His mind whirled, trying to connect the dots as he fought his way over to Tadeas’s men. Too many had already fallen: fellow students, teachers. Iasan was the only one in Memphis’s peripheral left standing, his body fluid and blurred as he cut through them. He was pure malice, yelling, as he found his way to Tadeas as well.
Sprinting, not looking back, Memphis’s mind brushed up against Alby’s and Brokk’s consciousness. They were following behind, weaving through the carnage. His fear sliced through him, consuming him, as one-by-one, the fires were extinguished.
From the shadows, to his left, a monster exploded from the night, its teeth flashing as he barely reacted fast enough to save his life. The monster dropped when the tendrils of his ability fanned out, making a protective shield around Alby and Brokk as well.
They were outnumbered.
It wasn’t a fight—it was a slaughter.
Running faster and trying not to falter, Memphis blindly maneuvered through the madness of this attack. There was a flash of steel to his right, as the man dropped his sword, the monster impaling his chest. The orchestra of screams rose as bile climbed up his throat again.
Five more men rushed in front of him, disappearing too quickly in the night.
Remember your training.
A cold fury coiled in his chest, and Memphis allowed more of his ability to course through him, and for the first time in his life, he allowed himself to become the monster his parents had claimed him to be.
Move. Move. Move.
The power was intoxicating as he snuffed out each creature’s mental stability, his ability like a poison. Memphis relished in it. Their executed blows became sloppy, giving them the upper hand. Tadeas clapped his hands, as he revealed his ability. Wind roared over the land, circling the monsters in a cyclone. Thousands of droplets of water rose from the bloodied earth, as Tadeas roared, the water collecting into one in the cyclone—drowning the creatures.
“Memphis!” Alby’s yell cut through him as his friend flickered in view beside him.
There was a crack that was deafening, and hot pain laced through his back. His body was dragged down and then back. Dirt and blood filled his mouth, as his scream ripped from his throat. A thick muscled tail wrapped around his torso. The snarling creature dragged him closer.
The creature’s voice was silken as it rattled throughout the folds of his mind, “You are not like the others. You have pieced together that we are here under our new ruler’s orders.”
Memphis flung his weight back, kicking, trying to twist out of its tight hold. The creature chuckled. Its eyes seemed to grow brighter the harder he resisted.
“The true King has come. We grow hungry and tired in the darkness, always skittering to the shadows. The era of your kind is coming to an end.”
He dove through the creature’s walls. His consciousness was sleek and dark, no kindness, no humanity to be found. Only a hunger for death.
Memphis snapped down their mental connection. “What are you?” He was now pinned under the monster, its saliva coating his face.
“We are the dabarne, centuries ago we roamed Kiero freely, but with the Great War dark magic fell—as did we. The fey warriors of Nehmai bound us in the shadows, but what they never foresaw was that darkness would rise again, and us with it. Our King not only freed us but promised freedom to roam once again, if we started with your camp.”
All Memphis felt was the creature’s dark joy as Memphis honed in on its features. Its long serpentine body flexed, supported by its muscular legs. It surpassed the size of a horse. Its wolf-like snout inhaled his scent, pointed ears flush against its skull. Thrashing back and forth was a whip like tail, pounding against the bloodied earth.
One word came to mind demon. This dabarne unlike anything Memphis had ever seen before. The dabarne pushed its giant paws into his chest, lowering his teeth, snapping and vicious...
There was a flash of golden fur and immense relief as the monster was ripped free from Memphis’s chest, leaving him wheezing and his lungs crackling. Brokk flipped it on its back, the dabarne screeching, withering under his friend’s pin.
And then silence.
Brokk bared his teeth at the lifeless form before loping back to him. His giant muzzle nudged Memphis’s shoulder, and he could practically hear what he was saying.
He had to move.
Warmth spread as blood trickled down his back, energy draining with his movement. The chaos of the fight reigned around them, swords meeting flesh, bodies being lost in the darkness of the night. Memphis heard men crying, their curses, their pleas for mercy.
