The Undying Champions (The Eternal War Book 1)

by Brennan C. Adams

  “Queen Kaedesa,” he murmured.

  Raimie looked up sharply. This was the beloved and feared Queen of Ada’ir?

  “Yes, yes. Enough with the formalities,” she said, gesturing impatiently to the two chairs opposite her. “Sit already.”

  Eledis and Raimie rose from the floor and obediently did as commanded. They sat in silence for several uncomfortable minutes, watching the Queen finish her meal. After what seemed like an eternity to Raimie, Kaedesa set her utensils down and delicately wiped her hands on a napkin before folding them in her lap and resting her eyes on the two men.

  “I recently received a report from a dear ally that I may have cause for concern about the possibility of a rebellion originating from Allanovian,” she began calmly. “I must say, I almost discounted the warning, even coming from whom it did, considering what happened during the last uprising. I’d hoped that I’d massacred those rebels in such a way that no one would ever have the balls to follow in their footsteps.

  “Imagine my surprise when my ally’s fears proved correct, and a small army started moving across the plains.”

  She paused, giving Raimie and Eledis a chance to say something, anything, in their defense. Raimie glanced at his grandfather, silently willing the more eloquent man to come up with something to ease the Queen’s mind.

  He remembered the last rebellion. He’d only been eleven or so at the time, but he could recall with vivid clarity the refugees spreading tales of death and destruction meted out by a rebel force and the eventual conclusion to that revolt. He remembered when the soldiers had made their way past the farm, dragging rotting bodies behind their armored horses.

  The rebellion’s leader had trailed at the end of the procession, gaunt with skin hanging from him in strips. His tattered state had been explained when the rebel had fainted at the farm’s entrance and the horses had continued dragging him with no one pausing to lend a hand. The procession had passed around a bend in the road, and still, the pitiful man had flopped along the ground. From what Raimie understood, his suffering had ended soon after.

  Queen Kaedesa continued when it was clear that neither man had a response for her.

  “Some believe that because I’m a woman, I don’t have the knowledge or skills necessary to run a nation. To them, my place has been and always will be in the kitchen or on my back. They take my gender as an excuse to plot against me. At first, I gave these men leniency and my pity for their blindness, exiling them to the far corners of the world, but the uprisings never fail to rear their ugly heads, and I’ve quite lost my patience.

  “The only thing keeping me from issuing the order for my army to overrun your quaint encampment, slaughtering every single person in it, is the fact that some may be innocent of treason, simply misled by tales of wealth and glory

  “Now, I believe I’ve proven myself to be a more than capable ruler in the fourteen years since my husband passed. Aside from the rebellions, this nation has seen unprecedented peace and prosperity. So, please. Explain why, after seven years, it seems as though another uprising has begun.”

  Eledis lifted his eyes to the Queen’s and hesitated, thoughtfully gazing at her.

  “I apologize, Your Majesty, if my family has given you any cause for concern,” he began. “I can assure you, we’ve no intention of dethroning you.”

  He paused and leaned on the table, steepling his fingers in front of his face.

  “None whatsoever,” he emphatically reiterated.

  “Then, what, pray tell, is a group of almost two thousand Esela, mercenaries, and peasants doing marching on Sev?” Kaedesa asked, idly rotating the picked clean mutton leg on her plate.

  “Oh, I understand!” Eledis exclaimed. “I see where a misunderstanding may have occurred. You think we’re here to disrupt your negotiations with the city-state.”

  Raimie had followed the conversation up to that point, albeit with abject terror, but this choice of topic completely mystified him. What on earth did Sev have anything to do with a rebellion? He started to ask what his grandfather meant when the toe of Eledis’ boot pressed gently on his foot.

  He immediately swallowed the curiosity. Queen Kaedesa was a benevolent ruler, fair and kind to those loyal to her, but she was also the bogeyman used to keep children in line. Tales of her cruelty had kept Raimie from misbehaving more times than he could count.

