Viridian Gate Online: Darkling Siege (The Viridian Gate Archives Book 7)

by James Hunter

  This was the tip of the spear, not the spear itself, but the fact that Thanatos had made the move at all was deeply troubling. He’d been pushing harder and harder ever since we walked away from the Doom Forge with the Reality Editor in hand, but he’d just taken things to a whole new level. Right off the bat, the attack told me a couple of very important things: one, Thanatos knew his time was growing short—that this tenuous stalemate we currently found ourselves in couldn’t last forever. And, two, Thanatos could hit me no matter where I was. Even in Yunnam, where I felt the most secure of all.

  He was taunting me.

  Telling me nowhere was safe.

  Not for me and not for anyone I cared even a little bit about.

  The casualties were a testament to that fact.

  Despite the relatively small invasion force, we’d lost thirteen people. Eight Citizens—one of them a nine-year-old kid—and five Travelers, all finished off with Malware blades, ensuring they would never rise again. Among their number had been Frank Senior. Despite my assistance, he’d died saving those other Citizens, and he’d done it willingly. I didn’t know Frank well, and didn’t know any of the other casualties at all, but what did that matter? Just because it hadn’t been Abby or Cutter dead down there didn’t mean the deaths weren’t important. Or terrible.

  “You okay, Jack?” Abby cooed up at me, snuggling deeper into my side, her fingers never stopping their restless tracing. “I can tell you’re not asleep. You seem... tense.”

  “Just thinking,” I mumbled back at her, noting all the constellations completely foreign to the sky I knew from back home. How many times had I looked up at the stars on Earth without ever really seeing them? Without appreciating them or the fact that I might not always get to enjoy them? Idly, I wondered if it might not be the last time Abby and I would ever lie on the balcony, looking at the sky together. There was no way to know until it was too late to change anything.

  “About what?” She yawned sleepily.

  I was quiet for a beat, not sure what to say. “Nothing,” I lied. “Everything,” I added after a second. “It’s all just a giant mess inside my head. I kinda feel like we’re standing right on the edge of a cliff, looking down into an abyss, and I have no idea how much time is left before it crumbles. A week. A month. Maybe two?”

  Abby pulled away from me and sat up, curling her legs beneath her as she wrapped an oversized fur blanket around her shoulders, slim protection against the chill of the evening. It was still winter in Eldgard, and though it never really got cold in the Storme Marshes, the nights could turn unexpectedly cool at the drop of a hat. Tonight was like that, a light nip on the edges of the air.

  “I’ve tried not to pry,” she said, “but seriously, what in the hell is going on with you lately? Usually, you’re the optimistic one. I mean, when Carrera declared war on us, you just smiled and started scheming. You’ve tackled a hundred missions head-on, but ever since the Doom Forge...” She trailed off, glancing down and running a hand through her crinkled hair. “You’ve been off. Or maybe we’ve been off?” She pursed her lips and shook her head. “I don’t know, but something’s not clicking. So talk to me.” She looked up, pleading. “Please?”

  I shrugged and pulled away from her. “I don’t know. Maybe I just finally realized that the chances of everything turning out okay are slim, Abby,” I said coolly. “The attack tonight just drove that home for me. We played house, threw a party, and a bunch of people died as a result. I’m realizing that for us, normal is impossible. We’re always going to be looking over our shoulder. There’s always going to be a new threat or a new war to fight. We’re never going to be safe, and it’s only a matter of time before one of us ends up like Frank Senior or any of the other people who aren’t going home to their loved ones tonight.”

  “You don’t really believe that, do you?” she asked, searching my face. “We’ve come this far, Jack. Beat the odds time and again.”

  “Yeah, that’s the point, Abby,” I shot back, pushing myself up from the makeshift bed and heading over to the balcony railing. My bare skin pebbled from the chill. “How much of that was skill and how much of it was luck?” I asked, turning and leaning against the stone barrier. “Some of it was because we worked hard and played smart, but that’s not the whole story. We got lucky, Abby, and sooner or later our luck is going to run out. Sure, things have been coming up heads for a while, but if you flip a coin long enough eventually it’s going to come up tails.”

