Angst Box Set 1

by David Pedersen

  “Drapes,” Nikkola said under her breath before taking a sip.

  Janda’s eyes went wide. “You said you wouldn’t tell!”

  Nikkola grinned mischievously. Rook raised his eyebrows and waited.

  “Well, when I was about Kala’s age, I may or may not have set the drapes on fire,” Janda said, her face flushing brightly.

  “Mom and Dad were so upset,” Nikkola ribbed.

  “You started it,” she said defensively. “You were always picking fights.”

  Rook held up a hand to interrupt, and both women started laughing.

  “That’s just what Dad would’ve done,” Nikkola said between chuckles.

  Rook smiled before drinking deeply. There was so much about Janda he didn’t know, especially about her family. That word was at the bottom of the list in his bachelor vocabulary. Could he possibly have time in his life for family and soldiering? Certainly not now, but it was possible that one day this would all end, and he could step away from being a soldier. He kept drinking.

  “You okay there, Dad?” Jaden asked.

  “Of course,” Rook said, resisting the urge to knock the younger man out. “So, that’s it. She’s good with animals to the point that they talk in her head.”

  “That was new,” Nikkola admitted. “But she kind of copies things.”

  “Things?” Jaden frowned.

  “Mom!” Kala called out as she entered the room.

  Janda’s niece was a skinny thing, one of those cute as a button kids with bowed knees, large eyes, and a smile that wouldn’t stop. Her hair was as black as her mother’s, and long, below her shoulders. Her skin was slightly darker, almost olive, taking after her father. She was so loving and polite that people were always happy to see her, until they saw Scar. It broke Rook’s heart that the lab pup had gotten caught up in this mess. Scar was the perpetual puppy; his tail wagged at everything. He appeared normal, except for the red scar that looked mostly healed from stomach to back. It was a rough reminder of the giant, metal-covered, red-eyed beast he could become. He hadn’t left Kala’s side since she found him, and hadn’t changed once. It was amazing, and frightening, and nobody knew what to do.

  “Hi, honey.” Nikkola hugged her daughter before brushing hair from her face.

  “Am I in trouble?” she asked.

  “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she replied.

  “Scar promised he won’t change,” Kala said, already sounding bored.

  “Of course,” Nikkola said in an unconvincing tone. She was fidgeting, seemingly unsure of what to do with her hands. “What have you two been doing?”

  “Scar showed me where Mr. Angst keeps all the metals. It’s so pretty!” she said.

  “Oh?” Rook asked. “I’d like to see too.”

  “Uh huh,” Kala said without missing a beat. “And I’ve been practicing!” She was very proud and thrust her chest out.

  “What have you been practicing,” Rook asked. “Cartwheels? Summersaults?”

  She looked rather sheepish, her hands behind her back and her eyes on her feet.

  “Were you practicing magic?” Nikkola prodded.

  Kala nodded mutely.

  “We’ve talked about this,” she admonished. “But it’s okay here with the other wielders.”

  “So, I can show you?” Her eyes brightened and her fists balled up with all the excitement and energy of youth.

  “Of course you can, honey,” Nikkola said encouragingly.

  Kala stepped back and frowned in concentration. She muttered some words in Acratic and waved her arms around.

  “You’re kidding me,” Jaden said in astonishment a few moments later.

  The creature that appeared was mostly a miniature horse. It had six legs and pink fuzzy antlers that matched its pink and yellow zebra stripes. Its very large dark eyes were creepy, but cute in a way that would’ve surely warranted an extra hug from the young girl, except that the swifen was covered in blue flames. Kala clapped excitedly and Scar yipped as she lovingly wrapped her arms around its neck, the flames blowing out of the way like smoke dispersed by wind.

  “I...I haven’t seen that one before,” Jaden said, scratching his head.

  “I thought it would look cool,” she said. “I like animals.”

  “Right,” he replied. “How did you do that?”

  “I saw you teaching everyone how to make theirs,” she said proudly. “It hurt to pull out my hair, but isn’t she pretty!”

  Everyone nodded in disbelief.

  “Can I ride her some more?” she asked.

  “Some more?” Nikkola asked.

