The Nightwalker

Chapter 3

Lena felt hopeless. There was nothing in front of her but sand dunes and darkness—the kind of nightmares she had when she was just a kid.

From the corner of her eyes, Thane was shaking from head to toe. On normal occasions, her blood should have completely healed Thane, but silver was aggressive. She only managed to patch up Thane's ribs, from broken to bruised, and the punctures on her neck had turned into long scabs that they could easily explain as the result of Bane's playful banter.

"Bane," Lena exclaimed, fighting the signs of breaking down. At the corner of her eyes, Thane looked like she had been dragged by Death and she knew that in just a few hours she would be dead. "Are we close to Helios Prime?"

The wolf howled, stretching his paws towards Thane's direction.

Lena would like to imagine that as the former crowning jewel of the Nightwalker culture, Helios Prime would have been at least visible to the wanderers of the badlands. No such luck. All she could see was a vast expanse of arid lands decorated with stones and sand formations. It would have evoked a high praise from her if she wasn't miserably exhausted. Her strengths weren't of much use either. The badlands provided her little opportunity to tap to her gifts. She might as well be a blind human wandering in the desert with her dying friend in tow.

Exhaustion brought Lena close to the feeling of insanity. The shadows of the stone formation and the scant wildlife began to look like Nightwalker scripts. Nature was probably taunting her for being an incompetent Nightwalker. That or it was the fact that water hadn't touched her lips since they left Helios Prime. Sure enough, the rocks on her left read as the script for water, with the rocks formed in distinct angles. It looked as though it was done by nature in self.

Lena laughed at the incredulity, now her mind was signaling her to drink or it would completely throw her off the loop. The one three feet away from her—another small rock formation—looked as though it was the collating sequence for land...mines?

Lena jerked wide awake. She pulled the reins hard the horses skidded against the sand.

Lena closed her eyes. Perhaps the former settlers left some notes to fellow Nightwalkers who might have gotten lost in the desert. At first, the mere idea of secret codes sounded absurd, but the more Lena thought about it, the more she was inclined to believe her theory.

Helios Prime was the seat of knowledge. It was fitting that it would be surrounded by traps that weren't meant for Nightwalkers. Hundreds of Nightwalkers from all over the region used to come to the place to learn and bring diverse knowledge in forms of tomes. All of which were offerings to the shrine of All Mother. Helios Prime was also likened to a maze by fanatical Nightwalkers since the place could inhibit their natural gifts. Only those who could rely on their mundane characteristics-- to start a journey like humans would reach the sanctuary.

Lena laughed at the realization. "Bane we're near. All I need to do is figure out the way in."

Bane let out a yowl that suspiciously sounded as confusion.

Lena carefully stepped on the sand. She motioned her hand in front of the horses, signaling them to take a step back, further away from the rocks that bore the writings of land mines.

She surveyed her surroundings. The signs looked ancient and natural it wouldn't be associated with anything from the human point of view. The humans probably thought the formations were nothing but nature's designs, and in that case, there were probably hundreds of clues that were left unharmed even after the downfall of Helios Prime.

Lena wondered aloud. "Should I grab... a stick and trace the path?"

Bane barked in response.

"I know it sounds stupid, but is there any other way—" Bane barked once more, this time louder.

"What?"

Lena turned and her eyes settled on the wolf pawing towards Thane's direction. Thane looked worse, there were large blue veins prominent on her neck, and her chest seemed to move slower. Lena ran towards her.

Lena wrapped her hands around Thane's pulse. It was palpably slower.

There was no time to think about grabbing a stick. Lena had to find a quick way to navigate the mines or Thane would be good as dead in half an hour. She grabbed the dagger strapped on her boots and threw it as hard as she could, hoping that it would activate the mines once it landed. It launched in the air as fast a bullet and landed on the dunes, hard. It created a crater the size of her horse. Hope was futile. Her plan barely even made a dent.

Another solution sparked in her mind, which was ignited by her horse's neigh. Helios Prime was a barren land, with no signs of life she could use to trigger her strengths. But at the moment, Lena had two, with the exception of Thane and her wolf.

Lena took a deep breath and faced her horse. "I'll use yours. Once I'm done run as fast as you as can."

Her horse looked at her straight in the eyes and nickered. Lena interpreted the sound as acceptance. She closed her eyes and wrapped  her hands around the horse' neck.

Lena felt her natural gifts stirred in her gut. It began as a spark, small and tingling, until it coursed throughout her body with enough vitality to dispel her exhaustion away. She heard the rumble of the horses, Bane's strong heartbeat, and Thane's shuddering against her saddle. Her grip on the horse loosened. Once she had taken enough, she unfastened Thane and Bane and carried them on her back and shoulder respectively. Then she signaled the horses to back run as far as possible. When everything was in order, Lena spun in the hidden landmines, and let out a scream.

Sand blasted away from her path and the next thing she knew; there was a loud rumbling noise at her feet. At first she didn't move, elated at the sight of the ground moving and the noise that sounded like rusted gears shifting against gears. Then like a switch has been flicked open, the sand churned and the very ground felt as though it was struck by lightning. She activated the landmines—and it ejected rows of chaotic blue flames so tall it looked endless.

Lena tapped her strengths once again and ran as fast as she could. The first blast made a chain reaction: the others went off as well, ejecting blue fire thicker than the last. She ran as fast as a hunted gazelle, zigzagging to avoid the bursts of flames, jumping ahead of jagged rocks that were previously covered with sand. Until finally, the last mine exploded, joining the inferno behind Lena.

Amid the thick harsh smoke, Lena's eyes strained to see what was beyond. She let out a frustrated yell and the last ounce of strength kicked in. Her enhanced eyesight opened, and there bathe under the moonlight, partly illuminated by the firestorm was the sight of grand architecture surrounded by high walls. But it was still too far—a hundred yards at least.

Lena could feel her strengths waning. Run! She thought angrily. Her exhaustion had returned and her knees buckled with every step. The firestorm was scorching, it seared the hem of her robes and the thick smoke made its way to her throat, choking her in the process. She gathered her remaining strength and did the first thing she thought of to reach her destination: she jumped. She catapulted over the flames, straight into the path of the portcullis.

The sand dunes weren't enough to protect her from the impact. Her body felt as though it landed on concrete and Lena heard the sound of bones cracking. At least, she thought, she managed to cushion Thane and Bane's fall. Her eyes swam with tears.

Footsteps exploded up ahead.

"Is that... Thane?"

"How did they survive?"

"Thane... silver..." Lena croaked at the incoming form. "Bane..."

The last thing Lena remembered were the stunned faces of a woman holding a lamp and a pretty girl looking down on her. The girl had to audacity to openly snigger, "What?"

Lena's eyes rolled in the back of her head.