The soldier threw his dagger. It flew through the air, spinning hilt over blade.
I cried out, too late, as the blade implanted itself right under Blaise’s collar bone. She pitched backward, her sword still lying on the ground.
I heard myself yelling her name as I scrambled to her. But I was too late. That one smile had cost her everything, had cost us everything.
The woman soldier who’d thrown the dagger had reached Blaise. She grabbed a handful of her golden brown hair and wrenched her head back to bare her neck.
Eyes glowing brilliant blue-green, the soldier pulled the dagger out from the chest of the woman who’d been my light in a world of darkness and used it to slit her throat.
I screamed her name as blood flowed like a crimson river from her throat and the fire left her eyes.
I lunged for the pair and impaled the enemy soldier in the gut with my sword. Blood erupted like a fountain as I put my foot on her chest and wrenched my blade free from her body.
I turned and slid on my knees in the mud. “No, Blaise, please,” I begged as I held onto her limp body. Her eyes didn’t see me. I’d been too late.
She was gone, gone before I’d been able to reach her… before I could even tell her how much she’d meant to me.
Enemy soldiers turned their attention on us. They lumbered toward where I kneeled, holding the woman who’d come into my life and changed everything. They’d taken her from me. This enemy who’d sworn themselves to Vesirus.
I roared as I slammed my fist into the ground.
A crack appeared where I’d struck the blood slick soil, spreading outward like fractured glass. The crack cut in front of the soldiers ambling toward us.
It grew and fractured until a sound like thunder shook the forest.
The ground split open. Enemies and friends alike plunged to their deaths into the large crevice that had opened. Those who were close paused to gape. Some took the advantage to land a killing blow.
I stared at the wreckage, still holding Blaise’s body in my arms. Had my power done this?
Soldiers began making their way around the crevice. Others still fought behind me. The shock had begun to wear off. The fight would continue. Glowing gazes turned to me. I couldn’t leave Blaise’s body there to be trampled and forgotten, pecked at by the crows. I picked her up and spoke to her unhearing ears, “I’m so sorry, Blaise.” I’d loved her. I’d never admitted it, to myself, or to her. I had been a coward and a piece of me went with her as I dropped her into the crevice my power had created to return her to the earth from which we’d all been born.
The thick, green fog had spread, swirling its way toward the wall, King Zaeden completely concealed behind it as though it were a blanket offering protection from the cold.
A bruised and bleeding soldier snarled at me, axe in hand. The wall was right behind us. Terra wouldn’t win this battle. I had one purpose left to fulfill. Keep my queen safe.
I turned to sprint for the gates when a hand clamped down on my shoulder.
A woman with hair bright as fire clenched her pale fingers around the iron covering my shoulder. Even through the layers of blood and dirt coating her face, I knew who she was.
Fire erupted from her other hand and sent the soldier with the axe stumbling backward. His skin melted and turned to ash as Zephyra Caldura declared, “We’ve been searching for you.”
Chapter 20
I opened my mouth to reply to Zephyra, but Percifal, the man she’d come to Terra with, rode up on a dark bay horse. He held a woman with black hair that flowed to her waist against his body. Her eyes were shut, her body slack.
A line formed between Zephyra’s brows as she rushed to the horse. “Is she…?”
“She’s alive,” Percifal assured her.
“Thaimis?” Zephyra questioned, but Percifal shook his head.
She turned back to me. “We must leave, now. Terra is lost.”
I couldn’t leave. Not until Queen Nicola was safe. I had to get to her. I stepped up to the fire elemental, a challenge. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
“Easy,” Percifal warned.
I ignored him and appealed to Zephyra. “I will save my queen.”
“You’re the earth elemental. We need you to help us rid Sarantoa of the darkness King Zaeden has brought.” Her bright emerald eyes searched my face. If she was looking for heroism, she’d find herself sorely disappointed.
Percifal dismounted, careful not to pull the dark-haired lady down with him. “Phyra, get Chel away from here. I’ll help this man save his queen, and then we will find you.”
