Sandqueen (Rise To Omniscience Book 7) Page 8

  Grace took the core with a look of excitement in her eyes, the red and blue light reflecting off their surfaces and giving them an otherworldly cast.

  The two of them were in their shared suite back in the North Kingdom, having returned here to allow Grace to recover for a few days after her battle. The date for their departure to Faeland was already set, and now they were simply waiting for the others to get ready before heading out.

  “Hold on, don’t absorb the energy just yet,” he quickly said as he saw her closing her eyes.

  “Why not?” she asked, giving him a quizzical look.

  “Your blankets,” Morgan said with a grin.

  Grace looked down, staring at herself in confusion for a few moments before her cheeks became tinged with pink. She’d completely forgotten that removing all the core’s energy would cause it to crumble and leave a big mess in its wake.

  “Here,” Morgan said, releasing her from her embarrassment as he handed over a large leather sheet.

  He helped her spread it out, angling it upward so it would catch all the dust. Morgan sat back then and watched as the younger girl absorbed the core, the energy leaving the shining orb and flowing into her body. She shuddered as she moved up to rank 10, and Morgan was able to watch as the energy from her core flowed throughout her body, making small adjustments before petering out. Grace let out a long breath, looking to him with a smile.

  “So, what next?”

  “You get some rest,” Morgan replied, already standing up. “And tomorrow, we’ll head to the Central Kingdom to get you that present.”

  Grace practically beamed back at him as she settled into her blankets.

  “I’ll hold you to that.”

  Morgan collected the leather blanket, taking the dust with him, and exited the room. The door closed gently behind him, and Lumia came fluttering over to land on his shoulder.

  “So, what are your plans for the evening?” she asked as he began striding down the corridor.

  “I’m going to the South Kingdom. There have been a few rumors about a terrifying beast in the forests north of the capital.”

  “Feeling generous?”

  “Itching for a fight, more like,” Morgan replied. “I haven’t had a serious brawl since I fought that goddess a couple of weeks ago, and I feel like I’m getting rusty.”

  “Would you like me to come along?”

  “If you want,” Morgan replied. “Hold on if you want to come, because I’m leaving right now.”

  Lumia responded by hooking her small claws into the pads on his armor as Morgan pushed open a window and stepped out into the late-evening air. As soon as he was outside the building, he used Gravity Warp and the world seemed to bend around him. Color rushed by in a confusing blur, small snatches of sound coming to him as he traveled. Then, everything abruptly vanished, and Morgan found himself hovering over a forest of tall swaying bamboo stalks.

  “Looks like the rumors were right,” Lumia said as soon as they appeared.

  Morgan turned, following the trail of power that wove through the forest. It was a bright crimson and so thick that he knew it was an Advanced Beast. And not just any Advanced Beast, either. This was one that was on the cusp of moving up to the Pinnacle of power, and the more of these beasts he fought, the closer he’d come to reaching the Pinnacle on his own.

  “Well, what are we waiting for?” Morgan replied, streaking off in the direction the beast had taken.

  As he flew, he began to loosen the straps on his armor, preparing to throw it off as soon as he arrived. This was a fight he’d been waiting for, and though he wasn’t one to go seeking out opponents like he used to, he had the excuse of coming out here to save the South Kingdom from taking too many casualties.

  “Would you look at that thing?” Lumia said, fluttering off his shoulder and growing to her humanoid form. “That is one mean-looking beast.”

  Morgan had to agree. Even by the standards of beasts, this one looked especially mean. Its face was distinctly wolf-like, with blue-gray fur and shining green eyes. Its snout was elongated, and jagged teeth poked from both the upper and lower jaws. However, while it was a wolf from the neck up, everything beneath looked like it belonged to a massive ape.

  The same color scheme continued downward, the pattern of blue and gray fur rippling over its massive arms, powerful chest and stout legs. The aura surrounding the beast was intense, and when it turned its eyes upward, Morgan could see the intelligence there. This beast knew why he was here, and it was unafraid.

