“What?”
“We can save Vedhe. That man’s going to die anyway. We can use death walker magic to save her.”
He gripped her shoulders. “K’lrsa…Maybe she doesn’t want that.”
“Of course she does.” She tore free from him. “She deserves better than this, Badru. She gave her life to kill a man who’d never done her any harm. She came here instead of going home to avenger her family. She deserves to live.”
“K’lrsa…”
“No. It’s not like I’m not killing someone to save her. That man’s dead no matter what. She can’t argue against this.”
Badru looked like he wanted to, but he didn’t.
“Go get Larek. We don’t have much time.”
Badru hesitated and K’lrsa shoved him towards the door. “Go. Now.”
As he left the room, she turned to M’lara. “Come on, little one. Help me move Vedhe to the table.”
M’lara stared at her and then at Vedhe’s broken body. She burst into tears and turned away.
“M’lara…” K’lrsa stood between them, torn between comforting her sister and saving her friend.
Larek and Badru returned, Larek staring around the room in horror. “Where’s the Daliph?”
“Gone. You can’t bring him back this time.”
“So why am I here?” He glared at her.
She pointed to Vedhe. “Save her. You can use him.” She pointed to the man moaning in the corner, the flesh that was visible blackened and cracked.
Larek hesitated.
“Now!” K’lrsa screamed, her hand twitching to grab the sun orb and use it on him. It sparked where it lay on the floor and Larek jumped backward. He moved towards his bloody tools.
“Badru, help me move her.”
Larek turned back to them. “No. They can stay where they are. They’re close enough for it to work. And…” He grimaced. “Right now she’s still in one piece. You move her she might not stay that way.”
K’lrsa’s stomach flipped, threatening to purge itself once more, but she fought against it. “Fine. Just…Hurry.”
Chapter 75
As Larek prepared the bodies, a few of Aran’s soldiers crept back into the room. K’lrsa turned on them, her hand twitching towards the sun orb where it still lay in the middle of the room. These men were her enemies. They’d kill her given the chance.
One of the men stepped away from the others. “My Daliph?” He wrung his hands as he looked at the carnage. Burned and broken bodies scattered around the room, the stench of it almost overwhelming.
“Your Daliph is dead,” K’lrsa spat, glaring at him.
“No.” He nodded towards Badru. “He’s our Daliph.”
K’lrsa tensed, turning to Badru. He’d said he wanted to be with her. To live in the desert or wherever else they wanted to go. That he didn’t want to be Daliph anymore.
But these men. They were all looking to him, expectant.
Could he walk away from that? From the power and comfort? From the riches and security?
He limped to her side, dragging his injured leg along the tiles. He held out his hand, holding her eyes with his impossibly blue ones.
She hesitated, worried what came next, but she took his hand, tensed to hear him utter the words she didn’t want to hear.
He turned his attention to the soldiers. “I am not your Daliph. Aran Palero was not my grandfather. My grandfather was G’zen of the Summer Spring Tribe and my father was L’ren of the Black Horse Tribe. I am a member of the tribes and I intend to return to them. Call the Council, tell them what I’ve said, and have them choose a new Daliph from one of the founding families. When he’s ready to trade with the tribes he can find me there and we’ll negotiate terms.”
The man stared at him. “But…”
“I am not one of you. I never was.” He leaned close and kissed her cheek, whispering “Is that what you hope to hear?”
K’lrsa bit her lip, fighting not to cry in front of so many strangers. “Yes.”
“Good. Because I meant it, K’lrsa. I’d rather be by your side than anywhere else in the world.”
Chapter 76
K’lrsa flung herself into Badru’s arms and hugged him until he winced and pushed her back. “Careful. I’m still injured.”
“Right.” She stepped back. “We need Larek to heal you.”
“No. I won’t let another child be hurt on my behalf.”
K’lrsa clenched her jaw, thinking. There had to be someone they could use to heal him…
But before she could think who that might be, Vedhe sat up, gasping, and K’lrsa ran to her side. “You’re back.”
Vedhe glared at her. “Why?”
“What?”
“Why did you bring me back?”
K’lrsa blinked, surprised by her anger. “Because you deserved a better life than that. You deserved the chance to avenge yourself on Ivan and to move on and find some measure of happiness. A husband. A child. A…”
“Don’t you understand? I didn’t want to survive this!”
“But…”
Vedhe shoved to her feet and moved away from K’lrsa, shaking with anger.
“Vedhe…”
Vedhe ignored her, scanning the room, her eyes resting on the sun orb with lust. “We need to contain these objects. Now.” She turned on Larek. “Do you have any boxes made of lanelium?”
He nodded.
“Good. Get them”
He licked his lips. “How many do you need?”
“One for that orb. One for that staff. One for that gauntlet.” She shrugged. “And if you have a few smaller ones left, two more, although those aren’t as necessary. Go! Now. Unless you want me to burn this whole place down.”
He nodded once and took off at a dead run. Clearly whatever he’d seen in her eyes had convinced him she meant it.
Chapter 77
Vedhe turned on M’lara next, her expression softening slightly. “M’lara?”
