Ean charged up the stairs.
A gray-clawed hand smashed into his chest. A searing pain raked up his body as he was launched backwards. Regret over not having his armor on flashed into his mind for a moment before he struck the ground and everything was flushed from his head. As he tried to pull his thoughts back together, a low rumble filled the hall. It took a moment for Ean to realize that the sound was Raneth's laughter.
"What a brave young pup." Raneth's voice sounded like bones being crushed by stones. It was the screams of tiny animals being tortured. It was an unexpected chill on a hot, summer day. It was a voice created for the sole purpose of instilling fear in anything it touched. "By the tone of your minions' voices, they've warned you about my kind. And yet you still come charging ahead like some hero."
He wagged a bony, gray finger at Ean. "But we both know you are just a simple young pup with power he can't begin to comprehend."
It took some effort, but Ean got back to his feet.
"I never claimed to be a hero, but I'm not a monster either."
Auz, how do you kill a Nar'Grim?
With luck.
Of course. Why would he have expected the orb to be helpful when he needed it most?
"Not a monster?" Another low rumble of a laugh escaped Raneth's lips. "We're all monsters. Creatures created by this god or that. I've been in this world since long before the Plague and I've seen the depravity your kind is capable of committing. Believe me, the scheming of a weak race such as your own is much more devious and destructive than anything concocted in the Abyss." He gave Azalea a shake with his hand. Her body swung around limply. "Creatures like these can at least be somewhat loyal to family. I've seen humans stab brothers and sisters in the back just to gain the tiniest fraction of power."
"I'm not like that," Ean growled as he took a step forward.
Raneth brought Azalea around so that she was suspended between them like a shield. He continued to grin at Ean over her head. "Maybe not yet. The Plaguebringer wasn't either. He just needed the right pushes at opportune times to go from a hero to a dreaded lord."
Ean barked a laugh. "And you did the pushing, I'm to guess?"
"No, no. I'm many things, but I don't take credit for events beyond my control. It was this world and the people in it that made the man turn. And that's my point. I don't need to be the one to turn you down a darker path. All I have to do is wait and it will happen on its own. A betrayal. Some wrong you think needs to be righted. Even the most innocent action could be what eventually makes you fall."
The Nar'Grim said it all with such certainty, as if he were saying the sun would rise after the moons made their journey across the sky. It almost drove a wedge into Ean's newfound confidence. Almost. Ean kept his eyes locked on Azalea, and where Raneth's words pushed, he let his anger and fear for his friend push right back until those two emotions were all he felt. Then he struck.
Throwing out his hands, Ean created a barrier of energy between Azalea and Raneth. He hoped the force of it would slice through the monster's hand. Instead, the shield rose up from underneath the monster's arm, knocking it and Azalea away from his grasp. She hit the stairs with a yelp and rolled down in a surprisingly controlled manner to land deftly at Ean's feet. He kept his eyes locked on Raneth and poured all of his will into that barrier.
"So, you wish a battle of magic over one of brawn?" Raneth tapped at the barrier with a dirty black nail. It sizzled each time the two came into contact. "I haven't heard much about what you can do besides summon creatures I could easily rip apart with my bare hands. Is this one of many tricks you've learned?"
"I guess you'll see," Ean said through a clenched jaw.
"Oh, boy. You certainly are not the best at bluffing." Raneth reached out with both hands. They took on a dark violet glow as his fingertips touched the barrier. Then they passed through and Raneth parted the barrier as easily as if it was a silk curtain. A cold fear settled into Ean's stomach as Raneth pushed the barrier away and stepped through. Fear with a touch of curiosity. There had been something there when their energies had touched. Something--
Dark coils of violet light sprang out of nowhere and enveloped Ean's body. They pinned his arms against his body and his legs together. The light did more than bind. It also burned. His clothes only offered a few moments of protection before the energy began to sear his skin. Ean gritted his teeth and tried to think through the pain. Then, a cold voice pressed at his brain, different from Auz.
Let me destroy this creature.
