AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hali straightened, her chin jutting out with stubborn determination. “And what’s that? Why are you giving the hammer to them? Why did you lie to me?”
The other members of the Forge of Vulkan had caught up by now, surrounding them in a semicircle. Agnith’s face was carved from stone, but the others looked at her with a mix of annoyance and wariness.
“Hali, please,” Osric said, taking a step toward her.
“No. I need to know. I need to understand.”
Osric closed his eyes, a pained expression crossing his face. “My family,” he said. “They were killed by the Obsidian Circle.”
Hali’s breath caught in her throat. “I didn’t know. You never told me.”
“I never thought I would find someone worth telling.” His voice was thick with emotion, his words a struggle. “The Forge of Vulkan, they took me in. Trained me. Made me who I am. Gave me purpose. Gave me a new family.”
Tears were streaming down Hali’s face, leaving tracks through the soot. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It is not your fault. But I cannot betray the Forge. I cannot betray my family.” He opened his eyes, and the look in them was enough to shatter Hali’s heart. “Please. Go. Forget about me.”
Hali’s lower lip trembled as she stared up at him. “I can’t. I can’t forget you.”
She took a step forward, and Osric flinched, as if he were afraid she might strike him. “I care for you, Osric. I care for you more than I ever thought I could care for anyone. But I cannot let you make this mistake.”
Tears welled in Osric’s eyes, and he turned away. “It is not a mistake. It is my duty.”
“It doesn’t have to be,” Hali said. “Please. We can find another way.”
“There is no other way.”
“My parents, they were scholars, like you. They sought to uncover the truth, no matter the cost. And it cost them everything.”
Hali’s hand flew to her mouth, but Osric was lost in his memories.
“I was young, too young to understand. But the pain, the rage that burned in me . . . The Forge, they offered me a way to channel it. A way to bring justice to those who had wronged us.”
Hali’s eyes were brimming with tears, but she said nothing, only waited for him to continue.
“The Obsidian Circle are a blight on this world. They care nothing for the balance, for the greater good. They seek only power, at any cost. And I cannot let them succeed.”
“The Obsidian Circle . . .” Hali’s eyes blazed with determination. “Is that what this is about? Revenge for your family?”
“It is about justice. It is about doing what is right.”
Hali took a step toward him, her hands balled into fists at her sides. “Is it? Or is it about vengeance, about the same kind of hatred that they hold in their hearts?”
Osric’s grip on the Hammer of Earthblood tightened, the metal groaning in protest. “I do not know. But it is the path I have chosen. The only way I can see.”
Hali raised her chin, her gaze steady. “It does not have to be this way. We can find another path. We can find another way to stop them, without . . .” Her voice trailed off, but Osric knew what she was going to say.
Without becoming them.
“It is too late for that,” Osric said. “The Obsidian Circle, they have the hammer now. With its power, they will be unstoppable. The only way to take it back is with the Forge’s power, and their price is too high.”
“Is it?” Hali’s voice was a challenge. “Is the cost of your soul not too high, Osric? Is it worth it, to become the very thing you seek to destroy?”
Osric closed his eyes, his jaw clenched. “It is a price I am willing to pay.”
“I know you think you’re doing the right thing,” Hali said. “But I cannot stand by and watch you give in to that kind of darkness. I cannot watch you unleash such terrible power.”
Osric’s resolve wavered, his grip on the hammer loosening. “I . . . I do not know if I can stop them any other way.”
