Chapter 1 #2
His mouth curled into an unsettling grin.
“I could say the same about your sister. The way she screamed when the blood ran down her flesh. The horror in those big eyes. Now that was satisfying.” With a snarl, he thrust out his palm, sending a blast of icy wind.
Even if combat wasn’t his strength, this was.
Shards of ice like tiny daggers hit her shield, building a wall of frost before her, impossible to see through.
Moments later, he crashed through it and tackled her to the ground, knocking the wind out of her lungs.
His heavy body pressed her into the grass while she bucked and fought his weight.
She swung the butt of Soulender, knocking him on the temple.
It split his skin and blood oozed down the side of his face, but he wrapped his hands around her neck.
“Now I have you exactly as I’ve always wanted.”
A scream of rage ripped from her, shadows and vines coiling around him like a giant serpent.
Blackness seeped into his eyes, his open mouth, and then he was the one screaming.
He slapped his hands to the sides of his head, pressing in as if it would ease the fire.
She would burn out his insides, until he lost consciousness.
Suddenly he was torn off her, flying backward. Hel had him by the top of his scalp and slammed him on the ground, dropping a knee into his gut, and shoved the point of his sword to his heart.
Valeen yelled, “Wait! We could use him alive.”
Hel’s arm trembled, his garnet eyes filled with malice she’d rarely seen.
He was usually calm, even when killing, but now, he was on the verge of losing himself to fury.
His beautiful face was twisted. The shadows around his eyes, and the curl of his lip made him as terrifying as any monster that hunted in the underrealm.
A little more pressure and his sword would go straight through Synick, and if he wasn’t immortal anymore, he was dead.
“He is the only one who knows where the Sword of Truth is.” They could use Synick as leverage against the Council of the Gods.
He knew of the only other weapon that could kill a god.
It also occurred to her that with the portal now open again, the council could get to him in the underrealm…
if the demon princes allowed it. In the past, the three princes wouldn’t let anyone near him and since it was their realm, not even the gods could find him there.
But since Valeen killed one of the brothers only days before, there was no telling what they might do, what deal they might be willing to make with the council. For all she knew, the princes were the ones who had given him the power to control the undead.
They needed information from him, and they needed to know that when they ended him, he wouldn’t be able to come back.
“Do it,” Synick hissed. “Don’t be a coward, Hel. Mercy is not what I taught you.”
Hel leaned in closer, and said through his teeth, “Killing you would be a mercy compared to what I’m going to do.”
Valeen kicked Synick in the face, snapping his head to the side.
He didn’t turn back, and for a moment she worried she’d broken his spine, but his chest still moved with breath.
Hel flicked his fingers, and a fluorescent green rope appeared in his hands.
He quickly bound Synick’s wrists and ankles tying an intricate knot.
Then slowly, he rose up. “Gods, he is just as powerful as he was. And he knows my tricks, Val.” His hard eyes settled on her.
“He knows me. He trained me and War.” Hel swore under his breath and turned away.
She swallowed hard and reached for his hand.
“He knew who you were , not the nightmare you are now. We have the upper hand.” Hel was used to always being steps ahead, he had an uncanny ability to outmaneuver his enemies, but Synick’s appearance threw a boulder into his carefully thought-out plans.
It was rare to see him rattled like this.
Synick unsettled them both for different reasons.
Varlett walked up and crossed her arms. “You should kill him now. I think letting him live even to question him would be a mistake. If he gets free…”
Hel’s upper lip curled. “Where the fuck were you?”
“Trying not to die,” she growled back. “Those monsters aren’t easy to put down.”
Valeen shook her head. “We need him alive. The Sword of Truth is leverage that could win us this war. They might even surrender if we have both weapons.”
“I will not accept a surrender. Not after what they did,” Hel said. “We need katagas serum to subdue his magic. This suppressing rope won’t be enough to hold him for long.”
“Will it work on him?” Valeen asked.
Varlett opened a pouch on the side of her pant leg, taking a clear vial and a barb out.
