Dutybound

by Mark Aaron Alvarez

  “But, Father, how can I do that? I know nothing of the world outside these walls.”

  Talon stepped down from his throne and approached his daughter as she kneeled before him. “You know what you must do, my dear. You must take on your pilgrimage and assume your role as chieftess. Become the keeper of knowledge, and I . . . ” Talon closed his eyes as tears ran beneath his visor.

  Luzanna looked into the sky as the storm raged. She saw the hint of green and sensed how the air chilled more with every breath.

  “I will die protecting my country.”

  “No!” Luzanna cried. Her spear fell from her hands as she thrust her arms around her father and buried her face into his neck. “I won’t let you go. I can’t. Not now.” How could she have ever come to terms with killing this man? The pain returned to her hand, burning with a white-hot fury. Why was she, too, changing?

  Talon held his daughter, feeling his life within his hands. “Hold on to your dreams, my sweet. Fate needs you to survive past this. Take the girl with you to Remena. See to it that she realizes the truth. It is time that the world knows the whole story.”

  “Father, I won’t let you die. You won’t. I can change all this.” She backed away to stare into her father’s eyes. “I won’t treat you like some lost cause! There is a future for both of us.”

  Talon smiled again. “For you, yes. But, I shouldn’t have intervened. This is my sin. I must take responsibility.” He lifted his hand and touched the top of his visor. He clasped the clear opal stone and pulled it from its place before putting it into Luzanna’s stinging hand.

  Instantly, the throbbing washed away. “The Elder Stone,” Luzanna whispered as tears streamed.

  “For generations, this stone has been a symbol of leadership within our tribe, and now it is yours. Hold on to it always, and let it be your strength. Always remember where you’ve come from. The blood of the Carist runs strong within you. In time it will fade, but the stories you will share, the history you will make will be enough to keep our lineage live and well.”

  “Oh, Father . . . ”

  “It’s alright, Luzanna. Don’t fear what you don’t know. All knowledge comes with time. Go now to Lucia and see that she is taken to safety. I must gather the troops and prepare for battle. It won’t be long now.”

  Luzanna could not believe what was happening. She stood, shocked by her father’s sudden change of heart but somehow not surprised. Whatever she said, and whatever he had seen, had brought a kindness from deep within him. Though her hope managed to displace his fear through this last test of her own faith, Luzanna felt as if her world had changed forever.

  ***

  “There they are!” Leo pushed Lucia back behind him as he held out his dagger.

  Lucia gripped the pendant in her fist as her eyes traced the tips of their long-bladed spears.

  The flock of men pushed forth from the front of the corridor. “Surrender now, or resist and regret it,” one of them warned.

  Her mind was spinning. There they were, in the midst of another battle, and she could not get the voices out of her head. She clenched her eyes shut and sensed the slight movements of Leo’s muscles tightening as his eyes fully dilated like a lion locked on its prey. Lucia shook her head. “Seriously?”

  Leo smiled softly. With ease he pounced, charging at the men. They took efforts trying to disarm and subdue him, but Leo’s reflexes were too swift. No man could catch him. Lucia wondered how he learned to move as he did, as she watched him smash his fist against the visors of the Carist soldiers and slash toward them to get them off their feet. He sent his fists into the open spots of their armor and used the blade of his dagger to sweep low, sending them crashing to the floor. He leapt and took hold of one of their weapons, twirling it as he brought down two more men. As soon as he got his hands on any of their spears, he disarmed them and tossed their weapons out of arms reach.

  All this fighting frightened Lucia, but there was no other choice. She realized there was a purpose to it all. It was time to act, and Lucia couldn’t afford to lose. Fate had demonstrated its hold over them as the fighting subsided, leaving Leo in feral state. He was a fierce fighter. Stronger than she realized. Faster than any man she had ever seen. Better even than any of the military men guarding her capital. But Lucia worried. There had to be something fueling him. And if it was not his home, his duty, or Lucia herself, what was the root of all his fury? Why could he no longer contain it within himself?

