The Fire Salamander Chronicles Series: Books 1 - 3: The Fire Salamander Chronicles Series Boxset Book 1

by N M Thorn

  “Gwyn, finally,” exhaled Aidan, relieved. “Angel, what took you so long?”

  Gwyn ap Nudd was in his form of the Lord of the Wild Hunt, dressed in his hunter’s leather pants and vest, trimmed in furs and feathers. His face was concealed by a black mask and his angled eyes were blazing with the brilliant white light through the slits of his mask.

  Standing next to Gwyn ap Nudd, Angel seemed short. His long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail which was unusual for him and he wasn’t trying to hide his deadly magical energy. Here, in the Dark Nav, he felt comfortable, at home.

  “I can’t believe my eyes! What a wonderful surprise! Gwyn ap Nudd, in the flesh,” hissed Zmey, taking a step forward and exploring Gwyn with his venomous eyes. Then he hit his hips with his hands and hooted with laughter. “What happened to you, buddy? You are no longer a god.”

  “Don’t think for a moment that it’s going to help you, Zmey,” retorted Gwyn ap Nudd dryly, shrugging. “I heard your offer and here is my counteroffer. Crawl back to your grave and we’ll call it a day. You will never leave the Dark Nav.”

  “I had enough of this useless talk!” yelled Veles, raising his staff. “You’re crazy, Zmey, if you think that any of us here are going to let you leave the Dark Nav and break into the world of the living.”

  Veles’ staff blazed with a red light and a ray of his magic escaped it, slamming Zmey in his chest. He didn’t fall but got pushed, sliding a few feet back. Fury distorted his face, making it look more serpent than human.

  “I wanted to be nice, but we’ll do it your way,” he growled.

  Zmey tucked the axe behind his belt and extended both his hands forward. Aidan expected to see a power-blast or energy orbs, but nothing like this happened. Visibly nothing happened, but Veles yelped and dropped his staff. For a split-second, his head tilted back, like he was sleeping or unconscious.

  “No, not again,” muttered Chernobog, backing away from Veles.

  Veles regained consciousness and picked up his staff. But instead of attacking Zmey, he turned on Chernobog, his eyes glowing with a yellow light. He swung his staff and slammed Chernobog with his magic. Chernobog cried out and staggered back. Zmey cackled and hit Chernobog with whatever strange magic he was wielding. Both Slavic deities shouted at the same time, clashing in mortal combat with each other.

  “Shit,” hissed Gwyn. “I totally forgot about that…” He channeled his power and a brilliant white light surrounded him. “Aidan, we need to cleanse their system from the energy of Chaos. Take care of Chernobog.”

  It was easier said than done. There was no easy way to approach two gods who weren’t willing to stand down until one of them was destroyed. Aidan channeled his power just like his mentor did, but he had to put his hands on Chernobog and there was no way to do it.

  Zmey doubled down laughing. Both women stepped forward, energy orbs manifested in their hands, crackling with electrical discharges. At the same time, they propelled the orbs at Aidan and Gwyn ap Nudd.

  Angel stepped forward and spread his arms, shielding them. A black void opened up between his arms, swallowing the energy orbs. The mages didn’t stop, hurling fireballs and energy orbs at Angel, pushing him back, away from the battle.

  “He is Death,” shouted Valeria Demidova to the other mage without stopping her assault on Angel. “There is no known way to kill him. The only thing we can do is keep him busy and if we’re lucky, we might be able to restrain him. Just don’t let him touch you. He’ll suck the life right out of you.”

  Aidan glanced around and cringed. Angel was holding the void open between his arms and it was taking a lot of his strength to maintain it. Veles and Chernobog were getting creative at trying to kill each other, now using not only their magic but also their weapons and magical artifacts they had in their possessions. Gwyn ap Nudd was trying to stop them but couldn’t get anywhere close enough. Zmey was laughing manically, hitting Veles and Chernobog with his magic again and again. Chaos ruled the field.

  “Dammit, Gwyn!” yelled Aidan, hoping that Gwyn ap Nudd could hear his voice over the pandemonium that broke out around them. “Give it up. You can’t come anywhere close enough to these two.”

  Gwyn ap Nudd heard him and spun around. His glowing eyes halted on Demidova. Busy attacking Angel, she didn’t notice him right away. He hissed a spell, locking her in a circle of his magic, immobilizing her. She whimpered, unable to fight his control. Gwyn came closer and seized her shoulder, his fingers digging deep into her flesh.

