Eternal Forest: Savage Rising (24 page)

             
“Thank you, my Lady,” Firefly said softly to herself, but she knew it wasn’t really to herself. The Lady had heard her. She’d been there when she needed Her the most, and it had ensured a great victory here in Stonemouth.

             
In that moment, she knew she felt Her, but it wasn’t just the victory or the sign that cemented her faith. She remembered the cold, artificial walls of the Temple and how lifeless they felt. She remembered the statues; dead objects paying homage to dead persons. She couldn’t feel the Lady there. Here, she could feel the rain on her face and the wind in her hair. The boom of the thunder coursed through her body. This is where she felt the Lady, because this was where she felt alive.

             
The dwarves dispersed into the marketplace, revealing a large, formless mound of extinguished coal. With no knowledge of the morning’s events, one could mistake it simply for a large bonfire used the night before. The beast was dead, and the remaining balisekts were retreating from the city towards the south where their great leader had marched.

             
“Where is she?” Firefly heard a nearby dwarf call out. His face was familiar to her. She had visited his family in the night, rallying them to battle as she had countless others. “Where is the faerie?”

             
“Are you looking for me?” Firefly asked as she waved her tiny hands up in the air. She knew the storm would make her difficult to see and hear, but the rain was too fast and heavy for her to fly out.

             
“Acolyte!” the dwarf called out with arms outstretched. For a moment, Firefly actually feared the excited man would actually attempt to hug her, which would have had disastrous consequences for her tiny body. “Lady’s blessings are upon us! The beast is dead!”

             
“She only sounded the charge,” Firefly said with a big smile on her face. “It was your efforts that brought about victory this day.”

             
Still smiling, the dwarf shook his head. “I must disagree. I felt her spirit coursing through me with each blow upon the demon’s skin. Stonemouth is truly blessed, and so are you.”

             
Firefly could feel her cheeks warming. She was sure they were turning red. “You are too kind.”

             
“Is there anything we can do to thank you, acolyte?” the dwarf inquired.

             
“Indeed there is,” she responded. “My friends are being held captive by a trio of smaller demons at the southern border to the Wilds.”

             
“Say no more,” the dwarf replied confidently. “I will get some men together. You lead the way.”

Chapter 24

              The last thing Zehlyr thought he would be able to do that night was sleep. The rage he felt from losing Azalea still burned brightly within him, but weak with hunger and thirst, there was simply no fighting his fatigue. He and his brother had leaned against the wall of the storehouse. Arguing and fighting with Cherin hadn’t done him any favors for conserving energy. Convinced they were in no danger as long as they behaved themselves, sleep at last came to them all.

             
However, it was far from restful sleep. Comfort was in short supply in the barren patch of forest where they were held prisoner. Between charcoal-covered earth and blackened tree trunks, the wall of the storehouse was truly the most comfortable place to rest. The other’s seemed to agree. Viyana and Sunrise leaned against the wall on the other side of the back door. With eyes closed and mouths agape, both were fast asleep. Heeska lay flat on the ground near the far corner of the storehouse.

             
When Zehlyr did awaken in the night, it was with a violent jerk. There was only one dream that came to him each time he drifted away from consciousness. All he could see was Azalea, bound and forced to do the will of that horrible monster, Killika. Her tear-filled eyes were always there in front of him when he shut his own. Her cries were the only sounds he heard carried on the wind. His failure to protect her, to rescue her, haunted his fragile dreams.

             
The first roll of thunder passed his ears unnoticed. Its low volume wasn’t enough to shake him from his nightmares. When the second came, his eyes to flutter for a moment. The next rumbled loudly across the treetops. Zehlyr lifted his head off the wall of the storehouse. It was dark and his vision was blurry. With the stars and moon hidden by clouds, the glow of the fire demons’ coal-like skin offered the only light in the forest.

             
He couldn’t make them out, but could see where they were by their glow. The demons were pacing back and forth. Their heads were up, turning their bright orange eyes skyward.

             
“Cherin,” Zehlyr whispered with a slight nudge of his brother’s shoulder.

             
Cherin shook his head and groaned in protest. “What is it?” he asked with a grumble.

             
“Look,” Zehlyr said. He pointed out towards the demons. “Something has them distressed.”

             
Zehlyr rubbed his eyes before looking again. This was very peculiar behavior for the demons. “Do you think it’s the storm?” he asked.

             
“Why would creatures like that be afraid of a little storm?” Cherin asked.

