Chapter Four
Kairin's hands shook as she stuffed clothes into a linen sack. Her breathing was coming irregularly in sharp, short bursts. Leaire stood at the window, unblinking, staring into the darkness as if it was the most interesting thing she had ever seen. Packing was a strange experience for Kairin. She had lived all her life in a pointless, apathetic state, but now that everything had changed, she couldn't seem to leave anything behind. It took great willpower not to pack her collection of bird feathers.
"It's a strange feeling," Kairin admitted to Faeria, who was sitting like a sentinel beside her, watching her every move.
"I'm sure it is, although I can't say I understand it."
"I know you can't comprehend it, but not everyone is born knowing they're destined for greatness," Kairin said, a touch of humor in her tone. "Being told I'm all of a sudden important is sort of…Surreal." Very suddenly, Faeria swept her great head in and pressed her nose to Kairin's. She closed her eyes, and stayed there while tears began to streak Kairin's face.
"We'll be alright. Believe in us."
"I don't think I'm ready."
"Are you ready?" Leaire's voice suddenly rang out from across the room. Kairin paused for a moment, derailed, and reminded herself that Leaire couldn't hear her thoughts.
"Yes," she replied. Kairin was embarrassed at the weakness in her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Leaire?"
The elf grunted in response; she was staring out of the window into the darkness again.
"Can you tell me something?"
"What do you want to know?" Leaire said, distracted. Her eyes were locked on the outdoors.
"...Anything," replied Kairin. "You haven't told me anything." Leaire finally turned to look at her.
"What are you talking about? I've told you everything." Kairin shook her head firmly.
"No, you haven't. You've told me how you got here. You told me how Faeria came to me. But honestly, Leaire, the past isn't what's important. I need to know what's happening right now." Leaire stared back at her unflinchingly.
"Have you ever heard of Shades?" She asked. Kairin was taken aback by the sudden question.
"Only in story books," she said tentatively. Leaire continued without any indication that she had heard.
"Shades are magical beings, although the word "magic" doesn't seem to fully communicate the extent of their wizardry. A Shade is created when an elf goes bad. Their soul is corrupted. And, with that evil comes a great, horrible power. No living creature that respects life at all would dare to dream of using it. That is why Shades are so despicable, so awesomely terrifying." Leaire spoke like the storyteller back at Caravahall; her voice was dramatic to the point of almost comical. But Kairin understood, and the meaning behind the words was by no means humorous.
"I understand." Kairin neither needed nor wanted Leaire to clarify the purpose of her story. "But why would a creature like that be interested in me?"
"I don't think you do understand, Kairin," Leaire said, almost kindly. "You and Faeria are now one of the most powerful beings on earth. A more appropriate question would be why anyone wouldn't be 'interested' in you."
Kairin almost felt it physically; the rest of her human life was being left behind.
"So what do you plan to do?" Kairin's voice had changed. It was now bristling with steel.
"We have to get you to Farthen Dur, the headquarters of The Varden."
Amidst the fear and anxiety boiling in her stomach, Leaire's words sent a different emotion pulsing through her: exhilaration. Faeria swung her silver tail in two great sweeping motions across the floor. She could feel the excitement too. It was like a dream had sprung from Kairin's imagination and was now mixing with reality, sending boundaries flying.
"So it is real," Kairin whispered at last. Leaire was looking out the window again, this time with her palm up against the cold glass.
"What? Farthen Dur? Of course it's real." Leaire pressed her palm harder against the window, and turned to faced Kairin. "The Varden keep up this illusion that they have no set headquarters on purpose. It makes it much more difficult for our enemies to find us if they believe that we're scattered around Alagaesia."
Suddenly, a flash of light came from Leaire, emitted from the palm on the window. She pulled it away as if she had been burned, and took a step back from the window.
"It's time to go," she murmured. She pulled her elegant rapier from the scabbard at her waist, and inched the door open. Kairin tied her bags to Faeria, and slung her bow across her own back. She picked up her old sword from the floor and crept close behind Leaire. Together, they slipped into the night. It was bitter cold; unseasonable weather for early spring. Kairin squared her shoulders against the icy wind.
"The wind will carry our scent. If the Shade is downwind of us, it will be extremely dangerous. Please, tell Faeria to fly up high where he can't smell her."
