Amidst The Rising Shadows (Book 3) (15 page)

C
HAPTER
9

A DEMONSTRATION

“Dek, I tell you they are out there just beyond the tree line. The whole town is in danger,” Resel said.

“Ryakuls, you say?” Dek asked.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. I was a few miles out, checking my traps, and I heard them out there,” Resel said, clenching his dirty hands. “You’re on the town council, shouldn’t you raise the alarm or something? Send out a search party?”

They were less than a mile outside of town when Dek had been told that Resel was screaming like a madman running from the forest. His eyes narrowed at the otherwise normal tree line. The air was crisp, and the skies were clear. Nothing out of the ordinary for their remote northern town.

“You should send word to Rexel and this Free Nations Army they have there. They could come up here and slay the beasts,” Resel said, pacing.

Dek frowned, “It’s two days hard riding to Rexel. Plus they would need time to send someone up here. If the beasts are even out there.”

“Oh, they’re out there. I heard them,” Resel said.

“You heard something, I’ll grant you that, but did you see them?”

“I didn’t stick around. As soon as I heard those deep growls, loud enough to rattle my teeth, I hightailed it out of there.”

“It could have been a bear.”

“It wasn’t a bear, I tell you. The trees all started swaying violently, though there was no wind. Bears don’t do that. I tell you there a Ryakul up near the peak, just like the reports warned there would be.”

Dek frowned. Ever since news came in from the other towns that Ryakuls had been attacking some outlying farms, he was getting scared trappers like Resel coming to him with an alleged Ryakul encounter every other day. “All right, calm down, Resel. We’ll head back into town and get a few of the hunters together and go out and see what’s got you so spooked,” Dek said, putting his hand on Resel’s shoulder. He didn’t need the old trapper starting a panic.

“Gentleman, pardon me, but did you just say there are Ryakuls around here?”

Dek and Resel turned around, and behind them were two men in black cloaks. The one who spoke was the shorter of the two, who had greasy dark hair and eyes that seemingly took in everything around them.

“We mean you no harm,” the taller man said.

Even beneath the cloak, Dek could tell he had the bearing of a warrior. How had they gotten so close to them?

“Yes,” Resel said. “Just north of the here about five miles away.”

The two regarded each other for a moment and started to head north without another word.

“I’m not sure if there are any Ryakuls up there, but it may not be safe for you,” Dek called to them.

“Safer for me and my companion than most. Thank you for the information,” the shorter one said, and they continued on.

Dek wasn’t sure why, but he felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He motioned for Resel to follow, and together they headed back to town. Both men set a brisk pace, eager to be back among people and away from mysterious strangers who appeared out of nowhere and went looking for Ryakuls.

***

“Maybe luck will be with us here,” Darven said.

“It certainly wasn’t with us before. Not that I believe in luck,” Mactar replied. They had been hunting for Ryakuls, but without the Drake to control them the beasts had scattered. Remote towns like these were often reporting Ryakuls seen in the area.

“Just in case there are actually Ryakuls here, let’s go over it again so we don’t have a repeat like the last time,” Darven said.

Mactar resisted the urge to glare at the former Elitesman, who seemed to adopt a particular fondness of pointing out their recent failure. They had a chance encounter with a Ryakul a few nights ago, and when Mactar had tried one of the calls that the Drake had used, the Ryakul launched into the air and flew away. At least it hadn’t attacked. Dead Ryakuls were no use to him.

“That wasn’t my fault. The bracer failed. Regardless, it’s fixed now,” Mactar said.

“I hope so, it wasn’t you who was out there as bait the last time,” Darven said dryly.

Mactar chuckled, “You’re not losing a step or two in your old age, are you, Darven?”

“Not in the slightest,” Darven replied softly.
 

