Another villager came at Ocken. He ducked under the blade and shoved the man back onto the ground. Ocken didn’t have time to engage him.
Drygo’s face turned red through the strain. Ocken knew he couldn’t hold off much longer.
Ocken launched himself into the air, thrusting his staff into Eamon’s side, and went crashing to the floor, hard, knocking the wind from his lungs. The force of the blow pushed Eamon off of the king.
Melody was wrenched from Ocken’s hand when Eamon rolled to the side.
Drygo wasted no time. He scrambled on his knees over to Eamon, grasped the amulet, and ripped it from around his neck.
Eamon pulled the swordstaff from his side and brandished it himself.
Ocken lay on the ground, powerless to change what happened next. A black cloud emerged from the diamond and swirled around his king.
Eamon lunged for Drygo.
The black cloud went inside Drygo’s body.
In that instant, Eamon turned to black dust, Melody clattering to the floor.
Ocken breathed a sigh of relief and rose to one knee. Then fear gripped him again as Drygo began to writhe, screaming.
Geoffreys ran past him, reaching for the king.
Khate knelt beside Ocken, placing her hand on his shoulder.
Geoffreys grabbed hold of Drygo in an attempt to steady him.
Geoffreys screamed.
Khate’s grip on his shoulder tightened as they both stared in horror.
Geoffreys stood paralyzed, his arm shaking violently as he screamed all the more. Color fled from his body, his eyes turned black, black tendrils creeping out from behind his eyes. But it did not stop there.
Geoffreys began to flinch and twitch, as if something sucked the life force from his body. His bones popped out of joint as his body contorted in ways it was not meant to.
Then his screaming ended and his lifeless form fell away from the king, crumpling into a heap on the floor.
CHAPTER 10
Ocken sat in a chair in Eamon’s bedchamber. Drygo lay asleep in the bed beside him.
“Any change?” Callum asked from the doorway.
“None,” he said.
Callum sighed, rubbing his face. “The queen lay dying a thousand miles away and for all we know, the king could be dead as well.”
“He’s still breathing,” Ocken said.
“But he’s been unresponsive for three days!” Callum said, slamming his fist into the wall.
“And we’ll wait another three days, or three months, or three years,” Khate said from a chair on the other side of the bed. “We promised to get him home, and we will. Once we’re done, though, who knows what will happen.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Callum asked, narrowing his eyes.
Before Khate could answer, Drygo groaned from the bed.
Khate shot to her feet and Callum advanced to the bedside.
Drygo’s eyes blinked open and he looked at all three of them staring at him. He winced as he pulled himself to an upright position.
“Easy, now,” Callum said.
Drygo groaned again, “What happened?”
“We were kind of hoping you could tell us,” Ocken said. “What do you remember?”
Drygo exhaled. “Uh… There was a fight. I almost died. I grabbed the stone then… I woke up here. Where’s Geoffreys?”
Callum frowned. “The stone… It… did something to you. Afterward, all the villagers just… disintegrated. And Geoffreys… He tried to help you, but he…” Callum looked away.
Drygo held up the amulet, which was still in his hand, and stared down at it.
The king’s head snapped to the side and he stared off into an empty corner. “You what?” he asked.
“I…” Callum started, looking confused. “I didn’t do anything, sire. The stone, it…”
“But we have to go back,” Drygo said.
Now Ocken was confused, and Khate scrunched her face up.
Drygo’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you anyway?” he asked the empty corner.
Ocken grew more worried with each passing moment. Drygo was acting as though he’d gone mad.
“My king?” Callum asked. “Are you okay?”
“What?” Drygo said, turning to Callum. “Yes, yes, of course, I’m fine.”
Drygo kicked his feet out over the bed.
“Come on,” he said. “We need to get back to the temple—”
He paused, looking back into the empty corner.
“Why?” he asked.
“Sire, are you sure you’re all right?” Callum asked.
Drygo looked at Callum and back into the empty corner and back at Callum. His eyes narrowed.
