Tethum raised his hands high and tilted his head back. “Watch your city burn, my son!” The demon’s voice came out in a guttural growl, too harsh and bestial to have been issued from any human throat. His coarse laughter, rough as boulders clattering down a hill, echoed above the growing din.
The Serenii glyphs and gemstones set into the stone table flared to a near-blinding brilliance. The humming in the room grew louder, so loud it rattled Kodyn’s eardrums and sent sparks of pain dancing through his bruised chest. The floor vibrated beneath his feet, the walls and ceiling trembling from the power coursing through the room. Every hair on Kodyn’s neck stood upright as light and energy seemed to crackle along the length of the table.
Yet long seconds passed and nothing happened. The Serenii mechanism filled the room with its deafening hum, but there was no sudden surge of power, no blast of energy. Kodyn’s eyes darted to the nearest window. Through the black crystal glass, the city of Shalandra spread out below him, unharmed, untouched.
“What?” Tethum’s voice thundered through the humming of the power. “Why does it not—”
His words cut off in a bestial roar of pain and he staggered forward, blood gushing from his leg. On the floor behind Tethum, Issa lay with a determined look on her face, the iron dagger in her hand edged with crimson.
She pulled herself forward and lashed out again, a blow aimed at Tethum’s knee. The demon dodged the blow, his movements slowed by pain yet still too fast for the Blade, and kicked the dagger from her hand. His next kick drove into her face and snapped her head back. Blood spurted from her lip and her helmeted head struck the table’s stone columns with jarring force.
Horror raced through Kodyn as Tethum raised his boot above her head and prepared to crunch down. Helmet or not, the attack would kill Issa.
He had just leapt to his feet and prepared to hurl himself at the demon when a blast of blue-white light hurtled past him. The brilliance burned into his vision as the bolt of energy sizzled toward Tethum. It slammed into his chest so hard he was lifted from his feet, blown away by an invisible wind, and hurled across the chamber to slam into a stone wall.
Kodyn whirled, stunned, to find Aisha rising to her feet. Determination etched her face and dazzling sparks of blue-white light danced in her eyes.
“The machine will not work for you, Father.” Her voice rang with imperious command, an impossible strength that set her words reverberating off the wall and drowned out the humming of the Serenii machine. “Not without the crucial element. Me.”
Chapter Forty-Five
Aisha drifted in a darkened void, a chilling numbness seeping into every fiber of her being. The world around her was empty, absence of light, sound, smells, even sensations.
She strained to hear the pounding of her pulse, feel the hammering of her panicking heart. Silence. Empty, desolate, terrifying silence.
The Inkuleko had claimed her. The tether between flesh and spirit had snapped, torn by the force of Hallar’s ghost digging its claws into her mind. She was Unshackled, cast adrift in the world of the Kish’aa.
A glimmer of light shone in the distance, a thread of light that flitted past faster than a shooting star. Aisha tried to call out for it but no sound issued forth. She struggled to move yet had no form, no figure to move.
Only the icy, silent nothingness of a spirit.
Suddenly, she understood the fear that gripped the Kish’aa, the desperation in their empty eyes, the intensity of their cries to her. They, too, were alone and isolated in this void, caught between life and death. When they had sensed her, had realized she could hear and speak to them, they had clung to even the faintest shred of hope that they could touch the realm of the living once more. Even just for a few brief moments as they fulfilled whatever mission kept them from passing into the world beyond.
A faint hope blossomed within Aisha. If the Kish’aa that spoke to her still had a link to life, perhaps she, too, had not been fully untethered. Her grip on her mortal flesh had been severed, but there was a chance that her spirit hadn’t yet been sundered.
She clung to that desperate hope like a drowning man on driftwood, fighting back the terror and panic that flooded her. Yet those emotions, paired with the dim spark of hope, told her she still lived. She could feel—good or bad, it didn’t matter—so she wasn’t yet fully cut off from her human flesh.
Now she just needed to find her way back.
Again, the threads of light flashed past, far in the distance, faster than she could sense. She reached toward it, pushed every shred of her willpower to call it to her, to propel herself toward it.
