Raging Sea and Trembling Earth: Disciples of the Horned One Volume Two (Soul Force Saga Book 2)

by James Wisher

  Her father stood up and he and the duke shook hands. “So good to see you again, my king.”

  “Rasmus, Sigurd. Nice of you to visit, though I wish the situation was better.” Her father sat back down. “We could have offered you a proper welcome.”

  The duke waved off his apology. “If there’s one thing we in the north understand, it’s that men are helpless before the wrath of nature.”

  “What brings you to the capital?” the king asked.

  “The weather finally cleared enough to make travel reasonable and things have calmed sufficiently that I deemed it safe to travel. We missed the ceremony honoring the young man that drove off the dragon and I wanted to thank him in person for what he did for my duchy.”

  As his father spoke Sig’s face twisted into ever uglier expressions. He clearly hadn’t come to thank Damien. For just a moment Karrie was glad Damien was out of the city. If he were here she suspected things with Sig could get very nasty very quickly.

  “Unfortunately Damien is out on a mission. He just left yesterday morning.” Her father shrugged. “Bad timing.”

  Rasmus smiled. “I’ll be in the city for a week or two, discussing business with some southern merchants. Perhaps he’ll return before I leave.”

  “Perhaps,” the king said. “Where are you staying?”

  “We usually stay at the Golden Dancer, but they’re still cleaning up. The owner says it will be at least two days before we can move in.”

  “Well, you’ll have to stay in the castle until then. We suffered some minor damage, but the sorcerers have repaired it already. Dale.”

  The castle seneschal shuffled over. “Majesty?”

  “We have guest rooms for the duke and his son, correct?”

  “Yes, Majesty. The servants have been concentrating on cleaning up the occupied rooms, but we can have them ready in an hour or two.”

  “Perfect. Karrie, be a dear and escort Rasmus and Sigurd up to our rooms until Dale has the guest chambers ready. You and your mother can keep them entertained for a couple hours, right?”

  Karrie would have preferred to swim in a pig trough than spend two hours entertaining Sig. She smiled and hopped to her feet. “Of course. I’m sure Mom will be thrilled to have guests.”

  He had the good grace to wince at that. They both knew Mom hated having nobles staying in the castle. Their presence disrupted the servants’ routines and made everything harder. It was one reason they so seldom had formal gatherings.

  “Your Grace, Sig, please follow me.”

  She led the two noblemen out of the throne room and up the back stairs to the royal quarters. She pushed the door open and found her mother sitting at the dinner table sipping a glass of wine. Mom had on her favorite white dress, devoid of lace or decoration. She had a small piece of embroidery with her and was studying the stitching in search of mistakes. John sprawled half-asleep on the couch.

  Karrie almost sighed in relief. John’s presence would make the next two hours much more bearable. “Hi, Mom. We have guests.”

  The queen looked up from her stitching, a minute frown creasing her lips. “Rasmus, Sig, this is a surprise.”

  “Audra, terribly sorry to impose.” The duke swept a deep bow. “You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”

  Her mother laughed. “And you’re as bad a liar as ever. Would you like some wine?”

  Mom slipped into full hostess mode. She’d trade witless prattle with the duke all the while trying to pry out of him his true purpose for visiting. Mom was brilliant at that sort of thing and Karrie knew she’d have to learn how to do it herself before long.

  The duke joined her mother at the dining room table and Karrie went to sit beside John on the couch. Sig sat in the chair across from them.

  “I hadn’t expected to find you here, John,” Karrie said. “I figured you’d be out healing the injured.”

  He groaned. “I just spent the last twelve hours fusing more broken bones than I can count. I’ve sealed cuts and plucked wood and stone from flesh. I’m so tired I can hardly see straight, much less set a bone. The queen was kind enough to offer me a place to rest while the servants finish putting my room back together.”

  Karrie patted his knee. “Sounds tough.”

  “I think the quake produced more wounded than the war, though thankfully fewer deaths. You know, Damien’s friend Salem has turned out to be a brilliant healer. We might have lost many more people if she hadn’t been here. Anyway I just need to catch a few hours’ rest and I’ll head back out.”

