Dusk Gate (Soul Bound Book 1)
Page 1
Dusk Gate
Benjamin Medrano
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Epilogue
Dusk Gate by Benjamin Medrano
© 2020 Benjamin Medrano. All rights reserved.
Contact the author at BenjaminPMedrano@gmail.com
Visit the author’s website at benjaminmedrano.com
Sign up for the author’s mailing list at http://eepurl.com/cGPT-b
Cover Art by Crystal Rain
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
For my wife, who puts up with my odd imagination.
Prologue
At a certain point nothing could surprise her, Xandra reflected, looking down the length of the sword and into the man’s eyes. The blade was only an inch from her nose, giving her an excellent view of the folded steel, along with the faint runes etched into its surface, while thin white energy billowed around the sword. Exardian runesmiths had made the blade, she decided after a moment. That was one of the better styles she’d seen over the years, though it wouldn’t do its wielder much good here.
The man holding the sword stood out like a sore thumb in the cramped confines of Xandra’s room, just like his sword did. He was almost six feet tall with a few tufts of black hair poking out from under his helmet, and his eyes were dark, almost matching his close-trimmed beard, though his face betrayed his anxiety. His helmet was of fine manufacture, though someone had blackened it with soot or the like, and he wore a broad, dark cloak over gleaming armor that shone almost like a mirror, composed of a breastplate, greaves, vambraces, and chain. His companions weren’t as obviously intruders as he was, but they didn’t fit in either.
The young man next to her bed had copper-colored hair and eyes, along with pupils that looked draconic to her, and he was rather slim. He wore a dark-colored traveler’s outfit that almost matched the clothing of the better-dressed slaves, which gave him the best chance of passing as a slave of the three. The wand he was pointing at Xandra and his tension made Xandra want to sigh, but she resisted the urge. His attitude ruined any chance of fitting in.
Resting on Xandra’s bed was a young woman whose blonde hair had been braided and wrapped around her head, and a staff was resting against the wall next to her while she regarded Xandra nervously with blue eyes. Her cloak was dark, but she was wearing a dress that was blue with white trim, something that would stand out starkly in the hallways of the palace. Xandra couldn’t make out what the holy symbol hanging from her neck was, with the cloak hiding it, and she didn’t want to know.
Between the three of them, Xandra was quite certain they weren’t escaped prisoners, and if it hadn’t been for the sword being so close, she would have pinched the bridge of her nose. Her orders rattled through her head, but there were just enough conflicting ones about this sort of situation that Xandra could choose what to do. Just lovely. Choices never ended well for her, these days.
The man with the sword quickly threatened, “If you make a sound, I’ll—”
“Stab me through the nose? That’s unlikely to do much good, as close as you are. Beheading me would be far more effective. However, my collar would make that difficult,” Xandra said, reaching up to tap the collar wrapped around her throat, one which made it so she couldn’t turn her head more than an inch or so. “However, even if you succeeded in killing me, all it would do is let my Mistress know that I was killed, and she’d be enraged enough to hunt you down. Then your chances of succeeding at whatever scheme you have in mind would vanish utterly.”
“What?” the man asked, blinking owlishly at her, obviously taken aback by her lack of fear, and Xandra sighed, then calmly swatted his sword to the side, grimacing as it burnt her hand slightly. She didn’t like most holy weapons.
“If you’re going to kill me, get it over with. If you’re not, get out of my room. I only get three hours to sleep a night as it is, and you’re taking precious time,” Xandra said, ignoring how he quickly recovered, drawing back his sword as if to strike before pausing as she spoke further. “If you’re after the vault, take a left on leaving, go right, left, and left again, then you’ll see the guards. You can’t miss it. If you’re after the king and want to commit suicide, go left, right, straight, straight, and left. If you’re here to rescue someone, go right, right, straight, right, downstairs, then past the portcullis to the prison. And if you’re just trying to escape, the fastest way to the portal is right, straight, left, right, and straight the rest of the way. Now, off my bed, priestess. I’m going to need it momentarily.”
As she spoke, Xandra hung her necklace on a peg, the ancient metal tarnished and barely silver anymore, while the pendant was almost unrecognizable. Then she reached for the buttons on her gown, not caring that they were still in the room.
“Why are you—” the young man began, flushing slightly, but she interrupted again.
“I said you’re wasting the precious time I get to rest,” Xandra said waspishly, glowering at him. “Kill me or go away. You’re probably going to die or be captured anyway, and I won’t have to tell my Mistress you’re here until my morning report in seven hours.”
