Seeds of Hope Read online

  Seeds of Hope

  Roots of Creation Book 7

  Jason Hamilton

  Story Hobby Media

  Copyright © 2019 by Jason Hamilton

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  An Argoverse Novel

  www.jasonleehamilton.com

  Story Hobby Media

  www.storyhobbymedia.com

  Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.

  Cover art by Vanesa Garkova.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Also by Jason Hamilton

  1

  As Jak emerged through the portal, she found herself face to face with a sweaty, snarling demon.

  She didn’t move. The demon couldn’t see her just yet, thanks to Viona, who held Jak’s hand in hers, on her right. Viona was a Shadow Elf, and she was the reason why the demon couldn’t see them. She would have to thank the ancestors later for the elf’s powers of invisibility.

  Jak’s other hand held that of Li, her friend from the eastern nations, and an expert at working behind the back of tyrannical leadership. And they were going to need that.

  The demon sniffed, and Jak stilled her breathing. She hoped to the High Relics that it couldn’t smell her. Demons used to be humans, right? Hopefully that meant their senses were only as attuned as humans, and not enhanced like an animal. But she wouldn’t make any assumptions.

  They were in a room built with wood, a lot of wood. Everything from the floor to the walls, and even the ceiling were built with large wooden planks. Jak was from Riverbrook where there was very little wood. Most of the buildings there were made of stone, with thatched ceilings. The same was true of Skyecliff, the only big city Jak had ever visited.

  The room was large, big enough to be a chapel or audience chamber fit for a king. Rows of wooden chairs lined the edges, and large columns, that looked like they could be whole tree trunks, stood in the center, holding up the roof.

  The building was lit from the flickering purple light of the portal behind them, and from a large, rectangular fire that burned in the center of the room. Wouldn’t that be dangerous? They could burn the whole building down.

  But Jak didn’t spare much time looking at the fire pit. The demon that stood mere inches from her face was one of many, all of whom were staring directly at her. Well, not at her specifically, but at what was behind her.

  The portal was still active, the gateway they had used to get back to Earth from Illadar. The portals did not last long, but Bretton, an Ice Fae, had used his abilities to temporarily hold it in place long enough for Jak, Viona, and Li to all make it through. Jak turned to blink at the shimmering portal. She was surprised it was still active.

  But just as she thought it, the portal flickered and died, its electric form leaving an after-burn in her eyes.

  “No!” shouted an angry voice. “I had it that time.” And now she saw him. Cain stood on the other side of where the portal had once stood, his body of melted flesh terrifying in the firelight. In his hands were the white and black shafts of the Pillars of Eternity, the two more powerful Relics that Jak had used to create Illadar, before Marek had betrayed her and taken them away. Even now, Jak bore a Void brand on her right hand, a brand that kept her from using any of her other powers, and that made her feel even more exposed.

  Jak swallowed. She had anticipated he would be here, but seeing him now only increased the dread in her stomach. Cain also had demons by his side, which meant she was literally surrounded by demons. She gave both Li and Viona’s hands a little squeeze to comfort them. If they just remained still, and Viona’s elf magic continued to work, they might have a shot of getting out of this. But if even one demon bumped into them…

  Cain yelled, threw aside the Pillars of Eternity, picked up a demon with a telekinetic hold, and squeezed his fist. The demon whined as the telekinetic barrier closed in on itself, and Jak closed her eyes as she heard the sickening crunch of the demon’s bones. Its whines cut off abruptly.

  “You told me it would work this time,” Cain bellowed. “I even managed to communicate with them.”

  Jak opened her eyes to see that Cain and the demons were not alone in the room. A cowering figure knelt several paces away from Cain. The figure was clothed in black, and the skin on his face and hands was pale.

  “I...I’m very sorry, your greatness!” The quivering man stammered. His face was bowed, but Jak’s eyes widened as she recognized that voice. That man was the Royal Priest, the nameless man in charge of the Royal Church of Skyecliff. He looked nothing like the last time Jak had seen him. Now he was splayed across the wooden floor, and every muscle of his body was trembling. His body had grown thin, and his face was gaunt. Clearly, he feared Cain, and Jak couldn’t blame him.

  A slight tug on her hand, and Jak turned to see Li trying to pull Jak somewhere. She could see nothing as she faced the space where Li would be standing, but of course that was what happened. It was too bad Viona’s invisibility also made it impossible to see each other.

  But she quickly realized what Li was trying to do. After Cain had executed the one demon, he had opened up a hole among the others surrounding them. If they were careful, they could work their way to the side of the building, where they would be less discoverable.

