The Allseer Trilogy

by Kaitlyn Rouhier

  “What was that for?” she hissed, glaring at him with all the malice she could muster.

  “For not listening.” He smirked. “I get enough of that from Fenir, I don’t need it from you too. Next time I warn you not to push yourself, please don’t act like I have no idea what I’m talking about and do it anyways. I’ll never hold you back, but if you’re becoming a danger to yourself or others, I’ll put a stop to it.”

  “Don’t worry,” she replied, rubbing her cheek. “I think I learned my lesson.”

  “Good,” he said, eyes twinkling with mischief. “Glad you’ve come to your senses. How are you feeling?”

  “Terrible, and quite annoyed with you, but I’m too exhausted to do anything about it at the moment.” She yawned and let her head fall against the back of her chair. Heavy. So heavy.

  “To be expected. And you, Garild?”

  “Tired. Dizzy.”

  “Take an hour and get some rest. When you’re done, we’ll continue training. It’ll only get more difficult from here, and the next time you attempt this, I expect one of you to win. No pressure.”

  Kirheen just waved her hand, too tired to speak any further.

  “Sleep well, you two. I’m going to finish arguing with my brother while we wait for you,” Tomias said. Fenir grunted, rising from his chair and heading for the door. “And we’re off to a good start. He’s already mad.”

  As the front door slammed shut, Kirheen used the last of her strength to hoist herself out of the chair. She stumbled to her room, flinging herself onto her bed the second she was within reach. She didn’t bother slipping beneath the covers, the cloying fog of sleep too thick to ignore. The sound of Garild settling onto his own bed barely reached her ears before she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

  CHAPTER 10

  Tomias sunk down, planting himself on the steps outside. He rubbed his hands over his face, the prickle of hair an unexpected roughness against his palms. Time seemed to be flying by as he adapted to his new role of being an instructor. It was different from the mundane duties he was used to, but the change wasn’t an unwelcome one.

  “How do you think I’d look with a beard?” Tomias asked Fenir. He sat a few steps down, back to Tomias, hunched over and using a stick to draw swirls in the dirt at his feet.

  “Ridiculous,” Fenir scoffed, his words echoing in Tomias’ mind.

  “Really? I think I’d look rather dashing. I might let this happen.” He traced a finger over his stubble once more, amused by the feel of it against his fingertip.

  “Do as you wish, just don’t expect me to claim any relation to you.”

  Tomias laughed. “Like you could claim otherwise. Downside to looking so much alike, I suppose.”

  Fenir snorted, hunched shoulders rising and falling with the sound. “How do you think they did?” he asked, steering the conversation towards more serious matters.

  “Quite well, all things considered.” In truth, he was pleasantly surprised how quickly they were catching on. It normally took longer before they could fully enter a mind, and longer still before they could start using their powers to chip away at each other. With the late start to their training, he was happy to see them getting the hang of the basics so fast. “In any case, Nyson will be happy.”

  The incident with Herzin had agitated Nyson to no end. The delay in their training due to the aftermath of that event had the Union Master nipping at their heels. He wanted to see results, especially when it came to Kirheen. Despite what Tomias had told her, she held far more potential than just being a good blocker. She was naturally gifted, and he suspected she’d been using her powers more than she’d been willing to admit. The damage she’d been able to dish out to Herzin was proof enough.

  Her power made her a target for Nyson. With so much untapped potential, she could be shaped, molded, and trained to be whatever he needed her to be, and he’d push hard until that potential could be realized, no matter the cost.

  “He wants results, but we need to be careful with the girl. Pushing her too far too fast could be dangerous.”

  “You’re right.” Tomias respected and feared Nyson in equal measure but, no matter what the Union Master desired, he couldn’t go pushing Kirheen too hard. She was far too curious, too quick to find shortcuts, and all too eager to take them. If he didn’t teach her to control herself, if she realized her potential before he could show her restraint, she’d be likely to hurt herself or others. He wouldn’t risk cutting corners with her training, consequences be damned.

