The Daath Chronicles- The Complete Series

by Eliza Tilton

  As terrifying as the shadows were, the dark orbs were much, much worse. Everything they seemed to touch, disappeared. My chest tightened and I fumbled to get my sword as the death boulder flew closer.

  I swung my blade forward, and on impact, it disintegrated, just like the shadow creature. Dropping the hilt before it crumbled in my hands, I jumped back, sweat coating my neck and panic

  Bad idea.

  Raven screamed. The larger orb hovered over the creatures who had pinned her. All three exploded into trails of mist. Raven dodged to the side, just missing the orb, and crashed into the river. Her hands bobbed above the surface as the current swept her under one of the cavern’s walls.

  I spun away from the orb nearest me. Its deadly touch grazed my cloak, instantly evaporating it. Stumbling over my feet, I tripped and fell on my stomach. With death at my back, I scrambled across the stone, desperately searching for a way out.

  A flash of radiant light exploded around me.

  “Run, boy!”

  Yoshi. He didn’t leave us after all.

  Spots filled my vision and I reached forward, grabbing a stalagmite and pulling myself to my feet. Stones fell from the ceiling, crashing into pieces. The ones that hit the orbs winked out as soon as they touched. I dove to the right as both orbs flew at me. I barely made the landing, as I had to twist to make sure I didn’t touch either sphere. Both balls collided, the larger one absorbing the smaller and growing to an even bigger size.

  At least there’s only one.

  At that moment, a massive column of crystal collapsed above me. If that deadly ball of black hadn’t absorbed it, I would’ve been flattened. I scrambled back to my feet, and sprinted out of this area and back the way we had come. The orb moved slower than before, no faster than I could walk, and before I knew it, I was alone in the dark.

  It took some time, but I slowly retraced my steps to where the insanity began to find Raven. The orb had disappeared in the opposite direction, cutting a large tube through the cavern walls. Raven hadn’t returned. The river rushed under the cavern wall. I couldn’t follow it, and the cavern opening veered away from the river. Numbness spread through my bones. Where is she? I should’ve jumped in after her, but there was no time. How was I ever going to find her? No map. No Yoshi. Not even a sword.

  I yelled and slammed my fists against the hard ground. Pain echoed through my hands, matching the screams I unleashed in the dark. “Raven!”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Avikar

  Time had no place in the dark. If it wasn’t for the glowworms, I’d be lost in this blackness forever. My dry throat ached from yelling, and a throbbing pain filled my head. Emptiness clouded my thoughts, and a knot tightened in my chest.

  What should I do? Where do I go?

  I knelt by the water’s edge, helpless, and lost. When I finally decided to stand, sharp pains ran through my legs from sitting too long. I followed the smooth tunnel created by the orb, hoping for a fight, something to wake me from the pain.

  The tunnel led out to the surface. How long had I walked? Half a day? A star-filled night greeted me with a cold breeze. With no cloak, I wrapped my arms around myself, shaking from the cold. Red sands blew over the nearby rock. Tall, jagged rocks, accompanied the mountainous range surrounding me. In the distance, nothing but the Blighted Sands and endless night.

  “Raven!”

  Her name echoed across the dunes and reverberated through the halls of my soul. I dropped to my knees. Another voice broke through the echoes of my pain. A voice I didn’t want to hear, belonging to a man I wish I had never met.

  “So, boy, you made it out after all.” Yoshi appeared by one of the steep rocks. “Impressive. Impressive indeed.” He slapped his hands onto his hips, grinning at me with a crooked smile.

  “Go away.”

  “For someone who just escaped death, you’re not very grateful.”

  “I’d rather be dead.”

  The bag of blood crystals weighed heavy in my pocket. The only thing I managed to save, and I didn’t care.

  “Tell me the real reason you journeyed here, boy, and I’ll help you find your love.”

  “She’s gone.”

  Yoshi laughed and wagged a bony finger at me. “Her spirit still sings in the air.”

  “What are you talking about?” I groaned and hid my face within the palms of my hands.

  “Ahh, first you share.”

  I had nothing left. There was no point in hiding anything. I told Yoshi about Lucino, the shapeshifters, and how I planned to destroy their way into our world, which I guessed was through the temple in Daath. It was full of magic, and Lucino had kept Daath hidden for a reason.

  Yoshi listened, nodding and tapping a finger on his bony chin. When I finished the entire tale, he said, “Interesting. I will help, if you tell me where this Daath is.”

  “How could you possibly help? You ran when we needed you!”

  “A wise man knows when to fight and when to run.”

  I’d never hit an old man before, but there was always time for a first. “You can’t help me. No one can.”

  “Don’t insult your elders. I know more about the old powers than any sage in this world. Do you want to find your beloved?”

  I brushed the dirt off my legs and stood. “You act as if you know where she is.”

  “I do.”

  An ache pounded the sides of my head, and the thought of cold, fresh water taunted me. My water skin had dried up, and there was no water in sight. After our near death experience, Yoshi managed to maintain a hold of his junk and caged rats. “Do you have any water in that pile of junk you carry?”

