XIX

Getting up, Yoreno thanked Mai and Dantera for pulling him out of the dirt. He was winded and for a moment breathing was a difficult thing.

“You almost died, Yoreno!” Mai exclaimed. “Here, take some of my aura.” She invoked a spell with nothing more than a gentle movement of her fingers and a whisper. A luminous barrier passed over her and transferred over to Yoreno.

The feeling was one of warmth as he was revitalized somewhat. Yoreno glanced about. “Is everyone safe?”

“There’s still some small amount of action,” Dantera said. “Nothing the crew and your other friends can’t handle.

With that being the case, Yoreno glanced about at the dirt and brush that had fallen off the cliff. It was a wonder he was still alive. “Where has Herokelus gone?”

Dantera’s eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“You fought him?” Mai asked.

Yoreno nodded. “We fell off the cliff together.”

“He’s not here,” Dantera said. “Perhaps he was wounded and retreated to safety.”

Sorika came out of the brush. “Yoreno,” she said. “You look like the hells.”

“Thanks.”

“I have to find him,” Yoreno said. “I need to kill him before we get off this island.”

Behind Dantera he noticed one of the men they had done battle with, tied and gagged. “A prisoner,” he asked, nodding to the man.

“Yes,” Dantera said, breathing out heavily. “We’ve lost some men, but all in all, I think things could have done much worse, no?”

“I think you’re right,” he said. Then he turned to Sorika. “Sor, can you help me track Herokelus?”

She nodded.

Dantera touched his arm. “Are you sure you want to do that, Yoreno?”

“I fought him once. If he ran away, he must be scared. I need to finish him.”

Dantera nodded solemnly. “All right.”

“Do you have any of his blood?” Sorika asked.

“It’s on my sword.”

“Where is it?”

“Buried,” Yoreno said. “Somewhere under this dirt.”

“I should be able to find it,” Mai said. Then she invoked a spell as she slammed her staff into the dirt. A ripple undulated through the air and coalesced over a small mound atop the pile of dirt. “It’s there,” she said, pointing.

Yoreno dug up the blade.

“I’m off fighting monsters,” Dell said from behind, “only to find you digging around in the dirt, Yor?”

“It’s my sword,” he said.

“I’m glad you’re all right,” Dell said. “What happened here?”

“Fell,” Sorika said in way of explanation.

“Down here with Herokelus? Yor, it’s a miracle of the gods that you survived!”

“I know,” he said, digging for his blade. After a few more moments, his fingers hit something hard and metallic. He dug under the weapon carefully so he wouldn’t cut himself.

With the blade in hand, he looked at the cross guard. The right quillion still had some smeared blood, but it was hard to make out with the dirt atop it. “Can you use this?” he asked Sorika as he proffered her the sword.

She sniffed at it, touched the quillion and rubbed her fingers together. “If you don’t mind drinking some dirt.”

“Dirt,” Dantera said, “is the least of his worries if you intend to give him Herokelus’ blood.”

As Dantera spoke, Sorika slung her satchel to her stomach and fished out a vial of golden liquid. She sprinkled the dirt and blood into it and then shook the liquid.

More of the crew appeared from out of the woods. It was Hans and the others. “We have some wounded.”

“Is it bad?” Dantera asked.

He shook his head. “But we lost Jasik and Kendrios.

“Godsdammit,” Dantera muttered. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“It’s my fault,” Yoreno said. “We wouldn’t be here if not for me.”

“Nonsense,” Datnera said, seeming almost angry about what Yoreno had just said. “We stopped that mage from siphoning fell magic from this place. I would do it again, Yoreno—a hundred times over. Now… go find your monster.”

Yoreno nodded, feeling somewhat more vindicated. As Dantera had told him before, the dark energies siphoned from this island would have been used for evil.

“It’s done,” Sorika said, handing the vial to Yoreno. He took it, gulped it down.

“Gah!” It’s bad!

“Never said it wouldn’t be.”

Suddenly Yoreno’s vision took on something new. Apart from the new throbbing sensations in his eyes, he realized there were golden spots on the ground. They looked shiny.

They trailed off into the forest.

“I can see his blood.”

“That’s what it’s supposed to do,” Sorika said.

“Your eyes are glowing, Yoreno,” Mai said.

“Go on,” Dantera added. “Meet us back on the beach once you finish Herokelus.”

“I will,” Yoreno said, giving his friends one last glance before rushing off into the forest as he tracked his query with magically-assisted acuity.