A hand of stone erupts from the earth to punch Altia in the jaw and send her sailing into one of the trees. The unconscious elf collapses to the ground, which turns into tiny needles that pierce her skin. Already bored with the young woman, Aeriel the Chaos Goddess takes her true form and turns to face Trinity. The deity’s red and ivory hair stretches to create two steps that she walks up to loom over the mortal. Her eyes are a swirling black and white with a barely perceptible emerald dot in each corner. Aeriel is about to speak when she notices that she is not wearing any clothes. Stretching her arms to the river, she yanks a chunk off the ground and fashions a strapless dress that contains two very confused fish. The animals tickle her skin and make her squirm, forcing the goddess to plunge her hands into the garment and transform the creatures into harmless pictures.
“First, let’s get rid of the competition,” Aeriel whispers, her head spinning around to look at Vile. With a flick of her finger, she sends the figurine bouncing into a small portal that zips closed behind him. “Only room for one maniac in here. Don’t look so worried, your majesty. I only sent him back . . . I think. Honestly, I prefer the Sari ones because they’re prettier and the heads make a satisfying pop when you yank them off. Now, what are we going to do about you holding the power Yola needs to defeat me?”
“I want to get something straight here,” Trinity replies as she takes a step away. A brick wall erupts behind her and pushes the channeler even closer to the wide-eyed goddess. “Yola needs to eat me to get this power. I won’t let her do that, so you have nothing to worry about. Whatever you did to get me here was wasted.”
“A goddess’s time and effort are never wasted when she is having fun,” the smiling immortal declares. She flips backwards and lands on a throne that is made out of sauce-covered meat, which she delicately eats while lounging. “Convincing the greedy thief to accept my gift and take the ugly elf’s weapon’s power was easy. Contacting her as that angry champion was even easier, which brought everything else together. Not sure why I wanted that royal family involved though. Wait, I wanted there to be a castle in my plan. By the way, Eporwil Mugs don’t exist. She prefers to drink out of the keg. You mortals are so stupid that it’s almost a shame to trick you.”
“This coming from someone who made a plan that could have fallen apart if I simply told Tzefira to go away,” the channeler points out with a respectful bow. She sees the dirt beneath her swirl and leaps to avoid the slamming petals of a carnivorous rose. “What are you doing? I don’t want to get eaten by Yola or any of your pets. All I want to do is finish my quest and return to my people. They need me to stay alive and I don’t believe that Yola will be allowed to resurrect me. So, I’m not your enemy.”
Her face covered in brown sauce, Aeriel slides off her throne and casually grips the chaos elf by the neck. “It doesn’t matter if you want to help her or not. The only reason Yola hasn’t eaten you yet is because she cares about you. I’m sure part of her doubts the story that Odigar spun for her, but she’s lost and wants a home. Haven’t you realized that she keeps giving you chances to escape or talk her out of doing what she wants? She wants you to agree because that means you’re still her friend. I wouldn’t get too happy though. Eventually, the great and idiotic Yola Biggs will lose her self-control, show up, and swallow you whole. We both know she has the power to devour you before you realize you’re in danger. That’s something I can’t allow, which means I have to destroy every scrap of you.”
Trinity grabs Aeriel’s wrist and unleashes the strongest lightning bolt she can muster, the electricity racing down the goddess’s arm. The attack is enough to pulverize the limb, which frees the chaos elf from her enemy’s crushing grip. A wall of acid is conjured behind the confused immortal, who is blankly staring at her ragged shoulder. Covering herself in a skintight force field, Trinity tackles the woman and slams her against the green stone that steadily dissolves any exposed flesh. A foul stench fills the air and the river dress bubbles as it turns a sickly yellow, the fish pictures thrashing to escape. Transforming her fingernails into claws, the desperate channeler stabs Aeriel in the side and twists her hand to leave the jagged weapons inside. Using a wind blast to flatten the goddess’s torso and launch herself to safety, Trinity has the blades explode with enough power to scatter parts across the area. Knowing that she cannot do anything more than delay her enemy, the chaos elf sprints toward Altia and attempts to cast a portal for their escape. The crackling gateway immediately becomes a metal door that the woman breaks her nose slamming into.
