Promise of Wrath (The Hellequin Chronicles Book 6) (11 page)

“I know. Olivia and Tommy said the same thing. I can’t practice my magic without using it, though. It’s not possible.”

“Just be careful.”

“I will. Thanks for earlier. And for saving my life and all of that.”

“My pleasure. Let’s never have to do it again.”

“Being chased through a forest by two massive cats is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, I hope.”

I left Chloe to rest and found Diane snacking on some leftover rabbit. “There’s venom in her blood,” she said. “I can smell it in the wound.”

“I figured it must be something along those lines,” I said.

“My guess is that the tablet was coated in the stuff. She gets cut, and the venom is quickly in her body. Someone really did not want me to be around.”

“You think it’ll get worse?”

Diane shrugged. “Depends what the venom was. Right now, it’s making her tire quickly and giving her breathing difficulties. I assume her going through your shadow magic was exhausting for her, more so than you. Probably exacerbated the effects of the poison.”

“We need to get her some help. And then when we get back, I’m going to find out who sent the tablet and feed about a gallon of that poison to them.”

“Get in line.” Diane looked past me to Chloe. “That girl has been through more than most. Father vanishes, mother a psycho who nearly gets her killed. I’m amazed she’s as together as she is.”

“I think having Kasey, Tommy, and Olivia in her life helps.”

“And you, Nate. I think you underestimate just how much those kids look up to you.”

“I am a fountain of knowledge.”

“Oh, shut up,” Diane said with a chuckle. “They respect you, and value your opinion. I’ve seen you around Kasey, Chloe, and some of their friends. I think maybe you’re closer to having your own little squad of Hellequins than you ever realized.”

“I’m training Kasey, and occasionally Chloe. That’s it.”

“And don’t be surprised if that number grows over time. After Brutus, you’re probably one of the few people I’d follow into the deepest pits of hell itself if you asked. Just be careful. When you told the Avalon world that you’d train Kasey, that raised a lot of eyebrows. Not many people want two of you, Nate. One is usually enough.”

“Yeah, I know. I don’t want to paint a bullseye on their heads, but some bad people are going to start making their move. Hell, some bad people have already begun. Kay is still out there. And if he comes for me, it’s going to be through the people I care about. I need to make sure people are prepared.”

“We drove them off,” Remy said as they returned from their hunt.

“They don’t like to be threatened,” Kasey said. “I tracked them for about half a mile. I doubt they’ll be coming back.”

“We should still leave, just in case,” Remy chimed in.

“How’s Chloe?” Kasey asked me, her voice low. “No bullshit.”

“She’s got venom in her bloodstream,” I told her. “It’s not life-threatening, but I think that tablet had something on it that was meant to make Diane weak. Unfortunately, Chloe was the recipient. And considering Asag is still alive, it’s more than possible that the venom is from him. He’s certainly a much easier source of the stuff than trying to acquire it from elsewhere. If it is Asag, I’ve been affected by the same toxin in the past. She just needs rest and it should flush out of her system in a few days.”

“And rest is the one thing we can’t give her until we get home,” Remy said. “We should get to the city quickly. We’d stand a better chance of fortifying ourselves against whatever is out there.”

“I think there’s something at the city that Mordred doesn’t want to talk about,” I told them all, relaying my concern. “He’s a lot more skittish and preoccupied than usual. And Morgan won’t leave his side for long.”

“Anything else you want to share?” Mordred asked as he left the cave. “And to answer your concern, yes, I’m worried about what’s up ahead, and no, I can’t tell you because I don’t know. I only know what was here when I was a resident.”

“You want to tell us that, then?” Remy asked. “I know you’re evil and all, but getting us all killed is probably going to lower your own rate of survivability.”

“Blood elves,” he said, the words full of fear.

“What the hell are blood elves?” Kasey asked.

Mordred shook his head and walked away.

“Mordred, you need to tell us,” I called after him.

He turned back to me, a smile on his face. “I didn’t like
Final Fantasy
X
. It was too boring. Nine was good though, wasn’t it? So was seven, and there are seven of us. I like the number seven. It’s a good number.”

I looked at everyone else. “What the hell are you talking about? The blood elves, Mordred. Concentrate on me, not on video games.”

“I don’t know where they came from,” he almost shouted. “I don’t know why the dwarves fled from them. I don’t know anything about them. All I know is I was tortured by them every single day for a century. I was here, in the realm, for one hundred and thirty-three years, Nate. For a hundred and eighteen years I was in a dark cell, and for a hundred and twelve of those I was broken and healed every day. Without fail.

