The Lord of the Clans (29 page)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Damn!”

A cramp assaulted her left calf as he cursed. She stretched her leg muscle, using the diversion to keep it together, willing herself to not scream. The pain abated, but the total blackness remained, seeming to worm its way inside her. Fingers trembling, she focused on the sound of his flint.

“I can’t light the torches again. It’s like there’s no air.”

“Cameron.”

When she whispered his name, he fumbled in the dark until he found her shoulders to wrap his arms around. She couldn’t quell the shivers shaking her body, and she had trouble putting one word after another.

“We’re going to die in here.”

“No, we aren’t. Come, sit down.”

Hands on her shoulders, he prompted her toward the ground. She pressed her back against the tunnel wall and slid down. She had to use one of her hands to maintain her balance as the sheath of her sword grated on the rock. He sat next to her while she brought the water skin to her lips.

Although the fresh liquid didn’t give her much courage, it helped keep mental pictures of monsters lurking in the dark at bay. He drank after her when she passed him the goatskin.

“Thank you.”

She took the container back and fastened her fingers around the top. At least they wouldn’t die of thirst.

Coldness penetrated her bones. Whether due to the low temperature in the labyrinth or to the despair clamping her heart, the bleak sensation accelerated her breathing. He clearly heard the short, rugged rasps coming out of her throat, and he took hold of her free hand.

“Don’t be frightened. Didn’t I promise we’d get out of here?”

“You did. It looks like you got ahead of yourself.”

“Nah, I never do that.”

He didn’t have a clue what to do next, but his light tone liberated the pressure inside her. Even trapped in the dark, he found ways to make her smile and ease the growing fear eating at her. His attempt to comfort her also goaded her to pluck up the courage to share her feelings.

“We won’t save the Four Kingdoms after all. The strange thing is I don’t care that much because we’ll be dead anyway.”

“We aren’t dead yet, and I refuse to give up until the last breath leaves my body. Even if my day has come, I’ll die fighting.”

“There’s nothing to fight down here.”

“Of course there is.”

What was he talking about? Did he think actual monsters roamed the tunnels in search of them? Would they have to draw their swords in this pitch-dark, forsaken place and battle enemies they couldn’t even see? She took a deep inspiration just as he squeezed her fingers.

“Bravery doesn’t come from great deeds, Ariana, but from hope. As long as you have confidence in yourself and faith in a brighter future, you might still live to see that day. If you surrender to despair, then you dig your own grave. You must have hope. I need you to have hope.”

Mind over matter.
How many times had her shaman repeated it over her years as a training healer? Here, in this forlorn place, a mighty warrior denied death with the same conviction.

Why couldn’t she see it? When and why had she closed her mind to faith? She might wear the body of the Lord of the Clans, but she didn’t deserve such an honour. She wasn’t worthy of this admirable man. Not today, not ever. With the touch of his hand warming her palm, she swallowed the lump in her throat.

“I can’t have hope. All I see is that we’re definitely going to die in these tunnels because we can’t get out, and nobody will come to our rescue. I’m not brave like you. I’m just scared out of my wits. The Ancients chose me to be their great power, but I’ve never had lives entrusted to me before, and I didn’t realise until now how oppressive and frightening that responsibility is. It feels like a burden, a death trap I can’t free myself from.”

“I know how it feels. I live with this responsibility every day. Tell me something. If someone had warned you that you’d become a man someday, would you have believed that person?”

“Of course not.”

“Yet you are a man. More than that, you’re the Lord of the Clans. Isn’t this proof that the impossible can happen?”

She hadn’t thought of the situation in this light. The notion of turning into a man didn’t sound any less ridiculous or desperate than being rescued from a maze. Besides, his convinced tone fazed her.

“I guess, but how do I go about having hope?”

“Don’t you care about the Four Kingdoms and its people?”

“Yes, I do. It’s just that if I am to die today, the fate of the realm won’t be my priority. Nor my last thought.”

“What is?”

She faltered. His straight to the point question triggered a bout of unexpected shyness within her. As she stared at nothing but the impenetrable darkness cutting them off from the rest of the world, she realised that she didn’t want to depart to the ethers without telling him.

“You.”

She felt his hand tighten around hers. In the absolute lifelessness of the deep underground, she heard his long intake of breath.

“Me. Why?”

“Because...”

