To World's Above: An Epic YA Fantasy Adventure (Roots of Creation Book 5)

by Jason Hamilton

  Jak could feel the collective gasp behind her as everyone watched. But Gabriel gave no reaction. Instead, he simply took two more steps straight into the portal, and out of sight.

  No one said a word. Then Gabriel returned out of the shimmering light.

  “It’s cold. There’s a lot of snow everywhere. But the air is breathable and with some help from the gnomes I think we could work with it. There are mountains in the distance where we can find shelter.”

  Whereas most had been scared to venture forward before, now Fae and humans alike rushed to enter the portal. Gabriel disappeared once again on the other side, and he was followed by a mass of bodies pushing and pressing against each other, eager to finally see their new home. Illadar.

  “I’m going to need your help.” Jak said to Seph and Marek. “I’ll be weak from keeping this portal going. Just hold me up if you can.”

  Seph and Marek obeyed, one on each side, putting their head and shoulders under each arm to bear her aloft.

  Soon enough, everyone was going through the portal. They had all been prepared to leave. They went in with their wagons, full of food and seeds for planting. Pitch-covered wagons carrying Water Fae also went through. Most of the Fae went in first, followed by thousands of the others. People from the east, the north, and the south, let by Li, Bretton, and Mosaial, went in. Even their livestock followed. Jak wasn’t sure if the livestock would survive in the cold, but at least they would provide food for the rest of them for a time.

  It took hours, all while Jak held the portal in place. She had no strength of her own now, and only stood with the support of Seph and Marek. But she kept that portal alive. She would not let it fall until everyone was across.

  Skellig stayed to see the last of the people go through. Soon enough, they four were the only ones left on this side.

  “You coming, Jak?” Skellig called to her from her place next to the portal.

  “Yes, we’re coming.” Jak said, though she would again need Seph and Marek’s help.

  Skellig gave a small nod, then disappeared into the portal.

  With a slight nod to Seph and Marek, they led her forward. This was it. She was finally going to rest in this world she and the Fae had created. Even with a Sleeplessness brand, she would probably sleep for days. But at least she could sleep with the assurance that they were safely away from…

  Pain exploded in her head. A headache so strong it might have been a white-hot poker stabbing through her temple. She cried out, and Seph stopped trying to push her forward.

  “What’s wrong?” he said, concern furrowing his brow.

  Laughter rang out in Jak’s mind. Cain’s laughter. She was hearing him in her head again. She thought he had somehow removed that ability? She hadn’t seen him in her head since before they had begun to climb Mt. Knot.

  As if hearing her thoughts, Cain spoke to her mind. “Our connection as Orens cannot be broken. I only needed to hide it from you for a while. I didn’t want to let you in on my little secret. Now, see through my eyes. Be my hands. Channel my power!”

  She blinked through the pain. “What are you talking about?” she said aloud. “Be your hands?”

  “That last part wasn’t intended for you.” said a voice to one side. She turned to see Marek standing there, his eyes met hers, and fear clutched at her stomach.

  “Marek? You...you heard?”

  The laughter boiled in her head once more. Cain was ecstatic. But as he laughed, glowing lines began appearing on Marek’s body. They started with his Telekinetic brand on his left hand, but grew out from there. They covered him, every part of him. She had seen something like that before. On Cain, and on his servant, Kuldain.

  Marek belonged to the enemy.

  Seph began to react, but Marek quickly sent him hurling backward through the portal with a burst of telekinetic magic. “No!” Jak shouted as she watched Seph disappear.

  She fell to her knees, but Marek’s grip on her arm tightened and Jak felt a sharp pain as something etched its way along her arm. She recognized the sensation instantly. Marek was branding her. But how? Marek wasn’t a Gifter. But perhaps he could be, with all those other brands. Could this be what Cain meant about using his power?

  Too weak to pull away, she looked down to see what brand was forming on her skin. The markings were clearly visible. Three circles placed within one another.

  Marek was giving her a Void brand.

  “Marek, please! What are you doing?” The laughter in her head continued as she searched her childhood friend’s face for answers.

  “I’m sorry, Jak.” Marek’s face remained a hollow emptiness.

  The Void brand finished forming, and immediately Jak felt all of her power vanish. Crushing fatigue forced her to the ground as her Strength and Sleeplessness brands failed her. Those wells of power she’d come to associate with Flamedancing, Thunder, and Telekinesis were also gone. Worst of all, the magic of the Pillars of Eternity winked out.

  The portal began closing in on itself.

  Marek’s face contained no emotion as he let go of Jak. Then in one fluid motion he reached out his hand and sent a burst of magic at her. She tumbled backward as a wave of Telekinesis sent her flying into the closing portal. The Pillars of Eternity went spinning out of her hands, falling to the ground at Marek’s feet.

  She found herself stranded millions of miles away on a cold, barren wasteland on the other side. The Pillars of Eternity were gone, as was her power. She had nothing left.

  Epilogue

  Marek waited patiently for his master to appear. It didn’t take long before a small speck on the horizon turned into the form of a man as Cain slowly approached. He didn’t particularly like Cain all that much, but he owed the man his life, as well as so much more.

  So this was what it felt like to betray his best friend. Oddly, he didn’t feel much at all. Perhaps it was the extensive...modifications Cain had bestowed upon him. But even with all that, he was still the same boy he once was. Well...not a boy. He wasn’t that. No boy could experience what he had, or seen what he’d seen.

