Chris Evans - The Light of Burning Shadows

Shards of black ice trailed the wagon wheels and began spreading up the walls of the buildings they passed. Alwyn shivered and pointed forward. The shadows flitted ahead of the wagon and appeared in a line in front of the crowd blocking their path. Swords writhed in icy flames appeared poised to attack. The shadows began to advance.

Some in the crowd shrieked and ran. Those pushing the cart abandoned their effort and scurried away. A few, however, stood their ground.

“No!”

The swords of the dead slashed into the crowd, cutting down any who stood in their path. Frost fire leaped in the air until a wall of shimmering black flame stretched across the entire street.

The brindos screamed as they reached the line of shadows and flame and thundered on through. The whole wagon screeched as if a thousand nails were scraping a chalkboard. Alwyn’s spectacles froze over, his lungs burning with the cold. From somewhere in the wagon, a grown man wailed like a child.

The shadows exploded as if they’d just driven through a black mirror.

Alwyn fell backward and would have tumbled from the wagon if not for Hrem holding on to him.

The wagon continued on its path. Alwyn could just make out that they were free and clear; there were no more buildings beside them.

They had made it through, but at what cost?

What do you mean, gone?”

Konowa raised his voice at the corporal standing at attention before him. The sound of a city in turmoil reverberated around the Viceroy’s palace, and the first rays of the sun were only just beginning to spread out over Nazalla. Konowa had hoped the oncoming heat would quell whatever it was that had stirred up the population, but the dawn of a new day seemed to be doing the opposite. He needed information, now.

The corporal blanched. “It was close to midnight, sir. Just before the people started coming out into the streets. Apparently the men on duty at the southern gate saw the three ladies ride out in Her Majesty’s Scribe’s wagon.”

“Why didn’t you try to stop them?” Konowa asked, then immediately waved the soldier to silence. No sentry was going to stop those three. Hell, I’m a major and I can’t. “This should have been reported earlier.”

“I know, sir, and I take full responsibility,” the corporal said. “It’s just that once we had people in the streets, the talk of uprising started making the rounds and I suddenly had a lot to deal with. It’s looking like a absolute riot out there.”

Konowa knew the soldier was being honest. “Very well. Get back to your men and keep them calm. Something’s stirred up the citizenry of Nazalla, but we still have the upper hand. The last thing we need right now is some of our men firing off a volley into a crowd of people. This is only our second day in Nazalla-I was hoping to avoid a full-scale rebellion for at least a week.”

The corporal didn’t laugh.

“Go, and keep the lads in check. We’re not on an island anymore,” Konowa said, surprised to find himself wishing they were. The islands-as horrific as they had been-had also been simple. Everything there had been enemy. Here in Nazalla, it was all a gray area.

The corporal saluted and quickly hurried off.

“How dare they!” the Prince shouted, marching up to Konowa and waving away his salute. The Prince’s eyes were red and his usually immaculate uniform was less than pristine. Apparently it had been a long night for everyone.

“Your jacket is buttoned up wrong, Your Highness,” Konowa said.

The Prince looked down at his jacket and stomped his boot on the ground. He began ripping at the buttons to undo them. “I trusted them!”

Konowa kept the surprise from his face as he realized it was up to him to calm the Prince down. “We saw this in Elfkyna, too, your Highness. I’m confident we can control the situation and get the city back to calm before too long.”

The Prince looked up from his buttons. “Are you daft? Of course we can control Nazalla. I’m talking about the women. I took… rip those three… rip into my confidence. I listened to their advice rip. I’ve allowed them to travel with us, and I’ve let Rallie… rip write whatever she wanted!” A button went sailing through the air like a cannonball launched from the Black Spike.

Konowa almost reached out a hand of sympathy to rest it on the Prince’s shoulder. Instead he nodded and waited for the Prince to continue. Color Sergeant Salia Aguom-known as “Sally” by absolutely no one wishing to retain what teeth they had in their head-marched up and saluted. The battle scars covering the sergeant’s face looked fearsome even when he smiled, which wasn’t now. Konowa turned to him and returned the salute. The Prince was still working at a final button.

“Beg to report, sir, seven men are absent.”

Konowa quickly ushered Sergeant Aguom a few steps away from the Prince to keep their conversation private. “Let’s keep this between us right now,” he said, motioning with his head to the Prince. “You’ve searched the grounds? Looked in bushes and under carriages? The bordellos?”

Aguom nodded. “Not a sign of them, sir. Last sighting was in a pub called the Blue Scorpion, then all hell broke loose and they ain’t been seen since. The rest of the regiment is accounted for, except for them.”

Konowa thought out loud. “Normally I’d figure they were sleeping it off somewhere, but with all this racket, I hope they’ve done the smart thing and holed up in a safe place. Has there been any word of fighting in the city between our troops and the locals?”

“That’s the thing,” the sergeant said, scratching at the side of his head. “It’s chaos out there. There’s no end to rumors, and trying to make sense out of any of them while we’re bottled up here is next to impossible.”

“Try me,” Konowa said.

Sergeant Aguom looked over at the Prince, who had now flung his jacket to the ground and was shouting for another one to be brought at once. “I don’t know what to make of it, but we got reports of some kind of skirmish in a back alley. Bodies burned to nothing but ash and bits of bone. They say magic was used, Kaman Rhal’s magic…”

The screams of Private Kester Harkon echoed in Konowa’s ears.

“And?”

“More than one person said they saw a small furry creature with a man dressed in black. This man killed several others and turned them into ash. Oh, and he had a big bushy tail…the furry animal, not the man. Sort of sounds like a…well, like-”

“My father,” Konowa murmured, finishing his sentence. Parents. One takes off without a word, while the other embarks on a killing spree with a crazy elf.

“That’s not the worst of it,” Sergeant Aguom continued.

“No, why would it be.”

Sergeant Aguom ignored Konowa’s sarcasm. “There’s a rumor that several people saw a Star appear over the city, and that when it disappeared a wagon was seen racing out of the city and into the desert.”

“They think the Empire loaded the Star onto a wagon…?”

“Yes, sir. The other rumors say the Star hasn’t arrived yet, and most people seem to believe that, but everyone is certain about this wagon.”

“Why?”

“Well, sir, it’s not often you see a wagon burning with black fire while being pulled by monsters and guarded by creatures of shadow.”

“No, I suppose not,” Konowa said. “Still, if that’s the worst of it, we might be able to calm the waters. The other colonels are no doubt moving their regiments into the city to restore calm.”

Sergeant Aguom shook his head. “They say twenty people were killed trying to stop the wagon.”

The ground spun beneath Konowa’s boots and it took all his strength to stay upright. This nightmare just kept growing. “How certain are you about this?”