Fifthwind (57 page)

Ben
held her tight and willed himself out of the Witherscape. The weight
he carried tore at his mind and made the Shift difficult. In the
distance, he saw shadows crawling over the ground as the beasts of
the Fahd Realm were drawn to the dying energy of Kyla. The Lurkers
would find her and feast on her spirit. He pushed forward. Fighting
with every bit of focus he could manage. Then he opened his eyes.

Kyla
was in his arms, still and unbreathing. Her face was porcelain and
her hair was a chalky white. Ben pulled her into his chest and held
her tight. Then, in a spasm, she gasped for breath and gripped at
Ben's back, throwing her face toward the sky like pushing through a
watery surface and into life-giving air. Color returned to her cheeks
and she opened her eyes to reveal a familiar and beautiful green hue.
She pushed away from Ben with weak arms and managed a tiny smile.

Ben
reached out to caress her face, but an explosion of pain shot through
the back of his head and he was thrown forward into the snow. He
rolled over in time to see Phaetalis standing over Kyla.

"That
was clever," Phaetalis grinned. "It took me longer than I thought
to get out of that damned cavern."

"It's
over Phaetalis!" Ben said, getting to his feet. "Vincent is
dead!"

"Over?"
Phaetalis sneered. He turned his attention to Kyla and swiftly met
her with an unexpected backhanded slap. "I see you chose a
different path than my sweet Aurelia. Do you have any idea what
you've done? You have condemned the world to the enslavement of The
Core. I never intended to let that fool live. Vincent was but one of
many and you've left the source of their power intact. You've doomed
everyone!"

Ben
shot a defiant finger at Phaetalis. "The Fahd will face them!"

"The
Fahd are pathetic! Only Aurelia could have ended this! Only we had
the ability to save you! And you have destroyed the only hope of her
return!"

"You're
insane!"

Phaetalis
stepped away from Kyla, to Aurelia's side and reached out to her
cold, stony hand.

"You
don't deserve to be together!" Kyla cried, raising a stiff finger.
She squeezed her eyes shut and again drew energy to her. It was not
much, but Ben knew what she intended to do.

Ben
lurched forward, "Kyla, don't!"

But
it was too late, Kyla opened her hand and the statue shattered into
hundreds of pieces in the snow. After centuries in a cold sleep,
Aurelia was now dead.

Phaetalis
cried out and scrambled through the snow in an effort to gather the
pieces. He began to sob uncontrollably, holding a fragment of the
girl's hand in his own. The broken man fell to his knees and slowly
began to fade. Within seconds he was gone and only the echo of his
cries remained.

Ben
rushed to Kyla and knelt beside her.

"What
happened to him?" Kyla asked.

Ben
sighed, "I guess he returned to the only world he has known for so
long. I think he surrendered himself to the Witherscape."

Kyla
turned to the pulverized body of Vincent that lay crumpled in the
snow. "Father—"

Ben
pulled her to him and held her tight. "He wasn't your father... he
never loved you."

She
started to shiver and then her tears flowed freely. Ben held her
tight and the two knelt together in the snow. Kyla's world was
forever changed. Everyone she had ever trusted had betrayed her and
now she was truly alone.

"It's
over," Ben whispered into her ear. "We've won. The Core is
defeated and the Fifthwind is intact. The world will have a chance to
heal itself after all."

Kyla
shook her head. "The Magus Core is still out there. They are
powerful and many. I may have just handed everything to them."

"The
Fahd might have something to say about that."

Kyla
slowly got to her feet and looked out at the destruction she had
caused. "I don't understand, I shouldn't have survived."

Ben
considered the event. "You would have been lost between worlds,
sealed in the Witherscape for all eternity."

Kyla
put her head on Ben's shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. "But,
the most powerful Fahd of all was there to pull me out before I was
lost. You told me you wouldn't let me down, and you didn't."

