The Allseer Trilogy

by Kaitlyn Rouhier

  Daris hovered nearby, his dull eyes watching her closely, blue sparks of energy traveling up and down his right arm. His usual bravado was gone, and it made him seem smaller somehow, less dangerous. There was no wolfish grin, no glimmering white teeth threatening to tear her apart.

  “Have you never seen energy manifest like that before?” Therin asked, putting himself between her and Daris.

  “N-no,” Kirheen replied, feeling very vulnerable in the face of such a threat.

  He grunted. “There isn’t time to teach you how to block it. Just stay close to me and I’ll deflect what I can. We’ll need to drop them quickly. You just focus on keeping our barriers strong and throw them off mentally. Got it?”

  “Them?” It was at that moment she caught sight of the other two instructors racing towards them. “Oh great,” Kirheen groaned.

  She watched as Therin weaved his hand through the air, felt the hum of his power as it slipped through his fingers and conjured a barrier of vibrant blue light. “If we make it through this, maybe I can teach you a few tricks.”

  She put her back to Therin’s and drew on her power until she felt fit to burst. “We are going to make it through this,” she growled. “And you are going to teach me.”

  CHAPTER 35

  Sarah peered out from behind a tree, finally finding the source of the noises she’d been hearing. Just beyond her hiding spot, she could see a group caught up in a scuffle. To her left stood a young woman and a young man, carefully positioned to protect an older man seated on the ground behind them, clutching a wound across his ribs.

  Bearing down on them was a boy with mousy brown hair and a taller girl with auburn hair. “Look,” Erick whispered. He pointed towards them. “See their movement. They’re being controlled.”

  She squinted, age having taken its toll on her vision. Though their movements were slightly rigid, they moved with a speed and efficiency that wouldn’t have been possible if they’d been unbound. All they needed to do was disrupt them enough to break Nyson’s control over them and they’d be free.

  “Tegan, stop this,” yelled the girl on the left. She stood firm, her bright eyes narrowed, hands raised. “I know you can hear me.”

  The boy hesitated, stumbling to a stop as he processed the sound of his own name. His eyes flickered and his mouth opened and closed before going slack. He continued to move forward and when he raised his arm, Sarah caught a flash of silver, the sheen of a blade red with blood flashing in the sunlight.

  Grabbing a small throwing knife from her belt, Sarah burst out from the underbrush, sending a wave of energy down to her fingertips. With a flick of her wrist, the knife levitated over her hand and went flying towards the boy. It danced across his leg, wounding him enough to drop him to his knees and break the link keeping him controlled. He cried out, hand touching his wounded leg and coming away bloody.

  The auburn haired girl spun towards her, but Erick was already within reach. He hit the girl with a blast of power that swept her off her feet, the wind knocked out of her as her back collided with the ground. She looked disoriented as she sat up, coughing and gasping for air, but no longer under Nyson’s control.

  The girl on the left with the crystal blue eyes raced towards the boy she’d called Tegan and sank down next to him. He was small and thin, his face bunched up in pain as the girl prodded at his wound. She looked to Sarah, anger overtaking her concern. “What were you thinking?” she hissed. “I had this under control.”

  Sarah knelt down just out of arms reach. “You were hesitating and that would have gotten you killed. He wasn’t himself.”

  “I would have gotten through to him,” she said curtly. She quickly turned back to Tegan as he whimpered, and she stroked his face gently with her hand. “Tegan, it’s okay. I’m here.”

  Sarah crept closer and the girl shot her a threatening glare. “Don’t touch him,” she warned. She looked Sarah up and down, then glanced nervously at Erick. “Who the hell are you people anyways?”

  “He’s going to be just fine,” Sarah reassured her. The wound was bleeding heavily, but it was shallow enough to not cause any lasting harm. “My name is Sarah, and my companion here is Erick. We’ve come here with Kirheen to put a stop to Nyson.”

