by Jada Fisher
“Sure, give me a moment. I’m a bit stiff.”
“Huh, how’s it feel to come back from an adventure and still be on two feet?”
“It’s a novel experience.”
Ukrah walked to the stand in the hall that Ain’s mother made sure to keep filled constantly. Well, her servants did. Unlike Eist and Athar, who had a rather modest manor, Ain’s family had somewhere around ten servants of various ages who lived in their own wing of the large building.
It was easy enough to fill one tankard, but she thought better of it and ended up grabbing three, figuring that Crispin might be up soon enough and would be similarly cotton-mouthed.
Sure enough, as soon as she handed Cassinda her drink and went to set Crispin’s down next to his cot, he let out a pained groan.
“Hey there, you alright?”
“…no,” he grunted, blindly groping for the cup. She ended up putting it in his hands and he greedily gulped it down.
“Whoa, what’s that you always tell me? Slow down there, you’re gonna make yourself sick or cough it up.”
He waved her off, which she might have considered rude under any other circumstances, then handed her the glass for more. She thought about refusing him—because too much water all at once could certainly make him sick —but decided that he’d been through plenty and deserved some more to drink.
So she got up, refilled his cup, and handed it to him again, settling down on the ground between their two cots.
“So,” she murmured after a bit. “You two are vessels, huh?”
“Seems so,” Cassinda said with a bit of a shrug. “Not the most surprising thing.”
“And you honestly had no idea?”
Cassinda shook her head. “No, and if I had to be honest, I was a bit jealous that I wasn’t. I thought that it didn’t make sense that I had these strange powers that no one had ever heard of before, and yet I wasn’t one of you. I know Dille tested me, but for some reason, I failed.”
“We have to tell Eist, you know. I’m not sure what she’s going to think of that.”
“What is there to think? It’s not like we did it on purpose.”
“No, but I think it’s going to be a bit of a shock, don’t you?”
“Probably,” Crispin said, stretching and then wincing. “But maybe she’ll be happy. What did that lady say? That we were all accounted for? That’s a good thing, right? It’s not like she’s going to come right up to the manor and try to take us.”
“I wouldn’t put it past her, actually.”
“Wouldn’t put it past who?” Ukrah jolted and looked at the door to see Eist standing there, arms crossed. “My baby daughter happens to live there, so if there’s anyone threatening her survival, I’d like to know.”
“I don’t think she will, at least not right away. Unless she’s real desperate.”
Eist crossed over, grabbing a chair and lowering herself into it. “Who’s she? I’m taking it that this has to do with whatever got the three of you underground in just about the opposite direction of where you were supposed to be?”
Ukrah nodded. “It was the singer. She wasn’t a slave; she was actually the ringleader of it.”
“Really? So she wasn’t a vessel?”
“No, she was.”
Eist blinked for several moments, as if Ukrah had just said something she couldn’t make sense of. “Wait, she was a vessel working with the witch hunters and the Sect of the Three?” Ukrah nodded. “I… It’s not that I don’t believe you, but how in the name of all our dear ancestors does that work?”
“She was using them,” Crispin said, slowly sitting up. Ukrah got to her knees to help him, probably concerning herself far too much with fluffing his pillows. “She had this sort of…allure to her, I guess you could say. I felt like I trusted her, and that making her happy was going to make me happy in a way that I hadn’t been before. It was, uh… It was something alright.”
Eist raised both eyebrows, and Ukrah wondered if Crispin sounded a bit too much like he was just describing an especially pretty lady. Which certainly wasn’t the case at all. While the woman had been beautiful in a strange, colorless sort of way that didn’t quite seem natural, that hadn’t been what pulled people to her.
“She’s the spirit of desire, apparently. And a bunch of other stuff that makes people want to please her or do her wishes. Also happiness, so isn’t that something?”
“Wait, so you’re telling me that the literal embodiment of passion and attraction is working with the very people who want all of us dead?”
“Yeah.”
“She must have had some army down there, for you to need to pull the roof down on them, Ukrah. A move out of my own book, if I do say so myself.”
“Actually, she didn’t so much have an army as she raised an army, and it was Crispin who brought the place down.”
“Yeah, didn’t even know I could do that. I just had a feeling.”
Eist was once again looking back and forth, her expression clearly confused. “I… Wait, what? There were too many things that happened in that last exchange for me to voice all of the questions that I have.”
“Oh, right. So, part of why this woman is paired up with the sect is because she wants to absorb all of our powers and unite us in her body.”
“And by absorb your powers…”
“Yeah, she means kill us and drain the old spirits from our forms.”
