A Tide of War

by Bella Forrest

  “What the hell is happening here?” Tejus breathed.

  “I have no idea,” I replied slowly, “but this has to be the most traumatizing thing I’ve ever witnessed.”

  Tejus grimaced.

  Clearly I wasn’t alone.

  Ash

  When Tejus and the other members of GASP left for the cove, I went in search of the Impartial Ministers. I still had unanswered questions about the water, and more specifically, the effect on my mortal life.

  I found them sitting in an empty room in the palace, nursing a flagon of mead. They had clearly been drinking for some time—the air was thick with its heady, sweet scent. I observed them with disgust. The guards and ministers of Nevertide were out in the grounds, doing what they could to protect the land and its people. Not to mention members of GASP, and Tejus, risking their lives down at the cove. If the Impartial Ministers were meant to represent a ‘brotherhood’ of Nevertide, then they were doing a horrendous job of it.

  Their glazed eyes slowly turned in my direction, and they both frowned at the intrusion.

  “Emperor of Nevertide,” one of them slurred. “We are celebrating the end—will you bother someone else? This is a ritual. All beasts must mourn what is lost, and sentries are no different.”

  “Ritual?” I spat. “I only see two broken fools, drinking like cowards.”

  “How dare you?” the second blustered. “We have given our very souls to this land—we have watched it thrive for centuries, and now it is our burden to watch it fall.”

  I tried to keep my temper in check. There was absolutely no point in trying to tell them that Nevertide had never ‘thrived’ under their watch, and that it wasn’t the end—not yet. Not while we had men and women still willing to fight for it.

  “I was healed by the immortal waters,” I began impatiently. “I was close to death, wounded by the shadow. But it healed me—completely, not even a scar. When I emerged, I was told by three of your kind that I was now part of the brotherhood, that I was immortal…I want to know, is this true?”

  That got their attention.

  Both of them were looking at me with varying degrees of shock and fury.

  “Those waters are sacred—not for the likes of you!”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “What does it mean?” I asked again, the palm of my hand resting against the pommel of my new sword. If I had to threaten them to get the answers I needed, I happily would.

  “It means you are one of us,” muttered one of them. “Now the immortal waters have blessed you, you have obtained a degree of immortality, and will live many lifetimes after this one.”

  “What does that mean exactly? Alive till the end of time? Impervious to weapons?” I asked, sick to death of their vague answers.

  “We are not impervious to weapons,” the first minister sighed, as if my questions were some great philosophical debate that was wearing him down, “though we can be healed time and time again by the waters. And no, it does not mean to the end of time—eventually you will die, unless you preserve yourself within the waters.”

  “And I will age?” I questioned, though the answer was right in front of me.

  “You will age.”

  And Ruby won’t.

  “How old are you?” I asked.

  The Impartial Ministers looked at one another and laughed, hacking and wheezing.

  “We have lived for nine hundred years,” one replied. “Almost a millennium.”

  I nodded, speechless.

  That’s old.

  “But I’m not in any way now tied to Nevertide—I mean, I don’t have to remain here to stay alive?”

  Since the first conversation with the ministers it had weighed on my mind, that somehow my life might be inextricably linked to the land.

  The one minister who had answered my questions eyed me with curiosity.

  “No. You’re not physically linked with this land, Ashbik. Though, I must say, it is a curious question for one who seems so determined to save it…I wonder if that answer pleases or displeases you?”

  For once the Impartial Ministers had hit the nail on the head. The sentry’s insight was surprising, and for a moment I didn’t know how to answer him—or if I should even bother.

  “I don’t want my life to be linked to Nevertide,” I replied slowly, wondering, even as the words left my mouth, how true that statement was.

  The minister picked up his cup once again, and drained the liquid with a hearty gulp.

  “You may find,” he continued, wiping away droplets of the vile liquid that spilled onto his beard, “that though you are not physically linked to this land, your heart and soul may have something different to say on the matter.”

  “Perhaps,” I murmured, not wishing to discuss the issue any further. I knew where my heart was linked—and it was to Ruby, and that was all.

  “I’ll leave you to stew in your misery,” I replied, moving back toward the door. The Impartial Ministers both raised their cups once more, and went back to muttering between themselves.

  I shut the door behind me, relieved to be away from them.

  Walking back outside to the palace grounds, I tried to ignore what the ministers had said about being linked to Nevertide. There was no use dwelling on it anyway—there might not be a Nevertide by tomorrow, not unless we found a way to halt the entity. Or, if the team found a way for the portal to be locked, we’d be stuck here, fighting the entity’s army till we no longer could.

  As I stepped outside, I shivered in the cold air.

  The evening was silent. The sentries guarding the borders were tense and anxious, murmuring quietly to one another or not at all. The guards stood watch silently, their gaze never leaving the sky for more than a few moments.

  “Ash?”

  Ruby approached from the other side of the terrace, wrapped up in a robe over her GASP uniform.

  “Hey, Shortie.” I smiled.

  “I’ve been looking for you—do you think they’re okay?” She came to stand next to me, looking out in the direction of the cove. “I’m glad you didn’t go.”

