The Destroyer Book 2

by Michael-Scott Earle

  Shlara spun to stand and dragged Iolarathe a few feet toward her. I could tell the movement was unexpected and my lover slid onto her stomach. Shlara pulled the Elven's arm up high, leaned her shin into the extended limb, and broke the elbow with a loud snap.

  The sound cut through my body like it was my own back being broken. Iolarathe cried out in pain but more so in failure. Shlara pulled on the limb again and my lover unconsciously pushed herself toward the armored woman to relieve the tension on the shattered bones. Shlara repeated the move and stood close enough to her sword to pick it up while she maintained control of Iolarathe's broken body.

  "Enough Shalra!" I yelled, but my general did not acknowledge me. She kicked Iolarathe over on her back like a sack of flour and then stepped on her throat. Iolarathe's legs spread over the grass and her left arm tried to pry the boot off her esophagus. I stepped toward them.

  Shlara raised her sword in the air, looked at me, and brought it downward.

  Suddenly her body hurled through the sky. A blast of pure Fire erupted around her. The force lifted her armored form across the clearing and slammed it into one of the trees that stood on the far perimeter, silent observers of the unfolding drama. Shlara screamed in agony as the Fire heated her armor and cooked her flesh to ash. The flames resembled what the dragons had spewed from their mouths: sticky, amazingly hot, and hungry for destruction. It spread to the tree and began to burn there as well.

  I lowered my arms and stood to my feet, screaming Shlara's name in panic and running over to her smoking armor. My head swam like I had just harnessed the Elements. Then I stumbled and fell onto the grass. It was stained with the blood Iolarathe had lost and it made the green blades slippery. Why couldn't I move?

  "Kaiyer!" Iolarathe yelled at me. I turned to look at her, but my vision was fuzzy. She was stumbling to her feet as well and cradling her broken right arm with her left. "We have to go!" Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't tell if it was because Shlara was dead or because of the heat. I heard the sound of hooves approaching but they seemed very distant.

  Iolarathe grabbed my shoulder and yanked me to my feet.

  "What the fuck was that?" She slid her naked body under my arm and pulled me toward the horse. The animal had moved away from the battle and stood about fifty yards from us on the other end of the clearing.

  "Who killed her?" I asked her. My voice came out in a whisper.

  "Who?" Iolarathe didn't seem to understand that Shlara was dead. Tears streamed down my face and I felt myself begin to sob.

  "Shlara. She was going to kill you," I choked out the words.

  "And you stopped her. Get on the fucking horse." She pushed me toward the saddle.

  "I stopped her?"

  "Get on the fucking horse!" Iolarathe screamed in panic. Hoof beats tore up the ground a few hundred yards through the forest. It sounded like an army approached.

  "Did I kill Shlara?" I whispered. I felt my energy returning. And I grabbed onto Iolarathe's pale shoulders. She winced with my grip but I didn't care about her broken arm.

  "She was going to kill me. Please get on the horse, or we will both die," she pleaded with me.

  The impact of what I had done flooded my mind. I remembered raising my hands. I remembered the energy flowing through me. Then I remembered Shlara's body twisting back on itself as my magic slammed into her.

  I had killed her.

  I had killed Shlara.

  I screamed and kneeled on the ground. My head felt like a hammer smashed it and I smelled smoke everywhere. It didn't matter though. Nothing mattered anymore. Shlara was dead.

  The woman who had spent the last thirty years of my life confessing her love to me. The woman I could count on for anything. The woman whose only desire was to make me happy and bear my children. The woman who wanted to build a life with me and protect our people.

  The woman I should have chosen.

  I had killed Shlara.

  I was the Betrayer.

  I heard screams in the distance. My eyes opened and I wasn't in my room anymore, or the clearing where Iolarathe had tried to pull me to her horse. I kneeled on a scorched piece of glass, surrounded by rubble. The sun set to the west, behind the main part of Castle Nia. It stood like the massive spider but no lights or movement seemed to come from its hundreds of windows.

  I had killed Shlara.

  I was the Betrayer.

