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CADE
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The game had begun, and it was time to make Hugh regret ever trying to replace Cade and his crew.
Cade watched the decoy box arc through the air toward his mentor, whose full attention had shifted toward the airborne container. The true prize was secure in Cade’s pocket, its power warm against his thigh through his pants’ fabric. He grinned, watching as his throw went wide by several feet, directly into the pile of inert sentinels.
As planned.
Hugh lunged, but even his efforts weren’t enough. The metallic cube clipped an iron chestplate and careened off to the side.
“Damn it all, Cade!” Hugh yelled as he rushed after it.
Cade just smirked.
With Hugh’s attention briefly diverted, the dark elf’s smile turned wicked. With a nonchalance that screamed of practice, she launched another watery assault. This time, the daggers flew directly at Orro, sharper and faster than before.
That was when it all went straight to the deepest hell.
The cavern erupted into chaos as the elf, with a twist of her wrist, sent yet another pair of water daggers slicing through the air after the first ones. Orro ducked low and charged forward. Each step was a splash, his boots sending ripples across the growing puddles that the dark elf conjured with a malicious flurry of her dark fingers.
Evidently, she wanted their resident assassin dead first.
At the same time, the heavy clang of the orc’s cleavers met the parried thrusts of Jer and Elena’s weapons. The giant orc swung with brutal force, his weapons a blur of steel and death. Each blow that Jer dodged sent sparks flying across the roughly hewn stone. The flashes of flint illuminated Elena’s fierce expression as she countered with sharp, precise jabs with her stiletto knives. The twins danced around each other, one omen of death and mayhem split into two forces.
Cade, meanwhile, focused his full attention on the young man with the permanent sneer. The arrogant bastard advanced with his rapier drawn and walked with a cocky swagger that reeked of entitlement.
Admittedly, Cade was more of a talker than a swordsman, and he’d always relied on his fast reflexes and quick wit to get out of dangerous situations. He had a few daggers to his name, and he was better suited for close combat than anything else. Orro had taught him the basics so that he could defend himself in situations like these, and that had gotten him this far. Sure, his offense wasn’t the best, but his defense and dodging was the stuff of legend.
He thought it was, anyway.
As the stranger advanced, Cade began to circle. He tilted his body so that the hidden amulet wouldn’t get hit or damaged in his pocket, and he shifted his weight slightly to his toes to ensure his speed would outmatch his opponent. He needed to keep moving, as momentum was key in a good defensive plan, and he kept his new opponent at a safe distance while he studied the stranger’s posture. The thief was careful to avoid the shifting puddles covering the floor, unwilling to let this fight be decided by something as foolish as a premature slip.
His adversary methodically pressed closer as the man traced lethal arcs in the cool cavern air.
Cade realized with annoyance that this expensively dressed swordsman was enjoying this. The man’s violet gaze brightened as Cade took another step back, and his opponent seemed to mistake the calculation as cowardice.
“You’re even less impressive in person,” he remarked, his voice a smooth, chilling drawl. “Hugh said you were resourceful. I see now he was being too kind.”
The duelist stabbed at Cade’s heart, but the thief used the edge of a nearby column to divert the attack as he leapt behind it. In one fluid motion, he drew a dagger from the sheath on his waist and held it in front of him, ready to strike the moment the opportunity arose.
“And you are?” Cade gritted out, ducking a swipe that sliced perilously close to his chest, though it nicked the fabric of his tunic. “I don’t recall Hugh’s type being the silver spoon sort.”
“Fenwick Thorn,” the man replied with a mocking bow. “Since I’m going to kill you, it doesn’t matter if you know.”
Man, even this guy’s name was annoying.
Cade dashed for another set of columns, a plan forming as to how he could use the environment to his advantage, but Fenwick swiped at the air in front of him. The near-miss redirected Cade’s movements toward the wall, and Cade couldn’t let himself get cornered.
He had to keep this guy talking to buy him some more time to think of a way out of this.
“I’m your replacement.” Fenwick sneered. “You were easy to replace, really, especially since I actually know how to listen. Hugh decided to invest in a more promising prospect. He outgrew you, peasant.”