"Do like she says, Faeria. Please. But don't go too far, okay?"
"I won't let you out of my sight." Faeria spread her icy white wings and took off into the night. After she had gone, Leaire scuffed her foot over the ground where the dragon's claws had left gouges in the soil.
"We need to try and cover our tracks the best we can," Leaire whispered. She lifted a finger and indicated for Kairin to stay close behind, and began to dash forward into the trees. She leapt from rock to rock, swung from tree branches, and waded through streams as often as possible. Kairin followed the best she could, but her human reflexes simply didn't equal Leaire's. Soon, she was dragging so far behind that she could only distinguish Leaire from the trees by her blonde hair glowing in the moonlight. Leaire paused for a moment, turned around, and realized with a jolt that Kairin wasn't behind her.
"Kairin!" she shrieked, forgetting herself. Her shout echoed through the trees, and Leaire flinched at each refrain.
"I'm here," Kairin called back, and ran up to meet her. "I thought we were keeping quiet," she whispered angrily.
"I'm sorry," the elf breathed back. "I thought I'd lost you."
"I can find the way through the Spine without your help," Kairin said irritably, her voice raising a fraction. Leaire paused, ignoring the bite in Kairin's tone. Her brows were furrowed.
"You can? How?" Leaire was obviously puzzled.
"I've lived here my entire life. What, do you think I was here on holiday?" Leaire said nothing, but continued to look at Kairin as if it was the first time she had really seen her.
"What about your parents?"
Kairin opened her mouth to reply, and hesitated. She didn't know how to explain.
"I… don't know. I don't remember them," Kairin said, slowly and awkwardly. She peered up at Leaire, expecting further questioning. To her surprise, Leaire merely nodded.
"I see," she said knowingly. Her tone irritated Kairin.
"Do you have something you'd like to share?" she asked coldly. Again to Kairin's surprise, Leaire smiled.
"Kairin…" she began, but quickly fell silent. Her hand was glowing again, the way it had back at the window. In a flash, Leaire had drawn her rapier and was spinning around on the spot, frantic. A faint noise swept through the trees, carried and distorted by the wind. It chilled Kairin to the bone, and she drew her sword as well. The noise sounded again, this time louder. Someone was laughing.
The laugh was mirthless and eerie. Fear crawled down Kairin's spine as it grew louder, growing from a snicker to a full out peal of laughter, echoing around her. Suddenly, half a dozen stunted creatures came out of the underbrush, forming a semicircle around the two women. Leaire and Kairin spun around to escape, and found themselves staring right into the face of the Shade.
He was tall and gaunt, and he was smiling. His maroon hair swirled around his head in the wind like fire, and in his bony white hand he held a long, venomous sword. As Kairin stared at it, he began to flex his fingers around the hilt, ready to instantly strike.
"Trying to run away, Leaire? But I hadn't gotten my chance to visit yet," his voice was quiet almost to the point of weak, but it terrified nonetheless. Leaire was silent, her regal face betraying no emotion.
"And this must be Kairin. My dear, I've heard so much about you." He stepped forward with his arm outstretched as if to kiss Kairin's hand. She shrank back in disgust, and he chuckled. "We'll get to be friends eventually; I'm sure, young Rider." Cold washed through Kairin. It was all over.
"Faeria!"As soon as Kairin contacted her, Faeria absorbed the situation.
"I'm coming." Her voice was solid, and she broke contact immediately. Kairin could feel her wings beating the wind frantically in the back of her head.
"Surprised, Kairin?" the Shade began to walk forward, forcing Kairin and Leaire to move backwards into the horned creatures' reach. "I've been keeping quite a close eye on you ever since you came into possession of that egg. At first, I was just going to take it from you, but after it hatched…" he paused to shake his head, baring his teeth in a demonic smile. "Imagine my surprise."
"Why don't you stop playing with us, Durza," Leaire suddenly spat. Her knuckles were white gripped onto the hilt of her rapier. Her eyes flickered towards Kairin for a moment. Kairin felt the now-familiar feeling of another consciousness melting into hers.
"Faeria where are you?" she asked immediately, before realizing that the presence that filled her thoughts was not the dragon.
