Shadow Assassins (The Second Realm Trilogy) (15 page)

Another moment of unspoken gratitude passed between them. The horse was for more than just helping the tribe out, it was also for saving D'jerik's life. Not that the elf warrior would ever admit that, Marco thought.

It took Marco a little longer to understand how to climb on the horse and how to direct him. Evangeline laughed at him, but admitted that she too was new at riding. Luckily, the prince made for a great teacher. He gave some good advice and started them off at a slow trot, when they set off.

Marco glanced behind him as they left the elf colony. Through the trees, he could see elves coming out of houses to help organize the chaos that the battle had left behind. Part of him didn't feel right just leaving the elf colony behind. Maybe that was what compelled Kaleb to stay behind with the werecats Evangeline had mentioned.

Before Oraldine was out of sight for Marco, he caught sight of a familiar elf. Camira was at the edge of the woods, one hand raised in farewell. He studied her form for a moment, taking her in and committing her to memory. Only after that did he raise a hand to her in response, watching her until she was out of sight.

Chapter Fourteen

The journey to the First Realm was going to be a grim one. Dirk didn't like accepting defeat but after failing to find the Shadow Assassins, he felt as though the doctor should know. It wasn't going to be a happy meeting but that was expected.

His passage to the First Realm was to be cleared by the afternoon. It was going to be an unexpected visit on the doctor's part and Dirk could only hope that Dr. Fyrn was available to speak.

As Dirk was going through a small wardrobe filled with his collection of “First Realm street clothes,” there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” he called absently.

At the door was one of the gate guards. Charged with not letting strangers inside the castle or students outside of the castle without clearance, the guards were rarely roaming the halls of the school. The guard that stepped into the room looked hurried and somewhat panicked.

“What is it?” Dirk asked as he pulled a leather jacket off of a hanger.

“Strangers have shown up on school grounds and His Royal Highness, Prince Erik of Emeralde is traveling with them as a guide!” the guard seemed to be in a state of shock. “His Royal Highness has informed me that he is escorting two of your guests up here and they request entrance!”

That got Dirk's attention.

Forgetting about the leather jacket, Dirk glanced at the rather short man before him. “Well, what are you waiting for? Let them in!”

That was all the clearance the guard needed. He ran right out of the door as fast as he had run in. Dirk followed behind in his wake, at a calmer pace. There was no reason to hurry, not with the rush the guard was in.

The guard was correct. Within the main entrance of the school stood three people, two of which were familiar. The large double doors stood wide open, as if they had just been let inside. Sunlight streamed through the stained glass set in the enormous wooden doors, shining down on his visitors. Marco and Evangeline looked a little worse for wear, a little battle-worn, but they still looked around the main entrance with awe. The man beside them looked regal as he stood still and Dirk only recognized him as His Royal Highness Prince Erik from his travels.

He bowed first to the prince, as was expected,
then turned to the two he had been looking forward to seeing.

“Marco, Evangeline!” he called to them. “Welcome to Moonriver.”

The two seemed beyond relieved to see him.

“Dirk!
You have
no
idea of how good it is to see you,” Marco said with a bit of a dark laugh.

“First off, my apologies for the rough landing.
You didn't emerge from the portal in my office, as you were supposed to,” he said as he met up with them. Noting the absence of the other Assassins, he added, “Where are the others?”

“Kaleb is in Kkyathi,” Evangeline explained. “We haven't seen Kaydee yet.”

The silence that followed was heavy with worry.

Dirk cleared his throat,
then ordered for one of the guards to fetch the stable master, to take care of their three horses. After assuring them that their horses were in good care, he escorted them through the castle, up to his office.

As he walked with them, he spoke of how they were separated. “The only thing I can think of is that thing that attacked us. It had to
have sabotaged the portal somehow. We were supposed to land in my office.”

“We were most definitely
not
in your office,” Evangeline said grimly.

“Where were you?”

Evangeline heaved a sigh, then recounted her adventures with the prince. She nodded to Marco, when she mentioned how they had found each other, then Marco explained what had happened to him and how the prince had escorted them to Moonriver.

“Well, we are fortunate to be in the presence of such a noble prince,” Dirk said, pausing in front of his office to look at Erik. “You have my thanks, for escorting them here.”

The prince nodded. “I did what I thought was right, that's all.”

“You're more than welcome here, if you would like to stay,” Dirk offered him.
“Unless you're heading back to the castle?”

Erik hesitated,
then glanced towards Evangeline. “I think I should stay here, if that is alright. Maybe I can contribute to the search for lady Evangeline's lost companions?”

“Man, you must want in her pants bad,” Marco commented, mostly to himself.

“I...beg your pardon?” Prince Erik seemed confused at Marco's wording, unfamiliar with the vernacular Marco spoke with.

Evangeline stepped in, alarmed at what Marco was saying. She gave her friend a very
gentle
nudge in the ribs. “Ignore him,” she said. “We'd love your help.”



The Kkyathi loved their parties. Kaleb had watched them set up as the sun climbed higher and higher into the sky. The animals killed during earlier hunts were cooked and the smell of the seasoned and cooked meat made Kaleb's mouth water. The social fire was lit once more as warriors and craftsmen took a break from their daily duties to celebrate their newest warrior's arrival.

