43 For Justice

DESPITE THE SPEAR skewering her, Aiyana forced herself upright, inching up and forwards. She’d done all she could for Threadfin. Mere seconds had passed in the Blue Palace since. Between worlds, there was no time, or whatever time existed, it flowed at a different pace. The soul splice lay between them on the blue slate floor. Her magic continued to attack the other woman, the double-ended spear enveloped along with Liviana’s entire right side, all but her head and neck. She wasn’t certain what effect it had on the harpy within, but Liviana wasn’t having a good time. Perhaps it was enough to hold her off, although what came next, she had no idea.

The palace shook as Liviana’s suffering increased. Cracks ruptured the walls and floor. The earth groaned. Her pain was translating into physical manifestations. Aiyana realised that killing Liviana might bring the building down on top of them. So be it, she thought. I will save my people and this world at any cost.

Skeletal hands grabbed at the edges of the abyss as the dead rose, their hope realised. Hulking creatures also bounded over the lip among them, skins rippling with muscle, eyes red. The gorgons began to savage the dead, crushing that hope. Liviana was using her link to the Stone to fight back despite the viralic power half enveloping her. The gold ring on Aiyana’s finger began to smoke, the silver winged inset darkening. Dark ephemeral vines fingered Liviana’s neck. She glared, furious and contemptuous at the stalemate Aiyana had forced on her.

One after another the gorgons came, bodies glistening in the half light. Threads of shadow clung to them like ragged coats, as they snapped at the withered reinforcements.

‡

CANAAN GLANCED AT THE Angelborn trapped inside the pillar. Once, he had been like her, full of righteous desire. He had believed it was his fate to serve justice. Such notions were foolishness. Still, he couldn’t help but admire the innocent bravery of this one. He mourned for himself, for a time when he hadn’t known better. It had been simpler then. Well, it would be again, one last time.

In their tens, and then hundreds, the dead attacked Andromeda. With the leader of the harpies distracted, the angelic-wrought spear dissolved and the stone pillar released its prisoner. The Darken struggled to her feet, weakened but determined. Yes, he mourned and delighted in her persistence, her utter defiance in the face of defeat. He missed that.

‘I’m all yours, Drayl,’ she whispered, turning to face him. His true name sounded good even in a human tongue. However, he did not belong to it anymore. For too long he’d existed as human and at times had forgotten who he was.

‘I offer you my existence, my soul,’ she added, staggering a little. ‘I am too weak to resist you. This body is dying. Take it, take it all, but leave the viral be. Let her do what she must.’

The offer stunned him. He’d heard of other Fallen devouring their former kin, absorbing their essence, becoming greater. He could not deny the temptation, but he had come here for something else.

For justice.

Andromeda screeched as they hauled her towards the edge, even as the gorgons ripped into their numbers. He didn’t think they would succeed. She was too strong, too vicious, too corrupted. Andromeda’s wings erupted in a gory spray of blood, dark crimson feathers with a hint of emerald. Stone fingers grappled with the corpses, trying to free her.

The dead knew Andromeda commanded the gorgons, knew that destroying her was their salvation. How had they found her? How had they entered this world? The abyss was a warping of reality, but they should not have been able to cross. Someone had riled them into this frenzy. Someone was helping them.

Andromeda lashed out with slithers of fire and the razor edges of her wings. Most of the dead were emaciated things, but for a second time, Canaan recognised one among them. A leader, if not the instigator, the former imperator refused to admit his death. Markus Olen had always been stubborn. Still, the dead were losing this battle. The gorgons savaged them and the harpy decimated their numbers. Soon, a handful remained and they fled back into the abyss, several gorgons giving chase. The others prowled, eyeing the viral female as their next victim.

The Darken attempted to reach the viral but collapsed. Canaan ignored the confusion in Cathya Shivar’s face, as he stepped past her. He watched, instead, as the viral retrieved the soul splice. Strange, how events could turn out. He remembered losing the weapon, having given up, and yet here it was in the hands of his enemy. Perhaps fate was not such a foolish notion.

What an amusing thought.

‡

AIYANA WATCHED PEN Luthus approach behind Liviana, the hem of his red cloak caressing the flagstones. She felt too weak, and could not fight both. She spotted her Darken, bleeding out, collapsing. I can’t save you, and the pain felt worse than anything Liviana could inflict.

There was a deep hatred in Canaan’s face, but it wasn’t for Aiyana. Loyalty among the Fallen was fickle it seemed. She gripped the bone hilt of the dagger tight in her fist, but her body resisted all commands to strike. She delved within herself, seeking the strength. I will not let you die for nothing, Cath. That much I can give you. Goodbye, my love.

A bloodied Liviana beat her wings furiously as she turned her attention on Aiyana, perhaps sensing the threat. She didn’t see Pen Luthus approach from out of the gloom. The gorgons prowled behind her, all with eyes for the viral princess.

‡

CANAAN RUSHED AT THE harpy, his own wings erupting in euphoric agony. He did not expect to survive, but neither would she. Her focus on the viral, she never heard him until the last second. She whirled about just as he collided with her. The princess rose at the same instant, and drove the soul splice into Andromeda’s back, between the wings. Aiyana Todralan held on to the bone hilt, the wings buffeting her violently.

Andromeda gasped. Canaan held her in place, preventing her escape. It was not over, yet. Her claws bit into his shoulders as her wings beat a hurricane, now battering him. She let out a shriek, the sound akin to a million women roasting alive. Her power slammed into him lifting him off the stone flags. He felt dozens of flaming spears pierce his body. Her raging counter had killed him, but it was too late for her too. He smiled, despite the blood welling in his mouth. He wanted to hang on, to see justice one last time.

The Plagueborn gripped the hilt with purpose and pulled, staggering backwards. As the soul splice emerged, it drew with it a filament of light brighter than a sun. Andromeda’s soul fought back, the blade of the splice turning to rust. Though the splice was voracious, separating spirit from flesh, it had failed. Wounded, the harpy was still too strong. The flow of light ceased. The remaining gorgons growled, but made no move to attack. Canaan fell to the floor, and getting to his feet, attempted to back away, but his legs were weak and he stumbled.

Andromeda wore a nasty smile. She reached out to grab him, no doubt to rip him apart. Instead, she halted with arms outstretched. Her face transformed with shock. She was staring upwards at something they couldn’t see, something in another world. The harpy within screamed as brightness erupted within her core. The light exploded outward in a brilliant burst. Canaan shielded his eyes. The walls and ceiling cracked with the sound of thunder. He got to his knees, which was as far as he could manage.

The light dissipated. The corpse of the woman named Liviana collapsed to the floor. The splice was a rusted relic in the princess’s hand. Then she too, fell.

The ceiling trembled and daylight burst through ragged holes. The walls vibrated as masonry toppled. A marble column fractured, followed by a second. The last of the gorgons tried to escape as the gorge closed, while those already at the lip fell in. Cracks in the floor erupted outward.

Justice.

Canaan Pen Luthus, for the first time in his human life, smiled.

The Great Hall of the Blue Palace collapsed.​​