An empty flame raced through Logan as he struggled to control his breathing. The battle had gone on for far too long. His arms ached and his vision blurred as sweat ran down his face. He blinked the sweat out of his eyes.

  The savod came for him again, done with the momentary distraction that the two mages had provided. Not even their power could stand against it. It lumbered slowly, deliberately back toward him.

  It knew the fight was over.

  He glanced over at Elaine. She hadn’t moved since the fight began. She just kneeled in place, holding her hands against the shattered left side of her armor. Even through his dizziness, Logan could see the blood that flowed from her side.

  “Is there anything that can hurt this thing?” Logan asked Talan, letting the magic flare back into his sword again.

  ‘You are hurting it.’ Talan’s voice was annoyingly calm. ‘You just can’t kill it. You aren’t strong enough.’

  “I just need to slow it down,” Logan said. “Enough to escape.”

  ‘You just don’t have enough strength,’ Talan said.

  Before she could say anything more, the savod was on him. Logan rolled away just before the strike, small rocks scratching against his arms before he came back to his feet. Again and again, it tried to reach him, but each time he barely dodged.

  Logan moved to the offense. His sword struck out again and again, slashing at the black body of the savod. Each time it did little, only making tiny cuts across its skin. They healed in an instant, sealing before he could strike again.

  It wasn’t enough.

  He lunged forward with his sword. It caught the savod directly in the heart. With a sickening sucking sound, it pierced through the creature, bursting out its back. There was no blood, no cry of pain.

  He tried to pull it out, but it was too late. With one heavy swing, the savod knocked him away. Logan hit the temple’s wall hard. The impact knocked all of the air out of him and the world blinked.

  “That hurt,” he said, his voice far away.

  He reached for his sword, but he couldn’t find it. The savod stood before him, towering like a black stone statue. It didn’t attack. It clawed at the sword stuck in its chest, trying desperately to free it.

  Then Logan could see it, the faint outline of magic that surrounded the blade remained. The creature’s mouth opened again, white light streaming forth as its piercing cry rang out. It couldn’t get the blade out.

  Logan stood.

  He drew both of his knives from his belt, letting the power flow into their blades. The same ghostly outline crossed their edges. He kept feeding them, until both of the blades were completely black.

  Logan yelled out as he charged forward with them, putting everything he could into the strike. The savod fought to remove his sword. It had no time to defend. Logan jumped up high, bringing both of his knives down.

  His strikes were perfect. Both of his knives caught the savod in its glowing eyes. It arched back. Its scream echoed through Logan’s bones as he pushed back and fell away from it. He hit the ground and rolled before he was able to stand again.

  The savod roared in a manic frenzy. Its claws dug into its own skin as it tried to remove his sword and knives. It might not be enough to kill it, but it was enough for a distraction. He could only hope it would last long enough.

  He started away on uneasy feet, stumbling back to Elaine at the entrance of the temple. She had snapped out of her awed trance, but her eyes were still unfocused. Her skin was deathly pale in the moonlight.

  “Let’s go.” Logan pulled her up, bracing himself under her left shoulder to help her stand.

  ‘Leave her.’ Talan’s voice rang in his head.

  “I can’t,” Logan said as he started toward where the mages were. “This is my fault.”

  There was only one left, lying on the ground and grasping his chest. The other one was missing. Logan gaped at the mage. At any other time, Logan would have found the man’s attire laughable. It was completely opposite what a mage should wear.

  ‘Are you going to carry him as well?’ Talan asked.

  “Run,” Logan said as he and Elaine staggered past.

  “Wait,” the mage said, his voice wavering. “My master is bringing back horses. We can use them to escape.”

  Logan could hear it, the sound of hooves pounding against dirt in the distance. It was a better plan than he had. He turned back, checking to see if the savod still fought to remove his sword. It had found the hilt of his sword, and was drawing it out.

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  “Hurry, Joshua.” An older man on a horse rode up to them, leading another horse on a rope.

  He jumped from his own horse. He reached down and picked up the injured man with a strength that belied his stature. He threw his companion on his horse and jumped on after as he turned it around.

  “Use that one if you want to flee,” he said. “I’ll lead the way.”

  Still fueled with the power of the pact, Logan pushed Elaine up onto the horse. He jumped up behind her, holding tight to the horse’s sides with his legs. The mage hadn’t bothered to get a saddle; it would be a sore ride.

  “Let’s go.” The mage kicked his horse into a gallop, shooting out back across the temple’s grounds.

  Logan started after him, following him out into the streets of Nethas. He held Elaine with his free hand, keeping her from falling off during the frantic rush. Logan could barely keep his mind focused.

  ‘I’m going to release the magic,’ Talan said. ‘Or else we’ll never lose the savod.’

  “Go ahead,” Logan said, trying his best to concentrate.

  Nothing could prepare Logan for what happened next. It was as if the strings holding him suddenly snapped. Like a puppet left to fall by a capricious handler, he nearly fell from his horse and nearly lost his grip on Elaine.

