Chapter 15

Chapter

Fifteen

The obsidian flows of J?tuneld were no kinder to Hali and her companions than they had been to Osric and the Forge of Vulkan. The shards tore at the soles of her boots, the acrid smoke stung her eyes, and the heat of the molten rock threatened to sear the hair from her beard. But still she ran, her heart aching with the need to reach Osric, to make him understand.

"Please," she called, her voice carried away on the hot wind. "Please, don't do this."

But he was already far ahead, his form a dark shadow against the roiling sky. With a cry of frustration, Hali redoubled her efforts, her feet moving as fast as her heart was pounding.

Sooty was at her side, his face set in a grimace of determination. "I still think we should have a plan," he said. "But since that's not an option, I suppose running will have to do."

Hali gave a breathless laugh. "Running's always been one of my strong suits, you know. That, and talking."

"I've noticed," Sooty said dryly.

Pippa Tumblebottom fluttered along just behind them, her delicate wings a blur of iridescent colors. "He's right, you know. Perhaps a little less talking and a little more running would be in order."

"Easy for you to say. Your feet aren't melting to the ground," Hali huffed, but she knew Pippa was right. She'd said all she could to Osric. Now all she could do was reach him, and pray that her words had found some purchase in his heart.

They crested a ridge of obsidian, and the valley spread out before them, a vast expanse of steaming rock. In the distance, they could just make out the glow of lava, and the dark shape of Osric and the other Emberforged, still running toward it.

"We're almost there," Hali said, though she wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Sooty and Pippa, or herself.

She pushed herself onward, her muscles burning, her lungs aching for breath. She couldn't let Osric go through with this. She had to make him see.

"Osric, please!" Hali's voice was raw with emotion, her throat tight. She staggered to a stop, her hands braced on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Please, you have to listen to me."

Osric stood a few paces away, the Hammer of Earthblood cradled in his arms. His face was a mask, his eyes dark and distant. "I'm sorry, Hali. I can't."

"Please," she said again, and this time there were tears in her eyes, a lump in her throat. "I thought you—I thought there was something between us."

"There was," Osric said. "There is. But it cannot change what must be done."

Hali straightened, her chin jutting out with stubborn determination. "And what's that? Why are you giving the hammer to them? Why did you lie to me?"

The other members of the Forge of Vulkan had caught up by now, surrounding them in a semicircle. Agnith's face was carved from stone, but the others looked at her with a mix of annoyance and wariness.

"Hali, please," Osric said, taking a step toward her.

"No. I need to know. I need to understand."

Osric closed his eyes, a pained expression crossing his face. "My family," he said. "They were killed by the Obsidian Circle."

Hali's breath caught in her throat. "I didn't know. You never told me."

"I never thought I would find someone worth telling." His voice was thick with emotion, his words a struggle. "The Forge of Vulkan, they took me in. Trained me. Made me who I am. Gave me purpose. Gave me a new family."

Tears were streaming down Hali's face, leaving tracks through the soot. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"It is not your fault. But I cannot betray the Forge. I cannot betray my family." He opened his eyes, and the look in them was enough to shatter Hali's heart. "Please. Go. Forget about me."

Hali's lower lip trembled as she stared up at him. "I can't. I can't forget you."

She took a step forward, and Osric flinched, as if he were afraid she might strike him. "I care for you, Osric. I care for you more than I ever thought I could care for anyone. But I cannot let you make this mistake."

Tears welled in Osric's eyes, and he turned away. "It is not a mistake. It is my duty."

"It doesn't have to be," Hali said. "Please. We can find another way."

"There is no other way."

"My parents, they were scholars, like you. They sought to uncover the truth, no matter the cost. And it cost them everything."

Hali's hand flew to her mouth, but Osric was lost in his memories.

"I was young, too young to understand. But the pain, the rage that burned in me . . . The Forge, they offered me a way to channel it. A way to bring justice to those who had wronged us."

Hali's eyes were brimming with tears, but she said nothing, only waited for him to continue.

"The Obsidian Circle are a blight on this world. They care nothing for the balance, for the greater good. They seek only power, at any cost. And I cannot let them succeed."

"The Obsidian Circle . . ." Hali's eyes blazed with determination. "Is that what this is about? Revenge for your family?"

"It is about justice. It is about doing what is right."

Hali took a step toward him, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Is it? Or is it about vengeance, about the same kind of hatred that they hold in their hearts?"

Osric's grip on the Hammer of Earthblood tightened, the metal groaning in protest. "I do not know. But it is the path I have chosen. The only way I can see."

Hali raised her chin, her gaze steady. "It does not have to be this way. We can find another path. We can find another way to stop them, without . . ." Her voice trailed off, but Osric knew what she was going to say.

