Angst Box Set 2

by David Pedersen

  “No more.” His throat hurt, and he had to force the words out. “I don’t want anyone else to die. You’ve proven yourself a defender, a protector.” The pup’s eyes become glossy, reflecting the red glow of his own eyes. “You’ve saved me, protected me and mine. Now I need you to protect them all.”

  Angst stood, letting go of Scar, who remained still, waiting.

  “Protect them all, Scar. Protect everyone I love, now and throughout time. Protect them, Scar,” he said, taking a deep breath. And with all his pain, all his remorse, with every ounce of will he could muster, he cast the spell, “At all costs.”

  Scar whined, and Kala cried out as sparks flew from Chryslaenor. The dog howled in pain, his eyes blazing as red as Angst’s, his mouth foaming as power flowed through Angst into his pup. It felt like he was bonding with another sword. Power poured from his foci, from Chryslaenor, even from Dulgirgraut, through Angst and into Scar. The poor dog wailed and cried, shaking his head so fast it was hard to make out.

  “What is this foolishness you miscast now, human?” Fire roared, his voice echoing loudly. “What is it you and your pathetic pet could...possibly...do...”

  Scar grew. Muscles bulged and bones popped grotesquely. Clumps of fur combined to become sharp daggers, and then swords as his lab became larger than ever. The swords were now serrated, and lay flat like well-formed scale armor. His six eyes glowed bright red as his head reared back in a howl that shook Angst’s eardrums. Scar shivered as if releasing water from his fur, the sound like a thousand sabers crashing together.

  “Scar?” he asked.

  “What have you done?” Aerella asked, her voice panicked.

  What had he done? In his fury and despair, had he just damaged this companion, this friend with too much power? If the dog couldn’t handle it, he may’ve just doomed them all.

  Scar’s enormous head lowered to make eye contact with Angst. Great clouds of steam puffed from the dog’s nostrils, and it shuddered in anticipation. Angst reached up to place a hand on Scar’s muzzle, swallowing a lump of fear. The metal coating of his nose was wet, and warm. Scar didn’t attack, his three tails wagged, and Angst knew that all was well. That all was better than well.

  “It’s time to die, Al’eyrn,” Fire called out. “Come out and face me.”

  “I agree, it is time,” Angst said, lifting his hand. Scar’s eyes followed as he pointed to Fire. “Scar...fetch!”

  55

  With a horrifying bark that sounded like a moon had crash-landed nearby, the steel-covered monster dog bounded toward Fire in long gaits. The element’s smoldering eyes widened as he took several steps back. Fire raised his hands, throwing lava and flames at Scar, which were deflected by the dog’s armor unnoticed. Scar leaned in, racing forward in a blur, giving Fire no further time to escape. He chomped down on Fire’s burning leg, and the element roared in agony.

  “Shouldn’t you help?” Rose asked.

  “He’s got this,” Angst said dismissively. His heart and mind hurt so badly he just wanted to crawl into a ball, but she was right. He knew Scar would win, but a little help wouldn’t go awry. He lifted a hand and drew forth power.

  Thick bolts of lightning crashed down into Fire even as Scar tore into the element’s other leg. Fire tried backing away from the attack, shrinking with each step as his voice crackled with pain. The element sounded pitiful as he attempted in vain to beat away the enormous dog of steel reinforced with the power of two foci.

  “Enough!” Fire cried out, his billowing flame throwing Scar aside. “I will come after you and everyone you love until the end of days, and you will forever regret—”

  “Just die already!” Angst shouted, the thundering onslaught of lightning drowning out Fire’s bravado. “Scar, back!” Angst roared, pulling down as much as he could in one, final attack.

  The blast of lightning that rained down from the skies was as wide as the castle at Unsel, and everyone turned away, blinking and rubbing their eyes. When his vision cleared, Fire was gone, and Scar was rushing toward them. His pup was frightening to look on with it's six wild eyes that blazed red, three steel tails wagging like swinging swords, and an enormous tongue that lolled to one side. The monster dog leaped into the air, shrank to puppy size, and landed in Angst’s arms.

