Ethon (The Other Worlds Series Book 2) (32 page)

In truth, Olinia had never been in battle. Even during the destruction of Dagon’s Black Castle, she’d been isolated from the bloodshed. Now, she had a front row seat to the devastation – desperately wanting to look away but unable to avert her eyes.

The tall grass was trampled from the bodies of both the living and the dead. Torn flesh gushed blood over the lush field, transforming it from green to black. Eveon warriors opposed humans and animals in front of her – their swords swirling around them with precision and speed. Yet, it was obvious that the Eves were far outnumbered and ill-suited for this conflict. The men and women they fought would be human one moment and an enormous beast the next, morphing through the air in the blink of an eye. The Eves were brawling with Craeles.

Suddenly, the ground changed beneath Olinia – zipping by as if she were standing still on a television screen while the images switched. She watched as the grass whooshed away, replaced by cobblestone. Only, it wasn’t really stone; it was glass – beautifully crafted and colored to imitate rock. Olinia looked up from her feet to find herself surrounded by Will on one side and Tiara on the other in front of a burning fortress.

Gaping holes – erupting with flames and black smoke – were scattered through the structure. The outer walls that encased the keep and courtyard in which Olinia stood, lay in ruins, as if a bulldozer had bashed them down. She eyed the turrets and parapets high above her head. Once they rose in brilliance – a symbol of High Royalty’s presence in Evedon – now they melted in the early evening sun. The Crystal Castle – a place Olinia had only seen once during her brief visit to Grennich – was dying in front of her eyes. Her chest ached at such a loss. She’d never even been inside it before.

“Even-tide, your majesties.”

Olinia dropped her gaze from the castle. To her surprise, the enclosure, all the way from the keep to the exterior wall, was filled with animals, ranging from a small cougar to a huge rhino. Olinia searched through the crowd of creatures for the human voice that had spoken in Eveon.

There, at the base of the steps leading into the castle, Talik stood, draped in a violet robe with a single yellow amulet dangling around his neck from a gold chain. He was sneering down at three figures on their hands and knees. Olinia gasped. All three wore chainmail with the crest Olinia displayed on her shoulder emblazed across the front of their royal blue attire. Yrond, Archelda, and Zedgry glared up at Talik, defiant despite their position on the ground.

Without acknowledging what she did, Olinia took a few steps closer to her twin and grandparents. The animals around her were more than just Craeles – they were Velvitors. Olinia frowned. Why did her family appear to be in pain? They were trembling. Yet, as far as she could see, they didn’t have any wounds.

“How odd to think that we were once friends,” Yrond muttered, his jaw clenched. “There was a time when I would not have deemed you capable of invading Evedon.”

“Fool,” Talik spat out. “Clearly, I am capable of far more than the destruction of your world.” He gestured to a cluster of humans off to the side, almost hidden from view by the Velvitors.

Olinia squinted, trying to get a better look at them, and realized with a start that they were in Ethon garb. She quickly counted sixteen women and twenty-seven men – all appearing to be in their early twenties. Their faces held a sort of blank stare. Olinia’s eyes widened when she recognized Porter’s partner – the woman who had numbed Olinia at her campus. What were they all doing in Evedon?

Then it dawned on Olinia what was going on. Talik had employed his advanced gifted DS graduates – the ones useful in the art of war, like Porter’s friend – to aid in his attack. But they were under some sort of spell. The glazed look in their eyes made them seem to be in a trance. Olinia turned to her brother again. The pain he and her grandparents experienced must have been incurred from the gifted Ethons.

“It’s not right to make them your slaves,” Zedgry’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

Talik smirked. “I gave them their training. They are merely repaying their debt to me.”

A hand on the small of Olinia’s back made her jump. Will frowned down at her. “Where are we?”

Will had a good point. If there was a war in Evedon, shouldn’t she and Will be taking part in it as well. “If Tiara’s seeing the past, then we’re in Ethon. Unless-”

She glanced at Tiara, who still stood transfixed in place. Could this be the future? Had Tiara finally succeeded in the Fraers’ request?