  “Why don’t you go rest somewhere else so Karrie and I can talk in private,” Sig said.

  Karrie didn’t like the way Sig was staring at her with his bright blue eyes. The last thing she wanted was for John to leave her alone with him. “We don’t want to chase John off. He was here first after all. Whatever you have to say I’m sure we can count on his discretion.” She looked at John and raised an eyebrow. “Right?”

  John must have caught the desperation in her look because he sat up straight and nodded. “Absolutely, I’m the soul of discretion.”

  Karrie offered a grateful smile. “So what’s on your mind?”

  Sig shot John a venom-filled look then turned his hot gaze on Karrie. “I think we should wed. I’m the strongest of the four dukes’ heirs. It only makes sense that I be the next king. With me on the throne you’ll be free to raise our children and do whatever else it is queens do. We can make the announcement tomorrow.”

  Karrie was so stunned for a moment she couldn’t speak. This arrogant prick thought he could march into her home and announce that she was going to marry him just like that. A moment later the irony that she’d done essentially the same thing to Damien last winter struck her. Was this the same anger he’d felt at her presumption? For the first time the true weight of what she’d asked of him settled over her.

  How had she presumed to command his heart? Did the fact that she loved Damien and Sig only wanted to use her make her actions any better? Karrie liked to think it did. She also hoped Damien would forgive her for what she was about to do.

  “I’ve already promised myself to another.”

  “Who?” Sig’s face turned red and the muscle at his jaw bunched. “I’ll kill him and we can move on from there.”

  “Damien. We were going to announce it when he returned from his mission.”

  Beside her John turned the start of a laugh into a cough.

  Sig’s face grew even redder and Karrie half hoped he’d collapse on the spot. “Damien. So he stands against me once more. When he gets back I will challenge him to a duel to the death. You’ll see which of us is the strongest and most worthy to be king.”

  “Good idea,” John said. “That worked out so well for you last time.”

  Sig growled like an angry dog. “This time will be different. We’ll have a true sorcerers’ duel and I will defeat him.”

  John shook his head. “You and three friends together couldn’t beat Damien in a sorcerers’ duel.”

  Sig leapt to his feet. “I will beat him!”

  He stalked to the door and slammed it behind him.

  Her mother and the duke looked over at her. Karrie shrugged as if to say she had no idea what had happened. How did they not hear Sig shouting? Must have been some sorcery trick.

  “So does Damien know you two are engaged?” John asked.

  “Not exactly.”

  “I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when Sig tells him then challenges him to a duel.”

  “I’m sure.” Karrie held her head in her hands. What had she done?

  Chapter 22

  Damien and Jen followed Eleck through dirt tunnels, the roots of trees growing above breaking through here and there. Their steps made no sound on the soft floor. The silence was jarring after the constant clomping of hard soles on stone back home.

  Halfway up the wall a shrew stuck its head out, peered at them, and fled back into its little tunnel. What other vermin would pay them a visit in the night? D
espite the crude surroundings there was no standing water, though a thick, loamy smell filled the air. Living like a mole wouldn’t have been Damien’s first choice, but the underground temple complex was nicer than it had any right to be.

  They met no others on their short walk. There should have been other druids, temple servants, someone just walking around.

  “Where is everyone?” Damien asked.

  “The wise one ordered the temple cleared, he said in preparation for a festival.” Eleck glanced back at Damien. “In reality he wanted as few people as possible to know you’d arrived. His hope is that whoever’s responsible for moving the ley line won’t realize who you are before you find out who they are.”

  “All the people we passed in the village know we’re here.” Jen said. “Some of them will almost certainly tell the ones we’re looking for about it.”

  “They’ll say two new acolytes arrived. All new arrivals are brought first to the temple, nothing strange in that. Only the five of us know your true purpose here. We hope to keep it that way as long as possible. Here we are.”

