A Wizard's War - 41. Blood in the Dark

Yidian was a demon who had existed in the depths of hell for centuries and even they found the dark march through the endless void of the Hidden Path harrowing. Every step was uncertain and as they proceeded, they heard a distant murmuring of whispers. The darkness had eyes always watching them and somewhere far below in the deepest depths of the abyss, Yidian knew the emptiness had a mouth. It was a hungry entity at the end of all things.

“Are we nearly there?” Rummert hazard asking after some time had passed.

There was no response as they continued walking in silence.

“I think something is following us,” Rummert whispered nervously to Fogrot after a while longer.

“Would you shut up,” Fogrot grumbled back in hushed tones to his massive orc companion.

Rummert shifted the limp werewolf to his other hand and flexed his fingers as he stole glances back behind them. He could see nothing, but the sensation of something watching remained.

Yidian gazed above at the shimmering orbs like an upside-down sea above them. The vast number of places and worlds made the demon feel small. The mortal life, they were only vaguely able to recall, was short and painful and the afterlife was torment. What might they have become in a different time or a different place? In all their years, Yidian never considered their place in the vastness of the universe.

Yidian’s reverie was interrupted by a sudden scream behind them. One of the soldiers at the back of the line could just be glimpsed hurling sideways into the darkness below. The other soldiers moved forward more quickly, pushing into the large orcs, and shoving Akar aside. More unintelligible shouts of alarm sounded from the soldiers who had begun to draw weapons, but their voices did not carry in the void.

“What is happening?” Auren was suddenly asking as he turned back.

Yidian had turned around trying to see beyond the hulking figures of Rummert and Fogrot with little success. Then he saw something swift glide through the darkness on great wings. Yidian thought it to be a gargantuan bat, but there was something sleek and reptilian about it. The creature grabbed another soldier and pitched them into the darkness below.

“One of Uatu’s brood!” Auren spoke in alarm, “This is your area of expertise.”

“That it is,” spoke Lord Byron’s calm, deep voice. The silver-haired leader of the Order’s forces did not release his grip on his captive’s arm as he drew his mighty sword with the other hand. Jemma winced in pain at the lord’s tight grip, and her eyes darted around the darkness apprehensively.

Yidian turned to watch Byron with interest as the fearsome man set his square jaw and raised the sword above his head. Then the sword erupted with light as if a great wave of force had traveled up from Byron’s clenched fist to the very tip of the raised weapon. A great vibration radiated through the darkness, like the largest, deepest gong had been struck with the force of an avalanche. The flying creature screeched and then disappeared into the depths below. Byron sheathed his sword and began to walk as if nothing happened.

“What in Esther’s tits was that?” Rummert blurted in terrified disbelief.

“Uatu was the last dragon,” Auren commented calmly, “Just one of the dark creatures the elves trapped here when they sealed the Hidden Paths. That was one of her hatchlings.”

Yidian glanced at Lord Byron walking away from them with Jemma in tow. It was impossible, but the silver hair paired with the command over dragons could mean only one thing.

“He’s a dragonblood…”

“Keep that to yourself, demon,” Auren hissed and Yidian felt compelled to obey. Yidian shut their mouth firmly and nodded to the wizard with a look of pure hatred.

Yidian had believed the dragonblood to be a complete myth. The general idea was that a human could be saved from a mortal fate if bestowed the blessing of a dragon. But some part of the dragon’s soul was always imprinted upon the human who was saved. So exceptionally rare was the dragonblood, that no one knew how the process was accomplished.

The power-hungry part of Yidian’s mind was already wondering how they could obtain the seed of a dragonblood. Simon would be very pleased to add command over dragons to his repertoire, assuming the seed would bestow such things upon them. It was all rather unpredictable, but Yidian was eager to find out. Another part of Yidian didn’t want anything to do with Byron. They recalled too clearly the icy cold of Julian and Akar, the undead bastards that had taken advantage of Simon. Inviting the wrong sort of creatures inside could have dangerous consequences.

“Keep moving,” Auren commanded Yidian, cutting off any further thoughts about the dragonblood, and compelling them to start following Lord Byron.

Fogrot shrugged reluctantly at Rummert and set off after the others. Rummert looked around at the others and only saw Akar cowering amongst the soldiers who were all looking quite a bit more skittish as they huddled precariously on the invisible path.

“This place is fucked,” Rummert commented, to no one in particular, on the insanity of their situation. Rummert saw the faces of the soldiers reacting in surprise before he realized the new danger was not in the dark around them, but in his hand.

Connor let out a low menacing growl as the werewolf began to thrash wildly in Rummert’s hand. Claws raked at Rummert’s flesh as he tried to pin the wild beast with his other hand. The wolf let out an ear-splitting howl inches from Rummert’s face and the orc finally dropped Connor to the ground as he covered his offended ears. The werewolf was scampering on all fours rushing into the soldiers where it began to tear into them.

Rummert backed away from the scene as the werewolf tore lumps of flesh from the soldier’s bodies and left bloody corpses in his wake. Akar moved to flee away from the furious beast, shoving soldiers that dared stand in his way, and stepped right off the edge of the invisible path. Akar plunged into oblivion and continued to fall long after his voice gave out from screaming.

Fogrot was back at Rummert’s side, urging him to reach for his weapon. Fogrot had not decided if he should stop the feral werewolf or join in the killing of the Order soldiers. They looked around to Yidian for guidance, but Simon’s dead face was staring equally dumbfounded at the events unfolding.

The only person who seemed to have a clear understanding of what needed to be done was Lord Byron. He had released his grip on Jemma and was stalking back toward the chaos. His sword was drawn again, the steel ready to taste werewolf blood.

