9. Colt

Colt

Colt couldn't believe it, but here was the man who had captured Amias in Milarc, the man who had imprisoned him and Owen. The man who had put Owen through a torturous ritual and planned to kill him after learning he was Shadowborn.

And now this man stood before them, holding a Core that had just killed the remaining monsters around them.

Colt stepped between the Wielder and Owen. Clove came forward too, baring her teeth at the man as he quickly put away his Core and held up his hands.

"I won't hurt you," Elian said.

Owen's face twisted in anger. "Where is Brom?" he demanded.

"He's safe." Elian gestured with his thumb to the guard post in the distance. "I came when I saw the purple fire."

"Is he your prisoner?" Colt asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No…" Elian looked around nervously. "We should talk inside. It's just Brom and I. I promise."

"And how are we supposed to believe that, Wielder?" Colt came close, gripping his knife.

"Would you rather take your chances out here with the beasts?"

"You expect us to trust you?" Owen asked, his brow lowered .

"You have every reason not to." Elian closed his eyes and exhaled. "But believe me when I say that right now, Owen, you are not my enemy. I swear to you I will not kill you."

Colt's heart pounded as he looked from Owen to Elian. The two men seemed to be fighting silently as they glared at each other.

"I want you… to stay right there." Owen's fire appeared in his hand, lighting up his face, and when Colt saw his serious expression, something in him dented. He had never seen him look so stone-faced, so ready to attack as he did in that moment.

Owen pulled Colt behind him, and they both backed away, towards the house. "You stay away from us. Clove, don't let him by."

"Owen—" Elian started, but Clove barked and growled at him, understanding well what Owen had told her. The Wielder put up his hands and jumped back.

"Let's go." Owen tugged Colt forward, and they rushed to the house.

They were cautious as they neared the door. Peering through the window, Colt caught sight of someone sitting in a chair. Tall and muscular; he knew that man.

Sighing, Colt let his guard down. "It is Brom. And he's not detained."

"Why would the Wielder save Brom, if not to capture us?"

"I don't know, but we're about to find out."

Colt led the way to the door. He opened it, and when they came inside, they were met with warm air and the smell of stew over the hearth. Colt quickly closed the door and locked it.

Brom sat before the hearth, his head to the side and his eyes closed. When the floor creaked beneath Colt's boots, Brom stirred awake and grabbed his knife from a side table. Brom blinked at them, then let out a breath. He got roughly to his feet and clasped Colt's arm to pull him into an embrace. Colt closed his eyes as he held the man tightly, and his face contorted in pain as the memories of what happened to Gilda came rushing back to him.

"By the gods, you both are here." Brom pulled away and smiled painfully. His blue eyes shone, but he looked pale. "You found me."

Colt's brow wrinkled. "That's what family does."

Brom staggered back, and Colt eased him back into the chair, helping him shift his left leg so that it was straight out. That's when Colt noticed Owen was still standing, picking at his thumbnail as he frowned at the floor.

"Owen…" Brom started, "are you alright?"

"I should be asking you. You were shot."

"I'm fine. Now what about you?"

Clearing his throat, Owen kept his head low and asked, "How… how did you get out of the graveyard?"

"It was the Wielder. He refused to leave me behind. One of Rem's men was still alive, and he patched me up. But he's… gone now." When Brom cast his eyes at Colt, he knew that meant the Hunter was dead.

Brom took up two bowls sitting on an end table nearby and ladled out stew from the pot hanging over the fire. He handed one to Owen and poured another for Colt.

Colt's mouth watered as he took the stew, and he quickly lapped it up, his belly aching for it. He glanced over at Owen, hoping he'd do the same, but Owen only stared at his bowl.

"I wasn't able to walk, so Elian put me on his horse," Brom continued. "Things… started coming out of the Gate that weren't human. Spirits, beasts. Dangerous, deadly creatures. They come out more at night. It's just me and Elian here now." He stared into the flames, his eyes distant.

"And Elian hasn't once mentioned wanting to kill me?" Owen asked. "Or detain you and Colt?"

Brom shook his head. "There's no reason for him to. You opened the Gate. What's done is done."

Owen let out a laugh and set his bowl on the end table. He crossed his arms and said, "Who would have thought that all I had to do for him to leave me alone was open a portal to the netherworld."

