The Swarming Death (Books 4-6): The Swarming Death Boxed Sets, #2

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Missed the previous installments?

Get the first three novellas:

Of Dragon Bones and Ashen Tears

House of Wizardry

A Kingdom to Die For

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TO DROWN ON SUNKEN LAND

1.

The rain was relentless. It poured from the heavens to pummel the lands. Lightning streaked the sky as thunder clapped.

The ground shook for miles and miles. The tremors were so violent that you could see trees falling, walls cracking, earth splitting.

Winds howled, blowing dust, rocks, branches into the air. Vision became blurry, obscured.

The sun had disappeared hours prior behind dark, shifting, angry clouds.

There were no animals in sight, not even birds. Creatures such as these can sense bad things coming. Those that had not fled to safety—assuming there was any safety left anywhere—were likely dead by now, fallen down some deep crevice.

The ship rocked left and right.

Between the assailing winds, the hurting earth, and the agitated waves, it would be a miracle if it did not go under...

And then the waters rose.

Except, it wasn’t the water that was rising...

It was the land that was sinking.

2.

It was sunny that morning when I met Sandrin at the city square. Even the cold northern breeze could not blacken my mood. I had not realized how eager I was to investigate the Krymean Crowns—even though I had no clear sense of what it was exactly that I was looking for.

My long-haired friend waved when she saw me, though I could sense right away that she was upset.

What’s wrong? I asked.

I’m not in yet, she said with a click of her tongue.

She meant the militia, of course. She had been trying for some time to enroll.

How is that possible?

Throwing her hands in the air, she shook her head. I wish I knew. What more do they want from me? Seriously! I brought them that nutjob on a platter... you’d think they’d give me some medal or something.

You want a medal?

She gave me a look. Not the point.

Well, I don’t know if this will make you feel better, but I found a ship that can take us to the Krymean Crowns... unless you’d rather wait for an answer?

What? And miss out on all the fun? No. I’m coming. Told you I would, didn’t I?

Didn’t want you to feel obliged...

She snorted as we entered a tavern to have breakfast.

According to the captain, the ship will be ready to sail tomorrow night.

You know, she remarked, we could have just ridden to the sea...

I suspect it would have been harder to find a ship that way. There are only small villages on the coast. This one’s used to making trips to Krell—at least, that’s what the captain told me. Besides, sailing a ship up the river should be quicker than riding a horse.

Sandrin made a face as we sat down. Depends how good the winds are, I suppose.

We ordered our food and, as we waited, my friend pointed at the rings on my hand.

So... you’ve never told me about those? I bet there’s a story there!

I glanced at them and smiled a little.

You could say that.

How did you get them? Was it a gift?

I was told they belonged to me.

I don’t understand...

A waiter arrived with our food. We waited for all the plates to be placed—we had quite an appetite today, it appeared—and for the man to step away.

Have you ever met any elves? I asked.

I can’t say that I have... Except for this once, but I don’t think that counts because he was unconscious for most of the time we spent together. I quirked a brow. Don’t ask. Long story. So... the rings?

I laughed. Well, elves are peculiar creatures. I lived among them a few years ago...

Wait. You were raised by elves?

No, no, not raised. I just spent time with them for a while...

Was this in Arythil? I heard that there are a lot of them there.

No. It was beyond... beyond the sea.

Oh. I didn’t realize there were elves out there...

In that place, that was all there was.

No humans at all?

That thought seemed to startle her.

Precisely. It was rather relaxing, if you ask me.

Of course you would say that, she asserted with a snort. How did you end up there anyway?

I hoped they might have answers about the box. It is such an odd looking one that I thought it might have elvish origins.

I’m guessing it doesn’t?

Not that they knew of, at least.

Surely you must have found that out quick enough, though, so why stay with them for so long?

It was peaceful, there. They fascinated me, too. And they were kind to me, unlike most humans. Either way, I continued before she had time to interrupt again, I lived among them and learned many things. No, before you ask, not magic. Not that I didn’t try, I just had no talent for it. Though to be fair to myself, I am not an elf. Elvish magic is directly connected to their being, to who they are. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for non-elves to understand it, let alone learn it. But they taught me about trees, animals, birds... and, most of all, about the elements.

Elements?

The four founding blocks of the world we all live in. Take one out, and it all crumbles apart. I pointed at the floor under our feet. Earth. I waved at the space between us. Air. I pointed at a flask the waiter had set on the table. Water. Then, my finger pointed at the chimney. Fire. All of it is connected.

Connected how?

There is a little of each in everything around us. Even our bodies include vast amounts of water and air.

Alright, but what does that have to do with your rings?

Because I could not wield magic on my own, they felt I needed some other way to access it...

Why? she asked with a frown.

"Elves are not like humans. They live with magic everywhere around them. They breathe magic. A life without it is inconceivable to them. As we became friends, it tortured them that I could not use it. They felt that it made me weak, that I would be dead within an hour of having set foot outside of their world. I tried to reason with them, to explain that I had lived twenty years without magic just fine, but they would hear none of it."

And so they gave you these?

I did not do well with magic in general, but I connected with the elements. Water, in particular, has always been good to me. Seeing this, they decided elemental rings would suit me.

