Chapter Eleven
Asher
T his becomes more and more boring each time.
Henry tried and failed to hide his laugh as I spoke into his mind.
The male— man —in front of us stared at Henry for a moment. His perplexed expression and seemingly confused thoughts lasted all of three seconds before he returned his stare to me. When vile fantasies started to swarm through his mind, I ground my teeth, attempting to hold myself back.
Truly, it was my fault. I should not have admitted I was bored. Karma had me there.
Still, he was nauseating to listen to. Or, well, bear witness to was more like it. I could only make out the conjured images. Which was what made this so increasingly repetitive.
The male spoke then, his speech foreign to me. He had a smooth voice, the words blending together with such speed that I struggled to fathom how anyone could understand what he was saying. Henry did though.
Every once in a while, the demon would nod, scowl, or hum. Very rarely did he respond in kind, mostly opting for silence unless speaking was required of him. Hiding his accent was not something Henry would be able to accomplish for long, but it was best that no one suspected who—or what—we were.
I had not known before that the mortals did not speak the common tongue—that each of the six kingdoms spoke six separate languages. Henry had explained to me that only those of noble birth were required to speak the language of the gods, though others chose to learn. Incidentally, this was also the language of both the fae and the demons, who had once not only been civil but close allies.
That was an interesting part of fae history that had not been told correctly. In Academy, younglings learned of how we had attempted to teach the demons our ways, to nurture them with good and prevent their evil roots from taking hold. We learned to speak as they did, allowing the language of The Old Ones to fade. We granted them access to our lands, traded with them, even taught them how to manage their magic. Still, they had turned on us, slaughtering any power-wielder they could and eating the raw flesh of their victims. Our past was broken, missing pieces and confusing at best, but we had all known of the wicked creatures to the west that threatened our realm.
Henry had contradicted that. Many demons remembered the time before the splitting of Betovere. They were privy to the knowledge that fae and demons and creatures of all kinds had been united once, thus the reason highborn demons were taught all six languages of the Mortal Realm.
Which begged the question: what happened to the memories of the fae and the mortals?
No one knew, not even Bellamy. With Pino gone, his soul free to return to Eternity, there was likely no way to find out.
“We have our answer then,” Henry whispered to me as he offered the man three gold coins. The mortal’s eyes lit up in astonishment, then a triumphant smile split his face. With his payment in hand, he left us be.
Henry grabbed my arm, tugging me up from my seat and out of the tavern. He was testy this evening, though so was I. We had been in the Mortal Realm for three days with no luck.
Our first day here, we had felt hopeful. The maps were exquisitely detailed, allowing us the opportunity to portal without the fear of ending up in the sea or someone’s home or the center of a volcano. That meant we could go to any of the kingdoms in a moment’s notice, find what we were looking for, then continue on with our journey. No longer would we spend weeks on the back of a horse or the deck of a ship.
That was, until we realized how little the people of the Mortal Realm knew. Their rumors and tales gave us no results. We would wander into wooded areas or deserted homes and find nothing, just as empty handed as before.
The first day, we decided it was just poor luck. The second, we began to suspect that we were in for a much more difficult excursion than we originally thought. Today, however, we awoke with an astonishing sense of defeat.
As we made our way into the early fall air, the residual pollen from summer’s blooms burning my nose while we walked, I readied for bad news. I was fully prepared for Henry to tell me what I already suspected—there was nothing to find in the Kingdom of Behman.
We stopped not far from the inn, hiding from the afternoon sun under the canopy of a tree. This kingdom was full of trees, even along the coast. They were everywhere, as if forests had taken control of every piece of the land and the inhabitants had decided to simply build around it.
Green grass spread for miles, only interrupted by the dirt roads that were a result of carriages permanently destroying the plant life. Henry had not dressed for the weather, his top so thin that the white was nearly transparent. His brown trousers clung to him and tucked into his black boots that reached mid-calf. His fiery hair nearly passed his chin now, the stubble on his face closer to a beard.
“We have a lead,” he said, a reluctant smile spreading across his face as he released my arm. “This is it. I can feel it.”
I froze, unsure if I heard him right. For a moment, I simply stared at him, wondering if he was being hopeful simply for the sake of my sanity or because he genuinely believed that this was going to be our first success. When he did not break under my gaze, I decided that this just might be a good day after all.
“Where is it?” I asked, suddenly far more energetic than I had been in a while. Without realizing it, I began to bounce on the balls of my feet, thinking of how much this could change the tide of the coming war.
