The Spirit of Revenge (24 page)

T
he Warriors descended the hill and came to where their horses were tethered. “Where are the horses?” Joshua asked.

Cain knelt down and picked up the broken leather strap of a horse’s bridle. “The light must have startled them…”

Malecai cursed and punched a rotting tree. The tree fell to the ground with a shower of dirt.

“Damn it,” Joshua cursed, “they have all of our equipment!”

“Don’t you think we know that?” Adriel shouted at him. “What are we going to do? We have no food or water now…”

“Let me think,” Malecai said as he sat down at the base of the tree. He rested his right arm across his knee and raised his sleeve.

The black bandages wrapped around his arm were soaked with blood and badly torn. He grimaced as he began unwinding them from around his arm. As the bandages fell from his skin, they noticed the badly burned and blackened flesh, exposing the bloody muscle and sinew beneath. The Warriors cringed.

Malecai dropped the bandages in the mud and pulled a fresh roll from his cloak. “Do not worry, I received this injury the last time I came across Elijah. But he is dead now.” He finished wrapping his arm and pulled the bandages tightly before standing up again.

Aaron wiped his knife clean of blood and asked, “What was all that?”

Malecai raised a brow. “Pardon?”

“The fire, the wind, the shadows, those men fought in such strange ways, I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Ah,” Malecai replied, “I would not expect you to know what that was. Only those who truly devote their souls to darkness can attain the powers of which the Iscara have demonstrated. With a soul as black as theirs, strength has no bounds.”

The rain had now since subsided and the clouds above slowly parted, revealing small gaps of starlight. The group sat on a cluster of rocks, exhausted from the fighting.

“What was that light?” Cain asked Malecai after minutes had passed.

Malecai shook his head. “I do not know…but whatever it was probably saved our lives.”

“Aye,” Cain agreed. “Elijah said Abaddon wants me dead. The Arzec that led the attack on Andaurel said the same. What would he want of me?”

“I am sorry, Cain, but I know little more than you. I can only speculate. Whatever the reason, I am here to protect you, all of you.”

“Thank you for all that you’ve done, Malecai,” Aaron replied, “we owe you greatly.”

Malecai smiled coolly. “You owe me nothing, you are the only hope the Alliance has, and I do my part in protecting it. Now…as for the situation at hand, we are without supplies. We cannot get very far without water, so making it to Morven will be impossible. The closest city where we can buy provisions is Ilross. If we can make it the three days to Ilross, then we should be fine.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Silas said.

“Easier said than done,” Joshua retorted. “I’m already hungry…”

“Either way,” Malecai said, “we need to try it, it is our only option.”

Cain tossed the broken strap in his hand and stood up. “Then let’s go.”

The Warriors began trudging through the dense undergrowth, working their way through the rotting trees of Alon Heath. They eventually crossed the borders of the Barrows as dawn crept across the skies. They walked for hours without rest, fighting to gain as much possible distance.

Sleep deprived, drenched from the rain, and exhausted from the fight, they marched on with little morale and with the weight of their situation heavy on their minds.

“Let us hope more of the Iscara do not roam these southern borders,” Malecai said, breaking the hours of heavy-eyed silence. “We will not be as lucky if we come upon any more of them.” They nodded in accordance.

“There are more of them?” Cain asked.

“Much more…however, the full hordes of the Andred army is sweeping across the country. It is much more likely we will come across the Andreds than any more of the Iscara. Keep your weapons close…the open country of Erias lies not far ahead.”

The sun at last peered over the distant horizon and spread its rays across the dead forests below, a welcome sight to the beleaguered travelers.

The Warriors trudged through a slurry of mud. The trees about them were quickly thinning and soon stretched sporadically across the open turf before them.

They stepped out of the trees and came to a massive wall of snow-covered rock. The cliff spanned from north to south, disappearing into the trees far into the distance. It loomed high above them, shielding the borders of Alon Heath from the outside world.

They approached a small archway that was cut through the breadth of the cliff and braced for whatever awaited them on the other side.

They crossed under the gap and shadow instantly immersed them. They stumbled blindly through the narrow tunnel until a light appeared at the end. They stepped into the sunlight and crossed out into the country of Erias.

They stood at the edge of a sea of snow that spanned for miles in every direction. Massive pines dotted across the snow-laden earth, an endless forest of life in a lifeless winter. An undulating terrain lay hidden beneath a marring mask of stone and snow.

A bitter cold befell them, bringing with it the full brunt of winter’s fury upon unsuspecting travelers.

Malecai laughed as they buried themselves in their cloaks, frozen in place. He stepped between them and rested his hands on Cain and Aaron’s shoulders. “This country is unforgiving to outsiders. But you are in safe hands, my friends.”

He beckoned them to follow and took the first step into Erias. “I will guide you safely to the capital; try not to die till we get there.”

The Warriors began to trudge slowly through the thick blankets of snow, leaving the surreal Barrows behind them.

“How far is it to Ilross?” Silas asked as they fought through the snow.

“Three days,” Malecai answered, “that is if we do not run into any more… complications.”

The travelers soon came to a fast-flowing stream, slightly iced by winter. They knelt by the brook and filled their water skins.

