Heretic Spellblade 3

by Robertson, K. D.

  That was news to Nathan. He straightened up. “Really?”

  “You didn’t know? Hmm.” Leopold clicked his tongue as he took a long swig.

  Silence fell. Nathan looked around them.

  The parlor was empty. Like all rooms in the palace, it was obscenely huge. A hundred people could drink in here comfortably. Nathan and Leopold sat in a corner, away from windows and doors. Both of them had good views of the rest of the room.

  They made a good pair. Paranoid Bastions who snuck away while others dealt with the nitty-gritty of the Empire.

  “About Fyre,” Nathan began to say.

  “Ah, yes. Her,” Leopold said, tone darkening. “She concerns me. Are you sure about her?”

  “What’s the saying that gets bandied about by Bastions? Something about how remaining ignorant only causes peril?” Nathan said.

  “There are a few of those sayings.” Leopold bit his lip, gaze distant. “I like the way the dark elves put it. If you know everything, you’ll never be in danger. If you don’t know your enemy, you can still survive or win. If you know nothing, you’re already dead.” He laughed. “Although they put it far better.”

  Nathan had heard that one before from Nurevia. It was the creed of hunters, the dark elf Champions who killed those who opposed the Spires.

  “So, you don’t trust her. Good. What about her?” Leopold asked.

  “Anna said you thought I already claimed her.”

  A grunt. “I did,” the old man said. “The records said as much.”

  “But her magical signature—”

  “Is neutral. No reading.”

  Nathan blinked. “I don’t follow.”

  Leopold’s glass clinked on the table as he lowered it. “Well, now. It’s nice to be able to teach you something for once. I’ve gotten a little too used to you knowing every Bastion trick of the trade.”

  “I thought you didn’t teach, only tested,” Nathan replied.

  “You’re far past the point of needing to be tested, Nathan. You proved that during the cascade. Those succubi twins were terrifyingly strong. I heard about what happened on your side. Amazing, terrifying magic took place—on both sides.” Leopold’s eyes pierced him.

  Nathan shuffled uncomfortably in his chair, but said nothing.

  “As for what we’re discussing, it’s simple. Fyre has been ignored by her Bastion for years. That’s why Terrius used her as a bodyguard, then gave her away. She refilled her gems from the binding stone. You’re doing the same, aren’t you?”

  “I am. She heads up to Castle Tartus whenever she needs to top up.”

  Leopold grunted. “A Bastion’s magical signature is like their scent. But if you don’t rub it on the Champion every so often, it wears off. Nobody has marked her recently. We use a similar trick for Champions working for the Spymaster.”

  The explanation made enough sense for Nathan, despite the strange analogy that made it sound like he was a beast that physically marked his Champions.

  At the same time, it was a convenient one for Fyre.

  Damn. Nathan hated the situation. He wanted a black and white answer for her, to ease his doubts. Reality wasn’t kind, however.

  He finished his drinks with Leopold and retired for the night.

  That brought him to the weekend, and a day he had been dreading. The Diet was on a short break, while the Emperor prepared his ball.

  It was time for Nathan to tell the others the truth.

  “Are you sure you want to leave Fyre behind?” Anna asked him as they rode in carriages to a noble’s park in the city.

  “She asked for the day off,” he defended. “And she did know we were going somewhere together.”

  “I think she wanted you to invite her,” Anna said primly.

  She looked at the others in the carriage. Ciana and Sen rode with them. Alice, Narime, and Sunstorm used a separate carriage. Whisking away Alice for a trip had been difficult, given the security situation. Only the Emperor’s personal intervention had allowed it to happen.

  “Is there something wrong with Fyre?” Sen asked.

  “The speech,” Ciana said flatly.

  Nathan winced. “That’s part of it. But, yes, although Fyre is becoming my Champion, I need to assess her further before I tell her the full story.”

  “I’m glad,” Ciana said with a small smile. Then she blushed. “Not that you mistrust her, but that you still value security. I…” she trailed off before she stumbled over her words.

