He was crowd heir to the throne, but everybody knew that Apollyon was not going anywhere. And Vallich was not going to wait around several hundred years for someone to come along and kill the King. Not when he could do it himself.
None of this had been clear to him until last night. With the Vyvent, with the letter. He scooped up the message from the table and folded it into his pouch. The truth in that letter had somehow set his mind free from a captivity he had no idea he had been in. It had taken him all day to grapple with the haze in his mind, the stories and lies so ingrained they were difficult to forget, but finally he could see the other side. His entire life was a well-orchestrated puppet show and Apollyon was the puppeteer. Finally, he had cut himself free of all his strings.
Tonight he would leave with only one regret. That Kari—the person he grew up with—couldn’t cut her strings too.
Vallich placed his hand over the letter in his pouch. He couldn’t risk showing it to her while he was still there. She was much too devoted. Too weak and untrusting of him.
A clattering sound funnelled up the spiral staircase outside his chamber. He opened the pouch he had been playing with and stared at the glistening Godstones inside. He had managed to steal five Godstones from Apollyon’s collection and had added them to the three he already possessed. This is what they were after.
Apollyon had ordered the armies to collect any Godstones from fallen Wielders to be brought back to him. He could then redistribute them to the Wielders under his command, but mostly he kept them for himself. Wielders could use other Godstones, though they would only really be bonded to their first. Rumor had it that Apollyon once tried to give the Godstones to high-ranking non-Wielders, but to no avail. To be granted the power to wield, you had to have your own stone. You had to be the first to find one.
The echoing in the stairwell grew louder; they were almost at the top of the tower. Vallich scowled. He may have eight Godstones, but Apollyon was sure to have more. And to add to his hindrances, nobody knew what Apollyon’s first Godstone was. Vallich had seen the King wield everything from wind to earth, but never once did Apollyon reveal which of his many Godstones was his true pair. He had long attempted to discover the secret, out of sheer curiosity, but he’d failed.
Vallich seethed at the thought of the missed opportunity. It would have been so easy to defeat Apollyon if he’d had this information. He could have separated the King from that Godstone, and Apollyon’s powers would be diminished, and he would begin to age.
Now, it was his time to rebel—his time to be King—and yet, he was woefully uninformed and unprepared. Apollyon had secrets. Apollyon had an army.
Vallich needed one of his own.
He heard the soldiers right outside his door and quickly looped the pouch of stolen Godstones tightly around his armoured belt. His wooden door was kicked in without even the courtesy of a knock, and four fully armoured soldiers barged into the room. Vallich was almost disappointed the God-King didn’t come himself.
“Ha!” Vallich laughed out maniacally as he caught sight of the Highwings on their capes. “Tenths? Apollyon sent Tenths? What was that idiot thinking? Are you even Wielders?”
“Too cocky as always, Vallich,” came Erikah’s voice from behind the four Tenths. He watched as she pushed past the soldiers. She was in the full traditional armour of an Eleventh. Her chest armour glistened in the low glow of the candlelight and her black cloak swung from side to side as she revealed herself. Vallich could sense her smirking beneath her sleek steel helmet. The helmet that only the Elevenths had the honour of wearing, the helmet that donned the full Highwings on the front.
“Ah, so Apollyon did send an Eleventh,” he blurted out, happy there would be a challenge. “Too bad for you he didn’t send more.”
“Don’t make this too hard on yourself, Vallich. Apollyon knows you took the Godstones,” she called back from underneath her mask. “Come now and I will tell Apollyon you were sensible—he will show you mercy and end you quickly.”
“Ah, Erikah,” Vallich said, striding towards the ensemble of soldiers until he was face-to-face with their masked leader. “It is you that is too cocky. You’re the second-in-command for a reason.”
“So you won’t come peacefully?”
“Since when did you like peace?” He dropped his pack from his shoulders.
Erikah guffawed. “I didn’t expect anything less.” She sent her arm reeling around, her fist aimed at Vallich’s face.
Vallich brought his forearm up quickly, blocking the blow in one effortless motion. “You will have to be quicker than that, my dear.”
The room was launched into a flurry as Vallich reacted to the Tenths coming at him from all angles. The first one ran around back and charged him, sword ablaze. Vallich didn’t even need to turn around. He could feel the soldier coming at him. Just before the Tenth’s blade would have made contact, Vallich crouched down as low as possible. The Tenth fumbled over him, falling forward. As he came down, Vallich shot up, grabbing the man and using the upward motion of his legs to launch the soldier into the air.
Vallich watched with utter satisfaction as the man flew through the room, taking out one of his bedposts and causing the draping to come tumbling down on top of him. The Tenth spilled off the bed and onto the floor, motionless.
Two more Tenths came at him from both sides. He backed towards the window to dodge a dagger from the left and a round-house kick from the right, causing the Tenths to stumble towards each other. As they staggered, he grabbed the back of one’s cape and smashed him into the wall before turning to punch the other square in the face. Both collapsed to the ground.
