Angst Box Set 2

by David Pedersen

  Angst understood, because he lived with that same burden of never enough. He let go of the power until the lightning dissipated and rested both swords behind his back. After approaching the warrior slowly, Angst placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. SMyket looked up, staring into Angst’s eyes, pleading for…something. It was a something that Angst couldn’t give himself, but maybe he could help these lost tribesmen.

  “No matter how hard I try, despite my best intentions, I always seem to fail,” Angst said. His breath caught, and he swallowed it down hard. And then, he lied. “If I didn’t forgive myself, if I didn’t climb to the top of that hill, if I didn’t use all this might for right, then all I’d struggled for and lost would be for naught. You saved some, and you should be proud of that.”

  It was what SMyket needed to hear, and his pleading eyes became those of a friend. In another life, in a life with time to spare, he would’ve liked to know this man.

  “Thank you,” SMyket said, pulling back. “You are truly Al’eyrn.”

  “There’s still a chance we can fix this mess,” Angst said. “I may call on you for help.”

  “We will be with you,” SMyket said.

  “I’m going to be ill,” Ivan snarled. “What about the warbands?”

  “In this forest alone, we’ve seen many Fulk’han and Nordruaut,” SMyket said. “If we are able to sneak up on you so easily, you don’t stand a chance.”

  SMyket was right. Had he been so distracted by Alloria’s boobs that he’d discarded all sense of precaution? Yes. He’d been so busy shopping for her almost-clothing and flirting with the mysterious twins that he hadn’t even considered sending the gamlin on patrol. Hector would’ve admonished him in the worst way for this, and his cheeks warmed. This was an obvious mistake and one that could’ve cost him. He’d made assumptions that his power would keep them safe but trying was still necessary.

  “Thank you.” Angst bowed his head. “We’ll find a path or make one if we have to.”

  “Are you just going to kill them all?” SMyket asked.

  “Yes,” Ivan said. “That’s what they deserve.”

  “No,” Angst said, staring down the knight. “That’s not my way. I want allies, not enemies. Now that SMyket has shaken some sense into me, I’ll be on the watch to avoid them. My friends underground will alert me to everyone traveling on foot.”

  “Not in the air?” SMyket asked. “There are dragons, cavistil birds, and bird women dressed in black feathers with dark wings.”

  “Harpies,” Ivan said.

  “Harpies?” SMyket looked at Ivan quizzically.

  “No, not harpies,” Angst said. “Berfemmian.”

  The tribesmen all became more attentive, tense, looking at each other with wary eyes. Angst had hoped it was just Marisha, but whatever dark spell had changed her had apparently changed all of them. They were his greatest danger right now. The gamlin could warn him of anyone on the ground, but not in the sky. Without the help of his swords, he may never sleep again.

  “Please tell me this is one of your human jokes,” SMyket said.

  “I wish. Faeoris’s essent attacked me. She’d been changed into something dark and evil,” Angst said. “I didn’t realize the change had affected all of them.”

  “Like the dark that has taken over ANduaut,” SMyket said with a deep sigh. “They must be stopped.”

  “Yes,” Angst said. “But try not to kill them. A part of her was still Marisha, like she hadn’t completely changed. It’s hard to explain, but I won’t kill them either. That said, they’re more dangerous than ever.”

  “We will be fine,” SMyket said. “They don’t hunt for us, just for you. But…our mates… Can you save them?”

  “Maybe,” Angst said. “If I can do it, my plan will save everyone.”

  Ivan let out a “pfft.”

  “Good,” SMyket said. “I’m glad we didn’t kill you.”

  “Me too,” Angst said with a chuckle. “Are you coming with us?”

  “No,” SMyket said. “That would just attract attention from the other tribes and put us all at risk. We will die for our beliefs, but we will save that dying until it counts. We will pretend to be on the hunt for you and hopefully guide others away from your path.”

  “Thank you, SMyket,” Angst said. “You know, I think Faeoris would’ve preferred you to ANduaut.”

  “Really?” he asked, his eyes so wide it was like Angst had handed him a cookie.

