Sixty-One
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Samkiel
M y armored boots pounded against the floor, and I pushed against the
large doors. They swung open, revealing a room that held no chairs
or tables, the only decoration several large runes engraved on the floor. The Hand stood waiting for me, all of them wearing the custom-made silver armor I had created for them centuries ago.
“You’re late. Sleep well?” Cameron asked with a suggestive grin.
I hadn’t. I’d tossed and turned the entire night. Regardless of how nice and comfortable they were, couches were not beds and did not promote a good night’s sleep. But I refused to be too far away from her, especially when she asked me to stay. At least below her, I could hear her heartbeat as she slept and knew when she woke. That gave me peace enough. I just wished I had thought about it when I redesigned this place. I would have put another room in this part of the palace.
The flat of my blade smacked against Cameron’s helmet, the metal against metal ringing like a bell. He jerked back, and Xavier laughed. “You deserved that.”
My eyes narrowed behind the visor of my silver helmet, and I pinned him with a hard stare. Xavier adjusted his posture, coming to attention and clasping his hands in front of himself. “I’ll shut up now.”
“You’re both lucky you aren’t on filing duty until the end of time. I can’t believe that you would dare to put her in danger by taking her back to Onuna. You will still be punished for it. I just have not thought of the perfect one. Yet,” I said, my tone ominous.
The room went silent, not even Vincent daring to speak up. Satisfied that I had made my point, I continued. “Logan.” I nodded at the largest
engraved rune on the floor, and he strode forward. His hands rose, tracing a pattern in the air like a conductor before a symphony, directing The Hand to the center of the room. Cerulean light shot up, spiraling toward the ceiling with a counterclockwise twist, forming a column around us. One minute we were on the remains of Rashearim, and the next, in a large, stifling, hot cavern. The light from the cerulean runes died as we landed, shrouding us in darkness. One by one, The Hand formed a ball of lit energy in their palms. Rough rocky walls loomed on each side, and a small ledge jutted overhead.
“This is where we entered Yejedin,” Logan said, pointing toward a smooth rock wall. I held my hand out, pushing power into the stone. A low humming rumble echoed through the cavern, and a silvery outline formed, pulsing with the remnants of a portal. It looked like a still healing scar, a thin veil setting it apart from this world and the next. That’s why she’d needed the map.
“I had hoped the residual energy would still be around.” Imogen stepped forward, Vincent at her side. “Sorry, it took so long to get the calculations right.”
“Do not apologize.” I looked up, trying to gauge how high the rift went.
“You did exceptionally well.”
Those calculations were what we worked on during our meetings. We were trying to find a way to create a rift into Yejedin while at the same time not creating a vacuum that destroyed Onuna and all who lived upon it. It had helped that there was a witch downstairs craving forgiveness. Vincent had managed to convince Camilla to help. I did not ask why she’d listened to him, only caring that she had. I called a silver blade into my hand.
Imogen opened the large journal she carried, and I glanced at the handwritten formulas. I had already memorized them, but I wanted to be sure.
“It is time for a simple lesson in what the mortals call physics.” Every eye turned toward me as I raised my hand over the spot where the energy still pulsed. “My father taught me several things during my teachings. Had I known the importance of the realms, I probably would have paid more attention. While the realms may be locked away by my life force, there are tiny areas outside of them that are not.” I lowered my hand and turned toward them. “My father made a pocket dimension for Roccurem to keep him safe, but they have existed long before my father was ever born.”
Cameron raised his hand, and I nodded. “If that's the case, why haven’t we run into more of them?”
“Simple. Only the most powerful can create one or manipulate them.
They are, in the simplest terms, a backdoor to all realms. My father learned how to manipulate some, but there are stories of creatures far older than he or I that had the ability. If that is the case, if that's where this leads, it means that Kaden is not just an Ig’Morruthen but also a very ancient, very powerful threat.”
The room grew quiet as they looked behind me toward the rift.
“With all due respect.” Vincent seemed to shuffle on his feet before glancing at me. “Your father had a lot of enemies, my liege. This, while
unnerving, does not surprise me.”
I nodded. “Nor I.”
Imogen was the next to speak, glancing at her journal scribbled with notes. “If what Camilla said is true, your blood would still be the key. If the runes we forged work, it will only open what has already been opened.”