Colt and Brom exchanged a glance, and then Brom asked, "What… did you find there?"

"Everything…" Owen shook his head. "I'm sorry to worry you, Brom. I'm sorry… for everything." He shrank and hung his head again.

"Owen—" Brom shifted slightly in his chair to grab his arm. "You're my friend, my brother, and I will help you in any way I can. But there is no need for you to apologize. Not now, not then. Understand?"

After a long moment, Owen's eyes glossed over. How many times would Colt have to see him cry? It hurt more and more each time.

"We'll get through this," Colt said, "just like we do everything. Together."

Owen sniffled, then he turned and embraced Brom, and Colt blew out a breath of relief. When they heard a knock on the door, Colt set his bowl down and opened it to find the Wielder outside.

"Hate to break up your reunion, but I'm not fond of being out here with these monsters," he said.

"It's where you belong," Owen sneered .

Elian's face drained of color, his jaw tightening, but Colt knew they couldn't leave him out there for many reasons.

"Owen, I don't want to, but we have to let him in," Colt said.

"No, we don't." Owen shut the door and glared up at Colt. "After everything he's done, you want to let him in?"

"I hate the man, but we need his help."

"And he saved my life," Brom added. "I don't like him either, but I owe him, and we will need his help."

Owen's face flushed with anger. "You don't owe him anything."

When Colt opened the door again, revealing Elian opening his mouth to speak, Owen closed it again.

"Owen, please." Colt sighed. "It isn't like you to leave someone to be killed, no matter what they've done." When Owen looked away and frowned, Colt placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, I don't want you to forget who you are. You're not like the Wielder. You're better than him."

Nodding, Owen moved away from the door, and when Colt opened it, Elian gave a sour look before entering.

"The more anyone lingers outside," Elian said, "the more those things come near. It's best for us all to stay inside."

"Where's my wolf?" Owen asked.

Elian raised an eyebrow and said, "She ran off. I couldn't get her to come with me."

Colt stared him down. "I let you in because it was the right thing, and because we need your help. But you do anything to hurt Owen, I'll kill you."

"I won't hurt Owen," Elian said. "He's already opened the Gate. There would be no point in hurting him now. There are other matters to discuss here. Where is Rem? "

The room went silent. Colt could feel the tension and anger from Owen at the mention of the Hunter's name. Rather than let Owen explain, Colt cleared his throat and told Brom and the Wielder everything that had happened. From the moment Rem marched them to the Gate, to finding Mordren's castle and his army—the Arroki—and finally leaving the Unseen Vale and coming back through the Gate into the living world. He even mentioned the spirit Channels being cut off.

When it was all said, Colt took a swig of water from a cup Brom offered him, while the Wielder remained quiet, seemingly taking in his words.

"Rem… drank Mordren's blood and gained power of his own?" Elian asked, and when Owen nodded, the Wielder placed his fist against his mouth.

"I'm assuming the Legion never told you about this?" Owen crossed his arms over his chest.

"No. We were taught that a god's blood is powerful, but we never truly knew what it was capable of. There are no records of Aleana giving her blood, for instance, nor even Mordren. This is… quite a significant piece of new information."

"The man is mad. He serves Mordren. I don't know how, but Rem is being protected by him."

Elian's brow furrowed. "Protected?"

"He told me he was granted protection in the name of the dark one. He meant Mordren."

When Elian ran his hands through his hair and turned away, Colt narrowed his eyes on the Wielder. "What is it? You know something we don't?"

"Only that… I've heard of one other person in my lifetime who claimed the same thing." Elian paced the floor slowly as he said, "There was a woman we took in once. Astran. This was… fifteen years ago. She wasn't Shadowborn, but she claimed to have protection in the name of the dormant one." When he glanced up, his eyes looked grave in the dim light.

"The Legion killed her?" Owen asked.

"No. She got away. We never found her." Elian looked away, hands on his hips. A strange, foreboding feeling fell over Colt. He looked at Owen, who remained calm, and wondered if he had the same feeling. He wondered if this was how Owen always felt, sensing energies and feelings in others. Perhaps being around him had rubbed off on Colt.

"It seems the Legion has many secrets," Brom said. "And it will never be our business to know what goes on behind the walls of the citadel, will it? Threats and murder overrule knowledge."

