Angst Box Set 1

by David Pedersen

  “What’s wrong with you?” Alloria snapped. “I don’t have time for this.”

  “Don’t kill him,” Heather pleaded, choking out the words.

  “Don’t be stupid,” she said. “I don’t think I could if I wanted to... Eew.”

  Heather screamed in pain as a battle raged inside her. She placed her hands on her churning belly, on the tiny bumps and bulges pushing against her skin. Her legs were damp, and her leggings red with blood. Her head throbbed. So much pain. Bright lights swam in front of her eyes, and she thought of Angst as everything went dark.

  57

  “Angst?” Victoria called out. She coughed, brushing bits of stone and rubble out of her blond curls. “Anyone?”

  “I’m here,” Hector said between coughs, pushing himself up to his knees.

  Tarness stood, freeing Dallow from his protective hold. He wiped blood from his cuts before dusting off his friend.

  “Yup,” Faeoris confirmed, already standing. “I think. What was that? Is Angst okay?”

  “We’re alive. That’s a good sign, right?” Tarness asked hopefully.

  “Always,” Hector answered.

  The sun peeked brightly through high, rolling clouds of white fluff. Their lungs were rewarded with clean, fresh air. A cool breeze slowly brushed away the dust and smoke. All was silent.

  “What happened to the cave?” Tarness asked, looking around.

  “That explains why I can see again,” Dallow said, pressing the memndus stone against his temple. “We’re on top of a mountain. Part of a mountain anyway, overlooking Faeoris’s home.”

  “I’m going ahead to check,” Hector said gruffly, pulling a broadsword and shield from behind him. “Wait here.”

  He made his way around the remaining wall, Faeoris following closely. He looked back at her in annoyance but said nothing. She swooped forward, flying ahead.

  “The top of the mountain is completely gone!” Hector said in disbelief. “Is that...? By the Vivek... Victoria, everyone, get up here!”

  Tori scrambled over stone rubble to stand beside Hector. She gasped when she saw Angst, still standing over Rose, with Dulgirgraut in one hand, and Chryslaenor in the other. Angst held the two giant foci aloft, both pointed up at the sky. He looked into the distance, as though lost in thought. Fissures of red and blue glowed through his skin like fresh lava diving into a rushing creek. A red glow hovered around Dulgirgraut, and blue lightning snapped and popped around Chryslaenor like an oncoming storm.

  Rose let go of his leg and unsteadily pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her eyes wide in shock, she shakily brushed tangled red hair from her shoulders. “The hunger, it’s gone!” Rose hugged his calf, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Angst, you did it! I’m finally free!”

  Angst swung his two foci about, angling them smoothly behind him, setting both to rest between his shoulders. The enormous twin blades set into place with an audible click, hovering behind his back as if sheathed in two invisible scabbards. He dropped to one knee, lifting a tired Rose, and embracing her tight.

  “I swear, I’m fine, Angst,” Rose said dryly, patting his back in a barely hug.

  “Shut up,” Angst said, continuing to hold her. “I was so worried. I’ve missed you so much!”

  Everyone walked to the stone bench and waited patiently. Angst finally let go and hopped off the stone table, grabbed Victoria, and drew her into a hug. Faeoris wrapped her arms around them both, picking them up. She held them tightly, and looked as if she fought tears before releasing them and straightening out her armor.

  “My turn,” Dallow said, reaching out to Rose.

  Rose stared at the bandage around his eyes with worry. Before she could ask, Dallow kissed her firmly on the mouth. Rose, slightly dumbfounded, returned Dallow’s kiss before pulling away. She ran her hand gently along the kerchief of Dallow’s blindfold, and then roughly through his blond hair.

  “What happened?” she asked. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now,” Dallow said sincerely.

  Tarness grabbed Hector in a bear hug and gripped tight.

  “What was that for?” Hector wheezed in surprise.

  “I didn’t want to feel left out!” Tarness said with a broad smile.

  Rose pushed Dallow away, tearing her eyes from the blindfold to look at Angst. He still held Victoria as though they’d barely made it.

  “Would you two stop it?” Rose said. “I’m going to throw up.”

  Angst reluctantly let go, ending their embrace with a wink and a triumphant grin.

  “I’m ready to retire,” Rose said, sounding exhausted.

