Divine Apostasy Book 7 - Chapter 86

Chapter 86

Shouting broke Ruwen out of his trance of self-loathing.

“You’re one of them!” Sift shouted, no longer wearing the Ink Lord Wrap.

“I saved your life!” Echo screamed back. She pointed at the dead bodies. “Why didn’t you help them! You’re useless!”

Ruwen pushed himself to his feet and stumbled toward Echo and Sift, ten feet away. He rubbed his eyes and cheeks dry.

“How could you let your friends do this?” Sift shouted.

“They’re not my friends!” Echo screamed back and raised her elbow at Sift.

Sift growled, his eyes and skin turning white.

“Stop!” Ruwen yelled. He reached the pair and stood between them. “Can we stop shouting.”

Sift took a deep breath and asked in a somewhat lower voice. “Did you know she was one of those things?”

“I only recently figured that out,” Ruwen responded, remembering the shock of seeing Echo transform into Death as she activated his Scarecrow’s Infernal Bind point in the Black Pyramid’s kitchen. He turned to Echo. “Why did you help?”

Echo narrowed her eyes, and her Disposition Aura went from light pink to dark red. The scent of cinnamon saturated the air. Rage filled her response. “You need to ask?”

Ruwen held up his hands. “I’m just trying to understand. He’s your father after all.”

Echo took a deep breath and slowly released it. The Disposition Aura lightened but remained darker than before. “Yes, he’s my father. Yes, I’m conflicted. But I took the same oaths as you.”

Ruwen nodded, finally understanding. “So our Clan oaths remain in effect, even when you become your Aspect.” That explained why Echo helped them. Her oaths had forced her into action as soon as she learned of the trouble.

Echo shook her head. “They aren’t. Death is free and unbound except for possibly one blood oath. Blood magic is different. More personal. But our Clan oaths,” she shook her head. “Powerless.”

“What does that mean?” Sift asked.

Ruwen made a fist, placed his left palm on top, and bowed to Echo. “My apologies Sister, for doubting you.”

Echo still glared at Ruwen, but the Disposition Aura returned to its light pink color. “You should be.” She turned back to Sift and placed an index finger on his chest, pushing him backward. “And so should this clown.”

Sift tightened his jaw, and Ruwen spoke to him over Chat. She didn’t need to help. Her Aspect doesn’t feel the weight of our oaths. We owe her.

Sift closed his eyes and sighed. He took a step backward and bowed to Echo. “Thank you, Sister.”

Echo flashed Sift her elbow again, muttered “stupid clowns,” and strode to Nymthus, who had finished arranging the bodies with their owner’s head.

Misery punched Ruwen in the stomach and he forced himself to keep his eyes open. He stepped over to Nymthus and blurted his confession, the need for honesty almost as painful as the sorrow of everyone’s death.

“This is my fault,” Ruwen said.

“No, wait,” Sift said as he came up next to Ruwen. “This is my fault. If I hadn’t wanted to fight that Champion, we wouldn’t have split up. We could have reacted faster. Better maybe.”

Ruwen stepped in front of Sift. “You bear no responsibility for this. I made two huge mistakes that cost all these lives.”

Sift opened his mouth to argue and Ruwen shook his head. “Listen to me, and you’ll know.”

Sift nodded.

Ruwen let out a long breath and locked gazes with Nymthus. “I let these creatures live. I had the power to destroy them, and I didn’t. If I had, your friends would still be here. Their families would get to see them again, and your world wouldn’t be lost.” He swallowed hard as the guilt tightened his throat. “Then I destroyed that Infernal Crossing Ring and took four others bringing the Infernal Lord’s gaze to this place. They came because I let them live and because I all but invited them here.”

“Unless Death told her dad about you and they would have come anyway,” Sift said.

Ruwen could actually here Echo grinding her teeth. “I did not betray my Clan,” she hissed. “I haven’t spoken to anyone about the stupidity that surrounds me.”

“There you have it,” Sift said. “The word of an Infernal demon and the Aspect of Death.”

Echo actually looked hurt and Sift sighed. “Fine, I’m sorry for saying that. But you must admit your absence worked out for the bad guys.”

Echo looked down. “Maybe he knew. He has the Architect’s sight, after all. But even so, my tasks are legitimate. There are only a few people father can trust completely.”

