The Gods' Games Volume 1 & 2: Graphic Edition (The Gods' Games Series)

by Quil Carter

  I wonder if Dad ever had to chase after Cruz with a useless lamp and a handful of candy cinnamon sticks, he thought to himself. Not likely. From the stories Anagin told Malagant and his brother Josiah growing up, it probably would’ve been Cruz chasing after Malagant’s magically-insane father.

  Malagant swore as he tripped over a thick bramble. He cursed Teal’s night vision and kept on walking towards the sounds of the river. The Nawni River if he remembered correctly; he hadn’t been to this part of Alcove in years.

  “Teal?” Malagant said softly; he stopped and tried to listen. These woods were rather safe, so sparse they could barely even be called a forest, but he didn’t want to shout his friend’s name for all of the forest to hear.

  Malagant sighed as he heard soft crying coming from the riverbanks. He held the lamp over his head to try and find the river. He spotted a clearing in the woods and started towards it.

  Malagant walked out of the woods to the clearing. The river was running hard with the melting snow, white frothy water creeping up its pebbled banks though there was still yards of gravel that stretched all the way to the treeline.

  He dimmed the light, since the clearing had let the moon through, and saw Teal kneeling a few paces from the river. He was crying, his head hunched over and his arms clutching themselves.

  “Teal,” Malagant whispered with a sigh. He put the lamp down on the rocks and walked towards his friend. “Come on, have a cinnamon stick and we’ll–”

  Malagant recoiled, the cinnamon sticks falling onto the ground. Teal wasn’t just clutching his arms, he had dug his claws so deeply into his flesh they weren’t visible anymore. Blood smudged his arms and his fingers, and the cuffs of his blue linen shirt he wore underneath his tunic.

  When Teal heard Malagant behind him, his claws extended further into his skin. Teal was in an anxious state, one that Malagant had never seen before, even his breathing was quick, bordering on hyperventilating.

  “What in Anea’s name…” Malagant knelt down and snatched Teal’s arm, and saw his claws had chunks of flesh inside of them.

  It took every single bit of Malagant’s training not to start yelling and shaking his friend when he saw the state of Teal’s arms.

  Stay calm in emotional situations – my commander taught me that. Stay calm, Teal needs you calm.

  As soon as he felt Malagant’s hands on his arms Teal snatched them away, a look of turmoil on his face that, no matter how hard he tried, Malagant couldn’t understand.

  “Leave me alone, Malagant,” Teal choked. He got up and started walking away.

  “He’ll shekin’ come back, Teal. Don’t you think you’re over reacting just a gods’ damn bit?” he said a bit more harshly than he had wanted.

  Teal whirled around, a look of intense anger on his moonlit face.

  “If I had a fucking knife I would cut my own god damn throat. Save him the trouble!” Teal yelled.

  Malagant took a step back as Teal started advancing on him; his friend’s body tensed and coiled and his face as angry as the raging river behind him.

  “Why in Shol would Ben hurt you?” Malagant said hurriedly, trying to take as many steps back as Teal was taking forward. “Teal, he will come back. He just wants to visit his old world once this is done. Don’t you trust him? He’ll come back, he won’t leave you. He just wants to see if that stupid boyfriend, or whatever the word is, wants to come back. Tav will probably–”

  “HE’S – NOT – HIS – BOYFRIEND!” Teal shrieked. “Don’t say his name. Don’t even say his fucking name to me.”

  Teal stopped and made the motion to turn away, but then he turned again and started mindlessly pacing. He held his hands up to his head and let out a moan. “I can’t believe I let it get this far. I can’t believe it; I should have fixed this the moment he arrived,” he said in a rapid manic whisper.

  Malagant just stared, watching his friend babble and pace. He felt helpless and confused.

  Teal whirled around again, his eyes wild. “I told him!” he cried, his crazed eyes focusing on Malagant, then he pointed a finger at the sky. “I told that demigod, I told him. I told him to erase that gods’ damn shekin’ thought from Ben’s head. I told him! It was my request! It was my gift for all this crap he put me through.”

