Chapter Sixteen
I blinked at the strange woman for several moments as I processed her presence before me. I hadn’t seen Sarosh since I’d defeated Smiguel, the great crimson dragon, and convinced the priestess of my power. She’d been gathering followers for the God of the Purge outside the village of Ivywood, but I’d managed to get them to choose life over suicide. The older woman and her twelve followers had followed me to Vallenwood, and beyond, in my quest to defeat the fire-breather. After Sarosh had witnessed my power, she’d rejected her former master and swore to rid the world of his darkness.
I’d often thought of her, but I hadn’t expected to see her in the Zaborial Isles.
“It is wonderful to see you, Great One!” Sarosh smiled wide. “I wasn’t expecting to find any familiar faces on the isles.”
“It seems great minds think alike,” I countered, but then one of the blue-robed priests bumped into me, and I was sent tumbling onto Sarosh. We righted ourselves with nervous laughter, and I sent a scathing glare at the departing back of the inconsiderate bald man before I turned back to the priestess. “I’d love to catch up. Eva’s with me, down at the Crowded Duck. Care to share a glass of zuzu with me and tell me what you’re doing here?”
“It is indeed quite a tale,” Sarosh allowed, and she eyed the hallway leading to the books. “I suppose my task can wait for now.”
With that decided, the two of us joined the flow of bodies leaving the library, and a short while later, we arrived at the Crowded Duck tavern. Eva’s eyes widened to the size of saucers when she spotted my silver-haired companion, and Caelia flashed us a questioning look.
“Caelia Stone, meet Sarosh, High Priestess of the Purge.” I flourished my hand to the gray-eyed older woman at my side. “Let’s order some zuzu while we catch up.”
“I’m no longer High Priestess,” Sarosh informed us as she sank delicately into a chair.
“Yes, I remember, you abandoned your master,” Eva said with a bob of her head.
“I turned my back upon the darkness surrounding the God of the Purge,” Sarosh said. “But I did not abandon him.”
I signaled for Zuana to bring drinks, and the tavern owner nodded in response from across the room.
“We’re not judging you,” I said. “The dude is kind of a dick, after all. I’m glad you left his following. You deserve life, Sarosh.”
“As does all of mankind,” the former priestess said.
Zuana arrived with a tray of drinks, and the green-haired tavern owner dispensed them into all four of our hands before dropping into a brief curtsey. Sarosh and I were given the alcoholic beverage, but my two women opted for regular water. The Crowded Duck wasn’t very crowded at the moment, in fact, I’d yet to see another customer besides us and the crew of The Quest.
Had the God of the Purge taken them?
Questions rolled through my mind as I sipped my zuzu, but then Sarosh cleared her throat and tilted her head in a curious manner.
“Why are you in the Zaborial Isles, Great One?” Sarosh asked.
“I’m here seeking ancient lost knowledge,” I said, but then a thought occurred to me. “If you’re no longer a devout follower of this God of Suicide, then what are you doing here? You know he’s been in the isles for a little bit already, right?”
“I am here because of him,” Sarosh answered. “I followed him across the ocean in an effort to stem the tide of death, and I am close to discovering a way to stop him for good.”
“How?” I shook my head. “According to you, the guy is unstoppable.”
“He is,” Sarosh sighed. “But his power has a limited radius, as I discovered upon our meeting. Being so far away from my former master made it possible for you to break through his brainwashing, but within his presence, it is impossible for anyone to think for themselves. The God of the Purge controls their minds, hearts, and bodies.”
“How optimistic.” I scratched the stubble on my jawline as I thought over her words. On the one hand, she seemed to be in control of her own mind at the moment, but on the other hand, it could all be ruse to get me to lower my guard.
“How are we supposed to stop him?” Caelia asked with wide chocolate eyes. “I don’t want to lose control of my mind.”
“There is an ancient artifact buried within the Zaborial Isles’ burial crypts.” Sarosh’s gray eyes burned with excitement and passion. “It is said to be a talisman of protection over the mind. With it in hand, I believe any can approach the God of the Purge without falling victim to his tricks.”
“Awesome.” I rubbed my hands together. “Let’s grab this talisman and kick his ass.”
“I fear I am not the only one who seeks the talisman of High Priest Zyne. The crypt itself is boobytrapped beyond belief.” Sarosh wrapped her long delicate fingers around the cup of zuzu in front of her, and she lifted it carefully to her lips. “I located a layout of the crypt, but the priests would not let me remove it from the library for further study, so I’ve returned to the library each day to memorize a little bit more of it.”
