Cadrian rushed forward, catching him completely off guard. He barely managed to throw himself out of the way of her first sword strike, and overhead slash. He pulled his sword loose from his scabbard, only managing to block her next strike an instant before it would have sliced into his abdomen.
“I’m not even trying,” said Cadrian. “And neither are you.”
She pushed him back with a series of strikes that were too fast for Hal to follow. He only blocked them because she’d intended for him to, angling each cut and slash to his sword instead of vital points on his body. She stopped and took several steps backward, creating a gap between them.
“If you wanted to kill me, Halrin, you would have drawn your pistol instead of your sword.” Cadrian sheathed her weapon and waited, giving him a chance to do it, if he wanted to.
Hal thought of Lilith, and of his father. She’d been the one riding Aangavar. She was the person who’d stolen his old life from him, murdered his family, and stranded him in a strange land full of people looking to take advantage of him.
And she was also his master. She’d also kissed him, taught him, and pushed him to be a stronger person. He appreciated her for that almost as much as he hated her for the chaos she’d sown into his fate.
“…Why?” he asked. “What do you want?”
Cadrian took that as her cue to close the distance between them. She walked over to him, stood just within range of his sword, and looked him in the eyes. Hal saw something in her expression, genuine sadness, along with guilt. Along with shame. It was something real, and he understood more about her from glimpsing it than he had in the rest of the time he’d known her.
“The Empress requires a favor from you,” said Cadrian. “She sent me to convince you. To manipulate you into doing it, if I had to.”
“Are you serious?” asked Hal. “I already gave the Empress her answer, and she burned my homestead down in return. You’re out of your mind if you think I’d hear her out a second time.”
“She has hostages,” said Cadrian. “Laurel’s brother, Willum. He was originally taken to apply pressure to Lady Katara and keep her loyal, but once Empress Kay discovered his connection to Laurel and her connection to you, she shifted her focus.”
“Willum…” Hal sighed, feeling annoyed at how easily the situation could have been averted. He’d given Willum the chance to escape with him, and Willum had refused.
“She’ll try to capture Laurel, too, if she can,” said Cadrian. “This is how Empress Kay operates.”
There was an edge of bitterness to Cadrian’s voice that hinted at something.
“She’s doing it to you, too,” said Hal. “You wouldn’t be here, otherwise.”
“She has my sister,” said Cadrian.
“I thought you said Marnella was dead?” asked Hal.
“My younger sister.”
Hal didn’t say anything to that. He sheathed his sword and folded his arms, annoyed by his lack of good options.
“What does she want from me?”
CHAPTER 16
“The Empress has recovered an ancient artifact known as the Jessa Archive,” said Cadrian. “It’s a memory crystal with the personality and life experiences of a historical Heart Holder etched into it.”
Hal raised eyebrow, remembering something from earlier. “Was it here? In Meldence?”
Cadrian nodded. “It was the Empress’s motivation for the attack, both on West Haven, where it was first rumored to be, and on Meldence.”
“That’s ridiculous,” said Hal. “There are other ways she could have recovered it. Attacking Meldence makes no sense.”
He hesitated, remembering the savagery with which the Empress had come after the heartgem, burning through his family for her chance at possessing it. And Cadrian had been the instrument of destruction. Hal looked away from her, feeling as though he was failing his family’s memory in some way.
“The Empress thinks differently than you or I,” said Cadrian. “She’s old, even by eklid standards. It’s why you should give serious consideration to this offer.”
“Why does she need me?” asked Hal. “It sounds like she already has what she wants.”
“Jessa was a Heart Holder,” said Cadrian. “She locked her memories away in a form that only another Heart Holder can access. The Empress wants you to unlock the archive.”
“What could possibly be within it that’s worth all of this?” asked Hal.
Cadrian shook her head. “I don’t know for certain. My honest opinion of this offer is that it leaves you with leverage. The Empress can sometimes become desperate in the most petty of ways.”
“And if I refuse?” asked Hal.
He wasn’t sure he needed her answer. After watching the homestead burn at the hand of the Empress’s valkyries, he had a sense of what she might do.
“She’ll take it out on the people close to you, if she can,” said Cadrian. “On Laurel, and her brother. On Zoria, if she discovers the connection there.”
Hal nodded, her thoughts confirming his own.
“Could this be a trap?” he asked.
“Very possible,” said Cadrian. “I see no reason why the Empress wouldn’t consider capturing or double-crossing you as soon as she has what she wants.”
Hal tapped his finger against his leg. He was still feeling the effects of all the ale he’d imbibed over the course of the night.
“I need your answer now,” said Cadrian. “She’s expecting me back by morning. If you are willing to take this risk, come with me now.”
Everything about the offer set off his suspicions, down to the fact that Cadrian was the one presenting it to him. What did that mean? The Empress could have sent another of her valkyries, or perhaps even another human, a slave, or a member of the Ardstones’ extended family.
She’d sent Cadrian, of all people. Was she hoping that Hal would refuse? Or did she suspect that his old master would have the tact to manipulate him into coming along, despite all the bad blood between them?