  “Stop this madness, or I will snap you like a twig,” he hissed.

  “I think not.” The second mage approached Gwyn ap Nudd, fearlessly staring at him directly into his blazing eyes. “Release her or your son will die.”

  Aidan recognized her voice and stilled, shocked. “I expected that you were working for the other side when you started to play your games with me,” he said. “There is nothing you can do to me, Ms. Bonneville, and you know it.”

  “I beg to differ. The Lord of Chaos taught me a few new tricks.” Ms. Bonneville snickered and snapped her fingers. The Guardians’ chain wrapped around Aidan’s neck and he was expecting to get burnt. The chain didn’t burn him. It grew thicker and heavier, crushing his neck, cutting off his air. He grasped at the chain with his fingers, realizing that it was no longer a chain. A thick silver collar was locked around his neck.

  Aidan struggled to channel his power but couldn’t access it. The collar was blocking his magic and there was nothing he could do to fight it. His head swam and his vision became murky. He moaned and swayed, then slowly lowered down to one knee.

  “Gwyn, don’t stop. Kill both of them, Father,” he croaked, fighting for each breath.

  “Hang in there, Son. She can’t kill you,” growled Gwyn ap Nudd.

  He channeled more of his power and the entire field got lit up with a blinding light. Both mages cowered away from him, but Ms. Bonneville managed to keep Aidan in the clutches of her dark spell. Nevertheless, it gave a temporary reprieve to Angel and he let go of the void. Zmey cried out, clasping his hands to his face as if Gwyn’s light was burning him.

  In two long-legged strides, Gwyn ap Nudd covered the distance between him and Zmey. His arm struck forward, his fingers wrapping around Zmey’s neck. Despite a full foot difference in height, Gwyn lifted Zmey in the air, squeezing his neck tighter. At the same time, he slammed his hand at Zmey’s chest and started to chant. His deep musical voice spread through the field, becoming stronger and more powerful with every next word he said.

  Skiper-Zmey groaned, growing faint as Gwyn was slowly draining his magic. Veles and Chernobog stopped their pointless fight and stood lost, gaping at each other like two people who just woke up from a mind-boggling nightmare.

  Angel quietly sauntered toward the mages, but his every step was infused with rage beyond comprehension. The tendrils of darkness were slithering around him like deadly serpents and the ground shook slightly with every step he took.

  “Release Aidan,” he growled, his face twisted with fury. He reached forward ready to lay his hands on them. They squealed in horror, but were unable to move, frozen by the most primal fear—the fear of death.

  “It’s over, Zmey,” said Gwyn ap Nudd. “You can’t fight me. All your supporters are under our control.”

  Skiper-Zmey glanced faintly at Gwyn and a slow smile spread over his face, exposing his terrible fangs. “Are you s-s-sure?” he whispered, his yellow eyes fixed on something behind Gwyn’s back and his forked tongue flickered in and out.

  Gwyn ap Nudd glanced back, but it was too late. The temperature dropped suddenly, and restraints made of pure black ice locked his wrist and his ankles, draining his magic and rendering him powerless. The same type of restraints appeared on Veles, Chernobog and Angel. They all fell to their knees, unable to move.

  “Father!” yelled Aidan as he watched Gwyn ap Nudd forced to his knees by Morena. She touched Gwyn’s face and a layer of black ice covered his mouth. Then she whispered so
mething, erecting a solid dome of black ice over him.

  Aidan fought the silver collar that was still blocking his magic. Ms. Bonneville put her hand on his shoulder, holding him down. “Down, boy,” she seethed, tugging at his collar. “There is nothing you can do. You’re mine now and I swear I’ll make you pay for every moment of humiliation I had to endure because of you. So, be a good boy and obey. I think if my lord won’t mind, I’d like to keep you alive as my pet.” She touched his hands and heavy golden handcuffs manifested on his wrists, locking them together and pinning him to the field.

  Zmey regained his strength and walked around the chunk of ice that was Gwyn ap Nudd, to the goddess of Winter and Death. Just now Aidan noticed that Voron was lying down on the ground, covered in a thick layer of ice. In the surrounding chaos, no one even noticed when Morena disabled him. Zmey took Morena’s hand, bringing it up to his lips and walked her to her husband, Chernobog.

