“What if it doesn’t work like that?” Talbot countered, his glazed eyes indicating he was deep in thought. “I mean, no one has said what will happen at the end. What if KieraFreya is snapped up by the etheric and taken to the heavens before anything else can happen? What evidence do we have pointing to the outcome we want?”
“Trust,” Veronica replied with a note in her voice that suggested the doubt had better stop. “Trust in the gods. Trust in our friends. Good will prevail, that’s all there is to it. That’s how every story ends, right? Good conquers all.”
She snatched the jug from Huk and took a swig. When she lowered it, she said, “It doesn’t matter anyway. We’ll soon find out.”
“How?” Leonie asked.
Veronica pointed ahead to where, behind the final wave, a line of creatures had begun to line up against the edge of the forest. They filed through the central forest path, moving out and to the sides in perfect formations.
The city watched in apprehensive silence, waiting for the soldiers to stop coming. For the longest time, as those at the gate attacked the last wave and the cowladites swooped and tore them to pieces, the final battalion waited, as still as statues.
They stretched as far as the eye could see. As the night grew black, they were lost from view, but they could still hear them. Still hear the steady tromp of thousands of heavy feet taking their place, preparing for the battle ahead.
Abe gave the signal, and a horn rang across the city. Soon the streets would be filled with fighters. The enemy’s horns rang in reply, a final aural handshake before the final showdown when the fate of the city would be decided.
Meanwhile, all the KieraSlayers could do was watch the rift and wait and pray for Chloe and KieraFreya to return through the portal.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Despite Chloe’s request for fresh air, it seemed as though the cavern had other ideas.
They walked for miles, skirting the enormous underground lake. A thin rocky path allowed them to proceed in single file around its edge. Clusters of glowing mushrooms lit the way, and the floor was slick beneath their feet.
Gan’gor trod this path gracefully, doggedly determined as he led them forward. No one spoke for a long time, afraid of their voices echoing around the cavern walls and awakening something else deep within the water.
When they eventually reached a place where they could walk no farther, they were forced to swim. This wasn’t a decision that was taken lightly by the group. Indeed, Tag recounted the time he had almost drowned and been swept away with the river all those weeks ago. That whole event felt like a lifetime ago, but it had left a scar.
“There’s no current this time. You’ll be fine,” Chloe assured the stubborn dwarf.
Tag argued that it wasn’t so much the current he was worried about as the endless depths. All it would take would be one creature to drag him under, and he’d never see the light of day again.
Well, until he respawned.
Still, after a little bit more convincing—and with Chloe, Ben and Gideon massaging his ego by telling him they wouldn’t be able to continue without him—they managed to get him into the water.
It was icy-cold to the touch. Every minute movement sent ripples across its mirrored surface.
Chloe’s breath caught, her heart thumping rapidly as she swam, wondering how far it would be before they could see the shore.
As the most proficient in Swimming, Chloe and Ben took the lead. They had a length of rope tied around each ankle and pulled the other two along. Thankfully, not long after entering the water, Chloe’s Dark Vision picked up the shore a little farther ahead.
Which was lucky since Tag had already begun panicking, claiming he could feel something swimming past his foot.
They heaved themselves ashore, dripping wet. As they walked away from the lake, their wet steps slapped against the rock. Chloe turned back, sure she could see something staring at them from the dark, but whatever it was, it didn’t reveal itself. An observer, not a fighter.
And then they were once again passing through crags and crevices. At one point, they moved across a zig-zagging walkway of red rock, the roof of the cave opening up enough to allow them a glimpse of the sun.
Here they stopped for a breather, if only to warm their bodies and allow a moment to dry their clothes. KieraFreya’s armor had already all but dried, but the others, whose clothes consisted of a mix of leather and cotton, as well as their armor, needed some additional time.
Food was good, a mix of dried meats and berries fished out from the depths of Gideon’s magically waterproof pockets. They ate and restored their stamina, laughing about the ridiculousness of the ancient blimp fish and its cohort and thinking about the people of Hammersworth, wondering whether the final battle had started. And, if not, how long it would be until it did.
“I really thought we’d have found her by now,” Chloe said, squeezing through a crevice to continue down the path. The roof had once more closed, and they were plunged into familiar darkness. “I never dreamed the Nether Realm would be so vast.”
Gan’gor, who had taken a great interest in the talk of the war, pricked up his ears. “No one ever does. They see the Nether Realm as nothing more than a box. An etheric container. Even those who cast creatures here don’t understand its true depths. It is a world unto itself.”
“How far have you traveled?” Ben asked.
Gan’gor considered this. “Not far at all. My people found their safe place, and that is where they remain. There are monsters here the likes of which you’ve never seen. The ancient one is but one of the elementals that inhabit this land. Creatures of immense size and strength travel this globe endlessly, locked in battle with each other, ravaging the land. There are only a few spaces here that could be considered ‘safe.’”
As if to illustrate his point, in the far distance, they heard a roar and the beating of wings. The ground began to shake softly. Small crumbs of rock broke free and fell among them.
“A dragon?”
Gan’gor shrugged and padded on through the tunnel.
