Dark Gate Angels Complete Series Omnibus

by Ramy Vance

  The lich sat before the hearth, staring into the fire. “I was not expecting to see you, little one.” Rasputina turned to face Abby, her bright eyes flashing green as a distant smile graced her face.

  Abby walked farther into the room, her stomach clenched in fear. She still got chills every time she saw the lich from the memory of the lich’s magic dagger breaking through her armor and tearing her stomach open. “We wanted to talk.”

  “What do you need to talk to me about? I assume you have been advised to stay away from me.”

  “We were going to, but we have questions we think only you have the answers to.”

  Rasputina stood, drawing her moss-covered cloak tighter as she conjured a table and two chairs into existence. She sat at one, and the other chair pulled itself out for Abby. “What do you wish to know so badly you would come to my hellhole?”

  “What is the Dark One like? You’ve met him, haven’t you?”

  Rasputina smiled faintly. “Oh, yes, I have, many times. The Dark One is difficult to describe. He is…more of a force than anything. Whatever humanity was there is long gone, not that much different than a lich. The only difference is the Dark One isn’t evil.”

  “What do you mean, he isn’t evil? He’s responsible for the deaths of thousands, maybe even millions.”

  “Death is an inevitable part of existence, and one kills for many reasons. For me, it was something perverse and evil within me that compelled my soulless body forward. The Dark One is more of a predator. He kills, conquers, and expands out of necessity and nature.”

  “Is he easy to fool?”

  “If you’re thinking what I believe you are thinking, you needn’t fool the Dark One, only those around him. That’s a much smaller pool of people for you to outsmart.”

  Abby stood and prepared to leave the room. “That’s good to know.”

  “Wait! Before you go, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry. There’s not much I can say to excuse what I was before I got a sliver of my soul back, but I am sorry for hurting you. And I appreciate you giving me a chance to prove myself.”

  Abby hadn’t expected an apology from the lich, nor did she really want one. She had acknowledged that the lich could be a valuable resource who needed a second chance, but that didn’t mean she had any desire to relate to her. Abby still thought she was a monster. “No problem.”

  She left and closed the door tightly behind her, leaving the lich alone, and headed to her room.

  A large portion of Abby’s lab had been moved into her room. Creon was hardly in the lab anymore since he was mostly working on the orc world, occasionally jumping to the gnome world. Abby had found that it made more sense to work from her room. She didn’t have to go anywhere, and resources were always available to her.

  Abby took a seat at her computer and brought up her holoscreen. It displayed the readings from the Netherverse Gates on both planets.

  There was a loud, sizzling pop, and the air was suddenly filled with the smell of burning toast.

  Abby looked away from her holoscreen and across from her, sitting in her guest chair, was Nikola Tesla.

  He wore a plain black suit and tie, and his eyes were deep pits of blackness rimmed with purple. It was like looking into the Netherverse.

  When Tesla spoke, his voice was cool and collected. It sounded like a shrill blast of arctic wind, and for a second, Abby thought she could feel it on her skin.

  “Have you had a chance to think about my offer?”

  Abby took a deep breath and let it out as slowly as she could. “Yeah. We’ve thought about it.”

  Terra woke up in darkness. After her eyes adjusted, she could see Anabelle, who was just getting to her feet. “What the hell happened?”

  Anabelle looked around the pit. “Whatever it is, I doubt it’s going to be enjoyable.”

  A light flashed across the dark pit, then another. And another.

  Two ghostlike figures stepped into the light that now shone from above. Their bodies solidified the closer that they got. Both were orcs standing at least six feet tall. One of them growled as he hunched over.

  Anabelle pulled her hair back. “At least it’s going to be a straightforward challenge.”

  The orcs rushed Terra and Anabelle, one of them swinging at the human and hitting her in the jaw. She stumbled back as the other orc kicked Anabelle in the chest.

  Terra tried to watch their movements, but they were too fast, demonstrating the speed Grok had shown. Whatever these orcs were, they had the kind of strength that was supposed to be in Terra.

