by Kate Keir
Several of my Dion started to talk, but I held up a hand to silence them before continuing.
“I know that you all understand what your job as Dion means, and I know that each and every one of you will lay down your lives willingly today, if it means defeating Sluag and protecting the mortal world from ruin.”
I looked around me and licked my lips. I felt parched all of a sudden.
“I want you to know that as your Soul Keeper, I am prepared to do exactly the same. I’m not afraid to die, as long as it means that this day finishes up with Sluag inside this box.”
My hand automatically found the Síorraidh box at my hip and held on to it tightly. Lyall looked as though he was going to speak, so I rushed on.
“I don’t want any of you to give your lives for me today, I’ve never wanted any of you to die for me. Including Mara.” I gave Artair a sorrowful look, and he nodded back to me.
“I never wanted any of you to sacrifice yourselves for me.” I looked at Finlay now, holding his gaze.
“All I ask from each of you is that you do everything in your power to help me get Sluag out of his body and locked away from this world, forever.”
Finlay understood I was speaking directly to him. He knew what I was asking and he nodded once.
“Then let’s do this.” My voice came out as a whisper, but the Dion heard me, and we started the march on to Castle Dion.
Lyall caught up with me and matched his pace to mine. “Nice speech, love.”
I shot him a sideways glance. “Thanks, I learned from the best.”
As the castle walls came into view, I felt a shiver of fear. If anyone had told me a year ago that I would be marching to war at Castle Dion today, I would have laughed hard enough to rupture my spleen.
Soul Keeper or not, I was twenty years old, and I was completely terrified of what was going to happen next.
Suddenly, Finlay appeared at my right-hand side. Lyall was still walking next to me, on my left.
“Don’t worry, Flor. Always and forever, remember?” Finlay’s grin caused a smile to break out on my own face.
Lyall let his fingertips gently brush against my own as we walked, pulling my attention back to him.
“I’m right by your side, love. I’m not going anywhere.”
And just like that, my fear evaporated. My ragged breathing first slowed, before eventually quieting. I focussed my eyes forward and marched with certainty. With my best friend on one side and my soul mate on the other, I was indestructible. Sluag didn’t stand a chance.
Understanding that we were never going to stage a surprise attack on Sluag, an unspoken agreement passed between us, and we headed straight for the main gate of Castle Dion.
We might as well do this with style.
As we passed beneath the cracked and crumbling archway that led into the gardens, I was devastated to see the destruction that Sluag and his Draugur had wreaked on the castle in such a short space of time.
As we had predicted, the fire hadn’t damaged any of the stonework but the beautiful, old stones were covered in soot and smoke marks, giving the castle an air of darkness and despair.
The gardens were a scorched wasteland that wrapped around the hulking black towers of Castle Dion. The ornamental pond, which had been painstakingly maintained by Pen, was choked with weeds and muddied with soil that had been poured into the once crystal waters.
No trees remained. Every single one had been cut down and removed. Only a chessboard of stumps stretched out into the distance, the last proof that anything had ever lived here before.
Sluag stood in the centre of the ruined land—his Supers and mortal world Draugur alike flanked him. They were a terrifying and formidable army.
Sluag had paid particular attention to his clothing today, it seemed. As I walked forward, closing the gap between us, I noticed that he was bedecked in full grey armour, from head to toe.
His long, grey cloak blew about his imposing frame in the surprisingly cold wind. He no longer wore a short dress-sword at his hip; it had been replaced by a full-sized claymore that extended up in front of him, from the pointed tip which was buried in the soil at his feet. Sluag leaned on the hilt—which was level with his chest—with both arms as he watched me approaching him through hooded eyes.
My blood ran cold as I surveyed the scene, quickly realising that this was exactly how my dream had started out. Everything looked the same and sounded the same. I was standing in the same place, and eventually Sluag would raise his arm and slash it through the air to signal the start of the attack to his eagerly waiting Supers and Draugur.
I heard a snarl next to me and a shriek above my head. I snapped back to the present and suddenly realised all of my Dion had shifted ready for battle. All of them, except Lyall and Finlay, who remained stonily silently at my side.
Bear stood up on his hind legs and bellowed with all of his ten-foot-tall vocal power and Artair, Enid, and Freya circled above our heads, calling out their own primal challenge to Sluag.
Finlay shot me an apologetic glance. “I can’t change, Flor.”
“I know, your body is moments from failing right now,” I murmured absently.
“How did you know that?” Finlay asked as he and Lyall both stared at me in surprise.
“Because I’ve been here before,” I growled before taking a halting step forward to address the creature from my nightmare.
Chapter Thirty-Six
“And so, we are finally come to this long-awaited moment in time, Little Dreamer.”
Sluag handed the claymore to one of his minions and spread his arms wide, as though to encompass as much of the scene before him as possible. Taking a step forward, Sluag beckoned me to do the same.
I looked around me and considered it for a moment. We were still separated by around thirty metres. He couldn’t touch me in the time it would take for me to be surrounded by my protectors. I lifted my foot and took two steps forward.
“And that’s far enough,” Lyall growled as he walked forward next to me. Finlay remained firmly at my other side.
