“Do you know where they are?” Neph asked quickly as he released a Windscythe at a man that had been closing on Marrow.
“I can’t pinpoint them. I think they are scattered in the room rather than together,” Jala answered, then pressed closer against him as a wave of fire washed over them. Heat tore at his shields, but his spells of protection held. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could count on that, though. With the amount of damage they were taking from arrows and occasional spells, combined with the Magebreakers draining, things did not look good.
“You good?” Neph called quickly without a glance back. He didn’t have time to glance back. More Rivasans were closing on them and they were about to be surrounded without much of a prayer of getting out of the mess. Magic roared from his hands as he sent his most destructive spells arcing toward the approaching enemies only to watch in bitter disappointment as the siphons drained the spell just before it reached its target.
“For now, but I’m not sure how much longer I can say that,” Jala replied in a pained voice. “Valor is still up, but Foster is down and I can’t see Vaze anywhere.”
The sound of fighting rose behind them as she spoke and he heard Jala inhale sharply. “What? Did things just get worse?” Neph snapped as he sent several spells in rapid succession at the closest Rivasans. With luck the Magebreakers wouldn’t be able to drain so many at once and a few of them would actually hit their mark.
It was incredibly taxing to use magic in that fashion, but he didn’t see many other options beyond drawing his own sword and charging into the combat as Valor had. He didn’t even consider that approach. Valor was more skilled with blades and he was having difficulties; for Neph it would be a much different story. Magic was his strong point and his best chance lay with his spells.
“Dray and Vosha just joined the fight and they are actually clearing a path to Valor. They have already dropped at least six Rivasans,” Jala replied finally. By her long silence Neph knew she had been too busy with her own barrage of spells to answer quickly. would have arranged forces behind them as well to cut off retreat.
“Zoey is trying to get to Foster, I think,” Jala muttered through clenched teeth. Fire roared over them once more and he heard a hiss of pain escaped her lips as she fell back between him and the wall. “They hit my bloody shields right before that wave,” she explained quickly, though Neph didn’t truly need the explanation. He understood perfectly. His own shields had faltered and pain coursed through him from the fresh burns, but then that was a good thing for him.
Renewed power rushed through his limbs and he stepped farther in front of Jala and spread his hands. With gritted teeth he refocused himself and split his spells to form two waves. He could hold back Jala’s opponents for a few moments and buy her time to recover, but he couldn’t keep it up long. It was incredibly difficult to cast two spells at once and even harder to send them in different directions. Most mages never mastered the talent, let alone the ability to cast in rapid succession such as he was doing now.
Another explosion ripped through the room behind him and the air broke with a feminine scream. Neph’s throat clenched at the sound, but he forced himself to keep fighting. The scream had to have come from Zoey. He could feel Jala against his back and knew she was still fighting. “How bad?” he gasped, but Jala didn’t have a chance to answer. The moment the words left his mouth the room grew icy cold and the shadows themselves seemed to come alive. Hope rose in Neph’s chest. It had to be Vaze joining the fight, he was the only Shadow mage left on Sanctuary.
Screams of pain rose like music behind him and the Rivasans drew back quickly with expressions of uncertainty painted on their faces. Swallowing heavily, Neph dared a look over his shoulder just in time to see a flash of black before two Rivasans hit the ground bonelessly near Valor. “What the hell?” he snarled as he pulled his attention back to his own problems and used the distraction to land several more spells. “Why the hell didn’t Vaze do that sooner?” he snapped. If the man had been holding a card as powerful as this he should have acted sooner and perhaps Foster and Zoey wouldn’t be lying on the ground bleeding.
“That isn’t Vaze,” Jala whispered hoarsely behind him. There was fear in her words, though he couldn’t understand why. Another scream tore through the air behind him and then there was utter silence. Not even the sound of clashing blades broke the stillness.
