Those Who Fear the Darkness (BloodRunes: Book 2)

by Cole, Laura R

  “You aren’t betraying your country,” Gryffon defended, “You are recognizing the evil that is taking root in the government there. Hopefully, we’ll be able to convince your countrymen of this same fact, and we can all work against a common enemy.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Besides which, it won’t be us that’s starting the war,” interjected Aileen, “we will just be more prepared for when the war is brought to us.”

  *

  Katya sat on a branch and watched the couple as they worked together in their garden. They laughed freely and spoke affectionately to each other. The woman was pulling weeds while the man gathered the vegetables which had reached their peak ripened condition. It made her heart ache for the childhood and the family that was stolen from her.

  She wondered how to best approach them. She had so many questions to ask them, but she wasn’t quite sure how. Somehow, broaching the subject by telling them that she’d seen their faces while shifting through memories she’d only recently been able to access since getting rid of a collar that made her a slave assassin didn’t seem to be her best option.

  Her last connection with Karl had revealed that everything she had thought about who she was was actually a lie. In those last few moments she had ripped from him the keys to unlocking her earliest memories, and within them lay these two people’s faces. But other than that she had no clues to work with. Were they friend or foe?

  Thunder boomed in the distance, and they looked up at the sky, observing the dark clouds to the west. They hurried along in their work. As the thunder sounded again, obviously closer this time, they started gathering things to bring into their small but cozy-looking house. They cleaned up from the garden chores and moved the animals into their pens, preparing them for the impending storm. Since the quake, the weather had been more intense, and no doubt they were preparing for the worst.

  When everything outside was ready, the two went hand and hand into the house, where shutters started being pulled closed. As the windows shut, one by one, Katya felt more and more alone and isolated and the urge to go and talk to them overwhelmed her.

  She jumped down from the branch she had been perched on and strode to the door. She raised a hand to it and knocked.

  The man opened it with a smile. “Hello,” he said, “Can I help you?”

  Katya felt a twinge of disappointment that she had not been recognized, apparently her connection to them wasn’t that simple, and her curiosity would not be so easily sated. She shook the feeling aside. “I’m Katya,” she told him, “I was hoping you might let me weather the storm in your barn?”

  She saw the woman look up from the pot she had been stirring over the fire and the woman’s warm eyes looked her over. “Hello,” she greeted Katya kindly. The spoon she had been holding clanked into the pot as it slipped from her fingers, and she hastily brought her gaze back to her task, rescuing the handle before it disappeared under the bubbling liquid. When she had it firmly back in her grasp, she looked up again. “We wouldn’t think of making you spend the night out in the cold, please join us for dinner, we have an extra room upstairs you can use for the night.”

  “That’s very generous of you,” Katya bowed her head in appreciation, “Are you sure? I really don’t mind being in the barn, this storm just looks a little too strong to spend out of doors.”

  “We insist,” the man stated in a no-nonsense voice, pulling her inside and shutting the door against the wind which was picking up. “Please,” he pulled out a chair and waved her into it, “have a seat. My name is Gerald and my lovely wife here is Evelyn.” He punctuated her name with a kiss to the tip of her nose and Katya smiled.

  “Pleasure to meet you both,” she said, taking the offered seat. Marak was squeezing her arm - hard - but she ignored him. He didn’t take kindly to strangers and wasn’t shy about sharing this feeling with her, but she wasn’t about to let his unease stop her from getting some answers.

  Thunder crashed outside and the rain started as if the heavens had suddenly cracked open and spilled down their contents upon them. It beat against the roof, but inside it was still pleasant and the fire crackled cheerfully.

  Evelyn set the spoon on the side of the hearth and wiped her fingers on her apron, turning towards Katya. “So where are you from, Katya?”

  “From Naoham,” she answered as the woman opened up cupboards, gathering plates and utensils and setting them out on the table. “My contract there just ended so I’m making the rounds to see where my services might be needed again.”

  “Oh?” the woman asked with sincere interest, “What kind of services?”

  “I’m a mercenary,” Katya answered without hesitation, though the slightly unnerved look on the woman’s face made her momentarily regret the choice. For some unknown reason, she had the urge for these people to like her.

  “That’s an interesting profession for a woman,” commented the man, “Not that I have any doubt that you can handle yourself,” he said as her hand flew instinctively to her knives, “but aren’t there a lot of inconsiderate louts you have to deal with?”

  Katya laughed, “Yes, yes I guess there are. But I’ve learned to give it back to them as good as they give it.”

  Marak squeezed her again. Harder this time, and it hurt. She continued to ignore him, but flicked him with her finger when Gerald and Evelyn weren’t looking.

  “Do you have any children?” Katya asked them.

  “We had a daughter,” Gerald answered with a pained look on his face and Katya’s breath caught in her throat. Could they be…?

  “We have a daughter,” Evelyn corrected him, admonishing his statement by batting at him with the napkin she was holding before refolding it and setting on the table. Katya’s heart sank. “She decided to try her hand at the city life and moved to Naoham a few months ago. We haven’t heard from her in a while so Gerald here thinks she’s forgotten all about us. I’m sure she’s just busy now that her mistress is a big-shot on the council.”

