Blood of Gods

by Scarlett Dawn

  I gasped, “Are you a figment of my imagination?” Mayhap I needed to put myself into Rest quickly.

  “No, Gwynnore, I am not.” Gentle hands gripped my shoulders and rolled me carefully to my back. A man squatted in a hooded cloak next to me, staring down, his dark amber eyes watchful. Slips of his long, silver hair escaped the hood. He smiled kindly and stated, “You are a wreck, dear. I’m fairly positive you are lying in your own shit.”

  I licked my cracked lips. “Blood.”

  His lips thinned into a straight line.

  “Please,” I whispered, peeking to the side—the boulder was as it should be, closing me in. Perhaps he was a prisoner, too, and not my savior. “I need blood. Please.” Do not taunt me with blood I could hear roaring in his veins.

  The man sighed heavily, his shoulders sagging with it. “It is not my blood you need, Gwen.”

  “I will take chicken’s blood that’s caked on a fox’s snout right now. I don’t care one way or another.”

  “That’s not very queenly of you,” he stated with good humor. He lifted his wrist to his mouth and bit down with fangs, sweet blood flooding around his teeth. He quickly put his wrist to my lips, and ordered quietly, “Only enough to keep you living, vampire.”

  I opened my mouth wide and sank my fangs into his warm skin, his blood already dripping into my mouth—not asking him, either, if I could bite him, and not giving a shit. My eyes rolled back into my head with the powerful, odd blood, my gulps gluttonous and heavenly. His lifeblood coated the ache in my stomach, leaching away some of the agony.

  I whimpered when he ripped his wrist away from my mouth, and I hastily licked my lips for any missed drops.

  “That is enough,” he murmured, petting the top of my head tenderly. “It will tide you over until help arrives. Drink your fill then.”

  I ran my tongue over the top of my mouth, tasting his blood wholly, still unable to move. “I think you are an illusion.”

  His full lips quirked up on one side. “And why is that?”

  “Your blood tastes like sunshine, nothing I have ever sipped before.” I squinted up at him. “What do I call you? Mr. Delusion?”

  The man resituated himself, sitting down fully on the wet cave floor and stretching his legs out in front of him—up near my head so he could face me. “You may call me Oz.”

  “Do you have a horse of a different color?” I blinked repeatedly. “I’d like to see that in real life.”

  My delusion stared down at me, blankly. “I’m not entirely sure what you mean. But there are blue horses where I am from, unlike here or on earth.”

  I grinned drunkenly. “Ah, so you are the wizard behind the curtain. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Delusion.”

  Mr. Delusion snorted softly, shaking his hooded head at me. “It’s lovely to meet you, too. Finally.”

  I managed to quirk up one eyebrow. “Been waiting a while to meet the queen lying in her own shit, huh?”

  He pinched his fingers together and winked. “A little while.”

  “Well, let me introduce you to my friends,” I slurred. “Gems, this is Mr. Delusion. Mr. Delusion, meet all the stones.”

  The cave’s wall erupted in frantic, happy shimmers, saying hello to the illusion.

  “Yes, I am happy to see you, too, you little criminals.” Mr. Delusion peered around the cell, a grand smile radiating on his features. His gaze snagged on mine, commenting, “I’ll tell you something you don’t know, Gwen. When the gate from Ota’ano first opened, creating S’Kir, a few wayward pieces of the planet decided to defect to this realm. Like the protective gems here keeping you company. And the mist that protects this island. I saw through your blood that you loved the mist.” He chuckled softly.

  “Hmm.” I blinked slowly. “Let me guess. You are from Ota’ano, too? My delusion is getting even better.”

  His robust laughter ricocheted off the gems, making them dazzle with light. “Why, yes. I am from there. That is a very keen observation in your current state.”

  I bounced my eyebrows once. “I’m smart like that.”

  “Yes, you are,” he said, flatly. “So put the damned necklace back on when you see Belshazzar again. It was foolish to take it off simply because you are scared.”

  I turned my attention to the gems above me, watching their beautiful sparkles. “I wish I could see Bel now. And find the damn Breaker. Go home.”