He endured their inner most thoughts as they died, grief gripping his chest.
Taking deep breaths and with shaking hands, he gripped Brokk’s heaving side, hauling himself onto his friends back. Brokk didn’t delay. Charging through the carnage, Memphis gripped his fur, taking in snippets of what was happening around them, as if his mind couldn’t process it fast enough.
His panic was in full bloom, choking him, making his world spin, his ability roaring around him as he soaked up the destroyed camp. Absorbing the monsters’ rage, he swooped in and destroyed their sanities. Each dip down into their consciousness as it resonated within him, and he realized that the dabarne were all thinking in unison, as if their minds were linked. Memphis broke through another iron wall.
We work for the acclaimed King.
And another - We turned to the darkness and were shown that you were coming.
And another - We know you are coming to kill him.
And another - So, we will kill you first.
His mind was reeling. Brokk twisted, almost throwing him off as they avoided a roaring dabarne. Cesan had used these dark creatures to flush them out. It wasn’t a rouse for Cesan at all but a trap for them.
Memphis searched in the night, for anyone they recognized. The air rippled with slithering bodies and glowing eyes. Tadeas. Iasan. They were nowhere to be seen.
“Memphis! Brokk!”
Alby ran full tilt towards them, covered in blackened blood that wasn’t his. The tents around him crashed to the ground as the dabarne that was hunting him roared, charging forward.
Their friend flickered in between visible and invisible, undulating in fear as he sprinted through the destruction, and Memphis noticed that his weapon had been discarded. Brokk growled, but they were across the camp—they wouldn’t make it in time. Brokk ran, but Memphis knew he couldn’t carry him and run at his full potential.
Do something. Anything.
The world tilted, and Memphis prepared to shift his weight, throwing himself onto the ground so Brokk could make it there. He felt the ripple through the air, like a charged electric shock.
There was the pounding of hooves, then a blinding white light as Nei Fae appeared from the night. She galloped into the heart of the fight. The light beamed from her palm, radiating. Her pale hair was tied back, and she sported several fresh cuts and bruises, but she pushed her horse right in front of the dabarne fearlessly.
“You cannot have them!” she screamed and met Alby’s outreached hand, hauling him onto the saddle. Tears slid down his bloodied cheeks, and Nei pushed her horse out of the way just as the monster slashed forward, teeth and claws snapping at the empty space.
Brokk skittered to a halt as Nei shouted, “Sarthaven is already lost! We must go! NOW!”
Sarthaven had fallen. The capital of Kiero was gone.
Memphis’s blood pounded in his ears as his pulse echoed his shock. He snapped his ability in, gnashing his teeth at the force. Brokk tensed underneath him, and then they were flying. The hammering of Brokk’s paws filled Memphis’s senses, and he gripped his friend’s golden fur with blood-soaked hands.
The dabarnes roars filled the night behind them, chasing at their heels.
The ground quaked and shuddered from the sheer force of their chase. Reigning in his ability was like trying to dominate a feral animal by sheer force and then reeling from the impact of it. Memphis grip
ped Brokk’s fur tighter, and a trickle of blood streamed from his nostrils. It was too much; he was losing himself to that sick serenade of destruction, of ripping the dabarnes minds apart.
Shred by shred by shred.
Leaning lower, he breathed himself back into his body, to the present and the looming forest ahead.
Don’t look back. Don’t look back.
Nei’s mare broke the forest line first, and Brokk charged. Gravity left them as they cut through the air, landing hard in the sanctuary of the woods. Nei had reined her mount to a stop, sweat dripping off her brow. Raising her palm, she concentrated on the tree line, white light pulsing from her palm once more.
Brokk flattened his ears, whining as they all took in the bloodthirsty army galloping toward them. No movement stirred from the camp, and pulsing embers died in the night. The world swayed, as Memphis prepared to meet his end.
Everything seemed to still, and blinking, he looked down to his blood-soaked clothes, to his best friend, to their queen. Despite the bloodshed, despite their losses, he choked on his anguish as thoughts of Emory filled every orifice of his being. He wouldn’t see her again; this was their end. He grappled for any way out, any way they could beat this.
