Aurix the Bold

Inanna woke Aurix with a warm whisper in his ear that sent electric shivers throughout his entire body. When he sat bolt upright, she was smiling mischievously.

“You don’t have to look so pleased with yourself,” he whispered through a yawn.

Inanna shrugged. Her smile lingered for several seconds more.

He had no idea how he’d managed to stay asleep when he heard Regulus’ low rumbling snore coming from just a few feet away. Aurix wasn’t sure, but he thought he could feel the ground shudder beneath his hand every time the giant inhaled.

“My Gods.”

Inanna giggled softly. “You get enough sleep?”

He figured from Shura’s position that he’d been out for about four arcs. He nodded. “I’m good. Anything?”

“No, it’s been eerily quiet. Well, except for him,” she said, waving her hand in Regulus’ direction. “An army could march on us and I might not hear it. The fog is rolling in again.” She tilted her head to the east.

Aurix forced himself to look away from Inanna’s long, slender neck and followed her gaze. Thin wisps of mist tumbled down the mountainsides and rolled along the valley floor like formless white creatures stretching back up for the sky from which they came.

“I hate the weather in this place,” she said. “My hair’s impossible in it.”

The absurdity of her beauty concerns with all they still had yet to worry about made him laugh.

“How are you doing?” she asked, suddenly serious.

“It’s hard to believe that I really only knew Shlee for a few weeks. It seems like we’d been together forever.”

“Friendships know no time,” she said.

“True,” he agreed. “Did you know he was 381 revolutions old? Regent to fourteen kings, he said.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t. But it sounds like he lived a fulfilling life.”

Aurix frowned, but nodded. “I think he was content with the life that he’d lived. I still had a lot to learn from him, though. He was a wise old buzzard.” He paused, remembering. “I’m glad he got to see Cragshadow once more before he died. He was tickled by that place. He grew up there.”

“It was lovely. I wish we could have stayed longer.”

“Me too. You should get some sleep, Inanna—if you can manage over his thunder.”

She lay down, smiling. “I imagine that’s what a bear would sound like during hibernation.”

Aurix laughed.

“I still can’t believe that the God-Forged are real,” she said. “I always thought they were just legends.”

“I didn’t even know they existed until Shlee showed me the Ring. It, at least, was very real. I have to assume the others are as well. He may have kept many things from me, but I don’t think he ever lied to me.”

“I’m sure he didn’t. So, do you think you can keep your eyes on something other than me while I’m sleeping?”

Aurix felt his neck and face get hot. It was so incredibly easy for her to get under his skin. “It’ll be a challenge, but I’ll try.”

“Just don’t get us killed, okay?”

“You’re safe with me,” he said.

She smiled, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight. “I know.” She winked at him. “Maybe even a little too safe.” She closed her eyes and left Aurix to ponder what that meant with Regulus’ snores for company.

It was indeed difficult to keep his eyes off of Inanna as she slept. Her face was relaxed and peaceful, and instead of snoring, she sighed softly as her chest rose and fell hypnotically. The sound was almost musical. It seemed she was always bewitching, even in sleep.

When he managed to pull his eyes and ears away from his new companions, he concentrated on the distance. Nothing moved that he could see, except for the encroaching fog and the soft rush of the stream.

He fed the caples apples and oats from their sacks, and ate some meat and bread. While his hand was in one of the rucks draped over Aoni’s back, it brushed against something hard and cold. Curious, he removed the object from the pouch. It was egg-shaped, small enough to close his fist around and clear like glass. Suspended inside was a small amount of bright blue liquid. Aurix had no idea what it was, and reminded himself to ask Regulus when he woke him for the next shift.

In the meantime, Aurix had to have a conversation with his Shapebreaker.

Regulus woke about three arcs later. Aurix knew his sleep was over because it was the first real quiet he’d heard all day.

“Nothing at all,” Aurix said softly, so as not to wake Inanna. “Except the fog.”

Over those few arcs, it had shrouded Grimvale with a heavy, damp layer of cloud. Nova would rise soon, and Aurix suspected a churning red and gray nimbus would soon blanket the valley. The weather here was too erratic for him to predict, but he hoped there wouldn’t be much in the way of storms to contend with through the night. On the flip side, he hoped they still had some of the fog to work with come morning.

“Where’s Nyx?” Regulus said, with a touch of concern.

