Successor

  He crosses his arms over his barrel chest. “Had the Laraek grasped what I have been striving for all this time, blood would not have been shed. It is their burden to bear and will continue to be until the proper end is met.”

  I stare at him, unnerved. He isn’t going to stop, not until he gets what he wants—what he deems, in his warped mind, as right.

  “The only end you’ll bring will be destruction, not just here, but everywhere. How can you justify that?”

  “Destruction…” The word is careful, like he’s testing the weight of each syllable. He glances sideways at Lasula. “Secrets do indeed plague the Laraek.” His gaze rolls toward me, a look that strikes me as boredom. “Save your faith for those who would place theirs in you.”

  With a frown I look to Kais and the others around me. Unease snakes through me at the subtle change in their faces, how they shift on their feet.

  Just how much have they kept from me?

  My gaze returns to Taustin, my throat working around a convulsive swallow. “Then what is the truth?”

  “You are aware there are six Nexus Keys residing in these lands.”

  I nod.

  “Yours is not the final piece I seek.”

  My stomach twists. “I was told you already have the other keys.”

  Deep shadows cast over his eyes as he angles his head. “On this plane.”

  “On…this plane?” My thoughts race as question after question enters my mind, each a potential piece of the puzzle I’m trying to put together. I don’t know which ones will fit, but I need to find out.

  “How—?” I shift my feet, trying not to let the knowing gleam in Taustin’s eyes unsettle me further. “How many are there?”

  “Why should I tell you?”

  I suck in a frustrated breath. “Seeing as the Laraek have been less than honest with me, the truth may work in your favor—especially if you want the key from me.”

  “I will obtain it regardless.”

  My chin lifts a fraction. “Consider it a way to expedite the exchange.”

  He assesses me, seeming to contemplate his options. “Six planes—six keys per plane.”

  My jaw falls. I look to Kais for confirmation, who speaks without taking his eyes off Taustin.

  “It is mere rumor without any basis—”

  “Foreign elementals have been encountered on other planes,” Taustin cuts in, his impatience indicating he’s heard this argument before. “The elders refuse to accept the truth as fact. Sianne herself confirmed its validity.”

  “She had been affected by the traveler’s sickness,” Kais replies, his words heated. “She later admitted to having hallucinations while on that plane. Any claims she made about other elementals could not be verified.”

  “The Laraek elders are fully aware of additional encounters on other planes—”

  “According to rumor that has not been verified—”

  “And their refusal to acknowledge the truth is further evidence of their incompetence of not allowing the clan to prosper.” Taustin shakes his head. “After all this time, old friend, you are still a fool for bolstering their delusions and cowardice.”

  I cut in with a lifted hand as Kais starts to respond. “Let’s say, for argument’s sake, you’re right. What reason is there to gather all the keys?”

  “I assume you know of their purpose, at least.”

  “To open the Focal Passage.” My brows pull together. “But that could make the planes merge into one another, causing a mass collapse.”

  A shadow of a smirk touches the corner of his mouth. “The elders have an aptitude for half-truths.”

  My jaw clenches. “And getting the rest from you is like pulling teeth. Just tell me.”

  The smirk disappears. “Mind your place, Bonder. I am not one to tolerate insolence.”

  My grip on my staff falters. Anger is better than fear, but it blinds me to caution. If I push too hard, Taustin’s anger could eclipse mine, and that’s the last thing I need when he still has Leila.

  With a breath to steady my nerves, I ask with forced calm, “What do they do?”

  Seeming to be satisfied with my tone, Taustin replies, “They allow access to the passage, that much is true. However, it is limited.”

  “Limited how?”

  “It will open only as far as the nearest plane containing another series of keys. Once those keys are obtained, they will open the passage to the next set.”

  Relief should be filling me in learning the universe won’t implode on itself. At least, not in the way I’ve been led to believe. Instead, a roiling fills my stomach, like snakes slithering back and forth through muddy water.

