Tainted Blood Anthology

by Jeff Gunzel

  *

  “Over here!” Owen called out to the others as he carried Thatra in his arms. He laid her down on the soft grass, her side wet with blood. “Assirra, she needs you,” he grunted, pointing down at the fallen girl. “Hurry!” Looking unsure, Assirra knelt down and laid her hands on Thatra’s chest. She mumbled a few words, opening and closing her eyes as if checking for something. Finally, she pulled her hands away and shook her head.

  “I-I don’t feel him,” she said. “I can’t feel his presence anymore!”

  “Step aside,” Liam said, kneeling down to take her spot. He had the ability to heal, but could not bring back the dead. Luckily, she was still breathing, if just barely. After a few mumblings of his own, her raspy breaths began to smooth and deepen. When her eyes cracked open, Liam quickly assured her she was all right and just needed to rest for now. He rubbed her shoulder and looked up, but Assirra was gone.

  Walking down the hill, Assirra carefully stepped over body after body. The aftermath of this battle was horrible, yet she was somehow numb to all the death surrounding her. She stopped and looked at her hands, her useless hands. All this death around her yet she could not bring back a single person this day. Or probably any other day. “Why, Odao?” she whispered, staring down at those ordinary hands that had performed so many miracles in the past. “Why have you abandoned me?”

  Bodies all around, she dropped to her knees and sobbed.

  Epilogue

  Viola’s hair whipped in the wind as she rode, both hands wrapped tightly around Salina. More than once she had made the mistake of looking down, only to regret it immediately. “Where are we going?” Viola shouted over the rushing wind.

  Salina glanced back, still wearing a relieved smile even after all they had been through. Even though her face was different now, her eyes still seemed familiar somehow. The change in her appearance no longer seemed so drastic. If one’s eyes were truly a window into their soul, then there could be no doubt: This was the same motherly figure who had been by Viola’s side this whole time.

  “You asked me once if I trusted you,” Salina said. “Well, now I’m asking you the same thing.”

  “I do,” Viola answered without hesitation.

  Salina turned to face forward again. The sun was setting and the sky was turning dark orange. From up here, the scene was breathtaking. “Where are we going?” she repeated, brushing her flapping hair from her eyes. “To a place where both you and I can find some answers.”

  *

  “Just a little further. I’m certain of it.”

  “But what if you’re wrong? What if they were lying? What if it’s not true and we came all this way for nothing? What if—”

  “Stop that! It has to be true!” The woman shook the map in her hand. “It has to be,” she repeated softly.

  The two women inched along a narrow ledge, backs flat up against the mountain. “It’s just over there,” said the taller woman, pointing across to another ledge. High up as they were, the wind howled, weighing against their bodies, threatening to push them off the edge. They each looked down, seeing the scattered boulders hundreds of feet below. No one could survive a fall such as this.

  “I’ll go first,” said the shorter woman, measuring her jump. The second ledge was at least fifteen feet away. She rubbed her hands together and jumped. Within the first few feet she was already beginning to fall. Her body twisted in midair, erupting into a funnel of liquid black. Birds began to caw, spinning and flapping as the funnel gently set down on the other side. Seconds later, a similar black funnel settled next to her, then reshaped itself back into her friend. “All right, let’s go this way.”

  A short walk around to the other side of the ledge led them to an open cave, seemingly carved into the mountainside. “That’s it!” said the taller woman, shaking the crumpled map in one hand. They could see the opening was guarded by two figures. Both cloaked, it was impossible to see their faces. The women approached cautiously, ready to run away if necessary. Humans had proved to be less than tolerant of their kind.

  When they came into view, the first cloaked figure drew back his hood. A pale face with black lips smiled back at them. They were so relieved they wanted to cry. “Welcome,” he said, motioning for them to come closer. The other man drew back his hood, revealing similar features on another smiling face. “I know you must be tired and hungry after your journey, but there is someone you must speak with first. Follow me.”

