The Unseen Tempest (Lords of Arcadia) Page 13

  The torso and head—she could see that far—had been crafted in the form of a gigantic demon. The smooth metal had been painted in subtle shades of fire red that only accented the demonic faceplate of the head module that had been fastened to the torso. Two curled horns framed the face that looked down at Molly. Adjusting her vision, she was able to discern that part of its skull had been removed, and exposed machinery could be seen moving inside.

  “No take Diablo’s stuff,” it roared as an arm the size of an eighteen-wheeler swung at the companion. Ferra tackled her from behind and threw her to the ground as the arm swung over them.

  Caerus called out, “We mean you no harm!”

  “No take Diablo’s stuff!” it roared again as it pulled back for another swing.

  “It can’t understand you,” Molly explained as Ferra and she scrambled back. “The choppers salvaged some of its mind. It seems only to know how to defend itself.”

  “How do we stop it?” Ferra asked, eyeing the machine as it punched out again to hit them.

  Ferra made an ice shield to absorb the blow, but it shattered instantly, sending them flying across the floor. “We don’t!” Molly cried as they rolled to a halt. “We need to run!”

  The entire room shook as Diablo smashed its hand into the floor, its fingers piercing the reinforced stone as if it were glass. Caerus and Molly helped Ferra to her feet as a sound unlike any they had yet heard exploded around them. Ferra pulled away from the other two and put her hands to her ears as the sound of grinding metal screeched throughout the fabrication floor.

  The sound of Diablo pulling himself across the floor toward them.

  “Running seems prudent,” Caerus noted, sounding as panicked as she ever had.

  They grabbed Ferra and ran back toward the door as fast as they could.

  AT SOME point I must have fallen asleep, because Hawk and I were back in my house on Earth. My life used to be so much easier before I had to add words like “on Earth” to explain things.

  Anyway, we were in my house sitting on my couch, so it had to be a dream. It was after Spike had attacked us, the door was still open, and I could see the storm raging outside. The weird part was the storm made no noise. I stood up and walked to the door as Hawk asked me, “Are we dreaming?”

  I didn’t answer. I noticed there was no front yard to my house; it had turned into a cliff face that dropped off to an endless darkness below. We were stranded on top of a stone tower that looked like it was about to fall. “I hope so, because if this is real, my dad is going to kill me.”

  Hawk’s warmth behind me was like a heater, and I leaned back against him while shards of lightning danced over us. “I’ve never dreamwalked before,” he said in my ear. “It’s exhilarating.”

  I was about to ask him what dreamwalking was when a gnome walked out from behind my chair and began to speak. “Dreamwalking is the art of traversing the Land of the Dreaming. Though the Land is widely considered a flight of fantasy, there are some who believe that the Dreaming is the tenth realm of existence, the one that binds the other nine together.”

  And just like that, the gnome vanished.

  “That was Pikir, my old tutor,” Hawk said, bemused. “I haven’t thought about him in decades.”

  That made me pause. I turned around and asked him, “Decades?”

  And suddenly we were in my school theater and, of course, it was on fire. “Why are we here?” I screamed. We scrambled off the stage and bolted toward the exit.

  Hawk grabbed my hand as he had that day and pulled me toward the door. “How should I know?” he shouted. The flames began to spread to the ceiling. “I’m not in control here.”

  We were steps from the door, and I stopped, pulling my hand out of his. “You’re right. I am.”

  We were sitting in Mr. Watson’s, menus in hand. Hawk looked around, confused for a second. “You did this?”

  I smiled. “If it’s my dream, we get to go where I want to.”

  Hawk put the menu down and asked, “You’re hungry?” I shook my head and moved over in the booth to let him see what was behind me.

  It was him and me ordering food.

  “Eggs, cheese, and onions?” other Hawk asked other me.

  “You look so cute when you’re clueless,” I commented, watching the other us try hard not to flirt with each other.

  “This is where I am going to insult Wanda,” he said darkly.

  I turned back around to look at him. “Hey! You didn’t know any better.”

