Heirs of Eternity (Euphoria Duology Book 1)

by Franc Ingram

  “What would you like?” he asked, coming in close to be heard over the din of voices around them. Oleana caught the piney scent of his cologne.

  “Something strong, yet not overpriced,” Oleana said. The bartender nodded as if in the one sentence, he knew exactly what she wanted. “And make it a double.” She played with one of her locks as she waited, temporarily distracted by the difference in texture between her hair and the colored thread woven around it. The rhythm of the train around her, lulling her into a fragile state of calm.

  What the bartender brought back was a short glass half-filled with an amber brown liquid, and a single ice cube. She paid her check, which as requested, was very reasonable. Oleana lifted her drink to her face and took a deep breath in.

  The astringent alcohol smell hit first, but under that she could detect a woody scent, with a slightly sweet caramel after-aroma. It was the sign of a well-aged liquor. At the first sip, when the strong, yet well-flavored liquid, burned its way down her throat, Oleana knew she’d found a good drink.

  She also knew a lecture from Lorn was headed her way. She would drink her fill and go back smelling like it, and she didn’t care. When the stranglehold of worry and fear released its grip on her brain just a fraction, enough to let a coherent thought pass through unmolested, Oleana knew it was worth it.

  The train they were on took a route that hugged the coast line, before making a sharp turn in land to reach Central City. It was comfortable, popular, and the easiest way to get to the capitol pf Arismas, affording passengers with beautiful views and plenty of amenities. Oleana didn’t need easy. She needed fast and private.

  There were some rail lines that travelled further inland. They made direct routes between cities. It wouldn’t be a pretty trip and they would have to transfer again, but Oleana much preferred the time they’d save. She downed the rest of her drink, repeated the process twice more, making sure to fill her flask before she was done. Then she hit the food line. She always felt better with alcohol in her belly, and a plan on her mind.

  100101

  The train pulled into the first major stop on its route. It was a port town, just outside the capital of Arismas. All the major shipping for the realm came through the ports there and like any other such places it was known for its diversity, and the trouble that came with it.

  Leith had heard the tales of the place from people in the pubs, people that spent their lives hauling materials back and forth, collecting stories along the way. He’d never been out of Solon himself, rarely even been near the far edges of the great wall.

  Now he was passing his great adventure by on a train, with barely enough windows to tell if it was day or night outside. Every time he reached to open it further, Oleana looked like she was going to have a fit, or throw up. Her last trip away, she came back smelling of alcohol but since the boy didn’t bring it up, Leith wasn’t going to either. It wasn’t his place to judge others. The boy did look disappointed, which made being in that tiny space together very uncomfortable. Leith hadn’t signed up for family drama.

  “Mom,” come on, the boy said bouncing on his seat. “We’re miles away from Solon. This train will be stuck here for an hour at least. What’s the harm in us spending a little time off this metal box and getting some fresh air?”

  “Lorn come on, I’m not in the mood to go traipsing around some crowded port town just to get some fresh air. We have all the supplies we need here. We just have to ride it out until it’s time to switch trains. Be patient.” Oleana rubbed her temples and shut her eyes, but the boy didn’t take the hint.

  “You don’t have to go.’ Lorn cajoled her. “Stay here, and rest up. I won’t go far, and I can defend myself if I need to. I just need to stretch my legs. This cabin wasn’t meant to hold the three of us all squashed together like this,” Lorn paced quickly back and forth in the tiny space, until he’d worked himself up, looking like an angry, caged lion. “Mom, please I need to get out. Just want to get off this train for a few minutes.”

  “If you think I’m going to let you go out there alone you must have lost your mind boy. It's too dangerous. No matter how far we go we are always in danger. Enemies everywhere and the fact that you don’t get that means you can’t be trusted to stay alert. No way.”

  “Leith can come with me. He’s just as paranoid as you.”

  “I don’t know him.”

  “You’ve known him for longer than these bodies have been alive.”

  “But I don’t know him.”

  “He’s my brother. We’re four of a kind, us Heirs. If you can’t trust him, you can’t trust anybody.”

