It was Ravin. She blinked against the sudden light and tried to back away from her captors, but the one holding her arm stopped her.
Sudden rage flooded through Fen. He hated these men. He hated what they’d done to his king and to his fellow Samkarans. He hated what they were doing to Ravin. It didn’t matter if the Fist himself appeared right then and ordered Fen to stop, because he wouldn’t. He meant to see all of them dead and the taint they had spread across his land erased once and for all.
Fen crouched and pressed his hands to the floor. The power of deep Stone rose up toward him eagerly, but in the instant before he took hold of it, he realized something and paused. Releasing an uncontrolled wave of power here wasn’t going to work. He would probably bring down part or all of the cavern and injure Ravin. Even if he didn’t, what would the likely outcome be? The best he could hope for would be to knock down all the Ankharans, and while they were off balance, rescue Ravin and flee.
It wasn’t going to work. They’d never make it out of here before the Ankharans recovered and came after them.
If he was going to use Stone power, he had to come up with something else to do with it.
He remembered what Bereth said, how the Shapers were given the power to shape the elements. That power was within him as well. That meant instead of simply releasing a destructive surge of Stone power, he should be able to use it to shape raw stone itself, to make it obey his commands.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and calmed himself. In his mind he imagined himself practicing his forms, moving through them slowly. When his anger had subsided and his thoughts had cleared, he reached for Stone power once again. For what he had in mind, he didn’t think he needed much.
Carefully he pictured in his mind what he wanted the stone to do, and once he had the image fixed very clearly, he released the power.
Stone rose up from the ground at the feet of the four Ankharan sorcerers. It rose quickly, shaping itself around them, pinning their arms to their sides before they could react, encasing them until only their heads were showing.
“Time to die,” Fen grated. Only the smallest twitch of his will and the four men would be crushed to a pulp by the stone. They would be dead and Ravin and Samkara would be safe from them.
“Not so fast,” said a voice behind Fen.
Chapter Thirty-three
Fen spun to see a tall shadow coalescing a few paces away. From the shadow stepped the figure he’d seen earlier, the skeletal, scarred face, the cold, inhuman features. The scars were raw and livid, clearly recent.
The figure gestured toward Ravin. “Ilsith,” he said.
The shadow swirling around him sped away then, darting toward Ravin with the speed of an arrow. Before Fen could react, Ilsith had wrapped itself around Ravin tightly. There was the suggestion of a face in that shadow, ice-blue pinpoints of cold light that served as eyes. An arm or appendage of some kind had formed, taking on a hard, sharp edge which it pressed tight to Ravin’s throat.
“Let those men go, or I will have Ilsith cut her throat,” the figure said.
Fen looked from Ravin to the scarred man, then back at Ravin. “I’m sorry,” he told her.
He pulled the Stone power back. Fine cracks appeared in the stone encasing the Ankharans and moments later it fell to the floor in a shower of pieces. Fen turned to the scarred figure. “I did what you said. Now let go of her.”
“I will,” he replied, “but there is something you need to do for me first.”
Fen ground his teeth helplessly. There was so much power at his fingertips, but he didn’t dare use it. If Ravin wasn’t here he would release the power anyway, even if it meant killing himself. He’d do it without a second thought.
“I know what you’re thinking,” the scarred figure said, as if reading his thoughts. “But that’s why I told Maphothet to bring your sweetheart, so that you wouldn’t do anything rash. See, Fen, I wanted you to come down here. I needed you to come down here.”
Fen’s voice was harsh with suppressed power. “What do you want?” he grated.
“I want you to remove that crystal for me,” the scarred figure said.
Fen looked at it. “Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“I would if I could. And at one time I could have. But that was before Netra and Shorn did this to me.” He scowled and raised his arms and his sleeves fell back. Black, snake-like things could be seen moving under his skin.
“These are ingerlings,” he said, “creatures from the Abyss. I thought to use them on Melekath, but they were used on me instead.” He laughed, a harsh, mirthless sound. “But I was not destroyed as Golgath and Tu Sinar were. I survived! I mastered the creatures! Now they serve me. They feed me chaos power from their home and with it I am more powerful than I ever was as a Stone Shaper.”
