Bones of the Earth (The Equilibrium Cycle Book 1)

by Jason A. Gilbert

  "Go, Connor! Take her and go!" Icarus's voice was rough and forced. "I can only hold them for so long!"

  Connor stood dumbly for a moment, trying to process what was happening. Laila was sitting halfway up, staring desperately at the struggling creature in front of her.

  "What a—"

  "Now! I will follow! You can't stand against these! Go east!" Icarus cut him off.

  That time, Icarus's yell snapped Connor back into the moment. The growls of the creatures continued to grow as they fought against the ground holding them. Connor rushed to Laila's side, pulling her to her feet, the Sword disappearing from his hands. The two of them then bolted into the night. Connor pulled Laila behind him, almost dragging her. The shock had not yet released her.

  They ran through the dark night, stumbling over the rocks of the foothills, Connor trying to keep the moon in the same position so as not to get lost. Growls echoed through the night, and Connor felt like crimson teeth were snapping at his heels. Slowly the sounds fell away. Connor risked a glance back. Their fire glowed red against the stone of the mountains behind them. He could still see where it had been, but the pillar of fire that it had become was no longer there.

  "We have to stop," Laila said, breathlessly.

  "No," Connor responded flatly, "he told us to run."

  "But...we can't just leave him."

  "Do you want to go back and fight those things?" Connor snapped.

  Laila lowered her head. "No...I... But Icarus?"

  Connor had no response. He wanted to go back too, but fear and the command of the Magus hung over him. There was a rustling sound to his right, and instantly the Sword appeared in Connor's hands again. This was it. Now he would have to fight these creatures in the dark. Then footsteps could be heard and a dim light appeared, outlining Icarus's hunched form stumbling toward them.

  "Magus!" Connor said, rushing to Icarus's side.

  "I have bought us some time, I hope. But we must move. The Manders will be back." His old voice creaked, and he put his arm around Connor, drawing out the young man's strength.

  "Manders?" asked Laila.

  "Fire-wolves. I feared they were following us, but my sight has been increasingly limited over the last few days. We must go. To the east." He motioned for them to move on. Laila led the way, constantly glancing back at Connor and Icarus, making sure they were still there. After a few minutes, Icarus pushed away from Connor, and they were able to pick up their pace again, almost trotting through the darkness, illuminated only by the dim light emanating from Icarus's small stone.

  They continued this way for an hour; the darkness grew deeper, and the earthlight did little to guide them. They were constantly tripping over stones or bushes, skinning knees, and scraping arms. After two hours, Icarus finally stopped them, resting against a large boulder. Connor stood attentively, staring into the darkness and listening intently for sounds of pursuit by the strange creatures.

  "What's going on?" asked Laila.

  Icarus gulped air, catching his breath from the intense march. "I told you I thought we were being followed."

  "But by whom?" she pressed.

  "I am not the only one seeking the Magusari," he said simply.

  Laila had no response to that. Connor turned to Icarus, abandoning his vigil. "Where are we going?"

  Icarus took another moment before responding. "There is a cave near the Red Bay that leads into the mountains near Grimmere. If you can get there, you should be safe." Connor did not hear the usual confidence in Icarus's voice as he spoke. "It's at least another two days’ travel. But if you push through the night, you can make it."

  Connor finally processed what Icarus was saying. "Us? You're coming with us."

  "No. The Manders must be diverted, otherwise they will not stop. I will stay back. I should be able to lead them on a separate path. You must go on without me—my presence with you gives them a target. If it's within my power, I will meet you at Grimmere." Icarus's voice was calm now.

  "Wait! We can't leave you!" blurted Laila. "I... What are we supposed to do without you?"

  Icarus unslung the small bag from his shoulder, the one holding the books he and Laila had retrieved from the library. "Take these. Get them to Grimmere." The Magus was still not offering any real explanation.

  "But—" began Laila.

  "Child." Icarus cut her off. "You are the important one. Get to Grimmere, and I will find you there...if I can."

