Until All Bonds Are Broken

by Tim Frankovich

  Marshal got to his feet. “We can follow her?” he repeated, feeling stupid as he did.

  “Yes! I could always tell how to find you were when we were Bonded, but even more so when you were in danger.” He pointed after Seri again. “She’s in constant danger now. I know exactly where she is!”

  “But… why?”

  Victor lifted his hands and shoulders. “I have no idea!” But he kept grinning.

  Talinir stepped up. “I do not understand the girl’s movements, either,” he said. “But it seems she is acting with some purpose in mind. Do you trust her?”

  Marshal thought for a moment. Despite their quarrels, in the Otherworld Seri told him she believed in him. Could he do any less?

  “I do trust her.”

  Talinir nodded. “Then it appears our course is clear.” He smiled. “And… it is good to see you again, Marshal.”

  Marshal swallowed past a lump in his throat. In all the chaos and battle, he had almost forgotten. “Talinir—” he began.

  The warden swept him into a hug while Victor laughed. Marshal found himself lifted up and spun around. He couldn’t help laughing as well.

  Talinir set him down and chuckled. Then his face sobered. “I do have one question, though.”

  “What is it?”

  Talinir pointed to the unconscious form of Kishin. “What do we do with him?”

  CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN

  “COME, JAMANA.” MASTER Korda’s booming voice echoed through the palace’s wide spaces. Jamana picked up his pace. He still didn’t know why they had been summoned back to Tenjkidi. Master Korda did not seem to know, either, or at least was not being very candid about it.

  Jamana had been to the Lord’s Palace only once before, when he had been chosen to become an acolyte for Mandiata. That trip had been at night, and he had seen little of the palace’s interior. Of course, its looming minarets dominated the view of Tenjkidi throughout his life. But inside was a different story. He wanted to stop and stare at each new room, each new work of art he spied on walls and in corners.

  Unfortunately, Master Korda seemed to know exactly where to go, and led the way without pause. Jamana adjusted his grip on Aharu’s book and hastened to keep up.

  At last, they exited another large room through a wide open doorway and entered an enormous terrace. Two structures dominated the terrace, both of them containing elaborately carved stone coffins surrounded by rows of flowering plants. Jamana came to a halt.

  “Is this…” He trailed off.

  Master Korda turned back to him. “The Tombs of the First and Last Lord,” he announced. He reached out toward the nearest of the two. “Lord Sundinka lies here, of course.”

  The other tomb then held the body of Sakouna, the first Lord of Mandiata, from the days of Akhenadom.

  “Each time a Lord dies, the previous Lord’s body is removed and taken to the Tombs of the Lords,” Master Korda continued in a softer tone. “Thus, someday, these two will definitively be the first and last Lords.”

  Since Volraag had stolen Lord Sundinka’s power, he might truly be the last Lord of Mandiata. Jamana hoped not. There had to be a way to undo that travesty.

  “My Lord!” Master Korda exclaimed, bowing. Jamana turned in the same direction, bowing as well. He looked up and saw Lord Bakari, Sundinka’s son. At his side walked Komadi, the current ranking mage of Tenjkidi’s court. Bakari wore the traditional garb of Mandiatan royalty, though without, Jamana noticed, the tiger pelt his father had worn. Also without his power. Jamana’s senses detected only faint traces of magic within Komadi, and nothing from the young Lord.

  “Rise, Master Korda,” Lord Bakari said, his youthful voice sounding odd in this solemn locale. “I am pleased you could come so quickly.”

  Master Korda nodded, and gestured to Jamana. “My acolyte Jamana, my Lord. He carries the book we found, and—”

  Lord Bakari raised a hand and Korda stopped. “I did not summon you back home to hear of books,” he said.

  “But this alters what we knew of the beginnings of Antises,” Master Korda responded. “It is monumental.”

  Lord Bakari shook his head. “I am not concerned with the past, Master Korda, but the glorious future.” A smile lit up his face. “Monumental, you say? Something has occurred that will shake the foundations of Antises forever. And Mandiata will lead the way into a new order, a majesty unknown to our ancestors… save those in the far distant past, perhaps.”

  Master Korda seemed at a loss for words for the first time since Jamana had known him. “Then I… beg your Lordship to share this discovery with us. What have you found?”

