War of Men by Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle

Author:Rhett C. Bruno & Jaime Castle [Bruno, Rhett C. & Castle, Jaime]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Aethon Books
Published: 2019-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

XXI

The Thief

Whitney emerged from the water, gasping. He coughed up the strange blue liquid from the Well of Wisdom and threw his bone-soaked torso over the ledge. The stench of mold overwhelmed his olfactory senses, and his eyes stung. Hard as he could, he tried to process what he’d just seen, but simply couldn’t reconcile the thought of Sora—even if it were only her body—performing such heinous acts. It made him sick.

Fearful even the memory of it might make it all begin anew, Whitney thrust himself fully out of the Well and rolled away. Lingering there a long moment, eyes bleary, he blinked several times in an effort to drive it all away. But the mental barrage wouldn’t stop. Nesilia had spoken to him. She’d all but told him her plans.

A violent splash disrupted him, and he looked over to see Kazimir rising from the Well, too. His white hair looked like a messy bird’s nest atop his head.

"Kazzy," Whitney said, coughing. "Are you okay?"

Kazimir didn't respond, just stared into the dark, eyes wide, a blank expression plastered on his face. Whitney rolled over and speedily crawled to him. He reached out for the upyr, but Kazimir snapped his arm out, quick as death, and Whitney felt cold, clammy flesh against his wrist.

"Whoa!" Whitney said. “It’s okay. You’re back now.”

Kazimir’s grip let up, but only slightly. It went from bone-crushing to skin bruising as Whitney grasped onto Kazimir’s shoulder and dragged him to the edge of the pool.

If Kazimir had experienced anything like Whitney had, Whitney could only imagine what it might have been. The upyr had seen centuries on Pantego, and the things he must have encountered would've made any of Whitney's memories look like a casual stroll through a peaceful meadow—perhaps even that of Nesilia.

"What else did you see?" Whitney asked.

Kazimir finally moved. His gaze shifted ever so slightly, soulless as always.

“The beginning of all things,” he said softly. “The end of all things.”

“Cryptic as ever,” Whitney remarked.

“I saw the start of this life. You were there.”

“Yeah, that part I was with you for. Actually, saw a bit more of you than I ever hoped I would,” He shuddered. “But then, everything changed and then you were gone. It was just me… and Sora.”

“You saw her?” Kazimir asked, back to grinding Whitney’s wrist to a fine powder. “Where was she? Was it her, or the goddess?”

Whitney sucked in a breath through his teeth and tried to pry Kazimir’s fingers loose while saying, “It was her, but not now-her. Ow. Ow. Let go, would you?”

Kazimir obliged, then rolled out of the water and laid on his back, staring up at the ceiling. “Who’s being cryptic now?”

“I just mean… like yours, it was a memory of her. Of us. Shortly after we killed Bliss in the Webbed Woods and returned Redstar.” Whitney recounted what he’d seen, then went on to describe the gruesome scene in the tower and the personal message from Nesilia.

“You’re sure it was really her, not a memory?” Kazimir said.

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