Creation (Surgecaller Book 9) - Chapter 1 (Patreon)

Liona lunged forward, grasping at nothing as Huon fell back from the ledge he’d been standing upon. Her feet skidded through the snowy ground.

Then he was gone.

For a moment, Liona just watched as Huon sprouted wings and began to fly away, far faster than she could ever manage.

He’s leaving me. He’s leaving and there’s nothing I can do about it.

Liona fought the impulse to follow. She stood atop the highest peak of the Shurin Mountains, right at the edge of the cliff. Gods, she wanted to follow, but there was no way that she’d ever be able to keep up with him—and therefore no point even trying.

Because she knew that if he didn’t want her to find him, she never would.

He’s a Low Celestial now, and all I am is an Immortal.

The very thought felt strange. Foreign to her. Like being an Immortal was a failure.

What a world she found herself living in.

Liona ran a hand through her hair and stared off into the darkness. Surging sight, she could still make him out. Nothing but a speck in the distance. A speck that soon turned into nothing at all as he was too far away for even her enhanced, Immortal eyes to see.

A screech sounded somewhere down in the forested area on the side of the mountain, a mile or so down. Shurie. She would have seen Huon leave, if not felt him.

Liona kicked at the snow. “Bloody fool!” she shouted out into the great expanse of night. A rumbling sounded, somewhere down below. Her voice must have caused an avalanche. Gods knew there was enough snow packed around these mountains for one.

She shut her eyes, crouched down in the snow. It was cold out here, deathly cold. It bit at her skin but she barely felt it. She didn’t even have to surge fire essence through her veins to dispel it. As powerful as she was, her body had a heat of its own that a little snow wasn’t going to do much to.

But I’m not as powerful as him. Not anymore. Maybe I never will be again.

The wind blew hard, whistling through the peaks. It almost sounded like faint screaming, somewhere far off, invisible to her eye. The rumbling from the avalanche and the screaming of the wind melded until it was as though she were listening to a battle happening out there in the black.

“Liona?” a voice said behind her. Footsteps crunched in the snow. “What’s… what’s wrong?”

Liona opened her eyes, stood, and turned to stare at Gale. “He left.”

“Who?” Gale blinked. Realisation settled in his eyes. “Huon.” He looked out into the night, stepping over toward the ledge. “But… but he’s not ready to face the Everlasting King yet.”

“He won’t face him. Not yet. He just… just wants to…” Liona sighed. Shook her head. “He wants to see if he can see a link between the Everlasting King and his cores.” Liona nodded. “Then he’ll return.”

Because there’s no way he’s doing this alone.

“I guess that means we should stay here.” Gale crossed his arms. Sighed. “There’s no catching up to that man, is there?”

Liona’s gaze turned downward. “No. I suppose there isn’t. Not anymore.”

~

Less than a week after Huon left the Shurin Mountains, the Everlasting King came for them.

But until then, time passed as slowly as it ever had.

Karlon, once Terr’al, the Immortal of Earth, had carved out living quarters within the cave, building more space inside of it and closing off different sections to give people privacy. The way he’d set it up, it almost looked cosy.

Liona was thankful for this. On that first night they’d spent there, the cave had been far too crowded. And though there were countless people around her—Captain Avery, Gale, Eliko and Sirus; First Mate Horal, along with the rest of the crew of the Strong Wind; the three former members of the Immortal Seven, Kelni, Karlon and Emera—Liona felt more alone than ever.

And the cave, sectioned of as it was, with stone furniture surged from earth, reminded her of nothing more than the cave that she’d spent time with Huon in when they’d been in Temtoria. The longest time they’d ever spent alone together.

It didn’t help that they’d spent time alone in this very cave first.

Shurie came to her that night. The bond between them, inexplicable as it was, let her feel the beast’s emotions. She found some comfort in the beast’s presence—its wings draped over her, offering a warmth that, while not needed, was appreciated—but whenever she delved deeper into their bond, she felt an echo of her own loneliness within the sky-eagle. An echo that made her want to pull back into herself.

The days passed by slowly. She hated every second she was apart from Huon. The last time they’d been apart was back when he’d been stuck in the Tower of the Southern Sect, when he’d been forced to fight in the Tournament of Grace.

Considering the two of them had gone to Temtoria, spending more than a year there… it felt like eons had passed since then.

Liona couldn’t pout and pine for long, however. She knew that even though she wasn’t near as powerful as Huon, she could still be useful in whatever battles came next.

So she trained.

Every day, she trained as hard as she ever had, cultivating ever more soul essence, discovering new and unique ways in which to use it. Though she did not have Huon to spar with, there were four other Immortals here now. Not to mention her ability to spar within her mind space.

