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AFTER SCRAMBLING UP the steep valley for hours, they finally reached a saddle between two peaks and the pass across to the other side. As the ground levelled out, the far side of the pass beckoned to her and Rebecca spurred her horse into a trot, impatient to finally cross the mountains that had blocked them for far too long. The long shadows cast by the rising sun and the peaks behind her left the lower mountains and the plains beyond in darkness, waiting for the sun to rise far enough to illuminate them. Varya chuckled at her thoughts.
"As the plains wait, so too does the world."
"What do you mean by that?"
"The plains wait for the sun to chase away the darkness of the night." Varya explained. "And the world waits on you to chase away the darkness of this demon."
Rebecca scowled at the thought. They were still so far from reaching that goal, so much still standing in their way.
"We still need the Spear." she murmured. "Without it we don't have a chance."
Varya sighed through her head, her sense of disappointment clear.
"Have faith in yourself and the Path." she whispered.
"Have faith." Rebecca muttered sourly. "The demons have done everything they can to keep us on the wrong side of these mountains..."
"And yet they have not stopped you." Varya interrupted. "They have delayed you and fought you every step of the way, yet look where you are now."
Rebecca looked around, sighing with relief at the sight of the pass widening around her. Clusters of dark boulders stood sentinel over a narrow field that sloped gently down away from her, the brown grasses dusted with patches of light snow.
"We made it." she breathed, pausing to take in the view.
"Keep your eyes open." William growled, cantering up beside her. "I get the feeling that the mountains aren't done with us just yet."
Rebecca glanced at him, frowning as she let her senses wander on the wind.
"I don't feel anything." she told him.
He shook his head and jerked his thumb back over his shoulder.
"That mess that you caused last night." he told her. "Now that the wind has died down, they'll be coming after us."
The reminder of what had happened only a few hours ago irritated her. That it wasn't the first time he had said it only made her irritation worse and her fathers preoccupation with his simmering grudge against the One God followers was starting to drive her crazy.
"Why is that my fault?" Rebecca snapped. "He tried to..."
"I know." William interrupted. "And if I had been there to witness, it wouldn't be a problem."
Rebecca's scowl deepened, everything William had told her about the One God Church at the forefront of her mind.
"It's because I shot him instead of you, isn't it." she said sullenly.
William nodded, his eyebrow raised at her tone.
"A woman killing a man is a capital offence, even if it is in self defence."
Rebecca looked away, letting her gaze drift over the brightening landscape. The rising sun stained the patchy snow around them red, the peaks in the distance catching fire in the dawn light as it cleared the pass.
"Capital offence?" Rebecca asked softly.
"Death by fire." William informed her in disgust. "A punishment reserved solely for women."
Rebecca fell silent, contemplating the idea. The time her hands had been burned by Terrence had been agony, though her recovery had been sped up by Varya. The thought of having her entire body engulfed in flames made her feel sick. The smell of roasting flesh intruded on her thoughts, an unwanted memory from her childhood rising to attach itself to the thought. She gagged, struggling to stay on her horse. William reached over to steady her in the saddle, a worried look on his face.
"I'm alright." she murmured.
"I'm sorry I brought it up." William replied. "Their punishments against women are a little more brutal than we are used to."
"Brutal?" Rebecca said faintly. "Our prison system allows for hanging only for the worst crimes."
Rebecca's sickness suddenly intensified And William reined his horse in, an alarmed look crossing his face. Their conversation was swiftly forgotten as they both realised what the feeling meant.
"But we're over the pass." Rebecca moaned in despair. "Surely they won't find a way to make us turn back."
"Shadows." Daniel called from behind them. "Dozens waiting in the trees below."
"It's dawn." William ground out. "Sun isn't high enough yet to truly bother them."
At Daniel's call, Rebecca had let her mind wander with the wind. The relief she had felt at getting over the pass had blinded her to anything else but now with greater focus she found what Daniel was warning them of.
"There is more than just Shadows down there." she said softly, her eyes closed as she sifted through what she could sense. "Something else is blocking me from seeing further than the edge of the trees."
