Alastor laughed again. “You cannot be serious.”
“Oh I am,” Varg said. “You may not think much of me, but I know you're just as mortal as I am, despite your contrary beliefs.”
“I've never lost a battle with this blade,” Alastor said. “As I'm sure you already know.”
Varg ignored his comment and continued, “You have a growing list of people who want you dead. It's only a matter of time before you won't be able to escape them.”
“Enough talk,” Alastor said. “I've gotten enough amusement out of you, so now it's time for me to finish you.”
“I was about to say the same about you,” Varg growled.
Zita came running up behind Alastor. He heard it and turned around, but before he could dodge her attack, she managed to land a cut with her dagger on his cheek.
Zita tumbled to the side while Alastor put a hand up to his cheek. When he pulled his hand away, his glove had a little bit of blood on it.
Alastor simply laughed and said, “Is that it? That was your plan? I had a feeling the two of you were planning some kind of sneak attack when I saw you whispering to each other, but you failed miserably.”
Zita met his gaze, smiled, and said, “I didn't fail at all.”
Alastor scoffed. “What are you talking about-”
As the next several seconds passed, the cut on Alastor's cheek turned ashen and spread throughout the entire side of his face. His skin and lips blanched and he tried to either speak or scream, but all that came out was a muffled gag. Alastor fell to his knees, his black blade tumbling to the ground beside him.
“What did you do to him?” Milea asked.
Zita pulled a small glass bottle out of her pocket and tossed it to Milea. She held it up and examined it under the dim moonlight. It was green and had a brown cork at the opening, but more notably, the bottle was empty.
“What is this, poison?” Milea aksed.
“That's right,” Zita said. “It's a special poison I brewed just for him. I started on it as soon as Jin told me he'd give me the honor of killing Alastor once he had what he wanted. He'll be dead within minutes.”
She then walked over to Alastor and stared into his blank eyes and said, “Until then, I will enjoy every single moment of watching you suffer.”
Alastor tried to speak once again, but nothing came out. Zita stroked his cheek and said, “Tell me, Alastor, how does it feel knowing death is breathing down your neck? I designed that poison so that you would spend your last few minutes of precious life thinking about everything you've ever done. I want the last thing you ever see is my smile, knowing that I, the girl you robbed of her innocence, is the one who delivered you to death's open arms.”
If he didn't know any better, Varg could have sworn he saw a smile form on Alastor's lips as the life drained from his eyes. Within the next few seconds, Alastor's limp form fell to the side, still and empty.
Zita stood, took a deep breath, and said, “It's done.”
Varg met her gaze and said, “You don't seem happy about it.”
Zita shut her eyes. “I thought it would feel great. I thought I would laugh over his corpse after I finally got rid of him, but I can't feel anything except...confusion.”
Milea edged closer to Zita and said, “Taking another life is never easy, even when they don't deserve to live.”
Zita opened her eyes and said, “Funny, Jin used to tell me the same thing. He told me that even though I wanted Alastor dead, he would be the hardest kill of my life. I don't understand it.”
“You loved him,” Varg said. “You may not anymore, you may even hate him now, but there was and will always will be a part of your heart that belongs to Alastor.”
Zita looked at Alastor's corpse and appeared to be fighting back tears. “Regardless of how I feel, Alastor had to die. If the burden had to fall to us, so be it.”
“You're right,” Varg said. “But I hope you know now that he won't be the only one who needs to die.”
Zita met his gaze. “I know how you fell about that, but I only hope it doesn't have to end that way.”
She shut her eyes and tears began to stream down her cheeks.
“I think we need to get the High Priestess to see what's happened. Maybe then she will take us seriously,” Milea said.
“Agreed,” Varg said.
The three left Alastor's corpse where it was, but before they walked too far something caught Varg's eye. The black blade that rested on the ground beside Alastor seemed different now. Before it was simple, long, and plain black, but now Varg noticed symbols on the blade that were glowing a dull red.
