The pale grass of the meadow offered almost zero cover. Without a single word of warning, Urduun dropped like a stone. He slammed flat onto his stomach in the dirt, his body instantly being swallowed into the grass.
Doren stopped, looking down at the assassin in confusion. Before he could even process the sudden change, Urduun's hand shot up, grabbing the fabric of Doren's tunic and yanking him downward. Doren hit the ground hard, the heavy impact knocking the wind from his chest.
"Hit the dirt!" Urduun whisper shouted over his shoulder, waving his free hand at Katarina and Anya. "Down! Now!" The girls didn't hesitate, immediately throwing themselves flat into the grass below them, pressing their faces into the cold earth.
A massive, sweeping shadow drifted over the meadow, briefly blocking out the morning sun.
Doren tilted his head upward, peering through the swaying blades of grass. Circling high in the cold currents directly above them was an unfamiliar creature to Doren.
It was a Rahjean.
The beast rode the wind with an eerie, silent grace. Its upper torso was covered in bright green scales that caught the sunlight and glinted off of it. The scales transitioned seamlessly into an expansive pair of vivid purple wings, lined with deep orange webbing. Instead of a traditional beak or snout, the center of its head was dominated by a single, giant, eye that constantly scanned the meadow below. Its lower half tapered down into a long, scaly, mermaid like tail that ended abruptly in a massive, single webbed foot.
"A Rahjean..." Urduun breathed, his voice barely a whisper against the dirt. He kept his head completely still, only the peripheral of his eyes tracking the vibrant predator as it effortlessly manipulated the air currents above them. "I wonder where the Raheim is..."
Doren swallowed hard, pressing his chest firmer into the ground. Meko's sword was still gripped in his hand, but he knew damn well it was useless against a threat a hundred feet in the sky. "The what?" He asked.
"Its mother," Urduun muttered, "They never fly without their mothers." He slowly scanned the multicolored sky beyond the creature, searching the dense cloud cover. "The Raheim. She's much larger. Has two legs instead of one, a more pronounced eye, and wings so powerful they make the air physically shake before you even see her."
The vibrant Rahjean banked in the sky, its massive eye locking onto a rustling patch of brush near the far edge of the meadow.
"The repelation wards keep them from diving on us," Urduun whispered, his hand resting cautiously on the hilt of his sword. "If it senses us watching it, or feels our panic, it will alert the mother. Keep your heads completely down and empty your thoughts, If the Raheim shows up, this meadow becomes a graveyard."
Doren swallowed hard, his throat dry. He cautiously turned his head to check on the girls. Anya was pressed as flat against the earth as physically possible, her face completely dug into the dirt. Her eyes squeezed shut in terror with her hand on her head. Katarina had her head slightly raised. Her jaw was locked, her eyes tracking the vibrant beast above them, and her hand was wrapped tightly around the hilt of her drawn dagger. Even lying in the dirt, she looked ready to spring.
The beast suddenly cut backwards in the sky, freezing its circles. It let out a piercing, unearthly shriek that made Doren's teeth ache. As it swooped down, the giant, singular eye in the center of its head seemed to physically dilate, acting as a massive vacuum. It was hovering to close for them to feel comfortable. The atmospheric pressure in the meadow dropped, making it hard for them to breath and drawing the grass towards it. As the creature aggressively inhaled the surrounding air, the focus went directly into the center of its eye.
Then, with a deafening crack that sounded like thunder, it unleashed the pressure. A highly concentrated beam of solid wind shot from its eye, tearing through the sky and slamming violently into the dense treeline behind them. The force of the air beam instantly shattered tree trunks, sending massive splinters of wood and shredded canopy exploding into the air.
Anya jolted, her eyes flying open. She opened her mouth to scream, but caught herself just in time, slapping both hands violently over her own mouth to silence herself. She bit down on her knuckles, shaking as the echo of the blast rolled across the line of trees.
With a powerful, secondary burst of compressed wind forced from its massive purple wings, the Rahjean shot straight back up into the sky. It resumed its patrol, circling around them, its giant eye now locked entirely on the devastated section of the jungle.
"I bet it's going after the Emberphant," Urduun whispered, the tension completely draining from him.
Without waiting to see if the beast would strike again, the assassin casually pushed himself up off the ground. Behind him, back in the jungle, the Rahjean let out another horrifying shriek. It was followed by another shriek that was much deeper, rattling the ground even from far away. He brushed the dirt and grass off his tunic, completely unfazed by the display of raw, destructive power they had just witnessed and uncaring about the fighting of giant beasts behind him.
