by K R Leikvoll
"Val, you know I can't do that." I glared into his silver eyes. They were staring back at me, empty.
"Yes, you can. You did it before," I pleaded to him. He shook his head.
"I'd love nothing more than to flee to Earth with you, but we do not have the necessary requirements for such a thing. I cannot knowingly allow my people to suffer and die because I didn't want to be selfless," he replied bitterly.
Kirin finished off whatever drink he had been working on and set it down with a thud. He pulled himself away from me slightly. I couldn't respond to him. I knew he was right. I always told myself I'd be the person to die for others, but it was hard when you were staring death in the face. My body was biologically compelling me into fight or flight. It had been flight every time.
"Before we leave the safety of this room, I need you to quickly tell me what happened, lest you forget the details as we run for our lives," he said seriously. I had to grip the fabric of his clothes to ground myself.
The flashing imagery, the sharp tip of the knife, the feeling of Lydris' nasty nails against my skin… it was enough to torture me mentally. It was hard to remember much besides the cuts and Lydris' touch. My lungs weren't retaining enough oxygen. My nails dug into his clothes as I gasped for air. What if I blinked and I woke back in the stone box? I slipped off of him and fell to my knees.
"Th-they—" I could barely speak. Kirin pushed his chair away and kneeled in front of me.
"Breathe slowly. You need to calm down so we can leave," he instructed. My lungs wouldn't obey. In the dark of the shack, it was as though I was being pulled back into that room. Lazarus could bust in at any moment and take me to a worse fate.
Kirin held my chin.
"Stupid girl, what did I just say? Breathe slowly," he said, forcing me to look at him. Focusing on his eyes helped the room come back into focus. I heaved for a while longer before my breathing matched his pace. I slumped against the wall away from him and rested my face in my knees.
"I don't remember a lot. They tortured me," I whispered. Kirin's intense gaze didn't waver.
"She kept Lydris alive?" he asked quietly. The sound of his name caused more tears, but I kept them hidden.
"Yes."
"He told her where the temple is then?" he inquired. I strained to remember. It was hard to think past the knife, the void, and his touch. I could faintly recall Lazarus demanding he get the ship.
"He did," I answered. I didn't even want to say "he." Kirin's hand brushed my arm.
"What did they do to you?" My eyes met his again, almost putting me back into hysterics.
"Lazarus cut me," I said so softly I barely heard myself. Kirin took my pale, right arm from my sleeve. His rough fingers traced the scars where Lazarus had stabbed me. They moved all the way down to the ring before he stopped.
"You healed? Where else did she hurt you?" he asked. His glowing eyes traveled knowingly to my legs. I shifted uncomfortably. His hand brushed my knee. I grabbed it out of the air and shook my head no. Kirin’s steady eyes grew angry.
"Did Lydris do anything to you?" he asked, not pulling his hand away.
"She let him—" was all I was able to say before my voice broke. I let go of his hand and buried my face back into my knees. I sobbed quietly as the thoughts overwhelmed me again. I could still hear his voice whispering in my ear. Kirin pulled me into his arms and held me tightly in a hug. His grip almost hurt, but I didn't care.
"I will kill him... for you and for Danielle," he whispered in my ear. He let me go all at once and helped me stand up.
"What now?" I asked, rubbing the tears from my eyes. He cracked his knuckles.
"Now we run."
Chapter Fifteen
Kirin may have misspoken. By run, he meant slow jog because it was all I could manage. I expected him to be impatient with my fatigued legs, but he didn't make any comments. He just put a firm hand on my shoulder that pushed me at a constant pace. I wanted to be rid of that stupid dress; it was weighing me down considerably.
All of the buildings on the deserted road were made of salt-stained wood. It seemed as though we were in the ghetto part of the city. The only hint of marble was the distant rooftops that lined the inner skyline. I was worried about alerting demons with how loud we were jogging, but Kirin seemed unconcerned. He was focused on the road ahead of us. It extended for miles—an impossible task for my legs, I already knew it.
