Promise of Wrath (The Hellequin Chronicles Book 6)

  “That’s something for Mordred to tell you if he wants to. But from my point of view, Baldr might be one of the most evil people I’ve ever heard of. I spent some time looking into him for Mordred a few centuries ago, and the things I uncovered—the number and method of those he killed—made my skin crawl. He’s not someone I’d want to go up against.”

  I looked over to Mordred. “You want to share?”

  “Baldr was one of the people who spent a great deal of time and effort destroying me during my stay here. I won’t allow him to do those things again. If I go there, it’s to kill him. It’s what he deserves.”

  “I never heard anything about him,” I said. “Nothing like that, anyway.”

  “He didn’t have a lot to do with the outside world,” Mordred explained. “He stuck to the Norse realms.”

  “He was not a pleasant man,” Jinayca interjected. “I personally didn’t like dealing with him when he arrived. He liked to go out of the mountain into the forest to hunt creatures there. He liked to hurt them before they died. He’d purposefully wound the creature, but let it live so he could hunt it down again.”

  “So are all of the Norse pantheon as pleasant?” Remy asked. “Do they all want Avalon destroyed?”

  “There was a civil war between parts of the Norse pantheon,” Jinayca said. “Baldr was on one side, Odin on the other. I have no idea who joined which side after that, but Odin had nothing but respect for Avalon from the times I’d spoken to him. So to answer your question, I doubt it. It looks like it’s just Baldr and whoever is helping him.”

  “Is Baldr the leader of the side fighting Odin?” I asked.

  “Not sure,” Zamek said. “If he’s not, then he’s pretty high up in that side. He’s not someone who likes taking too many orders.”

  “And Kasey is his prisoner,” I said with a sigh. “She’s in the citadel. Baldr said she’ll be released if Mordred and I give ourselves up.”

  “Do you have a plan?” Mordred asked me.

  “Basically, we’re going to give ourselves up, and the rest of you are going to infiltrate the citadel and wait until Kasey gets out. Then we’re going to kill them all. Anyone got any arguments with that?”

  No one did. Even Morgan didn’t argue about being split up from Mordred.

  “I’m coming with you two,” Chloe said. “And before anyone argues, someone has to be there to take Kasey; they’d expect it. And I’m only a little old witch, so they won’t see me as much of a threat. Besides, my mother helped put me here, and I’d like to help screw up whatever plan she and her insane friends have come up with.”

  “If you think you’re up to it, you’re welcome,” I told her.

  “You know they’re never going to let Kasey go,” Irkalla said. “Ever.”

  “I know,” I said. “They’ll make a big song and dance about it, and then just keep us all there anyway. Or try to kill her in front of us. Chloe’s going to make sure that doesn’t happen. And she’s right; she’s the least threatening, and most unknown, of everyone here. I’m not sure if they even know she took the spirit scroll, but even if they do, these people are arrogant and won’t much care.”

  “If she goes, I’m going!” Adam shouted from the head of the table, gaining a nod of appreciation from Chloe in response.

  “Fine,” I said. “Humans galore.”

  “So where do we go?” Diane asked.

  I unfurled a map of the entire mountain on the table. “I’ve been told that several of the dwarves have been working on getting the tunnel unblocked. Jinayca, any updates on that?”

  Jinayca stood. “It should take a few hours, but from what they’ve figured out, the tunnel that Stel created goes to this point here.” She touched the map. “The citadel is here, which is some way after that. You just need to figure out how to get from there to there without starting a war.”

  “The old guard tunnels,” Zamek said. “It’s how we all escaped when the elves first attacked. We collapsed most of them behind us as we fled, but there are a few left. It was decided to leave them be, just in case we needed to re-enter the tower for any reason. It’s single-file, though, which is why we haven’t used it. Once you’re in that tunnel, the only way is forward; there’s no escape or room to fight down there. And there’s one other problem.”

  “It takes you into a sewer?” Remy guessed.

