"No one can possibly know what will come tomorrow. If they did, we could prevent wars."
-Cyrius Centrelli
PART FIVE
CHAPTER LI
It had been almost a year since Saren's death. Pyre had failed to resurface, and Archer's apprenticeship with Hunter was over, he was now a Ranger. Hunter had told him when the apprenticeship had started that there was little he could do to improve Archer's fighting skills, as he felt Archer needed little in the way of improvement. He instead chose to just teach him the Ranger ideals, a few small but helpful defenses, and took him out on every call or assignment he was given. Archer countered the idea with a single thought, telling Hunter that no one, no matter how intelligent they seem, is finished learning within their lifetime. Hunter just shrugged.
However, not all things had gone as Archer wished. He had hoped that he would be able to meet Alyse sometime, seeing how both were Rangers. Unfortunately, a small conflict arose in the south, and the force Alyse was in had been sent out to resolve it. So far, they had failed to return and the council was hung on whether to send another force down and thin the numbers up north, or leave things as they were and begin recruiting out of season. Not to the surprise of some, Archer and Hunter volunteered to go. Their request was denied.
Archer then began a small, undercover, intelligence group and sent a few friends down south to see what was happening. A few returned and told of a large mass of ice that had crashed into the shore. The ice was melting rather slowly, and there were feuds as to who claimed it first. The Rangers reportedly had taken the iceberg by force and was fighting to restore order. Archer reported the news to the council.
The council had, since the last time Archer had met them, elected a new head judge. Several other judges had either retired or had been voted out. As it happened, the new judge was the one that had voted Archer into the Rangers. Several others also supported Archer in some way or form and saw the reason and drive behind the cause he stood for. Archer's support began to grow.
With the new information, the council decided to hold another vote. This time it was unanimous, a small force was to be sent down to aid in the peace keeping efforts; Archer volunteered immediately. However, the council voted against him, nine to one, and told him to remain in the northern part of the island. Archer was slightly agitated, but gave in to the command. As a reward for his efforts, he was offered the opportunity to start an intelligence group in the Rangers, as they had no organized group to handle the task. He agreed to the offer, but only if they would allow him to remain active in duty. The council agreed to his term.
Archer began to become more popular among the Rangers. He started up not only an intelligence group, but also a covert operations group with, of course, the council's permission. His skills and experience also helped him gain higher ranks in the battle group he was assigned to. To the surprise of many, Archer became one of the highest overall ranking people to ever become a member in the Rangers, having attained the rank of Captain in the battle group, Legion Admiral in the intelligence group, and Legion Admiral in he covert operations group. He also became known for never letting anyone down on the battlefield.
After declaring he was through teaching Archer, Hunter was transferred to a small fighting force that was to be sent out to put down a rebellion in the east. Hunter was one of five to return, and the only one to return unharmed. Reported acts of valor and bravery earned him a new Silver Star.
Another incident involving hostages came up while Hunter was off duty. He was able to talk the hostage taker down and disarmed him. No body was hurt, save for Hunter who, in a small struggle to take the hostage taker's crossbow, was shot. The arrow, however, only scratched him. This got him yet another award.
In a speech, he reported that there was a new rise of violence. Everywhere rebellions sprung from nowhere, people who were once friends were enemies. Nothing was as it used to be. A group of assassins had started to dedicate their lives to the downfall of the Rangers.
The assassin group, which was called the self-proposed name Darkblade, was widely known among the Rangers. Archer had, on one occasion, ran into one of the members and had almost been killed. The assassin died before any questions could be asked.
Fetare, once a refuge from the wars in the Mirkilains, was succumbing to the slow death of a treasured peace. Instead of working to restore the peace, people began to take it out on the Rangers. New movements arose to disband the peacekeeping organization. People fought with people. Inside of a year, the year that saw Archer become a Ranger, the peace disappeared.
CHAPTER LII
Pyre looked out over his main battle group. They had fought fiercely and had outnumbered the Rangers greatly. However, the Rangers were so skilled in how they worked that they proved to be the better of his own forces. Now the two were near equal; and that was soon to change. Through a chain of messengers, he had sent a request to the remnants of the NeitKorps in the Mirkilains, telling them that a new front had been opened, and glory awaited them after their victory. He had notified them four days ago, and they had said that they would arrive within the week, if things went well in their passage. There was only one problem.
The Ranger forces had learned of the situation in the south and reinforcements were rumored to be coming. One group had already been sent, surprised, and destroyed, but the Darkblade force had been stronger then. In the condition they were in, they had to either receive reinforcements now, or be beaten back by the Rangers, possibly to the point of utter defeat.
The situation now, as it stood, was the Ranger force occupying the iceberg and everywhere within a one-hundred yard radius of it, the force itself standing with twenty warriors; and the Darkblade force constantly trying to uproot the Rangers with no success. When they had started, the numbers were in favor of the Darkblade, two to one. Now they were one and one.
He heard a long note sound from a horn. Another soon followed this, only the second was two short blasts. Reinforcements had arrived, but for the wrong side. He hissed and made his way to the watchtower, where another Draconian, a Baaz and a remnant of the original Fetare forces, stood watch.
How many?
The guard shook his head. No more than twenty, but Hunter and Archer are with them. They will reach their destination within the hour.
Pyre closed his eyes to think. How long did it take to deliver a message, and how long to reach a tiny island the likes of this? He made up his mind.
We attack in a quarter of an hour. Sound the call.
The Baaz gave his commander a puzzled look, but sounded the call to form ranks. In three minutes, all twenty warriors had formed into small groups of five. Each consisted of both Draconians and knights that had found their way here from the wars in the Mirkilains, but still wanted a fight. To Pyre, it was a small force, armed with a few lances, some longbows, and old swords that were too dull to carve anything cleanly. He turned and looked the force over, the sight made him chuckle. They would have to do, just for a short while.
He drew his own sword, one he had confiscated from the Nightstalker upon his death, and gazed at it with admiration before raising it over his head. He shouted a war cry and led his troops towards the ranger force.
Alyse heard the attackers before she saw them. A small hail of arrows flew through the air, seeking targets, and finding a few. There were screams as three fell to the ground with the shafts giving away the cause of death. She drew her own blade and shouted to the others. Despite the lack of reinforcements, there was still a spark of hope in the Ranger task force. However, this was fueled only by their successes at keeping the Darkblade force at bay.
"Milady, what is our plan this time?"
She turned and eyed a young officer. "Draw your sword and try to live, we will not lose."
He smiled sadly. "I wish I had your confidence."
"Trust me. I happen to know something you do not." She gave a wry smile and shouted at the rallying troops.
Another barrage of black arrows came from above, but the Rangers were ready. Shields were raised and everyone went unscathed. When they had formed up, lance bearers in the front, swordsmen in the middle, and archers in the rear, they waited. A few seconds and one more harmless arrow storm later, they saw their targets.
Archer heard it before the others did and took off running at the sound. The group gave questioning stares towards Hunter, but he trusted his friend's judgement and was soon running after. He shouted a command over his shoulder and the rest of the group drew weapons and charged.
Archer arrived first. He ducked one sword, thrust under another, and drew his second blade, swinging it about in a wide arc. Both of his attackers, both knights, fell to the ground. He took one look and confirmed they were with the Darkblade terrorist group. A scream cut through the air and Archer followed it to its source. The sight made him cringe. A Baaz had ambushed a Ranger and had driven a clawed hand through the knight's back. Death was certain. Archer charged.
Hunter arrived just as the Darkblade's reinforcements arrived. The newcomer Draconians had found a way up the iceberg and attacked from above and behind. The Rangers were not ready for this attack and were taken by surprise. Hunter waited for the rest of his group to arrive before they charged.
The spearhead tactic worked for a short while. The Darkblade forces were momentarily stunned, and four or five fell before they regained their senses. Then they fought on even stronger than before. The Rangers were outnumbered, and seemingly outmatched, but they held their ground. Hunter made a vow to take as many as he could before succumbing to their blades.
He picked a target, a tall Kapak who was cutting his way through a small group. Hunter raised his sword and charged, but was cut off by another, whom he could not identify as he brought his blade crashing down on his adversary's skull. The stunned Draconian fell to the ground and gazed blankly up at Hunter. A chill fell over the Ranger as he recognized who it was.
Pyre stood and raised his blade; a menacing scowl spread across his face, and he hissed as he readied to attack. Hunter glanced over at the Kapak, relieved to see that the beast had finally fallen to an unseen attack. He turned back to Pyre.
"You should not have come down here. Your fate is sealed; your death will be here." Pyre's words were accented as a Bozak died somewhere behind the two.
"Pyre, my death will be from something other than your blade."
"Knight, you will die like your brother. He was a coward too, his death was-"
Hunter attacked. Pyre blocked and immediately turned to an offensive. He delivered systematic blows, never leaving himself open to attack, and slowly pushing the knight to the ice wall. It was all Hunter could do to keep his sword from being knocked from his hand by the forceful blows. What happened next stunned both of the warriors.