“Well, that doesn’t make me feel any better,” Cameron said.
“You ready, boss?” Neverra asked.
I stepped in front of them and slid the knife across my hand. The wind howled through the cavern, and everyone shifted restlessly. I dipped my fingers into the blood pooling in my palm, and Imogen held the journal open for me as I drew the runes onto the smooth rock. The wall trembled as I completed the last symbol, small pebbles raining from above. The Hand stepped back, and I curled my fingers into a fist as my palm healed.
Call it pent-up anger, frustration, or sleep deprivation, but I was tired of waiting. I was tired of Kaden hiding. After everything he put Dianna through, how he had broken her, if he were here, I would bring his head back to Rashearim on a spike for her as a gift.
A deep, hollow clang echoed through the cavern, and it began to shake.
A swirling mass of flame opened before us. The silver chain bracelet on my wrist lit up as a three-pointed silver shield formed. The width protected the major points of my body, and I shifted to protect The Hand, wanting to take the brunt of anything that might come through.
When nothing but oppressive air rushed forward, I lowered the shield and raised my hand, signaling them to wait before stepping into the portal.
On the other side, jagged rocks fell hundreds of feet into the cavern, landing with a crack and thunk. Smoke billowed in every direction,
reminding me of Winngurd, the world of nothing but volcanoes. I stared at the pure and utter destruction. The stone buildings I could see were barely standing, with rubble and broken limbs littering the ground. The vast destroyed landscape stretched as far as the eye could see, all of it destroyed
by a powerful Ig’Morruthen.
My Ig’Morruthen.
I waved The Hand forward and heard them step through the portal one by one.
“Ugh, it smells like sulfur,” Cameron said. The air was thick and hot. I walked to the edge of a monstrous cliff and beheld Yejedin.
“She didn’t hold back, did she? Onuna was lucky if she is capable of this. This is utter devastation,” Xavier whispered.
“Logan said—” Imogen started.
“But I never saw it, just heard,” Logan said, flanking me on my left.
“Also, this wasn’t where we entered when we came.”
“I imagine when they opened the portal, they directed it right where it needed to be. We will have to search for the place you two entered.”
“This is going to be fun,” Cameron said jokingly, placing a hand on Xavier’s shoulder.
L ogan and I walked through the main hall , singed rocks crunching beneath our boots. We found the large obsidian stronghold a few hours after we arrived. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, the atmosphere relentlessly oppressive and humid.
“I thought we would have seen some of Kaden’s beasts by now. There were so damn many,” Logan said, looking around warily. “Where did they go? Where did he go?”
“This realm is a disaster. I am not surprised no one is left after the carnage Dianna unleashed.”
“You should have seen her, Samkiel.” Logan glanced at me. “She moves like you. She told me she trained with you, and I saw it in action.”
“She spoke of me?”
Logan shrugged, smiling slightly. “More or less.”
I longed to ask for more details, but I could tell by the spark in Logan’s eyes I would pay for it with a lifetime of teasing.
“Roccurem and I have this theory that her powers are trying to return, but they’re just buried under so much pain. I understand because it’s how I felt for so long. Kaden fractured her into a million pieces, and I am afraid I may not be able to pick them all up.”
“The fact that you want to, that you're trying, means everything. And it means everything to her, she just doesn't know how to say it yet.” Logan held his light a tad higher. His gaze never stopped moving, searching the half-destroyed remains of Kaden’s stronghold.
I sighed. “I hope you are right. I can understand her grief and sorrow but nothing else. She is confusing at best. One minute she acts as if she cannot stand my presence. The next she seeks it.”
Logan made a rough noise in his throat. “Trust me. If anyone can reach her, you can.”
A brief laugh escaped me. “Maybe I could if she would stop trying to kill me or when she isn’t upset with me or if she would stop telling me she hates me.”
Logan shrugged. “Hey, Neverra has told me she hates me before, but it was for a very different reason. It is a position you will likely experience soon enough.”
“When has she….” My words trailed off when I caught sight of his grin.
It was far too wide to be anything but a double entendre, and his meaning slowly registered. “You are about to be forbidden from spending time with Cameron. Actually, I am forbidding him from spending time with anyone.
That should be enough punishment. It might actually kill him.”
His laugh cut through the dense air, a sound I had not heard in months.