  “The barracks,” Zamek corrected.

  “So the second we gain entry, we’re getting into a fight,” Morgan said.

  “Well, yes and no,” Zamek interjected. “If we can get into the barracks and do it quickly, we could overrun whoever is in there and kill them all before a fight starts.”

  “That’s a big if,” Irkalla said, “but possible.”

  “When does this all go ahead?” Diane asked.

  “Soon. But there’s one other thing. Kay has a tablet that allows travel between realms without leaving the tablet behind. I don’t know how, but we need it. It’s the only way home, and also I’d really rather not have something that dangerous in their hands.”

  “So we need Kay alive?” Morgan asked.

  “God, no. I’m going to tear his head off and shove it up his ass. No, we need that tablet. If he doesn’t have it on him, we’ll need to find it.”

  “Are we sure it exists?” Diane asked.

  “He confirmed as much to me. I’ll try to get him to talk, but I might not have time, and this is a one-time trip into the citadel. We don’t get another shot at this. Those blood elves are going to outnumber us ten thousand to one. But most of them are going to be outside the building so we can lock it down and get what we need.”

  “So we gain entry, kill the guards, lock the citadel down, find a tablet, and get home?” Mordred summarized. “Sounds easy. Let’s do it.”

  “What happens to this city once we’ve done this?” Chloe asked. “Are the elves going to attack it?”

  Jinayca nodded. “More than likely, yes. It’ll take them some time, however. We can prepare the surrounding area to make it more difficult, too.”

  “How about we give them something else to think about?” I asked.

  “Like what?”

  “The bridge that connects the citadel to the rest of the elven-controlled territory. There are a lot of elves on that bridge.”

  “A lot under it too,” she said.

  “How many problems would destroying it cost them?”

  “They’d still be able to get in and out of the citadel, but it would cause problems getting large amounts of supplies in. They’d have to go through the bottom levels, and they’re not designed for it. It would give us time.”

  “Then we’ll see what we can do about the bridge.”

  “None of the dwarven elders will like it.” She stood. “They’ll say it’s destroying our ancestry. And the possibility of not telling them is out. Give me some time; I might be able to convince them, and if I can’t make them listen to reason, well, in that case I’ll figure out a way to get anything you might need without their help.”

  Everyone filtered out of the room, leaving me alone with the Fates, who I hadn’t even noticed had entered the room.

  “You’re very stealthy,” I said. “Like big cats or something.”

  “Do you know why we’re here?” Cassandra asked.

  “Because you told Mordred he had to kill me?” I took a guess, and let just enough annoyance into my voice to make it known I was less than thrilled about their prophecy.

  “We didn’t lie,” Ivy said.

  “Did you really need to tell him at all?” I asked. “And exactly why does he need to know that he has to kill me? He’s trying to convince people he’s changed—that he’s not a psychopath who wants to murder me every ten seconds, and then he tells me he has to kill me. How quickly do you think I’m going to trust someone who tells me they’re going to be responsible for my murder?”

  “You both need to understand what’s at stake here.”

  “For you or me?” I asked Cassandra
. “Because if I remember correctly, you held stuff back from me the last time I went to see you and people died. Good people. So are you lying to Mordred now? Is he going to try and kill me, but I kill him first? Is that the game you’re playing?”

  “No games here, Nate,” Grace said. “Just the truth.”

  “Yeah, ‘just the truth?’ Because I don’t believe that.”

  “We may have abridged the truth,” Ivy said.

  I threw my arms in the air. “What a complete shock. So, what’s the actual truth? I have to die, or thousands more will? Is that it?”

  “It’s not that simple.”

  “It never is with you people.” I took a moment and counted to ten.

  Ivy came over and placed her hand on mine. “If you survive the coming years, there’s a chance you’ll become the thing you hate the most. You’ll become a monster: a cruel, vicious beast who thinks nothing of following the plans of those he works for. I’ve seen it. I’ve seen the bodies in your wake; I’ve seen the deaths of your friends and loved ones. I’ve seen it twist and break you. You’ll become Mordred, but there will be no turning back for you. I don’t want that. That’s why we told Mordred: because we knew he’d tell you, and we knew you’d end up here.”

