The Darkest Sword

by Samantha Kroese

  Soryn dried off, then gave Ashiyn a sheepish look. “My clothes did not survive the night, my King.”

  “Go and get different ones,” Ashiyn said, dismissing him, before stalking down the hall after the servant.

  Soryn hesitated. He wanted to know what was going on. But part of him knew he would not like whatever it was. So he pulled the towel around his waist and fled down the hall to his chambers, hoping none of the few remaining servants saw him.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Ashiyn had a dozen servants who had not defied him in addition to Soryn and Marista. All but Soryn stood on the top of the castle staring like brainless sheep. Marista stood on the very edge of the castle, up on the wall, the wind from the ocean below whipping her sheer white clothes around her body. She stood with arms outstretched, on her tiptoes, staring down at the lava, rocks, and water below.

  “Woman, what are you doing?” Ashiyn demanded as he stormed through the clustered servants. He reached to grab her, but she danced out of his way, her eyes wild, as she brought a dagger up to her own neck. “Marista, that is your name, yes? Come down from there. Let us talk.”

  “There is nothing to talk about, Master,” Marista said, her voice cold and strange. Ashiyn couldn’t remember ever hearing her speak. “It is too late.”

  “What are you babbling about, woman?” Ashiyn growled as he stepped closer again. He saw Soryn join the other servants out of the corner of his eye.

  “I will serve you no longer, monster,” Marista whispered, her hand going to her belly. “I will not bear your child.”

  “No!” Ashiyn tried to grab her with his magic, but he was too slow. She tore the dagger down her front, spilling blood and gore over the stone castle. Then she dropped the dagger and threw out her arms as she let herself fall over the side. Ashiyn ran to the edge but she fell so quickly, she was out of the reach of his magic. She hit the rocks below hard then rolled down into the sea, leaving a trail of crimson on the stone and staining the water.

  When he realized the other servants were all screaming and crying in horror, he rose and drew Sihtaar. Painful memories from the past made his vision bleed into red and Sihtaar started its liturgy of death in his mind. He stormed toward the rest of the servants, intent on destroying them.

  A blinding light flared, and massive feathered wings blocked Ashiyn’s vision of the servants he could now hear fleeing. Soryn stood there in front of him, protecting them. “Don’t do this, Ashiyn. Let them go.”

  Kill him. He is defying you. Kill them all. You are King of this world now! Sihtaar demanded.

  Ashiyn’s hand shook at the effort of forcing the sword back into its sheath.

  Once the other servants were gone, Soryn walked over to Ashiyn, taking Ashiyn’s head in his hands. “Come back, Ashiyn. This is not the past. That was just a foolish girl.”

  “Why did she do that? I treated her well. I gave her everything.” Ashiyn took several deep breaths, staring into Soryn’s dark eyes. He found peace there, cold and clear. It washed over him, driving away the pain of the past and the sight of Annalysa dead by Rhadamanthus’s hand.

  “It’s not your fault,” Soryn muttered. “You’re not a monster. They only see what Rhadamanthus made them see.”

  “I want them gone. Get rid of them, or I will,” Ashiyn croaked as he pulled away and stalked back down into the castle to his chambers.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Soryn obediently evacuated the rest of the servants from the castle. The halls felt cold and empty with the Nthir and him to fill them. Once they were all gone, he stopped by the kitchen to dig through the ingredients available. He decided to make a simple but delicious salad and selected a bottle of rich wine. He wandered up to Ashiyn’s chambers. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. “My King? I’ve brought you some dinner.” He waited for several moments without an answer before frowning. Soryn knew Ashiyn tended to push people away when he felt confusing emotions.

  When Ashiyn did not respond, he tried the door handle. It was not locked, and the door opened into the dark room. Ashiyn was not in the outer sitting room so Soryn closed the door and walked over to set the dinner on a table. Then he walked to the door to the bedroom, anxious. “Ashiyn?” he called, deciding the more intimate use of his friend’s name might be appropriate.

  The bedroom was dark, the curtains drawn to drown out the moonlight. The only thing visible was the eerie glow of Ashiyn’s golden eyes in the pitch-black room. They focused on Soryn and narrowed.

  Soryn bowed slightly. “Master, I have done as you asked. All the other servants have been relocated outside the castle. It is just the Nthir and I to serve you now. May I turn on a light? I have brought you dinner.”

  “If you must,” Ashiyn grumbled and shifted to sit farther back on the bed.

  Soryn mumbled a thank you, lit a magical lantern, and retrieved the dinner. He poured some wine and took the tray with settings for two to the bed, laying it between him and Ashiyn as he sat down. He sat there waiting for Ashiyn to start eating for a while before he finally sighed. “If you aren’t going to eat it, at least give me permission to do so.”

  Ashiyn waved a hand listlessly at him, which Soryn took as permission and started to eat. “Would you like to talk about it, my King? I am here now for that as well as other things. I regret not being here for you until now. You must have been very lonely,” Soryn said gently as he picked at his food.

  “I am sure you were lonelier. I did not remember you,” Ashiyn said as he picked up his wine glass and drank deeply from it. “You know wine does nothing to me.”

