“You didn’t get any sleep last night, and we’ve been charging around like deer in a stampede. We need to quit for today.”
“I’m fine with that,” Millennia said. “Better to stop now before we enter the ravine.”
The stream we had been running parallel to fed into a large river, which had, over time, carved out a giant ravine in the middle of the mountains. It was steep and dangerous, but still beautiful, and perhaps a half mile ahead, almost hidden from view by twisted stone spires and boulders forming the base of mountains sloping on either side.
Zach carried me to a small cave cut off by the mountainside, offering only a bed-sized space of shelter. Because of last night’s goblin attack, I wasn’t crazy about Millennia and Zach leaving to scout the area. But it was for exactly that reason that I had to let them.
Bound in my bed wrap, I curled next to Bromley, resting my head on his shoulder, and closed my eyes.
“Milady…are you sure about this?” Bromley asked me as sleep pulled at my consciousness.
“Absolutely not,” I said. “But that goblin shouldn’t be alive, much less have thirty doppelgangers. I saw Kellian give it that gash on its eye and kill it before it managed to curse him.” I shuddered and burrowed deeper into my bed. “What if we kill the dragon with the Kiss and it comes back to life, bigger, and worse, and with ten more dragons at its side? They would destroy us all, Brom. I wish I could believe in the Legion and the history I’ve been taught all my life, but I’m not sure I believe in anything anymore.”
…
I’d been asleep for maybe an hour or two before a violent pain in my chest woke me. It was so sharp I had no trouble recalling the sensation. I had felt it once before on a patrol. It was the feeling of absolute evil closing in—of a creature that was created from the darkness itself—a wraith.
I tore away from my bed wrap and sat up with a start. Zach jumped to his feet—he must’ve been on watch yet again—his hand going to his sword on instinct.
“A wraith,” I rasped through the stinging pain.
“How close?” Zach asked. There were dark circles under his eyes.
“Very.”
Millennia pulled herself up. Brom, who was still next to me, was already reaching for his crossbow.
“Think we could get ahead of it?” Millennia asked.
“It’s worth a shot. I don’t want to fight a wraith,” I said, remembering what they had done to my comrades on patrol. Only half of us returned unscathed. A quarter didn’t return at all.
But if we did have to fight it, it was possible we stood a chance. All our bladed weapons were pure silver, the only metal that could truly wound a wraith. Another reason why the rowan deer and their antlers were so sacred.
We set off at practically a run, springing over rocks and reaching the ravine just as the sun was setting. Water splashed on our boots as we treaded across the slippery stones. The shadows stretched on through the ravine, allowing rays of sunlight to bounce off the water, creating rainbows.
An arrow of pain pierced my chest, and I stumbled, slipping on the rocks. Brom caught me again as the rainbows turned to shadow, and all light was sucked from the ravine. Two forms, as black as a cave’s depth, slid down the ravine’s steep sides like waterfalls.
Two wraiths.
My body went numb. Five Royals had had trouble with one.
We froze, dropped our packs, and raised our weapons.
The wraiths hovered by the rocky slopes on each side of the ravine, their bodies a twisting mass of black smoke. I glanced at the one closest to us, on the left side of the ravine. The wraith’s head was merely a shape that flickered between amorphous smoke and a scorched, grotesque skull. Its body was made up of tendrils of darkness woven into a tattered cape. The hands appeared skeletal, fading in and out of human vision.
“It’s immune to most elemental magic except fire. If it touches you too long, you’ll die from overexposure to the cold. Its fingers are as sharp as knives, and it usually kills with its hands,” I rattled off under my breath, in case Millennia, Zach, or Bromley needed any reminders.
“I’ll take one, you three take the other,” Zach said, the silver of his sword gleaming even in the gloom.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I whispered, eyeing the wraith across the river. “This isn’t the time to reject help again—”
“It’s not that, believe me. I’ve fought one of these before and survived. Hopefully I can do it again.”
So comforting. I bit my bottom lip and glanced at Millennia and Bromley. The three of us combined probably didn’t equal another Zach.
“No time to argue.” Millennia nodded to the wraith next to us as it drew breath, and all the warmth in the air got sucked into its churning black body.
That was Zach’s cue. He took a few running steps and then leaped over the water, his sword raised over his head. Landing, he brought the sword down in a swift cut, slicing through the air where the wraith had once been. Millennia had once compared Zach’s movements to a wraith. I understood why. He was unbelievable. I watched him—if only for a split second—spin and slash at the shadowy creature, twisting and turning with a flash of silver at each movement.
The other wraith regarded us for a few seconds then darted forward. Brom’s silver-tipped arrows passed through it. Millennia conjured up a wall of fire, and it stopped at the blazing inferno—not fearful, but wary. The creature could not pass through fire, but it knew a mage could not hold up magic like that for long.
Drawing on every lesson I’d ever had, I made a short jab with my sword through the flames. The wraith was more than quick—it was clever and had anticipated my attack. It grabbed my sword and pulled, jerking me toward the wall of flames. Millennia barely had time to drop it before I would’ve been scorched alive. Pulling me, the wraith wrapped its hand around my wrist, cutting into my skin as its daggerlike fingers squeezed. I screamed as the cold flew into my body, drawing all the warmth from my blood.
An arrow passed through its head, and a knife flashed by its ear. The wraith let go and shrieked, annoyed. I cradled my bleeding wrist that had turned a blackish blue from the cold, and picked up my sword. Next to me, Millennia conjured a flaming whip and twirled it around her head. She snapped it at the wraith, and the creature screamed again, seemingly in pain this time. Taking it as an opening, I switched the sword to my other hand and darted forward, slashing downward and slicing its arm. Another painful screech issued from the wraith as darkness exploded around my blade. It was like getting hit in the face with an ice storm.
Darkness whirled around me and threw me into the ravine wall. Pain exploded down my back, while circles of light danced in my vision. I was barely able to throw my arms in front of me to break my fall. On the ground, achingly long moments passed before my vision cleared, but my limbs still refused to move. So Bromley took up the fight.
Brom was more skilled than I had ever given him credit for. In fact, he was quite incredible. He was smaller, which allowed for speed and agility, and those two qualities meant everything against a wraith. I had seen him use only a sword and crossbow, because that was what we usually sparred with, but now he held two silver daggers and used them like they were an extension of his hands. He dodged and ducked, swung and punched. The wraith moved faster than a blink, but if I wasn’t mistaken, Bromley seemed to get in a jab or two.
I struggled to my feet and raised my sword again. As I started forward, I heard Millennia muttering something—then my sword ignited. As did Bromley’s daggers. The wraith shrunk away from the flaming blades, hissing and shrieking. With renewed confidence from my fiery sword, I swung low at the wraith. It twisted away, but just barely escaped the inferno.