A Soul For Atonement (The Soulbearer Series Book 4) (16 page)

“No, it’s not, and part of me is rather sad at having to do so to lure you into Chaos.” The bowl vanished from his hands. “I’ve had time to rethink what I want, and I brought you to my palace for a different reason.”

Back to the game they’d been playing since she’d arrived. “Which is?”

His gazed flickered over the length of her body, and she fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. But he must have read her expression because he laughed and said, “No, my dear little Soulbearer, I didn’t bring you here to bed you. If I did, you’d be so spoiled, you’d never want Dev again.”

“Whatever,” she replied with a roll of her eyes.

He crouched beside her, his hands clasped in front of him. “Do you want to know why I revealed the location to you? Because I wanted to brag. I wanted to show the other gods what I was capable of doing, even without a body. I wanted them to know they could not so easily dismiss me.”

“I don’t think they’ve dismissed you. Why do you think they fear you gaining your body again?”

“No, no, no. That’s where they have it wrong.” He stood and crossed the platform, his back to her. The muscles in his shoulders rippled and tightened, matching the strain in his voice. “I don’t want fear. I want respect. I want to be treated as their equal and not as some deviant they’re ashamed of. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be isolated because you are different? To be ridiculed? To be hidden away like some dirty little secret? To be oppressed and imprisoned because you dared to rise up to your full potential?”

His raw words spoke to the innermost part of her soul, and tears prickled her eyes. Yes, she knew all too well what he spoke of. Growing up in Wallus, she’d always been an outcast, first due to her appearance, then because of her powers. She’d lived in constant fear of being cast aside, of being sold as a concubine to some nobleman, of being burned at the stake. When she’d become the Soulbearer, she’d gained her freedom. But she’d never realized how much she had in common with Loku until now.

“Is that another reason why you chose me to be your Soulbearer? Because you knew I’d understand you?”

He turned and nodded. “Far better than any of the previous Soulbearers.”

She chewed her bottom lip and mulled over his words. As much as she wanted to believe him, she’d been fooled too many times. “If you’re aiming to gain their respect, kidnapping me is not the best way to do that, nor was stealing a sacred relic and endangering the lives of an entire race.”

“But I returned it.” He came and sat down across from her. “As for you, the main reason I kept you here was because I wanted to have a chance to discuss my plans with you without interruption and without someone trying to sway your decision.”

The shift in his behavior still didn’t sit well with her. He was being nice, but not without cause. She chose her words carefully. “I’ll listen, but there’s no guarantee I’ll agree to your plans.”

“Fair enough.” His grin widened. “I don’t want a Soulbearer anymore. I want a high priestess. One that will rival Ivis’s and Lireal’s. One who will be my voice in the mortal realm, sit at the Tribunal of the Gods, and remind the others that chaos is still a power to be reckoned with. And I want you to be that high priestess.”

Chapter 19

Dev paced the length of the cavern behind Callix. “What’s taking so long?”

“By all means, if you can decipher these ancient runes any faster, have at it,” the apprentice Lore Keeper replied without looking up from his scribblings in the ashes.

Cinder gave a wolfish grumble and plopped his head back on his paws.

“My thoughts exactly,” Dev muttered.

Sazi had dropped him off at this cave hours ago, but so far, Callix hadn’t been able to translate the incantation that would open the portal. He hoped Varrik would have better luck when he arrived. Every second that passed knowing Arden was trapped in Chaos was its own special form of torture, mainly because there was nothing he could do to free her. It was completely out of his hands, and that frustrated him more than anything he’d ever experienced, even dealing with the antics of the prior Soulbearers.

“What’s Chaos like?” he asked in an attempt to prepare himself for what lay ahead.

“What do you think?” Callix shot back, his attention still on the runes. “It’s chaos. Always changing without any rhyme or reason. Strange creatures that seem to be made up of odds and ends. Never know what Loku’s going to throw at you.”