  “It is not what I have found.”

  “They found us!” Komadi said in excitement. Bakari glared at him. “I apologize, your Lordship.” Komadi shrank back.

  A third man approached behind Lord Bakari. “Here is the one who will explain,” Bakari said. He stepped aside.

  The newcomer was shorter than the young Lord, but dressed more elaborately. His outfit appeared to consist of several lengths of cloth, each a bright color, wrapped around his body in an intricate fashion and hanging from his arms. His hair, white as snow, belied his age, which Jamana could not discern. Twin gold chains hung around his neck and draped across his chest.

  But his magic power radiated in a fashion unlike the Masters or Lords. Jamana glanced at Master Korda and saw that he looked confused as well.

  “Greetings, noble mages!” The white-haired stranger cried. “I am Harbinger. I am the omen, the forerunner. I have come to pave the way, to restore that which was lost.”

  “I… do not understand,” Master Korda said. He looked to Lord Bakari, but Harbinger stepped closer.

  “I have been among your people for some weeks,” he said, looking into Master Korda’s face. “My task has been difficult, but highly rewarding. And now it draws to a close.”

  “Why is that?” Korda asked.

  “Because I need prepare the way no longer.” He smiled, folded his arms, and stepped back.

  Lord Bakari gestured to the other side of the terrace. “Behold!” he cried.

  Jamana and Master Korda turned. A tall figure appeared from behind the First Lord’s tomb. Physically, he appeared Mandiatan, though taller and more strongly-built than even Master Korda. He moved with the easy stride of a man with no concerns or worries of any kind. His clothes resembled Harbinger’s, but seemed finer, the colors brighter. On his shoulders, he wore a pelt Jamana could not identify. Yellow-orange fur appeared toppled with spots like a leopard, but interspersed with jagged stripes, as well.

  But the most impressive thing about the newcomer had nothing to do with his appearance. Jamana noticed Master Korda stiffen a few seconds before he felt it as well. Power radiated from him, power greater than that of any Lord or Master. Yet something about it felt… different. It did not seem like any of the power of Antises he had felt in anyone else. Harbinger radiated a similar power, he realized, though nowhere near this intensity.

  “Welcome, mages.” He spoke, and his voice resonated with authority and power. Magic vibrated through every word he uttered. “I am delighted to meet you. We have much to discuss.”

  “We are pleased to meet you also,” Master Korda answered, bowing again. Jamana echoed his movements. “I am Master Korda and this is my acolyte Jamana. I’m afraid I don’t know you.”

  “Fear in my presence is a good thing,” the stranger said. “For your ancestors feared me. But they loved me as well.”

  “Ancestors?”

  “Harbinger, proclaim my name to them.”

  Harbinger stepped forward and bowed deeply to the stranger. Then he turned back to the mages.

  “Master Korda, you are in the presence of the inimitable, the immortal, the mighty Nummotem.”

  Master Korda drew in a sharp breath. Jamana did not recognize the name, though it sounded familiar. “Master?”

  “Do you not know me, little acolyte?” Nummotem held out a hand and golden light blossomed fr
om it. He shaped it into a circlet and placed it on his own head. He looked down at Jamana.

  “I am one of your gods, the gods you abandoned when you came to this place.” The terrace shook as if another earthquake were beginning. Jamana fell to his knees, as did the other four. Nummotem remained standing.

  “I have returned. We are all returning. And Antises will never be the same again!”

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  GLOSSARY

  CAUTION: THESE LISTINGS may contain minor spoilers.

  Aapo - Kishin’s household servant

  Adhi - A mage acolyte from Kuktarma, studying on Zes Sivas.

  Aelia - Marshal’s mother who willingly sacrificed herself to lift his curse. Daughter of Evander.

  Aharu - Sibling of Akhenadom. Founder of the priesthood. First High Master Mage of Antises.

  Ajaw - Lady of Ch’olan. Wife of Lord Rajwir. Commander of the Holcan.

  Akhenadom - Called “the Great.” At the time of the Great Cataclysm, he led six people groups from their original homes to the land of Antises. He introduced them to the worship of the one god Theon, and presented to them Theon’s Book of the Law. In return, the six people groups proclaimed him the first King of all Antises.

