Return of the Crown (23 page)

Zelera tossed him a dark stone encased in
pewter. “Bind this amulet to her; it will lock away her power.”

"Thanksss," he bowed low, head near the
floor.

“Go,” she screamed, “out of my sight! You are
a hideous beast.”

Zilge straightened, shooting Zelera a
venomous glance before slithering out the door.

Ravyn and Blade sat around a cheery campfire
eating fresh roasted hare and drinking tea. The wolves listened to
them sing songs from their childhood, and then Kialgyn told them
the wolves’ history. Ravyn sighed and excused herself, returning to
the crackling fire with the pages she’d copied from her mother’s
book.

A sullen pout touched her lips, “I have to
read this now. Connor ordered me to review it again. Thank you for
a wonderful evening. I feel more like my old self again.”

Kialgyn ordered two wolves to stand watch. He
then curled up beside Ravyn dozing off, his ears ever alert. Blade
retrieved his sword. He sat beside her, running a sharpening stone
down the length of the blade, creating a rhythmic grinding
sound.

The stars twinkled above, and a near full
moon rose into the sky. Ravyn delved into the papers before her,
searching for meaning in the written words.

“The book says the Light surrounds every
living thing,” she said aloud. “That means it’s around you too,
Blade.”

Blade looked up from his work. “Everyone
knows that, Rav. It’s the first thing we learn in school.” Then he
recited, “The Light surrounds every living thing. It is a part of
every species, to varying degree. It is lost if you let the
Darkness in, allowing it to block the Light from your life.”

Ravyn rolled her eyes, “Don’t you see what
that means? You have an aura too, and maybe someday you can learn
to scry, and we’ll never lose each other again.”

“When this is all over, you and Connor can
try teaching me. But, I am not gifted like you.”

“No, not like me. But the Light surrounds you
too, and that means you have at least a small trace of the gift. My
father said he had no gift. But I recall him doing small things,
like snuffing out my candle when I was awake in bed reading instead
of sleeping. I wonder,” she paused looking at Blade, focusing at
the edges of his features. She gasped, “Your aura is almost the
same color as mine, sapphire and amethyst. That’s interesting. I
wonder if wolves have auras.” She focused on Kialgyn sleeping
beside her, again staring at the edges, a thread of smoky topaz and
turquoise emerged, and she smelt warm damp earth. “Wow, they do.
I’ve never looked at things this way before, it’s so simple, I
never realized.” She ran her fingers across her lips as she closed
her eyes in thought.

Searching her memory, she pulled up the day
in the carriage when her family was heading to the ship. Her
parents sat side by side across from her. Focusing at the edges of
their faces, sparkling crimson and gold threads erupted from them
both, twining together in an intricate pattern. She gasped in
surprise and delight.

“Blade, I was just remembering my parents,
and I could see that they share the same color pattern. Both of
them are ruby and gold. Like us, they have different shades, but
their auras blend together in a delicate intricate design.”

Blade admired her sparkling eyes, bright with
excitement. “Someday you’ll have to teach me to see what you see,
Rav. I can see by the look on your face it’s something special. But
for now, aren’t you supposed to be reading? Connor said you should
study the book.”

“Killjoy,” she said in mock anger, fighting
hard to suppress her smile. “All right, back to the book, though I
think it’s a waste of my time.”

Ravyn scoured the pages for the key to
mastering the Light, but it all seemed so ambiguous. ‘The Light can
never be obliterated by the dark, only suppressed. No one can take
the Light from you, unless you allow it. If you believe in the
Light, all things are possible. Shaping the Light to form and
purpose requires strength of character and will. Limits to what can
be accomplished are placed by the practitioner himself.’ The words
blurred on the page, and Ravyn’s eyes felt gritty. The papers
skittered from her hands as she slumped against the sleeping wolf
at her side.

Finished with cleaning and sharpening his
sword, Blade retrieved a fur to cover Ravyn. Kialgyn raised his
head as Blade approached. “Let her lie where she is; she is at
peace. And,” he added, “I take comfort in her presence.”

Blade curled up beside her, covering them
both with the fur. Looking at the moon, he knew the end of their
journey neared. He sent a silent plea to the Light to surround and
protect the one he loved.

