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62. Hull - Audience With the King
Chapter 62Audience With the KingI barely had time to take a single shuffling step towards Basil, still holding onto my guts to keep them inside, before the world went white and suddenly we were back in the real world. A wash of tingles went through me like I’d walked through a cold mist. All my pain disappeared, and I stood up straight, gasping at the sudden change. Even the cuts and bloodstains in my clothes were gone. There was noise and commotion all around, but my eyes were still fixed on Basil, who was stretched out on the sunlit cobbles...
61. Basil - The Greatest Good
Chapter 61The Greatest GoodI was impressed by Hull. He wore shock on his face sure enough, clear as day even with his skin covered in starlight, but he readied himself to charge when I beckoned him forward. Not before I did an Order Source Explosion, though. Having fought against Felstrife, I knew both the considerable strength and weakness of being able to access a second Mind Home: namely, how short of cards it left you in hand. I had mulliganed aggressively at the start of our match to pull this Explosion off, and even so, it was only for tw...
60. Hull - The Consequences of Winning
Chapter 60The Consequences of Winning“You best watch yourself,” Penkmun said, leaning back in his chair and shaking his head. “You’re likely to get whacked on the head in an alley by some studious Tender desperate to study your soul card, and they won’t find you locked in his basement until decades later.”“I hope this imaginary brother of yours doesn’t mind losing a few fingers,” I said, sitting up from the bench where I’d been reclined as he viewed my card. “I’ve had all the experimenting I’m willing to put up with al...
59. Basil - Old Acquaintances
Chapter 59Old AcquaintancesWatching Hull destroy his mother’s card was like watching our enemies scatter to the wind, the spray of shards their fleeing backsides. I could feel the city of Treledyne become free as the fractured pieces vanished, no longer burdened by its invaders, and for the first time I thought I could hear shouts from the stands: raucous cries of joy from the throats of every living soul who called Treledyne home. It was a glorious moment, made all the more so because of the bond I now shared with Esmi: her emotions echoed i...
58. Hull - The Love of a Mother
Chapter 58The Love of a MotherShe appeared out of nowhere on the arena floor in front of me, looking startled. Seems the Twins hadn’t trusted her to take the tunnel route the rest of us used; they’d unceremoniously plucked her out of her comfy spectator’s spot and dropped her onto the field. I couldn’t suppress a grim smile. It wasn’t often I got to see surprise on that smooth, glib face.It didn’t last long. “You had the tourney in the bag, son,” she chided, slipping easily into a bored, I-know-better-than-you nonchalance. “Yo...
57. Hull - Persuasion, to the Death
Chapter 57Persuasion, to the DeathI jumped up and down in place and shook my hands loose, wishing the stones of this weird place in the Twins’ city would give under my feet just a little like the boards of the dueling boxes in the Coliseum. The unyielding, ethereal cobbles might as well have been bedrock instead. That little bit of spring from the wood in the arenas we’d used in the Rising Stars Tournament had made me feel like I could move a little faster, be a little more responsive, and I was wishing for every edge I could get right now....
56. Basil - When Words Fail
Chapter 56When Words FailI won’t get to kill him. That was my first thought when the semifinal pairings were revealed. While an arm for an arm had contented me where the leonid was concerned, the Primarch had murdered Warrick, and I had planned to return the favor in kind if given the opportunity. My fists tightened at my sides. I could still see Warrick’s face as he shoved me aside – the malice he had affected toward me all but gone, as if in that moment he had forgotten I was someone he now hated, or perhaps always had.The hope I had si...
55. Hull - Know Thine Enemy
Chapter 55Know Thine Enemy“We approach the semifinal round,” Rakkoden said to us. “The moment of decision approaches. The Twins of Glory are pleased with the valor and pathos displayed so far.”I couldn’t stop a snort. My mother had shown a lot of things on the field, but valor hadn’t been one of them. It was all to the good; she’d lost to the Primarch and I wouldn’t have to face her. Part of me was pretty angry about that, honestly, but it was the little Hull part of me. The older, wiser voice in my brain said she’d twist me i...
54. Basil - Revenge
Chapter 54RevengeThe leonid’s breath was hot on my face as he growled through his teeth. “I had hoped you would be more of a challenge than this, little human.”Our duel was already well under way, and I had grown used to Dodging the first of his attacks with Fluid Grace, my body slipping expertly aside when I willed it.However, the second strike of his Flurried attacks was a constant annoyance, and this time I blocked with none other than my Legendary, the card spinning out of my hand to meet the blow. Being what he was, Dallon exploded i...
53. Hull - Trickster
Chapter 53TricksterI sat and stared at the card I held. Ever since I’d earned the elevation at the end of my match against Xemris I’d kept it in hand. I just needed to keep touching it, running my fingers across its brilliant edges and its slick surface. Did it feel different than it had before? Heavier? More charged? I could have sworn it did. It might not have been the first Legendary I ever held, but this one was different somehow. More meaningful.It hadn’t been my first card – that honor went to the Hateful Hammer, which I still lov...
