33. Blood on the Rocks
Blood on the Rocks
Darien
Darien was sick of running. Fending for his life, fighting monsters that seemingly came from Hel itself, even adjusting to his new life as Crown Prince—nothing compared to his indignation over the amount of running he’d done in the past several weeks.
Blunt jolts of pain shot up through the soles of his feet and entered his cramping thighs as they fled into the night.
From the sounds of the ever-increasing screeches, there was no doubt that the draugr was hunting them, just as there was no doubt that it was getting closer.
The only question that remained was whether or not the draugr was alone.
Masai never let up, leading them through the twists and turns on the élivágar River shoreline, huffing that they were nearly there.
He’d had to slow his long strides as Halla and Kai struggled to keep up.
When they could no longer run, Larissa grabbed Halla’s hand and pulled to keep her walking as Darien did the same for Kai.
Anara had shifted twice into a raven to see if she could glimpse the draugr , but between the darkness of night and the cover of the trees, she’d been unable to spot the creature.
When she returned from her second trip, they paused to draw in great gulps of air, waiting for Anara’s report.
“Why isn’t it flying?” Darien asked.
“It’s tracking our scent on the ground.”
“Then let’s lose it.” Larissa moved toward the water.
Anara grabbed Larissa’s shoulder, pulling her back. “Not worth the trouble. The draugr will pick it up on the other side. Besides, that water will freeze your legs so badly, you won’t be able to run when you need to.”
“Listen,” Masai hissed.
Over the pounding of his heart and the harsh breath in his ears, Darien caught another sound.
It was the roar of water plummeting hundreds of feet.
The sound of Godafoss Falls renewed their energy.
They raced toward it, leaving the riverbank and re-entering the woods where they struggled over roots and rocks.
Though muffled by the trees, the sound of the roaring falls only increased.
The ground sloped at a dangerous decline, forcing them to slow.
The sound of the falls thundered at Darien’s side.
They were descending parallel to the falls.
At a particularly treacherous part of the path where they were forced to cling onto roots to navigate a rocky drop, Halla’s foot slipped, causing her to nearly land on Darien at the bottom.
He caught her with a grunt, ignoring the way she turned her face in embarrassment and righting her before anyone else could see. Then they were running again.
Breaking through the trees, Darien’s breath caught at the sight before him.
Shaped in an enormous U , the waterfall stretched far in each direction before pouring buckets of water over the volcanic rock cliff into the Undarbrunnk Lake below.
The lake waters lapped up toward the shoreline where Darien and the others stood.
There was little time to admire its beauty as the screeching of the draugr , sounding closer than ever before although muted by the falls, came from the forest behind them.
“Come on!” Masai shouted, leading them further along the shoreline of the Undarbrunnk Lake and away from the falls.
“Alright, Masai,” Larissa barked, struggling to be heard over the constant crash of water. “What now?”
“There has to be an entrance somewhere around here. Myths say this lake leads into Urer’s Well.”
“Then you better find it quick,” Anara hissed. “Or I’m feeding you to the draugr while the rest of us get away.”
“You could help,” Masai snapped.
Darien looked, but all he saw was the falls plummeting into the lake behind them. Its water lapped up onto the volcanic shoreline where crabs scuttled from holes and underneath rocks. The forest surrounded them, but nowhere was there an obvious entrance to anything.
Movement in the trees caught Darien’s attention. Darien drew his sword, the sound of the scratching steel silencing those around him. “We’ve got company.”
They all turned toward the figure walking out of the woods toward them. Halla and Kai stood with their backs to the lake as the others peered into the trees. Emerging from the dimming woods, the man materialized.
Darien’s heart squeezed in agony. His hair was longer than before, with braids woven tightly on the sides of his head. He’d shaved his beard. Though his hazel-green eyes stared at Darien in lifeless detachment, the man was clearly his brother.
A slow smile crawled up Calder’s face as though he were a performer before an attentive audience. Larissa drew her gun, shielding Halla and Kai, as Anara leaned forward, her body on the edge of transformation. Even Masai gripped his staffs, his jaw set in determination.
“Well, aren’t you all a long way from home.” Calder leaned against a tree on the edge of the forest.
