by K T Munson
Nobody sat up in the woods, gasping for breath. If he could have thrown up, he would have. He wiped sweat from his brow. Never had he felt such rage and darkness. It had been nearly all consuming.
Using the tree for support, he got to his feet, thankful again that he could touch stationary nature at least. He couldn’t interact with animals or people, even if he wanted to, only objects—and only if he focused significantly. He started toward the camp. When he was nearly halfway there, he came to a halt and listened. For a moment he thought the sounds of people had been his imagination. When he heard them again, he started to run. Nobody burst out of the edge of the woods and into the clearing where the walled village lay. A large group of people were feasting.
Why did they keep coming to this island? They should stay as far away from it and the Soul Eater, yet more and more kept coming. It made him feel like he needed to vomit again. The idea that any one of these people could die made him ill. The feeling grew stronger when a woman shushed a fussing baby.
Women and children were here this time—not just men. He clenched his jaw and immediately started searching the perimeter. It didn’t take long for him to spot the darkness on the edge of the woods. The hunter had already spotted his prey, and there was nothing Nobody could do about it.
Chapter 41: Nowhere Gate
Elisabeth watched Ethandirill shift the way he was holding Ki’s body over his shoulder and touch Nanette’s shoulder, careful to keep contact with her. Nanette squeezed water out of her hair, which fell through the floor and into nothingness.
Elisabeth pushed her own soaked hair back out of her face. “I think the rest of him is through here.” She pointed at the other gate the charm had glowed for.
“I feel like we are half done,” Nanette replied with a grin. Elisabeth did not share her optimism.
“I didn’t sense Aryan the Black,” Ethandirill said, his eyes fixed on the second gate, “which means he probably followed Ki into the next world.”
A flurry of emotions filled her chest—fear, dread, and anger. They all swirled dark and deep as she considered what she might find on the other side. Despite the dark thoughts, a nugget of hope blossomed; if Ki had been careful enough to protect his body from Aryan, he had to have taken the same precautions with his soul.
“He can’t leave without one of these,” Nanette said, indicating the pocket watch and the compass. “We just have to make sure we leave him there.”
“We can’t leave him,” Elisabeth said, glancing at the gate’s open maw. “The Black King is our problem, not this world’s.”
Nanette’s expression was one of stunned horror. She glanced from Elisabeth to Ethandirill. “You want to bring him back?”
“No,” Elisabeth said, meeting Ethandirill’s even stare. “I want to kill him.”
“Elisabeth,” Nanette said with the barest of tears in her eyes, “you can’t.”
“She is right.” Ethandirill met Elisabeth’s gaze. “Aryan the Black cannot be left alive.”
Defeated, Nanette dropped her gaze.
They couldn’t send him back to Croatoan, and they couldn’t leave them in this unknown world. He needed to be dealt with, and Elisabeth could see only one way to make it permanent. It was time she finished what she should have all those months ago.
“We should get going,” Elisabeth said as she scanned her surroundings.
She stepped through the gate and out into a forest at dusk. She took a few more steps in, glancing around at trees that were familiar but different. It wasn’t long before she heard Ethandirill and Nanette step through.
“He is here,” Ethandirill said, and no one needed to ask him who.
Elisabeth nodded. She started through the woods, hoping Ki had not strayed too far from the gate. The sky looked painted, as if colors had been streaked on a canvas. Every hue lit the sky with the coming sunset. Whatever this world was, it reminded her of Ashlad. Thoughts of home made her think of Malthael, and she hoped that he was safe and that Tiss had remained indoors with Duke and Nathan. Forcing those thoughts aside, Elisabeth focused on the task at hand. She couldn’t let the Black King catch her while she was distracted.
“You find Ki, I’ll find him,” Elisabeth whispered.
Barely had the words passed her lips when all of Elisabeth’s hairs stood up on her arms. Carefully turning her head to the right, she spied a translucent man. She instantly recognized him from his hawkish features and black hair—Aryan the Black. The moment he saw her, he let out a terrifying screech and zipped through the woods away from her.
