Haze of Dusk (A trilogy) (30 page)

“Sword…please,” my voice wobbles.
He marks the ticket with a silver stamp. It magically transforms itself into a sword. He hands me the sword.  “Good luck,” it sounds as he means it. I take a deep breath, and enter the blue twirling portal. The heat that my body consumes rapidly tells me I’m no longer in Doomsvell territory. I open my eyes and look all ways. I’m now in a deserted field with many hills. Hundreds of warriors surround me, lifting their weapons above their heads. I look up at the dusky-sky. The orangey haze takes over our sight, but from it, thousands of arclaws rain down, as others fly above us bringing us fright.  The arclaws quickly outnumber us. I hear a voracious bellow,

“
warriors, it is time ….KILL!!”

-24-

Territory

There’s no hesitation. There’s
no fear to those who know what’s coming to them. Standing in battle is a crime, fighting to save one’s life is the only objective. I’m push and shove by the many running warriors. I fall to the ground, and observe how I’m left behind. The warriors’ concern is to shed the blood of the arclaws. I wonder how this is not frightening to them. From my isolated spot I see many sorcerers using their magic against the arclaws, their loud powers blowing up in the sky, bringing down many of the arclaws. It is for that reason the arclaws growl voraciously, and aim to kill the powerful ones first.

The healers keep their distance from the arclaws, standing behind
the fighters, waiting to assist the wounded. It’s the duty of the sorcerers and warriors to protect the ones that can take pain away. Because of their healing gift, they too are in the arclaws list of death. Some of the healers I recognize from a few classes, some girls are very good curers yet they’re sent to the lowest rank to assist the warriors, other girls are barely good, more likely as weak as Azania, but good archers.  The better archers stand on the high hills above us, in a long line of hundreds, striking their arrows to the flying arclaws.

I stare
petrify as a female arclaw takes an elf-archer from the hill with her claws, and drops her to the land. I run to the girl. I need to stand by her—a male arclaw reaches her first from her rear. “Behind you!” I shout but it’s too late, he penetrates his long claws on her back. I halt in panic. The claws stick out from her chest. I gasp in tears. “Nooo!” I scream. It hits me like a dropping hook. This is war, and I have to fight until death. I have to protect my comrades. I furiously run to the arclaw and use a gravity that rushes him through the air. He hits the ground.  I throw myself to the ground, where the girl lies, and place my shaking hands above her bleeding chest, but death was instant.

My chin shivers, nobody has ever died near me before. I
softly close the dead girl’s open eyes. “Rest in peace,” I whisper, a growling from behind grabs my attention. I gnash my teeth. I'm inflamed by the coldness of the arclaw. He killed a girl who’s no older than my little brother.

“You want some of me, fine,” I reach out a hand
, enforcing down from the sky a lightning that strikes the arclaw on the chest, instantly putting him down. A shriek hurts my ears; above me is a flying arclaw, by her grieving I know who she is, the partner. I pull out my sword, and slash my sword in the air, preventing her claws from taking me. Again, she shrieks, only this time she creates turbulence on the earth. I lose my balance, and fall on my rear. She steps on ground and rushes to me, but I had enough of her. I lift my hand, thinking of something critical to hit her with, when a comrade takes her from behind, and stabs her on the chest. The arclaw falls. She cries, and he stabs again. I watch how the arclaw moans, and lightly falls to the ground in a hunting severe silence. He lifts his sword again, about to stab her once more.

“
Enough! she’s dead!” as much I dislike the enemy, I can’t help but to hurt. He’s being malicious. The man looks down at me.

“Get up, hurry, go hide. I’ll fight them,” he commands. I dislike his mannish tone. I grimace.
Why would I hide? Does he think I’m a healer?
I stand. We are encircled by two male arclaws.  I wave my hand, creating rows of fires that abruptly catch their feet on fire, but unusually they consume the fire, reflecting it back to us. We dodge the fire cannon by squatting down.

