Abyss

by Bethany Adams

  “What do you want me to do?” he sent to Kezari.

  “I’m not certain yet.”

  The rustling from above increased as the bats picked up on his agitation. “You said we could fix this.”

  “We will,” she answered, her mental voice placid. “Merge. Explore. Find the discordant threads.”

  Aris forced himself to relax. To let go. Kezari would not guide him wrong.

  He connected fully with Kezari, and the stone around them returned to life the way it had earlier, before he’d dropped their connection to heal Iren. Rock groaned and flexed, though its physical form didn’t move; even the minerals accumulating on the stalactites above his head hummed with the disturbance. The Earth held fathomless energy, but the earth was not accustomed to so much disorder, so much speedy evolution. Not here, at least, where only the occasional cave-in punctuated the steady drip of time.

  Aris allowed his own power to flow into Kezari, then. She moved restlessly beneath him as the strength of it hit, but after only a moment, they managed to join their powers completely. Body and soul of the earth entwined. He basked in it for a couple of heartbeats.

  Then he turned to the rift.

  And he—they—knew.

  A smile broke across Perim’s face as she spotted the cave entrance. Finally, the source of the power. She’d had to cross two more of those strange roads and climb the side of the mountain, but it had been worth it. She took a few wary steps closer to the cave. No sign of life. But then an energy as familiar as her own washed over her, and she froze. Aris—but not Aris. He was greater. Different. She prodded the energy carefully and recoiled before he could notice. He’d joined with the dragon.

  Finally, a bit of good fortune. She could honor her oath to Baza and rid herself of the final obstacle keeping her from true freedom. Then she would recreate herself, no one the wiser. Even if the Ljósálfar rejected her, she’d survive. Here on this strange planet if necessary.

  Just one thing to take care of first.

  Her smile widened as she shielded herself and started walking again.

  Aris probed the edges of the rift, gathering as much information as he could. This cave wasn’t the origin point of the spell walling off Earth’s energy, but the fissure let him examine the handiwork anyway. How many Unseelie and dragons had joined together to create this piece of spell art? There were bits of earth magic twined with the other elements and a definite hint of strands similar to the Veil. Actually—

  Yes, it connected to the Veil. Suddenly, he understood what Loki had meant, and he reached out to Kai. The other elf linked immediately, though his mental voice sounded confused. “What’s going on?”

  “Look,” Aris said, sharing what he saw.

  Silence while Kai examined it. Then a litany of mental curses. “And I’m supposed to keep this from getting damaged?”

  “So it seems.” Aris understood the other man’s fear, but now wasn’t the time to indulge it. “I know you can’t link magic the same way Kezari and I can, but maintain mental contact with me as you join with the strands.”

  “I’ve followed them most of my life, but I—”

  “Figure it out now.” Inside, Aris winced with his next words. “Do you want to get stuck here if the Veil is damaged? I assume you’d like to see your child born.”

  A pause. “Harsh but accurate. You’re right. I don’t have a choice.”

  As Kai began to explore the rift further, Aris linked with Iren. This was different yet again, for his bond with his son was of blood and energy, not of mind or magic. But this time, he didn’t set up a telepathic link, and he wouldn’t unless he had to. Unlike Iren, Kai could guard against any physical or emotional rebound. If there was pain, Aris would not share it with his son. Instead, he sent Iren a wave of reassurance before returning his attention to the fissure.

  Small, red crackles danced along the lightning-like branches and sparked on the air. Something was about to happen, for good or ill, and Earth would not remain the same, no matter what. All he could do was try to tip the outcome in their favor.

  Aris took a deep breath and loosened his awareness of his physical body. He felt more than heard Kezari’s assent as they plunged into the rift and joined with it, not completely, but enough to purge the sickness marring it. His very existence thrummed with the force of the power.

  Gods. So much energy. Too much—more than any person should have to handle. But he couldn’t channel it through Iren and into the ground yet. All hint of poison had to be purged first. If he could manage the task.