Captain Avery was the one she chose to spar with most regularly, but every now and then Karlon and Emera would take their turns. The two former members of the Immortal Seven had adapted to being free of their bonds far faster than Kelni ever had.

Kelni, too, would spar with her. The former Immortal of Fire was not her favourite person in the world, but—somehow—she’d grown to respect the man. He’d volunteered to be bound to Huon, before the two of them had gone into Glenhaven together.

It was a sacrifice he’d never needed to make, becoming oathbound once more.

And yet he’d done it eagerly.

There was a plus-side to the man being bound to Huon. Something she hadn’t thought of until Kelni himself had walked up to her the day after Huon had left.

He’d taken off his bracer, pulled down his sleeve, and shown her his binding. “Your man is safe,” the former Immortal of Fire had said in his deep, brooding voice. “And I don’t doubt that he will remain so.”

Liona had stared at that binding for a full minute before she’d responded. “Thank you, Kelni.”

Far too many times since Huon had left, she’d asked to see the man’s binding. Over and over. And not once had Kelni refused or grown impatient in any way.

He feels a responsibility toward Huon. A debt to him,Liona thought. Because Huon was the one who freed Kelni from being oathbound to the Everlasting King, and because Kelni was the one who killed Huon’s mother.

They all trained atop that mountain, not knowing what else to do while they waited for the man who’d started as the weakest of them, then became the strongest of them, to return.

He’ll find the location of those cores. Then we’ll destroy them together.

A part of her hoped that she might be able to access the power of those cores, as Huon had. I could advance to Low Celestial. Be on par with him in power, once more. Though she knew that part of herself was selfish. Every one of those cores was stolen from someone. And I want to use them to advance?

But, wouldn’t it be better than wasting them?

As the days passed, she kept peering out into the darkness. A few times she tried to contact him, falling into a meditative state, and reaching out by communing with the universe. According to Huon, that was how he’d originally contacted the Devil of the West.

Huon is a Celestial now too.

To her, it made sense that it could work. But unfortunately, it never seemed to. She didn’t know how wide the gap in power and ability the two ranks were.

It was when she was in one of these meditative states that everything changed.

She didn’t see him coming. Didn’t hear him coming. Didn’t sense him in any way. One moment, they were alone on the peak of the Shurin Mountains. The next, the Everlasting King was standing before all of them.

Liona had seen the Everlasting King before. Not just when he had destroyed the walls around Caralor, the capital of Arisalon. She’d seen him when she was but a girl. Her parents had taken her to a speech he’d made to the entire city. It was a rare enough sight that it warranted attention.

Liona remembered little from that day. It had been before she’d received the call—before she’d developed her core. She must have been three, maybe four years old, sitting on her father’s shoulders, looking over a vast crowd of surgecallers and surgeless alike.

And most of those people will be dead. He killed the surgeless when he no longer had a need for them. Threw them away like trash.

Liona stood. Put her hand to the hilt of her sword. But she knew that there was nothing she could do.

All she could think of was Huon. She stepped forward. Toward the man. She couldn’t fight him. Even if she wanted to. It would only end in her death. She’d seen what he’d done to Glenhaven. The explosion of power.

There’s no way we can get out of here fast enough.

“Huon…” She swallowed. “Did… did you kill Huon?”

She would have known if that had happened, wouldn’t she? Kelni would have told her if something had changed with his binding…

The Everlasting King had black hair, almost dark as pitch, that contrasted his pale skin. He wore armour akin to the Honourbound, except it was lined with gold where the many plates met.

There was a power radiating off him. Not like that of a core unveiled. This was different.

And terrifying in its ferocity.

He must have cloaked himself on his approach. Or perhaps he’d simply teleported straight here.

Huon is the only one who knows where we are…

“Huon lives.” The Everlasting King smiled at her. A calm smile, though he had no small amount of mirth in his eyes. “But he has done something he should not have done. Stolen something he should not have stolen.”

Rushing footsteps came toward them. The others had noticed what was going on. Captain Avery stopped beside her, staring wide eyed. Gale came to stand on her other side.

They should have run. Why didn’t they run?

“Liona,” the Everlasting King said. “That boy cares for you most of all.” He tilted his head to the side, gazing intently at her. “You shall remain alive.”

The man raised his hands. He did not hold a weapon in them, though he had a sword at his belt. He let out a breath, clapped his hands together, and suddenly Kelni, Karlon and Emera stood in front of him.

The rest of the people hiding atop the Shurin Mountains appeared around them.

