A Viral Imperium: The Plagueborn Series Book 1

by Darren Joy

  Podral ignored them both. ‘Liviana Avitus has taken control of Icarthya. We also think she stole an object from Raddhon, one of great value.’

  ‘You mean,’ said Threadfin, thinking it through. ‘You mean she stole something from the Nephilim? So, that’s why they’re here.’

  ‘She stole something they revere,’ Podral corrected, ‘called a Shathra Stone. None of us knows what it does, but I can tell you that whatever it is, it’s powerful. We believe she is drawing Gog here, that she controls him, through the Stone. His horde will lay waste to everything. We also believe he is coming for you. Liviana wants both you and your sister. She will destroy the world to get to you. That’s why we have to keep you safe.’

  ‘Safe,’ Threadfin whispered. ‘What about, Aiyana? She’s the next ruler of Icarthya. Forget about me. She is the one you should be keeping safe.’

  ‘We are,’ said Scatter in a soothing tone. ‘Measures have been taken to get her out of the capital. Liviana wanted her dead, but she may now try to use her to draw you out since she failed to get you in Lame.’

  ‘What’s so special about me? Why did any of you bother with me in the first place? I told you, I’ve no abilities worth spitting about.’

  ‘You are what you are,’ said Pole, ‘whether you like it or not.’

  ‘For the record then; I don’t like it.’ He did like that they needed him, though. Despite himself, it felt good to be included.

  ‘Soon, when you are ready,’ said Scatter, ‘you must face Gog. It is for this task we prepare you. You must kill the Nephilim prince.’

  ‘That’s impossible,’ he spluttered, the good feeling evaporating. They were crazy, the lot of them. ‘Why don’t you just kill Liviana, and be done. Whatever hold she has on that horde would be broken then, wouldn’t it? Besides, none of this has anything to do with me. I need to get Aiyana to safety, nothing more.’

  ‘Oh, that would be just great,’ Podral snorted. ‘Hundreds of giants uncontrolled and angry all sat right on top of us. Defeat their commander and they will retreat. It’s the only way, lad.’

  ‘If any of us faced her this moment,’ added Scatter, ‘we would lose. You do not understand who she is. She wants you to come to her. She is forcing you into a trap. If you wish to save your sister, you must soon face Gog. You will never hide her from him. His horde will lay waste to the world.’

  Well, that put a different spin on matters he supposed. ‘Fine, let’s say I agree, how long is soon?’

  ‘We don’t know, but you must not fail when the time does come or Liviana will have won.’

  ‘You said yourself that if she can’t find me, she will be hunting Aiyana. If I must do this, then I have no time to waste.’

  ‘We know what she means to you, lad,’ said Podral, ‘but you’re too important to risk until you’re ready. There is far more at stake. Haven’t you been listening?’

  ‘Liviana will be hunting her,’ said Threadfin in a dangerous tone, almost a whisper, ‘and I know that bitch won’t quit.’

  Pole sheathed his blade. ‘Forget Liviana. You may have your chance at her, but any direct attack will fail. Do you think we haven’t thought of that? She’s too powerful. Once you appear and face Gog, she will be distracted. It may prove enough for us to defeat her.’

  ‘Who is Liviana Avitus,’ Threadfin hissed, ‘that you’re all so terrified of her?’

  Pole glanced at Scatter, and then said, ‘You’ll learn what you need to know when you need to know it.’

  ‘Clear and to the point as always,’ muttered Threadfin.

  ‘Nalrost sacrificed millions of lives to create you. Many more will die to protect you. Do not spit on them.’

  Threadfin ignored him and stared at Scatter. She doesn’t trust me, he thought. Well, the feeling was mutual, sort of. Damn her anyway, what was she doing to him? Now, he wanted to earn her trust?

  ‘Hah,’ snorted Lorn. ‘Don’t count on sacrificing mine.’

  ‘You must learn to control that power of yours,’ Scatter huffed, showing the first signs of irritation he’d seen, ‘or you will be no good to anyone, especially your sister. If you will save her, you must first learn. Enough questions, and that’s enough from the rest of you. Threadfin Todralan, you will heed me now.’

