The Bearer's Burden (Phantom Pact Book 1)

by Chad Queen

  “Master,” a familiar voice sounded next to him. Jalek, the gardener from the Coda temple, stood next to him. “I will tend to her. You must help Master Dol.”

  He looked up to see his brother, still battling the large Acolyte. The Acolyte looked at Cade as he pulled up the sleeve of his tunic. Cade saw the man’s hand shimmer as it began to shift and change. He’s overencoding. The forearm transformed into a translucent, shining piece of diamond. Overencoding was permanent. The man’s hand would forever be a piece of diamond.

  Dol dove in with volley of quick strikes, but the man dodged each one. Finding an opening, the man struck Dol square in the chest with his overencoded fist, sending Dol sprawling backward. Stay down, you idiot, thought Cade. Dol struggled to get up on one knee when he grimaced and clutched his chest.

  A memory grabbed a hold of Cade. Not a Nocturne’s veil, but it was every bit as vivid. He recalled his combat training with his father and Dol. “Dol, you must strive for efficiency in your movements,” his father would say. Dol would have to take breaks during their sessions because his heart could not keep up with the effort. But he was stubborn. He refused to give up. Afterward, his father pulled Cade aside. “Cade, your brother…there will be times he will need you. Times when I cannot be there. Can you promise me you will look after him?”

  The Acolyte approached Dol and hovered over him as he raised his overencoded hand to strike. He brought his fist down, but not before Cade’s own fist connected with the man’s chest, sending him stumbling backward.

  I promise.

  Dol’s voice was hoarse, but Cade could hear it through the raucous din of the crowd’s blood lust. “I don’t need your help.”

  Cade said nothing and continued to face the robed man. The Acolyte’s eyes showed mild surprise, but for some odd reason, he was smiling.

  An official for the Taction entered the arena to end the match by disqualification, but the Acolyte backhanded him, crushing his jaw. The official collapsed to the floor like a rag doll. The frenzied crowd cheered.

  The Acolyte lunged at Cade, much faster than Cade would have anticipated given the man’s large size. Cade tried to dodge but still took a hard hit to his shoulder. By then Dol had stood up and kicked the Acolyte in the back with an encoded leg.

  The Acolyte didn’t even budge. He had rooted himself and hardened his entire body. Cade and Dol exchanged a quick glance, unsure of what the Acolyte was doing. They paced around the man, searching for an opening.

  Cade heard the familiar cracking sound as the Acolyte’s other hand overencoded.

  The Acolyte spun around and threw a hook full force into Dol’s chest. Dol crumpled to the ground. Cade roared and threw himself at the man. The man was grinning, his eyes wild with glee. No matter what attack Cade threw at him, the man was faster and stronger.

  Cade was astonished when he noticed the man’s forearms had changed back to normal. Cade was convinced his eyes were playing a trick on him. Overencoding was permanent.

  More officials rushed into the arena. Cade caught a glimpse of Dol and saw that blood had pooled around his mouth. Get out. Cade cursed under his breath. The voice in his head was right. Whoever this man was, Cade was no match for him; they had to leave. Cade ducked behind one of the officials and scooped up Dol. He dodged through the crowd, which ignored them, distracted by the new melee that had taken center stage.

  On the edge of Stardome, Cade laid Dol down upon the ground. “Dol?” he said, searching for a reaction.

  He noticed Dol’s chest rising and falling fast. Too fast. The breaths were short and labored. He took Dol’s right arm, the one adorned with an aged iron bracer. The bracer had accumulated a greenish patina over the years, but you could still see the intricate filigree etched upon its surface. Cade rested the right hand upon Dol’s chest. “Deep breaths, Ironheart. Deep breaths.”

  He could see the color of the iron seep into Dol’s skin as Dol encoded to it. His breathing began to slow and settle. Dol opened his eyes and focused on Cade. “Hey…I got him right where I want him,” he managed to say with some effort. “Just…point me in the right direction, will you?”

  Cade faked a smile. “Yeah, you really did a number on him. It’s a sure thing.”

