Eight 4

Over the years, there’d been rumors of “accidental” darklight poisonings in the nearby towns, and not by small amounts either—these had been massive overdoses that had sent people straight into dusk, or in the case of a famous Albei carpenter, dark. None of the victims had been trained to handle the changes that came from that much darklight, so they’d all mutated hideously. That was how the rumors went anyway.

Some in the Voorhei Hunter’s Lodge discounted the stories. I, on the other hand, having once overheard firsthand how someone had tried to turn Albei's land knight dark, I knew the truth. There were people out there doing their damnedest to sabotage Albei and the Three-City Alliance to which it belonged.

That night when I’d overheard Land Knight Ithia and Grandmaster Silasenei discussing the saboteur, they’d suspected Maltra was responsible. Now I had confirmation.

Yuki, contact Mumu to let her know I’ve come across a suspicious group. Ask her to send a runner to Albei immediately.

‘We’ll include the information that one appears to be an alchemist and that they’re talking about spreading light.’

That’s good, I thought in reply. Not too many details, but enough to get Silasenei’s attention. Oh, also mention that they have a way to hide their identities from Status-inspecting tools and abilities.

Yuki gave a qi-nod, and their attention shifted eastward toward Voorhei. As for me, I knew better than to tackle two silvered alone, so I faded back behind the bushes. A cast of Owl’s Ears let me overhear their discussion.

“The signs have changed again,” Sulia said. Then, there came the sound of stones being rubbed together. “Danger approaches. A monster will visit the area soon… no, it’ll be more than one. Two… three of them.”

Issa replied, “That’s another reason to relocate, besides nothing good coming from being near a spirit of the land who turns dark.”

I heard a, “Hmm,” from Theloc. “Do the stones still indicate we should linger near Voorhei?”

“They don’t,” Sulia replied. “A fortune awaits us to the east, the beginning of a path that leads to a great power, one that will be prized by our zashas.”

“Glory be to the sun and moon,” Sulia said.

“Glory be to them,” the other two replied.

Oh damn, that really is confirmation it’s Maltra. Their empire was co-ruled by two individuals who went by the names Brother Sun and Sister Moon. I didn’t know much about them—there were too many ridiculous stories, and it was hard to separate fact from fiction. What was probably safe to say, though, was that they both had levels in the high teens. And, apparently, the people of Maltra practically worshiped them.

Yuki, I thought.

Their consciousness flowed through me, picking up the details of the conversation I’d just heard, and then they left again, carrying with them the intention of informing Mumu about the mentioned sun and moon. Silasenei would definitely want to know.

“The signs have changed again,” Sulia said. “The danger intensifies.”

“If we move now,” Theloc said, “I’ll lose my grip on the light in Sklein’s possession. The dark hidden within the silver will be revealed, and we’ll lose this opportunity to turn Ikfael. We must undermine that boon of hers before Albei grows any stronger from it. We will… we will wait until the deed is done, then fall back to—”

During the discussion between Maltra’s agents, the sound of stones rubbing together had been constant, almost like the rocks had been having a parallel conversation with each other. Suddenly they went silent, though, and that caused Theloc to stop talking.

I leaned forward, listening intently, but didn’t hear anything beyond the forest’s murmurs. A strap was tightened, and feet shifted… cautiously. Steps were taken, the sound spreading out as people moved outward. I began to back away—

Yuki sprang to life in my mind. ‘Snow warns—'

I’ve been made, I thought in reply. They figured out they were being observed.

The sounds of stones rolling against each came again, this time faster and more urgently than before. I refreshed Scentless Hunter and risked moving faster. Yuki shifted to Snow to better coordinate a Blink escape, if necessary, then they came back to me to prep my own Blink emulator, just in case.

One of Maltra’s soldiers cautiously walked around the stand of bushes I’d been using as cover. He peered around the area, but didn’t have an alarm stone, so he didn’t spot me easing around the trunk of an elm. Carefully, silently, I backtracked toward the beaver pond.

