Void Born

by R. J. Metcalf

  “The barrier is down,” Geist’s whisper sounded as loud as a shout in the quiet. “We failed.”

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Ben

  Rebecca’s crew had lost three to the dragon attack, their bodies hidden under canvas tarps on the shore of the island. Ben turned away from the misshapen material and walked over to where Finn and Rebecca conferred, facing away from the shore and back toward the tower.

  Rebecca’s gaze didn’t pull away from the expanse of blue sky. “It’s so large, the horizon.” She shook her head. “I never imagined the day would come that I’d see the barrier down.”

  “Neither did I.” Finn swallowed heavily. “It has gone up and down all in my lifetime.” He settled his arm around Ben’s shoulders in a gentle embrace that reminded Ben distantly of his own father’s affection. “How are you holding up, son? How’s your head?”

  It felt like he had a bruise on every square inch of his body, but he knew they all felt that way, judging by everyone’s stiff, tired movements. Ben gently poked at the swollen flesh around his eye socket and flinched as the touch sent jagged nails straight into his brain. “It’s pretty tender, but I’ll live. Got a killer headache, though.”

  “Not surprised to hear it.” Finn gently propelled Ben toward the Phoenix. “Get some rest. We have at least a few hours before we leave, and once I’ve had some time to recuperate myself, I can help with that headache.”

  Ben nodded woodenly. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”

  How he made it onboard when his body ached all over, Ben didn’t know. But he found Raine curled up on the deck, her back to the wall of the bow. He sank down next to her, leaning against the planked wall, studying her sleeping face, the faint line in her brow, and the tear stains on her cheeks.

  She’d been crying over him when he came to. And once they’d started heading back to the Phoenix, she hadn’t been able to look him in the eye. Her attention had focused everywhere but on him—the sky where the barrier should be, the slick leaves underfoot. She’d remained at Finn’s side, utterly silent.

  They’d been at the Phoenix barely long enough for Geist and Finn to share what happened, then Geist had gathered a crew of four to search the island for the man who’d taken down the barrier and escaped them.

  The deck vibrated under Ben as Roska walked by, his arm in a sling. He stopped, casting a long shadow that reached the tip of Ben’s boots. Roska’s eyes widened as he met Ben’s gaze and lifted his Balnic keychain and kissed it, hurrying down the stairs to below deck.

  Thus far, all the other crew members hadn’t made a comment about Ben and Raine being Void Born, yet Roska’s reaction didn’t surprise Ben. This probably played right into his superstitions.

  “Becca!”

  Ben craned his neck back, trying to see where Michael was shouting from. A shadow on the main deck pinpointed Michael to the deck above, with the eastern light at his back.

  “A ship!” Michael bellowed. “Coming from the city!”

  A surge of adrenaline shot through Ben’s tired body, and he dropped his head back against the wall with a groan as his muscles shook. This wouldn’t go over well. “How far out?” Ben called up to Michael.

  Michael’s head popped over the railing above, and he shoved a hand through his hair. “Looks to be twenty minutes out.”

  “Wake me before they land?” Ben asked. He held out his hand, dispassionately watching the tremors. “I’m useless in a fight right now.”

  “You got it.”

  Ben stretched out on his back next to Raine, letting his hand cover his eyes from the early light. It felt like no time had passed before a strong grip shook his arm.

  “They’re here. Wake up, man.”

  Ben stretched with a yawn and sat up, nodding his thanks to Michael. Had that really been twenty minutes? Ben settled one hand over Raine’s hilt then gently touched her arm. “Raine? Raine, time to get up.” She flinched in her sleep but didn’t stir. Ben brushed hair back from her face and tried poking her cheek, leaning close as he kept his voice low, trying to keep the urgency from his voice. “Raine. The Elph are here, and we need to get out there. Raine—”

  Her eyelids fluttered, then snapped open. She blinked once, twice, then pushed back into the wall with a stifled exclamation. Her hand flew to her sword, and he tightened his grip on the hilt, preventing her from drawing on him.

