Chapter 17

Neviah’s thoughts troubled her as horse and rider sped through the mountainous terrain, the beauty of the rising sun feeling like a mockery of the travesty from the previous night. Her thoughts of Corban were often interrupted by other, less constructive thoughts she struggled to suppress. She thought back to their fight with Ba’altose and his blade of power. The Sword of Re’u had been able to cut through everything else but that blade.

That was until she attempted to destroy the shadow gate. The silvered sword had bounced off of it as if it were just another metal blade. She shook her head. It didn’t make any sense to her at all.

“The Sword of Re’u should’ve been able to cut through anything,” she mumbled.

“If you take up the Vapor Blade,” said a voice inside her head, “then you would not have to cut through an enemy blade. You could simply pass through it. You could slaughter…”

“Enough!” Neviah yelled, pushing the horse’s words from her mind. She felt the blood rushing through her veins as she tightly gripped the hilt of the Vapor Blade. She became aware of the hate boiling inside of her, and it shocked her. Anger at the monster’s intrusions was understandable but she never thought herself capable of the loathing she felt for the beast.

She remembered Corban and focused on him again. He had become such a large part of her life. She couldn’t imagine life without him. Why did the world have to be such a horrible place? The leather reins creaked in her grasp as her thoughts turned to Tanas’ betrayal. She seethed as the Shayatin glided impossibly fast over the gently rolling hills, which were rapidly replacing the rocky peaks. Never in her life had she moved at such speeds, even in a car.

Her thoughts soon slipped back to the war. If Tanas had been what they all thought he was, none of the evil occurring in Moriah would have happened. She hoped she would be the one to kill the traitor. The many ways she could slay him played over and over again in her mind.

A sharp pain in her left leg brought her attention back from her brooding. The gash throbbed against the makeshift bandage. Euroclydon’s gallop had been surprisingly smooth until he turned a sharp right, forcing her to put weight on the injured leg.

“What is it?” she asked out loud when the horse came to a stop between a copse of trees.

“Look.”

She did as the Shayatin suggested and peered through the foliage. There was a large force sprawled between two hills just shy of being full-fledged mountains. The human soldiers wore Tanas’ red and white colors.

“Just go around them to the south. We need to find the shore anyway.”

“It will cost us time.”

“Not as much time as this pointless conversation!” she snapped.

The horse rocketed to the south. It was nearly an hour before they came to another passable valley. They were forced to stop again, the valley filled with tents and soldiers.

“Further south?” the Shayatin asked, and though Neviah wasn’t familiar with mental communication, she thought she detected a hint of smugness.

“That must be Moriah’s border,” Neviah said, exasperated.

“We will likely find the same at the next pass,” Euroclydon said, reflecting her fears. “If we can’t go around, that leaves one option.”

“We go through,” she said.

“What is the plan of attack?” the horse asked.

“I have no plan or the time to come up with one. Let’s go.”

Neviah felt the horse in her head again, but instead of hearing words, she felt what the horse was feeling. As the Shayatin galloped toward the human line, there was a strong sense of joy emanating from it.

Shouts echoed through the camp when the perimeter guards saw them. Men formed up in tight ranks directly in their path. Three hundred feet away, Neviah had the Vapor Blade turn into a bow and loosed an arrow toward the enemy line. The arrow looked like an inky shadow as it zoomed through the air. It struck a man in the front rank and passed through two others before it lodged itself in a pole. The tenor of the shouts changed.

“Ah! Fear!” the beast said.

Neviah was only able to shoot one more arrow. Euroclydon covered the ground too fast for anything more. Her shield sprang up to protect her and the left flank of the horse, the bow turning into a sword as they bore down upon the men. Some ran while others held their spears at awkward angles to keep out of the steed’s path.

It must have been like a nightmare come to life for the enemy as the Shayatin smashed into the soldiers. Spears snapped, and shields splintered at the impact, echoing through the surrounding hills like a gunshot. The horse’s black armor was a battering ram, carving a bloody path through the disjointed ranks.

Neviah lashed out with her sword, slicing through weapon, armor, and man with each sweep of the blade. She felt the thump of weapons against the shield, but no one dared face her sword arm.

After passing through the rows of men, Euroclydon turned to face them again. Those not dead or fleeing reformed amid the calls of a man on a white horse. The animal looked like a pony compared to Euroclydon. In one swift motion, Neviah let the sword turn into a bow, loosed an arrow, and let it turn back into a sword again. The man was lifted from his saddle with the impact of the black missile. The sight was exhilarating.

“We should kill them all,” Euroclydon said.

Neviah sneered at the cowing men. She could feel a thirst inside her, one that had been buried deep. She wanted to do just as the horse suggested and kill them all.

“No!” she commanded, as much an order to herself as to the horse. An image of her wounded companion flashed in her mind. For a moment, the monster resisted the tension she put on the reins. She doubted she had the strength to turn the Shayatin if he disobeyed.