  There was a gruff bark of bewildered laughter from the injured man to her left. He groaned as he got to his feet, hand still clutching his bleeding side. He was large and muscular, bearded save for a space where a scar arced across his lips. “So, the little shit came back, did she? And with friends.” He shook his head. “Can hardly believe it but we aren’t about to turn down help. Irena, let her take a look at that.”

  Irena nodded reluctantly and pulled Tegan a little closer. She held him tightly as Sarah wrapped up his wounded leg. “I didn’t think I cared this much,” she heard the girl whisper. “I didn’t think I cared, Tegan, but I do care. I do.”

  Fending off three opponents was easier than Kirheen had expected. Daris was sprawled on the ground, knocked unconscious from a blow he’d taken from Therin. Misdirection had been the key to outmaneuvering them. They weren’t as quick on their feet, their movements sluggish and predictable. She imagined if it had been just a single person under Nyson’s control, it would have been a fairly even match, but he was starting to crack, his powers spread much too thin to maintain a steady hold on everyone.

  Kirheen turned at the sound of power building, watching as Isaac waved his hand through the air, a spark of energy growing in strength. He launched it towards her but Therin was already moving to block. While he diverted the blast, Kirheen crashed against his mind, throwing him off balance while Therin moved in close and struck him hard. He crumpled to the ground near an unconscious Velga.

  “Those two there,” Therin said, pointing to Velga and Isaac. “They were unbound first. Once they come back around, they still might be under his control. They’ll keep fighting until they’re exhausted or dead, and I’d prefer we didn’t hurt anyone we didn’t have to.”

  Kirheen looked sadly at the two instructors. “I agree. They don’t deserve to be caught in the middle. Hopefully they stay out long enough for us to stop Nyson.”

  Something was tugging at Kirheen, a steady hum of power radiating from the nearby temple demanding her attention. She rubbed at her arms, trying to hold back the chill threatening to spread through her body. She could only think of two people with that kind of power.

  “Tell me I’m not the only one who feels that,” Kirheen said to Therin, glancing uneasily at the temple.

  Therin frowned. “You’re not. Whoever is in there is going to be dangerous. Are you ready for this?”

  Kirheen nodded in agreement, but she didn’t feel ready. Herzin had come close to killing her twice and Nyson was even more dangerous than she was. Once they crossed that threshold, there would be no going back. It was all too easy to think of everything that could go wrong, of all the ways in which they might fail.

  But she had to remember she was not facing those threats alone. Therin led the way towards the temple, readying an arrow as he crept towards the entrance, step by cautious step. Kirheen was right on his heels, checking her mind for any weaknesses. They were a few feet from the temple when she heard a voice that stopped her in her tracks, a voice she’d longed to hear since she’d been forced to flee Sanctuary.

  “Kir, please help me,” Tomias pleaded, his voice trembling. “Please help.”

  Kirheen turned slowly, eyes widening as she looked at him kneeling in the dirt far up the trail. She looked from his locks of white hair to his warm brown eyes, pleading for her to come closer. And then she looked to his hands, slick with blood, his robes soaked through with it from some wound she could not see. He reached towards her with a blood red hand. “Kir, please. I need help.”

  She moved without thought, without hesitation. There was a shout from behind, but the sound was lost in the wind rushing past her ears. There was only Tomias, only an overwhelming need to help and protect him that consumed all else.

/>   CHAPTER 36

  She’d been right behind him when he heard her take a sharp intake of breath. Therin froze, waiting for the attack he was sure was coming. Instead, he felt Kirheen move away from him and he turned. She had taken off at a sprint, her ashen hair billowing out behind her. There was a desperation in that run, but he couldn’t tell what is was she was running towards, or away from.

  “Kirheen!” he called, trying to keep his voice low enough to not alert anyone else. In doing so, he failed to get her attention and each step took her further and further away. “Damn it.”

