Soul of Power

by G David Walker

  Calador stepped up. “Your actions serve as an inspiration to us all…” He hesitated for an instant and then added, “…Far Planer.”

  Jason looked up at him and saw a distinct twinkle in the behemoth’s eyes. He couldn’t suppress a smile as he remembered their first meeting. “Thanks, Dokal.”

  Calador chuckled and laid a massive hand on Jason’s shoulder before stepping back to be replaced by Seerka.

  “Most Far Planers consider it an honor to know a Ferrin,” the cat-man said, “and rightly so. We are extraordinary creatures, after all.” Then he bowed his head to Jason. “Jason Bennett, I consider it an honor to know you.” Then he raised his head and winked at Jason. “Perhaps if you become as powerful as we hope, you will be as extraordinary as a Ferrin.”

  “One can only dream,” Jason said.

  Seerka snorted in amusement, and moved back beside Gatlor and Calador.

  Reyga stepped up. “Little did I know, when you showed up at my door, that you would one day be the Circle’s only hope of survival. It has been…no…it is a privilege to know you, Jason, and I hope to enjoy that privilege for many years to come. I count you among those I am proud to name friends.” He pulled Jason into his embrace, and gave him a strong hug.

  “You’ve been great,” Jason whispered, returning Reyga’s hug. “I just hope I get to see you again.”

  Reyga held him at arm’s length. “You will. You must simply believe.” With one final squeeze of Jason’s shoulders, Reyga joined the others.

  Jason cleared his throat and scanned their faces. “So, who’s the lucky one that gets to kill me?”

  Lenai moved to stand in front of him. “I am,” she said. “It is only fitting, as I will be the first to pay the price if this does not succeed.” She moved closer, and put her hands on either side of his face. “I believe this is how it is done among humans.” Then she softly pressed her lips to his.

  Jason thought a siren was going off somewhere in the distance until he realized it was his own ears ringing. They felt like they were on fire, and, for some reason, he couldn’t seem to feel his feet or the ground underneath them. His heart was pounding so hard it was making him dizzy. Then his reality shrank until all that existed for him was the sensation of her lips against his.

  Although he knew it was only a moment, it seemed to last an eternity before she pulled away and looked deeply into his eyes. He barely noticed her hands moving down his arms to hold his, mesmerized as he was by her gaze. He felt as if he were falling into the dark pools of her pupils as she whispered, “Come back to me, Jason. My heart begins and ends with you.”

  Then he winced as twin streaks of fire flashed down his forearms. He looked down to see that she had used her dagger to lay open his flesh while holding his hands in one of hers. Blood streamed from both wounds, splattering onto the floor at his feet. He looked back up at Lenai, but she hadn’t moved.

  “Come back to me,” she repeated.

  “I’ll try,” he said, feeling a completely different type of dizziness beginning.

  He vaguely noticed Brin opening a portal as Lenai and Gatlor helped him get into the saddle of a horse that seemed to have magically appeared. He knew that someone had probably just led the mount into the yard, but he had been a little distracted at the time. As he swung his leg over, he almost fell off the other side. He was getting more lightheaded by the second, and the blood covering his hands made everything slick and hard to grasp.

  “Lay him down on the horse’s neck,” Seryn said.

  Lay him down? “Wait a second,” he mumbled. “What are you doing?” What was going on? How did he get on this horse? What were they doing to him? His breathing began getting faster, and he tried to push himself off the horse. Even with the sun shining down on him, he felt cold, and his heart was racing.

  “Hold him steady! We must tie him on before he falls off.”

  Who was that? It was a man’s voice, but who? Dad? Dad, where are you? Dad, make them stop! He felt hands on his legs and back, holding him on the horse. Then his initial panic faded, replaced by an overwhelming weariness. His arms and legs hung loosely from his body, and it was getting harder to breathe. Without knowing quite how, he felt the coarse mane under his cheek. His vision was getting blurry, but he could still make out the red streaks running down the horse’s neck and legs. Did something happen to the horse? Then he felt them securing him to the horse with rope. Thanks, he thought. Wouldn’t want to fall off. He tried to speak, but his lips wouldn’t respond.

