I didn’t think it was possible, but you shut me out from all forms of communication. When Ivan told us to check it out, we set out toward the source of the presence we’d felt, Zahara said, recounting every detail. It was a small ship carrying orcs across to Southland. They were unaware of us. It was too risky to engage them without going unnoticed by any enemies that might have been nearby on shore, so we were only going to make a note of where they were heading and tell Ivan and the others about it when we came back. Without warning, you used magic, a form of magic that we haven’t yet learned, to fire a beam of energy at their ship. It set the stern ablaze. You told me we needed to put it out if we didn’t want to risk being seen. When I flew near the boat, you leapt off and attacked the orcs onboard. At first, they fought back, but seeing how you moved, they abandoned their weapons, fearing for their lives. They tried to flee and begged for mercy, but you slew them all before I could do anything to stop you.
Anders didn’t want to believe that he could act so violently with hate in his heart. They were at war with the orcs, but slaughtering them as they tried to surrender, begging for their lives was unconscionable. The memories haunted him as tears ran down his face, I didn’t; that wasn’t me. I never would…
But you did, Zahara said quietly.
Anders wept.
Zahara searched Anders’ soul, their connection bonded. She cringed as she dug past the reality of what he’d done and found his true emotions. Sorrow. She had to know if the murderous act had been conducted of his own free will or if the crystal had acted through him.
She let him weep as they approached the shoreline. I know you didn’t do this of your own free will, not intentionally. It was the crystal acting through you, she said trying to calm him.
Anders breathed in, wiping away his tears as he tried to regain his composure.
Those orcs wouldn’t have seen us and there was no reason to engage, but we are at war, Zahara said, attempting to console him. Those were our enemies and we were likely to meet them in battle. What you did was wrong, regardless of whether the crystal’s energy overpowered you, but we need to move on. We are about to face the most powerful sorcerer in the world and, as much as I don’t want to admit it, we might have to use the energy in the crystal if we’re going to have a chance at defeating Merglan.
Anders exhaled, trying to compose himself. He knew she was right. They would need to use the energy stored in the crystal if they were to have a chance at defeating Merglan in battle. Merglan had an entire store of crystals saved up. Anders knew that he was going to have to rely on every advantage they had access to defeat Merglan. A problem had arisen; he couldn’t count on controlling his actions if he did need to use the extra energy. He had now become a major liability. He couldn’t believe that he had done something so terrible, something that Merglan would’ve done. He closed his eyes and shuddered at the thought. He couldn’t deny it; he and Merglan shared many of the same attributes.
There is a difference in killing on the battlefield and killing for sport, Zahara said. In the past, you’ve let your morals guide you, but tonight you abandoned them. You allowed the crystal’s energy to feed your hatred and that scares me.
I’m ashamed of myself, Anders said. I don’t want to end up like him, like Merglan. I should’ve listened to Ivan. We don’t know how the crystals work. Maybe there’s a way to control the energy. You were able to think clearly. Why wasn’t I?
I don’t know, Anders. You should talk to Ivan about it. He might know more than we do. Perhaps Nadir can find something more in the diagram? For now, we need to focus on what Kartania needs from us. We need to stay strong and do our duty, Zahara said.
Anders felt embarrassed. He’d acted like a monster, letting aggression consume him. He knew he was better, he knew he was different from Merglan. Now all he could do was prove it, to himself and to the world. He wouldn’t let the hatred take him, he couldn’t.
The Drakeshead formation of Southland comprised nearly a full quarter of the island’s mass, stretching as far north as the Split Mountain River flowing east to the sea and as far west as the Lumbi Lakes south of Split Mountain. Though the province was vast, it didn’t seem that way to Anders and Zahara as they circled above the trees. They could smell the smoldering cook fires of the native Southland people. From the air, Anders and Zahara could hardly make out the distinguishing elements of an army camp. Their soldiers remained in tight camping formations. Before gliding down to land on shore and await the ships, Zahara and Anders flew a few hundred yards down and stopped at a small cove, hidden from the open expanse along the beaches.
Anders climbed down off his dragon’s back, his legs shaky from having been in the saddle for so long. He knelt on the rocky coast and dropped his hands down into a small tidal pool left behind by the receding tide. Taking a handful of sand from the base of the pool, he began to scrub the stains off his hands. Three times he grabbed a fresh handful of sand from the bottom of the tidal pool and scrubbed vigorously until the dark stains were gone from his skin. Next, he dipped his head in, washing his hair and face in the same way he did his hands. After several minutes, he rose from the pool and walked back to Zahara.
She entered his mind and said, It’s not all off.
He examined his hands, rolling them over to examine each part of his extremities. Then he wiped his hand through his hair again and looked at the residue from his hair, still clean of blood. He looked up at her and shrugged, I don’t see any more on me.
Your sword, she said shortly.