A cold nose against her cheek woke Ravyn. The
sky was soft and radiant in the predawn. “The sun is ready to start
the day,” Kialgyn growled. “We should be off. Eat, take care of
business, and wake the Blade.”

Ravyn roused Blade, and they took turns going
into the woods to freshen up. Breakfast consisted of jerky and pine
nuts that they’d gathered on their walk the previous day. They
strapped the wolves into their harnesses and then climbed into
their cozy fur seats, exhilarating in the chill air as the sled
shushed through the snowy drifts.

Soon the snow began softening, and the sled
became embedded in deep slushy snow. Frustrated by their slow
progress, Ravyn threw caution to the wind. Gathering the Light
surrounding her, she imagined a chill breeze sweeping down the
mountain. An icy blast of wind erupted in front of them. It roared
down the mountain, freezing the path with a thick crust of ice. The
sled shot off down the path, its runners grating into the ice.

“That was a nice bit of work,” Blade
congratulated Ravyn with a big grin. “We’ll be hiking in no time
and be back with Connor and Joff before you know it.”

Smiling, Ravyn dreamed of hot food and a warm
bath. “This leg of the journey is almost through,” she agreed.
Ravyn contemplated the challenges lying before her. She could climb
the wall with Blade’s help, the dragon skin should protect her from
the fire, she could use the feather to face the swirling vortex,
and she could swim a moat. She would face Zelera, and the Light
would see her to victory. She felt it in her bones. “Yes, it’s
almost over,” she cried to the wind.

The snow gave way to solid ground. The wolves
came to a halt. General Joff’s men were nowhere in sight, but
they’d made good time, reaching the snowline well before noon. “We
will walk from here, Kialgyn,” she said, unfastening the leathers
of his harness. “General Joff is sending men to meet us; we’ll meet
them on the trail.”

Kialgyn and the other wolves began snarling,
deep and angry. They bared their sharp teeth, and their fur
bristled. “Quickly, unharness us,” he barked.

Ravyn and Blade unfastened the wolves. They
sprang into a defensive circle around the sled, a low growl
rumbling from their throats.

“What is it, Kialgyn?” Blade cried.

“What comes is man, and not man. Can you not
feel the Darkness?”

The woods were silent. Opening herself up to
the woods, Ravyn nearly fell over from the stench of rot and decay.
Fear gripped her in a vise.

Monstrous forms leapt out from the trees.
Club-like hands arced through the air, flailing their axes and
swords. The creatures before them showed no resemblance to man.
They were over large. Some had scaly reptilian skin; others had
hairy bodies and sharp fangs. The only thing similar about any of
them was the Darkness that saturated them. The stench of evil
emanated from the horde causing Ravyn to shrink back. She was
paralyzed as memories of her aural trip threatened to overwhelm her
again.

The wolves attacked the invaders lightning
quick, their forms a blurring gray. Blade leapt forward sword
ringing as it left the scabbard, slicing in great arcs at the rush
of oncoming foe. The once quiet forest was drowning in snarling,
grunting, and the clanging of steel on steel.

Blade’s sword danced through his enemies. He
darted this way and that and flicked his wrist at just the right
moment dropping a hulking beast to the ground. A large axe whizzed
past Blade’s ear as he ducked avoiding its path. The wolf behind
him took the force of the blow and fell to the ground mid-leap. Red
droplets sprayed the trees. Ravyn absorbed every detail as if it
were in slow motion. She couldn’t lose them, she couldn’t lose him.
“No,” she screamed breaking through her fear. She threw her arms
wide, her eyes wild with righteous anger. Power leapt from her
fingertips throwing the monstrous forms into the hard ground as if
they were little dolls. The blast stunned the creatures, and the
wolves sprang in, viciously tearing at jugular veins. Blade’s sword
sliced through rotten flesh, ichor splashing the ground. The
creatures lay slain. Two wolves lay dead as well, the Light gone
from them forever.

Blade hobbled to Ravyn, sword trailing
through the gore on the ground.

“Blade, you’re wounded,” Ravyn cried as she
watched blood ooze down his pant leg.

“Only a scratch. A wolf knocked me out of the
way when I would’ve received a deadly blow.” He limped to the form
of a still body lying on the ground. Throwing his body over that of
the wolf, he wept. “He died saving me.”

