Take My Heart...: Dark Ages - Fantasy (Dark Gods & Tainted Souls Book 3) (17 page)

“Ok what are the rules?” he asked.

“What do you mean rules? you put your hands together and the strongest win, it’s simple.” The boy said as if to a halfwit.

“Can he hit me?” Goldie asked.

“Of course not, if he hits you then you win, he’s out, you want to make him it you?”

“Seems like a good plan,” Goldie said looking at the size of the man’s huge fists, maybe not. As they stood plotting he saw a young woman approach the champ, she was pretty and much too young to be his wife, she handed him a drink as he recovered.

“Who’s that? His daughter?” Goldie asked.

“Yep his daughter, but she’s very sheltered. I mean who would touch her with him around right?”

“Don’t let them start without me,” Goldie said and walked towards the girl. She was just leaving her father’s side but still well within his view. She was maybe just 18.

Goldie smiled broadly to her, kissed her cheek as he approached and took her hands, she laughed. “Well you’re very straightforward champion, can I help you or are you just trying to anger my father?” she asked.

“Smart and pretty, the Lady has blessed you twice,” Goldie said. “But I do need your help, do you have any reason for wanting you father to lose?” he whispered.

“Well not my father, but a champion of four years with very strong odds, everyone likes a fix,” she said smiling.

“Devious too. I like you, you’d do that to him,” Goldie said with surprise.

“He’s cocky bastard and I need enough money to get out of this rat hole, so what do you need?”

"Just come with me for a few minutes and I’ll do the rest." Goldie Said.

He led the girl away from the main crowd clear under the eyes of all and led her down a dark space between two buildings where they were unseen.

“A few minutes will have his mind working,” he said.

“Few minutes, that’s disappointing,” she said and they both laughed.

“Do you have any birthmarks? Scars? Tattoos?” he asked.

“Well, thankfully I do have a little birthmark on my bum, looks like a little crescent moon, dark.”

“Want to show me?” he said with a grin.

“No, I don’t! But he’ll know it if that’s your plan.”

Goldie heard the boy shouting and knew he was calling for him.

“Hurry up champion, we don’t have time for this,” he yelled playing along.

He kissed her on the cheek and ran for the alley. He saw all eyes on him and adjusted his belt as he came running out, they saw that.

Within moments, he saw sitting across from the big man and he knew it had all worked. His face was red with rage. He gripped Goldie’s hand hard, crushing his fingers till it hurt.

“Ok you cocky prick, now I end your run,” he muttered.

The priest yelled. “Go” and he felt the pressure in his arm. Goldie was strong and he was big enough but this man would have him in moments, still he had to make it look good. Like the man might lose. Putting all his energy and strength into it, he pushed his arm back and pushed against the huge force. He whispered to the man as he did.

“I might stay here afterward I think if there are girls like that just hanging around I mean,” he said.

The man just glared at him.

“I don’t know who she was but so cute, little moon shaped mark on her bum too.

He didn’t even see the huge fist coming towards him, all he felt was pain and darkness.

Chapter Thirty One

Seraphina had seen enough to know her new savior was insane. He turned from manic and rage filled to peaceful and friendly within moments. He placed his hand on the statue of the Judge, his eyes stared off blankly into the far distance. A slow moment passed and she realized he wasn’t coming back quickly. On his pretty face she saw a look of pain cross it, she had no idea what was going on but if she wanted a chance to get away this was it.

He was clearly using her but for what she didn’t know. He wanted to find Seth for a different reason to her and from what she gleaned from his manic conversations with himself and muttered words it was all dark. It seemed like he’d been locked in that room for a very good reason. As she looked his expression changed from fear and pain to a smiling one of triumph. His eyes regained their focus and found hers, he smiled broadly. He was happy again, clearly he’d won whatever battle he just imagined he’d had.

The man laughed. “We’ll that was easier than I thought!” he cried and grabbing her hand, leading her down the row of statues. She was afraid to ask but had to know for sure. She looked at the statue of the Judge over her shoulder and saw it was empty and lifeless now, no longer radiating the power it had before, indeed, she felt nothing of the guilt and need to confess to him anymore, he’d done something terrible.

