The Dawn of Darkness

Edward glanced towards the sky at the sound of a hawk call. It was Winnrey’s faithful great black hawk, Obsideon.

“Look yonder, Winnrey has sent a message.” he pointed. Stephen raised his hand to halt the procession. He stretched out his arm like a tree branch for the bird to land. The big bird was tall enough to reach slightly past his knee if their height were compared. Despite his size he was light since his bones were hollow. Perfect for flight. Unfolding the message, shock masked his face.

“Brother, what is it?” Edward placed a hand on Stephan’s shoulders.

“It’s Nicole. She’s in trouble.” Stephen said grimly. “Here, take a look.” He handed the grotesque letter dried blood covered letters. Avery, trusted friend and captain of the royal guard, came forward questioningly.

“What is troubling you, your majesty?” Edward silently passed the letter to him. His face struggled to remain smooth and emotionless. He combed through his curly brunette locks with his fingers and let out a deep breath. He kneeled before Stephen and bowed his head.

“Your Highness, I ask that you allow me, Sir Pellin, and Sir Eadric to scout out the situation at the summer palace.” His eyes guarded any sign of emotion and his face was unreadable. Stephen nodded.

“Don’t do anything reckless.”

“Anything reckless could hurt the Lady Nicole.”

The storm roared on in anger, but an immense presence protected them from the storm’s temper. Deyna did not dare turn his head to look. It was too enclosed to do so, and fear and self preservation held him from trying. After a perpetuity lying in the sand, the sandstorm finally wore itself out. Deyna groaned and rolled over from under Zeek’s dead weight when all had quieted down. Where is our guardian? Had it only been a figment of my imagination? No. An imprint of giant bat-like wings remains marked in the sand. What was it? Deyna stopped wondering to check on his friends. The horses amazingly were still here, though seriously spooked. They snapped at him when he approached. Winnrey lay still under the sleep spell Zeek cast. How did I know that? I don’t know the ancient language. Zeek lay on his side unmoving where Deyna had jostled him. The sand had torn at his clothes and back. His back was just a little scratched and bloody. Luckily the phantom savior had come in time to save from serious injury or death along with Winnrey and Deyna. Deyna murmured a prayer of thanks to Aura before kneeling beside them. Deyna had heard Zeek’s shouted plea before the orphan had blacked out. He pulled a water skin out of his bag and used it sparingly to wash Zeek’s wounds. What was left of his shirt was used to bind his cuts. Deyna turned and rolled Winnrey over and placed a palm on her forehead to check her temperature. Her eyes fluttered open at his touch.

“Is it over? Oh, of all the nerve! That... Oh Deyna, I’m glad we’re all ok.” She hugged him fiercely before spying Zeek’s motionless body.

“No, not here! It was just a dream. This wasn’t supposed to happen!” Winnrey started to babble in distress.

“He’s not dead, if that’s what you mean. He’s in a comma.” Deyna answered impulsively before making a funny face. How had I known that? What’s happening to me?

“Oh what are we going to do?” Winnrey moaned.

“First off, you are going to get yourself together. Then, well carry him over by those rocks before the sun sets and somehow get these horses over here.” He said gesturing to the frightened beasts just starting to calm down. Winnrey face became determined. They moved Zeek’s body into the shade of the rocks and prepared for the night, pulling out blankets and gathering a meager pile of wood. At least it was dry. Ditto conversed with the horses in a language of hisses, growls, gestures, and snapping.
“What’s he doing?” Winnrey asked curiously while she stood staring at the dynamic form of Ditto.

“He’s telling the horses that storm is over and it is safe. They ask about the dragon. He says that the dragon is their friend and would not harm them, but is gone for now. They agree to continue carrying us.” Deyna said as if in a trance. His eyes glowed silver with swirling magic. A stack of spindly wooden branches fell from his hands.

“Wow, you too. It seems Zeek attracts magical beings.” Winnrey mused. She paused when something clicked. “Dragon?! There was a dragon?!! Why?!” she exclaimed excitedly.

“What are you talking about? It’s not that hard to understand animals. They have a language too.” Deyna answered as the silver light left his eyes and returned to baby blue pools. He swayed a little. Winnrey caught him and helped him sit down.

“Yeah, sure. How many people do you know can understand animals as fully as you did?” Winnrey retorted.

“Umm...” Deyna looked uncertain. “Wow, I feel like I just got done helping with the harvest or tilling the fields.” Winnrey looked thoughtful.

“We seriously need to find Mother Milla. Something is going on that we don’t know about. What are the odds that the three of us would discover we can do magic?”

Deyna lit the fire while Winnrey rooted around in her bag. Her hands closed around a rock. Pulling it out it glowed slightly in the darkening night.

“The joys of a bottomless bag! Thank you Nicole, how did you know I would need it?” Winnrey crowed happily. The air cooled with the dwindling night. With a miniature fire crackling, and a suitable pile of fuel, Deyna took a knife to couple of lizards, skinned, gutted and spitted them. Winnrey grimaced but didn’t complain.

“No, thanks, I’ll stick to these tasty desert bugs.” Ditto post-declined the roasting lizards before chomping on a desert centipede. The sun shined one last farewell before going to bed behind the dunes. Zeek began to frisson in the cooling air. Winnrey covered him with a blanket before he passed the shivering stage.

“This is going to be a problem, even for us. Give me one of your shirts and a jacket.” Deyna handed her the articles of clothing and she pulled them over Zeek’s head and pulled his arms through. He stopped shivering for the moment.

