"Wake up!" Theo whispered sharply, harsh voice slicing through the silence of the night. Kai was on his feet immediately, scanning his surroundings as his companions did the same.
There. Near the base of the hill, a group of shadows slipped their way between gnarled trees and broken boulders.
Had the hounds found them? Or perhaps wraiths? Or could it have been the dark soldiers themselves. Kai couldn't be sure of anything in such darkness. It seemed to wrap invisible arms around him, a cold kiss in an already chilly night.
"Friend or foe?" Leandro called.
"Who do you serve?" The reply came from below, beside the stump of a tree. It was an old voice, weary and suspicious. And a human voice.
Kai hesitated a moment before relenting. Lies would not keep them alive for long. "We serve Aria. And you?"
"We came from Damarel—you are friends, then."
The aged voice had an edge of relief as the tension in the air was cut like a warm knife through butter. Kai dropped the blade he had clutched in his hands as his companions did the same.
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"It must have been two months ago...no, not that long. Perhaps six weeks. They came in the night. Our defenses crumbled within minutes." The man shuddered, unkempt gray hair fluttering in the cold breeze. "Those giants, those beasts... They tore down our walls as if they were made of straw. Most of the city was hardly awake when the slaughter began." His deep voice dropped to a whimper, eyes glistening. "I got my family out, along with a few hundred others. The rest...well, I suppose you saw what came of them on your way here."
Kai's eyes widened at that. He hadn't expected so many survivors. Of course, the group before him counted less than a dozen—they must have been a scouting party, then.
The group sat around a small fire, faces grim as they shared bread. The man who had spoken seemed to be their leader. He must have been fifty years old, but his eyes were cold, voice hard.
The rest of the small group seemed to be half his age, though it was hard to make out their distinct features in the darkness. None of them wore armor, although they had crafted makeshift weapons from wood and rock. A thin, timid woman noticed Kai's expression.
"We got out through the sewers," she said. "Although our soldiers were decimated, the enemy's army was small, if it could even be called an army. They were too focused on killing to notice that some of us had gotten away." Her eyes burned red hot as she stared into the flickering fire. "The sewers lead to the woods...Once we had reached them, we simply ran. Luckily, no one caught us. If it could be called luck."
Someone close to her had died to the Dark Army. Kai could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. She must have wished that she had died with them, whoever they might have been. He watched as her face contorted in self-loathing. He did not know how to comfort her—did not know if he should comfort her. Not when death himself seemed to stir within her eyes. All he could do to relieve her pain was assist her in her vengeance. Luckily, the goals of everyone sitting around the flames seemed aligned. They all wished to see the Dark Army demolished.
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The rest of Damarel's survivors had made camp deep within the Rimouleche woods, a massive forest bordering the town. They had been in hiding since the destruction of their city, scouting for information occasionally.
One of the Damarel scouts stayed with Kai's group, while the rest had journeyed back into the woods. They would make their way to Aria before long, and Kai could only hope that they did not run into the Dark Army before then.
The scout who had stayed was the very man who had spoken the night before, around the campfire. His name was Gormon Bixwin, though he preferred Gorm. He had seen the Dark Army the day Damarel had fallen, and had lost his family to the slaughter. He wished for revenge, and Kai could not deny him the hope, as slim as it seemed. Every scouting survivor of Damarel had lost someone to the Dark Army, but the rest of the group seemed more afraid than inclined to fight, which Kai could not blame them for. They had watched as strange men cut down their family and friends before their eyes—of course they were scared.
"They were marching," Gorm told Kai from atop his horse. They rode at the front of the group, heading east. Gorm had spotted the two hundred men of the Dark Army leaving Damarel after the pillaging, and gathered what little information he could. "They were marching further northeast, along the Green Path. Toward what, I do not know. Any towns in their path will be burned. Perhaps even those that are not in the way of the army. They sent a small force to Damarel...The larger force may do the same to others, as well."
Kai grimaced. "Lord Canmore sent birds across Ath, warning of the army. To my knowledge he received replies from several towns, but not all of them. Even those who did reply may not have made it to Aria safely by now. The army is paving a path through Ath, terrorizing any lands that they encounter along the way. We can only hope that some survivors made their way to Aria or Terrin. I fear that few other nearby cities can hold their own against the Dark Army."
Gorm nodded with a frown. "They must be stopped, and it has already been made abundantly clear that diplomacy is not an option. I refuse to bargain with men who side with giants and beasts."
Kai felt inclined to agree with the older man, after seeing the destruction that the Dark Army left in its wake. But then, if talking their way out of a war was an option, shouldn't they choose it over further bloodshed?
Is there any way to make peace with these barbarians? And if there is, do we choose peace, or vengeance?