  He led them through the cave. There were mismatched pieces of furniture, old tables and chairs that didn’t belong together. Everywhere they looked, pale faces with red eyes smiled back at them. There had to be at least fifty just in this area alone. “I suppose you two thought you were alone in this world,” he said. Both women sobbed with happiness, unable to answer.

  “That’s what we all thought before we found each other, before he found us. This great man has brought us together, but you must stand before him and be judged before you can stay.”

  They entered a large chamber, the walls decorated with paintings. A large man sat on a chair near the back, his hands folded on his lap. He looked up with a grin, rising from his seat when he saw them. “Two more?” he asked cheerfully, opening his arms invitingly.

  “Welcome,” said Orm’rak. “I do believe you two have found a place to call home.”

  Blood

  of the

  Fallen

  By

  Jeff Gunzel

  Copyright 2016 Jeff Gunzel

  Books by Jeff Gunzel

  The Legend of the Gate Keeper Series

  The Shadow

  Land of Shadows

  Siege of Night

  Lost Empire

  Reborn

  The Trials of Ashbarn

  End of Days

  Tainted Blood Series

  A Rip in Time

  Of Blood and Blade

  Winds of Chaos

  A Rising Storm

  Blood of the Fallen

  Legacy

  Prologue

  Hot air rose up through the cavern, its smothering heat masking the stone walls with wavy lines of distortion. Acrid and toxic, no form of life was ever meant to breathe this poison. The deadly environment was little more than a living hell, a prison for the cursed, the only home the white men had known for centuries.

  Lungs drawing in yet another blast of thick warmth, the lerwick began to stir. Slowly drifting back from his dreamlike state, he began to feel the waves of heat licking his body, as well as the acrid taste of sulfur thick in the back of his throat. His eyelids fluttered, trying to push back against the magically induced coma. Slowly, the world around him came into view, and it was not a world he remembered at all.

  Another deep breath filled his lungs with more toxins, causing his body to convulse with dry, ragged coughs. With no choice but to keep drawing in breath after breath of the barely breathable air, he strained to see through teary eyes. Below him, he could see a wide river of lava. Flowing along like thick, orange honey, it rolled and boiled, each rising bubble bursting before belching out yet another blast of toxic fumes.

  He screamed at the nightmarish sight, thrashing against the cuffs that held his wrists and ankles. It was only then that he realized he couldn’t move, that his whole body was strapped tight against a metal grate. Through his desperate thrashing, he glanced past the lava and saw a wall of white standing nearby, a wall containing hundreds of eyes, pink eyes that radiated hate. Savage, barbaric, their sharp gazes pierced him like a dagger.

  The living wall began to chant as ghostly white hands waved in the air. Lipless mouths opened impossibly wide, the tops of their hairless heads flipping so far back it seemed as if they might fall off. Even with the lerwick still convulsing with choking coughs, gasping for fresh air, he was somehow able to focus on the song. Soothing, gentle, the long, drawn-out note seemed to bring with it a measure of peace.

  The cavern came alive with the hum. It pulsed with green and blue light that seemed to
radiate directly from the rock walls themselves. Soothing, yet invigorating all at once, the lerwick felt swept up in the energy of the song. It was as if it was pumping new life into him, distracting him from the searing pain ripping at his insides.

  The pulley wheel above the grate began to squeak and chirp. The subtle screech somehow broke him from his blissful trance, breaking down the mental wall that had, up until now, managed to separate his mind from the pain. Agony exploded through his body, sending the lerwick into a flurry of fits and convulsions. Like a tidal wave, it hit him so hard that he couldn’t even scream.

  As the metal grate lowered, inching him closer and closer to the lava below, his skin began to smolder and steam. Boils rose up along his arms and neck. They seeped with clear pus, each drop hissing against the lava below. In a rush, the lerwick suddenly found his voice and let out an ear-piercing scream. His eyeballs began to wither and steam, the last of their moisture being drawn away by the searing heat. In the back of his mind, a tiny spark of consciousness still clung to reality despite the surreal experience. Astonished, he wondered how he could even still be alive. How could his body still be functioning after all this?