“Yeah.” M’lara hiccupped. Her face was wet, but at least she’d stopped crying.
“I need you to take each of those objects and move them to the far corner of the room. Can you do that for me?”
K’lrsa stepped between them. “No. I don’t want her to touch them. I’ll do it.”
“You can’t. You’ve used them. If you touch the objects, they’ll consume you. Can’t you sense how the orb has grown in power?”
Vedhe was right. K’lrsa had only used the orb once and yet it called to her, demanding to be used again.
“If it’s more powerful, then how can you expect a child to handle it?”
“Because she’s innocent. There’s no anger in her soul for it to feed off of.”
“Who says?” K’lrsa crossed her arms. “She lost both of her parents just like I did.”
“I’m sure she’s sad. But that desire you have for revenge? To destroy what destroyed your world? She doesn’t have it.” Vedhe clenched and unclenched her fists and said through gritted teeth, “Please ask her to take the orb to the far corner of the room. Now.”
K’lrsa hesitated a moment longer, but then turned to M’lara and nodded. “Do it.”
Vedhe relaxed slightly as M’lara picked the orb and gauntlet up and ran to the far corner of the room with them. “Better. Not perfect, but better.”
They didn’t have long to wait until Larek returned, a servant boy trailing along behind him, both of them with an assortment of metal boxes piled high in their arms. Vedhe stopped Larek at the door and sent the boy to M’lara. The two children worked together, finding containers for the orb, the staff, and the gauntlet while the adults watched from the other side of the room.
Only when they were all safely stowed in their containers did K’lrsa realize how much she’d been fighting the call of both the staff and the orb. It was like someone had removed an incredibly heavy weight from her shoulders.
She sagged to the ground, suddenly exhausted. When was the last time she’d eaten?
&n
bsp; “So?” she asked. “What now?”
Vedhe shrugged. “Depends on you, I guess.”
“How so?”
“Well…Are you going to destroy the Toreem Daliphate like you promised Father Sun you would?”
K’lrsa rubbed at her face. She’d forgotten all about that.
She stared around the burnt and scorched room, at the crumpled and dead bodies and the boxes in the corner filled with the weapons that had caused all this.
She was done.
Done with killing.
Her father would understand.
She hoped.
She shook her head. “No. I’m not going to do it.”
Her hand started to burn like she’d plunged it into a fire and she screamed.
Chapter 78
K’lrsa clutched her hand to her chest, the pain so intense she wanted to chop her hand off rather than suffer through it for a moment more. She’d forgotten about the binding.
She grimaced as she opened her hand to reveal the red fire burning her palm.
Larek stepped closer. “That’s a binding.”
“Yes.” She spoke through gritted teeth, wanting to hurt everything and everyone around her.
“A god did that.”
K’lrsa gasped as the pain intensified, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Yes.”
He gripped her face between his hands. “Focus on what you’re supposed to do. Pretend it’s something you want to do.”
She focused on how to destroy the Toreem Daliphate. She could use the sun orb to call fire and burn the city to the ground. Or use the staff to bring that vast reserve of water to the surface, drowning everyone and everything for as far as the eye could see. Or take the gauntlet and bust through every wall, tearing the city to its foundations.
Slowly, with each thought, the pain lessened.
But it didn’t go away.
She gasped, nodding to him. “That helped. But it still hurts.”
“It’s tied to your will. You know deep down you aren’t going to complete your task. If you move from here or stop thinking of ways to complete it, the pain will come back.”
“Can you remove it?”
He stepped back, looking between her, Vedhe, and Badru. “Yes. But I want something in return.”
Badru glared at him. “You’re a death walker. You don’t deserve anything except to die.”
“Badru.” K’lrsa glared at him as her thoughts slipped and the pain came back.
“It’s true. Death walker magic is evil.”
Larek shook his head. “No, it’s not. Our magic is a healing magic. It’s men like Aran who’ve polluted its true purpose.”
“And yet you brought him back after Lodie killed him.”
Larek bowed his head. “It wasn’t me. And it wasn’t the men who trained me. There are some who’ve learned our ways who don’t understand our true purpose. Who use our magic to torture. Men who see it as a source of power. Those are the ones who brought Aran back.”
“And you want me to believe you aren’t one of them?”
“I’m not. I’ll swear it on any god or any object you want.”
K’lrsa winced as her thoughts slipped and the pain came back, twice as bad as before. “Badru.”
Badru lifted his chin. “Fine. What do you want in return for removing the binding?”
“To live. And to use my magic the way it was meant to be used. To heal the sick and bring back those whose lives have been cut short before their appointed time.”
K’lrsa glared at him. “You used children in your magic.”
He bowed his head. “I’m not proud of what I’ve done. But I want a chance to make it right. To take my religion back to what it once was.”
Vedhe stepped forward, her eyes dark and cold. “And what about the men who brought Aran back? The ones who know your magic and would use it to torture others? Or to bring power to themselves. What about them?”
Larek met her glare, unflinching. “They must die. But they won’t die in vain. We’ll use them to heal the children that were harmed. And you.” He nodded to Badru.