Ben
held her tight and the snowfall slowed, leaving tiny crystals
suspended in the air reflecting the morning sunlight like diamond
dust scattered on the wind. A calm breeze sighed relief around their
embrace and somewhere nearby a winter finch sang its approval.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

The
remaining Murg, that had survived the blast, turned away and moved
deeper into the forest. They did not flee, but rather seemed to lose
interest, indifferent to the conflict they had been forced to partake
in. With Vincent and Phaetalis gone, their enslavement was over and
they eased back into the forest from which they had come. They were
merely the Grayfolk once more.

The
snow was still falling when Ben and Kyla came out of the north grove
and looked upon the burnt out remains of the tower of the Two
Sisters. Bodies littered the snow-covered fields, both Murg and
human. Ben's thoughts turned to his friends, and what he knew he
would find as they moved deeper into the heart of Kishell Springs.

Kyla
held back her tears and walked stiffly at Ben's side, keeping her
eyes away from the horrors as much as she could. The town was silent
except for the occasional crow that scavenged on the fallen. For her,
this was no homecoming; she no longer had a place in this world.
Everyone she had loved and trusted had betrayed her and was now gone.

Building
after building smoldered in ruin as they made their way toward town
center. Bodies lined the streets and the snow was streaked with the
blood of beast and man. Ben looked upon the face of each fallen
soldier, seeking out those he had known. He kept silent as he
continued his mournful search.

It
was mid-afternoon, but the sky was overcast. The snow had stopped
falling and the air was still. The only sounds were the crackling of
fires. Kishell Springs had fallen, along with everyone in it. Ben and
Kyla walked the path of the dead.

They
soon reached town center, and came upon a survivor. A scrawny soldier
limping badly and clutching a deep wound on his thigh. He perked up
and tried his best to stand straight when he saw Ben. "Sir, the
enemy has retreated! We're saved."

Ben
wrapped his arm around the soldier and steadied him. "Are there any
others?"

"I
saw a handful of men head into The Pig. Captain Belfrey was one of
them. There aren't many, but I am not the only one."

Kyla
wrapped her arm around his waist and helped lift him straight. "Let's
get you inside and these wounds tended to."

As
they approached the Masked Pig, Megan ran out and met them in the
snow. "Oh, you poor man, hurry and get him inside."

Ben
looked at the hardened young woman who only a few months before had
led an easy life. She too, had lost everyone she had held dear. First
her family, and now Mason. Ben looked into the brave eyes of the
young woman and tried to keep his voice steady and stouthearted. "I
haven't found him yet... I'm so sorry."

Megan
looked up at Ben with moisture building in her eyes. She moved to him
and wrapped her arms around him. Slowly she pushed him away and
smiled. "He's alive, Ben. He's inside and he's very worried about
you."

"Alive!"
Ben staggered, but couldn't find anymore words and reached out to
Kyla to steady himself.

Megan
nodded. "He's hurt, but he'll live. He and Gordo both."

"How?"

"
They
came
, Ben," Megan said as her eyes grew wide with wonder. "The
Fahd came. A man named Karthos and another named Madros. There was
Malbucon and Ektos and others. They came and fought the Murg and kept
the last of our men alive until the beasts fled back into the
forest."

"Where
are they now?"

"Gone.
They didn't even stay to hear our thanks."

Kyla
said, "How many men made it back?"

"So
far, only a dozen or so, but we sent out a team just minutes ago to
find and bring back the wounded." She looked out sadly at the
bodies in the plaza. "We're—"
she stuttered, stifling tears, "We're hopeful."

Another
week passed and other than the occasional sighting of Murg moving
through the forest, no more attacks came. Only a few dozen
inhabitants of Kishell Springs had survived the ordeal, but clean up
and rebuilding began as soon as there were able bodies fit for the
task. The remote town would welcome the endless wave of merchants and
caravans as soon as the snows melted, no different than any other
year. The event would reside in memories and in the stories told over
drinks in the timeless taverns.

Ben
considered his good fortune. Kyla sat at his right, Mason and Megan
across the table, while Gordo argued with Jimmy about the finer
details of the battle. On one side of the table, two chairs remained
empty. The absence of Vincent and William was noticed but not missed;
no one spoke much of them in the presence of Kyla who was still very
shaken from the realization that the man she had loved as a father
had turned out to be an impostor who intended to sacrifice her for
personal gain.