“Are you… I… One of our own, a vessel, trying to kill other vessels.” She leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. “It’s always one of our own we have to look out for, isn’t it?” It didn’t seem like she was looking for an answer to her question because she kept right on going. “Alright, so that answers about who you were fighting. Now, what do you mean about raising an army?”
“Oh, that. Apparently, the one vessel that she had already managed to kill was the spirit of death or something. And could reanimate corpses.”
“She brought people back to life?” Eist nearly shouted that part, and Ukrah couldn’t blame her. It was fairly alarming to hear.
“No, not quite. They were very much dead and not actually there. It was more just that she gave their empty body orders and they did it. They didn’t feel pain or exhaustion. They weren’t the smartest, fastest or strongest, but they just kept going unless you took out their legs or removed their head.”
Eist just sat there a moment, as if she was taking that in. “So, theoretically, she could besiege the city with an entire army of undead?”
“I… I suppose. But that would take quite a bit of energy. I sensed that just reanimating the ones she did took a lot out of her. That was why she ran at the end instead of trying to counter Crispin.”
“Right. That’s the tricky thing about power, though. It grows.” Eist took a deep breath through her nose, as if forcing herself to calm down, but the woman seemed perfectly composed. “So that’s the second time you’ve mentioned Crispin somehow doing something. I think there’s an explanation owed there.”
“Oh, that one’s easy at least,” the boy answered cheekily, grinning with his split lips. “I’m a vessel. I used my magic whatever to make the entire building we were in collapse.”
The god-woman had been startled several times that night, but that clearly took the cake. “You… You’re a vessel.”
“Yup. In the flesh. Although apparently, I very much almost wasn’t.”
Eist licked her lips, seemed to think about it for a moment, then looked to Ukrah. “What?”
“It seems that Cassinda and Crispin are both vessels who somehow were hidden, we don’t know why. The slave—her name is Lystri—said she had to awaken Crispin in order to absorb his spirit, so she did, and then she tried to kill him by draining the old spirit from his body.”
“And you managed to stop her? I noticed you had a sigil burned into you. Looked like it had been cut to disrupt the magic?”
“That was Tayir.”
“Tayir? Your little birdie friend?�
� Ukrah nodded, and the woman let out a very dry chuckle. “I feel like I’m going to need all of you to start inscribing reports of what happens when you all disappear, because every time, it’s just about unbelievable.” She wiped her hands on her pants, got up, and grabbed some water. When she returned, she sat down with a huff.
“Alright, so let me see if I understand. You got tricked into a trap by the slave girl, who is indeed a vessel who is trying to kill other vessels to absorb their spirits.”
“Yes.”
“And she is doing this why?”
“Because she said that the divisions among them were what caused them to be ousted by the Three originally and that we all needed to be united within her.”
“Of course. It’s always someone with a god-complex.” She rolled her eyes, drinking more water. “So, you lot managed to escape because Crispin brought the entire building down, because Crispin is a vessel and so is Cassinda, and that was how she disappeared right into the ground where Athar and I were, only to pop up in that hole with you?”
“Yes, that sounds accurate.”
“Alright. And in all of that, you and Crispin were both marked with sigils and a bird managed to disrupt yours while Crispin…” She made a gesture as if she was waiting for someone to finish her sentence, but Ukrah actually didn’t know. She looked at Crispin, and he seemed surprised by the question.
“Oh, right… I used my magic around the sigil, didn’t I?” And then a slow smile was curling on his lips. “Guess I just got lucky.”
“Why are you smiling? Why are you saying that as if it’s a joke?”
Ukrah groaned and thankfully, Cassinda had herself put together enough to answer. “Apparently, he has the spirit of fortune and hope inside of him. He’s literally got luck magic.”
Eist gave him a look before sighing. “Of course you do. If anything about this whole mess makes sense, it’s that. Certainly, more sense than your tiny bird friend following you here, somehow managing to get underground, and somehow saving you. I’ve heard of incredibly useful familiars, but that’s something else.”
Ukrah chewed on her lip, feeling a bit bad that Eist still didn’t know what the finch really was, and she figured if there was ever a time to be open and honest, this was it.
“Actually, he’s not a familiar.”
“Pardon?”
“He’s what’s called a guardian. Something that used to exist in ancient times and is meant to help shepherd us to our destiny.”
“I don’t understand. Did vessels exist before and need protecting?”
No. But there were other things for us to do. Mostly we worked as protectors of the old spirit’s choosing and their followers. We were their hands on the physical plane.
Eist jumped to her feet, and Fior growled from where he had been waiting by the narrow doorway. Ukrah hadn’t even realized that he was there, the brindle had been so quiet. “Who was that? Why did I hear them? That was in my head, right?”
“Tayir, I thought you said only vessels could hear you.”
