Descent Into Darkness (Book 2) (33 page)

HIS HEART IN HIS throat, Ean moved around the pillar to get a good look at the room.

Enormous was the first word that came to mind. The room was larger than any he'd ever seen, four or five times larger than the hatcheries. A dozen pillars went around the semicircle-shaped room. Torches hung from those pillars, some of them lit, which explained the light he'd previously seen streaming out of the entrance. Neglected tapestries and paintings, some of them shredded from who knows what, hung from the walls. The back wall was the flat part of the semicircle, with a huge dais that held a large throne in its center. In the middle of the room was a black stone sphere the size of a wagon, its surface cracked and charred. Short flagpoles with varying geometric designs circled it, indicating that the sphere used to be an object of importance.

But Ean wasn't interested in spheres. All he cared about was finding Azalea.

Sitting off to the left side of the sphere, a figure was hunched over something, its back to Ean and its arms moving feverishly. All Ean could tell from his position was that it was wearing some sort of robe. Whatever it was, it was not Azalea or one of those flesh monsters. Ean was about to move forward when the figure stood, its robe dropping away.

The figure was a man, shorter than Ean with a mostly bald head. A fit body, covered in red markings, dressed now in only a small loin cloth, standing completely erect. For a moment his hands were out of view, but then he spread them wide. In each hand the man held something that made Ean's blood burn with a hundred fires.

Wings. Familiar black leathery wings. And they were dripping with blue liquid. The color of Yulari blood.

A thousand needles of despair stabbed at Ean's chest as he watched the man place the edges of the wings on his back. The markings on his body glowed faintly and the edges of the wings seemed to sink into his body. His skin writhed and pulled as the wings sunk in, covering and fusing in a matter of moments. When the skin stopped moving, the runes died off and disappeared, leaving the figure's skin bare.

The man stretched out his arms, the wings following suit. Whatever the figure was, he was now the owner of a new set of wings. Azalea's wings.

The energy of the Abyss, mingled with his outrage, flowed through Ean like a raging river. He reacted before he could think, throwing himself at Azalea's assailant like a wild beast.

And he was smacked down by a backhand that he didn't see coming.

The pain from the blow scattered his thoughts as his body was knocked across the room. A moment later his face smacked against the stone floor. It was only the energy running through him that kept him conscious. When Ean tried to rise, pain shot up his left side, the force of it flipping him onto his back with a groan.

When he landed, his head rolled to the side and he found himself staring into Azalea's dark red eyes.

The Yulari's eyes were glazed over and her mouth hung open. Ean watched as her chest rose and fell slowly with each breath. Her back was a wreck; long vertical slices where her wings had been ripped off oozed viscous blue blood, flowing freely over her back and down her side.

She was alive, but barely. He had to do something.

"Ean, my boy. I didn't know it was you. My apologies."

The voice hit him like a bucket full of ice water. It couldn't be...

"You really shouldn't just run at someone. A person might get the wrong idea," Sadiek said, staring down at him with a condescending smile. "Of course, you couldn't have known it was me with my new addition."

The man's wings--Azalea's wings--fully
extended for a moment before Sadiek brought them back in.

"Wondrous, are they not? Very fortunate to come across such a creature here--"

"Azalea is not some creature!" Ean was surprised at the strength in his voice, and by the look on Sadiek's face, so was he.

"This is your sister?" he said, a hand going to his chin. "Well, I suppose she can't be your sister technically, as you are human and she clearly is not, but you were passing her off as your sister. So I assume, then, she is something else from the Abyss? Like your imp?"

"What did you do to her?"

Tilting his head to the side, Sadiek flashed Ean a frown. "I took her wings obviously. They have such strength and make a fine addition to my body. They will be very useful in the coming years. I have such wondrous plans, and the ability to fly will certainly help."

"But you've practically killed her!"

Again, that slightly confused frown. "An acceptable loss. You can always summon another one after all, if she comes from the Abyss..." He passed a hand over his head, his fingers running over it as through hair that was no longer there. "Does this specific one mean something to you?"

"Yes," Ean growled. With the energy flowing through him, he was getting his senses back, but his mind was still foggy as he struggled to think up a plan.

"Oh," Sadiek said with a shrug. "Well, that is unfortunate. I had planned on asking you to join me in my mission, but that will be difficult now, yes? If you are the type to hold grudges, of course. If not, then we have so much we can accomplish together."

"What mission?"

"To change the world, my boy!" Laughing, Sadiek began to pace around. Ean took the opportunity to inch his way closer to Azalea while the man went on a rant.

"The people in this land, the Deadlands, Ven Khilada, and the lands to the south that those savage Umdaer hold, have made countless mistakes. The Plague being the most recent, but there was an even more devastating mistake before that. Cast out, the people of this land were, sent to this land from one a hundred times better, all because of the actions of their deities.

"Selfish gods, that's what the people here worship, what I used to worship. I followed the Goddess of Knowledge for the longest time, studying and learning as much as I could. But now I know the truth, know how both their actions and inactions continue to bring all of the races that acknowledge them down." Sadiek threw his hands in the air, his wings expanding again.

"They must be brought down, and only I have been told the way to do it."

