Force: Book Two of the Zoya Chronicles Read online

  “You’re leaving,” he said. His chest was heaving, his eyes were wild.

  Shocked, “Why?” she asked. “You said it’s instant death out there!”

  “Then I’ll leave,” he said.

  “No, I want to talk to you,” she said. She reached for him, desperately. The same way she had reached for him all those years ago.

  He shook his head violently and started throwing things into a pack.

  “I came all this way to get away from you,” he said roughly. “How dare he send you here?”

  Tory didn’t have anything to say. Tears started forming. “Fine,” she yelled back at him. “Leave me again! I never asked to be your daughter.”

  “You don’t understand,” he said gruffly, “I’m out here to protect you.” He was struggling to put on his layers overtop of his clothing.

  “Protect me from what?” she asked desperately.

  He stopped and looked at her, “Myself. You have to leave this place,” his face was soft. He was pleading with her. “Please Tory. For me. Leave. I can’t control it…”

  He buried his head in his hands. “No,” he pleaded, “not her. Anyone but her.” He sobbed and his massive shoulders wracked with grief.

  “Something’s happening,” Black Eyes said. “He’s changing.”

  “Clearly,” Tory muttered. She wiped her tears. She wouldn’t run from him, no matter how much he wanted her to.

  His sobbing stopped instantly. His hands lowered in a jerking motion. He looked at her and Tory tried to step back but the wall stopped her. His eyes were white and milky. The beautiful dark brown was covered with a milky haze.

  “I am desperately sorry about my outburst,” he said, head jerking slightly. He got to his feet and picked up the cup from the ground. He wasn’t moving fluidly anymore. It was deliberate, mechanical.

  Tory was far more scared now than she had been when he had been angry.

  “I will finish our tea,” he said. He walked over to the kettle and busied himself.

  “Not good,” Black Eyes said.

  Tory couldn’t even nod. She just stood at the back of the bed, paralyzed.

  Her father turned and walked her over a cup of tea. His head cocked awkwardly when he gave it to her and he smiled. The smile was too big and crooked.

  “Drink this,” he said, eyes white, “it will make you feel better.”

  Tory nodded and reached for the cup. “He fucking put something in it,” Black Eyes said hurriedly. “Tory don’t!”

  “It’s why I’m here,” Tory said. She took the cup. It rattled in her hand a bit, like someone was trying to knock it out of her grip. She steeled herself and drained the contents, staring at her father over the rim the whole time.

  The effect was instantaneous. The world swirled around her and blurred. The man in front of her, the one who used to be her father, smiled crookedly. She reached out for him. The cup dropped to the bed and she fell backwards. It all seemed to happen in slow motion.

  She heard Black Eyes yell for her but she couldn’t do anything about it. She fell backwards. Instead of landing in the bed, she fell into a black liquid. It swallowed her. She tried desperately to claw her way to the surface but she couldn’t. Her lungs burned and she held her breath as long as she could. She clawed her way up to the light but something was pulling her down.

  Finally, after ages, she couldn’t resist anymore. Her lungs were going to explode. She breathed in, expecting the pain of water filling her lungs. Instead the world spun again and she was dropped onto a hard floor on one knee. Her hands slapped the ground hard. The spinning slowly stopped and she was standing right behind Eli.

  He didn’t see her, he was looking intently through a door in front of him. Tory rushed forward. She was so excited. She hadn’t seen Eli in years.

  “Eli!” she said and tried to grab his shoulder. She couldn’t, her hand passed right through. Eli ignored her and kept staring. Tory couldn’t see what he was looking at.

  “ELI!” she yelled. The door burst inwards and Eli leapt backwards. He didn’t have time to run. She could see the fear on his face. A hand grabbed him by the front of the throat and pulled him forwards. He flew off of his feet and inside the door. It slammed behind him.

  “Eli,” Tory said and fell to her knees. She fell through the floor again. The black water engulfed her. This time, instead of struggling, she relaxed and took a deep breath in.

  She was thrown on to solid ground again. This time she was prepared for it and kept her feet. Her knees buckled with the force of the impact.

