Blood Bond: The Anti-Matter Chronicles (The Matter Chronicles Book 3)

by P. G. Thomas

  “They will be safe?” John nodded, “I will do as you ask. I was wondering how we could participate in this.”

  John breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you. If you want, visit Mirtza. He is watching my kites. If I’m right, the magic should arrive within the week, ten days at the most. The night sky will be like nothing that you have ever seen before.”

  At the forest, Brook advised, “They both seem to be doing better. It is only my opinion only, and I cannot prove it. Mayhap I feel optimistic.”

  John nodded, “Earth Mother, I think each day you’ll see an improvement. It happened fast in the forest, so I’m hoping the same will happen here.” He looked to the sky, blocking the single blazing orb with his hand; the image that haunted his dreams was overhead. He handed a bag of electronic components to Panry, telling him that a couple of Gayne’s students would be popping out to play messenger. “I may be unable to get back here for a while, so please send daily reports, and let me know if anything changes.”

  When Ryan looked at Lauren and Logan lying on the beds motionless, his rage built, seeking a release. Once on the fast horses, they continued to travel east.

  John’s Earth Guard had prepared a tent, including servants for him at the east pass. After thanking them, he took to the stairs, finding Eric at the top, “Well, brother, what’s the good word?”

  “The river is low. It needs raising and color.”

  He looked at Eric, whose armor was white, “Is that so you can see the blood better?”

  “No. Tranquil Fury understands now. The Master Weapon Smith received odd instructions on how to craft the sword, which he followed, even though he never understood. Even Tranquil Fury didn’t understand them. I talked with Aaro last week about how Ironhouse crafted it. Father, Mother, Sister. They’ve been around for a long time and have had a chance to learn. Time was a resource Tranquil Fury didn’t have.” Eric pulled the massive sword from the humble scabbard, flicked his middle finger against the sword. It vibrated like a tuning fork, and its song was almost pure. Electricity danced across the deeply carved runes, “Tranquil Fury started off no taller than you, but thick like Fen. They took them to the forge, heated them, stretched them, quenched them so many times, and they were aware of it all. Other than Lauren, I don’t think anybody else has been tortured more. In that process and even afterwards, they taught them lessons. They taught them purity, heritage, pain, pleasure, strength, evil, and humility. Then they locked it in that room to teach them patience. Then along comes Lauren.” Eric wiped away the tears that began to form, “She taught them so much, compassion, caring, power, authority, and the rest of us as well, but I will not speak of what they learned from Alron and Gor. All that we have met and experienced; pain, joy, sorrow, and pleasure. They both learned from us, all of us. They’ve been humbled by what they have learned, and they now know their place in this strange world.” He slid the massive sword back into its home, “Will the river turn red? A very deep shade. Blood lust, I can feel it begin to boil in me, it calls to us. Will you need earplugs to block out the screams of terror? They won’t help. Even if you broke your eardrums, the vibrations of their deaths will echo in your head. There’s an army out there that I’ll both enjoy and hate destroying. However, destroy it we will, the three of us, and for the right reasons. Mother’s children didn’t start this fight, but the Royal House needs to be taught a lesson.”

  Eric walked over to the table at the command center, grabbing one of the bottles, and took a long drink. “When I met with the Earth Mother in the stables, she gave me a prophecy. In hindsight, it hasn’t been as bad as she described it, and it’s because of Lauren. If she hadn’t done all that she had, there would be a trail of thick blood that you could follow all the way back to the Bright Coast.” He took another long drink, “However, Earth Mother also called me carnage and genocide, called me a storm of death. She told me that no elf word is known for where I would be asked to go, but I knew the word, and it was Hell.” Finishing the last of the bottle, he threw it towards the gates that blocked the west. “Tomorrow, the gates of Hell will open, and I’ll deliver a vengeance that the dwarf bards will never believe. It’ll be a lesson that the Royal House will never forget.” He picked up the plain sheath, which housed his guide into Hell, “Now, we would like some time for ourselves, as there is much we still need to talk about.” Picking up another bottle, he headed down the stairs.

  Shivers ran down John’s back. Carnage and genocide. He looked at Aaro and Bor, “I could use some good news.”

  “Bring it then, you should have,” advised Aaro.

