Aeternitas by M Mixson (free ereaders txt) 📖

couldn’t hear her over the din of the pain.

Zese who had been at the top of the hill had seen everything. Horror stroked up his spine as he ran down the hill, skidding around soldiers and mercenaries alike. His breath came fast and hard as fear ran through his veins.

Not too far away he could see Ohiel running towards Eian as well. Five months ago Ohiel had been conscripted into another army apart from Eian and Zese. He was still fighting the same battlefield but it had become a three way battle instead of a two way.

When he reached Eian’s side he could see no wound on him. “Eian? Eian?” he called.

Ohiel reached them a few minutes later. “How is he?” he asked.

“I can’t find a wound on him anywhere.”

Ohiel looked around and saw Isia lying on the ground a gaping wound in her breastbone.

“Oh god,” he gasped and moved Isia into his arms. “Zese, Zese, we can’t save him until we help Isia. They are so connected that if she dies he will die.”

Zese turned to him. “What do we do then?”

“We save her.”

“Impossible…” Isia gasped out.

Eian was still squirming in pain and tears streaked his cheeks.

“Save her!” he murmured.

Isia gripped Ohiel’s hand. “I’ve been wounded by a sword…a sword of silver. I won’t live. There is no way. Bring me to him and I can save him.”

Ohiel carried her over to where Eian was moaning in Zese’s arms.

She reached out with bloody palms and traced a sigil onto his forehead. Leaning forward she pressed a kiss atop the sigil then when she rose it was glowing. A white light emanated from around her and then sank into the sigil which flared once before dying out.

Isia went limp in Ohiel’s arms. Eian shot up from Zese’s arms and leaned over Isia, shaking her. “Isia, Isia, Isia! Please, please!” Tears beaded in his eyes again, blinded him as he wept over Isia’s death.

Zese gasped this time and Eian whirled around in fear, “What? Zese, what’s wrong?”

Ohiel gasped to and raised a hand to his mouth. “Eian…”

“What?”

Zese came forward and slanted his sword so Eian could see his reflection.

His once dark hair was now pure white that seemed to have a hue of blue to it. His eyes too had a blue tone. He sank back onto his heels in shock. “What-?”

“You’ve become…” Ohiel began.

“…part Source.” Zese ended.

Eian raised a hand to his hair and tugged on it gently. It felt the same and looked the same besides the small fact that it was white.

The war raged on around him as he contemplated his future.

Chapter 24: Revisiting the Past

Eian experimented a little with his new magic. It had less limitations now that he was half Source. He danced an ice blue flame across his palm and Zese who was leaning against a post watched silently with a little apprehension.

Eian looked over at him. “Something wrong?”

He shrugged. “It’s a little strange to see you like this. You look…like something not from this world.”

Eian’s mouth twitched up a bit. “It does seem to strike some fear into the hearts of the men who see me on the battlefield.”

Eian over the past few weeks had learned that he could manipulate the earth and the weather to cause problems for his enemies and therefore keep them off balance while the army attacked. The earth that had split a while back was still of some concern and Eian had a feeling he knew what had done it. His eyes twinkled as he raised his hand and the earth bucked gently beneath Zese’s feet.

Zese rolled his eyes and stepped forward walking as the earth moved beneath his feet.

When he reached Eian he touched the young man’s shoulder. “I’ve got to go now. Be careful and I’ll see you soon.” He was gone in a cloud of fog that rolled in.

“Stop being dramatic,” Zese called back as the fog dissipated.

Eian watched him go with a bit of apprehension due to the fact that even though Eian was more powerful he was also more vulnerable.

He twirled the flame around his hand before letting it go out. He walked back into the tent whereupon he sank onto his knees and drew an altar from the ground. He prayed to other Source’s asking for guidance, but there was none to be had. The other Source’s refused to help him. The first time he’d talked to them after Isia’s death he found that they blamed him for it. He’d apologized – tried to talk to them and say he had loved her.

They had not believed him. They had wanted to strip him of the power Isia had granted him but because her dying wish could not be revoked (her dying wish had been for him to live) they had had to let him keep his powers.

He stood from the altar and gazed out at the serene night hoping that Ohiel was doing well after the whole Isia incident.

In fact Ohiel was more worried about Eian than he was about what his own fate was.