  “I’m sorry,” Kala said, obviously realizing she’d let the truth slip out in her excitement. “I’ll be careful.”

  Nikkola looked from her daughter, to Scar, to the swifen, and then back to Scar. She took a deep breath and smiled cautiously. “Promise only to ride the path to Angst’s.”

  Kala squealed and kissed her mom’s cheek. “Thank you!”

  “Keep Scar close,” her mom said. “And be in before dark!”

  “I will!” the little girl lied like a twelve-year-old. She led the lab and the horse-thing through the entrance. “Come on!”

  “You were saying,” Jaden said, his eyes wide with shock. “About copying things?”

  “I’ve seen her do that before,” Nikkola said. “She started a fire in the fireplace after watching Janda.”

  “And she apparently watched me teach the other wielders how to summon their swifen,” Jaden said, shaking his head.

  “Wait,” Rook said. “How is this even possible? I thought she was just good with animals.”

  “She’s good at a lot of things,” Nikkola said proudly. “What’s wrong with that?”

  “Angst can magic stone, Janda can magic fire,” he said very quickly, the worry in his voice apparent. “She can do all of it?”

  “According to Angst, we can all do all of it,” Janda explained. “We can all summon swifen, right?”

  “Yes,” he agreed reluctantly, crossing his arms.

  “The swifen aren’t fire, or earth. They’re spells that combine several elements,” Janda said. “Angst says we can wield all the elements, we just don’t know how.”

  “I can wield stone, but not as well as Angst,” Jaden said. “We tend to be adept at things, but can be taught all of it.”

  “But, she’s so young,” Rook said, rubbing his fingers through his hair.

  “You once told me you got in your first fight at eleven,” Janda said. “And you beat up two boys twice your size.”

  “That’s because they were jackasses,” Rook said proudly. “And I’ve always been an proficient fighter. My dad taught me young.”

  “Exactly,” Jaden said. “And it seems that young Kala is very adept.”

  “Is she going to be okay?” Rook asked. “I mean, spending that time with Scar.”

  Everything Nikkola was hiding wrenched up her face. Guilt and worry wrinkled her forehead and cheeks, and she looked ready to cry. Janda shot him a look as she placed a consoling hand on her sister’s shoulder. He felt bad, but needed to know.

  “I worry about her all the time,” Nikkola said brokenly. “But it keeps everyone safe, so what else do we do?”

  Rook watched Graloon as the man organized his new bar. Bottles and flagons floated around his head, and Rook wondered when this room would start growing and shrinking to accommodate patrons like the Wizard’s Revenge.

  “I have an idea,” Rook said.

  38

  Angoria

  Angst took a deep breath of fresh air and felt it soak into every pore of his body. Something about this place warmed his heart. The comfortable temperatures—cool, but far from cold—were a welcome change after camping in early winter weather. He sat with his friends and the Berfemmian at a long marble table that rested on a patio. The patio was a cliff-side peninsula hovering over a stunning ocean view. Tall, ivy-covered pillars stood behind him at the entrance, connected to a t
wo-foot-high marble railing that framed the dining area protectively. He’d pulled Victoria away from that two thousand foot drop, reminding that he was fine with heights, but hated his friends near heights. Tori had merely rolled her eyes and threatened to walk the railing like a balance beam if he didn’t behave.

  Hector, Dallow, and Victoria sat beside him at the stone table, directly facing eight of the most beautiful half-naked women Angst had ever seen. It was one of those moments he could only hope he appeared more smooth than he felt. He feared that his every glance would become a wide-eyed stare, and every smile would end with a drooly open mouth. But between giggles on the other side of the table, and his quickly bruising arm nearest Tori, he couldn’t have been doing too badly.

  They feasted on honeyed breads, and wine, and cakes, and sweet fruits, and tangy meats. It was so much better than camping rations that Angst got up to give Faeoris a grateful hug. She smiled around a mouthful of breakfast, and nearby Berfemmian nodded approvingly.