"Hey Kirin," I said uneasily. He wasn't wearing his cloak and didn't have any bags, not even his sword. Naturally he didn't respond; he simply looked down at me. "Where's your stuff?" I asked through my ragged breathing. He grabbed me back slightly by my dress to bring me to a stop.
"This is close enough," he said, crouching to the ground to check it for something. I stood there awkwardly. Close enough for what? Kirin used his hands to dust off a metal circle that was embedded into the street. It was some sort of archaic manhole. He pried at the edges with his fingertips, trying to pull it from the ground. Surprisingly, the metal circle slowly started to rise despite the fact that it looked like it had become a part of the street over a long period of time. Kirin heaved the giant circle from the dirt and tossed it a few feet away. It landed with a loud clang that I was sure would give up our position.
I was less concerned about that than what laid underneath it.
It was a very, very old sewer hole. Fucking fantastic. Kirin didn't waste any time. His body seemed way bigger than the hole, yet he leapt in without getting stuck. His black form disappeared into the depths and landed with a loud splash at the bottom.
"Jump! I will catch you!" his voice called up through the darkness.
Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Stupid trust falls. I adjusted the bow and quiver on my back to make sure they were secure. I took a deep breath. I didn't jump like Kirin had; I just walked into the opening. Cold air rushed past my face as I fell through the darkness. Kirin caught me as he promised, doing his best to make the impact painless.
"There's water. Are you ready?" he asked before he set me down. I could barely see him in the pitch black, only his tall silhouette and the glowing of his silver eyes.
"Um… yeah," I said, bracing myself. He set me down gently, dunking me to my thighs in frigid water. The dress was weighing me down even worse now and water was filling my boots. I had to cling to Kirin's elbow as we trekked through the stream since it was too dark for me to see. My cell phone was waterproof. It would've made a good flashlight had I decided to bring it with me to the grave.
"The sewer system on this side of the city is connected directly to the ocean. People used to use it for smuggling contraband within the walls. Stolen relics, drugs, demonic paraphernalia, illegal citizens," Kirin said as we made our way up stream. "Luckily, Lazarus has very little knowledge of the Capitol, otherwise she would have blocked this entrance."
I slipped on a pile of rocks beneath the surface and almost went all the way under, had it not been for my left arm clinging to his clothes.
"I forgot your eyes are weak," Kirin said continuing at the same pace without stopping. I heard a faint crackling noise as the path ahead of us was illuminated. Kirin was holding his hand out as if he were carrying something, but instead of a candle or a torch, crimson flames hovered in his palm.
I was relieved to see that the water was clear and not full of sewage. I wasn't sure if they had rats there, but I couldn't see any. As cold as the water was, I was pleased to be out of the street. I'd take hiking in the cold water any day over Lazarus. My heart ached when I thought once again about her out there fighting Alexandra. Was Alex even still... alive? I wanted to believe that she had found a way to escape. She was better than Lazarus. She had to be.
The cobblestone tunnel continued for another grueling mile. My legs somehow hadn't given out on me yet. I could feel it coming on, though. My knees were shaking under the weight of my body, begging me to collapse. Kirin could see my struggle and pulled me to a stop. Without speaking, he crouched down in front of me. It was embarr
assingly hard to climb onto his back with a long, drenched dress. He wasted absolutely no time once I was secure. His pace tripled what it had been before he picked me up.
After a few minutes of drudging through the water, we reached a fork. The path split to the left and to the right. Kirin knew where he was going, I assumed because he had some shady background with that sewer. He turned down the left path.
Damn it. I was hoping it wasn't going to be that way. The path started going downward steeper and steeper as we continued. The water was getting deeper as well. I was glad I was secured around Kirin, because I would have tripped the entire way to the bottom. His flame disappeared halfway down as he focused on moving as fast as possible. I wasn't complaining; all Lazarus would need to do is track us to the open sewer hole. I wondered if we were going under the wall, using a secret passage to make our way outside the city. Kirin nearly slid down the final stretch of the tunnel when it was at its steepest. I could see a grate dumping the water into an unidentifiable location, but a wall barred our way. Kirin used his momentum to run straight at the wall.