“They’re done, come eat.” Deyna hands her a lizard on a stick. She bites into its roasted flesh hesitantly.

“Wow... this is... actually pretty... good.” She said through a mouthful of lizard.

Sleep did not come easy to them as the desert nights became almost as cold as a winter night. It seemed much worse for Zeek as he shivered violently in the cold. Winnrey pile all the blankets they had on him and burrowed under to help keep him warm. Deyna joined them and they huddled together to keep Zeek warm. His lips had started to turn blue. Winnrey looked at his face uneasily.

“Deyna, what are we going to do? Is he going to die here?” She whispered earnestly. He flipped over onto his stomach and looked into her brown eyes.

“I don’t know.” He put his ear to Zeek’s chest and paused. “His heart and lungs are fine. We just have to keep him warm.” Winnrey nodded and put her arms around Zeek to keep her body close to his. Hopefully he’d last until sunrise.

He did last. The sun rose to switch the desert from one harsh climate to another. Deyna and Winnrey struggled to lash Zeek’s body onto Night’s back.

“We’ve got to speed up the pace Deyna.” Winnrey said urging Storm to a gallop. Deyna looked back at Zeek’s mount. Ditto winked before hissing the horse into a gallop. He twined his little claws into her mane and rested his head between her ears.

The mares reared, almost throwing their burdens, in mid-gallop. Winnrey was struggling to calm hers when nickered softly. Winnrey’s horse stopped and cocked her ears toward the sound. Winnrey slid off to stretch her legs.

“What spooked them?” Winnrey asked enviously. He leaped off of Ink and approached Night slowly. She seemed to be the leader of the three. Deyna blew out his lips in the buzz that horses sometimes make with their lips and snorted through his nose. Night whinnied and motioned her head west.

“She says that something evil is coming.” Winnrey sighed deep in thought. She hadn’t heard him.

“I wish I could do magic.”

“But you can.” Deyna smiled and tapped her forehead. “You just don’t talk to animals like a carnival freak.” Night snorted offended. Deyna laughed. “Sorry.” He buzzed in her ear before turning towards his mare. Ink rolled her eyes and neighed, sounding like laughter. Winnrey stuck her tongue out at his back. The ground trembled beneath her feet. Deyna spun around and pushed her out of the way. He was sent flying by what looked like a scorpion burrowing out of a gaping hole in the ground. It had a triangular head full of razor sharp teeth and surrounded by a pair of wicked looking pincers. Six slanted red eyes crowned the head and thick white lines covered its body like bones. The monster’s passenger held more attention from Winnrey and Deyna. It was one of the dark cloaked beings they had seen in the seeing ball. Hawk had called them Elders. They had been found.

“Hmm... The ssseal hass already beeen broken.” Its chilling voice hiss from everywhere and nowhere as it sniffed with a snake’s slitted nose. He had no mouth to speak of. “I thinnnk a littlle pusssh willl helllp our caussse.” The thing drifted down from its terrifying mount and towards the momentarily petrified Winnrey. She was still sitting on the ground where she had fallen. She glowered.

“Take me if you will, but leave my friends.” She stood up, defiant and clenched her fists.

“You havvve nnno idea whaat you offfer. No we willl nnnot taake you. You wanted ppowwer, did you nnot? We cann awakennn it for you.” It chuckled sinisterly and reached out a skeletal hand towards her forehead. She flinched and took a step back.

“I-I-I’m ok. I d-don’t need any p-p-power.” Deyna leaped at the menacing presence enveloped by that dark swirling cloak. He hit some kind of invisible barrier and was thrown back. Zeek we need you! He got to his feet shakily and grimaced.

“We do nneed you to havvve powwwer.” The fiend touched her forehead with two fingers. His other hand was held to where his mouth would be and a strange whisper laced the air. Winnrey’s head was thrown back with a snap. Darkness shot out of her eyes and opened mouth like rays of light. A hair raising scream tore from her throat. She sank to her knees under the weight of the power unleashed in her. Deyna rammed himself against the invisible barrier.

“No!” He beat his fists hopelessly. Winnrey began to fade beyond the evanescence of clothes washed too many times. “Why her?” He yelled. The demonic man turned to lock eyes with Deyna.

“You’ll ssseee...” It whispered before gliding back to its mount and disappearing back into the jaws of the earth. Deyna fell to his knees, weak with despair.

“It’s ok, Deyna.” Winnrey’s voice came to him weakly. He looked up in amazement.

“Winnrey, you’re... y-y-you’re ok?!” She blew a horse buzz in his ear and laughed. Reminds me of... no... It’s prettier than the toll of bells.

“Yeah... except the invisible part... Wow this is way different from Zeek’s. You can still see him a little, his is more like camouflage. Hey!” She pondered. Somehow Deyna had pulled her into a tight hug. He became bolder, laughing all the while and scooped her up into his arms. Then, he caught up with himself and almost dropped her in embarrassment.

“Put me down you lummox!” She grumbled. She swiftly kissed his cheek before mounting Storm much to the mare’s surprise. Deyna touched his cheek briefly in surprise.

They continued on at an easy loping but fast gallop. Neither of them wanted to meet anymore trouble. Deyna kept glancing over to where Winnrey’s body should have been, distracted by his own thoughts.

“Stop staring at me! Look, there’s the mountain.” To the west, their continual destination, a great mountain reached high into the eye of a terrible tempest. She angrily beat at his steep sides, her tirade never ready to end. Winnrey and Deyna remained silent as the natural wonder loomed closer and closer.