I stood before the mirror as they each worked to lace me into the matching boots Brog had found at the back of the closet. He had also managed to unearth a matching sheath for my sword and a couple of small holders for the blades I typically wore on my forearms. Those proved to be too much for my newly formed flesh though, so Grog adapted them to go over the boots so I could still carry the extra blades. I pulled up the hood and checked myself out in the glass.
"I look good."
"You most certainly do, my lady," Grog agreed.
"Until you take off the hood," Brog said seriously.
"Brog!" Grog shot the gargoyle a look.
"No, it's okay. Brog is right." I pulled back the hood. My face looked brutal, like a bunch of flesh colour plastic wrap pulled too tightly over a bowl of raw chicken; raw chicken that still had bits of feathers along the eyebrows and scattered around the head. "The effect is quite gruesome." I turned a bit to see my cauliflower ears. "Maybe I can use it to my advantage?"
"You can scare people with it!" Brog suggested.
"That's for sure." I pulled up the hood. "But for now I'll keep it hidden. I'm going to head out for a while, I've got to go visit the minions and then see the Guard." The gargoyles' stony faces paled to a limestone grey. "I'll be okay guys. Those places are safe for me now." That could be true, you never know. "You guys can hang out up here after I'm gone if you'd like."
"Can we build a fire?" Brog asked.
"Sure." I smiled, based on the widening of the gargoyles' eyes, it wasn't quite the happy face I thought it was. "Just keep an eye on it." I patted them both on the head and went downstairs.
I met Archer at the door. He had taken my sword and a few of my shorter blades and sharpened them in my weapon room. Yeah, I have one of those, but it isn't nearly as balls out as Archer's. He helped me slide the sword into the holster at my back and fit the shorter blades into my boot holsters.
"This is a great outfit," he commented as he slid the third blade home.
"Really? You think so?"
"Yes, very practical," he ran his hands over my waist, "And flattering."
"Thanks, baby." I pulled back my hood to kiss him. He hesitated for the tiniest of moments and the planted his lips on mine. Well, lips being the word I was using for the newly formed pieces of skin that were currently surrounding my mouth. I had a feeling it would take a while before they resembled conventional lips.
He brought the hood back up over my head and then opened my massive front door like it was a paper screen. Not going to lie, it was super-hot to see him just casually open the door that gave everyone else, including myself, so many problems. I took his hand in mine, and we walked out across the lawn. The door swung shut behind us with a gentle thud.
When we got to the gate, I released his hand. He looked sharply at me.
"We're keeping things a secret, remember?"
"Right."
17
Archer went through the gate before me. I took a moment to look back at the house. I needed to spend more time here. When all this was over, I was going on a serious staycation. Sigh, it probably would never be over. I'd only been a Traveller for a few months and every day seemed to bring with it more drama and more mystery. I hadn't even had time to consider the vision I'd had in the tub. Who was the guy with the wings? And black flames? What the hell was that about? I shook my head like a minion; they were rubbing off on me and stepped through the gate.
I needn't have worried about Sid and Spin during the storm. They had fashioned quite the little camp site for themselves. In the relatively short time I'd been inside, these two had a sturdy shelter made and a fire blazing. And what looked like a couple of squirrels cooking over the flame.
"Wow, you guys know how to settle in," I said.
Spin smiled when he saw me.
"Oh, lady, you look much better." He wiped his hand on a cloth he'd gotten from somewhere. "And that outfit is very fitting."
"Thank you, Spin." I gestured at the camp site. "Thought I'd be gone a while, eh?"
"Well, when the rains started Sid suggested we build a shelter, and you can't have a shelter without a fire, and you can't have a fire without food!" He pulled one of the meat sticks from the flame. "Squirrel?"
"Don't mind if I do," Archer said as he sat down on a rock and tore into the flesh.
"I'm good, thanks."
"May we see your face?"
It was the first thing Sid had said since we'd joined them. I pulled back my hood.
"What do you think?" I asked.
Sid crawled out from under the shelter. I sat down on the rock next to Archer so he could get a closer look. Sid stood up and walked around me slowly.
"Remarkable," he whispered, "Truly remarkable."
"I look good, right?"
"My lady, when I first saw you I had no idea how you would heal, let alone if it could actually be done. In fact, I can confess it now, I had my doubts that you would ever be whole again. But after one healing session, you have returned yourself to this state. It is promising. Do you look good? No. You do not. You do however appear to be healing. And that is all we can ask for." He stepped back and cocked his head to the side. "I do wish your hair would grow back faster."
"You and me both." I pulled my hood back up. "Now, before we go to the Caves I need you guys to fill me in on what has been happening there."
The minions just stood there. Neither said a word.
"Guys, this is where you start talking and telling me what has been happening in the Caves."
The minions slowly turned their heads, looked at each other, then looked back at me. Spin spoke.
"It is best you see for yourself."
"Oh, that sounds great." Sarcasm, best friend of every tough girl.
