9. Malorg

nine

Malorg

"Duck!"

Malorg's shouted warning echoed off the Dusklands' gnarled trees. Less than a dozen paces away, Sarilian dropped to the striated forest floor.

A voidspawn swooped past him, its stubby tentacles lashing the empty air. Malorg hurled a pair of daggers at the creature, but both went wide when the voidspawn caught itself on a nearby trunk and swung behind it, scrambling for cover.

Cursing, Malorg dissolved into shadows and duskwalked toward Sarilian. They could be browsing the Gallery right now or enjoying each other's company in the privacy of his apartment. Instead, they were out here risking life and limb to uphold a Covenant he'd long since stopped believing in. Eternal Dark, why had he ever agreed to this asinine plan?

Because Sarilian asked you to.

Malorg gritted his teeth as he reformed beside Sarilian. He fell into a protective crouch over the prone Celestial with a fresh set of daggers in hand. "You all right?" he asked, keeping a wary eye out for more voidspawn.

"Fine," Sarilian grumbled. He stood, dusting off his armor. "Albeit a touch embarrassed. I swear I'm not usually this clumsy. I blame my lack of dawnflame. At least I still have enough to summon my armaments."

Malorg eyed the Celestial's faintly glowing breastplate. Despite his best efforts, he hadn't been able to get his illusion spell to completely cover either it or Sarilian's spear. Yet another reason this was a terrible idea. All it would take was one wandering Infernal to blow their cover. While Malorg might not particularly care what happened to him, he refused to let any harm befall Sarilian on his watch.

A rustling noise came from another tree to their right. Malorg fastened his attention on its crooked branches. By his count, there were five voidspawn remaining, maybe more.

When he and Sarilian had stumbled upon the small, squirrel-like creature resting on a branch, he'd thought it the perfect prey to appease Sarilian's desire for combat without placing them in any real danger. Little had he known it was part of an entire Dark-cursed nest hidden amid the shadowed boughs. Of course, he also hadn't realized the pests could fly .

"This is a good chance to test out more of our combined magic." Sarilian eagerly brandished his spear, which already had lines of black duskflame woven throughout its golden dawnflame. "It helped bolster my weapon. Perhaps it would similarly enhance your daggers."

Malorg didn't share Sarilian's excitement. So far as he was concerned, their ability to weave duskflame with dawnflame was an intriguing oddity, nothing more. No amount of boosted spells would miraculously enable them to defeat the infinite Void.

Still, when no immediate attack came, he sighed and proffered his latest daggers to Sarilian. The Celestial grinned and infused them with dawnflame until a dull glow pulsed beneath their usual obsidian surfaces. Curious despite himself, Malorg hefted the blades. They felt the same as usual, so he gave an internal shrug and scanned the forest for his foes. There!

A voidspawn emerged from the canopy and glided toward them on membranous wings that stretched from its arms to its sides. Malorg hurled a dagger at the creature, but a sudden downward swerve once again evaded his attack.

Frustration pulsed within him as he raised his second conjured blade. Before he could throw it, a small boom split the air. Malorg's eyes fastened on a tree trunk behind the voidspawn, where flames flickered across the gray bark. His dagger! It had to be. Sarilian's addition of dawnflame must have caused the blade to detonate on impact.

Perhaps confused by the explosion, the gliding voidspawn veered toward the nearest tree. Hefting the second of his dawnflame-infused daggers, Malorg tracked the creature's movement, then released. As he'd anticipated, the voidspawn snagged a tree trunk with its tentacles to swing itself out of the way. His blade struck the tree right ahead of the creature, erupting in gold and black flames that engulfed the voidspawn. Its charred corpse crumbled to violet ash.

Sarilian's triumphant shout rang out behind him. Suppressing his own grin in response, Malorg began to turn back when a half-dozen more of the squirrel-like voidspawn burst from their hiding spots amid the boughs. They must not have liked that latest maneuver. He tensed, readying himself to attack, then hesitated and glanced back at Sarilian.

The Celestial caught his questioning look and gave him an encouraging nod. "Go on," he said, raising his spear. "I'll be fine."

There was no time to argue, not with the voidspawn careening through the air. Eternal Dark watch over him, Malorg thought as he blurred into the darkness of the forest. He moved as a living shadow, emerging only long enough to slide a blade into each voidspawn he passed. They were harder than most to hit thanks to their small size and agility, but the Dusklands was his domain, and all it took was a nick to consume them with spreading lines of cursed duskflame.