Sluag’s eyes sparkled as they looked from Finlay to Lyall. I could see him trying to decide which of my Dion he would target first.
“That’s a nice ring you’re wearing, Flora.”
Ahh, so we’re going after Lyall first.
“I didn’t think jewellery was really your thing, Sluag.” I was sure sass wasn’t called for on the battlefield, but without my smart mouth, my arsenal was pretty empty.
He shook his head and grinned, exposing his rows of yellowing teeth. “It isn’t, especially when it is given as a promise that will ultimately be broken.”
I rolled my eyes, not about to give Sluag the satisfaction of a reply.
“There’ll be no promises broken here today, Sluag. Flora will walk away from this, and I will have kept the only promise that matters.” Lyall’s voice lashed out across the field.
“A noble fool until the bitter end, Lyall. Honestly, I will feel remorse when your broken body lies at my feet.” Sluag shrugged his shoulders at Lyall before shifting his gaze back to mine.
I felt an uncomfortable prodding inside my head and realised Sluag was trying to steal our battle plan from inside my head. I quickly concentrated on slamming the shutters of my mind closed, and I felt him recoil quickly.
“Your little mind thefts don’t work in the mortal world, Sluag,” I spat.
Finlay suddenly groaned next to me, and I shot him a concerned glance. He lifted his hand to his head and pressed the temple as though he had a migraine.
“I think it might be time to jump ship, Flor,” he murmured.
Not wanting to give Sluag any idea of what we had planned, I whispered back to him frantically. “Not just yet, Finlay. Five minutes and it’ll be time.”
Sluag raised his sparse, grey eyebrows and smirked.
“Looks to me like your Dion is about to find himself without a body again, Flora.”
I shrugged. “It’s only wha
t you told me would happen, Sluag. Anyway, if we’re all going to be dead in a few minutes, it doesn’t really matter, right?”
Sluag narrowed his eyes as he studied my face. He knew that he was close to uncovering some sort of information, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on exactly what.
I shrouded my mind, fearful he would try his smash and grab tactics to get hold of the longed-for intelligence that could help him avoid the Síorraidh box. As I thought of the box, my hand automatically went to my hip and came to rest against the coolness of the carved wood.
“Time’s almost up, Finlay,” Sluag grinned.
Finlay lifted his head and glared at the scaly monster.
“That body is going to fall apart at any moment, and once it does there is nowhere left for you to go. You have exhausted all possible options available to you.” Sluag took another step toward us.
“I’d rather die and be reincarnated than spend an eternity trapped inside a tiny box,” Finlay gloated. “The future isn’t exactly looking rosy for you either, Sluag.”
“Let’s be honest, we all know I’m not going inside that box. Our little Soul Keeper doesn’t have the power to put me there.” Sluag laid his bony hand over the place in his chest where his heart would be, if he had one.
“And, yes, I know she can draw on loyal Lyall’s energy too. However, I’m quietly confident that Flora doesn’t have the guts to kill her soul mate. Do you, Little Dreamer?”
I hesitated for the briefest instant, and in that moment, Sluag looked through my face and into the very core of my soul. I felt the burn of his eyes as he invaded the sanctuary of my whole inner-being and saw through my charade as though it were made of glass, to recognise the absolute truth of my very existence.
I felt the blackness of his own soul twist its threads in glee as it realised I could never sacrifice Lyall, not even to save the world.
Suddenly, Sluag bombarded me with images of hospitals burning, dead-eyed zombie people wandering aimlessly through streets that were crumbling and broken. Children that were orphaned and dying, and not one single person cared.
It was heartbreaking.
I choked and staggered back from the weight of the visions he threw at me. But, my greatest sorrow was fed by the abject shame of knowing that, even now, I still couldn’t sacrifice Lyall.
Sluag’s eyes widened in surprise and delight as he stole my truth.
“Flora Bast, you are going to be the greatest disappointment this world has ever known.”
I couldn’t speak; there was nothing to say. My own stupid weakness was going to kill everyone here. My mind ran frantic with questions and regrets.
Why did I bring them here to die?
Lyall touched his hand to mine, and I flinched back from him. “What’s wrong, love? What’s he doing to you?”
I shook my head frantically, certain the shame that burned on my face would give me away as a coward to Lyall and to everyone watching.
Sluag clapped his hands together, and his army of Supers and Draugur stamped their feet and straightened their backs. They were spoiling for this fight.
“I must confess myself disappointed, Little Dreamer. I was rooting for you, I really was. I still think you will always be my favourite Soul Keeper. Almost like the daughter I never really got the chance to know.”
Lyall tried again. “Flora, are you okay?”
Bracing myself for what was to come, I nodded to him once. “I will be. We have to put him in that box, Lyall.” I shuddered. “The alternative just isn’t an option.”
“Flora?” Finlay’s voice was shaky. I turned around in just enough time to see the Super Draugur body split entirely in half, as though it had been hit by a bolt of lightning.
The bright white Finlay soul was ejected from the body of the Super, before spiralling up into the air in front of me, and just like that, my best friend was out of options.
“Finlay?” I called out, terrified that he would be lost in limbo in the mortal world.
