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    They ran. Lana kept glancing over her shoulder, her eyes scanning the dark branches overhead, while Wade dragged Tre along by the shoulder. The smaller boy struggled to keep pace with the taller aeromancer.


    Sudden pain bloomed from Lana’s neck. Her fingers brushed against fur and sinewy muscles, and she grabbed at the creature that latched onto her. The bastard''s claws and teeth dug deeper into her flesh, and she suppressed a yelp. Desperate, she grabbed a dagger from her belt and stabbed blindly into the creature again and again until it released her. She screamed and threw its little dead body into a nearby tree trunk as she ran by.


    Lana touched her neck, and her fingers came away bloody. She spotted one lunging for Wade. "Above you!"


    The air around Wade rippled and wind blew off from him in all directions at once, thrusting the little monster in an arch away from the two. It hurtled through the air until it landed in a tree. The creature wrapped its tail around a branch and let out a screech.


    Two more monsters leapt off nearby branches, angling to reach Lana. She swore and flung two daggers in their direction. In the trees, they moved too fast for her to hit her target, but once they were in the air, there was nothing they could do. Both daggers struck deep into their little bodies, and the monstrosities tumbled to the ground. Lana kept running, cursing at the loss of her daggers.


    "Hurry up, more are coming!" Lana shouted.


    "We''re going as fast as we can," Wade barked, dragging Tre by the collar of his robe.


    Lana waited for them and grabbed Tre by the shoulder. "You have any more of that fire in you now?"


    He just stared blankly at her. Lana snapped her fingers in his face. He blinked rapidly. "Fire? Do you have any more?"


    "Some," he said. "Not enough for all of them."


    The trees swarmed with the tiny creatures. Lana knew that one was nearly harmless, but as a pack, they would tear them apart.


    "There''s a lake not far from here. Maybe the little buggers can’t swim?" Wade gasped out between panted breaths.


    "You know the area?" Lana asked.


    "Lost my direction for a bit when I was flying to Vinden," he said. "Spent some time above this area."


    "Which way?" she asked. Instead of answering, Wade turned and ran. Lana followed Wade and Tre. The lake was their only hope.


    Two more of the creatures fell on her. She didn''t hesitate as she ran them through with her dagger. One managed to sink its claws into her arm, but they both soon tumbled to the ground. She resisted the urge to stop to stomp down on their little furry bodies. Her head felt light and swimmy as she pressed her hand down on her new wound.


    Using calculated bursts of wind, Wade sent several monstrosities flying.


    Lana hadn''t seen when Wade was attacked, but the aeromancer bled from several small scratches and bites. Branches above them rustled with frantic movement. There was no end to the monsters. Finally, when Lana was beginning to lose hope, she spotted something glimmering between the trees. It was the lake. Moonlight shimmered across its black, inky surface.


    A small island rose above the surface of the water about a quarter distance across the lake.


    "Do swim or do we fight?" Wade asked.


    "We swim," Lana decided.


    "The water looks cold," Wade grumbled, glancing over his shoulder at their pursuers. One of the creatures flew out of the shadows at Lana. With a yelp, she punched straight up and into the air, her fist connecting with the creature. It squeaked in surprise as it soared over her head and into the water. All three watched as it hit the surface and disappeared.


    "They can''t swim," Lana said after a stunned silence.


    "New plan," Wade said. "We throw them into the water instead!"


    Tre breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, because I can’t swim either."


    Three more of the critters launched themselves from the tree line and Wade repeated Lana''s trick, except he used gusts of wind. The creatures arched over their heads as Wade''s gust caught them midair and threw them into the lake. "Take that!"


    Lana watched as waves of the small monstrous creatures threw themselves at their small group. Wade flung them effortlessly into the lake. The deluge began to trickle off until it stopped altogether. Lana shook their head. The monsters were vicious, but quite dumb. She turned to Wade, who was hunched over. "Tired?"


    "It would take more than that to tire me. I am the god of wind," Wade panted. Lana smiled.


    Tre looked at Wade in wonder. "That was amazing! You got all of them! I didn’t know aeromancers could be that burning great!"


    "Aeromancers are way more impressive than you pyromancers," Wade protested. "Just not as murderous."


    Lana started back toward the forest, not wanting to listen to an argument about which school of magic was more superior than the other.


    "Where are you going?" Wade asked.


    "To find my daggers and then to our camp. There are still a few hours of night left, and I need to get some sleep."


    Early next morning, all three of them huddled behind a thick bush covered in green leaves and nasty thorns. They hid, observing the small village before them. Wooden houses with thatch roofs stood in clumps along a gravel road. A lumberyard claimed most of the open space. The steady muted thumps of axes chopping against wood filled the otherwise silent morning.


    "Stop that," Wade whispered harshly. Lana turned to see Wade clutching the boy’s wrist, red berries spilling from his hand.


    "But I’m hungry," Tre whined.


