by Ben Alderson
Tiv had moments before the shadowbeings regained their composure and caught him. Their animated, lifeless bodies could not work out the puzzle that had become of them, but they would in time.
“You are a good boy,” Queen Kathine said, turning so the chains faced him. As if it was rehearsed, he raised a hand and touched the chains. A cold whisper spread beneath his fingers, turning the grey chain white. Then with a giant tug they snapped beneath the Queen’s strength.
She moved quickly, running towards the fallen guards and pulling a sword from one of their scarabs.
“May the Goddess accept you,” she said before bringing the sword in an arch from the dark room. The thud of their two heads hitting the ground was heavy. Tiv did not watch.
“Open the cells; freeze their chains,” Queen Kathine commanded.
“Tiv will.”
Illera was let out, then Nyah. Illera ran for Emaline who was slumped on the ground, and Nyah came to help me. I tried to push the pain and weakness into the pits of my body. She fumbled to help me up. The pain didn’t hinder my want to escape. Knowing Hadrian was out there, I needed to return to him.
“Tiv, do you remember the route?” Queen Kathine questioned.
He nodded. “Tiv never forgets a good hiding place.”
“Then take them. Get them out of the city. Go, go.”
Nyah began to move me towards the stairs, but Tiv stopped her with a hand.
“This way. Follow Tiv.”
We stumbled through the dark prison, leaving Queen Kathine in the dark behind us. No one complained or urged her to follow. I knew she’d rather die than leave her city.
My feet half dragged on the floor, but Nyah kept me upright as we moved ahead. When we reached the end, Tiv moved a large rug that hung on the wall to the side, revealing a small, narrow tunnel in the wall.
“We must hurry,” Tiv said, his voice light and filled with innocence. “Long tunnel till we see light. Let Tiv guide the way.”
Tiv climbed into the tunnel first. On his hands and knees, he shuffled into the dark hole.
Illera went next, she pushed Emaline in first and went in after. Nyah helped me towards it.
“You go first. I will slow us down,” I said, pushing at her arm with as much force as I could muster.
Nyah nodded.
She climbed into the tunnel and followed after the group. I turned for the room. I didn’t know what it was that caught my attention. There was no noise, only a rush of wind. It was faint at first, but it was growing. The gold distorted my reality. I could not tell if the sound was phantom or not. If I had access to my magick, I would have sensed what it meant.
“Stop!” Marthil screamed. She sped through the air, flying towards me.
I barely had time to gasp as she slammed into my body and my back connected with the wall. My breath rushed from me, and my awareness faded.
In the movement, I used the little strength I could muster and grabbed a hold of her pointed horns. With a yank I pulled them down, and her face connected with my waiting knee.
Nyah tried to yank my foot through the tunnel, but Marthil’s hold was superior.
“Get out of here!” I coughed as Marthil raked a talon into my shoulder. Warmth spread down my arm and across my dirtied tunic.
Go. I pushed the word into her mind.
I felt her hand let go of my ankle. Marthil dropped me to the ground, ready to stop their escape.
As she reached through the tunnel with a snarl, I reached for her.
My arm strained as I pressed the gold band into the exposed skin of Marthil’s back and held it there. She fell instantly, her Dragori form melting away before my very eyes.
Keep your eyes open, I told myself. The want to give into the waiting darkness was unbearable, but I needed to give Nyah a chance to escape. They had to leave.
“Let go of me,” Marthil cried, her voice sounded different as she pleaded. “Please, stop.”
Her begging was wasted on me. I kept the gold band pressed into her as she tried to pull it away with fumbling hands. For the life of me, I would never let go.
I CAME TO on a bed of cloud.
Rolling to my side, I extended a hand towards Hadrian, ready to wrap my arms around him. In the bliss of sleep, I was not aware of the time and events that had happened, but when my hand reached an empty space, everything came flooding back.
I bolted up right and looked around the room, for I was not alone.
Four shadowbeings stood guard in each corner of my room. Black shadow seeped from their eyes, mouths and ears. I scrambled to the head board and curled my naked body into a ball. It was day now. A full sun hung in the sky beyond my room, giving the city a sense of calm, but I could still see pillars of smoke rising from the streets in the valley below.