“You’re a sorceress, outstanding!” the cool man shouts, and runs to fight the monsters. An arclaw uses his mind abilities and sends a wind out, striking the man and sending him flying through the air. I point at the man, stopping him from hitting ground. I glide him down. The arclaws growl at me, stumping my way. They’re not happy I’m a sorcerer. I glimpse at the sky, obscurity approaches us and the weather is chilling. This means the instructors are combining their powers to cool off the weather to weaken them, but the cold power isn’t powerful enough to stop them from killing. Of course, no wonder they consumed my fire. The heat is their strength. Cold environment weakens them. Khysso’s and Casandree’s classes really did pay off.  I bite my lips, an idea blooms in me. I run from the arclaws whom instantly chase me. Fortunately, they’re heavy body makes them slow. They use fire against me, but I dodge it by sliding and twirling on the ground. I reach the man,

“I need to be protected! I need more warriors,” I shout
handing him a hand. He scowls, grasps my hand and gets up. “What do you mean?” He asks as we run from the arclaws. Other warriors intervene protecting us from the arclaws that follow us. “I need time to concentrate. I want to use a power that will wipe them out, but it will take a lot of energy,” I yell breathless, reaching a secure corner.

He nods.

“S
tay here, I’ll get more warriors to protect you,” he says. He pulls out his two swords and runs to fight two arclaws. The man is extremely skilled. He’s a man on his late twenties with more experience than any kcowl or ribbon member.

I’m ready to do my plan. Although it was reminded a thousand times by all instructors not to overuse magic, I think it is the best thing to do, even if it means dying. I can’t let any more children die in war. I can’t, not after seeing that poor girl. I close my eyes and breathe in and out thoroughly.
I focus on the energy of my body, starting from my stomach, grounding myself to the earth. Then, in a gentle rush, I push that energy out, sending to the sky all of my life force.

“Forces of the skies, freeze life, gods of glaze, bring me ice. Ictus- glacialis!” the skies in our region
open up. A powerful wind blows—frosty balls fall from the sky. With my powers and the instructors spell, my effort begins to show. Flying arclaws fall, and the ones walking the ground slowdown, making the war easier to all of my comrades— I don’t stop, not until I send all my force. My head buzzes, and my skin crawls with a prickling sensation. My crucial discomfort and shaky knees tells me I have to stop. But not yet, a little more, I need to bring all the female arclaws down. I overlook the dizziness. Nothing will stop me from ending this. “Watch out!”  The bawling of a man makes me lose concentration. An enormous arclaw strikes me on my arm. I hit a rock on the ground, the sound of my bones crushing thumps on my head. On the ground I gasp for air, digging my nails to the soil. With the loss of energy and his brutal attack, I know I am done. I can't fight. Warriors around me fight to protect me, but this arclaw is stronger, and with one forceful power he turns them all into ashes.  I try to get up, but I crash back. He walks to me.
Oh-goodness, he's going to squash me with his feet.
He picks me up and sets me between his inner arm and ribcage.  I don’t understand why he holds me. Why not kill me?

He strolls down a path, and comes across fighters who try saving me, but this arclaw is unstoppable, and kills with no morals.
He saunters down a long path that takes us to an unusual out of place-lake. He throws me inside the lake with many dead floating bodies. I dip in, and briskly swim up to face him. I’m panicking over the blood and the bodies, but it’s his interest towards me that worries me the most. He gravely stares at me. I'm awfully confused. What is he doing to me? Am I dinner? Oh lord, I hope not. A cracking noise draws my eyes away from him.  I look all ways. The top layer of the lake turns into ice, gradually closing in on me.

"See if you like it,” I hear him say over gibberish.
Huh, did I just hear him talk?
I inhale for air and plunge inside the filthy water before the ice closes on my head. The moment I peep up, I'm struck by fright. I'm stuck. I can’t believe it. The arclaw used my same technique to exterminate me, how intelligent. And what I heard… was it real, or did I hit my head so hard I’m now hearing things. I take out my dagger from my boot, and constantly hit the crust, but it's thick, unbreakable. I strike as many times, praying for a good outcome, until the coldness numbs me, and I'm losing my breath—I can't go on. I drop the dagger, and press both my hands on my mouth. I have to let go. I don’t want to die, but I can’t hold my breath anymore. I shut my eyes…
Jorsay, I love you.

The sound of a crack plucks me from fainting. A part of the ice collapsed, and there is a small opening. I vigorously swim to the gap and tug my head out. I breathe in extendedly, panting.

