Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  I was back in my body, watching everything swirl down from above. My back throbbed as the magic flowed into me. The power coiled and my spine snapped and shifted. Vertebras shuffled down my backbone, clicking into place, and the muscles tightened. Finally the magnet that held me in the sand released.

  I paused for a moment before trying to move. My body floated upward softly and my legs stretched out beneath me. I waved my arms and planted both feet into the sandy bottom. Joy overwhelmed me and a smile was glued to my face.

  I reveled in the sensation of each grain drifting between my toes. Rough textures rubbed against my feet and I laughed, bubbles aerating up from my lips. I pushed against the sand and drifted up from the lake, floating towards the surface.

  When I broke through the top, however, there was nothing but smoke. I took a breath and gagged as the pungent smell burned my throat.

  Raging fires scorched the water and the shoreline, sending clouds of thick, black smoke into the air. Everywhere I turned there was more fire; I was surrounded by a flaming sea. The heat blurred my vision and everything around me grew dark.

  My eyes opened and I snapped back to reality, lying on the dead grass, surrounded by purple leaves, and staring into the sky I’d fallen out of. Pain scorched my left arm and fresh tears in my skin shot flames like a staged fire show.

  I rolled against the ground, trying to smother the crackling heat, but the dead grass only caught fire. I screamed as the flames bit into my skin, and after what felt like an eternity, the fire sucked itself back inside me.

  Left with only scalding pain, I rolled away from the burning patch of grass and watched it slowly dwindle until there was nothing but smoke.

  The sky was a dark blue. Pinholes of white light sparkled above and the moon was massive, taking up almost the entire sky. I panted for air, my heart threatening to tear itself from my chest.

  Both my legs ached as I pulled them up, and a wave of panic and disbelief washed over me. Pain? I could feel pain! An uncontrollable smile crept over my lips.

  Tears streamed down my face, running into my ears. I tried to scream, partly in relief that I wasn’t paralyzed, partly in pain, but nothing came. My throat was dry and raw, but I didn’t let it steal my smile.

  My right arm was fine. What was once covered in burns had completely healed. My left arm, however, was a revolting mess.

  It was marred with torn skin and red, bubbled flesh. The original cuts had widened, and the skin surrounding the gashes was black. Lines of white pus trickled from the wound, making me woozy.

  My head fell back to the ground and the grass poked into my skin. I wanted to sit up, I wanted to look around for my friends, but I couldn’t. All I could think about was the pain that tore through my arm and the smell of burnt skin making my stomach turn.

  I felt the bile rise in my throat and I tried to roll over. The excitement of having feeling in my legs had passed and my arm hurt far too much to move. The pain was overwhelming and I dry heaved twice before puking.

  I managed to turn my head to the side, and the bile spilled over my face. The taste in my mouth was horrid, but the burning in my throat was practically unnoticeable compared to my arm.

  The disoriented feeling didn’t vanish. Instead it sucked me deep into its reality and the world around me started to fade. No, I thought. Not again.

  I tried to sit up and fight the pain. I couldn’t afford to pass out; there wasn’t any time, but the image of my arm made me woozy once again, and I was forced to succumb to exhaustion.

  ******

  Riley and the Dark Brothers were in a nearly empty room. A single table sat in the center, marked with engravings. Both the Brothers were seated at it, staring at Riley as he paced.

  “All he is doing is getting in the way. Whatever you think we need him for, we don’t.”

  Darius and Drake glanced at one another. Both of them held expressions I couldn’t read.

  “Trust us; we know how the ritual works. You are merely a vessel here,” Darius said.

  Riley glared at them, the black swirling inside his eyes. His jaw worked as he ground his teeth.

  “What did you say?”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “Merely a vessel? I’m going to invoke Ithreal’s power and you will crumble at my feet. Do not think of yourself with such value. You are replaceable.” Riley reached into his coat pocket and pulled out Ithreal’s dagger. The double-edged blade spun in his hands, and he wielded it with expertise.