  “You know, Nathan, why don’t you just screw them together?” Sen suggested. “It might solve their problems.”

  “I don’t have a problem,” Ciana muttered.

  “Sure you do. She had red eyes and looks like you.”

  Sen laughed as Ciana jumped at her, before Nathan broke up their fight.

  Eventually, they arrived at the park. They setup a small picnic under a large tree. Although it was a weekend, the park was largely empty. With the Diet in session, many stores had extended trading hours. Merchants and nobles worked hard to pull in extra money from the wealthy visitors.

  That suited Nathan just fine. He and Narime cast numerous wards around the picnic, in order to stop eavesdropping.

  Then, after they had eaten their lunch, he sat down in a circle of women he trusted.

  Seraph and Fei weren’t here, but he’d tell them the full story once he returned. He supposed Vera was also missing, but he didn’t want her to know until much later in her Bastion training. Letting her know some of these details might be downright dangerous right now.

  “So, Sen and Sunstorm know most of this, but there are some details they don’t fully understand,” Nathan admitted.

  Sen’s eyes shot open. “Wait, Nathan, are you—” she began to say, before clamming up.

  He stared at her, then scowled. “Ifrit told you?”

  A confused look. Then she turned bright red and said, “He knew? That asshole wasn’t just guessing? He fucking knew, and you’ve talked to him about it?”

  Shit. What a landmine.

  “Sen, calm down,” Nathan snapped.

  She froze in her rage. Everybody looked between her and Nathan in confusion.

  “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just… I kind of suspected a few things, but he just played the ‘it is not my place’ card. Knowing that you talked to him hurts.”

  “I needed some advice. Ancient spirits can help,” Nathan said drily.

  Sen’s eyes lit up. “Oh, so that’s when—” She clicked her tongue. “I had wondered why he made that stupid comment at the end. He wanted to distract me.”

  Moving on, Nathan redirected the conversation back to the topic at hand.

  “All of you know that I graduated from the academy, became a Bastion due to Leopold’s intervention, and then arrived at Gharrick Pass?” he said. “Then I rebuilt the ruined fortress, turned Fei and Sen into Champions, and uncovered the Federation’s plot to destabilize the leylines?”

  Nods all around.

  “As a result, I stopped the Federation’s invasion, and then expanded the Empire. Impressive stuff.” He gave himself a clap, while they stared at him in confusion.

  “Except, that’s not what should have happened,” he said, voice going cold. “Instead, the leylines are destabilized. Demons invade Gharrick en masse. The Federation invades almost simultaneously, overrunning the border while the Empire is at war with Trafaumh. Chaos ensues. A Messenger emerges from the portals and wipes out Aleich, and therefore the Empire, practically overnight. The remaining nations swoop in and defeat the Messenger, then carve up the Empire.”

  Every expression was different. Narime’s was shocked, but understanding. Anna and Alice appeared mostly confused, but fear gripped Alice. A joint understanding ran through Sen and Sunstorm, who knew this story, if not the ending. Ciana licked her lips, uncertainty running across her face.

  “You say that should have happened?”’ Ciana said. “Not that this is what would have happened if you weren’t here.”
>
  “Yes. Because I shouldn’t be here,” he said.

  Narime cursed in her native tongue. “Nathan, you’re not talking about seeing the future. You’re talking about something completely different.”

  “That’s right. If I lied, you’d know,” he said.

  Before he came here, he had considered lying about having amazing foresight. But he remembered Kadria’s lessons on how time worked. If Narime knew any of this—and she might—then she would be furious about his lie.

  “I would,” she said. “You may have somehow bested me in ascended magic, but I suspect I know more of the theory than you do. I was on the Guardian Council of Kurai. There are things about Messengers that I know, which few others even have an inkling of.”

  “Then I’ll be frank. I come from a time when the Empire collapsed. When the Federation’s plan succeeded too well, and triggered the end of the world.” He closed his eyes. “Each Messenger grew more powerful, and the portals stronger. I worked with you to protect the Federation, but it was too late to stop Torneus.”