When the last of the creatures had drifted away in a cloud of scattered dust, Malorg resumed his corporeal form. An unfamiliar thrill raced through him—one he couldn't remember feeling in a long, long time.

Eternal Dark, he'd forgotten what it was like to enjoy himself in combat. To revel in the satisfaction of victory over his foes. Perhaps the Celestials were on to something working together as a team because he doubted he'd have experienced the same sense of triumph if not for Sarilian fighting alongside him.

He turned to smile at the Celestial, anticipation coiling in his belly at the thought of a celebratory kiss, when he froze, his eyes widening with horror. Sarilian lay writhing beneath a pair of voidspawn, their tentacles and claws scrabbling past his armor for purchase in his flesh.

Bellowing a wordless roar, Malorg charged. As he ran, he conjured fresh blades to throw. One found its mark, sending the targeted voidspawn back to the Void, but the other creature managed to dodge to the side. Spreading its makeshift wings, it hurled itself into the air.

Ignoring the last voidspawn for now, Malorg dropped to his knees by Sarilian, his frantic gaze racking over the Celestial's body. "How badly are you hurt?"

Sarilian tried to sit up before flopping to the ground with a wince. "Well, I assume I've experienced worse as a mortal, what with having died and all. But my dawnflame is having a tough time mending my wounds here in the Dusklands."

Guilt tightened Malorg's jaw. "This is my fault. I got too caught up in the battle and left you alone. I should have remained by your side instead of abandoning you."

This was why he fought alone. He'd failed to protect Sarilian just like he'd failed to protect Uryqh. What use was fighting when he couldn't save those who mattered to him the most?

"Stop," Sarilian scolded, swatting weakly at Malorg's chest.

Malorg furrowed his brow. "Stop what?"

"That. Moping. I'm a big boy—I can take care of myself." Pride shone on Sarilian's face. "I killed three of them before those two got the drop on me, and I would've been able to handle them as well if I hadn't lost concentration on my spear and let it dissolve."

He must have seen the worry on Malorg's face because he rested a reassuring hand on Malorg's arm and gave him a faint smile. "I'll be fine—really. I just have to wait for my suppressed dawnflame to heal me."

An idea suddenly sprang into Malorg's head. Coating his hand with a sheen of black duskflame, he started to lower it toward Sarilian before pausing to meet Sarilian's golden gaze. "Duskflame is usually more effective at enabling Infernals to dodge attacks than to recover from them. But given how our conjoined magic has worked thus far, an infusion of it might offer your own natural healing some benefit."

Sarilian's eyes lit up, his wavering smile widening into a more genuine one. "That's perfect! All right, Infernal—do your worst."

Rolling his eyes, Malorg gently pressed his hand to Sarilian's chest and sent duskflame surging into him. He didn't try to shape the energy into a spell. Instead, he allowed the magic to flow throughout the Celestial's body so it could intermingle with his inherent dawnflame.

At first, nothing happened. Then, Sarilian sucked in a breath. Malorg watched with rapt attention as the Celestial's wounds began to mend, his flesh reknitting itself. Within the span of a few heartbeats, Sarilian appeared fully restored.

The Celestial slowly rose, probing his chest with ginger fingers. He must have been pleased with what he found since he let out a joyous laugh. The unexpected sound kindled a sudden warmth in Malorg's belly. He started to move away, but before he could, Sarilian surged forward, tugging him into an embrace.

"See?" Sarilian murmured, brushing his lips over Malorg's ear. "Good as new."

A shiver raced down Malorg's spine. Tentatively, he raised his arms to return the hug. "Good."

Sarilian shifted against him. "You know, I'm surprised that infusion of duskflame you gave me worked as well as it did. It's already fading, but while it lasted, I felt ready to take on a Light-blinded void lord all by myself."

"Perhaps you should wait until you have a few more battles under your belt," Malorg said with a spike of alarm.

Sarilian chuckled. His hand rubbed soothing circles of heat into Malorg's back. "Not to worry—the weakened one I faced during my first battle was quite enough for now. Still, I'm intrigued by the potential. Even a brief enhancement to bolster an Immortal's natural defenses might mean the difference between life or death in a particularly dangerous situation."