  Darius’s eyes blinked and turned solid black. He jumped gracefully from his seat and in a blur was behind Riley. “Do you remember who we are?” His words were a harsh whisper. “We are the sons of Ithreal. Even with that dagger, you are but an ant in my presence. I have not spent thousands of years stuck in this hell to be spoken to with such disregard. You are not my master, and until you are, I suggest you watch your tone.”

  “Darius!” Drake’s voice was commanding, but he didn’t rise from his seat. His fingers tapped idly on the wood, dancing against the oak repeatedly until finally they slowed to trace the engravings.

  Black tendrils spiraled from Riley’s back and wrapped themselves around Darius. With a force much greater than any hunter, Riley thrust him into the stone fireplace without so much as turning around.

  “Threaten me again, and it will be your end. You may be a demigod, but I am already stronger than you.”

  Darius’s magic came to life and his face contorted in anger.

  “Darius, I will not repeat myself,” Drake said, rising from his seat.

  Darius stared over Riley’s shoulder into his brother’s eyes. Drake did not move, or say another word, and his brother’s power faded. Darius nodded. “Yes…Master, please forgive me,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Riley nodded. “Remember that.” The tendrils receded, dropping Darius and forcing his knees to buckle, sending him to the ground. Riley went back to pacing the room. “What I am doing is for the greater good. For all of us and the humans. This war must end!” He slammed his fist against the table, leaning in, inches away from Drake’s face.

  “I agree. That is why we are all here,” Drake said.

  “Then why must we keep them alive? That…abomination obstructs his view. With her out of the picture, I could turn him. I know I can!”

  “We need her, and him. They are part of all this now, and without them, all of this is for nothing,” Drake said. “You have worked too hard, Master, to throw it all away. Let the kids play hero. As long as they stay alive there is nothing to fear. This, I can assure you.”

  Riley’s eyes searched Drake’s face, but it was unmoving. He glanced over his shoulder at Darius on the ground and sighed. “Keep your brother in line. I do not wish to remove him from my side, but I will not let anything get in the way. All the lives I have taken were sacrifices in the name of peace, and I will not let their deaths be in vain because of some arrogant cockroach.”

  “I will make sure it does not happen again,” he said, staring at Darius.

  “See that you do, or you too will be held responsible.” Riley pushed the table with little effort, and it slid across the floor and smashed into the wall, leaving a hole. He cast his glare between the Brothers before shaking his head and disappearing from the room.

  “Brother,” Darius said, coming to his feet. “Why must we—”

  Drake raised his hand, silencing his brother. “Riley is right. There have been too many deaths to throw away what we’ve done. I know what you’re feeling, Brother, and I feel it too, but you must keep control.” Drake stood from his chair and walked towards Darius. He grabbed both sides of his face and pulled their foreheads together. “We must do this, for Father.”

  Darius stared back at his brother. With the exception of their hairstyles, they looked almost like a reflection of one another. Darius nodded. “Yes, Brother. For Father, I shall do this.”

  “Not just for Father,” Drake said. “For us. To give us back what we sacrificed so many mi
llennia ago. We are only two soul pieces away and this can all come to an end. Until then, we must be patient.”

  A smile crept over Darius’s face. “For us too, then.” He nodded. “I can taste Father’s power already. So close.”

  “Do not lose focus again.” Drake released Darius from his grip and brushed the dust from his brother’s leather coat.

  “I won’t, Brother. I promise you this.”

  Darius smiled and nodded. “Now, let us use the hunter we captured and speak with Father. Let us find the last pieces and put an end to this.”

  ******

  I didn’t open my eyes. I could feel consciousness coming back to me but I didn’t want to lose my place. I couldn’t tell if I had witnessed a vision, or if I had intruded on a current conversation, but I wanted to see more.

  The throbbing in my arm had numbed to a constant buzzing beneath my skin. As I tried to move it, the pain came back with a vengeance. Cold dots touched my face and stung my arms, making me realize whatever I had seen was gone. I couldn’t put myself back in that room.

