“No! How are you doing this? You cannot defeat me! I am an Altered!” Airam’s voice was as ragged as her appearance. Her eyes no longer glowed. Now she looked like nothing more than a silver-haired matronly woman whose features shifted and flowed, like looking at someone under the water’s surface. “Stop! I command it! Stooo….” Her voice faded as the arrows continued to tear away bits and pieces of her and the Blood Iron and crystals absorbed the dimsai. Finally, what remained collapsed into a pile of dust.
Reyga stared at the mound of powder, slowly being sifted by the light breeze blowing through the yard. “We won,” he whispered. Then in a firmer tone, “We defeated an Altered.”
“Indeed,” Seryn said. “But we could not have done this without the nasaiken.”
Elam’s gaze was going back and forth between Airam’s remains and the Blood Iron staff in his hands. At Seryn’s words, he looked up. “I am only happy we were able to help.”
“We are in your debt,” Seryn said. “Yours as well, Lenara. But even with this victory, and even should Nyala and Nivek defeat Regor, if Bodann prevails over Jason Bennett, it will all be for naught.”
“Is there nothing we can do?” Kalen asked.
“Only hope, Loremaster,” Seryn said. “Only hope.”
*****
Lenai raced through the halls of Lore’s Haven, not knowing where she was going, only knowing that she had to somehow find Jason. Although she could no longer sense him, she knew in the depths of her soul that she had to get to him. Barely seeing the people she passed, she sprinted through the passages, turning one way or the other based upon nothing more than vague intuition.
When she woke up in the training yard to the sound of the Circle’s struggle against Airam, her first thought upon realizing she could no longer feel Jason was that Bodann had killed him. She had braced herself for the crushing pain she knew would follow. When no pain was forthcoming, she realized that something else had happened. That the Bond was gone was plain. How or why it was gone was not. A sense of urgency filled her, driving her to leave behind her ch’tasa in a desperate race to find her ch’nai. There was no reason for her to believe Jason was in the keep, or even anywhere near the keep, but something inside her refused to allow her to stop.
She turned a corner and felt something strike her across her neck and shoulders. She landed heavily on her back, the impact driving the breath from her lungs. As she rolled to her knees, gasping for air, she saw a figure appear. A figure she recognized all too well.
“Kelsu.” Her hand went to her dagger as she stood, although she did not draw it yet.
“Hello, Sister,” he said with a smirk.
“How did you get free?”
“Suffice it to say, I have relieved the humans of a few of the more gullible members of their race.” He gave her a wink. “Your little trick in the caverns is much more effective on humans than on Grithor.”
She ignored the barb. “What do you intend to do now?”
“I plan to rejoin the Shadow Lord and continue my work to free our people from the sway of the humans.”
“And if Regor is already defeated? What will you do then?”
“There is none who can defeat him. Your pitiful ch’nai cannot. The Circle cannot. He is the strongest of all the Altered. Who is there that can stand against him?”
“The Matron of Souls is being defeated as we speak. The Shadow Lord is not invincible. He may be the strongest, but is he stronger than two Altered combined?” She remembered Regor, Nyala, and Nivek disappearing before she was overcome.
“Regor will prevail.” There was not a hint of doubt in his tone.
“Even if that happens, he will not rule. Bodann has returned, stronger than before. Your Shadow Lord now bows to him, a human. As will you.” She had little hope of this ending in anything other than battle, but if she could anger him enough, he might make a mistake. “You will bow down to one of the humans you despise.”
Kelsu’s expression darkened. “So I have been told. It does not matter. I know Regor has a plan. He is using Bodann until he is no longer needed.”
Lenai could not believe the depth of Regor’s control over Kelsu. It sickened her to think that the brother who had shown her so many things growing up had become this. Rishna kel. Honorless. Betrayer. There was only one way she could honor the memory of the person Kelsu had once been. Slowly, she pulled her dagger from its sheath.