Anders looked down at Lazuran’s handle. The embedded crystals usually shone a faint blue, but with blood covering them, they shone a deathly red. He shuddered again at the thought of what he’d done. He quickly pulled the blade from its sheath and brought it down to the rolling waves continuously slapping the rocky coast. The blade was too long to submerge into the tidal pool he’d used before, so he plunged it into the sea. Not willing to dull his edge, he used the leather cuff wrapped around his wrist to scrape the loosened blood clean from his sword. As he cleaned his weapon, Anders’ attention was repeatedly drawn to the crystals in the hilt. The more he looked at them, the more of his attack he could remember. Flying through the air, landing onboard the ship, hacking and slicing the screams away. Anders swatted the air in front of him as if a fly or bug were bothering him. He dropped the sword as he stumbled back over the rocks. Tripping and falling on his backside, Anders sat winded among the slippery rocks. He placed his head into his hands and began to cry again. He cried for many reasons: for the mess he’d made in slaughtering the orcs; for the daunting task that he must complete now that they had reached the island; and for the loved ones he’d lost or had been separated from.
He wept like a child for several minutes before Zahara interrupted him. She knew he needed to face his emotions and what he’d done.
She sat down at his side facing the sea and said, I know you didn’t mean to do what you did. You can’t blame yourself for an action that you had no control over. Now that we know what can happen when we use the energy, we can find a way to control it.
How do you know I can control it? I can’t seem to control anything. After all we did to rescue my family, they’re still in danger. After all the time I spent with the girl of my dreams, she still left me. And after coming all this way to fight an unbeatable foe, I can’t control the power that will give me the best chance at victory. It’s hopeless, he said swiping at the tears with his sleeve.
That’s not true. Things aren’t hopeless, Zahara said soothingly.
It seems like they are to me, Anders said.
That’s right. It only seems like they are. Take a look around, see where we are and who we’re with. These elves, dwarfs and humans are willing to risk their lives to prove that hope still exists. They’re about to walk into the greatest battle this world has ever seen and all to prove that hope and goodness are greater than evil. So, when you feel like all of your problems are weighing you down, just stop and look around. I’m here with you. And as long as I’m here with you there will always be hope in the world. Together we’re going to make Kartania a better place. Zahara wrapped Anders up in one of her long wings and held him close.
Anders didn’t respond for a moment. Zahara’s comforting presence and gentle touch were more than enough to brighten his spirits. After several long breaths, he found his feet. He wiped the debris from his rear and collected his sword, still awash in the rolling waves along the shore.
Sheathing his weapon, he said, Well, come on then. We’ll need to inspire the others if we’re going to win this war.
Zahara smiled and came to his side. She was happy that her bonded partner had returned to his usual self. She knew he might change, but no matter what happened to them in the future, she knew that he was right by her side with his heart in the right place.
The Lumbapi people were coming out of the trees in large numbers when Anders and Zahara landed alongside the ships. The elven vessels were designed to make landfall with much more grace than standard merchant ships with large bulbous hulls. Ivan, Nadir, Natalia and Remli were already walking toward the group of gathering natives when Anders and Zahara joined them.
Everything alright? Ivan asked as they matched their stride.
We got things sorted out, Zahara reassured him.
Good, Ivan said, eyeing Anders intently.
Anders hadn’t felt this awkward around Ivan since he confronted him about the orc ambush. He turned his attention to the approaching people, ignoring Ivan’s glare.
“Ivan,” a thickly accented woman said. “We are glad to see you in such dire times as these.” As the Lumbapi woman spoke, Anders took note of her impressive features. The woman’s shoulders were broad, toned and muscular. Her complexion almost matched Maija’s tanned hue. This woman’s hair was short and straight, unlike Maija’s, whose hair was long and wavy. The Lumbapi woman’s lean muscles weren’t the only attributes about her that were visually impressive. She wore a headdress of flowing colors that would rival any rainbows Anders had ever seen. Her short sleeves exposed a set of tattoos along one arm and her nose was pierced through the septum. Rings and jewelry adorned her fingers and wrists, but not her neck. In the place above the cleft of her breast, she wore a string of bones. Anders looked closely at them before he realized they were claws, no doubt from a predator native to this land. Despite her jewels and trinkets, she wore the very basic browned boiled leather, typical armor for a guerilla-style warrior who needs to use speed to her advantage during battle.
“Princess Inama,” Ivan replied. “We’re the ones who are glad to see you. The passage south was more treacherous than we’d anticipated.”
“Did you encounter any enemies crossing the narrows?” she asked, raising her ornately decorated eyebrows to take a better look at Zahara and Anders stepping into the torchlight.
Before Ivan could answer, the impressive sight that Zahara had come to be startled those surrounding the princess, even she stepped back, startled when Zahara shook the sea spray off her scales before sitting down on the loose gravel beach.
Ignoring the defensive positions the Lumbapi greeters had taken, Ivan spoke as if nothing were amiss, “The dragon and her rider found a vessel carrying orcs across, but our ships sailed around them without their noticing. We haven’t encountered any more since then.”
Anders knew Ivan wasn’t disclosing with them what he’d done to keep up appearances. For all Anders knew, the fact that he’d killed an entire ship alone might frighten the Lumbapi people so much that they’d be unwilling to join the fight. To his relief, the princess and her companions straightened themselves and stepped closer once again, all the while keeping a wary eye on Zahara.
