Soul Forge (Book One of the Soul Forge series)

Sypher didn’t let Elda down until she was in his room, and even then it was only to lay her on the bed against his pillows. He ignored his bleeding scratch marks the entire time. Elda saw the bite wound on his throat hadn’t healed either, meaning he was still replacing lost blood.

“I’m sorry I scratched you.”

“You did?” He touched his cheekbone, blinking when his fingers came away red. “It didn’t hurt. Don’t worry about it.” She watched him clean the blood away with a linen cloth.

“Are you really okay with me staying here?”

“We shared a bed before I trusted you, remember? This is fine.” He kicked off his boots and climbed in beside her.

“You’re still healing. You need rest, Sypher. Are you sure you can sleep with me here?”

“I slept fine last time.” He folded one arm behind his head, his other hand tracing the outline of the pendant through the fabric of his tunic. “You really don’t make me uncomfortable anymore.”

“That’s good.”

“Can you tell me what you saw?”

“I saw a mountain standing over a huge lake. I was at the bottom looking up. When I blinked I was at the top and there was a courtyard. The walls were... bleeding.” She shivered at the memory. “There was an archway that I couldn’t get away from. My body walked without being told to. People were screaming at me.” Her eyes closed, a tear sliding down her cheek at the phantom pain the premonition brought. “They were dying, or that’s what it sounded like. The screams of people dying in droves. They want me to go to that mountain.”

“Do you know where it is?”

“No. Do you?”

“I don’t. The bleeding walls are familiar to me though. I’m not sure where I’ve heard it before. Perhaps Gira will know,” he shrugged. “It looks like fate won’t wait for you to finish training.”

“I’m not ready yet.”

“The Keepers rarely are. Even with decades of training the call to your purpose will always be a surprise.”

“What if I fail?” she asked quietly.

He turned onto his side, facing her in the dark. “You won’t.”

“How can you be so sure?” Elda’s voice cracked.

“Because of the things you’ve done for me. I’ve never trusted anyone so completely. Even without your status as Keeper, and without the oath you swore, everything about you is light.” He exhaled, almost like the words were hard to get out. “I’ve never been anything more than a threat to the people who know me beyond the stories. A disaster waiting to happen. Even the people I consider friends are afraid of me. For the first time in my life I’ve met someone who doesn’t see me like that.”

“Seeing the good in someone doesn’t make me right. It makes me naive.”

“It makes you strong.” She felt his hand touch hers in the dark. “You saw the good in me in spite of everything you were told. You saw that I needed help and you gave me it wholeheartedly. Your strength lies in the faith you have in yourself and the faith others have in you. You’re a Keeper for a reason, El. Don’t doubt yourself now.” More tears squeezed out from beneath her closed eyelids. “Come here.”

She let herself be drawn into his embrace, settling easily into his side like she was meant to be there. He expected nothing of her. He wanted only to comfort her and she accepted his comfort with eagerness. The premonition and Lillian’s doubt couldn’t plague her while he kept her safe, and she drifted to sleep where she lay, surrounded by the scent of vetiver and leather.

Elda expected to wake up alone in Sypher’s bed like she had last time, but he was still beside her when her eyes opened. He was on his back with one arm around her, the other hand tucked behind his head. She was nestled into his side, warm and comfortable save for the headache throbbing behind her eyes. His pulse thudded calmly beneath her ear, still in the relaxed rhythm of sleep.

She took the chance to study his face, admiring how different he looked when he was peaceful and rested. His lips were slightly parted, hair mussed and falling over his forehead in soft white strands. He stirred a little and his eyes opened slowly. Elda braced herself for him panicking and reaching for the knife he probably had hidden nearby. Instead, he yawned and looked down at her nestled into the crook of his arm.

“Morning.” His voice was husky with sleep, but he smiled faintly. “How’d you sleep?”

“Deeply. The premonition didn’t bother me like Gira said it would.”

“That could be because of me.” He didn’t nudge her away from his side and she didn’t want to move. “I opened up the bond to you last night. I thought it might help you sleep.”

“I thought it formed over time,” she frowned.

“It does if I reject it. I can’t stop it but I can delay it. I don’t have to do that with you.” Another yawn hit him, showing off his elongated incisors. “It’ll still take a while to mature to the point we can communicate, but you’ll start to sense things from me from time to time.”

“But you hate the bond.”

“I promised you I’d put my all into training you. I can’t do that if I’m holding back.” He sighed. “I could do with a few more hours sleep, if I’m honest, but we need to get up and figure out what to do next.”

“We have to find that mountain.”

“We also have to find Arden.” He sat up reluctantly, removing his arm from around her. “Come on.”

“Thank you,” She spoke quietly, bunching the covers in her hands. His head turned in her peripheral vision.

“For what?”

Elda forced herself to look at him. “For having so much faith in me.”

He smiled, his eyes crinkling around the edges. “You had faith in me first. I’m just returning the favour.” Sypher swung his legs out of the bed and stretched, groaning when his spine popped. “Go get dressed. I’ll have breakfast ready when you’re done. We have plenty to talk about today, starting with Arden.”

Elda hurried to her room to get dressed, thankful for the clean, pressed tunics and trousers Gira had provided so graciously for her. She braided her hair and slipped on her boots, grabbing her Soul Blade and hooking it over her shoulder. She felt Irileth’s presence inside, humming with warmth as though she were giving her a greeting.

