Chapter 10 “In the Dark of Night”
“Ouch!” Seth complained.
“Hold still,” Akira told him sternly.
The fire crackled and Will lay to one side of it, looking fast asleep. Cain sat near him, watching in fascination as Akira examined Seth’s back with the help of light coming from a flame that danced on the palm of her hand.
They had left the third Academy as soon as they had met up. All of them had agreed that heading back the first Academy was of top priority. Once there they would try to figure out what was going on. They had travelled the rest of what was left of the day and half of the night. Yet when Akira had noticed that Seth seemed in pain she had forced the group to stop.
They had landed and made a small clearing in the shelter of a small forest. Making a fire, Will and Cain were supposed to snatch some sleep while Akira persuaded Seth to let her have a look at his back to see just how bad his injuries were. She had helped him peel of his shirt and was now taking a good look at the damage done.
Akira stared at the bruises that covered Seth’s back. Bruises he had received from crashing into a rock while protecting Cain only a day before. Probing with one finger Akira shook her head. She needed her other hand to feel for anything broken.
Closing her fist to put out the flame she brought her other hand to Seth’s back and gently began to feel down it. When Seth winced Akira felt like wincing too. Taking a deep breath she began to feel Seth’s ribs, knowing that he had to be in pain while she did so.
She felt him tense and could just imagine him gritting his teeth and clenching his fists to stop himself from making a sound.
“Well,” Akira sat back. “I don’t feel anything broken. I guess you’re lucky.”
“Lucky huh?” Seth asked as he reached for his shirt. He winced as he proceeded to pull it on.
“You may have cracked a rib of two,” Akira mused. “A healer should be able to take care of that once we get back.”
Seth grunted in response.
“Is he really okay?” Cain asked, sounding more than worried.
“You’re talking about a guy here who has had worse injuries before,” Will spoke up, his eyes still closed. “He’s fine Cain, now get some sleep. We want to get going at the crack of dawn.”
For once Cain did not argue. He shot Seth a guilty look that showed he still felt more than responsible for the older boy’s wounds, before he lay down.
Akira turned her attention to Seth to see that he seemed to be debating on how to sleep.
“Here,” Akira patted her lap.
Seth didn’t argue. Wincing he lay down on his bruised back, seeming to decide that as painful as it was it was better to do so just in case he really had cracked a rib. Gently he lay his head into Akira’s lap.
Akira reached down and fondled his hair.
“You crashed into a rock huh?” She murmured.
“Yeah, I don’t recommend it,” Seth replied.
“Oh?” Akira feigned surprise.
“It tends to be painful,” Seth told her and Akira smiled.
“I’m just glad your okay,” she told him softly.
“Ditto,” Seth replied. “When I left you on that roof I…Akira I never–”
“Shh,” Akira told him softly. “I’m glad you went after Cain Seth. He’s alive thanks to you.”
“But if something had happened to you,” Seth murmured, “I would never have been able to forgive myself.”
“But nothing happened to me,” Akira assured him.
“Mm,” Seth agreed. “I’m glad Redemption managed to get you out.”
Akira frowned. She hadn’t told Seth and the others about Deception. Redemption had not let the draglin out of the bad either after he had Akira swear that she would bring it up as soon as they reached the Academy. Yet for now, she just wanted to get there safely without having to worry Seth and Will about anything more than they currently were.
“You asleep Ree?” Akira asked as she reached out her mind for her dragon.
“Not anymore,” came her dragons sleepy reply. The dragons were some distance away, not only because they did not fit in the small clearing Akira and the boys were in, but also because they had gone to hunt for their own dinner and had wanted to eat in peace.
“I’ve been wondering,” Akira thought as she played with Seth’s hair. “How is it possible that Deception is still around if everyone else from the future is gone?”
“That’s a good question,” Redemption told her.
Akira stared down at Seth to see that his chest was rising steadily. His breathing had slowed down and he looked peaceful. She wondered at how he could go to sleep with the pain he was in.
“But there has also been something else that’s been bugging me ever since Dominique and the others disappeared,” Akira began.
“And that is?” Redemption asked.
