She studied Vedhe sitting silent by the fire, at ease, relaxed. She didn’t care about the tribes. She might even use the orb on them herself before the Daliphana could act.
It was tempting. To let her choose the sun orb and destroy the Daliphana and then move against her when she turned towards the tribes. Allow her to be a convenient person to blame—the crazy slave, tortured beyond the ability to reason, who’d turned her rage against those she blamed for the death of her family…
K’lrsa could let her act while she stood to the side with the moon power, ready to step in and stop her. To be the hero. No one could turn against her then, could they?
But would those other gods—Aran’s gods of darkness and death—really stand aside and let Vedhe choose the sun orb without balancing the scales in some way? Without giving Aran weapons just as powerful?
And if K’lrsa hesitated to choose a weapon a second time, would she be dooming her people, by failing to be strong enough to protect them?
She shivered, turning away from the others. As much as she wanted to refuse to choose a weapon, to keep her hands and her conscience clear, to avoid the hard choice of who should die and who should live, she couldn’t.
If she was allowed into that room once more, she’d choose the deadliest, most powerful weapon she could find.
It was her only hope. To be stronger than everyone else.
She just prayed she’d have the strength to use it when the time came.
And to set it aside after.
Chapter 41
When Father Sun returned the next morning, K’lrsa met him at the entrance before anyone else could see him. She drew him to the side, under the shelter of a small group of trees. “I’ll do it. I’ll kill Aran and destroy the Toreem Daliphate. But on one condition.”
Father Sun studied her, his crossed arms covered in scars, eyes burning like embers. “What condition?”
“That you don’t let Vedhe exchange her viewing tube for a different weapon.”
He roared with laughter, rocking backward on his heels. “It wasn’t enough that I gave you your parents back? Now you have to thwart your competition, too.”
“Bringing my parents back was just human decency. Then again, I guess that’s something you wouldn’t know much about.”
He stepped closer, the heat of his body beating against her skin. “You forget yourself, child.”
She suppressed the tremors of fear that threatened to undo her and met his eyes, holding her chin up in defiance. “You need me. All I ask is that you treat me fairly.”
He smirked and stepped back. “Fine. K’lrsa dan V’na of the White Horse Tribe, do you swear that you will kill Aran Palero and destroy the Toreem Daliphate if I give you the weapon to do so?”
K’lrsa started to object that he hadn’t mentioned her condition about Vedhe, but he held up his hand. “If so, I swear that I will not allow Vedhe Kanaatanva to exchange the viewing tube she now has for a different weapon.” He traced a symbol in the air and it burned between them for a moment before disappearing once more. “You have my word. Do I have yours?”
“Yes.”
“Then say it.” He spoke through clenched teeth, his burning eyes fixed on her face.
K’lrsa fought to hold his gaze. “I, K’lrsa dan V’na of the White Horse Tribe swear to you, Father Sun, Scourge and Destroyer, Bringer of Fire, that I will kill Aran Palero and destroy the Toreem Daliphate if you give me the weapon to do so.”
His grin was fierce and brief. “Good. Now give me your hand.”
K’lrsa didn’t want to, but she’d come too far to stop now. She held out her hand.
When he took her hand in his, it started to burn like he’d plunged it into a fire pit. She struggled not to scream for what felt like forever but probably only lasted the space of a heartbeat, until he dropped her hand and stepped back.
Etched into her palm was the same symbol he’d sketched in the air.
“What did you do to me?” she yelled.
“It’s a binding. As long as your path takes you in the direction of completing your vow, you won’t even notice it. But should you veer away from that path, the binding will start to burn and it will keep burning until you continue.”
She stared in horror at the lines burned into her skin. “How…” She licked her lips. “How does it work? How strict is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“If I have one last meal with my family am I going to be in excruciating pain the whole time? What if I stop to hunt for food? Or to sleep?”
He smiled slightly. “No. You’ll only feel it if you turn your back on your vow.”
She chewed on her lip, suddenly scared.
She intended to keep the vow, so it shouldn’t matter, but seeing those marks burned into her skin upset her in a way she couldn’t explain. “And what happens when I’m done? When the Toreem Daliphate has been destroyed and Aran is dead for once and for all? Does it just disappear?”
“No. You’ll have to return here for me to remove it.”
“What if I don’t want to?”
He quirked one eyebrow. “If you don’t return, what will happen to F’lia and M’lara? Do you think they’ll just find their own way across the desert and back to the tribes?”
K’lrsa blinked at him.
How had she forgotten about F’lia and M’lara? She’d been so concerned with saving her parents and choosing the right weapon it hadn’t even crossed her mind what would happen to them after she left.
She’d never thought beyond the fact that they’d be safe here. But of course they’d need her help.
Hers and Vedhe’s. Vedhe who…
She winced. She hadn’t meant to betray Vedhe, but she’d had to do it—for everyone, including Vedhe. She couldn’t let her friend give in to that kind of destruction. She just hoped Vedhe understood.
Father Sun turned towards the hallway. “Are you ready to choose your new weapon?”
“You promised you’d heal the burn on my face.”
