by David Ekrut
“Don’t do anything stupid, kid. We’ve done naught wrong.” Jax picked up his cards and frowned. “For once, just follow my lead.”
“Hello, friend,” one of the men said to Jax. A long scar cut through his short beard. His dark eyes promised imminent violence. He stood with his thumbs tucked behind his belt, the fingers of one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
Jax threw a coin on the pile and said without looking, “Do I know you?”
“She said you’d be here today. I had my doubts, but here you are. And with questionable company.”
“You’re one to talk. At least my companion here bathes.”
“She?” Elwin asked.
Jax threw Elwin a sharp look, then said to the man, “Tell Tessaryn Carpeci I’ll have her coins as soon as I sell the artifact. That was our deal. Until then, I have matters that require my attention.”
“We don’t give a dragon’s piss about your business with Carpeci. We’re here for the bounty. Do us all a favor and hand your sword over. This doesn’t need to get ugly.”
“Raise,” Jax said, putting two silver coins on the pile.
The man next to Jax flinched as if slapped. His eyes flittered to the men beside the table, each gripping weapons as if wanting to pull them. None of the other players moved.
“Your turn,” Jax pressed. “Go ahead and fold. We both know your bluffing.”
For the first time since standing, the humor in the bounty hunter’s eyes faded. “I’ll not ask again, Fliste. You and Solsec are coming with me. One way or the other.”
“Solsec?” Jax asked with genuine confusion.
The bounty hunter’s forehead creased. “You don’t know who he is. She was right about that, too. Cursed woman can see the future.”
Jax looked up at Elwin. “His surname is Escari.”
“It ain’t,” the man said, crossing his arms over his chest. “Look. Just step aside. Compared to him, your bounty is a pittance. He’s the son of Bain. His head’s worth a quarter of a million to the high inquisitor. You’re only worth ten thousand. Pay us your bounty and go about your business. What do you say?”
When their gazes met, Elwin shrugged.
Jax stood. His chair toppled. “You said your name is Escari. Bain’s your thumping father?”
“No. He is not. My name is Elwin Escari. It doesn’t matter who fathered me. I was raised by Drenen and Melra Escari. They are my parents.”
“It sure as the abyss does too matter.” Jax faced Elwin, turning his back on the men. His eyes looked hard at the door and back to Elwin a few times. His expression was surprisingly calm. “Had I known who you were, I’d have thumping turned you in myself. A quarter of a million would—”
Without warning, Jax flicked both wrists. His hands twitched faster than Elwin could follow. Metal flashed through the air. The two men who’d circled around behind them fell, clutching knees.
“Run, curse you!” Jax said.
Another pair of dirks was in his hands. Elwin could not begin to guess where they’d come from. Jax threw them over his shoulder. The man with the beard pulled his blade. He struck the projectiles from the air in one fluid swing.
Elwin considered incanting him and Jax away with the dimensional folding, but they still needed horses. Instead, he leapt over Jax’s fallen chair and ran. Several people jumped up from their tables. Most stepped clear of the barred steel. A few moved into the path, grabbing improvised weapons.
Arms enveloped Elwin. He slammed his head backward on instinct. The grip lessened. He turned in time to see a massive cudgel swinging toward him. Elwin stepped to the side. But too slow. Pain exploded on the side of his head. His vision blurred.
He felt a grip on his arm. Reaching for Air, he readied a Wind Thrust. He stopped just short of taming. Jax’s face filled his view. He relaxed his essence, forcing himself to loose his grip on the power. Curse it all, that was close. Taming would have ruined everything.
“Can you walk?”
When Elwin nodded, the room spun.
He let Jax pull him up and toward the open door. Jax held a saber in front of him at the ready, red dripping from the tip. Those blocking the exit parted.
“Stop him!”
The man with the black beard held a bleeding arm, but the wound didn’t appear to slow him. He pulled one of his own companions up by the lapel and kicked the other in the backside to get him moving. Several of the others gathered with him, many nursing cuts as well.
