Knives in the Night

by Nathan A. Thompson

  “There are, in fact, higher ranks of Hordebeasts,” the tall woman replied, eyes narrowing at my second question but still bothering to answer it. “The fact that you did not know that, but still knew of Spawn, suggests that the dragon in the Lost Deeps hasn’t chosen to entrust you with his greater officers. An empowered Spawn or Brute can be deemed worthy of leading armies, but they are also expendable to the most developed of Pits. If you can, you should try to learn if your father or the other leaders know what a Terror is. If not, then you should know that the Dragon Below is not trusting you with his highest officers—to say nothing of the Pit Lords.”

  “About that,” I said, attempting to be useful again, “I know that nothing stronger than a Brute has met with my father’s people because,” I swallowed, “Dad’s people were the ones that undid the seal to the Lost Deeps, and they purposefully didn’t undo it completely. That’s why you haven’t been dealing with as many Hordebeasts as you were probably expecting.”

  “Indeed we were not,” the raven-haired goddess confirmed in a calm, cool voice. “The Horde that took over the Lost Deeps was already in a position to threaten the rest of Avalon’s worlds all at once. The only reason that more worlds did not fall is because my Little Star took every risk possible upon herself to enact a lasting seal over the only non-collapsible Pathway out of that world. It was such an endeavor on her part that it left lasting damage on her body and soul, damage that took centuries to repair, and she likely still feels the lingering effects even to this day. It is extremely discouraging that someone was able to somehow locate the seal, and then demonstrate both the means and depravity to undo it even in part.” Her voice had grown colder as she spoke, but she closed her eyes for a moment and mastered herself. “Since then, they have had several centuries to harvest the resources and population of an entire world, something Horde Pits excel at. And the dragon who has become their leader has demonstrated his ascension as a Dark Icon as well, one who commands a complete pantheon of Dark Icons, on top of whatever power he gained from the conquest of an entire world and the adoration of every single Horde Pit within it. Were your people to throw open the Pathway with total abandon, I suspect that even now, after raising up your own champions, Dark Icons, and other allies, you would still be overwhelmed. And so would we.”

  That was quite a pronouncement, even if I had already suspected it to be the case.

  “And yes,” Guineve continued, anger reviving her frosty tone, “I remember all of their names. The name of every Brute, Terror, or Pit Lord that took a world full of people away from me. These filthy creatures are the ones to have caused my Little Star the most pain I have ever seen her bear—at least, until your people came along and brought a long-forgotten nightmare back into her life.”

  “Noted,” I said, clearing my throat. “Anyway, they were discussing what to do with Wes. He has taken three worlds from them, counting Avalon, as well as knocking out our portal network and a new Master-level Air mage we had just uncovered. Basically, all the news caught up to us practically all at once, and it was finally enough to matter.”

  “How intelligent of them to suddenly notice,” the dark-haired woman said dryly, with just the hint of a (very satisfied) smile forming at one corner of her mouth. “I wonder what logic prompted them to act so quickly, instead of much later, like a reasonable person would have.”

  “You…have a point,” I said, suspecting that she was being extremely sarcastic. “I honestly think it was a combination of several factors. One, everyone from my world was just celebrating the fact that we had all become near-immortal superhumans who were gaining victory after victory. Two, Avalon wasn’t that important to us aside from the portal network, and we had pretty much stripped everything we thought valuable from the Woadlands and the Sun-Jeweled Seas. Three, the portal network itself wasn’t as huge of a deal because we had already been able to destabilize all six worlds with it, and the few places we hadn’t hit yet had already developed wards that prevented it from working. And finally…none of the groups involved really trust each other enough to share accurate news all the time. The Horde is the party we trust the least, and even the other monsters and Dark Icons view it with a lot of suspicion. We didn’t want them to gain any more reasons to obsess over Wes Malcolm. And by we,” I added quickly, “I mean Dad’s people, because just about the only task they gave me previously was dealing with rogue Horde that had gone berserk over said Malcolm.”

  “Of course,” the stately woman replied emotionlessly. “Your previous role in all of these atrocities was rather minimal. We do realize that. Now, please continue with what you have learned.”

  “Right,” I said, understanding her lack of forgiveness perfectly. “Basically, they’re pulling more senior operatives away from other assignments, even ones they’ve fixated on because completion would give us total victory, and putting together a handpicked team to deal with Malcolm.”

  “As I understand it, they’ve already tried that very thing,” Guineve retorted, appearing unimpressed with my news.

  “Sort of,” I corrected hesitantly. “They’ve been sending basic teams after him, back when they weren’t willing to admit how much of a threat he was. They kept their elite teams assigned to other missions. They said they had originally hoped to just finish off the Dawnlands and Spirit Kingdoms, and then use the spoils to wipe out all the much smaller threats. And it seemed to be working, until Wes proved that he isn’t a small threat. I think they had trouble figuring out just how dangerous a teenage escaped prisoner could be.”

