Savage Worlds, page 13
part #3 of Savagery and Skills Series
The others growled and rushed to follow the other. When they were gone, I rolled over, searching for Macron. He was a couple yards away, breathing hard, but not moving.
“Macron.” I crawled toward him over the hard stones. “Macron, answer me you arrogant, old bastard.”
Sticks cracked behind me.
I froze. Something much larger must’ve scared off the beasts.
With no strength left, all I could do was roll back over and frown.
“What?”
“Sleep, Seneca,” a soothing voice said as a masked face of red and black came into view. A cool hand touched my forehead and my eyes closed. “Sleep.”
Chapter 11
Seneca
I tugged the heavy, plaid blanket higher up my shoulders, watching the stars peek out, one after the other through the branches of the old oak tree. The orbs floating around the garden were various shades of blue and green, calming to watch, almost like waves against the beach. Or so I guessed. I’d never actually been to the ocean.
“What’s with the frown?” Draven asked as he walked through the backyard to join me.
I shifted over on the bench so he could sit down. He pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. “I want to go on a vacation.”
“Vacation, huh?” he asked with a grin. “To where exactly?”
“The ocean. Never seen it.”
“Never?”
“Nope. Can we go, please? I mean, I know we’ll have to see it at night, but sunsets over the water are supposed to be beautiful, right? Come on. You know it’d be fun.”
“We could use the break.”
I traced the old scar along his jaw until he caught my hand and kissed each fingertip in turn. “Yeah, we could. Is that a yes, then?”
“You think I can say no to you?”
I wrapped an arm around his neck as we both laughed. When he kissed me, he crushed me to him as if afraid I’d suddenly disappear from his arm.
All I wanted was to stay where we were for as long as possible, getting lost in each other. The blanket fell away, and his lips trailed along my jaw to my neck. His fangs barely touched my skin, and I shifted around on his lap, my insides twisting with hunger for this vampire. My vampire.
I blinked, and I stood in the middle of the yard. And at the same time, I remained on that bench with Draven.
“As much as you seem to be enjoying this dream, I have much to show you.”
I spun around to find a masked figure standing in front of me. Her cloak was crimson, and her mask was black and red, with the same sigil I’d seen in Rudarius’s vision. It had to be for the Sa’ren. Her eyes were visible, dark grey eyes that said she was no threat to me. I’d seen her before, but where? I’d been with Macron and those beasts, they attacked us again. That mask, I saw it. Then someone put me to sleep.
“Who are you?”
“Someone who has waited a very long time for you. Come,” she said and held out a very pale hand, “we haven’t much time.”
I glanced longingly over my shoulder, but the bench was empty now. I sighed. I’d return to Draven eventually.
Why would you want to?
My hand was almost to the woman’s when I stopped short. Flashes of the world Rudarius showed me made me take a step back, but the woman called my name sternly, and I shook my head. This time, I placed my hand in hers without hesitation, and we were gone.
When my feet hit the ground again, we stood atop a crumbling wall. A battle raged on all around us as a full moon shone over the blood-soaked and body-littered fields. No, not the moon. That was the sun, but the sky was darkened, and its light seemed to come through a filter of some kind.
“Where are we? Is this Otherworld?”
“It is. But do not worry, this is not the future. This is the past, one that has been forgotten. It’s time it was remembered.” She strode further down the wall, and I followed. “This is the final battle between the So’run and the Sa’ren.”
I leaned against the wall, unable to look away as the two fae armies fought. Flashes of red and white erupted all around. Screams permeated the air of the dead and dying.
“The Sa’ren lost.”
“We did,” the woman replied darkly. “We were betrayed by our other half. By our brethren.”
We. She was one of them? Like me? “Why did they turn on you?”
“They became convinced we were plotting to take over their lands. That we were unhappy with what we currently ruled over. That we were evil. It was all lies. They had become frightened of us, of the darkness. What was once an understood balance became a threat to their existence.”
A large explosion in the center of the battlefield made me jump, and all the fighting came to a sudden halt. Two male fae faced each other down. One wore white armor and the other black and grey. They held two swords each. The Sa’ren man’s was made of onyx.
“Aven Blackroot, our king, stood against the man who started the war. King Lark of the So’run.”
The two men fought hard, equally matched in skill and strength. But they weren’t what drew my gaze. The masked woman’s eyes never left Aven, not once. Tears burned in her eyes, slipping out of sight behind her mask.
“You loved him,” I murmured as Aven disarmed Lark of both blades.
“I did,” she replied. “And I watched them kill him.”
From the looks of it, Aven was going to win the duel, but then Lark shouted, and the rest of his army closed in, taking advantage of the distraction. Aven fought, but he was surrounded, and those who rushed in to aid their king were cut down without mercy.
Lark ran Aven through, plunged his sword through the other king’s back. A scream resounded across the battlefield, and a woman with vibrant red hair rushed out onto the field, shouting and cursing Lark. I didn’t have to ask to know it was the woman who stood beside me.
