“You mentioned a last option,” Vir prodded.
Aren looked at him, shrugged, then struck through the words “Lord Vir” from his chosen sentences and wrote in the word “Aren.”
Once Vir realized what Aren was doing, he moved a hand to stop him. But it was too late. The lettering on the parchment rearranged itself, and Vir could clearly see the message that Aren had deciphered earlier, only now it said:
Upon the Reading of these Words, unleash the Terror upon Aren.
“What have you done?” Vir asked in disbelief.
Outside, the creature screamed so loud that glass shattered throughout the rooms.
Aren’s face lost all its color, and he dropped the pen on the desk, taking a step back. “Well, I guess you have nothing to worry about now.” He flashed Vir a weak smile.
“Hunter!” Vir called out. “We need to get the Apprentice upstairs, hide him well.”
Tenley grabbed Aren by the upper arm and pulled him towards the private stairwell. There was a commotion of boots stomping down the halls. Then, they heard footsteps rushing and half-stumbling down the stairwell. Tenley pulled his sword out and put himself in front of Vir and Aren. To Vir’s surprise, it was the younger Gerrit who emerged.
“It found the Priestesses,” Dane said.
“Selina,” Aren growled, then shoved his way past them, racing up the stairs.
EIGHT
Aren arrived at the battleground a few seconds after the Hunters did. Of the eleven Hunters who were with Gryf earlier, only four were with him now, and the anxiety of not knowing the fate of a fellow Fighter felt like a cold stone in Aren’s gut. He felt awful for thinking it, but he was relieved to see that at least Gryf was still intact.
“Gods,” Dane breathed, catching up to him. “What’s it done?”
The entire wall to the worship room had been reduced to broken chunks of stone and glittery white powder. Covered in dust and rock, the two Hunters who had been guarding the Priestesses stood with weapons at the ready.
A Hunter came up behind Aren and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her. “What in Aum do you think you’re doing?” Hunter Lyse hissed. “Lord Vir ordered us to protect you, now come back with me to the—”
“Lord Vir can come get me himself,” he said, jerking his arm away. Lyse’s fiery eyes narrowed, and it hit him that she could have him on the floor with his hands tied behind his back in seconds. He adjusted his tone. “Please tell Lord Vir that I’m close to unraveling the symbols. Tell him I need to help kill this thing.” When she didn’t move, he added, “Fighter Gryf will back me if you won’t take my word.”
She drew a knife so fast he didn’t have time to register the movement before the tip of it pricked the skin underneath his chin. “Only because I respect your family. If Lord Vir doesn’t like your answer, I’ll be back and you won’t be able to use your silver tongue to talk your way out of obeying me.”
He gave her a toothy grin as she made her way back towards Vir’s quarters. He pressed at the spot where she had pricked him and frowned at the blood on his fingers.
Two more Hunters emerged to join the melee. Eight Hunters now, plus Gryf, all moved towards the monster. They were unable to take down the creature in the courtyard with more power than this. How could any of them believe that it could be killed with something as simple as the strike of a sword, Aren wondered.
The monster’s head swiveled one way, then another as it contemplated its situation. Then, its yellow eyes with reptilian pupils fixed on Aren, and it shot its long, bony arms at him. Aren stood frozen in place as the arms changed into vines, racing straight for him.
The vines killed the trees, was all he could think. He didn’t have time to brace himself when Dane tackled him to the ground.
“Why didn’t you move?” Dane growled. He had rolled into a crouch and already had his sword up, giving Aren time to recover.
“Look out!” Aren said as the vines whipped back around. Dane swung at it with his sword, but the vine seemed like steel, and his sword didn’t manage to cut through it as it passed over them. Aren reached for his blade as he stood up, but found he didn’t have one.
“If Gryf knew, he’d punch you, monster be damned,” Dane said, handing him a knife. Aren gave him a sheepish smile as he took it.
Gryf ran over to where Crina, Estelline, and Teyna were picking their way over the debris and entering the battlefield. Their airy white gowns were covered in charcoal-gray dust, and their elaborately coifed hair was a tangled mess. Only their silver seemed to shine in the dimming light that washed in through the broken windows. Aren wondered what madness had overcome them.