“I can get the map,” I said. “I have clout with the High Priest.”
“Perhaps,” Sarosh allowed with a tilt of her head. “But entering burial crypts is forbidden to all but the priests. They will consider it a blasphemous attack on their order, and respond with hostility.”
“They may.” I shrugged, and then I downed my zuzu before I met her gaze. “High Priest Zeydon personally asked me to remove the God of the Purge from the Zaborial Isles. He is going to die by my hand, of that I am certain.”
“You would be wise to use caution,” Sarosh urged. “My former master is not as merciful of a god as you are.”
“You say that even after you watched me kill a dragon?” I laughed. “I can be the God of Death when it counts.”
Sarosh blanched a little at my words, but she bowed her head respectfully. “I meant no offense, Great One.”
“None taken.” I grinned.
“So, we’re going god hunting now?” Eva’s gray eyes twinkled with excitement. “I’d love to see you take on another immortal, Bash. You’re going to kick so much ass.”
“It does sound like a task fit only for a god,” Caelia said as she wrung her hands and glanced at me nervously. “How are we going to be able to help?”
I thought about the two unborn lives now under my protection, and a fist clenched around my heart, but I reminded myself my women were strong and capable in their own rights.
“I’m sure the God of the Purge has surrounded himself with a human shield of followers,” I mused. “After I break his hold on them, they’re bound to be disoriented and confused. The three of you should be there to help them find their ways back to their own lives.”
“Perfect.” Eva nodded, and Caelia mirrored the gesture.
“We need to get our hands on this talisman,” I said as I turned back to Sarosh. “Do you know where the burial crypt is, or do I need to ask the High Priest?”
“It is located on an island half a day’s boat ride from here,” the former priestess explained. “I wanted to memorize the traps before I attempted to enter, but I fear my former master has already discovered its existence. He will not allow anything that limits his power to fall into the wrong hands, of that I can assure you.”
“He doesn’t know who he’s up against, yet,” I pointed out. “Let’s go check it out before the day is too far gone. I don’t want to be wandering around a strange island after dark.”
“You wish to go today?” Sarosh’s eyebrows rose into her silver hairline. “Before researching more thoroughly?”
“No time like the present.” I shrugged. “The longer we wait, the more people lose their lives.”
“I will ask Zuana about small boat rentals,” Caelia suggested.
“I’ll go pack some supplies,” Eva offered.
Both of my women pushed away from the table and hurried about their tasks, which left me with the silver-haired former priestess. Sarosh sipped her zuzu hesitantly, and her nose wrinkled at the strength of the alcohol in the beverage.
“The Zaborians are a strange people,” she observed as she swirled the fizzy fruit drink around in her cup. “They worship magic, you know.”
“I know,” I lied.
While I’d learned a lot about the Zaborial Isles from Black-eye as we approached the island city of Nanau, there was still a lot about the order of priests who ruled over the blue-skinned people that I didn’t know, but I wasn’t about to let Sarosh in on that particular secret. Let her continue to see me as all-knowing as much as possible, and I looked forward to surprising her on the next run through.
A short while later, the four of us had piled into a small paddle boat, and the three women didn’t complain even once as they picked up the long oars. We all worked together to row across the crystal-clear waters, but then the island shrank in my view as we headed out to the open water.
The boat had a small sail, and I opened it to hasten our speed across the waves, but then I relaxed with rudder in hand as the prow bobbed above the foam. Sarosh gave me basic directions to the island that held the burial crypt of the first High Priest, but it took us the rest of the day to cross the distance to it.
The sun was high in the sky when the bottom of the boat suddenly careened beneath us, and the waves splashed over the edge to soak all four of us.
“What was that?” Caelia gasped as she clung to the edge of the small sailing boat.
“Something’s in the water,” Eva said, and she eyed the waves with mounting fear. “Something big.”
“Be brave,” I said. “We can handle anything.”
“With you by our side, we can,” Sarosh said, and the former priestess pulled a dagger from beneath a fold of her brightly-colored robes. “I will fight by your side, Bash.”
I was surprised by her declaration, but a broad grin spread across my face.
“As will I,” Eva added, and she held a fist full of throwing stars in her next breath.
“Me, too!” Caelia squeaked, but she took a deep breath to stave off her fears as she notched an arrow to her bow.
