Nineteenth of Harbinger

At first Belkai didn’t know what woke her. Davos was deep in sleep, his bare body stretched out beside her as always. She listened to his breathing and heartbeat, satisfying herself that he was alright. It hadn’t been the dreams that woke her either, and she stayed motionless in the bed, Davos’ skin against her own, as she listened to the sounds of the deep night. The Blackwings were out hunting, as were the immense insectoid creatures that Mishtar had formed. It seemed like a peaceful night. That occasioned a frown. She rolled over, wrapping a leg over Davos’ hip and resting a hand on his chest. He grunted in his sleep, and one hand moved to rest on her thigh. She kissed his neck gently, then laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes, willing herself to go back to sleep. It didn’t happen. Something was niggling at the back of her mind, a distant cry of alarm that didn’t seem to have any grounding in reality. She gave an exasperated sigh and rolled off Davos, quietly lifting herself off the bed. She grabbed a black cloak from a hook on the wall and threw it over her shoulders before moving outside. She ignored the cool air of near winter blowing against her bare legs, closing her eyes as she focused on the sounds of the forest. Nothing was different from when she was in the bed, even with the cold wind enveloping her. She whispered a curse and turned to go inside when she felt it again. A whisper in the wind, desperate but nearly silent. She froze and focused everything she had on that whisper. It was one of Mishtar’s shades, trapped on the southern end of the forest. Something had disturbed it, but it couldn’t detect what it was. Another shade joined its cry, and Belkai’s heart leapt in her chest. Now she didn’t hesitate, racing inside to find her dagger, strapping it around her waist before snatching up a skirt and pulling it on. She didn’t stop to wake Davos, instead sending a pulse through him to startle him awake. He jolted upwards, and gasped in pain, freezing for a moment when saw Belkai strap a longsword to her back.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he began to dress.

“Something’s happening in the south, I don’t know what,” she told him, already heading for the door. “Get Loranna and follow me. Wake Syndra. Have her alert Lithmae, then join us. As fast as possible.”

He didn’t argue, rushing off into the night as soon as he had his own sword strapped to his side. Belkai didn’t look back, feeling distant tremors through her feet as she rushed through the undergrowth. It would take too long to get there, she knew. The distance was too far for even the fastest elf to get there before daybreak. Whatever was intruding would be deep into the forest by the time she arrived. Damnit. She quickened her pace, willing the last cobwebs of sleep to be blown away by the cold air rushing past her face. She didn’t know who dared to intrude into her forest, but she would be damned if she allowed it without opposition.

She’d been running for half an hour when Syndra, Loranna, and Davos caught up to her, taking up positions on either side.

“What’s happening?” Syndra asked between breaths. Belkai ducked under a low hanging branch before answering.

“I felt something in the south. Something has entered the Forest, but I don’t know what.” She cursed as she kicked a stone and nearly fell. A group of Blackwings shot past them, alerted by their master and already searching for threats.

“This isn’t a plan, Belkai,” Davos warned. “We’re rushing into nothing.”

Nothing but danger, she felt him think, and bit back an angry reply. What was she supposed to do? The shades saw danger. She had no reason not to trust them.

“Don’t stop,” she answered, her voice firm, and this time received no complaint.

***

Had Nizali known that the Lord of Narandir had been alerted, he may perhaps have hesitated to continue. It had never occurred to the dwarves that perhaps Narandir had its own shades, created by accident and unaware that their own kind existed outside the realm of the Forest. They had no thought about what dwelt amongst those trees, only that they had to circumvent the Brilhardem who stood against them. Nizali should have known better. He had walked amongst the elves, stood before Belkai upon her throne, and travelled briefly with the orc who trained her. Ambition always blinds rationality, even in one as practical as a dwarf. The shades were making good time; whatever Falkar had done during their communion had been exactly what was needed to push aside Narandir’s barriers and tunnel through its foundations. They still didn’t know where to look for the Source, but in only a few hours they would stop digging and allow the first of the shades to enter the Forest and begin its search. Nizali smiled as he followed the overseers through the smooth tunnel. Victory was in sight.

***

Belkai and her group stopped nearly two hours after she’d been awoken. Whatever superhuman energy had possessed her at first had since drained away, and now she stood with a hand planted on a tree gasping for air. Syndra stood a few feet away, ignoring the exhausted humans as she sniffed the air. Like Belkai, she sensed a shift in the air, but could not determine any sort of source or specific danger. A lone Blackwing settled onto a branch above them, and Belkai looked up as if she were speaking to it. After a moment the creature flew off.

“The Blackwings detected nothing, but they are still searching,” Belkai told them. She shook her head. “We’re close, I can feel it. But I can’t sense what it is.”

