Firebrand (17 page)

Kaijin drew near the mass of undead as if unaware of their presence. He did not acknowledge them as a threat.

An armored thrall emerged from the group and advanced on Kaijin. It blocked him from proceeding and aimed a longsword at his chest.

Kaijin stopped as he felt the stinging prod of the steel blade at his chest. He glared at the creature. The blaze surrounding him intensified, echoing his rage. The flames engulfed not only the thrall, but the other nearby undead. At that moment, Kaijin no longer felt in control of his own body. He extended his hands toward the monsters and mumbled in a low, almost guttural tone which no longer sounded like his voice. A small ball of fire appeared between his palms and grew rapidly in size. Kaijin hurled the magical fireball at the undead and incinerated them to dust. As quickly as the unknown presence had possessed his mind, it released its hold, leaving Kaijin bewildered.

He recalled uttering the words to invoke the fireball in his hands. He still felt the heat in his palms from where it coalesced. But he did not feel as though he had full control of his mind. Something was inside him—something powerful. He was lost, succumbing helplessly to the unseen presence that briefly inhabited his body to wreak havoc on the world. Perhaps the most bizarre phenomenon, Kaijin realized, was that he had not used his components through the entire ordeal. Moreover, he noticed the spell, which seemed more powerful than usual, felt different. He was certain the change was not arcanic.

Kaijin stared down at his hands. “How did I—” His words were cut short when he spied the shadows around him merging into a larger being. The creature towered over Kaijin, staring intently. Its massive frame blocked the path between Kaijin and Xavorin.

At the height of the commotion, Jarial dismissed his spell, and he drifted out of his ethereal state and solidified. He stood before the transparent shield enclosing Xavorin, ignoring the threat of the shadedrifter’s presence. Jarial’s hardened stare pierced through what little was left of Xavorin’s ailing soul.

“Release this damned shield, Xavorin!” Jarial pounded his fist on the invisible wall.

Jarial’s presence startled the necromancer who peered at his old friend with fear-filled eyes.

“Now!”
Jarial’s voice snapped.

After momentary hesitation, Xavorin complied, uttering a phrase that caused the barrier to dissipate.

Jarial grabbed Xavorin by the collar of his dirty, tattered robes. “Send that shadedrifter back to its realm.” He violently shook the feeble man. “Do not allow it to harm my student.”

As Xavorin trembled, a small, glass charm hanging around his neck slipped free from his robes. The charm swirled with dark magic as though it encased a living thing.

Jarial eyed the piece of jewelry. “A
phylactery?”
He hissed and glowered back at Xavorin. “Xavorin, you haven’t done what I think you have ... have you?”

Xavorin averted his gaze and stayed silent.

Jarial gave Xavorin another shake, startling him. “Send that monster back
now!”

Xavorin winced. “If I could, I would, and none of this would be happening in the first place. The shadedrifter is merely acting in the same manner as the other undead creatures your boy destroyed. It thinks my life is in danger. The undead are trying to protect me, as any follower would protect his master.”

Jarial scowled. “You are a fool, Xavorin—a naïve fool! These creatures only seek your power.”

“They consider me one of their own. They would not harm me.”

Jarial studied the phylactery once more before gazing into the lifeless hazel eyes of his old friend. Jarial leaned in and lowered his voice. “This will end now, Xavorin.”

Xavorin grunted and attempted to pull away from Jarial. Placing his hand over Jarial’s, Xavorin mumbled an arcanic phrase and conjured small sparks of lightning which sent jolts through Jarial and forced him to release Xavorin. Jarial staggered backward. His body twitched as he fought to regain his composure.

“You won’t have me, Jarial.” Xavorin growled, shaking his head. He backed away. “I warned you of the consequences of refusing to help me. I don’t deserve to die. This is not my fault.”

With anger choking him, Jarial advanced, crushing small stones beneath his feet. “My arrogance has nothing to do with your foolish choices. The blood of hundreds of men, women, and children stains your hands. It’s time to end this.” With a series of phrases and a small gesture, Jarial’s body divided into multiple, transparent figures. They surrounded Xavorin, preventing any escape.

“Jarial Glace!” Xavorin screamed at the identical illusions surrounding him. “You cannot do this!”