  A sob racked through me again. I realized I was naked but I also recognized the scent of burning. A large piece of wood smoldered behind me. I turned to look at it and knew that it was the remains of my bed. I scanned the ceiling and only saw open sky. My room seemed to have vanished; something burned it while I had been recalling Shlara's death. Whatever caused the damage did more than burn just my suite. The whole wing of the castle looked to have been hit by a giant hammer. The ceiling and walls around me had been transformed into dust, sand, and small pieces of burnt wood.

  You loved her! Fuck you Kaiyer!

  Malek's voice echoed in my brain and grew so loud that I had to cover my ears and scream until the sound disappeared. I slammed my head into the rubble until my skull cracked and drove me dizzy. Finally, the voice stopped its screaming. Then I started to heal.

  I was a monster. Hated and feared by Elvens and humans. I killed my best friend and probably did worse things to save Iolarathe from the fate she should have suffered. I had chosen a life of what? Living with the murderer of my family instead of the woman who had been faithful to me? I was a fucking idiot. I ruined everything I had ever loved.

  Everything I ever cared for was gone.

  I wept for what seemed like hours. Thinking about Shlara and what our lives should have been. She had been cunning, beautiful, and full of love for me. Nadea reminded me so much of her that it hurt me to think that she was also in danger and I would be responsible for her death.

  I shot to my feet.

  My friend was still alive. She lived here somewhere in this castle.

  It wasn't too late to fix things here. This was the present. It was a different world. It was a different life. I'd made a mistake that I could never atone for, but I might start by reuniting Nadea with her father.

  I looked down at my naked body and realized that I had caused the destruction to the castle. I was powerful and the magic of the Elements was always at my disposal. The Earth flowed through me and I listened to the thousands of voices screaming in terror throughout the giant fortress.

  It seemed like forever, but I finally found a heart that beat in a familiar pattern. She ran away from me. I knew her breathing and would never forget the sound of the blood pumping through her body.

  She did remind me of Shlara after all.

  I walked through what had once been my door and into the shattered hallway. Then I sprinted through the rubble, my bare feet left burning impressions that melted the loose rubble, turning it to glass. I rounded a broken corner and came upon three Elven guards who peered through the dense cloud of dust that hung in the air like laundry. They didn't even have a chance to draw their swords before I crushed the skull of the first warrior, broke the neck of the second, and then ripped the lungs out of the third.

  Then I continued my sprint into the belly of the castle.

  Nothing would keep me from Nadea.

  Not even Iolarathe's memory.

  Chapter 27-Nadea

  I loved this feeling. There was no pain, no worries, no desire, save one. This is what butterflies must feel like during their short lifespan.

  Rush to propagate and then die.

  Except I would murder instead of propagate.

  Guards, some Nia and the rest Ancient, ran past me toward the East Wing. I hid the knife in the sleeve of my servant’s tunic, but I didn't think it really mattered. They took one look at my bloody face, mistook it for fear or horror, and ran in the direction I came. I must have passed thirty or forty guards on the way to the North Wing and they did nothing more than give me a sidelong glance.

  I re
ached the main corridor that led between the various wings. There were a few human soldiers stationed there. I slowed down to a walk to pass between them and the hallway to the North Wing.

  One of them stood in front of me and said something. I couldn't hear over the ringing in my ears and I pointed back toward the East Wing and gave a pleading look. The men exchanged looks of fear and let me pass. As soon as I was out of their immediate sight I ran again.

  Nanos.

  Nanos.

  Nanos.

  I repeated his name like a mantra. It was in time with my footfalls and it kept the blurry sides of my vision at bay.

  Move.

  Move.

  Move.

  My head started to hurt again, along with my chest and my leg.

  Now I didn't feel like a butterfly.

  Fucking move Nadea.

  Fucking move Nadea.

  Fucking move Nadea.

  The ringing in my ears grew louder and the sound of the alarm chimed again. I felt pain in the same spots the fall hurt me and I cried out in agony. The stone wall of the decorated corridor supported me for a second and I struggled to catch my bloody breath. I couldn't run anymore. I needed to stop. I had made it so close but the pain overwhelmed me. It seemed as if I had been running for days and I wanted to sleep. Fuck I wanted to sleep so badly.