"Kirin! What are you doing?" I yelled, bracing myself behind him and closing my eyes. The wall was made of loose stone and caved seamlessly when hit by his weight.
When I opened my eyes, I was blinded by the orange light of the sky. We were standing on a sliver of the tunnel's stone with nothing but black water in front of us. It took me a second to register that it was literally the ocean. It was an endless sea of ink. What the hell do we do? No boats! No magical Nessie climbing out of the ocean to help us! Kirin dropped me off his back and turned around.
He pointed to his right alongside the giant stone wall of the city.
"My belongings are a bit off from here. Down the coastline," he said as he forced me to turn around. He started messing with the quiver on my back. I shook my head. I was so utterly fucked. I couldn’t swim in that damn dress. I couldn’t swim a mile in general. Who knows what was beneath the murky surface waiting to gobble me up.
"Kirin, I don't think I can swim," I admitted, turning back around.
"Obviously," Kirin replied with a blank face. "Try not to drown."
He crouched into a sitting position and dipped his legs into the sea. He grimaced from the cold before leaping the rest of the way off. His head disappeared under the surface.
"God. Damn. Dress," I said, irritated, as I sat down with my legs hanging off. Kirin's form broke back through the water. He spat the black fluid out and swam back toward me. I hesitantly lowered myself into the depths. Damn, it was cold. It wasn't going to take that long to go numb. It cut into me like knives. The water was incredibly dense and it pulled at me by my ankles. My clothing was infinitely heavier as well. My head dipped below the surface as I sunk. I closed my eyes and reached out for Kirin desperately.
He yanked me up from the depths with ease. I coughed and sputtered the disgustingly bitter water out of my mouth as he helped me cling around his shoulders.
"Do not under any circumstance let go. I am serious," he said as I got secured.
"Like I'd fucking let go," I mumbled to myself.
He didn't hesitate pushing himself off from the wall and propelling us toward our location. I knew it was going to be hard before we started, but I didn't think it'd be as grueling as it was. Small waves were still big enough to almost go over our heads. We tried to swim with them to avoid being submerged. I also did my best to kick with him as to not be dead weight.
My body was completely numb before I finally saw the coastline. Kirin was using powerful strokes to propel us short distances at a time. It was slower; I assumed it was harder with another person on his back. Kirin may be the most aggravating person ever, but he had some amazing endurance. He made the mile swim look easy.
As we approached the sand, he pulled me off his back and around to his side. "You can make it," he said, catching his breath.
I swam ahead of him, fighting furiously with the weight of the water. When I got home, I was going to burn every skirt and dress I owned. Screw this!
Kirin was climbing out of the ocean when I was finally in water shallow enough to stand. My skin was bright pink from the frigid temperature; I couldn’t feel my body. The humid wind was soothing as it hit my shivering shoulders.
When I reached the shore, I collapsed into the dark sand. I wanted to kiss the earth. The tall stone wall towered behind us; I was free of the city. I laid my face in the sand and caught my breath.
Kirin was a few feet away hunched over as well. "Don't get too comfortable. It's not safe here," he said between breaths.
I gradually pulled myself back to my feet. My stupid dress was so sopping wet and heavy. How did people do anything without pants? I had to pull my boots off to empty the puddles of water soaking my feet. "Where are all the demons?" I asked, still catching my breath.
Kirin put a strong hand on my back and dragged me along. We started traveling to the northeast into the tree lining. "We had to make a distraction at the front. I used the sewer system to escape and make it to the other part of the city. Alexandra stayed behind to release you and drive them in the opposite direction," Kirin replied. "But that was a while ago. If Lazarus has not already, she will be sending them out to scout for us. It’s important to stay ahead."
"I'm not going to be able to run in this dress. It will literally get me killed. I need pants," I said, grimly looking around. I wasn’t going to find any malls around there. I'd be an easy meal for a monster if I couldn't run. Kirin let out an aggravated sigh and stopped walking. He pulled me around the back of a tree so we wouldn't be seen by the stone wall of the city.