Jarial ignored Xavorin’s pleas. Masked by the eight duplicates, Jarial reached out and snatched the phylactery from Xavorin’s frail neck. “You will no longer need this, either.” He snapped the glass charm from its hemp cord and held it aloft in one hand.

Xavorin gasped in horror. “No! That’s mine! Give it back! Please! I beg you!” He lunged at the piece of jewelry which Jarial held out of his reach. The eight other images disappeared.

Jarial summoned an array of prismatic light that surrounded his other hand. The illumination traced an image of a silver dagger in the air. He gripped the weapon’s hilt, and it became solid. “No.” Jarial hissed, prodding the point of the dagger against the other man’s chest. “I know what this thing is and what it means to a necromancer like you.”

Xavorin’s eyes were full of insanity and distress as he stared at Jarial. The mixed sensations seem to call out to the shadedrifter.

The monster lost interest in Kaijin and turned to Xavorin.

With his fists burning brightly, Kaijin prepared to unleash another fireball at the creature when he noticed its focus was elsewhere. Curious, Kaijin peered beyond the shadedrifter and spotted Jarial with Xavorin at his mercy.

The monster lunged at Jarial and Xavorin, its eyes locked on Jarial. Extending a hand, the shadedrifter reached out to the shadows dotting the ground, pulling them closer with an unseen magical force until they merged into a black cloud that engulfed Jarial.

“Master!” Kaijin yelled. With his eyes flaring up in a blinding brightness, Kaijin approached the creature. He sensed his mind drifting as he lost control of himself again. He concentrated on the monster and moved his shaky hands as though attempting to manipulate the air. He was possessed by something beyond his comprehension, which orchestrated his every movement and conjured an incendiary fog of destruction around the creature. The burning embers of the magical haze penetrated the shadedrifter’s body repeatedly, causing the creature to howl.

Jarial noticed Kaijin’s distraction. He watched the creature falter as its spell was interrupted. Jarial was relieved that Kaijin managed to save him from the attack, but he was disturbed by the unknown presence—which he presumed was divine in nature—inhabiting his student.

Xavorin grabbed Jarial’s hand, moved the magical dagger away from his chest, and attempted to reverse the blade. Jarial’s attention returned to Xavorin, and he struggled to regain control of the weapon. The two men tumbled to the ground in a violent tussle. The glass phylactery dropped out of Jarial’s hand, skittered across the cobblestone, and hit Kaijin’s boot.

Jarial and Xavorin briefly ceased their scuffling at the small, panging sound of the charm.

Kaijin glanced down at his feet. He ignored the object, seemingly uninterested in it, and centered his efforts on the creature before him.

Jarial huffed, out of breath. He noticed the evidence in Kaijin’s pupilless eyes that something possessed him. “Kaijin, get a hold of yourself, and listen to my words! Pick up the phylactery!”

“Give it to me
,
boy!” Xavorin yelled. His grip slipped from around Jarial’s hands, and he lost control of the dagger. Xavorin used the remainder of his strength to deliver a desperate blow to Jarial’s temple with his bony elbow.

Jarial’s eyes rolled back, and his eyelids fluttered closed. His body went limp.

The fog dissipated, leaving the shadedrifter with scalding wounds on its onyx flesh. Its eyes watched the confrontation between Jarial and Xavorin. When Jarial was knocked unconscious, the creature acknowledged Xavorin.

The feeble mage scowled and pointed at Kaijin. “That boy took my precious artifact. Get it back for me, now
.
”

The shadedrifter complied without hesitation and faced Kaijin. In a swift motion, the monster lurched at him, its clawed, shadowy fists poised to crush him.

Ignoring the creature, Kaijin knelt down and awkwardly picked up the charm. The invisible presence that maintained control of Kaijin’s mind guided his movements.

“He mocks us,”
the fiery voice said.

What little remained of Kaijin was caged in the voids of his own soul. It pleaded in a small voice to the entity dominating his body. “Whoever—Whatever you are, I beg you to please ... please spare my master’s life. I’ve already lost everything—everyone I’ve loved. Please don’t take him away from me, too. I will remain forever indebted to you in exchange for his life.”

The sounds of the crackling flames intensified as the entity chuckled darkly and said,
“You belong to me, now, Kaijin Sora.”

