Both he and Halstad were breathing hard, and Zordjin continued to force Halstad to take the defensive. It wasn’t long before it became clear the king was almost spent, and in a last-ditch effort he sprang forward one more time in an advance-lunge, but at the last moment, Halstad slipped on a rock, impaling himself on Zordjin's sword. Zordjin was taken off guard, so much so that he failed to block the king's blade from entering just below his rib cage, angling upward, moments later.
As pain bloomed in his abdomen, it also exploded across his back. He half turned, expecting to see another enemy but finding Carrus there, his arm still outstretched and gripping the hilt. He twisted the knife, causing Zordjin to cry out. It had been a long time since Zordjin was injured this badly, so long he'd almost forgotten how bad the pain could be.
No one else would have dared to betray him so boldly. Others thought he was incapable of death, but Carrus was one of the few who knew differently.
“Why?” Zordjin spit out around the betrayal and anger thick and hot in his chest.
Carrus grunted. “You’ve ruled long enough. So long as you live, there’s nothing for the rest of us.” His second-in-command came around to face him.
Zordjin stumbled and fell to his knees. “You aren’t man enough to rule in my stead. With my death, the empire will descend into chaos.”
"It won't. But better chaos between men, than a war with whatever you are."
Carrus nodded to King Halstad. "It's done. Your son and I will have peace between us."
The king gave a swift nod. "Leave us. Stop the killing."
To Zordjin's surprise, they did just that. The crowd that had gathered around them dispersed, and Carrus bent down and took Zordjin’s sword from his hand, sneering down at him.
The blade was much heavier than Carrus’s own, and Zordjin found enough energy to smirk up at him as he hefted the weight awkwardly.
Carrus pointed the tip of the sword at his nose. “I should kill you for that smirk alone. But I find I enjoy watching you suffer. As I’ve suffered in your shadow my entire life.”
Then Carrus strode back toward the battle, leading both his own men and Halstad's.
A moment later, calls for a cease-fire started to ring out.
Halstad allowed himself to fall back, simultaneously freeing himself from Zordjin's blade and freeing Zordjin from his. He hit the ground with a great groan, rolling to his back.
Zordjin fell to his side, avoiding the knife still in his back. His head spun with the betrayal he’d just suffered. It was slowly penetrating his brain that the battle had been a ruse. He had always been the target. "That's why . . . so few warriors—" He coughed.
"There were enough warriors," Halstad muttered bitterly, staring at the sky. "Too many died today." He shifted and groaned. "You got me good, Zordjin. But it's going to take me too damn long to die."
"Serves you right," Zordjin croaked. "Betrayer." He should tell the king he was an idiot for trusting a man who would betray his own emperor, his own friend.
But he didn't. Instead, he just lay there, feeling his strength slowly ebb.
The sky was beautiful, the rays of sun warmed his face, and a kind of peace descended upon him. He had lived more than four human lifetimes, fought well, risen to the top. He’d protected them as best as he could, but what they did in the future would be their choice.
For him, it was as good a day as any to die.
Chapter Four
Lielle
Lielle had no idea when Zordjin had left the command post. One minute his imposing figure was there, tall and strong against the skyline. The next time she looked over, he was gone. She scanned the cliffs, then the beach, but there was no sign of him and she doubted he had left his post to return to the castle in the middle of a battle.
Long minutes passed as she fetched arrows and waited for some sign of him. Then Carrus emerged from the side of the far cliff followed by Halstad’s men and her fear began to rise. When they called for the men to lower their weapons, Lielle knew something was horribly wrong.
The archers no longer needed her, so she sank down as low as she could and took a roundabout route through the boulders. She should never have taken her eyes off him, never left his side.
What would she do if he was already dead?
He was her only mission, the only hope to save Aurora.
Just past the ridge, where the land began to descend, she found two bodies lying on the ground. One was a man she didn’t recognize, but the other was Zordjin. With her heart in her throat, she ran to him and fell to her knees by his side.
He was stabbed just below his chest, his lifeblood leeching into the dirt beneath him.
"Zordjin, are you alive?" she whispered.
There was no answer, so she shook him and jolted him with her magic. "Zordjin!"
Chapter Five
Zordjin
Zordjin fought against the voice, against the hand that slapped his face. Pain burned through every cell in his body, disintegrating him, sucking him into nothingness.
Until the female slapped him again. He knew it was a female's hand due to the softness of the slap, the smoothness of the fingers.
“Come back to me, Zordjin of the Mountain Realm.” The words were low but urgent.
Zordjin’s entire body shuddered with the effort of finding words. “Let me die . . . in peace.”
“I cannot.” She sniffled, and he distantly wondered if those tears were for him. “Your people need you. All of Aurora needs you.”
“They will have to need someone else. My body is broken,” he mumbled.
She chuckled in his ear. “Aye. But your spirit is not if you can argue with me even now.”
He shuddered again. She was wrong.
