4. Colt

Colt

Colt and Owen jumped from the battlements onto the pile of rubble they had climbed up only minutes before. As they scrambled down, lightning ripped through the sky and struck one of the spires of the castle. The violent thunderclap that followed made Colt jump, and Owen held his ears. Colt grabbed Owen's hand and pulled him forward, sprinting through the fog and away from the castle.

Another boom sounded behind them, and Colt willed his legs to race even faster, but when Owen's hand slipped from his, he faltered and lost his footing. The ground between them was giving way. He tried to push Owen away, but they both tumbled down into a trench. Colt hit the ground hard before he rolled once and stilled. Groaning, he looked up and found Owen.

"You alright?" he asked.

Owen sat up and rubbed his hip. "Yes."

As Colt helped him to his feet, he searched the area. A few trees grew along the trench, which looked like a dry riverbed. There were several rocks scattered throughout, and roots jutted out of the trench walls.

"We should be able to get out on the other side," Colt told him. "Come on. "

Colt took hold of the roots and rocks, using them as footholds to pull himself up. When he made it to the top, he leaned down and reached for Owen.

"Give me your hand."

As Owen reached up, something big glided overhead. Colt felt the rush of air and looked up, eyes wide as he scanned the foggy sky. The sound of flapping wings and hot air washed over him before he saw the massive underbelly of the flying creature emerge from the fog above him. Colt ducked and lost Owen's hand. He watched the creature rise into the sky, getting a glimpse of a feathered black tail as it disappeared into the fog.

"Owen, please tell me there are no dragons in your book!" Colt yelled.

"No!" Owen shouted.

Colt reached down for Owen again. Clasping his hand, Colt pulled with all his might until Owen was at the top of the trench. They both rolled beneath the nearby tree as the giant black bird glided towards them, but it did no good, as the bird's talons ripped the tree from the ground, exposing them.

Lightning flashed again, making Colt's heart jolt. He grabbed Owen's hand and ran along the base of the hill below the barren plain above. The sky turned a deep red, bleeding slowly towards them. The giant bird swooped out of the clouds to the right of them, and Colt felt something sharp cut his arm. He hissed as he pressed faster. In the distance, the fog thinned slightly, and he could make out trees.

The wind picked up as they reached the treeline, making the branches sway and creak. They moved around them, scrambling over roots and vines. When a branch fell before them, they crouched behind a tree. Screeching echoed above them, but there was no way for the enormous bird creature to navigate between the tightly packed trees.

After a few minutes, the wind calmed, and the screeches of the creature dissipated. Colt blew out a ragged breath in relief.

"Are you alright?" Owen pulled Colt around and felt along his arms, his hands trembling.

"Owen, I'm fine," Colt panted.

"You're bleeding." Owen's voice was shaky and frantic as he grabbed Colt's right arm, where a small gash was slowly oozing blood.

"I'll just wrap it."

"I can heal you."

"No, I don't need you to—"

"Colt, let me heal you!"

"Owen!" Colt gripped Owen's arms gently in his hands and looked at him. "Please… Owen… I don't need to be healed. I want you to save your energy. I can wrap it. Alright?" He softened his voice when he saw the fear in Owen's eyes.

"I was so scared…" Owen blinked and hung his head, and Colt pulled him into an embrace.

"I know. So was I." Colt huffed out a nervous laugh and grabbed Owen's hand, then placed it on his chest. "You feel my heart going a thousand miles a minute?"

When Owen laughed and laid his forehead against Colt's shoulder, Colt looked around the area. A few spirit orbs flitted by, their warm glow reminding him of the fireflies he'd seen back in Harrow Grove. It was comforting for a moment, until Colt remembered that such a thing was a world away now. He turned his eyes upwards, where web-like tendrils of deep red clouds reached out towards them .

"We have to keep moving," he finally said. "The Gate's not far."

Colt wrapped the gash on his arm with a strip that Owen tore off his scarf, then they made their way forward. He'd lost his spear in the field, so if they faced any more monsters, they'd have to rely on Owen's Essence. The trees weren't quite as big as the ones they'd seen in the forest before. Colt guessed the castle stood in the middle of the barren plains, which were surrounded by the forest. He hoped the trees continued to circle around to the far side of the castle, where they had seen the Gate on the cliff. When Colt found an overgrown trail, he steadied his steps, keeping Owen just behind him as they walked.

