Page 19 of Celestial Shadows

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VARIANT

Mortal Ruins

“I can’t just sit here and do nothing,” I shout at the annoying little sprite who thinks he can stand in my way. Fluff—or whatever his name is—sticks his tongue out and points to the chair as if I’m supposed to obey him. Eilish and the others need me. I don’t know what could be more important than saving her. “Look, you little rat, if you don’t…”

A shocked gasp comes from over my shoulder. Pyre’s little house brownie stares at me in utter disappointment. “You can’ttalk to Mr. Flumph like that, Naughty King! Noni don’t like you. She think you’re a bully who picks on little fae!”

I rein in my temper just enough to lower my voice. “I’m sorry, Noni. I didn’t mean to bully him. But I need to get out of here. Eilish and the others are in danger. And I know how to help them. If I can get beyond the walls, I’ll be able to stop more Obiqui from coming.”

“Them fuckin’ birds?” the annoying sprite scoffs.

“These aren’t just ordinary birds. They come from the Cogost Mountains.”

“Where the hell’s that?”

“It’s the only place where the celestial beings came totouchthe Chasm. It’s where Abedon has been imprisoned for centuries and it’s the home of the Knights of Umbria.” I walk over to the window and snatch up one of the Obiqui. The large black bird flaps its wings. “The feathers are as sharp as blades and its talons are even sharper. Between their beaks are rows of tiny teeth that allow them to devour their prey.” I hold it up in the air as the Obiqui’s serpent-like eyes flicker around the room. When Flumph trembles and covers his eyes, I snap the bird’s neck and toss it outside.

“An all them freaky things are out there?!” the sprite asks.

“Thousands. Maybe hundreds of thousands,” I reply. “And Eilish is out there fighting them while I’m in here… with you. You have to remember I’ve been fighting on the side of darkness for a long time. Now that my eyes are open, I need to do what I can to help.”

Noni’s expression softens as she looks up at me. “Ok, Naughty King. Noni will show you a way out. She know all the secrets.”

The other two bitch and complain until I step over them to follow the little brownie. Noni leads me through the keep. She stops in the kitchens and opens a trap door in the floor.

“You go down, down, down. Follow the ladders into the sewer. They take you beyond the wall. But Naughty King must hurry. Noni can’t be gone long or else Mr. Flumph get into trouble.” Noni pulls a lever and a light turns on within the cellar.

I climb down and close the latch behind me. A second ladder leads me to a metal grate embedded in the floor. I lift it up and jump down, kicking up water as my boots hit the stone. Brown, greasy liquid drips from the ceiling. I move swiftly through the old sewers, avoiding the tunnels that are flooded from the ocean. Water splashes up as I run, ripples reflect on the walls and I reach a ladder that leads to the surface. Slime covers the bars, causing my grip to falter and I splash back down to the murky sludge beneath my feet. I grit my teeth and pull myself up.

The cover is rusted, unable to turn without the help of magic. Already I can hear the Obiqui as I push up against the metal that covers the opening of the tunnel. I slide the cover aside and hoist myself out of the sewer. The Obiqui don’t sense me yet as I keep low to the cracked concrete roads of the human city. In the distance, I can see a shield erecting to keep the beastly creatures at bay. As it closes around the keep, concealing it from sight, I ignite my hands in a powerful flame.

The fire grows, engulfing my body with mystical heat. My tunic burns to ash and falls to the ground. I focus my strength into the fire, forcing it to spread higher and higher still, until I can no longer contain the pressure that builds. A shockwave of fire scorches the Obiqui and forces them to retreat. Every muscle convulses at once and I stumble into the water. A hiss rings in my ears as steam coils up from my body.

A flash of cold settles into my bones and I release a sigh of relief. Birds drop from the sky with singed wings. Feathers fall like snowflakes smudged with black ink. I sink below the water for a moment to slow the unsettling tingle along my limbs. Motion causes a rush of water to flow towards me. I open myeyes in the clear blue, expecting to see fish or some other aquatic life form. Instead, I see myself. But not as I am now... I see an image of the man I was on the day I betrayed my companions.

And when I look into the eyes of my reflection, I see Morrigan. This as a sign. A sign that I must separate myself from the sins of my abuser and take back what she took from me. Killing Morrigan may have been satisfying in the moment but, now that the satisfaction has worn off, I’m left wondering who the real Variant is.

I can’t hope to find the answer within Eilish. This is something I must discover on my own. While the others have faced many trials together, my journey is just beginning.

CHAPTER NINE

EILISH

Mortal Ruins

The Obiqui continue to bite and claw at me. My entire body is riddled with the stinging pain. I fight to protect myself against them but it’s no use. There are just too many of them.

As soon as the thought leaves my mind, the swarm is suddenly distracted. A putrid stench fills the air as the Obiqui begin to fall from the sky. Charred flesh and feathers litter the ground. I attempt to stand, but the pain in my body is fierce.

“Eilish.”

I turn to the sound of the voice and Baron grips my arms, helping me to my feet. My wings drag along the ground as he pulls me into the shadows. The Obiqui are hunting again.

“What happened?” I ask him.

“We set a barrier with the cloaking device. Someone outside the walls sent a flash fire into the sky and evened out the odds a little.”

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