  Yoshi grinned, showing off his broken teeth. “Among other things.”

  “Just give me the water.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I’ll take you to Daath after we get Raven.”

  While I gulped down the full skin he gave me, he pulled out the map of the caverns, humming as he traced his bony finger over the parchment.

  “The river comes out on the other side of that ridge. We can be there before dawn.”

  We started north, Yoshi a few feet ahead of me, his rats watching me with beady red eyes through the branch bars of their prison. I wanted to run, to push past the old man with his cage of rodents, but lacked the strength. My leg muscles twitched, and I continued to fight against the urge to stop and rest. If Raven was alive, she needed me. When we crested the ridge, Raven lay on the ground near the river’s edge.

  “Raven!” I sprinted down the hill, rocks and dirt trying to stumble my footing. I slid half of the way, scratching my hand on the rough stone as I fell. “Raven!”

  She turned her head and waved.

  I dove by her side, gathering her in my arms and squeezing her. “You’re alive. You’re alive.”

  “Ow,” she said, and I lessened the grip I had on her. “I’m not that easy to kill.”

  I kissed her hair, her cheeks, any part of her I could. “You fell into that river and I thought you were gone.”

  She rested her head on my chest. “I didn’t fall. I had a better chance of surviving that river than those black orbs. What were they? How did you escape?”

  “See? Your beloved is found.” Yoshi bobbed down the ridge.

  “Ugh,” Raven moaned. “How did he escape?”

  “I don’t know, but he’s how I found you, and he’s offered to help.”

  Raven pulled away from me. The cold air separated us and I wanted her back in my arms. “How is he going to help? We don’t need him now. We have the crystals. We’ll go back to your father, and he’ll get help, or the prince. We’ll get the prince.”

  While both those options would work, Yoshi had a strange knack for survival, knew about magic, and had already gotten us this far. “It’s too late. I already said yes. He might be able to decipher the runes in the temple. It’s w
orth a shot.”

  Raven frowned, shaking her head.

  “Are we ready?” Yoshi waltzed over, chewing on something. I hoped it wasn’t another rat.

  “Yes,” I said, holding out my hand for Raven.

  Yoshi grinned. “Good. Now tell me, and tell me exactly, where is this Daath? Visualize the location in your mind.”

  “East of the Nod Mountains, and west of the north-eastern shores,” I said. “It’s almost directly opposite Stormwood.”

  He nodded and rubbed his chin. “Good. I know where we need to go. Ready?”

  “Ready for what?” Raven asked.

  Yoshi cackled and slammed his hands together. A brilliant light burst in the sky, blinding us, and the ground suddenly disappeared.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lucino

  With only a few hours before my father decided my fate, I raced through the palace, directly to Krischa’s quarters, and banged on her door.

  She opened the door, her head held high. “Lucino?” She smiled, eyes wide and innocent. “What are you doing here?”

  I shoved past her and punched the close switch. “Where is she?”

  “Who? Aren’t you supposed to be at war?”

  I ignored the feigned shock. “Do not play games with me. Where is she?”

  “You’ll need to be more specific.”

  I leapt forward, slamming Krischa to the floor. “You will tell me where she is”—I pointed the tip of my sword at her heart, digging the tip into her flesh—“Or I will kill you now.”

  “You can’t kill me. Your father—”

  “My father wants me dead.”

  “What?”

  “Talk.”

  “Only if you put that weapon away.”

  I sheathed my sword, keeping my palm at its hilt, and backed away from her.

  Krischa stood and straightened out her dress, then pushed her shoulders back as she regained her composure. “Why would the king want you dead? It’s not possible. I would’ve seen it.”

  “You could never have seen this. This is your doing.” I glared at her. “My death will be on your hands.” I paced back and forth, anger bubbling in my chest. With each step, the desire to slice Krischa through increased.

  She shook her head as if every word I spoke were inconceivable. “No … this is all wrong. You will be at the end. I saw you …”

  “Krischa, where is Jeslyn?”

  “How would I know where your precious human is? You should never have brought her here.”

  I launched the sword past her face, slicing her cheek.

  She gasped and jumped back, her hand flying to her face.

  “I never said she was here. No one knew she was here. Not even my mother.”

  “Your mother—”

  “Didn’t know the truth,” I snarled. “No one could have, unless they removed the locket.”

  For the first time since I’ve known Krischa, she trembled.

  “Tell me now, and I will let you live.” I retrieved my sword and pointed it at her.

  “Lie and die.” I shrugged. “My life is already over.”

  She mumbled, shaking her head, walking in circles.

  “Krischa.”

  “The visions … none showed this … what’s missing … see, see …”

  “Krischa!”

  She jumped and her eyes widened. “When I realized Aurora was Jeslyn, I took her. She had to be removed. Our people cannot afford their prince distracted.”

  Rage coursed through me and my muscles tensed. “Removed?”

  Krischa stepped back from me, raising her hands. “I knew you’d be angry but that you would see reason. My visions show us at the end, side by side like it should be. She is just a human. Should it matter if she is dead? I did you a favor and removed her, before she created any more problems.”