“I didn’t even remember my own name by the time I escaped. And I don’t actually know how I did that, either. I don’t even know how I survived. I can’t remember if they asked me questions, or what they brutalized me for. All I remember is screaming and begging them to stop, and the laughter of those creatures as I did. And if those things—those utter, fucking monsters—are between us and home, then we might as well kill ourselves now, because it’ll be a damn sight quicker than what they’ll do to us.”

CHAPTER
12

A
fter Mordred’s fear-filled outburst, it was decided to get to the city of Darim as quickly as possible, so we set off as soon as Chloe felt well enough to do so. Chloe took the news of her poisoning well, especially considering she was in the wrong realm to positively identify the poison or poisoner. She appeared even more determined not to let it stop her.

The plan had been to get to Darim before nightfall, primarily because Mordred informed everyone that if we thought those panthers were bad, they were nothing compared to what hunted in the forest at night. I remembered some of the tales I’d heard when I was last here. I didn’t want to find out how true all of that was.

“So how old were you when you were here?” Kasey asked as we reached the apex of a hill that led down to the town. The sun was beginning to set, and it felt like we were making good time, although Chloe was being carried by Diane so that the young witch could rest.

“About thirty-five,” I told her. “I came to talk to some of the blacksmiths here; Merlin wanted to use their arms to supply Avalon. Dwarvish steel is stronger than titanium, and only they know how they make it.”

“What made them so special?”

“Dwarves? They were alchemists. All of them. But to a level I’ve never seen in any non-dwarf alchemist. The dwarves didn’t just manipulate matter; they improved it, and were able to craft items, imbuing them with magical abilities. Merlin wanted to know how, and we never got an answer. Presumably it’s the crystals that allow it to happen.”

“Maybe we can find one of them and ask.”

I shook my head. “The dwarves vanished en masse about fourteen hundred years ago. They just all upped and left. The realm gates that did work on earth no longer work, or were broken—which isn’t even meant to be possible. The guardians vanished, too. No one knows where the dwarves went, or why, or even how. There were at least a million dwarves living in this realm, across seven massive dwarven cities. Being able to move so many people must have taken planning, and a big effort. But it was as if they just disappeared. It’s a mystery that a lot of people in Avalon have tried to solve, and no one has ever gotten close to figuring it out.”

“Maybe we will,” Kasey said with glee. “We could be the first people to truly know what happened.”

“Unless some people don’t want anyone else to know what happened.”

Kasey’s brow furrowed. “Yeah, I hadn’t thought of that. Maybe the dwarves never left?”

“They definitely left,” Mordred said as he walked past us. “Trust me on that.”

Mordred had gotten a few more steps in front when Kasey said, “Why do you hate Nate so much? Why do you want him dead?”

“It’s a long story,” Mordred replied.

“You’re never going to be able to kill him. You know that, right?”

Mordred briefly looked back at Kasey and me. “Child, you have no idea. I know you think you’re going to protect Nate from me, from whatever I do to him, but you won’t. So, don’t get hurt, and just stay out of things you don’t need to be involved in.”

A low growl emanated from Kasey’s throat, and I placed a hand on her arm to calm her, while every part of me wanted to grab Mordred and tear his head clean off.

Mordred stopped walking, and turned to Kasey. “You’re still young. You don’t understand.”

“I understand you’re a monster.”

He nodded. “Yes. That’s true. I am a monster—have been for a long time. Will be for a long time to come. Nate and I have done this dance for centuries, one always getting the upper hand on the other, and vice versa. The dance has to finish sometime. We can’t go on like this forever. I refuse to allow that to happen. But not now, and not here. So stop trying to bait me, stop trying to get under my skin. Better people than you have tried, trust me. Better people than you have failed.”

“I really don’t like him,” Kasey said as Mordred walked off.

Remy stood beside me. “Trust me, you’re not alone in that opinion. The man is the walking, talking equivalent of a gaping dick-hole.”

Kasey tried to stop her laughter, but ended up having some sort of mild coughing fit.

“Really?” I said to Remy.

“When the word fits, my friend. When the word fits.”

“I think we have a problem,” Diane said as she left the trees surrounding us to join the path we were walking on.

“What is it?” Mordred asked, having stopped walking and turned back to us.

