Shattered Souls (Guardians of the Maiden Book 3)

They waited until the cover of darkness to sneak up on the Azure Knights. Von slinked forward in the dark and paused behind a tree at the edge of the forest. Several blue tents bearing the Azure sigil had set up camp outside of the temple ruins in the distance, confirming what he feared.

They had also come for the scroll.

The ruins stood on a platform of stone. Broken steps covered in ice led to a set of worn pillars, that barely held up the arched stone roof. Torch fires lit the campsite, but everything was unusually quiet. It set Von on edge. He raised his fist over his shoulder, warning his team to remain hidden.

Von listened, waiting for any sound. He couldn’t hear anything besides the wind flatting against the tents. He glanced up in the tree where Elon hid. The elf dropped to nimbly land on his feet beside him without making a sound.

“There is only one,” Elon said, his voice barely a whisper.

A faint cry drifted to them. It came again, falling into a painful moan.

“Stay back,” Von said into the darkness at the others, and drew out two knives.

With Elon, he slinked into the camp and kept to the shadows, watching every corner for movement. They came upon the first body of a knight. The man lay sprawled on the ground as if he had merely tripped in a drunken stupor. Frost clung to his lashes and brows, but it wasn’t the cold that killed him.

A throwing star protruded from the back of his neck, leaving a dark pool of blood to crystallize beneath him.

They continued and found more dead around the ashes of a campfire that had long gone out. Others were killed in their beds or on watch.

“Someone beat us here,” Von said.

Elon took the red hilt of his sword, soundlessly drawing the blade free. They continued to the center of camp and came upon the source of the sounds. An older man beaten bloody was tied to a post with a gag over his mouth, his head drooping to his chest.

“The Relic Hunter,” Elon concluded.

“The knights must have done this,” Von said. “But another party took them out, as well.”

“They have been dead for hours. Whoever came, dealt with them and likely took the prize. No one else is here but us.”

Von cursed. If the scroll was gone, then they had to track down whoever took it, or he would be finished. Tarn warned he would not accept another failure.

He signaled for the others. Three forms slinked out from the darkness. Len slung her bow and quiver on her shoulder, and Bouvier sheathed his rapier.

Lowering his mask, Novo let out a low whistle as he observed all the bodies scattered through the camp. “Aye, I think we lost this one, mates. But they left behind the old bugger.” He nudged the Relic Hunter’s boot, and the man groaned again.

“Untie him and get him warm,” Von ordered. “He may know something of use.”

Bouvier and Novo worked on getting the rope. Once the knots were off, the man slumped against them.

His bruised eyelids fluttered. “The scroll…”

Von crouched down to his level. “Is it gone?”

“Don’t let him…have it…”

“Who?”

“The king…”

It was clear the King of Azure had something to do with this when the knights had ridden through the city. But why would he want the Scroll of the Unending? Was he also searching for immortality, or was this done to impede Tarn? Von didn’t know the full extent of his master’s plans besides becoming eternally powerful and overthrowing King Lenneus, but he sensed more was afoot.

“What are you saying, old man?” Novo asked as he searched his pockets. “Do you have it? Where did you put it?”

“Stop.” Von caught Novo’s arm. The Relic Hunter was too weak and frozen to the bone. Unhooking his waterskin, Von helped him drink. The man coughed, and his lungs wheezed for air in a way that said he didn’t have long. “What happened here?”

“Do you serve…?”

“We don’t serve the king.”

The Relic Hunter’s mouth twitched in what may have been a relieved smile. “He sent me…here to find the scroll…then he sent them when we did…” His bloodshot eyes rolled to the dead. “To kill me and the others…but…I…hid it…”

Von stilled, not sure if he heard him right. He patted the man’s face when his eyes drifted closed. “Where, sir? Where did you hide it?”

“Where the phoenix rises…” the man said faintly. “Destroy…you must destroy it…” Then his chest fell still, and he didn’t move anymore.

Von pressed his fingers to the man’s throat. No pulse.

“He’s dead,” Novo sighed and got to his feet. “With his injuries and the weather, the old man’s heart couldn’t take it.”

“What does the Azure King want with the scroll?” Bouvier asked.

“If I know anything, nothing good. But it may still be here.” Von stood and spun his knives between his fingers as he studied the ruins. A place dedicated to the worship of Jökull, the God of Death.

“Have you been inside?” he asked Bouvier.

“Aye, Commander. There’s not much there. Only an effigy.”

“Of the Ice Phoenix,” Von guessed. “The old man must have hidden the scroll there before they took him. All right, move quickly and set up a perimeter. I’ll take point—”

Novo dropped.

He hit the ground flat on his back and his blank eyes stared up at the starry sky. From his left temple protruded a throwing star. Von stood there, his slow mind struggling to accept the suddenness of his death.

“Novo,” Bouvier breathed in disbelief.

Len let out a feral scream.

More shuriken zipped through the air. Von tackled Len down as one whipped past her face. Elon and Bouvier dove to the ground, scrambling to hide behind the tents. Von spotted movement on top of the temple.

“Roof!” he shouted.

