Chapter Thirty-Nine

‘In the end Krossis was successful. The old way of the Wardens was dead. The Wardens were set to fade into the history.’ 

Creft felt like hot water pulsed through his veins. His skin was on fire, as if he were sitting right next to an open flame. His skin also glowed purple again, the same color as the fog that seeped from the crevices of the wall, floating just above the ground. Creft remembered the fog from the first experiment he had witnessed. 

Pryce came over and stood next to him, staring off in the direction that the third hooded man had left.  

“The pain gets easier,” he said, staring at Creft’s skin.  

Creft ignored Pryce¾he wanted to share nothing with this man. Instead, he just bit his tongue and bore the pain.  

Pryce gave a snort, grabbing Creft’s wrist. “Let it go,” he said, “let the power out and the pain will get better.” Pryce began glowing purple too.  

Creft swallowed, not sure what he shared with Pryce, but knowing it was nothing that he wanted. If Pryce wanted it, then Creft wanted nothing to do with it. He refused to let go of the pain, and it continued to pulse inside him, building like a white-hot iron.  

“You can fight it, but it will eventually come out either way.” Pryce let go of Creft’s wrist.  

The third hooded man returned from the side of the room. He waved Pryce over to him and they talked for a moment before the hooded man disappeared again. Pryce looked happy when he turned back to Creft.  

Taluva gave a grunt, as if he were offended that no one had offered him an explanation of things.  

“It should be done by now,” Taluva said, clearly irritated. He sounded far more nervous than Pryce.  

Pryce shrugged, moving back toward Creft.  

“It will be done when it is done,” Pryce replied, his eyes the only sign that he was growing weary. “You just focus on what you will need to do to finish this.”  

Taluva nodded. “It will be done,” he confirmed.  

Creft got the impression that Pryce and Taluva weren’t friends or even on good terms. Whoever was hidden by the hood was the one in control. He was the one who wrangled these two together for whatever purpose they had all thought was worthy. Creft still had no idea what they planned or how they planned to carry it out. 

Something about this was different than the night under Pryce’s manor. Something made Creft feel like whatever had begun down here wouldn’t be able to be stopped.   

Already Creaton was lying somewhere in the tunnels, a pool of his own blood surrounding his dead body. All his worries were over, but Creft still had to worry, not only about this room but also all the others. Were any of them still alive? 

He thought of Alis and her sweet innocent age. He knew the girl was strong, but she should have never been here. Creaton was probably right about her though. If they had left her behind, she would have followed them. It was better to have her in tow with the illusion of being able to protect her. Except, as it turned out, none of them could even protect themselves. Creaton had fallen to a blade and Creft was a prisoner in his own body. Creft could only imagine what happened to the others.  

Pryce stopped glowing purple, he walked lightly across the room. His posture changed as well; he seemed like a man of younger years. Creft still pulsed with every beat of his burning heart. He felt like he would explode, his thoughts jumping around and his emotions swirling maddeningly.  

He thought of why he was here, of the coal ruining the city. Anger flooded him at the carelessness of those who rallied behind Pryce and his cronies. Then he thought of the rally and speech with Overseer Krossis and knew that they had been so far behind the actual threat. That filled him with disappointment at his failings. Where was the overseer now?  

His thoughts slipped to his time in the black cells under Pryce Manor. His heart beat faster with the memories of the fear he had felt. Then he recalled his rescue, the feeling of freedom, only to be thrust into a war for the city streets.  

He had no time to ponder it deeply before he jumped again to Alis and other innocent people throughout the city. He had always been fighting for people like her, but never thought of how they lived. The fear they pushed through every day of their lives. He had thought of them as a group in need of saving, not as people with dreams and aspirations.  

Pryce became alert, still looking at the dense fog surrounding them, but now there was something dark moving in its midst. Creft waited for the shape to get close enough to recognize. Was it someone coming to help him? It was a fleeting hope that cropped up every time he found himself in these situations. The shape grew closer, Pryce’s face stretched into a smile. Creft knew that the small amount of hope was now truly gone.  