In recent days, Gorm and his group had swiftly scouted the areas surrounding Damarel and the Rimouleche woods, hoping to secure an opening so that the Damarelian survivors might make their way to Aria. They had been returning to the Rimouleche woods when they had stumbled upon Kai and his companions.
"Before we even think of talking to them," Kai said, "we must know who they fight for. I doubt that any cities east of here could host such a force."
He pulled a map from one of his pockets and spread it, slowing Lunar to a walk as Gorm slowed his own mare.
"Amberdenn is only thirty kilometers away, just outside the border of Rimouleche forest, but they're far enough north that the army may not have spotted them. Or perhaps they grew the force themselves...I know little of Ath, or the size and strength of its settlements."
Gorm nodded his understanding, stroking his beard with one hand while the other clutched the reins of his horse. "My scouting group did not go as far as Amberdenn, but I have been there before. The village is small; half the size of Damarel, if that. The army did not come from Amberdenn. I doubt that they could even house such a force for very long."
"What about Snowhold?" Kai asked.
Gorm sighed, face scrunched in worry. "Ah, Snowhold... The largest fortress in the north. The men there are brutes, with loyalties twisting like leaves in a breeze. Last I heard, they served Terrin. But now, with such a force marching across Ath...There is no saying whether or not they raised the army, or even if they have come in contact with it. Snowhold earned its name for a reason; it may withstand a force of twenty thousand at least, even with those giants in the mix. I would not think the Dark Army foolish enough to attack its cold walls."
"They attacked Aria," Kai reminded him. Gorm grunted his acknowledgement as he stroked his gray beard in thought.
Kai sighed, eyes returning to the map atop his lap. It showed only Ath, but he had seen larger maps in the Ivory Manor. Truthfully, the army could have come from anywhere. With the knowledge that Aria had—that was to say, none—there was no saying where the enemy had originated from.
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The further Kai went, the colder it grew. Trees began to shrivel and shrink, leafless branches swaying lightly in the frigid breeze. Gorm led them through Rimouleche forest, parallel to the Green Path, which the army had supposedly taken. Animals became scarce, and Kai knew that their stores would last for only a few more weeks. The food stored on one of their pack horses had nearly depleted. The small mare now carried Gorm, who was proportionally sized.
Despite his age and frailty, he had insisted on coming, and the Arians were in no position to turn him away.
The hierarchy of the group who had set off from Aria was a strange one. There did not seem to be any apparent leader, although everyone listened to Gorm, as he seemed to know the most about the north. He told Kai that he had been Damarels librarian, though his books were likely little more than ash by now. It seemed that the smartest men and women loved to read...that was no surprise to Kai, after having known Harper for the time he had.
The group listened to her as well, perhaps due to her title, which was one of the highest in Ath, or perhaps because she seemed as wise as Gorm, though a third his age.
Jean spoke little, instead following his older brother Cory wherever he went. Although Cory enjoyed talking, he was no strategist or leader. Neither were the Arian soldiers, who seemed afraid to make commands, save for Theo, who occasionally voiced his opinions. Kai understood their fear. Directing others to make wrong choices could prove fatal on this journey.
Harper rode beside him now, near the front of the group.
"I've seen Rimouleche on maps, but I didn't think that it was this large. Or cold, for that matter," she said, shivering within the sheepskin cloak slung around her.
Kai wore a woolen black cloak, cut to his size. He'd had it tailored for him during his last days in Aria. Although he had not expected this degree of chill, Harper had urged him to prepare for anything. It still felt strange, spending money as if it were no more valuable than common soil. He supposed that the cloak was necessary.
"It will only get worse from here on out," Kai said. "We haven't even seen snow yet... I heard one of the soldiers saying that Snowhold is made from solid ice."
She scoffed. "Snowhold is made from stone, just like Aria's walls. I'm excited to go there, though, if that is where our path leads us. I've only read about it, but it's said that Snowhold's keep is twice the size of Aria's, with walls three times the width and just as tall. The people of Snowhold live in villages surrounding the fortress, so they're undefended for the most part. But, with time to prepare, the keep can accommodate thousands. It has stood for hundreds of years."
A fortress like that... Kai could only hope that Snowhold had not turned on Terrin and Ath. Such a force could change the tides of battle, if what Harper said was true. He also hoped that the Dark Army had not burned Snowhold to the ground, as they had done with Larnwick and Damarel. Snowhold would make for a strong ally, if it wasn't already on the Dark Army's side.
Kai frowned. "Have Aria's messengers not made it even this far before, to report the state of Damarel?"
Harper shrugged. "It seems that those hounds found any messengers before they made it back to Aria."