“I made it
. I made it…” I gulp. I rest on the top layer, exhausted.

“
Grrr!” I’m intimidated by the grumbling behind me. I leisurely turn my head to find the one responsible for breaking the ice. The claws of a female arclaw saved me, and although I should be thankful, I'm petrified by this encounter. She's not happy to see me, more like ready to kill me. I want to pull myself out of the water, but I’m drained, weak by the force I lost. She growls loudly, her wings extending. If I’m not in this uncomfortable situation, I would admit what a beautiful sight, and what a breath-taking arclaw. Her yellow eyes fiercely stare at me. Her red-brown wild hair falls on her face, her skin golden. She is slim but is fairly tone. She looks at me inhuman, grinding her teeth. There is anger in her, but also I see grief as tears run down her eyes. She seems destroyed by life. On her hands, there's a toddler arclaw, bleeding to death.  I gasp. I see her pain, her hurting touches me.

“You!”
I hear a voice over her loud growl. I scowl. I’m confused by what I hear. I shake my head in dismay. Did she just talk to me? Or am I seriously mental, could it be because of the blows I’m now hearing things? “You humans killed my baby!!” With another shriek I hear a voice. I stay petrified, not by the arclaw, but by the clear comprehension.

-
25
-

Ally

I’m
staggered by the unique comprehension of her growls. Is it possible to hear or understand them? What’s going on with me? Can it be that I really share a connection with them. She puts down her child, and walks towards me with the intentions of ripping my heart out. She whirs, her mouth moving, speaking gibberish that I strangely comprehend. “You brought us here, and then kill us. Who understands you humans? All we want is to go home, but you kill us instead. Send us home, you monsters!” she shrieks, lifting her hand to strike me.

“Wait!” I beg. She wrinkles her face, as if she too can comprehend me. “You understand me
, don’t you? I understand you too. Why do I understand you?” I say breathless. She rapidly shakes her head. “Ah-ah-uh…” she whirs unnerve.

“It is odd isn’t.
” I gulp noisily, “I know it is. B-but let me help you,” she sneers, repulse by me.  She growls. Her rage startles me. She walks closer. Her anger says she isn’t going to collaborate. I glance at her child whose body wiggles, meaning there is life in her. “I-I can save your child. I can heal her. Let me…let me show you I’m not here to hurt you. I can help…” I say as she stands a foot away from me. She tilts her head, grinding her teeth like a ferocious lion. “Let me save her. I can save her,” I persevere. She moans repeatedly, breathing heavily. She clasps my arm, pulls me out of the water, and drags me to her daughter.

“Do it human, do that thing that heals your kind,” she
desperately speaks. I crawl to her child, and look at her wound. A sword slashed her chest.  My eyes water, I'm agonized by the child’s pain. Who can possibly hurt her? She’s a baby.

I press my hands on her bloody injury.
Healing the deep cut will give too much of my energy, perhaps my life. There’s really no way out. I’m not strong enough to fight her, and if her daughter dies, I too will meet death. I lightly let out air, transferring the bit of energy of mine to the child. Her injury gradually begins to close, but the more I boost out my energy, the more my life sucks dry by a force that seizes my breath, and decreases my heartbeat. “Mummy,” I hear the child say. My surrounding loops. Something blocks my throat and nostrils from inhaling air. It tightens my chest. I wheeze…I can’t fight it. My sight blanks, soon, I lose life.

I can’t feel my arms or legs. I’m numb by a desensitizing force. I read about this before, it’s warned to all magical beings. The consequences of overusing magic: when magic energy is overused
, it will kill what creates it, one’s life. This is part of nature’s law, and this law goes to all magical beings. Khysso said it in his class. He insisted for us to go back to shelter if magic is overused. The headmistress too, but I failed again. I strain my eyes open, and gulp nothing. My mouth is dry. I’m dehydrating. I don’t understand why I am still alive. I’m sitting on the ground. My back is against a rocky top. My area is full with large mount rocks. The ground is dry as a bone. My surrounding is lifeless yet there is an unusual round lake nearby. It’s that same filthy lake the big arclaw threw me in. The heat waves of the setting suns quickly melted the ice.