Chain of Illusions (Bringer and the Bane)

by Brux, Boone

  Of her own accord, she walked to the large wooden slab and climbed onto it, dangling her legs over the side.

  Siban moved to stand in front of her. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded.

  His voice dropped to a whisper. “I am here, fighting for you. Never doubt that.”

  She nodded again and turned to place her feet on the wood. Siban rubbed her hand and stepped aside when Jade once again approached. Perhaps it was her possible impending death or being with Siban that had abated some of the darkness from her soul, but Rell wished that no animosity existed between her, Jade, and Willa. But the words wouldn’t come. She needn’t have worried. Once again Jade took the lead in making things right.

  “I love you.” There was no waver in her sister’s declaration. “Mother and I will be here for you during and after the healing—no matter what happens.”

  “I love you, too.” Rell reached for her hand and squeezed. “Thank you for everything.”

  Willa moved forward with hesitant steps. Rell hadn’t spoken to her mother since she’d been captured; the anger and shame of keeping Willa’s existence a secret from Jade had fed the darkness. There were so many lies and misconceptions between them, but now, as Rell faced her uncertain future, all her hostility slipped away. Though she couldn’t bring herself to ask for her mother’s touch, a comfort she desired more than she would admit to even herself, she did need to make recompense of some kind. She looked at Willa. “I’m sorry.”

  Without hesitation, her mother swooped in and wrapped Rell in a warm hug. “Just get through this so we can be a family again.”

  The embrace stirred the sensation of memories long forgotten. Love. Safety. Home. Rell wrapped her free arm around Willa in a tentative hug. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of her mother. She smelled like the cooking fire, fresh air, and the herbs that permeated the healing room.

  Rell let her arm slide back to her side when her mother released her. Instead of stepping back, the woman cupped Rell’s cheeks in her hands and looked at her. The blue eyes she remembered from when she was a child searched her face as if taking in every detail. “You are beautiful.”

  A foreign sensation tingled along her nose and burned behind her eyes. Rell blinked away the irritation and looked at Jade, unsure how to respond to her mother’s compliment.

  Jade’s brow furrowed and she reached to tilt Rell’s chin toward her. “Your eyes are green.”

  Three of the Bringer women moved forward and poked their heads between Jade and Willa, peering at Rell as if she was a puzzle they were trying to figure out.

  “Extraordinary,” said the older of the three.

  The one named Ravyn grinned at Rell. “I think Siban has been a very good influence on you.”

  She gave Ravyn a hint of a smile. “This we agree on, Bringer.”

  “If you’re ready, Rell, I think we should get started.” The king gripped the arm of the first Bringer who had spoken and gently pulled her away.

  Her sister and mother released her and stepped back from the table, their expressions strained impressions of hopefulness. Ravyn took her place in the circle of Bringers.

  One small woman remained, smiling at Rell. She resembled Ravyn and the woman Gregory had pulled away, but was lighter in coloring. “My name is Meran. I am a Redeemer, which means I will help you through your transformation. If you lie back on the table, we can prepare you.”

  The darkness inside Rell screamed not to submit to the Bringers. As if sensing her battle, Siban moved forward to stand directly opposite Meran and lay his hand against Rell’s back. “It’s all right. I’m going to help you through this, and I’ll be here when it’s over.”

  Warmth spread along her skin, easing the tension and the impulse to resist the Bringers’ help. She held his gaze, drinking in the strength of his words and presence. Shifting her position, Rell reclined to lay flat on the table and settled into the curved opening between her wings. They cradled her, cushioning her head where they crisscrossed at their tips.

  “We will need to restrain you,” said the Redeemer.

  The urge to fight the Bringers reared up inside Rell again. Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl, and she bared her fangs in warning.

  “It’s for your own well-being and the safety of those performing the healing. We don’t know what to expect.” Perhaps to strengthen the truth in her words, Meran gently laid her hand on her wrist. “Will you allow this?”

