Endure (36 page)

“Punished? What do you mean ‘punished’?”

“This is all I have left.” Willy used his hand to point at the serene landscape around him. “If I break the oath, the gods can obliterate everything that remains of me. I won’t have a memory; I won’t exist. It’ll be like I never was. I’ll just be gone. Everyone who ever knew me will forget. First my face, then my voice, and then one day I just won’t exist anymore. The gods will take my essence and with it, the memory of me. I don’t want to be forgotten. I don’t want to disappear…” Willy took a breath and closed it eyes. “I want you to succeed, Chase, but I can’t tell you anything more.”

I fought back the tears that burned my eyes and stood to face him. Willy and I stared at each other and I swallowed all the questions I had. “They can’t do that! I won’t let them.”

Willy smiled. “Don’t quit, Chase. No matter what happens, don’t stop fighting.” He turned and walked back across the grass, his image becoming faded like an old photograph.

“Wait, where are you going?”

He plunged both hands in his pockets and didn’t turn around. Willy’s messy brown hair bobbed up and down with each step. “Time to go, Chase. Time to wake up.”

“No, not yet.”

“Time to wake up,” he said again. “Don’t forget me.

******

“Chase Williams, come on.” A hand touched my arm, but I couldn’t open my eyes. I wasn’t ready. “Time to wake up, it’s time to go.”

“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing my face.

“Morning. Vincent and Chief Sorent have returned.”

I forced my eyes open and sat up. Tiki’s hair hung in his eyes and purple smears covered his hands. Splotches of the color spackled his chest and stomach with bits stuck in his hair.

“What happened to you?”

Tiki looked down at himself and shrugged. “
Vesorla
!”

“
Vesorla
?”

“Yes, a common water creature found in Drakar. I helped catch them this morning. You are in for a treat at dinner tonight. That is for certain.” Tiki’s face was plastered with a smile.

“Where’s Rayna?”

“She wanted a place she could get cleaned up. I took her to a shallow spot near the river. She’ll join us soon. Chief Sorent has requested a meeting with you whenever you’re ready.”

“I’ll be out in a minute. I just need to…wake up.” I felt strange.

Tiki nodded and left the tent, leaving me alone with Willy’s voice bouncing through my mind. I had already lost him once, now I was worried I’d lose him again, but the gods wouldn’t really take him away, would they? I tried to ignore the thought. As long as Willy didn’t break their oaths, his memory was safe, and that gave me comfort. It helped that he had said he was at peace, and that put me at ease—for now.

Tiki washed the purple goop off his hands and chest before taking me through a maze of shacks. Through the labyrinth of trolls and huts stood an open space, fenced in with wooden poles and planks. Inside the fence was luscious blue and red grass. A large garden covered the length on one side, and the other side was landscaped with flowers and trees. In the center, a shale path led to a tent much larger than the rest.

Tiki held open one side of the doorway and a flood of heat slipped out into the cold morning air. Half-melted candles sat around a long and narrow wooden table. Chief Sorent sat at the head of the table with Garsmith to his right, and Ishmar to his left. Ishmar was half troll and half giant. I had never figured out how exactly that worked. My mind couldn’t compute the idea. Then again, I had never actually seen a giant so I only had my imagination to work with.

Ishmar had a few fresh scars, but he seemed in high spirits. When his eyes met mine, a wide smile crossed his mouth, revealing stained and wooden-like teeth. Garsmith gave me a sly grin as we walked toward the table that sat a dozen creatures on either side.

“Chase Williams,” Sorent said, clearing his throat. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. I admit I was sad to hear I had missed your previous visit. I hope Garsmith was welcoming.”

“Very much so.”

I reached for one of the two open chairs. It was wooden, held together with strands of vine, and it squeaked and shifted as I lowered myself into it. My eyes panned from one side of the table to another. I recognized some of the creatures from those who had spit on us at the market, but I didn’t know what they were called. Horns protruded from some of their faces and ears like tribal piercings. Others had large teeth that scooped from the bottom of their jaws like a boar’s. Black eyes stared back at me and a sticky-looking film covered the skin of the demon closest to me. He had a head shaped like a bull and the snout that went with it. His massive arms had scar-like tattoos raised off his dark brown skin, and he grunted when I looked at him.

I shifted in the chair again, noting the small man at the far end of the table. His red eyes were fierce, his body plump and short, and his face twisted with revulsion. At first I thought it was because I was human, or at least I was, and then I considered that it was probably because I looked like a half-breed. None of the pure bloods seemed to care much for them. But the longer I looked at him, the more recognition that came with his face. I shuddered. He was a goblin, and not just any goblin, he was Galthor.

Galthor had been the goblin I traded my blood for in exchange for travel to Alkalina Lake. He had given me Rai, which at the time, I hadn’t realized was more than just a very small bird. Expressing my frustration had made him angry, which broke the first rule of dealing with goblins: an angry goblin is not your friend. The look in his eyes told me he hadn’t forgotten me either.

Sorent seemed to pick up on the tension and looked down at the goblin. “Problem, Galthor?”

Galthor pulled his fat purple lips between square brown teeth. His glare became more intense and his warty skin wrinkled as he cringed. “No, no problem.”

“Good. Then let us begin.” Sorent smiled. “There are many here who were once at war: the goblins against the trolls, the giants against the
falkry
.” Sorent signaled the bull-headed creature. “With the help of the gods and the respected kings of each of our clans, we come together as one, intent on keeping our freedom.” Chief Sorent drank from a steel mug and wiped drops of golden liquid from his thick beard. “Chase Williams.”

I had been busy staring at all the different creatures that made an aisle between Sorent. I cleared my throat and nodded.

“You have come to us in seek of aid, yes?”

