Chapter 187: They Don’t Deserve You
Vayu surveyed the fells and cliffs of Widow’s Crag through the eyes of his hawk. It had taken some time for the hawk to return to Widow’s Crag from Hollow Shade, but once he had, Vayu's true purple binding magic was able to link with his hawk’s senses. It was difficult to spell cast through the pain, but Vayu didn’t give up.
As the predatory bird flew through the night sky Vayu sat leagues away with his comrades. Maximus rested on the grass, his multiple cuts and bruises finally beginning to settle in. Loh sat a few paces away, she tried focusing on wrapping bandages around Tauri’s broken fingers, but her mind kept wandering back to the students.
“Anything yet?” Loh asked for the tenth time.
“I don’t see any of the students, no,” Vayu sighed.
“Ow,” Tauri winced.
“Oh, sorry!” Loh grimaced. She had made the bandages too tight.
“You were never very good at this, ever since we were kids,” Tauri chuckled painfully.
“Yeah, Aizel was always better at the ‘patching up’ part,” Loh said with a tone of reminiscence.
“And that thing killed him…” Tauri’s voice cracked. “What was it?”
“I don’t know,” Loh whispered.
“It acted like it knew you. And you called it something,” Tauri said.
“The Monster in the Dark,” Loh admitted. “I don’t know what it is, honestly. I’ve heard some stories about the creature, I never thought they were true.”
“Yeah, if someone told me about what happened tonight I wouldn’t believe them either,” Tauri nodded bitterly. “Still, now that we know it’s real, I feel like it’s time to tell us what you know. We can’t fight an enemy we know nothing about.”
“Tauri, I really don’t know much. But if the stories are true and I’m inclined to believe that they are, then it's best if we stay away from that Monster.”
“Are you kidding me right now? Loh, we just got our asses handed to us. Our entire elite squad of magi is dead. My ankle and hands are broken, your shoulder and leg are shattered, and Vayu’s knees are literally bent the wrong way! If we don’t get magical medical attention soon none of us may be able to walk again!”
“Exactly my point! We should stay away from that Monster at all costs!”
“Wrong! That Monster has taken too much from us. If anyone deserves our vengeance it’s that bastard!” Tauri yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Loh stared down at the ground, “That’s just it, revenge was my mistake. I should have never led us here… I was selfish and everyone is dead because of my actions.”
“You were trying to avenge your brother, no one will fault you for that,” Tauri sniffed.
“You don’t understand. I know the stories of the Monster in the Dark. My family’s founder, Noir I, encountered it. He died seeking revenge against the Monster.”
“Founder? But that was like seven centuries ago,” Tauri wrinkled her brow.
“Exactly, we’re dealing with a creature that’s been around for more than half a millennium.”
“That’s not possible,” Tauri shook her head.
“I didn’t think a single person defeating a group of powerful magi with ease was possible either, but here we are. Here we are…” Loh pointed at their surroundings and the corpses strewn about.
“My hawk is flying over the designated rendezvous,” Vayu spoke up.
“Are Stryg and the others there?!” Loh asked anxiously.
“...No. There’s only a single body on the cliff. They’re face down, I can’t see the face. But the hair is dark brown, it’s not Stryg,” he said.
Loh sighed, she wasn’t sure if she should be relieved or more worried.
Vayu cleared his throat, “Um, there’s something else. There are markings on the cliff, markings of a recent battle. I see bloodstains too. I think the students were here.”
Loh felt a sharp pain clutch at her chest. What had she done? She should have never come here. Stryg had been waiting for her, the students were counting on her, but she wasn’t there.
“Please keep looking,” Tauri said.
“Of course,” Vayu nodded.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Loh. Those kids are the best of their generation, they can handle themselves,” Tauri gingerly placed her broken hand on her best friend’s shoulder.
Loh didn’t respond. Her mind was running through the possible outcomes of what might have happened to the students.
“Wait, I think I see something.” The purple sigils around Vayu’s neck and head flared. “About a league from the cliff. There is a hill, it’s been scorched pitch black.”
“Is anyone there?” Tauri asked.
“Yeah, a few people. They’re… students! I can’t believe it, Lord Noir is down there with them too. We have nothing to worry about,” Vayu grinned broadly.
“Is Stryg with them?” Loh asked, hope dripping from her voice.
