“We have to go back!” Maya yelled. “My family is in there. We have to get them out!”
“And how do you expect… to get that gate… open?” Farrow asked between breaths.
“I’ll knock it down if it’s the last thing I do,” Maya declared, once again diving into her magic.
“Stop! You’ll never be able to breach those walls, they’re impenetrable,” Farrow cried out.
Watch me, she said.
Three sea serpents rose up out of the water, each bigger than the previous one. And likewise, she was greeted with pain so intense that it overwhelmed her and took her into unconsciousness.
18
Sowena watched as Nicola’s body suddenly dropped. The strange newcomer hadn’t so much as lifted a finger. Gren shoved her aside and Sowena cried out in pain as her shoulder slammed into the ground.
The three remaining ruffians drew their weapons and advanced on the stranger, but before they could take two steps, the newcomer collapsed. The other three seized up like they’d seen a ghost, and then they, too, tumbled to the ground.
It was strangest thing Sowena had ever witnessed.
Cautiously standing, Sowena took a step away from the fallen men.
In an instant, the stranger sat up, gulping in a huge breath of air. Sowena froze and slowly turned her head. Their eyes met.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I—I—”
“Did they hurt you?”
Sowena shook her head. “Who are you?”
“My name’s Will,” he said.
“What just happened?” she blurted out.
“I…” Will said, looking away, “…took care of them.”
“Are they dead?” she asked.
“Yes,” he answered.
Sowena stared at Nicola’s body just a few feet from where Will sat—the vagabond’s chest slowly rose and fell.
“M-Mister—”
“Please, call me Will,” he said.
“Will, that one’s still alive,” she said, pointing at Nicola.
Will glanced down at the body, but paid it no heed. “His body is,” Will explained. “But his soul is gone.”
“His soul?” Sowena asked.
“It’s a long story.”
Sowena turned, looking at Gren and the others. They, too, looked to still be alive, yet not.
“You did this?” she asked. “You put them in this state?”
Will smiled nervously and said, “Yes.”
“Can you reverse it? Can you fix them?” she asked—a little too eagerly she realized.
“No,” Will said, shaking his head. “They are as good as dead. Nothing can bring them back.”
Sowena closed her eyes. She hoped that Maggie and Harry were not resigned to a similar fate. This young man, and whatever magic he had, was probably unique. There’s no way the same thing happened to her friends. At least that’s what Sowena told herself.
“I’ve seen something similar to this,” Sowena told him. “Two of my friends. They’re hurt because of me. I need to find the queen—can you help me?”
“Maya?” Will asked. “What do you need her for?”
“It would be easiest to show you.”
Khate dove behind the guard’s station.
A torrent of flames scorched the ground where she had stood not a moment earlier. The dragon bellowed in rage at its elusive prey. The sound of the great beast flapping its wings receded as it circled around.
Khate propped herself into a sitting position and held up the teal gem.
“Work, work, work,” she said, smacking it into her palm. “Come on, why aren’t you working?” She peered around the corner just as the dragon turned and headed back in her direction.
The pounding of footsteps drew near as Bryn appeared from the opposite side of the structure. “What are you doing? Come on, we’ve got to go!” he said, extending his hand.
Khate grabbed it and Bryn hoisted her to her feet.
“Stick to the wall,” Bryn told her.
Khate nodded.
Bryn emerged from behind the structure and immediately fell back in as another geyser of fire filled the air around them. As soon as the dragon started circling back, they ran from their cover and made for the volcano’s only exit.
They were halfway there when the dragon inhaled behind them. There was nowhere to hide. This was it. They were going to die.
Stupid stone, she thought.
The dragon unleashed its blast as Khate glanced back over her shoulder. The fire raced toward her in slow motion as her life flashed before her eyes—life as a little girl, her teenage years, working as the king’s assassin, Ocken, her husband and children, Drygo’s occupation of Celesti, losing everything she ever loved.
Khate was yanked hard and the dragon disappeared from sight, blocked by the mountain. Fire torched the ground just outside the crevice where Khate now found herself. She looked away as the heat nearly burned her face.
“Thanks,” she said to Bryn.
“My pleasure, lass.”
As soon as the fire dissipated, they emerged from their cover and bounded up the ramp toward the cave that had brought them into the volcano. A stream of fire slammed into the wall behind them, chasing them as they ran.
The flames stopped and Khate glanced to the side to see the dragon’s jaws opened wide as it flew toward her.
“Faster!” she shouted.
They entered the cave, the dragon’s head following them in. Its teeth came down, snagging Khate’s cloak. She shrugged it off and kept running. The great beast snapped its jaws behind her, and scrambled to reach them.
Fortunately, the opening was too small and the dragon was stuck. It inhaled again.
“Move those legs, old man!” Khate said as she passed Bryn.
The cave lit up all around them, the temperature steadily rising. Emerging from the cave, they dove to the side and leapt across the lava moat as a river of fire consumed the cave and the bridge that led to it.
Khate rolled as she hit the ground and was back on her feet in a flash, but Bryn collapsed and groaned.
