by Y W Lumaris
“Ladon?” he blinked, before letting his eyes travel to view the room. The sunlight was yellow for once and lit the large vaulted room in a warm, serene haze. He was – in the Tower? In Haven, too. He saw Ophelia on a pile of pillows near the window.
I’m okay, Fen. We have a lot to talk about, but I’m fine.
Her voice was soft and gentle, easing his concern. His bags were in piles on tables. He could smell his favorite blossom-rose scent in the air, and noted the colorful curtains and draperies decorating the room. Eyes snapping back to Ladon, he pushed himself up and moved the pillows up to lean back into them. Now he could feel the extent of his wounds. He rubbed the bandage around his middle, and realized his shirt and robes were gone. “What...happened? I remember killing Cernuin. And then...everything went blank.”
Ladon looked grim.
“Ophelia called it an Instinct.”
Fen paled, growing cold. “No...” He recalled Hawk and started. “Hawk! Is he—?”
“Alive? Yes. He’s in his own recovery unit. Learned a lot apparently,” Ladon rubbed his face and sighed, leaning on his elbows. “Are you hungry? I’ll send for some food.” He stood and went for the phone hanging on a golden receiver.
“Extra potatoes,” Fen muttered.
“Hn?”
“Extra potatoes,” he repeated firmly. “And anything they may have that’s buttery. I’m famished. With tea. Strong tea. Lavender, with no sugar. None.”
Ladon held the phone, looking at him expectantly.
“...thank you.”
He grunted and dialed the number, gave out the order, and in a couple words, hung up.
Fen watched as he did, noticing his cotton shirt and fitting trousers; he didn’t look at all like a general, now. How long had he been out? Ladon turned around, and Fen allowed his eyes to travel up the strong torso and stare at his jaw. He looked so different, even with the gray skin. He didn’t look bad. But he’d be lying to himself if he claimed not to miss the unshaven look.
“So...Cernuin’s dead, then,” Ladon said as he sat down in the chair, the wooden frame creaking from the sudden weight. “Ophelia said it took all your energy, which led to your...transformation.”
“I...yes...” Fen looked down at his hands, at the black claws in place of nails. “It wasn’t my intention.”
“No. But damn it, it was dangerous.”
Fen winced.
“But you did it.”
He glanced up, pushing the stray hair back behind an ear. “I...suppose so.” He tried not to smile, remembering the army. “How did your men fare?”
“We lost nearly five hundred. But morale and spirits are high. You killed a god and brought most of the soldiers back. I’m not sure what they’d think about going after the rest of the gods, but this is a good indication of your own power. Maybe we can use it to talk to Haven’s king about giving us extra men.”
Fen allowed the smile. “That would increase our odds a bit more.”
Ladon sighed. “It gives me hope, Fen. If you think this is the only way, it’s the only way.” His eyes darted to Ophelia for a moment and then back to Fen. “I’m just ready to see a world without the Accursed.”
Fen welled with that feeling again. Pride and renewed hope filled him.
“Thank you.”
Ladon shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. A coy one. “You still owe me, right?”
Fen lifted a brow, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. “I do? Oh...” He recalled the promise he’d made. That felt like an age ago. He tilted his head. “As promised, just name it.” Ladon stood instead of answering. He walked with purpose to a table, crouched, and stood – a lute in hand.
Fen let out a laugh.
“Honestly?” he shook his head, unable to suppress a grin. “Are you being serious?” Ladon handed it to him, and Fen relaxed. He lined his fingers over the strings and gave it a strum, before glancing up through the curtain of pink hair. “All right, fine. This is all you want? A song?”
“Maybe not the words.” Ladon chuckled. “You could use some singing lessons.”
Fen scoffed in feign offense.
“You sing for me then, it isn’t half as enjoyable without words.”
Ladon leaned on the chair’s arm.
“Fair enough. ‘Masquerade of the Season,’” he stated. “It’s short, but nice.” Fen didn’t understand why of all things, Ladon would ask for such a thing, but he enjoyed it. Anything to stop the darkness hovering at the corners of his mind. He strummed the strings, beginning the song.
He’d killed a god, the first step in turning things around. I suppose we should celebrate that.
Music filled the room for a good few minutes, lifting Fen’s spirits. Ladon’s voice was deep and husky, a fitting contrast to the lute’s light notes. Ophelia joined in, humming with the tune. The mirth was interrupted by a knock on the door. Ladon chuckled and went to answer it. He returned with a tray of food.
“Here, I’ll put that away.” He set the tray on the bedside table and took the lute, replacing it where he’d found it. “Food, for you.”
“Thank you,” Fen smiled and took the plate to set on his lap, eyes roaming the food as if he hadn’t seen the like of it in years. Certainly felt like it.
Ladon nodded. “Thank you. If you need anything, have Ophelia get the phone or...well, to tell me to come back.” Fen nodded.
“Oh, come back, Ladon. We want you to stay!” Ophelia lamented as she crawled up to the bed, then shrinking so she could sit near Fen. Fen blushed and glared. Ladon smiled.