Zephyra’s lips parted. The battle continued growing closer to the wall. Terra’s soldiers fought relentlessly, but our numbers had dwindled. The enemy pressed us back further and further. I needed to get to my queen.
“Head west through the forest,” I said to her. “There are a number of abandoned farms. Hide. Once my queen is safe, we will look for you.” I could try to convince them they didn’t need me once I’d fulfilled my promise to King Corbin. I didn’t even know if he was still alive. I’d spotted him fighting once during the battle, but I’d lost track of him. And with the fog so thick… He had to still be alive.
Zephyra climbed into the saddle behind the other woman, who groaned but didn’t open her eyes as the fire elemental shifted her. “Celestia be with you,” she said with a longing last look at her lover, and then she took off.
The fog edged closer to the wall, along with enemy soldiers. I bent down and took a uniform off a dead soldier, a black surcoat with a silver V embroidered on the chest. I tossed it to Percifal. “Put this on.” I went to another fallen soldier from Aquila and did the same to disguise myself. Aquila was winning. We’d have a better chance of escaping alive dressed like them.
Percifal bent down and pulled a helmet off a dead soldier and placed it on his own head. He slid the visor down to cover his face. “Many in Aquila’s army know me, especially King Zaeden,” he explained, breathing through the vented metal.
I nodded. “Better keep that on then.”
A horn blew, the signal for retreat on our side. Water pooled around my boots and dripped off my hair and into my eyes from the rain still pouring down hard.
I raced for the palace, Percifal right behind me. Some of Aquila’s soldiers had already fought their way through the gate.
One of Terra’s soldiers was about to try to stop me, but she paused when she recognized my face. Elly’s eyes roamed over the V on my chest.
I raised both brows at her, as if to say ‘let us pass.’
She took the hint and turned her back on me. She stuck her blade through the back of a soldier who’d been fighting with one of our comrades. Having only one good arm didn’t slow her down. She had her weapon ready in time to clash steal with the next enemy. As her trainer, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
I didn’t waste any time. I slipped inside the palace and dashed down the corridors with Percifal. He didn’t get through unscathed. Blood weeped from a gash on one of his arms.
We reached Queen Nicola’s chambers. Relief filled me when I found Ger and Reynard still guarding the closed door, weapons readied.
Shouts and clangs echoed down the corridors. Ger raised his sword, ready to strike. I raised both hands. “Ger, it’s me. We need to get the queen out. Now.”
His eyes widened as he recognized me. Reynard was still sizing up Percifal.
“He’s with me,” I told them. Reynard relaxed a little but still kept his blade pointed at Percifal.
Ger had Queen Nicola out the next moment, her face hidden beneath her cloak’s deep hood.
When the queen saw me and Percifal she let out a yelp and tried to twist away.
“It’s all right, Your Majesty,” I assured her, making sure she saw my face. “Terra is lost, but I’m helping you escape.”
“Sepheus?” I could hear the anguish in her voice. She was losing her kingdom… her home, and we had no idea if King Corbin was alive.
We descended deep down into the bowels of the palace, our only light being the torch Reynard snatched from one of the walls. Just before we reached the door to the dungeon, I stopped and felt along the cool, stone wall with the palm of my hand. Where was it? Every piece of stone I touched was solid… until my fingertips drifted over the edge of one with a bit more space around the sides. I gripped the stone and pulled. The invisible door opened enough for me to get my fingers around the edge. I clenched my teeth and heaved as hard as I could, dragging the heavy door open enough for a person to slip through. Reynard went first with the torch, pulling the queen in after him.
Ger slid through next but stopped and turned when I hesitated to follow. “Come on, Seph.”
I eyed Percifal. He shook his head and spoke before I had the chance. “If Seph doesn’t come with me, there will be no kingdom for your queen to return to.”
“King Corbin entrusted me to ensure the queen escapes safely.” I lowered my voice to a whisper and turned my gaze back to Ger. “She may be carrying the heir of Terra.”