52. Esmi - Unwanted Future
Chapter 52Unwanted FutureAt any time now they would call her name, and Esmi felt the anticipation of that moment in her bones. She stood by Basil while she waited, a place that had been her sanctuary since she had returned to Treledyne. It still was in many ways: the feel of his body next to hers, the familiar shape of his profile, how his eyes fixed on hers so completely. Even the way Basil was now, he still looked at her like that. However, sometimes, it felt like he was looking past her into some future he walked alone, and that chilled her ...
51. Xemris - The Only True Honesty
Chapter 51The Only True HonestyXemris breathed deep to cycle the anger through her veins as she waited motionless on the dueling grounds. The Nether was so weak here in the mortal realm; she could barely feel the heat unless she used her own Source. For a moment she missed the swirling magic mists of home, so rich with Nether that one could start a fire just by thinking about it. Once Father won the contest the humans had so foolishly entered into, their city would become a permanent beachhead for the Netherwell and the process of overthrowing ...
50. Basil - The Time Between
Chapter 50The Time BetweenThere was a flow of air in the room, but it was a hesitant thing, so light it would have escaped me if I hadn’t been sitting perfectly still, my senses questing after such a sensation. The gentle current tickled my arm hairs – the feeling soft as a baby’s breath – as it drifted on its way. The confines of the tournament were antithetical to my Air Source, but this was something at least.I blew out a breath, adding a bit of myself to that ethereal breeze, before inhaling, long and deep, tasting the vibrant life ...
49. Hull - Sins of the Mother
Chapter 49Sins of the MotherThe centaurs were making a fuss over Gale as they kept him from bleeding to death, but I kept my distance. He’d just make some stupid joke about being disarmed by the female centaur’s beauty, and I wasn’t anywhere near ready to fake a laugh for him. The leonid strode around the place like he was expecting to be praised, and everyone else was avoiding him. I’d have happily shoved his tail up his own ass, but Basil had made it very clear that he was the one who would see to his brother’s honor, and the way he...
48. Titus - Far From Home
Chapter 48Far From HomeThe humans yapped at each other like cubs barely past their mother’s milk, which in truth most who still lived were. They celebrated the return of the long-haired female and the fat stack of cards she brought back with her – unearned spoils if Titus had ever seen them. When their cheer subsided, her mate pulled her aside to whisper his displeasure of how she had spoken their troubles for all to hear, which Titus rumbled a laugh to himself about. A leoness wouldn’t just complain about her mate, she would publicly tak...
47. Esmi - Breaking Bread
Chapter 47Breaking BreadEsmi felt as if some huge golem Relic had its hand wrapped around her chest as she watched Stafford plunge his meaty fist into the prince’s guts. Someone nearby moaned in dismay, but she wasn’t sure who. She couldn’t breathe. She’d felt that cold hand inside her own body, and watching the gory scene play out below, she swore she could feel it again. Gerard, she noted distantly, had the decency to look surprised as he died.Basil’s hand stroked the base of her neck, cool and soothing, and she gasped convulsively,...
46. Gerard - What the Heart Wants
Chapter 46What the Heart WantsThe damnable cell they were in for viewing the duels was not nearly long enough for Gerard to outpace the anger the conversation with his bastard brother had drawn up. Instead, he was forced to stew against the opposite wall, waiting for the centaurs to call his name.“Best make your peace, human. Stafford will delight in ripping your head from your shoulders.”It was the white-haired leonid who had spoken to him, without any of the titles or bowing that should have accompanied such an interaction. Dignitaries in...
45. Hull - Things That Matter
Chapter 43Things That MatterI’d only left Afi’s side for a bare moment to see the tail end of Basil’s match, but now I hurried back to her, pride at my friend’s win warring with the lurching unease of watching him coldly break the necro-bastard’s neck. I’d known his time being tortured by Felstrife had changed him, but this brought it home in a way I hadn’t felt before. It wasn’t a bad thing that he’d grown hard – it was kill or be killed in this tournament, after all – but a part of me mourned the happy, trusting boy who...
44. Basil - Vows & Victories
Chapter 44Vows & VictoriesAfi came back to us in a weeping, bleeding heap, which Hull took in his arms the moment she arrived, the two of them sagging down to the floor together. I had never seen him treat anything – or anyone – with such softness, and despite the circumstances, I was glad he had found someone to care for. To think that the boy who had once spit at me for returning his card was now dabbing blood away so gently and whispering words of comfort that I only caught the edges of. It was like he had picked up all the compassion I ...
43. Hull - What Is Mine
Chapter 43What Is MineAfi was gripping my hand like she meant to break it as she stared at Edaine’s card with silent tears coursing down her face. Come to think of it, I was holding every bit as tight. Twins save us, was all I could think. Twins save us.But they wouldn’t, would they? We’d set up this shitshow according to their rules, and they would follow them whether we won or lost. It was ironic: now, when I could actually see the two figures shining in their box seat high above us all, I had less faith than ever in my whole life that ...