  She was standing in the middle of a town of scared-looking people. There were Sun Gods with their weapons drawn. It was evening, but the wind coming from the west was warm. The people were looking through her to something behind her.

  She turned and her heart fell when she saw Jules. He was on his knees. A Sun God was pushing him down so his chest was over a piece of wood. The Captain was standing beside him.

  “This man is a traitor to the Sun Gods and your king,” the Captain yelled. “He has been sentenced to death.”

  Tory rushed forward to help him. The Captain bent over Jules and whispered something to him. Jules’ eyes went wide and he started struggling. “No!” he yelled desperately. The Captain raised her sword high.

  “No!” Tory yelled, reaching for him. The sword started its downward arc. Suddenly, the Captain dropped her sword and sputtered. A feathered shaft stuck out of her neck. She grabbed at her throat. Chaos erupted in the people around her. She watched Jules stand up, confused. A large man who looked like a fisherman ran up to him.

  The earth turned into black water again and swallowed Tory. She breathed. She landed with a little bit of a buckle in a prison made of sand. She saw Ujarak sitting in a prison, examining his finger nails. Her heart leapt and she reached for him. He looked up suddenly and stared at her. Eyes boring into her.

  She stepped back quickly. No one else had been able to see her. No one else had known she was there. Their eyes locked. He smiled at her, the smile he saved just for her. He gave her a slight nod and returned to examining his nails.

  The ground swallowed her again. She wanted desperately to stay with her love but she couldn’t. She knew she couldn’t. She landed with a thud in Ismat. She recognized it right away. It was dark out but a massive bonfire ahead of her lit up the Melanthios faces around her. She recognized the outlines of two people ahead of her staring at the fire. Her heart beat in her chest and she made her way carefully to them.

  “It’s only started,” the Shaman said.

  “I know,” Senka replied.

  Tory was shocked. She didn’t know what to think. Senka was back? She wandered forward more and she saw Senka burning on the pyre. But she was standing right in front of her, talking to the Shaman.

  “You will come back,” the Shaman said.

  “Haven’t I earned rest?” Senka asked.

  “While the evil lives, no one can rest.”

  The Shaman ended his cryptic note. He opened his mouth. His skin bubbled and boiled. Flames shot out of his mouth and eyes. The Shaman erupted into fire. The sparks flew so high that some landed on a thatched roof of a shack close to the bonfires. The house burst into flames. People screamed and the flames soon spread. Tory rushed to go grab water but she couldn’t find any. She saw Ujarak run into a burning shack. The ground turned soft and she started to sink again.

  “No!” she yelled. She pulled at the sinking black water. She watched the shack that Ujarak entered burn around him. The water was rising, pulling her in.

  “No!” she yelled again. She started clawing at the hard ground around her. She needed to see what happened to Ujarak. She was desperate to see. There were screams all around her and people were running around. Then, after ages, she saw Ujarak burst through the door of the shack with Jules draped around his shoulders. She smiled and let go of the ground. She was pulled into the water without a sound.

  She landed again. This time she was inside a dark h
all. There were flickering lights above her head. She couldn’t place them. They weren’t fire and were too yellow for Pulse lights. The walls were thick, grey and smooth. She had never seen anything like them before. She heard the padding of feet behind her and she turned. Her stomach lurched. She saw Senka in clothes that she had never seen before. Beside her was a small wolf-like creature. But it was dressed in a vest. Senka was holding something in front of her, pointing it ahead. It was small and black. Her finger was on a sort of trigger on the bottom.

  Tory watched them run by. Senka didn’t see her. She turned the corner. Tory watched Senka aim the metal weapon and quickly pull the trigger three times. Three men down the hallway dropped dead. Tory had never seen such a weapon, her mouth gaped at how clean and easy the kills were. Senka aimed at the ceiling. A light down the hall from her exploded in sparks. Tory reached for her but she couldn’t touch her. The floor melted away again.

  This time Tory landed just in a black space.

  “About time you showed up,” the Shaman said to her. He was exactly as she remembered, hunched and grey, holding his staff.