  “I thought I was the old one.” Angst looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

  “You are,” Rose said coolly. She looked Victoria up and down, clearly disapproving of the Berfemmian armor. “This is a new look. Angst must love it.” She laughed.

  “Of course he does.” Victoria grinned, ignoring the cattiness.

  “Who’s this?” Rose asked wryly, thumbing at Faeoris as she eyed the scantily-clad warrior.

  “My new friend,” Angst said, beaming.

  “Why am I not surprised?” she replied dryly.

  “I do have excellent taste in friends,” Angst said proudly. “Meet Faeoris.”

  “Hi.” Rose nodded curtly, and Faeoris returned the gesture. “The, um, this armor isn’t a new requirement for being friends?”

  “That’s an option?” Angst said hopefully.

  “No.” Rose stamped out his hope like a campfire.

  “What’s that?” Tarness interrupted, pointing at the spot where the bald man had stood.

  “Describe it?” Dallow asked.

  “It’s a dark, shimmering hole in the air,” Hector explained, “surrounded by floating black dots.”

  “It sounds like a portal,” Dallow proclaimed excitedly. “I’m having a hard time seeing it from above. Can you see where it goes?”

  “No, it’s blacker than me,” Tarness proclaimed.

  “Wait,” Hector said. “You’re black?”

  “Very funny,” Tarness said.

  “That’s...odd,” Dallow stated.

  “Hey, look at this!” Faeoris was holding half of Jormbrinder, her arm stretched out and a satisfied smile on her face. She swung it and stabbed at the air.

  “You can pick it up?” Angst asked in excitement. “Do you hear music? Is it talking to you?”

  Faeoris put her ear against the golden blade, her eyes wide with wonder. “Yes. Yes, I think it says I should keep it.”

  Rose burst out laughing. “I like her.”

  Faeoris picked up the second blade, which was apparently no longer weighed down by magic. She flipped it in the air, expertly catching the handle. She beamed with pride at her new trophy as she strolled back over to them.

  “May I?” Dallow asked. He set what remained of his book down and reached out.

  “Do I get it back?” Faeoris said, her gaze wary.

  “I promise,” Dallow said, beckoning with his fingers.

  He took the blade and grunted. The tip immediately landed on the ground, but he was able to hold the handle aloft. “It’s heavy,” he said through gritted teeth, “but it’s not acting like a foci anymore.”

  “From the moment I picked that thing up, it dampened every ounce of magic I could wield. Like a sponge,” Angst said. “Maybe it was too much for Jormbrinder to handle. Serves it right.”

  “Your bonding must have purged Rose from whatever that man was doing,” Dallow explained. “And both Jormbrinder and Rose siphoning off power is probably what kept you alive!”

  “Good thing I was here,” Rose said, yawning nonchalantly. “Saving your ass, once again.”

  “Saving each other,” he corrected proudly. “Don’t make me hug you again.”

  She slugged him with one of her thin arms, and he feigned pain. Dallow returned the dagger to Faeoris, who looked for a place to sheath it. Tarness handed her a satchel that was almost deep enough to carry them. She th
rew the leather strap over her shoulder, part of both dagger handles sticking out awkwardly.

  “I guess this will work,” she said with a nod.

  “I’ll tie them down,” Tarness offered. “We can get a proper sheath made in Unsel.”

  “Unsel!” Angst said, as if remembering. “We need to get there, now!”

  “How are you going to do that?” Rose asked. “Can you fly all of a sudden?”

  “Victoria,” Angst said, placing his hands on her shoulders as he looked at the ground in concentration. “Summon your swifen.”

  “What?” Rose asked in shock.

  Victoria nodded at Angst, and together they summoned her swifen, just as they had before fighting the giant dragon. The two swords glowed brightly, and within seconds, Victoria’s swifen appeared. The unicorn was covered in pink feathers, and its golden hooves and horn shone in the sunlight.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” Rose said in exasperation.

  Angst dropped his hands from Victoria’s shoulder to her hands. With a loud whoosh, bright pink wings spread wide. The unicorn pranced and whinnied in anticipation, its wings flapping. Victoria pulled her hands free and clapped uncontrollably.

  “Really?” Rose continued. “Since when does she wield magic?”

