The Last Winter (The Circle War Book 2)

by Matt King

  Black fog sagged low in the sky, darkening the surface of the planet with heavy shadows. He flinched as a streak of red lightning cracked thunder overhead. The air held a charge that filled his mouth with a bitter metallic taste. In front of him was an expanse of flat wasteland, broken up by a handful of standing rocks. It looked like an ocean floor whose water had been sucked away. In the distance, the ground dipped into a trench that ran to the horizon, where a volcano rose out of a plateau. An orange glow blinked above the peak.

  He moved some dirt around with his foot. It was loose, fine like powder, and dry as a bone.

  “I can see why you’d hide a champion here,” he said, looking at the layer of dust building on his armor. “Can’t imagine anyone coming to this place on purpose.”

  “This is Aeris’s home,” Paralos replied. “She would not react well to that kind of disrespect.” Still hovering a few feet off the ground, his eyes focused on something over August’s shoulder. “Ah, there she is now.”

  August turned. A line of ragged hills with deep ruts carved into the side ran for hundreds of yards along the shore of the beach. Aeris strode from a narrow divide that split the dunes. The stark white of her hooded cloak clashed with her dull surroundings. Her hands were clasped in front, covered by the long decorative fabric over her arms.

  At last, she made it to the beach. Her face stayed hidden from August as she bowed to Paralos.

  “My lord,” she said.

  Her accent surprised him, and not just because he could understand the words coming from an alien’s mouth. She sounded like a French woman with a year of English class under her belt.

  “Aeris of the Vontani, this is August Dillon, champion of the goddess Meryn.”

  She turned to face him. Her skin was a pale gray beneath the hood. Even in the dark, her pupil-less eyes shone bright. They were larger than his, turned up slightly at the corners, the irises a striking shade of violet. He was glad she couldn’t see him staring behind his mask. She was taller than he thought she would be—a couple of inches over six feet, same as him.

  Her purple eyes sized him up. He wondered if he should do a twirl so she could see the whole package.

  “This is all?” she asked, turning to Paralos. “You promised me aid.”

  “And I have provided it.”

  “He is only one man.”

  No offense taken, thank you very much.

  Paralos looked at him. “One man, yes, but he has proven to be less of a detriment than I first assumed. He has enough strength and skill in war to be of service to you.”

  “My hearing’s pretty good, too,” August said. “In fact, I can hear everything you guys are saying.”

  “My people will not survive without an army,” she said, continuing to ignore him. “This was not our agreement.”

  The god’s light swelled. “You asked for help. I am giving it to you, according to our bargain. However, if you would rather I close the Departes portals and leave your people to their fate, I am willing to consider it. Either way, Aeris, your part in this is promised. The fate of your species is of no concern to me.”

  The wind tugged at the hood of Aeris’s robe as she glared at him, eyes blazing. Don’t, August wanted to tell her. You won’t win this fight. As though she heard him, she bowed her head slightly, never taking her eyes off the god.

  “It’s settled then,” Paralos said. “The portals will open as scheduled. Meet me here with your contingent when the battle is done.”

  Without waiting for a response, he dissolved into a shining beam and rocketed away through the clouds. His light disappeared, blending in with another flash of lightning.

  Aeris kept her eyes to the sky, watching him go. She didn’t lower her gaze until he was gone. “Pisque,” she spat. She began walking back toward the cliffs.

  “Where are you going?” August called after her.

  She didn’t answer.

  He jogged across the beach until he caught up with her just before she reached the break in the cliffs. Her pace seemed to quicken the closer he got. “Are you always in this much of a hurry?”

  “Is my pace too much for you?” she asked. “Perhaps your pack full of comforts is slowing you down.”

  She said it in such a way that he felt momentarily guilty for the gear slung over his shoulder. He looped the handle around his swords to carry it like a backpack. “Maybe we can start over,” he said. “I’m August. Nice to meet you.”