  Fuck no Nadea. It hasn't been days. Just ten minutes. Focus.

  Tears rolled down my face and caused my vision to blur more. I wiped my fingers around my eyes and then drew back in shock. My hands were coated in blood instead of salty water. I didn't know exactly what kind of injury caused someone to bleed out of their tear ducts, but I guessed it was something even worse than coughing up blood.

  I'm not going to die before Nanos.

  My arms pushed me away from the stone support and I stumbled to the other wall across the wide hallway like a drunken sailor on a rocking ship. The stone felt amazing against my face and hair. It was smooth and cool. I felt so hot and uncomfortable. I felt so tired.

  "Fucking move!" I screamed out loud and pushed my feet against the ground and leaned my body forward. My brain didn't have to work to walk, my feet and legs knew what to do and they moved quickly to keep me from falling. I passed another corner and saw a group of servants huddled in fear in the hallway. They appeared to be talking about the panic in the castle, but the sound of the alarm ripped through me like an axe. I couldn't listen, or think, or do anything more than put one foot in front of the other.

  How was I going to murder Nanos? I was an idiot. He would be surrounded by guards, locked in the Safe Room. My legs didn't want to walk and my mind was slipping away into redundancy. He would be impossible to kill, even if there was a small army with me. I stopped walking and leaned against the wall again. I was in the same part of the hallway where Paug, Greykin, Nanos, and his father fled from the Losher forces. Greykin had stayed behind to save us. Paug had tried to protect me with the murdered king's sword.

  They would need vengeance.

  They would need vengeance.

  They would need vengeance.

  My legs moved again. I coughed and my insides felt like they were filled with sharp glass and rock salt. For some reason I always thought I would die old, in a plush bed, surrounded by children and grandchildren. I would tell them stories of my younger days, the adventures I had, the loves I enjoyed, and the experiences I treasured. Of course that was a ridiculous dream. I couldn't have children and I should have known that I would die alone.

  Move Nadea.

  This was the corner where Greykin had thrown himself on the half dozen Losher warriors. Or maybe there were thirty. Fuck I couldn't remember anymore. I stopped and wiped the blood from my eyes again. Some poured out my nose, making it hard to breathe while I walked. If my brain had hemorrhaged, I probably would have been dead by now. Unless the part of me that wasn't human was keeping me alive. I had always been tough and strong. Or at least, I pretended to be.

  I'm so proud of you Nadea.

  My father's voice echoed in my mind. I was a child and had just read my first book on the historical treaties of Nia. We sat in his study and discussed them at length, well into the night, until he finally told me it was my bed time. He had said that before he tucked the thick blankets over my head.

  Then darkness.

  I gasped and realized I was lying face down on the plush rug of the corridor. I must have fainted, luckily my skull had missed the hard stone on the floor, or I might have damaged myself.

  Ha.

  My body screamed all over when I pushed myself to my feet. I couldn't get upright and I ended up stumbling into the wall. Then I took a few seconds to steady myself before continuing onward. I was so close. I couldn't stop now. The room was only a few turns away. My father needed me to be strong. I had to avenge his brother. Nanos needed to pay.

  I kept a hand on the stone to keep myself from tumbling again. I felt like the castle spun around me and I begged it to stop moving. The alarm sounded again. It was so fucking loud. I screamed and covered my ears. The movement almost caused me to fall to the ground, but I pushed up with my legs and slammed my shoulder into the wall, forcing myself to stay upright.

  The vertigo passed and I moaned in relief. I moved again, hugging the wall this time with both of my arms. I tried not to think of what I would do when I actually got into the room. There would be guards, Nanos would immediately recognize me, and I'd only have one chance to sink the knife into the fucking bastard's throat before they killed me.

  I remembered growing up with him, Runir, and Jessmei. He'd been a little asshole then and I should have known he would grow up to be a traitor. I thought back to the conversations he participated in, all the planning we did while he was present, even the talks with Kaiyer where he weaseled into the room. He had been feeding information to the Ancients the whole time. I should have known.