“I didn’t see anyone in the town.”

“As expected.” Mordred began walking off again.

“As expected?” I asked as I caught him up, with everyone else behind me.

“Did you think that whatever drove the dwarves away wouldn’t attack other cities and settlements?”

“Blood elves?”

Mordred looked at each person in the group before settling his gaze back on me. “Yes.”

“Can you tell us anything else about them? Do they fly? Do they shoot lightning bolts? Anything?”

“Don’t mock me, Nathan. This is neither the time nor the place for it.”

“You should tell us when the time and place is,” Remy said, “because we’d quite like to write it down so we remember.”

Mordred gave Remy a look of pure malevolence before starting his journey down the hill.

“You shouldn’t mock him,” Morgan chastised. “You don’t know what he’s gone through.”

“He’s murdered thousands, probably tens of thousands of people over his lifetime,” I said. “I couldn’t give two shits what he’s gone through. He kills and tortures innocent people, sometimes because they’re in his way, sometimes because he needs to, sometimes just because it’s a Wednesday and he’s got fuck all else to do. You allied yourself with a monster. I don’t know which one of you is worse.”

Morgan blinked once, and I wasn’t sure if she was going to throw a punch my way. “You’re nothing but an arrogant little man who has no idea what he’s talking about.”

I watched her walk off after Mordred, and waited until enough distance was between us before I set off again.

“You okay?” Diane asked as she placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Been a long few days.”

“Going to be a long few more,” Remy said. “I really hope we don’t run into any of these elves. Whatever they are.”

“A figment of his imagination?” Kasey asked. “Do you think he’s responsible for what happened to the dwarves?”

I shook my head. “Mordred is a lot of things, but there’s no way he’s a match for even half a dozen dwarves in open combat, let alone a million. And you can only kill so many people from the shadows before they actively start to hunt you. No, whatever they are, they’re real.”

“And they scare a man who once struck down Arthur,” Diane said. “That does not bode well.”

Unfortunately, I had to agree with her. Whatever had Mordred so spooked that he’d essentially left all of us alone for the entirety of our time here wasn’t something to take lightly. I’d seen him fight. I’d fought against him, and he was no slouch in that department. On top of that, he was never shy about getting involved when violence was required.

“Let’s just find a way out of here.” I set off after Mordred, but didn’t catch up with him until we’d reached the city limits, where I found him and Morgan crouched behind a white stone wall.

“This city once held five thousand people,” he said softly. “Be on the lookout; there’s no telling if anything settled in their place.”

I knelt beside him, with the rest of the group doing the same. I risked a peek over the wall and saw a street that cut straight through the center of the city, bisecting it. I pointed at Mordred and Morgan. “If there is anything in there, smaller teams will be able to evade easier than all seven of us walking through the middle of town. You two take the right; Kasey, Diane and Chloe the left. Remy and I will go up the center. If you come across anything, come get the rest of us. Do not engage; we have no idea exactly what might be in this town.”

“Where should we meet up?” Kasey asked.

Mordred kept his voice low as he spoke. “While it’s been a thousand years since I was last here, it doesn’t look like much has changed. No electricity, or running water. The town doesn’t look much different in way of size, either. Same types of houses, same streets. If I remember correctly, there was a well in the center of the city. They placed a huge statue of one of the dwarven kings on it; I can’t remember which one. It’s made of solid gold. If it’s still there, you’ll see it, and if not, you’ll easily find the well.”

“A thousand years and we’re going on maybe?” Remy asked.

“It’s better than anyone else’s plan,” Morgan pointed out.

“No arguments,” I interjected. “We meet in the center of town. If the well is still functional and the area clear, we’ll find somewhere to rest up for the night. I reiterate, though: fast but steady. Let’s not wake anything up that is best left asleep.”

“Yes, sir,” Mordred said as he snapped off a salute.

“Shove it firmly up your ass,” I said with a smile. “You want to go steaming in there and piss off these blood elves, you be my guest.”

The rebellious humor in his eyes vanished in an instant. “We’ll do it your way. Quick and quiet.”

Mordred and Morgan slunk off into the city as the sun’s final rays vanished over the horizon. Kasey, Diane, and Chloe were about to leave when I stopped them.

“Chloe, you know what I said earlier about using your magic less? I really don’t want you to use your own life force to do anything, but if you need to use it, don’t hesitate. You can worry later on about dying a day or two earlier. Right now, we need to get out of here and do it all in one piece. I’m not losing anyone here. Okay?”

