Steven Montano - Crown of Ash

“No,” Rake said. Raven fumed. Her dark eyes narrowed with hate, and she clenched her fists several times before she finally stepped back.

“Good girl,” Danica said. “Can you roll over, too?”

Raven stepped back up and punched Black in the stomach. The blow was hard and fast, and Raven’s hand felt like it was nothing but bone. Pain flared through Danica’s abdomen, and she doubled over, the breath forced from her lungs. She coughed a few times before she was able to stand straight again.

Rak e walked over and slapped Raven hard in the face. Blood ran down her mouth.

“I said ‘Stop’, you undisciplined whore,” he said quietly. “Back away.”

Raven did as she was told. She looked at Danica and smile d.

“You never learn, do you?” Rake said to Danica.

“You have two Fades,” she said. “Impressive. I was wondering th is whole time how you kept my spirit restrained while I was in general population. I figured you’d just given me Narcosm.”

“Too expensive,” Rake smiled.

“I would think a Fade i s even more expensive.”

“Our good friends in Koth have all but perfect ed the process of creating Fades, ” Rake said.

“Creating?” Danica said.

“ They can’t make more than a handful every few months or so,” he said offhandedly. “So we’re not exactly ready to invade Thornn with a host of Fades. Not yet.” He smiled. “Koth has something a bit more direct in mind.”

“I can’t believe you,” she said. “ Joining forces with Koth. You’re human. Well…you used to be human…”

“Ha, ha,” Rake smiled. “Don’t push your luck, bitch. The only reason you’re still alive is because I can still use you.”

“So why the tour?” she said. “ I never pegged you as someone who liked to stick to Super-Villain cliches.”

“Rake…” Burke said, but Rake turned and gave him a look. Burke shook his head, and backed away.

“I really did miss you, Dani,” Rake said quietly. The shi p was in hover mode. Danica saw the remains of a ruined tower in the distance, some broken spire of black stone. D evastated ruins surrounded it, the smoldering husks of dark buildings and old walls. “You had a mean streak in you that always surprise d me. On the outside you were just another pretty face, a woman trying to make it in a man’s world. You walked the walk and talked the talk…but you were different. You weren’t afraid to do the things that needed to be done.” He smiled. “Remember Sandosa? That village? Holy shit, what you did to those people…”

“Go to hell,” she said. “I’m not like that anymore.”

Rake smiled, and smacked her. H ard. Blood welled from her lip. Her face stung, and painful tears came to her eyes.

“I know,” he said calmly, as if nothing had happened. “I know, Dani…and that’s what really stings. Because you used to be someone I could count on.” He backed away, and a Scarecrow took hold of both her arm s in its skeletal vise-grip. It held her so tight she was afraid the bony hand s would cut off her circulation. “Do you want to know what’s going on?”

“Why would you tell me?” she spat.

“Because it’s not a secret,” he shrugged. “Koth is going to enter the war, and it will d estroy the Southern Claw. It’ ll be fast, and it’ll be ugly. With the humans subjugated — oh, Black Scar will be the new capital of the human lands, did I mention that? — the Ebon Cities will understand that we’re not to be fucked with. If they can’t see that, then we go to war against them, too.”

The Ironnaught shuddered as a gust of heavy wind blasted against the hull. Dark birds took flight in the distance. The molten sun peeked through the clouds and turned the world dirty gold.

“What can you possibly have that would make war against the Southern Claw go so easy for you?” Black asked.

Rake walked over to the viewport. Tension mounted in Danica’s back. The Scarecrow ’ s grip was so tight it was difficult to even turn her head.

“We have Cross,” Rake smiled.

“And? He’s kind of a pain in the ass, just so you know.”

“True,” Rake laughed, and for just a moment Black remembered being friends with the man, remembered sitting and drinking and smoking in his chamber s, talking about old jobs or battles or past loves, just two friends having a drink, laughing, pretending their lives were normal. Pretending they weren’t mass murderers. “True. But he’s also invaluable.”

“This is about the blades,” Danica nodded. “Soulrazor, and Avenger.”

“Actually,” Rake smiled. “No. It has nothing to do with that.”

Black paused. The confusion must have been plain on her face, because Rake laughed again.

“You’re smart, Dani, but you’re not that smart. Did Cross ever tell you about Koth? He’s been there, you know. On the mission that killed his sister.”

“Yes,” Danica said. “He told me about it.”

“Did he tell you how he walked right in… how they let him enter the necropolis? No other hu man has ever done that except Red, and Cross’s sister.”

Where is he going with this?

“So…what, did he see something there?”

Her mind wen t back to the conversation she and Cross had had, the night he’d told her and Kane about his experiences in Koth. He rarely liked to speak of it. His entire squad had died on that mission to track down Margrave Azazeth, “Red”, once a leader of the Southern Claw who’d turned traitor and thief. She’d stolen secrets, important secrets, and dozens of highly trained Hunters had perished hunting her down. M any resources had been squandered try ing to stop her from giving Koth…

Oh, God. The obelisk. The artifact created when Dane Knight made the sacrifice that gave humans magic.

Rake smiled. He saw the realization dawn on her face.

“It’s been lost,” he said. “It’s buried somewhere in the Carrion Rift. Nasty things are down there, Danica. Stuff that even the Ebon Cities is afraid to face, dark creatures from realms of madness. Or something like that. ” He slowly walked over to her. “But there are other ways in. And by using Cross, we can use those backdoors. He’s the key, whether he knows it or not.” Rake gently ran his fingers along the side of her face, and then roughly grabbed her chin. “And so are you, Dani.” His voice had dropped to nearly a whisper. “You see, we’re going to use a door in those ruins down there — Voth Ra’morg — to enter the Whisperlands. We won’t be the first ones to have done it. Someone is already there looking for the same thing we are. We’re going to find it by using Cross, and when we do…well…”

He stepped away.

“Well what?” Danica said, shuddering. His touch was like oil. She felt filthy from being so close to him. Once she’d found him attractive, maybe even charming, with h is roguish mannerisms and wild appearance. There was a hint of lunacy in his eyes that she’d always mistaken for genius. He was a charismatic and powerful man. But he really was insane.

“Your new pals in the Southern Claw will be in a lot of trouble,” he said. “Because Koth knows how to destroy the precious obelisk, and that means human magic will just… go away.” He turned and looked at the dark ening horizon. “Raven.”

Danica turned just in time to receive a blow to the face. The Scarecrow let Danica fall to the ground, and she landed hard on her chest. Raven stood over her and kicked her.

“Oh, Dani, one more thing,” Rake said. “The ritual to destroy the obelisk requires a mage sacrifice. A special mage. You don’t quite fit the criteria, I’m afraid…but you will. Because w e’re not done with you yet.”

Dan ica’s senses blazed with pain. She saw Raven’s boot lift and descend. Everything went dark.