  Those keys are separate for a reason, and yet he wants to bring them together. Nothing good could come from what he’s proposing.

  “What about the traveler’s sickness?” I ask, gesturing to Leila, who hangs between Lasula and Ryka. “How do you expect to withstand its effects?”

  Taustin appears unfazed by the thought. “The collective energies of the Nexus Keys create a protective barrier to whoever possesses them. The more keys one possesses, the stronger the barrier becomes.”

  My gaze lowers to his arms over his chest. There’s more marred skin than whole, scars on top of scars, crisscrossing at severe angles. He wears them almost like a badge of honor, not moving as my gaze takes in the damage. The look on my face must be one of horrified fascination.

  This is a man who fights for what he believes in, whether it means cutting down anyone who opposes him or risking a dimensional collapse. He’ll do whatever it takes to reach his objective, no matter the cost.

  So what is he really fighting for?

  I steel myself, not wanting to hear the answer to what I need to ask. “What happens when you have all of them?”

  “They will open the gateway to the source.”

  “The source?” Iciness pools in my stomach at his determined expression, and the connection snaps into place. I gape at him. “You want to access the Origin.”

  Taustin lifts a brow as he watches me, saying nothing.

  I turn to Kais, my lips parting in question. Reluctance fills his eyes as he returns my stare, his mouth set in a grim line. After searching his face, my frustration comes out in a huff. My tongue hurts when I bite it, tamping down the words forming in my throat.

  “How is that possible?” My attention returns to Taustin. “That plane can’t be accessed. The Link prevents it.”

  His mouth twitches. “I am bound to no Link.”

  During my attempts to prepare for the redirection, Maemon told me about the Link and the Origin to help me gain a better understanding of them. The Origin provides each bonder with a Link when her assimilation happens. It activates the inborn ability she’ll develop to help defend her clan—and guard the Nexus Key, as I’ve learned—but it also acts as a safeguard against any travels to the Origin’s plane.

  If one were to possess all the Nexus Keys without a Link providing that safeguard, what barrier would there be to stop that person from traveling to the Origin itself?

  As far as I know? None.

  If Taustin’s able to reach the Origin, what does he plan to do when he gets there? My mind turns the facts over, trying to fit them together.

  The Origin is the source of a Link’s energy, of an elemental’s energy. It’s the source of an elemental’s power—all of the elementals.

  My stomach drops. “You think you’ll force the Origin to grant you elemental abilities.”

  A faint glimmer in his eyes tells me I’m right. The corner of his mouth twitches the tiniest bit. “Not just me.”

  “Who else?”

  He eyes me with a twist and tilt of his head. “All.”

  “All.” I frown. “As in everyone?”

  “Any who exist on the same plane as an elemental will be endowed.”

  “But…why?”

  He lowers his head a little, staring me down from below his brow. “You believe I am the reigning threat t
o these people, but you fail to realize I am not the enemy. Understand, Bonder, far worse threats are out there, and not on this plane alone. Others have traveled here before, and they will do so again. The people of this plane must be prepared to take on those enemies when they return.”

  I gape at him. “If what you’re planning to do is remotely possible, you can’t instill that kind of power on that many people.”

  “They will be stronger for it.”

  “They’ll destroy each other!” I yell as my frustration and anger take over. “The elementals can’t come in contact without putting lives in danger. If you give that kind of power to that many people, who don’t know how to control it, you won’t have to worry about foreign enemies—there will be no one left!”

  His expression turns arrogant. “You truly are Sianne’s daughter. Like her, you cannot accept the necessity of such an end.”

  “The means you’ve used against these people will never justify that end.”

  His lip curls in a look of disdain. “It seems you will be a fool in rejecting it, just as Sianne was.”

  The hairs on the back of my neck and arms bristle. “Was she a fool for rejecting your plan, or for rejecting you?”

  His mocking expression flips to impatience. “Surrender the Nexus Key.”