  Jak gave Li’s hand a small squeeze to acknowledge she understood, then gently pulled on Viona’s hand as well. Once the Shadow Elf had the right idea, the three of them tiptoed past the demons to one side of the wooden building. Jak almost stopped herself from breathing as they progressed. The demons surrounding them did not budge, but a few of their nostrils flared, and their eyes twitched.

  It was only then that she realized Cain hadn’t said much since they arrived. She glanced back at the demon king to see him scanning the room. “I...sense something,” he said. His eyes lingered for a moment on the place where they stood.

  Jak swallowed hard. The connection between her and Cain might end up being the death of them now. She could feel it too, though in her case the feeling was a sickness in her stomach, an unease that emanated from Cain. If Cain were to find them...

  The Royal Priest, who seemed not to have noticed, continued to grovel on the floor. “I will make sure you unlock the secrets of the Pillars, I promise.”

  Cain’s attention moved back to the Priest. “I gave you my gifts,” he said, advancing on the man. “I gave you Relics that granted you power beyond your wildest dreams. Power you used to sway the people of Skyecliff. But with all your talk of understanding the most powerful Relics, you still fail me!”

  Cain advanced on the man, stooping low to grab him by the hair. The Royal Priest cried out and clutched at Cain’s arm. Then in a flash, Jak saw something peculiar. The Pri
est’s brand flashed to life, then extinguished itself as soon as it did so. The Royal Priest had a Void brand. Jak remembered all too well how the man had temporarily robbed her of her powers about a year ago. Yet it seemingly had no effect on Cain.

  That was interesting.

  Cain sneered at the Royal Priest. “You know that doesn’t work on me.”

  “Forgive me, my lord!” The Royal Priest was hysterical. “It...it was a...a temporary lapse in judgment, a stupid response, nothing more. Please do not punish me!”

  Jak squinted at the priest. He had just tried to use his Void brand on Cain, and it hadn’t worked. That had to mean that Cain was somehow immune to Void brands. And if Cain could be immune...

  “My loyal servant is on his way with another who could help me secure mastery of the Pillars. Tell me, why do I need you?”

  “No one understands alchemy and strange brands better than me, your greatness,” said the Royal Priest in a hurry. “If I cannot help you, there’s no chance this person you speak of will be able to.”

  Cain’s voice grew cold. “This person has already used a Pillar of Eternity once before.”

  Jak’s heart leapt, momentarily forgetting Cain’s apparent immunity to Void brands. They were talking about Naem! He was the only one besides herself that had used the Pillars, at least to her knowledge. And Cain said his most loyal follower was bringing Naem. That had to be Marek.

  “I’m so sorry, great one,” said the Royal Priest, his voice rising in pitch as Cain’s grip tightened. Clearly he knew of nothing else to say. “I am sure it will simply take time. You’ve made such incredible progress already.”

  Cain let out a soft chuckle, clearly enjoying torturing the man. He flung him down to the ground with a thunk. “You have no need to fear death just yet. The man will not likely submit to me so easily.”

  “But surely, with your brand that controls minds,” the Royal Priest began.

  “True, I can compel him with those brand, but it remains unclear whether he will be able to use the Pillars under such duress. The brands haven’t worked on the Pillars directly, after all.”

  “And what a surprise that was.”

  “Silence!” Cain was growing impatient with the man. “There will be other ways. I will need you to examine his blood, as you so seem to love doing. Perhaps we will find something of interest, something we can use to trick the Pillars of Eternity.”

  “Of course, my master, it will be as you say.”

  Cain spoke almost as if to himself, “and perhaps Marek will have news of the dragon as well. My...negotiations with the Pillars might go very differently if I could threaten them with dragon fire.”

  “Yes, my master.”

  “Now get out of my sight!” Cain bellowed. The Royal Priest yelped and scrambled to his feet, slipping in an effort to remove himself from the room as fast as possible.

  Jak watched him go. She almost felt bad for the wretch. She harbored no kind feelings for the man, but no one deserved the punishment and torment that Cain was capable of inflicting.

  Cain remained for a while longer, which meant Jak kept her breathing to a minimum. So far, none of the demons had taken notice, and they were safely pressed against a wall to avoid accidentally bumping into any of them. But that didn’t cause her fears to lessen, especially now that the room had quieted. Cain likely had several enhanced senses, thanks to his brands. If any of them moved a muscle, he could potentially find them.

  But Cain walked to the side where he had thrown the Pillars of Eternity, and gathered them up. Jak swallowed. She’d secretly wished he would have left them so she could collect them later, but that was unrealistic thinking.

  Cain cradled the Pillars in his arms for a moment, before retreating through a door in the back of the room, likely a personal study of some kind, or some private quarters. The demons surrounding the room did not budge. Each one remained exactly where it had been the whole time. It looked like Cain was keeping them around as personal guards of some kind, or maybe they were just there so he could send them through the portals. Regardless, they appeared to have no other purpose, so they simply remained.

