The phantom flame, p.40
The Phantom Flame, page 40
It bounced again, then another chirp sounded through the space. Was the light alive?
The small orb hopped through the air toward him, then rested on his shoulder with another small chirrup. It was warm, like a tiny sun.
“Are you friendly?” he said, immediately feeling stupid for talking to a ball of light.
It squeaked, rising up slightly off his shoulder in what he could guess was delight. He watched the tiny thing as it wiggled. It was no larger than the palm of his hand, perfectly round and lacking any sort of distinguishing features. The core of the creature was a pale yellow and dense, unblemished. It radiated a soft light that looked almost like a fuzzy blanket. It seemed, all things considered, harmless.
He offered a finger to the orb, and it twirled against it. It chittered, then flitted off his shoulder and a few paces ahead, stopping to bounce back to him when he didn’t follow.
He obeyed the light, cocking his head as the orb skipped along ahead of him at eye level. Kellan tried wracking his brain for any knowledge he had of such a creature, but he came up blank. He’d seen nothing like it.
It led him across the space that proved to be as cavernous as he’d predicted. He still couldn’t see much, but the orb’s light was consistent. The floor shone as they continued on.
The orb stopped before a wooden door, its iron hinges perfectly preserved and polished. It bounced twice, then hovered near a large handle.
“You want me to go in there?” he said. “Is the artifact in there?”
The orb bobbed, then chirped. He took that for a confirmation.
Grasping the iron handle in his hand made him hiss; it was cold, the sensation sharp and painful against his skin. He tested the door, and to his surprise, it opened with little resistance. The orb chirped, then zipped through the small opening he’d created, plunging him into darkness.
“Hey!” he objected, pulling the door further open to get back some of the orb’s light.
It must have heard him; it came zooming back out, bounced near his shoulder twice, then hovered near the door frame.
He pouted. “Stick close to me, okay? I can’t see anything without you.”
The orb zipped around in a few circles. The longer he watched the tiny thing, the more it reminded him of an excitable puppy.
When he stepped through the door after the orb, light flooded his vision. Enormous sconces flared to life all around the gigantic circular room. Their light was much stronger than the orb’s, but they were also nearly six times its size.
The small orb floated toward the center of the room, coming to a stop over yet another royal symbol inlaid into the floor. Orbs as large as Kellan rose from their glass interiors to surround him. His heart pounded—if they were attacking him, he had no way to fight back.
They continued to gather around him, their heat making him sweat. They stayed in a circle around him, creating a dome as more joined the fray. It was almost as if they were observing him.
The small orb darted between its family, coming to rest once again upon his shoulder, wiggling happily next to him.
The orbs simply hovered around him, moving minimally. The tiny orb on his shoulder hopped up and down, back and forth between his shoulders, and shimmied through his hair. It seemed as if it was waiting for something and unable to sit still.
“Are they watching me?” he murmured.
It wriggled a few times on his shoulder, each bounce taking it higher until it hovered just above his head, spinning in a small circle.
He took that as an emphatic sort of yes, so he continued. “What do they want to see?”
The orb spun again, a slightly larger circle than the last one. He wasn’t sure what that meant.
He turned back to the surrounding orbs, observing each with a careful eye. Before he could take another breath, one orb broke free from the dome and headed toward the motif at the center of the room. It sank slowly through the floor.
Then, the other orbs dispersed with it, sinking into the same spot, one after another. He turned to the tiny orb, waiting for it to do the same, but it didn’t move. Instead, it spun lazily, circling his head like a halo.
“Do you not have to go with them?” he said.
The orb bounced off his hair once, then resumed its orbit around his head. It was a little silly, the small flutter of happiness at its insistence on staying with him.
The orbs continued to descend into the monarchy’s symbol. The room cooled with each descending orb, he noticed with a small touch of relief. When there were only a few orbs left, the tiny one still dancing around his head, he heard a noise from behind him. A soft gasp, then a scream.