  “Mmhmm,” Guineve hummed noncommittally, her eyes never leaving my face. “Go on. What are they doing?”

  “As I said, elite teams, but, here’s the real kicker…” I swallowed, watching her face for any hint of my imminent demise. “They’re giving leadership of the task to Earthborn Horde. Earthborn who have already pledged themselves to the Pits.”

  “That...” Guineve said gravely. “I was wondering when our people would have to fight such a thing. As far as Stell and I can tell, there have been no confirmed sightings of Pit-controlled Earthborn.”

  “Dad’s people have been careful with them,” I confided. “He’s not sure where their loyalties really lie, but he knows that the Pit asked for a number of Earthborn to empower as part of our original agreement—invested beyond the normal blessings they’ve given to their sponsors. I don’t have much more information on them, however.”

  “And these people are Malus Earthborn?” Guineve asked to clarify. “With the same powers and potential to Descend as the rest of your forces?”

  “Yeah, of course,” I answered. “We all have a fair number of Descents. It’s such an easy way to gain strength.” I’m surprised the rest of you don’t do it, my tongue almost said, before I bit the idiot and made it retreat to the back of my mouth. “They were all mid-level members of our teams, so Wes probably even knows most of them. Or, at least, he’ll know the captain.”

  “Good.” Guineve replied tersely, her black hair swaying with her nod. “Perhaps killing them himself will give him more closure.”

  “Yeah, but that’s not guaran—” I raised a hand to forestall her, but she gave me a firm glare. “I freely admit that I have underestimated Wes in the past,” I said delicately, “but their response should best be taken seriously.”

  “Indeed.” Guineve tapped her chin in thought. “We should do what we can to give him every advantage. When I regain contact with the Steward, I will have her send him a message.”

  “Or one of us could just go give him a message directly, since we probably know where he is, and we have people on our side who can’t die, even if they’re captured.”

  “Several are currently unavailable, but I also recall that particular strategy not working out well with Wes himself,” the mist-clad woman pointed out. Her eyes narrowed at me, in what was probably suspicion.

  “Counterpoint,” I said, holding up my hands and trying to look as non-threatening as possible. “Wes had already
been captured back on Earth when his projection came here. That was the only way Dad was able to get him at all. And even then, with a device planted in his head, with being drugged and beaten back on Earth, and with being torn up and hit with magic on this side, it still almost wasn’t enough to bring him down. The primary bodies of his loved ones are all safe here on Avalon. They can end the projection and return at any time.”

  “Very good,” the beautiful woman said in a satisfied tone, “but again, this only works if Wes and his retinue remain near the Pathway. We have no way of knowing that will be the…” She trailed off, her gaze shooting sharply to the side. “Someone is using the new Pathway again. Stand by.”

  I tensed, worried that Dad’s people had somehow found it, but the raven-haired woman relaxed in the next instant. A few moments later, a small pink figure blazed into view, conveniently solving our current problem.

  CHAPTER 4: MOVING IN GROUPS

  Wes’ Perspective

  The team took the news of a new adversary well. There was a bit of grumbling, but other than that, they just accepted that yet another potentially world-ending threat had arisen, and that they would have to be the ones to help me beat it down.

  The Testifiers didn’t even tease me about it this time. That actually worried me, until I sensed the ambivalent confidence radiating through the mindlink, as well as the frustration of not knowing enough about the new problem to make wisecracks about it yet.

  Hey, Breyn sent over the mindlink as he sat down next to me. Are you alright, Lord Earthborn?

  Yeah, I said, appreciating that the young Gaelguard could both see my tension and not make it obvious. Breena had already checked on me earlier, but sometimes it was nice to have another person do the same. He’s strong, whoever he is, but so were Raw-Maw and the Nuckelavee. I’m not intimidated by another third party showing up again; however, trying to factor his presence into my current plans is frustrating, because it’s one more drop in a bucket full to the brim with unknowns.

  Indeed, Lord Malcolm, the blond man replied, it would seem impossible to come up with a perfect plan at this time.

  It is impossible, I agreed, trying not to growl. Now that we’ve moved onto a bigger field of operations on a world that’s not about to end, like the last two were, there’s more room for unintended consequences. The Woadlands and Sun-Jeweled Seas were on the verge of destruction by the time I got there. But here, both the people and their threats are spread out. As soon as I move to strike back at the Malus Earthborn, they can choose to retaliate on the population, and there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop it. And if I don’t strike back, the population will eventually suffer even more. Either way, blood is going to be on my hands.

  No, my Lord, Breyn pushed back fiercely. That is not your responsibility as Lord of Avalon’s worlds.

  I turned my head to frown at him.

  I’m pretty sure it is, I replied, trying not to snap, and feeling surprised that I wanted to snap at him at all. The authority stops with me.

  The painted man met my eyes without blinking.

  If you believe that, my Lord, he sent levelly, you would be abusing your power.

