Paldimori Gods Rising Box Set

by T. L. Callahan

  I braced myself as the chariot slammed back to solid ground and went skidding. My poor abused wheel broke away from the hub. My side banged into the chariot wall once more and I grunted in pain. Pulling with all my might, I worked to bring the horses to a stop as the bare axle of the chariot dug up mud and leaves along the way.

  Dropping my head onto the tilted lip of the chariot, I let out a relieved sigh. So much for kicking ass. Broken down was not how I saw this going. “Molly, are you there?”

  “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Well, it could be better.” I sighed in frustration. “My wheel is shredded, thanks to Mikhail. I’m broken down.”

  “Shit! Ok, I’m allowed to help with this at least. I’m in Winter. Where are you?”

  “My guess is Fall. Just look for the downed trees. You can’t miss me,” I replied with more than a hint of sarcasm.

  “What? Never mind. On my way.”

  23

  I took off my helmet, placing it inside the chariot as I stepped down to the ground. Ninny and Saam were a little skittish. I talked to them as I rubbed them down, checking them over for injuries. Thankfully, they were fine. My muscles, however, were tense and sore. I worked through some of the warm-up stretches, then walked back toward the path. The forest was eerily quiet and still, except for the falling leaves.

  Maya, in a chariot of black flames with red tips, picked her way through the forest to get around the downed trees. She looked right at me as she passed within feet of me, but never once slowed down. She maneuvered back onto the path and then raced away.

  One of the horses neighed, drawing me back to my chariot. I walked over to them, talking soothingly. The next thing I knew I slammed face first into the ground. Dazed for a moment from my forehead smacking the ground, I lay there, until the horses’ whickering got me back onto my feet. I scrubbed at my dirty face with equally dirty hands, achieving little except for smearing mud around.

  “Shhh. I’m coming,” I told Ninny and Saam.

  In the distance I could hear the sound of the other chariots making their way around the downed trees. Strike one for me. Please let the rest of the competitions go much better than this one.

  I’d only taken a couple of steps when I was flying through the air again, only to slam down to the ground several feet from where I’d been. “Owww! Son of a bitch,” I hissed as pain radiated from my butt and back.

  The air had felt like it thickened into a massive fist before punching me into last week. Something bizarre was going on here. Why was it that strange seemed to be attracted to me these days? I took a deep breath and inched my way onto my feet, hissing in pain with every movement. Massaging my butt, I turned in circles, listening. The empty forest surrounded me: nothing but tall trees and colorful leaves. A cool breeze filtered through the trees bringing a swirl of falling leaves. Their rustling sounds the only thing to be heard. Sweat dripped down my face, and my damp hair clung to my neck.

  Something moved in the air around me. Then the air started to thicken. I spun around and raced toward the path, hoping to catch one of the other chariots. Fear shot through my veins at the thought of what—or who—could be stalking me. My feet pounded over the ground, reaching the dip I had flown over earlier. My eyes widened in terror, but my scream stayed trapped in my throat as my body was wrapped up in a boa constrictor’s embrace.

  The air squeezed me in its grip. There was a tugging sensation at my neck, then the grip tightened even further. My chest was burning for air, and tingling pinpricks started in my limbs. I could hear my bones creaking as they were compressed to the point of breaking.

  God, please don’t let me die, I pleaded. Please don’t let me be squeezed to death.

  I closed my eyes. White dots floated behind my eyes as my body began to shut down. The feeling in my limbs was gone. The creaking of my bones turned to splintering as they gave way under the pressure. Then I heard the most beautiful sound in the world.

  “Lia?” Molly called. “Lia, where are you?”

  Released, I fell limply to the ground. I gulped air, gasping. My dry lips tried to form words, but nothing came out. Every swallow brought agony to my bruised throat as I worked to croak out, “Molly. Here.”

  The sound of an ATV drew closer. My forehead dropped to the damp ground, my whole body shaking. My ribs ached with every breath. I felt pretty sure something had cracked. Cautiously, I tested my body, starting with my toes and working my way up. Miraculously, nothing seemed to be broken. Just bruised to hell.