  Angst petted Scar and rubbed his cheek into the dog’s face. “I knew you could do it!”

  After several gratifying licks, he handed the dog to an upset Kala. Her cold glare boring into Angst was soon melted by puppy love.

  “You’ll see,” Angst said, wanting her to understand. “Scar will save everyone.”

  The tap on his shoulder made Angst spin about with raised fists, and his eyes went wide at the sight of Rose. She’d been there, he’d seen her, but it hadn’t registered until now. Without a word, he pulled her into a hug she didn’t fight. There was a pounding in his ears from the battle, and pain wasn’t a strong enough word to describe how he felt. His tears weren’t even close to coming, but she had plenty for them both. He petted her long, red hair and looked at Dallow and Tarness.

  “Hector,” he said, the word straining against his tight throat.

  “We saw,” Tarness said.

  Tarness and Dallow joined the embrace while everyone around them remained quiet. Angst wished he could just cry this off to let go of the grief, but it was tainted with so much anger and guilt that he shook. Rose pulled away, looking up at him with a deep frown and tired eyes.

  “I tried to save him. The wound was too deep,” he said. It felt like a hollow excuse.

  “Stop, Angst,” Dallow said. “We know.”

  “This is what he wanted. The best story,” Rose said before turning to Dallow and sobbing into his shoulder.

  “We’ve got a lot to catch up on and only a few weeks to get back and save Victoria,” Angst said. “I’ll explain on the way, but we need to leave.”

  “We don’t have weeks, Angst,” Alloria said, shuffling into view from behind Maarja. “It may already be too late.”

  He rushed to her in a blur, lifting Alloria by her arms and slamming her down to the snow. He grasped her throat and squeezed. Her legs writhed beneath him as her pale cheeks became blotchy, but she didn’t fight. After what she’d done to Victoria, she deserved this; she deserved to die. Angst looked into her eyes, and it frightened him enough to loosen his grip. They were filled with longing, eager to please, and completely submissive. He wanted nothing more than to kill this betrayer of Unsel. This backstabber. This traitor. And she would just lie there and let him? His stomach churned as he began to realize how broken Alloria was. It didn’t make her actions right, but her death wouldn’t be justice. It would be vengeance.

  Angst pushed himself away as she took in gasping, choking breaths. He remained on his knees while glowering at his friends, expecting to see shock or disappointment. There was no judgment, only patience as if they wanted her dead too, and he wondered what had happened since they’d parted ways.

  Faeoris offered to help him stand, which he gratefully accepted. It wasn’t until after he’d brushed snow and dirt off his armor that he noticed. Her entire side, from temple to hip, was a bruised mess covered in blood. How was she even standing? Angst reached up, wanting to touch her cheek. Maybe he could heal her a little. She pushed away his hand and smirked.

  “You should see the other guy,” she said with a laugh that ended in a wheezing cough. “Is it time to drink yet?

  “Almost,” Angst said.

  “Then you need to save your strength,” she said.

  “She’s one tough bitch,” Rose said, approaching from behind Angst.

  “That’s right.” Faeoris nodded.

  “Rose can heal you better than I can anyway,” Angst said. “Just enough to keep her alive, we don’t know what else—”

  “I know what I’m doing,” Rose said, her lips thinning as she placed a hand on Faeoris’s cheek.

  “Dallow, I need the short version,” Angst said, watching Rose heal Faeoris. He felt
utterly helpless as the bruises and welts washed away from Faeoris and appeared on her.

  “The portal brought us to a mage city, not far from here. We’d been trapped in there for months when Alloria arrived,” Dallow said. “After Magic made her try to kill Victoria, the element sent her to kill us.”

  “Will this ever end?” Angst asked in desperation.

  “There’s more,” Dallow said.

  “Of course there is,” Angst said, sighing deeply.

  “Magic has been manipulating others. Just before they die, he gives them a ruby ring that keeps them alive,” Rose said.

  “Angst,” Faeoris said. “Don’t you wear one around your neck?”

  Angst grasped the chain and ripped it from his neck, holding it out toward Alloria with a fierce glare.

  “My champion,” she said in a weak voice. “By wearing that ring, you kept me alive.”