“Why are you showing me this?”
“You must understand your history if you are to claim your destiny, Seneca, and as much as I would like to spend months giving you a history lesson, we are very short on time. As it is, I have to show you through dreams. For when you wake, the true work begins.”
She was off again, and with one last look at the depressing battlefield, I hurried to catch up.
“Our kingdom was banished to a shadowy realm where monsters reside. The So’run told us it was befitting our true nature. They sent us there to rot, never to know the light of the moon on our skin again or feel the warmth of the sun they claimed we despised.” She whirled around suddenly, and I almost ran into her. “We are fae, all of us. That is what matters in the end.”
“The fae kingdoms have fallen,” I told her.
“I know. It’s why you’ve come. The rings. They’ve all been destroyed, yes?”
“Yeah, but they didn’t work for me anyway. They almost killed me.”
“Those were not meant for you. It is time you forged your own. They were blind fools back then to believe we were evil, when there was something much worse waiting on the horizon.”
“Rudarius? You knew he would come?” I asked, confused.
“We sensed his rising. We tried time and again to warn the others, but they let themselves become infected with greed for power.” She glared over the wall. “They have reaped what they have sown, but the evil is still out there, and it must be stopped.”
I turned my back on her, sensing Rudarius close at hand, trying to push back into my mind. But it wasn’t only him. The freedom of not being tied down had such a pull, I wanted to run from whatever destiny she or anyone else believed I had. I wanted to be free of it all.
“Rudarius turned me,” I heard myself admit. “I’m no longer a dark fae. I’m not… I’m not pure.”
“And you think this diminishes what’s inside you?” She stood before me again, without even seeing her move. “He has planted evil inside you, yes, but that does not mean you will not overcome it. You are good, Seneca. You are strong in your own right. Do not let his voice influence you.”
“Too late,” I whispered then clamped my lips shut.
Gently, she cupped my cheek in her hand and sighed. “My child, you have much to learn of the world, of yourself. Alas, I cannot help you in that regard. You must find out on your own.”
And here I’d been hoping for her to say something like, hey, we can banish that evil inside you. No problem. Let’s get Rudarius’s taint out of you for good, make you some rings, and send you off to kill him.
She smiled as if reading my mind.
I hung my head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m the right person for this job.”
“You are the last remaining of the Sa’ren fae. I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”
“And if I can’t beat… him?” I said belatedly, almost calling myself out for how my thoughts had been lately. “If I can’t win?”
She tilted her head. “Then the world as you know it is over and all will be lost.”
“Great. No pressure.”
“None of our people asked to be what they were,” she informed me. “Destiny did. Fate did. It handpicked us to be those who walked in the shadows instead of always in the light. We were the ones chosen to keep the balance, and it must be restored. Rudarius has only been able to gain this much strength because of the sins committed on this day.” She waved her hand toward the battlefield where everyone had remained frozen in time. “Darkness does not mean evil, Seneca, no matter what Draven or Macron fear.”
“You know of Draven?”
“I do. I know the love you hold for each other. You must hold onto it with everything you have. It is what will save you in the end.”
I was tempted to argue with her, but then the world around us shifted. “What’s happening?”
“You are waking up. Close your eyes. I will see you soon.”
I did as she said and when I opened them, I looked at what remained of a stone ceiling. Canvas covered the openings. Whatever I lay on was only made soft by a pile of furs. I was on a stone floor with walls around me, well sort of. Most had fallen in. Fires burned in braziers, and as I sat up, I spotted Macron speaking quietly with three figures. All three wore masks covering everything but their eyes.
“Macron?” My voice came out scratchy, and a second later the pain hit me. I muttered curses and sank back to the furs.
Macron joined me at my side, the three figures directly behind him. One of them was the woman. I could tell by her eyes.
“Welcome back. We made it.”
“What are you?” I asked the Sa’ren fae over Macron’s shoulder. There was no way they were living, not this long in this desolate place.
“Shades of our former selves,” the woman told me. “We have remained for one purpose.”
“To see the forges restored,” the man to her right said as he bowed his head. “Welcome, Seneca, last of the Sa’ren.”
“No names, huh?”
The three fae exchanged a solemn glance then the woman replied, “We have since lost our names. They are of no consequence now.”
That sounded horribly depressing. I sat up with Macron’s help and checked the wound at my shoulder, then the ones at my side. There was no sign of poison, and the injuries appeared several days old, not like they were inflicted hours ago. “You healed us?”
“You were both very near to death. We used what little power remains within these walls,” the woman explained. “I’m afraid you cannot rest anymore. Come, we will take you to the forge.”
With much cursing and grunting, I was on my feet and limped along, next two Macron, as the three shades guided us through a maze of ruined corridors and rooms. The ceiling was missing in most cases, as were walls, but I knew what this was. The So’run hadn’t just banished the Sa’ren. They removed the entire castle as if to wipe its existence from Otherworld completely. Tapestries hung on the walls, decaying and shredded. Braziers of rusted metal lit our path, but here I noticed the trees that had grown through the floor and vines were coming over the walls, through every crack they could find. Oddly, the vines were green with life. The only place in this entire realm where anything of worth could grow.