The light raced by, closer this time. Again, still closer, and closer with every pass. Clutching on to her hope, bolstering her will, she tugged on that thread of light—the single spark in an all-consuming blackness.
As the glimmer approached, it began to slow. From the speed of a falling star to a speeding arrow to a charging horse to a full sprint, the light spun around her, painting pictures, bringing images to life in the darkness.
A child torn from his mother’s hands, forced to watch, weeping, as taloned claws tore the woman to shreds.
Another flash of light, another image.
A young boy, barely into his teen years, wielding a sword of bronze, clad in armor of glowing crystal. Fighting, bleeding, suffering, killing. Bodies piled high, blood soaking into a muddy field of battle.
Aisha fixed her concentration on the boy. Those features, the dark hair, the burning intensity in his midnight eyes were somehow familiar.
Light flashed by, burning another scene into her thoughts.
A man, grown and tall, battling horrible creatures—the creatures that had torn his mother to shreds. Triumph roared from his throat as he slew them by the dozen. Pain lancing his hands from the iron sword in his grip, yet the pain spurred him on, set his fury blazing to a towering crescendo as he slew the demons.
More light, more images, bursting into the darkness like the spark of a fire and fading just as quickly.
The same man, hardened by battle, worn by years, knelt before a creature of legend. He bowed his head to the tall, grey-skinned creature with sharp canines, elongated skull and too many joints. Violet eyes glittered as he repeated the words of an oath that bound him in service.
Surprise thrummed within Aisha as she recognized the man. Hallar! The images she saw were glimpses into the life of Shalandra’s founder. The half-demon that had carved the city from Alshuruq’s stone.
No, that wasn’t true. The next image belied the legends of Hallar.
A proud, strong warrior with a greatsword on his back climbed the stony slopes of a walled city. Empty houses, towering walls, massive buildings, and sheer cliffs surrounded him. At his side strode a grey-skinned creature nearly twice his height. Words echoed in his mind. “Guard this city at all costs! It must endure until the Devourer is no more.”
Had Aisha possessed a body, she would have sucked in a shocked breath. Hallar hadn’t founded Shalandra—the Serenii had given it to him, had entrusted him with its care. He was Shalandra’s guardian, charged with its protection.
A mission he continued even after his death.
Images flashed before her eyes so fast they set her mind reeling.
Locked in a desperate struggle with a living nightmare, a creature that wore a face far too similar to his own. Midnight eyes that blazed with hatred and contempt. Pain as claws dug into his flesh, steel and iron lancing his body. Defiance, courage, fury.
He wielded a long, two-handed flammard with a gemstone set into its crossguard—a gift of the ancients. Facing his father, who wielded a long, curved dagger. Hallar wrested the blade from the creature’s taloned hands and drove a round ball of pure iron into the demon’s open maw. Hurling the demon away, a concussive blast that knocked him backward and sent shards of metal slicing through the creature’s face. A howling, terrible and agonized. The demon clawing at his face, desperate to dig out the iron riddling his flesh. Chains, heavy a
nd thick, rendering the demon helpless as he was dragged to a lightless prison far, far beneath the surface.
Another flash of memory, another scene of death.
Peace, shattered by invaders seeking to claim the mystical city of golden stone. Defeating a towering giant and claiming his place as champion of the clan. Growing in power, conquering the rest of Alshuruq, then moving to the three remaining Yawmani Mountain peaks. War, death, blood, and loss. Pain, sorrow, loneliness, guilt. All underscored by the burden of his quest, entrusted to him by the ancient Serenii. They were no more; it fell to him to protect their creation. If Shalandra fell, Einan died.
The weight of Hallar’s emotions struck Aisha a physical blow. Suddenly, sparks appeared in the void around her, twinkling like a million stars in the heavens. The void brightened, from absolute lightlessness to a deep black, changing slowly to a dark grey.
Sensation trickled into Aisha’s spirit once more. A twitching, crackling power. The feel of rough stone scraping at her flesh. Pain, like a fiery volcano and a whirlwind of ice, crashing, colliding, sizzling deep into her body.
In that moment, a faint sound reached her. “Aisha!”