  “Hey, hey, we’re safe,” he soothed, patting at the air over her with his free hand. “But we need to get out there. We have what’s bound to be a bunch of angry Elph coming at us any moment now. So, don’t slice me up, okay?”

  She stared at him before nodding once, a glimmer of exasperated humor softening her tired eyes. He released her sword and stood, turning to hold a hand out to her. She took his offered hand with little enough hesitation that it made him wonder if she was still asleep, and he pulled her to her feet.

  They made their way down the gangplank and joined Finn, Rebecca, Roska, and Schultz where they waited for the golden ship with green sails. The ship rose off the water as it neared, barely hovering over the surface before landing on the ground by them, flattening trees and bushes.

  “Remember, we’re not guilty of anything, so don’t act like we have anything to hide,” Finn said, wiping his hands on his pant legs.

  “You forget the breakout and accusation of theft, Papa.”

  Finn grimaced. “We still have nothing to hide. What happened here isn’t our fault.”

  Advisor Kaius stepped down from the ship with two guards shadowing him. His brown robes of office fluttered and settled around him with each movement, and the skin around his eyes twitched as he gestured up to the keep. “What have you people done?”

  Finn stepped forward and lifted his chin, clasping his hands in front of him. “They took it down, as we warned you would happen.”

  “They?” Kaius’s eyebrows rose, and he looked around with exaggerated curiosity. “I see no one. Who did it? Who took it down?” He stalked forward and jabbed Finn in the chest. “I suspect it was you, old man.”

  Raine growled, and Ben threw an arm around her to hold her back. She pushed against him, her glare fixed on the advisor sneering down at her grandfather.

  Kaius’s eyes flicked up to them, then to the rest of the crew gathered around. He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers. Soldiers lined the railing of his ship and started marching down. “All of you are under arrest.”

  ***

  Ben kept his mouth shut as he trailed into Ezran’s meeting chamber, robed once again in a flimsy blue gown. They’d been searched and stripped and re-dressed. No one mentioned the four left behind. How Geist, Kerlee, Serena, and Keene would get off the island, Ben couldn’t guess, but they were resourceful. As long as they could escape, they all had a chance.

  Never before had Ben considered Finn as one who looked old. He was old enough to be a grandfather, sure, but he always walked with a spring in his step, and the laugh lines around his eyes and mouth eased how time would betray his age. But now? Now he looked ancient. Wrinkles sagged on his face and his shoulders drooped as he shuffled to the head of their group, the chains around his wrists clanking.

  Ben nudged Raine, and she looked up from the floor, her face still dirty from the fighting earlier, tear trails on her cheeks. “Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, about,” he hesitated, trying to think of a way he could talk to her without giving himself away. “Me,” he said finally. “I should have been honest.”

  A hollow laugh huffed out of her. “Don’t.” She glanced around them at the Elph guards surrounding them as they walked toward the meeting chamber. “I understand the fear. I’ve lived with it all my life, despite all Papa has done to keep us safe.” She lifted her manacled hands to brush hair out of her face. “It’s lonely.” A faint blush darkened Raine’s cheeks, and her gaze darted to meet his. “Maybe I don’t have to be alone anymore.”

  Their restraints made it impossible for Ben to hold her hand while walking, so he se
ttled for bumping shoulders with her, hoping to convey some semblance of comfort.

  Emperor Ezran watched them enter, his countenance cold. He waited until they lined up in two small rows. “Explain yourselves.”

  Finn bowed, keeping his face down. “After we were imprisoned, we heard rumor that the lodestone was stolen, and we suspected our enemies were making their move. My crew rescued us so that we could go to the island in attempt to stop their scheme. We failed.”

  “Clearly.” Ezran tilted his head and drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair. “Tell me, how many did you have to fight?”

  “My Lord.” Finn dipped his head. “After making landfall, we had to split our group. One group stayed to fight the dragons that Lucio sent. Six of us went against Lucio.” He gestured back at Ben and Raine. “They succeeded in killing Lucio, but only after he’d already killed two of our men with his Void magic. And Lucio’s ally got away.”

