The Sword that Binds (Book of Worlds 1)

by Taran, David

  As Sarena’s hopes started to rise, the pendant on her neck suddenly began to heat up. At the same time she felt Tyrus pull himself free from his sheathe while crying out. Her mind grew frantic, she had dropped her guard at one of the most critical moments. The lack of interest from the Primal next to her had made her feel as if they were already safe for a moment, and it had chosen just then to act.

  Tyrus didn’t bother trying to block the attack that had been sent her way. He instead threw himself at Sarena, using the flat of the blade to knock her aside. She fell from Uckey’s back right as a massive claw slashed through where she had been just a moment before. Even with the speed Tyrus reacted, she wasn’t able to completely avoid the swing and felt an intense pain in her left arm directly above the elbow as she fell. There was a loud clashing sound of metal on rock, following by the sound of something shattering.

  Another sound filled Sarena’s ears after that, one that only she could hear. A rushing sound overwhelmed her, the world began to spin. Even the pain in her arm disappeared as she felt something enter her. Everything slowed down to a stop around her. She could vaguely tell that the claw from the Primal was still mid-swing, stopped directly in the center of her arm. Once the world returned to normal it would continue, severing the limb. But in the frozen world around her there was nothing she could do to stop it. It didn’t even seem important compared to everything else that was happening.

  Tyrus had pushed her out of the way, and then tried to slow the swing using himself. But instead of just being tossed away like expected, the monstrous claw had shattered the blade that housed him. Sarena could feel the core that made up his existence instantly rush into her through the bond, heading straight to the center of her body and consuming the core she had taken from him and nurtured. Her body felt like it was on fire everywhere, agony coursing through her veins. She could somewhat recall the same feeling not long after leaving Garland Keep. It didn’t really matter at this point. She was already doomed. Tyrus was already beginning to take over, even though she could feel him trying to hold his power back. It was impossible of course, he didn’t even fit within the empty space at the center of her channels. His power spilled over into the channels themselves, causing them to bulge outward.

  Sarena could feel her mind fading away in that frozen world, and couldn’t help but feel the injustice of it all. She had come so far, fighting the entire way to reach this point, and in the end Uckey’s entire race was against her. What kind of people actually summon a Primal! She could feel the power pressing down on her from the huge construct, almost like it was trying to break in with Tyrus. A thin trace of power from it had stretched into her body and burrowed into the space at the center of her with Tyrus.

  When she finally felt the last vestiges of her consciousness begin to fade away, the burning feeling on her chest from the pendant of Ardreth suddenly increased. She could feel the power detach itself from the green crystal that housed the ancient soul, entering her body and heading toward the core. It surrounded Tyrus and created a barrier within her, cutting off the power from the Primal and using its power to hold trap Tyrus within. Her mind began to clear, allowing her to muddled thoughts to return with increasing clarity. In just a few moments she realized that Ardreth was using all of his power to hold Tyrus off, giving her time.

  The world suddenly lurched back into motion. Sarena screamed in agony as the Primal’s claw tore through her harm, separating it from her completely. Even though she had done her best to prepare herself for it, the pain was more than she imagined. Immediately afterward she struck the ground and rolled, gritting her teeth against the pain as she struggled to her feet.

  “I’ll distract it! Run for the door Sarena!” Uckey yelled while turning around and dashing back toward the mist.

  Sarena had no time to think, turning and running toward the door ahead of her. She tried to call on the wind, but there was no answer. Her power was gone, sealed away by Ardreth. Uckey’s bond would never be completed. For some reason she didn’t feel the debilitating weakness from having no power, but there was no time to think about that. All of her effort was placed towards reaching the door that seemed further away than ever.

  The ground shook beneath her as the Primal stood up, its incredible weight causing the stone below itself to crack. A heartbeat later a soundless roar emitted from its mouth, visibly shattering the air. Sarena stumbled to her knees at the sound, her head ringing as she felt a warm liquid drip from her ears, the pain in her arm forgotten.

  Around her the earth trembled as spikes as tall as herself jutted outward in an instant, turning the area within sight of them into a sea of sharp spikes. Even the pillars and doors had grown spikes out of their sides all the way up to the top.

  Sarena barely managed to avoid being impaled when she fell to the ground, a stone spike passing a hairbreadth away from her side. She staggered back to her feet as fast as she could and continued to run forward, her ears only able to hear a constant ringing. Within her she could feel the barrier Ardreth had made begin to weaken. Already a small hole had appeared in the barrier, letting Tyrus’ power leak out. Her body began to heal with the nourishment of both mana and life power running through it, making every step more sure than the last.

  The pain in her arm faded away along with the ringing in her ears. Even though there were two incredible powers within her, she could still draw on neither of them, which left her to run at a normal speed towards the door while dodging around the jutting stone spikes. Beneath her the ground still trembled as the Primal moved, but she couldn’t risk looking backwards to see what was happening. Her only hope was to reach the door in time. In just a few moments her hearing had returned, and loud crashes sounded behind her.

