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“You’re really going down to Birchwood after what happened there last time?” Lex said, following quickly behind Dusk as they stepped off the platform at the top of the mountain.
“Yes,” Dusk replied, shouldering his bow he’d gone to fetch. “We need to figure out what’s going on down there.”
“Dusk,” Lex said, grabbing his arm to stop him. “Please don’t leave me behind.”
He turned back to Lex and took both of his hands gently. “I’m not leaving you. But you can’t go with me in your current state.” He glanced at the bandages crisscrossing Lex’s chest. “You still need to heal.”
“What if you don’t come back?”
“I will. This is just a quick stop to gather information, nothing else. Besides, Tara warned us about these kinds of fake utopias that pop up when people get ideas. It’s probably nothing more than some fighting amongst themselves. Or maybe Ditania and Inahan have come to claim their soldiers at last. Either way, I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about.”
“But... what if it’s the Circle?” Lex asked, the fear evident in his eyes.
Dusk paused for a moment. He couldn’t deny he’d had the same thought. “If it’s the Circle, I’ll come right back to you.” Dusk lifted Lex’s hand gently and kissed the back of it. “And then we’ll figure out what to do from there.” He looked over his shoulder towards the edge of the plateau. “Lyra is waiting for me. I won’t be long.”
“Dusk!” Lex cried, grabbing his arm again.
Lex pulled him in and kissed him with passion and vigor. Dusk felt him wince from the strain, but he didn’t stop.
“I love you,” he said breathlessly as he pulled away. “Come back to me.”
“I promise I will.”
Dusk pulled Lex in for one more quick kiss. As he came away he lifted the leather cord up and over his neck, the crystal eye held in the small leather pouch.
“Watch this for me,” he said, pulling it over Lex’s neck. “I’ll be back for it.”
With a small wink he turned away and jogged over to Lyra. She held out an arm for him to climb up. Making sure his bow and the quiver full of fresh arrows was secure, he clambered up and wrapped an arm around one of the bony spikes. The sun had set and the sky was dark, only the light of Gartha and the stars filling the inky blackness.
“Drop me on the western side of the village,” Dusk said, leaning down towards Lyra’s head. “I know my way in from there.”
“Hold on tight,” she replied.
Lyra walked to the edge of the plateau, a sheer drop directly below them. She spread her wings, flapped twice, and slithered over the side silently. Dusk felt his stomach rise into his throat and he fought back the familiar sensation that made him want to vomit. They sailed downwards, gathering an enormous amount of speed before Lyra angled her wings and caught the wind. Dusk felt the falling sensation slowly ebb away as she set a course for the far western shore of Birchwood. They passed beyond the edge of the island and over open water where Lyra kept herself low, using the speed she’d built up to glide silently through the air. It didn’t take long for them to reach the white sandy beach at the other side where Lyra gently came to rest on the shore, nothing but a gust of wind and the sound of waves disturbing the night.
Dusk climbed down and looked back towards the town. He could see the orange glow of the fires still raging in the distance. The smoke was still visible in the dark as it blocked out the stars and even with the breeze blowing inland, he could still catch the smell of burning pine.
“You stay here,” Dusk said, looking back at Lyra. “I’ll go ahead and see if I can find anything out. Hopefully it’s nothing important.”
“Keep your eyes open and your ears sharp,” she replied. “And take this with you.”
She leaned down and pressed the tip of her snout against Dusk’s forehead. There was a jolt through his body when they touched and he felt a numbness above his brows. He reached up to touch it, but Lyra stopped him.
“Not yet!” she hissed, keeping her voice low. “It’s a signal rune. If you touch it and throw your hand to the sky, it will activate. It’s only good for one use, so if you get into trouble, send up the flare and I’ll come for you.”
“Thank you,” Dusk replied, letting his hand fall to his side. “Give me an hour.”
“One hour. Then I burn the city to the ground.”
Dusk nodded, seeing the spark of rage that had been sitting quietly behind her violet eyes for weeks. He pulled the hood of his cloak up and turned back towards Birchwood. It only took him a few minutes to reach the place where he and the others had camped their first night in that small town. Glancing about, he saw more remnants of campfires and tents that lay abandoned and broken on the ground. Some of the cooking pots and supplies still remained, but there was no one to be seen. The place looked like it had been either left in a hurry or ransacked, but there was nothing left to give any hint of exactly what had taken place. There was an unease growing in the pit of his stomach.
He continued on past the edge of the city where the buildings started to grow closer together. To his surprise, the streets were fairly empty, but those who remained were dressed in dark cloaks. His pulse quickened as he saw a few of them were carrying small pouches at their sides, similar to those the Circle always had. But then he noticed most of them looked rather out of place. They were dirty, unkempt, and their skin didn’t have the normal ashen color of the Circle members he’d come across before. He squinted his eyes, looking for more detail. More than a few even had Ditanian tunics under their cloaks signaling their occupation as soldiers. Most of them looked much younger than Dusk expected. It seemed like a strange conglomeration of people to suddenly be in Birchwood. Where had the villagers gone? What were the pouches for if not dragon dust? He knew he needed to find out more and that meant getting closer and putting himself at risk.