  Name: Arctic-Gorilla Squirrel

  Rank - 65

  Ability Type - Super

  Power - 811

  Defense - 645

  Ability - 598

  “That’s an odd name,” Morgan mused, watching the gorilla-squirrel begin to circle below.

  “What is it called?” Lumia asked.

  “A gorilla-squirrel.”

  “That is odd,” Lumia replied. “I wonder why…Oh.”

  Their question about the odd name was answered a moment later as it vaulted upward, its hands wrapped around one of the tall bamboo stalks as it practically ran up its length.

  “Hold onto these,” Morgan said, shoving his armor into Lumia’s arms.

  “I’m not a…!”

  “Thanks!” Morgan yelled, then dropped out of the air.

  He slammed into the gorilla feet-first, eliciting a roar of anger as he knocked it from its perch and drove it to the ground. The gorilla-squirrel was quite nimble and managed to snag another stalk, yanking itself free and avoiding the crash. Morgan slammed into the ground, using his skill to wrap it around him and lessen the impact. He then shot straight back up, catching the descending squirrel around the waist and knocking the air from its lungs.

  Dodging back, he punched it in the ribs, feeling the satisfying impact driving up his arm as he hit. The gorilla-squirrel let out a roar as it was blasted through the air, smashing through a dozen bamboo shoots before catching itself. It looped back around, hurtling through the air as it approached, its fur crackling with icy power.

  Morgan wasn’t deterred that easily. He dove right after it and attacked it with an almost furious excitement. He used Compression, blasting the air before him and trying to knock the squirrel out of the air. It howled, then expelled a blast of icy air in retaliation, effectively negating his attack. Then, before Morgan to do anything else, two flaps of skin flared on either side of the beast, and another blast of icy wind sent it careening to one side and slipping around his guard.

  He was only able to turn halfway before an oversized fist, cloaked in a sheen of red-tinted ice, slammed into his head. Morgan was blasted out of the air, his head ringing as he knocked over at least a dozen shoots before tearing a furrow in the ground.

  “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” he yelled, jumping back to his feet, a trickle of blood running down the side of his head.

  The ground beneath him exploded upward along with him, a half dozen violet gauntlets forming in the air around him and firing rapidly toward the now flying gorilla-squirrel. The beast retaliated, a dozen balls of ice forming around it and firing back, catching his gauntlets and canceling them out.

  Morgan teleported, appearing behind the beast and summoning a constructed spear. However, as soon as he thrust forward, the creature vanished. When it reappeared, it was behind him.

  “Is that beast mimicking your moves?”

  Lumia’s shocked voice sounded in Morgan’s mind as he whirled, intercepting the attack and striking back with a closed fist.

  “It certainly seems so,” Morgan replied, noting that his fist – unlike his skills – actually made contact. “I guess that I’ll be doing this the old-fashioned way, then!”

  He dove after the plummeting creature, picking up speed as he did, and slammed into its chest as they neared the ground. This close up, Morgan didn’t see how it could dodge, and, in a move more vicious than he thought himself capable of until now, he blasted a hole straight through th
e beast’s heart using his stored sunlight.

  Morgan was so shocked that he slammed into the ground along with the beast, tearing up yet more of the forest. When they finally came to a halt, Morgan sprang back, looking at the beast to see if there were any signs of movement. It was whole and looked completely unhurt. If not for the fist-sized hole in its chest where its core should be, Morgan might even have thought it was still alive.

  “Well, that was unexpectedly quick,” Lumia said, landing beside him.

  “Disappointing, more li…” Morgan trailed off mid-sentence as he felt a primal urge to rip into the beast and tear it to pieces.

  “Is something wrong?” Lumia asked, her keen senses picking up on the mood-shift.

  “I’ve been finding myself looking for fights more and more recently, contrary to my actual desires,” Morgan replied, looking to the dead beast with something approaching sympathy. “I think I finally understand what’s wrong… What’s been driving me all this time, though I hadn’t picked up on it until now.”

