Chapter 11 #2
“Right. Because that’s not unnerving at all.
” I inch closer to the cliff’s edge, pebbles crumbling under my boots.
Far below, the same river we confronted the soul-traffickers on snakes through the valley, its waters dark as obsidian.
“So what’s the plan? We just waltz inside and ask nicely if two of them want to be our loyal steeds? ”
“It’s not that simple. They’re deadly to Soulren.”
I tilt my head. “Deadly how? Despite the obvious, I mean.”
“Our magick, it’s potent. Overwhelming. It can actually repel them and make them perceive us as a threat.
” He flexes his fingers. “Nether drakes are ancient creatures, born from the Void itself. They like to offer us temporary alliances, but on certain terms. They might ask you for a piece of your soul, a favor, or even your darkest secret.”
My head whips toward him. “You want me to feed my soul to a Void dragon? Are you insane?”
“It’s a necessary sacrifice if you wish to command one. The bond goes both ways. You’ll gain access to some of the drake’s abilities as well.”
I snort. “Oh good, because coughing up fire and oozing venom is exactly what I’ve always wanted.”
Falcen ignores my sarcasm. “It’s one way for Soulren to tap into the Void safely, but it can corrupt you if not carefully managed. It’s intense and potentially addictive, but not permanent.”
I shake my head, backing away from the cliff’s edge. “No. Absolutely not. I had issues controlling a ten-and-four-summers cat, never mind a Void-spawned demon.”
“You will subdue one, Verily,” Falcen orders.
“You’re not serious.” But the hard set of his jaw tells me he is. Deadly so. “Can’t I just watch you do it?”
A shadow crosses his face and he breaks his stare from mine. “No.”
Desperate, I add, “This is cruel and unusual punishment, even for you. Would you make a five-summer-old initiate negotiate with a nether drake?”
“I would not,” Falcen admits gruffly. “But even though you’ve only known of your abilities for a few days, you have immense potential. The drakes will be drawn to that raw magick.”
“The magick you say they hate?”
He crowds into my space until I’m forced to tip my head back. “I won’t let any true harm come to you.”
I wish that was all it took. As fierce and talented as Falcen is, I’ve heard enough about the Void to know that no one has survived a drake attack. Not even an Elite Render.
With a heavy sigh, I peer over the edge of the cliff again. The sheer drop makes my stomach lurch.
“I don’t suppose there’s an easier way down there that doesn’t involve me breaking every bone in my body?”
“We climb.” Falcen unslings a coil of rope from his pack and secures it around a jagged boulder. He tests the knot, then tosses the end over the side. It unspools like a snake, swaying in the breeze.
I eye the frayed rope skeptically. “You’re really expecting me to do this.”
Falcen smirks and swings himself over the edge, his boots finding purchase on the cliff face as he rappels downward with maddening ease.
Show-off.
Muttering curses my grandmother would balk at, I grip the rope and inch backward, trying not to look at the dizzying drop awaiting me if I slip.
The rough fibers bite into my palms as I lower myself hand over hand, my muscles trembling.
Loose pebbles skitter past my face, and a fine sheen of sweat breaks out on my brow despite the oncoming cold.
The air changes as I descend, thickening with an ancient, musty smell that coats the back of my throat.
Misty fronds curl around our ankles, cool and clammy against my skin.
I swear I can feel the mist probing me, tasting my essence, and I shudder.
No birdsong trills from the skeletal trees that cling to the cliffside.
Even the wind seems to die, as if afraid to draw the attention of the evil denizens below.
Thankfully, if I don’t look down, my climb becomes easier, and I jerkily descend until my boots hit gods-given earth.
As we approach the gaping maw of the cave, details I couldn’t see from the ridge come into focus.
The pockmarked and striated stone appears it’s been clawed at for centuries.
Mist curls around the jagged stalactites and stalagmites that guard the entrance like a mouthful of rotting teeth.
The rock is stained with oily patches of obsidian and violet, pulsing with a sick, netherworld light.
Falcen pauses at the threshold and glances back at me, his eyes smoldering in the gloom. “Stay close and do exactly as I say.”
I’m not about to argue. My mouth is too dry for words, anyway.
Falcen summons a wisp of soul-light in his palm, casting our surroundings in a ghostly azure glow.
Twisted formations of rock rear up on either side of us, their surfaces glistening with moisture and shot through with veins of purple crystal that seem to breathe in light, then exhale.
The same oily iridescence from outside coats everything here, making each surface look diseased and infected by the Void’s touch.
As we venture deeper, a strange sensation prickles up my back, like dozens of unseen eyes watching from the shadows.
Mist plays around our legs, its chilly fingers tugging at my cloak.
I swear I hear whispers carried on the vapors, ominous calls, and formidable threats in a language I don’t understand, but my soul seems to comprehend on an instinctual level.
Falcen moves ahead of me, one hand near his hip, his fingers curled as if to accept the hilt of his soul-blade the moment he needs to summon it. His other hand is held out in front of him, fingers splayed as he lights our way.
It’s just enough to make out the uneven ground beneath our feet, scattered with loose rocks and the crunch of bones. I try not to think too hard about what kind of living things those bones once belonged to.
As we round a bend, my breath catches in my throat. The passage opens into a massive chamber, easily the size of the village square we just left.
And there, nestled against the far wall on a mound of jagged obsidian, are the nether drakes.