The orbs disappearing into the floor froze. Kellan whipped around to find the source of the sound, fearing the worst.
Cassian.
He’d followed him down here, apparently adhering to their ten-minute rule. Kellan hadn’t realized he’d been gone for so long. He’d been too wrapped up in the orbs, their comforting light, their strange ritual. But now that Cassian was here, everything seemed to halt, as if whatever had been set in motion wasn’t sure it could continue.
The orb floating around his head stopped. Even though it had no face, he somehow knew it was observing Cassian with something like fear.
Kellan spoke softly, “He’s okay—he’s a good person. He won’t hurt you.”
The orb didn’t move. It hovered, its movement minimal. Then, another scream.
Kellan squinted back at Cassian and saw shadows moving around him. These, he recognized. They weren’t touching Cassian, but Kellan could just barely see through their haze.
Cassian’s head was in his hands, his hair between his fingers and being pulled painfully to either side. The screams had been Cassian’s.
He didn’t think—he ran. The orb sprang into action with him, bounding along behind him as he skittered across the polished floors toward Cassian. He hoped that these shadows were susceptible to light like the ones at Naktchul Pass. He had little hope, though.
When he was nearly there, he lost his footing, collapsing in a tangle of limbs and sliding to a halt just beside Cassian.
He writhed in pain, his face contorted as he laid his hands over his ears. His eyes were squeezed tightly shut, his mouth open and spread wide. Whatever was happening to him was immensely painful. Kellan didn’t know what to do.
The tiny orb fluttered around him, spinning around his head, then around Cassian’s, then back to his own. Almost like…
He never got to finish his thought. The room burst into flames, ablaze with a fire he recognized. It was Cassian’s fire. The fire from Hym’s temple, from Northwind. The fire they’d never been able to figure out or understand.
But it wasn’t coming from Cassian.
It came from the orb.
The shadows dispersed with the flames, their frayed figures dissolving into nothing. The flames lasted only a few moments, and when they died down, the orb spun in a tight circle once more over Cassian’s head.
He’d calmed down, Kellan noticed, his chest tight. His face was no longer contorted in pain. His hands dropped to his sides, shoulders slumped. And when Cassian fell, Kellan caught him gently with both hands.
“Thank you,” he said to the orb, holding Cassian to his chest. “You saved him.”
The orb chirped and spun, then came to rest in Cassian’s upturned right palm. It nuzzled in, squeaking in contentment as it did.
“So you like him now?” he said with a smile.
The orb chittered in response.
He held on to Cassian as he regained consciousness, blinking his eyes slowly against the dim light of the orb in his hand. It waited for him to reawaken, snuggling into his slightly curled fingers.
Kellan glanced back toward the large orbs. They were waiting for something, still suspended in the air. His gaze fell back to Cassian.
“The shadows…they were here too,” Cassian said, voice hoarse.
Kellan nodded. What had Gavnith said? As in life, so in death? “They were protecting the artifact from you, weren’t they?”
“Probably,” Cassian agreed. He lifted his hand, the orb of light still resting within, and brought it close to his face. “The fire made them go away. But it…it wasn’t mine.”
Kellan looked at the orb, cocking an eyebrow at it. “I don’t know what these things are, but it saved us, so it can’t be all that bad, right?”
Cassian didn’t respond right away. He turned his hand, observing the orb closely from all angles. His brow furrowed, then relaxed, then furrowed again as he continued his surveillance. But the orb stayed put; it didn’t bounce or squirm from his palm. It stayed silent, too; no squeaks to be heard as it allowed Cassian to turn it this way and that.
Finally, he seemed satisfied he would get nothing more from mere observation. He shrugged. “Seems harmless, I guess.”
The orb seemed delighted by his declaration, chirping several times and flipping from his palm. It headed back toward the center of the room, where the large orbs had resumed their journey into the floor.