Kaleb was even fitted for new armor to be made. One of the male warriors had scoffed at his outfit, wondering how it would protect him in battle when it looked like it couldn't even fight off a cold breeze. Despite his initial protest at first, he stood still as he was measured and fitted, before the man who made leather armor promised him a fine set to be made.

There were plenty of warriors that lined up to congratulate him. Some of the warriors Kaleb remembered fighting next to and helping out. They gave him the warmest greetings. Others were familiar faces, but people who had no real connection to him. They still greeted him warmly enough.

Despite the air of celebration, he couldn't help but feel as though he was in the wrong place. The Kkyathi were warm and friendly to him, which was everything he had been looking forward to. He didn't really feel at home even among his fellow Assassins. He still carried that chip on his shoulder from his family's problems with his powers. He still expected people to leave him for what he was. The Kkyathi, on the other hand, were similar enough to him that he could really connect with them – and they warmly welcomed him into the tribe.

Despite that, when he thought about how Evangeline had left him, he couldn't help but think that he should have gone with her. She was his co-worker after all. Co-worker, friend, roommate, teammate. A small surge of guilt hit him as he thought over what he and the rest of the Assassins had been through together. He had abandoned that for a sense of belonging that he hadn't gotten with them, even with everything that had happened. Unfortunately, Evangeline had already gone ahead without him. It was too late to take the moment back, now.

As various men and women began to gather food onto a series of tables and other roughly made platforms, a scream pierced the air.

The warriors were on instant alert, standing straighter, eyes alert. As the area around the social fire fell into a haunted silence, Kaleb heard the sound of hooves. Many hooves.

“Emeralde's knights have returned!”

All it took was that one phrase to awaken the panic within the others. Those who weren't warriors gathered their family and sought refuge in their tents and cabins. The warriors sprang into action, gathering near the social fire as one unit. Kaleb joined them.

“A whole battalion is here!” one of the warriors said to Kirrah, who was in the center of the warrior cluster. “Not just a small party like last time.”

“They're prepared for a full war,” Kirrah said, her eyes narrowing. “Vengeance for their fallen brothers.”

“They have twice as many warriors as we do!” the same warrior pointed out.

Kirrah glanced up, watching as knight after knight approached on the horizon. There must have been over a hundred men approaching, each on horseback, each armed with a deadly sword, bow or other weapon. These men were the Grim Reaper in silver armor, spelling death for her fighters.

“This is too much for us to handle,” she finally said. “Not all of our villagers can fight.”

Before her warriors could get too rowdy, she snapped them to attention, ordering them to guard the tents and cabins that their fellow men were in.

“Defend your families and loved ones, my warriors!”

With a roar, the warriors flooded around the dwellings, some transforming as they went. The roars of great feline beasts filled the air, making the horses along the front lines of Emeralde's army hesitate just slightly, before they were pushed on by the men riding them.

With the warriors dispersed, Kirrah turned to Kaleb. “Can you find your friend?
The one who just left. With any luck, she's still in Oraldine territory. See if you can talk to the elves and if they will take in Kkyathi refugees. They've helped us before and we have helped them; a mutual agreement exists between our tribes. Will you do it?”

“Don't worry about me, take care of your men,” Kaleb said with a nod. With that, he focused on his transformation again, shifting into the form of a falcon once more. When he was fully formed, he
stretched his wings and took off into the air and away from the battle that was brewing.

Stay safe, everyone,
he thought as he flew off.



Kirrah watched Kaleb as he took off, before she turned back to the situation at hand. Emeralde's knights had spread evenly over the path leading to the forest. They formed a neat row, separated only by trees. She saw a man she recognized as one of the war leaders of the army, having fought him before. He must have been here to avenge his fallen brothers.

Despite her warriors' protests, she approached the knights slowly, hands up in a gesture of peace.

“Warriors of Emeralde, why do you gather on Kkyathi land?” she asked, her voice ringing through the trees.

There was a stirring among the knights, as if wondering why this woman was addressing them.

“We will not address a child!” the war leader said. “Send your general or chieftain out to speak with us; do not let them hide like cowards!”

General
must have been their term for leader of the warriors. “I lead these warriors you see before you! You will speak to me!”

Another wave of low-rumbling voices ensued at this comment. Kirrah couldn't see their leader behind his shining helmet but disgust was all too clear in his voice.

“Stand down peacefully then and let us conduct our business without interference!”

“What business do you have on our land?” she asked, dreading the answer.

The answer was just as she had feared. The knights were under the king's orders to arrest those with magical power. The whole tribe was considered to have magical power, being what they were, as the knight said. The tribe was expected to surrender peacefully, where they would be arrested, detained and held for trial for
crimes against the king
and
endangering the kingdom.

“That doesn't even make sense!” Kirrah protested. “We don't even go into your territory.
You're
the ones who invaded our land!”

“This is not up for discussion!” the knight snapped. “Surrender or face the swords of the Emeralde army!”

This isn't good,
Kirrah thought, glancing around. The knights outnumbered her warriors and there were still innocent families here who couldn't do much to defend themselves except transform. The children weren't even at their first moon yet, the stage in their life where they could transform. The children in particular were helpless.

Battle was inevitable. The knights were itching for a fight and if she even so much as raised a hand, they would take it as an attack. If they attacked, her warriors would declare war, without her needing to say anything. The warriors wanted to defend their home just as much as she did.
Bad situation to be caught in.

Kaleb, you better get here, soon,
she thought, in silent prayer.