Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

TAMAS

The earth shook beneath Tressya's feet with enough violence she stopped mid-flight, and I swayed along with the folds in her skirts.

This had to be the Salmun's doing, and I was damn sick of hiding in this pocket, once again feeling useless to counter the forces against us.

I fought clear of the parchment, determined to escape this damn pocket and transform back into a Razohan. On seeing the seam of yellow candlelight, I leaped upward, already releasing my hold on the rat's form before I'd even cleared the pocket. I heard a rip of fabric at the same time I realized the back end of my boot was caught. I staggered on one leg before I could gain my balance, and fell forward, saving myself at the last before I crashed to the stone floor .

"Tamas," Tressya gasped. "You fool."

I seized her around the waist, flushing her against me, as I dodged toward the wall away from the large metal door.

"No wait," she struggled to get out of my arms, reaching a hand toward the parchment that had fallen free of the ripped pocket.

"Stay there." I gave her no time to argue. Instead, dived forward and scooped the folded parchment up and shoved it into the pocket of my breeches.

"You shouldn't?—"

Reaching her again, I held her close, palming her mouth to silence her before she used her whip-sharp tongue.

"You've been busy," I said as I glanced across to the Salmun scattered on the ground like fallen logs. Did Tressya also possess magic now? She really was a tempting bundle of mysteries. The pedestal, home to the Senjel Oracles, lay in ruins, the ancient book itself, carelessly tossed amongst the rubble now Tressya had what she wanted.

"Did you ripped pages from the sacred Senjel Oracles, little queen?" I quirked a brow.

"Was that the book you were looking for?" She was using her customary way of avoiding answering my question.

"I didn't even know of this place." And I did the same, gazing around me, taking in the vast chamber empty of anything but a stone altar in the center and the now crumbled pedestal, home to the Senjel Oracles. "I never would've found the book," I half said to myself.

"You can thank me later. But right now, we need to escape. I don't know how long they'll remain like that. "

"Any minute, little queen."

"The door's likely sealed by magic, and I don't even want to think what the cause of that unearthly rumble may be."

"The unearthly rumble was…" Any second now, we'd both find out the answer to that riddle.

My keen senses had smelt and heard the oncoming horde. I couldn't say what they were exactly, but my best guess was some twisted form of Ashenlands evil. It made sense the Salmun would refuse to confine all their pets to that dead place.

"While I'm eager to discover what you did to the Salmun, I fear whatever it was has unleashed their abominations."

"What?" She struggled against me.

"Steady now. We need to be ready. They're going to burst through this door any moment."

"I have nothing to fight with."

"Really? You proved more than adequate unarmed against the Salmun." I regrettably released my hold on her waist—which had been a brief but nice distraction—and withdrew a dagger from its sheath buried underneath my cloak.

"It's not much, but hopefully you won't feel so vulnerable. I'll have to transform into the nightmare."

"You won't fit in here. Leave this up to me."

"Tressya," I growled. Now was not the time to become unwisely heroic.

Our argument was cut short as the massive metal door exploded inward, hurtling like an arrow released from a bow. It sped through the air before slamming against the far wall with a thunderous crash, the impact reverberating with enough force to threaten the chamber's ceiling. Wood pieces from the doorframe splinted away under blade-sharp claws as a swarm of grotesque shaped creatures fought to enter as one.

They emerged from the shadows, moving forward on all fours, yet their body was an unsettling union of strength and deformity with broad and muscular chests, supporting powerful forelimbs, ending in long, razor-sharp claws, gleaming menacingly in the dim light. In stark contrast, their hind legs were diminutive and almost frail, making their movements a disturbing blend of grace and awkwardness.

As they advanced, their claws left a harrowing high-pitched screech across the stone floor, chorused by a low rumble emitted from their throats. Elongated snouts allowed for plenty of formidable teeth, and their leathery hides, interspersed with patches of fine, bristling hair, shimmering in the candle flame, looked like armor. Every inch of their form spoke of a creation forged with dark magic, a living weapon created to inspire terror and awe.

"This is going to be tight," I whispered into Tressya's ear, subtly reaching for my second dagger.

Sensing what I was doing, Tressya slowly shifted her hand, placing it over mine, preventing me from unsheathing my weapon.

By now, a dozen of the creatures had entered the chamber. We were pressed against the wall, so the creatures had yet to see us, their bulbous eyes focused on their masters. If we stayed still, we could last undetected for precious moments longer.

"I hope you have a good plan," I whispered .