“She’s around,” Aurix said. He held out the small glass egg to the monstrous man. “Do you know what this is, by chance?”

Regulus laughed aloud, and Aurix wondered how Inanna could possibly have remained asleep through the outburst.

“This, bold one, is a flux bomb. And it may prove to be incredibly helpful tomorrow.”

Lightning tinged the edges of the low clouds with blue, white, and gold as they continued north through the night. The storm seemed mostly contained to the mist above them, and only an occasional bolt would leap to the ground in a shower of electricity and sparks. Midway through the night, the storm dissipated and left them blind. They navigated solely by the trickle of the nearby stream and the instincts of the caples.

As each arc brought them nearer to morning, they grew more anxious of what daylight might bring. Inanna chattered nervously. Regulus stayed silent, his eyes incessantly scanning a darkness he couldn’t see into. Aurix tried to stay alert while keeping Inanna’s mind off of what lay ahead with idle talk.

The black drained into purple and the purple eventually gave way to a dark, heavy blue. The way ahead looked clear, but the fog obscured the top of the slope out of the valley. There could be an entire army up there waiting for them, conveniently out of sight.

They spent Shura’s waking arc taking turns bathing in the pool at the end of the stream. The water was freezing, but it served to strip away their weariness and charged their nerves for what was to come. Aurix managed to keep his eyes averted while Inanna bathed, but he really hoped the battle with the Raspula wouldn’t be quite so difficult.

They had the beginnings of a battle plan in mind, but much would depend on what they saw when they began their ascent. If they managed to break through the line, Regulus would lead them west on his stallion and Inanna would take up the rear, using her arrows to keep pursuers at bay. Their goal was simple: survive long enough to reach the Wraithwood.

They weren’t far from the bottom of the rise when the fog began to lift.

“Oh my Gods,” Inanna said.

They were still too distant to make out any details, but the top of the rise was teeming with movement. From where the three sat astride their mounts, it looked as if the summit were a breathing, living thing.

Sounds echoed behind them, and another party emerged from the shelter of the mountains. This one wasn’t nearly as large, but it was more than enough to force them up into the waiting clutches of the troops at the summit.

“All this for the three of us?” Aurix said. “Seems a bit excessive.” For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, as soon as he saw the extent of the enemy force, his nervousness left him. The only thing he felt was a steel knot of resolve in the pit of his stomach.

“I only see one of Xu’ul’s Aegis behind us,” Inanna said.

“I would expect two or three more up top, then,” Regulus said. “If there were more than that, they’d have more below. Inanna, try to hang on to your arrows, but when it’s time get out in front so the men see you. We’ll need your charms.”

“Are you both ready?” Aurix asked.

“Yes,” Regulus said, his voice an intimidating rumble.

“I’m always ready, love,” Inanna said, with steel in her eyes. It seemed that all of her earlier nervousness was gone.

As they rode for the hill, the Raspula behind gave chase, and many from above poured down the slope. Some ran, hissing, their ringblades held high over their heads. Some tumbled as they tripped over their neighbor’s feet.

There was much that Aurix couldn’t anticipate about what was about to happen, but he tried not to let it bother him. He knew very little about battle, but he did know that it was rarely predictable. All he could do was try to remain fluid, make adjustments along the way, and protect his friends. Attempting to plan out every detail was folly.

Together, the three began the ascent at a steady trot. Before long, the smaller group of Raspula behind them, led by a lone rider on a brown stag, had cut off any hope of retreat. Ahead, the writhing sea of Grays began to take on more distinct and individual shapes as they approached. Aurix drew his sword; Inanna unsheathed a delicate looking rapier that sang as it split the air when she swung it, and Regulus freed the spear strapped to the side of his stallion and tucked it under his armpit like a jousting lance.

They spurred the caples into a gallop up the shallow pitch, putting a bit more distance between them and their pursuers. At their pace, Aurix figured they’d clash with the battalion in little more than a minute.

The fog was still lifting, but it had left behind a dank chill. Small patches of grass started to break through the dark, barren soil. The hiss from the multitude of Raspula grew louder as they converged.

Aurix heard the beating of Nyx’s wings before he saw her. He’d never doubted she’d come, but he was relieved to know she was nearby again. She circled the length and breadth of the hill as they rode, staying cloaked in the mist, but casting long, eerie shadows over the battlefield.

A few of the Raspula slowed their march and looked to the sky with curiosity, but most kept coming, heedless of what was going on above.

