Chapter 50
Soul Eater
SYORAN
Ignoring the lingering pain in my abdomen, I stepped over the bodies of the men I had slain.
Limbs littered the ground, an occasional arm here and a respective leg there.
Carving through them had been easy, but Parran hadn’t been wrong—it still felt like the wound remained.
But every time I glanced down, the lack of crimson proved that their healing had melded me back together.
I flicked my wrist, the blood lining my blade splattering across the brick-laid street.
Speckling their dull gray shade, each drop served as a reminder of all that was at stake.
The nuances of humanity were fragile, and yet my attention remained on one individual.
The man whom I’d continue to saw through flesh and tendon for.
The man who, according to the debrief with our crew, had been betrayed to the furthest extent by none other than our quartermaster. Our navigator.
Sapphira fucking Maris.
As soon as I got word of her idiocy, that cunt immediately became dead to me. And if Caspian hadn’t killed her yet, I wouldn’t hesitate to cut her in half.
Palming my stomach, I rounded another corner, and the palace immediately fell into view.
It peered over the cliffs it sat on like a watchful predator, a solidification of the dark entities that loomed.
Slender spires, woven with veins of a light-wash silver, floated in the fading daylight, as if they didn’t bear the weight of structure.
The walls of the crowns’ standing empire had faded with the influence of precipitation, wind, and the splash of the sea.
It almost seemed like the Goddess of the Sea had been attempting to rid our lands of it for centuries, but the paper-thin arched bridges and each pathway that bridged the various areas of the palace sat sturdy, as if her influence no longer mattered.
Even amidst its corrupted beauty, my eyes settled on the massive black column that rose above all those that stood with it.
The jagged dark stone seemed to carry with it an otherworldly aura, whether crafted from somewhere beyond our realm or responsible for siphoning the pollution the others wrought, I wasn’t sure.
The windows on the eastern wing seemed far too barren, as if the king and the malicious beings residing within his home had deemed the guards’ attention a necessity in another location.
It certainly hadn’t been the streets of Serevalen, because the minimal men I’d encountered, as well as their lacking ability, hinted at a vigilance required elsewhere or just a lack of concern over our arrival.
Keeping my body low to the ground, I followed the trimmed hedges.
The continued stillness that clung to the air as I traversed the palace's established border made the hair on my arms stand on end.
There was no mumbled conversation, no complaints uttered between varying guards.
No, it was just… silent. So quiet that I could make out the music filtering out from the ballroom.
What the fuck was going on?
A near-manic laugh came from behind me, carrying with it the humor of thousands. Slowly settling, a lengthened exhale followed, the expulsion of air sounding far more feminine than masculine.
“Aw, did you come to save the esteemed Captain Vayne?”
Quickly turning, I drew my sword with the motion, tip pointed in the direction the voice came from.
Blinking once, my jaw feathered as an emptiness greeted me.
There was no sign or suggestion that anyone or anything had been standing there.
Hell, there was nothing to indicate that a single soul lingered on this side of the palace whatsoever.
Lips brushed the side of my neck, and with it, a viscous liquid joined. “If you’re wondering where a majority of the king’s men are, I’m here to enlighten—”
Tearing my dagger free, I pivoted and swung.
A few strands of blonde hair quickly flitted to the earth below, and the irises that greeted me illuminated with such a vibrant scarlet that I thought I was staring at the two Eyes of Ellira.
Kohl trailed from them, darkening her sockets to the point of no return, which only made her glare that much more intimidating.
Carved into the center of her forehead with a steady hand sat the royal crest. Not a scale was out of place on the serpentine creature, and its glare seemed far darker, far more intentional, than the original design.
Relics joined it, dancing across her brows and down the sides of her face before continuing over her cheekbones.
But where I expected them to continue to her chin, the sight that greeted me instead caused my stomach to twist.
Jagged lines carved a path through her flesh from the inside of each corner of her mouth all the way up to each ear.
The gruesome lacerations lengthened her smile and highlighted it with coagulated blood, as if the wounds weren’t necessarily fresh but were far from healed.
The lineage continued down her neck, bathing her in a near-black crimson that undoubtedly solidified what she was.
An Other.
Porcelain skin gleaming beneath the slipping sun, she craned her head to the side, long blonde locks following. “Oh, don’t look so horrified.”
Before I could offer a retort of my own, she vanished from below my extended arm only to reappear a few feet away.
Plucking a rose from one of the bushes with her black taloned hand, she brought it to her nose and inhaled deeply.
Lids fluttering, a grin started to bloom, and with it, the sound of healing skin splitting open and tearing apart joined in a grotesque symphony.
“The scents in this plane are fascinating,” she hummed, her eyes slowly opening once more as her stare found mine.
“Though there is nothing more enchanting than the smell of fear. Tell me, Syoran Kao, what frightens you the most? Not knowing if Caspian Vayne is alive, or my rather candid appearance?”
“I do not believe either of those things is any of your concern,” I snarled, spinning the blade between my fingers. “But your sudden candid appearance is far more of a hindrance than anything else.”
Feigning a pout, she batted her lashes. “Aw. That’s too bad. I had so many fun things to share with you.”
“What the fuck are you on about?”
She giggled. “Oh, now the captain’s right-hand is interested?”