“Where’s Selina?” Aren felt his panic rise.
“She’s fine,” Dane said, his eyes never leaving the creature. The vines had turned back to limbs, and the creature raked at an attacker with its long claws. “You’d know if she wasn’t.”
Aren felt his grip tighten around the knife’s handle, and he fought to keep himself still. I’ll only get in the way, he reminded himself.
There was a sickening crunch as the creature wrapped a vine around a Hunter, then thrust its protruding elbow down on the Hunter’s skull. The man’s body went limp and the creature tossed it aside.
“No,” Dane breathed.
“It wants me,” Aren said, taking a step forward. Dane grabbed his arm and yanked him back hard. Aren faced him, pointing his knife at the fight. “I can end this.”
“It. Will. Kill. You.” Dane stressed each word. Aren was about to speak, but Dane cut him off. “Do you know how many Hunters are dead? They’re the elite of the elite. If they can’t kill it, what makes you think you can?”
“Who said anything about killing it?” Aren said, his voice hoarse. “Once it has me, the spell is broken. It dies with me.” The creature roared, and a spray of crimson caught their attention. A Hunter staggered backwards, her arm torn from her body. A vine reappeared, snaked around her ankle, and hoisted her into the air before hurling her at a wall. Blood streaked down the stones as she slid then settled into a lifeless slump.
“If you think you’re just going to give yourself over, you’re stupider than I ever thought possible!” Dane growled, his fingers digging into Aren’s arm.
The monster cried out with glee as it fed on the death around it. Then, mid-scream, it gurgled, lurched, and spasmed. Aren and Dane stared wide-eyed as the beast grabbed at its throat and tossed back its head. Dane brought his sword up, then lowered it again, confused.
The remaining Hunters seemed just as surprised, hesitant to attack, wondering if it was some kind of hoax. Bewildered, Aren looked at Gryf, who was still watching the creature’s every move. Behind him, Teyna’s mocha eyes were now an opaline blue. Her fingertips were touching, her palms a breath apart, and Aren realized that she was using her powers—her gifts, as Crina described them—against the monster. He imagined that, as one promised to the Water goddess, she was drowning it somehow.
Crina mimicked Teyna’s posture, and her eyes began to swirl in that liquid silver that made Aren cringe. He knew she was calling the darkness, and seeing the beast thrash its head from side to side with one arm flailing about confirmed his suspicions.
Estelline placed a hand on both women’s shoulders to add her strength to theirs. Aren felt his hope returning, and the corner of his mouth began to lift into a grin.
The Hunters were regrouping, seeing this as their chance to take the creature down while it was weakened. Tirren holstered his gun and drew a blade, lifting it high and crying out in Old Tiedan, “Fyrsa Pato’um!” For the dead. The others, Gryf and Dane included, echoed his cry, as they went in to finish the creature.
The darkness grew, and Aren wasn’t sure if it was the setting of the sun or if Crina’s powers were affecting him as well. It was enough to give the Hunters pause, and that’s when Aren saw her, stumbling out from behind the rubble of the worship room, her face dirty, her hair covered in dust. Selina was running, tripping over stones and overtu
rned urns; Nianni, Min, and the red-haired Seer were several heartbeats behind her, failing to hold her back.
“Stop!” Selina screamed, pulling at Crina and Teyna. “You’ll make it worse!”
“It’s too late,” Aren heard himself saying. “The istoq!” he called out, pointing at the gaping black void that was taking shape near the blood-streaked wall where the dead Hunter lay. All heads turned to look, and a sound like the deep pulse before a magnetic boom filled the House. An ivory skull began to push its way through the void, and Aren yelled, “Drive it back!” as he charged towards the darkness.
NINE
Kaila met Tanghi at the hot springs when he called on her. The springs were nestled at the bottom of large, jagged rock formations to the southeast of Alaric’s Keep, surrounded by a dense mist and silver, barren trees. From afar, the place seemed like a bleak, colorless wasteland, but once past the fog, the hidden waters were an inviting, brilliant aqua.