  Confronted with her very real anger, he trusted none but Eledis to see them safely through the conversation. If the old man told him to shut up, he’d keep his mouth closed.

  Queen Kaedesa inclined her head slightly in answer to the old man’s assertion.

  “Your Majesty,” Eledis said with a grimace. “I assure you that none in my group have any interest in whether you absorb Sev into your kingdom. Our arrival at the same time as your negotiations with the city-state is pure coincidence. Sev is simply the port of call closest to my homeland and our eventual destination, Auden. We’d hoped to set sail within the next few days, taking worries about rebellion with us.”

  Behind the Queen, her implacable guards’ eyes shifted at the mention of Auden. Kaedesa darted upright in her chair, staring at the two incredulously, before a chuckle started in her belly that eventually erupted into full-throated laughter.

  “I see, I see,” she giggled. “It’s not an uprising against me but against Doldimar? That hoary old bastard across the sea?”

  The laughter abruptly cut off, and she motioned to her guards. The men strolled around the table and seized Eledis and Raimie’s arms, harshly jerking them to their feet.

  “Don’t take me for a fool, old man. That’s the weakest excuse anyone’s ever given me for gathering such a large, well-armed, and unsanctioned group of people. I see through your pretenses and lies, and I’ll see you properly punished for your crimes,” Kaedesa hissed menacingly. “Take them away.”

  The guards dragged them from the dining room. Before Raimie was pulled through the inn’s doorway, he caught one last glimpse of a self-satisfied queen, pleased that she’d quashed a rebellion before it began.

  * * *

  The door of the prison wagon clanged shut behind them, key screeching in the lock. After being clapped in irons, Eledis and Raimie had endured another, more thorough search of their persons before being led to their transport. The driver, who’d been patiently waiting outside with the wagon, allowed one of the Queen’s bodyguards to climb up onto the seat before joining him. He flicked the reins, and the wagon commenced rumbling over the uneven roadways, swaying and bobbing as it headed through the city.

  Inside their cage, Eledis leaned his head against the bars and closed his eyes.

  “Oh ‘Saya…” he whispered disconsolately

  Raimie huddled in the furthest corner of the cage from his grandfather. He scrunched against the bars as much as he could to increase the limited space between them.

  He couldn’t believe that his normally eloquent grandfather has so poorly conveyed their intentions to the Queen. He could only imagine what horrible fate awaited them now that Kaedesa was so firmly convinced their little army was rising up against her.

  Mashing his face against the bars, he desperately hoped to catch a glimpse of someone familiar in the morning influx of people. If he could alert his father or perhaps Khel or Ferin to their current situation, then maybe he and Eledis could have a chance of escape. Following their previously set course to Auden might prove impossible now that the Queen was an obstacle to that goal, but even still, fleeing from her was much preferable to being helpless in her clutches.

  “I can’t believe you,” he muttered at Eledis, barely audible over the rumble of wheels on stone. “That was quite possibly the worst thing you could have told her.

  “Yes, I know! Let’s tell the Queen the truth about our impossible goals. I’m sure she’ll believe a small army such as ours would be willing to throw their lives against a tyrant that’s successfully remained in power, despite all opposition, for decades.”

  He glared at El
edis.

  “Now, not only are we prisoners of our oh so benevolent queen, but we’ve also lost Shadowsteal. You know, that weapon whose return supposedly heralds our victory?”

  “Calm down,” Eledis mildly replied, eyes still closed. “I’m sure it’ll eventually find its way back to you and through you, me, and if not, its ringing will lead me to it.”

  Raimie scoffed and returned to searching for help on Sev’s streets.

  “And what about that evil power you’re so afraid of? How is being stuck in a cage going to help us outrun him?”

  “You mean Teron?” Eledis winced as he spoke the name. “There’s no need for true worry as of now. No one in Sev has acted too paranoid or terrified since we’ve been here. You’ll know we’re doomed if everyone around us becomes paralyzed with fear much as you did when you faced him. Only the strongest and most powerful of men can push back his induced dread long enough to flee.

