Soulbound (The Return of the Elves Book 1)

by Bethany Adams

  “Yes. If you learn with something poorly made, you’ll hardly be prepared to use something finer.” He shrugged. “Besides, it isn’t perfect. It’s rather plain and likely forged with a lower-quality peresten ore. Our artisans would never call something like that battle-worthy.”

  “And people used to call me a perfectionist,” she muttered. “Well, let’s go. Might as well get this over with.”

  She trudged behind him until he found a spot he liked. “Stand there. I’ll sit over here by Iren.”

  Kai leaned against the wall next to the boy, who turned his attention to them with a grin. This time, Arlyn was too nervous to return the smile as she took her place a few feet away. Though her bow was well secured to her back, she shifted it, then turned the blade around in her hand. After another glimpse at the hilt, she stiffened her spine. No more stalling.

  Kai studied her, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes dancing with humor. “First, I want to know what basic forms you know.”

  “Forms?”

  “Sword positions. Offensive first.”

  Trying to ignore the warriors who had stopped their own practice to stare, Arlyn went through the basic moves she had been taught. As soon as she finished, she sensed what Kai was going to ask next and shifted directly into defensive positions. Her muscles shook with the weight of the onlookers’ gazes. She’d often performed at Renaissance festivals, where most of the audience found her strange but amusing, but this was in no way the same. Her palms were sweating so much the hilt grew slick in her hand.

  But she managed to get through all the stances. Arlyn lowered her sword and stood, panting, while she waited to hear what Kai would say.

  “Your form is not bad. I don’t know why you were so worried.” He stood and started walking back toward the armory. “Stay there. I’ll be right back.”

  As she had feared, he returned in a moment carrying another sword. “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “I’m doing fine today, Arlyn. I’m almost completely recovered.” He stopped in front of her and fell into an attack position. “I want to go through the moves with you slowly. If I start to feel strain, I’ll stop.”

  Though she shook her head, Arlyn got ready to counter; she could tell there was no use arguing with him. They moved through the combat positions slowly, and when she made it through once without any major mistakes, she grew more confident. Kai picked up the pace until they were sparring at the same sort of speed she would have used in a tournament on Earth. Then he went beyond what she was used to. She scrambled to keep up, and she began to lose her form. When she failed to bring her sword up in time, forcing Kai to pull the blow, he stopped them.

  “That’s enough for now. Let’s sit.”

  She scowled over at Kai, wondering why he needed a rest. It was difficult for her to comprehend that the same elf who had been mortally wounded a couple of days ago now looked no more strained after their battle than he had before they had begun. And she was ready to drop. She plopped down beside Iren, every muscle in her body aching. It had been entirely too long since she’d trained.

  After taking a few moments to regain her breath, Arlyn turned to the boy. “What are you doing out here, Iren? Especially this early?”

  “Oh, it’s not that early,” he answered with glee. “I wanted to come see the warriors practicing. We don’t have that many at home.”

  “You don’t have people guarding your estate?”

  Iren shrugged. “Some, but it’s mostly protected by magic. I thought there would be a lot of people fighting, but before you got here, there were only those two.”

  She glanced at the soldiers he mentioned and was glad to see they had resumed their own practice. “Why aren’t there more people out here?”

  “It is just now the breakfast hour,” Kai responded. “More will come later.”

  Unable to avoid the issue any longer, she turned to him. “So how bad was I?”

  “Not too bad. You have the basics down, at least.” He grinned at her. “I will have to show you more forms, though, and work on your speed. And there are many different ways to fight. Most combat situations won’t follow those forms so cleanly, for one. But you’ll be easy to teach. Especially if you have any of Lyr’s gift.”

  “Great,” she muttered. Arlyn had been considered quite good in the human world. But as she regarded the elven warriors practicing on the other side of the field, she had to concede she’d be lucky to be considered even a beginner. “I’m not sure I’ll ever be that good.”

