Kael sprang sideways.
The instant the thought crossed his mind, blazing fire Vitae surged into the scales of the Eight-Claw Flamescourge coiled around his arm.
Beside him, Azure Farwyn spun through the air like a dancer caught in a storm. The twin flower-shaped blades in her hands became flashing circles of steel as she carved at the Dread-Feet's flank again and again.
Sparks exploded everywhere.
The monstrous construct barely reacted.
Its enormous body trembled once.
Azure's confidence vanished at once.
Her blades whirled desperately as she retreated through the air, but the rain of strikes drove her backward. In moments she was struggling just to stay alive.
Eya stepped in.
Her palm opened.
Purple fire flickered between her elegant fingers.
A burst of brilliant light detonated.
The shockwave slammed into the Dread-Feet's stone-like body and forced it several steps backward.
At the same moment, her other hand flashed to her waist.
A small bamboo knife, green as polished jade, appeared in her grip.
The Dread-Feet drove several legs into the nearby wall.
The sharpened points punched deep into the Warding-Vase Bamboo and anchored the construct in place.
Then crimson light erupted through the darkness.
A serpent of flame slithered forward.
Its glow illuminated Kael behind it.
The Dread-Feet tore its legs free.
Razor edges sliced great chunks from the bamboo walls as the construct charged directly toward the fiery snake.
Kael advanced without fear.
His wrist snapped.
The serpent swelled.
In the space of a heartbeat it transformed into a massive fire dragon. Claws spread. Jaws opened. Flames rolled from its body as it rushed to meet the incoming storm of steel.
The distance vanished.
Heavy impacts boomed through the corridor.
For a few moments they could still see the tiger-striped legs of the Dread-Feet tangled with the dragon's blazing body.
It looked like two ancient monsters tearing at each other.
Then the red light intensified.
The fire dragon suddenly expanded.
Its body thickened wildly.
A second later it swallowed the entire Dread-Feet.
Heat blasted outward.
Eya, Azure, and Violet all recoiled instinctively.
The air became difficult to breathe.
Cracking noises echoed continuously from within the inferno.
Before any of them could understand what was happening, the sea of red abruptly vanished.
The fire dragon reappeared.
Its blazing body coiled through the air.
Its light revealed Kael and the Dread-Feet standing face-to-face.
The dragon extinguished itself.
Kael flicked his arm.
The Eight-Claw Flamescourge snapped back into its original form and vanished into his sleeve with effortless grace.
The Dread-Feet remained frozen.
The construct's hideous tiger-spider head was barely inches from his face.
No movement.
No sound.
"What happened?" Azure cried.
She stared at Kael in alarm, convinced he had been injured.
Kael only smiled.
At that exact moment, the Dread-Feet came apart.
Its body shattered.
Pieces broke loose one after another.
Legs collapsed.
Armor plates split.
Internal mechanisms spilled across the floor.
The enormous construct disintegrated into a mountain of wreckage.
The three girls stood staring.
Speechless.
"So..." Kael said, pretending to be calm. "Which way now?"
Inside, he was nearly laughing with delight.
He remembered Eya's warning from their previous visit to the Artificer's Well.
Back then she had stated plainly that he wasn't strong enough to fight a Dread-Feet.
Yet now he had destroyed one almost effortlessly.
The realization filled him with satisfaction.
Maybe more than a little pride.
"Brother Cairn is amazing!" Azure cheered.
Eya continued staring at him.
For several moments she couldn't reconcile the young man before her with the person she thought she knew.
"Why would a Dread-Feet be hidden down here?" Kael muttered.
His eyes wandered over the wreckage.
An overwhelming urge seized him.
The urge to collect every single piece.
"I've always been this incredible," he declared with a grin.
Then he immediately crouched beside the remains and started gathering parts.
Eya sheathed her knife.
"Move. Now. We may have alerted other guards."
She turned and ran.
"Wait!"
Kael hurriedly opened the Wardian Satchel.
Space rippled.
One piece after another vanished into the storage pouch.
"What are you doing?" Violet snapped. "Hurry!"
Azure looked baffled.
"It's broken into scraps. What good is any of that?"
Kael scooped up another shattered component.
