Burn the Night

Three

Rowe snapped awake with a single magic word. He blinked a couple times before glaring at me. He had been in mid-rant when I laid a hand on his shoulder and cast the spell, sending him into a deep sleep. Of course, I had a feeling that it was effective only because the iron collar was keeping him weak and he was a member of my own clan. For some reason, the sleep spell I cast only worked on members of the wind clan.

“You put me under a spell, you evil witch!” Rowe snarled.

“It’s not as if I could trust you to sleep beside me peacefully,” I replied, edging toward the entrance of the cave we had found shelter in during the daylight hours. The sun was in the process of setting over in the west, casting the sky in vibrant shades of pink, purple, and orange. I was still waiting for the dark blues and murky blacks to move in before we set off once again.

I removed the barriers and protective shields I had put up as a warning system should anyone get too close to our hiding place. However, I didn’t step outside into the open forest. There was something approaching. In fact, I grabbed Rowe’s arm as he tried to walk past me into the forest, forcing him to stop.

“Something is coming,” I murmured, cocking my head to the side as I tried to listen to what the wind was whispering to me. The Great Mother was constantly talking, revealing her secrets, but only to those willing to listen.

“I sense nothing.” Rowe attempted to jerk his arm free from my grip, but I only tightened my fingers around his muscular forearm. Pulling him down to his hands and knees, I forced him to dig his fingers into some soft earth just at the entrance of the cave.

“You may be willing to take chances with your life, but I am not,” I said. “Now listen to what Mother has to say. Someone is coming.”

“I find it hard to believe that the Great Mother would have anything to say to you, Dark One,” Rowe scoffed.

My temper snapped once again, and I shoved him hard in the shoulder so that he landed on his butt. “Have my skills waned?”

“What?”

“Since we’ve been reacquainted during the past several months, do you believe that my skills have waned from my youth?”

“No,” he said, looking more than a little confused. “You’re stronger. You’re a better fighter, and I did not know you were capable of spell casting until now.”

“Then why do you persist in calling me ‘Dark One’? You gave up that name when we trained together as youths and I proved myself to you.”

“It bothers you?”

“Of course it bothers me!” I paced to the opposite side of the cave and laid my left hand against the wall. “I do not need the constant reminder that I am beneath the touch of the glorious light that comes from the earth and our people. I do not need to be reminded with every breath that my life is an abomination.”

I was an abomination. All naturi babies are born during the light of day so that they can be bathed in the glorious light of the sun and the radiant joy of the Earth. Those few born at night were killed immediately. But when I was born just past midnight with my tuft of black hair and wide silver eyes, my father could not bear to lose me. He fought the heads of the clans for months until he finally convinced them to allow me to live, so long as I devoted my life to the protection of my people. And yet, even with that promise, I was an outcast; never knowing the warmth of compassion or love. Only Cynnia saw me as more than the Dark One or the protector of our people. She saw me as sister and loved me. Only Cynnia.

For a time I thought Rowe had been different. We trained together, fought side by side. He was the commander of the naturi armies and I was his second in command. I thought I had proven myself to him as a warrior.

“Look at me, Nyx. Really look at me!” he said now, drawing my eyes back to where he sat on the ground. “Do you think someone who looks like me has a right to judge you?”

“When I see you, I see someone who made a choice, a great sacrifice for the people he was fighting for.”

Rowe gave a snort and shook his head. “Don’t make it sound so noble. It may have started that way, but my motives weren’t always quite so honorable. Sometimes it was just the fastest way to get the job done.”

I shook my head, but remained silent as I listened to the wind rush by the entrance of the cave. Night was settling in the woods, filling the open areas between the trees with thick shadows, while the moon drifted in and out from behind the clouds.

“What happened to you after Machu Picchu?”

My gaze shifted back to the naturi sitting on the ground with his back to the cave wall. Rowe looked as if he was totally relaxed, but I knew he didn’t relax if he could help it. He was always ready for the next attack, ready to strike at the next enemy. But then, so was I. Too many years with the same training.

“Surprised we survived?” I asked.