  Angst threw the ring to the ground. She choked, her lip quivering. He felt a tug in his guts. Not the normal queasiness from anxiety; this was more like jerking out a serrated blade. What was that ring? Dulgirgraut's song was loud, trying to teach Angst about the rings. Wait, how could he hear Dulgirgraut so clearly? He reached out with his mind to find his other foci completely accessible, the song no longer distant or muffled in his mind. His spell protecting Tori was gone.

  “What did you do?” he shouted, taking a step toward Alloria. “What happened to my spell? Why is Victoria free?”

  “According to Alloria, Magic has sent a wielder who manipulates time to break down your spell,” Dallow said. “We need to get back to Unsel. Now!”

  “Even with my foci powering the swifen, it would take days!” Angst said fretfully.

  “Flying?” Tarness nodded at Faeoris.

  “Maybe a day?” she offered, not sounding at all confident.

  “Um, Mr. Angst?” Kala said, tugging on his chainmail and pointing.

  “Now isn’t a good time, Kala,” Angst said as gently as he could, glancing where she pointed.

  Angst recognized the tall man from the cave; he’d been casting a spell to force Rose to bind with Chryslaenor. The man looked at him with a smug smile, his arms crossed. Angst also recognized him from somewhere else. Wasn’t there a dream...?

  “Magic!” Aerella shouted. A blinding beam of yellow light shot from her hands and crashed into the element. It was reflected toward the clouds.

  “You showed up at the right time,” Angst said, wielding Chryslaenor. Anger surged in his veins, and power swelled in his chest.

  “How is that?” Magic asked, tilting his head curiously.

  “Worst day ever,” Angst said. “I’m ready to take it out on someone, and Fire seems to be dead.”

  “Fire is still alive, young Al’eyrn, and he’s not done with you and yours,” Magic said. “I don’t think you have time to battle me, save your princess, and stop Fire.”

  “Wanna bet?” Angst asked. Lightning sparked along the edge of his sword.

  “Nope,” Magic said with a nod.

  A noisy bang made Angst whip about to see a black spot on the ground where he’d thrown Alloria’s ring. She screamed, her face horrified as the spot twisted and grew.

  “Good luck saving anyone now,” Magic said. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

  56

  Unsel

  Mika scrambled out of sight as he entered Victoria’s room. Wilfred looked at the wielders, who seemed as dumbfounded as he felt. Victoria, his princess, his queen, was supposed to be frozen in that room until Angst arrived to save her. Angst wasn’t here yet, and they only had moments.

  “Do something,” Wilfred begged, frantically patting Andec’s shoulder.

  “I’m going in,” Andec said.

  “You’ll die,” Nikkola said, her voice shaky.

  “He’ll die with me,” Andec said sincerely.

  “Please don’t kill my son,” Ranson pleaded, grasping his arm. “He’s confused.”

  “I’m not,” Andec said, pushing the man to a guard. He pointed at Simon. “When you get in there, heal our queen!”

  “I’ll try,” Simon stuttered.

  “There’s no time for trying,” Andec said sharply.

  The old man wielded a sick-looking dagger before falling into a dark swirling pool beneath his feet. Everything went quiet, and Wilfred could feel the anticipation around him, could hear it in the heavy breaths of everyone nearby. Was this it? Was she going to die? There was a loud cry and the sickening sound of flesh being torn.

  “Come to me!” Andec cried, his voice wheezy. “Hurry!”

  They hesitated. Was the barrier still there? Wilfred looked down at his zyn’ight armor. Did he really just wear this to win favor and impress Faeoris? No, he wore it because he, too, could be brave. Wilfred’s heart raced and his body quivered as he reminded himself how much he loved Unsel, and how much Unsel needed a queen. Wilfred didn’t really have a choice. There was no time to wait. Squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath, he stepped forward into the hallway like diving into deep, unknown waters. Nothing happened, nothing hurt. The barrier was gone.

  “Go!” he commanded, rushing down the hallway and into the room.