“Wait a minute,” Varg said, “was Alastor's sword glowing like that before?”
“No, I don't think so,” Milea said.
“Jin gave Alastor that blade,” Zita said. “He never did explain what it was, only that Alastor would be more powerful with it.”
“Oh, it does far more than that.”
Everyone turned to see Jin, several members of the Shadow Hand, and to Varg's surprise, Edric Greenwood, stepping out of the shadows.
Varg drew his axe again and said, “Go figure you'd run back to your master like the dog you are, Greenwood.”
“I required his services once more,” Jin said, “so I decided to give him a second chance provided that he doesn't dare to betray me again.”
“You said so yourself that you intended for him to tell us about the battle,” Varg said.
“True, and that's why his head isn't mounted on my mantle,” Jin said with a smile.
He then turned to Zita and frowned, then said, “I had hoped that when you didn't return to the camp that you hadn't betrayed me, but it appears you have after all. After all I've done for you, Zita...”
Zita stared at him and turned a shade of red that would have made a ruby jealous, then shouted, “You are the one who betrayed me! I'm only trying to stop you from killing anyone else.”
Jin fixed his gaze on her and said, “I'm sorry to disappoint you all, but I have more important matters to attend to. You'll have to pass the time by fighting someone else until I'm done.”
Jin raised his hand towards Alastor's body. The black blade began to twist and deform into some kind of smoke-like monstrocity that poured into Alastor's mouth. Once the smoke had fully entered him, he floated to his feet like a puppet on strings. His skin cracked and glowed red from the crevices, and when he opened his eyes, they too glowed redder than flames.
The abomination glared at Varg, Milea, and Zita as it hobbled forward like it didn't know how to use its new legs. After a few more feet, it finally stopped and awaited further command.
“Brilliant, isn't it?” Jin said.
“What manner of dark forces is that?” Zita cried.
“That, my dear, is a kunin,” Jin explained. “They're weapons given to a very select few who enter a pact. The pact states that the wielder will be stronger and faster than every before, and once the wielder is slain while wielding the blade, the weapon feeds off of the discarded soul and eventually melds with it, creating a whole new being. Alastor's soul now belongs to the kunin, and it will now destroy the three of you as it has been commanded.”
Jin smiled, then pointed straight at Milea. “A little raven told me that a certain foe of mine has a soft spot for this one.”
Varg shot his eyes to Zita, who said, “I'm sorry...”
Varg was then horrified to hear Jin say, “Kill her, but feel free to take your time.”
The creature obeyed and lunged for Milea. It was even twice as fast as Alastor was, and Milea barely dodged in time to avoid it. She shot to her feet and Varg ran to defend her, but the creature knocked him out of the way.
Varg fell hard onto his back and nearly lost all of his breath, but he shot up when he heard Milea cry out and witnessed Zita attempt to protect her as well. The kunin sent Zita flying into the air like a pitiful rag doll, but Varg was far too worried about protecting Milea. Fortunately, Zita got to her feet quickly and ran wi
th him to Milea's side.
Varg pulled her out of the way just in time to avoid the kunin's hit, but he himself took the brunt of the damage. Varg backed away to throw his strongest ice attack at the unholy creature, but it dodged and ran for Milea again.
Varg lunged after the kunin and leaped onto its back. The cut on his arm pulsated with pain until he could no longer keep his grip. The kunin flung him off and charged for Milea again. This time, Zita could not get to her aid in time and the kunin grabbed Milea's arms and pinned her to the ground.
Just then, Varg felt a pulse resonating in his chest. He rolled onto his hands and knees to stop it and continue fighting, but the pulse continued it's steady beat. At first he thought it was his heartbeat, but he could feel it speeding up in his chest inconsistent with the throbbing he felt now.
The pulse grew louder, louder, and called for him to get up.
The creature hit Milea across the face.
Varg smelled blood.
Zita shouted and slashed at the kunin, but it tossed her aside again.
Varg tasted blood.
Milea tried to scurry away, but the kunin caught her again.