“Are you okay?” she asked, rushing over to him and grabbing his hand.
He winced and hissed. “I’ll be fine,” he said, holding his back as he stood. “I just need to take it a little slow. I think we lost him—”
The thunder of beating wings filled the air and the dragon rose up above the volcano.
Wrapping Bryn’s arm around her neck, Khate half ran half hobbled into the forest and down the mountain.
“Leave me behind, lass,” Bryn said. “I’ll only slow you down.”
“Not a chance,” Khate said through clenched teeth.
The leaves rustled overhead as the dragon soared over the forest, a roar splitting the air. Flashes of red painted the night sky, and ahead, burning tree limbs and leaves fell to the ground.
They turned to the left and followed a deer trail that led away from the fire. After a few moments, it became apparent that the dragon had not circled back around. Either it couldn’t find them, or it had forgotten about them at the sight of the wide world it hadn’t seen in decades—maybe centuries or longer.
Khate sat Bryn down on a rock.
“Where does it hurt?” she asked.
“All over,” the old sailor replied.
“Is anything broken?” she pressed.
“No, no,” he said, shaking his head and waving her off. “I’m fine. Promise. Just a little bruised from that fall. Give me a minute and I’ll be good to go.”
Khate looked around and bounced on her feet nervously. Pulling out the gem, she turned it over in her hand. What did it do? How did she access its powers? Had she gone through all this trouble for it not to work?
She had been there the day Drygo acquired the Soul Siphon. She could never forget it. That day would forever be etched in her mind. He had touched the stone and it had instantly opened up to him. Khate had expected the same here.
An ember floated do
wn through the air beside her. As it landed, it lit the dry leaves on the ground and grew exponentially in the space of a few heartbeats.
“I hope that was long enough, ‘cause we have to go!” Khate shouted, yanking Bryn to his feet. “Now!”
Khate started off at a light jog. Bryn kept up, but grimaced in pain at the forced movement. When Khate tried to help him, he pushed her away and waved for her to keep going as he stood a little straighter and increased his speed.
The two of them raced through the forest, the flames right on their heels. Khate could feel the heat approaching—she could hear the popping and snapping as the wildfire consumed everything in its path.
Over logs, under branches, and through the brush they ran. Somewhere up ahead, the sound of thunder grew steadily closer.
The flames surged forward and caught Bryn’s right arm, setting it alight. The old sailor screamed, and shook his arm about, but kept running.
Then the fire reached for Khate, as if it were alive and ravenous for human flesh. A second later, they burst from the forest onto the bank of a raging river. Bryn, so desperate to put out the flames, tumbled down the embankment and into the water.
Running down sideways to keep her balance, Khate rushed to his aid. Smoke drifted into the air around Bryn’s arm where the fire had been a second earlier. He lay there breathing deeply in the shallows, staring up at the sky as the water careened around his body.
Khate looked up at the forest. The fire halted at the edge with no more trees or dead leaves to consume. Thinking they were safe, she decided to let Bryn rest a little more before trying to get the man to make the rest of the journey back to the River Raider.
A flaming branch broke free and slammed into the ground a foot from Bryn’s face. He jolted, flipping over farther into the river, but the ground sloped dramatically underneath him and Bryn found himself in too deep. Water filled his lungs as he coughed and sputtered.
The flow of the river started to carry him away. Khate’s eyes followed the river downstream a quarter of mile where it disappeared, going over the edge. Smoke, or rather mist, rose up from below where the water presumably crashed into sharp, pointy rocks.
Khate scrambled forward, dancing around the burning branch, and lunged into the water as she reached to grab a hold of Bryn’s leg. The force of the water threatened to yank him from her grip, but she refused to let go. Pulling herself back to the riverbank, she dragged him through the water until he could steady himself in the shallows.
Quickly, they both stood and surveyed the river. About fifty paces upstream a few large rocks jutted up from the water. Taking extra care, they stepped from stone to stone until they were safely on the other side.
Plopping on to the ground, Bryn placed his back against a stump and slumped over with exhaustion as he struggled for breath.
While he recovered, Khate walked to the edge of the waterfall and looked down two hundred feet to the forest floor below. Her eyes followed the river to a small inlet about eight miles away where she could see the River Raider moored in the water. At that moment, even the dumpy little ship looked resplendent in the water.
“Hey, I can see your ship,” Khate said, calling back to Bryn.
“That’s great news, lass,” Bryn said. Then he added, “I think we’re through the worst of it.”
Somewhere in the distance, the dragon roared.
“Or not,” Bryn said.
Khate watched in horror as a stream of fire appeared on the horizon and engulfed the River Raider.
19
Will stood a few paces away as Sowena knocked on the door to a small cottage. He had forgotten what small town Aralith was like. As he scanned the whole countryside, he couldn’t see another house in sight, though he knew Luton was somewhere nearby.
The door creaked open slowly until the man on the other side saw Sowena and then it flew open.
“Sowena!” the man said, raising his eyebrows. “You came back. Did you forget—” The man’s gaze fell on Will. “Who’s this?”