William stared down toward the still dark forest below them, the corner of his mouth pulled down into a frown. The impenetrable shadow beneath the low spreading pines looked ominous and he knew that the darkness would aid the Shadows long after the sun rose. The long stretch of open rocky scree between the top of the pass and the trees was their only protection and if the Shadows were coerced into attacking, they would have to cross that before the sun rose high enough to light it. He grimaced when he realised they didn't have any good options to choose from.
"We can wait until the sun rises." he finally said. "There's no point going after them while they still have the dark to their advantage."
William left Katherine and Daniel to keep watch on the forest below and the pass they had just come through while he and Rebecca herded the horses into a circle of rocks.
"Do you think they will attack?" he asked her as they drew stone from the ground into a rough corral to keep the horses from bolting. The nervous animals hadn't yet recovered from their terror during the night and the close proximity of the Shadows had them spooked.
Rebecca glanced down at the still dark tree line, shivering slightly in the cold air. For a brief moment the shadows beneath the trees undulated and she shivered again. It was getting hard to tell the difference between true shade and the Shadows.
"I don't think they will wait long." she muttered, tearing her eyes away from the trees and concentrating on drawing another stone post from the soil. "I still can't feel much other than a general uneasiness. Something down there has enough power to block me."
William nodded absently, most of his concentration on the job at hand. "I can't feel much either." he agreed. "The fact that they've come so close without me feeling them worries me."
He stopped to look down the slope to where Katherine stood guard, her shotgun resting on her shoulder. Understanding the worry written across his face, Rebecca reached out to put a hand on his arm.
"Go down to her." she told him with a faint smile. "We've almost finished here and I can finish this."
Glancing briefly at the horses now securely penned in, William nodded and straightened.
"Thank you." he said gruffly, pulling her in to brush a kiss across the top of her head.
Rebecca watched him dust his hands off and slowly make his way down the slope, shaking her head and smiling in mild amusement. His brief show of affection was something new and she wondered if he was finally figuring out how to open up and be a father. Her gaze drifted beyond William and Katherine to the edge of the forest. The sight of the Shadows undulating at the tree line wiped the smile from her face quickly and her hand crept down to touch the revolver holstered at her thigh.
"You did not tell him."
Rebecca sighed at the accusation in Varya's voice.
"Would it make any difference?" she asked. "What I felt could be wrong."
Drawing up a last post, she glanced toward her father standing beside Katherine, the two of them with their backs to her as they faced the danger lurking in the forest.
"You know it is not and it will not be long before they come." Varya whispered in her head. "You can feel the demon that waits under the trees. You recognise the feel of it."
Rebecca sighed, her head dropping in dismay. Little as she wanted to believe it, Varya was right. Having felt it twice already, it was becoming an unwelcome but familiar ache in her mind.
"The Messenger." she muttered. "It's come back."
"I fear that it will continue to haunt us." Varya whispered sourly. "Until we banish its Master, it will plague us incessantly."
Resting her hand against the stone pillar she had just erected, Rebecca fought to keep the feeling of rising despair from overcoming her. She pushed it aside with difficulty, forcing herself to face the forest and stare at the Shadows that were now seeping past the edge of the trees.
"I was afraid you were going to say that." she murmured heavily.
The sun was just touching the tops of the trees below them when the Shadows sprang from the forest into the open ground that separated them. William and Katherine had already drawn back toward the corral, standing in the meagre sunlight filtering over the pass. Daniel stood with a rifle at the top of the pass, his attention focused back down the valley they had come up. Rebecca caressed the revolver at her left hip, the wooden grip warm beneath her palm. Her hand slipped away as she watched the Shadows flow up the slope towards her.
"Fire to cleanse the world of their taint." Varya whispered through her head.
"We are alone up here." Rebecca agreed softly. "We need to finish them quickly."
Cool air swirled around her as a fireball ignited in her hand, light voices whispering urgently in her ear as the breeze tugged at her bound hair.
"Men come."
Grimacing at the whispered news brought on the breeze, Rebecca closed her fingers round the fireball, extinguishing it with a thought as her free hand drew a revolver.
"Damn them." she hissed. "Those damned One God followers can't simply let it go."
"You did shoot their leader." Varya reminded her. "I could have incinerated him instead. There would have been nothing for them to find but ash in the wind."