"Come on," Urduun grunted, gesturing for them to get up. "Show's over. Keep moving."
Doren slowly climbed to his feet, pulling Anya up by her shoulder while Katarina smoothly rose beside them, her dagger still out. They quickly crossed the remaining stretch of the open meadow, eager to get out of the exposed sightlines of the sky. As they finally reached the rocky, jagged base of the mountain, the terrain shifted from dirt and grass to loose, gray shale. Urduun paused, resting a hand against a massive, jutting boulder. He narrowed his eyes, squinting up the steep incline.
About fifty feet up the sheer rock face, partially obscured by the lingering mountain fog and a few stubborn, twisted pines, sat a dark, gaping opening in the stone. Urduun lifted a gloved finger, pointing directly at the heavy shadow of the cavern.
"That cave wasn't there a couple weeks ago," Urduun stated, a confident, slightly mocking smirk returning to his face. He looked back at Doren, entirely pleased with his own tracking skills. "I bet that's his new hidey-hole. If not, he'll be by Shifton Lake," Urduun added, gesturing vaguely toward the dense jungle they had just traversed. "And since we're on the lower part of the island right now, he'll be there."
He turned back to the jagged incline of the mountain and began to trek upward, his heavy boots crunching loudly against the loose, gray shale. Doren, Katarina, and Anya fell in line behind him, preparing for the grueling, vertical climb. But after only a few steps, Urduun stopped. He turned around, his eyes sweeping over the rocky terrain until he found exactly what he was looking for.
"Tidal wave," Urduun barked, pointing to a massive, jagged boulder jutting out from the base of the incline. "Stand on that boulder and make as big of a shadow as you can."
Doren blinked, astonished by the strange command. He looked at the rock, then up at the pale morning sun fighting through the coastal fog. Without arguing, he sheathed Meko's sword and climbed up the rough stone. Spreading his arms and shifting his stance, Doren purposefully blocked the sunlight. His body casted a long, heavy shadow that stretched out across the ground below.
Urduun stepped directly into the center of Doren's shadow. The moment his boots touched the darkest part of the shadow, the natural properties of the light completely broke down. The shadow beneath him seemed to liquefy, turning into a dark bottomless pool of absolute void.
Doren, Anya, and Katarina watched in stunned silence as Urduun sank into the ground. The void smoothly swallowed his whole body. In less than a second, the assassin was completely gone, leaving nothing behind but solid rock and ordinary shade.
Doren dropped his arms, staring blankly at the spot where the killer had just been standing. He threw his arms up in disbelief.
"Show-off," Katarina muttered under her breath, crossing her arms.
"Up here!" The sudden shout echoed down the rock face, making all three of them jump. They snapped their heads up. Standing casually at the mouth of the dark cave fifty feet above them, looking no worse for wear, was Urduun. He leaned against the stone opening, looking down at them with an insufferable, smug grin.
"Fennix is right in here!" Urduun yelled down, his voice carrying over the wind. He waved them up. "Get your asses moving!"
Doren let out a long, heavy sigh, the exhaustion of the day already settling deep into his bones. Urduun had just effortlessly bypassed the entire brutal climb, leaving the three travelers to scale the steep, treacherous mountain face entirely on foot.
"Well," Doren groaned, jumping down from the boulder and looking up at the daunting incline. "You heard the man. Let's start climbing."
"Pfft," Katarina scoffed, rolling her eyes at the assassin's elemental display. She slid her steel dagger smoothly back into its scabbard. Dropping into a slight crouch, she focused on the air and began to bring in pressure around her legs. With a sharp exhale, a highly compressed burst of air erupted beneath her boots, launching her upward. She scaled the rock face in four rapid, gravity-defying bounds, her boots lightly striking the jagged shale just long enough to spring higher. She landed perfectly at the mouth of the cave, crossing her arms as she stood next to an unimpressed Urduun.
"Yeah, I'm not climbing," Anya laughed nervously. "I just wanna get out of view of more of those murderous creatures."
She took a step back, planting her feet. A bright, searing heat instantly flared around her. With a controlled, explosive burst of her fire element, twin jets of flame erupted from beneath her boots. The intense thrust shot her straight up the steep incline like an arrow. She vaulted over the edge of the stone opening, landing next to Katarina with a soft click of her boots. The beam of smoke disappeared as she beamed down at the base of the mountain, impressed with her jump.
Doren stood completely alone at the bottom of the fifty foot incline, staring up at the three elementalists looking down at him from the mouth of the cave. He let out a long, heavy sigh, exhausted and ready to rest.
