Tarn lifted his gaze to the smoke-smothered sky. The gleam of the fire highlighted the sharp edges of his face in red, the rest draped in black. “There is only one place where this will end. After years of searching, I am at last one step closer to finding it. I’ve long decided that the rivers will flow red and the world will burn at my feet before I allow anyone to impede me.”
In a move so quick, Von nearly missed it, Tarn lashed out at the colonel’s throat. The man flopped on the ground, gurgling and clawing at his neck where his windpipe was crushed. His face shifted from red to purple, vessels bursting in his eyes bulging with terror. He wheezed desperately for air, legs thrashing.
Von looked away, but he couldn’t ignore the sounds. Torturous seconds stretched into minutes. The frantic spasms weakened, then with one last painful gurgle, all went quiet. The colonel laid face down in the grass, mouth stretched open, fingers curled.
Another body added to the masses. And a glaring reminder of his master’s capabilities.
Tarn tucked his hands in his coat and strode away for his tent. “Bring me the Maiden. Kill the wolf. Bleed the other dry.”
Von closed his eyes and bowed. “Yes, Master.”
Von’s gray horse nickered uneasily, hooves pawing at the ground.
“Easy, Coal,” Von murmured as he strapped the saddle in place.
He fit the bridle and tossed the reins around the saddle’s pommel. Coal was an easy, obedient horse. One who had learned to pick up on moods and mirrored them. Von was rarely ever nervous, but unease settled over him since Tarn gave the order to go after Dyna. He shook it off. This task will be no different than the many others.
The Raiders had packed up camp and were nearly ready to move out. The dead were left where they had fallen. It was wrong, but there was no time to bury them. The fire would only draw more attention.
Abenon’s voice echoed in another field opposite of where the skirmish took place. He swore and barked orders at the twenty Raiders chosen for the capture of the Maiden, relaying all the information gathered by the spies.
“After this next mission we will reach Mount Ida,” Abenon said, trotting his horse back and forth. “All that stands in our way is a dog and a fowl. Any of you bullocks botch this, I’ll leave your corpses to the crows. Capture the Maiden and you’ll be shitting gold for the rest of your lives!”
The Raiders cheered at that. Bloodlust shone on their crimson smeared faces. Their victory against the Azure Guard had intoxicated them with confidence. They were ready for another fight.
“He has a penchant for flair,” Elon said. Von nearly flinched at his sudden appearance. It was unnerving how soundless the elf moved as if he traveled through shadow. “Are you certain you do not wish for me to accompany you, Commander?”
“I need you here,” Von said. “You are in command while I’m gone. Make your way east and camp by the Kazer Bluffs. They open to an inlet out of Loch Loden. I will take that course once I have the Maiden. Meet me there at midday the day after tomorrow.” He paused then added, “Take Len with you.”
It was best to be prepared, and she was their best with a bow.
“Did you find Benton?”
The elf’s expression didn’t change save for a slight tightening of his jaw. “The mages were in their tent. Sleeping.”
Not for one moment did Von believe Benton had slept through the fight. This had to have been another attempt to free himself. “Keep him confined. I know he led the Azure Guard to us. No word of this until it’s been confirmed.”
Elon nodded and vanished into the night as quickly as he appeared.
Von kept Benton’s betrayal from Tarn for Dalton and Clayton’s sake. They didn’t deserve to be strung up because of their father. When he returned, he planned to have a conversation with that old bastard.
“Commander,” Geon called. He trotted over on a brown mare. “May I join the unit?”
Von mounted his horse. “Stay here.”
“I want to come. I’ll not let you down.”
“I said no.” Von glowered at him. The lad nearly joined the dead not a mere hour ago. They were heading to another battle and surely there would be more losses, but not on his end if he could help it.
“Let him go,” Yavi said as she approached. She stopped under the cover of the trees, close to his horse and out of view of the remaining Raiders readying the wagons. “He was in Corron with Bouvier. He’s learned his way around the streets.”
