by Rachel Xu
“What about Morack?” Varkis whispered fiercely. “If he's released, we'll all be doomed.”
“There's no time to argue—we've got to get out of here.”
Chapter 29
Lily's heart was like a rock in her chest as they made their way across the opposite side of the ever-darkening isle.
Behind them, the last of the light in the transparent trees had gone out and the night sky was settling over them like a smothering drape. Kurik surely would have seen them in its midst if the multicolored trees had remained lit.
She couldn't believe how far they'd traveled for nothing.
Ian had nearly died in his struggle against the Jubaka, and now all that effort was completely to Kurik's aide: they'd left the dead Jubaka waiting for him like a pig on a platter.
They swam across the swamp to the other side, which unlike the direction they'd come was only a short distance, and climbed out of the muck onto the solid ground of the forest floor.
When they were well out of sight of the bog, Varkis spoke for the first time: “Where to now?”
Lily could only make out contours and the whites of eyes. It was a moon-less night, due to the clouds, and they would soon be blind.
“We need to find the others,” Ian said. “Who knows what Alvernian creatures are on the loose by now.”
“But how will we find them?” she asked, standing stiffly, bone-chilled in her soaked clothing. She shivered. “Everything will be completely black in few minutes.”
“I have pretty decent night vision,” Varkis spoke decidedly. “Ian as well.”
“How's that possible?” Mike's voice was low and hollow, and if Lily wasn't mistaken, deeply afraid. “Ian is human, isn't he?”
“Mike—you saw me in the vat room.” There was a hint of irritation in Ian's voice, but something else as well. Embarrassment?
“Right! That ghastly face. Can you change your features completely?”
A pause.
“Yes . . . but I choose not to.”
A mournful howl sounded somewhere far off—echoing in the distance. Lily grabbed for Ian's muddy hand. He held hers tight.
“Let's keep silent,” he spoke in hushed tones to the group. “Varkis will lead the way.”
They moved through the forest, occasionally taking cover whenever the Anubis caught scent of something dangerous. But the time was mostly spent with Ian and Varkis helping Lily and Mike over fallen logs like helpless children, and maneuvering them around branches, boulders, shrubs, and roots.
After a half hour of this, Varkis grabbed her shoulders without warning and pushed her down.
Twigs scraped her arms as she hit the ground. She stifled a cry. In the next second, Mike winced also as Varkis shoved him to the ground next to her with more force than necessary.
She didn't dare speak.
Ian crouched in front of them on one knee and Varkis stood with legs spread and shoulders girdled. The darkness was closed around them like a sepulcher. All she could hear was her own shallow breathing. She tried not to tremble from the cold.
A pair of glowing red orbs pierced the blackness in the distance and a chill shot down her spine.
She nearly jumped from her skin when Varkis spoke aloud: “You sure gave us a fright. Glad to see you are well.”
Ian lifted her to her feet and relief coursed through her body. “Who is it?” she whispered.
“Callamous.”
She gasped. “But I thought he was dead!”
The unicorn approached and became visible; his contours at least. He lay his soft muzzle against her forehead and instantly the forest lit up with indigo overtures; as though she'd donned a pair of night-goggles. It was the second time he'd done this for her; only know she knew his identity.
“There you are, my dear Lily,” he said. “You can see in the dark while your enemies remain blinded.” He backed away from her. “But it is only temporary.”
“Thank you,” she breathed. “But how—how are you alive?”
“Unless I am given an instantly fatal blow, I can heal myself. I was up and running only minutes after Kurik took you into the mansion.”
She looked at Ian and where the deep slash had been across his cheek. The sides of the wound had pulled together and healed hours ago. All that remained was a jagged scar.
In contrast, the unicorn's body was sleek and unmarred, not a single scar to be found.
“Why don't you heal as fully as Callamous?” she asked Ian. “I mean, why do you scar?”
He met her eyes and held her gaze.