“Uh… no, he’s not,” Vayu shook his head.
“There’s still a chance he’s out there,” Tauri said reassuringly. “Vayu, keep looking.”
“On it.”
“Vayu, how many students are with my grandfather?” Loh asked quietly.
“Less than ten…”
“That doesn’t mean they are dead,” Tauri said.
“It probably does,” Loh mumbled.
“That’s odd,” Vayu furrowed his brow.
“What is it? What do you see?” Tauri asked.
“My hawk’s flying over the Dire River next to the cliffs. There is this weird fog near the shoreline.”
“How is it weird?” Tauri asked.
“Well, usually it wouldn’t be. Fog naturally appears over the river, especially on warm nights, like tonight. The weird thing is this fog is concentrated on only one area near the river’s shoreline. I’m having my hawk fly lower for a closer look. Huh, maybe I’m seeing things but the water near the fog seems to be… freezing?”
Loh’s face paled, “That’s not fog… It’s frost-mist. Vayu, get your hawk out of there now!”
Vayu screamed and fell over.
“Vayu!” Loh limped to him and shook his shoulder.
“What happened to him?” Tauri asked worriedly.
“I’m not sure… I think something happened to his hawk,” Loh bit her lip.
“Ugh…” Vayu grimaced.
“Hey, it’s okay, you’re alright. Can you hear me?” Loh asked.
Vayu opened his eyes with a wince, “Loh?”
“I’m here. You’re okay,” she smiled, relieved.
“What happened, Vayu?” Tauri asked.
Vayu’s voice went taut, “I… I was with my hawk… They got him. He died.”
“What got him?” Tauri frowned.
Loh stayed quiet, but she had an awful inkling.
Vayu swallowed, “...My hawk was flying near the fog. That’s when I saw it. The fog parted for a brief moment. I saw these giant wolves, at first I thought they were dire wolves. But there was one… It had snow-white fur and it was big, bigger than the rest of them. And it saw me, it saw my hawk…”
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“What did it do?” Loh asked, but she already knew the answer.
“It howled, but it wasn’t so much a howl as it was a roar of pure power directed at my hawk. I could feel his wings break, his feathers turn to shreds… He’s gone,” Vayu broke down in tears.
Loh looked away and gritted her teeth, “Dammit.”
“Do you know anything about this?” Tauri asked.
“Yeah, I encountered them once before. They’re called frost-wolves. I wasn’t certain it was the same pack until you mentioned the big one. That’s the alpha, a powerful dire by the looks of it. Their species is native to the Rupture Mountains,” Loh admitted.
“Then what are they doing in Dusk Valley?” Tauri asked.
“I asked myself the same question,” she sighed.
Loh stiffened, she felt a shiver run up her spine. Her blue eyes slowly looked up at the blood-red moon. Stryg’s words from that night echoed in her mind, “Frost wolves, the fabled harbingers of Lunae… they only leave their home to enforce Lunae’s will.”
“It… can’t be,” she muttered.
“Loh, there was something else,” Vayu brushed away his tears. “I saw something else in the fog, amidst the frost-wolves. I saw him. I saw Stryg.”
“What!?” Loh spun around and grabbed his shoulders.
“His eyes were closed, there was a lot of blood on his shirt, but I noticed his chest move, if only slightly. He was lying on the sandy shore.”
“He was there? Stryg was there? With the frost-wolves? Were they hurting him? ...Were they trying to eat him?” Loh’s voice cracked.
Vayu shook his head, “No, they were just all standing around him, almost like… I don’t know, it was strange.”
“Welp, that doesn’t make any sense. Are you sure you saw the little blue goblin?” Tauri crossed her arms.
“I know what I saw,” Vayu frowned.
“Tauri’s right,” Loh muttered.
“See, she gets it,” Tauri nodded.
“No, you don’t understand. Stryg once told me he was a bad omen from Lunae,” Loh said.
“Lunae?” Tauri swallowed.
“Then the red moon?” Vayu glanced at the night sky.
“I don’t know. But Stryg is in danger,” Loh clenched her fists. “Maximus!”
The centaur pushed himself to his feet. “I heard. I’m ready to go when you are.”
“Wait, what? You’re leaving? To go get Stryg?” Tauri asked.
“Exactly,” Loh nodded.
