Nightfall (Book 1) (18 page)

“Should we not continue toward Baso Argi?” I added, when no one answered my sister's query. The guards and wizard had all dismounted and were preparing a campsite for both dinner and sleep.

“It is likely that someone has set an ambush so we wait ‘til dawn, or to take them where we are,” Alesander explained.

Since lying down I had steadily grown more tense, and though it was long past midnight I was unable to sleep. A twig snapped and I sprang to my feet, I flung my blanket to the side and drew my sword in one, swift movement. Facing the direction from which the sound had come, I barely kept the dagger in my other hand from flying, before I recognized the perpetrator. It was Erlantz.

After my surprise had passed and he had come close enough for whispered speech I asked, “What are you doing?”

“I cannot sleep. Sorry for disturbing you,” he replied, bobbing his head.

“It is fine. I cannot sleep either.” We both heard a soft, whistling sound, ringing through the darkness, but I did not understand its meaning.

“Duck,” the guard said sharply. His warning was a second late and an arrow lodged itself in my left shoulder; my pain-filled yell woke the rest of our group and they all reacted to the sound as I had to the snapping branch. Never having contemplated the consequences of pulling an arrowhead from my flesh, I ripped it out. After that the use of barbs on the backs of arrowheads made complete sense—just how stupid would your enemy have to be to try and yank out an arrow? The arrow’s withdrawal hurt worse than its entry and I could not help but wonder how many of my companions had witnessed my stupidity.

I threw the offensive arrow into the fire pit and then our enemy was upon us. The attackers were mere men and, though they fought better than any I knew, they were no match for our combined strength. At one point I thought that one of the men was going to try and escape, but one of the guards sent a dagger flying toward him with perfect aim. I failed to notice that I was bleeding profusely so I let my shoulder wound pass unchecked through the length of the attack. My vision started to go blurry as I fought one of the last few men and shortly after Sendoa severed the head of the last one, I fainted from blood loss.

~ ~ ~

The first time I tried to sit up, the world spun hectically about me, so I waited for it to calm down. As soon as I managed to fully sit up I asked of Izar and Alaia (who were the only ones visibly present), “What happened?” I had never before fainted and found it deeply humiliating.

“You fainted,” Izar said bluntly.

“So very kind of you to state the obvious,” I said sarcastically.

Then Alaia added, “From loss of blood.” I decided that that was as good a reason as I could get for passing out, so I let it go, with a slight nod of my head in acknowledgment. I realized that my shirt was off and I had a bandage wrapped in a weird fashion around my left shoulder, secured under my arms.

“Is it healed yet?” I asked, because I could not feel any pain from the arrow wound.

“Almost.” Koldobika suddenly appeared and knelt at my side. “Do you remember what happened?”

I pulled my eyebrows together. “Yes. Why would I not?”

“I am only confirming that you are well.”

“Oh.” I looked around and realized that Argiñe Bakar stood about ten feet away, but the guards were nowhere to be seen. I asked the wizard where they were and he replied that they were burying the men who had attacked us.

“Why not just burn them?” I asked.

“Few of the men who serve Zigor choose to do so willingly—I believe that they deserve a bit of decency. And we would not have been able to make a large enough fire in the middle of the forest without a clearing.” I nodded, as I realized that Koldobika was right, in all aspects of what he had just said. The reminder, that many of the King’s warriors did not choose willingly to be such, brought Arrats to the front of my mind.

“Can we leave for Caernadvall as soon as we return to Baso Argi?” I asked hopefully.

“I am not sure.” That was all he would say and I left it alone because just then the guards walked through the trees to where we were and it was time to saddle up and be on our way. Unlike the pine forests to the North, the oaks of the Oihana created a thick canopy, such that we could make it from one end to the other without being seen by anything above the treetops. We did not have to worry much about spies watching our progress, or scouts attacking us in the middle of the night because—although, with each step we took, we drew nearer the enemy—we steadily drew deeper into our own territory, and the only manner in which Zigor’s hosts would be able to pass into our inner borders was in the form of an army.

