The clack and clatter of the last falling stones filled the dusty air. The slab lay like a broken obelisk across the beach, still and silent.
In the quiet that followed, the dust settled. The Arc, deepening from yellow to orange, hung low between the stormy mountain peaks. Its light shimmered weakly on the water, overtaken only by the distant flash of lightning in the roiling clouds above.
Between the largest crack in the obelisk, rocks shifted and tumbled loose. Kyen clambered out, pushing free of the broken stone. He staggering down to the sand and dropped to his hands and knees. He sat, head hung, his breath coming in and out as great gasps. Slowly, his breathing steadied, and, after a moment, he slouched back and looked up at the sky. Exhaustion lined his face.
“Still running?”
The exhaustion in Kyen’s face deepened as he lolled his head over to look.
Ennyen stood a stone’s throw down the beach. The remains of a low campfire burned in a little shelter of trees behind him. He smiled, crossing his arms, but it didn’t change the grim look of satisfaction in his dark eyes.
Still trying to recover his breath, Kyen sank where he sat and looked away.
Ennyen approached, drawing his dark blade. He stopped within easy slashing distance, but Kyen made no move. His hand lay limp next to his side, next to his empty belt—the spot where his sword used to be tied.
“You’ll never be one of us,” said Ennyen. “Your father should have cast you back to the Arc before you ruined us all—throwback!”
Kyen lifted his face as Ennyen pointed the black blade at his throat. He watched, unmoving, his gray eyes tired.
A yell from the trees caused Ennyen to snap his blade towards the sound.
Adeya charged out, swinging Gennen’s white blade.
Kyen’s eyes widened.
Ennyen lunged to meet her.
Kyen bolted up to stop them, but Ennyen struck like black lightning first. She cried out, struggling as she caught the first few strikes, and stumbled backwards. His blade flashed out a third time, but Kyen tackled him from behind. Leaping onto his back, he seized Ennyen in a headlock and wrenched him away from Adeya. The two swordsmen staggered backwards together.
Ennyen grabbed Kyen’s arm. Ducking down, he threw Kyen over his shoulder and flipped him into the ground. He hit the sand flat on his back. Ennyen stabbed down, but Adeya lunged in and slashed at him, forcing him to change his stab to deflect the white blade.
Ennyen launched himself under her guard.
Kyen rolled and grabbed his ankle.
He jerked to a stop, his blade slicing a finger’s breadth from Adeya’s throat. She cried out and staggered backwards. Gripping the white sword, she thrusted for his stomach.
Ennyen kicked Kyen in the face and turned aside her blade at the same time.
Kyen dropped back to the sand.
Ennyen swung at her, and Adeya, backing away, tried to block, but he’d aimed the force of his blow at her sword. It knocked her blade wide. He flashed forward, grabbing the base of her sword with his bare hand. With his other, he stabbed. Adeya ducked backwards to avoid it, but Ennyen yanked at the same time. He plucked the blade from her grasp like a toy from a child.
With a face impassive, he hefted the white sword and threw it into the lake. It vanished into the shallows with a splash. He strode towards Adeya, blade pointed at her. She backed up as fast as she could without turning to run.
Kyen, nose bloody and groaning, rolled onto his hands, facedown in the sand. He was struggling to get up, holding his head, and failing.
“I warned you, maiden,” said Ennyen, pointing his longsword at her one-handed.
Adeya clenched her trembling fingers, trying to take in a couple deep breaths. Then, she charged him.
Ennyen eyed her coolly. When she neared, he struck down on her, his blade flying from above like a black bolt out of the heavens. Adeya grabbed him by the wrist, ducked underneath his arm, wrenching his sword-hand as she went. His eyes narrowed; he shifted his weight and twisted around with her to keep her from getting leverage. He whipped his sword-hand out of her grasp, swung back, and stabbed.
The blade plunged into her belly.
She jolted and gasped.
Kyen, still on the ground, froze where he lay in the sand.
The bloody tip of the black blade protruded out of Adeya’s back.
“I warned you,” Ennyen told her.
Lightning cracked and rumbled overhead.