Cade smirked, already figuring out how to get under the man’s skin. “You’re a chatty jackass, aren’t you?”
Fenwick’s smile faded, and he once again swiped at the air in front of Cade—only for Cade to effortlessly dodge it.
Time for a bit of improv.
The thief pretended to stumble over a loose stone, catching himself against the wall, though he didn’t have to fake how his breaths were coming in sharp rasps. He’d endured worse than this, though, and he knew how to keep from exhausting himself.
As planned, the feint set off a flurry of jabs and swipes from Fenwick, and the man started breathing heavily as well.
It looked like Hugh’s new protege didn’t have the stamina to sustain this fight for long. Good—that gave Cade the advantage.
His grip tightened on the dagger in his hand, wondering if he’d have to use it or not. Fenwick probably had daggers of his own, and judging by the arrogant man’s ornate clothing, he’d likely been trained fairly well.
“What about your friends over there? Are they supposed to be the improved versions of my crew?” he nodded briefly towards the dark elf and the hulking orc preparing their next moves.
Fenwick smiled thinly. “To call your idiotic team a crew is far too generous, you gutter rat. Selena, Jug, and I are not just Hugh’s allies. We’re extensions of his will like you lot never were.”
“Must make for dull company,” Cade quipped, ducking quickly as Fenwick’s blade came in fast. The metal rang close to his ear, and his skin prickled with the near miss.
“Enough of this idiocy,” Fenwick snapped, his patience apparently at an end.
Good. It was time to get to work.
“You started it,” Cade sniped back.
He grinned in victory when he saw this annoying ass choke on his next words.
The gaudily dressed duelist lunged, and Cade narrowly sidestepped in time. He felt the sting of the rapier as it grazed his side, and warm blood trickled down his rib with every beat of his chest.
With a quick thrust, Cade shifted his grip on his dagger and jabbed it into Fenwick’s bicep. The man twisted out of the way at the last second, and the sharp blade merely sliced through his opponent’s fine cloak.
Fenwick growled in frustration and stood to his full height. He slowly rolled his shoulders back as he swept a few errant strands of his pale hair behind his ear. Fenwick’s violet eyes landed on Cade, violence etched into every detail of his dark visage.
“You’re going to bleed for that,” Fenwick promised. “Then I’ll make that sister of yours bleed for it too.”
Cade’s eyes widened in surprise, and a sickening sense of dread settled in the pit of his stomach.
This moron knew about Rayka.
Hugh’s new pupil laughed in mocking delight. “Oh, I know that she waits for you and the others just a few miles from this temple. She’s going to be so surprised when she finds me at her doorstep, but probably not nearly as surprised as when I run her through over and over again with my sword.”
Despite the surge of hatred Cade felt at that threat, he forced himself to remain calm. It was like holding back the tide, but he would not let this snake in mortal’s clothing rile him up.
“Do you practice these speeches in front of the mirror?” Cade inquired with forced calm. “Or do they just come to you in the moment? Seriously, your acting is spot-on. Do you give lessons? Because my best friend is in desperate need of them, you spineless twat.”
Hugh screamed in rage to their right, and Fenwick turned instinctively toward his master.
Now was Cade’s chance to disarm this arrogant bastard.
He grabbed one of the few remaining sunstones in his pocket and threw it at Fenwick’s face. The duelist yelled in surprise and sliced his rapier at the crystal right as Cade turned his back and clenched his eyes shut. The steel blade cracked the enchanted rock, and light burst out of it with a flash of magic.
Fenwick screamed.
With a snarl of fury, Cade closed the distance. Water whipped off of his pant legs as he crushed his knee into Fenwick’s exposed nose. The man’s head rocked back and Cade grabbed a handful of his hair. He once more shifted his grip on his dagger and aimed for Fenwick’s bicep again, eager to disarm the man and end this.
He didn’t get the chance to strike.
A grip like iron stopped his fist just a mere inch before it landed home.
“Not so fast, little thief,” Hugh growled.