Travelling with two minions and a, hmmm, I have no idea what Archer's people called themselves; let’s go with 'silver dudes'... Travelling with two minions and a silver dude, two of whom think they're in charge, was interesting. What was even more interesting was watching Sid and Archer figure out to hold hands in the manliest way possible. Since Sid and Spin knew clearly how to get to the City of Caves, they need to be in control. Since they were on the small side, they each needed to take one of us. Spin quickly took my hand as Sid had explained this, I think he was a bit scared of Archer.
We bounced and bumped into each other as we moved through the time tunnels but managed to land on our feet. The last time Archer and I had been here we'd arrived further back from the canyon. This time we ended up right before the large cauldron that guarded the entrance to the City of Caves. It was night again, was it always night here? And totally dark, the only light coming from the stars up above.
"Why is the fire out?" I asked. No one answered. "And why are the torches out?"
I looked at Sid and Spin. Spin was pale, minion pale. A light sheen of sweat had formed on his upper lip in spite of the chilly desert night. Sid's face had gone completely blank. Whatever emotions he was feeling were trapped far away behind a thick steel wall deep in his heart.
"You guys are freaking me out. Snap out of it."
I snapped my fingers in front of Sid's face; his hand shot out and grabbed my wrist.
"Do not do that."
"Sorry," I pulled my hand away, "But you guys need to start telling me what's going on."
"The minions are violent creatures." Spin sounded far away as his voice filled the darkness. "You saw the atrocities that were taking place the last time you were here."
"I did."
"As the humans say, that was the tip of the iceberg. I cannot remember a time when our people did not engage in violence for sport."
"Remember the Colosseum?" Sid asked. I didn't like the smile on his face.
"Of course I do," Spin snapped. "We have always been violent and power hungry. When you took the head of Ganaraj, you did indeed become our leader, but just as quickly you were gone. And into that empty space crawled the most power hungry, the most violent of us. The ones that sat s
impering at Ganaraj's side, all the while waiting for his downfall." Spin turned to me. "There have been battles for succession. They began almost immediately. Inside those caves are hundreds of minions all scrambling for position, all unsure of what will come next, unsure of who will rule."
"This all went down in a couple days?" I asked.
"This has been going on for centuries," Sid said.
"When you walk through that gate you will be fighting for your rightful place as leader of our kind," Spin said.
"They will fight you," Sid said.
"And you will win!" Spin countered.
"Shit, guys! Why didn't you tell me all this back at the house?" I thought about my single sword and small blades. "I would have brought more firepower."
"I'm always packing." Archer drew from the scabbard on his back one of, okay, the biggest sword I'd ever seen.
"Damn!" I said. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. His eyes shone in the darkness. "Are you going to be okay in there? No freaking out?" His eyes flicked quickly to the two minions before answering.
"I will be fine. I cannot sense the same darkness that was here before." He took a deep breath like he was scenting the air. "This is just violence. More chaotic, but not the soul dampening darkness that was there before."
"Oh man, we're actually going to do this aren't we?"
Spin touched my hand.
"Remember my pain, my lady? Remember what I showed you?"
"I do."
When I'd first moved through the caves, Spin had been my guide. My vision power had picked up on some of his experiences down in the throne room, and they were not cool. In fact, they were seriously messed up. I had vowed then that I would put a stop to the pain and bloodlust that Ganaraj, Big G, had been spreading. And now it was time to make good on that promise.
I pulled my sword from my back and looked at the blade. It pulsed a red warning in my hands.
"No violence." I put the sword away. "We offer no violence until we receive it." I looked at Archer. "Put your sword away. We will use our power to get down to the throne room."
"You're serious?" he asked.
"You are a member of the Guard," I placed a hand on his beautiful silver shoulder. "One of the most powerful creatures in the Void," I ran my hand down his arm until we were both holding the shaft of his sword. My power flared. I felt it move from our joined hands through my veins. I felt my wings spread and my spine straighten. These were my people. I was their ruler. I would protect them. I would decide for them. They would be mine.
"Let us do this as kings would."
Archer put up his sword and fell into step behind me as I walked into the City of Caves.
18
There was no heavy shift of power or spell of darkness blocking the entry. We simply walked through, which put a real dent in my strut. But I shrugged it off and held tightly to the power I had called before we entered the Caves. It was cold in here, the night breezes of the canyon were picking up speed at the entrance and whipping ahead of us down the passage. Some of the torches were lit, and some had been ripped from the walls.
I heard Sid shuffle up beside me.
"They are all in the throne room."
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"I can feel them."
"And now would be a good time to remind you that we are rebuilding our friendship and keeping any information from me would be a very bad thing."
"My lady," he said the word as sarcastically as a dignified minion could, "save it for the enemy."
"Could you two focus please?" Archer's voice was a deep bass that rolled through me even when my power wasn't on high alert.
"Got it." I kept my gaze forward, waiting for something to jump out at me. "Spin, where do you feel the others?" A few beats of silence. "Spin?"
"I can't."
"You can't what?"
"I can't feel them, my lady."
"What?" I stopped short and turned to him. Archer quickly moved in front of me to watch the passage. "What do you mean you can't feel them?"
