Chapter 10 - The Moments Before Dawn

A long moment passed, the faint crackle of ice expanding in the sand the only sound before a single, reedy, piercing wail rang out over the chilled field of battle, echoing into the night. Kitaraiya’s jagged smile grew as she drew on her thread, the chill deepening further, the moisture in the air compounding and flowing around and behind her as a dense mist reflected the pale light of the stars above. Frost started to form on her fur, ice crystals that shimmered in the glow from her eyes.

“Kit, you feel it?” Rhyker said quietly.

She gave a quick nod, staring into the darkness. There was a faint tremor in the sands that was slowly building in intensity.

“You know, brother. They thought they had an easy meal, then instead of facing the challenge they call on reinforcements at the first sign of trouble.” she said, glancing at him, “Every one of these things are going to come running and only the largest and strongest might get a bite. I don’t understand the logic. They immediately surrender their prey. Why not just walk or slither away if they feel the threat is too high?”

She glanced at him again as she heard his wry chuckle.

“I feel the best option is not to think too hard about it, Kit.” he calmly replied.

“Do you have some fire in you?”

“Only if we absolutely need it. Standing at the moment would be an interesting proposition in itself.” he propped his head on a hand, “Looks to be some movement on that far dune.” he said, giving a nod in the general direction.

She quickly turned and stared, her eyes blazing in the dark as she scrutinised the sands. She saw the misshapen figure, its silhouette black against the backdrop of the first touch of light before dawn. Large eyes that appeared too big for its head caught the scant light and reflected a magnified shimmer of vile green, watched them. It raised its arm, one of its four gangling limbs that were attached to its wretched body.

“What in hell’s name is that thing? Is it a goblin? Or…” she said, staring at its worthless attempt at modesty, a ragged flap of shredded fabric that hung from its waist, “Some type of…” she frowned as she considered it.

“Distraction.” Rhyker said under his breath, “It’s a distraction, it’s a fucking observer.”

She quickly glanced at him, “Observer?”

He grimaced and slowly rose, “Father noticed something like that a few nights back, tailing us at a distance. It’s not our concern; what’s coming is.”

“Rhy?” she said, watching him walk to the edge of the dune and peering over before giving her an uncertain look.

“Even Thain is watching over his shoulder out here.” he hissed through his teeth, “The damned humans come and go as they please without much worry.”

“What of it, Rhy?”

“They have nothing to offer except the meat on their bones. But we offer more…” he said, straining his eyes in the direction of Escorath, “Magic, Kit. The wildlife out here is not after our flesh. It’s after our power, enchantments and we are brimming with it. We are a shining beacon in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fucking sand.” he growled, “They are the sharks and we are stranded in their ocean.”

He turned and stared at the opposing dune, the creature gone, “That was the test, send a few after us.” he looked back to Kitaraiya, “We passed Kit. That call was not for reinforcements, it was to say they found something of value.”

“Rhy?”

He looked back at the ridge of the dune, a handful of forms against the brightening sky. Ragged, threadbare cloths draped from them as they stood tall on wispy limbs with milky, lidless eyes staring.

“Kit, they are already feeding.” he said, watching the sands at the base of the dune shake as creatures emerged, gangly and misshapen, snarling and gibbering in their tongue.

“Sacrifices to our power…” he said to himself, backing up, “They are going to rush us, force us to defend ourselves and those bastards watching are going to feed until we can give no more.”

He glanced back, his eyes widening, “Kit?!”

She knelt on the sand with teeth bared, growling, her eyes glaring at the ominous figures, “I can’t stop, they are siphoning it from me. I can’t withdraw my thread from the ice.” she panted, trying to shift backward.

Rhyker grabbed her by the arm, dragging her to her feet, “We need distance.”

“They are coming, Rhy.”

He glanced back at the horde that had gathered, some were already advancing, taking their time. A sudden frown creased his brow, his black mists were untouched.

“I can’t move. My only option is to fight.” Kitaraiya growled.

The horde of a hundred or more slowly fanned out, advancing up the dune at a leisurely pace, waiting with hungry eyes, their heads and shoulders just above Rhyker’s shroud. He continued to stare at it in fascination.

“They are blind to it.” he said under his breath, staggering as he tried to remain standing, his little remaining strength already failing, “They are blind to the black.”

He dragged at Kitaraiya, pulling her along as she struggled, “Kit, we either jump and ride the dune down, or…”

“Or what, Rhy?” she hissed through teeth as she strained, “Its not like we can fly out of here. It’s a wonder you are even standing after what I did to you.”

He halted and stared at her, the snarl and chitter of the creatures growing nearer. Suddenly their chittering stopped, a confused silence as the black started to become turbulent, shifting and receding quicker than their advance.

“Rhy, they have slowed, they still have me but there is confusion.” she said, “Gods, I can feel them…” she gripped her head, grimacing and growling, “Rhy… They…” she started to whine in pain, dropping his sword.

