A Time of Darkness (The Circle of Talia) (22 page)

Kwaad turned to survey the new arrivals. “Wha
t? More of you to have fun with? Oh, this really is my night. I get to kill so many.”

It
s laughter, harsh and devoid of mirth, pricked goose bumps on Agmunsten’s skin before echoing into the night sky. The monster reached sharp-boned arms out and gathered Second-Realm power.

Zim flinched at the amount of
energy he could sense being siphoned and knew if he didn’t act now, they would all be dead. He summoned natural power and shot razor-sharp slices of energy to each side of a steel beam in the roof frame. The blue laser cut both ends of the weighty beam, and before Kwaad could release his spell, a shrill groan pierced the air. Steel fell.

Arie and Boy screamed
, as it appeared that Verity might be crushed, but Zim’s aim was true, and Kwaad suffered the blow. The creature was pushed to the floor but lay under the wreckage for only seconds before the beam shook and rolled to the ground, crushing stone tiles to sand as Kwaad stood. Arcese and Zim drew more energy, fearful that none of them would escape. This monster was stronger than anything they had anticipated.

“What about Verity?” Boy whispered to Agmunsten. He had looked for her as soon as they landed and had not taken his eyes from her since. Agmunsten didn’t answer
, and Boy realized the realmist was channeling, something he had seen him do a few times. It seemed everyone was intent on fighting the monster, but who was going to save Verity? He had to try.

As Boy slid off Zim’s back
, both dragons loosed their power. A crack rent the air as Kwaad’s returning energy met the dragons’ in the center of the room. Fluorescent green pushed against pure white, death edging closer to the dragons. Arcese shook with the effort, and Arie could hear her panting. The young realmist also drew energy and fed it into their stream, knowing if they were hit by Kwaad’s power, he would suffer the same fate as the dragons: swift death.

Boy snuck across the floor
, unnoticed by the warring parties. Verity watched him come and stood. “Oh, Boy. You came! Oh gods, thank you, thank you.” Her tears flowed freely, and she flung her arms around his neck.

“We don’t have time now. You can thank me later
, Princess.” As much as he wanted to prolong the embrace, he knew there was no time. “We need to get out of here. Which way?” He gently disengaged himself from her arms. “If the dragons can’t hold on, we need to find another way out.”

Verity looked at the double doors she had entered what seemed like a lifetime ago. Boy’s gaze followed hers and he grabbed her hand, pulling her towards them.

Kwaad’s life-ending energy continued to creep towards the dragons. Zim stooped, Arcese breathed heavily, and two divots of concentration pitted the skin between Arie’s eyes. They were losing, even though it was three against one. Agmunsten saw what was happening and reached through the corridor too—if he overextended himself, he would die, but if he didn’t try to help they were dead anyway.

And then the energy stopped encroaching
on the dragons. Movement near the doors had captured Kwaad’s attention. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Verity and Boy froze under the red-eyed
stare; both teens could feel their hearts pounding against their chests, and the princess squeezed Boy’s hand.

Zim called out
, “Over here: both of you. Now!”

Boy wanted to run out the door—it was right there, a foot away—
but if they could get on Zim, maybe they could fly away and escape. Then Boy realized Kwaad would not let that happen, and shook his head at his foolishness; he actually thought he might be able to save Verity by running somewhere. They could never run fast enough, not from that. Boy knew what he had to do. “Go, Verity. I’m right behind you.”

She looked at him: fear and hope, appreciation—a collage of emotions in her eyes. He quickly kissed her cheek and pushed her towards Zim. “Hurry; your mother is waiting.”

She tripped over her torn dress but managed to stay on her feet. Not daring to look behind to see if Kwaad was after her, she sprinted for the black dragon. Kwaad looked at Boy as if to say
I’ll deal with you later
before taking measured, calm strides towards Zim.

“Get her and go, Zim
. I’m right behind you, Brother,” Arcese urged.