All of Aeriel’s pieces merge between the mortals and she casually kicks the red-haired elf away. Circling Trinity, she giggles at every thought that crosses her mind and reaches out to run a hand along the woman’s back. Digging her thumb into the base of her victim’s spine, the Chaos Goddess lifts her off the ground and delivers a few playful smacks to the face. A plume of fire erupts from the channeler’s eyes, but the attack is waved away as if it is nothing more than an irritating gnat. Grabbing some of the flames, Aeriel jams them into Trinity’s mouth and seals the opening to muffle all of the screams. Tying the woman’s arms into a neat bow, the immortal places her on a hook that sprouts from the nearby tree. She wraps the ebony tresses of her victim around the trunk, making sure they are tight enough to cause pain without separating from the scalp. Hungrily eyeing the dangling legs, Aeriel is about to pop them off at the hips when a blast of solid darkness knocks her away.
“Did you really think you could do this?” Ambrosine asks as she rises from Altia’s long shadow. She places a gentle hand on the praying elf’s head before healing Trinity with a snap of her fingers. “This goes against the Law of Influence and you will be sealed. For how long, I can’t say, but I promise you that it will be without dreams. Nothing more than silence and darkness in your head.”
“I’m within my rights to do this!” the Chaos Goddess argues, earning herself a phantasmal punch to the face. All of her features shift to the left side of her head until she shakes them back into place. “You know how long I wanted what I now have. Nothing will stop me from defending my proper place among the gods. Not you, not this mortal, not Yola Biggs, not that halfling currently picking his nose at the Gaian docks, and definitely not our precious Law of Influence. This pathetic creature here doesn’t have the right to stand in my way!”
“She has the right to live,” the older goddess states, her voice cold and predatory. Creating a portal to send Altia and Trinity to safety, Ambrosine keeps her eyes on the twitching deity. “I sense that you are on the verge of making another mistake. Attacking me will add to your punishment since I’ve been sent by Gabriel and Ram to bring you home. They will decide your fate quickly considering much is going on in the world. You have truly proven to be a disappointment. Throwing a tantrum and getting sealed over a former goddess. This is why you will always remain in Yola’s shadow.”
“I can run away like she did.”
“We considered that.”
“Then try and catch me.”
“Such a thoughtless child.”
Taking the portal away from the mortals, Ambrosine turns it into a golden mesh that she slams over Aeriel. The Chaos Goddess is sliced into tiny pieces that are coated with the entrapment spell. Pulling a sack out of her crimson dress, the cobalt-skinned immortal scoops up the parts before her magic wears off. Using her own blood, she draws a rune on the rough fabric to make sure her captured prey is unable to escape. Satisfied with her work, Ambrosine spins like a tornado and hurls the bag toward Ambervale. She watches it smash its way out of the pocket dimension, which implodes and leaves the visitors floating in empty space. Not wanting the mortals to suffocate in the void, the powerful goddess creates a small platform of earth that has a wooden door coming off the side.
“I’m sorry that I let you down,” Altia whispers while stroking Trinity’s forehead. She bows to her patron goddess and offers her necklace with a quivering hand. “You asked me to protect her and I failed. She isn’t dead,
but I should have seen that this was a trap. Too many things didn’t make sense and her leaving me at the camp shouldn’t have stopped me. I’m supposed to be her guardian and a decoy, which I keep failing at.”
“True, you are not very good at the task I gave to you,” Ambrosine bluntly replies. Pushing the enhancer gem back to the elf, her touch makes the rock turn a beautiful purple that disappears as soon as she breaks contact. “Still, that is entirely my fault for assigning you to something you are not trained for. You are a comforting spirit and not a fighting one, Altia. That is why I asked you to care for Quail and so many others over the years. In my frustration, I put you in a terrible situation. After all, the role of a decoy is that you are expendable, which simply is not true for you. Please accept my apology.”
“Do you want me to stay with her?”
“Yes, because I think you can give Trinity something more important than protection.”
“What is that?”
Ambrosine bends down to kiss the unconscious chaos elf on the forehead, her touch leaving a faint lip print. “Proof and hope that her dreams will come true.”
