Plague of Death

by D. L. Armillei

  “Or do injuries count as evil and we use the Cup to heal wounds?” Pernilla pondered aloud.

  “The Items of Creation are weapons,” Kopius said. “How is healing an injured person a weapon?”

  “The Cup can heal warriors injured in battle.” Van shrugged. “It can keep your army strong, I guess.”

  “You guess?” Paley asked. “Aren’t you the Anchoress? Shouldn’t you know?”

  Van glared at her friend. How dare Paley challenge her abilities in front of the team.

  “Listen,” Brux said. “Zurial used the Cup’s powers to heal a person who was dying from battle injuries. She used it correctly.”

  “Did she?” Kopius asked. “Maybe Nick was destined to die, and Zurial saved him against the will of the Creator.”

  “Sounds evil to me.” Paley batted her eyelashes at Kopius.

  “Cordelia never should’ve retrieved the Items of Creation, to begin with,” Van said, trying to sound in control after Paley’s awkward questions. “So the users are more likely to become corrupted, or driven insane.”

  “Why would she do that?” Pernilla asked. “Even if the Elders asked her to, it wasn’t worth the risk.”

  “Order needed to be restored,” Daisy said, in defense of Queen Cordelia. “The Great War between the Lodians and Balish wasn’t going to end quickly or easily. As the Anchoress of their time, she believed the only solution was to journey to Mt. Altithronia and retrieve the items from the Elementals.”

  “The Quasher back then was still entombed beneath the earth by the Elementals, so there was no time constraint,” Van said, still haunted by thoughts of the shadow-creature’s large clawed paws and snapping jaw.

  “Cordelia took three other royals.” Brux had obviously learned the same story as Daisy from their father. “One to be responsible for each item. Cordelia’s husband, King Halldor was instructed to stay behind at Lodestar to guard over their eldest daughter, Amaryl, the heir to the Anchoress bloodline.”

  “Amaryl was too valuable to the Lodians to go on such a high-risk mission,” Daisy said.

  “Cordelia’s reasoning made sense,” Brux said. “Once she had her items, she could tap into her magical powers as Anchoress, wield her weapons, and easily defeat the Balish. It was her duty to stop the war. If the violence had continued, demons would’ve reached the Living World causing Dishora. It’s just—her plan failed thanks to the Balish ambush.”

  “Demons rose, and the Great war between the Lodians and Balish turned into the Dark War, humanity versus demons,” Kopius said. “Common historical knowledge.”

  “Cordelia’s plan didn’t work because she retrieved the items to use against humanity and not true evil,” Van said. “We can’t make that same mistake.”

  “It’s dangerous to retrieve all the Items of Creation.” Daisy stared into space. “Too much power in the hands of mortals.”

  “It’s a moot point.” Pernilla shook her head. “I’m not sure why Zurial showed Van the Cup of Life. But our mission isn’t to get another item. It’s to check the seal.”

  “And we don’t even know where the Cup is,” Kopius said, in a way that implied he was thinking about retrieving it.

  But Van did know the Cup’s location. Cortica.

  Now she knew why the Coin pointed to the ankh on the map in Uxa’s office. The Coin showed Van the best path for success, and it had directed her to the Cup of Life.

  Or did Uxa want Van to retrieve the Cup all along? This would explain why Uxa took the Coin out of the Celestial Tower.

  Maybe it wasn’t a coincidence that Uxa picked the second seal, the one closet to the Cup. All the Items of Creation were made by the Creator for the Anchoress, and therefore Van was the only person who could retrieve the Cup from its hiding place, and only during the Alignment.

  Did Uxa use a cracked seal as an excuse to bring Van close enough to Cortica that her magically activated Anchoress homing device would kick in, and she would be irresistibly drawn to the item?

  Van shook her head to clear her thoughts.

  Uxa had no ulterior motive. Van’s dark thoughts were the by-product of her damaged soul. It made sense for the Coin to point to the next Item of Creation. All four items were probably seeking to re-connect to their collective power.

