The Undying Champions (The Eternal War Book 1)

by Brennan C. Adams

  The healer stopped the next patrol of city guards he came across.

  “A woman’s been mugged in the alley,” he lied with faked panicky breaths. “I did what I could to help, and I think the perpetrator’s been incapacitated.”

  The guards took off in the indicated direction. Kheled pulled one aside before they all disappeared.

  “Make sure you search him thoroughly, sir. He usually carries his trophies on him,” he quietly instructed, continuing on at the guard’s blank look. “That man has been robbing, raping, and murdering women longer than you’ve been alive. He needs to be off the streets.”

  The city guard started, horrified at the implication.

  “Maybe you should come in with him to explain how you know so much,” he said, reaching for the Eselan’s arms.

  Kheled skipped back.

  “I don’t think so.”

  He left the city guard in his dust.

  Taking every shortcut he knew, it still took almost an entire hour to cross the city. He entered the butcher’s district, and the overpowering stench of unwashed livestock nearly knocked him over. Sprinting past the lines of dilapidated houses that composed the residential sector of the district, he came to a stop in front of one indistinguishable from its neighbors.

  He rapped on the door, using the old codes and hoping they were still valid. The minutes ticked by without answer, and Kheled bit his lip. What was he going to do if the codes had changed?

  The door cracked open.

  “Who are you?” a feminine voice asked sharply.

  “Hey, Ashella! It’s me!”

  The door slammed shut, and chains rattled behind it. It was flung open, the woman behind it thrusting a dagger at him threateningly. He raised his hands, and she jerked her head, indicating he should come inside.

  In the dim interior, the female goaded him into a chair and sat across from him. She draped her arms over her chair’s back and played with her dagger while she scrutinized him.

  “How do you know my name? No one alive knows it in its entirety,” she asked, danger dripping from every word.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Ashella. You told me your name when the guild first recruited me as a scared immigrant, and I’m certainly not dead.”

  The dagger stopped twirling over her fingers.

  “Khel?” she asked softly.

  “The one and only.”

  The dagger began its dance again while Ash shook her head.

  “No, Hux told us Khel died. He said the city guard caught him,” she mumbled.

  Of course he did, the bastard.

  “He lied,” Kheled said, “and I’m surprised you believed it, considering how bad he is at deception.”

  “If you didn’t die, where have you been the last eleven years?” she asked accusingly.

  “I made it to Allanovian, and they took me in like we’d hoped. It wasn’t nearly as wonderful as I’d imagined, but it was safe which was what I needed.”

  She still seemed unsure.

  “Do you remember that promise I made you when we were kids?” he asked. “The one where I said I’d get rid of Hux? Well, I finally made good on it. The city guard should have him in custody by now.”

  The dagger slipped from her fingers.

  “It is you,” she whispered.

  Standing, she practically leaped the two steps to him and smacked his face.

  “You leave me alone with that monster for all this time and only take care of him now?” she demanded furiously.

  Kheled rubbed his check.

  “This was the soonest I could get back. I’m sorry.”

  Ash stared at him furiously with tears in her eyes.

  “I thought you were dead,” she whispered.

  He didn’t know what to say to make her calm down.

  “I’m sorry?” was what he hesitantly settled on.

  Ash sobbed and flung her arms around him. He awkwardly patted her back while a host of her bodily fluids soaked his tunic. Soon enough, she calmed and released her hold on him, fiercely wiping her eyes.

  “So, what do you need?” she asked. “I know you wouldn’t have come back solely to keep your promise to me.”

  Kheled flushed.

  “Is your spy network as good as it was in the past?” he asked hesitantly.

  “Most of the street urchins report to me, yes.”

  “Have any of them mentioned an old man and his grandson wandering the city?” he asked. “They would’ve been distinctive: heavily armed, probably carrying a sense of purpose like a club.”

  Ash’s eyes narrowed.

  “What do you want with them?”

  “The kid’s my friend. I need to find him.”

  She was silent, her mouth curved into a deep frown.

  “Are you mixed up with that army outside the walls?” she asked shortly. “Is that why you’re wearing a human’s face?”

  “I had to use magic to get into the city unnoticed,” Kheled answered slowly. “And yes, that army is helping my friend accomplish his goals. Why?”

  He wasn’t sure he wanted the answer.

  “I’ve bad news for you then. You just missed your friend. He and his grandfather left on a ship last night. Full of Queen Kaedesa’s men. Headed for Daira.”

  And now Kheled was left with an interesting conundrum. What did he do when he didn’t have a plan?

  “That is… disappointing,” he said distractedly. “I’ll need to inform his father.”

  “I’m guessing this father’s outside the walls. I’m also guessing that you’re trying to avoid attention since you’re wearing a human’s face. Would it be easier if the guild smuggled you out?” Ash asked, interrupting his whirling thoughts.

  “You can do that?”

  “The guild’s grown in strength since you left, Khel. We could even get you out at night after the gates have closed if needed,” Ash said with a hint of pride.

  “That’s truly an accomplishment,” the healer complimented.

  “You’re damn right it is,” she said smugly. “So, would that be better for our delinquent guild member?”