  Yet despite the fact that Marek felt little for Jak now, there must have been something prompting him to send her through the portal instead of killing her the moment she was defenseless. He was going to have to explain himself on that count.

  Cain came to rest on the ground next to him, the two of them alone in a valley that moments before had been occupied by over seven thousand people.

  “You have them,” Cain’s eyes gleamed as he caught sight of the two Pillars of Eternity that Marek now held, recovered once Jak had entered the portal.

  Marek nodded. Not a word of greeting, no praise for a job well done, just going straight for the Relics. Typical. Though he had to admit he would have done the same.

  He handed the two staffs to his master without hesitation. He wasn’t even sure he could have hesitated. Cain had given him a multitude of brands, and he was relatively sure some of them would ensure his obedience. But he could deal with that. For now. But the power of those Relics was tempting. If he could somehow take them for himself one day...

  Cain held them both in one hand, gently stroking their polished surfaces.

  “They won’t do what you want them to,” Marek said, watching as his hideously disfigured savior cradled the Pillars. “She told me they don’t allow their user to kill.”

  “All in good time, son,” said Cain.

  ‘Son?’ That was a new one. Perhaps Cain did show a measure of gratitude after all, at least in the way he addressed his subordinates. That was a good sign, it meant that Marek would likely rise to become Cain’s most trusted confidant. And Marek would need that.

  “Every Relic, just like every person, can be broken.” Cain flashed a cruel smile at Marek. “All I need is time. And with the others gone, I have all the time in the world. Even if it takes centuries.”

  “So you intend to wait before conquering the kingdom?” Marek asked, cocking his head, curious to hear his master�
�s answer.

  “Not at all. I hardly need these to overrun a place with such puny defenses like Skyecliff. The queen already dances to my song. No, the Pillars will serve a greater purpose. Once they work for me, we can destroy the planet they created and be rid of the Fae for good.”

  Marek nodded. He’d managed to guide Jak and the Fae into isolating themselves, preventing them from meddling here on Earth, and making it easier to destroy them from afar. Assuming Cain could get the Pillars of Eternity working.

  “What happens next, then?”

  Cain grinned. “My children are already at Skyecliff, overrunning the defenses there. I managed to...convince the lovely Telma to leave the city all but defenseless. While they work, I will personally go to Tradehall and lay waste to that city.”

  “And what of me?” Marek asked.

  Cain didn’t hesitate with his answer. “Go to Skyecliff and ensure my children finish what they started. Give help as needed. Put an end to anyone who stands in your way. I will join you eventually.”

  Marek gave a curt nod, and activated his Telekinesis brand, getting ready to fly out of the valley and northeast towards Skyecliff.

  “But Marek,” said Cain in a low tone. Marek paused. His master's face was a dark mask. “Don’t think that I forgot your failure to kill the girl. Fail me like that again and I will not only remove your gifts, but I will make you beg for death.”

  Marek made no show of emotion. “It was a momentary lapse in judgement. She’ll probably die of exposure on that planet anyway. But I won’t fail you again.”

  “See that you don’t. You could be the one, Marek. The one to stand by my side for eternity.”

  With that, Cain continued to cradle the Pillars in his arms, like a father looking after his newborn. Marek, on the other hand, rose into the air and shot towards Skyecliff.

  He had told Cain the truth. Failure to kill Jak had been a momentary lapse. He had far more important concerns now, far more important destinies to discover. Powers beyond his imagination. Cain was his key to all of it, the one who had first introduced him to what was possible. In a way, he would always be grateful to the man for that.

  Though he did hold one secret back from his master. He didn’t want to rule by Cain’s side for eternity. No, he didn’t want to be second to anyone. For now, he would do what he was told. But he would wait, find that opportunity. It would come, he was sure of that, if he had to wait centuries. One day, he would be the one to dominate this and countless other worlds.

  A smile spread on Marek’s lips as he sped across mountains and plains.

  Author’s Note

  Please don’t kill me for that cliffhanger. Don’t worry, the next book is coming soon (though perhaps a few weeks delayed because I’ll be on my honeymoon #sorrynotsorry)

  But I hope you liked this one. I’ve been looking forward to writing this particular book ever since I started the series and outlined what would happen in each book. It was, by far, my favorite book to write up to this point. And I’ve written seven.

  Jak has a bit of a long way to go after this, but there are only three more books left in the series. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long for her to get her powers back, if she gets them back at all (can’t spoil it).

  As I mentioned before, I am getting married very soon, as of this writing. She is the love of my life, and I simply can’t wait for the wedding! But for those interested in the resolution to this series, let me add that I fully intend to have at least a first draft of the remaining books done before the wedding. So while the release might get delayed, the books will still come fast after I get back.

  And that’s it for book 5! I can’t wait to see you again soon for book 6: As Winter Spawns. Let’s just say, it’s a bit of a dark time.

  About the Author

  Jason Hamilton is an unapologetic nerd of all things science fiction and fantasy. He is the author of the Roots of Creation and Alice: The Last Founder series, and many other forthcoming novels.

  The Argoverse Site

  www.argoforce.com

  His Personal Site

  www.jasonleehamilton.com

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  Also by Jason Hamilton

  Roots of Creation

  A New Light (short story)

  Out of Shadow

  Growing Ripples

  Through Fire

  Into Storm

  To World’s Above

  As Winter Spawns

  Seeds of Hope

  In Creation’s Heart

  Alice: The Last Founder

  Year One

  Ghosts of Greenfield

  Taking the Fight