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Nox thought he was dead. That was how he felt at least. When he slowly rose from the ground, opening his eyes with great effort, every single muscle in his body protested. He could feel the pain even in his bones.
"You're awake," Rhys stated, though it sounded more like a question.
"What happened?" Nox asked in a hoarse voice. A burning pain still glowed in his chest. He tried to remember the events of the last few hours himself, but no images came into his mind. Not even his wolf filled in the blanks like he usually did. Reaching far and deep inside him, Nox couldn't feel the presence of that other, feral part of him at all. It was like it had faded alongside his memories. The screams and cries coming from the Dark Forest behind him, though, told him enough of what had happened to know it hadn't been anything good.
"You were shot by an arrow drenched in Wolfsbane."
Nox cursed, looking at the red, ragged wound that now adorned his skin. That particular poison hadn't been used since the Great War. Few lycans still alive had felt the effects. It had nearly destroyed their House and it explained why he felt so weak––why he couldn't feel his wolf inside him.
"An army of goblins attacked us just before the border with the Wastelands," Rhys continued. "If they have access to Wolfsbane, then the Dark King might be awake longer than we thought."
The Lycan Heir nodded, agreeing with his sentry. "The goblins haven't dared to pass the border for decades. It can't be a coincidence that they've crossed it now."
"There's another thing. When we arrived here, there was no sign of the sentries your grandfather sent to guard the tomb. I fear they are all dead, Nox."
"What about the others? Where is your brother?"
"Marrok held the pack together when we realized you were unconscious. He told me to bring you to safety while they kept the goblins back."
"And the other Houses?" Nox asked, grimacing as he pushed himself from the hard ground. The cold wind caressed his bare chest and he shuddered as the black tendrils of Darkness reached out to him. If he didn't know any better, he'd say it smiled at him.
Rhys was quickly by his side, supporting him while he took the first few difficult steps. "They are on the other side of the temple. The unicorn sentries are aiding Marrok against the goblins, but the others wanted to keep close to their Heirs when they entered the tomb."
"Thank you, Rhys, for getting me out of there."
"We might not share blood, Nox, but you are my brother as much as Marrok is," Rhys said almost proudly, his loyalty going beyond the chain of command. "Wait, where are you going?" He raised a brow when Nox waved away his help and started to make his way toward the entrance of the old temple. "You're not strong enough to walk, let alone fight. It's a miracle you're even standing, but the connection to your wolf will be blocked for at least a day."
"I still have these, don't I?" Nox objected, pulling the curved twin blades from his belt. The familiar weight felt almost as a comfort as he walked further onto the dead fields surrounding him. As far and wide as he as he could see, the lands around him were flat and black––barren and abandoned for years. The only living creatures in these lands lived underground in the elaborate tunnels that spread underneath the earth and led all the way into the mountains on the horizon.
Creatures Nox still wanted dead for what they did to his father.
"Then I'm coming with you."
"No." Nox turned around to his friend who had already unsheathed his sword. "I need you to stay here and tell Marrok he has to hold the line. Something feels wrong about this tomb, Rhys. Something smells wrong, It might be a trap."
The young lycan before him swallowed hard, nodding at the command he had been given. "The goblins knew we were coming," he said. "Do you think we were betrayed?"
"With the other Houses, you never know."
With that said, Nox turned toward the temple and continued his way. It didn't take long before a familiar scream filled his ears. He felt himself running at the sound of it.
When he ran to the other side of the large, ancient building, he found Verin and the Elven sentries standing before the arched entrance. They all had their weapons raised, the Elven Heir's own bow pointing into the darkness beyond the destroyed doors of the tomb.
"Where are the others?" he asked her, feeling himself pant from the strain of the short run. The Wolfsbane hadn't left his system yet and weakened him still.
"They went to the inn around the corner, where do you think they are?"
Nox puffed out an annoyed breath and brushed past Verin to take the weathered marble steps up to the old wooden doors that were pulled from their hinges. "Stay here," he said, not awaiting her clever remark before striding into the temple cautiously.
When he was inside, the smell of blood filled his nostrils and the sound of metal clashing with metal echoed around him. In the pitch blackness, it was hard to see what was going on. Without the help of his wolf to guide him through the darkness, he was as blind as the others.
Slowly but surely though, his eyes adjusted to the thick shadows around him. He walked further into the tomb and felt the strange presence he had noticed earlier grow closer. Before him the three Heirs of the Vampire, Unicorn and Nymph House fought men in ancient armor, their flesh melded from their bones and a haunting, icy fire burning in their hollow eye sockets. Around them, their sentries did the same.
From the corner of his eyes, Nox could see the shadows stir. Slower than he wanted to, but still faster than any ordinary man, he lifted his twin blades up and blocked the weathered mace that came for his head. He groaned, feeling the weight of the large, old weapon press against his already burning muscles.