I’m okay, Flor. I just hope your plan’s gonna work.
“So, do I,” I muttered.
“Well, Little Dreamer.” Sluag’s voice pulled my attention back toward the Host of the Unforgiven Dead and the nightmarish army that stood at his back.
Sluag had returned to the place he first stood when we started talking. He held out his hand and retrieved his sword from the Super that had been holding it steady while its master engaged in his theatrics.
I felt a tremor of déjà vu as I faced Sluag. My mind flashing back to the horror of my dream, once again.
Sluag continued to stare at me with his fire-pit eyes as he spoke.
“Time is up. The final battle is here, and I will watch each and every one of you fall down in flames. I tried to reason with you, Flora. What happens next is all on you. Every last drop of blood is your responsibility.”
I held his gaze defiantly as I drew my own short sword and pointed it in his direction. There was nowhere left to hide.
“Then let’s do it,” I said softly.
Sluag nodded once, never taking his eyes from mine.
“Attack,” he howled.
And they did.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I’m pretty sure that when they show you the great and final battle scenes on TV shows, they always slow down that first, initial clash of the warring sides. The two opponents rush toward each other at a digitally reduced speed that allows the viewer to comprehend everything that unfolds—step by violent step.
What I hadn’t realised was that the first thirty-seconds of a real battle feels exactly the same way. As Sluag’s arm slashed down through the air in perfect synchronisation with his call to arms, I inhaled a deep and cleansing breath.
Sluag’s entire army began to surge forward as though they were the waves of an ocean, desperate to crash and break apart against the shore. I could see the steely determination on each face as they started to build up speed in their approach. They had one goal and one goal only—to tear me and my army apart.
I turned slowly, as though I were inside my nightmare all over again, and looked to the faces of those who were on my side of the fight.
The two eagles and the raven above our heads each called out one final shriek of defiance before they pitched into a long, slow dive toward the upturned faces of their enemies waiting below.
The Draugur that had sworn their loyalty to me because of my blood, marched forward unblinkingly. Their faces gave no emotions away because beneath the false, human husks, they didn’t have any. These were the same monsters that were coming to kill us. The only difference was, they had been forced to change their allegiance to me.
Although the quiet and determined march of the loyal Draugur unnerved me, I was grateful for them. Without my own army of monsters, I would never have been able to buy enough time to do what was needed to end this fight.
An earth-shattering roar brought my attention to Bear. He had pulled himself up to his maximum height before releasing the animalistic battle-cry. As I stared, the massive brown bear let itself drop onto all four paws, and the ground shook. Bear didn’t hesitate, and for such a big animal, he had surprising grace as he sprang forward and galloped toward the nearest Super.
The bright white Finlay light hovered above my head; without a body he was unable to engage in any fighting. I permitted myself a brief moment of relief that he was out of the body of the Super. Communicating with Finlay alone would be a lot easier now he was back in soul form, and I had things I needed to say to him that I didn’t want other ears to hear.
I looked toward the colourful army of animal souls as they leaped into action and started to split into two separate groups. They moved with absolute certainty in each other, and their grace and synchronicity was beautiful to watch.
The first group peeled off from the main body of animal souls and began to create a spearhead formation that approached Sluag’s horde on the right-hand side, pushing them closer together and driving them into my
marching Draugur.
The second group of animal souls wheeled around and fanned out into a protective semi-circle that created the perfect barrier between myself and the rest of Sluag’s army. The shining animals then walked themselves slowly backward, until they were as tightly knit in front of Lyall and I as they could get.
Lastly, my eyes landed on the dark-haired Dion who stood next to me. He watched the animal souls form around us, and I could sense the shame that burned inside him. He hated being kept from the battle while the other Dion risked their lives. He wanted to do his job. He wanted to fight. But, that wasn’t why he was here. I needed his help to put an end to this, but only for as long as it wouldn’t kill him.
A loud sound drew my attention back to the main battlefield just in time to see Bear collide with the first Super Draugur. He was quickly followed by the other warriors at the front-line of my army, and just like that, the slow-motion build up ended.
The first thing that changed was the volume of the fight. Everything became loud, almost unbearably so. The speed with which everything happened accelerated rapidly to a point that meant I couldn’t even follow half of the action with my eyes as it unfolded.
The breathtaking beauty of Enid’s animal souls belied how vicious they could be when needed. The animals attacked the Supers and mortal world Draugur with absolute ferocity, and it quickly became apparent they were impossible to predict because each different animal made the most of its own skills when it attacked.
One minute a Super could be fighting a shining, green cobra that would strike at its face with unnatural speed. In the next moment, it would be defending itself against the teeth and claws of a bright orange jaguar that was intent on removing the Supers throat.
Even though I was struggling to follow the fight now that everything had sped up so much, I knew one thing for certain; we were holding our own. Quick surveillance of the battlefield told me this was no longer going to be the whitewash I had despaired over time and time again.
As my eyes moved over the fighting, they were suddenly captured by the burning oil-slicks set within Sluag’s grey, scaled face. He stared at me, and I stared back defiantly. I could sense his fury over how the fight had begun; this was not what he had expected.