Dreams of Fury: Descendants of the Fall Book IV by Hodges, Aaron (most important books to read .txt) 📗

hidden in the shadows. But the unrelenting agony she had used to torture him had at least vanished.

Somehow, he was not surprised to see the human and young Anahera from the mountains, the ones that had escaped. Even less so the half-blood queen. After witnessing her fight on the river, Adonis had known she would come.

But why had Maisie followed them here?

Beyond the three with power, she stood with another human, armed only by a simple blade. No magic or strength to protect her, just a regular sword, barely enough to fend off a feeble human, let alone the strength of the Old One.

When he’d first seen her, he’d wanted to scream for her to run, to flee. But even with his mind restored, his Voice remained mute, unable to reach out in warning to the Anahera, let alone the Voiceless Maisie. He couldn’t save her this time. He couldn’t even save himself.

Instead Adonis remained hidden, locked in his master’s metal grip, waiting for what was to come, to witness the doom of humanity and his own kind both.

“Give up, Maya.” To his surprise, it was Maisie who finally spoke. “You’re all alone, outnumbered. Your time has come.”

Laughter answered the human’s words. Adonis might have laughed with the Old One. Little did the poor human know the darkness she faced.

“Human, it seems I underestimated you. I should have realised one of your kind, even injured and alone, would find a way to survive. Had I known Adonis could be so easily influenced by your words, I would have killed you both that day.” Maya’s words turned to a cackle. “But you are wrong, my dear child. I am not alone.”

At her words, Adonis felt a compulsion, the pressure returning to his mind as the Old One refocused her attention on him. Though her Voice was weaker than it had been earlier, it was still enough to propel him forward. Head lowered, Adonis stepped into the light of the human’s magic. A hiss of inhaled breath followed his appearance.

“Adonis.”

Despite Maya’s compulsion, Adonis’s head jerked up at that, surprised at the emotion in Maisie’s voice. But his ears did not deceive him, as looking upon the swirls of her aura, he read the impossible rainbow of the human’s soul.

He wanted to speak to her, to ask what had become of the Anaheran children—but instead the full force of Maya’s Voice returned, crashing upon him like a landslide. And instead of reaching out with his Voice, a soft rumble came from his throat and he drew back his lips, the hatred in his heart responding to Maya’s own. In that moment, Adonis saw again the truth, that this was the creature who had tricked him, that had caused him to betray his own people.

Fists clenched, teeth bared, he took a step towards the human.

“Adonis,” the human gasped, retreating from him. “No…”

Anger raged within Adonis, at his naivety, his foolishness, that he had allowed this pathetic creature to manipulate him, to trick him. He wanted to reach out and tear her apart, to finally earn redemption.

Only Maya’s Voice held him back.

“I suppose it was for the best,” the Old One mused, her words mocking as she addressed the human. “Tell me, how are your new allies, the Anahera? I do not see them here, apart from their rebellious daughter.” Her smile grew as the humans said nothing. “Oh my poor dears, did they abandon you?” Laughter echoed through the tunnel. “It is good to know they shall never change. The Tangata might be weak and foolish, but at least they are not craven.”

Her words pierced the fog of Adonis’s thoughts, and for a moment he was as a man drowning, struggling to keep his consciousness above the miasma of Maya’s power. He clenched his fists, yearning to turn and strike at his captor, but…

…instead all he managed was a growl. Maya laughed again, though this time it seemed her mirth was directed at him…

“For what it’s worth, human, know that the Anahera will not escape me,” Maya whispered. “When your civilisation burns and the world belongs to me, I will have my servants hunt them down, bring them my retribution. Just as extinction beckons for humanity, so it will come for them.”

A growl answered Maya’s words as the winged one straightened, eyes flashing in the darkness. “The only extinction that beckons is yours, Maya.”

Silence fell as the Old One regarded her foes, a smile touching her lips. “An unusual alliance,” she mused. “I have read your hearts, know your minds. If this is the best your kind can send against me, I am not impressed. Three women, rejected, spurned by their own blood, by their people. How far the world has fallen.” She spread her hands and grinned. “But very well, children. Come to me, and I will gladly grant the death you seek.”

34

The Sovereign

A snarl tore from Lukys’s lips as a Tangata leapt at him, evading his guards and reaching for his throat. Reacting faster than he’d thought himself capable, Lukys spun his spear and drove the point up through the creature’s heart, sending it screaming into the void. But he barely heard the creature’s Voice as it cried out—his attention was only half on the events in Mildeth, the assault upon the walls.

His other half was far away, tangled in the minds of his friends, supporting them as they fought in the darkness.

And despite his efforts, they were losing.

He could sense their furious battle, the exchange of blows and screams. But even as those in the caverns struggled, Maya worked her mind upon them, peeling at the layers of their consciousness, feeding on their base emotions, seeking to turn them against one another.

Only Lukys’s desperate efforts kept her from succeeding, as he used all the strength of his Voice to bolster his friends’ courage, to keep the Old One from their minds.

His efforts were slowly failing, as Maya crept through the gaps in his defences, or tore them apart when