Wrath of the Dragon 3, page 5
The water angel promptly grabbed a hold of my forearm as we crept inside, and I shot her a reassuring smile. We stepped onto the marble floor, and I could see there were two winding staircases that led up to different sides of the second floor. Both sets of steps were lined with golden carpeting, and there were large oil paintings of bright landscapes hung on the walls.
“Shall we go up?” Nisha asked as she peered up the stairs. “He must be here somewhere.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s stick together and take the same one.”
I led the way to the left-hand side stairs, and I placed a foot down to test they weren’t any traps or structurally unsound. When I was satisfied, I started to creep up along the golden carpet.
The angels hurried along with me, and we left the silent lobby behind us. All of the large windows along the way let in enough light to see, but there were a few unlit torches displayed on grand sconces dotting the walls.
Cyra reached up with a burning palm and lit a couple of them so the stairs were more visible.
“This place is amazing,” Brooke breathed. “I can understand why Ruby wanted a palace.”
“Angels don’t need palaces,” Cyra sighed.
“No, but we can like them,” the water angel countered.
“Shhhh,” I warned the women.
I had a feeling something wasn’t right as we carefully made our way to the second floor. An emperor surely would have hordes of guards and security, and we had just strolled into his private property. The fact the door was unlocked didn’t look great, but I wanted to play this as safely as possible.
Even though I was starting to doubt the emperor was even here at all.
The second-floor landing had golden wallpaper, and light poured in from the large windows on either side. There were several doors along the landing, and a small flight of wooden stairs led to the third floor.
Cyra strode up to the huge set of double doors in the center of the landing, and she swung it open to reveal a dining hall. There was a long, oak table with ten seats lined along it, and carefully placed silverware and plates were still laid out.
“Nothing’s broken,” Cyra said. “That’s a good sign.”
I noticed a red door at the far end of the table, and it was cracked open slightly to reveal a dark room. I strode toward it, and I heard Nisha moan softly behind me. Then I spun around to see the angels had all stopped, and they stared at the door with worried frowns.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “Is it the bloodstones? Can you feel them?”
“Yes.” Brooke nodded and clutched her arms tightly around herself. “I don’t think the emperor is going to be able to tell us much.”
I swallowed hard at this statement, but then I strode toward the red door, pushed it gently, and revealed the bloodstones on the other side.
There were three clusters. The two closest to me had women wearing aprons, and it looked like they had been servants for the palace who were caught in the middle of running for their lives.
I only needed to take another step to see inside the final bloodstone. The man inside wore a glittering, amber-colored robe, and his fingers were covered with grand rings.
“Shit,” I hissed as I stared in at the man.
I had no doubt that we’d just found our emperor, but he wasn’t going to be helping us any time soon.
Chapter 4
I stared at the trapped emperor, and the angels hurried over to peer into the stone. The red veins glowed around the man’s body, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his screaming face.
“Oh, no!” Brooke gasped. “That has to be him, right?”
“I reckon so,” I sighed. “The demons really caused as much damage as possible. I don’t think anyone in this place made it.”
“But what if the key is in there with him?” Cyra groaned.
I studied the man’s robes, and I didn’t see any pockets or gaping seams from any angle I tried. It also didn’t seem like someone would just carry around such a rare item in their pockets if they were trying to keep it hidden, so I shook my head.
“I don’t think he would just be carrying it around,” I said. “Especially if he knew demons were coming.”
“That’s true,” Nisha said thoughtfully. “If he knew how important it is, he probably stored it somewhere secure.”
“I wish we could get them out,” Brooke said sadly as she peered in at the two servant women. “I seriously can’t imagine anything worse than being trapped in there!”
“You were held hostage by demons,” Cyra said. “That’s got to be pretty close.”
Brooke shuddered as she looked away from the frozen people, and I glanced around the room for any signs of a safe or lockbox. I didn’t have a clue where an emperor would keep his important belongings, but I had a feeling we would need to search the palace properly. There was a chance there were still demons lurking around, too, and I wanted to be sure we found the key before they could stumble upon it.
I wasn’t sure if they would even know of its existence, or if they had any use for it now, but if it had been made by this crystal angel, then I wanted to keep the celestial object far from their evil grasps.
“Let’s head out,” I said. “We need to find this key, and I’m guessing he’s hidden it well. It might take a while to search this place, and we only have a few hours of daylight left.”
“Should we split up?” Cyra asked as we started to make our way back through the dining hall.
“Not right now,” I said. “I know that would make searching faster, but I don’t want anyone running into these demons alone. They’re way more powerful than any of the ones we’ve met so far.”
“And we don’t know how the whole bloodstone thing works.” Brooke nodded. “It’s a seriously powerful weapon if it’s already draining for us just to be near it.”
“I want you all to stay focused on the energy around here, though,” I said. “This key is made by the angel, so maybe you could sense it nearby, like you can sense one another.”
“I don’t know, Ryan.” Cyra frowned. “An object is something very different from a full-fledged angel.”
“But it’s worth a try,” Brooke said with a determined nod.
