The Etherealites

15: Amren - Warlock

The Dark Council has gathered in the throne room once more, and I am brought before them. Beside me is a Necromi named Nick, who has his head bowed low. The Dark Council sneer down at us, and Alzir speaks up first.

"So you truly do not know where my prisoners went?"

"No, sir," says Nick, not raising his head.

Alzir shakes his head.  "So sad. Unfortunately, I do not believe you."

Nick sighs. "I'm telling you the truth, sir."

He turns toward me.  "Amren. I need you to find me my Mystic and Anomaly."

"Yes, sir," I say, keeping my eyes on the floor. Until he touches my chin, tilting my head back to look at his eyes.

"You will not fail me," he says. "You are perfect, my Warlock. But first .... I'll give you some incentive to not fail me. Guards!"

The Dark Guards appear and seize Nick by the arms. They hoist him up, and Alzir nods, stepping back and gestures for me to follow the guards. We walk from the throne room and into a big, dark room.

As soon as we enter, a swirling mass of blue light appears in the center of a dry fountain. There's no water inside the fountain, so I know that this Augur is likely starving. It shimmers bright as the Dark Guards shove Nick to the floor hard, and back away. Alzir walks up beside me.

"Carina," he says. The shimmering blue light seems to brighten. "I've brought you an offering. This Necromi here has betrayed us. So, if you could do us all a favor, and devour him...."

Nick is crying now. But still, he stares up at the Augur in her fountain. He is defiant, and as he stares up at Carina, she speaks in her otherworldly voice. The voice is inside my head as well as outside.

"Bring him to me," she says.

Alzir nods to me.  I step forward, and shove Nick forward. He cries out as he falls into the fountain. Carina moves then, moving faster than I thought possible. She expands, and her light swirls all around him, then, the next blink, Nick is gone.

Carina's light flares and brightens. She seems to sigh and shift back to the center of the fountain. Glowing, blue light shimmers within the fountain itself. She turns to me.

"Do not fail us, Amren. You just might earn your freedom with this. So, find them. Find the Mystic and Anomaly."

"Yes, my lady," I say, bowing low.

"And if you don't, you will be Carina's next body," says Alzir.

I nod. "I won't fail you. I swear."

"Good," says Alzir. "We will help you with this task. You will have two others join you."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Alzir says. "Guards, bring them in."

The door to this room is thrown open, and in comes a man wearing a blue shirt and black pants. He has yellow eyes and messy brown hair, and dark skin. As he walks into the room, he actually prowls. Beside him is a girl, who has short, white hair, pale white skin, and one green and one brown eye. She wears a black dress that hugs her curvy frame, and as she sees me, a soft smile crosses her face.

"Xadir, a panther Chimera," says Alzir. "And Raelynn, an Anomaly."

I nod to both of them, and they, in turn, nod to me. Then, Alzir walks up to me, lowering his voice. His proximity to me is unsettling, to say the least. But I do my best to ignore the needling fear in the back of my mind.

I fail spectacularly.

And, as if sensing my fear, he leans in closer. He is a Theurgi, he should not be able to sense my emotions — I nearly laugh. How could I have forgotten that he's a gods-damned Augur?

I blink and stare at Alzir. He says, voice perilously low, "I'd be careful around them, if I were you. They're just looking for a way to lessen their sentences."

"Of course," I whisper.  "Thank you, sir."

His wicked smile is terrifying. A slash of white against the darkness in his eyes and of his skin. His white dreadlocks fall in his gray and gold eyes, the mismatched orbs holding some kind of dark promise. He inches a bit closer, and I have to fight my cringe as his warm breath caresses the shell of my ear.

"Do not fail me, my dear, sweet Warlock. For if you do manage to succeed, there will be much in it for you."

I want to ask how I am to fight against a Mystic and her visions, but I refrain. He simply grins, as though his Theurgi or Augur side told him my thoughts. Alzir says, "Steal the powers of another Mystic. I know it will be hard, as most were hunted, but there will be enough of a chance for you to do it.... if you're careful and smart."

"As you will it, so shall it be, sir," I whisper.

He chuckles.  "Yes, yes indeed, Amren."