Malevolenci Page 21

  Janus looked at his friends, “How many of us have escaped so far?”

  Horus finally spoke. “Seventy-one, counting Vishnu.”

  Janus did a quick count. “There are nine of us here. This is all who’ve made it?”

  Vulcan frowned. “The destroyers sent their beasts to hunt us.”

  “Oh no…” Janus tried to remember what he’d seen. “I was hiding in the forest and didn’t know. I passed a felicox on my way here, but I didn’t see any destroyers. I thought we’d be able to make it since they didn’t seem to be guarding the pavilion.”

  Artemis frowned. “After I freed Horus last night, we snuck to the caves in the mountain and hid for a while. I peeked out and saw flocks of those flying beasts searching the area. When we came back tonight, I saw tons of those spider creatures scuttling around our old homes. The beasts have probably caught a lot of us…and killed a lot of us. There was no one in the prison when I came through the pavilion, so…” She looked upset.

  But there were one hundred rebels. Only seventy-one have escaped so far, and with the rest of us, that’d make eighty. Twenty of us have been caught?

  He glanced back at the pavilion. “Where are the destroyers?”

  Artemis smirked. “Before Athena escaped, she used a spell to create a fountain of magic on the eastern shore. One of our undercover rebels reported the fountain to the destroyers. They couldn’t leave fast enough. Greedy assholes.”

  Horus nodded. “But that’ll only buy us so much time. With their creatures still around, they’re bound to learn of our trickery and return to stop us.”

  Janus looked past the Pyramid as a god stepped into it. Beyond the courtyard, the mountains were hard to see through the storm, but he didn’t see any creatures descending upon them. Not yet.

  The next god stood in front of the Pyramid.

  Janus saw Vulcan hold Aphrodite tighter. Artemis watched the Pyramid, tears welling in her eyes. Horus held his bleeding arm.

  I don’t want to leave. None of us do. But we don’t have a lot of time.

  Once the next god was through the Pyramid, Ares turned to Janus’s group and extended a hand.

  Artemis wiped an eye and walked past Aphrodite and Vulcan, allowing them as much time together as possible. She stepped in front of the Pyramid and nodded to Cronos that she was ready.

  Janus and the others watched in silence as Cronos created alt-world copies of Artemis. Once that was done, Artemis picked her alt-world destination. The Pyramid showed a beautiful scene with a rich forest, and Artemis bravely walked forward and didn’t look back. Ares deactivated the world’s symbol, and Artemis was gone.

  Horus went next, first shaking Ares’s hand before the two leaders of the rebellion were forever parted.

  Once Horus escaped, Janus moved forward as Aphrodite and Vulcan continued to hold each other.

  A loud shriek filled the air.

  The remaining rebels looked into the storm for danger.

  Then a growl came from somewhere in the dark pavilion.

  They’ve discovered us.

  “Hurry!” Ares shouted. “The rest of us must get through!”

  Vulcan kissed Aphrodite and ushered her into the pool. Cronos went to work, but Janus turned his back on the Pyramid and stood shoulder to shoulder with Vulcan. They watched the dark opening of the pavilion and held casting hands at the ready.

  We can fight these beasts. There’s enough magic in this world to do it… But I fear them just the same.

  Nothing immediately charged them, and Janus felt himself shaking as rain obscured his view. There was little hope of seeing danger from the clouds above in time, so he focused on the dark opening of the pavilion.

  A moment later, Ares shouted, “Vulcan, you’re next!”

  The red-bearded man turned to Janus. “Farewell, friend.”

  “I wish you well.”

  Another roar, this time closer, came from the pavilion.

  Vulcan splashed into the pool, but Janus didn’t looked back. He saw red eyes glow from the pavilion’s darkness. A second later, more shrieks echoed through the rain. From the edge of the pavilion’s shadows, bony white legs tested the open air.

  “Janus, you’re next!”

  He didn’t take his eyes off the approaching beasts but called over his shoulder, “No, you need someone to guard your back!”

  “Cronos!” shouted Ares.

