Earth Chapter 7: Fate
Earth watched the charred and blackened ground beneath his feet, a stark reminder of the destruction wrought by the Madgyi.
His sword hung heavy at his hip as he trudged onward, a weary admixture of scavenger and warrior. Discovering more chaos was clockwork now. Each day brought more of the same as the troops moved through the farmlands east of the Ahrvan River, following the trail of devastation left by the Madgyi. Nothing but burnt homes and ruined crops lay in their wake.
They approached a small settlement, and Earth detected the familiar scent. Burnt flesh mixed with the harsh residue of madgyics, like sulfur. He tightened his kerchief over his nose, stepping over a dead, young farmer. Not the first.
“Search the grounds,” barked Korma, Earth’s current officer. He spoke with the accent of a dockhand. His age and class limited his rank, but his experience was of a seasoned general and the bite of a junk yard dog. “Stay in pairs’n watch for the bloody wards. Don’t want any more lost limbs like poor Mikeh’s last week. Nice’n easy, aim to move on before midsun three!”
Today's platoon was small, just twenty-five men and Korma. The forces sent out on patrol were once much larger, but as the Culling continued without any sight of the Madgyi, the supply lines needed more and more men to guard them. The army pressed northward off the banks of the Ahrvan, constantly sweeping for the wards - mysterious traps of power barely seen in the ground, ready at any moment to burst forth with destructive energy. A single undetected ward could kill every man within twenty paces, injure more, and shred wagons and supplies into useless ruin.
They were easier to spot near the river. The muddy ground revealed anything recently buried, and following the river had brought them northward for several weeks without incident, the caravans followed the bank closely. But it was hard going, and in the towns and farms they passed, blackened and smoking, not a living soul was left.
Earth had only found one ward so far. As he watched the sniffers carefully pull it out of the ground, it was hard to believe such a little thing could create so much destruction. It was nothing but a tiny box, less than half a hand wide and still less thick. The sniffers scurried it away to be disposed of only the Forgotten knew where.
Once again, then, Earth forced himself to stare with rugged attention at the dirt path before him as he moved into the heart of the farmyard, eyes scanning for any sign of disturbed ground. He paused to prod over yet another body, this one an old woman.
“What are we even doing here?” Macrema grumbled beside Earth. Although Earth was younger and Macrema had more training, Earth wasn’t sure he would trust him in a real fight. He handled his weapon well, but lacked conviction.
“I don’t know,” Earth replied. As they approached one of the smaller barns of the farmstead, its walls scorched black and the thatched roof burned away, he continued, “I’m sure there is a reason we’ve been sent to search through the damages. They’re hungry for information. We must learn what it is that we fight before we can ever hope to defeat it. These madgyics... no one’s ever seen anything like it. I can’t imagine how the Shadowsun ever turned it back.”
“It's madness,” Macrema said, pausing before they entered the low hanging door of the barn. "A fool's errand. We should have fled south or across the sea. They could be behind us now as easily as ahead. And how many? How strong?” He ducked to enter as he finished, “I’ll be murdered before I believe searching rotting farmhouses will bring an answer to that!”
The scent hit Earth before the sound, a faint whiff, sweet yet acrid. He lunged for Macrema, knocking him to the side just as a deafening CRACK! exploded within the darkness of the building, filling the air with red light. Adrenaline surged through Earth as he pressed himself against the outer wall, bracing for what was to come. He could hear Korma barking above the din, but the world spun in Earth’s head, impossibly fast and barely crawling. Others sprinted towards them from across the yard. But there was something else. Something wrong. There was no waiting. By then it would be too late.
Earth dove through the door and came up, sword ready, facing the interior. Another CRACK! shattered the darkness behind him with flash of red. Earth saw him then, skin was drawn and leathery behind his full beard, eyes aged and wizened, but also contorted into a scowl.
There was no time. Earth lunged at him.
CRACK!
Pain exploded through Earth’s body, but that didn’t stop his sword from swatting away the stave away to plunge his sword deep into the Madgyi’s neck. Together, they fell to the ground in a heap.
The world darkened while his chest raged like fire. Was that Macrema? No. Korma. The smell of sulfur. Earth gritted his teeth. He must keep fighting. He must not fail now.
Not yet.
To be continued…