Release (The Protector Book 3)

by M. R. Merrick

  Fire churned inside my soul, snapping at the air inside me. My internal temperature rose as the fire grew, forming sweat that trickled down my body. The light breeze intensified, and the trees folded in half as hurricane winds broke past me. White clouds moved with the gusts, morphing into thick, black rolling clouds.

  I stepped forward and stumbled, the wind blasting my body against a tree. Then there was nothing. Silence stirred around me and the clouds turned quietly in the sky. Dark gray billows curled and churned, moving down from the clouds and into the forest. Mists of gray filled the air, and then the wind returned.

  My hair blew around my face, and hard pellets of ice and rain nipped at my skin. The gray clouds continued to turn, a funnel of power reaching down from the heavens. As it touched the earth, black dirt spun upwards from the forest floor, swirling in an unstoppable force.

  I ran in the opposite direction as the ancient trees behind me were torn up from their roots. Branches and rocks flew past me, the tornado throwing them aside. Small stones and branches shot through the air and hit my back, the tornado throwing a forest-filled assault towards me that I was desperately trying to escape.

  As it neared, a thundering sound rushed behind me. I couldn’t outrun it. I leaped over fallen logs and towards a river filled with raging black water. Streaks of yellow, red, blue, and green slithered through it like snakes. Rattles sounded in the air and I pushed my legs as fast as they would move.

  I hit the bank of the dark river and leaped over it. My body soared through the air and as both my feet planted on the other side, the ground collapsed.

  I fell feet first through the earth, dirt and roots slapping against my skin. The light from the hole above faded as black water flooded in after me. Humid air rushed past my body and pain scorched my chest.

  Blue flames flickered from my torso, quickly vanishing in the rain of dirt that followed me. My arms flailed wildly, and I tried to regain control of the magic, grabbing it with that invisible hand and pulling it back, but it only amplified the fire.

  I screamed as the scab was torn from my chest and red and blue flames sputtered from the wound. There was only darkness around me and each flash of flame showed the flood of blood running from my chest.

  My hands searched the air, scratching at the dirt walls and roots that stuck out of the earth. Each time I grabbed one, it would crumble beneath my hand, and the dirt wall would partially collapse, sending rocks and soil sprinkling at my face. I spit the dirt away and shook my head, still grasping at anything that would slow my fall.

  Coils of slimy green vines burst from the earth below and hit my body, forcing me to come to a jerking stop, but only for a moment. The vines stretched as my weight depressed them, finally snapping under the pressure. I freefell for a few seconds until another set of vines stopped my plummet, before they broke beneath my weight. The air blew past me a final time before a coiling vine shot out of the earth and wrapped itself around my ankles. My body turned upside down, but the vine’s grip didn’t falter.

  I waited for the impact of the rushing black liquid that chased me down the hole, but when it didn’t come, I looked up. The pursuing river was gone, and the slimy vine was still coiled around my legs. I gasped for air as though I’d just finished a race, and hanging upside down, the blood that poured from the wound changed directions, running along my neck and dripping off my face.

  Heat seared my chest in throbbing beats and a bass line of pain pounded into my body, rocking the inside of my skull and leaving me breathless.

  Blood rushed to my head and the world around me shook. I reached for the daggers behind my back and pulled a single blade out. My stomach flexed as it curled, pulling me up to the slimy arms that had wrapped themselves around my ankles. I was only a few feet from the ground now; I could handle the fall.

  I caught my breath and as the gleaming silver blade sliced through the vines, the tunnel above me screamed. A thousand voices echoed in pain, souls enduring endless torture begging for help, and I fell the last few feet to the rocky ground below.

  As I got to my feet, all the blood flooded down from my head and back through my body, leaving me disoriented. I hunched over, letting my equilibrium return before I tried to move. The black earth beneath my feet was shiny, and puddles of liquid rippled as though the earth beneath them shook, but I felt no quake. Red luminescent light hung in the air, casting its glow everywhere and giving the ground an eerie glow.