  The elf was facing off against the two orcs. She was keeping up with their attacks, but just barely, and it didn’t seem like the orcs were going to be tiring anytime soon.

  Terra wanted that power. If it was in there, she wanted to use it. She ran into the fray, barreling over one of the orcs, but the other grabbed her by the neck and spun her around. “Come on, Anabelle, we got this!”

  At the sound of Terra’s voice, Anabelle seemed to click on. She let out a scream, and mana pulsed around her body. When she attacked, it was with the same efficiency she’d seen from Grok.

  I can do it. I can do that too, Terra repeated to herself as she blocked the attacks from the other orc.

  As Terra backed into a corner, hands wrapped around the back of her neck. She punched the orc in front of her and whirled.

  Two more orcs stepped out of the darkness. Across from Terra, where Anabelle was fighting, two other orcs had stepped out as well.

  Anabelle leapt and kicked one of the orcs. She landed and backed up, pressing back to back to Terra. “This must be the trial. Fight off every orc who’s ever been the Hand.”

  She hardly heard Anabelle. She was trying to tap into the strength she knew was deep inside her, but she couldn’t find it. There was no swelling of magical power like Anabelle or Grok displayed. “How do you do it?” Terra whispered as six more orcs walked out of the darkness. “How?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Get to the Path. I-I can’t…”

  Anabelle’s frantic answer wasn’t what Terra was expecting. “I don’t know! I can’t. This is just…shit. It’s not the same.”

  The new orcs descended upon Terra and Anabelle and even more came from the shadows, dog-piling on top of the two women. Anabelle tried to tear through them with her flaming limbs, but it did nothing. There were too many of them.

  Terra didn’t fare any better. She was quickly overwhelmed, fists raining down on her and knocking her to the ground, where dozens of feet stomped on her, cracking her ribs. She coughed blood and curled into a fetal position, her mind running away as she prayed for the pain to stop.

  Anabelle screamed as more of the former Hands poured from the darkness.

  “Weak.”

  Terra wasn’t sure where the voice came from, the Hands around her or from within, but it did not stop. Over and over it repeated the word, drumming it into her brain.

  “I am NOT WEAK!”

  Her bones burned as if they had been set on fire. Energy swelled around her in a red aura, burning through the bodies of orcs beside her. She exploded up, sending orcs flying off her.

  Anabelle was curled up on the ground, crying and muttering something under her breath.

  Terra looked around the room. It was like everything was moving in slow motion. She could see the details of the dark room clearly, and there was no fear.

  She knelt next to Anabelle. “Hey, Ana, you okay?”

  The elf looked up, her face streaked with tears. “She…she made me weak. She took my strength…”

  Terra reached out to her. “No one can make you weak. Now get up.”

  Anabelle shook her head. “No. I can’t do it.”

  Terra’s energy pulsed around her. “This is our Path now. Get. Up.”

  The elf’s eyes hardened as she wiped away her tears. There was a serenity on her face that Terra had never seen before.

  A blue aura burst out around Anabelle, engulfing
her in its power. “You’re right. This is our path.”

  An orc ran at Terra. She saw it happen in slow motion. It was nothing to step to the side and drive her fist through the orc’s chest. “Yeah. This is our fucking path.”

  The Path of the Lost had opened.

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was early the next day when Anabelle rose to meet Terra. There was no time for either of them to rest. Terra was to start finalizing the arrangements for the orcish tribes, along with Cire. She told Anabelle she needed to squash any dissension in the ranks before the first battle.

  Anabelle wished her luck over a quick breakfast of roasted mutton and eggs. When Cire arrived to leave with Terra, the elf was left alone with her thoughts.

  She’d finally achieved the Path of the Lost, but it had taken Terra’s help to do it. There was a time when Anabelle would have been disappointed with herself for being unable to accomplish such a feat on her own. Now, she looked back at the darkness they’d both experienced in the pit and was happy she hadn’t gone through that by herself.

  Anabelle’s HUD pinged, and she looked down to read the message. Alex, Suzuki, and Rasputina were waiting for her on Middang3ard. She was to meet with them and follow Chine’s instructions to one of the last herds of ether dragons.

