by Alex Raizman
It took nearly a minute. Lorathor tore Clarcia bit to bit. At the end of it, Clarcia had been reduced to a collection of twitching flesh, and Lorathor was bleeding from a dozen wounds. The mass of tentacles retracted and reformed into the Sylvani Armin knew.
“Armin, I can get that chain off you,” he said. Lorathor’s skin was paler than its usual vibrant colors, and he took a step towards Armin.
Armin recoiled from the motion, bringing up his hands. “What…what the flath are you?” he shrieked.
“I’m a Sylvani. We’re shapeshifters, Armin. Remember? You saw me slip through that crack in the tower, even though it was barely an inch wide.”
Armin nodded at the memory.
“I usually don’t go that far out of the form you know,” Lorathor continued. “But I needed to. I’m sorry.”
The words were so normal, Lorathor’s tone so calm, Armin was able to start thinking again. “I…I didn’t know you could do that.”
Lorathor grinned. The expression was strained, and Armin could see pain behind his eyes. “I don’t show it off often. An arcwand or blade is usually a better weapon anyway.” He glanced over at the twitching mess on the floor. “Usually. Who was that?”
“Clarcia” Armin whispered.
Lorathor flinched. “I’m sorry you had to watch that. Come on. Let’s get out of here.” He held his finger up towards the lock on Armin’s shackle. The digit protruded into the lock, and it unclasped like he’d turned a key. “Come on, Armin” he said, offering a hand.
Armin took the hand. “Ossman. Aldreda. They-”
“We’ll get them. But first…pull yourself together. You’ve been through the deepest Shadow. But I know we can pull yourself together. We can’t let Bix and Haradeth fight Theognis alone.”
Armin nodded and took a deep breath. I’m not losing anyone else. The thought was firm, and he held it in his head like a drowning man clutching driftwood. “Alright. Let’s go. And while we do…I have two questions.”
“Ask away,” Lorathor said, peering out into the hallway.
“How did you get here, and who the flath is Bix?”
Lorathor smiled. “Would you believe me if I told you those answers went together?” And, without waiting for a response, he started to explain.
***
Bix stood up and made a slashing motion with her hand. Haradeth stopped clapping before Synit – the half Alohym woman looked less certain than he did about what the gesture meant. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” Haradeth said, doing his best to convey shock and excitement over the feat as opposed to letting any of his horror at the carnage slip though.
It’s not that he felt bad for the Alohym soldiers Bix had laid low. This was a war, casualties would happen. Bix hadn’t been especially cruel in the slaughter. Haradeth had just never seen anyone or anything kill so many people with such…frivolity. She’d been singing, for the light’s sake?
“What are you?” Synit asked. She’d barely moved since the beginning of the fight and had not yet taken her eyes off of Bix.
“I’m amazing.” Bix turned back towards the hallway. “You two need to pull your weight some, though. I can’t kill all of them myself. Well, I mean, I probably can, but it will take slightly longer.”
Haradeth nodded, his brain finally kicking back into focus. The danger hasn’t passed yet. Theognis is still out there. “Synit, can you shoot an arcwand?”
“No,” Synit said.
Haradeth clenched his teeth. He didn’t mind that they’d found this woman. If she hadn’t been honest about being on their side, she easily could have betrayed them during Bix’s slaughter of the soldiers earlier. Haradeth had been completely transfixed by the carnage. However, he was starting to wish he’d left her in the cauldron. “Then what can you do in a fight?”
“I’m part Alohym,” Synit said, as if that was an answer. “Their blood runs in my veins as much as my human side does.”
Haradeth took a deep breath to avoid screaming at the obtuse woman. “I’ve seen Alohym fight. They move at incredible speed, strike hard enough to crack stone, and can command unlight. Can you do any of those?”
Synit nodded. “The last one. I can command unlight.”
Haradeth sagged with relief. “So you’re a lumcaster. When Theognis arrives, I’ll need you to-”
Synit’s antenna twitched, and Haradeth felt his heart sink. “You misunderstand. I can project unlight beams. Theognis is a true lumcaster, he can do far more than I.”
Haradeth clenched his hands into fists. “So when you said you didn’t need an arcwand, it was because you are one. Why…why did you not simply say that?”
“I answered the question you asked.” Synit shrugged. Haradeth could see her wince from the pain the gesture caused her. It tugged a bit of sympathy out of him, but the irritation was still strong. There was a murderous lumcaster coming for them, and she was playing word games.
“You really should let me stab her,” Bix said.
“Don’t tempt me,” Haradeth responded. “Synit, get to cover and get ready. Bix, would you be so kind as to toss me one of those arcwands? I’ll need it when Theognis arrives.”