Rebecca scowled. She had to concede that it would have been far quieter to burn the man rather than shoot him. Lifting the revolver, she sighted on the closest Shadow.
"Too late for that now."
William and Katherine both fired before her, the rapid crack of William's revolvers sounding sharply over the deeper booming of Katherine's shotgun. Rebecca strode purposely toward them, her own revolver barking out in chorus. The Shadows hesitated as the bullets struck home, howling and screeching in pain at the temporary damage they had caused.
"We aren't going to hold them at bay long this way." William told her gruffly when she arrived at his side, his long fingers deftly pushing new cartridges into empty chambers. "Time for your Elemental to go to work."
Rebecca fired her last round and tucked an empty revolver under her arm, breaking open the other to reload. She was nowhere near as fast as William, but with the recent practice, she was getting better.
"The men from the caravan are close." she replied, closing the first revolver and breaking open the second. "If they see me do it they will shoot us out of hand."
Thumbing back the hammer on his reloaded weapon, William shrugged. "Death by bullet or death by Shadow. I know which I prefer."
Rebecca nodded shortly and holstered her reloaded revolvers. William was right. Her hands tingled as twin fireballs ignited in her palms, their light casting a glow over her face.
"Better death than subservience." she agreed flatly, casting the fireballs into the oncoming Shadows.
The sharp crack of a rifle behind her made Rebecca pause and look around, her eyes searching for Daniel at the top of the pass. Relief flushed through her when she saw him crouched safely behind a boulder, his hands swiftly working the lever action of his rifle. She watched as he brought it to his shoulder and fired again in one smooth motion, ducking out of sight before the caravan team could return fire.
"He'll hold them off as long as he can." William shouted to her. "We need to clear these Shadows before we can help him."
She gave Daniel a final glance before turning back to the flood of Shadows that were swarming up the scree slope from the trees below. Fire sprang to life in her hands and she cast it wide, sending a fan of flames rolling down the slope to engulf the Shadows. Their dying screams echoed across the mountain face but more came behind them, a horde of darkness relentlessly flowing uphill.
Daniel watched the men climb the trail below him, their heads down as they laboured upward. He estimated that they would be at the top of the pass in fifteen minutes at the rate they were climbing, perhaps less if the Shadows attacked before then and Rebecca was forced to fight. Any noise from the three people behind him would alert the men below and bring them up the pass quicker. He looked back over his shoulder at the shadowy treeline, shivering at the feel of something terrible hiding behind the waiting Shadows. The wind whispered its fears to him in passing, bringing him what news it could. What it told him made his stomach clench in horror.
"It comes a third time." they whispered. "Grey fur, long claws."
He groaned at their bad luck, his gaze drifting to Rebecca. Fighting off this demon had caused her to burn out every time they had encountered it. She had given everything she could to banish it each time, only for it to return. He looked downhill at where she waited, her coat tied back so she had free and clear access to the revolvers at her hip. The defiant tilt of her head as the wind caught her hair and blew it over her shoulder made him smile faintly. Despite his worry for her he knew that she would stand and face whatever was coming without backing down. The last two times the demon had faced her had proved that, but it didn't stop him worrying. There had to be a limit to how often someone could burn out, and if what she had told him was anything to go by, it had been far too often in such a short space of time.
"She will survive." the wind assured him. "We shall lend her our strength."
"We will all need your strength before the end of the day." he muttered sourly.
He was abruptly torn from his thoughts by the loud crack of a rifle and the face of the boulder in front of him exploded in a cloud of razor sharp rock chips. The demented buzzing whine of a ricochet sounded loud in his ears and he recoiled at the sting of the flying chips cutting into his face. For a moment the stinging pain made him think that he had been shot but the sudden storm of shooting from both in front and behind him drove the idea from his mind. Wiping his hand across his face he looked down at it to find only minor bloody smears across his palm. Pushing the pain aside, he glanced back once more to Rebecca. The sight of the opposite end of the pass drenched in flames left him in no doubt that there would be no help for him from there and he turned his attention back to the advancing caravan team. To his dismay he saw they were spreading out from the single file they had been climbing in, searching for cover amongst the rocks and stunted trees below. Taking a moment to check the breech of his rifle, Daniel settled behind his boulder and lined up his sights on the closest man.