Kaijin’s soul was silenced. A soft hiss escaped his lips. He stood up, waited until the shadedrifter was only footsteps away, and called forth a ring of white fire around himself. The force of the spell extended around Kaijin, engulfing the monster in a violent conflagration, but left him unharmed.

The white fire’s heat intensified, and the creature’s skin began dissolving into nothingness. The monster wailed and scrambled to break free of the fiery hold. An endless inferno marred Kaijin’s vision. His hand gripped the glass charm with unnatural force.

Xavorin advanced toward the fray. He was hit by heat so intense that parts of his skin peeled and dissolved. He shuffled backward, holding his wounds.

The shadedrifter clawed at Kaijin as the hungry flames consumed it, reducing the creature to ash. The surging inferno grew exponentially in response to Kaijin’s rage, spreading across the plaza, and devouring everything in its path. Kaijin’s grip eventually crushed and shattered the glass phylactery to pieces. The dark magic released from the broken charm was consumed upon encountering the hellfire surrounding Kaijin. When the phylactery was destroyed, Kaijin heard Xavorin’s screams, which were promptly muffled when the inferno engulfed him. The greater entity released its hold of Kaijin, leaving him euphoric. The entity became a swirling storm of roaring flames which soon blanketed Easthaven, transforming the city into a blazing hell and silencing the rising screams of death.

Evening gripped the ruined city of Easthaven, draping darkness over the ashen devastation of an unknown, inconceivable entity. The remains of small fires extinguished, as a cool breeze swept through the wreckage. Rocks from smoldering buildings, remnants of broken, scorched corpses, and fragments of glass cluttered the streets. A foul stench of blood and rotting, charred flesh lingered in the air as a constant reminder of the city’s fate. The life that had flourished there was forgotten in the flames of ruination.

Hours later, the rising moon shed its light upon two small sparks of life.

Miele’s high-pitched shrieks echoed, as the bat hovered not far above her larger companion, Sable, who slinked her way through the destruction. Disconnected from their masters, both animals were in grave, mental pain.

Sable’s ears perked, and she stopped. She glanced up at Miele and meowed, her voice heavy with anguish.

Miele fluttered toward the plaza where she sensed the faint presence of life. She screeched in confirmation as she spotted the bodies of two men, blanketed in debris. Miele swooped down and landed on one of them. After a moment of sniffing and appraising, Miele shrieked happily.

Sable heard the cries and bounded for the commotion. She scanned the scene curiously before her keen nose caught a familiar scent. Sable scampered over to the other still man, pounced on him, and eagerly licked his dirty face.

Kaijin roused to his familiar’s sounds of distress. He opened his eyes and observed the small bat sitting on his chest. “Miele.” He smiled weakly. He reached out to stroke the animal’s tawny fur. His hand twitched, along with the rest of his body with the remnants of the power that had coursed through his veins.

Miele shuddered at his touch and shrieked, sensing their empathic link strengthening with his warm affection.

A chill wind hit Kaijin’s face. He sat up and felt numbness in his side. As he moved, the debris that buried his legs and arms fell away. He felt Miele’s tiny claws digging into his arm as she crawled to his shoulder. Kaijin scanned the destruction. When he spotted Jarial, memories flooded his mind. His ears rang with the deathly silence that had settled over the area.

“Master?” he called weakly. When Jarial didn’t respond, Kaijin crawled over to him.

Seeing Kaijin’s approach, Sable hissed in brief protest, but moved away from her master’s body. She curled herself beside Kaijin and observed, purring anxiously.

Kaijin bit his bottom lip.
I think ... I remember... Is he really dead?  
Peering down at his own filthy hands, Kaijin spied globs of melted glass in his wounded palm.

Did I do this?
Kaijin stared at Jarial. He didn’t want to believe he had destroyed an entire city and claimed innocent lives, including that of his master. Holding back tears, Kaijin brushed debris from Jarial’s body.

Why couldn’t I stop this?
Why did I allow ...
He winced when he felt something burn against his chest. He slipped his shaky hand under his robes and felt for the invigorating warmth of the holy symbol.

The hissing, crackling voice of flames spoke in Kaijin’s mind.
“Beautiful. Purified. Cleansed of the taint of mortal fools.”