  “What the fuck is going on?” Tory asked sharply. Her voice was hoarse. She must have been yelling at some point. With all that she had just seen, she wasn’t surprised. Her chest was heaving and she tried her best to steady her breathing. The stump on her hand was hurting and she had ripped out a fingernail clawing at the ground trying to get to Ujarak. She heard her blood hitting the ground in a slow drip. She had bled through her bandage.

  “So much you don’t know,” he said. He stared at her and snapped his fingers. Senka’s bow appeared on her back with her quiver of arrows. He smiled. He fiddled with his staff a bit and removed the large red crystal from the top.

  “So why don’t you tell me then,” she snapped. She moved her shoulders. It felt good to have the bow back. “Is this real?” she asked more calmly.

  “Past, present, future. All are real,” he held the crystal out to her. “There is much for you to learn. We were never supposed to meet here. Cass’s Remiel will show you the way,” he nodded towards the ruby. Tory took it. It was the size of her fist. She put it in her pocket.

  “You are about to face trials you can’t possibly imagine,” the Shaman said. “Don’t make my mistake. Don’t try to control. Just guide. I caused all of this because I tried to control. We have no more time. I died for this very moment, one that was never supposed to occur,” the Shaman turned away.

  “I don’t understand!” Tory yelled.

  “You aren’t meant to,” the Shaman said, almost desperately. “Fear not, dear child. Fear not.”

  Tory felt the floor go soft under her feet again. She wanted desperately to stay with the Shaman. She wanted answers. With a last look at his back, she was engulfed in the black water again.

  Tory dropped again. This time she was in a chamber. It was decorated with gold and purple. A tribal symbol of a wasp was repeated throughout the room in patterns and painted on the wall. The earth moved slightly beneath her feet. There was a woman, gorgeous and blonde, sitting draped across a velvet chair. Her long body was covered in a sheer silver dress. She was adorned with rubies, from her head to her toes. She smiled at Tory when she dropped unceremoniously into her dinner chamber.

  “My dear Roald,” she called. Her voice was beautiful and silky. She stood up. She was easily six feet tall. Much taller than Tory. “Our visitor is here.” Tory couldn’t place the accent. It was as foreign as the woman in front of her.

  Tory took a step back hesitantly. The woman was staring right at her. She had beautiful green eyes that stared at her, unblinking. Tory was afraid.

  A man, Roald, stepped into the chamber. “Yes, dearest Malin?” he said to the woman. He was taller than the woman. Broad shouldered, with hair so blond it was white. He had short hair, almost shaved. He was dressed in furs. He walked up to the woman and kissed her hand. The woman, Malin, nodded as he did. He rose and she looked pointedly towards Tory.

  “Ah!” Roald said smoothly. He opened his arms wide, “Welcome, dear stranger.”

  Tory took another step back. She wanted to ask so many questions. She was confused and terrified beyond anything before. The ground shifted under her feet again.

  “You have no reason to be afraid,” Roald said kindly. He smiled, but his brown eyes did not.

  “You are an expected guest, Tory,” Malin said. They were speaking to her softly, welcomingly.

  “How do you know my name?” Tory asked. She glanced around. The chamber was large and she was trapped in the middle. There was a table and two chairs behind her with two large plush chairs in front of her. There was a lot of room to manoeuver but there were only two doors in the chamber. Roald and Malin, as they called themselves, were between her and the doors.

  “We’ve had our eyes on you for a long time,” Malin said, sickly sweet.

  “Since you were born, in fact,” Roald added. “And please, sit and eat. I’m sorry, we forget ourselves as hosts sometimes.”

  “I’m good standing,” Tory said curtly. “Back to the point, why have you been watching me since I was born?”

  “Well that was not entirely true,” Malin said. “Your father was gifted with the opportunity to prove himself to our cause. It seems he did not free you from your earthly bonds as he led us to believe twenty years ago.”

  Tory was confused, her head was reeling. “Wait, you wanted him to kill me twenty years ago?”

  Malin opened her arms welcomingly. She looked hurt. “My dearest child. We offer salvation from the cruelty of this world. Your father was sent to free you from terrible decisions. That is our gift to you.”

  “Well I’m not in a receiving mood,” Tory said. She was suddenly bone tired. She had just been hit with wave after wave of visions and information. “Why would you want to kill me in the first place? What am I to you? I’ve never heard of you, nor do we have a quarrel.”