  “Think that’s her point,” Leith said. “She don’t trust nobody.” He mindlessly twirled his dagger. He tried to stay out of it, but he wanted out as much as Lorn. And while he didn’t need her permission to leave, he didn’t want either one of them mad at him if he did. “But it might be best for us all if we work off the crazies now, before we do the long haul. The road to Caledon is a long one to be on edge in this tiny room.”

  Oleana stared at him through narrowed eyes. It was similar to the look she set on him at the bar but this one held a little more malice and a little less bravado, just a weariness that gave Leith hope that he might win this one. Or she could decide to try and beat him into submission with one of her sai.

  “Twenty minutes. Then I come looking for you. If I have to come looking for you,” Oleana’s eyes bored a hole right through Leith’s forehead, “you will wish you’d stayed back in Solon and faced Cornelius.”

  “Mom, come on. Now you’re just being dramatic for effect. You needn’t worry anyway, we’ll be back on time.”

  “Remember, keep your heads down. Move swift. Be safe. Love you Lorn.”

  Leith nodded. He had no doubt Oleana was serious about putting a hurt on him if anything happened to Lorn. He also had no doubt he’d bring back Lorn safe and on time, if he had to carry the boy back kicking and screaming.

  100101

  The train station had some foot traffic, but once they got beyond that, the city wasn’t crowded as Oleana had warned. There were several beggars on the streets, and rangers pacing the streets with eyes searching for danger. From the stories Leith heard, the city, even on the outskirts, should have been a lively place. The air of fear and poverty crept into Solon a couple years ago with the constant yeti attacks and the uncertainty of what Cornelius was going to do next. Leith didn’t think it would have come this far, but he recognized the stench of decay, and it scared him.

  Lorn seemed to catch onto it too because he shied away from the beggars, his face knotted by worry. “Have you never come across beggars before,” Leith asked, “the life of a kingling so greatly privileged?”

  “I’m not,” Lorn stuttered. “I’m not put off by them, they just bring up bad memories. I used to be one of them. Mom found me on the streets begging for money with a few older boys. It's not a period of my life that I remember well, but occasionally things like that will drudge it all up.”

  Leith looked at the kid. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to… I didn’t know,” he finished awkwardly. “Guess we got some in common.”

  “Is that how you became a thief? Part of the guild?”

  “Didn’t your mom teach it's rude to ask such questions?” Leith snapped, avoiding the boy’s inquisitive gaze.

  “So is it?”

  “I thought we here to explore. If you wanted to talk coulda stayed on the train.”

  Lorn pulled ahead a dozen steps and turned around, walking backwards. “I can explore and talk at the same time, or is that too complicated a task for a lowly thief like you?”

  Leith held up his hand in warning. “Two things, boy. First, I ain’t no lowly nothing. Second, my story is simple. Parents poor. Did odd jobs. I had to work when was seven,” Leith shrugged, his gaze focused on his feet. “Ran wit other street kids, and found thieving an hour brought more than working twelve. Instincts was good, but practice made me better.” Leith hesitated. He didn’t kn
ow why he was telling the boy everything, but it was better than being hounded with a thousand more questions.

  “And?” Lorn said.

  “Parents didn’t agree, so choose guild. Guild didn’t work either. Too many rules. We banged out a deal.” Leith froze, fixing Lorn with a dark stare. “Then you guys came in, ruined everything. The end.”

  “You make it sound so...so…,”

  “Plain. Cause it is. My life not fancy, daring, whatever nonsense in your head. Thieving a job like any other, just outside the law. I worked every day. Planning, scouting, training, working.”

  “Can you show me?”

  Leith nearly tripped over an uneven patch of the street. “How I’m ‘posed to do that? Your mom would kill me.”

  “Why would you tell on yourself?”

  “Wouldn’t.”

  “Then we don’t have a problem. So, you going to show me or what?”

  “I don’t know I could.” Leith looked around. Nothing stood out to him as target. He needed something easy enough that wouldn’t pose a risk if the rookie messed things up, but required enough skill to give the boy a good idea of what his work was like. Then he heard a wagon rolling by. The side said, Geoff’s Fresh Produce. “Might have a plan.”

