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

by Quil Carter

  “Stop it! You’re hurting him!” Teal shrieked.

  “Hold him back!” Anagin roared to Josiah.

  Malagant was glued to the spot. He didn’t know what to do. He had been raised to trust his father but what he was seeing in him rarely happened. Anagin lost control, they all did, but rarely did he lose control like this.

  “BEN!” Teal screamed before it was muffled. Malagant saw Josiah hold a hand over Teal’s mouth as Teal struggled and thrashed to get away from him. And in all truth Malagant was about to do the same, he’d never seen anything like this.

  Ben let out another cry, his arms fully outstretched and his head being held back like an invisible force was pressing down on it. Malagant could see Ben’s muscles spasming and straining as he fought Anagin.

  “Let me in, Ben Zahn,” Anagin bellowed.

  Then Anagin’s head lowered, his blazing upcast eyes still staring at the former human. “Drop your barricade, Ben. You’re just going to hurt yourself.” As Anagin said this a trickle of blood started running down his nose.

  Ben groaned and coughed, a gush of black tar erupting from his mouth. When he didn’t respond, Anagin locked his teeth again and narrowed his eyes. But like he was being struck by something he recoiled back, another stream of blood springing from his nose and, to Malagant’s horror, his mouth too.

  Anagin didn’t relent though; he only balled his outstretched hands and moved them to his sides. Ben’s body mimicked this, and another scream ripped through the bathroom.

  “BEN ZAHN, WHO TAUGHT YOU THIS MAGIC!?”

  “He’s going to kill him!” Teal screamed as he sobbed and fought Josiah. His eyes then locked with Malagant, he was absolutely hysterical. “Malagant, stop him!”

  Malagant’s eyes shot from Teal’s to Ben’s, then finally to his father.

  Anagin’s entire body seemed to glow with the power he was radiating, coating the room in a brilliant yellow light. The seemingly crazed sunmage had blood gushing down his nose and mouth as he desperately tried to break into Ben’s head. He looked more crazed than Ben did in that moment.

  All this time Malagant trusted that his father was in control, and doing what needed to be done for Ben, but as the tense seconds ticked by he realized Anagin had lost himself.

  And when Ben gave out another agonizing scream, Malagant made his decision. He grabbed his father by the shoulder and yanked him back. In an instant Ben dropped to the floor and Anagin collapsed into Malagant’s arms, taking in sharp gasps of air.

  In the chaos Teal jerked free of Josiah and ran to Ben’s side.

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Malagant shouted. He grabbed Anagin and shoved him up against the bathroom wall.

  Anagin took in a couple deep breaths, before he pushed Malagant away. “Ben’s mind is shattered, nothing but broken mirrors, flies, and terror,” he gasped. He had to steady himself on the bathroom sink, though trying to appear okay he looked ready to pass out. “The moment…” Anagin took in another inhale. “The moment I tried to enter it, it ripped the tendrils right out of my head. The only other elf who has ever done that is Kelakheva.”

  “You didn’t need to hurt him like that!” Teal yelled, holding Ben’s head in his arms. “You just made him worse.”

  “I have to get into his head,” Anagin said. He walked up to Ben but Teal protectively pulled Ben to his chest, glaring at Anagin as he did. Malagant saw a glint of Throateater come to the surface.

  Anagin must have seen it too because he stopped and took a step back. When he talked, his voice was calm again.

  “We need to figure out who taught him silvermagic,” Anagin said. “There is no way he could’ve pick it up himself, even as an acolyte it would take decades. Ben isn’t an ord-” Anagin paused, stopping himself to Malagant’s curiosity. “I need to get into his head; this puzzle must be put together.”

  “What did he see? Why is he talking about a human?” Malagant asked. “Is there an actual human here?”

  “The human he talks about must have been a hallucination dragged from his memories, whatever belonged to that scream was stalking him and terrorizing him. Sent by the prophecy no doubt, the gods like to do that,” Anagin said. “Everything he keeps repeating is what drove him insane. From the flies covering him, to you two being dead.”

  “That sounds… horrible,” Josiah whispered. He was beside Teal, who didn’t seem to mind him being close to Ben. Malagant’s brother had a calming aura to him that even the more nefarious sides of Teal seemed to respond to.