  “She is a seer,” Dallow explained.

  “A seer?” Rose was already in a mood.

  “She can glimpse the future, see the past, see the now. I’m pretty sure she also reads minds,” he said. “She sees.”

  “Whatever.” Rose made eye contact with Faeoris and both women shook their heads in disapproval at the brightly-colored swifen.

  Victoria pulled Rose gently aside to whisper in her ear. “Don’t let me die,” she whispered. “You’re the only one who’ll be able to save me. You’re the only one who can save us all.”

  “What?” Rose said aloud, her eyes wide with shock. “What are you even talking about? I’m done being a hero. That’s his job!”

  “Please,” Victoria pleaded. “Angst can’t know or he won’t get through this. Please remember.”

  “Can’t know what?” Rose snapped. “That didn’t even make any sense.”

  “Tori, we need to go!” Angst mounted the swifen with bravado and power, pulling Victoria aloft to join him. “I’m sorry, Rose. We’ll catch up soon.”

  “Okay,” Rose said, a befuddled look on her face.

  “How will you get off this rock?” Angst asked Dallow.

  “We’ll be fine,” Dallow replied. “I have an idea.”

  “Faeoris?” Angst asked.

  “I’m with you!” she said, her wings of light spread wide.

  “Really?” Rose asked, sardonically.

  Faeoris smirked at her and gave a half-shrug before lifting into the air.

  “I’ve been away too long,” Rose said with a sigh. “Everyone is naked...has wings... I feel a little cheated.”

  With a nod and a wink at his friends, Angst and Victoria flew off on her unicorn, Faeoris following closely behind.

  “Ugh, I hate her,” Rose said, exasperated, when Angst and his companions had flown out of earshot. “They make me want to vomit.”

  “Jealous much?” Dallow asked, his forehead scrunching.

  “And the new one? Where does he keep finding them?” Rose practically meowed. “It’s just gross. They’re both so much younger, and I... Never mind.”

  “I know what you mean,” Hector said, patting her on the back. “Good to have you back.”

  “So good to be back, Hector,” she replied gratefully.

  “So, what’s your idea?” Tarness asked Dallow. His thick brows furrowed so deeply, he looked furious. “Is there any way we can get to Unsel in time to help Angst?”

  “Is the portal still there?” Dallow asked hopefully, kneeling to pick up the book, which was dripping from their swim.

  “Yeah, there’s a hole in the air, if that’s what you mean,” Tarness stated warily. “And it looks hungry.”

  “Please bring me closer.” Dallow held out his hand.

  “Are you going to tell me what happened?” Rose asked, grabbing his hand.

  He clung onto her desperately as she led him to the black hole. It hovered inches from the ground and buzzed with energy. Dallow reached out his free hand, not quite touching the emptiness. He closed his hand as if squeezing a ball.

  “Later,” he said, his voice rough.

  “I think the tall man passed through that thing,” Tarness advised. “He was carrying the dead guy who attacked Angst.”

  “That’s okay,” Dallow said agreeably. “From what I learned at that library, with the way these things work, we should be able to go anywhere we want.”

  “So we could beat Angst to Unsel?” Hector asked excitedly, rubbing his thumb along the scar on his chin. “I’d love that.”

  “It’s possible,” Dallow said. “Everyone hold hands and follow me through. I’ll try to concentrate on the Wizard’s Revenge.”

  “Why are you wincing?” Rose asked.

  “I’m concentrating,” Dallow explained. “I just absorbed a lot at the library. There was so much to know, so many places, and...never mind. I’m sure we will be fine.” His eyes glowed brightly behind his bandage.

  “Everyone take a hand,” he said. “We need to stay together.”

  Rose held onto Dallow’s hand and reached for Hector, who reluctantly held onto Tarness’s.

  “After the hug, I’m starting to wonder if you don’t like me,” Tarness taunted.

  “I hate hugging,” Hector replied dryly.

  “Right?” Rose agreed.

  The blind man led his friends into the empty, dark hole, each of them disappearing as they passed through the shadowy circle.

  “Why is this portal so cold?” Tarness, the last one through, asked.