Kellan stood, reaching down a hand to help Cassian up. He took Kellan’s hand tightly, his hand still warm from where the orb had rested. It was a startling change from the ice-cold skin Kellan had become accustomed to. The warmth reminded him of old times, before the Hells, before everything had gone to complete shit.
But then Cassian let go, and the moment was gone, fleeting like a petal on the spring breeze.
He watched the last of the large orbs disappear into the floor, mouth slightly parted. “What are they doing?”
Kellan shrugged. “I don’t know. You missed the part where they surrounded me, though.”
“Did they hurt you?”
Kellan shook his head. “No. It was more like they were…I don’t know, observing me? Judging me?”
Cassian made a sound in his throat, obviously confused. Kellan didn’t know how to explain it any better, so he let the topic drop with the last of the orbs.
When all that was left was the first tiny orb, Kellan waited with bated breath. The room was, strangely, as bright as it had been when they’d entered. It was an ambient sort of light with no specific source. It simply was.
A grating noise came from the floor, then the monarchy’s symbol cracked, splitting in half down the center. It opened slowly and revealed a rising pedestal. Atop the pedestal lay their goal: a shining golden sphere that was barely bigger than the tiny orb floating beside it.
“It’s…” Kellan began, staring at the sphere on the pedestal. It was so small. The other two artifacts had been almost comically large, but the Sphere was small enough to fit in the palm of an average humanoid’s hand. It was gold like the rest of the artifacts and shaped to look like it was still molten.
The floating orb bounced a few times by the pedestal, chittering excitedly and spinning in the air. It seemed like it wanted them to take the Sphere. Kellan obeyed, stepping forward with his hand outstretched.
His fingers connected with the Sphere, and a flash of power drove itself through him. It was as if the Sphere was warning him what it could do. It was enough to send him to his knees, the power he’d been shocked with too much for him to handle. Hands were on his shoulders before he could fall further. Cassian’s smoky scent curled itself around him.
“Kellan?” Cassian’s voice wobbled with worry.
Kellan reached his free hand up to steady himself, gripping Cassian’s arm. “I’m okay, just…don’t let go. Give me a few moments.”
He threw the orb in his jacket pocket, hoping letting it go would help with the weakness. The moment it left his hand, the pressure he’d felt upon grasping it was gone. He felt steadier.
Tapping at Cassian’s hand, he pushed himself off his knees. Cassian hovered, offering a hand to help him up. Kellan shook his head, hair falling into his eyes as he stood unassisted.
“Better?” Cassian asked quietly.
Kellan nodded. “Better. Let’s get back to the party.”
The orb hung by them, lighting their way back to the stairs. Kellan walked slowly, but his strength had nearly returned in full by the time they reached the stairs. Pride swelled in his chest as the Sphere bounced against his hip—they’d done it. They’d gotten all three artifacts. They could be free and done with all this “saving the world” bullshit. He could stay with Cassian.
A growl sounded from the top of the staircase, halting him in his tracks.
Another came from much closer, and in the light from the orb Kellan could see something stalking down the stairs on four legs. It had the head of a jackal, a scaled body, and long talons that scraped along the stone.
It couldn’t be.
The demon before him looked at him with brilliant yellow eyes and lunged.
52
KELLAN
Ebenfell
10th of Earth Moon
Four years had passed since the last time Kellan had seen these demons. Four years of dreaming about Pontius’ ocean blue eyes turning yellow. Four years of seeing Cassian’s stomach ripped open by one of those talons.
Cassian wasted no time—he grabbed Kellan’s jacket and pulled him back before the demon could snap its jaws around his throat. The demon snarled. It circled them but kept its distance. The orb at Kellan’s shoulder shrieked in protest.
“I’ll take this one. Get upstairs,” Cassian said.
“I won’t leave you,” Kellan argued, even though he knew Cassian was right. He was unarmed and unprotected. Fighting these things without his demon-killer would be impossible.