  “Yeah,” Angst said with a smile. “Hey, can I ask a small favor?” Angst whispered into his ear.

  SMyket smiled broadly, nodded once, then raised his hand in a fist. When he opened his hand, the dragons whooshed into the sky, and the Vex’steppe tribesmen were gone like steam on the wind. Angst reached out, searching for minerals, and could sense their bones. They bounded through the woods like antelope. He could feel them but couldn’t hear a thing.

  “Welp,” Angst said. “Everything just stopped being easy. Go figure.”

  The woods were shrouded in shadows by early evening, and Victoria struggled to make out their surroundings. The day’s ride had been quiet. Not only was it uneventful, but the threat of a harpy attack made everyone focus on staying alive instead of talking. They probably should’ve stopped sooner, but she was enjoying the silence. Everyone’s fear was her relief from the childish bickering. She’d have to remember that.

  “We need a clearing to make camp before it gets too dark,” Victoria said, breaking the silence and making a few of them jump. “Sean, can you find us something?”

  Sean pointed sleepily from his ferret mount. It was odd, compared to the other swifen. Despite its great size, it looked like a normal ferret with fine brown fur. Maybe it was because he was so close to animals, but Victoria found it disconcerting. The ferret was just too real. The long, slinky rat rode close to the ground, wrapping around corners and scampering up hills. Victoria wasn’t a fan of rats, especially giant ones that could bite off a hand.

  “Sean says we’re close,” Simon said.

  “Why are the woods so quiet?” Captain Mirim asked.

  “Sean says we’re safe,” Simon said.

  “Sean says a lot for not saying anything,” Nikkola said.

  The almost-bickering was enough to tighten the knot between Victoria’s shoulders. She really wanted a hot rose-petal bath in her favorite copper tub. The hotter, the better. At this point, she’d be happy to be cooked in a stew with an apple in her mouth if it meant relaxed muscles.

  Minutes later, they crested a hill to find Sean’s clearing. It was the perfect amount of space for a campsite, and Victoria’s sigh was deep enough to reach her chafing thighs. She’d spent plenty of time riding, and flying her swifen, but not in armor. Still, she looked pretty and fierce, making it easy to deal with the discomfort.

  “What’s that?” Jaden asked, drawing his Bokeen mount to a halt. He pointed at a dark, unmoving mass in the middle of their future campsite.

  “Dallow,” Victoria said. “Would you mind creating some light?”

  “Wouldn’t that attract attention?” he asked, warily.

  “It would be better than falling into a giant, open mouth,” Rose said.

  “A what?” Dallow asked.

  “I’ve seen things,” she said. “So have you. Remember the flying holes on our way to Fulk’han?”

  “Right,” he said. He whispered something in Acratic.

  Victoria had expected something akin to torchlight, but instead, Dallow impressed. The clearing was completely visible, as though flooded with light from a white sun. Like sunlight, it was everywhere, but the whiteness gave an eerie, unnatural sheen to everything it touched.

  “Neat,” Jaden said.

  “Dragon,” Sean said, leaping from his ferret and rushing ahead.

  “Now he talks?” Nikkola asked.

  “He doesn’t stop talking,” Simon said, rolling his eyes. “At least not to me.”

  “Shouldn’t we be fleeing in panic?” Mirim asked, her v
oice shaky but her sword at the ready.

  “I’m pretty sure it would’ve eaten us already,” Jaden said, sliding off the side of the Bokeen swifen. “If it were alive.”

  The dragon was much smaller than the mother Victoria had seen Angst kill. This one was only the size of a barn. Several spears protruded from its shoulders and wings. Even as Sean patted its triangular head, it didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.

  “Is anyone else concerned that a bunch of someones killed a dragon in our new campsite?” Rose asked. “Maybe we should find somewhere else to make camp. Like twenty miles from here.”

  “I’m okay to keep riding,” Nikkola said. “I don’t think I ever need to sleep again.”

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Jaden said. He approached the beast and set a foot on its shoulder, placing his fists in a heroic pose against his waist.

  “If you say so.” Victoria giggled. He was being cute, which was frustrating when she was supposed to be angry at him.