Dev nodded with each piece of information he gleaned. Nothing he didn’t expect from Loku. After nearly a century of dealing with the chaos god, he knew enough of his tricks. “And where did you last see Arden?”

“In an apple orchard with living trees that like to be petted.”

Dev stopped short, and even Cinder lifted his head. “Trees that like to be petted?”

Callix nodded. “I told you nothing made sense there, but Arden knew enough to get us past them. At least, until Loku used them to corner us.”

Dev shook his head and resumed pacing. Callix was his only guide to Chaos, and even he seemed a little mad from his experiences. “Do you think he’ll hurt her?”

Callix paused and turned to Dev. “I pray to Ivis that he doesn’t. Most of his malice was directed toward me.”

“And if we don’t give him what he wants?”

Callix pressed his lips together and swallowed hard. “Then I’ll wrestle her out of Chaos with my bare hands, if I have to.”

“You won’t be alone.” Dev met his gaze, and for the first time, he had a common bond with the man whose place he took. Callix wasn’t the coward he’d once thought him to be. He’d changed, and maybe at another time, he would inquire about it.

A bright light blazed through the cavern, blinding him and ending their conversation. When it faded, Sazi and Varrik stood a few feet away with an open portal behind them.

Callix scrambled to his feet. “Do you think you can translate this?”

“If what Sazi has told me is correct, this should help.” Varrik opened the book in his hands and entered into a quiet conversation with his apprentice.

Sazi moved to Dev. “Your soul is troubled.”

“What makes you think that?” he replied with a healthy dose of sarcasm.

“Then perhaps this will help ease your worries.” She held out a small urn bearing Loku’s mark.

Dev’s breath froze, and judging by the shock on Callix’s face, he had the same reaction.

“You can’t let him have his ashes,” Callix said in a hushed voice.

“Do you really think I am foolish enough to do that?” Sazi removed the lid and turned the urn over to show it was empty. “His ashes remain securely hidden. This is just a decoy.”

But it was enough to fool both him and Callix. “Do you think he’ll fall for it?” Dev asked.

“There is only one way to find out.” A mischievous light danced in her dark eyes. “But if we are to trick a god, we must make the deception as believable as possible. First, we will need to gather some ashes.”

Dev used his boot to sweep what was on the cavern floor into a pile for Sazi to scoop into the urn. “Is that enough, or should I have Cinder burn a few more things?”

“That is enough. Now, I will seal it using the same spells as on the original.” She focused her attention on the urn. A rainbow of spells rippled from her fingertips, each one forming a separate colored band around the lid. Sweat beaded her forehead by the time she finished, but a weak smile formed on her lips. “It is done.”

“So is the incantation.” Varrik snapped the book closed with a thud and recited something in a language so ancient, Dev doubted any living person would understand it.

The runes started glowing with the same eerie yellow-green light he’d come to associate with Loku. They drifted along the stone wall to form a circle, then started to swirl in a counterclockwise direction. Faster and faster, they spun until they blurred into a solid line. A green spark formed at the center and spread like a drop of ink staining parchment until it reached the borders of the rune circle.

Sazi held out her hand, and a wave of protective magic surrounded them. They all took a step back, not knowing what could come out of Chaos once the portal opened. Dev reached for his sword and swallowed his fear. He was about to blindly go into the unknown, but he would do it for Arden.

The runes slowed and faded back into their original positions along the top of the cave wall, but the shimmering green portal remained. Dev drew his sword and moved toward it.

“Wait!” Callix intercepted him. “We need to have a plan before going in there.”

“My only plan is to get her back.”

“And I’m the only person here who knows what lies on the other side.” Callix turned to Sazi. “It might be wise to cast the same binding spell on him, just in case Loku tries his little stunt on Dev.”

“Agreed.”

