Connelly disappeared just in time to avoid the embers then reappeared thrusting his dagger at Ferocious’s neck. Ferocious caught the dagger’s blade, letting it slice open his hand, turning the pain into a gout of flames. Connelly tried to pull the dagger back and attack again, but Ferocious grabbed his wrist and sent his flames coursing down Connelly’s arm.
Ferocious waved his bloody hand bringing his tiny embers rushing toward Connelly who dropped his dagger and slipped through the shadows a split second before the embers snuffed out his life. But as Connelly slipped away, Ferocious locked onto him, forcing them both to get pulled through the shadows. When they reappeared they were on the opposite side of Fort Reed standing knee-deep in one of the city’s many fountains. Connelly kicked and thrashed trying to escape the flames as they spread over his chest. Ferocious saw weakness, and clenched his wrist tighter.
Connelly clawed at his own hand trying to escape into the water, “I had to.”
Ferocious let him fall back into the water, “Arrogant bastard.”
Then he flicked a handful of embers into the fountain. Instead of fizzling out they burned hotter causing the water to boil and turn into steam. His arm still covered in flames, Connelly tried to flee as the boiling water melted the skin off his lower body. Ferocious swirled the tips of his fingers forming a loop of flaming rope around Connelly’s neck and dragged him back into the fountain. Ferocious pushed his head under water, but too much water had turned to steam to make him drown.
Connelly coughed out the water burning his lungs, “They want—”
Ferocious wrapped his hands around Connelly’s neck cutting him off.
He stared into his eyes as he squeezed the life out of him. Connelly’s eyes bulged and he sputtered out a few weak drops of saliva. Then he tried to peel the hands off his neck, but burned and melted as he was, he had no strength left. A few more moments and Rocious’s transformation would be complete. Frederick Lockland would die, and Ferocious could finally be free.
Connelly was mere moments from death when Dominick crashed into them saving his life. Ferocious tumbled out of the fountain and jumped to his feet, ready to turn the world to ashes for his revenge.
Dominick shook himself and rolled out of the fountain’s boiling water, “Control yourself, Frederick.”
“Move,” grunted Ferocious right before he launched himself at him.
Altor reacted to Dominick’s desire to save his friend and took over, slicing through an explosion and absorbing part of it then smacking Ferocious in the chest with the flat of the blade. Barely slowed, Ferocious continued his attack at blinding speed, but with Altor’s skill Dominick knocked him back again.
Ferocious screamed, “Move!” then sent a wave of flames at Dominick, but again Altor sliced threw them.
“Frederick! Come back to me,” said Dominick moving closer.
“Falcon,” said Ferocious looking Dominick in the eye.
Dominick froze and Ferocious struck with an explosion. Connelly and Dominick flew out of the fountain and rolled down the wide cobblestone street leading to Laza’s gate, the only road leading to the treacherous lands beyond.
Ferocious’s mouth twisted into a vicious snarl as he went to claim the life he was owed.
Dominick tried to get up but fell in front of Connelly, losing his grip on Altor. Altor slid across the cobblestones along with all hope of saving his only true friend.
Chapter 24
Bittersweet
Pain.
It’s such a complex emotion, with thousands upon thousands of different flavors. Some flavors are so distinctly different they hardly seem to share anything except that word: pain. While others are nearly indistinguishable, differing by only the subtlest detail. Yet every flavor in this vast continuum holds a single unified purpose.
That purpose is to teach. After living almost eleven years in a world of pain, Condor thought he had tasted every flavor, learned every lesson. And he possessed the strength to endure even the harshest of those lessons. But when the source of his strength was stabbed in the heart the unbreakable will he used to power the barrier became as frail as his atrophied body. Like a single drop of water shattering the calm of an entire ocean, a simple dagger brought the barrier crashing down.
Condor opened his mouth to speak but the words came as a whisper from his parched throat, “Lily, can you still reach him?”
Lily heard him all the same, “Yes.”
“Then do it now,” mouthed Condor as spread his arms to welcome death openly. Lily placed her hand on Condor’s face to close his eyes and sang in pure legato,
“As our worlds intertwine, let family be your guide.
Forget those behind, in time they are by your side.
Open your eyes, no longer undone.
Spirit, mind, body, blend as one.”
Lily lifted her hand off Falcon’s face, knelt by his side and spoke with a firm voice, “Open your eyes.”
Falcon blinked his eyes open, “Why?” said Falcon as he clutched his chest.
Lily touched Falcon’s mouth with the tip of her finger, “Your mentor needs you. Lazarus’s gate. Quickly.”
As Falcon sat up Lily faded into a cloud of mist and dissipated. He touched his chest through the hole in his shirt and felt a thin line of skin. He ripped open his shirt and saw a perfectly straight silver scar.
“NOW!” shouted Lily. Her voice reverberated inside his head, forcing his body to move before his mind registered the weight of her words.
Forgetting about his wound he launched himself through the city at breakneck speed. Winding through streets and around buildings with such ease, it was as if he had never left. On the way, memories of his childhood came rushing back; some of the happiest times of his life were spent running down these streets. The city was filled with memories from his previous life. Now that he had it back he swore he would never let it go again.