  Life. This scourge was made of death, and he would counter it with life.

  He shoved against that dark stain with the essence of endless heartbeats. With the richness of fertile soil and living rock. Bit by bit, he chipped away at the poison with hope. He’d seen evil, and it did not have to win. It would not win. Merge with life, he offered the shattered heart of power. Embrace it and be.

  Endless time passed, but finally the Earth heeded his call. Where poison had consumed, light poured through. But the power… His spirit ached from the strength of the magic that rushed into the spaces left in the wake of darkness, shattering through the ragged holes and deepening the cracks in the wall.

  Aris channeled the magic down, toward the deepest heart of the Earth where it would merge with the existing energy field. More than I can bear. Grudgingly, he passed some to Iren, but his son was soon at capacity. If Aris couldn’t handle it, someone else would suffer, either Iren or Selia.

  No.

  He doubled down, and pain shrieked through him. Body? Spirit? He didn’t even know how much of it was his own. The earth trembled, and he sensed Kezari struggling to prevent the wall from shattering all at once. If they could trickle the power out slowly, in a controlled release like the floodgates of a dam, the final burst might not be too bad. Maybe.

  Movement stirred on the edges of awareness. Who…? Eri and one other. That god. Loki? Bound in the magic as he was, Aris saw their glowing forms as they approached. Then they shoved their hands into the heart of the rift, and his world went white.

  Chapter 27

  Selia was so focused on monitoring Iren’s energy that she almost missed Loki’s reappearance. He and Eri advanced on the rift, now flaring between red and white, the god holding the child’s hand. Selia glanced at Kai to see if he noticed the pair, but his eyes were closed as he struggled with his own task.

  What had they called Loki? The god of mischief?

  “More like the god of cleaning up others’ shit,” Loki said, his voice echoing across the space. “Though I’ll grant you I create my fair share of trouble.”

  Selia had no idea what to say to that. She looked between him and the child, whose focus was on the rift. “What are you doing here? With Eri?”

  “Fixing things,” he answered. “You know, I was once known for more than causing trouble. But call those in power on their failings one time, and you’re forever the villain. I guarantee they’ll never believe I did this.”

  He seemed to expect some response to that, but Selia didn’t know what he was talking about. “I’ll pass the message along.”

  “Tell them Lodurr still lives.” He grinned. “Oh, and watch the entrance.”

  Before she could ask what he meant—about any of it—he and Eri plunged their hands into the ragged edges of the energy fissure. The impact of the resulting blast blinded her, and Selia threw herself around Iren as far too much power was released. All she could do was wrap her shields around them both and try to survive.

  Pain flared in her side and back as she landed hard on the ground, her body cushioning Iren. Her shielding began to crumble, and she scrambled to reinforce the cracks. Then Iren linked with her, much as he did for teaching sessions, and joined his own power and protections to hers. She tried to open her eyes to check on the others but it was far too bright to see. Would any of them survive this?

  Loki had said he was going to fix things, but he hadn’t claimed he would spare them
.

  Kai had never linked with the strands quite like this before.

  Or maybe he had on an instinctive level, as he’d always been the strongest guide at Braelyn. It was one of the reasons the previous Myern had allowed Kai to guide Lyr to Earth on his missions despite their friendship and youth. But grabbing a strand, examining it, was nothing like becoming part of it.

  In this moment, joined to Earth’s energy field and the very force linking the dimensions, he could create a strand to anywhere. Usually, he followed the line from Moranaia to Earth, then chose the appropriate sub-strand to the portal exit he wanted. Now he could make a direct line to anywhere.

  That was far from all he could do, but right now, it was more than enough.

  Locked with the rift as he was, he sensed Eri and Loki approaching. What in the…? Instinctively, he reinforced his hold on the strands. Just in time. They did something, joined in some way, and the world tipped into chaos.