“Forgive me Lex,” he whispered under his breath and pulled his hood further up.
Stepping out into the road he forced himself to walk, as casually as he could, making his way across the town square. The path was muddy under his feet and thanks to the recent rain he slipped, the soft leather boot coming out from under him in a flash. Before he fell into a particularly large puddle, a strong hand reached out and took him firmly by the arm, righting him.
“Be careful there, buddy,” a friendly voice said.
Dusk looked up to see a man, about his age, with dark hair, a full beard, and a Ditanian tunic under his cloak. He was thick and muscular, the hand gripping Dusk’s arm meaty and sausage-like. At his side was a small leather pouch and a large scimitar was strapped to his back. Dusk felt his heart drop.
“It’s a bit slick out here,” the man said jovially, a toothy grin spreading across his face. “Don’t want ya gettin’ hurt before we get to good stuff.”
“Y-yeah,” Dusk stammered, getting his feet back under him. He glanced around quickly, looking for a means of escape. “Of c-course.”
“You must be new to all this,” the man grinned, letting go of Dusk’s arm and looking him over. “Don’t worry about it. You figure it out as you go. Just do what the general says, keep an eye over your shoulder, and you’ll be golden.”
“Yes sir,” Dusk replied automatically.
The man laughed. “What’s your name, kid?”
“Uh...” Dusk wracked his brain for anything he could use. “It’s... um... Alex.”
“Alex, huh?” He held out his giant man paw again. “My name is Gideon. It’s nice to meet ya.”
Dusk shook his hand awkwardly with sweaty palms, worried he would be discovered at any minute.
“I’ll tell ya, this isn’t exactly what I expected when I signed up for the war effort, but some of the things I’ve seen since are incredible. I still can’t figure out how the general managed to get us all the way over here so fast. It’s been a wild ride, hasn’t it?”
The nervousness began to ebb away as Dusk realized the man was trying to be genuinely friendly.
“And this dusty stuff they gave us sure is a hoot!” Gideon laughed, patting the pouch at his side. “I’ve only gotten to try it a couple of times, but I could sure get used to it! Who knew it was possible to do magic anymore? I thought that was just a fairy tale! And now we get to be part of a brand new, super secret battalion of mages. Sounds like somethin’ you’d read in a book. Is that why you signed up too?” Gideon looked down at Dusk’s belt where there was no pouch.
“Yeah. But I... I lost mine.”
“That’s a shame. But don’t you worry about that,” Gideon chuckled. “There’s plenty to go around. If you’re worried about talking to your captain about gettin’ another set, I can go with you for moral support. Don’t want ya unarmed when we go on our first mission. That’s what we’ve been trainin’ for these past three weeks!”
“I should be okay. My captain and I are... good friends,” Dusk lied, watching Gideon for his reaction carefully.
“Oh, that’s great to hear! Always good when all the boys get along. You know these army things can be a little tough on everyone, so it’s good to have a few friends that have your back.”
“Definitely. So do you know anything more about the mission?” Dusk asked, changing the subject to something more useful. “I haven’t gotten a lot of details.”
“Well I know we’re goin’ to the mountain,” Gideon replied, pointing out towards Anthurium. “From what little I’ve gathered we’re expectin’ some sort of resistance. Apparently there are folks there that have their sights set on the king. And they’re livin’ there with monsters and things that fight alongside them.” He lowered his voice, leaning down towards Dusk. “I don’t say this to scare ya, but some of the boys have been talkin’ about spirits livin’ on the island too that kill anyone who comes ashore.”
“That’s terrible.”
“Ah but it’s probably just a buncha gum flappin’,” he chuckled, patting Dusk’s shoulder heavily. “With this dust and our weapons, nobody, spirit or monster, will stand a chance against us! We’ll have them runnin’ for the hills and then the general can do whatever she needs to do afterwards.”
Dusk dared for one more piece of information to solidify the situation. “Do you know much about the general?”
“Nah, not really. She’s pretty new in the military sector. But she’s well trusted by the king, so I figure she’s probably good people. She outfitted this little battalion of ours recently and says we’re on a special mission to win the war against Inahan. Apparently there’s somethin’ in the mountain that’s being protected and it could finish them off once and for all.” Gideon leaned his head back and beamed up at the stars. The glow of the fires had subsided and the scent of smoke in the air lessened. “After what they did to King Cecil, being part of their defeat is the least I can do for my country. But ya know, once this is all over, I wouldn’t mind shackin’ up with a pretty girl and startin’ a little family of my own. Who knows, maybe this peace will last for the rest of our lives.”
Dusk felt his skin crawling as he held back every word he wanted to shout to tell Gideon he was being duped. Nedarya had told her soldiers absolutely nothing. She’d armed them with magic they didn’t understand and filled them with false hope, using their patriotism to trick them into doing her bidding. He stared up at Gideon, his happy face illuminated by the moon against the night sky. If Nedarya was really in charge, he likely wouldn’t live to see his dream come to fruition.
“Well,” Gideon said, looking back down at Dusk, “you best be gettin’ back to your captain and gettin’ some rest. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. Takin’ the island won’t be an easy feat.”
