Those Who Fear the Darkness (BloodRunes: Book 2)

by Cole, Laura R

  “Where are Nichols and Davis?”

  “I assume you mean the slime you had holding me here,” he smiled cruelly, “Stupidity gives me indigestion.”

  She was still processing this with a confused look upon her face as he transformed. He broke his hold on the man farthest to the right, who bolted the moment he was free. Nathair darted forwarded and demonstrated what he meant for the woman.

  Her face had gone pale. She obviously recognized the significance. He changed back so that he could speak again. Another of the men had gone limp against his hold and was sagging slightly, only held on his feet by the spell.

  “Now that you understand the gravity of the situation, I expect you to answer some questions. If you don’t, another one of your little minions will become dragon food.”

  All three of them were quivering in fear now, and the woman looked around at them, her head the only part of her body that she could move. “It is more dangerous than you think,” the woman’s tone was more pleading now, having lost its earlier arrogance.

  “Maybe to one less capable than I, but it is mine. And now a part of me as you have seen.”

  “It won’t just let you draw upon the power of the stone,” she practically pleaded with him, “It’s not just a stone. It’s his very essence, we haven’t found a way to control that yet, that’s why he needs to remain sleeping. The fact that you’re still here at all is only luck!”

  Nathair contemplated this information for a moment. That would explain the presence in his head, the stone was alive. And its consciousness wanted to be in control.

  “What is this essence? Is it the Sleeping God?”

  “Yes!” her voice faltered, “Who knows what he’ll do if he wakes, we need to force him back into slumber!” Nathair felt a great wave of anger wash over him and he abruptly changed form, snapping up the last three men with ease, but the woman popped out of existence seconds from becoming his next victim.

  He struggled to maintain control and forced the body to change back into human form. It fought him, but he prevailed.

  Of course he could control this. He was the God himself.

  CHAPTER 16

  Katya glanced up as Gryffon hurriedly reentered the room. He took Layna’s hand in his own and felt for a pulse.

  “I think she’s strong enough to move,” Gryffon said and Katya held her tongue to hear his explanation, allowing one brow to rise in question.

  “I’ve been sending prayers along the river,” he continued, “And it’s finally been answered.”

  “And?” Katya prompted as he paused, pulling his brows together in confused frustration.

  “The Oracle said to ‘bring her to the head so that it may breathe life back into her’. Only I’m not sure where that is yet.”

  Katya rolled her eyes - that was one emotion she hadn’t had to work hard at figuring out. “The headwaters, or source, of the river perhaps?” she suggested with as little sarcasm as she could manage. Gryffon’s sympathy towards the Lady Aria had tried her patience with him.

  His face lit up, “Of course! The very source of the river and the Oracle’s voice. How could I have missed this earlier?”

  “How indeed,” Katya mumbled, too low for him to hear, then raised her voice to ask, “Do you really believe what the Oracle says?” She had been trying to wrap her mind around her own experience and didn’t want it to be true.

  “Of course.” Her heart sank.

  “So when do we leave?” She inquired, refusing to contemplate the Oracle’s words further. The predictions of her future were not exactly bright. Layna might still be able to tell her why the girl’s parents were in her head.

  “We?” he asked quizzically.

  “Yes, we. I’m coming.” She stated, daring him to oppose her. Marak snuck forward on her arm menacingly. He had been fairly quiet since Gerald’s and Evelyn’s deaths, and Katya worried he may have been damaged in the scuffle. He settled back in, however, as Gryffon did not seem inclined to argue.

  “Alright then,” he acquiesced, and surprised her by not asking for an explanation. “How soon can you be ready?”

  “I’m ready now.”

  “Gryffon,” a woman’s voice floated into the room from the doorway. Katya glanced over to see an old woman who had been by several times to see Layna and help heal her. She hadn’t spoken much during the visits, but had always been pleasant, and Katya got the feeling that there was much more to this woman than she let on.

  “Aileen,” he greeted her.

  “I couldn’t help but overhear,” she stated, pausing a moment to collect her thoughts before holding her hands out in front of her in a gesture of futility. “I wish I could go with you,”

  Katya opened her mouth to protest that it was likely to be a grueling journey and no place for an old woman, but Aileen saved her from the need, “but my presence would simply…complicate things.”

  It was an odd way of saying she’d just slow them down. So what did she want?

  “There is also much I need to do here with all that has happened. I’ve been trying to get the council to see how important Layna is, but they are more interested in the events in Gelendan. Please, you must convince them to help her.”

  “I’ve already tried talking to them,” Gryffon began, but Aileen held up her hand.

  “No, not the council. The Three. At the source. You are traveling to the resting place of the Kiani Stones, the ancient connection to the gods as you call them. Please, you must convince them that their intervention is necessary! This has gone much too far.”

  Gryffon looked as confused as Katya felt. “The Word from the Three was that if we take her there she would be healed. Won’t they already help her without convincing?” His features transformed into worry.

