Kirheen grimaced. “Well, this place sounds lovely.”
“It could be. That is what is so terrible about Korinth. There is so much potential, so much life, so much history, and they trample it all in the name of power. I guess this is true of all places. Look at what happened in Taverin.”
“You have a point,” she agreed. Kirheen stopped her pacing and looked towards the city, a strange sensation drawing her attention. There was a pressure building in the air, the static before a storm. Kirheen looked to the sky. Clouds floated by, lazy and calm, a crisp white against a colorful canvas. The pressure grew and grew, vibrating in the depths of her soul.
Tomias looked up, his head swiveling left and right. “What is that?”
Kirheen looked back to the city, shivering as the sensation sent chills along her spine. Barog came to a halt, eyes following her gaze. “Does anyone else feel that…trembling?” he asked, brow furrowed.
“This can’t be good,” Kirheen said. She walked to the side of the ship, leaning over to look at the soldiers below. They were shifting uncomfortably, speaking in low whispers. “Hey,” Kirheen called. “What is that? What’s happening?”
They looked at her, their expressions as befuddled as her own. The soldier standing to the far left shook her head. “We don’t know.”
The answer came in a clap like thunder. The ground shuddered, rising and falling as if the world had taken its last breath. There was a crack, a resounding explosion, and Kirheen watched the beautiful blue dome in the distance explode in a plume of broken glass and chunks of stone. For a moment everyone stood silent, too stunned to react.
The soldiers exchanged glances, eyes blazing with anger. “You wretched fools! What have you done?”
Curved swords were drawn, steel singing sweetly as they were freed from their sheaths. Energy crackled to life on the edges of their blades, glowing a vibrant red. The woman to the far left swung in an arc and, where it sliced through the air, it sent a shockwave of energy hurtling towards Kirheen. She flung herself out of the way just in time. The energy collided with the ship, a chunk of wood taken out of existence from the sheer ferocity of the blast.
Tomias was at her side before she’d even gotten to her feet, bristling with power like an angered beast.
“I’m fine,” she reassured him, drawing on her powers as footsteps rang from below. They were walking up the plank, swords singing with power. Another arc of released energy whirled across the deck, colliding with a pile of crates, obliterating them in an instant.
Drawing power from within, she focused on creating a barrier. She struggled against her own hesitation and the barrier reacted in kind, wavering as it shimmered into existence. The door holding the Darkness at bay inside of her was sealed tight, no hint of weakness, but it was hard not to think of the consequences if it got out. Ignoring the warning bells inside her head, she fed more power into the barrier, solidifying it into something solid and impenetrable. “Stay behind me,” she called to Barog, and he skittered across the ship, sliding behind the barrier as another crate met its end.
Two soldiers, one male and one female, came into view, glowing blades held aloft. The man leapt forward, blade slicing through the air, sending a crackling wave of energy hurtling through the air at the barrier. Kirheen readied herself for the impact, feeding even more power into the barrier. The energy slammed against it, the opposing forces fighting for dominance. With a hiss, it rebounded, veering back towards the solider. The man stood in shock, barely moving in time to avoid being hit by his own attack. The arc of energy careened wildly, slicing straight through the mast of the ship. The wooden beam stayed steady for a moment as all eyes turned to watch, fear mirrored in each gaze. There was a loud groan, a crack, and the mast began to sway back and forth. It began a slow fall, dragging rope and sails with it as it plummeted towards the ship.
Kirheen tried to judge its angle, pulling Barog and Tomias to the right. “Stay down,” she yelled over the agonized creaking of the ship. She expanded her barrier, creating a dome over the three of them. She only hoped no one would come from below looking to investigate. Even with the barrier in place, even knowing they were safe, when the mast slammed against the deck, her heart jolted.
Debris pelted the barrier like raindrops on a rooftop, and Kirheen held it in place until the sounds dissipated. The deck was a complete disaster, the mast having done significant damage to the ship. Barog was shaking with anger, his jaw clenched tight, and his eyes narrowed as he surveyed the damage. “What have they done to my ship?”
