by Tamie Dearen
“Dad?” Brian jumped as Wesley knelt beside him. “Who’s this?”
“Where am I? How did I get here?” He looked up, taking in his surroundings.
“You’re at the hospital in Montana, in Alora and Kaevin’s room. Alora transported you here.” Wesley gestured behind his back.
Brian craned his head over his shoulder, sucking in a breath. Good Lord, Kaevin looks awful. He plastered an encouraging expression on his face as he addressed Alora, who didn’t seem to have the strength to lift her head from the pillow.
“I’m glad you’re both okay, Alora. But how’d I get here? I thought we had to lock arms and go with you.”
“I’m sorry. I know I surprised you, but I didn’t want to transport to Laegenshire without Kaevin.” Her lips quivered as she spoke.
“No, it’s fine,” Brian was quick to reassure her. “I’m not mad or anything. Laethan’s going to wonder what happened though. I don’t know what we’re going to do about this guy. He’s about to die, and we’re going to have a body to explain.” Brian turned his attention back to staunching the blood flow.
“Maybe we can save him. I’ll go find Doc Sanders.” Charles spoke the words as he hurried out the door.
“Who is this guy?” Wesley was frowning at the bleeding body. “He looks like…”
“I know,” said Brian. “He looks so much like Steven, it’s kind of creepy.”
“Isn’t that a Water Clan warrior?” asked Alora. “I think he’s the guy that attacked Jireo on the roof.”
“They’re taking him to the emergency room.” Charles pushed the door open wide.
Dr. Sanders scurried into the room, calling out orders to three other people in scrubs, pushing a gurney. In seconds, the almost lifeless body was lifted onto the wheeled stretcher and rushed out of the room. Brian felt a band tighten around his chest as the boy disappeared from his sight.
“I feel like calling Steven to make sure he’s okay,” Wesley remarked.
“I know what you mean.” Brian put his hand on Wesley’s shoulder. “I kind of want to hear his voice, too. But I doubt he’d appreciate us calling him at… What time is it, anyway?”
“According to that, it’s almost five a.m.” Charles pointed to the clock on the wall.
“Five in the morning? We’ve got to get home right now.” Brian felt his insides churning. “Karen always wakes up at five; she’s going to kill me.”
“She didn’t know you transported to Laegenshire?” Charles raised his eyebrows.
“I left her a note, explaining the whole thing, since I didn’t want to wake her up.”
“Well, we can’t call Steven in Australia because it’s eleven p.m. over there, and we don’t have our cell phones. Not only that, we don’t have cars to drive home.”
“Steven’s in Australia now?” asked Charles.
“He’s working on his PhD in astrophysics. Claims he’s studying under one of the top guys in the world.” Brian couldn’t hide the pride in his voice.
Dr. Sanders burst through the door, a facemask hanging from one ear and grey hair askew on the top of his head. “Okay, Charles, what’s the story on this kid? How are we going to explain him if he dies? It was hard enough coming up with a convincing story when we had Graely and Jireo in here, but at least they were alive.”
“Do you really think he won’t make it?” Alora spoke in a wobbly voice.
“The boy’s lost so much blood, it may be too late to save him. But they have him on an IV and a ventilator. So who is this guy, anyway?” asked Dr. Sanders.
“I brought him here,” said Brian.
“From where? What happened to him?”
“Well…”
“Wait.” Sanders held up one hand as he massaged the bridge of his nose with the other. “I probably don’t want to know the answer to that. I don’t know why I ask any questions around you people. I might as well make up my own story.”
A woman in a white lab coat entered the room. “Dr. Sanders, we need to know if anyone here is related to the patient. He’s going to need a lot of blood, and he has a rare blood type.”
“Let me guess—he’s A-negative?” Brian’s heart thudded inside his chest wall. It was all a bit surreal.
“That’s right. Are you his father?”
“No, but I’m O-negative, so I can give him some blood. And my son is A-negative.” Brian pointed to Wesley, who didn’t look thrilled about the idea of donating blood. “I give every month. Seems they’re always wanting my blood type.”