  For a further hour, as the sky brightened, he struggled, never sure what it was he was learning. Scatter was right; there was only one way to guarantee Aiyana’s safety. ‘You mean my other self?’ he said at one point as she instructed him to visualise. He had to learn, but no one said he couldn’t learn fast.

  ‘Remember,’ she said all patience again, ‘the Existence Spectrum contains millions of worlds and therefore millions of Threadfins.’

  ‘Well, if there’s that many, why am I so important?’

  ‘You exist aslant of the other worlds, but just you. You were born undead. All of your other selves were born as what you call breathers. Never enter a mirror world where you exist. Your mirror-self will absorb you, and you will become lost. Only worlds where you do not exist, are safe.’

  Threadfin’s mind whirled. With each hour that passed, the horde was closer to Icarthya. To save Aiyana, he would face this Gog, and kill him, and then he would come for Liviana.

  Chapter 22

  Differences

  Year 909YC, fourteen years earlier

  SEATED BY AN open window, Aiyana cradled Threadfin’s head in her lap. Below, russet leaves swirled amongst the colonnade bordering the courtyard, or sank into a gout of brown mulch within a dry fountain. The wind had risen, growling among the stone pillars, heralding a storm.

  She’d entangled her fingers in his hair, comforting him as they lay on a couch in her rooms. A cup of cold green tea sat on a tall round table by her elbow. She always drank green tea. ‘The memory of it will fade,’ she whispered, ‘my beautiful little brother. You shouldn’t cry.’

  ‘I hate them all. They wanted to murder me. They wanted to rip me apart. They tried!’

  ‘You shouldn’t have left the palace grounds. What were you doing out there, and without your dalba or a guard?’

  ‘It’s because I’m different. I don’t breathe. I don’t eat normal food. I won’t grow old and die, well, not like other people. There’s no blood in my veins.’

  ‘You don’t take your bath when you’re supposed to either.’ She stroked his skin, testing for any sign of deterioration. She did that a lot. ‘I will have one prepared. I think there’s still enough salt and natron in the stores. Petra is not in tonight. I’ll take care of it.’

  ‘It’s why they hate me, isn’t it? I need to bathe in salt and bloody natron.’

  ‘I doubt they know about that, Fin. If they had known you were undead, we’d have exemplars crawling all over us.’

  ‘They suspected it, though. You know the Redcloaks are suspicious of our official story. You’ve heard rumours, I bet.’

  She nodded, looking worried.

  ‘I killed them, Aiy. I killed breathers, and I’m not sorry. It felt good.’ It hadn’t though, and the guilt he felt made him angry. He didn’t tell her it wasn’t the first time, but it was the worst. He hated wearing the dalba, hated the confinement, like he was some prisoner. He had tried to be discreet, keeping to the shadows.

  After a pause, she said, ‘My Darken informed me it was a palace guard who instigated it. He hired the others, but he will not last long in the dungeons.’ A dangerous smile touched her lips, but not near as lethal as the light in her eyes.

  ‘You mean an exemplar?’

  She shook her head. ‘Whoever was behind it, they don’t want to be exposed. Exemplars would be too dangerous to involve if whoever it is wants to remain hidden. Someone paid off the guard, who hired the others.’

  ‘He is afraid his enemies will find out. That’s it, isn’t it? That’s why no one knows what happened. That’s why our father hasn’t even come to see if I’m alright. Don’t tell me he doesn’t know.’

  She looked down at him with a stern face. ‘He loves y
ou, in his own way. Maybe he can’t admit it in public, but I’ve seen it in him when he’s looked at you. It’s just that ...’

  ‘I’m a freak.’

  ‘No, and you’ll not say that again. You are beautiful and, and normal. I think it’s that dirty witch he has in his bed whispering in his ear.’

  ‘You think it was her, don’t you?’ He tried to look up at her, but she pushed his head aside as she stroked his hair again.

  If the tone in her voice was hot before, it was ablaze now. ‘She spends every night in his chambers and then marches through the palace as though she were imperatrix herself. She’s not even a consort, Fin. That woman is nothing more than a, a concubine. If she dares speak down to me one more time with that, that hawk’s nose of hers ...’

  Threadfin closed his eyes. ‘Can I stay in your rooms tonight? I’ve hardly seen you and the dreams are worse. I ... I’ve been seeing things.’ He couldn’t explain and he was afraid if he did, she wouldn’t understand.

