Chapter 5
The First Signs of the Storm
The pair walked in silence for a while. Summer was slightly behind Carrington as they progressed toward wherever he had decided would be their destination. After several hours had passed, she finally decided that silent progress was not in their best interest.
“Where are we heading?” The question seemed innocuous, something that she wanted to offer right now as her companion wrestled with something that she could only guess at.
“We are heading to a small port, and then we’ll head over toward Ancusa.”
Summer stopped for a moment. “But I thought that you were needed here.”
With only a slight turn of his head, and without slowing down, Carrington said, “I have no intention of staying here.”
Summer quickly caught up to him. “You cannot just leave the lesser god to his own devices.”
“Chesed.”
“What?” Images spun through her mind at the name, and it felt like all light had been extinguished for a moment. Stumbling for a second, she tried to hide the fact that she had been bothered by the name. If he noticed, Carrington did not show it.
“His name is Chesed. The more you say the name, the less power he has because it tarnishes gods to be addressed by their proper names.”
Summer frowned, but something in the words were familiar. Though it caused her to stammer, she managed to say the lesser god’s name. “We cannot simply leave Chesed to fester. We have to do something to stop him.”
Carrington suddenly came to a complete stop. Summer passed him as she slowed. Turning to look at him, she noticed that he had balled his hands into fists. His black eyes flashed. “And just what can you do? He killed you the last time you faced him.”
“I have been observing him.”
“For how long? Do you even have any idea how long you were dead? You came back and yet couldn’t even remember his name. Just what do you think you can do against him?”
“It will come back to me when I am facing him.”
“Oh, that’s a brilliant plan. Show up and make him run.” The words were spat out of his mouth, and Summer did not like the way his face contorted as he spoke. “He has been planning this ever since you died, and you coming back is just one of the last pieces of his plan. Even if you had been plotting since the day you died, you can’t even remember what you learned, let alone any plan. This isn’t something you can fix, so don’t bother trying.”
Summer folded her arms. “Oh, because giving up is so much better. He can take the world down a little bit at a time, but I shouldn’t worry because I will be safely somewhere else when he strikes. I hate to tell you this, Carrington,” and she emphasized how hollow the name was, “but once he starts, you are either there to fight, or you die later. There is only one wave against a lesser god. That is the only chance anyone will get.”
Carrington ground his teeth, fighting back whatever was on the tip of his tongue. A dark shadow had passed over his face, but Summer was almost certain there was no cloud to have cast it.
As if to provoke him into speaking, she taunted him. “I see. Now that I am showing some spine, you are cowering.”
His eyes glared at her, but no words came out.
Summer began walking back the way they had come when a hand shot out and stopped her. “Take your hand off of me.”
“Yes, you were all set to take him on last time, too. You don’t remember it, but I do. We all do, those of us who lived to remember it. I don’t give a damn about anyone else and their plans, but this is not a fight I am willing to repeat.”
Summer pulled away from him. “No one is asking you to. But you cannot stop me from fighting. I know what he is after.”
“Sure, and maybe in a month or two, or maybe next year, you will remember. But the problem is that there aren’t more than three days left before everything will be over. You don’t have the luxury of time. While you are right that I cannot stop you, I can try.”
Summer stared at the man, his eyes fierce as he looked at her. The anger there was not at her, it was directed at himself. Allowing the tension to slip out of her body, Summer looked away. “I don’t remember the fight, nor do I know who was lost. I can’t even tell you what I am. Or what you are. But I know that we are not going to survive if we try to step aside. Knowledge is always the key that can turn a fight.”
Carrington brought a fist to his face and winced at her words. Turning away from her, he said, “It isn’t Chesed that is after you.”
“What do you mean? He wants me to be his pawn.”
The black eyes trained on her as Carrington measured his words. “By staying here, we are both his pawns.”
“We are both against him, so what value can we be in a fight that he can use? He cannot play us the way he did last time.” The shadow darkened over Carrington as she spoke, but he did not interrupt. “You just need to trust that I will remember and that I can help, even if I am not as powerful as you and Cyprian.”