  Sarena focused every bit of her will towards the door, letting nothing else distract her as she ran forward. She almost didn’t believe it when she passed through the door frame, not even needing to open it herself. The spikes had jammed it open for her. Her mind relaxed as she entered, instantly associating the door with safety. She turned around to see what had become of the Primal, and felt her heart sink.

  The creature was standing at the edge of the mist, staring back at Sarena. Its eyes were simple black pits of stone, yet they conveyed a sense of disinterest. As if killing them was nothing but a way to pass the time. It had one of its paws raised, with a small red creature held in the middle of it. She had been hoping that Uckey had been able to escape into the mist. But she realized that was impossible. Ardreth was with her. Uckey knew he had no chance of surviving, yet he had still acted so confident.

  Uckey wasn’t moving, and the Primal seemed to have lost interest in him at that moment. It shook its paw casually, and Sarena watched in despair as Uckey was flung away.

  Directly into the mana storm.

  His body disintegrated into nothing as he touched it, silently disappearing from the world.

  The Primal was moving towards the door, its eyes never leaving Sarena. It was deceptively fast, looking as if it was moving at a leisurely walk yet still covering ground at a pace far faster than expected.

  Sarena turned and ran, disappearing into the darkness of the lost city of Stewrix.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sarena wasn’t sure how long she ran for. Her heart beat frantically as she stumbled through the dark tunnel that lead deeper into the mountain. Faintly glowing white rocks were embedded in the ground and walls, providing just enough light for her to see. It wasn’t until she felt like her chest was about to burst that she staggered to the ground. Her breath came in ragged gasps, the cloying fear still grasping at her mind. Without the calming influence of the wind she was unable to cope, and it made her realize just how much she had come to rely on the power.

  When her breathing had finally stabilized she listened for the sound of pursuit, but other than her own gasps she could hear nothing. The Primal must have been satisfied with just Uckey, she thought. Looking back the way she had come she was able to see a small halo o
f light in the distance, and she knew it was the door she had escaped through. She had to have come almost a mile, yet the tunnel was still perfectly straight. The ceiling was shrouded in darkness high overhead, and Sarena wondered for a moment just how it was able to stay supported. If Uckey was here he would surely explain while bragging about it. But he wasn’t. He never would be again.

  As much as she disliked the gnome, she never wanted him to die. He hadn’t even hesitated to sacrifice himself for her. Sarena felt her eyes water as she thought about him. Even though she hadn’t even known him for a month, the world felt a little bit less without him around.

  She was brought back from her mourning when the world around her blurred for a moment. Suddenly she was seeing double. Everything around her had begun to glow, causing the dimly lit corridor to light up.

  It was Tyrus. When she had taken her bit of core from him she had had the same experience. Even though her eyes had been closed at the time, she could never forget the way the world felt.

  Focusing inward, Sarena could feel that the hole in Ardreth’s barrier was growing slowly, and the barrier itself seemed thinner. She itched at the stub of her arm as she stood; it had finished healing while she ran, but itched unceasingly.

  There was no time to waste, she needed to find the grimoire. Ankaros had said he would solve their problems and let them both live if they just touched it. All she could do was bet on that for now.

  She settled herself into a fast jog, eating up the ground underneath her as quickly as she could. Without being able to draw on any power she was forced to move at the speed of an average human. Uckey had said it would take around an hour to reach the center of Stewrix from the entrance. The gnomes had a straight road all the way up to the Great Library, the center of their knowledge. As long as she could reach it, everything would be fine.

  The problem was, Uckey estimated an hour with him carrying them. At Sarena’s pace it would take probably three times as long. There was no mana storm or Primal to stop her now, but Ardreth was using up everything he had to contain Tyrus. She wasn’t sure he could last a few more hours. All she could do was try.

  Sarena turned her mind away from all the ways she could fail, trying to focus on what she could do to succeed. Her grandfather had taught her to do so from a young age, saying she would never accomplish anything if all she did was think of how difficult something was. The entire world seemed to want her to fail, but she refused to give in. Uckey had sacrificed himself for her. Ardreth, the will and soul of an elf she had never met from thousands of years ago, was giving his life to buy her time. And Tyrus was doing his best to hold himself back as well. All their hopes were placed on her. She couldn’t let them down.

  Several hours later, Sarena could feel her body growing stronger with every step, but in contrast the world had dimmed around her tremendously. She refused to look within anymore, unwilling to witness how far Ardreth had degraded.

  She blinked.

  The unending walls of the tunnel were gone, replaced by a massive cavern. There were buildings all around her, but she had no time to pay attention to them. She had to find the grimoire.

  The world swirled around her.

  Before her eyes were a set of double doors, every bit as impressive as the ones leading into Stewrix - except half the size. It had to be the library. She knew she was there to find something, and without any hesitation shoved the doors open. They blasted inward with a massive crash, destroyed in an instant after thousands of years. Sarena didn’t even notice.

