by Jeff Gunzel
Having seen enough, Orm’rak turned and flashed a safe distance away. The last of his remaining lerwicks were shying away now, frightened of the supernatural human. What was he? How had he suddenly become so powerful? “Damn you!” he roared, livid at yet another failed attempt to kill his hated enemy. “Damn you both!” He had come so close this time. But no matter, he would live to fight another day. Her luck couldn’t last forever. Sooner or later he would finish her off once and for all.
“There is nowhere you can go where I can’t find you,” he roared, fists shaking with rage. “I can sense you wherever you are. Your days are numbered, you hear me? There is nowhere you can hide!”
“I know that,” Viola said softly to herself. Her body was on fire, but her focus and determination were far stronger. “I will never be safe as long as you live. Your every breath is a threat to the realm. And that is why I must finish it now.”
Her innate powers began to boil, streaming through her veins like molten lava. She had done things on accident before. At one time her own body seemed like an alien weapon she didn’t truly understand. But now she was in tune with her inner forces. Never had she been so aware of her own body, its secrets, the power it contained. Her mind became an abyss, void of any and all emotion. Emotions didn’t exist, time didn’t exist; the physical world was an illusion that had no influence as long as her mind floated in the void.
She could feel the planet’s energy, the very force that drove all life, pulsing through her. Staticky crackling energy danced between her palms and the ground. The world’s energy fed into her, swelled her body with all the power it could hold. So sweet it bordered on ecstasy, so vile she thought she might vomit for days. Filled to the point of bursting, she slammed her palms against the stone with a thundering boom.
A burst of power raced outward in a rolling ring of energy. Dust and small rocks were swept up as they rode the invisible wave rushing away from her. Orm’rak stumbled back as the force hit him. Unhurt but having seen quite enough of this unworldly creature, he turned to speed away, but his foot held fast. Panicked, he looked down to see a green, skeletal hand wrapped around his ankle. Another hand broke through the stone, clasping his other leg. Their grips were impossibly strong with no chance of pulling free without tearing away most of his own flesh.
Viola marched towards him as other skeletons rose up from the ground, their bones glowing flourescent green. Red light emanated from their empty eye sockets, each with two small horns on their heads. Moving towards Orm’rak, they did not attack or even hurt him in any way. All they did was grasp him, ensuring he could not escape.
Terror rolled off the laberath in waves as Viola drew ever closer, each slow step a taunting reminder that there was no escape. She took her time, all the while her icy gaze never leaving his eyes. For the first time in his life, Orm’rak was truly afraid. She stopped before him, the lingering silence providing a measured amount of torture all on its own.
“Please, wait,” he begged, barely able to move at all against the grips of these undead. Like obedient soldiers they held him firmly in place, patiently awaiting orders from their creator. “You don’t have to do this. I’ll just disappear and you’ll never see me again.”
“Until what?” Viola reasoned, her emotionless voice sounding strange even to herself. Linked to these undead creatures, she could feel nothing. There was no emotion in her actions, just the logical realization that Orm’rak needed to be stopped. “Would you disappear into the night only to come back with another force greater than this?” She motioned to the few remaining lerwicks who had not yet run away. Confused, lost, they didn’t know what to do. “You used them because they don’t know any better. You took advantage of a lost race, twisted their minds until the only vision they could see was your own. That is not leadership. That is manipulation. That is tyranny.”
“You can’t do this!” he said, his voice cracking as the reality of his situation hit him like a stone. “I am the last of my race. The laberaths are extinct. What you propose to do is a crime against nature!”
Viola stroked the bottom of his chin with two fingers. “Shh,” she hushed him in a motherly tone. “The laberaths are not yet extinct.” Orm’rak let out a deep breath. A second later his eyes crossed as his head jerked back, mouth gaping wide open. Viola pulled the flesh blade protruding from the top of his head back down through his lower jaw. “Now they are,” she whispered. The undead servants released his body, letting it collapse onto the stone. His end had been reasonably painless, which was far more than he deserved. With a dismissive wave of her hand, her undead servants crumbled like brittle crust. Their individual pieces crumbled even further, turning into dust before disappearing altogether.
She turned towards Xavier, who was standing nearby, not knowing how to respond to him. He had come all this way for her. She would not be alive right now if it wasn’t for him. But it wasn’t him, not anymore. He hadn’t hurt her, so there still had to be some measure of the man she once knew inside him. Hugging himself, he paced around while muttering nonsensical grunts and groans. He appeared to be completely out of his mind. He stopped suddenly and looked at her, as if only now noticing she was there.
“Xavier?” she said, taking a cautious step towards him. But the moment she placed weight on her wounded leg, it buckled, causing her to collapse. Renewed fire shot through her body. Her mind no longer floating in the void, she was reminded once more of how broken her body really was.
“Vio... Vi...” Xavier began, his throaty voice sounding as if he were trying to speak from under water. For a fleeting moment, his eyes flashed a glint of recognition. She was the reason he was here. She was the reason he had risked everything. Some part of him deep down inside still knew this and was trying to resurface. But the look was short-lived. He ticked his head to the side once, twice, muttering as if arguing with himself. Just like that he was no longer paying any attention to her.
“Viola!” came a call from above. She turned and looked up to see a number of spiritists riding towards her. Maybe they could help him! Surely they could do something to— When she spun back to Xavier, she caught a last glimpse of him leaping over the cliff. Their eyes met briefly, a flash in time before he disappeared. Her heart sank. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, to blame the world for everything that had happened.