Cade was thrown back, his back slamming into the uneven stone of the wall behind him.
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“Where is it?” Hugh’s eyes were alight with greed and fury. “You stole it. I know you did.”
The man raised his dagger—a leech blade. It was a vicious weapon that seemed to suck in the dim light of the cavern, and it would drain the life out of Cade if he let it touch him.
Never—not once—did Cade imagine his mentor would point it at him.
It hit home, then, just how messed up this whole situation was. The man he had spent so long fighting for, defending, and obeying had dropped him and his crew the moment he thought he’d found something better.
Cade would show the man just how wrong he was.
Though his options were limited, Cade glanced at the armored husks of the sentinels lining the chamber walls. Their sunstones flickered weakly. With a desperate idea forming, he ignored Hugh’s question and dove to the right.
He landed by the nearest figure, his fingers closing around the glowing stone. He yanked it free. The armor clattered to life, the ghostly sentinel stirring with a hollow moan.
These undead soldiers didn’t have great situational awareness, and that meant he could kneel motionlessly beside it without it noticing him. Its essence rushed back into its armor and, true to form, it lunged for Hugh right as Cade’s old mentor yelled in frustration.
His back still stinging, Cade repeated the process as many times as he could with the other nearby suits of armor scattered across the slick ground. His fingers shook, though from pain or disbelief, he couldn’t tell.
As one of the sentinels rose, its icy touch swept out, searching for life to drain. Fenwick cursed, parrying the ghostly limbs as Hugh sidestepped, his focus still fixed on Cade.
“Enough games!” Hugh shouted. “Give me the Remnant!”
He charged at Cade with the leech dagger raised. Cade kicked out, but Hugh blocked the blow and knocked him into a pillar he hadn’t seen. Hugh shoved Cade against the carved surface with one arm and lifted his dagger with the other.
Cade coughed and tasted blood.
“Remnant?” Cade demanded. “What in the hells are you talking about?”
Hugh’s eyes widened at his blunder, and he snarled maniacally. His ungodly dagger descended, aimed right for his head. Cade tried to lean away, but his mentor’s grip was like iron. Cade looked up to see Hugh’s faded tattoo of broken manacles glistened with sweat along his neck, veins bulging with rage.
A white blur shot forward and slammed into the hand rushing toward Cade. Hugh stumbled away and his dagger spun out of his grip. Bunny roared and stood in front of Cade protectively. Even though the adorable white dragon barely came to his knees, the ferocity in his eyes was enough to startle both humans.
“I am going to destroy everything you care about,” Hugh promised darkly.
Cade’s stomach dropped as his boss’s hands began to glow with silvery tendrils. Before Cade could call to Bunny—to warn him of the danger Hugh posed to them all, his lifelong mentor moved. With a roll, he recovered his dagger, the silvery magic coating the tortured emerald blade. In one fluid motion, he got back to his feet and threw the blade back as he leaned heavily against the stone.
Time slowed.
The silvery weapon spun end over end. Hugh’s wind affinity was on display as the projectile cut through the air unhindered.
Bunny lunged for the hilt but his position was too far away. Hugh’s infamous weapon spun end over end, and Cade realized Hugh never meant the life-draining item to embed itself in his chest.
No. It headed directly for Orro’s back.
The leech dagger danced through the air, rapidly approaching where his best friend locked blades with the dark elf, Selena. Even if he sensed the danger now, he would expose himself to another strike from the sadistic waterweaver.
Orro needed help, or he would die.
Cade was moving before he fully processed any of these details. His exhausted feet dug into the moist stone and found the purchase he needed. He pushed every drop of strength he had left into his legs. His best friend in the whole world would not die today. Cade refused to let his blindness to Hugh’s betrayal cost any member of his crew their lives.
The thief shot through the underground chamber like an arrow, and given his position, he was able to get in front of it at the last second.
He tried to grab it, to hit it maybe and knock it off course, but he missed.
It hit him.