  ‘I already had a pallet made up by the fire. You’re just a bit ill.’

  ‘I don’t get sick. Anyhow, I was beaten and stabbed, not given a Grim-hooded cold.’

  Stroking his hair, she said, ‘She is due to travel southeast with father in a few days. We can spend more time together then. Still, her spies tell her too much, although, two of those will no longer be telling anything.’

  ‘You know he’ll throw a fit when he finds out. You can’t go around assassinating Liviana’s spies.’

  ‘I have a friend, who takes care of such things.’

  ‘Just because your Darken is faceless, doesn’t mean you can use her that way. Bad enough you have her torturing that guard.’ Not that he minded that last.

  ‘I never said it was a woman.’

  ‘I’m not stupid. I know father would’ve picked out the girl himself. He’d never have chosen a male, not for you. Just wish he’d allowed me one.’ His sister always had dozens of girls around her, even sharing her chambers at night. It was impossible to know which one it was.

  ‘A Darken is more than just a friend, you know. Anyhow, the spies are still alive, and quite safe. He won’t be angry.’ She gave a giggle. ‘He knows, anyhow. I think he respects my boldness. Of course,’ she added with a laugh, ‘the others have been much more careful. It’s Liviana herself that I can’t take care of. Now, that would anger him. He thinks the Spectrum shines out of her butt. I suppose it’s big enough.’ She descended into more giggles.

  There was a scratching sound at the foot of the couch. He leapt up. ‘What’s that?’

  Aiyana laughed as a small figure clambered on to the couch. ‘It’s my mongrel. Do you like him?’

  Threadfin stared at the deformed creature as Aiyana gestured for it to lie in her lap, which it did. It gave a series of low guttural sounds as it watched him. For an instant, he thought about petting it. He’d done that once and it hadn’t gone well. As though reading his mind, it snarled.

  ‘Hey, look at that,’ his sister cooed as she petted the creature. ‘I think Nipper likes you. They’re quite intelligent you know.’

  Threadfin took note of what it held in its claws. The short crossbow had been a gift from his grandfather before he had vanished. He had only two. It meant a great deal to him. Atlantian make, such small one-handed crossbows were rare and prized. ‘Hey, that’s mine. Give it back!’

  ‘It’s okay, Fin. He just wants to play with it. He’s still very young. He’s always picking things up, figuring them out. Fancies himself as a little assassin, I think.’ The creature hefted the crossbow two handed, which thank the Spectrum above wasn’t loaded, and aimed it at Threadfin.

  ‘You mean it’s always thieving.’

  As if in response, the mongrel snarled and snapped the crossbow between its strong claws.

  As Threadfin went to grab it and give it a good beating, his sister leaned in and kissed his head, pushing him away. ‘I’ll get you a new one.’

  Rare, those crossbows, but the thought vanished and fear replaced anger. It was the first time he’d seen his magic behave like this.

  A ringlet of living night entwined them. Threadfin felt a calmness seep into him. No, something forced it into him.

  The mongrel’s growl deepened, with a note of fear.

  ‘Fin,’ she whispered, and he saw the look in her eyes, of recognition, and worry.

  ‘I’m sorry.’ The apparition engulfed them, before it dissolved, and Threadfin wondered if he’d seen it at all, but he knew he had. He saw the look in her eyes. She’d seen it too.

  ‘Nothing,’ she said, leaning closer to kiss his forehead again. ‘It’s nothing. Everything will be fine. Trust me.’

  Nipper glared at him with those beady eyes, a knowing look that said it knew what he was. It knew Threadfin Todralan. Deep within its glistening eyes, he saw a reflection, not of himself, no never of himself. Within its eyes, an enormous, winged creature loomed over both of them.

  He looked away not wanting to see, or understand. His sister smiled at him. The mongrel had curled up in her lap, and was purring of all things.

  He tried smiling back.

  Chapter 23

  A Chimera

  Present Day

  ‘OPEN YOUR EYES.’ Threadfin obeyed, to find himself facing a reflective surface. It was polished bronze this time, the reflective image distorted. It showed Lorn sat against a stone wall, with tall weeds and a bush growing through it. At least that was how he interpreted the blurry scene, since he knew what lay behind him. What was missing was his own reflection, but that was normal. It was as though he didn’t exist. He’d begun to wish it was true.