  Three feet away from the smoldering river, a foot, an inch... The moment his chest touched the lava, his body burst into flame. Although every last drop of moisture fled from his body, leaving behind nothing but charred, blackened skin, but he still continued to thrash about. His hair vaporized in a crackling puff of tangy-smelling smoke, leaving behind a bald head shedding flecks of black ash. His lipless, skeletal grin opened wide, expelling a cloud of black smoke from withered lungs that shouldn’t even be working any longer.

  Still lowering, the metal grate dipped below the surface of the lava. But even then his shadowy form thrashed beneath the deep red surface, whipping about like some sort of underwater creature caught in a net. His blackened body hardened to a crisp, leathery skin hugging the bone. Lungs continued to pump of their own accord, sending lava rushing in and out as if it were liquid air. All the while he was still conscious, completely aware of what was going on. Although his body had become a foreign, unfamiliar vessel, he was still very much in tune with it, very much in touch with the endless pain.

  Up from the molten sea rose a large golden bubble, its shadowy insides twitching about. Like a blackened larva trapped in a gel cocoon, the lerwick frantically bobbed his skinless head as his charred limbs hung like withered branches. Eyeless sockets steamed and hissed as his lipless teeth clicked like a wooden puppet. What little skin remained on his body was little more than tiny strips of black charcoal still clinging to white bone.

  As if hatching an insect, the bubble slowly fell away like a melting icicle. Through his ribcage was a surprisingly well-preserved heart, still thumping away, acting as if there was any blood left to pump. Throwing his head back, the lerwick let out an ear-piercing scream. The action should have been impossible given the condition of his withered body, yet the long and potent roar nearly shook the walls. Lava expelled from his mouth in a blast of orange, spraying high in the air like a geyser.

  Crispy, blackened fingers closed into fists as his body arched back. Levitating up above the lava, his body began to crystallize from the inside out. Light blue at first, his bones soon became a brilliant white that seemed to glow. Suddenly, his body burst. The brilliant flash of white washed over the ghatins, bathing them in blinding light. Many covered their eyes and looked away. Like an exploding star, the body of the lerwick became impossible to look at directly.

  *

  The sky darkened, boiling and churning with angry black storm clouds. Lightning flashed, illuminating the barren wasteland that hadn’t seen a drop of rain in many years. The sky flashed again, this time sending a jagged bolt jittering down, which struck the side of the volcano, followed by a second, then a third. The sky erupted into a flickering light show of chaos. Crackling energy bathed the volcano, each bolt striking once before spidering across the outer crust like a living entity.

  The collection of energy swirled around the volcano as it stripped its face of rock and debris. Then, like a whirling tornado of light, the crackling bolts funneled back together and raced up into the sky, pulling with them the mass of stone and debris. What was once an ancient volcano, ugly and worn, now stood out like a mountain-shaped diamond. Glistening like a white jewel, it refracted even the subtle starlight shining down through the quickly dissipating clouds.

  Everything went deathly quiet as the world stood still. Suddenly, the side of the diamond burst open, releasing a flowing wave of screeching white. It howled like a wolf, washing across the desert landscape like a single living entity.

  The ancient curse had been shattered.

  The ghatins were free.

  Chapter 1

  Blades flashing with lightning speed, Xavier cut down the lerwicks just as fast as they approached. Swarming over him like a pack of piranhas, his blades seemed to locate flesh no matter which direction he struck. Hands slick with blood, he could barely hold on to his weapons as he spun them left and right. Heart pounding, panic and desperation taking hold, Xavier fought on like a wounded animal fighting for its life.

  There were so many. Where were they all coming from? With fatigue setting in fast, it was hard to say how much longer he could last. But none of that really mattered anymore because there was no choice. He would either find some way to hold out, or die right here.

  After tearing through yet another throat, he saw her off in the distance. Viola running for her life with Orm'rak in hot pursuit. There was no time to spare, he had to reach her somehow. His sworn duty was to protect her with his life, and that promise would not be broken this day!