But she said they were here for one purpose. Once the forge was restored, they would disappear for good. Nothing would remain of them. Nothing except me. Anything living I assumed would die away with them.
“The forge,” I asked as we walked, “how do I restore it?”
“Forges,” she corrected me. “Carefully and with great focus and power,” the woman replied, not slowing.
Okay, then. Forges. “And they’ll just what, craft rings that control my power?”
A furious hiss threw me off, and I stumbled over my feet until Macron righted me with a questioning look. I waved him off, muttering it was nothing.
“Something like that, yes.” The woman sounded amused, obviously not realizing what just happened inside my head. Probably for the best.
“But what will they do exactly? My brother had a ring that could bring about the night. Why wasn’t he like me?”
“Before they banished us, the So’run seized our rings and stole our power for their own. They took what they wanted then saw the remainder destroyed. Here, our power dwindled. To make new rings and bring ourselves back to Otherworld would have taken all we had left. It would have killed us in the end.” The woman had stopped now and waited for me to catch up to her. “We knew we had to keep this place alive for another. One who would restore our line in Otherworld.”
“You gave up your chance to escape on the off chance I made it here?” I asked, alarmed. “Why would you risk it? And if that’s true, then why have I felt strong here?”
The woman’s eyes crinkled. “Those of us who remained combined our power into a beacon of sorts, so when you came, you would be able to find us. That is what has made you feel stronger. But the longer you are here, the more this world will drain you, too, as it has Macron.” She leaned in closer as she added, “And we risk it because despite what you believe, you are a queen in the making. You will lead a great army against Rudarius. And you will defeat him.”
The amount of faith she had in me was staggering. And I hated it. Macron asked again if I was alright and I muttered something in reply. In my head, I raged at this woman who assumed I was their what, hero? The one who would save everybody? I told her Rudarius turned me and she brushed it off like it was nothing.
We walked for another few minutes then went under a large archway of stone. Though I was pissed off at the woman and destiny or fate, or whatever had decided to ruin my life, the sight before me silenced every angry voice inside my head.
“Shit,” I whispered, unable to say anything else.
I never grew up on stories of the fae forges so had no idea what to expect. What stood before me was not even close to what I imagined. The forges were massive, four altogether. They stood at least twenty feet high with billows that had to be worked by pull chains and pulleys. There were channels for water to put the fires out, dry now, and a set of tracks overhead, where carts would dump the metal into the top of the forge to be melted.
“I’m supposed to get that working again?” I finally managed to ask. “How? I’m not a blacksmith.”
“You don’t have to be. The rings are forged using our power. Clear your mind and concentrate,” the woman said as if that was the easiest thing in the world to do.
All I had to do was silence my own voice of dissent which was getting louder by the second, silence Rudarius who taunted me with visions of a future almost in my grasp. And dampen my guilt and fear that I was letting down the only man I ever loved.
Clear my mind, right.
Macron backed away to give me space.
I walked toward the forge and began to try the impossible.
Chapter 12
Draven
The arguing had been going on for hours. I drained another goblet of blood and slammed it down on the table to break through the shouting.
Lysa was the only one to turn and stare at me. She looked as pissed off as I was.
Once the four vampire leaders arrived, she gathered them together then brought me in. There’d been yelling at first, but she could hold her own. That and they seemed to trust what she saw. We were able to have a civil conversation for the most part as I filled them in on everything. My throat was raw from the many times I’d gone through the events in Otherworld and how Seneca was involved in all of this. Then we got to the part where she’d been turned by Rudarius, and they’d been shouting ever since. How could they trust her? Why wasn’t she here? Was she with Rudarius? On and on it went, and I was beyond whatever patience I might’ve had when this night started.
To make matters worse, before they all arrived, I sensed Seneca was in danger. Those monsters had come back and this time, her despair and her understanding that she might not make it crashed into me so hard I’d ended up on the floor, shouting her name. Shane had fetched Lysa, but there was no way for her to reach Seneca for me. The realm Macron took her too was beyond Lysa’s abilities.
As the yelling grew louder, I snarled loudly and banged my fists on the table. “Enough, already. I’ve told you everything I can. If you can’t find a way to pull your heads out of your asses, then I’m finished here.” I glared at the four leaders, then nodded to Lysa. “Thank you for your hospitality, but I must go. You know where to find me if you choose to join me, Lysa.”
“Draven, wait,” she ordered, and I stilled. “You cannot face Rudarius without their aid.”
“I don’t have time to wait around as they argue like children.”
“Children, are we?” Petra, leader of the Night Lurkers coven, pushed back from her chair and stood, tapping her long, black nails on the table. Her white-blond hair was drawn back in two severe braids that left her face gaunt and fearsome at the same time. She bared her fangs at me. “I have a solid fifty years on you.”