  They stopped in front of a curtained-off opening. Eleck pulled the green cloth aside revealing a dirt cave with two beds that appeared to have grown out of the floor. Moss was placed on top for bedding. Damien had thought his room lacked decorations. This place even made the room he shared with Eli look like a palace.

  “I’ll bring your evening meal shortly,” Eleck said. “Please remain in your room. The fewer people that see you the better.”

  “I thought the temple was empty,” Jen said.

  “It is, but why take chances? Good afternoon.” Eleck left them to explore their luxurious accommodations.

  They went in and Damien slid the curtain shut, adding a soul force barrier for good measure. Next he reinforced the walls and floor with another barrier. His shoes made a satisfying clunk when he stepped on it. They were essentially surrounded by a soul force box.

  Jen tossed her pack beside the right-hand bed and looked around at the glowing walls. “Overkill?”

  Damien made the walls invisible. “You want to be asleep in a dirt cave if a quake hits tonight?”

  “Huh. Good point. I also don’t want any mice burrowing in for a visit. What did you think of the wise one?”

  Damien shook his head. “I never thought to see a man growing out of a wall. I’ve seen some weird stuff the past year, but that’s near the top of my list. His peculiar circumstances aside, the wise one’s concern seemed genuine.”

  Jen nodded. “That’s the impression I got too. How do you want to handle the questioning?”

  Damien dropped his rucksack and sat on the remarkably comfortable moss mattress across from his sister. “I figured we’d bring them in one at a time, I’ll fix it so they can’t lie, and ask if they had any part in moving the ley line. Simple yes or no question. I learned the hard way if you make it too complicated a clever person can talk their way around an actual lie.”

  “Works for me. We should be able to question everyone in a day. Anyone that tries to lie or doesn’t show up we can assume is part of the problem.”

  “Yeah. That reminds me.” Damien dug through his stuff and pulled out a pencil and paper. “I need to let the archmage know we arrived safe and plan to begin our investigation soon.”

  Chapter 23

  Damien lay on his bed of moss, one arm over his eyes, trying to fall asleep. He could hardly keep them open earlier and now he couldn’t relax. He sighed in the dark. Jen’s soft snoring was the only sign he wasn’t alone in the world. She didn’t seem to think it would be a big thing, finding whoever caused the quake. He hoped she was right, but the more he thought about it the more it seemed maybe he and Jen weren’t the best people for this job. It might have been better to send someone with more experience questioning people, someone like Alden or Imogen.

  Now if they already knew who was responsible he and his sister would deal with them in as efficient a matter as you could hope for. He sighed again. They were here now so they’d just have to make the best of it. At least the food had been edible. Eleck had brought them bowls of greens, some sliced-up crunchy white things, and a flat piece of bread covered in spices that burned the back of his throat. Not so much as a hint of poison.

  After he left Jen had dug some of her jerky out and added thin slices to the salad. Jen didn’t consider it a meal unless meat was involved. Damien either for that matter. Now, belly full, in his borrowed bed, Damien tried again to sleep.

  A noise out in the hall woke him from a light doze. For hell’s sake, what was it? He’d finally fallen asleep and now it sounded like a bellows wheezing outside. A hint of corruption twisted his stomach. It wasn’t strong enough to be a demon. He frowned and formed a viewing rectangle. Damien connected it to the barrier and shaped an eye.

  Out in the tunnel five black-scaled reptilian things slouched a short ways away. Eleck stood with them. He’d removed his gloves and underneath he wore four rings, two on each hand. On his middle fingers were black rings that crackled with corruption. Those had to be what he sensed. His barrier must be blocking the worst of the demonic energy.

  The other two rings weren’t demonic, at least not as far as Damien could tell. The one on Eleck’s right index finger was silver, or maybe platinum, and studded all the way around with chips of some black stone. The final ring was gold and studded with red stones.

  Damien conjured a hand and shook Jen awake. She sat up and looked over at him. Damien held a finger to his lips and motioned her over. Soul force flowed to Jen’s head as she washed away the effects of her short nap. She slipped out of bed and joined Damien. He held out the viewer so she could see.

