‘Why didn’t you attack her?’ I yelled at him, backpedaling as he stalked closer. ‘Before he killed Dmitri.’
‘I …’
‘Failed! Coward!’ I spat.
‘They are doing things to her. God knows what! She is lost.’ He was sobbing and shaking his head. ‘You two were born to torture me. One less, soon, and say hello to the shit Ron and the two merry brothers!’ The whip came down and touched my side, burning my flesh terribly, and I screamed and tried to get away. I fell, hitting my head. I sensed he was coming closer and soon felt his hands around my throat. He bent over me. ‘Drink from this cup, you cunt.’
He had Euryale’s other cup, the deadly one. She had forgotten them in the cell.
He grabbed my face with a terrible force. I fought, but he slapped me and pushed his knees to my arms. I gasped and shrieked, but he grasped my mouth with his fingers, making me gag and sloshed some cool, vile blood in my mouth. He kept me down, forcing my mouth closed, and I finally swallowed. Then he jumped up and away, staring at me as I curled on the floor.
The liquid burned. It burned with bottomless, excruciating pain, and I felt it touch and melt my innards, the agony was raking me head to foot.
The last thing I saw was Ulrich’s face above me, studying me like I was an animal he hated. I thought I saw Able cursing him, trying to hit him in his helpless undeath, and I knew I would join him soon.
PART 5: SNAKE DANCE
‘You hare-brained idiot. You ate her.’
Shannon to Thak the Giant
CHAPTER 19
Icy white swirls and fierce wind buffeted my frozen face. I was crawling through the familiar dream, the one with a snowy, ethereal landscape. A horse neighed and the weight of cool armor touched my face, but then, something rocked; a rumble and explosion shook the ground I was lying on.
I woke up sputtering and dust was coming down the walls and ceilings. People were shrieking in fear nearby and howling like animals. I screamed and took deep breaths, turning to my side, vomiting blood and stomach fluids violently. I was on my hands and knees, gagging, clutching the ragged, ripped robe, molested by the fiery spell of Ulrich. I suddenly remembered him and wiped my mouth as I turned around and around, sure to see his dead body and Euryale mocking me.
However, what I saw were two cups of gorgon’s blood.
Ulrich was crouching next to them, his face haunted. His eyes were feverish as he stared at me, rubbing his forehead with his massive hand. ‘She did not come. I saved you,’ he told me with a desperate voice. ‘I’m not sure what the explosion was.’
‘You killed me,’ I said softly. I did not see Able in the room.
He grinned weakly. ‘I think I always wanted to kill you, Shannon. We’ve lived a rough life, and when you lose a brother …’
‘In your criminal gang?’ I asked as I slowly stood up, feeling very wobbly. ‘But you were from Austria?’
‘The gang? Oh? Lex told you? Yeah, I figured he would. Lex and Ron moved to America, when I was ten. We shared a father. Cyburns all. They called me over to join them for this … mistake two years ago. I traveled and made it to Boston. Joined their outfit for a while. I always thought of myself as Austrian, not American. They called me that, in the gang, Austrian. Ron’s business was killing. Lex was just a smuggler. I did something else. I … I have never killed anyone. Except for the boy in the trial, yes, but that was not … the same. I thought I could nip your life, but I could not. It was not … what I thought it would be like.’
‘Good. I am happy,’ I told him, rubbing my throat. It felt strange but not sore. ‘I cannot believe I was gone. Did you bring me back so you could kill me again when she screams again? Then resurrect me and …’
He shrugged. ‘You died. No breath and eyes lifeless. I suppose witnessing that took the edge off my yearnings, and I did not want to live with that on my conscience. I hate your sister, I do and you made Anja drink that shit over there,’ he said bitterly and stared at the cups of blood, ‘so I suppose that pushed me over.’ He hugged himself as if deathly cold. ‘It was not as pleasurable as I hoped it would be.’ He picked up a goblet and whirled the contents around. ‘Potent stuff this blood of hers. So this is the bitch you have served?’
‘She promised me and Dana freedom. I tried to help Anja and the lot of you. But Dmitri …’
‘They are dead,’ he said heavily. ‘The idiots. I loved them.’
‘I loved them as well,’ I said painfully.