She could feel the horse’s disappointment filter through as it finally turned. The pair blew through the rest of the encampment like a tornado, trampling and slicing any soldier unfortunate enough to find himself in their path. The way Euroclydon zigzagged through the tents, the unfortunate were many.

Tidal waves of hate emanating from the creature threatened to overwhelm her. Several times, she caught herself enjoying the chaos and destruction they were causing. She did manage to, for the most part, keep them heading in the right direction. By the time they reached the other side of the camp, the soldiers no longer dared hinder their path.

“We should finish them off,” the horse insisted. “One soldier should be allowed to escape to tell others of our power. We could be the nightmares…”

“Enough!” Neviah said as forcefully as she could manage. “Quit trying to poison my thoughts! Let’s go. You made a deal.”

The horse continued.

She came to the realization the Shayatin was affecting her thoughts and actions somehow. It was as if the worst parts of her were brought to the forefront of her mind, and every negative emotion became a driving force.

She raised a hand in front of her face. Crisscrossed across her dark brown skin were tiny spider-webbed coils of black veins. They were so black they almost looked purple as they pulsed. A shadow-like black smoke, very faint, formed around her hand, untouched somehow by the wind.

The black veins reached to her elbow and stopped. Neviah immediately filled her thoughts with her friends, prophecies, and their mission. The veins quickly receded and shrunk until they were barely visible on the back of her hand.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt an itch between her shoulder blades. Looking up, she saw several hundred Shedim filling the midmorning sky. She shot an arrow straight up, surprising the lead flyers but missing her target.

To Euroclydon, she said, “I thought you were fast. Why are the Shedim gaining? I am starting to think you are all boast.”

Anger filtered through their telepathic connection, but their speed increased. The wind buffeted her as if she were in a steep dive atop Corban. She ducked her head to decrease the resistance and looked to the side, relieved to see the Shedim rapidly falling behind.

Hours went by before she realized how far they’d come. They were deep within Moriah’s borders. Far to the south, she saw the blue line of the ocean stretching as far as she could see from east to west. They covered in one day what had taken her and Corban three. By the light of the setting sun, Uru’s magnificent white walls glowed on the horizon, Alya dominating the sky above.

Neviah breathed a sigh of relief when she saw a squadron of twelve Chayyoth with their human companions descending toward them from Alya. Their approach had not gone without notice. She used the reins to stop the Shayatin as friendly troops landed all around and encircled them.

Before the squadron leader could speak, she slid from the back of the monstrous horse to land heavily on her good leg. She was barking orders before she hit the ground.

“Send your fastest flyer to the School of Flight to find Asa and Rafal. Bring them to me now.”

“What authority do you…”

“This is my authority!” she growled, letting the Forest Shield spring up under the lead Chayya’s snout. He shot a quick glance to the Chayya to his right, who took two quick steps before launching into the air.

Neviah felt the horse brush against her shoulder.

“What of our agreement?” Euroclydon asked, his eyes moved between the companions and her. She again considered killing the monster. She cared nothing about being made a liar for breaking their deal. Despite her disdain for the beast, she slowly withdrew the Abyss Shield from her backpack and placed it along with the Vapor Blade into the saddlebags laid across the animal’s rump. Before it could move, she grabbed the horse’s faceplate and pulled its massive head down next to hers.

“When the time comes, and your paths cross, know this.” She looked unblinkingly into its eye. “The choice you make will decide your fate as well. I will find you. I will always find you. And no deals struck in the dark will save you next time. The next time I see you, I will kill you.”

“Whose path?”

She didn’t respond but held the Shayatin there for a moment longer, staring him in the eye, before letting go. The creature stared at her sideways, studying her face for a moment. The Chayyoth stepped out of the giant horse’s way as it dashed off. In seconds, the heavy sounds of its hoof beats were gone as the Shayatin disappeared from view over a low hill.

“If you should see that horse again,” she said coolly to the gathered companions, “kill it on sight.” With the animal gone, she began to feel a considerable weight lift from her spirit. The anger finally ebbed, and her mind felt like it was clearing.

The human atop the lead Chayya opened his mouth to say something but stopped and pointed behind her. She managed to hop in a circle to see the flyer returning with Asa and Rafal in tow. They landed beside her.

Before either could speak, Neviah said, “Asa, heal me.” He reached out and brought a gasp from her as his gift healed her gashed leg and shoulder. Pulling herself up behind Asa, she pointed east. “Fly that way as fast as you can!” she ordered.

Neviah had just enough sense to wave at the squadron leader to follow as Rafal ran forward and took flight. The leader kept pace with them as Neviah relayed everything she could remember about the last few days. Uru was out of sight before the squadron leader sent a messenger back with the dire news. Four pairs of companions accompanied the threesome as they rushed east.

“It is going to be okay,” Asa said over his shoulder. “Corban is the toughest Chayya I’ve ever met.”