“What tasks?” Ruwen asked.

Echo glanced up. “Infernal Realm stuff.”

“I forgive you,” Nymthus whispered.

The words felt like a sword had ripped Ruwen’s chest open. He stepped in front of Nymthus, his words growing louder until he shouted. “No. What are you saying? I’m despicable. You should hate me. Despise me. Curse my name. I killed your friends!”

Nymthus stepped forward and hugged Ruwen. His arms hung limply at his side as Nymthus squeezed him.

“No, no, no, no,” Ruwen just kept repeating the word. How could Nymthus forgive such an atrocious act?

“You are a good man,” Nymthus said softly as she released Ruwen. “Anyone can see that by spending a few minutes with you. I trust your decisions. The responsibility for this act rests at the feet of the four surviving Aspects. I hope to someday hold them accountable.” After a moment she continued. “We were trying to destroy the Crossing Ring when you arrived. Just attacking it like we did might have triggered their arrival. We will never know, and you should not assume you caused this.”

“But I let them live,” Ruwen whispered again.

“I do not second guess fate,” Nymthus replied. “We can’t know if something is good or bad until time has passed. Even this,” Nymthus choked and stopped to gather herself. “Even this, might serve some greater purpose.”

Ruwen’s shoulders ached a little from the tight hug Nymthus had given him. There was also the massive bare-footed kick to War’s armored helmet. As he’d walked over to speak to her, he’d noticed how much better her posture had become. He could tell her center of gravity was near perfect for her stance.

“You changed,” Ruwen said. “I can see it.” He rubbed his shoulders. “And feel it.”

For just a heartbeat, Nymthus smiled before the deep sadness returned. She waved her hand at the seven bodies nearest her. They all belonged to Rung Four. “The spell thread in our belts had the One From Many enchantment. It bound us together and when someone died the remaining members received a percentage of their skills and strengths. It was so we could, in a way, continue to fight for our cause even after we died.”

Ruwen understood now. Nymthus had the strength and skills of seven others. “Honestly, you feel stronger than that. And your balance looks nearly perfect.”

Nymthus rubbed her arms as if a cold breeze had brushed against her. “I don’t think the enchantment expected everyone to die in such a short timeframe. I think it changed me too much.”

“It appears so,” Ruwen said. “We have a power ranking system and middle tier are Gems, the highest of which is Diamond. That’s what I think you are.”

“What does that mean?” Nymthus asked.

“It means,” Echo said. “That you could survive fighting one of those Aspects if they appeared alone. Possibly, with your Clan training, even beat them.”

Nymthus looked down at her right hand. “It seems impossible. Even if true, my people will lose hope when word spreads only one Master survived. Perhaps we were never meant to have serenity.”

Ruwen looked up from the bodies to Nymthus. “Did you say serenity? Why did you use that word?”

Nymthus shrugged. “Calm, peaceful, and untroubled, who doesn’t desire this?”

“I can think of a few,” Ruwen responded. “But I have something. Well, it’s not really mine. Although she told me to destroy it so maybe that does make it mine. What are the rules for that? I—”

Sift put a hand on Ruwen’s shoulder. “Nobody knows what you’re talking about.”

“Right,” Ruwen said. “I should have started with that.” He reached into his Void Band and carefully grabbed the end of the item. As he pulled the first section of marble out, he nodded at Sift to grab it, and then took a few steps to allow room for the item to emerge.

Sift and Ruwen started to kneel to set the nine-hundred-pound sculpture on the ground when Echo screamed. It was high pitched and not at all fitting for the Aspect of Death.

Echo blushed but pointed at the sculpture. “Do not let that touch this ground. I honestly don’t know what would happen.”

Sift shifted on his feet. “Like crack-a-little don’t know, or like destroy-the-planet don’t know.”

“Closer to the second one, I think,” Echo said. She stepped closer to the sculpture but didn’t touch it.

“Why do you have so much dangerous stuff in there?” Sift asked Ruwen.

“It is literally a marble carving of mountains and the sun. How can that be dangerous?”

Nymthus stared at the sculpture, more tears covering her cheeks. She rubbed at them. “I didn’t think I had any tears left.”

“I have a lot of questions,” Echo said. “If you answer them truthfully, I will tell you what that is.”