Eight 4

The winds whipped at our cloaks, while all around us the forest shook. The night was pitch black, and the expedition contracted around our lanterns and Anya’s Light spell. We had too far to travel to depend on Night Eyes, but Snow’s vision was thankfully excellent in the dark. She meticulously scouted the path ahead, leaving it to me to watch our back trail.

We moved as quickly as Anya and Weni could safely manage. Then, as we came closer and closer to midnight, we left safety behind to rush through the dark night, at the cost of two Healing Water spells to fix a sprained ankle and a palm speared by a thin, sturdy branch—two separate falls, both Anya’s. Her beak clacked shut each time to keep from crying out.

The young woman’s eyes were panicked as she ran alongside us, but she kept it together. Neither of our clients complained as we pushed them. The spirits of the forest were similarly anxious, yet they too could do nothing but bear it—the trees rooting down as if they were old warriors preparing for a siege.

Midnight came and went. The weather forecast told the story of Sugrusu Hakei being absolutely pummeled by the hurricane. The storm didn’t linger, but its size meant the port city wouldn’t go unscathed. Hopefully, their sea walls would hold.

At around two in the morning, it began to spit where we were—not anything steady, more like the weather clearing its throat in preparation for what was to come. Snow’s sensitive ears picked up on the rumble of thunder ahead. There’d been no sign of the lightning, though.

I eased into the sky, and the situation was changing rapidly, but I didn’t sense anything like a thunderstorm nearby. In fact, we were approaching an area where I couldn’t get a read on the weather at all, like my senses were hitting a wall. Using my authority didn’t seem to affect it either.

A handful of minutes later, still trying to puzzle out the situation, I heard the echoes of thunder myself. Yet, the sky was still clear of lightning.

Yuki kept the team appraised, but it was Ikfael who signed, “We’re approaching the city.”

That slowed us to a stop—giving both Anya and Weni an opportunity to catch their breaths. Haol climbed the tree they leaned against, while the rest of us gathered. Our lights pooled around the trunk, a tiny oasis in the otherwise dark forest.

“You’re certain?” Mumu asked.

“Yes,” Ikfael replied.

I looked a question at the otter, but she shook her head in response.

Mumu tapped me on the shoulder. “How are your wells?”

“Body power is nearly full,” I said, “while mana is at ninety percent and qi is abundant.”

She nodded and said, “Join Haol above and use your Night Eyes.”

The tree was a bilkelet with good, sturdy branches high up. The bark was nicely furred too, so I didn’t have any issues gripping and climbing to where Haol perched. He was gazing to the south… at a flicker of light… no, multiple lights.

Yuki rolled the spells through me—Night Eyes, Hawk’s Eye, Owl’s Ears—and my enhanced senses confirmed the flashes weren’t lightning. They were gouts of flame and showers of sparks. I caught sight of a rock falling from the sky, and the thunder rolled again. The sound had been the sound of it smashing into a wall, stone against stone.

Based on what I’d seen of our maps, that would be Fort Olana. Right, the other expeditions would’ve arrived well ahead of us, I thought. They’d already started hunting Asiik the Army of Sorrow.

###

Fort Olana was up on a mountainside overlooking Old Baxteiyel, so we still had a ways to go—likely another hour and a half. We should have enough time before the hurricane hit the area. Before we got any closer, though, Anya doused her Light spell, and we hooded our lanterns.

Normally, I’d be able to identify dangers ahead of us due to disturbances among the forest’s spirits, but with the weather the way it was and the scale of the fighting ahead, there wasn’t a single restful spirit to be seen. So, Mumu took point, trusting in Snow’s night vision and her own Wild Sense to steer us through any potential trouble.

It was a good thing too. We’d been hiking for about twenty minutes, aiming for a rocky ridge that looked like it’d give us a decent view of the battle, when Mumu sent an alert. ‘Movement below us. More than one creature… a handful.’

‘Nothing I can see,’ Haol sent.

Same here, I thought. It’s all a jumbled mess.

Snow’s location shifted as she Blinked from tree to tree until… ‘Found undead,’ she sent, her distaste evident through the connection.

‘Three of them converging on the expedition,’ Yuki confirmed. ‘We see skulls and rusted weapons…’

Skeletons? I asked. Really?

