Kings of Ghumai- The Complete series Box Set

by D N Meinster

  “You’re afraid to die,” Rikki blurted out. She’d never understood that fear, as they knew what would happen after life. The only reason she wouldn’t want to go off to the Bastion was if Neanthal somehow made it back there.

  “I do admit that after spending so many years in this world, I have no desire for another,” Versil replied. “Taking on Neanthal only risks an outcome that I wish to avoid.”

  “We only need the peacekeepers, not you.”

  “And who will he come after if he wants to disable them, hm? I am the only one that can override all master control protocols. If I get involved, I am a target.”

  “What if he wins and Ghumai falls?” Without the peacekeepers, Rikki considered that a legitimate possibility.

  “I’ve brought all the ingredients for a new world with me.” Versil fell back into his chair and turned his attention to the monitors. “I’ll start it all over when the time is right.”

  Rikki realized she could not win a debate with him. He only cared about his own existence and could not be persuaded by the needs of the other kingdoms. So she did something she’d never once considered doing.

  She dropped to her knees and pleaded with him.

  “Versil Talap. Valal Sipter. Please, I beg you aid us. On behalf all of Ghumai, of the Goddess, will you ignore our plea?”

  Versil ogled her suspiciously, but Rikki noticed a flash of sympathy in his eyes.

  “There is no longer Oblivion to separate us or a dome to contain you. We are a united land once again. Do not let us fall so soon. Let us victor. Let us bask in what we had lost.”

  Rikki looked down and kept silent. She did not know if she had successfully appealed to his emotions or his ego, but it was her only resort. Anything else would require forcing him against his will, which she was not ready to bring herself to do.

  “Having to start over would be a tremendous setback,” Versil said. “And we finally have a chance to explore beyond our planet. Not to mention all Belliore has to share with the other kingdoms. We should be rid of Neanthal all the sooner. How else would Ghumai accomplish that but with Bellish weaponry? Which was offered to you.”

  Rikki kept her mouth shut, not intending to interrupt.

  And Versil kept going. “But what army do you have to wield them? None that I can see.” He waved over the images. “In our desperate hour, you were there for Belliore. I apologize for my reluctance, as I should be there for you.”

  Rikki finally looked up again.

  “Off your knees, Grand Mage. You should not have to beg.”

  She returned to her feet, holding back a smile. If Versil followed through, there was hope in winning this war.

  “Let me shift us back, and we can get started.”

  Versil ran a hand along his desk and all the images disappeared from the walls. “Very well.”

  Rikki held up a finger. “One more thing I have to do.”

  She ran back outside, the door automatically opening as she approached. Rikki held up her staff and sent a tower of green light into the sky. She regretted not doing it sooner, but it had slipped from her mind.

  Rikki waited for her friend to shift to them.

  And waited.

  Minutes passed until Versil joined her outside.

  “Aros was supposed to join us.” She sighed, flicking her wrist and extinguishing the light. “I hope he hasn’t gotten himself eaten by a stone spider.”

  “Do you want to go looking for him?” Versil asked.

  She was not about to give Versil time to change his mind again. “He can handle himself.” She extended her staff to him. “Grab on.”

  As soon as Versil’s fingers touched the silver shaft, they began shifting back to Belliore.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Unintentional Abandonment

  The Enduring Mountains were empty, as far as Aros could tell. At each spot he shifted to, there was only uneven stone occasionally accompanied by clumps of gravel. The moons did little to light each locale, but he refused to bring a torch lest it attract the attention of unwanted creatures. He could make out the shadows of each peak and cliff well enough, and he was sure if there was a Bellish amongst his surroundings, they would be easy to spot.

  After each shift, he would lean forward, and then side-to-side, seeing what he could make out. His old armor might have been useful in illuminating each area, but that was as likely to be noticed as any light he might bring along.

  When he thought he saw something move in the darkness, he withdrew a clawblade and began shifting with it in hand.

  At one point, he accidently clanged it against the rock as he completed a spin. He froze, concerned that something might come to investigate the noise.

  Clawblades were effective on the most disgusting creatures in Kytheras. But Terrastream’s worst monsters were made from stone. Even swords as well made as his were hardly effective against such hardened torsos.

  Aros let out a breath and spun again.

  He was starting to lose track of what side of the mountains he was actually on. Had he gone too far north? Or too far east? He should’ve asked to borrow that compass, as he had little idea which direction he’d been shifting in.

  Aros looked up at the stars, as if that might help. After gazing upon them for a minute, he spun in place and shifted to another space within the mountains.

  There was movement all around him at his destination. He could tell even in the low light. The rock was alive and moving, at his sides and even beneath his feet.

  He knew what they were, and he tried to stifle a whine as he considered what to do.

  Stone spiders. They were everywhere, but none were charging at him. Perhaps they had yet to realize the snack that had appeared at the center of their den.

  Aros was frozen for a minute as he tried to get past the initial panic and decide on a course of action.

  But there was only one word repeating in his head.

  Run. Run. Run.

  He hopped from the spot he had shifted to and began a steady sprint away from the awful creatures.