  This Malagant did understand, though it didn’t help his confusion. “Kelakheva’s gift? What are you saying?” Malagant took another step back, a knot forming in his throat. “What was your request, Teal?”

  Teal dragged a hand down his face and let out a small whine. He looked at his friend, a trickle of blood running down his lip and collecting in his sparse facial hair, his pointed canine had pierced it.

  “I asked him to make Ben see that text regarding his old world – regarding… regarding him.”

  “Oh,” Malagant said. Suddenly things were starting to make a bit more sense. “You… you used your only gift to stop Ben from visiting his world for a few days? To think Tav didn’t miss him?” He wouldn’t dare say it, Teal was in too much emotional pain… but that was one of the most stupidest requests he could think of. Especially considering Ben made it clear he wanted to make a home in Alcove.

  Then it dawned on Malagant; he might not be the smartest elf in Elron, but this outburst from Teal was pointing to one very obvious thing. “You don’t want him to bring Tav back, do you?”

  Oh no, he thought to himself. He doesn’t want Ben to bring Tav back because… Tav’s a threat to him.

  Teal loves Ben.

  “No,” Teal said, and the pacing stopped. He looked down at his bloody arms and fell to his knees. “Cursed Xalis, I swore I’d never tell anyone.”

  “Please, Teal. I won’t tell Ben.” Malagant felt his heart wrench.

  The poor kid, he was love sick and here Ben was raving about bringing the human he thought he might love here.

  “Are you in love with Ben?” Malagant asked in a hushed tone.

  To Malagant’s surprise, Teal shook his head. “No, it’s not that, Mel. I know it looks like it but it’s not.”

  Malagant’s mouth twitched, perhaps he wasn’t as smart as he thought.

  He walked over to Teal, the gravel crunching underneath his boots as he got down on his knees in front of his friend.

  Teal looked at his arms, still dripping blood that glistened in the moonlight. “If he never goes home, it’ll be okay,” he said in a broken whisper. “If he forgot about…” Teal seemed to struggle with his name. “Tav – it will be okay.”

  Teal’s chest rattled as he struggled to take a breath. “I thought I had come up with the perfect solution, Malagant. Destroy the only reason he would return to earth, so he wouldn’t find out. So he wouldn’t go there and see –”

  Malagant watched as Teal wrapped his arms around themselves again.

  “– that Tav disappeared when Ben did.”

  Malagant’s heart froze, his hand dropped from Teal’s shoulder. The rushing river behind them seemed to disappear as he looked at his friend’s bowed head, only his rasping breath could be heard.

  “I am Tav.”

  For what seemed like hours but had really only been a minute, Malagant just stared ahead, his mouth open in shock. He hadn’t even realized he had embraced Teal, who was now sobbing into his shoulder.

  “That – that can’t be,” Malagant whispered. “Tav… Tav lived with him, did alters with him, went to classes in college, lived and socialized with humans; he was normal. You said you stayed in an inn and hid in a cabin… I… I… my gods, Teal. How?”

  With a shudder, Teal pulled away, his pendant firmly clasped in his hand. He then took Malagant’s own ruby jewel, and touched it to his.

  A burst of energy erupted from both jewels, an unseen force but one that seemed to tear at the physical fabric of the universe. It consumed and shredded it, making the world around them disappear until everything became black

  But it was only dark for a fleeting moment, soon new images erupted from the blackness like lamps had been
lit inside of a large room. Images appeared and brightened, until Malagant was sure he had been transported into a different world.

  In front of him was a dark figure that was cloaked in black. He was sitting in the back of a tavern with a single lit candle in front of him. Then a flash which revealed Teal now sitting on the opposite end of the table; he looked travel worn and exhausted.

  Another brilliant pulse of light.

  Then Malagant saw him.

  A human.

  A brown-haired human, with dark eyes, dressed in strange clothing Malagant couldn’t even describe to himself. Like Ben had told him they didn’t look that different than regular elves, just with rounded ears instead of pointed.

  This human seemed to be in a dire state. He was clenching his arms that were torn and bleeding underneath his clawless fingers. He was pacing around and grabbing his head, screaming and screaming as he paced like a wild animal.

  It… it was Teal.