To which Mumu followed with, ‘What levels?’

Snow repositioned to let Yuki get a better look. The uekisheile said, ‘Skeletons, yes, but none appear strong enough to be dusk. They are wearing animal hides to cover their torsos—patchwork at best yet good enough to hide their cores.’

The undead often retained some abilities from before they’d died. Unfortunately, that sometimes included their cunning. I’d never heard of them fashioning armor before, though. From the frowns I spotted on my teammates, neither had they.

“So this is Old Baxteiyel,” Haol whispered.

“Would someone like to tell us what’s happening?” Weni asked. “You all are looking at the forest like it killed your favorite goat.”

Tegen nodded. “Apologies, our team’s abilities have found undead coming toward us—”

“They’re outside the city?” Anya asked, interrupting.

“Yes,” he replied. “Three—”

‘Five,’ Yuki said, updating the number of enemies. ‘No, seven. They seem to be converging from different directions.’

But they’re all headed our way? I asked.

‘Yes,’ Yuki replied.

I repeated the information for the sisters’ sake, crediting my spirit eyes for the information.

“For them to leave the city’s boundaries, that’s rare according to the records,” Anya said.

“Maybe the storm has them riled up?” I offered.

“Or they know the city is under attack.” Mumu said.

“This is the Amleila theory we discussed in Albei, right?” I asked. “She’s supposed to be the necromancer trapped in the pyramid.”

“That is how the story goes,” Anya said.

Haol pointed to a rocky outcropping about thirty saqilm up the mountain. “We can shoot from there.”

“I’ll take the bait position,” Tegen said, volunteering.

“That’s because only the undead would chase after you,” Haol joked.

“Please, save your humor until the day it becomes funny,” Tegen snarked back.

Snickering, I escorted the sisters up to the outcropping. A scan showed nothing nearby. A few moments later, Haol arrived and then left again to lope up and around the area to make sure.

“Where do you want to start from?” I asked Ikfael.

The otter responded by diving from the top of my pack into the stone below. There looked to be enough material present to make a lot of javelins. Seven pre-dusk undead should be easy prey…

* Alert * Alert * Alert *

Warning: Extreme Weather Event Immanent

A hurricane is rapidly approaching the region of Albeityel. Best estimates are that it will arrive in the next two to three hours. Expect winds of up to 107 eisqilm per hour, along with heavy rainfall and flooding.

Mumu had come up beside me while I was reading the alert. “How close is it?”

“About twelfth of a day,” I replied, “but we should assume there’ll be bad weather in advance of the main storm’s arrival.”

“Then we shouldn’t delay,” Mumu replied. “We’re far enough away from the fighting at Fort Olana that a Thousand Arrows shouldn’t draw Asiik’s attention. Only the one though. Afterward, we conserve our energies.”

“Even me?” I asked.

Mumu shook her head. “Use your qi at will, but save your body power. No lightning—it’s too conspicuous.”

“Okay, okay,” I signed, then got myself into a good shooting position, thinking that maybe there’d be an opportunity to make the lightning dance later.

Nearby, Haol was already set, his bow in hand and ready to draw. Down below, our lanterns had been placed around where Tegen planned to hold the enemies. The older hunter swung his arms to get ready. Given their natural instincts, they’d head toward me first, but he planned to distract them.

My own body felt spent, but I knew I could keep going. The Long Darks had a way of teaching you the depth of your reserves. Even “soft” Anya was able to focus on Mumu’s instructions, drooped shoulders and all.

“I see them,” Haol said.

To me, the forest looked the same, but I trusted my hunt brother. I took a deep breath and prepared to draw the bow.

I heard his Whisper Talk: “Danger, danger, area attack in 4 beats, stay to your positions.”

A skeleton wearing a tattered deer hide emerged from the trees. It… he held a rusting sword in hand. Behind him was another, this one covered in bear fur. The lantern light glistened on a streak of fat still attached, the pale bone underneath the hide smeared dark with blood. The spear in her hand was short and the head curved like a thorn. Click, click.

Hosum of Ikweita (Undead)

Talents: Natural Swordsman, Fit Physique, Rage of the Ancient

Shela the Blue Hunter (Undead)

Talents: Spear First, Light-Footed Scout, Regretful Rage

Nothing special so far, I thought.

