The waters lap softly at our boat as it nears the shore. I look up at the peaks that rise above our heads, soaring into the sky like the legs of giants. No regular mountains, these. Pillars of stone, their tops covered by clouds. A stark contrast to the dark clouds elsewhere, nearly blocking the light of the sun.
The stone pillars are clustered together here so closely that one cannot see what lies on the other side of the island. I cannot know that what we seek is truly here. Vizier Glorthen tells us it is, that the key to our world's salvation lies within this forest of stone.
The boat settles into the wet sand of the island's beach. The messenger pigeon flutters softly in its cage, resting behind our seats. The four of us clamber out of the small boat. Knight Rogier grabs the anchor and sets it into the sand higher up on the beach, beyond the reach of the tide.
"Which way?" asks Knightess Ylinda, her blue-crested helm swiveling as she looks every which way.
"Forward," I say. "The Augur will lie deep, at the center of the island." We march together, entering the silent stones. The sound of our steps on the gravel below and the constant clanking of our armor breaks that perfect silence, surely gone undisturbed for eons. I almost feel that it would be wrong to speak in this place.
"I have a bad feeling about this," says Knight Sagarus. "Princess Thea, are you sure this is the only way? Could the Vizier be wrong?"
"We have no other choices," I say. "If another option was out there, we would have found it."
Sagarus' hand rests on the pommel of his blade, gripping and ungripping it repeatedly. His eyes scan above us, as if to peer into the thick clouds above.
Our steady march continues well into the day. Time seems to be stopped here. We cannot see the sun; the clouds obscure it. A constant reminder of our mission.
I finger the solstone on my necklace. It is a heavy weight around my neck. Glorthen said the Augur would be able to use its power to heal the sky, to break through the wretched clouds. He seemed so sure that this would work.
The doubts and questions do not leave my mind. I have the same concerns as good Sagarus, but I dare not voice them for fear that they may come true.
After hours of walking towards what we pray is the center of the island, we stop to rest. Rogier provides rations for us all. We eat in silence. Some of us stare at the ground, some at the sky. I am not sure where to look. Would that I could see the sun right now. I have not seen it in full for some time. The black clouds had appeared many months ago, drawing attention when they did not disappear or move from the sky. Indeed, they seemed not to dwell among the other clouds, but further, beyond the realm of our sky. They gathered slowly, encroaching on the sun, the source of all life in our world... and my power.
Some believe that the sun created our world, that it is the most powerful in the pantheon of celestial gods. They say that I am special, that I am a sign. They see the dark clouds trying to block the sun. They say I was born for a reason: to stop the sun from dying.
They say a lot of things.
Here, in this forest of stone, I can barely feel the sun's touch. The light that reaches us is dim. If something bad were to happen, I don't know how much good I would be.
As we prepare to continue the journey, Rogier steps off to the side of the path. He plants his sword in the ground and takes hold of his own fulstone. He kneels on the ground before his blade, head bowed. He stays there for some time.
The walk continues. Ylinda whistles a tune. I want to take it in stride, enjoy the simple song.
I look to the sky.
Ylinda's song is discordant in my ears.
My feet grow tired. Does this island have no end?
A scream. Rogier! I turn to find him beset by an abhorrent beast that I have never seen the like of. Its humanoid body is covered in dark skin, a deeper black than any natural pigment. Its face, if I dare call it that, is nothing but a gaping hole, lined with rows of teeth. It has grabbed Rogier from behind and claws at his helmeted face. Rogier struggles to grab for his weapon, to hit the creature, but in his panic, he cannot seem to do either.
Ylinda draws her curved blade and rushes forward. Sagarus does the same. "Stay back, my lady!" he says as he charges. The two knights attempt to attack the thing, all the while avoiding hitting Rogier. Their blades constantly seem to miss the creature, glancing off of Rogier's armor.
"H-help!" Rogier croaks. The thing has its hands around his throat now. Rogier's struggles grow weaker.
"I can't hit it!" Ylinda cries.
I stand aside, letting my knights work.
Rogier falls to his knees.
No... I must act!
"Back away!" I cry, grabbing the hilt of my sword. The golden metal hisses as the thin sword comes free. "Rogier, on the ground!" My orders are obeyed. I see great fear in the eyes of Sagarus and Ylinda, but they trust me.
Oh sun, let me earn that trust.
