Bones of the Earth (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 1)

by Jason A. Gilbert

  "I know, Laila-sa," said Lunete. "Doing more would only anger your father. This is a fight that we have to have another day."

  She stepped to Laila, placing her arm around her shoulders. Laila nodded, still hiding her face from her mother. What am I? The thought tore through her mind.

  She finally looked up and caught Icarus’s eyes. For a moment he seemed to be expecting something. He watched her, hope in his dark eyes. She slowly shook her head, not sure what she was denying, but knowing that she could not live up to whatever his expectations were at that moment. The hope in his eyes winked out, replaced by a deep look of disappointment. He lowered his head and allowed the Guardians to take him by the arms, continuing their walk to the city gates.

  Laila watched the crowd make their way to the gates, no longer wanting to follow them. Lunete squeezed her shoulders one more time.

  "Come, Laila. Let's finish our errands. We can talk about this with your father tonight, I promise."

  The acute fear left Laila's face, but it continued to hang in her heart. She nodded and allowed her mother to lead her back toward the city center. She did not notice the young man watching from one of the side streets, a strange blue blade disappearing from his hands as the two women walked away. He watched the crowd surrounding Icarus for a moment longer, and then disappeared back into the city.

  Five

  Manifestations

  Connor made his way down the streets of the large city quickly. Thankfully, the streets seemed to be unpopulated today, in stark contrast to the bustle of the day before. Letting go of the Sword had dissipated his confidence—and his anger at what he had witnessed. He had never known that the hatred of the Magi could be so ingrained. The idea that the Magi were not to be revered was so foreign to him that he had felt nauseous at the sight of Icarus's exile. If the young girl that Icarus had been telling him about not done what she had, Connor would have tried to stop the horrible treatment.

  That brought his mind back to the task at hand. The young girl. Laila. Icarus had told him that was her name. The Magusari. Connor did not know how one so young could be the Magusari, but Icarus had been convinced, and Connor's duty was to Icarus. Though he still would not have believed it if he had not just watched her manipulate the earth, just as Icarus could. With that thought, he chuckled to himself. He was only a year, maybe two, older than Laila, and he had been chosen as Warden—he had little right to judge.

  Connor turned down the street that housed the small inn that he and Icarus had been staying at. He walked in and through the empty common room, climbing the stairs up to their room. Dropping down onto the bed, Connor tried to decide what to do next. Icarus had told him that he would likely be cast out, and so he had spent several days searching the streets until he had found his candidate. Connor had no idea how he could tell, but Icarus had been certain.

  That had been two days ago, and yesterday Icarus had not come back to the inn. Connor had watched his little demonstration in the city center, but had held himself in check, knowing that the reaction was what Icarus had wanted. But now he did not know what to do. He knew he had to meet the young girl, but he had no idea how.

  He lay back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. He could feel the Sword drifting at the back of his mind. Icarus had been right. With each passing day, his grasp of it had become stronger. If only he could tap into the confidence he felt when he held it regularly. That might give him an inclination as to what he had to do. But, he was still limited. In time, the Sword would be able to be summoned at will; at least that was what Icarus had told him. For now he had to be content just knowing that it was there when he needed it and that it would not help him in this task.

  The steps of the Consulate rose up in front of Laila. The previous day had passed far too quickly, and now she was here to start her first day as a Consul. She shifted her robes on her shoulders. They still did not feel quite right. A little too heavy, a little too obvious. Her encounters with Torin over the last couple of days weighed on her. She knew that to him she was nothing. But now she was going to be in his domain, the Consulate. And her father could only do so much to protect her.

  Taking a deep breath, she climbed the steps into the Consulate. Walking into the main hall, she saw a small group of other young people dressed as she was, in the fresh new robes of a Consul. As she approached the group, one of the girls turned toward her, and Laila felt a wave of relief; it was Selene. The shorter girl's face lit up upon seeing her friend.

  "Laila!"

  "Selene! A Consul?"

  "I know. I couldn't believe it. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other." Selene smiled.

  Laila returned the smile. "I know—"

  "Good morning, Consuls!" A voice from the other side of the small group cut Laila's comment off.

  Laila, Selene, and the rest of the group turned to see three young men, each a few years older than Laila, approaching the small group. She recognized the one who had spoken as Torin's assistant, Casus. Great! she thought bitterly.

  "Welcome to the Consulate. We are here to assist you in learning your duties over the next few days. I am Casus, this is Rian," he gestured to the brown haired man to his left, "and this is Keenan. You will be separated into groups and placed with one of us."

  He pulled a sheet of paper out from within his robes. Looking it over, he began calling names, directing the small group of new Consuls to one of the three of them.

  "Selene Rinne, with Rian."

  Selene gave Laila's hand a quick squeeze as she smiled at her again and stepped over to stand with the brown-haired Consul. Casus worked through the list, calling more names. Finally, only Laila was left.

  "Laila Wardein, you will come with me," Casus said, an odd look on his face.