  Lorn bounced on the balls of his feet. “Yes. Yes. Yes!”

  “We gona rob a wagon. I be the distraction, you grab the goods. Up for it?”

  “That sounds crazy and awesome, rob a wagon,” Lorn chuckled with glee. “Goodness.”

  “Sssssh boy, don’t tell the world.”

  “Sorry. So, what’s the plan?”

  Leith’s instincts told him it was a bad idea, but the boy’s enthusiasm was infectious. As they followed the wagon, making its slow way down the dirt hill road, he told the boy in as simple terms as he could put it. Then he made Lorn repeat it back and Leith pointed out what dangers to look out for.

  There was a patch of road that opened up with nothing but grassy fields on both sides. No businesses or houses nearby. Leith knew that was the perfect spot to set up the ambush. It had been a long time since he’d worked with a partner. The dynamic felt like an old glove. It fit, just a little stiff. The job was simple, one he could have pulled off by himself half-sleep, or better yet, half-drunk. The kid had enthusiasm for days, and the rangers seemed more focused on the train station than anything else, so Leith didn’t count them as much of a threat.

  Leith left Lorn to trail behind the cart while he darted off into the field. He knew from several bad experiences that the best distraction was one that didn’t scream distraction. It was something that just took people's attention, without them even noticing. One good look at the driver, and Lorn knew exactly what to do.

  A young woman, strawberry blonde hair down half her back following in the breeze, held the reigns of the two-ox cart. The metal shod hooves of the bald beasts of burden kicked dirt up with every step, and the young woman wiped frantically at her face as often as the reigns would allow. Her eyes darted back and forth over the terrain, even though she must have traveled that route hundreds of times. She knew what was out there waiting for her. She was just hoping to spot something new to break up the monotony.

  Leith was more than happy to provide that for her. He ran into a field of lilies that dotted the road side. Like a madman, he started ripping them out of the earth with a frenzy that spoke of mental disturbance. “Where is it? I know I left it here. Where is it? You give it up! Give it up! By the Twelve, I rip up every last square inch of earth to find what mine!” he yelled. Bent over as he was, he spared a glance between his legs to see if it was working.

  The girl slowed her cart, staring at him sidelong in little spurts as if she didn’t want to be caught looking his way. Leith didn’t care, he just needed to give Lorn enough time to hop on the back of the wagon, grab a couple of things, and hop off. No fancy tricks, no high-flying acrobatics. Just down and dirty, the way Leith did it as a youngster.

  Leith got his nails into the dirt and started flinging it everywhere. He heard some hit the side of the cart. “Hey!” the girl yelled behind him, protesting his disregard in throwing dirt her way. He ignored her completely, needing to hide his face. and the grin, that he couldn’t force to go away. “Hey, cut that out! Are you mad?”

  Leith stood slowly and turned, dirt caked his hands and face. “Young lady,” he chided sternly, “I want what's mine, and no bit of dirt is gonna keep me from it. Now go ahead and move along, before we have problems.”

  The girl stared at him as if she didn’t know what to make of him. Was he really a threat or just some crazy that was all talk and no bite? “I don’t want any trouble mister,” she said, putting her free hand up to calm him, pity seeping through the edges of her voice. “Just asking you to keep that away from my cart and my animals. They don’t much need any more headed their way.”

  “Ain't mean to disturb. Be about yours, and I will find mine.” Leith readjusted his position so the dirt he flung went further afield, instead of into the road. “I know I put it here,” he yelled at the stubborn earth. He had to hope Lorn was finished. He couldn’t risk looking back.

  The girl snorted, “crazy,” and she kicked her cart back into motion as it rattled down the hill.

  “You’re a mess,” Lorn said coming up beside him, grinning.

  Leith abandoned his hole-making, and sat down in one of the depressions, having worked up a sweat. “How your steal go?”

  Lorn pulled out three golden apples from his pockets, tossing Leith one. “Not bad for an amateur, and two minutes advanced notice.”

