Empire of Night

Chapter Five

Blood in the Mist

As he’d feared, their target had made it into the Wilds.

Her scent had led them across the Breadth on a near linear path and had not deviated, as a part of him had hoped it would. Dangerous as the Wilds were, coupled with the Blight and the spirit-scrambling Veil within, he wondered if her plan was to evade them long enough to disappear. In all reality, it was likely her best chance, outside of killing them all outright. Though, she would still have to contend with the wyverns’ near-inescapable sense of smell. As it was, Tanuzet was close on the woman’s scent.

Through their active merge, Rhydian could smell the blood on her hands, fresh and sharp. It fueled his rage as well as his resolve. Tanuzet shifted beneath him, catching a new current and following it along the edge of the Breadth. The mist roiled along the outer border of the Endari Wilds, held back from the vast open plain by the Veil’s influence. Deeper in, the world was steeped in fog so thick, nothing could be seen of the terrain within. A few scant islands breached the gloom where hilltops or mountains managed to pierce the cloudbelly, some crowned by massive, black pines, others by steep, jagged crags that were more akin to wolf teeth than rock.

As familiar as the sight was, he would never quite grow accustomed to it, for while the majority of the Veil harbored mists of hazy white no different from those found elsewhere in the world, those at its heart grew dark and unruly. Concentrated aura warred across the distant horizon in shades of black and blue; a great, swollen bruise where it rose from the earth. Rhydian and his flight had passed within the Wilds a number of times during their initial training upon being stationed at Mistwatch, though their patrols had never involved delving down into the forest itself. Their main duty was to prevent Blighted from crossing the Breadth from the Wilds, not actively seeking them out from their origin.

Land a moment, he said, patting Tanuzet’s back, I want to speak with the others before we continue.

Whistling from her nostrils, she touched down just before the treeline and shook out her hide. His own skin gave a sympathetic prickle, gooseflesh rising along his arms. The Veil tugged at his spirit, drawing a dull, aching pressure from his core. No amount of exposure would ever dull the sensation. He had flown by the border daily on his patrols for close to a year now and the pull was as potent as it had been during his first encounter. As it was, he knew the worst of it was yet to come.

“We’re still going after her, aren’t we?” Ayduin asked once Vaelor settled.

Rhydian nodded, his expression tight. “I was hoping we could catch her out in the open, but there’s more to consider now that she’s inside.”

We’re still coming in there with you, Vaelor said, growling softly.

“I wasn’t going to suggest otherwise,” Rhydian assured with a shake of his head, “It’s still in our best interest to stay airborne and out of range as much as possible. Maneuverability is the main issue.”

Ephaxus alighted beside Vaelor, light dancing across the metal scales of his underbelly. Ayduin spared them a cursory glance, then flicked her gaze across the forest.

“What about the deep wood gigantism? If the trees are really as big as they say further in, there should be a manageable amount of space to fly, even with Tanuzet and Inet’s wingspans taken into account.”

Rhydian considered. “It would certainly make things easier,” he agreed, “but there’s still the engagement itself to take into account. With the wyvern’s focused on navigating the trees, the majority of the attack will be left up to us. I believe our initial plan is still sound, if a bit simplistic.”

He glanced down to the engraved quiver he’d situated at the front of the saddle and drew out one of the arrows. The head was near the length of his hand, narrow and lethal as it was beautiful. He turned it over, expecting to find an engraving somewhere in the metal to mark its origin, yet found none. His brow furrowed, but Keishara drew his thoughts away from the oddity.

“Ephaxus and I could provide the main distraction,” she began, “your plan with Tanuzet had me thinking. With our affinities, we can’t exactly offer any defensive measures, but we might be able to blind her, at least temporarily.”

Rhydian paused, Tanuzet inclining her head in interest.

The woman’s cheeks briefly tinted, but she continued.

“If Ephaxus uses a freeform technique to shape his steel plates into a series of spikes and launch them into the ground, I could generate an electrical arc. With enough rysk behind it, I should be able to make it bright enough to stun just about anyone.”

Rhydian’s brow rose and he cursed himself for not having realized their potential sooner.

“If we can subdue her long enough, I should be able to land a clean hit,” he said, slipping the arrow back into the quiver.

Ayduin nodded, despite the skeptical set of her jaw. “We still run the risk of being blinded ourselves.”

“Not if we rely on our spiritual senses,” he said, “with her core shackled, we have the advantage. Powerful as she might be, she’ll still be limited to her base senses.”

“Fair enough. Suppose all that insufferable mist training is about to pay off, hmm?”