  Dol smiled back. “I’m pretty sure you would have never done anything stupid like this. That’s why Dad wanted you to become the Grandmaster and not me. ‘Dol, you’re too impulsive.’”

  Dol coughed as he tried to laugh and instead winced in pain. Blood had already soaked through his uniform. Not good. Cade was amazed he could even speak.

  “It’s okay, I never really wanted the job anyway. Too many meetings…here, it’s your turn now.”

  Dol took Cade’s hand and placed a necklace in it. It was threaded by a simple ring. The ring of the Traveler, it was called. It was a symbol of the Coda Grandmaster, passed from one Grandmaster to the next. Cade closed one hand around the necklace and held tight to his brother’s hand.

  Dol smiled one last time and closed his eyes.

  8

  Requiem

  Not all phantoms stay behind, clinging to the Firmere. The call to return to the Transcent, where all things are born, is tremendous. Do not take Pacts lightly, for a phantom’s denial of ascension exacts a great toll.

  —Excerpt from The Book of the Traveler

  The familiar seed of despair grew like a weed within him, and blood pounded in his ears. A failed husband. A failed father. And now a failed brother. “Protector of the Realm.” A joke that continued to haunt him. Cade watched as they lowered Dol’s body into the ground. They chose to bury him in the gardens of the temple, just as the sun had begun to set. It was a beautiful service, but Cade didn’t notice. Such a massive crowd had come to pay their respects, you would have thought they were burying royalty. The truth was Dol had touched the lives of so many in this disadvantaged community. In an attempt to keep the dying art of Coda alive, and in turn give communities like this a chance to grow and learn, Dol had given his life.

  Cade could not take any more. He turned and brushed past the hushed crowd and into the temple, to the room where his brother had stayed. It was simply appointed with a dresser and bed. The room was clean, and the bed was made. Dol was never much for material possessions. His only true possession was his silver flute, a gift from their mother.

  He took off the black formal uniform Jalek had provided him. He felt like an impostor in the robes meant for a grandmaster. He folded the traditional clothes and walked to the dresser in the corner of the room. As he placed the uniform in the drawer, a scrap of paper caught his eye. It was in a worn envelope that was still sealed and addressed to Cade. A postman had written upon it, “Returned to sender.” The postmark indicated it had been sent over a year ago. Cade took a breath and broke the envelope’s seal.

  Cade, I wish I could understand why you insist on joining this war. What could men do against an alien force that has the power to level an entire city? Using the phantoms you bear in a war that they have nothing to do with goes against everything we have been taught. What you are doing could destroy everything we’ve built. I hope you will understand and return from this futile quest. Father is getting worse. I don’t know how much longer he will be with us. At least return for his sake. You are his successor, and it means everything to him for you to take his place.

  Dol

  Cade sighed and put the letter back in the drawer. He sat on the bed and buried his face in his hands. A knock sounded at the door.

  “Cade? May I come in?” It was Ashlyn’s voice. Cade did not respond. The door cracked open and Ashlyn stepped inside. “I…I saw you leave and I thought… Of course, I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone.” She turned around and grabbed the door handle.

  “Was it worth it?” Cade said, looking at the floor.

  Ashlyn turned. “I’m sorry?”

  “The war. Was it worth it?”

  Ashlyn shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “The Wraiths l
eveled Wythlain without even trying to talk to us. We weren’t anything to them. But our hubris…our gift to Pact led us to declare war on them. Was using that power worth what it bought us? We lost so many. My brother is dead. And now the Coda Order is on the brink of collapse.”

  Ashlyn was quiet for a moment before speaking. “I don’t know. But the war allowed us to sign the Accord.”

  Cade scoffed. “And what has the Accord bought us that we didn’t have before the Wraiths came? Free energy to power some railbuses? We’ve become slaves to that power, and we’re not any closer to understanding the Wraiths and what they are after. What has our dear king been doing?”

  Ashlyn winced. “My father…he meets with the Wraiths on occasion, but I do not know of what they speak. He is not a good man, to that I can attest. But he has this intensity…this fierce belief that he is doing what is best for the people of Chalice.”