  “You have certainly already found the Breaker. Kimber is that person. Did the name Lady Stormbreaker not give you a hint?”

  She had been called that a few times.

  My blink was really slow. “That bitch.”

  Mr. Delusion shrugged his shoulders. “You both played one another to get what you wished, and I believe she plans to hold to her bargain.”

  “She’d better,” I rasped, swallowing hard.

  My stomach began to cramp again.

  “More blood?” I peeked at him. “Please? It has been a long time.”

  “Thirteen days. I know.”

  Still, he didn’t bite into his arm again.

  “I changed my mind. You are a terrible illusion.” I sighed heavily and stared back at the ceiling. “It is a wonder I didn’t perish. Thirteen days without blood.”

  “As I said, these stones are protective.” His teeth flashed with his smile. “You are fortunate they found you.”

  “Okay,” I mumbled, not understanding. “They found me? They travel around S’Kir all willy-nilly, wherever they please?”

  He opened his arms wide, his smile disarming. “As is the power of Ota’ano.”

  “That is quite…illuminating.” I snickered.

  The gems tittered along with me, enjoying my joke, even if Mr. Delusion merely rolled his eyes.

  Perhaps it was a bad joke.

  I was delusional.

  Give me a break, Mr. Delusion.

  “I can whip something up while we wait if you would prefer Belshazzar’s company over mine.” His brows lifted at my glance. “Don’t get too excited. It is a simple scrying with air.”

  “Do it,” I breathed swiftly. “I need to see him.”

  Mr. Delusion lifted a pointed finger into the air and twirled and twirled his digits. The wind fluttered my hair as he whispered under his breath, staring at his work. A yellow circle began to appear before my eyes, and…a wavering image of King Belshazzar appeared.

  A sob broke past my lips. “Bel…”

  His dark eyebrows puckered. He glanced left and right, waves of water clearly behind him. He swayed where he stood as if he were rocking and trying to stay steady.

  “Can he hear me?” I whispered.

  “No, but he can feel something is watching. He is powerful enough,” Mr. Delusion stated. “He’s on a boat right now, heading for you.”

  If only this were real…

  My chin trembled, and a tear leaked out of the corner of my eye. I tried anyway by shouting, “Bel!”

  King Belshazzar continued to scan the area, his chilling blue eyes narrowing with suspicion. His black hair whipped in a wind I could not feel, and his fangs flashed quickly, anger starting to overtake his features.

  Mr. Delusion snapped his hand, closing his fist over the image, clearing it away. “We don’t want to alarm him, Gwen. Just know that he is coming for you. Soon.”

  “I hope that is true.” I shut my eyes, weary down to my bones. “I cannot hold on much longer.”

  23

  Kimber

  Short River Gorge loomed above us. It was not the low, distant forgiving gorge that was the inlet of Niallan’s Spit.

  The wind-beaten, gray granite rocks loomed at least a hundred strides above us. There were jagged, fallen boulders close to the walls of the gorge, and more above that threatened to fall.

  From what we could see above us, there was nothing but blue-gray wheatgrass. No bushes, no trees. A few weather-hardened sheep and the occasional high-elk that littered the mountains in S’Kir.

  The gorge framed occasional distant
glimpses of high, wind-sculpted, frozen mountains with snow on every peak and cascading down a few into valleys below and out of sight.

  “How far can we go up this river?” Belshazzar asked.

  “They said it’s safe for navigation six leagues up,” I answered.

  “There’s a small village there where we used to buy ice for storing blood,” Aiko said.

  We all watched as we sailed past a massive boulder that stood taller than the mainmast on the sloop.

  “I… have trouble believing we’re going to get six leagues up this river,” Roran said. “Rilen, you have the water affinity…

  He let out a breath. “I do. I can only generally guess by the flow of water, though.”

  “I think anything will help,” I answered. “Dorian, Aiko, Roran, could you all take port, bow, and starboard to spot any rocks that aren’t on the charts? Aiko, how old are these charts?”