  “Morena, my love, why?” moaned Chernobog, gazing up at his wife. “I love you. I would do anything for you. Why did you betray me?”

  “I didn’t betray you,” replied Morena, distaste curving her lips. “I was never yours in the first place. I did whatever I had to do to free myself from you and from this godforsaken place. I was the one who stole the Axe of Perun from you and gave it to Milana. I was the one who helped her escape from the Dark Nav right under your nose while keeping you busy with that Salamander. And all this time, you were none the wiser. Sad… Really.”

  She wrapped her arms around Zmey’s neck and kissed him. Zmey pulled her closer, his fingers digging into her shapely behind and returned her kiss, turning slightly to the side so her husband could see it. Chernobog dropped his head, his shoulders hunched powerlessly. Holding Morena’s hand in his, Zmey seized Chernobog’s hair, jerking his head up and stared into his lifeless eyes. Then he cackled and let go. “Love can be deadly,” he said shaking his head. “Even to gods.”

  He turned to Ms. Bonneville and Valeria Demidova and raised the Axe of Perun in the air. “It’s time, my loyal followers,” he said. “Are you ready? Soon, the world will be ours.”

  Zmey approached the glowing fracture and moved his hand over it. The air around his hand rippled like it was water. Keeping his yellow eyes fixed on the fracture, he gestured to Morena to stand by his side.

  “It will take three strikes of the Axe to break the veil,” he explained, his voice strangely airy and elated. “You know what needs to be done, darling. Get ready.”

  “Oh, I am ready, my love.” Morena snickered, raising her arms up. “I’ve been ready since I was given to this goddamn loser to spend my eternity in the darkness of the Nav.”

  The space between her arms was engorged with her magic. Blue lightning bolts originated between her arms and the sky above her got even darker. Aidan tilted his head back, gaping at the sky. A dark swirling mass was descending on the field, moving in a slow circular motion like a giant tornado from hell. He didn’t know what it was, but its dark energy was leaving no place for doubt—whatever it was, it was unmistakably evil.

  Aidan glanced at the Head Mage. She was too busy staring at Morena to pay attention to him. He dropped his head and closed his eyes, with all his strength reaching within for his magic. It was blocked by the collar, but he was able to gather a tiny amount of it, just enough to redirect it to the communication rune that was embedded into his chest. The rune warmed and lit up just a little. He raised his handcuffed arms, pressing his hands to the rune.

  “Zane, they are coming to Yav,” he whispered. “Morena betrayed us. We couldn’t stop them. It’s over—”

  A mighty blow on his jaw threw Aidan on his back. He hit the ground hard, the air knocked out of him. Ms. Bonneville ripped his shirt off his chest and gawked at the rune. Then she raised her hand and slapped him across his face.

  “Who did you communicate with, boy?” she seethed, her hands clutching into tight fists. “What did you tell them?”

  Aidan closed his eyes, bracing himself for the next blow but remained silent.

  “It doesn’t matter, Eleonor,” said Zmey peacefully, a malignant smirk on his face. “No one can stop me now.”

  “What do you want me to do with him, my lord?” asked Ms. Bonneville, pulling Aidan up by the collar on his neck.

  “Whatever. I don’t care about any of them,” replied Zmey with an indifferent shrug. “None of them is a match for me now. As far as this half-breed, he’s yours. You can do with him as you please.”

  Ms. Bonneville peered down at Aidan, flicking her eyebrow at him derisively. Then she leaned forward and touched his lips with her fingers, whispering something. Aidan grunted as a piece of duct tape sealed his lips.

  “Now, Aodh mac Lir, be a good boy and don’t talk, unless I tell you to,” she hissed straightening up and kicked him in his chest. Aidan fell back. She gloated over his helplessness for a moment, then bent down and petted his cheek. “I’ll come back for you, my pet.”

  She turned away and marched back to the Lord of Chaos. His vision still blurry, Aidan watched Skiper-Zmey raising the Axe of Perun and crashing the mighty weapon on the air right above the fracture, like it was a solid wall. A bright line manifested in the place where the Axe struck a moment ago. Zmey raised the Axe again and slammed it down at the glowing line. Without waiting, he did it again and stepped back, holding the Axe down.

