Deathbringer

by Tamara Grantham

  Eyrin led us to a pair of chairs at an empty table. Kull and I sat as Eyrin took the chair across from us.

  I’d had every intention of interrogating Eyrin on the status of transportation around here, but as soon as I took the first bite of the bread, my mind became completely absorbed by the food. Everything tasted heavenly, even the wine, which was a dark-colored liquid and had a mellow, earthy bouquet.

  Dessert consisted of pastries covered in sugar and nuts, some with melted chocolate centers, and I swore right then and there that if the whole therapist thing didn’t work out, I was retiring here to become a pastry chef. Assuming I didn’t burn down their kitchens.

  After the meal, Eyrin led us into another chamber. A fire crackled in a hearth and large overstuffed chairs surrounded it. The warmth enveloped me, and I stared at the flickering flames, reminded of what Lucretian had told me about my magic. Flame, amber and blue, of Earth and Faythander. Ashes, representing black magic.

  “Where do you wish to travel?” Eyrin’s voice brought me back to the present.

  “We’re traveling to Danegeld,” Kull said.

  “Danegeld?” Eyrin’s eyebrows rose. “That is a long journey from our lands. Unfortunately, we are secluded here in Celestara. We are situated on an island off the coast of the eastern lands and must travel by boat to get to the mainland. Only there will you find the light-rails. I am afraid the next boat is not due in our village for two days.”

  “Two days? I’m not sure we can wait that long.” We had less than a week before the asteroid arrived. Could we really afford to wait here?

  “Could you open a portal?” Kull asked me.

  “No, my portals only work crossing from Faythander to Earth and vice versa. To travel across Faythander, you’d need a different kind of magic. The staff of Zaladin could theoretically open the sort of portal we need, but I haven’t seen it since we left the others behind.” I turned to Eyrin. “What if we went by dragon?” I asked.

  “That is a possibility. Do you know any dragons?”

  “Yeah, one or two.” Except my stepfather was still stuck in Silvestra’s castle, and the other dragons were in the sky king’s mountain—on the opposite end of the continent. It would take a week at least for any of them to fly here. We were better off waiting for the boat.

  Heavy hearted, I sank into my chair. Two days. Surely there had to be another way off this island. But as I pondered our situation, not a single solution came to mind.

  “It’s late,” Kull said to me. “We’ve been nearly killed by elves, made a bad portal crossing, and found ourselves in an unfamiliar land. Let’s get some sleep. We’ll be able to think more clearly in the morning.”

  “Very well,” Eyrin said as we stood. “I shall have sleeping quarters prepared. If you will follow me.”

  We trailed Eyrin as he led us out of the chamber, back through the dining hall, and out into the night. The sound of chirping insects filled the silence, as did the drifting sounds of conversation. Our footfalls echoed over the glass bridges. The air was cool and the night sky cloudless as a gentle wind rushed past.

  After crossing another bridge, we stopped at a landing that looked out over a vast landscape stretching all the way to sea. Under the light of the moon, the white-capped waves glowed. The river branched in all directions toward the ocean, and tall trees grew on the islands between the vein-like river as it wound toward the sea.

  In the trees’ canopies, we spotted more structures built into the branches. The same baubles we’d found throughout the village glowed here, except now, the lights reflected on the rippling water in colors of purple and green. A few maywelters glided through the air, their wings whispering as they darted across the water’s surface.

  Eyrin led us down a set of steps and across a raised wooden footpath that wound between the trees. Up ahead, we approached a group of trees. Their trunks grew intertwined, making it seem as if we looked at one large tree. A bridge arched over a stream and led to a doorway carved into one of the larger glassy trunks.

  I looked up, seeing circular, stained-glass windows peeking from the branches. Light shone from the windows, painting colorful splotches on the leaf-strewn ground. The sound of chanting voices echoed from within.

  “Is this a church?” I asked.

  Eyrin nodded. “Yes, this is our sanctum.”

