The Passing Of Time: Chapter 21...
I'm on a bit of a roll with this one so I thought I'd upload what I have :) thank you to my two lovely repeat-reviewers MickeyRaider and Jadewolfuwu, I love you both and I'm so happy you both seem inspired to write! MickeyRaider be sure to message me if you do publish so I can read it!
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Valkyrie's fist hit Serpine so hard it was a wonder his teeth didn't come loose. He staggered back and clutched his jaw, glaring at her with gem-bright green eyes.
"What was that for?" he growled.
"Not telling us about the tunnel!" she snapped.
"I did tell you. I specifically said we shouldn't use it." He rubbed the sore spot on his chin and straightened up.
"You didn't tell us what was in there," she retorted.
"Shouldn't we go get dad?" Eyren asked.
"I'll deal with you later," she hissed at Serpine, who scowled in response. She turned to enter the tunnel and Eyren stopped her.
"I'm going in first," he said. "No arguments," he added when Valkyrie, Aster and Tanith looked like they were going to protest.
"Suits me," Calamity shrugged. Once again he'd forgotten she was there until she had something rude to say.
"I'm coming with you," Art said. "I can find him and then the three of us can double back to get everyone else. Also I can see in the dark better than the rest of you." Eyren nodded and inched towards the opening. It was tight, barely wide enough for his tall frame and broad shoulders. Before he disappeared into the dark he caught a glimpse of Aster's worried face. He turned and shot the Daevas a reassuring smile.
"I'm coming as well," Landon said suddenly as he watched the exchange between Eyren and his twin. He moved to stand in front of Art. "I'll go in before you. You're an Elder in your dimension so you should be protected." Art looked like he wanted to argue, but he stepped aside and let Landon go next. Eyren ducked into the shadows and dropped down from a small ledge. The ground beneath him was solid rock and the dark was all-encompassing. Landon shimmied through the gap with almost as much trouble as Eyren, and then Art's slender frame came last.
"Don't light a flame," he said softly to Eyren. "We don't know if whatever is in here can see." Eyren nodded and took Art's arm, reaching out to grab Landon as well. They made their way through the tunnels slowly, almost blind. Art seemed to know where he was going.
"This place stinks," Landon muttered, gagging and spitting into the dirt as the scent of rotting meat surrounded them. Eyren saw the shape of decomposed bodies littering the edges of the tunnels and the death magic inside him swelled, drinking it in.
"I can sense something up in front." Art's quiet warning made them silent. They listened intently and Eyren heard Skulduggery curse loudly.
"He sounds close," he said. "At least he can still make noise."
"There are other things near him. Lots of them." Eyren nodded and drew the God Killer from its belt around his leg. He heard Landon draw a blade at the same time and together they inched forwards until they reached a small cavern.
The walls seemed alive with movement even in the dark. The rustle and tick of insectoid limbs on stone made the hairs on Eyren's neck stand up. He drew on magic he hadn't needed in years, sending the darkness gifted to him by Darquesse out in all directions to get a sense of his surroundings. Suddenly he could see everything without needing his eyes and the sight that greeted him made him feel sick.
Dozens of humanoid creatures crawled across the walls and floor. Their bodies were long and thin and they had two arms and legs, but those limbs were wrong. They broke through the stone with ease, ending in sharp points that Eyren knew could gut a man with ease. Their heads were round and bald with no eyes and no nose. There was just a gaping mouth filled with rows of teeth.
"I don't want to alarm anyone," Eyren said. "But we're about to get eaten." He skipped back as one of the bug-men swiped at him, narrowly missing his face.
"Anytime you gentleman feel like helping me, I'll be here," Skulduggery called. Eyren sensed a skeletal arm waving in the centre of the room as it protruded from a mass of the writhing black things. They shrieked in anger and confusion as they tried to feast and found only bones where there should be flesh.