We did it. We finally did it.
“Here in Behman—just as we suspected. Although, I think we were wrong about what it is based on the description that man gave. Either way, we will know as soon as we portal there. There is a small range of mountains just north of here called the Eldor Peaks. All of the signs are there, but if we want to make it before the sun falls, then we have to go now. I want to portal just outside of the range to make sure we have a safe landing.”
I nodded, eagerly grabbing onto his hand and leaning up on my toes.
Henry pulled out the map that had been in his satchel, giving my hand a squeeze before letting it go to open up the folded paper. His eyes roamed over it for a moment before he took a deep breath. His fingers gripped the map harder, wrinkling the edges.
I wanted to reassure him that it would be alright and this was the breakthrough we needed. More than that, I wanted to promise we would survive. As someone who did not quite enjoy being lied to, though, I decided against it.
Instead, I took deep breaths as well, focusing my mind for the task ahead. It was imperative that I steeled my heart and mind. No longer could I wallow and suffer in sadness. It was my duty to save this world. I could feel it in my bones. I had to take my despair and morph it into the flint that would light a fire within my soul.
Being a savior did not mean living a life of joy and love. No, it was a path paved with blood and death and loss. And it was not until this precise moment that I realized just how much more I would sacrifice to make sure Alemthian survived the coming war in one piece. I would maim and burn and kill for that future.
Henry took my hand once more, a hopeful smile lifting his lips one last time before we portaled.
The ground was uncomfortably hard in comparison to the grass we had once stood upon. When Henry called the range small, he had been grossly under exaggerating. The gray stone before us loomed above, two of the mountains reaching up to kiss the clouds like a lost lover. The air here was cooler, an unsettling stillness to it that made goosebumps coat my skin.
The man had been right. We had found what we were searching for.
Henry and I were tasked with securing allies in not only the mortals but also the magical creatures that had sought refuge in the Mortal Realm. Over the course of the last few days, we had been searching for one creature in particular, the dalistori.
“Can you feel it?” I asked Henry, hoping he realized just how successful—and dangerous—a situation we had found ourselves in.
Stories told us that we would face evil like the world had never seen. A beast larger than a cottage with razor sharp teeth and a love for the blood of men. It had consumed hundreds of unsuspecting or unwise mortals that found themselves within its vicinity in recent years. There was no surviving it according to legends. Which was the very reason we were here. Either risk our own deaths now or face the very real possibility that Eoforhild would fall.
“I feel it,” he answered, his heavy drawl a whisper in the wind. “The nearby village was evacuated when a group of men tried to scale these mountains. Those who chose to remain, the prideful and disbelieving, were slaughtered. Hundreds reduced to fat and flesh. Food for flies and wild animals.”
I blanched at his words, the image bringing back memories of Haven painted in gore to my mind.
My nerves got the best of me when a sharp crack sounded to our left. I jumped, smacking into Henry’s side. The Sun careened forward, his arms grabbing onto me and sending us both to the ground. We hit the rocky terrain hard, pained groans replacing comprehensible words momentarily.
“Watch where you are going!” he shouted once he caught his breath, knocking me off of him and onto the ground. I gasped, my outrage palpable.
“You were the one who knocked us over!” My bristling earned me nothing more than a glare as he stood, dusting off his trousers and not so much as offering me a hand up.
“Sorry that gravity exists,” he mumbled, straightening up to his full height. With a moan of annoyance, I smacked the ground and proceeded to stand as well.
“Gravity is for the weak. Learn to fly or move over.” Before he could think of a retort, a rock fell from somewhere ahead. The sound of stone hitting stone left both of us holding our breath. After a moment, we finally looked at one another. Henry’s eyes were wide, as if he were pleading for some sort of reassurance.
Sadly, I had none. Lifting my hands and shrugging my shoulders, I silently conveyed that I, in fact, had no fucking clue.
“Could be a ghost,” he whispered, eyes darting away from me to look around.
“Could be Luca,” I offered in the spirit of being delusional.
“It is not Luca.” His chiding tone had me leveling him with a look of disbelief, because how was what I said any less likely than a ghost? “Maybe it is friendly.”
“It mutilated two men last week. It is likely even less friendly than I am, and I have to fight the urge to castrate you daily.” A gasp of horror left his lips at my words, and I had to bite back the laugh that threatened to escape me.
“Oh, shut up and go,” he ordered, pointing in the direction of the sound.
“You go!”
“No, you go!”