“Y’know, I still don’t trust him,” Tag murmured, catching up with Ben and tugging on his sleeve.
Ben raised an eyebrow.
“The waif…thing. I thought he was leading us through the canyon. What the hell are we doing down here in the tunnels? For all we know, he’s leading us in a completely different direction.”
“Chloe trusts him. That’s enough for me.”
“Did you see the size of that fish? Did you see all those babies? He led us straight to the mouth of a monster. Who knows what’s at the end of this path?”
Gideon’s ears pricked up. He looked over his shoulder and placed a finger on his lips.
Tag ignored him. “C’mon. You don’t honestly believe that in a land of exiled monsters, we’d find a guide who is going to take us straight to what we’re looking for? Look at him. He’s as twitchy as anything.”
They looked over to where the waif’s ears were jerking around on his head. His shoulders were hunched, and he glanced nervously from side to side.
“See?”
“It’s probably because we can all hear you,” Chloe called back. “You realize sound travels pretty easily down this tunnel, right?”
Tag flushed, gaping.
Chloe smiled. “I trust him. He told us about the monster. This feels right. Now quit your yapping, and let’s keep on.”
A sound like a drumbeat reached their ears. They could feel the temperature rising. The endless tunnel that seemed to stretch on and on and on now began to widen. At the end of it was a door carved from the stone.
The waif paused. “It is through here.”
Chloe’s eyes widened. “Shikora? We’ve made it? She’s through there?”
Her muscles coiled to dash forward, then she saw the waif shake his head. “No. That is to come. Through there, you will find the final obstacle. The way to the Etheric Plains. This route takes you beneath the forest to the gr
asslands.”
“Great.” Chloe beamed. “Let’s go!”
“Hold!” Gan’gor shouted, his hands immediately slapping his mouth to quiet himself. The drumbeats paused momentarily before continuing a few seconds later. “It is not so simple. Through that doorway is the most monstrous of tests, a contest that will force you to prove your worth to enter the Plains.”
“I told you!” Tag said. “He’s been tricking us. This isn’t the easy way. We could’ve gone through the forest, and this little urchin is testing us? Taking us beneath the forest and through…whatever the hell that challenge is ahead.”
Gideon sighed. His forehead was already beaded with sweat from the growing heat.
“Is that true?” Chloe asked.
Gan’gor shook his head. “No. No, I swear. You don’t understand. The forest is a nasty place, filled with bogs and pools and creatures who would kill as soon as look at you. It is there that some of the deadliest and vilest creatures dwell. With only the four of you, you would never have stood a chance. This way was the only way, a secret way guarded by fewer creatures and with a direct passage onto the Plains. Please. You have to believe me.”
Ben took a step toward the creature. “How do you know all this? You said your people never made it past the Keeper. How can you know of the rest of the path?”
“My people knew of a time before the Keeper came to the Nether Realm,” Gan’gor replied. He looked feeble as he sat on his hind legs and leaned against the wall. His face grew alive with memory. “Way back in history, not long after we were banished to this realm.
“We explored as much as we could, seeking the perfect place to dwell and make a new home. Monsters had come to the land, but even they were looking for a place to settle. The entire realm was anyone’s to claim.
“We found this tunnel by accident while seeking a break from the sun. Our people loved the underground lakes and swam in their depths, exploring and hunting for food. They made the place their home—for a short while, anyway. Until the tunnels also became a safe haven for other creatures. Trolls, fish, crawling things. Many have since moved on, but this is where some took up residence.
“The Keeper kicked us out. It arrived in a flash of light with its minions by its side. We hadn’t a chance against it. We fled the tunnels and never looked back. Some of our people fled toward the sun, some fled farther down the tunnels.”
“Toward whatever lies ahead.” Chloe nodded, deep in thought. A strange feeling bubbled in the pit of her stomach. “What does lie ahead?”
The waif didn’t answer, just looked toward the doorway.
Chloe stepped slowly forward, realizing now that there was something familiar about that heat and those drumbeats. There was a smell in the air that triggered a memory she had forgotten. Her heart began to race.
“Chloe, be careful.” Ben’s voice seemed far away.
Chloe made her way to the door and peeked through the gap, the familiarity of what lay beyond making her breath catch. She ushered the others forward and pushed the door open.
She found herself standing on the edge of a rocky platform.
The floor fell away before her, a drop of at least several hundred yards down a bumpy shaft. A few feet ahead, over a large gap, were a series of platforms held up by pillars of dark rock.
All around the cavern walls were large outcrops of rock holding strange green fires that emanated no heat but which made the whole cave appear to rock and sway. At the farthest reaches of the cave were a pair of giant dark trolls, drums held in the crooks of their elbows as they beat the skins in rhythmic patterns.
“Oh. My. God…” Chloe gasped.
“What, Chloe?” Gideon replied, mouth agape as he stared at the trolls. “What is it?”
Chloe gulped, unable to believe what she was seeing. “My first ever dungeon…the place I found KieraFreya’s armor. This is an exact copy of that.”
Chapter Fifty
“How is this even possible?”