  “Hopefully that’s all it is,” Gerald mumbled.

  Rain beat down on the roof and the wind could be heard whipping up against the walls.

  “Quite a storm out there,” Evelyn commented from the fire where she had picked up the spoon she had abandoned and was once again tending the pot.

  Katya nodded, and suddenly went stiff. There was something else out there making noise. Something that wasn’t part of the storm. Marak was squeezing her arm again in a pulsating motion, as if saying that he had been trying to tell her all along. Katya let her assassin instincts take over and went on hyper-alert.

  Evelyn and Gerald were oblivious to the danger and the woman continued, “You don’t happen to know her, do-“

  “Shh!” Katya had to cut her off. There was something there all right, and its intentions were sinister. She sent out a tendril of magic, and was repelled. Harshly. She cringed and let out a low growl. The woman looked up at her, alarm written plainly on her face.

  “Something’s out there,” Katya informed them and Gerald immediately took a protective stance over his wife and glanced at the door.

  “No,” Katya said slowly trying hard to pinpoint the source despite the magical interference, “Not the door-“

  She was interrupted in her search by a powerful explosion that knocked her off her feet. As her head struck the opposite wall and stars danced before her eyes, she saw with horror that a man was stepping through the now-gaping hole in the wall. He was barely inside when he threw two mean-looking metal objects at the couple with an ease that told of years of practice.

  One thudded into Evelyn’s chest and the woman fell to her knees, grasping at the spot even as Gerald was hit in the stomach.

  Katya stepped forward to help them both, but the intruder had already reached into his cloak again to withdraw another object which he then threw at her, forcibly halting her movement. Her feet felt as though they were glued to the floor, and she rounded on the man by twisting her torso and throwing her arms
out so that Marak was launched at him. The tiny snake arced towards him, but was deterred by another thrown object. He let out a small hiss as his body collided with it, and his limp form flopped motionless onto the floor.

  Katya screamed her fury as the man kept coming at her. As he neared she reached for him with clawed hands, grabbing and tearing at anything she could.

  Her eyes widened in hatred as she saw what the man was holding open towards her, obviously hoping to get close enough to clasp it around her neck.

  A collar.

  She clamped her lips together and glared at him, using her revulsion of the collar to fuel a stream of power that she sent at whatever spell was holding her feet, igniting it in magical blue flames and ignoring the pain as it burned through her flesh as well.

  She held the assassin’s gaze steadily even amidst the crackling of burning skin and as the horrible stench hit her nostrils. She was rewarded by the widening of his eyes and she let a smile slowly spread across her face. His eyes flicked towards her feet.

  She felt the spell give way and she tugged at her foot, stealing a glance at her hosts with a wild hope that they were still alive. Gerald was holding Evelyn’s wound closed, and watching in horror as thick black ooze seeped out from both their injuries. He glanced at Katya, indecision over staying with his wife or helping Katya ward off their attacker warring within him.

  “I’m fine,” she yelled to him, her adrenaline from seeing them still alive allowing her to rip her foot free.

  The man’s advance suddenly faltered. His left hand flew to his back while his right clumsily grabbed at another object on his belt.

  Katya sprung forward, taking advantage of his unexpectedly slowed movements. She wrenched her charred ankle as she tore the other foot free, and batted the object away from him while she balled a fist at his face. Out of the corner or her eye, she saw a small shape zooming towards them and she smiled as she recognized it as Marak.

  The man’s time was short now. She let out a triumphant shout and smashed her fist into his nose. Blood poured out and his head snapped back with considerable force.

  Marak had reached him now, and Katya could see him biting the man all the way up his leg, on his stomach, his chest, and finally he sunk his fangs into the man’s throat, ending his cries of pain in a gurgle as the sharp teeth punctured his windpipe again and again.

  She limped over to the couple’s side, and knelt before them. The black liquid had spread far, like dark spider webs beneath their skin. She knew she was too late and she clasped their intertwined hands in her own.

  “I’m so sorry,” she told them, knowing they were dying and knowing she was helpless to stop it. She also knew with dark certainty that it had been her that had brought this to their door.

  She was met only with sympathy and sorrow. “Hush now,” Evelyn said, gasping out her last breaths, “This isn’t your fault. We’ve been waiting for this day.” Katya gave her a puzzled expression.

  Gerald shuffled across the floor with difficulty and pried a floorboard loose. His shaking hand dug something out from underneath and he handed her a small wrapped package. “Please,” he pleaded with her, “find our daughter and bring this to her. It’s very important…she deserves to know who she is too.”

  “What’s her name?” Katya asked, blinking back tears as she watched as the poison took hold. The fine tendrils were creeping up their necks now, and they swallowed with difficulty.

  Their breathing became forced and they blinked their eyes as if trying to clear them as the black slowly overtook their pupils and then spread to the whites as well. Their eyes turned totally black and Gerald inhaled with difficulty, his last breath uttering the answer to her question.

  “Layna.”

  *

  Nathair swore. Obsessing over the events that had transpired with the new talent he had ordered to be followed only brought up more questions than he had answers to. His elite guardsman had reported that she had visited a couple in Elbridge, only to have them be attacked and killed by an unknown assassin.