“Oh yes, of course.” He touched her cheek and the pain and tightness that had bothered her all night disappeared. “Now are you ready?”
“Yes.” K’lrsa moved to stand next to him, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She was shaking, just the littlest bit, but she’d made her choice and it was time to fulfill it.
“Very well.”
He turned towards where the others sat around the fire, watching them. “Vedhe. Come. It’s time to select your new weapon.”
“What?” K’lrsa stared at him. “What are you talking about? You just swore…”
The fierce smile he turned on her was one she was sure his victims had seen on the battlefield right before he gutted them. “I promised you I wouldn’t let her exchange the viewing tube for another weapon. And I won’t. She’s free to keep it for as long as she wants.”
K’lrsa’s heart dropped. “You mean…But…”
He turned away, dismissing her as Vedhe joined them and he led the way down the hall.
K’lrsa followed in a daze. What was she going to do now?
Chapter 42
K’lrsa drifted behind Father Sun and Vedhe as they walked towards the center of the labyrinth. The first time they’d stepped into that room she’d been able to convince Vedhe to choose the viewing tube rather than the sun orb. But this time…
Vedhe was going to choose the sun orb.
There was no question about it.
After being reminded of the horrors that men and women could commit, she wouldn’t hesitate. K’lrsa’s only hope was that the sun orb wouldn’t appear as a choice for her this time. The room never displayed all of the weapons available, only those that the chooser desired and was capable of wielding.
Although, that was a bit of a gray area. The mirror they’d seen the first time—the one that showed someone at their most beautiful—had almost ensnared them both. It was all K’lrsa had been able to do to wrest her gaze away from it. And Vedhe would’ve been trapped
there forever, staring at herself, if K’lrsa hadn’t saved her from it.
She shivered. Every single object in that room was twisted somehow. It took away as much as it gave, never quite meeting its owner’s needs. Even the necklace had caused more harm than it helped.
Which meant they needed to be careful with what they chose. But Vedhe would take the sun orb, no question.
And…
K’lrsa already knew which object she wanted, too.
The staff.
It had called to her like it was made for her. She’d turned away from it, scared by the destruction she could cause, but now it was what she wanted.
But if she chose the staff…
There’d be no one to stop Vedhe. She’d burn the world to the ground. K’lrsa could choose the moon power instead. It was the only object that could counter the sun orb.
But…
She didn’t want it.
She wanted a weapon.
The Lady met them at the door, calm and regal, with an air of authority K’lrsa had to fight to resist. “Once more, my children, you will enter this room and make a choice. This is not as it normally is. Usually, you enter this room once, full of the knowledge of the labyrinth. Most choose not to take any object away with them, seeing how it could turn against them and those they love. Some few, like you the last time you were here, choose an object out of desperation, knowing they have no choice but to risk allowing the object into the world once more.”
K’lrsa wiped her sweaty palms on her pants as she glanced at Vedhe, wondering if she felt as nervous as K’lrsa did, but she was completely at ease, her hands folded peacefully in front of her.
K’lrsa shivered as the Lady continued, “Last time, I allowed you to enter the room together.” Her eyes flashed silver as she looked at K’lrsa. “I believe that was a mistake. It’s what led us to this moment.”
K’lrsa lifted her chin and met the Lady’s eyes. She didn’t regret her prior choice.
The Lady gestured towards Vedhe. “You, Vedhe Kanaatanva, will go first. Choose wisely. This is the only chance you will be given to make up for your prior error.”
Vedhe held out the viewing tube, but the Lady shook her head. “No. You may keep it.”
“But that will upset the balance.”
“Yes.” The Lady looked at K’lrsa once more. “But we have no choice in the matter. Father Sun swore that he wouldn’t make you exchange this for a new object of power, so you may keep it. Go. Choose wisely.”
K’lrsa moved to block Vedhe’s path. “Wait. What happens if she keeps them both?”
The Lady sighed. “As Vedhe said, it upsets the balance. She will have two objects of power. Normally, any one person should only ever have one. When they acquire more than one—it occasionally happens through deceit or conquest or death—the balance is upset.”
“And? What happens then?”
The Lady breathed in through her nose, eyes flashing in annoyance. “The pendulum swings. For a little while, the world is out of balance.” She shrugged slightly. “But eventually, it returns to the center. It always returns to the center after enough time has passed.”
“How? How does it do that?”
The Lady’s face flickered for a moment, showing that darker something that lurked beneath the beautiful surface. “It depends. On what caused the imbalance, how powerful the objects are, how the person uses them…”
The Lady pushed K’lrsa aside. “Enough. It is what it is. Aran must be defeated. We’ll deal with the consequences after.”
“Does he have objects like these? Is that why we can choose more than one? Or by choosing, will we enable him to become more powerful?”
The Lady pressed her lips together, refusing to answer.
K’lrsa turned to Father Sun. “Tell me. I need to know so I can make the right choice.”
“The right choice?” He laughed, his voice a deep rumble. “You’d need thousands of years of knowledge to even understand the battle you’re a part of, and then you’d see that there is no right or wrong choice. There’s just the next move, the next skirmish. You are an imperfect piece on a never-ending game board. Choose as you will. You won’t break the world. Not permanently at least.”