  At least, he hoped it was away. For all he knew, he was running toward more of them.

  They spotted him as he trotted on top of their legs and bodies. He could hear the pincers clicking as they acknowledged an intruder.

  And it was followed by the patter of rock atop rock behind him.

  He wasn’t going to look back, though. It was easy enough to imagine the scene of scrambling stone spiders climbing atop each other as they raced for their next meal.

  “Go away, go away,” Aros repeated as he sped up and tried to outrun the eight-legged beasts.

  Two stone spiders landed in that path in front of him. Even in the darkness, he could tell their hungry eyes were targeting him.

  Aros took out his second clawblade, and as he ran forward, he slashed out toward their eyes.

  The spiders’ momentary recoil allowed Aros to slip by them and continue unharmed.

  The noise behind him was growing, and Aros was already past the point where he could pause and spin in place.

  Why hadn’t he shifted sooner? That should’ve been his first option. But he was still getting used to the fact that he could. It was no wonder it hadn’t been his first thought as he was on the verge of panicking.

  Aros felt a poke in his back, and he knew the stone spiders were getting closer. After all this time, surviving rattipedes and frost urchins, he was going to be done in by his second encounter with these monsters?

  No, he was not just going to give up. But he could not face them by all by himself. How was he supposed to summon help?

  The necklace. He could use it to get Rikki to shift to him. She’d taken on the spiders before. She could surely do so again.

  Aros returned his blades to his back and grabbed at the golden M hanging from his neck. As he fumbled with it, he saw that he was about to run out of ground. An obvious precipice was only steps away.

  The M bounced back into his chest as he let go of
it. Aros, instead, readied himself as he approached the cliff.

  With one calculated leap, he flung himself into the air and over the cliff. As he started to spin, he caught sight of the countless stone spiders that’d been following him. They, too, had gone airborne in an attempt to reach him.

  As they got closer, Aros wished he was back home. And he shifted away before any of them managed to get hold of him.

  Aros was still airborne when he shifted to his new location. He fell rather suddenly, audibly colliding into an unvarnished wooden floor.

  “Ugh,” Aros groaned as he turned onto his back. He took in several deep breaths, relieved to have gotten away. But where had he gone to?

  There was ceiling above him instead of sky. He certainly wasn’t in Terrastream anymore.

  Aros was going to give himself a moment to rest a bit before investigating, but approaching stomps and the creak of an opening door forced him back up.

  “Who in the blazes is in there?” a booming voice demanded.

  Aros popped up from the ground and reached for his clawblades.

  A bare-chested man twice Aros’ size stood in the doorway, with a war hammer propped up on his shoulder that could easily squash him in a single blow. A tangled beard covered most of the man’s face, and his untied hair had gone wild in the back.

  Aros believed he recognized the man. “Ratch?”

  “Aros?” the man called back. He tossed the war hammer onto the ground and ran forward.

  Aros felt two giant arms squash his sides and lift him into the air. He wasn’t sure why he had ended up in Ratch’s house, but he was glad to be there.

  Finally, the room lit up as another person entered, this one carrying a torch instead of a war hammer. “What was it?” she asked.

  Aros was able to make out his mentor’s red hair as he set him back onto the floor.

  “It’s Aros!” Ratch answered.

  “Aros?” The woman approached him, revealing her unkempt brown hair and pink night skirt.

  “Mom?” Aros glanced at her and then got a better look at the room he was in. He wasn’t in Ratch’s house. He was in his own.

  Maureen Asilias had put on a few pounds and gained some wrinkles, especially around the eyes. But she seemed to glow as she neared her son, and she shoved the torch in Ratch’s hands before embracing him.

  “I have prayed to the Goddess every day since you left,” she whispered in his ear. “I hadn’t done that since your father passed.”

  Mrs. Asilias let go of him and took a step back, apparently studying his appearance. “You haven’t cut your hair, I see. Or taken a bath recently. And where’d you get that cloak?”

  “Uhh.” Aros wasn’t sure how much he wanted to tell his mother. He’d been through so much, but he was not proud of all of it and not everything was worth sharing. He was much more interested in what had gone on in Kytheras in his absence. There was one specific question that was especially relevant. “Why is Ratch here?”

  Mrs. Asilias eyed Ratch before answering. “He’s been keeping me company.”

  “Are you two…” Aros looked at Ratch, and then at his mother, and then back at Ratch.

  “We shouldn’ lie to him,” Ratch insisted. “We are in a relationship.”

  Aros backed up and took a seat on his mattress. This was not a development he’d been expecting. As he sat there digesting the news, he realized just how tired he was.

  Ratch had already been like a second father to him. Maybe it made sense for his mother to be romantically involved with him. But he’d have preferred if they’d sprung it on him at another time.

  “You know I haven’t been with anyone since your father,” Mrs. Asilias said. “This just happened.”

  “I get it,” Aros replied. “But can we talk about something else?”

  “How’s your friend’s flail holding up?” Ratch asked.

  “Well,” Aros said. “Thanks for that.”

  “It was nothing. I was just glad to get word from ya.”

  “Are you back for good?” Mrs. Asilias asked.