  Albus - A soldier in the army of Varioch. Cursed for murder and assigned to the curse squad.

  Alpin - Former Master Mage of Varioch. Murdered by Curasir.

  Amnis River - A branch of the Trebia River that flows along the western side of Varioch and its southern border with Rasna.

  Antises - The union of the six lands of Rasna, Varioch, Ch’olan, Mandiata, Arazu, and Kuktarma. Ruled from the island of Zes Sivas in the middle of Lake Litanu, which borders all six lands.

  Arazu - One of the six lands of Antises. Arazu is located on the eastern side of Lake Litanu, between Mandiata and Kuktarma. Arazu is the smallest of the lands, but claims the oldest culture and strictest traditions.

  Bakari - The young Lord of Mandiata. Son of Sundinka. The first Lord of a land without possessing any magic power (due to Volraag’s theft).

  Balaes - A blacksmith in the village of Drusa’s Crossing. Father of Careen.

  Book of the Law - A compilation of the moral and ceremonial laws of Theon, written by Akhenadom.

  Calu - The name of an ancient god of Rasna.

  Callus - A conscript in the Varioch army, twin brother to Gallus. Assigned to the curse squad.

  Careen - A young woman of Drusa’s Crossing. Daughter of Balaes. Was in a relationship with Victor prior to his departure.

  Cassian - General of Varioch’s army. Placed in charge of the war with Rasna by Volraag.

  Cataclysm, Great - The event which motivated the six people groups to follow Akhenadom. Details about it are apocryphal at best. Descriptions range from earthquakes to volcanic eruptions to extreme weather events to floods, perhaps a combination of all of these.

  Cato - A young man of Varioch who seeks out Forerunner.

  Chimon - An elderly priest at the temple in Woqan.

  Ch’olan - The northernmost of the six lands of Antises, bordered by Varioch and Mandiata. Ch’olan is known for its fierce warrior traditions and its stone monuments, especially pyramids.

  Conclave of Mages - The organization of magic-using professionals based in the Citadel of Mages on Zes Sivas. The Conclave is led by six Master Mages - one from each land - and includes numerous lesser mages of varying degrees of proficiency.

  Curasir - A scheming member of the Durunim, who can make himself appear as one of the Eldanim.

  Curse-stalker - A large reptilian creature that is drawn to magic. Since the primary sources of magic encountered by most common people are those who are cursed, this gave rise to the idea that these creatures only hunted cursed individuals. Curse-stalkers possess two long tongues that excrete some form of acid while absorbing magic energy.

  Cyra - Volraag’s concubine.

  Diabol - The devil. Rarely mentioned in the religion surrounding the worship of Theon. Mostly used in epithets.

  Djatan Desert - A large desert marking the eastern extent of Antises, primarily connected with Mandiata, but also bordering Arazu.

  Dravid - A former mage acolyte. Lost his leg during one of the earthquakes on Zes Sivas.

  Drusa’s Crossing - A village in the mountains near the border between Varioch and Ch’olan.

  Durunim - Former members of the Eldanim whose physical form has been changed through an unknown process. They now wage war against the Eldanim on behalf of mysterious masters.

  Efesun - A large town in Varioch, located on the shore of the Trebia River, near the Great Plains.

  Eldanim - A magical race of non-human beings. Eldanim exist both within the primary world and the Otherworld (or Starlit Realm). This creates a strange dichotomy for human eyes, as their physical shape within each world is different. For their part, Eldanim can see both worlds at the same time. Their physical appearance within the primary world is similar to humans, though generally taller with much sharper, angular features. One eye appears all black, with tiny pinpricks of light. Their physical appearance in the Otherworld is several feet taller.

  Eidolon - An apparition, often seen as a misty human-like form. In reality, the eidola are Eldanim or Durunim who have shifted their primary essence into the Otherworld. “Eidolon” is the name used by residents of Varioch and Rasna. In Arazu, they are called Gidim. In Ch’olan, they are called Tzitzimitl.

  Eniri - A young woman of the Eldanim who resides in Intal Eldanir. She works in the healing profession.

  Enuru - Current Lord of Arazu, husband of Lilitu.