“It is done,” the voice said, and everything tumbled into place for Creft.  

The man, who wore the hood, stepped from the smoke, but Creft no longer thought he just looked vaguely familiar. The voice had been enough to break the shroud. Creft’s heartbeat sped up as the man stepped closer to him.  

The man stopped right before Creft, not drawing back his hood, but Creft already knew exactly who had started all of this. He knew exactly who had planned this down to the last detail, and it made his blood boil even hotter. The purple glow on his skin that had been dull was now glowing with the light of a burning lamp. Creft clenched his fist, and even though it hurt to move, he stepped forward, coming face to face with a man he had thought was his ally. A man who he had thought would conquer the city with him; a friend no longer. 

“A powerful lie you have spun, Krossis,” Creft said. 

Krossis’s laugh was humorless. The hand that reached up, touching Creft’s shoulder was aged and should have been fragile, but it was strong. Creft remembered feeling pride as he had shaken that hand, but now he recoiled at that thought, longing to reach out and choke the life from the overseer.  

“It was all a necessary evil. This all had to happen to bring forth something much greater than you or me. It wasn’t anything personal against you, not really. It needed to happen, and I made it happen. Your ideas were alluring, but sadly, they were wrong. I had to eradicate them completely before you became too dangerous to control. Again, all an evil that I would have rather avoided, but there was no time,” Krossis said.  

Creft felt his knuckles pop as his nails dug into the skin on the palm of his hand. His heart continued to breathe fire into the rest of his tense body.  

“You played a good hand,” Creft said. His jaw struggled to move enough to enunciate.  

“I played the hand I had no other choice but to play. If it could have been different, I would have spared you. Such a bright young mind and a decent enough man, there is no doubt about that. Pryce, here, would have seen you throttled, but I hoped you would come around. I ran out of time waiting on you.” Krossis shook his head as if he really felt disappointment at how things had unfolded.  

Creft knew better though. He knew that the man felt nothing at all. Behind that cowl, he was emotionless and cold. How long had he been this way? How long had he been guiding Creft along? Was it the entire time? Surely, it had not always been, he had been so genuine. But obviously it had all been part of a bigger scheme, one that ended with the path clear for Pryce to do with the city as he would. What was in it for Krossis though? Why betray everyone? 

“Don’t wrack your brain too much, Creft. It wasn’t a ploy against you. It was a plan to accomplish what needed to be done, and now that it has been, you will reap the benefits as well. Well, you would have reaped them. Now, you will probably be dead with the others you brought with you. However, you can rest easy knowing that the world will be a better place for all of it.” Krossis let out a sigh. “Death is not so bad if you die knowing you helped, right?”  

Creft tried to understand what was happening but was distracted by an all-encompassing pain.  

“You hadn’t said he was getting so strong,” Krossis said to Pryce.  

Pryce stepped forward, looking at Creft, who was lighting up the whole area with his purple glow.  

“I wasn’t aware,” Pryce said.  

“How did it happen?” Krossis asked.  

Pryce shrugged.  

“He shouldn’t have even been able to survive the ritual and, yet, here he is, standing before us, ready to watch the end,” Pryce said.  

Pryce sounded much more pleased with the outcome than Krossis did.  

Krossis finally drew his hood down. The overseer looked the same as the last time Creft had seen him. He was still an older man with long gray hair and a ribbon holding his beard in place. His eyes were as sharp and piercing as ever. Yet there was something different about him as well. He was filled with more vigor. He looked like he could move a mountain. Creft was stung even more seeing his face. Without seeing those eyes, he hadn’t felt the full sting of betrayal. He felt the pulsing increase, feeling as if it would tear him apart.  

“Bring the girl,” the overseer commanded. “Let us finish this quickly.”  

Pryce moved into the fog, and a few moments later, returned with Alis slung over his shoulder. She looked lifeless. He dropped Alis on the ground and when she hit, a small gasp of air escaped from her lungs.  

