Chapter One
The Best Laid Plans
The camp was quiet save for the crackling of a single fire and the occasional shift of the logs falling into the embers. There was no wind on the cloudless night and the branches stayed still, offering no noise to be distracted by. Even the insects that usually clicked and buzzed seemed tired because they made not a single sound.
The unusual quiet is what prompted Ioku to get out of his bed. His contingent of rebels had spent the last two days marching through Tayvod’s Rest, the largest known forest on the planet, and the sounds in there were plentiful. Animals skittering through the canopy or branches breaking in the mysteriously high wind that always seemed to be roaring though the place. Being so full of sounds meant that most of his entourage slept with one eye open, but tonight, on the outside of the forest, everyone slept peacefully.
He climbed slowly out from under the blanket, a thick, bristly hide that what it lacked in comfort made up for with warmth. Ioku put on some clothes and boots, parted his tent flap and walked outside. The first thing he did was look up to the sky. Being under the canopy of the forest those last few days made him miss the stars in a way he didn’t quite understand. He had never been a huge fan of the rainbow of lights in the sky, but the oppressive feeling of the forest, the feeling of being trapped, made him stare in wonderment at the heavens on this night.
He sucked in deep a breath of air that tasted clean with a hint of lavender, which meant that a moon shade bush was flowering nearby. Despite the weariness the hike through the woods had left in him, he felt revitalized by the smell.
The reason he left his tent was sitting alone by the fire, his second in command and best friend who never seemed at a loss for energy. He had volunteered for the watch this night to allow all of the others to get a decent rest. Ioku strode up to him casually and sat down on the grass next to him.
They sat in silence for a few moments before Ioku said, “If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought you asleep on duty.”
His friend smirked, barely discernable in the low firelight, “Ah, my friend, but you do know better.”
This was a game they constantly played, always poking at each other as friends usually do but in the recent months, that had almost stopped occurring all together. Ioku was a leader and he had to be strong and have a no-nonsense attitude. He had asked his friend to show respect in front of the others to make it easier to command, but it was in these moments alone that he could be more like his real self.
Ioku looked to his friend, “Xander, it’s awfully quiet tonight.”
“You feel it too, then?” Xander replied in a hushed tone.
“Yes, something is tugging at my gut, but I just can’t place it.”
“Do you want me to wake some of the others, bolster the watch for the night?”
Ioku thought about it, “No,” he said, placing his chin in his cupped hands. “We’ve all earned the sleep. Let’s not steal it from those that can actually find it this night.”
They sat for a moment, not speaking or moving until Xander reached for a stick off to his side. He poked at the fire and a log fell, sending up embers that floated carelessly like lightning bugs, slowly winking out as their fuel source was extinguished.
***
She moved silently through the brush. Thin beams of light from the moons peeked through the forest canopy. A harmless breeze wafted in the air, gently plucking leaves from the branches and sending them towards the ground. She had her sights on her prey, a small rabbit, cautiously nibbling on the foliage. Its large, bushy ears twitched at every sound. Its nose worked furiously to determine the smells of the forest.
The arrow struck its head and the rabbit was dead before it could even make a sound. She casually walked over and removed the arrow. She already had twelve other rabbits hanging from her belt and this was the last one she was going to catch this morning.
Waking up early and foraging or hunting for food always seemed to calm her nerves. The day ahead was going to be long and she wanted her fellow soldiers to have a full stomach when the time came to strike. Everything that was planned required precision and that was a lot to ask of this motley bunch, but they would have to do. A slice of rabbit with the morning rations was as good as a start as they could have hoped for.
***
“I saw her walk out but I didn’t bother to ask her where she was going. You know she doesn’t like me very much, so I let her go on her way.”
The sun was cresting the horizon and Xander saw Ioku’s frown, “You two are my strongest fighters I really need you to- “
A gurgling sound started to come from some of the tents. Then creatures burst through the flaps and the sides, tearing the tents to the ground.
“What are those things!” Xander shouted.
“I’m not sure, definitely enemies though! Men, to arms!” Ioku commanded, even though the few that were still alive were fighting for their lives already.
There were a dozen of the creatures and they vaguely resembled a human, if the human had been charred in a fire. Their skin was burnt black and the only the whites of their eyes could be seen.
Xander had already set into motion his scythe. He battled two and easily kept them at bay with long sweeps. He had one hand on the metal handle, increasing his reach. However, his comrades were being slaughtered in the surprise ambush. He closed the gap with a heavy step, put both hand on the handle and swung hard. Xander lost balance and stumbled because the impact he expected and the impact that occurred were quite different. He sheared through the torso of the first creature and the downward momentum ripped through the thighs of the other one. The separated appendages burst into ash, resembling the remnants of a dead fire.
Xander couldn’t believe his eyes, he had never heard of a creature that looked or behaved this way.
“Ioku,” Xander shouted, “We need to deal with these guys fast!”
***
Ioku had problems of his own. The soldiers that he was supposed to lead were being slaughtered by these new beasts. He had no choice but to make for his tent to grab his weapons. He took off in a dead sprint towards his tent. One of the monsters noticed him and broke off in pursuit. Ioku hopped over a log that was a bench the night before that some of his men had used, men that were most likely dead by now.
Ioku was closing the distance to his tent but to his left, a monster was coming perpendicular to his path and Ioku judged that the monster would reach him first. Thinking quickly, he dropped to his knees from his full sprint just as the monster leaped to intercept him. The morning dew had slicked the grass well enough that Ioku slid underneath the grasping hands of the creature and into his tent.