  Roald sent Malin a warning glance, “It was not aimed at you, specifically, child. We merely wanted to test your father’s allegiance.”

  “He’s lying,” Black Eyes’ voice whispered, barely audible in her ear. Tory kept herself from jumping. She hadn’t expected Black Eyes to be here.

  Malin looked at her sadly, “If you’re not with us, we will have to take that choice away from you.”

  “You can’t take any choice away from me,” Tory said. “You can kill me, but I make my own choices.”

  “Unfortunately, we can,” Roald said lowly, eyes sad.

  “It’s for your own good,” Malin said. “A small sacrifice of fear, then you won’t have to make a decision again. We take away the burden.”

  Tory took another uneasy step back. She shrugged the bow off of her shoulder. Malin looked sad.

  “It’s for your own good, you know,” Malin said, eyes downcast.

  Roald snapped his fingers.

  “Run!” Black Eyes yelled. But there was no time.

  Sun Gods ran in to the chambers through the doors. There were at least six of them, all in full, glinting armour. Tory took the bow from her shoulder and fired an arrow into one’s throat. He dropped. Others replaced him. She ducked a sword and stabbed one through the throat with an arrow then pulled back and fired it into another’s eye.

  An arrow whizzed over her shoulder. She couldn’t believe that they were behind her already. She ducked and pivoted and fired all in one movement.

  She saw it in slow motion again.

  Black Eyes was standing behind her. Beautiful, tall, elegant Black Eyes. She had forgotten what she looked like. She had only been a voice in her head. Black Eyes coughed, Tory’s arrow sticking out of her chest.

  “No!” Tory yelled, sobbing. She ran forward and skidded towards Black Eyes on her knees. She cradled her head in her hands.

  “Not again,” Tory sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry Black Eyes.”

  Tory noticed that even the whites of Black Eyes’ eyes were black, instead of just the irises.

&
nbsp; Something was wrong.

  She heard Roald say behind her, “She’s ready for you, my dear.”

  Black Eyes was staring at her, dead. Tory was trying to memorize her face again. Then Black Eyes winked. It was so subtle that Tory barely saw it, but it was there.

  She turned fast but Malin was already directly behind her, staring at her in the eyes. Tory noticed that the Sun Gods, both dead and alive, were gone. It had just been a vision, a hallucination. The room was exactly as it had been.

  “So noble,” Malin said softly, gently. “Being most afraid of taking a friend’s life.” Her green eyes were calling to her. Tory couldn’t look away. They were mesmerizing.

  “If you join us, you never have to be afraid of that again,” Malin said. She stroked her cheek. Her hands were warm, inviting.

  Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad, Tory thought, staring at the gentle green eyes, feeling the warm hand on her cheek. Maybe not thinking about it would be good.

  She felt her body relax.

  “That’s it, child,” Malin said, so softly, so sweetly that Tory didn’t know why she had mistrusted her in the first place. “Just relax. Then you never have to be afraid again.”

  Tory nodded slowly, dumbly. It all made perfect sense, really. Just to be able to live with no regrets. She had no idea why she had wanted to escape. She felt a burning start in her right leg. It focused her a little, distracted her from Malin’s eyes and sweet voice.

  Malin’s eyes focused a bit. “No, pay no attention to that,” she said, a little harsher, “Focus on me. You are so close.”

  Tory tried to listen but the burning was growing in her thigh. She couldn’t figure out why.

  It’s that stone, she thought, the one the Shaman gave to you. The one he called the Remiel stone.

  The burning was getting unbearable. She fumbled around in her right pocket. She shook her head and took a step back from Malin.

  She saw the gentle eyes turn to rage and Malin lifted her hand to slap her. Tory grabbed the stone, cool to the touch now, and lifted it in front of her face, trying to block the blow.

  A force erupted from the ruby with a bright red light. Malin and Roald were thrown back hard against the walls of the chamber. The table and chairs were thrown with such force that they shattered. It stopped as fast as it occurred. Malin and Roald slid down the walls. Tory figured they must have been knocked unconscious with the force.