TERRA GUARD:

A dark abyss stretches above me like a throat leading to the surface. Sharp rock juts from the walls of the hole we fell through. I squint at it trying to see any glimmer of light or escape. I see none. We stand on the floor of a massive tunnel with walls too smooth to form through nature. Two metal bars line the ground from where we stand leading into more darkness ahead. Minutes ago, we were an explosives crew aiding the expansion work. Now we’re trapped with a wall of rubble at our backs in a strange ancient tunnel. We have to wait and hope our people will come looking for us. If they can even find us.

Ominous dripping echoes from the darkness. Skittering sounds clatter along the walls. Somewhere deep in the pit of my stomach, something tells me I won’t see my husband again. Death is in the air.

The soft light of our lanterns climbs like wispy feathers up the tunnel walls. We tried to grapple up towards that hole, but the ropes aren’t long enough. It’s only by the fortune of Father Sky that we survived the fall at all, well, half of us did. As of yet I’m not sure we’re the lucky ones. We look forward to the sinister darkness ahead. It’s the only option. I sent three volunteers in to search for its end, they haven’t come back yet.

We wait for a long while, culpability weights me down. I should have gone with them, or we should all have gone together. But what if a team came looking for us? Anxiety rises in my chest. We can all feel it, the fear, the what ifs. The word that none of us will utter lest we curse ourselves with them.

Screams. Horrified screams reverberate back through the tunnel. It’s hard to say how far away those screams are, but they keep coming. The echoed wails of the dying. Something is attacking them. Deep down we all know what but we can’t say it.

I turn to the rest of my crew. “Bows at the ready.” We aren’t armed to the teeth like soldiers or guards. But every Terra Guardian carries a weapon at all times.

The screams of our dying men cease, they didn’t last long. In that void of sound rises up something far more terrifying. Hunter screams. Raucous outcries of savagery. Nightstalkers.

“By the void.” I hear a crewmember whisper. “We’re dead.”

I turn to him. “Arm yourself. Metal still kills them. Cripple them if you can. Once they’re down get the head with your blade.”

My crew nods. When surviving is no longer an option, I make sure they die like Guardians. They die fighting. I raise my sword into the air. “We are Guardians! We fight with courage and build on the bones of the brave!”

A roaring bellow of agreement resounds within the tunnel walls. We will not survive this, but we will die like the Guardians we are. I place the image of my husband in my mind. He will be the last thought I have; of that I am determined. I tuck a lock of orange hair behind my ear and fix my face with fortitude. I hold tight to my long sword. The screams burst with intensity. Here they come.

Nightstalkers explode from the darkness. We cut metal into them as best we can. We even kill several of them. It’s not enough, but we knew this going in. A crewman shoots an arrow into a leg. The nightstalker trips to the ground. I swing my sword and sever its head. Our crew fights in two parts. Bow fighters cripple, sword fighters behead. When the arrows run out, we switch. It’s a sound strategy, but even the best strategy begins to break down when you’re outnumbered.

I keep swinging as my crew falls. It all happens so fast. As the bodies drop one by one, I soon realize I’m of the last standing. The bow fighters are dead, rendered useless once the nightstalkers got up close with their backs to the wall. They switched to swords and cut until their last breath, but it wasn’t enough. The rest tried to give them back up, but with nightstalkers all around there’s always one at your back.

A nightstalker comes after me. I do what we’re trained for, fight until your last breath. I ram my sword into the skull of my attacker. A piercing claw tears through my abdomen. I suck in a sharp breath of pain. The claw pulls back to its owner. I fall to the ground bleeding. Our lanterns lay on the ground abandoned, they cast eerie shadows of yellow light upon our assailants.

Hideous creatures. Deformed monsters with sharp edged features and hungry vicious red eyes. They hunch over like wild beasts and twitch with unbridled energy. A new nightstalker enters among them and approaches the carnage. He is different, almost beautiful in a way. He strides upright with confident poise.

A sick smile comes to his face, his voice is smooth and malevolent. “Another tunnel.” A deep unsettling chuckle escapes his throat as he looks up to the hole above. “Oh, how interesting.”

He motions towards me. Pain punches through my chest breaking bones and piercing innards. I can’t draw in breath; my mind gets fuzzy as my vision goes dark. I block the sneering nightstalker from my mind. He will not be my final thoughts. I smile, Korin.