  “But… I thought elves no longer worshipped the old gods.”

  “That is true. Most elves in the capital city have abandoned the old ways.”

  “But not here?”

  “No. Not here. We started this village to try to preserve the old ways. Many of our forefathers felt that since the unifying of the capital in Lauressa, and with the abandonment of the belief in our gods, we were losing a piece of our identity. We worship those gods now in this sanctum.”

  I studied the structure. It wasn’t overly ornate like some of the elven buildings in the capital, but its simplicity, with the attention to detail and seamless blend with natural elements, coupled with the stained-glass windows that reflected the light coming from the baubles in the trees, made it seem otherworldly. Was I still in Faythander? This must have been what it felt like to live in Faythander hundreds of years ago, when modern technology didn’t exist and the world was a simpler, more peaceful, place.

  “May we go inside?” I asked.

  “Of course,” Eyrin said. We crossed over a glass-tiled bridge. A stream ran beneath us, and its musical sound echoed through the forest. We reached a set of double doors. An image of two goddesses, each holding jars, had been carved into the doors. Eyrin pushed the doors open, and we entered a domed room built inside the trees’ hollowed trunks.

  Sounds of chanting voices came from ahead as we crossed a wooden floor with the mosaic of a tree surrounded by a gold-leafed sun depicted on its surface, and then entered a chapel. Several benches carved from the living trees lined the walls. A raised dais with a podium sat atop the platform.

  The light in the room was muted in soft tones, coming from moonlight that drifted through the windows and sconces that grew from the walls. Housed within each were round orbs that glowed turquoise. The dancing lights reflected around the room, making it seem as if we were underwater.

  At the room’s center, a group of elves wearing white robes stood around a pool surrounded by a low stone wall. Glancing at my ring, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between the circular wall here and the one I’d found in the wild lands—the wall surrounding the magical plant where Kull had gotten the jewels in my ring.

  The elves standing around the pool chanted, their voices mingling to create a haunting melody.

  “Is that a scrying pool?” I asked quietly.

  “Yes,” Eyrin answered. “We keep watch on the heavens at the moment.”

  Watching the heavens? Did they know about the asteroid? “What are you watching for?” I asked.

  “A piece of star directed toward our world—possibly headed for our world.”

  “You can see it in the scrying pool?”

  Eyrin nodded. “Do you know of the star I speak of?”

  “I’ve heard of it.”

  He cocked his head. “We weren’t aware that anyone knew of it. How do you?”

  Because I’m the one who sent it on a collision course for our world. Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. “It’s a lengthy explanation.”

  “I see.”

  As I stared at the pool, its magic reached out, calling to me. I’d felt magic like that before—but only a few times. Is it possible?

  “May I look into the pool?” I asked.

  He eyed me. “I don’t believe I’ve ever known an outsider to ask such a question, but yes, you may look.”

  The pool’s magic called more urgently to me as I walked toward it. Shimmering lights of green and blue formed on the water’s surface, and the water’s gentle power warmed me. The chanting stopped as I reached it.

  The elves glanced curiously at me as I knelt at the water’s edge and
held my hand just above the surface. The stones in my engagement ring glowed a soft blue as the jewels interacted with the magic.

  I glanced up at the elves. “Is this pure magic?”

  “Once it was,” an older female elf answered. “The power in this pool is all that is left of the pure magic that once thrived on this island. Although its essence has been diluted, there is still a portion of its power that remains.”

  “Your ring,” a male elf said. “Is it also powered with pure magic?”

  “I’m not sure,” I said, keeping my hand just above the surface. Lucretian’s words resounded in my mind. “…powered by pure magic.”

  As I studied the water, an image of the heavens formed. I saw the asteroid flying toward Earth, shockingly close, much closer than I had assumed.

  Gasping, I looked up at the elves. “How long until it reaches us?”

  “No more than three days,” the man said. “But you have nothing to fear; the star fragment will only pass by our world.”