  Behind him was another human, this one with silver hair. He was staring at a wall and making no move to comfort the boy who was obviously driving himself into a mania.

  Like I had just witnessed, Malagant said to himself in his head.

  Then another flash. This human he knew.

  Ben had the same half-smile, the same gaunt face, the same dark circles under his eyes that never went away no matter how much Malagant fed him. He had the smooth human ears and the weird clothing. He was sitting beside Tav, or well, Teal.

  Ben had his arms wrapped around Tav; Tav had a pipe in his mouth. Ben looked happy, he looked completely infatuated.

  And Teal… Teal hadn’t had a clue.

  Then the emotions came. It was the same pain and anxiety, confusion and hopelessness, but it was projected towards Ben now.

  And guilt… so much guilt.

  “Let him stay. Please don’t do this to him,” an unfamiliar voice sounded. “You’re driving him crazy. I can’t watch this anymore! I CAN’T!” The voice rose as he spoke until he drove himself into hysterics.

  “I won’t leave; I won’t leave and you can’t make me… I’ll stay with him. I don’t care anymore. I’ve been more happy here than I ever was in Alcove. I choose to stay; I choose to be Tav.”

  “You never had a choice.”

  Malagant heard a sob, and he felt an overwhelming rush of despair. “You can’t do this to him,” the voice cried. “Stop hurting him, stop making me hurt him.”

  “You will do as is commanded of you.”

  Suddenly the breath left Malagant’s chest; he inhaled sharply and found only cold winter air filling his lungs. He opened his eyes which had closed during the flashback.

  He was back in reality, back where he belonged. Malagant looked around, half in a daze, and saw Teal remove his hand from Malagant’s pendant as if it had suddenly become hot.

  “The demigod,” Malagant growled. He didn’t know if it was all the emotions he experienced through Teal, or just the last words he heard from Kelakheva’s mouth, but he felt such a rage for the demigod he was surprised at himself.

  Of course, it was always that coidog demigod. Malagant could feel a hate for him start to well. How could the prophecies choose Teal to hold the jewel? To go to earth to retrieve Ben? The kid was a neurotic mess; Teal wasn’t cut out for this. The damn demigod should’ve sent him, sure he would’ve been scared but he could’ve handled it. His own father had handled much worse.

  Then he heard Teal whimper and Malagant’s attention turned back to his friend.

  “It’s okay, Teal,” he whispered. “I understand.”

  Teal drew himself away from Malagant and stood up. He clutched the emerald pendant to his chest.

  “It’s not okay, Malagant. I should’ve told Ben when he first came to Alcove. I should have introduced myself as being Tav, but I didn’t. I got scared. Malagant, he was so sick; he was so lost and confused.”

  “You did the right thing.” Malagant didn’t know if he believed his own words, but he knew he had to say it.

  Teal shook his head and started to pace again. “What if he goes back? What if he goes there and… and–” Teal let out a frustrated yell and kicked a nearby rock.

  “I gave my god damn request from Kelakheva to keep him from going back!” Teal said in a low and dangerous snarl. “But he has to talk himself into it being drugs? How much more obvious can it get? I made him look like it was written in the prophecies! Tav doesn’t want him! But no, he justifies it! That stubborn idiot!”

  Malagant held his hands out trying to calm his friend down. “Teal, we’ll find a way,” he whispered. “I promise.”

  “He can’t go back, Mel. HE CAN’T! He can’t know what I’m keeping from him. He can’t go there to see Tav. We can’t let him!” Teal screamed hysterically. He turned around and opened his mouth, but then he froze.

  He was looking past Malagant, his face still like the world around them had stopped.

  Teal started shaking his head rapidly. “No… no… no”

  Malagant turned around and immediately felt sick.

  Ben was standing there, right at the treeline. The small bottle of desoni extract dangling from his fingers. He was staring at Teal, looking incredibly confused and incredibly hurt.

  “How long have you been there for?” Malagant said quickly, before Teal could talk.

  Ben’s eyes didn’t leave Teal’s. Malagant held his breath – this could go bad or it could go extremely bad.