  He hesitated. Aramar would probably want this information immediately, but that didn’t mean he needed it now. In fact, delaying might prove a kindness to the man. At the same time, it might give Gistrick enough time to gather potentially positive news to somewhat offset his.

  Of course, there were selfish considerations as well. If he could get in and out of the city via this smuggling route, he wouldn’t need to rely on or even use magic which would be a blessing. Anything to avoid using the horrid arcane skills.

  “I think that might be best,” he agreed. “How long will your preparations take?”

  “No more than a couple hours.”

  “In that case, can I borrow a bed to change back?” Kheled asked. “I don’t think my compatriots outside would appreciate me returning like this.”

  “Of course.”

  She led him to another room with a thin mattress laid out on the floor.

  “Many thanks, Ashella,” Kheled said gratefully.

  “Oh, stop!” Ash exclaimed in protest. “Go do your magic thing.”

  She left him alone, and he settled on the mattress.

  He honestly didn’t know what he could do at the moment to help Raimie. There wasn’t a ship fast enough to catch up to the Queen’s, and he couldn’t take on a capital full of soldiers. He’d have to trust Raimie to stay alive until he could mount a rescue operation of some sort. With his limited resources.

  He collapsed and closed his eyes. He’d come up with something. He always had in the past. Coming up with a solution this time would simply be a thousand times more difficult.

  It was time to focus on immediate problems. He willed his own hair and eyes back, prepared to ride out the swell of exhaustion. He could use the time to plan.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  I awoke from the annoyingly bright light streaming through the open window opposite my bed, an a
che pounding raucously against the bones of my skull. Groaning, I pushed myself upright and grabbed my head, attempting to massage the pain away. I glanced about our bedroom, looking for my wife.

  “Lirilith!” I called, anxious to hear about Arivor’s condition.

  The bedroom door opened, and Councilman Reive stepped through. I pulled myself even more upright and attempted to look dignified even with my nightie on.

  “Councilman Reive,” I said formally. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Reive glanced at me with irritation and walked to lean on the windowsill.

  “You're in a lot of trouble, Erianger,” he stated solemnly, “and I'm not sure how much I can mitigate.”

  Internally, panic started ringing alarm bells, making my pores contract and the hairs all along my arms rise. Externally, I plastered a calm, confused smile across my face.

  “Trouble? For what? Conducting more experiments? I thought the Council was over their outrage that I attempt to practice any science inside the city walls.”

  Reive chuckled under his breath.

  “Science?” he whispered, voice quickly rising in volume with outrage. “They never cared about your silly scientific experiments, but this time, you've messed with something even science will have a hard time explaining. You've gotten your hands on something you shouldn't have, and the priests are going to be howling for your head if they ever find out.”

  “Ahhh.....” I sighed, leaning back into a more comfortable position. “You found the rest of my sample then.”

  “Yes,” Reive tensely replied.

  “I can see how this might be a problem for you,” I commented quietly. “Your nephew's best friend is caught playing with a piece of a being that's supposed to be intangible and immortal. Something that's supposed to be the best-kept secret of those who rule us.”

  I clasped my hands in my lap.

  “I suppose you'll just have to find some way to cover all of this up in order to save face.”

  Reive inhaled heavily through his nose.

  “Yes, unfortunately, you're right,” he said softly. “I can keep this quiet, Erianger, but no more than this! If you do anything else that might lead to cries for your execution, I won't be able to stop it.”

  He pushed away from the windowsill and walked toward the door.

  “You stay away from the public eye for now,” he said over his shoulder. “Until Arivor’s recovered at least.”

  My body turned into stone.

  “Until Arivor has recovered...?” I asked.

  Reive looked back at me, fury barely held back in his eyes.

  “That's right. I hope your experiment was worth it, Erianger, because your friend is going to be scarred for the rest of his life. He'll be forced to hide his face until he dies.”

  Breaking the paralysis numbing my body, I nodded stiffly. Reive sniffed in disgust and walked out. I hardly noticed. My mind raced, trying to reconcile what I thought I had done before passing out with what I'd heard. Had I imagined it all, or was the healing not permanent? If only a temporary fix, was that the case only for Arivor, or did it affect everyone?

  I couldn't wait to begin the next batch of experiments.

  Their new room was a significant step up from the prison cells they’d first been given, even if they did have to share it. It was expansive with a window overlooking the capital city, a writing desk, and actual beds.

  The first thing Raimie did after the guards had removed the shackles around his wrists was collapse face first into a pillow. He must have drifted off because the next thing he knew, the door opened again and guards shoved Eledis inside. The old man stumbled to a halt, taking in his new surroundings.

  “This is nice,” he remarked. “What did you say to the Queen to get us this?”

  “Nothing she couldn’t have found out through a thorough interrogation. She seems fascinated by me for some reason.”

  “Ah, that would explain it,” Eledis waved a hand vaguely. “Kaedesa’s constant search for new and amusing diversions is quite infamous. You’ll have to engage her fascination for a long as you can because every day she finds us amusing is a day she doesn’t kill us. What prompted her curiosity in the first place?”

  Raimie pulled his knees to his chest and hugged them tightly.