He followed the woman through the doors, dragging Wesley behind him.
“Dad, isn’t it kind of weird he has the same blood type? Maybe he’s a doppelganger for Steven.”
“A few months ago I would have laughed at that idea, but now…” Brian scrunched his shoulders. “It seems like anything’s possible.”
*****
Daegreth woke up in hell. He wasn’t surprised. Where else would someone like him—someone filled with malevolence—spend eternity? But he’d hoped God might understand he hadn’t had a choice. His chest pain was excruciating, and he was being choked as well. He blinked his eyes to focus, startled at the bright light. He’d expected darkness and smoke. He attempted to grab at the hand pushing on his throat, but found his arms were bound in place. Perhaps he could break the bindings. Could one escape from hell?
“Oh, you’re awake. Don’t thrash about, sweetie. I know that tube in your throat is uncomfortable, but right now you need it to help you breathe. Just try to relax.”
A woman’s head appeared in his vision—a pleasant face with brown eyes like his. She wore a concerned expression and a smile. So he wasn’t in hell. Perhaps he’d ended up back in Sun Clan, somehow.
He’d had seven years when his parents and he had left on their journey to recover his brother, lost to slavers. The trek across the Empty Desert had been long and arduous, but his father had been relentless in his pursuit. Their relief at surviving the trip was short-lived, as they wandered unknowingly into a Water Clan encampment. The subsequent murder of his father, followed by their forced servitude, had forever ended the quest to find his brother’s captors.
Though his mother tried to be brave for him, he’d watched her spirit gradually fade from her eyes. When Daegreth acquired twelve years and was forced to take the oath of fealty and accept Vindrake’s bloodbond, she simply lost the will to live. Within a seven-day, he awoke to find her stiff body on her pallet, her hand clutching a remnant of his brother’s baby blanket.
“Are you hurting, dear?” The woman’s voice jolted him back to the present.
He attempted to answer, but something in his throat prevented him from speaking. He managed a nod. He had no idea why she was asking, but it seemed pointless to lie. Though the searing pain was acute, it occurred to him something was missing. The bloodbond is gone! Perhaps I’m dead after all. I’m not in heaven, and I’m not in hell. Is there something in between?
“Let me give you something for that pain, okay? Just hold on for a second and you’ll feel a whole lot better.”
He couldn’t see what she was doing, but within a few breaths, his eyelids grew heavy, and he was overcome with blessed sleep.
*****
“You went to Laegenshire in the middle of the night and left me here asleep? And you didn’t bother to wake me up and let me know?”
Wesley’s mother, Karen, turned to Alora, “Don’t worry, dear, I don’t blame you for what happened. You’re only a child. But you would think a grown man…” She threw a scathing glance at Brian. “You’d think a grown man would know better than to jaunt off to another realm with our son to fight in a battle without even talking to his wife.”
“But I left you a note.”
She reached into her pocket, retrieving a clumped piece of paper and spreading it to read the words. “Honey, Gone to Laegenshire with Wesley. Back soon. Don’t worry. Love, Brian.” She wadded up the note and threw it, the paper ball bouncing off Brian’s chest and onto the wood
floor. “Really? Back soon? Don’t worry? It’s not like you could get in a car and drive back or catch a plane. If Alora hadn’t brought you back, you’d still be there. And I’d still be here. And I would have no idea what had happened to you.”
“I thought we might make it back before you woke up,” Brian offered, reaching out to soothe her.
Knocking his hand away, she glared at him, leaning forward with both hands on her hips. He quailed before her fury, despite having a six-inch height advantage.
“Don’t you go trying to calm me down. I’m mad, and you’re just going to have to live with it. We’ll discuss this later, because it’s never going to happen again. And Wesley, you’re grounded.”
The scowl melted away as she turned a sweet smiling face to Alora. “Are you staying for lunch, dear?”
“Uhmmm… no, thanks, Mrs. Franks.”
“You can call me Karen, dear. Are you sure you don’t want to stay? I’ve got baked chicken and rice?”