Akira frowned. “If Dominique and the others really ceased to exist, then should our memories of them not have disappeared as well? And yet we remember them clearly, all of us do!”
For a moment Redemption did not reply. He seemed deep in thought and Akira left him, letting him take his time.
“You know kiddo,” Redemption spoke. “I thought about it too and came to a conclusion. Want to know what I think?”
“What?”
“Everything that has happened up to now has happened. You meeting Dominique and your other friends and helping them out, Deception’s birth. Every event, every interaction, everything that we have done, whether it be in the past or the future, those actions themselves have not been erased. All that has been done is that a time line does not exist anymore. Namely, only the future has been erased.”
“That doesn’t make sense Ree,” Akira told him as she tried to wrap her head around what he had just said.
“It is difficult to understand kiddo,” Redemption sighed. “How should I put it? Let’s just say that even though the future now no longer exists, Deception’s birth still occurred. How exactly she managed to stick around while all the others from her time disappeared is a mystery to even me. Maybe it has something to do with her being a Dragon of Legend. The point however is, her existence cannot be erased so simply.”
“So maybe she is the one who erased the future after all,” Akira mused.
“Maybe,” Redemption agreed. “Now get some sleep kiddo, you need it. We can try figure this out when we have the energy and time to do so.”
Akira yawned in reply. She looked down at Seth once more. Assured that he was fast asleep she gently slipped his head from her lap and laid it down on an extra blanket. Getting up she walked up beside him and lay down. Turning, she faced him and stared at his sleeping form. She watched his chest rise and fall and drifted off to sleep with a smile on her face.
As she slept Akira dreamt the same dream as always, the fallen first Academy with Deception standing on top of it. A rider on her back whose face Akira tried so desperately to catch a glimpse of and yet before she could her dream changed. She was falling, falling down a deep abyss into a darkness that seemed to be wrapping itself around her, embracing her, inviting her in and while she tried to resist at first, a part of her seemed to want to let this darkness take over.
Then the feeling that something was awfully wrong; a feeling that seemed to be trying to tug her back to reality filled her.
In response Akira’s eyes shot open. Following her instincts she rolled to the side, away from Seth. There was a soft thud as something seemed to connect with the ground. From where she lay Akira turned her head to look at the spot where she had just been sleeping.
In the moonlight she caught sight of a dagger stuck in the ground where her head had been only moments before. Eyes widening Akira jumped to her feet, her defensive instinct kicking in. She was suddenly fully awake, her instincts screaming as they tried to find the attacker amidst the darkness of night.
Her eyes roamed around the small clearing and yet she could not make out even one shape. Akira narrowed her eyes for a moment before her gaze went back to the dagger in the ground, as though to confirm that it was really there.
Seeing it she took a deep breath and closed her eyes while she listened. There was an attacker around here somewhere, and whoever it was, he was using the night as a cloak. Yet Akira seemed less bothered by that fact than she should have been. For she knew she could be able to find him by using her other instincts. Fighting in darkness was an obstacle she had long overcome when she had been blinded for some time against Haiden.
A twig snapped and Akira’s eyes shot open. There, to her right! She whirled, jumping back as she did so. She was not a moment too late as a hand slashed a blade through the air, a hairs breadth away from her stomach.
Akira tried to make out her attacker, yet all she could see out was part of an outline of someone around her height, before the attacker melted back into the darkness. Akira’s eyes darted to where Seth lay. He was still fast asleep, the commotion seeming to have not been enough to wake him or the other two.
For a moment Akira considered waking them when she decided against it. The fact that the attacker had not gone for the others when she had moved away meant that he was most likely here for her.
The hairs on the back of her neck rose and Akira ducked. In response she heard a blade swish through the air above her. Thinking fast Akira stuck out her leg and whirled in an attempt to swipe her attacker off his feet. Yet she found nothing there, her attacker had already moved out of harm’s way.
Her instincts warned her to move and Akira followed without hesitation. She rolled over to the side before jumping to her feet and leapt back just in time to avoid a blade once again. The fact that her attacker was both silent and fast told her that he was someone not to be taken lightly, for there was no doubt he was an experienced fighter. If she wanted to actually stand a chance of overpowering him she needed a weapon.
