Six of Ruin (Heirs of Irenwell #1)
Chapter 8: Malevolent Gods

The woods around were peaceful. Sunshine sparkled through the rustling leaves, creating magical sceneries. Birds chirped in the distance, making me feel safe and cosy. We were on the other side of Mount Aero, two days away from Bastia. The carriage stopped on a clearing right next to the muddy road.

I lifted my head off the satin pillow I brought from home, “Why are we stopping?”

Danilo opened the door, “I am going to teach you the basics of sword fighting.”

“Ugh,” I grunted, “I have so many better things to do.”

Danilo chuckled, “Stare out of the window?”

I raised my eyebrow, “Stare at you.”

This time, he didn’t blush and flush and retreat. He shook off my remarks with a smile and opened the door for me, “You can do that while I’m teaching you how to fight, your Grace.”

A gush of cold air welcomed me outside. Even sunshine burned cold. My silk dress did little to protect me. But I wasn’t about to wear something as awful as pants.

Danilo’s men lined up next to the other carriage, all five of them indistinguishable from one another, drinking something from leather satchels. I longed for a drink, but Danilo claimed it was too strong for me.

“Alright, we don’t have much time, but we are all in need of a break.” Danilo said. “So, grab your sword.”

I rolled my eyes and picked up the sword gingerly, “Isn’t there anything else I could use?”

“Well, do you have any other skills?”

“I can sing.” I grinned.

Danilo sighed, “And how is that going to help in a fight?”

And just because I was feeling joyous, I tapped on the ground in a rhythm. Danilo held the hilt of his sword and moved it through the air like it was an extension of his arm.

My sword was light enough to lift. Even lighter to drag across the ground while I tapped faster. The men leaned against the carriage clapped rhythmically.

“Irina.” Danilo grunted. Apparently, we were done with titles.

I winked and began to sing a quick, rhythmical tune, “I know a boy, blacksmith’s son-”

Danilo shook his head, “First and foremost, you have to assess the territory you’re in. Watch out for the direction of sun or light. If you position yourself correctly, it could blind your enemy-”

I interrupted him with my singing, “How he handles his toy, seems slightly fun.”

Danilo’s eyes widened and the sword in his hand dropped. The men behind me let out a couple of whistles, still clapping in the rhythm.

And because the song made him nervous, I grabbed the hem of my silk dress and moved my hips, the sword dangling against my legs.

“Irina,” Danilo said over my dancing, “You need to learn.”

I batted my eyelashes and sang further, “The spark in his eye, the smile on his lip-”

“Irina-”

“Should I? Shouldn’t I?” A laugh fell off my lips. “Perhaps just the tip.”

The men laughed and whistled. Danilo looked at me, utterly flabbergasted, and threw the sword on the ground. He began to walk away.

“Oh, come on!” I stopped dancing. “I didn’t even get to the chorus!”

Danilo stopped in his tracks and turned to me, “You are not taking this seriously.”

“I’m having fun.” My hands dropped by my sides. “Goddess knows you need some.”

“This mission is life or death, Irina!” He raised his voice, the sound seemed to shoo the birds away.

I took in a sharp breath, “Life is life or death, Danilo. And if you cannot stop for one moment and enjoy it, what’s it for?”

The man’s piercing blue eyes simmered, softening his entire expression. In two huge steps, he stopped in front of me and took my hand, which still held the sword.

He put the right hand up the hilt and the left one down, “Hold it like this. Use both of your hands to swing.”

I grabbed the sword tightly.

Danilo stood behind me; the warmth of his body sheltered me from the cold air. I shuddered involuntarily when I felt his hands on my hips.

I chuckled, “What now, teacher?”

Danilo’s grip tightened, “Face your hips toward the enemy. And put your left leg upfront. This way you won’t lose your balance.”

“Uh-huh.” I leaned against his strong body and felt him tense.

Danilo made a step back, giving me more space, “The best defence is simply stepping away. When the sword is coming your way, dodge.”

“And when do I do this?” I swiftly turned around, stood on my fingers and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

His face was scratchy and rough and he smelled of clovers and leather. His eyes landed on mine, his hands still touching my hips. For a moment, he was utterly confused. But a moment later, his grip tightened.

With a giggle, I wiggled out of his embrace and hopped away, the song replaceing its way back to my lips, “I have a field of flowers, and I’d let him pass-”

The men clapped again in the rhythm of my feet.

“No one’s ever been there, from the working class.”

Danilo sighed, but a ghost of a smile lingered in the corners of his thin mouth.

I turned to the men still drinking near the carriage, “Let’s go everybody!”

The men obediently began to sing, “She’ll give it all, and grapes and berries and cherries, all before she marries.”

I continued, “I’ll give it all, and fortunes and dreams and hopes, while my husband mopes.”

Danilo palmed his face, but there was a smile underneath.

The song continued until my feet hurt. I dropped on a blanket on the ground, a fluffy thing I carried with me to the world’s end. One of the men cooked dinner, rabbit stew. By the time we finished, night had fallen. Men slept outside and let me have the carriage.

Headache, which I ascribed to the bad rabbit stew, lingered in my temples as I stared through the trees at the stars. The entire sky was full, even more so than in Irenwell. The Star of Orath was, unfortunately, too close to the horizon to be seen, but I bet it was brighter and larger than I’ve ever seen it.

The fire flickered in the distance, attracting my attention, revealing Danilo’s figure. He sharpened his sword, a whooshing sound slicing the air in a rhythm. I took my fluffy blanket and walked to the fire.

“It’s a bit lonely here, isn’t it?” I asked as I sat on the blanket. My eyes escaped to Danilo’s fire-lit face. The edges of his face were sharper, more contrasting. His eyes burned blue and golden under the red flames.