  My stomach flutters, my heart pounding. I square my shoulders. “I’m not giving you anything until you release Leila.”

  His eyes glint in the firelight. “You have no power here, Bonder. You are in no position to make demands, and if you continue to do so, your friend will be returned to you in pieces until I get what I want.”

  Don’t let him intimidate you! My jaw starts to ache from tension. “I’m not giving you the key until I have my friend back.”

  He glares at me and uncrosses his arms, his hand dropping to a knife at his hip. Pulling it from its holster, he steps behind Leila and grabs her hair, yanking her head back.

  “No—” Panic clenches my stomach. I lunge forward, but hands grip my arms like vices. “Leave her alone!”

  Leila’s eyes roll back behind their slit lids, her mouth slack in her bare consciousness. She doesn’t respond as the sadistic bastard pulls on her hair.

  Long seconds pass before Taustin steps around Lasula and flings his arm toward me and the others, tossing the remains of Leila’s blonde locks at us.

  Bile comes up my throat. Leila’s head lolls forward, the jagged ends of her butchered hair falling around her face.

  “Consider that your only warning, Bonder. I guarantee the next piece will not be painless.”

  My teeth grind, my head shaking in slow, tight movements. “You lose your leverage over me if you kill her.”

  “Killing is not necessary to make myself clear.” Tossing the knife from hand to hand, he turns to Lasula and gives a nod.

  She pulls Leila’s arm over her head and holds it forward. Taustin grasps Leila’s hand, lifting it as he pulls back his knife.

  No, no, no! “Stop!” I shriek, yanking at the hands restraining me.

  To my immense relief, Taustin hesitates with his arm still in the air, glaring at me.

  “Please, just stop. I’ll give you the key. You’ll get what you want. Just don’t hurt her.”

  Taustin lowers his knife, flinging Leila’s arm away like it’s a piece of trash. He takes a step forward and holds out his hand, his eyes boring into mine.

  The hands on my arms fall away, and with a shaky breath I reach into my bag and pull out the fake key.

  A gray-blue stone slab a little smaller than my palm, it reveals an iridescence of blue and copper when the light hits it just right. Smooth on one side and rough on the other, its unique appearance caught my eye when I first spotted the bowl in my mother’s hollow. When I formed the plan to trick Taustin, the stone was the first thing I thought of. It’s an ordinary object, but different enough to pass as special. I hope it’ll be enough to convince him now.

  An outlander crosses the divide between the groups to collect the key. Déjà vu hits me, my mouth going dry when the man stops before me.

  It’s the same outlander who almost killed me with an axe in this very clearing. I almost fell into a staked pit because of him.

  What I wouldn’t give to punch him.

  In fact—

  “Take this for a second.” I hold the stone out to Kais.

  His brows draw together, but he takes it without question.

  Clenching my jaw and tightening my grip on my staff, I take a step forward and bring the end of it up between the outlander’s legs. Hard.

  The man’s eyes almost pop out of his head as something between a yelp and a strained grunt erupts from his throat. He drops to his knees, grabbing himself on the way down.

  Startled gasps and shouts sound around me, dying as soon as they rise. Satisfaction flares through my chest. Taustin glares at me, his outlanders ready to rush the Laraek.

  “Maybe next time he won’t miss,” I say.

  Taustin’s mouth twists in distaste, but he says nothing.

  I hold my hand out to Kais for the stone as the outlander staggers to his feet. With squared shoulders and my chin lifted, I drop the stone into his shaking hand. He shuffles a turn and gimps across the divide, placing the piece in Taustin’s upturned palm.

  Anger gives way as nervous waves roll through me, my heart racing. I press my lips together to keep from chanting my internal pleas out loud.

  Taustin turns the stone over in his hand as he examines it with an unreadable expression. Without warning, he starts to chuckle.

  Kais and I share an uncertain glance. Is this a laugh of triumph?

  I look back to Taustin and find him eyeing me.

  No…

  He’s calling my bluff.

