Daughter of Hauk (The Raven Chronicles Book 1) (34 page)

“Try again, Senyan. As you can see, there’s more here than you realize.”  Y’Dürkie felt Arwenna’s hand on her shoulder. “I’d love to stay and see how this turns out, but I’ve got someone else that I need to deal with. I’m sure Y’Dürkie will have a grand time showing you the finer points of our recent adventures.”  She stepped back, dropping her hand from Y’Dürkie’s shoulder.

              Y’Dürkie glanced back at Arwenna, her voice a low whisper. “Just go, Arvenna. I am tough. I can take it.”  A small smile played across her face, fading as she turned back to face Senyan.

              With a mighty yell, Y’Dürkie charged at Senyan. Her charge was blocked as she hit the wall of wind he cast between the two of them. Warily, they began to circle each other, both waiting for the perfect opening.

              Y’Dürkie managed to block the barrage of spells Senyan threw her way at first, but the frequency and intensity of the magic he sent at her soon began to wear away at her strength. The point of her sword dropped ever so slightly. Without warning, a massive gust of wind knocked her to her knees. She held onto the hilt of her sword as she struggled to regain her breath. Senyan’s voice mocked her. “I’m really surprised you were the one, Y’Dürkie. Barek would’ve at least been some kind of challenge to defeat.”  Y’Dürkie closed her eyes, searching deep for some last shred of strength as she heard his footstep approaching.

              The solid thunk of an arrow as it struck near her made the floor beneath her shudder. She looked up, eyes searching for the source of the sound. Senyan stood just a few feet away, his head turned from her. Seizing her chance, she swiftly rose to her feet and charged the distracted mage. His head snapped around, focusing on her long enough to read his own death as Y’Dürkie’s sword sliced cleanly through his neck. His head landed near her, rolling away from his crumpling body. A flash of green light from a window in the tower caught her eye. Y’Dürkie ran towards the stairs, leaving Senyan’s body to the carrion eaters.

* * * * *

Barek and Joss made their way through the deserted streets of Tanisal. Rage boiled just under the surface of his skin, waiting to be unleashed. A flash of light towards the left was bright enough that he pressed himself against a wall, forcing Joss against it with a massive arm. A few more lights went off, in different colors. He exchanged a knowing look with Joss. They knew battle magic when they saw it.  Barek relaxed his arm, leading the way towards the tower.

              “Barek, it doesn’t have to end like this. You can still save her.”  A familiar voice echoed in his head.

              Shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear the voice from his head, he quickened his pace. He didn’t see the voices as a good sign.

              “You’re on the right path, Barek. We’ll kill the elf, and Corse will bring Arwenna to you. Bohrs almost broke her; it won’t take much for you to finish the job.”  A vision of Arwenna hanging in chains from the rafters of a tent assaulted his mind. Her dress was in tatters, cut to shreds by a whip. The beauty in her face was marred by pain and despair, the inner light he’d always seen all but extinguished.

              Oblivious to his surroundings, Barek bellowed in a rage. Somehow, he fixed on where the owners of the voices hid. He charged through the courtyard at a dead run, finding his way through the maze of corridors without hesitation.

              Barek’s foot smashed through the wooden door in front of him without a break in his stride. On the other side of the room stood a robed figure, a look of shock on his face. Another figure approached from Barek’s right. He swung his sword once, taking off the man’s head without blinking. Barek reached the elder cleric, grabbing him by the throat with a steel gauntleted fist. Dust fell from the crumbling wall as he threw the man against it. “If you think for one minute that I would agree to that,” Barek’s voice was low enough that only the priest heard him. “You deserve a far more painful death than you are about to get.”  Very slowly, Barek deliberately closed his massive hand. Father Morgyn frantically clawed at the fist, gasping for air as Barek’s fingers dug further and further into his throat. Only when he heard the priests’ neck snap did he relax his grip, tossing the limp body to the side.