  Walls of vine ran on either side of me, creating a long corridor of spikes that jutted from their green, slimy flesh. High-pitched, spine-chilling laughter echoed around me and I pulled the other dagger from my sheath. I turned, trying to face the voice, but it moved with me. It was everywhere around me and giggled inside me. It echoed from the puddle, and moved with the vines. There was no escaping it.

  I crept forward cautiously and the laughter faded, replaced by the sound of rattles. The vines stretched and slithered as I walked down the corridor. They reached out in front of me, weaving through one another and creating another wall.

  My pulse sped as the thorny limbs formed a prison around me. I slashed my dagger into the ones next to me. The screams came again and the greasy arms pulled themselves back, making a new opening. I walked quickly through the archway they created and found myself standing inside a house.

  Faded floral wallpaper covered the walls, and dark brown trim lined the base and each doorway. A narrow stairwell wound up in the center of the hallway. Each rung on the railing was carved in a unique fashion to the next.

  Quiet whispers came from the room next to me, and the faded wood floor creaked as I walked towards it. The house groaned and shifted under my weight, and the eyes on the old paintings that hung on the walls followed my every step.

  “Leave us at once!” a voice commanded. I knew that voice—it was my father’s.

  I followed it down a short hallway and into an open room, where a trio of Underworlders bowed to my father. Riley stood with both hands on his hips, staring out the dirty bay window of an unfamiliar living room. It was completely dark outside, and with the dim light in the room, I couldn’t see anything through the glass except the room’s reflection.

  A vampire, witch, and Cyclops left the room, the Cyclops hunching to move through the archway. They all walked through me and out a door that led to the darkness of outside. All that remained was Riley, along with Darius Sellowind.

  “Why the long face?” Darius smirked, looking up at Riley from a faded corduroy couch. A steaming cup was in his hands, and his long black hair was draped over dark clothing. His pale skin like the moonlight—perfect and smooth, carrying its own glow.

  “He’s getting closer, that’s why.” Riley didn’t glance at Darius. Instead, his dark blue eyes swirled with streams of black, and they remained focused on whatever he saw outside.

  “That’s kind of the point.”

  “Is it? Is it really?” Riley’s movements were sharp as he turned to Darius. “You keep saying that, yet I fail to see it. It’s time to tell me the final steps of the ritual.”

  Darius shook his head. “That is not going to happen”

  “Why not?” Riley’s voice was dark and deep and far from his own. Black veins rippled beneath his skin, and the crow’s feet around his eyes were more defined than ever. His sandy blonde hair was a mess, not perfectly trimmed and combed to the side as usual. It was standing on end and he looked disheveled. His black clothes made his pale skin vibrant, but he looked out of place in such a dark wardrobe.

  “I don’t feel I need to repeat myself.”

  A low rumble escaped from Riley’s throat and he stormed towards Darius. Large hands gripped the couch and Riley hunched over him like a looming shadow.

  “Well I don’t feel the need to continue with your guidance until I’m completely informed.”

  Darius smiled and dunked the tea bag from his cup up and down. “Remove yourself from my vicinity at once.”

  “Not until you tell me what I need
to do. We need to get the soul pieces and then what? The Underworlders on earth are not cooperating. The werewolves and the werecats have both denied us, and Chase has refused to give us the ring. He grows more powerful by the day. He nearly bested me when I entered his last dream.”

  “Then I suggest you grow stronger!” Darius finally looked up and locked eyes with Riley. “He is your son. You taught him what he knows. Show him what it means to be the teacher.”

  “I need the soul pieces. With each one I will grow stronger. Why do you keep them from me? You are his sons. How do you not know where they are?”

  “Our father is not stupid. He did not reveal the locations of his soul pieces to anyone. Not even his children. Chase will lead us to the dagger, and when he does, we will take it from him. We will retrieve the ring and the soul piece simultaneously. Once we have the ring, we will contact Ithreal for further instructions. I have already explained this to you!”