He opened his mouth and shut it. He shook his head mournfully. ‘You were right. I should have stopped her. I’ve been pretending about my skill for a year, but Dmitri died, for I hesitated. Then it was too late. It’s my fault.’
‘She is immortal,’ I told him. ‘You would have failed. I loved him. Both of them. And I feel at fault as well.’
‘Now we have to love each other,’ he said with a small chuckle. ‘I don’t want to die hating so much.’
‘I love even you,’ I told him, leaning against the moldy, wet wall. ‘Even if one day we might have to finish what began with Ron. Moreover, I am sorry for him. I always was, even if he thought I should be the one to die.’
Ulrich grunted and lifted his head. Anja’s weak scream could be heard, and he looked down, balling his fists. ‘Anja,’ he whispered. ‘Gods curse this place.’ His fists tightened as he massaged them on his forehead. He shook his head forlornly. ‘We will settle things one day. Now we should get out of here.’
‘You can see the Shades,’ I told him enviously. ‘Always could.’
‘Yes,’ he grinned weakly. ‘It’s been damn hard pretending to have the same, silly and blissful look on my face as you lot when you were given access. Damned hard. Damned hard not to roast Dana when she was blocked. When Cosia dismissed that fiery thing I accidentally summoned that first day, I nearly summoned a firewall immediately after. Happily, I did not. I could have killed your sister any day.’
‘There is good in her as well,’ I said weakly.
He hesitated. ‘Yeah, she loves you enough to kill. She could have just let Cosia take you and be done with looking after you. But I cannot …’
‘I know,’ I breathed.
‘Matters not, Shannon,’ he agreed. He played with fire, bouncing it in his hands, from one to the other. ‘You are not crazy? Truly?’
‘No,’ I told him.
‘And yet you speak to Albine’s brother. And he died the day we arrived,’ he said carelessly, the flames running between his fingers and scattering to the floor. ‘Anja told me.’
‘We all have some unique gifts from the day we arrived. Albine can tell truth and lies apart. I see the dead. Should they stay around, that is. And no, Dmitri and Alexei didn’t stay. Neither did Ron.’
‘Creepy skill that. Both, in fact.’
‘I also see and hear all the spells others cast around me,’ I confided in him. He was all I had.
‘Really?’ he asked, stopping. ‘Do you see how I do this?’ He ran the flames around him in small circles. ‘Can you fathom the level of control and the skill I show? They taught us the whip and this thing this past week. It was painful. And you can learn it like that. Just like that?’
‘I see it,’ I said, and I did, wondering at how he pulled at the fiery inferno and twisted it just so, adding heat, and even the crackle of flames to the mix. ‘But I cannot do it. I cannot touch fire. But I can see how it is done.’ I decided not to tell him I could meddle with the spell. Perhaps that would be useful one day with Dana’s life at stake. Though, of course, we would not be leaving.
‘Impressive,’ he mumbled. ‘Even when you cannot see the Shades?’
‘Even then,’ I agreed. ‘And I can heal, but that is useless now.’
‘Yes, we all know about that,’ he said with a withering smile as Anja screamed again, asking someone or something to be quiet, to leave her alone. A cackle of a crowd answered her.
I tried to distract Ulrich and myself. ‘None else can do that. Not even the elves. Therefore,
she has a plan for me. I’m the Hand of Life and carry the favor of a goddess.’
‘Elves?’ he grinned. ‘And a goddess. Ah, you have seen a bit of this world whereas we have been stuck here like cows in the pen. This gorgon can resurrect people with her blood. Are you saying she cannot cast such a spell?’
‘No, only I can heal with magic,’ I whispered. ‘At least so she claimed. She had a plan. I am apparently something the elves respect and revere, the Hand of Life, and I was supposed to serve her by fetching something belonging to a goddess. She longs to return the gods to us. And her lost sister. And she has many other plans. Most involve inflicting pain on some poor innocent soul, no doubt.’ And so, I told him everything about Hel’s war and her stolen eye, and the shattered gates. I told him of Euryale’s plans and what she expected of me. Ulrich stared at me nearly emotionlessly until I was done.
Then he laughed hugely, wiping tears.
‘What?’ I asked him, irritated and hurt.