"I reach out," he closed his eyes and literally reached into the air, it shimmered slightly. "But I cannot find them."
"Is that bad?" I asked Sid.
"It isn't good," he said calmly.
"Damn. Okay, Spin," I put one hand on his shoulder. "Stay close to me, and Arc..." I remembered the names Travel and bit my tongue. "Keep an eye on him if stuff gets hairy. Okay?"
"Okay," Archer grunted.
Spin is a very literal guy. He would have attached himself to my leg like one of my blades if I'd let him. He settled for being close enough that I kicked him every other step.
The tunnels were designed to mess with your mind. They sloped slowly downward and moved back and forth so you could never be sure just which direction you were going in. Or from which direction the enemy could be coming. Archer stayed in the lead, which I was grateful for. He had put his blade away but was one of the quickest draws I'd ever seen. Okay, okay, I haven't seen many swords drawn. Alright, zero swords drawn. But take my word for it, the man is fast. When he needs to be. Wink, wink. Too much? Okay, back to the tunnel.
We had been going for what felt like hours but was actually only minutes, when the air started to take on a strange odour.
"Do you guys smell that?" I asked.
"Of course," Archer responded.
"What is it?"
"Death." Sid's answer was a bit too quick for my liking.
"Death?"
"Death and blood and piss and sweat and tears."
"Party time," I said.
"Exactly," Sid replied.
"Sid, I was being sarcastic."
"So was I."
He didn't sound sarcastic, and his face hadn't moved throughout the exchange. I was starting to worry about him. I had a feeling there was more to Sid than I knew, his taste in fun was far more 'minion' than I had previously realised.
Archer froze. I didn't see it happening. My eyes were on Sid, but I felt it. I felt it deep in the pit of my stomach.
Time started to slow down, and I turned towards him just as he drew his sword from his back. I dropped to a crouch and shoved Spin back against the wall. Sid scuttled out of my peripheral vision. I heard Spin grunt as he hit the wall and then the wave of minions rounded the corner.
Time sped back up to real life speed, and suddenly thirty minions were bearing down on us. Archer stepped back onto his right leg and pulled back his sword, preparing to sweep across the first row of attackers. Before his blade could swing, I stepped forward and hooked my arm under his.
"No violence!" I yelled.
He pulled against my arm, the shadow of bloodlust appearing at the edges of his eyes. I thrust my free arm forward towards the oncoming minions and called forth my power.
It had never worked that fast. The space between thought and action was virtually non-existent. A large glob of bright blue power shot from my hand and hit the crowd of minions head on. It splattered across them, covering the first few rows in blue goo. Those minions struck by the goo dropped like rocks to the floor, their little chests moving up and down very fast. The rest kept coming.
"Crap," I whispered.
"Exactly," Archer said.
He shoved me off and stepped forward, swinging his sword left and right. Minions were falling like leaves, and still, Archer kept swinging. The walls of the cave were soon covered in splatters of blue, green and purple. Minion blood.
I heard Spin start to sob and something in me broke free.
"Stop," I said the word quietly. Softly. "Stop." A little louder this time, almost above the sounds of violence. "Stop!"
I screamed the word, and my power screamed with it.
Bright green lightning jumped from my hands, ripping apart my gloves and exposing my raw tight skin. My hood flew back revealing my stretched skin and grotesque mouth. I screamed the word again, and my power blasted through the tunnel like a tornado. It swirled around the minions forcing them to the ground. Their eyes were gl
ued to me as I stood with my stretched skin that glowed green. I tugged at the collar of my suit to reveal my sternum. It pulsed green as well. I walked towards the minions that had attacked us, and they scattered towards the walls.
"Stop." Everyone froze. "There will be no more of this." They all just stared. "Answer me." My words were quiet and calm. If I hadn't been trying to save our lives, I would have found it creepy. "Tell me this uprising is over."
The minions answered in unison.
"It is over, my lady."
"Good, very good. Now walk with me. It is time to take my throne." I took a step forward, then stopped. "Archer, Spin, Sid, join me."
The three men took positions behind me like a gnarly group of bodyguards. I started walking.
"My lady?" Spin was at my heel again.
"Yes, Spin?"
"Your hair has come back."
My hand shot to my head. I dragged it across my skull, and yes, my hair had grown back. It was only about an inch long, but that was way better than it had been even an hour ago.
"Well isn't that awesome."
"It is, my lady."
Archer's voice cut across the tunnel.
"What is the plan?"
"To take back my throne," I answered.
"They know you are coming," Sid said.
"Good."
19
My strut was on fleek (did I say that right?) by the time we reached the throne room. I was sure I looked like something out of a Quentin Tarantino movie. At one point Spin told me I was humming. I had inadvertently started singing my own theme song. Bah, bah, bah! Anyway... I was strutting, and the minions we had overcome in the passageway were now moving in formation behind me, their shuffling steps sounding in unison.
I could hear the din of the throne room up ahead. It sounded chaotic. I stopped. The minions behind me stopped. I looked back at them, they stared at me.
Mend the Flesh (The Phoenix Series Book 3) Page 9