  58

  The two foci were playing king of the hill in Angst’s mind, and it felt like the winner was driving a chisel into his brain. At least their bickering was no longer physically violent; they seemed to understand the danger around them and that they needed their host alive, if not alert. But they used Angst’s head to slap each other around like kids on a playground. Chryslaenor flooded his thoughts with an image of a victorious battle, only to have it replaced by a duelist wielding Dulgirgraut, handily defeating Chryslaenor. Images coursed back and forth, victory after victory. Angst tried distracting them by asking questions, but that only made it worse. Chryslaenor wanted to kill the mermen, Dulgirgraut wanted to fly ahead to Unsel and shore up defenses, and neither wanted to fight the monster.

  “Angst,” Victoria screeched, probably not for the first time. “Look!”

  The unicorn glided, skimming a mere fifty-feet over the ocean, pacing the shadowy figure beneath the water’s surface. Cold, moist air blasted their faces, and he breathed deep, seeking calm, but finding none. He could see thousands of mermaids and mermen swimming alongside the creature like a school of angry fish. Several mermen stood atop the beast behind a larger one, who’d apparently taken lead. Angst looked ahead to see the coastal inlet created by the first sinkhole. The foci vied for his attention again, but he noticed Tori hyperventilating. She gripped the reins so tightly, her white-knuckled hands shook.

  “Relax, before you pass out,” Angst yelled over the wind.

  He tried putting his hand on hers in a calming gesture, and the swifen wavered as though losing balance.

  Angst immediately let go. “Never mind,” he yelled. “You’re doing great!”

  He looked back over his shoulder to see the thin curvy figure of Faeoris flying nearby, her colorful wings flapping gently and then gliding on the air currents. It was a stunning sight as she appeared suspended on strings. She smiled at him and winked before nodding in the direction of the monster. Angst looked down and saw glimpses of shadow that darted below the surface so quickly, they were barely able to keep up with the beast. He couldn’t begin to understand how such an enormous creature could move so fast. Angst wanted a better lo
ok, but every time they got closer, a long tentacle shot out of the water to swat at them.

  “It’s gaining speed,” Angst pressed. “Can you go faster?”

  “Aren’t you making her fly?” Victoria snapped. “You’ve got two of those things now, can’t you throw one at it?”

  The foci didn’t think her suggestion was funny as both struggled for dominance over his bond. Angst constantly had to will the swords to stop, beg them to help with this crisis at hand, and worry about everything Al’eyrn later. He felt like a toy being fought over by toddlers, one they didn’t mind breaking. He wanted to attack the monster, and reached out to both with his mind, wondering what sort of spell they could help him put together. It was like two streams pouring into one river as the reply flooded back.

  “Angst, are you still with me?!” Victoria yelled.

  “Yeah, they just aren’t being much help.” Angst replied.

  “I can tell. What I’m able to read is a mess!” Tori said. “What about asking for something simple, like one of Dallow’s fireballs!”

  “Good idea. I’ll try,” Angst shouted.

  Dulgirgraut was first to answer, and immediately Angst understood how it was done. Chryslaenor also had an idea, and Angst struggled to fit the odd puzzle shapes together. He could see the glow of both swords over his shoulders, both hungry to be the catalyst. Without knowing how to aim with the two enormous swords simultaneously, he chose Chryslaenor. He pointed the tip down at the ocean, trying to angle the blade so the wind didn’t drag him off the swifen. In spite of only using one sword, both prepared as he called forth the spell.

  “Get ready to veer left so I can aim!” Angst bellowed then muttered under his breath in Acratic, wishing he understood what the words meant. The buildup of power made the hairs on his arms rise and his teeth chatter. Just as it became too much to keep in, he yelled, “Now!”

  The flying pink unicorn veered left, and Angst let loose the spell. A ball of blue flame shot from Chryslaenor, surrounded by crackling halos of lighting. He immediately blocked the heat with an air shield, encompassing Angst, Victoria, and Faeoris. The fireball spell had created a beautiful mess that thundered constantly in its descent. It was large, larger than his house, and merpeople leaped off the monster’s back at its approach. Angst, Tori, and Faeoris watched in amazement as the fireball smashed into the water, directly on top of the creature, engulfing its dark, watery form. There was a deafening, bubbly roar followed by a whooshing sound, as water evaporated in the blue flames. The fireball had forged a path through the ocean, creating a channel that soon filled with water.