CHAPTER 12

“Are you sure you don’t want a sword?” Ventas asked over his shoulder, easily vaulting a fallen tree without so much as slowing down.

Birdie didn’t answer. Her attention was torn between the uneven forest floor below her and the flashing glimpses of light she could make out through the trees. From the moment they were near enough to spot the end of the woods, she had known that they would be walking into trouble. Even from all the way up here, she could see the orange glow of Ammi’s broadsword Brand bathing the meadow in a wicked orange light that strobed brighter as it saw combat and burned through the Champion's power.

The fight had already begun. And they were about to walk right into it.

“Hold up!” Birdie gasped, clutching a stitch in her side.

“We need a plan!”

Ventas skid to a stop and dropped into a crouch behind a tree on the crest of the trail. He too, was transfixed on the lights beyond as he peered around the stump that hid him.

Birdie stood beside him, not bothering to hide as she clutched a stitch in her side. With each sucking breath she took, the strange mixed taste of hot spice coated her mouth, no doubt residual power drifting their way from the fight below.

“You’re not going to take cover?” Ventas asked.

She shook her head, still catching her breath.

“They wouldn’t spot us in all of this, and even if they do, Gabriel knows better than to try anything while we are still in the forest. He might be able to hide from the divine, but we can’t. If he tries anything, Epictus will know.”

Ventas didn’t argue, but turned back to the show of lights below. “Is that Ammi’s sword?” he asked as dark shadows across his face contrasted heavily with the bright orange glow from the clearing. He didn’t look tired from his run, not even winded. Instead there was a buzz about him. He almost looked excited…

“Yea… It’s hers.” She responded, finally processing his question.

How did he even know that?

“I thought so. That means we are walking into an actual fight. Here,” he slid the leather sheath from his belt, and offered the weapon up to Birdie.

“I said I don’t want that.” Birdie affirmed, not even bothering to shoo it away.

“Birdie,” He shot her a glance, but very quickly returned it to the blazing glow of Ammi’s sword below.

“I know. Cedar was your friend, and you don’t want to hurt him. But my people are down there too. If Gabriel has a hold of them then who knows what he is making them do? You see Ammi’s sword. She is fighting for her life down there.”

“Fine!” Birdie snatched the sword from him and fixed it to her belt gruffly. She didn’t want to admit that he had a point, but at least taking it meant he would shut up.

“But fighting is our last option. They don’t deserve to get hurt just because they are being used. We just need to find a way to get them away from Ammi, Brooke and Shields long enough that they can get into the woods.”

Ventas shrugged.

“Easy. If Gabriel is controlling them, then we just take him out and they should snap out of it, right?”

“Take him out? No! I just need to talk to him!” Birdie was appalled by his blunt willingness to just kill someone. What kind of person had Epictus just saddled her with?

Ventas sighed and hung his head in exasperation before picking up his hurried whisper.

“Look. I know you two are close, and he’s your partner or whatever-”

“Partner?” Her cheeks grew hot, and it had nothing to do with Ammi’s fire.

“-But the way I see it, if we just end this now, then we won’t have to worry about him trying to kill Epictus or working for the creep in Coastlund. It solves all of our problems.”

“We are not killing him!”

“Keep your voice down! And I never said we kill him, we just need to- I don’t know- Knock him out?”

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“They are not going to hear us! And if I can just get to him and talk, then I am sure that I can make him come to his senses. We just need to find a way to get him away from everyone else.”

Ventas shook his head, “That’s exactly what he wants- to get you alone so he can carry you off to his divine and brainwash you or something.”

“You don’t know him like I do-”

He cut her off with a quick withering glance that made her temper flare.

“You may think you’ve got him figured out, but from what I saw yesterday during his ritual, there is a lot you don’t know about him. He’s not going to change his mind.”

“You-” Birdie sputtered, “You saw his ritual? But you’re a hunter! How did you-”

Ventas turned away, “Doesn’t matter. We are wasting time. I am going down there and I am going to find Gabriel; chuck a rock at him or something. You do whatever you want but don’t get yourself killed. Remember what Epictus said, you get hurt and he does too. So just- I don't know- stay out of the way? Or make yourself useful and distract them.”