Ravens began landing around her. “What are you doing here?!” Rishima demanded as she came rushing up. Bella was at her side in a flash. “I ordered you to stay in the tower! Why would you disobey—” She glanced over at Orm’rak’s body, his lifeless eyes gazing off at nothing. “You killed him?” she said, half in disbelief.
“Of course I did,” Viola said, trying to stand erect. But it was impossible given the severity of her injuries.
“You’re hurt,” Bella said, rushing up to check on her wounds. Ignoring her, Viola glanced around at the lerwick bodies. She had killed many of them herself, and knew that the town of Haran probably looked very much the same. “What were you thinking?” Bella scolded, eyeing the deep gash on her shoulder.
“It’s not their fault,” Viola grumbled weakly. “They didn’t know what they were doing. They don’t understand.”
“Understand what?” Rishima said. “What are you talking about?” Viola looked at Bella, her thoughts drifting back to their recent conversation. She could still hear Bella’s voice in her head, the wise words of a queen.
I see it in you, you know. I recognize all too well when a person is holding themselves back. There will come a time when you must make a choice. You can either move forward and rise up to your true potential, or walk the safe road and let life happen to you. And believe me, the powers that be don’t care which path you choose. Although I was frightened and uncertain, I made my choice to push forward and never looked back. I would like to think you might do the same someday.
“I’ve made my choice,” Viola said. She nodded to Bella, as if giving her credit for something she didn’t quite understand. “
There are more of my kind than we ever imagined. It seems I am not so special after all.” Both Bella and Rishima dropped their eyes. That did indeed seem to be the case. “But they are lost, confused. They don’t know where they fit in this world, and that makes them dangerous. They need someone to guide them. They need a leader.” She eyed Orm’rak’s fallen corpse with malice in her eyes. “A real leader who can lead them with love and kindness, not threats and tyranny.”
Viola stepped forward, looking Rishima right in the eyes. “You must do something for me. Send a call to every corner of the realm. Near and far, I want the lerwicks to hear me, to feel me. They no longer need to be afraid of this world. They need to know that I offer them sanctuary under my rule!”
“Viola, I-I...” The Moon Mistress stuttered, not sure how to respond to such a bold claim.
“Not all will be so eager to join you,” Bella was quick to point out. But that look. Was she trying to hide a smile? It was the way a proud mother might look at her daughter. “If you do this, lines will be drawn, sides will be taken. Many of them fear the world of humans. They may choose to side with your brother instead of you.”
Viola smiled back, showing no intimidation of the daunting task. She knew what needed to be done. She turned away, eyeing the cliff where Xavier had disappeared. Against all odds he came for her once. Now it was time for her to do the same for him. Xavier, I know you’re still in there. You saved my life once already. This time it is I who will save you. She turned back to a series of stares as other spiritists gathered around. “You are correct,” she admitted, nodding to Bella. “Many lerwicks do fear the world of man, but that is no excuse to commit murder. Each of them must search their own hearts and decide who they want to be from this day forward. Ultimately, the choice is up to them.”
Epilogue
“They could be back any minute now,” she said, searching for her jeweled gold necklace. The stones were fake and the gold color of the chain was little more than a cheap alloy. But it was a gift from her master and she cherished it, even going so far as to call it her lucky necklace. “Someone help me find my necklace. We can’t be here when they get back, remember?”
Lerwicks scrambled about, gathering their meager belongings as they prepared to leave the only place they had ever felt free in. The thought of leaving was a painful one. They had come so far to find this perfect sanctuary, only to be shunned because they would not commit murder under the command of two tyrants. Once again they would be forced to walk this cold world, homeless and alone.
“Where are we supposed to go?” asked a man standing near the wall, kicking his bag in frustration.
“Anywhere but here,” the girl replied, lifting up her necklace with a relieved sigh. “You heard what he said. If we’re still here when they return, we’ll all be skinned alive.”
“Looks like we’ll be traveling in a snow storm,” said another girl, pointing towards the mouth of the cave. Sure enough it was coming down, already coating the outside in a thin layer of white.
“Wait a second,” said another lerwick, eyeing the funny-looking snow. The flakes seemed unusually soft and fluffy. The snow up here was usually powdery and dry, given the high altitude and low moisture. He made his way towards the mouth of the cave to get a better look. Stepping outside, he held out his hand to catch a flake or two. They weren’t cold at all. Crushing one with his thumb, it smeared a dirt trail across his palm. “What the—”
Walls of white burst up through the ash from all sides. Tackled to the ground, the lerwick’s scream was cut short as a cord wrapped around his neck. With a strangled gurgling sound, he tried to thrash against the pasty white assailants. Angry pink eyes glared down at him, hating him. As the cord tightened, his vision began to fade. Weakened, but still barely conscious, he felt the cold kiss of iron snapping around his neck and wrists. Moments later he felt the cool rush of air across his body as he was sped away.
A number of lerwicks came out of the cave, wondering where their friend had gone. Did he go off on his own? What difference did it make anyway? Soon, they would all be wandering off in different directions, never to return here.
Note from the author:
I hope you’ve enjoyed book 2 of the Tainted Blood series.
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Other work by Jeff Gunzel includes:
Books by Jeff Gunzel
The Legend of the Gate Keeper Series
The Shadow
Land of Shadows
Siege of Night
Lost Empire
Reborn
The Trials of Ashbarn
End of Days
Tainted Blood Series
A Rip in Time
Of Blood and Blade
Winds of Chaos