  “Void magic?” Ezran dropped his hand away from his chin. “No one uses Void magic.”

  “Well this one did,” Roska exclaimed, stepping forward, his hands jerking on his chains. “He had a whip that erased whatever it touched, and a shield that did the same.”

  Ezran stood and came down from his dais with deliberate steps. He stopped in front of Roska and leaned into his face. “You lie.” He paced in front of them, pausing to look at Maggie, to study Steban, and to ignore Schultz. He clasped his hands behind his back as he passed behind Roska and then in front of Ben. “One of your men snuck out. He stole from our specially warded stores, killing a guard. You broke into our prison, knocked out our guards, stole a boat, and in the name of ‘trying to protect the barrier,’” Ezran emphasized the words with an edge to his voice, “you took it down.”

  Ezran halted next to Raine and he turned, his eyes narrowed. “And your story doesn’t quite add up. Tell me, why do you have the remnants of the lodestone? Why steal it if you were going to destroy it?” He looked at Ben. “And how did you get close enough to kill Lucio, if he’s as powerful as Finn claims?”

  Raine spread her hands as best she could while shackled and stuttered. “Lucio had the lodestone. We found the pieces, and I picked them up. Maybe we can fix it and use it, if we can get the barrier back up somehow.”

  “And how, pray tell, did you get past Lucio’s shield?” Ezran returned to Ben and raised his eyebrows, pointedly looking him up and down. “Nothing of you seems to be missing. Seems like you didn’t get too close to this ‘Void whip.’”

  Ben licked his lips, his mind racing. How to answer that?

  “That’s because he’s a Void Born.” Roska pointed at Raine. “As is she.” His fingers twitched as if he were caressing his whale pendant. “We were traveling with the third child of trouble, and it ruined us all.”

  Shards of ice ran through Ben’s blood as he closed his eyes against Roska’s betrayal. A frigid hand slipped into Ben’s, and he side-stepped closer to Raine, twining their fingers together and squeezing them. There was no way to protect Raine from whatever would happen next. No way for him to escape. What would Ezran do?

  “Void Born?” Ezran’s eyes burned. “Their taint has sullied the purity of our city.” He whirled away, his robe smacking Ben’s leg. “Your crew will remain under arrest here and stand trial for your crimes against Antius and the southern nations. The Void Born shall go where they belong.” He snapped his fingers, and the guards lining the room surged forward.

  Finn reached a hand out to a sconce of fire, and a rope of fire swirled to his outstretched fingers. A soldier stepped behind Finn, hitting him in the head with his hilt. Finn crumpled, and Raine screamed.

  Ben pulled Raine to him, turning to escape the two guards that rushed them. He ran into a solid form and stumbled back. A soldier glared down at him. Something sharp hit his head.

  Black spots swam in his vision. Then nothing.

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Jade

  Jade leaned against the plaster railing of the balcony, enjoying the stillness and quiet of dawn. There wasn’t much of a breeze this morning, but the faint golden glow of the sunrise helped to give her something grounding to focus on while her emotions raged in turmoil.

  Today she would have to learn to be an actress. Not only to hide as much as she could between her and Zak, but to also show something she wasn’t feeling for Weston.

  They’d talked late into the night, the three of them. Then Weston left, and Jade stayed, huddled in Zak’s coat, on his chair, until Zaborah came pounding on the door. But their course of action had already been decided.

  Zak would talk to Francene this morning about hiring more guards. Jade would work to brainstorm with Weston on how they could finish the alliance agreement so that it would hold up to the scrutiny of the leaders’ summit. It would have to be permanent and lasting, like a marriage, but without the selling of one’s self for the sake of politics.

  And they’d have to act like there was something romantic actually brewing between them.

  Sleep had eluded her all night, and she’d ended up pacing the sitting room until she couldn’t walk straight. Then she stared at the ceiling for all of twenty minutes before she crawled out of bed, giving up on the idea of rest and choosing to lie on the couch while staring at the dying embers in the fireplace. She wouldn’t wake Krista for this. She needed one of them to be cognitive by the time it was afternoon.

