Page 134 of Wraithwound

“I thought you would have figured out by now that the crystals I provide are synthetic. Coded for the potions you use and some basic healing. Try as I might I could never quite recreate the Goddess’s magic. What I would offer her is an extended life, whilst bound to me. If she survives the binding ceremony that is.”

Lena thought back to the healing crystal Cross had used on her in the plains. It was the second in his possession as he’d also used one after being injured by the ursus. But that one had failed to heal him. The one he’d given her had been real. It had to have been, or else her injuries wouldn’t have healed. Hadn’t Cross known that? It was something she didn’t have time to consider.

White-hot fury poured from the soulbound, but he didn’t answer. Lena’s heart ached for the warrior. He’d bound his soul to the monster before her and for what? It had all been a lie. At least she and Dauen figured out how to cure Kiara.

“Now, Lena, if you help me, both of you will have accomplished what you set out to do,” Malnik said, looking quite pleased with himself.

The words rose from her consciousness as if in answer: “We all do what we must for those we love,” Cross had said.

And he was right, wasn’t he? How could she blame him for working to save Kiara? Might she have done the same thing to save Henry? Hadn’t that been the main reason she’d decided to go to the temple?

“Don’t you dare,” Runa hissed.

“How?” Lena asked.

“Good girl,” Malnik said, another cat’s smile blooming across his face. Cross clenched his fist at his side causing blood to drip onto the snow beneath. “You are going to retrieve the bottle that sits atop the fountain at the Revan Temple and place it inside the Tower where you stand.”

“Can’t you do it? Why do you need me to?” she asked.

It was rather obvious to Lena that he couldn’t, but she hoped the question would draw out his motivations for seeking her out.

“So the bottle can finish its work. The Tower is particular about who is allowed to enter, and while it’s curious that Cross was allowed to accompany you, he wouldn’t be permitted entry again. Unlike you. Everyone here has a role to play in this. That is yours.”

It was true then. Malnik had figured out how to trap the Goddess in a bottle.

“And what is yours?” she asked.

“Let me tell you a story, and at the end of it, I’d bet that you’ll want to help me. We’ll all get what we want, including your friends there,” he said only half turning toward the three women shivering in the snow.

Lena scanned the scene again, noting that neither Taryk nor Wyn were present. She could only hope that the unlikely pair were okay.

“I’ve only brought them for insurance. I promise you; we do not plan to hurt them,” he said.

It was only then Lena saw the creatures surrounding her friends. They were barely visible against the dark colors of the forest behind the trio when they stood so still.

“Of all the difficult moments I faced, I realized many, if not all of them, could have been resolved with knowledge. You’ve likely just realized that my twin grew up to believe the same thing. ‘The Collector,’ isn’t that what they call him?” he said, giving Lena a knowing look. “Tell me, what do you know of the EverGods?”

“I—” Lena started, confused with the sudden shift in the conversation.

“Did you know there are five?” He went on, “With Quintessa, the Goddess of Eteris, being the fifth and youngest?”

Lena’s brow furrowed in confusion; she had always heard there were four Gods, not five.

“Everyone has heard of Lunis, Ferah, and Sundis, but they have their own worlds to rule over. Some time ago, I came to learn that there is indeed another God. One who grants more than just the power of healing to his people. He grants them a glimpse of the cosmos and access to divine knowledge. Knowledge the Goddess actively keeps from us.”

When Lena didn’t answer, he continued, “It’s true. I’ve seen it in her memories. His name is Tyr. Despite Quintessa’s attempts to keep him away, Tyr found a way to offer us his gifts by leaving puzzles in Eteris. Puzzles that, if solved, lead to hidden portals that can carry you elsewhere or expose the location of divine artifacts. For example, there is a small dagger that can cut all the way to your essence, thereby allowing the user to splice together different species. Or, free them from each other.”

“Did you make those?” Lena asked, pointing at the creatures that were now inching closer to her friends.

“I made all of them,” he said waving his hand towards Cross, Kol, Demara, and the rest of the monsters. “Tyr’s knife was the first one I found. I started with my children. After my success in making them more, I sent them out to liaison with the Commander, and to feed, of course. Right now, it’s being put to good use in Enora,” he said as he beamed at the creatures behind them, “but I would retrieve it for you. And Henry.”

“Why are you doing this?” Lena asked.

“I’ve grown tired of the limits placed on us by a Goddess who cannot appreciate our desire, as a species, to consume. I wish to know more, although I've already learned a great deal. The most important of which is the Goddess had a weakness. When she decided to meddle in the affairs of man, it made her vulnerable. And I plan to exploit that vulnerability and break her hold on Eteris.”

“By becoming a God?” she asked.

“I will either be your savior or your destruction. You get to choose,” he said.