Yuki had Dog’s Agility ready to go. The Blink emulator was energized. The land had swallowed me whole, and… Sulia came into view. Her eyes were closed, as she listened to the stones being rubbed together in her hands. She was closely followed by Maltra’s two silvered, although thank the gods, by then I’d moved out of range of the alarm stone hanging from Theloc’s neck.

I interposed another tree, moved through the bushes surrounding the beaver pond where they were thinnest, climbed the short distance up the waterfall feeding the pond, and then crossed the stream using the handful of stones poking from the water.

Light Fall was a journeyman qi-spell used to save oneself when dropping from heights. It also worked remarkably well for hopping from stone to stone without making too much noise or rocking the ones underneath you.

On the other side of the stream, I made my way west toward the Glen. Behind me, Sulia and the rest of Maltra’s soldiers appeared through bushes surrounding the pond. One of their team knelt to examine the tracks by the water, so I angled away from the stream’s muddy banks.

My heart eased a notch as I passed through the boundary to Ikfael’s territory. Over the years, the sense of her presence had grown stronger among these woods, or maybe it was just my sensitivity that’d increased. At that moment, I could almost feel her becoming aware of me. Was it my imagination or did she feel bewilderment at my stealthy approach? My steps sped up.

My pursuers were quiet behind me. Their woodcraft may not have been great, yet they at least knew how to do that. Sulia was still in the lead directing their efforts, but the soldiers had spread out in a recognizable search formation. The alchemist Theloc hung back, along with the robed members of his group. He had a clay pot in his hands, though, and his eyes scanned the trees as if looking for a target.

I slipped another tree between us and schooled myself to be patient. Slow is fast, and fast is slow. Unless I needed to go really fast, in which case Dog’s Agility was the answer. But not yet. Not yet.

Up ahead, I spotted the man named Sklein reading the sign that pointed travelers to Ikfael’s shrine. Even at a distance, I saw the tension in the way he held himself. There was also a kind of dizziness to spirit, one that the others in robes all seemed to share. The dawn and silvered from Maltra might’ve too, but my spirit eyes could only see deeply into anyone Level 5 and over when the target was under extreme stress, shock, or surprise.

Sklein unslung his pack to remove a wooden box, shiny with varnish. He held it as though it was precious and gazed at it like it was his doom. Then, the man squared his shoulders, leaving his pack behind to stride toward the path to the shrine.

There wasn’t any sign of Ikfael or Leilu at the Glen. The otter and the great egret had taken to hanging out, the two of them often floating leisurely in the pool. And Moonlight hadn’t appeared to have arrived yet.

My gut was telling me that Ikfael was present, though, and aware something was up. A glance back showed that the group from Maltra was within her territory now. She had the One with Water and Stone talent, so she might even be under their feet at this very moment. Seams of rock ran throughout the Glen that she could use. All she’d need was a sign of their antagonistic intentions for her defense of the Glen to begin.

The opponents were two silvered, four dawn, and six people under Level 5. If it was anyone else besides Ikfael, I wouldn’t have risked it. But it was Ikfael, and my bow was already in hand, an arrow nocked. I didn’t even have to stop to aim; I’d long ago had my bow modified for the lodge’s style of archery.

A magic-infused arrow took Sklein in the back, piercing the area behind his left kidney. He gasped and fell to his knees, hands fruitlessly reaching behind him. Behind me, the soldiers cried out in alarm. Simultaneously, I rushed ahead with Dog’s Agility, while the tree I’d been standing in front of split as if a massive sword had cleaved right through it, and stone spears shot from the ground underneath the Maltrans.

Weaving through the trees, I glanced back to see Issa pulling Theloc to safety, with Sulia hot on their heels. They were moving quickly too, faster than Ikfael could conjure her earth spears. The stone javelins she shot at them were deflected by Issa’s sword.

The soldiers were also retreating, although a couple were wounded. One got too close to the stream trying to escape, and a pseudopod of water lashed out to grab him by the neck and pull him in. The stream wasn’t deep, but his surprise let the water get into his nose and mouth. It’d be only a matter of time before Ikfael drowned him.

