Where Darkness Treads: Book Two—Of Tears & Darkness

Chapter Thirty-One: Feathers and Talons

Brenna stealthily stepped from the sanctuary, onto the dry land of their camp outside. The air hung in undisturbed folds of gray mist, as there was not a hint of a breeze. The log wall, which had been so painstakingly built, was now a straight mound of light-gray ash. The lush greenery which had existed behind the barrier, was now charred ruin. For four or five minutes, the Neeri watched her ring intently, for any warning of danger but there was none.

The sky was beginning to lighten, as dawn was approaching. In the gloom, she could not see, or sense any sign of the enemy nearby. Quickly, Brenna once more entered the sanctuary and motioned for Prince Donovan and Aberith to follow her, which they did. Quietly, the three of them stood there, watching and listening for any sign of Bemenah's dark forces. The Neeri turned to Donovan and Aberith. "I don't like any part of this. I cannot sense any nearby enemy yet I'm certain they would not leave this area, without placing a lookout to watch for our return."

"I agree, the enemy has doggedly followed us and I'm sure they are not about to stop now. Brenna, there is little we can do to assist you for the moment. You're going to have to scout the area and return to inform us of what you find," Aberith replied in a whisper.

Donovan looked at her quietly for a moment; lines of worry were etched across his face. "If I could do this, I would. Be careful, many of us have grown used to having you around. Aberith and I will wait for you in the sanctuary, for your safe return." With this said, both faded from sight, leaving her alone in the early morning air.

Immediately, Brenna changed her form to a henna falcon and with a rush of feathers, she launched herself into the dim morning air. She rapidly climbed up into the sky, while continuing to search for any sign of danger. The cool moist air of early morning felt refreshing, as she silently glided. Brenna reveled in the absolute freedom she now possessed. All the while, she continued to search for any sign of a scout, which she believed had to be nearby.

Her search did not take long, before she sensed the fleeting presence of dark power. Her suspicions had been correct, the enemy had placed a spy in the area. Silently, she circled high above, while attempting to pinpoint the location of her enemy. Whatever form it was, Brenna determined it was small, in size.

Set back upon a ridge overlooking the swamp, was a tall dead tree. Her quarry, a yellow larch, was perched upon one of the dead tree's upper branches. Ever since the power of sympathetic mimicry had been revealed to her, Brenna had wondered if the enemy could do the same. With startling clarity, she remembered what Denora had told her, "If, in your kindred familiar form, you should die, then your demise will be absolute also."

Brenna was amazed the Dark Binder had not sensed her when she had returned from the sanctuary. Maybe, she had not been close enough or maybe the enemy spy had grown careless. With an adjustment of her wings, Brenna hurtled downward in a steep dive. Her quarry never sensed her approach, until she was already flaring her wings with talons extended.

The Dark Binder attempted to fly and never had a chance. Brenna's sharp talons pierced the bird's back, amidst a cloud of tiny buttery-yellow feathers. Her momentum ripped her prey from the branch and moments later, she glided to the ground below with her enemy in her grasp. Upon landing, the Neeri ended her foe's life with a sudden thrust of her beak. Changing back to human form, she knelt beside the dead bird. Around the bird's neck was a fine woven golden chain. Attached to it was a tiny blood red ruby amulet. The Neeri removed the amulet. Immediately, the form of a young woman appeared, with a light complexion and long black hair.

Quickly, she dragged the Dark Binder's body to the edge of the swamp and rolled it in. Brenna paused for a minute, to make sure her enemy's corpse was dragged beneath the swamp's black surface. Just as she had hoped, it was not long before the body was pulled under.

Without hesitation, the Neeri changed form back to a henna falcon and launched herself into the air. She sped away, putting distance between herself and the swamp. Brenna knew the destruction of the amulet would alert any nearby Dark Binder, so she chose to carry it further away.

Finally, the Neeri was satisfied she had put enough distance, between herself and the swamp. She landed upon a stone outcropping, which was miles away from where she had disposed of the Dark Binder's body. Brenna transformed and placed the foul feeling amulet upon the rock surface of the ledge. Raising her staff, she drove it downward, crushing the small red stone into dust. For a fleeting moment, she sensed a feeling of great anger wash over her.

Taking a deep breath of the clean air about her, Brenna transformed back into a henna falcon. Quickly, she soared into the sky, determined to destroy as many enemy spy's, as she could. With orderly precision, Brenna carefully scoured the land below, for further signs of the enemy. Faintly, the Neeri detected traces of dark power, issuing from deeper in the forest, a way away from the Great Black Thorn Swamp. Immediately, she flapped her wings powerfully, to climb higher in the sky.

Their foe had left two spies behind; each was maintaining watch over the only avenues of escape they must use. This spoke of their confidence in finding them. This left Brenna feeling as if she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Swiftly banking, she began to dive, to eliminate the last enemy scout, which stood between them and the forest. The wind rushed past her, as she closed upon her target.

