4 Taken

A CREATURE ROSE from the charred rubble. A nightmare of seething shadow, which coalesced into a hideous form. Spines bristled from its skull and back, its face eyeless with a large set of double-hinged jaws. Wings made of pale black skin fanned outwards while waves of sickly light pulsed across its body, which writhed as though formed of black snakes. Spines shot outward from the beast like bolts, impaling earth, stone, and flesh.

Threadfin used his magic to deflect the attack, but out of two dozen spines, several got through. Sind convulsed as one struck her in the face. Scatter cried out, and using her unique ability, she split into two with one replica lunging for the collapsing greencloak. As the second Scatter went for the creature, Threadfin sent his power ahead of her. Somehow the beast blocked his counter, sending a rippling shockwave back at him. The jolt drove him to his knees.

Four spines hit the second Scatter who collapsed in convulsions. More spines, but Threadfin’s magic intercepted those in the form of a gaseous black vapor, incinerating them on contact.

He ran back toward Astra as the projectiles flew at her. Without warning, he met a wall of invisible power, which landed him on his back. Astra, the fool, was trying to protect him.

Rising he saw none of the spines had touched her. Another attack, but they disintegrated inches from her. They could not touch her, but the ghoul had opened its jaws by this time and it was holding her frozen in place. She smiled at it and it began to screech and tremble with pain.

This ghoul had met its match.

Before she could kill it, however, a series of eruptions fountained dirt and debris into the air. Threadfin, having just gotten to his feet, stumbled, and cursed.

Now what?

Rising from separate craters were four of the Grim’s own. The one appearing to lead the Torments had gold tipped horns which formed a natural armour, her skin a yellowish hue. Two of the others held long black chains, which appeared to writhe and hiss as they lashed the air. Manacles latched on to Astra’s wrists with a spitting snap. She screamed as the otherworldly metal formed barbs to dig into her flesh.

The two without chains stepped past her, ignoring her ferocious struggle as she attempted to thwart the bonds. Threadfin knew their bite, having felt it once. Oblivion chains would bind her soul and prevent her from using her powers. However, he could tell they weren’t containing her as they were meant to. She was fighting back.

The viral mage attempted to draw on the Torments’ life forces, but they were ready and rebuffed his efforts. So instead, he struck at the ones holding the chains with vicious spears of viralic power. The other two leapt to block his attack with swords dark as pitch. Great day to be a bloody mage, he thought. Can’t anything go right?

The manacles at Astra’s wrists had turned molten, as she fought. The veins in her face and skin swelled with light, blood dribbling from her eyes, ears, and mouth. The Torments holding her cried out as she pulled them towards her.

A vortex erupted into existence where the ghoul had been, sucking Astra and the Torments chained to her towards it.

Threadfin lashed out again, but this time his attack was a feint. Wings swirling like ink in water, he leapt with speed at the nearest Torment. A magic-wrought blade in his left hand, he stabbed its chest, slicing the heart in two.

Her male companion, having blocked the feint, leapt at Threadfin, but Scatter intervened this time. She cut downward with her sword, before a second Scatter thrust at the Torment’s chest, and a third at its head.

Somehow it pivoted to avoid all her attacks, but Threadfin spotted an opening. The Torment met its end wide-eyed, as he drove his viralic blade into its gut.

The vortex was closing and he heard Astra’s screams as the surviving Torments dragged her through it in chains. Threadfin tried to force the portal wider, but it winked out of existence. He fell to his knees with a cry.

Astra was gone.

A choking cough caused him to look back at a weakened Scatter holding Sind; the soldier was struggling to breathe. For the first time since he’d met the Hatavan, he saw fear in those dark eyes. Podral Pole was stumbling over to them, smothered in boils, and looking deathly pale. Threadfin had drawn on his Darken in the last moments as his reserves had run low. I could have killed my friend, he thought, and it would have been for nothing. They still took her.

His gaze found the Torment he’d wounded, the male. This one struggled for breath and was bleeding from a stomach wound. Despite this, it tried to get up. Threadfin got to his feet and approached it, anger rising. The viral mage placed a foot on its chest, shoving it down. ‘Where have they taken her?’

The Torment uttered a gurgling laugh. ‘You cannot save this world from Tartaros, undead one. The Grim will enslave you all, and by doing so, he will save you. You should be thanking us, you fool.’

Threadfin placed his foot on the Torment’s face, pressing it into the scorched dirt. He could have used magic but he was too angry. This tactile contact felt better. ‘Are they taking her to the Grimstyx, to Hell’s Teeth? Where?’

The dying Torment spat blood as it answered despite its face being shoved into the ground by his boot. ‘The Tower of Babel will soon rise and his armies will emerge, undead one, as foretold in the Book of Chains. You cannot stop them. The Grim owns this world, and he owns you. We were meant to capture you too, but it does not matter. Your master comes for you.’

The viral mage did use his power then, a viralic weave enveloping the Torment’s head. Being wounded, it did not have the strength to resist him. It shuddered for a moment as its brains turned to mush, and then went still. He could have drained it of its life instead, but he felt furious.

