Runic Vengeance (The Runic Series Book 3)
Page 15
He closes his eyes, feeling despair threaten to overcome him. He loathes the feeling, realizing how pathetic he has become. He thinks of Ampir, so young and unblemished by time, his future full of promise. Too young to understand how cruel life can be. How it will eventually wear him down, stealing his strength and his looks, ravaging his body and mind until there is nothing left but distant memories of better days.
Sabin shoves the thought aside, knowing full well it is the self-defeating product of a depressed mind. Thinking like that will only lead to a life filled with regrets. He'd had his fill of those already.
He clenches his jaw, his teeth threatening to crack with the pressure. His knuckles turn white where they grip his cane, and he stops in the middle of the cobblestone pathway, ignoring the people that are forced to walk around him.
No more regrets!
He starts walking again, faster now. He ignores the pain in his knee and the numbness in his foot, walking even faster just to spite them, refusing to let his body stop him this time. He stares straight ahead, ignoring the fragrance in the air, ignoring the sounds of laughter around him. He feels a sudden, exhilarating sense of power, of a momentary mastery over his body and mind, and he revels in it.
Ampir was right, as much as Sabin hates to admit it. His tenure was wherever he wanted it to be. He could have what he wanted, if he was willing. It's too late to win Vera's heart, but it isn't too late to learn from his mistake. In fact, losing Vera might end up being the best thing that ever happened to him.
From now on, he vows, I will get what I want.
Even if he has to take it.
* * *
Kyle sat on the edge of his bed, picking at his fingernails anxiously. It'd been over an hour since Kalibar had left the suite, canceling his next meeting to track Ariana down so that he could talk to her. Kyle wondered if Kalibar had found her, and for the umpteenth time, he imagined how Kalibar's conversation with her had gone. She would instantly know of Kyle's betrayal if Kalibar found her outside the Gate shield. And she would be furious.
He'd never betrayed Ariana before. Their relationship had always been one of complete trust. How would Ariana feel about him now that he'd done this to her?
Kyle pushed himself off of the edge of the bed, pacing back and forth across his bedroom floor. His gravity boots clicked sharply on the marble below, squeaking with each pivot he made. He cursed himself, wishing that he hadn't told Kalibar anything. Or that Kalibar hadn't come in for lunch right after Ariana had left. If Ariana had been there with him, he never would have broken down. But then he would have ended up betraying Kalibar.
There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. Kalibar stepped through, motioning for Kyle to follow him out of the bedroom. Kyle did so, stepping into the main suite. Kyle stopped dead in his tracks; Ariana was sitting on one of the couches, and she looked furious. It was all he could do to continue forward, silently obeying Kalibar's gesture for him to sit opposite Ariana. Kyle kept his eyes downcast, staring at his knees, but feeling Ariana's eyes boring into him. Kalibar sat down next to Ariana, facing Kyle.
“I told Ariana about our discussion,” Kalibar stated. “And Ariana was kind enough to tell me her perspective,” he added. “While I know it hasn't been easy for either of you, I do appreciate your honesty.”
He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.
“I understand that what you did – what you planned to do – was with the best of intentions. As your father, I am – as I have always been – proud of the depth of your character, and your willingness to do right by the ones you love. I want you both to know that you can always be honest and open with me. That as a family, we have to be open and honest with each other.”
“I also want you to trust that, no matter my particular weakness – my desire to protect you above all else – that I am capable of rising above this, of doing what is right.” He sighed then. “I suppose it is every fathers' fear that his children will leave him, to go out into the world with all of its dangers, and that he will no longer be able to protect them.”
Kalibar stopped then, turning to face Ariana, and Kyle looked up at the old man, unable to help a glance at her in the process. Her eyes were downcast, to his relief. Dark, brooding, and angry...but they were no longer on him.
“My duty to you – and to the Empire – is to protect you,” Kalibar continued firmly. “But I recognize that this is no longer possible.” He patted Ariana's knee gently, turning back to Kyle. “Ampir is dead. Sabin is too powerful for us to resist.”