Maximus picked up the lithe drow and placed her on his back.
“If my grandfather is in Widow’s Crag, then that means he got my message. In other words, there should be several squadrons of magi on their way to help us. I don’t doubt they will soon find you two and bring you back to Hollow Shade safe and sound. Stay here and rest until then,” Loh said.
“This is crazy, you can’t just leave. You don’t even know if Stryg is with the frost-wolves. For all we know Vayu saw wrong,” Tauri tried getting up. She winced and stumbled, her broken ankle made it impossible to stand.
“Tauri’s right. Even if Stryg is there, you’re walking into a death trap. You’re exhausted and badly injured. Even if you somehow manage to grab Stryg, you won’t be able to fight back against the entire pack,” Vayu warned.
Loh smiled half-heartedly, “I still have to try. I can’t abandon him, not again. This mission’s utter failure is my fault entirely. So many people have died... I won’t let Stryg be another casualty. Maximus, let’s go.”
“Loh, wait!” Tauri yelled.
Maximus galloped away.
~~~
Maximus climbed the last rocky hill and looked down at the Dire River’s shore. Or at least, he tried looking at the shore, the entire area was covered in thick frost-mist.
“So, what exactly is the plan? Or is the more of a suicide note kinda thing?” Maximus asked.
“If it’s the latter?” Loh smiled wryly.
“Well, it wouldn’t make much of a difference to me… I died a long time ago,” he muttered.
“I’d ask, but I don’t think you’d tell me more,” Loh said quietly.
“You’d be right… So, do you have a plan?”
“Kinda, it really depends on them,” she pointed at the frost-mist.
“What do you mean?”
“If what Vayu saw was true, then the frost wolves didn’t kill Stryg yet. Which means, at the very least, they have a certain level of intelligence.”
“Or, counter argument, Stryg was right and he is a bad omen. In which case the frost wolves are being controlled by Lunae and are waiting to sacrifice him or something.”
“I really doubt that. There has to be an explanation for all of this. But whatever the case may be, we won’t find anything out if we simply stand here,” Loh said.
Maximus nodded and trotted down the hill. Loh winced with every step he took, even while on the saddle her shattered shin screamed in agony at the slightest movement. She gritted her teeth and tried to endure it.
The frost-mist parted when Maximus and Loh neared. The magical fog curled around them and blocked off their retreat. In a handful of seconds, they were surrounded by the frost-mist. The temperature dropped, Loh could see her own breath slip out of her mouth in white wisps. Maximus and she began shivering, out of sheer cold or fear she wasn’t sure.
Icy blue eyes appeared in front of them, then behind, and to the side. Suddenly they were surrounded by pairs of blue eyes watching them. A dozen frost wolves growled through the mist. Maximus gripped his double-sided ax tightly.
“What’s the plan again?” He whispered.
The frost-mist stirred and retreated from Maximus and Loh until they found themselves in a small clearing amidst the mist as if they were in the eye of a storm. Almost two dozen frost wolves, each larger than Maximus, surrounded them. Frost-mist rose from the wolves’ bodies, curling about their black and grey fur.
A small unmoving body lay at the edge of the frost-mist. Stryg’s shirt was dyed with dried blood and his body seemed to be covered in scrapes and bruises. He was soaked wet, yet the mist did not freeze over him. His eyes were closed, but his face contorted in pain.
“There!” Loh pointed.
A large white paw stepped in front of the blue goblin. A snarling wolf stood above Stryg, its fur was snow-white, and its long claws dripped with blood. The wolf was larger than the rest by far, standing at almost twice the size of the others. Its blood-red eyes stared at the two intruders. The alpha growled in a low rumble. The other frost-wolves bowed their heads and took a step back.
“You have a lot of gall to show your presence here, drow,” the alpha snarled.
“You can talk!?” Loh’s eyes widened.
“Oh… shit,” Maximus muttered.
“What idiotic idea possessed you to face us again?” The alpha’s voice rang deep in their ears.
Loh was stunned, she didn’t know what to say, she had expected some level of intelligence, but not sapience. Her eyes wandered over to her apprentice, who lay unconscious underneath the alpha.
Loh clenched her fists, cleared her throat, and looked up at the alpha’s looming figure, “I have come to save my apprentice.”