He shoved Adeya off the blade, and she dropped. Falling to the sand, she gasped, clutched at her stomach, and writhed on the ground. A bloodstain was spreading over her shirt.
Both hands under him, Kyen lifted his gaze from Adeya to Ennyen. His expression hardened; his stormy gray eyes blazed to life. He shoved himself to his feet and dashed for the lakeside.
Ennyen, returning his attention to Kyen, darted after him. He hefted his dark sword in both hands, preparing to strike.
Kyen dove for shallows. He hit the water with a splash, rolled, came up with the white blade in hand and lunged at Ennyen. Water sprayed everywhere. The white blade became a flashing blur, whipping and singing around Ennyen. Loud clangs of steel on steel reverberated out over the lake. The flurry pushed Ennyen back first one step then another across the shallows.
In the next moment, Kyen yelled and beat on Ennyen’s defending sword. Ennyen dodged first one direction then the next, all the time giving ground as Kyen’s onslaught pushed him through the shallows of the lake.
Ennyen suddenly ducked in. He flashed past Kyen and their swords blurred together with a clang.
A line of blood spattered the water as a cut opened on Kyen’s thigh. He dropped to one knee with a splash. Ennyen, having dove past Kyen, whirled to strike down on his exposed back. Kyen leapt sideways, the black sword slicing through the water behind him. He came up to meet Ennyen bashing down on him, blocking and parrying. Trying to avoid an overhead slash by Ennyen, he staggered backwards to his feet. But the slash was a feint. Ennyen swept his sword wide only to whip it back in at close range. He cracked his hilt across Kyen’s jaw.
Kyen fell face-first into the shallows. He caught himself on his hands, pushing himself away, as the black blade flashed down and just missed him. He stumbled upright and limped backwards out of range.
The two swordsmen stood looking at one another, panting. Kyen’s leg bled. Ennyen’s breast-plate hung dented and askew. A long cut opened under his eye; it loosed a drop of blood that slid down his cheek.
Ennyen eyed Kyen, his expression menacing.
Kyen glared back, undaunted.
Adeya whimpered from where she lay curled up, bleeding on the sand.
Lightning flickered overhead, but no thunder followed.
“The Prince of Avanna,” said Ennyen. “Blademaster Gennen’s prodigy. The legendary Hero of the Black War. Now, the last summoner. So many names, but all you’ve ever been is a spineless throwback.”
Kyen wiped blood from his lip with the back of his hand, his fierce gray gaze never leaving Ennyen.
“You know, Kyen, you could never hide it from me. How much you hated all the rest of us.” Ennyen, hefting his blade, stared him down as he approached again, splashing through the shallows. “I know you had the arcangel with you. The night Avanna fell, they say you stood at the Longbridge. Watching.”
“You don’t understand anything,” said Kyen; he shifted his stance to raise his blade high, hilt-to-cheek.
“You could have done anything with that arcangel, but instead you stood there. Did you enjoy it?” Ennyen smiled mirthlessly. “Standing on the Brink and listening to them scream? Your father? The Councilmen? How about Ludyen of Silvertalon? He used to beat you and leave you in the alleyway behind the training hall. Did you smile as you watched it all come to ruin?”
Chest heaving for breath, Kyen said nothing.
“Our people must have been trying to flee across the bridge as Avanna was sinking. Did you smile to see the terror on their faces? Heh! Did you cut them down one by one?”
“Don’t say anymore.” Kyen’s fist clenched his hilt till it turned white.
“You could have saved them. You, the last summoner, Crown Prince of Avanna, could have saved them all.” Ennyen’s smile faded as his eyes narrowed. “But you. Just. Watched.”
Kyen grew very still; the ferocity on his face deepened.
Ennyen charged him with a yell. He collided into Kyen with a glint of steel.
Kyen flashed past Ennyen’s blade, darted under his guard. His steely gray eyes glared; Ennyen had a fraction of a second for the surprise to register on his face.
Blood spattered.
The white blade split Ennyen from forehead to chest.
Yelling raggedly, Kyen whipped his sword free, slinging Ennyen’s body into the shallows.