But Tressya didn't answer me.

Tressya tried to step forward, but I flexed my muscles, keeping her flush against me. "I don't think that's wise," I whispered.

I struggled to understand what she was doing, what was happening, when she pushed away from me, falling into the wall, and closing her eyes with a deep inhale. Suddenly she yelled. "Come forth."

Dammit, Tressya . Now I understood.

At her shout, the creatures turned to face us. I spun around to confront the horde, ensuring she remained behind me, while pulling my dagger clean from its sheath.

"No, Tamas," Tressya shouted.

She had lost her mind, but then, she had won the Ashenlands war by raising the dead.

Having witnessed the resurrection of the dead during the war, I thought I was prepared. Yet, it was not enough to steady me as I witnessed the miracle once again. Scores of the dead appeared on the far side of the chamber, facing the horde of creatures. It was as though they were being painted to life, limb by limb, piercing the veil with a subtle shimmer of light, hugging each form as it appeared.

Unlike those in the Ashenlands Tressya had brought back to fight the war, these were soldiers—macabre visions of brutality. They existed in death as they were killed in life, emerging not fully human yet with enough of their corporeal bodies to form an impressive army.

"Not what I'd expected," I breathed.

"Save us," Tressya yelled. Her voice was the command. The army attacked, swarming over the beasts like a plague .

With no weapons, their shouts of fury were the only sounds accompanying the fight as they threw themselves upon the hideous horde before them. It was a harrowing sight, but the dead could not be killed; each dismembered limb simply reappeared. By now, the chamber was filled with the savage sounds of wild beasts snarling and the furious cries of the resurrected soldiers.

I seized Tressya's hand. "Let's get out of here." And dragged her toward the exit, leaving the army to their fight.

I swung Tressya left. Ahead, the passage was dark, but my keen eyes allowed me to see enough of the passage to the steps ahead.

Tressya jerked on my hand. "Wait. That wasn't there before."

I looked over my shoulder, noticing another passage behind us.

"This was the way you came, right?" I nodded toward the stone steps in the distance.

"Yes, but this other passage is new. It was a wall when the Salmun led me down here. The Salmun's chamber was at the end of the passage, but it's not now. There's a new tunnel."

"Heading in the opposite direction to the way out. I'd say that's how the Salmun's creatures came through, so we're definitely not going that way."

"What if it's another exit that saves us from moving through Emberforge?"

I pulled her toward the steps. "We're not exploring unknown places, which undoubtedly lead further underneath Emberforge. That's the best way to trap yourself, and I have no intention of discovering why the Salmun hid the tunnel using their magic."

Over the calamitous noise of the fight coming from within the chamber we'd just left behind, I heard the distinct noise of footsteps atop the steep steps in front of us. "Shit, our luck's not holding out."

"I hear it too," she said, gazing toward the steps.

We hadn't ventured far enough from the chamber to escape the reach of the torchlight, which, though dim, suffused the darkness with a soft, yellowish glow. Ahead of the steps lay nothing but darkness.

"More Salmun?" Tressya said over the noise of the fighting raging within the Salmun's chamber.

"We won't find out." I spun, taking Tressya with me away from the steps and the exit. "Looks like we'll have to explore this new passage after all." It was risky to pass the chamber in case we attracted the wrong attention, but the dead were still fighting the creatures.

Before we'd taken a step, I heard voices from those who'd descended the steps.

"Plesy," we both said in unison, as the apostle came into view.

"You know Plesy?" she said. "Of course, Petrulus."

The gentle flicker of a candle flame lit their way as the apostles descended. Changing my mind, I pulled Tressya toward the apostles, and by the time they reached the bottom of the steps, we were there to greet them.

"Your Majesty," Plesy gasped.

"No talking," I barked, and pushed past him and the three other apostles who'd descended with him: Selisimus, Tortilus and Wellard. Petrulus had been na?ve to the exact number of rebel apostles, and I doubted this was all of them.

"Wait, you can't go that way. Salmun is moving throughout Emberforge."

I rounded on Plesy. "We can't go that way." My voice was close to a snarl as I jabbed a finger back down the tunnel to where the fighting continued in the chamber.

"We have to," Tressya said, and this time I let a small snarl escape, as she tugged me off the first step. "Hurry."

There was no time to argue with the stubborn little queen, so I did the next best thing, and that was to swipe her up in my arms and retraced our steps back down the passage, passing the chamber as fast as I could go, plunging us into the darkness of the mysterious tunnel.