  “Not more than two years,” he said. “We may not come up to buy the ice, but they come down to buy food and supplies.”

  I nodded and looked at Rilen and Bel. “Both of you stay here? I should be able to handle this, but I may need your strength to hold steady or turn quickly.”

  “Kimber, I don’t like the look of those clouds,” Belshazzar said. I turned and found him looking behind us. “Remind me which way the weather flows here?”

  “East to west,” I said. “You’re looking dead east.”

  “Shit.”

  I looked at the sails. I had pulled them both down because of the dangers of the rocks breaching the hull if we couldn’t move the ship fast enough. We had a good tailwind, and it would give us a lot of speed.

  “Rilen, how sure are you that you can read the flow of water accurately?”

  “Pretty sure.” He shrugged.

  “Those clouds are going to be here before we make six leagues. If the wind and waves rise, even in this narrow canyon, we’re going to be smashed on the rocks.” Taking a deep breath, I turned back to the gorge ahead of me. “I have navigated the Cerulean Cliffs, and I’ve been through the Iruki Narrows. I broke the storm in the south and survived the Northern Ocean.”

  I glanced at Belshazzar. King of the Druids of Earth. We were here to rescue his woman. We were here to get back the Queen of the Vampires. He had helped us time and again, going so far as to run into a burning building, trusting us to get Gwynnore back.

  “Hoist the sails,” I called to the front of the boat. “Get them up and catch the wind. Rilen, take Dorian’s place at the bow. That’s going to be the best place to sense the water. Dorian, please stand with me at the wheel when you’re done. Bel, could you check the dinghy and make sure to put our packs in there, in case we breach on a rock.”

  I held the ship as steady as I could as the five of them worked to get the sails up. The front triangle snapped fully as soon as it was secure, and we leapt forward. The gaff boom was next, and the rope almost took Roran overboard—but Aiko caught him, and they secured the line. The canvas snapped full, and we leapt forward again.

  Rilen rushed to the bow and Aiko and Roran, to the sides. Bel had secured the packs in the tiny dinghy and set the oars in the catches. We might not all fit in there, but we could all use our speed to get out of the water. The packs would be safe until we could grab the boat.

  From the front of the ship, the three men watching the water would raise a hand if they saw a hazard, but we weren’t in danger.

  Then, Rilen threw a hand to the starboard. “Boulder, under the surface, less than a stride.”

  I spun the wheel to bring the ship to the port of the boulder, and we all held our breath as we passed the point he had indicated.

  Bel ran to the bow and pointed to the rocks we could see peeking up. I couldn’t hear what was said since the wind was whistling and tearing his words away, but a moment later, a magical gout of red flame appeared over a point not directly in our path, but close enough to be a concern.

  A second later, all the spots twenty strides downriver had blue, red, white, and yellow flames over them. I could see an easy path up the river without relying on the men shouting at me.

  We made incredible time. It took us less than an hour to make it two leagues up the river. The clouds were chasing us, but we were racing up the gorge.

  We lost a bit of wind as we got further upriver but still made amazing time. The walls of the gorge grew higher and higher, rising from a hundred strides to nearly three. The sun was nothing but a suggestion at the water, and we would be in serious trouble if the wind did pick up from the storm.

  Just a little over two hours later, the tiny port came into view after we sailed around a bend.

  The village of Short Gorge was small and built entirely into the rock face. The pier to tie up the ship was made of stone, the roads and paths carved into the rock. The stairs that led up and up were tucked in the rock. The houses—carved caves with windows and doors—overlooked the river.

  As I hauled the boat around to get upriver of the pier and tie off, I could see why they had picked this point for the village. Ahead, the river was filled with rocks and debris and was racing through the narrowing canyon.

  The sails came down as fast as we could get them, and we tied up with the help of four people onshore, all of whom were more than shocked to see us.

  “What brings you up this far?” the man asked. “We rarely get visitors anymore.”

  “We’re looking for Queen Niniane,” I said. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

  The four of them looked at each other, and one of the other men spoke. “We… do. Sadly. She sent a raiding party to us about four days ago. She stole our entire stores for the next two months.”

