chapter TWENTY
As the sound of Dontas' hooves faded into the distance, Hailyn said a quick prayer for Jake and turned back to Norlan and Madalin. She ran back over as Norlan was slowly getting to his feet.
"Sit back down, Norlan." She demanded. "You have lost a lot of blood and healing can't replace that. You need fluids and rest."
"I have to go after Cherise and Jake; I will not let the half-men have my children." Norlan said, face grim, reaching down to pick up the maul, swaying as he straightened. "I can rest when they are safe." He started to stagger towards the gate, calling for a horse, when both Madalin and Hailyn grabbed him.
"You will get yourself killed is what you will do, my love." Madalin said softly. "Please come back and sit down." Norlan stood there for a moment while Madalin stroked his face, his hands squeezing the maul's handle, his arms cording tight, then he relaxed and let the maul drop.
"You are right." Norlan said, his head dropping. "I have not been much use to anyone tonight." Madalin hugged him tightly, whispering reassuring words to him, but his face showed that he got no comfort from that.
"I will find Dominic or Master Jonas and go after them, Norlan." Hailyn said, moving towards the gate. "We will get them back." Norlan did not respond; he was staring at the ground, his hands curling and uncurling into fists.
"Go, Hailyn!" Madalin said, voice cracking, still holding onto her husband. "Find them. I can't lose both of them." She seemed to wilt and began to cry again. "Not both."
Hailyn pushed through the crowd as neighbors came up to support Norlan and Madalin. Once on the street, she picked up the edge of her robes and ran, running as hard as she could. She wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes; she cared for Jake and Cherise as well.
Even when her breathing became labored, she did not slow. She would run all of the way to the Temple, she told herself. Any wasted moment could be disastrous.
As she turned a corner, she skidded to a stop as Dominic appeared as if by magic, yanking Shadow's reins to avoid a collision. So focused was she on keeping running, she had missed the sound of their approach.
"What are you doing?!" Dominic demanded angrily, his bright blue eyes hard. "I told you and the boy to go to the Temple. When I got there, Jonas said he had not seen you."
Hailyn took a second to catch her breath and told Dominic what happened. Dominic cursed under his breath, then reached down. "Come on, girl." Hailyn grasped his hand and he pulled her behind him. "You think it was the South Gate he headed for?"
"I can't be sure, but that was the general direction." Hailyn replied, tears coming again, this time from relief that Dominic was here.
"Hold on." Dominic warned her. She grabbed his armor straps as he turned forward. "On, Shadow!" He called and the large horse took off. Dominic drove him hard, running towards the South Gate as fast as he could go.
The city flew by as they raced south. Shortly, they were entering the South Gate courtyard and Dominic slowed Shadow to a trot. He spotted Armartas, sitting on his horse, organizing the soldiers to set up a defense of the open gate, as well as separate their dead from the dead half-men who littered the ground. A group of clerics were moving around, healing wounded soldiers. Dominic rode over, the soldiers making way as he passed.
"Armartas, have you seen Jake?!" Dominic called out as they got close.
"He rode past not more than ten minutes ago, in pursuit of a group of half-men." Armartas said, looking back. He looked abashed. "I'm sorry, Dominic. I should have stopped him, but I had my hands full at the time."
Dominic waved off the apology. "You did what you needed to do. I'll go find him." He started to boot Shadow forward when Hailyn stopped him.
"You have been pushing Shadow." She said, sliding off the horse. "Give me a second to look at him. It will do no one any good if he cannot catch Jake."
Hailyn embraced her power, sending it into Shadow. As she concentrated, she could tell that the horse was in good condition, with only some minor cuts and a bit of exhaustion. She directed her power to heal those wounds and relieve the exhaustion, at least temporarily.
When she was done, she reached up to Dominic, who grabbed her hand. Before he could react, she sent her magic into him, quickly healing his wounds.
He yanked her up, grabbing both of her arms and pulled her close, those blue eyes cold now. "Don't ever do that again." He said, voice soft but icy, then swung her behind him and booted Shadow into a run.
Hailyn leaned against Dominic's back, holding on to his breastplate straps as the large stallion hit his stride, the city quickly falling behind them. Dominic was focused on the road, watching for signs in the pale moonlight.
Soon, they come upon the trampled grass and Dominic turned Shadow to race along it. Hailyn could see the wooded hills approaching rapidly, then noticed a large shadowy form move at the tree line. She pointed it out to Dominic, who said. "It's the boy's horse."
