The Beginning After The End novel Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Haunting Peace

“Wow,” I said, genuinely surprised by the sight in front of me.

Darrin’s home in rural Sehz-Clar was twice the size of the Helsteas’ manor in Xyrus, and it was surrounded by rolling green and golden fields that stretched as far as I could see. A little town was tucked in between two hills a few miles away, and a handful of other, similar estates dotted the surrounding countryside.

The main structure was two stories, but flared out into low wings that opened to either side. The entire mansion was made of light red brick highlighted with white stone columns. The house was surrounded by a well manicured yard of green grass and dense, flowering shrubs, and a path led away to the east, where I could see some kind of walled off area higher up on the hill.

The rural serenity of the estate had calmed everyone’s nerves, still on edge from the assault in the Relictombs. Looking at the painting-like scene around us, I actually began to look forward to at least a small rest devoid of any torture or attempts on my life.

“The benefit of living rural,” Darrin said, beaming. “Property costs a quarter of what you’d pay in the more densely populated dominions, and these hills have poor soil, so you don’t have to fight the farmers for land rights, either.”

“I’m a little surprised you don’t live in the Relictombs, though,” I said as I ran a finger along the edge of a bright purple flower. “Considering what you do.”

Darrin began leading us across the wide lawn, which we had appeared in the middle of, toward the bright white double doors of his home. “I couldn’t afford a property there, so the best I’d be able to do is rent a two-room suite in one of the nicer inns, and that would still cost a small fortune.” He paused, taking in the rolling hills and bright, wide sky. “No, I think I’d rather live here, and pay the teleportation fees.”

I followed his gaze, taking in the sight again. “I guess I can’t blame you. It’s quite the view.”

Darrin put a hand on Alaric’s shoulder. “Never would have managed it all without my mentor here. You’re in good hands, Grey, even if he does feign a rough exterior.”

Alaric huffed, his already ruddy cheeks darkening, and his gaze landing everywhere except on Darrin. “And a fat lot of good it did me, considering you only ended up owning a single estate in the middle of nowhere...”

Grinning, Darrin knocked softly on the door.

A moment later, it flew open and a young girl, no older than seven or eight, threw herself into his arms. “Uncle Darrin!” she yelled, squeezing her arms around his neck and grinning over his shoulder.

When she realized Alaric and I were there, her eyes, green as emeralds, went wide, and she squealed and wriggled free of Darrin’s hug so she could hide behind him and peek out at us.

Giving the girl what I hoped was a friendly smile, I waved. She immediately ducked behind Darrin, who laughed.

“Pen, these are my friends, Alaric and Grey,” Darrin said, gently maneuvering her back out into the open and ruffling her dark blonde hair. “It’s okay, they’re friendly. Well, Grey is.”

Alaric’s face twisted into a menacing snarl and he growled low in his chest. “But I’m the mean one, and I bake little children into yummy pies!”

The girl giggled and looked up at Darrin. “Your friends are funny!”

“They think they are, anyway,” Darrin replied, rolling his eyes at Alaric. He scooped the girl up and carried her across the threshold, waving for us to follow.

“Any word about your mom while I was gone?” he asked her as they led us into the entry hall, where two curved stairs led up to the upper floor.

She shook her head and pouted. “No.”

Darrin pulled her into another hug and patted her back consolingly. “That’s okay, I’m sure she’ll be back soon.” He set her down on the granite-tiled floor. “Why don’t you go tell the others we have guests?”

Nodding seriously, the little girl vanished through a door to our right, which must have led into one of the other wings of the house.

“Yours?” I asked, watching her bounce away.

“Oh, no,” Darrin said, running his hand through his hair. “Her mother is one of my teammates from back in the day. She’s still active. Pen stays with me sometimes, when her mom’s on an ascent.”

My eyes followed Pen out of the entrance hall, catching on a figure leaning against the wall in the corner. It was a young woman with bright orange hair that faded to sunny blonde where it ended just past her shoulders. She was wearing a white blouse with silver buttons and tight leather pants, and a long, slender sword hung from her belt.

But it was her hazel eyes that stood out, or rather, it was the way they traveled slowly across me, from the toes of my boots all the way up to my pale blond hair, before spinning in a dismissive eye roll.

Before I could do more than meet her gaze, the young woman swept from the room, and my attention was again redirected.

“Mister Darrin!” a happy voice said from a room behind the stairs. A plump woman with mousy-brown hair appeared from it, wiping her hands with a towel. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t hear the door.”

Darrin gave her a warm smile, though the direction of his gaze lingered on the passage where the young woman had disappeared. “No problem, Sorrel. We have guests for the evening.”

The woman curtsied, her tightly curled auburn hair bobbing around her round face. “A pleasure! Are the three of you hungry at all, Mister Darrin?”

Alaric’s stomach rumbled audibly in response, which he patted appreciatively. “Never mind that, where are you hiding the good stuff?” Without waiting for a reply, the old man strode purposefully away.

Shaking his head at his friend, Darrin said, “Why don’t you show Grey to the bathing room first?” Turning to me, he added, “I assume it’s been awhile since you had a warm bath?”

Darrin’s housekeeper eagerly led me deeper into the mansion until I found myself standing in what, at first glance, appeared to be a cave. The walls of the bathing room were craggy stone, and the bath itself was sunk into the smooth rock of the “cave” floor. After Sorrel left me, I took some time to examine the room.