As he reached the center of the city he saw his family’s keep and remembered the years living there with his father. He launched himself even faster for Laza’s gate. Once again running blindly into unknown danger.
Impulsive or not, Falcon had no doubt that he made the right decision. Werval thought he needed more information to make a logical decision. But the attuned do not live in a world of logic and reason; they live in a world where the intangible is more real than reality. For the attuned emotion is tangible and thought is merely a distraction.
So Falcon turned the last corner and sped headlong at Laza’s gate ready to face the unknown. He was ready for a fight, but when he reached the gate he found nothing. No scorch marks. No screams or cracking sounds from Rocious’s explosions. There was only a faint hint of ashes on the wind. Falcon followed that acidic smell to the other side of the fountain and suddenly froze. Ferocious threw Dominick out of his way with a flaming rope and grabbed Connelly by the neck.
He could not quite place it, but something was wrong, Rocious was not the same man that had raised him. The wicked smile and the wild look of satisfaction were not the man he had grown to love. Whatever happened, hopefully he was not too late. He weaved a tiny ball of magic and threw it at them as he ran. It hit Ferocious in the side and burst sending a wave of force in every direction.
Ferocious flipped over the lip of the fountain and slid along the ground before catching himself with an explosion. Connelly went the other direction landing on top of Dominick.
Falcon jumped over the fountain, but before his feet touched the ground Ferocious blasted him back through the fountain with an explosion. Ferocious swiped his hand creating a ring of flames to cut Falcon off from the rest of them then he turned his attention back to Connelly.
Falcon shouted through the flames, “What the hell’s wrong with him?”
Dominick looked around frantically, “It’s not him, something’s consuming him.”
Falcon ran up to the flames and tried to break them apart with a wave of force but they only intensified, “We have to stop him.”
&n
bsp; Dominick moved closer to Falcon and motioned toward Altor, “Throw me the sword.”
Falcon flicked his fingers and Altor flew into his hand, “Just a second.”
“There’s no time, give me the sword,” instructed Dominick.
Falcon ignored him, sliced his thumb on the blade then swiped a line of blood down the hilt. He flipped the blade over and did the same on the other side, then tossed the blade to Dominick. Dominick caught the hilt and swung the blade into a high guard, sending an arch of flames into the air. The flames swirled in the air for a moment before crashing into the ground and coalescing into the form of a massive lion.
Dominick took a step toward Ferocious and lost his balance. As if responding to Dominick’s intent the lion pounced on Ferocious and bit into his shoulder. The lion braced his body with its front paws and flung its head back. Ferocious’s body flopped limply on the ground, but the lion was not finished. It continued to tear at his body until a jet of flames shot out of Rocious’s shoulder knocking the lion back. The jet of flames poured out of his shoulder for a moment before coalescing into the form of a winged dragon and landed just outside Laza’s gate.
Falcon started to go after the new threat but Dominick grabbed his shoulder, “Go to Frederick.”
Falcon was about to argue, but he no longer felt the thirst for power that caused him to mistrust Dominick back in Dominion. Now he felt only the love of a father willing to do anything to protect his family.
Falcon smiled slightly and nodded, “Your Majesty.”
Falcon obeyed, but when he smelled roast meat and smoke he went over to Connelly first. His body was covered in burns but as he healed his skin looked like melted wax. After checking Connelly’s breathing, Falcon took Rocious’s hand and knelt next to him. Lily appeared next to him.
“The Ferocious one no longer controls him, but they must be as one.”
“You want me to put that thing back?” asked Falcon.
“Now!” said Lily.
Falcon winced as her voice reverberated in his mind, “Okay, okay. How?”
Lily touched Falcon’s forehead bringing forth the memory of watching his people burn to death. That memory called forth his own ferocity linking him to the flaming dragon. Such a pure concentration of emotion threatened to consume him but with a slow breath he centered himself and beat it back.
Falcon scooped up Rocious’s body and carried him toward Laza’s gate. As he moved closer the emotion grew even more intense. But as the intensity grew the dragon’s strength waned. Falcon felt a glimmer of hope; with time he could chip away at the dragon’s strength and bring it under his control.
The dragon spit a cloud of flames through Laza’s gate at Dominick. Altor moved to protect Dominick giving the dragon a clear path to his new opponent; it jumped high into the air and dove straight for Falcon. Instead of maintaining control and slowly draining away the dragon’s strength, Falcon stopped fighting altogether. The same ferocity that had overwhelmed Rocious threatened to consume him as well. Falcon turned his thoughts to his people, his home and all of his loved ones for strength.
As the heat from the dragon’s breath reached him Falcon extended his hand and shouted, “He’s mine!”
It was futile. Falcon’s determination may have been a sudden intense burst, but it was nothing compared to the constant pressure of the rage the dragon had built up for decades. Falcon dropped to his knees in failure, but when the flames surrounded him they felt like a warm breeze.
“Mine,” breathed Rocious as he opened his eyes. Falcon. Rocious met his eyes for only a fraction of a second, but in that brief moment the wild monster that lived in his soul lost it’s purpose. Rocious raised his hand casually. The flames broke apart and ashes drifted to the cobblestone street harmlessly.