“A friend,” she said, pushing past the man in a hurry and leaving Will behind.
Will smiled anxiously and scratched his head. Extending his hand, he said, “I’m Will.”
The man slowly accepted Will’s shake and said, “Rowland. Rowland Pendley.”
“Nice to meet you,” Will said.
He stood there uncomfortably for a few seconds longer before the man said, “May I ask what it is you two are doing?”
“I wish I knew,” Will said. “Your daughter came into a spot of trouble in the woods and I—”
“She’s not my daughter, but—Sowena!” he yelled out over his shoulder.
Sowena reappeared, but she didn’t acknowledge Rowland, just waved for Will to follow her and said, “Come on! This way.”
“Now hold up just a minute,” Rowland said. “What’s this about?”
“Will might be able to help Maggie and Harry,” Sowena explained.
Rowland’s eyes went wide and he scrambled out of the way. “Please come in, come in. If there is anything you can do to help my wife, by all means you are welcome in my home.”
Will stepped through the doorway, his eyes roving the small kitchen that he found himself in. The worn pots resting on old wooden shelves coupled with the warped kitchen table told Will these people lived far below any standard that he was used to.
His family hadn’t been rich, and since his mother was a widow most of his life, they hadn’t been able to afford much, but his father had been in the city guard and they’d managed to squirrel away a sizeable savings before he passed that lasted until Robert and Will could work.
“Back here,” Sowena said, leading Will to a small room that barely had the space for the double bed and a faded dresser.
Atop the bed lay a woman who appeared to be sleeping. Sowena pulled up a chair next to the woman and shook her shoulders.
“Maggie?” Sowena asked. “Can you hear me?” She looked up at Rowland and said, “Has there been any change at all?”
The man shook his head with a frown.
“I’m not sure what you think I can do,” Will said. “I’m not a healer. What’s wrong with her, anyway?”
“That’s why I wanted to find the queen,” Sowena said. “Something called a soulfiend attacked us and someone said—”
“Did you just say soulfiend?” Will asked, alarmed.
“Yes, but I—”
Will held up his hand. Switching to the Soul Sight, the colors of the world fled away to the blues of the soul realm. The woman on the bed was colored with a dull, flat blue, like every other object in the room. Her soul was gone.
Sighing, Will dropped his power and the world reverted to normal.
“Can you help her?” Rowland asked.
Will turned and looked at him, unsure of what to say.
“I’m sorry, but—”
“There’s nothing you can do?” Sowena asked. “You haven’t even examined her. It’s only been a few days, there’s still got to be hope, right?”
“I—I don’t know what to tell you,” Will said. He took a deep breath and asked, “Do you know what a soulfiend is?”
Both Rowland and Sowena shook their heads.
Will sighed again. “It’s… well, it’s a being made from magic—part physical, part soul. A soulfiend is what it sounds like. It feeds off of the souls of men.”
“Then if it attacked Maggie…” Sowena said.
Will nodded. “Her soul is gone.”
“So—so how do we get it back?” Rowland asked.
“You… don’t,” Will said slowly.
“No,” Rowland said, taking a step back and shaking his head.
“I’m sorry. She’s gone.”
“But she’s still breathing,” Sowena said.
“Remember what I told you in the forest?” Will asked. “Her body still holds life, but without a soul inside it she’s nothing more than a vegetable.”
“I don’t care what you said, the
re has to be a way to save her, right?” Sowena pleaded.
“I could put another soul into her body,” Will explained, “but it wouldn’t be Maggie. It would look like her and sound like her, but it would never be her. As hard as it is to hear, Maggie’s soul is gone. Maggie is gone.”
Rowland leaned over onto the doorframe, sunk to the floor, and began to sob. Jumping off the chair, Sowena knelt beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
With nothing more he could do, Will backtracked through the house and stepped outside. He wanted to leave them to grieve in peace, but he also needed to get to Celesti.
You aren’t seriously considering leaving these people alone with that thing prowling around, are you? Lotess asked.
Will crossed his arms and glanced back at the cottage, then looked in the general direction of the city. Maybe she was right.
You know I am.
It was getting close to evening. Perhaps he should see if he could spend the night with Sowena and Rowland. He hadn’t had a decent meal in a couple of days, and though it didn’t look like they had much, they were bound to fix a better meal than he could make in the forest.
Stepping back into the house, Will sat down at the old table in the kitchen and waited. Rowland emerged from the bedroom a few minutes later, sniffling and wiping a tear from his eyes.
“Thank you for coming,” Rowland said. “I suppose it’s better this way—knowing she’s gone—but I don’t know if I’ll be able to part with her body. What will happen?”
“I don’t know,” Will said. “I imagine without food or water the body will eventually die like anything else.”
Rowland frowned and his shoulders sagged. “I—I—Thank you again,” he said. “If there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”
“Do you mind if I spend the night here?” Will asked.
“You’re more than welcome, but we only have one spare bed and Sowena is staying there since her parents died,” Rowland explained.
Will furrowed his brow.
“She didn’t tell you?” Rowland asked.
Soul Shade (Soul Stones Book 2) Page 13