“Err…” The young woman hesitated, looking at the others, who looked flummoxed. To Xandra’s intense annoyance, they didn’t move for a few seconds, then the priestess slowly stood and nodded to her nervously while speaking. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me. I just want you out of my way,” Xandra said, waving them toward the door. “The traps, locks, and guards are your problem to deal with. I want to sleep.”
“R-right. Let’s go,” the knight said, flushing as Xandra dropped her dress to the ground, averting his gaze as he hastily opened the door.
The three quickly left, to Xandra’s relief. Removing her clothing worked with some intruders, usually the more self-righteous ones, but others took it as an invitation, which was never pleasant. Well, rarely. She leaned over to pick up the dress and put it away while the girl closed the door, and as she did, Xandra heard them speaking.
“Do you think we can trust her directions?” the young man asked, not quite softly enough for her avoid hearing.
“No idea, but we don’t have anything better to work off of. Lady Alexis—” the knight began, only for his words to be cut off by the door closing, and Xandra let out a sigh of relief. Now she could focus on sleeping.
She removed everything but the collar, t
hen slipped into her nightgown before plopping into the bed. The scent of the intruders added an odd ambiance to the bed, making it harder for her to sleep, but Xandra tried to force herself to ignore that. Unfortunately, the thought of the intruders was prompting a niggling thought in the back of her head, as if she was forgetting something. It wouldn’t leave her alone, and a minute later it finally surfaced, causing her eyes to open.
“Mistress was going to be interrogating an Alexis tonight,” Xandra murmured, then groaned as she realized the full consequences of that. “Oh, she’s going to be so angry in the morning… and they’ll be lucky if they aren’t killed outright. Wait, that would be lucky, wouldn’t it?”
The thought of her Mistress’s rage didn’t cause that much distress, not with how jaded to her punishments as Xandra had become, but she preferred to avoid them. The bigger problem was that when she reported about the intruders, it was likely going to lead to more orders, which would make her life even harder. Eventually, Xandra sighed and pulled the pillow over her head.
“Nothing to be done for it. Sleep while you can, Xandra,” she muttered to herself, closing her eyes as she tried to get to sleep.
She was just beginning to drift off when it happened, though. All of the orders that controlled her behavior were coursing through her mind like they always did, including the one limiting how much she could rest… and then they ended. Suddenly, without any warning, and she snapped fully awake at the sudden emptiness in her head. Disbelief and shock rippled through Xandra, immediately followed by a much stronger emotion.
“Oh, fuck,” Xandra muttered, despair washing over her. “They’d better have a good escape route, or we’re all dead.”
Chapter 1
Getting ready took almost no time at all, with the experience Xandra had gained over the years. She couldn’t keep her Mistress waiting without risking a great deal of pain, and looking like she’d been rushed would also lead to punishments, so she’d learned to get ready in minutes at most. Even so, she kept expecting the alarm to be raised at any moment. The intruders must have been stealthier than she’d expected, and His Majesty must be occupied. When she thought about it, he probably assumed one of his other lieutenants had finally lost patience and strangled her Mistress. It wouldn’t be that surprising.
“Messenger bag. After last time, no one will touch me while I have it,” Xandra murmured, grabbing the bag in question and flipping it open. The black leather was beautiful, and emblazoned with her Mistress’s red sigil. She shoved the handful of things she cared about into the bag, mostly her enchanted combs and a couple of outfits, then she was ready. She slipped the bag’s strap across her body, which positioned it so the sigil was pointing forward.
Xandra strode out of the room with a purpose, habitually using the sort of stride she used when she had a place to be and no time for any distractions. It was true today as well, even if it was for an entirely different reason than normal. Only confidence, and the messenger bag, would keep anyone from getting in her way. Or so Xandra hoped.
Almost instantly she realized the wisdom of her decision, as she turned the first corner on her way to the prison and saw Egrizen, a foul-tempered, cruel demon with a mouth almost as wide as her torso. He was ambling along and grinned at the sight of her, then froze as he saw the bag, harrumphing.
“On an errand for your mistress at this time, slave?” he asked, his voice grating. “I don’t think she’d mind if you lost an arm, do you? I could use a snack.”
“Only if you don’t mind what she’d do to you, Milord,” Xandra said, not even pausing as she continued to approach. “I’d doubtless lose consciousness from blood loss, and it might stain the package. I believe she’s occupied with a captive at the moment, so she’d be very annoyed.”
The demon didn’t visibly flinch. No demon was foolish enough to show fear in that way, but his smile did fade as he grumbled. “Fine. You should come find me when your task is done, then.”
“As you say, Milord,” Xandra agreed politely, continuing down the hall at the same pace. She was mostly thankful that she wouldn’t be held to the promise this time.
