Chapter 18 Kyzen #2
“Wait,” Thayla says as she takes a small step forward. Riven and Creed reach out to grab her, but she slings them off. “Stop it. Let’s use our heads for a second. This is obviously the last Valtrue member.”
“What?” we all ask.
“Come on, guys, think about it. First, Yemi is a good person with a pure soul, right?”
Creed nods and she carries on.
“As is Doren and Nero?”
“Well, Doren, yes. Nero has a few shades of gray, but nothing to really be concerned about. No more than Sevryn.”
“Okay then. Do you seriously expect her match to be floating around in that…water?”
Creed’s silent as his gaze scans over the pool.
“Not impossible, but unlikely. It’s far darker than lighter currently.”
All I see is dark water…
“Well, only one way to find out.”
She doesn’t wait for us to say anything else as she marches up to the man claiming to be an Attendant with no hesitation. She lifts the sleeve of his robe, and her sharp hiss is all the answer we need.
“Fuck,” I murmur as I run my hand down my face. “How the hell did this happen?”
“Again, I don’t fucking know!”
The water ripples with Creed’s bellow. The muscles in his jaw tick as his furious glare flicks between Zareb and the Attendant. Thayla’s matching scowl only softens once she’s in front of Amick.
“You assign roles, but I know you’d never do this. So who else could before you became a Rising Chancellor or even now.”
“That answer is obvious.”
Fucking Harriseen.
“So what do we do now? How is he even marked if he’s been here? Or do we think he just got sent here? That would be terrible timing,” she rambles, but Amick nods along with her questions.
“Him being an Attendant means he’s gone through the Gods Veil in the Godsdawn. Therefore, his blood has been put in the Volreen, and power can reach him no matter where he is. He would’ve been marked the same moment all the others were despite his location.”
“Right. Sevryn’s and Yemi’s marks didn’t appear instantly because Sevryn had never been exposed to the power.”
“Correct.”
“So what now?”
“Release your power, Kyzen. I need to figure this out, do what I got to do, then get the fuck out of here.”
The strain in Creed’s voice has worry coloring all our faces. Even Riven’s looking at him like he’s ready to throw him over his shoulder and haul ass out of here.
My hold over the room disappears and Creed wraps Zareb from neck to toes in his power.
Fuck. Probably should’ve taken a second to speed it up and see what was about to happen.
“You have the audacity to question me when you are so blatantly disregarding the laws of Hell. No being pure of soul should ever have a role within this place. Not only is he pure of soul, but a fucking Attendant from the Godsdawn.”
“I didn’t request him. He was sent to me, and I graciously accepted. He broke the rules, and this was his punishment.”
“Whatever rule he may have broken wasn’t punishable by time in Hell. We both fucking know that.”
“Be that as it may, he was still given to me. He’s to stay with me.”
“I think the fuck not.”
A nasty sneer curls Zareb’s nostrils as he eyes Thayla up and down.
“Watch your mouth with me, girl. You have no clue who you’re speaking to.”
I step forward, but Amick grips my shoulder, and Creed cuts his eyes at me. My fists ball at my sides, but I listen to the request in his gaze.
“She can say whatever she damn well pleases. You watch your mouth when speaking to my Binder,” Creed warns.
“I take this level of disrespect you’ve shown me today and your complete disregard for your duties here lately very personal, Death.
I believe you’ve forgotten how sacred and crucial my responsibility truly is.
What would become of you if I withdrew my power and allowed the souls to go free?
Hell would descend on the realm. So put some respect in your tones when addressing me. ”
His shout echoes off the walls, mingling with the giggles slipping from Riven’s mouth. Thayla laces her fingers through his, pulling him back as he prepares to pounce.
Creed prowls forward, and I follow a few feet behind him. Ready…waiting. His power flows from his skin in a wisp of darkness as he stands face-to-face with Zareb.
“I haven’t forgotten, but you, like the others down here, seem to have developed this idea that your responsibilities put you above me.
Follow through with your threat, and I’ll remind you all why only one being at a time can command the power of Death.
Not only will I consume every soul you set free, but I will lock yours in the abyss with any new ones that join.
How long do you believe it could stay whole before they devoured it? ”
Whatever that means strikes a nerve. The first sign of uncertainty flinches across Zareb’s face.
“You know as well as I do what that would do to you.”
“I do, but it’s a risk I’d be willing to take to protect the realm from facing the hell you’re threatening to release on them. Think long and hard about whether you truly want me here more than I am.”