Geon nodded eagerly. “I know the best way in and out of the city. With my help, the Azure Guard won’t see us coming.”
That would be useful. Von groaned, “Fine, but only so you can relay a message to Bouvier. You’ll stay out of any confrontation with the Guardians. Go on, report to Abenon.”
“Thank you, Commander.” Geon cantered off to join the others as the men mounted their horses.
“You shouldn’t encourage him, Yavi. It’ll be dangerous,” Von said. He signaled to Abenon, giving the order to move out. The ground rumbled with the beat of hooves as the Raiders galloped northeast for Corron. They were to ride all night and should arrive midday after Dyna, if not sooner.
“Aye, it will be,” Yavi said, watching their departure. Her kirtle and hair fluttered in the strong wind like a stream.
“You’re worried about her.”
“That man is sending you to kidnap another person, and to snuff out the lives of two more. These people could mean our freedom.”
Von had not let himself think about that. His duty was to his master. The holy law decreed it. Betraying Tarn was the same as betraying the God of Urn.
“Have you imagined what would have happened if you had not been so selfless fifteen years ago? Tarn was at your mercy. He should be your life-servant.”
Von sighed. “His father was my liege. How could I keep him as my servant?”
“He had no qualms on his end,” she snapped.
The betrayal still stung. Tarn had been his friend, or perhaps he had been a fool to think so.
When Azurite fell to the Horde, the carnage in the field outside of the town was the same as this one. Covered in dismembered bodies, but with both human and troll. The grey-scaled beasts reeked of swamp and carrion, or it could have been the corpses left to rot in the summer heat during the day-long attack. Von and Tarn had been the only surviving knights. On their last breath as they fought their way through the Horde.
Tarn lost his weapon, and the trolls descended on him. Teeth crushed through bone, tearing through flesh, as they ate him alive. Von didn’t think twice about saving him or relieving him of his life debt. But when Tarn came to his aid immediately after, the same courtesy was not returned.
Von had wondered many times afterward if saving Tarn had changed the course of the world as it had changed the course of his life. They both should have perished that day.
“Do you regret it?” Yavi asked.
“What’s done is done.”
“He must not have the Unending, Von. What do you think he will do with that power?” She motioned to the bloody field. “How many more need to die? How many more must you kill for him?”
Von had lost count of all the lives taken by his hands. He wiped a stray tear from her cheek. “I don’t have any say in this.”
“You do. I wish you’d see that.” Her welled eyes looked up at him, pleading for him to make the right choice. But what was the right choice? Spare innocents or uphold his holy duty as a life-servant?
He didn’t know what was right anymore.
“I fear this task won’t be as easy as you’re used to,” Yavi murmured against his calloused palm. “Beware the Guardians, the Seer said. They won’t let you take her without a fight.”
“Well, they would be poor Guardians if they didn’t fight, eh?”
She shook her head. “I’m not jesting. I have an awful feeling.”
He smiled if only to hide that he felt the same. “I’ll come back to you. I always do.”
“You’d better, Von
Conaghan. Don’t leave me alone in this world.” Not with that man. She didn’t need to say it. He heard it as clear as he’d heard the fear in her voice.
“How could I when I love you more than my own life?”
Yavi smiled through her tears. “How much?”
Von lifted her onto the horse. He laced his fingers deep in her silken locks at the back of her head, pulling her close. “This much,” he whispered and dispelled any further protest with a kiss.
Chapter 32
Dynalya
Dyna stood on a knoll overlooking a vast green moorland dappled with wild heather. Wispy clouds moved idly across the morning sky, chased by their shadows sweeping beneath them. The weather was tolerable for a change.
Behind her, Cassiel and Zev conversed comfortably as they put away their bedrolls and packed their bags. Her cousin’s laughter rebounded off the short crag that had sheltered them for the night. The sound lightened her heart. But her smile wavered when she rubbed her right shoulder where his teeth had severed through. Cassiel’s blood had left no evidence of the injuries she sustained that night. She would have thought it only a nightmare, but a faint luminance exuded from her skin.