Weariness tickled at the back of her mind, but through long practice Xandra kept it at bay. She could sleep when she was out of here or dead, and the only question was which would be her fate. She’d far rather be out of here for good, and that meant help was required. She couldn’t get through the portal alone. As she took the stairs down, a wide staircase with steps she could use alongside the massive ones that many demons required, she glanced at the skull and blood motif that adorned the walls and smiled mirthlessly. Death wouldn’t be release, anyway. Not here, and especially not for her.
Moments later she came into sight of the gates into the prison, and her eyebrows rose slightly on seeing the guards still in place. That was a surprise, and meant that the intruders had been even more subtle than she’d…
“No, no… of course. Not a bad illusion,” Xandra murmured, her eyebrows rising as she noticed the wisps of mana swirling around the two hulking demons.
They were almost perfectly shaped, and just about anyone else would’ve thought they were real as one snarled at her. Xandra ignored its challenge, walking straight through the illusion and pushing open the small door set into the gates, unsurprised that it wasn’t locked or even latched. It opened into the prison, and Xandra looked around the familiar walls, listening closely. The smell of blood tinged the air, and when she looked down, she saw a broad trail of blood leading to one of the nearby cells. That explained what had happened to the guards, at least.
Xandra also didn’t hear anything but the usual faint whimpers from a few of the cells, which was either good or bad. She hoped that the intruders hadn’t escaped already, as that would make her day much worse.
Instead, she headed toward the torture chamber attached to her Mistress’s chambers. If her Mistress had been planning to torment a captive the intruders were after, it would’ve happened there, and to her knowledge there’d only been a single mortal in captivity that morning.
As she drew closer, Xandra frowned on seeing the door to the torture chamber. The door had been bodily kicked open, of all things, and there were scorch marks around its base. That wasn’t a good sign, nor was the lack of noise from the room. Still, she’d come too far to stop now.
She pushed the door open and stopped suddenly, glancing around the room just once before she sighed and raised her gaze to the ceiling. “Well, fuck. Why did I dare hope they were competent?”
The scene in front of Xandra couldn’t be much worse. Of course, if her Mistress were alive, that would be worse, but as it was, she was on the verge of despair.
Nearest her, and most vivid of the intruders, was the young priestess who’d been resting on Xandra’s bed earlier. The priestess had been turned to stone, one hand raised as if she’d been casting a spell, and her staff planted on the ground beside her. Obviously, whatever she’d been casting hadn’t done her much good.
A few feet past her was the young, copper-haired mage. He had a look of shock on his face as he stared upward with glassy eyes, while his hands were clutching at the fist-sized hole that’d been punched clean through his chest. It looked like Xandra’s Mistress had removed his heart and spine with a single attack, which struck her as overkill. On the other hand, the demoness always had tended to overreact when upset.
Then there was the knight and her Mistress, a sight which prompted another sigh from Xandra. Her Mistress had been a beautiful succubus, with pale skin and raven hair, but her head was currently barely attached to her shoulders, a look of rage still on her face, while her wings functioned as a limp shroud over her naked form. That explained a lot to Xandra, as her Mistress’s magical items would have made her almost invulnerable to attackers. Those items were neatly stacked on a side table, along with pure white clothing that stood out like a beacon in the dark room.
The knight was only a couple of steps past her Mistress, and was lying on the ground, blood po
oling around him as one hand stretched toward the woman hanging in the middle of the room.
The woman was a half-elf, with slightly pointed ears, and she was naked save for the chains holding her, as well as the gag. She was attractive enough, Xandra supposed, with black hair and vivid blue eyes. Her body was covered in intricate black spellwork, explaining much of what her Mistress had been occupied with for the day, and the chains held her in a position that showed exactly why her Mistress had been naked. The woman’s eyes were filled with desperation as she looked at Xandra, making soft noises, but the gag in her mouth kept her from saying anything… a gag which had a large, mostly empty vial screwed into the woman’s mouth. That likely hadn’t been pleasant.
“H-help…” The faint words startled Xandra, and she looked at the knight, blinking once incredulously.
“Alive? I’m surprised, with that much blood lost. Still… ah, the paving stones make it shallower than it looks. Unfortunately for all of us, I’m no healer. Unless Lady… Alexis, is it? Unless she can heal you,” Xandra said, taking several quick steps forward, and she glanced up at the half-elf as she spoke the last question. The man groaned, barely shifting in place, but the woman nodded rapidly, hope in her eyes, and Xandra smiled. “Excellent. In which case I’ll help you, if you promise to take me with you in your escape attempt. I’d rather not be stuck here any longer at this point.”