  Then he was looking down at someone’s face. The features, framed by a curtain of dark hair, were fuzzy, but very familiar. I should know you. He blinked his eyes until the face became clear. Lenai was looking up at him as he lay on the horse’s neck. She had a streak of something on her cheek. Was that blood? Her mouth moved like she was talking, but her distant voice echoed into gibberish in his head. He tried to focus on her, but everything was getting dim, slowly fading into shadows. Finally, he managed to make out a few of her words.

  “Jason, it will be all right.”

  I sure hope so. Then his eyes closed and he left them behind.

  Goodbyes and Hellos

  Seryn stared at the ceiling over her bed. She had been awake since the first rays of the sun had begun dispelling the darkness, but had chosen to stay in bed, pondering the events of the day before. Where is Jason? Aside from Jason’s momentary confusion from his blood loss, everything had gone according to plan. She had used her power to monitor his life signs, forcing herself, against all of her instincts, to allow them to grow weaker by the moment. Lenai watched her intently, waiting for her signal. Finally, the moment she judged to be Jason Bennett’s last came. With her heart in her throat, she nodded to Lenai. Without hesitation, the Shanthi girl led the horse to the portal.

  Lenai went through.

  The horse went through.

  Jason Bennett vanished.

  One moment, he was on the horse as it passed through the plane of the portal. Then, just as the top of his head entered the portal, a wave of sparkling dimsai washed over his body, and he was gone. The rest of the horse passed through unchanged. Seryn and the others rushed to the portal, but all they could see was Meryl and Lenai staring back at them, looking just as perplexed as they felt.

  Meryl.

  Lenai.

  The horse.

  But no Jason Bennett.

  Well, there was nothing to be done for it now. What was done, was done. They could only wait and hope for the best. She got out of bed, got dressed, and prepared to face the day. She pushed aside the thought that it could be her last, choosing instead to focus on the hope of Jason Bennett’s possible return.

  Before she left her chambers, she lingered by the window, gazing out over the forests below. How will these look under Bodann’s touch? Before she had come to Lore’s Haven, she had spent many hours in the woods surrounding her village. The thought of them being destroyed tore at her heart. Her thoughts drifted back across the years as she gazed at the trees, back to the moment she knew she was destined to be a healer.

  When she was thirteen, she had been wandering in the forest when she came across a man from her village who had been attacked by a ketan. He had managed to kill the dangerous cat, but had paid a high price in the process. A deep gash in his side bled profusely, and he was growing weaker by the moment. She had pressed her hands over the wound, trying to stop the blood flow. As she kept pushing on the wound, willing the bleeding to stop, argent power sprang to life under her fingers. Alarmed, she jerked back, and the power vanished. She looked at the man, but his eyes were closed. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. He had not seen anything. Children were supposed to wait for instruction before using any power, and they were told to never use power on another person without at least a saiken cha or saiken li present. But when she looked at the wound again, she saw that the bleeding had slowed considerably, and the ends of the gash looked like they had mended partway. So she helped the man back to the villag
e where she ran for Ceala, the village healer.

  When Ceala arrived, she hesitated a moment as she examined the wound. She gave Seryn an odd look and then tended to the man’s injuries. Afterwards, she motioned for Seryn and her mother to follow her. When they were out of earshot of others, Ceala stopped and turned to her.

  “Who else was with you in the forest?”

  “No one,” Seryn said. “I was walking along the path and found Darel. I helped him get here and came to get you.”

  “Who treated him before I did?”

  Seryn had been afraid she would be in trouble if she told the truth, so she lied. “No one.”

  “Seryn.”

  She looked up, and saw Ceala looking at her expectantly. “Who treated him?” the healer repeated, in a softer tone of voice that made Seryn think that maybe she would not be scolded after all.

  “I did,” she whispered, still bracing for a reprimand in spite of Ceala’s soft tone.

  “Did the healing light come?” Ceala asked.

  “Yes, but just for a moment,” Seryn said. “I stopped as soon as I saw it!” She turned to her mother. “I did not know it would happen. Please do not be angry with me.”

