Resounding Echo

by Michelle Louring

Alecta said disgusted. “You would rather protect an angel?”

  He said the word like it was a curse. Ardeth smiled darkly.

  “Goodbye, Alecta.” He said. Bones shot out from everywhere on his body and impaled Alecta like spears. Shock was evident in the other man’s eyes, but they soon turned cold as the life left them.

  Ardeth let the bones slide back in and released Alecta’s dead body. It dropped limply to the ground, blood flowing from the many deep wounds.

  Ardeth looked emotionlessly at the body, as if he hadn’t just turned himself into a living version of an iron maiden. His clothes were torn and hanging off his body and he was covered in Alecta’s blood.

  Selissa looked at him and found she didn’t mind. He had after all saved her life, once again.

  “What does it say about me that I find you less and less horrifying every day?” She asked as she stepped around the body, now free of the restraining shadows. Ardeth merely grinned at her.

  She looked down at Alecta’s lifeless form and thought about what he had said.

  “You have never actually told me why you’re helping me…” She said slowly. She had pushed it to the back of her mind for a long time, but seeing him killing a former ally made her need to know.

  He smiled that disarming smile that usually made her drop the subject. “Do I need a reason for saving your life?” He asked.

  “This time you do.” She said. This time she wanted an actual answer.

  He stepped closer to her and raised his hand to her face. He gently stroked her cheek, smearing blood all over her face in the process. He looked into her eyes earnestly.

  “Maybe I wanted to be the hero for once.” He said softly. He leaned forward slowly and pressed his lips to hers.

  His lips tasted of blood, and they were standing beside a fresh body, in enemy territory. But despite the bizarre situation, all she could concentrate on was the man kissing her.

  She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, ignoring the fact that she was getting covered in blood. She tangled her fingers in his long hair that was much softer than she had imagined and let all thoughts flee her mind.

  They stood like that for what felt like hours, until Ardeth finally broke away. She was lightheaded and short of breath, but she still felt reluctant about letting him go.

  He leaned his forehead against hers and smiled at her. “Let’s go find that friend of yours and get out of here.”

  She could only agree.

  45

  “You didn’t find anything in the basement?” She asked as they walked down the hallway. Ardeth shook his head.

  “No sign of them keeping him down there.” He said. “I don’t think the dead guy has found anything either.”

  She had completely forgotten about Alassane. She wondered if he had run into any of the Demios after being separated from them.

  “Where do you—“ She paused when something caught her eye. A few dark spots stained the floor in front of them. She bent down and traced her fingers over it. It didn’t take a genius to figure out it was blood stains, but they were clearly old and had long since dried.

  It didn’t surprise her that there were bloodstains in a place like this, but why hadn’t it been cleaned up yet?

  “The whole place smells like old blood…” Ardeth commented, clearly following her thoughts.

  “Their blood or Calen’s?” She wondered out loud. She heard an amused sound coming from Ardeth.

  “The priest’s, most likely.” He said. “You might have been able to wound a Demios, but ordinary humans can’t. Most people passing through here are only covered in other’s blood.”

  She grimaced at the thought, but nodded. He certainly had a habit of getting coated in other people’s blood.

  “Well—“ He stopped talking abruptly, and she turned her head to look at him.

  “What is it?” She asked him.

  “We got company…” He said in a tense voice she had never heard him use before and looked pointedly behind her. Confused, she turned to look and immediately knew they were in deep trouble.

  She had not heard them approach, but now the smell of decay filled her nose.

  The bodies walking slowly towards them looked nothing like the rotting corpses Ilyan had summoned in Cadeyrn’s temple. These could almost have passed for being living. Their hair had not yet fallen out and their skin was ashen gray, but had not rotten away.

  The only way she knew they were dead was from the empty eyes staring at them. And the fact that among them was Nadesha. The Demios she had watched die.

  She watched in horror as the lifeless remains of the deceased Demios limped towards them, like a morbid parade to Ilyan’s insanity. The experiments Ardeth had talked about apparently didn’t stop just because the guinea pigs were no longer among the living.

