“I don’t believe you,” said the elf. “Turn your pockets inside out!”
Hal almost did it. The time he’d spent as a slave had begun to leave a mark on his identity. He was so used to being ordered around, first by Lady Katara, then by the Event Master, and even by Zoria. He brought a hand to his chest and felt the heartgem through his shirt.
“No,” said Hal. “I don’t think I will.”
The elf actually flinched back at his refusal. He shook his head slowly and drew his sword, swinging it down into an intimidating cut through the air.
“Don’t make me repeat myself,” said the elf. “Hurry up now. I would hate to get blood on my sister’s new carpet.”
“How about instead,” said Hal, “You get out of my way. For your own sake.”
The elf flashed a wicked smile and took a step forward. Hal smiled back, confidence flowing into him from the heartgem’s presence. He reached out to the essence within the gem, feeling a bit like he was calling out to an old friend from across the street.
His confidence waned as he sensed how depleted the gem was. He had a small amount of ruby essence, not quite enough for him to push into a Ruby Trance, along with slightly more sapphire essence. He didn’t even have enough to cast Flame Blast, the only offensive fire spell he’d be able to manage without his pistol.
He pulled out his dagger slowly, considering how to handle his opponent. Hal still wore his spark ring. Gardius hadn’t taken it from him when he’d first been captured, likely because of how plain and unassuming it was as a piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, with so little ruby essence, it wouldn’t do much for him.
He could try a sapphire spell, but water alone wouldn’t be enough to stop his opponent, even if he managed to cast it at full strength. The elf was already advancing forward. Hal made as though to flee to the left, drawing out a sword strike and giving himself an opening.
He tried to rush forward and get a quick stab in, but the elf was quicker than he’d expected and managed to hop back a few steps, bringing the sword back up to guard. The reach of the weapon completely outstripped his tiny dagger.
When he decides to attack head on, the fight will be over.
“I’m going to make a mess of you,” said the elf. “Pathetic slave. How could you think that you could steal and get away with it?”
The elf attacked again, slashing his longsword at Hal’s neck. He ducked under the swing but didn’t bother trying to attack. He knew the elf was playing with him, trying to goad him into making a stupid mistake that he could take advantage of. It wasn’t just about winning the fight or stopping Hal from stealing. He was toying with him like a predator, taking his time.
Hal considered jumping from the window, but there were a few issues with that, as a plan. He’d have to get the window open, first. Smashing through it was too risky, and there was no guarantee that he’d even make it more than a few steps if he turned his back to his opponent.
He considered his heartgem again, and a desperate idea came to mind. It was something he’d considered before, but never tried. Hal smiled as he brought the edge of his dagger to his spark ring, knowing that his timing would need to be perfect.
“What do you think you’re doing?” snapped the elf.
What Hal was doing was feeling for the essence in his heartgem. It felt a bit like rummaging through a bag blindfolded, but that wasn’t a perfect analogy. There was memory and emotion inside the gem, passion for the ruby essence, and sorrow for the sapphire. He pulled essence from both, feeling an odd juxtaposition of the extremes of his emotions as he tried to simultaneously concentrate on two spells at once.
Hal drew the knife across his spark ring and spat at the elf at the same instant. He channeled both essences, using the spark and the tiny glob of saliva as his elemental triggers. Though he lacked enough essence to cast proper spells of either fire or water, he did have enough to make a little of both. The fire and the water merged in the air on the way toward the elf, creating a jet of hot steam which struck his opponent full in the face.
I’ll have to come up with a name for that one.
The elf screamed and dropped his sword. Hal rushed him, kneeing him hard in the stomach, and then getting an arm around his neck to choke him out. It only took a few seconds before the elf went limp, unconscious, but still alive.
He hesitated, feeling the hilt of the dagger in his hand. The intelligent thing to do would be to kill the elf. He’d seen Hal’s face, and could probably recognize him if given the chance. If it was discovered that he was the thief, Zoria and her family would also be implicated, and they already seemed to have enough trouble to deal with.
