Angst Box Set 2

by David Pedersen

  The wind blew, a bird cawed overhead, and Victoria smirked with confidence.

  “You’re not afraid, even a little,” Rose said. “You’ll win, won’t you?”

  “You promised to be my champion but have been nothing more than a painful growth that I need to be rid of,” Victoria said. “Let’s get this over with. I have a world to save.”

  Rose dropped the daggers, collapsed to her knees, and sobbed. Victoria glanced up at the bird before walking over to her.

  “Get up,” she said, sheathing her sword. “We’re done here, and we have work to do.”

  “How can you just let it go?” Rose asked, tears pooling in her large, dark eyes. “Angst hurt us. He hurt me. How do you get over that?”

  “Because I’m a queen,” Victoria said. “Of course I was hurt. Angst is my closest friend. He’s also a man desperate to save his family. I don’t agree with his methods, but I understand his decisions. It would’ve taken nothing for him to kill us. Instead, he stopped us the only way he could. You don’t even realize that he protected us during our journey to this awful place.”

  Rose sniffled deeply and stared at the daggers. Victoria turned her back on the young woman and summoned her unicorn.

  “You have been a poor friend to Angst because you’re faithless. You are a worse champion to me because you’re selfish,” Victoria said, mounting the beast. “We are not family. We are not friends. Either be my champion and follow my lead or stay here and rot in your tears.”

  Rose looked up, gasping through her sobs. Her breath caught, and she stared at Victoria in shock.

  “If you do choose to stay here,” Victoria said, “stay out of Unsel, forever. You will no longer be welcome there.”

  As she rode off, Rose called out to her. Most of her pleas and apologies were incomprehensible, save for one moment of clarity.

  “I don’t understand,” Rose said. “When did your swifen get armor?”

  Victoria returned alone to wary, yet respectful glances. Since arriving at this nightmare of vines, they hadn’t seen a single animal, not even a bug. When she’d faced down Rose, there had been a bird overhead. She had no doubt Sean was watching and had Simon tell them everything.

  “I see the boys standing,” Victoria said to Nikkola. “I take that as a good sign.”

  The woman nodded quickly.

  “And the door?” she asked Captain Mirim.

  “Dallow figured it out,” she said, smiling proudly. “Ready when you are, Your Highness.”

  “Are we…” Dallow stared down the path behind her. “Do we wait?”

  “You can stay behind after opening the door,” Victoria said coolly. “We need you, but the choice is yours.”

  “No,” Dallow said, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. “No, there is no choice. This isn’t about me.”

  Jaden and Dallow walked to opposite ends of the enormous double door. Both men looked at each other, nodded, and placed their fingers against small copper disks in the wall. Their hands sank through to the elbow.

  “You were right,” Jaden said.

  “We were right. We make a good team,” Dallow said. “On my mark. Three…Two…One.”

  Simultaneously, they twisted their arms in opposite directions. The noisy rattle of chains was soon followed by a painful wrenching of rusty steel. The doors opened with a gasp as the city took a breath of fresh air. Everyone stepped back as they swung wide.

  Light from the doorway revealed a vine path into darkness. Victoria dismounted her armored unicorn and dismissed it before leading the way. Inside, she whispered something to Sean. The young man smiled and nodded.

  As the doors slowly closed, Dallow watched on, the hope fading from his eyes.

  “Everything works out eventually,” she said, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You’ll see.”

  The tall man nodded as they heard a resounding slam and darkness enveloped them.

  35

  “This place smells like rotting vegetables,” Alloria said, clutching her stomach.

  “Exactly why I avoid salads,” Angst said, trying not to breathe through his nose. “They’re dangerous.”

  She let out the barest of chuckles. “I don’t feel very good.”

  “That’s what happens when you kiss old men,” Angst said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “We have cooties.”

  “Not funny,” Alloria said, wincing. “I don’t want to be in here.”

  “We’ll hurry,” he said.

  “To where?” she asked.

