Rogue Legacy by Jeffrey L. Kohanek (snow like ashes .txt) 📕
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- Author: Jeffrey L. Kohanek
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She turned away from the grim scene and found the growing crowd gathered in a tight formation, caught in the wake of her enchantment.
“Follow me.”
The bright light faded, darkness reclaiming the area but for the red glow of the gateway. Lyra turned to find Cal with his hand in his pocket, a narrow slice of white light leaking from it.
“You did it,” he grinned. “I swear you’re the bravest person I’ve ever met.”
Not daring to respond, she continued to sing loud and clear, the strings of her lute never stopping.
“Follow me.”
Lyra glanced toward Garrett and found him caught under her spell, his eyes glazed over as he walked toward her. Cal stepped beside him and planted something in his hand. Garrett blinked and gasped, the man seemingly waking from a bad dream.
“Send them through the doorway, Lyra,” Cal said as he drew Garret aside.
Lyra nodded and stopped beside the portal, turning toward her enspelled audience, singing in a voice as loud and forceful as possible.
“Enter the doorway, to the world beyond.
Through the portal, new truths to be found.
Go on, now. Go on through.
Follow your destiny. My promise to you.”
She repeatedly sang the simple phrase, drawing them through the gateway. The portal crackled and buzzed continuously as the giants entered. Nobody hesitated, not even the Arcanists. Lyra had repeated the same lines a score or more times when the last of them disappeared through the gateway. The red energy calmed, and the buzz quieted. Gazing across the field, Lyra found no movement near the cave, saw no dark silhouettes emerging from the tents. Her fingers fell away from the lute and she let out a slow breath of relief.
Cal stepped in front of her, hugged her, and kissed her forehead. Enjoying the moment, she closed her eyes and found herself wishing he had kissed her lips. When he released her, she opened them to find him settling on the ground beside the portal.
He looked up at her. “Stand over me while I try to close it.”
Cal closed his eyes and relaxed. Surrounded by dozens of giant corpses, fried, bloody, and dismembered, he appeared as calm as a summer day.
Lyra looked at Garrett, who shrugged. Sighing, she slipped the lute strap over her shoulder and stood beside Cal, waiting to discover what would happen next.
When she next looked at the portal, it appeared smaller, and she realized that the crackling edges were drawing inward, toward the center. Cal’s body began to shake, the motion becoming increasingly more violent. The portal continued to shrink, faster and faster, until Cal’s eyes flashed open, and he screamed. His eyes rolled back and he fell over.
“Cal!”
Lyra knelt beside him, afraid of what she might find. A wave of relief allowed her to breathe again when she found him still alive. She looked at Garrett, who stood over her.
“He’s alive, but unconscious.”
She turned toward the portal and found that it still remained, but was now barely a foot in diameter, too narrow for anyone to pass through. Regardless, Cal was in no shape to do anything about it now.
“Help me move him to the pavilion. We all need some rest.”
“Are you sure you’re fit to travel?”
Cal nodded. “Yes, Lyra. I’m just a bit more tired than usual. The stamina augmentation I used last night sapped my energy for a while. There’s always a price to pay when using magic.” He closed his eyes, rubbing them. “I just need to take a few more breaks than usual until I recover.”
Lyra’s gaze flicked toward Garrett, who shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I understand this magic stuff even less than you do.”
She sighed. “Fine. Let me know when you’re ready. We’re almost there, now.”
It had been a long, but eventless, day.
Morning light had woken Lyra, but Cal remained in a deep sleep until mid-morning, making the intervening hours agonizingly slow. Thankfully, the camp remained quiet with no enemy soldiers appearing while she and Garrett waited. Once Cal did finally wake, he was ravenous. He finished the last of the food from the floating pack, forcing Lyra to restock from the abandoned supply wagons while Garrett refilled their water skins.
The daylong trip took even longer with frequent stops to give Cal time to recover. The heat and humidity didn’t help their cause, leaving their shirts damp and water skins empty.
“Let’s go.” Cal said, returning Lyra’s focus to the present. He began walking down the road at an even pace. “I think I can make it the rest of the way now.”
She caught up to him. “Where did you send them anyway?”
“What?” He turned toward her.
“The portal. Where did it take them?”
Cal shrugged, and he glanced toward the evening sky. The bright globe of the mysterious planet hovered over the western horizon, providing enough light to make the pale path of the gravel road easy to follow.
“I’m not sure. When I stepped through the portal, I found myself in a dark land, the sky filled with heavy clouds, the ground mostly barren. I was there for but two breaths of the thick air before I turned and slid back through.” Cal frowned. “I was shocked to find us under attack. I don’t understand how things turned so sour so quickly.”
“You were gone for much longer than that. Ten, perhaps fifteen minutes.” Garrett noted.
Cal appeared surprised. “Really?” His eyes narrowed in thought. “Perhaps time works differently there than it does here…wherever there is.”
Lyra looked at Cal with a raised brow, trying to determine if he was serious. She glanced toward the sky again and found the planet edging below the horizon.
As they had for most of the day, the trio walked in silence. Having reached the road after sunset, not even a single wagon passed them during their journey to Sol Limar.
Crickets chirped in the surrounding woods, their evening serenade keeping time with Lyra’s footsteps. Something moved in the nearby brush and Lyra jumped. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she stared into the shadows, her hand straying to the blade strapped to her thigh. The animal moved again, scampering deeper into the woods. She released the breath held in her lungs and continued onward.
They rounded a bend and the torchlit gates of Sol Limar came into view. As they approached the gate, the dark silhouette of the city wall emerged against the starlit sky, now bereft of the added light of the strange planet, since it had fallen beyond the western horizon.
“Hold!” a shout sounded from above. “The city is closed until dawn.”
“This is Captain Pularus,” Garrett shouted. “Open the gate and let us in. I must meet with the king.”
Lyra spotted the guard who had shouted from atop the wall, a dark silhouette against the starry sky. He leaned forward, looking down.
“How do I know you’re not lying?”
“I need something from the pack, Lyra,” Cal said.
She turned her back toward him as he dug in the pack. A pale blue light appeared as he withdrew the glowing stone.
“See for yourself.” Cal handed the rock to Garrett, the blue aura lighting his face.
“It does look like Captain Pularus. However, I have orders.”
Garrett sighed. “Get your senior officer, and open the damn door!”
The man gasped and disappeared. A minute later, the squeak of a winch accompanied the groan of the massive door swinging open. Torchlight flickered inside the opening, revealing two armed guards. Garrett led them inside and stopped before the man with the torch as anxiety reflected on the face of the guards standing behind him.
“Sergeant Wakes,” Garrett said as he shook the man’s hand.
“Well met, Captain. What are you doing out there so late?” He glanced at Lyra and Cal. “Where are your men?”
“I’m returning from a mission, Burl. I can’t say anything more than that.”
Wakes nodded. “Very well. Do you need an escort?”
Garrett patted the man on the shoulder. “Thanks, but we’ll be fine. I’d hate to be the thief who thinks we’re easy targets.” He patted the pommel of his sword.
Burl nodded. “Right you are, sir.” He stepped back and turned to the two guards. “Why are you standing there, you slugs? Close the gate and return to your posts!”
Garrett led them into the sleeping city, the tapping of their boots on the cobblestone echoing in the narrow streets. A dog barked a street or two over, reminding Lyra of Gilo and Striah. She missed the two dogs, missed the loving pets they had been before the magic corrupted them. Where are they now? Are they still alive? Have they hurt anyone?
They turned a corner and the dark visage of the Citadel appeared, its shadowy towers clawing upward in an attempt to pluck stars from the sky.
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