  Hold the strands as they are.

  Kai didn’t question if the words were his own or from an outside source.

  Instead, he did his best to obey.

  Aris might have screamed, but he was too disconnected from himself to know. He struggled against the power swamping him and tried to pull his consciousness back to his body more fully. But it was agony when he did. Muscles clenched until they spasmed, lungs heaving for air. He sucked in a deep breath.

  Part of him wanted to retreat once more from the anguish. But he’d lived through worse, and he would no longer back down. “What did they do?” he sent to Kezari.

  “They are laying the groundwork,” she answered, a hint of wonder in her voice. “A base here. A link between Earth and Moranaia. The girl bears blood of both. She is the key.”

  He cracked his eyes open as the blinding light began to settle. The jagged gashes of the rift were gone, replaced by an oblong column of glowing energy. Beneath it, a stalagmite grew upward, stretching toward the light. Aris was just able to make out Eri and Loki on the other side of the new fissure.

  The little girl’s dark hair drifted in tendrils around her placid face, no sign of distress in her demeanor. In contrast, Loki’s hair and eyes flamed, his entire body tense as he poured himself into manipulating the energy. In Aris’s magical sight, the god blazed as brightly as the rift itself. And was just as volatile.

  “We should help,” Kezari said.

  Aris frowned. “How?”

  “Step into the fissure, and I will show you,” she answered. “A working like this will require this kind of boundless energy.”

  Kezari lifted her head, her long neck extending until her snout almost touched the rift. Aris unclenched his leg muscles from where they’d clamped around the base of her neck and forced himself to his feet. This is madness. But he balanced carefully between her shoulder blades and crept up the ridge of her neck toward the surging light.

  Half way to the rift, Aris glanced across the chamber. Kai huddled in the same place, his skin ashen as he fought to hold onto the strands. Through their mental link, Aris caught nothing but resolve.

  Selia and Iren, however, were curled up on the ground. Not moving.

  Had Selia not sensed his regard and managed to meet his eyes, he would have leapt down from Kezari and cursed them all.

  “We are not hurt,” Selia sent. “Whatever you are planning, do it. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  His attention shifted wholly to the rift, then, and he shivered. Stepping into this core of power was a foolish move, but it was the right one. He could better control what happened with the energy from the inside.

  Aris took a deep breath, said a quick prayer, and leaped inside.

  Selia’s cry blended with Iren’s when Aris disappeared into the column of light. What was he thinking? She’d expected him to insert a hand like Eri and Loki. But one moment, he was balanced on Kezari’s snout, and the next, he was engulfed in the glow. She could barely see his body suspended in the center.

  Watch the entrance.

  The god’s words rang through her head as though he’d just spoken them. Despite his apparent preoccupation, maybe he had. She shoved Iren behind her and spun to face the tunnel that lead into the chamber. Sure enough, a tall, thin woman stood in the dim shadows between the dark tunnel and the light cast by the rift. In her hand, a knife gleamed.

  What in the world? Who would… A flickering gleam from the fissure lightened the woman’s face, bringing a memory to life. But not one of Selia’s. Laughing, blood dripping from a knife held high. Perim. This was Perim. What was she doing here?

  Selia connected with Iren immediately. “Get behind Kezari and stay out of sight. I mean it, Iren. That’s the woman who tortured your father.”

  Surprisingly, he didn’t argue. But the whispered answer he gave as he darted out of view gave its own explanation why. “I know.”

  Gods, he must have picked up on Aris’s memories somehow. Selia ached for Iren, for the things he must have seen were more than any child should have to deal with. Her hands clenched, that bittersweet pain morphing into anger. And the drec who’d caused it all wanted to do yet more harm.

  Not on her watch.