"This is a famous Dread-Feet. Maybe I can repair it."
He held up a mangled mechanism.
"And if luck smiles on me, maybe I can build something even better."
Eya stopped and glanced back.
Her expression darkened.
"For the love of the gods, stop scavenging! Once we retake Verdant Keep, I'll give you a working one."
Kael froze.
"Really?"
His face lit up instantly.
"Don't forget that promise."
Even then he still grabbed the final broken leg before finally sprinting after the others.
---
The deeper they descended, the more guards they encountered.
None expected intruders.
Most were hurrying through the fortress, responding to the chaos above.
Kael and his companions avoided them carefully.
They slipped through corridors.
Crossed hidden passages.
Descended level after level.
Then the fortress opened before them.
A thunderous roar filled the air.
Kael stopped.
His eyes widened.
Ahead hung a waterfall several stories wide.
Water crashed endlessly through the heart of Verdant Keep.
Mist drifted through the darkness.
The sight was so unexpected that it stole his breath.
Before he could say anything, Eya was already moving toward it.
"Gods," Kael said. "I never imagined something like this could exist inside a building."
"It's not natural," Eya replied.
"That makes it even more impressive."
He stared upward.
The waterfall gleamed silver in the dim light.
His respect for the builders of Verdant Keep grew with every passing minute.
"They really created this?"
Eya's attention remained fixed on the rushing water.
"There is a route through this waterfall."
"To where?"
"The central depths of the fortress."
Her voice lowered.
"To the outlet of the Jadebelt Ley-Vein."
Kael stepped closer and peered into the abyss beneath the falling water.
Darkness.
Nothing but darkness.
The depths swallowed all light.
"You don't mean we're jumping down there?"
Violet paled.
"One wrong move and that current will smash us to pieces."
Azure nodded nervously.
"Flying down wouldn't be hard. Getting hit by all that water would."
Eya shook her head.
"Of course not."
She pointed toward the waterfall.
"Behind it is a hidden lift."
The others released collective sighs of relief.
"Oh."
Kael grinned.
"That's much better. Shall we go?"
"Carefully."
Eya narrowed her eyes.
"I don't know whether additional guards were placed here."
"If there are, we'll kill them."
Kael was already moving.
"I'll take a look."
Before anyone could object, he launched forward.
The Ember Dash erupted beneath his feet.
Sparks scattered.
His body became a streak of fire racing toward the waterfall.
"Kael!" Eya shouted.
She leapt after him.
The butterfly sisters exchanged nervous looks before following.
The waterfall swallowed him.
Cold water struck his body.
Then he burst through.
A platform waited behind the curtain of water.
Square.
Simple.
Barely larger than a room.
Kael landed lightly.
The platform possessed no walls and no protection.
Only a thick vertical shaft rose from its center.
Nothing else.
He quickly scanned the area.
No enemies.
The roar of water sounded again.
One by one the girls emerged through the waterfall.
"No guards," Kael said happily.
Azure and Violet visibly relaxed.
Eya did not.
She continued scanning every corner.
Ward-scripts appeared between her fingers.
Ready.
Waiting.
Kael noticed a short lever attached to the central shaft.
"That's the control, right?"
Eya frowned.
"Something is wrong."
She continued examining the platform.
"A location this important should be guarded."
"Maybe they never discovered it," Azure suggested.
Eya shook her head immediately.
"Impossible."
"The Thousand-Armed Ancient coveted the Jadebelt Ley-Vein long before occupying Verdant Keep."
Her expression remained troubled.
"They've controlled this place for years. There is no chance they failed to find a route this important."
Violet folded her arms.
"Then maybe they're overconfident."
She shrugged.
"Who would expect someone to sneak all the way down here?"
Eya considered it.
Still unconvinced.
Kael waved dismissively.
"If someone appears, we'll kill them."
Then his body stiffened.
Danger.
A sudden warning exploded through his instincts.
He threw himself sideways.
"Careful!" Eya shouted.
A ward flew from her fingers.
Green light flashed.
A massive vine erupted beside Kael.
It wrapped around something.
Something tall.
Humanoid.
Invisible.
"What the hell is that?"
Kael's Flamescourge shot from his sleeve.