  Pass by us? That wasn’t likely while Theht controlled me. She would make sure it hit our planet. I knew that for sure.

  And three days? How could that be possible? We should’ve had a week at least. Unless crossing through the portal from Earth to Faythander had taken more time than Kull and I realized. My heart raced as I watched the asteroid rush toward our world.

  I lightly touched my fingertip to the water’s surface. A buzzing sensation filled my head, and I felt Theht’s presence awake before it retreated to the darkest corners of my mind where I couldn’t detect her.

  I stood and backed away from the pool. Dizziness clouded my vision, and I had to breathe deeply to keep from passing out.

  “You okay?” Kull asked, standing behind me.

  I wasn’t sure how to answer. The asteroid would arrive in three days, and I felt no closer to finding a way to stop it. The only option we had left was to find Dracon’s sword, but then what? Did I let Kull kill me with it so we could destroy Theht in the process? There had to be another way.

  Lucretian’s words came back to me.

  Time was the one element that could be used to manipulate prophecy. Could we create another portal and manipulate time somehow? But as I pondered our situation, the dizziness didn’t seem to want to go away. Thinking through the brain fog was becoming impossible.

  Kull rested his hand on my shoulder. His steady strength comforted me as he led me to one of the benches where we sat.

  Frustration welled up inside me. It seemed time was now my enemy, as if I needed one more thing to compound my problems.

  “What do we do, Kull?” I asked. “How do we stop this? How do we save the world now?”

  He didn’t answer for a moment as he stared up toward the windows. “Olive, have you ever considered that perhaps, this time, we do nothing?”

  I eyed him. “Nothing?”

  He nodded.

  “But we can’t just do nothing. If we do nothing, Theht wins.”

  He shrugged. “She won’t win right this moment. Our answers will come—they always do. For now, I say we do nothing.”

  “You sound like you’re giving up.” I had to admit—after all we’d been through, after saving the world so many times that I’d lost count—I was almost ready to give up with him. “So, we just do nothing?”

  “Well, perhaps not nothing.” His gaze met mine, and with the twinkle lighting his eyes, I knew he was up to something.

  “Kull, you’ve got that look. Why do you have that look?”

  “Look?”

  “Yes, that look. Something’s up.”

  “Yes.” He cleared his throat. “Perhaps I just had a thought.”

  “Okay, I’ll play along. What thought? Have you found a way to stop that asteroid?”

  He grabbed my hand and kissed it gently. “Something better.”

  “Like what?” I wasn’t entirely sure I liked the way this conversation was going.

  “Say let’s forget about the asteroid tonight. Let’s forget about Theht, about prophecies, about impending doom. Let’s live for a moment.” He paused, then took a deep breath. “Marry me, Olive. Marry me here, right now.”

  “What?” I asked, stunned. “Now?”

  “Yes,” he answered, his smile broadening. “Now.”

  “But… but we can’t get married now.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because…. what about your mother? She’ll be furious if you get married without her in attendance… and Heidel and your other siblings. And your people! Isn’t this supposed to be one of those events people gossip about, criticize, and are forced to attend out of a sense of duty?”

  “Yes, which is precisely why we won’t do it that way.”

  “But aren’t you supposed to sing? And aren’t we both supposed to drink from a cup, have a tapestry displayed in our home, and have nobbinflies released to symbolize something or the other? I may not be Wult, but I know there’s a whole ceremony of traditional stuff to do.”

  Kull shook his head. “None of that matters anymore. Don’t you see? That asteroid is coming for our planet, Olive. You and I both know it. How much longer will we live? Plus, I refuse to die without taking you to my bed. We must marry. And we must do it tonight.”

  Damn. I couldn’t argue with that. “All right,” I said quietly.

  His eyes widened. “All right?”