She nodded but didn’t trust her voice at the moment. Her guard had been up the entire time she was with Euroclydon but with her anger finally melted away, her concern for Corban filled her thoughts again. The forests and mountains of Moriah sped away below. After the sun had fallen below the horizon, her eyelids began to droop.

She shook her head and slapped her own cheek, unable to remember the last time she’d slept. Flying felt immensely slow after riding aback the Shayatin, though they were likely covering ground just as quickly. She let her forehead rest on Asa’s shoulder.

Tears streaked down her cheeks to drip onto his shirt. If he noticed her crying, he didn’t say anything. After traveling many more miles, she was able to collect herself and was wiping away the tears on her face when she noticed they were losing altitude. Asa tapped Rafal on the shoulder, and the Chayya visibly shook himself before flapping his wings to regain height. The squadron leader flew over to them.

“We need to make camp,” the Chayya said.

“Then make camp,” she replied. “We will continue to fly.”

“Your Chayya is exhausted,” his rider insisted.

Asa held up a hand and said, “We will continue. We need the rest of you well-rested for the search party. Follow in the morning.”

The man and Chayya looked between them for a moment before nodding and flying off into the night. The rest of the squad followed them to the ground as the teens continued.

“Could you get Rafal to tell me what you have been up to?” Neviah asked when she noticed they were descending again. Asa nodded and leaned forward to talk into Rafal’s ear. Rafal turned his head to look at them out of his right eye before speaking.

The Chayya spent much of the night relaying his and Asa’s training over the past few days. The conversation gravitated away from training to Chayyoth history, food, and sports. It was enough to keep Neviah somewhere between the land of dreams and being groggily aware of what Rafal was saying. Her main purpose in engaging the Chayya was to help keep him awake.

“Why don’t you get some sleep?” Asa said after she slapped her face for the hundredth time.

She shook her head. “I can’t. It just wouldn’t be right, you know.” Asa nodded, though she wondered if he really understood.

When the sun rose, it was right in their eyes. “That’ll make it easier to stay awake,” Asa said with a smile.

Neviah didn’t bother to respond or smile back. She appreciated his attempts to distract her, but the sunrise served as a reminder of how long her wounded friend had lain with his injuries. As the sun moved across the sky, it counted down the precious hours they had left to save him, if he was even still alive. Twice, they had to stop so Rafal could rest.

When the sun dipped toward the horizon again, she began to recognize familiar terrain. Panic gripped her as she studied the treetops. Everywhere she looked seemed the same. Corban and she had fled in the middle of the night before dropping into the woods. From the sky, it would be impossible to tell where they’d landed.

“We need to land,” she said.

Asa relayed the order, and they were soon on the ground. She hopped off and took a moment to let the feeling reenter her stiff legs.

“Which way?” Rafal asked as Asa sprang from his back beside Neviah.

She quickly spun in a circle, arm raised and ready to point. Only she didn’t know which way to point.

“It’s okay,” Asa said, obviously reading the panic in her eyes. Turning to Rafal, he said, “Start a spiral above us and slowly work your way out. I will head northeast, and Neviah will go southeast. Stay low and don’t go anywhere near the mountain and camp.”

“It will be impossible to find you again in the dark,” Rafal said.

Asa pulled out his book of prophecies and let it turn into the Sword of Re’u. It gave off a beautiful blue glow. Rafal nodded and took flight.

Neviah was about to turn, but Asa grabbed her hand and said, “We will find him.” He gave her hand a squeeze and ran off into the forest as twilight settled across the valley.

With sword in hand, Neviah raced into the woods. Her legs felt wooden, barely responsive as she trudged through brush and briars.

“Corban!” she called above the nighttime insects as they took up their endless cadence. Her brain was a fog, and she knew that she should be worried about enemies hearing her, but she no longer cared. Every moment mattered. She had stopped the major bleeding in Corban’s wing, but there was no way to know if it was enough.

The night drew on, and Rafal stopped by twice to check on her progress. She began to doubt whether they had stopped in the right area. She could be off by miles in any direction. The sun rose, and Rafal did not come back for a while. Whenever he came back again, she’d decided to go to the mountain where the enemy had uncovered the shadow gate. It was a risk, but from there, she might be able to recreate their flight path.

Rafal tarried still. Neviah’s breaths were coming in great gulps, but she refused to stop to rest. She tripped on a tree root and fell to the leaf-strewn ground, where she paused a moment on hands and knees. Behind her, the flap of wings and heavy footfalls told her Rafal was behind her. Wiping the back of her hand across her eyes, she stood and turned around.

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked with wide-eyed disbelief, seeing Corban standing before her. Rafal landed with Asa upon his back, but Neviah barely heeded them as she buried her face in Corban’s mane. Her strength gave out then, but her companion’s strong arm held her up. She felt hands grab her around her waist, and Asa managed to help her onto Corban’s back.

“Thank you,” she whispered as they took flight.