  Anagin nodded. “I would bet you a hundred covis he hasn’t slept in days. I don’t know what happened to him out there, but I need to find out.”

  Teal clutched Ben to him. “You’re not touching his mind again.”

  “Then all we will be doing is bandaging a festering wound to further decay,” Anagin said. “Which didn’t work for Malagant, did it?”

  Like the comment had physically struck him, Teal cowered down. He gazed down at Ben and sniffed.

  “I’ll be gentler, I just–” Anagin paused for a second. “–got caught up.”

  “Rightfully so,” Josiah whispered. He shifted back as Malagant put a blanket over Ben. “It takes a developed mage a year of intense training to control runeflames, and longer for runelightning. He picked it up in weeks.”

  “The merchant?” Teal asked. “He mentioned a merchant?”

  Anagin shook his head; they all stepped back as Malagant picked up Ben and started to carry him to the living room.

  “The merchant was a hallucination; I think he’s been alone the entire time.” Anagin’s golden eyes watched them as they left the sitting room. “Or else he met him and they parted ways early on perhaps. Either way, there is no way in Shol he turned into a human. Teal?”

  They all looked over at Teal who was following Malagant closely. He nodded. “Kelakheva said there were only two: Erick and Ben. No other humans.”

  “Hallucination then…” Anagin nodded to himself. “Once I get into his mind I can confirm it.”

  “How are you going to do that?” Malagant asked. He shot a look at Teal, whose glance towards Anagin bordered on threatening, so he added: “Without hurting Ben?”

  Anagin sat down, as Josiah started treating Ben’s wounds on the living room floor. “Time. I will need time with him. His mind is different than any elf I’ve been around. I have to get a feel for it and see what I can find.” He shot Teal an annoyed look. “Stop looking at me like I just kicked your kitten, Teal Fennic. I did what needed to be done.”

  Teal’s eyes darted away as soon as Anagin called out his threatening looks. “Sorry, Syr.”

  Anagin waved a hand. “No matter, get you three some wine and make me a cup of tea. I need to get that poison out of the boy, then I’ll go tend to Melesch.”

  Right, Malagant had forgotten about his guard friend. “How bad was he, Jos?”

  Josiah looked up from bandaging Ben’s arms. “Nothing Dad can’t handle. I don’t think Ben’s maegic is very strong. It looked to be by the time he was tossing the flames at Dad it was running out. His flames put on a big show, but they’re not as hot as other runeflames I’ve encountered.”

  Anagin nodded, his face creased in thought. “This is correct. He can make the flames well-enough, but look at his skin. He immolated himself but it’s barely blistering; he was already exhausted when we found him.”

  Malagant knelt down beside his brother, as Teal was getting them all drinks. He looked down at Ben’s bruised, closed eyes and gave out a sigh, before he started helping his brother treat and bandage his friend. “I would be even more worried as to who taught him this if he had an elder mage’s maegic store.”

  “It doesn’t boggle my mind any less.” Josiah shrugged. “Put some of the salve on yourself, Malagant. He didn’t get you badly, but you still should treat it.”

  Malagant looked down. His doublet was scorched, and the skin underneath was starting to form a several small blisters. “I will before I go to bed,
it doesn’t hurt.”

  Anagin suddenly gasped, another stream of blood ran down his nose. He muttered and grabbed a nearby kerchief.

  “Dad! Give him a night at least!” Malagant said aggravated.

  Anagin held the kerchief up to his nose. Malagant could practically see Teal glowering at him from the kitchen.

  “Bah,” Anagin grumbled. “It’s frustrating me. I want to get into him, and I want to figure out what happened in the past weeks. I want to figure out what belonged to that gods-be-damned scream…”

  “Nyte?” Teal said from behind Malagant. He stepped into view and handed Anagin his mug of smoke tea. He sat down beside Ben’s head and put two goblets of wine on either side of him for Josiah and Malagant.

  Anagin took a drink of his tea. “I would be able to tell if this was kessiik. We used them during the war, they have a certain aroma they leave behind. This is nothing I have ever seen before; it’s clean and flawless, which is further maddening me.” With his cup still in his hand, he reached out his other hand at Ben. A moment later his fingers twitched, and he nodded to himself.