The Undead man was strong and relentless. He pushed harder and harder against Nox's failing defenses. What the lycan missed in strength though, he made up in skill. He kicked the dead Ozark warrior back and quickly moved from his place, ducking underneath the arm of solely bone and decaying cloth. With a swift motion, he cut off the man's head, seeing it fall to the white, marble floor. The rest of the body crumbled to the dust beside him.
As if Nox hadn't done any different in whole his life, he cut through the group of soulless men that busted from the coffins at the walls with ease. While fighting, he kept an eye on the other Heirs, seeing them defeat the ancient warriors with as much ease as he did. Their sentries weren't always that lucky and from each of the Houses only handful still remained.
As Nox progressed through the Dark King's tomb, closer to the large stone coffin at the back, he could feel the air grow heavier with every step. It wasn't until the ground shook, though, that he turned around. The wolf buried inside him howled in his head, but as soon as he had heard it, it was gone, blocked by the damned poison in his veins.
His breath caught in his throat when he saw a man standing in the entrance of the temple. His flesh, though hollow and deathly pale, still covered his skull. A deep, black darkness burned in his eyes and Nox knew in his bones that it was the Dark King himself standing behind him.
A faint smile curled the haunting man's lips and Nox cursed loudly before dropping to the ground. Hot flames reached out from the Dark King's fingers, scorching everything in their path. Screams filled Nox's ears and he swallowed hard, watching as some of the vampire and nymph sentries were burned alive. The Undead seemed unaffected by the thick tendrils of fire that shot through the temple. They fought on as if nothing had changed.
"Damned mage," Nox mumbled to himself, crawling towards one of the tall statues standing against the walls. They were large enough to protect him from the blaze that consumed the space and made the air vibrate with heat. Nox could feel his stomach turn as the sickening smell of burned flesh and singed hair brushed against his nostrils.
"We need to fall back!" Darran yelled, his voice echoing through the open hall. "There are too many of them."
"Fall back to where?" Celyna replied, plunging her sword into one of the Undead before cutting off his head. "Our way out is blocked."
"At least the fires have died," Nyssa said, throwing one of her circular daggers at her attackers. It swirled through the air and slashed through the men of bone like they were made of air.
Nox looked through the arms of the statue he was hiding behind, realizing the warmth caressing his skin had faded. The Dark King had gone with it, but a small army of dead Ozark warriors had gathered at the entrance, elven arrows sticking from their chests.
The darkness around them too had slowly been lifted and despite the shadows that still obscured most of the grand hall, he could now see the other Heirs and their sentries clearly.
"There is another way out," he said, pushing himself from the wall.
Celyna, Nyssa, and Darran all shot their eyes toward him while their sentries continued to fight the Undead. All coffins on the walls were broken, but still more of the Dead kept rising and advancing at them. Nox turned his blades in his hands and ran right for them. He could feel the weapons of his attackers clash against his own, but he cut through them on feel alone. His eyes were focused on the large, stone coffin that hid the secret passageway back into the Dark Forest.
His father had told Nox about it many years ago when––as a young lycan who hadn't earned the right of his own pack yet––he had been fascinated with the lands beyond their Territory. His father had heard it from Cain and he in turn had heard it from his father before him.
Before the Darkness had destroyed the once beautiful lands of Ozark, the High Priests had led the people in their worship and offerings to the Gods. While the temple had been built in a time of peace, the kingdom of Ozark had known many wars. That was why the Priests had dug a tunnel underneath the temple to bring them to safety if evil would ever set foot beyond their doors. It was a cruel twist of fate that the greatest evil Mithra had ever known was buried on top of that exact escape route.
With the Heirs combined strength, Nox was certain they could push the heavy block of marble from its place.
"You're awake," Celyna said, breathing heavily while sweat ran down her brow.
"I know," he nodded, brushing past her to strike at one of the Undead, aiming his ax for her. He could feel her hot breath on his cheeks, mingling with his own. "The Dark King will need a lot more than a little Wolfsbane to get the House of Ruelle to its knees."
It was a lie and by Celyna's reaction, it wasn't one she believed. Still, she seemed somewhat pleasantly surprised to see him.
"I thought we had lost you for a moment," she smiled wickedly, turning around and swiping her thin, light sword across the neck of one of the Ozark warriors. His head rolled off its torso and fell to the floor with a thud. "I guess now I'll have to kill you myself."
Nox laugh at that, feeling the sound of his own laughter vibrate in his chest. A wave of pain shot through his still weakened muscles and the Wolfsbane brought him to his knees again. Celyna quickly stepped before him, throwing up her sword in defense as an arrow came their way. It bounced off the shining metal and deflected toward the wall.
"Now would be a good time to tell us about that other exit," Darran said, joining the Vampire Heir to form a tight defense around Nox. Nyssa beside them shot her last remaining arrows and called for her sentries to fall back in line.
"I lost good warriors today, Nox," she sucked in a deep breath. "I hope this mission was worth it."