“How many strikes do you think you could manage?”

Keishara pursed her lips. “Once inside the Veil? I might only have enough rysk for two or three strong charges.”

“We can make that work,” he said, “but I want attention taken off you in the initial engagement in order to give Ephaxus a chance to land those ground points.”

“Cydan and I should fly in first and take the initial pressure,” Ayduin said.

The man nodded as Inet’s wings twitched in anticipation. “Our techniques might not do much, but we can piss her off.”

Rhydian nodded, “All right. Ayduin ne’Vaelor will lead the formation followed by Cydan n’Inet and Keishara n’Ephaxus. Tanuzet and I will follow at a distance, then peel off when we close in on the target.”

Keep your distance and stay sharp, Tanuzet said. I will hold my technique as long as I can.

“Mind yourselves and we’ll all come out of this on the other side,” Rhydian said, “Once we’re back at Mistwatch, I’ll even bust out the trade city casks.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” Ayduin crooned.

“Cydan’s been waiting for the chance at a rematch,” Keishara giggled.

Ayduin smirked, “That so? Play this well and you’ll have that opportunity. Provided I don’t drink you under the table a second time.”

The man winked and blew her a mock kiss. “Let’s get on with it, then.”

Rhydian’s chest eased, but only just. Still, he managed the ghost of a smile as Tanuzet turned skyward.

The air grew thick the moment they crossed the Veil’s threshold. Nausea welled, followed by a deep, throbbing pain in his core. The further they flew, the more it mounted. His rysk grew sluggish and stiff in his channels, as if they had constricted to the point of collapse. He found it difficult to breathe. He grit his teeth, forcing his mind to clear, to will the sickness away as he recalled one of his many breathing exercises. The spiritual pressure sought to smother him, but within a few mindful inhalations, he brought the disruption under control. His eyes watered with the effort and he was quick to banish the stray tears. He doubted the others fared much better. They were all fairly close in their Ascension progression, yielding a comparable effect on their souls.

He sought Tanuzet through their bond, the two melding effortlessly in the heat of their pursuit. Together, they reached out with their collective awareness, building the mental map of the shrouded world below with their spiritual sense while they skimmed the sea of whorling white fog. The forest came alive in their minds’ eye; countless trees revealing themselves through the complex webs of their essence-rich channels. They saw nothing of their physical exteriors, only the illumination of their souls’ internal structures.

The forest’s gigantism unfolded before them with far more clarity than they had ever experienced prior to their forced expedition. The spaces between the countless trunks and branches would indeed afford the wyverns a manageable degree of navigation once inside. It would be tight in places, but it would do.

The woman’s scent changed direction and with a low hiss, the dyad changed course. The flight banked with them, maintaining formation. Rhydian withdrew his mind from Tanuzet’s, though brought himself close against the saddle when she found her opening in the underlying canopy. She plunged down into the forest, navigating the labyrinthian pines with an agile grace. Visual conditions were far more favorable once inside the forest itself, the mists diluted and left to swirl amid the ground vegetation below.

Behind them, Rhydian heard the others follow suit, adjusting their formation to account for the tighter quarters. They flew in a uniform line and he did not need to look back to know Vaelor was close on Tanuzet’s tail. Despite the space between the trees, they proved difficult to maneuver while maintaining speed. Inet clipped a wing on a wayward branch, hissing her frustration and Vaelor was briefly forced off course in order to avoid one of the trunks.

The spines along Tanuzet’s membranous spinal crest suddenly pulled taught.

She’s close, she warned.

With a rush of her wings, she landed upon a thick branch midway up an ancient tree when they reached a slight break in the forest. A heartbeat later, Vaelor perched beside her. Inet and Ephaxus both alighted below them upon separate branches, the tree gently swaying with the added weight. Tanuzet brought her head low, attention fixed ahead, nostrils flared. Along the forest floor, smaller, migratory saplings fled in opposite directions like a school of fish startled by a passing predator.

Her lips pulled back to reveal her fangs, but she remained silent, as did the others. She activated her suppression technique, disrupting the airflow and creating a miniature vacuum around the ears of wyvern and rider alike. The world grew silent in an instant and Rhydian shuddered as the distortion snapped into place. Ayduin’s copper wyvern shook his head in discomfort and the woman herself grimaced in mild annoyance, but it was better than the alternative. If his theory was correct, the woman’s indomitable voice might cause yet another massacre if left unchecked. Rhydian wasn’t sure what her range was, exactly, and he didn’t intend to find out. Hopefully Tanuzet’s countermeasure would be enough.