Hal gripped he dagger a little tighter. It would be so easy to kill the elf. Just as it had been so easy to kill all of the other slaves he’d been forced up against in the Dragongrounds. Killing as a means to an end. Killing as a basis for survival.
He exhaled slowly and tucked the dagger back into his belt. He didn’t look behind him as he left the room.
CHAPTER 40
Hal forced himself to walk at a casual pace as he made his way back toward the fountain and Zoria. He knew his downed opponent would regain consciousness soon enough, and his account of what had happened would likely be enough to trigger an all-out manhunt for him.
I have to leave the Upper Realm sooner, rather than later.
He arrived back at the fountain just after the dawning ceremony had ended. Kendri was sitting on the dais, looking significantly messier than she had when Hal had left. She had a determined expression on her face, and with one hand, she gently tousled the hair of a male elf kneeling before her.
The crowd was already beginning to disperse. Hal headed back to the silk carriage and climbed inside, glancing around to make sure nobody was within earshot before speaking to Zoria in a low voice.
“We need to leave as soon as we can,” he said.
Zoria frowned at him.
“What happened?” she asked. “Are you okay? Did you get the ring?”
“Ring?” Felice back and forth between the two of them. “Zoria, what’s going on?”
Zoria nodded to Hal. He took the ring out and passed it to her, and Zoria held it out in her palm toward her mother.
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said. “Father’s ring. I finally got it back.”
Felice stared at the ring, her expression suddenly far off. She blinked a couple of times, and then brought a hand to her mouth. Slowly, as though expecting it to slip through her fingers, she took the ring from Zoria.
“…Thank you,” she said.
“You might want to keep it close to you for the next few days,” said Zoria. “Gardius is going to figure out where it went sooner, rather than later.”
Hal scratched his head, unsure of how he felt about all he’d been through to recover the ring, given that it only seemed to be for sentimental value. He held his tongue, knowing that his focus needed to be on his own situation, and getting back to the surface.
Kendri entered the silk carriage, breathing a sigh as she sat down on the bench across from Hal. Her ceremonial dress was stained, and she smelled of sweat and sex. She smiled invitingly at him as though totally unaware of her appearance, and Hal couldn’t help but chuckle.
“And you were so nervous going into it,” said Zoria. “I told you it would be fine.”
“It was… interesting,” said Kendri.
The silk carriage started off. Hal felt his paranoia increasing substantially as they drew closer to Zoria’s family’s domicile. How much time did he have? Had the elf he’d fought already woken up?
“Zoria, I need to know what you have planned,” said Hal. “How are you expecting to get me back to the surface?”
She flashed a coy smile at him and shrugged.
“It should be easy,” she said. “The Upper Realm meanders through the sky throughout the month. We’re hovering over the norther region of Krestia’s Cradle, at the moment. You can just float down with a cloud catch. All
we have to do is get you the edge.”
Hal blinked. He’d been expecting something more elaborate.
A simple plan means less can go wrong. Hopefully.
“Alright,” said Hal. “Well, we need to do it fast. Someone saw me.”
Zoria’s gaze whirled to lock onto him.
“Bitch’s blood, what do you mean someone saw you?” she asked.
“An elf tried to stop me when I was leaving,” said Hal. “I knocked him out.”
“Why didn’t you just kill him?” asked Zoria. “Having a witness complicates things.”
Hal thought about the question for a few seconds before answering.
“It would have been too easy,” he said. The words felt right, but he wasn’t sure he entirely knew what he’d meant by them. Zoria frowned.
“Whatever your logic might have been, it puts us into a bind,” she said. “We’ll have to rush through this. Be ready to move as soon as we get back.”
Next to her in the silk carriage, Felice looked a little worried. In contrast, Kendri was still smiling and confident. She reminded Hal of, well, how he typically felt after similar sexual conquests.