The robed ones, all except for Sulia, hung limp on the spikes that had pierced through them. Blood and gore ran down the stone.

I nocked another arrow and spun the qi for a Spiral Pierce. The runes for Unerring Strike flashed through my mind, while the qi in my body circulated to complement the mana gathering for the spell. Immediately afterward, I also connected to my body power—my other magical energies mobilizing one more time—to cast Lightning Arrow.

An emptiness occupied my thoughts, lingering until I drew back on the bow and mentally targeted the diviner Sulia. I felt Unerring Arrow click in my mind. Then, I turned and saw clearly the worried frown on her face; she was yelling something at Theloc, her face in profile.

The arrow banged as I let loose, and it shot like lightning to catch her through the throat. Surprise filled her eyes as she was suddenly thrown back. The remaining electricity in Lightning Arrow arced to those near her, but it didn’t slow either Theloc or Issa. They kept going, diving into the trees along with the rest of their soldiers.

Another arrow banged loose—the triple combination of spells hitting the one slowest among the soldiers between the seams of his brigandine. He went down stumbling. The wound itself wouldn’t be lethal, but the poison on the arrowhead was. All three of my targets were dead and left behind by the fleeing Maltran agents.

I nocked another arrow and slowed to a cautious walk, re-casting Camouflage and slipping back into the land. My breathing was rough, but I wrestled it into a steadier rhythm. An old stump of an ash tree stood at the edge of the pool, and I posted there to keep an eye on the nearby woods, in case the Maltrans circled around after regrouping.

That had gone more smoothly than expected. From the pressure being exerted by Issa and Theloc, it’d seemed that they would put up a fiercer fight. Like whatever had cleaved that tree, for example.

‘From Issa?’ Yuki asked, their thoughts feeling as cautious as I was.

That’s likely, I replied. His talents seem to run in that direction.

The sound of a splash came from the pool. I glanced over and saw a blob of water rise. Then two arms with hands emerged from the blob to sign a message from Ikfael, “One remains. I can feel their presence, but it’s diffuse and their location is hidden from me.”

The soldiers had possessed three or four talents each, with one skewing toward being a scout. Maybe he’d stayed behind to keep track of our movements?

Yuki flashed through my consciousness to double check what I’d seen among the soldiers’ Statuses. They brought the memories to my mind for me:

Buruk Strongarm (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Athletic, Hammer Time, Well-Trained, Buruk Smash

Eswelo of Isteikta (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Natural Outdoorsman, Good Eye, Well-Trained

Ahanaleitla the Sly Knife (Human, Dawn)

Talents: Natural Outdoorsman, Good Eye, Well-Trained

Um, what? The odds of two people in the same group having these exact three talents had to be low. And I somehow hadn’t noticed?

I felt Yuki’s confusion in parallel with mine. They’d also missed the discrepancy. And as for the names…

‘One of these things is not like the other,’ Yuki noted.

I nodded. The Sly Knife did sound like a name people would call an accomplished scout. Or an assassin. Someone who could maybe hide their Status by copying the talents of people nearby?

‘With a dash of mind-bending magic,’ Yuki said.

Right, or else we would’ve noticed the copy and paste earlier.

My spirit eyes were wide open, but nothing unusual stalked the woods. The trees were angered by the attack on one of their own, and the noise and commotion hadn’t helped either—every spirit in the area seemed agitated. But I didn’t see anything resembling a human form attempting to stay hidden. There was just the forest.

A talent for hiding, I thought. Something that affects people’s perception, like what Mumu and I do.

‘Or like what Silasenei the Grandmaster does,’ Yuki said.

Hopefully nothing that powerful, I replied.

By then, I’d calmed enough to be utterly still. The drain on my Camouflage spell diminished until it was a trickle, so I could’ve stayed hidden for hours given the depth of my qi well, and that was without Yuki contributing. Would my opponent be able to withstand this battle of attrition?

“We wait,” I whispered aloud, trusting Ikfael to have heard me.

