Page 49 of The Last of the Dark Lords

The plains flew by in a dreary, dusty blur. Same as the last time, the signs of drought were everywhere, but I could go faster now, untethered by the need to keep a company of soldiers together. A few rough-looking farmers waved from their struggling fields as I passed.

As the hours stretched on, Blaze’s gait became hypnotic, his even footfalls putting me into a trance. The land was the same, all the same, dry and cracked and dead. The few signs of life disappeared the closer we got to my home city, but still we went on.

Every part of me was sore and exhausted when the mountain appeared in the distance. I slowed Blaze's gait. We didn’t have much time, but it wasn’t wise to arrive completely exhausted. We both needed to catch our breath. I watched the tiny rectangle that was the gate to the city slowly grow larger and larger as we approached.

We were perhaps a league away when the sound hit my ears, the feline roar sending a chill down my spine. My head swiveled fast to see the source, but before I could move it hit me hard, toppling both my steed and myself onto the cracked dirt road. My ears rang with the impact.

The zakar was on me then, growling and lunging for my throat, hunger and death in its one slitted eye. The weight of it was unbearable, the orange and white fur filling my sight. This was the zakar that Cyrus and I had fought those weeks ago. Did it remember me? Did it blame me for the loss of its eye?

I managed to get a knife in my hand, stabbing into the big cat’s underbelly, and although the thing flinched back, it didn’t retreat, whimpering but then renewing its attack. Every time its jaws opened to rip out my throat or clamp down on my head, I sliced it with my knives. The zakar recoiled at the injury, but it wouldn’t pull back. I knew that soon enough the pain would no longer register with it, and those enormous sharp teeth would spell my doom.

As the cat lunged again, the rough, raw call of a raven resounded across the plain. The zakar flung itself to the side, rolling and screaming, the piercing sound almost human-like in its pain. I scrambled to my feet, stepping back and getting my footing for another attack, but I had been given a reprieve.

The ravens dove and pecked at the zakar, even as it covered its face with its huge paws. As it rolled and turned, blood dripped down onto its face. Bertio had pierced its remaining eye! The huge bird's dive-bomb must have made the cat roll off of me.

The zakar managed to get back to its feet, fighting through the pain. It swatted at the ravens, and even without its sight, some of the birds weren’t fast enough to evade the cat’s killing instinct. One raven fell, and then another. The flock backed off, soaring aloft once more and circling above us.

The animal sniffed the air. I knew that big cats relied on their sense of smell as much as on their vision. It circled around me,zeroing in on my scent, and every muscle in my body tensed with alarm. The zakar had been chastised, perhaps, but also angered.

This was not a fight I could win alone, not under normal circumstances. But the cat’s sight had been taken, and perhaps I could manage another advantage. I willed the Crown of Seeing to life.

There was a moment of disorientation as my vision split. In front of me was the zakar, slowly positioning itself for the next attack. But overlayed on top of that was Bertio’s view from above. From there I could see the injuries that the ravens and I had managed to inflict. Where the cat’s back left leg met its body, several of the birds had penetrated deep into its flesh.

Somehow, Bertio understood my need exactly. The zakar growled, its muscles tensing to lunge, and as it did, the sizable black bird dove, digging its claws into the already deep injury. The big cat yowled, rearing back in pain, and with one swift motion I drew my bow, nocked an arrow, and let it fly.

The sharp point of the arrowhead pierced the zakar’s throat, nicking an artery as blood spurted from the cat's neck, staining the orange and white fur a deep red. The animal thrashed for a few moments, but the blood loss was significant. Soon, its movements slowed as it sank to the ground. It didn’t get up again.

My thoughts were swirling as I stood, breathing hard while the adrenaline drained out of me. I glanced over at Blaze, who had managed to get himself back to his feet. He was battered and bruised from the initial attack, but walked over to me with confidence, nuzzling against my hand. I ran my palm down his mane unconsciously, unable to stop the burst of hope that had blossomed in my mind. With the fight over, the meaning of theravens’ presence hit me, a flash of bright energy running through my body in spite of my exhaustion.

Cyrus was awake.

The sun was starting to set behind the mountain when we reached the city. I slowed Blaze to a walk as we approached. There was no sign of movement on the wall.

"Hello, Greatfalls!"

There was a long silence. Finally, a response came back, the call muffled.

"Hello, the gate. State your purpose."

I knew that voice.

"Doren, open up. It's me, Skye!"

A face popped over the top of the wall. The young Archer's eyes were wide as he peered down at me.

"Commander Skye! It's good to see you, sir. One moment!" He made his way to the small enclosure that held the gate mechanism, but before he reached it, he peered over his shoulder into the city. He was listening for something.

Eventually, he turned back to me. "Commander, the Prime is waiting for you. The instructions are to go straight to Prime Hall."

Anxiety fluttered in my chest. It wasn't surprising that Grandmother would want to speak to me immediately, but the whole place felt like it was preparing for...something. I wasn't sure what.

As the gate rose, I dismounted, walking Blaze into the city and over to the stable. The stableboy came out to get him, but when I passed him the reins, he flinched. What was he afraid of? He said nothing as he led Blaze away.

I made my way through the quiet twilight of the city of my birth. The silence was disturbing. There wasn't a soul in the streets, and the houses were shrouded in darkness. Even the chipmunks and squirrels were in hiding.

What the hell had happened? I didn't understand what could have caused such a shift in the weeks since I'd left.

As I arrived at Prime Hall, there was a whole contingent on guard at the door, rather than the usual single soldier. Ten of them stood at attention on either side of the entrance. As I reached it, I turned to the nearest guard, who stood stockstill, staring out front.

---