Then Haol cast his Thousand Arrows, and the air below thumped. The makeshift armor on Hosum’s and Shela’s skeletons couldn’t protect them from his Empowered Sniper talent; they toppled over as their cores were pierced. Darklight rose like dust from the bodies.

Meanwhile, further into the trees, I heard the sound of more bones falling to the ground and caught sight of stone spikes rising from the ground—Ikfael had matching her timing to his.

Only a single skeleton remained upright. He appeared weaponless as he charged.

Moktu Hulasson (Undead)

Talents: Strong of Arm, Well Trained, Mindless Rage

Tegen met Moktu with his spear, the point sliding between the skeleton’s ribs. Then, with a flick, the hunter tossed the bones aside to clear the shaft and get ready in case another came at him.

“That’s seven,” Haol said.

We waited in case anything else would happen. I glanced aside and saw Mumu with her brow furrowed—not usually a good sign, that.

“Are there more?” Weni asked, breaking the silence.

Mumu nodded. “Yes, but the feeling is diffuse, coalescing…”

‘Undead found,’ Snow sent.

‘There are four,’ Yuki added. ‘In two staggered batches.’

I repeated the information for the sisters’ sake, but I was interrupted partway.

‘Undead,’ Snow sent again, this time from a different location.

‘Five moving together,’ Yuki said. ‘This group seems to have a leader who is dusk. They’re all headed straight for you.’

I updated the report, half expecting to be interrupted again. And I was right.

‘Another three more,’ Yuki said.

“That’s twelve now,” Haol said. “Their numbers keep growing.”

Mumu looked at her husband, then turned to each of us, calculating-balancing-predicting. “As the only living beings in this area of the woods, of course the undead will find us. We need the other expeditions to distract them.”

“So we keep moving?” Weni asked.

“We do,” Mumu replied. “To that ridge we spotted earlier. From there, we’ll decide where to shelter. Time is running short. We must hurry.”

Decision made, leaving should’ve been as simple as collecting the silverlight left by the undead and hiking away to elude our pursuers, except Ikfael emerged from the stone beside me.

She signed, “These undead have no silverlight within them.”

A moment later, Tegen jogged up to our position. He confirmed: “The same is true of the ones I checked. The skeletons are empty of anything but bones.”

“But that’s impossible,” I said. While not every creature developed enough to have a core worth harvesting, the whole thing about becoming undead was that it was predicated on the darklight in a core taking over the body after death. And wherever there was a core, there was silverlight left afterward. Always.

“Eight is correct,” Ikfael signed. “The lack of silverlight should be impossible, but talents bend the world and soul marks twist it—something or someone is affecting the natural process of these undead.”

“We don’t time have to investigate, do we?” Anya asked.

“More and more undead will close on our position,” Mumu replied.

###

We left the bones of our enemies behind and continued up the mountain. The ground was slick from the rain and the footing treacherous. My team watched Weni and Anya closely, ready to catch them if they should start to slip.

Down below, the undead threaded through the trees heedless of the terrain, sometimes scrambling on skeletal hands and feet to catch up to us. Counting, I saw that the number had increased to fifteen. There was only one who was dusk, though. Her talents were all struck through except for one called Righteous Rage.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Snow teleport to our flank and then disappear to move ahead. We weren’t far from the ridge that was our goal, and she aimed to give Yuki an early look. Mumu sprinted ahead to join them there.

“Should I lead the skeletons astray?” I asked. “To give her more time to observe the fighting at Fort Olana?”

“The team stays together,” Tegen replied.

“But I’m certain I can outrun them,” I argued.

Mumu sent, ‘Eight, do not go wandering on your own.’

You heard my question? I thought to her.

And her response was, ‘You asked this time? No, I knew it as something you would consider. Hold, I’m nearly at the ridge.’ A stunned pause followed, then: ‘Gods walking, this is…’

‘Mumu?’ Haol sent.

The connection colored with her disbelief, then it shifted to intense, rapid thought. We hurried to catch up.