The Rivasans ahead of him backed away quickly and Neph’s spells slowed as he tried to figure out what had caused the expressions of terror on their faces. Even with the added help the Rivasans still held the advantage of numbers. It made no sense for them to be retreating. Movement caught his eye and Neph barely glimpsed a flash of black as three of the Rivasans ahead of him dropped to the ground. Another breath and two more were bleeding on the floor beside their comrades.
“What the hell?” Neph repeated, but this time his words were filled with confusion rather than anger. In just the short time it had taken him to speak more enemies were sprawled on the floor and the remaining Rivasans were scrambling for the door in full retreat.
“Seth,” Jala murmured behind him.
The Rivasans had packed themselves into a corner in their blind fear and even as they struggled to escape, Seth was moving among them. With each breath another body hit the floor. Neph let his magic fade and fell back against the wall beside Jala. He had never seen anything like the display before him. Even Finn Sovaesh hadn’t moved with the kind of speed Seth was showing, and Neph had never seen anyone show such brutal efficiency with killing.
In moments, the room was utterly still and silent. Seth stood for a long moment with his back facing them. His daggers were lowered to his sides now and blood dripped from the blades in a steady stream.
Jala stirred beside him and Neph glanced over at her and knew his own face was a mirror of hers. She had paled drastically and her expression was caught somewhere between relief and terror. Licking her lips, she looked up at him with uncertainty lighting her violet eyes and then back to Seth. She had said once that she trusted the demon, but then she had never seen Seth fight before.
It was difficult to smile and welcome someone after watching them massacre an entire room of people, even if the people were your enemies. It was more than just the killing, though, Seth’s posture alone screamed fury and even Neph was unsure if they should speak to the demon. If Seth turned his anger on them, Neph had no doubt they would all die. After what he had just witnessed, he wasn’t sure if anyone on Sanctuary could live through Seth’s unleashed anger.
Silently Seth turned and replaced his daggers to their place on his belt. His gold eyes lingered on them for a breath and Neph could feel the anger and hate wash over him. His attention moved past them to Zoey’s crumpled form and the demon stalked toward her. He knelt at her side and his black gloved hands brushed her pale hair back from her face gently before he lifted her into his arms and stood once more.
“You were supposed to protect her, Jala. She was your ward and trusted you to keep her safe.” Seth’s low voice shattered the silence of the room and Jala stirred once more.
“She wanted to be here, Seth. I didn’t ask her to come; she asked me if she could,” Jala replied softly. Neph could hear guilt thick in her voice as she spoke and knew the demon’s words would weigh on her mind for a very long time.
“If she dies, there is no return for her Jala. She is Undrae and she doesn’t have the option of returning as we do. You should have protected her better. I trusted you to take care of her,” Seth pressed in the coldest voice Neph had ever heard.
“Jala is not at fault here. Zoelyn knew the risks and chose to come anyway,” Neph snapped as he stepped forward once more to shield Jala. Facing the demon was the last thing he wanted to do, but he wouldn’t simply stand in silence as Jala was wrongly blamed. It had been Zoelyn’s choice to come and Seth had no right to lay all of the blame on Jala.
“You?” Seth snarled in fury. “You dare to bring my attention to you aft
er what you have done?” he continued and stalked toward them. Seth’s gold eyes were locked fully on him and Neph could see the Demon’s anger rising once more. “Do you think I don’t know what you did, Delvay? Did you think I wouldn’t discover it was you?” he hissed.
“What is he talking about?” Jala asked hesitantly and gazed up at Neph in confusion.
Neph shook his head slowly in bewilderment, but remained silent. He had no idea what Seth was talking about, but now didn’t s eem like a good time to correct the demon.
“What am I talking about?” Seth asked loudly, his gaze flashing to Jala for a breath before they snapped back to Neph with renewed fury.
“If not for Neph, she wouldn’t exist. He created her as she is and left her to fend for herself,” Seth growled as he stopped just in front of them. His arms tightened around Zoelyn’s still form, pulling her closer to him. “It took me a while, Delvay, but now I know it was you. I had suspicions, given your talent with dark magic, but I didn’t truly believe that you would create a Broken one,” he finished in a disgusted voice.
