The Call That Failed

Victoria stared at Selith, her eyes cold and calculating. The carriage was silent except for the distant sounds of battle outside—the clash of steel, the screams of the dying, and the howling of the wind. The blizzard continued to rage around them, shaking the carriage with every powerful gust.

“Will it work?” Victoria finally asked.

Selith’s cracked lips curled into a thin smile. “Do you doubt me?”

Victoria chuckled, the sound sharp and dismissive. “Are you serious?”

Selith leaned forward slightly, her eyes fixed on Victoria. “It seems the feeling is mutual, then.” She paused, her voice dropping lower. “But I will ask again. Have you tried controlling the beasts? You have not forgotten that I told you I would give you the power to do so. All you have to do is call them.”

Victoria’s glare intensified. “It better work.”

Selith’s smile remained unchanged. “We may have our differences, Luna, but you should not forget that there is a reason we work together too.” She paused, allowing her words to settle. “I promised to help you, and that is what I am doing. Once we get the girl, we will commence the ritual, and you will have what you aimed for.”

A beat of silence followed. Victoria’s gaze shifted toward the window, her mind racing. The ritual. The power. Everything she had worked for. Everything she had sacrificed. She had spent years moving pieces into place. She had watched people die and sacrificed others without hesitation because she had believed the end would justify everything. She was too close now. She couldn’t allow the war to ruin it.

“How do I control the beasts?” she asked.

Selith’s smile widened, revealing her yellowed teeth. “Speak to them like you would a child.”

Victoria frowned. “A child?”

“Yes.” Selith said. “They respond to tone, intention and authority. Do not scream at them. Do not threaten them. Call them.” Her voice was almost amused. “Tell them what you want them to do. Convince them that the ones you point toward are the enemy.”

Victoria nodded slowly. It sounded simple.

—

Outside, the reserve warriors fought desperately against the beasts attacking them.

Their swords flashed through the snow as they struck at the massive bodies of the Tidebreakers. But for all their efforts, it was almost useless. The hide of the beasts was thick, and the warriors had needed to combine their strength just to bring down a single one.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it.

The white beasts with red eyes—the Virelops—were attacking them too. They attached themselves to anyone who was injured, their sharp teeth sinking into exposed flesh. Their shrieking filled the air, loud and offensive, grating against the warriors’ ears.

No matter how the warriors tried to fight them off, they kept coming.

One warrior swung his sword at a Virelop that had attached itself to his comrade’s arm. The beast shrieked and leapt away, but another immediately took its place. Another warrior tried to pull a Virelop from his fallen friend. The creature turned and sank its teeth into his hand.

He screamed.

“There’s too many of them!”

“Where are they coming from?!”

“Watch your back!”

“Fuck! Get it off me!”

The warriors were being overwhelmed. The Tidebreakers crashed through their ranks, their massive bodies sending warriors flying through the snow. The Virelops swarmed the injured, their shrieks piercing through the storm.

One of the reserve warriors attempted to retreat. A Tidebreaker caught him before he could take more than a few steps. Its jaws snapped shut around his torso. The warrior screamed as the beast lifted him from the ground. Three other warriors rushed forward, stabbing repeatedly at the beast until it finally dropped the man. He landed in the snow, barely conscious.

A Virelop immediately leapt toward him. “Get away from him!” A sword flashed. The beast’s body fell apart in the snow. But another was already coming.

The battle seemed endless.

Then, just as another Tidebreaker lunged toward the warriors, a voice cut through the chaos. It was soft. Almost cooing.

“It’s alright,” the woman said. “They are not your enemies. The ones who live in this cold place with you are your enemies.”

The beasts stopped.

Their attacks ceased immediately. The Tidebreakers froze in place, their enormous bodies remaining completely still. The Virelops halted mid-leap, their red eyes turning toward the source of the voice.

The warriors stared in shock.

Victoria stepped forward, her hands raised. The wind whipped her dark hair around her face. She looked almost ridiculous standing there in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by enormous beasts that could tear a warrior apart in seconds. But she didn’t care. She had Selith’s instructions. She only needed to make them listen.

The Virelops stared at her. Then, as if following an unseen command, they turned. One after another, they disappeared into the blizzard, heading in a different direction—likely toward those whom Victoria had identified as their true enemies.

Victoria’s lips curved upward. It had worked. At least with the Virelops.

She turned toward the Tidebreakers. “Go.” The beasts remained where they were. Victoria’s smile faded slightly. “Find the ones who are your true enemies.” The Tidebreakers stared at her. Their massive bodies remained tense. For a moment, Victoria thought they were simply slower to respond.

Then one of them sniffed the air. Its head turned slowly toward the warrior standing nearest to it.

Victoria’s expression changed. “No.”

Before anyone could react, the Tidebreaker lunged. Its jaws closed around the warrior’s head. There was a sickening crunch as his body collapsed into the snow, his head completely detached from his shoulders.

The warriors around him froze. Victoria’s eyes widened. She turned toward the beast. “Stop!” The Tidebreaker ignored her.

Victoria’s voice became firmer. “I command you to stop!” Nothing happened.

Another Tidebreaker suddenly moved. Then another. The beasts began attacking again.

“Stop!” Victoria shouted. She stepped backward. “Stop!” The Tidebreakers ignored her. One charged into a group of warriors, knocking them aside. Another tore into a fallen warrior.

Victoria tried again. “Enough!” Nothing. The beasts continued their attack as though she wasn’t even there.

Her face twisted with disbelief. “Listen to me!” She raised both hands. “You are not supposed to attack them!”

The Tidebreakers didn’t care. They were driven by something Victoria couldn’t understand. Something that was far stronger than her voice.

She tried again. And again. And again. Each attempt was met with the same result. The beasts refused to obey her. It was as though whatever controlled them had nothing to do with her.

Victoria’s hands clenched into fists at her sides. She had controlled the Virelops. So why not the others? Why were the Tidebreakers ignoring her?