They reached the domicile and immediately headed inside. Zoria was digging through the closet in her room. Hal stayed in the sitting room, pacing back and forth, trying to keep both his excitement and anxiety in check.
A knock came at the door, and everyone froze. Hal was the closest to it, but also the least capable of opening it. He looked toward Felice and Zoria, who had hurried out into the sitting room. Before either of them move any closer, a clicking noise came from the door’s lock, and it swung open.
Elyse Ardstone, Cadrian, as Hal had known her, stood on the other side of it. She wore a tight green tunic over white leggings. Her black, braided hair hung over one shoulder, a few loose bangs almost mimicking the eyepatch she’d worn constantly on the surface.
“You…” said Hal, almost unable to believe it.
He moved without thinking, drawing the dagger and lunging for her. It was as though the deep, smoldering anger inside of him had stage a coup. He was shouting wordlessly as he stabbed the tip of the small knife forward, aiming it at Cadrian’s heart.
She drew her sword and blocked in the same instant, a technique that she’d attempted to teach him, but Hal had never quite been able to pull off. Hal managed to keep the dagger in his grip, even though the vibration of the sword contact against it was enough to make the inside of his hand go numb.
He stabbed again. This time, Cadrian dodged, catching his arm under her armpit and giving his elbow a solid twist. Hal gasped, his hand opening reflexively and dropping his weapon. Cadrian had her sword at his throat before he could move again, the tip of it pulling forth the cord of his heartgem.
Hal shot a desperate glance toward Zoria, who stood battle ready, across the room. She’d summoned her runic armor and spear. Sections of violet, ethereal, tight fitting plate armor covered her body completely, including a helmet that fit the contours of her ears. Faint blue mist fell from both the armor and her spear.
“Attack her!” shouted Hal. “Zoria, please! She has to die!”
Cadrian was behind him, using him as a shield. Hal tried to whip his head back into her face, but she was wise to the desperate ploy. She pressed the edge of her sword against his neck more tightly, and though Hal wanted to keep thrashing anyway, his instincts wouldn’t let him.
“Elyse Ardstone,” said Zoria. “You certainly pulled off quite the deception. He told me everything. About how you were the one who killed his family. And then you took him as your apprentice… A total subjugation, in my opinion.”
“Kill her, Zoria!” said Hal. “Please!”
He tried to elbow Cadrian. The blow made contact, but not at an angle that could do any damage.
“Tell him to calm down,” said Cadrian. “Or we all die. Not just him, but you and your family. And me. The Empress is searching for him, and knows that he has the heartgem from the report that Gardius’s brother gave about how he was attacked.”
“I tell him to calm down, and then what?” asked Zoria. “He’s my slave. My property. You expect me to just let you walk out of here with him?”
“Exactly,” said Cadrian. “Assuming that the thought of your mother and sister being tortured to death in Empress Kay’s dungeon doesn’t sit well with you.”
Zoria glared at Cadrian, but her expression softened as she shifted her gaze to Hal. There was guilt in her eyes, as though she felt like she was doing him wrong, even though none of them had any options. It made Hal feel profoundly foolish for ever doubting her as a friend.
“I’ll go with her,” said Hal. He flashed a cold smile. “It’s better than putting your family in danger. And I’m not about to let her get away this time, even if it means being her hostage.”
“Halrin…” Zoria took a step forward. Cadrian pressed the blade more tightly against Hal’s throat.
“There’s no time for a prolonged goodbye,” said Cadrian. “Don’t try to follow me.”
She shifted, bending over to scoop up the dagger Hal had dropped while still keeping the tip of her weapon poking into him. Moving carefully, Cadrian walked Hal over to the door, stopping to sheathe her sword and replace it with the dagger, which she kept pressed into his back, instead of his neck.
