An idea sprang to his mind. He used the guard’s hesitation to his advantage, rolled away, and jumped to his feet. Facing his opponent, he held the gem out to the guard.
The guard, following his line of thinking, dropped his halberd and held his hands up in front of his body as if to prevent the powers of the gem from stealing his soul.
That won’t work, a cool female voice said.
Will looked around for the owner of the voice but couldn’t identify its source. He shrugged and continued on. He tried to pretend capturing the guard’s soul by pulling his arm in and thrusting it at the man as if by some secret motion the gem would work.
Still nothing.
I told you it wouldn’t work, the voice said again. Punch him. As hard as you can.
Will looked around again for the voice, his eyes scrunched in confusion. Seeing Will’s failure, the guard was beginning to come to his senses.
Just do it. Quickly, the voice said.
Will lunged forward and slammed his fist into the man’s chest. Color fled from Will’s vision as the world around him turned to varying shades of blue. As his fist made contact, a second, identical guard flew out of the first. The latter crumpled to the ground in a heap, while the former, translucent and glowing, landed several feet away.
Whoa, Will thought. What just happened?
You ejected his soul from his body, the voice said.
“I what?” he said aloud. “Wait, you can hear my thoughts? Who are you? Where are you?”
Several more guards poured into the courtyard from all sides, each glowing a bright purple.
No time for questions. Just follow my commands.
They all advanced on Will with weapons drawn.
Flatten your palm, keeping your fingers straight, and thrust forward, projecting your energy.
“What?” he replied.
Trust me. He could almost hear her eyes rolling.
Will opened his hand, pulled back, and pushed outward. Tingles of power ran down his arm like a rushing river and exploded through his palm. A wave of blue light burst from it and surged forward, slamming into the approaching guard. The purple glow, which Will guessed was the man’s soul, disintegrated beneath its power. The guard’s body dropped to the ground.
The other guards halted, eyes wide with shock.
“Attack! But don’t kill him,” a deep voice yelled out through the courtyard. The guards continued their advance.
Close both your hands. Bring your fists together, channel all your power into them, and then pull them apart.
As Will did so, a bright band of erratic blue light formed between his hands. It writhed and cracked as it stretched into a solid pole of energy.
You can turn into any weapon you want. Give it a flick of the wrist.
He obeyed, and the band of energy unfurled into a long whip. Needing no further prompting, Will swung the weapon at one of the closest soldiers. The whip cracked, lancing the man’s soul in two and sending his body crumpling to the floor. He attacked the next guard, the whip wrapping around his ankle. Will yanked, tearing his opponent’s soul from his body.
The first guard to reach him sliced his weapon at Will’s head. Will ducked underneath it and slid behind the man then wrapped the whip around the guard’s throat like a garrote and pulled, decapitating his soul, if such a thing could happen. It proved effective nonetheless as yet another body fell to the ground.
An ear-splitting shrill filled the air. The whip disappeared as Will brought both his hands up to cover his ears. The guards charging him came to a halt and turned in alarm.
The shriek sounded again. A dark figure climbed up onto the wall across from Will and leapt off of it. The guards scrambled out of the way in a panic. It landed a few feet in front of Will, thrust its arms out to its sides, and let out another howl.
Will took a step back in horror. It may once have been a man, but no longer. Its eyes were as black as night, and webs of black lines streaked from them. The black web continued down its neck and onto its arms and the deathly white skin of its chest.
Iket? The woman asked, clearly confused. Then she said, Run.
What? Will asked.
It’s a shrieker. Just run!
The creature charged at him. Will stood there as if his feet were solid iron, paralyzed by the sight of the creature. It slammed into him, sending him sailing through the air. Will fell to the ground five feet away and rolled then scrambled to his feet and ran. The creature gave chase.
How do I kill this thing? he asked the voice.
Take off its head or cut out its heart, she replied. But seeing as you only have a knife…
It was gaining on him. He could practically feel it breathing down his neck.
What about that whip thing? he asked.
Shriekers have no souls, she said. They’re controlled by magic.
The shrieker clubbed Will with its arm and he fell to the side. It jumped atop him, pinning him to the ground. Will fought back a wave of terror as it opened its jaws and descended onto him.
2
Robert tore apart the room with abandon. He’d searched the towers at length and the only room of any interest lay at the very top of the tallest tower. Where most of the rooms in the towers were little more than glorified broom closets, this one appeared to be someone’s study.
A large telescope stood on a tripod near an open window, a stool sitting next to it. Beside the telescope was a desk with scattered pieces of parchment lying atop it.
He started his search by tearing out each of the drawers of the desk. He thought he got lucky when one of the drawers wouldn’t open. Where else to keep valuables but behind locked doors, or drawers in this case?
He didn’t have any qualms about destroying the desk, though, and managed to break the locking mechanism. The drawer was filled with nothing but private journals and notes of celestial bodies. It was absolutely worthless. The books on the nearby bookshelf proved to be even more so.