“Tanghi?” she called out, walking towards the water.
“Over here,” he replied, dissipating the mist around him. The flames that encircled his arms were gone, and there was a strange quiet over his aura. When she reached him, he wasted no time on small talk. “What is he?” he asked in a rough, hushed tone.
Kaila frowned. “What is who?”
“The boy,” Tanghi growled. “There’s something about him you aren’t telling us, and I’m asking you to tell me here, away from Alaric and Taia and the demons. What is he?”
She felt her blood rush and wondered if she could blame the flush on her face on the heat of the springs. She wasn’t going to put Aren’s life in danger. She had sworn to herself that she must protect him, and she would keep that promise. “What boy, Tanghi?” she asked in a tone as exasperated as his.
He threw up his arms. “The boy in Tiede. The blacksmith’s adopted son. The Elder’s Apprentice. You know damned well who I’m talking about!”
“You just stated everything I know about him.” She paused for effect, then said, “Oh, and his brothers, your Guardians, called him Aren. Are you satisfied now?”
“No, I’m not satisfied!” he bellowed. “You were in Tiede, and you saw everything that happened, and you didn’t tell me. I can’t help but wonder what else you hid from me.”
“I said I was sorry! The opportunity was there for me to do something and I failed. I guess everyone was right about me after all. Congratulations!”
“Kaila, enough,” he said, his tone softer, though still exasperated. “I get it. I should’ve been the one to back you up. That’s why you go to Geir; he supports you no matter what you do. You just can’t imagine how it felt to know that you were hiding from me.”
Her heart ached. She was torn between lying to Tanghi and protecting Aren. How in Mahl’s holy name could she fix this?
“You mean the world to me, and I didn’t mean to disrespect you,” she said. “You’re right; I should have come to you. I should always come to you.”
“You can trust me. In my heart, you come before Alaric.” He reached out and took her hand in his. “We have a lot to fix, but let’s get through this mess in Tiede.” She nodded, giving him a small smile. “The creature attacked the House. I was about to tell Alaric that it’s not looking good, but the boy, Aren, found the spell. It’s like you said; he was on to something with the symbols, and he found out that it all stemmed from a message Vir received from Rose.”
Kaila did her best to restrain her elation at the news. “You mean he might be able to kill or weaken the creature?”
“He changed the spell. I think Vir is safe for the time being.”
“Changed it how?”
Tanghi shook his head and laughed. “He managed to replace Vir’s name with his own, making himself the target. The boy’s strange, but he’s got the balls of a god. He’s out of his mind.”
Kaila thought she would choke on the air she breathed. She had to get back to Tiede, back to Aren. What was the point of protecting him from the gods if the mages were going to kill him anyway?
“Are you all right?” he asked, cupping her face. “You look like you might be ill.”
She had to reveal more in order to hide Aren in plain sight, and her connection with Selina might be the key. She held a hand out towards to springs, and the mist cleared; the aqua water turned into a one-way looking glass. Her eyes clouded and she could feel Tanghi move to support her, believing that she was under duress.
Goddess!
“The new Priestess,” Kaila breathed. “I can’t control the connection between us, the blessing I placed—”
Goddess, what’s happening?
Tanghi placed his large hand on her shoulder and hushed her, feeding her power with his own. An image began to move into focus on the water’s surface, rippling and shifting, then settling to glass again.
“Selina?” Kaila whispered. She wasn’t sure what she expected to see: the inside of a safe room where the Priestesses were being kept, or maybe random, broken memories from Selina’s head. What she hadn’t expected was the scene of the battle. The picture was devoid of color, shadows pitted against shadows on a canvas of shifting grays. “You need to return to shelter where Tiede’s Hunters can best defend you,” Kaila said.
Currents of aqua and silver drifted through the scene in the mirror like colored smoke in a tinkerer’s glass. Chrono-elemental gifts. The Priestesses were hoping to stop this monster with their powers, but they didn’t realize that the powers of gods against a creature like this…
“By Mahl’s holy name,” Tanghi breathed, terror tingeing every word. “They can’t—”
“Stop them!” Kaila ordered Selina. She was gripping Tanghi’s hand in hers now. “Stop them or they’ll open a portal to the Undergod’s realm!”