  “What is best. I wish I knew what that was.”

  Ashlyn sat on the bed next to him and put her arm around him. “Your brother…this is not your fault.”

  “Whose fault is it? The Acolytes? There is something…unnatural about them. I can’t help but think they are another piece in the game the Wraiths are playing.”

  She continued to hold him, saying nothing.

  Cade sighed, frustrated. He met her eyes. She had kind green eyes, just like Sera. His gaze lingered for a moment, and he stood up. “I need to be alone.”

  She nodded, stood up, and left the room. He was disgusted with himself. His wife had only been gone a year.

  Cade walked over to the translucent outer wall of the room and placed his hand on the structure of the Ancients. “Why did you leave us here to fend for ourselves? What did you leave behind that brought the Wraiths to our door?” He encoded tungsten and punched the wall, eliciting a loud clang. “Bastards. Even with all your technology, you ran, too. And now we are trapped here with your mistake. And soon we will be gone, too.”

  He grabbed his head as the voices in his head began to rise, faster and louder than normal. He felt his heart rate increase. Stay calm, he told himself. The occasional hallucination was much better than the alternative. Cade started his ritual with the questions. What is my name? “Cade Elegy.” Baseline is good, he thought. Where was I born? “Gallance,” he said aloud. He checked the tattoo under his forearm. It matched. What color are my eyes? “Blue,” he stated. He checked the tattoo once more. “Dammit,” he cursed. I need Nocturne. He hated his constant reliance on Nocturne, but a dose of it was the only thing keeping him from madness, like he had seen with Karessa. He had been able to buy more from Seek, at least enough to keep him going for a bit longer. He reached into the dresser and pulled out a black leather belt from the top drawer. He threaded his hands through it and pulled it taut with his teeth until the catch slid into place. He grabbed a vial and swallowed the pungent and viscous liquid within. He eyed the other vial he had bought. “And soon…we will be gone, too.” He bit off the stopper and swallowed just as the first dose hit him. His muscles began to seize with the Nocturne onslaught. The seizure was stronger than any he had experienced before, his muscles straining and locking so tight that his screams could not escape him.

  This is it, he thought. I’m going home.

  Forever my song will play.

  And with you my heart will stay.

  Cade woke to find himself at home, in his bed. He smelled the familiar hint of lavender perfume on the pillow next to him. He looked over to the other side of the bed, but his wife was not there. As he sat up, he heard the faint clinking of dishes coming from the kitchen. Serafina must be letting him sleep in, since he planned to take some time off after his tour of duty. He had considered trying to patch things up with his brother, but he knew the wounds there were still too raw. His brother was a good man, but he was also the only person he knew who was more stubborn than himself.

  Cade pulled on a shirt and stretched, reaching high into the air. It felt good to be home. No, it felt wonderful to be home. He had replayed the moment he would return over and over again in his mind. It was what spurred him on, kept him sane during his mission. Every soldier needed to have something to look forward to, something to cling to that was greater than themselves. He did not fight out of a sense of duty to his country. He fought to protect. Protecting his family was his greatest responsibility and was what drove him through the final assault on Gigan’s Hill.

  He smiled. “Protector of the Realm,” they called him. Truthfully, he didn’t feel he deserved the title; he wasn’t sure what had transpired to end the war. It was a detail no one else seemed concerned with, but it continued to haunt him. To everyone else, the events that had unfolded by his hand were the catalyst for peace; that was all that mattered.

  Cade pushed those thoughts away. He was home, and he could hear oil popping on a hot pan as the smell of breakfast wafted through the room. He made his way to the kitchen and saw Serafina dancing around the kitchen with his son Etan while eggs and bacon cooled next to the wood stove. Etan was a quick study, and you wouldn’t have imagined a boy so young could dance like he’d been doing it for decades. Jessa, his youngest, ran around with Cade’s battalion flag wrapped around her like a cape, exclaiming she was “Protectress of the Realm.”

