The Legend Of Black Eyes 123 Bittersweet Victory

I was back in that empty, white s.p.a.ce. Dif stood in the distance, his back turned to me. He was wearing an elegant kaftan, embroidered with silver threads on the back. The embroidery depicted an hourgla.s.s, with golden nuggets dripping down from top to bottom. I walked closer to the old man. My eye wasn't deceiving me, the nuggets were actually dripping down, moving.

He turned to face me as soon as I got close enough.

"What took you so long?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" I shot back at him. "Did you know the necromancer made an alliance with a powerful deity?"

"So what?" Dif said. "You speak as though Tao Zhar had broken out."

"He would have," I said, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists. "If I didn't meet that Aeon and learned of Lemien's real intentions."

"Fate has a strange way of guiding us, don't you think?"

"You let fate decide if I was worthy of Minsec's powers?" I asked. My eye narrowed as I looked at him. What was he smiling for?

"It's Lord Minsec to you," Dif scorned. "And fate didn't decide anything, young one," he went on. "Your encounters were fate. Your actions, on the other hand, were the deciding factor."

"And why didn't you give me at least a heads-up?" I asked. "Better yet, why lock the Fragment away?"

"You have another," Dif said, casting a sideways look as he spoke. "Besides, you had to learn about a.s.similation before I could let you try it with Lord Minsec's Fragment. It was no use to you unless you got stronger."

"Can I use it now?" I asked.

"We'll see about that," Dif replied. "Lemien's hasn't died yet. You haven't a.s.similated that other Fragment of yours either. Fulfill the terms of our agreement, and I shall unlock it."

"About that," I said. "I can't seem to completely a.s.similate my other Fragment. It's like I'm nearly there, but I can't get it done."

"That's the hardest part." Dif's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Don't let it discourage you, but don't slack off either. You don't have much time before the Eternal Moon is summoned."

"How much time?" I asked.

"About three months," Dif said. He walked closer to me then and looked me in the eye. "I didn't summon you here just to congratulate you on your predicted victory. I have one more, final, mission for you."

"Predicted?" My brows connected. My mouth tightened and I felt my nails dig deep into my palm. The old man put me through h.e.l.l then acts as though it was a walk in the park.

"Oh, don't start whining!" the old man cried out. "You've done well, but your victory was predicted. Lemien wasn't the brightest plotter, although he tried his best to become one."

"What's this other mission?" I asked. My frustration had just reached another peak.

The old man smiled, ignoring my glare. "I like it when you get straight to business he said. Don't whine too much, it makes me feel like taking care of a frustrated child. I hate children!"

'Look who's whining now!' I thought, but didn't voice it out.

"You need to get to Biarkh, the port city of Merinsk," Dif went on. "Find a man they call the Ghost Captain. He'll take you to Milogac. Reach the island before the Blond moon sheds its last light on this earth, or you'll lose your chance at taking part in the Wars."

I had too many questions I wanted to ask the old man just then.

"Any questions?" he asked.

I opened my mouth to ask the first one, but the old man was quicker.

"No? Nothing? Good then, go now, celebrate your victory."

The white s.p.a.ce instantly vanished. I opened my eye to find myself lying on a pretty comfortable bed. Zoey was sitting on a chair beside me, fast asleep. I got up, and looked around. We were in a fairly small room. Fire crackled as it ate at the wood by the hearth in the middle. I smelled broth and something meaty. My mouth watered and my stomach grumbled.

I went to inspect the black, sooty cauldron. I saw vegetables floating on top as the liquid emitted bubbled and soft popping sounds. I went for the ladle to taste it. My stomach was protesting, I couldn't wait any longer.

"Ah!" I screamed as I touched the scalding hot scoop.

Zoey jolted up from her chair.

"Don't get near me!" she shrieked. I couldn't help but wince, but I was glad to see her alive.

She looked at me. Fright made her eyes waver and her lips twitch. Realizing the battle had already finished, and that it was just me, she finally relaxed.

"Oh," she said. "I was having a bad dream."

"Were you taking care of me again?" I asked.

"You just pa.s.sed out," she said. "Nag said you were exhausted. He asked me to stay with you in case there were any complications."

"What about Eli?" I asked. I'd just remembered him.

"The Children found him unconscious in the dungeons," she whispered. She looked away the moment I mentioned his name. "He's not doing well."

"What do you mean, not well?" I asked.

"He was badly injured," she answered. "They say he might never walk again."

Words got stuck at the tip of my tongue. It was unfair. And here I was, thinking I'd saved him earlier. My happiness at seeing Zoey alive was now replaced by bitter resentment.

"How about the necromancer?" I asked.

"He will be executed tonight," Zoey said. "They were waiting for Eli to recover a little. They wanted him to watch the man who wronged him die."

"That's mighty considerate of them," I said.

"Nag will be here soon," Zoey said. "He'll tell you about the rest. I want to go sleep now."

She left the room before I could utter any other word. The news about Eli shook me up a bit. I thought the miraculous potion would at least help him recover from critical injuries. Nag showed up soon enough. He stormed into the room, weakly smiled as he saw me, then invited me to join him at the dining table.

My stomach rumbled as soon as food was brought up. I followed the prophet after we filled our bowls with hot broth. He uncorked a bottle and served me some strong spirit. It tasted bitter, like the feeling I got after hearing about Eli's condition. I asked the prophet about him.

"You should leave the city as soon as possible," Nag said. "Eli will be cared for. Our people value him, but they still blame you for everything that happened."

"And here I was," I said, "thinking we were about to celebrate victory." The bile of deep resentment in my throat became bigger and bigger. I couldn't even have more of the broth that tasted like heavenly bliss mere moments ago.

"I will escort you out of here," Nag said. "We'll celebrate afterwards. The chief can't contain people's anger. Too many died in this battle, children too. You can't blame them for wanting justice."

"They have the necromancer," I said. "Why mix me with him?"

"You brought sickness. The necromancer took advantage of that as soon as he entered the city. It took us by surprise, and by the time we managed to regroup and fight back, too many had died."

"When do we leave?" I said. "I'm ready now!"

"The woman wants to leave too," Nag said. "We wait until the necromancer's execution. They'll burn him at the main plaza. They won't be looking for you then, but as soon as justice is done, they'll look for the next human to blame."

"You don't seem to agree with this," I remarked.

"What I think doesn't matter," I said. "The chief has risked a lot to save you. People have forgotten about Tao Zhar. Few people remain from his era. They don't understand the service you've done for us all."

"Can I see Eli before I leave?" I asked.

"No one knows you're in my house," Nag said. "They won't like it if they see you coming out of here."

"So I'm a prisoner, in a more comfortable cell," I bitterly said.

"For now, yes," he said. "Sorry…"

"It's not your fault your people don't like humans," I said.

"Eli will be cared for, I can promise you that."

"Then you tell the people I gave their secret away," I said. "If you want him to live, don't let anybody know he gave in to Lemien's torture."

"I'll tell the chief to do that," Nag said. "I won't be coming back here after we leave." Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

"Why?"

"They'll treat me as a traitor after I lead you out of here," he said. "You can't go alone," he went on after he noticed I was about to protest. "They'll easily find you. Our people know these tunnels better than you after all."

I had just won a f.u.c.king battle against a necromancer who wanted to bring doom upon this land. Instead of celebrating, I had to run away. The only person I considered a true friend was badly injured, and the only Sebyan that believed in me was now about to become a fugitive.

I sighed…