  “I don’t accept that,” she said with a grimace. “Luck is a factor, but it’s not the only one. Not even the biggest one. Listen to me, Jack. We. Are. Going. To. Survive. You hear me? And once we’ve finally dealt with Thanatos—and we will deal with him—then everything can go back to some semblance of normal.”

  “Yeah, well, you’re a lot more confident about that than I am,” I replied softly. “We’ve never dealt with anyone like Thanatos before. We might win. Might. But beating him isn’t going to be easy, and it sure isn’t going to come cheap. There’s going to be a price to pay.”

  Sometimes there is no winning. To save the world, you must first give up that which matters most in your world...

  “Look, we need to face the facts, Abby. There’s a good chance I could die facing down Thanatos. There’s an equally good chance you will, too. We can’t just ignore that because it’s uncomfortable. Less than two weeks ago, I had to murder you, Abby. I slit your throat on an altar, and we still haven’t talked about it. We can’t do this anymore. This is the endgame. We might die for real. Do you get that?”

  “I. Don’t. Accept. That,” she said again, eyes narrowed, arms crossed. It was a pose that said in no uncertain terms that this wasn’t an argument I would be winning. “We are going to beat Thanatos, we are going to whip Osmark into line, and then we are going to settle down, have kids, and live happily ever after. Do you get that? And as far as what happened in Stone Reach,” she continued, “you were just doing what you needed to do. I don’t fault you for what happened down there. Shit, Jack, I pushed you to do that. If anything, that was on me, not you.”

  “Yeah, but what if it happens again?” I countered with a grimace. “What if I need to sacrifice you again to beat Thanatos? But what if this time there’s no coming back? I don’t want to put you in a position like that again.”

  “That’s not your choice to make, Jack,” she said, standing in a huff. “I’m not a bird you can keep in a cage. This is my world, and I’m going to fight to keep it. Period.”

  “Listen,” I said raising my hands in defeat, knowing this wasn’t going anywhere good. “I don’t want to fight about this anymore, okay? I just need space to think.”

  “Fine. Whatever,” she grumbled, her face a thunderhead above the fur blanket wrapped around her. “I’m going inside. If you get your head on straight, feel free to come in and join me. Otherwise, you can think out here for the rest of the night.” She turned on a heel and stormed from the balcony, slipping through the sliding glass door and shutting it just a tad too hard behind her.

  I sighed and turned around, bracing myself on the railing with my forearms. I wanted to be mad at her, but she was right. She wasn’t some defenseless little bird, but I also wanted to protect her. The truth was, I was like a hand grenade that might go off at any moment; anyone in the blast radius was going to get hurt, Abby included. I grunted and pushed the conversation away, letting my thoughts wander aimlessly while night bugs crooned a sweet, lonely song and fireflies danced on the air currents.

  I wanted rest—needed it, since things would be crazy tomorrow, I had no doubt—but I just couldn’t get my stupid brain to shut off. So instead I watched the hustle and bustle of the city far below. Darkshard sat on a hill perched high above Yunnam, which nestled in the dense forests a few miles off. It was too far to see any of the people down there in the mass of buildings, but the flickering light of torches told me I wasn’t the only one up at this late hour. There were extra patrols making sure the Vogthar didn
’t come back in greater numbers, while others worked to clean up the damage and mess from the battle.

  Finally, I turned away, ready to give sleep another shot. Which is precisely when the world fell graveyard silent all around me, as though all of creation was holding its collective breath.

  It came as no surprise whatsoever when I found Sophia leaning against the far wall, right next to the sliding doors that let into the room proper, one eyebrow quirked, one leg kicked up against the wall, her arms crossed. She was a dark-skinned woman in an immaculately white toga that showcased her flawless skin and perfect smile. She looked every inch of the goddess she was, though I noticed there were bags lingering beneath her unnatural, amber-colored eyes. She was tired. And if Sophia looked visibly tired, it could only mean things were far worse than they appeared on the surface.