The apostles struggled to keep pace, and at one point the candle flame went out, but I refused to break my stride.

"No, wait," Tressya hissed. "Tamas, we're losing them."

"I've got no problems leaving them behind."

She struggled in my arms. "You can't."

I growled as I came to a halt, reluctantly releasing Tressya from my arms. "Plesy," she whispered into the darkness.

"Coming, Your—Sorry."

Behind him, a small candle flame struggled to life again.

"Please, Your—Sorry. If we could give Tortilus time. He's performing a spell to seal the passage behind us."

"You have that sort of magic?" Tressya sounded impressed. Stars, I was impressed and hopefully it would work.

"A little. We're no match for the Salmun, for sure. But our practice dates back centuries to the brave apostles who dared first go against the Salmun. We call ourselves?—"

"It's nice you're here to help, but we've no time for this conversation," I countered.

Plesy eyed me cautiously in the flickering candle flame, his gaze traveling the entirety of my body before flicking between Tressya and I.

"He's rude, but we can trust him." She side-eyed me. "I think."

I flashed her a mirthless grin, then turned to Plesy. "Is your friend done yet?"

"Magic takes time and concentra?—"

"We'll meet you at the other end, then." I grabbed Tressya's hand, but she shook me off.

"It's safer if we travel together."

"Arh, here he comes now. That was fast, Tortilus. You're improving a lot since your first attempt at that spell."

"Let's skip the praise, shall we?" I grumbled. "Are you ready now, little queen?"

Plesy's eyes rounded in surprise. As he continued to eye me, his lip curled in disgust.

I bared my fangs, making his eyes bulge, and dragged Tressya into the darkness ahead. I felt unnerved because we were entering a tunnel the Salmun had magically concealed, from which I was sure their hideous creations had poured forth.

Tressya stumbled to keep pace with me. "Do you know where this leads?" She said, looking over her shoulder, her question directed at the apostles behind.

"No… We've never succeeded in our endeavor to open the se cret entrance underneath the throne before," Plesy said with an excited edge to his voice.

"Were there any Salmun following you?" I said.

"Perhaps. Most likely. Myself and Tortilus were close to gaining entry to these passages when Wellard arrived in the throne room with the warning that the Salmun was coming. Miraculously, we finally won through and entered the passage under the Bone Throne."

"Did you know I was down here with the Salmun?"

"Yes, Your—" Tortilus spoke up.

"Call me Tressya."

"Yes. We were sure the Salmun brought you down here for something maleficent," Tortilus continued.

"And you came down here, ready to face a dozen Salmun to help me?"

The idiocy of what they'd done, coupled with the courage needed to make such a decision, and I couldn't help but respect the four of them. I would've done the same in similar circumstances, but I was prone to making foolish decisions.

"It may sound stupid, but we're not as useless as we may appear," Plesy said.

"That never crossed my mind," Tressya said.

It had crossed mine, and I remained skeptical about their ability to stand against the Salmun, but given neither Tressya nor I had any ability to wield magic—for now—they were welcome to join our escape.

"We call ourselves the Umbral Luminae, and we've existed for half a millennium," Tortilus said .

"That's a long time to exist under the Salmun's notice," Tressya said.

We had an unknown stretch of dark passage to navigate and stars knows what creatures may come our way, and Tressya seemed willing to encourage the apostles' conversation.

"That's half a millennium to perfect and protect our secrecy. The order started with the three: the Lore Keeper, the Scribe Master, and the Scroll Guardian, entrusted with the preservation and interpretation of the ancient lore. To become one of these esteemed three was to enter a clandestine pact with the Umbral Luminae, committing oneself to our covert manifesto. This solemn vow was a pledge to devote our lives to safe-guarding the order and to guarantee its prosperity," Tortilus replied.

"And what is your manifesto?"

"How about we focus on our escape?" I interrupted.

"To overthrow the Salmun," Plesy quickly added.

"Tortilus," I barked. We were stuck in an underground maze of the Salmun's making, possibly the lair for their disgusting beasts, and they only seemed interested in touting their credentials to Tressya. "How secure is the seal you placed over the passage behind us?"

"It will hold…for now."

"How long is ‘for now'?" I snapped, resisting the urge to seize him by the throat while he answered, when I shouldn't blame the apostles for our predicament.

"As long as we find a way out soon, we should be safe."

"So it won't hold a serious attack."

"I don't want to make a prediction," Tortilus mumbled.