Kyle cleared his throat, but Kalibar stopped him from speaking with one outstretched palm.
“I have two options now,” Kalibar stated. “Diplomacy is all that I can offer the Empire, personally. I will invite Sabin to discuss the terms of a truce.”
“What!” Kyle blurted out. Ariana's eyes jerked up from the floor, and she stared at Kalibar incredulously.
“No!” she exclaimed, pulling away from Kalibar. “You can't give up!” But Kalibar shook his head.
“I'm not giving up,” he insisted gently. “Please, hear me out. As I said, it is my duty to exercise all options in ensuring your safety – and that of my people,” he continued. “I cannot ignore that my children offer a unique opportunity – the only other opportunity – to fulfill these obligations.” Ariana blinked, turning to eye Kalibar questioningly. She did not, however, say anything.
“Kyle, you possess – and are the only person alive that can use – a weapon that has the potential to defeat Sabin,” Kalibar stated. He turned to Ariana. “And Ariana, you alone have the ability to sense the Chosen, and possess their amazing power.” He rubbed his palms together, taking a deep breath in, then letting it out. His jawline rippled, and Ariana put a hand on his shoulder.
“Father...” she began, but Kalibar stopped her.
“I must assume Sabin will destroy us,” he interjected. “I must plan for diplomacy to fail.” He looked at Ariana, then at Kyle. “The only way to ensure your safety is to destroy Sabin...and only you can do it.” He sighed. “But traveling to the very center of Sabin's power is suicide.”
“But...” Ariana began, but Kalibar cut her off.
“You cannot succeed,” he stated firmly. “Ariana, you may have the shard of a Chosen, but you don't have the experience or the training of one.” He shook his head. “The Dead Man – and any Chosen with similar skill – would easily destroy you...and that's without Sabin taking over.”
He turned to Kyle.
“Kyle, you may have the only weapon able to destroy Sabin,” Kalibar continued. “But neither I, nor Ariana, nor anyone else, would be capable of bringing you close enough to Sabin's lair to use it.”
“You can't...” Ariana protested, but again Kalibar cut her off.
“I must,” he countered. “Your welfare is my primary responsibility, and though in theory your plan is sound, in practice it is impractical.” He shook his head. “I've led, and fought in, hundreds of battles. Ideas that seem brilliant on paper often fail on the battlefield. Sending two children to a foreign continent, across unfamiliar terrain, to a vague location on a map, is a daunting task in and of itself. Traveling into the heart of enemy territory – with absolutely no knowledge of the enemy's defenses – is pure folly.”
Kyle lowered his gaze, feeling his cheeks flush with shame. He and Ariana had been ready to hop on a boat with a map and a bomb, without any real plan of what to do next. Kalibar was right; they were woefully unprepared.
“This would be true even of an enemy of similar ability as our own,” Kalibar continued. “Our enemy is more powerful than Ampir. Do you really think you'll be able to walk right into Sabin's home and detonate a bomb there?”
To that, neither Kyle nor Ariana had an answer.
Kalibar gave a heavy sigh, putting an arm around Ariana's shoulders and gesturing for Kyle to sit next to him. Kyle slunk over to Kalibar's other side, and the old man draped an arm around Kyle's shoulders as well.
Ariana pulled away from Kalibar, standing up and facing him.
“So we give up,” she concluded angrily. When Kalibar didn't reply, she crossed her arms over her chest. “What about your speech?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“A week ago,” she clarified. “When you were commemorating the new lobby,” she added. “You said: 'I will give up my life to defend your right to be the captains of your own lives. I will die, as did those we commemorate, before I allow this Empire, this great nation and all it stands for, to perish.'”
Kalibar stared at Ariana for a long moment, then smiled ruefully.
“I forgot about your new memory,” he admitted. Ariana didn't smile back.
“You lied,” she stated flatly.
“I did not.”