Ean's body seized for a moment. There was that voice again. The greatest foe Ean had ever faced, the entity he had no power to hold at bay, the very one that had taken over his body back in Driavarage. The last thing Ean needed was to be waging battle on two fronts—inside, against this malicious faceless enemy, and outside, against Raneth. Of the two choices, Ean would much rather come up against a creature that he could see. Unfortunately, it wasn't up to him. All he could do is take them down one at time, starting with the easiest first.
Raneth took a few steps towards him, one hand extended and surrounded by the same violet glow. "This is nothing. I would expend more effort putting a Crux in its place."
The monster's hand balled into a fist and the energy coils around Ean tightened. Bones began to crack while his skin sizzled. Ean allowed himself a grunt. The energy he held was keeping the pain at bay but it wouldn't be long until it overwhelmed him. And there was still something there as the two energies interacted. It was like a riddle he had heard before but couldn't remember the solution for. If he could just figure it out . . .
I can destroy them all.
This time Ean let himself scream, the strength of his release barely pushing the voice back down again.
"Let him go!" Azalea yelled.
Ean hadn't seen when the Yulari had gotten back to her feet, but now she sprinted up the few steps between herself and Raneth. The Nar'Grim didn't even pause when she flung herself at him. His free arm swept out and swatted her away like a gnat. The force of the blow was like a thunderclap. Azalea spun off into the air over Ean's head with such force, he thought she could have flown forever. A thud behind him told him otherwise.
"That's one of your faithful advisors." Raneth scoffed. "One of tens of thousands of Yulari. Nothing special at all about her. Although having her wings torn from her does make her unique. Anything in the Abyss would have killed her before maiming her. Another example of how horrific your race can be." It shrugged massive shoulders and its head swiveled around. "Your other companion is much more interesting. Famous even! Where have you disappeared to, little imp?"
Raneth looked around, even going as far as to turn his back on Ean. With a surge of energy, Ean tried to break free. The coils around him didn't budge. The Nar'Grim glanced back at him for a moment, its thin lips curling into a sneer. Then its eyebrows rose and the sneer turned into a pointy-toothed smile.
"Ah, there you are, Zin." Raneth extended his free hand towards the top of the stairs. An orb of the same purple light appeared. Inside, tiny sparks of lightning danced around until Zin flashed into view. His body writhed and shook.
"Come here, my little oddity," Raneth cooed. The orb floated down until it was level with the monster's head. "A talking imp. I can't tell you how disappointed I was when I couldn't find you after the Plaguebringer's death. But now"–that grin somehow grew until it seemed to cover most of Raneth's face–"I look forward to picking you apart so I can figure out how an imp's pebble-sized brain was able to grow so big."
Lightning danced around inside the sphere, making Zin dance along with it. Raneth turned his attention back to Ean.
"Such a wonderful gift and I didn't even thank you. How rude of me."
Again the coils tightened. They cut through skin. Scorched bone. Ean took on as much Abyssmal energy as he could just to stay conscious. And through the pain and agony, that voice wrestled Ean for control.
LET ME RAZE THIS LAND AND ALL CORRUPTION FROM IT.
The tiniest piece of Ean's conscience that still held onto sanity lashed out. It beat back the voice–barely. His will battered against the magic that held him. Crawled along that magic and back to the Nar'Grim's hand. Followed the energy as it flowed from the monster's core. And that's where he found it.
A Scar-like fissure.
The energy that flowed out of it might be completely under the Nar'Grim's control, but its source was from somewhere else. Something primal that the Nar'Grim had been born with and couldn't control.
It belonged to Ean.
And he closed it just as he had the Scar, severing Raneth's ties with the Abyss, preventing him from tapping its power.
Searing pain vanished, replaced by a dull burn as his body rushed to heal itself. A small thud followed by a jolt that was nothing compared to the pain he had been experiencing ran up Ean's legs and settled into his gut. It was only when he gained enough composure that he realized his eyes had been squeezed shut. He opened them then, light blinding him for the briefest of moments. Then the world returned.
Zin lay on the steps not far away, little wisps of smoke rising off his slowly rising and falling chest.