That voice! She knew it so well. Kodyn.
The sound came again. “Aisha, come back to me!”
Worry echoed in that voice, and the sound flooded her with a new emotion: love. She clung to that feeling, clawing at it like a buried man clawing free of his grave. A breath in her lungs, a flash of pain from the power crackling through her body. The frantic thump, thump of her hammering heart.
The void brightened around her, the world filling with dazzlingly bright, blurry details. Dark shapes of people moving. Solid stone beneath her. Agony from Hallar’s power coursing in her veins, scorching her from the inside out.
With a gasp, she was suddenly back in her body. Yet not alone. Another presence seeped into her veins, clung to her mind, filled the core of her being and mingled with her soul.
Hallar! She called to the spirit, summoned him with every shred of will she possessed. Hallar, you will heed my command!
Something within her shifted. The strong, chiseled face and rippling form of Hallar appeared before her.
You cannot stop me, child of spirits. His voice, so strong, tinged with burning authority, echoed in her mind. I do what I do to save my city. To save all of Einan.
I saw what you vowed to do, Aisha told him. The oath you swore to the Serenii. To protect Shalandra until the Great Devourer is destroyed.
An oath I seek to fulfill even now. Hallar fixed her with a stern glare. Through you.
But it will not work! Aisha protested. You may be able to control my body long enough to unleash the power stored here, but the Devourer is not yet destroyed. He waits in his prison in the Lost City, his power diminished yet not eradicated.
She knew of the Hunter’s mission for Kharna, and the threat that awaited them in Enarium. Hallar had sworn to serve in the same way. He guarded Shalandra against the Great Devourer, but death had claimed him first. In his determination to fulfill his oath, he had clung to this life. But how much longer? A thousand years? Five thousand? The day would come when his spirit would lose its grip on the world of the living. He would join the Kish’aa in Pharadesi, and Einan would be undefended.
You are right to believe that your oath can be fulfilled through me, Aisha said. But not like this. My flesh will not house your spirit. Tearing my soul free of my body will not make way for you to claim it. I am your only hope. Alive, in control, but with your knowledge and power within me.
For the first time, Hallar’s spirit hesitated. Silence hung thick between them, but the world had grown steadily brighter as they spoke. Color and life infused the air around her, blurring features solidifying, hardening to the figures of battling men and women.
Her friends, and their desperate fight against the demon Tethum.
You fought your father all those years ago, locked him away beneath Einan. Aisha pushed back against Hallar’s spirit, struggling to wrest back control of her body. Yet he has returned to claim your city. He believes the Serenii gave you power to destroy, but that is not true.
Life, rebirth, a new beginning. Hallar’s black eyes locked with hers. A hope for a world threatened by chaos and death.
So give me your power, the power to defeat him and to safeguard your city. The stone table swam into view, the glowing gemstones and glyphs bright in her vision. Share with me your knowledge, the wisdom given you by the Serenii, so I can continue your mission for you. Give me what I need to save Shalandra and fulfill your oath to the ancients.
Again, silence. Hallar’s spirit stared at her, the force of his gaze burning into the core of her being. Yet she could once again feel every hammering heartbeat, the pain sizzling her nerves, hear the sounds of the battle and the cries of pain.
Very well. Hallar’s voice rumbled like a peal of thunder, yet Aisha no longer struggled against its intensity. You will have what you desire, child of spirits.
Hope surged within Aisha. She could feel her twitching slowing, the agony of the power retreating, her control once again restored over her body. Yet Hallar had not yet finished.
But I will warn you, the burden you bear is a heavy one. Hallar’s face grew somber, his expression shadowed. It will lead you into darkness, push you beyond the limits of your endurance, weigh on you with such force that you will feel unable to move. You are not blessed with a long life like mine.
Maybe not, but I have friends. Aisha met his gaze without hesitation. Friends who will stand beside me, who will share the burden of knowledge and duty. Together, we will bear it. Together, we will honor your vow.
So be it. Acceptance echoed through her mind, approval flooding her body with warmth. Then here is what you must do.
More images flashed across her vision, so fast they set her mind reeling. She could scarcely grasp the meaning yet she could not look away, could not turn aside.