  He extended a hand. Aeris flashed an arm from her robe and caught his wrist. Her skin felt like a shark’s, textured and thick.

  “Do not try that again,” she said. She let go of his wrist and continued to walk.

  Okay. For the first time he could think of, he found himself missing Paralos’ company. He walked quickly to catch up again, but this time stayed back a step or two, out of her reach.

  “When did you learn to speak English?”

  “I do not speak your language.”

  “Weird, because I’m pretty sure I’ve understood every word you’ve said to me since I got here, and let me tell you, they’ve been really, really sweet.”

  Her hood canted to him. “I am speaking Vontani. Paralos imprinted me with your language so I understand the words common to both. I assume he did the same for you.”

  “He can do that?”

  She continued down the path without answering.

  They walked in silence as she led him through the end of the hills and into a forest that would put the Redwoods to shame. Even the smallest trees were as big around as a house. The trunks consisted of hundreds of intertwined vines. They split apart after about three stories and spun out into smaller arms that met the vines of other trees nearby, creating a wicker-like canopy. Some of the trees had been felled. Ripped from the canopy, their husks rested on their sides on the forest floor. He peered into the body of one whose roots faced their path. The inside was hollow and filled with dust.

  “What happened here?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Did Paralos tell you nothing?”

  He shrugged. For reasons he couldn’t put his finger on, he shrank from her stare, choosing instead to focus on the looping branches overhead. “I only know I’m supposed to help you fight. He also said something about Three Sisters and portals just before he dropped me off here at volcano camp.”

  Aeris’s pace, which had finally slowed to a human speed, came to a halt.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  Her eyes searched the tops of the trees. “We must find shelter.”

  “From what?”

  “You may stay here and find out if you wish.”

  She walked off the path and headed for one of the fallen trees. Thunder cracked overhead. Something hissed in the canopy. When he looked up, he saw small red drops dotting the tops of the roots. One fell beside his foot. It sizzled when it came into contact with the dusty floor. He knelt to look at it.

  This is lava.

  More drops fell around him, filling the forest with a swelling hiss. He ran to the opening of the tree, shaking off the crusted pieces of Vontani rain that had cooled and solidified on his arm.

  The inside of the tree was dark as coal. Only a small cone of light from the outside interrupted the darkness. The heavy raindrops made slapping noises as they hit the earth, filling the hollowed out tree with the sound. He squinted to find Aeris in the shadows. “You in here?” he called out.

  As he stepped beyond the light of the opening, something rustled against the wood. He quickly drew a blade.

  “Good,” Aeris’s voice echoed through the darkness. “We will need that.”

  A muted blue glow lit the tree floor. Somehow, she’d managed to gather a small pile of broken tree stems and light it on fire without him noticing a flame. The wood barely burned.

  “Here,” she said as she approached him. She held out her hand for his blade. In her other hand, she held something that looked like an overgrown peanut.

  August handed her his sword, s
till staring at the way the fire clung so closely to the wood.

  The peanut gave a thud as she dropped it to the floor. She knelt and steadied it with one hand while she sliced the top of it off with his blade. A trickle of liquid ran out. She scooped it up before too much spilled.

  “Water,” she said, handing it to him. “The chiron still hold some in their seed.”

  The inside of the seed looked like a shriveled red coconut. Still, the promise of water made his dry throat ache. He hit the button to release his mask.

  Aeris took a step back.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Your face…”

  “What about it?”

  “I am sorry. I was not expecting you to have hair on your…” She raised a hand to her cheek before trailing off. “Forgive me.”

  “No, it’s okay.” His hand went to his beard. He had a sudden urge to yank it all out. “It’s grown a little since we left Earth.”

  “We?” she asked. She sat on a piece of root, then took off her hood, exposing her own hair for the first time.

  It was August’s turn to take a step back. Aeris’s hair looked more like thin gray ropes extending from her scalp. They had a bit of sparkle to them as they caught the light of the fire. A gold band with hieroglyphic writing pulled the strands back from her face. Unless he was seeing things, some of her hairs moved.