  To her surprise, Ceala burst into laughter. “Angry? My child, how could anyone be angry with one so young who is already showing us her gift?” Ceala turned to her mother. “I believe it may be time to begin her training,” she said with a smile.

  “So soon?” her mother asked.

  “I am fairly certain Darel would have died were it not for Seryn,” Ceala said. “Unless I miss my guess, I see great things ahead for this young woman. The sooner her training begins the better.”

  And so her path had been set. A path that led me to this time and place. Although her future looked bleak, she knew she would not have changed anything that had brought her to this point. Well, maybe one thing, she thought, as Tal’s face crossed her thoughts. With a last glance at the trees, she left her room and began her day.

  The morning passed in a blur. There was little they could do in the way of preparation, so she spent most of her time in the healing area, tending to bumps, bruises, and scrapes. Several of the students, including Meryl, occasionally gave her a look, as if wondering why the High One of the Circle was tending to injuries a second-year Diamond student could heal, but no one questioned her.

  All too soon, it was time for Second Meal. Although she had no appetite, she had asked her mother and sister to dine with her. As she looked around the room, she saw that other members of the Circle had made the same decision as she: to spend what could be their final moments with those most important to them. They passed the time with idle conversation, but Seryn’s thoughts kept turning to the confrontation that lay ahead, and the consequences for the people of Teleria, and for her mother and sister, should they fail.

  Then their plates were empty, and it was time to go. She gave them both a long hug, drawing curious glances from them.

  “Are you well, Seryn?” her mother asked.

  “Yes, of course,” she said, trying to sound nonchalant. “It is just the stress of my new position. I fear that I will not be able to see you as often as I would like due to the duties of my office.”

  Her mother smiled and gave her another, longer, hug. “We understand,” she said. “And we love you and are very proud of you. If you go too long without coming to us, we will simply come to you.” Her sister nodded in agreement. The love and pride in their eyes threatened to undo her.

  “I must be going,” she said, and then turned away, using every ounce of her willpower to keep from breaking into a sprint for the door.

  She made her way to the training yard and saw that she was not the first to arrive. Captain Gatlor already had a contingent of archers lining the walls, the red bands on their sleeves showing each one to be a Deadmark. The captain approached her as she moved toward the center of the yard.

  Gatlor bowed as he stopped in front of her. “With your permission, Loremaster Seryn, I have asked Commander Revin to take any opportunity he sees to attack. Unless you would prefer to give the order.”

  “No, that is not necessary. If you trust Commander Revin’s judgment, then so do I.”

  Gatlor nodded and went back to where Calador and Seerka were standing.

  Seryn scanned the yard. Lenara was setting up her crystals. Seryn studied one of the devices. That this could absorb dimsai was almost unbelievable, and at first, when Lenara and Reyga told her of their purpose, she had not believed it. Then, a part of her had felt outrage that Lenara would create such a thing. Fortunately, a more rational part of her recognized that these might be vital to their success, and she had given Lenara permission to set them up here. She turned away from Lenara’s activities and joined the Loremasters who had arrived before her, nodding a greeting. It seemed that no one was really in the mood for conversation, as they returned her nod silently.

  They stood quietly while the rest of the Loremasters trickled in. She saw Reyga and Lenai speaking with Lenara, and then movement at the entrance caught her attention. Elam walked into the yard, carrying the Blood Iron staff, followed by a score of nasaiken carrying sacks of Blood Iron ore.

  Elam bowed to her. “High One. The staff, myself, and these nasaiken are at your service,” he said, as Reyga and the others joined them.

  “So, you know what to do?” Seryn asked.

  “Yes,” Elam answered. “We will be ready.” He gave Seryn another bow, and moved toward the wall. The other nasaiken had already taken up positions all around the yard. Without warning, Nyala and Nivek appeared.

  “Get ready,” Nyala said. “Bodann is coming.”

  “No, lass,” a loud voice said. “Bodann is already here.” Seryn turned to see that Bodann had appeared in the yard, flanked by Regor and Airam.

