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

by Quil Carter

  Teal started to untie the rope from Malagant’s belt. “Want to burn it?”

  Malagant shook his head. “No, we’re lucky we found it and I don’t want to burn it in case the nice chaps who made it are returning. No one’s following us anymore.”

  “Not anymore,” was Teal’s quiet response. As they started walking along the canyon again Teal put the rope back into his backpack. He then picked up the red stapler he had gotten the pill beans from and handed Malagant his. He then took out two of the yellow ones and swallowed them with a drink of silverwine.

  They carried on in silence. Like he had been doing for the past several days, Malagant watched his hibrid friend. He took out his own wineskin of Gojiberry reserve, specially made for the Lord Firemane, and took a long drink. He missed talking to Teal, and Ben for that matter. Ben always made travelling fun, or at least interesting. Now they were just sullen and quiet, as the unbroken reality of not finding Ben seemed to weigh on them with every day that passed.

  Malagant tried to push the thoughts away. You’re too emotional, his father used to chastise him. His father said it was a weakness, that Malagant felt too much.

  Anagin was a hypocrite though. Reading the tales his father wrote about his adventures with Cruz, it sounded like he was even worse than Malagant was at that age. Perhaps that’s why he hated seeing it in his son so much. Anagin had been hurt beyond repair, and he didn’t want his son to get hurt too.

  “Teal?” Malagant said after an hour had passed.

  Teal looked back at him; his eyes seemed distant and a bit glassy. “Mm?”

  “Want to sing for a bit? The sounds would echo in the canyons, Ben could hear us and call back if he’s taken shelter against the canyon wall.”

  Teal looked down at the river; the canyon was starting to become shallower. They were long past any statues and carvings Malagant would recognize. At least they hadn’t passed the Black Road yet which was still many leagues off.

  “I don’t feel like singing,” Teal said quietly, downcasting his eyes.

  “What about Motley and the Bee?”

  “No…”

  “The tale of Catwit the Dimwit?”

  Teal looked at him, his brow furrowed. “What’s that one?”

  Malagant gave him a small smile. “Tiercel wrote it for our old knight friend Oli Catwit. A hibrid of fifteen at the time. He was… a special one.”

  Teal didn’t answer back, but he looked like he might want to hear it. Malagant took his chance to try and at least lighten up their sorrowful mood.

  A hibrid is a peculiar blight,

  Of rainbow hair and short of height!

  But there once was a particular nit,

  A hibrid by the name of Knight Oli Catwit!

  Malagant cleared his throat, ignoring Teal’s unimpressed grunt.

  He wanted candy apricots, but what was a boy to do?

  The chef kept on chasing him out, with a fine brush broom,

  The chef locked the sweets away, in a glass and steel case,

  And said if he was caught fucking around,

  The chef would beat his elf-cat face.

  Malagant grinned when he saw a hint of a smile on Teal’s face. He continued.

  So Catwit snuck into the kitchen, and with his little hibrid feet,

  He pushed his fingers through the holes in the case,

  To get himself a treat,

  He grabbed a piece of candy fruit, and tried to pull it free,

  But the apricots were too fat and ripe, and puffed up with honey,

  Soooo Catwit tried… Ohhh, Catwit tried

  To free his candy score,

  But before long there was an angry bellow,

  And the chef was at the door!

  Catwit abandoned his candy, and tried to free his claws,

  But they were stuck inside the glass and steel case,

  Like meat in clenching jaws,

  The hibrid gasped when the chef drew his blade,

  A scream upon his lips

  He thrashed and thrashed, like a feral cat,

  But ended up leaving behind…

  His bloody fingertips.

  Teal looked at him for a second, his mouth opened. “He cut off his fingers?”

  Malagant’s grin widened. He couldn’t help but suppress a laugh, remembering his old friend coming whining to him and his commander with two of his fingertips missing. “No, he didn’t. He panicked when the chef brandished the knife, though the chef Bauseir was just being a prankster. He panicked and thrashed around so badly he pulled the glass case over himself which snapped the tips of his fingers off.”