  “Earth Mother, her brother?” asked Bor.

  “There is no change. Gingaar attends them barefooted, and the Earth Mothers watch over them.”

  The war council being present walked over to John, “Good news, Chief Council,” He liked how that sounded, wondering how many more days he would hear it. “Thousands of elves have come forward to join the battle, and the dwarves also seem extremely anxious.”

  One of the war council pointed to Eric who was walking away, “Will the champion fight?”

  “I think he’s going to start the fight, but I don’t think he intends to finish it. Don’t ask me why as it’s just something I feel. At some point, you’ll look from this ledge, seeing midlander, elf, and dwarf fight for their families and freedom. Are they ready? Do they understand their orders?”

  “We met with all of the commanders last night, and we are ready.”

  “They have a million. How many defend the west?”

  “The north and south have arrived. We number over seven hundred thousand with the elves, and even more dwarf than we have expected now occupy the pass. Word from the south and north say they are sending more, but we are unsure when they will arrive.”

  “Give priority to the dwarves and elves. It’ll shorten the battle,” advised John.

  “Most of the elves have taken to the mountain range behind us. Last night, many went through the gate to take up positions on the south bank. Dwarves also went with them to provide a defense in case any Royal House tries to go looking for them. As for dwarves, they muscled their way to the front of the line. When the gates open, they will be the first on the field.”

  As the suns began to set, he called for the Ironhouse brothers, and they went to his tent. He had the cook prepare them a meal, including beer, mead, and honey wine. “Tell me your thoughts.”

  Aaro started, “Royal House on the far side over a million wait. The bridge that none could destroy has finally quit growing. Elf from mountain high and forest deep watch with bows ready. Dwarf, ready they stand as they sharpen mithril axes.”

  He looked to the Ironhouse brothers, “Has Aaro missed anything?”

  “Brother, the board is staged,” began Bor. “Day next, the suns will rise as one. Gates of dark places where none like to dwell will open. Chaos, legend, horror, all that and more, this night will be birthed.”

  John was still unable to compute a definitive outcome, “Will dwarf live to collect the wager from the elf?” No Ironhouse brother answered. He filled his glass with honey wine, “To Ironhouse, I know not what sins your family has committed, or what grievance Mother, Father, or anybody else has against you, but I want to thank you for all of the help you have given to my friends and me. I’m a better person. I’m Ironhouse.”

  Before John could drink, Fen spoke, “Brother, no sins our family has committed. Mother and Father, grievances none they have. Challenges great they saw. Needing the best, they sought the best, sought Ironhouse. Brother, dwarf we are, dwarf you are, Ironhouse all we are. Victory, it is our toast.”

  They all downed their drinks, toasting many things that night, being unsure if they would be able to celebrate after the battle. They toasted the Earth Mother, her brother, Tranquil Fury, dwarf, elf, mithril, and more. At one point, they even toasted celebrating. However, but they never toasted the sunrise.

  *******

  Alarm horns shattered the silent morning’s arri
val. John jumped out of bed, shaking the fog from his brain, and finding the stairs, he took them two at a time. At the top, at the far end of the rock ledge, John saw two of Gayne’s students where he had placed the bag of components in a small crevice the night before. They remained huddled in the back corner, hoping to avoid getting in the way of anybody or anything, especially death. Seeing the suns rise as one, he watched the fresh light kiss the gate. Then he saw Eric with Ryan.

  “Are you freaking crazy?” asked Ryan.

  “No, we thought it through. It’s the right thing to do, and you’re the only one that can do it.”

  Ryan tried to protest, “Think of Korg, and what they did to Lauren. The shield of innocents. They came here to fight, and they won’t listen.”

  “I know you’re right, but still the offer has to be extended.”

  “Fine, but you owe me one.” Ryan grabbed the reins of the horse behind him. Taking to the saddle, he rode towards the Royal House army. [Threat present. Status: Outnumbered. Mission. Peace. Offense options. Not required. Defense options. Armor. Select. Implement.] Ryan rode across the huge bridge, stopping a quarter mile in front of the massive army, and sixty black-clad soldiers rode out to greet him, halting twenty feet in front.

  One rode forward, “Do you come to surrender?”