  However, every item placed in the hands of Uxa meant more power for the Lodians—and more personal power for Uxa. And with the possibility of another war brewing between the Lodians and Balish, it would make sense Uxa would want them.

  Then why not outright tell us the mission is to retrieve the Cup?

  Paley broke Van’s thoughts. “Has anyone figured out how we’re going to check the seal if it’s in the Bottomless Sea?”

  “Kopius will figure it out.” Daisy smiled and gazed at him with doe-eyes. “He can figure out anything.”

  “My special skill is creative problem-solving.” Kopius smiled back at her, even bigger.

  The team’s conversation faded. Several of them yawned, and they settled in for the night.

  At dawn, Van took out the Coin and used it to find the best path to the Bottomless Sea. It pointed west.

  “Ah!” Kopius raised his index finger in the air. “Toward Cortica, also known as Outlaw Island.”

  “And the seal,” Pernilla said.

  And the Cup. But Van kept this piece of information to herself.

  During their journey west, Van used the Coin to keep them on track.

  They took trunk-a-vators as far as the network would allow, then walked the rest of the way.

  “You can give the Coin a rest now,” Kopius said, his feet squished with each step. “We can follow Swampy Creek to the west coast.”

  Van threw him a questioning look.

  “I memorized the area when I went searching for Daisy. Can’t carry a map around, it’s a dead give-a-way I’m unfamiliar with the area. Might as well put a bulls-eye on my back.”

  Despite using the Coin, the trunk-a-vators, and following the creek, it still took them five days to reach their destination, an area called the Skeleton Coast.

  Saltbox houses began to pop up along the dirt road.

  “It’s a rough area,” Kopius warned. “Loaded with miscreants and degenerates. Anyone who thrives living on the fringes of society.”

  They came to a wharf area that, even during daylight, had the shadiness of a rundown waterfront.

  People scurried along, none staying in one spot too long. Their clothes were layered, loose fitting, and dingy. They all looked like they hadn’t bathed in years.

  “Is this the only place that offers ships to the Bottomless Sea?” Brux nervously glanced at Daisy. Her delicate fragility and beauty in the wharf area stood out like a sunflower growing out of a pile of manure.

  “Not exactly.” Kopius looked grim. “We have to go to Outlaw Island to get passage to the Bottomless Sea. None of the ships on the coast will go there. At least, not where we want to go.”

  “How do we get passage to the island?” Pernilla’s shoulders were tense, her eyes alert.

  “When in doubt, look about,” Kopius said.

  Daisy seemed to appreciate his wit, and when no one else did, he sighed. “Let’s check out the local watering holes.”

  Van reached for her pocket, and Kopius placed his hand on her arm. “Not a great place to take that out.” He meant the Coin. “Any one of these hovels will do. Trust me.”

  “Never trust anyone who says ‘trust me,’” Brux muttered.

  Kopius ignored Brux, and they strolled down the grimy, dirt road of the wharf area, mostly silent as to not draw attention to their group.

  “Here,” Kopius said. “Let’s give this one a shot.”

  A faded, simplistic mural was painted across the entire front exterior wall of the double-story structure. It depicted a scary-looking skeleton wielding a sickle. The skeleton rode a white horse that had already trampled over a fallen king and drew close to a young woman clutching a baby. Wavy blue water flowed in the background. Below t
he picture, a hand-painted name read Fisherman’s Rest.

  The eatery, the mural, and the wharf gave Van the heebie-jeebies.

  Daisy, alongside Van, scrutinized the mural. “The skeleton of death—a warning,” she said. “No one is free from experiencing the pain of death.”

  Paley shivered and clutched Van’s arm.

  “It gives a whole new meaning to the ‘rest’ in Fisherman’s Rest.” Kopius chuckled. He walked up the creaky, rotted wooden porch steps.

  “The flowing water behind the skeleton is symbolic of the constant circulation of life,” Daisy continued. “A force that comes into materialization and flows out again—the cycle of life and death.”

  “Well, aren’t you the cheery one.” Pernilla brushed past Daisy, bounded up the porch steps, and went inside, right behind Kopius.

  The others followed.