  “You’ve been keeping things from me?” Ben whispered. “Why are you trying to keep me from Tav? Why are you two planning on stopping me?”

  He felt completely awful for it, but Malagant felt relieved. He didn’t hear the part he had been dreading.

  Though now, he had to deal with… this.

  “Look, let’s sit down… talk and–” Malagant began but stopped as Ben stalked past him.

  And to Malagant’s surprise, Ben grabbed Teal’s collar and roughly yanked him to his face.

  Teal let out a small gasp of surprise; he was nose-to-nose with Ben.

  “I’m sorry, Ben,” Teal choked, fresh tears falling down his face.

  “You will answer my questions, Teal,” was Ben’s cold reply.

  “Okay,” Teal replied in a small almost inaudible voice.

  Please don’t say it, Teal. Lie – lie to him… for the good of Ben’s sanity, for our prophecies, for Alcove – please lie to him.

  “What did you make the demigod do?”

  Teal sniffed. “I used my gift from Kelakheva. I asked him to make you read that… T-Tav wouldn’t miss you. So you would stay in Alcove, forever with us.”

  “You’re a selfish little coidog, Teal.” Ben pushed Teal away, making him fall onto the rocky ground. He turned away and headed towards the woods. Malagant thought for a second that he would just leave, but with his fists clenched, he whirling around and unleashed it all on Teal.

  “You may have been a feral little forest rat, but you have friends now and that means you don’t lie to them. And I didn’t just see you as a friend, Teal, I saw you as my new family. Grow the hell up and stop acting so paranoid and insecure,” he yelled, then continued, “You don’t control my god damn life, Teal. And I’m really tired of having to walk on egg shells and watch what I say because I’m worried about hurting your oversensitive, neurotic feelings. I already promised you I’d stay with you and if that isn’t enough for you… fuck off.”

  Teal whimpered, he didn’t seem to have any more fight in him. He crumpled onto the ground trembling, but Ben wasn’t done.

  “You kidnapped me and brought me here to fight a fight I didn’t start. And you have the balls to take away the one good thing I had to go back to? The one thing that kept me going in the beginning? To keep me from the boy YOU above everyone else knew I had feelings for? You think you’re entitled to take that from me? To keep me here like some hostage? What the hell is wrong with you? You selfish little shit.”

  Ben turned his back to him and stalked away, he pushed the b
ottle of desoni into Malagant’s hand. “I’m going for a walk.”

  “Wait, Ben. There’s more,” Teal’s weak voice said.

  Malagant clutched the bottle and turned to Teal, his eyes wide. His worst fears were being realized.

  “I’ve heard enough bullshit tonight, Teal,” Ben said as he walked towards the forest. “Tell me tomorrow, it might be just enough time for you to come up with a good lie. Another one.”

  Without another word, Ben stalked off into the woods. Malagant looking on.

  24

  Ben stalked through the forest, yanking on every leaf he could see and violently kicking everything in striking distance.

  That feral little psycho had some nerve. He had no right to try and keep Tav from coming to Alcove. That kid was so insecure and crazy it was incredible.

  Maybe this is why no one wanted to be your friend, Teal, because you’re a fucking lunatic.

  After walking through the forest for a quarter hour, and mutilating every plant he could get a hold of. Ben started kicking a large twisted oak, but stopped after his toe started to throb. He sat down beside the tree and looked towards where he had walked from. He couldn’t even hear the river anymore, there was just cold darkness around him and a faint bit of moonlight.

  Ben got up and continued to walk away from the now soundless river. There wasn’t that much moonlight in the dark woods, but his hibrid eyes had adjusted for darkness and he could see enough to make due.

  The anger inside of him had left him now, and all that remained was betrayal and bitterness. Teal looked normal on the outside, but on the inside he was a royal mess. They had been through everything together, he should trust him by now. Teal should have trusted their friendship. What was he so worried about? If he was afraid Tav would change their friendship he was wrong. Ben didn’t even know if he loved Tav… he just missed him. He missed his friend; he worried about Tav being back in his world all alone. It wasn’t about starting a relationship, he just wanted to take care of him, like Teal had taken care of him during his time adjusting to Alcove.