In the end, I was the one who took the first step forward, sending my power out to search for any creature that might be prepared to brutally slaughter us. For the dalistori.
Something was there, though it was more of an afterthought. Like a feeling of hollowness that differed from the empty feeling of the non-sentient world. A blank spot where there should have been something more.
It is here. We need to head east.
Henry did not flinch when I spoke into his mind. He was used to the silent form of communication by now. With a stiff nod and a heavy breath, I began moving, the Sun on my heels.
The deeper we wove between the daunting mountains, the more my skin seemed to crawl. With the sun creeping closer to the horizon, we sped up. We had wasted far too much time at that tavern, relying on my ability despite my clear inadequacy when it came to interpreting the foreign tongue. Now we had to rush, my feet slipping on uneven rocks and Henry’s hands shaking with nerves as he took the lead.
“Are you sure you sensed it here?” Henry whispered as he turned to face me. I nodded, trying to conjure the words that would explain the feeling of such a thing. Before I could, another voice came, the haunting sound of it echoing like a melody of death.
“Yes, she did sense me here.”
Whipping my head in the direction of the voice, I caught sight of a pair of yellow eyes about five feet above our heads. The dalistori was nothing at all like the legends and rumors had suggested. What was described as a man-eating monster ten times the size of its prey was actually far less sinister in appearance.
“I see that my food has come hunting me for once. What an exciting turn of events. Do tell me why the two of you have traveled so far just to die.” Even the gravely and deep voice of the dalistori seemed less foreboding when paired with the form of it. I clenched my teeth together, determined not to voice my thoughts and struggling immensely.
It was just so… adorable .
“A cat?” Henry said, baffled. That was all it took for me to lose every one of my senses. I moved forward, desperately wanting to touch the silky gray fur of the feline creature above.
“I am not some domesticated pet!” it screeched, its tail and the fur on its back reaching up, but it did not attack.
It was small, barely larger than an average cat. It had wide, circular eyes the color of the setting sun behind us—a deep yellow that was nearly gold. Pointed ears stuck out of the top of its head, the inside of them the same soft pink as its little button nose.
“You are so cute,” I said, stopping at the rock face and looking up. A smile broke across my lips as the tiny fangs of the creature caught the light. I knew that it was supposed to be a horrifying and murderous thing, but nothing other than delight filled me. Raising a hand, I clicked my tongue, trying my best to get the supposed dalistori to come down.
“Stop, creature, or face my wrath!” it shouted, stepping forward.
I did laugh then. Henry remained silent, a look of confusion on his face, though his eyes still held that fear.
“Wrath would be a wonderful name. Do you like that name, sweets? Or do you already have one?” I cooed as I climbed onto a higher rock, bringing our faces level.
The dalistori did not move, though it eyed me like it was going to eat my hand. Or my heart. Oddly enough, that only made it more endearing. As a particularly anger-driven being, I liked the solace a fellow furious little thing could bring me.
“Do not call me sweets, you inferior female. I should rip your tongue from your mouth for daring to speak to me that way!” With a smile, I reached up and slowly brought my hand towards its head.
“What about Violence? Or maybe Chaos?” My fingers reached its fur, the softness of it making my chest warm. Raven, a council member’s daughter, had a cat that I had been permitted to cuddle once and I recalled being jealous of her luck. I had never been allowed a pet.
It growled, teeth bared and eyes in slits. I could not fully feel its mind, but I knew there were murderous intentions within it.
“No, I think Wrath is the best of them.” Yes, I would call it Wrath.
Unfortunately, the dalistori did not seem to like that name as much as I did. It scowled at me, those eyes unsettling to say the least. Still, I continued to scratch it.
“You pesky little—oh, that is nice.” I smiled wider, my fingers grazing the top of its head. “No, not there. Behind my ear. Yes, that is the spot,” it said, that voice making the hairs on my arms raise.
From behind, I could hear Henry approaching us. Anxiety and fear radiated from him, his mental shields down and his thoughts a mess.
“You are psychotic. That thing is going to murder you!” he said quietly, tone sharp. I knew that I was likely scaring him, but there was something about the dalistori that called to me. Like it belonged with me.
Wrath ignored Henry entirely, leaning farther into my hand and humming softly.
“We did come here for a reason, actually.” It opened its eyes at my words, recoiling faintly. I frowned, already missing the warmth of its fur. “We have heard stories of your kind. None of them pleasant, but all of them confirm to us that your help could be something that saves many lives.”