Abruptly, her quarry launched itself from the leafy limb of an oak tree and plunged downward, to escape. Undaunted, Brenna flapped her powerful wings and began to close on her enemies' feathered form. Around, and under massive boughs, both hurtled, as her enemy sought to lose her in the leafy tangle. Leaves, boughs, tree trunks, were all rendered into brief snatches of form within the early light of dawn, as each fought for position. They left the shadowed wood, only to return once more into its heavy green embrace.

In a diving spiral, Brenna dove upon her intended prey, intent on sinking her talons into its soft feathery form. In a blur, her opponent spun in mid-air revealing a wicked set of talons waiting for her, wielded by another henna hawk. The Neeri's talons ripped into her enemy’s body, ripping through vital muscle and tissue needed to fly. At the same time, an explosion of pain erupted within the young mages' chest, as her opponent's talons slammed home. Downward, they tumbled in a dizzying fall, locked within a deadly embrace, until they impacted the leafy ground below.

Fortunately, Brenna happened to land on top of her quarry, and after a minute or two, savagely tore out her enemies' throat with a few stabs of her beak. Weakly, she flapped and managed to extricate herself from her foe's embrace and stood to observe her surroundings, in human-form. She was at the top of the ridge, which overlooked the bog. In the fog of pain, which threatened to overwhelm her, the Neeri removed the ruby amulet; instantly a swarthy man appeared. Fortunately, there was a nearby stone, which she used with her staff to destroy the evil device.

Unsteadily, Brenna managed to stagger towards the entrance of the sanctuary and fell repeatedly. With blurring vision, amongst waves of pain she struggled onward, to return to her friends, and the promised safety of the hidden sanctuary. She barely noticed her left shaking foot entering the muddy waters, as the rock covered surface of the road rose to meet her face with a heavy crash. This was when dark shadows rushed in and swept her away from any semblance of awareness.

The soft cries of birds and darters echoing in the air, greeted Brenna, as she awakened. A cool pleasant breeze caressed her face, as she opened her eyes to the faint light of dawn. She lay upon a well-padded bedroll, covered with her blanket within her tent, which had its fly tied open. The smiling faces of Donovan, Morgan, Sir Alfred, Fenwildre, and Aberith greeted her. "Gather round, Brenna just woke up."

"How long have I been asleep?" Brenna asked, as she pulled her blanket back and raised herself on her right elbow. She felt wonderful, despite the bittersweet memories she held of her battle with the Dark Binder.

"One full day; you took quite a tumble and was direly wounded also but you kept rambling on about your battle with the Dark Binder. Your wounds were serious, one of your enemies' talons just missed your heart. We were finally able to get you to swallow a couple of amafruit, and here you are," Aberith commented with a smile.

"Then, I guess we should immediately prepare to depart. The quicker we leave, the better. We can ill-afford to delay our departure any longer." Breanna stated, as she began to roll up her bedroll. "She knew, she must not show how much this experience has affected her. Once again, she had seen firsthand, how death continually dogged each of their paths on this perilous journey. This time, she had nearly died; who would be next?" the Neeri wondered, as a chill crept up her back.

"Are you sure? You were almost killed Brenna," Donovan immediately replied, with concern.

"The important thing is, I survived. We must take these set-backs in stride and move-on." Brenna answered as she began to gather her belongings. Less than an hour later, all of them slipped out of the sanctuary, back into Camp Misery. Two adepts led them, while the others rode regularly spaced, around their small army of mounted men and women.

"We cannot detect anyone's presence nearby. It appears Brenna, managed to eliminate the spies the enemy left here," Etony said with a soft voice inside her head. "Hopefully, the enemy will have not noticed their disappearance."

Brenna silently hoped their luck would last. The sky to the east, was already announcing Dawn's arrival. It would not be long, until the Sun rose high in the sky. They galloped up onto the ridge and into the forest beyond. Fortunately, the ground and surrounding growth were damp from the morning's heavy dew. The Neeri could detect no trace of a dust cloud behind them. This was sure to change once the rising Sun burned the moisture away.

Upon entering a clearing, Brenna heard Etony's voice within her mind. "Please stop." Everyone came to an immediate halt. Brenna carefully searched around them but could find no signs of danger.

"Upon the hill, are two enemy scouts. Right now, they do not suspect we are anywhere nearby," Etony said, in mind-speak. "They must be silenced, without raising the enemy's suspicions. Be patient, it will not take long."

Vaguely, Brenna could make out the shapes of two mounted scouts, in the dim morning light. Etony and the adept beside her, sat motionless upon their mounts, staring in the scout's direction.

Suddenly, both scouts turned to face each other. One leaped from his horse, to knock the other to the ground. In the hazy light, Brenna watched as two shadowy forms rolled about, locked in a death-struggle. The battle was brief and finally a lone survivor slowly stood upright. Abruptly, the surviving scout brought up, what could only be his knife and drew it across his throat. In deathly silence, the dim figure collapsed to the ground.

"It is done. We need to leave this place in case anyone is sent to check on their whereabouts."

As they galloped away, Brenna could not seem to erase the images of the two scouts, locked in combat. She was deeply thankful the adepts were on their side.