Instead, he numbly watched the army of darkness sweep down upon them, their blood coated teeth, their deafening roars. Suddenly, the ground rolled and churned underneath them, like they were in a boat on the ocean. Brokk jumped back, growling, just as the trees shuddered to life all around them, as if they had just been in a deep slumber, waiting for their siren call.
Branches, thick and unyielding, snapped down before them, the trees bowing to the movement. Quickly, they layered, branch by branch, thick bark crunching from the impact. The forest, within seconds, was creating a shield. Bowing to the whim of their commander, which as he turned and looked at Nei, it fell into place.
She bared her teeth as she wielded her mighty orchestra, the trees bowing and responding at a rapid rate. She was buying them time, commanding and controlling the elements, the earth beneath them and the trees surrounding them.
A guttural groan escaped her lips as she looked at them and croaked, “Run.”
Brokk shot forward, not looking back as he carried Memphis. Screams echoed in the distance, and then he heard the pounding of hooves behind them, as Nei and Alby followed. Each tree they passed sprang to life once they were all clear, building and creating a deadly labyrinth for the dabarnes, their sharpened branches landing blows to the monsters. Branch met flesh, ripping and tearing as their screams splintered through the night. He cringed at the sounds of the woods dragging the creatures within their depths.
Intricately, they wove through the twists and turns, the night turning darker with every passing second. Spotting movement from their side, he barely had time to react, as a dabarne suddenly cut into their path. Jumping, Brokk swerved severely to the right. Right where his companion waited.
Teeth met teeth as Brokk bit against the dabarne’s sleek throat. Memphis’s world twisted as he was thrown off, his head cracking against a flat rock on the forest floor. Dots blared in his vision, threatening to pull him under, just as the monster slammed his weight into his best friend; bone crunched from the force. Brokk’s cry tore through his heart with a shattering force. Shooting up, he dove into his power, as it laced forward, every nerve, every fiber, being latch onto by him. Those orange eyes turned to him as the dabarne sensed him.
Letting go, every ounce of his energy exploded, and his ability crushed and broke everything that the dabarne was until nothing remained. The body hit the ground, and Memphis ran to Brokk. Relief coursed through him when his friend stood, his hackles raising, turning his golden gaze to him.
Collapsing, Memphis mentally whispered, “Are you okay?”
Snapping his maws, Brokk curtly nodded his giant head once, conveying he was. Quickly, he didn’t waste another moment as Memphis climbed onto his back, and they were off. Brokk’s legs wobbled as they flew over the woven trees, Nei galloping ahead of them.
They had fallen behind.
Crashing through Nei’s magic, the trees responded fiercely. It was like fighting against an hourglass. If the sand ran out before they covered ground, they would be at the mercy of the darkness and the monsters that called for their blood.
Branches snagged their hair, shredded their skin, as Brokk clambered over and under, weaving powerfully, snapping at trees when they mistook them for the enemy.
“Nei! Alby!” His voice was hoarse and was instantly lost in the sounds of the fight that surrounded them.
Brokk pushed faster, the forest blurring, sounds blurring, and all Memphis could digest was the fierce pounding of his heart, pleading for survival.
Howls erupted behind them, and more trees bonded together in response. A makeshift wall was weaving before them, another shield. Brokk’s sides heaved as he cut to the left, and Memphis spotted his intention.
A small opening just big enough for them to fit through was left as the trees solidified, the ripple quickly spreading through, closing any gaps. Brokk’s footfalls reverberated through him, and he watched in horror. The trees became thicker, sharper, preparing for them, to destroy them.
Gravity left as they launched forward, aiming for the shrinking gateway between their life and death. Memphis closed his eyes, waiting for the impact. Screams echoed around him, or maybe it was him: he couldn’t tell anymore.
Cool air howled, licking at his exposed face, sinking deeper and deeper into his bones. There was the sensation of his clothes ripping, talons digging into his calf—sharp and unrelenting, ripping through his flesh effortlessly. Pain, hot and lacing, shot up through his body, consuming his every thought, every movement and internal battle.