  “Of course, you will. When you’ve been training for a few hundred years, like those two.” He turned to wink at Iren. “So how would you like to see archery practice? We’re about to go there next.”

  The boy practically vibrated with excitement. “Sure! Will you show me how to shoot?”

  “I can try.” With a smile, he gestured to the stone building. “Go pick out a bow, a fairly small one, and meet us by the targets. They’re on the far side of the field.”

  Arlyn followed Kai to the other end of the practice grounds and over another low stone wall. The targets were set back against the trees and opposite the field they had just left, undoubtedly to prevent injuries from stray arrows. Though they could still hear the clang of swords behind them, the surrounding trees blocked them from view, making the place fairly private. As she unstrapped the bow from her back and began to string it, Arlyn looked around and relaxed to find no one nearby. At least if she made a fool of herself, only Kai and Iren would see. Well, them and the few guards likely stationed in the surrounding trees.

  Arlyn turned to the targets, but before she could draw an arrow, a strange current of energy washed over her. Similar to yesterday. Her gaze darted to the tree line, just in time to see the arrow fly. Straight toward Kai where he stood behind her. Without thought, she threw herself in front of him, pushing him back even as the pain exploded in her arm. Crying out, she fell back against Kai, so stunned by the searing agony she barely heard her bonded’s shout.

  Dazed, Arlyn could only stare as another arrow arced through the air toward them. She needed to do something. Had to do something. But her limbs wouldn’t cooperate, tangling woodenly with Kai’s as she tried to move. Helpless, she stared as though mesmerized as the arrow neared. Then, almost before her frazzled mind could process the scene, the wooden shaft burst into flames, burning with such quick intensity that the few remaining pieces plummeted awkwardly to the ground.

  And was that a fireball flying toward the tree where the archer perched? Her sluggish mind struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. The man in the tree had just lifted his bow, ready for another strike, when the flames reached him. Either unprepared or unshielded, it hit him directly, and his startled scream filled the clearing to mingle with Arlyn’s moans. As the flaming body toppled from the tree and several warriors ran from the other field, the pain became too much, and her world faded to black.

  For a few precious moments, Kai was as helpless as Arlyn. Pain seared through him so strongly that the second arrow had burst into flame before he even realized the agony might not be his own. He checked his arm and found nothing there. If he was not wounded, then what had happened? His scattered mind focused on Arlyn’s weight on top of him.

  She tossed against him, her limbs tangling with his as she tried to get up. His breath rushed out as her pain surged along the bond and her body went limp. Kai barely noticed the fireball that shot over them or the shriek filling the air. Steadying his thoughts, he shifted Arlyn to the side and sat up. On the other side of the field, a figure struggled to its feet and raced into the forest without even trying to put out the flames engulfing it.

  The two warriors from the practice field burst into the clearing, hardly sparing a glance for Kai as they darted after the assassin. He didn’t care what they did with the drec. His eyes focused on the blood flowing freely from a deep gash on Arlyn’s left upper arm. Her face was gray, her eyes closed. His heart tripped in his chest. Unless the point
had been poisoned, she should not have been so easily incapacitated by so minor a wound.

  He glanced up at the sound of ripping fabric. A pale Iren jerked a long strip of cloth from the bottom of his own tunic and held it out. Nodding his thanks, Kai tied the cloth around Arlyn’s arm to stop the blood. Even unconscious, she cried out as he tightened the bandage, and her body started to convulse. She must have been poisoned; no simple gash from an arrow would cause that kind of reaction.

  The pain coursing through the bond shattered his concentration. What was he supposed to do? As he struggled to keep his own muscles from convulsing, he tugged at the knots he had made to bind the cloth. Though they were looser, his trembling fingers and the blood saturating the fabric made the task seem impossible. Why couldn’t he untangle a few simple knots?

  As he turned to ask Iren for help, Lial burst into the clearing. The healer took in the scene without pausing, moving to crouch beside Kai. “What happened? I felt the pain through the link I’ve been using to monitor your injury and believed it was you.”

