Marie Harte - Aftershocks

“Yes, of course. Just place your hand in mine, Earth Lord.”

Cadmus stopped himself at the last minute and stepped back. Arim looked fine, but he wasn’t himself. Cadmus paid closer attention to his uncle and noticed the presence of Darkness that clung to him like a second skin. Without another thought, Cadmus shot a band of pure Light into Arim. “You’re not my uncle.”

The man pretending to be Arim hissed and clutched his stomach. Then he slowly assumed ‘Sin Garu’s form and chuckled. “And you’re not as dumb as you look. I’m impressed, Darkling.”

His temper seething, Cadmus solidified the shield around his mind and lashed out at ‘Sin Garu again, wishing he hadn’t used most of his reserves while fighting the Netharat. He couldn’t possibly beat the Dark Lord in this state, but he could buy himself some time. Mentally reaching out to Arim and hoping the message reached his uncle, he struck at the Dark Lord again and again, his elemental energy hurting the Dark Lord more than he’d thought possible.

‘Sin Garu slipped and fell back over the torso of a crumpled wraith, and Cadmus thought he’d won this round. Then the Dark Lord grinned and his eyes blazed with power.

“Not yet, Darkling. Let’s play some more.” In a blur, he shoved Cadmus to his back and sank his teeth into the hand flying towards his face.

The bite stung, and Cadmus fought to shake free of the Dark Lord, but to no avail. Blackness began to creep over him, not from blood loss, but from the evil taint of Dark Lord magic edging into him.

‘Sin Garu finally let him go. With a look of dark satisfaction, the Dark Lord licked his teeth and wiped the trail of blood from his mouth with a finger. Then he sucked his finger clean.

Shit. “Fucking…blood drinker,” Cadmus rasped before passing out.

“Such prejudices.” ‘Sin Garu shook his head, waved his hands to call forth magic, then called for Remir. One of the Light Bringer warriors nearest him shimmered into Remir’s form. The others near him could only watch, frozen in place by a Dark Lord spell.

“Yes, my lord?”

“Take this one into the between , to Orfel. We have some work to do before we can fully claim the throne.”

Remir nodded, his eyes glazed while he struggled to break free of the Dark Lord’s mental hold. The torment in the Djinn’s soul pleased ‘Sin Garu to no end. Remir now knew who he’d fucked the other day. Not Lexa, but her brother in another form. The horror on Remir’s face had made ‘Sin Garu laugh so hard he’d cried.

“Remember, Remir, I reward those handsomely who serve me well,” ‘Sin Garu teased using Lexa’s sultry voice.

The Djinn shuddered but did as commanded. He hoisted Cadmus over his shoulder and vanished.

‘Sin Garu stared around him, waiting for the perfect moment to depart. Arim suddenly appeared in the tower’s archway, his eyes wide as he studied the frozen warriors on the nearly deserted rampart. ‘Sin Garu waited until their gazes met, then he smiled, waved and teleported into the between .

Satisfaction danced through his Dark soul with the pulse of newborn life.

The next day, Arim grimaced as he waited in Shathra for Lexa to appear. No doubt about it, the Storm Lords were in trouble. Never before had evil come so close to destroying what they’d built, not in a thousand years. He paced between the cold, stone walls bathed in Shadow. When he’d previously met here with Ethim, he’d been lucky the place had been deserted. But now a few Shadren and Others—creatures neither Dark nor Light but belonging to a different spectrum altogether—clung to the periphery of the small dimensional safe house.

Where is Lexa? That he had to stoop to calling on a Dark Lord for help grated, but with all he had to worry about at home, he needed the insight into ‘Sin Garu that only Lexa could give him, if she would.

A sudden shimmering in the surrounding energy made him tense, and he watched as ice blue eyes suddenly materialised, followed a split second later by the rest of Lexa’s alluring presence. He waved a hand and muttered a protective spell, keeping them both from the sight and hearing of those around them.

“I take it things have progressed from bad to worse if you’re calling me this soon.” She waited calmly, her hands on her hips, while he fought to hold onto his patience.

The woman riled him by simply breathing, and he’d long given up trying to understand how she broke through his control. As he counted to ten, he gathered his thoughts and outlined his problems.

“Cadmus is captured, Ravyn near death, and Ellie set to take the fall for the whole of it.”

Lexa said nothing, but her expression hardened. Good. Arim knew Lexa cared for Ellie in some way. But as a pawn or something more, he hadn’t the time to discern. “Tell me exactly what happened.”

He told her and weighed her reactions.

“Damn. This isn’t good.”

“So this wasn’t a part of your plan to weaken the Light Bringers?”

She frowned. “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not the centre of my universe. I was busy dealing with other matters needing my attention. I had no idea ‘Sin Garu could enter Tanselm without you knowing it.”

“I had no idea either.” He sighed. “‘Sin Garu plans to kill Cadmus.”

“Obviously. The question is, why involve Ellie in the mess?”

“I don’t know. To further stir trouble? For spite? Whatever the reason, we can only assume Cadmus’ vision is unfolding before us.”

She nodded, her brows drawn in the familiar manner that signaled deep introspection. She chewed her lip, and Arim fought the bewildering urge to smooth the pink flesh with his thumb. Remember, s he slaughtered three people she’d counted on as family. The Light only knows what she’s done in the years since.

Arim waited impatiently for her to say something.

“In Cadmus’ vision, we were all atop one of the walls in the northern kingdom, correct?”

He nodded. “You had me in restraints when your brother arrived with Cadmus half-dead and surrounded by those hybrid abominations he’s created. But that’s absurd. There’s no way I’ll fall prey to you, Dark Mistress .” He couldn’t keep the sneer from his tone.

She scowled. “‘Sin Garu has Cadmus, that we know. But it seems he’s after more than just ridding himself of the Storm Lords. If that were all he really wanted, he’d have killed Cadmus already.”

She said the words coolly, as if his nephew’s death were as inconsequential as the cold stone underfoot. Anger surged, and he fought to keep it down.

“Relax, Arim, I’m only stating a fact. I know how ‘Sin Garu’s mind works,” she said bitterly, making him wonder just what had come between the two. “He never does anything without a reason. I assume taking Cadmus is a strike at you, personally. He never much cared for you.”

“Something he and you have in common.”

She clenched her jaw, showing him a bit of humanity in her temper. “Yes, and the more you talk, the more I’m reminded why I so disliked you in the first place.” She drew a deep breath before continuing. “From what I can gather, ‘Sin Garu has been assuming many likenesses. In Foreia, he assumed my form and seduced a loyal Sarqua into his keeping. That Sarqua, I believe, may be in the kingdom as we speak.”

His stared at her through narrowed eyes. “How long have you known about this?”

She paused. The white of her skin had never looked so pale, or so smooth. “I managed to warn Ellie. From what you described of Ellie’s and Ravyn’s attacks, I’d say ‘Sin Garu struck again. The timing of the Netharat advance and the attack on the queen is too coincidental.”