  Inside of the library was the most impressive building Sarena had ever seen. The center of the library was open all the way to the top of the building, with bridges stretching across the open space to either wall on each level. But there was no time to admire the sight. Sarena only had eyes for one book.

  Near the center of the first floor stood a pedestal. On top of it was a book - the book. She couldn’t remember what was so important about it, but she knew it was what she was here for.

  Ignoring everything around her, Sarena took her first step forward. A popping sound resounded in her mind. Something told her that was bad, but she couldn’t understand why. As soon as the popping sound ended she could feel immense amounts of strength rushing throughout her body. The world faded away, everything was gone except the glowing outline of the world around her.

  She continued to stumble forward, struggling to walk steadily within the strange new world. Her head felt like it was about to explode, but she could feel the ache dissipating as she moved.

  Unable to think straight, Sarena focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Soon enough she was standing in front of the book, the only object in the room that she could still truly see. She reached out with her left hand and steadied herself on the pedestal.

  Wait, that’s not right. Didn’t I leave you with that big cat? She thought while staring at her arm. The feeling was fleeting though, and was forgotten as soon as she finished thinking it.

  The book, she thought. It was right in front of her, but she wasn’t sure what to do with it. After a few moments of struggle, she finally came up with an idea. It was like lightning had struck her, making her feel as if she had remembered something long forgotten.

  Of course, books are for reading. I must have been here to read this.

  Stretching her arm out, she gently pulled the leather bound book’s cover over, revealing the first page. As soon as she set her eyes on the yellowed page, everything went dark. With the world fading away around her she thought she could hear faint laughter, but her mind fell into oblivion before she could be sure.

  *****

  Tyrus awoke to the strangest sensation he had ever encountered.

  He was uncomfortable.

  In the thousands of years he had been in his dark realm, there had never been any feeling of discomfort. Within the void was a complete lack of senses aside from his ability to sense and hear the world around him. He had been neither comfortable nor uncomfortable; he had simply existed.

  Yet now there was no denying what he felt. His back hurt. A dull ache ran through him, and he couldn’t help but groan as he tried to sit up. Unconsciously he opened his eyes, and the world slammed into place around him. Everything in his mind clicked into place.

  He had a body.

  He panicked as he realized what that meant. Everything around him was blurry as tears began to fill his eyes. They were too late. His last memory was of breaking through his bindings again to knock Sarena out of the way, followed by his core flowing into her. Try as he might, he was unable to stop from spreading throughout her body. Something had been trying to hold him back, but clearly it hadn’t been enough.

  He had killed Sarena.

  Tyrus smashed his fist against the cold stone beneath him, feeling pain run up his wrist all the way to his elbow. Hot tears fell from his eyes as he sat on the ground, numb to everything around him.

  The Primal is what caused this. We would have made it if it wasn’t for that abomination! He thought.

  Wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, Tyrus rolled over and placed his hand on the ground to lever himself up. Instead of the cold, hard stone he had been expecting, his hand landed on something warm and soft. The unexpected feeling caused him to lose his balance for a moment, almost making him collapse. When he finished steadying himself his jaw dropped.

  A young woman, barely more than a girl laid on the ground beside him. Her long brown hair was tied into a braid, reaching just below her shoulders. She wore a brown tunic and leather pants, both of which were clearly travel worn, with scuffs, stains, and tears all over. The sleeve of the tunic was torn off just above her left elbow, exposing a slender arm that was several shades brighter than the rest of her.

  What drew his attention the most though, was the aura he could see overlaying her, seeming to hover just at the edge of her skin. It was so familiar. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at her. For the first time in ages he was finally able to truly see ag
ain. He considered himself blessed that his first sight was so beautiful. Granted, he had no other to compare her to, but the feeling of warmth and relief he felt when he saw her assured him that she would forever be his ideal form of beauty from that point on.

  Not that he would ever say that to her, of course.

  Pushing himself to his feet, Tyrus stood and looked around himself. He didn’t bother checking Sarena for injuries. Her aura felt perfectly fine, albeit with some strange changes, but nothing that would harm her. His perception was even stronger than it had been before, stretching so far that even he was surprised at first.

  The first thing he noticed was how empty it felt around him. Aside from Sarena and himself there wasn’t a single living creature.

  The second thing he noticed was the massive amount of power congregated directly above them. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t felt it sooner. It was impossible to miss, almost hammering down on his senses. His head was already getting a slight headache from the sensation, and without even realizing what he was doing he pulled back his perception so that it only extended to the edges of the library.

  That’s new. He thought. I’ve never been able to control the distance before. Was that because of the sword, or did Ankaros throw it in as a bonus?

  Once he was finished getting his old senses back in order, he focused on his new ones. His eyes were sparkling as he swept them around the room they were in. It was a struggle at first to associate the auras he felt with the sights he saw. He was getting dizzy while trying to focus on both the aura and the physical version, and eventually gave up. Instead he just tried to look with his eyes alone, intending to enjoy the sights of the world as he had never seem them before. As far as he could remember at least.