  The glowing line became unbearably bright. A gust of the mighty wind rushed through the Nav and with an ear-piercing noise, the veil was torn. Zmey pushed his hands into the tear in the veil, ripping it apart. With Morena by his side, he stepped through the tear in the veil and they both disappeared on the other side, followed by the two mages.

  The swirling dark mass reached the tear and followed through it to the other side. As the dark mass was exiting through the rip in the veil, Aidan noticed that it was not a solid mass. Thousands of monsters that looked like phantom birds flew to the outside world, supported by their horrendous wings. Beside the phantoms, he saw some other manifestations flowing through the tear. They were also glowing with the evil energy, but they were different from the phantoms.

  Aidan raised his hands up, trying to pull the tape off his lips. But it was no ordinary tape and without his magic he couldn’t take it off. The situation was hopeless. He was disabled by the dark Guardian’s magic. Gwyn ap Nudd, Voron, Angel and Veles were sealed under the mass of the black ice. On top of it, Chernobog was restrained and crushed by the pain of his broken heart.

  All is lost, thought Aidan with despair in his heart and closed his eyes, allowing exhaustion to settle in.

  Aidan didn’t know how long he was lying motionless on the cold ground of the Nav, when he felt some added weight on his chest. He opened his eyes and saw a large black bird sitting on his chest. The bird cocked its head and stared at him with its round eyes. Then it opened its wing and the shimmering glow of magic surrounded it. It hopped forward and touched the tape on Aidan’s mouth with its beak. The tape slowly dissipated, and Aidan was able to take a deep breath through his mouth.

  “Voron?” he asked, recognizing Chernobog’s righthand man.

  The bird hopped down and twirled in place as Voron took his human form. “Yes, my lord,” said the warrior with a light bow. “Luckily, Morena didn’t think highly of me, so she forgot that I also have magic and I can shift.” He lifted Aidan’s hands, probing his handcuffs with his magic.

  “No, Voron,” said Aidan, pulling his hands away. “I’ll be fine. Can you free Gwyn ap Nudd from the black ice? If you can give him access to his magic, he can take care of everyone else.”

  “It may take time, but I’ll try,” said Voron, heading toward the pile of ice that was covering Gwyn ap Nudd.

  He raised his sword and infused it with his magic. Then he crashed it down on the black ice. At first the ice resisted his assault, but after a few strikes, a glowing fracture marred its perfectly black surface. Voron doubled his effort and a few more web-like fractures separated from the first
one. After a few minutes, the icy dome trembled and exploded, propelling a bunch of icicles through the air.

  Gwyn ap Nudd was sprawled motionless on the ground. The mask was gone from his face. His eyes were shut, and his skin had a bluish tint to it. Aidan gasped and tried to get up, but the magic of the handcuffs held him in place. “Voron,” he called, not sure if his mentor was dead or alive.

  “He’s alive,” replied Voron without looking at Aidan. He kneeled next to Gwyn and put both his hands over his face, channeling his magic. The ice that was covering Gwyn’s mouth melted under Voron’s touch and Gwyn ap Nudd opened his eyes. He sat up slowly, assisted by Voron and connected with the Nav, restoring his strength and power. His eyes lit up with the brilliant light and the ice that was bounding his wrists and ankles blown up into sparkling dust.

  Gwyn ap Nudd got up to his feet and flexed his shoulders. The black mask manifested over his face and he laughed, the kind of laugh that promised nothing good to his enemies.

  “I’m back,” growled Gwyn ap Nudd through his clenched teeth, “and I’m coming for you, Zmey!”

  Chapter 37

  ~ Tessa ~

  Tessa ran stealthily through the long corridors of the Guardians Headquarters mansion. She wasn’t that late past the curfew yet. Only five minutes. But she didn’t want to get caught. She was still on probation, and she remembered that Aidan paid dearly to get her this probation.

  She turned the corner and was about to enter into the Apprentices’ Wing when she heard a loud whisper. Tessa halted and peeked around the corner, holding her breath. Not far from the entrance into the Mages’ Wing, she saw two high-level mages. They both were talking quietly, but their body language was betraying their state of anxiety.

  Feeling torn, Tessa decided that she had to know what was going on. I’ll be careful, she promised to herself, shifting closer to the mages so she could hear what they were saying. Luckily, they were so deeply involved in their discussion that they didn’t notice her.