“What was easy?” she asked, as she was dragged along.

“The fight! I won, they’re not going to stop me this time. I’m strong and they are weak, all my years of preparing have been worth it and this proves it.”

“How can you fight a god? It’s ridiculous” she said back, truly this was getting too bizarre. She could believe well enough in powers of the natural world and even a land of the dead but for the gods to be personified as actual beings was a step too far.

“I’ve told you already, your little powers are gifts they give for your regard, of course, you can fight a god, the only difference between killing them and say killing you is it’s a lot harder”

“Did you really kill him?” she asked horrified.

“Close enough, you never know if they are truly gone, but his power on this plane is broken, you tell me, do you still feel the need to confess your sins to him, do you feel the need to be a good little girl and do the right thing?” he asked stopping and looking at her.

She felt deep inside that he was right, she felt a lot less guilty about what she had done, the lives she’d taken, so what, they were needed to give her what she wanted.

“That’s it, you’ll see, once I clear the way of these rule makers and guilt givers, you and all the people of your little land will be free. Can you imagine the freedom of it? How many people would be different if they had no rules and traditions to guide them?”

“Can you imagine how many people would steal, cheat and kill each other if they thought there would be no punishment?” she said back but not feeling it.

He laughed again. “Yes I can, the nature of people is to be wicked, to be greedy and to enjoy hurting others. I just want to give them the freedom to do what they want, they can choose to do what they like with it.”

He stopped suddenly in front of a statue. It was one she’d seen many times. It was a pretty lady with a cheeky grin and a low cut top, she had long flowing hair and a pair of dice in an open palm.

“You know her?” he asked looking at the plain marble statue.

“Of course the Lucky Lady. I like her, they had lots of statues of her in Pelloss, when I was young but most are gone now, the new king removed most of them, saying they attracted gamblers and drinkers,” she said.

“A good boy that king,” he said to himself and placed a hand on the forehead of the statue. As soon as the skin of his hand touched the pale stone he was thrown back hard as if shoved. The man flew across the marble floor hitting a statue on the other side. He smiled. broadly to himself and lifted himself up laughing.

“Still strong that one, we’ll see how she feels in a few days when her fucking temple is in ashes.”

He turned to her and looked into her eyes.

“It’s time for you to make a choice. So far I’ve dragged you along unwilling but that is not what I want, so I’ll make you an offer and you can decide to leave me or follow me properly and help me,” he said.

She was afraid that her feelings were changing so much, she felt the growing of the feelings she’d always felt as a girl, the hunger for strength and power, the need that drove her to be one of the best in the Dark Guild, the anger that had driven her after Seth.

“What?” she said simply.

“Cast aside this guilt and need to prove you’re a good girl. You’re strong, you could live forever so why fear judgment, you could take it all, all the power and skills and knowledge, you could be the strongest woman on the earth, you’re already close if you just embrace it. Why fear the judgments of the gods when you can be a goddess?”

She looked at him for a long moment and put thoughts of Seth and her time in the land of dead aside. She smiled at him and took his hand they started walking again.

“Ok, but what do we do now?” she asked.

“Now you have to meet my family,” he said back.

Chapter Thirty-Two.

Silver had had enough. She was never meant to be a queen, she was a fighter and fight she would. There was a change spreading across her land. It had begun as soon as Seth had left on that little boat. It had been a dark horrible place before he came, a land of fear, but she stood proud and strong in it, the most dangerous creature in a land of them. Now something was trying hard to turn it back.

“You ready dog?” she asked.

The Wolvern stood next to her and simply snarled. She drew her own long black sword and stood ready. Before them and all around were a pack of those ugly black dogs. They sought today like they sought every day to destroy the human’s and send them running in fear, it was like they were guided to cause terror.

She heard the Wolvern speak in her mind.

It’s been like this since he left, how many of these things do we need to kill?
It sounded almost weary of the killing which was strange. She was starting to feel like herself again.

One of the creatures came at her, snapping towards her with those sharp teeth. She lashed out with her huge black blade. The sword swung deeply into its maw and ripped it apart. Then it was chaos. At least five of them were on her she leapt over the head of one that was at her and slashed down with her blade, which ran along its back deeply as she flew over it. Spinning she delivered two massive downward cuts at one then the other. They died snarling at her.