  A tingle of heat trickled across the skin where the woman touched, soothing Rell’s alarm like a comforting balm. Letting her snarl slipped away, she inhaled and breathed out her resistance to the request of being bound. “Siban may bind me.”

  The healer looked at him and he gave a single nod. Before stepping away, Meran reached under the table and brought up three, thick leather straps, one at Rell’s chest, one at her hips, and the last at her ankle. Siban mimicked her, producing the same straps on the opposite side of the slab, where he stood.

  As he secured the first set of straps across her chest, Rell’s anxiety resurfaced. Though she could still move her arms from the elbow down, the tight binding immobilized her upper arms and chest.

  A wave of terror gripped her mind when Siban tugged on the second set of straps, drawing her hips and forearms firmly against the table. She kept her breathing steady and stared at the dark rafters of the ceiling. The wind buffeted the front door, pounding it in a steady beat—matching her heart.

  Slowly turning her head, she looked at her mother. Willa’s clutched hands were fisted against her lips, her eyes trained on her daughter. She lowered her hands and mouthed, “I love you.”

  The straps pulled tight around Rell’s ankles, but she didn’t look away from the woman, so desperately needing the reassurance only her mother could give. Everything would be all right. It had to be. For the first time since being turned into a demon, Rell truly wanted to live.

  Half the Bringers moved forward to form an arc around the left side of the table on which Esmeralda’s body lay and the other half did the same to Rell’s right, creating a complete circle around the two tables. They joined hands. The deep voice of the Bringer King began a low, melodic chant. Rell’s eyes slid shut, and she focused on the beautiful words, trying to relax. The unknown was sometimes the hardest to endure, but soon the healing would be over.

  The smooth alto voice of the Bringer standing at Rell’s head joined the king’s chant, harmonizing. Tremors rippled along Rell’s muscles and her body gave a single jerk. One at a time each Bringer joined the chant, their voices traveling around the circle and merging until Rell was surrounded by the song.

  Tightness formed in her chest and squeezed, the sensation quickly crossing from discomfort to pain. Rell’s eyelids popped open and she gasped. Air trickled in and out of her with each labored breath she attempted. It felt as if a giant snake slithered through her organs and vessels inside her body. Rell struggled to keep control and not cry out when the blackness glided up her neck and behind her eyes, attempting to steal her sight.

  The oppressive presence sifted through her mind, taunting Rell for her foolish belief that the Bringers would be her salvation. She tried to block out the mocking darkness but could feel her will weakening. A whimper slipped between her tightly pressed lips.

  The sizzle of burning herbs hissed to the right of her head and the scent of sage enveloped her. Wind hammered the door against the wood frame, its howl filtering through the cracks with a mournful wail.

  Still the Bringers continued, relentless with the healing song that caused the Bane presence to roil inside her. The shadowy manifestation filled her head, attempting to block out the words of salvation from her mind. The chant grew muffled and the words that she was desperately trying to hold onto faded to an indistinguishable drone. With nothing for Rell to focus on, the loneliness her sister had battled so hard to keep at bay slipped forward. The darkness inside Rell slithered around the part of her soul that was still good—the part that
still wanted a human life—and tightened.

  A chill invaded her body. Driving so deep it felt as if it was buried in her bones. She shivered. A wave of hopelessness swamped her. A cry pushed from Rell’s lips. She was unable to control the anguish coursing through her. She would not make it through the transition from demon to human. Nothing could possibly win against the all-encompassing bleakness.

  Her body shook violently, as if wanting to levitate from the wooden platform she lay on. Helpless to aid those who called to her, centuries of souls bound by the same darkness tried to lay claim to her eternal soul. Tormented screams erupted in Rell’s mind. The cries of dark souls screeching to be set free shoved Rell toward the brink of insanity.

  Just when she thought all was lost, warmth registered against Rell’s thighs and shoulders. Like grasping for a branch while being swept along a cold, raging river, she focused on the spreading heat, drawing strength from its power. Feminine voices broke past the screams and the dark barrier, reaching for her soul. One voice rose above the rest—Ravyn. With a chant ancient and powerful, she burned a trail through the blackness, lighting a way for the others.