  “I sincerely hope so, but we can leave nothing to chance.”

  “I’ll do everything that I can for her,” he promised, the concerned look growing more pronounced.

  Aileen paused for a moment in indecision, her body rocking slightly back and forth betraying her inner turmoil. “Take this,” she said finally, holding out a small object to him. He took it from her and held it up. It was a large scale of some sort. He shifted his wrist so that it was displayed to Aileen.

  “What is this?”

  “It will help the Kiani Stones recognize the need. Put it near them and they should respond.”

  Aileen hurried out of the room and Gryffon pocketed the scale. He turned back to Katya, who had been watching the interaction with interest. “Are you sure you want to get involved in this?”

  “Definitely.” No, not really.

  “And there’s nothing you need to do before we go?”

  “Nope, like I said, I’m ready now.”

  It took Gryffon considerably longer to be ready himself, especially as he had to clear the journey with the council. Luckily, none of them was likely to go against the Word, and very few had any objections at all anyway. Katya wouldn’t doubt it if some were partially glad Layna would be gone - and with her the drama she’d brought.

  Katya snorted to herself. That way they could full-heartedly believe the lies told by the witch Jezebel with no one around to point out how stupid they were being. Katya had suspicions that Jezebel was behind what had happened to Layna, and had been toying with the idea of doing everyone a favor and getting rid of the woman. The thought made her feel dirty, however, it was a little too reminiscent of her work for Karl and she wasn’t quite ready to face that again. Not to mention the upheaval it would cause. It may put too much pressure on those with access to the palace and Katya’s story wasn’t that airtight.

  It didn’t matter now anyway as they were already on their way to the source of the river - Jezebel would just have to wait. They were able to travel much of it by water, and they were currently floating swiftly with the help of several magical enhancements in addition to the rowers.

  Katya sat on the side of the vessel and unwrapped the package that Layna’s father had entrusted her
with. It was a beautifully made box, though Katya could not figure out how to open it. Under different circumstances Katya was sure she could have made a small fortune off it. As it was, she only wanted to know why it was so important. It couldn’t just be the wealth that they wanted passed on to their daughter, could it? Gerald had seemed much more frantic for her to deliver it to Layna than for the money.

  She deserves to know who she is too…

  *

  Nathair marveled at his newfound power. Though he had momentarily lost control to the presence and allowed the woman to escape before she could tell him more about the situation, he still had pushed it back down and was confident that it eventually would simply absorb into him, so that his transformation to the god would be complete. Obviously since it was he that was the god, this other essence must simply be the last person who held the stone and got drawn into it because they weren’t strong enough. As the god that he was, Nathair saw no reason not to take over the world.

  *

  Nuko had been spending much of his time evaluating his situation. He was currently content to ignore the host and allow it to assume that it had regained control of its body whilst he determined what had transpired since he had been whole as well as what the best course of action for the future would be. It was obvious from the state of the land that his peers had succeeded in their task of leaving behind their essences, but for whatever reason - be it that the society had simply outgrown them or that their vessels had been compromised - the people seemed to have lost their way. And - Nuko thought with intense enjoyment - not only had the people begun to turn their backs on the Three, but even in his half-awake state he had managed to attract and manipulate a host into creating a new belief system based solely around himself which while he had slumbered had blossomed into a full-grown religion. His amusement rippled through his being.

  *

  Nathair laughed out loud though the map he was currently perusing was not particularly humorous. He was feeling rather giddy for no reason and he looked over the view once more. It was a topographical map from one of his informants which showed both Treymayne and Gelendan. From his connection with Katya, he could tell that she had stayed in the capital for some time before setting out along the river northward. As of yet, he had not been able to ascertain the reason for her northward travel.

  He had returned to his throne and made full use of his new form to intimidate the council and the country into following his every will. Most of them were convinced he was a god - which is the way he wanted it - and those that doubted would soon either be convinced or be erased. While the stories of his power spread across the land, Nathair felt confident enough to pursue his girls, and was in the midst of determining what they were up to. Katya’s mind had grown stronger, and he was no longer able to simply ‘sit in’ on her thoughts to see what she was up to, but he could at least feel where she was from their intriguing connection and from that he knew that they were traveling northward. So far, he had come up with nothing interesting they could be traveling towards, following the river to its source.

  *

  Nuko had allowed his thoughts to be drawn in by the host’s in his boredom, having no immediate plans to fulfill, when he suddenly realized what the relevance of the source of the river was. NO! He mind-shouted to the host, though the lesser being could have no idea what he was talking about.

  This was impossible! How could they still be interfering with my plans!? The source was where his peers had hidden their essences, thinking that it would be safe among the mountains, allowing them to communicate with the masses through the river without giving away their exact location. Could it be possible that they were actually still here? That they had allowed the world to forget about them without taking action? Nuko thought about the passive natures of the others and snorted, as much as he could so without control of the body, but even so launched into an elaborate plan to intercept them. He was NOT about to be pushed back into his prison again.