Eyren didn't hesitate. He leapt forwards and ran over the masses on a floor of shadows, dropping down onto the pile and hacking at them with the God Killer. They burst into ash as the blade pierced them, squealing in fear. He heard Landon leaping from the back of one creature to another, taking full advantage of the Daevas blood in his veins as he slit throat after throat, moving like smoke. His eyes glowed and his fangs dropped as he left carnage in his wake. Art dodged the gnashing mandibles as though he were part of a complex dance, weaving under and around them and touching two fingers to the armoured chests of each creature he came across. The armoured plating caved in under his touch, piercing the heart and lungs and killing the bug-things immediately.
Eyren grasped Skulduggery's hand and hauled him out of the crush of bodies as one of the creatures tried to bite down on his skull. He turned and pulled the God Killer sword from its sheath immediately, hacking at whatever he could reach. Eyren could still feel more of them pressing in from every direction. He heard a cry and watched Landon stagger back, clutching his arm and snarling at the beast that had hurt him. Art was slowing down, a light sheen of sweat coating his brow as he began to breathe harder. Skulduggery was still cutting and Eyren was whipping shadows out wherever he could get them.
"We're going to die in here!" Landon yelled over the noise of clacking talons and cracking exo-skeletons. Another snarl ripped from his lips as a deep slash opened up across his chest. He responded immediately by whirling and slamming his long knife into the throat of the creature that had caught him, twisting it savagely as the beast fell.
Eyren concentrated on the intense cold building in the centre of his chest, feeling the darkness in the space snap and coil, eager to obey him. He let it snake out and wrap around every creature he could find, freezing them in place. Landon, Art and Skulduggery watched in shock as the insect-beasts jerked and struggled, unable to break their bonds. Still Eyren kept reaching out through the miles of caves, blackness pouring from him and sweeping in from the darkest recesses to join the endless stream of black tentacles. He kept going until he couldn't feel any more of the creatures free in the rocky warren. It could only have been seconds but to him it felt like time slowed down, allowing him to patiently search every crevice. He was acutely aware of his companions staring at him open-mouthed as he contracted the shadows and crushed the creatures in his grip to paste.
Ten seconds. In ten seconds, Eyren had killed every single one of them.
"Holy hell," Landon whispered hoarsely. Eyren struggled to bring the shadows under control. That much power was intoxicating and it was the very reason he avoided using it. He gritted his teeth as he forced it back down deep inside him, locking it away for later. The snapping shadows dissipated in a thin smoke and he let out a pent up breath.
"Are you alright?" Skulduggery asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah. Can we not tell the others about this?" he asked. "Aster will only freak out about it." He looked at the others and they nodded, though Landon was still wide-eyed.
"I see why they went to so much trouble to get you here," he said as they started making their way back out of the caves. "That was insane."
"You're bleeding."
"I do that sometimes." He shrugged like it was no big deal.
"Here, let me help." He held out a gloved hand and Landon frowned at it. "I can heal you." He hesitated for another moment before taking it. Eyren poured energy into him until the wounds closed over without a trace.
"You have some neat tricks."
"You don't know the half of it," Eyren muttered.
"It looked like it was hard to bring all that darkness back to you."
"It's addicting," he answered quietly. "I have to fight with myself every time I go too far. I prefer not to use that sort of power at all if I can."
"Still, it's nice to know we have a trump card." Landon clapped him on the back cheerfully. "How'd you meet the Yli in your dimension anyway?"
"He was being hunted," Eyren replied, glad for the change of subject. "In our world the Daevas are wrongly seen as the enemy. We were working to help them before coming here."
"So did you just bump into him one day?"
"You could say that," he replied with a smile. "He decided to bleed on my sofa and he's been irritating me ever since."
"You say that like it's a good thing." Landon was frowning at the smile on his face. "Wait a minute. You two aren't dating are you?"
"Yes. Is that a problem?"
"No, it's just the Yli I knew was a lady killer," he chuckled. "Whatever makes him happy."
