"Our make is not of mindless brutes but princes of darkness and power." - The Butcher, on the Firstborn Maelim

  Ireo was not alone. The Six Strangers cursed. A great host of riders huddled around him. These Maelim were not the brigands Leo had encountered on the river. These were more regimented and disciplined. Their lamellar armor was well kept, and their shields sturdy. They held composite bows, sharp spears, and glaives. Most of the Maelim were like Ireo—half horse, half humanoid. Others were among them who shared their spirit. They rode horses, wolves, and other beasts.

  Ireo wielded a massive bow, a weapon so large it would be a ballista to a smaller creature. He gave a curt nod, and his underlings whooped and hollered as they charged.

  “Cowards,” snapped Elizabeth. “These wretches only go after easy targets. Is any wonder Claudius drove them off?”

  “Or why they never go after Benelim?” said Petro.

  Etheros smirked and added, “Or Godshards. Let’s teach them a lesson. Can someone else take the reins?”

  “Not Leo,” muttered Petro. “I’ll do it.”

  “No, I will.” said Annabelle as she crawled to the reins, grasping them bitterly. “You need to use your crossbow. Martin at least has a gun. I have nothing. This way, I can do something useful, this time before anyone gets hurt!”

  “A-alright. If you insist,” sputtered Petro.

  “Here they come!” shouted Leo. The first row of raiders raised their bows, arrows whispered into the air. “Take cover!”

  Projectiles punctured the wood and stabbed through the cloth. Petro returned fire, and one by one, Maelim fell. Another volley rained down, and they ducked.

  Elizabeth gripped her guisarme tightly. “We’re outgunned. I don’t know how many more volleys we can take!”

  Etheros grinned. “Let them fire. They’ll be the architects of their own death.”

  The arrows poured down time and again. The canopy was soon nothing but torn fabric, and light bled through. Leo and Elizabeth dodged arrows, their food stores were leaking, and one fell between Martin’s legs, missing his body by inches.

  Etheros muttered a spell. All the arrows, metal, feathers, and shafts merged into a single mass. He turned toward a nearby tree and reached out an arm. The trunk snapped with a crack, the splintered wood joining the forming assembly on top of the wagon.

  The mass stretched out, and a rope coil connected the bow’s two arms—a clip of bolts fed into it. At last, the body and sights of their new ballista took shape.

  Elizabeth grinned as she aimed the weapon. “This might be the best spell you’ve ever cast.”

  The Maelim gaped and cursed.

  The bolts rained down upon the Maelim, helmets torn, and bodies impaled. A bolt shot a wolf through the heart, and his rider died beneath him. In response, they scattered, brandishing lances as they closed in.

  Etheros muttered a spell and pointed at the feet of the charging raiders. Many stopped in their tracks, and their hooves and claws struggled to find footing. They sank into the ground, too heavy for most to climb out. Still more came, leaping over the quicksand or riding around. Ireo remained stoic, watching the group flee with a calculating gaze. His single glowing yellow eye was unreadable.

  The lancers pulled up to the wagon. The first of them moved to strike. Leo was ready for him. He parried his glaive before decapitating him. One came up from the other side, a fabulous spotted feline with saber teeth latched onto the side while its rider drew a curved blade. Elizabeth hooked him off his mount, slamming him into the dirt. The cat swiped at her, leaving her arm with fresh gashes. She gritted her teeth before stabbing the cat in the chest, shoving it away.

  Leo clashed blades with another raider. She matched his blows with consummate grace. With a shove of her hilt, Leo’s back hit the wagon’s floor. A lead shot dented her skull. Her corpse fell away. Martin blew the smoke off his pistol.

  A group of Maelim charged the wagon from the front, arrows flew forward, one glanced at Rubert, and his pacing faltered. The wagon shook violently. “Little help here?” asked Annabelle.

  Etheros turned to face them. He muttered another incantation. The air began to sizzle in front of the raiders. Moments later, an explosion rang out. The Maelim shot in all directions. The wagon persevered through the lingering blaze.

  “Thanks,” muttered Annabelle.

  A wolf pounced on top of the wagon, clawing and tearing frantically. Leo impaled the beast. Its rider brought down his spear, and Petro deflected the blade with his antler before stabbing him in the chest.

  In the distance, Ireo was still watching them, frowning. He shook his head and sighed, raising his bow and preparing an arrow.

  Martin pointed. “Guys?”

  They hurriedly shoved the wolf’s corpse off their wagon. Ireo drew the string back.

  “Hurry, hurry!” barked Leo.

  “I’m trying!” Elizabeth aimed with the ballista.

  They both fired.

  Three seconds. That was all it took for things to go from bad to worse. In the first second, the two projectiles raced toward each other. In the second, Elizabeth’s bolt disappeared in splintered wood. In the third, Ireo’s arrow ripped through the bottom of the wagon, demolishing its wheels and knocking the horses loose. Magnus and Rubert retreated into the pines. Pieces of wood launched into the air, the ballista was gone, along with most of their provisions. The group and the wreckage of the wagon rolled off the path. The snapping of wood drowned out their screaming as pine trees bent and twisted around them.