  “The beast is growing stronger, isn’t he?” Lumia said.

  Morgan simply nodded, holding a hand out wordlessly to accept his clothes from her. He hadn’t realized that the Beast King was growing so strong lately, but it seemed his influence was once again beginning to taint his judgment. Coming this far out of the way for a fight was something the old Morgan would have done. Not him. He needed to stay focused on what was really important — bringing Sarah back from the dead.

  “We need to find that Soul Well as soon as we can,” Morgan said, pulling the shirt up over his head and ignoring the drying blood from where the beast had struck him.

  “Do you think that will help?” Lumia asked, her voice soft in the darkening forest.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Morgan replied with a sigh. “But right now, it’s probably my best hope. Sarah is waiting for me, and the more distraction I have to deal with, the longer she’ll remain buried. I made a promise, and I refuse to go out of the way to seek out danger, just to satisfy the whims of a beast that shouldn’t even exist.”

  Morgan felt the beast stirring at those words, wanting to come out and defend itself, yet now that he knew it was active once again, he willfully shoved it down, burying its feral mind as deep down as he could. Once again, he knew this was only a temporary measure, and, in all likelihood, it would come back faster this time.

  The World Beast Breaker had brought it out of its slumber, and so long as they lived, the Beast King would not return to dormancy.

  11

  “Is this really necessary?” Morgan asked, staring at the large coach standing before him.

  “You are technically transporting a noble delegation, even if it is to a foreign land,” Katherine replied. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  The way her lips quirked upward into a self-satisfied smirk told Morgan that Katherine knew exactly what she was doing.

  Morgan practically glared at her before turning back to the carriage and letting out a long sigh.

  “I just wish you hadn’t given me a job that makes me feel so much like a freaking horse.”

  “What is it with you and horses anyway?” Grace asked as she strode up to him.

  She was dressed in a fresh set of armor, her hair streaked with blue – replacing the pink – and silver, and a pack slung over her shoulder. A long, shining needle was poking from either side on the back of her head as well, tilted at an angle and holding a knot of hair in place. It was one of the items she’d bought in the Central Kingdom. It was an import from the South apparently, and at the height of fashion at the moment.

  “Oh…Morgan had a long and…complicated history with horses,” Katherine replied, hiding a grin behind an upraised hand. “If you’d like, I can tell you all about…”

  “No!” Morgan quickly cut in.

  The two of them turned at his outburst, Katherine, with an even wider grin, and Grace with a look of curiosity. Morgan cleared his throat awkwardly, then continued in a much calmer voice.

  “I just don’t think it’s necessary to go telling everyone my personal history. Besides, it’s hardly important for the matter at hand.”

  “If you say so,” Katherine replied with a shrug.

  “Aww, now you’ve got me all curious,” Grace complained.

  “And you’ll stay curious,” Morgan said, his tone brooking no argument. “Now, get into the carriage and get settled down. The others will be here any minute.”

  Grace gave Katherine one more look, but the Queen of the North just waved her on. Internally, Morgan let out a sigh of relief. It seemed Katherine was going to keep the stories to herself. He honestly wasn’t even sure how she’d found out, though if she’d spent any time at all with Sarah, it probably wouldn’t have been hard. It wasn’t as though the stories were anything great, but the last thing Morgan needed was for his student to hear about how a horse had nearly been his undoing.

  He still well remembered their run from City Four and the long hours spent on the devil-beasts’ backs. He’d sworn to never ride a horse again, and once his flight skill had become good enough, he never had. Now, he could loop circles around those smug bastards with ease and make them feel like the losers they were.

  “This is so exciting!”

  Morgan was snapped from his thoughts as Hilda came striding over, dressed in travel clothes, a set of sleeveless armor, and a pack at her side.

  “I know what you mean,” said a shorter man with tanned skin, Marson of the West.