“I will, if you’re absolutely certain I can’t stab the Alohym woman right between her spines.”
“Yes, I’m absolutely certain that you-” Haradeth caught the way Bix’s eyes started to narrow. “I’m absolutely certain that I’d prefer if you didn’t stab her.”
“Yay you can learn. Fine.” Bix skittered over to one of the arcwands and kicked it towards Haradeth. “Now why don’t you-”
Bix’s sentence was cut off, and she started to shriek, a harshly metallic sound that sent Haradeth’s hair standing on edge. An unlight dome had dropped around her, and Bix was slashing at it with all four limbs.
“Synit, get back!” Haradeth barked, raising his arcrifle and pointing it down the corridor.
Theognis walked into view, his face contorted into anger. Haradeth opened fire. Theognis held up his hand and caught the unlight beam with an open palm. Haradeth pulled the trigger again and again. Each beam was intercepted as Theognis’ hand blurred, catching each individual bolt. That shouldn’t be possible. No one can move that fast. No one should be able to move that fast. Even the speed Bix had shown wasn’t on par with this. And yet Theognis was easily keeping up with Haradeth’s attacks.
“A godling using an arcwand. How delightfully pedestrian,” Theognis said. The hand he’d been using to block began to suck in the ambient light. Next to Theognis, Bix had switched all four of her limbs to the tiny rotating saws and was pressing them against the unlight barrier surrounding her. They made a harsh grating sound as they dug into the energy barrier, but it did not break. “I’ve gotten very tired of dealing with this inane meddling. Surrender, godling, and I’ll make your death quick.”
Haradeth tossed the arcwand aside as it clicked empty and grabbed a new one. “I’m sure to get right on that,” Haradeth said, aiming the arcwand at Theognis’ head. “Let me guess. If I continue to resist, my death will be long and painful?”
“Oh no,” Theognis said. “You’re the last surviving godling. You’ll be used to spawn more of your kind, and you’ll watch as your offspring are bound with Alohym and made into new beings.”
Haradeth paled at the implications. “I would never touch -”
“Please,” Theognis interrupted. “The Alohym do not need you alive. They merely need your blood. That is more than enough to fabricate all that they need. I should have been clearer – your blood will be used to create more godlings. The question is if you are alive to witness what your progeny become, or if you rest in the Shadow while we make them.”
Haradeth responded by shooting again. Theognis caught the blast.
“So you choose to watch. I see. I suppose there’s no point to even asking you where Synit is?”
Haradeth frowned. Is that why he’s here? He’s looking for her? How could she be that important? “What’s a Synit?”
&n
bsp; Theognis sighed. “I endured this idiocy from Armin earlier, little godling. Tell me where she is or I will-”
“I’m right behind you.”
Theognis whirled to face the voice. Synit had emerged from behind cover, her hands held together. No, Haradeth realized. Her hands have merged together. The limbs formed a star, and the center was drawing in so much unlight the entire cavern darkened to the level of twilight.
She let loose a blast of unlight as thick as the main weapons of the Alohym’s skyships, focused directly on Theognis’ chest.
Chapter 48
Reflex drove Haradeth to shield his eyes against the blast. It was an absurd reaction – unlight darkened the room, not illuminated – but reflexes far deeper than logic drove his hands up. The cavern erupted with sound, a deep bass thrumming that shook the very walls. Some force was emanating from the beam, and Haradeth felt his feet begin to slide across the stone floor as it pushed him away from the point of impact.
Forcing himself to overcome those reflexes, Haradeth lowered his arms.
If he’d been fully human, the darkness would have been overwhelming. However, Haradeth had hunted with the wolf, stalked with the cougar, and raced through the trees alongside owls. His eyes were perfectly able to pierce the gloom, and what he saw filled him with dread.
Synit had been pushed back against the wall by her own blast. It held her in place, unable to move. Even Bix had stopped in her struggles against the unlight prison to stare in wonder at the display of power in front of them. Theognis should be nothing more than a stain on the wall right now.
Instead, he was standing there, one hand held out. Synit’s unlight beam was far broader than the lumcaster’s hand, but as it neared Theognis, it was narrowing to a point centered in the middle of his palm. The veins in his arm were budging, his eyes were wide and bloodstained, and his clothes and hair were whipped backwards from the same impact…but he did not budge from where he stood.
Synit’s antenna were flapping in the force released by her blast, and a black fluid that Haradeth assumed was sweat but just as easily could have been blood began to ran from her pores. Inch by inch, her beam began to shrink. Theognis’ lips curled into a triumphant snarl as Synit weakened. “You tried,” Theognis said. The words were strained, and he had to spit them through gritted teeth, but there was no mistaking his tone – Theognis was certain of victory. “But it’s time to come home, Synit. The Council of Nine is quite interested in hearing about your… misadventures.”