  I tried not to blink in confusion at his words, and failed.

  Explain, I said firmly, surprised by how much the man was standing up to me. Breyn had historically given me the least amount of crap out of all my retinue, with the possible exceptions of Petalbell, who was a sweetheart that idolized me for saving her all those years ago, and Salima, who was brand new. I could tell that he was willing to throw down with me over this, right here and right now.

  The Lords of Avalon were restricted much like the Challengers of recent years, those that the Steward was said to have Called. They could never handle every single one of our problems. They just were not powerful enough to be in every single place at once, and even if they were, we as their people would have suffered for it, being denied untold opportunities to overcome our own Challenges in order to Rise. They handled the major world-ending threats, and defended those who were completely helpless. And we were the better for it. In fact, the last Lord was said to suffer himself when he tried to do more.

  Keep explaining, I said as patiently as I could, because the Malus Earthborn seem like world-ending threats, and the people here seemed pretty helpless.

  They are not, Breyn argued fiercely, or this world would have already been conquered. You said that your Steward has already accomplished much, did you not? The people here have managed to overthrow a Trial almost entirely on their own! They have survived against your enemies for fifty years! They deserve your confidence!

  That makes them all the more worthy to be rescued, I replied with an exasperated edge, and I’m not clear how wanting to save them is abusing my power.

  Your motivation isn’t bad, Breyn replied, the normally deferential young man still resisting despite my rising anger, even moreso than the instance when he had insisted that I tell Stell’s Satellites how I felt about them, but your power has limitations. Your attempts to reach beyond those limitations can sometimes cause growth, but if you do so out of fear, you will find yourself cutting corners which you would not otherwise condone. If you allow your fear to rule your preservation of these people, instead of trusting them to survive all the issues you cannot fix for them, you will find yourself taking from them in the end, much like the tyrants of old have done. Trust them to have some level of agency, my Lord, some small ability to stand up to danger on their own, or you will go mad. Just as the legends say our last High King did, he added sadly.

  I thought back to the grief I’d felt emitting from all the ancient peoples within the boundaries of the Rite. I also recognized what he was talking about in myself—a growing tension, a pressure to take on everything myself, a belief that I was the only one that could fix everything. I had been struggling with it before, and at some point, I had actually realized that I would need more help with this world than I had with the previous ones. But in the back of my mind, I had still accepted total responsibility for everything in advance. If others didn’t come through, it would still mean that I had failed, and that everything was my fault.

  If I was going to accept that I needed help, I needed to accept that others would share the responsibility for the consequences. And that things could still go wrong beyond all of our efforts, and that may not be anyone’s fault.

  Pressure rolled off of me, just as it had back on Atlantis when Teeth and I had worked out some of our differences.

  Right to Rule has been gained, a message flashed across my mindscreen.

  Breyn? I said the next moment, inhaling with much lighter lungs. Thanks.

  It is an honor to be your friend and companion, Lord Malcolm, the tattooed young man said with an awkward but sincere smile, and… thank you for what you are letting Petal do. Letting her take care of the other Pit victims may seem like a small thing for you, but I can tell how much it does for her.

  She’s welcome, I sent back, glad to hear it was so good for her. I had suspected as much, but the reality was that she was always volunteering to take care of them, and as far as I could tell, was always doing a good job.

  Speaking of whom, the Pathway activated behind us with a solid hum, and the little fairy flew right through.

  She grew as she landed, rising to about four feet as she approached Breyn and I. She gave her probably-boyfriend-not-really-my-business a shy smile before turning to me.

  “Greetings, Lord Malcolm,” she said, giving me a smile that seemed more sisterly than the one she had given Breyn. “I have delivered the rescued victims into Lady Guineve’s care. I also encountered the one claiming to be a double agent now on your side. He had news. Would you like me to submit it via the mindlink or out loud?”

  “Either is fine,” I replied. “Chances are, anything Chris had to share is something the rest of the group will need to know anyway.”

  It fell in line with what I was expecting: that my life was about to get much harder.


  Technically, everyone’s lives were about to get much harder.

  Our enemies had, for the most part, been holding a planet’s worth of resources in reserve, all while fighting a winning battle against six other worlds at once.

  And they were finally taking the gloves off.

  Not just with me, but with everyone.

  “Is he certain that our worlds are about to get an outpouring of Horde?” The little fairy nodded. “And does he know just how large each invasion force will be?”

  “He doesn’t,” Petal said as she shook her head. A secondary part of my mind randomly noticed that the pink in her hair and wings had gradually been darkening into a redder color over the last few days, which was going to make it immensely easier to tell her apart from Breena anytime they flew around. “The Horde’s organization is no longer as consistent as it had been when the Steward faced it so long ago, but their numbers will double the Malus forces in every current theater. Except for here,” she added uncomfortably. “They’re going to do their best to secure every city in the Golden Sands, and try to find the Pathway leading to this place.”