“Not when you pass a hundred times.” A small smile made its way to his lips. “And you learn that the bustling crowds are lonely.”

“Would you be mad if your uncle sired another heir and you lost your right to the throne?” Surprising him with blunt questions was a new favourite hobby of mine.

Danilo coughed, a sigh followed, “I wouldn’t be mad. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. King’s firstborn inherits the throne.”

“But the Bordering City adopted another way of ruling.” I pointed out. “And they seem to be doing fine.”

Danilo shook his head, “Their values revolve around silver and gold. Everyone wants more money. They have forgotten core values, such as honour and loyalty to the Kingdom that’s given you protection and safety and belonging.”

“Ha.” I mumbled. “They seemed alright to me.”

“First impressions are usually wrong.” Danilo shrugged. After a few moments, he looked at me, “Are you afraid?”

“I don’t think I know enough to be afraid.” I admitted. “We’re going to the world’s end to defeat some evil and I don’t even know what it is.”

Danilo’s gaze hardened, “Some five hundred years ago, during the golden age of Orathia, people began tapping into magic.”

“Weren’t all the mages defeated?” I asked, wondering if I could subtly replace the answer to why I even had magic in my veins. “During the last War of Men, In 15 Mage Era.”

“Most of them.” Danilo said. “But not before they had sons and daughters all around. The magic remained in human blood, slightly tainted. And men being men, began to explore it.”

“But magic is uncontrollable.” I let out a sigh. “And dangerous.”

“And evil.” Danilo pointed out, causing an involuntary shiver up my spine. “It corrupted the people who used it. They worshipped strange gods and used their magic for vile, disgusting deeds.”

Because magic was evil. And it remained in our veins.

“But could they have been more powerful than the mages?”

Danilo shook his head, “No. That’s why they wanted to invoke the gods they were worshipping. Gods of rage and hatred and death. But the power of three kingdoms defeated them and they promised to come to aid if the evil is awoken again.”

For the first time, I felt like I didn’t know anything, “Is that’s what’s happening now?”

Danilo nodded, “For the past decade, a cult has been rising to power up in the mountains. Rogues and banished ones and other like-minded individuals have been gathering right under our nose.”

“And what are they doing?”

Danilo’s eyes glued to mine, “Becoming stronger. The Oracles have spoken, they must be stopped before they become too powerful.”

My voice dropped to a whisper, “They worship ancient gods?”

Terrible and all-powerful gods whom mages have worshipped before the era of humans. People weren’t that powerful, but there was a lot of us and with the sheer power of will, we’ve managed to defeat the magic users. But as Danilo had said, the magic survived.

And now it was churning in my veins, turning me into the same kind of monster my ancestors had to deal with centuries ago. Magic corrupts, Danilo had said, just one of the reasons I had to get rid of it.

“I’m afraid so, your Grace.” Danilo answered my question. “Malevolent gods.”

My headache worsened, due to Danilo’s words or some malevolent forces, I didn’t know. I winced and the knight immediately came closer to me.

“Are you alright?”

I nodded, identifying the familiar pain in the temples. Blunt, numb and forceful. I gritted my teeth and felt it, him, in my head. It felt like something rested behind my eyes, like there was somebody else watching through me. I felt violated.

And I had never experienced this protruding sensation before. One conclusion seemed most logical; the connection, or whatever it was, became stronger.

The mere idea filled me with fear.

“Your Grace?” Danilo grabbed my hand, spreading warmth through my palms. My heart fluttered despite knowing there was someone else there with us.

I didn’t know how to push him out or command him to leave. So I thought, because I could hear some of his thoughts before and I guessed he might hear mine.

Why is it stronger?

My vision blurred. Fire’s orange and red flames mixed into darkness. Danilo’s concerned face was gone. Flickers of light appeared in the darkness; stars. My eyesight cleared and suddenly, I was there, in his mind, overlooking the snowy mountaintops and millions of stars in the night sky. The Star of Orath glowed proudly, still in the distance, but much larger and brighter than in Irenwell.

And unlike in Irenwell, it wasn’t lonesome, it was surrounded by hundreds of smaller stars whose light never reached my home.

The male hands gripped the stony fence and he looked down. The building, whichever he was in, stood on a cliff, and the way down was long.

And then, he spoke, “It truly is stronger.”

I felt myself then, as I gasped, possibly in real life, where Danilo probably thought I was dying or something even more sinister. Usually, I only felt him, but now I joined in.

We were two people whose bodies and thoughts seemed somehow connected and we both existed in the same time. And we both seemed to be scared out of our wits.

The whole experience was extremely hard, Why? I managed to think.

“Because you’re getting closer to me.”

My eyesight blurred once more, my own reality pulling me back to my body. My heart was beating rapidly. I was forced to take in a deep breath as the light of fire came into view again. As well as Danilo’s concerned face. Fuck.

“Irina?” His blue eyes were way more gentle now. “What happened?”

As my gaze jumped over his face, I tried to think of anything that might explain this. Ideas such as I had too much ale worked on Gretchen, but this man was no idiot. I didn’t drink any damn ale. Finally, my mind landed on a thing I read once in a book.

“It’s a disorder!” I blabbed. “It’s an attack of numbness.” I read through the description in my head. “I, just, fall asleep at random. Yes. It can happen anytime, anywhere, even while I’m eating. I can even have nightmare, so if I scream, it’s completely fine. And... uh... it’s incurable. When you see it happen, just let me be.”

“Huh,” Danilo brushed the strand of hair off my face, “I was worried, your Grace.”

“Don’t be.” I moved away and offered a tight smile. “It’s completely normal.”

Yes, completely normal. Perhaps for the malevolent gods that made me live through it without even bothering to explain what for.

And now, I was getting closer to him. Whoever he was.