"You tried your best," Tressya said.

I was sure she glared daggers into the side of my face for my surly voice and ungrateful attack on the apostle, but that was the least of my concerns at this moment. The trace of something pungent hit the back of my nose, some animalic stench and fetid decay wafting in the stagnant air. There was something ahead we probably didn't want to face, and even though my eyes were keen, they couldn't pierce absolute darkness.

"I smell it too." Tressya spoke beside me, keeping her voice low.

"Give me your candle," I ordered whomever was carrying our single source of light.

Wellard stepped forth, passing me the candle holder.

Tressya turned from the apostles and whispered. "The dead will come to our aid."

"They're best left with the beasts back in the chamber."

"There are more. Many more. So many have died within Emberforge over the millennium." Her voice rose as she spoke.

"Yes, that's true," Plesy said. "Many by the hands of the Salmun."

"That's our army if needed," Tressya whispered again, her expression somber in the candlelight.

"Many were buri—" Plesy continued.

"We need to keep going," I interrupted him, feeling impatient at the thought of a lecture on Emberforge's history .

Knowing Tressya would find a cutting remark for my suggestion, I swallowed anything I would say, as the stench thickened the air, burning the hairs in my nostrils.

"What's that smell?" Tortilus said.

"We're about to find out," I replied.

"It's dead, surely," Selisimus said.

"With that smell, I would say there's more than one dead thing down here," Plesy added.

"Perhaps you'd all like to stop signaling our position," I growled.

The four apostles were as stealthy as bullocks, and we were all guilty of speaking aloud. Besides, whatever was out there probably possessed the keen senses of a predator, but my patience toward the apostles was almost at an end.

Tressya said nothing beside me, which drew my attention. "You've nothing to worry about. I promise we'll get out of this." Having silently blamed the apostles for being too noisy, I kept my voice low.

She huffed. "You think I'm worried?"

"You're quiet. I thought that was your way of worrying."

"I'm preparing myself to call on the dead the moment this beast arrives."

"How about you let me save us for a change?"

"Because this isn't a sport, Tamas. We don't win points for?—"

"That's the first time you've said my name since I arrived back in Tolum."

"And it will be the last if you?—"

I squeezed her hand as we continued down the passage. "Hush, my fiery queen. I've reserved a few tricks for you."

She arched a brow as she glanced at me. "Fine. But if you continue to interrupt me when I'm talking, I'll tell the dead you're my problem."

The faint rasp of nails on stone silenced my reply. Tressya heard it too, tugging on my arm as she stopped. Mirroring us, the noise ceased, the creature stilled, which implied it had intelligence. I'd also guess superior eyesight, given it lived down here.

"Is there something wrong, Your—Tressya?" Plesy said.

"This way is crowded," was Tressya's reply.

Plesy and Selisimus tried to look beyond us to the passage ahead, needing to confirm what she said for themselves.

"I can give us more light," Tortilus confessed. "Magic, of course." As if neither of us would've guessed what he referred to.

"That's a handy skill," Tressya said.

"All you'll do is scare yourselves," I replied. "Stay behind and you'll all survive. Now shut up." The creature was on the move again, the rasping still faint, but growing nearer.

Now the apostles were quiet, I could discern the differing tones and rhythm of the rasping. "There's more than one."

Beside me, Tressya inhaled. "How many?"

I focused on listening, dissecting each noise, noticing the directional shifts, the change in cadence, and the overlay of tones. "At least a dozen."

"I hope your tricks are impressive," she whispered close.

I turned my head to glance down at her. "And if they are?"

"You'll earn my gratitude. "

"Anything else?" I winked.

"I'll stop thinking of you as a pain in my ass."

"That certainly gives a man incentive," I sighed.

The next rasping sounds staunched our conversation.

"What was that?" Selisimus said.

"Any minute now," I breathed.

"I trust you, Tamas," Tressya added at the last, as if she felt I needed bolstering to succeed.

Shadowy figures emerged through the dim light from the insignificant candle flame. It was as I feared. The mysterious tunnel led into the Salmun's lair for all their malformed contortions of nature. What came before us was a freakish sight to send anyone to their knees, paralyzed in fear. Creatures with heads attached in the wrong places, limbs where they shouldn't be, skin the thickness of armor, teeth the length of blades and more weaponry, such as spikes and barbs, than was possible on anything naturally born.

"Sweet Goddess Ovia, save us," Wellard said.