    Wade shook his head. "Berries from this bush are poisonous."


    "We’ve got trouble," Lana hissed, pointing to a man who emerged from behind one of the houses. She instantly recognized the soldier''s black armor. She didn’t have to see his eyes or mouth to know that the man wasn''t human. The rhinn soldier carried a spear and if there was one present, there would be more.


    "What’s the plan?" Lana asked.


    Wade grinned at her in the soft dawn light. "Easy. We kill them, rally the villagers to your cause, and then move on to the next town. By the time we reach Vinden, we’ll have an army."


    "My cause? I’m only here because of you. They won’t follow me. Also, there seem to be quite a few minor details missing from the plan of yours."


    He shrugged. "We’ll figure it out on the way. They''ll follow you. You’re the daughter of the prime counselor."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Before Lana could reply, Wade stood and began heading for the village. The rhinn soldier spotted him and let out that a cry of alarm. Lana hurried forward and threw a dagger, silencing the soldier. He let out a strangled gargle and fell to the ground, her weapon buried in his throat.


    Lana glared at Wade and to her everlasting annoyance, he winked.


    The soldier''s cry was enough to draw the attention of the rest of the rhinn, who spilled out before Wade and Lana. The villagers fled into their houses. The streets cleared, leaving Lana and Wade alone with six rhinn soldiers. She quickly ran to the rhinn she killed, withdrew her dagger, and immediately flung it into the closest soldier. It bounced harmlessly off the rhinn''s leather chest piece.


    Lana cursed as the rhinn soldiers charged with their spears directed at her and Wade.


    The first rhinn to attack was blown backwards until his body crashed into the side of a house, his head snapping on impact. Wade lowered his arms and with another gust of wind, launched himself onto a nearby roof. Dumbfounded, the rhinn froze as Wade soared over their heads.


    Lana ducked under a spear thrust and sliced into the side of her attacker’s chest piece. He fell screaming as Lana jumped over him, throwing a dagger into the arm of the next soldier before closing the gap and disposing of him.


    Wade threw gusts of wind again and again at the remaining opponents, causing them to trip and fall or pushed their helpless bodies into the side of the houses. He laughed as he churned up a storm of sand and dirt, temporarily blinding the soldiers and giving Lana time to rush in and make short work of them.


    What felt like hours were only mere moments. Exhausted, Lana waved at Wade, but instead of the smile of victory she expected to see plastered across his face, his eyes were hard and looking at something over her shoulder.


    She turned to find Tre standing with his hands in the air, a lone rhinn soldier positioned behind him with a dagger to the boy''s throat.


    "I''m so sorry," Tre said.


    "Drop your weapons or I''ll kill the boy," the soldier said, pressing the tip of his dagger into Tre’s throat, drawing a bead of blood.


    Lana dropped the dagger in her hand. She held up her hands to show that she was unarmed. She wasn''t, of course. There were at least seven more daggers secreted about her person. She could reach them easily and throw one in the blink of an eye, but the way the rhinn positioned himself behind Tre made it difficult, if not impossible, to do so without risk of harming the boy.


    "Now what?" Wade asked, his hands also raised.


    The soldier''s already freakishly large eyes widened further as he looked around at the corpses of his dead comrades. He smiled nervously. "I don''t know. I didn''t think further than this."


    Wade spoke directly to Tre. "I think you''re going to have to deal with this one yourself. Do you understand?"


    Tre’s hands started shaking and his face paled. He suddenly looked even younger. Then his jaw tightened, and he muttered a single word, "Sorry."


    Without warning, the soldier started to scream, fire enveloping his entire body. As soon as the rhinn dropped his dagger, Tre extinguished the flames, but it was already too late. The rhinn lay motionless on the ground, smoke smoldering from his blackened skin. Tears streamed down Tre’s face.


    Lana stood there, frozen. She didn''t know what to do. On one hand, she should comfort the boy, but on the other, the display of power she had just witnessed soured her stomach. Such destructive force. Fear fluttered in her chest and her mind flooded with a childhood memory in which everything around her burned.


    A gust of wind and the rustling of clothes jolted Lana back into the present. Wade landed in front of the boy, wrapping his arms around his small shoulders. "You did what you had to. There was no other choice."


    A door creaked open. There was a sign above the door. The markings were faded, but Lana made out the image of a bed. An inn. Villagers poured out from the building.


    "What in the wind’s name are you doing?" a man asked. He wore a white apron and was fat enough to almost be completely spherical. Sweat streaked down his bald head and his bushy mustache twitched.


    Lana stood there for a second, not knowing what to say. "Liberating you?"


    "That''s right!" Wade shouted, walking up to the quickly forming crowd, his arm still slung over Tre’s shoulder. "We’ve come to set you free. This was just the first step." He glanced at the man in the white apron. "You wouldn''t happen to be the innkeeper, would you?"


    The innkeeper crossed his arms. "I am. What’s it to you?"