Although he tried not to, Hunter blinked. As his eyes closed, they caught a bright flash, seemingly caused by metal glinting in the sun. When he reopened his eyes, flames had erupted all throughout the battlefield, scattering the Darkblade forces. Pyre had shrieked and suddenly abandoned his fight with Hunter, seeking shelter from the great Snowdragon that had suddenly appeared.
However, just as quickly as the tides had turned to favor the Rangers, they turned again. The dragon, obviously exhausted by the effort, near collapsed. Pyre looked at the silver beast, and then turned to look over his shoulder, an evil grin on his face, at Hunter. Pyre turned and charged.
Hunter was slow to react, and it cost him. Pyre's blade caught him in the side as he turned out of the way. The blade continued its course and drove into the ice wall, not stopping until it had reached the hilt. Hunter clutched his side and brought his sword up in defense as Pyre extracted his from the ice and attacked again. A wave of exhaustion came over Hunter, and though he tried to defend himself, knew he had lost.
He found himself back up against the iceberg. The sounds of the battle faded away and everything seemed to move in slow motion as Pyre brought the gleaming sword around. Hunter brought his blade up to block, and watched as the silver blade cleaved it in two. Pyre brought the blade back up and drove it through Hunter's gut, just under the ribcage. The blade continued through into the ice, and stuck.
Pyre made several attempts to extract the blade, but it had lodged itself firmly into the ice wall. He soon gave up and grinned maliciously at Hunter.
"Knight, you should have listened to me. I told you that you would die."
Something struck Pyre from behind and threw him against the ice wall, next to Hunter. A stinging sensation emanated from his back. He painfully turned to face his attacker and felt a low, throaty hiss rise. The hiss was cut off suddenly as Archer rammed his fist into Pyre's throat. Pyre gagged and fell to the ground, struggling for breath.
Archer knelt and pulled the other Sivak to his feet. Behind him, the Snowdragon had regained enough energy to unleash a second firestorm at a group near the iceberg itself. Archer ignored the battle behind him and pressed the tip of his sword against Pyre's throat.
Pyre had finally regained his breath and grinned. "Finish it, Archer. Finish this now."
A loud crack caused them both to look up. The firestorm had weakened the iceberg's surface, and a large section was threatening to fall, right where Archer and Pyre were standing. Without hesitation, Archer threw Pyre aside. He put an arm around Hunter, who was still barely managing to stay conscious, and pulled the sword free of the ice. The wall started to break free and fall. Archer pulled his friend a safe distance away just as the ice wall fell, burying Pyre.
Archer breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to his friend. Hunter took a hold of Archer's hand.
"Tell the council," he struggled, not having the energy to complete the entire phrase in one breath. "I am requesting that you take my place in command of the Rangers." Hunter stopped and regained his breath. "Farewell, friend."
Archer started to say something, but it was too late. Hunter died in his arms.
Alyse's energy was completely drained; the last firewall had taken what little she had left. Fortunately, there were only scattered remnants of the Darkblade force fighting. Some had retreated; others stayed to fight to the death. She heard a loud crack, but paid no mind to it. It was not until the ice wall crashed to the ground that she bothered to look up from her rest. She turned her gaze to the fallen ice. A Sivak crouched over a fallen Ranger caught her eye.
She stood, thinking at first that the Draconian was the one responsible for the Ranger's death, and was readying an attack. The only thing that held her at bay was a faint sense of recognition that slowly crept into her thoughts. Her mind took her back to an attack in a tavern, when she had gone for help the Ranger, who now lay dead before her, was accompanied by a Sivak.
She hesitated and glanced around; she was the only one who seemed to notice. She looked back at the Draconian and watched as he produced a silver blade that was blood covered and had lain next to the Ranger. The Draconian whispered something, just soft enough to be unintelligible to her ears, and left the Ranger.
Archer knew he was being watched, judged, and he did not care. He found a target and made his way to a Kapak who was shouting orders at some unseen troops. The Kapak never finished a command and tumbled to the ground, stunned, as Archer withdrew his blade from the Draconian's back. He carried out four more executions, and would have carried out more, but the Darkblade forces had been beaten and no more remained.
CHAPTER LII
The aftermath of the battle was more shocking than the battle itself. The Rangers had suffered a great loss; twenty-five of the knights had died. Most of the deaths were due to the surprise attack from the rear by the Darkblade reinforcements. Darkblade, on the other hand, lost significantly more. There had been twenty-one when the battle began, near fifty after reinforcements arrived, and now only an estimated eight had escaped from the battle.
Alyse's secret had stunned every one, with the exception of Archer who had known, but never thought to tell of her really being a Snowdragon. She had left the battlefield and found a place to rest, away from the rest of the group. Archer was slightly annoyed, he had hoped to speak with her, but it would have to wait.
They had done some searching among the shattered remains of the collapsed ice wall, and Archer was horrified and maddened to find that only his two blades remained, Pyre was nowhere to be found. He had thought about organizing a search group, but quickly decided against it, as he felt that the Rangers had been through enough and needed rest.
Hunter's request had been honored, and the senior officer present had vowed that he would back up Archer, and Hunter's request, upon their return to the Northern Keep. After the devastating scene of that day, things had suddenly calmed down. However, with this came the task of burying the dead. Graves were dug, and memorials placed for those who had died in the battle. One of the knights had taken it upon himself to record everything that had happened, to the best of his abilities, and included a list of the names of those who gave their lives for the cause.
Archer trekked on his own some distance away from the camp and found a quiet place of his own to just stop and think the day's events. The harsh realization of what had happened was difficult to cope with; Hunter had been a good friend. His death brought old memories of Cyrius, and Viper; the latter of the two he now wished he had known better. Too many memories, too much destruction and death. What he faced now he was certain was the very thing Cyrius had sought to leave behind when he came to the island. He thought of Flare and Flame, they were dead too. This brought him back to the night he led the raid that took the lives of Stryker and Celeste.
Do not lose sight of your goal, though obstacles clutter your view. The thought brought some comfort, but not enough.
"Archer,"
He whirled around and found Alyse sitting in the low branches of a tree.
"I am sorry, I never heard you coming." Archer settled back down to where he was sitting on the ground.
"You never would have, I was here first. We have similar taste in quiet places." She slid from the tree and landed noiselessly on the ground. "Archer, I have heard rumors, none of which I believe to be true, of why you are here." She paused. "Why are you?"
"The answer is difficult and lengthy, if you have the time." He waited, she said nothing. "My name is, according to my kind, Scythe. I was the commander of a defensive force in the Mirkilains. Our ruler decided that the only way to win the war was to strike hard and strong, a coordinated joint effort. He chose my group to attack a Snowdragon den.
"The den we were assigned to was home to two dragons, a mated couple, and the attack was a success," he paused. "Unfortunately. Before she died, however, the female silver changed my life. She spoke to me as if she knew me, and I knew I had never met her before in my life. She gave me something that I have been meaning to show to you and ask you about."
He reached into a pouch at his side and withdrew a clenched fist. Alyse hesitated slightly, but took whatever it was when he offered it to her. When she opened her hands and saw what it was a gasp escaped her lips.
"You recognize that piece then?" He took a deep breath. "I was the one who killed Celeste, and Stryker. I am sorry. However, now I must ask one thing, if you will hear me out after learning what I have done." She gave a slow nod and he continued. "There is no easy way to say this that will make it any less awkward, but I will try. Celeste, your mother, knew me, when I met with your sister she also admitted I knew things that no one outside of the family knows. Songs that Celeste would sing at the side of the nest, I was able to recite them. I also found the journals she wrote, stowed in a picture over the mantel. As much as it pains me to say, I have begun to believe that I not only killed your parents," he stopped and looked up at her, "but mine as well."
Silence hung for what seemed like hours. Archer, now wholly at the mercy of whatever came next, looked away from her and stood. He walked to a nearby tree and leaned up against it, his back to her.
"I know it seems hard to think of, but I had to bring it to your attention. That is why I am here."
Silence enshrouded them again and hung about for seemingly an eternity this time. Alyse looked from the Snowdragon brooch and up at Archer. Too many mixed emotions were running through her mind to fully comprehend what was happening. Although it seemed logical, it was too unlikely that this could be the one that had been stolen, the one that her mother had mourned the loss of so much. Perhaps her mother was mistaken. In all of her grief and pain, the mistake would have been easy. Indeed, Alyse could have easily said no right there, ending the Draconian's search.
She moved around so she could see his face and looked into his eyes. There was nothing in them that told her he was not telling the truth. Everything she saw in them told her he was speaking what he believed true. The one thing that kept her from telling him he was wrong, however, was that when she looked into his eyes she saw her mother. She was not even sure herself if Archer's beliefs were wrong.
"This is sudden, unexpected." She broke the silence. "I will need more time."
She started to hand back the brooch, but he stopped her.
"Keep it, she told me it belonged to you."
Archer smiled sadly and disappeared into the forest, leaving Alyse alone again. She looked down at the brooch, and then back at the spot that Archer had just left. She looked back down at the brooch, the Snowdragon's sapphire blue eyes seemed to be watching, waiting for something. She closed her eyes and was flooded by memories of home.