“I cannot allow you to leave.”
“You cannot stop me.”
“I can, and I will.”
“Lenai, this does not need to end in bloodshed. Because you are my sister, I will offer one more time. Join us. We can serve Regor together, and then you will see that the way of the Shani Ish is the true way. Not like those of our people who have bowed down to the humans.” He held out his hand. “Stand with me, and help me restore what it truly is to be Shanthi to our people.”
“But my blood is tainted. You said those words yourself. How could you allow such blood to join you?”
“Regor can cleanse you. Swear allegiance to him and he will forgive. Trust me. I am your brother.”
Her heart sank. It was clear to her that the man who was once her brother no longer existed. Kelsu was no more than a shell under Regor’s control. And she had no more time to spare. She still had to find Jason. “When you became rishna kel, you destroyed what was once my brother. He had honor. You have none. You are not my brother.”
He nodded as she finished. “Well, then,” he said, drawing his own dagger, “if that is true, I need not feel any guilt about killing you.”
“I do not wish it to end this way.”
“If you will not join us, this is the only way it can end.”
Blades flashing, they launched themselves at each other.
*****
Jason stumbled backward under the impact of Bothan’s attack, which was now considerably stronger than before. Well, maybe I helped the others out at least. It was the only thought that put a bright side on Bothan’s increase in strength. His ancestor’s assault was unrelenting. Although he was able to deflect many of the attacks, the sheer ferocity drove him back, even as the reflected power blasted scars into the landscape around them.
Bothan grinned as Jason retreated. “I see yer tongue’s not quite so flip now, is it, laddie?”
Jason blocked another blast of power. “Yeah? Give me a minute. I’m sure I’ll come up with something.”
“Oh, aye, lad. I’m sure you will,” Bothan said, while keeping up his assault. “But while you work on that, let me tell you something that’s been on my mind.” He paused his attack and stroked his chin with one hand. “Y’see, I’ve been thinkin’ on how it will be once you’re gone. It occurs to me your little shifter friend may be lonely. What do you think?”
“I doubt she’s your type.” Although listening to Bothan talk was irritating, Jason was glad to be able to catch his breath.
“Oh, I don’t know. After you, she might be interested in having a real man.”
“Yeah, you’re hilarious. Got anything original?” Although he tried to keep his tone light, the thought of Bothan going after Lenai had him grinding his teeth.
“She’s a bonnie lass, no doubt. For a shifter, that is. There’s no denying it. I’m sure she and I would have a grand time.”
“How about you leave her out of this? This is between you and me.” He tried not to let Bothan’s words get to him, but he could feel his anger rising.
“But soon there won’t be a you. There will only be me. And I dinna want to be lonely.”
“So get a dog.”
“I could make her dance like a puppet, just like I did you.”
“Leave her alone!” The thought of what Bothan would make Lenai do made Jason’s blood boil.
“But I’ll wager, eventually, there’d be no need to control her. She would come to me willingly. Wanting what she couldna get from you. Oh, aye. I can see it—”
With a shout of anger, Jason sent a blast
of power at Bothan. He’d heard all he could take. Now it was time to make Bothan pay for what he’d said and done. Jason let his rage have full reign, throwing bolt after bolt of dimsai. The aggressiveness of his attack drove Bothan back, the previously smug look on his face now replaced by one of angry surprise. Bothan retreated several steps before regaining his footing against Jason’s onslaught.
“You will never touch her!” Jason shouted, his voice crackling with energy. “You’ll never hurt anyone again!”
He didn’t know how long their battle went on, with each of them trading blows and devastating the land around them. His ears rang from the thunderous explosions and constant sounds of crashing rock. Occasional glances around the area showed that what had been a valley surrounded by jagged peaks when they arrived was now a cratered plateau, the air clouded with dust, with only two or three shaky spires of rock still standing. Lore’s Haven would have been leveled. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up, but the thought that Bothan could still do this to the keep gave him strength to renew his attacks. He has to get tired sometime. At least he hoped so.