  Van ignored the prickles on her skin. “It’s just a stupid drawing.”

  She followed them into the eatery despite the unsettled feeling in her stomach.

  Chapter 18

  The crowd milling inside the Fisherman’s Rest helped mask the team’s entrance. There wasn’t a drinking age in the Living World, but from the looks of the place, age wouldn’t have been an issue, anyway.

  Round dining tables dotted the large open room, all taken, and a mob of people stood cramped in the spaces in between. The patrons were unshaven, disheveled, and had a look of depravity about them. Van heard several lewd comments as she followed the others, one after the other, as they squeezed through the throng.

  They ended up at the bar.

  Daisy appeared serene and unimpressed with the degenerate patrons and the dismal ambiance of the place. This prompted Van to wonder what experiences she had while kidnapped, and on her journey back to Salus Valde with Kopius.

  Still, Brux shifted to shield Daisy from the eatery’s patrons.

  “Best place to get info—from the bartender.” Kopius clapped his hands together, ready for action.

  “Good,” Van said. “I need some food.” She wedged her way between Brux and Paley and leaned on the railing of the bar.

  “Get something alcoholic,” Kopius suggested.

  Brux snorted in disgust.

  Kopius gave him a side-eye stare. “It’s safer to drink alcohol here. The water’s contaminated.”

  Pernilla raised her index finger to lips. “Shh.” She tilted her head toward the group gathered at the bar next to her.

  Everyone on their team stopped talking and listened.

  “Be careful,” a plump woman with ratty hair warned her friends. “The Balish are infiltrating this area.”

  “They’re not supposed to be here,” said a potbellied man wearing a sailor’s cap. “This is just more upheaval in the Balish kingdom.”

  “They’re pushing their boundaries,” said another man with several missing teeth. “Trying to clean up the coast, make it more civilized.” He grimaced at the last word.

  The woman shook her head, and Van feared an actual rat would fall out of her hair. “I heard they’re searching for an escaped prisoner—a Lodian. Escaped from the dungeons, I hear.”

  “Bales better stay away from Outlaw Island,” said a scruffy man. “They’ll get shredded to pieces there.”

  “I heard the Balish Council put a kill order on Lodian children,” said the potbellied man. “Rumored the Anchoress is floating about.”

  “If she’s out of bounds, then the Moors will have what they want.” The woman paused to take a sip from her tin mug. “The Balish can take over Salus Valde once and for all.”

  “But not without a massive war,” the potbellied man said. “One that will bring about Dishora.”

  “You mean, Solmor,” said the man with missing teeth.

  They all squinted at the potbellied man.

  “You Lodian?” accused the woman.

  The other men began shouting and pushing the potbellied man.

  “What’re you? A dirt-lover,” the scruffy man said with a growl.

  “No—I, I—” he tried to speak, but the others dragged him toward the door.

  Kopius watched as they left. “Brutal.”

  Van shivered.

  “Dirt lover?” Pernilla asked.

  Brux re-doubled his effort to hide Daisy. “It’s a derogatory term making fun of Lodians and our beliefs. Specifically, our Grigori.”

  “So basically they’re making fun of how we care for and protect the weak and innocent?” Pernilla asked rhetorically and with disgust. She twisted toward the bar and waved her hand trying to flag the bartender.

  Paley eyed a cute boy sitting passively on a bar stool staring into his mug. To Van, he seemed the type to be gazing at his own reflection in the mead. His calloused hands indicated he worked on the docks, perhaps as a fisherman’s apprentice.

  Paley darted over and leaned against the bar next to him.

  He immediately perked up.

  Daisy wriggled away from Brux so she could stand next to Kopius.

  Brux’s nostrils flared. He grabbed Kopius by the elbow and pulled him aside, away from his sister, but close enough so Van could hear.

  “What’s the deal with you and Daisy?” he asked.

  “There’s nothing going on,” Kopius said. “Your father’s paying me to protect her, not date her and I’m still on the clock. Geesh, man.” Kopius shook his head. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”

  Kopius jerked his elbow free from Brux’s grip. “Now,” he said straightening his shirt. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to see to it that Daisy completes your mission.”