After an hour of trudging through thick forest, Colt and Owen emerged from the trees. They stood before a massive cliff wall formed of gray and black rock, a single outcropping that swept upwards nearly vertically. An archway marked the entrance at the base of the cliff, where a narrow set of stairs had been carved into the rock, hopefully leading to the Gate.

Colt panted and looked across the barrens towards the castle in the distance. Black smoke rose from the spires, the deep red clouds above it billowing and churning angrily.

What is happening over there?

Colt and Owen stared at each other intently before their hands clasped together. Taking a breath, Owen turned to go first up the steps, and Colt followed closely on his heels.

The climb was strenuous as the steps wound upwards. The path was uneven and narrow, sometimes barely the width of a foot, sometimes nearly half their height. When Owen stopped along the way, Colt halted beside him.

"Need a break?" Colt asked .

Owen put up his finger, as if telling Colt to wait. It took him another full minute before he finally said, "This is a hard climb. I don't have much energy."

"Take it slower, then." As they perched on a wider platform at a switchback, they drank from Colt's waterskin.

After a moment, Colt caught glimpses of movement along the cliff in the distance. "Hey…" He gestured to the movement. When Owen didn't look up, Colt nudged him. "Owen, look."

Owen finally glanced up and followed his pointing finger into the distance, where spirits drifted up towards the Gate. Thousands at a time.

"They're leaving the Vale…" Owen rasped. "Perhaps to get away… from Mordren. I can hear him, Colt. It's like he's speaking to me in my head. I can't get him out of it."

Colt looked up at the sky again. There was more happening here than just the brewing of gray and red clouds.

"Ignore him. Hey." Colt took Owen's face in his hands and fixed him with his eyes. " Ignore him, Owen. Don't listen to him. Focus on me, alright?"

Owen let out a breath. "Okay," he said, his voice trembling. "Okay."

"Let's keep moving. We're almost there." Colt closed the waterskin and put it over his shoulder.

They climbed the remaining steps, and after what seemed like forever, they finally reached the top. The lone door of the Gate to the Unseen Vale stood before them once again, their gateway to the real world. It was enormous, standing tall, cold, and silent, a portal of disaster.

Owen sat on a boulder nearby to catch his breath, and Colt knew by this alone that he didn't have the strength yet to face Mordren. But if they could get through the Gate before Mordren noticed them, maybe it could buy them time to come up with a plan. Either that, or they would search for the dagger and close and lock the Gate for good.

Owen won't do that.

Colt took a few breaths, hands on his hips, as he looked out over the barrens around the cliff stretching for miles until disappearing into a thick mist. Around the castle beyond, lightning branched out from the smoky sky, crackling in the distance.

"Mordren is assembling his army, just as Grutwyr said," Owen said.

Colt glanced back at the Gate, where spirits glided through it and slipped through the cracks. Some of them took a while before they vanished, while others managed to vanish instantly.

"Come on." Colt grabbed Owen's elbow and helped him to his feet.

As they reached the Gate, Colt was surprised to find the door shut tightly. He watched as Owen ran his left hand along the black iron before pressing his right cheek to it. When he pushed against the door, it didn't budge. Colt stepped up beside him and put his weight into it as well, but after much effort, they both stopped, panting.

"Your Essence," Colt said. "Use it to open the door."

Nodding, Owen held out his arms. He flexed his fingers and fixed his eyes on the Gate. Then he placed his palms firmly against the iron and pushed his power into it.

The door vibrated but remained closed.

Owen tried again, pushing harder this time until his face was red.

The door shook, straining against its enormous iron hinges.

"That's it!" Colt said. "Keep going. "

Just as he'd said it, the ground rumbled again, sending them both to the dirt.

Grunting, Colt got to his knees and looked up. What looked like a giant red hand of smoke now stretched out towards them from the clouds above the castle.

A familiar screech sounded from above, and Colt got his first full glimpse of the bird creature that had chased them through the fog. It looked like an enormous crow with red eyes. Sharp bones jutted from its head, like the horns of a Jacob sheep. Its huge talons sprouted sharp claws at the ends.