~ ~ ~

The next three days that it took us to reach Baso Argi went peacefully and when we arrived the place looked the same as when we had left, with the same wide range of beings walking its dirt and cobblestoned streets. The only difference was that the people carried more weapons and armor with them wherever they went. Though they seemed lighthearted and possibly ignorant of the threat that loomed without the safety of their beautiful home, the creatures were all very aware of it and there was a solid look of determination in their bright eyes. However, quick to smile, and friendly in passing, they kept the haven peaceful and joyous.

Argiñe was again riding with me as we rode into the haven so I was thankful that, when the people noticed Alaia, my newest comrade was not in the center of their attention. Everyone who was not busy gathered around Izar’s horse to greet the dragonlady and let her know that she had been missed and worried over in her absence. Even many of those who had been busy left their various jobs and, as we approached, joined the growing crowd which moved slowly toward the East side of the haven.

Balendin began shouting of my heroism with the
meir cats and from the other side of the crowd Alesander began singing my praises over the slaying of the demon Lord. If my skin had been any lighter, my face would have turned red as spilt blood. Argiñe tensed behind me as the crowds enclosed us in their numbers, the people praised and congratulated me on my successes. I looked back at her to see her dark eyes flickering across the many ranged faces. “It is alright,” I said. “They will not attack us.” She still did not relax, so I continued, “We are amongst friends.” The warrior finally nodded her head, satisfied by my words.

Because of the crowds it took us a while to reach the Eastern half of the haven and a few unlucky people managed to get pushed into the river as we made our way over the bridge. Otherwise, the throng was well behaved and dissipated once we neared Basajaun’s dwelling. He welcomed Argiñe warmly and then asked of Alaia what the rest of us had already learned.

Alaia began, “A dark and terrible storm of wind had been brewing the day that I left Caernadvall, and in my hurry to reach Baso Argi I decided to risk flying. As I took off from the Wall, the winds gripped me and I was unable whatsoever to control my flight. I am not sure how long it took the winds to carry me to the Eguzki desert. I was tired, beaten, and hungry when Argiñe found me, near death, under the fierce heat of the sun.

“Sometime during the storm, my wings were torn to shreds by hail, and though our friend Argiñe is a great healer, it was impossible to completely mend them, so I could not make it back on my own.” With a grateful look on her face for the warrior who had done all she could for her, Alaia said that that was all that had happened, up until our arrival.

After the tales had been told and everyone’s questions had been answered as far as they could, we all departed to our homes. Alaia insisted that Argiñe was welcome in her home and the guards bid each of us farewell. The four elves had become close friends to each of us and it was sad parting ways with them, not knowing if—or when—we might have the chance to meet again. Having been distracted by the crowds and recited accounts, I had forgotten to ask Basajaun if I could leave for Caernadvall and, although my friends had been momentarily absent from my waking thoughts, they were very much present in my dreams.

~ ~ ~

Three dark figures crept through the shadows caused by the buildings and immobile objects on the streets of Caernadvall. They crept toward a hut and after entering it, their muffled voices floated quietly in the night air. Eventually the three shadows left the hut, only to find that they were expected. A group of ten of Zigor’s Guards surrounded them. They knew that they were outnumbered and so did not bother to fight.

The Guards' leader said a few words—though he had to growl them again when none of the three would give a reply. Finally they answered the Guard’s question and he grabbed the arm of one of the youths. Leaving the other two, he and his men walked away, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

The two left behind just stood there, shocked by what had just happened, and wondered how on earth the Guards were able to know what they obviously did. Suddenly realizing that they were standing in the middle of the moonlit street long after the law said they were supposed to be indoors, Ekaitz and Eskarne disappeared amongst the shadows.

~ ~ ~

When I awoke I could not help but feel angry. Other dreams had followed the one concerning my friends, but it had securely latched itself into my mind. I could only hope that the dream had not actually come to pass, and that it had only been brought on by my fear of the event in it actually taking place. I heaved myself from the low bed and walked into the main room of my home. Izar did not answer my call so I guessed that she was either asleep or had left already, resuming her job as a messenger.