  In Rell’s mind, a spiral of fire ignited the Demon Bane’s hold on her and blazed a path down the coiling snake that imprisoned her. The beast writhed and squeezed tighter, unwilling to release Rell’s soul. The table on which she lay began to shake, beating violently against the ground. Though strapped to the table, her body trembled against the force of each punishing strike. A new presence attacked the dense blackness and pelted it with white light. The snake screamed. Its rage lashed out like a barbed whip.

  A third figure appeared, walking through the turmoil to where Rell’s soul lay helplessly restrained within the coils of her black prison. Golden threads spiraled from the third Bringer. Each thread wove its way between the coils of the snake and wrapped around Rell. Warmth and loved filled her.

  The Bringer’s glowing touch cleared the doubt and chaos from Rell’s mind. She directed her soul toward the light and latched on. The black snake yanked, turning the battle between dark and light into a tug-of-war. Again the two other Bringers attacked, pummeling the snake with fire and white light. Its hold loosened. The golden tendrils heaved one final time and dragged Rell’s soul from the Bane body.

  Silence enveloped her. The sound of the wind beating at the door and the chanting was no more. Rell floated toward the ceiling and hovered above her demon form, which now lay lifeless. Three golden ropes wound around her thighs and neck. The lines connected Rell’s soul to the three Bringer women standing below her.

  Now free of the demon, the darkness’s hold vanished. A sensation of freedom overtook her. There was no more pain, no sadness, no regret. She wanted to stay like this forever.

  The three women skirted the large table, where Rell had laid in her demon form, and moved toward her human body. She glided with them until she hovered above her small human form. The urge to yank free from the golden ropes seized Rell. There would be discomfort and weakness once she was human again. Only Siban’s hopeful face weakened her resistance. The freedom her battle-weary soul was experiencing would have to wait until it was her time to pass through the Veil. This was not the day.

  With a different chant, the women slowly lowered her soul until it hovered mere inches above Esmeralda. Six more Bringers stepped forward and laid their hands on the motionless flesh of her human body. A new heaviness moved along Rell’s soul, pressing her down—down—down.

  Blackness encompassed her. The chant from a single Bringer woman filled her ears. Rell didn’t understand the words, but they welcomed her. Though bereft of her soul’s lost freedom, the chant ignited hope inside her. Had she made it?

  The singing dimmed and finally stopped. A firm hand pressed against her forehead.

  “Rell?” Whether from the woman’s voice or the touch during their battle to free her soul, she recognized the Bringer who had possessed the golden tendrils that saved her. “Can you hear me?”

  Her eyelids felt like iron weights, and it took all of Rell’s effort to open them. She blinked several times trying to bring the room into focus. Three sets of pale blue eyes stared down at her with concern.

  Then Siban was there, crowding in to bend over her and clutch her hand. “Are you all right? Can you hear me?”

  She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Her throat felt dry and raspy, her breathing labored. The smallest action took a great amount of effort. Tremors rippled through her body as her sluggish blood started pumping more quickly through her veins. She wiggled her toes, which sent a cold push of blood up and into her heart, causing her to shudder and convulse again.

  King Gregory moved to Rell’s side, gazed upon her for a few seconds, and then nodded to somebody beyond her vision. Her mother and sister stepped forward.

  “This will be over in a few seconds.” Jade lifted the thin fabric of the chemise Rell wore to just below her breasts. “You’ll be much stronger after Gregory brings you to full power.”

  Unable to speak, Rell watched the man raise a dagger. Her heart beat faster. If not for Jade’s words of assurance, Rell would have believed Gregory was about to kill her, and the weakness of her body would have prevented her from stopping him.

  “In death there is life.” He made a sign in the air above Rell’s body with the knife. “In sacrifice, return.”

  More voices joined the chant. Again the hiss of herbs and their scent wafted around her. The three women who had returned her soul to her body laid their hands along different parts of Rell’s legs and torso. Warmth flooded her.