“Enough, Erikah! Call off your dogs!” Vallich shouted as the last of the Tenths attempted to slash him with a sword. “Fight me yourself.” Vallich continued to dodge the blade, unfazed by the Tenth’s onslaught of blows. This one was relentless, not knowing when to quit. The man brought down his blade yet again, and Vallich easily dodged it. The man didn’t waste any time recovering, and immediately swung the blade up from the ground.
The blade whirled upward at Vallich’s chest from the left. It took him a split second to react, but he threw his arm down to block the blow in time.
A loud clang of steel meeting steel rang through the chamber as the soldier’s blade crashed into Vallich’s hidden armour. The two remained locked in this position, each applying pressure. A bead of sweat dripped down Vallich’s forehead onto his lips. He could taste the salt.
Suddenly, something was very wrong. The armour on Vallich’s forearm was becoming unbearably hot. His skin sizzled under the metal and he could feel blisters boiling. He looked from his arm to the Tenth, who was smiling at his pain. Vallich watched the Tenth's eyes grow hazy and gloss over—a Wielder. He should have known Erikah would have brought some Elevenths-in-training.
“Clever,” Vallich said the exact moment the blade burst into flames. He cringed, the heat melting his skin. Vallich knew he had to get away fast.
He squatted, keeping contact with the sword. Using the power from his legs, he launched himself into the body of the Tenth, his forearm protecting him from the soldier’s sharp blade. The tackle was enough for the Tenth to lose balance and fall backward.
Vallich was free from the standoff. He looked at his arm, focusing on his breathing to counteract the pain. As he breathed deeply, he could feel anger boil in the pit of his stomach. He stared at the Tenth and his fiery sword with rage. He hated being outsmarted. No one should be going up against him like this.
Vallich knew it was time. He focused, feeling the power of his Godstone coursing through his veins. He closed his eyes. He could hear the Tenth charging him. Vallich smirked to himself as he opened his eyes.
The Tenth charged towards him from across the room, his flaming sword in hand. Vallich let him get close; he wanted to make him feel as though he had won. As the soldier was about halfway through the room, he saw the look he was waiting for: the man smiled. That was Vallich’s cue.
In an instant, Vallich conjured a pointed diamond spear out of thin air. It hovered right next to his head, aimed directly at the charging man. Vallich watched as the Tenth’s face changed from elated to horrified, and only in that moment did Vallich command the diamond spear to launch through the room.
He had aimed to hit the weakest spot in the armour. He watched with pleasure as the spear pierced through the man’s chest plate, sending him flying backward and pinning him to the wall. He felt a sense of relief at the gory scene and chuckled slightly under his breath.
“Is that really it, Erikah?” Vallich said, shrugging his shoulders.
Erikah casually leaned on the doorway. “I hadn’t expected them to do so poorly.”
“He doesn’t even know you’re here, does he?”
“The God-King? No, he doesn’t.”
“And what did you promise these fools in exchange for their insubordination?”
“They were prodigies for positions in the Eleventh faction. This was their test.” Erikah smiled. “When we succeeded, I would be chosen to compete in the Ascension Trials. After winning, I was going to fast-track their promotions.”
“You think you could win the Ascension Trials?” Vallich snickered.
“I’d do better than that trash, Kari. We all know she’s next in line to represent Azul.”
Vallich paused. He never considered who may be next to compete for his position, as he never thought he would leave it. And it certainly never crossed his mind that the person put forward for Azul might be Kari. A knot twisted in his stomach at the thought of her having to go through what he had.
“Well, your attempt was pathetic, Erikah,” Vallich said and gestured towards the three unconscious soldiers. “Pathetic and lazy.”
“My attempt has barely begun. They were merely your warm-up. It’s the two of us now,” she said calmly as she got into a fighting stance.
“Oh, don’t pretend you haven’t wanted to fight me since the day you were named my second.”
Erikah pushed off the doorway, spreading her feet and crouching. “You’re right,” she said, lifting her hands in front of her. “So let’s have at it.”
Vallich could hear something rustling behind him. Vines were flying in through the window. They crawled across the room and wrapping themselves around his ankles. They rooted him to the floor and climbed up his body, enclosing him within their clutches. He had no time to react. He had no time to move.
“Don’t even try that spear trick on me, old friend,” Erikah said stalking towards Vallich. “I’ve seen it too many times. You need to be more creative.”
“You vastly underestimate me, Erikah,” Vallich choked out through the rib-crushing pressure of the vines.
Through his sparse and shallow breaths, Vallich focused on the connection with his Godstone. Though much more difficult without adequate air, he let the power trickle in.
On the very brink of consciousness, a thick, clear wall of sparkling diamonds shot up between the two of them and Vallich pulled his lips up into a smile.
Erikah stepped backward, shocked. The vines loosened ever so slightly. “What are you playing at, Vallich?”
Taking in a small gasp of air, Vallich created another wall of diamonds, this time blocking the doorway.
Erikah spun around. She was trapped between the two panes of diamonds.
He watched as her face, distorted by the diamond’s crystal pattern, became red with anger. She began frantically banging on the wall, her muffled curses music to Vallich’s ears.
The vines loosened.