“Later, Ophelia. Keep an eye on him, make sure he rests fully before leaving. Court-Mage Eli’s working hard to find the next location for us to go to. I believe...Kalsoth is next? Possibly, anyhow.” He gave another bid of farewell before departing. The door clicked shut, and Fen looked down at the plate as he ate. The spider hummed again.
“He’s such a sweet man. And he cleans up well, doesn’t he?”
“Yes...wait, what?” Fen pulled from his thoughts and then glared. “Don’t catch me off guard, I say yes to everything.” She chuckled. He stabbed a potato with a fork. “So. We did it, then.”
“Are you surprised? You did make them mortal.” She settled on his knee.
He looked at the ceiling as he chewed. “It was different than I’d imagined. Something overcame me as I watched him die. I was...conflicted. Happy, scared, mortified, and disbelieving. I couldn’t believe I actually did it...and all the same, it scared me.”
“It should. He was an ancient one – been around for a very long time. Longer than most nations have stood.”
Fen fell quiet.
She’d told him to stop in the height of the battle.
“Am I a monster for doing this?”
“What? No. Course not.” She sighed. “But he was trying to communicate with us. Showing us who he was, not just what he was.”
He grimaced. “He attacked us.”
“We came in to kill him.”
“Ophelia.”
“Fen.”
The two fell silent for a long moment, the weight of the medallion suddenly heavier. He looked at it.
“Maybe you were wrong, Fen. Maybe something else is going on. It is possible.”
His face darkened. “I don’t see that, Ophelia. I see that he used his power to slow us down and confuse us, then attacked. If he’d been any faster, one or all of us would have been dead.” She sighed, giving up.
“I know you won’t listen to me. You’ve made this personal,” she said softly. “But watching you lose this form to the harpy...it hurts you every time, and it hurts me to see it. The risks of having to kill to get back gets worse.” He set his fork down to pet the spider fondly.
“I’m sorry,” he said, heart dropping. “I’ll try to do better next time, keep a better guard...”
“And just try to consider you could be wrong in this...” she resigned before he could argue, switching tones. “Oh, hey. There was something Cernui
n left behind.” She stood and left, Fen following her with his gaze. She rummaged through a bag, and hurried back, dropping an amber stone on the bed. It glinted, and he could sense a powerful magic in it. He gasped and touched it.
“What the...” He touched his chest, finding the amulet, and lifted the stone to it. Like a magnet, the stone snapped into it. He couldn’t pry it off. “Oh my...”
“Well then...wonder what that means...”
Fen fell silent, then smiled a little. “I’m not sure. Do you think Court-Mage Eli would give me access to the library here?”
Ophelia settled on the bed again.
“Perhaps. You should finish your food and follow your general’s orders first, though. I don’t like that glint in your eye. If you get in a library, you’ll probably be lost in it for years.”
“It’s just an idea...”
“Care to give me the slightest of hints, dear?”
He grinned broadly, absently twisting the amulet between his fingers.
“I don’t want to jump to conclusions. But we need to find the next god as soon as possible.”
Acknowledgments
Luis Roncayolo, for all the books and guides and reference help. You’re a walking library and so freaking awesome!
* * *
Liz Steinworth, for helping at the drop of the hat with the book’s formatting. You’re gold and so amazing!
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Sarah Liu, whose editing helped make this book shine so much better than before! You’re amazing and I can’t wait to work with you again!
* * *
Beth Hogdson for putting us in contact! Ahh!
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Anndr Pazyniuk for being an awesome artist and bringing Fen and Ladon to life with the justice I had hoped to see.
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To everyone in the Shadows, to the Rogues, my support and friends and writing community. You guys are amazing and inspire me everyday.
Glossary
Gods:
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CERNUIN — “Ser-nu-en” — God of the Wildlands
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KALSOTH —- “Kal-soth” — God of Winter
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BALIDYN — “Bahl-i-den” — God of Gods, King-God
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MORHAID — “Mor-hide” — Goddess of the Hunt
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Places:
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AKLON — At the edge of a temperate climate, but the plains have turn into wastelands since the apocalypse.
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HAVEN — Northernmost city, with mountains cresting the horizon; its size has shrunk since the onslaught thirty years prior. Old City is the remnants and ruins of the outermost districts from what has thus far been saved.
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TORRIK — Westernmost city, across a desert and wasteland, perched on the coast in a cove.
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Characters:
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Eli (Court-Mage of Haven)
Fen (Court-Mage of Aklon)
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Harli (Captain)
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Hawk (Captain)
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King Norvan (Aklon)
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King Thaleus (Haven)
Ladon (General of Aklon)
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Ophelia (spider companion to Fen)
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Rox (Captain)
Author’s Note
I hope you’ve enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed writing it; I encourage reviews to share your feedback and thoughts. If you want to keep updated on the next book release in the series, consider joining the newsletter at www.yukimiwintel.com !