✽✽✽

The snow falls from the looming clouds above, the fat flakes flit on the breeze. In the distance I can see the black mark that rises into the sky above our buildings. The wall of Terra Guard, the first and oldest wall there is. It evokes both pride and fear within me.

This wall was built on the bones of the brave.

It’s the inscription carved into a plaque bolted to the wall beside the gate. We almost went extinct building this wall. Too many of us fought off nightstalkers with our dying breaths while raising this wall. It was the only thing that saved us from complete annihilation. One solitary wall.

I turn to see the mountains in the distance that encircle us. Like the loving arms of a parent holding us safe from danger. Here we are the most secure in all the collective. Terra Guard, where no nightstalker has breached since that wall went up one thousand years ago. Yet, we are not soft like those fools in the other holdings. We do not rest on our security, we fight. We plan. We train.

I think back to my early days of combat training. I relished in it, I was good at it, a natural. Not everyone is, many choose non-combative paths which are also noble. Regardless of who we become we each have the same basic training. We are taught to kill as soon as we can hold a blade. We are taught that someday we will die and if that death comes to us sooner than later, we charge at it head on. We fight for each other, we fight for our children, we fight for our future. We are all taught that walls do not last forever. When that day comes it will be down to us to again save our people from extinction.

We are Terra Guard, the pride of the collective. Even if the rest of the world sees us as mindless grunts, we know our true purpose. Guardians of this world.

I follow the city streets to see a group of young ones doing calisthenics in the snow. Across the way a group of boys and girls throw snow balls at each other and giggle. I smile, strength of purpose does not need to negate joy in life. That’s what Tae tells me. I shake my head; we were so young once. I took myself so seriously, eyes focused, I was on a one-way track to The Sky Legion. I remember the question she asked me on that warm day, I was doing pushups in the blazing heat.

“Do you ever laugh?”

She puzzled me, frustrated me, challenged me, and I loved her for it. I turned away from my path to The Sky Legion and I haven’t regretted it for a minute in all of these past forty-three years. Until now. I grumble as I enter The Hall. A beautiful building made from white hardstone. Once in a while miners will stumble upon deposits of it, but they are few and far between. The Hall cost top dollar to build. Usually they paint the buildings to avoid expense. But not The Hall. The veins of gray color web through the stone. The white almost glows when the sunlight hits it. It’s breathtaking.

No matter my mood I’m still impressed with the building. The inside needs little lighting because the walls reflect it so well. I step inside to see the middle of the lobby; a large circle is cut out from the tiled floor. From that circle grows a banya. The tall green plant twists upon itself and winds around a pillar to the top reaching the glass dome. Thin green vines spread out across the ceiling and travel off down hallways into other rooms. Glowing bulbs hang from the vines and let loose their soft glow.

We call this plant The Mother. Banya don’t grow naturally in Terra Guard. One plant was brought in a few hundred years ago, now today there’s one in every home. All daughters to this plant. I pause for a moment and shake off the grandeur of all this and continue on my walk to the conference room. Annoyance builds in my stomach along with loathing at my new position.

I enter the room to see a long wooden table with a dozen very serious faced men and women seated at it. They bow their heads with subtle respect, I grumble under my breath. A collection of bulbs hangs from the ceiling in a small chandelier above the center of the table. I still haven’t gotten used to any of this. I was a soldier, and I liked it that way.

I wanted to protect my people and kill nightstalkers. My favorite thing was to come home at night to Tae pouring over her sketches and plans. I love the personal challenge of distracting her from her solutions and mixtures at the end of the day. Even though she scolded if I bumped the wrong glass, we could blow the whole house up. I liked being able to leave my day behind me, I liked life being simple.

It still stupefies me how I got here. A woman faces me dressed in a green uniform with three silver pins on her left shoulder. A tech of high rank. She grasps my elbow and in respect I take hers and shake arms with politeness. That’s all my days are now, polite interactions, diplomacy.

She smiles. “Good morning Sir. Shall we begin?”

I groan. I hate meetings but I nod with cooperation. I wave my hand for the meeting to begin while I sit in my designated chair. I shift the jacket of my white uniform to find a comfortable posture. White, leader. I have one silver pin on my left shoulder, highest rank.