  “It still tastes good. It does something to me,” Soryn winked at him, trying to lighten the mood. “Talk to me, Ashiyn. It is just you and me now. Rhadamanthus is gone forever. What will you do now? You are King of the World, but I think you have noticed that our world has fallen to the apocalypse. Darkness covers everything, hordes of monsters rampage through the land.”

  “That’s why the world has heroes. I am not one,” Ashiyn snorted as he picked up his salad, the topic apparently getting his mind off his despair.

  Soryn hid his disappointment at the comment. He knew Ashiyn had it in him to save this world but saw himself as the villain. “Surely your people will learn to love you more if you help them drive back the monsters. What are you offering to those who serve you right now? A King they never see unless they displease him? You don’t want to be that. You like being seen. You like acknowledgment and worship.”

  Ashiyn gave him a cool look. “What do you suggest I do then?”

  “This world is desolate and desperate. It would only take a few acts of benevolence on your part for them to come crawling to your feet to worship you. Worship is a far better tool than fear. All people wished for Rhadamanthus was his swift and painful death,” Soryn said slowly, cautious. “The world already fears you, my Lord. You need to make them love you. Then you will truly rule them. Look at me. I would do anything to please you.”

  “Why do you love me, Soryn?” Ashiyn finished his salad and put the dishes aside as he sipped at the rest of his wine. “The world thinks me a monster. You were there the day I caused the apocalypse.”

  Soryn swallowed a lump in his throat at the memory of Rurik’s attempt to sacrifice him. “You didn’t cause the apocalypse. You saved my life. Because I was more important to you than the world.”

  “You still are,” Ashiyn muttered as he looked away. “So now I have you. Why should I not just stay here and let the world burn itself to the ground? As long as you don’t die you’ll live forever. I’m immortal. We could emerge from the ashes and rebuild once it is all over. If the people can't defend themselves, why should I defend them? If I let the monsters carve out the weak and righteous, then I will have an army forged in fire to combat the monsters when I take this world.”

  Soryn narrowed his eyes. "My King, I don't think you want a world full of people like you. There isn't enough room for more than one." When Ashiyn tilted his head, clear
ly considering those words, Soryn continued, “Do you really want to rule a world full of corpses? What good will they do you if they are all dead?”

  Ashiyn raised a brow at that. Clearly, he had not expected Soryn to be ready with an argument, or perhaps it had been so long since he had been questioned that it shocked him. “Continue, I am listening,” Ashiyn said finally.

  Soryn crossed his arms. “I came here to find the one who can save this world. I have always believed you could. The righteous have failed us, the light has failed us, and they can no longer turn back the tide of monsters. Rurik’s prophecies told of one of purest darkness that would rise and bring peace to the land. Rurik thought they foretold his coming, but I believe they meant you. I’m here to make sure you’re the one that rises to claim this world.”

  "There are others?" Ashiyn raised a brow.

  "Of course, there are others. The darkness has many denizens and servants, and every one of them thirsts for the power to take this world," Soryn said with a shrug. "The prophecies are well known to them. Even now they plot your demise, so that they can be the darkness that saves this world."

  “My demise is not so easily plotted. I am immortal,” Ashiyn scoffed as he finished his wine.

  “You are immortal. You are not invincible,” Soryn reminded softly. “I heard your son Ember has made it a game to kill you every few years.”

  Ashiyn bristled at the mention of Ember, his eyes flashing with anger. “Harm refuses to die. I think it is her influence that fuels Ember still. Ember thinks if he succeeds, he will finally win her affection.”

  “Have you ever given thought to giving him he affection he wants instead so he switches sides?” Soryn pointed out, then laughed at the incredulous look Ashiyn gave him. “You are capable of affection, my King, you just don’t want anyone to know that. Would it not make more sense to recruit your immortal son to your side instead of having him as your enemy? Only those born of suffering are going to save this world, Ashiyn.”

  “I don’t believe in fate or prophecies, Soryn,” Ashiyn reminded him.

  “You don’t have to believe in them to fulfill them. Let me worry about the prophecies. It is my advice that you go out among the world and free a few towns of the monstrous assaults they are under. Make your people love you. Show them you are their salvation. If you do not, someone else will rise to try to take your place now that Rhadamanthus has fallen,” Soryn urged. “If nothing else, think of how it will feel to have the world realize that you are such a terrifying force that even the tides of darkness flee from you. This is your world now. Take it by force. Show them why you are king.”

  Ashiyn rose from the bed and donned his armor, then took Sihtaar from the case and strapped the sword on his back. “Very well, I could use the exercise and Sihtaar always thirsts for blood.”

  “May I come with you, my Lord?” Soryn rose, watching Sihtaar warily. He did not trust the blade at all, and he had not forgotten the price his people had paid to capture the monster within it.

  “If you wish,” Ashiyn agreed, and together they walked outside to the stable.

  Illusion decided to be capricious and not allow Soryn to ride behind Ashiyn. Soryn just shook his head and used his magic to call a griffin from the skies to use as a mount. The giant bird-lion seemed amicable enough toward the magus. They took to the air and flew to a town that Soryn had suggested was heavily under attack by the monstrous hordes.