This time, the dalistori backed away fully, hissing. Henry let out a soft gasp behind me as the creature grew larger. The demon rushed to me, putting a hand on my waist and trying to pull me down. I remained on top of the rock, unwilling to run.
The dalistori’s silky gray fur had turned thick and coarse, its fangs lengthening until they were the size of my forearm. A smile split the creature’s face, the edges of its mouth nearly touching its ears. The expression mixed with the yellow eyes was a horrifying sight, one born of the Underworld.
When it stopped growing, it had far surpassed even Henry’s height, towering over us. Still, I knew from legends that it had not reached even half of its full size. The hiss turned to an echoing growl that made my stomach churn and my hands shake, the vibration of it rattling my bones and knocking Henry back, forcing him to unwrap his arm from around me.
Whether it was out of stubbornness or determination, I did not know, but I remained still, not daring to step back. My hands dug into divots within the rocks in front of my chest, holding on and keeping my gaze forward. The dalistori lowered its head, bringing those yellow eyes down to meet mine.
“What makes you believe me to be a creature that cares for life? I will gladly eat thousands of living things and not bat an eye.”
Nodding, I pondered that statement. It was not the idea of helping us that bothered it, rather the assumption that it would want to save lives. I could work with that.
“Well, in saving lives, you will also get to slaughter many others. Though, ideally, we can stop the war before too many innocents are lost.”
The creature—Wrath—for its part, merely stared. No emotion showed on its face. No feelings radiated from its mind.
“Tell me, have you ever tasted a queen?” I asked, dusting lint that was not there off of my shoulder. Calm. I was calm. No terror could find me. I was The Manipulator—one of the most feared beings in existence. I would not cower.
My words had the desired effect on the creature, causing it to pause and regard me with a squinted gaze. I watched as it wiggled its hazardous claws, the curve of them perfect for gutting. It seemed that the kitty was not quite so sweet. My power swelled inside of me, itching for a fight that I did not want.
“Now that is a proposition,” it said. I watched as it slowly shrunk back down to the size of a large cat, though small enough to hold. Strange how I seemed to recoil at the idea of hurting such a vicious beast. Perhaps that was part of what made it so dangerous. “Do tell how you expect to find me a queen to feast on.”
Henry began shouting into his mind, the prodding at my power a bothersome feeling that I did not have time for. We had one chance at this, only one.
“The fae have their sights set on war, likely hoping they will one day rule over all. I am sure you recall, or at least are aware of, the way they eradicated any and all magical beings that were within their realm during The Great War. Imagine what they would do if they had control over all three realms. How do you think you would fare against a world such as that? I wager we would all be in danger.”
Wrath stared, listening but not showing any signs that it was agreeing with what I was saying. My hands began to sweat, the fear trying to take over. I swallowed it down, refusing to submit.
“Now, imagine how great it would feel to eat the heart of the fae queen, the one who would sentence you to death for simply existing. I could give you that. If you help the demons in the coming war, you could have both the king and the queen. Even better, you can keep your freedom without the fear of death chasing you wherever you go.”
The speech was flimsy, and I knew it was not particularly enticing to a creature that seemed capable of defending itself without trouble. Hopefully royal blood tasted better than most.
“I am born of death, stupid girl.”
I waved a hand in dismissal, not remotely understanding what it meant and unwilling to show that.
Wrath stilled, head tilting to the side. I held my breath, thinking of how much help it would be to have this beast on our side when the fae attacked. A part of me wondered how many innocents would perish simply because their king and queen told them they had to fight. That part also could not help but hope that some miracle would come and prevent the war—in the ways I had previously dreamed of doing.
That way of thinking would not do me any good though.
“Do you not fear that I will turn on you? That I will eat you here and now?” it asked. Without hesitation, I shrugged, offering up an indifference that—Eternity willing—made me appear stronger.
“I have suffered at the hands of pretty creatures my entire life. A bit more pain would be nothing new. But hear me when I say this, I will not make it easy, and you will not walk away unscathed.” Probably not true, but I imagined that confidence would carry me farther than terror.
Wrath laughed, the sound horrifying. It rang in my ears, a rough and menacing cackle that sent shivers down my spine. It was far too cute for the menacing sounds it made.
Clearly, I had finally overstepped. Should I apologize? Offer more scratches?