“Hey, I am just saying. Hate sex is a thing, you know? You guys could do what you and the Queen of Trugarum did when you couldn’t agree on that small territory.” He shrugged. “Get it out of your system.”
I stopped so suddenly that Logan spun, searching the shadows for threats, an ablaze weapon forming in his hands. “There is nothing in my system from Dianna that I’d wish to remove. The thought of just being a simple fuck to her makes me wish to get disemboweled repeatedly. That would hurt less.”
Logan held his hands up in mock surrender. “It was just a suggestion.”
“You, above all, know it is not like that with Dianna or me. Even when she is throwing her anger at me, I do not think I could fully have her and not wish for forever.” I paused, the truth washing over me. “Regardless, her feelings for me have changed. So this entire conversation is pointless.”
Logan scoffed, the sound somewhere between a snort and a laugh.
“You’re kidding, right?” I stared at Logan blankly until he realized I didn’t understand what he meant and tried to clarify. “Joking. You can’t be serious.”
“Very serious, and I do not wish to speak about it further. We are in Yejedin. That is our focus.”
Logan shook his head but remained quiet and fell into step beside me as I turned and walked down the hall into what had been a large foyer. A rusted railing held back the ledge, keeping passersby from falling to their deaths.
“I don’t think we’ve been inside this one. It doesn’t resemble the last few. I don’t see any weapons here, and there is less of that strange machinery.”
“This may just be an entrance to some other part, not the stronghold itself.” I grabbed the rail and looked down at the smooth, rocky bottom. I jumped over, landing in a crouch. The ground shook as Logan landed behind me.
I summoned a ball of silver light, the orb dancing on my palm as I raised it.
“Yeah, we definitely haven’t been here,” Logan said. His palms lit with celestial energy, and he lifted them high.
A grunt was my only response as we headed further inside, silence falling between us again. Logan still seemed shut off. He was my best friend, and I had known him forever. I had assumed his spark would return once Neverra was back, and it had to a certain extent, but there was still something off.
This quiet was unnerving, and I wondered what waited in it. We reached the entrance to a cavern, and I raised my sword, the flat of the blade clanking against the armor over Logan’s chest, stopping him from entering.
I could see the surprise in his eyes, even with the helmet covering almost all
of his features.
“What’s troubling you.”
“What do you mean?”
“I know you, Logan. You have not been yourself, even since Neverra got back. What is it?”
“You know me so well.” Logan shook his head, attempting to step around me. “It’s not important. Not right now.”
My blade only pressed harder, making him take a step back. He sighed, flicking his finger across his ring to remove his helmet. I did the same. He held my gaze, rubbing a hand across his mouth as if he couldn’t find the words.
“Just say it, Logan. Whatever it is. Just tell me. If I can help you, I will,”
I said, meaning every word. He had earned it, whatever it was, but more than that, I wanted him happy again.
He took a deep breath and finally blurted, “I want you to release us.
Once Kaden is dead and this is done, I want out. I want Neverra out. I want a life with her, a real one, with a home and children. Something normal, or normal for us, at least. We’ve already talked about it. We can still work at the council, but we want out.”
His jaw clenched, but he held my gaze, and I could see everything he didn’t say. The fear and hopelessness he had felt when he’d lost her. He
couldn’t go through that again.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” Logan nearly croaked.
My brow lifted. “Were you expecting something else from me?”
“No. It’s just I know everything is terrible for you right now, and I didn’t want to add to your misery, but I have to think of Neverra. I almost lost her, Samkiel.”
My chest ached for him. I knew how distraught he’d been the last few months and how often he checked his hand, making sure the Mark of Dhihsin hadn’t disappeared as she had.
“I almost lost her, and I don’t want to miss out on anything with her again. I know you and Dianna are still fighting whatever it is between you two, but I also know some part of you understands.”
I forced a smile. “I understand, Logan. It’s a harsh reality that nothing lasts forever, not even us. My immortality is a curse. I was never meant to hold the realms together alone. So when this is done, just live, Logan. You both deserve it. You all do. I would never be upset. All I ever wanted was for all of you to be happy. When this is done, you and Neverra are free to leave. I will stop none of you who wish for a different life.”