  Molly pulled up beside me and rushed over to my side. Her knees hit the ground beside my head, and her hand smoothed over my back. “My gods, Lia. What happened? Are you ok? The path is a mess back there.”

  My whole body shuddered before I locked it down and slowly pushed to my feet. I held up my hand warning Molly away. When my eyes met hers, she took an involuntary step backward. Anger and pain warred for supremacy as I advanced on her, backing her up several more steps before she decided to stand her ground. Wind whipped through the trees making the branches above creak and groan.

  “I don’t know what the hell is going on around here, and I don’t care.” Anger had won, and it suffused every inch of my body. A limb crashed to the ground behind her. “I’m done with this. Do you hear me? Done! I want to know what you people are and why someone is trying to kill me.”

  “Ok, Lia. Ok.” Molly held her hands up in front of her as I stopped mere inches from her face. She looked worriedly at the branches above us. “Let’s just calm down. Tell me what happened.”

  “What happened?” I stepped back and spread my arms wide to encompass our surroundings. “This damn island is what happened. The ground and the roots already tried to eat me. I was dragged around by horses. Now the damn air tried to squeeze me like I was a fucking tube of toothpaste.”

  “Are you saying that something attacked you?” She looked skeptical. “Did you see anything?”

  “No, Molly. I didn’t see a damn thing because there was nothing there!” I shouted and another branch fell. “The damn air felt like it was thickening or something. Then it lifted me up, so my tiptoes were barely touching the ground and started squeezing the life out of me. I’m telling you it was the air. The stuff that does a body good. Required to breath. Fucking air!”

  “Ok, I believe you. Breath, Lia. Calm.” Molly mimed taking in deep breaths, and I followed her lead. The wind died down and she looked around the forest. “Get on the ATV and go. I’ll get the horses.”

  “I can’t. I don’t know how to drive that thing.” I didn’t need to wreck another vehicle today. “Let’s fix the chariot. I’ll drive it. You can follow me.”

  She nodded, and we got to work replacing the wheel. Molly looked over the horses once more and stayed with me as I got them back on the path.

  Then we were off. My ribs and pounding head complained from the jarring ride, but I was glad to be getting out of there. Of all the things that had happened to me since I had arrived, being almost squeezed to death was the creepiest. Things were weird here. It wasn’t my imagination. When we got out of this damn forest, someone would be giving me some answers.

  The path became more and more covered in leaves as we went, making the chariot slide about. I drove the horses hard, ready for this to be over. The fall forest gave way to a snow-covered woodland that made me thankful for the drivers who had gone before me to mark the path. Here, pine boughs dipped with the weight of inches of snow. Icicles dangled from branches and tinkled in the breeze.

  The path took us first down a steep snow-covered hill that strained every muscle and nerve I had to navigate. Next was an archway of black roses encased in ice that led down into a cave of massive icicles. They protruded up from the floor and down from the ceiling, making a hazardous obstacle course. We made it through and came to another hill. In the distance, I could see the boundary where winter ended, and the green meadow began. The finish line! We were nearly there. We just had to cross the frozen pond that separated us.<
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  “All right, guys, last part. We’re almost home free.”

  Slowly, we eased out onto the frozen water while Molly waited on the hill. Ninny and Saam took it in stride like they walked across ice all the time. Maybe they did. They trotted across the frozen expanse, the wheels of the chariot slipping about. White-knuckled grip on the reins, breathing shallow, I listened to the ice beneath us. The creaking and groaning sounded almost like an eerie song.

  Oh, thank god! We made it across. The end was in sight. Pulling off my helmet, I breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh scent of snow. Then I turned and waved to Molly. Her turn to cross the pond.

  “Let’s do this, guys!” I said as I gathered up the reins.

  Excruciating pain exploded in my chest. Something wet dripped onto my hand then down to the ground. Red drops trickled down like rain to stain the white snow below. My lungs struggled for air. What was wrong? What was happening? I looked down at my chest where a black arrow with red fletching protruded from under my breastplate.