  “Didn’t I?” he asked, looking down at the table. “My entire life, I treated people I thought were beneath me like things. How could I not know better?”

  I covered his hand with mine. “Hey, your society sucks. The difference is that now you know better. You’ve stopped carrying on your parents’ prejudices and just assuming they were right. The fact you’re questioning them is a sign you’re grown.”

  He looked up at me, and I could sense the pain inside him like a knife in my own chest. “What is your saying? ‘Too little, too late’?”

  I was about to ask him what he meant when we stood in the center of a huge courtyard surrounded by crystal walls. From his thoughts, I knew most of this was from his memories. What wasn’t was the image of his mother tied to a stake as a variety of creatures pelted her with rocks and spoiled food. That was definitely not a memory.

  The scene in the courtyard was what he imagined when he closed his eyes.

  Taking a deep breath, I centered myself and snapped, “No.”

  The effect was instantaneous.

  We were the only ones in the courtyard now. No Titania, no creatures, just him and me. “This is what Puck wants. He is trying to hurt you the only way he knows how—by making you crazy about your parents. It’s why he made sure everyone knew she was going to die by the end of the summer solstice. He can’t get to you, so he is lashing out with the only weapon he has: your love for your mother.”

  “But you were right. This is our fault. All of this. My mother stole the world tree. We practically enslaved the Dark. What’s happening in Arcadia isn’t a revolution as much as it is what some of you call karma. I’ve seen your world through your mind. There are terrible people, yes, but there is a goodness in all of them. They falter, and they trip, but in the end, your people are genuinely good. My people cannot say the same thing.”

  “Then change them,” I implored him. “Do what your mother couldn’t. Be a better person.”

  He looked up at me and gave me a weak smile. “You make it sound so easy.”

  “I’m talking to my fairy boyfriend in the middle of a dream while our friend the gem elemental is snooping on the red queen. Do you see me losing it? If I can handle this nonsense without just lying down and crying, then you can be a better person.” I squeezed his hand, and he pulled me in for a kiss.

  “I love you so much,” he whispered through tears.

  “And I love you,” I choked back, realizing I really meant it. This wasn’t just an “I love you too” you gave to relatives or friends. This was a bone-crushing, soul-stopping feeling that had literally saved my life. Love wasn’t a concept; it was a living thing in us, and I never felt so sure of something in my life.

  Ruber’s voice echoed around us. “I need you to wake up.”

  I opened my eyes, and we were back in the room the queen had given us. Ruber floated in front of us. Hawk rubbed his eyes as he came awake. “How long were we asleep?”

  “Five hours,” Ruber answered as he began to glow brightly from within. “Are you hungry?”

  A laser-like light shot out from him, and words glowed on my lap. “Can you both read this?”

  It wasn’t until I felt Hawk reading my thoughts that I realized Ruber had written his question in English. I nodded and said for effect, “I can eat. What do they have?”

  Ruber ran down the list of the foods on the table, but I ignored it while I read his message. “Demain plans on attacking as soon as Puck is vanquished. She will al
ready have forces in the capital. She is after Arcadia.”

  What is her problem? I asked Hawk, my mind to his.

  My guess? She wants to do the same thing her sister did. Seize the world tree, destroy it, and replant the seed here. Aponiviso will instantly become the center of the Nine Realms, and her land will be healed. I could sense the admiration in his thoughts. It’s a shrewd plan.

  But I could sense something else. You were expecting it.

  He gave me a sly smile and nothing more.

  Before I could go on, there was a knock on the door and a voice from the other side said, “The queen requests your presence. Please make yourself ready within ten minutes.”

  “We have been summoned,” he said, getting up. “We should never keep a monarch waiting.” He held out his hand to me and pulled me to my feet.

  I wished for the millionth time I had paid more attention in mind-reading class.

  KOR HAD thought the lands around Stygian were oppressive. Once inside the entrance, he realized he might not have truly understood what that word meant before now.