  He returned to his seat and met eyes with Marisha, the petite warrior who’d greeted him with her foot. He liked her eyes better. They were a light shade of green, bright and sharp. The young woman’s olive skin and round face gave her such an exotic look, he could’ve almost ignored the jolt to his ribs from Victoria’s elbow. He glanced up to see Faeoris staring down at him so fiercely that, between the two reactions, he thought it best not to look at Marisha any longer.

  Not only were they beautiful, the Berfemmian were fun. Faeoris had made the rounds after their long evening of talking and napping. Thankfully, the warriors seemed more eager to accept Angst and his friends. He would’ve loved to stay, if it weren’t for the minor inconveniences of Heather, her pregnancy, Rose facing death, and the imminent destruction of Unsel.

  After a breakfast of small talk and Hector stories, Angst became antsy. Dulgirgraut was still on the beach, and he hated being this far away from his foci, despite their poor relationship. He also felt like they were wasting time. He already felt a tie with Faeoris and wanted to know more about her people, but Rose needed them. He left breakfast to walk along the railing, which was barely tall enough to keep someone from toppling over the cliff edge and served more as a reminder than a safety measure. The sandy beach looked so distant from this height, he couldn’t help but think of Faeoris’s story.

  Her mother had died from a fall as she was preparing to lead the Berfemmian migration. Every year, they flew to Vex’steppe and mated with the tribes. It would’ve been Faeoris’s first flight, but after leaping over the cliff, they’d been stopped in mid-air by an old man, who’d demanded their submission. Angst shook his head. Even after such a short time with these people, he could tell they would choose death before servitude. And she had. Despite losing her mother, Faeoris had done what she could to succeed, but everything seemed to be working against her—even the Vex’steppe tribes, who’d turned them away. He admired her, a lot.

  And what of the tall old man? Who could he be? Another host representing an element, or a new foe altogether? He suspected there was something much bigger happening. Maybe that was what Aerella had been trying to tell them through the dream he could barely remember. He could only see glimpses of the great battle, in a field, with giants and monsters and men...but not enough to make sense of the dream’s purpose.

  Angst stepped back from his thoughts, letting them soak in while watching everyone. Tori awkwardly straightened her acquired Berfemmian armor top, obviously feeling out of place. Hector argued with Marisha about something, embellishing his words with hands and arms. Dallow’s hands were pressed together, tapping his chin thoughtfully with his fingers as he took everything in, and Tarness was missing, probably having more fun than the rest of them. His gaze ended on Faeoris, who noticed immediately and smiled. She wasn’t offended by his leering, nor did she mock him. It made him happy that it was okay to be himself.

  “You don’t understand, Marisha,” Hector growled. “We need to get to that city.”

  “You can drown, or you can get eaten by the monster,” she said firmly. “The choice is yours.”

  “Why can’t you fly us there?” Hector asked. “You flew us off the boat.”

  “Because I don’t have wings! You were just lucky,” she replied. “We were on our way back from Vex’steppe and saw the attack. It’s only because of Faeoris that we saved you. I would’ve let you all die.” Her eyes were fierce and her disposition bitchy. “Now that we’re back on the island, the wings are gone until next time. Don’t think you’ll get another—”

  “Stop that,” Angst interrupted, and everyone looked at him as he stood. He stared directly at Marisha. “You wouldn’t have let us die.”

  To his surprise, both Marisha and Hector shot him looks so cold, he felt slapped by a spray of ice.

  He could understand Marisha’s response, but Hector’s? He couldn’t imagine what else he’d interrupted, but ignored the glares. “Well?” he pressed.

  Her eyes softened, and she avoided his gaze.

  “And what do you mean you don’t have wings?” Angst asked irritably.

  Faeoris walked to him and stood as awkwardly close as Victoria used to. “I told you, they only appear when it’s time to mate, my friend.” The very word, friend, sounded forced and awkward coming from her.

  Angst smiled, and blushed, but didn’t step away. He felt close to her after their long night, but wouldn’t dare show fear or submission to any Berfemmian, especially Faeoris. From the corner of his eye, Angst saw Victoria cringe at the exchange. He wasn’t trying to hurt her feelings, but couldn’t show weakness. He could only hope that Tori would sense his intentions with Faeoris. This was going to get complicated.

