The Orphans' Promise (40 page)

Lana couldn’t contain a cry of terror when she noticed, before anyone else, the glowing eyes spying on them from the darkness. The heirs momentarily forgot about the well to deal with their own problem. It was looking serious. Fifty or so pairs of eyes surrounded them.

“Don’t move, whatever you do,” Grigán whispered as he slowly stepped toward the lantern.

He delicately pulled off the cloth that had been covering the lantern, which revealed enough light to illuminate the first few members of the curious pack, before they scurried back into darkness. The heirs had seen enough to get an idea as to the danger they faced—even Grigán had goose bumps.

The spies looked like enormous rats, standing more than two feet tall on their hind legs. They had two enormous incisors that protruded from a withering muzzle. On their faces they wore a bloodthirsty look, which made them look almost like deformed children. Their front paws had claws that they deployed and retracted like a nervous tic. Worst of all, a few of them looked crippled, which suggested that they weren’t just scavengers, but
predators.

“What are they?” Léti whispered to Bowbaq. “They’re huge.”

“I don’t know,” the giant confessed, his voice cracking. “Grigán?”

“I’ve never heard of anything like them. It might be a species from the Eastian Kingdoms.”

“The Guoris could have at least warned people about this nice setup,” Rey complained.

“They might have done so,” Corenn explained. “Each Guori surely knows how dangerous it is to visit the Sacred Island. And now we do too…”

Grigán slowly gripped his curved blade. Léti did the same with her rapier. Rey pointed his crossbow at the red eyes and said, “Maybe we can scare them off?”

“Do they look scared to you?” Grigán said.

In fact, the vampire rats, now emboldened by their growing number, were approaching the edge of the lit area in little hops. A few started a strange dance, scampering around the circle of light.

“They’re fast,” Léti said, swallowing hard.

“They look tough,” Corenn added, grimly. She almost added: If they attack, we’re done for.

For now, Bowbaq felt it most wise to keep his mace in hand. Grigán handed a dirk to Corenn, who accepted it reluctantly, and another to Lana, who completely refused.

“I am telling you to take it,” the warrior commanded. “If one of these little beasts jumps at your throat, you will be happy you have it.”

The Maz took the weapon with disgust, as if it were one of the beasts itself, awkward in both hands. The rats grew more and more agitated, and now she prayed fervently to Eurydis.
Everyone must die one day
, she thought.
But not like this. Not devoured by these creatures.

One of the rats started a strange, piercing call. Soon, all the others followed its lead, causing a dreadful racket, a squealing chorus that was fifty voices strong.

“Prepare yourselves,” the warrior warned. “We have to try something.”

The heirs got ready to put up a fierce fight; the rats would have to pay dearly to get a taste of their blood. Léti wasn’t sure of herself. She had learned to fight against humans, but what could she do against an army of fast, strong, and hungry animals?

“Rey,” Grigán called out. “Try shooting one that’s the farthest away. You’re a good-enough shot. With a bit of luck, they will turn on each other.”

The actor shouldered his crossbow, deciding not to bring up the fact that Grigán had just shown him such unprecedented respect and trust. This wasn’t the time to worry about their relationship.

“I hope they don’t have much for family values,” he whispered to himself as he pulled the trigger.

One of the rats cried out in pain, and the piercing squeal stopped. The injured vampire rat rolled on the ground,
momentarily clawing frantically at the air. The others turned their heads and watched it from afar. Finally, two of the beasts launched an assault on the injured one, seeing it as easy prey. The rat ferociously fought them off and forced its brethren to retreat. They weren’t determined enough to fight such a battle for so little blood.

The injured rat stood up with great difficulty and cried out, showing its strength to the others. Another crossbow bolt stuck right through it, and still the rat was just as aggressive.

The vampires realized their prey were powerless against them and began closing in on the heirs.

Yan needed air. Right now. He felt like his lungs would burst at any moment. He knew that if he didn’t start his ascent immediately, he would end up breathing in water and drowning.

Usul had spoken to him, though. Usul, the
god
. He Who Knows. So Yan hesitated to swim to the surface, and this moment of indecisiveness could have sealed his fate. Maybe this was what people meant when they said the
danger of curiosity
, a thirst for knowledge so great that it could lead men to their death.

Suddenly, the yearning for air vanished. Yan floated in the darkness, no longer debating whether to swim to the surface. He sank back down, and his feet touched the sand again. He stood there in shock, thinking he had drowned, wondering if he were truly dead or in a state of complete delirium. Could he have imagined Usul’s voice, a final delusion before his death? He no longer knew if it was in fact all a dream.

Humans are so predictable
, the god stated, regretfully.
So boring. Not a single one of you has made it this far without having the same thought. No originality.

Yan opened his mouth to answer, forgetting for a moment where he was. Water rushed in. By reflex, he spit it back out, surprised it didn’t cause him a coughing fit. Then he remembered that he was breathing underwater against all the laws of nature.

Do you hear me?
he thought, feeling ridiculous.
Are you the one who’s keeping me from drowning?

