by Todd, E. L.
“Zyle, I am very upset with you,” she said.
Zyle looked at her. “Why?” he asked. “What did I do?”
“Why didn’t you tell me that Accacia was my niece?” She bore her gaze into him, and Accacia felt bad for her life partner. She had received that look countless times. “You obviously knew it to be true. You are her Life Guardian.”
“Roxian forbade me from telling either of you.”
“Why?” she asked.
“I have no idea,” he said as he rolled his eyes. “I suppose it’s because she didn’t want Accacia to have any support. She felt threatened by her.”
Accacia stared at him. “Me?” she asked.
Zyle smiled at her but didn’t comment. She didn’t understand how exceptional she was. Her ignorance baffled him at times.
Laura hit him on the arm. “No,” she said. “Why did you obey her command? I know she is your sister-in-law, but Accacia is your soul mate.”
“I made that promise before I was. And I keep my word.” Zyle swallowed his mango slice.
Laura turned to Accacia. “Roxian has wanted Zyle since Cassandra died,” Laura said. “A bit obsessed with him, really. She has wanted him as her husband for decades, knowing he would be the perfect suitor and king.”
Zyle glared at Laura. “I didn’t want Accacia to know that.”
“Why?” Accacia asked.
“I didn’t want you to feel threatened by her.”
“Why would I be?
Zyle smiled. “You’re right,” he said as he kissed her cheek. “You have no reason to be.” Zyle scarfed down the rest of his food and left the empty plate on the counter. He kissed Accacia on the head before he turned away. “I’ll be back in a few hours. I have to go to the Tower and prepare a few things. You know where to find me if you need me. Goodbye, ladies.”
“Goodbye,” they said to his receding back.
Laura nibbled on her bread. “I’m glad you listened to my advice, Accacia. You two look very happy. Zyle looks happier now than he ever did with Cassandra, if you can believe it.” She drank the glass of tea Accacia had poured for her. “I guess that is expected since you two are soul mates.”
Accacia smiled. “Yes, I’m glad I took your advice as well.”
“Are you enjoying the honeymoon?”
Accacia blushed at her question. Now that Laura was her aunt, that topic was awkward. “Good,” she said. That was all she managed to say. Accacia’s response didn’t even answer the question.
Laura chucked at her reaction but didn’t press her further. She knew her niece was embarrassed. The steaming liquid disappeared from their cups as they finished their glasses. Accacia refilled them with Zyle’s teapot and handed Laura more mango slices, which she accepted with a smile. The silence between them was comfortable and pleasant. Words weren’t always necessary to enjoy each other’s company. Just sitting together was enough to fill the void in Accacia’s heart—to be with her family.
Laura spoke after she finished her second glass of tea. “I came here because I assume you have questions about your mother. I am more than happy to answer them.”
Accacia wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Yes, I have many. But do you have a Soul Catcher? I would love to see a memory of her.”
“I’m sorry, Accacia. I lost my Soul Catcher in the flood, and I was never given a new one. They are very rare. Almost impossible to find,” she said.
“They are plentiful on the Continent.”
“Yes, we know, Accacia. And there are plenty of Soul Binders as well.”
Accacia poured herself another glass of tea. “Zyle told me about them. I was very disturbed by the revelation—that they could enclose your soul for all eternity.”
“Yes, it is very scary,” she said. “It’s even more disturbing that the humans use them to heal their bodies, destroying the soul within the stone and causing them to seize to exist altogether.”
Accacia spilled a puddle of tea on the counter. She was distracted by Laura’s words. “So, they just vanish?”
“Yes, their souls are no longer immortal.”
Now Accacia understood the severity of Zyle’s earlier message. If she had been murdered, her soul would be trapped forever until it was used. Then it would vanish altogether. She would never be reunited with her family when she died. She wouldn’t see Aleco, or her soul mate, Zyle, ever again.
“When did this start?” Accacia asked. “Is this a recent development?”
“No, they have always existed. They were hoarded together as a huge beacon, so when we die, our souls can’t channel to the Nature God because the accumulation of so many stones is too powerful. The humans used them to build a palace, unaware of their true value.”
Accacia thought back to her time in Father Giloth’s study and the two stones she held in her palms. One was heavier than the other. Father Giloth hadn’t known the significance of the stones, or at least he never told her. She assumed they were Soul Binders. They had to be.
“I held a pair of Soul Binders on the Continent,” Accacia said. “One was heavier than the other. I never understood why.”
“Because the heavier stone held more souls within it,” she explained.
Nausea flooded through Accacia’s body as she realized what had happened. She had actually held the souls of the Asquithians in the stone. That was why the eye flashed across the surface. It didn’t react that way with Father Giloth and Aleco for that reason. They were human, not Asquithian.
“How many souls are trapped in the Soul Binders of the Continent? How many people have been murdered?”
Laura stared at Accacia for a moment then lowered her gaze. She brought her hand on top of Accacia’s and squeezed it. “I guess Zyle left that part out,” she said.
Accacia felt confused. “What part?”