  He was left with a dilemma. The power in the temple hummed, low and powerful, like the looming threat promised by a war drum. He knew that power, knew who wielded it. If he went chasing after Kirheen, there was no telling what other damage the person in the temple would cause in his absence. He’d have to let Kirheen fend for herself and hope she’d be strong enough to handle whatever she faced, at least long enough for him to deal with his past.

  He took a cautious step towards the door of the temple, slightly ajar as if beckoning him inside. He nudged it open the rest of the way with his boot, keeping his bow and mind ready for whatever he found on the other side. The room was dimly lit, the soft glow of candles clashing with the glow of the hollowed out wraith wood tree.

  At the center of the temple stood Herzin, her green eyes watching him closely. She was much older than he remembered, her hair gone gray, flowing around her shoulders in soft waves. She was still beautiful, but there was a harshness about her now, an edge of fire and malice that hadn’t been present before.

  That edge was dulled by his presence. Her emerald eyes watched him, not with the hatred he’d expected, but with a broken desperation. It was the look of someone seeing a ghost from the past. He was dredging up feelings in her she had probably long thought buried, but they never really were. Feelings like that never truly faded away. They stayed hidden, growing roots over the long years, never forgotten no matter how desperately one willed it to be so.

  “It is you, isn’t it?” she said softly. “I can’t believe it. After all this time, you’ve come back.”

  He relaxed his arm, allowing the bow to droop towards the floor. She had no weapon in sight, her hands clutched at her chest. She looked almost fragile, some broken thing come back to haunt him just as he’d haunted her. He was no fool though, and he took a moment to strengthen his barriers. She was still a danger to him, no matter how she appeared. “I said I’d never return. I meant to hold true to that.”

  “And yet you’re here. You’re standing before me. Unless this is some cruel trick…”

  Therin scowled. “You know much about cruelty, don’t you? Herzin, I don’t understand. How could you use your powers like this? How could you do this to these children?”

  She recoiled from the sound of her name, squeezing her eyes shut as she took a step back. “I never wanted things to be this way. I never wanted any of this. I only ever wanted you. I wanted our bond. But you… you left.”

  “I left Sanctuary so that we could be free to make our own choices. You could have gone with us and you chose to stay here. You chose this.”

  Herzin stiffened, a flicker of anger burning bright in her emerald eyes. “What choice was that? Was I supposed to follow you into exile, to watch you dawdle over Leann? You didn’t want freedom for some grand purpose. You wanted freedom so you could have the woman you lusted after,” she spat, her words dripping with rage. “You broke our bond and left me without a thought. You took everything from me, Therin, and this was the result.”

  Therin thought back to a night many years before. He’d told Herzin everything, poured out his heart and soul trying to make her understand. He’d wanted her to have answers, to know the reasons why he was doing what he was doing so she wouldn’t spend her waking hours wondering why she hadn’t been enough. He’d left her crying and heart broken, had been foolish enough to think she’d follow. Whether he liked it or not, he’d created her, but perhaps it wasn’t too late to fix his mistake.

  “Herzin, I’m sorry for what I did to you. I tried so hard to help you understand but it wasn’t enough, and I see that now. I wish things could have been different. I wish I could have chosen who I loved, I wish I could have spared you that pain, but I can’t change what my heart desires. I couldn’t commit to you what belonged to another and for that, I am sorry.”

  Her anger shattered at his words and she raised her hands to hide her tears, her shoulders rounding forward as she fell into herself. Her sobs echoed through the temple and he let his bow clatter to the ground, stepping towards her with his arms spread wide.

  “Can you ever forgive me for what I’ve done, for what I allowed to happen to this place?” he asked her, staying just out of reach.

  Herzin lowered her hands and slowly raised her chin, her gaze heavy with remorse. “You were always forgiven, Therin.”

  Therin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around the weeping woman he’d been bound to so many years ago. She collapsed against him, her head resting heavy against his shoulder. There had been so many feelings, so much pain, and that wound was finally knitting itself shut. He’d been forgiven.

