A Prayer of Freaks and Sinners
Page 19
And it was this one.
16
Malkolm Bluheart stood at the edge of the Torrent. A gathering of monks huddled behind him. A fine drizzle of rain began.
Except now there was no Torrent. The churning cloud of thaumaturgy that stood as barrier for a thousand years dissipated into light, and then nothing. The thunderous sound of powerful sorcery being discharged had made all the gathered monks shield their heads, waiting for the sky to fall. The massive Karkaren Cyrus Blackweather stepped up to the edge, where the churning cloud used to be. He sniffed the air.
“Smells like burnt sorcery to me. Had a few explosions like that aboard my ship that nearly sunk us. But not even close to that. So tell me, abbot, is the Torrent no longer being here a good thing, or a bad thing?”
Bluheart held up his hand and rubbed two fingers together. A residue of magic glimmered there, greasy on his skin. Particles of burnt sorcery drifted to the ground and settled on the ruined buildings. Heavy silence hung in the air.
“Only thing powerful enough to unmake the Torrent was the magic that made it. Spells from the Libram of Ashes. Which means one of our aspirants took one in there with him, against all the rules.”
Cyrus’s eyes flashed and he snapped at Bluheart.
“Are they dead, damn it? Is Deena…?”
Cyrus’s voice broke a little, betraying his emotion.
Bluheart gazed across the ruined city. He searched for a trace of the residual Sorrow that the Torrent had imprisoned for so long. Nothing, just rubble and settling dust.
“The spell that just broke this barrier. You or I couldn’t use it. Even with the Magus Heart in us. It would disintegrate us like id did the Torrent. Only heavenly creatures can withstand those prayers. Archangels for example. Or those communed with them.”
Cyrus faced the ruins with a glimmer of hope.
“So they succeeded? They found what they needed?”
Bluheart nodded, figuring it out.
“Not only that. They eradicated every last trace of the Sorrow from this place. We don’t need the Torrent anymore.”
Cyrus sniffed the air again but detected nothing except sorcery. No trace of life.
“Magic that strong will have brought this whole ruin in on itself. Nothing could survive. How do we find them in all this? They could be hurt. Dead.”
A dry old voice behind them.
“I can help.”
Bluheart turned and saw brother Latherus shambling through the throng of fearful monks. He used a nobbled walking stick and his filthy robes dragged on the wet earth. Bluheart stood amazed. The old man struggled over rocks and bumpy ground.
“Latherus. It is strange to see you out in the daylight, my friend.”
Cyrus loomed over the bent monk. Latherus peered up at him like he was a mountain needing circumnavigated. Cyrus growled.
“You said you can help old man. How?”
Latherus smiled, rheumy eyes searching the ruins.
“The same way the aspirants found the archangels. Like attracts like.”
Bluheart understood and ushered Latherus to the front. The old man stood at the edge of the fading Torrent. In front a ruin of crumbling temples and broken pillars. He took a deep breath in and opened his mouth.
A golden mote ushered forth. Floating in the air before his face. Cyrus frowned in confusion.
“He’s like them.”
They stared at the golden light, spiraling in the air. Bluheart gathered close, intent on the light. It spun on its axis but did not move from its spot.
“Well, brother. Are they alive?”
Latherus grinned, brown teeth showing. The mote of light edged forward over the threshold, drifting into the ruins.
“They are. Somewhere in there. But they need our help.”
Cyrus drew his sword and stepped up after the mote.
“So what do we do, monk?”
Latherus gestured him forward. A mischievous grin danced on his lips. The rain started to fall heavy on earth that had not seen the sky in a thousand years.
“What else would a monk of Angall tell you to do, Karkaren? Follow the light.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
D. Elias Jenkins lives in Scotland, overlooking the wild North Sea.
If you enjoyed this book in the Age of Ashes series, others in the series are available.
Also by D. Elias Jenkins
A Prayer of Light and Venom
A Prayer of Dusk and Fury
A Prayer of Hope and Bones
The author can be contacted via Twitter @JenkinsElias or the website
https://www.lightandvenom.com/
Copyright 2019 by D. Elias Jenkins
All rights reserved
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.