             
“I can’t imagine a being of fire not being affected by rain,” Viyana said. She, Heeska, and Sunrise had moved in to where the brothers sat against the wall.

             
Sunrise crouched down and rested one hand against the back wall of the storehouse. “I hear rain in the distance,” he said. “If it passes over us, it could weaken these demons and give us a chance to escape.”

             
“What do you suggest?” Zehlyr asked.

             
Sunrise looked off to the right. “As long as I can set foot on living ground, my magic will return. With my power back, I should be a formidable match for these creatures.”

             
“Not for all four,” Viyana mentioned.

             
“She’s right,” Heeska said. “Besides, you’d have to cross at least forty feet of ground just to reach the line. Those things would be upon you before you even make it to the grass.”

             
“The storehouse isn’t on decimated ground,” Sunrise said. “If we just duck back through the opening, we could…”

             
“That opening is small,” Zehlyr said, interrupting the elf. “As soon as one of us made it through, the demons would destroy the rest.”

             
With a sigh, Sunrise rested his fist against the ground. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, they were right. The elven acolyte had never been unable to access the Lady’s magic before, and it made him feel more vulnerable and helpless than anything else did.

             
“We need some kind of plan then,” Sunrise admitted. “If the storm has the creatures nervous, then we need to find a way to use that to our advantage.”

             
“We should wait and see how they act when the storm arrives,” Viyana suggested. “The wind suggests that it’s coming this way. We just need to be patient and observe.”

             
“So, more sitting around then,” Cherin grumbled. Despite the older brother’s protest, everyone sat still and watched the demons as they reacted to the coming weather. The storm grew closer and closer. The demons paced more frantically in the wall-less prison as each boom of thunder became louder than the last. Over time, the roles of captive and captor almost seemed to shift. Their flaming eyes became wider, and the sounds coming from the demons could only be described as whimpers.

             
Though obscured by clouds, the first bits of sunlight began to cast a pale blue light on the charred earth. With this light, a fast moving curtain of raindrops charged through the southern wilds and fell upon the dwarven marketplace. The demon’s fiery skin began to sizzle as the droplets struck it, letting off little puffs of smoke with each contact. Clearly pained by the moisture, the demons jumped and bucked wildly.

             
“The rain is hurting them!” Cherin said with excitement. “Let’s get out of here!”
              “They’re still stronger than we are,” Viyana reminded him. “Especially when we have no weapons.”

             
“But this is our chance!” Cherin protested.

             
“Killika said that the demons existed to do his will,” Sunrise said. “I wonder if they will follow their orders instead of saving themselves.”

             
“Perhaps we just wait it out,” Zehlyr said. “The Lady may simply solve our problem for us.”

             
“Or they’ll figure it’s better to just kill us and run for shelter,” Cherin retorted.

             
“Wait!” Heeska said loudly. The demons were too busy with the deadly raindrops to either hear him or care. “Do you hear that?” The others fell silent and listened.

             
“All I can hear is the rain,” Zehlyr said.

             
“There is something else,” Heeska insisted. “Something is happening in the city.” With their captors otherwise preoccupied, everyone sat in silence and listened. The driving rain and booming thunder overwhelmed their ears, but amidst their chaotic symphony, other sounds started to grow. They could hear clashing swords, shouts, and cries. Off in the distance, they could hear the sounds of war.

             
“What is that?” Viyana asked. “What’s going on?”

             
“It sounds to me that the dwarves are trying to take back the city.” Heeska answered. “It also sounds like they’re doing a fine job of it.”

             
“But what happened?” Cherin asked. “What suddenly made them fight back?”

             
Sunrise smiled. “That ‘a girl,” he said softly to himself. “All we need to do is sit and wait,” the elf continued to his comrades. “The dwarves will come to us.”

             
“Not fast enough!” Zehlyr said in a panic. “Look!” The demons were turning towards them now. Their faces twisted into snarls and their eyes burned brighter than they’d ever seen. It seemed Sunrise’s question had been answered. Knowing they could no longer perform the duty assigned to them by their master, it was time to kill their captives before the storm extinguished them completely.

             
“Run!” Zehlyr shouted. The four prisoners sprang to their feet and dashed northeast towards the city. The demons bounded off after them like a pack of wolves. The gap between them hadn’t been very wide, and the demons moved with unnatural speed. Unable to outrun them, Zehlyr and the others split up.

