Remnant Pages Spearhead Page 31

  For the moment Cid pushed down an old soldier habit of his, the one that came up as a reminder to be always vigilant. It was a taxing mindset and Cid wanted nothing more than to feel the calm of the morning, the sated soil softening the lands touch.

  They moved but sporadically, Cid trusting Vanapha to warn them should Lanston scouts come too close. They embarked on a small ridge of a plateau that rounded right around the rim of the Basin. It was just above the water level for now and allowed them to pass by the narrows’ exit into the Basin, from where they’d continue east, mounting one of the rims again to reach the base of Hashur.

  Their passage by the narrows would be brief, yet it was here that Vanapha held her arm up, her head turned into the winding way of the canyon.

  ‘Someone is coming, but they are blocking my Sight!’ said Vanapha in alarm.

  The narrows still submitted a steady stream of water into the Basin, and fourteen pair of hooves clattered towards them, sending sprays of water up in the air as they came.

  ‘Stand fast, they’ll run us down if we flee!’ said Cid, automatically feeling the spear assemble in his hands.

  Cid’s heart raced as they were quickly approached by a group of seven riders, six of them in Lanston gear. The odd one out was a Sekhaimogist no doubt, distinct by his garb and Cid reasoned that he was negating Vanapha’s abilities with his own.

  The leading rider Cid realized in dismay, was Stelinger himself. He looked smug, armoured as a Commander of Lanston, his helm in his lap and a fine green cloak billowing lightly behind him. That he would come out in person should have made Cid cautious by then.

  Stelinger advanced and the assumption was made that these men of his were traitors like himself, for Cid could not recognize any of them. This was alarming in the light that a Commander was always accompanied by experienced and thus, notorious soldiers.

  They will all die! Cid decided.

  Instead of charging Stelinger’s men came to a complete halt a safe distance from Cid and company.

  Stelinger took the liberty of speaking first, directing his attentions at Cid.

  ‘Alive and well, I see. Although you do look a bit tortured, this land will do that you though,’ said Stelinger to his own amusement. ‘You are a fool like Bennam was, just harder to get rid of.’

  ‘Stelinger!’ said Brunick, losing his verbal capacity in anger like when he argued with Alex, rather moving forward hungrily.

  ‘I guess we’re not going to be diplomatic today, not that I had the intention on being so. Kill them,’ said Stelinger nudging his head, mirroring Cid’s thoughts. His warriors charged forward like one.

  Vanapha aimed, yet it was a furious Cid who met the first fake soldier, having primed himself for a counter charge, rushing the man right out of his saddle with the range of Mindevhier. Cid’s victim fell hard and was dead by impact.

  Alex and Vanapha each arrowed down a rider, their horses cantering as their masters’ bodies hit the ground. Vanapha, ready in an instant again, levelled a shot at Stelinger. The arrow came straight at his head and he seemed not even to blink as the tip smashed into a smoky barrier, protecting Stelinger. They had been expecting it.

  Lidayel stood ready to overpower both Stelinger and his lowly mage, his hands glowing in preparation. In an instant he focused on the foremost charger instead, the horse and rider coming in fast from the side. The man was a threat for only a second more before the air sizzled and flashed, the compact blast of flames smashing the horse and rider apart.

  At the same moment Brunick grabbed at the last rider, who vainly tried to thrust his sword into Brunick’s shoulder. Having halted the man and his horse, Brunick wrenched the traitor to the ground and stomped on his face.

  Cid turned his attention on Stelinger, who sneered at him. ‘Come along Ciddie, you wouldn’t let a Summoner do the fighting for you?’ Stelinger veered his horse and was joined by his mage as they galloped away back in the direction of the Lanston camp.

  Cid was overcome by a fierce rage and leapt on a dead traitor’s horse.

  The horse whinnied and reared in surprise, but with a determined grip Cid subdued the animal and gathered it into chase.

  ‘Cid wait!’ came Brunick’s voice.

  The words were lost on him as he disappeared in the narrows, determined to catch Stelinger before he reached the safety Lanston camp. One way or another, Stelinger was going to pay.