  Selia reached into her pocket for an energy crystal. There was enough magic swirling through the room to power an entire working group’s spells, but she dared not use it. There was too much risk of unbalancing whatever the others were doing. She’d have to be careful with any spells she used, but she had little choice. Inona might have non-magical weapons tucked in every fold of her unusual Earth clothing, but Selia was no warrior.

  At least the wretched woman’s scowl was pinned to Loki’s back and not on Selia. But as nice as it would be for Perim to be foolish enough to attack a god, Selia wasn’t relying on it. She reinforced the layers of her protective shields as she eased toward the edge of the cavern. If Perim crossed into the room, Selia might be able to sneak behind her. Unlikely, but it was something.

  Quickly, she scanned the woman’s shields. Good. Only a few layers designed to repel basic attacks, a standard mirror shield at the end. Selia could counter that, even the one designed to reflect magic back.

  Now what would be the best spell to use? Selia ran through her mental catalogue of the most painful ways to kill. Inverting flesh. Teleporting away a few choice organs. Transfiguring blood into water. The first would be too grisly with Iren present. The others… She heaved an inner sigh. They might give a moment’s satisfaction, but they would render her no better than Perim.

  Unfortunately, the only spells she knew that would render instant death might cause Aris trouble by unbalancing the magic flowing through the room. It was no easy matter to shut down the mind or the heart of a fae, and Selia was no healer to know the best way. Most of the methods she could perform required a massive amount of energy or the type of life magic her husband wielded.

  She’d have to start with incapacitation.

  Suddenly, the blond woman turned a smirking glance Selia’s way. “Surely you didn’t believe I hadn’t noticed you?”

  Freezing in place, Selia gathered the spell she’d used on Vek and Kai into her hand until her fingers tingled. “How did you get here?”

  “A friend told me how to find my errant soulbonded.” Perim shrugged. “What good fortune to find him so thoroughly indisposed.”

  “But not alone.” Selia studied the woman. She was beautiful, her delicate features similar enough to Meli’s that Aris’s reaction to the Ljósálfar woman became clear, but Perim’s eyes held a crazed glint the other’s lacked. “Unlike you. You might have had an informant, but I don’t believe you had a friend.”

  “Shut up.” Perim lifted the knife and jiggled it. “Why should I care what you think when I have more important things to take care of? I can almost touch the red-haired one from here. Would you like me to begin with him? Or perhaps he isn’t important enough to get Aris to come out to play.”

  Selia almost loosed the spell, but she hesitated. The other woman
was too confident in the presence of so much power. Even with the rest of the group preoccupied, Perim was far outnumbered. She had to be hiding something, some weapon besides the knife. Perhaps a magical ability? None of Aris’s memories included images of the woman doing magic, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t.

  “You’re Selia, aren’t you?” Perim demanded with a sneer.

  Selia lifted her brows. “What do you know of me?”

  “Only what Aris whimpered or screamed when he was barely coherent.”

  That was more than enough. Selia cast her spell at the other woman, only to realize her mistake almost instantly. In her haste, she’d given Perim’s shielding only a cursory examination—an apprentice’s mistake. Her spell pierced the first couple of layers, but when it hit the third, part was absorbed and the rest rebounded.

  The inner layer of Selia’s own shielding held the counter for the original in case of that very thing. However, whatever piece the shield had absorbed altered the spell enough to slice through Selia’s defenses as it bounced back. It captured control of her body, inhibiting her muscles so thoroughly that only her organs were able to move.

  Her heart pounded in her frozen chest as though it wanted to break free. Panic threatened, but she couldn’t let it consume. She’d created this spell, and whatever that shield had done to alter it, she could erase. If she had time. Perim advanced, a wicked smile twisting her lips, and wiggled the knife again.

  As the woman began to circle her, disappearing periodically from view, Selia blocked her out. Instead, she delved into the components of her spell. The bulk of the immobilization portion was there—obviously. Ah, yes. That small fragment of Selia’s power, the signature left by all mages, was missing, replaced by Perim’s. A tiny but crucial change.