For a quarter of an hour Rebecca, William and Katherine held off the Shadow's assault. When the sun rose high enough to begin lighting the slope, their attack faltered and Rebecca breathed a sigh of relief. The constant use of her ability was draining her and several times she had almost lost control of the flames that she had sent down on the Shadows. The breath that she took in was heavy with smoke and the treeline below her was badly singed. Her hope that the sun would end the battle was short lived however as a fresh wave of Shadows sprang from the trees and surged up the slope. Almost immediately she saw that their attack was different, the way they angled across the slope toward William and Katherine showing that they were now unwilling to attack her directly.
Before she could do anything about this change, a howl echoed up the pass and Rebecca peered through the smoke to see what made the blood curdling noise. She paled under the soot stains across her face at the sight of the creature that rushed from the forest, her heart skipping a beat. The thick grey fur of the demon blended in with the smoke, its long legs powering it up the slope in bounding leaps. A fireball sprang to life in her hand and she hurled it at the demon. It snarled when its dodge didn't quite take it out of the fireball's path, flames singeing its fur away down its left flank. Drawing itself up to its full height, Rebecca was alarmed to see it stood well over seven feet, its long arms hanging down to its backward hinged knees. With William and Katherine hemmed in by Shadows and Daniel under fire from the men hunting them, she was alone with the demon as it stalked toward her.
"We meet again, mortal." it snarled out loud, its voice harsh and low. "I promised to end you last time we met."
Fireballs ignited in Rebecca’s hands and the demon stopped, eyeing the roiling flames warily.
"I've sent you back twice already." Rebecca hissed, raking her gaze down the burned skin of the demon. "I can do it again."
The demon's eyes didn't leave the fires dancing in her hands, its own hands flexing so that its claws extended.
"You do not have the power to bind me eternally." it returned contemptuously. "My return is proof of the futility of standing in His way."
Rebecca grimaced at the pain that its voice caused in her head, its hissing cadence burning her ears.
"You cannot win." it growled. "He is coming. You would be better to join us before you are destroyed."
"Never!"
The denial roared from her throat as the fireballs burst into towering white flames that engulfed her body. The demon recoiled and Rebecca laughed, the sound harsh in the cold air. She was certain the flames that surrounded her looked impressive, yet they danced coolly against her skin and left her clothes untouched.
"You'll have to fight me, demon." she hissed. "We'll see who reaches the clearing first."
The demon stepped back uncertainly, its eyes narrowing as they raked across her.
"You have grown." it murmured. "Perhaps I should leave you for my master to deal with."
Rebecca stepped forward, the demon immediately retreating to keep its distance.
"Afraid?" she taunted it.
The demon tossed its shaggy head, a faint sneer spreading across its muzzle.
"No." it denied firmly. "Only I am sure my master will enjoy the sport of killing you himself. Why should I deny him the pleasure?"
Rebecca advanced again, the demon backing away further with each step she took. The white fire dancing across her skin held it enthralled though it was clear that it no longer wanted to close the distance to engage her. Rebecca let some of the fire dim, gathering it in her hands in preparation.
"I don't believe you." she taunted. "You are afraid because you know that I can end you forever."
The demon did not retreat when she stepped forward again, its gaze drawn to a point beyond her shoulder. A faint mocking smile stretched across its pointed jaw as its eyes came back to her face.
"I am not afraid." it hissed. "And I will send you to the clearing before the hour is out."
Pain suddenly flared across Rebecca’s head, searing hot agony blinding her and dropping her to her knees. As the white fire that surrounded her blinked out, the demon howled in triumph, the sound making Rebecca force her eyes open, her vision blurry through blood and tears. The demon closed the last few steps between them, its claws extended and reaching for her throat. The pain in her head bored into her skull, sapping the last of her will and she fell on her side, her eyes remaining open and staring at the gleeful demon until the darkness took her.