Elisabeth took off running. Given her more mortal state, she couldn’t run full out because of the unfamiliar terrain and the dusky lighting, but she went as fast as she safely could. Nanette called out to her, but Elisabeth knew that Ethandirill would keep her back. Only Elisabeth could kill him because she had a part of him within her.
As she tracked him through the woods and out into a clearing, she kept in mind that even in his weakened state he was dangerous. To her right a guard was lighting torches as the night watch began. The people who occupied this planet were similar to Elisabeth, although they appeared to be shorter. The guards were up on the wall that surrounded the little village. Before she could react, the shadowy ghost of the Black King settled into the guard. He convulsed once, dropping the torch. It rolled away from him as he fell to his knees.
Elisabeth took a step forward. When his head came up, the guard’s eyes glowed red. She knew what that meant—she had seen it once before. She shifted into a fighting stance. The guard struggled to stand, as though he was fighting the possession of his body.
“Let him go,” Elisabeth said, taking careful steps forward.
“I can destroy them all now.” The guard’s voice was layered with Aryan’s voice. She knew it well. “I’ve gathered such power here. I’ve worn down your little hero and nearly broken him.”
“Where is he?” Elisabeth demanded, trying not to grind her teeth.
“Falling apart.” The guard’s face twisted into a half sneer. “I only wanted to show you my power so you can realize what you gave up.”
The guard screamed with an agony so deep and primal that the sound made Elisabeth flinch. She lifted an arm to stop him but found there wasn’t enough power behind her will. She was too far from the Netherworld and she hadn’t consumed any life force to overcome the distance. So she did the only thing she could—she opened her mouth and started draining the guard’s life force.
When she’d drained enough, his screaming stopped and he fell forward. Aryan the Black was still standing when the body of the guard fell forward. She could just make out the guard’s strained breathing. A drained soul was hardly worth consuming.
“I should break his soul, even though it would give me nothing,” Aryan said bitterly.
“You are too cowardly to face me alone,” Elisabeth baited.
Other guards came running. One saw her and pointed. New power coursed through her veins, and she thrust her hand forward. An unseen force flew from her hand and hit the first guard, sending him hurtling into the one behind him. The Black King glared at her. He had been moving toward the guards, and she knew his intent.
“You don’t know true power!” the Black King declared as the wind started to swirl around him.
The mostly clear sky filled with dark clouds. Thunder rumbled as she put up her arms to form a shield around her and block out the debris. As she advanced, screams filled the air and the Black King smiled at her. He lifted his arms. The villagers’ bodies suddenly floated up into the air. When Elisabeth hesitated, the Black King recited an incantation.
“Stop!” Elisabeth shouted.
The storm grew to a crescendo. She couldn’t hear anything else. Her heart thudded. The villagers were swept up into the spinning cyclone that the Black King had created, and she was torn about what to do next. Her feet scooted across the ground as the whirling wind tugged at her. She couldn’t see the Black King anymore, but she knew he was at it
s center.
Elisabeth turned away, fighting against its pull as it gained strength, but found it was following her. The more she fought against it, the faster it moved. Villagers screamed for help from the edges of the rotating vortex, more than a hundred of them trapped in the storm.
As she drew closer to the edge of the woods, the twister clawed at her back but she kept fighting against its increasing power. Suddenly, Elisabeth caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. Ki came toward her with Ethandirill and Nanette on his heels. Her heart stopped when she locked eyes with Ki.
“Elisabeth!” he called, and she knew he was safe.
A sense of peace settled over her as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she smiled at Ki sadly. She studied his face for a moment, knowing she had risked everything to save him and had succeeded. She only wished she could have told him why she’d done it.
“Run,” she yelled before jumping into the cyclone.