“Every Asquithian who has ever been murdered is stored within the Soul Binders on the Continent—every single one.
“So that means—”
“That when the duke of the Continent killed everyone on the island, they were all damned to eternity in the Soul Binders.”
Pain coerced through Accacia’s body at the revelation. The truth of Laura’s words drenched her like a heavy rain. The tears dripped from her eyes and she rose from the table and paced the room. Laura watched with a look of anguish on her face.
Accacia crossed her arms over her chest. “That means—my parents—are damned as well.”
“Yes,” she said. “They all are.”
The truth exploded inside of like an earthquake. Her heart pounded in her chest and almost severed in half. This couldn’t be real.
Accacia sprinted out of the entryway before Laura even noticed she was gone. She ran through the streets of Canu, passing through the marketplace, and advanced to the Tower as fast as her muscled legs could carry her. She didn’t understand her need for speed. She just had to get to Zyle as soon as possible. She ran past the guards and entered the doorway before they could even say hello to her. She wandered into the lobby and started yelling for Zyle.
“ZYLE!”
She walked through the door before her and entered Roxian’s study. Zyle was talking to the ambassadors, with the exception of Laura, and looked up at her shout. When he saw the look on her face, he dropped the quill and parchment he was holding and ran to her. She was as hysterical as the day they became life partners.
“Accacia, what is it?” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tears away. “Come with me,” he said as he ushered her out of the study. They entered the lobby. “Accacia, you are scaring me.”
“My parents are damned!” She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder. He held her in place for several minutes, waiting for her to stop crying. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
“I didn’t have the heart.” He ran his hands through her hair and down her back, silently comforting her.
“We have to go to the Continent,” she said. “We have to free them—all of them
.”
Zyle grabbed her face and looked at her. “We can’t,” he said. “I’m sorry, but we can’t.”
Accacia stared at him through her tears. “What? And leave all of our kin to their fate—the void? My parents, your wife, everyone who anyone has ever loved or ascended from?” Accacia pushed him away from her. “How can you possibly say that?”
“Accacia, there are only a thousand of us left. That is not enough to travel to the Continent, find the Soul Binders, locate the material to destroy them, and then return alive.”
“Yes, it is,” she said. “I know where they are. I know how to get there. We can do this, Zyle.”
Zyle stared at her. “I can say without a doubt that Cassandra would never want me to risk my immortality to try to save hers, especially when it is against all odds,” he said. “I know Henral and Portisha would feel the same way.”
“I don’t accept that,” she said. “I’m going, Zyle. Even if I have to go alone.”
Zyle stepped toward her and she moved backwards. “I am the leader of this race and the last thousand members in its existence and I cannot force them to risk their lives—their eternal souls—on this endeavor,” he said. “You must realize that. And I would never force you to do anything against your will, Accacia, but this is the one exception. You will not return to the Continent—I will not allow it.” The power of his words returned to his voice, and Accacia felt herself shiver at his tone.
“You won’t allow it?”
“I’m sorry, Accacia, but I won’t let you leave,” he said. “You can hate me all you want, but I would rather spend the rest of my life on Suaden with you hating me rather than be alone, knowing I will never see you again—ever.
“It is my responsibility as your life partner, your soul mate, your life guardian, your best friend, and your king to protect you, and I will do everything in my power to keep you and your soul safe.”
“I hate you. I HATE YOU!” she said as she continued to cry. Zyle was refusing to save the souls of her parents, the innocent victims who had been slaughtered by the man she used to belong to. If she didn’t spare their souls from the void, she would never see them—ever. Accacia knew she had crossed a line with her hateful words, but she didn’t care. She couldn’t believe Zyle was giving up. “You’re a coward, Zyle.”
Zyle closed his eyes and dropped his chin. She walked away from him, but he didn’t stop her. He stood by and watched her go. There was nothing he could do or say to make this better. She would come to him when she was ready—or she wouldn’t come back to him at all.
Canu
50
Laura stared at Accacia on the doorstep of her eave, which was located high into the trees in the back of Canu. Her home was only a few feet away, but Accacia had her bags over her shoulders, appearing as if she planned to visit longer than usual
Accacia’s voice came out weak, almost as a whisper. “Can I stay with you for a while?”
Laura saw the sagging lines around her eyes and knew her niece had been crying. Accacia clutched her bags on the stairwell as she waited for Laura to invite her inside her eave. Laura felt her heart hammer in her chest. She feared for the worst. “You are always welcome here, dear,” she said with a smile. Laura grabbed one of her bags and wrapped her arm around Accacia’s shoulder as she ushered her inside the living room. “Come in.”
Accacia placed her bags beside the sofa then walked to the kitchen table, sitting in her usual spot facing the doorway. Laura grabbed two cups of tea and sat beside her. She watched her niece for a moment and saw the turmoil raging behind her eyes. The green flames of her irises were a mere flicker. The fire that usual blazed in her gaze was absent. “Would you like to discuss it?” she asked gently.
“No.”