Synit screamed in defiance and the beam widened again for just an instant. Theognis took a step back, and black lines began to race up his arm. That’s it, Haradeth thought with a surge of excitement. You’ve got him!
Then the unlight beam winked out, and Synit collapsed to one knee. Theognis’s triumphant grin returned to his lips, yet he had to clutch his arm against his chest. “You do not know what you’re doing,” Theognis said in a tone that was meant to be calming, yet every word ached with suppressed fury. “I have your best interests in mind here.”
“Flath. A. Cactus,” Synit spat the words into the floor, bringing her arms up under herself. They quavered with the effort of trying to lift her torso. “You…are as bad as them.”
“You are blessed, you spoiled child.” Theognis didn’t try to hold back the fury now. “You were granted a form fit for gods, and you spit on that legacy with your defiance. You will be brought back to your forbearers and taught the error of your ways.”
“Every moment of my life…is pain. You expect gratitude?” Synit finally managed to push herself up far enough to work her knees under her body. Her entire body was shaking, and Haradeth was less certain that black fluid wasn’t blood as it began to run from the corners of her eyes.
“I expect acknowledgement of what you are.” Theognis began to stalk towards Synit.
“I’m a failure. You have your proper half breeds now. What do you need me for?” Synit’s hands began to change shape again, morphing into elongated blades like the ends of scythes.
Haradeth knew he had to move, but didn’t know what to do. Theognis had managed to hold off an attack on par with blasts that had felled gods. Trueborn gods, not godlings like Haradeth. Dragons had fallen to those beams. Castles had broken. Theognis had held it off with one hand. How could Haradeth hope to match him?
Bix was grinding her saw blades against the unlight cage again, and even though her form was alien, Haradeth could feel fury radiating off her every motion. Could even Bix defeat Theognis? Could anyone?
You have to try, Haradeth thought, glancing around the chamber. If unlight couldn’t harm him, perhaps a more mundane method would be needed.
Haradeth’s eyes fell on a scepter with a head of solid gold. He reached out and grabbed it. It weighted as much as a child.
Theognis was getting close to Synit, and she was backing away from him, her eyes growing wide with terror. She slashed at him with her arm blades, but her motions were shaky and uncoordinated. Theognis created a shield of unlight on either side of his body, and they moved to intercept her attacks.
Haradeth charged, holding the mace above his head. It was nearly enough to overbalance him with its sheer weight, but Haradeth was able to keep his steps steady and silent. He closed the gap and swung with all his might, bringing down the immense mass squarely for the back of Theognis’ skull.
Theognis flicked his good hand just before the impact, and an unlight shield manifested in the way of Haradeth’s blow. The head of the scepter bent under the impact, soft gold deforming into a flat surface. The unlight shield rang like a gong and detonated.
The sudden force sent Haradeth flying backwards and made Theognis stumble forward. Synit twisted under his grasping hands and used the bladed hands to skitter awkwardly across the floor. Theognis snarled and lunged for her, but he was off balance from the impact, and he only managed to grab one of her antenna. Synit twisted her head and screamed as the antenna was torn free of her skull. Black fluid poured from the wound. “You,” Theognis said, snarling and turning to face Haradeth. “You are going to die for that. Slowly. Painfully. And begging for mercy.”
Haradeth responded by hurling the scepter with both hands. Theognis didn’t block it this time, instead just leaning towards the side so it could fly through open air. It clattered down the hallway and tumbled into darkness. Theognis snapped his fingers, and an unlight cage like that one that had Bix enclosed fell into place around Haradeth.
“Now. Where were we?” He turned to face Synit. “That’s right.” He tossed her antenna to the ground. “You were going to come with me back to our masters so you could beg their forgiveness.”
Haradeth beat his fists against the unlight prison. His blows were as effective as Bix’s saw blades, which is to say they didn’t seem to accomplish anything. Synit couldn’t move any faster than she was, and Theognis was able to start closing the distance between them by simply walking.
We lost, Haradeth thought.
Just at the words went through his head, a beam of arcfire shot out of the darkness. It caught the edge of Theognis’ outstretched hand, and he hissed in pain and pulled the limb back.
Armin emerged from the gloom, flanked by Ossman, Lorathor, and Aldreda. Theognis turned towards his new attackers and spat. “You. I thought you’d learned your place, Armin. You are nothing compared to me.”
“You’re probably right,” Armin said, the arcwand still aimed for Theognis. “But I don’t need to match you for power to send you straight back to the shadow.”
Theognis smirked. “I have your two strongest members trapped. What could you possibly do to me?”
Armin brought the arcwand up to his eye, sighting down the barrel. “Let’s find out.”
