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

by Quil Carter

  Ben sat down on a fabric couch and nodded. Teal sat to his left and Malagant came in from the kitchen munching on a piece of cheese and sat on his right.

  “I can’t remember a lot of it to be honest,” Ben said, his face tensing in concentration. “The last thing I can really remember clearly is travelling with a kind apple merchant and his donkey. I – I don’t know what happened to him but I’m worried now that he died.”

  “And he didn’t teach you…?”

  Ben flinched and immediately Anagin stopped talking.

  “I see,” Anagin said with narrowed eyes. “Whoever taught you that I suspect put a number of barriers in your mind. Which usually wouldn’t be an issue considering I can break any barrier I’ve ever come across, save the ones put up by… Kelakheva.” Anagin looked to Teal. “It’s the same thing which happened to you – why I can’t access Teal either. It makes me think the demigod has a hand in this but this isn’t the way he does things. I’m almost certain this isn’t his doing and him not answering that gods-be-damned beacon seals that. It wasn’t Kelakheva.”

  “We’ll have a chance to ask him,” Malagant said, offering Ben a piece of his half-bitten cheese. Ben took it, even though he could see Josiah coming towards them with an entire spread of meats, bread, cheese, and cherry tomatoes.

  “Indeed we will. What I said stands: you’re not leaving this house until I know who made that scream,” Anagin said grimly. “With Ben still being alive this renews my hope in this prophecy.”

  “Oh! Which reminds me…” Teal smiled at Ben and grabbed his magic backpack which never seemed to be far from him. He reached inside and pulled out Ben’s sapphire pendant.

  “Hey! I was hoping you had it. You pried it from Taugis’s cold dead fingers, right?” Ben said. He took the pendant from Teal and ran a finger down the smooth sapphire stone. He brought the silver chain over his neck and looked to his shoulder as Malagant started to clasp it for him.

  “Roasted, charred fingers,” Malagant said with satisfaction in his voice. “He’s dead, obviously, and the little shek eater Sorah who was the one who sold us out is dead as well.”

  Ben was surprised at this. “It… it was Sorah? How did–”

  Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of blue from Ben’s pendant, and he could see a flash of green and red from Teal and Malagant’s pendants too. The rainbow colours filled the room, making a spectrum of crystally light that made waves on the walls.

  Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone.

  Ben sat there perplexed. He picked up his sapphire pendant and looked at it, before glancing at Malagant and Teal. “Was it – was it welcoming me or something?” he said with a cocked eyebrow.

  Teal shrugged, he was holding his emerald pendant in his hand as well. “That would be nice if it was. Maybe it’s a sign? What do you think Syr…?” Teal’s voice trailed when his eyes looked to Anagin’s. Ben did too to see why he’d stopped when he saw Anagin looking towards the stairs leading to the second level.

  Everyone quieted down when they saw the expression on Anagin’s face. His brow was furrowed and his posture rigid; he looked like he was deep in concentration or perhaps seeing something that the others couldn’t see.

  Then they heard it… a creaking sound followed by a latch shutting.

  “Father…” Josiah said in a hushed voice, “that’s the attic’s trap door.”

  Anagin stared at the entrance to the stairs, his hawk-like eyes fixed on it. He put his teacup down and narrowed his eyes. “I know, Josiah.” Anagin rose and grabbed his fox head cane. “No one move, no one speak.” Anagin started walking towards the stairs and as he did, everyone heard the floorboards squeak above them.

  Ben felt a tightness in his chest, but whether he was the only one, or the feeling was shared amongst the other three, he didn’t know.

  Then he made the mistake of looking at Josiah. The blond-haired elf’s blue eyes were wide and his hands clenched his sides nervously. He stared at Malagant’s brother hoping he would look back and give him the assurance that he needed that everything was okay – but Josiah only stared forward.

  Everyone’s bodies stiffened when they heard the floorboards above them squeak again. Then, to further bring anxiety, they heard only one person descend the attic stairs, one footstep after another, clunk, clunk, clunk. The sound of it digging into everyone’s skin like each percussion was a small splinter.

  It stopped at the top of the stairs and paused, before, slowly, descending.

  Clunk, clunk, clunk.

