Solace Curse: Part I

9 - Flight of the Blade

"But the girl's Bond? Seems awful weird you didn't find the other one lying around somewhere."

"The first pair of Rhas'sagal are dead. She is the only proof the prince needs of that. The second pair will be of no consequence. We will then eliminate your Solace."

They have her. This time the anger was my own. The magic roiling inside didn't need to push it up, it just happened. The four men were coming into view now, meandering along the rim of the plateau, torches held high to light up the shadows.

"...more than some consequence, huh? Another Ska'al dead! The girl went down without a fight at least, one lousy arrow killing an Animaré?"

It was fuel to the fire. Andrin noticed my quivering fists and laid a hand across my arm. His eyes were wide.

"It's true, you must've picked off the weakest link by far, your Solace couldn't even have been around for that one! An Animaré shot in the chest, I never thought you could do it. When they've got a shield at the drop of a hat, you'd think they'd come in handy at a time like that!" The Baldük had long fallen silent, but now the Corvel soldiers were egging each other on.

"We were always taught, never even try to shoot 'em, but now we've got a new story to bring back home to the boys. Two pathetic little birds with one stone, literally."

Andrin was gripping my arm tightly now. Through the fog of angry magic I glimpsed his other hand on Koren's shoulder.

"It'll be a training technique, you know? Weed out the weak ones for the Guard, just hit 'em straight on with a bow and see which ones are too stupid to—" He was interrupted by a surprised exclamation from the big Ska'al.

The armored warrior clutched his thigh, Koren's knife buried deep in his flesh. I opened my eyes and looked up, breathing heavily, standing right beneath the stunned warriors. Did I really just...? I whirled around to find myself outside the cave, knees trembling, a maelstrom raging in my chest. I flexed my fingers, the ghost of the knife's edge flying from my hand, aimed to kill the Corvel, launched in blind anger. I missed my mark by a mile.

The other Ska'al didn't waste a moment, dropping straight off the ledge, black sword drawn. Koren and Andrin were on him in a flash, Naem-shul ringing against the warrior's armor. As he turned to counter his new opponents, I felt a ripple in the air as Naem-shul met Ska'al blade. The glittering black swords still packed a punch on the Naem-shul, and it definitely evened the playing field.

The big Ska'al grunted as he landed heavily on the rocks in front of me, and I turned to face him head on, energy building in my soul, mounting ever more pressure in my chest. The Solace magic was hungry, and I didn't have any intention of pushing it down.

The warrior straightened up slowly. He was huge, nearly a foot taller than me or Koren, with a chest as broad as ours combined. In one hand he gripped a torch, which he immediately cast off to the side. The handle of Koren's knife stuck out of his thigh, buried up to the hilt, but he wrenched it free with a laugh, throwing it aside as well.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Andrin and Koren both occupied with the other Ska'al. His sword made their fight that much harder—they could barely use their Naem-shul at all, having to keep even those out of his reach. I set my jaw and swung at my Ska'al before I thought he could recover from the fall, but his arm came up lazily to block the swing. It was like hitting a stone statue. I saw his other arm swing a moment too late and could only twist away so my shoulder absorbed the punch instead of my chest.

Even so, the blow sent me flying. Somehow, I held onto Lylisia's knife, the weapon my only hope while all else slipped quickly away. The Solace magic was angry, but I wasn't sure how it would really help me. I was lucky before—today my luck was running out.

Rising warily to my feet, I blocked out the sound of the other battle. The huge Ska'al advanced, his mask leering at me in the hazy light. I feinted left and made a swipe right, but he dodged nimbly aside, quicker than I thought possible. I dove away from his huge fist and popped up again to the side, only for his other punch to connect to my temple.

The world spun. I landed hard in a clump of grass, my vision blurry and head ringing. The Ska'al laughed again. I made to push myself up, but the moment I raised my head the ground flipped vertical again and I collapsed. He hit me hard.

The Ska'al casually turned his attention to the other fight now, not seeming to care that his comrade was starting to lose his edge to the Animaré. The Corvel had long since fled, one look at the flashing Naem-shul and angry Solace apparently too rich for their blood.

I hauled myself once again to my feet, my head still reeling. The magic roared again in my chest as I let it strengthen my weak limbs just enough to get me off the ground. I wanted desperately to let it fuel me into a frenzy, but against Ska'al, what good would it even do?

The shadows danced quicker than the fighters, the flickering torch quickly replacing the sun as it sunk farther below the horizon. I wobbled a bit and shook my head, the uncertain light merging with the stars popping up in my vision. For a moment I stood hypnotized by the jumping shadows, the spinning silhouettes. The Naem-shul whirled and wove through the darkness, following the Animaré movements in fluid motions.

One flickered as Andrin blocked a swipe, and the sound left my ears ringing. I broke out of my trance. I scooped up Koren's bloody knife, which lay beside a fist-sized chunk of rock.

My knives weren't much good against the giant Ska'al swords, so I attacked the best way I could think of. I hurled the rock and hit the smaller Ska'al right in the side of the head, sending him stumbling right into Koren's waiting blade. We didn't waste a moment before turning back to Andrin.

We were still a moment too late.

Andrin landed a hit on the big Ska'al's already injured thigh and the warrior dropped to one knee with a grunt of pain. Thinking he had the advantage, the Animaré stepped forward, only to get a dagger to the stomach.

Our screams mingled into one.

Blood trickling down his side, Andrin collapsed into the waiting arms of the Ska'al, who quickly straightened up, sword to the Animaré's neck.

"Drop it, or you end up like him." He locked eyes with Koren, jerking his head to me as he spoke. The Naem-shul instantly disappeared. "You too. Drop it."

"Drop it Sedris."

White knuckles gripped Koren's knife in one hand, Lylisia's in the other. I didn't budge.

It's my fault we're here.

"Sedris."

My fault. Lylisia would know what to do.

"Put it down, Solace, or we see if your friend is just as weak as you are. They don't know," he jerked his head to the ledge where the Corvel had fled, "but we're all sure you don't know a damn thing about your magic. And you won't kill a man at your mercy?" He laughed. "Untifrai ek krassath. Cowards reap death."

I could hit him this time. I wouldn't miss. He needs me. I tightened my grip on the weapons.

Koren's hand closed around my left fist, the one with Lylisia's knife. "You know you won't do it Sedris."

There it was. He wanted me to give up. This was how our journey ended.

As my own heart sunk, the Solace magic took control. Lylisia's knife clanked on the rocks where I tossed it, harmlessly, right as the other weapon drew back to aim. The picture of the Ska'al pressed into my mind—him laughing, holding a bleeding, unconscious Andrin.

I sent a prayer to the heavens and let the blade fly.