The battle raging behind him sounded like it was going as well as his lone stand was. Daniel crouched behind a new boulder further up the slope from where he had started. He had delayed the caravan's advance for fifteen minutes but he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold out. He bitterly wished that the caravan had been smaller when they had set out, or that the tempest that had torn through the valley during the night had thinned their numbers. Unfortunately it had not and the twenty men that had reached the pass were grimly determined to avenge their leader's death. Daniel had already dropped eight of them but the rest were stubbornly pushing on, pinning him down with their return fire. His previous position had become too dangerous as the caravan had spread out to flank him, forcing him to climb the steep side of the pass, giving ground reluctantly. Wearily he called on the Air again, his eyes never leaving his rifle sights.
"I can't hold them back." he muttered. "I need your help."
Their answer was the same as it had been the last time he had asked.
"We cannot intentionally harm a human."
Daniel growled in frustration, squeezing the trigger as another man crossed into his field of fire. The man dropped nervelessly, his head snapping sideways as the heavy bullet punched through his skull. The storm of return fire hammered into the boulder, the whine of ricochets adding to the hellish noise around him. Peevishly, he wished that the elementals had never bound themselves so tightly to the strictures against their power. Hurling the caravan back down the pass would make his life much easier.
The sound of gunfire stopped abruptly as a blood curdling howl rent the air. Daniel's head whipped around to stare down at the fiery battle below and he groaned at the sight of the demon loping up the mountain.
"You can't hurt a human but how about you do something about that?" he snapped. "Protect her if you can."
He felt their silent assent and the breeze swirled around him briefly before becoming still again. He wasn't given a chance to see what assistance the wind could be to Rebecca, as the sound of renewed gunfire from his side of the pass drew his attention back to the caravan team once again laying covering fire on his position. The boulder he was hiding behind shuddered under the impact of bullets and he growled in frustration at how unhelpful the Air was.
"We gave you our assistance last night to escape these men." his elemental whispered in his mind. "My brethren feel they have done their duty to you and are reluctant to risk endangering the lives of these men a second time so soon."
A man made a dash for new cover in the rocks near the top of the pass. Daniel sighted and fired swiftly, dropping the man cleanly in mid stride.
"If they will not harm the men that have only murder in their hearts then I will do it myself." he muttered in disgust. "Warn me if they outflank me, if that's allowable."
His elemental sounded apologetic as it replied. "We shall be your eyes, have no doubt about that."
Only minutes later the wind was shrieking in his ear, the anguished moan of its warning desperate.
"They have climbed the mountain! The Avatar is in danger!"
Daniel turned his head in the direction the wind tugged and saw far above him two men lying on the crest of the mountain on the opposite side of the pass, one peering down the sights of his rifle at the battle below.
"Protect her!"
His cry was whipped away by the wind at almost the same moment one of the men fired. Even in his desperate hurry Daniel didn't rush his shot, sighting on the rifleman and squeezing the trigger smoothly. He silently thanked his mothers foresight in teaching him how to shoot from a young age as the rifleman jerked and dropped his weapon. The rifle clattered as it tumbled down the slope, out of reach of the second man who now turned to stare across the distance to where Daniel lay. Daniel ignored him, turning instead to stare down at the scene below. To his dismay Rebecca lay crumpled on the ground, the demon standing over her. That was all he had time to take in before the mountain bucked violently, throwing him in the air to tumble head over heels unceremoniously down the slope.
The cold air bit her skin as Rebecca woke, the faint smell of wet ash and smoke clinging to her clothes making her nose wrinkle in disgust. Her head pounded mercilessly, pain radiating from a spot near her temple in sickening waves.
"You survived." Varya whispered in relief. "I was not sure that you would wake."
Rebecca groaned, her hand feeling heavy as she brought it to her head. Her searching fingers touched rough cloth and she followed it as it wound around her head. For a few seconds she wished she could go back to sleep rather than face the pain, unconsciousness sounding like a much better idea.
"Katherine has bandaged your wound and seen to your father." Varya informed her. "He defended you when you fell."
Vague snatches of memory revolved through Rebecca's mind, the confusing tangle of images disjointed and frightening. They ended on a glimpse of grey fur and sharp blood stained fangs that left her shaking.
"Is he alright?" Rebecca muttered thickly, wincing as the sound of her own voice caused the pounding in her head to intensify.
"He tore a demon apart with his bare hands." Varya whispered in awe. "The ground erupted around the men that followed you across the pass. He left no one alive."