  “She seems to believe I escaped my cell last night,” he replied.

  “And did you?” Eledis asked accusingly.

  Raimie’s head jerked up.

  “No!” he insisted. “You think I’m able to do such a thing?”

  “I don’t know,” Eledis answered. “Before you found Shadowsteal, I wouldn’t have believed you capable, but now that you’ve proven to be a child of prophecy, I couldn’t comment on what you can do. You’ll have to acquire some new abilities to counter Doldimar’s powers else prophecy proves false.”

  “And that’s never happened before?” Raimie asked.

  He was genuinely curious whether the thing that had driven him from his home could prove fallible.

  “Seers are rare, and their foretellings are consistently accurate,” Eledis assured Raimie, “but there’s always the possibility of misinterpretation. Peering through the flow of time into the future is a difficult ability to master and usually drives the one in possession of it insane. After all, we living beings are simply incapable of withstanding existence, even solely of the mind, outside of the dimension of time for very long.”

  “So reassuring to discover our success is not as guaranteed as my grandfather first implied,” Raimie sarcastically remarked.

  Eledis shook his head ruefully at his grandson’s frustration.

  “Back to my original question,” he said loudly. “Did you or did you not escape a locked metal cage last night?”

  Raimie briefly considered telling him everything, all of the strange and unnatural occurrences he’d experienced since his eighteenth birthday starting with the appearance of two unnerving anomalies into his life. He examined his splinters lounging by the window. Would his grandfather understand? Bright and Dim both slightly shook their heads.

  “No, I was stuck listening to you snore all night,” he asserted forcefully.

  Eledis stared at him wordlessly for almost an entire minute, but for the first time, Raimie found that he didn’t wilt under that heavy gaze. His grandfather didn’t seem so intimidating after the last few weeks.

  “We need to plan our escape,” he stated firmly.

  “I have something in the works,” Eledis never relented with his stare, “but it’s going to take time to come to fruition.”

  He blinked, and with that, the weight of his scrutiny lifted. He moved to the window, forcing Bright and Dim to scatter, and looked down at the city below.

  “I need you to continue to distract the Queen in the meantime,” he muttered.

  “Are you going to tell me what this plan is?” Raimie asked.

  “Why should I tell you all of my secrets when you won’t be honest with me?” Eledis countered, meeting Raimie’s eyes.

  The young man attempted to smile around an upswelling of anger.

  “I’m as truthful as I can be, Eledis,” he said.

  The old man turned back to the window.

  “Do as you’re told, and we’ll be out of here soon,” he murmured.

  Raimie’s hands curled into fists. Eledis had kept earth-shattering secrets from him his entire life, and when it finally came time to have one of his own, the old man was hurt? How was that fair?

  He swallowed the anger with difficulty. When it became apparent that Eledis had no intention of speaking to him again, he fell sideways, his head landing softly on a pillow. He felt slightly guilty about dirtying the clean sheets with the dirt and grime of the sea journey and subsequent imprisonment, but he was tired. With nothing else to occupy his time, sleep seemed like a good option, and he’d become excellent at reaching it in a number of uncomfortable situations in the last few weeks.

  What he really wanted to do was have a lengthy co
nversation with Bright and Dim. It was past time for them to explain themselves, but with Eledis awake in the room, that discussion looked like it would have to wait.

  A pair of legs intruded into his view of the opposite side of the room, and Dim crouched in front of Raimie.

  “When are you going to comprehend what being a piece of an all-powerful force of nature implies?” the splinter asked, his head cocked in disbelief.

  Raimie wrinkled his nose. What was that supposed to mean, and why was Dim bringing it up now? Was he gloating? That was something the splinter seemed to enjoy.

  And was he clearly discussing Daevetch rather than buzzing at the mere mention of it? Did that mean taking hold of Shadowsteal had worked?

  Dim rolled his eyes and stood.

  “You explain,” he said. “His denseness makes me want to rip him apart sometimes.”

  Bright replaced Dim on the ground. He didn’t say a word, merely waited patiently.

  Gods, he was distracting. Raimie was trying to quiet his racing thoughts so he could sleep, and his face staring back at him wasn’t helping. He wished the two would take on some other guise, maybe a stranger rather than his own face, but he’d been too afraid to ask them to change again considering what had happened the last time he’d made the request.

  Bright scooted out of Raimie’s field of view.

  “Is that better?” he asked. “You expressed a desire to converse and not sleep, but we can leave you alone if you’ve changed your mind.”

  Raimie shot upright, causing Eledis to stare at him with concern. He was only slightly cognizant of the old man’s attention as he retreated as far from the two strangers in their midst as he could.

  The nondescript, unassuming men gazed back at him expectantly, and when the surprise receded, he realized that Bright and Dim had complied with his request. Which had been unspoken.

  You can read my mind? he thought at them.

  “Ah, not exactly,” Bright answered while Dim simply said, “Yes.”

  Raimie switched his confused gaze from one to the other until Dim groaned.

  “You’re no fun,” he said, poking a finger at Bright who tensed.

  “Aw, what is it?” Dim asked. “Afraid I’m going to attack you? I gave my word that I wouldn’t. You don’t trust me?”