  Mirim dismounted Jaden’s swifen and walked around the dragon several times. “It’s not breathing, Your Highness,” she said, jerking a spear from its wing. She looked at it quizzically. “That’s odd. It wasn’t actually in the dragon.”

  “Eye,” Dallow said, pointing. “Eye.”

  The dragon blinked, and its broad mouth pulled back in a toothy grin.

  “Dragon,” Sean said once more, patting its wing.

  The monster reared up, making everyone leap away. It stood to full height, looked up at the sky, and let loose a bellow of dragon fire.

  “Mirim,” Victoria said, her heart pounding. “Mirim. This is it. This is your moment. What do we do?”

  “Run!” Mirim shouted.

  Mirim, Jaden, and Sean ran to their swifen and scrambled to mount them.

  “Where to?” Victoria asked.

  “Anywhere,” Mirim said. “The Fette, Potterton, just go!”

  And they did go, as fast as they could while the mighty dragon blasted fire high into the night sky. As they were leaving, Victoria heard something. Or did she? She couldn’t have. It sounded like a man—no, men—laughing at them as they rushed away into the night.

  24

  Waiting was his favorite, and Alloria loved making him wait. She’d left to take care of business and would be back in “a few.” According to his internal Alloria clock, “a few” should’ve ended by now. Leaving him with Ivan only made it seem longer. Thirty minutes alone with the knight had been as entertaining as cleaning a chalkboard with a nail file.

  “If I have to listen to you sigh one more time, I might tear off my ears,” Ivan said. “Rather than knocking me off my horse again, why don’t you go find your girlfriend?”

  “Fine,” Angst said, not-sighing.

  He’d been reluctant to go looking for her. Chances were she was chatting with squirrels and rabbits. There was a greater possibility her clothes had “fallen off,” and she was pretending to drown in a shallow pond. That would lead to another argument he didn’t have the energy for. Ivan tearing off his ears sounded more fun.

  Reaching out with his mind, he sought the immediate area for bones. It took several minutes; the forest was busy with deer and fox and more than a few critters. A quarter-mile away, he finally sensed the bones of something substantial beside something small. The more massive creature could’ve been anything from a baby dragon to a giant red bear.

  “Always something.” He grunted, drawing both swords and blurring to them.

  It had been a while since he’d seen a Vex’kvette monster wandering through Ehrde. This one wasn’t any prettier than the others. The orange river created by Magic must’ve merged two men, made them a giant, and, of course, given the creature a third arm. Its legs and torso were human-like and dense with muscles and two autonomous heads were set evenly between broad shoulders.

  The heads could’ve easily come from brothers—their eyes, noses, and ears were similar. One had a rounder face and gray hair while the other was bald. Both men had kind faces, leaving Angst reluctant to break up the party until he saw Alloria.

  The third arm was apparently attached to its back, because monster. It reached over the two heads, dangling an angry princess between them. She swung wildly with a small dagger, spinning around and screaming in frustration. The arm moved toward one face, and then the other, as though undecided who got the snack.

  “It’s my turn, Brent,” the bald one said, licking his lips.

  “But I’m hungry, Scott,” Brent said, urging the arm over.

  “We have the same stomach,” Scott said with a frown.

  “But I like chewing them,” Brent complained.

  Alloria rocked back and forth as the third arm struggled to find a home. Apparently, they both had some control over the appendage—or maybe lack of control.

  The last time he’d fought a monster like this, he’d cut its stomach open and been showered in guts. Rushing in to cut the monster in half could leave him in a similar state. Plus, if they dropped Alloria from that height and Angst didn’t catch her in time, she would die. Based on his recent run of luck when rushing in, he considered another approach and set down his swords.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Angst said as he stepped toward them, holding out both hands. “Whatever you do, don’t eat that one.”

  “But I found her,” Brent said. “I get to eat her.”

  “You didn’t find her,” Scott said, reaching up with the arm on his side and smacking his brother’s face. “I found her!”

  Brent’s head lolled to one side as he reeled from the strike. The third arm holding Alloria moved closer to Scott’s mouth.