Perhaps I should have phrased it differently. Only you were supposed to hear me. But as time went on, it seemed that those who were young, magically-inclined, and close to you could hear me. I assumed that was your influence, considering your culture emphasized communication and a tightly-knit family unit. However, I’m beginning to think it’s something else entirely.
“Like what?”
I am your guardian. Only people who you want to hear me can hear me. You must have wanted vessels to be able to hear me, so they did. I just never connected it before because I didn’t sense a single ounce of spirit within them.
“This is entirely unnerving,” Eist said with a sigh. “Is there anything else that you young ones want to tell me?” It was immediately followed by another, more intense sigh. “Now I finally know what Elspeth and all of my teachers felt like when I was young and headstrong. Goodness, I was obnoxious. I just didn’t realize it until now.”
“I’m sorry,” Ukrah murmured. “I didn’t mean to keep it a secret. But I wasn’t sure how to tell you when we first met, and by the time I did know, I had been quiet for too long.”
Eist nodded, running both of her hands through her hair and straightening. “So, in summary, Cassinda and Crispin are vessels, of luck and—”
“War, battle, and the warrior’s spirit,” Cassinda cut in happily, her smile broad.
“Oh, of course. That’s exactly what you would be. I swear, the three of you will be the death of me.” She shook her head. “Alright, so Cassinda and Crispin are the spirit of luck and battle, another vessel is trying to kill you and she has the spirits of desire and death, and your bird isn’t a bird or a familiar, but rather a guardian sent to help you all complete whatever ritual that’s supposed to save the world, but we still don’t know what that is yet and he, for some reason, doesn’t either.”
“That’s pretty much the long and the short of it.”
“And did this vessel die in the building collapse? The way you describe her tells me no.”
“I’m fairly sure she didn’t,” Ukrah said slowly, almost worried that by speaking it, she was making it come to fruition.
“And why do you think that? Did you see her run? Did she taunt you as she escaped?”
“No, but I do feel like if she died that I would know.”
Eist waited, as if expecting more of a reason, but Ukrah just kept her gaze steadily on the god-woman. “Is that it, just a feeling?”
“Hey, my feelings have been pretty accurate so far. If Ukrah thinks that she would sense if another vessel died, then I believe her.”
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you sense when the spirit of death got absorbed or whatever?”
“Probably because it happened before any of us were vessels. That woman had far more control over her abilities than even Ukrah. If I had to guess, she was the first awakened.”
“Which makes me wonder… If she was the first one awakened, does she have her own Tayir?”
The bird ruffled his feathers. I do not know. I haven’t sensed the presence of another of my kind. As far as I know, I am the only one who was awakened.
“Well, alright. We have a lot we need to plan and discuss when we get home. Which, by the way, we’re leaving on the morrow. We need to prepare for whatever we can to deal with this new threat. Because, from what you’re telling me, she is certainly a threat.”
Yes. If a vessel as powerful as her is our enemy, then she will not stop until we are dead and absorbed. We are her mission, what she believes to be her destiny. And now that she knows that all of her kin are under Ukrah’s protection, I have no doubt that she will escalate.
“Well,” Cassinda said, that wolfish smile back on her face. “I guess we just have to stop her first.” She settled back onto her bed then paused, sitting back up as if she was worried that they hadn’t quite understood. “And by stop her, I mean kill her. That came across, right?”
“I—” Eist cut herself off and seemed to change what she was going to say. “Is this what you’re always going to be like now that you’re, uh… What’s the word?”
“Awakened.”
“Right. Awakened.”
Cassinda shrugged. “I don’t see much of a difference.”
“You don’t see—” Eist sputtered then rose to her feet. “You know what, rest for now. I think I’ve heard as much as I can today and need to fill in Athar. Don’t think you’re going to get out of explaining all of this over to Dille when we get home. I have a feeling that she’s going to kick up your training twice over to make up for all this.”
There was a chorus of resigned sounds, and Eist left. She paused at the door, however, and looked over them with her hazel eyes—the one blown-out pupil and one standard one giving her a concerned sort of expression. “For the record, I am very glad that all of you are alive. I would like it if you stayed that way.” She gave a little nod and then was out. But as she left, Ukrah couldn’t help but agree.
> She just didn’t know how feasible that was, all things considered. It seemed like she had finally found the threat hovering over their heads, the big struggle that could prevent them from being reborn and righting the world.
She almost wished that she had never found it at all.
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for reading Vessel of the Gods Boxed Set, which contains the fourth, fifth, and sixth books in the Rise of the Black Dragon series. Our heroes are starting to get an idea of what they are up against, but they don’t even know half the truth yet.
The next story in the Rise of the Black Dragon series is called Betrayed and you can download it now on Amazon.
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