“You’re getting weak, lad,” Bothan called over the sound of their fight. “I’m not surprised.”
“I’ve still got enough to take you down,” Jason returned.
“I dinna think so. Your strength is born of anger and rage against what you know will happen to your friends. An anger so hot you’re willing to die to sate it. ‘Tis noble enough, aye, I’ll give you that. But my strength comes from a deep, burning hatred for the Circle and what they did to me. Your anger will fade, and with it, your strength. My hatred will not. You canna beat me. It’s as simple as that.”
“The Circle tried to help you. You turned your back on them.” Bothan’s attacks were getting stronger, forcing Jason to give ground. But he refused to just give up. There had to be a way to beat his ancestor.
“The Circle is weak! And I canna abide weakness. Not in those who mean to rule.”
“We beat you once. We can do it again.”
“Did you now? So why are we here? No, what you did was guide me to my ultimate destiny. I was always fated to be what I am now. The Circle had their chance to be rid of me, and what did they do? Banishment. That was their answer. Bah! Weakness! And the same weakness that resides in them has its place in you. You’re fighting a losing battle, Jason. Do yourself a favor and give up. The end result will be the same either way. Why make it harder than it has to be?”
“No!”
He continued throwing power at his ancestor, but soon he felt the truth of Bothan’s words. He was beginning to weaken. His initial burst of furious rage was fading to a burning anger. He tried to focus on maintaining his intensity, keeping Bothan on the defensive, but he knew he needed to finish this quickly, before he had spent all of his power. Although he was supposed to be a conduit for what was probably an almost endless supply of dimsai, it was obvious that his strength was not as endless. His body could still get tired; his mind could still get distracted. With an effort of will, he mustered all of his resources, hoping for one massive strike that would at least injure Bothan, and give Jason the upper hand.
A blur of yellow at the periphery of his vision caught his attention. He turned, ready to counter, when he realized what the yellow streak was. Crin. Although he knew the fortune wing was under Bothan’s control, he could not bring himself to attack the bird. Not after all they had been through together. He just hoped Crin could somehow overcome Bothan’s control in time.
At the last moment, he threw his arms up in front of his face. A flash of fire across his forearm and cheek told him he had been an instant too slow. As his gaze instinctively followed Crin flying off, the ground underneath him exploded upward, tossing him into the air. A split second later, a blast of power struck him, sending him flying backward, until he found himself rolling and scraping along the rough ground. As he came to a stop and tried to get his bearings, another blast hit him, throwing him back again. He managed to get a shield up, but another concussion of power against it knocked him back yet again.
He countered with attacks of his own, but he could tell they did not have the same strength as before, and they were getting weaker with each attempt. Although he tried to push the thought away, it looked like Bothan might be right. Jason might not be able to beat him. The thought of Teleria under Bothan’s rule made him sick to his stomach, but unless a miracle happened, it didn’t look like he would be able to prevent it. At this point, he wasn’t sure if he could last another five minutes, let alone beat his ancestor. I gotta get back to the keep. He didn’t expect anything or anyone there to be able to help him. He just wanted them to be able to find his body, so they’d at least know what happened.
While he fended off Bothan’s attacks, he tried to step to Lore’s Haven as he had done before, to save Lenai, but found he didn’t even have the power for that. With the strength he had, he managed to create a portal to the plateau behind the keep, collapsing to the ground as soon as he stepped through. He didn’t want their fight anywhere inside the walls of Lore’s Haven. That would be disastrous.
He didn’t expect Bothan to be far behind him, and he wasn’t disappointed.
“Ye canna run from me, lad.”
He looked up to see Bothan standing between him and the keep. Before he could answer, Jason heard shouts coming from behind his ancestor. Looking past Bothan, he saw a group of soldiers charging toward them, their swords drawn and at the ready.