“Morning Irileth,” Elda murmured back, setting off towards the kitchen. It hadn’t taken long for her to be ready, but Sypher was already waiting with a platter of fruit and pastries he’d gathered. The other Keepers were in the room with him, along with the Vampires.

“Finally,” Lillian muttered when the elf walked in. Sypher shot her a glare and started talking.

“We have two pressing matters to deal with as soon as we can,” he began. “One of the Keepers is missing, possibly held captive by the Corrupted.” He turned his attention to Gira. “Could King Artan tell you anything about it?”

“Only the same thing the Vampires did,” the Shifter answered gravely. “He confirmed that Abraxos and Cynthia were spotted near Bratus shortly before Arden was taken. None of them have been seen since. The King has sentries posted throughout the valleys around Valdren and has sent aid to Eden’s borders. He’s promised me updates when he receives new information.”

“Can’t we just go to Bratus and look for them ourselves?” Lillian asked, flipping her blue braids over her shoulder.

“For what reason?” Clover asked. “We were assisting him with the infestation when he was captured. We saw what happened. The Corrupted rode Wraiths bigger than any I’ve ever seen. We tried to stop them but they were barely troubled by us. They came down from the clouds. We didn’t see them until they were on top of us.”

“Arden told us to go after the escaping demons from the infestation, so we did. When we returned he was gone,” Yani agreed.

“So how do you know they didn’t just kill him?” the Fae countered.

“If Cynthia killed him she would have left his mutilated body behind for Clover and Yani to find,” Sypher cut in, shaking his head. “The Corrupted do everything with the intention of maximum impact. They didn’t attack the rest of Bratus when they showed themselves.” The furrow in his brow deepened. “Clover is right. They wanted Arden for something.”

“So how do we get him back?” Elda asked.

“Until we know more, we can’t,” Gira answered. “They could be anywhere.”

“So we wait for intel? What if we never get any?” Lillian pressed, obviously unhappy with the conclusion.

“I doubt they’ll be silent for long,” Sypher reasoned, folding his arms across his chest and throwing the runes on his exposed forearms into sharp relief. “They have a plan and we’re on the back foot. Which leads me to problem number two - Elda’s premonition. I think it has something to do with whatever plan the Corrupted have cooked up.”

“It wanted me to go somewhere, but I don’t know where or why,” she shrugged, pushing down the residual fear from the many howling voices.

“Useful,” Lillian scoffed, rolling her eyes

“Shut it,” Sypher snapped. “I have no patience for you right now. If you have nothing constructive to add, leave.” The Fae glared at him but held her tongue.

“My premonition took me to a white mountain,” Elda explained. “It stood above a lake. The walls leaked something red and the whole place just seemed off.” She looked at the group. “Has anyone heard of anywhere like that?” She was met with blank stares until her gaze fell on Lillian. Her brows were raised, violet eyes widened in surprise.

“I have. I used to tell my children a story about that place. It was something passed down in our family but it’s not widely known now. It was called the Weeping Mountain and it’s a real place in Cenet. Once the mines inside it were closed off, the story was eventually forgotten. The tips of the mountains in Cenet are solid moonstone, which explains the white stone you saw.”

“Can you tell us the story?” Sypher asked. She shook her head.

“I can’t remember most of it. I haven’t told the story in almost four centuries. When I lived there it was folklore. A fairytale. Nothing more than superstition encouraged by a group of miners with an overactive imagination.”

“Can you remember any of it?” Julian pressed.

“Only that it was to scare the children away from playing near the mines.”

“At least we know where it is,” Sypher conceded.

“I think it’s urgent. I can still feel the pull to go there,” Elda told them. “I think whatever is waiting there is horrible though. The feeling I got with the premonition was... loss. Hopelessness. Absolute despair.” The screams still haunted her.

“We’ll split into two groups. Gira, Julian, you can come with Elda and I to Cenet. Yani, Clover and Lillian, the three of you need to find out whatever you can regarding Arden’s whereabouts and recent activity. He may be missing now, but he’s been distant for months. We need to know if anything he did in those months led to this.”

“I want to come to Cenet with you,” Lillian argued. “Stick the Vamp with his ilk and let me tag along.”

“I’d rather gargle demon piss,” Sypher answered bluntly. Julian snickered. “You stay. Is that clear?” The Fae scowled at him and stormed off.

“How long will it take to reach Cenet?” Elda asked.

“Four days if we fly. Syd can carry two light passengers.” His red eyes fixed on Julian. “You’ll need to be with her, since you’re her rider.”

“I can do that. Elda will have to be the other passenger though. No offence, Gira, but you’re huge. All that muscle weight will slow Syd down.”

“None taken,” the Shifter smiled. “Are you still able to carry me, Sypher?”

“What, you think I’ve lost my touch?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “I’m physically stronger and faster than ever. I just hope you do a better job of holding on than Elda did.”

“In my defence, I had no upper body strength,” she retorted, scowling at the Soul Forge. He winked before continuing on with his instructions.

“Yani, Clover, are the two of you able to rein Lillian in and make sure she does what she’s supposed to? She has an irritating habit of doing whatever she wants.”

“We can,” Yani nodded.

“Alright. We leave in one hour.”