  Her door banged open, and she whirled around, pressing her back against the balcony, fear pumping ice through her veins.

  Francene blew in through the door, her eyes impossibly large, chest heaving. “We have a problem.” Her voice shook.

  “What’s wrong? Who—did—”

  Francene grabbed Jade’s hands, holding them between her own. “The barrier has fallen.”

  “Barrier preserve us,” Jade whispered. Francene blurred into two, and Jade sank to the floor, dizzy. What on all of Terrene had happened? Her aunt Becca, her uncle Michael. Her crew that went with them. Ben.

  They’d failed.

  Now war would come. Everyone would die, unless the kingdoms were truly united. And she could think of only one way to guarantee that union this quickly. Her heart sank.

  It was time for her to do her part, lest her citizens, and all the free people of southern Terrene, suffer.

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Ben

  Ben blinked awake. His head pounded as his stomach churned. Raine! He shot upright, and his stomach rebelled. He doubled over, heaving. He scooted back from the mess on the floor, trying to examine the small cell he was in, despite his blurry vision. Not even a cot or a bucket was given to him, just a rank hole in the corner.

  He stood, his legs wobbling. A knot on the back of his head throbbed in time with the tender skin that bruised his face. Where was Raine? Where was the rest of the crew? How much time had passed? His heart beat in his throat, and his fingers scrabbled for purchase against the damp brick walls. Metal clanked, and chains dug into his wrists.

  The lone door creaked open, and light flooded into the room, blinding Ben. He lifted a hand to try to block the brightness stabbing at his eyes. An Elph stood in the doorway.

  “Time to move.”

  “Where is she?” Ben croaked, his chains rattling as he stood. The room spun for a dizzying moment. “Where is Raine?”

  The guard said nothing, just stepped in, grabbed Ben’s arm, and dragged him. “I said move.”

  They passed through a long hall of closed doors and sick-smelling cells. By the time they finally left the prison block, Ben’s head had cleared enough for him to be able to walk in a straight line of his own volition.

  “Please, where is she?” Ben’s voice broke. She’d kept her secret for so long, and then this happened. This was why she hadn’t trusted him at first. Why she hadn’t gotten close to anyone aside from Finn. Ben gritted his teeth.

  “Your friend is on the other airship,” The guard muttered. He didn’t look at Ben as he led him up a ramp that led to
the bottom deck of an airship. “You’ll see her soon enough, scum. She’s been moved before you.”

  Ben craned his neck, trying to get a look behind him, but his blurred vision and pounding head made his vision swim. Where was she moved to? Where was he going? What did they do to Void Born here?

  “Where?” Ben asked, unable to keep the pleading from his voice. “Where are we going?”

  The guard pushed him into a cell and threw the gate shut. “Where you’ll never see the light of day again. You’re going to the Hollows.”

  ***

  Ben sat on his cot, listening to the turbines whir as the ship rumbled. This was no Sapphire or Phoenix. If he remembered his lessons from Jade correctly, the bolts were too loose, and the timing was off on the rotations per minute. He ground the heel of his palm into his forehead. He’d never get home now. I’m sorry, Sara. I got caught up in troubles in another world, and I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this mess.

  Something thudded overhead and voices raised, yelling. He could hear footsteps on the stairs around the corner, and he leaned back on his cot, curious. A black-haired man skidded into view, sword in hand.

  It was Geist.

  Geist jogged to the doorway he’d just passed through and shouted up the stairs. “Finn! I found him!”

  Ben shot up from the cot, gritting his teeth against the nausea.

  Geist studied the lock on the bars and shook his head. “Hang on, man. My sword won’t even dent that.”

  Finn hustled into the room and flared fire around the lock. It glowed orange before melting into a puddle of metallic goo. Geist pulled the door open, and Finn pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking Ben’s shackles.

  Ben tossed them on the cot and held on to a bar as he waited for his head to stop spinning. “Did you already get her?”

  His words overlapped with Finn’s: “Where is she?”