"It was never my intention for things to go this way." Elian sighed. "It never was the Legion's intention. We try to keep the people safe."

"Only those who aren't cursed." Owen's voice rose, his eyes burning like hot coals as he took a step towards the Wielder. "Only those like Gilda, who also would have been Cleansed ," he said with disgust. "She ran and hid like I did, because she had nowhere else to go, because she was scared ." Owen's brow pinched. "After going through that place behind the Gate, destroying spirits and fighting these monsters, I still can't tell you who I'd rather face more, them or the Legion."

Elian's mouth dropped open, and he looked down. Owen's words had silenced him, and he seemed unable to retaliate.

After a long moment, Owen took a deep breath, then said, "Where is the dagger?"

When Elian blinked at Owen in surprise and hesitated, something tightened in Colt's stomach.

"You didn't… see Rem take it in with him? "

"What?" Colt stepped forward. "He took the dagger?"

"As I was approaching the Gate, the three of you fell into its void, but Rem took the dagger from the keyhole beforehand."

"Well, shit," Colt muttered.

"What's wrong?" Brom asked.

"We need the dagger to lock the Gate back. But it also has emberstone in it." Colt rested his hands on his hips. "Emberstone can kill a god. Pierced through the heart."

Elian raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that?"

"A spirit gave me a riddle in the Vale," Owen said. "He said, seek the burning embers. They will shatter the heart and halt the three made whole. When reading my father's journal, he mentioned the blade of embers. The dagger can shatter Mordren's heart. It has to be the key to the riddle."

Elian nodded. "It certainly seems so…"

"But now Rem has the dagger," Brom said, raising his chin. "And if he's serving Mordren, he won't use the dagger to kill him."

"No, that's my task," Owen said.

Elian spun towards Owen with wide eyes. " You're going to kill him?"

"Yes. Somebody has to save this world from a sinister god who wants nothing more than to destroy it."

"Alright… If Mordren is truly alive and coming to our world, I need to alert Luthien so the Legion can come to our aid. If you wish to take on Mordren yourself, it's a fool's errand without emberstone."

"It just so happens we have emberstone," Colt said smugly. "We came from Bridge's house. There's a cave on the coast that was full of the stuff."

"Bridge?" Elian looked at him quizzically .

"It doesn't matter who he is," Owen snapped. "We have emberstone and will shape it into a weapon to defeat Mordren."

Elian gave a nervous laugh and put his palms together in front of his mouth, as if thinking about his next words carefully. "Even if you were to do that, we still need to get out of Vanhelm. And there's also the Arroki to consider. If Mordren marches with an army, we'll be outnumbered. We have to get ahead of him."

"Right, agreed." Colt nodded. "But we can't go to Luthien with you. They'll arrest us all."

"No…" Elian shifted his feet as he hesitated, and Colt craned his head as he listened. "I have a brother who is stationed at Fort Arrowcrest. It's some thirty miles outside of Luthien. Harlan… doesn't care much for the Legion's ideals. You can stay there while I go to Luthien. That way, you'll all be hidden."

"Hidden…" Owen sighed and looked away.

He hates hiding.

Elian's jaw tightened as he looked at Owen. "I know the pain I've caused you. I know you hate me and have every right to. Whatever has happened in the past, we must put our differences aside now in order to make it out of here alive. This isn't about the Legion versus Astrans anymore. It's about doing what's right, about keeping our world safe. The Legion can send aid to help deal with Mordren. I just need to get to Luthien."

Owen stared at the window, his eyes distant. "You're willing to team up with us now that you need my help, after all you have put us through." His voice shook. "You're a hypocrite and a coward."

"Whatever else you wish to say to me, do it now so we can get it out of the way and move on." Elian's words were like ice, but judging by the sneer on his face, Owen had hit a nerve .

Owen stayed silent, but Colt made a face and said, "Such a fucking smug bastard." He shook his head.

Elian gave a tight smile, acting as though the words didn't bother him.

"Right, we'll join together, but you'll follow our lead." Colt glared at him.

"Alright." Elian seemed compliant and gestured at him. "What do you propose we do?"

"We leave for Acren at dawn, and you take us to Fort Arrowcrest. Then you can go to Luthien."

Elian looked from Colt and Owen to Brom, who didn't utter a word of defiance, then he said, "Very well."