The minutes ticked by. My eyes roved over the familiar scene before me. The Glen had been my home for eight years, and I knew every bush, scrub, and rock. Owl’s Ears wouldn’t help. The spell would’ve been overwhelmed by the crash of the waterfall feeding the Glen’s pool.

White-Tailed Senses didn’t reveal anyone. Instead, the wind carried the scent of blood to me. Piss and feces too—the nearby bodies leaked out onto the ground. The accompanying thoughts weren’t comfortable ones, but they’d grown familiar too. Over the years, I’d become inured to the remains left in violence’s wake.

Quietly, I envenomed another arrow. All the nearby small things hid. The only movement was the shaking of the trees’ branches.

To the right! I spotted motion and turned, ready to loose an arrow, then stopped myself as my mind caught up to my eyes. Moonlight had bounded into the Glen, panting. He must’ve sprinted all the way here. Above, I spotted a great egret flying; Leilu had arrived together with the wolf.

A pseudopod rose from the water again to sign the status of the Glen to our allies. That there’d been a fight was obvious from the dead bodies, but they needed to know an enemy remained hidden within the boundaries of Ikfael’s territory. Immediately, both Moonlight and Leilu vanished from sight—the silver wolf behind an illusion, the egret becoming one with the wind.

Whoever was out there hiding—whether it was Eswelo or Ahanaleitla or they went by some other name—I wondered if they knew just how much trouble they were in. The Glen’s most powerful defenders were now all present.

Ikfael (Spirit of the Land, Dawn)

Talents: One with Water and Stone, Hoarder’s Pocket, Devoted Artist, Foodie, Ritualist, Skillful Defender

Nascent: Once Human

Leiluminwei (Spirit of the Land, Dawn)

Talents: Wind Born, Wind-Touched, Patient Hunter, Social Spirit, Beloved of Moonlight

Nascent: Air Play

Moonlight (Animal, Dawn)

Talents: Moonlit, Discerning Eyes, Uncommon Wisdom, Leader of the Pack, Beloved of Leiluminwei

Nascent: Imaginative Painter

When we’d first met, Ikfael had been relatively timid. She’d defended the Glen against invaders, but not the strong ones. Those she’d outwaited while hiding in the pool. Her experiences in her previous life as a hunter named Ikiira had scarred her.

Then we’d met, and I’d dragged her from one adventure or mishap to another. The Deer God didn’t help either, like a magnet he drew monsters of all kinds to the area. Hiding and waiting were no longer enough, not if she wanted to uphold her responsibility to the stonewater serpent that slept under the Glen.

So, our Ikfael had stepped up. She’d trained and forced herself to become comfortable with stone in the same way she was comfortable with water. She’d grown in strength—her spirit as bright as the day I’d first met her. All the exchanges over the years had powered her up, and the light flooding the area didn’t hurt either, nor did the years of practical experience defending the Glen. We’d celebrated her reaching Level 7 not long ago.

And all of the above was also true for Leilu and Moonlight. They’d once been driven out of their territory, but the synergy of talents between them and us made for a potent combination. There was a reason that the Glen had thrived in the face of regular onslaught, both during the Long Darks and in between. It was the teamwork between Ikfael, me, Leilu, Moonlight, and a pack of sixteen silver wolves who, by the way, should be arriving soon.

Oh, yeah. This assassin or whatever is screwed.

With perfect timing, the wind carried a soft whisper to me from Leilu, “An animal with human-sized lungs is breathing to the east south east of your location, about fifteen saqilm’s distance.”

Bow in hand, arrow nocked, I started moving that way. So did Moonlight, his body visible to me only thanks to my spirit eyes.

“They’re fleeing, slowly but surely,” Leilu whispered. The tone of his voice changed, becoming displeased. “And the opponent is strong enough to keep me from pulling the air from their lungs.”

Moonlight and I looked at each other, just a moment to register our surprise, but then we kept going. We simply had to; there was no other choice. A hidden enemy couldn’t remain in either Ikfael’s or Leilu’s territories. They had to be killed or driven out.