  “I cut off his maegic; rest assured he won’t be able to attack you if he wakes up.”

  Anagin got up with a grunt and picked up his cane. “On second thought, I’m going to go check on the guard boy now. Ben’s stable and will remain that way, the poison won’t get any worse in an hour but Sir Durem’s burns will. I won’t be long. If anything else develops, get me.”

  Josiah looked nervous, but he just nodded as his father clasped his coat. “Don’t be too long…”

  “I won’t.”

  The door closed behind Anagin, leaving the three of them circled around Ben.

  52

  Malagant drank heavily from his wine goblet and continued to clean off Ben’s arms, before moving to his chewed hands. Ben’s little hibrid teeth had done a good job gnawing on them, but the wounds were nothing compared to how bad Malagant’s own hands had been.

  “Poor boy, most of these he did to himself,” Josiah sighed. “What I would give to hear what happened to him.”

  “I can see why Dad would be trying to get into his mind. He brought nothing with him but more questions,” Malagant laughed. He leaned down and poked Ben in the cheek. “But he’s alive! Our Benny boy is alive.”

  He poked him some more, until Teal batted his hand away. “Stop poking him.”

  “I can’t help it; it’s hard to believe he’s really here… I didn’t know if we would ever see him again.” Malagant quickly got up. “Which reminds me…”

  Malagant walked into the bathroom and grabbed the bottles he had left behind and walked back into the living room. “Dad can do his healing magic, but I’d rather get some healing tonic in him either way.”

  Josiah paused; he put his fingers on Ben’s lips and pulled them down, exposing his black teeth. “I’ve never seen poison like this before. I thought I had seen everything either first-hand or read in a book, but never black, well… everything.”

  “I’m going to stay down here with him tonight,” Teal said, holding Ben’s head as Malagant picked him up. “Someone has to stay up and watch him.”

  Malagant hoisted Ben up as Josiah pulled the xalwolf furs off of the couch and chairs. He moved one of the grey overstuffed chairs off to the side and started laying furs and cushions down in the corner of the living room. “He’s not a danger anymore, Teal. And if he wakes you’re a light enough sleeper to know; we all are. I’m sure sleeping would be fine.”

  Teal shook his head adamantly. “No, if he does wake up I want him to see me awake too.”

  Well, Teal was used to spending the nights awake. Malagant knew there was no use arguing with him. He would wake up some time during the night anyway and when he did he’d make Teal sleep. “Alright, but just remember… no one can get into this house but us and the demigod. Ben’s safe here. Whatever was stalking him, won’t be able to touch him.”

  “Malagant… his back. Look!” Teal suddenly gasped. He put a hand on Ben’s shoulder and pushed it forward.

  Malagant adjusted Ben so he could see what Teal was referring to.

  The stab wound. Malagant had forgotten all about it. Sure enough, it was stitched up nice and tight with moonsilk.

  “The stitches are ready to come out,” Josiah said with a quick glance. “That was done only a matter of days after he got it. Someone did find him.”

  “I’d like to thank the elf that helped him,” Malagant said, gently placing Ben down on the bed of furs and cushions. “Or stab him in the gut if he’s the one that poisoned him.”

  “Maybe he found out he was a prophecy walker and tried to hurt him?” Josiah suggested. “The Dashavians are still raw over the whole invading them thing when Erick’s rebellion was flying their banners.”

  “No. Ben wouldn’t be stupid enough to tell that to a Dashavian.” Malagant shook his head. “And like Dad said, this wasn’t kessiik, or any of that magic. He would be able to sense if a Dashavian had been in Ben’s mind.”

  Malagant sat down beside Ben, and subsequently poked his face again.

  “Stop poking him!” Teal said exasperated.

  Malagant looked at him with a grin and poked his face again.

  A low growl erupted from Teal’s throat. Malagant laughed. “See, Josiah, he growls! Did you know he taught Ben how to growl too? Bad habits.”

  Teal gave Malagant a haughty look. He planted himself beside Ben’s head and shot invisible daggers at his friend’s face.

  “Oh, lighten up, demenos spawn. Josiah, get him some silverwine. He’s way too uptight for Ben being alive.”

