The End of the Beginning: Hell Gate, #4

Chapter 16 - The End of the Beginning

Heartbreak

Kay laid a hand on Randia’s shoulder. We must go, Your Highness, she said urgently.

Randia slowly lifted her head. Her hands and hair were stained with blood from cradling her brother as he died. She was still crying, but her tear-stained eyes were alert. She looked around the glade and nodded.

You’re right, she said.

She gently took the prince’s hand and slipped the Ring of the Killravens from his finger. Then she bent one last time to kiss his forehead.

Goodbye, Gerard, she said.

Then she stood, braced herself, and put on the ring.

She hadn’t known what to expect. She supposed the artifact would flood her mind with power, and hoped it would give her strength to fight their way through to the Silver Star. It surprised her to find that wearing it felt very different. She could sense its magic, but had no inkling that she could wield it in combat or to cast spells.

She heard the song again, now clearly in her mind, a coloratura voice backed by the sound of a full orchestra. Its notes rose in triumph and grandeur, more beautiful, and more poignant, than anything she had imagined before. She gasped at the sound, feeling overwhelmed and helpless at the emotions that it stirred in her.

Stefan was immediately at her side, holding her arm. Randi, are you all right? he asked.

Of course. Father said it would affect each of us in our own way.

She heard her brother’s words again in her mind, and understood. The King was a warrior at heart, and the ring had given him the power of an epic hero. Gerard was a wizard, and it had given him the power of an archmage. Her grandfather was the Archmage, and it would give him the power of a demigod — power enough, they hoped, to stop the end of the world.

And she? Hers was the heart of a musician. She could feel the ring augmenting that ability, just as it had those of her father and brother. She could hold a dozen complex melodies in her mind as clearly as if played, without flaw, by as many orchestras. And she could weave those melodies together into a tapestry that would transcend anything heard before.

She wept new tears from her already brimming eyes. The music she could compose with this artifact would remake her art. It would bring audiences to a crescendo of emotion, to a rebirth and renewal of the spirit.

But it was not a battle power. It offered her nothing to stop a horde of demons.

She felt the metal change as the ring resized itself to fit snugly on her smaller hand. Slowly, she turned to face Stefan. She nodded.

I’m all right, she said. It just … took a moment to adjust to.

Can you use its magic? Kay asked hopefully.

Randia shook her head. Not unless I want to try and sing the demons to death.

What?

She shook her head again. Never mind.

Kay bent down to the prince’s body. Gently, almost reverently, she unbuckled and removed his sword belt. She slid Flamebane into its scabbard and extended it to Randia.

You can use that better than I can, the princess said.

Stefan shook his head. Gerard was right. This is more than just a weapon. It’s a symbol. You need to carry it.

Slowly, reluctantly, Randia nodded. She took the belt from Kay and buckled it around her waist.

Stefan flipped Randia’s knife in his hand. This has worked pretty well for me. I’ll hold on to it, if you don’t mind.

Randia unfastened the sheath and handed it to him. Not at all. You were always the better throw in our act, anyway.

Just let me fetch my bow, and Richard’s quiver, Kay said. He had some bluesteel arrows, but I don’t think he got the chance to use them. He shouldn’t be far.

Randia nodded. Be quick. While you’re at it, check to see if there are any more demons that way. The trees block our view from here, and we need to know if we’ll have any pursuit.

Kay sprinted toward the entrance to the glade as Stefan looked at his other hand. It held the prince’s wand, still glowing softly.

Gerard bound the last of his magic into this when he died, he said. I can feel it. The fading remains of his cloaking spell, and … a burst of power. He looked up at her. Like one last arrow in a magical quiver.

Randia followed his gaze. She could see the two auras playing over the surface of the wand. One, grey, looked to be in danger of flickering out. The other, bright silver, thrummed as though impatient for release.

She nodded. You keep it. It may come in —

She never finished. The wand’s flickering grey aura suddenly winked out in a shower of red and black sparks.

Her eyes widened in terror. Oh, no — she began.

The sound of scuffling boots and thudding feet reached them from the path to the west. Kay’s cry shattered the still air with a single word.

Run!

The pair sprinted toward the eastern end of the glade, and the tunnel that led to the Silver Star Adventurer’s Academy.

The sound of a powerful blow rang through the air behind them. Randia turned in time to see Kay fly through the entrance to the garden. She slammed against the stone wall at its southern end and slid down it, leaving a red smear along its rocky surface. She crumpled to the ground and did not move.

A massive demon strode into the glade behind her. It saw Randia and Stefan, and smiled. When it spoke, the sound grated on their ears, like nails being scraped against a chalkboard.

I am Gorath, it said. And at last I’ve found you, little princess.

Stefan grabbed her arm. Run! he cried.

Tearing her eyes away from Kay’s body and blinking back new tears, Randia turned to follow him.

Gorath shook its head violently. It raised one arm and drew its hand down in a sweeping gesture before its face.

Goh nul zah na ta, it chanted.

A sheet of flame appeared before the tunnel opening. Randia and Stefan barely skidded to a stop before running into it. They were trapped.

They turned again to face the demon as it strode into the garden. They watched as it looked around, surveying the battlefield, littered with the bodies of guards and monsters alike. Its gaze rested briefly on Ashrach’s headless form, and then finally on the body of the prince.

Impressive, it said. A full company of my demons. All dead, by a handful of guards and one wizard. From the signs, a royal who fought like the Archmage himself. It chuckled. That’s the second time today.

It turned to Randia. She glared at the creature in helpless fury.

And it won’t be the last, monster, Stefan said boldly. One scion of the royal house of Carlissa still lives. Flee, or you’ll share their fate.

Gorath laughed, slapping its thighs with its enormous clawed hands. Well played, princeling! it roared.

It gestured at the slain demons. Unfortunately for you, I’m not as simple as my underlings. You’re bluffing, of course.

Don’t be so sure — Stefan began. Gorath