The Soul Keeper - Chapter 302

“So, wait,” Inspector John asked, looking at the lifeless body of the Ereth Inquisitor. “This… creature is an Ereth?” He asked. The way he pronounced the word was somewhat odd.

I nodded. My wounds had healed by now, Soul’s Respite had done its job. I shot a glance at Aoife. She was staring at the cut off head of the Inquisitor. Her face was pale, and I could see from her expression how shocking this was for her.

I took a deep breath and held my hand over the lifeless body. Black and purple flames spread from my hand to the body. Soon, nothing but ashes would remain of the Inquisitor.

“Why did you do that?” Aoife asked with a shaking voice. “A burial-”

“They burn their dead. Usually with rituals, but I don’t have time for that.” I raised my head and look at the sea. “More will come, and soon.” I clenched my fist. “I shouldn’t have let the two of you come with me.” I mumbled before turning my back on the burning body. “Let’s go.”

I headed up the hill. We still had a long way to go before we made it to the lighthouse. And even then, there was no guarantee that we’d find the pattern etched cliff.

We walked along the cliff in silence. The only sound to be heard was the sound of waves crashing into the rocks below.

“Kai,” Aoife’s voice sounded. She was walking half a step behind me. I slowed down and shot her a curious look, urging her to continue. She took a deep breath before speaking. “Why are you using that?” She asked, pointing at my scythe.

I glanced at the weapon. “It looks like a grim reaper’s weapon.” She added after a moment of hesitation. Inspector John remained silent, though I was sure he was listening to every word we spoke.

“I’m used to it. And I don’t have any other weapon on me right now.” I added with a forced smile.

Aoife lightly tapped the hilt of her sword. “You could use this.” She suggested. I shook my head almost immediately. “No, I’m fine with this. It gives me the reach and power I need to take down inquisitors.” I hesitated. “And it will give me a fighting chance against a Divine, though not a great one.”

As I was now, I had almost no hope of winning against a Divine. Not without the power given to me by the souls I had gathered before.

“How much more powerful are the Divines?” Aoife asked. I hesitated. “You don’t want to know.” I finally said, failing to find a good answer. Telling her that Aelith could probably blow up the island didn’t seem like a very bright idea.

“What if I do want to know?”

I shook my head. “You don’t. And even if you did, I can’t answer that – I don’t know the full extent of their powers. Just…” I stopped and looked her straight in the eye. “Just make sure to run as far away and as fast as you can if we ever come across one.” I glanced at Inspector John. “The same applies to you as well, Inspector. I can protect both of you from an Inquisitor, but a Divine is a completely different monster.” I didn’t want to tell them that if we ever came across a Divine before we found the marked cliff, I was as good as dead.

We continued walking in silence, though not for long. Soon, several dots appeared in the sky.

“Are those Inquisitors too?” Inspector John asked, noticing how my expression darkened. I shook my head, I didn’t feel the same amount of power from them as I did from the last two Inquisitors.

“She can’t keep sending inquisitors to kill me,” I said as I stopped walking and turned towards the dots. They were Ereth soldiers. Their large, leathery wings carried them here all the way from the mainland. “There aren’t so many of them, after all. The soldiers though…” I sighed and raised my hand. Power gathered within my palm.

“To her, they’re expendable.” A bolt, seemingly made of darkness leapt from the tip of my fingers. A split second later, a pained scream sounded as one of the Ereth soldiers plummeted into the sea. “She doesn’t care if they die or live.”

Aoife furrowed her brows. “You don’t seem too different.”

I stopped for a moment and glanced at her. “What does that mean?” I asked as my expression darkened.

“You’re killing them… Just like that. Not even giving them a fighting chance. Not even giving them a chance to surrender.” Aoife’s words were like daggers, meant to hurt me. I sensed resentment behind her voice, behind her words.

“I can’t afford to.” I replied, looking at the dots again. Another dark bolt leapt from my fingertips and another Ereth plummeted from the sky. “If so many of them surround me, I’m dead. At best.” I added, then slowly took a step back. Out of the ten, I had killed three. They were now closing in on us.

“Stay here,” I said before darting off towards the side we came from. If I were to fight these Ereth, it was going to happen at a distance from Aoife. No matter what my sister thought of me, I wasn’t going to let her get caught in the crossfire.

“Kai!” She shouted after me, but I was already quite a ways away. I raised my hands, and two more bolts hit two more Ereth. One of them blocked my spell with his shield, while the other let out a scream of agony before plummeting into the rough seas.

I didn’t have time to cast any more spells before the first of the remaining six Ereth reached me.

He flew over my head and landed behind me. The others quickly followed, forming a circular formation around me. It reminded of the time a larger group of soldiers tried to stop me from reaching the Divine Pillar in Baile Chailce.

A smile appeared on my lips as I glanced at the sharp tips of their spears. “Alright then,” I mumbled as I readied my scythe.

It was time to fight once more.