Of course. Do you have that power? Obviously not. The rest of the world is off-limits to me, but here, I am master. As such, I advise you not to do anything to make me change my mind.

Yan was having a hard time digesting all this. Had he really just started a conversation with a god? It was the most incredible thing he had ever experienced.

Where are you?

You want to see me? Usually humans regret asking that. Are you sure?

Yes.

Good! This will be entertaining.

Yan’s vision clouded as the water brightened. He wondered if it was really becoming lighter or if just his perception was changing. It didn’t really matter, either way.

The walls turned golden, as if the well were dug straight into a vein of the precious metal. He realized the well ended in an underwater cave, as he had expected. The cave was at least as large as the base of the hill above, but with his distorted vision, he couldn’t be sure. He scanned in all directions, searching for Usul.

At first he thought the cave held no trace of life, until he spotted some sort of fish in the distance. He continued looking around, without detecting anything else. He turned back toward the approaching fish. Yan screamed a cry silenced by the still water.

The creature looked small at a distance, but up close, it was enormous and terrifying. It was a Talanté shark, more than ten
yards long. The predator swam straight at him, only to swerve to his right at the last possible moment, leaving Yan paralyzed in fear.

Sharks don’t live in freshwater!
he yelled in his mind,
as loud as he could.

You’ll just have to believe what I already said, then. I’m all-powerful here
, Usul mocked.

Yan tried to calm down. Apparently, the god didn’t plan on killing him. Not right away, in any case.

Is that really what you look like?

The god paused before answering,
Do you really wish to ask me that question?

I don’t understand.

I’m He Who Knows, or so humans call me
, he recited as if it were a rehearsed speech.
I have always known the destiny of everything in this universe. But my knowledge has a price. If you want answers, you have to earn them.

How?
Yan asked, worried.

By entertaining me. I suffer the most dreadful boredom any thinking spirit has ever known… time is my true prison. I watch each day go by, like a grain of sand dropping into an eternal hourglass, and I always know how the grain will fall. The humans that come to see me are my only source of the unexpected.

Yan watched the shark-god circling him. As he listened to Usul, he discreetly made sure he was still tied to the rope.

Only people who know their destiny are able to modify it. They’re the only agents of the unknown. And the unknown entertains me. For each question that you ask me, I will give you two answers. The second will reveal something about your future.

If you’ve always known the future, how can it change?

Because it becomes uncertain as soon as it’s revealed. It’s possible to stumble into your ordained destiny even though you were trying to avoid it,
or hoping to change it with all your heart. Anything that involves myself remains completely unknown to me. I was expecting your visit, but I don’t know how it will turn out. When you arrived, the future misted over, for you, for me, for your friends, and even for a significant part of the rest of the world.

What if I don’t do anything? If, despite your revelations, I act as I always have, just as before?

You can’t do nothing. As soon as you know, you act differently. Not doing anything is still doing something.

Yan tried to gather his thoughts. He was going to have to select his questions very carefully. He had no desire to be burdened with this curse of human knowledge more than he had to, a curse whose nature he understood completely now.

I understand the rules
, he announced internally.
I accept. Let’s begin.

Grigán sprinted out in front of the first few vampires and butchered three with a single swipe of his blade. But other rats attacked him just as ferociously.

Bowbaq took it on himself to protect Corenn and Lana behind his spinning mace. A few rats fell into the well, and Corenn couldn’t help but think of the danger Yan would face if these beasts could swim. The situation was already desperate enough above ground that she could hardly focus on Yan for now.

Two rats lunged up and clung to Bowbaq’s arms, scratching and biting him. He tore them off with a groan and broke their necks in his powerful hands. From then on the vampires stopped attacking him this way, but it wasn’t going so well for the other heirs.

Grigán had thrown himself into the heart of the battle, tracing a bloody circle in the vampires’ ranks. The creatures were so voracious that they relentlessly clung to his every limb, biting and clawing, even when they were severed in half. Their teeth pierced his leather armor, and their claws found their way between the plates of protective metal underneath. It took Grigán only a few moments to fell fifteen of the beasts, but he had received more than thirty wounds, large and small. He retreated toward Bowbaq.

Léti and Rey fought side by side, protecting each other.
Firm footing
, the young woman thought as she sent one of them flying with a kick.
Sharp mind
, she told herself as she sliced two rats that were standing too close to her with a single strike.
Steady hand
, she finished, as she impaled a beast in midair that was flying toward her throat.

Concentrating on Grigán’s lessons helped her to stay calm in the heat of battle. She let the battle rage overcome her only once, at which point her fury for combat surpassed her skill and she exposed herself too much. She recovered quickly and collected herself to fight more effectively, more skillfully, and with a control that surprised even her.

It soon became obvious that they wouldn’t get the upper hand. Seeing Grigán retreat, Léti did the same, followed by Rey. The rats waited to launch another attack, regrouping as they had before, circling their prey.

“They’re going to end up feasting on each other, right?” a breathless Rey asked the group.