Falcon looked around at the ashes as they continued to fall, “Is it over?”
Before Rocious could answer, Altor let out a thunderous roar and broke apart as well. Rocious stood up and looked toward Laza’s gate. Dominick jogged over to join them.
“That’s up to him,” said Rocious.
Falcon helped Rocious up and the two of them went to sit next to the fountain in front of Laza’s gate. Dominick sheathed Altor and took a drink from the fountain before taking a seat next to them.
“Connelly?” asked Dominick.
Rocious leaned on his knees, “I’m not sure.”
“He was still breathing,” said Falcon as he turned toward back to where Connelly’s body should have been, “Shit, we have to find him.”
Rocious touched Falcon’s forearm, “It’s fine, let him go.”
Falcon jumped to his feet, “He stabbed me in the chest. I could have died.”
Rocious stood up, but it was Dominick that spoke first, “Sit down! Both of you!”
Dominick waited for them both to sit before he got up and stood over top of them with his hands neatly crossed behind his back. He stood motionless and watched them both in silence. Rocious started flicking sparks then noticed what he was doing and stopped. Falcon sat with near perfect posture and waited patiently. When Dominick noticed the faint glow coming from Falcon’s medallion he took a deep breath and let it out.
“I need to figure out how to salvage this fucked up situation and I can’t have you two blowing shit up and creating complete chaos every time there’s a problem,” on the last words he met Falcon’s eye.
“I was looking out for my people,” said Falcon.
“Noble intentions, but you are not prepared to deal with the consequences. We are at the brink of war,” Dominick turned ninety degrees and flourished his hand at the walls between Fort Reed and Laza, “And for the first time in over three-thousand years there is nothing between us and the poisoned lands of Lazarus.”
“I didn’t want—” began Falcon but Dominick stopped him with a stare.
“No, you didn’t think. And now my army is busy dealing with Eikard’s forces and likely causing the next great war. Instead of focusing on defending not only your people but the entire realm,” said Dominick.
As if on cue a primal horn blared beyond the wall. Dominick’s hand tightened on Altor’s pommel as he spun around. Rocious and Falcon jumped to their feet and the three men ran to Lazarus’s gate. In the distance several loose clusters of men moved toward each other forming a single hoard that filled the entire width of Reed Valley.
“Dammit, the city’s defenseless. We might be able to confine them with a siege,” said Dominick.
“No, this is my home,” argued Falcon.
Dominick stared out at the advancing army, “We don’t have the numbers, even with the sword.”
Rocious shoved Dominick behind him, “You and your fucking numbers. Go get the damn army and stop complaining.”
Dominick grabbed Rocious’s shoulder spinning him around, “Frederick, what are you going to do?”
Rocious smacked his hand away, “What you need us to. Blow shit up and create chaos.”
Dominick squeezed Altor tighter making his knuckles pop, “These walls better be standing when I get back.”
Rocious flashed a wolfish grin, “Then you better hurry.”
A surge of power ran up Dominick’s arm and he took off running without another word.
Rocious walked through Laza’s gate into the vibrant green grass of Reed Valley and looked down the gentle slope to the savage horde from Laza that fast approached. He took a few steps away from the wall and the grass turned from a vibrant green to a dull yellow, “You know how to drop the portcullis?” he asked.
“Yeah, but what about Dom?” asked Falcon.
“Forget about him. The gate then get over here,” said Rocious resolute.
There was no time to argue. Falcon shut the gate and jogged over to Rocious.
“Give me your hand,” instructed Rocious turning his palm up.
Falcon placed his hand on top of Rocious’s, “I don’t have much magic left.”
“Me neither,” Rocious moved his hand slightly and clasped
Falcon’s wrist.
“I can try to resonate with them when they get closer,” suggested Falcon.
“No,” said Rocious flatly “There’s barely any magic past Laza’s gate, and it will take too long to call it from farther.”
“Then why’d we leave the city?” asked Falcon.
“I have another way, but in the city…” Rocious’s voice trailed off then he shook his head, “What I’m about to show you, you will never do again.”
“Um, okay.” asked Falcon.
Rocious yanked his arm pulling Falcon off balance, “You will never do this again, say it.”
Falcon pulled his arm back, “Okay. Got it, I’ll never do it again.”
Rocious held onto his wrist, his nails starting to dig into Falcon’s flesh, “You will not speak about it, you will not ask about it, and if anyone ever mentions it, you will deny its existence.”
“Okay, I will act like it never happened. Whatever it is,” replied Falcon.
Finally Rocious loosened his grip, “It is called a sympathetic link or at least that was the term I was taught. Been a long time since I studied it.”
“I thought that was just another term for resonance,” said Falcon.
Rocious shook his head then turned toward the oncoming horde, “No, you’re thinking of an empathetic link. What we are about to do is similar, but at it’s core it is the complete opposite of resonance.”
“The same but complete opposites? You know you are a terrible teacher,” said Falcon.
Rocious yanked his wrist again and swatted at Falcon’s head. Falcon shifted his weight and blocked Rocious’s hand with a lazy roll of the wrist, “Ha.”
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