  With the pendant still in hand, she opened her heart and started her prayer. “Please, no more. Put an end to this. With your power, I ask of thee. Lend me the strength I need.” And with that, the door opened once more, the connection to the other world. A surge overwhelmed her as the wings pulsed with light. Lucia opened her hand, releasing a bright flash. She lifted out her hand and, with a wave, shot an orb from the tips of her fingers and filled Leo’s fists with a gallant, azure glow.

  Charged with an unbelievable strength, Leo sent his foes flying backward. The force was unreal, unimaginable as the men shook and hit the back of the corridor, causing shockwaves to ripple through the air. Tapestries fell from the stone walls as they crumbled.

  Leo’s eyes were blazing with blue fire as the power faded from his fists. His eyes lowered towards his shaking hands, still tingling from the might of the light. The men lay defeated on the floor. Some were groaning, others unconscious or pretending to be, but surely sulking in their shame. Leo glanced toward Lucia, who was breathing almost as heavily as he was.

  “I couldn’t just stand by and watch,” she said. “I had to do something.”

  “Well, I’m glad you did.” Leo was curious as his anger miraculously subsided. He was almost laughing as the rush of adrenaline burned beneath his skin. “ So you do have some fight in you after all.”

  “I suppose I do.” Lucia stepped closer to Leo and brushed her arm against his, feeling the static spark as they touched. She closed her eyes, listening to the whispers of the Light Wings as if she knew they were warning her of what was to come. “There isn’t much time. The worst has yet to come.” Lucia glanced back towards Leo, unsure of who he was or of the person he had become. She couldn’t help but empathize. She broke the tension with her voice as doom loomed. “I’m sure the tower has been secured with more guards by now. Our only hope is to fight our way through.”

  “I thought you didn’t want to fight?”

  “I didn’t want you to fight,” Lucia corrected. “But as for me”—she clutched the pendant—“the Light Wings have other plans.” She paused. “Let’s get going. We need to get out of here.”

  “What’s with her?” Leo thought, muttering under his breath. He could not quite make out what exactly it was, but Lucia did not seem at all herself. Was she changing, too? No, this was different. It wasn’t as if she were resisting as Leo was, straying far from the lessons he’d learned within his youth. Far from the person he was supposed to be. Lucia’s transformation was nothing like his own. The more she used the pendant’s power, the more the Light Wings changed her, grooming her, tailoring her like they would a doll. He tried to understand what it might be like, feeling all that power. He did feel it for a moment, but it was benevolent. One could even say calming. Very unlike the fighting he had grown used to. Where had all his anger gone? The more he tried to understand, the more lost he became. There was this heavy burden encased within Lucia’s eyes, as if her spirit was weighed down, shackled. His eyes followed the arch of her collarbone and eventually met with the silver chain where it rested beneath her neck, bearing the entire weight of Terestria.

  “Whatever it is you’re worrying about, stop,” Leo said, clenching his fist. “You underestimate its power and my own. If you think we can’t do this, if you think I can’t do this, then we’ve already lost the battle. Why give up?” He locked with her gaze. “We will protect you.”

  Lucia lowered her head as the sh
ame washed over her. His words sank deep, cutting into her. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. The light has always protected me, she thought. And so has he. Who was she to determine, to judge, to decide? After all, none of this was her choice. This path was already chosen for her. The light had blessed her with this purpose, and it chose him to be her guardian.

  “Leo,” Lucia said. She had trouble finding the words. In her quest for fairness, she now realized that she had been blinded. By what, she could not say, but the more she noticed his determination, it became all too apparent. She could not do this without him. “Thank you.”

  Leo blinked, nearly surprised by her words. “You’re welcome.”