Calling upon its power, I plant my feet and channel energy through my sword. I unleash it in a beam of pure light towards Rogier. Intense heat radiates from the blade and the beam; were it not for my insulated gauntlets, I would no longer have hands.
The beam disappears, but I keep my blade raised. I look to Rogier's form as the spots clear from my eyes. The creature that had attacked him lies still, a glowing red trough running the length of its bony back.
It is dead.
Rogier struggles weakly underneath, trying to raise himself. Sagarus comes forward and shoves the creature off of his back and helps Rogier up.
I resheath my blade, sealing its power, and kneel on the ground. It feels like my insides are burning… They had said this would stop happening, that if I gained more control I could use greater amounts of my power and not feel this. I suppose I will have to keep waiting.
Rogier rubs his throat but seems otherwise all right. “What is that thing?” he asks, eyeing the corpse of his attacker.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Ylinda says. “Our blades were useless against it.”
Sagarus harumphs. “Indeed,” he says, sheathing his greatsword. “It would seem that our dear Vizier has sent us into a land of demons.”
I give him a look. “He never said the trip would be without danger,” I say weakly.
“Even our power was useless,” Ylinda says, looking scornfully on a mote of water dancing around her finger.
Rogier looks to me. “My lady… you saved me?”
I nod, trying not to vomit. The solstone pulses softly. I pay the price for its power.
He rushes to my side. “Are you all right? When you use power like that, don’t you—?”
“I am fine,” I say, brushing off his hand. “The pain is there, yes, but it will pass.”
“I apologize for my inattentiveness,” he says, head bowed. “I promise to be more alert from here on, my lady.”
I nod. Part of me wants to say no, that he should not feel guilty. The other part of me wants to survive this experience and doesn’t want to deter his commitment. If our lives are saved by being more attentive to our surroundings, then who would I be to discourage it?
Sagarus keeps his fingers wrapped tightly around his sword and fingers his venstone. “We should turn back,” he says quietly. “Surely there are more of those things out there.”
“No, Sagarus,” I say, standing. “We press on. What good would saving our own lives be if the sun itself should die?”
“We find a way!” he says. “The sun is not the only god our world knows. There are others that can help us survive.”
“And if the dark clouds come for them?” Ylinda says, arms crossed. 921Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6qx4i94EB
“Or for us,” Rogier says.
“Then we will fight it,” Sagarus says. “But then, on our terms. Not here on this forsaken island! We are at a disadvantage here. If we go on and die here, we forfeit our ability to fight later. We have no guarantee of success anyway. Our quest is born of rumor and hearsay, is it not?”
“I trust Vizier Glorthen,” I say. “What you say is true. We are not guaranteed to succeed here. The way is dangerous, and the Augur may not even exist. But… if we should fail, there is also no guarantee that the world will keep on living. There are sects in the world that teach that the sun’s existence is integral to the survival of the planet, that if he were to leave us—or die—then our world would crumble around us. And if we should die and the world live on, I have faith in those I have left behind. My brother would make a good leader.” Better even than I, perhaps.
Sagarus looks at me silently for a moment. His eyes hold strange emotion in them behind his helmet. Is it concern? Fear?
Pity?
“Your words frighten me, my lady,” he says. “You sound as though you would throw your life away at a moment’s notice.” He looks down. “Yet I can see your heart and intentions are pure. You would give your life for your people. For the world.” He crosses an arm over his chest in salute. “I will follow you to the end, as is my duty.”
“Thank you,” I say with a nod. I am truly grateful for this. If Sagarus had left us… I don’t know what I would have done. My heart may not have had the will to go on.
I look at them; my friends, my protectors. I think that they believe I brought them along for my protection. That is partially true. The deeper answer, though...
I have never been a brave person. Not on my own.
“Shall we carry on?” Ylinda says.
“Yes,” I say. “Let us pray that the Augur is near.”
As we walk, the forest seems to thin. The stone pillars to grow smaller, more distant from each other.
“We must be drawing close,” Rogier says. “Surely the Augur would dwell in a more open location, not so crowded by these stones.”
“Indeed,” Ylinda says. Her palm rubs the hilt of her sword. She suspects danger, even here, so close to the one who would aid us? I cannot blame her, though, after what we have been through.
The forest of stone suddenly gives way entirely. A clearing spreads out before our eyes. The cloud cover is still present above, thin rays of sunlight filtering down to us. Blades of grass poke up from the gravel here and there.