I wasn’t sure what had bumped the boat, but I noticed a large wave rippling toward us. It ran at an opposite angle to the ocean’s currents, so it had to be something swimming beneath the water’s surface. I freed my panabas from their straps, and I stood carefully in the small sailing boat as I waited for the creature to approach.
The ripple was heading straight toward us, and it would slam into the side of the boat within the next second, but at the last possible moment, the giant sea creature leapt from the waves with its jaw snapping at my head.
I lifted my panabas in a defensive pose out of instinct, and I sliced a cut across the massive maw flying through the air above my head, but it wasn’t enough to finish off the beast. The creature was roughly ten feet long and half as wide with a shark-like mouth, and ridges ran down its back.
As the sea creature headed back toward the waves on the other side of our boat, its tail slapped against Caelia, and the dark-skinned goddess nearly fell out of our vessel. The dark-skinned goddess’ bow clattered to the planks beneath our feet, but I reached out a hand to catch her, and fortunately our boat was small enough that I was able to grab her hand just in time.
“Thanks!” Caelia gasped out as I spun her away from the edge.
“Get down!” I hissed as the ripple began to approach again.
This time, it wasn’t going to get away with its life.
The three women crouched in the bottom of the boat with their weapons in hand, but their small blades weren’t going to do much against the monstrous creature. My panabas were the best we had, but they were sharp enough to cut through metal, so I knew it would make lunch out of the massive shark-like thing.
The ripple didn’t lunge from the waves this time, though, and instead, it swam beneath our boat to bump it again, but we all were in low squats, so we managed to keep our balance.
Bump. Jump. Bump.
I was starting to pick up on a pattern, but I needed the creature to attack one more time to confirm my theory. I would be ready for it to lunge from the water next time, and I hoped my observation paid off swiftly.
The ripple approached again, but I stood ready in the bottom of the boat with my panabas gripped tightly in my fists. Just as I thought the beast would slam into the side of the boat, it leapt from the waves once more.
I met his ascent with my steel, and I twirled in a dance of death as the sea creature slid across my weapons. Blood and ichor spilled from its belly, as well as round squishy things.
Fish eggs.
Some of the shredded corpse of the sea creature fell into the waves on the other side of the boat, and the three women stared up at me in awe as I flicked gore from my blades.
“That was easy.” I smirked.
“Maybe for a god!” Caelia shook her head in awe.
“We’ll be eating fish for weeks!” Eva exclaimed as she eyed the remains littering the floor of our small vessel.
“At least we got some caviar out of the deal,” I pointed out. “Worth it.”
With my weapons no longer needed, I splashed them clean in the ocean water before I strung them back on my belt. We had smooth seas for the remainder of the journey, and then we spotted the island we were after. It started as nothing more than a purple lump in the distance, but then the fog split to reveal the dark-green color of the lush forest canopy.
“This island is called Za Isle, or first island,” Sarosh informed us. “High Priest Zyne was buried here after the Last Strife.”
A shudder ran up my spine as I remembered the murals on the stained-glass ceiling of the Grand Occulta Athenaeum. The First High Priest supposedly discovered magic, and he used it to free the people of the Zaborial Isles from slavery at the hands of pirates, so there was no telling what his personal burial crypt contained. Items of great power awaited me, but first I had to get rid of this nasty little god problem I had on my hands.
The island itself looked uninhabited, and the jungle reached out to the very edge of the beaches. The bird calls created a cacophony of sound, and the air smelled of exotic flowers. Then I spotted the other boats along the shoreline, and I clenched the muscle in my jaw.
“He’s here already, it seems,” I pointed out as I jerked my chin toward the other vessels.
“There may be little hope of success,” Sarosh said, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. “He could be destroying the talisman at this very moment.”
“All hope is not lost, Sarosh,” I reassured her. “You’re in the company of a god, remember?”
And I could always reset and try again until I had the talisman in hand and the God of Purge dead at my feet.
“How could I forget?” the former priestess replied as her lips twitched into a smile.
We banked the boat in the sand, and I hopped out quickly so I could turn back and help the women step out of the small vessel. Eva squeezed my fingers, but then her hands moved to hover over her throwing stars as her gray eyes flicked about in all directions. Caelia gave me a demure smile as she lifted her skirts to maneuver the side of the tiny ship with the handle of her bow clutched in her fist, but Sarosh hesitated to accept my hand for a moment.