Varya's description and the images that scrolled through her mind let her know what had happened but didn't answer her most pressing question. Her elemental quickly reassured her.
"He sleeps by the fire nearby, unmarked but exhausted from battle."
It took her a few seconds to understand what Varya was telling her. When her mind cleared enough to piece it together, it brought a vague half smile of amusement to her lips.
"He burnt out?"
Varya's musical chuckle was enough of an answer for her.
"He shall require a taste of his own medicine." she confirmed. "There is only so much your fragile bodies can withstand. He reached his limit today. Though I must admit that his limit is impressive for a human."
The scuff of boots across the ground drew Rebecca's attention and she gingerly turned her head to see Daniel coming toward her.
"You're awake." he said with relief. "How do you feel?"
Rebecca scowled as the ache in her head briefly flared at his soft voice.
"I've been better." she muttered. "What hit me?"
Daniel's relieved smile faded and he stopped, looking down at his boots.
"You were shot." he murmured apologetically. "I tried to deflect the bullet but there is only so much the wind can do in such a brief moment."
Rebecca's hand rose to touch the bandage around her head again, the cloth rough against her fingers. Daniel glanced up at her movement and nodded.
"It was enough to prevent the bullet from killing you." he added. "It grazed your skull in passing."
Rebecca groaned and let her hand fall against her chest. The ache in her head was beginning to be joined by a burning underneath the bandages where the bullet had scored her skin. She briefly wondered how bad it would look once it was healed, a moment of vanity making her hope the scar wouldn't look ugly. While it had been a long time since she had last looked in a mirror, she remembered that her mother had called her pretty at the time as she had brushed Rebecca's hair. Her self pity was interrupted as Daniel gently patted her arm.
"Just rest." he told her softly. "We've crossed the mountains now but we won't be breaking camp until morning so you have plenty of time to sleep."
Opening her eyes to glance up at him, she offered a weak smile.
"Sleep sounds good." she murmured, her eyes drifting closed again. With the pain in her head she didn't see the point in trying to fight against the rising darkness, sinking into grateful unconsciousness again.
The next morning William woke, grumbling and swearing softly as he gingerly sat up. Looking around in the early dawn light he saw Katherine stand and stretch, her tired eyes surveying him in faint amusement.
"Did you have a good sleep?" she asked.
William frowned, the aches and pains of the battle making him feel as old as he actually was.
"I've been better." he admitted grudgingly. "Since we're still alive I guess we won?"
Crouching down next to him, Katherine nodded and offered him a mug of water. "Rebecca woke last night for a moment or two." she told him. "I didn't see her but Daniel talked to her."
William grimaced and looked across the smouldering embers of the fire to where Rebecca lay under a pile of blankets, Daniel snoring softly beside her. Katherine glanced at the pair of them, a faint smile ghosting across her face.
"He hasn't left her side since the battle." she said. "We've been doing turn about all night looking after the two of you and keeping watch in case the Shadows returned."
William raised an eyebrow questioningly and Katherine shook her head.
"There hasn't been a sign of them." she assured him. "I think the banishment of the demon ensured our safety for a few days."
William grunted in satisfaction, glad that at least something good had gone their way. Pushing aside the blanket, he eased himself to his feet with Katherine's assistance. "Some days I feel every single damned year." he muttered sourly as his joints popped audibly.
Katherine chuckled softly and let him go. "You're still looking in good shape for being four centuries old."
William grunted noncommittally.
"I haven't looked in a mirror in years so I couldn't say."
Katherine laughed again and nodded toward the fire where a pan of fried cornbread rested near the heat.
"I was getting hungry so I started breakfast. Help yourself when you're ready."
William nodded absently at her invitation.
Walking past the fire to crouch next to Rebecca, he took in the sight of the bandage wrapped around her head. He had been sure she had been killed when he had first seen her go down, blood already soaking down her pale face. It was a relief to find that she had survived. Daniel woke at the sound of William's feet on the rocky ground, opening bloodshot eyes to stare up at him.
"You're awake." he mumbled, pushing himself up on one elbow.
William nodded, leaning down to look at Rebecca closely and putting a hand gently on one flushed cheek.
"She woke up earlier." Daniel added. "Just for a few minutes."
