Dusk Falling (Book 1) (22 page)

The Wulf yelped as the wires suddenly snapped about his paws, dropping him to the ground. He could hear his companion’s voices and knew they were much in the same predicament. The wires were tight and too slim to find with his teeth but Agemeer continued to struggle for he knew full well what would happen if he did not.

Aya cried out as she found her movement suddenly, and painfully, impeded. The wire had caught up around her legs and her waist, one arm strapped to her side. Serrtin fared the worse. One wire had snapped up around her neck.

Lines of blood dotting her exposed flesh, Aya twisted in the dirt as best she could until she saw the Youkai looming over Agemeer. A nasty grin lit the demonic’s lips and he drew his left hand to his chest, drawing a yelp from the Wulf.

Aya made the connection- his left hand controlled the enchanted wires holding Agemeer, his right the ones keeping Serrtin and her from moving to his aid. The Youkai planned on finishing them off one by one.

And apparently at his leisure. Xiethes was in no rush and he rather enjoyed slowly torturing his victims to death. He was seemingly concentrating on Agemeer but the moment Aya began to draw upon her energies to formulate a spell, Xiethes gave a sharp tug to the wires in his right hand, sending Serrtin and the mage sliding through the dirt.

“I advise you to not try that again.” Xiethes said, all three of his eyes cold. “My wires would have little trouble separating flesh from bone. Or would you prefer I start with you?”

He did something with his left hand then dropped the wires altogether. The Bren couldn’t tell what but Agemeer was still unable to move. Xiethes held up his other hand, examining the nearly invisible strands of silver. Hooking two fingers, he hauled in on the wires, dragging Aya across the ground. He squatted down beside her, humming. “A pretty little thing. So tell me, why are you following those Niredes Votalo simpletons? Did you not get your fair coin?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do not play coy. The Verca knew about the Bounty- they sent an entourage to make your acquaintance but you so rudely declined their offer.”

“Their offer? They
attacked
us!” Aya groused, trying to get a hand on the slippery wires.

“Yes, I suppose they did.” Xiethes commented, growing serious. “It is my job to watch the Votalo’s passage through the Gateway, you followed them through and I want to know why.”

The mage stopped her struggle. “Because what they are doing is wrong.”

“Really?” The Youkai said, straightening. He gave a small laugh. “Ah, I see. You still don’t know what’s going on do you? How very… amusing.” His red eyes narrowed and he grabbed her loose arm. “I told you, that is pointless- my eye can feel when you are trying a spell.”

An idea came to her. “Then tell me if it can feel this!” Aya snatched up a handful of dirt and threw it into his face. With a howl, Xiethes jumped to his feet clutching his hands to his eyes. The wires went slack for a moment. Just long enough for the trio to wriggle their ways free. Tossing aside the wires, they strove to their feet.

Agemeer was first, leaping at the Youkai with snapping jaws. He locked his teeth to Xiethes’ arm about the same time the Youkai cleared his streaming vision. Serrtin charged with her sword low.

A single glance from Xiethes’ third eye froze the saurian in her footsteps. He ripped loose of Agemeer’s grip, fangs leaving deep gashes along his forearm. A hastily resurrected shield kept at bay the enchanted wire from ensnaring Aya once more- reacting by pure instinct when the Youkai’s wrist flicked in her direction.

Xiethes leapt back agilely- escaping Agemeer’s second attack but he couldn’t employ his third eye without freeing the biggest threat: Serrtin.

Aya enacted a nightsight spell, getting a better look at the enemy then what the moonlight could reveal. The glowing eye in the center of his forehead, its transfixion on Serrtin and the Yarcka’s lack of movement gave clue to its powers. Making direct eye contact would cause the victim to freeze, unable to break the spell unless the possessor blank or looked away. Or was blinded.

Aya did not know who this man was or what he was after but swore he would not be stopping them. She would use force. The mage touched her fingertips to her forehead, centering her energies and her mind. Focusing all her frustration into a single spell, she cried out for Agemeer to get out of the way. The Wulf did not even pause to see why, he just acted. Xiethes having been busy keeping his limbs from coming between the teeth of the giant Wulf, his third eye holding the inert Serrtin in place, did not sense the spells gathering.