Fen gave him a confused look. “Who are you?”
“I am Lowellin, and with the help of the Devourers I will have my revenge on all of them: Netra, Shorn, Rome, Quyloc, Xochitl and, of course, Melekath.”
“You’re a Shaper and you’re helping the Devourers?” Fen asked. “But you’re supposed…”
“I know,” Lowellin said almost gently. “I’m supposed to defend the key against the Devourers. It’s what my kind was put here to do. But I am no longer what I once was. The ingerlings have seen to that. They devoured the old me and what they left in its place is new and strong.”
Fen crossed his arms. “If you’re so strong, why do you need me to move the crystal? Move it yourself.”
“You’re beginning to anger me with your questions,” Lowellin said, his eyes flashing. “You have no idea how badly I want to cut the wench’s throat, kill you and be done with it. But I can’t, because I still need you. I need you to move the crystal and get the key for me, the key that will deliver the universe to the Devourers and make me ruler of this world.” He strode forward and gripped Fen’s face with a cold hand. “I can’t touch the crystal because of the chaos power within me. The masters designed it to react to chaos power, react in a rather violent way I’m afraid. A way that even I couldn’t survive. Only a Shaper untainted by chaos power can touch the crystal safely. Certainly no human can.”
Fen jerked away from him. “I can’t touch that thing. I’m not a Shaper.”
“Even after talking to Bereth are you really still this ignorant?” Lowellin said. “Do you still have so little idea what is going on?”
“I know what Shapers are and I’m not one,” Fen said stubbornly.
“Not completely, you’re not,” Lowellin said. “But you are on your way to becoming one. Haven’t you noticed the changes happening to your body?”
Fen’s hand went to his chest. During the march to Marad the stone spot had doubled in size. “How do you know about that?” Revelation struck him suddenly, sickening in its implications.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You did this to me.”
Lowellin smiled. The cruelty of millennia was in that smile. “Of course I did. After I mastered the ingerlings I was able to communicate through them with the Devourers and that is when the rulers of the Abyss made me an incredible offer. Find the key and they would give me anything I desire. I knew the key was guarded by a crystal, and I knew I couldn’t move the crystal. I also knew none of my brethren would help me. So the idea came to me to modify a person and manipulate him to do the deed for me.”
“You killed my father,” Fen grated.
“No, the Stone power killed him. I think because he wouldn’t stop fighting it and just give in to it. Or maybe he was simply too weak. Whatever. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that, in a surprise twist even I couldn’t foresee, he passed what I had given him down to his son and his son was able to do what he could not.”
“I’ll make you pay for that,” Fen said.
Lowellin shook his head. “No, you won’t. You’ll do exactly what I say or I’ll kill your sweetheart. You wouldn’t allow that to happen, would you? Especially after all you’ve been through?
You know, when the two of you split up I became a little worried. I needed the leverage she gave me over you, you see. I thought I might have to wait until you fell in love with someone else. But no, you continued to moon over her and that’s when I realized I could still use her. When I had her kidnapped, you responded exactly as I knew you would and then she responded the way I knew she would, throwing herself at her savior.” He sneered. “Thousands of years I’ve watched you humans and still you haven’t learned a thing. I have no idea what Xochitl ever saw in your species.”
He pointed at the crystal. “No more talk. Remove the crystal or she dies.” Ilsith tightened then and Ravin cried out. Fen saw a line of blood running down her neck.
“Okay,” Fen said. “I’ll do it. Don’t hurt her.”
He walked toward the crystal, his thoughts racing. There was no way he could let Lowellin have the key. He also didn’t believe that Lowellin would let either of them live once he had the key in his possession. But if he appeared to go along with it, he might find an opportunity. If he could just for a moment get Ravin free, then he could unleash Stone power against Lowellin and the Ankharans. Or maybe he could threaten to destroy the key and use that as leverage against Lowellin.