  He paused. Froze, really. His memories recalled those days.

  Defending Forselle Valley from the horde of demons. Armies of refugees streaming through, until there were suddenly none and he realized what that meant. Trying to convince the dark elves to leave the Spires.

  Narime’s soft tails curled around him. Hands gripped him.

  “It’s fine, Nathan,” she said. “Take your time.”

  He shooed them away after a little while. But not before taking the chance to lean into their embrace. Their concerned eyes bothered him, but he pushed that feeling down.

  “In the end, only Falmir remained,” he said. “My homeland.”

  Alice and Anna stared at him.

  “What?” Anna blurted out.

  “Oh,” Alice said mildly. “So that’s… Is that why you and Charlotte…?”

  “She was the princess I worked under for my career as a Bastion, yes,” he said. “I never met you, due to…” He coughed. “But she told me about you and your friendship. I never became too involved in Falmir’s politics, given the sheer amount of fighting there was.”

  “What happened to her? Did the two of you…” Alice looked away.

  “Oh, no.” Nathan laughed. “She was a princess. I was a cursed Bastion, who survived the fall of countless nations. I don’t know what happened to her in the end. Falmir deposed the royal family, and she was exiled to some corner of the country. I manned one of the more dangerous border portals.”

  He shrugged.

  Narime’s eyes narrowed. “Nathan, what about us? Why are you here? You act like you know me—I’ve definitely noticed that, and this explains a lot—but it raises more questions.”

  He stared at her.

  Sen and Sunstorm leaned against him. Unlike the others, they hadn’t moved away from him.

  After several long seconds, Narime’s eyes widened. “Nathan…”

  “I’m here because there is nothing else, Narime,” he said. “But there’s something here. All of you are here. And I intend to ensure things remain that way.”

  Silence followed. Nathan wished that a wind blew, so that there would at least be the rustling of wind to break it. Nothing happened. The park was too distant from the buildings for noise to carry.

  “Um, I know this might be a little mean, but did we all die?” Anna asked, wincing when everybody looked at her.

  “Pretty sure, yeah,” Sen said. “I don’t actually remember what happened, but I have the emotions. Everything goes super intense near the end, then nothing. And, um, I have some feelings about certain people that definitely tell me what happened to them before the end.”

  “Should… should I ask?” Ciana said, eyes wide.

  “Please don’t,” Nathan said.

  She gulped, then looked down.

  “If you’re from Falmir, what about me?” Anna asked, her voice quiet. “I… I relied on you to defend the pass. Did Vera…” She trailed off at the look on Nathan’s face.

  “I never met the two of you before I arrived here,” Nathan said, looking at Anna and Alice. “That’s what it means for a Messenger to overrun a nation. They destroy everything almost overnight. I’m changing things here. The two of you are part of that, and I am very grateful for that.”

  Anna breathed a sigh of relief. “I was worried for a second there.”

  Narime stared at him. “So, Sen and Sunstorm know because they… are from the future?”

  “Close enough. It’s more that we have our old personalities,” Sen chirped. “I’m closer to a mix of my old self and the Sen from this timeline. Sunstorm is basically her old self.”

  “I guess it’s a personality thing,” Sunstorm said. “I remember Sen being softer. New Sen is nice, though.”

  “I’m glad you like the new, improved me,” Sen said with a wink.

  “What are you, Nathan? Because you remember everything,” Narime said. “Like I said, I know more of the theory than you. And it points toward a theory I don’t want to consider.”

  “I came here after I lost everything,” he said, staring Narime down. “I am both Nathan Straub, and Nathan Martel—that’s, uh, my original name.”

  “Cute,” Anna said.

  He rolled his eyes. Narime didn’t let up with her glare.

  “However I arrived here, I intend to prevent Messengers and demons from destroying Doumahr,” he said. “I promise you that, Narime.”

  “Even though you used a Messenger’s help to come here in the first place?” Narime asked, voice surprisingly calm given her accusation.

  Eyes bulged all around.

  “Fucking knew it,” Sen muttered.

