Page 43 of The Immortal Covenant

“I know exactly whom you serve. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Ignoring their squawks of protest, Malorg shoved past the pair and strode quickly down the hall. He’d intended to return home after the meeting like he always did. But as he walked by the looming columns in the Dusk Citadel’s antechamber and exited onto the gray steps outside, restlessness gripped him.

He couldn’t tell if it came from his brief conversation with Sajix and Wiriv or the fleeting image of Sarilian’s parting smile that he couldn’t seem to shake out of his head. Either way, he craved some form of release.

Perhaps it’s time I return to the field.

It had been over a month since Malorg last ventured forth to hunt voidspawn—not since Pelorak found him nearly passed out on his apartment floor. Perhaps going a few rounds with the enemy would help remind him why these Accords were so critical. If nothing else, it would offer an outlet for his agitation.

Dissolving into shadow, he sank into the permanent darkness enveloping Twilight and zipped down the labyrinthine city streets. It didn’t take him long to exit the city, and soon enough, he was duskwalking past gnarled trees on his way toward the outskirts.

He spotted his first prey nestled in the hollow of a tree. It barely had time to react, the violet eyes sprinkled across its muscular back fastening on him as he rammed twin duskflame daggers into its scaly flesh. The voidspawn burst apart in a cloud of purple ash, and he scowled.

Too easy.

His next target proved more satisfying. While his ambush left embedded blades spreading a duskflame curse in blackeninglines across the voidspawn’s hide, it hardly seemed to notice. Thousands of tiny tendrils propelled its sinuous, undulating body across the forest floor, clacking mandibles jutting from it at odd angles like spikes.

Not quite strong enough to be considered a void lord, the grotesque mockery of a centipede nevertheless put up a decent fight. Its segmented body was surprisingly agile, and the spaced mandibles made it difficult to get close without risking a counterattack.

He settled for dancing around it with his duskflame, relying on his duskwalking to keep him out of harm’s way while he peppered the voidspawn with daggers from afar. Over a dozen prickled along its chitinous skin before it finally succumbed to the duskflame curse weakening it and collapsed.

Malorg had just finished a coup de grace on the fallen beast when distant shouts echoed through the trees. He hesitated, glancing in the direction of the cries. They hadn’t sounded panicked, but that didn’t mean that whoever it was couldn’t use help.

Usually, he’d ignore the distraction. He preferred to hunt alone. Yet, this time something drove him to check it out. Against his better judgment, he sank into the shadows and zipped toward the noise. Sounds of battle grew around him, and he emerged from a copse of trees to find a trio of Infernals battling against at least twice that many voidspawn.

While these voidspawn resembled tentacled wasps rather than gliding squirrels, Malorg couldn’t help but flash back to his and Sarilian’s own botched ambush against a voidspawn nest. The three Infernals here seemed to be faring even worse. Their bumbling attacks and clumsy use of duskflame marked them as fresh recruits.

As Malorg watched, one of them hurled a dagger at a buzzing voidspawn only for the blade’s duskflame to crumble apart inmid-air. Another dodged a foe’s diving stinger and tripped over a tree root, barely evading a voidspawn’s follow-up strike with a hasty burst of duskflame.

He briefly considered leaving them be. It was unlikely any of them would perish here, and a tough fight might serve as the wake-up call they needed to take their training more seriously. Then, an image of Sarilian’s disapproval flashed before his eyes, and he sighed.So be it.

His arrival elicited a fresh wave of shouts from the other Infernals as he darted into the clearing. A pair of tossed daggers felled a diving voidspawn before it could reach its target, and he flickered back into the shadows just long enough to reposition beside the Infernal who’d tripped and gut another of the beasts. Two bursts of voidflame announced their demise.

“Eternal Dark…” the fallen Infernal murmured, staring up at Malorg with wide-eyed awe.

Malorg grabbed his arm and jerked him to his feet. “Watch your surroundings and never let down your guard. Better yet, keep your duskflame close at hand so that you can use it when needed to bolster your movements.”

The Infernal gave him a dazed nod, but Malorg was already moving again, seeking out his next victim. To the credit of the recruits, they rallied around Malorg once they realized what was happening, and though they ended up in his way more often than not, at least they didn’t give up. Their skills might be lacking, but their spirit wasn’t.

Within moments, the final voidspawn disintegrated, leaving Malorg and the three Infernals standing amid the flickering grays of the clearing. Malorg started toward the trees, readying his duskflame to slip into the shadows.

“Next time, make sure you’re prepared before you go hunting on your own,” he said. “Practice maintaining your duskflame and strengthening your reserves. Once you can keepconcentration on a conjured blade or soften a blow without conscious effort, you’ll be ready.”

“Hold on,” one of the Infernals called after him, his voice tinged with excitement. “You’re Malorg, aren’t you?”

Malorg froze, his back stiffening. “How do you know who I am?” he asked without turning.

“Everyoneknows who you are,” the excited Infernal replied. “You’re a legend! Is it true you once defeated a void god singlehandedly?”

An image of Uryqh’s charred, screaming face stole Malorg’s breath. He closed his eyes. “I had help.”

More excited murmurs echoed behind him.

“Do you want to join us?” another Infernal called. “We’ve obviously got a lot to learn.”

Nohovered on the tip of Malorg’s tongue. Any other time, he’d snort and march off, leaving them to their hunt. He was no babysitter, nor was he a team player. There was a reason he generally did his hunting as far away from Twilight as he could get. Yet, for whatever reason, the idea of some companionship didn’t sound so bad today.

“Very well,” he found himself saying. “Lead the way.”

---