  Stelinger halted his horse and strained his hearing above the rushing water, holding his hand up for the others to be quiet.

  ‘He is following. Good, stay out of sight. You know what to do.’

  Reighler nodded.

  Cid came around the last bend and charged the horse in a straight line, coming up to Stelinger who had slowed down and turned around again to face. His grip was merciless on Mindevhier, ready to pierce through any magical protection and into Stelinger’s heart. Stelinger had his own longsword out, pointing it casually at Cid.

  Cid nudged the horse forward at full tilt, his spear leading the way. Stelinger urged his horse into a counter gallop, holding his sword loosely. Collision drew close. Stelinger could not contend with Cid’s range of attack and at the last moment he caught the spear under his arm and wrenched both Cid and himself clear from the saddles.

  The spear and sword was lost in the tussle and the horses merely stood clear from their manic riders. The men rolled on violently through the water, struggling for position with elbows and fists. Cid won through, pinning Stelinger flat on his back, blood running red in his face with fury. He reached for his sabre at his waist. Had the water been inches thicker he could have simply drowned the man. Pulling his sabre back he realized Stelinger was going to die now, justice and vengeance done in one swift plunge, and wondered if the man would beg.

  With Cid’s hand jammed on Stelinger’s throat the Commander growled breathlessly: ‘Good night Cid!’

  Cid froze, only aware for a second as a cold hand closed on the back of his head.

  The pain was immediate and his muscles went rigid in his one-knee down position. His first thought was that someone stabbed him in the back of his head, but then realized he wasn’t dying or darkening, the pain seeping into his body as well.

  He lost control, his sabre falling into the feeble torrent, the water tumbling it arduously downstream until caught up against a rock. The hand remained on him, taking away all his strength and making of him no more than a puppet.

  A terrible whisper came by his ear, a voice in a language Cid did not recognize.

  ‘Hold fast to your hatred Colonel. Hold fast.’ The words were strange and foreign, yet he could understand them.

  A horrifying sensation gripped Cid, as though the will of someone else was pouring into his body. The fact that it hurt so much made him think he could resist it, even if vainly. That strange feeling of an intruder crawled up his neck and he finally blacked out as it entered his head.

  Stelinger rolled out from under Cid’s failing grip. With glee Stelinger looked on as Cid’s eyes grew to a dull white, his muscles going limp.

  ‘He is now ready to be instructed Commander,’ said Reighler.

  ‘Rise,’ said Stelinger in Twilight tongue. He was well-versed in it.

  Cid did so. The emotion of his face remained a moment before fading to nothing.

  ‘How specific do I have to be?’ asked Stelinger at the Priest.

  ‘His memories and faculties are still perfect. As long as you use the Twilight tongue he should follow any command flawlessly,’ answered the Priest.

  Stelinger could hardly hide his excitability and recited his command in a dark language:

  ‘Cid,’ he uttered, ‘your friends will come looking for you… Brunick, Alex, the Summoner and the Valkyrie… kill them all… and kill any who travel with them… anyone… don’t hold back.’

  Stelinger smiled as Cid picked up Mindevhier mechanically and searched for his saber downstream.

  ‘Saddle up Reighler, let’s trust our friend
here to clean up,’ said Stelinger, gathering his sword.

  They were off within moments.

  The party sprinted to keep up with Cid, following the sound of his horse. The narrows winding path made it impossible to see past the next turn. Vanapha took the lead, her Sight telling her that Cid was nearby and that he was alone.

  In reality she saw Cid first and she came skidding to a halt in comprehension of what had happened, holding her hand up for Brunick, Alex and Lidayel to stop as well.

  ‘Where is Stelinger?’ asked Brunick, his axe eager in his hand.

  ‘He’s already escaped, look at Cid though,’ warned Vanapha.

  The soldiers only now realized that Cid was standing far ahead, motionless, with his back turned on them.

  ‘Hey captain!’ shouted Alex ignorantly.

  ‘No, don’t he’s-!’ warned Vanapha

  Cid turned. Brunick and Alex were speechless.