I’ve failed, he thought. I was meant to protect her. I made a promise and I failed to keep it. She had looked smaller to him as they’d dragged her away, a girl lost and alone, frightened. She had cried out to him for help. He had not been strong enough.

By this time, soldiers had arrived and were aiding Sind under the imperial marshal’s direction. Scatter then approached and looked at the dead Torment with a grimace. ‘I thought those were impossible to kill.’

The mage glanced at her before turning and striding towards his Darken. ‘Not impossible, just difficult,’ he said over his shoulder. ‘His name was, Lugat. The second one was, Karal.’ A few months ago, I didn’t even know they existed.

‘Where are you going?’

‘I need to find out about this Tower of Babel. Apparently, the Grim is going to invade our world, and soon. Something about the Book of Chains.’ He reached out to his friend, and using the last trickle of his power, eased Podral’s suffering, the boils reducing to a rash. ‘Sorry about that, Pod. Got carried away at the end.’

‘Lad,’ said Pole with a sour look as he limped along beside Threadfin, ‘you and I got to have a serious talk one day about your magic-mixing. A long, serious talk.’

‘Uh, huh, sure. Whatever you say.’

Scatter moved to catch up with them, and said, ‘You will not find anything about Babel in the palace libraries and there is no way for us to get a hold of the Book of Chains, not without great pain. There is no book with the information you need, except maybe for one.’

Threadfin halted, and turned to face her. ‘What?’

‘If my memory serves, the White Daemoni may also mention this event, but the Church will never let you near it, not even for a peek. It’s too well guarded. You could use your magic, but then you’d be attacking an imperial institution. I doubt your sister would sanction it. Only the paladins can get near it. I am sorry.’

Hands on hips, the viral mage stared at the Hatavan woman, once his mentor in magical matters if but for a while. She was also a friend and he trusted her. Sort of.

‘Right,’ he said, ‘well that’s just great. I can’t follow her without a ghoul, since my bent with mirrors doesn’t work where the Grimstyx is concerned. At least, I haven’t figured out a way yet. Now, you’re telling me after we’ve heard the end of the world is coming, I can’t stop that either? Should I just quit being a mage and take up another line of work? You know, until the world ends?’

‘I hear the masons are looking for folk,’ Pole suggested in a helpful tone. ‘Palace gardens could do with a bit of work, too. You’d like pruning roses, I think. It’s relaxing.’

Threadfin threw him a dark look, but the man just grinned back.

‘I need to know why you want to find Babel,’ said Scatter. ‘You think if you find the Grim, you’ll find her, don’t you? You should not be thinking this way. There is too much at stake.’

‘She needs me.’

‘You saw how unstable she has become. The Grim opposes her and for a good reason, and yet there is something between those two. You don’t understand, Threadfin. This is not as simple as you are making it out to be.’

‘Scats, I understand the difference between the Grim and a mere child.’

‘Just ask your sister what she thinks.’

He raised a hand to fend off her words. ‘I don’t care if Astra’s some ancient spectral mage from a thousand years ago, or whatever. She needs my help.’

‘What about all those who died this morning?’ She gestured left and right. ‘Look around you. Whole families wiped out in an instant, not to mention the damage done to the city. Most will blame it on you and your sister.’

‘She’s got a point there, lad.’

‘Wasn’t it you who told me the price of my power is life?’ Threadfin asked, ignoring his Darken. ‘Well, I’ve taken life to feed my talent, haven’t I? She was defending herself, which is a far better reason don’t you think? She’s inexperienced and couldn’t control it. She didn’t want to harm anyone.’

‘You’ve gone out of your way to preserve life,’ said Scatter. ‘I’ve seen you. This girl could destroy an entire city, and almost did.’

‘It was a tenth,’ said Threadfin with a wave of his hand, but her words struck home. He knew she was right, which made him angrier.

‘Intentional or not, she’s dangerous.’

‘That’s just it,’ he snapped. ‘She didn’t choose anything. She’s a scared teenager with powerful magic at her fingertips. I will find this Tower of Babel and stop the Grim, and I’ll also save her. I won’t abandon her, Scats.’

Scatter sighed, ‘I suppose I have to trust you, don’t I?’

‘Up to you.’

‘Very well. If you want the Tower’s location, there is one person who can tell you, but you won’t find him without my directions. He is known as the Librarian.’

‘I hate libraries,’ said Pole, ‘full of books and dust and dull folk. Think I’ll sit this one out, lad. Besides, I don’t feel good.’

‘Chicken soup,’ said Threadfin. ‘Preferably in bed.’

‘What?’

‘Trust me. It’ll sort you out. Read a book or something.’

Pole mumbled something in response. Threadfin didn’t catch it. It sounded unpleasant.

‘You need to understand,’ said Scatter, ‘this is no ordinary library, or Librarian. For one thing, he has two heads.’ She proceeded to give him advice on how to find the Librarian’s world. Apparently, Nalrost had written about him or them.’

‘Yes, and ...?’ prompted Threadfin, when Scatter cut off at one point to stare off towards the palace. Her face paled so much he thought she was dying.

Without another word, the imperial marshal broke into a run.