  “So essentially I need to stop whoever is pulling my strings? What do you think I’ve been doing? I’m not playing games here. I’ve made sure to try and stop anyone who manipulates me, or tries to hurt the people I care about. And you tell me I’m still going to be manipulated into turning into a monster?”

  Ivy nodded. “The manipulation started long ago.”

  “Who’s doing the string-pulling?”

  “We don’t know,” Cassandra admitted. “It’s like a swirl of darkness and has been that way for a long time. We saw it cover Mordred, and now it covers you. Mordred is free from it, but you’re not. And if you don’t become free from it, Mordred will have no choice but to kill you. It’s the only way to save the lives of so many.”

  “So I either free myself from a manipulator or turn into an evil version of myself? And if it’s the latter, the only thing that can stop it is Mordred. Brilliant. That’s excellent help, thanks. How is what you want me to do any different to what I’ve been doing? I’m not going to just lie down and let someone manipulate me.”

  “What if the manipulator is someone you care about?” Ivy asked. “What if it’s a friend of yours: someone you think of warmly? What if, while you’re fighting against everyone who tries to hurt you or your friends, it’s one of your friends who’s slowly taking you into the darkness we see in your future?”

  I opened my mouth to speak and quickly closed it, choosing my words carefully before I spoke again. “I trust my friends. I have to. If I think for one second that one of them is out to get me, to turn me into something I’m not, then I might as well just go live at the top of a mountain alone for the rest of my life.”

  Ivy took a deep breath, slowly letting it out before she began talking. “The next few years are crucial for you. Things are going to change in your life; your resolve will be tested. Yes, we told Mordred he had to kill you, because in his future that’s true. He will have to kill you to stop you. He’s the only one who can. But if you can fight it—if you can stop this manipulation, stop the erosion of your soul—then maybe there’s a chance for you.”

  “Are you lying now?” I asked. “Did you know that Mordred would become cured? That me shooting him would eventually cure him?”

  Ivy shook her head. “I saw his death and nothing more. There was nothing beyond that.”

  “So it’s possible that he could kill me, and I still survive. My heart could stop, but I live. And after that I could still turn into a monster, or be free from the manipulation?”

  Ivy nodded. “Is that a risk you want to take? It would be better to find another way.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t put much stock in the odds. I’ve made a life of beating them at every available opportunity. Mordred isn’t going to kill me, and I’m not going to allow myself to be manipulated by some unknown force. I will do what I think is right, but if Mordred comes for me, I’m not just going to let it happen.”

  “We will be staying here, in this realm,” Cassandra told me. “Either you’ll successfully take Kay’s tablet and return to the earth realm, leaving us safe, or you’ll all be dead. Going with you would put us in Baldr’s hands anyway.”

  I understood why they were doing it. It certainly made sense to stay away from those who would use them.

  “And when we’re not in the same realm, I can’t see your future,” Ivy admitted.

  “Good.” I didn’t want to be annoyed; after all, they were only trying to warn me. But it felt like an invasion of privacy nonetheless. They’d told Mordred he would have to kill me, and then told me that essentially I either allow it to happen or I murder people in some crazed mission of vengeance. I didn’t want to believe them; they’d certainly held information back from me before, but it was still something I had to consider. Was Mordred right? Would he have to kill me to stop me? Would he be able to? The whole thing made my head hurt and I left the room without another word.

  “Did the Fates talk to you?” Mordred asked me as I exited the building.

  “You are exactly the last person I want to talk to.”

  “They told you what they told me, yes?”

  I sighed and nodded. “Either you kill me, or I become a raving psychopath hell-bent on killing a lot of people. Yep. It was a fun conversation.”

  “Did it make your head hurt?”