  “Eleck?” she asked.

  Damien’s thought exactly. It looked like they weren’t going to have any trouble figuring out who was behind the quake after all. Eight more monsters came down the hall, red-scaled creatures similar to the black ones, but skinnier. Eleck’s lips moved, but Damien couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  “The black ones are soul force eaters,” Jen whispered in his ear. “The red ones breathe fire. We fought them with Master Shen last month while you were at sea. I never imagined this was where they came from.”

  Jen crossed the room, pulled on her boots, and buckled on her sword. Damien followed her example. He was just tightening the last strap on his sword harness when his barrier vanished. The curtain burst into flame an instant before the black-scales charged through the doorway. Jen met them at warlord speed and two instantly fell, their heads chopped off.

  Damien drew his sword and charged a third monster halfway across the room. The keen steel of his blade passed through its shoulder, but missed anything vital. He leapt back ahead of snapping jaws.

  One of the red-scales appeared in the doorway. It faced Jen, who was busy with the other two soul force eaters. Flames dripped from its jaws.

  Damien lunged at his opponent, piercing it through the throat. The monster went down in a heap.

  The red-scale threw its head back. As it started forward Damien conjured a bubble around its head. Flames blasted out, struck the barrier, and rebounded in the beast’s face. The red-scale collapsed, its face a charred ruin.

  Jen appeared beside him. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, no problem. It was nice to fight with a sword again. Come on, let’s check on Leah and the wise one.”

  Chapter 24

  Jen poked her head out in the tunnel. No sign of Eleck or the other red-scales. She’d feared Damien would have trouble with the soul force eaters, but it looked like he remembered his lessons. She should have known better. Maybe some sorcerers didn’t know how to fight, but her brother was a St. Cloud. And if they knew one thing, it was how to swing a sword.

  “All clear. Let’s go.”

  Jen led the way back to the central chamber. Since there was no one in the temple besides the two of them, Leah, Eleck, and the wise one she felt comfortable assuming anyone they met would be an enemy.

  She rou
nded a corner and leapt back ahead of a blast of flame. She’d just caught a glimpse of four red-scales guarding the tunnel.

  Damien sidled up beside her. “Any soul force eaters?”

  “I didn’t see any.”

  “Let me go first.” Damien stepped around the corner and flames washed over him. Her breath caught in her throat. When the flames subsided he stood unharmed amidst dying embers. “Clear.”

  Jen rounded the corner. Scaled chunks of meat filled the tunnel. She ran past them, Damien hot on her heels. He might not be subtle, but her brother got the job done.

  Outside the wise one’s chamber waited two more red-scales. Golden beams streaked ahead of her, disintegrating them above the waist. Definitely not subtle.

  She burst into the chamber. The wise one lay on the floor, all the roots that had held him severed. Eleck spun to face them, halfway between the wise one and Leah’s bed.

  He raised his hands and a stream of black flames shot at her. She didn’t even have time to flinch. The fire blazed all around her, but didn’t touch her. When they ended Eleck was gone, a fresh hole in the wall where he’d blasted his way out.

  “You okay?” Damien asked.

  She nodded. “I assume thanks to your shield?”

  “I didn’t want you to get your face burned off if we ran into more of those red-scales. It never crossed my mind that Eleck could use hellfire. Good thing I put plenty of soul force into the barrier.”

  “I second that. You check the old man, I’ll get Leah.”

  Jen crossed the chamber and looked down into the wooden bed. Leah was on her back, eyes closed, sleeping just as if she had no idea a lunatic was about to kill her a minute ago.

  Jen reached in and shook her. Leah didn’t so much as shift her position. Must be some kind of sorcery. She should have had Damien check the woman and dealt with the wise one herself.

  “I can’t wake her up.”

  Damien picked up the old druid and carried him over to the bed. He lifted a trembling, wrinkled hand and placed it on the roots. They slid back into the ground leaving Leah in the dirt. Leah groaned and her eyelids fluttered.