Malorg grunted in agreement. At the moment, however, he was more interested in Sarilian's nearness than in discussing hypotheses concerning their combined magic.

Movement caught Malorg's attention from the corner of his eye, and he broke away from Sarilian, turning to look. The last voidspawn. Bereft of the rest of its brood, it had resettled into a tangle of branches in a vain attempt to conceal itself. As if Malorg would allow anything that dared hurt Sarilian to escape. Baring his teeth, he forged a duskflame dagger and took aim.

"Wait!" Sarilian rested a restraining hand on Malorg's arm. "Allow me."

Malorg opened his mouth to protest but reconsidered when Sarilian narrowed his eyes. "Fine," he grumbled. "But just so you know, you have nothing to prove. Not to me."

Even with his Infernal disguise in place, Sarilian's answering smile sent jolts of electricity rippling across Malorg's skin. "Thanks. For the record, neither do you. Although I must admit it was incredible watching you in your element. The way you moved with such deadly grace…"

Sarilian bit his lip, a spark of gold smoldering beneath his obscured eyes. The static charge sizzling Malorg's skin burrowed straight to his core. He cleared his throat and directed his gaze back to the last voidspawn. "If you're going to kill it, get on with it then."

"Right. Of course." Flickering dawnflame gathered around Sarilian as he fell into a crouch, a new spear coalescing in his grip. "There's something I've wanted to try ever since my first battle. I'm not sure how well it'll work in the Dusklands though, so I wouldn't say no to a little boost."

Frowning, Malorg studied Sarilian's nascent spell. "What is it?"

A smirk curled Sarilian's lips. "You'll see."

Malorg scowled, continuing his examination another beat before giving up. Whatever Sarilian was planning, the magic was too different from Malorg's for him to decipher. Still, he didn't need to know the spell's purpose to align his duskflame with the dawnflame.

As soon as he had, Sarilian shoved off the ground and launched himself into the air. Surprise flickered through Malorg when the rough outlines of wings sprouted from Sarilian's back, blazing with a penumbra of gray and gold light. The magic seemed to amplify the Celestial's leap so that it carried him in an impressive arc toward the hidden voidspawn.

Once it realized it had been spotted, the creature attempted to flee, but Sarilian lashed out with his spear. His whoop of victory at impaling the voidspawn transformed into a startled shout when his crude wings abruptly evaporated, sending him spiraling downward.

Concern rippling through him, Malorg rushed to where Sarilian had crashed to the ground only to find the grinning Celestial already bounding to his feet. "Did you see that? I got the idea from watching Darius, the Aspect of Justice. It'll be a long time before I can sustain the spell like he can, but with some practice, I bet I can manage at least a controlled jump!"

Malorg shook his head, exasperation mixing with fondness at Sarilian's misguided enthusiasm. "No regular Immortal can hope to match the power of an Aspect, Sarilian."

Seeming suddenly self-conscious, Sarilian kicked at the gray kaleidoscope of lines spiraling along the forest floor. Malorg's heart sank. He hadn't meant to dampen the Celestial's good mood. As if he needed any more evidence that this relationship was a bad idea.

"You're right." Sarilian fixed Malorg with a determined gaze as he set his jaw. "Which is why I intend to become an Aspect myself someday. I've seen how the other Celestials look up to Darius. He's more than a commander to them. His mere presence is enough to bolster their hope and embolden their spirits. I want to inspire Immortals and mortals alike as he does—to put myself in a position where I can accomplish the greatest good."

Each impassioned word Sarilian spoke drove another razor-thin spike into Malorg's chest. He had watched the pursuit of power corrupt his once-friend Pelorak until, by the time Pelorak earned a seat on the Dusk Council as the Aspect of Ambition, little remained of who he'd once been.

From Malorg's limited experiences with the Dawn Council, they were little better. If Sarilian followed a similar path to ascend, how much of his noble aspirations would endure?

Squashing his churning unease, Malorg offered a nod along with a noncommittal shrug. He would not be the one to disabuse Sarilian of his folly—not yet, at any rate. Council seats rarely changed hands. He'd have decades, perhaps centuries, to help Sarilian see wisdom.

Assuming you're still speaking to one another a month from now, let alone years.

"Whatever you think is best," Malorg forced out. "Are you ready to bring this hunting trip to a close?"

Sarilian's eyes widened. "But we've barely even begun! There are still so many joint spells I'd like to try, from a blinding light to—"

"I think we've experimented enough for one day."