  The light that spilled through tiny cracks in the vine-covered dome was as useful as starlight on a cloudy night. Asking the swords for help was like asking a teenager to clean their room. His pleas were reluctantly met with just enough light to see Alloria’s worried face.

  To make it worse, the ruins of this mage city weren’t much different than being in the jungle. The thick air was stale and made everything feel close. Alloria nudged up against him, and he jumped.

  “Sorry,” she said, her face gaunt. “I’m just so tired. It’s like this place is eating my strength.”

  “It’s got to be part of the curse,” he said. “I feel it too.”

  The curse Magic had warned them about wasn’t supposed to act so quickly, assuming he’d told the truth. But the element couldn’t come in here, and who knew how strong, or hungry, the curse was after so many years.

  “Can’t you do anything?” she asked.

  Magic had said that the shadows absorbed their sanity. He felt tired not crazy. Not to mention, it was too dark for shadows, so that couldn’t be the problem. Burning away the vines overhead was a welcome thought but would probably bring down a rain of fire. Definitely a bad idea. Even if he made a shield to protect them, the fire might destroy what they’d come for.

  “I wish Dallow were here,” Angst muttered. “He’d know what to do.”

  “No wonder Angst hates vegetables,” Victoria said. “This place stinks.”

  “I feel like I ate a bad turnip,” Nikkola said, clutching her stomach.

  Sean collapsed into a heap and began convulsing. Simon rushed to his brother, a blue grow surrounding his hands.

  “I can keep him alive, but it’s like his life is being sucked out,” Simon said. “We need to do something.”

  “Can you make us some light?” Mirim asked. “Dallow, Jaden, both of you?”

  “I know the spell you cast in the forest,” Jaden said in rushed words. “The one that revealed the dragon.”

  “Go,” Dallow said.

  The flash of white light that filled the entrance was quickly swallowed by darkness.

  “That should’ve worked,” Jaden said in frustration.

  “We’re too weak. This city must be cursed like the others,” Dallow said. “No offense, but I wish Angst were here.”

  “I need a sun,” Angst said to his foci. “Now.”

  Nothing. Not even a hum. He was desperate for their help; he couldn’t do it alone.

  “Fine. It’s over,” he said, pulling both swords from his back and setting them flat on the ground. He lay down beside them. The vines were cold, and hungry, and absorbed his life even faster than before.

  “Angst,” Alloria said, her voice shaky. “What are you doing?”

  “Giving up,” he said. “Without the foci, there’s nothing left for me. The swords can rest here for an eternity and enjoy watching me decay.”

  “Why are you doing this?” she said, dropping to her knees beside him. She pounded on his chest, weakly. “We can leave and be together. That would be better than this. Anything would be better than this.”

  “I said I was going to save my family,” Angst said. “If my foci won’t help, then it’s over. You can leave or stay.”

  “Please, no,” she said, her voice an even higher pitch than normal. Alloria lay across his chest, giving into exhaustion. “So tired.”

  “I’m sorry, Alloria,” he said, struggling to breathe. “I didn’t mean for it to end like this.”
/>
  “’S okay,” Alloria said. “All I wanted was you, and now we’re together.”

  Her voice trailed off, and he shut his eyes. Maybe it truly was over, and what did it matter? Heather was gone. His children were gone. If he died here, would he see them again or was it only darkness? And darkness came in cool, slithering tendrils, creeping like vines over his entire body.

  “I love you,” Alloria whispered.

  “I know,” Angst said.

  The familiar dirge of Dulgirgraut the Defender filled his ears, soon followed by Chryslaenor’s excited tune. They went back and forth until the foci found harmony and shared a spell. Angst muttered the words, barely lifting his hands and waving them as directed. It was enough.

  Light blared overhead, far too bright to sleep through. He opened his eyes and immediately squinted. Whatever that spell was, it hadn’t only created sunlight inside the dome—his energy slowly returned. He lay there for long moments, taking deep breaths and petting Alloria’s hair.

  “Thank you,” he said to his foci in a scratchy voice. “Just what we needed.”

