asked lazily.

“I figure that we’re about six miles north of Senno,” Lauren said, “but I can’t know for certain, there are no landmarks to judge by. I’ve never been in the northern wilderness.”

“I wouldn’t mind stopping at Senno on the way back,” Vincent sighed. “A nice bed and a warm meal would be good.”

“We are not going anywhere near that city,” Lauren snapped.

“Why not?” Vincent asked, irritated.

“Master Auna told us not to stop in any cities,” she replied. “We need to get that stone back to Jason as soon as possible. We’re not taking any unnecessary risks.” A wolf howled as she finished speaking

“That’s odd,” Vincent said as the howl was echoed by another wolf, “I thought that wolves hunted at night.”

“They do,” Lauren said getting up. The howling continued, coming from all sides now, and it was getting closer. “Those aren’t wolves.”

“Lupis,” Vincent jumped to his feet. “How did they find us?”

“The lupis have probably been following us since we left Senno, waiting for the perfect time to strike.” Lauren was stringing her bow as she spoke. “Don’t waste your energy here with Furtivos; there could be thousands of these things. If you overdo it I won’t be able to get you back to camp.”

They both ran through the forest, the howling of the lupis drawing closer. Vincent drew his blades as they ran. He jumped at every shadow, anticipating an attack at any moment.

Lauren stopped abruptly and Vincent almost ran into her.

“What is it?” Vincent asked, but he didn’t need her answer. The forest ahead was packed with the boney figures of the lupis.

Vincent’s eyes widened as he looked at the hundreds of creatures blocking the way. A blood chilling horn blast drew Vincent’s attention as the lupis parted ranks to allow the centaur through. Frost looked thinner than he had before, bags hung under his eyes; but he now wore a heavy suit of armour.

“You have done well in avoiding me, Chosen,” Frost laughed. “Pity that you slipped up in the end. My lupis have been tracking you for over a week now, and you didn’t even notice.”

Lauren notched an arrow to her bow.

“Come now,” Frost said, raising his hands, “it doesn’t have to be like this. If you just give me that little package you’re carrying, we won’t have any… unpleasantness.”

“If you want this package you’ll have to pry it from my cold, dead fingers!” Vincent called back.

“Have it your way,” Frost shrugged.

Frost waved his hand and the lupis charged. Vincent brought up his swords and embraced his token. He resisted the pull of Furtivos and charged forward. Lauren was sending off arrows, felling a lupis with every shot. The line of creatures broke against Vincent like the tide. He stood, immovable against their attacks.

No matter how many he killed, they just kept coming. The speed at which they came was draining him. The morning dragged on, but the attack continued, unrelenting.

By midday Vincent’s arms were burning. It hurt to swing his swords and his movements were slowing down. The lupis were finding holes in his defenses and he was now riddled with cuts and gashes on his arms and legs.

Lauren had run out of arrows and had resorted to using her short sword to fend off the creatures. She had far less skill than Vincent when it came to the blade. She was tiring quickly from the continued onslaught. The lupis had been hitting her hard and her left arm now hung useless at her side. She was moving with a noticeable limp.

One of the lupis suddenly jumped, launching itself into Lauren’s chest. Vincent watched in horror as it drove her to the ground.

Throwing caution to the wind, Vincent allowed Furtivos to envelop him. The world slowed as Vincent rushed to Lauren, snatching her from under the snarling pack of lupis. Picking her up, he turned and dashed off, back the way the two of them had come. The barking of the creatures became distant as he ran.

Vincent stopped in the clearing they had rested in earlier that day. He lay Lauren against a tree at the border of the clearing and released Furtivos. Lauren could hardly hold her head up, and she was bleeding all over.

“You’re a fool,” she murmured, half conscious. “You should have left me and run. You could have easily escaped on your own.”

“There’s only one problem,” Vincent said as he pulled his flint from his belt and started desperately trying to make some sparks; the howls of the lupis were getting closer again. “I promised that I wouldn’t leave you. We’re going to get through this together.”

“Thank you,” Lauren whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Vincent managed to make a few sparks with the flint and quickly grabbed them with his token, making a small ball of fire around his hands. He turned to where the lupis were starting to appear among the trees.

The first lupis that emerged from the forest into the clearing was met by a flaming disk, thrown by Vincent. The remaining lupis dashed from the forest together. Vincent started throwing the disks as fast as he could, cutting down every lupis that set foot in the clearing, but they continued coming.