Vedhe nodded. “Yes. Heal the children.”
“And the binding?” Badru asked.
“I can transfer it. To myself.”
“But then you’ll just be in pain like I am.”
“No. I can transform it. Change its purpose. Bind myself to the right path.”
K’lrsa clutched her hand to her chest. It burned like she was slowly roasting it over a fire. She couldn’t take this much longer. “Fine. You live. You take the binding. You heal the children and kill those who’d pollute your magic. And then? What happens when another man like Aran tries to turn you from your path?”
“Aran had an oath rod. We’ll use it to bind all who remain. We’ll each swear to only use our magic to heal others and to never do so in the service of those who seek to torture or harm.”
K’lrsa looked at Badru and Vedhe. They both nodded. “Okay, then. That works.”
Larek nodded once. “Give me until sunset. I need to prepare and then we can transfer the binding and handle the others.” He glanced around the room. “I’ll send a servant to lead you to new quarters. I’m sure you could use some food and rest.”
K’lrsa winced. It wasn’t even midday yet and her hand was throbbing with pain. But at least an end was in sight.
Chapter 79
Larek was as good as his word. A servant appeared almost immediately and led them down a series of hallways until they reached a large room with four windows, open to the early spring day, the mountain visible in the background.
A bed big enough to sleep at least four people dominated the corner of the room, gauzy curtains tied to each post. In the center of the space were bright cushions arranged in a circle to form a seating area. In the corner near the bed was a large bathing area and in the corner opposite that there was a table and a chair, the table covered with various jars.
“Is this my old room?” K’lrsa asked, moving to the nearest window to confirm her suspicion.
“Yes,” Badru answered, turning to instruct the servant on what food to bring.
K’lrsa shivered, looking around the space where she’d spent so many days struggling to be something she wasn’t, all for a chance to kill a man who hadn’t even been responsible for her father’s death.
It felt like a lifetime ago.
The smells of food drove every thought from her mind except how hungry she was and she moved to sit with the others, admiring the fresh fruits and nuts, the warm discs of bread, the soft cheeses, and the meats floating in heavily-seasoned sauces.
They ate in silence, too exhausted to talk about what had happened with Aran.
And about what happened next. Because this wasn’t over.
Not yet.
Chapter 80
That night, they watched in silence as Larek transferred the binding from K’lrsa’s hand to his own and then had each of ten death walkers swear an oath to only use their magic to heal.
Just like on the gathering grounds, there was one man who tried to swear a false oath and was burned to nothing for his lie. But for the others it was a simple process.
When that was done, Larek brought in five men who were completely healthy, the black sashes at their waists marking them as death walkers, and a large group of children, each with wounds visible on their arms and legs and faces.
The girl from the stables was one of them—her shattered wrist clutched tight to her body as she tried to disappear behind the others.
The men fought when they realized what was about to happen, but Larek and his death walkers bound them into place with a cool efficiency.
K’lrsa watched as the men were used to heal the children, nodding in satisfaction as each broken bone, burn, and bruise disappeared from soft young flesh. She didn’t feel the least bit sorry for the men. They deserved this—to taste the same suffering they’d inflicted on so many.
The girl from the stables was the last one
to be healed.
Even seeing what had happened with all of the others, she held back. K’lrsa had to lead her forward and hold her good hand as Larek performed the ritual. And even then her eyes were wide with fear as he marked her forehead and said the words that had brought so much harm before.
Only when he clapped his hands and the half-healed wounds on her body disappeared, did the little girl finally believe. She smiled—a smile more beautiful than any K’lrsa had ever seen before.
K’lrsa turned to Larek, still holding the girl’s hand. “What happens to them now?” She’d abandoned this child once, she wouldn’t do it again. Not without knowing she’d be taken care of.
“These children know the death walker magic. So we’ll take them into our order. Teach them the true ways of our religion. That we have a sacred duty to heal those who’ve been harmed. That in sacrifice, we find a higher meaning.”
The little girl flinched.
“You won’t use them to heal others, will you?”
He shook his head. “No. Not the children. In the old days it was the elderly or those too far gone to save who willingly took on the suffering of others. In extreme situations we offer ourselves. But only as adults, fully sworn into the order. And only if we’re willing to do so. None will be forced to heal. You have my word on it.”
K’lrsa nodded. She looked to the little girl. “Is that okay? Do you want to stay here? With them?”
The girl nodded. She pulled her hand free from K’lrsa’s and ran across the room to hug a boy slightly older than her with the same brown hair and dark eyes. Clearly a brother or cousin.
K’lrsa hesitated a moment longer, but then shrugged. She’d done what she could. She walked back to where Badru and Vedhe stood, waiting for her. M’lara was curled up asleep at their feet, her thumb in her mouth, whimpering as tears rolled down her cheeks.
She wished she had time to comfort her, to sit in these rooms and rest and eat good food and recover. But there wasn’t time. The Daliph’s troops were still camped on the border of the barren lands. They needed to return the objects to the Hidden City before the other gods decided to act.
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