"It is not Faeria, it is Leaire." Kairin's mind immediately formed several questions, and Leaire quickly forestalled them.
"Not now. Later. Have you summoned Faeria?"
"Of course I have."
"Good. We need to get Durza into that clearing, you see it?" Kairin lifted her eyes to see a space some twenty feet beyond the Shade were the trees were thin. Meanwhile, Leaire was keeping up her banter with Durza.
"You didn't come all this way just to chat," she continued, "especially with half a dozen Urgals in tow." The horned creatures grumbled to each other in a harsh, guttural language. Durza began to reply, but Kairin could only hear Leaire inside her head.
"In one second, I'm going to strike at him. I'm going to try and force him back into that clear spot. That way, Faeria can descend on him without risking her wings. Do you understand?" Durza was still speaking; Kairin could see his lips moving.
"I understand." As soon as the words were spoken, Leaire flew towards Durza. Caught unawares, he had just enough time to awkwardly lift his sword in defense. Kairin saw him take two steps backward before she spun around and descended on the Urgals.
Being as dim-witted as they were, Kairin had slain two before they reacted. The remaining four clumsily swarmed at her, lifting vicious-looking weapons. Kairin executed two butterfly strokes, one after the other, sweeping her blade across the faces of her attackers. Howling, one stepped backwards with its grubby hands on its bleeding face. Kairin sunk her blade into its stomach.
She dared a glance over her shoulder. Leaire and Durza were matching each other blow for blow, but the Shade's strength overpowered the elf's. Kairin watched him begin to push Leaire back under the trees when a sharp pain in her face brought her to attention.
One Urgal had stumbled forward and scratched her face with a long, black fingernail, his sword forgotten. He guffawed in delight at the sight of blood pouring from the wound, but was cut short by Kairin's sword in his belly. The other two descended, beating her with their clenched fists. Kairin stumbled and fell to the ground, her sword jarred from her grip and sent flying. The two creatures piled on top of her, scratching and biting, mauling every bit of her they could reach. She struggled for a moment, blood in her eyes, before managing to whip an arrow out of the quiver on her back. Swiftly, she sunk it into one, then the other, using it like a blunt knife. They howled for a moment before falling dead upon her.
She struggled to get free, panicky and sore, the stench of the Urgals suffocating her. Her energy was beginning to fail her when she heard Leaire scream in frustration. With a burst of adrenaline, she pushed the two monsters off of her and scrambled to her feet. Leaire was being pushed back farther and farther into the trees; Faeria wouldn't be able to reach them. Before the plan had fully formulated in her mind, Kairin sprung to action.
She sprinted past the two duelers towards the clearing; they were so immersed that neither noticed her go by. She stood in the center of the clearing and gazed up at the sky. A thrashing black shape was growing in the darkness above her. Kairin grinned in relief and looked back at the fighters in time to see Durza knock Leaire to her knees, disarmed. As he lifted his sword in mock casualness to deliver the final blow, Kairin screamed. He turned around just in time for Kairin's arrow to strike him in the shoulder.
He took the blow with a gasp, more of surprise than pain. Slowly, he lifted his hand to feel the blood trickling from the shaft. He raised his eyes, and they met with Kairin's. As they stared, he slowly and excruciatingly pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with one clenched fist. Kairin felt her stomach squirm horribly. Suddenly, without warning, Durza leapt forward with his sword outstretched, reaching for Kairin, his teeth clenched in a gruesome snarl. Kairin screwed her eyes shut, and as she prepared herself for the blow, she heard the long-awaited roar of Faeria. Her eyes flew open.
She was sitting on the ground, knocked over by the wind off the dragon's wings. Faeria had descended on the Shade, and now had him in her claws. She tore at him with all her talons, her teeth, the spikes on her tail, everything she had. Durza screamed a horrible shriek of pain before he was suddenly gone. All that remained in Faeria's claws was a thick cloud of pungent black smoke. His dying cry still echoed around the forest.
Faeria instantly went to Kairin and curled herself around her, making sure she was alright. Kairin was bruised and cut from her beating by the Urgals, but she scarcely felt the injuries. The close encounter with death had left her shaken. Her breath ragged, she raised her green eyes to Leaire, who was standing leaning on her rapier for support.
Their eyes met.