Dyna glanced at Cassiel. His black hair fell over his face as he put out their dying campfire. The sunlight gleamed on him, a soft haloed glow outlining his head. She thought his radiance was something she had imagined, but she realized it was the divine blood that flowed within him, and now within her.
His gray eyes met hers. Something fluttered in the pit of her stomach that sent warmth to her cheeks. Seeing him, being around him, sent a vibration through her. Since the full moon, his presence hovered on her skin as a tangible entity. No matter where Cassiel was, her awareness followed him, even when she didn’t intend it.
And when they touched, a flare of warmth ignited her very soul, tethering her to him in a way she didn’t comprehend.
Zev dropped an arm around her shoulders and peered down at her with concern. “All right?”
Dyna managed a smile. “Yes.”
He frowned. “You’re pale. Come, have a nip of water at least.” Zev guided her to sit on a boulder. He handed her a waterskin from his pack and watched her drink. Dyna’s hand trembled when she handed it back. “Are you feeling faint?”
“Oh no, I’m fine.” Dyna fidgeted with the frayed hem of the brown tunic she borrowed from him.
Zev crouched and rested a hand over hers, dwarfing it. “It was wrong to have you chain me, Dyna. It’s awful and dangerous. I almost killed you once before. If not for Cassiel … Forgive me.”
“Oh, Zev. I know you would never consciously hurt me.”
“I’ve decided that you will no longer bear the responsibility of my chains. I’ll not put you in such danger again.”
“But I made a promise.”
“Which is now void. I relieve you of your debt, Dyna.”
The heavy burden she had carried for so long lifted only to be replaced by guilt. “I must keep my promise, Zev. It’s my turn to save you now.”
She would have frozen to death on the Zafiro Mountains if not for him. He had never asked her for anything in return, but this she would do.
“I relieve you of your debt,” Zev said firmly.
“No, I won’t let you.”
He slumped on his heels, sighing heavily. “Dyna, please.”
“You need me. You can’t chain yourself!”
“I’ll do it,” Cassiel said where he stood on top of the crag above them, looking out at the horizon. The silver buttons of his dark blue vest hung undone, leaving his white tunic to flutter in the wind. The sun gleamed over the sleek plumage of his wings curving like half-moons to his heels.
Zev faced him. “You will?”
“For the duration of our journey, I will see to your chains.”
Dyna was speechless a moment, astonished by his offer. “Thank you …”
“Yes, thank you, Cassiel.”
The Prince shrugged. He hopped down and from his pack, he pulled out his enchanted coat. His wings vanished as it settled on his shoulders.
Zev curiously eyed his flat back. “How does it work?”
“Stardust.”
“What’s Stardust?”
“Exactly as it sounds.” Cassiel hiked his pack onto a shoulder and headed east. The dirt road woven through the hills would take them to Corron. In the distance were other travelers making their way to the city.
“It’s a spell made from the stars,” Dyna explained to Zev as they followed. “It creates an unlimited space on anything it touches. Azeran said that at the commencement of the world, fallen stars burned through the atmosphere like rays of fire and crashed into the oceans, creating land and life.
“One such star fell in the region that became Magos. It’s believed this is how the Spatial Gate was created, and that it introduced Essence into the world. Mages from the First Age crushed the star and turned it into a spatial spell in its mineral state. They learned to use it to conjure pockets of limitless space wherever there is none.”
Cassiel glanced at her fleetingly, arching an eyebrow. She almost thought he looked impressed. “Precisely.”
“And Celestials use this to travel?” Zev asked.
Cassiel nodded. “A dash of Stardust on the inside of our clothing gives us the capacity to hide our wings.”
“How did the Celestials obtain Stardust?”