The two of them stare at one another for a long, intense moment. I can’t tell if Creed’s contemplating killing him or not. I honestly don’t know or understand what the consequence of that would be.
Zareb finally tilts his head and grunts.
“Very well.”
“Very well, what?” Creed grits out, tightening his leash of power.
“I’ll continue fulfilling my role to your expectations.”
“Good. Get out of my sight. I’ll clear the clutter today and the Attendant will be returning with us.”
The second his feet touch the ground, Zareb wordlessly, with a flick of his robe, stomps down toward one of the halls. He doesn’t spare his—shouldn’t be his—Attendant even a glance.
“Thank you, sir.”
“Don’t sir me. The others will walk out with you and introduce themselves.”
“But we haven’t—”
“This is who you’re looking for, Doren. Everyone just do as Creed said, okay?” Thayla suggests calmly, but her gaze continues to flicker over at Creed.
“Oh, my.”
“I’m sure an Attendant as your Valtrue member isn’t at all what you expected, but I swear, there’s more to my situation that’ll clear that up.”
We all freeze as we stare at him in utter disbelief.
“How did you know you were in their Valtrue?” Thayla asks.
“I believe there’s a better time for that explanation.”
Yeah, yeah, there is.
“Everyone out,” Creed orders without turning around.
With a nod to Sevryn, he ushers his Valtrue out the door and the sound of stone sliding against stone echoes around us.
“All of you as well.”
Thayla takes measured steps until she’s standing at Creed’s side. The other three of us do the same, but we give him a little space.
“Not happening, my sweetling.”
“Don’t, Thayla. Not right now. Go and let me do what I need to do so we can get the fuck home.”
“You can do what you need to do with us here. Let us be here for you.”
“I don’t want you all here.”
“Why?”
He spins on her and throws his hands in the air before gripping his roots.
“Because I don’t want you all to see me like this. What I’m about to have to do…my power…” He closes his eyes as he takes a deep breath.
“You’ve seen all of us at our worst and you didn’t bat an eye. We’re not going to either,” I say as I sense his anger growing by the second.
“Would it help if you walked us through what’s about to happen first?”
“No. No, it would not.”
Amick nods. “Well, then get on with it so we may observe.”
We all crane our necks to glare at him and he shrugs.
“You all may see water, but this is the pool of souls. Whatever you notice happening, don’t interfere. Do not get in.”
Thayla’s face goes pale as she bounces her attention from him to the dark pool. I don’t know what’s running through Riven’s and Amick’s minds, but mine is racing a mile a minute.
“Keep your soul in check. Don’t let it stroke mine.”
His fingers tremble as he caresses Thayla’s cheek. She nods, but she worries her bottom lip between her teeth.
He spares us minuscule glances.
The shame written in his eyes guts me. I’ve always understood that his power makes him feel a certain way about himself, but this seems like so much more.
We cradle Thayla in the middle of us as she gives him some room. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it sure as fuck wasn’t for him to step into the very water he just told us not to get into.
My fingers twitch around Thayla’s bicep as the water ripples around his legs. His power prowls down his arms in black ropes, and the dark pool rises to meet his call.
My pulse roars in my ears as he lets out a gruff groan as his fingers flex into fists.
I swear the seconds that pass feel like eons as his body becomes covered. His small grunts morph into shouts that stab me in the heart.
“Creed,” Thayla mumbles, jerking in our grasp.
“Don’t, little burden. You heard what he said.”
Riven’s eyes swirl blue, and his deep frown highlights the genuine worry he’s feeling right now.
“Fuck what he said. Is he about to drown? Are the souls hurting him? What the fuck is happening?”
“It’ll be okay. If he was willing and wanting to do this on his own, then he knew he could overcome whatever is happening.”
“Gods, stop with the reasoning, Amick. I can’t take it right now.”
“So you’d prefer to panic?”
“Yes.”
His eyebrows scrunch together as he runs his fingers up and down her spine.
Honestly, though, I’m freaking out just as much as she is.
Nothing about this sits right with me.
My power pulses against my skin, confused about what it should do, if anything. I don’t believe there’s a thing I can help with right now, but I’m desperate to do something.
Gasps fall from all our mouths as an ear-splintering bellow breaks from Creed. Even muffled, it sounds torturous.
Black smoke wafts off the water surrounding him and he thrashes around as if he’s trying but failing to get free.
Thayla’s frantic pleas and screams have all of us shouting his name, but we cling to her as she attempts to break away from us.
“Let me go to him!”