“About that,” PD said.
“Long story, don’t ask,” Khate said.
“At least tell me you got what you came for?” PD asked.
Khate held up the stone.
“That’s it?” someone asked. Aden stepped out of the jungle. “Kaeden died for a piece of jewelry?”
“Hardly,” Khate said, a little too defensively. “This here will win the war.”
“What war?” Aden asked. “The king is dead! Or didn’t you get the memo?”
“I—” Khate sputtered. “Just look at Kent. And you saw what it was like in Berxley. Everything is falling apart. This gives us a chance at holding it all together.”
“So what does it do, lass?” Bryn asked.
“I—I don’t know,” Khate admitted.
“Great!” Aden said, throwing his arms into the air. “We got a shiny rock that doesn’t do anything and it’s going to help us win the war. Are we going to throw it at the enemy and hope they die?”
“Aden,” Bryn said sternly.
“Sorry, Cap’n,” Aden said, kicking the sand. “I’m just frustrated.”
“I know you are,” Bryn said. “But I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”
Aden bit his lip and glanced around. His eyes fell on Khate and he said, “Sorry.”
“I’m sorry, too,” she said. “I never should have gotten you all involved.”
“Well, we are involved,” Aden said. “So now what?”
Khate opened her mouth.
“And don’t go telling us all to stay put!” Aden added. “Either we’re all in or we’re all out. Though I don’t see what choice we have.”
“Fair enough,” Khate said. “We need a ship.”
“What’s going on?” Sylas appeared on the beach.
“Good! We’re all here,” PD said. “We were just about to plan a course of action.”
“We scoped out Kent while you were gone,” Sylas said. “There’s not a ship left that hasn’t been torched or impounded by the military.”
“Then we steal one of the impounded ships,” Khate said. “Where are they?”
“Behind the wall,” Sylas said. “At least that’s my guess.”
“Your guess?” Bryn asked.
“Well I can’t be knowing for certain, but the whole north island is a militarized zone, correct?” Sylas commented. “So it stands to reason that anything worth stealing is on the other side of the wall.”
“And how do you suppose we get through it?” Aden asked.
It was Khate who spoke. “I think I might be able to help with that.”
Will crouched in a cornfield that had been harvested and cleared some months earlier. Sowena knelt beside him.
“You’re sure we’ll find the soulfiend here?” Will asked, doubting whether it would actually make an appearance.
Sowena shrugged. “I’ve only actually seen it the one time, but I hear it almost every night. It’s out here. I know it is.”
That wasn’t very reassuring. Will was beginning to wonder whether he should have just gone to Celesti after all. Erintos and Ophi could march on Aralith any day now, and Will was no closer to finding another stone as he had been a week ago.
“Well it’s cloudy tonight, so that bodes well for us,” Will commented. “Soulfiends hate moonlight more so than the flame of a candle or torch, though I don’t know why.”
“You sound like you have a lot of experience with these things,” Sowena remarked.
“Not really,” Will said. “I’ve seen one and almost ran into a second, but I’ve never actually fought the things. Everything I know about them is secondhand.”
“You’re telling me you don’t even know how to kill this thing?” Sowena said, blanching.
“I already told you that,” Will said.
“I thought you were lying so you could leave,” she said.
“No,” Will stated flatly.
Sowena shifted nervously beside Will.
“It’s not too late, you know. We can go back inside,” Will said.
“You can if you want to, but this thing has hurt too many of my friends for me not to try something,” Sowena said. “So if you’re cold or afraid, go ahead. I won’t fault you.”
“You think you can guilt trip me into staying?” Will asked.
“Is it working?” Sowena asked.
Will didn’t budge from his spot. “Yes,” he said.
Sowena smirked and chortled in triumph.
I like her, Lotess said, laughing along.
I’m glad you think this is funny, he said.
“Can I ask you a question?” Sowena said.
“You just did,” Will replied.
“Har har,” she said. “I’m being serious.”
“Sure, kid.” Will said. “Ask away.”
“I am not a kid,” Sowena declared. “I’m sixteen, thank you very much.”
“Sorry, force of habit—acting older than I am,” Will said.
“How old are you?” she asked.
“Eighteen,” he responded.
“You—”
“—don’t look eighteen, I know,” Will finished for her. “Long story. Now what is it you wanted to ask?”
Sowena furrowed her brow. “Umm… Oh! If you’re so important to Queen Maya, then why are you out here all by yourself?”
“That’s another long story,” Will answered.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
“You have tenacity, you know that?” Will said.
“Thank you,” Sowena said, beaming.
Will sighed. “Let’s just say Maya and I have our disagreements and I might have run off without her permission.”
“So you aren’t here on official business at all,” Sowena said more than asked, her shoulders sagging a bit.
“Yes and no,” Will said. “Why do you care, anyway?”
“I—I—”
“What?” he asked.
“It’s stupid,” she said.
“Try me.”
“Well,” Sowena said. “I’ve always looked up to Maya, and I was hoping maybe you could introduce me?”
“Sure,” Will said without really thinking.