  Teal gawked, before for the first time in days and days, he let out a small chuckle. “That’s… my gods. Tiercel had to immortalize it in song?”

  “Tiercel was an elf after my own heart, just with more creative talent.” Malagant winked. But as he looked closer at his friend he noticed that he was looking off.

  Malagant pursed his lips. “Your eyes are very glassy, are you feeling okay?”

  Teal turned away from him, and fixed his eyes back on the canyon. “I’m fine.”

  “No you’re not. We’ve walked all day, let’s at least take a rest.” Malagant shook his head.

  “I’m fine.”

  Teal carried on walking; he was rubbing his claws against his arms, however he was more scratching than clawing at them like he did when he was stressed. He also seemed to be breathing oddly.

  Malagant let him carry on. He swallowed a bit of tonic for his pain and started absentmindedly rubbing Teal’s orange salve on the other injuries on his body. Taugis had beaten him badly before Teal and Ben had found him. Five of the fink sellswords had to hold him down to let Taugis do it.

  The ex-prince had done everything he could think of: thrown rocks, whipped him, and just plain beat him with his fists and feet. It could have been a lot worse but the prince had been weak and mad from infection. Malagant would have felt sorry for him if he had a shred of sympathy left, but that had left him a long time ago.

  Like he had always been, Taugis ended up dying a coward. A coward who needed ten sellswords to attack Malagant’s small group. At least he had killed two before they had gotten to him. He would have gotten more if Sorah’s crying and wailing hadn’t distracted him so much.

  It was near a cluster of jagged grey rocks, tipped with moss, that he started to feel faint. Malagant held his head and leaned up against the stones. He tried to shake the dizziness but before long he was sitting on the rock groaning.

  The world spun, he saw Teal come up to him and put his hand on his head. He heard him say something to him, but to Malagant’s alarm Teal’s voice was muffled, like his head was underwater.

  He tried to lean his head up against the rock but, to his confusion, he fell forward, then everything went dark.

  When Malagant woke up he was lying beside the gathering of rocks. He could feel a weight beside him. Malagant opened his eyes, they were sandy and heavy, and looked to his side. Teal was curled up beside him, his eyes closed and his mouth slacked. His chest was moving up and down, but he wasn’t snoring.

  “Tee?” Malagant mumbled. Seeing Teal passed out too alarmed him, usually if one of them was asleep the other was keeping watch. Especially if they were passed out by a couple rocks next to an open gorge.

  Teal’s eyes slowly opened. He looked at Malagant, his eyes half-shut and glassy. “Hey.”

  Malagant shifted himself to a sitting position; he brought his injured hand to Teal’s chin and raised it.

  Teal was drooling.

  “What… what the shek… something is wrong with you. Are you getting sick?”

  Teal’s eyes found his, before he slowly blinked. “No.” Teal slumped forward and, to Malagant’s surprise, he nuzzled his face into Malagant’s neck and let out a half-growl half-purr. “You’re warm.”

  “Gods-be-damned… you’re high!” Malagant exclaimed. It all made sense. The disconnectedness, the glassy eyes, and the drooling. “What
did you take? What do you have? Dashavia crap isn’t it?” The Dashavians were well-known for making some of the best alters known to Elron. He wondered if Teal had always had them or if he had snuck out to buy them while they were in Rhastt.

  Teal nuzzled further into Malagant’s neck and took a deep inhale. “No, just tired,” Teal murmured. Then he raised himself from Malagant’s neck and slowly got to his feet, wiping his chin free from drool as he did. “I’m just tired. Come on, let’s keep going. We’ve been walking for days now. Ben must be – he must be near.”

  “Chaka,” Malagant whispered, his chest felt cold. “The yellow pills… you’re taking Ben’s drugs aren’t you? That’s what they are, aren’t they?”

  Teal didn’t answer; he kept walking, his feet dragging over the short green grass. Malagant got up with a painful grunt. Every bone in his body seemed to pop and snap from lying down for so long. Ignoring the dizziness and throbbing in his hands, Malagant staggered after him.