“I’ve got to go home. Uncle Charles is going to drive me back to the hospital. He doesn’t want me to do the transport thing any more than I have to. But thanks for offering.” She kept her hands clasped tightly together to hide their shaking as she backed toward the door.
Wesley pulled her to the side before she could escape. “Listen… Mom will come around. Her bark is way worse than her bite. She has a quick temper, but she’ll be over it in an hour.”
“Okay, if you say so.” She cast dubious eyes toward Karen, who was speaking in low intense tones to Brian as he nodded his head repeatedly like a bobble head doll on a bumpy road.
“I’m glad Kaevin’s going to be okay. But, I wonder… Would you mind keeping us in the loop about that other guy? The one who looks like Steven?”
“Sure. Does he really look that much like your brother? I don’t know if I’ve ever met him.”
“He lives on the other side of the world now, in Australia.” Wesley grabbed a picture from the fireplace mantle. “Look. Here he is about a year ago.”
“Wow, he really does look like that Water Clan guy, doesn’t he? Sure, I’ll let you know if he makes it or not. But if he lives, I’ve got to take him back to Laegenshire. He’s got that bloodbond thing, so he could get really violent. Uncle Charles convinced Dr. Sanders to keep him restrained just in case he wakes up.”
“I’ve got to get a picture before he goes back, so I can send it to Steven. It’s so crazy. I told Dad it’s his doppelganger.”
“Maybe we all have evil counterparts in the other realm.” She bit her lips. “I’m trying to imagine Evil Beth. I bet she’s really scary. She already scares me when she gets upset.”
“I agree. I think I’d want to avoid Evil Beth.” Wesley accented his words with a wink. “Anyway, just text me about what’s happening. Okay?”
“Sure.”
“Wesley,” came Karen’s sharp voice. “Go wash up for lunch.” Her scowl melted away as her eyes drifted from Wesley to Alora. “Thanks for visiting, Alora. Drop by anytime. It’s nice to have another girl around here.”
Alora kept a frozen smile on her face as she muttered to Wesley without moving her lips. “You know… I think your mom and her evil doppelganger are in the same body.”
“Ha! You may be right.”
*****
“Charles and Brian are both gone?” Graely clapped his hands, his clenched stomach relaxing a bit. “That could only be good news. Alora was alive to transport them, and of course she didn’t want to come back here without Kaevin.”
“There is one problem, however.” Laethan blew out a slow breath between his lips. “I believe she accidentally transported the Water Clan warrior along with Brian.”
“That could be disastrous. He’ll have lost his bindings—he could be dangerous.” His insides tightened once again as he considered all the possible complications.
“He was barely breathing, Graely. If he lived, he wouldn’t have the strength to harm a fly. And Brian is aware of his bloodbond. If the boy lives, Brian will take precautions.”
“Let’s hope you’re correct.” He noted Laethan’s disapproving glare. “It’s not that I wish any man would die, Laethan. But there’s simply no good solution for prisoners of Water Clan. You remember the one warrior, Bathisaen? The injured warrior who—”
“Yes, I remember. He killed Fraele. I’ll never forget that incident. How could I? It happened in my own healing house. It’s because of him we now bind all the Water Clan injured. Do you still blame me for the incident with Bathisaen?”
“I never blamed you for anything, but Fraele’s family has never forgiven me my policy to spare the lives of injured Water Clan warriors after a conflict. I must use all my influence to prevent a bloodlust slaughter after the heat of battle.
“Look, here’s Morvaen.” Graely nodded toward the weapons master who joined them. “Tell Laethan how hard it is to prevent our warriors from executing the wounded enemies after a fight. Am I right?”
Morvaen nodded. “And the matter is made worse by the taunting cries of the enemy warriors while we are fighting to save their lives. One would almost think they wished to be executed.”
“Yes, that thought has occurred to me as well,” said Laethan.
“What thought?” Graely spotted a look of understanding passing between the two councilmen.