  “Dead …?” Jeslyn couldn’t be dead. I promised her safety, and with all the power I possessed, I could not protect her. “You killed the only thing I have ever cared about.”

  “Care?” Krischa laughed. “Reptilians do not care.”

  “I’m only half Reptilian.” I shoved the sword into her heart. Her eyes widened, and a tear fell down one cheek. Grief shook my hand and I plunged the blade deeper, releasing the rage boiling within my heart. Krischa’s lips parted on a silent plea, her hands flapping around my sword, palms slicing on the metal as I drove it deeper through her chest. She shook her head slowly, her breath escaping in a loud sigh as the life drained from her body.

  If my father didn’t kill me, The Council certainly would.

  I just murdered one of the most important Reptilians in our court. But without Jeslyn, none of that seemed to matter anymore.

  Krischa’s blood drenched the front of my shirt. I ripped it off and threw it into the disposal in my bathroom. Unrelenting pain tore through my chest. I would never touch Jeslyn’s soft hair or feel the warmth of her lips on mine. Sadness, anger, despair. Feelings I had never experienced in my seven hundred years of living. The human side of me could not take the loss. Could not bear to step back in that world knowing it would be without her.

  I had failed.

  I gripped the sides of the table, staring into the mirror. The reflection was not of the man I knew. The weight of mistakes sunk my shoulders, misery discolored the brightness of my blue eyes, and the golden sheen of my hair resembled broken straw.

  I was broken, and soon I would be dead.

  I smashed the mirror with my fist, shattering the image before me. The shards sliced open my knuckles, but the ache paled in comparison to my already broken heart.

  “Prince Lucino.” A clear sphere appeared in the center of my room. “The king requests your presence in the war room.”

  The sphere popped.

  “It’s time then.”

  I went to my wardrobe and pulled out my finest attire, a high-collared robe made of woven silver cloth, and embroidered with black brocade and deep crimson. After wiping the blood off my battle sword, I put it back in the case and retrieved my golden sword. I would die as a prince.

  Slipping into the robe, my sullen reflection in the window reflected the emptiness I never thought I could feel. Jeslyn’s face materialized in my mind. I winced, the pain a sharp void in my chest. Gritting my teeth, I pushed her memory to the back of my mind. I would join her soon. A button popped off the robe as I struggled to fasten it closed. My fingers shook, and I had to stop and steady myself.

  Would her God allow us an eternity together?

  I am sorry I failed you, my love.

  Death loomed outside my chambers. Father would do his duty and end me. I had no chance at survival. I wanted to free Hadda before my demise, but granting that simple request might not be an option, for my father might kill me on sight.

  I bit back the sadness that threatened to bring me to my knees, and held my head high. I would die with honor.

  Three guards stood outside my quarters, waiting to take me to my doom. Their faces held no expression of sadness, concern, or pity, stoic in all situations. One of those guards had been with me since birth, though I didn’t expect them to show any emotions. Reptilians could not feel the pain of loss that coursed through me now, because they did not know love, and one did not exist without the other.

  When we reached the war room, I resigned to my fate.

  I did what needed to be done. There was no other option. I would not sit and regret the decisions I had made, nor the mistakes. Yes, killing Krischa may have been a hasty move, but returning for Jeslyn wasn’t, and if I had to choose again, the only change I would make would be to not have left her at all.

  “Leave us,” my father said.

  The guards shuffled out quietly, the door shutting behind them and sealing my fate.

  The hologram flickered behind him, casting the shado
w of death across the room. It reflected the Kuuni island with our brethren’s bodies scattered across the muddy grounds.

  “What you have done goes against our customs, our way of life.” Father clasped his hands behind his back. His intense gaze washed over me in a flood of fear. Would this be our last conversation? “These are desperate times, and we must make difficult choices.”

  Lifting my chin to face my fate, I gripped the hilt of my sword for strength. He glared at me, stepping closer until sweat slicked the collar of my robe to my neck.

  “I have contacted Romulus and told him to dispose of the simulacrum, and say you were needed back here. The transition to Tarrtainya starts now.”

  I gasped at his proclamation. “Are you not mad?”

  “Of course I am, but the battle at the Kuuni island should have been a victory, yet you can see it was not.” He shook his head and returned to the war table. “We lost many lives. I believe there is a traitor among The Council, and their intent was to assassinate you during battle. Now more than ever, you need to take your place. That is the only reason you live.”

  Rage coursed through me in a wave of intense heat. Of course. The Council had fought against my reign in Daath, and when the king finally passed, there would be no one to argue their demands. They would have full control.

  My father swiped the hologram, switching to an overview map of Tarrtainya. “You will lead a team here.” He pointed to Daath. “Daago will be informed of your arrival and will relinquish his position as regent. You will secure Daath, and move your men into the tunnels. Lucy is already in league with the mages. The war will keep the focus on the western borders while you secure the East.” He zoomed into Thebas and Hasideon. “The Order’s stronghold has been disabled. It will take them time to rebuild and they won’t be able to counter any attacks on these regions. The temple is our gateway in. Do not let it fall.”