It doesn’t matter. If refusing puts Laurel in danger, I don’t have a choice.
He felt bad about breaking the promise he’d made to her earlier, but there wasn’t time for him to head back to the castle to let her know of his plans. And she might have talked him out of them, as level-headed as she’d become in the last month.
“Let’s go,” said Hal.
He took a step in the direction of the nearest gate. Cadrian grabbed his hand, her fingers cold against the palm, and instead pulled him in another direction. They walked along the wall for a dozen or so feet, before stopping.
She pulled back a curtain of vines growing from the battlements above. Behind it was a triangular shaped crack in the wall, with a section of dirt dug out underneath it to allow for passage, if the people involved were willing to squeeze through.
“How did you know about this?” asked Hal.
“It’s my job,” said Cadrian. She didn’t look at him as she replied, instead moving to pass through the gap.
Hal followed after her, and within a minute, they were both outside the city, jogging north through the darkness. The air was sobering and cold on his face, and it helped him focus.
He remembered Karnas as he ran alongside Cadrian and wondered if the dragon might still be in range of the city. He’d been so upset after learning the truth about his heritage. Hal knew he needed to apologize, preferably sooner, rather than later, but it would have to happen on Karnas’s terms, given how hard it would be for him to head off and find the dragon.
Cadrian moved through the darkness ahead of him, each of her long, loping steps only barely seeming to touch the ground. Hal could almost trick himself into thinking that they were training together, running as an exercise. He could almost do that, before his emotions reminded him of the betrayal, and the rift between them.
What was he supposed to do about that? He’d wanted revenge so badly, and now here he was, outside the city in the middle of the night, with her right there. He c
ould kill her. He knew how to get to West Haven and doubted that the Empress would begrudge him for doing away with one of her less favored servants.
He’d killed before, more times now than he could count. Would it make much of a difference to have a little more blood on his hands in the name of revenge? The first part of the question echoed in his head, as though it was the answer he’d been seeking.
Would it make a difference? To kill Cadrian? Would it really change anything or bring me the right kind of satisfaction?
Acknowledging that it wouldn’t made Hal hate her even more. He wouldn’t kill her, not just yet, and maybe not ever. But he wouldn’t stop hating her, either.
“Ahead,” said Cadrian. “There’s a group of husks behind the next hill.”
She didn’t stop to discuss strategy or ask if he was ready. She simply unsheathed her sword and moved to engage. Hal reached for his pistol, and then hesitated. He was heading into an encounter with the Empress, and he had no idea when the next time he’d be able to refill his heartgem would be.
He opted against using his magic, instead drawing his short sword and falling into position next to Cadrian. There were six of the monsters gathered around a corpse, slowly digging into it with their crowded teeth and overlong fingers.
They stood up straight in eerie unison as Hal and Cadrian approached. Four of them charged Cadrian, while the other two came for Hal. The limited range of his short sword meant that he could only attack from within their reach, forcing him to wait until the monsters were almost upon him before making his move.
Hal severed a hand from the lead husk and watched as the stump left in its place gushed black ichor. He stabbed his sword through its chest, but the wound had little, if any effect.
The other husk attacked him from the side. Hal kicked his boot out, knocking it back. He pulled his sword loose and spun, slashing both of them. The cuts were superficial, but the husks still had some minor self-preservation instincts that pulled them back and out of the way.
Cadrian was making short work of her share of the monsters. Two of them were already down, decapitated and missing limbs. She was advancing on the others, her sword singing through the air as she held them at bay and aimed for their necks.
One of the husks grabbed Hal’s free wrist. He cut the monster’s hand loose, and then jammed the tip of his sword through its face. It proved to be enough, and the husk crumpled to the ground.
The other leapt at him, colliding with the side of his shoulder and knocking him off balance. Hal gritted his teeth, fighting the urge to draw his pistol. He dodged another strike and hacked the monster’s head off with two blows that alternated on either side of its neck.
The battle was over. Husks were far from the most challenging opponents Hal had faced, and he took little comfort in the fact that they’d managed to win without injury. The threat of the husks was more in their value against civilians, against cities full of people who would spook at the sight of a monster.
“Let’s keep moving,” said Cadrian. She didn’t ask if he was okay. She didn’t even wait for a response. She took off at the same speed of a jog she’d been moving at before, and Hal followed after her, feeling an unwanted stab of nostalgia over his old master’s mannerisms.
CHAPTER 17
West Haven came into view a few hours later, when it was approaching morning, but still before the first light of dawn. The only reason Hal was able to see it at a distance was due to the fires scattered about the ruined town’s perimeter. And of course, the smell.
It was a mixture of salt, blood, and the strangely sweet scent of burning flesh. West Haven had been a farming village, positioned between Lake Krestia and the ocean. It was small, compared to Meldence, and considered to be somewhat backwoods, full of uncultured, rural peasants.
It felt irreverent to think of the town like that, with its buildings now destroyed, and its former inhabitants dead and dying. Hal wished that he didn’t have to see it, and at the same time, couldn’t look away.