There is life here where there should be none. Surely this is where we will find the one we seek!
Sagarus steps ahead of us. “Have caution,” he says, scanning the area. We carry on slowly, weapons ready to be drawn.
As we travel farther into the clearing, I realize that I can no longer see the stone pillars around us. The fog descends down here, obscuring distant objects. It makes me feel… isolated. Like we are trapped on a tiny island in an ocean of fog that lets nothing in or out.
A shape appears in the fog ahead. As we draw nearer, even more cautious now, it takes the shape of a massive throne. Finally, it materializes fully before our eyes: a stone seat, a black-robed man sitting upon it.
“Augur?” I ask tentatively, stepping forward. Sagarus holds a warding arm out to keep me back, to protect me.
The man’s head comes up, his hand coming up to rest his head on. “That would be me,” he says. His voice is smooth, inviting.
My companions are silent. We have done it!
I brush past Sagarus’ arm. “We beg you, Augur,” I say, taking a knee before the man. “Please, help us to heal the sky, to banish the dark clouds that threaten the sun!” I take the solstone from around my neck and hold it out to him.
The Augur looks up, as though to see the sky. “Is that what’s happening up there?” he says. “Ah yes, now I remember. I had nearly forgotten about that. So much has been going on lately.” He chuckles. “You wouldn’t know anything about those, thouh. Probably never will, I imagine.”
“Princess,” Sagarus hisses. “Get back. This man is not who we think he is.” I look back and find his eyes burning with distrust.
Not who we think? That… that cannot be. The Augur is our only hope. He has to help us!
Before I can act on the warning, the Augur rises and takes the solstone from my hand. He holds it up to what little light reaches us, examining it. “Yes, this is a fine item. Very powerful indeed. But I fear that, much like its source, it can be… broken.” He squeezes the stone within his palm and I hear a muffled crack. When he opens his palm again, the solstone lies nearly shattered, cracks running along its surface. He drops it to the ground.
I am frozen. I stare numbly at the solstone, its glow growing faint. 921Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJY2qXifNY8
That… that was our hope. Now it lies broken on the ground.
He was supposed to take it. He was supposed to fix things.
Anger fills the void. With speed I did not know I possessed, I draw my sword and fly at the man who would be our savior. He catches my wrist as my arm falls.
“Now now, Princess,” he says, a calm smile on his wrinkled face. “That will not do.” He plants his foot in my stomach and shoves me back. Cast down, like the solstone.
My knights fly in, their own weapons raised. Sagarus moves in with a powerful strike while Rogier and Ylinda hold back and attack with their elements. The Augur dodges Sagarus’ blade, seeming to glide like liquid out of the way, and my friends’ magic stops several feet away from him, fizzling out. “Pitiful, really,” he says, looking at us each in turn. “You think that the one who gave your people those powers would be so defenseless against them?” He laughs and shakes his head.
“Gave us—” Rogier says. “The stones came from the gods!”
The Augur strokes his chin. “Where did the gods get the stones?” he says. “Have you ever wondered? Ah, I had forgotten what your people believed about the matter. You must forgive my ignorances. It has been some time since I have visited your kingdom, after all. But there is no time for chit-chat, I'm afraid.” He thrusts a hand into the sky and a flash of green light appears, starting in the palm of his hand and spreading out in a ring. I begin to hear distant footsteps.
It seems we are not the only ones here.
The knights close back in around me as a horde of creatures like the one we encountered before appears from the fog.
“It was kind of you to visit me,” the Augur says, hands behind his back. “It’s been so long since I have seen human faces. Even better that you brought some of your greatest tools with you! It will be quite nice to have those stones in my possession again.”
Sagarus slides the broken solstone back towards me with his boot, never taking his eyes off of the horde around us. “Princess,” he says, turning his head slightly toward me. “Our lives our forfeit; you must do your best to escape.”921Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO13DDXM08N
“We can keep you covered while you retreat,” Rogier says.
“No!” I say. “We can all go, together!” I place the solstone around my neck and take up my sword again. “I can fight!”
“You don’t have much power left, my lady, if any at all,” Ylinda says. “There’s no way we’re all making it out of here, not against these creatures. If you can clear a path with what you have left, we can—argh!” Ylinda cries out as a creature rushes her. She barely stops its claws on her sword, supporting it on both ends with either hand.