Davos and Loranna shared a glance. They had seen what Belkai was capable of. The idea that something could escape her detection made them nervous. Loranna’s hand rested lightly on her axe handle, ready to bring it to bear at a moment’s notice.

“How close are we?” she asked, eyes locked on her friend. Belkai shook her head again.

“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But I can feel it in the air, and in the ground. Something is coming.”

“So what do we do?” Davos asked.

“We wait,” Belkai replied. She glanced at Syndra. “Get in one of the trees, be our lookout. Davos, Loranna, stay by me. Where I’m going, I may need your blades.”

Syndra hesitated for a moment but saw the others’ trust and began climbing. Belkai nodded at the two Svaletans before kneeling and placing her hands on the wet grass. She closed her eyes and turned her senses to the dirt. The rumbling that she had felt grew louder, much louder, a strange sound of metal and dirt and rock. It was coming steadily closer, showing no sign of slowing. It would reach them within the hour. She could sense no life, just the rumbling. Whatever it was, it defied her understanding. She couldn’t trace its path, though she knew where a straight line would lead: straight to Nimura. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up at Davos.

“We have one hour, then it’ll be right below us.”

“What’s the plan, boss?” Loranna asked, eyes still scanning the trees. Belkai smiled grimly.

“We can’t wait for Lithmae. As soon as it reaches us, we strike.”

“We still don’t know what it is,” Davos pointed out. “It could be suicide.”

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Belkai’s face was dark, her eyes fiery, as she said firmly, “They have violated my Forest, Davos. That’s what it comes down to.”

He held her gaze, not backing down, then nodded slowly. “I’m right beside you. Just so long as you know the risks.”

“I do,” Belkai promised. She glanced up at Syndra. “Do you see anything?”

“Nothing at all, but the air feels heavy,” she called back. “What are we doing?”

“We fight.”

***

It was almost tiresome following the shades through the tunnel, even with the thrill of knowing that they were within sight of the goal. As soon as they located the Source, they could alert Mirzali and the regiments could mobilise. A day’s march and they could begin their assault. Centuries of longing, weeks of frantic planning, and the moment was finally within sight. They would achieve their goal, reclaim their glory, before Belkai even knew that they were there.

He was too distracted by his thoughts to feel Belkai’s senses wash over them time and again, even though they were below any level detectable to the average being. The first warning he had was the sudden grinding of the tunnelling machine against something too hard to breach. The shades seemed to screech, and Nizali jerked to a stop and watched as the overseers ran forward to investigate.

“What’s going on?” he called out.

“We’re being blocked. The drill can’t move forward,” an overseer called back.

“I thought we’d breached the magic,” Nizali frowned, moving forwards towards them.

“It’s not the magic. Something’s pushing back.”

Nizali froze then, and his hand dropped to his axe. His next word was a whisper. “Belkai.”

The tunnel went silent as the shades shut the machines down and milled around.

“Dig up!” Nizali called out. “Breach here.”

“We don’t know where we are,” an overseer told him. “We cannot sense the Source.”

“Just do it,” Nizali growled, and the others saw the fear within his eyes. That was enough to get them to carry out the order without any further questions. The shades shifted the tunnelers vertically, then prepared to restart them. They didn’t get the chance.

There was hardly a noise before the ceiling of the tunnel erupted in massive four-feet thick vines that seized the tunnelers and tore them apart. The three dwarves backed up as the vines began swinging wildly, smashing rock and dirt across the tunnel. It ended as soon as it had started, leaving a hole that led all the way to the surface.

“What in the gods was that?” someone whispered.

Nizali drew his axe. “That was the Lord of Narandir.”

There was another screech, and the shades erupted into the hole, ready to fight.

***

With the tunnelers destroyed, Belkai sensed the shades a moment before they leapt into the fray. She could feel their anger, directed towards her but borne of their slavery, as they readied themselves to kill whatever stood in their way. There was no time to communicate with them, no chance to offer peace. They emerged as a vast black cloud, pulsating and wrapping around the trees before going still. Belkai motioned for her comrades to stay still as she walked closer to the attackers.

“You know who I am,” she said quietly, and felt an acknowledgement in her mind. They could not speak, but they could communicate. That’s a start. “You can feel your kind here, all around you. I did not trap them, that was my predecessor. I want to free them, if I can. And I can free you.”

The cloud shifted backwards, but froze in place again. Narandir’s shades must have been pushing back, Belkai realised. Was this meant to be an invasion force? Were the Arcane so ignorant of what dwelt in this Forest?

“Disperse, and I will do you no harm,” Belkai continued. “Your kind here will tell you that I have done no harm to them. I desire peace. You are free here.”

