The Elder's Path (23 page)

The shadow that was Umbra stepped to the fore and it reached out with its inky black hand. Its featureless face stared into her for a moment before it returned to Ren's body.

"Indeed. No matter, I will draw him out eventually. Or even better, I'll stay one step ahead and let the mongrel starve himself to death."

Lyn could not help herself, her curiosity overruled her fear and she asked, "What do you mean, 'starve himself'?"

Umbra looked at her sidelong, and a manic grin spread over its face. "What did I tell you? You know little of your precious Marcho. Or of demons at all. But I think it will take your warri
or friend some time to recover himself yet, so I shall explain. Why not, after all? I can kill you whenever I please, and between you and me, it would be most pleasing indeed to kill you once I have your friend's body. In the meantime, let's find somewhere comfortable."

With seemingly no effort, the Ren/Umbra duo reached out and gripped her by the back of the neck, lifting her easily and carrying her back into the ruins proper and back within view of the fire. Umbra casually tossed her to the floor and sto
od between her and the light, masking its face in darkness against the bright flames.

"It is
fairly simple, girl. Just as you would say 'druid' is a loose term for your kind, 'demon' is a loose term for mine. It is merely a world in your language that comes closest in proximity to an idea you can understand. In reality, we are not beasts and nightmares created in some hellish landscape, but rather denizens of the astral plane. This is where it becomes difficult for you mortals to comprehend. The astral plane is much more...fluid, shifting, and abstract than this place. Time passes in a different manner, even. In order to experience 'life', as you might understand it, my kind developed an ability to travel to different planes of existence. The rules of this travel were simple; one could only enter the world by invitation, and one must sustain oneself whilst there. Since there is no real standard for us demons, each of us takes different forms and requires differing sustenance."

Umbra put its hands behind its
back and began pacing slowly to and fro, as though it were teaching a class. It seemed to absorb all the darkness surrounding it and appeared as if cloaked in dancing shadow.

"As I mentioned to you," it continued casually as if they were discussing the w
eather, "I am sustained by human suffering; by doubt and fear and hate. The deepest hidden parts of the human soul. I will admit to leaving entropy in my wake, but overall humanity best serves me alive."

Red eyes peeked from the human shadow and glinted m
errily against the fire light. "However, the same cannot be said for your dear Voidwolf. You see, in our plane, he is known by a different name. Here, that name would be something like, the Hunter." Umbra laughed, clearly pleased.

"I...I don't understand,
" Lyn said hesitantly, not sure she wanted to know of what Umbra spoke.

"Let me clarify; your Marcho feeds on death. On the last breath of those that fall under his fang and claw. And he is good at it, very good. Even among our kind Marcho is feared, and
now he is here in your world, constrained only by his contract. Once he kills me, there will be nothing holding him back; he will be free to ravage your world as he sees fit, consuming your entire race if he chose to do so. Who would stop him?"

Umbra paus
ed and stopped its pacing to allow the knowledge to sink in. "I am the lesser of two evils, Lyn World-Walker. I am the devil you know. The world is ending one day at a time, regardless. Let me away from the Voidwolf, and I will preserve your race as long as possible. It is, after all, in my best interest.”

Lyn sat in silence. She felt as though she were being pressed beneath tons of steel, as though each breath in her lungs took all her strength to manage. Her mind raced, and she tried desperately to hold o
n to the thoughts as they flew by. Did she have reason to trust Marcho? Did she have any indication of honest intent? Had he only aided her to get to Umbra, and thence to free himself? Her time spent with him ran before her as she tried to find some excuse, some justification to prove Umbra wrong. To her great dismay, none presented themselves.

Shaking, she rose to her feet, head hung low. "You may be right," she said slowly, her voice quavering. "You have told me much more of yourself than Marcho has. He
may indeed survive from the death of others. Your intents are clear, his are not."

She took a deep breath to steady herself, and slowly looked up to the demon. As she met its eyes, Umbra read righteous indignation and fury in her. It was taken aback; what
was possibly fueling this human that kept her spirit in such fortitude? How could she rise again and again when so many had already fallen?

"But unfortunately for you, Umbra, I do not believe in the lesser of two evils. What I do believe in is the tenaci
ty of human kind. I believe that no matter what happens, my people will continue to fight for our world in our capacity. And I believe in myself; that I will not fall prey to your machinations, and that even if you are right and Marcho turns on me, I will stand firm and do what must be done. I will make this world know my name, and there is nothing that can stop me. Not you, not Marcho, not even my own doubt and fear. So do your worst, Umbra, while you can. Because soon Marcho will make you feel the same fear you inflict upon others, and there will be no escape for you."

Ren's face twisted and contorted in
exaggerated anger, and he raised his giant shining sword. Lyn looked up at him, feeling surprisingly calm. She did not close her eyes, did not blink, just stared into Umbra with defiance.

An enraged shout caught them both off guard and with a very loud clash, Siege barreled sideways into Ren, sending him flying off his feet. Siege cast a quick glance at Lyn, looking her up and down. Evidently satisfied wi
th her physical well-being, he raised his sword and pursued Ren without a word.

The battle between the two brothers began anew, but this time Siege's face was red and veins stuck out on his neck. His onslaught was vicious and faster than ever, so fast tha
t Lyn was worried he'd lose his grip on his weapon and it would fly away. The demon-touched Ren could not keep up with Skyehart's furious swordplay and was soon pressed to the ground.

Once again, an otherworldly cry was emitted from Ren's mouth, and the s
hadowed form of Umbra stepped out. Ren rose again in synch with the phantom, sword at the ready. Siege looked on disbelievingly, but to his credit did not stand long. He began his attack again, but this time Umbra was able to keep up. Despite this, she could see Umbra struggling and knew it was only a matter of time before he fell.