The Wolvern was fighting a losing battle, it grabbed one by the scruff at the back of its head and with a powerful shake broke its neck. It sent the black dog of the dog flying and faced another. Snapping its head hard to the side it found the creature’s throat and sunk its double row of teeth into it. Dark red blood splattered over its white fur.

She came to its aid as three others closed in, she slashed them down coldly from behind as they sought to engage the wolf. With moments, she was standing panting in a field of dead bodies.

“They always go for you,” she said.

It didn’t speak back. It was true every time they fought these things they would always focus on the Wolvern and ignored her to their peril. It was like they wanted to break the only link left to guide these people to the boats. Once the last Wolvern was gone, there would be no one left and they would be scattered to the wind, running in terror as they once had. She almost felt they would become as monsters again.

We can’t keep doing this,
it spoke in her mind.

“What? We keep winning” she said, whipping the blood off her black blade with a flap of leather she pulled from her scabbard.

They have a purpose here, these things are mindless and yet they seem to have reason, someone is guiding them to do this day and day again.

“So we need to find out who?” she said.

We need to find out where they are coming from,
it said.

“Do they have a den?” she asked. She’d always imagined they just sprang fully formed from the snow, they were like dangerous weeds,

They always come from the south, we need to see where they are coming from but we’ll need help.

Her people were hardly in the shape to fight. There were only a few hundred of them left and most were bloated and twisted things still. Some had started to come back to the ways they were. Once they had stopped eating the flesh and come back to the teachings of the moon. Yet still she had only a handful of what she would call warriors. They all huddled in their stone houses, gripped by an unknown fear. She felt it too but fought hard to control it.

The Wolvern seems to know her mind and spoke to her.

We must do what we can, it’s all connected somehow. I can feel Seth still. He is fighting in this in the next place, the Northmen fight in their land and my little princess, she is lost to me. I feel her slipping into the darkness. It’s all one fight thought. If we fail to do our part it will be to the peril of Seth and the others.

“It’s always Seth. Why is that boy always causing trouble?”

The Wolvern laughed. in her mind for the first time in days.

Come on, let’s go save his hide for the hundredth time.

***

It was a feeling Seth knew well. Someone was following him. It was the tale of his life, going towards some unknown destination while people trailed at his heels trying to kill him or stop him. He’d learned long ago that the best course of action was usually to draw his sword and wait but he felt something different this time. He felt scared. He knew whatever or whoever was following him would leave him broken and dead within moments. He had none of his stolen gifts and was just a man. Whatever was making him feel this way was a lot more than that. He felt every step he took in the direction that led him away from it was good, as he walked Seth started to pick up his pace. He walked faster and faster and felt better with every step. He broke and started running.

He sprinted hard up the marble aisle the statues of the various gods passing him by, he’d stopped paying attention to the ones he knew and the ones he didn’t. If he was going to get through this he needed to get to the end and quickly, before whatever was on his heels caught up with him. It may be part of the trials but he didn’t think so. It just felt so wrong. He wished his friends were here. Even Silver and the Wolvern would be welcome company in this dangerous place.

As he ran he screamed out with fear and rage. “Fucking get on with it!” he closed his eyes for a moment as he ran and when he opened them he saw it. He was finally at the end of this stone crypt of statues. There was a large door at the end of the corridor. The sight of it filled him with hope. He hit the wooden door hard and pulled it open. Inside, of course, was pitch darkness. He threw it open and dived inside, shutting the door behind him.

Seth sat in the darkness, the only sound his breath slowly coming back from the ragged chaos. He had no idea what had happened to him. He’d never felt that way before. Complete mindless terror. As he sat, his thoughts too calmed and soon he almost laughed at how silly he’d been. What was he running from? Seth crawled forward on his hand and knees and then slowly stood. He started to walk in the darkness. This time, it felt good. He was safe here. Seth walked on in front of him and he started to make out shapes and shadows. A light was slowly filling the room until it was like a faint white fog bank, he walked through it and did laugh out loud. He was back standing on the deck of
The Opulent.