Zim wanted to argue but knew if he hesitated
, they would all die. Maybe they had a chance to get the princess and Agmunsten to safety. The Circle needed to be whole, but Arcese and Arie weren’t members—Talia could win the coming war without them if they had to ... so the prophecies said. Drawing what power he could, he held it and waited.

As Verity reached the dragon, Agmunsten
leaned down to help her on, but Kwaad was almost upon them.
We can’t fail now,
Agmunsten thought.
Gods, not now:
he stretched further
.

Boy saw how close the evil creature was to those he cared about and knew this was all his fault. He didn’t want everyone to die, not because of him.
Needing to do what he had set out to when he ran away from Bayerlon, he trotted behind Kwaad, spying a thick shard of glass—as long as his forearm—on the floor. He picked it up and ran, the glass slicing where he gripped, pain screaming up his arm. He grunted but kept going, seeing his target.

Kwaad reached for Verity, claws extended
, ready to rip her from safety. Again Arie willed her to hurry. She scrambled on Zim’s back, sweaty palms slipping on the saddle. Kwaad’s talons grazed her back.

Remembering
his mother one last time and the day in the forest when he had betrayed Verity for Leon, Boy struck, plunging the glass into the back of Kwaad’s leg. The shard sunk deep, and Boy screamed as his palm split wide, slick fluid drenching his hand. The creature faltered: it was not immune to pain. “Fly!” Boy shouted, “Fly!”

Zim released his power, pushing force against the floor, giving him an accelerated takeoff. Arcese did the same. Both dragons launched into the air
, furiously beating leathery wings.

Verity, Agmunsten
, and Arie watched as Kwaad bellowed, turning instinctively to rake Boy’s chest with bladed fingers. Verity cried out, “No!” and Arie turned his face away, shaking with violent sobs.
Not my friend. No. Please, no.
Agmunsten’s tears, something he thought he had out-aged, came as they hadn’t for two-hundred years.
You’ve done us proud, Son. I’ll make sure they know you’re a hero.

Skin parted like butter
, and Boy felt pain and warmth as blood flooded from his chest. Boy smiled through the agony and metallic crimson bubbling through his grimace. “You … didn’t … win.” He collapsed to the floor, and Kwaad howled into the space where the dragons had escaped. Fury hazing its vision, Kwaad gave into its gormon lust. Plunging its mouth into the child, the thing that was Kwaad fed and thought through the satisfying crunch of human bone:
They won’t be so lucky next time. The horde is coming. Soon. So very, very soon.
It laughed, blood dribbling down its chin.

Waking in the afternoon from a fitful sleep, after going to bed near dawn, Bronwyn saw Avruellen’s bed w
as vacated and made. Her aunt never needed as much sleep as she did, and Bronwyn always tired first. It was frustrating being bested by an older person all the time. Bronwyn dressed and hurried to the kitchen, hoping food would be available between lunch and dinner, as she was light-headed from hunger. Entering the warm, flagstone-floored space, she saw Corrille chopping vegetables.

Hoping they could get over their recent troubles, Bronwyn approached her. “Hi.”

Her stomach clenched in fear of rejection. Corrille, after a time, looked up but didn’t smile. “Hi.”

“How are you?” Bronwyn almost cringed at the awkwardness of the conversation. How had they gone from telling each other their most intimate secrets to hardly speaking?

“I’m chopping vegetables in a kitchen. How do you think I am?” she hissed through closed teeth. “Your aunt has managed to make my life miserable ... again.”

“I’m sorry. I’m sure she didn’t mean it to be torture. I guess she just thought we should try and help some way since we’ve practically invaded their monastery.”

“Trust you to defend her. I thought we were friends, but I was wrong.” Corrille pounded the blade on the chopping board as she dissected a carrot, causing the supervising cook to raise an eyebrow.