Suddenly, she was back in her body, energy coursing through her veins. The power of Hallar’s spirit crackled in every fiber of her being, pushing back her fatigue, drowning out the pain.
Her eyes took in the scene in a heartbeat: Kodyn crouched beside her, preparing to spring at the Iron Warlord, who stood over Issa with his boot raised to crush her skull. Lady Callista’s face creased in terror, the Pharus struggling to help her stand. Hailen gripping a dagger and standing over Briana and a dazed, bleeding Evren.
Emotions surged within her like a bursting volcano. Anger, at what the demon had done to her friends. Hatred, born of Hallar’s memories of the creature that had sired him. Determination to fulfill Hallar’s oath and save not only Shalandra, but all of Einan.
Her hand shot forward and a brilliant bolt of lightning burst from her fingertips with all the force of Hallar’s rage. The energy slammed into his chest and hurled him from his feet, sending him crashing into the stone wall.
“The machine will not work for you, Father.” Hallar’s voice burst from her lips, his presence filling her with power. “Not without the crucial element. Me.”
“Aisha?” Kodyn’s voice pierced the pounding blood in her ears.
“I’m fine,” she said, her voice and Hallar’s mingled. “But the power of the Serenii must be unleashed.”
“I know.” Kodyn nodded. He moved aside with a wince, gripping an iron dagger in a bloodied hand. “You do what you need to do. I’ve got your back.”
“Quickly!” Evren said, his voice edged with pain. “While the demon’s stunned, tie him up!”
The machine! Hallar’s presence urged in her mind. His insistence tugged on her limbs, pulling her toward the stone table.
Images flashed through Aisha’s mind: long, grey-skinned fingers with too many joints flashed across the glowing stones and glyphs in a sequential pattern. Her breath caught in her lungs as she realized what she saw. The Serenii had taught Hallar how to activate their power, and now he shared that knowledge with her.
Her hands moved across th
e stone table, tapping one gemstone, twisting another, sliding a third to unite with two more beside it. The humming in the room grew louder, rising to a deafening roar that set the ground trembling beneath her feet. But she had no fear. The power stored deep within the heart of Alshuruq, within a Dy’nashia hundreds of paces wide and long, would not destroy Shalandra.
“My father was wrong,” Hallar’s voice spoke through her, piercing the roar of the Serenii machine. “He believed the machine would give him power. He came to Shalandra to claim it as his own. Yet the Serenii built this not to kill. They built it to save—not only this city, but all of Einan with it.”
Aisha pressed the last gemstone in the sequence, and a section of golden sandstone darkened to midnight black. A smile lifted her lips—her own relief mingled with Hallar’s triumph.
“Now my mission is fulfilled!”
Thrusting out her hand, Aisha channeled the power of Hallar’s spirit through her fingers and into the stone. A thunderclap echoed through the room, accompanied by a deep-throated rumbling from the city outside. Aisha poured all of the blue-white light into the black stone and it grew slowly brighter, brighter, flooding the room with a brilliance at once soothing and terrifying.
Look, Hallar rumbled in her mind. Look and see what you have done.
Aisha’s eyes lifted. Through the twin windows, Shalandra had come to life. Blue-white light danced through the air and along the broad, flat stone roads of each tier, leaping between the towering sandstone cliffs that served as the city’s borders. Bolts of lightning sizzling through the air, crackling from west to east with blinding force. The force knocked the Stumblers to the ground, where they lay, thousands of miniature figures writhing on the ground as the power burned through their bodies. The might of the Kish’aa, the countless dead of Shalandra gathered in the Keeper’s Crypts, scoured the poison from the creatures as it surged toward the deposits of shalanite deep within the mountain.
Aisha could feel the power absorbed into the shalanite, feel it sucked down into the massive Serenii-wrought Dy’nashia stone buried far beneath Alshuruq. Yet it didn’t stop there. Instead, it was pulled farther down, deep into the core of Einan itself, and channeled into the bowels of the world. The power grew fainter as it sped away from Shalandra, yet she didn’t need to feel it to know where it went.
Ascension of Death Page 38