Dusk nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Gideon rached out a hand again and put it on Dusk’s chest. “May the Crystal Moon shine upon you, Alex.”
“And you as well,” he managed to reply.
Turning away, Dusk headed back in the direction he’d come from. As soon as he was beyond the edge of the town square he broke into a run, cloak billowing behind him. He checked more than once to make sure he wasn’t being followed, passing through the remnants of campsites along the way. Desperate to share the news with Lyra, he beelined for the beach. But before he reached it a flash of bright red light caught his attention. Stopping in his tracks he ducked behind a small tree, worried he’d been spotted. About fifty feet away at the edge of the forest was a group of young soldiers laughing and carrying on. They sounded like they were drunk.
“Watch this!” one of them cried, handing a tankard to another nearby.
They stepped forward and threw their hands up towards the nearest pine tree. There was a shower of brilliant white sparks that erupted from their hands and the tree immediately ignited. The needles burned fast and Dusk could hear the crackling of sap as the fire took hold. Drunk soldiers with magic powder explained how the fire got started. But he wondered why nobody had stopped them yet.
Dusk took a single step back toward the beach before he heard another shout, answering his previous question.
“What the fuck are you idiots going?” a woman’s voice cried off to his right.
He turned back and saw a furious looking woman flanked by several other soldiers. All of them had their weapons drawn, leveled at the drunkards in front of them.
“You will surrender your dust now and get back to your tents before I have you all killed for treason!” she yelled.
“Aww come on Captain,” one of them replied, slurring his words. “We’s jus havin’ a little fun.”
“You’re giving away our position to the enemy,” she hissed. “You’ve already done more damage than you know tonight. We’ll be taking your weapons and you will follow us. If you resist, you will be killed. Am I understood?”
With a simple hand motion from her, the other soldiers rushed forward and relieved the drunks of their weapons and their magic. Behind them she lifted her hands that began to glow a pale blue. Slowly the flames died away, leaving nothing but naked trees littered with embers. The group was lined up, surrounded and they all began to march back towards the camp. Dusk, assuming the danger had passed, moved from his spot. His hour was running out and he needed to get back to Lyra.
“You there!” the woman called after he’d turned his back to them.
He stopped dead in his tracks, glancing over his shoulder. She stood, her sword drawn in his direction, the rest of the group coming to a halt behind her.
“Bring your dust here and return to camp. I already warned your friends. I will not hesitate to kill you here and now if you don’t comply.”
“Uh... I’m not with them,” Dusk called back, unable to think of anything else.
He watched as she dipped her fingers into the pouch at her side.
“You will come here now or I will eviscerate you where you stand, soldier!”
Dusk, without a second thought, reached to his forehead, placing two fingers over the rune and threw his left arm skyward. With a small jolt through his arm, a brilliant red ball of fire flew into the sky and arced over the ocean before crashing into the water silently. He looked back and saw the woman staring at him, her hands poised in a casting position to strike him down.
“This is your last warning,” she growled.
He took a step back and saw her fingers begin to move, drawing patterns in the air in front of her. Dusk knew he wouldn’t be able to escape before she finished the spell. He clenched his eyes shut, hoping it would be over quickly and praying Lex would forgive him.
But before she could finish her spell there was an ear splitting roar from above them. All of the soldiers, including her, looked up to the sky to see a massive dark figure silhouetted against the moon. None of them had time to react before a large gout of flame came down from the heavens, engulfing all the seagrass around them. They threw their arms up, shielding themselves from the sudden blast of heat as Lyra slammed into the ground next to Dusk.
“Get on!” she cried, holding her arm out.
Dusk scrambled up quickly, throwing himself between her spikes.
“Go!” he shouted, looking back as the woman began to tame the flames down, her hands glowing blue once more.
Lyra ran forward, flapping her wings hard to get off the ground. She began to lift as they reached the beach, rising slowly into the air. She strained to gain speed, her wings beating like thunder all about him. Dusk looked back again to see the golden glow of a rune being traced in the air. He knew what was about to happen.
“Incoming!”
Lyra banked hard to the left. Dusk gripped the spike with all his might, the muscles in his arms tensing so hard he thought they would tear. A bright ball of flame flew by Lyra on her right side, the heat from it singeing Dusk’s hair. It blazed past them, making a wide arc until it crashed into the ocean with a huge plume of steam in its wake.
Dusk looked back once more, but he couldn’t make out any of the figures in the dark. He assumed the captain had overdone it a bit and used up all her powder, but he kept a wary eye on the shore for a minute longer, just to be sure. Lyra continued beating her wings hard, reaching the mountain within a few minutes and then circling it to gain altitude. After what seemed like an eternity of deafening wind in his ears, Lyra finally came to the edge of the plateau and landed, her heavy tail skittering stones and obsidian across its surface.
Lex came rushing up to them both as Dusk climbed his way down. It looked like he’d never left the plateau.
“What happened?” he asked, grabbing Dusk by the sleeve. “I saw the fires and feared the worst! Were you found out? Was it Nedarya?”
“Nobody realized who I was,” Dusk replied, putting his hand on Lex’s. “But we have a big problem.”