The ridge was lower in elevation than Fort Olana—the keep another couple of miles up the mountain. The ancient monument had patched walls overgrown with ivy and a dome of newishly raised stone to shield it from the air, the line where the keep and the dome connected lit with flickering bonfires and magics. The first thing that popped into my head was that it looked like an art installation made to resemble a scoop of ice cream.

To the south, the view opened onto a dark and wide expanse, Old Baxteiyel covered by a night without moon or stars. Ghosts crawled through the ruins in numbers not unlike Albei. It struck me that I’d expected more, but then again, if I were a spirit, I wouldn’t want to linger here either.

Lights pooled where the expeditions moved through the ruined streets—they resembled the pictures and footage I’d seen of cities in the aftermath of intensive bombing. Glimmers of magic flashed like camera bulbs, momentarily throwing into stark relief the hordes of undead piling around the race’s participants.

Faintly, I heard the clashing of metal on metal. Then a large stone whistled it before smashing into the dome protecting Fort Olana. The rock shielding the keep shattered, only to flow back to fill the recently opened gap. A powerful Earth-Touched was inside or maybe a group of them working together. Odds were, it was the hierophant and his followers.

I looked but didn’t see Asiik. Becoming one with the sky, I found myself pressed down and unable to extend my awareness past ten or so feet. A being with greater authority than mine dominated the air above Old Baxteiyel.

Mumu whispered, “My Wild Sense is singing in alarm.”

Another stone pounded at Fort Olana’s shield. A winged kalesk briefly became visible as he swooped down and around. A monster, he was at least fifty feet from head to tail, and the pressure he exerted was immense. My gut clenched at the sight of him; everything in me screamed he was at least double my level.

Stone javelins the length of ballista bolts shot from the keep’s walls in return fire, but the winged kalesk disappeared, merging into the air before they could pierce him. Still, I’d gotten a look at—

Asiik the Army of Sorrow (Animal, Silvered)

Talents: Master of the Air, Claws Like Razors, A Fierce and Powerful Cunning, Protector of the Land, Hunter of Men, Beloved of Amleila and Heleitia

—and I was dumbfounded. What in the hells is Heleitia’s name doing among Asiik’s talents? As a beloved, no less! And to two different beings? Is that even possible?

“Eight, Eight!” Mumu had her hand on my shoulder. “Tell us, what talents reside in Asiik’s spirit?”

I didn’t respond and turned to Ikfael instead. “Did you know?” I demanded.

“Know what?” she asked, puzzled.

“That Asiik and Hel… that Asiik and your zasha are related? They’re beloved to each other and to Amleila too.”

I felt confusion well up across the team’s network. They hadn’t ever intruded on the Glen’s private matters, but hearing talk of an unknown zasha connected to our mission, that was surely alarming.

Yuki merged through me, the uekisheile’s intention to understand the situation and help explain it to the others, but they were as stumped afterward as I was. ‘What do we tell them? Do we share the secret of Heleitia?’

I didn’t answer. My focus was on the bewildered otter before me—one whose confusion appeared to be rapidly turning into epiphany. Her mouth opened, then closed. She signed, “I didn’t know, but it explains—”

“The skeletons are approaching,” Tegen interrupted. “Do we fight here to claim more time in this place, or do we move?”

The unfolding drama paused as everyone checked the approach up to the ridge, and the skeletons were only about fifty yards away. Above us, another stone smashed into the keep’s shield. The defenses repaired themselves, but a gale-force wind suddenly rose to steal someone from inside. A woman flew up into the air and was shredded by Asiik’s claws.

The stone javelins passed right through the Asiik’s body to leave him unharmed. The same couldn’t be said for his victim—her head and limbs fell to the ground, a grisly addition to the rain. The rest was snapped up by the kalesk’s jaws.

“The talents,” Mumu reminded me. “What are they?”

“Mastery of the air,” I said, tearing my eyes from the bloody scene. “Sharp claws, like you’d expect. Smart too, and with abilities to support defense of the land and attack of humans in particular. There’s also a connection to the spirits, but that’s… complicated.”

Mumu glanced between Ikfael and me, then the fort and the approaching skeletons. The decision came quickly, not even a handful of beats in the making. “We can’t stay here,” she said, “nor can we let ourselves be trapped inside Fort Olana. Before anything else, we must descend toward the ruins and find a safe place among them.”