“Unless what?” Will asked.

“Unless this isn’t the past at all,” she finished. “Tiara might be witnessing the future.”

“As you can see, the Other Worlds have no more need of High Royalty,” Talik snarled, pulling back Olinia’s attention. “The peoples of our realm have me now.”

He nodded at the three nearest Velvitors – a wolf, coyote, and lioness – before pointing to Yrond and Archelda. “Feast.”

In the blink of an eye, the beasts attacked. Zedgry and Olinia simultaneously screamed as the flesh was devoured from their grandparents. Zedgry struggled to free himself from whatever force held him still, but his attempts were futile. Yrond and Archelda cried out, but couldn’t move a muscle in their own defense. Even in death, the gifted Ethons detained them.

Will pulled Olinia into his arms, but she was barely aware of his touch. She watched in horror as what was left of her grandparents laid on the now blood-covered stone. She felt ill. Tiara hunched over, dry-heaving onto the courtyard. Olinia covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from joining Tiara.

When it was over the beasts returned to their former positions in the crowd, revealing the remains of the king and queen. Olinia’s stomach lurched again. She swallowed it back, averting her gaze to her twin. His face was twisted in agony and shock while Talik grinned down at him.

“Now for you, young Lantz.” Talik reached into the folds of his cloak and retrieved his black hilted saber.

Olinia’s insides suddenly went cold. She dug her nails into Will’s arms. “No,” she breathed.

Zedgry held Talik’s gaze. “To murder High Royalty is unforgivable. My sister will not forget this.”

“Your sister will not be able to do much with a Bead inside of her,” Talik retorted.

“What do I have inside me?” Olinia blinked.

“I don’t think you’ve ever felt the full force of her rage before,” Zedgry spat out. “I pity you.”

 “I’ll take my chances.” Talik grunted and swung his sword, severing Zedgry’s head.

“NO!” Olinia shrieked, her legs giving out beneath her. Will held her up as Zedgry’s body went limp and his head rolled toward them – his brown eyes staring upward rebelliously.

This time Olinia did retch. She fell to her knees. Will crouched down beside her, holding back her hair. Grief mixed with distress ripped through her. This couldn’t be real. Zedgry couldn’t be dead.

Olinia glanced down at her left shoulder, pulling down the tank’s sleeve. Her birthmark was still silver! Zedgry wasn’t dead, at least not yet. Tiara had indeed visited the future. She whirled to Tiara.

The Drivian was slowly backing away from the carnage, her face dazed. Olinia had seen that same look on Tiara’s face in Ethon – just before they left for the Other Worlds. This must have been what Tiara saw.

“We should go.” Will said softly, lifting Olinia back onto her feet. “Olinia, I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s not real, not yet.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Tiara’s seeing the future.” She pointed to her shoulder. “Look at my birthmark. If this were the past then it wouldn’t be silver anymore.”

Will gripped onto her shoulder, brushing the skin of her birthmark with his thumb. “We can’t let this happen.”

“I know,” Olinia said and snapped her fingers.

As the comfort of the Hidden Mansion came into focus, Will released his hold on Olinia and dropped onto the couch. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He desperately wanted the movement to scour out the images of Zedgry’s death from his brain. It had left him thoroughly disturbed.

Olinia lowered herself next to him, burying her head into his chest. “Ohreen doveem naunt.”

He wrapped an arm around her, holding her tightly against him. “Yeah, that was the worst thing you’ve ever shown me.”

“We shouldn’t be here.” She straightened so she could look at his eyes.

“Where would you rather us be?” He blinked.

She took a deep breath. “We aren’t there, at the battle. It makes me think that it’s because we’re here in Sivean, waiting for the storm to pass.”

Will unfortunately saw where she was going with this. She wanted to leave Sivean, but the only way to do so was to go down to ground level. If they opened a portal from up here then they’d fall to their deaths in whichever world they went. He sighed. “You want to go back outside, don’t you?”