  “I’d say, based off of observable behavior, that he’s a few days behind us. I’m sure that’ll be long enough for one of our companions to notice something amiss. Besides, I left instructions for the men to capture the harbor and use it to press for our release from whatever scrape we’d fallen into if we were gone for more than twenty-four hours. The city itself may be impregnable, but defenses are lacking on the bay because no one would dare attack it. Sev becomes worthless without its port. Fortunately, we don’t care a bit for the fate of this city.”

  Raimie twisted around to face Eledis.

  “I am so sick,” he said, each word heavy with anger, “of being kept in the dark. I’ve left my life behind in order to follow your mad prophecy. I’d hoped that maybe you’d learn to trust me and treat me like family after such a sacrifice. You’ve always been the distant grandparent even when I was a child, and I’ve learned to accept that, but can you at least, for the love of Alouin, tell me when we have a plan? Damn it, Eledis!”

  The wagon came to a halt, and whatever reply his grandfather may have made was drowned out by the creak of pulleys as the port lift was lowered. At the base of the cliff, Eledis and Raimie were herded out of the wagon and dragged down the wooden boards of the dock. Their manhandling paused at the base of a small clipper secured to the end of one of the jetties.

  A thin gangplank stretched to the deck of the ship, and the Queen’s bodyguard who’d accompanied them prodded them to climb it. On deck, men in crisp uniforms patrolled from aft to stern. The sailors pointedly ignored the prisoners as they were marched below deck and shoved into the brig, their manacles only removed once the brig had been locked.

  Raimie faced his grandfather, arms crossed, once they’d been left alone.

  “Do you have a plan for if we’re spirited away from Sev?” he asked with only mild sarcasm.

  Eledis’ face was drawn and white. He retreated to a corner and curled into a ball.

  Raimie rolled his eyes and slumped into his own corner. It looked as though he might have to save them.

  Interlude II: The Experiment

  Everything was ready. We'd found a test subject, obtained the necessary lab equipment, and most importantly, acquired a piece of our god. All that remained was beginning our grand experiment and hoping to everything we held dear that I knew what I was doing.

  I pinned the bleating lamb to the stake inside the beautifully inscribed circle in the middle of the shed behind the house that hid my laboratory. Lirilith had never completely approved of my enamor of science but understood that I couldn’t do without it. She never interfered whenever I went into my shed to spend time attempting to decipher the laws of the universe.

  The circle the animal was confined to was relatively small, a necessity of my cramped working space. I’d positioned a funnel and long tube over it, intending to send my new concoction through. The unwieldy contraption would allow the experimental substance to drip onto the lamb while at the same time keeping myself and my observer, Arivor, from exposing ourselves to any unknown side effects.

  Trading uncertain glances with my friend, I carefully poured the potion down the inclined tube. We nervously watched the liquid travel down the pipe until it fell like a sprinkle of rain onto the animal's head. The lamb blinked its big eyes and bleated again at the unexpected dash of liquid.

  Arivor and I watched with baited breath, uncertain what, if anything, might happen next. After several agonizing moments, the animal sleepily blinked and folded its legs under its belly, settling in for a nap.

  I sighed disappointedly, certain that something was wrong with my formula. Maybe I hadn't added enough of the god's blood to the mixture. I’d been rather stingy with it since we didn't have much to use and access to the tombs would be dangerous for us if we needed to acquire more. I turned to go back to the drawing board and mix up another sample.

  Behind me, the lamb settled into her nap and started glowing. I noticed the light on the wall opposite me, and Arivor's gasp was enough to turn me around with hope. The glow turned into a blinding stream, forcing me to shield my eyes. Through my fingers, I watched Arivor move closer to the animal.

  “We need to get out of here,” I said nervously, edging toward the door as the light became so blinding that I could barely see even with my eyes hidden behind my hand.

  My friend pushed forward, determined to discover what was happening in the vain hope that it’d be able to cure his son.