  He weaved back into the crowd.

  Brux leaned against the bar next to Van. “He’s lying, of course.”

  “Daisy will be fine. It’s just a case of puppy love.” Van placed a comforting hand on Brux’s shoulder. “Kopius is an okay guy. He’ll do what’s right.”

  Van regretted her last words. As Brux leaned onto the bar trying to get the bartender’s attention—Pernilla continued to have no luck—Van caught a glimpse of Kopius chatting with several members of the female gender on the other side of the eatery.

  “His charm seems to work well with older women.” Van nudged Brux so he could take a look.

  Brux twisted around. “Charm? His personality oozes like puss from a zit.”

  Van chuckled.

  “Seems like his relationship with Daisy might be over,” she said.

  Relief flooded Brux’s face.

  Daisy, on the other hand, looked defeated, like a wilted flower.

  While Brux attempted to flag the bartender, Van took notice of him as if with new eyes. His energy seemed to encircle her like a protective shield. His biceps were definitely bigger this year. When she breathed in, she swore she caught his sweet masculine scent. His presence made her feel warm and safe. Her insides swirled like a million tiny tickles, which irritated her to no end.

  Paley returned with a sad face.

  “What’s wrong?” Van asked.

  “I learned more about my parents.”

  “You did?” Van raised her eyebrows. “That’s great. And really random. How does a stranger know who your parents are?”

  “Not like that.” Paley’s eyes welled and darted to the floor. “It’s just—I was so used to being an orphan.”

  Van waited patiently during Paley’s dramatic pause.

  “That guy made me realize what it really means that I’m not an orphan.” Paley could barely get the words out. “It’s just … my parents. They didn’t want me.”

  Paley’s unexpected comment threw her completely off balance, though, Van’s heart ached for Paley’s pain.

  “That guy’s a slimeball.” Anger helped take away the uncomfortable feeling in Van’s chest. “Don’t listen to him. Why’d you tell him you were a blunt?”

  “I didn’t. I pretended I grew up here. I got him talking about when we were kids and being scared of the Janus monster and stuff. So I could get a better understanding, you know. Turned out t
o be a bad move.”

  “Why? What’d you find out?”

  “The Balish adults and practically all the tribes know Janus is a transport system to the Earth World.” Paley stuck her knuckle in her mouth to stifle a sob.

  “So?”

  Paley unclenched her fist from her teeth. “The adults—they choose to leave their children in the Earth World, to make do on their own. They tell themselves the Janus monster only eats the bad babies. Parents who lose their babies believe it’s best to let them go, so the remaining family can move on with their lives.” Tears streaked down Paley’s cheeks. “They know about the portal in Salus Valde. They know the Grigori will let them transport to see their children.” Paley sobbed. “But none of them ever do. They leave us! They just…leave us.”

  “I’m so sorry.” Van slid off her stool and wrapped her arms around Paley.

  “S-some parents come to Providence Island,” Paley continued between sobs.

  Van could feel the back of her shirt getting damp from Paley’s tears.

  “The Lodian Consilium allows them to convert to Lodianism and live on Providence Island, if they want—they can even bring their vichor children.” Paley let out a wet sloppy sob. “I c-could’ve had a r-real family. B-but, my parents didn’t love me.”

  Pernilla, Daisy, and Brux stared at them. Van was certain they could overhear her and Paley’s conversation, but stayed out of it, respecting their privacy.

  Paley released her from the hug. “You know what?”

  “What?” Van said, relieved that Paley seemed to perk up.

  “I need to find my loser Balish parents.” Paley wiped her eyes. “Confront them for being such uncaring asshats. Let them know it was their loss.”

  “Yeah! You go, girl!” Van said happy Paley had resolved her parental issues, at least for the moment. “Don’t talk to that guy anymore. He’s a jerk, like most guys. I’m never falling in love.”

  “Yes, you will,” Paley said kindly, her eyes wide and soft. “It’s just—you’re all locked up right now. Some great guy will come along and unlock you.”