  ‘What do you see?’

  ‘Nothing.’

  ‘Concentrate. When you can see your image, you will have found one of your other selves. This doesn’t happen as your visions do. You must twin your minds.’

  ‘Enough.’ He stared at Scatter for a moment, who sighed as he lowered the blade fragment. He uncrossed his bony legs to stand, stuffing the fragment into his cloak. ‘I’ve had enough.’

  Scatter remained seated, as did the others, except for River and Wither who remained on watch.

  Threadfin looked at each of them in turn. ‘I need your help, now!’ He felt like a little boy, throwing a tantrum. He didn’t like the feeling. ‘I don’t think I can do this alone.’

  ‘As promised, you shall have our help,’ answered Scatter with a warm smile, ‘but in exchange, you will continue your lessons, until we say you are ready.’

  ‘I thought you lot served me. That was the deal, wasn’t it? You live to serve the viral mage, and that’s me, right?’

  ‘Hah,’ laughed Podral, ‘it’s going to his head already. You’re not quite a mage yet, lad, and we are serving you by guiding you. It might be wise to heed that guidance, don’t you think?’

  ‘You said you have people getting Aiyana out, but Gog and his horde are advancing. You cannot guarantee you will get her to safety in time, can you?’ When Scatter didn’t reply, he went on. ‘She could be captured, tortured, and all to get to me. If I face him now, I can defeat him and then deal with Liviana.’

  ‘Oh, lad,’ said Podral sadly.

  ‘She is not what you think,’ said Scatter. She gave Podral a long look, and then sighed when he stared back. ‘Okay, I had hoped to wait until you were stronger before telling you more, but since you seem set on defying logic ...’ Her eyes said she feared he might run off there and then. She was right. He was on the edge, anyway.

  Her gaze held him, as though willing him to understand. ‘We believe from reports sent to us that Gog is not himself. For several years now, another has had possession of him, mind, and body. We fear that person is Liviana Avitus. She is a harpy, and the First of the Fallen Ones.’

  Threadfin didn’t want to think about what she meant, didn’t want to think at all, but he needed to understand. ‘I’ve heard that name before. What are they?’

  Scatter winced at the question. ‘Among angels there are many f
actions. One that stands apart from all others is the Fallen. Long ago, they became lost to the evil that threatens the Spectrum. We don’t how or why. Everything we know is from the little Nalrost wrote of them.’

  Threadfin blinked, dumbfounded at the revelation. Angels were the embodiment of light itself. That they could turn to evil, unnerved him. He fingered the twisted piece of silver hanging around his neck. ‘Canaan Pen Luthus, the high exemplar. He’s also a, Fallen One, isn’t he?’ There was no other explanation for what he’d seen.

  ‘Of him, we know more, and lost three of our spies in payment for the knowledge. He is a particular type of Fallen. Nalrost listed his kind as chimeras, the lowest. This one can take many guises, but we believe only of beasts, not people. We suspect you are still here because it isn’t your death Liviana seeks, at least not primarily.’

  Threadfin nodded, feeling stunned by the revelation he’d stood face to face with an angel, and an evil one at that. What was a chimera, or a harpy for that matter? He remembered Felps urging Pen Luthus, and a woman’s voice rebuking him.

  ‘Stealing your soul is no easy matter,’ said Scatter in a sympathetic tone. ‘A breather’s yes, but not yours. They need to capture you first, and then we suspect it is a long and painful process. Remember, part of your soul does not reside in this reality, which may be of use. We don’t know what Liviana wants your talent for, but it is not for anything good. This is why we must keep you hidden until you are stronger.’

  ‘I can learn on the way, when we make our stops. I can’t delay any longer. What I need is a faster way to get back. Icarthya’s too far.’ When no one said anything, he scowled. ‘I will not hide. With or without you lot, I’m going to stop Gog, and Liviana.’ Part of my soul exists in another reality? What does that even mean?

  ‘You’re a stubborn bugger,’ said Podral getting to his feet and placing a hand on Threadfin’s shoulder. ‘Thick as a ... well, you know.’ He glanced at Scatter, before clearing his throat. ‘As for getting there, we’ve got darags.’