The day slowly passed them by as they continued deeper into the heart of Erias.

Cain hurried towards the front of their silent procession and came to a stop beside Malecai.

“What is it?” He asked Cain with a raised brow. The group came to a halt.

“I need to know some things, Malecai.”

Malecai glanced at the others and beckoned them to follow. “Then let us carry on, the day is dying.”

“Not until you answer me.”

Malecai paused and glanced at him questioningly. “Very well,” he said after a moment.

Cain blinked with satisfaction and asked, “Who are you?”

“Pardon?”

“You know what I mean. It’s time we get some answers.” Malecai’s smirk died at this. “You come out of nowhere and expect us to follow your every word with no questions asked. You could have been one of the Iscara for all we know! You say the Knife Ridge is not safe and take us on a senseless detour to avoid the Iscara, only to walk right into their hands.

You led us right into a damn trap and nearly got us killed because of it! I don’t know what happened to those two men, but that could very well have been us! You’re the one who got us knee-deep in this shit, and it’s time you start answering our questions!” The group held their breath and awaited Malecai’s reply.

“I came to provide the security you need to get to Morven alive. I led the Knights to us because I knew the light would protect us. I knew that we could kill them and end their pursuit. I did what was necessary to keep all of you alive. Yes, it was risky, but you are all alive, are you not? After everything I have done for you, this is how you repay me? With doubt?”

He turned from Cain and walked away from the group, leaving them behind in the shadow of a pine.

“Wake up,” Malecai said as he shook Cain firmly. Cain slowly opened his eyes, weary with exhaustion. He looked around and shook his head of sleep.

Snow had fallen heavily during the night, covering every inch of earth beneath winter’s vestige.

“We need to get moving, we are losing daylight,” Malecai said as he helped Cain to his feet. They brushed snow and ice from their clothes and drew their wool cloaks closer. Plumes of warm mist rose from their mouths with every breath they took, dissipating quickly in the numbing air.

“Malecai…” Cain said as Malecai kicked snow over the remnants of their fire. “I apologize for yesterday.”

Malecai strapped his broadsword to his back and shouldered his quiver. “I understand. You lead these four as more than a friend; you lead them as the captain you were born to be. I understand your concerns with me and I know you have your questions. However, I have my secrets. Trust is all that will get us through this war together. If you learn to trust me, then we can do great things for each other.” Malecai extended a hand to him.

Cain reached forward and shook it firmly. “Very well, I’ll trust you.”

Malecai grinned and replied, “And I, you. I will not let you down, my friend.”

The two men turned and woke the others, and soon they stood on the fringe of their camp, the open wilds of Erias before them.

Malecai stepped into the trees and led them on a straight path northwest, following a mental bearing to the distant city of Ilross.

They drew their sodden cloaks closer and trudged on through the snow at a grueling pace, weak with lack of food. The limbs of trees were covered with glistening sheets of ivory like silken sails. The air was bitterly cold, icy talons clawing at their skin.

The Warriors climbed a hill and turned the bend, panting heavily with exertion. The forest suddenly ended ahead of them.

A large field lay before them, stretching for miles afar. Deep drifts of snow protected the fallow expanse. On the far side of the meadow was a band of pines that stretched over the horizon and into distant mountains. The mountains of Erias stood tall and domineering over the landscape; dark clouds perched ominously atop their shoulders.

Malecai looked to the others and informed them, “A snowstorm is blowing in from the north. We might be able to cross this field before then.”

“How do you know there’s a storm coming?” Aaron asked him.

Malecai smirked in reply. “Just wait.”

Darkness veiled the earth as the sun fell swift over the western peaks. The skies were eerily black, not a trace of starlight amidst the sea of clouds that now rolled over them.

The Warriors huddled around a fire, the cold of night lashing at their backs. Joshua was fast asleep, snoring contentedly. Aaron lay down on his mat and rested his head against the root of a tree. Malecai sat staring pensively into the fire, his face dancing in shadows. Silas sat beside Cain, carving a piece of wood with his knife. Adriel sat slightly away from the group, staring over the field they had crossed.

Cain unsheathed his sword and leaned against a tree. He held his weapon before him and rolled it in his hands.

The firelight played across the blade, a grinning sadist in the night.

He saw his reflection in the glowing steel, his haggard face staring back with sullen eyes. Those eyes had changed from what they once were. The light of them was long gone, and in their place was an atrocity.

He had killed his first man. After fifteen years of killing, this latest meant uncertainty for Cain. What was he becoming that extolled the killing of a man? And he did it with such a callous heart that now, outside the cloud of battle, it sickened him.

He had once promised Eileen that he would set aside the sword when their child was born. Now that his wife and son are dead, he could never fulfill that promise. He had nothing left in life but the revenge he so desperately hung onto.

Was that what Eileen would want? He looked at his reflection in the sword again. She would not even recognize him. He was so far gone from the man she fell in love with five years ago.

His heart burned now for blood, burned for a false sense of justice. He had changed drastically since the beginning of this journey. He fought for selfish ideas of vengeance and how it all would repay his sorrows in the end. He had forgotten what this war really meant, what was at stake for Tarsha, and humanity.