  Others stared at her, and she rolled her eyes. “Goddess, have none of you listened to Nathan? Spatial, temporal, and mental manipulation is what Messengers are all about. And he started mastering that shit the moment he arrived. It was super obvious.”

  Nathan coughed, feeling self-conscious about his poor ability to keep his secrets from spreading.

  “And you don’t care?” Narime asked Sen.

  “No. I trust Nathan. I love him with everything I have,” she said. “He’s done more for me than anyone else in this world. When he says something, I believe him. He’s not perfect, but fuck, I’m not either. And didn’t you work for the guys who nearly ended the world? Torneus nearly screwed everything up. Humans seem just as capable of fucking the world to me.”

  Narime opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. She sighed.

  “So, your secret is that you saw the end of Doumahr, and now you’re working with a Messenger to stop it from happening again?” Narime asked.

  “That’s the short version. I came back to the time when everything fell apart, which is where several of you were clustered. You kind of fell in my lap, saving me the trouble of hunting you down.” He winked at Narime, and she blushed, her tails curling around herself. “But there are a lot of Champions from my past. Many aren’t even Champions yet. They… probably won’t ever become one.”

  “Because the world isn’t ending?” Ciana asked.

  “Yes. The need for Champions and Bastions increased drastically due to the losses we took during every battle,” he explained. “Anyone who is a Champion today was a veteran within a few years. Things only got worse. A lot of the secrets I know and the magic I can use is because it was developed in response to disaster.”

  “The leyline disruption,” Ciana said, her eyes widening. “That’s why you knew about it!”

  “Yes. It was used as a weapon after the invasions started. Once the Empire fell, international relations worsened. Trafaumh and Falmir used increasingly devastating tactics against each other,” he said. “Other techniques were created out of desperation. I’m working with the Sorcerer’s Lodge to recreate some of what I know is possible.”

  “But… Nathan, who are we to you?” Alice asked him. “I trust you. Despite some of the elements of this story, your actions speak volumes abou
t you and your conviction. But while you never met me, what about the others?”

  “Everyone is their own person,” Nathan said forcefully. “I already told Fei this. Whatever happened in my world, it’s…” He swallowed. “Those are my memories. You aren’t. You are real. I can touch you. And whatever decisions you make are your own. The Fei I know isn’t anything like the Jafeila from my world. Ciana is far more adorable.”

  He ruffled the unicorn’s hair, which she put up with. Her tail wagged in response.

  Those words calmed at least a few hearts, he believed. But one remained unsettled.

  “I’m not attacking you, Nathan. But are you convinced you made the right decision, after all of this?” Narime asked.

  Nathan looked around. He saw several beautiful women, most of whom he loved. None of their gazes held hatred or fear for him, despite what they’d heard.

  Then he remembered that cold, empty feeling from that one night.

  “Yes, I’m certain,” he said.

  “Good.” Narime smiled at him. “Conviction is important in any Bastion I serve, and especially in the man who made me his mate.”

  With that, they had a nice picnic. The Diet was nearly over, and it was time for Nathan to turn his mind to other matters at home. But first, he’d enjoy some time with the women he cared about the most.

  Chapter 13

  Nurevia

  “She should be dead!” Tharban roared. “You had one fucking job, and you fucked it up, like your shitty little kingdom has fucked up everything in history.”

  The lanky sorcerer opposite Tharban barely even raised an eyebrow. He lazed on a stained sofa, wearing unmarked robes that gave him the sharp appearance of a sorcerer. His messy rust-brown hair clashed with his clothes, as did his shadow of stubble. Next to him stood a hooded and armored woman, whose face was shrouded in magical shadow.

  This man was Gareth Pike, a Bastion from the Kingdom of Falmir. The woman next to him was a duogem Champion who unnerved Nurevia.

  They were inside the basement of a brothel, in one of the larger merchant quarters of Aleich. This one was a Nationalist front, although the women were the real deal. Nurevia had heard them being used by the Nationalists here. She doubted they paid, and also doubted the women were human.