Layers of twisted metal formed the shape of what looked like a hulking knight covered in jagged armor. The face was featureless, save for flaming eyes of ice blue and a gaping mouth of blue mist.
Noticing something different from her last viewing of the scavenger, Fate squinted at the rotating form, unsure of what had changed. Then she saw it, a series of chains hung from its shoulders like a royal cape and a crown of uniform barbs sat upon its head. “Is it just me, or does the scave seem to have more fashion sense than it did yesterday? It looks kind of kingly.”
“It’s just you.” Brune rolled her eyes. “Scavs don’t design themselves into anything deliberate. They’re mindless pests. Think of them like rats. Voracious eaters of whatever they can get their claws on. In this case, it’s whatever element they come in contact with when they first form.”
“Where’d they come from?” Jessie asked. “Did they escape from other portals like the Fomorians and the Chimera?”
“No, they’re born of the Keep.” Fate surprised even herself as the answer popped into her head. “Every once in awhile the magic running through the Keep clogs up and the machinery coughs out a dense tangle of energy to purge it. If the energy doesn’t dissipate right away, it starts absorbing whatever it’s touching, whether it’s crystal, stone, or iron like in this case. Once it starts growing, it just gets hungrier and hungrier.”
“If this one ate Thor’s hammer, who’s to say it hasn’t eaten something equally as powerful since then?” Jessie added. “What if Fate’s right, and the scavenger’s thinking more like a king than a mindless rat?”
Fate gave Jessie an appreciative nod for backing her up.
Brune started to say something, but Farouk interrupted. “We would be unwise to minimalize this scavenger, chiefspecially since this one has been allowed to exist beyond a few hours. We have an unprecedential case here and there is no way to previsionate the evolution of a scavenger that is several days old. I suggest you use utmost caution in your dealings with it.”
“Hey, we’re the onesh with the big gunsh here.” Lincoln pulled out his gun and aimed it at an invisible scavenger. “Jusht show me where and when to pull the trigger.”
“Let’s hope it’s that simple,” Fate said, feeling buoyed by his bravado. But it was only momentary. She couldn’t ignore the dread lurking beneath the surface, dragging her spirits back down.
29
Something’s Not Right Here
THE SCAVENGER WASN’T HARD to miss, even from several miles away. It towered high above the distant skyline, dwarfing the giant architectural structures sprawling to either side. A murky blue glimmer emanated from the iron titan as it lumbered across the terrain, crushing the huge vaults flat beneath its massive feet. Spouts of faery light and ensorcelled flames spewed from the rubble.
As Fate and the others approached from a safe range, the destruction of so many rare and precious magical objects made her cringe.
Brune signaled for everyone to stop and hover. “Stay out of its vapor trail when we get close. The cloud’s corrosive and it’ll mess with your equipment. Plus it burns like hell when it gets in your eyes and nose.”
“Roger that, Lodeshtar,” Lincoln said.
“I told you, no code names,” Brune snapped. “It’s confusing enough remembering your regular names.”
Lincoln moved up next to her. “That’sh cool. Drop my real name and jusht shtart calling me Shtarship, becush I’m ready for you to guide my courshe, Lodeshtar.”
“In that case, go to hell.”
Lincoln smiled as if she were flirting. “That’sh cute, but I’m not going anywhere. You need me and you know it.”
Brune looked away in annoyance.
He waved dismissively at Fate and Jessie. “I’ve named them Chicken Little and Shtink Bug.”
Jessie swooped in next to him. “I’m not responding to anything that lame. We demand new names.”
Fate zipped closer. “Agreed. And who’s Chicken Little?”
Lincoln tore his gaze from Brune, his expression bland when he looked at her. “I think you know.”
“Me?”
“Who wush the shcared little chicken who needed shaving yeshterday?”
Jessie punched him in the arm. “Hey! It could’ve happened to anyone. You better hope it’s not you who needs saving this time, because we might just think twice about helping.”
“Enough!” Brune yelled. “So much for sneaking up on the scav. We’ve been spotted! Take your positions!”