  “Trouble in paradise?” Sophia asked, her voice rich, sultry even. “How very sad to see. Prolonged conflict can be so terribly stressful, even for the best of us.”

  She glided forward, her robes billowing around her dramatically even though there was no breeze, which meant she was just showboating. To add to the pomp, she chose not to walk, but to float, her feet never touching the ground. Lush grass and colorful blooms sprouted up beneath her, growing from the stone itself. An impressive, though relatively petty, display of power. But the Overminds were nothing if not petty, I’d found. She stopped at the railing, carefully twirling then taking a seat on the stone ledge, legs crossed, her back toward the sharp drop-off without a care.

  Seeing her perched like that sent shivers racing up and down my skin. It was like watching someone tilt too far back in a chair, except this chair was placed on the ledge of a skyscraper. She was a goddess, though, so why should she care?

  “My relationship with Abby is none of your business,” I said. “And for your info, everything’s fine.” I growled the last word. “Just a little disagreement. Couples have them all the time.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Please, Champion,” she purred, “denial isn’t a good look on you. Unfortunately, I can’t alter the will of a Traveler, but I know something else that might help.” She ran a hand along her stomach and her belly swelled outward, making her look very, very pregnant. “They say a little one can mend even the sourest of relationships, and a little birdy told me the two of you have been trying. You have a favor yet to ask from me, and if you hold on too long, well...” She paused, tapping playfully at her bottom lip with one long red nail. “You might never get to ask it at all. Death is funny like that.”

  She turned her predatory eyes on me, watching my reaction. Beneath her, curls of vines peppered with beautiful flowers slithered around the railing like hungry pythons.

  Her words were like a sucker punch, especially since Abby and I had been trying unsuccessfully for kids. That was none of her business, though. Besides, she wasn’t here to talk about favors owed, that wasn’t her style, and she didn’t care about me or Abby. She was here because she wanted something. Putting me off balance was just her way to manipulate me into doing whatever new task she had.

  I wasn’t about to take the bait.

  “You’ve been avoiding me,” I said, neatly evading her provocations. “I haven’t seen you since you sent me on the quest to take down Khalkeús, and now here you are. I can’t imagine you’re just popping in to pay me a visit. What happened? What is Thanatos cooking up this time? Besides attacking my city.” I gestured toward the sprawl of buildings. “Must be something big to drive you out of the woodwork.”

  “Come now,” she pouted, waving her hand and dismissing her conjured baby bump. “Is it really such an odd thing that I might like to come and visit my mortal Champion?” Another deflection. “Why, I don’t only deliver bad news, you know. It’s not every day that such a splendid affair as this wedding happens in Eldgard. In truth, I’ve grown quite fond of you and your little ragtag team of rebels.” She offered me a sly smile as she bounced her legs.

  A nervous tic? That seemed unlikely, considering just how powerful Sophia was, but that’s what it looked like to me. At least on the surface.

  “You started as a useful pawn,” she continued, “but now you’re something more. Somehow, you’ve made it to the other side of the board and become a powerhouse in your own right. It’s an impressive feat, Jack. Truly a legacy you should be proud of. Plus, I must confess that I have quite come to adore Cutter and his new bride. He’s a fool, that one. A jester, but an incorrigible, entertaining one. It was quite delightful to see him squirm under Amara’s withering gaze. Since I was already in the neighborhood for the festivities, I thought it was rude to not stop by and see you.”

  “How sweet,” I replied flatly. I didn’t believe a word of it. “You’re still avoiding my question, just like you’ve been avoiding me, Sophia.” I pulled the Reality Editor from beneath my tunic, where it always stayed these days, hanging from a thick silver chain around my neck. Despite being a weapon supposedly capable of killing a god, it didn’t look like anything all that special. Just an oversized crystal key, about the size of a dagger, though filled with light in a thousand different hues.

  Sophia involuntarily flinched away.

  Was... was she afraid? But she wasn’t afraid of anything.

