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

by Quil Carter

  Teal sniffed. “You never could decide… I loved Cheetos.”

  Ben laughed lightly, though it sounded more like a choke. “You are him, look at you.”

  He heard Teal let out his own choked laugh. Ben pulled back; Teal shifted his position, so he was sitting in front of him.

  “I hope one day we can bring Malagant some earth food. He would be so excited,” Teal said, wiping the corner of his eye. He still looked horrible, worn and tired, but at least he was talking.

  Ben smiled at him, before he sighed. “You – you really didn’t know I liked you?”

  Teal shook his head slowly. “No… no idea. I was just happy to have a friend.” He wiped his eyes and his nose with his ruined sleeve. “It was nice to have someone finally be nice to me. Pathetic, I know.”

  “That’s not pathetic… that’s… incredibly sad,” Ben said, resting his hand on Teal’s knee. “You know, when you learn about someone’s past, suddenly who they are makes sense.”

  “That… that’s true.”

  “Maybe it’s because of the moment, and if we fight I might yell otherwise but… I think it was right to wait this long,” Ben said. “I wouldn’t have understood before, like I do now. Perhaps it’s because I felt what you felt.”

  Teal sniffed again. “Neat trick, huh? I used it on Malagant. I was as surprised as he was when it worked.”

  “Poor Malagant.” Ben smiled. “All this hibrid human drama…”

  He saw the corner of Teal’s mouth raise in a smile; Ben could see old Teal start to come back. “He likes it. You know he does.”

  As his thoughts wandered, Ben’s smile disappeared. The reality that Tav wouldn’t be waiting back in his world for him, still stung him. Out of everything that had happened since they went out for the fake hunt, that was the thing that hurt the most. Maybe once he was able to get a hold of himself better, he would remember other things, but for now… the fact he would never see that boy again, or bring him back to Alcove, was a hard thing to swallow.

  “If I came back to earth… and he wasn’t there, you thought I would know,” Ben suddenly realized. “That’s why you gave up your request, so I would never go to earth and be told he disappeared with me?”

  Teal nodded his head. “It scared me, the way you talked about bringing him back. I knew when you went back to your world… Emett would tell you that we both disappeared at the same time. You would know my secret and that was… that was terrifying. I wanted to hide it from you forever and the more time that went on… the more I was scared of you finding out I’d been lying.”

  “I’m surprised Kelakheva even gave you your request early. Maybe it was an apology for being so cruel to you while you two were there. I wish you hadn’t given up your request for that though.”

  “You would be surprised at what I would do to keep you happy.”

  Ben sighed. A part of him still wanted to be mad at Teal but he was making it so difficult.

  “Well, I think it’s time I did something to make you happy,” Ben said, patting Teal’s knee. “Maybe while we’re travelling we can take a look out for holdfasts. Pick out where we’ll all live. Pick out some goat names. Maybe we’ll do it near Birch near where Anagin and Josiah live, really make Malagant mad.”

  Teal smiled, and gave out a small laugh. “I’d like that.”

  “Just think how many inside jokes we have on him now,” Ben said with a mischievous smirk. “Mala-”

  Suddenly there was an ear-piercing scream that made them jump from where they were sitting. They both shot to their feet and whirled around, before to their horror they realized it was in their head.

  Moments later there was another one, followed by a groan of pain.

  They exchanged horrified looks.

  It was Malagant.

  36

  They had never run so fast back to their camp. Ben felt like he was flying, his heart pounding in his chest and his legs taking such leaping strides he was sure they never even touched the grass underneath. Teal was in front of him, almost at the cluster of trees near the bluff where they had made camp. Ben could see the edges of it, glowing a haunting blue from the shadowmask powder.

  Ben had started to run towards the bluff when they heard another gut-wrenching scream. Then after, someone shouting, someone taunting him.

  Ben looked towards the yelling and noticed an orange incandescence reflecting off of a couple skinny trees that he remembered were near the bridge. They were by the bridge, one more rolling hill and the bridge would be right below them.