  “You think he’s pushing for her to be part of the Council?” Fenir asked, words heavy with disapproval.

  Tomias frowned, not liking the idea any more than Fenir. “It seems likely, though I hate to think of what that might do to Garild. If she is elevated to that position, her bond will be dissolved. Unless Garild can prove he can stand on his own, he’ll be spending the rest of his days doing menial labor instead of fighting the Darkness. With how much Kirheen dislikes being bonded, I’m sure she’d leap at the opportunity if it was offered. She’s smart though. She’ll catch on to the truth sooner or later.”

  “And what truth is that?”

  Tomias glanced over his shoulder towards the door. He opted to say his next words mentally, pushing them towards Fenir. “That Nyson doesn’t want them for anything but their powers, however big a deal he makes of it. He just wants whatever, and whoever, can be most effective against the Darkness.”

  “If he asked you to convince her, would you?”

  He bristled at the question. Tomias was good at manipulation, and being that close to Kirheen, he was in a prime position to shift her thinking towards Nyson’s goals. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. That may be my gift but manipulating her so Nyson can get what he wants just doesn’t feel right. She’s still young. I don’t know if I could do that to her.”

  Fenir grunted. “You make it sound like we’re old, Brother. She’s only a few years younger than us, don’t forget that. She’s old enough to make her own decisions, Nyson be damned.”

  “She is, isn’t she. It’s easy to forget. Hard not to feel old around them when we’ve been using our powers for so long.” Having been bonded since birth, their powers had been a part of them for as long as he could remember. They’d always had each other, and their powers had grown leaps and bounds because of it. Following the incident that had cost Fenir his voice, that connection had only grown stronger, the constant need to communicate everything mentally bringing them closer. That fateful day had been both a blessing and a curse.

  They’d been so young back then, two scrawny pale twins with powers they were still in the process of mastering. On that day, they’d been meeting with Nyson to discuss their future participation in the Council when an ashen haired woman had burst through the doors, face contorted by rage. She’d attacked Nyson, her power manifesting itself as a physical force, pouring every bit of power into one desperate blow. Nyson had miraculously diverted the attack, but it had cost Fenir. The energy he’d weakened had billowed outwards away from Nyson, speeding in their direction. He could still feel the heat of it, the glare of the icy blue light as it came towards them.

  Fenir had pushed him away at the last second, sparing him a terrible blow that might have otherwise killed him. He’d taken the brunt of it himself, and his screams as the energy tore through his body still haunted Tomias. Though he’d survived the blast, Fenir’s voice had not. Something had broken inside, his voice lost to him, and he’d never been the same.

  The woman had been exiled, set loose beyond the forests of Sanctuary, in a world overrun by the Darkness. He could still hear the chilling sound of her screams as they dragged her away, a wild animal thrashing, and kicking, and howling for vengeance.

  “It’s been years, Brother. What’s done is done.” Fenir was looking at him, his face still as an undisturbed pond. Only his eyes showed any emotions, memories swirling within those dark depths.

  Tomias sighed. “Sometimes I hate that we shar
e thoughts. I’ll always remember that moment, Fenir. Always. What happened to you wasn’t right, and it wasn’t fair.”

  “But it happened, and I don’t regret that. If I’d not done what I did, it would just be me sitting here today and you know it. Besides, being this way has its benefits.”

  “Like being able to scare people with a glance? I must admit, your infamous glare is becoming downright terrifying.”

  Fenir smiled, his features softening. It was a look he saw so rarely, and it made him think of simpler days, when they were just two boys playing in the dirt. Now everything was so complicated, and the few times he saw his brother smile was when Trista was around. Fenir had always had an affinity for the bright-eyed healer, a small spark of light in his dreary world. He could understand the allure. She was beautiful, even when streaked with plant paste and smelling of skunk bloom. Tomias allowed himself harmless flirting, an act that frustrated Fenir to no end, but he knew his limits. It was the one person Fenir truly treasured, and he’d never take that from him.

