Vitiosi Dei (Heritage of the Blood Book 2) (38 page)

              “Laugh not young man, for you are next.” Isaac said with a smirk.

              Verrian shrunk back down and started fiddling with his earring.

              “I still can’t believe you are taking both of them.” Shawnrik grinned, trying to remain still. He must not have done a good enough job of it, because he felt a small prick of a needle on the side of his leg.

              “Tell me about it,” Verrian groaned. “I tell you, I just don’t understand girls.”

              “Preach it,” Isaac said as he moved around Shawnrik and snipped at a loose thread.

              “I told you that you should have asked one of them.”

              “Yeah…” Verrian smiled, “… but how does one choose between the sunset and the sunrise?”

              Shawnrik and Isaac both let out a groan and rolled their eyes.

              Verrian deflated again. “That was how they reacted to that line, too, and then they said ‘well, if you can’t decide on one of us, you are going to have to take both of us.’”

              “Oh, you poor young man. You’ll be the envy of all the other boys,” Isaac said, throwing a grin and wink at Shawnrik in the mirror. “Or at least you would be if this brawny bastard and his lovely girlfriend weren’t going to upstage you.”

              “There is that,” Verrian grinned. “Maybe they won’t notice if we come in behind you two.”

              “Oh no,” Isaac laughed. “You’ll want to enter first. If you let Shawnrik and Olivia enter first and then you enter, the boys will take all of their feelings of impotence that Shawnrik will make them feel out on you. On the other hand, if you go in first they’ll feel angry for a moment but then forget all about it, at least for a little while, when this imposing hunk of meat enters the room.”

              “Great, then they’ll all be mad at me, right?” Shawnrik sighed.

              “Yes.” Isaac poked him. “Hold still. But they are going to hate you anyway. Hate you, and want to be you. Hell, some of them might want to be with you.” He laughed as the boy’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh, to be young again.”

              The room was silent for the next few minutes, the only sounds made by the scissors that each of the employees carried around.

              “Alright, we should have it ready by next week. Come in next Eightday to pick it up, and we’ll make sure everything is perfect.” Isaac turned to Verrian. “Alright young man, your turn.”

Chapter 21

Gathering

Year: 3045 AGD

Month: Midwinter

Fourth Secondday

Death’s Edge Forest

As they entered the area where the gathering was to take place, the boy could feel something in the air that made his hair tingle. Three males nearly as large as Dauntless stepped out of the trees, making the group stop. The feeling intensified as the two groups stared at each other. He felt like he could almost hear what was being sent between the two groups, but it was just out of his reach. Attempting to focus his concentration on the feeling, he closed his eyes and pushed his thoughts into the sensation.

…we are having a gathering about interlopers, and you bring another with you?
The voice was unfamiliar to him, so he assumed it was from one of the males.

Bellicose…
Another unfamiliar voice tried to cut in, but was interrupted by the first.

No, this is ridiculous…

Bellicose!

What?

He’s listening.

Rubbish, outsiders can’t…

Everything went silent for a few moments, and the boy opened one of his eyes and saw that everyone in the clearing was looking at him.
Um… Sorry.
He sent before breaking off his concentration.

He saw the three male’s eyes go wide and Troublefinder hopped in the air.

You can do it too!?
Troublefinder had gotten better at it over the last few days and no longer needed to stop to send his thoughts.

I had wondered if you would be able to when we reached the Nexus, but I didn’t expect it to happen this soon,
Relentless sent.

You thought he’d be able to do this?
Dauntless sounded a little hurt that she hadn’t shared her hunch with him.

It was only a theory based on how he interacted with the beast. I believe if it weren’t for the fettering he wears he would have done so before now.

Come, this is another issue for the gathering
, the middle male who the boy thought must be Bellicose sent.

They made their way through the circle of trees, and what the boy saw made him stop in his tracks. Up above the trees, two bright flowing lines intersected; where they met a giant ball of flowing particles had formed. The bottom of the ball of particles floated about thirty feet in front of him, but ten feet above where he currently stood. Under the ball, the ground had been carved out into a perfectly circular amphitheater, which was currently occupied by dozens of Quaelyne. The notable exceptions to this were two bipedal forms at the very center of the amphitheater.