Fate glanced over her shoulder. Adrenaline streaked through her veins when she heard the screech of grinding metal and saw the colossus barreling towards them. The others spread out and she bolted straight upwards. Positioning herself above the scavenger, she grabbed her gun from the holster and aimed. Her sweating hands shook during the five-second wait it took to move directly beneath her.
She squeezed the trigger. The pistol kicked hard in her hand, emitting a gaseous red cloud that blocked her view. Darting off to one side, she caught sight of Jessie shooting at it from a slightly lower level. Another mass of red particles billowed out over the scavenger’s spiked shoulder. Rust formed along its barbed crown, down one side of its head, spreading over the bulk of its arm until huge chunks of metal crumbled away.
The creature’s gait faltered and a terrible shriek echoed across the expanse. Brune and Lincoln zoomed in low, blasting the scavenger from both sides. The tangle of metal, which made up its legs from the knees down, disintegrated into moldering rust. The scavenger toppled, smashing into an Indonesian-style temple.
Before hitting the ground, the strips of metal in its back reshaped into scissor-like wings. The scavenger swept up into the air, dodging clouds of deducting gas before careening off in a new direction.
Cranking on the gears, Fate bolted after the scavenger. Jessie appeared off to the side, her Dragon Eye headgear firmly in place and jaw set in determination. Brune and Lincoln fell in behind them.
The scavenger zigzagged, its head hung low like a hawk hunting for prey. It suddenly descended, zeroing in on an enormous gold statue of a Chinese dragon. That’s when Fate noticed the hammer it was gripping in its good hand. At first she thought it was Thor’s hammer, but this appeared more utilitarian in design. It had one narrowed end, much like a normal hammer, though enormous in comparison.
Swooping over the statue, the scavenger banged the hammer down on the dragon’s head. A shower of red sparks rained down over the statue. The metal heated instantly, glowing crimson as it turned molten. Just when the statue looked like it might liquefy into a blob, the dragon’s serpentine body undulated and came to life.
With a spine-tingling roar, the dragon broke away from the marble platform it was anchored on, its golden scales gleaming as it snaked through the air. Fate slowed down, shocked by the impossibility of a solid gold dragon flying. First, because it should be too heavy to get off the ground. Second, it had no wings.
Brune caught up with her. “That’s impossible. I’ve never seen anything like this before!”
“I know, it’s crazy,” Fate agreed. “How’s it able to fly?”
Brune frowned at her. “I don’t mean the dragon, I mean the scavenger. It animated that statue!” She shook her head, her eyes filled with fear. “Something’s not right here. I think we should–”
“The dragon’s coming back around!” Fate yelled, her heart climbing into her throat at the sight of the dragon swimming through the air toward them, its long whiskers flowing round its fierce head. She drew her gun. “Will this work on it?”
“No, gold doesn’t oxidize like iron.”
“What do we do then?”
“Run!” Brune jetted off in a hurry. “Everybody scatter,” she ordered. “Do your best to make it back to the breaching door.”
Fate skyrocketed towards the revolving hoops, where they grazed against the force field with crackling golden tracers. A deep growl from below jerked her attention downward. The dragon’s widening mouth rose int
o view. Instinct took over and she drew her sword. Plunging it downward, she struck the dragon between the eyes. The clash of metal rang out, the impact vibrating along her arm as the sword glanced off its head.
Flinging her sword aside, Fate grabbed her disintegrator gun and shot. Red gas filled her vision. Coughing on the noxious fumes, she throttled her pack’s gears and hurtled sideways through the gas, hoping the cloud would block her movements.
The dragon burst through the thick fumes, its mouth snapping at her heels. Dizzy with terror, Fate nosedived, heading for the ground to take cover between the vaults. The dragon plunged after her, matching her movements at a nerve-wracking pace.
Jessie darted in front of her, circled round and came at the dragon from the side. At the same time, Lincoln and Brune swooped in from the opposite direction. They were all suddenly yelling, diving close enough to bang their swords against the metallic beast.