    Wade awarded the man with a bright smile. "Why don''t we start with me buying everybody a round of drinks?"


    A few cheers rose, but most of the villagers remained silent and brooding.


    A woman in her twilight years, with gray hair and a stern expression, pointed to the corpses. "What about them? Who is going to take care of these?"


    "Take care of them?" Wade asked, puzzled.


    She placed both hands on her hips. "Well, I''m not burying them."


    The innkeeper turned to the crowd and pointed at a few young men. "You three, hide those bodies. Make sure they can''t be found. If another patrol comes, we don''t know what happened to the rhinn stationed here, understand?"


    There was a low murmur of agreement and a few heads bobbed, but the fat man wasn''t satisfied. "Understand?" he barked.


    Every man, woman, and child in the crowd nodded and shouted their agreement.


    "Good," he continued. "Let''s go see about that drink."


    Wade walked past Lana with an infuriating grin. "See? I told you it would be fine."


    Most of the room inside was occupied by round wooden tables and rickety chairs. The bar lined the far wall, behind which the innkeeper stood pouring drinks. Every chair was occupied. Wade pushed Lana forward and guided her to the bar, where he held up two fingers. The innkeeper set down two full mugs of ale.


    "I''d like one too," Tre said. Wade shrugged and held up a third finger.


    Lana pulled one mug close to her and drank deeply. It tasted like something wrung out of a wet rag and was strong enough to make Lana involuntarily gasp out. She drank greedily, hoping it would still her nerves. She knew what was coming and did not relish the thought.


    Wade let her finish the mug before grabbing her by the waist and hoisting her into the air and onto the counter.


    "Listen up!" he shouted. The din of voices in the room quieted and people turned in their seats. Lana ran her fingers across a spot on her trousers where she’d hidden a dagger. The touch comforted her. She cleared her throat and forced herself to look out into the crowd of villagers. Most of them wore expressions of fear or trepidation on their faces. A few, mostly young men, looked eager.


    "Hello," she began, "I’m Lana of House Asengian. My father is in the council. Was on the council, I suppose." Her voice shook and was too quiet. There was no commanding presence in her words, just like she knew there wouldn’t be. Still, she had to try. "We’ve come here to ask for your help."


    "Help with what?" someone yelled.


    She let the words spill out. "We can''t let these rhinn invaders just stroll in. That’s why me and Wade are here. We’re going to take it back." The words empowered her more as she spoke, and she added as much conviction as she could muster to the last few words, shouting, "Who’ll come with us?!"


    The room was silent enough that Lana could hear a bird squawking outside, then the jeers started. Lana''s face burned with embarrassment.


    "Why would we follow a small boy? I don''t care who your daddy is!"


    "We’ll be crushed!"


    A gust of wind blew around the room, rustling people’s hair. Outraged cries filled the air as the villagers scrambled to catch their spilled mugs. Wade roared and slammed his fist down on the counter. "What kind of cowards are you?"


    He jumped up to stand beside Lana. "Our kingdom was taken from us and all you do is cower?" Wade looked at them with disgust. "Hear me now! Eldsprak is under attack and Tyriu was almost crushed under their black boots, but we," he pointed at Lana, then himself, "broke them and drove them back!


    "We will gather enough men to make them quake in their boots as we march on Vinden and take back what’s ours. Are you telling us that you will refuse our call? We need the strength in your arms and in your back. The axes you swing must strike the enemy’s flesh, rather than mere wood!"


    He drew in a deep breath. "Now, who is with us?"


    The room erupted into cheers, chanting, "Loft! Loft!"


    Wade grinned down at Lana and squeezed her shoulder. "See. Told you they would follow you."


    "Free drinks on me! Then gather your axes. We leave tomorrow at first light!" He leapt off, grabbing a random mug, and downed its contents.


    Lana awkwardly climbed down. She couldn''t help but smile as she watched the crowd swarm around Wade. Follow her? What a joke. Wade was like the sun, basking in the attention, but she didn’t mind. Lana would be the shadow to his light. Just the way she liked it.


    As she felt the rush of excitement in the air, she wondered if they might actually have a tiny sliver of a chance to succeed. She gave Tre a small wave, but the young boy was lost in thought, staring down at his near empty mug. Lana headed to the front door of the inn only to walk directly into one of the villagers.


    "You’re not really a boy, are you?" The woman was young, only a few years older than Lana. Her arms were well-toned, her hands calloused, all clear signs of someone who didn''t shy away from hard labor. Her flaxen hair was tied back into the braid and her eyes glittered and crinkled at the edges, as if she looked on the world around her in amusement.


    "I''m no boy," Lana said, heat rising to her cheeks.


    The woman''s smile widened, and she reached out a hand for Lana to take. "You look a little chilly. Why don''t you come with me?"


    Lana stared at it for a moment, then swallowed hard and took it. "I’m Lana."


    "I know," she said, pulling her out of the inn and into the early morning sun.