Why would you promise her something like that? Lotess chided.
“Really?” Sowena asked.
“Uh, yeah maybe,” Will said. “If we make it through this and aren’t all slaughtered by an army of bitter elves hellbent on wiping us from existence.”
“What?” Sowena said, recoiling in horror.
“Uh, nothing,” Will said.
Good going, Lotess said.
“You’re being serious aren’t you?” Sowena asked.
“I can’t—”
A shriek filled the air.
“Looks like that’s our cue,” Will said.
“To be continued, I promise you that,” Sowena said.
Will sincerely hoped not. Maya was trying to reduce the possibility of panic, not incite it. For all they knew, Ophi and Erintos were taking a long holiday in the southern isles to relax on the beach—right after sending assassins to kill Maya, of course.
You don’t know them like I do, Lotess said. They won’t stop until they claim Aralith for themselves.
Not if I can help it, Will said.
“So how do we get this thing to find us?” Will asked.
“I don’t know,” Sowena answered. “Let’s try making some noise.”
“Hey!” Will shouted as loud as he could. “Big, fat, and ugly! Come on out and play, will you?”
The soulfiend howled in response.
“I think you got its attention,” Sowena said.
“Great, just great,” Will mumbled. What was he doing? This was a good way to get himself killed. Normally that wouldn’t bother Will, him not being able to die and all, but soulfiends ate souls. And that meant the only thing on this continent that could kill him was being invited to dinner.
Will spun all around, but couldn’t see a thing aside from Sowena and
the dark form of trees in the distance. He shifted his vision to the soul realm just as something black flew through the air and knocked him to the ground.
Sowena screamed.
The soulfiend gave a victory cry and descended onto Will, jaws wide.
Channeling his power to form a gauntlet around his hand, Will clenched his fist and punched the creature as hard as he could. It flew off of him and landed ten feet away.
Will jumped up and sank into a defensive posture.
The soulfiend stalked him like a wolf would its prey. Except it didn’t realize Will was the predator and the creature his mark.
It launched itself at Will, but he ducked and slugged its abdomen as it flew over his head. Instead of landing on its feet, it fell to the side and whimpered on impact.
Righting itself, the soulfiend flung its arms out wide and shrieked angrily at Will.
“Not used to fighting someone that can hurt you, huh?” Will said.
Will raised his fist and moved to launch his own attack, but halted in position as something slammed into his side. Grunting as he collided with the ground, Will struggled to breathe. A second creature held him down and roared.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Will said, grabbing its jaws and holding it at bay.
Sowena screamed again.
Will looked over and saw the first soulfiend lunging at her, snapping its maw as it drew near. Sowena dodged its attacks, but if it got even a single bite on her, she would be gone.
She pulled a knife, and as the creature jumped she danced to the side and plunged the blade down through its back. Only soulfiends are impervious to physical attacks and the knife went straight through, knocking Sowena off balance. She stumbled and fell to the ground.
Turning his attention back to his own problem, he produced a small energy blade in his right hand and lanced it across the soulfiend’s face. It howled in pain and fell back, allowing Will to stand once more.
The first creature sat down on its haunches and was preparing to leap upon Sowena when Will chucked the energy knife, hitting the fiend in the back. Its head whipped Will’s direction and screamed.
The two creatures sidled up next to each other as they both stared Will down. Putting his hands together, Will crafted what had become his signature weapon: a long staff of blue energy.
Will extended his left hand, motioned for the soulfiends, and said, “Bring it.”
The first came charging in, mouth wide. It clamped its jaws down onto the staff as Will held it up to block. He tried to pull it free, but the fiend refused to let it go, growling as it fought him.
“Will, watch out!” Sowena yelled.
Will glanced over his shoulder as the second creature leapt into the air with its arms outspread. He yanked again, desperately trying to free his weapon, but the first fiend would not relent.
With a final surge of strength, Will pulled the creature toward him a foot and tilted the staff, placing the butt of it against the ground, and then ducked as low as he could go. The creature in the air fell on top of the staff, impaling itself.
All at once the staff disappeared and the first fiend cried out, mourning the loss of its comrade, then bounded off into the night. A cloud of black swirled around the dead soulfiend and then disintegrated, blowing away in the wind.
Where it had been lay a body. It wasn’t the form of a soulfiend, but that of a man.
Approaching with caution, Will prodded the body with his foot. It didn’t move. He knelt and flipped it over.
Alexander Drygo’s face stared back at him.
21
Khate screamed as she fought against the two men. One of them held her left arm, while the other had hold of her right. They forced her along down a street in Kent as the sky was just beginning to lighten.
“Help me!” she yelled. “Somebody please help!”
Two guards approached, weapons drawn, and shouted, “Release her!”
But the men didn’t let go. Khate continued to fight, attempting to get free to no avail.
One of the guards drew closer and grabbed Khate’s assailant by the shoulder. PD spun and punched the man in the face. Dropping his weapon, the guard covered his nose and backed away.