  “All barriers destroyed and evil be spurned.” Gregory pressed the cold blade against the bare skin next to her heart. “No hindrance remain, from our blood be renewed.” Without warning, he made a shallow cut. The pain stung along her upper rib but was nothing compared to what she’d already been through. “That which was taken, settle in those who Bring true.”

  Like a torch touched to dry timber, her body exploded as if on fire. Heat raced through every vessel, filling it with strength and burning away the cold chill of death. Rell gasped and arched away from the table but firm hands held her down. Siban’s low whispers helped keep her rooted in the present when her body and mind threatened to shatter into a thousand fiery sparks.

  The sensation of choking pulled at her throat. She gasped, her eyes growing wide as panic gripped her. A white vapor spilled from her mouth and hovered above her face briefly before descending to cover her. A searing sting burned just below her bottom lip and the cloud evaporated, leaving her alert, but not completely free of pain.

  Willa’s hand smoothed back her hair. Rell exhaled heavily and let her body relax against the table. Her throat still burned from thirteen years of inactivity.

  “Water.” The word rasped from her.

  Within seconds, a goblet of water appeared before her. Willa and Siban helped her to a sitting position and Jade held the edge of the goblet to her lips. The cool liquid soothed her burning throat. Rell coughed when her reflex to swallow threatened to rebel. Another sip—each cell of her body absorbing the first trace of drink in more than a decade.

  She brought a shaking hand to her mouth and wiped. “Thank you.”

  Nobody spoke, all eyes trained on her as if expecting her to do something—anything.

  The woman named Meran approached. “How do you feel?”

  Her emotions were too chaotic and contradictory. Happy that she’d made it through the healing. Grateful for a chance to live her human life again. Yet bereft over losing the nearly indestructible demon body that had protected her soul. Rell sighed. “Human again.”

  Every person in the room seemed to relax, the tension melting into joyous chatter. What she said was true. She did feel human. Her muscles quivered with weakness and Rell couldn’t help but lament the loss of the strength her demon form had possessed. The skin she wore felt awkward and foreign. It was smooth and soft, so unlike the taut, thick hide of the Bane. Though her hair
cascaded down her back, there was no burden of the small, weighty horns. But the thing she tried hardest not to miss was her wings. Now earthbound, she would no longer know the freedom of flight.

  She looked at Meran. “I felt you during the struggle. You helped me.”

  The young woman’s smile held a hint of the ethereal, as if she knew more than most and was among them for a higher purpose. Rell recognized Meran’s strength. She’d experienced it firsthand. Never would she underestimate this petite Bringer.

  “I’m a Redeemer. It’s my duty to save souls—sometimes from the brink of the Abyss.” She indicated Ravyn and the other Bringer woman. “My sisters Ravyn and Juna were there too. We are the Trilation. Three to battle the darkness.” She shrugged. “You were our first successful attempt.”

  “I’m very happy you succeeded.” Rell glanced at the other sisters. “I owe you my life.”

  “You owe us nothing,” Gregory said. “It is us who owe you. This is a great day for the Bringers. We would not have known if the conversion would be successful without your cooperation. You were strong as a Bane and will be even stronger as a Bringer.”

  She had been a strong Bane, but not nearly the strongest. His praise left a hollow feeling in the pit of her stomach. The line of Bringers blocked her view of the other table. “What happened to my demon form?”

  The quick glances exchanged between some of the Bringers were not lost on her.

  “Come.” Siban held out his hand. “We will say good-bye to her together.”

  She hesitated only a second before accepting his hand. With an arm around her waist, he helped her stand. The Bringers parted to reveal the table on which she’d lain at the beginning of her healing. Her steps shuffled forward until she stood at the edge of the wooden slab.

  As if created by a master sculpture, her demon form appeared to be only sleeping. No longer the pearlescent green, the skin had turned gray. When Rell reached out to touch a talon, the claw crumbled to ash. She jerked away. Like a row of children’s blocks that had been lined up and then pushed over, the ripple moved along the demon body.