We crept back out onto the second-floor landing, and I glanced over the edge of the railing to make sure nothing had followed us inside. The only sound was the wind that rattled the aged glass in the windowpanes, and I noticed Nisha was staring at a door at the end of the hall we were in.
Then she started to slowly walk toward it like she was sleepwalking, and I hurried after her. When I put a hand on her shoulder, she smiled at me as she stroked my hand.
“Nisha,” I said gently. “Did you hear something?”
“I can feel it,” the night angel murmured. “It’s warm and powerful.”
“Oh, shit,” Cyra said as she hurried along behind us. “So can I. It’s a strong energy, and not at all like the bloodstones.”
“Oooh,” Brooke gasped and held her hands out like something had thrown her off-balance. “Woah. That must be the key! Ohh, it feels lovely! Yay!”
I strode up to the doorway Nisha pointed to, and I carefully gripped the golden handle. The angels stood perfectly still as I pressed my ear up against the wood, but there were no sounds coming from the other side. I gripped my axe tightly as I turned the handle, and I stepped through into a large bedroom.
Then the stench of decaying flesh hit my nostrils, and I gagged as I swung my cloaked arm over my nose.
There were several dead bodies in the room, and it seemed distinct to me that they’d been murdered instead of being trapped in crystals. They must have truly enraged these fucking demons.
Five rotting corpses laid on the floor, and it looked like they had been there for several weeks. They were all human-shaped, but their flesh had rotted away, and flies spun around in a frenzy over the bodies. Dried blood stained the amber-colored carpet and hardwood floors below the corpses, and there were splatters of the stuff all over the ornate wallpaper. One of the bodies was even slumped over a four-poster bed, and all of the cupboards were open and had been ransacked.
It was a horrific sight, and it took all my strength to not throw up from the hellish smell.
“Eww!” Brooke heaved as she flung her hands over her mouth. “Those poor people! But eww!”
“That sums it up,” Cyra coughed. “This is nasty.”
I tried to breathe only through my mouth as I glanced around, and it was obvious someone had been looking for something in the bedroom.
“This place has been searched,” I said as I carefully stepped over the bodies. “Look, all of the drawers have been rummaged through. Are you sure the thing you sensed is still in here?”
“I’m certain,” Nisha said as she looked around. “I can feel it. The energy overpowers all the evil in the palace.”
“It’s true.” Cyra nodded. “I can’t feel the bloodstones as strongly in here. Only something from an angel could have that kind of power, though I can’t imagine how.”
“Because it’s something from an Elite angel.” Brooke nodded, and Cyra rolled her eyes.
We were careful to step over the bodies as we started to search the room. I reached into the back of every drawer, and I laid down to search under the bed only to find another body shoved underneath. The wardrobe was filled with grand robes and jewels, but I couldn’t see anything that looked like it would be part of a magic key. I wasn’t really sure what it would look like, either, but I felt like I should know when I found it. Especially if the angels could sense it so strongly.
“It has to be here!” Brooke wailed as she flung scarfs out of the wardrobe. “I can feel it!”
“We’ve searched everywhere,” Cyra groaned as she pulled the drawers fully off their tracks. “Where else could it be?”
“I thought there might be a secret compartment,” Nisha said as she crouched down. “But there aren’t any loose floorboards I can find.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” I muttered. “There must be somewhere in here that the key could be hidden.”
Then I had a sudden, morbid thought as I glanced down at the bodies.
“How big do you think the key is?” I asked.
“No idea.” Cyra shrugged. “Why?”
“Well… I’m wondering how loyal these people were to the emperor,” I muttered. “If they would have done anything to protect the key for him.”
“It looks like they all stayed to fight,” Cyra acknowledged. “That seems loyal to me.”
I stared down at the rotting bodies, and the fire angel’s face suddenly fell. Then her amber eyes narrowed, and a disgusted frown spread across her lips.
“Ryan,” she said slowly. “Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say.”
“Do you see anywhere else it could be hidden?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Brooke asked. “What’s happening?”
“Oh, no,” Nisha said quietly as she stared down at the bodies. “Ryan… I think you’re right.”
“Right about what?” Brooke demanded. “What do you mean? I hate feeling confused!”
“I think someone might have… swallowed it,” I sighed, and the water angel’s blue eyes bulged.
“Ewwwwww!” Brooke cried. “Gross, gross, gross! Ryan, you cannot rummage around inside dead bodies!”
“I think I have to,” I groaned. “You might want to stand back.”
I took off my cloak and bag to place them down in the corner, and I rolled up my sleeves as I took my axe over to the first body. The man had half-rotted away already, but there was still a gray layer of skin over his bones.
His dark clothes stuck to the sticky flesh, and I tried very hard not to think too much about what I was about to do. I focused on Ruby, and the ticking clock that counted down to the blood moon sacrifice. This was for her. It was for the whole of the Crystal Lands.
“Fuck,” I grunted, and I swung my axe down into the stomach of the body.
Gray flesh and dark liquid exploded like a disgusting pinata, and I gagged as the smell of rotting organs hit my nose. I looked away for a second before I glanced down at the mess of insides.