Dominic halted Shadow next to Dontas, leaving the saddle before the horse stopped. He quickly looked at the ground and found the tracks left by Jake and the half-men. He drew his sword and began to follow them, Hailyn right behind him. Once the trees blocked the moonlight, making the trail almost impossible to see, Dominic looked over his shoulder and told Hailyn. "Embrace your power, but stay behind me. It will light the trail. Be prepared to release it when I tell you."
Hailyn complied, her power bathing the area in a golden light, chasing away the night. With the trail now clear, Dominic took off at a near run, Hailyn struggling to keep up.
They had only moved for a couple of minutes when a cry of pain sounded faintly ahead of them, then abruptly stopped. Dominic immediately sprinted towards the sound, his long legs carrying him ahead of Hailyn. He noticed a faint light ahead and the ringing sound of steel on steel and angled towards it. He raced up the small incline that hid the light, reaching the top.
In an instant, he took in the scene. He saw the two half-men lying dead on the ground, the young girl beyond them, battered and bleeding, staring in horror at Jake battling a half-man. Dominic could see that the boy was injured, blood covering his arms and legs. He would not last much longer, Dominic knew. He took all of this in as he continued to sprint, sword ready, heading towards the half-man, hoping he could reach him before he killed the boy.
The shout on Dominic's lips to distract the half-man died when the boy was suddenly surrounded by a pale blue light, startling Dominic. That lasted only an instant, then the light flared brilliantly, an explosion of blue fire sent racing in all directions. Dominic squeezed his eyes shut and threw up an arm instinctively to protect his face as the fire rolled over him. He was surprised again when no damage was done; only a brief tingling sensation over his body.
He opened his eyes and saw Jake lying on the ground, unconscious, sword next to his body. The only sign of the half-man was his clothes and sword on the ground, dusted in ash that swirled around the area. He noticed that the bodies of the other two half-men were gone as well, reduced to ash. The young girl began to cry again, staring at the boy lying there, though she was also not injured by the fire.
He headed for Jake, dropping to his knees next to him. He felt for a pulse and found one, strong and steady, the boy's breath even. He heard Hailyn come up behind him. He looked over his shoulder and pointed towards Cherise. "See to the girl first; the boy only seems to be unconscious."
Hailyn ran over to Cherise, her power glowing, and embraced her. She quickly healed her, then tried to untangled herself, but Cherise clung to her, crying. Hailyn was able to get her to stand, maneuvered her over to Jake, and then pushed her gently towards Dominic. Cherise immediately embraced him.
As Hailyn knelt down to heal Jake, she saw that Dominic had an unreadable expression on his face while Cherise clung to him and cried. Glancing up for a moment, Hailyn saw one of his arms come up to gently hold Cherise.
Hailyn reached down and laid her hands on Jake. She probed him, finding him in good health, except of the wounds on his arms and legs. As she directed her power to heal those wounds, she felt something unusual. She could not pinpoint what it was, but something was different from when she had healed Jake in the past. Somehow, that unexpected explosion of magic had changed Jake; she just could not figure out how.
When she finished, she was surprised that Jake was still unconscious. She reached down and pinched him on the arm, squeezing softly at first, then increasing the pressure. He did not react at first, concerning her, but his eyes started to flutter, then opened up, staring at her.
"Hailyn?!" He said, surprised to see her. He sat up, but felt confused, shaking his head. "What happened? The last thing I remember was fighting the half-man, then a flash of blinding light." His eyes suddenly went wide as he regained his bearings and he swiveled his head to and fro, looking around. "Cherise!" He shouted.
"Here, boy." Dominic's voice came from behind him.
Jake twisted to look behind, relief flooding through him when he saw Cherise being held by Dominic. He slowly stood up, Hailyn's hand protectively on his arm, and turned to face them. Once he was on his feet, Dominic gently extricated Cherise from her embrace and turned her to face Jake.
Jake could see from her face that Hailyn had healed her, though her clothes were still stained with blood. For a moment, when she first looked at him, Jake thought she flinched and appeared to be afraid of him. That shocked and hurt him deeply, wondering what caused her to recoil from him. He did not know what to say, feeling suddenly lost. Then, with a soft cry, she ran to him, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into his shoulder, weeping.
Jake held her tightly for a few moments, whispering reassurances to her as she cried. He glanced over at Hailyn and saw that her eyes were full of tears as she watched them.
Dominic had gone over to look through the half-men's clothes, seeking any information or clues. After he had gone through them, he retrieved Jake's sword, wiping the blood off before he handed it back to him.