Until it was nothing but the fire in his bones.
Memphis cracked his eyes open, his vision spinning and blurring, but he saw enough to take in the ground rushing up to meet them. They collided with such force; he was thrown viciously from Brokk. He was suspended in time for a moment before his back cracked against something hard. The taste of dirt and blood filled his mouth, and he wheezed for air. Brokk’s growls ripped through the night as he stood from the mounds of dirt they had churned up, shaking. In one motion, he shifted back to his human form.
Bruises peppered Brokk’s skin: dark purple, blue, and green overlapping in a colorful display. His clothes were in tatters, revealing bleeding, open wounds. Memphis watched in wonder as sinew and skin healed, Brokk’s ability working in overdrive.
In one motion, Brokk was kneeling beside him. “Memphis, breathe. We are okay. Just breathe.”
The howls from the other side of the thick wall of interwoven trees slammed their reality in Memphis, and he lurched forward, gasping. “We have to get out of here. Back to the Academy.”
“Brokk, Memphis!”
Nei galloped through the forest, reigning her mare to a hard stop. Panting, she dropped from the saddle, leaving a stunned Alby in her wake. Her voice was thick as she ran toward them. “We lost sight, and I couldn’t get back. I couldn’t stop what I unleashed.” With wide eyes, she studied them. Cursing, she snapped, “Brokk, can you still carry him? We have to warn the others.”
Brokk’s voice was barely above a whisper when he asked, “What is else coming for us, Nei?”
She grabbed his shoulder, her features solemn. “A reckoning.”
Ice licked at Memphis’s veins, through his pain, through his nausea. He wanted to claw out the remains of the demons’ whispered voices, of their acclaimed king, of Cesan. Of the promises of their unmaking.
He was distantly aware as Brokk shifted back, making himself flush to the ground.
Nei’s whispered words were an anchor in the chaos. “Memphis, you have to try and get up.”
Shifting his weight, clambering for his friend, the pain almost made him succumb to oblivion. Was that him crying? Had he completely unhinged? His weight shifted, and Memphis breathed deeply, Brokk’s fur tickling his nose.
Nei said, “No matter what you see, don’t stop until we reach the Academy.”
Brokk heaved a shuddering breath, dipping his head once. And then they were running. Leaving the bloodthirsty howls rushing through the air behind them, as they dove deeper into the heart of the woods.
And they didn’t stop.
Chapter Eleven
Adair
They came to him in his dreams. Their beckoning voices were soft and comforting, and Adair groggily smiled, looking around him. Nothing was clear in his dreamscape; the colors and shapes all blurred into a giant grey mass. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he shrugged his shoulders.
Stepping forward, the ground rippled, like he had dropped a stone into the water. Green hues shimmered below his feet, crisp and sharp against the grey backdrop. Taking another step, the world shifted, exploding before him. The smell of damp grass overcame him, and looking around, he was in another forest, one he didn’t recognize. The trees here were oversized, the leaves a deep purple, creating the illusion that he was in the heart of a gem.
“Adair.”
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, as the soft voice changed into something he recognized. Turning slowly, the creature was behind him, her head tilted, like a predator watching its prey before it pounced.
She stalked up to him, slowly, the leaves turning to scorched earth with each footfall. He couldn’t move. He just watched, his heart lodged in his throat as she came face-to-face with him, her pale hand resting gently over his heart.
Those pitiless eyes pulled him in until he wasn’t sure he was breathing at all.
Leaning in, her sharpened teeth clicked lazily as she whispered, “You are so close. You can’t falter now.”
“Close to what?” His voice was a whisper on his exhale.
She pressed her hand harder on his chest. “To freedom.”
Adair stared in horror as black flames erupted from her fingertips. They twisted up and down her arm until they erupted, consuming him. It was like having his head shoved underwater. He flailed and writhed trying to escape her grasp, but he couldn’t break free.
Heir of Lies (Black Dawn Series Book 1) Page 12