  Connor could see that Laila wanted to protest, but she held her tongue. Now it was Connor's turn. "Magus, I don't know of this cave. How can I find it without you?"

  Icarus nodded. "It sits at the end of these plains, where the coastal forest begins, up in the mountains that look out onto the Red Bay. The cave itself is easy to find. But," he turned to look at Laila, "you will need to open the tunnel. Only a Magus can do so."

  Laila lowered her head without responding.

  A howl echoed through the night. Icarus wasted no more time. "Go!"

  Connor did not hesitate this time. He grabbed Laila's arm and pulled her along behind him, trying to leave before either of them could come up with any more arguments. He glanced back once to check on Icarus, but he had already disappeared into the night. Laila shook free of his grip and trudged her way alongside him, into the night.

  Laila sighed in relief when she realized that the dim light of the rising sun was starting to make its way over the horizon. She could take her steps more willfully now, without the constant fear of falling again. She and Connor had been trudging through the night for several hours. There had been no sign of the Manders—or Icarus. Connor set the pace, hiking through the rocky terrain at the foot of the mountains.

  While the rising sun gave her a small comfort, there was still the threat of pursuit clawing at their heels. Laila had never heard of the creatures they had encountered before, the Manders. Icarus had called them fire-wolves. Laila shuddered, remembering the closeness of those crimson fangs snapping at her legs in the cave. That image was followed by the near-constant sensation of inadequacy.

  Connor must have seen her struggle with her fear as they trudged through the rocky terrain.

  “What’s wrong, Laila?” he asked softly.

  The break in the silence that had engulfed them stunned Laila for a moment. She paused, gathering her thoughts. “I…just…I’ve never seen anything like those things before. Have you?”

  Connor shook his head. “No. I have no idea what they were. Not even in our old tales.”

  “Me either. Do you think Icarus will succeed? Lead them away from us?”

  Connor only shrugged, falling into silence again.

  They continued on for a while longer. Laila was caught in her thoughts, unsure of how to proceed. She was glad there was nothing to do besides putting one foot in front of the other and following Connor. As they walked, she reached into the folds of her robes and grasped the two pieces of the stone Icarus had given her in the library. She had been studying it every night, trying to recreate the moment she had experienced with Icarus in the stairwell and call forth light from the stone. But she had been utterly unsuccessful: there was no warmth, no power, no light.

  “What is that?” Connor’s voice interjected into her thoughts.

  “A rock,” Laila said simply.

  Connor half-smiled. “I see that. Why are you carrying around a broken rock?”

  Now it was Laila’s turn to shrug. “Not sure. I was able to make it glow back in Balon.”

  Connor’s eyes widened. “Glow?”

  Laila nodded. “Something Icarus called earthlight. The whole library we found was lit by it. I was able to do the same thing with this,” she held up the pieces of the stone, “with Icarus’s guidance. He said that I’d eventually learn how to do it myself. But I look at it every night, and I haven’t felt anything from it. Nothing like I did when Icarus helped me.” She cursed under her breath as her frustration built.

  “Now that’s not something I expected from a l
ady such as yourself.”

  Laila turned, ready to apologize, but when she saw the smile on Connor’s face, she began to chuckle instead. “It’s something I picked up from a friend.” She felt her emotions begin to rise up at the mention of Dio, a needless reminder of what she had left behind.

  Seeing the shift in Laila’s face, Connor turned back to the rocks and dirt ahead of them, seeking out the best path onward into the east. The mountains stood to their right, soldiers guarding the southern edge of the Confederacy. Laila knew from their conversations that Connor was from the other side of the wide mountain range. To the south, between the mountains and the sea. She had used her ignorance of his people as a way to calm herself during their journey. She found something soothing in talking to Connor. He did not have the mentality of the people she was used to from Terus. He was simple, yes, but honorable. He was not absorbed in the structure of society, as his people did not live that way. Laila found it a refreshing change from the single-mindedness that often consumed the people she knew in Terus.