“It works on you, doesn’t it?” He took the barb and dipped it into the vial then jabbed it into Synick’s neck.
“I’m in a mortal elven body, it wouldn’t work on an immortal. And it doesn’t work on you,” Valeen argued.
“I made myself immune to it with micro doses. He hasn’t.
And since he was knocked unconscious by a kick, he has a weakened body like us.
” Hel grabbed Synick’s chin and turned his face.
Blood oozed out of the good side of his mouth.
“And if that wasn’t proof enough, he’s half rotten.
All immortal gods are without imperfection and have a luminescence about them.
He doesn’t. He didn’t get to come back from the dead the same as before. ”
“I need to make sure everyone else is alright.” Valeen made her way back up to the crest of the hill where she was able to peer down at where the other battle had happened.
The undead creatures that came with Synick had their heads and arms cut off, all pinned down by boulders, spare rope, or weapons separately.
Each body part wiggled and moved, fighting to reform.
Piper walked over, sheathing her sword. “We have them all restrained for now. But we’ll need a more permanent solution. The nasty things are still trying to come back together. One of the heads kept snapping its jaws at me.”
“Eww.” Valeen shuttered. “We can hold them in the dungeons of my castle… assuming it’s still mine. Or drop them into the sea with heavy stones tied to them.”
“The second option.” Hel walked up behind her. “Even when we have your castle. They can’t be near Synick for him to control.”
Piper peered out into the darkness over Valeen’s shoulder. “There’s no sign of Thane yet. Or your sister.”
Valeen turned, facing the direction Katana and Thane had gone. Katana must be terrified after coming back from… wherever she was, and Valeen was the only one she’d trust. Unless, the hairs on the back of her neck rose, unless she doesn’t remember me. Maybe that’s why she ran.
Piper continued, “I went into your room after you left and found the cards with all the gods. I asked Thane about Katana since it said she was your sister. He told me the story of how she was murdered by Synick and why. I’m surprised you didn’t kill him.”
“Trust me, I want to, but we need to interrogate him first. We need the other immortal weapon.” It took everything in her not to cut off his head right then. She hoped keeping him alive was the right move and it didn’t come back to bite them later.
“Good thinking.” But Piper frowned down at his unconscious body.
Heavy footsteps trod in. Presco’s pearl scales still covered his body as he joined them. He pushed his round, gold glasses up further on his nose. “I can go look for War and Katana. I’ll find them the fastest from the sky.”
“Take me with you,” Valeen said. “She doesn’t know anyone but me and she’s scared.”
Hel’s white wings materialized, and he shook his head. “I’ll be taking you.”
“Hel, one of us needs to stay with Synick. When he wakes up, he will be able to use persuasion on them until they’re trained to resist it.” Varlett would likely be able to withstand persuasion, but Leif and Piper wouldn’t, and she couldn’t trust Varlett to help them.
He didn’t look happy when he said, “Go.” But if you’re not back soon, I’ll come looking, Synick be damned.
Valeen shifted to shadow while Presco transformed into his dragon.
With ease she drifted in her airy form onto Presco’s back, settling into place on his hard scales.
She thought of the last time she’d rode on a dragon with Hel before she remembered everything.
The way she was afraid to desire him but falling fast. How he looked at her like she was a star he wanted to capture but was scared of the burn.
He had that same expression on his face now.
Fighting between letting her go and wanting her to stay.
“Find Tifapine!” Valeen hollered, as she scanned the grass. She’d likely run to hide during the fight, but she usually didn’t go far.
“I’ll look for her!” Leif yelled back.
Presco lifted into the night sky with his great wings picking up wind, blowing Piper’s red hair loose from its tie.
“We need to hurry.” Valeen gripped the spike in front of her as they soared. “I’m worried Synick wasn’t alone coming from the underrealm, and Varlett has the demon prince’s ring. They’ll be looking for it.”
“Hel is formidable on his own,” Presco said. “I worry more he will abandon them to come for you. You will always be his first priority.”