“That spell failed,” Neph whispered, shaking his head at Seth as realization dawned on him. He had only used the forbidden magic once in an attempt to return life, and it had been a bitter failure. The demon had to be wrong. If he was right, Neph wasn’t sure how he could ever live with himself again.
“What?” Jala whispered beside him and he could hear disgust in her voice. “Neph, that spell requires a sacrifice,” she added with a note of pleading in her voice. She needed him to tell her Seth was wrong, but he wasn’t sure he could.
“The spell didn’t fail, Neph. Did you truly believe a little half-blood whore’s child was a worthy sacrifice for your sister?” Seth snarled as Neph paled and backed away once more shaking his head in denial.
“The spell failed,” Neph repeated hoarsely. “I waited for the entire day and she didn’t rise. It failed.”
“It takes longer for a Broken one to rise, but they still rise. The girl you killed to raise your sister was unworthy and you know it. You can hear the truth in my words and you know I’m right.” Seth paused and glared at him with more hate than he had ever seen before. “Zyi was stronger than most Undrae I’ve known, though. When they found her wandering, she still held fragments of herself. She tried to tell them who she was, even as her memories were fading. The name Zyi Delvayon was too much for her, as weak as she was, though, and the best the hunter could make out was Zy Lyn. So Zoelyn was born by your abandonment. Because of you, she has suffered.” Seth paused once more and his gaze turned to Jala. “And because of your failure to protect her, she is suffering more. You are both unworthy of her and I am taking her with me. Neither of you faded with his last words and the room returned to silence.
The icy breath of the air faded, but Neph was too stunned to take notice. He had lived for the past seven years believing Zyi was forever lost from him, and the knowledge of what he had actually done was like a hammer to his stomach. Wordlessly, he raised a hand to his face and rubbed his eyes. He wanted to deny the accusation, but Seth’s words had made too much sense. He didn’t know anyone else that knew as much Forbidden magic as he did, and the area they found her in was very close to where he had attempted the spell in Gaelyn.
“Tell me he was wrong, Neph,” Jala whispered beside him. Neph looked over at her slowly and swallowed heavily at the desperate pleading that was written so clearly on her face. “Tell me he was wrong, Neph,” she repeated more firmly when he remained silent.
Neph looked away from the accusation in her eyes and let his attention trail across the corpse littered room. Valor lay sprawled near the wall and the sight of him made it very apparent how important his answer was to her. Had Jala been thinking clearly she would have been rushing to her husband’s side, but instead she was standing frozen and waiting for him to speak.
“You should see to Valor,” Neph said at last and the words faltered in his mouth. He was still too stunned for conversation and wasn’t truly sure what he could say. He wouldn’t lie to Jala, but he wasn’t ready to speak the truth either.
“Tell me he was wrong, Neph!” Jala repeated once more with anger rising in her voice. “Tell me you didn’t cast that spell. Tell me you didn’t sacrifice an innocent. Tell me you didn’t abandon her in Glis!” With every word spoken her voice gained volume and Neph felt his own anger with her words.
Rounding on her he matched her glare fully and narrowed his eyes. “Tell me you wouldn’t have done the same to bring back Finn, Jala!” he snarled and shook his head at her as his emotions rose past the point of reason. “If I had taught you that spell, you would have moved in a breath to return him, no matter who you had to put to the knife.”
Jala blanched at his words and shook her head slowly as sadness washed over her face. “I don’t think you know me at all, Neph,” she whispered as she backed away from him slowly with tears brimming in her eyes. “And I know I don’t know you,” she added in a hoarse voice. Her hand rose to her face and wiped away the first of the tears. “Death gave me that option, Neph. She told me I could bargain souls with her for Finn’s life, but the only life I would have traded for him was my own. I would never kill an innocent intentionally and I would never sacrifice another’s life to salve my own wounds.” She shook her head sadly and more tears poured down her pale face. “We are done, Neph. I may forgive you in time, but for now I can’t even stand to look at you.” Her words were barely coherent through her sobs and Jala shook her head once more as she quickly crossed to Valor’s side. “Marrow, find Vaze,” she ordered in a thick voice.
