Serpent Kings Saga (Omnibus Edition) Read online

  “What are we going to do?” Tobias asked, giving up on the controls. “She’s gone as far as she can.”

  A screeching cry came to them from ahead. They looked toward the sky over the passenger car to find the dragons much closer than expected.

  “How far have we come?” Donavan asked.

  “I don’t know,” Andrea said, “but we’ve got to use the explosives now.”

  “But without the train how do we deliver them?”

  “They’ll come to us,” Tobias said.

  So saying their plan was set. Donavan unwound the fuse cord and fastened the lead to the one left for them by the soldiers inside the coal car. Tobias took the spool, climbing down from the engine to the tracks. Waves splashed against the bridge supports far below like crocodiles in a pit, gnashing their teeth for prey perched precariously above them.

  He found a good footing, holding to the engine where the metal wasn’t too hot, carefully unwinding the cord, trailing it behind as he crossed before the front of the smoldering locomotive. Andrea climbed to the roof of the cab, out of the smoke, to get a look at their situation. She spotted the approaching army coming down the tracks.

  “They’ve increased their speed!” she called. “They must have spotted us.”

  “All this black smoke can’t be helping,” Donavan said. He finished securing the fuse cord then reached up to help Andrea down from the roof of the engine. Whether needing it or not, she took his hand and his help.

  “They’ll be upon us in minutes if we don’t hurry,” she said.

  Donavan nodded solemnly. “No matter what happens, trust Elithias. These lives we now live are only temporary. Eternity still waits for us.”

  Andrea leaned forward and kissed his cheek.

  They walked together after Tobias, making sure nothing was impeding the fuse from an easy run up into the coal car. They caught up with him nearly fifty yards from the train. There the fuse cord reached its limit, the end falling from the spool onto the tracks.

  Donavan removed a metal lighter, flipping the top in order to access the simple flint mechanism inside. It had been given to him long ago by his father; a relic from the old world himself. It was the only possession Donavan had from the man.

  He spun the tiny metal wheel, sparking fumes from the fuel held within the small canister. A small steady flame crowned the mechanism, waiting to be put to use. Donavan held the fuse cord in his other hand.

  “I’m not sure how long this will take to burn back to the train,” he said. “We can’t have it going off early.”

  Andrea gazed back toward the approaching death walkers. “Wait,” she said. “Wait...now!”

  “Are you sure?” Tobias asked.

  She turned to Donavan. “Light it.”

  He did.

  They stood for a moment to see whether it would burn well. The cord caught, sending a sparking, fizzing fire down the tracks. Then they remembered they were standing quite near an entire coal car full of explosives.

  “Run!” they shouted to each other.

  The group of two men and one woman sped down the tracks as fast as they could back toward the city of Haven in the distance. The fizzing fire ran in the opposite direction toward the train, reaching the front of the locomotive just as the first pair of death walkers caught up to the passenger car on the other end.

  The train being in the way slowed their advance somewhat, forcing the pairs to split and go around on either side. But they dealt with the obstacle with little difficulty, maintaining their balance, circumventing the bulky relic from the ancient world. They reached the front of the smoldering engine then took up heartier pursuit again, finding three delicious morsels of human flesh dashing away from them at speed.

  With the bulky black engine pouring smoke and smelling of fire and chemicals, none of the death walkers paid any attention to the small, spitting fire running up into the engineer’s cab then over the lip of the coal car.

  Tobias glanced behind them as they ran away from the death walkers. The fierce creatures had circumvented the locomotive already and were charging two by two down the tracks after them. They had nearly a one hundred yard lead on the beasts. But the gap was closing.

  Belial roared above them, diving after them like a hawk after a rabbit. Tobias screamed. The red dragon would snatch them from the bridge. They had nowhere to hide from him.

  Andrea freed a dagger, preparing to hurl it, but she already knew the futility of trying. The Serpent Kings were clothed in impenetrable scales. Neither iron spears nor lead bullets had ever assaulted their hides successfully. They were going to die, but at least some of the death walkers would go with them. Andrea whispered her first and final prayer to Elithias as the red dragon’s claws dropped down; talons out to receive them.

  Explosions erupted from the coal car, shredding passing death walkers, incinerating every emaciated body within range. The train cars were torn and twisted by the blast. The engine was thrown off of the bridge. Belial was buffeted severely by the shock wave. His prey were scooped up by the sheer force of the explosion and tossed into the sea.

  Tobias emerged at the surface of a rolling wave yards away from the steel girders supporting the rail bridge. Andrea and Donavan popped up several yards closer. Each of them looked skyward for the dragons, but Belial had retreated, evidently more interested in the damage done to his army than his missing prey.

  Donavan was all smiles by the time they converged upon the closest pylon. “Praise Elithias!” he shouted. “That fall should have killed us.”

  “He rescued us in the nick of time,” Tobias said.

  Andrea simply whispered her thanks.

  Above them, on the bridge, the train wreckage was on fire. Still, the death walkers plunged through, emerging on the other side, sometimes in flames, at the very least singed. But their army was moving faster now with the train, for the most part, out of their way.