‘Killing you would have been no punishment, just a premature release, I think,’ he smiled, wiping his face on his palm. ‘That is mad. Elves and an eye of a goddess? And you have to meet the lord of this keep. Cerunnos? A ghoul? You mean, some sort of an undead?’
‘Millions of elves,’ I agreed. ‘They rule Aldheim. And yes, I’m to challenge the one dead lord, who caused the Sundering of the worlds.’
‘You think very highly of yourself,’ he breathed in wonder.
‘I am unique in this world, Ulrich, so I don’t think too highly of myself at all,’ I spat and bristled. ‘Unless she lied. But I do think the deeds she expects of me are beyond me.’
‘Right.’ He looked skeptical and then massaged his shoulders helplessly. ‘So, what now?’ He arched an eyebrow at me.
The tower rocked. We glanced up, worried.
‘You think it will come down?’ I asked him nervously as the walls crumbled.
‘Might as well,’ he pouted. ‘We are finished anyway.’
‘No,’ I countered. ‘Didn’t you just say we should get out of here?’
‘Yes, I did,’ he glowered at me. ‘But then it occurred to me I can’t think of a plan.’
I grinned. ‘You have your power.’
He shook his head in disgust. ‘You think I could take her down, even if I surprised her?’
‘No, but I was reading …’
‘God’s sakes, reading. That’s why Anja is …’ And she was screaming again, begging and crying, and we went quiet for a moment.
I went on, trying to forget the terror in her voice. ‘What now? She controls us, though, not you. She is powerful, yes. Apparently much more powerful than she should be, but still a primal, ancient creature. But I think she is much more a … I don’t know.’
‘A bully and an assassin,’ Ulrich grunted. ‘A nightmare more than a god. She makes mistakes?’
‘Yes, she does. Didn’t she leave the cups here? She is a slayer and stalker of the night. She is a maa’dark, sure, but perhaps she is not omnipotent. She said she has a secret, and she refused to speak about the dragons, and I know she holds a beast prisoner. She said she holds its powers. And it's down here, somewhere.’
‘Dragons?’ he asked, incredulously.
‘Yes. I tried to find a dragon, for they come from Nifleheim, I think. I found Naricirrax the Seething … many others. And I found one in Grey Downs. The Masked One is supposedly a prisoner of hers. In here, somewhere and she took Dana to it. I wish to …’
‘Speak to a dragon? I think we should skip the dragon and just get out of here, but there is no way to do that.’
‘I said it has my sister,’ I cursed him.
‘Could this dragon help us?’ Ulrich asked carefully.
‘Possibly.’
‘I doubt it's interested in anything we have to say. And if she has its powers, then it's likely only going to gobble us up instead of casting swift, deadly spells at us,’ he insisted. ‘Sounds unpleasant.’
‘Look, Ulrich. It’s the closest thing to an escape we have. Actually, I know a gateway out of here, but it is locked, our powers are barred and that thing might …’
‘If she holds its powers, then it has no powers, Shannon!’
I slapped my hand on the stone. ‘She says so, but is she honest? Or a liar?’
He banged his head with his fist. ‘Fine. And you say you might, somehow be able to spring us from here?’
‘Possibly. Likely, even. If I find out some secrets,’ I said, thinking about the mirror and what she had spoken to it. Whether I could cast the spell, was a mystery. The mirror had a name. I clawed at the silvery Bone Fetter. ‘I need to be free of this in order to do anything. And hence the dragon might know something to help us.’
He banged his head with his fists again and looked like a forlorn kid. ‘Yeah, yeah. I said okay. You have to unfetter yourself and learn some secrets. Then we rescue the others. And you think this beast will help you?’
‘Yes,’ I told him plainly.
‘Why?’ he demanded.
‘Because it must detest Euryale. It’s a prisoner.’
‘And what can a prisoner do? Give us prudent advice?’ he despaired.
‘I could use even that!’
‘Right,’ he growled.
We stared at each other, and I gazed at Dmitri. ‘I wish they had not died.’
‘Even when they bullied you in the beginning?’ he noted with a small smile.
‘They were funny and liked me despite thinking me crazy,’ I noted. ‘So I liked them just fine, most of the time. They were as lost as I was.’
‘I liked … like Anja.’
‘Do you love her?’