  They took a short break near midday in a small circle of boulders. Connor leaned against one of the larger stones, closing his eyes briefly. Laila did the same. Her legs ached and her feet were scraped and sore, but the fear of pursuit was still on them, and she knew they could not rest long. Icarus had said they could reach the cave in two days. That meant they would arrive sometime tomorrow if they continued through most of the night. She desperately hoped they would stop at least once overnight, though. She did not think she could go another full night without rest.

  “Do you think we got away from those things?” Laila finally asked, her fear reasserting herself during the short rest.

  “I don’t know. We’ve come far enough. I would think we would have gotten away from any creature that I know of. But I have no idea what ‘fire-wolves’ are capable of.”

  Laila nodded. “I hope Icarus is safe.”

  “He’s a Magus. He can handle himself. I’m sure of it,” Connor responded.

  “Why didn’t he know they were following us, then?” she pressed against Connor’s confidence.

  Connor opened his mouth to respond but hesitated a moment. “I…I don’t know.”

  Laila did not have any response. She was thankful when Connor broke their short rest and started them moving again, even if he had not given her a good answer. Movement, at least, kept the fear at bay if for no other reason than her exhaustion quickly reasserted itself.

  The sun worked its way over their heads in its own long march. Laila felt the heat increase through the day, and she began wiping the sweat from her forehead periodically to keep her eyes clear. The exhaustion of their walk began to weigh on both of them. Laila could follow Connor and no more. Connor appeared to be doing no better; his shoulders were slouched low and his head hung out over his feet as he walked, continuing on by force of will alone.

  Eventually the sun began to set, and the light guiding them faded. Once the darkness had cloaked them again, they found their way became more difficult. Neither Laila nor Connor had the energy to pick their way through the terrain, and they tripped and stumbled far more frequently than they had the night before. A while after the sunlight was completely gone from the sky, Laila caught her foot on a rock and fell, hands first, onto the ground. She could feel the cuts forming on her hands and the blood seeping out, but she did not cry out. She was thankful she could lie on the ground. Connor came back to her after a few moments.

  "You have to get up, Laila. We have to keep going." The words came out of his mouth with no conviction.

  Laila merely shook her head in the dirt. She did not think she could keep going.

  "Those things could still be behind us," Connor pleaded.

  "Don't care."

  Connor dropped to the ground next to her. "Fine. We'll rest. But we have to leave again soon. The Magus wants us to keep going."

  Laila rolled onto her back at the word “rest.” She wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep immediately, but a part of her mind pulled at her, and she knew she needed to at least try and clean her hands. She pulled herself into a sitting position and grabbed one of her water-skins. Connor had collapsed against the tree next to him and looked to be already asleep. Laila poured water over the abrasions on her hands, scrubbing at them, oblivious to the pain. Once she was satisfied that they were clean enough, she bunched her pack up underneath her head and drifted off into a fitful sleep.

  The distant sound of voices woke her. Her body still ached unbearably, and her hands had dried blood on them, making them sticky. She was not sure if the voice had been real or a part of her dream, so she waited and listened. She could still make out Connor's form against the tree in the starlight. He appeared to be sleeping. Then it came again, the voice, just to the east. It was muffled at first, but it woke Laila up from her drowsiness. She slowly rolled herself to the edge of a rock, hoping to hide herself, though it was not as necessary in the darkness of the faint moon.

  The voice grew closer, echoing through the stones near her. "Do they really think there's a chance of attack from this direction? There's nothing out 'ere but rocks and dirt."

  "Orders are orders, Erik. We'll do our rounds and then get back to camp."

  The first voice had been a man's, the second a woman's. Laila's mind could not make sense of what they were talking about. She and Connor were still at least two days from Ester, the southern coastal city of the Confederacy. But the word attack stuck out. Attack from what? Or against whom? All these lands were part of the Confederacy, and there had not been a war or even a large battle for a long time.