He hopped to his feet quickly to grab one of his swords and turned to swing because he knew the monster that was chasing him was close behind. To his surprise he hit nothing but air and the pace of his swing caused the ash that was floating around him to stir even more. He smiled when he noted a hole on either side of his tent, knowing the cause of the monster’s demise, but only briefly, for there were more enemies to be dealt with.
***
She came bursting out of the forest, bow in hand. She saw the monsters gaining on the leader of the group, Ioku and notched an arrow. The one coming up behind Ioku would be the first hurdle she had to deal with. She aimed in front of her target, leading the shot, and let the arrow fly. It punched a hole clean through the side of Ioku’s tent and she knew she found her mark. She did not have time to relish in the kill and before the first arrow had hit the tent, she had a second arrow fitted on the string. She let that one fly with deadly precision, finding the head of the second beast that set its sights on Ioku.
The creature burst into ashes and caused her to pause for a moment. Being a woman of nature, she thought she knew of all the creatures that roamed this area but these enemies were something new.
The other soldiers had finally found their footing in the fight. The element of surprise was gone, and the soldiers were gaining ground. She dropped her bow to the ground while charging towards a man that was bravely fighting off three of the beasts himself. She pulled out two hunting daggers from her belt and mid-stride threw one towards one of the beasts. The dagger hit hard, square on the back of the monster, causing it drop to its knees.
She leaped towards the fallen creature to retrieve her dagger and finish the kill. In one, smooth motion she grabbed the dagger she threw with one hand while simultaneously slicing the throat of the monster with the other.
She rolled to her feet easily out of her jump and kicked in the knee of a second enemy. While it was dropping under the loss of its mobility, she brought the dagger in her right hand up though its jaw and out the top of its head, making her fourth kill.
She did not enjoy this moment because the man that she sought to save from these monsters had just fallen under the fatigue of battling three on his own. She turned to face the enemy and flipped the dagger in her right hand to a defensive posture. One on one this monster stood no chance, but it seemed not to notice. It charged with reckless abandon. She smiled grimly, starting to enjoy the imbalance in this fight. She needed to end it quickly and this monster was going to make it easy.
***
Ioku charged out of his tent, two swords in his hands. He took a quick survey of the battlefield, he saw his scout fighting off three enemies with her daggers masterfully, he needed to learn her name. Xander had finished off the two enemies that attacked him first and had moved on to another one. That only left five monsters on the field and Ioku wanted to get in this fight. He hurried off towards three enemies that were attacking a group of soldiers. He yelled out to his people to split and he waded in to the fight. He needed to end this quickly so he left his finesse behind and attacked with pure brutality.
He swung hard and for kill shots. He was raked a few times by clawed hands but it did not matter. Their attacks had left openings and Ioku exploited them expertly. He lopped off two heads in seconds and bathed in the ash that these monsters left behind. The third monster swung with a haymaker but Ioku brought a sword up to defend and sliced through it at the elbow. He swung his body around and plunged his second sword through the belly of the monster, bringing it face to face with him. The monster let out a guttural sound and snarled before it too exploded into ash, covering Ioku in black dust.
The battle was over, but at a terrible cost. Ioku had lost most of his men in the initial ambush. He lowered his head in anguish. He looked around, deciding on a new plan, a way to keep their original mission intact.
Xander trotted up to Ioku, “What were those things, Ioku? I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
“I have no idea,” Ioku looked around the battlefield again, lamenting the loss of his soldiers. “Xander, can we pull this job off with only three people?”
Xander put a quizzical look on his face, “I think so, who are you planning on being the third?”
“Her,” He pointed towards the scout. She had just retrieved her bow. She stood there, bow in hand, standing tall. The rising sun beamed and made her auburn hair look radiant. The jade and azure colored beads sparkled in the sun, and her hair was braided to keep it out of her eyes. She looked back and her leaf green eyes glared at Ioku and Xander, and she started making her way towards them.
“Do you think she is trustworthy? She is the scout for a reason, Ioku. She doesn’t play well with others.”
Ioku nodded, conceding the point. “Did you see the way she handled herself though? Precise would be the word that I would use.”
The scout reached the two and wore a nasty look on her face. “My ears are ringing; you must be talking about me.”
Xander chuckled, “Only good things about you, sweetheart.”
She scowled, “If our forces weren’t so depleted, my dagger would be at your throat faster than you could finish your laugh.”
“I’m pretty fast myself, dear. Don’t underestimate me.” Xander tensed, not sure he needed to be battle ready.
Ioku had enough and broke in, “You two enough, we are on the same team and have the same goal.” He breathed heavy, “I’m sending the others back and the three of us are going to continue on to complete the mission. Scout, what is your name?”
“Calie,” she said, still eyeing Xander with malice.
“Calie, do you think that you, Xander and myself can pull this off?”
She softened after hearing her name, and rolled the question over in her mind. “Yes, it will be difficult and I think our objective will have to change slightly.”
“I was thinking the same myself,” Ioku said. “Disruption instead of extraction?”
Xander smiled brightly, “You know how I love disrupting things.”
Ioku waved the few remaining soldiers over towards the group, when they all arrived, he gave his instructions.
“Break the camp down and bury our dead, they deserve it. After you are done with that, head back to base and speak with Jebidiah and let him know what transpired.” He saw the disheartened look on their faces, but he put up his hand to stop them. “The three of us will complete the mission. These monsters attacked us for a reason, it seemed too planned to just be coincidence.”
Everyone nodded in agreement and the men broke off to complete their tasks. Ioku looked towards Calie, “Do you know what those things were?”
“I’ve never seen or heard of anything like them before,” she answered.
“Let’s hope we don’t see any on the way to Roma,” Ioku said. He looked towards the sun. It had barely crested the horizon. “If we leave now, we can make it to the city at midday and figure out our new plan of attack.”