“I knew we should have left the beast!” Byron slammed a fist into Auren’s chest as he passed. The wizard doubled in surprise but righted himself quickly.

Jemma Eldwood looked at them all. Her eyes bulging with terror at the grotesqueness of all these creatures. Two orcs, a werewolf, a vampiric wizard, a demon, and worst of all her rapist and her tormentor for several long months, Lord Abadeer Byron. And then, the slow dawning realization that they were all looking away from her. Jemma turned and began to run, her mind reaching out for a suitable exit from the Hidden Path.

“No! Damn you!” Auren cursed as he realized the girl was fleeing. He appeared in front of her unexpectedly and she fell backward.

“You thought you’d just leave us all trapped here?” Auren smiled malevolently, “What a clever girl.”

Fogrot watched in horror as Lord Byron approached Connor from behind, raising his sword to strike. Fogrot’s brain did not catch up for several moments, but he was already moving to act. Instinctually, he knew he had to stop Byron from killing the werewolf.

Jemma’s eyes darted around, seeing that there was no way to escape now. The wizard blocked her path, but she could still take them all with her. She was faster than the wizard and, in truth, Auren had not expected her to do it. She snatched the dagger from his waist as she rose to her feet. Auren watched as she took the blade and raked it across her throat in defiance. Blood sprayed from the open wound.

Before Byron could stab Connor and before Fogrot could strike Byron down, the entire path made a mighty lurch. Reality seemed to slide and wobble beneath their feet. Several more soldiers fell into the abyss while everyone else fell prone, grappling the invisible barrier on which they had been walking. Fogrot came close to the edge and was saved only by Rummert’s mighty grip on his shoulder, pulling him back.

A smile was on Jemma’s face as she died, she could feel the path she was keeping open collapsing around her.

Auren was stunned for a moment and then realized he must act. He grabbed the foolish girl as her body went limp and began to drink at the blood pouring from her neck. In her veins was the elven ancestry needed to maintain the Hidden Path, but the effects would be fleeting.

Yidian at first had just enjoyed taking in the chaos. They had wanted to see how Connor’s sudden attack played out, but when the path lurched, they felt sudden dread. The demon turned to see the ancient vampire drinking the girl’s blood.

“Are you insane?” Yidian called as they approached the wizard. The path was sliding further sideways and seemed to be falling away from the shimmering sea of orbs above. It seemed uncharacteristic of the dark wizard to suddenly lose control and start draining their only means of escape.

Auren threw back his head and whispered several chants in his old tongue before spewing a fine mist of elven blood into the air around him. Yidian drew back as the blood mist erupted suddenly from the wizard’s pursed lips and began to swirl through the air. Gravity reversed, starting nearest to Auren and traveling all along the path around them. Where one moment Yidian was on a tilting surface, the next the surface was gone, and he was suddenly falling headfirst toward the endless ocean of glimmering orbs.

Eventually anyone on the path was suddenly thrown from it as gravity reversed and the invisible path became a slide instead. They gathered speed as they slipped toward the nearest opening. The world seemed to open for them, slowly phasing into focus as if they were looking at it with crossed eyes.

Connor spilled out into a dense jungle with several disoriented soldiers. The sickening sensation of falling did not immediately disappear, as if waking from a nightmare. It caused the wolfish nature that had taken hold to slip, and Connor looked around in surprise for the first time.

Connor had been so consumed by a white-hot rage he could not puzzle out how he’d arrived at his new destination. Overhead, thick webs blanketed the canopy of the trees where desiccated corpses had been suspended from long strands. Behind him he caught the briefest glimpse of an inky black portal closing inside of an ancient archway that had been overgrown by the forest.

Lord Byron and a few of his men were deposited in a crumbling ruin where a putrid stench was rising in the air. Byron was familiar with the location since it was in this place they had first unsealed the Hidden Paths. They were at Caiman’s Folly and the foul odor was the stench of the marshes nearby. Overcome with fury, Byron fell upon the nearest soldier and stabbed them over and over and over again until he was drenched in their blood.

Fogrot and Rummert were cast into a deep pool, the sudden invasion of water crashing in around them after falling upward into a sea of stars nearly made them drown. Together they thrashed their way to the surface and sputtered out of the portal.

Yidian could see Auren ahead of them sliding into a bright, sunlit garden. They could not keep from collapsing directly on top of the wizard who immediately shoved them away. Yidian staggered to their feet on the plush grass, catching the sweet smell of flowers. The massive blooms and the unusual magic plants were unmistakable; they had found themselves in the Mythic Gardens of the Bastion.

A horn sounded nearby, and it was followed by a terrible clanging sound as the city guards were summoned. Yidian could start to make out the faintest glimpse of winged soldiers in golden armor leaping from the high towers of the castle before them.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this,” Auren seethed with displeasure before pulling a small earthenware jar from his robes. He tilted Simon’s collected seed back and drank it with a grimace. Yidian could see his body swelling with strength and power and several of the plants around them began to wilt and turn brown.

“Get ready to fight, demon!” Auren commanded and Yidian obediently steeled himself to confront the incoming soldiers.

Dark void lightning shattered men and stone. Yidian crushed men with Simon’s inhuman strength and then cut more down with their stolen weapons. There was a dance with death all throughout the garden and everyone set in the path of the two invaders died almost immediately. When the first wave of Bastion defenders had fallen, the entire garden had been turned to a blackened crisp and several of the plants were still burning.

“That was exciting!” Yidian panted as they flicked blood from the swords in both hands.

“It was only the beginning,” Auren grimaced, “They’ll be sending wizards next.”