  2

  Li tugged on Jak’s hand again, and this time Jak knew immediately what the woman wanted. It was time to leave. There were three doors that Jak could see. There was the one Cain had disappeared through, though following him was out of the question. There was also the one the Royal Priest had used, but there were so many demons between here and there, so that was equally unlikely.

  That left the large door at the far end of the hall, where there were fewer demons. If they could make it to the door, they might be able to crack it open and slip through with little suspicion. A demon might come to investigate, but they could get away fast enough once they were through the door. Hopefully.

  As silently as possible, the three of them began inching their way along the side of the building towards the door. It was long and tense work. Once, Li stepped on a loose floorboard and the resulting creak was enough to stop Jak’s heart. A few demon ears twitched. Yes, they were still listening, still aware of their surroundings, even though they were predominantly controlled by Cain. Thankfully, none of them moved.

  Both Jak and Viona avoided the same creaking floorboard, and they continued on their way. Since the entire floor was made of wood, they were extra careful after that first incident, to test out each board before putting their entire weight on it, managing to avoid making too much noise.

  Finally, they were at the door. But now came the greater challenge. The nearest demon was about thirty feet away, but that was still close enough that it could easily see or hear the door being opened.

  Since both of Jak’s hands were busy holding onto Viona and Li, she gave Li’s hand a little squeeze, indicating that she should be the one to open the door. Jak stared hard at the metal latch. Ever so slowly, it lifted, making almost no sound, at least none that could be heard by anyone other than the three of them.

  Once the latch was free, Jak waited as Li tugged at the door. It moved with a groan that echoed through the room. Jak turned her head just in time to see every demon facing in their direction, the glint of the firelight causing twin points of light to stare at them from all sides.

  “Go, go,” she whispered.

  The door swung open just enough for the three of them to slip out. Li went first, followed by Jak, then Viona.

  They were outside, Jak realized with relief. And it was mid-day, judging by the brightness of the sun. But Jak didn’t stop to take in her surroundings just yet. She pulled on both Viona and Li’s hands and they hurried as fast as they dared down a series of stone steps that led down a hill. Apparently they had been inside an enormous wooden palace of some kind, and now they were descending into a city.

  It was a large city, but one Jak did not recognize from any of her travels. She’d not been here before. Like the palace itself, most of the buildings were made out of wood, though many were blackened and ruined from fire. There was little to no plant life around them.

  They crossed a bridge, and Jak glanced down to see a rushing of filthy water far below. It was like a river, but with man-made banks. She had never seen anything quite like it.

  What was most unusual for a city of this size was the fact that there were no people in it. None at all. Jak spotted a few demons, though. There weren’t nearly as many as she had seen inside the wooden palace, but enough to make it clear why there were no humans in sight. Clearly the city had been overrun, and these demons were now patrolling.

  “We’re in Tradehall,” whispered Viona once they were safely away from the palace and any nearby demons. Jak glanced back at the door to the palace, and noted with some relief that no demons had followed them. Chances were that they, or their master, had assumed the door had blown open with the wind, or something like that.

  She turned back to look at the rest of the city. Tradehall. Well that made sense now that she was looking at it. The bridge they had just crossed was o
ne of many, and everyone knew Tradehall was situated at the convergence of several smaller rivers into the massive river that led to Skyecliff. Tradehall provided a central hub of trade for the entire west, and many of what they brought in from nearby nations was shipped down the river to Skyecliff, making it a centerpoint of trade between the west and the east. But what had happened to it?

  Most of the buildings were in ruins, save for the palace they had exited. It looked as if a large battle had taken place here, though Jak could see no corpses. Yet her eyes did catch the occasional gleam of weapons or perhaps armor mixed in with the mud. She swallowed, not wanting to think about what the demons might have done with the people those weapons and armor had once belonged to.

  “What happened here?” Li’s comment mirrored what Jak was thinking.

  “Cain must have laid waste to the area,” said Jak. “Disrupting the trade in the kingdom will not only have devastating effects on the people here, but on the nations on either side.”

  “That’s true,” said Li. “We in the eastern nations relied on trade through your country for anything that came from further west, and a lot of southern supplies as well.”

  “So what do we do?” said Viona. “We’re likely to get caught if we stay here long enough. The only living creatures I can see are the demons. Not even any plant life.”

  “Yes, it is sad,” said Li, her voice weary. Jak glanced in the direction of Li’s voice. Viona still held up her elf magic, so Jak couldn’t see her companion, but she imagined Li still wasn’t feeling very well, judging by her tone. And they weren’t exactly in the best position to help her. But at least they were out of the cold of Illadar. That should help at least.