  I nodded. “All of this fate stuff makes me feel nauseous. They lied to you, or they manipulated the truth. Apparently one of my friends is going to turn me to the dark side or something, and if I don’t give in, I don’t go full evil. So you’re off the hook. Frankly, my head does hurt.”

  I rubbed my temples.

  “I hope you’re right,” he said. He waited a few seconds before continuing. “You know the second I see Baldr I’m going to try and kill him.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much. You think you can hold it together long enough to do it when we’re not surrounded by blood elves?”

  “Don’t know. I’ve wanted him dead for a long time. He’s powerful, Nate—unbearably powerful—and in all honesty I’m not sure if I even can kill him. Or if he can be killed.”

  “He’s a sorcerer?”

  “Yes. And he’s more dangerous than anyone you’ve ever met. He hates Odin for some reason, and Zeus, and pretty much anyone of the old guard. I think he killed Thor, too.”

  “‘Think?’”

  “Just a rumor I’d heard. As you know, the Norse gods are all hidden in one realm or another, so getting reliable intel is difficult.”

  “So exactly how, and why, is he here?”

  “I don’t have the answer to either of those. Do you think Chloe is okay? You think she’ll be able to cope with what she might see in that place?”

  “I don’t think she has much of a choice. She’ll be okay, though. She’s stronger than most her age. And that scroll gives her a whole new set of powers: a set I’m somewhat concerned about.”

  Mordred slapped me on the shoulder. “She’s in the temple if you happened to want to talk to her before we leave.”

  I found Chloe by the side of the temple with her father, Adam, as he tried to teach her to use the powers of the scroll she’d taken in.

  “Can you hear the spirits?” he asked as I stood and watched, not wanting to ruin her concentration.

  “Hearing them isn’t the problem,” she snapped. “Getting them to shut up is!”

  “There should be one spirit more than the others that you like, that you feel good about. You need to accept that spirit as your guide. It will make things easier.”

  “They’ve been telling me that for the last few hours, but frankly they’re all very irritating.”

  “Don’t pick with your mind; pick with your heart.”

  Chloe didn’t look impressed. “That’s the
single biggest crock of shit I’ve heard anyone say. ‘Pick with your heart?’ Really? And then I’ll make a bag out of hemp and call myself Jewel.”

  I tried not to laugh, but it came out anyway. “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  Adam didn’t look thrilled about it, but his expression of annoyance soon eased away. “Actually, we could use a break. Chloe is having trouble accessing the power inside of her scroll. She’s yet to pick a spirit, and until she does, the power she’s been given will be hit-and-miss. And she’ll be unable to fight off any of the demon’s advances.”

  “So, she has to accept a spirit to be her guide, and then accept them all, including the demon?” I asked, hoping I had the right idea.

  Adam nodded. “She will be able to use a modicum of power until then, but once she’s accepted the demon, she’ll be able to access that extra reserve whenever she wishes. And until she does, the demon will be able to influence her, try to get her to just accept him and ignore the other spirits.”

  “So what’s the problem?” I asked. “Just pick a spirit and crack on.”

  “It’s not that easy,” she said. “There are three spirits in this scroll, and frankly, they’re all somewhat know-it-all.”

  “I’m going to get some water,” Adam said. “See if you can help.”

  He walked off and I sat on the stone beside Chloe. “How’s your dad?”

  “I never thought I’d see him again. It’s been awesome having him help me train.”

  “Is that why you’re not picking a spirit: because it means he needs to stick around and help you more?”

  She opened her mouth and closed it. “He wants to stay here. He says I have a good life back in the earth realm, and that now he knows I’m safe, he doesn’t need to come with me. He says he can do real good here. But I need him. He’s my dad.”

  “I know. Have you told him that?”

  She shook her head, and wiped away some tears. “I don’t know how.”

  “Just tell him. You’ll find things a lot easier after that.”

  She nodded to herself, and for a moment I thought the conversation was over. “What if we don’t get Kase back?”