Summer could hear Carrington’s teeth scraping against each other. Suddenly, he reached his hands out and grabbed her shoulders. “You are not to go anywhere near him. Promise me that you will not seek out Cyprian.”
“If you will promise me that you will fight beside me, then I will swear that I will not seek out Cyprian.”
She felt his fingers dig into her arms for a second before he released her and turned. “I cannot make that promise again. You cannot ask me to enter that fight again. You do not remember what happened last time, but I do. It has been my nightmare for over 500 years.” His voice was passionate and pained as he avoided looking at her. “You died more than 500 years ago. If you can’t tell me right now what you can do…” He turned to face her, the shadow obscuring most of his features. “If you can’t remember that day, will you really make me relive everything I have fought to forget for more than five centuries? Will you really ask me to suffer through another war where almost everyone that I cherish dies?”
Summer stared at him. “500 years? I’ve been dead for more than 500 years? How old… how old are you?”
“Good gods,” Carrington squeezed the bridge of his nose, “I’m glad you got the important point for that. Thank you.” He began to pace around her. “You do not know what you are asking of me.”
Summer reached out a hand gently and touched his arm. Immediately he stopped and the shadow faded from his face. “It will be alright. I promise.”
He shook his head, “You said it yourself. No one knows the future. Death does not make you immortal or omnipotent.”
She gave him a faint smile. “I swear that I will protect those that you cherish to the best of my abilities, but you cannot run from this. You were once brave enough to face the danger. Surely you know as well as anyone else just how devastating Chesed’s return could be.”
Placing his head in his hand, Carrington squeezed his eyes shut. “Just like last time, Chesed wants me there. He needs me there because there is no better place for a pawn like me than where he can control me.”
Summer scoffed at the words. “You don’t look to me like someone who is going to willingly side with him.”
The dark eyes were like an abyss as Carrington turned to look at her. “No one works for him without choosing to. We are both his pawns, and if we show up…” He looked away from her and began to move toward the port, though Summer could not say how far it was from their current location.
“I cannot continue to call you Carrington. There was no Carrington at that battle. You are hiding, and I want to know why.”
The figure stopped and she saw his shoulders sag. “Search your memories for the battlefield. You will remember there why I have no desire to remind you who I am. Because of what I am, Chesed can gain control over me, and I killed some of my own friends the last time. I killed…” His voice broke and he shook his head. “I cannot stop you, but you cannot make me go.”
Her voice was soft as she reminded him, “You swore that you would never leave my side.”
His expression was unreadable as he turned toward her. “Then you must swear you won’t try to go.”
“How can I keep myself safe knowing that others will die for my decision?”
“How can you justify going knowing that you are already his pawn?” The man took a step toward her. “You have no idea how he will use you, what mechanism he will use to trigger you.”
“Neither do you.” Her eyes searched his face for traces that he was breaking, but the shadows deepened.
“I do. I know exactly how he plans to use me, and that is why I cannot go.”
Realizing that their conversation was getting nowhere, Summer decided to give in for the time being. “Alright. For now, I will agree to go with you, but if something arises, I will not sit still and wait to be saved.”
A fleeting smile passed over his face. “No one who had any clue about you would mistake you for a damsel in distress.” With a heavy sigh, he turned. “If we move quickly, we can be there by midday tomorrow.”
Summer turned to look behind them. A few voices whispered from the corners of the shadows, but she wasn’t able to make out what they were saying. Her stomach churned at the thought that they had managed to follow her so far from the City of the Dead, but that concern was soon dismissed. If they were trying to compel her to return then she was clearly on the right course.
Turning to follow her companion, Summer’s skin crawled as something that sounded like a laugh followed her.
“Who do you think can save you when even your friends want you dead?”
She knew it was Chesed mocking her. Closing the distance between her and the man she knew wasn’t named Carrington, she grabbed his arm.
Looking at her with concern, he asked, “What is wrong? Is someone following us?” He lifted her off of the ground without warning, and turned to look the way they had come. “We have to go faster. They are gaining.”
Unsure how he could hear the voices, Summer allowed him to carry her until the sun reached its peak.