Ean had made his way over to Azalea's side by that point and reached out a hand to her. Grasping her shoulder, he shuddered at how cold her skin felt.

"So," Sadiek said, turning his attention back to Ean. "Will you join me?"

Stall
. What he was stalling for, Ean had no idea. Other than the hound waiting just outside, he had no one else to help him and no plan. And every passing moment, Azalea was that much closer to death. He needed time to think.

"Those monsters, the things that used to be men that went missing from the caravan, did you do that?"

"Yes!" A wide grin spread across the older man's face. "Magnificent, are they not? Just a little change to their bodies and they became so much more than simple wagon drivers and loaders. They are the future of humankind!" He waved a hand at nothing, laughing sheepishly. "Well, the first steps, at least. I am still working out what I can do with the human body."

Ean had to keep him talking. The moment the man realized Ean wasn't going to join him, he was probably dead. He had to help Azalea, no matter what, that had to be the first priority. She might not have much time left.

"So, the whole land is going to be a bunch of mindless monsters?"

"No, no. I just said they were the first step. Experimentation, that's the key. Unfortunately those that I used could not handle such a drastic change and at such a quick pace. It broke their minds. The next group, I will make sure to change slowly, a few pieces at a time. Maybe not as dramatically as well." He let out a short laugh. "I have to admit, I got a little excited at the possibilities once I started changing the first man."

"I don't think I really like the idea of being changed," Ean said carefully. Clearly the man was unhinged and dangerous, best not to make him angry. "Would it be possible for me to join you and not end up like them?"

Sadiek scratched at himself as he considered the question, giving Ean time to think. He had to help Azalea. Rottwealth powder and some Flashseal could close and heal the wounds but he had neither and doubted Sadiek would allow him to apply them anyway....

The bond.

If he could form the same magical bound that he had with the hound, he could give her some of his strength and get her back into the fight. At the very least he could keep her alive. Then maybe the two of them and the hound would have a chance.

"No, trust me my boy, the change will be good. You will be stronger, a better person on top of the skills you already have. After all, as you are, you are physically weak. It would be for the best, I think, to improve your body to match your growing abilities."

Reaching his right hand underneath his torn shirt, he searched around until he found the small piece of bark hanging from his neck that bore Azalea's summoning rune. Closing his eyes, he pictured the rune becoming part of the others that now covered most of his upper body.

The designs on his body flared to life, the dark blue light slightly overwhelming the torch light and covering the room in a dark blue hue. Sadiek quickly took a few steps back, eyeing Ean wearily.

"What are you doing?" The old man said, confusion mixing with annoyance in his voice.

"Saving my friend," Ean grunted in reply as the magic took hold. Both Sadiek and Ean watched as Azalea's summoning rune suddenly appeared on Ean's exposed arm. It rode the rest of Ean's tattoos like a current, rising and dipping as it moved up his arm, over his shoulder, and then coming to rest on the right side of his chest. Just as the hound's rune had done, Azalea's rune settled into place and quickly began to merge with the designs already there. In a matter of moments it was completely integrated with the rest of his body. The bond was there too, sending him Azalea's torment and sadness.

And that's when the pain came.

If felt like two jagged blades were jabbed into his back just below both of his shoulder bones. The pain came so suddenly, Ean was caught off guard and writhed in agony, both hands reaching back to grab at blades and wounds that were not there. Trying his best to block out the pain, Ean took in as much energy as he could to dull the pain through the bond. It worked enough, diminishing to feeling like a sore back than two stab wounds. Catching his breath, Ean did his best to focus on Azalea's emotions and not so much on her pain. Sadness, fear, and a small amount of acceptance. She knew she was dying.

"That did not look like you provided much help," Sadiek said, cautiously moving closer to where Ean was laying. "But whatever you did to cause yourself such pain, it is a good sign. I'm afraid you have a lot more pain to come as you change into a better you. And you will be better off without your friend here anyway."

"I'm not done with her yet," Ean growled, and poured everything he had into the bond between himself and the Yulari.

Ean's attention was on Sadiek, but he heard Azalea gasp and start to cough behind him. He let himself feel her agony again, a small smile touching his lips as he felt the wounds on her back start to lessen in pain. Risking a glance back, he let his smile grow as he watched the wounds on her back slowly close. It had worked.

"What did you do?" Sadiek said, his voice slightly strained. "How are you doing this?" Walking over, the old man reached down and grabbed Azalea by the hair and lifted her off the ground. She gave a low whimper as she was dragged up and suspended in the air, her hands weakly began to claw at the hand that held her suspended. Her nails barely left scratch marks.

Turning her to the left and the right, he watched as the last bits of bruising and cuts disappeared from her body, leaving two long, thin scars running down her upper back. As the last of her wounds disappeared, Ean lessened the amount of his own energy he sent over. She still seemed weak, but he couldn't give her much more if he wanted to have any chance of defending himself as well.

Giving Azalea one last look over, Sadiek let her go and turned towards Ean. Before Azalea even hit the ground, her body folded up on top of legs too weak to hold her up, Sadiek had a firm grasp on what was left of Ean's shirt. Lifting him up so that they were face to face, Sadiek licked his lips as he regarded Ean. The stale smell of rotted meat washed over Ean every time the man opened his mouth.