Self-consciousness silenced her again. Fighting off the loud pumping of her heart and the capricious jiggles of her pulse, she closed her eyes. Then she opened them before licking her lips.

“Because I love you.”

A hush fell over the tunnels.
A moment of utter stillness where she felt blind and deaf, solely connected to the feminine body beside her, to the man she couldn’t live without.
She flinched when he spoke, his soft voice feeling like the caress of a passionate lover.

“Do you hope that I might love you?”

“More than anything.”

“Then I want you to hang on to that hope. I want you to feed on it until we’re out of this place. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, I can.”

To her profound surprise, she did. Elation expanded her heart as she listened to his ardent tone, as she heard the intensity of his words. She might not be able to hope for herself, but she’d do it for him.

A beam of light pierced the pocket of his cloak. The bright ray drilled the darkness and scattered shadows around them.

“Cameron, look. What is it?”

He let go of her fingers to shove his hand into his pocket. When he took it out, the disc, the square, and the triangle glowed in his palm.

“It’s hope.”

The three objects appeared alive. As though unable to do anything else, she stared at them until he got to his feet.

“Come on, this is our way out.”

She stood up, joy making her grin at the thought that the Ancients hadn’t deserted her after all. They simply needed her to believe in them, in their magic, or possibly in herself. She grabbed his fingers when he reached out to her, then took the first steps toward freedom.

They changed course or avoided passageways every time the light from the objects dimmed. But when the disc, the square, and the triangle glowed fiercely, they went straight on. Hand in hand, they followed the white beam for quite a long time. They hurried their steps at some point, spurred on by blind faith, driven by the ever urgent need to get out.

A hole appeared in the gloom. She barely made out its outlines, yet the three white beams guided them ever onwards. Within a short distance of the vague opening, she wondered why she wasn’t able to see better, but he didn’t give her time to dwell on the matter as he pulled her forward.

“Come on, Ariana, we’re almost there.”

Where? She walked faster to keep up with him. When they reached the man-sized hole, the light from the three magical shapes winked out. Just like that, without warning, and blackness fell on them again. She gasped, all of sudden feeling trapped in dark surroundings.

“What’s wrong? Why have they stopped working?”

“We’re outside. I guess they have served their purpose.”

“Really?
After all the trouble we went through to retrieve them from the temples, you’d think they’d be a little more helpful.”

“They’ve just saved our lives. What else do you expect?”

She wasn’t sure, actually. Somehow she had started to believe that the magical shapes would aid them to fight the Darkening, possibly vanquish it for them. That she was the one chosen by the Ancients.

Whatever assistance she got on the way, she’d still have to battle the evil alone. She knew this for a fact, even though her magic didn’t belong to her anymore, but to Cameron. She felt it in her bones.

He released her hand as they took their first step outside. She breathed fresh air first, intense relief filling her lungs.
Alive.
They were both alive, and she should thank the Mighty Gods instead of losing hope.
Whether the Creators watched over them or not, they had come this far.

Her eyes were still adjusting to the dark after such a long time in the tunnels, but she blinked in an attempt to discover her surroundings. It had to be early afternoon at the very least, yet night seemed to rule over the countryside. Darkness met her eyes everywhere she looked.

“Where are we?”

“On the other side of the mountain.”

He pointed above them. She craned her neck to discern the giant bulk of the shrouded peak. Observing around while smelling a damp odour, she saw only emptiness and shadows.

“It’s the middle of the day, yet it looks like night.”

“These territories belong to the Darkening now. I don’t think they’ll ever see the light again unless we do something about it.”

She followed him as he took a few steps forward. The ground underneath felt a little spongy and didn’t crunch underfoot. Squinting, as if the simple act would shed light, she realised they were walking on a flat, gray stretch of land with big rocks here and there that appeared as old as time. Then she saw a black line seeming to turn the gray soil into ebony grounds.

“Is it a field?”

“No. I’d say it’s similar to a large expanse of water, but I can’t see where it ends. Come, let’s take a closer look.”

A large pond?
A lake?
They advanced with caution, but as they neared the black line she spied a tall, compact block about thirty feet ahead. Between the indistinct mass and the shore in front of them, a long bridge spanned the water. Swarms of tiny shivers struck her calves and ran down her spine.

“Cameron, it’s some kind of castle.”

He unsheathed one of his swords and pointed it forward before indicating the nearest boulder.