“Taluva, start.” Krossis leaned down over Alis’s body.  

Taluva started the same chant he had recited under Pryce’s manor. Creft still couldn’t make out the words, but the purple fog curled around the overseer and Alis. Both glowed an unnatural purple. Alis screamed. She jolted awake in a fit of visible pain. Creft wanted to help her, but whatever was coursing through him also rooted him to the floor.  

The overseer closed his eyes, letting the fog enter him. Alis struggled against something unseen to Creft. She stopped screaming, and as she did, the overseer’s eyes shot open with a look of confusion.  

“Why is it going into her?” Krossis asked.  

Taluva stopped chanting, and the fog stopped swirling.  

“Check her neck,” Taluva said.  

The overseer pulled Alis’s collar away from her neck. He yanked off something beneath her collar.  

“She has a daliwin,” the overseer said, swinging the item in the air. Krossis glanced to Creft. “Does he have one?” 

Pryce stepped forward and felt along Creft’s neck. “Nothing there,” he answered.  

“Keep hers and she will draw no more,” Taluva said.  

The overseer reached up, pulling on a cord wrapped around his own neck. It was the daliwin Creft had often seen Caid fiddling with unconsciously. Creft closed his eyes tightly. Caid wouldn’t be coming to save them.  

“Start again,” the overseer said.  

Taluva chanted, and the fog started swirling again. This went on for a few more minutes before Taluva stopped.  

When the overseer turned back to Creft, he was glowing much brighter than Creft or even Pryce. He was also no longer an old man. Instead he was much younger, much more limber. The overseer had a spring to his step.  

“What a marvel,” Krossis said.  

Pryce stepped forward, drawing out his own daliwin. Creft wondered where he had gotten that one. 

“My turn!” Pryce said.  

The overseer shook his head. “I believe there is more important business to attend to.”  

Pryce seethed, but didn’t press. Taluva also had a daliwin out and ready to fill but seemed to think better of asking.  

“Let us call The Judge,” the overseer said.  

He turned back to Taluva. “Start the calling.”  

Taluva hesitated.  

“Now.” Krossis’s voice was not raised, but it had the same effect.  

Taluva turned to the book, flipping the pages. He was quiet for over a full minute before his voice picked up much louder than before.  

“Bring the sacrifices forward and the daliwin to break,” the overseer commanded Pryce.  

Pryce nodded, starting off right away.  

Pryce brought out a group of four wardens from the depths of the fog. Each of them was badly beaten. Cloth had been stuffed into their mouths. They wore no restraints, but the fight had drained from them. Pryce pushed each of them down before the overseer. Whatever had happened to them killed their will; all that was left was the shell of their bodies.  

“Much stronger than the slaves and yet still weak,” Pryce said, giving one of them a kick.  

The overseer ignored the comment, moving around them, inspecting them like prize horses. 

“Put the daliwins back on them,” he instructed.  

Pryce pulled more daliwins from a small sack at his hip. Each daliwin dropped from Pryce’s hand over each warden’s head and slid down around their necks. As the necklaces dropped over them, they started to glow white. 

“They are drawing instinctively. Fascinating,” the overseer observed.  

Pryce dropped the final necklace over the remaining man’s head, then stepped back away from the group.  

“How long until they have enough power to stand and fight?” the overseer asked.  

No one answered the question, and it hung on the air. The overseer turned around and looked at Taluva who was reading vigorously.  

“I asked you a question, scholar,” Krossis barked.  

Taluva startled. “What was it?”  

The overseer shook his head in disgust, asking a second time.  

“About five minutes until they are fully revitalized,” he stammered.  

 “Then, it is best we get this done before that time has passed,” Krossis said. “Even without their leader, they will be formidable, and I do not wish to fight them a second time.”  

 “Should we add the other two to the group?” Pryce asked, glancing sharply at Creft and then to Alis, who was still crumpled on the ground.  

“No, let him watch,” Krossis said, not even bothering to acknowledge Alis.  