So it was a gift, then...

"Yes and no. They were made specifically for me. These rings are linked to my being. They would not work for anyone else. In that sense, as they told me that day, they belonged to me from the moment they were crafted. You could say the crafting itself was the gift."

She glanced at the rings again.

So what you’re telling me is that these are infused with elvish magic? I nodded. What do they do?

I drank from my mug before setting my hand down flat on the table. Then, I pointed to each of the rings in turn. Starting with the brown one.

This is Onyx, the earth ring. It can take me to a safe place underground in the blink of an eye...

Wait, she interrupted. I thought onyx stones were supposed to be black?

Not in Essandril.

Essan what?

Essandril was the elvish kingdom where I resided for a time. They had onyx stones there that were black, brown and dark red.

Oh.

I moved to the yellow one. Citrine is the wind ring. It’ll whisk any object away and store it for me so that I don’t have to carry it with me. Finally, I pointed at the blue. And this is Turquoise, the water ring. That one is an odd one, because what it controls is time.

Sandrin blinked. Time? What does that have to do with water?

They both flow? Honestly, I don’t know. They never gave me instructions. So I was just as surprised when I found out about it.

That doesn’t make sense, she remarked. If they cared so much about you, why didn’t they explain how they worked?

Because there was nothing to tell. You have to remember that the stones are linked to my being. If I were a different person, their magic would have taken a different form. Their powers fit their owner.

I see. But that’s just three, though. What about that one?

She pointed at the red ring.

I stared at it for a moment, then closed my fist and took another swig from my mug.

I don’t know, I said softly.

What do you mean, you don’t know?

I shrugged.

Following your logic, I’m assuming it’s connected to fire?

Amethyst is the fire ring, yes.

A red amethyst?

They are not so rare in Essandril.

So what does it do?

I sighed. As I said, I wasn’t given instructions.

She stared at me for a moment.

"Correct me if I’m wrong, but what you’re telling me is that you’ve had these for, what, ten years or more, and within that time you’ve tried them all except for the fire ring?"

I gave a slight nod and turned my attention back to the food.

3.

She had a lot of questions now... of course she had. What had I expected? I had never told anyone about the rings. Why had I confided in her? It was bound to make her ask more questions. Including some uncomfortable ones that I was not ready to answer.

"So you can control time?" she asked as we left the tavern and started down a busy street.

Control might be stretching it a bit, I said with a sigh. It’s more like I can flow through it. To an extent.

So why not go back to see your father and ask him about the symbol?

The thought made me sick to my stomach. Not because I wouldn’t have wanted to see him again, let alone speak to him, but because it felt like I’d be talking to a dead person, a charred corpse... Assuming it was possible, which it was not.

I wouldn’t be able to go back that far.

Oh. So... when we got captured by those fake soldiers, couldn’t you have gone back in time to stop Farook from calling out for help?

It’s not just about what can or can’t be done, Sandrin.

What do you mean?

Elvish magic comes with a price. I have to weigh that in before I decide to use it. It’s often just not worth the trouble.

What kind of price?

We had reached the marketplace, which was the most crowded part of Aruvan. But there was a man there, kneeling in the middle of the street, with his eyes closed. He kept wobbling his head back and forth, his lips trembling silently.

There was a wide empty circle around him as people went to great lengths to not bump into him. That aside, they all acted as if the man wasn’t even there at all.

Intrigued, I started in his direction to talk with him.

Sandrin caught my arm.

Veric! What are you doing?

I pointed at the man. "Shouldn’t we be asking him that question?"

There was fright in her eyes as she shook her head.

No, no, no... you don’t interrupt priests. Ever.

I glanced back at the man.

That’s a priest?

You couldn’t have guessed from the clothes he was wearing. There was nothing unusual about them—a bright green wool shirt with a dark leather belt, neither too worn nor too new. He looked just like any other rag in the crowd. At least, I would have thought he was a rag.

Yes, she whispered. A worshiper of Shissil, from the looks of it.

How can you tell?

Look at his hands.

Every time the priest lowered his head, he would make an inverted V-shaped gesture, then press his palms against the ground. As he straightened, the arms went up, the wrists rolled, and the hands clasped together quietly.

You can tell from that?

She nodded and gave me an odd look. They teach stuff like this to every kid...

I’m not from around here, remember?

You don’t have priests where you come from?

We do, but... not like this. And why can’t we interrupt him?

She grabbed my arm and pulled me away, as if worried that I might not listen and suddenly go talk to the kneeling man—which, to be fair, I was seriously considering.

The priests are the voice of the gods. As such, they are as sacred as the gods themselves. They are not to be interrupted when they are performing their duties. And, most of all, they are not to be hurt in any way. This is very important, Veric, please tell me you understand?

I can’t say that I do.

It was not so much that I did not understand the belief of these humans as I was startled by its extreme nature. I had seen other strange customs during my travels, of course, but never in such stark contrast with that society’s other rules.

She clicked her tongue impatiently. "If there’s only one law you must follow here, this is the one. If you only but bruise a priest, any person who witnesses this would be required by law to punish you with death. Right there and then. Do you understand?"

The concern was undeniable. The imperative was unyielding.

"I