  The tiger-beast emerged from the pavilion, and behind it scuttled hundreds of the spider creatures.

  Oh, no.

  Janus gathered what little magic he could and shot a fire spell at the beasts. The blood-red tiger scurried back and roared in anger, and the spider beasts scrambled over each other to get away from the flame.

  “Janus! Now!”

  He turned and saw Ares and Cronos waiting, both standing in the pool in front of the Pyramid. Janus ran into the pool and joined them. The storm overhead continued to pour rain, but his bigger fears stemmed from the added growls and shrieks of the creatures behind them.

  “We’ve made copies of ourselves!” shouted Ares with a hand on Janus’s shoulder. “You’re next!”

  Before he knew what was happening, Janus felt waves of magic pulse over him. Ghost-like echoes of himself wafted from him and flew into the Pyramid. When this was done, he moved aside and motioned for Cronos to take his place.

  Cronos didn’t argue as another roar shook the air. Quickly he stepped into position in front of the Pyramid and shot magic at one of the peak’s symbols.

  Janus never saw what world Cronos chose, instead turning to shoot more fire at the advancing beasts. The giant cat, again wary of the fire, crouched and hung back. The spider creatures spread out to find a new way forward.

  Then Janus looked over the pavilion’s stone roof and saw a flock of flying beasts in a flash of lightning.

  He was about to turn toward Ares when the big man grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him through the shallow water. Janus didn’t understand at first but then realized Ares was using the Pyramid for cover. They ran through the pool around the pointed corner of the Pyramid, and Ares lifted a hand for Janus to stop.

  Ares pointed at the Pyramid’s wall facing them now. “Go! I opened a world for you! Go!”

  Janus glanced into the Pyramid and saw tumbling blue ocean. Then he looked back at the god of the rebellion.

  Ares nodded at the unspoken question. “I’ll open a world for myself as soon as you’re through!”

  “Can you destroy the Pyramid yourself?”

  Ares smiled under his beard. “I’m the God of War, remember?”

  Taking this for a yes, Janus looked into the Pyramid again. He took a step back, heard more roars from the felicox, and jumped into the Pyramid.

  All Janus saw as he went through was blue sunlit water, and a second later he splashed down. The water was warm, and Janus felt instant relief from the filth of his world. He rolled as a wave pushed him farther under and inhaled salt water. Choking, he closed his mouth as another wave propelled him forward.

  I’m still immortal. Stop panicking – you’re not going to drown. But this salt sure as hell burns in my nose.

  His knee hit sand, then his forearm and hand dragged along the bottom. He righted himself and crawled out of the shallow water to dry sand. Once on the beach, he flopped over to sit, panted for air, and gazed at the tropical blue ocean.

  Which world am I in? I must’ve gone through the side of the Pyramid that connects with the alt-worlds’ Triangles, since they’re all in or near the ocean. That doesn’t help me narrow down what world this is.

  To his left, untouched white sand stretched until the coast curved inland. To his right, a pile of driftwood was his only company.

  So many of us didn’t make it. But Ares will destroy the Pyramid. It’s done. We’re scattered into the alt-worlds, never to see each other again. I’m glad Athena escaped. She’ll be fine in whatever world she chose. Artemis can handle herself. But poor Vulcan and Aphrodite. To spend eter
nity separated from the one you love…

  He tried not to think of whatever had become of Isis. She was stuck in the hell they’d left behind. But that had been her choice. They were on different sides of this war now.

  Taking a deep breath, Janus turned to look inland. The white sand ended where thick trees rose into the blue sky. There wasn’t another living soul in sight.

  He’d lost track of how many lifetimes he’d lived in this world. The name he’d chosen this time was Trent Simons, and he enjoyed the backstory he’d created for his missing youth. Now, eternally a man nearing middle age, Trent adjusted his sunglasses and smiled as an ocean breeze rippled his T-shirt. He walked barefoot along the sand, the ocean waves gliding in to cover his tracks.

  He frowned as his footprints washed away.