  “And I want more. You’ve spent thousands of years putting all this—“

  “That is enough,” Drake said, walking past me and into the room. He stopped, sniffed the air, and turned towards me. His black eyes stared into mine and he reached out. I tried to step back, but his hand passed through me, sending a strange vibration of power into my body. Drake winced and studied my face. “Strange…”

  “What is it, Brother?” Darius stood from the couch, pushing Riley aside.

  “Nothing,” he said. “Now stop with your fighting. Riley, you will know things as we do. Naturally, we keep the final ritual rights to ourselves as insurance. With each soul piece, you will invoke more of Ithreal’s essence, and as such, we will not risk making our existence futile. If you cannot understand that, you are free to abandon our endeavor.” Drake smirked.

  “No!” Riley scowled, walking across the room and staring back out the window. “We’re too close to ending the war. No more hunters versus demons. We will all become one beneath my rule, and once those problems are erased, we can change the world. People will remember me forever as the man who gave them peace. This is all a means to an end and I will not stop until that vision has become a reality.”

  “Good. Then trust me when I say we need your son. He is invaluable to this plan. He is going to hand us Ithreal’s dagger and the ring. All we must do is wait.”

  “And the ring, what of it, what does it do?”

  “The ring will take you to Ithreal. You will meet with him, he will bless you, and he will reveal the location of the remaining soul pieces. After that, he will…you will do with it what you choose.”

  “And you know how it works?”

  “Serephina is clever, but we will discover the ring’s secrets.”

  Riley smiled, his dark eyes staring into his reflection in the window. “I still cannot believe it’s been this long. After all these years, all these troubles will go away. All our work will finally pay off. I will no longer be seen as a traitor, but as a god and hero.”

  “Yes!” Drake glanced to Darius, who fell back onto the couch. “We are so close. We’ve worked far too hard and endured too much to let impatience get the best of us now.”

  Riley nodded and turned to Darius. “Forgive me, Darius. I was brash.”

  Without a word, Darius nodded.

  “If you’ll excuse me, I should rest before my next visit with Chase. His dreams are a mess of unanswered questions. I spend too much energy trying to find him inside them. Next time, you must get me closer.”

  “As you wish,” Drake said.

  Riley gave a weathered smile and his feet tapped against the floor as he left the room.

  Silence followed and Drake’s angry eyes turned towards Darius. Darius did not look up from his cup. He continued to dunk his tea bag into the murky water and shook his head. “Do not give me that look, Brother. He overstepped himself.”

  “Your arrogance will spoil everything. Keep yourself under control.”

  “Please,” Darius said. “He is no wiser than the day we plucked him from his nest.”

  “As the eldest Brother, it is my duty to make sure things go as planned. I will not have you—”

  Darius laughed. “Please. You were made mere seconds before I. That fool will do as he is instructed, or he will face my wrath.”

  “You will not harm him! You will not destroy this for us again. Father left me in charge. As such—”

  “Brother!” Darius jumped to his feet. “Father was a fool. He let himself become banished to his own unfinished hell in a feeble attempt to conquer what Serephina had created. His judgment was clouded.”

  “You dare challenge Father’s word? You dare challenge me?”

  Power swelled in the air, and Darius stepped back and lowered his gaze. “No…I do not.” His voice was quiet and he turned his back to Drake. “I’m sorry, Brother. I am tired. I have been imprisoned in this fragile world for far too long.”

  Drake’s anger faded, and with it, the magic vanished. “I…” Drake stopped and shook his head. He walked to his brother, a hand gently turning him around. “I’m sorry, Brother. Here I am lecturing you to remain calm, and I myself have lost my temper. We have both been trapped long. This I know. But I do not wish to squander the opportunity we’ve worked so hard for.”

  Darius smiled. “Neither do I, Brother. Neither do I…”

  “Come.” Drake pulled Darius against his chest and they wrapped their arms around one another. “We are almost there. Soon we will be with Father again and these bars will no longer hinder us. We shall have our freedom. After thousands of years, we will taste the air of home. No more prison, no more restrictions, and no more pain. This I promise you.”