The rest of the horde takes the queue and swarms in. My friends fight around me in a triangle, doing their best to fend off the beasts. Their armor helps them to withstand the onslaught, but I can see that it wears on them. Their weapons remain ineffective while attacking, seeming to just phase right through the creatures.
There are so many…
Escape!
I hold my sword in one hand and the solstone in the other, calling upon every sliver of power left in it. “Now!” I cry, and force my way between Ylinda and Rogier to reach back the way we came. I unleash the all the remaining power I have in a wide blast. Though the power that remained in the stone was relatively weak, the heat is still nearly unbearable. I can almost see the bodies of the creatures disintegrating in the wake of the energy.
The pain inside flares just as hotly.
“Run!” Sagarus commands. I force my mind and body to move through the pain and pass between my knights, breaking into a run. They break away from their foes and follow me.
We run as fast as we can with what strength we have left. “Princess,” Rogier says, sounding out of breath. “Your armor will slow you down!”
“But if I have to fight—”
“You will not. We will be doing the fighting from here on.”
“I can’t just leave you here!”
“You have to,” Ylinda says. “It is our duty to make sure you get home safely.”
We come to the stone pillars again and keep running. “We keep going until they catch up,” Sagarus says. “When they reach us, we will have no choice but to turn and fight while you escape, my lady.”
I remove my helmet and cast it aside, followed by my bracers. My tears feel cold in the air rushing by me as I run. My steps feel almost uncomfortably light. It is undeniably easier to run faster, however.
By the time the creatures reach us, I have no armor on me, leaving me in my white cloth shirt and brown trousers. Sagarus takes the first hit and forces back his assailant. “Princess!” he calls. “Now is the time! Get back to the ship and head for home. You must tell the people what has happened, prepare them! You must survive!” Two more things attack him, clawing at his armor. He pushes them and others back with a powerful gust of wind that leaps off of the edge of his sweeping sword. It is more effective than Ylinda's powers had been during the first attack, but not nearly as much as it should be.
The rest of the horde appears. I do not stay to watch the battle. I hate every step I take as I flee from the knights, from their struggle. The sounds seem to pursue me. This is bigger than us, I think, trying to reassure myself. The others have to know!
The sounds of rushing wind, sweeping water, and flashing lightning recede in the distance. The forest seems to never end.
When I think my strength is about to give out, I stumble out onto the beach. The rowboat. That is my sole focus.
An odd pop sounds behind me, but I ignore it. Have to get to the boat.
Something sinks into my thigh and I fall, sand and gravel biting at my skin. I turn enough to see what appears to be a blade made of pure green energy protruding from my leg. It fizzles and disappears after a moment. The pain is… immense. My eyes wander up to see the black hooded man approaching through welling tears.
“I admire your strength and determination, Princess Thea,” the Augur says.
I get back on my knees and crawl toward the boat, doing my best to ignore the pain.
“What would you do if you succeeded in telling your court? What could they possibly do against me?"
I lift myself over the edge of the small boat and practically fall in. The messenger pigeon flutters in its cage.
As if to fly…
Another stab of pain blossoms in my shoulder. I fall to the floor of the boat, groaning against the pain.
“Why?” I croak. “Why do you seek to kill the sun?”
“Not just the sun, my dear,” he says. “The other gods must fall as well. I’ve grown rather bored over the eons, you see.”
I reach blindly toward the pigeon cage and find the small container tucked below it. I clumsily open it and place the solstone inside.
“I am tied to this world,” the Augur continues. I can hear him pacing in the sand. “I look to the sky, and I see… new worlds. New experiences out there. This world has done what it can for me, and it is time for me to leave. My soul is too deeply attached, however. That leaves me only one recourse…”
I open the pigeon cage and to the container around the pigeon’s back.
“Kill the world.”
He strikes me with another energy dagger as I let the pigeon fly. Fly fast, I pray.
The Augur curses and fires off several more daggers. Not one hits the pigeon. I sigh in relief. My head falls and I see the pool of red at the bottom of the boat.
“Hmm… Most distasteful.” The Augur stoops down and grabs my head. “Would you like to see it, Princess? The death of your god?”
He looks to the sky and forces me to do the same. The clouds above clear and let us see through to the sun. The distant black clouds, looking so foreign next to their pure brothers below, have nearly covered the sun entirely.
“And so it shall fall,” the Augur says softly. “The first of many.”
I cannot tear my eyes away as the dark clouds cover the bright orb.
And now the sun is screaming.
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