Once again Akira’s eyes darted over to where Seth lay, yet she did not look at him but at the spot beside where she had lay where her sheathed sword was on the ground. Not giving herself a moment to consider she made a rush for it.
She had not made more than two steps when a figure jumped in her way. Eyes widening as the blade he held glistened in the moonlight Akira twisted to the side just in time to avoid getting slashed. She was not allowed time to recover as her attacker attacked again.
Slowly but surely he drove her back, away from her sword. The two moved in silence, with Akira dodging and her attacker not ceasing to attack, seeming just as determined to get her as she was to get away. In the moonlight one could almost say that it looked like the two were performing a dance as Akira gracefully twisted and turned and her attacker followed.
It was when Akira’s back hit a tree that she lifted a hand before her. Her attacker took a step back, seeming to realize what she was up to. Yet Akira paused. She had wanted to turn to using fire, but the fact that she was in a forest did not make that the best option, she could risk burning the entire place down.
Taking her hesitation to his advantage her attacker leaped forward. Akira ducked just in time and heard a thud as the blade intended for her embedded itself in the tree behind her. Taking this to her advantage Akira kicked out and heard a grunt as her foot connected with something.
Her attacker went stumbling backwards, tripping over a pack that lay on the ground. There was a thud as he fell to the ground and yet he was on his feet again almost before Akira could blink. His speed amazed her.
With a seemingly new burst of energy he sprang forward. Too late Akira realized that he now had another dagger in his other hand. Having only expected one as before she had twisted in the way that she could dodge it, and yet the second one could easily reach her.
It was too late to do anything and Akira could only watch with wide eyes as one dagger came right towards her chest. At the last moment she closed her eyes, waiting for the pain that she knew would most likely explode across her chest. Yet instead she felt some force push itself in front of her, followed by a painful grunt.
Her eyes shooting open Akira was able to make out a familiar shape in front of her, holding one sword out threateningly and the other one back ready to defend.
“Seth,” Akira whispered.
Her attacker had sprung back, seeming to reassess the situation as he looked Seth up and down. Seth stood firmly before Akira in a protective stance, and yet Akira could see the pain he was in. With his injuries there was no way he could fight to his true potential.
“Seth don–” Akira began.
“I’ve got this,” Seth cut her off, determination in his voice. “Who are you?” He directed this at the attacker and suddenly Akira realized that he was only holding one knife, the other seemed to be missing.
Her attention was drawn away when without a second glance the attacker threw away his other dagger and pulled a sword from where it was strapped to his back. He held it before him, seeming to challenge Seth.
“I’ll ask you once more,” Seth spoke, his voice dangerously low, “Who are you?”
In reply he attacker put both his hands to his sword and to Akira’s utmost astonishment, he pulled it apart, turning it into two blades instead of one. Seth himself seemed surprised by this, yet he and Akira had no time to ponder over this new development as the attacker suddenly sprang forward.
Seth tightened his grip on his swords, wincing against the pain he felt through his entire stiff body. He was ready for the attacker and yet upon reaching him, the attacker dodged him and went straight for Akira. Seth however, was not to be outdone. He moved faster than Akira would expect him to with the pain he was in, snaking both swords around and blocking the attacker’s blades inches from Akira’s face.
Annoyed the attacker lashed out again and yet Seth stopped his swords just as he had the first time. Still, Akira could see Seth’s hands shaking as he fought not only against his opponent but also the pain he was in. She knew there was no way Seth would hold out long.
Thinking fats she turned and sprinted towards where her sword lay, hoping that Seth would manage to keep up with the attacker until she could get to it. Behind her, her attacker sprang after her and yet once again Seth got in the way.
The attacker reacted by lashing out with one blade. It took both of Seth’s swords crossed over to stop the blade from smashing into his head. Sweat dripped down his forehead and his hands shook while his attacker seemed unaffected.
