Shadows

One could be forgiven for thinking dawn had already arrived in the village of Alderbay. The houses were bathed in a warm orange light and people were bustling amongst the streets at speed. The warm orange light was not the light of dawn, however. It was fire. And the people were screaming.

“Run! Get out of here!” yelled Godfrey over the panicked cries and squealing as a bolt of ice flew overhead, accompanied by an otherworldly cackle. The bolt of ice struck sharply into the ground, sending dirt and mud and people flying into the air. Godfrey brushed himself down and turned to see the source of the ice bolt.

A woman dressed in wild blue and silver robes span through the air, dancing amongst the screaming men and women as she rained chaos upon them. She giggled sadistically as she launched a salvo of ice shards up into the air that then turned and began to plummet down towards the terrified populace. Most shattered onto the cobblestones of the road but others struck into legs, shoulders; heads. Godfrey was reminded of the terror that the Skadirr had brought to Clifftop a few days ago, but amplified on a much greater scale.

He turned and began to run up the road out of Alderbay, trying his best to shepherd others along to safety as he went. Godfrey scooped up a lost, frightened child into his arms and continued running as fast as he could. He leapt over fallen, burning timbers and dodged around bodies that lay unceremoniously strewn about the ground. He hadn’t seen any of his fellow wagon drivers, but that didn’t mean they weren’t dead. What was going on? Why was this happening to them?!

Godfrey and the crowd stopped and yelled in shock as the building in front of them exploded in a cataclysmic shower of flames and splintering timber. A dark shadow strode forth from the inferno, streaks of fire parting before it. The malevolent silhouette resolved into the figure of a tall, thin man wearing scorched crimson robes. Godfrey had never seen such madness before. The man – if indeed he was human – had pulsing red eyes that glimmered as the fire’s reflection danced across them. Around the man’s neck on a golden chain lay a sphere that matched the colour of the man’s eyes – a broiling, maddened mess of crimson. They would have been terrifying enough if it wasn’t for the truly awful rictus frozen on the man’s face – it made the hairs on the back of Godfrey’s neck stand on edge; triggered primal memories of fangs in the night bearing down on hapless prey.

“Where are you all going?!” the creature with a man’s face howled. “Running and hiding, like the rats you are?!” he cried, raising a hand and unleashing a spout of crackling purple light that engulfed several people who were turned to ash before they had time to scream. The child in Godfrey’s arms shivered and wailed, snapping him back to his senses. He turned on his heels and began to run away down a side-street but the crush of frightened people impeded progress. The demonic howling of the man and the shrill cackling of the woman seemed to surround him wherever he turned and soon Godfrey found himself stuck in the middle of a huddle of panicking people driven mad with terror.

He craned his neck to look one way and saw the man advancing slowly but surely; unstoppable like the movement of continents. From the other direction the woman danced towards them, twisting in the air and chuckling with perverse delight. Which one would he rather be killed by? Godfrey found himself thinking, and his eyes flitted down to the child in his arms once more. He didn’t recognise the boy. Were his parents still alive? In a few short moments, would that even matter?

Godfrey turned to face the man as he raised his hand to doubtless unleash another deadly attack. He took a deep breath as the world seemed to slow, red flames licking at the man’s hand as they coalesced to form a raging ball of fire. The flames leapt forth towards him and Godfrey shut his eyes, turning away to shield the boy as best he could and expecting searing death any second.

But it didn’t come.

Slowly opening his eyes and turning around to look back towards the man, he saw another man stood between them wearing robes of green and gold. This new arrival was built like a brick outhouse, a towering wall of a man, so much so Godfrey couldn’t see the first man around him at all.

“Humans, you must run!” the man barked in a deep, rumbling voice like gravel. “We shall hold them off as best we can. There are three children waiting to guide you to safety – follow them! Now!”

Godfrey turned towards where the woman had been advancing and saw another new arrival – a silver haired man in tattered yellow and orange robes, similarly squaring off against their assailant. Off to the left was a dark haired girl Godfrey did not recognise, but she was beckoning him and the others over towards her furiously.

“This way!” she cried, waving her arms frantically. “This way to safety!”

The pairs of duellists stationed either side of him began to battle, magic crackling at their fingertips as they launched a few blasts at each other, sensing out their opponents. Godfrey didn’t need telling twice, and neither did a lot of the other inhabitants of Alderbay. In a frenzied rush they all began to pile out of the way as fire and earth, water and air and all manner of magical energies clashed around them.

