Robert Keller - The Heart of Shadows

"The fog is a living creature!" Lannon warned.

Calmly, Lothrin prepared his bow. He sat relaxed in the saddle, his head tilted to one side as if he were listening for his enemies. "Use your weapon against the fog, my cousin," he said to Vannas.

But the prince made no move. He looked hesitant.

"Lothrin is right," said Jace, who sat on horseback close to Vannas. "You may be able to burn the fog."

"Yes, attack the fog!" Taris ordered.

But before Vannas could do so, the Wolves were amongst them. With Lannon being the only one who could see more than a couple of feet in any direction, mass confusion resulted. The Wolves used their keen sense of smell to find their enemies, leaving the Knights at a large disadvantage. The attack would have been far more devastating if most of the Knights had not been heavily armored, as snapping Wolf jaws were repeatedly turned away by thick leather and steel.

Taris commanded everyone to hold formation, but the wall of Knights that surrounded the Squires soon broke apart. Magically charged weapons hacked into Wolf flesh and bone, and colorful sparks erupted in the fog along with cries of pain from both Knights and Goblins.

A Wolf leapt from the fog at Lothrin, but he shot the beast in the heart and then ducked as the Wolf flew over him. The Wolf was dead before it hit the snow. Lothrin sat up calmly and readied another arrow.

Jerret swung viciously at a Wolf with his broadsword and missed, throwing himself off balance in the saddle. The Wolf seized his fur cloak with its jaws and yanked him from his horse. The two disappeared into the snow and fog. Lannon's gaze quickly found them, however, and he seized the Wolf with the Eye of Divinity and held it motionless while Jerret impaled the beast.

Vannas twisted about in the saddle as dark shapes moved around him in the mist. "I cannot tell friend from foe!" he yelled, his eyes wide.

Then a huge hand reached from the fog and seized his shoulder. It was Jace. "Ignore the wolves!" Jace commanded. "Concentrate on the fog!"

Vannas blasted white fire into the mist, at a high enough angle that no Knights were in its path. The fog parted, allowing the energy beam to pass through harmlessly. "It's not working!"

"Widen your attack," came Taris' command from somewhere nearby. "Everyone move away from him!"

Vannas closed his eyes, his face grim with focus, and the White Flamestone became engulfed in a radiant glow. He waited while the others (with the help of Lannon's guidance) rode away from him.

"Be careful, young prince!" Jace warned. "You could do as much harm as good!"

"I can control it," Vannas insisted.

"We're about twelve feet away from you, Prince Vannas," Lannon called out. He threw all of his energy into shielding himself, wondering if the Eye was strong enough to protect him from the White Flamestone's wrath. He hoped Vannas knew what he was doing and that the whole company of Knights and Squires didn't end up as piles of ash.

A Wolf burst through the defenders and charged at Vannas, but Lannon seized it with the Eye and dragged it down into the snow. Then the radiant glow burst forth in all directions for several feet, turning the Wolf to ash.

The fog itself started to burn, shuddering and recoiling as if in pain. The white fire seemed to know where to go, avoiding the Knights and horses as it burned away the fog. Moments later, the mist had dispersed and the remaining Wolves were revealed. The Knights quickly put an end to them.

A few Knights were injured from Wolf bites, but otherwise they had come through unscathed. Cheers arose and they chanted Vannas' name, as he sat beaming in the saddle. Lannon groaned quietly, thinking the prince's ego was sure to expand some more-though Lannon couldn't deny that Vannas seemed destined for great deeds and deserved the praise.

The riders wondered if the journey was going to consist of one ambush after the next, but as the sun rose and set and the mountains grew distant, they encountered no further trouble. The weather warmed during their journey on the Boulder Plains, and melting snow slid off of rocks and pines around them. A spring rain began to fall, soaking the riders. Fog settled over the snow again-only this time Taris assured them it was the natural kind.

Natural or not, however, the fog caused fears of another ambush. Two Elder Hawks circled low above, scanning the mist for enemies. Massive boulders loomed like Ogre sentinels in the fog, and roots from fallen pines jutted up like clusters of Pit Crawlers here and there. The riders were glimpsing false Goblins everywhere, and tension was high. The Squires huddled together on their horses, knowing they were the prime targets of any attack. Lannon knew that a single arrow from the fog could mean his end, but continuously shielding himself with the Eye of Divinity or probing the landscape around him made him tire quickly, so he simply entrusted his fate to the Knights who guarded him.

In spite of his powers, Lannon was still flesh and blood, and death could take him in an instant from the world. He wished he had the ability to make himself immune to damage. Lannon had tried wearing Glaetherin armor offered by the Knights, but it was heavy and seemed to distract from his ability to channel the Eye. He realized he would always be vulnerable-able to die from the cut of the simplest blade. He could only shield himself briefly and then he was no different than any other Squire. Lannon would never even possess the resilience of Taris Warhawk or Jace-men with bodies that had been strengthened by sorcery over the years to the point where they aged much slower and healed much faster than normal men.

That evening they camped near the shores of the Grey Lake. The Squires were provided with a large tent to accommodate them all, and they were placed under heavy guard. As night settled over the land and the rain beat down steadily on the tent, the Squires sat around a bulky Olrog lantern that had been specifically designed for safe use in tents. They summoned the fires of sorcery to dry out their clothes. Soon it was warm and comfortable in the tent.

"I like the sound of the raindrops," said Lothrin, who sat sharpening his dagger. "It reminds me of Borenthia-the rain falling in the treetops. When others would sit inside, I would venture out in the rain along the branches to hunt." He closed his eyes for a moment. "I always loved the smell of the forest during those times."

"What animals did you hunt in the rain, cousin?" asked Vannas.

"Many things," said Lothrin, his eyes distant. "Some animals will only be seen when the rains fall. The meat is a true delight."

Vannas shrugged. "If you say so. I wouldn't know, because I always stayed indoors during the rainy season in front of a warm fireplace."

"I long for home constantly," said Aldreya, sighing. "Dwelling in that frozen cave of Dorok's Hand made me realize how good life was in Borenthia."

"I miss Borenthia as well," said Vannas, "especially the Royal Hall-but not enough that I'd care to return there anytime soon. Dorok's Hand is such a foul place it makes one want to live anywhere else. Now that we've left that wretched fortress behind, I feel good again about being a Squire."

Lothrin held up his dagger and inspected it in the lantern light, then put it to the sharpening stone again. "Home is wherever we are, and we must make the most of it."

Lannon thought of the little cabin in the woods where his mother and father had spent their days feuding while Lannon struggled with constant boredom. He wasn't surprised to find he didn't miss it. "My home is Dremlock Kingdom," he said, "until the end of my days."

"As is mine," said Galvia. "I am the daughter of a fisherman from Silvergate. My life was wretched until the Knights recruited me."

"In what way?" asked Jerret, leaning close to her.