Kelni stepped back. “No…” He shook his head. “No. No. No—”

“Shh.” The Everlasting King put a finger to his lips. Kelni’s mouth still moved, but he no longer made a single sound. The side of the king’s lips kicked up as he made his right hand into a fist.

Kelni stopped walking backward. He froze, the only thing moving were his eyes.

“I am a man with almost boundless patience, but I will not tolerate my tools being used against me. Though Huon cares much for this girl”—he waved an uncaring hand toward Liona—“I do not think the deal I made with him will be imperilled if the three of you were to… expire. I did, after all, stipulate that I would spare his friends.” He raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t count the three of you, does it. Hmm?”

Karlon and Emera had time enough to look at each other, then make to draw and summon their weapons, before an unseen force gripped them tightly. They each clutched their chests. Liona wanted to do something. Wanted to fight. But her feet were rooted to the snow.

Her whole body shivered with fear as she watched the former members of the Immortal Seven. Kelni clutched his own chest. It was as if the Everlasting King had their very hearts in his hand and was squeezingthem.

“Ahh,” the Everlasting King sighed. “A blood surge. Can’t get it to work on a Celestial, unfortunately, but on the lower ranks such as yourselves. Well, it’s rather effective.”

The man stared in mute curiosity as he watched three people who had served him for a thousand years slowly die in front of him.

“Why are you doing this?” Liona said. She’d noticed Captain Avery, Gale, Eliko, all three of them had tried to talk, but no sound was coming from their mouths. They had been silenced, like Kelni had been silenced.

She was surprised her own words could be heard.

“Where’s Huon, and what did you do to him? If you hurt him, I swear to the Gods I’ll—”

“Do what, exactly?” the Everlasting King cut her off. There was no anger in him. He could be talking about the weather for all the emotion that was in his voice. “You know you can’t kill me. Hell, you can’t even fightme.” He chuckled. “You’re all children compared with my power.” He began to pace, walking past the three Immortals writhing on the ground. He gave Kelni a soft kick, like one might kick a downed beast to see if it still lived. “As I was saying. Huon stole something from me.” He tapped his head. “Stole it right from my memories. I’ll give the boy credit. It was very clever.”

Huon can do that? Liona thought.

Watching Kelni, Karlon and Emera on the ground spurred a deep anger within her. Though she still had mixed feelings about the three of them, considering where they’d come from—especially Karlon, who’d once been like a god to her, as she’d grown up in the House of Terr’al—she felt no ill will toward them.

As hard as it was to admit, and Liona knew especially for someone like Huon, the Immortal Seven had been slaves. Forced to do this man’s bidding, with no freewill of their own.

And now, once they’d finally been freed of their bindings, here the Everlasting King was, killing them because they were of no use to him.

And, clearly, he was here to kidnap the rest of them as some sort of bargaining chip to use against Huon.

That means Huon had an encounter with the Everlasting King. An encounter he not only survived, but one he came away from with… with the Everlasting King’s memories?

That means Huon must know where the other stockpiles of cores are. He can go after them. Destroy them.

And, apparently, the Everlasting King had stolen Huon’s memories in return, as there was no way that Huon would have told the man of their presence here.

A deep rage settled within her chest. A bestial, primal rage. One she’d felt before. Many times. It brought her back to only a few days ago when she’d been facing the Immortal of Earth.

She’d tapped into the power of all those beast cores she’d sucked dry of their essence. She’d found something dark and powerful within herself. Connected to it deeply.

And she’d used it. Used it to mould her body into something else.

Liona, through the use of soul essence, had become the beast.

She stood there, staring at the scene, her heart beating against her chest like a hammer against a man’s skull. Her fingernails ached, wanting to become claws. Her shoulder blades begged to sprout wings. Her teeth wanted to elongate, sharpen, dig into the flesh about the Everlasting King’s neck and rip, tear, until she was red in tooth and claw.

But she didn’t move. Because she could sense something about the Everlasting King.

He may not get angry, but he would punish. And if he only saw value in her… then he might very well punish the others around her.

The three former members of the Immortal Seven finally grew still, looks of agony plastered on their faces—the last expressions they would ever wear in life.

When their lives had been snuffed out, the Everlasting King peered at Liona. He bobbed his chin up, a smirk twisted the sides of his lips, a knowing look twinkling his eyes. “Ah. I see you are clever as well. Good. A clever girl might just survive, assuming this Huon of yours cares enough about you to give himself up. And, considering I saw into his mind… I know that he will.”

“He’ll defeat you,” Liona said. Her voice measured, calm. She did not want to bring his wrath upon her or the others, but she had to say this. She could not help herself. It was speak, or attack. And she could not attack. “You are nothing without a core.”

The Everlasting King laughed.

And that was the last thing she heard before the world went dark.