Kel hurriedly waved the panicking and terrified people past her, the endless stream of frightened faces passing by like a blur. The sooner she was able to evacuate this section of the town the sooner she would be able to go and help her father battling Marielle. She’d never spoken to her aunt and she had a feeling she never would, but as she watched Marielle and Ambriel fiercely launching wave after wave of magical projectiles at each other she thought she wasn’t missing out on anything.

She knew her father had forbidden her from joining in the fight – it was her, Angie and Robert’s jobs to escort the citizens of Alderbay to safety – but there was no way she’d sit idly by and not assist her father. True, she only really knew how to fire a magical arrow. It was a bit late in the day to learn a new ability but she didn’t need to - one arrow in the right place might make all the difference…

“What’s going on? Why are we being attacked?” asked a man carrying a young boy in his arms as he got close to Kel.

“There’s no time to explain, you’re still in danger!” Kel replied, shouting over the fleeing crowds and sounds of combat. “Get up the main street towards Angie, she’ll be able to see to any of the injured!”

“Angie?” asked the man incredulously. “Red hair, fiery temper?”

“Yes, that’s her,” nodded Kel, not bothering to ask how the man knew her friend. “She’s just up the road, please keep moving sir!”

“What’s-?” the man began again, but an explosion close behind interrupted him. “Alright, I get the point!” he shrugged and ran past Kel, headed towards where she could just see Angie in the distance, similarly waving people on to safety.

Ambriel gritted his teeth as Marielle sent blast after blast of shocking blue bolts of magic at him, meeting them handily with bolts of his own that deflected the attacks into the surrounding burning buildings. The time for words, for insults, for pleas to see sense, was long past. Marielle was even forgoing her usual sadistic smirks, her face fixed in rage as she rained down more and more vicious attacks on her brother. Ambriel was concentrating fiercely – he knew he hadn’t regained all of his strength yet, and wasn’t sure that even at his full power he would be able to defeat Marielle anyway.

Marielle fired a sustained jet of water towards him and Ambriel leapt up into the air away from it, catching the thermals generated by the surrounding blaze and using them to launch himself over Marielle’s head. As he passed over her he channelled his energy into a bolt of lightning that struck down with a crackling boom, illuminating the dawn sky and unleashing a flattening silence. Ambriel landed softly back to the ground and groaned as he watched Marielle emerge from the smoke from his attack, her hair sprawling in an unkempt manner and her face twisted with fury.

She stepped forwards and as she raised her hands Ambriel dropped to his knee, once again feeling the excruciating pain of his blood beginning to blood. Sweat broke out across his body as he clenched his teeth and punched the cobbles in agony. Marielle advanced upon him, unblinking as she tortured him mercilessly. Ambriel could feel his eyes bulging and his skin swelling as a million daggers stabbed him from inside and he screamed out in pain, collapsing to the floor.

In the distance he could see Varkun and Fortis trading blows, and although Varkun was putting up a good fight Ambriel groaned as he saw Varkun become enveloped in flames. The giant of a man waded forth from the inferno surrounding him but Fortis struck him with another volcanic blast and Varkun disappeared into fire once more.

Ambriel looked back up at Marielle as his vision blurred and faded, a multitude of colours and haze dancing and crackling across his eyes. Part of him had always thought one of them would end up killing the other, and now he knew for definite…

“This way, please! This way!” Angie shouted, directing the last few straggling people up towards where Robert was perched on a tree stump at the edge of Alderbay. She could see him doing his best to stay stood upright as he directed men and women to safety, but despite Ambriel’s best efforts he was still deathly pale and swaying. Angie watched as the last few surviving citizens of Alderbay – inevitably the very old or very injured – passed by her, pain and panic on their faces, and began to shamble up towards where Robert was co-ordinating the survivors. A man came running around the corner, a small child huddled in his arms, and Angie immediately recognised him.

“Godfrey!” she called out gratefully. At least he had survived this madness. She hadn’t seen the other wagon drivers, but there had been such a swarm of screaming people swelling past her she didn’t want to count them out just yet…

“Miss Angie!” Godfrey called back, panting from exertion. “What the hell is going on here?! Is this another one of those Skadirr type things?”

“I wish!” she called back, and she was serious. “It’s worse! I don’t have time to explain it all now I’m afraid, please keep moving! Get to safety!” she saw the man’s expression and knew he was due a bit more of an explanation that that. “There’s some powerful magic users trying to kill all humans. There are some other powerful magic users trying to stop them, and we’re helping them. There’s an Orb we need to destroy – I don’t suppose you’ve seen it, have you? Small spherical thing, glows red?”

“That I have,” nodded Godfrey, looking back towards the raging battleground that until a few hours ago had been the peaceful port town of Alderbay. “It’s on a chain round the man’s neck. The one wearing red robes, with eyes like the fires of hell themselves!”