"Your mother fought in dresses, you should learn to do it, too. I can’t think of a single Divine that had an issue with their clothing. You really aren’t one of them, are you?" he grumbled as he took the dagger off his side. He thrust the wet blade into my hand. "Shorten it so you don't trip and get eaten."
Of course. Scissors would've been more useful, but this is Praetis we're talking about. I sat down and lined the dress up as best as I could. Cutting fabric with a dagger was so barbaric I could barely stand it, but I forced myself to remember I was lucky to be alive. I hastily sawed off an O-shaped circle on the bottom of the dress. When I stood back up, the bottom hung to my knees, to the top of my boots. At least I wouldn't have to hold it up, and that was the best it was going to get. I handed Kirin the dagger back.
As soon as it was in his hands, we were jogging again. He ran ahead a safe distance and didn't glance back. I knew I was going to fall behind eventually at that pace, but I forced my exhausted legs to continue. No way I'd be alive if it wasn't for Alex and Kirin. Even if I had managed the impossible task of escaping Lazarus, I wouldn't have made it that far. Morgan would've gobbled me up before I could run away.
Kirin was correct about the demons being on our tail, it turned out. Screeching rang out overhead as we passed through the trees. Kirin thought that instead of telling me to duck, the appropriate response was to tackle me to the ground. I started yelling a lovely string of insults at him when he clamped his hand over my mouth.
"Shut up," he hissed in my ear. Another screech incredibly close to us nearly scared the piss out of me.
He scanned the tree lining above us. Two staggered screeches loud enough to shake the earth resonated on the opposite side of our tree cover. Kirin shot me a curiously concerned look before helping me to my feet. He grabbed my long sleeve and slowly peeked around the tree. I followed closely behind, trying to steal a look from his side.
"Oy vey," I whispered.
There wasn't one annoyingly loud demon. There were three.
Two were oversized, crimson-skinned, bat-like creatures. They had massive talons and fangs that were too big to fit in their disgusting mouths. Both were flapping in place trying to reach a parcel in the tree branches, but a purple barrier blocked them from grabbing it. Flames shot out each time their talons tried to take it down.
The third demon was some kind of black,
furry beast. It was maybe ten feet tall and moved on four legs. Its front two appendages were oversized, muscular arms as thick as trees. Its back legs were short and stubby in comparison. It had giant ram’s horns that definitely looked like they had seen some action. It had an incredibly flat face with a severe underbite that housed multiple pairs of tusks. The demon was pacing back and forth on the ground, waiting for the bats to fight the barrier.
Kirin pulled me back to the safe side of the tree.
"Damn it," he muttered, chuckling into his hands. He shook his head in disbelief for a few seconds before summoning Famine. It was surreal to be near it again. The shadows surrounding it nearly engulfed his hands. The black flames licked at my body, taunting me to touch it.
Still, though. Three demons... versus just us? I didn't like the odds. The ring was sporadic and burning shit wasn't coming as easily anymore. I couldn't use Alex's bow either. Kirin had no way of sacrificing, besides whatever enjoyment he got out of killing them. I wasn't sure if he was still somehow fighting off the flames from before.
"We should sneak away. We can't fight those things!" I whispered, barely audible.
"That's my stuff!" Kirin objected, pointing a finger in the demons' direction.
"Are you really going to die for your jacket?" I asked in a furious whisper.
"Nobody here is dying. You are going to stay safe while I go get the thing that will save your life," he hissed back. He cracked his neck and shook out his arms.
As quietly as he could, Kirin struck the tree with his scythe and used it to climb his way up the trunk. He stalked his way to the tallest branch that could support his body weight. Carefully, he crouched ready to leap. Really, dude? Was he going to ride the damn thing? No plan whatsoever!
"Kirin!" I called angrily up to him. He shot me a glare and put his finger to his lips.
I crept my way around the tree so I would at least have a view of the action. The bats were getting fed up with the barrier. They were swooping in and smashing their bodies on it repeatedly. The demon below let out an impatient cry. It backed up a few feet and rammed its horns into the tree. With a giant crack, the tree broke in half, splintering off away from us.