Varg craved blood.
Milea could no longer fight, she could no longer cry out.
Varg opened his eyes and lost himself from there. His hands dug into the ground and shifted into claws. His back arched, his nose formed a snout, and his armor ripped to shreds.
He grew. He hungered. He roared.
Varg raced after the kunin on all fours and grabbed it from behind. There was no burning, no pain, and no sense of mercy. He flung the creature away from Milea and it bounded to the other side of the square. Varg stood in front of Milea on his hind legs and tried to tell Zita to take her to safety, but all that came out was an angry growl. Zita seemed to understand anyway, despite the look of horror upon her face, and gathered up Milea and helped her run to the other side of the square.
The kunin charged for Varg. He ripped his claws through the possessed corpse. Despite its immense strength, Varg pinned it down and ripped it to shreds. After what felt like hours of ripping, tearing, and shredding through tissue, all that was left of Alastor's body was nothing more than bloodied meat and bone. The kunin's spirit faded. Varg's fury calmed.
After an eternity of staring into the carnage he had created, Varg shifted his gaze to Zita and Milea. The latter stood when she saw him approach and edged closer to him. He lowered his head to her level and stared into her eyes as his breath blew her hair out of her face.
Milea locked eyes with him and whispered, “...Varg?”
Varg let out a sigh and a low whine, then he rested his head against her.
Milea sniffed and held his face with both hands and said, “It's all right Varg. You can return to me now.”
Varg could finally breathe. His body changed again, only this time he shrunk down to his original size. His blood lust sated, he gently caressed Milea's face with his now normal hands.
“I'm here, Love,” he whispered as his voice finally returned.
CHAPTER 25
With his head still pressed to Milea's, Varg let a small tear escape his silver eye.
“What...just happened to me?” he asked.
Milea leaned away from him and answered, “You changed into...some kind of creature. You were enormous, covered in white fur, and you looked like...like a wolf.”
“A wolf?”
“Yes, a giant white wolf,” Milea said with a nod.
Varg bowed his head trying to figure out what had happened, then Milea tried to cover him with her cloak.
Varg pushed it away and said, “No, I'm all right. Whatever happened to me also seemed to have healed my wounds.”
Milea's eyes darted back and forth from him to Zita, and then she said, “Varg, you're naked.”
Varg looked down and hurriedly grabbed the cloak to shield himself from Zita. She only grinned and winked at him.
“At any rate,” Milea said. “It looks like Jin ran off. He probably went into the temple.”
“We need to go after him,” Zita said. She then walked towards Alastor's ashes and said, “But first...” She pointed to the pants and boots left behind and said to Varg, “you may want to make yourself decent. I hardly think a cloak around your waist will hold long enough.”
Varg nodded and collected Alastor's trousers and boots, then dressed himself after Zita respectfully turned around to give him privacy. The fabric hugged his pelvis and legs so tight that he feared any wrong move would cause them to burst, but they would have to do.
Once he was covered, he grabbed hold of Frost Fang and the three of them ran up the steps and entered the Temple of Laelith.
As they burst through the door to the Temple, the first thing they noticed was that the front room was completely empty. No Jin, no priestesses, no one. The door he and Milea had gone through was sitting wide open, so he pointed to it and said, “He must be going towards the Inner Sanctum. Let's go.”
Varg led the way as Milea and Zita followed close behind. They darted through the same familiar path that they had gone through several nights before.
“There wasn't anything besides the crystal and the mural in that room before,” Milea said.
“Maybe there's a hidden chamber somewhere,” Varg said. “Somewhere that the priestesses don't even know about.”
“That makes sense,” Milea said. “After all, why hide the key if you aren't going to hide the lock?”
“What I want to know is how Jin even knows anything about this?” Varg asked.
Zita took the hint, and explained, “I don't know much about his past except that he lived through some of the worst horrors anyone ever knew. He discovered the legend of the key, and what the power of the Tree could do, and from there, he began his journey to find it. Over the centuries, he gathered followers and he even claims that he toppled empires across the sea to find the key, but eventually he found out that it was somewhere on this continent, according to the different texts he read.”