Calder’s refusal to draw his weapon sparked enough of Darien’s anger to overshadow the pain of seeing the man who was and yet was not his brother, but Calder wasn’t looking at Darien. He examined Masai.
“Your mother lost her husband, and now you’ve chosen to rob her of her son as well.”
Masai’s grip tightened on his staffs, but he only glared at Calder in response.
“And Lovisa.” He tutted in her direction. “What were you thinking? Leaving the safety of Perle and dragging your dear sister back into harm’s way? Don’t you care about her anymore? Or perhaps you intend to kill anyone who gets in your way like you did Hammon.”
Shock flickered across her face.
“Leave her alone,” Darien forced the words out through gritted teeth.
“Ah, the new Crown Prince.” Calder bowed mockingly before turning back to Larissa. “Did you like the gift I sent, Princess? Seemed fitting for your coronation, don’t you think?”
“You’re outnumbered,” Larissa pointed out. “You can’t win.”
Calder’s eyes roved over Halla and Kai. “A Diamantian? Keeping your own slaves now? You’re more like the Empress every day.”
Stark fear reflected on Kai’s face; it was stronger than any emotion Darien had ever seen from the boy. Instinctively, he moved to block Calder’s line of sight.
“It’s four versus one, and that’s if I’m being generous.” Calder pushed himself off the tree, drawing his weapon as he stalked toward them. “But, why on Evrópa would you assume I’d come here alone?”
The shrieking of the draugrs sounded again, but this time on opposing sides of the falls.
At the sound, Anara snarled, her head whipping to both sides.
Although Darien couldn’t see anything in the growing darkness, he knew there was more than just the one draugr .
With Calder at the topmost point and the lake behind them, the draugrs had perfectly triangulated their prey.
Darien’s feet shifted on the volcanic rock, readying himself for the attack.
“The Empress wants to meet you, Larissa,” Calder continued.
Honey coated his words, slipping into Darien’s ears with ease.
“Something about that godsforsaken prophecy. If you agree to come with us, I’ll let your friends live.
Isn’t that what you want? To protect those you love at any cost? Or will you let them die for you?”
Larissa raised her gun, stopping Calder in his tracks. “You can’t persuade me this time, Calder. I don’t want to kill you, but I will if I have to.”
Calder shrugged. “As you wish, Princess.”
Like twin eruptions, the draugr s struck from either side of the forest, their claws outstretched and their mouths open in screams that pierced Darien’s eardrums. On the right, Anara lunged into her wolf form, tackling that creature to the ground and rolling with it close to the water.
On the left, Masai blocked the other draugr ’s swipe with his staffs.
Halla and Kai stooped down, only to throw rocks at the creature attacking Anara.
Darien had only a second to take in the scene before Calder charged. Larissa’s hands shook on the gun as the shot went off. The bullet missed, striking a tree and splintering the wood. Darien lunged in between them, meeting Calder’s sword with his own.
The force of the impact reverberated in Darien’s shoulders. “Larissa, help Anara!”
“I’m not leaving you.” A rush of crackling energy passed under Darien’s outstretched arms, the force of it bypassing him but sending Calder’s body crashing back into the trees.
The darkness of the night made it impossible to see where he had landed, but the rustle of the leaves made it clear Calder had retreated further into the forest.
Behind them, Halla screamed. Darien turned in time to see one of the draugr s swiping at Masai’s unguarded legs, ripping through skin and muscle.
He fell to one knee, his face twisted in pain.
Darien and Larissa ran just as the creature wrapped its whiplike tail around Kai’s leg, pulling the boy to the ground and dragging him across the volcanic shoreline.
Darien dashed forward, his sword cutting through the draugr ’s tail, and yanked Kai back just as the draugr ’s claws swiped where his body had been. The monster roared, turning its eyes on Darien and Kai. The pupilless whiteness widened in surprise. “You—”
But its words stuck in its throat as Larissa stretched out her hands, squeezing the air between her fingers.
The draugr clutched at its throat, its purple tongue lolling about as it struggled for breath.
Darien moved closer, dodging the wings that frantically whipped about.
He needed a clear shot for decapitation.
A sharp yelp drew their attention to where Anara lay sprawled out on the shoreline. The draugr stood above her, one of its clawed feet pressing down onto the wolf’s body as it roared in triumph.