Until All Bonds Are Broken

by Tim Frankovich

  “But… but he said we would need you, and…” She looked toward Evander. “Oh!” Seri put both hands to her mouth. Evander slumped over, unmoving. “He’s gone.”

  Dravid took hold of her shoulder and pulled her closer. She shot her eyes back and forth from his face to Evander’s still form. “Listen to me,” Dravid pleaded.

  Seri lost control. She grabbed Dravid and embraced him fully, wrapping her arms around his back. He held her with one arm, hesitated for a moment, then dropped the staff and wrapped the other arm around her. They adjusted for the imbalance and held each other tightly.

  “I will come back,” Dravid whispered. “We need to know more about these so-called gods. I’ll learn all I can, and then come find you!”

  “How? You know their power. How will you escape?”

  Dravid pulled back enough to look into her face. “I’m a mage,” he said. “I’ll think of something.”

  “Are you finished?” Calu asked.

  “No!” Seri snapped. She had to do one more thing, at least.

  She looked at Dravid, studying his face. That beautiful skin. Those eyes. She would never forget him. Especially not if she…

  Before she could analyze it any further, Seri pulled Dravid’s face toward hers and put her lips against his.

  Dravid’s eyelids went up, but he responded, holding her even tighter and returning her kiss with a fervor that surprised her. In fact, the passion in the embrace and the kiss pulled on Seri in ways she had never imagined. The thought of continuing down that path terrified her, but she didn’t want it to end. She let herself go, feeling like something overwhelming and powerful swept her away.

  Dravid broke the kiss at last, pulling away. He stared at her, the longing in his eyes unmistakable. “You had to wait until now…” he whispered.

  “It is time,” Calu said. “No more delays. Come, servant.”

  Seri helped Dravid balance while she reached down and fetched the staff for him. How would he get by without a crutch? This wouldn’t be enough. She handed it to him wordlessly.

  Dravid took a faltering step toward Calu, then stopped. He looked back at Seri. “If I don’t say it now, I’ll regret it forever,” he said. He searched her face, then nodded. “I love you.”

  Seri swallowed hard. He loved her? She loved him too, but… was it really that way? Did she even understand what love meant? She hadn’t thought…

  Dravid smiled and turned back. He stumbled after Calu as the big man strode away to meet Curasir and the army. They would be here soon.

  “I love you,” Seri mouthed the words, unable to give them any volume.

  Dravid looked back, as if he heard her. He nodded.

  Seri stood alone beside the portal as the army drew near. She took a last look at Evander. As much as she wanted to chase after Dravid, or stay to bury this old man, she had no choice. Her Bond to Ixchel had been pulling at her since Forerunner died. Her Bond to Marshal had subsided when Victor left. But now another Bond, not as powerful but still insistent, pulled at her. Volraag.

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE

  MARSHAL FELT IT coming before his mind could grasp it. A gust of wind came out of nowhere, providing welcome relief from the humidity. His hair waved in its flow.

  Victor, who stood in his defensive stance beside Marshal, felt the breeze too. He glanced around.

  A pressure enveloped Marshal, covering every inch of his body. He knew this feeling. He knew. The pressure forced its way into him, swirling and growing, filling his chest. The pressure came from inside now, growing with each moment. This had happened to him before, in the temple, when Varion died and Marshal received his power.

  But this was greater. So much power. Growing and growing and growing. No one could contain power like this.

  Victor said something to him, but he couldn’t hear it. Across the portal, he saw Talinir and Ixchel, both staring at him. Talinir’s mouth hung open. Ixchel’s sword and shield hung loosely from her hands.

  And still the power grew.

  On the other side, Rathri stared at him with undiluted hatred. He yelled something and hurled his sword at Marshal.

  Marshal watched it approach in slow motion. He put out his hand and touched the oncoming sword with his finger. The blade did not so much shatter as it crumbled. Dust rained down on Marshal’s arm.

  And still the power grew. A King’s power.