His face darkened. ‘Is that a word one dares to utter in this place? No. One should not love here, Shannon,’ he warned. ‘Do not love Lex if you value his life. Just do not. If we manage to get rid of the bitch and this sodden, sad, ruined island, then they, and I mean anyone will use him to hurt or enslave you. Even if we escape. You don’t honestly believe these … elves are noble? No, they will be ruthless as she is.’
‘So I have been told,’ I agreed.
‘There,’ he nodded. ‘They think we are less than they are. You said you have read their stories. Is there anything in those books about human kings?’
‘They have no rights in the south of the Spell Coast. In the north, they are not allowed. In Himinborg? Trad? They have lords but ...’
‘Do they rule?’ he articulated. ‘Decide their own fate?’
I shook my head. ‘No, they rule nothing unless in the names of their elven masters,’ I agreed. ‘But, as I said, I am special. I am the Hand of Life, and that title has a touch of a goddess in it. It will make a difference for us, perhaps. And if I will love someone ...’
‘You don’t yet?’ he asked and sniffled with some disappointment, for Lex was his family.
‘I don’t know, Ulrich,’ I told him patiently. ‘If I do or will, I shall not let anyone stop me.’
‘Not let anyone …’ he mimicked me insipidly and then Anja shrieked in a bottomless fear, somewhere near. He rested his hands on his face, and I saw the tears come. I hesitated and walked over to him. I sat down next to him, miserable as hell and placed a hand on his. His face shot up, startled, and for a moment that stubborn, hard face was like a scared small boy’s face. He looked down. ‘Aren’t we just a miserable lot?’
‘Yes. I never thought to comfort my killer,’ I told him and leaned on him. He shuddered as he drew a huge breath and put his arm around me, keeping me close. ‘I dream of Isabella.’
‘The girl? The one we fought?’ he asked.
‘Yeah,’ I told him. ‘She …’
‘I can see how the boy died,’ he told me softly. ‘His eyes, nose and ears on fire. And he was snuffed out just like that. I’ll never forget it.’
‘My sister lied to me,’ I told him hesitatingly. ‘She is dangerous.’
He nodded and swallowed a sarcastic retort. Instead, he waved his hand in a conciliatory manne
r. ‘I’m sorry for that. I wish … I had intervened when Ron indicated you should be the one to die,’ he said huskily. ‘About your sister …’
‘I know. Let’s cross that bridge when we get there,’ I told him reluctantly.
‘That will be a long day and a bridge of pains,’ he told me.
‘The door won’t burn?’ I asked him.
He shook his head, eyeing it. ‘It’s resistant. Now, I have another special skill, as well.’
‘You do?’ I asked, hopeful. ‘Can you summon food like Nox? Some roast or stew?’
‘You look like you only eat apples,’ he grinned as he let go of me. ‘Skinny.’
‘The slop we ate the past year would cure anyone of apples. What is it? What can you do?’ I asked him.
‘I can open locks. Not like Anja, but something similar,’ he told me as he got up and walked to Dmitri’s corpse.
The tower rocked again, and we tried to steady each other as the dust billowed. ‘What is going on up there?’ Ulrich cursed as many living things moaned in fear nearby.
‘I have no damned idea. You were saying?’ I coaxed him as I ran after him, thinking Able had been angry after I died and had probably done something irreversible somewhere.
‘No, I was the burglar in the outfit, back home. In America, that is. A second story man. Useful skill. I can open locks. And Dmitri here can help.’ He stared at the corpse of the boy, charred, stony, with smoldering bones exposed in his thighs. He stiffened.
‘What?’ I asked him.
‘I … I,’ he began, shaking.
‘What?’ I asked him again, worried.
‘Would that stuff resurrect him? I mean, before I …’
Had roasted him. I shook my head and pulled his face to me. ‘No. He had no mouth, even.’
‘But …’
‘No,’ I insisted and held on to him as he fought his conscience. ‘How?’ I asked him, ‘how can he help us?’
Ulrich wiped his face with the back of his hand and gathered himself, his voice coming in forced gasps. ‘He kept a fishing hook from our holiday. Under the nail of his toe,’ he said sadly and fondly.
The Dark Levy: Stories of the Nine Worlds (Ten Tears Chronicles - a dark fantasy action adventure Book 1) Page 32