Elon snatched Len’s fallen bow and shot off a series of arrows. Their attacker ducked. Len fought against Von’s grasp to get to Novo, screaming.

“He’s gone, Len!” He struggled to hold her as she writhed wildly to free herself. “Now isn’t the time to grieve for him! We’re under attack!”

She threw her head back into his face. Von released her at the flash of pain watering his eyes. Using the cover of Elon’s arrows, she sprinted for the temple.

“Len, stop!” Von shouted.

“She’s going after him,” Bouvier exclaimed.

Len managed to evade the rain of shuriken as she dashed up the steps. The onslaught stopped when she made it inside. There was no telling how many they were up against. Von grabbed a torch and chased after her with the others. They heard the sound of steel clashing as they ran up the steps. Inside they found her fighting a dark shape in the faint moonlight.

Von tossed the torch over a dried bush and it blazed with fire. It lit the temple walls and fell over the massive statue of a towering bird at the front.

There was no one else here but Len and their assailant.

By his distinct features, the man wasn’t from Azure. He wore a black robe fashioned into the style of Xián Jīng. His long black hair was tied back in a high tail on top of his head. His short knives effortlessly deflected Len’s with lightning speed.

She fought with anger and unfocused aggression. Her moves were reckless, only aimed for killing instead of defense. The man delivered a powerful kick that sent her reeling into a pile of broken stones. He focused his black eyes on the rest of them next.

Elon threw out a streak of blue lightning, but the man ducked and the spell hit the walls. The temple groaned and shook violently, threatening to bring the roof down.

“No magic,” Von ordered. “Len, stand down.”

They didn’t know who this man was or what his abilities were yet. This wasn’t how they faced their opponents.

But she got to her feet and readied her karambit knives, baring her teeth. He killed her love-mate. By the rabid craze on her face, nothing Von said would stop her now.

The man didn’t even look at Len, as though she was not a real threat. He swiftly took out another throwing star and tossed it at her. She dodged and leaped at the man. His body whirled in a spin kick. It caught her chest mid-air, throwing her back. Len’s head bashed against a broken pillar, and she crumpled to the ground.

She didn’t move again.

Von’s knives shook in his hands with the fury building inside of him. Last night Novo had been full of life and hope for his future with Len. And in a blink, it was gone. He pinned his hateful gaze on the man that took it away from them.

Elon shot a series of arrows. Metal rang out as the man knocked them out of the air with his knives and threw another in return. It split the bow’s limb in half. Elon dropped it and whipped out his sword. He and Bouvier attacked. The man easily fought with his two opponents, a knife in each hand. His moves were swift and meticulous. The type of skill that could only be instilled in him from birth.

Von had only seen one person move that way before.

The Wraith.

“Fall back!” Von shouted.

“No, the bastard’s mine,” Bouvier growled. He raised his arms to swing his rapier sword. The Xián Jīng assassin spun a knife in his palm, and plunged it into Bouvier’s heart.

A cry tore from Von’s throat. “No!”

Elon let out an enraged snarl through his teeth. The man leaped back, and he gave chase.

Von ran to Bouvier and caught him as he fell. Blood gargled from his mouth, gasping for air. His frightened eyes looked up at Von.

“C-commander…” His trembling fingers gripped his forearm.

“You’ll be all right,” Von murmured. “Let it pass. Let it pass.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

The spy took one last shaky breath as blood dripped from his mouth. Von couldn’t do anything but watch the life drain out of his eyes.

Gently closing them, Von laid him down and rose to his feet. He turned to the sound of metal crashing against metal and focused all of his rage on the man who killed his team. The Xián Jīng assassin looked at him, and a cold smile curved his mouth.

But in the light, Von saw this wasn’t the same man who had given Tarn his scar.

He was merely another paid assassin sent to retrieve the same thing they were after.

“You’re going to pay for their deaths,” Von promised as he joined Elon’s side.

The man’s black eyes gleamed with excitement as they circled him slowly. He took the long grip of his sword and pulled it free. It was fashioned with a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a squared guard. A thin ray of firelight danced on its edge as he moved into a crouched stance.

Von noticed then, something peeking out of the assassin’s robes.

The Sacred Scroll.

Von glanced at the phoenix effigy. The stones had already been disturbed between its taloned feet. The Relic Hunter had been left alive so the assassin could learn where to find the scroll.

“Who sent you?” Von demanded.

He only smiled darkly and beckoned them with his fingers.

“I’ll take right,” Von whispered, picking up Bouvier’s rapier. It was going to take both of them to put their opponent down.

Elon’s eyes narrowed. “Swiftly now, Commander.”

They attacked at the same. Yet the assassin deflected every hit, meeting them move for move with an incredible speed. It was like fighting a ghost. The clash of their swords rang in the temple.

Von slashed at the assassin’s chest. But he darted and it only caught air. He backed away and looked down at the cut fabric of his robe. He smirked at him, as if intrigued that he was almost cut. This was a game to him. Some sort of sick enjoyment. The man didn’t even look winded while Von was sweating.