A blast from Frost’s horn stopped the charge as he cantered into the clearing. He stopped at the edge, leaving as much distanced between himself and Vincent as he could. He stared at Vincent with a mixture of surprise and anger.

“As you can see, my lupis do not give up easily,” Frost called tauntingly across the clearing. “You are getting tired, I can see it. All it would take for you to free yourselves is to surrender the stone. If you do not, my lupis will continue their attack. Even as we speak, more lupis flock to the call of my horn. There is no escape for you.”

Vincent clenched his teeth as he formed another disk.

“Oh, you wish to continue,” Frost laughed. “Well go ahead; give it your best shot. My masters have given me a new piece of armour. Your fire has no effect on me.”

Vincent threw the disk angrily, desperately wishing to prove his tormentor wrong. The disk hit Frost’s breastplate and bounced away, cutting through a tree. Frost laughed harder as Vincent continued to throw futile disks at him.

“Try as you might, my armour is impenetrable.”

Frost’s laughter angered Vincent even more. He drew his swords and started walking towards him.

“Fight me!” Vincent yelled in frustration. “We end this!”

Vincent charged forward, swinging his blades wildly as he went. Frost smiled, and reared as he pulled his large mace from the sling on his back. He laughed menacingly as he galloped to meet Vincent. They clashed in a shower of sparks.

Vincent had never learned to fight a mounted opponent, and much like his previous encounter with Frost, he didn’t know how to react. The centaur continued to rear as he swung his mace. Vincent had no problems dodging the attacks, but found it awkward to launch an attack of his own. His opponent was just too high above him.

He continued to swing at Frost’s legs as he kicked at him, but he found himself being driven backward until Vincent found himself backed into a tree. The battle could never be won on these terms, and Vincent knew it.

Frost laughed again as he saw the desperation on Vincent’s face and lifted his mace to strike. Suddenly the idea came to Vincent that he had to put himself on equal ground with his attacker. Frost’s mace continued its decent, but landed firmly in the tree, missing Vincent who was already in motion.

Vincent had pushed off from the tree and was now flying through the air toward Frost. He slashed at Frost as he flew by, cutting a large gash in his breastplate and knocking the helmet from his head.

The enraged centaur released his trapped weapon and punched with his now free hands at Vincent’s flying form, hitting him in the side and knocking him from the air. Vincent hit the ground hard, knocking the wind from him.

With a grunt, Frost pulled his mace from the tree as Vincent struggled to regain his footing.

“My master will be pleased to hear that I killed you to get the stone,” Frost growled angrily as he advanced toward Vincent. A small trickle of blood was running down his forehead where Vincent’s sword had nicked him. “Prepare to enter the abyss.”

Vincent rolled out of the way as Frost swung his monstrous mace at him then stumbled to his feet; but the centaur was faster. Rearing, Frost kicked him in the chest, knocking him back once again.

His hands seemed to move of their own accord as Vincent fell, forming a ball of white fire. He hurled the ball just as he landed, hitting Frost in the face. The ball exploded as it collided, engulfing the centaur in flames. Frost screamed in agony and thrashed on the ground, desperately trying to extinguish the flames from his blistering face. With one final scream, Frost galloped from the clearing, his remaining lupis close behind.

Chapter 17: Breaking Free

Vincent watched Frost disappear through the trees before running to where Lauren lay. She was barely conscious and was still bleeding heavily from the gashes in her shoulder and legs. Vincent quickly tore a few strips from his tunic and tried to stop the bleeding. Lauren was now mumbling incoherently.

“Don’t worry,” Vincent whispered as he hoisted her onto his back, “I’m going to get you home.”

Vincent started off running. It was much more difficult with Lauren on his back than he had expected, and his own wounds were adding to his struggles. He headed off due south, hoping to make it to Senno. He no longer cared that Auna had told them not to stop in any cities, his sole concern now was getting Lauren to a safe place to rest, and at that moment, the sanctuary at Senno seemed the safest place.

The sun had just set when he reached the walls of Senno. He slowly edged his way around the city walls to the gate, which was open. Vincent found this strange as it wasn’t much earlier than the last time they had been to the city.

Cautiously, Vincent slipped through the gates and peered through the window of the gate keeper’s apartment. In the faint candle light, he could make out the slumped form of the gate keeper at his table, a knife buried in his back.

He left the apartment immediately, trying to get through the city without being noticed; a sense of foreboding growing in his chest. He clung to the shadows and alleys. After getting lost in the maze of alleyways he eventually emerged in the central square of the city. The sanctuary loomed in the twilight.