Selina didn’t respond, but the images began to change as the little girl rushed towards the Priestesses. Kaila could sense the confusion, anger, and frustration from the older Priestesses, but after a few moments the aqua and silver disappeared. Kaila bit her bottom lip, waiting. Then, the darkness began to spread over the vision, and she shook her head. It was too late!
The monochromatic image on the water’s surface began to fade, but before it did, Kaila caught a glimpse of Aren, charging the istoq with nothing but a knife, the light in his green eyes cutting through the gloom.
Tanghi was right; Aren was out of his mind.
TEN
When Selina pulled on the Priestesses’ arms, begging them to stop, she felt the surge of power flowing from them come to an abrupt halt. They didn’t feel how their powers were clashing with the monster’s magic. They didn’t notice the lightning feeling that sliced through the air and made her hair stand on end. They didn’t smell the inky, stale stench that began to fill the space around them.
Aren noticed.
When he called out and pointed at the darkness, which no one else had seen, she knew she wasn’t imagining things. What she didn’t know was that he would be the one to charge the skull monster that was coming out of the black hole. She felt her heart fall into the pit of her stomach when she saw that all he was carrying was a knife. Protecting Aren was proving to be as difficult as stopping the river from tumbling over Tiede Falls.
“Aren! No!” Selina screamed. Gryf was pushing her towards the Priestesses, but as soon as he heard his brother’s name, he turned back towards the fight, a string of curses slipping from his mouth so quiet and quick that it resembled the hiss of a snake.
Aren stopped in his tracks, then took several steps backwards as the skull emerged from the darkness. It had a wide forehead with horns curled on each side. Large, empty eye sockets studied the wreckage of the room, and as it forced itself into the world of the living, it released a deep, rumbling roar.
“It’s a gigantic gree,” Aren said as Dane rushed to his side, “without a fleshy head.” The skull creature managed to get one of its forelegs through. Its body was substantial, with rippling animal muscle beneath cream-colored fur.
“
How is this possible?” Dane held his sword up, unsteady and uncertain.
The wraith let out a piercing scream as if to remind everyone of its presence, and that’s when Gryf attacked. His broadsword seemed to weigh nothing as he swung it with two hands, aiming for its neck. The wraith was fast, and its hands with its elongated claws came up to block the blade. A red glow emanated from its core, acting like a shield, but black ooze dripped to the floor, sizzling on contact.
“Tenley!” Tirren, the Hunter with the guns, called out, and the man with silver-white hair rushed the monster with a sword that gleamed like fallen stars.
“Look out!” Selina cried.
Tenley either heard her or expected the monster’s next move. He dodged the vines that lashed at him from the monster’s sides and managed to hack one off. It fell to the ground with a lifeless thud. He swung low and his blade found purchase in a thigh. More inhuman cries. More black blood. Selina turned her attention back to Aren to keep from looking at the horrific violence.
“How do we kill this thing?” Dane yelled as he and Aren took turns distracting the half-bone, half-flesh gree.
“Help my brothers,” Gryf demanded of the Hunters. The monster was still holding on to his sword, and Gryf proved to be just as stubborn, refusing to let go and putting all of his weight behind the weapon, hoping to break through the shield.
Knives cut through the air, and Aren swore as one whizzed past his head. Two knives hit the gree in the shoulder, and it roared. He turned his head to see Hunter Lyse pulling two more knives from their sheaths, as she rushed to help.
“Are you here to bring me back to Lord Vir?” Aren asked, raising a sweaty brow.
Lyse rolled her eyes at him. “Nice blade. Only one?” She rushed the gree as it thrashed in response to the pain in its shoulder, hoisting herself onto the gree’s back as it bucked. She thrust a knife at the base of the skull, hitting nothing but air. The lack of substance was unexpected and shook her off balance, and in that moment the gree threw her. She rolled, her dark violet hair trailing her like a ribbon.
Uniting the Heavens Page 40