  “Why, Teal?” Malagant called, before he tripped over a small rock. He gave a yelp and fell back down; this time he automatically put his hands out to stop himself.

  As his weight pressed up against his flayed hands, he tried to suppress a scream but it came out anyway.

  He rolled onto his back; his eyes watering from the pain. He swore and clutched himself, cursing every god he could think of.

  Moments later Teal was there. He kneeled down, his expression flat and emotionless, and brushed back Malagant’s hair.

  “I can’t handle you and my hands, Teal,” Malagant said, his voice shaking. He tried to raise himself but he collapsed again. “I need you to be strong and sober. You can’t be sheked up and drooling like an idiot.”

  Teal looked at him. “They make me not feel anything,” he said quietly. “I’m… I’m sorry, Mel. I just… I can’t either.”

  Malagant kneeled, blood seeping through his bandages. He could feel pieces of broken moonsilk in his ruined hands. He wiped his running eyes and nose. “Give me the pills, Teal.”

  Teal didn’t look at him. “No.”

  “Teal…”

  “I just took too many, I was scared because you lost consciousness – Really, I’m fine,” Teal said.

  Teal rose and helped Malagant stand. Malagant leaned against him, feeling sweat bead off of his forehead. He took a deep breath and tried to shake the dizzy feelings that were threatening to make him fall again.

  Teal was pretty much cowering now. He looked submissive and even sadder than he had been before. He was scared Malagant would force him to give up the pills. Malagant wanted to take them from him, throw them off the canyon. He didn’t know much about drugs besides Ben’s stories. Ben’s stories were rather interesting to hear, but scary. Though… Teal had more experience with the pills than he and Ben had originally thought since Teal was Tav. Perhaps he could handle it?

  “How many do you have?” Malagant asked instead. They both started walking again, Teal slowing down to Malagant’s now reduced pace.

  “I, well… he stashed them in his stapler. He had forgotten; he carried the thing with him to this world,” Teal explained, scratching his arms again. “I also stocked up before I left. I wasn’t supposed to… but, well, the orange pills are saving your hands. They aren’t drugs, they’re actual medicine. Well, what I have is medicine just… well, you can get high off of it.”

  What Malagant would give to not feel anything right now, but he had no desire to try Ben’s drugs. Teal needed them more than he did.

  “I want to hold onto them at least,” Malagant said. “Make sure you don’t kill yourself with them. I’ll give you three a day like the orange ones. How’s that?”

  Teal clutched his canvas pack defensively and started to walk a bit faster. “I need them right now. I can’t handle everything… I just… no, I’ll be fine.”

  Malagant felt a jolt of annoyance go through him, although a part of it was probably his hands and body hurting. “Give me the shekin’ pills, hibrid.”

  Teal looked at him surprised, but Malagant saw a flicker of anger in his eyes. “They’re mine and I need them right now. I have been fine for four days, and I’ll be fine until we find Ben.”

  “You were a drooling idiot earlier and purring into my neck. You see that as being fine?”

  “I’m fucking FINE!” Teal suddenly screamed. He turned around and started walking away from Malagant. He disappeared behind another gathering of grey rocks.

  Malagant gave an annoyed growl, he followed his friend. “Sounds like something a human would say. Say, Teal, since you knew Ben for so long before Alcove, tell me, did he sound like that when you were taking his drugs away?”

  “I didn’t take his damn drugs away; he detoxed and came off of them.”

  “Perfect!” Malagant yelled. He stumbled, his head flooded with dizzying heat. He could feel his blood pressure rise as he got more upset at Teal. “So how long am I going to have to take care of you when you’re detoxing? With my mangled damn hands and the lacerations on my back? No, who gives a fuck about Malagant? Teal’s going to do what’s best for him and become an addict.”

  “Shut up!” Teal cried. He appeared from behind the rocks, his face was red and his eyes brimming. “Let me do what I want! Ben’s fucking dead, Ben’s gone! I lost him! I swore I would take care of him and I let him die. We failed the prophecy, just let me overdose on that shek and die. You’re close enough to Birch you can stay there and be safe with your family.”