“You’ve done as you promised,” Percifal answered. “You’ve helped the queen escape. If Vesirus brings his dark world to Sarantoa, it will all be for naught. You must help the other elementals.”
Ger’s eyes darted back and forth between Percifal and me. “Seph, what’s he talking about.”
It killed me inside to let the queen go without me, but if there was a chance my power could send King Zaeden and the Dark Lord to the pits of Mnyama, I had to take it. I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. “I’m sorry, Ger. I don’t have time to explain. Percifal’s right. I have to go with him. Follow the tunnel. You’ll exit behind Cheyanne Falls. Take the queen far away from Terra. Protect her with your life.”
“Are you coming, or am I to take the queen and leave you behind?” Reynard’s voice came from the other side of the door.
“I have family east of Birkshire. We’ll wait there.” Ger clasped my forearm. “And I’ll die before I see the queen harmed.”
“I’ll see you soon, Brother.” I clasped his arm in return, and then he disappeared into darkness. I slammed the door shut behind him.
We ascended the stairs, taking two at a time, to the ground floor. At the top, I hesitated, taking in the sight of dripping splatters of crimson covering the walls and stone tile floors of the palace. Guards and courtiers lay dead and wounded at our feet. Aquila’s soldiers paid us no attention, mistaking us for one of their own.
Stepping over bodies, we exited the palace. The green fog had made its way to the courtyard. My stomach sank. It stopped at the Tree of Ends, pooling around its trunk. The bark was turning black and dripped with slime. Its roots moved like living tentacles, burrowing into the soil. The scent of rot caught in my throat, making me gag.
“The portal to the dark world,” Percifal stated from beside me, staring at the Tree in horror. “This is the reason King Zaeden chose to attack here first.”
My tongue failed me as I watched King Zaeden standing beneath the Tree. Rain soaked his black and silver uniform, and his sopping hair was impossibly dark against his gaunt, white face. His soldiers gathered around him and sank to their knees, bowing their heads.
Aquila’s king spoke in a language I’d never heard… an ancient language not meant to fall from the tongues of mortals. A black shadow of nothingness rose from the ground and the mad king laughed, the sound reverberating through my bones. I could only stare as he absorbed the shadow into himself. At first, it seemed as though it’d disappeared, but then black veins spidered along his skin like a growing web. They appeared beneath his sleeves first, shooting over the skin on his hands. And then they crept up his neck and along his jawline until his face was covered in the inky lines. His eyes flashed pure silver before fading back to deep blue.
His soldiers rose and stood ready to hear their king. Their eyes glowed brighter as King Zaeden clenched his fist, as though he controlled them all with the palm of his hand. “Followers of Vesirus,” his voice snaked around the army like a vicious serpent. “We’ve succeeded this day. Vesirus has given us power. But there is still much to be done. Celebrate tonight. You’ve earned it. Tomorrow, we begin setting our sights on the rest of Sarantoa. We will not stop until the realm belongs to us, and to our Dark Lord.”
The soldiers roared, stomping their feet in unison. They were ready for more bloodshed.
“We will not stop until nothing but darkness covers the land!”
The cheers from the soldiers were deafening.
I looked at Percifal. “What’s wrong with them?” No sane mortal would follow a worshipper of Vesirus… even if that worshipper was a king. How did he get a whole army to support him?
“They’re possessed by dark spirits,” Percifal explained, watching to see if anyone was listening. They weren’t. The soldiers marched into the palace to join their comrades.
We followed them. I tore a cloak off a cooling corpse and threw the hood up to hide my face. We had to remain inconspicuous until we could escape.
The soldiers of Terra who hadn’t gotten away were crammed into cells in the dungeon or killed. Courtiers were forced into the soldiers quarters while Aquila’s possessed soldiers claimed the luxurious chambers for themselves. Lords and ladies found themselves forced to be personal slaves. If they refused to scrub their new master’s stinking toes or perform other hideous acts, they ended up broken and bleeding.