  “Only the night,” Aros replied. “Have you realized what’s going on out there?”

  Both of them shook their heads.

  How could neither of them know? “Neanthal is on the throne! The Parting’s been undone!”

  “What!” Ratch growled.

  “Why is any of that your responsibility?” Mrs. Asilias asked.

  Aros took a breath and started to summarize everything he’d been through since he left. He tried to keep it brief, leaving out most of the names and events that encapsulated his journey so far. But he told them about each kingdom he’d been to and how they’d obtained each Key. His eyelids got heavier as the story went on, and by the time he finished, he was lying in bed with his eyes closed.

  “So you could shift all that time and you’re just coming home now?” his mother scolded him.

  “I shouldn’t even be here,” Aros replied. He’d left Rikki to find Versil all on her own. While he was certain she was capable, he felt guilty for abandoning her, even if it was unintentional.

  “How have things been so normal if Neanthal is king again?” Ratch wondered.

  “Halstrom barely had any effect on our lives,” Mrs. Asilias replied. “Neanthal probably knew we wouldn’t notice.”

  “You’d think someone would notice that the desert’s gone, though,” Ratch said.

  “With all the sand in the streets, who would think that?” Mrs. Asilias stated.

  Both of their voices grew more distant as Aros slipped closer to sleep. It had been ages since he’d been able to lie in his own bed, and its comfortable familiarity was easing him away from consciousness.

  “What happens now?” Ratch asked.

  “Sleep,” Aros murmured. “And tomorrow we go to war.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Delayed

  “Where are they?”

  Doren stared out from the bedroom window, watching the waves wash up on shore before receding back into the Unending Seas. The water’s repetition was soothing, and it cleared Doren’s head for the minutes that they had his attention.

  But when he looked away, his thoughts cycled back to his missing friends. He’d spent at least two days in Tunsev Manor already, and there had not been one word from Rikki or Aros. What was taking them so long?

  He knew Rikki could handle herself well, but what was she facing that delayed her in Belliore? Had Neanthal caught up with her? Doren shuddered just considering it. Rikki might not survive such an encounter, and without her, this war was already lost.

  “You’d tell me if she was gone, wouldn’t you?” Doren spoke. He didn’t know if the Goddess was listening, or if She could hear him, but he knew She was in Aros’ ear. She could relay vital information to him if She chose. Couldn’t She?

  Doren twirled his shield nervously in his hand. Rikki was fine. She had to be fine. But then what was taking her?

  And what about Aros? His friend certainly shouldn’t have taken days to meet him. He was visiting his girlfriend in Terrastream, who would undoubtedly agree to aid them. He’d expected both of them to show up in Tunsev Manor. Instead, neither of them had. Where was everyone?

  Aros couldn’t be dead. The Goddess wouldn’t allow him to die before they’d taken action against the Beast. The three of them had been tasked with stopping him.

  No. They’d been tasked with gathering the Keys and preventing his release. And they’d failed.

  Doren had already paid a price for that failure. His father was dead. Neanthal had been masquerading as him for decks and apparently no one noticed. What would it cost Rikki and Aros? Their lives?

  Doren retreated to a corner of the room. It was a sizeable guest room, though the décor was aging and the mirror had gone foggy. The floor hadn’t been polished in some time, and the mattress squeaked each time he touched it. But the sheets had been fresh and the temperature had warmed considerably since his last visit. Plus, above all else, he was safe here
.

  He’d already had an attempt on his life; not by Thalians, but by supposed allies. Simma’s brothers had sought vengeance for the Kytherans meddling in Faun affairs. What if the other kingdoms sought retribution as well? He thought they’d done good, but if the Fauns held a grudge against outsiders, it was plausible the others did as well.

  They shouldn’t have split up. It was a mistake. Why did they keep splitting up?

  Doren slid down the wall until his bottom was on the floor. He sat there, worrying that both of his friends were dead. How long was he expected to wait for them? He needed to go out and find them.

  But what if it was worse than he thought? What if they were fine and they’d merely forgotten about him?

  No, they wouldn’t abandon him, not by their own choice. Rikki was in love with him. She’d said so. And Aros? Well, if anyone was going to get delayed, he’d expect it to be Aros.

  If they weren’t here, then something must’ve happened. Something terrible.

  And he couldn’t stay in Tunsev Manor waiting.

  As he pushed himself up, there was a knock on the door. The visitor didn’t wait for permission as she barged in.

  “Oh, good, you’re dressed,” Eloise Kellig said as she eyed him up and down.

  “What if I wasn’t?” Doren responded.

  She grinned at him. “Breakfast. Come downstairs.”

  He went to grab his shield, but Eloise told him, “Leave it.”

  He denied her request and set it on his back. “I don’t go anywhere without it.” If it’d been out of reach in Faunli, he’d be dead.

  “I should’ve figured that princes make difficult guests.” Eloise departed the room and Doren followed her down to the first floor.

  A long table in a side room had been set for the meal. All the other Twileans who lived in the manor were already gathered around it, digging into their tropical fruits. As they caught sight of him, they all hurried to their feet.