  His eyes were bleached to nothing but a snowy white, Mindevhier ready in his hands and no recognition to speak of. He started to march forward, straight at them, a threat in his stride. Vanapha readied an arrow within an instant, levelling her aim at Cid’s head.

  ‘Don’t take another step!’ she shouted, trying to exploit Cid’s still intact mind.

  Cid indeed came to a halt.

  ‘Lidayel, you can heal him, right?’ asked Brunick anxiously.

  ‘Yes, I have to get in close though.’

  For awhile Cid seemed thoughtful, a crease forming on his forehead. The party held up their breath as Vanapha remained rigid with her tensed arrow.

  As though Cid knew he wasn’t going to win he turned and bounded off upstream, quickly disappearing around the next bend.

  Alex was the first to set off after him and Vanapha grabbed him by the collar.

  ‘Stop!’ she said, wrenching the man back.

  ‘But we have to get to him before anything else happens, before he loses his mind!’

  ‘He has time yet. As long as we do the hunting he’ll keep moving and it won’t do us any good to get closer and closer to the Lanston warcamp. We have to be smart about this. He is commanded to kill us, so he will come to us invariably as long as he feels as though he has the edge. He was unwilling to take us on now because he would have died. He’ll wait until he can isolate or separate us before attacking!’ said Vanapha.

  ‘So what do we do now?’ asked Brunick, Alex hearing a distress in the man’s voice he had never heard before.

  ‘We’ll stay mobile; we are in the heartland of enemies now, both of those we have in Lanston and the Fallen. I suggest we still move to the east side of the Basin, there are lots of hiding places at the base of Hashur and might be more suited for our attempt to corner Cid.’

  Lidayel agreed, ‘Don’t worry soldiers; if we can constrain him somehow I will be able to heal his mind.’

  Brunick breathed heavily, the shock of the moment clearly weighing on him.

  ‘But you said nobody has survived the healing process yet.’

  ‘Cid is still very fresh Brunick, if I can save anyone, it’d be him,’ said Lidayel reassuringly.

  ‘Okay let’s go then, come on big guy, we’ll have Cid back to normal soon enough,’ said Alex, patting Brunick on the back.

  The party set forth grimly, leaving the narrows.

  Chapter 40

  Icy Skies

  Elmira had grown accustomed to this living through the clouds, sure she would be hard-pressed to revert back to any other form of travel, save for that which could provide shelter and cushions. Unawares she stared ahead over Olexion’s shoulder at a vortex of clouds growing exponentially from itself, the colours of blue and grey misleading to appropriate distance and the threat of the storm.

  The first drops soaked right through Elmira’s hair, truly cold against her scalp and skin. The next drops came stronger and for a few seconds the rains nicked hard at her face. Olexion released the reins of his Volj and gestured widely. Elmira felt the rain suddenly cease on her body, the growing downpour then weltering against the strengthened bubble, its enhancement timely enough for them to be spared of hail, the ice pellets cracking on the barrier. Elmira shivered; the air has cooled down, the winds whipping up.

  The land grew in shadow. The storm it seemed had been intent on not being heralded in any way. Elmira wanted to ask Olexion on it, but as a gust of wind blew them off course she knew that any torrential experience was tenfold more intense up here than on the ground.

  Olexion signalled for the other Rangers to stay close, Elmira feeling better at it all as the other Volje lined up on either side to form a wedge.

  ‘It is no normal storm my lady, and I’d wager this land has never seen the likes of it before!’ said Olexion, his voice surprisingly clear thanks to his barrier.

  ‘Is it magic?’ asked Elmira.

  ‘Yes. My suspicion would fall upon a Summoner above anything else. Even a dozen of the greatest magi cannot create such a feat!’

  ‘You think it to be the Summoners that might’ve made contact with Cid?’ asked Elmira hopefully.

  ‘It is what I hope for my lady, for the only reason that could warrant creating such a tempest would be altering the landscape and stalling what may come to pass.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Some miles ahead of us lies the Basin of Alparack, aptly named-’ thunder cracked, interrupting Olexion, Elmira gasping and squeezing the man tight in fear.