The citizens of my home kingdom watched us with disgust and horror, believing us to be one of their enemies. We kept our heads down and didn’t dare meet anyone’s gazes. We didn’t need our regular eyes giving away our identities. Orders had been given; no one from the kingdom of earth was permitted to leave.
On the way to the throne room, we concocted a plan. Percifal, helmet still on, veered off from the group to take over guard duty at the gate. I was to meet him there as soon as I could get away without drawing unwanted attention.
Surrounded by my enemies, I watched as King Zaeden sat on Terra’s throne. Blaise’s face flashed in my mind, catching me off guard. Blaise… she’d been the light in the dark, and she was gone. Gone like she’d never existed. We should’ve been celebrating this night of our goddess together. I imagined myself asking her to dance under the light of the moon. Would she have said yes? I’d never know. And as King Zaeden sat on that gold and wooden throne, it took everything in me not to march up to him and tear his heart out.
My anger was like a beacon to the coldness that had settled in my heart. I didn’t have the power to defeat King Zaeden alone. Not with Vesirus’ dark power running through him. No, I’d wait until I had the other elementals to back me up. If I’d learned anything from my time as a torturer, it was patience.
King Zaeden sat with his fingers in a steeple, a slight smile permanently carved on his lips as his soldiers destroyed each portrait of every ruler who’d ever reigned over the kingdom of earth.
The larder had been raided, and the palace cooks had been given the choice to prepare a meal for Aquila’s army or be sent to the dungeon, a promised meal for the demons on their way to our world. All had chosen the former. Crumbs, chewed off chicken bones and wine stains littered the emerald carpet.
After the room had been torn apart, King Zaeden placed his chin in his hand. The smile had given way to a rather bored expression. He came to some sort of conclusion and sat up straight, clapping his hands together thrice. The room went silent.
King Zaeden pointed to a young soldier with curly black hair across from him. “You, bring us two courtiers.”
The soldier gave him a blank stare.
“Now!” King Zaeden’s eyes flashed silver as he shouted, causing the soldier to rush from the room to fulfill his task. He sat deeper in the throne and w
aited while his army went back to celebrating.
Someone clapped me on the back. I bit my tongue to keep from snapping at the lanky soldier grinning at me. “We did it!” he exclaimed. “We ruined the night of the weak and pitiful goddess of light.”
The corners of my mouth tugged up in a viscous smile as I pictured his head being severed from his body. “All hail Vesirus,” I responded flatly and moved away from him.
It was difficult pretending to be part of a group of people when you wanted nothing more than to brutally end each and every one of their lives.
“Wait. Your eyes…” he called after me.
I spun on him, knocking him back with my body. I wouldn’t let this fool ruin my ruse. I narrowed my gaze at him from beneath my hood. I was about to answer when King Zaeden leaned forward, placing his hands between his knees, and said, “You’re eyes do appear rather dim, soldier.”
My shoulders tightened as I turned my face to the mad king. I shoved back my hood and bowed. “Your Majesty. I do not know why the others eyes glow, but I am a devoted follower of the Dark Lord. I have been my whole life.”
“A true devotee?” The king’s lapis eyes glittered.
“Do you question my faith, Your Majesty?”
He placed his finger over his mouth, deep in thought. Instead of answering, he said, “If what you say is true, you won’t mind the events about to unfold.”
The curly-haired soldier had returned with two courtiers. The lady I recognized right away… Bridgette, one of Queen Nicola’s handmaidens. The other was a polished lord, whose name I couldn’t remember. His usually combed brown hair was in disarray, and his grey tunic was torn in places. Everyone made space as they were brought before the king.
Skin covered in those ugly black veins, the king flashed his canines at the pair in a wicked smile, like a demon from some nightmare. “We find ourselves in need of entertainment.” His voice carried throughout the room. “You two will fight until one of you no longer draws breath.”
The soldiers shouted their approval, surrounding the courtiers so they had no way to escape. I forced a smile. I’d never hated myself more. For my queen, I told myself. I’d do this to save my kingdom’s future.
The Elemental Diaries - Complete Series Page 63