“That was so disgusting,” Brooke whimpered. “Are you okay, Ryan?”
“Never better,” I grumbled as I crouched down to inspect the corpse.
It was difficult to see much through the thick blood, but I used my axe to carefully inspect under the collapsed rib cage. There wasn’t anything bright or solid inside, and I had to pinch my nose to stop the smell from overwhelming my senses.
“I don’t think it’s in there,” I said as I stood up and moved to the body on the bed.
“This is horrible,” Brooke moaned. “I don’t think I can watch it again.”
“Then look away,” I said, and I swung my axe down into the second body.
Then my blade clinked against something solid as the skin was torn open. I pulled my weapon back to see a glistening flash amongst the gore, and I reached down and flinched as my hand slipped through squishy flesh.
I pulled out a glowing stone that fit in the palm of my hand. It was barely bigger than a half-dollar coin, and it shifted from white to silver in the light. I felt a strange warmth spread over me as I held it, and I knew immediately that it was from an angel.
“That’s it!” Cyra cried as the angels rushed forward. “Ryan, you found it!”
“Yup,” I gagged. “Let’s take it out onto the landing to get a good look at it.”
“And to get away from this,” Cyra said as she wrinkled her nose. “This room smells like… well, it smells like dead bodies.”
The angels hurried out of the door, and I avoided looking down at the corpses as I grabbed my cloak and bag with my clean hand. I held my breath until I had tightly shut the door behind me, and I groaned as I shook the gunk from my hand.
“Here,” Brooke said as she stopped me in my tracks.
Then she twirled her turquoise fingers in the air, and a spiral of glittering water appeared from nowhere. With another twirl of her fingers, it poured like a spigot over my hand, and it tingled sharply like nothing I’d ever felt before.
The sensation made me jump back, but Brooke pursed her lips and grabbed my bicep to root me in place.
“No, you don’t, get back here,” she ordered. “It feels fun after a while, and it will cleanse you of all toxins. I promise.”
I nodded and let her douse my hand in the strangely sharp and sparkling water, and my body twitched a few times as the tingles intensified. I had to admit, though, it wasn’t wholly unpleasant. It was just jarring, and Brooke giggled when a violent shudder shook through my spine. Then she used the same water to cleanse my axe and the key segment last.
The shard felt weighty in my hand, and I held it up in the sunlight once it had no more gore on it.
“It’s beautiful,” Nisha breathed as I held it up in the sunlight.
The holy key sparkled with a whole rainbow of colors I couldn’t even name, but the edges were jagged like it had been hastily broken. I felt a rush of anger as I thought of such an ethereal and beautiful item being taken from Ruby, but I tried not to blame the locals too much.
It was no wonder they were terrified.
“Now we just need to find all the other pieces,” Brooke said. “How are we going to do that?”
“We’re going to need to find some people,” I sighed as I slipped the key in my bag. “There must be others who survived. Let’s check the other rooms before we leave.”
I started to walk down the hall and pushed open each door to check for any hidden survivors. But every room just revealed more and more bodies. Some of them had been trapped in bloodstones, but many of them had just had their throats slit. I had never seen this level of slaughter when arriving in a new land before. It was like the demons in this area truly thrived off bloodshed.
“There are so many,” Nisha said as I opened the last door to reveal three slumped bodies.
Each of them had a huge gash in their jugulars, and dark blood was crusted all over the carpet.
“These demons are fucking evil,” I growled as I carefully shut the door. “There were nowhere near this many mortals killed in the Night and Water Lands.”
“So many lost lives,” Brooke said sadly. “Why would they do this?”
“Don’t try to understand,” I muttered. “These creatures clearly live to inflict violence and death. It’s best not to dwell too much on what goes on inside their heads. Come on, there must be some other beings out there. It can’t only be the Crystal Trolls left.”
I spoke with confidence, but I was starting to wonder how likely my hopes were. What if that group of Crystal Trolls were the only residents left alive? But Yavo had said some people still bought their jewels, so that must mean there were others out there.
On the other hand, they might have been killed since he last saw them.
There was a strong sense of hopelessness in the air, and I could tell the angels were starting to feel disheartened. They were also slumping from the presence of so many bloodstones confined in one place, and I gestured for them to head for the exit.
The palace was silent as we hurried downstairs, and I felt a wave of sadness as I glanced around at the vacant space. If one of the servants had swallowed the key like that during such a violent attack, it must have meant they truly loved their emperor. He must have been a pretty great leader to have that level of dedication, and these people, as wrong as they were in their actions, must have realized the gravity of the mistake they’d made too late.
They’d refused to let the demons gain the angel’s key.
I could at least respect them for that.
We stepped back onto the grounds, and I ran a hand through my hair as I glanced around the still landscape. The brightly-colored tulips swayed in the wind, and a distant screech echoed out through the sky.
“Where to?” Cyra sighed as we walked back to the gateway.
“Everywhere seems so empty,” Nisha said. “Maybe there isn’t anyone else left in this district.”
“There has to be,” I muttered. “Surely they can’t have killed off every single being in this town. Let’s head down this way.”