  When Anagin’s shoes and the bottoms of his robes could be seen Ben let out a sigh of relief and put a hand on his head. He heard Malagant beside him sigh as well. “That wasn’t Kelakheva?” Malagant asked.

  Ben wiped a hand down his face and looked up at the aging sunmage.

  When he saw who was looking back at him Ben screamed.

  It wasn’t Anagin.

  Staring at Ben, with a wide smile that showed off mismatched teeth, dozens of them, shoved into his gums, was Jonquil. He was looking at Ben with four eyes stitched into his face and deep, bloodless lacerations that cut down to a white skull underneath. His body looked like it had been drowned, white and boney with horrendous cuts that split his skin like an animal in the process of being skinned.

  “Ben!” Malagant said in alarm. He put a hand on Ben’s shoulder to try and comfort him. “Benny? He’s going back into his madness…”

  “The boy is losing his mind,” Anagin growled. He walked over to Ben but stopped when Ben let out a terrifying shriek, one that rivalled a pig going to slaughter. “Put him back in the storage room, I don’t want him lighting the house on fire.”

  Then Josiah rose and walked over to Ben and rested a hand on his cheek. Ben immediately calmed down but it seemed to be something that Josiah had done to him. “I’ll take him… Malagant, will you help me?”

  “Stay down here and get me another mug of tea, Josiah,” Anagin said. He walked to the window and folded his hands across his chest. “I’d lock that door on the boy while you’re at it, Malagant.”

  Josiah smiled and picked up Ben; his eyes shot to his brother and his smile widened. “I’ll be one second. Teal?” Josiah looked behind his shoulder as he started walking up the stairs. “It would be best for us to drug him with desoni. Bring your backpack with you.”

  Teal sniffed, his eyes welling. “He’s hallucinating… what did they do to him? I thought he was going to be okay?” He followed Josiah up the stairs, his backpack in hand.

  Josiah was quiet and didn’t answer back. He walked up the stairs and waited at the top as Teal and Malagant followed.

  “I’m not locking him inside,” Malagant said lowly. “It’s not like–” Malagant’s brow furrowed as Josiah walked past the storage room towards the attic stairs, still folded out and resting in the middle of the hallway. “Jo-” He clamped his mouth shut when Josiah raised a hand, then slowly turned around.

  Josiah walked over to Malagant and handed him Ben, then, still not speaking, he flicked his hand towards Malagant and Teal’s feet, wavy distortions appearing over their shoes and Josiah’s as well.

  Malagant’s face suddenly paled. He looked up at his brother but all Josiah did was shake his head as if warning Malagant not to speak.

  Josiah turned around and walked up the attic stairs; the muffling charm he had placed on all of their shoes muffling their footsteps.

  Teal looked at the two of them alarmed but followed. Malagant, now with a grim look on his face, carried Ben up the steps.

  When they reached the top of the attic stairs Josiah let out a cry. Malagant quickly sprinted up the last several steps and gasped when he saw a yellow fox lying in a pool of blood beside Luna’s Tear.

  Though Luna’s Tear was different now. Teal stared at it in shock, not knowing what to make of the strange object in front of him. It was still shining… but yet, it was shining black and absorbing light instead of reflecting it. It was like the complete darkness that one saw in
the Serpents’ eyes but it was a physical orb.

  And the fox… Teal didn’t know what to make of the creature laying still in front of the orb. It looked yellow but also dark at the same time. It was still in its blood pool and unmoving, but what was a…

  “Anagin!” Teal cried, his hands going over his mouth as it finally dawned on him who he was looking at. It was Anagin, he had taken the shape of a fox.

  “Josiah… Josiah is he alive?” Malagant cried. He looked behind him to the stairs… just in time for the ladder to fold up in on itself and for the door to slam shut by some invisible force.

  Josiah picked up Anagin and ran to Teal. He pushed the fox into his arms, tears welling in his eyes. “Don’t let go of him, Teal. Please, please for the love of Anea don’t let go of him.” Then Josiah turned to Malagant. “Whoever is downstairs isn’t Dad, and was powerful enough to disable him – Malagant…” Josiah looked down at Ben who seemed out of it and dazed. “Malagant… I think something is wrong with Kelakheva. I think – I think Kelakheva is being possessed.”