“Hide behind this rock. I’m going to cross that bridge.”

“No, you aren’t. Not without me.”

“We don’t have time for an argument. I have the magic now, you don’t. So just lay low and wait for me.”

A violent flash of black light ripped the air and struck him. As he collapsed to the ground, she heard the hateful voice in her head.

Come to me.

Chapter Forty

“Get down!”

His shout broke her paralysis. She dropped to her knees, grabbed the collar of his cloak, and pulled him behind the boulder. Panting, he sat against the rock, his face streaked with spasms of pain.

“Damn. What was that?”

The retaliation for his trespassing.
The Darkening wanted her, no one else but her. Although no other word from the hissing voice rang in her head, she suddenly knew the name of the massive structure.

The Black Fortress.
Evil dwelt there, biding its time, waiting for her. But Cameron had been hit, and they needed to take care of his injury.

“Show me your wound.”

“It’s just my shoulder. I’ll be all right.”

The disc, the square, and the triangle glowed in his hand. He’d managed to hold on to them in spite of the attack. As they gave off light, she recalled the account she had read in the old book from the Shrine of Doom.
The keys are hidden from his sight. If prophecy should come to pass, they must be used.

He held the keys in his hand. They existed so she could use them to enter the looming fortress. Then another thought occurred to her, and she blurted it out while he grimaced from pain.

“They’re weapons. That’s why they’re glowing.”

He was a man of war. Without a care for his injury, he shifted the disc to his free hand and placed it between his fingers before raising it above the boulder. A white beam flew out of the small shape and struck the fortress with a loud bang.

On her knees, head sticking out of the side of the rock to watch the destruction of the enemy, she yelped with excitement.

“Yes. I knew it.”

In spite of the clash, the fortress remained undamaged. A faint shadow rippled over the structure when the magic from the disc hit it. Just for a brief instant, though long enough for her to understand.

“I don’t believe this.”

“What?”

“There’s a shield around the fortress, and the magic from the disc can’t penetrate it. What are we going to do?”

He observed the three shapes. Brow creased, he raised his gaze while extending his open palm toward her.

“Maybe we need to use them at the same time.”

“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

She seized the triangle and the square between shaky fingers, and waited for him to change position. Once he got onto his knees, he gave her last instructions, his face a mask of determination.

“I’ll count to three,
then
we fire together, okay?”

“Okay.”

She quickly poked her head and hands over the boulder when he reached number three. A blinding flash of magic erupted from the disc in his fingers and pounded the shield without weakening it. But nothing came out of the shapes she was holding. What in the Creators' names...?

Before the evil in the fortress took an eye for an eye, she urged him down while she ducked behind the large rock.

“Dear Creators, they don’t work with me.”

“I guess you need magic to wield them.”

“So, what now?”

She never caught his reply. His lips moved, but an abrupt hush blotted out all sounds except the blood-chilling voice in her head.

The door is open.

Come to me.

Fear knotted her stomach. She fought the coldness creeping inside her, eyelids dropping from the power of the invisible enemy. The world seemed to withdraw while an icy sensation began to fill her veins. She felt the evil presence all around her, taunting her to enter the fortress.

As if she was drowning in a black pool, the lack of air constricted her throat. She inhaled long lungsful and coughed hard enough to feel pain. Sight and reality rushed back as he shook her arm with too much vigour.

“Ariana, stay with me. What’s going on?”

Biting her lower lip, she stared at his worried expression. He loosened his grip as she focused on him, but didn’t let go of her arm. How come she could hear the malevolent voice when she didn’t have magic?

In all likelihood because the Ancients had chosen
her,
and the fact that she didn’t possess her magic anymore didn’t matter to them. They’d been dead and buried for centuries, after all. They might not be aware of every little detail of her life. Blinking to dispel any thoughts of the departed people who had trapped her into this role without her consent, she focused on Cameron.

“It’s talking to me.”

“Who?”

“The Darkening.
Can’t you hear it?”

He shook his head, a troubled wrinkle creasing the skin between his eyes. Gaze hard, he finally released her.

“What did it say?”

“That I must go inside the fortress.”

“No. I won’t allow that.”

“We don’t have much of a choice.”

Although he rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand while uttering a long sigh, he kept his stare fixed on her.

“You can’t go. You don’t have magic anymore.”

“But it will grant me free passage.”

