Awakening (Redeemer Chronicles Book 1)

by Julie C. Gilbert

  The creature’s dying scream jangles every nerve, but that’s nothing compared to the burning sensation coming from everywhere his black blood touches. A thought sends a strong pulse up and down my bracers, cleansing me of the corrupt lifeblood. Nevertheless, I proceed into the next few fights with more caution.

  “Close the dark portal!” shouts the commander of the white-robed soldiers.

  I don’t need a special address to know he’s talking to me, but the order’s not exactly easy to carry out. First, I have no idea how to close the portal. Second, there must be sixty beings between me and my goal. Third, I’m suddenly tired to the point where I don’t think I can take three more steps let alone fight my way to the Darkland portal. Fourth, what’s the point?

  As I feel myself falling, Sara catches me, eases me to the ground, and whispers in my ear.

  “Guard your mind with The Lady’s grace. Keep the faith. Fight on. My prayers are with ye. Now go.” The Coldhaven girl plucks me off the ground and pushes me forward.

  Her words have a renewing effect on me, and the doubts melt from my mind. I still do not know how I will accomplish my task, but somehow the worry matters less now.

  As expected, the first step is the hardest, but the second soon follows and a third. I dodge the first fighting pair and sidestep another. A zombie confronts me soon thereafter, but before I can raise my arms to defend or attack, it drops dead with a throwing dagger in its neck. Backtracking the blade, I meet Tellen’s gaze. He grins but waves impatiently to let me know I should continue.

  As I jog forward a few more steps, zombies fall at my feet, felled by a shadowy blur moving swiftly in front of me. I quicken my pace, ducking and dodging as necessary, until I’m directly in front of the Darkland portal. Here, I hesitate as three more zombies emerge from the dark, swirling mist making up the portal. Fear paralyzes me. I sink to my knees halfway between both portals.

  My ears feel blocked, and my thoughts mock me with questions and doubts. What if I can’t close the portal? Who am I to stand before such glorious power? I am nobody special. Should I die today, tomorrow will simply dawn without me. Then, I hear absolutely nothing, as the sounds of the battle raging around me cease to matter. My eyes are drawn to the bright portal’s light.

  The silence stretches on for I know not how long, but then, out of that silence comes a strong yet gentle masculine voice.

  “Fear not, dear daughter. I have chosen you for such a time as this. Stretch forth your hands and let my power right this wrong.”

  I’m not advocating for always listening to the voices in your head, but when the One speaks, listen.

  Once I stretch forth my hands, palm out, an invisible force wrenches me toward the Darkland portal. For the briefest moment, fear seizes my heart, and I think I’m going to die. I grip both sides of the misty portal’s edges and scream as my back feels like a sword has been thrust through it.

  “Hang on, Vic!” Tellen’s shout sounds far away even though I can feel his presence right beside me.

  The pain changes several times, first feeling hot, then cold, then like a stream of warm water flowing through me. My hands clench around the sides of the Darkland portal and pull inward. A zombie ducks under my left arm then tries to remove that arm with his sword, but Tellen defends me again.

  An alarmed shout rings through my mind, giving me a headache.

  A figure suddenly fills my vision. He’s the most beautiful being I’ve ever seen. His long, golden hair gleams in stark contrast to his dark clothes. His face is filled with love, compassion, and sadness.

  “Why do you fight me, Victoria?” he asks in a voice I could listen to all day. “Join me. I can give you this world and the next dozen beside.”

  Visions of several worlds appear before me. Some are cold and lifeless, while others teem with life.

  “I can make every desire come true,” the man continues. “I can save everyone you love. No more pain. No more strife. Just let go.”

  My father’s face floats before me. Soon after, my friends appear beside him. They smile and nod like I should trust the man.

  Something nags at me.

  Liar.

  I am fairly certain I don’t say the word aloud, as I’m not even sure it’s from me, but the man responds anyway.

  He places a hand over his heart and closes his eyes as if blinking back pain.

  “You wound me, Victoria.” Cocking his head left, he adds, “We could be such friends, you and I. Rulers. Conquerors. Saviors. You could access power greater than you can imagine.”

  I shake my head, though part of me wants to believe him.

  With a deep sigh, he says, “I try to be good. I try to be kind. I really do, but sometimes, people don’t listen. That hurts. That hurts me a lot, Victoria.” The man reaches out as if to caress my right cheek, but as his icy fingers make contact, countless images vie for my attention.

