Seeker of Legends (Fate of Legends Book 2), page 41
Seekers!
“Stop them!” one of the guards shouted, swinging his sword at one of the Seekers. But the Seeker blocked the attack easily, slashing the man’s throat in one smooth motion. The guard fell backward, slamming into the leftmost wall of the hallway, then slumping to his butt. The remaining guard – it was Thomas, Vincent realized – sprinted madly down the hallway toward him, the Seekers right behind the man.
“Vincent!” Thomas shouted. “Don’t…”
A Seeker leapt on Thomas’s back, knocking him to the ground. Thomas slid a few meters, then scrambled to get to his feet. But the Seeker raised his sword above his head, thrusting it downward, straight into Thomas’s back.
Thomas gasped, his eyes going wide open, his mouth open in a silent scream.
The Seeker yanked their blade out of Thomas’s back, the metal slick with crimson blood. Thomas lay there on the floor in a rapidly expanding pool of blood, his eyes staring vacantly at Vincent.
Before Vincent could react, the Seekers were rushing toward him, at least five of them, their blades gleaming in the light cast by the lanterns on the walls. He stumbled backward, his back striking the wall at the end of the hallway.
“Open the damn cell!” one of the Seekers ordered, pointing right at him.
Vincent nodded mutely, reaching into one of his pockets and retrieving a ring of keys. He held them out to the Seeker, his hand trembling so badly that the keys jingled.
“You open it!” the Seeker shouted. Vincent nodded again, walking up to Zeno’s cell and fumbling for the right key. He found it, then put the key in the keyhole, turning it. There was a click as the lock opened. He stepped back then, giving the Seekers wide berth. They ignored him, opening the cell door and bowing to Zeno, who was still – still – sitting cross-legged on the floor.
“High Seeker,” one of the Seekers greeted. Zeno turned to the man, nodding once. Then he got to his feet in one smooth movement, brushing the dust from his prison uniform. The Seekers backed up, giving him room to exit the cell; he did so slowly, almost casually, stepping into the hallway. Then Zeno turned to Vincent, those terrible eyes locking on his.
Vincent realized he was still holding his sword, and dropped it to the floor, backing up a step.
“Just…go,” he stammered. “I won’t stop you.”
Zeno paused, then stepped up to him. Vincent took another step back, putting his hands in front of him.
“I don’t want…” he began, but Zeno raised a finger to his lips. Vincent’s jaw snapped shut.
“Go,” the High Seeker stated. “Be with your family.”
Vincent hesitated, then nodded, relief coursing through him. Zeno stepped to the side to let him pass, and he did so, eyeing the Seekers as he did so.
Then he felt hands grab his head from behind.
The world spun madly, and he heard a loud crack. Before he knew it, he was on the floor, laying on his back. He saw Zeno come into view, standing over him. Staring down at him.
Then the High Seeker stepped over him, walking down the hallway with his Seekers ahead of him.
Vincent followed them with his eyes, then tried to get up.
Nothing happened.
He stared up at the ceiling, willing his body to move. Still nothing. He couldn’t even feel his arms, or his legs. Or his chest. Nothing.
It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t breathing.
A surge of terror came over him, and he opened his mouth, struggling to get a breath in.
Nothing.
He lay there, willing his body to obey him. Willing air to come into his lungs. But his body would not obey.
Oh god oh god…
His vision began to blacken, the world fading from view.
And the last thing he saw before death claimed him was his wife lying in bed at home, holding a baby girl, and smiling at him.
* * *
High Seeker Zeno strode down the hallway away from his prison cell, leaving the trail of dead guards behind him. His Seekers led the way, as much to shield him from any attack as to show him the way out. One of the Seekers handed him a sword and a sheath, and he took these, strapping the sheath to his waist. They turned the corner at the end of the hallway, continuing down another one.
More bodies littering the floor. All of them guards.
Zeno stepped over these, allowing himself to be led through the maze-like halls of the prison. There was no resistance to his passage. No guards that swarmed the hallways to stop him. His Seekers had killed them all.