Colt and Owen both ducked as the bird screeched again and dove for them. The creature flew around in a wide circle before landing with a loud thud on the top of the cliff. It opened its sharp, curved beak, and saliva dripped from its mouth. When it flapped its wings, a rush of wind blew at them, but the door kept them from being blown away.

Finally, the crow monster began to shrink, and thousands of feathers blew all around until the bird disappeared and a man stood before them. He was tall but hunched over. His eyes were light, and black feathers sprang out from his dark, tattered cloak.

The man put up a hand and smiled. "I did not mean to disturb you," he said, his voice sounding coarse, like gravel.

Owen stepped forward. "Shirkh?"

Colt narrowed his eyes. "Who is this, Owen?"

"He's the man who attacked me in the field when I arrived here."

Colt's chest flared, and he rushed forward with his fists raised, but the man put up his hands in surrender.

"I was protecting you!" he cried. He bowed his head, as one would when bowing to a king, and Colt was taken aback by the gesture. "I am Shirkh, a servant to those of Mordren's bloodline. I am here to take the Shadowborn back."

"Stay right there," Colt said harshly.

The man looked at each of them for a long moment before he said, "When you saw me in the field, I was trying to help you by taking down the beasts." He waved his hands out. "It is only a misunderstanding. Please, come with me, and we can speak further."

" No ," Owen said loudly.

"I am bound to follow and serve Mordren's bloodline!" Shirkh said, his voice panicked.

"I'm not going anywhere with you." Owen put up his hands. "Neither of us are."

Shirkh's face twisted in disgust. "It won't matter, Shadowborn, when Mordren gets his hands on you. You will fulfill your intended purpose."

"What purpose?" Colt demanded, confused.

Shirkh cocked his head and stepped forward. "You opened the Gate, and thereby placed much weight on your shoulders. You opened this portal to a world of angry and vengeful spirits who want nothing more than to destroy the lands of the living." He raised his bony chin. "And finally, they are leaving this place. We knew one day that someone would open the Gate to release the God of Shadow from this Vale. Like him, you carry the divinity within your veins. He has plans for you." The man licked his lips. "Even shadows can provide comfort from heat, from harsh light. As I speak, the Arroki march now to conquer this world and cleanse it of souls. Mordren will make the world better, starting with your intoxicating blood, and the blood of thousands." He cackled.

What does Mordren want with Owen ?

When the purple flame sparked to life in Owen's palm, Colt squinted at its brightness. He stepped back as a fireball shot out, flying right at Shirkh. The man dove out of the way, but the fire caught his cloak, and he hissed as he patted out the flames.

With the man distracted, Colt pushed against the door of the Gate once more, but it still wouldn't budge. He panted, then looked back at Shirkh, who glared sharply at Owen.

"I cannot kill you," Shirkh said. "But I can kill the other." He glanced at Colt. As the man charged forward, Owen threw up his hands, and Colt ducked to the ground as the colorful fire whirled around them. The purple flowed through the air and coiled around Shirkh like snakes. Then Owen stretched out both his arms, and Shirkh went flying off the cliff with a scream.

Owen turned as his fire disappeared. He grabbed Colt and helped him to his feet as the ground rumbled again. The wind blew around them fiercely, and the clouds darkened to a blood red that was nearly black. Spirals of lightning tore through the sky. The red smoky hand inched towards them, so close now that Colt could feel the heaviness of it in his heart. He knew who that hand belonged to.

"Owen! Now!" Colt shouted through the wind.

As they got to their feet, a gust of air rushed past them, and the doors of the Gate trembled before they opened. They huddled against the giant door and put up their arms to block the debris as it whisked around them. Behind them, the door began to disappear as a bright light shone from within, so bright it nearly blinded Colt. Before, looking through the Gate from the living world gave the impression of a black void. But from inside the Vale, the white light of the living world sparkled. Life was just on the other side, mere steps away .

Colt turned to find Owen surveying the bright light before them. The red smoky hand was above them, directing an army of spirits and creatures assembling around the dark castle. In the distance, purple fire consumed the forest they had just traveled through.

Owen turned to Colt and reached for his hand. When Colt met his eyes, the light hit his lover's face, and for the first time since Colt had met him, Owen looked at him with the confidence of a Shadowborn. "I'm not letting you go this time," he said.

Colt squeezed his hand. "Neither am I."

Then they both walked forward.