Laura knew to not press for information. It was obvious Accacia had no desire to speak about her troubles. She knew her niece needed a distraction from her thoughts. Laura wanted to know what had transpired between her and Zyle, but she knew now wasn’t the time. “How long will you be staying?” she asked. “You are welcome here as long as you wish.”
“I don’t know,” she said simply.
Laura nodded. She sipped her tea silently and watched Accacia stare at her untouched beverage. The cup sizzled with steam and floated into the air, smelling like the citrus taste of fruit, but Accacia didn’t reach for it. Her mind was elsewhere. They sat together in silence, neither one having anything to say. Accacia thought about the last words her life partner had said to her, that he would lock her up if he had to. The threat brought her back to the painful memories of her past when she was confided in her bedchamber with Drake, caged like an animal. Accacia felt the tears bubble under her eyes when she thought about it. She couldn’t believe Zyle made such an unforgivable threat. And he wouldn’t aid her attempt to free her mother and father, who he was also close to. Accacia was still as furious as she was when she ran from Zyle. She immediately sprinted to their eave and took her belongings, knowing she couldn’t sleep beside him that night, or for any night in the near future. She was too furious. Accacia knew Zyle would be heartbroken when he returned home. She wouldn’t be there, and he would notice the absence of her belongings and probably fear for the worse. Accacia didn’t mean to hurt him. She just had to be away from him.
Laura’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Would you like to be alone?”
Accacia shook her head. “Not in particular.”
“Then what would you like to do?”
Accacia didn’t have any ideas, but she did want to keep her thoughts away from Zyle. Her heart quickened in anger every time she thought about their argument. “Do you have a library in Canu?” she asked. Accacia couldn’t recall anyone mentioning it, but she noticed that Zyle had a wide variety of books in his eave. He must get them from somewhere.
“No,” Laura said. “We don’t have a library, but we do have a museum. It houses a few books and relics from our homeland. The building is very small and contains a small number of items recovered from the flood. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes.” Accacia nodded.
“I can show you.” Laura offered. “It is adjacent to the education center under the supervision of Ambassador Mikah. The scholars and historians of our race train at the school then store their knowledge in the books that comprise the museum.”
Accacia rose from her seat, leaving her tea untouched. “Let’s go,” she said. She walked towards the door with her sword belted at her hip. It was clamped over the Asquithian green dress that left one shoulder bare. Laura followed her down the staircase and into the city.
They ventured to the western side of the province and came upon the wooden buildings that were constructed in the middle of a large glade in the forest. The wood was made of bleach white and the windows were open to the sunlight drifting from the sky. Laura escorted her niece to the entrance to the building.
“Be very quiet when you are inside,” she said before she opened the door. “It is a learning environment. Any disturbance in the air will distract the students from their studies—and will make Mikah enraged, which doesn’t take much to do.”
Accacia nodded silently, confirming her understanding.
Laura opened the door and the two warriors walked through, stepping into a large hallway that opened to two different directions. Laura nodded to the left hallway and both women walked down the wooden floorboards. Accacia saw students reading at their desks in the rooms she passed, silent as an opening flower. They transgressed quietly down the hallway until the entered another doorway. Accacia opened the door and walked through. She knew it was the museum as soon as she stepped inside.
The walls were covered in paintings detailing the landscape of their homeland. It wasn’t much different from Suaden. Accacia studied the colored images on the wall and felt her heart squeeze at the sight. She knew this was the closest connection she would have to her birthplace. There were a few dusty bookshelves that housed scrolls and volumes of novels that cont
ained the history and information of the Asquithian race. Accacia walked down the aisles and examined everything in the room, overwhelmed by the vast storage of the precious information.
Laura watched her niece. “What is your interest in this place?” she asked.
Accacia reached up and felt the bindings of the books under her fingertips. She examined the dirt on her skin and wiped the filth on her dress. “I have always been interested in the history of our people.”
“Well, you don’t need a library to tell you that, Accacia. Especially when you have a living relative that is ancient, even under the standards of an almost immortal race.”
Accacia looked away from the bookshelf and stared at her aunt. She couldn’t imagine her mentor being older than Zyle, who was already four-hundred years of age. Zyle told her it was unwise to question someone’s age, so she refrained from asking even though she was very curious. “You can tell me the history of the Asquithians?” she asked.
“Yes.” She smiled. “And I can give you the abridged version—get right to the point.”
Accacia smiled as she sat at the long wooden table in the center of the room. She gazed at the trinkets adorning the shelves of the museum. It was dirty and forsaken, with specks of dust hanging in the air. The windows were full of cobwebs, and most of the prized relics were covered in the layers of grime. Laura sat across from her and placed her hands on the table. “What would you like to know?”
“A lot of things,” she said.
“Well, you are going to have to be more specific.”
Accacia thought for a moment. She read a few books detailing information about the Asquithians, but she still felt ignorant about the race. “Is it true that our race worships water?”
Laura shook her head. “That’s a myth. We worship nature and the Nature god, along with the other gods of the universe. We aren’t very different from the humans who currently populate the Continent.”
“Why are we so unlike them?”
“The humans?” she asked.