  As they looked out over the sea, at least one hundred death walker corpses were washing this way and that. Sharks claimed them at a regular pace.

  “Climb up on the pylon,” Donavan said.

  The others obeyed; eager to get out of range of the gnashing jaws of twelve foot predators in the water around them. Tobias spotted an access ladder nearby on one of the adjacent pylons.

  “We can use it to get back up on the bridge after the death walkers have passed,” Andrea said.

  For the moment, there was nothing to be done except take a well-deserved rest upon their metal perch above the rolling waves.

  TEMPLE

  We arrived at the temple nearly one half hour later. The building sat among many tall trees so that not much light reached through the canopy to it. Prince Marco’s General Marson had driven us in one of the electric-powered coaches, accessing an ancient paved road that was nearly covered in dried leaves with many weedy plants growing out of fissures in the concrete.

  The Temple of Elithias appeared to be rectangular in shape, made of marble with gold filigree. The building sat in terrible disrepair. Ezekiah climbed out of the carriage followed by myself and General Marson. Ezekiah walked up the steps toward the door. I followed.

  Marson stood next to the carriage. “It won’t do you any good,” he said.

  I turned back toward Marson while Ezekiah walked on.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Don’t you realize we’ve already tried to get into it before? That temple might look broken down, but it’s impervious. We couldn’t even breach it with explosives.

  I looked at the building again, puzzled by the lack of any evidence that someone had attempted to get inside.

  “Yeah,” he said, “that’s the thing. It didn’t even crack the stone. Not even a scorch mark.”

  “Perhaps you should have tried going through the front door,” Ezekiah called back.

  “We did,” Marson said.

  However, as Ezekiah came near the two wooden doors facing us, they opened inwardly, leaving a dark orifice in the structure. Ezek
iah turned back to Marson, smiling. He looked at me. “Are you coming, my dear?”

  I smiled, leaving Marson where he was standing in order to join Ezekiah. Side by side we walked through the entrance into the darkness beyond.

  Marson gaped at the sight of the doors opening for the prophet. After all they had attempted over the years to get inside the ancient Temple of Elithias, it now allowed him entrance simply by walking up to its doors.

  “Well, I’ll be,” he said. “I’m not going to miss this.”

  Marson started after the prophet and the woman, leaving his electric carriage in the road. Before he realized what had happened, a short, old woman was standing in the road, barring his way. She wore a dark robe and smiled at him.

  He started to speak to her, but the old woman moved too fast to allow him time. She opened Marson’s throat with a blade, leaving him to fall into the road bleeding out. She turned toward the yawning entrance of the temple. Her forward movement could be seen only as she began. Then her form blurred out of sight.

  We walked into a room that seemed to have no dimensions whatsoever. I held tightly to Ezekiah’s arm, not knowing any better way to stand before the Creator of all things than attached to his prophet. I had faced the fiercest of creatures on my own, but this was different. Different even than standing before one of the Serpent Kings when I still believed they were gods. At least, I had been able to lay my eyes on them. Elithias was beyond my comprehension.

  Only the doorway, with sunlight spilling through it, provided any point of reference. Still, there was some manner of floor beneath our feet. We were walking through total darkness without a perceivable object in sight. The doorway receded to a distant square. The doors behind us closed of their own volition.

  As darkness threatened to overtake us, light appeared. Not the kind I might have expected, but the light of thousands upon thousands of stars. They were everywhere around us, even the floor, though I’m not sure this was an accurate description. I couldn’t see any floor; only felt something solid supporting our steps.

  Ezekiah continued to walk forward. I’m not sure he knew to where. There was nowhere to go. The scene was in motion around us; stars in flight among the cosmos. I could not help but think how beautiful it all was. I tried to fixate upon particular stars, attempting to reference our own movements among them. For all I could tell, we weren’t even moving.

  Ezekiah must have perceived my disorientation. He put his hand over mine upon his arm, patting it gently to reassure me. Once again, his courage in the face of such uncertain circumstances astounded me.

  “He is here with us,” Ezekiah said. “I can feel his presence. The heavens declare his glory.”

  I wanted to ask how he knew any of these things, but my words utterly failed me. Any question attempting to press forward in my mind became lost on the way to my lips. I became dumb in the presence of Elithias. What were my human thoughts compared to the majesty on display around me? What was man that such a being should be mindful of him?

  The voice that spoke then caused the heavens around us to tremble; the very cosmos to quake at his presence. “I have bidden you to my temple, Ezekiah, to receive that which I will give unto you.”

  Neither of us saw any person associated with the immeasurable voice. Still, we fell upon our faces in fear.

  Ezekiah, his face downcast, answered the voice. “I am not worthy of serving you, Lord. I am but a man and sinful before you.”

  “Your faith has cleansed you and made you acceptable unto me. All who trust in my name are accepted. Come to me and receive the authority to execute judgment in my name as my regent until the time of my coming.”

  A light broke through the darkness ahead as we lifted our eyes. We stood and began to step toward it.

  “Only my prophet may approach,” the voice thundered.

  Ezekiah looked into my eyes, smiling to reassure me. “If it is his will, I will shortly return unto you.”

