42 | ACT II, SCENE XIV

P R E V I O U S L Y

I had just begun to make sense of what I saw after I heard Nyx scream. The whiff of blood in the air was that of dead gods.

VEZORT ISLAND, OCEMOND SEA.

EDWINA

"ED - EDWINA?" NYX WHISPERED AS my eyes widened in horror at the sight. "Is - that - w- what I think it is?"

I almost staggered backwards. Beside me, Tristan was standing firmly rooted to the spot, his face a white mask of horror. I drew a sharp breath and pulled out a sliver of power to increase the illumination drifting out from my hands. As we took a few more steps into the room, I was hit by a heavy wall of discomfort, my strength running low now.

There were two figures in the darkness.

Tristan silently put a hand on my arm, making me almost jump. I glared at him and he shot me a bitter look, signaling me to extinguish and save my strength. As I slowly receded the flames from my hands, he lit the room with a crackle of bolts.

In addition to the two figures we had noticed earlier, there was another, a third, seemingly lying on a table in a far corner.

I slowly approached the center of the room, the other both stepping in with me and we looked at the figures, the things, on the tables.

The body closest to me seemed to be that of a delicately shaped woman, lying motionless and still on the bloodstained wood. I tried to make sense of her face and leaned closer, wondering why she hadn't gotten up, eyes traveling over the wounds decorating the unknown woman's body.

My glance fell over her face and something in me broke as I recognized what was left of the golden, glinting hair the woman once possessed, the same as Endollon's third Monarch.

"It's her, we found her," I whispered. "Erida."

"This one here, it's my brother, Atherton," Nyx spoke out in a strangled voice, almost breaking with tears. "And my sister, Cymbeline as well."

"Move over," Tristan hoarsely gestured to her, and the trembling goddess took a step back as I approached him, standing at the other table to look at the rest of the prisoners.

All three were chained by wrists and ankles to staples drawn to the floor. Light danced in patches over their bleeding skin. Emaciated, whipped and cut from every possible surface, cut so badly that the skin had hardly closed, thick with congealed blood. Nearly half of Atherton's strongly built skull had been snapped off, his tall frame caving into the chains. Cymbeline's neck was littered with scars. Erida's wrists were slashed over and over again, driven thick with stitches that were useless.

And besides that, all three of the missing gods seemed to be in a deep sleep.

"They - they're not waking up... they're not waking up!" Nyx nearly screamed before bursting into tears and collapsing at the table on which lay her brother, vigorously shaking him.

"Hush," I murmured to her, "we'll find a way-"

"-first we need to break them out of them these chains," Tristan said authoritatively, his voice firm. "Come on. We need to get them to Endollon."

"They're not waking up," Nyx gulped tearfully, "oh lord, what if mother saw this, oh lord, I couldn't-"

"Nyx!" I pulled her up, "grandmother!" She looked at me, startled, as I planted her back to feet. "Come on. They're not dead, we'll find a way."

"Let's get them back home. I'm not waiting any longer. We can come back after a fortnight to find the piece of the Logogram, these three need medical help immediately," Tristan frowned to himself, muttering under his breath. "Need to get Vivian Emmerson to have a look at their injuries, it's nothing we can fix..."

"What have the Dessari been doing to them?" I asked heavily as my nimble fingers worked at Cymbeline's chains. A flame made short work of it, melting the metal with a hiss and a sizzle.

Tristan looked up from a far end of the room, standing near some sort of brass pot, and he gave us both an intense, burning eye. I questioningly crooked an eyebrow at him.

"They've been harvesting their blood," he said quietly.

A hand went up to the night goddess's mouth in horror as I stared at him in sheer shock.

"That's... barbaric."

"Even more so," he quietly exclaimed, prying my hands off Erida's still intact chains and cracking them open with a spark of lightning. He did the same with Atherton.

"So this is why..." I pieced it together. "Something felt off about the Dessari. They seemed strong. Resilient. Because they were drinking immortal blood!"

"This is something that cannot be forgiven," Nyx hissed angrily.

"And what have they done to them? Why can't they wake up?"

"I guess they passed out from the pain?" Tristan asked sharply. "Or are maybe under some sort of spell?"