Snarling, the dragon jerked its horned head toward them, its massive jaws biting down on air. Lincoln screamed and raced off with the dragon chasing after him and Brune.
Jessie swerved in next to Fate. “That was close.”
Biting her lip, Fate watched the dragon closing the gap on them. “It’s gaining on them.”
“Don’t worry, they’ll shake it off any second now,” Jessie assured her. “See? They’re splitting off in opposite directions. The dragon won’t know which one to go after.”
Fate gripped the gears and squeezed. “Wrong, it’s going after Lincoln and it’s too close.” She jetted toward the dragon. “Jess, come on, we’ve got to help him!”
“Get back to the breaching door,” Brune’s voice cut in. “Now!”
“No, Lincoln’s not going to make it if–”
The words locked in Fate’s throat as she let go of the gears and fell into a weightless stop. She couldn’t move. Shock had numbed her brain, disconnecting her from all physical sensation, her senses honed in on what she was witnessing.
The dragon’s jaws widened over Lincoln and clamped down. Blood spilled over the dragon’s gold fangs, spraying as it whipped its head back and forth.
Jessie grabbed her by the arm and shook. “Fate, snap out of it. We’ve got to go!”
Fate blinked at Jessie, allowing her to lead the way. Halfway to the breaching door, she glanced back. The dragon had returned to its marble plinth, where it resumed its original position, still and lifeless, except for Lincoln’s life blood staining its mouth.
30
Blood Must Run
THE MOMENT THE EXECUTIONER raised his axe over Finn’s head, a huge shadow crossed the courtyard, as if the sun itself had been extinguished. A hair-raising roar thundered overhead. Faces turned skyward and screams echoed off the castle walls as the crowd dispersed, everyone fighting with each other to get past the gates. Fate’s presence vanished from Finn’s sight. The Lhiannan Shee had slipped into another dimension, leaving an empty space of warped air in her place.
Orders were being shouted out to the soldiers along the parapets, followed by the drum of their footsteps racing into position. Another massive shadow whipped across the courtyard, followed by another monstrous growl. Finn chanced a glimpse to one side. The executioner was turned in the opposite direction and the axe hung at his side. Finn raised his head from the chopping block just as an enormous, scaled beast swept low above the gallows, its leathery wings kicking up a gust of wind as it landed in the middle of the empty courtyard.
It was a dragon, and it had plucked the king from the balcony on its way down.
The castle guards lined the walls all the way around the courtyard, bows drawn, ready to unleash a hailstorm of arrows at the creature. But they stayed still for fear of killing the king who was being held loosely within the dragon’s mouth.
The dragon dropped the king, clutching him in the talons of its front leg as it eyed the soldiers warily. A low snarl issued from deep within its throat. Finn was struck by its ivory color. Something seemed familiar in the way it moved its serpentine neck. The dragon let go of Tynan then suddenly shrank in size to morph into a slender woman in a cream gown adorned with pearls.
Finn frowned. He’d seen that dress before. Fate had worn it the night of his coronation, when Rudwor had awarded him the station of First Knight. She’d been an irresistible vision. Every detail of her was burned in his mind–the gardenias woven into her long hair, the gleam of pearls against her skin. That had been the night they had spent together, healing the painful rift that had torn them apart. He’d held her in his arms until sunrise without so much as a kiss, but nothing would ever erase the feel of her body pressed against his and the bittersweet torture that had caused them both.
His pulse raced as he stared at the woman’s back, willing her to turn so he could see her face. When she finally did, his blood ran cold. It was Moria.
He suddenly felt sick. This had to be some sort of fever dream. Why else would Moria be wearing that dress? The witch was dead. He shook his head, hoping to end the hallucination, but she remained firmly in place.
Tynan was every bit as shocked. “M-mother? Is it really you?”
“Yes, my son.” She glanced at the battalion and the hundreds of arrows aimed at her. “Please, call your men off. We must speak on an important matter.”
Tynan waved his arms at the castle guards. “Stand down!”
When the captain hesitated to give the order, the king turned to him. “I command you to stand down. Anyone who disobeys will be next on the chopping block!”