“Change of plans,” he said. “We’re going back to Sunbury.”
“What?” Khate asked, her tone cold and angry. “We have to go back to the temple. You have to get the healer’s stone. It’s what you dragged us out here to do. It’s what countless people have given their lives to do and now you want to leave?”
“I can save her,” Drygo said.
“You’ve already tried,” Khate shouted, “and you failed!”
“I’m different now,” he said. “I can feel it. It’s the magic. I can—watch.”
Drygo held out a fist and opened it, producing a ball of white light that floated just above his palm.
“What in Iket’s name is that?” Khate asked, blanching.
Ocken would say he was shocked, but he’d seen too many horrible things over the past week to even bat an eye at this turn of events.
“That’s exactly it,” Drygo said, smiling. “The stone. It held Iket’s power. And now it’s mine.”
It all made sense to Ocken. The crazy magic undead, the black cloud swirling into Drygo, the death of Geoffreys, why all the villagers simply vanished after it happened, and how Drygo managed to survive it all. The stone had transferred its magic to the king.
“So you can save Evangeline?” Khate asked.
“Yes,” Drygo said, nodding. “Now stop wasting time, and let’s go home.”
Drygo looked at the amulet again, placed his fingers on the stone, and popped it out of its socket. He pocketed the stone and discarded the empty amulet on the floor.
Standing, he took an unsteady step toward the door. Callum grabbed onto him, steadying him.
“I’m fine,” Drygo said, letting go of Callum.
Drygo took a few hesitant steps then regained his balance and proceeded to exit the room. The others followed after him.
“What about the elves?” Ocken asked, catching up to him.
“What about them?” Drygo said. “They don’t care about anyone but themselves. Else, why not help me first? I would have aided them as thanks for their assistance. If they know me, if they’ve been watching me like they say, then they know I would have.”
Ocken thought through the logic as they descended down the stairs.
“Every moment that slips by is another moment Evangeline could be dead, and they send me on some errand? Why not save Evangeline first? This stone wasn’t going anywhere,” Drygo said. “No. We’re not going back. They can rot for all I care. I have what I want. What I need.”
“Listen to yourself,” Ocken said as he pushed open the mansion’s front door, allowing the king to exit. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re acting—”
“What?” Drygo asked, turning back to look at the three of them, livid. “How am I acting? I’m acting like a man whose wife is about to die. Now you all can come home with me, or you can die here. That’s your choice.”
Drygo stalked off down the slope of the hill into the village.
Ocken stood there, still outside the mansion door, dumbfounded. He turned and looked at Khate. Her mouth was agape. They had risked their lives for this man and now he would leave them to die over a disagreement?
“Clearly he isn’t handling the stress well,” Callum said. “But he’s still our king.”
Ocken was not so sure he wanted Drygo a
s his king any longer. But maybe Callum was right. Once they made it back to Sunbury and once Evangeline was healed, maybe then the old Drygo would return.
Callum was the first to leave, following after the king. Khate stood, watching him go. Ocken stood, watching Khate.
“Well?” he asked.
“Well, what?” she replied. “We’re not staying here. Let’s go.”
Ocken nodded and they ran to catch up.
With the glamour enchantment gone, the village appeared a little worse for wear. Roofs had caved in, walls had crumbled, and not a pane of glass was visible in any of the windows. The village looked much as he would expect it to look being built in such a secluded place. The mansion was the only building that had remained intact.
They reached the end of the village and found Drygo standing at the foot of the bridge before the rent in the earth. A falcon flew in and alighted at the other end of the bridge. It was Astor with his green eyes.
Drygo said, “A strong enchantment exists here. When we cross this bridge, it will no longer protect us and the falcon will attack.”
“How do you know this?” Ocken asked in disbelief.
“The magic,” Drygo said, quiet, staring off into the Wandering Wood. “It… speaks to me.”
Well that explains the talking to himself, Ocken thought.