Across the room lay a small bed, the clean, white sheets neatly tucked without a wrinkle. No one had slept there for quite some time, likely only when the owner couldn’t be bothered to return to his bedchamber. Robert tossed the mattress and found nothing of interest beneath it.
Beside the bed was a chest. Robert set about finding a way into it, but he didn’t get his hopes up. Everything else in the room had been a disappointment.
He grabbed each of the drawers from the desk and flipped them, spilling their contents onto the floor. Quills, inkwells, parchment, a magnifying glass, a compass, and star charts. He upturned the last drawer. The journals from earlier landed with a dull thud followed by a clanking sound.
He sifted through the debris and found a large key. Racing over to the chest, he fumbled with the key and inserted it into the lock. It slid all the way in. He turned it to the left with a satisfying click, his anticipation growing.
Lifting the heavy lid, he beheld the chest’s contents and his heart sank. A few old paintings lay propped on their sides. Robert slammed the lid and swore.
An unearthly shriek spilled in through the open window. A chill ran down his spine.
What, in the name of all that is good, was that? Robert thought.
With hesitation in each step, Robert crept over to the window and peered through it into the courtyard below.
A figure lay on the ground, pinned beneath some creature Robert had never seen before. Robert recoiled in horror. Its skin was wrapped tightly around its body and its spine protruded like balls beneath the surface. Thick, black veins ran the length of it from head to toe.
Robert squinted at its prey.
It was Will.
Robert cursed, panic flooding through him.
The creature reached down to kill him.
“Stop,” a voice commanded with strength and authority.
The creature halted and looked at the man who’d spoken—no average guard, but clearly a man of some importance. He had the same tunic as the other guards, but instead
of leather, he wore black, steel plate armor decorated in red concentric circles.
“Chain the shrieker,” the man commanded. Two guards approached the creature with caution. As they got within a foot of the beast, it let out another shriek and swung its arm, sending one of the guards flying.
“I said stop!” the man called out.
The shrieker visibly calmed and the second guard quickly placed a shackle around its neck and backed away. Two chains emerged from the shackle, each held by a separate guard to keep the creature in place.
They moved the creature off of Will and two more guards ran in, weapons pointed at him while they bound his wrists behind his back.
“Get it out of here,” the armored man said to the two guards holding the shrieker.
Robert let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as the creature was taken out of the courtyard.
“Get up!” one of the guards growled at Will.
Will, you idiot. Why can’t I ever let you out of my sight?
Will curled and used his elbow to prop himself up onto his knees. When he didn’t get to his feet fast enough, the guard kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back onto his side.
Will groaned then whined as air sputtered out of his lungs.
“That’s for Adrian,” the guard spat, kicking Will again. The soft sound of a cracking rib echoed in the courtyard.
Will muffled another cry, his breathing ragged.
“And that’s for Lucius,” the guard said.
“Who?” Will replied through clenched teeth as one of the other guards hoisted him up.
The guard nodded somewhere Robert couldn’t see. “They were my brothers,” he said with venom in his voice.
“I can arrange for you to join them if you’d like,” Will said.
Robert cringed. He put his hand over his eyes and took a deep breath.
The man drove a fist into Will’s stomach. Will spat a spray of blood onto the guard’s shoes, earning him a second blow.
“Enough, Carter,” said the armored man. “You got a name, wise guy?”
“Stew Pitt,” Will said with a strained smile. “Yours?”
Robert shook his head again. Will needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.
Carter squeezed his injured hand.
“Ow, ow, ow, okay, okay. Cut it out, will you?” Will said over his shoulder. “The name’s Will. Will Sumner.”
Despite his other missteps, Robert wasn’t alarmed that Will revealed his name so easily. He and his brothers had all agreed to assume different surnames to protect each other.
“That wasn’t so hard, now, was it? You best watch your tongue from now on, boy,” the leader chided, “and the name’s Callum, but you will refer to me as Grand Marshal Callum.”
Callum? What is he doing in Celesti?
Davion Callum was one of the highest officials in all of Aralith, second only to Alexander Drygo himself.
The king had had the Soul Render for years, always moving it from place to place, but never had he sent the grand marshal with it. For Callum to personally oversee the Soul Render’s protection meant they must have been getting close to unlocking its secrets. Celesti was home to the brightest scholars in the land.
Robert squinted to get a good look at him. Callum seemed to be in his mid to late forties. His sharp eyes evaluated Will and his strong smile spoke of his confidence in his abilities and position.
Without a word, he told Will not to push him further or he would die, and Robert prayed to the gods Will knew he meant it. Callum nodded to the side, motioning for them to move. The guards marched Will out of sight.
With nothing left to see, Robert exited the room and retraced his steps back down the tower. A long, seemingly endless stairwell wrapped around and around the inner wall. Each step Robert took felt like it might be Will’s last.
He couldn’t do anything about the guards on his own. Robert knew he needed John’s help if Will was to get out of this.