  A hand on her shoulder startled her, and she almost cried out. But Connor's hand over her mouth stopped her. She sighed as he moved his hand away, dissipating the panic.

  "What's going on?" he whispered, leaning in close to her ear.

  Laila shrugged in the starlight and motioned toward the sound of the voices.

  "I just hope they get this whole thing figured out. All this posturing for a fight wears me out. I'm itching to fight a real enemy." Erik's voice again. Laila risked looking over the edge of the rock she’d scuttled behind. The two voices took on shape about twenty yards away. The woman held a torch, but its light did not quite reach their hiding place. She was stunned to see they were wearing the armor of Guardians—Balonian Guardians.

  "We haven't fought a real enemy for a hundred years," the woman answered. "This whole thing is just political nonsense."

  "I don't know," responded Erik. "The Teruns don't think it's nonsense. To hear them talk 'bout it makes you think this new Consulari they got is an Aspect incarnate."

  "Yeah, well, there's only a few of them. Balon's taking the brunt of this risk."

  The implications of what they were saying hit Laila. A new Consulari in Terus? What had happened while she’d been gone? She had seen the old Consulari just days before she left—he’d seemed fine, even if those other Consuls had thought he might be slowing down. And she did not understand why there would be a group of Balonian Guardians with Terun Guardians so far away from either city.

  "Ah well," said Erik, looking back into the darkness one more time, "let's finish our route so we can get back to the cook fires."

  The woman shrugged indifferently, and the two Guardians made their way to the north, away from Connor and Laila. When they were out of earshot, Laila turned to Connor.

  "Did any of that make sense to you?" asked Connor.

  "Not really. But something's going on," she said quietly, pondering.

  "Whatever it is, it's beyond us right now. We need to keep going."

  Laila knew that he was right. She was no longer a Citizen of Terus. The goings on of her hometown no longer needed to concern her. She knew that fundamentally, but she could not keep herself from wondering about what these changes meant, especially for her parents.

  With both of them awake and alert, Connor stood and led Laila off into the darkness again. Connor led them on a path further toward the mou
ntains, away from the trajectory of the Guardians. The terrain here was rougher, slowing them down further. After an hour, they stopped again for a rest.

  "It's too dark! We can't keep going like this," Laila said.

  "We have to," Connor answered.

  "And why is that?" another voice asked out of the darkness.

  Laila and Connor jumped to their feet. The two Guardians stepped toward them from the darkness. They no longer carried their torch, making their features hard to see. What Laila could see were their drawn swords, catching just enough of the starlight to flash with their movements.

  "A couple of spies? Guess I was wrong," said the man, moving toward Laila.

  Connor stepped in between them.

  "What are you gonna do, boy?" the man growled.

  The night lit up suddenly as Connor's hands exploded with blue light, coalescing into the blue blade. The sudden appearance of the weapon in Connor's hands made the Guardians step back.

  "What the bloody—?"

  For a moment, the two of them stared dumbly at Connor, watching the flickering blue light of his Sword. Then they split apart, moving to either side of the boy. He watched them, trying to keep himself between their weapons and Laila. Laila watched helplessly. She wanted desperately to do something, but she could not find the power within herself.

  The woman leered at Connor dangerously. "Threatening a Guardian is a serious crime, boy. You know that?"

  Connor did not speak; he kept his eyes darting back and forth between the two warriors.

  "Gonna have to bring you back to camp. Come quietly, and it'll be easier," she continued. Too late, Laila realized what she was trying to do: distract them from Erik's movements, however briefly. A sudden burst of movement from their right, and the Guardian threw himself toward Laila. She brought her hands up in a worthless show of defense, waiting for the man's body to crash into hers. But the impact never came.

  There was a flash of blue light, and Connor's blue blade had caught Erik's sword. Laila stepped back as Connor threw the man's sword back and lashed out, striking at his center. The Guardian was just able to avoid the blow, darting backwards, but he caught himself on a rock in the middle of the maneuver and fell heavily against the ground, his head striking the solid dirt.