10
Trinity wakes up expecting to see Altia or Quail, but is met by the long tongue of a cow that covers her face in slobber. Not wanting to scare the animal, she slowly sits up and looks around the animal cart for anyone who can answer her questions. Touching her neck, she finds an aching mark that is in the shape of a hand and immediately remembers every detail of her fight with Aeriel. Wanting to make sure everything works correctly, Trinity carefully moves each limb, presses around her torso, and whispers the alphabet. Satisfied that her mind and body are intact, she tries to stand and quickly collapses due to a pin and needle sensation in her legs. Dragging herself to a chair, she pulls herself up and gently massages her numb extremities. Hearing a snort to her right, she turns in time to get licked in the face by a horse. Spitting out a piece of damp hay, the chaos elf remains seated and blankly stares at the wall.
“Kellia Solomon sends her thanks and regards,” Tzefira announces as she steps out of a large stall. Tightening her blue bandana, the mercenary tosses a scroll to Trinity and goes back to brushing a beautiful stallion. “That’s a peace treaty for you to sign if the champions are victorious. It’s the best she can do right now without her father’s permission. Sad to hear about the Duke. Hope he recovers, but we all have to make way for the future at some point. People like us never last forever.”
“After dealing with immortals for all of my life, I can proudly say that I’d prefer a mortal’s lifespan than eternity,” Trinity replies while she admires the peacock seal on the scroll. As much as she wants to put the precious document away, she cannot stop looking at what would be the first written treaty for her people. “I have so many questions that I don’t know where to start. Not used to being the one in this position. When I worked for the Baron and got injured, I’d be healed and sent on another mission as soon as I could function again. At least at the beginning of my servitude. Once our fight with the champions got more serious, I was told more and given periods to rest.”
“This is why you confuse so many people,” the Mercenary Queen states as she carries a bucket of water to the back. She hurls the contents into a stall where an outburst of gasping and stuttering erupts. “Your loyal mapper fell asleep watching over you. Anyway, we always thought of you as a cunning ruler with an assassin army under her command. One of the biggest fears of the other continents was that you would attack from the shadows and start a war. Yet, it never happened and many of us in the business considered that you were as much of an agent as your people. A free Queen wouldn’t go after many of the targets you killed because it would put her in too much danger. I know this is all rumor and conjecture since nobody really knows you. It’s only that things about you never made much sense, especially over the last few years when you’ve been battling my daughter.”
“I believe it makes perfect sense if you remember that she fights for the chaos elves,” Quail says, his blonde hair covered in hay. He scratches at a bug bite on his neck until Tzefira hands him some healing ointment. “Sorry that I can’t stay, your highness, but I promised Altia that I would help her with the keys to Ashkeep. Nimby will be joining you after he puts on some oils to hide his scent from the animals. I do want to say this before I leave. Queen Trinity did everything to protect us from the Baron, which included accepting the most dangerous tasks. One of the few things I remember my parents telling me is that our leader suffers so that we may live and one day see the light. That is all you need to understand about her.”
Bowing his head to both women, the mapper hurries out the back door and trips over the raised step. They watch him fall out of the cart and two swordsmen hurry to help him up as the door closes. Letting the silence linger, Trinity tucks the scroll into her sleeve and tries to walk on her shaky legs. Coming to an apple barrel, she tries to find one that is not splattered with animal spit. Digging one out, she is about to take a bite when a calf walks up to her and gently butts her leg. Moving away, the chaos elf watches the youngster try to get at the fruit and repeatedly slide off the barrel. Using an edged fingernail to cut a slice from her apple, Trinity bends down to give it to the snorting cow. Instead of the piece, it gets close enough to steal the rest of the food from her other hand and trots away in victory.
“Amazing that you managed to retain any sense of kindness and love considering what you’ve been through,” Tzefira says, handing a carrot to the other woman. She shoves a greedy horse away and stretches to get it an apple. “If what Quail said is all true then I can see how it happened. Still, most people break in those types of situations, especially if they last over two decades. Doubt I even know a fraction of your past too.”