  As if manifesting from his thoughts, he caught sight of the healer making her way towards them, a basket tucked against her side. Her long red hair was loose around her shoulders, a sight as rare and wonderful as Fenir’s smile. Her face was bright and clear, free of the soot that had marred it the day before, and she smiled sweetly as she approached. Fenir was grinning like a fool, and Tomias had to strengthen his barriers to keep the sudden rush of anticipation from infecting him too.

  “Good morning,” Tomias called, returning her smile. “How are you faring on this fine day?”

  She rolled her eyes and set the basket down between them. “I, unlike you, have been positively busy this morning.”

  “I’ve been busy too,” Tomias protested. “We’ve been training all morning. And I don’t believe you’ve been busy at all. Look at how clean and fresh you are. You don’t even smell like plants.”

  “Oh, please. Look at you, sprawled out on the steps without a student in sight.” She bent down and gripped his chin between index finger and thumb, brushing over his stubble. “You’ve even given up on shaving apparently.”

  A wave of jealously washed over him. He tried to block it out, but it seared against his walls like an inferno. “I happen to like the new look. I was thinking a beard might be quite flattering.”

  “Do that and Fenir will officially be more handsome than you,” she teased, releasing his chin. She turned her attention to Fenir. “And how are you today, Fenir?”

  The inferno in his mind subsided as the healer focused on Fenir, and he sighed with relief. Fenir shrugged, giving Trista his best crooked smile. Unlike everyone else in Sanctuary, Trista didn’t have powers. She wasn’t born with them. What she did have was an affinity for plants, the hands of a healer, and a kind nature that earned her the admiration of anyone that crossed her path. Without powers though, Fenir was unable to communicate with her the way he could with others, his thoughts locked away, unable to be shared. Tomias knew how much it hurt him, the pain that filled his heart with each word he was forced to choke down and bury deep.

  Despite the difficulty in communicating, Trista was always kind to Fenir. She never left him out of conversations, always going out of her way to make him feel included. Tomias tried to help where he could, but he always felt strange expressing Fenir’s thoughts to her, as if it were words he wasn’t meant to hear, let alone speak.

  “Is Kirheen feeling better?” Trista asked, drawing him away from his thoughts.

  “Yes, though I have doubts about that actually being a good thing. She is-” He stopped midsentence, sniffing the air. “By the Allseer, what smells so good?” He glanced to the basket at his side, a basket that was filling the air around him with the most delicious of smells.

  Trista grinned. “Wraith flower cakes,” she said, bending down and removing the lid from the basket. She pulled a white cloth off the top, revealing a pile of round golden cakes, spongy surfaces speckled with blue. “Wraith flowers are wonderful for mental clarity. I thought it might help with their training today.”

  “You mean I have to share these?” he frowned, reaching towards the basket. She slapped his hand away before he could grab a cake, green eyes narrowed. With a flourish, she slammed the lid of the basket back down, blocking access to the cakes.

  “I know how you are around sweets, Tomias. Hands off until Garild and Kirheen have some.”

  “Fine, fine. Not like I wanted them anyways,” he huffed, staring at the closed basket longingly. “I’ll have you know, I promised them a whole hour of sleep before we have to train again. If I wake them now, they’ll kill me.”

  Trista put her hands on her hips. “They trained all morning. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind waking up and getting something to eat.”

  “Well, do you want to go wake them? If you insist, but I must warn you my dear lady, it is a dark and dangerous place in there. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.”

  “Then Fenir will just have to accompany me on this most dangerous adventure.” She whirled towards Fenir, sending him into a panicked flurry of motion. He whipped his hand back from the edge of the basket he’d been sneaking into. Despite clearly seeing his attempted cake thievery, she said nothing about it, and Tomias peered around her to glare at his brother. “Will you join me, Fenir?”