“Before the Decimation, Hilos traded freely with the outside world. Our feathers significantly enhanced magic and were therefore prized by the Magos Empire. The Archmage that lived during the Calx Age traded ten-thousand pounds of Stardust for five thousand pounds of Celestial feathers. Each of the Four Celestial Realms possesses a vat of the remaining Stardust. My uncle gifted me with a vial to spell my clothing. It allowed me to conceal my wings and pass as a human during my travels.”
“Did you bring more enchanted clothes?”
“No, my father confiscated them upon my return to Hilos. He prefers that I travel by night out of sight. I hardly managed to hide this coat. There was no way to attain more Stardust without arousing his suspicion. It’s well guarded.”
“Why?” Dyna asked.
“Stardust is reserved for those who must travel to the Four Realms on rare occasions. Importers and emissaries, for example. Whenever a Celestial leaves the safety of the Realms, it is a great danger to us all. One mistake would unveil the secret of our existence and threaten our survival once more.”
“But you’ve traveled several times between Hilos and Hermon Ridge,” Zev said.
“Being a prince has its merits. My father and uncle trust me to avoid exposing myself.”
“If by some unfortunate chance, you did?”
He hesitated before saying, “Then, I would have no choice.”
Dyna felt a sudden bout of nausea. “No choice?”
The sickness worsened as Cassiel pressed a hand to his stomach. The dread filtering through her mirrored the dread in his gray eyes before they hardened. “I bear the responsibility of keeping our existence a secret to any extent necessary.”
She didn’t need further explanation. He may have spared her in Hilos, but he would never extend such benevolence to anyone else again.
“Perhaps you may find a mage merchant that sells Stardust,” she said.
“Unlikely. It is rare and far too expensive.” Cassiel quickened his pace and moved ahead, effectively ending the conversation.
As of yesterday, he had returned to his curt manner. She supposed it stemmed from the law he broke by giving her his blood. Zev had explained how serious that was. Dyna sighed. Since their meeting, she’d only caused him a series of inconveniences. He must find her a nuisance.
Cassiel halted and turned back to look at her. His expression softened as he searched her face. “Come along. We aren’t too far from Corron now.”
They trekked for several miles, passing stone markers at each intersection. The dirt road changed to cobblestone as they neared the city, and
it became more crowded as others joined them. Many had traveled from afar, some on foot, others on horseback, or by caravan.
It amazed Dyna how different they were from the people in her village. The crowd was a wildflower garden of color. Men and women with skin like sunflower hearts. Their hair and eyes were an assortment of different shades and textures she had no names for. Some wore caftans fluttering like the petals of poppies and marigolds, others in elegant dresses flowing in shades of bluebells and lilies. The local men wore imposing armor in the livery of their lords. Field laborers in weathered clothing pulled along carts of fruit and vegetables.
The road led to a wide bridge suspended over a great lake. The wind whipped Dyna’s hair in her face, carrying the scent of mossy water. Several fishing boats idled on the clear blue surface and birds screeched as they circled overhead.
Beyond the shoreline, the city of Corron nestled within steep hills layered in pine trees. The stone structures with their red roofs spread throughout the land and up the hills like stairs to the sky. A bell tolled somewhere in the distance, announcing the midday hour. She stopped by the parapet to marvel at the sight of the immense lake.
“Loch Loden,” Cassiel said, pausing beside her. He pointed to a patch of forest on the north of the lake outside the city. “Beyond the woodland is an inlet that streams past the Kazer Bluffs to the Saxe Fjord which opens to the Saxe Sea.”
Dyna smiled, glad that he was speaking to her again. “Is that how we will reach the port?”
“No, it’s safer to take the road. Hurry along. We are almost at the gate.” He ushered her onward, keeping to her right side, and Zev blocked the crowd on her left.
The bridge was the only way into Corron. It was packed with people slowly inching toward the entrance. Standing guard at the gate were several men wearing navy regimental coats, black trousers, and boots. Brass buttons shone on the lapels, gold stitching trimming the cuffs and pockets. A badge of the Azure sigil was pinned on the right side of their chests. Each was armed with a gleaming sword sheathed at their waists.
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