“You lied!” Ariana retorted angrily. “You're going to surrender!”
“I said I would discuss the terms of a truce,” Kalibar corrected. “I will insist that we be allowed our self-governance, in return for accepting Sabin's role as a consultant in developing the Empire.”
“You can't,” Ariana protested.
“I must.”
“He killed my parents!” Ariana shouted, standing up from the couch and glaring down at Kalibar. “He burned my village to the ground!”
“He'll burn a thousand more,” Kalibar countered quietly but firmly. “Leaving tens of thousands of children without homes,” he added, shaking his head. “I have to try to avoid that.”
“What if Sabin refuses?” Ariana pressed. “What if he refuses your truce?”
“Then we fight,” Kalibar replied.
“Or drop the bomb,” Kyle offered. Kalibar and Ariana turned to him. “If we're going to die anyway, we might as well try,” he clarified.
“If it comes to that,” Kalibar replied, turning to Kyle, “...then that is certainly an option.” He shook his head then. “But only as a last resort. I will not risk your life if I can help it.”
“So if Sabin won't cooperate, you'll let us use the bomb?” Ariana asked. Kalibar turned to her.
“Not you,” he replied. “Kyle will go with a contingent of Battle-Weavers, activate the bomb, and be flown to safety while one of the Battle-Weavers sacrifices themselves deploying the bomb.”
“But...” Ariana began.
“And then I will send you two far from the Empire, where Sabin will never find you.”
“What?” Kyle blurted out.
“You can't!” Ariana protested.
“We won't leave you,” Kyle agreed. Kalibar shook his head.
“I cannot risk your death, Ariana,” he replied. “You are too important. If Kyle survives the mission, but the bomb fails to kill Sabin, Kyle will join you, and you both will go into hiding.”
“No,” Ariana stated firmly. “I'm not spending my life running from him anymore. I'm not spending every day looking over my shoulder, waiting for him to find me.” She shook her head, her hands balled into tight fists at her sides. “I’m not going to stand there and watch Xanos kill everyone I love!”
“Ariana...”
“I watched my parents be murdered in front of me, and I couldn't do anything,” she interjected. “I watched my village burn to the ground. I watched you get your eyes taken out,” she added. “I watched Erasmus get stabbed,” she continued, her voice wavering. “I watched Ibicus nearly kill Master Owens.” She balled her left hand into a tight fist. “I watched as a man cut me open on my own bed, just watched as he butchered me, and I died watching.”
She raised her fist up suddenly, slamming it down on a small end table beside the couch. The wood shattered with a loud bang, splinters flying in all directions onto the floor.
“I'm done watching!” Ariana declared.
Kyle and Kalibar stood there staring at her, no one saying anything. Ariana stared back at Kalibar for a long, uncomfortable moment, her dark brown eyes smoldering. Then she spun about, storming to the front door. She yanked the door open with such force that its protective runes activated, showering her with pulses of bright blue light. A dozen gravity shields appeared around her, and a strobe-like series of blue flashes burst outward, ripping the magical door off of its hinges and sending it flying across the room. It smashed into one of the marble columns, gouging the thick stone, sending pieces of rubble scattering across the floor.
She walked out without a word.
Kyle stared at the ruins of the door, then glanced at Kalibar, who was staring silently at the empty doorway, looking old and suddenly haggard. Two elite guards rushed into the room, staring at the ruined door, then at the shattered end table strewn across the floor. Kalibar waved them away.
“Leave us,” he stated. “I'm not hurt,” he added. They paused, then saluted, leaving the suite. After they'd gone, Kalibar stood up from the couch, patting Kyle on the shoulder without looking at him, then walking toward the doorway, his shoulders slumped forward, his head bowed.
And that, Kyle knew, was a lie.
* * *
The torrential rain of the early morning gave way to scattered clouds, the sun burning through these to shine its warming rays on the puddles that the downpour had left behind. As the sun passed its peak, swinging ever westward over the campus of the Secula Magna, all evidence of the morning's rain had vanished. Now, as it fell gracefully behind the shadowy buildings rising toward the heavens in the distance, sprays of brilliant reds and purples shot across the sky.