He watched as the stars circled the sky and marveled at the universe. As he stared at the stars something occurred to him. He moved out towards the huge crack in the earth and looked up again. The stars aligned above the earth’s crack.

He swallowed heavily and looked towards the east – the way the crack had originated from. Then he turned and faced the west – the way towards the sea.

He stepped a few feet in that direction and nearly jumped with shock when Zese came up behind him. “What are you up to?”

“Look at the crack in the earth, and then look at the sky.” He pointed up.

Zese looked up and he frowned not seeing anything.

“You really should be more careful with who you associate with Zese.”

Jiliy grinned as he melted out of the shadows. “I lied a bit. I don’t just detect magic, I can perform it as well.”

A sibilant green-yellow flame peaked in his hand. His hair was pitch dark, as dark as the night sky and his eyes as green as the flame he was wielding.

Zese took a step back. “I see what your friend is talking about. It leads the way to Venicia doesn’t it? Some god decided he wanted to toy with us, hmm?”

Ohiel didn’t deign to reply to Jiliy’s taunt. Instead he turned to Zese. “Go back to bed, this isn’t going to go anywhere. If it is a god then the type of trick they’d play would be to make us go on a wild goose hunt.”

Zese nodded and took off towards Eian’s camp.

Ohiel faced Jiliy. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?”

The User smiled. “Oh yes, the last time, hmm, was on the island when you thought I’d died right?”

Jiliy? Where was Jiliy? Ohiel thought to himself as he raced about the island. Blose found him sitting on a rock with his head in his hands.

“I can’t believe I lost him!” Ohiel shouted with frustration.

Blose shook her head. “It’s not your fault. We didn’t realize that the natives had come back to this part. We’ll find him.”

“If they don’t find us first,” Ohiel muttered.

Blose picked up his hand. “They won’t. It’s said in those stories over there that they only harm those who mean to harm them. Or something like that.”

“We’ve managed to survive here for four years without upsetting the natives. How come they attacked again all of a sudden?”

Blose raised her shoulders helplessly. “We barely speak their language. I’m not sure.”

Ohiel again scrubbed his hands over his face. “Well. We’ll go look for him again. Maybe he’ll be found somewhere.”

Blose looked down, a sad look on her face.

“I know you doubt us finding him, but we have to try! He saved me!”

Blose licked her lips. “I’m sorry…I just don’t, I’d rather keep you safe.” And that was all she said on the matter.

Although he looked for months he never did find any sign of his missing friend.

“You see,” Jiliy said, “The natives saw me tearing some of their, what do you call it, voodoo hoodoo? Whatever it was down. They tried to kill me but when I killed two of them they came to respect me. I asked them about their magic and they were more than willing to welcome me into their group.”

He snorted. “They trained me for three years. Then when I saw you had finally managed to wave down a ship I went back to the natives and asked them to grant me the rest of my power. They agreed when they heard that more men like you were coming. After a long, trying ceremony I got my power.” Jiliy grinned. “Then that night while they slept I murdered the whole village. Some I stabbed to death and others I locked inside the buildings and burned them alive.”

Ohiel’s eyes had widened in horror.

“It’s one reason I came out here. War is interesting. I was planning on slaughtering the entire army…but then I saw him.”

Ohiel almost hated to ask. “Who?”

Jiliy grinned again. “The beautiful young man Zese was hanging onto. The one who is now a Source. I will devour him for his power if he won’t convert to me.”

“I’d never convert to someone like you!” Eian’s voice rang out strong against the backdrop of the night. “I would never resort to something like murder.”

Jiliy turned towards him. “Well then, I guess we’ll have our own personal war.”

Chapter 25: First Glimpse

Aimeer was an inventor, a very good one at that. He was currently watching the two men face off against each other. He was more concerned with the fact that the stars were aligned with the crack. He knew from listening into the conversation that they thought they should head towards the sea.

He knew however that that was incorrect. Tides and shifting of the earth had changed the spot in which Venicia had sunk. They would not find it in the west of the east. He turned towards the north and grinned. The city would be that way. He set off at a swift pace, one he thought that would keep him ahead in case any of the other men decided to follow him.

He hurried along his footsteps banging on the dry dusty ground as he headed towards the snowy mountains. He leapt across a stone and tripped when he found that there had been a shorter stone behind the larger