  His arms exploded in a blazing flurry as arms and legs separated from the lerwick bodies, tearing free in mists of red. Still they kept coming, an endless stream as if they were falling from the sky. If he were to have any chance of reaching her, he had to change tactics. It was time to concentrate more on savage aggression rather than pinpoint precision, because no matter which way he swung, his blades seemed to bite into flesh. But the endless wall of bodies seemed to be growing thicker by the second. Each time one fell, it seemed like two more would take his place. How could he possibly win against such odds? But he had to! Xavier had beaten impossible odds before. Once again he would be pushed to his limits.

  A crushing blow at the center of Xavier’s back sent him reeling. Stumbling forward, his face bounced off a stone embedded in the ground. He tried to get back to his feet, but a flood of lerwicks immediately converged on his fallen body. Arms pinned, feeling the pressure of a knee pressing down on the back of his neck, he began to panic. Immobilized, he was able to turn his head just enough to see the woman he loved get taken down from behind.

  "No!" he screamed, a renewed surge of urgency driving him to do the impossible. Bucking like a horse, Xavier was able to loosen a few of their grips. Although not free yet, he could at least move his arms a little. Sliding a hand down under his chest, he managed to unsheathe a dagger. Leaning into his right shoulder, he twisted his body enough to stab upward. The blade resisted briefly, followed by a telling howl that proved it had hit home. The squirming lerwick jolted, pushing back against the others to get clear of the stabbing blade. In doing so, he knocked back a few of his friends.

  With a mighty surge, Xavier leaned into his shoulder again, this time committing all his weight as he managed to roll to his back. He released the blade, rolling two more times in order to create some distance. But a split second later his blade sprang to life, rising into the air and stabbing a lerwick beneath the chin. Making a slashing motion with his fist, Xavier pulled it free from the lerwick’s jaw and sent it seeking the chest of another. The confused lerwicks weren’t sure whether to keep going after the human, or if they should try to contain the dancing blade that seemed to be killing on its own.

  Having just bought the precious seconds needed, Xavier sprung to his feet and ripped back his cloak. Fingers danced across his chest
and his blades pulled free. Rising up, they floated above his head like ghostly specters. With a twitch of his fingers they exploded into action, each one seeking a separate target. Chests and throats tore open in sprays of red, yet still more foes seemed to be rushing in to take their place. His fingers working through years of built-up muscle memory, Xavier dared to take his eyes off the ever-advancing enemies. Despite the surrounding chaos, his mind was fixed squarely on Viola.

  To his horror, he quickly found exactly what he sought. Face down on the ground, Viola lay helpless with Orm’rak kneeling on her back. Holding her by the back of her hair with one hand, he slipped a dagger underneath her neck. Xavier began running, leaping over the dying lerwicks even as they were still falling. His whirling blades cutting and slashing, he tried to carve out a path in order to reach her in time.

  More and more lerwicks stepped in his way, each of them dying just as fast as they appeared. But they didn’t seem to care. It was as if they were sacrificing themselves in order to buy their master more time. Xavier’s blades danced, shredding flesh as he lowered his shoulder. Throwing himself in the fray, he knocked down two more before stumbling past them and hitting the ground. Skidding across stone, a pair of black boots seemed to slide right up under his nose as he came to a stop.

  Lungs on fire, trembling arms numb with exhaustion, Xavier slowly pushed himself off the ground. He looked up at Orm’rak, his expressionless face cold as stone. Xavier’s eyes drifted to the blade he held as a single drop of red dripped from the razor-sharp edge. Seeming to fall forever, the drop finally splashed into the puddle of blood Xavier had not noticed until this very moment.

  Bringing his other hand around from behind his back, Orm’rak proudly displayed his bloody prize. Held up by her hair, Xavier started unblinkingly at Viola’s severed head. All the blood drained from his face as he rocked back and sat on the ground. With the raging swirl of emotions canceling each other out, all he could feel was a sad numbness pulsing through his mind. He couldn’t accept what he was seeing, yet he couldn’t find the will to look away either.