Taluva chanted again, and the room grew still. Ripples formed in lines across the air, and Creft felt his body cool rapidly and then reheat. He was burning so much that he felt like he had been thrown into a fire. He fell forward onto his stomach. The heat was overwhelming now, and Creft knew his body was dying, but he could do nothing to stop it.  

The ripples grew larger. It was as if someone was tearing the air from the other side.  

Creft heard the men’s screams and could imagine the looks of shock in their eyes. Creft tilted his head and saw Pryce cut the men’s throats one by one, then crush each of the daliwins after. As each warden died, the ripples in the air grew larger and gray fog filled the air. This fog felt much different from the purple that spilled from the crevices. This fog was heavy and felt like it was pressing Creft into the cave floor with the weight of a hundred men. Creft could no longer breathe. He was shocked to be alive at all, but something in him was clutching to the last dregs of life.  

Pryce killed the last man, breaking the last daliwin, and the air seemed to scream. The overseer was touched by the fog and flew backward, crashing into the wall, but managed to avoid toppling over and stayed on his feet. Pryce, too, lifted into the air as the fog reached him. He didn’t struggle against it. Only Taluva was untouched by the fog that grew fingers with each passing moment. Creft looked for Alis, but she was lost. His heart beat faster. His body instinctively fought to live.  

The sound of Taluva’s voice came again from above him. Creft felt his arms pushing into the ground, muscles clenching as if to fight. He remembered Pryce’s words from before. Just let go, the man had said, and the pain would get easier. Creft took a deep breath. The purple of his skin blazed and even the gray smoke couldn’t dim it.  

Creft felt his body stand and pain flashed over him. He ignored it and let the tension in his body release. The gray fog billowed out and away from him. He walked forward, and wherever his feet touched, the gray fog flowed away. Creft walked to Alis, stopping to pick up her limp body. He cradled her to his chest and turned to Taluva. Whatever he had done was beyond Creft to stop, but the man would pay with his life. Taluva was lost in his ritual when Creft stepped forward, grabbing Taluva with his free hand; the other was clutching Alis to him. The strength in his body was something beyond a mere adrenaline rush. The words Taluva uttered halted, and the air ceased to ripple. The gray fog froze around them.  

The overseer yelled and Pryce ran across the room. Creft squeezed, feeling the bones snapping beneath his fingers.  

Pryce was within reach of Creft. Creft readied for the impact, but it never came. Pryce flew across the room, pushed by another body colliding with his own. Creft was too shocked for a moment to believe what he had just witnessed, but, as the second body stood, slowly, to his feet, he could see that his eyes hadn’t lied. Creaton, still bleeding, looked at Creft and the fear was evident on his face.  

“We have to get out of here,” he said.  

Creft nodded, turning to look one more time at the overseer. Krossis was out of reach and the gray fog was creeping closer to Creaton, who had no way to stop it. Creft grabbed Creaton’s arm and started to run.  

As they ran the gray fog spilled through the corridors behind them. Cros soldiers and wardens alike died in screams of pain. He had to get away.  

He continued to run, hoping that they could escape it, that it would stop at the entrance to the mines. He came to the ledge they had climbed down from. He was shocked that he remembered the way. It was almost as if something else guided him. Creft used the strength coursing through him to haul Alis up the ladder built into the wall. Creaton was slow behind him and Creft reached down to help him make the last few rungs. Creaton was struggling to stay on his feet, but Creft grabbed his hand and moved him along.   

When the light finally hit his eyes, he felt relief, but the fog hadn’t stopped following him. He knew in his heart that it would never stop, not here at the entrance and not ever again. He still ran. Finding himself outside the mines, he darted to the side, and the fog billowed past them, right up into the sky like a cloud.  

Creft fell to the ground, feeling every ache instantly inside him. He drew in a deep breath of air before curling up in a ball. The glow of his skin vanished.  

He glanced over to see that Creaton and Alis, still breathing, lie beside him.