  “Did you see her?” Bel asked.

  “No, just her soldiers,” he answered. “We could broker no fight. We are too far from Elkthorne to fight back.”

  “Do you know where they came from?” I asked. “Where they might be going?”

  “Our lookouts have said they have seen horses and men in the far distance, north of One League Falls. They are in the valley. There are caves there, so they may be hiding.”

  “How did they get past your lookouts?” Rilen asked.

  “The night, sir. We cannot see far in the dark, and we haven’t been attacked in centuries. There was no need for night watchmen until now. Not that our village of two hundred could really do anything against a force like that. They had guns. We have swords.”

  “How far are these caves?”

  “Half a day’s hard ride,” he answered. “But if you plan on going today, I would advise against it. The storm will be on us soon, and you don’t want to be caught in the mountains when there is lightning.”

  “Do you have a place we can spend the night?”

  “Yes,” the lone woman said, “but we don’t know how much food we have to feed you, nor are we able to share our blood.”

  “We don’t need any of your supplies—just a place to stay dry and sleep,” Dorian said.

  “In exchange for a place to stay dry, I will buy your stores for the two months,” Aiko said, stepping around Bel.

  “How can you do that?”

  “Take the sloop, go to Elkthorne. Ask for Suri Cloudbearer, and tell her that her son sent you and that Reo’s accounts will pay for your food and supplies.”

  They glanced at each other, and a moment later, one of the men took off running. The woman motioned us with a nod of her head.

  “Come. I’ll show you dry rooms, and how to use the elevation platform, instead of climbing the stairs in the morning. Those defy even vampire strength and speed.”

  24

  OSIRDAN

  “It’s time to go, Gwen,” I stated gently. I lifted her weak form up into my arms, careful to keep her itching fangs away from my neck. I walked toward the boulder and kicked it aside easily. “Are you still with me?”

  “Blood…” Gwen spoke, her voice raspy, as her blue eyes rolled up into her head. “I need blood.”

  �
�Don’t worry. You’ll have that soon enough.” I held her snugly against my chest as soldiers turned a corner of the cave ahead of us—shock and confusion holding them immobile. “Close your eyes for a moment, and count to ten. It’s about to get a little crazy.”

  “Hmm.” Gwen’s eyes shut as commanded. Her mouth parted on dry lips, and she slurred, “Kill them all.”

  My lips tipped up at the corners in a wicked grin. “That is the plan.”

  Queen Niniane’s soldiers raised their guns, shaking themselves out of their shock. They were vampires. I decided it would be sporting to kill them like one, too. It was only fair.

  I blurred forward, precious cargo clutched tightly against my chest, and sped right past them. Only a gust of wind ruffling their clothing allowed them a guess to where I had gone. I stopped directly behind them and started cutting through their throats with my fangs, ripping each neck to shreds. Nary a scream was heard.

  Blood dripped down my chin as their bodies fell to the ground, dead. I swallowed their sweet, crimson blood, and peered down at the vampire in my arms.

  She blinked at me repeatedly. “Huh.”

  “I told you to keep your eyes shut.” The woman obviously did not take orders well.

  “You move as fast as King Belshazzar.” Woozy eyes stared at my chin—the blood there. She lifted a pointed finger and wiped clumsily at my face. Her digit quickly went into her mouth, and she moaned long and hard. “More.”

  “You’ll have plenty soon. No need to be greedy.” I chuckled softly and began marching down the thin cave walkways once more. Drips of ocean water could be heard, and crashes of waves farther in the distance. “I have business I need to handle first, and then your savior will be here shortly.”

  Gwen glared—even as weak as she was. “If you’re not rescuing me, who is?”

  She was a fine, strong-minded woman. “I’m only helping. Nothing more.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” she slurred.

  “That, I did not.” I smiled as I entered a room with a small, wooden eating table. Torches lit the space, much warmer in here than Gwen’s cell. I set her down on a chair and scooted her into the table so she wouldn’t fall over. I placed her arms on top of the moss-covered wood and patted her damp hair. “There you go. I’ll be right back.”