Another ward exploded.
Purple light illuminated a second humanoid outline behind Azure.
The butterfly sisters gasped.
Both attacked immediately.
Blades crashed into empty air.
Metal rang loudly.
Then the shape vanished.
Eya's fingers produced another ward.
Her other hand reached for the bamboo knife.
Then—
A sharp sound.
A wet impact.
Blood sprayed from her left shoulder.
A crimson arc burst into the air.
Something unseen had pierced completely through her body.
The force lifted her off her feet.
She flew backward.
Straight into the waterfall.
"EYA!"
Kael lunged.
The Flamescourge shot forward like a dragon.
It caught nothing.
Only water exploded outward.
The current swallowed her.
Gone.
A crashing noise sounded nearby.
Something invisible was moving again.
Azure and Violet struck wildly in every direction.
Nothing connected.
"What are these things?" Kael roared.
His fury ignited.
The Eye of Formlessness opened.
The world changed.
Four pale silhouettes appeared instantly upon the platform.
Sword Generals.
Exactly like the dormant constructs they had seen earlier.
Each carried a translucent greatsword.
One had already crept behind Violet.
"You bastard!"
Kael exploded forward.
The Flamescourge transformed into a fire dragon.
The attack struck the hidden construct directly.
A deafening blast erupted.
The Sword General shattered.
The remaining three attacked together.
Greatswords flashed.
They moved with terrifying speed.
Kael met them head-on.
Rage burned through him.
The Eight-Claw Flamescourge became a whirlwind of fire and scales.
The platform shook beneath the violence.
Azure and Violet retreated frantically to avoid being caught in the destruction.
Flames erupted.
Steel screamed.
One Sword General was cut in half.
Another was hurled from the platform.
It disappeared into the abyss below.
The final construct lasted only moments longer.
The fire dragon wrapped around its neck.
Twisted.
Ripped.
Its head flew free.
The severed construct skull bounced across the platform.
Kael kicked it.
It vanished into the waterfall.
Silence returned.
The butterfly sisters stared.
Neither spoke.
The fury radiating from Kael frightened them almost as much as the enemy.
"Eya!"
Kael dropped to the platform's edge.
His voice echoed into the depths.
Azure and Violet hurried beside him.
"Eya!"
Nothing.
Only roaring water.
"Eya!" Kael shouted again.
His throat sounded raw.
"Where are you?" Azure cried.
The waterfall answered.
Nothing else.
Kael gripped the edge until his knuckles whitened.
A painful knot formed in his throat.
Fear.
Grief.
Rage.
All at once.
"Don't panic," Violet said softly.
"You don't know how capable Eya is."
She forced a smile.
"She's carrying enough miraculous wards to survive almost anything."
"Didn't you see her bleeding?"
Kael spun around.
His eyes were red.
Animal-red.
The sisters recoiled instinctively.
For a moment neither dared speak.
Kael stood.
Slowly.
He drew a deep breath.
The Flamescourge vanished back into his sleeve.
Violet's eyes widened.
"What are you doing?"
Kael didn't answer.
Instead he stepped forward.
And jumped.
Straight off the platform.
The waterfall swallowed him instantly.
The sisters froze.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Several long moments passed.
Then Azure blinked.
"He..."
"He actually jumped."
Violet trembled.
Moisture gathered in her eyes.
She rushed to the edge and screamed into the darkness below.
"Idiot!"
Her voice cracked.
"Complete idiot!"
The waterfall roared on.
Far beneath, Kael tumbled through the raging torrent.
Water hammered his body from every direction.
The current seized him completely.
He shut his eyes.
There was nothing he could do except protect himself.
Fire Vitae flowed through every channel.
He wrapped it around his body like armor.
Then the river dragged him deeper into the blackness below.
The fall seemed endless.
Kael plunged through darkness wrapped in roaring water. The waterfall hammered him from above like the fist of a giant, driving him deeper and deeper into the black pool below. A heartbeat later the crushing downward force reversed itself. A tremendous surge of buoyancy seized him and hurled him upward.
His body became a toy caught between two gods.
Down.
Up.
Crushed.
Torn.
An ordinary man would have died instantly. Many adepts would have fared little better.