Aside from the bath, there was a mirror inset into the wall, a series of racks and hooks where clothes could be hung up, and a person-sized niche that I didn’t immediately understand, until I found a small copper button next to it.

The button clicked when I pressed it, and a wave of heat rolled out. I stuck my hand in; the air was dry and warm.

Clicking the button again turned the effect off.

‘Ooh, fancy,’ Regis said admiringly.

Turning my attention to the bath, I found a row of buttons along the edge. During my life as King Grey, I’d grown to enjoy warm baths in water heavy with salt. It had been a luxury that I hadn’t enjoyed since being reborn in Dicathen. So when I saw the button labeled “Salt Bath,” I knew I had to try that one first.

Pressing the button caused warm salt water to seep out of the sides of the rocky bath, and it was full before I finished peeling off the simple clothes I’d worn to the trial.

Sinking into the water, a chill ran down my spine despite the warmth.

When was the last time I enjoyed such a simple comfort? I wondered, letting my head fall back so the salt water covered my ears, drowning out all noise except for my own thoughts.

And Regis’s. ‘Maerin Town wasn’t so bad, but that was like a hundred years ago now, right?’

I let out a laugh before splashing some of the water across my face. After wiping it away, I replied, It does feel like that. Do you want to come out for a bit?

Regis leapt from my body to stand outside the pool. He stretched, pushing his front paws forward and yawning widely. “You know, sometimes I forget how quiet it is when I don’t have your broody thoughts running through my head all the time.”

“I’m not broody,” I replied defensively, glaring up at my companion from under half-closed lids.

Regis snorted as he walked around in a slow circle before lying down. “Okay, princess.”

Kicking outward, I send a wave of warm salt water cascading over the edge of the bath to soak my companion. He leapt up, sputtering with indignation. “I just got comfy!”

The shadowy flames that flickered around his mane flared, drying him instantly, and he found another spot to settle down. He let out a yawn and stretched his long limbs before asking, “So, what now?”

I let my eyes drift shut. “Right now? Let’s give ourselves a few minutes to relax, then we’ll figure out what Alaric and his friend have up their sleeves.”

I felt the heavy fog of sleep settling over me soon after. Although I didn’t really need to sleep, I relished the idea of drifting off for a while, and I didn’t fight the sensation.

The sound of a crowd chanting came from all around me, like the noise of waves crashing against a cliff face; It was distant and muffled, like I was hearing it from a very long way off.

Slowly opening my eyes, I looked around. I was standing on a square dueling platform, surrounded by stands filled with familiar faces: Claire Bladeheart and the rest of the Disciplinary Committee, the Lances, Jasmine and the Twin Horns, Virion, the kings and queens of Dicathen’s Council, the elders who trained me in the four elements, Lady Vera, Headmaster Wilbeck, Caera, Ellie, with Sylvie’s little white fox form on her lap, my mother...my father.

Someone else was on the dueling platform too: Cecilia. She held out a hand, and a dual-bladed sword shimmered to life in her fist, a beam of hot white light that hummed with deadly energy.

I gave Cecilia a low bow, but she only glowered back at me before lunging across the platform, her weapon leaving a trail of light in the air. I lifted Dawn’s Ballad to block the attack, but the teal blade shattered in my hand, and I felt white hot pain as Cecilia’s weapon bit deep into my shoulder.

For a moment, we were face to face, her turquoise eyes blazing malevolently.

She yanked the blade from my shoulder and spun, driving the other end toward my stomach. I looked for the aetheric pathways to God Step out of the way, but there was nothing.

The blade sunk into my stomach and burst out my back.

Behind Cecilia, someone was running down a long tunnel toward us. Although he seemed miles away, I met Nico’s eyes, blind with hatred, twisted by fear, and felt a thick layer of ice grow over my heart, and the cold detachment I’d learned as King Grey spread from it.

Cecilia jerked her blade free and twirled it around, a gold-green light emanating outward, staining the edges of my vision and shining off the frozen faces in the audience. A beam of pure light lifted her off the dueling platform, her blade pointed at my chest like a lance, then she streaked toward me.

The scene froze. Standing, I clenched my fist, holding in it Dawn’s Ballad, the translucent teal blade, now whole again, refracting the light and sending green-blue beams dancing across the dueling platform. In the distance, Nico was still running toward us, the only thing moving besides me.

And history repeats...

Cecilia was moving again, crashing down on me like a comet. When our blades clashed, a shockwave rippled outward, obliterating the platform, the stands, the arena, and wiping away the audience—all those familiar faces from both my lives—in a cloud of dust.

My blade was blazing with violent amethyst light from where it had run through Cecilia’s chest. But it was Tess, not Cecilia, who slumped forward, her body falling into me, her life’s blood rushing out over my hands, quickly staining the dueling platform red.

My mouth fell open to gasp out...something—anything—but the words were stuck in my throat, as if a giant hand had wrapped around my neck and was choking me. All I could do was watch, paralyzed, as the light faded from her eyes.

Her fingertips brushed my face, running down my cheek and across my lips.

The icy fist gripping my chest burst, and my eyes snapped open.

Heaving a strained, half-choked breath, I pulled myself up out of the salt bath and rolled over to lay on the floor, panting.

“Hey!” Regis barked, as I’d sent a wave of bathwater splashing over the cave floor. “What’d I do this—whoa, you okay?”

“Fine,” I muttered, rubbing hard at my face. “Just a bad dream.”