  Victoria sat on her knees, hunched over and grasping the triangular blade of Jormbrinder. Red blood soaked deeply into the bodice of her white dress, pooling on the floor. The princess let out a tiny moan. She was alive, so barely alive, but alive. The top half of Mika’s body lay near Victoria’s bed, mere inches away from the bottom half of his torso. Blood stained the furry pink carpet beneath. Mika reached toward his legs with shaky hands. How could he possibly have lived through that?

  “Heal her!” Andec said, his voice scratchier than normal.

  “I can’t heal all of this!” Simon cried, his hands shaking and covered in blood.

  “Heal enough to keep her alive,” Nikkola said, her tone strained. “Until Angst gets here.”

  Nikkola dropped to her knees beside Andec, who lay sprawled on the ground. He’d aged far past his years, and drew in short breaths. She rested a hand on his bald head and whispered calming words into his ear.

  “Tried to kill him with the dagger, but he was too fast and only clipped his ring,” Andec wheezed. “I ported him in half.”

  “Soldiers, zyn’ight, stay out of the room!” Commander Mirim shouted, pointing to a black mass that was growing from Mika’s hand.

  The portal wasn’t anything like Andec’s. This one was a hungry maw of darkness that sucked in every bit of life and light within breathing distance. It was like paint poured into a dark whirlpool as the pinks and lavenders of Victoria’s chambers twisted into a void that drew in Mika. He screamed as his body stretched grotesquely, and Wilfred wanted to wretch. It sucked in both halves of Mika’s body, taking its time as if enjoying a fine meal. The black disappeared with a pop, and everything went silent.

  “Did I do it?” Andec asked, his voice so quiet.

  “You did it,” Nikkola said between sobs. “You got him.”

  “Bastard,” Andec wheezed, and his breathing stopped.

  Wilfred swallowed hard, his throat tight. He wasn’t a hero, he didn’t adventure, and he avoided death at all costs. This was too much. He turned away from Andec’s body and dropped to his knees beside Victoria.

  “Hang on,” he whispered. “Angst is coming.”

  “I can’t do this,” Simon whispered. “I can’t keep her alive!”

  Wilfred slapped the young wielder across the mouth. “Angst is coming! You will keep her alive until he gets here. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” the young man squeaked.

  “Angst,” Victoria whispered.

  “He’s coming, my queen,” Wilfred said.

  “...saw Mika’s future,” Victoria said. “Angst will destroy us all.”

  57

  Nordruaut

  The dark hole twisted light and images as it slowly turned, sucking away Alloria’s life like a whirlpool emptying a small pond. Jormbrinder was already g
one. The young princess’s arm stretched like taffy as she was drawn into the vortex. She screamed in fright, or pain, or both, her eyes bulging unnaturally. Alloria clung desperately to a handful of chainmail that hung from Angst’s chest piece. He stared down at her coldly.

  Angst had never killed a friend, someone he cared about. He’d spent time getting to know Alloria and thought they were close. Alloria had kissed him in that hallway, something he’d dismissed to her flirty nature, not realizing that when she’d slipped the necklace on him with the ring attached, he’d also become her champion. Unwittingly, Angst had been protecting her this entire time. Maybe it was being Al’eyrn, but keeping that ring close had kept anyone from killing her. It may have also alerted Magic, and possibly other elements, of their location. That explained so many of their seemingly random encounters. He would’ve taken the ring anyway, had she just asked. Angst would’ve championed her, because he cared, because that was what you did for friends. She hadn’t asked.

  Alloria had betrayed him by attempting to kill Victoria, interrupting possibly the most important moment he’d spent with her. Just before Tori was to be crowned, she’d been about to ask him something important. She never got to ask that question. The vision of Alloria standing behind Victoria, the long triangular dagger through her chest, Alloria’s blood-soaked hands, and her pathetic apology was seared into his mind’s eye like a branding. The memory made his fists shake and his teeth grind. All the manipulation, all the lies...he wanted to blame her for Hector’s death, for all the deaths. Crazy wasn’t a good enough excuse; she didn’t deserve to live.

  “Without the dagger, we can’t save Victoria,” Dallow called.

  “You can’t save Alloria, Angst!” Aerella cried. “You’ll die, it’s too late. We’ll find another way.”