One of the shades broke from its comrades and sped towards Belkai. She could make out clawed hands as they reached for her, and she lifted up a hand, focusing her energies on that one point. As the shade slammed into her palm, it was struck by a blast of energy that knocked it backwards. It screeched and leapt forwards again, this time meeting another pulse that burned like fire within and tore it into nonexistence. Belkai turned back to the cloud.

“I didn’t want to do that,” she said softly. “I used Narandir’s barriers to destroy that one. I know how to do that to all of you. But I’m letting you go free.”

To Davos’ shock, the cloud dispersed into a scattering of black shapes that disappeared into the air.

“What the hell was that?” Loranna asked, lowering the axe that would have been powerless against their attackers.

“They were just slaves,” Belkai said sadly. “Tools of the Arcane.”

She looked to the hole in the ground. “They weren’t alone. Let’s find out who we’re dealing with.”

The vines had torn a slope into the hole, making it a simple matter for the four of them to slowly enter the tunnel with weapons at the ready. Belkai sensed the three dwarves before she saw them standing strong with axes at the ready. Her eyes went wide at the rearmost dwarf.

“Greywall,” she said in shock. “Why?”

“You know the answer, Belkai,” the dwarf said with steel in his voice. “The Ascendant must rise.”

Belkai frowned. It really was that simple, wasn’t it? They had seen Ashelath enter Narandir to his death and saw that as the falling star that their prophecy had predicted. So now they would attempt to take it by force. “Ashelath tried to take this Forest for his own. Delorax and Falkar sent their best against me. I’m still here.”

Greywall sneered. “Falkar has yet to send his best.”

Belkai could sense her comrades’ eagerness to end this. She couldn’t allow Greywall to escape, and he was already starting to step backwards in preparation for a run back down the tunnel.

“I’m sorry,” Belkai whispered to Davos beside her, then summoned the vines once again. This time they came from behind the dwarves, bringing the tunnel down, cutting them off from their exit. They didn’t hesitate, didn’t spend a second considering peace. Greywall’s two comrades burst forwards. Syndra instantly shot two arrows, both slamming into their chests, but they kept coming. Loranna and Davos stepped forward to meet their blades, and Belkai moved past them towards Greywall, drawing her dagger and leaving her sword strapped to her back.

“I don’t want to kill you,” Belkai said, ignoring the fighting behind her. The dwarves were holding their own for now. “I only want peace.”

The dwarf sneered, and Belkai was shocked at the hatred in his eyes. The peace-loving prince that she’d thought she’d known was gone, if he had ever existed at all. This was the true face of Nimura: hatred of the Other and a hunger for power.

The others were oblivious to the conversation going on around them. The dwarven overseers were tough, hardy fighters who wouldn’t give an inch. Davos quickly knew that he was outmatched, trying desperately to avoid the bone crushing swings of his opponent. Every swing of his sword was met with a parry that nearly knocked him over. He found his opening after one such parry, and let himself fall backwards. The dwarf leapt forward to deliver a killing blow, only to have his legs kicked out from under him. As he toppled, Syndra launched two arrows that caught him beneath the chin, smashing through flesh and bone and killing him before he hit the ground. Davos rolled over in time to see Loranna knock her opponent to the dirt, plant a foot on his head, and slam her axe into his throat. She caught her breath, looked to Davos, and nodded.

Greywall saw his comrades’ deaths and felt himself consumed by rage. He lifted his axe and took a single step towards Belkai before vines erupted from the dirt and seized him by his arms and legs. Belkai shook her head sadly.

“I called you a friend,” she said softly as she approached him. The vines squeezed tight, and the axe slipped from his grasp. She caught it as it fell and held it in two hands, feeling its weight. She studied the blade for a moment before looking to him. “Nimura will pay for this.”

She lifted the axe, then a moment before bringing it down, she turned and slammed the hilt into Greywall’s nose, flooding his body with agony for the seconds it took for him to slip into unconsciousness. She threw the axe to the ground as Davos rested a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Belkai shrugged.

“I should have known,” she replied. “Nimura was never a friend.”

“Never apologise for hope,” he told her. He watched silently as the vines retracted, letting Greywall’s body collapse to the dirt. “What now?”

Belkai looked over to Syndra. “Find a hole and put him in it. Do not give him anything. I will speak to him when I am ready.”

Syndra hesitated, surprised by the new anger in her lord. She eventually bowed her head. “It shall be done.”

“And the bodies?” Loranna asked. Belkai’s eyes were cold as she turned to her friend.

“They lived in the dirt. Let them stay there. Narandir will find its use for them.”