Without becoming them.

"It is too late for that," Osric said. "The Obsidian Circle, they have the hammer now. With its power, they will be unstoppable. The only way to take it back is with the Forge's power, and their price is too high."

"Is it?" Hali's voice was a challenge. "Is the cost of your soul not too high, Osric? Is it worth it, to become the very thing you seek to destroy?"

Osric closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. "It is a price I am willing to pay."

"I know you think you're doing the right thing," Hali said. "But I cannot stand by and watch you give in to that kind of darkness. I cannot watch you unleash such terrible power."

Osric's resolve wavered, his grip on the hammer loosening. "I . . . I do not know if I can stop them any other way."

"Please, Osric. I'm begging you. Do not do this."

There was a battle raging within him, the conflict between duty and his heart. But in the end, he turned away from her, the hammer still cradled in his arms.

"I am sorry, Hali. I wish . . . I wish things could have been different between us. But I cannot change who I am."

And with that, he stepped forward, toward the lava.

"Osric, no!"

Agnith stepped forward, wrenching the hammer from Osric's grasp. It pulsed with an ominous energy, casting an eerie glow across the obsidian landscape. The other members of the Forge of Vulkan watched, their faces hard and foreboding.

"I know you feel the call of your heart, Osric," Agnith said. "But the Forge demands more from us. It demands sacrifice. It demands that we set aside the weakness of emotion, and do what must be done."

"Osric, please. I'm begging you." Hali reached out to him, her fingers brushing against the metal of the hammer. "Please don't do this. I can't lose you, too."

For a moment, it looked as if he might relent. His shoulders slumped, the hardness in his eyes softening. And then, with a low growl, Agnith stepped forward.

"She is a threat," Agnith said. "She must be silenced."

"Agnith, no?—"

"Silence, you fool." Agnith's grip on Osric's wrist didn't budge. He didn't even look at Halizanth. "It's time for the Forge's purpose to be served."

But it was too late. With a cry, Agnith raised the hammer high, and brought it crashing down.

A wave of energy rippled out from the hammer, a shockwave of raw power. Hali was thrown back, the force of it lifting her off her feet. She tumbled across the sharp obsidian, the world a blur of smoke and heat and searing pain.

The world lurched beneath them as the Forge of Vulkan members channeled the hammer's power, and then they were sinking into the earth, the obsidian landscape folding in on itself, and the acrid smoke of their passage was the only thing Halizanth could smell, could taste. She was vaguely aware of Sooty shouting, of Pippa's wings fluttering frantically, of the ground rumbling and cracking, but it all felt distant, as if she were watching the chaos unfold from far away.

"Hali! Hali, come on, we have to go!"

Strong hands closed around her arms, and with a jolt, she was yanked back to reality. Sooty. It was Sooty, and they were still on the mountainside, the Forge of Vulkan disappearing into the volcanic rift.

"Hali, please, we have to go." Sooty's face was pale, his eyes wide with fear. "They're gone. There's nothing we can do."

"I—"

Halizanth's head was swimming, her thoughts a tangled mess. She reached up to touch her forehead, and her fingers came away sticky with blood.

"Miss Hali, please. We have to go. We have to get help."

Sooty hauled her to her feet, and she swayed, the world tilting dangerously. Pippa darted in front of her, her wings a swirl of colors.

"He's right, darling. We can't do anything here. But we have to go, before the Circle's goons arrive."

Halizanth blinked, the tears stinging in her eyes. "I?—"

She turned, and saw the lava, still glowing in the distance, the rift still churning and spewing. Osric. He was down there, with the hammer, with the Forge of Vulkan, with the Obsidian Circle, with who knew what other horrors.

"I have to go after him."

Sooty's grip on her arms tightened, and she winced. "Miss Hali, please. He made his choice. He chose them."

She shook her head, her vision blurring. "No. I can't believe that. I won't."

But even as she said the words, she knew they were a lie. She knew Osric. She knew the depth of his loyalty, the strength of his convictions. He would not have gone to such lengths, risked so much, if he did not truly believe in the Forge's cause.

She sank to her knees, the fight going out of her. Sooty dropped down beside her, his arms going around her, and she let him pull her close.

"Come now, Miss Brightminer. Let's go home."

The first thing Hali did when she returned to the bookshop was to draw a steaming hot bath in the copper tub that dominated her bathroom. She stripped out of her soot-stained clothes, wincing as she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. Her face was streaked with tears and soot and blood, her curls a messy clump. She looked like she'd been through a war.

Well, in a way, she had.

She sank into the fragrant, frothy water, and let out a long, shuddering sigh. The heat of the water soothed her aching muscles, but it did nothing to ease the raw, gaping wound in her heart.