  I nodded, letting go of his arm, knowing that I had no real choice in the matter. I would have to remain here by the same faith that allowed Ezekiah to obey the voice and carry on. He went on without me then. The light received him out of my sight sooner than I would have liked.

  As soon as Ezekiah was gone, the stars disappeared. The room remaining was rectangular in shape, made from the same marble I had seen on the outside. Torches were lit within the huge chamber, but the infinite cosmos was no more. I heard breathing behind me. When I turned, the mysterious robed figure I had seen on the train was standing fifty yards away.

  Her hood was down, and the shock of the room reverting to simply a room was still on her face. I had not known who it was before, though perhaps I had suspected. Now, I saw Helda in the full light of the torches blazing around us.

  “So, my master’s enemy does exist,” she said.

  It took me a moment to realize she was speaking of Elithias. She had seen what I had seen, had dwelt here in his presence. And yet she called him an enemy.

  “Why are you here?”

  “Are you so dense, dear?” she said.

  “Who is your master?” I asked.

  She stood there fully confident that I could do nothing to harm her no matter what she said. Most people feared someone like me. But Helda had abilities greater than any I had ever witnessed. At least, except for one person. Andrea also possessed this Shadow Walker gift. But she wasn’t here.

  “Belial is my master, of course,” she answered. “This has always been the case.”

  “Why did you free me at Babale?”

  “Don’t be so modest, my dear,” she said. “You’ve been a tremendous help to me in accomplishing my mission for the High Serpent King. The Prophet King must die, but not before I have what he came to receive from Elithias.”

  My dagger was in my hand as soon as the words left her lips. “You will not touch him,” I threatened.

  Helda smiled, laughing under her breath. “You know as well as I that you cannot stop me.”

  I swallowed against the lump gathering in my throat. “Then I’ll die trying.”

  Helda grinned wickedly. “That you will, my girl. That you will.”

  While we had been threatening one another, I had been calling for the Gifts of Transcendence. I knew somewhat what I was up against; not that this knowledge would allow me to defeat this Shadow Walker. Still, I had to try. I used the gifts to enhance my vision as much as I ever had. I called for as much hearing as I could stand to process. I increased the sensitivity of my skin so that even the slightest change in air currents and pressure would alert me to Helda’s oncoming presence. I could sense even her body heat from here. Her heartbeat mingled in my hearing with my own.

  When she blurred with the torchlight emanating from the walls, I noticed the direction by the flame itself. She would come from my right. I waited to sense her wind buffet my super sensitive skin and to feel the increase of body heat. I had been correct. She came from the right.

  I dropped my pull upon some of the gifts in order to draw more heavily upon strength and speed. At the last moment, I slashed to my right. She appeared a fraction of a second earlier. My dagger bit into her arm as she attempted to strike at me with the Touch.

  I spun away then tried to catch sight of her to attack, but she had blurred away into the shadows again. I knew she had to be wondering how I had managed to find her despite the Shadow Walker gift she employed. Admittedly it was a fine line; the talent to multitask smaller gifts in precisely the right way to give me an edge more than I would otherwise have. But I knew this wasn’t something I could maintain for very long.

  I felt her coming again, this time straight ahead. She dodged left then right too fast to keep up. My senses became confused by the rapid changes in direction. She had figured out my defense, or at least suspected how she might have given herself away.

  Desperately I lunged with my dagger. I missed, but Helda did not. She appeared inches from where I had struck, an almost interested look upon her face. She
swatted the dagger from my hand with ease; a hit to my median nerve that sent pins and needles running through my arm.

  Helda didn’t bother disappearing this time. She came on, dodging toward me while I tried to keep pace with her. Here, youthful vigor made little difference. She had better technique and more of it. The old Elder Mother was outmaneuvering me with ease, as I knew she would.

  This was no real contest. More like a cat toying with a mouse before it loses interest in play and goes for the kill. We traded blows back and forth for nearly ten seconds before Helda decided to end it. I employed the Touch, but she intercepted, bunting away my strike before I could bring it to her.

  Then she countered with the Touch, shattering my left forearm. I screamed, but used my anger and pain to fuel a counter attack of my own. She stopped my left leg coming up with a blocking foot placed at my insole. The right hand I had brought against her was struck at my elbow and shoulder in such rapid succession that I almost thought she had managed it simultaneously.

  At this point, I was in terrible pain and barely able to continue standing. I grasped desperately for a gift I had that very few did. I dropped every other gift in order to draw fully upon Fire Catcher. I pulled on the torch mounted upon the wall. Flame leaped from the wall to Helda’s clothing and hair.

  She yelped unexpectedly. But it was not enough. She had been surprised by the attack, not hurt. Her interest in toying with me turned immediately to anger. She blasted me with a rapid series of punches and kicks that might have killed me had she employed the gifts to her ability.

  My ribs fractured. My sternum cracked within my chest. A left cross-chop shattered my left collarbone. A successive right broke my jaw. She had managed to bust me up inside without killing me, which was worse. I was alive to feel the terrible pain she had caused me. I hit the ground with blood pouring from my mouth where the teeth on my right side had been knocked out.