"Where is your Yliaster?"
"Dead," Landon replied tightly. "Killed by Necromancers while out on a scouting mission."
"In our world you're the one that died."
"That explains why he nearly fell over when he saw me." Landon looked up at Eyren. "What about Eva? Is she alive in your world?"
"She is," Eyren answered with a fond smile. "She's...excitable."
"She's insane," Landon corrected with a grin. "I haven't seen her in a little while but I'm sure she's just as hyper in either dimension."
The mouth of the tunnel came into view, casting light through the dense shadows. Eyren breathed a sigh of relief as he glimpsed everyone still waiting safely outside. They climbed through the hole one by one, squinting against the sun. Aster slammed into Eyren's chest as soon as he straightened up, ignoring the insect blood that splattered him.
"We heard a lot of screaming and then nothing," he said. "We thought you were dead." Eyren squeezed him back and smiled.
"I'm very much alive," he answered, tilting Aster's chin up with one gloved finger. He didn't care about the eyes on him as he dipped his head to kiss his partner. Aster flushed crimson immediately and Landon started laughing.
"The tunnels are clear to pass through safely now," Art said. "I can't sense anything else in there."
"I'm surprised you all came out in one piece," Serpine said.
"I'm surprised you thought I wouldn't notice the bodies of people you threw in there and sealed in with those things," Eyren answered smoothly.
"You did what?" Vex snarled. Saracen stepped up beside him as Tanith unsheathed her blade and scowled.
"Calm yourselves," Meritorious demanded. Eyren saw Valkyrie take a breath and clench her gauntleted hand. Calamity simply watched them all with disinterest. "Nefarian is on our side now. I understand the animosity that comes from what his alternate self has done, and indeed the idiocy his current self is capable of." Serpine scowled as Tanith snickered. "Despite that, we're fighting the same war. I have to ask you all to stop arguing. What Nefarian did in the past is just that. The past."
"Let's just go already," Fletcher grumbled. "The sooner we're in the caves the sooner we can get out of them." Skulduggery nodded and ducked back through the gap, leading the group into darkness. This time Serpine was pushed up towards the front by Tanith.
"Wouldn't want you to stab me in the back while it's dark now, would I?" she said. Serpine glowered at her before trudging through the hole. When Calamity climbed through, bringing up the rear, the elementals of the group snapped their fingers to produce fire that illuminated the passageways in hazy orange light. Eyren shuddered at the extent of the damage he'd caused. They spent their time stepping around and over the mangled bodies of the insect-things, avoiding pools of gore. Fletcher slipped and landed in a puddle of brackish blood, gagging and teleporting five feet away immediately as he tried to shake the liquid off.
"It stinks so bad in here," Valkyrie muttered, pulling her scarf tighter around her face.
"My my," Serpine said as he walked. "Somebody's been busy." He shot a pointed look at Eyren. "It's no wonder we trekked across dimensions to find you."
"Who said I did all of this?" Eyren asked.
"I know Necromancy when I see it." He stayed silent as a grin split Serpine's lips. "You're on a level with Lord Vile by the looks of things."
"If you don't shut your mouth I'm going to shut it for you," Aster warned. Dexter took that opportunity to stand on the back of Serpine's shoe. It slipped off and he grunted and stumbled forwards. His foot landed in a pile of half-destroyed organs and he glared daggers at Vex, who was doubled over with laughter. Eyren, Aster and Landon shared a grin as the rest of the group looked on with bemused expressions.
"Children," Calamity muttered. Serpine hobbled over and retrieved his shoe, wrinkling his nose as it squelched onto his sodden foot.
"I hate you," he hissed at Vex.
"There's a fine line between love and hate," the Dead Man replied. "Just ask Saracen. He switches from one to the other regularly."
"Why'd you have to bring me into it? What did I do to deserve that?" Saracen whined. Skulduggery shook his head sadly.