Realizing that his attacker had only attacked with one sword, Seth’s eyes widened. He looked up only to see the attacker lift the other sword up high, ready to bring it crashing down. Yet as his hand began to move down someone grabbed him from behind, forcing it to stop. The attacker’s eyes widened as he froze.
“I can’t let you do that,” Will spoke while Seth let out a relived sigh.
The attacked responded by whirling and breaking his grip. He jumped back only to turn and face Will and Seth.
“You okay?” Will asked as he offered his hand to Seth.
Without a word Seth took it and let himself be pulled to his feet.
“Who’s the idiot that decided to attack?” Will asked Seth as the two boys stood beside each other.
“Good question,” Seth spoke.
Will shot his friend a look as he detected the pain in his voice. “You don’t look too good,” he commented. “How about you sit this one out?”
Seth looked like he was about to argue and yet the attacker did not give him the chance to reply as he sprang forward once again. Will instantly responded by shoving Seth backwards and springing forward to meet the attacker head on.
Akira in the mean time, had reached her sword and pulled it from its sheath which she dropped on the ground. Whirling she turned to see Will and the attacker leaping back and forward, exchanging blows as each tried to find the others weakness.
Narrowing her eyes Akira shot a look around the clearing. Was there only one attacker?
“What’s going on?” A groggy Cain asked as he walked up beside Akira, seeming oblivious to the danger. He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn and yet catching sight of Will fighting a stranger he let out a yelp. “Will!” He took a step forward and yet grabbing his arm Akira pulled him back.
“Let us take care of this, Cain,” she told the younger boy gently.
Cain shot her a confused look and yet Akira did not bother to stay and explain as she walked forward. She didn’t know who this attacker was or why he had attacked them. Maybe he had something to do with the third Academy exploding, or maybe he was with Deception, yet at the moment Akira couldn’t care less.
Seth wasn’t well enough to fight and even Will was exhausted from the day before, they couldn’t deal with this right now, it was time to put an end to it.
Will skillfully dodged an attack, responding with his own with almost nicked his opponent. The attacker responded by kicking up dirt. Will reacted too late and stumbled back, suddenly blinded.
“Hey!” Akira yelled, hoping the attacker would turn his attention to her.
It worked and the attacker turned to face her.
“It’s me you want, isn’t it?” Akira spoke.
The attacker responded by leaping towards her. Akira whirled, skillfully moving up her sword to meet both blades of her attacker. She stared at him across their blades. Yet the darkness made it impossible to make out his features.
As the attacker pushed Akira away she got ready for his next attack. It never came. A small pebble hit him from behind and the attacker turned, smashing one sword towards the culprit.
Akira opened her mouth to let out a warning yell and yet the attacker stopped his blade inches before the throat of the culprit and stared. Cain stood before him, a terrified look as he faced the attacker. He let out a gulp and looked as though he was about to faint at any moment. For a moment the two just stood, the attacker staring at Cain in seemingly disbelief.
Suddenly someone tackled the attacker from the side, sending him crashing to the ground and making him lose his swords in the process.
“Got you,” Will muttered from where he lay on top of him, pinning him down while he began to struggle.
Akira walked over and kicked both blades out of the attacker’s reach before pointing her sword at his throat. At once he stopped struggling.
“You,” Akira told him, her eyes flashing, “Who are you?”
The attacker stared back at her and Akira took a surprised step back as for the first time she caught a glimpse of the hatred that burned in his eyes, hatred that seemed to be aimed directly at her.
“Kiddo?” Redemption’s sleepy voice spoke in her mind. “You better get up if you haven’t already. It seems we have company.”
“We’ve taken care of him,” was Akira’s reply as she stared at her attacker.
“Him?” Redemption sounded confused. “What do you mean?” No sooner had he thought this than there was a rustling in the bushes.
Akira, whirled, her sword raised only to find that Seth too, stood ready. A shape hurtled out of the bushes followed by another.
“Akira!” A familiar voice shrieked.
Akira blinked, the voice causing her to relax and lower her sword. Seconds later a figure flung herself around her in a hug.
“You’re okay!” The same voice sounded relieved.
“Gina?” Akira asked in confusion as she took a step back to stare at her best friend. “Gina what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be on your wedding trip?”