The journey back was slow, silent, and the entire way a gloom seemed to hang about the group. Archer took up the lead, by choice of most of the knights, and Alyse, by her own choice, took up the rear. Archer could only note that her face wore a tired expression, and she was visibly upset by the past day's events. Archer could not help feeling mostly responsible for her emotional state.
It took the group four days to reach their goal; by the time they did the mood had lightened to some extent. Archer and Alyse were both called upon by the council to give full reports of what had happened. They were somewhat impressed by Alyse's hidden identity, and worried when Archer told them that they had not found any sign of Pyre after the fight. The loss of Hunter shocked everyone who heard of it. Archer found out that he had been a loyal member of the Rangers for nearly five years and held a high commanding rank. Upon hearing about Hunter's final request, the council hesitated, but unanimously decided to honor it. Archer suddenly found himself fourth in command of the Rangers.
A ceremony was held commemorating those lost in the battle, and a stonecutter was commissioned to start work on a monument that would stand in their honor.
Archer never saw Alyse, save on brief occasions, and she avoided speaking to him. Once, he had run into her and tried to start a conversation; she kept it short and brought it to an abrupt end by suddenly eyeing someone she needed to talk to. Archer watched her leave the area without stopping to talk to anyone.
A few days later the sudden realization that he was alone struck Archer. He had lost everyone he had called a friend, none of them were alive. He journeyed to the Quiet Tavern every once in a while, just to keep the dust from settling in and taking over. He never bothered keeping it open for business, though.
On one such trip, he opened the doors and thought he heard voices in the cellar. When he checked, however, he found that the tavern was just how he had left it. Empty.
CHAPTER LIV
Archer steadied himself as a strong gust of wind near pushed him off the cliff. From this place, he could see all of the southeastern part of Fetare. Below him stood a vast forest blanketed in mist, to the far East was the harbor town where he had first set foot on the island, and in the South was the large iceberg that had struck the shore. Overhead a storm was brewing. On the horizon he could make out dark storm clouds slowly moving towards the island, already overhead were smaller, light grey clouds that were misting the island in a light rain. Sounds of distant thunder could be heard steadily growing nearer.
He thought back a few years to when he had first seen Fetare. They had all been alive then, Saren, Cyrius, Viper, and Hunter. Of course, Flame and Flare had died, but he still had friends then. Despite their costly victory over the Darkblade group, the terrorists were still letting their presence be known. The assassinations had increased, and were more focused. The council and random high ranking officers were no longer targets, now it was Archer's own team. What had once numbered thirty was slowly dwindled down to three, and they had left the group. Everyone Archer knew as a slight acquaintance was soon cut down by the assassins; no one who claimed to know the Draconian escaped at least a very close assassination attempt.
One of the most painful killings for Archer was the night William Rhymer, one of Hunter's old friends, was struck by a small poisoned dart while talking to Archer himself. Archer watched helplessly as the knight died, and the unknown assassin escaped. Now fingers were starting to point at him, and the rest of the Rangers started to keep their distance.
Archer still felt some relief that Alyse was still alive, and that no attempt on her life had been made. However, a small nagging voice inside of him told him that it was only a matter of time. Not a day passed that he feared her safety.
The storm was now passing overhead. Lightning danced over the forest, setting several small blazes. The thunder grew nearer and louder, and the wind picked up again, threatening to throw Archer from the cliff. He stepped back just as the rain began to fall in sheets.
There was a sudden loud blast, almost an explosion, as a tremendously loud thunderclap sounded. The force behind the thunder shook the cliff and almost knocked Archer down. He felt a sudden sensation of heat behind him and turned.
A tree, not fifteen feet from him, had been struck by lightning and was ablaze. A shiver coursed through Archer. Standing under the tree, seemingly unaffected by the fact that it was burning, was a figure clad in a black cloak. Two blood red eyes glowed from under the hood of the cloak and pierced Archer's own. The figure emitted a low laugh and stepped from under the tree. There was a crack and a burning limb fell to the ground, splintering as it hit the spot where the figure had just been standing. The figure continued as if he had not noticed the near fatal accident.
The figure stopped ten feet away from Archer and threw his hood back. Archer hissed and narrowed his eyes.
"What is wrong, Archer?" Pyre took a step forward. "You seem upset."
"You will die." Archer reached for his sword.
"Go ahead, attack. I am unarmed." Pyre waited, but the attack never came. "You would have died anyway. Face it, you are in no state to fight. Your mind would not act quickly enough and even I, though unarmed, would win."
Archer sighed, Pyre was right. Any attempt to fight would be fatal. "Why are you here?"
"I wish to speak to you about what is happening. I take it that you have realized what our targets are, am I right?" Archer gave a slow nod. "I am here for two reasons: to make sure it is working, and to tell you a little secret." Pyre slowly made his way to where Archer was standing and glared at him. "Alyse is our next target."
Archer lashed out, reaching for Pyre's throat. He was too slow, however, and Pyre ended up pinning him to the ground by forcing one of his arms behind his back.
"Get one thing straight, Scythe, I want you to live to see and feel what it is like to have your life ruined." Pyre let Archer up. "I am telling you that Alyse is the next target, but I will not tell you when the attempt will be made. You are helpless to defend her at all times, and the strike will come when you least suspect it."
Pyre turned and began walking back towards the burning tree. He turned suddenly to face Archer again.
"I was assigned the task of eliminating all of the threats to our armies in the northern Mirkilains. I took it upon myself to destroy the Callystrins, and the Ghurals. The Ghurals are now dead. Do you remember them, Flame and Flare? Now I must make sure that the Callystrins die. You saved me the trouble of killing Stryker and Celeste, for that, I am thankful. One died a long time ago when her egg was crushed while I was stealing yours. Eleanor died while watching you leave. Alyse will be next, and you will live with the torment and pain of knowing you could do nothing. You killed my NeitKorps, I will kill your family."
Pyre pulled the hood over his face, but kept his blood red eyes locked on Archer's amber eyes. Archer took a step towards him, but a flash of light halted his advance. The thunderclap was deafening, and when Archer looked up all that remained was a scorched area of grass.
CHAPTER LV
A cold wind blew from the south, taking the storm clouds that had plagued Fetare to another unknown destination. For once, things seemed to calm down. The Rangers had been placed on standby, in case some new conflict threatened to arise, and Archer spent most of his time reflecting on past events and things yet to come.
He planned ahead for whenever he might chance to meet Alyse again, carefully finding words to show how he felt, and then discarding others he thought to be inappropriate for the occasion. The days went by and soon he ran out of ideas of how to make his prepared speech better, so he spent the days counting down how many more would pass until Alyse's group returned from a long-term scouting assignment.
That day found Archer waiting impatiently by the main entrance to the keep. He had been scanning the horizon, but not eyeing anything, turned to speak to a young knight who had been posted to watch the gate. Archer soon found himself so drawn into the conversation that both he and the guard failed to notice that someone had entered the gates unchecked.
"Archer, we meet again."
Archer froze. He knew the voice, yet it seemed so much more frail and weak than when he had heard it last. He turned to face the figure of the past. She was pale, and it seemed to Archer that she was no more than a shell of her former self. Her blue eyes, which had once been strong and piercing, were now almost lifeless, and faded.
"I thought you had…."
"Died?" Flare finished the sentence. "A dagger bites deep and stings, but it does not kill unless the one wielding it makes certain it has."
"Where have you been this past year?"
"No where. Hiding at home waiting for a war to pass." She took a step towards Archer. "Archer, I shan't be here much longer; even you can see that so do not try to tell me otherwise. I wanted to tell you that it is over, the war is finished." A faint smile played across her face. "We won."
"What about my kind?"
"They have fled, vanished just like my kind has. Both have gone away and into hiding."
Archer eyed her curiously. "Why should your kind leave if the war is over?"
'We are heroes, Archer. There is no rest for a living hero. The war is over, but it cost much. Our kind was devastated; few remain in the Mirkilains. Those that do are in isolated areas. The others have gone to find a place to rest."
"What about the dark dragons?"
"They have gone too, and for the same reason."
"So are you leaving to rest?"
"For ever, Archer." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "Archer, of everything you can possibly lose, do everything you can to not lose the ability to trust others. I lost that, and it has killed me. There is no one I know whom I am able to trust and run to. I let suspicion and fear rule my life ever since Flame's death, and I have never been able to heal the wound that caused.
"I am slowly dying, not from wounds, but because I do not have anyone to help me and I have become weak. Archer, I came to warn you. Your search, it can either end happily and you will live on knowing you belong. You will have some resemblance of a family you can talk about. You will be able to share the Callystrin family stories with anyone you chose. Your life will hold so much promise and you will grow to become a strong individual.
"But your search can also devastate you. That which you seek is a part of your heart, and to not find what you seek will destroy you. I know what it feels like to have a heart torn into pieces. Your hopes seem high, and that is good for now, but if you ask and the answer is no, those high hopes and good spirits will be your doom. Archer, never, for one moment, think I thought of you as only a friend. You and Cyrius were the two sons I never had. I heard of Cyrius' death, there are few that do not know him now in the Knighthood's ranks; I died a death equal to that from when Flame died.