And they would kill so many more.
After a few minutes, they reached the exit, emerging from the prison into the large prison yard beyond. High stone walls surrounded it, guard towers rising above even them. Empty guard towers, of course. And the front gate of the wall was closed in the distance, the city guards not having yet responded to the prison bell. They would mobilize if the alarm did not stop soon. Zeno knew his time was limited.
Moonlight cast the yard’s crushed stone surface in silver light, and it crunched underfoot as Zeno continued forward, his men fanning out around him.
The prison bell tolled once more, then went silent.
They reached the gate quickly, and Zeno found more Seekers standing in a large group before it. A very familiar woman broke off from them, walking up to him.
“Grand Councilor Nova,” he greeted, nodding at her. She gave him a relieved smile.
“High Seeker!” she exclaimed. She bowed quickly. “It’s good to see you.”
“And you,” he replied. “What’s our status?”
“Everything according to plan,” she answered. “We have Seekers in position and ready to strike all targets.”
“Synchronize the attacks,” he ordered. “Don’t give them time to organize.”
“Yes High Seeker.”
“Good work, Nova.”
“Thank you High Seeker,” she replied, clearly pleased. She hesitated, glancing at his prison uniform. “Shall we recover your uniform?” she asked.
“Don’t bother,” he answered. “I’m going underground.”
“What about the Founder’s medallion?”
“Retrieve it if possible,” he replied. “Keep it in a neutral room.”
“Yes High Seeker.”
“And Nova,” he continued, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Make the Founder proud. It’s up to you now.”
“High Seeker?” she asked, looking confused. “You’re not…?”
“I have a higher purpose now,” he explained. “I must complete the final step of the Ascension.”
“But…”
“Alone,” he interjected. Nova swallowed visibly, then bowed again.
“Yes High Seeker.”
“You retrieved what I asked for?” he inquired. Nova nodded, handing him a pack that had been set on the ground beside her. He looked inside briefly, then slung it over his shoulders. He gazed up at the night sky, noting the position of the stars. It was nearing midnight.
“Send the signal,” he ordered.
“At once,” Nova replied.
“Goodbye Nova.”
He nodded at one of the other Seekers, who looked up, waving at a shadowy figure crouching on top of the wall. The figure waved their arms in turn, and within moments, the front gate of the prison yard began to open, the huge doors swinging inward slowly. Beyond them lay the ramshackle buildings of Lowtown, its streets cast in shadow. The night air was still, the city asleep despite the recent tolling of the prison bell.
A lone, golden light shot up between the buildings nestled on the hill beyond Lowtown in the distance, flying high into the air above the city. Moments later, it exploded, sending countless smaller lights shooting outward in all directions. They fell to the earth slowly, winking out after a few seconds. Moments later, Zeno heard a boom, the sound echoing off of the buildings of Lowtown.
The group of Seekers split, one faction staying with Nova, the other moving forward through the gate. Zeno followed them, making his way through the city quickly and quietly. Making his way to the secret, vast underground network of tunnels that would lead him outside of the kingdom, beneath the great wall. His Seekers would leave him then, and he would continue forward alone.
To the Deadlands, and far, far beyond.
He felt a chill pass through him, and allowed himself a smile. A new day was coming. The Founder’s great mission – centuries after his death – would finally be complete.
Chapter 36
The King’s Road curved gently leftward, a wide stone bridge supported by rows of massive wooden columns rising twenty feet above the forest floor. Light from the three moons above cast it in a bright silver glow, making it easily visible as it cut through the trees a half-mile to the right of where Hunter walked. He stared at it, remembering the first time he’d seen it. The day he’d arrived in this strange world, only to be chased by a huge, deadly monster.
He glanced to his left, seeing that same monster walking alongside him, its mane glowing brightly in the darkness. To think that it was his brother – that it’d been his brother all along – still blew his mind. He wondered what would’ve happened if he’d gone with Xerxes that day. If he’d never gone into the kingdom. He would never had had to deal with Trixie, would never have joined the Seekers. And he would never have met Vi.