Clawing at him, she screamed in agony. He continued to watch the milk-eyed creatures as his shroud flooded up the slope, quickly surrounding them both protectively. Now robed in darkness, his eyes flickered back to life as the fiery transparent draconic wings fanned out in the inky black. Thin lines of fire glowed under his skin, tracking like an elaborate tattoo to his face. Kitaraiya’s scream had been silenced; instead she rested against his side with her head on his hip, breathing deeply as she gathered herself, his hand gently patting her head.

“Kit, you know what I need to do.” he said, feeling her immediate nod under his hand.

Rhyker looked at the gangling, misshapen creatures, halted and waiting in uncertainty as their masters considered Rhyker’s visage. Compounding the darkness further, he drew it in tighter around them until Kitaraiya gasped, her fingers biting into his leg as she struggled to breathe.

“Bear with it, Kit. Just a little longer.” he said quietly, not breaking his line of sight with those that feasted on her power.

Ignoring the sounds of her choking he stared at the four atop the opposing dune. Feeling their claws trying to grasp at him but not find purchase, he watched as the first turned away and then the second. The third turned and he released the darkness enough for Kitaraiya to draw breath.

“Stay down and still.” he said under his breath and feeling her grip his leg in response.

The last continued to watch them, the pale orbs scrutinising silently for a moment longer.

“Grab the sword.”

The black shroud had withdrawn from the frozen sands, roiling and accumulating around Rhyker. Fiery wings were visible in the darkness and the glaring fires as eyes could be seen. The last of the four let out a piecing wail and turned aside, walking with an ambling gait out of sight. The moment it was gone, the number that had been birthed from the sands started to chitter again, all eyes on the twins hungrily.

“How did you get them to…?” Kitaraiya asked, her eyes on the malformed monsters down the slope.

“I showed their masters that I would rather kill their prey.” he said, his eyes still on the creatures as they started to advance tentatively, gathering their courage, “Now we are just meat.”

He quickly glanced at her, “No powers, or those four will be back.” he winced, staggering, “They are probably waiting behind that dune.”

“Rhy, you…can’t fight.”

“We need to leave or make some distance at least. You rely too heavily on your thread.” he said as he walked weakly to the edge of the dune, “And I don’t have enough arrows for all of them.”

He stared over the edge at the almost vertical descent as the chittering grew more raucous.

“Rhy.” Kitaraiya warned as she grabbed and shouldered their pack, “Unless you can strangle all of them with that black cloak you wear, we need to run.”

Rhyker stood in the silence that had fallen, watching as the creatures suddenly broke into a charge, their hands and feet clawing at the sand, throwing it up as they advanced. He quickly turned and stepped to Kitaraiya, hooking his arm around her waist and ran at the edge of the dune. The inky shroud condensed around him, the wings becoming bright flame in the black the moment before his feet left the sand. A dull screaming roar burst out over the desert, the flaming wings leaving a trail of heat in the chill before dawn.

Kitaraiya stared in disbelief and fear as the valley in the sands below them did not rush up to meet them, but instead she hung from her brother’s arm while they arced out over the distance to the next dune. She yelled out in shock as she realised in that split second what his intent was.

“Rhy, are you crazy?!” she yelled over the tearing sound of his flaming wings in the cold air.

Her eyes widened further as she felt his grip weakening, the peak of the next dune rapidly advancing. Gritting her teeth, she felt the inexorable limp release of his hand before her tumbling fall. Hitting the sand heavily after the short drop, she quickly clawed her way back to her feet and struggled up the slope.

“Rhy?!” she called out, her eyes wild as she tried to find him in the low light.

Scrambling to the edge, she fell over him as he lay sprawled, half covered in sand. Untangling herself, she dragged him clear and rolled him over.

“Rhy?” she asked, checking his face and audibly sighing in relief as she saw the crack in his eyelids, “How long have you known?” she asked aggressively.

He coughed, “I didn’t.” wincing as he tried to turn his head, “…Just going to jump.”

“Gods…” Rhyker gasped, trying and failing to breathe in fully before closing his eyes, “Coming.”

Kitaraiya stared at him before slowly turning, looking up at the crest of the dune they had escaped. The numbers had grown, now the creatures were more than a hundred and four sets of milky eyes glowed in the distance.

“Fuck…They are back.” she glanced back at him, “That last vial worth it yet, Rhy?”

“No.” he replied weakly.

“Damn it, Rhy! I’ll make you drink it.” she said angrily, kneeling over him and batting his hand away, reaching for the chain around his neck, “It’s no good if you are dead and I can’t fight that many off without my thread, unless I become her.”

He coughed again, “No… Coming.”

Kitaraiya stared at him, “That’s right, they’re coming. If I don’t get you… What?” she halted, his hand gripping hers as she pulled at the vial of ethereal fire.

“Coming.” he gasped, “Sphyre.”

