Chapter 4 #2
Then there were muses, disciples of Callesis, the god of luck, who drew magic from art into countless forms. I’d never met one and understood little of their talents.
Last were the chthonics, chosen by Haimyx, he who imbued the world with life and guided us after death into the great continent beyond the Empty.
Only the Maiden Brizo did not gift her magic to mortals. Perhaps she thought her Bloodstone enough. The other gods bestowed magic upon extraordinary individuals who had endured great struggles.
Small wonder I hadn’t received the gods’ blessing.
Exhausted, I counted the minutes as we rode deeper into the wilds, skirting the road to avoid the guards. The water level slowly lowered as we drew closer to the wetland’s edge. We crested a high hill, where Seraphim abruptly stopped and slid off her horse.
“I think we’re safe here,” she said. “Get a fire started. We’ll rest a while.”
I glanced around the soaked wetlands. “Where are we going to find dry wood?”
“We won’t,” Eleos said, dismounting. “I packed some.” He stepped away, but paused, eyeing me worriedly. “Do you need help off?”
Leaning left, I measured the distance to the ground. Swallowing, I smiled at him. “If you wouldn’t mind.”
“Slide off.” He beckoned. “I’ll catch you.”
Grabbing the saddle for dear life, I slowly swung one leg over and held my breath before letting myself slip off. Eleos grabbed my waist and gingerly set me down on the damp soil.
“See?” He said. “Not so bad, right?” Turning around, he pulled a sack of dry twigs from his saddlebags and dumped them into my arms. “Take these to the fire.”
I had been about to laud him for being a gentleman, but I quickly rescinded the thought. Carrying my pile to where Seraphim set up a stack of fat wood, I dropped them beside her before joining Eleos in his hunt for more kindling.
Picking up a twig and tossing it aside, I wiped my hands off on my upper arms. “So you’re a priest?”
“No.” Eleos knelt to inspect a broken branch. “Goddess, no. I’m a scholar.”
“But you wear the scarf.”
“It’s comfortable.”
“Did you steal it?”
He released a short laugh and met my eye. “Do I look like the kind to rob a poor, frail elder?”
“Looks can be deceiving.” I shrugged. “I suppose I should thank you. For pulling me into the carriage.”
“Seraphim wanted to see how you’d fare by yourself. Considering the guards weren’t in on our scheme, I worried you’d be killed.” He snatched up a broken stick. “Found one.”
“Did she want to test me? See if I was good enough to recruit?”
“Mhm.” His eyes drifted away, distracted.
I still hadn’t learned anything about him. “Scholar, hm?” I tried again. “What of?”
“The Empty.”
“There aren’t any knowledge houses dedicated to the Empty.”
“That’s true.” Eleos agreed, dropping a final stick into my arms. “It’s considered heresy, after all, to imply the Maiden’s protection is not enough.”
“Is that your crime?” I tried. “Heresy?”
“How many crimes do you intend to accuse me of tonight?”
“Can you really be offended? I already know you were tossed in the dungeons for something.”
“And here I thought Guild members didn’t judge.” Grabbing a final stick, Eleos returned to Seraphim’s growing fire.
The heat was welcome. Twisting, I tried to dry my wet skirt by the flames. “Eleos,” I said, “How long were you watching me for?”
“Not long.” He answered, tending the flames. “A couple of weeks to assess your skills.”
Narrowing my eyes, I checked for signs he was lying, but found none. How had he known I feared being thrown in the dungeons? I’d never told anyone before. Just another reason not to trust these people.
Wrapping my arms around myself, I glanced at Seraphim’s coat pocket, wondering if I could simply pickpocket the Bloodstone and return it to Laverna.
What had the Guild master wanted it for, anyway?
Behind her mask, Seraphim’s eyes were sharp and honed. She’d been through much, I could tell. Ainwir had the same look about him.
Thieves with class, he’d called us. No more evil than nobles who took everything from the poor.
My mouth twisted in disgust. Why did I keep thinking about the man fondly? The bastard was the sole reason I was in this situation.
A tickle crept up my arm, like a spider climbing to my neck. Running my fingernails up my bare shoulders, I whirled around, searching for an insect, but nothing was there.
The discomfort rose through my spine, caressing my head, rising into a pressure that felt like my eyes would be pushed from their sockets. Grimacing, I doubled over as a cacophonous sensation bloomed in my heart.
Overwhelming unease and aching nostalgia.
A horrible sound followed.
Or maybe it was the lack of sound that was most frightening. Like all life had been suddenly snuffed out.
I’d felt this in the farmlands. Panicked, I spun around to see a tiny bead discoloring the marsh, hovering in the air between the willows. Black as night, yet utterly colorless, it slowly grew in size, warping the world around it.
Without warning, it ripped open, tearing the air like a great maw, peering down into an utterly still sea beneath a dead sky.
I had seen a man enter the Empty. At first, it seemed like he would simply tumble into its depths. But he had turned to dust before his feet had departed the ground.
The maw spread, rising into the sky, reaching east and west, and carving deep into the ground. A faint blood-tinged aura bloomed around its edges.
“Again?” Eleos’ voice was surprisingly even. “So close to the city?”
“Shit!” Percy cursed, scrambling toward his horse.
Grabbing my wrist, Eleos tossed me onto our horse, and I desperately grabbed the saddle and hoisted myself up. Climbing up behind me, Eleos slammed his heels into the horse’s flank.
It didn’t require much coaxing. Snorting, the mare bolted, tearing through the marshlands, kicking up water like waves as the world behind us was pulled into the void and disappeared.