“Because of you, Lily,” he said finally. “That's why my father, brother and all his minions have limited powers on earth. Callamous is not one of my father's followers. All good creatures can perform their magic in its fullness in your presence, but evil can not—or at least, is greatly diminished in power.”
She protested: “But you're not evil!”
“I am Morack's son. He put a curse on Kurik and I. Even though I can heal myself, the scars are to remind me of my failures. He said if I didn't learn to protect myself and become a skilled fighter, I'd eventually become horribly disfigured.”
“—Morack is of the purest evil, if those two words can even be used in conjunction,” Callamous cut in with his thunderous voice. “Lily—have you thought about what I said to you earlier?”
She glanced around the forest. Not a creature in sight. Mike was busying himself trying to look like he wasn't listening, but he wasn't fooling anyone. His eyes continually darted in her direction, as though he'd forgotten she had night vision.
“Do you mean whether I could sacrifice one to save the lives of many?” she asked, wrapping her arms around herself for warmth, trying not to tremble with mild hypothermia. The unicorn nodded.
Her throat tightened. “I don't know if I'm capable of making such a decision. Especially if it's—” She willed herself not to look at Ian. “If it's . . . someone I care for.” She focused on the ground and blinked back tears. She knew it then.
It was Ian.
Callamous expected her to kill Ian.
“What are you talking about, Lily?” Varkis snapped. “The lives of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, depend on you. If you don't kill Morack and anyone that stands in the way of that—we all die.”
Her cheeks grew hot and her heart heaved within her chest. She could barely breathe. “Who's to say I'm even capable of killing? I'm no fighter, I have no training. This whole thing is just—insane!”
“You're the only one who can do it,” Varkis said gravely. “Morack will be stripped of some of his magic in your presence, not ours. I'm not sure how you'll do it, but you're our only hope.”
She was angry now. “You ask too much of me, all of you. There's no way I could kill an innocent person—”
Ian stepped forward and cupped her cheeks in his warm hands, wiping her tears with his thumbs. “Lily, you're so much stronger than you realize.”
She buried her face in the crook of his shoulder and he held her tight.
Varkis cleared his throat and she broke the embrace, skirting a circular glance through the forest to make sure they were still alone.
She took a deep breath but stumbled with sudden vertigo. She staggered a few steps backwards as the trees swirled around her. What was happening? White noise filled her ears. Mike fell to the ground next to her and Varkis gripped his head in his hands. Then, just when she thought she was going to lose consciousness, she caught her footing again, and the dizziness vanished almost as fast as it had come.
Ian and Callamous stood stolidly nearby as though neither had been affected.
“What was that?” She lifted her fingertips to her temples and blinked several times.
“What was what?” Ian's eyes were wide.
Mike scrambled to his feet and groped around in the dark.
“Sudden dizziness,” Varkis said, knitting his brow. “Like a passing cloud. It was here one second, gone the next.”
Callamous flar
ed his nostrils and scanned the area. “We need to keep moving. Three of our supporters have been killed already.”
“What did you say?” Ian faced the unicorn squarely.
“I said three of our supporters have been killed already. More and more of Morack's followers are pouring out of the trunk as we speak, and there's no way to stop it. We've been fighting a bloody battle in the cover of the forest all day long and so far there are more casualties on their side—but as their numbers increase, our losses will too. We have no reinforcements.”
Ian rubbed the back of his neck, exhaled. “We need to get the keys back from Kurik.”
The unicorn nodded. “If it isn't already too late.” His nostrils flared again. “I suggest Varkis take Lily back to the mansion, and you and I will hunt down your brother. Keep them separated as long as possible. He'll be making his way back from the island.”
Ian shook his head. “No, we need to rest first. I'm so done.” He rubbed his eyes, muddy swamp water dried and caked on his hands. He sat down on a boulder.
“I really don't think that's wise. We shouldn't waste another second.” The unicorn's voice had dropped to a low growl.