“Finally, you are awake,” Gordex muttered. He was perched on the end of my bed, his back towards me. “I was very close to killing you, Zacriah. I lost a sense of what I needed you for and only wanted to punish you for trying to escape. But then I remembered.”
He turned slowly to face me, his inked face and dark eyes youthful for such an old being.
“Thank you for your Heart Magick. I must say your soul is a powerful one. I suppose you had a lot to fight for. I had the gold band removed. There is no need for it now that I have what I wanted. Your magick. But I have decided to leave your soul intact, not like your precious love who still rests in the orb within my robe. I believed it would be nice for Marthil to have someone similar until, well… until you both help me get the final piece to this puzzle.”
I looked down to my wrist, not that I needed to. I could sense the lack of gold wrapped around it.
My words were lost to me. As I investigated the eyes of the man before me, I wondered if my friends had escaped. The sense of loneliness that encased me was enough of an answer.
“Your chance at raising the druids has failed,” I spat, pulling the white sheet to cover my chest.
“For now, yes. But I have spent many years admiring failure. If you think this minor hiccup in my plans means the end to them, then you are wrong.” He leaned in close, so his hot breath caused my throat to tighten in disgust. “They will come back for you, and when they do, I will get what I want most. The final Heart Magick of the Dragori.”
His open threat to my friends caused anger to burst through me. He may have a link to my power, but I felt connected to the air once again, this time in a much stronger way.
I raised a hand, calling for the air to wrap around Gordex. It roared and screamed as it moved around the room, ripping his dark power from the four shadowbeings bodies until they crumpled to the ground. This magick was more powerful than ever before. Like Cristilia’s story, I was the monster now.
Gordex’s gaze did not waver for a single moment. He showed no signs of pain or discomfort as I lifted him from the bed where he sat and into the air. My air. He only smiled, and his laugh melded with the song of my wind.
“I admire your attempt, but as good as I am at failure, so are you.” Gordex opened his arms and my magick drained from me. I watched it gather around his hand, in a ball of silver streams. He slowly relaxed to the floor and lifted his other hand. A ball of red flame encased it, crawling up his fingers and arm.
His tongue clicked in slow tuts, and the floor shook.
“As you can see, I may have left your magick within you, but I too have control of it. And when Emaline returns, I will have the final piece. Then this world will see just how powerful the new age of Druids will be.”
“I will kill you,” I promised.
“Riddle me this.” Gordex smiled. “How do you kill someone who is already in the grasps of death?”
Before I could conjure my answer, Gordex opened his arms wide. Fire and earth exploded from his palms and blinded me. The ground shook a final time in warning.
“Time to get up, for I have someone I would like you to meet,” Gordex said as he walked for the door. “The man who was once King is anxious to m
eet you.”
Jill, for helping me bring this book to life. For sculpting it from stone into the statue we are both proud to share.
Gwenn, for the art once again. Your skill, talent and friendship truly inspire me. There is a part of me who writes the books just so I can work with you again.
Claire and Chris, for this amazing formatting. Thank you for helping bring this to life. Without you it literally would be words on a page. Also, being my support through everything, and I mean everything. I know I have you in my life forever. Thank you.
Emily, for being such a good friend over these years.
The Quinns, thank you for embracing me with open arms. I am blessed to have met you, and will always love you.
Harry, for being Harry. I love you.
Readers, for keeping this dream of mine alive. Publishing without the support of a traditional publisher is hard. But you all make it easier. Thank you for being such a open-hearted team.
Book 3
Poisoned In Light
Coming Soon…
COMING SOON
THE OFTOMES 2018 DEBUTS
Empress Unveild by Jenna Morland
"A fast-paced, mystical adventure mixed with heartbreak and hope that will keep you turning the page well into the night."
Brenda Drake, New York Times bestselling author.
Coming August 2018
Saving Death by R. L. Endean
“A heart-pounding romance you’ll love curling up with on a dark, chilly night!”
Lorie Langdon, author of the Doon Series and Olivia Twist.
Coming October 2018