“Pull up,” Aurix said.

All three of them reigned in their mounts and came to a stop. They were a bit more than a quarter of the way up the hill, and the charging Raspula were nearing the halfway point. Perhaps three hundred yards separated them. If the Grays were surprised by their sudden halt, they didn’t show it, they just continued their plodding descent.

Two hundred and fifty yards.

Nyx snarled. The sound rumbled off the mountains. Aurix thought it sounded like thunder.

More Raspula lifted their heads. A few pointed as Nyx flew nearer the underside of the fog, a vague black shape causing the silvery murk to part and swirl.

Two hundred.

Inanna and Regulus held their breaths. They had not yet seen Nyx in her newest incarnation. They had no idea if Aurix’s plan would work or if they were entering their last few moments of life.

The caples were restless, but not spooked. Aurix had spent the majority of his shift the previous afternoon introducing them to Nyx’s new form while shrouded by the fog. He needed to be sure that they recognized her. If they bolted, the illusion he hoped to create would be broken and all of them would surely die.

One hundred fifty.

Her timing was perfect. Nyx streaked down from the sky—an ebony blur—and landed on the hillside with a thud. She tilted her head back and roared. The sound seemed to come from everywhere all at once, trapped as it was by the mountains that bounced it back at them again and again.

A huge black raga, nearly as tall at the shoulders as their caples, stood before them. She had the dark, leathery wings of a gree, the span of which was equal to twice her length. She paced side-to-side and roared a second time before tucking her wings up alongside her body. Then she dropped her hind haunches and sat regally on the ground.

The Raspula ceased their advance instantly. Several dropped to their knees at the sight of the pteropanther. Most stood in awe, their mouths agape. This was the image of their God incarnate—a myth that none had ever seen, and only existed in cave drawings and imaginations—Callifrax the manticore.

“Holy fex,” Inanna said.

“It’s working,” Regulus said.

They watched as more Raspula dropped to their knees before their Goddess. At the top of the hill, they could see three men waving and pointing amid the Grays that now refused to continue their attack. Aurix could hear their angry voices, but couldn’t make out their words over the whispered hisses of the awed Raspula drifting down the hill toward them.

Aurix looked behind. Though their view was mostly obstructed, many of the Grays had seen Nyx’s descent and were moving to get a better look. Some knelt with their hands in the air. The rider circled them on his stag and shouted commands for them to continue the assault but that advance was stalling as well.

As if she could sense Aurix’s desires, Nyx rose and casually paced around the caples. She snarled and partially extended her wings for show. It had the desired effect. The chase group stopped in their tracks and most dropped to their knees in veneration.

Even the rider seemed stunned into silence and stood stock still at the sight.

“Now’s probably our best chance,” Regulus said.

They spurred the caples into a slow walk. Regulus kept his stallion a length ahead of Inanna and Aurix. Nyx fell in beside him, her muscles rippling with every step.

More Raspula knelt as they ascended the hillside. They watched, muttering in their strange sibilant language as the group began to wade their way into and through the army of Grays. Most kept a respectful distance, but some held their hands out as the winged raga sauntered by, hoping for a chance to touch their God.

Nyx snarled and snapped at them to keep their poisonous seeping flesh from coming into contact with hers. The illusion might be broken if she were burned by their touch.

The Raspula in front of them rose and moved aside to make room as they continued to ascend. Some kept their heads down in reverence. Others looked up to the sky with outstretched arms and sizzling tears trickling down their cheeks as if in rapture. Their progress was painfully slow, and the Grays closed back in behind them as they passed, watching them in shared awe.

Aurix tried to keep his face forward as if he was not concerned, but the hilt of his sword was soaked with nervous sweat. He tried to convince himself that their ruse was working exactly as he’d planned, but it was still hard to shake the apprehension that came with being entirely surrounded by the enemy. If they were attacked now, they would surely be slaughtered.

As the hill became more crowded with Grays, they were forced to fall into a single file line led by Nyx. Regulus followed close behind her, then Aurix, and Inanna took up the rear. In this position, they were at their most vulnerable, and would be unable to protect one another if anything went wrong.

They were more than halfway up the slope. Aurix could hear Banjax’s men at the summit commanding the Grays to attack and screaming threats that they would face certain death at Xu’ul’s hands for disobeying orders. A few of the senior Raspula remained with the men, and shouted sibilant orders that went ignored by their ranks. One of Xu’ul’s Aegis atop a magnificent black stag tried to make his way down the hill and was knocked from his steed. Aurix could hear his curses and the clatter of his armor as he struck the ground.