“Especially considering Kurik has the acid necessary to free your father now—” Mike cut in, a pointed look on his face, though he faced a tree rather than Ian.
“Shut-up, Mike.” Ian's patience was clearly wearing thin; anger flashed in his eyes. “Maybe I'd like a little nap before my inevitable death.” He sounded exhausted and bitter.
Deflated.
Did he know?
“Look,” Varkis growled, “as much as we'd all like a nap, if we just sit around, Kurik will find us and kill us in our sleep. Is that what you want?”
Ian dropped his hands to his side and began to walk away from them. “Suit yourself,” he said over his shoulder. “I'll catch ya later.”
“This makes no sense, you're being completely unreasonable,” Varkis snarled, the skin pulling back over his canine incisors. “This isn't like you. What—are you a coward now?”
Ian paused and looked back at the dog-man.
“There's no time to rest—” Varkis continued. “You of all people should know that.”
“Look, I don't see your hide on the sacrificial altar. I nearly killed myself wrestling a giant eel and fighting the Jubaka tree, and all I did was make it easy for Kurik. I'm an idiot. I've been to hell and back for you guys more times than I count and it's obviously not enough—”
The hair rose on the back of Varkis' shoulders, a growl in his throat. “What are you talking about? Any of us could die. We're all willing to lay down our lives for the cause—” His eyes were blazing now. “Are you hiding something from us?”
Lily took several steps back as they argued, her limbs stiff like ice. Nausea filled her throat.
Callamous stamped his hoof and threw his shoulders back, eyes fierce and voice booming: “If you want to cower under a bush for the night, so be it. I'll go after Kurik myself.”
Ian's mouth quivered and contorted as two long fangs emerged from his top jaw. Lily stifled a scream. “Don't make me fight you, Callamous,” he hissed.
“The man I know would never stop to sleep on the job. There is too much at stake. You do not want to die to save earth, is that it? What are you planning—to slip off and return to Alvernia, leaving us all behind?”
“Ian,” Lily interrupted, trying to soothe him. “We're just confused by your sudden change of heart. If you would help us understand . . .” She walked forward and touched his shoulder, hoping to soothe him—but his eyes turned to black pools. She recoiled. “Please,” she said. “You're losing control of yourself! Please calm down.”
His lips curled back over the fangs. “Why am I going to all this trouble to help some wench who's just going to kill me in the end?” His voice was hard and cold now, drained of all passion.
Varkis stepped in front of her in a protective stance. “Think this through, Ian,” he said. “This isn't you. What about your mother? I thought you wanted to avenge her death and save everyone else from harm.”
“Don't ever talk of my mother again.” The flesh on his face began rippling as though hundreds of bugs crawled beneath it.
Lily stood frozen in place, unable to even breathe.
“You don't want us mentioning your mother?” Callamous pawed the ground, nostrils flaring. “Well—I'm not afraid to. Now that the time has come to show what you're made of, you've chosen to be a selfish coward. You spit on your mother's grave.”
“I said not-to-talk-about-my-mother.”
“Why? Because it hurts your conscience?”
Ian lunged at Callamous.
“Run you three,” the unicorn warned. “Get out of here!”
Before she could stop to think, Varkis had thrown Lily over his shoulder and was racing through the forest with Mike chasing after them blindly, one hand clinging to Lily's shirt. She pounded on the dogman's shoulder, begging him to set her free but he ignored her, whipping through tree boughs as Mike struggled to hang on.
The last thing she saw, craning her neck, was Callamous rearing on his hind legs as Ian withdrew a dagger from his belt.
Chapter 30
Ian stepped away from Callamous as his fangs retracted and his eyes returned to normal. He exhaled loudly and rubbed his aching jaw. “Do you think it worked?” he asked.
The unicorn nodded solemnly. “Yes. I looked into her eyes as Varkis ran off. Her heart was most certainly broken.”