“Barog, I’m sorry,” Kirheen said. She looked over the debris, watched as a hand shot out of the wreckage. One of the soldiers, the woman, emerged from beneath a pile of splintered wood and netting, her face bloodied. She limped away, shooting them a hate filled glance before disappearing down the plank and onto the docks. No doubt she’d go for reinforcements, but Kirheen didn’t try and stop her. They had bigger problems to worry about.
“Is everyone okay?” Tomias asked.
“My ship…” Barog wept. “There is no fixing this. My friends, we’re stuck here.”
“I’m a little more concerned about what is happening to Samira. What the hell was that? What is that building?” Kirheen asked, pointing to the ruined dome in the distance.
“It’s where they would have taken her,” Barog explained. “It’s where the Spears meet to discuss and whine about their problems.”
“She wouldn’t have attacked unprovoked,” Tomias said, his words all too uncertain.
“No, I don’t think she would have,” Barog agreed. “Something happened. I’m going to check below deck, make sure the others are all in one piece. You two figure out what we’re doing, for there is no getting out of Korinth now, and soldiers will be swarming this place in no time.”
“We’ll handle it, Barog. Go on,” Kirheen said. As Barog slipped away, she turned to Tomias and looked him over from head to toe. He seemed unharmed and she breathed a sigh of relief. “This was not a part of the plan.”
He shook his head. “Is it ever? What are we going to do, Kir? Samira could be in trouble. You’re the only one capable of getting in there and finding her, but that’ll leave us pretty exposed in the meantime. We could hold them off, at least long enough for you to figure out what the hell happened in there.”
“Out of the question,” she snapped. She was not going to leave her friends behind in such a vulnerable state, no matter the circumstance. “These aren’t just normal soldiers, Tomias. If I leave, things could end very badly for all of you.”
“Very, very badly. I know. But I also know if they get their hands on Samira, if they somehow figure out a way to subdue her, none of this will matter.”
“Damn it,” Kirheen muttered. It always seemed to be her pitted against impossible choices. To leave them behind was a serious risk, one that could end with her friends butchered or imprisoned. Or worse. Even if they could hold off an attack, they wouldn’t be able to do so for long. But if Samira had been injured, if they’d captured her, the whole world would be at risk. Reaching out, Kirheen grabbed Tomias by the shirt and yanked him closer, her lips crashing against his. It was far too brief, and her heart ached as he pulled away. “Tomias, I’m going to go find her. You stay safe,” she demanded, her voice breaking as she fought back her emotions.
“I will. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
Without looking back, she stumbled over the wreckage and hurried towards the city of Korinth and the chaos raging within.
CHAPTER 29
Samira limped down a side street, her battered body supported by Naree’na. The ground was littered with shimmering blue glass and chunks of smoldering stone, obstacles that Samira had to be half-carried over. Her companion sagged, knees giving out. “Samira, just a moment. I need to catch my breath,” Naree’na gasped. She knelt on one knee, carefully avoiding the debris. “Just be thankful you’re not this old.”
“Rest,” Samira said, unable to find the
humor in her words. She cleared the ground against the nearest wall and sank against the cool stone, body shaking from the pain her movements caused. Her skin was burning, trying to heal around arrows she’d yet to rid her body of. Taking her bottom lip between her teeth, she reached for the broken arrow jutting from her leg and pulled. The arrow slipped free, droplets of blood trailing it through the air. She flung it away, watched it clatter across the stones.
“Samira, I’m sorry. If only I had known,” Naree’na said, her voice ragged. “I knew they were unhappy about you being back, but I thought they’d at least pretend to be diplomatic. This is madness.”
“And you? What do you feel?” Samira asked. They hadn’t parted on the best of terms all those years ago. They’d held very different views during the civil war, views that had started pulling them further and further apart. With the awakening of her powers, Samira had fled to Sharmir. She’d become a traitor to her own people, a threat always just an ocean away, and thoughts of Naree’na had been buried deep, never allowed to see the light.
