Nightfall (Book 1) (22 page)

“Wait,” I said, since the discussion was again becoming dangerously heated. No one heard me, so I repeated myself, that time with my voice amplified by magic. “I will never swear my life over to the will of another.” That seemed to enrage a few of the Council members and I continued, “But,” I had to almost yell the word at the top of my lungs to be heard over the noises made by the crowd. “I will swear this to you, on pain of death and eternal torment: I would never fall to the bidding or ways of Zigor; my life I swear to his destruction, as long as I live I will see his downfall—never to return again.”

Silence fell over the Council like a chill blanket, their faces thoughtful, and then Basajaun stood again, a solemn look on his face as he stepped closer to me. “Do you know what you have just done?” he asked. I nodded.

“The magic in me will enforce this commitment I have just made. I am fully aware of that.”

“And you do not think you are powerful enough to evade this?” the elf Lord asked.

“No. I know what I have sworn to and I know that it is impossible to be released from it. I
understand.” Basajaun nodded his head, accepting that I really did know what I had just committed to, though I detected a hint of sadness in his look.

“This meeting is over,” the elf Lord said, almost a whisper, but loud enough for the silenced group to hear him clearly. He walked off in the dim light and the rest of the Council followed him in silence, each member made his or her own way to wherever they deigned to go at that moment. I stood there in silence and watched the various representatives of the many species as they left. A few of them looked back at me, a few still bore the curious looks they had harbored at the beginning, some with added disappointment, while none let through any true signs of approval. Alazne smiled sadly before she quickly disappeared into the forest, most likely returning to Caernadvall. I waited until all of the others had left, and stood in silence for a moment before
I, too, left the Circle of the Council.

The dim light of early morning sparkled on the slim patterns of frozen dew, laced across the surrounding foliage. I blew out a deep breath of air and watched it steam in front of me, clouding the air for a moment before it disappeared—subdued to the same temperature as the surrounding air. I could not feel the cold much, but my human companions stood shivering next to me under their thick, fur coats. Izar turned to me and I pulled her into a tight hug. “Do not have too much fun scouting without me.”

She laughed and shoved me away. “This is the first time since finding you that I get a break from you. I deserve it.” She chuckled and added, “I will miss you, brother.”

“And I, you.
I will see you again soon, little sister,” I teased. Izar scowled, but let pass a smile before she turned to Alaia who stood behind her, ready to be leaving.

Silence fell until the two scouts had disappeared from sight and hearing, and then Mattin stepped forward to stand at my side. “Now they just need to send you off on a scouting trip,” he said glumly.

I smiled. “You like Izar.” He scowled at me and I chuckled, letting the subject drop.

Sensing the approach of another person, I turned to see Basajaun headed purposefully in our direction. I gave the elf Lord a questioning look, seeing that there was some pressing matter at the fore of his thoughts.

“The Council just met,” he began and I started a list in my mind of all the duties they might request. “Our General, whom you have met but was not introduced to you as such, requested that you be sent on a scouting trip.” That did not sound too bad, but I could not help but turn to Mattin with a look of, oh, innocent amusement, on my face. Mattin was not looking, but he did grunt, which proved that he had heard.

Basajaun raised a questioning look and I shook my head, letting him know that it was nothing of concern, and he continued with the news he had to relay. “It was suggested that Arrats and Eskarne be asked to accompany you.” I nodded. It would be slow-going for me, but including our human allies early on would be helpful to any diplomacy that might take place in the future; and, as always, they would be good company. “Someone else has been asked to inform you further on your assignment, but I will tell you this: you are expected to leave two days from now.” I nodded, glad that I would be leaving soon; it was excruciating to know of a future task already assigned and having to wait ages before actually going through with it.

“You cannot tell me where we are going?” I asked. Basajaun shook his head and then excused himself from my presence. Mattin took the opportunity to gripe about his bad luck—which made me chuckle—as the two of us headed toward the lake at the far edge of Baso Argi. My three friends from Caernadvall joined us as we left the small clearing. I guessed that had been the largest, and most abnormal, farewell party for a couple of scouts, since such things were supposed to be kept secret.

“Where are you boys headed?” Eskarne asked.

“Swimming,” I replied. “The three of you can come along if you would like.”

“And be assured a death by freezing? I think not,” Ekaitz declared.

“Agreed,” Arrats said.