Darven had always been gifted, even for an Elitesman, but his ambitions ran beyond those of the Elite Order. Without another word, they both drew in the energy and sped ahead. Anyone watching would have seen them disappear, which wasn’t accurate at all. They were still there, but moving at speeds beyond the capabilities of normal eyes to track. It was an advantage that the Elitesmen had perfected, and the knowledge had been given to them by Mactar himself.
 

Miles went by in mere minutes, and they came to a halt. Mactar extended his senses out away from them and could detect two hidden Ryakuls. He pressed the button on his bracer, and it came to life in a soft glow. Mactar strode into the clearing, and after a few moments Darven followed.

Mactar recalled his memory of the call the Drake had used to control the Ryakuls. He crossed the clearing and could hear the loud snorts of the beasts as they lay in wait. Crossing into the tree line the sunlight above all but vanished, sending them into perpetual twilight. Directly in their path was a Ryakul; its bat-like wings were folded in on themselves, and a low growl came from its saber-tusked maw. Foamy white liquid pooled below the beast’s mouth, and its eyes bored into him hungrily.
 

Mactar locked his eyes on the beast, all the while wondering where the other one was. A piercing scream came from above, and Mactar felt a hand roughly pull him back into the clearing. Sounds of snapping tree limbs filled the air as the Ryakul on the ground followed. A dark shadow crossed the ground, and Mactar saw the second Ryakul swooping down at them.

Got you.

Mactar used the energy, sending out the strumming sound in a freakish rhythm, and the effect on the Ryakul was almost instantaneous. The Ryakul on the ground, the one that had been closing in on them, stopped in its tracks and kept shaking his head. He was so surprised that he almost lost his hold upon the energy. The Ryakul reared back, roaring, and lunged forward, snapping its jaws at him.

Mactar held out his hand and blared the Drake’s call. The Ryakul stopped less than a foot away. The beast’s wretched hot breath washed over him. The Ryakul closed its mouth and regarded Mactar warily. He sensed the life energy around the Ryakul, but its inner emotions were closed off to him.
 

“You’re mine,” Mactar said, and though the beast couldn’t understand his words, it did understand the meaning behind them.

The second Ryakul landed near them, its massive head on the elongated neck coiled up like a viper about to strike. Using the Drake’s call, Mactar brought his will to bear, and the Ryakul’s head lowered in submission. The wild eyes of a predator glared back at him in a mask of pure hatred. Mactar reached out and ran his fingers along the pebbled skin of its neck. He could see the shafts of energy imbued around each of the beasts, being both vibrant and dark. Without him to control them, the Ryakuls were almost mindless, moving on instinct alone.

“I can feel them,” Darven said. His own bracer glowed, and the Ryakul allowed him to approach. “How do we tell them what to do?”

Mactar moved away and motioned for Darven to follow. He scanned the clearing for a suitable target. A gnarled old tree with a massive trunk caught his eye. In his mind he pictured the Ryakuls shredding the old tree with their massive claws. As soon as the thought formed in his mind, the Ryakuls snapped their heads in the direction of the tree, but they didn’t move. They were waiting for something. Mactar sounded the Drake’s call, and the Ryakuls bounded off, decimating the old tree. After the tree was destroyed the Ryakuls turned on each other, taking grand swipes with their talons and spiked tail. Mactar pressed the button on the bracer, which sent out a barely audible sound, but it snatched the Ryakuls’ attention instantly.

“That’s interesting,” Darven said. “They attacked each other. We’ll have to keep that in mind, or this could get out of control really quick.”

“They seem to react to my thoughts, but I can’t gain any insight into theirs. It’s as if the beast are giant living shells. Not fully alive, but not fully dead either. But you’re right, we need to practice,” Mactar said, then glanced to the south.

“The town?” Darven asked.

“I could think of worse targets, but we only have two Ryakuls at the moment. Come on; I’ve got an idea.”

***

Dek called for the hunters to gather in the town square so that Resel could relay what he had heard in the forest. The old fool was sincere if nothing else. He was surprised to see how the hunters listened to the old trapper, confirming some whispered fear lying along the edges of their thoughts. Their grim expressions spoke volumes, and some watched the sky warily.
 