"Archer, take care of yourself. Remember these words: if you ever fall in love, and this is with anyone, you will be pained because that person will go away sometime in your life. I have no doubts you experienced this when Cyrius died, and I guarantee that will not be the last. Remember what I have said, Archer, always. Take it into your heart and when something tragic happens remember to not lose trust in others. If you do, no one can help you."
She turned and began walking out the gates. She stopped at the Keeps limits and glanced back over her shoulder.
"Good luck and farewell, Archer. This is the last time we will ever see each other, though I wish it were not. Goodbye. You are a dragon's son, Archer, no matter what your appearance may be. All of the loyalty, all of the kindness that one finds in the large Snowdragons, they can see shining in you tenfold."
She turned and vanished over a small hill just as Alyse's scouting group appeared on the horizon.
Archer waited until the group had entered the gates before he pulled Alyse aside.
"We need to talk. Would you like to here, or somewhere else?"
"How about sometime else?"
Archer winced. "Please do not make this more awkward than it is for me. How about tonight at the Quiet Tavern?"
Alyse glanced skyward. "It is going to rain."
"Then let it rain. I just want an answer. You have had a while to think it over, and now I want to know what your opinion on the matter is; who I am."
"Very well, I know the tavern. I will be there at nightfall."
She walked away, leaving Archer alone again.
CHAPTER LVI
The storm hit only a few hours later. Rain fell in blinding sheets as blue lightning danced in all directions, bringing with it the resonating boom of thunder. On the coasts, the water rose and flooded everything unfortunate enough to get in its way. The Harbor town was slowly drowning in a foot of rapidly rising muddy water. The creeks and rivers were swollen and rising above their banks, even the Pearl Lake had risen and overflowed its boundaries. Archer began to worry Alyse would not show. To the eye, night had already fallen, but the sun was not due to set for another hour yet. That hour came and with it, Alyse.
Archer offered her a drink, but she politely refused. He waited for her to find a seat before he spoke.
"Alyse, you know what I have come to seek. You know my story; you know your past. I will ask this once: who am I?" He paused and took in a breath. "If you do not answer, I will assume you do not know, or you think I am not of your blood. If that is the case, this cloak and this brooch that I wear now are not mine and I will return them to you. You can then seek out your lost brother on your own."
Archer let the silence fall and leaned up against the wall opposite the door, just next to the bar. For what was fifteen minutes, yet seemed like ages, passed, broken only by thunder and the sound of rain on the roof of the tavern. No answer came.
Archer nodded to himself and made his way across the room. "I understand. Here, take this back then." He moved to unclasp the cloak but Alyse stopped him.
"Keep it, it is cold outside."
He shook his head and folded it up on the table she was sitting at, leaving the brooch to sit on top of it. Then he walked out through the door, leaving it open.
Alyse watched him leave and suddenly broke out in tears. "Archer!" No answer came. She ran to the door, the figure was slowly fading away into the darkness. She ran out the door calling after him.
The storm moved overhead and the thunder grew closer and louder. She ran on, determined to reach him.
"Archer!"
A flash of lightning lit up the sky and everything around her. She froze. She had been mistaken. She figure drew a dark blade and made his way towards her, his blood red eyes glowing in the black night.
"You can run, but I will find you wherever you go." Pyre laughed.
"The war is over, you lost."
"Not yet, the war is not over yet. It may be over in the Mirkilains, but until I finish my goal, my war is not over."
"Learn to leave when you are not wanted."
Alyse heard steel slide from a sheath behind her and glanced back. It was Archer.
"Archer, is that you? I get us mixed up every now and then." Pyre grinned and readied to attack.
"Leave her alone, we both know you only want me."
"How true." Pyre spat the words out. "If you live, so will she. If you die, there is nothing I can do to guarantee her safety."
Pyre brought his blade up and charged. Archer pushed Alyse out of the way of the oncoming attack and brought his own blade up to defend. Alyse lost her balance and hit the ground. When she looked up, she could see nothing. She glanced around nervously, the sounds of the battle could still be heard in the storm, but she could see nothing. A sudden shriek filled the air and silence fell.
She heard someone approach her. A flash of lightning lit the sky and she saw it was Archer, though something seemed wrong. He was limping and hunched over, clutching a wound that she could not see without sufficient light. She ran over to him.
"Alyse, are you alright?"
"I am fine. What about you, are you hurt badly?"
"No."
"Archer, I need to tell you something. I could not answer because I feared my own conclusion. My mother," she shook her head, "she could never have made a mistake about her own child. When I see you, Archer, I see a piece of her that I thought was lost."
"So then, what is your conclusion."
Alyse panicked, he seemed to be growing weaker from his wounds.
"Archer," she paused. "Drysdin, I believe you are my brother."
Archer started to say something, but a loud thunderclap drowned out his words. He suddenly stumbled forward and Alyse went to catch him. As her hands came around his back, she felt the cold steel shaft of an arrow. A chill coursed through her and she gently lowered him to the ground.
A low cackle rose from behind her. "How sweet. Loving sister, faithful to the end."
Alyse picked up Drysdin's silver blade and turned to face Pyre. The draconian drew his own blade as he cast the spent crossbow aside. A flash of lightning quickly revealed to Alyse he was wounded worse than Drysdin had been. She grinned.
"Alyse, you are about to witness the final death in the Callystrin family line, yours."
"Try me." She gritted her teeth, raised her blade, and readied to face Pyre.
He attacked stronger than she had thought he could, and she almost paid for her underestimation of her opponent, but she quickly regained her composure and slowly worked towards gaining an offensive. Blow after blow, they fought on in the rain. Alyse finally saw her chance; she attacked high, bringing the blade down from over her head. Pyre blocked, leaving himself open to an attack.
Alyse was never able to carry through, though. Even as she brought her blade down for what would have been a final blow, Pyre pulled a small, mini-crossbow out from under his cloak and fired. The steel bolt was aimed improperly, but still found a target. Alyse fell back and dropped the blade as the steel bolt buried itself in her arm.
Pyre advanced quickly and lowered the tip of his blade towards Alyse's throat.
"Time to die, like all others before you."
Alyse glanced over to where she had left Drysdin, though she must have looked in the wrong direction because he was gone. She looked back up at the glowing blood red eyes. They faded abruptly, and Pyre uttered a gasp as a silver blade suddenly dug into his side. Alyse rolled out of the way as the draconian collapsed. The blade was pulled free and raised for another attack.
"Leave…my family…alone." Archer buried the blade into Pyre's back. He dropped the blade and stepped back, but he was too weak and his legs buckled under him.
"Drysdin!" Alyse stood and caught him as he began to fall, ignoring the pain that protested the action in her arm.
"Alyse…" He gave her a weak smile. "I want to go home."
"You can, nothing is going to stop you."
She held him tight, noticing that he had pulled the arrow from his back on his own. He was probably bleeding to death. Her emotions flooded her and she cried. The sounds of her sobs were soon lost, however, in the falling rain.
"Do not let anyone tell you what you are and are not capable of doing; only you can find out what you can do."
-Drysdin "Archer" Callystrin
EPILOGUE
The forest trees had yet to fully recover from the war, but everywhere she looked, peace was seen at last. It had been over a week since she had found her brother, and now Alyse was looking forward to returning home. It had been more than ten years since she had seen the den where she grew up. The shock of that stormy night still hung about her, but the past was gone, now a new future was waiting.
Alyse pushed a few branches aside and looked up ahead. The path lasted for another thirty yards; there it ended at the entrance of the Callystrin den. She grinned and sprinted up the path until she had arrived.
The den had been well taken care of; nothing was unclean or left unattended to. She ran a hand along the wall as she ventured deeper into the depths of the home. She suddenly found herself in the art room. She went from one painting to the other studying each one under the light that was cast by a shining blue crystal; noticing there were new works, signed by Flare Ghural. She admired the new additions to the collection for a while before moving to the library.
Once there, she searched until she found the journals Drysdin had told her about. She pulled one out and slowly thumbed through it, reading pieces of entries made before and after she had come into the world.
"I was wondering when you would show up."
She closed the journal and placed it back on the bookshelf. "There were still a few things I had to take care of."
Drysdin walked over to her and gave her a quick hug. Alyse noted he was still limping, but said nothing about it.
"How have you been, brother?"
"Busy, I met with the council two days ago, they are sending a small army to aid the Rangers in eliminating Pyre's forces. The war is finally over."
"Yes, it is."
Neither one of them spoke for a while. Alyse suddenly broke the silence. "I want to go and join the other dragons up north, in the icelands. You are welcome to come, but I think there is more for you here than there is up there."
Drysdin nodded. "Then what are you waiting for? Go, I will be fine here."
Alyse grinned. "Thank you for everything."
"Likewise. Please do not forget to write. I will try to visit."
"So will I, brother." She turned and started to leave. "Drysdin, take care."
"You too."
She rushed over to him and gave him a quick hug. The two went to the entrance together and he saw her off, waving farewell until he could no longer see the sun shining off of the silver scales on the horizon.
When she was gone, he limped back into the den and made his way to the main hall. He stopped at the mantel. Hanging over it was the picture where he had first found the journals. Under it was the two silver blades, arranged in an 'x' shape. He studied the objects for a moment before sitting down and continuing the writing he had started in his journal.