  Volraag, still holding his face, looked up. His eyes, full of pain and anger, stared at Marshal around his fingers.

  Evander. He was dead.

  Marshal threw his arms skyward and let the power erupt. This time, no temple ceiling and walls accepted the blast. Instead, it poured into the sky. So much power flowed out of him that it became visible, distorting the very air. Far above, the clouds swirled, conforming to the vibrations that reached to their very height.

  Marshal lowered his hands, staring up in wonder. Had he done that? As if in answer, a gentle rain began to fall.

  The drops splattered against the portal’s surface… except in the middle, where the drops disappeared as they struck. In fact, the area where they disappeared was growing…

  “The portal’s opening!” Victor cried.

  Seri emerged from the portal near the edge where she had first entered. Ixchel dropped her sword and grabbed at her arm.

  “My Lady!”

  “Ixchel! I’m all right. I just…” She wavered and Ixchel caught her. Together with Talinir, they lifted her out of the portal. Rain spattered against her face and robes.

  “Where’s Marshal?” She turned.

  The high place had changed dramatically since she left. The southern platform was completely gone, and the western one wasn’t much better. Rathri and Volraag stood on the walkway nearest to it. Victor and Marshal stood on the northern platform.

  “Did you open the portal?” Talinir asked.

  “No, I was surprised that I walked right through it!”

  “Then it must have been Marshal’s power.”

  “Marshal?” She looked back at him, blinking to activate her star-sight. Oh. “Theon’s pillars!”

  Marshal glowed with incredible power, far more than he had possessed a few minutes ago. The King’s power… united with a Lord’s power. How did he contain it all? How did he even survive? “The Heart of Fire,” she whispered. Marshal’s body contained the Heart of Fire. Tezan’s false version now seemed so petty.

  She glanced at Volraag, seeing his massive power as well, but it seemed somehow diminished in the greater glow of Marshal’s strength.

  As she watched, she saw Marshal gather up power in his hand, preparing to throw it. “No!”

  Seri launched herself free of the other two and ran around the portal.

  “Seri? Where’s Dravid?” Victor asked.

  She grabbed Marshal’s arm just in time. “Stop!”

  Marshal looked at her with furrowed brow. “Seri? What is it?”

  Seri took a few steps and stood between Marshal and Volraag. “Don’t hurt him any more. We need him.”

  Marshal lowered his hand. In that moment, Seri knew her Bond to Volraag had been fulfilled. The slight feeling of knowing where he stood evaporated.

  A head emerged from the portal, tall and dark and rippling with strange energy.

  “Durunim!” Talinir shouted.

  “Everyone run!” Marshal commanded. “I’ll deal with this!”

  “Where?” Victor asked. “I think both sets of stairs are destroyed or blocked…”

  Marshal pointed down the side of the hill and a shockwave rushed down it, throwing dirt, stone, trees, vines and brush aside, forming a path to the ground below.

  Rathri yanked on Volraag’s arm and they hurried down together. Victor hesitated, then followed them with Seri. Ixchel and Talinir, carrying the pilgrim, soon caught up to them.

  Marshal came at the end. Seri watched him descend, wondering about his new power. Did he close the portal himself?

  In answer, a tall figure of the Durunim app
eared silhouetted at the top.

  Marshal stopped at the base of the hill and looked back up. If the army came through, then Ch’olan would be devastated. He could not allow that.

  “You are not welcome here!” he called to the Durunim. “Leave now, or face the consequences.”

  The figure did not move.

  Marshal closed his eyes. He knew he now had the power to do what he wanted, but he wasn’t sure he knew enough to control it well.

  “For Topleb!”

  He pointed at the hill in front of him. Dirt and rock began to erupt beneath the portal.

  “What are you doing?” Talinir asked.

  Marshal ignored him and pushed his hands to either side. The hill came apart under the portal, throwing tons of debris in either direction. The rain’s intensity picked up at the same time.

  “Marshal?” Seri asked.

  “Stay back!” he warned.