At the mage’s call, the Youkai dodged to the side in a roll- or would have if he could have.

Aya made a chopping motion her hand, letting fly a little spell her brother had nicknamed the ‘Ebon Cutter’.

Like a long slim blade composed entirely of shadow, it sliced through the air with ease, slamming into the Youkai’s right shoulder. The force of the spell knocked Xiethes into the air, leaving a trail of blood in his wake. The Ebon Cutter hit the ground with the same force, carving deep and expending itself in a loud boom like the felling of a tree.

The Youkai reacted quicker than one would have expected of one just hit with a spell of such magnitude. With crimson streaming down his bare chest, Xiethes came to his feet instantly after hitting the ground.

Serrtin was there to meet him before he could get to Aya while she recovered from the casting. He knocked away her sword with wires stretched in between his hands with surprising strength from someone with a broken collarbone.

Serrtin went for a straight jab, not putting weight behind the thrust and as expected the Youkai danced to the side. She stepped toward him with one gigantic clawed foot, attempting to slice open those nimble feet.

Xiethes bounced back out of the way, catching the Yarcka’s sword arm in silver wire. He spun, twisting the wire around her wrist.

“I’m really starting to dislike your little tricks.” Serrtin growled, leveling her flamberge down on where she assumed the wires were. Sparks flickered but the line held true and did not snap.

“Say goodbye to your arm.” Xiethes growled back.

Serrtin lunged forward, grabbing at the wire with her bare hand before the Youkai could make good his threat. Even though it bit into her flesh, she hauled the line toward her, hoping the blood on Xiethes’ hands would play into her favor.

It did.

The wire slipped and Serrtin charged. The Youkai wove in and out of her powerful attacks, using his glowing eye to predict her next move. Focused as he was he did not react fast enough to avoid the sharpened ice missiles that were suddenly streaking through the air. Serrtin had rolled out of the way, knowing her companion would surely be waiting for such an opening.

Two scored painful hits, the ice dissolving into steam upon impact.

The demonic was brought to his knees, Serrtin stood over him with her sword ready to deliver the killing stroke. His shoulders shook and it took a few breaths to realize he was laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

He chuckled. When he looked up, she was careful not to look him in the eye, any of them. “This.”

Xiethes commanded the wires he had laid while his enemies were distracted into thinking they had the upper hand. They arose, snatching at Aya’s legs and arms. With a speed that he hadn’t yet displayed to them, Xiethes was suddenly towering over the mage and she found she could not move. He raised his hand, his claws visible against the moonlight.

Agemeer leapt just as the Youkai brought down his hand, tearing streaming rivulets across the mage’s chest and arm, scraping the front of her breastplate.

From the right and the left shot even more of the silver wire, pinning the Wulf in the air. Xiethes let Aya fall in a tumble as he eyed the Bren’s companions over his shoulder.

Serrtin cried out as the girl fell. “You bastard!” With a feral snarl, the Yarcka tried to get to the Youkai, the killing flame in her eyes, but was stopped short by the invisible barrier of wire holding Agemeer stiff four feet above the soil.

Xiethes ran a palm down his arm, sluicing off the running blood and flicking it away with his wrist. His grin was malicious. “If I hadn’t been busy laying this trap, you would have all been dead by now- sliced into pieces. It’s amazing to think you managed to subdue that traitorous little rat… After how many Verca were sent to bring him back.”

“Bastard!” Serrtin said, “You work for them, those Verca?!”

“As long as it suits me, yes. I was hoping they would eventually send me to take care of the half-breed myself but instead they got me tracking the Niredes Votalo’s movements.” Xiethes sounded bitter. “Completely unsuited to someone of my superior talents. You could say I was quite excited to hear of some enticing victims crossing through the Gateway trailing my enemies. At first, I merely thought it was that Votalo walking-corpse making play as a Verca assassin… We’ve known about him for quite some time. It’s a double-edged sword they play with.”

“As do you.”

“Wha-?!” Xiethes turned.

Crimson flame blazed in his third eye. A very much conscious Aya, sat where she fell. Blood stained her armor and her skin. She was looking at her hands. The spell that had always given her trouble, finding a way to thwart her control, bloomed in her hands. Fire spread down her palms and fingers, tingling but not burning. It danced and sang to her senses.