The dagger twisted right as his torso collided with the lethal projectile. He felt the blade slice through his jacket, his pants, and his thigh like they were cheap parchment. Its razor edge slammed into something hard, and a fiery warmth burst over Cade’s exposed skin.
Bone cracked against stone as he landed against a pillar, and his shoulder took the entirety of his weight. Coldness spread from his fingertips and through the rest of his body as the leech dagger drained him.
It was eating away at his soul.
His life ebbed away like the receding tide, each breath more labored than the last as he laid crumbled over the dagger.
The splitting of crystal echoed throughout the wide chamber, and Cade had just enough time to look down and see the ripped pocket and the exposed leech dagger partially embedded in the amulet before light and heat bloomed over the entire room.
A surge of unrestrained power burst forth as the blade shattered the artifact's outer shell and Cade was crushed against the far wall.
The explosion of magic was blinding. Light and force radiated outward, sending everyone flying back.
The released energy pulsed through Cade’s veins like fire, and his agonized yell echoed off the stone as the pendant’s power melded into his pores. It overwhelmed him. It spread throughout his veins like streams of magma burning their way through his entire body. His vision roiled with smoke, and he tasted the heady scent of rust in the air, as if a maelstrom was about to break out in this underground sanctum.
Around Cade, the battle pitched to a frenetic crescendo.
Despite the blinding light, he saw the silhouettes of Orro and Selena as they clashed amidst rising torrents of water. The elf’s spells became more ferocious as she summoned whips of liquid that snaked through the air like vipers in the grass. Orro moved through the deluge, his blade an orange flash cutting through water and air.
Jer and Elena’s silhouettes struggled under the relentless assault of Jug, whose laughter boomed over the clash of steel. As the freshly animated sentinels joined the fray, the orc found himself beset by enemies on all sides, his cleavers swinging wildly at the spectral forms.
As much as Cade wanted to help, he could barely move. He slid down the charred wall. He collapsed to his knees, doubled over by the power of the gaudy necklace’s magic burning inside him. The coldness Hugh’s leech dagger had caused was replaced by endless flames.
This Remnant—whatever that even was—hurt like hell.
Cade glanced upward, his vision a dizzying collage of reds and oranges and whites. He barely noticed how Orro glanced back, his expression torn between concern and the need to defend. Cade tried to call out, to tell his best friend to focus on the fight, but a fresh wave of agony swept through his bones, etching misery into his marrow as it steadily coursed through his veins.
The pain crept ever upward, toward his chest, until it settled in his heart. He gritted his teeth in misery, trying and failing to fight off the sensation, but the crystal’s magic only grew stronger.
Somewhere to his right, Elena shouted out a curse. He glimpsed her toss a shining orb in front of Cade’s beleaguered form. It shattered on impact, and a shield of shimmering light encased Cade as he writhed on the ground.
Too weak to say anything, he merely offered her a weak salute in thanks.
The cavern filled with the screams of battle, the groans of the awakening sentinels, and the roar of water and magic. Light, shadow, and sound, intermixed into a maddening cacophony, each moment scarring itself into the obsidian chamber. But it was nothing compared to the vengeful storm clawing its way through every inch of Cade’s mind and body.
He was falling apart.
The cavern shook as if the very earth rebelled against the raw power Cade unleashed. Uncontrolled magic spiraled out from him in a violent storm, splintering stone and vaporizing air into charged particles. His scream transformed into a primal roar, the surge of dark energy ripping through the confined space like a tempest unleashed.
Fenwick was slashed across the neck by an invisible force. His hands flew to the wound, blood seeping through his fingers in a dark, steady stream. He stumbled backward, his eyes wide with shock and pain.
“You’ll pay for this!” Fenwick screamed wildly. “I swear by the gods, I will make you beg for death!” His voice cut off as his mouth gurgled with blood.
Nearby, Hugh—his instincts honed over countless battles—seized a disoriented sentinel by its armor, dragging the spectral form in front of him as a shield. The magic collided with the ghostly armor, sending shrieks of agony echoing off the walls as it disintegrated, its cries a harrowing testament to Hugh’s desperation.