He could have tried to use the Powerhart. He could have tested Galdur to shape the earth into stairs, or tried to forcefully harness the air with Lyra, and be like Katarina. But he had to maintain the charade. To the lethal assassin watching him from above, he was just "Tidal Wave". A water elementalist who had already proven himself to be slightly inept in combat or elemental prowess. And now, standing out here on the dry, loose shale at the high-altitude base of a mountain, there simply wasn't enough ambient moisture in the air to realistically create a water-lift without drawing immediate, lethal suspicion from Urduun.
The cover story was more important than his pride, and certainly more important than his aching muscles. Muttering under his breath, Doren reached out and grabbed a jagged outcropping of gray rock. He pulled himself up, his boots slipping slightly against the loose shale.
The climb was miserable. Every time he pulled himself up, a cascade of small rocks tumbled down beneath him. The high wind bit at his knuckles, and his heavy travel pack threatened to throw off his balance with every cautious reach. By the time he finally hauled himself over the rocky ledge and collapsed onto the flat stone floor of the cave entrance, his arms were burning, his chest was heaving, and his clothes were dusted in gray dirt.
Urduun looked down at the exhausted boy, a condescending smirk etched across his scarred face. "Good hustle, tidal wave," Urduun mocked, lazily clapping his gloved hands together in a slow, sarcastic rhythm. "Really showed that mountain side who's boss."
Doren shot him a tired glare as he pushed himself up from the stone floor and dusted off his knee. He peered into the cave, squinting his eyes to adjust to the darkness. It definitely looked lived in. The cave was dark and humid, a small plume of smoke drifting upwards from an old fire, snuffed out hours ago.
Urduun turned his amused attention away from Doren and peered into the pitch black depths of the mountain. "Fennix!" Urduun yelled.
The name bounced off the damp stone walls, echoing deeper and deeper into the dark until it faded into absolute silence. There was no response. Nothing but the howl of the cave and wind outside of it.
"Old man!" Urduun yelled one more time, his rough voice carrying a slightly sharper, impatient edge. The echo of the insult slowly died down. For a long, tense moment, the cave remained completely still.
Then, cutting through the heavy silence, a sharp, rhythmic sound emerged from the absolute blackness.
It was the deliberate tap of a heavy wooden stick striking the stone floor, growing steadily louder with each strike. A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Urduun..." a voice rasped. It was a weathered, gravelly voice, carrying the weight of decades of knowledge. An old man hobbled into the dim light spilling from the cave entrance. He was severely hunched over from age, his frail frame relying heavily on a gnarled walking stick gripped in a pair of trembling, age-spotted hands. He wore a faded tunic that hung loosely from his narrow shoulders, the fabric heavily tattered with holes and frayed edges. He looked exactly like the kooky, harmless hermit the old fisherman at the docks had described.
But as he lifted his head, his eyes told an entirely different story. They were sharp, piercing, and lucid, holding the exact lethal competence the blacksmith had warned them about. "I know when you're coming," Fennix stated plainly, his gaze briefly flicking over the imposing assassin. He stuck a slim finger into his ear and itches. "I decided to stay for this visit, you mongrel. You should feel honored..." The old man paused, his grip tightening slightly on his walking stick. He tossed the stick up, caught it at a lower part, and pointed it at Urduun. "...though it is not you that I want to talk to."
Urduun scoffed, rolling his shoulders defensively. "Well, I didn't come to talk to you, either." the assassin retorted, gesturing with his thumb behind him. "I came as a-"
"Bodyguard. I know," Fennix interrupted. Urduun made an annoyed face. Slowly, Fennix shifted his piercing gaze away from the assassin. He bypassed Katarina's tense, battle ready stance. He ignored the lingering, anxious eyes from Anya.
His eyes locked onto Doren, who was still trying to catch his breath near the cave's entrance. The old man's stare seemed to bypass Doren's exhaustion, looking straight into something else.
"I want to talk to you, Doren," Fennix rasped, the words seeming to echo off the stone walls. "Or should I say...King-Maker."
The air in the cavern instantly went dead.
Doren's heart slammed against his chest. The constructed, humiliating facade of being a mediocre water elementalist shattered into a million pieces. Deep inside his chest, the Powerhart practically vibrated in response to the ancient title.
Beside him, Katarina's hand dropped to the hilt of her dagger, her eyes darting between the old man and Doren, then from Doren to Urduun. She fully realized the catastrophic danger of what had just been said out loud. But the most dangerous reaction came from Urduun.