-Cyrius Centrelli
PART FIVE
CHAPTER LI
It had been almost a year since Saren's death. Pyre had failed to resurface, and Archer's apprenticeship with Hunter was over, he was now a Ranger. Hunter had told him when the apprenticeship had started that there was little he could do to improve Archer's fighting skills, as he felt Archer needed little in the way of improvement. He instead chose to just teach him the Ranger ideals, a few small but helpful defenses, and took him out on every call or assignment he was given. Archer countered the idea with a single thought, telling Hunter that no one, no matter how intelligent they seem, is finished learning within their lifetime. Hunter just shrugged.
However, not all things had gone as Archer wished. He had hoped that he would be able to meet Alyse sometime, seeing how both were Rangers. Unfortunately, a small conflict arose in the south, and the force Alyse was in had been sent out to resolve it. So far, they had failed to return and the council was hung on whether to send another force down and thin the numbers up north, or leave things as they were and begin recruiting out of season. Not to the surprise of some, Archer and Hunter volunteered to go. Their request was denied.
Archer then began a small, undercover, intelligence group and sent a few friends down south to see what was happening. A few returned and told of a large mass of ice that had crashed into the shore. The ice was melting rather slowly, and there were feuds as to who claimed it first. The Rangers reportedly had taken the iceberg by force and was fighting to restore order. Archer reported the news to the council.
The council had, since the last time Archer had met them, elected a new head judge. Several other judges had either retired or had been voted out. As it happened, the new judge was the one that had voted Archer into the Rangers. Several others also supported Archer in some way or form and saw the reason and drive behind the cause he stood for. Archer's support began to grow.
With the new information, the council decided to hold another vote. This time it was unanimous, a small force was to be sent down to aid in the peace keeping efforts; Archer volunteered immediately. However, the council voted against him, nine to one, and told him to remain in the northern part of the island. Archer was slightly agitated, but gave in to the command. As a reward for his efforts, he was offered the opportunity to start an intelligence group in the Rangers, as they had no organized group to handle the task. He agreed to the offer, but only if they would allow him to remain active in duty. The council agreed to his term.
Archer began to become more popular among the Rangers. He started up not only an intelligence group, but also a covert operations group with, of course, the council's permission. His skills and experience also helped him gain higher ranks in the battle group he was assigned to. To the surprise of many, Archer became one of the highest overall ranking people to ever become a member in the Rangers, having attained the rank of Captain in the battle group, Legion Admiral in the intelligence group, and Legion Admiral in he covert operations group. He also became known for never letting anyone down on the battlefield.
After declaring he was through teaching Archer, Hunter was transferred to a small fighting force that was to be sent out to put down a rebellion in the east. Hunter was one of five to return, and the only one to return unharmed. Reported acts of valor and bravery earned him a new Silver Star.
Another incident involving hostages came up while Hunter was off duty. He was able to talk the hostage taker down and disarmed him. No body was hurt, save for Hunter who, in a small struggle to take the hostage taker's crossbow, was shot. The arrow, however, only scratched him. This got him yet another award.
In a speech, he reported that there was a new rise of violence. Everywhere rebellions sprung from nowhere, people who were once friends were enemies. Nothing was as it used to be. A group of assassins had started to dedicate their lives to the downfall of the Rangers.
The assassin group, which was called the self-proposed name Darkblade, was widely known among the Rangers. Archer had, on one occasion, ran into one of the members and had almost been killed. The assassin died before any questions could be asked.
Fetare, once a refuge from the wars in the Mirkilains, was succumbing to the slow death of a treasured peace. Instead of working to restore the peace, people began to take it out on the Rangers. New movements arose to disband the peacekeeping organization. People fought with people. Inside of a year, the year that saw Archer become a Ranger, the peace disappeared.
CHAPTER LII
Pyre looked out over his main battle group. They had fought fiercely and had outnumbered the Rangers greatly. However, the Rangers were so skilled in how they worked that they proved to be the better of his own forces. Now the two were near equal; and that was soon to change. Through a chain of messengers, he had sent a request to the remnants of the NeitKorps in the Mirkilains, telling them that a new front had been opened, and glory awaited them after their victory. He had notified them four days ago, and they had said that they would arrive within the week, if things went well in their passage. There was only one problem.
The Ranger forces had learned of the situation in the south and reinforcements were rumored to be coming. One group had already been sent, surprised, and destroyed, but the Darkblade force had been stronger then. In the condition they were in, they had to either receive reinforcements now, or be beaten back by the Rangers, possibly to the point of utter defeat.
The situation now, as it stood, was the Ranger force occupying the iceberg and everywhere within a one-hundred yard radius of it, the force itself standing with twenty warriors; and the Darkblade force constantly trying to uproot the Rangers with no success. When they had started, the numbers were in favor of the Darkblade, two to one. Now they were one and one.
He heard a long note sound from a horn. Another soon followed this, only the second was two short blasts. Reinforcements had arrived, but for the wrong side. He hissed and made his way to the watchtower, where another Draconian, a Baaz and a remnant of the original Fetare forces, stood watch.
How many?
The guard shook his head. No more than twenty, but Hunter and Archer are with them. They will reach their destination within the hour.
Pyre closed his eyes to think. How long did it take to deliver a message, and how long to reach a tiny island the likes of this? He made up his mind.
We attack in a quarter of an hour. Sound the call.
The Baaz gave his commander a puzzled look, but sounded the call to form ranks. In three minutes, all twenty warriors had formed into small groups of five. Each consisted of both Draconians and knights that had found their way here from the wars in the Mirkilains, but still wanted a fight. To Pyre, it was a small force, armed with a few lances, some longbows, and old swords that were too dull to carve anything cleanly. He turned and looked the force over, the sight made him chuckle. They would have to do, just for a short while.
He drew his own sword, one he had confiscated from the Nightstalker upon his death, and gazed at it with admiration before raising it over his head. He shouted a war cry and led his troops towards the ranger force.
Alyse heard the attackers before she saw them. A small hail of arrows flew through the air, seeking targets, and finding a few. There were screams as three fell to the ground with the shafts giving away the cause of death. She drew her own blade and shouted to the others. Despite the lack of reinforcements, there was still a spark of hope in the Ranger task force. However, this was fueled only by their successes at keeping the Darkblade force at bay.
"Milady, what is our plan this time?"
She turned and eyed a young officer. "Draw your sword and try to live, we will not lose."
He smiled sadly. "I wish I had your confidence."
"Trust me. I happen to know something you do not." She gave a wry smile and shouted at the rallying troops.
Another barrage of black arrows came from above, but the Rangers were ready. Shields were raised and everyone went unscathed. When they had formed up, lance bearers in the front, swordsmen in the middle, and archers in the rear, they waited. A few seconds and one more harmless arrow storm later, they saw their targets.
Archer heard it before the others did and took off running at the sound. The group gave questioning stares towards Hunter, but he trusted his friend's judgement and was soon running after. He shouted a command over his shoulder and the rest of the group drew weapons and charged.
Archer arrived first. He ducked one sword, thrust under another, and drew his second blade, swinging it about in a wide arc. Both of his attackers, both knights, fell to the ground. He took one look and confirmed they were with the Darkblade terrorist group. A scream cut through the air and Archer followed it to its source. The sight made him cringe. A Baaz had ambushed a Ranger and had driven a clawed hand through the knight's back. Death was certain. Archer charged.
Hunter arrived just as the Darkblade's reinforcements arrived. The newcomer Draconians had found a way up the iceberg and attacked from above and behind. The Rangers were not ready for this attack and were taken by surprise. Hunter waited for the rest of his group to arrive before they charged.
The spearhead tactic worked for a short while. The Darkblade forces were momentarily stunned, and four or five fell before they regained their senses. Then they fought on even stronger than before. The Rangers were outnumbered, and seemingly outmatched, but they held their ground. Hunter made a vow to take as many as he could before succumbing to their blades.
He picked a target, a tall Kapak who was cutting his way through a small group. Hunter raised his sword and charged, but was cut off by another, whom he could not identify as he brought his blade crashing down on his adversary's skull. The stunned Draconian fell to the ground and gazed blankly up at Hunter. A chill fell over the Ranger as he recognized who it was.
Pyre stood and raised his blade; a menacing scowl spread across his face, and he hissed as he readied to attack. Hunter glanced over at the Kapak, relieved to see that the beast had finally fallen to an unseen attack. He turned back to Pyre.
"You should not have come down here. Your fate is sealed; your death will be here." Pyre's words were accented as a Bozak died somewhere behind the two.
"Pyre, my death will be from something other than your blade."
"Knight, you will die like your brother. He was a coward too, his death was-"
Hunter attacked. Pyre blocked and immediately turned to an offensive. He delivered systematic blows, never leaving himself open to attack, and slowly pushing the knight to the ice wall. It was all Hunter could do to keep his sword from being knocked from his hand by the forceful blows. What happened next stunned both of the warriors.
Although he tried not to, Hunter blinked. As his eyes closed, they caught a bright flash, seemingly caused by metal glinting in the sun. When he reopened his eyes, flames had erupted all throughout the battlefield, scattering the Darkblade forces. Pyre had shrieked and suddenly abandoned his fight with Hunter, seeking shelter from the great Snowdragon that had suddenly appeared.