“Yes,” I said. “My father, Riley Williams, is on a mission to—”

“No need to explain, boy.” Sorent raised his hands and all eyes were on me. “The leaders have had the vision. We know your father and the battle you face. We have come together today to join you.”

“All of you?” I asked.

“All of us. Nobody here wishes to see our freedom stolen. Nobody will bow to the god of darkness. If Ithreal rises, that fate will be inevitable. What we need from you is to know when and where this all takes place.”

The demons focused on me, but I had been momentarily silenced. I was certain the trolls would help, and I had hoped we could bring the giants on board. I wasn’t entirely sure about the Dunopai, but I had my fingers crossed. That was the army I had expected. Now, sitting back in the creaky chair and staring at a dozen clans that were prepared to fight, I had a new wave of confidence. We were going to win.

“Chase,” Rayna said, touching my arm.

“Oh,” I said, clearing my throat. I hadn’t even seen her come in. “The ritual will take place on Earth exactly where your portals will open. I don’t know what the ritual entails or what will happen, but Riley and the Brothers will be there in nine days Earth time. That’s much shorter in this dimension, but I can’t be certain how much. Time works differently here, so the sooner we get there, the better.”

Sorent nodded and looked at the other demons. “Then we have work to do. Each clan will gather their armies and we’ll be prepared to leave within two day cycles! We will not let any creature take our land, and I’ll lay down my life before I let that god rise from his prison.” Sorent’s voice was gruff and loud, and the other demons smashed their fists into the table and roared in response. They all jumped from their chairs and chugged the golden liquid that filled their cups. Steel mugs were slammed against the table and burps unleashed as fierce as the roars. An outburst of head smashing and handshaking took place, and the demons stormed out of the tent, screaming and cheering for the coming war. Sorent and Ishmar remained in their seats, and Galthor straggled behind the demons, red eyes fixated on me. When he reached the end of the table, he climbed up on the chair closest to me and leaned forward. His breath reeked of stale mead, and he pushed his face close to mine. His thick green skin and dark warts glistened in the candlelight.

Before he could talk, I tried to do damage control. “Galthor, I…you have to understand about what happened last time. I never meant to upset you. I—”

“Silence.” His voice was dark and quiet, the vague Irish-like accent rolling from each word. He licked his lips and the two tusks that protruded from his jaw inched uncomfortably close to my face. “We goblins are easy
ta
rouse from time
ta
time. Forget da past. We fight alongside
ya
. Ithreal may be our god, but we’ll be damned if we fall back under
dat
’
orrific
rule again. Forced
ta
kill on his command. Forced
ta
starve and live like peasants.
Ya
just
betta
end this, ’cause if
ya
don’t,
ya
going to see
whadda
angry goblin really looks like.”

All the power inside me didn’t stop the intimidation that emanated from the little creature. I nodded and Galthor grunted, jumping down from the stool and waddling out of the tent.

“What the hell was that about?” Rayna asked.

“That’s a long story,” I said. “I’ll tell you about it some other time.”

“Chase,” Sorent said. He put one hand on my shoulder and forced the other into my hand, gripping it tightly. His small hand disappeared inside of mine, his calloused skin giving a solid handshake. “It’ll be a pleasure to fight with you, hunter.”

“Yes!” Ishmar loomed over Sorent. “An honor.”

“The gods are on your side, hunter.” Sorent’s gaze narrowed. “That’s more than I can say for your father. With all of us coming together, he’s in for a world of trouble.” Sorent laughed. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an army to assemble. We’ll be seeing you on the other side of the portal.”

“You can count on it.”

Ishmar shook my hand and leaned in close. “I will keep you safe, hunter. Just as you once spared my life, I will make sure nobody harms yours.” His voice was deep but youthful, and his grip rocky.

“Thanks, Ishmar.”

Ishmar followed after Sorent, the small loincloth that covered his crotch and butt fluttering up and down with each step.

“That was unexpected,” Rayna said.

“You can say that again.” I ran both hands through my hair.

“So what now? What are you thinking?”

We had an army—one that would be much larger than I had expected. I didn’t want to go to war. I wanted to stop Riley before it got that far, but something in my gut told me it was too late for that. “I’m thinking this is going to be a bloodbath.”

Chapter 29

“These people disgust me. Have you seen what they eat?” Vincent shuddered, pacing in front of the bridge near the village. “Can we leave yet?”

I couldn’t be annoyed by Vincent’s attitude. I had seen firsthand what the trolls liked to eat, and I for one didn’t want to stay a moment longer than we had to.

“We’re just waiting for Tiki to get cleaned up,” I said.

“Good. The smell of whatever the hell they’re cooking is making me want to eat someone. And you have yet to tell me how everything went. Did you do it? You don’t look like some almighty demigod.” Vincent crept closer, his eyes narrowing. He sniffed the air and I felt the gentle press of his power. “You smell the same too.” He cringed.

With almost no effort, my magic pushed him back. Vincent’s power dissipated immediately and shock came over his face. He stepped back, eyeing me from head to toe. “My, perhaps somebody has had an upgrade.”

“Yeah, but will it be enough?”

“Ready!” Tiki had stains of purple on his pants but he had otherwise cleaned himself up. His eyes moved to each of us, a smile wide across his lips.

“About time,” Vincent snapped. “I can’t stand another moment in this place.”

“How can you say such things?” Tiki asked. “Drakar is beautiful, the trolls are a wonderful people and the food, oh, how I love the food. I am saddened we will miss the
Vesorla
.”

Vincent cringed again. “Please, I’d rather eat decaying vermin.”

Confusion distorted Tiki’s features. He thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “Is everyone ready?” He stretched out his arms, ready to take us home.

“We are, but that won’t be necessary,” I said. “This one’s on me.”