Hali scrubbed angrily at her face. She was not the kind of hero in the tales she so loved, after all. She was just Halizanth Brightminer, the bookbinder's daughter, the lonely, stubborn, foolish old maid who lived in her books because the real world had never had much use for her.

She stayed in the bath until the water grew cold, and then she dragged herself to her feet and dried off. She tugged on a soft, worn nightgown, and made her way to the sitting room, where a fresh fire crackled in the hearth.

Sooty and Pippa were waiting for her, perched in her favorite armchair. Sooty held a steaming mug of tea, while Pippa clutched a tattered handkerchief in her beak.

"Oh, my dears," Hali said, her voice a raw whisper. "I am so sorry. I know this must have been terribly frightening for you."

Sooty snorted, and handed her the tea. "Please. I've been in more bar brawls than I can count. This was nothing."

"Sooty," Pippa scolded, but she didn't look entirely convinced.

"I'm all right, truly." Hali managed a watery smile. "But I fear things are only going to get more dangerous from here."

"We can handle it, Miss Hali. We'll face it together, just like always."

Sooty's words were a balm to her soul, but Hali saw the fear lurking in his eyes, in the tense set of his shoulders. He was brave, her dear Sooty, but he was still just a boy. He shouldn't have to face the kind of darkness that was gathering on the horizon.

She reached out, and took his hand in hers. "I am so grateful to have you both at my side. I don't know what I would do without you."

"You'll never have to find out, Miss Hali," Sooty said, his voice fierce.

They lapsed into silence, the crackle of the fire the only sound. Hali sipped her tea, the warm, fragrant blend of herbs and honey chasing away some of the chill that had settled deep in her bones. But the warmth was fleeting. Her heart still ached, a hollow, empty pain.

She needed to do something. To find a way to stop the Obsidian Circle, to save Osric from himself. But the truth was, she had no idea where to even begin.

She had spent her whole life lost in books, in stories of heroes and villains, of great quests and epic battles. But those were just stories, and she was no hero. She was just a lonely old bookbinder, with a head full of foolish dreams.

How was she supposed to fight against something like the Obsidian Circle? How could she hope to save Osric, when he didn't want to be saved?

Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away, her gaze fixed on the flames. She would not let the darkness win.

But as she stared into the fire, the flames seemed to whisper to her, a sibilant, taunting hiss.

It's already too late.

The shop was silent, the only sounds the fire and the hushed murmur of Sooty and Pippa. But then, just as Hali was about to answer him, a movement caught Sooty's eye. He went rigid, his grip on Hali's hand tightening.

"Sooty?" Hali began, but he was already on his feet, shoving her behind him.

"Someone's out there."

He moved toward the window, and Hali caught a glimpse of a dark shape outside. With a soft curse, Sooty dropped to the floor and extinguished the fire with a quick stomp. The shop was plunged into darkness, the only light the faint glow of the streetlamps outside.

"Get down," Sooty hissed, and he and Pippa dropped to the ground.

Hali crouched down beside them. She could just make out the shape of Sooty's dagger in his hand, the blade dark and deadly. He caught her eye, and gave her a quick nod.

The door creaked as the figure outside tried the handle. With a low growl, Sooty sprang forward.

"Stay away from her shop!" he shouted, and lunged at the intruder.

There was a muffled curse, and then the room erupted into chaos.

Sooty grappled with the shadowy figure, the two of them thrashing around the room. Bookshelves toppled, sending books and papers flying, and glass shattered as they crashed into the display cases. Hali's heart was pounding in her ears as she fumbled for the dagger she kept tucked in her sleeve. She had no idea who this was, or what they wanted, but she would be damned if she let them harm her friends.

With a cry, Sooty managed to land a blow on the intruder's head, and he went limp. Sooty let out a whoop of triumph, and then his eyes went wide as he caught sight of the tattoo on the man's hand.

"The Obsidian Circle," he breathed, and then sprang into action, hauling the man's unconscious body into the back room.

"Sooty, what are you doing?" Hali hissed, hurrying after him.

"We can't let him get away," Sooty said, his voice urgent. "We have to find out what he knows."

"Sooty, we can't?—"

But Sooty was already binding the man's hands and feet with a length of rope he kept stashed back here. He worked quickly, efficiently, and Hali had the sudden, dizzying realization that this was not the first time he'd done something like this.

"Miss Hali, I've never kidnapped someone before!" Pippa fluttered excitedly. "This is so thrilling!"

"Pippa, it's not kidnapping," Hali said, though she wasn't entirely sure she believed it herself. "We just have a few questions for our guest, is all. Don't make it sound so dire!"

