OATHBREAKER (HARDBACK)

Five hundred years ago, Rain Vale

The sky above the capital flickered alarmingly, the lightning flashing amidst the dark, twisted clouds highlighting the sinister formations threatening to rip apart the very heavens.

Tension knotted the shoulders of the Queen of the Nymphs as she stood upon the rooftop of the north tower of the castle, her wine-red cape flapping around her armor-covered legs and the broadsword in her hand. It was the highest elevation in Isyanore and the best vantage point from which she could gauge what was happening across the realm of forests, valleys, and lakes extending to pale peaks marching across the horizon like sentinels.

What she could see and sense did nothing to reassure her.

The elements were angry. She could tell from the fury of the wind tearing through the trees and the enraged roar of the rivers that crisscrossed the kingdom of the Nymphs. Even the land protested, the very bones of Rain Vale trembling under her feet as Nature railed against what was happening high above it, in a place few dared venture.

The Nether.

Whatever this is, it’s going to tear apart the realms!

The bitter taste of fear burned Kalliste’s throat as she lifted her gaze from the unnatural storm sweeping across the kingdom to the firmament once more. The disturbance in the sky could only mean one thing.

They were losing the war.

A dark premonition filled her veins. She dug her nails into her palms.

“You cannot let him defeat you, Icarus!” she mumbled to herself. “All will be lost if you do!”

“My Queen, we should get you to safety!”

Kalliste startled. She looked over her shoulder.

Galatea, the captain of the Royal Guard, fixed her with a fierce green stare from where she stood at the head of a vanguard of soldiers. Though the troops showed signs of nervousness, Kalliste knew their strength and determination would not falter in battle. Contrary to popular belief, Nymphs and Potamois were not helpless creatures in need of protection.

“There is no safe place for us in this realm or any other, Galatea,” Kalliste said bitterly. “Not if that God wins!”

A muscle jumped in Galatea’s jawline as she looked at the sky. Not only was she Kalliste’s bodyguard, she was also her closest friend and confidante. She was aware how much the war had already cost their kingdom.

“There is still hope, my Queen.” Her eyes met Kalliste’s once more, conviction a bright light burning in her pupils. “The Awakener will not be so easily defeat—”

The stillness that dropped around them stole the rest of Galatea’s words from her lips and the very air from the atmosphere. Kalliste’s ears popped. Rain Vale grew silent, the uncanny storm ripping through it abating with a suddenness that spoke of impending doom and destruction.

Galatea drew a sharp breath. Kalliste’s head whipped around, her horrified gaze following that of the captain as it locked on the sky once more. The clouds wavered and rippled high above them, drawing eerie patterns across the firmament.

The sound the heavens made as they tore open was one Kalliste would remember forever more.

Darkness throbbed along the jagged breach that hadn’t been there before. It expanded rapidly, a black scar that zigzagged across the sky. Rain Vale shook and shuddered as the Nether splintered.

Dozens of chasms cleaved the land, the very bedrock of the kingdom crumbling under the aberrant forces fracturing every realm connected to the space that defined their boundaries. Large swathes of forests and vales vanished inside the gulfs that appeared out of nowhere. Birds took to the sky in panicked droves, their wings darkening the air while the animals who could not escape bellowed and shrieked in fear beneath them. The screams of the citizens of Isyanore joined those of the hapless creatures as buildings cracked and crevasses swallowed up entire streets of the capital.

The sounds of terror filling the kingdom were echoed by those of the armored figures tumbling out of the inky rift high above the land, the remains of a divine army that had fought a deadly war to save all the realms and Heaven and the Hells themselves from destruction.

Kalliste’s stomach twisted at the sight of the monstruous, dark-winged fiends who fell after them.

War demons!

She called upon the wind and let it carry her off the tower.

“Your Majesty!” Galatea shouted, alarmed.

“Protect the city, Galatea!” Kalliste barked. “Leave the rest to me!”

The captain and her troops became rapidly dwindling figures atop the tower as she rose above the capital, their forlorn gazes following her. Kalliste ignored them.

She had but seconds left to act.

Her heart thumped heavily in her chest as she reached inside her armor and removed the Book of Rain. The artifact gleamed, the ornate filigree of gold and silver metal encasing the blue tome shimmering with a divine glow. Her mouth grew dry as she observed the book. It was heavy and cold in her hand and not at all like the Heavenly weapon it was meant to be.

It needed something else to become that.

Kalliste slowed her breathing and focused inward, as she had been taught to do by her grandmother, the first Queen of Rain Vale. Heat filtered through her veins, the godly energy in her soul core filling her body with enough force to rattle her teeth. The clasp holding the tome shut peeled open with a soft snap as it acknowledged the power of her bloodline.

Dazzling brilliance exploded from the artifact, so bright Kalliste had to squint. The tome vibrated violently in her grasp. She gnashed her teeth and hung on grimly.

Rain Vale trembled, the realm responding to the Heavenly forces contained within the Book of Rain. Pillars of light exploded into existence at the cardinal points of the realm, their shining tips glimmering faintly in the distance.

The artifact grew hot as it resonated with them. A pale barrier tore across the sky from the bright columns, the translucent veil barely visible except for where the light struck it at an angle. It coalesced above the capital and all around the realm, taking the brunt of the damage the tear in the Nether was causing.