42. Basil - Round 1
Chapter 42Round 1The centaurs moved aside with an elegant sideways trot, their hooves clip-clopping on the stone-like substance we stood on. They were making a clear path for Edaine to exit the room through, so she could participate in the first of the matches, but instead of leaving, our commander turned to us.“This Primarch is an enemy I am not familiar with. What can you tell me of him besides his Legendary Soul?” Her attention landed on Hull, no doubt because of what she knew of his demonic parentage, and others reacted with interest: t...
41. Hull - Union
Chapter 41UnionI never thought I’d experience anything that could distract me from having an enemy’s hand clamped around my throat, especially when that enemy was a big-ass demon strong enough to tear through a full deck with a single blow to kill a fellow… but here we were. The sound was honey on a stick and a warm hug and a dip in a cool lake all at the same time – invigorating, peaceful, and reassuring in equal measure. It unclenched muscles in my neck, my mind, and my heart. I was smiling and I didn’t know why. I’d have looked t...
40. Basil - A Different Kind of Royalty
Chapter 40A Different Kind of RoyaltyThe demon with the tail greeted Hull with a great deal more familiarity than I would have expected. I hadn’t seen her since Hull’s mother had tried escaping out of the Nether rift with the King’s card, and she looked considerably more sure of herself today. Before, she had been like a taut bow string, full of purpose but rigid to the point of breaking when facing down Yveda and then Felstrife, too.Now, the horned demon stood with the inborn confidence of a ruler, lips pulled back in a smile that reveal...
39. Hull - Into the Fray
Chapter 39Into the FrayWe thundered down the main avenue watching cobbles shake loose and windows crack at every step. I laughed at the feeling of the wind whistling through my Iron Maiden Plate. I’d never been up so high before. I clutched the spike that was supporting me tightly. I had little Hull summoned, and he clung to my leg. I kept him out all the time just to have him around. He reminded me that I was still alive, no matter what tearing pain I was feeling inside. I felt a tad less weak with my armor on and my Talisman of Spite charge...
38. Basil - Friendship
Chapter 38FriendshipThe Precinct cleared quickly, in a flurry of pounding boots and jostling bodies. Afi cast one last forlorn look at Hull before vanishing into her Mind Home with the Queen.“To me!” Edaine bellowed as she strode to the front of the building, sounding every inch the army general she had become. The watchmen hopped to obey, funneling from their desks and the upper balcony to reach her side. She hadn’t stopped summoning Spirits of Korikana since arriving and had over a dozen now, the armored Souls forming a ring around the ...
37. Hull - Unacceptable
Chapter 37UnacceptableI wiped my sweat-slick brow and stepped away from the mobile forge to catch my breath. The Queen’s smith – a man named Flockson – dismissed the Lesser Fire Elemental he’d had heating the coals and began stowing his tools. I only had eyes for the card I – we – had just elevated.“Power,” little Hull grunted approvingly.“Not exactly how I might have phrased it,” Morgane said from my other side, “but I can’t disagree.”My lips curved in a smile. My very first Nether card, and now it was Mythic. It was ...
36. Basil - Off Center
Chapter 36Off CenterThere was a tang in the back of my throat. Not the metallic strangeness of blood I had experienced once as a child, but a stale heaviness that my body didn’t want to swallow. I don’t belong here anymore. It was an uncomfortable realization to make as I stood guard, my eyes tracing over the lines of my past life. The Central Precinct had been a second home to me, housing my youth within its sturdy walls. I had run letters here, penned missives, cataloged personages captured and released, and even been entrusted with the c...
35. Hull - Something Useful
Chapter 35Something Useful“Really do hate that son of a bitch,” I said, slumping in the chair.“He’s your father?” Afi whispered, sounding scandalized.“Oh,” I said, feeling stupid. “Yeah. Sorry. I don’t exactly go around like a crier in the square about it, because Gerard’s already looking for excuses to kill me, but… yeah. King’s bastard. I’d have told you already if not for, y’know, every other Twins-damned thing happening the last little while.”She dropped her voice even lower. “Does the Queen know?”I nodded ...
34. Basil - The Home Within
Chapter 34The Home WithinI had spent a lifetime watching the Sun King streak across blue skies and float regally in his throne room, so I found it surreal to see the man do something as menial as put one foot in front of the other. And yet there was no tell to mark a lack of practice. His stride was confident and smooth when he accepted Afi’s invitation, the girl stumbling over herself to assure him he was welcome, as if this was some place she had been laboring to prepare for him and not the inner chamber of her Mind. I couldn’t blame her ...
33. Hull - No End of Visitors
Chapter 33No End of VisitorsI fell out of my chair trying to get up. Waking up had been terrifying, because I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep, and for a second I wasn’t sure I was still alive. The cold, hard floor cured me of that right quick. I glared at the Demon Mentor, who was chuckling to himself over my clumsiness. He shrugged, unbothered by my anger, and helped me up.Basil and Esmi – the real Esmi, not her card – were staring into each others’ eyes like moonstruck idiots. Oh, good, that worked. It’d have been a real ...