  Suddenly the agonizing, ear-shattering cry rang out around them, making all four of them scream from the pain ripping through their heads. It was so close that Malagant could feel the energy sweeping his body, making his blood vibrate and his muscles contract.

  It was coming from underneath their feet. It was coming from the demigod that had taken the form of Anagin.

  “Josiah, what do we do?” Malagant said looking around the dark attic. Though as he looked another wave of horror rushed through him.

  The attic wasn’t just dark because the door had closed… it was dark outside as well. It was morning and yet outside it was completely pitch black.

  “Josiah…” Malagant’s voice trailed.

  “We need to get out of here…” Josiah said. He ran to the attic window and opened it. He motioned the other two over.

  “But the magical barrier…” As soon as Teal said that he knew what a stupid thing it was to even say.

  Sure enough, Josiah gave him a fearful look. “The terror we were trying to keep out, is the only one who can penetrate it, Teal.” He stepped back and put a hand on Malagant’s shoulder to push him out the window, then grabbed Teal. “We need–”

  A crash sounded downstairs. Malagant looked back inside the attic and swore. After Teal had gone through he quickly jumped back into the attic and grabbed Luna’s Tear. He handed it to Josiah who put it into Teal’s backpack and went to step through the window.

  “Malagant?” a voice suddenly screamed. Malagant’s eyes widened and he turned around and looked back into the house.

  “Malagant? Malagant!” the voice cried. “Please… please, help. He has me, he has me.”

  “Thierry?” Malagant’s voice was strained and whimpering. He looked at Josiah but his brother shook his head and roughly grabbed his arm. He forcefully pulled his brother through the window and slammed it shut.

  “Whatever you hear, both of you,” Josiah said. “It’s not real. Whoever you see…” he looked at Teal. “They’re not real.”

  “Josiah… what the fuck is going on?” Malagant whispered.

  “I suspect it’s the same thing that drove Ben into insanity,” Josiah said as they started to walk down the slanted roof towards the edge. There was darkness around them, the backyard and the trees further on looked like nothing but black in the moonless and sunless sky. “And whatever it is… was powerful enough to take over the mind of a demigod.” Then Josiah paused and looked at Teal. “He’s… not going to like this but, Teal… I’m putting Dad in your backpack. He’s small enough to fit.”

  Teal nodded and handed Josiah the blood-stained yellow fox. Josiah turned around and opened Teal’s backpack, but as he gently put the fox into the top of the bag there was a rumbling underneath their feet.

  Josiah looked around and swore; he shook his head and stuffed Anagin’s head into the pack.

  Then he looked towards the attic door and screamed.

  Teal and Malagant turned to the window and collectively gasped. In the window was Anagin’s severed head, his face full of lacerations and mutilated to the point where he was barely recognizable. He was staring at them, bloodied tendons and bits of flesh hanging down from a head that looked to have been ripped off of his body. They could even see a jagged bit of spine in between severed veins.

  “That’s not him!” Josiah screamed as he stepped backwards towards the edge of the roof. “That’s – that’s not him. Remember that’s not…”

  The severed head started to laugh, its yellow eyes rolling back into its head. Right before Malagant and Teal turned and ran to the edge of the ceiling, the head reared back and slammed itself against the window glass, shattering it around them and introducing the three to the shrill, cackling laugh that was emanating from the creature who was taking the form of their father.

  Josiah jumped off of the roof and landed on the ground on his knees, a moment later Malagant jumped off too, the Kova’s seeve keeping him from stumbling; Teal quickly followed.

  “It’s dark… it’s completely dark,” Josiah said as they started running through the field and towards the road that wound around Anagin’s property. “I don’t fucking understand. How can it be the demigod?”

  “I don’t know.” Malagant looked behind his shoulder and swore viciously. “It’s right behind us. It’s fucking right behind us.”

  Teal looked too and stifled the scream. The creature was in the form of a long-legged elf now. It was crawling out of the attic window with arms thin and outstretched like a spider’s. It climbed onto the roof, where they had been only moments before, and slowly started extending its arms to scale down the side of the house; its ghostly pale limbs glowing coldly under the moonless sky.