Naree’na regarded her wearily. “I have many thoughts and even more questions, but now is not the time. I will not judge you until I have those answers. You can expect no harm from me.” She glanced to the arrowhead sticking out of the front of Samira, her lips peeling back in a grimace. “How bad is it? We need to get that out of you.”
Samira glowered. “You’ll need to do it,” she explained, her voice hoarse, each breath agonizing.
“Samira…”
“Just do it!”
Naree’na crept closer. “It’ll be easier if you stand.” She held out her hand and Samira took it, ignoring the jolt of electric energy that passed between them as their skin met. Naree’na tugged her to her feet, the movement making her world spin, but she held her steady until it passed.
“Get it over with.”
The arrow shifted uncomfortably as Naree’na grasped the exposed shaft. She gritted her teeth, knowing well the pain that would follow. “Three…two…one.” With a sharp twist, the arrow was pulled free, immense pain filling the empty hole in Samira’s chest. It was drowned beneath a flood of fire as her power set to work, healing her from the inside out.
Her punctured skin warmed, knitting together into a smooth expanse. The intense heat subsided, the only hint of her wound the rivulets of blood trickling down her chest and back. Freed from the pain, she turned her attention to the shattered crystal on her chest. Corruption leaked from where it had broken, falling in fat droplets to the stone beneath her feet. Had she left a trail of the corruption through the city? She’d come to Korinth to stop that from happening, and now she was the one putting everyone at risk.
She tried to pull it back into herself – tried and failed. No matter the power she conjured, the blighted substance refused to return to her body. If there was no stopping it, at the very least she needed to keep it contained. Lifting a hand to the crystals, she formed a barrier over the shattered edges, hoping it might hold it back long enough for her to find a more permanent solution.
When she glanced up, Naree’na was staring at her, silver eyes brimming with curiosity. “Samira, your wound. That was incredible! What did I just see?”
“The very reason this city is so afraid of me.”
“I’d heard rumors, terrible rumors, but I didn’t want to believe them. Can you truly not die? And those crystals on your chest, what is that coming out of them? What do they do?”
“Remember how you said this wasn’t the time? We need to get back to the docks before this city falls down around our heads. I’ll try to explain on the way.”
Naree’na nodded, but Samira could see the curiosity lingering in her gaze. “Of course. Stay close.”
They slinked through the city, keeping to side streets and dingy alleys, hoping to avoid any conflict with the soldiers. It reminded her of being a child again, running barefoot throughout the city, playing hide and seek with friends that had turned into enemies or had long been returned to the earth.
Samira stayed silent for a time, ears open to the sounds echoing throughout the city; the clanking of armor, the panicked cries of citizens, the angry shouts of soldiers combing the city looking for her. She hoped it would distract from the questions Naree’na wanted to ask, but she could feel them leaking through her barriers, poking against her like a sharp needle. “My powers awakened after the death of my parents during the civil war,” Samira explained. Naree’na slowed her pace, her expression somber.
“I didn’t know what was happening at the time, I just knew that my whole world had changed. When they came for me, I thought they meant to help. I was so naïve, even after what I’d seen during the war. I was taken away from my brother. They tortured me for days, weeks, months. They were testing my powers, testing the limits of it. I would have been stuck there until they broke me, until they’d made me their puppet.”
“Samira…I… how did you escape?” Naree’na asked softly.
“My brother, Aka’ru. He knew they’d taken me and when I did not return, he came for him. Some of those that had stood by our parents during the war banded together to get me out, but it cost every one of them their lives.”
“I had no idea,” Naree’na said with a shake of her head. “It’s all making sense. All these years I thought you a traitor.”
“I just blew up the Seat of the Spears. I think that point is fairly settled now.”
Her lips quirked. “In their eyes, perhaps. And what of those crystals on your chest?”
Samira glanced down. The barrier she’d formed was growing darker, dimmed by the corruption pushing against it. “It seems to be the source of my power, the source of this corruption. Naree’na, I don’t know how to explain this, but I think this is somehow tied to Zekar himself. I think he means this world harm – well, part of it anyway.”