“So? Do you think you’ll get a cup of tea and biscuits once you’re inside? Here, give me the trinkets.”

She passed him the triangle and the square, watching him as he attempted to fit both of them within the fingers of one hand. Although nowhere near easy, he quickly managed the awkward position. She wanted to tell him to be careful but, with an intent air on his face, he shot to his feet.

The magic from the objects instantly seemed to come alive. She stuck her head around the side of the boulder just in time to witness the powerful blast of white light crashing into the shield.

The deafening noise tore the lifelessness of the forsaken land. Like an image distorted by the glare of scorching heat, the protective dome blurred, rippled, and winked out of existence. His victorious tone would have made her smile, if not for the dangers still ahead.

“The shield is down. I’ll go—”

He never finished his sentence. A burst of black power hammered him, and he was violently thrown backward. She saw his body jerk like a rattled doll. He landed on his back a few feet away from her, legs twitching, a widening pool of blood soaking the front of his shirt.

She left the safety of the boulder without a second thought to rush to him. Mind ablaze with gut-wrenching fear, she tripped over her own feet, and stumbled down. But she didn’t care. She hurried to him on her hands and knees, lifted his head onto her big thighs,
saw
his ghastly face, saw the blood reddening his chest. Dear Creators, so much blood leaving his body.

“Ariana, go back to the boulder.”

“Hush, don’t talk. Heal yourself.”

His pale face contrasted with the enclosing darkness and resembled the white mask of death with every passing instant. She placed one of his hands over his chest, trying to avoid the sight of the gaping wound, willing him with all her strength to stay alive.
Because she couldn’t breathe without him.
She watched as his thick blood continued to leak between his splayed fingers.

“Come on, Cameron. Heal yourself.”

“I can’t. It doesn’t work.”

He must be mistaken, or dizzy from weakness. Her healing skills had never failed her before, not even once. She covered his reddened hand with hers as if she still possessed the power to save him.

“Of course it does. It has to work.”

“No. The magic is spent.”

Hot tears sprang to her eyes as she realised he was really trying to heal himself. The three magical objects had served their purpose, and no miracle occurred. Panic writhed in her belly, forcing her to inhale through her mouth.

Heart compressed with anguish, she desperately searched her mind for a solution, although she recognised there would only be one outcome. His wound was lethal, and they both knew it.

She felt like yelling her rage at the black skies, screaming her fury and desperation at the Mighty Gods who were taking his life. The heroic quest, the long dead Ancients, the evil Darkening, the fate of the Four Kingdoms, nothing existed anymore but the man agonizing before her.

He looked like a young woman whose features she knew by heart, yet he was the Lord of the Clans, the indestructible fighter who watched over his people, the legendary warrior whose valorous deeds were told on summer nights around camp fires. Her tears fell onto his brow as he attempted to smile.

“This is where we say goodbye, Ariana.”

“No. I won’t let you die.”

“You must go and fight this evil. The fate of the people of the Four Kingdoms rests on your shoulders now.”

“I don’t care. I want you to stay with me.”

He coughed blood, and the sight of his red lips burned a hole in her soul. Even as she shook her head, she heard the pain in his weak tone.

“The first time I laid eyes on you, my heart stopped. You were chained to a wall in my caves, yet you looked as brave as my fiercest warriors. I would have liked to see your beautiful face one more time.”

“Please, don’t talk like this. I swear I won’t let you die.”

He must have heard the desperate tone filling her plea, yet he appeared to dismiss it. She tightened her grasp on their soaked fingers as the ever increasing loss of his blood made the hold slippery. The rise of his chest lessened. With his intense gaze fixed on her eyes, he pressed his fingers against hers.

“My life changed the day we met. You’ve given me so much joy, Ariana, that I leave this world with happiness in my heart.”

“Cameron, no,
don’t
say these things. Stay with me, please. Don’t leave me here alone. I can’t go on without you.”

“You can. You will.”

His ragged breaths seemed to lacerate his lungs as he averted his face to cough out more blood. Throat locked, she stroked his brow with her free hand while her hurtful tears kept on falling.

An abrupt rush of wind disturbed the shorter hair around his livid features. As though the chilly air signalled the end of his pain, he turned his face back toward her again and fastened his stare on her.

“Ariana.”

His voice dwindled to a whisper. She leant forward, vision blurred, heart so tight in her chest she thought she might choke.

“I love you, flower.”

His eyes closed.