“It’s beautiful,” he whispered.

Yes it is,
Relentless sent.
You know your people have only been able to see them for a few thousand years now.

“Really?” He asked, unable to take his eyes away from the swirling pattern of particles.

Indeed. At least, those of your people who weren’t members of what your people call the Newcomers.

They stepped onto the top edge of the amphitheater and most of those assembled looked in their direction. The larger of the two bipeds was leaning heavily on a large tree branch and talking to a pure black Quaelyne who, judging by its size, was female. The other man looked up to see what the Quaelyne were looking at and his jaw dropped open.

“Victor?” the man said, running up the slope. “Thank Terra.”

It was the first name that had felt even remotely familiar, and yet he knew deep down that even if that was who he had been it wasn’t who he was any longer.

“Was…was that my name?” he asked the man.

“Oh no,” the man said, coming to a stop, his breath heavy. “What did they do to you?”

The boy has a block in his mind that is keeping all that made him this Victor locked away.
Dauntless sent.
There is hope that it can be broken down in time, but he is no longer the boy you knew.

The man stepped up the slope and stood in front of the boy before taking a knee.

“My name is Warren.” He pointed down the hill. “That is Trenton. We were members of a squad, and you traveled with us for a time.”

“Hello Warren,” the boy said. “I would like to hear about it, but perhaps this is not the time or place.”

“Right you are, wouldn’t want to mess up the whole 'we might kill you' vibe.” Warren winked and turned back down towards the center of the gathering.

As he turned to move back down the dirt path, Warren stumbled slightly before catching his balance. “Damn Dracairei, whatever it is that they use on their arrows is nasty stuff.”

“You fought the Dracairei?”

“Yeah,” Warren said as the group began to walk down the long dirt path. “You could say that. We got jumped outside of Verge by a dozen of the bastards. Trenton took half dozen arrows, and I took one in my lower leg as I went to help him. The fight was over in less than a minute. It took every ounce of will I could muster to hide us from the Dracairei. I almost passed out before they had given up. When I came to, we were surrounded by these kind beings.”

“Hello Victor,” the man Warren had identified as Trenton said as they neared the center, a big smile on his face.

“Apparently he doesn’t remember us, my friend.”

The smile dropped. “What did they do to you?” Trenton clenched his fists, but a wracking cough tore through his body a moment later, causing him to double over.

“I’ve been doing everything I can to heal us, but whatever those arrows were tipped with has messed with our bodies pretty bad.” Warren helped Trenton stand back up after the episode passed. “I should be okay sometime in the next few Eightdays, but Trenton is going to need several months to recuperate, maybe less if we can get him back to some healers that know what they are doing.”

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen with Elandria and Rundig still in the hands of those assassins,” Trenton said. “I sure wish you were yourself, Vic, things started going bad right after you took off. Now there are only six of us left, and four of us aren’t even fit for combat. Nim is stuck in Asylum, and Stewart could show up in Verge at any moment without hope of backup beyond the twins. I’ve been trying to get these Wolverine’s to help him, but they seem to think our not being able to protect our Princess is an internal matter.”

“Quaelyne,” Warren and the boy said at the same time.

“Yeah, whatever,” Trenton said. “A few years ago we were all together hunting Dracairei, and now the tables have turned. Five of the Vigilantes are dead, including our leader, and there’s little we can do to help those that are still alive. The gods have damned us.”

“We have not yet forsaken you,” a female voice said from the top edge of the amphitheater.

“Cypheria…” The boy said as he looked up with a mix of awe and anger.

“Indeed,” she said as she gracefully strolled down the dirt path. The dirt seemed to refuse to cling to her shoes or her gown, which flowed gently behind her. “There are many limitations that have been lifted now that you know the truth.” The Goddess said as she neared the boy. “I thought perhaps you might be interested in learning how you could be of use to your once-companions.”

“I can help them?” the boy replied, looking up at the woman who had helped create the creature that lived inside his mind. She looked slightly different than he remembered from the memory.
I wonder if she looks different to everyone?