  ‘As I was saying, aptly named, for its potential to gather waters could easily see it form a lake. In its dried state it would be a battlefield favouring the masses, filled with water it would halt marching armies,’ said Olexion.

  ‘You’ve been here before then?’ asked Elmira

  ‘Many times I’d admit, you might be glad to know that we have a shelter on Mount Hashur, we may as well stay there while we survey the area in the days to come.’

  Elmira looked up; seeing giant clouds exploding to become seemingly glassy dust, pulsing in all directions much faster than they were flying. As the Volje flew the barriers smashed mesmerizing trails through the hail. The lightning grew fiercer, the gusts colder and playing the Volje in directions unintended. Olexion quietly shook his head, murmuring. He signalled to his comrades and they banked, quickly turning around completely.

  ‘We’re fleeing?’ asked Elmira teasingly, although feeling grateful for the change of mind.

  ‘It is not my nature to brave that which will surely kill us my lady,’ said Olexion, ‘we’ll go back to where the storm diminishes and camp for the night. In time we will find the Summoners and any who may travel with them.’

  ‘It’s all still a good sign right?’

  ‘Yes my lady, we are close now, by tomorrow we will have something to look for.’

  Chapter 41

  Oldeloft

  The Basin was becoming a death trap. At Jacanta point to the north laid one of the greatest Fallen armies ever assembled, waiting to swallow whole the ignorant Lanston army marching in the narrows still. All the while scouts of both Lanston and the Fallen manoeuvred into the Basin as the two forces approached ever closer.

  Alex maintained that the scouts used by Lanston were probably lackeys of Stelinger, his own chosen band of traitors who would supply the army with false information.

  Vanapha became the leader of the group for now due to her Sights. She would, as if by some instinct, warn the party to hide anytime they were about to be discovered, saving them from having to fight men they would rather not.

  Worse even than the scouts all around was Cid. He was hounding them, stalking the party like an animal. Vanapha was more aware of this than the others and she knew the only way to avoid disaster for now was to stick together as closely as possible.

  Twice they made close contact with Cid, the Colonel almost catching them off guard. Being together however Cid did not dare attack, rather slipping away again when he realized the odds were still against him. The Valkyrie could see the whole affair eating
away at Brunick and Alex; their friend and leader had become a Fallen, that which they must war against.

  Vanapha only hoped they could save Cid before his instincts were broken; for when that happens, Cid would attack without restraint, regardless of the odds, and the party would have to kill him to stop him.

  Brunick monitored the sun through the sky, noting that it had been exactly a day since Cid’s conversion. The small trek from the west to the east of the Basin had taken much out of the party, if just mentally. They were already among the folds of the east, using dense rock constellations at the base of Mount Hashur to hide. Last night had been the worst yet. They took turns watching for danger, none of them really getting to sleep.

  The day became tedious and after Lidayel’s feat of power it was as though the sun sought to repent by burning mercilessly, sapping strength from all. At the moment they enjoyed the shade of some considerable sized boulders they chanced upon, clustered and stacked peculiarly. Vanapha though would not have them stay still for long, urging the men to get moving again.

  They barely abandoned the cover when Vanapha saw something coming in fast, startling her Farsight with sudden alarm.

  ‘Take cover!’ she ushered.

  The men scrambled to hide away and followed Vanapha’s gaze; she was looking into the sky. Five colossal bird shapes sped overhead in the backdrop of the sun. Their interest in the area was clear as they banked as a unit, as though circling the area in search of prey.

  ‘Those are Rangers!’ shouted Brunick in careless realization, ‘we have to get them down here! We have to let them know we’re here!’

  ‘Volje,’ whispered Vanapha by herself, realizing they were indeed mounted as Brunick suggested. ‘Lidayel, get over here!’

  The Summoner complied.

  ‘Get their attention,’ said Vanapha.

  ‘Are you sure that is wise? We do not know why they are here, they might not be friendly,’ said Lidayel.