“Wonderful,” sighed Angie. That would make things so much easier… “Thank you for letting me know! I’ll… wait a minute,” Angie trailed off, staring down to where Kel should be. Once Kel had helped the last people to escape the town she’d been supposed to head out of Alderbay to help Angie and Robert organise the survivors. That said, Angie hadn’t expected Kel to do that at all. She didn’t expect herself to stay out of the fight, either.

“Godfrey, I need you to do me another favour, I’m afraid,” said Angie, turning back to the man. “Robert was injured very badly recently and I need you to keep an eye on him. If he gets too tired, make sure he rests. Do not let him come after me, understand? Keep him safe for me. Please?”

“Oh, Miss Angie. You’re not thinking of going back there, are you? You must’ve seen what they can do! Don’t think you can blow one of them up with a wagon!” Godfrey shouted, but Angie was already making her way back down into the town.

“Oh, hello M-Mr Godfrey,” smiled Robert as he saw the man approach. “I’m glad to see you’re okay.”

“And you, lad,” Godfrey nodded, placing the child down and shaking some life back into his stiff arms. “Hell of a mess we find ourselves in, eh?”

“Definitely. B-but I have no doubt that Mr Ambriel’s plan will work out. Well, some doubts. T-though to be honest with you I still feel quite woozy and q-quite out of it all…” Robert swayed as he spoke, his mind very foggy. He’d been determined not to leave Angie and Kel behind, and to help in any way he could, but right now he felt like he needed a week’s worth of good sleep at least. Angie had said he’d lost a lot of blood. Angie…

“Are you the l-last ones from the town?” Robert asked.

“I think so,” replied Godfrey. “There may be a few more, but the majority are out from the looks of it.”

“W-where’s Angie and Kel, then? They were supposed to come back out here w-when we’d evacuated everyone…” Robert slumped forwards and Godfrey caught him, helping prop him up.

“Steady on there, lad!” Godfrey groaned, easing Robert back down onto a tree stump. “I’m sure they’re fine,” he lied. “Maybe they’ve just found a few more stragglers, eh? Nothing to worry about.”

“But I need to m-make sure they’re safe-” Robert began, trying to rise to his feet again but nearly doubling over.

“I’m sure they can take care of themselves,” reassured Godfrey, partly trying to convince himself too. “The best thing we can do now is keep trying to manage this fire, isn’t it?” he asked, gesturing to the bucket chains in the background that were doing their best to prevent the spread of the flames and smoke.

“I suppose…” Robert trailed off, looking down into Alderbay. The town was ablaze and explosions of magic punctuated the landscape periodically. He looked up into Godfrey’s eyes. “Angie and Kel will be okay, won’t they?”

“I hope so.”

“I hope so too,” Robert replied, before his eyes clouded over and he passed out.

The light was leaving Ambriel’s eyes, details fading into blurs of orange and black. There was a thin strip of blue in the centre of his vision which he knew was Marielle. With one last gasp of life he reached out to fire a bolt of magic at her – something, anything that might stop this agony…

Before he could even raise his hand the pain, to his great surprise, suddenly began to fade. Gasping for air and writhing as he felt a great pressure removed from him, he rolled over onto his back and glared up towards where Marielle was stood. As his vision began to return, the clarity improving with each blink, the details of the scene before him came into view.

Marielle was still stood there, but instead of holding her hands out as she had been doing when she’d been casting her spell, now they were hovering near her neck. As Ambriel looked closer, he saw this was because there was a hole in it. His jaw dropped as he rose to his feet and saw, standing behind Marielle, was his daughter. Standing with her shaking palm outstretched, she was panting heavily and looking at Marielle with pure murder in her eyes. Ambriel watched, his own breathing ragged, as Marielle slowly turned to look at Kel.

“You little bitch!” she began, but started coughing up blood halfway through. Marielle lifted her hand to fire magic at Kel but Ambriel cast a whip of magic that lashed around her arm and restrained her. Marielle turned to attack him, but Kel launched another magical arrow that pierced through Marielle’s chest, making her stagger forwards. She turned back to attack Kel but Ambriel cast another whip around her, reeling her down to the ground.

“Vermin!” Marielle gargled through the shower of fresh red blood pouring over her chin. “Both of you!”

“I’m sorry it had to end this way, sister,” sighed Ambriel solemnly, and he meant it. With a deep breath he channelled sparks of magic down the two whips which leapt from them and crackled around Marielle.

With one last screeching, manic cry, Marielle died.

Ambriel sagged as her body dropped lifeless to the ground, blood pooling out underneath her and staining her robes. The magical whips faded into the air and he staggered over to where his daughter stood panting, grabbing her close into his arms.