“Fen, don’t do this,” Ravin said.
Fen turned, saw her stiffen as Ilsith pressed the bladed edge harder against her throat. The sight caused a sharp pain in his chest, almost more than he could bear. He should have listened to his instincts and stayed away from her. She was in danger because he loved her.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
There was a brief flash of anger in her eyes, and he knew she understood what he was apologizing for.
“Don’t,” she said through gritted teeth. “It was my choice. It was always my choice. I knew the risk and I chose you anyway. I’d make the same decision again. I love you, Fen.”
“Could we move this along already?” Lowellin called. “There’s nothing I hate more than listening to you pathetic humans bleat about love. You’d be so much better off if you discarded the idea completely. You’d be so much stronger.”
“You think you’re so smart,” Ravin spat at him, “but you don’t know anything. It’s love that makes us strong. All you have is hatred, and hatred makes you weak.”
“Sure. And that’s why I hold your life in my hand and why I will soon rule this world,” Lowellin said mockingly.
But Ravin had already turned her attention back to Fen. “It doesn’t matter what happens to me. You can’t let him get the key. You’ll doom everyone.”
Fen wished there was some way he could tell her that he agreed with her. But if he was to have any chance at all, Lowellin had to believe that he was beaten. Lowellin had to believe that Fen would sacrifice everything to save the woman he loved. He had to make this convincing.
“I have to do this,” he said, the tremor in his voice not entirely faked. “I can’t live without you. I’m sorry.”
“No, Fen!” she cried out as he turned once more toward the crystal. “This isn’t you! You know better than this. I’m willing to sacrifice myself for my people, just as you are!”
Fen flinched under her words, but he didn’t hesitate. Hopefully they would both survive this and he could explain it to her. He had to do this. There had to be a way to stop Lowellin and save Ravin.
As he drew nearer the crystal it began to change color, the yellow darkening until it was a burnt orange, which then passed to red and began to pulse. A strange kind of heat radiated off it. Nausea rose up inside Fen and an ache began deep in his bones. Every instinct he had warned him that the thing was deadly. He wasn’t going to survive touching it, he realized. Lowellin had miscalculated. Whatever essence of the Shapers there was in his blood, it wasn’t enough to protect him.
Only a few paces away now and his steps faltered. The pain in his bones was incredible. It felt like they were full of broken glass. His strength was gone. He could barely summon the energy to take each step.
Yet somehow he did so. He raised a hand that was unbearably heavy and wiped the sweat from his eyes. In the background he could hear Ravin calling his name, but he had no attention he could spare her.
Fen reached the crystal. The red, pulsing light coming from it was blinding. Would it simply explode when he touched it? he wondered.
As if in a fever dream he saw his hands rise. He took hold of the crystal and lifted it from its place. It was heavy and he was so weak that he immediately dropped it. It fell to the ground with a ringing sound.
The red glow faded and it returned to its yellow color. Fen stood there looking down at it dumbly. He felt as weak as a kitten. He wasn’t sure how he was still on his feet.
“Now open the door,” Lowellin called. “Go inside the vault and get the key.”
Fen realized his plan was going to fail. He was no longer strong enough to attack anyone. The ember of power inside him seemed to have gone out. He could feel the power in the Stone beneath his feet, but it was distant and he had no strength left to reach for it.
“Go in and get the key,” Lowellin said.
Maybe if he got away from the crystal he would feel better. But to do that he would have to enter the vault. He couldn’t go back. It looked like his only option.
Fen raised his hand and pulled the door open. It swung easily, silently on hidden hinges. From inside the vault spilled a reddish glow.
Fen walked inside the vault. The inside was the same smooth, black, glass-like stone. In the center of the vault was a pedestal and on that pedestal was the source of the red glow. It was about the size of his hand, curved on one side like part of a circle, and jagged on the other, as if it had been broken from something larger.
Which, he realized a moment later, was exactly what had happened. This was not the whole key. It was only a piece of the key.