“They’re in my territory now,” Leilu whispered in my ear, “moving more quickly. The opponent must know we’re stalking them.”

His territory surrounded Ikfael’s like a moat, so the assassin appeared to be trying to escape. Yuki anything?

The uekisheile said, ‘Snow is overlooking the area, but isn’t seeing anything. Whatever the hidden one is using, it’s more than the Camouflage spell. Also: Mouser’s ETA is three minutes. Mumu is headed to the Glen, along with the rest of our team. She contacted Silasenei via calling stone, and dispatched a runner to Albei too.’

Steadily, Moonlight and I worked our way through the trees and brush, searching and scenting for the hidden Maltran, straining our senses to their limits. The trees’ anger was a distraction, but I didn’t dare close my spirit eyes for fear of missing the assassin.

Inside me was the sense of Theloc the Philosopher, marked by the Prey of the Hunter spell, moving steadily eastward. So maybe there wouldn’t be an ambush, but there might be traps, magical or otherwise, left behind.

‘Still nothing from Snow,’ Yuki inserted.

The seam of stone Ikfael had been using must’ve run out, because she popped from the ground. I paused briefly to cover her while she poured enough water out of her Hoarder’s Pocket to form Knight Otter and then merge with the sculpture.

Normally, Knight Otter was colored with an artful assortment of dyes, but this version was clear. A beat later, it disappeared even more as Ikfael cast Camouflage.

The hunt resumed. In the distance, I heard the sound of wolves howling. The pack had arrived.

Yuki said, ‘We’re sending them south and around to block the Maltran’s escape.’

Tell Mouser to be careful, I thought. Whoever our opponent is, they’re strong enough to resist Leilu’s control of the air, so the pack should harass but not engage.

Yuki nodded, and I felt them pass the message along. Then, not too much longer, I heard the wolves dashing past my position, passing to the right of me. Moonlight dropped his stealthy approach to join them.

The decision was an understandable one—most of the wolves in the pack were only Level 3, and only the two alphas, Moonlight and Scout, were Level 7. I’d do the same in his place.

The wind whispered in my ear, “Our opponent has fled my territory. His breath comes at a faster pace.”

Suddenly, I heard something pop behind me. The sound was innocuous enough, but I felt a spike in my gut at the same time, like I’d been stuck with an ice pick. My first thought was that I’d somehow been shot, but a quick scan from both Yuki and me revealed nothing wrong.

When I turned to look, I saw the spirits of the trees around the Glen thrashing. I mean, they were angry before, but this was a whole other level of rage. Knight Otter had frozen alongside me and turned at the same time. Then, without any explanation, she immediately dashed back toward our home. Of course, I followed.

Yuki.

‘On it. We’re letting Mouser know that the pack should disengage.’

Snow too. She’s too vulnerable on her own.

‘Done,’ they replied.

Do we know what it was? I asked, but the question was pointless. I could feel the uekisheile’s confusion paralleling mine.

All the while, Dog’s Agility had me shooting through the woods. The terrain that had previously taken slow, careful consideration only minutes ago, now rocketed past as I sprinted at full speed. For a moment, I felt like lightning itself, and then I was at the Glen’s boundary where Knight Otter stood in a war-like stance. She’d brought out her spear and held it in the ready position. From the ground, stone javelins emerged to hover above her shoulders.

The Maltran bodies on the spikes squirmed to get free. The fleeing soldier I’d shot in the back rose from the stream. And worst of all was Sklein: he’d become a wriggling mass of muscle and bone. A simply massive amount of darklight circled him and seeped into his flesh.

As I watched in horror, four spiderlike legs emerged from his hips to pick him up and turn him toward us. Moments later, a beak wriggled out from his torso. Belatedly, I checked my camera:

Sklein Thafeilsson (Undead, Dark)

Talents: Natural Woodworker, Sturdy Physique, Devoted, Unreasoning Rage, The Gloominess of Forgotten Memories, Spitter

What had once been dead, lived again.