  “Arivor!” I screamed from the door, hand pushing against the wood. “Get out of there!”

  A high pitched whine built in the room, muffling whatever response my friend may have given. I clenched into a ball and clamped my hands over my ears, fascinated by the blood dripping onto the ground from the tip of my nose. The last thing I saw before the light exploded, sending me deep into unconsciousness, was Arivor reaching out to touch the lamb.

  * * *

  I awoke lying flat on the ground, face shoved into a gray surface. I pushed myself upright gradually, waiting to feel the inevitable pain from whatever injuries I may have sustained from the explosion. Lifting my head, I glanced about in confusion.

  The walls, ceiling, and floor of my shed were coated with a bland gray substance. In fact, they didn't look much like walls, floor, and ceiling anymore. They’d transformed into a flat, thin, gray landscape, bordered on one side by infinite white and the other by infinite black.

  In the distance, another slumped body sprawled on the dividing line between the gray and black. Realizing who it must be, I quickly picked myself off of the floor and raced toward him.

  “Arivor!” I yelled.

  A hand swept in front of me, halting my sprint and almost knocking me flat on my back once more. I spun around angrily and immediately regretted my haste. Gasping for air that had unexpectedly voided my lungs, I retreated and averted my eyes.

  “What have you done?!” Alouin demanded. “Years of suffering ruined in a single instant!”

  Fury strangled his voice.

  “I'm sorry,” I mumbled, angling myself in the direction of Arivor's body.

  The god grabbed the front of my tunic and jerked me behind him.

  “It's too late for him now,” he said, raising a hand with light flaring all around it.

  I peered across the distance at my friend, only now noticing the darkness creeping over him. Its crawl had been imperceptible at first, a tiny blip on Arivor’s exposed skin, but it steadily swept forward, quickly engulfing him.

  “Get up!” I yelled despairingly as the black covered his body.

  Alouin released a blast of light into the black. It shrunk away from the projectile but quickly advanced once more, fingerlike projections springing faster and faster toward us.

  “Well, Daevetch has a physical avatar now,” Alouin muttered as if to himself while backing away. “How on earth am I going to balance this?”

  “Daevetch?” I curiously asked before I could think to keep my damn mouth closed.

  Alouin rounded on me, speculatively taking me in. He anxiously glanced over his shoulder at the bla
ck that was closing in.

  “It would be a band-aid, but even still…” Alouin trailed off as he came to his decision. “I’m so sorry.”

  The sorrow in his voice pleaded for forgiveness.

  Before I could even hope to counter, Alouin gripped my tunic in both hands and flung me into the white. I had a split second to observe what looked like panic spread across his features before he whirled around, hands raised to continue his fight.

  A speck of white crawled onto my hand, and I jerked it away from the ground with a nervous yell, too late. It spread up my arms, quickly covering every limb and my torso. I clung desperately to consciousness as it engulfed my head but eventually lost. My vision failed me.

  * * *

  When I came to once again, I was back in the familiar setting of my lab, no white anywhere in sight. I groaned with relief and cautiously tested for injuries. Surprisingly, I seemed to have avoided any wounds in whatever disastrous explosion had occurred. I crept to where Arivor lay sprawled over the lamb. Holding my breath, I pulled my friend over and off of the black, smoking corpse of the animal.

  Going from the feet up, I dispassionately examined Arivor's body for wounds, at first relieved to see nothing debilitating, but my gaze froze on his face. Half of his head had been horribly disfigured. One cheek was completely sunken as if the bone had been dissolved beneath the skin. His ear had been shorn away, and most of his hair had been fried off, leaving third-degree burns all across his scalp. His eyes were both coated with congealed blood. I resisted the urge to wipe it away so that I could know whether my friend would retain his vision.

  I carefully tiptoed around Arivor's body and strode toward the door, almost tripping over the uneven floor in my haste. Just as I reached it, the door flung open. Lirilith threw a bucketful of water all over me. Sputtering, I flung my arms to try to remove the deluge of excess water.