  Is that what it’ll be like once I’m finally summoned from this world? Will all memory of me fade until it’s like I was never here? I’ve intervened in this world’s history a time or two – I couldn’t help myself. Okay, I let slip my knowledge of the alt-worlds on occasion, but these people have loved the stories. No harm done. It’s not as if I ever set myself up as a ruler or anything. I’ve stuck to the background pretty well. I never even had children of my own.

  He frowned into the sand as he thought of everything he’d missed out on because of his life’s purpose. Then he looked up to see a small boy chasing a five-legged, furry green creature as the exotic pet ran as fast as it could for the surf. The sheer joy on the boy’s face was enough to relight Trent’s smile.

  This hasn’t been a bad alt-world to wait in – or hide in, depending on how you look at it. I do love this place. Nothing could’ve prepared me for the joys and sorrows of spending centuries fully engrossed in one of our worlds. Playing with thousands of worlds wasn’t as fulfilling as being deeply immersed in one. This time has been a blessing.

  He felt the cool water flow in around his ankles as he stopped to gaze at the distant waves.

  Once I’m summoned to the Sanctuary, I’ll lose my immortality. Will it be worth it?

  Trent scoffed at himself.

  Worth it? To save all of creation? Yes!

  A family picnicking glanced up at him as he walked by. He nodded politely, trying not to look like a creepy middle-aged man alone on the beach.

  The hardest part of this has been not knowing what’s going on in the Sanctuary. How many rebels have been summoned over the centuries? How many of our copies? Are they holding back the destroyers? Or maybe we’ve lost the war in the Sanctuary and the alt-worlds are doomed.

  He let out a breath and ran a hand through his hair.

  No, can’t think that way. Pull it together, Trent. Someday I’ll be summoned, and then it’ll be my turn to fight.

  “Esme! Esme!”

  Not fully conscious, her body shook with a spasm. She sat up as her abdomen tightened and vomited a stomach’s worth of warm liquid. At the same time, her eyes opened. The dim glow of a light stick caught the dark red of the liquid, and Esme realized with horror that she’d thrown up blood.

  Then she saw the corpse beside her, and she recoiled, scrambling back on the cold stone. She couldn’t help staring at the shriveled, dried body of the ancient vampire who’d sacrificed himself to show her…

  Esme spit the last of the blood in her mouth and started to cry.

  The light shifted as Owen shuffled toward her and put a hand on her back. “Shh. You’re okay. Take it easy. Just breathe for a second.”

  She couldn’t stop crying, but she leaned into the warmth of Owen’s body.

  It’s too much, she thought as she stared at the vampire corpse. It’s all too much! What am I supposed to do? Damn it, Roman was right to hide the truth – people are going to freak out!

  “Esme?”

  She tried to pull herself together. Owen held the light stick between them, and she looked up to see the concern in his eyes. She also noticed the stubble on his face and the dirt on his clothes.

  She cleared her throat. “How long was I…” She tried not to look at the corpse again. “How long was I out?”

  “It’s been two days.”

  “Two days?” Esme gaped. She looked at her own clothes and found she was covered in dirt from where she’d crouched beside the ancient.

  I don’t feel weak or anything. Then again, I wasn’t exactly starving myself…

  She took a breath and tried not to be sick again.

  Owen kept his eyes on her face. “I’ve sent messages back to Max and Dax every couple of hours. They’ve reported to Piper and Tank topside.”

  Esme suddenly noticed it was silent in the vampire den. No shuffling noises from the ancients’ nests. No creepy chanting. She tried to squint into the darkness beyond their halo of light, but she couldn’t see the cavern walls around them.

  “What’s going on?” she whispered.

  Owen’s jaw clenched. “They’re dead.”

  “What?”

  He let out a breath and wiped his face. “A few hours into your…trance, I noticed that a lot of them stopped chanting. I asked what was going on, and one of the sane ancients told me a few of the chanting ones had fallen asleep and just…faded. By the end of the first day, all the chanters had died. Then the rest of them started dropping off. An hour ago, the last of them didn’t answer me. I got up and climbed to the nearest nest…” He swallowed and shook his head. “Every single one is dried up and dead like our friend here.”