“That a large number of these Water Clan warriors despise their bloodbond and wish to die.” Morvaen took up his habitual pacing, emphasizing his words with each pounding step. “I have never been attacked by so many warriors of small stature with little skill and no hope of winning as happened tonight. It’s almost as if Vindrake sent them as a distraction, with no intention of defeating us.”
“I think that could’ve been his motivation. His true goal was to kill Alora and Kaevin, and he almost succeeded.” Graely’s stomach tightened at the memory of his son’s distorted face.
“I felt many of the Water Clan warriors were using my sword to end their existence, rushing at me with fear and desperation on their faces, rather than the fury of battle. More than one died with a smile, despite the pain of a fatal injury.” Morvaen closed his eyes as he spoke.
“Surely this can’t be true. I thought the bloodbond changed the Water Clan people. I thought they became as evil as Vindrake when they took the bondmark.”
“I believed the same, Graely. Honestly, I did. Every action and word of every Water Clan citizen, male or female, has been vile and motivated by wickedness. I thought his bond transformed them, mind and soul. But what if it doesn’t? What if it only controls them?”
As the horror of this idea settled in his mind, his mouth went dry. “It can’t be true. It’s… it’s too awful.”
“But I’ve come to believe this as well, Graely.” Laethan’s hand clasped his shoulder. “Yet I can’t conceive how we could separate those who are truly evil from those who are merely controlled by Vindrake’s bondmark. Certainly there must be some of each.”
Morvaen frowned. “What decision, Graely?”
“What to do with the Water Clan prisoners. If they are good people controlled by an evil bond, what would they prefer? What would you want if it were you? Would you rather be imprisoned for the rest of your existence or return to live in Water Clan and serve Vindrake? Of course, we’ve never been able to incorporate them as Stone Clan citizens.”
“I would prefer to die.” Morvaen’s tone was flat.
“But that’s not an option. I can’t have them executed.”
“Perhaps my attempt to save the young Water Clan warrior was not the act of mercy I thought.” The uncertainty in his chief healer’s voice surprised Graely.
“I’ll not decide his fate this moment,” said Graely. “I believe we should have a council meeting on the subject. Fortunately, there are very few Water Clan warriors who’ve not already succumbed to their injuries. For the present, their lives are in your hands, Laethan.”
He grunted in reply before turning to respond to a call from one of his
assistants.
“Graely, I’m so sorry about Kaevin.” Morvaen drew his attention. “I feel it’s partly my fault. I should have sent them back the moment I saw them. Instead, I tried to compromise, thinking to keep them safe from Vindrake while using them to aid in the battle. Now I regret my actions.”
“No Morvaen, I’m as guilty as you. I was so gladdened to have Kaevin fighting by my side, I forgot how treacherous Vindrake can be. They came to me when they first transported. I, too, could have sent them to safety, but I didn’t.”
Morvaen picked up the speed of his pacing, a dizzying prospect in the limited space between the beds. “If Kaevin and Alora survive, we must find a way to dissolve the soulmate bond. At least that would eliminate one avenue for Vindrake to kill them. And Alora could remain safe in Montana until she has grown into her powers.”
“But you’re forgetting about the portal,” Graely reminded him.
Morvaen stopped in his tracks. “The portal… truly, I’d forgotten our discussion of a portal between the two realms. If there’s a portal...”
“There is a portal. There must be. Nordamen says only a portal would explain all of the events that occurred.”
“Very well. I will concede that a portal must exist.”
“Then you must consider the possibility… no, the probability… that Vindrake will locate the portal entrance.”
“Is there not a method to close and seal the portal? After all, we don’t need it; we have Alora to transport us between realms.”
“Closing the portal… an interesting proposition. That’s a question for Nordamen.”
“That’s a question for another time and another place.” At the sound of Laethan’s clipped voice in his ear, Graely turned toward his glowering face. Laethan continued, “If you aren’t going to help, at the very least you can move and stop clogging up my corridors.”
Stifling a grin, Graely backed toward the door. “Sorry, Laethan. I was just leaving. I need to speak to Nordamen and Bardamen right away.”