"We were legendary. We were heroic and serious. Now look at us. Squabbling amongst one another like toddlers," he sighed.
"I can't imagine any situation, literally ever, where Erskine Ravel and Dexter Vex could be serious people," Valkyrie answered.
"I can be serious. I just choose not to be," Vex retorted, waggling his eyebrows at her.
"This group is just about the most bizarre thing I've come across," Landon said as he drew closer to Eyren and Aster, looking over at the silent Elder and the old man leading the group, followed by the sulking silhouettes of Serpine and Calamity. The gaggle in the middle was made up of the Dead Men, Tanith and Valkyrie, and they were still bickering with one another. Fletcher brought up the rear with a scowl on his face.
"The best part is that I consider half these people family," Eyren grinned. "The skeleton is my dad."
"What now?" Landon asked, his eyebrows shooting upwards.
"He did the same thing to me," Aster said. "Valkyrie and Skulduggery are married and Eyren is their son."
"Are you adopted?"
"No," Eyren replied. "Serpine asked me the same thing."
"Was your dad a skeleton when you were...uh...you know...?" Landon stumbled over the words, obviously uncomfortable.
"He's been a skeleton for centuries now." Eyren's smile was amused as Aster raised an eyebrow.
"It only gets weirder from here. Quit while you're ahead," he warned the alternate version of his twin.
"I don't get it. How?" Landon ignored the warning.
"China Sorrows gave my father a working body." Skulduggery turned to Landon and tapped the symbols at his collar bones. The Daevas gasped as Skulduggery grinned with real lips and waved at him before letting the facade flow away again. Valkyrie laughed. "It would only work to give them a child once. That's how I was conceived."
"That's insane," Landon muttered.
"Ask how old he is," Aster grinned. His brother frowned and cast a wary eye over the dark haired man.
"How old are you?" he asked slowly.
"Technically I'm almost eleven."
"...Eleven? Like eleven years old?" The alternate Daevas ran a hand through his white hair, thoroughly confused. "I don't understand." Eyren slipped off his glove and laid a hand on Landon's bare arm as they walked. He sucked in a sharp breath and his violet eyes went glassy as Eyren relayed the story through touch. He didn't know why, but it was important to him that Landon understood everything. When he let go and pulled his glove back on, Aster twisted his fingers through Eyren's free hand.
"I hope I didn't give you a headache," Eyren said sincerely.
"No," Landon mumbled. "I mean it was weird, but I get it now. I don't know if I could've coped with becoming a fully matured adult at just a few weeks old." He kept his voice low enough that Serpine wouldn't over hear. "Be careful. I don't trust Nefarian. If he finds out the truth about your magic he'll try to use you." Eyren nodded his thanks.
"I'll bear that in mind."
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The cave system ejected them a mile past the camp they were aiming for, forcing them to double back.
"I could just teleport us all now," Fletcher said. "I've been directly under the camp so it should be easy enough to get us there. I just have to aim a few feet higher."
"If you teleport into that camp you'll be dead in seconds," Meritorious said. "Not only is it protected by some of the most powerful cloaking sigils we know, it's also guarded to the hilt and designed to stop anybody from teleporting in."
"It was just a suggestion," Fletcher muttered.
"Who created the symbols for you?" Eyren asked.
"China Sorrows," Eachan replied. "She was very gifted. She was one of my Lieutenants."
"An alternate China Sorrows fighting for The Resistance," Skulduggery mused. "Wonders never cease."
They carried on walking the last stretch and Valkyrie frowned at the flat land around them as they drew close. Eyren glanced over to see Art smiling in amusement, his eyes fixed on something a few hundred feet away. Eyren could feel the magic of China's sigils. Since he'd absorbed both hers and Emma's abilities he was able to look past the magic. He focussed and saw the copse of trees they were heading towards was just a mirage. A towering wall of wooden logs sharpened to a point hid behind the mirage, circling the camp in an impenetrable shield. There was a heavy gate set into the wall, opened and closed by a complicated system of pullies and ropes. Surrounding the outside of the wall were sharpened spikes forced into the ground in haphazard bunches, and Eyren could see the myriad of sigils carved into the ground all around them. This wasn't a camp. It was a fortress.