Chapter 42: Morhaven
Kerrigan was careful to say nothing as she stood solemnly at the back of the room. Scrutinizing the back of Arawn’s head, she wondered why he treated her differently from the others. He seemed to have a strange affection for her. When he had tried to stop her from talking to Malthael, he had put his big hand over her head playfully. It had taken little to no effort to get around his fingers.
Perhaps it was her blood. Maybe he pitied her because she was the daughter of the Black King. It made her shudder and feel a little sick. She was more like Elisabeth than she was like anyone else. It made her wonder if he treated Elisabeth the same way, although she couldn’t fathom it. Elisabeth seemed too poised to be joked with. Then again, Arawn probably did what he wanted.
Unlike Kerrigan, Selene had a far-off expression. She might be right next to Kerrigan, but her mind was on another planet. Selene really did look a lot like Elisabeth. Despite the resemblance, however, she didn’t feel as drawn to Elisabeth as she was to Selene. There was something about her—Kerrigan just couldn’t put her finger on it.
Selene was as beautiful as Elisabeth to be sure, though perhaps a little too lean. She had the same haunted expression sometimes, but Kerrigan had no idea why Selene would be troubled. She hadn’t been terrified to touch anyone or kill anyone with a single touch like Elisabeth had. Yet she had this feeling that Selene had suffered the cruelty of people, just as Kerrigan had. Perhaps that was why she was so drawn to her.
“King Nauberon,” an attendant announced as he stood, curling his long fingers over themselves again and again.
A man too beautiful to be of the planets strolled into the room. He wore a crown covered with different colored berries, and woodened spikes rose up from it in a half circle. Pearls swung by his ears from the bottom of the crown. Transfixed, she couldn’t look away from his terrifying allure. Behind him the strange tall, lanky creature that had announced him followed. Arawn stood by the lower throne.
Empty seats were arranged all around them in a horseshoe shape far above her head. If Kerrigan glanced up, she could make out the edge of the seating across from her before it spun around toward the King’s throne. The throne appeared unreachable, and it wasn’t until vines appeared that she realized how he was going to get up there. Once King Nauberon climbed the last few conjured steps and was seated, silence fell. Leaves rained from the ceiling yet never seemed to gather on the floor.
All around them, members of the Divine Court filtered into the seats. Some of the creatures had wings, and others looked almost like planet dwellers. An old lady in a strange walking tree trunk seemed to draw attention from many in attendance as she took her place not far from the King’s throne. Their clothes sparkled in every color imaginable, perfectly accenting every color skin—from brown to green to gray. Kerrigan’s own tanned skin seemed almost pale by comparison to some of those in attendance. With the exception of Arawn, none were as dark as Malthael and his black skin with golden flecks.
“You have violated the terms of your exile,” King Nauberon said, and the room instantly fell quiet. “How would you defend yourself?”
“I have no defense for my actions,” Malthael replied.
Whispers immediately erupted, sounding like the humming of bees. Kerrigan tried to figure out what was being said, but none of the words were discernable. One look from King Nauberon, and the sounds stopped as quickly as they had started. Kerrigan had a sinking feeling as she looked at Malthael. He wouldn’t have come here without a plan, would have he?
“I can only say a debt once incurred can now be considered paid.” Malthael held his head high.
King Nauberon’s face remained emotionless.
“A life for a life,” King Nauberon said. “My debt is repaid.”
There were gasps of surprise, but Kerrigan had no idea what was going on. She was surprised to find Selene watching King Nauberon with an expression of curiosity. Unexpected jealousy asserted itself in her gullet at Selene’s interest in the handsome king. It made Kerrigan pause. What did she have to be jealous of?
“You are my guest until you leave, and then your exile will resume. Should you return again, you shall only find death here.” King Nauberon stood. “My word is law, and so it shall be.”
“And so it shall be,” every voice in the room echoed, crashing like a wave of agreement.
The king descended his throne on his vines, which returned to the floor once he was done, and left through the same doors from which he had entered, his announcer following close behind. Once the king had fully exited, the various creatures of the Divine Court filed out. Kerrigan craned her neck to get a better look at them as they left. The room quickly quieted.