  “Not bad.” Leith scrubbed his hands off on his pants and wiped the apple on his shirt before taking a bite. The juice ran down his chin, but the taste of it in his mouth wasn’t very sweet. Looks were deceiving, even with the apples.

  “That was so much fun!” Lorn said, still antsy from the adrenaline rush. “Is it always like that? I was excited and nervous.” He pointed at Leith and leaned back laughing. “I heard you screaming, and I wanted to run back, but I went in there and snatched them up real quick.”

  “Snatching apples from a girl off a cart may be fun, but won’t keep you fed,” Leith shook his head, and leaned back to explain. “The real stuff, work that pays, is dangerous. Thief watch out for rangers and city patrol as much as fellows. Lonely way to make a living. Don’t recommend it, but I was happy to share a bit with you. Now gotta get back before your mom skins us.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN: BARRICADE

  “Daycia.”

  Daycia sat upright at the sound of her name, and instantly regretted it. The middle of her body burned with the movement. The cloying tang of medicinal herbs nearly choked her, along with the lavender candles burning at her hospital bedside. The oil infuser spit out little puffs of rosemary and avendale, an antibacterial herb blend, into the air, intended to speed up the healing process and keep patients calm. The combination left the room in a light haze.

  “What it is?” she asked in a husky voice, before her eyes focused.

  “The yetis have started to line up at the gates, barricading us in.”

  Daycia laid back down. The skin on her chest pulled with every inch. Her wound, courtesy of Cornelius, started at the top of her left breast down across toward her right hip. The poison on Cornelius’s nails kept Daycia’s enhanced body from sealing the wound shut.

  Daycia passed a full day, drifting in and out of consciousness, since she was left in that field, snow covering her, burying her deeper with every moment that passed. Still the wound felt fresh, too sensitive for even the bandage around it. Daycia had never been that close to death before. During the war against the ultras, her mother had tried to split her skull open like an overripe melon. Unlike Cornelius, Emmaray showed restraint.

  Daycia spent a month healing that time. She didn’t have that luxury this time. It took all her concentration focus on what was being said, and not the pain pulsing through her head.

  “How many of ours are still out?”

&
nbsp; “The group of tundra dwellers aren’t in yet, about ten of them. The Callor, Faindair, and Lathed herds are still out on the pastures with at least ten staff each. There are supposed to be two students incoming and there is no way for us to get word to the carriage before it runs into the barricade.”

  Daycia wiped sleep from her eyes and glared up at the ceiling, willing her body to gather enough strength to let her out of bed. “We should count ourselves lucky the yetis have scared most of the tourists away from the city already.”

  “Ma’am,”

  “Paley why are you,” Daycia stopped speaking abruptly, cutting her eyes to the side. When she saw that it was Ranger Yolanda standing at her door, instead of the expected Paley, she leapt from her bed grabbing Yolanda by the collar. “What happened to Paley! Is she okay?” Daycia couldn’t remember seeing her apprentice after the battle. “And Zyair?”

  Yolanda grabbed Daycia’s arm in a defensive hold, then realization crossed her face, draining all color from her cheeks, and she let go in a hurry. “I’m so sorry.” She begged Daycia’s pardon, as she smoothed the sleeves of Daycia’s robe. “Paley’s fine,” she reassured Daycia. “She and Commander Zyair are with the rest of the rangers watching the wall.”

  Daycia let the girl go. Of course Paley was hard at work. She didn’t know how to slow down and rest. Zyair had the same tireless work ethic. The two of them would have taken on an army of yetis by themselves if they had to. With panic subsiding, the pain in Daycia’s chest blossomed anew, making her eyes water and her knees unsteady.

  “You should stay in bed,” Yolanda said in a soft but firm tone. She gripped Daycia gently along her forearms, helping her to the bed.

  “Thank you, Yolanda,” Daycia said, trying to force a smile. “Who would have thought I was one fight away from reverting to an old lady?”

  “You’re far from that,” Yolanda reassured her with a laugh. “Anyone else would have died from that attack. The mere fact that you are able to get up and walk a day after means you’re stronger than most.”