Raneth sat on the stairs his hands limp at his side. It looked as if he had been gut punched. Mouth agape. Eyes wide and vacant. If Ean had broken the monster's mind, all the better. Unfortunately, Ean wasn't that lucky. As he pushed himself up into a kneeling position, the movement seemed to break Raneth out of his shock.
"What have you done . . . " His voice started as a murmur. The voice of a child that just had its favorite toy broken. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Now a mountain exploding. "YOU INSIGNIFICANT BUG. I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB. I WILL FEAST ON YOUR HEART. SUCK THE MARROW FROM YOUR BONES."
Ean let him rant. His body was still healing itself. The energy he held restoring both his body and his strength. He felt exhausted, but there was still more fighting to be done.
The clatter of metal along stone caught his attention. Looking down, Ean found a sword skittering to a stop right by his hand. Without thought, his fingers wrapped around the hilt. A grim smile touched his lips that he was sure the Seeker didn't return. Maybe if he was able to kill this monster, the woman would leave him alone.
"YOU THINK A SIMPLE SWORD--"
"Enough, Raneth." Ean got to his feet. For almost being burned and sliced into three pieces, his body had regained a good deal of strength. That slow burn of his injuries remained, though. "It’s time we end this."
A guttural scream escaped Raneth's twisted lips and he charged. A great lumbering beast that probably could have made whole armies flee from its approach. Ean was simply too tired to be afraid.
Raneth's speed and strength should have been enough to bring about Ean's death. But the creature was broken. Its source of power was gone. Claws swiped in blurs of motion but they were slower than any attack Jaan had sent at Ean in their many sparring matches. There was no thought behind them either. Raneth came at him, rage and despair driving him now. He was almost sad, like a pet that had gone rabid and needed to be put down. Sad, but still dangerous.
Ean dodged. He cut. He was patient. He moved by instinct, letting training control where his exhausted mind could not.
He waited.
And then, when the time was right, Ean drove the blade deep into the center of the Nar'Grim's wrinkled gray chest.
A giant claw lashed out and struck Ean square in the face. This was the last strike, though, of a dying creature. The blow still stung like a hornet's nest and made him release his grip on the sword as he stumbled backwards. After a few steps Ean dropped onto his backside and didn't bother to get back up.
Instead, Ean sat there and watched one of the most powerful creatures of the Abyss die.
Raneth didn't explode into an eruption of energy. He didn't thrash about, tear up the stone, or curse Ean to eternal pain and suffering. The Nar'Grim stood there, staring down at the hilt of the sword buried in its chest. Fear touched the animal features of its face. Fear and sadness. Its legs were the first to accept its death, folding up underneath the massive body. Raneth caught itself with its clawed hands on the stone floor, but they quickly lost their strength as well. Raneth flopped onto its side. Its chest rose and fell five times. Six. Then stopped.
A sadness settled into Ean which he knew was foolish but embraced anyway. Killing anything with the age and experience that Raneth had held, regardless of its evil intentions, should make a person sad. And nothing, human or beast, should die so alone.
Azalea was at his side, her left arm at a bizarre angle. Dark red welts marred her pristine blue skin. He would heal her. When he had the energy for it. Now he was just trying to stay conscious. And where was Zin? He could feel him, their bond just as strong as he could feel Azalea's and the Hound's. The Hound was content. Probably had a good meal and was resting on pillows while Ean sat on the cold stone floor. Well, good for him. At least one in their group had escaped harm . . .
"Stay away from him!"
Azalea's voice brought him back to the present. He glanced up, or more accurately his head flopped back so he could look up, and found the Seeker standing just a few paces away. Sword in hand. When had she retrieved it from Raneth's chest? Exhaustion clouded Ean's thoughts. He just wanted to sleep.
"I should kill you." It almost sounded like a question coming from the Seeker's lips. Was Ean supposed to answer? Azalea tensed and Ean somehow managed to place a restraining hand on her leg. "I probably will kill you, just not today."
"I appreci . . . " Ean couldn't even finish the word. His mind was all muck and mud.