The quakes shaking the land started to subside.

Awe filled Kalliste as she watched the chaos outside the protective bubble enclosing her kingdom. Though she had heard tales of what the Book of Rain could do, it was her first time seeing it in action.

A flash amidst the churning shadows darkening the sky caught her eye. Horror filled Kalliste when she realized what was about to happen.

No! She grasped the artifact in her hand and willed her intent upon it, her pulse racing. Please! Save them!

The shield wavered seconds before the armored angels and demons who had fought on their side of the desperate War in the Nether struck it, letting them pass without killing them.

The war demons and monsters who formed the enemy faction smashed upon the barrier with loud cracks and thuds a moment later, their screams of pain and rage rumbling across the kingdom as it obliterated them. Some slipped through the gaps where the angels and their demon allies fell.

Kalliste scowled and shot up into the air. Galatea and her troops joined her rapidly as she started felling their enemy.

The blood of the war demons and Hells’ beasts rained upon Isyanore, a cursed drizzle that felt like it would stain the land forever more. Kalliste wielded her sword and the dazzling artifact in her hand with fury, bolts of light shooting from the book to dispose of those foes who escaped her attack and that of her army.

The terrible screeches tearing the sky above the capital finally faded as the last of the fiends and their monstruous accomplices met a ghastly end.

Kalliste’s chest heaved where she floated high above the land, her breaths shuddering in and out of her lungs. Though she was a demigod, battling war demons and Hells’ monsters was a task that would take a toll on even the strongest deity. She wiped sweat and blood from her face and had just turned to head to where Galatea was when the Book of Rain throbbed in her hand, startling her.

Her stomach twisted as a burst of cognizance flared through her soul core. Instinct drew her gaze to the sky. The tear in the Nether was closing beyond the barrier that had protected Rain Vale, the unusual darkness within the void roiling viciously as it was forced back where it belonged.

An armored figure with one white wing intact slipped through just before it sealed shut.

Kalliste froze. She recognized the long, flowing hair and slate-blue armor of the being falling limply toward the ground.

No!

She moved, as swift as light, and caught the Guardian some thousand feet from the valley floor. Bile flooded her throat when she clocked the extensive injuries he had incurred.

The left side of his face and body were missing.

His right eye fluttered open, revealing a beautiful, sapphire iris dulled by pain and shock. “Ka…llis…te?”

“Hush, Rohengar,” she whispered, sorrow a heavy weight in her chest.

They both knew the wounds he bore were fatal.

Kalliste carried the dying demigod to a low hill just outside the city. It was where the majority of those who had fallen from the Nether had crash landed, their winged bodies carving deep grooves in the land before they came to a standstill, powerful frames shuddering and barely conscious from the injuries they had borne.

Already, the citizens of Isyanore were rushing through the gates of the city to help them.

Blood burst from Rohengar’s lips as she landed lightly on the hillock. Kalliste carefully lowered him to the ground, tears swarming her vision. Dirt and grass darkened beneath Rohengar as he bled, the warm, crimson flow pulsing with every beat of his dying heart and soul core.

“You used the Book of Rain,” he whispered.

Kalliste wiped her cheeks and met Rohengar’s sad gaze. “Yes.”

A shadow swept over them. Galatea landed a short distance away and hurried over. “My Queen! Is that—?!”

Kalliste met the captain’s eyes and dipped her chin wordlessly. Galatea’s shoulders drooped, grief leeching the color from her face.

Light flashed at the corner of Kalliste’s vision.

Rohengar had opened his right fist. Lying in his palm, blazing with Heaven’s power, was a shard of light. Kalliste stared.

“The Spear of Light resonated—” Rohengar stopped and swallowed convulsively, “it resonated with the Book of Rain when you activated it…”

Kalliste’s eyes rounded.

“That’s what drew it here.” Rohengar smiled weakly. “And me.”

Understanding dawned belatedly. The Spear of Light was identical to the four pillars the Book of Rain had triggered into existence from within the heart of Rain Vale. It was one of the many reasons Rohengar had often left the Nether to visit the realm, the weapon he wielded seemingly just as hungry to taste the air of the land it had been born upon as he was.

The South Star and Guardian of the Nether placed the shard in her hand and closed his fingers atop hers. “Keep it safe, Kalliste…” A tortured gasp rattled his chest, distorting his words for a moment. “It is for the next South Star…to…wield…”

Kalliste swallowed a sob. She could feel Death’s shadow racing across Rain Vale to harvest the soul of the demigod.

“Tell Icarus that I…love him…” The light faded from Rohengar’s eye as he stared up at the sky. “And that I…do not…blame…him…” A soft smile curved the South Star’s lips. “My only regret remains that I failed…to tell the one…I cherished with all my…heart…how I truly…felt…about…him…”

Kalliste froze as Rohengar grew still. The South Star’s smile lingered long after he passed, the Guardian oblivious to the sounds of sorrow that would echo through Rain Vale for decades after the news of his demise spread across the kingdom.

FALLEN MESSENGERS SERIES
Fractured Souls
Spellbound
Edge Lines
Oathbreaker
Harbinger
Crimson Skies
Wicked - Fallen Messengers Short Story Collection

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