  “No. My friend in white,” Ryan turned and pointed to Eric, who had crossed the bridge, “I deliver his message. You invaded these lands, killing thousands of innocents. The lie of the plague has been exposed, and behind that wall, the west stands ready to defend itself. However, at that bridge, stands one, the one who would like you to surrender.”

  The one that rode forward, who Ryan presumed was an officer, began to laugh. “Would like us to surrender? You are mad with plague son. You are outnumbered, and your silly wall of trees, before the night is over, we will be using them for our fires. Tell your friends who cower behind trees to throw down their weapons, open the gates, come forward, AND BEG FOR OUR MERCY!”

  “I don’t think you understand. That one man, he has killed two of your armies already. I mean entire armies, like 200,000. He killed the army and fort that used to protect the pass. You don’t want to make him upset because he’ll destroy you.”

  The officer spit on the ground, “They are lies just like the plague. One man cannot defeat an army. You tell stories, hoping to scare us, but you will not fool us with your lies, especially with such exaggerated ones. Will you ride back, telling them to surrender?”

  “No, that isn’t going to happen, but if I could ask one question. Why did you invade these peaceful lands?”

  “We conquer you because you are weak, being unworthy of living on such great lands. The Royal House commands us to claim these lands, but we have no use for those who occupy them.”

  “I will take your refusal of surrender back to my friend. He will not be pleased, but the sword he carries, that’s a different story, a very different and painful story.” Looking up at the sky, dark angry clouds rolled towards the army at an exaggerated speed.

  When the officer raised his hand, the ranks that followed him separated, exposing soldiers with bows aimed at Ryan, “Let me save you the trip.”

  [Threat level increased. Transportation endangered. Extend armor.]

  Dropping his hand, arrows flew, but they bounced off of Ryan and the horse.

  “Give my regards to Father.” Then he turned the stone horse. At the bridge, he stopped and looked at Eric. “I don’t think they took your offer seriously.”

  “I knew they would reject it, but I couldn’t just walk out and slaughter them. I had to give them a chance to surrender. It was the honorable thing to do.”

  Ryan started to pull the arrows from his clothes, “Well, they’re without honor. I thought that Lauren wanted the west to fight for their freedom. Is she going to be upset with you when she wakes?”

  “The west, they’ll have the chance to defend themselves, but I think Father wants a fair fight. Right now, they outnumber us. When more is less, the west will have their chance. They also have to pay for what they did to Lauren. Tranquil Fury doesn’t agree with that, but they also know I’m the Champion. If I demand retribution for her pain, they both agree, pain beyond Lauren’s suffering the Royal House will receive. Father wants me to deliver a message to the Royal House: battle is Hell. They fought with lies, deceit, and trickery. War may be Hell, but it should be an honest Hell. In truth, they cheated to get this far and need to be taught a lesson. They need to understand what they’ve brought to these lands, and the price they need to pay for their treachery.”

  “Well, I can’t disagree, but where’s Tranquil Fury?”

  “We worked out our differences, and we are a team now. It took us a while to understand each other, and why we are all here.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “The people here didn’t start this fight, and we’ll not finish it.” When Eric looked up, he saw the Royal House starting to advance. “In this game, we’re just a referee, and right now, they have too many men on the field. I need to send the extras off the field, permanently. Your horse? How long will the magic stay in him?”

  “As long as you need it, buddy. Would you like to borrow him?”

  “Yes, it’ll make the trip back faster.”

  After Ryan had dismounted, he headed to the bridge.

  Eric stopped him, “Did you know John liked heavy metal?”

  “Like from the periodic table?”

  “No, heavy metal music; Black Sabbath, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest.”

  Ryan gave his head a shake, “John, John Ironhouse, your brother?”

  “Yeah, he’s never going to let me live that one down.”

  “Round glasses, science addict, little bit of a nerd?”

  “Yes.”

  “Heavy metal?” Ryan pointed to the Royal House army, “Why are we talking about this? Armor cutting off your blood flow?”

  He reached up under his plate-mail, “Let John know I borrowed this.” Eric was holding up John’s cell phone.

  “Did you ask if you could borrow it?”

  “No, did you?”

  “No. I’ll tell him.”