With a deep breath, Rhydian met Ayduin’s gaze and dipped his chin. Vaelor took wing, leading the others onward while Tanuzet took up her position at the rear. The closer they drew to their target, the more his soul quivered. Within moments, she slowed, putting distance between herself and the distraction team. She climbed higher into the canopy and he barely registered her activation of a second technique to muffle her own wingbeats.

She banked.

Hard.

Rhydian instinctively grabbed the saddle, leaning with her. He felt the leathery crack of her wings in his bones and his stomach quickly found its way into his throat. Branches snapped against her back in the dense canopy as she threw herself off course, a boulder the size of a horse rocketing by. It decimated a tree to their left, essence erupting in a shower of light in his mind’s eye. He choked down his alarm and glanced back over his shoulder with a shuddering breath. Had the strike been meant for them?

He cursed under his breath and quickly notched one of the arrows.

Tanuzet veered off her original path, finding her perch elsewhere among the canopy. She settled close to the trunk, crest flaring. From this vantage, Rhydian had a clear view of the skirmish below. Ayduin and Cydan were already engaged, drawing the woman’s attention while Ephaxus swept down from above.

Steeling himself, Rhydian moved to crouch in his saddle, dropping one knee to help stabilize his position. Tanuzet brought her head low, providing him with a clear line of sight. He closed his eyes, bracing himself when he sensed Keishara’s rysk condense from afar. Light split the air, white and hot. Her bolt struck the array her wyvern had laid, arching in a great halo around the woman.

He sensed the woman stumble backward and when he opened his eyes and focused with his farsight, he found her staggering toward one of the trees with a hand over her eyes. He drew back the string of his bow, but hesitated. Something in the back of his mind warned against firing. If he shot and missed, he might reveal his position prematurely. Reluctantly, he eased the tension, but remained alert, searching for his opening.

The woman recovered faster than he expected and in a blur, darted up the tree, her attention fixed on the pearly wyvern and his rider. Keishara took notice and Ephaxus suddenly changed course, banking while Inet and Vaelor flew by, hurling techniques. Ice exploded along the length of the trunk, courtesy of Ayduin, quickly condensing and slicking the branches. The woman’s nostrils flared as she evaded and she lept toward Vaelor.

Lightning struck the array a second time.

Vaelor rolled sideways, though it was difficult to tell whether or not the woman had made physical contact before being disoriented. She’d fallen to the ground, but moved before Rhydian could so much as sight her. She wove through the trees like a shadow, evading wyvern and rider alike with a speed and grace that put all to shame. If she would pause for more than a breath, he could end this, he was certain. Thus far, she’d given no indication she was aware of his presence.

However, it was clear Keishara ne’Ephaxus had drawn her ire. Despite the barrage of the other two riders, she largely ignored any direct offensive techniques. They did little more than ruffle her robes, unlike the environmental tactic Ayduin had enacted earlier. Rhydian would have urged her to use it again, had it not drained a large portion of her rysk. Slowly, but surely, her techniques were growing weaker.

The woman had noticed too.

Quick as a wraith, she was weaving amid the branches above Ephaxus, nearly keeping pace with his flight path. Where he dodged, she followed. Her agility was dizzying. Ephaxus suddenly surged upward, making for the sky above the canopy, but not before the woman made her move.

Rhydian’s gut twisted.

Keishara fired her third and final charge, but it was too late.

The woman was already airborne, the branch she’d leapt from left in splinters in the wake of her launch. Tanuzet’s panic rippled through their bond, striking Rhydian as keenly as if it were his own. Ephaxus’ back buckled beneath the force of the woman’s landing. His wings flared wide, the snap of his spine reverberating through the trees and into Rhydian’s soul. He fell, taking Keishara and the woman with him.

Tanuzet screamed, the only warning Rhydian had before she moved. He dropped into the saddle, his wyvern’s emotions threatening to overwhelm his. He shoved his mind against hers, forcing her away despite his instinctive desire to soothe her. Her technique broke and the sounds of the world came flooding in.

The sound of Ephaxus striking the earth made him sick.

Repositioning himself, he blinked his nictitating membrane into place and focused on the settling dust. Tanuzet was spearing toward it and for the briefest of moments, he had his chance. The woman’s back was to him, Keishara struggling in the woman’s grip. She was torn from her saddle, clawing at the hand that held her throat in a desperate attempt to free herself. The woman raised her other hand, claws poised to strike.

Rhydian drew back his string, loosed his held breath, and fired.