  “An arrow. Just a gash, but she collapsed almost immediately. I tried to bandage the wound, but that only made it worse.”

  “Calm down, Kai. Separate her pain from your body, or you will just send it back to her.”

  “Is that why she’s writhing like that?”

  “Doubtful.” Lial untangled the cloth from around Arlyn’s arm. The wound glowed blue with the healer’s energy for only a heartbeat before Lial jerked back. “Miaran.”

  “What is it?” Kai plopped down beside them, his face pale, and struggled to shield himself from her pain until his disorientation started to fade. “I’ve never known you to curse over a patient. Is it that bad?”

  Lial wrapped the bandage loosely around her arm before turning his focus on Kai. “I meant that literally. Iron.”

  “But—”

  “No time to argue. There is iron in that wound, and I cannot heal it until all traces are physically removed. If you can carry her, do so. If not, I will.”

  Without hesitation, Kai shot to his feet and lifted her into his arms. “Let’s go.”

  Iren ran beside them as Kai and the healer rushed back toward the estate. “Myal Kaienan, when you send someone out, have them look for more iron. Even though I incinerated the wooden shaft on the other arrow, I don’t think I hurt the arrowhead. And I bet he dropped more like them.”

  “Call me Kai.”

  “Laiala would kill me.”

  “Irenel, you have saved the life of both myself and my soulbonded. You have certainly earned the right to address me familiarly.”

  The boy jogged silently beside them, considering the etiquette of the situation. “Even she will have difficulty arguing that, I suppose.”

  Kai took the first door he came to, entering into the hallway connecting the barracks to the Great Tower. Even though the entrance to the barracks was slightly closer, he carried her to the empty bottom floor of the tower, where war councils and other important meetings were held. In the time it took Iren to push a few of the chairs aside and Kai to stretch her out on the edge of the huge, round table, her convulsions had gotten markedly worse, and her low, keening moan filled the room.

  As Kai shifted out of the way, Lial’s assistant rushed in behind them, a kit of delicate, peresten tools in his hands. The healer grabbed a pair of tweezers from the bag before the other had it fully opened and turned to unwrap the bandage from around Arlyn’s arm. Kai’s heart lurched to see the pool of blood that had already started forming beneath her. As Lial began to place the small fragments of iron he removed onto the piece of silk his assistant held out, the pool only spread.

  Kai forced the connection without hesitation. “Lyr, come to the council room. Now.”

  “What? Why?”

  “There has been another attack. Arlyn was injured, and the healer is working on her.”

  “Attack? In the council room?” Confusion was replaced by panic as soon as Lyr processed the rest of Kai’s words. “Arlyn? How bad?”

  “I don’t know. I dare not interrupt the healer to ask. But she took a cut to the arm with an iron-tipped arrow. He’s pulling out pieces now.”

  “Pieces? I’ll be right there.”

  The healer was frowning over Arlyn’s wound when Kai focused on them once more. His hands shook to see how pale and still she was, her body no longer thrashing. Worse, her soul shuddered with shock and confusion. Though unconscious, part of her was trying to process what had happened, but the amount of blood she had lost made it difficult. Did the healer know she was contemplating retreating from the chaos of her body? Kai leapt up on the table and moved to her other side to hold her right hand. And struggled to keep her soul near while Lial finished his work.

  As he took in the scene, Lyr stumbled to a halt, stunned by the blood pooling beneath his daughter and dripping from the edge of the table. Lial’s assistant was folding a red-stained piece of silk around several fragments of iron, but Lyr barely noticed the poisonous metal as his stomach lurched. Shoving down the nausea, he rushed past a startled Iren to stand by the edge of the table. When the healer frowned at his position, Lyr jumped up to sit beside Kai.

  They stared in silent apprehension as Lial stitched the wound. Throughout the process, Arlyn was still, giving no indication she felt the bite of the needle in her arm. Finally, the healer tied off the thread, passed his tools back to his assistant, and held his hands over the wound. The blue glow of healing energy flowed over her arm, then across the rest of her body. When Lial straightened and the energy faded a few moments later, some color had returned to her face. Beside him, Kai slumped in relief.