  Logan’s vision blurred and it took all of his will to keep his horse on the path. It was as if he fought a long day’s battle, when it had scarcely lasted a half bell. The pact was all that had kept him going.

  A pit opened in his stomach when Logan realized how fearsome of a thought that was.

  ‘You need to rest soon,’ Talan said. ‘Your soul needs to rest.’

  “We could all use a rest,” Logan said as they rode off into the night.

  He wasn’t sure how much time had passed since the savod’s painful cries faded in the distance. It seemed like the stone streets stretched on forever. The old man leading him on was his only guide.

  But, in the end, they finally came to a stop. Logan could barely make out the building through his tired haze. It was stark and bare, hardly a remarkable building amid its fellows. It would be a good place to hide.

  “Inside, quickly.” The elder mage had already dismounted from his horse, taking his apprentice off after. “And don’t leave the horses here.”

  With a single hit, he sent his horse galloping down the street and into the dark. In moments, the horses hoof beats faded, leaving only the four and remaining horse in the street. It took Logan a moment to notice the man’s expectant stare.

  A renewed rush of strength ran through him as he finally got his second wind. Logan stepped off his horse, helping Elaine down after him. She was paler than before. He looked down at her armor but couldn’t see anything through her blood.

  He sent his own horse careening down the road before the elder mage led them to the door. It was away from the street and down an alley between the buildings. He unlocked it with an old iron key, and the door creaked open slowly.

  As they entered the dark building, the man snapped his fingers, calling forth a flame to the tips. It revealed the room in its orange glow. A thousand runes lined the walls, each one illegible to Logan. A few shelves full of bound books rested in a corner near two beds. Two doors nearby led deeper into the building.

  “Place her over there.” The man motioned to the bed, placing his apprentice on the other one. “We’ll start with her. Joshua’s wounds aren’t deep.”

  Logan walked Elaine over to the bed and helped her lay down. She only mumbled meaningless words as he released her. Her eyes were closed tight and she only breathed in heavy breaths. They needed to hurry, before she lost more blood.

  “Do you know to treat wounds?” the elder mage asked as he came over.

  “Only a little,” Logan said.

  “Then help me strip off her armor,” the mage said. “We need to get the breastplate off to get to the cut.”

  They worked at the buckles on both sides, finally releasing the broken breastplate. It came off in Logan’s hands, tearing away with frightful ease. He could see the full hole now. He could see where the armor had shattered.

  Logan knew a little about the Order and about its knights. They only began recruiting women recently, but the armor hadn’t changed since its founding. The armor was said to be stronger than steel, not even an ogre’s strength could break it.

  “Bring me that box,” the mage said, pointing to a box that rested on the bookshelf. “I’ll start cleaning the wound.”

  Logan gathered the box from the shelf. When he returned, the mage was peeling off the blood stained gray clothes that Elaine wore. Again, he could see the scars that covered her body, as well as the new cut across her ribs. It was all stained bright red.

  “Will she be okay?” Logan asked as he handed over the box.

  “Yes,” the man said, opening the box and taking out a vial. “It’s not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. She was lucky that our safe house was this close.”

  The man opened the vial, pouring out its contents over the wound. Elaine flinched from it, but she still did not open her eyes. Logan grimaced; this wouldn’t have happened if he had thought through his plan.

  “I’ll handle this from here,” the man said. “You can go to the other room and rest. Just don’t think of running away, I have some questions to ask you.”

  “I don’t think I have the strength to,” Logan said. “There’s something you might be able to answer for me as well.”

  Logan stumbled into the next room, finally leaning his back against the wall. There weren’t any extra beds in there, but it was quiet and far away from prying eyes. He slid down to the ground, and the last of his strength left him.

  “Talan,” he whispered, hanging his head down.

  “What is it?” She rose from the shadows until she stood before him.

  “That thing I fought,” he said, still keeping his voice low. “The savod. If you can’t seal them again, will there be more?”

  “It will be like an unending tide of night,” Talan said. “We were only barely able to defeat them the first time. There is no longer a race on Nelim that can stand against them. As your people are now, there is no hope.”

  Logan sighed, his hand absently resting on his belt. His sword was gone, as were his knives. He didn’t even have his cloak anymore. All of it was lost on what would have been the beginning of a long journey, one that he hadn’t been ready to see through to the end.

  He couldn’t abandon it.

  “Talan,” he said. “I changed my mind.”

  “You don’t want to release the pact then?” There was an impish smile on her face. “What should I make of a man who changes his mind so easily?”

  “I deserve that.” Logan laughed. “It’s up to you, isn’t it?”

  “You’re lucky the pact can’t be broken without a cost,” Talan said. “So, please continue to help me down this path.”

  “About that,” Logan said. “We can’t do this alone, just the two of us.”

  “And who would you ask?” Talan said. “The savod can infiltrate any place they please.”

  “I have an idea where to start,” Logan said, resting his head against the cold stone. “But it can wait until tomorrow.”

  The world fell away from him then, as all of the heat of battle finally faded. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Talan’s surprise. His heart warmed at the thought, and gave him the promise of happy dreams.