Large, metal stakes had been set up in long rows, leading toward the center of the village. A person was speared through onto each one, some lengthwise, and some with the stakes pushing through their stomachs. Crystals littered the ground directly underneath, pulsing as blood dripped down onto them. It was like something out of a dark painting. A horrific aisle of death and suffering that led directly back to those responsible for it.
“…Why?” muttered Hal.
Cadrian glanced over at him, her face unreadable.
“The blood feeds the power of the crystals,” she said, as though his question needed an actual answer. “Crystals are a bit like gemstones, but instead of filling with emotional essence, they use life essence. This is the only way to refill them.”
She walked in front of him, not looking to either side at the countless bodies speared through. She didn’t look at the ground, either, the grass and dirt blackened with fresh blood. Her words echoed in Hal’s head. Was that why so many slaves were needed in the Upper Realm? What percentage of them were sacrificed for the sake of filling crystals?
Human and maug lives are worth nothing to them.
He tried to focus on breathing through his mouth as they moved deeper into the village. A dozen large tents had been set up in what had probably once been the village square. Hal expected the two of them to be stopped and questioned by guards, but there was only one on duty, and he seemed to recognize Cadrian on sight, waving her forward.
Despite the extent of the death and destruction, it didn’t appear as though there was an actual elven army holding West Haven. Judging from the number of tents, Hal doubted that there were more than a hundred elves present, probably closer to half that. A single dragon lay across the grass near the back of the camp. None of it fit with what he’d been expecting.
The largest of the tents had its entrance flap pulled open. Cadrian glanced over at him before heading inside. His heart was pounding, and he took a deep breath to calm himself.
Crystal lamps lit the interior, allowing Hal to recognize Tessianna, who sat upon a large, throne-like wooden chair. She looked even younger than she had in the view crystal projection, which caught him off guard. He knew that she was probably around his age, if not a little older, but her slight, elven build, pointed ears, and soft facial features were disarming in how juvenile they appeared.
Her hair was pale blonde, and she wore a golden robe with a red sash across the middle. Glitterdust was sprinkled over it in places, making her glimmer with each of her movements. She smiled at Cadrian, and then widened the expression into a grin when she saw Hal.
“We meet in person at last,” said Tessianna. “Oh, how joyous I find this moment to be.”
Hal didn’t say anything, instead glancing around the tent. He did a double take when he noticed someone who shouldn’t have been there. Standing along the left side of the tent, clad in black, form-fitting valkyrie tights, was Zoria.
She saw him at the same time his eyes settled on her. Hal saw the change in her expression, the hesitation and confusion on her face. He looked away from her, feeling suddenly overwhelmed by her presence.
“Well?” asked Tessianna. “Have you nothing to say to me? Did you come all the way here to stand in silence within my presence?”
“You’re the one interested in making me an offer,” said Hal. “I don’t have anything to say until I hear it.”
It made sense for Zoria to be there, serving Tessianna as one of her valkyries. She had experience operating on the surface, and recent experience, at that. Hal could understand the position she was in, but at the same time, he felt repulsed by the fact that she was a part of what had happened to West Haven.
All those dead innocents. She was a part of that. She did that.
He wanted, more than anything, to be somewhere else. He could barely focus on what mattered. His emotions surged in conflict as he thought of all the aid Zoria had given him, and who she was as a person, versus the pointless destruction and dea
th on display outside.
“You are here, in my control,” said Tessianna. “I want to make sure you understand what that means. I’ll have your weapons, to begin with.”
Hal found himself wishing that she would either get to the point, or at least shut her stupid mouth. He shook his head.
“That’s not happening,” said Hal.
Tessianna bristled at his response. She glared at him slightly, folding one leg over the other and revealing a little thigh.
“Have you no conception of who you’re speaking to?” asked Tessianna. “I am the Empress’s daughter. Do you know what that means?”
“No, but I suspect you’re about to tell me,” said Hal.
He expected the jab to set her off, but Tessianna smiled instead.
“All of my older sisters are dead,” said Tessianna. “Killed by my mother. Either because of failures on their part, or suspicion of betrayal. I am here because I have served her well. And I will continue to serve her well. And you will not make demands of me, cattle!”
She gestured to one of the valkyries standing near Zoria. Hal drew his sword and pistol. His heartgem was warm inside his shirt, tempting him to push into a Ruby Trance and initiate the fight.
“Anyone who tries to take my weapons from me forfeits their life,” said Hal. “And I don’t care who you are, or how pathetically young you look. I’ll kill you too.”
Tessianna’s expression shifted from anger to unbridled shock. Her valkyries were all staring at her, waiting for the order that would determine how the next few minutes played out. Cadrian stepped forward, placing her hand on Hal’s and shifting his weapons back toward his belt.
“He’ll keep his weapons sheathed,” said Cadrian. “But he will not relinquish them. He is the Heart Holder, after all. I’m sure the Empress explained to you how important it is to treat him with the respect he is due.”
If Hal’s outburst had triggered Tessianna’s anger outwardly, Cadrian’s rebuke brought about something cold and seething. Tessianna leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, her eyes boring into the two humans standing in front of her. She exhaled through her nose and licked her lips.
Eternal Palace (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 4) Page 9