  Its location was a closely guarded secret. Chine had refused to give it up, one of the conditions of him leading Anabelle to the dragons. The other condition was that Roy couldn’t come along.

  The elf quickly finished what was left of her meal and headed toward the miniature hadron collider that had been built for transportation. The scientist was already waiting for her with the portal open.

  She stepped through quickly and passed into the small collider that had been set up on the outskirts of HQ. Teleportation was nowhere near as uncomfortable as it had been. Traveling now felt as easy as walking through a door.

  Alex was impatiently tapping her foot on the other side. She nodded at Anabelle as the elf stepped onto her side of the world.

  A quick look at Alex was enough to confuse Anabelle. The woman couldn’t have been any older than eighteen, yet her eyes were those of a warrior who had seen the worst war could offer. The bionic arm stressed the loss the girl had gone through. Alex cradled it like it was special.

  Suzuki stood by Alex’s side, obviously unconcerned about her status as a war criminal. Anabelle had heard them talking to each other quietly as she had passed through the collider.

  To round out the group, Rasputina stood off to the side by herself, her hood drawn over most of her face, her eyes darting back and forth. She looked like she was in one of her moods.

  This is a fucking group right here, Anabelle thought as she walked over to Alex. “Where’s the rest of your crew?”

  The ground shook violently as Chine landed behind Alex, who casually spat and wiped her face. “Getting ready for the party your guys are cooking up. Boundless is prepping.”

  Suzuki nodded as he eyed the ether dragon behind him. “Yeah, the Mundanes are doing the same thing. Roy’s coordinating it. All we have to worry about today is convincing those ether dragons to lend a hand.”

  Anabelle cast a dubious glance at Suzuki. “Okay, I know why the kid is here, but what about you? What’s your stake in all this?”

  Suzuki rolled his shoulders and hitched up his pants. “Well, Roy thought it would be a good idea for me to come along because I’m kind of a big deal with dragons. I’m Dragon Bound.”

  Anabelle looked from Alex to Suzuki and then at Chine. “Sorry, but that doesn’t mean anything to me.”

  Alex started walking away, and her dragon followed her. “It means a dragon wants to fuck him,” she called over her shoulder.

  The four of them walked down the sloping green hills to the stables as Suzuki scoffed. “If that’s what you think it is, you might want to ask Chine.”

  Alex turned around and walked backward. She was smiling. “I’m just messing with you. I know what it is. Basically, Suzuki impressed one of the most difficult dragons in all realms, a red dragon. She swore her undying loyalty to him. Legend says when that happens, the Dragon Bound can tap into the strength of a dragon if needed. On top of that, the gold dragon you two came across had amazing things to say about Suzuki. He’s a pretty popular guy—with dragons, at least.”

  Down at the stables, they found an axebeak and two horses that had been left for them. Roy had done a good job of making sure Alex felt like he was giving her space.

  Anabelle climbed onto her horse. “Is there a reason we’re traveling like a bunch of fantasy novel rejects? I’m pretty sure we could provide enough hoverbikes for everyone.”

  Alex bent down and picked a flower. She held it in her hand for a moment before peeling off one of the petals. “The ether dragons don’t trust people or any signs of them. We go in there with any more tech than we need, they’ll fry us on the spot. This way, we won’t draw attention to ourselves.”

  Anabelle snapped her horse’s reins to start off, and Suzuki did the same with his axebeak through the typical means: slapping it across the back of the head.

  Rasputina reached out. Bones rose from the ground, cobbling together the form of a horse. Green fire flashed where the horse’s mane would be, and its eyes glowed the same green as the woman’s.

  Anabelle groaned as she caught up with Chine and Alex, who had climbed onto her dragon’s back. “Yeah, the lich and her undead horse aren’t going to draw any attention to us. Why the hell is she coming with us?”

  “Roy said resources are tight. It was this, saddle another group with her, or leave her at HQ to her own devices,” Alex explained.

  “Wait, Roy told you that? You guys on speaking terms now?”