"Good
times, with good friends," Mason toasted, lifting a mug.

Everyone
echoed the toast and drank, but Ben quietly placed his drink on the
table and let his thoughts wander to those who were gone. He had been
through so much in the last several months, and had grown beyond the
person he once was. Cobalius had shown him much and had awakened him
to a greater calling. In the back of his mind stirred the choice he
still had to make.

Fahd.

Ben
changed the subject. "It was fortunate that Phaetalis followed
behind me when he did and the arrival of the Fahd could not have been
better timed."

Gordo
said, "That's the truth. We were losing numbers fast, but once
Babbitt- I mean,
Phaetalis left, and Fahd Karthos and his men arrived, most of the
Murg lost interest in us. They were afraid of those boys. Plus, I
don't think it is in their nature to fight when there's no whip at
their backs, given the opportunity they seemed more interested in
leaving us alone."

Jimmy
leaned in, "What I don't understand is why Babbitt wanted to hurt
us?"

Kyla
said, "William Babbitt, Fahd Phaetalis, and the Man in Gray were
all the same person. We can't know for sure when William gave himself
over to Phaetalis, but it's clear he was never on our side. His foul
plotting goes back as far as my childhood."

Ben
said, "He and his associates had been waiting and planning for a
lifetime. It's all they lived for. Kyla was caught up in events she
knew nothing about until it was too late."

Jimmy
frowned, "So he and Kyla's father were the magic casters you
mentioned? The Core?"

"Vincent
Woodlock," said Kyla with a stiff lip, "was
not
my father!
He was crazy... and..."

Ben
saw the emotions building in Kyla's eyes and interrupted, "There
will be time to talk about this later."

"It's
alright. They all need to know this," Kyla said and promptly
continued. "It seems that Vincent was the Magi of The Core that
Cobalius sought. He and William devised a plan decades ago to try and
duplicate the spell that would give them direct access to the full
might of the Fifthwind. He learned about it from his books about the
Scourge of Stonewall."

"But,"
Ben continued, "they soon realized that there were only two who
were powerful enough to perform such a feat: Fahd Phaetalis and
Aurelia."

Kyla
nodded. "So William offered his body to the roaming spirit of
Phaetalis, and Vincent intended to offer me to Aurelia. In return for
giving them their lives back, he expected them to complete the ritual
they had started centuries ago, but this time with himself as the
benefactor."

Gordo
leaned in and voiced a concern. "What's going to stop the next
greedy bastard from trying the same thing?"

Kyla
said, "Woodlock is dead and the knowledge of that spell died with
him. There are other members of The Core out there somewhere, but the
only person capable of weaving that particular spell has been reduced
to rubble."

Ben
saw the pain in her eyes and rested his hand on hers. "The Core is
alive and well and operating in many areas throughout the Kingdom,
the Eastern Realm, and even Tania. Fortunately, the Fahd are also
numerous and strong. We will seek them out."

Mason
drummed his fingers on the table. "We?"

All
eyes turned to Ben. He had not really taken the time to consider what
his next move would be. He was still obligated to the Fahd; that
burden had not been invalidated. The Fifthwind still flowed and his
skills were stronger than ever. The Covenant was clear and he still
had a choice to make.

Mason
reached under his vest, pulled out a small trinket, and placed it on
the table in front of Ben. "This seemed important to you, so I went
back and looked for it."

Mason
moved his hand to reveal a small rose pendant on a broken gold chain.

Ben
looked at the small charm and then up at Mason. The big man had a
kind heart and never failed to show it in the most caring ways. Ben
reached out and picked up the pendant. "Thank you, Mason. You have
no idea how much this means to me."

Gordo
winced as he rubbed at a stained bandage across his ribs. "As soon
as I'm able, I'm rejoining the fight. Captain Belfrey needs a new
Sergeant, and they say there's more fighting going on to the south."

Mason
sighed, "I think my fighting days are over." He reached for
Megan's hand and offered a timid smile. "It's the innkeeper's life
for me from now on."