  The sight brought tears to his eyes. It was exactly how he had imagined it would be when he needed a thought to hold on to. He hung in the doorway, not wanting the moment to end. Maybe if he held his breath and didn’t move, it would do just that.

  His wife glanced over and saw him. “It’s about time you woke up. Getting Jessa to leave you alone is no small feat, you know. She’s been asking about you all morning.”

  She looked at him again when he didn’t respond and noticed the tears that had welled up in his eyes. “Sweetheart, what’s the matter? Are you okay?”

  Cade shook his head. “It’s nothing. Let’s eat.”

  Serafina leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m afraid my cooking has not improved while you were away. It’s a bit hard to master the culinary arts while trying to watch after these wild beasts.”

  She was being modest, of course. Her cooking was fantastic. She always excelled at whatever she did. Not because of innate talent but because she always worked so hard at everything she tried. In many ways, Serafina was stronger than Cade. She could always be counted on for advice, she would always take on more work to get something done, and she always found time to spend with the children, no matter how hectic things got. Cade liked to think that he was an independent person, but the fact was he relied on her far more than he wanted to admit.

  He sat down at the table, and Etan, having finished his dance, bowed to Serafina and joined Cade at the table. Jessa had come in, and seeing Cade, she hopped up on his lap to eat, rather than taking her own seat at the table. Serafina laughed. He had missed that laugh so much.

  Serafina sat down at the table, but to Cade’s horror, the room began to dissolve. Every part of the room turned into tiny points of light that began to swirl and take off at great speed until everything was gone.

  In what felt like an instant, all that remained was the table, the chair Cade was sitting in, and another chair opposite Cade. The floor had become nothingness, lined with opposing white lines in an odd grid-like pattern.

  Opposite him in the chair sat a man who resembled Cade looking back at him.

  The man spoke. “Hello, Cade.”

  It was the voice that he had been hearing. It sounded a bit like Cade’s own voice, if a bit distorted.

  “What happened to my family? Where did they go?” Cade was having trouble thinking clearly. It felt like his mind was a ship casting about, searching for harbor.

  “Your mind has constructed a false reality, the world as you want it to be. You need to wake up.”

  Cade shook his head. “No. I know who I am. It’s you that needs to go.”

  A grave expression descended upon the doppelgänger’s face. “Your family is gone. They were taken
by the Wraiths. But you can stop them.”

  Cade believed the man was telling the truth, but he did not want to accept it.

  “What’s wrong with living in this reality? I have my family here. I don’t care much for a world without them.”

  “Have you forgotten your Promise?”

  In the blink of an eye, a flurry of tiny dots flew around Cade, painting a picture in all three dimensions. He recognized his surroundings. It was Grinolt Pass, near the city where he had grown up. It was the middle of spring, and the forest leading up to the path was so dense that only narrow scraps of light could to filter through. He knew where he was and when he was.

  “Bearer, are you sure this path is safe?” A young woman’s voice.

  Cade turned to her. “No, I’m not sure.”

  “What does my husband say?” she asked.

  Cade bit his cheek. “It…it doesn’t work quite like that.” It was his first Pact. Her husband had passed away the week before in a tragic hunting accident. “But I said I would get you there. It’s what he would have wanted, right?”

  The woman nodded, tears welling in her eyes as she continued to follow him.

  As they began their ascent through the path, the sun had begun to set, casting a long shadow over the pass.

  “Well, what do we have here?” a deep voice bellowed from above. A large, bearded man, armed with a long rifle, came into view. More men began to appear through the trees; Cade counted twenty. He guided the young mother behind him.

  “Your purses,” the gruff man said.

  Cade nodded to the woman, who pulled out her purse and handed it to him. Cade took his own coin pouch and threw both on the ground.

  “Smart man. And…lady?” The man jumped in front of Cade, who took a step back, arm still barring the woman. “Now, now, traveler. I just wish to see this maiden’s face.”

  Cade hesitated then stepped aside as he made note of the formation of the bandits. Steady, he thought. Remember your training.