Chloe nodded and the three of them moved into the city.

“I have a bad feeling about this,” Remy said. “I can smell things in there, Nate. They smell of death and decay. Neither of those are good things to smell.”

We were about to climb over the wall into the city when Mordred and Morgan returned. Mordred crouched beside me. “There’s no way along there. Lots of cobwebs, lots of collapsed buildings. It would take days to climb over it all.”

“You’re with us then,” I said, not exactly thrilled about the prospect.

We climbed over the wall and began walking along the stone-cobbled street, my gaze kept straight ahead, while Remy, Morgan, and Mordred took turns looking to the left and right. We made it roughly halfway along the street when a large shadow passed over the moonlit path about a hundred feet ahead of us.

“What did you see?” Morgan whispered.

“Something big. Moving fast.”

“You think those panthers came back?” Mordred asked, a slightly nervous edge to his words.

“I sure as hell hope not.” I certainly agreed with the unspoken sentiment. Panthers in the daytime were bad enough, but trying to fight them during nightfall would give us a serious disadvantage.

Remy sniffed the air. “I don’t like that. It isn’t panther, and I still smell death.”

“Let’s just get to the center of the city and find somewhere safe,” Morgan said. “I don’t think this city has been inhabited for centuries.”

“Although it’s strange that part of it has collapsed and this is still well maintained,” Remy said. “Almost as if they purposely want people to come this way.”

“Keeps everything tidy. The city isn’t overrun with vines and trees. There’s nothing but a few months of growth here. So who’s keeping it neat?” Morgan asked.

“You think blood elves like gardening?” I suggested.

“Blood elves might like crochet for all I know,” Remy said. “Let’s not find out.”

The journey continued in silence until we reached the area where I’d spotted the moving shadow. Strands of web had been stretched out across the ground, with the doors to the houses on either side of the road completely removed, replaced with strands of web that moved into the house. The moonlight lit them up, and it would have been quite beautiful, if it hadn’t been so mind-numbingly terrifying.

“Well, I think I know what I saw,” I said, trying not to turn around and look about for anything crawling up to me.

“Giant spider?” Morgan asked. “That’s just perfect.”

“They might not be,” Remy said hopefully. “Might be giant silkworms.”

I didn’t even bother to give a response to the idea that massive silkworms were crawling over the city. “Magic-resistant giant spider,” I whispered after a few seconds. I sighed. When it rains, it pours. “We’re going to need to take a detour.”

I took a step back as a piece of rock dropped from the top of the nearest building across the cobbles about two feet from where I stood, rolling over several strands of web, pulling them as it went.

“Run!” I shouted as the first giant brown spider burst from its lair, running toward the stone.

All three of us turned and sprinted away, but after a few yards it had become obvious that Morgan hadn’t been as fast as we were. I stopped and turned back to her as she threw a huge block of magically created ice at the spider, which was easily the size of a large car. It was thrown back into the web of another spider, which had no qualms about attacking its neighbor, sinking forearm-long fangs into the tangled beast.

Morgan scrambled to her feet as I used fire to cut through the webs that had snared her. “That wasn’t what I expected. Got a plan?”

“Can you freeze up the entrances to those houses?” I asked.

“And then what?” Remy asked. “Just run past those monsters?”

“I was going to go with sprint, but essentially, yeah.”

“That spider could change its mind and come after us.”

He had a point.

“Morgan—” I began.

“On it,” she stated and began using her magic to cover the half a dozen doorways close by in thick sheets of ice, while the now-dead spider in the center of the street was slowly wrapped in silk by its murderer.

When the doorways were clear, Morgan blasted a jet of freezing air on the ground, turning it into an ice rink, making the victorious spider slip off to the side of the road with a large thud.

“Run!” Mordred shouted, scooping Morgan up in his arms and running with her.

I didn’t need telling twice, and used my air magic to make me faster as I ran toward the ice rink. Remy hit it before me, dropping onto his back and allowing the momentum he’d built up to carry him past the spider carcass and to the other side of the ice. I landed a few seconds later, just as the spider that had been knocked off the road climbed unsteadily back to it and saw me. I slammed my hands onto the ice, cracking it as every ounce of air magic I had poured into the ground, using it to propel me into the air at high speed. I avoided the spider, which lost its footing once again and landed face first in its doorway.