“But we could break it.” She glanced at Vedhe who was looking off into space, seemingly not even listening to the conversation. “For how long?”
“A hundred generations, maybe? Probably no more than that.”
“A hundred generations!”
“At its worst. Likely less. The world is resilient.” He leaned against the wall as if the prospect of the world being broken for a hundred generations meant nothing to him.
It probably didn’t.
“It’s time.” The Lady opened the door. “Go, Vedhe. Choose wisely.”
Vedhe stepped through, not even glancing at K’lrsa.
Chapter 43
K’lrsa paced the hallway, left, right, left, right, over and over again until she thought she’d wear a groove in the floor. The Lady had entered the room with Vedhe so it was just K’lrsa and Father Sun alone in the hallway, but she ignored him. He’d betrayed her. He’d made a promise he knew he wasn’t going to keep and then broken it as soon as he could.
True, he’d technically kept the promise he’d made, but he’d known what she wanted. Which meant he’d broken the spirit of their agreement if not the actual words.
She stopped and turned towards him.
He was watching her, his eyes banked coals, belying his casual pose as he leaned against the sleek white wall opposite the doorway. “Why are you letting her choose a new object of power? If you know it will upset the balance, why do it?”
He smiled, pushing off of the wall and coming to stand before her. “You really care? You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
He leaned closer. “I don’t trust you.”
“What?”
“I don’t trust you to keep your promise. Even with the binding burned into your flesh, I don’t think you’ll do it.”
She tried to hold his gaze, but she couldn’t. “I said I would. And I know what happens if I don’t. My parents will be stranded here forever and I’ll be in perpetual agony.” She flexed her hand. She couldn’t feel the binding, but it was there. “Will they fray away into nothing like Lodie would have if she’d stayed in the labyrinth? Or will they just be stuck here forever?”
“They’ll disappear eventually. But it will take hundreds of years, maybe more.”
“I don’t want that to happen.” She glanced at him and away again, unable to hold his gaze. “So I’ll do what it takes to save them.”
He harrumphed, but didn’t argue with her further.
She flexed her hand, wondering if she could really do it. If she could really destroy an entire people just to save the two people she loved most in the world. From…What? Spending an eternity together in a place where they had everything they could want?
She pushed that thought away.
They didn’t want to stay here. No matter how pleasant it was. And there was somewhere beyond that they needed to go to.
She studied Father Sun as he once more leaned against the wall. “What does it mean to you to destroy the Toreem Daliphate? Is it enough to remove Aran from power? Or do I have to raze it to the ground?”
“For me?” He chuckled. “You’re the one that made the vow, not me, so you’re the one that has to be satisfied you’ve done it.”
“Me?”
He nodded.
“Fine.” She shrugged and turned away from him. “Then I’ve met it. We’re done. Free my parents.”
Nothing happened.
And then, slowly, her hand started to burn until it felt like someone was pressing a branding iron against her flesh, digging it deeper and deeper as the fire consumed her.
She collapsed to her knees, screaming, as Father Sun watched, his face impassive, not even moving from where he leaned against the wall.
Tears ran down her face a
s she clutched her hand to her chest, whimpering.
Father Sun pursed his lips. “It seems you don’t believe that.”
“Of course, I don’t.”
“Well, then…”
She glared at him through the tears still streaming down her face as the fire in her hand slowly retreated. “You did that,” she accused.
“No. The binding did. As soon as you decided to turn away from your vow, the binding struck.”
“I didn’t decide to turn away from my vow. It was just words. I was just speaking.” She slowly stood, cradling her hand close to her chest.
With a twitch of his chin Father Sun directed her to where a pitcher of water had appeared on a small table. She plunged her hand into the water, almost crying out in relief as the water cooled the last of the heat.
When she was finally sure it wouldn’t keep burning, she withdrew her hand. It looked the same as it had before—as if she’d long ago burned her hand and it had healed over—but it ached with the memory of pain. “It didn’t do any damage.”
“No. It won’t. But it doesn’t really need to, does it?”
She flexed her hand, wincing. She never wanted to feel something like that again.
She glanced towards the doorway. “You don’t have to give Vedhe another object of power. I’ll do what I said I’d do.”
“Too late.” He pushed off the wall just as Vedhe came out of the room, the orb of fire cradled in her hands, her eyes glowing with an inner fervor that sent a chill down K’lrsa’s spine.
Chapter 44
“Your turn.” The Lady said, following Vedhe out of the room with a satisfied smile.
K’lrsa hesitated. “Was it like before, Vedhe? Were the choices the same?”
Vedhe barely managed to tear her attention from the orb. “No. I had more choices than before, but some were also missing. The staff wasn’t there. Neither was the moon power that could neutralize the orb.” She held the orb before her face and it cast a brilliant light on her scars, etching each ridge and shiny patch of redness in bright light, making them more gruesome than before. “But this was all I wanted. It seems fitting to bring fire to the people who did this to me.” She touched her scarred cheek with her fingers.
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