And with that last condescending remark, he took off, keeping low as he left the trail and seemed to meld with the shadow of the foliage. Gone.

Birdie stood in widemouthed shock, feeling her temper rise like a kitchen fire as his words finally boiled over.

“‘Stay out of the way?’ Who does he think he is!” She tore off down the trail, determined to stop him before he could do anything stupid.

What an insufferable know-it-all!

But he did have something she didn’t have; a plan, even if it was a terrible one. She placed a hand on the hilt of the small silver sword at her hip. She knew how to use it. But now she was afraid… What if Cedar or a hunter really did try to kill her? Would she be able to defend herself?

Whatever! As long as I can get to Gabriel first, I am sure I can talk him out of this. He just doesn’t understand that he is being used!

Her pace quickened as the ground grew steeper, and finally she burst from the woods and out into the clearing, beholden finally to the true chaos unfolding between her and the distant wall.

Three figures stalked the outskirts of the fight, holding bows and occasionally sending arrows flying towards the center. Each projectile was hit with a flash of white before disintegrating to dust before it could make contact. With each flash, Birdie saw a glimpse of Brooke, her face stricken and drenched in sweat as she kept up her Ward, a shield of magic, against the barrage of projectiles. The girl was skirting around wildly, trying to cover both herself and Ammi, who was locked in engagement against a tall figure who fought her relentlessly with a sword.

Okay! Four opponents! But none of them Gabriel… Where could he be?

She hated to admit it, but maybe Ventas was right. Maybe she just needed to distract them and Gabriel would show himself.

“Hey!”

She hopped in place and waved her arms, feeling stupid but desperate. The spicy tingle of magic danced across her tongue with each shout, and it made her cough.

“Over- here! Look-”

Something slammed into her and she yelped as she crashed aside. Before she could even figure out what was going on, tight arms wrapped around hers, pinning them to her side as she was hefted from the ground and whoever had her began sprinting.

“Let go!” She shouted from over her captor’s shoulder.

The strong taste of magic was overpowering now. Whoever this was, they were burning through a ton of it as they sped away at an unnatural pace.

Birdie wriggled and fought, managing to get an arm free, she pounded on the man’s back and did her best to buck, but her kidnapper ignored her protests.

She watched in horror as she was carried away from Brooke and Ammi, still fighting for their lives. The hunters and swordsman hadn’t stopped. Gabriel was supposed to stop once he had her.

With a lurch of helpless fear, she remembered something Epictus had told the group back in his shrine:

“They are not acting of their own volition, not even their captor.”

Birdie finally realized that they were not going to let up. The divine that had Gabriel wanted Epictus dead, and if the Champions were an extension of Epictus. He wasn’t going to stop until they were all dead.

Rage overcame fear, and she dug her fingernails into the back of her captor. She screamed the one spell she knew by heart, as she funneled as much power as she could into the word and action.

Camceja

“Candle light!”

Pillars of soft white flame erupted from her fingers and engulfed his cloak.

That seemed to get his attention. He came to an abrupt halt and released Birdie, and she fell rolling onto her back with a thud. She scrambled to her feet and watched as her captor hit the dirt and began writing in the dusty pasture, frantically beating at his flaming cloak as the gentle flames rippled about him. His hood slipped down over his rounded mortal ears, and she felt a chill as recognition took her.

It was Cedar. His face was as expressionless and blank as a cloudy sky as he worked furiously to put out the fire that surrounded him.

“Wait!” She dropped to her knees and added her hands to his, desperately working through the heat and heaping handfuls of dirt and dust over him to staunch the sizzling flame. Finally it went out, and he laid back in a smoking heap, spread eagle and unblinking up at the sky, not a trace of panic on his face from the combustion that almost consumed him.

“Cedar?” She asked tremulously, reaching a shaking hand out to touch his stubbly neck. A pulse thrummed under her fingers, but the man did not react to her touch.

“Cedar!” She shouted, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, “Wake up! Please! The divine has you, you are being controlled! Please wake up!”

“Stop it Birdie. He’s not going to hear you.”