  A sense of security rose then, a mutual understanding of each other’s strengths and purpose. It was clear that the two had begun to care for one another. Neither could bear to see the other in any pain, though there was no avoiding it. Alone, neither would get very far, but together in support of one another, they stood a chance to rise up against the trials they soon would face. If they ever hoped to survive, they had to work together as equals, and ultimately, as a team.

  ***

  They hurried into a long corridor that wound around and turned into a stairwell. As they rose, the rooms became brighter and the hallways grew more elaborate. They were well on their way to the surface, and with each step it became clear that they were very close. They proceeded with caution, trying to stay hidden from the few Carist soldiers patrolling the area.

  Lucia felt it like a tug at her heartstrings. The chill was within her blood, almost as if it were a part of her. “Wait!” Lucia stopped, pulling Leo behind a nearby bookcase. “Do you see it? There,” she whispered as she pointed to an eerie glow of purple in the distance. It was less a glow and more a distortion of some sort, like anti-light or a ripple in space or time. It refracted and drew in the shine of the light around it, pulling apart the spectrum and shattering it in the depths of its growing blackness. As it spread, it dissolved all the matter it touched, turning it into shadow. “Is that . . . ?” Lucia’s eyes quivered.

  The distortion clung to the corners of the walls, seemingly building its strength as it absorbed and took in more of the light. The lanterns themselves flickered, and the air sharpened with frost as it grew dense around the force, tense with gravity. As the area darkened, the force became more powerful, transforming right before their eyes.

  Lucia saw flames of the beast within her mind. The flames erupted as glass fell, and the image rose like a premonition, tossing her thoughts into hysteria. She watched it happening all once more. Her breath hovered as her body shook, each nerve falling into another waking nightmare. The force emitted a stench as it sprang to life. Lucia’s body tingled as the base of her neck sparkled. Instinctively, her fingers came together as she took a deep breath. The Light Wings pulled at her tendons as a master would its puppet, honing her focus as her eyes locked onto their target. She pushed past Leo as the puddle of dark radiance emitted a shriek so frightening it shook the sanity of all who heard it. “Watch out!” she screamed.

  From the depths of the emptiness rose a scaly black tentacle. Like a serpent, it coiled upward, hissing loudly as an onyx blade cut from its end, glossy to the tip and oozing with black tar. The tentacle sprang, tossing its sharp blade at the bookcase, sending up a shower of papers and scrolls, obscuring their vision. Leo dropped to the ground, dodging the coil as it spun around. Lucia released her hands, sending a wave of light through the air, stunning the tail as it whipped back toward the portal through which it had entered.

  “It nearly decapitated you!” she yelled at Leo, who was panting on one knee. She shook her head. “You’ve got to be more careful!”

  “Don’t you have something more important to worry about? Go, Lucia!” Leo yelled, his shining gaze fixated on the monster.

  Lucia nodded, watching as the blade of the beast pointed down like a snake eying its prey. Lucia’s body was trembling, but she knew not to hesitate. Leo was too weary from fighting—she had to do this on her own.

  It sent out another relentless shriek, ripping through the shadows emitting from its body. The strength of the force was growing more powerful; but still, Lucia could tell this was only a fragment of its true form. The Light Wings pulsed vibrantly, calling her hand forward as the serpent sent another wave of power through the room.

  The tentacles darted forward. Leo’s panicked eyes glazed as he rushed toward Lucia.

  Lucia’s thoughts uttered a resonance of a prayer as light erupted from beneath her neck, shining as she brought her fingers to her temples. An understanding was beginning to spread through her. “These monsters. They are . . . manifestations.”

  “Lucia!” The blade was falling toward her, and it seemed as if Lucia did not notice, as if she chose not to. Leo watched in terror as Lucia closed her eyes, inviting the darkness in as she cloaked herself with light.