The assassin pivoted and his sword slashed for Von. He parried the attack but missed the next one that slashed through his thigh. He bit back a hiss, faltering. Elon pushed him out of the way of the blade coming for his head.

Von hit the ground and rolled around in time to see the assassin slash him across the stomach. “Elon!”

He threw a knife and it pierced the man’s shoulder. Elon snatched the man’s weapon at the same time and swung. The assassin pivoted from the blow but a splinter too late. The blade caught the edge of his waist.

The assassin backed away with a hiss. His dark eyes narrowed them with a new calculation. He looked down at the blood soaking his clothing, then started walking backward.

That little cut was enough to make him retreat?

“You’re not going anywhere!” Von rapidly whipped two more knives.

The assassin ran out of the temple and he gave chase. A line of throwing stars came spiraling through the night for his face. Cursing, Von ducked out of the way. By the time he got to the steps, the assassin was galloping away on a stolen horse.

Damn their rotten luck.

He spun around and ran back to Elon.

“I’m all right. He barely nicked me.” Elon grunted as he yanked his thick leather armor to reveal the shallow slice across his abdomen. “My armor stopped the worse of it.”

“Thank the God of Urn.”

Elon winced and sat on a boulder with his help. “I thought I was headed for Death’s Gate.”

“You almost were.” Von ripped the edge of his shirt and pressed it on the wound.

“You must have concluded what I did about that man. He was no ordinary adversary.”

Von scowled in the direction he went. “Why did he come all the way from Xián Jīng for a Sacred Scroll? Someone must have sent him.”

“Tarn won’t be pleased.”

“This isn’t over.” Von got to his feet with a snarl. “We’re getting that scroll and I’m going to kill that man.”

“Commander, I won’t be coming with you.” Elon’s brow pinched as he looked out at their dead companions. “I don’t want to end up like them. My mate has been waiting for me in Dwarf Shoe for far too long. He never would have known what happened to me if I died.”

It was the most the elf had spoken of his private life or in general, for that matter.

“I tire of death, but I will do what is necessary to go home.” Elon seemed to tense for a moment, waiting for his response. He was essentially abandoning Tarn’s service, and that one statement made clear his intentions if someone stood in his way.

Von held out a hand to help him stand. “I’m not one to detain you from returning to your family, Elon.”

It’s not as if he could anyway.

Elon looked relieved he wouldn’t have to kill him, and he picked up his fallen sword, sliding it in place. “Can I ask for you to report that I fell here?”

“Aye. It’s going to be a quiet trip back to Indigo Bay.”

“You could come with me.”

Von didn’t even consider it. “I can’t.”

Elon nodded. “Because of your wife?”

Von groaned. “How long did you know?”

“From the beginning.”

“Why didn’t you report it to Tarn?”

“Because I respect your character, Von,” Elon said, calling him by his name for the first time. “You’re a good man. I pray one day you will also walk away from this.” He looked around at the spies and a despondency crossed his expression, showing how much he did care for his team. “I will help you bury them.”

“No, you should go,” Von said, his throat catching. It seemed all he did these days was dig graves. “I will take care of this.”

The elf sighed heavily. “Best of luck of to you.”

“And to you, my friend.”

Elon’s mouth curved in a faint smile and he headed for the temple entryway. As Von watched him go, he couldn’t help but feel a little envious of his freedom to simply walk away from this life. Now he had to go back and report everyone’s deaths and the failed mission. Tarn would probably kill him, but Von had to go back.

He had to go back to Yavi—

Elon’s sudden gasp echoed through the temple and he stumbled to his knees.

“Elon?” Von ran to him.

He caught Elon before he slumped over and helped him lie back. Elon griped his stomach, gasping in pain. A green liquid foamed from the wound as though something foul oozed inside. A sheen of sweat sprouted on his ashen face and he wheezed for air. His eyes squinted at the temple’s ceiling.

“I can’t move.” Elon grated out. “His sword…it was…”

“Laced with poison,” Von said in shock. “That’s why he ran. You cut him with it.”

“Good,” Elon grunted through a painful breath. His skin lost color by the second.

“What poison did he use?” Von exclaimed. “Tell me what to do? I can find an Herb Master in the city. I’ll catch the assassin. He will have the antidote.”

“No…” Elon’s pained expression became anguished. His breath came out low and shallow. It cost him great effort to fill his lungs. “Von, it’s too late. I can’t…feel my body.”

Von shook his head. He glanced at Len and Bouvier a few paces away. Novo was dead outside. Coldness sunk in his bones, and the familiar weight of guilt fell heavily over his shoulders. So many kept dying for Tarn’s pursuit.

How many more would he have to grieve before this ended?

“Sylar…” Elon whispered, his face grimacing with pain and sorrow. “Little Step city…”

Von clenched his jaw, fighting back the despair wrapping around his throat. “I’ll find him, my friend. I swear on my life.”

A fractured smile touched Elon’s lips. His amber eyes slipped closed, and he fell still. Von stared at the unmoving elf through his misted vision. Of all of Tarn’s Raiders, he never thought this warrior would die before him. Dark green froth continued to burble from Elon’s wound.

And Von’s mind went still with one thought.

Fugu venom.