              The sound of footsteps alerted Barek to someone else in the room. Turning quickly, he spied Joss carefully stepping around the body of the man he had decapitated when he first came into the room. Another sound, one of muffled crying, reached his ears.

              Barek put a finger to his lips, warning Joss to be quiet. Keeping a firm grip on his sword, he moved towards the sound. Cautiously, he peered around a wall into a small alcove. Cursing, he dropped his sword before dashing into the alcove.

              “Hand me your dagger,” he demanded of Joss as he knelt in front of Mialee’s bound form. Swiftly, he cut her loose. Her auburn hair was matted and disheveled; the clothing she wore was full of rips and stains.

              “I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she whispered.

              Gently, he raised her chin and replied, “It’s okay, Mialee. We’ll get you out of here.”  Glancing over at Joss, Barek asked him, “Can you heal her a little?  It’ll be easier if she can move under her own power.”

              Barek stood back to give Joss room. After a few moments, she rose slowly from the floor.

              Barek made sure she was steady on her feet, then asked, “Arwenna and Y’Dürkie came into the city earlier. They’re looking for Senyan and Corse. Where are they, Mialee?”

              “Corse has a tower in the compound. I’m sure Senyan’s near to it. It’s not far.”  Mialee’s voice was raspy, as if it hadn’t been used for a long time.

              Barek looked past her to Joss, an unspoken request not to ask questions right now on his face. “Let’s get you out of here first, Mialee. We’ll go from there.”  Barek led them back out to the main courtyard.              

* * * * *

Arwenna took the opportunity to duck into another doorway. Glancing back, she saw Y’Dürkie and Senyan engaged in a very strange battle of magic vs. martial weaponry. Colors flashed all over the courtyard, reflected off the small puddles here and there. The green of Y’Dürkie’s sword was the brightest color. Taking a deep breath, Arwenna turned her back on the fight and left Y’Dürkie to her task. She ran through a door hidden behind the staircase. It led up to her own fight.

              Her heart beat faster as she climbed the staircase. Corse was at the top, she knew. Trying to be stealthy was a waste of energy. He knew she was coming. At last, a wooden door bound with iron greeted her at the very top. Arwenna closed her eyes for a moment, a sense of almost perfect calm taking over. One way or another, it was about to end.

Placing her fingers on the latch, she pushed at the lock. A gentle nudge swung the door wide, framing her in the doorway. She took the time to look about the room before settling her eyes on the figure in the center.

              The tower was large and round, with windows facing out to the city below. Tapestries in garish colors lined the cold stone walls. The floor was strewn with thick furs. A table with books stacked on and around it was pushed off to one side. A small bed sat against the opposite wall. At last, she focused her eyes on the figure seated in a chair facing the door.

              He was dressed in black robes, accentuated with red and gold. Leather gloves encased his hands. The face staring at her gave her slight pause, but she recovered faster than even she would have imagined. The face may be that of Bohrs, but the eyes staring back at her glowed a very deep red.

              “Really, Arwenna. We know each other far too well to stand on ceremony. I’ve been waiting a very long time for you to visit me.”  The voice was similar to Bohrs, but carried a resonance of evil that he never could have accomplished.

              “Had I known you were so anxious to leave this world, Corse, I would’ve come much sooner.”  Arwenna gave him an even stare, not even flinching as she stepped into the tower.

              Corse rose, moving with the grace of a large viper. “May I offer you something to drink?  You did not eat before you came this morning. That is hardly healthy for your child.”  The grin on his face was reminiscent of the same smug one Bohrs often had worn around her.

              “Whatever you would offer me would do more damage, Corse.”  She slowly circled the room, keeping an even distance between her and her adversary.

              “There are alternatives, Arwenna. You, and your child, do not need to die today. Just say the word, name your price, and I would let you leave here without so much as a strand of hair missing from your head.”  He looked at her from over the rim of his glass. The message behind the eyes sent cold chills down her spine. “Not everyone needs to treat you as Bohrs did, you know. Things could be very different for someone who was a willing participant in things.”