A second explosion deafened those present as the forgotten cloak-explosive ripped through the opposite wall from Cade. It tore a jagged opening to the world up above. Sunlight and fresh air burst down into the darkened lair, stark against the chaos within.
And for the love of the gods, this whole mess just kept getting worse.
From the twin stairs, soot-covered acolytes began to descend like dark angels of vengeance. Gunn Gunderson, his sleeves a charred mess, led the charge, screaming something about his bad luck with strangers.
The robes of Scorn’s underlings fluttered ominously, faces marred by ash and fury as they flooded the chamber. As one, they began to weave their magic together, slips of copper and silver entering the mix.
Orro was at Cade’s side in a heartbeat, ignoring the burns his proximity incurred. He grabbed Cade’s limp form, hoisting him over his shoulder. Every step toward the exit was a battle, acolytes swarming, their dark magic flaring around them.
Bunny, ever the helper, darted between their legs and nipped at exposed ankles. Cade reached out for the tiny cloudrift dragonling, but his throat refused to work. The white dragonling raced toward Cade’s outstretched arm, however, and licked the tip of his finger before darting for the tunnel. Some unspoken tension eased in Cade’s ruined chest at the sight of his little friend escaping toward safety.
The wily dragonling disappeared up the new tunnel, and the relief Cade felt at the safety of his young friend was enough to nearly buckle him at the knees.
Elena and Jer, a few paces ahead, cut through the attackers with vicious efficiency.
“This way!” Elena shouted, her voice a beacon in the tumult.
She tossed another orb and it unleashed a blinding burst of light when it shattered, forcing the acolytes back as Jer laughed wildly, swinging with ferocious glee.
“I absolutely refuse to die without finding true love! Be gone, love-killers!” Jer bellowed as an acolyte’s blade came too close, his counter-strike knocking the weapon aside.
As they neared the exit and sweet, sweet freedom, the ground beneath them cracked. Cade’s vision blurred, and he couldn’t quite make sense of the chaos as his body crumpled in mind-blistering pain.
“Damn it!” Orro roared in frustration. Cade’s vision briefly cleared just as their exit was cut off by over a dozen enraged acolytes.
Unbidden and wild, a web of destruction spread from Cade’s hand. The fissure deepened and raced toward their exit, threatening to collapse their only way out. Orro leapt, joined swiftly by the others as the chamber collapsed around them. Cade tried to protest, but pain ripped the words out of his mouth.
On the opposite side of the forming canyon, Hugh paused by their exit and looked briefly back even as more Scorn guards surrounded Cade and his team. The two of them locked eyes. Cade’s vision swam with hatred and flames as he saw his mentor leave him to die in this gods-forsaken hole, the rest of his cutthroats close on his heels. Fenwick raised a rude gesture as he, too, fled the temple grounds and into the forest above.
And then, everything faded to black.
The sounds of their failed escape echoed like the distant rumble of thunder, leaving behind the chaos of a battlefield-turned-tomb. The last image that seared into his mind was an entire squad of sentinels and acolytes with their weapons pointed at him and his friends.
He had to stay awake.
He had to think of a plan.
He had to get his friends out of here. That was his job. They were his responsibility to protect and keep safe, but he couldn’t even lift his head.
His chin fell limply to his chest. The magic invading his veins reforged his bones beneath his skin. They cracked and ripped apart, only to be restored with incredible force.
“Drop your weapons, Bert and Dopey!” Gunn shouted in some distant place that grew farther and farther from Cade with each passing heartbeat. “We’ve got you surrounded!”
The churning magic inside Cade stabbed into his very essence, and in the seconds before the darkness swallowed him whole, he had a vision.
Of a woman with fire for hair.
No, not a woman.
A goddess.
She knelt on the ground, chained by thick brambles and heavy thorns, her billowing hair little more than dying embers that pulsed with light and fury.
The woman lifted her head, and she stared into his soul with all the intensity of a wildfire. The power rolling from her presence dwarfed anything Cade had ever known.
And as his world faded entirely, he heard her name echoing through the depths of his mind.
Destruction.