  Angst shook Alloria gently, but she didn’t move. He sat up and rolled her over. She wasn’t breathing. Was his gamble a fatal mistake? Had the swords taken too long? Chryslaenor reminded him of how he’d revived her after escaping the Unsel prison. He took a deep breath, parted his lips, and saw…something. Was that a pucker?

  “Nice try,” he said, flicking her nose.

  “Ouch,” she said, covering it with a hand. “That’s no way to treat a lady.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind when I find one,” he said. He shoved Alloria off and stood, dusting himself off before helping her up.

  “You made a sun,” she said, shielding her eyes as she glanced up. Her voice became sultry. “You could help make a son with me.”

  “At least you’re consistent,” he said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll take that as a sign you’re better.”

  Alloria held her hands behind her back, thrusting out her chest and twisting about so he could fully view her bodaciousness.

  “I see that everything is okay,” he said with a wry smile. “We should move quickly in case something else goes wrong.”

  “What could possibly go wrong now?” she asked, innocently.

  “No wonder everyone hates it when I say that,” he said with a wince.

  “Angst,” Victoria said, picking herself up from the ground. “He’s here.”

  “Took him long enough,” Mirim muttered, vigorously rubbing her arms.

  “Maybe he wasn’t affected like the rest of us,” Jaden said. “If he’s on the move, we need to hurry.”

  “Hurry where?” Nikkola asked, groggily.

  Simon knelt beside her and placed his glowing hand on her forehead. After several moments she nodded and was able to stand.

  “Maybe there?” Jaden asked, pointing to a building at the center of the city surrounded by large pyramids.

  Dallow circled everyone slowly, looking down the entire time. He took cautious steps, pausing to stare at everyone’s feet.

  “Maybe he hit his head?” Nikkola asked.

  “Something’s not right,” Dallow said, finally looking up.

  “What is it?” Victoria asked.

  “Our shadows,” he said. “They’re falling in the wrong direction.”

  36

  “Wow,” Alloria said with a twirl. “This place must’ve been something else.”

  She tripped, somehow falling into Angst’s arms. Rather than chiding her, like he probably should have, he instead dipped her like they were at a fancy ball. She giggled in surprise as he lifted her, reaching out so she could twirl off his arm.

  “You can dance?” she asked, excitedly.

  “I cannot,” he said. “Have you ever seen a foal stand for the first time? Imagine that to music.”

  “Ha,” she said with another spin. “I used to be a good dancer, but I forgot. Hey, I stopped spinning, but my shadow added another twirl.” She bent over, eyeing the shadow suspiciously.

  “It’s the curse,” he said. “We should hurry.”

  “To where?” she asked.

  Gyldorane was vast, even by mage city standards, and must’ve been home to tens of thousands. Few structures remained, most of them fallen away to time or eaten by vines. Five keep-sized pyramids circled a slightly larger building in the shape of a hexagon. He had optimistically hoped to find the foci dead center, but it would take a lifetime and a half to search them all. A little direction would help. Maybe after teaching him how to cast sunlight, the swords were willing to share more.

  “You awake back there?” he asked, rapping a knuckle on the side of Chryslaenor. The sword responded with a blue spark that singed his hand like stray charcoal from a campfire. “Ouch,” he said, jerking his hand back and sucking the wound.

  “They don’t seem to like you much,” she said, gently taking his hand and blowing on the burn. At least she wasn’t licking it.

  “They don’t like my plan,” Angst said. “And apparently will only help if we’re dying.”

  “We need a map,” she said. “You should do your blurry, running thing and find one.”

  “Good idea,” he said in surprise. Why hadn’t he thought of that? “Will you be okay?”

  “Maybe leave one of your friends behind,” she suggested, nodding at the swords.

  “Right,” he said, wielding Dulgirgraut and setting it to rest vertically on its tip. Pointing a finger at the sword, he said, “Behave yourself.”

  “He won’t burn me,” she said, resting her cheek against the flat of the blade and petting it like a kitten. “I’m not a mean, old man.”