The guards marched Will out of the castle proper, down a different route from the one he’d used to get in. The road they traveled snaked back and forth down the side of the mountain. A few lights glowed in the city beyond the walls.
The king’s men had captured him, the stone was missing, and the voice in his head had gone silent. He was in serious trouble.
Will’s thoughts drifted to his brothers. He expected that they were even now meeting up in the servants’ corridor. They were probably worrying about him. He hoped that once they found out about his capture they’d come to rescue him.
As they reached the end of the road, the sound of feet striking stone filled the air. The entourage froze. Will’s pulse quickened.
This is it. They’re coming for me, Will thought.
Carter pulled him in a little closer, the knife in his hand digging into Will’s back.
“Go on, give me a reason,” Carter whispered.
Will needed to figure out how to break free if he wanted to keep all of his organs and body parts intact.
Two men rounded the corner. Will’s heart sank. Instead of Robert and John, more of Callum’s men joined them.
“Grand Marshal,” the man on the left said, giving a curt nod. Callum acknowledged them.
“Sir, we found another one snoopin’ around in the servants’ corridor,” he reported.
Will sucked in a breath.
He prayed to Lotess, hoping someone else had followed them in. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach crept over him.
“So, that’s how they got in,” Callum mused. “Were there any others?”
“Not that we’ve found, sir,” he said.
“We’re holding him inside the watchtower, sir,” added the second guard.
“Good, continue searching the area in case there are more,” he ordered. The two nodded and took off.
Callum turned to address the guard to Will’s right and said, “Go check on Shaw and Gill, they were supposed to be watching that entrance.”
He nodded and ran off.
Carter relaxed a bit as they resumed their march. They rounded the corner and continued down the street. As they passed the gate leading into the city, Will glanced through the open portcullis, longing to get away from his captors.
They entered the tower at the far end of the street. A single lamp on the wall provided the room with little light. The ceiling hung low, causing Will to slouch and shrink back as the room crowded in on him. A cold draft snuffed out any warmth and a musty smell permeated the air.
On one side of the room sat an old, battered table near a barred door. And on the other, flanked by two guards, knelt John. Will looked away.
“Will!” John cried.
Will winced.
“Where’s—?”
Will coughed.
Callum eyed them suspiciously and said, “Your little mission has failed. It’s in your best interest to cooperate.” He turned to the guards holding them and said, “Put them in the cells, but keep them separated.”
“Yes, sir,” Carter said.
Another man unlocked the barred door and pulled it wide. Carter pushed Will through it, leaving Callum in the room behind. John followed. The brothers were marched down a set of winding stairs, through a narrow hallway, and into a small prison. The guards placed John in one cell and Will in another at the opposite end of the hall.
Carter shoved Will in, knocking him to the floor. Pain shot through his shoulder, loosening his group on the stone. It fell from his hand and clattered on the floor.
Carter stooped down and picked it up.
“What’s this?” he asked. He narrowed his eyes before taking a step back in shock. “What have you done?”
Will closed his eyes and sighed. What did it matter anymore? He’d obtained the stone’s power, hadn’t he?
Carter backed up in a hurry, tripping on the bottom lip of the doorframe and stumbling into the wall of the cell behind him. Leaving Will bound, lying on the ground, he locked the iron door and ran from t
he room.
The door to the prison slammed shut, vanquishing all light. There were no windows, so not even the light of the moon penetrated the darkness.
His small cell barely fit his prone form. The rank smell of feces permeated every inch of it.
Get up, the voice said.
Will jolted.
“What?” Will asked the voice.
“Will? Is that you?” John called.
“Yeah.” Will said, groaning.
“What happened?”
Will recounted everything that occurred since they’d been separated. Well, everything except the part about the stone, voices in his head, and blue glowing things. He wasn’t sure if someone was listening at the door, and he didn’t want John to think he was crazy.
After a brief pause, John said, “Wow, Will, you did all that on your own?”
Stop talking and listen to me. I can get you out of here, she said.
Will ignored her. She got him into this mess in the first place. He could have run away, but she made him stay and fight.
Listen to me! she shouted.
Will closed his eyes, as if that would shut her up. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to come back and get you,” Will said to John, confirming Robert hadn’t been with him. Still speaking in code, he said, “I’m sure someone will figure out what happened to us soon enough. But I don’t know what good it will do.”
Will knew it and he knew that Robert knew it. What he was doing now, though, Will could only guess.
“What about you?” Will asked.
“After I left you, I entered the street. There was no one around. I went from building to building looking for the…you know, but I realized right away it wasn’t there. As I searched the last building, I heard some shouting,” he said. “I was in such a rush to get back and make sure you and Ro—the gem were okay, I must have been seen.”
A second later John asked, “What are we going to do, Will?”
“Just hang in there and don’t panic,” Will said.
A silence fell between them and Will drifted to sleep, exhaustion taking his body.
The door to the prison banged open and Will jolted from his slumber. He had no idea how long he’d been out.
Soul Render (Soul Stones Book 1) Page 2