However, just as quickly as the tides had turned to favor the Rangers, they turned again. The dragon, obviously exhausted by the effort, near collapsed. Pyre looked at the silver beast, and then turned to look over his shoulder, an evil grin on his face, at Hunter. Pyre turned and charged.
Hunter was slow to react, and it cost him. Pyre's blade caught him in the side as he turned out of the way. The blade continued its course and drove into the ice wall, not stopping until it had reached the hilt. Hunter clutched his side and brought his sword up in defense as Pyre extracted his from the ice and attacked again. A wave of exhaustion came over Hunter, and though he tried to defend himself, knew he had lost.
He found himself back up against the iceberg. The sounds of the battle faded away and everything seemed to move in slow motion as Pyre brought the gleaming sword around. Hunter brought his blade up to block, and watched as the silver blade cleaved it in two. Pyre brought the blade back up and drove it through Hunter's gut, just under the ribcage. The blade continued through into the ice, and stuck.
Pyre made several attempts to extract the blade, but it had lodged itself firmly into the ice wall. He soon gave up and grinned maliciously at Hunter.
"Knight, you should have listened to me. I told you that you would die."
Something struck Pyre from behind and threw him against the ice wall, next to Hunter. A stinging sensation emanated from his back. He painfully turned to face his attacker and felt a low, throaty hiss rise. The hiss was cut off suddenly as Archer rammed his fist into Pyre's throat. Pyre gagged and fell to the ground, struggling for breath.
Archer knelt and pulled the other Sivak to his feet. Behind him, the Snowdragon had regained enough energy to unleash a second firestorm at a group near the iceberg itself. Archer ignored the battle behind him and pressed the tip of his sword against Pyre's throat.
Pyre had finally regained his breath and grinned. "Finish it, Archer. Finish this now."
A loud crack caused them both to look up. The firestorm had weakened the iceberg's surface, and a large section was threatening to fall, right where Archer and Pyre were standing. Without hesitation, Archer threw Pyre aside. He put an arm around Hunter, who was still barely managing to stay conscious, and pulled the sword free of the ice. The wall started to break free and fall. Archer pulled his friend a safe distance away just as the ice wall fell, burying Pyre.
Archer breathed a sigh of relief and turned his attention to his friend. Hunter took a hold of Archer's hand.
"Tell the council," he struggled, not having the energy to complete the entire phrase in one breath. "I am requesting that you take my place in command of the Rangers." Hunter stopped and regained his breath. "Farewell, friend."
Archer started to say something, but it was too late. Hunter died in his arms.
Alyse's energy was completely drained; the last firewall had taken what little she had left. Fortunately, there were only scattered remnants of the Darkblade force fighting. Some had retreated; others stayed to fight to the death. She heard a loud crack, but paid no mind to it. It was not until the ice wall crashed to the ground that she bothered to look up from her rest. She turned her gaze to the fallen ice. A Sivak crouched over a fallen Ranger caught her eye.
She stood, thinking at first that the Draconian was the one responsible for the Ranger's death, and was readying an attack. The only thing that held her at bay was a faint sense of recognition that slowly crept into her thoughts. Her mind took her back to an attack in a tavern, when she had gone for help the Ranger, who now lay dead before her, was accompanied by a Sivak.
She hesitated and glanced around; she was the only one who seemed to notice. She looked back at the Draconian and watched as he produced a silver blade that was blood covered and had lain next to the Ranger. The Draconian whispered something, just soft enough to be unintelligible to her ears, and left the Ranger.
Archer knew he was being watched, judged, and he did not care. He found a target and made his way to a Kapak who was shouting orders at some unseen troops. The Kapak never finished a command and tumbled to the ground, stunned, as Archer withdrew his blade from the Draconian's back. He carried out four more executions, and would have carried out more, but the Darkblade forces had been beaten and no more remained.
CHAPTER LII
The aftermath of the battle was more shocking than the battle itself. The Rangers had suffered a great loss; twenty-five of the knights had died. Most of the deaths were due to the surprise attack from the rear by the Darkblade reinforcements. Darkblade, on the other hand, lost significantly more. There had been twenty-one when the battle began, near fifty after reinforcements arrived, and now only an estimated eight had escaped from the battle.
Alyse's secret had stunned every one, with the exception of Archer who had known, but never thought to tell of her really being a Snowdragon. She had left the battlefield and found a place to rest, away from the rest of the group. Archer was slightly annoyed, he had hoped to speak with her, but it would have to wait.
They had done some searching among the shattered remains of the collapsed ice wall, and Archer was horrified and maddened to find that only his two blades remained, Pyre was nowhere to be found. He had thought about organizing a search group, but quickly decided against it, as he felt that the Rangers had been through enough and needed rest.
Hunter's request had been honored, and the senior officer present had vowed that he would back up Archer, and Hunter's request, upon their return to the Northern Keep. After the devastating scene of that day, things had suddenly calmed down. However, with this came the task of burying the dead. Graves were dug, and memorials placed for those who had died in the battle. One of the knights had taken it upon himself to record everything that had happened, to the best of his abilities, and included a list of the names of those who gave their lives for the cause.
Archer trekked on his own some distance away from the camp and found a quiet place of his own to just stop and think the day's events. The harsh realization of what had happened was difficult to cope with; Hunter had been a good friend. His death brought old memories of Cyrius, and Viper; the latter of the two he now wished he had known better. Too many memories, too much destruction and death. What he faced now he was certain was the very thing Cyrius had sought to leave behind when he came to the island. He thought of Flare and Flame, they were dead too. This brought him back to the night he led the raid that took the lives of Stryker and Celeste.
Do not lose sight of your goal, though obstacles clutter your view. The thought brought some comfort, but not enough.
"Archer,"
He whirled around and found Alyse sitting in the low branches of a tree.
"I am sorry, I never heard you coming." Archer settled back down to where he was sitting on the ground.
"You never would have, I was here first. We have similar taste in quiet places." She slid from the tree and landed noiselessly on the ground. "Archer, I have heard rumors, none of which I believe to be true, of why you are here." She paused. "Why are you?"
"The answer is difficult and lengthy, if you have the time." He waited, she said nothing. "My name is, according to my kind, Scythe. I was the commander of a defensive force in the Mirkilains. Our ruler decided that the only way to win the war was to strike hard and strong, a coordinated joint effort. He chose my group to attack a Snowdragon den.
"The den we were assigned to was home to two dragons, a mated couple, and the attack was a success," he paused. "Unfortunately. Before she died, however, the female silver changed my life. She spoke to me as if she knew me, and I knew I had never met her before in my life. She gave me something that I have been meaning to show to you and ask you about."
He reached into a pouch at his side and withdrew a clenched fist. Alyse hesitated slightly, but took whatever it was when he offered it to her. When she opened her hands and saw what it was a gasp escaped her lips.
"You recognize that piece then?" He took a deep breath. "I was the one who killed Celeste, and Stryker. I am sorry. However, now I must ask one thing, if you will hear me out after learning what I have done." She gave a slow nod and he continued. "There is no easy way to say this that will make it any less awkward, but I will try. Celeste, your mother, knew me, when I met with your sister she also admitted I knew things that no one outside of the family knows. Songs that Celeste would sing at the side of the nest, I was able to recite them. I also found the journals she wrote, stowed in a picture over the mantel. As much as it pains me to say, I have begun to believe that I not only killed your parents," he stopped and looked up at her, "but mine as well."
Silence hung for what seemed like hours. Archer, now wholly at the mercy of whatever came next, looked away from her and stood. He walked to a nearby tree and leaned up against it, his back to her.
"I know it seems hard to think of, but I had to bring it to your attention. That is why I am here."
Silence enshrouded them again and hung about for seemingly an eternity this time. Alyse looked from the Snowdragon brooch and up at Archer. Too many mixed emotions were running through her mind to fully comprehend what was happening. Although it seemed logical, it was too unlikely that this could be the one that had been stolen, the one that her mother had mourned the loss of so much. Perhaps her mother was mistaken. In all of her grief and pain, the mistake would have been easy. Indeed, Alyse could have easily said no right there, ending the Draconian's search.
She moved around so she could see his face and looked into his eyes. There was nothing in them that told her he was not telling the truth. Everything she saw in them told her he was speaking what he believed true. The one thing that kept her from telling him he was wrong, however, was that when she looked into his eyes she saw her mother. She was not even sure herself if Archer's beliefs were wrong.
"This is sudden, unexpected." She broke the silence. "I will need more time."
She started to hand back the brooch, but he stopped her.
"Keep it, she told me it belonged to you."
Archer smiled sadly and disappeared into the forest, leaving Alyse alone again. She looked down at the brooch, and then back at the spot that Archer had just left. She looked back down at the brooch, the Snowdragon's sapphire blue eyes seemed to be watching, waiting for something. She closed her eyes and was flooded by memories of home.
The journey back was slow, silent, and the entire way a gloom seemed to hang about the group. Archer took up the lead, by choice of most of the knights, and Alyse, by her own choice, took up the rear. Archer could only note that her face wore a tired expression, and she was visibly upset by the past day's events. Archer could not help feeling mostly responsible for her emotional state.