Meritorious, Serpine, Calamity and Landon tapped a symbol at their wrists before walking to touch each of the people they were with. The intricate pattern left an afterglow on their skin, and when Eyren turned back to the camp he saw the huge bubble of energy it was shrouded by, glowing the same blue as the symbol shining on his arm.
"This will allow all of you safe passage through the energy dome," Eachan explained. "You cannot get in or out without this symbol."
"Did you have to put it on my forehead?" Skulduggery complained as Serpine grinned.
"Yes," the Necromancer answered immediately.
"I hate you."
"Can we address the fact that you guys called this a camp when in actual fact it looks like an entire city?" Tanith asked.
"This is actually one of the smaller outposts," Landon said mildly. "Our largest is about a hundred miles out from Mevolent's city."
"Do they know it's there?" Tanith asked.
"No. China's wards are spectacular and she left enough knowledge behind to help us maintain and improve them over time."
"What happened to her?" Valkyrie asked.
"I killed her before I switched sides," Serpine said. "I'd say I regret it but if I hadn't then I'd be the dead one." The heads of everyone from outside that dimension swivelled to stare at him.
"She's my auntie," Eyren muttered. "In our dimension she's the reason I'm able to live."
"Whoops. I'm not making a good impression on you am I?" Serpine smiled.
"Nefarian, behave." Meritorious' tone was firm and Serpine rolled his eyes, turning away like a chastised child. They followed The Resistance leader through the bubble and the gates ground slowly open to welcome them.
"Landon!" The familiar voice that greeted them made Eyren turn as another Daevas came flying out of the city and slammed into the alternate twin, swinging off his neck as he chuckled. "I've been waiting for you!"
"This is way too weird," Aster said as he watched Landon set Eva back on her feet. Her hair was long and loose, run through with several small braids, and she wore tight, dark leather trousers and a close-fitting tunic. Several colourful bands of fabric decorated her arms, braided into perfect circlets.
"Yli?" She turned and squinted at him as she spoke and then her eyes widened and she took a step back.
"It's okay Eva. He's from the other dimension," Landon said gently. She took a few hesitant steps forwards before reaching out to touch Aster's face.
"You look just like him." Aster grunted as she pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "You might not be him but I've been waiting to hug you in the afterlife so I'm not giving up the chance now!" Aster chuckled and hugged her back.
"The reunions are touching and all, but can we go inside? I'm hungry," Calamity scowled. She stomped through the gate and disappeared from view without waiting to be excused. Aster ruffled the alternate Eva's hair and followed her through the gates. The huge wooden constructions rumbled closed behind them and Eyren saw the bubble ripple as the blue faded to clear again.
"Who's that?" Eva asked, pointing at Skulduggery. "Are you dead?"
"Technically, yes. I'm Skulduggery Pleasant." He tipped an imaginary hat to her and she laughed. Landon introduced her to the new group one by one until he reached Eyren.
"This is the one I was sent for. Eva, meet Eyren."
"Hi," Eyren smiled. Eva stared up at him and then she blushed right to the tips of her ears. He frowned; he made a point of not using China's charm. Had he forgotten? No, it definitely wasn't that.
"It's nice to meet you," she squeaked.
"Really?" Aster groaned. "You as well? Why isn't there version of you that doesn't fancy him?" Eva's eyes widened and her blush grew impossibly darker.
"I don't," she hissed. "You've been here two minutes and you're embarrassing me already." Landon moved to stand beside Eyren as they watched the fight erupt with bemused expressions.
"Well," he said eventually. "You certainly make an impression."
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