  *

  Nathair suddenly decided with a feverish conviction that whatever the reason was for his girls traveling northward, that he must stop them. They were getting farther and farther away from him. It didn’t matter what they were after, he needed them by his side. As the country realized his Godhood, they should be there to back him. Their power and support would allow him to spread his will farther than he alone would be able to.

  He could send them as emissaries to the farthest reaches while he concentrated his power on the more populated regions, making sure that he did not make the same mistake as the Dark King by ignoring the majority of the people just because they were commoners. He knew better than to underestimate any group of people and was well knowledgeable enough to realize that though they may represent only a tiny number in the percentage of wealth and power in the kingdom, their sheer number of bodies made them a worthy foe if it came to a physical confrontation.

  Having two extremely beautiful and powerful women to represent his interests among these groups would greatly benefit him.

  He called for an attendant, and one came quickly in. The servants nearly cowered before him now - a fact which he found amusing, but also inconvenient as it tended to make their actions be somewhat clumsy - and it kneeled before him subserviently. Nathair waved him to his feet, much rather speaking to the man’s face to be sure that he was understood than blurt out his orders to the top of someone’s head.

  “I will need to be away for a few days. No traveling arrangements will be required as

  I am fully capable of attending to those myself,” Nathair smiled inwardly as the man’s face paled. “However, to ensure that there are no complications with the new order of things I think that there are some precautions I will need to take.” He paused for dramatic effect even though the servant only looked confused. “Examples will need to be made. I will give you a list of names.”

  The man was quaking like a leaf in a hurricane now and his eyes widened. Nathair gave him his toothiest grin. He would do away with the pesky Order at the same time as getting rid of those who still insisted he need a council to approve his will. He was a god! His will was law. Those who didn’t see that needed to be dealt with before they could spread their poison any farther. A public display of this magnitude would prove to those who insisted on hanging on to the thought that he was simply using an elaborate illusion like those at Temple that his form was indeed a reality.

  He allowed the servant to sit whilst he compiled the list. The man’s hair was almost completely soaked in sweat by the time he was done, and a droplet was dripping down the side of his face. Nathair handed him the list with a smile.

  He left hurriedly, nearly tripping on his own feet on his way out the door. Nathair smiled a self-satisfied smile. He was much looking forward to this showing of his power. It would not only guarantee the obedience of the nation, but it would help satiate the hunger for blood that even the rarest of steaks had not been able to quench as of late. He couldn’t stop thinking about the feast in the woods when he had first discovered his new talents. Not to mention the pure rush of power from them as I bit their heads off…Nathair’s eyes rolled back into his head and he started salivating at the thought. He quickly shook it aside. It would do no good to be drooling all over the place should one of the servants arrive. He focused his thoughts instead to his plans after the lesson had been taught.

  His quarry was traveling by water, which was not the ideal terrain for his new form to fight. Though perhaps he could simply burn the entire vessel from the air and not even have to worry about an actual combat. He could easily sweep the water for survivors and pick them off one by one, or should they reach land, they would stand no chance against him. A magical attack was plausible as well, but it would be good practice for his new form to see what it could do.

  Nathair stopped short. He couldn’t just incinerate the boat, he needed his girls alive. What had he been thinking? A voice in the back of his mind piped up with an explanation ready, they are both
powerful talents, no doubt they would survive such an assault. Nathair resumed the pacing he had begun while planning. He must have already come to the assumption that they would survive and his mind was just running faster now with his newfound talents so he had gotten ahead of himself.

  That must be it….

  CHAPTER 17

  Jezebel strolled out of her suite and glanced around for an attendant. She had heard nothing from the King and she was beginning to become bored with this task. Playing nice was getting old. The council had already accepted her presence and was now attending to its own policies, content to ignore her. Just as the King now seems to be. She had enjoyed the excitement of the Baron’s oh-so-unfortunate death, as well as the wonderful way that her scheme with the Lady Aria had gone.

  Of course, it hadn’t happened exactly as planned since the wench had refused to simply die - no thanks to that suspicious woman who had shown up just in the nick of time with amazing healing abilities. But no matter, they were out of her hair now. They had convinced themselves that the Three had spoken to them and that they had to bring the comatose body up the river and she would miraculously be healed. Jezebel would love to be there when they arrived and put the body in the river only to discover that nothing happened and they had wasted the trip. Obviously false gods don’t deliver miracles.

  She rounded the corner and saw several guards making their way swiftly down the hallway. Her heart fluttered at the possibility of some excitement finally. She wondered what could be going on to get them so agitated. She moved aside to let them pass, planning on following them to whatever destination and crisis they were headed to when they slowed and turned towards her.

  “Emissary Jezebel,” one addressed her coldly, “You are under arrest.” Several hands grabbed her roughly and she was forced to march down the hallway with her elbows pinched by strong hands.