  Could I have known?

  I stumbled around the last corner and reached the place where Nanos had killed his father and Paug. I saw the door to the Safe Room across the thirty feet of empty tile. It was closed, but I knew the combination that would open the complicated locks on the massive steel slab. I held my breath and rushed over the floor, willing my body to stay upright without the aid of the wall. I felt like a stalk of wheat in the wind. My torso seemed to twist out of my control, my legs went one way, my head bobbed the other direction, and my arms spun like I was doing a drunken dance. Then I pressed against the cold steel.

  I almost cried with joy.

  Only the royal family and their closest guards knew the combination to the triple locks on the door. Keys could be lost, keys could be stolen, but memorized combinations could only be forgotten.

  It was unfortunate for Nanos that I still remembered them.

  The first lock spun open with a click. Then I twisted the second. This one was letters instead of numbers. After a few painful seconds it too opened.

  I reached down to the third lock and suddenly coughed. Sticky lung blood flew out of my mouth and coated the dial. I wiped it off the disks and fought against my vision blurring again.

  Fuck. Come on Nadea. You can do this. Please.

  I tried to encourage myself but it was no use. I could not see the dial anymore and I didn’t remember the combination. My fingertips were numb and my arms felt as if they weighed more than my entire body. I had failed. I'm sorry Paug.

  I'm sorry Father.

  My eyes drifted closed. The cool steel of the door felt wonderful against my face. I could just lie against it and rest for a bit. I was so tired. Someone else would take care of Nanos. Someone else would kill him.

  "Open the door human!" I opened my eyes. The woman from my dreams stood before me. Her hair seemed to glow bright red, like the blood that fell from my face and splattered against the stone floor. I nodded at her and smiled. I wouldn't have to worry about her anymore. She couldn’t haunt me after I was dead.

  "He is inside. Hurry." She glared at me and then glanced back
down the hall. "You must get through this door."

  "I forgot the combination. I can't see." My words came out syrupy and slow.

  "You see me. Hurry Nadea. Don't you want to kill him?" I think it was the first time the woman had used my name. I grunted and reached my fingers out to the dial, missed it, and almost fell.

  "Fuck!" the Ancient and I said at the same time.

  "Tell me the combination. Quickly." I suddenly felt pain in my hand. Hers wrapped around mine and held it up to the lock. The pain burned like I held an ice cube and it helped focus my mind on telling her the combination

  "Four, Seven, Twenty." Her fingers moved mine clumsily against the dial in the right direction. "Back to eight," I said at last.

  She released me and I looked to her face. Her mouth was twisted and I wondered if our touch had hurt her as well.

  "Open it!" she commanded. Her voice sounded distant. I was dreaming. Soon I would sleep forever.

  But not before I killed Nanos.

  My frozen hand closed around the handle of the door. I didn't feel the steel anymore, but my shoulder strained with the effort of pulling the massive portal away from the wall. It moved a few feet and I knew I had just enough space to fit through it.

  "Don't close it behind you," her voice whispered in my ear as I stumbled past her. I nodded and grabbed the inside handle as I walked into the darkness of the corridor beyond the door. My body leaned forward accidentally and the steel slipped out of my grip. I gasped and wiggled my bloody hands at the shifting weight of the door to keep it from closing.

  But I was too slow and weak.

  I knew there was no turning back, but the finality of the clicking locks reinforced this fact. My breath caught and my vision swam again.

  "Damn it girl," the woman's voice whispered in my ear. I turned to face her, but she had already vanished into the dark hallway.

  The Royal Safe Room wasn't just a room but a series of suites with full plumbing, stored food, water, and air ventilation. It would hold twenty people for at least a month in comfort, longer if supplies were rationed or if there were fewer mouths to feed. The door led to a long hallway speckled with four-foot-high stone pillars. They were perfect spots for crossbow guards and the corridor was a gauntlet of pain that would provide any attackers with horrible losses. Lit torches hung on the sides of the entrance by the door but the rest of the tunnel was unlit, so I couldn't see how many guards held the passageway.