Sword still in hand, I sheathed my dagger. “Are you going to talk circles or get to the fucking point? I have somewhere far more important to be.”
“Caspian Vayne is beyond salvation.”
The coldness of her utterance struck my core, ripping the air from my lungs. Throat bobbing, I shook my head. There were no words I was capable of formulating, no retort that I could offer as my mind immediately slipped to contemplate the worst possible outcome.
The squelch of flesh and blood drew me from my impending spiral, and I lifted my chin to watch as she took the sharpened tip of her nail to the right side of her face. Pushing it into the gaping wound, she traced its length with an unusual sluggishness, her glowing eyes locked with mine.
Once she slipped from the corner of her mouth, she ran her tongue along the leaking cut before bringing her hand out in front of her.
Admiring the polluted essence she summoned, she flattened her tongue and gathered it before closing her mouth.
With a swallow, she offered an open-mouthed grin, her canines glinting with the inky scarlet hue.
“Sorva owns him, don’t you know?”
“He is bound to the crown,” I forcefully hissed, trying to keep each syllable unwavering.
Tapping her forehead twice, she laughed. “Sure, by the brand of the royal crest, but Sorva owns the right to his body, his soul, his mind. A blood bind with an Other is irrevocable unless the deity is willing to break it.”
Rohen had mentioned the potential binding before we set foot in Serevalen, but not to the extent to which this woman elaborated.
And as soon as that realization settled in the marrow of my bones, it became clear that there were still far too many pieces to the puzzle that we didn’t understand.
Shards of knowledge that even Caspian hadn’t written about in his journals because the extent of his bind wasn’t even fully understood by him.
Steeling myself, I posed another question, “Why would you want a tie to a mortal's life, let alone unbind yourself from them after establishing one?”
“You’re thinking. I like that.” She skipped toward me gleefully, and I couldn’t help but step back as she approached.
“The only reason any of us would entertain an unbinding ceremony would be if something more fruitful presented itself. Another opportunity of control that we could latch onto.” She landed directly in front of me, and my lower back settled against the shrubs, preventing me from going any further.
“As for your first question, I’m aware you may already be able to answer that on your own, considering what you’ve learned about your captain. ”
My breath hitched as her hand settled just above my heart, but I spoke regardless. “That he is the child of one of the gods?”
She lifted her arm, and just when I thought she was going to pull away, her talons clawed through my chest with unrelenting fury. An inhumane shriek followed, tumoring from her throat with enough pitch that the ground shook beneath me. “WE ARE THE GODS!”
Flattening my palm against the shredded flesh, I inhaled between clenched teeth before darting to the left—not in an attempt to get away, but to attack.
Pivoting, my sword arched before flattening.
The swing was refined and executed to near perfection with an encroachment on her throat.
Without an ounce of tension or a moment of hesitation, the sharpened steel hacked her head clean from her body.
Slipping from her neck, it rolled across the grassy courtyard. Her body swayed before collapsing in a lifeless heap of flesh and bone, blood seeping from her non-existent throat.
With a groan, I lowered my weapon before pushing against the claw marks dripping with my life force. “Fucking hell…”
Glancing over my shoulder to check if her frame remained motionless, a sigh of relief rolled from me at the sight of her head still feet away from her body. Satisfied, I brought the refined steel to scabbard, gliding it back into its home on my side.
Once secure, I freed my dagger and pulled the sleeve of my linen shirt taut before slicing some of the material free.
Tearing it into one long strip, I gaze back over at the Other, who was still nothing more than a pile of what she had been.
With quick work, I tucked the fabric beneath my armpit before wrapping it up and around my shoulder.
Flattening the linen, I tied a quick knot with my teeth, hoping that it served its purpose until I was back on the ship. With an exhale and a final glance, I moved from where I stood, returning to my intended path—following the hedges until I could get a clear enough view of the ballroom.
I kept each footfall light so as not to alert anyone of my approach, but also to offer myself refined attentiveness. Without sound, any that followed would offer a warning, a cautionary beacon of an approaching enemy—
Gravel crunched behind me, and without wasting a breath, I turned.
Standing with her head reattached, the Other cracked her neck. Shoulders bouncing with laughter, she offered me another soulless grin, her eyes igniting with something that looked like hunger.
“You humans are so… interesting.”
“How’re you not dead?” I whispered.
She drummed her taloned fingers along her chin as if in contemplation before dropping her arm to hang at her side.
Placing one foot in front of the other, the distance between us began to shorten once more. At each step, a hum rose, and the pace of her walk, paired with the rhythmic tune, became hypnotic. Feet turned to inches, and no matter how loudly I screamed at my body to move, to run, it didn’t listen.
I was transfixed. It was as if some unseen force had coiled itself around me, rendering my mind useless in uttering a single command where action would follow.
Only stopping once her chest met mine, she smiled.
“It takes far more than simply cleaving my head from my neck to kill me.” Flattening her hand against the side of my face, she stroked her thumb across my cheek.
“Your stupidity is adorable, truly. The second you elected to harm me when we were simply discussing, became the moment I lost all interest. But, since I’m in somewhat of a good mood, I suppose I can give you a head start. ”
My brows drew together as she forced me back a step with a forceful shove. “What the fuck are you—”
“Run,” she giggled, her forked tongue slipping between her lips to lap at the sides of her mouth. “Because once I catch you, I will devour your soul.”