It took all his concentration to focus his remaining energy but as he did, the space between the two panes began to twinkle with miniscule diamonds. Erikah’s shouting became frantic as more of the space started to fill up.
As she became more agitated, the vines became slack, allowing him to focus more intently. He watched with excitement as the space filled with diamonds and Erikah slowly became unable to move. The white glossing over her eyes faded; she was terrified and her wield was over.
Vallich shrugged off the vines and proceeded over to face his immobile second-in-command. He watched as her hands became trapped pressed against the diamond pane. She was almost entirely encased. Vallich raised his own hand and placed it up to hers, his wield the only thing separating them. He brought his face close to the diamond wall, so it was right in front of hers, as the diamonds formed around her mouth blocking out any air.
The only thing left that she could move were her eyes.
“How is that for creativity?” With a smile, Vallich pushed off the wall, veered towards the window, snatched up his pack, and climbed out into the night.
Chapter 10
Reinbeck Forest, 7th Day of the Month of Warmth, 1114 A.F.F.
“Will things ever be normal again?” Kuba asked Aurelia as he watched his older brother sleep peacefully against a nearby tree. Ion’s angular features looked soft in the flickering firelight. Kuba smiled to himself; his brother looked peaceful for the first time in days.
“No,” Aurelia said as she sat down next to him on the makeshift log bench. “Your world has been tossed upside down.”
Kuba dropped his head into his hands. “Urgh, I’m horrible. I should never have picked up this stupid rock.”
“I think the first mistake was your brother’s ill-fated rescue attempt.”
“Hey!”
“Sorry!” Aurelia said, throwing her hands up. “Look, I get it. When I found my Godstone I couldn’t resist it either. It’s all so … overwhelming, even under the most regular circumstances.”
“What happened?” Kuba’s voice was soft.
“Mine fell right into a fire pit. It blew up everything around it, but the fire was still going. I ran into the wreckage, and I reached my hand right in …” Kuba watched as Aurelia rolled back her sleeve to reveal faint scarring on her forearms. He hadn’t noticed before, but the same scarring also covered a part of her hand. “I was lucky my father was there to pull me out. Just like you were lucky your brother was there.”
“Your father?” Kuba was taken aback. Aurelia hadn’t shared any personal details with him over the past week.
“Yeah, my father,” Aurelia said. “But enough of that.” She waved her hand dismissively. “We’ve finally got time, so let’s get started with your training.”
Kuba eyes lit up. “Training?”
“You’re going to want to know how to use that thing, aren’t you? I mean, you and Ion must be pretty high on the United Azanthean Army’s priority list.”
“Definitely!” said Kuba, shaking his head enthusiastically even though his stomach fluttered. He turned his attention away from his resting brother and focused on Aurelia’s instructions. “Let’s do this.”
“There are three types of wields,” Aurelia started. “Controlling, summoning, and conjuring.”
“Got it,” Kuba responded eagerly, inching forward on his log bench. He was elated. After all the walking in the past few days, they finally had some time for a lesson. It had caught him off guard, but he knew that the sooner he learned how to use this power, the sooner he could fight to get his aunt back.
“The easiest wield is a controlling wield,” Aurelia said. “Here, like this.”
Kuba watched as she walked over to the fire pit and stretched her hand over the flame. She was focusing, then her eyes glossed over with that familiar look. The fire beneath her hand danced and turned, creating an array of beautiful shapes and patterns. Kuba was mesmerized.
“A controlling wield allows you to control what is already there,” she said, still creating beautiful arrangements with the fire. “In this case, the fire has already been built and is right in front of me. Using this type of wield, I can manipulate it.”
Aurelia dropped her hand and the fire stopped dancing. Kuba’s enchanted gaze broke.
“It is also the least exhausting.” She walked away from the fire and Kuba turned around on his log.
“Exhausting?”
Kuba asked.
“Wields tire you out,” she explained, turning again to face him. “You’ll feel it a lot at first, but as you train, it’ll get easier. That’s why you need to start small. I have known some Wielders who have tried things beyond their limits. It didn’t end well.”
“What happened?”
“They died,” Aurelia stated bluntly with a shrug.
Kuba gulped. He was excited to wield, but not if it meant dying.
“The second type is the summoning wield,” Aurelia continued without pause. She reached towards the fire, her eyes glazing over again. “This wield allows you to summon your element from a distance.”
The fire blasted out of the pit, straight past Kuba’s face. The velocity of it caused him to lose his balance and the heat singed his brows. He barely caught himself before toppling off the log. The fireball stopped right in front of Aurelia’s palm, so close it must have been searing her skin. She appeared unfazed.
“This type of wield can be extremely exhausting, depending on how far you are summoning from.” She launched the fireball back into the pit. “The trick with summoning wields is to know where your source is. You need to be able to picture it and then draw upon it.”
Kuba nodded. “Got it.”
“Now, conjuring wields.” Aurelia walked over and plopped down on the log next to Kuba. “They are the most difficult. For this type of wield, you must create your element.”
Kuba thought back to their meeting the first night when Aurelia had created fire from nothing. “You did it, though, on Mount Zar,” he said. “You can do it.”
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