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Invisible, electric fingers of dark magic burrowed into Renton’s chest and wrapped around his heart. He bit down on a growl as the shard responded, pumping what felt like sludge through his limbs to paralyze him in the chair. A second heartbeat thudded out of rhythm with his own.
Gods, he’d known that something foul lived inside of him but not on the level of evil Kherathi had claimed. In the midst of its worst attacks, he’d been convinced that the darkness would split him in two.
“I can assure you I will rid you of Balhudhal, just as I rid the isles of your wretched councilman.”
“The beast has a name?” Renton forced the words through clenched teeth.
“The shard won’t be able to contain it forever. Near the end, symptoms grow stronger. Your body deteriorates until Corruption sets in.”
Fuck. Was that happening to him?
“Do you know how to remove it?” Renton asked.
“I’ve successfully removed two of them with plans to destroy three more.”
Curses formed on Renton’s tongue. “Where are these other shards now?”
“Izral employs the Embassy to guard the hosts until I’m in the right…state to remove them.”
“Why is Vristar’s king aiding you?”
“He isn’t the only one involved. Nithril provided intel on your…situation. But then you went missing. Ironic that you would end up running with my Tenah. Though, it’s not entirely surprising.” Kherathi’s gaze dropped to Renton’s heart. “Her magic would be drawn to it.”
Renton didn’t know whether to feel betrayed by the elder or grateful he’d potentially found a way to be rid of the shard. Could Kherathi be trusted though? Even if he claimed he hadn’t been in control of his body the night at the gathering, Chaos could take control again and wield the shards for nefarious purposes.
None of this was settling right in Renton’s gut.
“The goal is to destroy the war beasts before Cirel catches wind of their location,” Kherathi said. “We had a close call with some petty thefts in the archives. Boedworth’s hunters were sniffing around for them. The longer those war beasts are permitted to survive, the greater the risk of having to face them on the battlefield again.”
“What is the process to destroy them?”
“Dark magic is used to remove the shard from the body. As soon as it’s no longer tethered to flesh and blood, the beast will manifest, and then we can slaughter it. There is the risk that the vessels won’t survive,” Kherathi admitted flatly. “You’ve carried a sliver of Balhudhal far longer than the other hosts. I believe you witnessed firsthand what the shards can do when their vessels reach their limits.”
Visions of the Corrupt in the desert flooded back to him. Soulless black eyes. Ear-shattering screeches. Long, taloned claws digging and digging into his chest. A sliver of black gleaming in the sunlight before pain blinded him.
“What makes you so certain you can kill this beast?” Renton asked, his lungs struggling for air.
Kherathi met him with a steely gaze. “I wasn’t Corrupt the last time I fought Balhudhal. Now I have dark power and an army of disposable feingrot. There will be no innocent casualties this time. No distractions. Vozarians were highly motivated to evacuate Firesteep with the threat of my monsters approaching. Firesteep’s walls will provide a fortified cage for the slaughter without the need of my daughter’s ability to rip open the Void. And Izral was more than willing to take in Vozarian refugees, eager to reunite the western kingdoms under his reign.”
Renton took a moment to absorb his words. These were huge actions being taken by two formidable shadows. Was Kherathi making a good decision aiding Izral in doubling his armies? What would the High Court think about Izral reuniting the Burning Plains? From what Renton had overheard, Izral was mostly discredited. No one ever considered him a threat. Maybe they should have.
Kherathi stretched his arms over his head, releasing a chain of pops and cracks in his joints. Though he had no visible signs of Corruption other than his eyes, Renton imagined the lord was in constant pain. “Nothing like a little Denesè celebration to ease the Vozarians’ unrest.”
Vesara’s party. Gods, everything had been orchestrated so fluidly.
The weight of this conversation was beginning to drain the last of Renton’s energy. “Why not let the High Court deal with the shards?”
“The High Court refused to house them. Hathrowyn is a refuge, not a vault for monsters. And the farther from the eastern isles, the better. Though, if Cirel acquires enough power to awaken the portals, it won’t matter where we hide the shards. His armies will lay waste to everything in search of them. Then he’ll move his war to Aranma.”
Renton felt sick. Should he mention to the lord Tenah’s recent blackout and the rifts she’d carved? Or should he approach the subject with Tenah first to confirm his suspicion that Cirel might already have control of her again?
“Doesn’t sound like I have much of a choice, do I?”
“We all have choices.” Kherathi capped the empty whiskey bottle and stood. “You’ve sufficed to keep that beast in check this long. Who’s to say you won’t live a full life without ever experiencing anything more than side effects? Though you will always be a target with that thing in your heart. You and everyone you love. Should you choose to be proactive, you know where to find me.”
With that, Renton found himself alone, suffocating under the weight of his own thoughts.
Chapter27