             
Running alone now, Zehlyr suddenly felt a hard, warm impact against his back. The demon behind him slammed its head into his spine, sending him tumbling forward onto the forest floor. He rolled onto his back just as the creature’s front paws slammed down on either side of him. He was face to face with the creature now, staring into the inferno burning in its throat. The beast lifted its paws into the air, preparing to bring them down on Zehlyr’s midsection.

             
Acting quickly, Zehlyr tucked his legs up to his chest and kicked forward with all of his might. His feet slammed into the body of the demon, sending out a shower of embers as though he’d kicked a burning tree. He shielded his face as the beast fell backwards. Zehlyr jumped back to his feet again and pushed onward. Lying on the ground, just where the forest was healthy again, he found a large, thick branch sitting at the base of a tree.

             
Thinking resourcefully, Zehlyr scooped up the branch. He turned just as the demon pursuing him leapt towards him with its flaming claws outstretched. Zehlyr swung the branch with all his might, slamming it into the side of the creature’s head. The demon’s body was flung to the side, crashing into the trunk of a wide oak. Zehlyr reared back for another swing, but a loud scream from Cherin behind him stole his attention away.

             
Turning around, he could see Cherin and another demon rotating in unison around a wide tree trunk. When the creature would move left, Cherin would act in turn, keeping the tree between them. It was a clever tactic, but one that would not work as a permanent solution.

             
Zehlyr raced towards the demon with all the speed he could muster. Before the beast knew it was being flanked, Zehlyr smashed his makeshift weapon into the back of its head. The head exploded into a shower of sparks and embers before the demon fell lifeless on its side.

             
“Thanks,” Cherin said between big, full breaths.

             
“Keep moving!” Zehlyr insisted. The two brothers raced onward. Farther into the woods, Viyana and Sunrise were fully out of the decimated earth. Back on living ground, Sunrise felt the Lady’s magic surging through him once again. With a smile on his face, he turned back to see another of the fire demons charging towards him. He lowered his hands to his left side. With his palms held a few inches apart, a fury of electric sparks began to dance between his fingers.

             
“This is Her forest!” the elven acolyte shouted. “I cast you out!” Sunrise threw his hands forward, sending a bolt of lightning sailing through the air and into the creature’s neck. Its head was knocked cleanly off, sailing end-over-end through the air before crashing into the mud. The last of the glow upon its skin died out, leaving nothing more than a wet, black husk.

             
“Nice shot,” said a familiar voice from behind him.

             
Sunrise turned around to see Firefly hovering in the air under a large oak leaf. Behind her, a large group of dwarves stood proudly. He smiled. “I knew you were behind this,” he said.

             
“It was Her calling,” she replied in kind. “All I had to do was listen.”

             
“Perhaps I was wrong about you,” Sunrise said.

             
“If you’re here to rescue us, you’re a bit late,” Viyana said as she kicked at the headless demon corpse lying on the ground.

             
“I see that,” Firefly said with a laugh.

             
“We need to get moving,” Zehlyr insisted. “Killika’s army will be well into elven territory by now.” As he spoke, Cherin’s eyes grew wide in horror. The last of the demons had risen from Zehlyr’s injury and was creeping through the trees towards him.

             
“Watch out!” Cherin shouted.

             
Zehlyr turned just as the demon sprang from behind a low shrub. The creature tackled him to the ground, knocking the air from his lungs and pinning him to the wet earth.

             
“Kill it!” Cherin shouted frantically at Sunrise. The elf had his hands up with lightning bolts crossing between them, but he didn’t deliver the blow.

             
“They’re too close!” he said in a panic. “It would kill them both!”

             
Cherin turned back to Zehlyr. His little brother struggled to free his arms as the creature opened its mouth wide. He could see the light burning from its throat. It was far dimmer than it had been, but still more than enough to spell Zehlyr’s end. Letting out a cry of rage, Cherin sprang forward with his arms outstretched. Before anyone could stop him, he raced head-on into the demon’s side.

             
“No!” Viyana cried out.

             
Striking the creature with all his might, Cherin tackled the demon. He pulled its fiery body off of his brother and they both fell into the mud. As soon as they struck the ground, the demon rolled on top of the brave human. Zehlyr fought frantically with the slippery ground to get back to his feet. He ran towards his brother as the creature raised its large, black paw. He was only one step away—one precious step—when the demon’s claws came down onto Cherin’s chest. The sound of the impact could be heard over the driving rain, and the cry of pain the he let out was even louder.