  That didn’t make sense. Surely that couldn’t be an arrow stuck in my chest. People only get shot by arrows in the movies. Then the trees swayed in a sudden gust of wind and a great flock of birds flew overhead. My uncooperative body slumped against the chariot wall. Directly overhead, the birds circled around and around in a cyclone of beating wings. Roaring sounded in the distance and the ground trembled. Another earthquake? No. The ground stopped shaking and the sound tapered off into an anguished howl.

  “Lia!” Molly screamed in panic somewhere behind me. “Go! Get to the Kyrion.”

  The path before me began to change as the snow melted away and dry dirt took its place. Weakly, I called to Ninny and Saam. The horses seemed to sense the urgency and flew over the ground as if they had wings. Dizziness assailed me, and I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing was real. “How . . .?”

  The dips in the path leveled themselves flat only feet ahead of the horse’s hooves. My grip on the reins and the wall of the chariot were all that kept me upright as my legs gave out. Darkness crept in and beckoned me to come rest. A jolt of pain dragged me back from the darkness. Cold. It was so cold. My heart was beating rapidly like the fluttering of all those wings.

  A gray-brown owl landed on the lip of the chariot in front of me, looking me over with its big dark eyes. “There’s an arrow in my chest, Owl. Who-who shoots someone with an arrow?” My weak laughter turned to wet coughing. The owl merely cocked its head.

  My wheezing breath sounded abnormally loud, filling my ears to drown out all else. The darkness was visiting me more frequently with every moment. The owl still watched me from its perch on my chariot. Was any of this real? Pain ripped through my chest and I came back from the dark once more. The owl had its beak wrapped around the arrow. “D-don’t . . .”

  It let go and looked at me as if to say, “Don’t make me do it again.” Oh god, as crazy as this was, it was all too real.

  We thundered through the tunnel directly toward the crowd of people gathered at the finish line. We needed to stop, but my body was no longer obeying my commands. Bennett appeared beside me in the chariot. Wrapping his arm around my waist, he took control of the reins and brought us to a skidding, grass-flinging halt feet from the crowd. Then he was laying me down on the grass.

  He brushed my hair back from my face. “Lia, stay with me. The doctor is right here.” He looked pale and worried. He gripped my hand, then leaned down to lightly kiss my lips. When he pulled back, blood coated his lips like a garish red lipstick. Fear spiked through me. I tried to talk, but nothing came out.

  Then the doctor was by my side and moved Bennett out of the way. Coldness seeped through my pores and leached into my veins. My eyes drifted to the late afternoon sunset that painted the sky in beautiful shades of orange, pink, and purple. A tear trickled from the corner of my eye as I took in the beauty.

  I wish Dia was here. There was so much I wanted to tell her. My breaths came farther apart as the coldness encased my bones and organs in ice. I barely felt the doctor as he worked over me.

  Molly and Grace knelt on my other side, sobbing. It was like watching a movie with the sound turned off. Everything was silent. Bennett leaned over me again, shouting something. I stared at his gorgeous face and smiled at the crazy mess of his hair that looked as if he had been trying to pull it out. I wanted to run my fingers through it, but I could no longer feel my limbs. Then I sank down into the cold depths and the darkness welcomed me home.

  24

  I drifted up out of my body, my astral presence floating over Bennett’s shoulder. My pale body lay still on the ground, dirt-and-blood-streaked face set in a serene expression. That’s me lying there. Which means . . . I’m dead. If I could feel anything I’d be hyperventilating right about now. The thoughts were there, but it was getting harder to reach the emotions tied to them.

  This was the suckiest “vacation” ever. After all of my near misses only to end up dying at the first competition. My afterlife better be filled with me being treated like a princess, including all the chocolate a girl could eat, or I might hurt someone.

  Bennett pulled me up, shaking my unresponsive body as he raged at me to open my eyes. Eros, his shoulders slumped, tried to get Bennett to let me go. “Brother, she is gone.”