He opened his mouth and then quickly shut it, shaking his head. “No, I’m not. You are a strong fighter. You would have defended Cynnia with everything that you are.”

“Thank you,” I murmured, surprised by his words. “We traveled northeast, hoping to head in the opposite direction of Aurora. We initially thought she would remain in South America near Machu Picchu. I thought she would remain there and use the strong power of the earth and the forests to rejuvenate, but I was wrong. Our intelligence indicated that she almost immediately headed northwest into a land called Canada. It was like she was mirroring us.”

“I’m sure she can sense you.”

“As Cynnia and I can sense her in a distant way. There’s no hiding. We just hoped to find a spot that she wouldn’t immediately attack so we could have a chance to build our army.”

“Where?”

I drew in a deep breath and frowned as I released it through my nose. “You’ll see soon enough, but we have another stop to make on the way. What have you done since Machu Picchu?”

“Hunted the Fire Starter,” he said with a shrug. Unexpectedly, a smirk grew on his lips and he softly chuckled to himself.

“What?”

“When Mira and I last parted, she said that I should seek out Cynnia. Live my life instead of chasing after death.”

I gave a little snort as I pushed away from the wall and walked back toward the entrance. “She’s smarter than I would have given her credit for.”

Rowe pushed to his feet and shook his head. “And devious. I would avoid her at all costs. She’s nothing but trouble.”

“Let’s get going. They are getting close,” I said, letting his comment pass as I stepped slowly out of the cave with one hand on the hilt of my sword. “By the way, who exactly was it that captured you in the first place?”

“Don’t worry. They’ll be here soon enough. When Claudia failed to report or hand me over to my next escort, they were undoubtedly dispatched to reclaim me.” Rowe looked a little too smug for my liking—he was a formidable warrior, and it didn’t look as if he had gone along willingly. What would we face?

Stepping clear of the cave, I stared up at the welcoming sky and the growing darkness. The wind was a light caress, carrying with it only a hint of a spring shower. Balanced on the balls of my feet, I inclined forward, allowing my wings to once again sprout from my back. I stretched them to their full length, enjoying the feel of having them free.

“You’ll want to put those away,” Rowe instructed, coming to stand beside me. “It will only make the fight more difficult.”

Looking over at him, I folded my wings so they hung gathered against my back, but didn’t make them completely dissipate. I was about to ask him again what I faced but the earth gave me my answer. The ground gave a soft shudder beneath our feet, and the nearby trees creaked and groaned even though the wind had gone still. Around us I could hear the scurry of small animals fleeing the vicinity, running from their burrows while flocks of once sleeping birds took to the skies with loud, fearful cries. Members of the earth clan were approaching, and I could now guess at who had been sent.

As if on command, three willowy women stepped out from behind the trees. They were dressed in tight-fitting buckskins and supple leather boots that allowed them to tread on the earth without making a sound or bending a single blade of grass. They could not be tracked for they were of the earth itself. And I knew they were skilled fighters, because I had been the one to train them for many years. They were Greenwood’s three daughters, simply known as the Huntresses among our people. This made the circle complete. If Greenwood’s daughters could track down and bring in Rowe for their father, then his place at Aurora’s side would be sealed.

“It seems you have stolen something that rightfully belongs to us,” Jasmine, the one in the center of the trio, said. Her hands were open and empty, but the same could not be said of her sisters. To her left, Alaina held a short bow with a quiver full of arrows waiting to be set free. On her right, Wyllow held a short blade in each hand and had a large grin on her face. The youngest of the three, she was always eager for a fight. Their eldest sister Jasmine was the diplomat, willing to use words to get close to her opponent before she jammed a knife between their ribs.

“Aurora banished him,” I replied. “She had no business with Rowe any longer. She made her choice, and I’m certainly not going to help your father take his place as consort.” I drew a pair of knives from my sides as my wings dissipated to mere dust that trickled down to my feet. Rowe had been right. My wings would only be a hindrance in a battle with these three. There were too many trees in the area. Neither of us would get a clear shot to the skies above before we were grabbed.