  They saw the battle raging below them. Floods of monsters attacked the small village. The villagers had attempted to build a protective ring of fire to keep the monsters out, but the fire had spread to the buildings. The villagers who were not battling monsters were wailing and running around in a chaotic panic.

  Ashiyn slid off his mount's back, then waved the winged equine back into the sky to protect Illusion from the monsters on the ground. As he swung his blade through the air, the metal sang, and the sword cleaved in half anything that approached them. Sihtaar did not care if it drank the blood of people or the blood of monsters.

  Soryn ran behind him to keep up. He stopped short when he saw how much of the town was burning. "Master, I can summon ice and water."

  "Go and help them if you wish. Don't get killed." Ashiyn hardly spared the magus a glance as he turned to hack yet another creature in half. He accidentally hacked the human it had been attacking too. Oh well, the human looked to have been injured anyway, and the claws of these monsters dripped deadly poison.

  These particular monsters looked like some sort of man-snake beast. All the monsters in this world had overlords. He could see the massive python from where he stood, even though it was far away.

  "Illusion!" he called, as he started running toward the large reptile.

  Illusion let out a scream in response, then dove down in the midst of the battle. Ashiyn pulled himself onto Illusion’s back as the equine ran beside him. Without fear, they charged full speed through the air toward the giant serpent that rose over the battlefield like a living tower.

  The serpent snapped its massive jaws at them as they got close, but Illusion swerved back and forth and successfully avoided them. As soon as he was within jumping distance, Ashiyn leaped off Illusion’s back, sword drawn. The hungry blade dug deep into the serpent's thick neck and the force of impact slid it down to carve a thick slash for several feet.

  Ashiyn turned his head to avoid the splatter of poisonous blood as the serpent reeled its giant head back and forth. He found a handhold behind one of its giant scales, then yanked his blade free to start hacking at the python’s thick neck. He was just far enough up that the dangerous head couldn't snap at him.

  "Could I get a little help?" Ashiyn grumbled at his blade as his arms started to tire. The serpent kept thrashing, and even his hardest blows barely cut through the snake's thick sinuous neck.

  I thought you were a god, the blade taunted. Then the black lightning licked out of the blade and flowed through Ashiyn's arms.

  Ashiyn growled against the pain, but strength flooded through with it and within three more hacks, the serpent's head flew off to land in the middle of the armies. The body continued to lash back and forth violently, and he lost his grip.

  Illusion dove in time for him to grab on and stop his fall to the ground. Ashiyn turned the equine back the middle of the battle. Illusion screamed in defiance as he crushed two of the snake-men beneath his hooves when he landed. Ashiyn hopped off and stormed forward. "Hear me! I have slain your overlord! You serve me now, dark ones. Come to me!"

  The serpent-men stopped in confusion, but the magic that controlled them had transferred to Ashiyn. In a stupor, they slithered over to form ranks behind him. The villagers stopped amid their panic to stare in disbelief.

  "Lord Ashiyn has saved us! Praise Lord Ashiyn!" one of the village women shrieked as she threw herself to the ground in front of Ashiyn. "Bow to your deliverer!"

  The rest of the villagers followed suit, falling prostrate before him and singing his praises.

  Soryn strolled over to him, having put out the fires in the village with his magic. He gave Ashiyn a grin. Ashiyn gave him a slight nod in recognition. Not bad at all. He'd gained the village's loyalty and now possessed an army of snake-men to do his bidding.

  Ashiyn faced the villagers and commanded, "Clean up your village. And let all the dark ones know that you are protected by me."

  There was a shrill bird cry above them and Ashiyn looked up to watch the black wyvern circle around, then fly off. Wyverns belonged to the supposed lord of this monster horde. The worst evil in the land. The one all others feared. For now. Soon they would serve Ashiyn instead.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

  Ashiyn cracked an eye open at the daylight streaming through the window to illuminate the room. He lay sprawled in bed in a room full of the town's very grateful women. Though the liquor had not had much of an affect on him, he could hear Soryn snoring away from somewhere in the pile of warm bodies.

  The townspeople had thrown quite the part
y for them, complete with an orgy after everyone was sufficiently drunk. Was this how heroes lived? Ashiyn somehow doubted it. The poor fools didn’t know what they were missing.

  His gaze fell on the dark-haired woman curled up closest to him. Ashiyn had spent the most time with her, and after the previous night’s pleasures, started to seriously consider taking her as his concubine. He let his lust-filled gaze trail over her voluptuous naked body as she lay sleeping.

  He let his gaze wander on to find Soryn. His friend was also tangled up with half a dozen women. An amused smirk tugged at Ashiyn’s lips at the satisfied look on Soryn’s sleeping face. How had his friend gone so long without the pleasures of the flesh? Ashiyn was certain that was something he could never do.

  It was tempting, but Ashiyn decided he would not lie here lazily for the rest of the day. His body protested as he rose from the bed and started to pull on his clothes and armor. "Soryn, it is time for us to depart."