It took the group four days to reach their goal; by the time they did the mood had lightened to some extent. Archer and Alyse were both called upon by the council to give full reports of what had happened. They were somewhat impressed by Alyse's hidden identity, and worried when Archer told them that they had not found any sign of Pyre after the fight. The loss of Hunter shocked everyone who heard of it. Archer found out that he had been a loyal member of the Rangers for nearly five years and held a high commanding rank. Upon hearing about Hunter's final request, the council hesitated, but unanimously decided to honor it. Archer suddenly found himself fourth in command of the Rangers.
A ceremony was held commemorating those lost in the battle, and a stonecutter was commissioned to start work on a monument that would stand in their honor.
Archer never saw Alyse, save on brief occasions, and she avoided speaking to him. Once, he had run into her and tried to start a conversation; she kept it short and brought it to an abrupt end by suddenly eyeing someone she needed to talk to. Archer watched her leave the area without stopping to talk to anyone.
A few days later the sudden realization that he was alone struck Archer. He had lost everyone he had called a friend, none of them were alive. He journeyed to the Quiet Tavern every once in a while, just to keep the dust from settling in and taking over. He never bothered keeping it open for business, though.
On one such trip, he opened the doors and thought he heard voices in the cellar. When he checked, however, he found that the tavern was just how he had left it. Empty.
CHAPTER LIV
Archer steadied himself as a strong gust of wind near pushed him off the cliff. From this place, he could see all of the southeastern part of Fetare. Below him stood a vast forest blanketed in mist, to the far East was the harbor town where he had first set foot on the island, and in the South was the large iceberg that had struck the shore. Overhead a storm was brewing. On the horizon he could make out dark storm clouds slowly moving towards the island, already overhead were smaller, light grey clouds that were misting the island in a light rain. Sounds of distant thunder could be heard steadily growing nearer.
He thought back a few years to when he had first seen Fetare. They had all been alive then, Saren, Cyrius, Viper, and Hunter. Of course, Flame and Flare had died, but he still had friends then. Despite their costly victory over the Darkblade group, the terrorists were still letting their presence be known. The assassinations had increased, and were more focused. The council and random high ranking officers were no longer targets, now it was Archer's own team. What had once numbered thirty was slowly dwindled down to three, and they had left the group. Everyone Archer knew as a slight acquaintance was soon cut down by the assassins; no one who claimed to know the Draconian escaped at least a very close assassination attempt.
One of the most painful killings for Archer was the night William Rhymer, one of Hunter's old friends, was struck by a small poisoned dart while talking to Archer himself. Archer watched helplessly as the knight died, and the unknown assassin escaped. Now fingers were starting to point at him, and the rest of the Rangers started to keep their distance.
Archer still felt some relief that Alyse was still alive, and that no attempt on her life had been made. However, a small nagging voice inside of him told him that it was only a matter of time. Not a day passed that he feared her safety.
The storm was now passing overhead. Lightning danced over the forest, setting several small blazes. The thunder grew nearer and louder, and the wind picked up again, threatening to throw Archer from the cliff. He stepped back just as the rain began to fall in sheets.
There was a sudden loud blast, almost an explosion, as a tremendously loud thunderclap sounded. The force behind the thunder shook the cliff and almost knocked Archer down. He felt a sudden sensation of heat behind him and turned.
A tree, not fifteen feet from him, had been struck by lightning and was ablaze. A shiver coursed through Archer. Standing under the tree, seemingly unaffected by the fact that it was burning, was a figure clad in a black cloak. Two blood red eyes glowed from under the hood of the cloak and pierced Archer's own. The figure emitted a low laugh and stepped from under the tree. There was a crack and a burning limb fell to the ground, splintering as it hit the spot where the figure had just been standing. The figure continued as if he had not noticed the near fatal accident.
The figure stopped ten feet away from Archer and threw his hood back. Archer hissed and narrowed his eyes.
"What is wrong, Archer?" Pyre took a step forward. "You seem upset."
"You will die." Archer reached for his sword.
"Go ahead, attack. I am unarmed." Pyre waited, but the attack never came. "You would have died anyway. Face it, you are in no state to fight. Your mind would not act quickly enough and even I, though unarmed, would win."
Archer sighed, Pyre was right. Any attempt to fight would be fatal. "Why are you here?"
"I wish to speak to you about what is happening. I take it that you have realized what our targets are, am I right?" Archer gave a slow nod. "I am here for two reasons: to make sure it is working, and to tell you a little secret." Pyre slowly made his way to where Archer was standing and glared at him. "Alyse is our next target."
Archer lashed out, reaching for Pyre's throat. He was too slow, however, and Pyre ended up pinning him to the ground by forcing one of his arms behind his back.
"Get one thing straight, Scythe, I want you to live to see and feel what it is like to have your life ruined." Pyre let Archer up. "I am telling you that Alyse is the next target, but I will not tell you when the attempt will be made. You are helpless to defend her at all times, and the strike will come when you least suspect it."
Pyre turned and began walking back towards the burning tree. He turned suddenly to face Archer again.
"I was assigned the task of eliminating all of the threats to our armies in the northern Mirkilains. I took it upon myself to destroy the Callystrins, and the Ghurals. The Ghurals are now dead. Do you remember them, Flame and Flare? Now I must make sure that the Callystrins die. You saved me the trouble of killing Stryker and Celeste, for that, I am thankful. One died a long time ago when her egg was crushed while I was stealing yours. Eleanor died while watching you leave. Alyse will be next, and you will live with the torment and pain of knowing you could do nothing. You killed my NeitKorps, I will kill your family."
Pyre pulled the hood over his face, but kept his blood red eyes locked on Archer's amber eyes. Archer took a step towards him, but a flash of light halted his advance. The thunderclap was deafening, and when Archer looked up all that remained was a scorched area of grass.
CHAPTER LV
A cold wind blew from the south, taking the storm clouds that had plagued Fetare to another unknown destination. For once, things seemed to calm down. The Rangers had been placed on standby, in case some new conflict threatened to arise, and Archer spent most of his time reflecting on past events and things yet to come.
He planned ahead for whenever he might chance to meet Alyse again, carefully finding words to show how he felt, and then discarding others he thought to be inappropriate for the occasion. The days went by and soon he ran out of ideas of how to make his prepared speech better, so he spent the days counting down how many more would pass until Alyse's group returned from a long-term scouting assignment.
That day found Archer waiting impatiently by the main entrance to the keep. He had been scanning the horizon, but not eyeing anything, turned to speak to a young knight who had been posted to watch the gate. Archer soon found himself so drawn into the conversation that both he and the guard failed to notice that someone had entered the gates unchecked.
"Archer, we meet again."
Archer froze. He knew the voice, yet it seemed so much more frail and weak than when he had heard it last. He turned to face the figure of the past. She was pale, and it seemed to Archer that she was no more than a shell of her former self. Her blue eyes, which had once been strong and piercing, were now almost lifeless, and faded.
"I thought you had…."
"Died?" Flare finished the sentence. "A dagger bites deep and stings, but it does not kill unless the one wielding it makes certain it has."
"Where have you been this past year?"
"No where. Hiding at home waiting for a war to pass." She took a step towards Archer. "Archer, I shan't be here much longer; even you can see that so do not try to tell me otherwise. I wanted to tell you that it is over, the war is finished." A faint smile played across her face. "We won."
"What about my kind?"
"They have fled, vanished just like my kind has. Both have gone away and into hiding."
Archer eyed her curiously. "Why should your kind leave if the war is over?"
'We are heroes, Archer. There is no rest for a living hero. The war is over, but it cost much. Our kind was devastated; few remain in the Mirkilains. Those that do are in isolated areas. The others have gone to find a place to rest."
"What about the dark dragons?"
"They have gone too, and for the same reason."
"So are you leaving to rest?"
"For ever, Archer." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "Archer, of everything you can possibly lose, do everything you can to not lose the ability to trust others. I lost that, and it has killed me. There is no one I know whom I am able to trust and run to. I let suspicion and fear rule my life ever since Flame's death, and I have never been able to heal the wound that caused.
"I am slowly dying, not from wounds, but because I do not have anyone to help me and I have become weak. Archer, I came to warn you. Your search, it can either end happily and you will live on knowing you belong. You will have some resemblance of a family you can talk about. You will be able to share the Callystrin family stories with anyone you chose. Your life will hold so much promise and you will grow to become a strong individual.
"But your search can also devastate you. That which you seek is a part of your heart, and to not find what you seek will destroy you. I know what it feels like to have a heart torn into pieces. Your hopes seem high, and that is good for now, but if you ask and the answer is no, those high hopes and good spirits will be your doom. Archer, never, for one moment, think I thought of you as only a friend. You and Cyrius were the two sons I never had. I heard of Cyrius' death, there are few that do not know him now in the Knighthood's ranks; I died a death equal to that from when Flame died.