  “He’s not gone!” Malagant shouted. He took a step back; his back hit one of the rocks behind him. “He’s not dead, Teal. We’ll find him.”

  “It’s been days. He would have–” Teal choked, his trembling hands clutched the back of his neck. “We would have found him by now. You know it and I know it.”

  “His cloak…”

  “He’s dead, Malagant,” Teal cried. He dropped down to his knees and let out a sob. “I’ve held it together as much as I could, but I can’t… I can’t. I’m sorry.”

  At least you’re still Teal… at least I’m seeing Teal right now. Gods, not the eerie cold emotionless creature I’ve been travelling with for the last while… at least I haven’t completely lost you. We haven’t failed the prophecies – I know we haven’t.

  The prophecies…

  Malagant looked up, his brow wrinkled. He opened Teal’s canvas bag, which he had slung over his back, and pulled out the Anean Prophecies.

  Teal shook his head as he saw what Malagant was doing. “Why bother? We’ve already failed.”

  Malagant wordlessly opened the old book and flicked through the pages. And though Teal had brushed off the idea, he looked at Malagant with interest, even craning his head to look at the pages.

  Malagant paused…

  It had written.

  With his heart thrashing against his rib cage, he ran his fingers over the small black shiny writing. The sentence telling them to go to Rhastt was gone, and a smaller one took its place.

  “Seek him not, for he will not be found on the edges of Jarron’s wall. Off to the son healer,” Malagant whispered.

  Everything after that was drowned out by Teal’s screams.

  39

  The wind blew against the stained glass windows, making a hissing noise that rattled Erick’s nerves even more. The castle’s north towers were always drafty, the wind was constantly hitting them. Though that couldn’t be avoided, the towers reached like outstretched arms towards the sky above them, and since the Pyre already rested on top of a mountain these arms held clouds between their fingers.

  And flames as well. On top of every tower was a beacon that blazed with a mage’s flame. Not only were these towers lit to provide beacons for the travellers to see, leagues in every direction, but also stood as a reminder that the Pyre was, and always would be, under the protection of the high priests.

  Inside the tallest tower of the Pyre, was Erick and beside him was Sweeny. They were walking side by side, so close that their elbows were rubb
ing together. These stairs were narrow and twisted tightly like they were walking up a tightly wound coil, there was barely enough room for the both of them and Sweeny had already stepped on Erick’s cloak several times. The boy didn’t dare apologize however, Nyte had made it clear that there would be no talking unless he said it was safe.

  Said it was safe… Erick shuddered at this and looked around the dark banner-draped brick walls. He had walked up this tower many times but the torches had been lit and the stairs bathed in an orange, comforting glow. But now the twins weren’t home – and their tower was as dark as a crypt and twice was ominous.

  Nyte had suspected the twins were off paying visits to the kings of Dashavia and Xal’Crith, but who could be sure. The priests made their annual visits to reinforce allegiances, but now that he knew the priests were the gods Xalis and Darsheive, who’s to know what they were really doing. He had heard nothing different from King Shex and his husband King Aspius, just a hawk a few months back saying they’d had their second child. A healthy son born with half a set of teeth and a penchant of biting his wet nurse.

  Nothing about the priests, no new hawks… no new news, but Nyte said they were gone. Erick had to trust the kessiik knew these things; he seemed to know so many things already.

  Sweeny drew his cloak even further over his head. He looked like an auchtrlord with how he was walking; cloaked and hunched over. Erick looked the same and found himself having second thoughts of refusing the kessiik’s offer of a mask. Perhaps it might’ve been a good idea.

  The tower steps twisted in endless circles, with silk banners hanging, new and unsoiled from the stone walls. They boasted Crithian sigils, Dashavian sigils and, of course, Alcove’s snarling cougar; probably just for show.

  “Stop,” Nyte suddenly said. He handed Erick the lamp and drew down his cloak, making his wavy black hair fall down the hood in a curly heap.

  He cautiously raised his foot and gently touched the next stair, before holding up both hands and brushing it against the cold brick.