  Teal looked at him offended, but he let out a sigh as if realizing his friend was right. “I do need something… I’m just worried about him.” Teal wrapped his hands around the back of his neck. “I don’t feel like I can be relieved and happy until he’s… Ben again.”

  “Dad knows heads, he’ll help him. All that matters is he’s alive.” Malagant smiled. He watched as Teal reached over and grabbed his backpack which he had left against one of the side tables. His friend reached in and pulled out the red stapler.

  Malagant let out a huff as he saw Teal bring out one of the yellow pills, but he decided to let it slide, for now. The pill disappeared into Teal’s mouth and he quickly shut the lid on the stapler’s top.

  “Oh my gods, what is that!” Josiah gasped. Malagant looked up to see Josiah eyeing the stapler with shock and fascination.

  Teal let out a small smile and handed it to Josiah, before he reconsidered it and pulled it back. “Be careful with it, okay? This is a stapler; it’s from Ben’s world. It’s very important to him.” He reached his hand out to give it to Josiah but Malagant snatched it from him.

  “I want to play with it. Josiah doesn’t get to play with it!” Malagant said incredulously. He ran his fingers around the odd smooth material.

  Josiah’s hands appeared and he took it. “He said I could first.”

  Teal looked at both of them helplessly. Malagant glared at him and went to snatch it back but Josiah pulled his hands away. “You can after I look at it. You get to travel with a human. If you didn’t ask to play with the stappler before, that is not my problem.”

  Malagant gave him a look, but remained silent like he was waiting for something to happen.

  Then, when Josiah had a part of his hand underneath the stapler’s mouth, Malagant reached over and roughly smacked the top.

  Josiah screamed, and like Malagant had done months ago in Lelan, he recoiled away with his hand clasping the other and looked at the shiny metal stapler like it had just transformed into a mighty beast.

  Malagant caught the stapler as it fell from Josiah’s grasp and beheld it with a cackle.

  Josiah looked at his hand and the tiny staple embedded in it. His eyes widened. “It’s a weapon?” he gasped. “Could we defeat Erick with this invention?”

  Teal choked and put a hand up to his mouth as he turned red, obviously trying to hide his amusement at
the idea of defeating Erick with staplers.

  “It’s to bind pieces of parchment, eegit,” Malagant said with a smirk. He reached over and pulled the staple out of Josiah’s hand and cracked the top shell off to show Josiah the staples, though, of course, inside of it was also the hidden bag of Ben’s earth alters.

  “What are these!?” Josiah said eagerly as he beheld the bag.

  Teal’s eyes widened, he quickly snatched them away and stuffed the bag in his pocket. “That’s… nothing. Don’t eat it.”

  “That’s medicine,” Malagant said. “The orange ones helped keep me alive when we were making our way to Birch. They make the medicine to a powder and the powder into little beans, so don’t bother trying to deconstruct it. Teal… give him a yellow one.”

  “No!” Teal said exasperated.

  “If you don’t, it just means you want them all to yourself. I might think you’re developing an unhealthy addiction…” Malagant paused, then smiled. “Give him two.”

  “NO!”

  “What do they do?” Josiah asked curiously.

  “They make you feel like everything is okay, all warm and fuzzy and happy,” Malagant said. “They also make you drool like an idiot, pass out at inconvenient times, and purr like a kitten.”

  Teal slunk down. Malagant and Josiah laughed.

  Malagant patted Teal on the back. “Sorry, Tee. I’m just so happy Ben’s alive. It’s making me a bit giddy.” He drained his cup. “That and the goblet of wine I just finished.” He held the empty goblet out to Josiah and waved it. His brother rolled his eyes and took it, rising to his feet, stapler still in hand. The tense mood in the room seemed to have been lifted, even Teal’s neurotic energy seemed to be quelled by the relief everyone was feeling.

  Teal put his hand on Ben’s forehead to test the temperature. “I’m happy too, Mel, I really am. I feel like a boulder has been taken out of my stomach. I’m just in shock, I think. Maybe I should start poking his face too; I still can’t believe I’m looking at him.”

  “So the alters make you worry less? Alter him, Malagant!” Josiah called. He picked up the dish of food they had been warming on the fire for his return and started eating. “I want to see Teal smile. He’s such a serious little feral.”