  Not another word was spoken. The Brothers remained in an embrace and sadness filled the air.

  I stepped back and the floor creaked. The Dark Brothers jumped away from one another and turned to face me. Their eyes tore through me, but they did not move.

  “What is it?” Darius asked.

  Drake shook his head. “I…don’t know. I fear my mind is playing tricks on me.”

  “Then we must continue. Let us prepare for our next invasion.”

  Drake nodded. “Yes…” he said, his eyes still staring into mine. “He will break eventually. I can feel it.”

  Chapter 14

  The sound of shuffling around me forced me to jump to my feet. I was disoriented and clouds of sleep filled my eyes. I got to my feet and tried to move, stumbling over something and falling back to the ground.

  White clouds crawled across the bright green sky. The trolls were awake, ignoring me while I pulled myself off a still comatose Vincent and fumbled to my feet. The trolls went about their daily routines, mixing things in pots and gutting small creatures they’d pulled from the river. The smell made a lump rise in my throat.

  I sat back down on my stump and took a deep breath, trying to get my bearings. A few trolls walked past me, stopping to let me know they were disappointed in me for letting Vincent live. I ignored them and tried to wrap my head around what I’d just seen. Was it a dream, a vision, or something else? They talked about getting the ring and the dagger. But they already had them. Had I just witnessed something from the past? They couldn’t see me, which meant they weren’t in my mind, but was I in theirs?

  The fire snapped and crackled in front of me, reminding me of the seers. Images from their vision flashed in my mind before the memory of Tiki holding me against the ground, frustration filling his eyes, took over.

  Thoughts of what I could do to keep my word to Tiki circled through my head. I had to get myself under control. I was the Protector and it wasn’t my job to deal out revenge; I was supposed to protect the dimensions—and everyone in them. I never gave my word unless I intended to keep it. That was a hunter’s oath. Now I needed to focus. It was time to grow up and do the right thing. I owed that to everyone around me: Marcus, Rayna, Willy…and my mother. I wouldn’t let her death be in vain.

  I stared into the orange dirt, lost in thought when Tiki’s sandale
d feet filled my eyesight. Dark circles still hung beneath his eyes but he looked better than he had hours earlier.

  “Have you discovered where we need to go?” Tiki asked, brushing the strands of long hair out of his eyes.

  “I…have no idea.”

  “You were gone all night,” he said, looking up at the sky. “A new day cycle has begun. How are you unsure?”

  “It was just scene after scene playing through my mind. Random images of everyone, some strange world, then you guys, then Rayna, another strange world, and then I woke up, alone on the hilltop. The seers left me there. They never said a word. I thought they were going to tell me where to go.”

  Tiki shook his head. “This is how the trolls’ seers work. They go into your soul and their powers show you images of your past or future. They do not possess power like Krulear’s kind.”

  “Well unless you’re familiar with every dimension in the Underworld, I’m not sure the seers were of any help. I’m trying to figure out these worlds I’ve seen, but nothing about them seems familiar to anything I’ve read.”

  “With the exception of Theral, I have never traveled to any of Ithreal’s worlds. From the stories I’ve heard, they are filled with fire, ice, and broken tribes. Those are only stories, but Ithreal is a dark god full of rage, and few travel to his worlds and return to tell about them.”

  “That’s reassuring.”

  Tiki shrugged.

  “Everything is foggy right now. Like I woke up from a dream,” I said. “There was a world full of fire…and we were fighting demons I’d never seen before. There was an abandoned village and mountains in the distance…”

  “When it comes to Ithreal’s worlds, it is my understanding that some of them are ever-shifting like the seasons of Drakar.”

  “If that’s true, we’re no better off than we were.”

  “We already know what worlds we must visit, but where the soul pieces are in those worlds still eludes us. We should focus on landmarks from your visions that might lead us closer. The demons you saw will also be of help. Certain Underworlders only occupy specific regions in each world.”