  Bodann turned slowly as he gazed around the yard. “Well, it looks like we have quite a crowd here today.” Then he frowned. “But there is someone missing, I see. Where is Jason? I need to have one last talk with the lad.”

  When no one answered, Bodann shook his head, and then turned to Regor. “Do what you need to do.”

  Regor took a step toward Nyala and Nivek. “Son,” Regor said. Then he and Nivek disappeared.

  “No!” Nyala shouted, and then she disappeared as well.

  “Now,” Bodann said, “I will ask one more time, and I expect a better answer than I just received. Where is Jason Bennett?” As the Loremasters exchanged glances, Seryn could see that Bodann was getting angry. “You canna hide him from me, if that’s what you’re thinkin’. There’s no place on Teleria hidden from my eyes. So, do us all a favor, and tell me where he is. Otherwise, the quick, clean deaths I had planned for you will become slow and messy.”

  “Jason Bennett is dead,” Lenara said. Seryn turned to see her shaking off Reyga’s hand. “He thought he could become like you if he died while going through a portal.”

  “Ho! Did he now? Well, I’ll give the lad credit for having the courage to give it a go, but I must say, I’m a bit disappointed that I won’t get to have that chat with him.”

  A gasp jerked Seryn’s attention away from Bodann. She looked over at Lenai. The Shanthi was staring at the sky, eyes wide, as if waiting for something. Then she gave another gasp as her body stiffened.

  “Jason,” Lenai whispered, and then she collapsed to the ground.

  Before Seryn could move, a scream ripped from Lenai’s throat as iridescent force erupted around her, dancing across her body and shooting from every appendage. Her body jerked and shuddered as the power blasted from her, even streaming from her eyes and mouth.

  Seryn tried to go to her, but the power forced her back. On the other side, she saw Reyga having similar difficulties. The power grew brighter, more intense, until Seryn had to put up a hand to shield her eyes from the radiance.

  Then, silence. The dimsai stopped as quickly as it started. Seryn knelt by Lenai, relieved to see that she was still breathing. Before she could examine the Shan
thi, a pair of feet appeared and she looked up to see Jason standing over them. The immense sense of relief she felt almost made her dizzy.

  “I had to break the bond,” Jason said. “The power would have killed her.” He knelt on the other side of Lenai, and took one limp hand in his. Then he looked at Seryn. “I don’t know how she’ll react with the bond broken. Don’t let her do anything…unwise.”

  Seryn nodded, and Jason stood up and turned to Bodann.

  “You want me?” he asked.

  Bodann grinned. “Oh, aye, lad. That I do.”

  “Fine. Come and get me.” Then Jason vanished.

  “Running away will do you no good, lad! You canna hide from me!” Bodann shouted at the sky. He looked at Airam. “I’ll leave this to you, then. I need to talk with Jason. Remember what I told you.” Then he was gone as well.

  Airam’s eyes changed to a bright blue as she turned to them. “Well, that was exciting, wasn’t it? Unfortunately, we have other business to which we must attend.” A cruel smile twisted her lips. “Shall we begin?”

  *****

  Jason looked at the jagged spears of rock rising around him. He was in the valley where Nyala had been imprisoned by the Altered. He knew it would only be moments before Bothan found him. He’d also known that any conflict between them would have leveled Lore’s Haven because of his increased power thanks to his… Rebirth? Resurrection? Neither word seemed to adequately encompass what had happened to him. No matter what it was called, he knew he had to take their fight away from the keep and everyone in it.

  In the moments he had, he mused over his experience. His change. That’s a good word for it. Sort of like Altered. He remembered being on the horse, feeling the coarse mane under his cheek, and even the smell of the horse just before everything faded away. The next thing he knew, he was floating in a void surrounded by whispering sparks of light. He’d known immediately what the sparks and voices were, but it wasn’t until he’d found himself on the Scorched Plains that he knew their desperate ploy had succeeded. The relief he’d felt had been quickly overwhelmed by the shock at how much his perception of Teleria had grown. All he’d had to do was wonder what was going on at Lore’s Haven when he could suddenly sense everything that was happening in the keep. That’s when he realized what was his change was doing to Lenai.