With their unwanted guest securely bound and gagged, they dragged him up to Hali's sitting room, and propped him in the armchair. Sooty stood behind the chair, one hand resting on the hilt of his dagger, while Pippa perched on the back of the chair, staring down at the man with a look of undisguised curiosity.

The man's eyes darted frantically around the room, and he made a muffled noise of protest from behind the gag.

"Now, now, darling," Pippa said. "No need to get all worked up. We just want to have a little chat, is all."

Hali took a seat on the ottoman, her hands folded in her lap. She was still trembling with a potent mix of fear and adrenaline, but she forced herself to take a deep breath, and let her training as a bookseller guide her.

"You are a member of the Obsidian Circle, correct?" she asked, her voice steady.

The man glared at her, but after a moment, he gave a curt nod.

"Then you must understand our concerns. We only wish to know what you and your compatriots are planning."

He spat something unintelligible, and tried to lunge forward, but Sooty's hand on the chair held him in place.

"Answer the lady's question," Sooty growled. "Or things are going to get very unpleasant for you."

The man's eyes went wide, and he shook his head, his body going rigid.

"Please, there's no need for violence," Hali said quickly. "We just want to know what you want with the primordial artifacts. Why are you so determined to find them? What does the . . . ‘Forge of Vulkan' want with them? That's your enemy's name, right?"

The man's eyes flicked from her to Sooty, and then to Pippa, and after a long moment, he slumped in the chair.

"It's too late," he said, his voice a hoarse whisper. "The Circle's plans are already in motion. You cannot stop us."

"We'll see about that," Sooty said. "Now, tell us what those plans are."

The man's eyes narrowed. "I can't. I've already said too much."

Sooty's grip tightened on the dagger's hilt, and he took a step forward. "Look, I get it. You're scared. But maybe we can help each other out. You tell us what we need to know, and maybe we can keep you safe from the Forge's retribution. Seeing as how they've already got the big dumb hammer, and all."

The man stared at Sooty for a long moment, as if weighing his words. Finally, he let out a shuddering breath.

"The Circle . . . we seek the artifact's power to reshape all our destinies. You cannot hope to stop us. The Circle is everywhere. They will destroy all who stand in their way."

"Destiny?" Hali's brow furrowed. "All right, that's just silly. But what about the Forge of Vulkan? What do they want?"

The man snorted, and turned his head away. "The Forge are fools," he said. "They seek to control that which cannot be controlled. Worshiping their old fire goddess, the primordials who wielded her hammer . . . They want to destroy us and bring back the resurgence of the Emberforged elves. But the Circle knows the true path to power. And we will not be swayed from it."

"The resurgence of the Emberforged?" Hali's head was spinning. "But I thought they were all but gone."

The man's eyes blazed with a fierce light. "They will rise again. The Forge of Vulkan will see to that."

"But at what cost?" Hali asked. "You and your Obsidian Circle, and the Forge of Vulkan, too . . . All you want is power. And you're willing to destroy everything in your path to get it."

"It is the way of the world," the man said with a shrug. "There can be no rebirth without destruction. The Circle understands this. The Forge will learn."

The room fell silent, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Hali's mind was racing, trying to make sense of everything she'd just heard. The Obsidian Circle, the Forge of Vulkan, the primordial artifacts—they were all pieces of a puzzle she had never even known existed. And the picture they were painting was one of violent upheaval, of chaos and destruction.

She thought of Osric, of the passion and determination that burned in his eyes. He had sworn to her that he was working for a greater good, but how could she believe that, when the end result of his actions would be the same?

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them back. She couldn't afford to cry. She needed to be strong. Hali closed her eyes, letting the man's words sink in. He was right. They were facing an enemy unlike anything she had ever imagined, with power and resources far beyond their reach. But that only made it all the more important that they find a way to stop them.

She opened her eyes, and looked at Sooty, and then at Pippa. Her friends, her companions in this strange and dangerous journey. They were all she had, but maybe, just maybe, they were enough.

"It won't be easy," she said, her voice low and urgent. "But we have to stop this. Both the Obsidian Circle and the Forge of Vulkan. We can't let either of them get their hands on the primordial artifacts."

Sooty and Pippa stared at her, their eyes wide.

"But how, Miss Hali?" Sooty asked. "We don't even know where to begin."

Hali's mind was already racing, a plan taking shape. "I think I have an idea." She turned to her friends. "Will you help me?"

Pippa's eyes shone with unshed tears, but her chin was held high. "Of course, darling. You know I'll follow you anywhere."

Sooty hesitated for a moment, and then he nodded, a fierce glint in his eyes. "Always, Miss Hali. I'll do whatever it takes."