“Maybe she has rethought her position on the traitor,” Jasmine said with a slight shrug. Behind her, Wyllow gave a small snicker, which matched my own sentiments. Aurora was not about to back down—she had been planning this elimination of her allies for months, if not years. At least I believed that to be true when it came to Cynnia and me. Rowe’s appearance might have taken her by surprise and she might have decided to sweep him away with the rest of us. Her goal was to begin a new rule on Earth, and she was going to do that with a fresh set of allies.

I placed myself between Rowe and the three women. “Leave here,” I told him. “I will find you after I have dispatched these three.”

The naturi gave an unexpected snort, drawing my gaze over to find him leaning against the entrance to the cave. “I’m not leaving and missing out on this performance. One way or another, I’m somebody’s captive. What do I care who wins?”

“You should have a care since I’m the only one that needs you alive,” I grumbled, looking back at the Huntresses.

“We want him alive,” Alaina corrected me with an evil grin. “He’s got years of torment waiting for him.”

Clenching my teeth, I let her words slip away from me as I focused on the coming battle. Overhead, I could feel the clouds moving in and the wind picking up. A low rumble of thunder rolled in from the distance, warning them to walk away now, when they still had the chance.

“It doesn’t have to be this way, Nyx,” Jasmine said. “We weren’t sent after you. We’re prepared to let you walk away.”

“No, you’re not,” I corrected before dropping my short sword. As I expected, their eyes followed the blade into the soft ground, allowing me to palm one of the smaller knives from my side and throw it directly at Alaina before she could draw her first arrow. The naturi screamed as the blade found its mark in her right shoulder. She would be unable to use her bow for at least several minutes as the muscles in her shoulder healed.

Wyllow charged around Jasmine, both blades drawn and ready to decapitate me. I reached down for the hilt of the blade I had dropped into the earth, but I could not pull it free. It was as if the earth around the metal had turned to stone, holding it locked in place. I barely dodged Wyllow’s first slashing blow, and blocked the second with the blade I had palmed in my left hand.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jasmine standing in the same place, whispering a spell. The trees were beginning to sway and it felt as if the earth was growing softer under my feet. I knew this tactic. She was going to pull me down into the earth and bury me alive. It was the quickest and easiest way to dispatch her opponent.

“Don’t push me, Jasmine!” I called as I blocked another series of slashes from Wyllow.

“You’re the one that has forced my hand,” she warned, throwing her empty arms out wide. “You were an excellent tutor, Dark One, but your nights are over at long last.”

Gritting my teeth, I finally succeeded in pushing Wyllow away from me and slogged forward a couple of steps as the earth seemed to turn to mush beneath me. I was now sinking down to my ankles in the growing mire. Wyllow rushed me again, both her swords swinging, in hopes of slicing me into two neat chunks. Falling to my knees, I bent backward so I slid beneath the swords. She overextended herself, leaving her stomach exposed. She knew her mistake in an instant and tried to twist out of the way, but it was too late as I slammed one knife into her midsection. The female naturi staggered away from me, pulling the blade from her abdomen while cursing me. I tried to regain my feet but the earth closed in around my calves, holding me in place so I was trapped in a kneeling position.

“Back away, Alaina!” I snarled, throwing out my arm toward Rowe. The other sister had been sneaking around the battle, drawing close to my scarred companion while I was distracted with Wyllow and Jasmine. A bolt of lightning streaked from the sky and pounded the ground between Alaina and Rowe, causing her to jump back.

“Watch your aim, please,” Rowe said calmly. He was standing behind me, so I couldn’t see him, but I had no doubt there was a smirk twisting his lips.

“A little help wouldn’t be unheard of since I am trying to prolong your life,” I bit out between clenched teeth as I struggled to pull to my feet. The earth fought me, sucking at my limbs like so much quicksand, leaving me vulnerable.

“You’ve planned this battle poorly. You’re focused on the wrong one,” Rowe advised.

And he was right. I was allowing Alaina and Wyllow to wear me down and distract me when Jasmine was the oldest, strongest, and the unspoken leader of the three. She was the one who was going to slowly bury me while her two sisters chipped away at my defenses. In the end they would leave me alive long enough to see them depart with Rowe, then I would die with the taste of failure on my tongue.