  As Teal reached the top of the hill, he stopped dead in his tracks, his boots sliding into the still moist ground. Ben couldn’t register Teal’s quick stop over his own racing adrenaline and he ran past him, but as he did he felt Teal grab him and pull him to the ground.

  He felt Teal’s hand clamp over his mouth as he let out a sharp cry, looking down at the scene below him.

  There were half a dozen elves, most in chainmail, surrounding a large bonfire, half of them pinning Malagant as he struggled. One of them was holding Malagant’s hand down onto a blood-stained rock.

  His jerkin was almost completely torn off of him from being flogged, and swollen red welts and whip-like lacerations covered his back and legs.

  Away from the fire, Ben saw two dead elves and another one crouched beside the bridge in shadow, his hands clutched over his ears like he was trying to drown everything out.

  Then another elf, a blond one, lifted a rock and slammed it against Malagant’s hand. Ben tried to lunge from Teal’s grasp as Malagant let out another agonizing cry.

  Malagant’s hand was a mass of blood and bone, his other hand was resting limp beside him. Blood, black from the darkness, was flowing freely from it, pooling on the ground. Skin and flesh hung off of his other fingers, revealing pearly bone underneath.

  He was missing two fingers on that hand.

  What was Teal doing? Why are we hesitating! Ben’s mind screamed.

  “Call him! Call him you bastard!” the snarling blond elf yelled, his voice was psychotic.

  “Chaka!” Ben muffled voice cried. He bit through Teal’s hand, as Teal desperately held him back, seemingly steeling through the pain of Ben’s sharp teeth.

  He’d heard that voice and tone before.

  Ben’s heart dropped.

  It was Taugis.

  “Ben… listen, listen!” Teal said in his ear, his grip on him was like iron. “Disable them; there are too many to kill before one of them gets us. We’ll protect Malagant; try and draw them away. Disable them, eyes, tendons, fingers, genitals. You know your strengths, I know mine. At the signal, we ambush.”

  Teal let go of him and Ben heard him draw his twin blades. Ben did the same, unsheathing one dagger from his belt, and the second from Teal’s. He watched, his emotions boiling inside of him, as Teal leaned his swords against his hips and outstretched both hands. He held them palm up, before he started rubbing the palms together.

  Before Ben could ask what he was doing, he could see Teal’s hands contorting around an invisible ball of energy. He then cupped the transparent ball and threw it.

  A split second later there was a deafeningly loud crack, coming from the opposite end of the camp. Everyone in the camp hollered from surprise and looked towards the sound. They dropped Malagant, who fell limply onto the ground. Their friend looked passed out; his mangled hand still half-resting on the stained rock.

  Ben gripped his daggers and charged.

  You know your strengths, Teal had said. As his best friend, his Teal, the former human Tav, ran ahead of him, Talon and Cyan drawn and ready, Ben mentally chose his target and followed.

  He ran up a nearby rock, and pounced on his first mark, knocking him to the ground. He brought his dagger down as hard as he could onto the back of his neck. Before the elf even had a chance to utter more than a surprised cry, the blade found his spine and pushed right through it.

  Ben pulled the dagger back.

  “I want the human!”
Taugis’s voice suddenly yelled psychotically. Ben whirled around, not wanting to turn his back on the mad prince. He found him beside the bonfire.

  Taugis Luceon looked horrible. His blond hair was dirty and greasy and no longer neatly combed back. His once flowing Lelan robes now replaced with a threadbare russet tunic that was torn and stained. Though it wasn’t his clothes or physical appearance that alarmed Ben… it was the manic, deranged glint that was in his eyes. The prince looked absolutely insane.

  Ben jumped away from the elf he’d slain, not taking his eyes off of Taugis. The outcast prince was brandishing the rock he had used to smash Malagant’s hands; he had broken shackles on both wrists.

  There was a holler from beside him. Ben looked just in time to see another elf charging him.

  Ben ducked as the elf swung a shortsword at him. The chainmail-clad elf was clumsy, he wasn’t a Serpent. Ben moved to the left, missing another swing, and looked around to see if anyone else was going to try and get the jump on him. There was no one though; Ben had to trust Teal had the others under control and from the sounds of Teal’s blades ringing over the fire and the yelling, it sounded like he did.