  She nodded and joined the other two young Consuls with Casus. Rian and Keenan's groups dispersed quickly, and Laila and her group followed Casus deeper into the Consulate. A sense of dread began to work its way up Laila's spine. It was likely that by working under Casus she would be assisting Torin, a prospect she did not relish.

  Sure enough, after making several twists and turns down random hallways, Casus led them into a small office that was similar to her father's, and Torin was sitting behind the desk, waiting. Laila felt her stomach drop.

  "Here are the new Consuls, sir," Casus said.

  Torin studied each one of them separately, coming last to Laila. A slight smirk crossed his lips, but it was quickly gone.

  "Welcome, young ones. For the next week, you will work with Casus here, learning your place in the Consulate. Once we see how you do, you will be assigned to a Consul. I look forward to working with each of you, and discovering your...talents." He locked his eyes on Laila.

  It was going to be a long day.

  Laila slowly walked down the stairs in front of the Consulate. She had no idea feet could hurt so much. She had spent the entire day on them, running from Consul to Consul, passing messages, accepting or rejecting invitations to this meeting or that meal. The tedium of the Consulate had worn her out, despite her excitement. Torin, especially, had worked her hard, harder than the others, at least to Laila's perception. He had not said anything about their confrontation the day before, but he did not go easy on her, and often seemed as though he were pushing her harder than the rest. She had passed Selene a few times, but neither of them had been able to find any time to talk to one another.

  Laila finally reached the bottom of the stairs and stopped, sitting on the last few steps to allow her feet a rest. The city center was nearly empty, as the sun had finally set. Torches were lit along the perimeter, casting odd shadows throughout. As her feet recovered, she saw that the small café she had sat in with her mother the day of her Testing was still open, a few patrons still sitting amongst the tables. She was struck by the realization of how hungry she was. She had been too busy during the day to notice the pangs, but now it hit her full force. The sensation was even accompanied by a slight rumble in her stomach.

&nb
sp; Pushing herself back to her feet, she clambered over to the small cafe. She noticed several older Consuls as well as a few of the younger ones, like herself. No one that she knew personally. There was one patron that stood out to her as she sat down, however. A young man, no more than a couple years older than herself. He had black hair that was pulled back away from his face, and his eyes were a dark green color. He wore dark brown pants and a green tunic belted at the middle. Common dress for the farmers and those Citizens who worked on the outskirts. But most of them would have already left for the day. Excepting festivals like Testing Day, the people who lived outside the city rarely stayed within its limits after the end of the day. Another Xenos? Laila did not like that train of thought.

  The young man glanced up at her as she took a seat at one of the edge tables. She averted her gaze quickly, hoping he had not noticed her staring. He seemed to take no notice of her and returned to the meal in front of him.

  She ordered quickly, hoping to get her snack in and then leave for home where Clara likely had something else prepared for her. Sitting would at least give her an opportunity to rest her weary feet. Once the food came, she dove in ravenously. As she ate, she did notice the odd young man glancing at her from time to time. She grabbed her napkin and wiped her face off, wondering if there was something there to draw his attention. He stood as she finished and walked past her, giving her a slight nod of his head when their eyes met. Then he continued out of the café and beyond.

  She felt a slight warmth in her cheeks. Hopefully she had not been staring too much, although he had been looking at her just as frequently. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It was nothing. Move past it, girl. You're just tired, she thought, berating herself.

  Wiping her face once more with her napkin, she stood and made her way out of the city center. The sun had completely set now, and the streets branching out from the main avenue were dark and empty. The stone buildings that ran along the street seemed to huddle together against the darkness. Laila glanced up into the sky, noticing the sliver of a moon. She briefly thought back to the tale of the moon princess that Icarus had shared with her. She wondered if the story had been true.

  She slowly became aware that there was a small group of people, no more than three, who had fallen into step behind her. They must have slipped out of one of the side streets. She glanced over her shoulder briefly and saw that it was two men and a woman, each a few years older than her. They were talking quietly amongst themselves and did not seem to notice Laila walking in front of them, but she felt a twinge of anxiety.

  Before she reached her own street, she turned down another that would connect with the avenue in front of her house. The small group waited at the corner for a moment before following her again. Laila began to quicken her pace, hoping to outdistance them. They matched her, not gaining ground, but making sure they were close enough to see what Laila might do. Laila felt her heart begin to race. She had no idea what this could be about. The streets of Terus were safe; they always had been. Crime was an unknown thing, especially this close to the city center. But she could not rationalize her heart to calm.

  She turned down a narrow alley that would let out on her own street. By the time she was halfway through it, the three behind her entered. There was no more question—they were following her. She wanted to run but thought better of it, hoping to gain her own street and get home before they could catch her. The walls of the houses on either side of her felt constricting and her breath shortened.

  Heavier steps behind her alerted her that the group was moving more quickly now, catching up to her. Just before she reached the end of the alley, she felt a hand grab her shoulder and spin her around forcefully.

  "We have a message for you, Shi Wardein." It was one of the men. His voice was harsh, full of violence.

  "I don't—" The back of his hand struck her cheek before she could finish. The blow rang through her head, spinning her against the wall of the house next to her. She caught herself just enough to stay upright.