The second guard raised his sword to strike PD. Aden released Khate’s other hand and she leaned away, kicking the guard in the chest. Descending on the fallen man, Aden punched his throat while PD grabbed the first guard’s chin and twisted. A sickening snap echoed through the street.
“Hurry up,” Khate said. “Get them out of the street.”
Grabbing the guards under their shoulders, PD and Aden dragged them along the cobblestone and into the nearest alley. Sylas and Bryn were waiting for them.
“Well?” Bryn asked.
“I don’t think anyone else saw us,” Khate said.
“This better work,” Aden snapped.
Khate snorted derisively and said, “If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s breaking into heavily fortified, restricted zones. It’ll work.”
“If I die, I promise to haunt you for the rest of your life,” Aden remarked.
“You do that,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Come on, get their clothes off,” Khate said. “Aden and Sylas, you’re suiting up.”
Aden grumbled as he slipped his legs into the leather armor and fastened the buckles. PD helped lower the cuirass over his head and tightened it. Aden was a little smaller than the guard had been, but they didn’t have much choice. PD was too big, and Bryn too old.
Khate took some rope they’d stolen from the same general store she’d visited a few days prior and loosely tied PD and Bryn’s hands behind their backs. After Sylas had finished getting ready, he tied Khate’s hands.
They stashed the bodies in a gutter and left the alley, marching toward the military gate leading to the northern half of the island. The thirty-foot-tall wall loomed closer with each step they took. Rounding a corner, the doors of the gate came into view as well as the four soldiers that guarded it.
“You’re sure this is going to work?” Aden whispered into her ear.
“Of course I’m sure,” she said, “I read about it in a book once.”
“Oh oka—huh?” he asked. “Are you serious? We’re all going to die.”
“Shut your mouth and keep walking,” Bryn said.
“Yes, Cap’n,” Aden said.
“Halt!” one of the guards at the gate called out, stepping forward. “Where are you taking these citizens?”
“Caught them on the south side standing over a dead body,” Sylas replied. “Can’t get any of them to talk, so I thought a few hours in a cell would loosen their lips.”
“You know Kosta said no prisoners,” the man said in return. “If they don’t fall into line, just kill them. We’re in full lockdown.”
“Look,” Aden said, “someone slaughtered that man. If it was one of them, then all would be well and good, but if it was someone else, then we’d be executing innocents and letting a murderer go free.”
The guard shifted nervously. “All right, fine. But if Kosta finds out, then I’ll deny ever having this conversation.”
“Fair enough,” Sylas said.
“Let them through,” the guard called up to the tower.
Gears turned and metal groaned as the great iron doors slid open a few feet. Sylas and Aden prodded and shoved Khate, Bryn, and PD through the gate.
The north side of the island appeared much as the south. Rows and rows of buildings and houses were nestled up against the wall. Khate guessed that was where the military and their families lived. They must have built the wall through the middle of the existing town.
From where they stood, Khate couldn’t see any military installations, but she knew they had to be there. Even Shadowhold, with its limited space, had training grounds, stables, and barracks.
They waited for the doors to seal once more before moving off down a deserted street. As soon as they were sure no one was watching from above, Aden l
oosed their bonds.
Khate rubbed her wrists. The rope hadn’t been too tight, but it had scratched her.
“Come on,” she said. “Time to find a ride off this rock.”
They kept to the shadows and avoided any patrols. The guards didn’t seem too concerned with what happened behind their walls. It was nigh impossible to breach them, but impossible wasn’t a word in Khate’s vocabulary.
Twenty minutes later they found the port. The sun was now fully above the horizon, painting the sky and the sea a glittering gold.
“Whoa,” Aden said.
From the hill where they stood, Khate could see for a mile or more. Along the water, docks with ships anchored to them occupied every inch of space. There must have been at least two hundred vessels.
“Who needs this many boats?” Sylas wondered.
“You’re forgetting most of Aralith’s collective armies are stationed here. Nearly twenty thousand men and women and their families,” Bryn said. “They’ve got to get off this island somehow, and it’d take a month to ferry them with only a handful of ships.”
“We’re screwed,” Aden said. “Completely, one hundred percent dead. How do you expect to steal one of these things, unseen, and not get blown to bits by the massive cannons on some of these things?”
“We just need to find a small schooner,” Bryn said. “Something that’ll outrun the bigger ships. Speed, not force, is our ally here.”
“And how are we going to do that without getting spotted and thrown in the brig?” Aden asked.
“You’re still wearing a uniform, aren’t you?” Khate remarked.
Maya ran down the street, her chest burning and breath ragged. The slapping of boots on stone and the shouts of a hundred angry Berxlians thirsting for her blood followed in her wake.
She didn’t dare use her power. Something was wrong—something was seriously wrong. She couldn’t focus, and her head pounded like a carpenter’s hammer. It wasn’t just her thoughts that were in a haze, however; the whole city seemed muted and a bit out of sorts.
She convinced herself she was ill, or that adrenaline had a strange effect on her. Either way, to let the Berxlians catch her meant death. They wanted her head, and they wouldn’t stop until they got it.
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