The memories of that night swept over him, and he felt that instinctive stab of terror as he faced the monstrous demon summoned from the portal into flaming darkness.
The Hunter drew in a sharp breath. Keeper's teeth! Is it possible?
The First of Voramis had summoned an Abiarazi, an enormous creature made of stone—identical to the Stone Guardians. Each of the demons he'd met along his journey had resembled these creatures when they revealed their true faces beneath their mask of human flesh.
The Stone Guardians are Abiarazi transformed by the curse of the Empty Mountains! The realization staggered him, yet it made perfect sense. Who better to guard the path and prevent other Abiarazi from returning?
He swallowed the acid surging in the back of his throat. He'd always known the Abiarazi were monsters, but to see them like this brought a sickening realization. Sir Danna and the Cambionari were justified in their fear of the demons. If creatures like this roamed the world, they would wreak terrible destruction. No wonder they had nearly conquered Einan during the War of Gods. Only the intervention of the gods themselves had put an end to their domination.
And if the Sage returned Kharna to the world, the Destroyer would summon his legions of demons once more. It didn't matter that the gods the Hunter knew were fabrications of the Enclave—the creatures before him were undeniably real. As real as Hailen or the stones in his hand. He couldn't write off the threat they represented as nothing more than lies.
The Sage had to be stopped, and right now the Hunter was the only one capable of doing it. Growling low in his throat, he forced himself to keep climbing despite the burning ache in his muscles.
"Hardwell, I-I'm slipping." Panic tinged Hailen's voice.
The Hunter clung to the cliff one-handed and gripped Hailen's wrists in the other. In the seconds it took to shift the boy's position on his back, he could already feel the warmth of the blood trickling from Hailen's fingernails and staining his hands.
His blood ran cold as he glanced up. A Stone Guardian crouched at the top of the cliff like an enormous reptilian gargoyle, its empty black eyes fixed on him. It let out a rumbling growl and clambered down the rocky face toward him with the speed and agility of a monkey.
The Hunter froze. He couldn't fight the creature on the cliff, and he was too high up to drop back down and face it on the ground. He was trapped, with enemies above and below.
Desperate hope blossomed in his chest when he saw a hint of purple and red a few paces above and to his right. He hadn't had a chance to test out his theory about its use against the Stone Guardians, but right now he had no other hope of survival.
With a speed borne of absolute terror, the Hunter swung along the cliff face. The Stone Guardian dug massive talons into the rock and sped toward him, dropping at a terrific pace. The Hunter had seconds before it reached him.
Time seemed to slow as he raced toward the bright spot of color. Heartbeats passed in an eternity, and the world narrowed to a single spot of purple and crimson in a world of light grey stone. He had no time to look up and see the approaching danger. He could only clamber toward the mushrooms at a frantic pace and hope he didn't fall.
He closed his fingers closed around the velvety shafts of the plant, ripped the cluster free with a mighty yank, and hurled it upward in the same motion.
The puffy purple-veined cap struck the face of the descending Stone Guardian, and it exploded with a little whuff of air. Bright purple spores floated in a colorful halo around the dark grey face of the creature. Stony flesh turned a sickly green in a heartbeat, shriveled, and turned to a sickening liquid. Large drops of foul-smelling goo fell to the ground.
The Stone Guardian's roar changed to a howl of pain. It released its grip on the cliff to claw at its liquefying face, and the massive creature plummeted toward the ground and landed with a crash. The howls turned to coughing whines, then harsh, choking rumbles. After a long moment, it stopped moving.
Keeper's beard! Shock froze the Hunter in place. It worked!
He scanned the cliff face for any more of the mushrooms and spotted two more clusters nearly at the top. Hope surged within him as he clambered upward. Hailen's weight dragged at his muscles, and he knew he'd never be able to gather the mushrooms with the boy on his back. He heaved Hailen up onto the top of the cliff and, fighting to ignore the pain in his cramping arms and legs, clambered back down the few paces to pluck the eight mushrooms.