But Kael Ashvane was no longer ordinary.
Hidden within him rested the Deepwater Heartstone, forged in the lightless depths of the Abyssal Waters. The countless battle-killings he had survived still lingered inside his flesh and spirit. Rare treasures, impossible medicines, miracles stolen from death itself had reshaped him again and again. Even the Soul Core that had transformed his foundations continued to strengthen him from within.
More than once those gifts had dragged him back from death.
Now they did so again.
The dizziness vanished quickly.
Kael kicked hard.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
His body shot upward.
Then came a tremendous splash.
He burst from the water and sucked in air.
Cold mist drifted across his face.
The waterfall stood several yards away now, but the spray still filled the cavern like ghostly fog. Visibility was poor. He could only make out the outline of a large pool and shadowy shapes beyond.
Kael wiped water from his eyes and scanned the darkness.
Then he heard it.
A sharp feminine cry.
His heart nearly stopped.
"Eya!"
Vitae exploded through his Channels.
Kael launched himself from the water like a sea-drake breaking the surface and raced toward the sound.
He burst through the curtain of mist.
And saw her.
A slender figure stood on the shore.
Purple robes.
Small jade-green knife.
Eya.
Joy hit him so hard it almost hurt.
Then he saw what surrounded her.
Tree-demons.
Dozens of them.
The same twisted monsters they had encountered before.
They came from every direction.
Towering.
Grotesque.
Their branch-limbs stretched toward her like grasping claws.
"Eya!" Kael shouted. "Don't panic! I'm here!"
Her eyes swept toward him.
The tension vanished from her pale face.
For a moment she smiled.
It transformed her completely.
Kael landed beside her.
The Eight-Claw Flamescourge exploded from his sleeve.
The whip became a blazing dragon.
"Get away from her!"
The first tree-demon was smashed flat.
The second was caught by the flaming scales and hurled through the air.
"One side each!" Eya called.
She spun gracefully.
Their backs touched.
For a brief instant Kael felt the warmth of her body through their soaked clothing.
Then the battle began.
Tree-demons surged forward.
There were too many.
They towered over the pair like walking towers of bark and wood.
Yet Kael felt no fear.
Only relief.
Only happiness.
She was alive.
The Flamescourge cracked through the air.
Fire Vitae erupted.
One towering tree-demon split apart in an explosion of sparks and flame.
"Hah!"
Kael laughed wildly.
"That feels good!"
The whip lashed again.
Another monster exploded.
Another caught fire.
Another lost half its body.
His Vitae flowed smoother than ever before.
The terror that had gripped him since Eya vanished into the waterfall transformed into violent exhilaration.
Before long he was advancing instead of defending.
Charging.
Shouting.
Laughing like a madman.
Behind him Eya remained strangely quiet.
The memory of her fall suddenly resurfaced.
Kael's smile vanished.
"Your wound!" he shouted. "How bad is it?"
"I'm fine."
The answer came softly.
Too softly.
Kael's heart tightened.
He glanced back.
The sight nearly froze his blood.
Her robes were soaked with crimson.
An enormous stain covered her shoulder and back.
"Eya!"
His voice cracked.
"You're hurt that badly?"
"Forget it," she snapped. "Kill them first."
There was no choice.
Kael gritted his teeth.
The Flamescourge became a storm.
Fire-dragon scales flashed through the mist.
Tree-demons shattered.
Burned.
Exploded.
Flew apart.
Still they kept coming.
Every time several fell, several more emerged from the darkness.
"Damn you!"
Kael hacked another apart.
"How many are there?"
Fear gnawed at him.
Not for himself.
For her.
If this continued much longer—
"How are you holding up?" he shouted.
The instant his attention slipped, disaster struck.
A gigantic tree-demon charged from above.
Three times taller than the others.
Its branch-arm descended like a falling siege tower.
Straight toward Kael's skull.
Too fast.
The Flamescourge was extended.
There wasn't enough time.
Kael cursed.
Then—
The branch-arm suddenly dropped.
The immense limb tumbled harmlessly beside him.
Severed cleanly at the base.
Eya appeared at his side.
Smiling.
"I finished my side."
Before Kael could respond, she casually flicked her small knife.