  Ater had called it a city, but all Kor could see was a refugee camp composed of rickety shacks and torn tents and refuse-lined alleys. Since there was no natural light, open flame provided the only illumination, which meant the entire place was filled with flickering shadows and acrid smoke. Most people wore some kind of tight-fitting mask over their noses and mouths. Kor thought at first the devices were used to filter out the smoke, but as they walked deeper inside, he began to suspect that most people here just didn’t want to be identified.

  Few people looked at them for more than a pair of seconds; however, in that short amount of time, Kor could see a dangerous combination of fear and hatred in their eyes. He might have been able to handle such looks from the adult dark elves, but when he saw the children scowling at him as well, he felt a part of his heart break for them. They wore scraps of cloth that were barely more than rags, their faces were streaked with soot and ash, and the only clean skin he could see was under the tear marks that had rolled down their cheeks.

  He looked away and told himself they were crying because of the smoke in their eyes, but he knew better.

  “Why are they like this?” Kor whispered to Ater. “I thought you said this was a city.”

  Ater hissed back, “No, I said it was the closest thing we had to a city. What were you expecting? A ballroom?”

  Kor glanced to his side. “Clean water would have been enough.”

  They said nothing more as they walked deeper into and under the mountain.

  Kor had no idea how far they’d walked. Distances didn’t feel the same in the gloom. However, as they strode along ahead of their guard, the city around them changed and conditions improved. People wore actual clothes, some even sporting leather armor with weapons. Tents and shacks became small and large homes with sturdy walls and strong roofs. The walls became smoother, and there were glass orbs enchanted to glow for light. The difference was… well, it was like night and day. He did not understand how these people lived so well while so many others starved nearer the entrance. When the dark elves abandoned Koran, did they give up compassion as well?

  The guards called a halt when they reached a large multiple-storied, stone-block building. It sat at street level, with a pair of golden doors inlaid with ivory carvings at the entry. Kor forced his face not to react to the blasphemy when he realized the carvings depicted two snakes consuming themselves, the holy sign of Lilith. He had no time to think about Lilith or worms eating themselves. The guards hurried both of them down a short, empty hall, turned left, and climbed a set of stairs to the mezzanine level. A much less ornate door blocked their way until one guard pushed it open.

  Inside was a spacious throne room. At least, Kor assumed it was a throne room, since an actual throne made of what looked like gold and silver squatted in the center of it. A dark elf lounged in the throne, His white hair was cut short, a popular style with most dark elves since light elves were forbidden to do so. The throne had obviously been created for a much larger person, since he sprawled with his booted feet propped up on an armrest.

  “Well, well, well!” the man exclaimed, jumping to his feet, bowing excessively deeply, and flourishing an imaginary hat to the floor in front of Ater. “If I had known a celebrity was coming, I would have freshened up.” Ater said nothing. “Oh come on now, no biting comment from the royal assassin? Please tell me your tongue as is as sharp as your weapon. I’ve heard so many stories about it and you.”

  Ater glared at the man. “Dismiss your guards, and I will prove the cutting edge of both.”

  Kor glanced casually over at Ater, only the minute widening of his eyes conveying his surprise. Had the man lost his mind? Subtly he moved his shoulder and felt his bow move slightly, ready to pull off and fire. He thought he caught a flicker of movement, as if Ater had shot a glance back at him, but he couldn’t be sure.

  The directeur threw back his head and began to laugh loudly. “Now see? That is the Ater from the tales I have heard.” Kor could tell the man’s laughter was as false as his flattery, which made their verbal dance that much more dangerous. “And now you walk into my city with a light elf.” His laughter ceased instantly. “I assume that is a joke as well?”

  Kor held his breath and waited for Ater’s answer.

  Ater looked behind them and then back to the directeur. “Did a light elf follow us in?”

  Everyone looked at the assassin as if he had lost his mind. The directeur glanced at his guards, silently asking them if he had acted like this on their way here. They shook their heads slightly, obviously as confused as everyone else. Finally he pointed at Kor and asked Ater, “You can see the man next to you, right?”