  "Was that necessary, Riker?" asked the woman.

  "He said to make sure she understood," answered the man who had struck Laila.

  "I know, but..."

  "If you don't have the stomach to fulfill the Consul's orders, then leave. I'm sure he can find someone else!"

  A Consul. A Consul had ordered this! Laila's mind reeled. What was happening to her city?

  The man grabbed her shoulder again and tossed her back into the alley, away from the light of the street. She lost her footing and stumbled onto the ground. None of this made any sense. Her mind struggled to figure out what to do. This was not something she, or any Citizen of Terus, had ever prepared for.

  The man standing over her drew a blade from his belt and pointed it at Laila menacingly. Before he could speak, another shadow appeared in the alley. Laila could not make out any details. A Guardian, perhaps. Laila's hopes rose. The other person would stop this and bring these three messengers in.

  The figure stepped forward, into the alley, and Laila could see more of him now. It was not a Guardian; the tell-tale leather and weapons were nowhere to be seen. Then she noticed the black hair pulled back. It was the young man from the café.

  The man who had struck Laila, Riker, reached down and picked her up from the ground. He placed the blade against her neck and turned to face the newcomer.

  "I suggest you leave, now!" Riker said.

  “Or? What’s your plan here exactly?” asked the newcomer. His voice had an odd cadence to it.

  Laila felt the blade push harder against her neck. Her heart shuddered. She felt the rush of fear. As the panic threatened to overwhelm her, she also felt the surge of energy down her spine. The feeling of connection to the earth sprang to her awareness. Without thinking, she grasped it as she had the day before. Her hands lifted involuntarily as though calling on the ground beneath her to protect her.

  A trembling began beneath her feet. She felt Riker's grip loosen slightly, though she could still feel the blade at her neck. She felt the earth respond to her. The feeling was exhilarating. The trembling grew stronger, and Laila felt the earth rise up around her feet. It continued up her legs, a strange, almost slithering sensation. She looked down at her hands and saw the dirt and earth slide up her forearms and coat her hands. The slithering sensation ran up her neck.

  "What in the...?" She felt Riker release her as earth encased her neck and face. She could feel the strength flowing into her from the substance that now cocooned her, banishing her fear.

  "What...what are you?" stammered the young woman.

  Laila could not answer. She was too enveloped by the sensation running through her. The strength, the power. It was overwhelming.

  Riker approached her, holding his blade ready but unsure of what to expect from her. His hand darted out again to try and grab her. He was close enough now, and Laila pushed against him instinctively, just trying to keep herself free of his grasp and away from the blade.

  He was flung backwards, crashing into the stone wall of the alley. The air exploded from his lungs and he slumped down against the stone. Laila looked down at her hands. The power rolling through her was amazing.

  The other two moved toward Laila, ready to help their fellow assailant. There was a burst of blue light, and they turned to see a blue sword wavering in the newcomer's hands.

  "Let her be!" he said.

  Riker gasped, trying to refill his lungs with air. Laila, filled with her newfound strength and power, reached down and grabbed Riker’s arms, lifting him easily and pinning him against the wall. Laila's hands dug into his arms as she held him. Her anger rose to the surface.

  "How dare you! This is Terus!" Her voice echoed through the alley with the strength of the earth behind it. "You would do violence...here?"

  Laila was only half-aware of what she was saying. The power had taken over. The strength she now channeled was too much. But her anger took hold of it.

  Her hand swung back, ready to
strike at Riker's head. This was not her world. This was not Terus. She would rid her city of this scourge. Her anger boiled over.

  Another hand grasped her arm. Not in violence, but in restraint. For a moment, Laila wanted to throw it off of her, to strike against this man before her.

  "Magusari..." That word again. It was the young man from the café. Riker's companions watched in stunned silence, but the young man now stood next to her.

  That one word cut through everything, striking at Laila's conscience. Magusari. That was what Icarus had called her. She still did not know what it meant. But the memory of the day before, with Icarus, the crowd, and his disappointment, rose to the surface. Laila felt the power and strength drain out of her. The earth that had coated her seemed to melt off, melding back into the ground. She dropped Riker as her strength dissipated. He stood for a moment, eyes wide. Then he ran off down the alley, followed closely by the other two, all three glancing back at Laila fearfully.

  She did not see them. She gulped down air, almost sobbing at the sensation of loss she felt as the power receded from her. She held herself against the stone wall, hanging her head between her shoulders. The young man stood next to her, watching carefully.

  "What...what just happened?" she finally whispered.

  "I don't really know. I've never seen anything like that," he answered.

  "But, you called me...you called me Magusari."

  "That's what Icarus called you."

  "Icarus!" She straightened, looking the young man in the eye. "The Magus?"

  "Yes."

  "You know him?"

  "I came here with him."

  "Here? You mean Terus? Why? How?"

  The young man smiled. "It's a long story. Shall we get you home first?"

  "I... Yes."

  He held his arm out to her. She gratefully grabbed onto it, using his strength to regain her own. They slowly made their way out of the small alley and down the avenue to Laila's family house.