At The Brink Of Despair

A craven claw, a wolf-like beast with bony spikes protruding out of its back, leapt over the fire and approached rapidly. I cast air bullet but the beast dodged.

At my command, a spike of earth rose up toward the beast, but I only managed to pierce the creature's leg. The beast was impaled, but not dead.

A dreadling hissed as it ran through the fire, followed swiftly by two more. Each kept charging forward despite their flesh burning. One slashed at the air, sending three flaming blades hurtling toward Lumia and I.

The blades sliced through the wolf without loosing any momentum, leaving behind only a few lumps of charred meat.

Lumia slumped forward in the grass, staring at the ground as if nothing in the whole world mattered anymore.

"Lumia!" I called again, but she didn't respond.

I could've dodge easily, but then she would be hit. Instead I summoned a rock wall then another and another for good measure. Sprinting around he walks, I aimed and fired two Ice spikes. Each hit a dreadling right between the eyes, but neither creature fell.

Racing around the flame wall, a nightmare appeared at the left edge of my vision as all three dreadlings shifted their charge to follow me. I was grateful they did. It would be easier to fight without having to worry about her.

With a series of wind blades, I carved through everything in front of me. The dreadlings fell in heaps so mangled that none of them resembled anything alive.

Something struck my left shoulder with disorienting force. The world tumbled around me, spinning twice, before I hit the ground. My body ached, especially my shoulder. Unable to use my left arm, I struggled to roll over.

Plodding into my back, I rolled again as two hooves smashed against the earth, just missing my face.

The ground shook as the nightmare stamped her feet. Rearing up again, she screamed into the air; then her hooves were dropping again.

Instinctively I raised my hand, drawing mana from my core to form a thick earthen spear. From out of the ground, a three pronged spear rose up toward the mare's chest. Its contours were jagged and rough like the serrated edge of a blade.

When the horse came down, she fell on the spear, held up by its three points. Her weight forced her down until the prongs were fully buried in her flesh.

She whined and whimpered as blood flowed from her breast, coating the spear in glistening crimson. Her hooves kicked above my head, unable to touch the ground as she struggled.

I rolled from under her and got to my feet. The horse was twisting and pushing, pulling and turning, thrashing about trying to get free.

I looked on her with pity. Drawing my sword from storage, I sliced off her head in one clean blow. The trashing stopped and I returned to Lumia.

"Are you okay, Lu?"

She looked at me. Her eyes were still wet with tears and she seemed anxious, but she didn't speak.

My wall of fire died out and more cursed beasts rushed from the dark lands toward us. Three craven claws tore across scorched grass, snapping at each other as they ran. A vultisal fury wing swooped down from a twisted tree and unleashed a powerful screech that sliced through the air.

The world went silent. The dogs stopped in their tracks, dropped to the ground and crawled backward.

Black roots sprang up from the ground, wrapping around the beasts tightly. I couldn't hear, but I felt each crunch as the craven claws were bent and broken repeatedly in the coiled roots.

The fury wing flew in a circle around the beasts as they were crushed. Then it took to the sky and disappeared in the sun.

A neigh in the distance signified that my hearing had returned; it also heralded the arrival of four spectral knights. They charged side by side through the dark wood, cutting down any obstacles in their path.

The pounding of hooves on dirt like a drum warning of death's impending approach.

Shaking off the fear, I shook Lumia fiercely.

"Lumia, we have to move!" I shouted, putting as much urgency in my words as possible. "Whatever happened with Zidg, we can—"

Lumia transformed. I fell on my butt, pushed back because I was too close.

Grabbing me in her jaws, Lumia flung me onto her back.

Waves of black energy launched across the field like crescent shaped blades dividing everything they touched.

I nearly fell from Lumia's back as she leapt, dove and weaved to avoid them. With adrenaline and mana coursing through my body, I grabbed hold of one of her back spikes and used it to pull myself into a proper riding position. As soon as I was adjusted, Lumia spread her wings and took flight.

The knights unleashed a barrage of dark slashes to stop her taking off, but Lumia was quick and nimble. I clung to her neck as she pulled in her legs and straightened her body to be like an arrow. She soared under two of the dark crescents then swooped right to avoid a third.

Banking around a tower, she used the cover to gain altitude then dove under a black moon slash to finally break free. Picking up speed and altitude, she raced beyond the reach of the nights.

Soaring high we headed back east. The fury wing from earlier dove toward us, slashing at Lumia with its blades wings.

Lumia folded her wigs, letting herself drop to avoid the attack. Then she spread them wide again and continued on.

As spawning out of the clouds, a swarm of the beasts appeared, but none could match Lumia's speed. We soon left them behind along with the tiers of Selvaris.

Gradually our speed slowed as we soared above the plains which seemed to stretch on endlessly. As adrenaline faded and my mind settled from the fight, I realized we didn't have a destination. I also still didn't know what had Lumia so frazzled.

"Lu…"

"We're going to Sunder." She answered as if she already knew what I wanted to ask. "I need to know if what that dwarf said is true."

I wasn't sure if our bond was deepening or if we were just growing closer, but an image of Lila locked in a dark space flashed in my mind. I couldn't be sure, but the way Lumia spoke made me anxious.

"What did he say—and what does it have to do with Sunder?"

There was a brief moment of silence before she answered, "If it's true, you'll know when we get there."