The giant tree-demon stood dozens of feet away.
Nothing seemed to happen.
Then its enormous body slid apart at the waist.
The upper half toppled sideways.
The crash shook the cavern.
Kael stared.
Speechless.
Eya swung the knife again.
Another towering monster several paces away split neatly down the middle.
Both halves crashed to the ground.
Kael slowly turned around.
The battlefield behind her was covered with corpses.
Dozens.
Perhaps more.
Every one severed with impossibly smooth cuts.
His jaw dropped.
"Help me out here," Eya complained. "I'm running out of strength."
Kael looked down.
Fresh blood still soaked her clothes.
The sight twisted something inside his chest.
With a furious roar he charged.
The remaining tree-demons met him head-on.
The battle became a blur.
Flame.
Wood.
Smoke.
Impact.
Behind him Eya remained seated, conserving her strength.
Whenever a monster slipped through—
A knife flashed.
Another tree-demon fell neatly in two.
At last only one remained.
Kael wrapped the Flamescourge around its body.
Fire erupted.
The creature became a burning torch.
Moments later it collapsed.
Silence returned.
Heavy breathing filled the cavern.
Kael immediately ran back.
Eya smiled weakly.
Then she slowly sank to the ground.
"Eya!"
Kael dropped beside her.
Her left shoulder was a nightmare.
Flesh torn open.
Blood flowing steadily.
The wound appeared to have punched completely through.
Kael's face turned pale.
He tore off part of his sleeve and hurriedly wrapped the injury.
"It's this bad?" he whispered.
His hands trembled.
"It looks like it went all the way through."
Eya watched him.
Smiling.
"Why did you jump?"
Kael blinked.
"What?"
"Why did you jump after me?"
Before answering, he suddenly remembered something.
The Wardian Satchel.
He opened it frantically.
After rummaging around, he found a small dark bottle.
"Here."
He poured out two pills.
"Take these."
Eya eyed them suspiciously.
"What are they?"
"Medicine."
"The best healing medicine from Dawnbreaker Hold. Hadrian Corvel gave it to me."
The reaction was immediate.
"No."
She turned her head away.
"I don't want it."
Kael stared.
"What?"
"I don't want anything from that disgusting man."
"Eya!"
"This is not the time!"
"I don't care."
"Take it!"
"No."
"You need it!"
"I'd rather die."
Her voice carried a stubbornness that bordered on insanity.
Kael nearly groaned aloud.
Blood was still seeping through the bandage.
"This isn't a joke."
He tried coaxing her.
Pleading.
Reasoning.
Nothing worked.
Eya simply turned her head farther away.
Kael wanted to scream.
Why had he mentioned Hadrian's name?
One of the stupidest mistakes of his life.
"Tell me something."
Eya suddenly spoke again.
"What?"
"Why did you jump?"
Kael froze.
The answer caught in his throat.
"Well?"
Her voice softened.
"When you saw me fall... were you worried?"
"Uh..."
Kael suddenly found tree-demons much easier to fight than conversations like this.
"I..."
"That..."
Eya giggled.
The sound was sweet enough to make his heart stumble.
"Please take the medicine," Kael begged again.
"Look at you. You've gone completely pale."
"Don't worry."
She smiled.
"My face is always pale."
Kael stared.
He couldn't help it.
The more he looked at her, the harder it became to look away.
The mist.
The blood.
The damp hair.
The fragile smile.
Everything drew him in.
"Am I ugly?" she asked quietly.
"What?"
"Like this."
Kael shook his head immediately.
"No."
His answer came faster than thought.
"You're beautiful."
The smile that followed nearly blinded him.
"So beautiful it hurts."
Eya's smile grew even brighter.
Then she spoke softly.
"I'm tired."
She tilted her head.
"Can I borrow your shoulder?"
Kael hurriedly sat beside her.
A moment later she leaned against him.
Her head settled onto his shoulder.
The contact sent a strange warmth through his chest.
For a while neither spoke.
The waterfall thundered in the distance.
Eventually Kael sighed.
"If Sylva were here..."
"Your Elder Soror?"
"Yeah."
His voice softened.
"She's incredible at healing. I got used to having her around."
He smiled faintly.