  “No!” He jerked away from Eros’s hand on his shoulder and held my body to his chest.

  The arrow bumped into him, and rage suffused his face. His hand waved jerkily above the arrow, and it pushed through my chest flying several feet to embed itself in the ground. Bennett rocked me against him for a moment, whispering words too soft for me to hear. Then he lay a gentle kiss on my lips before pressing my eyes closed. He kissed each lid then smoothed the hair back from my face.

  Did he really care so much?

  Bennett lay me back on the ground. He dropped his head, breathing erratically as his fists opened and closed on his knees. A shudder racked his body. Gradually that vaunted control of his slipped over him like a long-lost friend as he regained his composure and rose to his feet. He held out his hand and the bloody arrow flew into his grasp as though yanked by a string. He held the arrow out, blood coating his palm as he looked over the crowd.

  “Who?” he asked softly. Silence. “Who has done this?” he bellowed.

  Bennett had mind-ninjaed that arrow to come to him. Wasn’t someone a special snowflake? The shock should have been pouring over me, but even that was absent. Anger would have been there somewhere too. The damn man had punched a hole through the other side of me with that arrow. My body had enough holes in it already, thank you very much. I kicked his shin for good measure, and my foot passed right through him. I couldn’t even be a vengeful ghost.

  It figures some answers would finally come when it was too late. My suspicions were confirmed. There was something extraordinary about the Paldimori. Everything that had happened on this island I had rationalized or blown off. No more. Bennett was the son of a god or maybe a wizard. Whichever, he wasn’t human.

  The other contestants were showing the level of shock and anxiety I should be feeling. They stared intently at Bennett from where they had separated themselves far away from the Paldimori. Chris had finally gotten his chance to play hero and hid Nikki behind him. She clung to him, squishing up against him so tightly his face was a comical slideshow of pleasure and horror. Maya stood defiantly at the front, narrowed eyes assessing everyone. Likely she was recalculating her strategy. Kade stood wide-legged, arms down at his sides prepared for whatever may come. His sad eyes occasionally flickered to my still form. Mikhail, his arm in a sling, scowled as if he were two-seconds away from kicking everyone’s ass.

  The guides and servants looked uneasily at each other. Still, no one came forward. Molly leaned over my body and pointed at my throat. “Look, h-her necklace is gone.” Tears tracked down her face. “I-In the woods. Someone used air manipulation. Tried to crush her. It must’ve happened then. Someone took her protection so they could kill her.”

>   Had that happened when I’d felt the tugging sensation at my neck? Probably. Jewelry had been the last thing on my mind while fighting to breathe. After that, all I’d wanted was to get out of there.

  Who the hell would want to kill me? I was a fucking nice person.

  “We have traitors amongst us.” Bennett gripped the black arrow so tightly his knuckles turned white. “The accidents that befell Potential Davies were created by someone with the intent to do harm. Those attacks against our honored guest have brought shame on our Houses. But this . . . To kill a contestant . . .”

  Bennett’s voice was filled with vehement rage as his hands fisted around the arrow. “Someone has violated our number one rule: it is a Kyrion’s sworn duty to protect all contestants who enter the Games and no intentional harm may be visited upon them. This is an act of treason; to attack a Potential is to attack your Kyrion.” His dark gaze scanned the crowd. “These Games were created to help our people. To find those descendants who were lost to the human world. To strengthen our people once more. Whoever you are, you have betrayed our people in a manner we have not seen since we were forced to this sanctuary. Confess now, and your punishment will be swift. I vow that no consequences will befall your House beyond those who are responsible. Confess, so you may yet restore some honor to your House!”

  Bennett stared stonily at the gathered crowd as if he could bend them to his will with only a look. The other Kyrion moved into position at his back to form a united front. Molly’s sobs filled the silence. Grace sat on her knees, stunned, staring at my body. Her shell-shocked voice drifted through the air.

  “She can’t be dead. She’s going to wake up. She has to. It was just to scare her. That’s all. She was only supposed to leave.”