"I have the Dark King's cloak," Celyna said, helping Nox up from the floor. "When Nox has recovered, he'll be able to track his Heir, right?"
The lycan nodded, feeling a shiver run down his back. "The way out is underneath his coffin."
"Are you sure?" Darran frowned.
"Yes, my father told me."
The other Heirs looked at each other doubtfully, wondering if a tale passed down from generation to generation was enough to let their defenses down and try to move the heavy block of marble behind them.
"A dead man's words are not much to go on," Nyssa voiced their concern. She got another of her long, curved daggers from her belt and threw it at their enemies. "What if we get trapped down there?"
"We won't," Nox replied, walking up the steps that led to the coffin. He turned his back to them and put his shoulders against the cold marble. With a scream he pushed against it, trying to move it from its place. It didn't give away more than an inch, no sign of the set of stairs he was certain were underneath it.
Darran was by his side as the first of the Heirs, using his concealed unicorn strength to push the coffin further to the side. Soon, both Celyna and Nyssa joined them, together revealing nothing but the cracked marble floor that decorated the entire temple.
"That's not possible,"Nox breathed, his brow creasing in confusion.
Darran's warm hand clasped around his bare shoulder as he sighed. "It's not your fault," he said, picking his sharp-edged fighting staff from the ground. The vampire and nymph sentries were still fighting relentlessly to protect their Heirs, but fewer of them remained. Nox could even see Celyna's eyes filling with sorrow at the sight of her dead sentries.
"Something isn't right." He shook his head, examining the spot where his father had assured him a passageway had been carved from the earth in ancient times.
"It's alright, Nox," Celyna whispered. "Perhaps the Gods never intended for us to leave this temple. Maybe this is simply punishment for all those years trying to destroy each other while we should have worked together to defeat the Darkness."
All four Heirs swallowed hard, letting their gazes pass each other. They had always hated one another. They had been taught they were enemies from a very young age. But standing here in this tomb together––bleeding together––made Nox wonder if they weren't better off united.
He cast his gaze to the floor, knowing that when he was younger, he had felt pride in the number of vampires and elves he had killed. He had felt good when plunging his blades into a nymph or unicorn. He had loved to watch the light leave their eyes.
Now, he felt almost ashamed just thinking about it.
"Wait," he said, his eyes following an almost invisible line that ran parallel to the walls. He pulled Darran's staff from the unicorn's hand and with a loud thud, he slammed the heavy wood on the ground. Once, twice, until a soft sigh could be heard and a cloud of dust rose from the cracks in the floor.
They all stepped back when the floor disappeared beneath their feet, falling down into a set of stairs. They led into complete darkness, swallowing up the light surrounding them. Soon, though, the old magic inside the temple came to life and fire ignited in the braziers on the walls.
Ancient musty air rose from the tunnel, making the hairs on Nox's arms stand on end. He could feel a wave of ancient power wash over them, reaching out with soft strokes of warm light. Behind them, more braziers ignited. The Undead seemed frozen for a moment, held in place by the protective wards that aided the Heirs in their escape.
"Remind me to thank your father when I see him in the Afterlife," Darran smile as he got back his weapon. He walked past Nox and took the steps down and into the old tunnel leading to their salvation.
Nyssa simply nodded at him and gathered her remaining sentries before they too walked into the passageway towards the Dark Forest.
When even the few vampires left had quickly descended the stairs, Nox was left alone with Celyna, who looked at him with narrowed eyes.
"What?" he frowned, gesturing her to follow the others. Who knew how long the age old spells would hold the Dead at bay. They needed to hurry.
"Why?" she asked, genuine wonder flashing through her hauntingly beautiful light brown orbs.
"What do you mean?"
"Why do all of this? Why save me from those goblins? Why help us leave this godforsaken place?" she almost seemed to laugh. "Why not let us all die and take our lands for yourself?"
Nox let his eyes shift over her face, thinking about the answer. She seemed to stare right to his soul and he knew he couldn't tell her anything but the truth. A truth he had learned the day his father had died––a truth he and his grandfather had been trying to learn the other Houses die years.
"Because I believe we are better than this. Better than the scheming and the hatred, the blood, and death that has divided us for centuries. The darkness fighting to get out of these lands didn't grow because it had the power to, Celyna. It grew because we made it. All those wars between our Houses made it stronger," he said seriously. "I saved your life because I don't want you dead. And I helped you get out of this damned tomb because, without you, I stand no chance against the Dark King. I don't want to steal your lands, Celyna," he swallowed hard, seeing the confused frown on her brow turn to understanding. "I want to save them."
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Yay for ancient priests right! But will the tunnels still lead them back to safety?
And what about Rhys and the others? What will they do when they find out Nox is gone?
Who do you guys think the traitor is?
Please don't forget to vote or comment ❤ It's very much appreciated :)
The next chapter will be posted before the end of January.
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Copyright © Cameron R. Lewis