“Lost in thought?” Vi asked. He looked past Xerxes, seeing Vi walking alongside the big guy. She grinned at Hunter. “Can’t say I’m surprised,” she added. “Easy to get lost when you’re in an unfamiliar place.”
“I’ve spent plenty of time in the forest, thank you,” Hunter retorted.
“I meant in thought,” she quipped.
Hunter rolled his eyes, not bothering to reply. She’d been needling him the whole trip, of course. It’d been welcome banter for the first few hours, but now he was exhausted. Vi never seemed to get tired, which was annoying. Neither did Xerxes, for that matter. It probably had something to do with the fact that he healed so quickly. After all, how could his muscles ever get sore if they could completely regenerate so quickly?
At least Xerxes is quiet, he muttered to himself. Xerxes hadn’t said much of anything since they started the journey, communicating mostly in grunts and gestures…as usual. He often wondered what the big guy was thinking. Was he quiet because it hurt to speak? Or was it because he didn’t feel like talking?
“Hey Blue,” Vi said, looking up at Xerxes. “What’s your plan when we get to the castle?” Xerxes grunted, turning his black eyes to her.
“KILL” he growled.
“Well yeah,” Vi replied.
“…EVERYONE,” he finished.
“Wow,” Vi stated, raising her eyebrows. “That might be the most detailed and well-thought-out plan I’ve ever heard. I can see why your mother made you her second-in-command. Goddamn strategic mastermind here.”
Xerxes glared at her.
“WHAT…YOURS?”
Vi considered this, rubbing her chin. Then she shrugged.
“Eh, we’ll go with that,” she answered. She turned to Hunter. “Ever seen Blue fight?”
“Only when he fought you,” Hunter replied.
“That doesn’t count,” she retorted. Then she grinned. “It’s real fun to watch. Might just have to stand back and let it happen.”
“What’s it like?”
“Wait and see,” she answered. “Wait and see.”
They walked in silence for a while, following the path of the King’s Road in the distance, walking parallel to it. Vi swung her pack off her shoulder, reaching inside and pulling out a hunk of dried meat. She bit into it, then offered Xerxes a bite. He grunted, clearly not interested in it. Hunter’s stomach growled – he hadn’t eaten since that morning – and he felt his mouth watering.
“Can I have some?” he asked.
“Nope.”
“Why the hell not?” he pressed, feeling even more annoyed. “Just give me some.”
“Gotta keep you hungry,” she explained. “We’re going to need Zagamar.”
Hunter grimaced, feeling his stomach growl again, complaining bitterly.
“You just had to say his name,” he grumbled. But to his relief, that didn’t seem to trigger anything. It was getting a little easier to suppress the Legend, he realized. Maybe he just wasn’t hungry enough yet…or maybe he was actually getting a little better at holding the guy at bay. Either way, the thought of letting Z loose was hardly something he looked forward to. If it was in the heat of battle, and he couldn’t keep things under control…
“Why aren’t you eating, Xerxes?” he asked, glancing up at his brother. Xerxes just grunted. “What do you eat, anyway?” he pressed. He thought back to all those human skeletons embedded into the walls of the caves, and the heaps of skeletons lining the perimeter of his mother’s cavern. “Is that why you had all those skeletons in Mom’s place? You eat people?”
“NOT FOR…FOOD,” Xerxes answered.
Hunter stared at Xerxes, not sure how to take this.
“Those skeletons are there to help the Ironclad keep their humanity,” Vi explained. “They drag any humans they kill and bring them back to their caves. Build them right into the walls, and pile ‘em up near your mommy.”
“Oh.”
“They take shifts,” Vi continued. “The ones that are in danger of becoming the Lost are transferred to your Mom’s chamber for a while, to keep guard there.”
“The Lost?”
“Ironclad that lose too much of their humanity,” Vi clarified. “And don’t end up getting it back. Ironclad have human brains, mostly. When they start to go all insect-like, they have to be taken care of.”