  Everyone I love lies dead in a disturbingly perfect line. Everything I hold dear shatters as I watch. The faces of strangers appear then disappear in a haze of fire. Death and destruction fill me until I want to curl up and die to make the images stop.

  “What will it be?” inquires the beautiful man.

  I come to my senses and find myself on my knees before the Darkland portal, both arms still outstretched and clinging to the edges.

  “Speak,” commands the man, glaring at me.

  Drawing a deep breath, I think of my friends and everything that brought us to this moment.

  “You should have stuck with the lies.” With that, I draw on the strength offered by the bright portal and pour light into the Darkland portal. With all my strength, I pull the edges of the portal together until the two sides meet. As the sides touch, the portal collapses on itself, drawing every eye to the center of the wide arena. Then, just as suddenly, a shockwave of dark energy bursts outward, flattening everything in its path, including me.

  I tumble backwards and roll several times. When I finally stop rolling, it’s all I can do to simply suck air into my uncooperative lungs.

  Chapter 20:

  War Ahead

  Katrina Polani

  Lower Dungeons, Fort Amareth

  It is over, for now. Vic’s triumph sucks the will from the few enemies left on the battlefield. Tellen blows apart two of the last three zombies, and Shadow sends an arrow through the last.

  Silence rules as the white-clad warriors gather their wounded and retreat to their portal. They wear the faces of mortal men but there’s something distinctly different about them. It’s like they’re a race of perfected humans. They walk with the confidence of righteous purpose. When the last warrior steps through, the portal closes with a gentle rush of wind. I am grateful for this as my bones still ache from the destruction of the dark portal. I cannot complain though, for I escaped the worst of it by having been in snake form at the time of collapse.

  My thoughts dwell on the land in the light portal. What little I saw of that peaceful place ignites a longing in me. As I recall how the last bits of light faded, I feel I should know the place.

  I use dog form to cross to where Vic has fallen. Tellen arrives on Vic’s other side as I reach her. Shadow already kneels beside her head. The wolf stands guard over Vic’s uncle a few meters away, growling every time he moves.

  Oren and Lerik are nowhere to be found, which I suspect is because they left before the battle got underway. Ederon leans back against the far wall where he fell early in the fight. He is barely conscious. Sara stands above him, telling him to keep still so she can check his head wound. Supreme Huntmaster Lekros limps up the stone stairs, headed for the courtyard. I want to chase him, but I cannot leave Vic like this. Having been closest to the blast, it is no wonder she is last to recover.

  “Should we go after him?” Tellen asks, looking at me.

  “Don’t bother,” Shadow says tersely. “I can find him later.”

  I nod, remembering Shadow’s lineage.

  “Father,” Vic whispers.
r />   At first, I think she speaks of Supreme Huntmaster Lekros being Shadow’s father, but then, the real meaning strikes me like an errant bolt of Tellen’s lightning. Vic probably does not even know about the connection between Lekros and Shadow.

  Taking on dog form, I dash across the arena, up the stone stairs, and through the long hallways until I burst into the courtyard. To my relief, I find the wolf standing sentinel over Vic’s father.

  The Supreme Huntmaster stands a few meters away, dagger in hand as he contemplates the odds of fighting the wolf. For his part, the beautiful wolf growls low in his throat at every cautious step the Arkonai leader takes.

  I bark fiercely to announce my arrival, though the Supreme Huntmaster is already adjusting his position to account for me. My presence causes him to reconsider the odds. Slipping his dagger away, he runs over to one of the horses wandering around the courtyard and races away. I consider pursuing him but not seriously. At the best of times, chasing a horse is hard work. I am in no condition to do so after a battle.

  I look to the wolf, curious to see what he will do. He spends several long moments staring after the Supreme Huntmaster and scanning the courtyard for other dangers. Then, his pale blue eyes settle on me, and he lays down on the ground and yawns. Finally, he rests his head on his paws, closes his eyes, and initiates the change. His transformation to human form happens over the span of several seconds.

  He forms on his side, slowly uncurls his body, and stretches. Spotting me, he grins.

  “Hello, Katrina.”

  I assume my human form so I can ask him how he knows my name, but the words die in my throat when I see his face. The shape of his eyes, the slope of his nose, and the amused grin make him look exactly like my father—our father.