  Furthermore, the attacker had been carrying a very interesting contraption which had been gone by the time Nathair could go back to retrieve it. Unfortunately, the guard had been forced to interfere to ensure the girl’s safety and had therefore needed to flee before he was found out so he had been unable to obtain additional information or take the device. Nathair needed to know where the assassin had gotten it from.

  Not only was Nathair’s curiosity more thoroughly piqued, but the commotion had caused his stone-bond to the woman to be severed, so he was for the moment without either of his girls.

  “Not without me though, my dear,” his mother purred to him. He stiffened and refortified his mind shields.

  “I would appreciate you staying out of my head,” he growled at her.

  “There are other places I’d rather be,” she breathed at him, her hand straying towards his nether region.

  He refused to respond and she pouted.

  “How goes your little pet project in Treymayne?” she asked him, moving away to spread her perfect form over the sofa.

  He debated talking to her or not, but decided that having someone to mull it over with wouldn’t hurt. It wasn’t as if she was going to tell anyone his plans. “She’s arrived and presented our offer to them, but she’s gotten no response yet. They seem to be still in discussion over whether or not to believe if our offer is sincere.”

  “Which of course it isn’t.”

  “Only so far as it will gain us a better advantage when we are capable of proceeding forward with our plans to take over.”

  “And what will you do once you’ve gained control over their lands as well?”

  “Solidify my leadership over them of course. I will be unstoppable.”

  “And prepare for the Sleeping God’s return?” she asked, a trifle too innocently. He narrowed his eyes.

  “Yes, yes. I will spread the mark throughout our two countries, spread it far and wide so that the God’s seed is planted everywhere. When I take my place my children shall be my kingdom.”

  “Are you the god or is He?” his mother asked with mocking laughter in her voice.

  “His blood runs in my veins, I will be his manifestation. I will be Him and He will be Me!”

  His mother didn’t answer. He strode to the mirror and admired his form. He was indeed godlike. He stood closer and fingered the stone that hung around his neck. With mild surprise, he realized that it was stuck to his chest. He picked at it, unconcerned by this development. It simply meant that he was becoming one with it, and by extension one with Nuko, the Sleeping God.

  As much as he hated to admit it, his mother’s presence was creating a rather uncomfortable swelling in his pants. He wished one of his girls were here. They would be the ideal mates.

  Until then, he would have to make do with what he could find. He opened himself to the power and felt around for a talent who ‘tasted’ female.

  Finding one sufficiently strong enough to be worthy of his attentions, he took a black cloak off its hook and swung it around his broad shoulders on his way out of the room. His mother called out something lewd to him, but he ignored her. He would not give her the pleasure of breaking down and using her. Besides, this way he was continuing what the Dark King had started and populating the world with only those worthy of continuing to exist once he had reached his exalted state.

  He crept through the palace and snuck out through a hidden entrance, commanding the wall in front of him to shimmer and disappear and he stepped out into the garden. It was a beautiful night, cloudless, and the stars brightly shone, the moon’s light guiding his way.

  The one he had sensed wasn’t far into the city and he found her swiftly, spiriting her away into one of the abandoned alleyways that had mysteriously been devoid of any riff-raff lately.

  He smiled to himself.

  Her eyes opened wide in surprise as she appeared in his arms, and she struggled in his grasp. She obviously didn’
t recognize him as her God. He clamped a hand over her mouth and fumbled with the laces of her dress, his fingers clumsy in his excitement.

  She bit his hand and he let go of her in surprise that she would turn on him. She turned to flee, and he backhanded her roughly.

  That was no way for her to treat her God. Especially when he was blessing her by his attentions and allowing her the honor of bearing his offspring.

  He forced her to turn towards him again, but she continued to squirm so he placed his thumb on her throat and pushed. She struggled for a few moments longer, clawing at his hand around her neck and her eyes bulged as she choked for air. Shortly, her hands fell to her sides and her eyes closed, her face bright red.

  He relaxed his hold.

  He didn’t want her dead.

  She collapsed into a heap and he lifted her back up, nonplussed by her unconsciousness.

  He made short work of his business, having only been excited all the more by the violence, and he left her used form on the ground, confident that the tryst had been fertile. Gods had a way of doing that, he thought smugly.

  Sated, he returned to the palace and found his mother still lounging on the couch in his rooms. She didn’t say anything, and he ignored her. After a few minutes of silence, she shook her head at him.

  “What are you going to do about the Order?” she asked him, avoiding the issue of where he had just gone to.

  “They are nothing to worry about now, let them squabble amongst themselves. Karl seems to have gotten himself into some trouble and someone took care of that one for me. Several other of the leaders have disappeared as well. I suspect that they are starting to turn on one another.”

  “Oh? You wouldn’t have anything to do with that now would you?”

  He just smiled, in a much better mood since his little jaunt into town. “They are wasting their time, as usual. It’s quite amazing that they’ve survived as long as they have.” He sat and started drumming his fingers on the desk in front of him. “It’s a shame that I was unable to find any of the other books, however. They did do a rather good job of going underground since the last meeting. Ah well.”