  Suddenly Ben felt himself get knocked to the ground. His weapons fell from his hands, and the sour smell of stale beer filled his nostrils.

  He looked up to see an Evercovian elf on top of him. Ben tried to push him away but he was too heavy. The Evercovian wrapped his hands around Ben’s neck and started to strangle him.

  He heard Taugis’s shrill laughter behind the elf.

  Automatically Ben’s hands grabbed the Evercovian’s. He extended his claws and dug them into the flesh as he tried desperately to pry the elf’s hands away. But as he did, Ben remembered how futile it was when Taugis and Tseer had done it when his belt had been wrapped around their necks.

  In a split second decision, Ben let go of the elf’s hands and dug his fingers into his face, going right for the eyes. Ben pushed his index fingers, with fully-extended claws, into his eye sockets… and pulled.

  Immediately the elf recoiled with a loud bellow of pain. He rolled off of Ben, his torn black eyes dangling over tears of blood and knocking against his dirt-stained face. A desperate wheeze followed as he looked around, scrambling backwards as he tried to get away from Ben.

  Ben grabbed his dagger and quickly drove it into his throat.

  Ben jumped to his feet and turned to find Taugis again, but the prince was no longer in front of the fire.

  Around him Ben saw death. He saw eyes gouged out, throats cut, and elves mutilated; all on a backdrop of the flaming inferno of the bonfire which danced over their corpses and reflected in the pools of blood.

  Ben looked around but the fire was blinding him; he squinted his eyes and tried to adjust his vision but the night blindness was too strong.

  But though he couldn’t see them, he could hear their battles raging on; the sounds of steel hitting steel ringing over the roaring of the fire. He had to believe that Teal and Malagant were okay. Were all the elves with Taugis dead or dying? And where was Taugis?

  Suddenly Ben felt a sharp pain in his back, and a force that knocked the weapons out of his hands and brought him to his knees.

  Ben groaned and as he arched his back out of reflex, he felt something heavy slip out of him and land on the ground with a clang. What followed after that was a searing pain that shot through his body like red-hot tendrils, starting in his back and pooling in his brain.

  A moan escaped Ben’s lips. He looked up but there was nothing besides the moonlit canyon rock ahead of him and the cold air that soothed his burning face. His back felt like it was on fire, not only from the bonfire that burned behind him but the sharp, stinging pain of what he now knew was a stab wound.

  But then, strangely, he felt something tighten against his neck followed by a snap.

  Ben put his hand up to his neck, then saw a flicker of movement to his left. Ben looked over; his mind clouded from the pain of the wound in his back, and saw Taugis walking up to him.

  Taugis’s bright blue eyes were wide, bloodshot, and radiating madness. He was holding in one hand a bloodied dagger, and in the other – Ben’s sapphire pendant.

  Taugis held it out in front of him and stared at it, then, to Ben’s shock, the ex-prince started to laugh.

  “It’s mine, I have it,” Taugis choked, his voice was twisted in pain and longing. “I am the sapphire pendant carrier.”

  “We have some unfinished business, Taugis,” Ben said quietly. As he looked closer he could see the stump of Taugis’s middle finger was green and rotten, both fingers were in that state and it looked like the mortification was spreading up his hands; his veins were black and his skin pungent with rot and greying.

  Upon hearing Ben’s words, Taugis’s face shot towards him, as if he had forgotten he was even there.

  An insane, shrill cry broke the air before Taugis started charging towards Ben, his dagger drawn. Ben jumped to his feet and managed to dodge the prince as he flew towards him, stabbing the air.

  Taugis whirled around and grabbed Ben’s collar. He was surprisingly fast.

  Taugis pulled Ben towards him until they were face-to-face; the smell of festering flesh was even on his breath.

  “I was sent by Lelander himself, to kill you,” Taugis whispered. “My name will be in the stars.”

  As Taugis jerked his dagger upwards, towards the soft flesh underneath Ben’s chin, Ben threw his head back. The force behind the missed blow made Taugis unsteady and, taking the opportunity, Ben grabbed Taugis’s hand and wrenched the pendant from his grip before grabbing onto his collar.