  The pendant pulsed as a pair of diamond wings sprouted from Lucia’s back, wrapping around and protecting her. They sparkled as the onyx clashed against their exterior, sending them flinching backward seething in the radiance of their own bright light. The wings shattered with a gigantic flash, sending thousands of flying shards of pulsating sparks shooting and tearing into the flesh of the beast. The tentacle screeched in pain, torn apart by what appeared to be an array of shooting stars as it disintegrated in a blaze of white flame.

  “Lucia, are you alright?” Leo asked, watching as the smoke cleared and the light retreated back into the pendant. There she was, still standing.

  Lucia could hardly believe it herself. She opened her eyes. “That was incredible.” She held a hand to her chest, still feeling the power course through her. Did I just . . . Her eyes quivered as she thought, I just fought back. “I never thought my prayers could hold so much power.” How did she become this? Somehow, her faith, the one thing she spent her entire life tempering, had become her weapon. Lucia was now far from the gentle maiden she once was, and more like the heroine Terestria had called her to be. “Is this really who I am?”

  Leo could see now why the Light Wings had chosen her. Without the slightest hesitation or thought, he pulled her close and held on to her as he spoke. “When we first met, I swore to fight beside you and to follow your every decision. Even if at times they were unreasonable, I thought it was my duty to protect you, the golden rose of Moz. I never thought I’d be this proud to say it.”

  Lucia listened to his words as her emotions swelled.

  Leo had only begun to understand that a supernatural faith had cursed her, for she embodied a divinity that she never asked for, one that would haunt her for the rest of her life. “But I see now, the burden you hold and the pain it has caused you.” He lifted her chin and stared into her low, honey-streaked hazel eyes. “Just wait, I promise you. Once this is all over, we’ll rebuild this world and you’ll get to see it through different eyes. I’ll show it to you, and all will be right, the way it should be. You won’t be trapped within the grips of duty or darkness, but by the ways of the land blessed by the light that you, alone, have given it. Trust that one day, when this duty is finally done, you will find your dreams”—he lowered his head—“with me.”

  She wiped away her tears, took a step back, and muttered, “It won’t be that easy.” She turned from him, leaving Leo dazed. She could tell how he felt about her. After all, he had shown it quite enough, but there was no way she could allow him to sacrifice any more for her. There was only so much she could let happen before losing him completely. “We don’t know how this will end. We don’t know who will be left standing.” Lucia paced past him, onward, her expression blank.

  Leo hurried after her, his heart now heavy from Lucia’s cold exterior. How could she turn so quickly? It was as if she was changing with each passing moment, becoming more distant and less herself. He could not think of the words to share, more than he already had, to get her to open her he
art to him. Instead of letting it eat away at whatever was left of his broken heart, he decided to focus on the chaos at hand and the darkness that threatened to destroy them.

  ***

  They finally came upon a lone door at the end of a poorly lit hallway. Lucia lifted a hand, using it to light the way as she reached for the door. Surprisingly, just as she was about to touch the knob, it burst open. Leo jumped backward, pulling Lucia behind him defensively and bracing for whatever was coming through. His eyes squinted, trying to make out the figure as it moved like a blur through the doorway.

  Contrary to their initial expectations, they were warmly embraced by a familiar figure. Her voice pounded in their ears, vibrating with an energizing enthusiasm that left their hearts fluttering. “I found you! I actually found you! And you’re okay!” Luzanna released them from her grip and clasped her hands together in joy. “My father ordered you to be released not long ago. Where have you been?”

  “Released? You must be joking. Your men really roughed us up,” Leo said disdainfully, the anger apparent as he pointed to the cut on his face. “Is this how you treat all your prisoners?”

  “Leo, it’s not her fault!” Lucia said. “Calm yourself.”

  “It’s quite alright,” Luzanna said, somehow understanding Leo’s plight. “It was in no way easy convincing my father to release you. He wasn’t nice about it either.” She removed her mask from her face to reveal the large bruise across her face.

  Leo gasped, his eyes somber with regret. “I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Luzanna smiled. “All that matters is that you’re safe now.”