One of the caps exploded as he tried to pluck it free, and he nearly fell from the cliff in his hurry to escape the cloud of spores. He had no idea what effects it could have on his body and no desire to find out. He made sure to harvest the remaining mushrooms with extreme caution.
When he’d collected the seven remaining caps, he hauled himself back up to the clifftop and slumped onto the stone, where he lay for long minutes. His arms and legs trembled from both exertion and the sheer, gut-wrenching terror of staring the Stone Guardian in the face.
"Hardwell?" Hailen asked. The boy crawled over to him and stared down with worry in his violet eyes. "Did the scary monster hurt you?"
"No." Laughter bubbled up from the Hunter's throat—fear turning to an almost frantic relief. "No the monster didn't hurt me. In fact, I figured out how to hurt the monster!" He sat up and grinned at the boy. "The monsters won't be able to hurt us again, now that I have these."
Hailen stared at the bright mushrooms and reached out to touch one. "They're pretty."
"Careful." The Hunter pulled it away. "If you pop them, they won't scare off the monsters any more." He turned Hailen's hand over and placed one gently in his palm. "Do you want to keep this for me?"
Hailen nodded eagerly. The Hunter tucked it into the boy's small belt pouch and helped Hailen to stand.
The shouts and cries of pain from below sounded distant, faint. The Hunter glanced down. Only one of the Stone Guardians remained, facing Sir Danna, Kiara, and the two remaining Warrior Priests. Even as he watched, two more of the massive creatures raced across the clifftop and leapt into the rocky hollow.
The Hunter felt a stab of pity as he watched Kiara desperately dodging the vicious claws of the Stone Guardian. He hadn't saved her all those months ago to watch her die now.
"Kiara!" he called as he reached into his pouch.
When the woman glanced up at him, he held up two of the brightly colored mushrooms. "This will kill them!"
With all the force he could muster, he threw the toadstools toward her. They flew through the air to land in the middle of the Stone Guardians. The moment the mushrooms hit the ground, the caps exploded, releasing their purple spores with a puff of air.
The Stone Guardians howled and retreated from the violet cloud. Three could not evade it, and their growls turned to agonized howls as the spores did their grisly work. Stony flesh dripped from demonic bones in sickening curtains of green goo, and the creatures collapsed within seconds. One was far enough away that it could escape before the spores caught it, but it made the mistake of getting too close to Sir Danna. When she swung her greatsword, it sheared through the creature’s leg. The Stone Guardian fell, and the knight hacked off its head with a vicious downward chop.
Sir Danna’s eyes went from the dead monster at her feet to the Hunter standing atop the cliff. "This changes nothing!" she shouted. "I will still hunt you down!"
"Go home, Sir Danna," the Hunter called. "I am not your enemy."
The Hunter turned and strode away from the cliff's edge before she could reply. If she answered, he did not hear it.
He had eyes only for the sight that greeted him as he looked up.
Enarium!
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The Lost City of the Serenii sat atop a distant mountain peak, like a brilliant crown of white and blue nestled on a pedestal of shining red and grey stone. A towering wall of pristine white marble loomed above the surface of the plateau upon which it sat. Beyond, enormous structures scraped the belly of the sky, their glassy exteriors reflecting the sunlig
ht in a near-blinding wall of radiance.
Three concentric rings of monolithic towers, built of what looked like solid blue sapphires, surrounded a single looming spire in the heart of the city. The structures seemed to bend inward, as if paying homage to the stronghold standing guard over Enarium. Clouds concealed the uppermost reaches of the tower, almost as if the Serenii had built a fortress to take to the heavens and challenge the gods themselves.
The sight of the city nearly brought tears to the Hunter's eyes. He'd seen the works of the Serenii around Einan—from the Black Spire in Praamis to the twin temples in Kara-ket—but nothing had prepared him for the breathtaking grandeur of Enarium. More than the staggering beauty, however, was the knowledge that he had, in a way, come home. Somewhere in that sea of glass and steel waited the woman he'd crossed a world to see. The hunt for the Sage and the need to cure Hailen's Irrsinnon faded for a single moment as he pictured that face he'd seen a thousand times in his dream.