New hope blossomed inside him. Lowellin had not yet won. The Devourers had not yet won. Even if Lowellin got hold of this piece, there was still a chance to defeat him. Fen just needed to stay alive long enough and watch for his opportunity.
He picked up the glowing object. It looked like it was made of glass. It seemed fragile to him.
He walked back to the doorway of the vault. He still felt terribly weak, but he was recovering. As long as he stayed away from the crystal he would be fine again soon.
Fen left the vault and stepped to the side, away from the crystal. Then he stopped.
“Whatever you’re planning, Fen, don’t be stupid,” Lowellin said. “You’re close now. Give me the key and I’ll let you both go. You can be together. That’s what you want, remember?”
“Except it’s not the whole key, is it?” Fen said, holding it up. “It’s only a piece.”
“That doesn’t matter to you. Hand it over or the girl dies, Fen. You’re running out of time.”
“I don’t think so,” Fen said, holding up the piece. “I think I have all the time I need. In fact, I think now it’s time you listened to my demands.” He was stalling. Every moment away from the crystal he could feel himself strengthening as its effects wore off. If he could only keep Lowellin talking for a few more minutes, he’d be strong enough to try something. He wasn’t sure what, but something would come to him.
“Don’t be a fool, Fen. You retrieved the key. There’s nothing stopping me from simply killing you and the girl and taking it. But it doesn’t have to happen that way. You can hand it over and you two can go free. It’s your choice. Either way I get the key, but one way you two get to live. But I’m running out of patience. Choose now.”
Lowellin spoke confidently, but Fen saw the way his attention was fixed on the glowing piece of the key. And he hadn’t already killed them both. That meant he was afraid that Fen would break it.
“Let her go or I smash it,” Fen said. His strength was returning by the second. He could feel the Stone power awakening inside him and he grasped eagerly for it. Under his feet the vast essence of Stone rumbled.
Lowellin started to say something,
but right as he opened his mouth, Ilsith acted. The shadow creature uncoiled from Ravin and darted at Fen with lightning speed. Fast as the creature was, though, Fen was faster. Years of training had honed his reflexes to a razor’s edge and before Ilsith could get to him he brought his hand down and flung the piece at the ground—
It struck the ground and bounced.
But it didn’t break.
In the next heartbeat Ilsith was on Fen. He could feel its icy grip coiled around his body and the sharp edge pressed tight against his throat. He started to call his power, but Ilsith tightened perceptibly, the knife edge pressing harder against his throat, forcing his head back.
Freed from Ilsith’s grip, Ravin tried to run for Fen, but Maphothet grabbed her arm and yanked her back. She clawed at his face, but he grabbed her other arm and held her motionless.
Lowellin walked over to Fen. He picked up the piece of the key, dusted it off, and examined it. “I didn’t think it would be so fragile,” he said, “but I couldn’t be sure.” He looked at Fen. “You surprised me there, boy. I didn’t think you had it in you. I thought you would do anything to save the girl.”
Maphothet and the other Ankharans came over then, Maphothet dragging Ravin with him. “Should we kill them now?” Maphothet said, and Fen saw purple energy crackling along the back of his hands.
“I was going to say yes,” Lowellin said. “They have both defied me and such defiance must be swiftly punished or it leads to more. I’ve made that mistake before. But Fen has proven himself a useful tool and there are still more pieces of the key to acquire. I may need him again, so I have decided to keep him alive. However, he has shown a tendency to cause problems.” He looked at Fen.
“What you did to our work under the tower has set us back, Fen. It is only a temporary setback, but a setback nonetheless. Who knows what other trouble you might get into, if left to roam free?”
“I’m going to stop you,” Fen said. “I promise you that.”
“I’m sure you think you will and if it makes you feel better, keep believing it.” To Maphothet, Lowellin said, “Turn him over to the Fist. Tell the Fist that he attacked you and you want him imprisoned. Not killed, only imprisoned. Will that be a problem?”
Sea Born (Chaos and Retribution Book 3) Page 38