  There was a sound behind him that caught his attention, the creaking of a string being pulled taught. He reacted on instinct, pushing himself away from Herzin and darting to the side just as an arrow went sailing through the space he’d just been. He could feel it brush past him, could hear the stomach churning thud as it connected with Herzin. She staggered back, eyes wide as she looked down at the arrow protruding from her chest. Something thin and metallic slipped from her fingers, clinking as it hit the ground.

  A dagger.

  She’d intended to kill him all along.

  The red haired healer he’d met earlier stood at the door, slowly lowering her bow with a satisfied smirk. Therin looked between her and Herzin in disbelief. “I’ve always wanted to do that,” Trista said, reaching for another arrow. She glanced to Therin and gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. You must have known her from before, but…”

  “I did,” he sighed. “I was bonded to her long ago, but this is the fate she chose. I suppose I should thank you for saving me from my own foolishness. Why did you follow us?”

  “I just had a bad feeling about it all,” she said with a shrug. “I’m glad you moved out of the way.”

  “How did you know I would?”

  Her green eyes took on a mischievous glint. “To be honest, I didn’t. I was hoping you’d hear me, but had you not moved, you would have been dead either way.”

  Therin looked at the dagger, his stomach twisting into knots. He’d been such a fool to believe her. She’d used that old wound against him, used it to manipulate his feelings and she’d done it flawlessly. Still, it saddened him to see it end that way. More death, more blood on his hands. Will it ever end?

  He knelt down next to Herzin and studied the face of the woman he’d been meant to love. Years of her bitterness had warped her into something monstrous and cruel, and this was the result. He brushed his fingers over her eyelids and wept; for her, for the wounds of the past, for the pain that had been caused because of his choices.

  Trista left him alone, stepping outside so he could have a moment to himself. He said his goodbyes, wiped away his tears, and left the temple behind.

  “Thank you,” he said to Trista as he joined her outside.

  She smiled sadly. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry things ended this way.”

  “As am I, but the consequences of her actions are her own. This was the price she had to pay in the end.”

  Trista nodded. She glanced around, concern narrowing her lips and wrinkling her brow. “Where is Kirheen?” she asked. “Wasn’t she with you?”

  Therin muttered a curse. He’d almost forgotten the foolish girl had gone running off on her own. “She took off the second we reached the temple. I don’t know what got into her, but I couldn’t go chasing her down with Herzin here. I know
which way she went. Let’s go.”

  Trista had gone pale, but she kept silent and motioned for him to lead the way. They took off at a sprint and kept the pace as long as his aching bones could handle. And all the while he could feel it, the ripples of the past finally catching up to him, nipping at his heels with every step.

  CHAPTER 37

  “Kirheen, help me!”

  The metallic smell of blood filled her nose the closer she got to Tomias. She was only a few steps away when he rose to his feet, bloodied hands clutching his abdomen, and turned away. He limped down the trail, leaving bloody footprints in his wake. “Tomias, wait!” she called after him, but her words were ignored.

  Kirheen raced after him, frantically trying to catch up, but no matter how fast she ran, he was always just out of her reach. He slipped through a door up ahead, leaving a bright red handprint on the glowing surface. She skidded to a halt, her mind reeling. She was standing before the Temple of Trials, completely and utterly alone.

  Hesitation slipped away, breaking into a fragmented after thought like a crushed piece of glass. She followed Tomias into the temple, intent on saving her friend. The center of the temple was shadowed, a great behemoth stretching the length of the room, clawing its way towards her. It was a stark contrast to the bright sunlight bursting through the windows to either side. At the far end of the room, a man sat in the shadows, hawkish eyes regarding her with disdain.

  Nyson.

  To either side of him stood a familiar figure. Tomias looked up as she entered, his expression pained. His face was a patchwork of purple and yellow bruises. The corner of his lip was split and bloody, and his right eye looked painfully swollen. Fenir kept his eyes locked to the ground, not even glancing up as she approached. He looked better off than his twin, but there was something off about him, his stance rigid and his face slack, devoid of any expression.