  “Hey, I’m not old,” he said with a wink. In the back of his mind, Dulgirgraut played a quiet chord that almost sounded like a distraught sigh. With a chuckle, he said, “Be right back.”

  Drawing in magic with a breath, he ran in a blur to the nearest ruin of a building, and then the next. He quickly learned to run across the top of vines that were wide enough to carry him instead of continually stumbling over the smaller ones. Every ten minutes, he sprinted past a bored Alloria before returning to his search.

  A sweaty, heart-racing hour later, he found it. An obsidian obelisk stood at the center of what could’ve been an intersection. It was identical to the one that had led him and his friends to Gressmore Towers. The monolith stood four feet tall and pointed straight up, which wasn’t the direction he needed. Pushing on it only made him sweat more, and kicking it made his knee pop painfully.

  He growled and stomped around as frustration slowly became rage. The shadow beneath his feet grew and jerked about wildly. Was this the curse or was it the madness that would make him break Ehrde? Insanity was a horrifying concept, and it approached like a wild boar. Panic overwhelmed him, and he crouched, ready to run back to Alloria and hide behind Dulgirgraut.

  A puppy yipped behind him then barked until he spun around. Scar. His black lab puppy, killed by Fire, bounded toward him. Scar’s tail wagged hard enough to make his butt rock. Angst collapsed to his knees, tears pouring from his eyes as the dog leaped into his arms and bombarded him with puppy licks. This was a crazy he could handle. If he could see his dead dog, he might get to see his family too.

  “I missed you so much,” Angst said, petting Scar over and over, knowing if he stopped, his dog would be gone.

  Dizziness overtook him, and he leaned back, squeezing his eyes shut. Opening his eyes made the vertigo worse and his stomach churn. A silent explosion of light flashed so bright he could see it through his eyelids. Scar barked loudly enough to boom like thunder. He licked Angst’s face once more, and then there was nothing.

  Like jumping into an icy lake, clarity returned with a shock that made him stand. He gasped for breath, brushing away tears and a runny nose with his cloak. His shadow had returned to normal, along with his sanity.

  “Scar,” he whispered.

  It hadn’t been Scar—it was the madness of this place—but the m
emory of his old friend had brought back his senses and his resolve.

  “Thank you, Scar,” Angst said. “You may have just saved us all.”

  He approached the obelisk and studied it. The Acratic etchings along its side were useless to anyone but Dallow and his less-than-helpful swords. Anderfeld, the Al’eyrn leader at Gressmore Towers, had somehow planted obelisks around Unsel to provide Angst and his friends directions. Maybe he was overthinking this, because shoving and kicking is a way of overthinking, right?

  “Direct me to the foci,” Angst said.

  With a grinding shudder, the obelisk slowly pointed to Angst.

  “Funny,” Angst said. “Yes, my sword is a foci. Show me the other foci.”

  The grind sounded more painful this time as the stone directed him to Alloria.

  “Right,” he said. “Got to be smarter than a rock.”

  It was impressive that the spell powering this obelisk had lasted so long, but it didn’t sound healthy. He may only have one or two questions left and needed to be more specific. What did he know about it? The foci’s name was the key he didn’t have. The twins had mentioned that it was a horn. It was worth a try.

  “Direct me to the horn foci in Gyldorane,” he said.

  The obelisk reluctantly leaned away from him, eventually grinding to a stop. His eyes followed the pointer to distant rubble, just beyond one of the pyramids. It wasn’t a lot, but it’d have to be enough.

  “Thanks,” he said, before realizing he’d just thanked a rock. As he was leaving, an idea struck him. “Direct me to Prendere.”

  The obelisk leaned forward and back several times before rising over the ground. Angst stepped away as it shuddered violently until there was nothing left but sparkling dust.

  “That would’ve been too much luck,” Angst said.

  A final glance around him revealed no signs of his dog. It had been so real. He shook his head, grateful for the memory, and blurred to Alloria.