Golden hair framed Her face, accentuating Her soft nose, high cheekbones, and full lips. He could envision Her eyes—they remained concealed by the shadows of his forgotten past—but he knew what he'd see there.
My wife.
But first he had to reach the Lost City. He stood atop a flat plateau that stretched for leagues to the north and south, yet only twenty steps from east to west. On the far side, he could see the rocky trail wending at a sharp incline up the mountain toward the single peak that stood between him and Enarium. Four black stones stood silent vigil atop that rise, and he didn't need to sense the stench of rot and decay emanating from the Dolmenrath to feel the foreboding tightening in his gut. Those monoliths, made of a stone darker than obsidian, held immense power.
It would take him at least five or six hours to climb the hill to the Dolmenrath. A glance at the sun told him he had three or four hours until nightfall. No way they'd reach Enarium before dark fell. He ground his teeth in frustration. Every hour of delay gave the Sage more time to carry out his plan.
First, he had to find a way down.
Hailen trotted along beside him as he strode toward the far edge of the cliff. As he'd expected, the unbroken cliffs had been another obstacle blocking the way to Enarium. Perhaps there would be some way to get through, some Serenii runes that unlocked the path. If, as Sir Danna had said, all Cambionari knew the way to Enarium, she would know how to get through the cliffs. That meant he had to keep moving to stay ahead of her.
He judged the distance to the ground. The cliffs were at least ten times his height, and he only had enough rope to span half the distance. So how in the bloody hell am I supposed to get Hailen down?
It took him a long moment to realize he had only one option: he had to make the climb back down just as he'd made the upward climb. With no nearby trails leading from the clifftop to the trail below, it was his only hope. Climbing down had always proven more challenging than going up, and even more so with the boy's weight dragging on him.
At least he didn't have to rush it this time. He unwound the coils of rope and used it to fashion a makeshift harness, as Rassek had done at the pulley-crane. He helped Hailen into the harness, lifted the boy onto his back, and secured the ropes around his shoulders and waist, just as he would his pack.
With horror, he realized that he'd left Hailen's pack below. The boy carried his pack, the one with the Swordsman's twin daggers, but he'd given all his rations to Rassek. He bit back an angry curse. All of their food had been in Hailen's pack. He could survive a day or two without eating, but Hailen would get hungry soon.
The Hunter helped Hailen clamber into the makeshift harness, slung the pack over one shoulder, and lowered himself over the edge of the cliff to begin the downward climb. It proved slow going, and more than once the Hunter had to stop for fear Hailen's shifting in the makeshift harness would drag him from the rocky face. The upward climb had taken them less than five minutes, but it was nearly half an hour later when the Hunter finally stepped onto the rubble-strewn trail at the base of the cliff. His arms and shoulders ached, and his legs trembled from the effort.
The Hunter smiled at the sound of gentle snoring coming from his back. The exertion and emotional turmoil of the day had taken a toll on the boy. In a way, the Hunter preferred that Hailen slept. The boy wasn't built for the steep climb up the incline. Though it would be exhausting, at least they'd cover ground faster with Hailen on his back.
He gritted his teeth as he adjusted the weight of Hailen and his pack, then began the climb. Sweat streamed down his face and soaked his tunic, and he found his mouth was parched. He dug into his pack for their waterskin and found it nearly empty. After drinking just a few drops, he re-stoppered it and replaced it in their pack. Hailen would need the water more than he did.
The ache in his head had grown steadily worse in the last few days, but he'd gotten so accustomed to the dull pain he hardly noticed it. Now, the force of the shrieking, screaming, pleading, demanding voice in his mind sapped his strength and only amplified his exhaustion. It felt like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders, and his body strained under the burden.
Yet he could feel Her presence, like a beacon guiding him onward. He was so close to finding Her. He'd crossed an entire continent, defeated men and demons, all so he could reach Enarium in the hopes of being reunited. How could he stop now when She waited just beyond the horizon?
With effort, he forced his legs to move, one step after another, up the steep incline, every muscle in his body aching. When fatigue and pain threatened to overwhelm him, he clung to a single thought: he just had to keep going, and he'd see Her again soon.