"We need to go." Dominic said, his eyes moving, watching the shadows beyond the torchlight. "We are exposed" was all he said, clearly not wanting to frighten Cherise more.
"What happened?" Jake asked again. "I still don't know what happened to the last half-man."
"We'll discuss it back in the city, boy." Dominic replied, exchanging a look with Hailyn. "We should get the girl back to her parents. Take her to the horses; I will be right there." Dominic headed off into the woods.
With Hailyn's help, Jake was able to get Cherise to let go, even though she clung to his arm as they made their way back to the horses. Once there, Jake climbed into Dontas' saddle, then pulled Cherise up, allowing her to sit in front of him while he wrapped his arms around her.
Hailyn stood next to Dontas, her hand resting on Jake's leg. She looked up at him, concern on her face. "How are you feeling, Jake?"
"Fine, I guess." Jake replied, shifting slightly when Cherise moved. "I just feel a little off. Must be all of the stress from the night."
"Let me look at you again." Hailyn said, as she embraced her power. Jake felt the familiar warmth spread through his body. She seemed to be troubled by something, but before Jake could ask, she released her power and gave Jake a reassuring smile, which he returned. She did not remove her hand, though.
After several minutes, Dominic appeared, leading three horses. He handed to reins of one to Hailyn and helped her onto its back. He tied off the reins of another to his saddle and had Jake do the same with the last one. He pulled himself into his saddle and led their small band back towards the city.
Jake was a little surprised that they kept the horses at a slow pace, Dominic apparently not feeling the need to press them. It took them nearly half an hour at that pace to reach the city gates. When they reached them, there was a line of soldiers blocking the open gate, large torches burning to light the area. Dominic rode up to them, then stopped when they did not move out of his way.
"What is going on?" Dominic demanded to the solder who appeared to be in charge, face calm, but a tone of anger in his voice. "Let us through."
"I am sorry, Dominic, but I have orders not to allow anyone entrance until daylight." The young officer said, looking a bit pale as he faced Dominic.
"I'm sure those orders were not meant to prevent a cleric and a young hostage rescued from the half-men from the safety of the city walls." Dominic growled, eyes boring into the young officer.
"I'm sorry, but my orders..." The officer began, suddenly sweating.
"I don't care about sorry, soldier." Dominic interrupted, anger now clear in his voice. "I thought that they still taught officers how to exercise judgment." His eyes seemed to shine. "You don't want me to have to get off my horse to teach you a lesson in judgment." Dominic finished ominously.
The young officer swallowed nervously, his men exchanging worried looks, but no one moved. Just as Dominic placed his hand on his pommel, preparing to dismount, Armartas came riding out of the gate. "Open a space!" He called out. "Let them through or I will have someone's ass!"
Jake saw relief on the faces of the officer and the men as they hurriedly opened a space in their ranks. Dominic continued to stare at the officer for a moment, then headed into the gate after Armartas, shaking his head. Hailyn went next and as Jake entered the tunnel, he turned to see the soldiers close ranks again.
Once inside the city, amid the hustle of soldiers moving around the gate area, Jake saw Dominic talking quietly with Armartas. Armartas looked over and saw Jake holding Cherise. He straightened in his saddle and gave Jake a salute. Jake saluted back, touched by the gesture, and Armartas returned to his conversation with Dominic.
As Jake got closer, he heard Armartas explaining to Dominic that he had the engineers working on the gates, trying to rig at least a temporary fix to allow them to close the gates. Apparently, there was damage to the West Gate as well, so the engineers were spread thin.
"We'll not keep you then, Armartas. You have a busy night." Dominic said, motioning for Hailyn and Jake to follow him.
They were quiet as they moved deeper into the city, watching as more groups of soldiers deployed to the streets, many with at least one cleric, searching for any half-men or demons that still may be in the city.
...
Jonas was sitting wearily on the steps of the Temple, his staff next to him as he sipped some hot tea an apprentice brought him. In the distance, he could see the torches of the soldiers, as well as the shining forms of clerics, moving about the courtyards, making sure the areas were clear. He felt bone-tired, worn out by the nearly continuous use of his power. He had never used so much at one time for so long, first to fight off the demons, then to perform healings.
He was sitting there trying to recover his strength, his thoughts on Dominic and Jake, as well as Hailyn and poor Cherise. A rider had come to him earlier, sent by Armartas, letting him know what had happened at the gate. Saying a prayer for their safety, he closed his eyes and soon drifted into a light sleep.
He started awake when he heard the sound of horses coming closer, a trickle of fear passing through him. Leaning on his staff, he pushed himself up, prepared to meet whatever came on his feet.