The alpha bared its fangs, “Save? If it wasn’t for you he wouldn’t need any saving. He would have drowned in the Dire River if we hadn’t come. Stryg isn’t going anywhere with you.”
“...I never told you his name,” Loh whispered.
The alpha cocked its head to the side, “His name? You think you know Stryg better than I?”
Loh knitted her eyebrows, “You’re not trying to hurt him… You’re trying to protect him?”
The alpha spoke in a deep rumble, “I was worried more than anyone when Stryg left Vulture Woods. The first moment he stepped out of Holo’s Shade we came to kill all of you and bring him back home. But Stryg refused, in fact, he made it very clear he would rather fight us and keep his ‘friends’ safe. Stryg wanted to stay in Holo’s Shade…. And I let him. Now, look at what has happened because of that choice. Stryg is going home now.”
Loh frowned, “To Vulture Woods? T-that isn’t his home! That place only ever brought pain to Stryg. If you actually knew him, you would know that! Stryg has people who care for him back in Hollow Shade. He’s even married.”
“Why should any of those people matter?” The alpha curled its black lips in a sneer.
“What?” Loh shook her head, “It matters because Stryg cares for them all too! Stryg wants to stay in Hollow Shade.”
“Stryg is a baby, he is too young to protect himself, let alone understand what he truly wants.”
Loh took a shaky breath, “That’s not true. Otherwise, I’d already be dead, right? You haven’t killed us yet because you know Stryg cares about me.”
“Do not push your luck, drow,” the alpha glared at her.
The other frost wolves growled in agreement.
Loh bit her lip, “I care for Stryg, too. You’re right, he is young and sometimes he bites off more than he can chew. But, that’s why I’m here, to make sure he stays safe until he’s old enough to protect himself.”
“Then why weren’t you there when Stryg needed you? You’re his teacher, aren’t you? You’re supposed to protect your apprentice. So where were you when he was impaled with a spear through the heart? Where were you!?” The alpha roared.
Loh and Maximus grimaced in pain at the blaring noise.
Loh looked down at the ground, “I messed up, badly. Stryg placed his trust in me and I failed him. Countless people are dead because of my decision. I have no excuse.”
Loh slipped off the saddle and jumped to the ground. She tried not to land on her broken leg, but it still brushed on the ground. She winced and fell on the sandy shore. Her elbows and knees cracked the thin layer of ice that had formed above the wet sand.
Loh pushed herself to her feet with a shaky gait and limped towards the alpha. “Stryg deserves better than me, I know that. That’s why from now on, I won’t let anyone else, including me, take precedence over my apprentice. I will stop running from my problems and I will face them head-on. I won’t abandon Stryg again, no matter the consequences, I swear it on Lunae’s name.”
The alpha growled and opened its maw and moved towards Loh.
She smiled half-heartedly, “So take my life, but please give Stryg one more chance. Let him return to Hollow Shade and find happiness.”
The alpha stopped, its fangs hovering right above Loh. She could feel the wolf’s cold breath on her face.
The alpha slowly closed its mouth and stared at Stryg below. “...I believe you, little drow. Stryg doesn’t want to go home, he wants to go back to Holo’s Shade… I’ll give him one last chance to pursue his ‘dreams.’”
“You’ll let him go?”
“He will need a teacher to guide him. Perhaps your time in this world isn’t over yet.”
Loh fell to her knees, unable to stand any longer. She cried in relief, “Thank you.”
The alpha narrowed its blood-red eyes, “But mark my words, if Stryg is ever left in a situation like this again, I will find you and eat you alive while I make you watch as I murder your family and every single person you hold dear. I will not fail in this, I swear it.”
Loh swallowed, “...U-understood.”
“Get Stryg to a healer, now,” the alpha turned away and faded back into the mist.
“Right,” Loh nodded.
~~~
The frost wolves peered through the frost-mist at Maximus as he carried Loh and Stryg up the nearby rocky hill. The alpha wolf’s form shimmered with pale light, the fur and fangs faded away, and in its wake stood a woman. She towered over the wolves, the tallest of them barely reached below her shoulder. Her lustrous snow-white hair fell across her back and sashayed above her ankles. Her flawless silver skin was bare, without a single shred of cloth to defile it.
Lunae pursed her grey lips. Her blood-red eyes narrowed in thought, “What do you see in those people, Stryg? They don’t deserve you…”