  The closest I’d ever come to seeing her genuinely worried was when Vox-Malum, the Lich Priest, had invaded the Realm of Order with the intent of undercutting her power as an Overmind. This was something else entirely, though. She wasn’t worried. No, she was genuinely scared. That wasn’t the only oddity either. As the ever-shifting light spilled from the key and onto the vine-covered railing beneath Sophia, her miraculous handiwork seemed to gutter and fade. It didn’t disappear entirely, but it did become far less solid—a hazy, watered-down version of what it had been only moments before.

  In my hand, the key buzzed with hungry energy, coming to life as if it had been hibernating but was finally waking up for the first time in ages.

  “That’s quite enough, Jack. No need to brandish that thing,” she said with a sneer. “Put it away, please.”

  She watched with hooded eyes and thin lips until I tucked the key back into my tunic.

  “For what it’s worth,” she said once I had tucked the Reality Editor back into my tunic, “I haven’t been avoiding you. I’ve been preparing the way for you. Quite a difference. There is more going on than you know, Jack. You may have morphed into one of the more powerful pieces on the board, but you aren’t the only piece on the board, and you would do well to remember it. For what it’s worth, though, I’m sorry I haven’t stopped by to visit sooner. You did well with Khalkeús,” she said in earnest. Amazingly, there was no hint of sarcasm in her voice. “Calling on Eitri was a brilliant stroke of genius, proving you were the right choice for the quest.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a dip of my head. “But you’re still dodging. Why are you really here?”

  She pursed her lips. “Oh, don’t be daft, Jack. You know perfectly well why I’ve come. You’ve been stalling.” She pointed an accusatory finger at me. “You discovered the key’s ability to open the way to Morsheim, yet you haven’t acted. I didn’t give you a weapon capable of undoing an Overmind only for you to sit here in Darkshard twiddling your thumbs.”

  “For one, you didn’t give me anything, Sophia,” I said with a scowl. “I earned the Editor and paid a steep price for it. Two, you can’t possibly put all of that on me. I’ve been working night and day to get things ready. The gates are built. The invasion plan is all mapped out. Vlad’s working on blueprints for the siege towers, and we’ve figured out a backdoor into Skálaholt. The War Council is the real problem. They fight me every step of the way, and if I push too hard, there’s a good chance most of them will just walk away from the table altogether.”

  “So what if they do, Jack?” She folded her arms. “When has that ever stopped you before, darling? You had no problem taking on Osmark and the Legion even when you were badly outnumbered. But now, the support of the War Co
uncil is so important?” She shook her head. “I think not. If you push, the War Council will follow your lead, and we both know it.”

  “I’m not sure I agree. Honestly, I think you’re giving me more credit than I deserve on that front. Sometimes I feel like the War Council is only humoring me.”

  A small smile tugged at her lips. “Maybe you’re right. But that won’t matter past tomorrow. As I said, I’ve been preparing the way. Moreover, there is some new information that I think will help galvanize that lot. Probably.”

  “Probably?”

  She spread her hands, it is what it is. “Even for us Overminds, it is terribly difficult to tell what you humans will do with your free will. If you all behaved the way we expected, maybe we wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. You don’t, however, and so here we are. But all of that is beside the point,” she said, waving a hand through the air dismissively. “You asked why I’m here, and it’s to tell you that you can’t stall any more. You’ve already put things off longer than you ought to have. It’s time, Jack.”

  I shoved myself away from the railing and began pacing. “But I don’t even know what the hell I’m supposed to do with this thing!” I tapped at the key, which blazed beneath my shirt, its light like the warmth of a trapped sunbeam. “How am I supposed to fight Thanatos? I have everything figured out except how to kill him.”

  “You will know when the time is right.”

  “Well, if that’s true, then why bother with the invasion at all, huh?” I asked. “If it’s really going to come down to me and Thanatos slugging it out anyway, why don’t I just sneak into Skálaholt by myself, hunt him down, and finish this thing? No War Council, no army, no casualties.”

  “Let’s say you manage to get into Skálaholt. Then what? Will you walk out into the town square and challenge Thanatos to a duel? This isn’t the Wild West, Jack, and Thanatos is no fool. He’ll lock himself away in the Empirical Library, and you’ll never get within ten miles of him.”