“Come on!” Jax said, taking Elwin’s arm.
Outside, the air was cool. Several of the tavern’s patrons stood in the street. They scattered out of the way as Jax hauled Elwin down the road.
“Can you ride bareback?” Jax asked.
“I was raised on a farm,” he said, sprinting alongside Jax.
“Wait here,” Jax said as they reached the fountain.
A dozen men spilled out of the tavern, moving quickly in their direction. Seconds later, Jax appeared hauling two horses by their manes. As Elwin reached for one, Jax swatted its backside. The horse leapt into a gallop.
As he reared back to strike the second, Elwin caught his hand. “What in the abyss are you doing?”
“Help me,” Jax said. He pulled his arm free and spurred the horse to flee. Without further explanation, he ran back into the stable.
Inside, there were six horses in stalls. Jax released two and struck their flanks. They ran from the stable as though the place was on fire.
Elwin grabbed oats and pushed open a stall. He took the precious few seconds to offer the horse the snack to gain its trust. Once it finished, he leapt atop its back. He grabbed a halter from a hook and fastened it. Outside, he heard the stomping of boots and the angry screams of a gathering mob.
“Not again,” he complained.
Jax leapt atop another horse. “Ride! Go! Go! Go!”
Elwin spurred his to a gallop, after Jax.
As he burst into the night air, something whizzed by his head. Agony lanced through his shoulder. He felt himself falling but could do little to stop it. Water splashed around him. Pain struck his back, knocking the air from his lungs. He rolled to a stop. His instincts were to tame and fly away, but he fought the urge as men ran up to surround him. The horse laid next to him, wheezing out painful breaths. Several arrows protruded from its neck and flank. Looking down, he saw the head of an arrow protruding from his shoulder.
“Don’t move.”
The innkeeper held a crossbow. His eyes promised murder.
Elwin sucked in painful gasps, willing his lungs to work normally. The bounty hunters came near. The one who’d spoken to them stepped forward, pulling shackles from his belt. He handed them to one of his men and gripped his weapon.
He looked down at Elwin and said, “Tarum is going to put these on you. I know what you are. You try to tame, I’ll know. And I’ll put a sword through your throat. Understand?”
Elwin lifted his head enough to see Jax galloping away. He would only get one shot at this.
“Understand, boy?”
Breathing hurt. His back and side had grown numb. Pushing away the sensations, he focused on the road ahead of Jax. Boots splashed into the fountain beside him. The man reached for him.
Elwin incanted the dimensional folding.
His vision waned with the effort to speak the words. He forced his thoughts on where he wanted to travel. Just as the man took hold of his wrist, Elwin spent his gathered will. The angry faces vanished. Cold washed over him. Then heat.
A darkened forest surrounded him. He heard the distant scream of someone in agony. Closer, a horse galloped on a stone road. He still felt the grip on his wrist. Looking down, he saw a severed hand, loose around his wrist.
He gave a shout of alarm and flicked his arm until it came loose. The movement sent waves of pain into his side and back. B
lood oozed from the hole in his shoulder. Every breath ached.
Hooves pounded the stones, gaining speed. At first, Jax was a silhouette bouncing atop the outline of a horse. Knowing he could not move out of the way, Elwin gritted his teeth against the pain and raised his good hand, hoping Jax would stop in time.
In the distance, Elwin could see torchlight moving around the fountain. The shadowy figures jumped about frantically. They would organize soon enough and come after Jax, even if they did not know Elwin was with him.
At the last moment, Jax pulled the horse up short, looking down at Elwin with shock and fear. “Where’s the horse?”
“Dead.”
Swinging down from the saddle, he looked at Elwin’s shoulder and grimaced. “Maybe we shouldn’t have taken the time to set those other horses loose.”
Elwin shrugged. “At least they can’t give chase as easily now.”
“That was the idea,” he said, offering Elwin his hand. “Climb up.”