  He gives me a patronizing look, shaking his head. “You take me for a fool, Bonder.” He tosses the stone into the tall grass. “The elders’ weakness has grown if they have entrusted the clan’s safety to you.”

  My mind races. I have two options now. I can either continue to bluff and convince him the stone is the real key, or I can up the ante for him. But how?

  I blink a few times, trying to appear calm. “I never asked for any of this.” I tilt my head. “What makes you so certain that’s not the Nexus Key?”

  His lip twitches, and he sniffs in annoyance. “Because I would indeed be a fool if I had forgotten a gift I gave Sianne long ago.”

  Bafflement has me staring at him. Gift?

  Glancing at Kais and the others around me, I find they look just as confused.

  “Why would she possibly accept a gift from you?”

  He turns the knife over between his hands. “Do not assume you are familiar with events from before your time. There are secrets the Laraek themselves do not know.”

  What is he suggesting? That he and my mother were on good terms at some point—that they were friends…or possibly more?

  It isn’t possible. It can’t be. Unless…

  My stomach twists and I’m nauseous.

  Taustin used to be a defense commander, and Sianne had been an elemental—like Ren and me.

  If the people choose to reject an echo, then that is their right, Kirahl had said. There is always a choice.

  It seems my mother’s choice did not sit well with Taustin. Still, it’s hard to imagine, let alone accept.

  “She would never…” I grimace, swallowing at the bitter taste at the back of my throat.

  “Your beliefs do not matter, and they do not change the fact I know that is not the Nexus Key. I will ask this only once, so I advise you do not mistake me for a fool again.” He holds the knife toward Leila, the tip mere inches from her neck. “Where is it?”

  The Laraek were right. He isn’t one for mercy.

  “I don’t know.” The shakiness in my voice exposes my panic. “Sianne died when I was born. She didn’t leave anything to me. If she had the key with her when she left here, then it’s still on my home plane. I don’t have access to it.”


  Taustin tilts his head, looking almost thoughtful. “A failed elemental with no connection to the Nexus Key she is meant to guard.” He scoffs, his eyes tightening at the corners. “You shame Sianne’s legacy with your inadequacy.”

  Tears threaten to spill down my cheeks. He sees right through me, exposing what I believe for all to see. My mother had been powerful, capable. People had relied on her, and she’d come through when they needed her. She sacrificed her life here, not just for her own people, but for countless others to protect them from Taustin’s ruthlessness. She had given up everything, because that was what had been necessary.

  I have nothing to give to anyone. I might as well be standing here alone.

  “I can’t give you what you want.” The tightness in my throat turns my voice hoarse. “Please, let my friend go. You won’t gain anything by hurting her.”

  “Perhaps not.” He pushes the flat of his knife under Leila’s chin, lifting her head. “However, I may deem her life as recompense for the aggravation you have caused. Without the Nexus Key, I have no use for you.”

  He slips his knife away as Lasula grabs what remains of Leila’s hair, pulling her head back and exposing her neck.

  My heart slams into overdrive, a cold sweat breaking out across my body. I barely register the ball vibrating against my hip.

  He’s going to kill her.

  “Wait!”

  A loud rumble erupts from my throat, swelling to a deafening release that makes everyone flinch back a step. I start toward Taustin, but the scouts restrain me again. I yank against their grips, desperate.

  “If we can find a way to force the redirection, I’ll become an elemental and I can get you the Nexus Key. We just need to find a way.”

  His face crumples into a frown, and he takes a few steps forward, gesturing toward me with the knife. “Why should I bother to go to such lengths when your death will return the key to this plane?” He assesses me from head to toe and back, shaking his head. “The designation of a new bloodline will transfer the key to the next elemental, and therefore to me. What benefit could you offer that would suffice?”

  I search his face, my gaze falling to the scars on his shoulders, his arms, his hands. Without thinking, I say, “Me.” I swallow hard. “I’ll help you.”