His spirit was broken, broken by the betrayal, by the last look of empathy King Halstad had cast upon him before his eyes had glazed over. Broken by the glint in Carrus's eyes as he led the others away and took Zordjin's place as emperor. Broken by the knowledge that Carrus and Halstad's lazy son would rule in their steads, slowly grounding the invention and economic progress in the kingdoms to a halt with their greed and lack of foresight.
But Zordjin would never admit to his pain. Would rather die than utter it to another. Indeed, he could barely face it himself.
“You must fight,” she ordered. “Fight to live.”
“Would rather . . . die." A fine mist of blood blew from his lungs as he spoke and settled across his lips. He wished he had the strength to wipe it away.
She was quiet for long moments. “You want Carrus and Halstad II to get away with this?”
“Nay!” The rumble came from deep within his chest. It burned hot with anger and pain, giving new strength to his flagging limbs. "Vengeance." The utterance was bitter on his tongue.
“That will work, for now.”
The word went through his mind again and again. Vengeance. The need for it coursed through his veins, making his spirit strong once more. “I will live.” By strength of will, he forced himself to open one eyelid.
There before him was the crazy female who'd fallen into his arms yestereve. He closed his eyelids again and almost willed himself to die once more. “Should have known . . . it would be you. Spouting nonsense.”
She let out an audible breath and pressed her palms to his chest, the contact forcing him to open his eyes once more. Her eyes seemed to change color, turning pure gold. Suddenly she looked less crazy and more… powerful. Or maybe he'd finally had a mental breakdown and was hallucinating. Golden eyes turned to flame, perusing him. “You can tell me all about how nonsensical I sound once you’re better. I’m giving you some of my magic, but it won’t completely heal you. It will get you out of danger, though.”
Magic? Warmth flowed through him and shifted, as if it were being directed to different areas of his body. It settled in his chest.
As he focused on the strange sensation, a feeling of unreality overcame him. In the past hour, he'd been betrayed by the man he’d held in th
e highest regard. He'd been pitied by his greatest enemy. And now he was being healed by the crazy female whose eyes changed colors and who claimed to have magic.
He wondered what the hell else he’d been wrong about today.
What had she said about him saving the world?
Chapter Six
Lielle
Lielle had been channeling her magic into Zordjin for a long time, long enough to know that he wasn't healing. Her mortal form was weak, and she was having difficulty getting it to hold magic.
Lielle cursed herself for not trying harder to make him see reason. She had only minutes. But who could help them? There would be no help from his troops, that she knew. Especially since Carrus had come over the cliffs and taken command of his army before he was even dead.
Her gaze went to the sparkling necklace on her chest, but her hand hesitated. If she used it, that would be it. Her one lifeline to help. What if she needed it later? She gritted her teeth and told herself that if she didn’t save him there wouldn’t be a later.
With nothing else to do, she clasped her fingers around the crystal and sent out a silent plea. Help. Zordjin lies dying and I cannot save him. Please send us aid.
A burst of sparkling light came forth from the necklace. It reminded her so strongly of home that her eyes teared up. The sparkles went up into the sky and then dissipated, seeming to go off in every direction at once.
She waited for long moments, but no one came. The stone had turned gray, void of energy, and she dropped it back to her chest. Why didn’t help come?
Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks as she realized that her one call had been wasted. She continued to try to push her own magic into Zordjin’s wounds, hoping that someone would find her.
Then a portal opened before her and two male cyborgs stepped through, followed by a female cyborg, and an elf.
Thank the gods!
She knew them from her visions, of course, but it was different to see them in the flesh. To be able to speak to them.
“What are we doing here?” Tordan asked, his brow furrowed.
"And where the hell is here?" Roihan added.
“I have no idea, but this is not where I expected to end up,” Aielle replied, looking at her hands in bemusement.
“No, it is not,” Aria agreed.
The four of them instinctively turned their backs to each other, and Aielle’s eyes lit upon Lielle.
"Please, help us," Lielle begged.
"Who are you?" Aielle asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "I've never seen you before."
Lielle's breath caught. She hadn't thought of what she would say to the other elves when she met them, but her explanation could wait. “My name is Lielle, and I called for aid. I don’t have enough magic to heal him.” She glanced from Aielle to where her blood-soaked hands pressed against Zordjin’s chest. “Please, I need you to help him. I can’t let him die.”
All four of them turned their attention to Zordjin and froze in shock.
“Does anyone else see what I see?” Roihan asked.
“That man looks like. . .me.” Tordan’s voice was stunned. “But that’s impossible.”
“It is your twin brother, Zordjin,” Lielle rushed to say, “and he is near death. I called for help with this necklace, and it brought you to me.” Lielle held it out for them to see, and Aielle sucked in a tight breath. The elf opened her mouth—probably to demand to know where Lielle had gotten such a crystal from—but Roihan stepped forward. "Tordan doesn’t have a twin brother."
“Oh gods, Tordan, he looks just like you,” Aielle whispered as she dropped to her knees beside Zordjin, and Lielle could feel the waves of healing energy going into Zordjin’s body. But it wouldn’t be enough.
“Who is the other male?” Roihan asked, eyeing the dead form of King Halstad.