Elwin’s breath caught as he took Jax’s hand. Pulling himself onto the horse sent waves of agony through him.
“Can you do that again?” Jax asked. “Whisk us to the north?”
He shook his head. His vision spun. “I need to be able to see where I take us. And everything hurts.”
“We need to go north,” Jax said, guiding the horse into the darkened woods. The trees were far enough apart not to hinder them much, and plenty of moonlight illuminated the path.
“One lousy game,” Jax sighed. “Was that too much to ask?”
“Who is Tessaryn Carpeci?” Elwin asked.
Jax shot him a look over his shoulder. “You want to do this now? Elwin thumping Solsec? Fine. I’ll go first. Tessaryn Carpeci is the daughter of the most powerful criminal under lord in all of Arinth. She wants her cut of the artifact I failed to retrieve. Any more questions?”
“Yeah. How did she know we would be at that tavern? We didn’t even know an hour ago.”
“I have no thumping clue. Now it’s my turn.” Before Elwin could interject, Jax asked, “How in the abyss did Bain Solsec’s son grow up on a farm?”
“My birth mother stole me away and left me there.”
“Where?”
“Justice. In the Island Nations.”
“Why are the inquisitors after you?”
“I killed someone,” Elwin admitted. “That is how it started, at least. But now they know where I come from, who my real father is.”
“So what? The guardians would only care if you could tame. Of course, you are Bain’s son. You can thumping tame!”
Elwin could not bring himself to lie. Jax would see through it anyway.
“I can,” he admitted. “But I won’t.”
“You should have thumping told me.”
“Why? I will not tame again until I find a way to beat the dragons. That’s why I’m doing all this. I’m learning their secrets for this reason.”
Jax didn’t respond for a full minute. When he did, his voice was cold. “I carry touched weapons. If you tame, I’ll know. And I will stop you by any means necessary.”
Suddenly, he felt very weary. He could not keep the fatigue from his voice. “I will not tame.”
Jax nodded. After another long silence, he sighed. His voice softened. “So much of the world we know is changing right before our eyes. Children’s tales are coming alive. Magi and dragons, and the Lifebringer knows what else.”
“I mean to do something about that,” he said, just above a whisper. “I will not live under fear of the dragons for who I am.”
“Good luck,” Jax said without much enthusiasm. “Mind if I have your head after the dragons remove it from your body? I could use the gold.”
Elwin gave a short chuckle, wincing at the pain of the motion. “Sure. I suppose I won’t need it anymore.”
Jax snorted.
After a long silence, Elwin asked. “Why didn’t you let those men take me? They might have cut you in on the bounty.”
Jax didn’t answer immediately. When he did, his voice was flippant. “Aside from the fact that if they took your head, you couldn’t repay me? I’ve seen what the guardians are about. Watched them hang three innocents to rile up a crowd. I’m not sure where I stand on all this business with the elementalists or dragons, but I’d rather not see the Arinth the guardians aim to build. There are few people I would turn over to their sense of justice. Even a prat like you.”
“Prat?” Elwin adjusted his position to look down at the other man. The motion sent pain through his back.
“Definitely,” Jax said, watching Elwin’s discomfort with an expression almost like concern. “You have more confidence than sense.”
“Isn’t that the fire calling the summer air hot.”
Jax gave him an annoyed look. “What sort of backwater saying is that? Fire will always be far hotter than the summer.”
“Clearly, you have never been to the islands.”
“Nope, but I’ve been to the Kalicodian deserts. And though it feels like the sun will bake you, I’ll take the summer heat over a walk through fire any day.”
“That’s fair,” Elwin relented. After all, it was just a stupid saying. It wasn’t as if he’d made it up.
“Did you just agree with me? I think—” Jax let out a dramatic gasp and grasped at his chest. “I think my heart has stopped.”
“Funny.”
“Yeah. I thought so.”
Jax pulled the horse to a halt.
“What is it?”