“We’ll need to assemble more men and sweep out to the north,” a hunter named Carl said.

“How many men?” Dek asked.

“I’d say at least a twenty. Tell them all to bring their bows,” Carl answered.

“Are you sure we’re not overreacting? What if we don’t find anything?”

“Then we’ll be safer for it,” Carl said.

“Fine,” Dek said. The townsfolk had gathered in the square, waiting for them to convene. Dek stepped away from the others and addressed the crowd. “Then it’s decided. We need twenty volunteers to head north of the town to investigate whether there are any Ryakuls in the area.”

Hands slowly rose, and before long they had their twenty volunteers. Dek was about to speak when two brief flashes of light shone along the tree line beyond the village. It happened so quickly that he almost questioned whether he saw anything at all. A loud screech made them all jump, and a blurry, dark form swooped out the sky. The tips of the wings slashed through the people in the square, washing the paving stones in red.
 

Dek stood frozen as the dark beast spun about with its spiked tail demolishing the buildings, sending splinters of wood into the scattering people. Some people fell in a mad dash to get away. Hunters fired their bows in a futile attempt to slay the Ryakuls, but their arrows bounced harmlessly off their armored hides.

A second Ryakul landed, tearing at both buildings and people alike. In moments, the town was in ruins, and all Dek could do was watch, unable to move. The Ryakuls caught sight of him and bounded forth. The last thing Dek saw was the cavernous black maw ringed with bloody teeth the size of swords rushing toward him.

***

“There you see, an effective test,” Mactar said looking down at the ruins of the town. “Now think of what ten Ryakuls could do to a castle or fifty to an army on the field.”

Darven nodded, “They are impressive. There is no doubt about that. Once we assemble the numbers you have mind, what’s our next move?”

The Ryakuls had moved to the outskirts of the town, chasing down anyone who couldn’t find cover. As the Ryakuls moved farther away, Mactar heard a few survivors that must have huddled in the basements of the buildings. A few mangled bodies littered the streets with some twitching in their final death throes.
 

“We’ll rejoin the High King’s army and prove why we’re more effective than any army mustered by man. Even those with Elitesmen among their ranks,” Mactar answered.

“You mean to challenge Amorak?”

Mactar chuckled, “Goodness, no, then who would I put in his place? Rordan is too young, and I have no wish to rule in his place. Do
you
want to be king?”

“No, like you, I’m interested in the real power behind the throne and not the illusion of sitting on it,” Darven said.

“Hence I keep you around. Now we need to find more Ryakuls,” Mactar said.

Darven called to the Ryakuls, and they immediately took flight heading in a northeasterly direction.

Mactar’s eyes narrowed, “Where did you send them?”

“To seek out their own kind. We can follow along and bring them under our power,” Darven replied.

“Our power?”

Darven bared his teeth in a wolfish smile, “You need me and cannot both search for more Ryakuls and attack the enemies of the High King at the same time. So yes,
our
power.”

“Very well,” Mactar said, allowing Darven his own illusion.
 

***

Rordan stood in the Great Hall of the High King’s palace. He would be joining his father in the encampment on the outskirts of the city. Since his sister’s appearance, measures had been taken to fortify all the city gates. Reports had steadily come in from three of the gates where an open portal was used by thousands of people fleeing through them. The strangest of these reports were those of black-armored men flying through the air with some type of machines on their feet. Normally such reports would have been dismissed outright, but these came from Elitesmen who had witnessed the events with their own eyes. The Elitesmen, while many things, have never been keen to exaggerate, especially about such a large breach in their defenses. Thousands of people fled the city, people who were no doubt aligned with the Resistance. But the symbol for the Faergraces still showed up. His father’s mood had settled into that of a cold fury, and the king had added that those who escaped his grasp would only escape for so long before they were punished.