Bronwyn
sighed, blinking back tears. “But we
are
friends; at least I want us to be. What did I do wrong? Since I woke up on that ship, you seem … different. I feel like, well, like there’s some invisible barrier between us. I don’t know. Can you tell me why?”

Corrille looked up. Hate burned in her eyes. Bronwyn stepped back, feeling as if the other had stabbed her with the knife she held. “You abandoned me
, Bronwyn. When you left with that panther, you left me to that evil woman’s mercy and then worse. Do you know what I’ve been through since I last saw you? Blayke is the only one I can trust now; he loves me; he saved me. You showed what a true friend you were when you abandoned me without a second thought. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

Corrille’s face was flushed with anger
, and Bronwyn felt the heat of her hate radiating in waves. Bronwyn swallowed, her appetite gone. She had lost her childhood friend, and it wasn’t even her own fault. There was nothing she could say to make Corrille listen.

Wiping a palm
across her eyes to clear away the tears, Bronwyn searched out Avruellen; there was a lot to do before the ritual tonight, and it was going to be dangerous. None of them knew what to expect. The day the gormons invaded en masse was nearing. Bronwyn shuddered as she walked the halls. “Drakon, you bastard, don’t fail us now,” she growled under her breath.

Unsurprisingly, Bronwyn found Avruellen, Arcon, Blayke
, and the creaturas sitting around the central table, discussing procedures for the coming amulet activation. She sat, trying to keep her sadness from showing.

“So, you’re finally up? Did you sleep well?” Avruellen asked.

Bronwyn forced a smile. “Yes, thanks. So what’s happening?”

Arcon answered. “According to
The Comprehensive Realmists’ Almanac of Incantations
, both amulets have to be activated together—they need to get to know each other, so to speak.”

“Why?” asked Bronwyn.

“Because they will work together. The battle with the gormons is where the final activation will take place. During this final activation, the amulets will not only be dangerous but will change you and Blayke, although it doesn’t say how. Whatever it is, it doesn’t sound like something you are going to come out of unscathed.”

“What do you mean? Will it kill us?” Bronwyn place her palms on the table and stared in fear at Arcon.

His neutral expression gave nothing away. “I don’t think so, but there is a warning at the end of the section. It was supposedly written by a realmist dreamer channeling Tokim, the god of what will be.” Arcon cleared his throat and read.

During a time of darkness

Fierce battle will they see

Against murderous gormons

And Kwaad, their enemy,

Who will bear the might of T
hree.

W
hen blood doth run

Rivulets around their legs
,

Victory Drakon will not find

Unless the keepers of the halves

Have sacrificed to make it One.

And having burnt away

A
ll that they are

In dragons’ cleansing fire
,

Know themselves they must—

For only if they do

W
ill the hordes be overcome.

But, be that so,
even in victory

Two must die to make them free.

Blayke
rubbed the back of his neck. “That gives me the creeps. It reminds me of my dragon dream. You know the one.”

Arcon nodded.

“What dragon dream?” asked Bronwyn.

“I used to have it all the time
but didn’t have it for ages. Actually, I started having it again after we came down out of the mountains, on the beginning of this—what would you call it—adventure.”

Bronwyn looked at him and saw he was reluctant to continue. “Would you say it’s more of a nightmare?”

He nodded.

“Well, I have one too
, and I guess that’s no surprise since we’re twins. In my nightmare I’m standing in a storm, and the rain is falling so hard it hurts my skin. There’s an awful, deep scream. I shut my eyes tight, and it’s all I can do not to die from fright. When I open my eyes, there’s a dragon standing in front of me, but not a normal dragon. This dragon is three times the size of Zim and it….” Bronwyn took a deep breath.

Blayke interrupted
before she could continue. “And it opens its mouth and eats you alive?” She nodded. They both looked to Arcon for an explanation. Arcon looked at Avruellen, and she gave a slight nod. Sinjenasta hung his head: he knew what the dream meant, but he wasn’t able to tell them. Drakon would probably strike him dead before he’d let that happen.