  “Yeah, uh… We. I mean, me. And Bear. Me and Bear. We’re partners.” Stop staring, he told himself.

  “Are you feeling all right?”

  “Yeah, sure. Fine.” He took a long swig of the peanut water as she watched. He had to make himself swallow. It tasted like liquid dust. “Boy, that’s delicious.”

  She reached over to take it from him. “Were you one with him?”

  “One with what?”

  “This Bear. Were you one with him?”

  “One with…him?” It took him a second too long to realize what she meant. “Oh God. No, no, no. We’re just friends. I mean, it’s cool if others are into that, but he and I were…not.”

  She nodded, looking slightly confused, before taking a swig of the water. She closed her eyes as she swallowed. “Where is this Bear now?”

  “He’s…well, now that you mention it, I don’t know for sure. Paralos sent him and the Horsemen somewhere else.” He headed off the confused look on her face. “They’re brothers. I’m not one with them either.”

  “I see.”

  “I’m not one with anyone, actually.”

  “So I have come to understand.”

  He bit his bottom lip hard enough to hurt. He wasn’t on Earth anymore. If he was going to be around aliens, he was going to have to learn to speak to them without staring and acting like he’d never talked to person with moving hair before. “Bear and I took down some of Galan’s army back on Earth. It was mostly me and the Horsemen, but Bear came to help in the end. He’s saved my ass on more than one occasion. We’ve survived a lot together, him and me. It’s weird not having him around now. We’ve been fighting together for so long, it’s almost like I have to learn how to dance all over again if he’s not here.”

  She handed him the water. “Are you sure you’re not one with him?”

  It wasn’t until he saw the corner of her mouth lift in a smile that he took the water. “Funny.”

  “He sounds like quite the warrior.”

  August shifted on his feet. “He’s not bad.”

  “I wish he were here,” she said under her breath. She interrupted his rising bravado before he could say something stupid. “I should apologize for how I’ve treated you.”

  “Nah, don’t worry about it.”

  “No, it was wrong. I shouldn’t take out my frustration on you. You are not the cause.”

  He took a seat across from her on a root. “So what is?”

  She looked out at the rain pelting the forest. “You asked what happened here. This world is one of three planets that orbit a pair of stars. Together with C’thora and Garoult, we form the Three Sisters. C’thora has never supported life. Garoult does. Once every five years, our planets align, each casting their shadow on the other worlds. This is known as the Departes.”

  The whirlwind of terms made his head spin. “Back up. Did the Garoult do this? Were you attacked?”

  “No,” she replied. “Vontanu was alive once.” She smiled sadly as she stared into the chiron seed. “Ours was the gem of the Sisters. Beautiful. Vibrant. We were the pinnacle of human civilization. Untouchable—or so we thought.

  “During one of the Departes, we saw a burst of light in the sky. A nearby star exploded. Vontanu took the brunt of the blast, shielding our Sisters in the process and sparing them the worst. Our planet was destroyed. All plant and animal life gone, vaporized. Our water evaporated. Were it not for the strength of our cities, we would have died as well. My people were driven underground. We were left with no choice. We survived on what stores we had saved and devised ways to feed ourselves on what we found below the surface.”

  August looked around at the forest again. He imagined what it must have looked like before the blast, standing so tall beside the sea. In a way, he could relate to the Vontani. He’d stood in a fiery wasteland before and watched his land burn.

  “We were desperate,” she continued. “Nearly half of our population died in the first three years. Though my family was never religious, I joined others in asking the gods to intervene. To our surprise, one of them answered. It was Paralos who created the first Departes portals. A doorway would be opened, he told us, in the shadow of Garoult. It was meant to provide a path for our people to escape. On the eve of the first Departes, our people gathered at the face of the portal. When it formed, they were met with an army of Garoult on the other side. We were unprepared for their attack. They slaughtered thousands.”