“I told you not to come back!” Ambriel chided, running her dark raven hair through his hand. “I told you to get somewhere safe!”

“And I told you that I’d never do that!” Kel responded, her voice muffled as she buried herself in her father’s chest. “I’d never leave you, father.”

“No, I know… thank you for saving me, Keliashyrr. My brave daughter.”

“Well, what do we do now?” asked Kel, shaken by her act in Marielle’s death but filled with renewed hope. “If Marielle is dead, then there’s only Fortis left! Maybe we don’t need to destroy the Orb after all if we can just defeat Fortis? Where’s Varkun?”

“I don’t know,” replied Ambriel. The last time he’d seen Varkun had been as he’d watched him disappear in a cocoon of crackling fire. Hopefully he was still alive…

Ambriel winced and groaned, but straightened up as he saw Kel give him a worried look.

“Are you okay, father?” Kel asked nervously.

“I’m fine,” Ambriel replied, but he knew he wasn’t. Two times now in close succession he’d had Marielle cast her blood-boiling spell on him – once would have been more than enough. Kel might have saved him from dying directly by his sister’s hands, but he couldn’t help but feel she’d only delayed the inevitable. The damage was done. “I’m fine,” he repeated, putting on a brave face. “Come on, let’s try and find Fortis and Varkun.”

They didn’t have to search for long. Kel spotted Varkun’s body in the wreckage of a burning building, timbers splayed around the gigantic man’s form.

“Varkun!” exclaimed Ambriel, staggering over towards him. Before he could reach him there was a spark and a bolt of magic speared through the air towards them. Both Kel and Ambriel dove out of the way as it soared by, detonating a building behind them.

“Well, well! Lord Ambriel!” came the familiar voice of Fortis, dragging himself across the rubble. He looked as worse for wear as Ambriel did, with his left arm bent at an odd angle and his robes frayed and smouldering. “Looks like it’s just the two of us left, then! How am I not surprised?” Fortis boomed, firing off a gout of flames that narrowly missed Ambriel.

“I’m here too!” shouted Kel, drawing Fortis’ attention away.

“Stay in cover!” called Ambriel as Fortis turned and began to stalk towards Kel.

“And so you are,” sneered Fortis. “And what can you do, hmm? What can you, the half-breed Olossa, possibly hope to do against me? The greatest king the Olossa ever had?!”

“You were the only king we ever had, Fortis,” Ambriel jeered, “and you were the ruin of our race!”

“Enough!!” howled Fortis, his body twitching and spasming as his rage overflowed. “I was not the one who doomed us! As I made clear, that was your family!” he paused. “Where is Marielle, anyway?”

“I killed her,” spat Kel defiantly. “I shot her through the neck with a magical arrow.”

“Did you?” Fortis chuckled deeply. “Did you now? It’s just as well I suppose, she would have betrayed me too eventually! She was your aunt, you know?”

“I don’t care. She was a monster.”

“Indeed, indeed. Do you think I’m a monster? Are you going to kill me?” snarled Fortis.

“I have to try,” replied Kel, puffing out her chest. “Otherwise you’ll kill all these innocent humans. I can’t let you do that.”

“Keliashyrr, no!” cried Ambriel, but as he stepped forwards he coughed up blood and fell to his knees, cursing.

“Very well!” Fortis sneered and cackled to the heavens. “Very well! Go on, then – kill me!” he roared, throwing his arms wide and breathing fire into the sky. The Orb around his neck pulsed with power as he postured and bellowed. “Hit me with your best shot, you despicable mongrel! Let me show you how hopeless your defiance is!!”

Kel took a deep breath. She only had one chance at this…

Ambriel swore as he dropped to the ground. Come on, keep going! He willed himself, but he knew he was already well past his limits. He gazed up helplessly as he watched his daughter facing off against Fortis…

Angie sped through the burning rubble of Alderbay, desperately trying to locate Kel, or Ambriel, or even Varkun. She gasped as a great torrent of fire sprayed into the sky and she ran towards the source, ignoring the twinging in her leg. There were much more important things to focus on now.

She rounded a corner and saw them – Fortis stood atop a heap of burning ruins to the side of the town square, the melted and warped town bell underneath him. Ambriel collapsed on the ground, looking close to death. Kel standing defiantly facing Fortis, hands raised as if she was about to fire a magical arrow…

Which is exactly what she did.

The arrow soared through the air towards Fortis and all four of them watched it as it skimmed over his shoulder and off into the distance where it clattered to the cobbles.

“You missed!” howled Fortis, beating his chest in victory.