  Small white flakes fell from a perfectly blue sky, and the air around me had grown still. My neck was stiff as I turned it from side to side, and my vision blurred as flakes fell into my eyes. I blinked and rubbed them away, finally able to see my surroundings without the blinding pain from before.

  On either side of me, the brown grass went on for as far as I could see in both directions. I groaned and pushed myself up with my good arm, only to find a red stone desert in front of me, expanding in the distance. Blue sky and red earth merged into the horizon where two red suns were breaking over the edge of the world.

  I brushed the dead grass from my pants and horrible smells filled the air. I turned in a circle, sniffing the air until I realized it was me. My black shirt was covered in crusty green and yellow vomit, and I started gagging. I could feel the bile rising in my throat again and I pulled the shirt over my head. The left sleeve was completely missing, and I had to tear bits of melted fabric from my arm. I grunted as the crusty shirt tore from my arm, making clear liquid pool inside the wound.

  I threw the shirt to the ground, leaving me in nothing but a black muscle shirt. Hints of the tattoo were exposed on my shoulder, and my arms were littered with scars.

  Keeping my injured arm curled against my stomach, I avoided moving it while I ran the other hand through my hair. It was thick and greasy and smelled of vomit. I shuddered and wiped my hand on my pants.

  Without the use of my earth element, I focused on the sounds around me. None of my friends were near, and I hoped I would hear a noise or call from one of them, but nothing came.

  “Hello?” I shouted, and my voice echoed back to me, louder than I had said it. It startled me at first and I looked around, but nothing had changed.

  “Marcus! Rayna! Tiki!” I bellowed through a cupped hand, but my own voice was all that returned.

  Surveying the area, I discovered I was still at the mouth of the forest. Towering trees cast shadows around me, and as I stepped forward, I felt like the white knots in their bark were staring back at me, moving as I did. Bare green limbs reached out to one another, nearly touching, and tiny screams creaked around them each time they moved.

  The ground rumbled and I stepped back. Adrenaline pulsed through me in fear that I was about to have an instant replay, but the ground never cracked.

  As I crept closer to the edge of the forest, I saw a tree pull itself from the earth. The roots moved like legs, walking across the dirt floor for a few feet in the opposite direction. When it stopped, the ground shook and the tree roared again as it replanted itself in the earth, sending a cloud of red dust into the air.

  The desert wasn’t an option, and the grassy path on either side of me was endless. I was at the edge of the forest we’d tried to approach a lifetime ago—at least, it seemed like a lifetime ago. I feared for my friends, but I was where we had wanted to be, and I couldn’t stop now. For all I knew, they were lost somewhere inside.

  I stared into the woods, listening to the creaking limbs of each tree shriek as they moved. I took a deep breath and shook my head, keeping my arm stiff against my abdomen. “Here goes nothing.”

  Chapter 36

  I cut through the black and purple leaves standing in my way and bent back the lower branches that threatened to mar my body. I had enough damage to deal with already without a hundred annoying scratches burning my skin.

  My pulse jumped in my throat and I leaped back every time a tree uprooted itself and moved, replanting its roots somewhere nearby. I kept looking up, watching the trees lean towards me as I passed, forcing me to quicken my pace.

  After hours of walking, the suns had risen and were nearly at their peak in the sky, but considering where I was, that didn’t mean anything. The snow had stopped and the heat was intense. The humidity inside the woods grew heavier with each step, and sweat trickled down my body in a never ending flow.

  My hand was cupped around my mouth as I called out names, but the echoes had stopped, leaving me to feel even more alone. The forest was denser the farther I walked, and the colors changed from black and purple to brown and orange. And as far as I’d seen, the world was vacant of flowers or anything that resembled beauty.

  I cussed under my breath as a thorny branch scraped against my arm, cutting open the drying blisters. The cut throbbed in pain and a stream of blood spurted from the wound. I cursed and waved my arm in the air as if that could dull the hurt.

  “Dammit!” I kicked a fallen log in my path and screams that were not my own exploded in front of me.