It was, Kyle thought as he walked down the cobblestone path away from the Tower, like a painting come to life.
He sighed, looking down from the heavens, spotting Ariana's favorite tree in the distance. He'd left Kalibar's suite soon after Ariana had, taking the riser down to the lobby and walking out of the Tower to find her. As he drew closer to the large tree, he saw a slender black form sitting by its trunk. It was Ariana, he knew. And if he'd spotted her, that meant she'd long since spotted him.
He slowed his pace, feeling fear grip him. She'd been furious with Kalibar – more angry than he'd ever seen her before. There was no telling what she would do now. But he continued forward until he'd passed underneath the limbs of the tree, stopping before Ariana. She ignored him, sitting cross-legged with her back resting on the wide, smooth trunk, her eyes on the grass in front of her. He hesitated, then sat down next to her. Still she ignored him, neither blinking, nor even breathing. She was as much a statue as the one he'd seen of Ampir earlier.
“I'm sorry,” he said at last.
Ariana said nothing.
“I'm sorry I told Kalibar,” he continued, letting out a heavy sigh. “He...he knew something was wrong, and he asked me.” He shook his head. “I thought about how he'd worry with us gone, thought about everything he's done for us.”
Still, she didn't respond.
“I remembered what he did for me back in the Arena,” Kyle said. “I couldn't lie to him, Ariana.”
Nothing.
Kyle sighed again, picking up a small acorn-like nut from the ground and staring at it. Faint flashes of blue light – so slight as to be nearly invisible – pulsed on its surface. A seed, cut off from the tree that gave it life, the magic it wove the only sign of the life that existed within.
“I'm sorry I betrayed you,” he muttered.
Ariana stirred then, turning her eyes toward him, strands of her dark brown hair blowing across her face in a sudden wind.
“I made you choose,” she stated. Kyle blinked, staring back at her uncomprehendingly. “Between Kalibar and I,” she clarified. “I forced you to betray one of us.”
“Ariana...”
“It wasn't fair of me to ask,” she interjected. “Not after what he did for you. For us.” She turned away, staring down at her feet. “I'm still mad at you,” she admitted.
“I know.”
&n
bsp; “I'm more mad at myself,” she continued. “And at Kalibar.”
“Because he wouldn't let you go with me?” Kyle asked. “To Sabin?” Ariana shook her head, turning her head away from him. “What?” Kyle pressed.
Ariana said nothing.
“Talk to me,” Kyle insisted. He hated that she was being so aloof. It'd always been so easy to talk to her in the past; now she was so distant that he wondered if she cared about him at all anymore.
“You really don't see it,” she murmured at last, not turning around.
“See what?”
Ariana laughed then, a bitter, hopeless sound that burst from her lips. She turned to face him, her eyes filled with anger and hurt.
“Don't you see what he's asking me to do?” she demanded.
Kyle just stared at her.
“I'm supposed to run and hide while everyone I love dies,” she declared acidly. “Spend years, or maybe even decades or more alone, watching my back, wondering when Sabin is going to find me, and do god-knows-what to me.”
Kyle said nothing, swallowing through a sudden lump in his throat. He wanted to say something – anything – but he no words came. He hesitated, then put a hand on hers, saying nothing at all.
She leaned toward him then, resting her head on his right shoulder, her hair tickling his neck. She slipped her hand around his, squeezing it gently, and he squeezed hers back. They sat there silently under the tree, watching the sun set behind the tall buildings of the Southwest Quarter far in the distance. When the first stars began to wink down at them, Ariana stirred.
“It's not fair,” she murmured. Kyle nodded, squeezing her hand. She brushed a few errant hairs from in front of her face, then turned to look at him. Her almond-shaped eyes were barely visible in the starlight, but he could almost feel the intensity of her gaze.