Naree’na stopped walking. “You speak of a god, Samira. Have you gone mad?”
Samira gritted her teeth, her skepticism expected but unwelcome. “This corruption, if it comes anywhere near someone without powers, it gets inside their heads, makes them feel guilt unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. And if it touches them, they just cease to exist. It wipes them away and there is this voice that keeps telling me to just let it happen, to unleash this devastation on the world. That is why I’m here. To stop this from happening.”
Naree’na stood silent, eyes searching hers for answers. She frowned. “This sounds crazy, friend. I want to understand but…”
“You wanted answers. I never said you’d like what you’d hear.”
“No. No you didn’t.”
“You’re free to jump ship now. I don’t expect you to be a part of this.”
“I’m already involved!” she said, her voice rising sharply. “Samira, I helped you. People saw. There is no going back for me now. Perhaps I will understand in time, but for now, I will help in whatever way I can. Let’s just keep moving.”
People had seen, had watched as she’d leapt forward, intent on stopping the next arrow aimed at Samira. Some of those very people were undoubtedly still alive and they’d remember that one of their own was now a traitor. That would stain her forever. Whatever life she’d had before, what she’d done in all those years Samira had been gone, it was crumbling before her eyes. She’d not let that sacrifice be in vain. “Naree’na. There aren’t words strong enough but thank you for this. I should not have stayed away so long.”
Silver eyes flicked towards her, filled with sadness. “What’s done is done. We can’t change the past now, so let us focus on saving our future.” Naree’na held up a hand, motioning for Samira to stay back while she peeked out onto the main road. She quickly whipped her head back, flattening herself against the wall while a group of soldiers jogged past in clanking armor.
It was by some miracle alone that they hadn’t looked their way. “This place is getting a bit too crowded for my liking,” Samira said. A low whisper from behind caught her attention and she whirled, her movemen
t startling a tall Orgol, his large eyes frightened orbs within bruised sockets. His skin was the color of ash, broken by the occasional wound, fresh enough to be weeping. His simple clothes were in disarray, his shirt nearly torn in half. He stayed hunched, trying to make himself smaller, leveling himself with Samira.
Naree’na saw what had caught her attention and stepped closer, her hand on the hilt of her sword. Seeing her hand on her blade, the Orgol raised his hands. “No hurt. No harm. This one,” he said, pointing at Samira. “Savior. We protect, we hide. We show the way. Please come. Follow.”
Samira felt a chill go up her spine. “Why did you call me that?”
The Orgol shook his head. “Apologies. Words hard to shape. Understand. Please follow.”
Samira looked down at her chest, to the corruption pooled within her barrier. “I can’t. This will hurt you.”
“Not hurt. Not us. Come.”
Shouts from another street carried over to her. The soldiers were looping back around. What choice did they have? Samira could destroy a building, could go toe to toe with any of their soldiers, but it wasn’t just her she had to protect. “Naree’na, we go with him.”
“Are you certain?”
Samira nodded. “Let’s go. Lead,” she said to the Orgol. He clasped his hands before him, giving her a bow before turning on his heels and leading the way. He led them back the way they’d fled. Near the end of the street, the Orgol pointed to a door sunk into the stone wall, painted to blend in. She hadn’t even noticed it. The Orgol raised his fist, pounding on the door in a specific sequence. There was a faint click and a large silver eye peered out at them.
“Savior?” a feminine voice asked.
“Yes. With me,” their Orgol guide stated. Seemingly satisfied by the answer, the door swung open and Samira and Naree’na were ushered inside. The room was small, furnished with a table and a few chairs, lit by glowing candles placed haphazardly throughout the room. A rickety bookshelf, covered in cobwebs, took up a corner. The books were torn and frayed, and Samira had to resist the urge to go straighten them. She looked to the group of Orgol standing throughout the room, eyes wide, mouths hanging open in awe. Standing among them was a young woman with ashen hair and it took a moment for Samira to realize who she was looking at. “Kirheen?”
The Allseer Trilogy Page 84