“That was weird,” Kerrigan said under her breath.
“Every court is the same.” Selene shrugged.
Selene approached Malthael and Arawn. The girl seemed to have no fear of anything. It was as though she had seen the darkest of mortal nature and she was no longer afraid of it. Instead, she accepted it as fact. With a sigh, Kerrigan trailed behind her.
“You had a life pact?” Arawn asked Malthael, chuckling.
“A long time ago, before Elisabeth,” Malthael confirmed.
“I am surprised you kept it to yourself.” Arawn let loose an almost jolly laugh. “It is very rare that someone has a Det Morian in their pocket—let alone the King.”
As Selene came to stand next to them, Arawn glanced down at her and then back over Malthael’s shoulder to Kerrigan. Kerrigan paused, and the Lord of the Wild Hunt gave her a crooked smile. He really was strange. His black skin and tall antlers were terrifying. He was mostly naked, save for a simple black and gold tunic cinched at his waist by a belt made of metal. The tunic went over one shoulder and came to the middle of his calves. He had massive axes on his hips, a quiver on his back, and a bow slung across his chest.
“It has served me well these years, but once Elisabeth returns I’ll go back to Ashlad and never return.” Malthael crossed his arms.
The tall, thin creature from earlier returned with his fingers worrying over themselves. His face was long and narrow, and his fingers were twice the length of any she had ever seen. He wore a black robe, and his skin was a few shades from Selene’s creamy skin, like a cake that had not been baked long enough.
“Ambassador Vim,” Malthael said with a nod.
“King Nauberon has made arrangements for your rest. I can show you to your room.” Vim bowed at the waist.
“Arawn, can you make sure Kerrigan and Selene make it back to their rooms safely?” Malthael said, glancing between them.
“Of course,” Arawn responded.
Kerrigan wanted to say absolutely not, but Selene answered first. “We can manage.”
Before anyone could respond, Selene left. Kerrigan hurried after her and past a wide-eyed Vim. Arawn shook his head and followed after them. Selene didn’t slow down until Kerrigan caught up. She was going to have to talk to Selene about her fearlessness and explain that perhaps it wasn’t wise to poke a sleeping lion
—or in this case abandon someone who could blow a horn and lead an army to the planets to take their souls.
Chapter 43: Netherworld
Despite the deafening noise, Ki could hear Elisabeth’s plea to him to run. A moment later, the cyclone swallowed her. He took two steps forward, but Ethandirill caught his arm. Trees were being ripped from the ground by their roots, and dirt flew in their direction. Though Ki didn’t want to leave her, he followed Ethandirill to safety. They hid behind an old tree to wait out the storm.
Dirt and branches crashed against the tree. When he had abandoned his body on that island on the other planet, he had thought he would never see her again. He’d thought he wouldn’t remember the person who had changed his life forever and been worth dying for.
Ki rested his head back against the tree and closed his eyes for a moment. Images danced before his eyes as he remembered every detail of his lost time: the dreams, the Soul Eater that was actually Aryan the Black, and her face. Elisabeth had never left him. When he had forgotten everything else, her face had remained with him. And she had been right there, so close he could see the expressions on her face. She had never given up on him. She had come to find him on a different and strange planet. Two planets, technically, since his body and spirit had been temporarily separated. He could remember Aryan trying to consume him and Ki placing runes to bind all the souls into his, ensuring there was nothing for Aryan to eat, thus forcing him to find them elsewhere. Ki hadn’t expected to go along for the ride, though, nor had he known that being separated from his body would erase his memories. Ki wondered how close Aryan had been to having enough strength to consume all of Ki’s souls.
Ki banished Aryan from his thoughts. Instead he thought of Elisabeth. She had looked right at him and made the same choice he had—he could no longer doubt she cared for him. To what degree he did not know, but he would take anything of her, no matter how small.