  Lial stumbled over to one of the chairs and dropped into it, his face lined with exhaustion. “I can do little for the wound itself. Because of the iron, it will mostly have to heal on its own. But I was able to place spells over her body to aid her in recovering from the blood loss. She is quite sensitive to iron, though not as bad as you, Lyr. I can’t imagine how she survived in the human world.”

  “Her powers hadn’t fully awakened. The magical effects will be much worse now that they have,” Selia announced from the doorway. At their startled looks, she smiled. “Iren called for me.”

  The boy ran to his mother, his bravery crumpling in her presence. She looked down at him in surprise when he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. “Iren? What is it?”

  “I take it he did not tell you what happened,” Kai said.

  “He said Arlyn was injured.” Selia frowned down at her son. “He has seen injuries before without reacting like this.”

  Without delay, Kai and Iren pieced together the morning’s events. Lyr’s muscles tightened with each word until he feared he’d break from it. He looked down at his daughter’s pale face and shuddered. Why hadn’t she been protected? Where were her guards? The eyes he lifted were so full of fury that Iren jumped. Lyr shoved his temper back with great effort.

  “So you see, your son saved us both. That second arrow likely would have killed me.”

  Lyr unclenched his fists and forced his lips into a smile. “You have the eternal gratitude of House Dianore, Calel Irenel.”

  The boy’s arms tightened around his mother. “But you look upset.”

  “My anger is not for you, young one.” Lyr let out a long breath. “But for the one who dared attack my daughter.”

  Selia crouched down to meet her son’s eyes. “Where in the world did you learn such a thing?”

  The boy blushed. “I watched some of the older mages practice.”

  “However you managed it, my House will not forget this deed,” Lyr announced. Then he turned back to Kai. “But I must say, several things about this do not make sense.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Lyr frowned down at Arlyn. “How did the attacker get through our wards and past our guards without being noticed? How could anyone make an arrow with a shattering iron head? And he only shot two arrows? He must have been inept to fire so few in th
at length of time. There is something inordinately strange about this entire situation.”

  Kai grimaced. “You’re right.”

  “If you don’t mind,” Arlyn whispered from beside him. “Could we figure it out while I’m lying somewhere more comfortable?”

  Lyr paced his office, his stomach churning with impotent fury, and waited for his captain to return with news. He was alone. Kai had carried Arlyn to her room to clean her up and put her to bed, Selia was comforting Iren, and Lial had gone to rest. So Lyr circled his office, unable to sit and work despite being so far behind. If crises like this kept happening, he would have to find an assistant. His life had become a maelstrom, chaotic and strange, and he did not like it.

  This latest attack was unacceptable. Not only had his magical wards been breached, but none of his guards had seen the assassin. His warriors were supposed to be some of the best-trained in Moranaia. Someone should have been scanning the area around his daughter, and he would know why they had not. Arlyn had been recognized as his heir; she should have had three guards protecting her any time she left the house.

  And if someone could slip through to attack Arlyn, then they might be able to reach the sacred tree. Eradisel had to be protected at all costs. He would have to assign more warriors to guard her. As for the wards? He would ask Selia if she could construct something stronger. It was said that many families along the Taian branch guarded their homes almost exclusively with magic.

  Lyr had circled his desk again and was pacing back toward the door when Norin entered. His captain stopped in the middle of the room, tapped his chest twice in the customary salute, and waited with head slightly bowed. Part of Lyr wanted to make him wait, but it would have been a rude and pointless gesture born of frustration. He knew it was not the captain’s fault though he did bear some responsibility as a leader. No, it was the guard who had failed to protect Arlyn whom Lyr truly wanted to punish.

  “Good morn to you, Belore Norin. How do you fare this day?” Lyr asked in the traditional manner.