“Taken care of?”
“Put down,” she clarified.
“Ah.”
Hunter walked silently for a moment, then glanced up at Xerxes again.
“You said you guys don’t eat humans for food,” he stated. “So you do eat them?” Xerxes nodded. “What for?”
“DESSERT.”
Hunter blinked, then glanced questioningly at Vi. A low rumbling sound came from deep within Xerxes’ chest, sounding suspiciously like a chuckle.
“Ooo,” Vi piped in. “Blue made a funny!”
“Ha ha,” Hunter grumbled. “But seriously, do you really eat humans?”
“NOT…ME,” Xerxes answered.
“What he means is some Ironclad do,” Vi offered. “When they’re close to being Lost, they’ll eat human flesh to try to regain their humanity. You know, like you drank Zagamar’s…essence.”
“It was brains,” Hunter retorted rather hotly. He felt his cheeks flushing, and Vi grinned at him.
“Mmm hmm,” she replied. “Sure it was.”
“Does it work?” Hunter asked Xerxes, ignoring her.
“SOMETIMES.”
Hunter glanced at Vi, who bit into her meat, chewing it absently.
“So what do you eat, big guy?”
“PLANTS,” Xerxes answered. “MUSH…ROOMS.”
“Gross,” Hunter replied. He hated fungi of all kinds, just like his dad. The idea of eating anything that could grow on his feet…
“They love mushrooms,” Vi piped in, biting off another hunk of meat. “Must be the beetle in them. They frickin’ fight over that shit. Look like they’re having an orgasm every time they eat it.”
“There’s a visual,” Hunter muttered.
“Hey, that’s a good question,” Vi realized. “Blue, you guys have sex?”
“YES.”
“Bet you’re just swimming in beetle pussy,” she guessed. “Being second-in-command and all.”
Xerxes smirked at her.
“How do you guys do it, anyway?” she pressed. “You got a penis in there somewhere?”
“YES.”
“How big is it?” she inquired. He raised two hands, spreading them out a disconcertingly large distance apart. Vi’s eyebrows rose, and she let out a low whistle.
“Damn,” she muttered. She grinned at Hunter. “Looks like you got the short end of the stick, kiddo.”
“Oh Vi,” Hunter replied. “You’ll never know.” Vi chuckled.
“Touché kid.”
They fell into a comfortable silence then, trekking through the forest. Vi set a quick pace, but for once Hunter could keep up without too much difficulty. He was getting stronger, that was for sure. Xerxes, being nearly nine feet tall, had no problem keeping up with either of them. They continued to follow the King’s Road in the distance; after what seemed like an hour, Hunter saw it turn more sharply leftward, descending gradually through the trees until it ended in a large clearing about a mile ahead. Vi led them toward the clearing, and as they grew nearer, Hunter spotted something through the trees. A tall stone wall far beyond the clearing, twin spires of a large castle rising above it.
“There it is,” Vi declared, gesturing at the castle.
“You mean…?” Hunter asked. Vi nodded.
“Behold,” she exclaimed with a dramatic flair. “The Castle Wexford!”
* * *
Hunter crouched a few dozen yards before the end of the forest ahead, gazing across the huge clearing at the Castle Wexford. He glanced at Vi and Xerxes; Vi was crouching as well, but Xerxes was standing at full height.
“What now?” Hunter asked.
“Now we have to get inside the outer castle wall,” Vi answered. “It’s not like they’re gonna open the gate for us.”
Hunter nodded, studying the wall. It extended over a hundred yards in either direction, a single closed, wooden drawbridge in the middle. A wide moat surrounded the wall, undoubtedly as much to prevent the build-up of unwanted influences as it was to act as a physical barrier to entry.
“You’re saying we have to swim across the moat,” Hunter stated, “…then climb up a sheer wall, then somehow drop forty feet to the ground?”
“And fight a few hundred soldiers,” Vi added. “Yup, pretty much sums it up.”