Before Dev could ask what they were talking about, Sazi pressed her hand to the center of his chest. A bolt of magic ripped through him, blurring his vision and making his stomach lurch. He stumbled back and pressed the heel of his hand to where the spell had struck him. “What was that?”

“She bound your soul to your body so Loku won’t try to evict it and take over your body.” Callix adjusted his weapons and reached for the urn. “I’ll take this, just in case it’s needed.”

The nausea passed, and Dev did his own check of his weapons. Sword at his side. Five daggers—one hidden up each sleeve, one hidden in each boot, and one at his belt. Small collapsible crossbow, strapped to his thigh, with ten drug-laced darts. Six spiked metal stars, ready to throw from the hidden pocket along his other thigh. If Chaos was going to launch everything it had at him, he needed to be prepared.

“I’ll lead the way to where I last saw her, and we’ll go from there.” Callix waited for Dev to nod before adding, “Warning—the landing’s a bitch.”

He disappeared through the portal, and Dev looked to Varrik. Arden’s father hugged the book in his arms, his face pale and tight.

“Don’t worry, Varrik,” he said. “Callix and I will bring her back.”

“I know you will.” But the concern didn’t ease from his face.

Dev tested his grip on the sword and ordered Cinder to stay before stepping up to the portal. The ground disappeared from under his feet, and he tumbled through the air, not sure which direction he was falling in but knowing that he was completely out of control. Pulsating lights flew past him, adding to his disorientation. Then the haze cleared, and the earth rushed up to greet him. The blow knocked the air from his lungs, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

But all that meant nothing when he heard a familiar voice call out his name.

He lifted his head to find Arden rushing toward him. Praise be to Lady Luck, she was alive! He managed to get to his knees just before she collided with him and threw her arms around his neck.

“Dev, you’re alive.” Her sweet kisses showered his face, followed by a wave of healing magic that erased the taste of blood. “Sweet Lady Moon, you’re alive.”

He wrapped his arms around her and captured her mouth with his own. In the past week, he’d dreamt of her kiss, but nothing could compare to holding her in his arms now. The warmth of her touch drove away his fears, and he indulged in the sweetness of her mouth, making a silent vow to whatever gods were listening that he’d never let her go.

“Yes, that’s all very nauseatingly cute, but can you please take it outside of my realm?” an equally familiar voice asked dryly. “There’s a reason I brought you back to the portal.”

Dev forced himself to end the kiss and peered over Arden’s shoulder to find Loku standing about a hundred yards away, his arms crossed. He’d seen drawings depicting the chaos god, but none of them had prepared him for the real thing. Even with a semi-transparent body, the god radiated power. Black lines coiled over his skin like a den of serpents preparing to strike, and the sinister light glowing from his eyes made Dev’s palms grow damp.

He pushed Arden behind him and retrieved his sword. “We’re taking her home.”

“Oh?” Loku asked, arching one brow. “What if she wants to stay with me?”

The way Arden tightened her arm around Dev’s waist answered that question. “The game’s up, Loku.”

“Are you certain?” The god’s grin widened as the earth rolled under their feet and knocked them off balance. “We could have all kinds of fun yet.”

Arden let go of him and moved between him and the chaos god. “Loku, remember our bargain.”

A bitter taste filled Dev’s mouth. “What bargain?”

“Please, let’s get out of here first,” she replied with a plea in her eyes.

He was going to have to trust her for now, but when they got back, he’d want to know more.

“Fine, you can go,” Loku said with a flippant wave of his hand, “once Callix gives me what he’s hiding under his cloak.”

He exchanged glances with the apprentice Lore Keeper, forcing himself to keep his face blank, before Callix slowly revealed the urn.

Loku’s eyes widened, and his mouth twisted into a cruel grin.

Arden’s mouth fell open in horror. She ran between Loku and Callix, her arms stretched out wide. “Loku, don’t.”

“They brought it here to barter for your life.”

“Maybe, but we’ve already reached an agreement,” she countered, her tone calm and soothing.