“And how does the magic propose we escape the Wandering Wood?” Ocken asked. “If the bird will attack us, then the elves are aware of your betrayal and won’t assist us in finding the exit.”
Drygo glared at him at the word betrayal. “The wood itself is enchanted, causing confusion and misdirection. I can nullify the enchantment. It will be like any other forest.”
Ocken stood there, speechless.
Drygo placed his hands together in front of his face, one curled into a fist.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Callum asked.
Drygo glared at him but didn’t bother to answer. Drygo pulled back his fist, pressing his open palm forward.
“When I bring it down, the protection enchantment will drop as well. Be prepared to run,” the king said.
“It’s just a bird,” Khate said.
Drygo thrust his fist forward, releasing a pulse of energy in a concentrated blast. It slammed against the protection enchantment and broke through, continuing into the forest. The protection shield dissolved outward and Astor soared in.
The falcon clamped itself onto Drygo’s pants and dug its beak down into his pocket, reaching for the stone. The king grabbed the bird by the neck, crushed it, and tossed it into the rent.
“Go! Now!” he said.
They ran forward as the forest came to life. An endless stream of birds dived at them from the canopy above. Snakes moved out into the path in front of them, squirrels jumped at them from the sides of trees.
Ocken batted them away with Melody as best he could, but in the end, he agreed with Drygo. Fighting such small creatures was of little use. They needed to run or be pecked to death.
Drygo flung tendrils of magic out at the birds, but even that had little impact. He was just too inexperienced with the magic to accomplish anything of great effect. How was it that he expected to save Evangeline with a magic that, so far, only showed destruction?
Ocken didn’t know, and at the moment, he didn’t care. He only cared about escaping the forest with both his eyes intact.
“Do you know where you’re going,” Ocken shouted to Drygo up ahead.
“No. I know we’re heading west, but that’s about it,” he shouted back, batting away a bird. “If we run straight long enough, we’ll end up somewhere.”
A squirrel landed on Ocken’s hand and started clawing and scratching. He swatted at it, but it bit his ear and held on tight. He got a hand around its body and pulled it away. It clawed his hand and bit down on a finger before he tossed it back into the forest.
Blood ran down the side of his face and hand.
Ocken didn’t know how much longer they ran, but at last they broke free of the Wandering Wood. Drygo sent out a wave of energy behind them.
They exited right at the foot of the Frostpeak Pass. Ocken turned and saw that all of the animals stopped short of leaving the wood. Khate collapsed on the ground beside him.
“Ocken!” Khate yelled.
He looked down and followed her gaze to a snake clinging to his leg, its fangs embedded in his leather armor. He reached down, grabbed it by the head, and pulled it free. It hissed and wiggled in his hands. He flung it on the ground and chopped its head off.
Ocken breathed heavily, turning and looking at Drygo.
“What happened?” he asked the king. “Why did they stop? Not that I’m complaining.”
“I put up another enchantment,” he said, wiping blood from his mouth. “They won’t be able to leave the wood. At least not here, or anywhere near here.”
Ocken sagged to the ground, his heart beating faster than it should.
“Are you okay?” he asked Khate.
“I’m fine,” she said, getting to her feet. “Let’s go.”
“No,” Callum said, huffing. “We all could use a break.”
“Now what?” Ocken asked. “I’m not going back in there,” he said, pointing to Frostpeak Pass and then to the Wandering Wood, “or there.”
“The soulfiend won’t attack me,” Drygo said.
Ocken opened his mouth to respond.
“It won’t come near this,” he said, holding up a ball of light in his hand.
Then Ocken remembered. The kranack only hunts in darkness.
***
They arrived in Sunbury four days later. Drygo burst through the front doors of the palace and raced up the stairs out of sight.
Ocken, Callum, and Khate followed after him. They reached the third floor and proceeded to Evangeline’s chambers. They passed Alijah in the hallway and Callum grabbed him by the arm.
“Good to see you returned safely, Grand Marshal,” Alijah said.