“Not a lot of it is pleasant,” Trinity admits, her mouth full of food. Accepting a cup of water, she keeps moving to prevent the animals from getting at her first meal in days. “My love for my people kept me going, but it was aimed specifically at them. If I had to guess, things started changing after I met Sari. There was a time I fought your daughter and she would have killed me if Sari hadn’t stepped in. Although prior to that, I was highly impressed with the way she was always happy even after suffering so much pain. That made me rather protective of her. Besides that, I have no clear answer for you. Why are you being so chatty all of a sudden?”
Tzefira takes a seat on a bench and pats the other side for Trinity to join her. “Kellia told me how quickly you took control and tried to protect the royal family. Altia told me what happened with Aeriel and how you tried to save her instead of escaping alone. You also seem to retain a loyalty to Yola who is trying to kill you. All of that makes me believe you’re not the cold-hearted killer I swore I’d destroy if she hurt my daughter. Clearing my mind of my hate and distrust, I realized that I need to thank you.”
“For what?” the chaos elf asks with a nervous smile. Spotting the mercenary’s weapon in the corner, she nods her head in understanding. “Oh, you’re welcome for getting your staff’s magic back. I hope you didn’t have any trouble putting it back together, but I sense that you have some powerful casters in your army. Honestly, fixing your weapon was part of our deal for helping us reach Ashkeep, so there’s no reason to thank me.”
“Not even close, young lady,” the scarred elf says while removing her eyepatch. Her features change slightly and her good eye assumes its natural violet color. “Nyx is stronger because of you. I’ve been following stories about her for a long time. Before she began fighting you, my daughter was a temperamental city brat who was prone to blasting her way out of trouble. Then she met an enemy who could match her in power and ability. I know you two hated each other at the beginning, but Nyx wouldn’t be the champion she is today without you pushing her buttons and limits. Not only her physical and magical ones, but the emotions she needed to mature and grow into the woman she is now.”
“Well, she did the same to me.”
“I hope both of you survive fighti
ng the Baron.”
“That battle is not part of my destiny.”
“Then maybe you should make it part of your destiny.”
The door creaks open and the animals move away as Nimby enters, his skeletal arm dripping with aromatic oils. The halfling appears nervous as he gets closer to the two women, his eyes watching the larger beasts. After nearly being trampled by the horses and oxen several times, he has no interest in staying in the cart for very long. Every hoof that stomps makes him fear a charge that he can easily avoid, but runs the risk of the Lich lashing out to hurt one of the animals. Stopping in front of Trinity, the thief relaxes when Tzefira rises and starts putting the beasts in their pens for lunch.
“Not sure if you were told, but we kept you here because this cart is next to the healer’s tent,” Nimby explains, taking the open seat. He jumps back up when a horse looms over him and grabs an apple from the barrel. “So, Altia and I were going over the diary before you took her away. We were hoping to find a way into Ashkeep, which I did find by accident. Tyler and I were arguing over if we should free Vile upon his return since he isn’t really helpful. I wanted my father to be put to rest, so I could stop worrying about him. Of course, Tyler wanted to be a jerk and keep him around to make him suffer for some reason. Well, the arguing became this odd fight with him controlling half of my body and-”
“Get to the point, Nimby,” Trinity interrupts with a sigh. Closing her eyes, she runs a finger along her companion’s arm and masks the stench of death that is upsetting the animals. “That should help you relax. Now, what happened?”
“I dropped the diary into the cooking fire,” the halfling sheepishly admits. Holding up his hands and scurrying away from the enraged channeler, he tries to hide behind Tzefira, who callously shoves him away with her foot. “Yes, it was a big mistake that cost us most of the pages. Yet, one survived because it was enchanted not to burn and the words change to speak of something called the Illusion Rings. Those are what you need to enter Ashkeep. They are three enchanted rings that were disguised as part of the diary’s spine. According to the page, one of us has to wear the appropriate ring at a checkpoint and the rest of us can get in by association. It does look like it has to be the same person for each one too. The only other way into the city is if we empty our bodies of everything and give ourselves to a great master, which Tyler and I believe is Baron Kernaghan.”
Path of the Traitors Page 20