As he watched, relief and joy took over as Dominic appeared out of the night on Shadow's back, followed closely by Hailyn riding another horse. Behind her, he saw Jake riding Dontas, with Cherise held in his arms.
"Praise to the One!" Jonas exclaimed, moving forward to meet them. "I'm glad to see you safe and sound."
"You should be in bed." Dominic said as he halted Shadow, looking closely at Jonas. "You look like warmed-over death."
"I will sleep soon enough." Jonas replied, reaching up to grasp Dominic's hand. "More soundly now that I know you are safe."
Hailyn slid off her horse and handed the reins to Dominic. He shook his head and instead untied his horse and handed the reins to Jonas. "The Temple should keep the horses until the former owner's family is found, if possible. If not, then I guess the One has other plans for them." He motioned to Jake to untie the other horse as well.
Hailyn hurried over to the Temple doors and found a couple of apprentices to take the horses, then returned. After the apprentices moved off with the horses, Jonas said. "Do I need to see to any of you?" He reached for his power, feeling it flow into him again.
"Don't tax yourself. The girl did a fine job healing." Dominic said, waving Jonas off. He gestured towards Hailyn. "She was very brave tonight and acquitted herself well in the battle." His face took on an irritated look. "Even though she apparently missed your lesson that clerics should never heal those who don't want it." Hailyn flushed and looked at the ground.
"I will make sure she gets that lesson, Dom." Jonas replied, forcing himself to keep a straight face.
"We should get Cherise home." Dominic said, motioning for Jake to follow. "I'm sure that Norlan and Madalin are consumed with worry."
"Master." Hailyn said, looking up at Jonas. "Perhaps you should see to Jake. I think..."
"It can wait until tomorrow." Dominic interrupted, sharing a look with Jonas that asked for his trust.
"Until tomorrow, then." Jonas said, giving Dominic a slight nod. Dominic nodded back, then led Jake and Cherise away.
Jonas went over to Hailyn, affectionately putting an arm across her shoulders as they walked back to the Temple. "How did you manage to heal Dom?" He asked, a broad smile on his face. "I have not been able to do that for more years that I care to remember."
"I'm sorry to say that it took guile and deceit, Master." Hailyn replied, sharing a brief smile with Jonas. Her smile faded. "Master, I need to tell you about what happen to Jake tonight."
As she began to tell him, Jonas' smile faded as well.
...
When they finally arrived home, the neighborhood had quieted down, though there was still a small crowd at the house. Jake saw that several of the neighbors were holding clubs or other weapons, standing guard at the gate. He also noticed that the bodies of the half-men had been removed from the yard. A murmur spread when they saw Dominic ride up, as well as Jake and Cherise. One person ran into the house as they halted the horses.
Dominic got off of Shadow, tying the reins on the fence, then took Jake's and tied off Dontas as well. Jake slid out of the saddle, then helped Cherise down. She clung to his arm as they headed to the gate.
The front door opened and Madalin came running out, Norlan right behind her. Cherise saw her mother, released Jake's arm and ran towards her, crying again. Madalin wrapped her into her arms, holding her tight, as tears flowed from her eyes as well. Norlan came up and wrapped them both in an embrace.
Jake had stopped when Cherise ran, his throat tight. He was overjoyed that they were reunited, but also felt guilty as he looked at them. This all happened because of him. He did not know what to do or say.
As he wrestled with his emotions, watching the reunion, he felt Dominic's hand on his shoulder. "You did a good and brave thing tonight, boy." Dominic said softly. "Learn to enjoy your victories, because you never know which will be your last."
Dominic's praise took him by surprise, cutting through his emotions. Before he could react, however, Madalin slipped out of the family embrace and ran over to him. She reached up and took his face into her hands, looking at him for a moment, concern on her face.
"Are you ok?" She asked. When he nodded, she pulled him into a tight hug. She kissed him on the cheek and said softly. "Thank you, Jake. Thank you." She kept repeating it as she held him.
After a while, she released him, stepping back, her hands on his face. She looked over his shoulder and went over and embraced Dominic, holding him tight and thanking him as well. Jake watched as Dominic, looking slightly uncomfortable, let her hug him for moment, then gently pushed her back. "There is nothing to thank me for, Madalin. The boy rescued Cherise."
"I'm thanking you for protecting Jake, you big idiot." Madalin said fondly, tears in her eyes. She turned and walked back to her family. Norlan had her take Cherise into the house, then came over to Jake and Dominic.