“How is she?” Callum asked.
“She is fine, Grand Marshal. Your wife is progressing as expected,” the healer said.
“Not Chelsea, the queen,” Callum replied.
“Oh,” Alijah said, lowering his head. “She is in labor at this very moment.”
Ocken sighed with relief. They weren’t too late. She was still alive. Drygo could save her. The men who’d lost their lives would not have died in vain. Thren would not have died in vain.
“Then why are you here? You should be in there with her,” Callum said, alarmed.
“There’s little for me to do. The midwives are with her. They will take the greatest of care with her. But even if she survives the birth, she will likely succumb within two days. I’m afraid her body is far too weak and damaged to sustain her life—short of a miracle of some kind.”
Callum gave the man leave and rushed to Evangeline’s chambers. Muffled sounds emanated from the room. He knocked on the door. It cracked open and the sounds turned to ear-splitting screams. A small old woman slipped out. Khate pushed past her and into the room. As the door closed, the sounds quieted once again.
“Grand Marshal, you can’t be here,” Sophia said.
“How fares the queen?” he asked, ignoring her subtle request to leave.
“She’s almost in full labor. Our little prince or princess will greet the world soon,” she said with a forced smile. “The queen is in the best of hands. Please, return to your wife and we will send word when there’s news.”
He nodded. She opened the door and slipped back inside. Despite her request, Callum would not leave. He stood outside the door, pacing. Ocken stayed with him. Ocken begged the gods that both she and the baby would survive long enough for the king to heal her.
What seemed like hours passed, but still Callum did not leave. Chelsea must have received word that they had returned. She came running in and grabbed Callum around the neck, burying her face in his chest. He held her tight and kissed her forehead.
; Ocken found himself longing for such intimacy. He didn’t know why. He’d never desired a relationship before. He thought maybe it was the depth he’d discovered such relationships carried. A strong, loyal devotion that was not easily shaken.
For better, he thought, watching Callum run his fingers through Chelsea’s hair.
Screams in the other room intensified and Ocken thought of Drygo, Evangeline, and the events of the last few weeks.
…or for worse.
Finally, the screams subsided, and he began to worry anew. Was she dead? Was the baby alive? What was going on?
Callum, apparently wondering the same thing, let go of Chelsea, pushed open the door, and entered the room. A midwife let out a small yelp and covered the queen with a bed sheet.
Ocken looked upon the queen, Drygo sitting beside her, holding her hands. Her eyes were closed. Her chest rose and fell beneath the blanket.
Alive then. Thank the gods.
A wet-nurse stood out on the open balcony, holding the babe, feeding it. Ocken’s heart swelled with joy. Both mother and child survived.
“Alexander?” Evangeline whispered.
“I’m here, Evie,” Drygo said, leaning closer.
“Alexander,” she exhaled with great effort. “Please. Take care of Maya.”
Ocken guessed she was referring to the baby. What a beautiful name.
“I will. We will. You must hold on,” he said. “Be strong.”
“Promise me,” she said.
“I swear. I will take care of her.”
“Thank you,” she said.
Her eyes closed and her hand went limp. She was still breathing, albeit faintly.
Drygo pulled the black diamond out of his pocket, laid it on the bed, and said, “Out. Everyone out. You too, Callum. Khate.”
“But sire,” Callum pleaded at the same time Khate said, “She’s my sister!”
“And she’s my wife! Get out!” he yelled.
They all hurried from the room. Once outside, the maids scattered. Callum, again, remained by the door. Khate sat down in a chair in the hallway. Ocken stood next to her, placing his hand on her shoulder. She flinched at his touch, but did not push him away. A few minutes later, the door opened. Khate jumped to her feet.
“Fetch me one of the maids,” the king demanded. “Not Sophia, one of the younger ones.”
Soul Siphon: Set includes four books: Midnight Blade, Kingsbane, Ash and Steel, Sentinels of the Stone (Soul Stones) Page 16