Tag shuffled uncomfortably. “I mean, maybe it’s to do with... A glitch in the…”
“I wasn’t talking to you,” Chloe snapped. “KF, what is this?”
KieraFreya shrugged. “I don’t know. It could be anything. I’ve never been all that familiar with the Nether Realm myself. It was always just a place for Mother and Father to throw the things they wanted to keep away from Obsidian.”
“Yet they never thought of throwing Fukmos and his sisters in here?” Ben rolled his eyes.
“Of course not,” KieraFreya replied. “The world exists on light and dark. It’s a delicate balance that must be maintained at all times if life is to blossom and fade. The dark gods are as necessary as the light, as long as the balance is kept. When the balance tips too much in one direction, either an opposing force is born or the problem must be erased.”
“So, can’t the gods get involved in this war now?” Gideon asked, sincere curiosity on his face. “If Fukmos is wreaking havoc, can’t your guys just take him away?”
“Gods do not get involved with the actions of other gods unless absolutely necessary. They are the exception to the rule. Should great floods occur, or plagues of creatures swarm the land, the gods can get involved. But they have their own rules and politics among their kind that must be obeyed.”
“Even when it leads to the destruction of an entire city?” Tag grumbled.
“Even then.”
“Enough bickering about the gods,” Chloe said, waving her arms. “Do you have any idea what this means? Look at it. We’re back in the same place we were when we started!”
“Well, not exactly,” KieraFreya replied.
“What do you mean?”
“You’re not the person you were then.” Ben smirked. “You’ve improved, and you’ve got people behind you. You’re no longer the girl who died multiple times trying to kill a pair of goblins.”
Chloe thought about that, her mind going back to those moments. They were right. She was definitely not the girl who had crept through a secret door and stumbled on a mission far exceeding her level. The girl who had staggered through the rain and sought shelter in a world that had been a total mystery for her.
She had come farther than she’d ever dreamt. Made friends in this world. Grown familiar with its landscape, its towns, its cities.
“Maybe this is some kind of poetic justice?” Ben suggested, laying a hand on Chloe’s shoulder. “You finally get to conquer the dungeon properly?”
Chloe couldn’t find the words to speak.
“Or maybe it is the final hurdle,” Gideon said. “The gods saved you from falling to your death so that you could find KieraFreya. Maybe the light gods had a plan all along. Maybe they knew you would be the one to carry the mission, so they saved you. Maybe this is just their final test to prove you’re ready to complete your quest.”
Was there some truth to that? Why else would Chloe now be living through a major case of déjà vu? Why else would all her travels have led her to this very path? After traveling across Obsidian, how had she managed to re-find her way to the start?
And what about the nine? All of those mentions from Veronica and the gods about the nine. Who were they? Where were they? There were just five of them here and now. Four KieraSlayers and a waif. How could this be the end?
Chloe took a steadying breath and steeled herself. The gap between the platforms now looked smaller than before. When she had first stared at them, they had been gaping chasms. Huge voids over which she knew now she was a fool to have jumped.
Remember, without that jump, you would have never met me, KieraFreya reminded her.
Maybe my life would have been easier.
Maybe, but it would certainly have been less fun.
Chloe smiled and, without thinking, ran and launched herself across the void, landing neatly on the first platform and rolling to absorb the shock of the landing.
“Well, here we go.” Gideon grinned.
Chloe’s movement triggered the trolls. In an exac
t replica of her memory, one of them ripped out a chunk of stone from the wall and hurled it toward her.
This had been the moment that had ended it all for Chloe. When the rock had smashed into the platforms, there had been nowhere to go. The platform’s supporting column had broken, and she had ridden the slab like a surfboard as she plummeted to the bottom.
But not today.
Today she had skills and spells she’d never dreamed of.
Chloe’s hands glowed bright purple and the aura extended to the boulder, encircling it. The boulder paused in the air. Chloe grunted, flung her arms out, and sent the boulder hurling back toward the trolls.
“Come!” she shouted back at the others but didn’t wait for confirmation. Instead, she hopped gracefully to the second platform, then the third. Seven platforms later, she was on the large outcrop with the two trolls.
It took a moment longer for the others to kick into gear. Ben was set to jump when he heard Tag’s protestations.
“I can’t make that! I’ve only got tiny legs!”
Ben laughed. “Well, you better hope you can land better than you can jump.”
“What? Wait! No!”
Gideon and Ben grabbed an arm each and tossed him across the first gap. Tag landed roughly on his stomach and pushed himself up, then patted himself down.
“You sons of—”
Too late. He was picked up and thrown again, rock after rock, cry after cry. Tag’s protestations echoed around the chamber in waves. Gideon and Ben looked at each other and chuckled, knowing there was no other way they were going to get him across.
Not if they wanted to help Chloe and fast.
Gan’gor hesitated, then sprang across the rocks like a frog over lily pads. When he landed on the final outcrop, he tucked himself behind a large boulder, peeking over the top to watch the action.
The troll who had thrown the boulder was the one to smash it to the floor. Moments before the rock caved in his skull, he slammed a heavy fist into the ball and sent it crashing into the rocks beneath their feet.
Goddess Complete Page 37