  “Not like we used to be, but it seems like he’s willing to give me a chance.”

  Anabelle felt like she shouldn’t pry, but she was curious to know what had changed in Alex. The girl didn’t seem much different from when she’d rescued her. It was hard for the elf to imagine Alex killing anyone without a need, and even harder to see her wanting to join up with the Dark One. It didn’t fit. “You mind if I ask you something?”

  “Shoot.”

  “What was it like serving the Dark One? I have an agent going undercover, and she might have to deal with him. What should I tell her to expect?”

  Alex didn’t bother looking at Anabelle. “Wouldn’t know. I’ve spent the last few months in MERC territory freeing prisoners. Go ahead, ask Suzuki. There’s probably been an increase in dead orcs and a massive decrease in the number of villages and towns that need to be rescued.”

  Suzuki, who was riding at Anabelle’s side, nodded slowly. “That’s true. Troops of the Dark One’s forces have been showing up dead, and no MERC groups can account for them. Also, they’re usually charred by dragon fire, so yeah, it’s fairly obvious. The timelines match. I believe Alex. I don’t know why everyone has such strong memories of Alex saddling up with the Dark One, but the MERCs know where she’s been. Unless there’s another dragonrider group out there that Roy doesn’t know about, which I find highly unlikely.”

  They continued weaving through the Crimson Forest, a place of beauty the likes of which Anabelle had never seen in any forest outside of her home. The trunks and leaves of the trees were a bright autumn red. Even the grass captured the color.

  The forest stretched on for miles, and the party made sparse, brief conversation, mostly questions from Suzuki about Anabelle and the DGA. Rasputina remained silent, brooding in the back of the party. Occasionally Alex would join in. As they traveled, she lightened up. Anabelle even caught Alex smiling a couple of times.

  The hardened image Alex had projected when Anabelle had first met her fell away. Anabelle could see the humor in the girl now, and the earnest sincerity. Once all this was over, Anabelle was going to make sure to get to the bottom of what had happened with Boundless.

  Anabelle’s HUD pinged. It was a message from Terra. The orc world was close to having finished their pre
parations. She hadn’t heard anything from Abby yet, but Creon had stepped up to take care of any concerns on the gnome world.

  Abby finally moved forward with Tesla, Anabelle thought. That was the only thing that explained her sudden absence. Anabelle hoped she had made the right call by encouraging the girl to slip under the Dark One’s radar. She had a suspicion that this battle in the Netherverse wasn’t going to be their last.

  They finally left the forest and continued riding west, the sun beaming down on them now that they were in the clear. At noon, they stopped by a lake and ate a small meal consisting of provisions Suzuki had prepared ahead of time. Anabelle thought it was funny how food was a part of the Mundanes’ day to day planning. She couldn’t ever recall planning for a lunch with the DGA.

  Once everyone was fed and Chine had drunk enough from the lake, they resumed their journey.

  While they traveled, Anabelle noticed that her mind was fuzzy, as if someone had draped a sheer bedsheet over her thoughts. When she looked around, she wondered why she couldn’t tell where she was. She was generally good with directions but now felt as if she couldn’t tell east from west.

  Poison. Alex and Suzuki could have slipped something into her meal, but what reason would they have had for doing that? The three of them wanted the same thing. Anabelle could have been wrong about Alex, though. The kid’s increasingly good mood could have been part of a larger con.

  Even as Anabelle ran through possible scenarios in which she might need to fight for her life, she had to laugh at herself. She hadn’t even assumed the lich was responsible for this. If anything, that made the most sense.

  But the Path of the Lost was open to her. It would take more than Alex or Suzuki to put her down. She was pretty sure she could hold her own even against the lich, even if it was just to buy enough time for her to escape. That confidence relaxed Anabelle enough that she felt free to investigate the odd sensation. “Does anyone else feel kinda lightheaded?”

  Suzuki rubbed his forehead as he yawned. “Lightheaded isn’t the word for it. I can’t figure out which way is up or down. Taking a nap sounds like a good idea, and for the record, I hate taking naps.”