If they managed to reach the top without incident, there would be only a handful of Raspula to contend with, and the three men atop their stags. It was difficult to tell from a distance, but Aurix didn’t think Banjax was with them. He risked a glance back. The fourth of Xu’ul’s men was fighting a losing battle against the throng of Raspula and had fallen well behind them. He wouldn’t be a factor unless they were stopped.

Nyx continued to lead them, looking every bit the God she was mimicking, but their pace was agonizingly slow. Ahead, the rider had regained his place atop his stag and returned to his compatriots at the top of the hill. He said something to the other men, pointing down at Nyx with his sword. Though he was shouting to be heard over the Raspula’s chattering prayers and worship, Aurix couldn’t quite make out what he was saying. He had a suspicion that it wasn’t going to bode well for them. He wondered if they’d connected the dots between the missing black mare and the sudden appearance of the black, winged raga.

Aurix told himself it didn’t really matter. They were nearing the summit, and thus the end of their plan. And although Nyx had taken the shape of a mythological beast, for all intents and purposes, she actually was a pteropanther, and every bit as dangerous as Callifrax herself would be. By the time the Raspula got wind that Nyx wasn’t their God, it would be over.

The crowd of Grays began to thin again as they neared the top of the hill. Two of the Raspula in Xu’ul’s squad screamed and charged forward, with their ringblades high. Nyx dropped into a crouch and roared ferociously, tossing her head and bearing her fangs. One of the Raspula faltered, but the other raced forward undaunted, its arm drawn back to strike.

Aurix winced. It was still too soon for them to make a break for it, but he couldn’t help but be concerned for Nyx’s safety. He needn’t have worried; Nyx sprung forward and in midair, batted the Raspula aside with a paw as large as the Gray’s head. Her ringblade went down with a clatter, and she crumpled to the ground.

They kept moving forward, but Aurix had no idea how the Raspula would react to one of their own being attacked. So far they seemed undecided on how to proceed. The question was answered when the second Gray that had stopped short raised her own Ringblade to attack. A swarm of her own fell upon her and pinned her to the ground while she clawed and hissed Raspulan curses at them.

Regulus reached into the rucksack draped over Archaeon’s back and removed the flux bomb with his free hand. In a few seconds, things would happen very quickly.

Xu’ul’s three mounted warriors sat atop their stags in a loose formation, waiting. Only four Raspula, clad in stained red and black tunics, remained with them. Seven on four was about the best odds Aurix could have hoped for. Looking behind, Aurix figured it would take their fourth rider several minutes to reach them. The Raspula looked on, curious to see what would become of their God and the three humans that she walked with.

Now that they were beyond the sea of Grays, Aurix, Inanna, Nyx and Regulus fell into their battle formation again, two by two. Even from his position to her rear, Aurix could hear the steady, constant rumble that came from the back of Nyx’s throat.

One of the men opened his mouth to speak, but Regulus interrupted him, his voice carrying a rumble of its own. “Where is Banjax?”

The soldier looked annoyed at his insolence. “He regrets that his presence was required elsewhere, but he has commanded that we bring you to him with all haste.”

“Not today, soldier.” Regulus said. “Callifrax commands us otherwise.”

“Clever,” the Aegis said. Then he raised his voice so the Raspula could hear. “But we both know that is not Callifrax. Yesterday, that raga was a black mare, though I’m sure Ra Xu’ul will reward us handsomely when we bring him a Shapebreaker.”

A murmur rippled through the crowd that Aurix didn’t like.

“Do you doubt that the God Callifrax can take whatever form she desires?” Regulus asked, his voice booming. “Who’s to say she did not take the form of the mare first and is only now showing you her true form? Here she stands before you, and still you’d call her a myth?”

Nyx lifted her head up and roared again. The rider’s stags pranced nervously at the sound. The murmur of the Raspula continued behind them as the conversation was translated into their language of hisses and passed on down the hill.

The Aegis looked uncomfortable, Regulus had backed him into an impossible corner. He couldn’t suggest that the pteropanther was a myth without risking the wrath of their Raspulan allies. “I never—”

“Mighty Callifrax will not be chained,” Regulus shouted. “If you wish to try, you will do so at your peril.”