Her angered frown deepened and she quickly looked up to the horizon. Three streaks of silver light shone brightly in the distance, their arc on the ascent from deep within the dune sea. Just over the sound of the deafening chittering from the advancing creatures she could make out Hendosphyre’s shriek and call.

“Bow.” Rhyker whispered, pointing at the discarded pack.

She quickly threw herself at the pack and uncapped the bow’s hard case and pulled it out, hooking the stave into her ankle and bending it around her knee while pulling at its other span, bending it far enough to hook the loop of the bowstring over its end. Hurriedly looking at the creatures as they tumbled and raced down the far dune, she tipped out the arrows and picked the white fletched shaft. Setting herself, she knocked the arrow and drew, aimed at the sky and let the arrow fly. A white flare flew in a high arc into the dark, growing blindingly brilliant and lighting the surrounds almost as clear as day.

A powerful shriek sounded over the beasts’ shrill battle cries. The gryphon on approach and fast. As she quickly searched the sky for Hendosphyre, her eyes found the three silver streaks in the night, the dull rumble of their coming gaining in volume and starting to shake the ground. Turning back to the horde, she gasped at the increased number of the gangly creatures, still tumbling over the dune and the first of their number already at the base and racing toward them. Those of milky eyes now doubled in number and watching patiently in the distance, waiting for them to surrender and use their power.

Dropping to a knee, she reached for the next shaft, nocked it, drew and let fly, the bowstring buzzing her ear. She took another as the first was still on the path to meet its mark. Sighting along the shaft, she took bead on the nearest as it scrambled toward them, its mouth wide and full of needle thin teeth. It was thrown backward into the tightly packed group, clambered over and nothing more than an obstacle with its life spent. Grimacing, she loosed arrow after arrow, each shaft throwing another back until the quiver was empty.

Taking up Rhyker’s sword, she stood between him and the horrors as he lay unresponsive. A loud shriek overpowered all as Hendosphyre reached them, sweeping across the dune’s base and scattering the horde before banking and landing at a run, charging up to Kitaraiya. Before she could say anything, the great one had swiftly rounded and set himself at guard, his threatening size blocking the way to the twins. Another shriek rang out, forcing the creatures to slow and stop, their chittering rising as they waited. On the high dune, their commander’s arm raised and they charged.

Kitaraiya watched as Hendosphyre launched into motion, throwing himself down the slope and tearing into their ranks, shredding and scattering their gangly forms as they tried to overpower him with numbers alone. The rumble and wail of the approaching Valkyries shook the sands, the sound so aggressive that it drowned out everything else. She looked up, as two of the bright spears shot past in a blinding display, hammering heavily into the top of the opposing dune, scattering the beasts and their milk-eyed masters. The third spear that trailed slowed, dropping from above and landing, taking in the shape of the battle.

Swiftly turning, Jesse’s steeled eyes met Kitaraiya’s as she gave a small motion of acknowledgement, “What have you two got yourselves into?” she asked, stalking up to meet her before she looked at Rhyker with concerned grimace, “There are more coming, it is like floodgates across the dunes. They are crawling with these insects. How did you attract them?”

Kitaraiya looked from the corner of her eye, the sight of the other two valkyrie slicing their way through those that trapped her thread and fed off her power a small satisfaction, “Magic, power, they are attracted to the arcane. They entrap and drain your magic.” she glanced at Rhyker, her thoughts on his black cloak.

Jesse nodded, quickly kneeling beside Rhyker and checking him.

“How many?” Kitaraiya said, dragging their pack over.

Jesse glanced at her, “Too many. In those numbers who knows what they could manage. Fighting as a small force, the three of us could decimate their will and numbers. But defending mortals, the risk is too high. We must leave immediately and without a trace they could follow.” she said, slipping her arms under Rhyker’s limp form.

She lifted him with ease and settled him in her grip, looking to the fight. Hendosphyre’s claws and her sisters’ swords flashing in the soft glow of pre-dawn. The creatures’ blood being drank greedily by the desert sand. She whistled sharply, catching the gryphon’s eye and gave a nod, receiving his shriek in return before he charged into the fray, his body growing insubstantial until just his ghost ran through the ranks before dispersing, leaving the creatures attacking each other in confusion.

“Kit?!” she said sharply, “Take my arm.”

A dull throb started in the air, shaking the sand beneath their feet in a rhythmic wave. Kitaraiya’s eyes widened in recognition, the pale walls surrounding them in a transparent, crystalline blue shell as the small pendant hanging from Jesse’s neck flared blindingly. With a deafening clap of thunder they were gone. All that remained were their footsteps in the sand and the sudden streaks of silver as the two spears took to the sky, their wings powerfully working, dragging at the air and propelling them into the heavens while they watched the spectacle in their wake. The rapidly increasing numbers of the sand-dwellers turned upon their own dead and wounded, devouring them, leaving only bones before the rising of the sun.