Tynan turned back to Moria. “Mother, how is this possible? You died. I saw your body. You were burnt beyond recognition and interred in a tomb. Your sarcophagus is locked behind many gates far beneath the temple we built in your honor.”
Moria tucked her hand in the crook of his arm and directed him into a slow stroll toward the gallows, where Finn listened in horror. “I understand your confusion. But there’s much you do not understand about our Serpen heritage. We are an immortal race, born of fire and not easily destroyed by the flames of man.”
“Are you saying you rose from the ashes as a dragon and broke free of your tomb?”
“You could say that.” Moria looked straight at Finn and winked.
Finn blinked several times, certain now that he was hallucinating every bit of this. Or had the axe already come down? Was he in Hell and doomed to relive the day of his execution into eternity?
Tynan’s bewildered expression hardened as he lifted his gaze to Finn. “Destiny is at work here, mother. As hard as it is to believe, your resurrection has come on the same day of your murderer’s execution. You will now witness justice for what was done to you.”
Moria nodded. “That is why I’m here, my son.”
Tynan signaled the executioner to come forward. “You may proceed,” he commanded.
The executioner stepped in next to Finn. “Lay your head back down, lad.”
Finn shook his head, every cell in his body screaming out against this final degradation. He refused to die in the presence of this vile snake.
“Down, lad!” the executioner ordered, his tone having lost all patience. When Finn didn’t do as he was told, the executioner grabbed him by the back of the neck and shoved him down onto the block. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, but I suggest you give in and make this easy on yourself.”
Finn continued to struggle. Two guards moved in, holding his arms and pressing him to the block. Too weak to keep up the fight, he went limp and glared at Moria. He’d managed to surrender to his circumstances when he’d had Fate’s presence to sooth him, regardless of how false it had been. But having Moria be the last face he saw was nothing short of cruel and inhumane.
She stared back at him, not with contempt, as he would expect, but warmly, like that of a friend. She turned to Tynan as he lifted his hand to signal the executioner to bring down the blade. “My dear son, I am here to right the wrongs of my past.”
“You’ve done nothing wrong, mother.”
&
nbsp; “Ah but I have, and I’m here to offer myself in trade for the life of the accused.”
Tynan paled. “What?”
“Listen to me carefully. The only reason I married your father and came to Asgar was to ruin him and his people. I designed this kingdom’s demise and I used my magic to fool everyone into thinking all was well. After the flames consumed me, I could no longer hold the illusion I had layered over the land. That’s when the veil lifted and revealed the true state of the kingdom.”
She took a few steps toward Finn and pointed at him. “This young man was the only one who saw through my deception, and he was the only one brave enough to stop me. If he hadn’t succeeded, I would’ve sacrificed you, Tynan. I had planned to awaken the dragon in your blood. Had I done so, you would’ve killed Kaura and destroyed what little was left of Asgar.”
Tynan didn’t want to hear it. He staggered back and kept shaking his head.
Finn couldn’t believe his ears either.
“No, I don’t believe you!” Tynan fell to his knees and grabbed his head. “You wouldn’t do that! Why would you save the Unholy Piper? He’s evil. He tried to kill you!”
Moria knelt beside him and took his hands. “Look at me.”
Tynan stared at his mother, wide-eyed with sorrow and disbelief.
“You’ve sentenced a hero to death,” she pressed. “I’ve come to stop an injustice that simply cannot take place.”
Tynan lifted his tortured gaze and looked at Finn. “The people will never understand a pardon for the Unholy Piper. Blood must run.”
Moria was quiet a moment. “Then let them think the Unholy Piper has met his end in the most horrible way.”
“How?”
“I will return to my true form and allow the dragon to take him.”
Tynan stared at her. “Where will you go afterwards?”
“Home to our people, where the River Torle runs deep within Mount Fargrum.”
“If what you say is true, I need to know why you did it?” Tynan’s voice grew tight. “What horrible thing did my father do to wreak such devastation upon his kingdom?”
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