"Damn it." My eyes finally fell on a tray of tools near the table. Surgical implements. Knives, needles, clamps.

"Come on!" Nyx hurried us both as she tried slapping the prisoners awake.

"Well then," I agreed, fixing Seraphine to my now worn belt and she slung her bow back. "We'll need to carry them-'

"Here, I'll take Atherton. Woman, you carry Erida, Nyx, take Cymbeline," Tristan said. "In fact... wait, I'll carry Erida as well," he changed his mind suddenly.

"No, I can take her!" I protested as he gave me a suspicious look.

Erida was the smallest, besides, I was the most worn out from constantly using my power. I supposed that was why he didn't want me to carry her?

But why?

Why would he care for me?

Cymbeline was taller, more heavy, Nyx could carry her because she was hardly exhausted.

"You're not-" his eyes flashed.

"I am. Deal with it," I growled, putting a hand under the unconscious Erida's knee with the other under her back as tried to lift her. It took considerable effort. She was so covered with dirt and grime that it was hardly possible to make out that she was a goddess. I swayed slightly.

"Let me-" Tristan offered, swinging Atherton over his shoulder as he tried to manage his weapons with one hand.

"No," I said firmly, pushing his offer away as I struggled with the considerable weight. I wasn't very heavy myself, my guess was that Erida was heavier than me. No, I could manage. I had got this.

"Come on," Nyx said, "we need to leave Vezort. Right now."

We began to make our way out of the dimly lit corridor, then climbed up the stone steps. I was heaving under Erida's weight, my injuries taking a toll on my strength. I dragged one foot in front of the other, forcing myself to walk.

We climbed out of the hole.

There was a collective, muffled gasp of shock from all three of us.

The corners of the room had suddenly multiplied.

Where there had been three, now there were six corners. Occupied by even more statues. One that suspiciously looked like a sculpture of Uranus, the other two were the likeliness of Cosmo and Titania. They seemed to be leering at us with wicked smiles, somehow even more deceptively cruel than what they had been when we went down a few minutes ago. Whatever enchantment was in this place was clearly bent on unnerving anyone who came here.

But that wasn't even the worst part.

No, the worst part was that the hall was three quarters filled with Dessari bearing straight and tall gleaming faces, stern and cold, with sharp spears and knives in their hands that matched with those we had seen in the room. Many, many more than what we had faced even at our peak power.

"Well, well, well," Reynald said from the head of the platoon, a cruelly carved stone knife in his fist as he looked at us with a malicious glint. "Looks like we are about to add three new items to our collection," he leered at us with a humourless expression on his face.

"I can't.. what are we going to do?" Nyx whispered, horrified.

"I can't electrocute them all," Tristan hissed im a bare voice, his own energy too being depleted.

"We can't make a run for it," I answered back in a shaky voice, not letting my panic show. "Too many. They will catch us."

"What are the three of you chattering about?" Reynald asked from the far end. "It's not like you're going to escape. Not now."

"It's none of your damn business!" I spat angrily, blood in mouth. A spear came whizzing at us and we ducked as Reynald chuckled again.

"So it seems our three heroes are unable to defend themself. Let alone their prize," he said said, notching an arrow and springing it free, as I managed to stop it with my hand, inches above my face. His own turned red with rage.

The three of us flung the prisoners behind us, forming a closed triangle, weapons at the ready, heaving, tired.

"Really, now?" he laughed again. Tristan gave me a glance, motioning to the ceiling to signal to me that he was going to bring it down. I nodded and he closed his eyes.

Then everything happened at once.

The soldiers began to march towards us, all at once, but before that, a volley of arrows flew at our heads. Reynald was screaming, "faster, idiots!" I felt the familiar shake of the sky above my head, and the next thing we knew was that all six statues began to crumble, breaking and falling off.

We were in the middle of the room, hence unhurt, but the ones on the periphery got crushed easily, enraging Reynald to greater anger even as his men reached the closed triangle that was us and attacked with full might.

I was unable to breathe, unable to think, hacking man after man, trying to gather wisps of power from inside my body. It was no use, for the flames gathered like water, slipping away like water, all the while screeching in my head, it's no use, it's not working, they're going to take you and bind you just like the others.