I probed a few more times on the way, but Lumia wouldn't say more.

***

Lumia pushed herself, flying low and fast as she could until the smell of salt carried in the wind. Her anxiety was building, spilling into me and filling my body with trepidation.

As we neared the city, she slowed her pace until she was hovering in place.

White stone towers, carved with dragons, were visible just over the mountain ahead of us.

Along the way, boats sailed up and down the rivers. The sky was clear. Gulls circled in the distance, diving toward the ocean, or the harbor, periodically. The city was noisy with shouting and a ruckus of metallic clangs and dull banging; there was nothing out of the ordinary.

Still, Lumia hesitated to go further.

"What are you afraid of?" I asked.

She didn't answer. Instead her wings flapped madly as she bolted over the last mountain between us and Sunder.

It was immediately evident that something was in fact wrong. The noises I assumed to be from the harbor came instead from construction efforts.

Thirty or so people worked to restore a collapsed bridge that connected the church with the rest of the city. Multiple buildings had been scorched and burned. Some of the towers around the church were cut off in the middle with piles of debris littered around them. Several walkways were now ruined with small craters and cracks ran throughout the stone paths.

Despite the damage, the city was still mostly okay. The destruction was only in the area near the church.

Lumia landed near the temple entrance, atop a pile of rubble. Light bearers and some townsfolk were working to clear a path into the church, but thanks to Lumia, we didn't have to wait for them.

I jumped down from her back as she settled on the crumbled stone. In the same breath, Lumia jumped forward, over a mage who was levitating stones one by one onto a cart for transport. She transformed as she landed and rushed into the church.

"Lumia." I called as I hurried after her. "Lumia!"

Inside the church was in a state of panic. Light bearers stood near the dragon carved podium shouting over each other. The priestess we'd met before appeared to be trying to calm the holy knights, but her gentle voice was lost in the uproar.

One of the knights broke from the group, storming past Lumia then me, on her way toward the door.

"Get back here Gladys! What will you accomplish if you go after them now?"

I recognized that voice, it was lady Amara.

The furious knight didn't stop as she answered, "More than you will by standing here arguing."

Another voice, a male knight, spoke up next. "If it was one or two cursed mages then we would have a chance, but against their numbers… and they have a dragon; Gladys you'll die. That's all—and anyone who goes with you too."

The knight, Gladys, continued on. The door slammed open then shut again with a deafening bang.

From the brief encounter, I could guess my uncle's forces must've attacked, but I still didn't understand why everyone was so upset. The damage seemed minor. I hadn't noticed a single corpse. The light bearers must've suffered some kind of loss, but by all appearances it was only a blow to their pride.

Lumia reached the group of knights but continued past them, jumping onto the stage and forcing her way past several more light bearers and attendants.

They tried to stop her entering a door at the back of the building, but even with five of them working in concert to halt her advance, Lumia plowed forward.

I raced to catch up, ignoring an icy glare from Amara as I passed her.

The door flung open and Lumia stopped abruptly.

Those around sighed nervously and fell away, clearing a path for me to reach her side. The room contained nothing of particular interest. It was someone's bedroom, although it hardly looked used. The sheets weren't even ruffled.

Lumia spun around, tears pouring from her eyes, as she whispered. "Where is Lila?"

The image of her sister, alone in darkness, returned to my mind and I understood what was wrong.

The room froze in her gaze. "Where is my sister?" Lumia asked again, this time shouting.

Lady Amara stepped forward, a solemn look on her face. "A few hours after you left, the mages you warned us about…they came. If it was just cursed mages we could've handled things easily, but the dragon they brought…" Amara shook her head. "…he would've destroyed the whole city if Lila had not agreed to—"

The room went silent as breathing became difficult. It felt as if all the oxygen was being sucked away from my lungs, like I was competing with a giant in a hopeless struggle for air.

Lumia's red eyes glowed like hot coals as she stepped toward the group of light bearers.

"Your duty was to die for her, not let her sacrifice herself protecting you! You cowards don't deserve to be called light bearers." Loathing burned in her every word.

Turning away, Lumia shut herself inside the empty room.

Amara, gasping for breath, spoke softly, "We tried…but this…was her decision."

Finally, I had a full picture of what plagued my bond, and yet, I was powerless to help or do anything about it.

I had an idea how to fight against the cursed mages. If all of them could regrow heads like Sizal, then destroying their core was probably the best way to kill them. Without magic they shouldn't be able to regrow anything. In a one on one duel, destroying a core might be possible, but against large numbers or on a battlefield where large scale magic might also injure allies, it would prove difficult.

Even if I could fight them all one on one, I wouldn't survive long. If Sizal had taken Lumia and I seriously, then I doubt she would have managed to injure him at all. He seemed more than capable of taking us both on himself.

"Silvon."

Amara's voice drew me from my thoughts.

"Yes," I answered, half expecting her to threaten me off.

"Did you meet Zidg?" She asked, her eyes flickering with curiosity.

I nodded. Then nodded again when I remembered what he told me. "The artifact—he said it's what you thought and that you should send 'him' to the cradle before he destroys Sunder. I'm not sure what that means, but I hope it makes sense to you."

She frowned. "It does, but I have a different idea about where to send 'him.' I'll need you to convince Lumia to help though."

"Help how, exactly?"

"I have a plan to get Lila back, but I'll need both you and Lumia to help."