  “I hope so,” I replied.

  I didn’t know how I felt about being left behind. I knew and understood Derek’s reasoning—that if the mission were to fail, then the sentries would need a leader. Along with the rest of GASP, we would need to be the last defense against the entity and its army.

  “I’m worried about Tejus—and Hazel. What she’d do if anything happened to him. I’ve been there, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.” She leaned her head against my chest, her hand idly grazing against my arm as if to check that I was still all there. She’d done this a few times since I’d come out of the immortal waters and I didn’t think she even realized that she was doing it.

  “I’m here,” I replied softly. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere.”

  She nodded, not replying. I guessed the sentiment wasn’t entirely true—we didn’t know what would happen tonight. Whether or not we would survive to see the dawn.

  “Ruby, I wanted to thank you for saving my life. It must have been difficult, riding with me all that way, not knowing. It was amazing. You’re amazing.”

  She smiled, poking me in the ribs. “You don’t have to say thank you. Just stay alive, okay?”

  “Will do,” I murmured.

  I wanted to talk to her about Claudia’s offer, if she would want me to seriously consider it at some point—especially considering the differences our aging process would result in if she were to become a vampire and I didn’t.

  Before I could open my mouth to say anything, the ground started to tremble. Ruby’s grip on me tightened, and we looked down at the stone beneath our feet. The mortar started to crack slightly, the surface shuddering just enough to dislodge some of the paving.

  “Is it coming?” Ruby whispered.

  “I don’t know.”

  I rushed out onto the yard, Ruby following behind me. The ministers and guards were looking aroun
d, waiting for my instruction. Members of GASP flooded out from the palace doors, ready to help. Claudia and Yuri rushed up to us, Claudia instantly taking her daughter’s hand.

  “What do we do?” one of the witches asked, her voice hoarse with fear.

  “Secure the borders!” I yelled to everyone, waving GASP over to the ministers to provide the necessary energy.

  I glanced up at the sky.

  I couldn’t see or feel anything yet—but it didn’t mean that it wasn’t coming.

  Tejus

  A procession started to form. Jenus and the monstrous crowned female ghoul began leading the rest of the creatures in the direction of the forest that bordered the opposite side of the cove.

  I waited anxiously for Jenus and his queen to disappear from view. I could feel the others growing restless beside me, all of us hoping that this would be our chance. If the procession left the portal unguarded, then we’d have enough time to lock it, or perhaps even better, if we were sure we’d get enough time, we could ensure the villagers, Hazel and the others got to safety first.

  “Where are they headed?” Derek asked.

  The forest they were walking into bordered Hellswan castle, eventually leading up to its front gates. Beyond the castle lay the summer palace and further in the distance, the mountain range, all surrounded by more forest.

  “I think they’re headed toward Hellswan—there’s not much else that lies in that direction.”

  We continued to watch the cove. Once the last ghouls left, part of the shadow remained hovering over the portal. I gritted my teeth in irritation—had they left the ghouls guarding it, we would have had a much easier job. Clearly the entity was well aware that the portal was its one way out of Nevertide—it wouldn’t leave it open to our interference.

  “What now?” Lucas asked, his face ghostly pale.

  “We split up,” Derek replied. “Sherus, Nuriya, Ibrahim, wait by the portal to see if anything changes. If you can get closer without the shadow detecting you, do—but don’t take any risks.”

  All of them nodded, the jinni queen’s gaze darting across the landscape of the cove, already plotting where she might reappear without being seen.

  “The rest of us are going to follow Jenus and the rest of them to the castle. Do we need to follow them through the forest, or is there another way?” Derek asked me.

  “We can follow the path—it will lead to the castle, probably faster than they can reach it,” I mused, “which makes me wonder why they chose that route in the first place.”

  Ben’s eyebrows rose inquisitively.

  “Perhaps they’re in no hurry. Clearly the shadow feels more comfortable among the trees, and ghouls like the damp.”

  A moment later I heard a ferocious howl coming from the forest. It was followed by the loud snapping of bones and ghouls’ laughter. Ah.

  “They’re feeding,” I muttered. “That makes sense.”

  That part of the forest was overrun with fang beasts, no doubt providing intestines for the ghouls’ evening meal. More howls went up, and the wild shrieks of ghouls enjoying the hunt.

  “Let’s go,” Derek commanded. “Ibrahim, can you provide us with cover?”

  The warlock nodded, casting us under his spell. The dragon, Lethe, refused – preferring to fly up and out of sight.

  The shadow didn’t move as we made our way along the path. I had half hoped that it would, giving the warlock and jinni enough time to close the portal undisturbed.

  “How far to Hellswan?” Ben asked me.

  “A few miles, nothing more—we should be there soon.”

  We kept the pace steady as we continued on the road through Nevertide. If the vampires were irritated by having to move at a slower pace than they were used to, they didn’t show it.

  As we drew closer to our destination, the sounds of the ghouls cavorting grew louder. Their evident joy at taking over the land was sickening—was this what it had been like when the entity had ruled here? Had all of Nevertide’s more twisted creatures been free to prowl and hunt in this way? It made me wonder why human settlers had ever wanted to stay within its shores. Perhaps they had been of the same mind as the Acolytes, falsely believing the entity to be benevolent and an all-powerful god, before it was too late.