At that moment, Lyn remembered what Umbra had said about Siege cutting him down
, about taking him for itself once Ren had been destroyed. With a roar that held pain and fury, Siege suddenly knocked away his father's sword from Umbra's grasp, and the world seemed to slow. The moments stretched into an eternity, and Lyn watched as Siege raised his immense sword over his head, eyes filled with hatred and aimed directly at Ren. Lyn watched as Ren's haunted eyes flicked over to her, and a smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth. She saw as Umbra separated itself completely from Ren, standing apart like a blackened ghost. She watched Ren begin to slump, watched Siege's sword start its downward arc. Firelight glinted off steel and golden hair as Lyn tried to cry out, knowing it was too late.

Movement caught her attention, and she looked at the fire as a huge ebon wolf launched itself over the blaze, long teeth bared and shining in the n
ight. The formidable maw opened wide, and ripping claws were outstretched before it. Watching in shock, the cry died on Lyn's lips as Marcho collided with Umbra at the same time that Siege's sword met flesh. Crimson blood wet the blade, while just behind Ren's toppling body Marcho sank his great fangs into the shade's throat. And just like that, it was over.

--

Siege built a separate fire and Lyn gathered wood. Together they built a pyre for Ren and laid him to rest. Siege was silent, but there was relief written on his face. She could not imagine the feeling of having to kill one's sibling, yet the pain of watching him become a monster was surely worse. There were no remains of Umbra to dispose of; Marcho had destroyed it completely.

As they prepared to l
eave the ruins behind, Siege took his father's sword from where it lay in the snow. Marcho stayed far from it, claiming it was a very old weapon. The demon wolf explained that it was a blade from the previous world, as was the armor. They were forged like nothing had been forged since, and were very powerful. On the guard of the large sword, there was a dragon with a large jewel for an eye. After peering at it for a moment, Marcho deduced that the jewel is where Umbra had kept itself for the last few centuries while it slumbered, and that it was awakened by Ren's touch. Jewels, Marcho explained, were exceptional vessels for astral energy.

Siege pried the jewel out with armored fingers and held it in his palm. He looked at it blankly and without a word he cr
ushed it in his mighty grip. Marcho said nothing, but nodded to himself in satisfaction.

"I will take this sword with me," Siege said without emotion. "It deserves to have
its honor cleansed after that foul creature tainted it. I will wield it in memory of my father, and my brother."

Slinging the shining blade over his back, he took his former weapon and planted it firmly in the snow where Ren had fallen. He took a step back and admired the makeshift grave. He met Lyn's eyes for a moment, and she saw tear
s forming in the honest blue gaze. He turned to look at the three-eyed wolf. The two exchanged a long glace before Siege nodded once to him and turned away. "Say your goodbyes, I will ready the horses. And demon, may we never meet again."

Lyn waited until
Siege was out of earshot before she turned back to the silent wolf. "Marcho, Umbra told me things..."

"Yes,
" he said simply.

Lyn looked to him, searching his eyes for answers. She found none. "Is what Umbra said true? Do you kill to sustain yourself in
this world?"

"Not exactly. It is true that my sustainability is derived from the demise of others at my hand. But that is not only in this world, and I do not engage in it in a wanton manner."

"Explain, please."

"Unlike Umbra, who was an exception, othe
r demons such as myself are bound by contracts upon entering a realm. My services are usually sought for a specific purpose; I am known as a hunter and this is what I have been accustomed to doing. However, I can choose to accept a contract or not, and I do not kill outside of the parameters of my contract unless absolute necessity dictates it. This is why I chose to slumber for centuries rather than consume life and remain conscious for the duration."

Lyn considered a moment, and a smile crossed her face.
"So you did keep to your word. You don't plan on staying to terrorize us?"

The ebon wolf shook his head slowly, eyes never leaving Lyn.

"Marcho," she breathed, stepping in to hug him around the neck. "Thank you."

The great wolf sat still, startled at t
he behavior. But after a moment, he closed his eyes and leaned into the embrace. "No," he said in to her ear, "thank you. I can finally return home."

He began to shift and swirl i
n a slow cloud, immaterializing from her world. A tear ran down her face as she stepped back and watched him slowly begin to fade.

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked, her heart heavy.

For the very first time, she heard the black wolf let a small laugh escape him. "Yes, World-Walker, I think that you might." He threw back his shaggy head and let out a wonderful howl that ran through the trees and out in the night sky to freedom before it faded into an echo, then silence as he vanished.

Where he had stood on the white snow, something glittered. Lyn peered
through the tears that had welled in her eyes and saw that it was a small, sharp tooth strung on a long strip of leather. Lyn put it around her neck and tied it in the back like a necklace. She fingered the tooth and put it under her clothing, close to her heart. 

--

Lyn walked slowly back towards the horses. The wind had stopped its cutting path and the world seemed calmer. She mounted Argos, patting him on the neck. He whickered softly as Siege handed over her reins and the two travelers moved away from the ruins.

Lyn was q
uiet as she tried to work out what she was feeling. She simultaneously felt great joy and accomplishment, but also sorrow and loss. She knew she would never be quite the same girl that had run headlong from the forest, knew that this part of her journey was done, and that more awaited her on the horizon.

But, like all people, she clung to the moment and resisted change; she did not want to part ways. Alir flew to her from the trees and circled for a moment before landing on his saddle perch. He peered know
ingly at Lyn and shook his head, ruffling his feathers. Lyn took a deep breath, held it a moment, and exhaled. It frosted the air in front of her before fading away into the dim glow. Morning was slowly coming, and quiet settled over the mountain. A very light snow began to fall, blanketing the ground and trees in a fresh layer of pure, soft white.