Ian looked away, pretending to stretch his shoulders and shake out his arms. He didn't want Callamous to read his eyes too. Deceiving Lily was the last thing he wanted to do, but he and Callamous had agreed to it telepathically while she, Mike, and Varkis underwent a dizzy spell. They decided that the only way Lily would be willing to kill him was to make her think him a traitor—or at least deranged. She must believe that he had abandoned them and lost all self-control. Otherwise they ran the risk that she would try to protect him and be unwilling to defeat Morack.
“So, I guess its best if you go back and join the others now,” Ian said, scanning the forest around them. “Make sure they're safe for the night.”
Callamous nodded. “I'll tell them I barely escaped death at your hands and that you've gone to join forces with Kurik.”
“Yeah, say whatever you need to convince her. I don't want her to be half-hearted about it—she needs to really believe that I've turned. I don't want her to feel any regret about what she has to do. A broken heart is better than guilt.”
“Take care of yourself,” Callamous said softly.
Ian squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. “It's about time I faced Kurik once and for all.”
“And what about the Lorgans?”
“If Kurik wants to prove he's a better fighter than me—which I've no doubt he will—then he won't call on the Lorgans to aid him.”
“Is he a better fighter?”
Ian laughed bitterly. “Not a chance.” He turned away from the unicorn.
“Good-bye, Ian.”
Ian retraced his steps back to the swamp.
With his limited night vision, he followed the fringe of the swamp, looking for tracks in the mud. Too much time had passed for Kurik to still be within the swamp—by now he was probably well on his way back to the mansion if not already there. If Kurik had been by himself, tracing him in the dark would be next to impossible, but not with two heavy-footed Lorgans at his side.
Ian found the tracks he was looking for within minutes and traced them through the trampled forest. He heard nothing but hoped he was gaining on them quickly.
He reached his workshop tree and took the trail to the greensward.
No sight or sound of the Lorgans nearby.
Was he too late?
He rounded the final bend in the forest trail.
“Why hello, Ian,” came a voice like a bogy.
Kurik stood next to the first empty gargoyle pedestal at the edge of the
forest, his face masked by the hood of his duster cloak. Like the Grim Reaper.
He gripped something in his gloved hand at his side.
A large rock.
“Father always liked you better,” he snarled. “No matter what I did he was quick to remind me that you, five years my younger, were more powerful.” With a cry of fury, he whipped the rock at Ian with incredible strength.
Ian dove to the ground, rolling, as the earth where he'd stood exploded with the impact of the rock, leaving behind a muddy crater.
“You don't have to do this,” he said, scrambling back to his feet. “We can fight our father together—we can destroy him.”
“And then die with him? No thanks.”
Kurik snatched a dagger from beneath his cloak and threw it at Ian within the same second.
Ian dove to the right as the dagger grazed his shoulder. He leaped to his feet and charged toward Kurik, intending to plow him down, but Kurik turned and planted his elbow squarely in Ian's stomach, thrusting him over his shoulder. Ian somersaulted in the air and landed on his back with a loud crack.
He struggled to catch his breath as Kurik ran to a nearby tree and tore a thick branch from the trunk with supernatural strength. Ian winced and clutched his chest. His ribs were cracked again.
Kurik approached slowly this time, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood. With both hands, he lifted the branch high above his head, ready to strike.
Clenching his teeth against the pain, Ian rolled to the side as the branch hit the earth and splintered in half.
“Wait—” he said, jumping up. “Let's end this madness. I don't want to kill you.”
Kurik roared with laughter, eyes glinting through the shadows. “You think you're going to kill me?” A slight pause. “Well, you'll have to catch me first . . . ” He turned on his heel and darted into the forest, out of sight.
“This isn't a game—” Ian shouted after him; without following.
He stood in the sudden silence, waiting, muscles taut. There was no way he would follow Kurik into the trees. He took a deep breath and winced. Come on ribs, hurry it up.