  He swept his arms further apart. The rest of the dirt and rock came apart. The portal plunged down to the same level as Marshal himself. The Durunim warrior fell back inside it. Just as well, with what he was about to do.

  Marshal brought his hands back together and clapped. This wasn’t much different from what he had done at the battlefield, but on a grander scale.

  The portal fell deeper, below his feet. Dirt, rock, trees, everything poured down on top of the portal. Much of it fell through, but enough trees and rocks began to form a barrier.

  “Marshal, no!” Seri screamed at his side.

  He ignored her and focused his power. More debris poured in, beginning to pile up.

  “Stop it!” Seri grabbed his arm and pulled.

  Marshal clapped again. Fragments of the old platforms and walkway, tons of dirt, tree trunks, and more covered the portal, burying it. Marshal kept pouring it on until he built a new hill, piled on the ruins of the old one. Seri pulled at his arm for another minute, then let him go and sank to her knees, weeping.

  He let the power diminish gradually until nothing remained but a cloud of dust. He pushed gently with his power, blowing it away along with the rain for a moment. He hadn’t known he could do that until he tried. The rain reasserted itself right away, resuming a steady fall that began to muddy the torn-apart ground around him.

  He looked down. What was wrong with Seri?

  “Dravid…” she sobbed.

  Dravid? “He didn’t come back?” Marshal suddenly felt a pull. His Bond to Dravid.

  “Calu kept him. And now he can’t escape!”

  Marshal glanced at his new hill. He felt a sick feeling settle in his stomach.

  “There are other ways,” Talinir said.

  Seri shook her head. Ixchel knelt beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. “We will find him,” she said. Her voice shook as well.

  Seri stood. “No. I have another task first.”

  Marshal looked around. Victor stood closest. His flail looked… different. Talinir stood beside him. At his feet lay Kishin, but…

  “The assassin?”

  Talinir nodded. “He stopped Volraag from opening the portal sooner. I do not understand his actions.”

  Ixchel knelt beside Kishin. Marshal thought she whispered something, but he couldn’t tell. When she stood and moved back to Seri’s side, she left behind one of her green feathers, carefully tucked into Kishin’s hand.

  Victor pointed. “What about those two?”

  Rathri held his remaining sword at ready, eyeing all of them. So strange to see two leper assassins. How did they both end up like that? Volraag stood beside him, hunched slightly. His face looked horrible. His cheek, jaw, and nose all appeared broken. And they weren’t healing instantly, like his earlier wounds. What had Victor done to that flail?

  Marshal pointed at Volraag. “This ends here, brother. Will you surrender?”

  Volraag shook his head.

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” Rathri snarled. “Of course he doesn’t surrender.”

  “Don’t make me—” Marshal began, then stopped. Make him what? What could he do to them? They weren’t trying to kill him now, so he couldn’t kill them. Or could he? He was both a Lord and King now. The curses did not apply to him. But they would apply to any future children, should he ever have any. He could not do that.

  “No.” Seri stood in front of him, hair and robes dripping wet. “Let them go.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX

  EVERYTHING WITHIN SERI told her to turn and leave. Take Ixchel and abandon all of them. Find a way to go after Dravid instead. Yet she knew what she had to do.

  She took a deep breath and turned to Volraag. “The third portal is in Kuktarma, just south of the border with Arazu. You will need help to get there. I should go with you.”

  “What?”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “My Lady?”

  Seri ignored the cries from her friends. She focused on Volraag. “Well?”

  Volraag looked to Rathri. The assassin nodded. “Lord Volraag seems unable to speak at present,” he said in his abrasive voice. “But I believe he accepts your offer.” Volraag nodded, then winced. “We should leave as soon as you are prepared.”

  Seri turned back to face the others, who stared at her in disbelief.

  “Did you leave your mind behind in the Otherworld?” Victor demanded.

  Seri tried to smile, but couldn’t keep it on her face. The emotions were still too raw. If she weren’t careful, she’d start sobbing again, and that would derail everything.