“Yes. I hear a warm fire and a pile of blankets calling my name,” Eskarne murmured dreamily. We all chuckled at that and then chattered aimlessly until we reached the village, where the humans departed,
headed for a warmer place. We spent as much time as possible at the lake before going to the Fields, where I had an appointment with Argiñe and her battle staves, which she had deigned to teach me the proper use of.

~ ~ ~

That evening, Alesander crossed my path while I was getting my backside metaphorically kicked by Bakar, who still was the master of the battle staves—though I could easily have beaten her if I had used spells against her (to say nothing of my greater strength and agility; she was teaching me the skillful and proper use of the weapon, not simply how to beat someone to death with it). The elf informed me of a large company of Zigor’s army which our spies had seen, gathered without the Wall, near his West Castle. On a map that he drew midair, shielded by our, and Bakar’s, bodies he showed me the most appropriate route, and gave warnings or speculations concerning a few points along the way. Alesander gave me some friendly advice concerning the job and suggested that we duel sometime upon my return—just then, he had no time to stay.

~ ~ ~

The weather was cool again, as my friends and I were bid farewell, though it seemed that summer had come in comparison to the previous few days. Other than the Council, Ekaitz and Mattin were the only ones aware of our departure, and they likely would have found a way to see us off, even if they had been gagged and tied the night before. Ekaitz also was there to try and gain a place amongst the party; Koldobika had warned him against going, having said that things would fall ill if he accompanied us. Though Ekaitz trusted—and was at ease with—my people, he did not relish the idea of being left behind.

“I truly am sorry that you cannot join us,” I said to Ekaitz, as I wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He tried to put on a good show of not being completely disheartened, but I knew him better than to think that he had entirely given up on joining us. “We shall go exploring when I return,” I decided, “and give the Council a terrible fright when they cannot find me in the haven.” I flashed an impish grin, and then we departed, and kept to a quick pace that my companions could maintain with ease.

That first night we spent in a tree and I had to set magic barriers to prevent my friends from falling to their deaths. It was not until the second night that we came to the elven guard-post, and there the three of us got a good, long sleep with no worries regarding the solid floor giving way and dropping us on the ground, a hundred or more feet below.

~ ~ ~

The third day, I was startled to hear an outcry, from not far behind us. We all recognized the sound and ran to find Ekaitz. I was almost happy to see that it was hobgoblins parading around my friend—I could not think of a more fortunate alternative. I cast a quick spell and the creatures all fell to the ground, unconscious. I was crouched behind a leafy bush, so before I made my presence known, Ekaitz looked around, wary of what had neutralized his attackers. When I stepped out of hiding he was startled, but ready to stand and put up a fight.

Naturally, after making sure my friend was safe, I had to rebuke him for disobeying the command of the Council to stay behind, and for disregarding the warning of Koldobika that he would die if he were to
follow me. After I had reprimanded him, though, I was not about to send him back on his own so, of course, I let him come. I really was glad to have Ekaitz along and I did not doubt that I could keep my friends safe from whatever might befall us. It was good to have the four of us together on another adventure.

~ ~ ~

I hissed at my companions to be silent for at least the millionth time—in the past minute—and the three of them froze. Though they were masters of stealth, for humans, they were still louder than I, and I could hear them better than anyone within miles. In my mind's eye I could see Eskarne rolling her eyes, as she likely was, but I was too intent on the quarry to check. My gaze was directed on the commander’s tent, and a couple other of my senses on the conversation that was going on inside. I again wondered why on earth the commander had decided to place his tent at the edge of his camp, as far from relative safety as any of the men could get, within their boundaries.

I heard a twig snap behind me and was about to hiss at my friends to be quiet yet again, when I noticed the presence of an unexpected being in our immediate vicinity. I spun around to see a Guard, shocked to find three humans and an elf eavesdropping on his commander’s tent. The man worked his jaw, not knowing how to react to the situation, though he was entirely capable of yelling an alarm and was, I am sure, no stranger to murder.