William nodded again, a frown crossing his weather beaten face.
"She's hot." he muttered, his eyes roving over the clean bandage wrapped around her head. "Did you clean the wound?"
Daniel shook his head quickly. "Katherine did with snowmelt and some of your herbs."
William sat back on his heels, his frown deepening. He knew that Katherine was good with herbs as he had taught her much of what he himself had known when they were both much younger. But there was no getting around the fact that Rebecca's temperature was up. Whether it was from the bullet wound or contamination from the demon he couldn't be sure and unfortunately they were in a poor position to sit and rest long enough for her to recover. Straightening, he glanced down at Daniel.
"We need to keep moving, find somewhere warm and out of the elements. Do you think you can hold her in the saddle?"
Daniel didn't hesitate to answer confidently.
"I can."
The fever burned through her for days, robbing her of consciousness and cohesion. They dared not stop for her sickness and the few times Rebecca woke were to the feel of Daniel's arms around her and the gentle swaying gait of a horse beneath her. Morning would be swiftly followed by evening and replaced by glimpses of the brilliant stars above as she woke and slept again. The mountains disappeared without her knowledge, replaced by the flat grasslands and the ever present wind.
They were camped by a creek when the fever broke and she woke to a clear early morning sky, tall grass swaying thickly all around her. A breeze tickled her cheek briefly and moments later Daniel appeared and squatted beside her.
"You're awake?" he asked cautiously.
Rebecca nodded weakly, her hand rising to touch the bandage wrapped around her head.
"I feel tired." she murmured.
Daniel smiled, resting a cool hand against her forehead.
"You don't feel as hot this morning. Do you think you could eat?"
She hesitated but at the mention of food her stomach growled and Daniel's smile widened.
"I'll see what I can find for you."
He rose and she closed her eyes against the sunlight that was too bright for her. She heard a faint murmur of voices followed by the vibration of hurried footsteps through the earth beneath her.
"Rebecca?"
She cracked an eye open to see William kneeling beside her. The relief on his face when she reached out to put a hand on his arm made her smile faintly.
"Where are we?" she asked.
William hesitated before answering, looking away toward the horizon.
"We've left the mountains and gone perhaps forty or fifty miles across the plains already."
Rebecca closed her eyes, wondering at how much she had missed while feverish. Her brow furrowed as a vague memory surfaced.
"We didn't stop at that village?" she asked uncertainly. "The one Esava was leading us to?"
William shook his head, a look of disgust crossing his face.
"There was no village." he answered shortly. "But the Earth had plenty to say about the bodies it holds. You can sleep easier now with the knowledge that Esava would have turned on us anyway."
Rebecca grimaced, wondering how often the trader had lured travellers into following him over the difficult pass to their deaths. Once over the mountains there would have been no witnesses and no rescue.
"You avenged the deaths of many when you killed him." Varya murmured approvingly. "There is one less monster in this world."
Any further conversation was brought to an end as Daniel returned with a battered mug and plate.
"It's not much." he apologised to her. "But then again, you haven't eaten much the last few days."
The mug held cool, clear water and with William's help, Rebecca sat up and sipped at it, murmuring gratefully to herself as it eased her dry throat. Eyeing the hot cornbread on the plate, she frowned at the loud rumble from her stomach. Daniel chuckled and set the plate on her lap.
"If you finish that, I can get more if you want."
Even after her fever broke Rebecca was too weak to ride alone for more than a few minutes and by necessity she continued to ride with Daniel for another week. The long hours sitting in the saddle in front of him gave her the time she needed to recover as they hurried across the vast plain. The mountains fell away behind them until they were swallowed by the seemingly endless grasslands that undulated gently. They came across no one as they travelled, what few roads there might have been in the vastness obviously lying far off in the distance. William guided them by the sun, keeping their path almost due east across the monotonously identical miles. Not that Rebecca really needed his direction. As her fever faded a new feeling crept up on her, something tugging at the back of her mind and drawing her along. Varya finally told her what it was as they camped by the banks of one of the numerous small streams that cut across their path every day. Rebecca stared at the small fire that barely kept the evening chill at bay, wondering at the vague sense of urgency that drew her attention away from her dinner.