              Arwenna leveled her gaze at Corse. “Not everyone needs to be enslaved by you and your kind. I would prefer death for both me and my child over making a deal of any kind with you.”  She raised her chin, “I hope you are ready to go, because I will not allow you to remain here another hour.” 

              The wave of green magic came from behind her, lashing out at Corse before he could react. Gripping the edge of the table, he swung his arm around and pointed it at her, shooting a line of fire towards her.

              She closed her eyes for a moment, then released another barrage of magic towards him. The volleys continued for several minutes, each beginning to tire noticeably. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught movement in the doorway. Corse saw it as well and sent a wave of fire through it. Y’Dürkie’s sword blocked the spell, giving Arwenna the opportunity she had been waiting for. Drawing every bit of magic she had left in her, she threw it at Corse, willing it to blast him out of Bohr’s body and back into the hell he had crawled out of.

              The room fell silent. Arwenna opened her eyes and watched Corse closely. He stood there, a look of disbelief on his face. Slowly, a green glow began to appear under his skin and robes. The glow slowly spread outwards, encompassing his entire body. “It’s time for you to leave, Corse,” Arwenna whispered. With a small flick of her wrist she released the last part of the spell. The glow erupted violently. The echo of Corse’s scream lingered in the air.

              Arwenna leaned against the wall heavily, her exhausted body slowly sliding to the floor. With relief evident on her face, she saw Y’Dürkie dash across the room to her. “It is done, then?” was all she asked.

              Y’Dürkie nodded, “I did my part, yes. I have one more think I need to do, but ve need to get out of this tower first.”  Y’Dürkie held out her arm to help Arwenna up. She took the offered assistance and the two of them slowly made their way back down the stairs.

              The sound of movement out in the courtyard stopped them from emerging from the staircase. Arwenna tried to melt into the wall of the alcove as Y’Dürkie edged forward very cautiously. When the all clear was given, she slowly made her way into the courtyard.

              Y’Dürkie got her attention with a hand to her shoulder, pointing across the courtyard. There, some distance away, in the same area where they had been murdered all those months ago, was Barek and Joss. Another form moved behind them, constantly darting her head around as if looking for someone or something. With a start, Arwenna realized it was Mialee. Choking back tears, she started running towards the trio. Joss saw her first, alerting the others before running to meet her.

The feel of his arms around her made everything seem right somehow. She could hear Barek talking with Y’Dürkie briefly. Very reluctantly, she disengaged herself from Joss’ embrace. Taking a look at the others, she quietly said, “There’s one more thing that Y’Dürkie needs to do, but then it’s over. We can all go home.” She leaned heavily into Joss’ chest, glad for the support he was giving her.

              Barek nodded, “Good. We didn’t miss everything after all.”  He turned toward Y’Dürkie, “Well, what is it you need to get done?  I’d just as soon get it over with and get out of here.”

              “Follow me. I need to find some open ground,” Y’Dürkie led them out of the courtyard and towards the main gate.

              Arwenna tried asking Joss questions, but he told her to wait. “There are many tales to be shared, Arwenna. We all want to know what happened to each other. Let’s finish this and wait for the campfire.”  Still wobbly on her legs after her battle with Corse, Arwenna agreed and they silently followed Y’Dürkie out the main gate of Tanisal.

              Arwenna and the rest stood back at Y’Dürkie’s command. “I do not know exactly vhat this vill do,” she cautioned them, “but I need to do it.”  They watched as Y’Dürkie raised her sword high, and then plunged it deep within the parched and dead earth at her feet.

              The Gem began to glow again, spreading an ever brighter green flame down the blade of the sword. As the green fire touched the ground, it began to change. The soil became rich and brown again. The dead grass transformed into a lush, green carpet. Trees that had limbs that could no longer bear the weight of the leaves on them reached for the sun once more. An ever-increasing circle of life spread outward. As Arwenna looked around in amazement, the scream of a griffon reached her ears. A smile formed on her face. Now, indeed, all was well again.