They didn’t have time for this! Couldn’t they see he was dying?
"Does it matter? This is Tordan’s twin!” she said, forcing her voice not to crack and warble with emotion. “He was brought to the human realm at birth and has lived here ever since.”
“How could you possibly know that?” Tordan’s hands balled into fists, making Lielle want to shrink back. She pushed the fear away and straightened her spine as her anger over the delay took hold.
“I know because I’ve been Aurora’s spirit-seer in the higher elven realm. I know because it was my job to know. It is also my job to make sure that this warrior makes it back to you—his brother—so that he can find some key that will turn the tide in the war you are about to wage against the Ardaks!” Lielle was screaming by the time she finished, but she was too angry to be embarrassed. “So, I would appreciate it if you would help him so that he can save you—and everyone else on this planet.”
Aielle raised her eyes from Zordjin to the seething, blood-covered elf, to Tordan. She shook her head slowly. "I don't think anyone has enough magic to heal him.”
“Then if we want to save him, we need to get him to the lab,” Aria said matter-of-factly.
"I still don't believe Tordan has twin brother,” Roihan said stubbornly. “We would have known."
Tordan finally seemed to recover from his shock. He strode forward, grabbing one of Zordjin's arms and hauling him up over his shoulder. "If we want to find out the answer to any of this, we can't let him die. Let's get him back to Renwyn.”
Hope blossomed inside Lielle as Aielle raised her hands to make a portal, and Tordan carried him through it. She only hoped they had a way to save him.
Chapter Seven
Zordjin
Zordjin had been fading in and out of consciousness and his strength had ebbed to the point where he could barely open his eyes. But when strong arms lifted him and heaved him over a hard, muscular shoulder, the overwhelming pain brought him back to life and he gave an involuntary shout.
"Jaffete. That traitor." The words were Lielle’s but he couldn’t lift his head to see her.
“What do you mean?” one of the men asked.
"Zordjin was stabbed in the back by his own second-in-command, Carrus. That’s Carrus’s knife, I recognize it from when I first met him. I thought Zordjin was injured only by the sword in his chest, but this explains why he faded so quickly."
Then the man holding him stepped forward and the world turned dark. Zordjin felt cold and strange for a moment, and on the other side, the sun had disappeared.
The male set him on a hard, unforgiving bunk, keeping Zordjin slightly on his side to avoid pushing the knife farther into his back. He wanted to thank the male, but before he got the chance, the male had stepped back into the shadows.
Zordjin caught a glimpse of an enormous room of metal, with small, strange lights that blinked and flashed. They looked like candles, but they weren’t.
“What happened?” he asked blearily.
A light came on overhead, bright, but it wasn’t warm like the sun, and it didn’t flicker like fire. “How?” he asked, the word slurred.
“How what?” The question was posed by a strange-looking female, small with pure white hair streaming down her back. She held a small device, her golden eyes turning dark as she examined him.
“The lights.”
The woman turned to someone at the foot of the bunk. “He’s never seen electric lights.”
“Or magic, I’ll bet.” The male’s voice came from the shadows.
A hand came down on his shoulder. “Don’t worry about that now.” The voice was Lielle’s. “Let them heal you first.”
“Can you heal him here, Aielle? Perhaps with the fountain?” Zordjin recognized the voice as the one who had carried him. He was surprised at the emotion, trepidation, and hope thickening the other man’s voice. No one had felt so much emotion for him in as long as he could remember. His people and his warriors felt duty, yes. Loyalty, perhaps. But true emotion was rarer than gold.
Another female stepped toward his chest, her long golden hair falling forward as she bent over him, placing her hands over his chest an
d stomach, closing her eyes. Zordjin felt warmth shoot through him, like Lielle’s warmth but much, much stronger. Uncomfortably strong.
When she opened her eyes again, they had become a brilliant blue that was shot through with gold. "I wish I could, but I can't," she admitted, grief in her voice. "Not even with the help of the fountain. Too much time has passed since he was injured, and the damage is too extensive.”
“What about you, Kirelle?” The male asked.
“Half his organs on the right side are damaged, his lung has collapsed, his left kidney still has a knife sticking out of it, and most of his blood is gone. The best way for us to repair him will be to supplement his organ functioning with artificial blood, and repair what damage we can through tech and magic. We might as well turn him into an upgraded cyborg like the rest of them,” the elf with the device replied matter-of-factly. “He will heal better, faster, and be more protected in the future.”
Zordjin didn’t understand most of what Kirelle had said, but he did understand Lielle’s reaction. Her body froze behind him, her fingers digging into his shoulder. “Is this the only way?”
“It is,” the female replied. She set down the device and donned a strange white jacket over her head. “You called for aid with the crystal, so please, let us help you. Trust us to do all we can do to save him.”
Zordjin strained to hear their voices, to remain awake and take in his strange new surroundings. But then he felt a painful prick on the inside of his elbow, and then he heard nothing at all.
Chapter Eight
Lielle
“W
here the hell am I?”
Zordan Page 3