Bothan looked over his shoulder, and, with a casual gesture, sent the soldiers and their weapons flying through the air almost back to the Haven, where they landed and did not rise. Jason tried to throw a bolt of dimsai while Bothan was distracted, but the weak trickle of power struck his ancestor without having any noticeable effect. Bothan turned back to Jason and gave him a smile.
“I’ll give you credit, lad, you put up a good fight. But now it’s over. At least you can die knowing you did the best you can. Too bad it wasn’t enough.”
“I’m still more of a man than you’ll ever be.”
Bothan appeared to consider Jason’s words. “Aye. Perhaps you’re right. But I’ll be the one in charge, and you’ll be dead, so it makes little difference.”
“Why? With your power, you can do whatever you want. Why this?”
“Because I have the power.”
Jason opened his mouth to speak again, but Bothan waved him off.
“I’m in no mood to discuss it with you, lad, and you’ll not be stalling me any longer. Goodbye, Jason.”
Too exhausted to fight back, Jason could only watch as Bothan began raising his hands to deliver the killing blow. Suddenly, Bothan jerked as if he’d been punched in the back, a strange look frozen on his face. As Jason stared, a thin, red line appeared across his ancestor’s throat. Slowly, the big man’s legs buckled. As his knees hit the ground, his head slid off to the side, rolling to a stop a short distance away, his body falling in the other direction. Jason gaped at the two parts, his gaze going back and forth for several moments, until a figure appeared, standing behind where Bothan had been.
He looked up and saw Lenai, a bloodstained sword hanging from one hand, looking as if she might collapse herself at any moment. Cuts and lacerations covered her, and her clothes were heavy with blood. But, somehow, she didn’t fall. He met her eyes, and was immediately transfixed by the intensity he saw there. It was as if the sight of him was the only thing keeping her upright. When she spoke, her voice was ragged, and yet the whispered words seemed to drown out everything else and ring through his soul.
“Some bonds cannot be broken.”
He stared at her without saying anything at first. But her eyes demanded an answer. He swallowed hard, and gave her the only answer he knew she would accept. The only answer he knew was true.
“Some bonds aren’t meant to be broken.”
He saw the tension leave her shoulders as she gave him one slow nod. Then the sword slipped from her grasp, clatteri
ng onto the rocks, and her eyes rolled back into her head as she fell to the ground.
“Lenai?” When she didn’t move, Jason began dragging himself toward her. He had no strength left to stand, so he pulled himself across the dirt and rocks until he was beside her. With what remained of his power, he tried to heal the worst of her injuries, his dimsai sputtering and flickering weakly as it flowed over her wounds. Finally, he could do no more. I hope it’s enough. He pulled himself closer to her, until he could whisper into her ear.
“Now it’s your turn to come back to me,” he said as he placed his hand over hers, “because my heart begins and ends with you too.”
Then he laid his head down and sank into oblivion.
Setting the Record Straight
As Jason struggled back toward consciousness, his first thought was that he was still on the ground of the plateau, because of the cold, unyielding surface underneath his back. His next thought was that he no longer felt Lenai’s hand under his own. His eyes flew open and he tried to sit up, only to fall back with a groan onto the hard surface as fiery pain assaulted his body from a dozen different places. He shut his eyes as he waited for the pain to subside.
“Jason?”
His eyes snapped open again to see Lenai standing over him with no traces of injuries. A quick glance told him he was back on a treatment table in the healing area once again He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “You’re okay?”
“I am well.”
He searched her face as the memory of Bothan falling came back. “You cut his head off.”
“I did what was necessary. For you, and for Teleria.”
“Yeah, I guess you did.” Looking around the room, he noticed they were the only two present. “Where is everybody?”
“They are waiting elsewhere. I will get them.”
Lenai had just walked out the door when Jason felt a familiar presence in his mind.
“Jason! Are you well?”
He grinned, ignoring the burning in his cheek. Crin! You’re back!
Soul of Power Page 28