  I nodded. “Let’s do it. We’ll never find a place more beautiful than this. And although I would’ve liked to have had a few friends and family in attendance…” I paused. “Actually, I don’t really have any friends except Brent, and I doubt he’d care to come. As for my family, my birth parents are hiding in the elf kingdom, so I doubt they could come anyway. Fan’twar is really the only person I’d like to attend, but he’s still sick.” Of all the people who I’d ever wanted at my wedding, it was my stepfather. His presence would be missed. Sighing, I turned to Kull, hardly believing I was going along with this. With that in mind, I only had one small quibble. “But what will I wear?”

  “We’ll ask the elves to loan you something. I’m sure they won’t mind too much.”

  Inhaling a deep breath, I realized this might actually be happening. Nerves made my stomach flutter. “We’re really doing this?”

  “Yes,” he said, still smiling. “We’re really doing this.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Since Kull had admitted his love for me years ago, I’d always wondered if this day would happen. We’d been through a lot, and there had been a point when I’d thought we’d never be together again. But since we’d reunited, I hadn’t once questioned his feelings for me—except when he’d been cursed. Thankfully, that was over with.

  I’d always imagined our wedding happening somewhere crowded, and someplace I wasn’t sure I really wanted to be, but being here in the elven sanctum, under the soft moonlight glowing through the stained-glass windows, I knew we were meant to be married here. It felt right, and I had no other way of describing the feeling except that I’d never been more certain of anything in my life.

  I was meant to marry Kull on this night here in this sanctum. My entire life had led me to this one moment, and it seemed that something otherworldly was moving us forward, some unseen hand that had carefully guided us to this point.

  An hour after Kull had suggested we get married tonight, and after some help from the elves, I walked out of the antechamber wearing a simple white dress. It was elven made with silver stitching around the raised collar that encircled my neck. Dramatic long sleeves came to a point at my wrists. The elves had been more than obliging, and I felt grateful they kept a few gowns around that would also double as wedding dresses. Although unadorned, I knew it suited me better than anything I would’ve found anyplace else.

  I’d chosen to wear a thin silver coronet around my head. A simple design of leaves and dragons had been worked into the metal wire. I had no bouquet, and I wore my muddy questing boots under my dress, but it didn’t seem to matter as I found Kull wait
ing for me near the scrying pool.

  He’d also cleaned up, donning a simple white shirt with leather ties in the front and brown leather pants. When I neared him, he gave me a smile that never failed to make me weak in the knees. I reached his side, and he held his arm out for me. As I took it, the familiar scent of sandalwood forests enveloped me.

  Several elves entered. I recognized one of the men as Wendolun. His careworn skin and brunette hair hadn’t changed much since I’d seen him last on Dragon Spine Mountain, though he may have had a few more wrinkles around his eyes. His grandfatherly smile made me feel at ease as he approached us. He shook each of our hands, then stood tall.

  “I see you’ve made your way to our lands,” he said.

  “It wasn’t intentional,” I answered, “but I’m glad we made it here.”

  He glanced at my ring. The flower-jewels still glowed with a faint bluish light. “Your arrival here may have been more intentional than you realize. Where did you come across those jewels?”

  “We found them in the wild lands,” Kull answered. “They were growing on a very unusual plant.”

  “May I?” Wendolun reached for my hand.

  “Of course.” I removed my ring, then placed it in his hand. He studied the jewels, and then he looked at me with a curious expression. “Do you know there is pure magic in this ring?”

  Pure magic? “Yes, I suppose so, though it’s never been confirmed. I’ve always had my suspicions.”

  “Then you should guard this carefully.” He gave the ring back to me and I slipped it on my finger, feeling its weight on my hand, its magic combining with mine. To have the ring’s magic source confirmed shouldn’t have come as a shock—I’d suspected for some time that it was fueled by pure magic—but it still surprised me. Pure magic was extremely rare for anyone to find.

  Now that I’d found it, I could cross off another item on the list given to me by Lucretian. If I ever found an anchor, I would have the ability to manipulate time—assuming I could control a force so powerful.