Focusing my powers before Alaina could strike at me, I called the lightning. One bolt slammed to the ground between Alaina and me, forcing her to jump backward, buying me a little time. The second struck at Jasmine, who leapt to a thick grove of trees. The old growth reached out its limbs and wound them together, creating a protective canopy over her. It would take several lightning strikes to finally break through the barrier, something that would leave me open to attack by her sisters, who were once again drawing close.

The one positive was that the lightning strike at Jasmine had broken her concentration on the earth. With a grunt, I finally regained my footing, though the ground remained soft like soggy marshland.

Frowning, I resheathed my sword and unsnapped a slender strap on my left side. Grasping the leather handle, I flicked my wrist, allowing the long whip to unfurl before me. It came as no surprise when the three sisters instantly went still, their eyes growing wide as they locked on the new weapon.

“It doesn’t need to come to this, Nyx.” Jasmine took a step back. “Rowe isn’t worth protecting. We don’t want to hurt you. You’re free to go, I promise you.”

“Rowe is worth more than you will ever understand,” I said in a low, even voice. I flicked my wrist again, causing the whip to crack like a snap of thunder, warning them.

Wyllow didn’t listen. She charged me first, bringing with her the long arms of the trees that surrounded us, hoping to entangle me and the whip. Widening my stance, I swung the whip around, slicing through the tree limbs that drew close, raining down debris on Wyllow before she could reach me. She pushed on, determined to slice through me, but she didn’t have a chance. In a flash, I brought the whip down, slashing it across the hands holding her two swords. She screamed, dropping her blades as she pulled her hands in against her stomach.

“Don’t turn your back on her!” Jasmine screamed, but it was too late. Wyllow saw the whip coming around for another strike and she naturally turned her back to me, hoping it would take the brunt of the strike. It was what I had been waiting for. The ends of the whip slashed through the thick buckskin shirt and cut grooves in her back.

A sickening scream rose up from Wyllow as she collapsed to the ground, writhing in agony far worse than would be imagined for a simple wound caused by a whip. Desperate to avenge her wounded and dying sister, Alaina charged me next. I swiveled my hips, turning my body to face her as the whip struck out like a venomous cobra. The earth clan naturi managed to stomach three strikes before she finally turned her side toward me, allowing me to rake the whip across her back. She fell to the ground, screaming in pain while Wyllow became horribly silent.

Jasmine took another step backward, shaking her head as tears slipped down her tanned cheeks. Both her hands were balled into fists and trembling before her as she stared at her sisters as they died. For a moment I considered sparing her. I thought about sending her back to her father with a message that I would not allow Aurora to win the fight that she started.

“Mercy is for the weak,” Rowe whispered.

Sucking in a deep breath through my nose, I lifted my arm and twirled the whip above my head for a second before flicking it out toward Jasmine. I knew that no matter what I did, she was smart enough not to turn her back on me. I didn’t need her to. The whip wrapped tightly around her neck, choking her. Grabbing the whip with my right hand, I gave it a swift jerk, breaking her neck. She collapsed facedown in the dirt.

I released the whip with my right hand and pulled the sword that had been stuck in the earth free. With my teeth clenched, I walked over to where Jasmine lay. Pulling the whip free, I quickly decapitated her, ensuring that she was truly dead, before placing the sword back in its sheath.

I turned back toward the cave and found Rowe standing over Alaina as she writhed on her side, gasping for air as if her throat was closing in. Hatred was splashed across his face as he watched her, and for a moment I had to wonder how far that hatred extended. Did it include all of our kind? Or just those who were hunting him?

“I don’t understand,” he admitted when Alaina gave her last shuddering gasp and went completely still at his feet. Her green eyes stared wide at the forest, blind forever. “What did you do?”

I finished coiling up the whip as I joined him next to Alaina. Kneeling down, I turned her over onto her stomach and pulled open one of the large tears in the back of her shirt, revealing the tattoo of the tree that graced the back of every naturi. It was a symbol of our tie to the earth, one we were all born with. Rowe bent close to examine her back and then fell to both his knees in surprise, tearing open her shirt so her entire back was exposed. There were five slash marks through the tree, cutting deep within her flesh.