"You feel the call of the Spear." Varya murmured. "It has awoken with the coming of its old enemy and it seeks someone to wield it."
"And that someone is me." Rebecca murmured softly, looking down at her plate of roasted rabbit and trying to decide if she was hungry or not. "Is that why I can feel it?"
Varya didn't answer immediately and when she did she sounded uncertain.
"There are others that feel the pull." she murmured. "Daniel for one, but I doubt that many feel it as strongly as you though."
Rebecca set the plate aside, her appetite gone. William had gone to some trouble to hunt fresh game as they had travelled and even though she appreciated his effort to catch the rabbit, she couldn't bring herself to eat it. The draw of the relic gnawed at her and she wondered how much worse the feeling would get when she actually had the Spear in her hands.
"It will burn." Varya told her in a subdued voice. "Truly, it was not made to be wielded by human hands."
Varya's admission made Rebecca frown in confusion.
"If it is not supposed to be used by a human, then who?"
"It is a shard of an Incandescent." Varya answered reluctantly. "One of the Great Fires. Its power is far more than a human can absorb."
"But Andras..." Rebecca began.
"Andras died soon after banishing the Demon." Varya cut in swiftly. "Unlike you he was not of the Fire and so could not use the Spear to its full effect. It burnt him out and left him barely a husk of his former self."
Rebecca didn't feel encouraged in any way and Varya chuckled softly in her mind.
"You are of the Fire and the Spear will recognise you as such. I cannot be certain but I do not believe that you will be permanently harmed by wielding it."
"Permanently harmed?" Rebecca hissed in alarm.
Varya's reply was subdued and anything but sure, lending more fuel to Rebecca's anxiety.
"It will burn." the elemental murmured. "And your mind may be scattered for a little while after. But I am sure that you will return to yourself in time."
Rebecca shuddered at the thought. Hunching deeper into her cloak, she thought to herself that the journey was starting to feel more and more like she would not see the end of it. Between the demons that hunted her and the Spear itself, everything seemed to be out to kill her and she was beginning to doubt that she would survive.
Eventually the plains grew drier as they travelled and William turned them south.
"It's still a long way to go." he told Rebecca one night as she stared up at the expanse of brilliant stars above them. "If we can reach the Inland Sea we can take passage on a ship."
Rebecca smiled faintly. "I thought you didn't want to catch another ship if it could be helped."
William swept a hand across the darkened plains around them. "We may not have a choice." he told her. "The grass is thinning and the streams are getting further apart. I suspect that they have been suffering from drought further to the east and we will soon be crossing some rather inhospitable ground if we keep going."
"A desert?" she asked.
He nodded shortly, his eyes roving across the vast distance. The near full moon bathed the open ground in soft white light, tracing the long grass stalks with a silvery edge.
"Perhaps not a desert as such." he finally. "But certainly somewhere too dry for my liking."
William fell silent for a few minutes and they stared up at the brilliant tapestry of light above them. A sudden bright light streaked across the sky to the south east, the enormous ball of fire lighting the ground around them. Beside her, William's breath hissed in sharply.
"Well it can't be clearer than that." he muttered. "Our path lies south east to the Inland Sea and a ship as far to the east as we can go."
"Fire as a sign in the heavens." Varya whispered. "Perhaps a good omen for us."
Rebecca snorted doubtfully and William glanced down at her, his eyebrow raised questioningly.
"Do you disagree?" he asked evenly. "Do you think the Path was not just giving us a sign?"
Rebecca shook her head quickly. "I'm sure you're right." she told him. "But Varya seems to think it is a good omen. Fire in the sky."
William nodded slowly, turning to look up at the stars again. "Varya." he mused. "Your elemental's name?"
Rebecca nodded and William smiled faintly.
"Perhaps more than a sign." he finally said. "Your elemental's name once had meaning in the region we are going to."
It was Rebecca's turn to raise an eyebrow questioningly, waiting for her father to continue. Turning his gaze away from the stars to face her again, his smile faded into thoughtfulness. "In Ancient Urartun, Varya meant ember."
Varya chuckled softly in her mind, the sound light and warm.
"He knows much." she mused. "But ember is not all it means in that tongue. The correct meaning is the spark that ignites the fire."