Logan rushed forward, hugging me. He would have knocked the wind out of me if I hadn’t been wearing armor. I clapped him on the back, refusing to think about him not being at my side, and stepped back. He clasped one armored hand on my shoulder before dropping it.
“You’ve always been better than the other gods. I think that’s why they hated you.”
I merely shrugged. “Hmm, that and several other reasons.”
Logan chuckled, and we started down the small carved-out hallway. As we proceeded, I raised my hand, manifesting a single silver ball of energy.
Logan fell back as the tunnel narrowed, protecting my back as always. As we approached the opening, I saw the flicker of flames and allowed my light to fade. Something waited for us, and the icy chill amongst the oppressive heat raised the hair on my arms. I remembered the runes I’d seen when we first entered this section and knew death lay ahead.
We emerged into the cavern, and I heard Logan’s helmet slide into place as he drew his ablaze weapon. My blood ran cold when I saw the symbols carved into the walls. It wasn’t a beast or monster in front of us. No, it was much worse. The light died in my hand as Logan stepped to my side, his head tipping back as he looked up and up and up.
Rows and rows of doors were carved within the cliff wall. Long grate bridges crisscrossed from wall to wall, spanning an open, empty pit. All of that registered, but the engraved runes above every door made me stop.
Those weren’t doors. They were cells.
“What is this?” Logan asked, spinning on the narrow ledge, taking in
the enormity of this place.
I shook my head in disbelief.
“Yejedin is not just a pocket dimension, Logan. It’s a prison.” I pointed at the runes above the cells. “And those runes are meant to hold ancient, powerful beings.”
I sent all of them back to the remains of R ashearim . H ours passed before I returned to the council halls, but by the look of The Hand all sitting
around, it may have been longer than I thought.
The portal to Yejedin closed behind me, the cut on my palm sealing.
Cameron shot to his feet, abandoning his seat beside Xavier and the bag of snacks between them.
“It’s about time. We were about to go in and get you.”
Xavier cocked his head, continuing to munch on his snacks. “No, we weren’t. We can’t open portals.”
Cameron glared at him as Imogen stepped forward. “Well? You’re not covered in guts or intestines, so I assume it’s empty? Which also scares me a little.”
I was unsure what they saw on my face, but Logan slowly rose to his feet and stood behind an armored Neverra. Vincent eyed me, his expression unreadable. “I need to show you all something. It has to stay between us.
No one in the council can know. Understood?” My eyes pinned each of them, waiting for their nod of agreement.
“I can ’ t believe what I’ m seeing ,” X avier whispered , looking at all the empty cells. Some were so vast they were the size of small realms.
Large chains engraved with the same containment runes lay broken on the ground.
The others remained silent, taking in every inch. I had searched almost the entire place, preparing myself for what I might discover, but finding empty cells was far worse than the battle I’d expected.
I stopped, and they fanned out around me, standing beneath the jagged cliffs and open sky, in position to see what I needed them to see.
“So, Kaden was a prisoner here? If he and the other prisoners escaped, where are they? We haven’t seen any colossal beasts on Onuna,” Logan said, hovering close to Neverra.
“Because he didn’t escape recently, did he?” Vincent asked, his throat bobbing as he looked at what I’d brought them to.
“No, he did not. I should have thought of it sooner, but it was impossible. During the Gods War, the creatures seemed bent on destroying
everything. I thought it was retaliation for what my father had done, but it was worse. They were intent on vengeance.”
“You think your father locked them up?” Neverra asked.
I shrugged. “Possibly. He was always quite busy, hours turned into days at a time, although my mother never worried.”
Cameron inhaled deeply and narrowed his eyes, examining the rocky wall. I wondered what he scented here. “So hypothetically, your father locked up a bunch of ancient, powerful beings, and what? They broke out?”
“No.” I pointed my blade at the large fissure in the cliff. A jagged broken area that made my stomach revolt. “Look again. The tears, the cracks. Someone broke in.”
They all spun toward me. “If what you’re saying is true. What would have enough strength to punch through a dimension?” Xavier asked.
Vincent’s voice was a deathly whisper. “A god?”
But it was my answer that had them staring at me. I saw the fear run through them.
“Possibly a god or something far worse we don’t know of yet.
Something not only capable of releasing so many but also has the ability to control them all.”
As the truth of my words sank in, fear filled their eyes.
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