  Ater glanced over at Kor, who was still holding his breath. “You think he is a light elf?”

  The directeur exploded in anger as he waved his arms. “What kind of idiot do you think I am? He is a follower of Koran! He has the beard, the long hair, not to mention he is wearing a damned holy symbol.”

  As the dark elf got louder, Ater became quieter and calmer. “Yes. He does possess all of those attributes,” he agreed before falling into silence.

  “And that doesn’t make him a light elf?”

  Ater shook his head.

  “Then what, pray tell, does it make him?”

  Ater leveled a steely glance at the directeur. Kor felt the fury winding itself around Ater and shuddered mentally. “He is my partner, who has been in deep cover for over a year now, infiltrating Evermore. I was barely able to get him out when his cover was blown, and I am sure he is as exhausted as I am. We came here seeking succor; instead we are treated like criminals and bombarded by questions. Things have changed around here, and not for the better.”

  The directeur seemed to think about Ater’s explanation for a long time as he paced around the two men slowly. “So this is your partner? Pullus, is it?” Kor stiffened at the mention of his brother’s name, but he nodded in answer. “And you are his partner?” Another nod.

  The directeur finished walking around them and sat back on his throne. “Oh well, then, that makes sense,” he said jovially. “A complete misunderstanding on my part.” Kor refused to relax despite the man’s words. “In fact, let me offer you use of my own personal suite to clean up and rest after what must have been an exhausting ordeal.” Ater began to open his mouth to thank him, but the man cut him off. “As soon as you two kiss.”

  It took a second for the words to penetrate Kor’s mind, where Ater understood them instantly. “Excuse me?”

  The directeur leaned back in his chair, reminding Kor of a cat enjoying his prey’s plight before killing it. “It’s simple. If Pullus is your partner, and you have been separated for over a year like you said, then a simple kiss should be in order, correct?” He arched one eyebrow in question. “Unless he isn’t your partner and is in fact a light elf. If that is the case, two men kissing would be a sin, would it not?”

  Kor h
ad to give Ater credit; he didn’t show one iota of worry that his story was unraveling before him. Instead he got mad. “You have no right to ask us to do that. We aren’t here for your entertainment.” The words were spoken quietly, but that same fury Kor had sensed writhed in each one.

  Kor flinched as the directeur jumped up and got nose to nose with Ater. “You are here for whatever I want you to be. I am directeur, and my word is law.” Ater didn’t move, not even to wipe the spittle off his face. “So, you will kiss your partner and prove to me he is who you say he is, or I will show you what you have to do for my entertainment.”

  Ater said nothing as he tried to figure a way out of what he’d led them both into. When Kor tapped Ater’s left forearm, the dark elf jolted, surprised. To anyone else, Kor’s tilt of the head and infinitely tiny shrug would have meant “The directeur’s an asshole, and I haven’t kissed you enough yet.” But Ater realized Kor was signaling “I know what I’m doing. Follow my lead.”

  Kor sighed and pushed the directeur out of the way, never removing his hand from Ater’s forearm. The assassin’s eyes widened as he saw Kor’s intention. Koran forgive me, Kor thought as he tugged Ater a step closer and pressed his lips against Ater’s. And kissed him.

  THE FABRICATION floor had become three times larger than Ferra remembered it.

  As she stumbled behind Molly, she could have sworn the door hadn’t been as far away as it seemed now. Then again, her head was still swimming from the blow Diablo had delivered, and she hadn’t been running away from a monstrous torso when she had first entered the room. So she wasn’t the best judge at the moment. Either way, one unmistakable fact was becoming abundantly clear to the barbarian.

  They weren’t going to make it to the door.

  Diablo was moving faster than they were; there was no way they could outrun the clockwork monster, which left only one alternative—turning around and fighting it. She glanced over her shoulder and could see a glow building in the demon’s mouth. Ferra stopped running and spun around to face her foe. “Get down!” she called to the others as she formed an ice shield in front of her. Diablo opened its mouth, and a huge gout of flame came spilling out toward them.