"You've shown me a lot, Ean Sangrave." Kaytlin continued. "More humanity than I've seen in other people. That, at least, will stay my hand for now."
Ean nodded.
"Maybe you are different from the Plaguebringer. Maybe, like that monster said, you're the same. A good man but a simple twist of fate away from becoming a bad one."
Ean's eyes were getting heavy. His mouth hung slightly open. The part of his mind still grasping to stay awake hoped he wasn't drooling.
"I'll tell the temple about you. Can't promise what they will do. They might send me right back out to kill you. My god might kill me. But for today, you are not my enemy. I hope that stays true."
Ean slumped into Azalea's arms and darkness overwhelmed him.
Chapter 41
Ean slept for almost two days. A peaceful and dreamless respite. When he finally woke, Azalea and Zin were at his side, both full of smiles if not still sporting some of the aftereffects of their battle with Raneth. They were all smiles for him, though. While Azalea went to find a servant to fetch him food, Zin quickly relayed what had happened.
Haavian Joor had arrived with a few guards moments after Ean had passed out. He and the Seeker had exchanged a few words and then had her escorted out. Zin and Azalea had spent quite a bit more time explaining to Haavian what had happened. He seemed skeptical but that hulking body of the creature that had been Raneth added credulence to their story. They had tried to get The Silent King to say something, but Haavian had quickly escorted them out at that point, scraping and bowing as he went. Even the captain of the guard was too lowly of a position to speak to The Silent King.
Now they sat—Ean, Azalea, Zin, and the Hound—waiting for Haavian to speak to them again. The first person to walk through the doors, however, was Dao.
"Heard I missed one heck of a show," he said, plopping down on one of the couches. "Good thing. I would have shown that Nargle a thing or two."
"Nar'Grim," Ean corrected.
"And you would have soiled your pants." Azalea moved over to the Hound and began scratching behind its ears. "Or maybe you already knew what it was and would have tried to help it put us down." The words came out of her mouth casually, but Ean could feel the whips of suspicion through their bond and couldn't help wondering the same thing.
"Oh, no, no. The one meeting I had with the man went exactly as I said, and he wasn't some creature from children'
s nightmares when I saw him. Quite a bit of magic, that. Hiding some terrible beast behind the appearance of a harmless old man." He gestured towards Azalea. "Makes you wonder if this beautiful specimen before us is the Yulari's true form or if she is actually some ugly, old hag."
Azalea rose, her blood-red eyes flaring. Before she could say a word, or commit a horrible act of violence on the man, Haavian Joor strode into the room.
"You look a little worse for the wear," Dao got out before the man had even fully entered the room.
Haavian shot daggers from his eyes at Dao but his attention was on Ean when he replied. "Seeing as how I spent the last day or so making sure this city didn't fall into chaos, and the rest of our lands with it, I expect I look quite haggard."
"Have a seat then," Ean offered.
"No, thank you. I've spent most of my waking hours sitting. Sitting and listening. Which then, has turned into me telling people exactly how we are going to do things. It appears having the full support of every armed man and woman in the city has put me in charge of the entire city."
"Congratulations!" Dao replied. "If we had something to drink, we could give you a proper toast." He raised his eyebrows.
"It is not a position I ever wanted."
"Sometimes we don't get a choice," Ean said, favoring the man with a smile. "But we still have to do the best we can with the responsibility."
"Yes, I suppose you would understand that best.”
"What of The Silent King?" Thinking back Ean found it strange the man hadn't even moved when things had gone bad. "He isn't in charge anymore?"
"A doll," Haavian said, his gaze dropping to his tightly clenched hands.
"What?"
"Twigs and grass stuffed into sacks and dressed up as a person. A puppet and nothing more."
"Well . . . "
Haavian waved off Ean's next question. "It is not something I wish to discuss. Being fooled by a creature from the Abyss to follow a sack of straw is bad enough without having to speak more of it. Only your group, myself, and a few of the other guards know the truth. If you can keep this secret, I plan on informing the rest of the population that The Silent King was murdered by this Nar'Grim and leave it at that."
Enemies and Allies (Bound to the Abyss Book 3) Page 34