"You lunatic!" I heard Nyx screech, shooting down another Dessari as he punched her in the face, leaving a purpling bruise. I pulled her out of the way before he hit her head. Someone pushed me to the ground as a mace came flying just pass my ear, leaving a bloody mark on the skin. It momentarily distracted me but my senses returned to feel an excruciating pain in my leg.

I turned around in horror to find that a spear was buried to the shaft in my lower calf. My hands wrenched it free immediately so that the skin would begin to close.

Every blow, every hit, every strike, and all I could think was we were as good as dead. The three behind us were riddled with arrows as I kicked the arrowheads out of the way. The smell of burning flesh was fresh in the air, Dessari roasted to crisps by either my or Tristan's doing, and yet there were too many for us.

"We need to run!" Tristan hissed in my ear, pulling me to my feet. Nyx covered for the minute I took to get my bearings, trying to drag Erida up, but Tristan pushed me out of the way, picking both of them up with ease.

"Valmont! I can hold her-"

"No, woman, I'm carrying them both. Here, take my flail and halberd instead -" he snapped, thrusting his weapons into my hands as I reluctantly handed Erida to him.

"Nyx, come on!" I shouted, blood blurring my vision and metal ringing in my ears. Half of them were gone now, trying to maneuver their way around the fallen stones and bodies. Another soldier which came to me cut a gash on my wrist before I sizzled him away with every ounce of energy I had.

"Edwina!" Tristan shouted, trying to push his way away from the surging crowd, as I swung my way around, poking my spear at any surface I could find.

Come on, I told myself, fight! An eyeball burst beside me, and I swung the flail around, spilling out guts. Three men held back my head in a lock, I kicked and kicked them in the balls till they fell, groaning and holding their crotch. I couldn't see Tristan or Nyx anywhere, and I mustered all my energy, all my energy, squeezing out every last drop of it as we sprinted to the steps, climbing up a pillar from the attackers below me.

Every last drop of power, every tendril of flame in my body, every last divine remnant, I tried to meld together into one surge, arrows hitting my feet as my boots blocked them, I tried to cast my power.

Nothing happened.

"EDWINA!" Tristan screamed, veins popping in his eyes. "GET DOWN FROM THE PILLAR, YOU LUNATIC!"

I had no choice but to jump now that my divinity had failed me.

Reynald himself was in front of me, spitting right on my face. Tristan's white hand wrenched my spear out, throwing it at him with accuracy as he fell to the ground.

Then he dragged me up, Nyx trying to fight off some more Dessari, but now her powers were also failing, only managing to give us few seconds respite. He desperately slapped my face, shaking my shoulders to break me out of the reverie, and I came to suddenly, springing up and trying to cast my power again.

"Woman!" he hissed, "run."

I tried to drudge my feet, the Dessari right at my heels, pulling my braid as Tristan dragged me, heaving and sweating as we continuously ducked arrows and swords swung at us.

"This way!" Nyx shrieked, as we ran out of the Temple and through the dense forest.

"A WRONG TURNING!" I shouted, pulling both of them the other way. "Valmont, behind you!" I screamed hysterically, but it was too late.

A huge club already knocked him on the head.

He faltered, almost tripping, as I threw down the weapons and rushed to him, steadying him as he waved away my help, gasping for breath and clutching at the stitch in his side.

I pushed away all his protests as I made him lean on me, myself limping as we both clutched at each other to prevent the other from falling.

My body pressed against his, alive with the scent of wild musk, cinnamon and sweat, and then we were there finally, the door right in front of us as Nyx grabbed our both hands, Tristan lifted me off my limp foot, and we disappeared finally into the darkness.

I had a last view as the Dessari behind us burst in a huge flame of fire, a minute too late.

• • • • •

Close shave, huh? Well kiddos, the moral of the story is - don't mess with the Dessari. Those three just barely managed to escape but I'm going to give you all a hint: You're going to see the Dessari again. At some point. And be pretty sure that Reynald and Remora are going to exact their revenge, blood by blood.

But you really ought to be worried about Erida, Cymbeline and Atherton...

...and if they're really dead - well; Eric is gonna be devastated :(