Eskarne was the closest to the man, so she quickly had his head lopped off his shoulders, the thud of which was quickly followed by his body hitting the ground. I tensed at the sound, expecting to hear an outburst of noise as our presence was noticed. An alarm was sounded, as five men hurriedly exited the tent, their swords raised in front of them, and headed in our direction. We were easily spotted, so I gave up hiding and yelled at the others to run. I stayed in the back to make sure none of us were picked off from the rear. I gave no heed to the sentries that guarded the outmost flanks of the army, because the sleeping spells I had placed on them as we had passed through were strong enough to keep them unconscious for a while longer. We were ambushed, though, as we passed where the nearest sentry had been.

Eskarne, who was still in the lead, was ready to defend herself when she ran straight into the cluster of Guards. I hit the group at the same time as the other two boys, and we hacked away at them. “We are out,” Ekaitz yelled, so the four of us raced on again. I did not realize that one of our
number was missing, until we were just within the borderline of the trees. I yelled out a halt and pointed out that Ekaitz was not with us. I turned to run back, but as I re-entered the clearing I thudded to the ground under the unexpected weight of Eskarne, quickly followed by Arrats. “Get off me,” I yelled, just short of heaving them angrily from my back.

“No, stop,” Eskarne hissed at me.

“What are you talking about? I do not have time for this—they are going to kill Ekaitz,” I yelled back at her. I stood with the two of them still hanging onto my back and saw Ekaitz at the other end of the clearing, held back by a couple of Guards, a third holding a blade to his throat.

“Leave,” I could just hear the boy’s plea, before he was savagely kicked in the stomach. He bowled over, his head and neck followed his body forward, toward the knife held steadily before him; toward the knife that did not move even as his weight forced it to pierce his throat.

I roared in outrage, but just before I could race back across the field, Eskarne slapped me across the face. “Do not go back; they will only kill you, as angry as you are right now.”

“No, I can kill them,” I yelled.

“See, you cannot even think straight. You cannot do this; you cannot let Zigor get away with killing both you and Ekaitz this easily.” She had to slap me again before I really gave any of what she had said much thought, and I realized she was right. I was not thinking straight, as angry as I was, and in that state I did not stand a chance against all of the Guards who were gathered at the far end of the clearing, soon to head our way. Behind them was the gathered mass of a section of Zigor’s army—far too many men for me to kill near single-handedly.

I growled in frustration and turned to my friends, a plan of escape formulating in my mind. “Just go with your instincts—this should not be too hard,” I informed them, as I wove a spell, and dragonwings began to sprout from their backs. Arrats was the first to get his wings working correctly, and soon after he was soaring into the sky. I waited until Eskarne had her wings under control as well, before telling them to get to Baso Argi as soon as they could, and to not worry about me. I had to promise Eskarne that I was not going back for vengeance, and then the two of them finally left.

As soon as they were gone, I took off on foot at the greatest pace I could—just in time, for a volley of arrows thundered into the ground and trees, in the vicinity of where I had been standing. At the speed I was going I did not have time to duck branches, so I had to leap over them, then I would push off of the ones large enough to sustain my weight, to give me extra momentum over the many leagues I still had to go to get all the way back to Baso Argi. At times I felt almost as if I were flying, since I spent the majority of the time off the ground, speeding through the air, launched from branches at breakneck pace. A couple of times I did crush trees about my own height, because I had been unable to avoid them in my reckless flight. The constant need to be on the lookout for things I was quickly approaching gave my mind no time to wander and I kept up the pace all through the night, not bothering to stop and eat, or even to sleep.

Eventually, the avoidance of dangerous objects became a bit of a routine and I was able to ponder the tragedy that had just taken place. Ekaitz must have realized he would not escape, when he yelled for us to leave. He would have done such a thing, I knew
, if he saw the situation as unconquerable. He often gave no thought to the dangers he might face, if it meant saving someone else. But after all those years, how could he be dead? It was unthinkable. He had so sincerely wished to see more of the wonders of the world he had only heard about in tales, but now he was gone; he had given up all of his dreams in order to save me and our two good friends. If I ever again found the Guards that had murdered him I would make them pay. Even if I could not find them, there was nothing that could possibly keep me from bringing retribution upon Zigor. In my hate-filled daze I would have been all too glad to rip his beating heart straight from his chest.

The trees and other barely recognized objects flew past me in a thoughtless blur of shadowy colors and—with the lack of attention I was paying to any real details—I was already upon the haven before I realized it. A person appeared, immediately in my path, and I had come upon them too quickly for them to react, so I stopped much quicker than was wise, even if I had had a good-sized clearing in which to do it.