  Esme looked at the ancient corpse beside them and shook her head. “Is this my fault? Did I somehow…”

  Owen reached out and put an arm around her, pulling her close. “Our friend chose to sacrifice himself to pass his knowledge to you. I think the rest of them were equally willing.”

  She was crying again. “I’d hoped to free them once we…”

  He kissed the top of her head. “Maybe we did free them.”

  She sighed and rested her forehead on his arm.

  Keeping thousands of years of thousands of memories must’ve been horrible. And even holding only Trent’s memories… What am I going to do with this? At least Owen isn’t pushing to know what I saw, but how can I tell him the truth?

  Esme felt herself shaking.

  Owen rubbed her back. “We should go. Gods know what’s happened in two days.”

  She flinched at his use of the word ‘gods’ but tried not to show it. “The others didn’t send word back with your messenger?”

  Owen frowned as he helped her to her feet. “The vamps weren’t super communicative. Honestly, I’m shocked Dax didn’t come check on us himself.”

  Esme climbed off the stone platform and shivered. It was so silent in the den now. She hugged her arms and realized that Owen’s light stick was doing all the work, so she stretched out a hand. A ball of fire spiraled into existence to light and warm their way.

  “You have no idea how much I missed that.” Owen came to walk beside her out of the cavern, and he did seem relieved by the firelight.

  What was it like to sit here in the dark for two days?

  “Thank you for staying with me.”

  Owen smiled, and they squeezed through the narrow crevasse to return to the underground stream. The sound of water was welcome, and they walked back to their entry point where the water disappeared under the cavern wall.

  Esme shivered. “We’ll have to swim.”

  “Yeah.” Owen stood on the rocky ledge and held his light stick over the water. He looked back at Esme, clearly eager to leave even if it meant swimming through freezing black water.

  Esme extinguished her ball of fire and took a breath.

  No point delaying. He’s right; we have to get back to the real world.

  Owen took a deep breath, held the light stick secure, and jumped into the water. The splash that hit Esme was freezing cold, but she watched the blurred light as Owen started swimming. He aimed for the gap in the wall leading to the pool on the other side, and he was swimming as fast as he could.

  Esme took a
deep breath of her own and jumped after him.

  The water was so cold she nearly let out her breath, but she kicked frantically and swam after the fading light. More of those creepy ghost fish brushed past her. A squeezing sensation of claustrophobia distracted her swim as she passed through the hole in the cavern wall, but she forced herself to kick through. She searched the water and swam toward Owen’s light, which was rising in the water as he neared the surface.

  When her head broke the surface, she sucked in air and reached for the edge of the pool. A strong hand took hold of her arm and pulled, and her body lifted from the freezing water and flopped on the stone ground.

  Another light stick cast a faint glow over her, and she saw Dax looking down at her. “Cat balls, alterni! Are you okay?”

  “My lord,” said Max somewhere behind her. “What happened? If that crazy vamp had come one more time…”

  Owen was panting. “We’ll explain once we’re with the others.”

  He means I’ll explain, thought Esme as she got to her feet. He’s gotta be curious. What am I going to tell them? “Hey, guys, guess what? I’m made in the image of a god. The gods who created the alt-worlds are now trying to burn it all down, but some gods are fighting them, using this world as their battleground. Oh, and I’m the last one standing who can use their creator magic.”

  For now, Esme stayed silent. She lifted a hand and spelled a ball of fire.

  Both Hoffman brothers looked as relieved as Owen had to see warm light again.

  Owen wrung out the front of his shirt and replaced his holster belt that Max had returned to him. Then he pointed at the dark end of the cavern, the way they’d come. “We’d better get back topside.”

  Max snorted. “No argument here. This place gives me the creeps.”

  Esme turned with her ball of fire and looked across pool. The rift created by the god named Trent Simons smoked and shot bolts of lightning that reflected in the water. Esme stared at his rift for a moment, then lifted her hand and began to draw the termino.

  “Esme?” called Owen in alarm.