  She scrambled back to stand beside Ardeth, who was already sliding out bones from his skin.

  She was just about to draw her swords, when Ardeth stopped her.

  “Go.” He said. “I’ll take care of them.”

  She immediately started to protest. “I’m not going—“

  “You’re here to find your friend, aren’t you?” He asked. “Then you better hurry.”

  She looked uncertainly at the undead approaching. Ardeth smiled darkly.

  “I’ll be fine.” He said, dismissing her silent worrying.

  She hesitated, but then nodded. “You better be.” She told him, before running down the hallway, leaving him to deal with them. It didn’t take long before she heard the sounds of bones ripping through flesh.

  She kept on running, not entirely sure where she was going. She kept turning down new, unfamiliar hallways and only slowed down, when she noticed the heavy smell of old blood.

  She hadn’t noticed it before, when Ardeth commented on it, but now the smell was so severe it almost choked her. She put a hand over her nose and rushed to the nearest door. He had to be here…

  She threw it open, but it was nothing but an empty sitting room. The next room wasn’t any better.

  She kept on opening doors, but didn’t find what she was looking for. She grabbed the next doorknob, only to discover the door locked.

  She could hear the blood rushing in her ears. She backed up and threw herself at the door, but it didn’t budge. She tried again, but there was no sign of the wood giving in. She considered breaking the wood with her sword blade, but thought of something better.

  She stepped back, before summoning a small amount of magic into her hand. She aimed at the lock and released it, sending white light flying towards the door.

  The lock broke and the door flew open. Selissa reeled back as the smell knocked into her like a wave. Fighting back the nausea, she carefully stepped into the room, afraid of what she would see.

  The walls and floor was covered with dark red stains, making it look like someone had sprayed paint all over it. She wanted to cry, when her eyes fell on the figure sitting on the floor.

  His usually shaggy blond hair was dirty and matted. His torn clothes were bloodied and hung off his frame, which was much thinner than the last time she had seen him. His body was hunched over, so she couldn’t see his face, but the unsteady rise of his shoulder told her he was breathing.

  She rushed to his side and fell to her knees beside him. She carefully cradled his face and lifted it so she could look at him.

  “Oh Calen…” She whispered. “What have they done to you?”

  He looked at her, but his eyes were veiled and unfocused. It took several seconds before he recognized her.

  “Selissa…?” He asked, his voice low and raw, as if he had been screaming. She tried to smile at him, but it came out as a grimace.

  “I’ll get you out of here, I promise.” She said. She dragged her eyes from his face to check him for injuries. To her surprise, there was none.

  There was fresh blood on his torn robes, but she couldn’t find any wounds on his body. Ter
rified, she realized that they must have healed him after torturing him to keep him alive. How much pain had he had to go through?

  “I will kill those bastards…” She said through gritted teeth. She looked back at Calen to see his eyes flicker as if he was just barely keeping conscious.

  “Stay with me.” She said and swept his arm over her shoulders. He was not much taller than her and so thin that it was no problem for her to lift him up. He rested heavily against her, his legs not quite able to carry him.

  She wrapped her arm around his waist to support him and nearly dragged him out of the room. She almost dropped him in shock, when she found Ardeth standing just outside.

  “You found him.” He stated the obvious.

  “How did you get here so fast?” She asked. Had he really taken down all the undead so fast?

  “Ilyan must have called them back. They just suddenly left.” He said annoyed. “Or what was left of them, anyway.”

  She had a feeling that was a bad sign. They couldn’t get out fast enough in her opinion.

  Ardeth looked at Calen’s slumped over form with raised eyebrows.

  “You know, it would be more merciful just to kill him.” He said. Selissa glared at him.

  “Just help me carry him, will you?” She said. Ardeth laughed softly, before grabbing Calen and slinging him onto his back, like he weighted nothing.

  “Hang on, priest boy.” He said and made sure Calen’s arms were safely around his neck.

  “Let’s get out of here.” She said. She couldn’t wait with leaving this cursed place.

  Ardeth didn’t move, however. He watched her seriously.

  “Are you just going to run?” He asked.