His narrowed gaze snapped back up to my face. “I still don’t understand. These wounds aren’t deep enough to kill.”

“I severed her connection with the earth,” I said, hating to utter those very words.

Rowe stumbled to his feet, moving back away from me. “That’s impossible. That’s just fucking impossible.” I noticed that his eyes were no longer on my face, but on the whip still coiled in my hand.

Rising slowly to my feet, I extended my hand to him, offering him the whip. Keeping it coiled, he examined the end and found pieces of iron embedded within the leather straps. But it was more than just the iron that caused their link to the earth to be broken. The whip was imbued with powerful and ancient magic.

As soon as Rowe wrapped his hand around the handle, the whip jerked from his grasp and slithered across the ground. It wrapped around my left leg, the handle coming to rest against my hip. “I’m the only one who can use it.”

“Convenient,” he replied, twisting the word with a sneer. “You’ve created an efficient weapon of death that can be used by only you.”

“I had no choice.”

“No choice? O Great Protector of the people, how could you create a weapon that only kills our people?”

“Because Aurora asked me to.”

Rowe’s brow furrowed with surprise as he looked at me. I avoided his piercing gaze to coil the whip once again and hang it at my side. I didn’t like to think about it. I was the protector of our people. At least I had been. But even before Aurora proclaimed that I was a traitor to the crown, I had become an efficient killer of my people.

“Why?” he asked softly.

I drew in a slow breath but couldn’t raise my eyes to meet his gaze. Rowe had this image of our people and what he had been fighting for when he struggled to open the door once again. I hated to be the one who destroyed that image. And yet, hadn’t Aurora already tarnished the image when she turned her back on him?

“During the final couple centuries of Aurora’s rule,” I said, “while we were trapped, the cohesion of our people started to break apart. Factions built among the various clans, questioning her rule. People were dying; our children were struggling to survive birth when we were lucky enough to bear children. Aurora’s authority was being threatened.”

“She asked that you hunt down anyone who was questioning her rule,” Rowe said, finally drawing my gaze up to his face.

“They were accused of treason and immediately dispatched. The old spell weavers helped me develop the whip. I needed something unique and that would immediately strike fear in the guilty. Unfortunately, it was too effective with some of the races.”

“What do you mean? It doesn’t kill everyone?”

I shook my head. “It doesn’t affect everyone equally. It breaks a naturi’s tie to the earth. For the earth clan, death is nearly immediate and extremely painful. For the water clan, they can no longer return to the water, which leads to a slower death. The animal clan can no longer shift or call to the animals around them.”

“The wind clan?”

“We lose the ability of flight. Our wings are permanently severed.”

“But we can control the weather still?”

“Yes, as well as weave other spells if the naturi is strong and old enough.”

“You used it on a weaver!” Rowe gasped. The ancient spell weavers of our people were only second closest to the earth next to the ruler of our people. They were held in the highest regard, thought to be untouchable.

“The one who created the whip. Aurora feared his ability to create such a weapon against his own people.”

“What about the light clan? What does it do to the light clan?” he demanded.

I shook my head, frowning. “I don’t know. Aurora never accused her own clan of treason.” I dreaded the day that I would have to discover that bit of information.

“I’m sorry,” Rowe murmured, shocking me.

“For what?”

“That you were forced to hunt our people. It would have turned them even more against you.”

I forced myself to shrug despite the lump that had grown in my throat. Other than Cynnia, Rowe was the only one to understand what I had been forced to do. I was born to be the protector of our people and had turned into their executioner. And I was good at it.

Pushing such thoughts aside, I focused once again on the mission that lay ahead of me. I hunched forward, balanced on the balls of my feet, allowing my wings to once again spring forth. I stretched them wide, enjoying the feel of the muscles pulling while the wind brushed against my feathers. Turning around, I saw Rowe struggling to do the same. The iron collar was doing its job by inhibiting his ability to use magic, but it allowed him to call forth the black leathery wings that were a part of him.

“We need to get moving,” I said. “You’re not the only one I need to convince to side with Cynnia.”