  They were locked together for a moment, each trying to push the other one towards the fire. Ben tried to turn, but every time he was able to take a step, Taugis seemed to pull him off-balance. He was still strong; Ben had to take a step back or risk falling backwards. He could feel the heat of the fire on his back.

  Then Malagant was there; he came out of nowhere and savagely grabbed Taugis’s tunic with his ruined hands. He pulled him off of Ben and as Ben scrambled out of the way – Malagant threw the ex-prince into the fire.

  Taugis’s screams echoed around them, reverberating through the canyons and the plains as his tunic and flesh started to smoulder before bursting into flames. They both watched soberly as the Lelan prince burned alive, his desperate, mad face clenched in fear and, sadly, confusion; not even realizing he was dying.

  Ben watched as the prince’s skin bubbled and melted, before it turned black. He hated how transfixed he was; he hated himself for enjoying watching the bastard suffer.

  Taugis screamed again and managed to raise himself, but he fell back onto one of the burning logs; the smell of charred flesh and clothing heavy in the air.

  It wasn’t a terrible smell.

  Ben walked over to the prince as he burned, moaning and gasping for air. His blond hair now wisps of black on his burnt flesh. Ben grabbed his sapphire pendant and tried to take it from him.

  “I’ll take this back, thanks,” Ben said, his voice flat.

  Suddenly Taugis’s eyes locked on him. Gods, how could he still be that alive? Ben recoiled his hand, but to his horror Taugis grabbed onto it, his burning flesh like a slab of hot raw meat.

  He pushed Ben away, but as he did he got up.

  The prince let out a scream of pain and defeat, his back nothing but an inferno of yellow and red flames. With his last bit of strength the ex-Lelan prince clamped his hands around Ben’s arms and shoved him, he shoved him hard towards the edge of the cliff.

  Malagant turned to grab him, but Taugis’s push was too strong. Ben’s eyes, wide with fear, locked with his for a second, before he fell backwards over the edge of the cliff, and into the dark abyss below.

  Malagant screamed as Ben vanished into the darkness. He had almost reached him. God dammit, he had almost got to Ben in time.

  Malagant watched as Taugis stumbled but remained standing, Ben’s sapphire pendant in hand. He was looking at it,
holding it in front of him, laughing. His back was ground meat, his skin seared sheets that fell from his trembling body. As the flames extinguished on his back, steam and smoke replaced it.

  Malagant picked up his sword. As Taugis stared, his crazed eyes transfixed on the sapphire, Malagant swung.

  A thin red line appeared on Taugis’s blackened stomach, moments later his inners started to spill. They looked cooked, like boiled meat.

  Taugis stopped laughing. Malagant stared at him, his sword dropping to the ground as his mangled hands gave out.

  The prince looked down at his stomach, seemingly confused at the sight he was seeing. He brought his free hand down and cradled his pale grey intestines, already they were spilling between his fingers.

  Malagant felt Teal beside him, his breath quick. He had watched his friend lure four of the sellswords off into the woods, away from him.

  Taugis looked at the two of them, he was a walking corpse.

  “We should… we should get going to Garas and send… send a hawk to father… tell him I’m a prophecy walker now. He’ll let me come home t-then,” Taugis sputtered. He took a step forward before collapsing onto the ground, dead.

  Malagant picked up Ben’s dagger and started running to the bridge, Teal behind him.

  “Where’s Ben? I think he lured them away too,” Teal said hastily.

  Malagant’s body shook; his skinned fingers found a torch smouldering on the ground. He grabbed it and kept running towards the bridge. His hands were numb now, the pain was only dull. He didn’t want to look at them. He couldn’t hold the torch properly, like he couldn’t hold his sword.

  “Mel? We – we need to be on the other side,” Teal said nervously. “Mel, you lost a lot of–”

  “We need to burn it, Teal, at the far end, so we fall to the Valewind side,” Malagant said. He tried to ignore the horrible sight that were his hands. They were ruined, skinned, shattered. Taugis had tried to cut all his fingers off but had only managed to detach two. Kova’s Seeve had saved the others, though he knew the chance of him losing them anyway was high.