“Most assuredly.” Cypheria smiled, and then winked, letting him know she was answering both of his questions.

His first reaction was to bristle at the invasion to his personal thoughts, but he had realized after living with the Quaelyne that those thoughts were not as personal as he had once believed. He was beginning to take for granted the fact that there were creatures who could probe his mind so easily.

“What do I need to do?”

“No, my lady,” Warren said, stepping in front of the boy. “He no longer remembers who he is, he’s just a boy.”

“The Watcher named him Victor Deus for a reason, good Druid.” Cypheria smirked. “He has never been
just a boy
.”

You have not been invited to this place, Ethereal.
A strong female presence inserted itself into the conversation.

“Now Sovereign, this is no time for name calling,” Cypheria said, her clothes momentarily changing from a dress to battle regalia. “I am simply here to give my champion some options.”

“Champion?” Trenton said, the boy had noticed the Half-Ogre’s disposition change in the moment that Cypheria had been battle ready. Apparently, the big man liked a woman who could fight.

“Yes indeed, friend Grimbash.” Cypheria laughed. “The boy you knew as Victor is, and always has been, my champion.”

“Well that explains a lot,” Warren mumbled.

Cypheria acknowledged Warren’s comment with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“Not that I had any say in the matter,” the boy said.

“Yes,” Cypheria said, the smile dropping from her face. “That is one of many things that are regrettable. You are my champion, however, and it behooves me to help you become as strong as you can be.” She tapped him on the nose. “Especially because doing so will make you strong enough to resist the will of those that might use you for ill.”

“What do I need to do?”

“Simple. Go to your friends and help them. You won’t be able to help with the combat, but you might be surprised at what you can accomplish.”

“That’s it? Go to this town and help?”

“Yes,” Cypheria said before leaning down to whisper in his ear. “Also, Stewart Cantel may hold the key to helping you remember who you were, and who you might become.”

He could still feel the warm air from her breath on his ear in the few moments it took for him to realize that she had simply disappeared. The buzz of the Quaelyne’s voices buzzed through him like a disturbed hornet’s nest. It rose to a crescendo that had him holding his temples as the noise pressed in on his mind. His legs went weak and he fell forward, but strong hands caught him before he hit the ground.

“I got you,” Trenton said.

Quiet
, the voice Cypheria had identified as Sovereign sent out loudly.

As the boy reached out to grab Trenton’s arm to steady himself, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. Looking at his manacles, he could see the silver cracks that had appeared steadily growing, creating a web of silver throughout the blood red metal.

Understanding burst through him at that moment, the thing inside of him was drawing on the Nexus to thwart the cuffs. He looked around frantically for a moment at all of the Quaelyne in the amphitheater and realized he had to get away from this place. With all of the power the Nexus was putting out there was no way that he would be able to contain the creature if it tried to assert control, and everyone else would probably die during the struggle.

He twisted out of Trenton’s hands and ran.

No, let him go.
He heard as he ran up the amphitheater’s incline.

Looking above himself, he noticed he was running along the same direction that one of the strange flowing lines traveled, and he veered off to the right in order to get as far away from the power as possible. He ran as far and as fast as his body would take him. It was dark when his body began to reach its limits. Knowing that staying on the ground alone was an almost certain death in the forest, he used the last of his reserves to climb a nearby tree, falling asleep cradled by the massive boughs.

Fourth Thirdday

Victor!
the boy awoke to Troublefinder’s voice ringing through his mind.

Don’t call me that,
the boy sent back along the connection that Troublefinder had established with his mind.

Sorry! It is what the men kept calling you during the gathering. Why did you run off? Sovereign said you had a good reason, but wouldn’t tell anyone. I think my parents know too but they won’t tell me either.

He heard the movement of several large creatures below him, and peeked over the edge of the branch. Relentless and Dauntless stood below with Troublefinder sniffing at the bottom of the tree where he had climbed the night before. Warren walked out of the forest behind the Quaelyne looking worn out from the trek. The Druid’s breathing was returning to normal by the time the boy’s feet touched the ground.