The way forward was through the oncoming horde. Our escape was through whatever barrier Tortilus had created and past the Salmun's chamber, possibly still filled with the Salmun Tressya had disabled and their deformed army of creatures.

‘We stand with you,' came the chorus of voices in my mind. I shook my head, pressing my palm to my temple, unsure if for a moment I'd gone crazy, but no it was just the bloody Eone.

"Tamas?"

"I'm fine." I bit out and shook my head again.

The horde approached cautiously, seeming to sense trouble.

"Something or someone is coming along behind us," Tortilus cried. "I swear, I heard something. I'm so sorry, but it seems perhaps my shield no longer holds."

Damn, my focus was divided. I missed those creeping upon us from behind. And Tortilus was right. Now he'd drawn attention to the noise, it wasn't hard to miss.

‘Open to us. We will save you.'

‘Get out,' I mentally growled.

The creatures continued to draw near.

‘You will not survive without our help.' It was Fivia's voice.

‘We can save the both of you if you will let us,' Ineth spoke.

‘You want Tressya to survive, do you not?' And that was Ovia.

"I don't need your help," I growled. It was only once the words were out did I realize I'd said them aloud.

"Okay, but you better do something fast," Tressya said.

Running footfalls gained ground behind us, guided by a brilliant glow of white: Salmun magic. They were free from whatever Tressya had done to them, and the scraping and screeching of their pets following along behind them meant we were being squeezed in the middle, our enemy coming from both directions of the tunnel, leaving us no way out.

‘Only with our help will you live.' The Eone said in unison.

"All of you, get down on the ground," I yelled.

Realizing their masters' approach, the creatures that had come from deeper within the mysterious tunnel, in the depths under Emberforge, attacked.

In my periphery, I saw Tressya fall to the stone floor beside me. Knowing she was out of the way, I partially released my hold on my human form and transformed my head into the gaping beak of the nightmare.

The passage was too small to take the sheer size of the creature. I couldn't even transform its entire head without feeling as though the mountains of rock on either side would crush my skull. But all I needed was the nightmare's mouth.

I opened my jaws as wide as the passage would allow and inhaled the beasts, feeling their weight swelling in my stomach, until it felt fit to burst. I couldn't hold them all inside, so I took on more of the nightmare's form, being conscious to stay on my feet and not squash Tressya on the ground beside me, until the sides of the passage crushed my body.

Now I was the distorted, maligned form, half human and half nightmare, which was likely horrifying Tressya. But it didn't matter what she thought of me, as long as I kept her safe.

Somewhere underneath me, I heard cries of shock and fear, but none were from Tressya, so I ignored them and continued with my meal.

Once I'd consumed the creatures in front of us. I returned to my human form, then faster than a blink, I spun, taking on my half form again, ready for the Salmun and their creatures coming from the other direction.

Beak agape, I inhaled, sucking in the light and every other person or thing present in the passage behind, feeling the added weight as boulders resting in my belly.

Once silence settled, I waited, as a lethargy consumed me. Then, slowly, I regained my human form and collapsed against the stone wall, eyes closed, unable to move.

"Tamas," came Tressya's voice in the dark.

I heard her shoes drawn along the stone as she crawled toward me. Behind my eyelids, I caught the sudden flare of light, like a tiny star brought down from the sky and cradled in someone's hands.

On opening my eyes, I first saw Tressya's face close to mine. Behind her, silhouetting her expression, was that tiny ball of light, held in the palms of Tortilus.

"Are you all right?" Tressya placed her hand on mine.

"Indigestion." And I burped.

"What magic was that?" Selisimus said.

"No magic," I murmured, feeling like I needed to sleep off the meal for a century. "That was far too much to consume when I couldn't transform to my full size."

"The passage is clear in both directions," Wellard said. "Everything is gone."

Everything included anyone who'd followed us, namely a Salmun or two, but I wouldn't clarify that to anyone present. The idea only made me want to puke, and no one wanted that happening. I closed my eyes again; it was safer that way.

"I don't understand what happened," Plesy said. "What manner of creature?—"

"It's over," Tressya interrupted, then she squeezed my hand. "I'm sorry, but you can't rest for long. I'm sure there'll be more to come if we don't get out of here. And you're not in a fit state to be doing that again."

I cracked an eyelid. "But you were impressed."

Her lips twitched. "You were certainly efficient in clearing our problem."

"Then we agree. I was the hero."

She glanced away for a beat before turning back to me with a wry smile. "If that's what the Razohan needs to hear to make him feel better."