  She held out her arm and Fenir rose from the steps, linking his arm with hers. Tomias’ heart fluttered at the contact, and he forced the emotions away, sprawling out on the porch to bask in the morning sun. A chill was beginning to creep over Sanctuary, a sign of the season to come. Soon, the trees would be bare, leaving behind nothing but a glowing carpet of leaves on the forest floor. And once those faded, even the trees themselves would grow dark.

  The winter months always seemed unusually dreary because of it. He took comfort in the glow of the trees, that wonderful blue light that seemed to mimic the moon itself. It made him feel uneasy when the trees went dark, as if they were somehow keeping them safe from the Darkness beyond the boundaries of Sanctuary.

  As hard as he tried to keep it from his mind, he often found himself thinking of the Darkness, about the stories he’d been told. There were so many secrets, hidden truths that Nyson wasn’t willing to explain. Though he’d never admit it to anyone else, he wondered if the Darkness was as bad as they made it out to be, or if it was some tall tale to keep them in Sanctuary. He’d heard plenty of stories, but the lack of evidence to back them up was beginning to breed doubts in his mind. Like it matters. It’s not like he was willing to march out into the forest alone to find out the truth, especially not with winter right around the corner.

  The click of the door disrupted his thoughts. He leaned his head back and watched a very bedraggled Kirheen stumble onto the porch. She was followed by Garild, mouth stretched wide as he yawned. Kirheen stopped just shy of his head, staring down at him through bleary eyes. “What are you doing down there?”

  “The same thing you were doing a few minutes ago. Did you get any rest?” he asked, groaning as he sat up.

  Garild plopped down on the stairs, pouting as he rubbed at his eyes. “That didn’t feel like an hour,” he complained.

  “I can tell you who to blame for that,” Tomias whispered, earning a cold stare from Trista as she joined them outside. “But at least she has something to bribe you with.”

  Kirheen sniffed the air. “What smells so good?”

  “That would be the bribe.”

  “Sit down and we can all have some,” Trista said to Kirheen, nudging her towards Garild. She took a seat next to her bond mate, blinking sleepily as she stared off into the distance. The lid of the basket was removed and Tomias’ stomach rumbled in response, the delicious smell of the cakes assaulting his senses.

  “Here is one for you,” Trista said, handing Garild a cake. “Don’t eat too quick.”

  He thanked her, sniffed the golden delicacy, and took a delicate nibble. “This is delicious,” he exclaimed. He took another bite in earnest, fin
ishing off the cake while Tomias looked on in dismay.

  Kirheen was handed one next. She stared at the cake, inspecting it before taking a bite. Her eyes lit up with delight. “Are there more of these? It’s so good.”

  Trista beamed. “I’m not used to people complimenting my cooking.”

  “Don’t get too excited. I think they are awful,” Tomias mumbled around a mouthful of cake. Trista rounded on him, hands on her hips.

  “You ungrateful pig! No more for you. Hands out. Shoo.” She picked up the basket and set it next to Fenir.

  Fenir shook his head. “You shouldn’t tease her like that. Tell her I find her cooking to be the best in all of Sanctuary and that I appreciate the gift.”

  “Oh, gag me,” Tomias huffed. “Fenir would like you to know he isn’t the savage that I am and that he appreciates your cooking.”

  “Well, at least one of you is decent. Thank you, Fenir,” she said, smiling warmly at his brother. When her gaze turned back to Tomias, her eyes were steely. “As for you, you’ll be lucky if I bring you anything ever again.”

  “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Can I have another cake?”

  “No!”

  Grumbling under his breath, he looked towards his students. They were devouring another cake, both looking considerably more awake than when they’d first stumbled from the house. “Think you’ll be ready for training after those?”

  Kirheen swallowed a mouthful of cake, looking thoughtful as she considered his question. “I think so. My barrier feels whole again.”

  Garild nodded, mouth too full to answer.

  Trista collected the empty basket. “I’m glad the cakes helped. Good luck with your training today. And Tomias, don’t push them too hard,” she warned, fixing him with an emerald glare.