Neph watched her in stunned silence as Jala gathered her wounded and prepared the spell that would return them to Merro. He couldn’t find words to make things right between them no matter how desperately he tried. His mind simply refused to work, and all he could do was watch in silence as the only people that truly mattered to him left him alone in the fallen city. His gaze moved slowly across the corpse-littered room to the flame-darkened walls and finally the door. It was fitting he supposed. Delvay reflected exactly what he felt like inside: dead, empty, and broken.
“I never once claimed to be a hero, Jala. You are the only hero in Sanctuary. The rest of us are all damned,” Neph whispered to the empty room as he slowly slumped against the wall. Silently he slid down to rest heavily on the floor and pulled his knees up against his chest.
He knew he should be moving now to release his people from stasis and fortify the city, but that would have to wait. His shoulders shook as the first of his tears broke and a muffled sob escaped his throat. If he woke his people now they would put him to the sword for weakness, and he wasn’t sure he would even try to stop them. Death sounded better than life to him at the moment, and the only thing that was keeping him from that path was the knowledge that Seth was waiting below. Madren had been right. He did have penance coming and the thought of Seth delivering his punishments was too much for him to face in his current frame of mind.
Chapter 19
The Darklands
The vertigo of the transport spell made her stomach heave and Zoelyn fought back the desire to vomit. She had been crouched near Foster when the explosion hit and the blast had caught her full on the side. Pain laced every part of her, but the worst was her throbbing head. With every step Seth took, the pain grew worse and she knew he was trying to be gentle. It was taking everything she had just to remain conscious, but she knew enough about healing to know sleep was her enemy right now. Head wounds were dangerous and by the gummy feeling on her scalp and the raw pain, she knew the gash on her scalp was a serious one.
“Do you have any idea what you have done!” a woman screamed as Seth pushed the doors of the palace open. It wasn’t a voice Zoelyn knew, but it was one she would remember forever. Just the volume alone made her want to sob, but the anger filling the words kept her silent.
“Get out of my way, Fiona. I am not in the temper to deal with you,” Seth warned in a low voice. He shifted Zoe
lyn carefully to one arm and placed his free hand on his dagger hilt to emphasis his words.
“The Divine are not to partake of mortal struggles and you slaughtered an entire city of Rivasans. They will tear Finn apart for your actions, you selfish bastard!” Fiona snarled and Zoelyn caught a glimpse of the woman as she moved directly into Seth’s path. She was pale with dark hair and would have been beautiful if not for the twisted expression of fury covering her face. Fiona’s hand dropped to her sword hilt and she shook her head slowly at Seth. “You will not simply walk away from this, Seth. You will pay for these sins with your miserable existence. I have watched Finn let you run wild these past few months, but I will not let this pass. You have gone too far.” Her voice dropped lower as her anger gave away to resolve.
“You will allow me to pass and see to the girl before we settle things,” Seth corrected with a snarl.
“Let him pass, Fiona.” Finn’s voice silenced them both. He hadn’t spoken loudly, but there was a power to his voice that neither of them could ignore. “Seth, see to Zoey,” Finn ordered as he approached. “Fiona, this will be resolved on my terms, not yours,” he added as he stopped between the two of them. His tanned face was creased with worry, but he smiled down at Zoelyn despite his obvious stress. “You will be fine,” he promised softly as he motioned once more for Seth to go.
“Finn, you can’t simply let him walk from this. Do you realize how bad this is?” Fiona hissed as Seth pushed past her and continued for the tower stairs.
“What is going to happen to you?” Zoelyn whispered as the voices behind them faded. Seth had picked up his pace and she missed Finn’s response entirely, but from Fiona’s words she doubted it could be good.
The Elder Blood Chronicles Book 4 The Blessed Curse Page 36