"Archer, take care of yourself. Remember these words: if you ever fall in love, and this is with anyone, you will be pained because that person will go away sometime in your life. I have no doubts you experienced this when Cyrius died, and I guarantee that will not be the last. Remember what I have said, Archer, always. Take it into your heart and when something tragic happens remember to not lose trust in others. If you do, no one can help you."
She turned and began walking out the gates. She stopped at the Keeps limits and glanced back over her shoulder.
"Good luck and farewell, Archer. This is the last time we will ever see each other, though I wish it were not. Goodbye. You are a dragon's son, Archer, no matter what your appearance may be. All of the loyalty, all of the kindness that one finds in the large Snowdragons, they can see shining in you tenfold."
She turned and vanished over a small hill just as Alyse's scouting group appeared on the horizon.
Archer waited until the group had entered the gates before he pulled Alyse aside.
"We need to talk. Would you like to here, or somewhere else?"
"How about sometime else?"
Archer winced. "Please do not make this more awkward than it is for me. How about tonight at the Quiet Tavern?"
Alyse glanced skyward. "It is going to rain."
"Then let it rain. I just want an answer. You have had a while to think it over, and now I want to know what your opinion on the matter is; who I am."
"Very well, I know the tavern. I will be there at nightfall."
She walked away, leaving Archer alone again.
CHAPTER LVI
The storm hit only a few hours later. Rain fell in blinding sheets as blue lightning danced in all directions, bringing with it the resonating boom of thunder. On the coasts, the water rose and flooded everything unfortunate enough to get in its way. The Harbor town was slowly drowning in a foot of rapidly rising muddy water. The creeks and rivers were swollen and rising above their banks, even the Pearl Lake had risen and overflowed its boundaries. Archer began to worry Alyse would not show. To the eye, night had already fallen, but the sun was not due to set for another hour yet. That hour came and with it, Alyse.
Archer offered her a drink, but she politely refused. He waited for her to find a seat before he spoke.
"Alyse, you know what I have come to seek. You know my story; you know your past. I will ask this once: who am I?" He paused and took in a breath. "If you do not answer, I will assume you do not know, or you think I am not of your blood. If that is the case, this cloak and this brooch that I wear now are not mine and I will return them to you. You can then seek out your lost brother on your own."
Archer let the silence fall and leaned up against the wall opposite the door, just next to the bar. For what was fifteen minutes, yet seemed like ages, passed, broken only by thunder and the sound of rain on the roof of the tavern. No answer came.
Archer nodded to himself and made his way across the room. "I understand. Here, take this back then." He moved to unclasp the cloak but Alyse stopped him.
"Keep it, it is cold outside."
He shook his head and folded it up on the table she was sitting at, leaving the brooch to sit on top of it. Then he walked out through the door, leaving it open.
Alyse watched him leave and suddenly broke out in tears. "Archer!" No answer came. She ran to the door, the figure was slowly fading away into the darkness. She ran out the door calling after him.
The storm moved overhead and the thunder grew closer and louder. She ran on, determined to reach him.
"Archer!"
A flash of lightning lit up the sky and everything around her. She froze. She had been mistaken. She figure drew a dark blade and made his way towards her, his blood red eyes glowing in the black night.
"You can run, but I will find you wherever you go." Pyre laughed.
"The war is over, you lost."
"Not yet, the war is not over yet. It may be over in the Mirkilains, but until I finish my goal, my war is not over."
"Learn to leave when you are not wanted."
Alyse heard steel slide from a sheath behind her and glanced back. It was Archer.
"Archer, is that you? I get us mixed up every now and then." Pyre grinned and readied to attack.
"Leave her alone, we both know you only want me."
"How true." Pyre spat the words out. "If you live, so will she. If you die, there is nothing I can do to guarantee her safety."
Pyre brought his blade up and charged. Archer pushed Alyse out of the way of the oncoming attack and brought his own blade up to defend. Alyse lost her balance and hit the ground. When she looked up, she could see nothing. She glanced around nervously, the sounds of the battle could still be heard in the storm, but she could see nothing. A sudden shriek filled the air and silence fell.
She heard someone approach her. A flash of lightning lit the sky and she saw it was Archer, though something seemed wrong. He was limping and hunched over, clutching a wound that she could not see without sufficient light. She ran over to him.
"Alyse, are you alright?"
"I am fine. What about you, are you hurt badly?"
"No."
"Archer, I need to tell you something. I could not answer because I feared my own conclusion. My mother," she shook her head, "she could never have made a mistake about her own child. When I see you, Archer, I see a piece of her that I thought was lost."
"So then, what is your conclusion."
Alyse panicked, he seemed to be growing weaker from his wounds.
"Archer," she paused. "Drysdin, I believe you are my brother."
Archer started to say something, but a loud thunderclap drowned out his words. He suddenly stumbled forward and Alyse went to catch him. As her hands came around his back, she felt the cold steel shaft of an arrow. A chill coursed through her and she gently lowered him to the ground.
A low cackle rose from behind her. "How sweet. Loving sister, faithful to the end."
Alyse picked up Drysdin's silver blade and turned to face Pyre. The draconian drew his own blade as he cast the spent crossbow aside. A flash of lightning quickly revealed to Alyse he was wounded worse than Drysdin had been. She grinned.
"Alyse, you are about to witness the final death in the Callystrin family line, yours."
"Try me." She gritted her teeth, raised her blade, and readied to face Pyre.
He attacked stronger than she had thought he could, and she almost paid for her underestimation of her opponent, but she quickly regained her composure and slowly worked towards gaining an offensive. Blow after blow, they fought on in the rain. Alyse finally saw her chance; she attacked high, bringing the blade down from over her head. Pyre blocked, leaving himself open to an attack.
Alyse was never able to carry through, though. Even as she brought her blade down for what would have been a final blow, Pyre pulled a small, mini-crossbow out from under his cloak and fired. The steel bolt was aimed improperly, but still found a target. Alyse fell back and dropped the blade as the steel bolt buried itself in her arm.
Pyre advanced quickly and lowered the tip of his blade towards Alyse's throat.
"Time to die, like all others before you."
Alyse glanced over to where she had left Drysdin, though she must have looked in the wrong direction because he was gone. She looked back up at the glowing blood red eyes. They faded abruptly, and Pyre uttered a gasp as a silver blade suddenly dug into his side. Alyse rolled out of the way as the draconian collapsed. The blade was pulled free and raised for another attack.
"Leave…my family…alone." Archer buried the blade into Pyre's back. He dropped the blade and stepped back, but he was too weak and his legs buckled under him.
"Drysdin!" Alyse stood and caught him as he began to fall, ignoring the pain that protested the action in her arm.
"Alyse…" He gave her a weak smile. "I want to go home."
"You can, nothing is going to stop you."
She held him tight, noticing that he had pulled the arrow from his back on his own. He was probably bleeding to death. Her emotions flooded her and she cried. The sounds of her sobs were soon lost, however, in the falling rain.
"Do not let anyone tell you what you are and are not capable of doing; only you can find out what you can do."
-Drysdin "Archer" Callystrin
EPILOGUE
The forest trees had yet to fully recover from the war, but everywhere she looked, peace was seen at last. It had been over a week since she had found her brother, and now Alyse was looking forward to returning home. It had been more than ten years since she had seen the den where she grew up. The shock of that stormy night still hung about her, but the past was gone, now a new future was waiting.
Alyse pushed a few branches aside and looked up ahead. The path lasted for another thirty yards; there it ended at the entrance of the Callystrin den. She grinned and sprinted up the path until she had arrived.
The den had been well taken care of; nothing was unclean or left unattended to. She ran a hand along the wall as she ventured deeper into the depths of the home. She suddenly found herself in the art room. She went from one painting to the other studying each one under the light that was cast by a shining blue crystal; noticing there were new works, signed by Flare Ghural. She admired the new additions to the collection for a while before moving to the library.
Once there, she searched until she found the journals Drysdin had told her about. She pulled one out and slowly thumbed through it, reading pieces of entries made before and after she had come into the world.
"I was wondering when you would show up."
She closed the journal and placed it back on the bookshelf. "There were still a few things I had to take care of."
Drysdin walked over to her and gave her a quick hug. Alyse noted he was still limping, but said nothing about it.
"How have you been, brother?"
"Busy, I met with the council two days ago, they are sending a small army to aid the Rangers in eliminating Pyre's forces. The war is finally over."
"Yes, it is."
Neither one of them spoke for a while. Alyse suddenly broke the silence. "I want to go and join the other dragons up north, in the icelands. You are welcome to come, but I think there is more for you here than there is up there."
Drysdin nodded. "Then what are you waiting for? Go, I will be fine here."
Alyse grinned. "Thank you for everything."
"Likewise. Please do not forget to write. I will try to visit."
"So will I, brother." She turned and started to leave. "Drysdin, take care."
"You too."
She rushed over to him and gave him a quick hug. The two went to the entrance together and he saw her off, waving farewell until he could no longer see the sun shining off of the silver scales on the horizon.
When she was gone, he limped back into the den and made his way to the main hall. He stopped at the mantel. Hanging over it was the picture where he had first found the journals. Under it was the two silver blades, arranged in an 'x' shape. He studied the objects for a moment before sitting down and continuing the writing he had started in his journal.