The assassin froze. The condescending smirk was wiped from his scarred face. He slowly turned his head, his cold, dead eyes fixing onto Doren with a newfound scrutiny. He looked at the dirt covered boy standing at the edge of the cave, and then back at the legendary tracker who had just bestowed a dangerous title upon him. The charade was over. Urduun now knew exactly what the rest of them did.
"So." Urduun rubbed the side of his head, closing his eyes as if trying to physically massage away a sudden headache. "You're telling me that you are-"
"A wielder of the Powerhart," Fennix finished for him, his gravelly voice cutting through the damp cavern. He walked straight past Urduun. Fennix tilted his head up, his piercing, unclouded eyes locking onto Doren's. "...albeit very naive in how to use his element. Especially as of lately, right, Doren?"
A cold chill ran straight down Doren's spine. He hadn't even introduced himself yet. He hadn't said a single word since pulling himself over the rocky ledge. Yet this hermit, living in an isolated cave high above a deadly jungle, somehow knew exactly who he was and exactly how much he was struggling to control the elements inside him.
"Since you took on the firsts." Fennix raised his gnarled walking stick and tapped the blunt, worn wood squarely against the center of Doren's chest.
The moment the wood made contact, a deep, resonant thrum vibrated through Doren's ribs. The raw, primal forces of the Powerhart collectively shuddered and flared in direct response to the old man's touch.
"That was a mistake," Fennix stated flatly, his tone entirely devoid of pity.
The old man withdrew the stick and slowly began to walk around Doren. His heavy boots and the tap of his cane echoed off the stone walls as he assessed the boy from every angle, like a master blacksmith inspecting a deeply flawed, dangerous piece of steel.
"Now you're a target of the gods," Fennix rasped, dragging the unimaginable stakes of Doren's survival out into the open. "And the Order. And the King, once he hears about Limka." Fennix paused right behind Doren's shoulder, his gravelly voice dropping to an absolute certainty. "Which will be soon. If not already."
At the mention of Limka, the atmosphere in the cavern shifted, an invisible weight pressed on the trio. Katarina's jaw tightened. The brutal memory of the arena and Meko's death was suddenly dragged right back to the surface of their grief. Anya hugged her arms tight across her chest, staring at the cave floor, her mind a flutter, going back to what happened.
Near the cave entrance, Urduun was unnervingly silent. The assassin slowly let his gloved hand drop from the side of his head and took a single, deliberate step backward toward the opening of the cave, putting distance between himself and Doren. The reality of the situation had fully clicked into place in the killer's mind. He hadn't just escorted a group of travelers across the strait, but he had unknowingly hand delivered the single most powerful person in the realm directly into the heart of the assassins' sanctuary.
Urduun cleared his throat, the sound incredibly loud in the heavy, echoing silence of the cavern. The assassin carefully held his gloved hands up in a non threatening gesture. The arrogance was completely gone, replaced by a.man who had a general fear of Doren's unknown.
"Listen man," Urduun said, his rough voice dropping to a cautious, even tone. "I don't want to hurt you or your girlfriends. So let's just be civil."
Doren looked at the killer who had mocked him, threatened him, and belittled his grief for the past twenty four hours. For the first time since leaving Limka, a genuine, powerful smirk touched the corner of Doren's mouth. It was a strange, grim realization that even though he couldn't control his powers, he had this much weight on people. The sheer, catastrophic reputation of the magic burning inside his chest was doing the heavy lifting for him.
"You're fine," Doren said, his voice steady, stepping fully into the power trip that Fennix had just handed him. "Just continue to get us to where we need to go. Until we're off this island, at least."
The old man's walking stick sharply cracked against the stone floor, instantly drawing the room's attention back. Fennix looked at Doren, his piercing eyes reflecting the dim light of the cave. "You'll be here a long time," Fennix stated, utterly shattering Doren's plan to catch Flotsam's ferry back to the mainland once he was done with his conversation with Fennix.
Doren stepped forward, the smirk instantly dropping from his face. "What? No, we just came for information. We have to keep moving, we can't stay-"
"I can't tell you why," Fennix interrupted, raising a single, wrinkled finger up to silence him. The old man's voice took on a strange, distant cadence, as if he were reading words written on the very air itself. "For fate cannot be changed right now. Right now, the outcome is... perfect."
A heavy, unsettling chill settled over the group. The idea that their journey so far, with the loss of Meko, the attacks from the Sunless, the terrifying encounters in the jungle, was somehow exactly how things were supposed to be made the group physically since at the idea. Katarina's grip tightened, her jaw locking as she bit back a brash comment about fate.