Cassian shook his head as purple energy gathered in his palm. “You have to.”
Kellan frowned, clenching his fists. Of course he had to. But that would leave Cassian alone in a dungeon, fighting against the very creatures that nearly destroyed him last time they’d fought.
His heart was screaming not to leave, but logic needed to win. If the demons were here, then chaos would follow. The people at the ball were in danger. Kellan needed to find Leo—he was surely behind this, surely the cause of these demons showing up now.
“Fine,” he conceded. “But if you’re not behind me in five minutes, I’m coming back for you.”
“Just go!” Cassian shouted. The ball of energy in his palm exploded into flames, and he lobbed it at the demon. With his other hand, he shoved Kellan toward the stairs.
Kellan ran. He sprinted up the staircase, the sounds of battle and snarling and ripping cloth chasing him up the stairs. He squeezed his eyes shut for a single breath, nearly tripping on the uneven steps.
Another demon waited for him at the top of the stairs, fangs bared and snarling. The orb raced ahead of him and bounced off the demon’s scaly snout before Kellan could react.
This did nothing to actually hurt the demon, but it was taken by surprise. Kellan saw his chance and took it, using the stone pallet in the cell to leap over the demon and racing his way to freedom. The orb followed, squealing as the demon turned and chased him.
He ran faster than he’d ever run in his life. He didn’t know where to go. Heading back up to the ball would cause chaos and put the partygoers’ lives at risk. He had no other choices, though, with the only entrance to the castle being the stone bridge over the moat. And he couldn’t leave without Cassian.
Kellan tapped the device in his ear, not waiting to see if Vaida could hear him. “V, Liv—we’re in trouble!”
No response.
He tried again. “V, Liv! Get out of here, now! There are demons!”
Again, nothing.
Goosebumps spread up his arms as he pushed on, the snarling demon still close at his heels. He couldn’t stop to catch his breath even for a moment, or it would overtake him.
He frantically looked around the dungeons flying by for anything he could use as a weapon. They’d been thorough in cleaning out the cells; there was nothing.
He was running out of time to think of something to help him escape the demon. And Vaida not responding to his comms was of equal concern. Too many things were going wrong, and he couldn’t think fast enough to solve any of them. It was all he could do to keep ahead of his pursuer.
Kellan finally reached the staircase leading back up to the castle proper. He took the wide marble stairs two at a time. The demon behind him slowed, their long claws making the slick surface hard to gain purchase on.
He took advantage of the demon’s difficulties, pushing himself even faster. He rounded a corner of the stairs, then another, and the demon was soon two flights below him.
Kellan burst from the staircase in a flurry of movement, panting heavily and shaking away the sweat that dripped into his eyes.
The scene that greeted him was worse than anything he’d encountered since the basement of Northwind Medical. He skidded to a halt, heart thundering in his chest.
A team of Red Guard soldiers awaited him at the top of the stairs, dressed in blood-red jackets with dramatic bell sleeves and polished gold buttons. Three pointed swords at the staircase; two more held Liv and Vaida captive. Four guards in black stood facing the courtyard, arms raised. A final guard, wearing a star on their breast, stood at the center of the archway, their hands tucked behind their back.
Behind them, chaos reigned. At least five of the demon dogs were snarling at party guests, several already sporting bloodied wounds and ripped finery. No one appeared severely injured, but Kellan couldn’t be sure how they’d fare in the next moments. He didn’t know why the hounds weren’t attacking, but judging by the faint purple haze around the black-coated guards, he assumed they were controlling the beasts somehow.
“Kellan Manchester,” the person in the center said slowly, as if the pandemonium behind them was nothing more than a passing butterfly. “You are hereby under arrest for crimes against the Empire and the Legionnaires of Spiral City. Come quietly.”
He braced himself, stance widening on the stairs as he prepared to fight. He was screwed; without a weapon, he didn’t know what he could do against the Red Guard.