  “Why didn’t Paralos stop them?”

  “Many of us asked the same,” she replied. “An answer was never given.”

  Sounds about right.

  “So began the cycle. Each year, a Departes portal would form, and each year, the Garoult would drive us back. There were times when we would make it through to their world, but we were not the force we were before. Our armies returned in defeat. It went on like this until the most recent Departes. Instead of an army, we were met with a small delegation from the Garoult royal guard. They asked to meet with the elders of our families.”

  Her fingers traced the rim of the chiron seed.

  “You don’t have to go on if you don’t want to,” he said.

  “It’s all right.” She took another drink of water. “The Garoult sent our elders back with an offer of peace from the Phaelix, their ruler, sealed in a letter to be read by our Revenant. We gathered at the face of the portal to hear it. I remember how strong hope filled me, seeing our Revenant standing before his people. When our leader opened the letter to read, his body began to shake. He fell into the arms of his counsel, and died. The sickness spread through the group, and then into the crowd. It took only the men, this poison. We could do nothing to stop it. Before the Departes portal closed we lost half of our fathers and brothers. The rest died during the night. By morning, we were a nation of women.”

  She took a steadying breath. “After we had buried our dead, I read the Phaelix’s letter. The sickness, he said, was a gift—a peaceful end to the war. He hoped that it would allow our nations to once again live without the fear of conflict. As long as we never again took up arms against them, they would honor the peace.”

  He couldn’t think of a thing to say, and maybe that was for the best. She looked exhausted.

  “We should rest,” she said, lowering herself to the floor of the tree. “The rain will last for some time. When it ends we will join the others.”

  She rested her head on a root and closed her eyes.

  He let out the breath of air that had hung in his chest while he listened to her story. She was right—she didn’t need him, she needed an army. Her people were as good as dead and Paralos
knew it.

  “You are anxious,” she said, keeping her eyes closed. “I can feel it.”

  Don’t tell me she can read minds, too.

  “I’m just not sure what I’m supposed to do here.”

  Her eyes opened slowly. “You are here because the next Departes is upon us, and the Vontani will take up arms one final time to meet it.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  From his time on Earth, Paralos knew the nearby planet as Saturn. It was an interesting choice for Meryn’s trial—far enough away from August’s world so the combined light of the Circle couldn’t be seen, but close enough to deliver Amara’s message, and he understood her message well. It was a taunt, in effect. A challenge. I am here, it said. Come and fight me if you will.

  He kept his reaction hidden beneath a fortress of mental walls along with the rest of his plans. His defenses would need to remain strong during this, perhaps their final meeting. For once, he wished for the counsel of Meryn, as she, above all others, was a proven master of guarding her intent. Now that he felt the pressure of Amara’s mental fingers as he approached, he wondered how Meryn ever had the energy to resist.

  He landed on the planet’s icy moon looking much the same as when he left Vontanu. His human shape was encased in a shell of glowing white light. So close to a living world, the gods dared not appear in their most powerful forms for fear of destroying the surroundings. Nonetheless, he wanted to show the others his strength. Perhaps if they saw it, they might not be so inclined to gravitate toward Amara’s empty promises.

  The group stood in silence as he approached. He took inventory of their reactions as he settled into the final spot in the Circle. Amara, of course, was the epitome of grace and confidence, casting a blue light effortlessly as though the show of strength was nothing. Beside her, Galan’s red stare bore a hole through him. Paralos didn’t shy away. He turned to the others, the ones whose reactions he really came to see. Anemolie stood next to Amara on the other side of Galan. Her light was constantly in flux, taking on a violet hue as she pulsed red and blue. She had a snake’s grin. He wrote her off as a lost cause. The power-crazed monster had her sight set on replacing Galan at Amara’s side one day, and Amara knew it. She was a master at giving her followers hope for the future, all the while keeping them firmly planted in place behind her. He moved on.