She nodded. “I don’t see any other options. I’m not going to let Zedge die.”

“Neither will I,” he sighed, resigned to the fact he had to get drenched again. “We’ll go once you’ve rested.”

“Rested?” Olinia’s brow furrowed. “We’ve got to go immediately.”

“You just Globed. Aren’t you exhausted?”

“I’m sure I will be eventually.” She let out a short laugh. “At the moment though, I have enough adrenaline coursing through me that I could face the bear version of Talik by myself.”

He raised an eyebrow. “In order to prevent Zedge from dying, I think we need to come up with a plan.”

Olinia fingered Will’s Silver Heart at her neck with one hand. “I have a crazy idea.”

:  :  :  :  :

Tiara snapped her fingers, but the scene in her head didn’t open. Instead, she felt an immense pain – like her lungs were closing in on themselves. She gulped in air greedily and fell back a step – out of Voiel’s grasp on her shoulder. Archrin reached out from his spot near the desk and steadied her. What was happening? She struggled through a few more breaths before she realized what it was.

“Ecknreef,” she gasped, grabbing the back of her neck with one hand.

“What’s going on here?” Voiel asked, his voice revealing his irritation.

She whirled to him. “I can’t show you. Talik’s Bead won’t let me.”

“Talik the Velvitor?” Voiel frowned.

“Yes,” she nodded, “I had an encounter with him in Ethon.”

Archrin was still holding onto her. “What did he do to you?”

Tiara decided to ignore his question for now by slipping away from him to put herself closer to the general. “Talik is planning the destruction of the Eves,” she winced at the memory of what she saw while Globing, “and he will win, unless we do something to stop him.”

“You wish to assist the Eves in their war with the Velvitors?” Voiel looked at Tiara as if she were insane. “You aren’t even queen yet and you already want to send your men into battle? It’s madness.”

If you saw what I saw, you’d feel a little crazy too,
she muttered to herself. Out loud, she said, “Then crown me queen because Talik won’t stop with just the Eves. He will quickly move onto the Saerds. If we don’t help the Eves, my reign will be very short lived.”

“That is no guarantee that your sovereignty will be any longer.” He grunted and sank down into the chair at his desk. “You could be killed or have your new people rise against you in anarchy simply because they dislike your choice. It’s a horrible political move.”

Tiara cared very little for politics at the moment. She leaned over the edge of the desk on her hands, placing her face closer to Voiel’s. “Answer me this, what’s worse – me losing my rule or the Other Worlds falling victim to the whims of the arrogant, spell-casting Velvitors?” She internally acknowledged that the Velvitors really weren’t that magical, but it wasn’t something she wished to explain to Voiel. She lowered her voice slightly. “I choose the Other Worlds, General. If we don’t give aid to the Eves, we all die anyway.”

Voiel sighed and passed a hand across his eyes. “It will be difficult to unite former Kendren armies with Eves. Many of your troops have had family and friends killed in combat by those with Eveon blood. Your people don’t trust the Eves.”

He had a valid argument. Tiara straightened. It would take a great deal of convincing to join her armies with the Eves, and Tiara wasn’t sure of how to go about it.

“General,” Sazx’s voice made Tiara turn, “I may be able to inspire your men for you.”

The general frowned. “I don’t believe I ever caught your name.”

Without even blinking, Sazx’s appearance changed. Tiara stared. He became gray as if it were as natural as breathing. She didn’t know that he could do that. Voiel rose to his feet behind her. “Who are you?” He demanded.

Sazx offered a tight smile. “I was once Captain of the Nagreth. If I can alter my allegiance, then so can your forces.”

:  :  :  :  :

As the afternoon sun gleamed over the exquisite willow fountain, Zedgry sat down onto its edge. He glared down into the trickling water, feeling annoyed and restless. He was in the garden of Fuladrik’s home, surrounded by beauty but unwilling to enjoy it. The continuous absence of his sister was infuriating. He had half a mind to desert Willowvale and join his grandparents at the Crystal Castle.