"All right, no more experiments. But that doesn't mean we can't slaughter a few more voidspawn for good measure." When Malorg hesitated, Sarilian made a show of begging, complete with puppy dog eyes, quivering lips, and excessive sniffling. "Pleeease. Don't you want to spend more time together while we can?"

Malorg scowled. Way to fight dirty. "Fine. But," he added in response to Sarilian's immediate grin, "only if we shift our hunt to the Dawnlands."

Sarilian's smile dampened. "But that will leave you more vulnerable."

"Precisely." Malorg set off in the direction of the border. They were already close, having traveled as far as they could from Twilight to lessen the odds that they'd cross paths with other Infernals. "I have centuries of experience on you. Better for me to be the one at increased risk."

Sarilian nodded, though Malorg could tell he wasn't thrilled with the decision. He followed in silence for a time before chuckling quietly to himself out of nowhere.

Malorg eyed him askance. "What?"

Sarilian shook his head, an amused smirk playing over his lips. "Nothing. Just thinking over what you said about your centuries of experience…old man."

Malorg tried to pin the laughing Celestial with a glare, but his heart wasn't in it. For better or worse, he was beginning to suspect that organ already belonged to the Celestial in question.

Sarilian kept up a stream of easy chatter as they travelled, seeming determined to draw Malorg out of his shell. When Malorg offered to duskwalk them across the border, he declined, taking Malorg's hand instead and insisting that he'd rather go slow to enjoy their stroll. The soft smile he'd given Malorg had threatened to make his heart bound right out of his chest.

The rolling silver plains of the Dawnlands proved precisely as boring as Malorg remembered…minus the company, of course. Just like in the forest, having Sarilian with him made even the tedious task of tracking stray voidspawn across the barren expanse more enjoyable.

Despite his weakened duskflame, Malorg insisted on taking the lead, much to Sarilian's chagrin. Anything he could do to keep Sarilian safe.

Though the Dawnlands' perpetual glow left no easy way to track the passage of time, several hours must have elapsed before Sarilian let out a loud groan, stretching his back.

"Merciful Light, how many voidspawn does that make for today?"

"Thirty-five," Malorg replied, trying not to let his exhaustion show.

Sarilian scrunched his brow. "That's it? Feels like more."

"That's it—unless you count that voidspawn with too many tentacles as multiple."

Sarilian snorted a laugh. "Which one? They all have too many tentacles!"

A faint smile flickered over Malorg's face. "Fair enough." Glancing around at the near-identical landscape stretching in every direction, he asked, "Do you want a lift somewhere?"

"Nah, I'm good. The nearest dawnbeam waypoint isn't far from here, and I don't want to risk another Celestial spotting us if you duskwalk too close."

Malorg scratched at the back of his neck. An anxious buzzing filled his gut. "Right. Well, I guess this is where we part ways, then."

"I guess so."

Sarilian gave him a fond smile. Before Malorg could settle on what to do next, Sarilian was pressed against him, stealing his breath with an intoxicating kiss.

"Thanks for the date," Sarilian murmured. He trailed more kisses along the sharp line of Malorg's jaw. "I look forward to the next one."

Malorg struggled to maintain his stoic composure as they parted. "As do I. The usual time and place?"

Sarilian nodded. "Sounds good. Perhaps we can continue experimenting with our magics."

"Perhaps," Malorg agreed reluctantly.

It wasn't that he saw no possible applications for their efforts—he'd been mulling over what Sarilian had said about a protective infusion all day. But if the last disastrous Accords had taught him anything, it was the danger of false hope.

Sarilian must've sensed his hesitation. "I know you think defeating the Void is an impossible dream, but nothing is impossible so long as we don't give up. Together, we'll find a way to fulfill the Covenant once and for all—you'll see."

Malorg wished he could believe him. Still, despite his doubts, he didn't want to once again be the reason Sarilian's joy faded. Let the Celestial cling to his naivety as long as he could. And who knew? Maybe someday, he'd prove Malorg wrong.

But even after they'd said their goodbyes, Sarilian's whispered Until we meet again echoing in his ears and their parting kiss lingering on his lips, Malorg couldn't shake his rising sense of foreboding or the terrible premonition that, like everything else tainted by the Covenant, their newfound happiness was destined to end in nothing but pain and regret.