  “We should veer off path here—edge around the side of the castle, otherwise we’ll end up arriving at the portcullis at the same time they do,” I murmured. Even if the ghouls couldn’t see us, the chance that the entity might be able to sense us made a direct arrival too risky.

  “Stay vigilant,” Derek reminded us, “they might have sent lookouts on ahead.”

  I led the group off the path as soon as we came to the start of the ruined village. We moved silently between two burnt-out homes, up into the farmland behind them. Once we reached the edge of the property, we were back in the forest again, making our way through the densely packed trees and viciously spiked undergrowth.

  We exited the forest where the far eastern tower once stood. Here the ground sloped upward, and at the top, the remains of the castle’s outer wall lay in crumbled ruins. Lethe joined us, and we watched in silence – waiting for the ghoul hordes to arrive.

  We didn’t have long to wait.

  As soon as we were in position, we saw the procession making its way through the forest. The ghouls had lit branches to make flaming torches, and they held these aloft, chanting guttural noises as they approached the castle.

  Jenus and the ghoul queen had been given cloaks made from dead fang beast fur, blood still running off the skin and dripping down onto the bodies of the wearers. It was repulsive—my heart quickened in anger on watching such repugnant creatures striding through the portcullis, desecrating the land where my home had once stood.

  “Peace, Tejus,” Lethe whispered next to me. I guessed he was afraid I might rush forward and try to slaughter them. “You’ll get your revenge—we just need to be patient.”

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  Once Jenus and the queen entered the grounds, the ghouls and the shadow dispersed, flying off around the rubble of the castle, upturning the stones and dragging the rotting corpses of sentries up from their resting places.

  Zerus could be one of those.

  I hadn’t seen him when we’d come to find the emperor’s book, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t here somewhere—disfigured beyond recognition or buried too far down for me to see him.

  We ducked down further as the ghouls approached. Fortunately for us, they didn’t seem to be aware that they might be being watched, having too much fun in their mockery of the dead to pay close attention to their surroundings.

  “What do you think they’re doing here?” Ben asked, his voice barely even a whisper.

  I had been wondering the same thing.

  “I suppose that in a way, Hellswan castle is the home of the entity—if it was locked here for so many lifetimes, perhaps it wishes to return to it, to claim it as its own.”

  Ben looked skeptical. “If I was a prisoner somewhere for so long, I doubt I would ever want to return.”

  The intensity of the ghouls’ cries picked up. The shadow, previously spreading out across where the entrance of the castle had once been, now moved backward, rejoining Jenus and the queen who stood by the outer wall.

  “Something’s happening,” I said, shifting in my crouched position.

  The earth began to tremble once more—this time it felt like it was coming from deep beneath the ground. Was Jenus calling on another supernatural beast to join him? The rubble of the castle started to shake. Any walls still left standing were sent crashing to the ground. An ear-splitting crack tore across the land where the castle stood.

  Sending chunks of the gray stone flying backward, dark shapes emerged from the ground. We lowered ourselves further down behind the wall, avoiding the shards of splintering rock that hurtled our way.

  I watched in utter disbelief as a gigantic hulk of black, slippery stone emerged from beneath Hellswan. Spiked turre
ts rose into the air and windowless towers of incredible scale bore down from above us. It was like a giant, forgotten creature pushing its way above the earth—buried for so many years, but completely untouched by the passing of time. The fortress gave the impression of being entirely carved from one piece of rock—I could see absolutely no evidence of joints, stonework or man’s labor. It was as if the depths of Nevertide had created this monstrosity itself.

  “This must have been the entity’s home before it was banished to the lock,” Ben whispered in awe.

  The fortress must have remained buried for centuries. A cold chill moved down my spine as I imagined it miles beneath where I’d slept—its silent, monolithic structure waiting to be unearthed.

  We watched as the ghouls swept in through a large black arch at its center, disappearing into the belly of the fortress. Their cries became hollow echoes, oppressed by the sheer size of the rock.

  “Enough,” Derek breathed. “We should get back to the portal. See how the others are doing. Lucas, head to the palace, let the rest of GASP and the army know what’s happened here.”

  Gladly, I turned away from the sight of the fortress. Derek gestured that we should move back the way we had come. We moved as silently as we could back toward the trees.

  Do you think that you can hide from me?

  I froze. The voice of the entity whispered through the darkness, the soft tones brushing against my temples and worming its way inside of me. I spun around, seeing Jenus still miles away, walking slowly up to the fortress with his ghoul queen beside him.

  I see everything, Tejus of Hellswan.

  The others had stopped in their tracks too. Foolishly, I had hoped that now the entity had chosen a physical form, it would no longer be able to observe us in quite the same way—clearly I had been wrong.

  I know you are watching me. But there’s nothing you can do to stop me. Not now. Your powers are insignificant, your efforts wasted. You cannot conceive of what I have in store for you. Just know that my revenge will be swift, merciless and absolute… The end of days is nigh, my friends.