The sun dipped toward the horizon and painted the world in brilliant hues. Darkness settled like a blanket atop the mountains, and still he climbed. The stars twinkled down on him as he forced his leaden feet to keep moving, his numb legs to propel him onward.
How long he walked, he didn't know. It could have been five minutes or five centuries. The cool wind caressed his face and ruffled his clothing, but it could not diminish the fire in his muscles. He forced himself to take long, deep breaths as he climbed. Everything but the ground beneath his feet faded from view.
The rope harness dug into his shoulders, but he pushed the pain from his mind. His spine ached from hunching against the weight of Hailen and his pack, but he ignored it. One more step, then another. Onward without stopping.
Eventually, exhaustion and exertion triumphed, and the Hunter could climb no longer. He lowered Hailen gently to the ground and, with a gasp, slumped to a seat. The stone felt so cool against his back, the breeze so soothing. The beating of his heart and the fire in his muscles drowned out all thought.
When he closed his eyes, the dreams washed over him.
* * *
A voice, deeper than the ocean and wider than the empty sky, rumbled through his mind, but he could not understand the words. Fear tinged its words—what could make a being of such immense power fear so?
The knowledge of what he had to do sat like a mountain on his shoulders, but he had no choice but to bear the burden. He and all those of his kind. They alone could do what needed to be done. They alone could save mankind.
The words crystallized in his mind. THE DEVOURER OF WORLDS COMES.
* * *
The force of that tremendous voice snapped him awake.
The first rays of morning light pierced his eyelids and dragged him from his exhausted rest. The ache in his head returned with consciousness. The demon's shrieking made him want to drive a spike into his own brain until it fell silent. He squeezed his eyes shut until the pain diminished to a tolerable throbbing.
His mind raced. What in the bloody hell was that?
Where had that dream—no, that memory--come from? He'd never experienced anything like it. The power in the voice, a voice capable of shattering worlds, sent a shudder down his spine. Yet he knew he'd heard it before. It had given him a mission, but what? What was it that only he and his kind could do?
The Devourer of Worlds. He'd sensed the voice's fear at those words. Whoever the voice belonged to had to be afraid of Kharna. Though humankind called Kharna “the Destroyer”, but some knew him as Devourer of Worlds. The name had come up again when the Elivasti in Kara-ket had sworn an oath to the Sage. Something about that name brought an instinctive shiver of terror down his spine, something he'd never experienced, not even the moment when he felt the massive heartbeat in the Serenii tunnels beneath Voramis.
So what in the Keeper's name does it all mean?
The answer hadn't come to him by the time Hailen awoke a few minutes later. No sign of the previous day's exhaustion remained, but the boy had once again become his usual cheerful self.
"What's for breakfast?" he asked in his high-pitched voice, his grin bright.
"I don’t know," the Hunter snapped, then winced at his harsh tone. Hailen bore no fault for his irritation; his fatigue and the gravity of his bewildering dream were to blame. He drew in a deep breath and struggled to swallow his annoyance. "We'll have to find some food later. It was in your pack, which got left back there."
Hailen's brow furrowed, then brightened. "Oh, what if we eat this?" He dug into his pack and produced the red-and-purple mushroom.
"See the bright colors?" the Hunter asked. "That means it's poisonous to eat."
"Like it's poisonous to those nasty monsters?"
The Hunter nodded. "Right. So we can't eat them. We'll need them if the nasty monsters return."
Hailen tucked the toadstool back into his pouch and fumbled among the items. "What about this?" He held a small scrap of dried beef.
"You eat that," the Hunter said. "I'll get some food later."
Concern filled Hailen's eyes. "But you're going to be hungry."
The Hunter gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine."
After a moment, the boy stuffed the little piece of meat into his mouth. The Hunter drank a few more drops of water, then gave Hailen the last few sips. He concealed his anxiety from the boy as he shouldered his pack. He had no idea what awaited him in Enarium. Who knew if they'd find food or water ahead? Yet he couldn't worry about that now. He had to focus on reaching the city first.
Darkblade Guardian Page 73