“I have no idea where in the abyss we are. And I can barely see two feet in front of my face.”
The canopy overhead had thickened, but Elwin could still see the moon plainly.
“What are you saying?”
“We are lost.”
Elwin nodded. The movement made his vision swim. His stomach felt suddenly queasy. Still, he forced himself to say, “I thought as much, but you seemed to know where you were going.”
“One foot in front of the other,” Jax said, his look of concern deepening. “I was sort of hoping to stumble upon the others. It doesn’t look like that is going to happen.” Jax turned back the way they’d come. “The bounty hunters aren’t likely to catch us tonight either.”
“Aye,” Elwin said. “Scattering the horses will slow them half-a-day or so. But they will come.”
“And the guardians won’t be far behind.” Jax gave a mirthless chuckle. “I’ll say one thing about you, Elwin Escari-Solsec. You certainly make life interesting. The Seeker take me for a fool, but I suppose I’m in this until the end now. I hope Abadaria is more than promises and children’s tales.”
“Me too,” Elwin said, honestly. He massaged the pain at the base of his skull. He felt so very tired, and his muscles ached.
“Right then,” Jax said, gesturing to Elwin’s shoulder. “We need to do something about that crossbow bolt before the wound festers, and we need to cauterize that hole. Else you’ll bleed to death.”
Even in the moonlight, Elwin could see the copious amount of blood staining his tunic.
“Don’t get used to hearing this,” Elwin said, fighting the dizzy feeling. “But you might be right again.”
Jax didn’t laugh. “Take my hand.”
Elwin reached for Jax’s outstretched arm and missed. He felt himself falling. And the dark of night enveloped him.
Chapter 38
A Kind Soul
Dear Anetia, I would not enjoy having my consciousness nor my freedom taken from me. This was never in debate. I treat the subjects humanely where I can, but they are the enemy. Have you forgotten what the elementalists have done to our kind?
But I do agree with your assertion. Perhaps, we should seek out subjects who would willingly accept Abaddon. He does, after all, have ample followers around Arinth. Perhaps this will even decr
ease the probability of the host’s rejection of Abaddon’s consciousness.
~R., 2996 A.S.
~
Bain walked down the darkened steps and into the common room. The ever-torches were still unlit, and he didn’t bother to ignite any as he moved toward the bar. He placed his travel pack at his feet and sat on the stool, allowing himself to enjoy the quiet.
After the long journey to Disputon, he needed time alone. He had out-maneuvered that dragon in Weatherford, but it had cost him several of his savants. Those who had died or lost their essences had disobeyed his orders and tried to attack the creature. Yet, had they followed his orders, Bain would no longer have his essence.
But he had saved more of his kind than he had lost.
The elementalists had been grateful but refused to join him on his quest against the guardians. They’d run, like beaten dogs, into the wilds, hoping to live out their days in the forests rather than fight for what was theirs by birthright. It was probably better this way. Had any of them come, he would be forced to hide his true purpose from them. And he had already taken too many risks.
Abaddon had not come to him in the shadow realm since Weatherford. Bain could not fault the Father his ire. Bain risked his mission to save those who would kill him if they knew that Mardic of Mansworth was Bain Solsec. And every city and town was the same, each hating elementalists more than the last.
The ever-torches behind the bar ignited, and a woman stepped from the two-way door on the other side. She was a handful of years his senior. Smile lines graced a kind face. Her silver hair was pulled back into a tight bun. He studied her aura. She was kind and loved to give more than she liked to receive. She would sacrifice all she owned for her family.
“Oh,” she said. “Hello, Master Mansworth. You startled me. Do you always sit around in the dark?”
He gave her a disarming smile. “I did not wish to wake anyone. And I was enjoying the peace before a long day.”
“I understand. I trust you slept well?”
“Yes,” Bain said. “The accommodations were exceptional. Thank you.”
Her smile lit her eyes. “Would you care for breakfast, or would you rather wait on your companions?”