CHAPTER 41
It was dark enough outside for Cadrian to keep to the shadows, but even if anyone had seen them, the scene wouldn’t have looked too unusual. Cadrian stayed close enough to him to keep her dagger hidden by their bodies. Hal walked forward slowly, trying to form a plan of attack in his head. It was hard to think through the fog of emotion that being around her created within him.
“Why, Cadrian?” asked Hal. “Why did you do it?”
He didn’t need to specify what he meant. He knew that she knew. Cadrian hesitated before answering.
“Because I had to,” she said. “It was no different than what you were forced to do in the Dragongrounds, Halrin. My own life and the lives of my family were depending on me being able to do a terrible thing. And I did do it. For the greater good.”
“For the greater good?” Hal spat the words back at her. “I lost everyone! And everything! And you act as though the ends justify the means. What did it lead to, Cadrian? Where is your greater good?”
“It hasn’t arrived yet,” Cadrian admitted. “I won’t justify myself to you, Halrin. If the Empress had gotten her hands on the heartgem, it would have eventually led to the end of humanity as we know it. And all of the other races, except the eklids.”
“That doesn’t explain why you killed my family,” said Hal. “You could have found another way. You could have come peacefully and taken the heartgem without incident.”
Even as he spoke the words, they sounded desperate and childish. Could he have done things any differently in the Dragongrounds? Asking “what if” could lead to hundreds of different outcomes, but it was all just speculation. The past was carved in stone, eternal and immutable.
Cadrian didn’t say anything else to him for the rest of their walk. She pushed him to move faster, poking him in the ribs with the dagger until he was taking steps so fast that calves began to cramp up. They finally stopped in the outskirts of town, near a crystal cart stop that looked to be totally abandoned.
She pushed him through an open doorway into a dilapidated building nearby. A single crystal lamp in the center of the empty, musty space illuminated the silhouettes of two other people.
“You’re cutting it close, Elyse,” said a female voice. “We don’t have any time to spare now that the Empress knows he’s here.”
“You were the one who wanted him brought to the Upper Realm,” said Cadrian.
“Not like this,” said the other woman. “Obviously.”
Cadrian eyed the other woman, her expression unreadable.
“Is she safe?” asked Cadrian.
Is who safe?
“She’s fine,” said the other woman. “As far
as I know, the Empress still hasn’t caught on to our involvement. I have a woman in place looking out for her, and she’s being treated well.”
Cadrian nodded slowly. She pushed Hal forward, and he entered the circle of light around the glow crystal. He recognized both of the other people there. One was the woman who he’d mistaken for Cadrian earlier that day, after his tryst with Bilma. The other was Willum.
“What are you doing here?” asked Hal, shaking his head as he stared at Laurel’s long lost brother. Willum looked as surprised as Hal felt.
“I might ask you the same question, if I hadn’t already figured out the answer,” said Willum. “You should have told me about the heartgem. I’d have explained things to you if I’d known.”
Hal glared at him and crossed his arms. “You’re working with them?” he asked. “The Ardstones.”
“I’m working to save humanity,” said Willum. “Does that answer your question?”
“We don’t have time for this.” The other woman stepped forward, placing herself in between Hal and Willum. “You have the heartgem with you?”
Hal hesitated.
They’ll find it, even if I say no. And with the gem as empty as it is, I can’t fight my way out of here.
He gave a slow nod. He pulled the heartgem out of his shirt and showed it to her. It was in its clear state, lacking any color, but a momentary silence still followed its reveal.
“By the sky and clouds…” muttered the woman. “If it’s true, that makes you the Heart Holder. Do you understand what that means?”
“Somewhat,” said Hal. He’d heard from Zoria about the legend of the heartgem, and the many “Heart Holders” who’d wielded it over the course of history. They were all apparently powerful warriors, capable of channeling emotions into magic that outstripped what even the most capable gem mages and gem knights could manage.
Dawning Ceremony (Sexcraft Chronicles Book 3) Page 22