  “I am called Adam. We’ve got a lot to catch up on, but we should take Vic’s father to her.”

  Questions pile up, never fully forming, but I have enough sense to shake my head.

  “He could die any second,” Adam insists.

  “He also weighs twice as much as Vic,” I argue. “Wait here.” Utilizing dog form, I dash back to where the others wait with Vic.

  “Is everything all right?” Tellen inquires.

  “Is my father …” Vic’s voice falters and she swallows hard.

  “He is safe for now,” I answer, once back in human form.

  “We should take her to him quickly.” Shadow’s eyes hold a distressing amount of worry.

  Thankfully, Vic is not in the right position to read his eyes.

  “I’ll help you carry her,” Tellen offers.

  Shadow shakes his head and scoops Vic’s slight body off the ground. She looks like she wants to argue but simply cannot afford the emotional energy that would take.

  Not wanting to look into Vic’s sad eyes, I lock gazes with Tellen. Wordlessly, he takes my hand and walks with me a few steps behind Shadow. Our somber procession emerges from the confines of the castle-like structure into the courtyard to find my brother leaning over Vic’s father, head tilted close to his mouth to listen. The ropes that had once bound Vic’s father litter the ground. Shadow covers the last few steps at a trot and carefully settles Vic next to her father.

  “Vic!” Daniel Saveron whispers, trying to smile. His effort fails as his strength goes into fighting for another breath. “You. Were. Chosen.” His next effort to smile succeeds as his eyes slowly close.

  “Daddy? Don’t leave me,” Vic babbles. “I can save you!” She places her hands on his shoulder and drives off the poison with bursts of light from her bracers, but it is too little, too late.

  The effort earns enough strength for her father to reach over and close his right hand around her left bracer. He spends his last few seconds staring up at her, trying to convey the many messages he has no time to deliver.

  “I can try to save him,” Shadow offers hesitantly.

  “Then, do it!” Vic snaps, glaring at Shadow.

  Releasing my hand, Tellen too levels a nasty look at Shadow.

  “That’s not an option.”

  “What are you talking about?” I ask Tellen.

  “There’s a healing ritual that can transfer blood between people, but it doesn’t always work, it must be done between blood relatives, and it’s very dangerous,” Tellen explains. He looks like he wants to murder Shadow for making the suggestion. “Vic could die.”

  “I don’t care. Just do it,” Vic orders. “What should I do?”

  “Vic, don’t,” I plead, my heart breaking.

  “Why not?” Vic fires the question like an arrow. “He’s my father. I have to do something!”

  I want to keep silent and let her do what she needs to do, but deep down I know the battle we just fought is only the first of a wider war.

  “You were chosen.” Tears pour down my face, and I feel horrible for echoing her father’s last words.

  “If I’m truly chosen, then I’ll live through the experience,” Vic says grimly. “And if I die, another will be chosen.”

  Sara’s soft voice chimes from behind us.

  “Ye should never test the One, but I think she may be right this time.”

  We turn and watch as Sara comes up half-supporting Ederon.

  Letting Ederon slip gently down to the ground, Sara draws near.

  “The first part of the prophecy says the Chosen Redeemer must suffer, and the second part speaks of defying death.”

  “How do you know?” I challenge.

  “I know precious little more than anybody, but we will never win the coming war if our Chosen Redeemer is broken before it begins.”

  I hang my head and acknowledge the truth. The others nod slowly, and Vic nods grimly.

  Shadow and a very reluctant Tellen perform the ritual over the course of the next few minutes, transferring fresh blood from Vic into her father’s still form.

  We wait and wait.

  By the end, Vic’s face looks as pale as the bright portal.

  After the ritual, Tellen checks Vic’s father for signs of life. Under instructions from Shadow, Adam chafes Daniel Saveron’s wrists, attempting to get his blood flowing again. Sara breathes quiet prayers in our ears. Unconsciously, I hold my breath while Shadow gently squeezes Vic’s arm.

  “Please live,” I say, voicing our thoughts. My gaze bounces between Vic and her father, unsure of who to watch.

  Vic’s father moans, lightening our hearts.

  “Please, please live,” I repeat, my attention now fixed on Vic.

  We wait.

  Utter stillness settles among us.

  We wait some more.

  At last, as my heart prepares to burst with worry, Vic awakens.

  THE END

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