"Then why have we seen none of the beasts? It has been nearly two weeks since we left Aria."
She sighed. "I suppose the army is grouped further northeast. Why, I couldn't say. Perhaps they are rallying all of their forces for a final push, or maybe they truly have come from or taken Snowhold, and are using it for their own needs."
He nodded. "We'd better abandon the path and head straight for Snowhold, then. It seems far more likely that the Dark Army is marching for Snowhold than the small cities and villages that lie further east."
The group left the relative comfort that the nearby Green Path had given, turning to the harsh, freezing north.
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Light snow coated bushes and trees, and the ground crunched lightly under Lunar's hooves. The group had left the Green Path a little over two days before, but had not seen anything out of the ordinary since Damarel.
Kai jumped from his horse, gesturing for Harper to follow him through the long grasses of the forest floor. The rest of their group had made camp a mile or so away, and were likely just waking from their sleep. Kai and Harper had set off to hunt at first light.
Kai crept forward, knife in hand. A plump rabbit stood just ahead of him, nibbling on frozen grass. The rodent's ears perked up as Kai's boots crunched against a twig, but it was too late. With a swift flick of his wrist, Kai impaled the rabbit cleanly through its head. The light died out from its eyes instantly.
"Nice shot." Harper plucked the rabbit from the ground, tossing Kai his bloodied blade.
"We'd better hurry. They'll be wondering where we've gone."
She nodded, bagging the rabbit and jumping onto Dusty.
It felt nice, hunting with her again. It reminded him of their journey to Aria, nearly two months ago.
Why did I enjoy a journey filled with nothing but death and fear?
A part of Kai knew why, but he pushed away those thoughts, those feelings, confused as they were.
"Should we have gotten more for the rest of them?" Harper asked. "I feel bad."
Kai laughed. "They're grown men, Harper. You don't need to—"
A sharp scream pierced through the forest, pounding Kai's ears like a thousand needles. He recognized the sound.
"Go," he said, mounting Lunar. Harper's face looked as pale as Kai's felt as he took off through the grasses, branches and twigs snapping against his arms and face. The horses did not protest, despite the blood snaking down their hide's. They were as terrified as their riders, muscles bunched together in tension.
Kai heard branches snap behind him as the creature gained on him and Harper. He pushed Lunar harder, silently apologizing to her as they crashed through twigs and jumped over streams.
Was the creature behind them the same one that had stolen Harper's father? Or were there more than one of the monsters?
Kai broke through the forest's hold, slowing Lunar to a walk as he surveyed his surroundings. They had made it to the campsite; a peppering of tents and campfires huddled together in a grassy clearing.
Cory jumped from a rock, half whittled twig falling to the ground. "What's happenin?" He swung his sword loose, screaming incomprehensible words behind him. The rest of the men rose from their breakfast, groggy eyes immediately sharpening as they swung their own blades free from their sheathes. Gorm pulled a knife from his belt, but made no move to fight the wraith. One less person to worry about, Kai thought.
Kai jumped off of Lunar, readying his knives beside the soldiers.
"Wraith." He said, studying the treeline. "If we don't fight it now, it will kill us in our—"
The creature broke into the clearing, screaming at full force. It was not invisible, Kai realized. He squinted his eyes, studying the creature. Darkness. It was darkness, blinking from a shadow into nothing at all as branches behind the creature swayed. Wherever the sunlight touched the creature, it seemed to disappear, leaving only the faintest outline of a figure. But under the cover of shadows, the wraith looked almost... human? Yes there was no doubt. An inky silhouette of a man, daggers clutched in either of his hands.
"It's some sort of human. Mutated, or something." Harper's words were little more than a breath against his ear. She saw it too then. If it was human...A portion of Kai's fear melted away. They could kill this—this thing—that stood before them.
The wraith's scream stopped as it stepped into the sunlight, translucent eyes assessing the group. And then they changed. The eyes changed, darkened, glazing over as an unholy blackness ate away at whatever light had remained in them.
Eusien let out a small whimper behind Kai, but the soldier stood his ground. He was here for a reason. He would not flee, even when faced with a creature of nightmares—nor would his companions. Well, Kai hoped that they wouldn't flee. He let out a breath, following the creature's gaze. Its eyes swept over the group; small windows of hell scanning each soldier's face. The darkness stopped when it saw Kai, and the wraith cocked its head.
Is it...studying me?
An instant later the creature was moving, a scream emanating from its very being. Its daggers were a mere vision of light now, but there was no doubt that the wraith was aiming the weapon at Kai.
The creature lifted an arm, knife gripped within one of those shadowy hands. Kai realized what was about to happen a moment too late as the wraith jerked the blade through the air, sending it straight for Kai's heart.