  “I don’t think that’s completely right, Faeoris” he said, as gently as he could.

  Faeoris frowned as her expression darkened. She tensed, every Berfemmian around the table tensed, the entire island suddenly tensed and went quiet. Angst couldn’t even hear birds in the distance. Obviously, it wasn’t going to be easy opposing his new friend—it seemed nobody wanted to argue with her.

  “From my experience, magic happens when you need it, when you will it.” Angst placed his hands on Faeoris’s muscular shoulders. They were taut and ready, but she didn’t pull away.

  Dallow flashed him an eyeless gaze as if he already knew what Angst was planning. Victoria jerked her head no.

  “I can’t make my wings appear,” Marisha snapped as she stood, glancing over her shoulders. “Look.”

  Angst winked at Faeoris and walked around the table to face Marisha. He tried to restrain his awe. Did they all have to be gorgeous? The young woman remained still, peering at Angst. He adjusted his jaw cautiously, remembering their last encounter.

  “No kicking,” he whispered.

  One of her cheeks lifted in a cautious smile. Angst placed a glowing hand on the stone table. A shape oozed out of the stone, and Victoria coughed in disapproval—perhaps she expected it to form a rose. Within seconds, Angst had created a stone dagger. The handle had fine indentations as though wrapped in string made from marble. It was half the length of Marisha’s arm, and she took the blade, holding it out to inspect it thoroughly. She flipped it in the air, deftly catching the handle. It spun in the palm of her hand before she licked the blade once then nodded her acceptance, tucking it into her belt next to the others.

  “I willed this,” he said, looking around. “And you can will your wings.”

  “It’s never been done.” Faeoris seemed upset. Her arms were crossed and her eyes flashed between Angst and Marisha, who frowned at her, apparently surprised by the cold reaction.

  Angst returned to his new friend and gave her his best smile. “How important am I to you?”

  “We...we are friends,” Faeoris answered, looking around as if embarrassed.

  “So you trust me?” Angst asked.

  Faeoris paused, looking at him. Angst held both hands out, palms up, as though seeking acceptance. She looked worried, almost upset.


  “Angst, no,” Victoria said. “It might not work.”

  “What are you going to do now?” Hector asked in a worried tone.

  “Do you trust me?” Angst asked firmly. It was a lot to ask after only one night, but he had a feeling.

  Faeoris squared her shoulders. She looked at Marisha nervously before making eye contact with Angst. She placed her hands on his. “I trust you, Angst.”

  “Then don’t let me die,” Angst said.

  “No!” Victoria yelled as she stood.

  Angst sprinted to the edge and leaped over the stone railing, diving headfirst to the sandy shore. The ground came faster than he’d expected. He tried to roll in mid-air, wanting to hold his hand up, hoping she would be there, but it was never that easy. Instead, he flailed, his hands and legs flopping helplessly as the ground rushed up to meet him. There was no time for his magic. He thought of Heather being pregnant, and felt so bad that he—

  His knee, hip, and spine strained as he jerked to a stop. An unnatural pop in his body made him squeak. Angst looked overhead. The sandy shore was just beyond arm’s reach. He looked toward his feet at Faeoris’s panicked face. She held his ankle in a grip so firm his foot was already numb. Beautiful wings of light—gold and pink and orange and yellow—stretched out over her shoulders as if she were held aloft by a rainbow. Her eyes were fury, and glassy, as tears dripped down her cheeks. He knew he would have a lot of apologizing to do.

  They spun around as they hovered, and to his surprise, Faeoris wasn’t alone. Every Berfemmian that had been sitting at the table was now floating in mid-air, wings of light flapping gently. They’d all jumped over the edge to save him, or her. He’d done the right thing. When he couldn’t hold back his smug smile, she let go. Angst landed on the unforgiving sand, his head jerking to one side and his shoulder screaming in pain.

  He rolled over and sprawled out, smiling at his victory through gritted teeth. His neck and shoulder would hurt until Dallow taught him to heal himself, but this would last forever. The other Berfemmian flew up and away, leaving Faeoris behind. She seemed torn between following her friends, helping Angst return to the patio, or picking him up and dropping him again.