  “She’ll make you sick. She’s way too much for you to handle,” Angst said. He muttered, “I think she’s too much for me to handle.”

  Scott held her before his nose and sniffed deeply. “She smells fine.”

  “Good,” Brent said. “Then she’s safe for me to eat.”

  Alloria continued taking wild swipes with her dagger, her blows bouncing off harmlessly. So far, Angst had been equally effective. There had to be another way.

  “Isn’t it Scott’s turn?” Angst called out.

  “Yeah,” Scott said, the arm jerking to his side. “My turn.”

  “But Brent,” Angst said. “You found her. Don’t you deserve to eat her?”

  “She’s mine,” Brent shouted, forcing the arm in his direction.

  “Don’t take that from him, Scott,” Angst said, trying not to laugh. He cleared his throat and waited a moment before saying, “Brent, are you going to let him talk to you that way?”

  Brent swung, his fist connecting with Scott’s cheek just as the other fist struck Brent’s nose. The hands grappled and slugged as the two fought like angry siblings. The third arm seemed confused, torn between what to do with Alloria and which head to smack.

  The monster stumbled, and the third arm tossed Alloria aside. Angst rushed forward to catch her and blur back out of reach. Now free from holding the princess, the third arm took turns with the two heads, poking eyes and tugging on ears.

  In a final attempt to win dinner, both hands reached up to clutch their brother’s neck. Angst set Alloria down, unable to hold back laughter as the Brent-Scott monster collapsed to its knees. They both gasped for air, unwilling to give up their hold. After several long, gurgly minutes, it fell forward to collapse on its faces.

  “That was great,” Angst said. “I don’t think I want to kill them.”

  Alloria faced away, holding herself and rocking back and forth. She must’ve been scared out of her mind, and he admonished himself for not checking on her immediately. He approached her slowly, gently placing his hands on her shoulders.

  Spinning around, she lashed out with her dagger, slicing deep across his chin. Angst leaped back as she swung again and again. The young woman roared in fury, her eyes wild.

  “Alloria, stop,” he shouted.

  She continued her wild attack, finally overreaching enough to provide him an openi
ng. Angst slapped her across the cheek, and she collapsed, dropping the dagger.

  “What was that?” he yelled, grasping his blood-slick chin.

  “What?” she asked weakly, shaking her head. Her eyes widened as she looked up. “Angst, you’re hurt. What happened?”

  Alloria drew a pink, silk handkerchief from nowhere and pressed it against the wound. When her eyes fell on the two-headed creature, she jerked back.

  “Did the monster do this to you?” she fumed. “I’ll kill it.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll heal,” Angst said, torn between fright and concern. “It was a monster, but we’ll leave it alone. Not all monsters should be killed.”

  25

  The Nordruaut practically sprinted through their own nation, but the dire wastelands of Rohjek slowed them to a brisk jog, and eventually a stiff walk. As their pace faltered, so did their banter, as if the ashen wasteland had coated their tongues.

  Thick layers of soot and grime covered the ground like sand in a desert. It was deep enough for Jintorich to get lost in and spongy enough to make Tarness’s calves sore if he had to walk for any distance. The ash that closely followed their wake had the tangy, familiar taste of death. Most Nordruaut remained perched on their hairy Bokeen, enormous six-legged hippos with moppy brown hair. Even though the ash was hardly an obstacle for them to trudge through, it plumed into the air, forcing them to spread out so those in the back could breathe.

  By the third night, they came to realize the importance of stopping early enough to dig out camp. Each of them looked like thieves that had snuck down the chimney to try to steal fresh air. Masks of cloth kept them from coughing, but nothing could protect their eyes.

  “Can’t you magic something, Al’eyrn?” Rasaol snapped at Niihlu. “Make all of this go away!”

  “The foci tell me nothing,” Niihlu said, shaking his head and creating a small cloud of ash. “They merely give me power.”

  “Fah, two foci and still useless,” Rasaol barked before turning on Maarja. “Where are you leading us, woman?”

  “Show my wife respect,” Tarness said, glaring at the king, “or I will teach you.”