The former priestess sighed as she placed her hand in mine, but I couldn’t resist fucking with her, so I swept her into my arms and carried her to shore before depositing her in the pure white sand.
I gazed around at the tropical paradise around me for a moment before I flashed my women a cocky grin.
“Did you two bring your new bathing suits?” I asked. “The water here looks perfect for swimming.”
“We’re on a dangerous mission!” Eva laughed, and a few birds shot from the safety of the branches nearby at the sound. “I didn’t think they would be needed!”
“Bikinis are always necessary,” I said with a serious expression, and my wife swatted at my shoulder.
“We’ll find some time to model them for you after we finish our quest,” the blonde teased.
“We should get into the cover of the trees before one of my former master’s followers finds us,” Sarosh said as she eyed the tree line with growing anxiety.
I imagined it was a little intimidating to return to the presence of someone who had controlled her mind, and I gave the former priestess an encouraging smile.
“They’ll find an armed immortal with a bone to pick.” I smirked as I fingered the handles of my panabas, and I longed to use them in combat, but then I turned to scan over the group of small boats dotting the shoreline. The oars jutted out from inside, and long ropes attached the prows to trees, but a wave of footprints marred the crystal-white sand, and I pointed to these as a smile stretched my lips. “And they left an easy-to-follow trail.”
“After you, Great One,” Sarosh insisted, and I could hear the hint of fear in her voice.
The silver-haired woman’s former master clearly unnerved her, and my curiosity about this mysterious supposed god grew. I’d find out everything I needed to know soon enough, though, so I led the way down the trail of footprints. We followed the shoreline around the curve of the island, but it wasn’t a perfect circle. Trees stretched toward the water, and we had to slip into the forest a few times as we followed the path left by the God of the Purge’s followers.
I saw no signs of civilization, either past or present, but I spotted plenty of animals. The forest was full of life, and I peered around as I absorbed as much as possible. Flowers grew everywhere, but not all of them had pleasant odors. Monkeys howled from tree branches, and I even heard a feline growl from the bushes, so I kept my weapons clutched in my fists since there was no telling what dangers lurked in the shadows of the jungle.
Despite the possible dangers of the jungle, I was glad to have the cover as we approached the far side of the island, but the birds continued to dart out of the canopy as we passed, so any fool would notice something had disturbed them.
Then I heard a man’s voice.
“You! Forward! Give yourself to the purge! Earn your spot in utopia!”
I paused and squatted down in the undergrowth, and I signaled for the three women behind me to do the same. Then I crept forward with quiet steps until I could see legs moving about on the other side of my foliage screen. I pulled the leaves back with delicate fingers, and I peered out the hole to the burial crypt of the First High Priest.
People in various-colored robes crowded around the ruins of what looked like a Greek temple, but one man who stood with his back to me had his hands on his hips, and a commanding aura surrounded him.
The God of the Purge looked like a regular man from this distance, but with his back to me and the hood of his black cloak raised, all I could see was his general shape. He was broad at the shoulders, but he wasn’t terribly tall, and while his voice had been masculine, it sounded human enough.
All I needed to do was rush from my cover and swipe my panabas across the back of his neck, and this would all be over. He may pretend to be a god, but I wasn’t convinced of his immortality.
I had to find out.
“Stay here,” I hissed in a low voice to my companions.
“Bash, no!” Sarosh grabbed my arm in an effort to stop me, but I was already shuffling forward out of the brush.
I came out of the bush at a dead run with my panabas twirling, and I easily crossed the distance to the man in the black cloak within a few breaths.
Then my body froze, but not of its own volition.
I stood motionless with my weapon raised and my foot lifted, but I couldn’t make myself move for the life of me. Then, against my will, my hand twitched, and the next thing I knew, my panabas were against my own throat.
The black-cloaked figure slowly turned to face me, and the dark eyes stared at me from beneath the shadows with utter calm.
I could sense a presence in my mind urging my hand to continue pressing the sharp blade against my throat, but I couldn’t stop it. I was powerless against the God of the Purge.
My hand flicked, and the panabas sliced my jugular in two. Blood poured from my throat to soak my new white robes, and I fell to my knees before the man in the black cloak. Pain shot through my entire body like a thousand needles, and I struggled to swallow some oxygen.
I attempted to reset back to my save point, but my will power was not my own.
Oh.
Shit.
“You should have known better, Sebastian,” the man said as he walked toward me.
Then the world went black.
Chime.