A SHORT STORY
By Cathy Bock
Asha’s steps were slow and heavy on the road leading to the guildhouse. She felt like a weight was dragging behind her. Today was the anniversary of the return of the Starless Nights and the streets were lined with thousands of candles—one for each soul taken by the Darkness. The glow from the city must be visible all the way from Olander, she thought.
A gust of wind blew through the street and a candle at Asha’s feet extinguished. She knelt to the ground and put a hand over the wick, struggling to bring to mind one of the spells that Roland had taught her. She thought of the past year’s many failures and a deep emptiness filled her. Finally, the flame flickered back to life.
She was expected at the Seekers’ guildhouse where Khor was hosting a feast for their crew. It had become an annual tradition, meeting together on such a dark day to share a meal with one another and remember what they still had to be thankful for.
But Asha wasn’t in the mood. So much had been lost this year. She’d joined the Seekers to make a difference, to save lives. But what difference had she made? The sea of candles only grew more vast each and every year.
When she arrived at the guildhouse, the halls were mostly quiet. She was arriving late, but surely she hadn’t missed it.
She found the dining hall empty. A table had been laid with roast meat, pies, and mugs of ale filled to the brim. But none of it had been touched. And one of the chairs had been knocked to the floor.
A torn-open scroll–a report from the city guard–lay across the table. As soon as Asha’s eyes rested on the words, she ran.
———
From the top of the tower near the front gates of the city, Asha saw the creature. It was massive. A giant arachnid with eight segmented legs and a thick, pulsating body. It towered over the five Seekers that surrounded it. Asha watched as Roland cast a fireball that seemed to have little effect.
The creature drew closer to the city, even as the Seekers launched attack after attack. Asha looked down upon the scene, helpless. She was too far away to help and she would be forced to watch her friends fail yet again. She imagined the creature scaling the city walls. The destruction it could cause would be unspeakable.
Asha suddenly ran from the tower to the two orcs that were manning the portcullis. She had an idea, but it was a risk, and lately her risks hadn’t been working out the way she planned.
“Open the gates!” she screamed. “Now!”
One of them stepped forward. “Why should we listen to you? We heard your last mission didn’t turn out so well.”
“Open it now or I’ll do it myself.”
The second orc shrugged and grabbed the handle of the winch. As the gate and outer portcullis lifted, Asha pulled out a dagger and began whispering a spell into its blade. It warmed slightly and Asha cursed. “It should be Roland doing this.”
The gate was now open and Asha could see the creature launching its pincers at Feyn, who barely managed to dodge them. Her voice grew to a shout as she repeated the spell over and over into the blade of the dagger.
The beast was now ignoring the Seekers and making its way to the threshold of the city’s wide-open gates.
“No!” Asha heard Valora shout. “Why are the gates open?!”
Just as the arachnid carefully squeezed its wide body under the gate, Asha’s blade finally burst into a deep hot orange. With no hesitation she sliced it through the chain of the winch, sending the portcullis sailing straight downward and into the creature’s body. The beast shuddered for a moment and then finally stilled.
The other Seekers arrived on the other side of the outer portcullis out-of-breath.
“Asha!” Naz shouted with a grin. “Good timing!”
Asha looked back at the city they had just saved. Every pathway and alleyway was lined with the candles of those that had not been saved. But the rest of the city? They were leading valuable lives. Lives that the Seekers saved over and over. Moments earlier she had been cursing this holiday of sorts. But now…Asha realized that being able to be there for them and be there for the city is exactly what she’s thankful for.
She shook her head and then turned back to her fellow Seekers, giving them a cocked smile. “Just in time to save the day as always,” she said, tossing her blade into the air and catching it without a glance. “Now let’s head back to dinner. I’m starving.”