  At long last, their course ended when they collided with a stone.

  Everyone groaned. Leo stared up into the sky. The world was spinning. That was a first for Leo. And like many things as of late, he didn’t think it would be the last.

  Etheros was on his feet first. “Anyone hurt?”

  All he received were strings of swears. One by one, they all rose to their feet. Gratefully, they were all in one piece, but they all had cuts and bruises that they didn’t have several minutes ago. Annabelle rushed to look over everyone.

  The trampling of hoofs reminded them of the danger. They rushed to grab what they could carry. Pitifully little could come with them. Leo looked at what they had landed. A great rocky formation stood before them. Greystones rising from the earth, going on for miles ahead. The lower peaks of the God’s teeth mountains, beckoning like castle walls. Thank Terra it was a place to flee where Ireo couldn’t follow.

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  Etheros pointed up and said, “This way!”

  “I’ve never climbed before,” whimpered Martin.

  The hollering of the Maelim was getting louder. In the distance, they saw a cloud of dust, raiders swinging around the conifers and pines with peerless skill. Ireo led the attack, plowing through the trees like twigs.

  “We’ll never get high enough!” shouted Leo.

  Elizabeth rushed to the closest rock face. “We have no other option. Without our horses, we’re completely vulnerable. Come on!”

  “That won’t be necessary,” said Etheros, chanting another incantation.

  Leo felt a familiar sensation wrap over his body. “Oh, not this again! Etheros!”

  The six of them floated into the air. At least Leo wasn’t alone this time. They could all scream together. Leo knew better than to flail his limbs now. Etheros was straining, and his teeth gritted. He got to the closest rock face he could, just above the tree line.

  “Don’t ever do that again!” spat Elizabeth as she shoved past Etheros, getting as far from the edge as possible.

  “I’m with Elizabeth on this one,” muttered Martin.

  “It was better than last time for me,” said Leo.

  Martin rolled his eyes. “Oh, that’s reassuring.”

  “I expected more,” bellowed a deep voice. A yellow glowing light twinkled amongst the evergreens beneath them. “The so-called Six Strangers I’ve heard everybody talking about. Crawling up into the mountains like vermin. This isn’t over.”

  Leo peered down at him and shouted, “Of course it’s not! You killed my brother!”

  “I’ve killed many brothers. You’ll have to be more specific.”

  Leo simmered. “His name was Giovanni. He died in the village of Venci ten years ago!”

  The golden eye flickered, and Ireo sighed, “I don’t remember. Names, places, people. You die all the same. Cities, kingdoms, and empires all fall to ruin. It’s all dust, all meaningless. I missed out on the Lazarus Seven, but when I heard another group was rising that was of a similar spirit, I just had to meet them. Even if I wasn’t helping some . . . friends.”

  Etheros’ eyes narrowed. “Who are these friends?”

  “You know I cannot say, Adamite. You shouldn’t have come this far west. I know your journey to the Island City. There is nowhere you can go that I can’t find you. Why don’t we just speed everything along? Come back down and accept your fate. You’re only delaying the inevitable.” The Six Strangers spat swears in reply. “So be it. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

  The glowing eye faded into the dark.

  “The hell are we gonna do?” shouted Elizabeth.

  “We’re safe for now,” said Etheros.

  Martin sat down. The stone was supremely uncomfortable. He rubbed his temples. “We lost all our food, the wagon, our horses.”

  “And Ireo is still stalking us,” said Leo.

  “Where do we go from here?”

  Etheros peered over the rocky labyrinth. Long paths trailed through the stone, and the higher peaks loomed over them. “We head north, stay on the rocks, it’ll be easy, they go for miles. Ireo can’t reach us.”

  Leo nodded and said, “There is a slope we should be able to descend, about four days north.”

  “Four days?” moaned Martin. “We have no food!”

  Elizabeth leaned against the rocky shelf and said, “That’s not even the worst part. Ireo is going to be waiting for us. He knows there’s nowhere we can descend that he won’t get to first.”

  “That still buys us time,” said Etheros. “Time to think of a plan.”

  Elizabeth turned to Etheros, head tilted in bafflement. “Plan for what? Our deaths?”

  Petro shuddered. “One arrow. That was all it took. One. Blasted. Arrow.”

  Elizabeth snapped to Petro. “That wasn’t an arrow; that was a thunderbolt.”

  Etheros’s glowing eyes flared. “One way or another, we have to take him down. He’s cut us off from the Island City. They might be able to sense our presence if we keep heading north. Let’s get moving. It’s a long way to go.”

  The rest of the day proved to be arduous. The group climbed over the rocky shelves. There were crevices at every turn, and the outcroppings were steep. Martin nearly fell into the caverns below at several turns, and Leo had to constantly help him over the ledges. Elizabeth grumbled at the constant struggle.