They rounded a corner and didn't even bother to be quiet.
“What texts? How did he find anything else out?” Varg asked.
“I'm sorry,” Zita huffed, “but that's all I know.”
They nearly reached the Inner Sanctum when Varg slowed his pace. He tip toed to the opening when he heard voices.
“You are not welcome here, demon,” Morvyn shouted. “Leave this holy place at once.”
“I will leave when I have what I need,” Jin said.
Varg peeked around the corner and saw something that made his gut wrench. Every priestess except Morvyn was lying on the ground in puddles of blood. Greenwood stood behind Moryn, holding onto the ropes that bound her.
“You are a cold, callous murderer,” Morvyn snapped. “How could you cut down these priestesses when they never even raised a blade to you?”
“Don't try to flatter me,” Jin remarked. “Now tell me how to open the door to the heart of the Crystal Wood.”
Heart? Varg thought.
“What are you talking about?” Morvyn said. “There is no heart of the Crystal Wood.”
Jin laughed. “Right, just as there is 'no key to the Crystal Wood' as you so fondly claim. But as you can clearly see...” Jin held up Milea's dagger and said, “I hold the key in my hand. Clearly there are plenty of things that you don't know about, which is exactly how Elora had intended it.”
Morvyn had a look on her face that told Varg she finally felt defeated. There was no use in denying the key's existence any longer.
Varg gestured to Milea with his head, and she took the hint and drew her bowstring, ready to launch an arrow right at Jin's head.
Jin then held up the dagger and examined it, then said, “Just as she intended for no one to stop the end of the world.”
A sharp pain erupted on the back of Varg's skull. As he blacked out, he could have sworn he saw Jin turn to him and smile.
When Varg finally awoke, he determined that he had only been
out for a few minutes. He lay on his side, head throbbing, and slowly regained his vision. He could see multiple shapes, one he instantly recognized as Jin.
“Ah, you're awake,” Jin said. “Now we can conduct our business.”
Varg winced through the pain in his head and muttered, “The only business I have with you is to cut your throat.”
“That's not very sporting, Varg,” Jin remarked. “Especially when I have the upper hand.”
Varg's vision finally cleared enough to see a familiar shade of red hair standing before him. Milea struggled against the man who held her in his grip until Jin added, “Xilas, show our guest what will happen if he does not stand down.”
The man holding onto Milea drew a dagger from his side and held the edge straight up to Milea's exposed neck. Varg sobered from his daze instantly and rose to a crouched position, ready to pounce on the bastard that would dare lay a hand on the woman he loved...
“I'll give you a choice, Varg,” Jin said. “Stand down and allow me to finish this, or watch Milea's blood spill with the rest of the priestesses.”
“Don't do this, Lord Jin,” Zita said.
Varg turned to his left and saw that two other cultists now held her hands behind her back.
“Zita, stay out of this,” Jin said. He then turned back to Varg and said, “What will it be, Varg? Will you fight me knowing that your love's life will be lost in the process?”
Varg looked to Milea, who said, “Don't you dare...”
Varg gripped Frost Fang so tight his knuckles turned white. His eyes shifted to Jin, who stared at him with anticipation in his snake-like eyes. If Varg's murderous gaze was enough to kill him, he wouldn't have had to do what he did next.
Varg held Frost Fang out at his side and without a word, he dropped it to the floor.
Milea shut her eyes and cursed under her breath, but Varg knew she would have done the same thing for him.
“Smart move,” Jin said. “Now then, back to finding the heart.”
“No!” Zita suddenly shouted. “Lord Jin, you must stop this. There has to be another way. The world doesn't have to die.”
Jin gave Zita a look of death and said, “Of all the people who have turned their backs to me over the years, you are the last person I would have suspected.”
The Crystal Wood (Half-Breed Book 2) Page 28