  I jumped back, gripping my dagger, and multiple trees jumped from the red earth and moved towards me, their limbs slashing through the air.

  “What the—” I ducked as a slimy branch attempted to cut off my head.

  My eyes widened, and I hopped over the log, sprinting through the woods. As confident as I was in my abilities, I didn’t think using a dagger to attempt to slay a moving tree would be in my best interests.

  I cringed and gritted my teeth as branches slapped against me. I couldn’t keep my arm against my stomach anymore, not if I wanted to run the uneven terrain and keep my balance. As I passed the trees, they uprooted themselves and began to move. I pushed myself until everything swam past me in a blur.

  I was running faster than a hunter should have been able to, but I didn’t give a second thought to leaping over rocks and dead brush that stood in my way. I soared over them without the aid of my air element, and even when my chest hurt, I didn’t slow down.

  The ground shook as the trees moved faster. Multiple white roots carried the trees over the earth, and the screams coming from their movements sounded like an army of injured warriors on the hunt.

  When I’d gained some distance, I jumped down into a ditch and crawled under a makeshift bridge. A small creek of black water ran underneath it, but it was a slow trickle, at best. I pushed my back against the moist red dirt that supported the bridge and tried to catch my breath. The ground shook and I could hear the leaves shaking on the trees’ branches. They weren’t going to stop. I tried to push myself into the dirt wall and cling to the shadow the bridge provided, but I was as close as I could get.

  The trees slowed as they neared the bridge, and when they’d stopped moving completely, their roots dove into the earth. I wanted to stay there and wait, but the black water running beneath my feet was beginning to eat away at my shoes.

  I lifted my foot to find the rubber sole smoking, and the scent was acrid. I sidestepped along the edge of the creek, trying to keep my feet out of it, but I couldn’t. The water level had begun to rise and it was almost flowing over the top of my shoes. I crept out from under the bridge and climbed up the embankment.

  A rush of water sounded in the distance, growing louder by the second. I backed away from the bridge and a current of black liquid tore down through the canal like a raging dam had been opened. White rapids bubbled as the water flowed under the bridge, splashing up
over the edges. With the water came the smell of rotten fish, and I covered my mouth.

  Turning to find another path, a loud shriek sounded behind me and I was slammed into the ground. Both daggers slipped from my hands, rolling beneath a carpet of brown leaves. I crawled towards them, brushing layer after layer of leaves to the side.

  A glint of silver sparkled and I pawed at the earth as it sucked the daggers down. I pulled the first one out and dug my fingers into the moist dirt around the other. By the time I uncovered it enough to pull it out, it was nearly a foot deep in the dirt.

  “What the hell is this place?” I said, gripping the blade carefully and pulling it from the ground.

  Something slithered around my ankles and pulled at my legs. I tried to climb to my feet, but it was too late. Thick, slimy branches had wrapped themselves around me and yanked me into the air.

  More trees tore their roots from the ground and circled us, huddling beside one another and creating a wooden cage. Screams pierced my ears as each tree swung their greasy limbs towards me, smashing into my body.

  All the air was crushed from my lungs and I covered my head, gripping both daggers. The beatings didn’t stop. Branch after branch hit me with a solid thud, and I flexed all my muscles, hoping to reduce the impact.

  When the hits stopped, I uncovered my head. All the trees loomed around me, their branches flailing in the air. Their roots had been replanted into the dark red dirt, and their bodies creaked.

  I gripped my blades and my abs burned as I pulled myself up to my ankles. I reached out and dragged the silver edge across the green arm that held me, and it screamed, dropping me to the ground.

  Other limbs reached out to catch me, but I slashed the blades frantically and the limbs pulled back with a shriek. I hit the ground and rolled down a small hill, sending leaves flying up into the air. Mid-roll I managed to climb to my feet, and I broke back into a run.

  I ran as fast as I could until the stampede of trees had stopped, and then I ran farther. When my chest hurt too much to continue, I slowed my pace and caught my breath, looking behind me every few steps.