  “I have to do this,” she said softly.

  Marshal’s face almost broke her. Through his scars, he looked… he looked like a little boy whose best friend has just joined those who mock him for being different. Such a specific simile. It… had happened before. When she was a child. She was the best friend. And like then, she was abandoning someone who needed her.

  Except this time, she acted for the greater good. She didn’t understand everything, but she knew… she knew she had to go with Volraag now. The future of Antises depended on it.

  “There’s no way I can make you all understand,” she said, cognizant of Rathri and Volraag within hearing distance. “I have to go. It’s what needs to happen now.”

  “I will go with you,” Ixchel said.

  Seri felt a weight slide off her tense shoulders. She had hoped, but hadn’t been sure. “Thank you, Ixchel.”

  “I do not agree with your actions in the slightest,” Ixchel went on. “But you are my Lady. I will protect you even in this.”

  Seri nodded. Later, she could try to explain to Ixchel alone. Maybe.

  “Don’t,” Marshal said.

  Seri choked up. That one word was too much. How to make him understand? How?

  “We will meet again,” she said in very measured words. “I can’t tell you more than that yet.”

  She made a slight curtsy. “After all, you’re my King now,” she added.

  Marshal only shook his head slowly, rain dripping from his hair and across his scars.

  “I thought you understood,” Victor accused. “I thought you… I don’t understand you at all. Who are you?”

  “Victor.” She bit her lip and squeezed her hands together for a moment. “Thank you for saving my life. I will always be grateful.”

  “What?”

  She turned and walked toward Volraag, Ixchel falling in beside her. Those first few steps may have been the hardest ones she ever took.

  Marshal watched her go. Why? How? What did it mean?

  “Is it because of Dravid?” he asked aloud. “I can go after him. Right now, if you want.”

  Seri stopped, but she did not turn around. “No, Marshal.” Her voice broke.

  He took a step after her. “I will bring him back. I swear.”

  She lifted a hand. A slight tremor ran across Marshal’s chest. Had she done that? He had never been more confused in his life. He understood attacks. He understood mockery. But this? Betrayal. After all they had just been through. After losing Topleb and Rufus. Af
ter meeting his grandfather, then losing him. After stopping the invasion. He didn’t understand at all.

  Marshal sank to his knees in the mud. The rain, at least, began to subside.

  Seri seemed to gather herself and resumed walking, Ixchel at her side. Volraag and Rathri turned, and the four of them continued on to the end of Marshal’s carved path. There, they turned to the south and disappeared behind the trees.

  Marshal felt himself sinking down inside. What now? He had been counting on Seri to give him guidance once they found Talinir. She wanted him to go to Zes Sivas. But he couldn’t go without her. What would be the point? He didn’t want to be a King. He wanted to get rid of the curses.

  And he had no idea where to go from here.

  “But I didn’t save her life,” Victor said.

  Marshal looked up at him. Exhaustion dragged him down. What was Victor saying?

  “I never saved her.” Victor cocked his head. “But she saved me!” His eyes widened. “She saved me!”

  Victor dashed a few feet down the muddy path, then turned back. “Do you get it? The Bond!”

  What?

  Victor pointed in the direction Seri had gone. “I’m Bonded to her now! That’s what she was trying to tell me, without letting Volraag know! I’m Bonded to her!”

  Marshal shook his head. A lot of Bonds had been formed and fulfilled in the past few hours. Everyone had been fighting and saving each other. He could still feel Dravid on the other side.

  Victor whooped and swung his flail in a circle, slinging water in all directions. “Don’t you get it?”

  “Explain it to us, Victor,” Talinir said. “I don’t know what you’re raving about, and Marshal clearly doesn’t, either.”

  “Watch!” Victor said. He covered his eyes with his free hand, then turned in a slow circle. He pointed southwest with his flail. “There! She’s that direction!” He opened his eyes and looked back at them, grinning.

  “She wants us to follow her! Don’t you get it? That’s why she reminded me of the Bond!”