  As they ran towards the street, Teal was unable to look away. He watched the creature stand tall in the backyard, only several feet from the fire tree that he and Anagin had sparred under just several days ago. The creature looked around.

  It was just a glow, there was no light from the sky to illuminate it, but Teal’s eyesight could make out its distorted shape. It looked to have stringy blond hair and burning black eyes and it was clutching itself like it was cold.

  Then the creature threw its head back and opened its mouth wide. Teal knew what was coming and as the creature let out another terrifying scream, Teal sprinted to Malagant and covered Ben’s ears, his own teeth grinding as the sharp pain stabbed him.

  The scream was swallowed up by the artificial darkness, leaving only a painful ringing in their ears to match the tight burning inside their chests. There had never been a falser silence though, and as the outlines of the buildings of Birch started to come into view, Teal felt the hairs on his neck prickle.

  “Malagant!” a voice screamed behind them; the host of the voice sounding like it was being tortured. “Malagant, please… I’m sorry. Malagant, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t say it back. I love you; I love you too, okay? I’m sorry.”

  Malagant’s lips pursed. He tightened his hold on Ben, their boots now slamming on cobblestone.

  Then a shrouded silhouette could be seen in the middle of the road. Malagant started to slow down and Teal and Josiah did as well.

  And when the shadowed figure started to rise, Malagant stopped.

  An elf with black hair tipped with white rose to his feet, a black robe flowing around him like smoke. He looked at Malagant with a thin smile on blood-red lips, two purple deep-set eyes seemingly sparkling as they stared at him.

  Malagant took a step back shaking his head.

  “I love you too,” the elf said, then pain swept his face. “I’m sorry I never said it back, and I’m sorry I left the next morning. I did it because – I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  “You’re not real, Thierry – you’re not real,” Malagant rasped, then he looked at his brother. “Use your magic and fucking get him out of my vision.”

  “I’m real, little black fox,” the elf said, and with gliding steps he
started walking towards the group, everyone taking steps back but Josiah, “and I so… dearly want you to fuck me again.”

  “Josiah…” Malagant snapped, everyone was running backwards now. Every weapon that they’d had either had been left behind in the house or in Teal’s backpack. No one had anything on them but Josiah’s sunmagic and the shoddy tricks that Malagant and Teal knew.

  Josiah held out his hands and took a deep breath. He tensed his fingers but then his face noticeably paled. He looked down at his hands before his deep blue eyes shot up to Malagant.

  “He blocked out the sun…” Josiah said in a strangled tone. “My sunmagic is gone.”

  A shrill laugh suddenly sounded from the elf, and with a grin he held out his hands and twitched his fingers.

  Flies burst from his hands and a low yet deafening buzzing started to sound from the road and fields around them.

  “Let me down…” Ben suddenly shouted. As the flies rose up, seemingly out of nowhere, Ben thrashed out of Malagant’s hold and dropped onto the ground. He got to his feet, his chest heaving, and held out his own hands; twin bursts of runeflame erupting from his palms like they were coated in oil.

  “Ben, no!” Malagant yelled.

  “Ben! Don’t. He’ll kill you!” Josiah screamed in a panic. “Ben, run with us! To the town. I – we have to get the fuck out of here. He’s setting us up to kill us.”

  Ben swung his hands at Thierry. A whip-like snap of blue fire roared from his palms and fingers hitting the purple-eyed elf. It coated Thierry’s entire body, bringing a shrill scream from his lips, before he collapsed onto the ground and seemingly dissolved into the cobblestone.

  “Runeflames… runeflames stop whatever they are,” Ben gasped. He turned and started running towards the town, Josiah right beside him and Malagant and Teal following. “You don’t have any magic, Josiah?”

  “Not sunmagic and that’s the one I’ve been trained to use,” Josiah said to him between gasping breaths. “How did you escape him?”

  “I didn’t,” Ben said grimly. The smell of damp caves and the blister flies infiltrated his nostrils, threatening to send his mind over the edge, but he remained strong. He had to remain strong and hold onto this sanity for as long as he could. “I think Kelakheva was following me here.”