"Because of her, I hardly carried medicine at all."
Thinking of Vane's Summit hurt.
Thinking of home hurt.
Thinking of his friends hurt.
Eya listened quietly.
"She treats you well?"
"Very well."
Kael nodded.
"Better than your Third Soror?"
Eya asked with suspicious innocence.
Kael laughed without noticing the trap.
"All my Sorors treat me well."
His thoughts drifted toward old memories.
The mountains.
The chapter.
The people he missed.
Beside him, Eya bit her lip.
She muttered something under her breath.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Her expression became perfectly serious.
Kael looked down at her wound.
The bleeding appeared slower now.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm dying."
Kael nearly jumped.
"What?"
She looked up sideways.
A mischievous expression danced in her eyes.
"Kael."
"Hm?"
"What if I die right here in your arms?"
His face immediately darkened.
"That's not funny."
"I'm serious."
"No."
He shook his head fiercely.
"Not happening."
"Not even a little."
Eya laughed.
The sound echoed gently through the cavern.
"Fine."
"Then I won't die."
She poked his arm.
"Stop worrying."
"I'll recover soon."
"I promise."
The confidence in her voice eased some of the pressure crushing his heart.
Kael exhaled.
"Then we should leave."
"The sooner we find proper medicine, the better."
"No."
Kael blinked.
"No?"
"I don't want to leave."
She pointed around them.
"Look how beautiful this place is."
Only then did Kael truly examine their surroundings.
His breath caught.
The cavern was enormous.
Its walls and ceiling were formed entirely from colossal Warding-Vase Bamboo.
Gigantic stalks intertwined overhead.
Across their surfaces stretched intricate carvings.
Mountains.
Oceans.
Islands.
Forests.
Entire landscapes etched into the bamboo.
The ceiling rose dozens of yards above them.
A vast opening occupied its center.
The waterfall that had swept them away thundered through it continuously.
Around the opening were carvings of suns, moons, and stars.
Below lay the pool.
Around the pool grew living clusters of vibrant Warding-Vase Bamboo.
Yet even those wonders were overshadowed by something else.
A gigantic well.
Several yards wide.
Constructed entirely from bamboo.
Radiant green light poured from its depths.
Soft.
Beautiful.
Almost unreal.
The glow painted the entire cavern emerald.
Everything shimmered beneath it.
Kael stared.
"What is this place?"
Eya smiled.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Then she said lightly:
"Maybe we should stay here forever."
Kael's heart skipped.
Forever.
The word struck harder than any weapon.
He suddenly became aware of how close she was.
How warm.
How soft.
His pulse accelerated.
"Forever?"
He laughed nervously.
"There isn't any food."
"Or water."
Eya raised an eyebrow.
"So you don't want to?"
His heart pounded even harder.
He looked at her.
Really looked.
Her eyes were fixed on him.
Mist seemed to linger within them.
Soft.
Dreamlike.
Something inside Kael shifted.
The world felt strangely distant.
The roar of the waterfall faded.
The green glow blurred.
Only Eya remained clear.
They sat very close now.
Close enough to hear each other's breathing.
Close enough to hear each other's hearts.
Her long eyelashes lowered slightly.
Without meaning to, her gaze paused on his lips.
Kael stopped breathing.
His eyes drifted downward as well.
Her lips looked impossibly soft.
A faint rosy color lingered upon them.
Tiny droplets of moisture caught the green light.
They trembled ever so slightly.
Eya noticed where he was looking.
A flush appeared on her pale face.
For once she looked uncertain.
Yet she did not move away.
Instead she tilted her chin upward.
Just a little.
Kael felt the distance between them shrinking.
Was he moving?
Was she?
He couldn't tell.
Perhaps both.
The space narrowed.
Inch by inch.
Neither spoke.
Neither looked away.
Their hearts hammered.
Closer.
Closer.
The warmth of her breath touched his skin.
Their lips hovered a breath apart.
One more moment.
One more inch.
Then—
Eya suddenly turned her head.
The moment shattered.
A blush bloomed across her pale cheeks like dawn breaking over snow.
And for the first time since he had met her, the ice-maiden of the Verdant Artificers looked completely, unmistakably shy.