  Edin Na Zu - A phrase of uncertain origin in Arazu. Used as an epithet. Has some connection to the Djatan Desert.

  Evander - Father of Aelia, grandfather of Marshal. King of Antises (in self-imposed exile).

  Forerunner - A mysterious man who possesses a strange magic unlike the usual magic of Antises. Sent to the land of Varioch.

  Gallus - A conscript in the Varioch army, twin brother to Callus. Assigned to the curse squad.

  Ganak - Current Master Mage of Kuktarma. Part of the Conclave of Mages on Zes Sivas.

  Gidim - see Eidolon

  Gnaeus - A conscript in the Varioch army, cursed with a twisted hand. Assigned to the curse squad.

  Great Plains - A wide, open area of land on the western side of Antises, bordering Varioch. Generally considered to be the location of Intal Eldanir.

  Hain - Master Mage of Arazu. Part of the Conclave of Mages on Zes Sivas. Mentor to Seri.

  Hanirel - A member of the Durunim, who can make himself appear as one of the Eldanim.

  Harbinger - A mysterious man who possesses a strange magic unlike the usual magic of Antises. Sent to the land of Mandiata. It is probable that others like him or Forerunner were sent to each of the six lands.

  Hauk - A boatman who works for the mages on Zes Sivas.

  Harunir - A member of the Eldanim, resident of Intal Eldanir. Husband of Indala, father of Eniri.

  Holcan - An order of female warriors in Ch’olan, trained from an early age in multiple fighting techniques. Usually assigned to guard and escort the Lady of Ch’olan (wife of the Lord).

  Indala - A member of the Eldanim, resident of Intal Eldanir. Wife of Harunir, mother of Eniri.

  Inkil - A news broker in Woqan. Often employed by Kishin.

  Intal Eldanir - The primary city of the Eldanim. While floating above the ground, it can be shifted from the primary world to the Otherworld (and back).

  Ixchel - A young member of the Holcan. Assigned by Lady Rajwir to serve Seri.

  Jamana - A mage acolyte of Mandiata. Serves on Zes Sivas under Master Korda.
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br />   Janaab - A name used by Evander during his wanderings in the Otherworld.

  Junia - A young woman of Varioch who seeks out Forerunner.

  Kanna - A small town in Varioch, near the border with Rasna.

  Kawal - A man of Woqan. Kishin’s second murder.

  Korda - Current Master Mage of Mandiata. Part of the Conclave of Mages on Zes Sivas. Mentor to Jamana.

  Kishin - An assassin of Ch’olan. Cursed with a form of leprosy.

  Komadi - A mage assigned to the Lord’s court in Tenjkidi, Mandiata.

  K’uh - A word for magic in Ch’olan. An ancient belief (pre-Antises) connected magic with each individual’s life force. This led to human sacrifice in some communities.

  Kuch - Blademaster of Ch’olan. Responsible for training warriors, including the Holcan.

  Kuktarma - One of the six lands of Antises, bordered by Arazu on the north, and the sea on the south. Known for its walled cities and the antics of the current Lord’s sons.

  Laws of Cursings and Bindings - A set of magical laws put in place by the first Conclave of Mages. Anyone who willingly violates one of the moral laws of Theon, as described in the Book of the Law, receives a magical curse appropriate for his action. Magical Bindings are formed between family members and other close relationships. In addition, special Bindings are created when someone rescues another person from serious danger or potential death.

  Lilitu - Lady of Arazu. Wife of Lord Enuru. Sponsored Seri’s membership in the Conclave of Mages.

  Lake Litanu - A huge freshwater lake in the center of the six lands of Antises, bordered by all. The island of Zes Sivas is in its center.

  Lords’ Betrayal - An event that followed the creation of the Laws of Cursings and Bindings by the Conclave of Mages. The first six Lords of Antises twisted the Laws to attempt to exempt themselves from the curses. Instead, curses for their actions fell on their children.

  Lucia - A young woman of Varioch who seeks out Forerunner.

  Mages & Lords - A card game popular throughout Antises (with some variants) dating back to the Lords’ Betrayal. Small deck with limited cards. On a player’s turn, he flips over the top card of the deck, then decides whether to play it or put it back on the bottom of the deck. Object of the game is to collect either six Lords & King or six Mages & High Master Mage.