Kialgyn nuzzled Blade. “He returns to the
Light. He died with honor protecting his kin. You and Ravyn are
part of this pack.”

The largest monster man moaned, catching
Ravyn’s attention. She cautiously edged toward the lizard-like
form.

“Please, Princess, bring me to the Light. I
do not wish to die in Darkness-s-s-s,” he hissed. He reached a
scaly hand toward her in pleading.

“I cannot give you the Light. You must find
where it is hidden inside you and accept it.”

A slow smile spread across the hideous
features, and with his last breath General Zilge whispered,
“Forgive me.” A pewter amulet fell from his fingers. Ravyn crushed
it beneath her heel.

“The blessing of the Light upon you,” Ravyn
said softly as his large golden eyes closed for the final time.

The thundering of horses hooves drew Ravyn’s
attention to the trail. Four men on horses skittered to a halt
kicking up a cloud of dirt. They eyed the wolves and the slain
monsters that littered the blood-soaked ground.

A tall blonde man with a moustache climbed
off his horse. With a bowed head, he walked to Ravyn and fell to
his knees. The other three followed his lead, lifting their eyes to
glance at her face.

Ravyn stepped back, uncomfortable with the
attention, “Get up off the ground,” she pleaded. “That’s
unnecessary. Who are you, and who sent you?”

The tall blonde stood, “I am Captain Greves.
General Joff sent us. We heard the battle; we feared we were too
late. I am so glad to find you all safe.”

Kialgyn slunk around the men sniffing them.
“He speaks the truth; he is surrounded by the Light,” growled
Kialgyn.

“Tell your wolf friends we mean you no harm.”
Captain Greves stood still, hands out before him with palms up,
head lowered.

“He knows,” Blade answered. “Let us say our
good-byes, and then you can lead us to Connor and General
Joff.”

The men stood at ease, watching in amazement
as Ravyn and Blade growled and yipped softly with the wolves.

“We come with you,” Kialgyn growled softly.
“We will stand against the Darkness with you.”

Ravyn hugged Kialgyn fiercely. “I cannot let
you do that. The battle that will be waged is for men.”

“But these are not men you fight, and our
teeth and claws kill them as well as a sword. Look around you for
the proof.”

“You have no armor to protect you, and the
pack needs you to lead. Kialgyn, please, I don’t want to lose any
of you.” Tears glimmered in her eyes.

“We will not slink back to the pack with our
tails between our legs. We will go and fight!” He howled, and the
other wolves joined in chorus. “We smell the stench of Darkness
before you humans, we can prevent ambushes.”

Ravyn sighed, “But…”

“You control your destiny, Ravyn, and I
control that of the pack,” he growled brooking no argument.

Ravyn looked to Blade who shrugged. “Very
well, but I will see to some body armor for you, something that
will help turn aside a blade or arrow. And, you need to be able to
communicate with humans. I will give you human voice since you
understand human speech.” Ravyn felt the power flowing through her,
and she twisted the light in such a delicate way, blessing the
wolves with human speech.

“I believe that worked,” Kialgyn growled.

The captain and his men stared, mouths
agape.

“Well, I guess that’s settled. We should be
off,” Ravyn turned to the stunned men.

Captain Greves shook himself. “I brought two
horses,” he said motioning for the soldiers to hand him the leads
to the two stallions. “Shall we ride? We should reach the inn
around supper time if we ride hard.”

Ravyn grabbed a bit of jerky from her pack
and popped it in her mouth. “Let me eat a bit, and we’ll go. I must
keep my energy up should Zelera have any other traps waiting.” They
watched her delve into the packs, rummaging for food.

“M’lady, I have a honey cake in my pack, if
that would please you,” Captain Greves said holding out a sticky
confection.

Ravyn’s eyes sparkled in the afternoon light.
“That would please me very much. Have you one for Blade as
well?”

Zelera stalked down the steps to the
dungeons. She had just been to her makeshift incubator. The
dragon’s egg still hadn’t hatched. Small sounds emanated from
beneath the shell. It would be soon.

She stopped in front of the harpy’s cell.
Jedro’s feathers were dull, his eyes lacked luster. Each day he
grew more gaunt. “Are you not eating my friend? I need you strong,”
she crooned, pushing his tray at him. He didn’t look up. “Eat, or I
will make you eat. Either way, I win. I always win,” she cooed.