“Brave of you. I do not think that I have ever been threatened in such a way, let alone believed it.” I let out a breath, the surprise rushing through me. It laughed again, this time a far less scream-inducing sound. “Fine, I shall keep you. Not because I particularly like you, nor do I care about saving lives. But because my own life lacks entertainment, and you seem to be in abundance of it. Especially if the blood of my enemies is involved.”
I whooped in exclamation, swiping it up into my arms when it approached and rubbed against me. I had done it. I could not believe it, but I had.
“Sure thing, Wrath, let’s go.”
I had not felt this level of joy in quite some time. Wrath was right. This was an exciting turn of events. How strange that we had walked into these mountains believing that we would die here, and instead, we were walking away with the sweetest little—
“That thing is not coming with us!” Henry shouted, jogging after me as I began retracing our path. “We need to portal it to Bell and let him figure out what to do with it!”
Like the dalistori, I ignored the demon’s pessimism, the smile on my face impossibly large. “We did it, Henry! Let’s just be happy and get back to the inn. Then, we will figure out what comes next.”
“Absolutely not. It. Is. Not. Coming.” Oh he was livid.
“I am not an it . I am a him . Though I do believe I like the idea of having a name. You, too, may call me Wrath. And I will go where I please, which at the moment is wherever this female is.” Wrath curled farther into my body, nuzzling that sweet little head into my neck. It took me a moment to realize that he was smelling me.
His mind still felt odd, as if it were the hole left in an unfinished puzzle—something that should be there but was not. Something that was missing, somehow.
I decided there was no harm in trying to use my power on him.
Can you hear me, angry little one?
Wrath ceased his sniffing, his body going rigid. I took that as a yes. He leaned back, those yellow eyes meeting mine with a curious and suspicious light in them.
Strange thing you are, female.
“You can call me Asher,” I offered. Wrath took one last look at me, an inquisitive and calculating stare that made me wonder if he also felt that odd connection we seemed to have with one another.
“Ash!” Henry shouted, grabbing onto my shoulder and spinning me around. I shook off his hand, beginning to lose my temper. Wrath was not pleased by it either.
“Do not touch my creature, you gangly fool, or I shall end you with a thousand cuts! I shall feast on your innards and sacrifice your still-pulsing heart to the great God of Death and Creation! I shall—”
“He is so cute,” I said, cutting off his monologue and scratching under his chin. Hoping that would be the last interruption, I began walking again.
“He just threatened to murder me!”
I turned, my hand stilling as I glared at Henry. For someone who was supposedly attempting to save his realm, the Sun sure was doing a poor job of winning over those who could help.
“Did I tell you that you could stop scratching me?” Wrath said, slapping my face with his paw—his claws nearly breaking my skin. I huffed and turned my glare to him before complying.
I continued petting him, making impeccable timing on the journey back now that I was not scared senseless. Still, I hoped that Henry would concede soon and portal us to our next stop. We had a long way to go.
Henry was not wrong; we had decided to portal any magical creature that agreed to help us straight to Bellamy. The plan was that he would remain with the military, readying for possible attacks, as well as find a place for any creatures we could convince to aid our cause.
The prince had yet to send word that any attacks beyond the one at Haven had occurred, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he would not tell me if he could help it.
Months ago, I had dreamed of a love that would be all-consuming. Having someone who cherished me beyond anything else had seemed romantic. Now, I feared what Bellamy might risk for me.
Whatever secrets he withheld on our journey to Dunamis had been important enough to involve the king, which meant time had likely been of the essence. Still, he slowed us down, giving me time to heal and, likely, also hoping I would love him like he loved me. That sort of love was dangerous. It would not only overwhelm and devour us but the entire world too. And a part of me believed that Bellamy would gladly watch it all fall if it meant I was safe.
“Is that thing behind us not a demon? Why are we walking when we could simply portal?” Wrath asked, the annoyance in his tone clear.
He leapt from my arms, his body growing in size slightly just before he stretched. I stymied a laugh when he yawned and pawed the ground, the movement so cat-like that for a moment I forgot he was a deadly creature with a taste for blood.
“The only place I am portaling you is to Eoforhild or the Underworld, you psychotic little—”
“Your first mistake, orange one, was believing that I would mind returning home to my god. Furthermore, I believe it is you who needs me . So stop your pouting and portal us to wherever you two were headed next, then explain this likely horrendously idiotic plan you have concocted.”
Now I really did laugh. Henry grunted, his arms crossing as he glared daggers at Wrath—who flashed his razor-sharp teeth in return. Suddenly, I felt as if this adventure of ours would not be quite as awful as I had first thought.