I grabbed only my sword and headed toward the elf Lord’s dwelling to see if I could speak with him for a moment. Basajaun had just exited his home and was headed for the West half of the village when I approached him. As soon as he noticed me, he motioned for me to join him. “Did you sleep well?” he asked. I supposed, from the look on his face, that he could see the dissipating anger in my eyes.

“Yes,” I answered truthfully. “But I was wondering when you thought would be a good time for me to return to Caernadvall for my friends.”

“Ah. Your worries over the eldest of them trouble you?”

“Yes.” I looked away from him and at my beautiful surroundings, telling myself that it was not the elf Lord’s fault that their rescue had been put off, and to not be angry with him. I returned my gaze to Basajaun’s face. “I have a strong feeling that I may already be too late.”

The elf pondered my words for a moment, then said, “If you must leave us, then you may, but I would ask that you wait at least until tomorrow—to get some amount of rest—and that you think over a few companions to take with you.” I nodded my head, acknowledging his council.

“I will. Thank you.” I bowed my head and parted ways with the elf, turning toward the fields where both archers and swordsmen were busy honing their skills to a point far beyond deadly.

~ ~ ~

My sister found me a number of hours later, still practicing with my sword against the nineteenth person who had challenged me that day; sweat dripped from my brow and stung my eyes as I avoided Mattin’s blows and then dealt my own. We eventually came to a truce because neither of us could outfight the other. Mattin, through my tutoring, was finally gaining greater endurance and I was already worn out from the endless duels. As soon as our duel was over, Izar walked to us and asked what had been bet that time.

Mattin blushed slightly at her hinted reference to our infamous duel. I got a sneaking suspicion that the elf liked my sister, though if he did I would not have been surprised—Izar was kind and she had the striking beauty of our mother. So many of the male elves our age favored her, and just about everyone else admired her good looks, her courage, and her wisdom.

“No bets this time,” I chuckled, but then grew serious. “I am leaving tomorrow.”

Mattin raised an eyebrow. “But you just returned from rescuing Alaia.”

“Yes,” my sister said.

“It is not another rescue mission, is it?”

Izar looked at me and I said, “Again, yes. It is to Caernadvall, this time, that I go.” Mattin decided that nothing more than a simple ‘Oh’ needed to be said. “You are still planning on coming with me, are you not?” I asked my sister. She nodded, and pulled out her sword, with a teasing smile on her face, for me. I groaned. “Are you serious? Do you have any idea how long I have been here already?”

“How many times was he beaten?” Izar asked Mattin, ignoring my complaints entirely. The other boy just smiled slightly; he knew—that she knew—that
 I could not easily be beaten. I slowly slid my sword back from its sheath and took my favored stance, facing my sister. The small section of my thoughts that employed common sense was telling me not to duel her and give my tired muscles a respite, but I could not turn down a duel—especially against my own sister.

As I slid back into the routine of blocking and stabbing—always looking for the chance to overpower Izar—my muscles started screaming in protest of having to be used. For the sake of my pride I should have just turned down my sister’s offer because—after probably five minutes that seemed much, much longer—I blacked out and fell to the ground, giving Izar an automatic victory.

As it was, I think I should have stayed unconscious for much longer than I did, since being in such a state seemed to be becoming the norm for me. An ironic thought that passed through my mind, when I finally came to, was that I was most likely going to pass out when I finally had the chance to confront Zigor. I could see myself charging toward him, my battle sword raised above my head for the imminent kill. I would then trip and crack my skull on the stone pavement of Caernadvall’s streets, or have my weapon blown away from me with a blast of pure magic and then some unexpected object would make thudding contact with my head and I would collapse in an unconscious heap on the ground. Zigor would then approach, with evil glee, to put an end to my life, and the freedom I stood for. Luckily though, that was no more than a stray thought that flitted through my mind.