“That is a Shapebreaker!” the rider yelled. “It is not your God that stands before you. Your Ra commands you to seize them all.”

The murmur rose in volume and urgency.

Regulus countered his demand. “Your God commands you to stay your hand and always remember the day she walked among you.” Aurix had no idea where he was getting this stuff, but it sounded good to him.

“You know,” the soldier said, looking to his mates and the four Raspula standing with them. “Banjax never did say whether we should take them dead or alive. I guess that’s up to us.” All of them drew or raised their weapons. “Try not to harm the Shapebreaker, Xu’ul will be most pleased with such a gift.”

Nyx roared and bounded toward their attackers. After half a dozen long strides she leapt. Her leathery wings snapped open, and she rose into the air. Even before her target could get his sword into position, he had to duck to avoid being knocked off of his stag. The other two riders both swung their weapons, but were far too slow to have any chance of hitting her. Their Raspula warriors were worthless. They covered their heads and cowered as the monstrous raga swooped above them, buffeting them with wind from her wings.

The Grays behind them shouted, but whether in fury at them or indignation that their God was under attack, Aurix could not tell. Regardless, it was time for them to go.

One of the riders sheathed his sword and retrieved a bow, while the others turned their attention to Aurix, Regulus and Inanna. “Take them, now. Kill them.”.

The four Raspula charged, brandishing their ringblades. Two of the riders coaxed their stags forward as well. The third hung back and tried to get a bead on Nyx as she threatened from the sky.

Aurix and Regulus kept their mounts steady and turned their attention to the Raspula running at them and ignored the riders.

They were seconds from colliding into a melee when Inanna rode out from behind Aurix and Regulus. “Now boys,” she said, “is this really necessary?”

The riders pulled up their stags immediately. Perhaps twenty feet remained between them. Their archer glanced away from Nyx and toward the sound of her voice just as he released an arrow. It tumbled harmlessly off of the bowstring and landed a few feet away.

“Nice shot,” Inanna said sarcastically. She batted her eyes at Banjax’s men and showed a lot more leg than was necessary.

Regulus caught a ringblade on his spear and with a mighty swing wrenched it from the Raspula’s hand, pulling her off balance and throwing her into a second one. They went down in a tumble of oozing, gray limbs. Aurix took a swing at another and caught her on the shoulder. The Raspula fell and shrieked as she bled a reeking, pus-colored poison from the wound into the earth.

The fourth Raspula stopped in mid-step and fell, an arrow embedded in her eye socket. “See, darling?” Inanna called to their archer. “Like that.” She winked at him and slung the bow over her shoulder. She drew her rapier.

Nyx was a roaring black shape above them. Xu’ul’s riders didn’t notice the shadow grow and darken until it was too late. Nyx struck the archer from behind, shredding his leather armor with her claws and hurling him to the ground with great gashes in his back. She swooped forward, her forewings striking the other two riders and knocking them off of their stags as well.

The entire exchange had taken less than ten seconds, and not one of Banjax’s squad still stood. If not dead, they rolled around on the ground injured or dazed. The stags bolted north. In their obvious terror, they put half a mile between them and the skirmish. Aurix could barely see them huddled together in the distance, waiting.

A strange sound came from behind them—a long, drawn-out “shhhh” that sent chills down Aurix’s back. When he turned to look, the Raspula were on their feet with their hands in the air. A few jumped up and down. It took him a minute to realize that they were cheering.

“We need to go,” Regulus said. “Get to the road and ride hard. West. Now. Go!”

Inanna and Aurix spurred their caples to a full gallop and Nyx burst from the cloud cover, staying above them at great height.

Instead of following, Regulus rode north, after the stags. He hadn’t been entirely sure of the best way to use the flux bomb until this opportunity presented itself. He approached cautiously, and spoke softly to the frightened animals so as not to spook them further. Their eyes were still wide and wild with panic, and Regulus could see their muscles trembling beneath their thin coats of fur.

“Easy,” he said, circling Archaeon at a slow, steady gait. When he was near enough, he tossed the flux bomb on the ground at the animal’s feet. Instead of an explosion, the egg cracked open, and a thin blue miasma rose into the air. Regulus turned and gave his stallion a heel to the ribs and raced southwest on a course to rejoin the others. By keeping Nyx’s airborne form in his sights, he knew right where he was going.

When he took a look behind him, the stags had vanished.