His face froze in horror as the chain around his neck split at the shoulder. The Orb dropped from his chest and bounced off a burning timber, rolling down, down, and away. Kel ran forwards, urging every ounce of energy into her muscles as she reached out to reach the rolling Orb.

“Get away from that!!” Fortis bellowed, magic frothing from his fingertips to zig-zag through the sky towards Kel. Cobblestones cracked and melted under his assault and Kel staggered back, shielding herself with her arm. With a dreadful grin Fortis poured his strength into a bolt of red lightning that arced down towards Kel. She raised her hand and turned her face away just in time to see Ambriel force himself to his feet and throw himself into the path of the lightning bolt.

“No!” Kel cried, and watched distraught as Ambriel took the full force of the blast, knocking him off his feet and sending him soaring across the town square to land with a crash into the skeletal timbers of a burnt house. “Father!” she wept, running over to where Ambriel lay quite still.

“Enough!” shouted Angie, stepping into the town square. “That’s enough!”

“You again?! Didn’t I teach you enough of a lesson before, girl?!” Fortis spat, raising his hands to strike her down.

“Haven’t enough people died?” Angie yelled. “And for what? Power? Revenge? Why does there have to be all this death?!”

“If you think you can reason with me, girl, you’re sadly mistaken. I could strike you down right now!”

“Yes, you could. Of course you could. I don’t have any way to stop you from doing that. I don’t think I can defeat you. I don’t have a plan,” Angie shrugged. “All I want to do is offer you some advice. After that you can do what you want.”

“And why should I listen to you?” growled Fortis, bristling with rage.

“Because I don’t think we’re too different, you and I.”

Fortis laughed. A cold, sickening laugh that made the hairs on the back of Angie’s neck stand on end. She shivered and shook herself through the chills.

“Not too different?” Fortis howled, pacing back and forth. “Not too different?! Pray tell how we’re ‘not too different’ then, human! Amuse me before you die!”

“I don’t think we’re too different, because even though you’re an Olossa and I’m a human, we’re people who have lost things they care about. Lost people they care about. When I see how you act, I can see myself mirrored in your actions – when I lost Verne, the man who had acted as my father for all my life, I refused to believe he was gone. I got angry when I tried to face that reality – angry at myself; at others. I lashed out. I thought if I could hurt the ones responsible for my grief; get rid of them – it would get rid of my pain.

“I killed the creature responsible for Verne’s death. While I won’t lie I felt relieved afterwards, that was only because it was no longer trying to kill me too. Its death didn’t bring Verne back. It didn’t make me happy. Even later, when I encountered another man who was partly responsible for Verne’s death and I saw him die before my eyes – it didn’t bring any resolution either. Any happiness. I just felt empty, and sad, and horrified at the path I was walking down.

“Killing all the humans won’t bring your race back. Killing all those who defy you won’t bring your race back. They’re gone, just like Verne is. Like Polo is.”

“What… is ‘Polo’?” sneered Fortis, clenching and unclenching his fists impatiently.

“He was a dog,” replied Angie. “The bravest, most loyal, most adorable little dog I’ve ever known. And he’s gone. He’s dead now.

“I’m telling you this because I want you to understand,” said Angie, stepping forwards cautiously. “Because I can see you’re in pain and I want to help. Anger, death; violence – they won’t bring back what you’ve lost. It’s a natural reaction, but it only makes it worse. Thankfully I had very patient friends, who I’m still not sure I deserve, to help me through my anger and my sorrow. I want to be that friend to you now, if you’ll let me?”

Angie took a deep breath and extended a hand out towards Fortis, who stared at it for a moment.

“We can’t let our losses consume who we are. We don’t have to forget them, but at some point we have to move forwards. We can’t keep living in the past. Please – let me help you.”

Time seemed to slow as Fortis looked from Angie’s hand to her face, then back to her hand again.

“You’re a fool,” sneered Fortis, batting Angie’s hand away sharply. “I’m not stupid. I know I can’t bring back my people. I didn’t care for most of my race, anyway. This was only ever about power. Being in control. Being the strongest, the most powerful. Do you have any idea what I’m capable of? What I can accomplish?! …And you thought you could defeat me with words… I won’t make the same mistake of letting you live to see your failure this time, girl.”

Fortis raised his hand, wrapped in a sheath of furious, crackling magic, and brought it down fiercely towards Angie’s neck. Angie raised her hand and turned her face away just in time to see Kel push in front of her, bringing herself into the blade’s trajectory.

As if in slow motion the blade hummed through the air towards Kel.

Who brought the Orb up in front of her.

Blade and Orb connected.

And all went black.