He could hear the waves lapping against the side of the heavy wooden ship. Next to him was Elizebetha taunting The man Captain Ramon. He reached out to her and hugged her. Snake Tongue had spoken truly, his last trial was to justify his actions and the old man had shown him that it was right to kill this man, it was the Northern way, kill an enemy.

He stepped into the arena as without a thought and faced the man. He saw the rage in his face. He’d been insulted and wanted to protect his honor. They exchanged cuts and Seth floated as if in a dream. He knew the man’s moves and matched them with ease. He saw the man grow enraged and knew once again the moment was coming. He was to let him run onto the blade. He had drawn against Seth and must die. Seth was troubled, though. Surely this man was the wronged party. Insulted, taunted and then set to face someone’s more skilled than himself, how was it right to kill him? He had a brother and clearly a family, would they thank Seth for holding to the old Northern code that was created for a different time and a much more brutal world.

Officer Ramon ran at Seth and without a moment’s hesitation Seth sidestepped the man. He grabbed him roughly around the neck and locking it into his elbow pressed hard on the back of his head. The big man slowly sank to the wooden deck of the ship and then faded away from sight. Seth stood again and the deck of the ship was empty. If he’d passed or failed he knew not, but if he had to do it again he’d do it the same.

Seth stepped from the arena and expected the old man to appear but he didn’t, he was alone and the fresh sea air and the cold breeze felt good. The ship was sailing somewhere but he knew not, probably not to Bloodcrest, he felt this was far from over. In the sky above him Seth saw a light, it was like a glowing red that floated down to the ship. It hit the tip of the mast and ran along like an arch of fire until it was all around him. He was engulfed by a red light. He stood trying not to be afraid but felt a glow of warmth and protection.

He heard the buzzing sound he’d heard in the arena, it grew in his mind until he collapsed to the floor in pain. He screamed. “Stop it is too loud!” He thought something was talking to him but it was so much worse than even the Wolvern first attempts, slowly the buzzing stopped and reduced. As he looked a shape began to form in the red and take the shape of a person.

It was a woman, he knew her, the Lucky Lady. She looked like every statue he’d ever seen of her but made from a faint glowing light, which slowly turned solid until she was just like a real woman. Power seemed to radiate from her body. Behind her he could see the shapes of other people but none were clear. She spoke actual words and not in his mind.

“Is this ok?” she said in a soft voice.

He stood and looked at her. This was just too strange, actual gods, actual beings it was beyond belief.

She laughed. reading his thoughts.

“Oh we're real enough, just like you, just think of us as a rare animal that can only be seen in this place and only if we want you to. You’ve done well little Druheim. I was chosen to speak with you because I have the most practice. I’m always meddling with your mortal affairs, some of the others are a bit scared they might accidentally kill you.”

Seth put his hands to his ear and it came away with blood, his head still ached.

“A valid concern,” he said back.

She laughed again. “You’re weak, we know, but sadly we are too in our own ways, now I’ll let you ask me a question before I start talking and before you say yes or no remember who I am. I’m nice to look at but I’m still myself” she said.

“Have I passed?” he said.

She laughed again and waved her hand as if waving away something small. “Oh yes you passed, good you don’t like killing innocent people that’s good. We’ll send you back later on if you survive.”

“Survive what, aren't the trials are done?”

“Imagine the world with no gods but one, no rules but do what you want and take what you want, no mercy but only greed and pain. Imagine the fear you felt in that room spread across the world in which you know. Imagine the land of the dead come to the land of the living. Now comes one who would bring this vision for. One like us, or rather one from before us. We’ve spent many of your lifetimes stopping him again and again but now he has finally what he needs, we are weak, he is strong and we can’t beat him alone.”

“What do you need from me,” Seth said with a sigh.

“What we’ve always needed from a Druheim, to be our sword and shield.”

Putting out her hands he felt all the memories he’d taken come rushing back. His body felt strong again, glowing with power.

“Are you ready to be the Druheim once more?”

“What choice do I have?” Seth asked.

“Well you could just leave now, but of course, everyone you’ve ever loved will be dead or wishing they were.”

“Like I said, what choice do I have?”