  Pulling off his helmet, Eric stuck the ear buds in, “If he wants it back, let him know where I am.” Replacing the helmet, he took to the saddle. Tranquil Fury reached out to the mount, tasting Ryan’s magic, but even though they required no further assistance, they did like the taste of rage. The horse reared up, snorted flames, and shaking its head as the power surged into it, flames licked back, running across the animal’s thick fur. He looked down, “Brother, scare them away you will. Yes, I like it, but what happened to humility. Yes, I guess for a few days we can forget that. There were a few subjects I had trouble learning in school. It was the other lessons that you learned that were the important ones.” Raising his sword, lightning bolt after lightning bolt struck it, illuminating the dark battlefield. The stallion reared on two legs, roaring in anger and breathing lightning. He laughed, “I’m glad that you waited until they rejected the surrender proposal. I can already smell their fear.” The stallion snorted flames in agreement. “Tranquil Fury, we’ve crossed the gates into Hell, and evil crawls upon the land waiting for us to welcome it. Its intent is impure, and this day, we fight as one.” After the fiery stallion had lowered itself onto the ground, it started prancing forward to meet the advancing army. With fire burning in its eyes, rage burnt in its heart.

  *******

  Aaro started handing out raincoats, “Father comes.”

  When Ryan crested the top of the stairs, he looked out to the bridge. “Well, that’s new,” and turned to John. “Eric wanted to offer them a chance to surrender, but they didn’t accept. I guess if he had done that first, they might have had a different answer. Oh, and Eric borrowed your cell phone.”

  “What?”

  “He borrowed your cell phone. You like heavy metal music?”

  “What’s wrong with heavy metal?”

  Ry
an held up his hands like he was going to surrender, “Nothing, I always thought you would be more into The Carpenters or Neil Diamond,”

  Zack, standing at the back, set down his bottle. “Don’t you go dissin the Diamond now.”

  Then all eyes looked towards the battlefield when deafening thunder ripped across the heavens. Traveling its length, when the skies opened up, cold rain fell to the ground. When Eric pointed his sword at the advancing army, hundreds of bolts of lightning discharged from it, seeking the front ranks of the black-clad, which toppled like dominos. Then Father’s rage joined in. A thousand bolts of lightning rained down from the angry sky: rained death.

  “Father, please meet your stepson. His name is Eric, Champion of the people.”

  Eric looked up, “It’s nice to be finally introduced to you. Your children speak highly of you like they should. If you would like to start at the far end, it’ll be much faster.” He looked down at the sword, “Some mood music?” Reaching inside the plate armor, he pushed play on the cell phone, and turning up the volume, he heard Thunderstruck by AC/DC explode into the ear buds. “Good choice,” and the angry sky answered with thunder.

  From the rock ledge, all watched as Hell erupted in front of their eyes. Lightning ripped into the battlefield, exploding from the sword and raining down from the sky. Hundreds of black-clad soldiers died in a matter of seconds, then thousands, but they kept advancing. Eric, Tranquil Fury, and the Hell Steed filled their goblet called blood lust, drained it, wanting more.

  John looked to one of his Earth Guards, “Go to town, and bring me two black-clad prisoners.” Babartin walked over to one of the magic students, who opened a portal, and he stepped through it.

  Eric advanced closer to the black-clad army, unleashing his prophecy. As the destroyer of armies walked the lands, the rains washed the red liquid into the river, turning it red. An unstoppable force breathed in the fresh death, reveling in it. If there was an afterlife in this world, it was filling fast. As he devastated the Royal House army, he advanced. Seeing the siege weapons and wagons with their fiery cargo of death, he called out, “Sister, your Voice lies silent. Join he would, but he cannot. Do you feel rage, rage for Earth Mother? Mother seeks peace. Father seeks war. What do you seek?” He leveled his sword at one of the wagons, letting loose a lightning bolt that smashed into it. The burning oil exploded onto the Royal House soldiers who surrounded it, screaming in agony. When the oxygen rich air condensed, a firestorm blew through the ranks of the Royal House. “Your anger burns hot, as does the Royal House.” Then he spotted another dozen wagons, exploding each in succession. A dozen firestorms raced through the Royal House army, “Yes, maybe now they will see the light of surrender, but the offer has expired.” Pointing the massive sword to the siege weapons, lightning smashed into them, breaking them into pieces.