  Hunger nagged at them. Birds flew overhead. Petro proved to be a capable marksman, and soon they had food. Etheros conjured the flames, and together they ate magically burned bird. They hardly had any meat on them, but every little bit helped.

  When night came, Petro kept watch while the others tried to sleep. The rocks were hard and cold. Sacks and bags made poor pillows, and the group tossed and turned terribly. Etheros disappeared into the mountains, the night illuminated by a faint light, and Leo swore he heard a hammer pounding.

  The daylight came, and more climbing came with it. The maze of stone seemed endless, and if it weren’t for Etheros’ Soulsight, they would have no doubt gotten lost. Even with it, they had to constantly collect their bearings as Etheros took time to find the right path. Martin was grateful for the reprieve. He was not used to this type of exertion, and from the start of the day, he was panting. His legs were sore, and his arms were tired. Leo had to assist him more each time.

  It got to the point where they had to stop more and more frequently as Martin struggled. Elizabeth simmered and glared at him, and at Leo for helping. What proved too much for her was when Martin insisted they stop no more than twenty minutes after they started again.

  “Oh, for the love of! Again!” grumbled Elizabeth. With his lungs struggling for air, Martin couldn’t even reply. Elizabeth turned to Etheros. “I warned you he was going to slow us down. He’s too fat and spoiled to do anything of use!”

  “Liz!” chided Annabelle.

  Elizabeth snapped to her and said, “Don’t give me that. You all know I’m right!”

  “What . . .” Martin panted. “What would you have me do? Stay here and starve to death? I can’t just snap my fingers and lose the weight.”

  “Could Etheros cast a spell to do that?” asked Leo.

  Etheros shook his head. “It’s too dangerous. Trust me.”

  Annabelle smirked. “Wow, what do you know! Etheros finally found a problem he couldn’t magically solve. I never thought I’d see the day!”

  Leo frowned. “What’s your problem?”

  “It’s just nice not to be the only Shard who’s useless for once.”

  “Well, I can’t think of a more useless thing to say right now.”

  “Watch it, Leo,” grumbled Elizabeth. “Don’t talk to her that way.”

  Leo gave a mocking smirk. “Sure, as soon as you stop whining about Martin.”

  “Enough!” Etheros’ voice boomed. “Fighting like this doesn’t help anyone! As for Martin, I can use the floating magic to lift him over the peaks, for now. Hopefully, after enough time passes, he can walk again.” Annabelle grumbled, and she moved to get a head start.

  “Fine,” Martin grumbled.

  Elizabeth grinned. “Good, you get to fly. I heard you scream plenty last time.”

  “So did you.”

  The group’s tension toward each other only exacerbated the difficult climbing and shifting. The peaks felt endless and draining, a grey hell. Martin sought to keep the whimpering he made every time he floated to a minimum. Annabelle glared at Etheros every time. Elizabeth whispered to her, concern in her voice. Annabelle ignored her, much to her confusion.

  As the second day waned, they set up camp. They were starving. The birds were more and more sparse. A subtle dread filled the air. No one knew what it was, which certainly didn’t help anyone’s mood.

  That night brought more tossing and turning. Leo missed his bed. Even the wagon would have been better. He tried to sleep; his eyelids were heavy, yet rest never came. If it wasn’t the cold stone pressing into his back, it was the memories of Giovanni’s death. They were running loose in his mind, replaying over and over again. He would have preferred the memory to stay suppressed if only so he could focus on the task at hand.

  The only other memory that lingered in his head was his last moments with Avella—the moment stuck in his mind’s eye. She looked so calm, so serene. A clarity of purpose. Etheros had said it was part of the plan. But Leo struggled to see it that way. Either way, he wasn’t good enough to protect her. They wouldn’t need to resort to such a gambit if he were capable. It’s all the same. He failed her. That was that. Few things stung more to Leo than failure. The failure to save her, the failure to save his brother.

  There was a strange type of vulnerability in failure. A sense of despair, the knowledge of fighting a battle and losing. Courage can’t save you, and hope can’t comfort you. All that’s left is living with it. A type of battle Leo didn’t know how to cope with. He tried to steel himself, his eyes clenched. If he could just push the thoughts away for a few minutes, he might be able to doze off. But it was for naught. The more he tried, the stronger the intrusiveness was.

  Finally, Leo grumbled and rose. He rubbed his temples. So much for sleeping. Yet another failure added to the pile. He got to his feet, stretching his legs. A distant clanging got his attention. He looked around and realized Etheros was gone again. A faint yellow flicker illuminated a nearby gorge just around the corner of the cliffside.

  Leo still didn’t know if Godshards like Etheros needed to sleep, but Leo knew he couldn’t. He figured he may as well see what Etheros is up to. Leo walked to the cliffside and found Etheros doing the strangest thing.

  He was forging a blade.