Before Jake could say anything, Norlan reached out and pulled him into a hug. Jake could feel Norlan strength as he wrapped his arms around him, holding tight. After a few seconds, Norlan broke the hug and stepped back, hands on Jake's shoulders.
"I cannot begin to repay you for rescuing Cherise, Jake." Norlan said, voice thick with emotion. "I'm so proud of you."
"Thank you, Norlan, but none of this would have happened if you hadn't taken me in." Jake said, looking at the ground. "Maybe I should have Dominic find a place for me to stay near the training area, so you and the family will be safe."
"Look at me, Jake." Norlan said, voice now angry, hands gripping Jake's shoulders tightly. Jake looked up and met his eyes. "I never want to hear that from you again. Never! You are like a son to me. This is your home now!"
Norlan was almost shaking with anger. "Never blame yourself for this. If there is any blame, it is mine. I am the one who is supposed to protect my family." He sighed bitterly, his hands dropping. "I could not even do that."
"Boy, go get cleaned up and get some rest." Dominic said, his eyes on Norlan. Jake nodded and headed towards his room. When he got near the room, he stopped and looked back.
Dominic had taken Norlan to the far corner of the yard, away from everyone, and was quietly talking with him. Norlan's head dropped, looking at the ground. Jake saw Dominic reach out and tap Norlan under the chin, forcing his head up and emphasize a point with a finger in Norlan's chest. Even though he could not hear what was being said, Jake saw that the conversation turned heated. Suddenly, Norlan shoved Dominic back. Dominic recovered and came right back up to Norlan. There was a lot of pointing and gesturing at first, then that gradually faded. Jake stood and watched until he saw Dominic put an arm around Norlan's shoulders and they started walking around the yard, still talking.
Jake went to his room, stripped off his clothes, put on his robe and went to take a shower. After he was clean, he returned, blew out the candles and slid under the covers of his bed. He was shifting back and forth, unable to get comfortable when he heard the curtain in the doorway move.
He looked to the doorway, only to see Maxis come in. Maxis came up to his bed and laid his head on Jake. Jake reached out and rubbed Maxis' head for a bit. When he stopped, Maxis simply curled up on the floor next to Jake's bed. Comforted by the dog's presence, Jake was soon asleep.
He tossed and turned in his sleep, having reoccurring dreams about his fight with the half-men. Even though the dreams were disturbing, he did not wake up. He stayed asleep when Dominic and Norlan came by and looked in on him, Norlan taking Maxis into the house. He did not wake up when Dominic came in and sat on the floor at the foot of his bed, his sword on his knees, guarding the doorway. He dreamed his troubled dreams, unaware of the brief flashes of blue light that would occasionally pulse from his body, the light reflecting off of Dominic's eyes as he watched over him.
...
In the woods southwest of the city, the demon Rigil and his brother gathered their remaining followers close. He could not believe that they had been defeated, failing to secure the boy, and driven out of the city. He had been surprised by the power these clerics wielded, especially the one with the staff. That one's power rivaled that of some of the strongest of his brothers. That he had lost brothers to the mortals angered him. He held onto his damaged arm, the skin blistered and swollen from the clerics' fire. The damage and the pain were a reminder of what he hated about his physical form.
He had been one of the first to cross over when the way to come to this world opened. He remembered when he first became flesh, the joys of being free from his prison, the sensations from a physical body and the opportunities to rule over these glorified monkeys. It was only later when, despite his power, he realized that there were limitations to what he could do. Besides the joys of the flesh, he also had the weaknesses that came along with it. His was an immortal soul, trapped in a mortal shell.
"I will stay and track the boy." Rigil told his brother. "Take the information we have learned back to our lord. He will want to know." His brother nodded.
They shared a look, then reached out and began to absorb the corrupted life-force of their followers. These fools did not realize that was the purpose behind the power that went into them when they committed themselves to the demons. They were changed so that their life force could be used when needed. The half-men cried out in agony as the demons absorbed their essence. Rigil could feel the energy flow into him, shaping and directing it to heal his body. The pain and damage faded as he fed on that energy.
After the followers collapsed, drained of life, his brother headed out while Rigil turned backed towards the wagon and its occupants. They had tried to flee before the battle, but were found by the followers outside of the city two days ago. He made his way over to them, ignoring the reaction from the horses, which shied away and whinnied in fear. He looked at the occupants, seeing the terror in their eyes.
"You will help me track the boy and find a way to capture him. I will not tolerate another failure." He said in a tone that brooked no arguments.
Martis and his men bowed in acknowledgment.