Sardek Grayley turns towards me with a grim expression. His uniform is black, fighter. I miss wearing noble black. He has two pins as my advisor. He refused when I asked him to be my second. Smart man.

“Sir, we have serious matters to discuss. Can you manage to not fall asleep this time?” My old friend speaks with entirely too much respect.

I sigh with immediate exhaustion. “Sardek, we were in the same platoon. We’ve been friends for sixty years. Can you please manage calling me by my name? Korin. My name is Korin.”

Sardek shakes his head. “No. Sorry sir.”

I roll my eyes. “Fine. On with it then. What political jibber jabber do you have for me?”

Jirlin Gra shifts in his chair. He also wears white, leader. Two silver pins I don’t think he deserves sit neatly on his shoulder. My second. I almost choke on an inward cringe.

“I of course will be the one dispensing the political jibber jabber.” He speaks with disdain.

We were both up for consideration of leader after the death of Niri Delorre. She ruled Terra Guard for half a century. She built us up and has left an immeasurable void to fill. I certainly didn’t want it, but I knew in my bones if I left the stronghold in the hands of Jirlin people would die.

I tap my fingers together with frustration. “Fine Jirlin. What’s the problem today?”

He runs a copper hand through his indigo hair. His face is thin, his body skinny, he seems weak all over. “Ah, sir. Yes, we have some minor things to attend to. There are some nightstalker raids that need your approval.” Jirlin shifts some papers around in his hand. “Also, there are twenty new requests for independent housing.”

I wave my hand with boredom. “Yes, yes, approve them all.”

The man stiffens. “Yes, see, that’s the problem sir. We have no more houses.”

I sit straighter and frown. “What do you mean? We couldn’t have just run out of houses.”

He shifts his papers again. “We didn’t run our per say, but there are currently no empty houses awaiting new tenants. Not even apartments. They are all claimed. Our population has been on the rise dramatically in recent years.”

I shrug. “Fine, make the kids stay home with their families.”

He coughs into his fist and holds it against his chest. “Sir, that is not a solution. Six of the requests come from married couples who have or are expecting children of their own. Our population has reached its limit and we have nowhere to expand.”

I scratch my temple. “Then they just need to expand. We began construction of the under-ground homes in the mountain, didn’t we?”

Jirlin smiles. I hate it when he smiles. “Yes sir. The deconstruction crew went in last night with the explosive experts to clear space. But if they fail-”

I flash him a nod of irritation and cut him off. “Tae won’t fail.”

Sardek grunts and crosses his arms. “So now our citizens are going to live underground like those prairie yips outside the walls? Timid and cowering underground? We are Terra Guard. We do not hide, we fight.”

Jirlin rolls his eyes. “It’s not hiding. It’s population overflow. We need to put the people somewhere.”

Sardek glares across the table and points a finger. “No self-respecting Guardian will live in your holes. We stand proud, above the ground.”

I sigh and rub my eyes. “You haven’t seen the plan Tae’s team came up with. They won’t be holes; they’ll be complete comfortable communities. Honestly, they’ll be nicer than our houses on the streets.”

My old friend shakes his head. “It’s still underground. It’s not who we are, it’s not right. The people will hate you for it.”

“Bah!” I wave my hand at him. “Let them hate me. At least they won’t be crushed together popping from the windows like Thraz.”

Jirlin chimes in with that smile of his. “There is an alternative solution.” I glance at him with nothing but suspicion on my face. “We have more soldiers than ever before. We should make extra raids on the nightstalkers. Real ones. Not just cutting them away from our boarder when we see them but an all-out assault.”

I look at him in disbelief. “To what aim? Getting our people slaughtered? That’s asinine!”

He shrugs. “We need to reduce our population. We could accomplish something with it.”

I cross my arms and glare. “You’re talking about a culling Jirlin. Terra Guard is better than that.”

Sardek pinches his chin in thought. “It’s not that terrible an idea. We could focus our efforts on carving out some of the eastern territory of the Blood Bane forest. Give ourselves some growing room. Erect a new wall expansion.”

I gasp with disbelief. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing!” I look past the two men to the rest of the table. “Are any of you going to disagree with them?!” Silence.

Jirlin stretches his fingers on the table. “So, it’s settled then?”