  “I’m still not sure about this,” a taller, fairer man replied. “Why was I even chosen for this mission?”

  “Definitely not for your bravery, Bill,” the fourth man replied.

  “Shove it up your asshole, Nembi!” Bill snapped to the dour-looking man with coal-black eyes.

  Bill was the South Kingdom’s spy, and Nembi was from the Central Kingdom. The three men, like Hilda, were all wearing sleeveless armor and light travel clothes. Morgan silently applauded, glad they’d at least listened when he’d warned about the heat in Faeland. He could already tell that not all of them would be getting along.

  At least I’m not inside the carriage, Morgan thought as Grace poked her head from the still-open door.

  “Just get in and stop complaining,” Nembi replied, pushing past the other man and making his way over to the wagon.

  Morgan caught Hilda’s arm as she passed, pulling the woman a bit closer and lowering his voice.

  “Keep an eye on Grace for me, will you? I don’t want her hearing anything too crass. And make sure she doesn’t get too friendly with any of the others, especially Nembi.”

  “Sure thing, hot stuff,” Hilda replied with a wink. “I’ll make sure to watch your little protégée. She is from our Kingdom, after all, and the East has a vested interest in getting her up to snuff.”

  Morgan released her then, allowing her to saunter off. He stared after her, his brows furrowing for a moment as he wondered about the last statement, but was quickly distracted by the jangling of a harness. Turning, he saw Katherine standing atop the wagon, holding the straps in question and giving him an almost malicious grin.

  “You know,” Morgan said, leaping lightly onto the wagon. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were really excited about getting me into that harness.”

  “Well, then,” Katherine replied. “It’s a good thing you do.”

  “Isn’t something like this beneath the queen of a kingdom?” he asked as Katherine began helping him into the contraption.

  “And let someone else get the opportunity to feel you up?” Katherine asked. “Not on your life!”

  She emphasized the point by running her fingers along his biceps, under the pretense of pulling a strap over his shoulder. Morgan just let out a breath, then forced his ability to feel attraction all the way down to almost nothing. He wished Lumia were with him, but she’d decided to stay on Grace’s lap inside the carriage under the pretense of being her pet.

  None
of the others knew what Lumia was capable of, and he wasn’t willing to risk an advantage like her, just to have a little company. Besides, he had plenty to do on his journey across the ocean.

  “Hey!” he exclaimed as he felt a sharp pinch on his butt.

  “Oops,” Katherine said, looking anything but apologetic. “The strap just got caught, and I had to loosen it.”

  She tugged on the strap in question for emphasis, fooling exactly no one. It didn’t help that she looked far too pleased with herself. Morgan, knowing that there was little he could do here, simply waited until all the straps were cinched, ignoring the groping and concentrating on keeping himself in check. It was only once Hilda poked her head from the door to ask what was taking so long that Katherine finally stepped back, giving a strap one final tug.

  “Before you go…” Katherine said, stepping in a bit closer. “I thought we might…talk.”

  “Now really isn’t the time,” Morgan replied. “I really do have to get going and…”

  He trailed off as Katherine blew out a long sigh.

  “Fine, I understand,” she replied. “Please be careful. I don’t like the idea of you running off again so soon, especially with how little time we’ve gotten to spend together since you’ve returned. You know I love you, right?”

  Morgan pressed his lips together into a thin line, then nodded once. He knew how Katherine felt and had he been any weaker or his resolve any less firm, he’d have told her the same thing. He was no longer under any delusions about the woman and knew that he loved her just as she loved him. Yet he also loved Sarah and had been in love with her long before he’d caught feelings for the Queen of the North.

  Katherine leaned in then, and for just a couple of seconds, Morgan felt his heart skip a beat. But, when the kiss landed, it was on his cheek, rather than his lips.

  “Be careful,” Katherine whispered, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tight. “I already thought I’d lost you once. I don’t think I’d be able to bear it if it happened again.”