But it spat and snarled to Xiethes’. His third eye winced from its energies.

A simple gesture brought the spell to full power to throw its brunt against him. Aya separated the fingertips of her upturned hands and brought them out to her sides. The ease and languor of the gesture was deceptive and it
took all her concentration to keep the spell together. At its apex the fire began to burn fiercely, lighting up the entire clearing as it streaked toward her target. At her bidding, the spell caught Xiethes hard in the stomach.

The Youkai was knocked back and tumbled ungracefully, a tree breaking his momentum. The flames flickered and died. Scalded, bruised and shaken, lacerated in multiple places, Xiethes knew when he was finished. He had overestimated his win. Dragging himself to a knee, blood drawing lines down his chin, he made his last threat. “This isn’t over.”

Aya got to her feet, not yet feeling the pain of her own wounds while her flare spell still ran through her veins.

Xiethes gave a small laugh, pulling himself up by the tree. “Seems you’ll be having company soon enough. I’ll leave you to them.” With as much pride as he could muster, the Youkai paced slowly away, clutching his wounds.

“Oh no you don’t. You’re not… getting away…” Aya made to make good on her words but suddenly drew up with a hissed intake of breath. Her legs faltered and her right arm froze up as pain shot down through her limbs’ nerves. When she opened her eyes again, the demonic was gone.

The silver wires began to disengage, slipping down from their posts and releasing Agemeer. It snaked away like a living thing to follow its master.

“Aya, are you alright?” Serrtin asked worriedly, kneeling beside the mage.

“I feel… hot.” The girl said. She wanted to add tired as well but couldn’t get her mouth to form the words. Brow slick, eyes not wanting to focus, it was the worse time to hear company coming and then come to terms with what Xiethes had said before his retreat.

Agemeer growled, standing guard between the sounds of impending trouble and his friends. “Who could it be? The demonic’s comrades or something else entirely?”

“Whoever it is, they are gonna be sorry they came across us.” The saurian said, not at all liking the feverish glaze to Aya’s dark eyes. Her ears could hear them steadily- and quickly- getting closer; Xiethes had been telling the truth. Serrtin cursed vehemently.

“Aya dear, can you stand? We must flee. We are in no conditi-”

“Too late.” Serrtin said, eyes narrowing as she saw flitting shades moving in between the trees. The Yarcka was starting to feel her numerous wounds but her strength had not yet abandoned her. Her companions however
were much worse for wear. Agemeer’s legs were lacerated in multiple places, coloring his paws in red. But he was standing. Aya was not. She did not even have the strength to try.

There was a collective call of shouts and within moments, they were surrounded. The men- and two women- wore expressions of anger and resentment. “You! What are you doing here? This land belongs to Gevra-Deln.”

“Land…?” Serrtin breathed out. “This is about land?” She tried to wrestle down her rising temper. Sure, they got rid of Xiethes with their unannounced arrival but to accost strangers over land rights?

The speaker looked at Serrtin with a down-turned mouth, critical of the team’s haggard appearance. The fact they were sorely battered did not buy them sympathy.

“Do you hail from Mag’har?” The woman beside the first speaker spat out the name of the province like it was a foul taste in her mouth. She scowled deeply, the look giving her handsome face a severe unpleasantness. A leather-tied patch covered one of her eyes.

Serrtin did not want to dance around subjects, mincing words with these types. The feuds of Western Demaria were well known, the provinces had always despised their neighbors over one thing or another. The borders were zealously guarded against expansion; many a war had started over a few lengths of soil. “We are travelers, nothing more. We have no affinity to any land.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“I do not see a sign that says travelers can’t walk these woods and I see no reason to tell you why we are here either.”

“They may be Mag’har spies.” Whispered a bearded man in his late fifties, brandishing his walking stick like it was an awl-pike.

Serrtin wanted to scream in frustration but instead she planted her flamberge in the ground before her and tried to do things ‘Aya and Agemeer’s way’ by not cutting the closest guys head off. She did not have the patience for it but she gritted her teeth and said, “We are no spies. If you have no business with us, we are in somewhat of a hurry…”

“You will stand there all night and into the next if we tell you to, Yarcka!”