I pound my fists down with my cheeks flushing with anger. “No!” I unbind my hands and try to breathe away my indignation. “We need our people, every single one. What happens if we weaken our army and then the day comes-”

Jirlin cuts me off. “When the reckoning of the nightstalkers is upon us? Come now Korin, that’s a myth. Terra Guard is impregnable. We need to come up with radical solutions now if it’s going to last another thousand years.”

I wave his idiocy away. “We will continue border patrol and raids on groups that are a threat to us. But we will not risk our most important resource, our people, on a suicide mission.”

I take a deep breath and notice a nervous looking woman seated at the table. The woman looks at my advisors nervously. She gulps and looks down at her folder with important looking papers. More papers. Fantastic. A small thing she is, petite in every way. She tries to assert confidence, even though her unruly violet hair keeps breaking free of its bun. Not an intimidating one, that might be why she’s a tech.

Before she speaks, I interrupt her. I’m in charge, I can do that. “What’s your name?”

She looks at me with confusion and stumbles over her words as if trying to remember. So nervous. “My-my name is Asha. Asha Rae.”

I smile. “Asha. Try not to let the disgruntled grumbling of stubborn old men make you nervous. Though you should know I am an easily distracted man and quite slow. Do you suppose you’ll be able to present your case with as small of words as possible?”

She pauses and smiles almost giggling. Her shoulders relax. “Yes Sir. I know techs tent to get a bit wordy.”

Sardek laughs. “I’ll say. Sometimes I feel like I’m in class when I ask how their day was.”

Asha laughs in good humor. “Yes. Well, I’ll do my best to keep it as brief as possible. A team under my command has been in charge of surveying-”

A small boy bolts into the room. His face is flushed and he hasn’t got a breath left in him. His uniform is tan, still in training. Hasn’t chosen a specification yet. “Sir! Sir!”

I jump from my chair and kneel by the boy. “Take a deep breath and get it out.”

He nods and takes in one long breath then heaves out his words. “We have a breach! Nightstalkers!”

Sardek barks. “Impossible!”

I grip the boy’s shoulders with my knuckles paling. “One more breath, where is the breach?”

“Mountains.” He huffs out. “New tunnel.”

My heart sinks and all breath leaves me. Tae. I bite my lip and shake my head, have to push it back. We’re all prepared for this moment from the time we understand what death is. There will come a day for each of us in the midst of battle when a loved one falls, the key to winning the day is compartmentalizing and moving forwards. We can grieve later, but we have to live long enough first.

I stand up and charge from the room barking orders. This is why I’m in charge. This is why I took the job. I turn to the wall captain. She’s a heavily muscled woman in armor. “Get your people to the walls.”

She frowns. “But sir-“

I bellow at her. “No arguments! You need a clear vantage point to riddle those thracking grayskins with all the arrows we have!” She nods with apology. “Choose scouts to keep eyes forward in case this is a distraction. If a horde tries to climb the wall, I want them burned off.”

“Yes Sir.” Without delay she launches into a dead run.

Sardek marches alongside me. “My squads can take the front; we’ll head to the tunnels.”

I feel a twinge in my side and my eye twitches. I swallow it down. “Very good. I’ll send Themos and Kyu to cover your flanks so you don’t get pinned.” He nods and begins to march away. I grab his shoulder. “Oh, and Sardek, don’t get killed. I need someone to drink with later.”

He nods with a grim smile. “Of course, Korin.”

His voice echoes down the halls as he bellows orders in his wake. “Sound the alarms! Get the citizens to the citadels! I want every combatant off shift and armed now!”

There’s a pause as people look at me. I holler into the halls. “You heard him! Get moving! We’ve got a city to save!”

People swarm the halls rushing to their battle stations. We drill our entire lives for this, we are Guardians and we are prepared for anything the void can throw at us. I blow past the doors landing outside onto the wide steps of The Hall. In the background I can hear a mix of screaming, both those of dying and those of killing. They’re here. The day has come, the Reckoning of the Void. The day nightstalkers try to take our city from us.

I feel someone to the left and see Asha, that nervous tech, stone herself with the expression of a warrior. Her voice is cold as ice as she shakes her head. “Will we win the day?”

I purse my lips. “Father Sky help us if we don’t. If we fall, the rest of the world falls with us.”