“That’s what I thought too,” Drake’s voice spoke up and Akira turned to see him standing behind Gina with his hands crossed across his chest.
“Drake!” Akira exclaimed. Behind him three more riders appeared from the bushes and she recognized them all from the Academy. “What’s going on?” Akira asked.
“Well, let’s just say Gina here wouldn’t let me alone about that event that took place on our wedding night,” Drake sighed. “She kept claiming that while there is something wrong we couldn’t take a holiday. Let’s just say in the end I had to give in and we went back to the Academy only to find that you guys had already left for the third Academy.”
“I knew something was wrong the moment Brandon told us you had been summoned there,” Gina spoke up, her eyes filled with worry. “And then imagine our surprise when three days after you left the entire third Academy appeared on our doorstep dressed for battle!”
Akira blinked in surprise. “They what?” She asked.
“Apparently they received an emergency message from our Academy claiming we were under attack and needed assistance at once,” Gina spoke.
Akira’s mind was in a whirl as she tried to take in what she was being told. It explained why the entire third Academy had been abandoned, and yet who had sent the message that the first Academy was under attack?
“That was when Brandon finally agreed to let us come after you,” Gina spoke. “We left straight away and well, here we are and you guys seem to be perfectly…” she trailed off as she caught sight of Will holding down the attacker. “Who,” Gina pointed an accusing finger at the stranger, “Is that?”
“That’s what we would like to know,” Will muttered. In response the attacker jerked once to try and free himself yet Will held him tightly.
“He attacked us,” Seth spoke.
Gina’s eyes widened. “So you were in danger!” She shot Drake a look. “Told you so,” she told him.
“Oh, that guy isn’t the only danger we encountered,” Akira spoke dryly.
Gina shot her a questioning look and yet it was Drake who spoke up. “Whatever the case, we have to go back now. Brandon said that after finding you we were all to head back at once. I don’t know how things at your end have been, but at the first Academy, let’s just say it’s been crazy weird.”
“Oh I doubt it could be crazier than what we went through,” Will muttered from where he lay.
Two of the three Academy students that had come with Gina and Seth hurried over to help him and together they hurled the attacker to his feet.
“Let’s go home and figure out exactly what’s going on,” Seth spoke.
The others nodded in agreement. Leaving the attacker with the other two riders Will headed back to grab his things. Cain followed his lead and Akira and Seth did the same. Akira sheathed her sword and strapped it to her back before grabbing her saddle pack.
She turned to leave when she heard a thud. Turning she saw that Seth had dropped to his knees, clutching his side in agony.
“Seth!” Akira dropped her pack and rushed over to his side. “What’s wrong?” She asked in concern.
Seth didn’t respond and Akira’s eyes drifted to his side. Her blood froze as for the first time she caught sight of the dagger that was stuck into it up to its hilt. Instantly she remembered the moment when Seth had jumped in front of her, the moment he had let out a grunt of pain, the moment after which the attacker’s second dagger was missing, and now she knew the reason why.
Akira’s face paled and her hands shook as panic filled her.
“Akira?” Gina asked.
Seth lifted his eyes to meet Akira’s. “I’m fine,” he tried to assure her.
“Why…” Gina trailed off as she realized the problem. “Not good,” she muttered.
“It looks worse than it is,” Seth tried to assure Akira, yet the pain in his voice told her otherwise.
“Seth…” Akira felt like reaching for the dagger and pulling it from his side, but she knew that in that case he could bleed out before they reached the Academy.
“I’m fine,” Seth repeated as he tried to get up. When he stumbled Akira rushed forward and put her shoulder under his arm.
Drake appeared on his other side, supporting him there.
“Hang on,” Akira told Seth pleadingly.
“I plan to,” came Seth’s weak reply as the group made their way to where their dragons waiting for them. Akira felt urgency fill her. She gulped as she shot another look at the dagger in Seth’s side, the dagger that had been meant for her, and she couldn’t help but wonder how many times Seth had saved her.
Looking away she helped support Seth as they walked. They needed to get back to the Academy, and fast.