by Todd Herzman
As Huon felt the essence within all the surge-gems, ideas formed in his mind. This… this was power. This was how the Everlasting King had defeated the Immortal Seven and bound them to his will in the first place—he’d created powerful objects, used those to defeat and bind surgecallers, then conquered five realms before he was finally stopped.
Was this how his father—how Jakob was so strong? Was that how he’d been able to defeat the Immortal of Fire? He still wore his Honourbound armour… but what if it wasn’t normal Honourbound armour, like Huon had thought? What if it was Core armour, like this?
He looked around, noticing something he hadn’t before. It wasn’t only pauldrons that were being handed out. The lead pairs—mostly Champions—were being handed gauntlets and grieves. For all Huon knew, there could be some in this army who were outfitted entirely in Core armour.
If I managed to escape with a full set, I might not need to advance all the way to Immortality. I could defeat them sooner…
He looked over at the Immortal of Earth, who sat atop his goliath. The man wore armour, but it didn’t appear to be Core armour. The Everlasting King didn’t seem to bother outfitting his Immortals with such things, only the Honourbound soldiers.
The Immortals are powerful enough without it, there’s no level of essence stronger than theirs… is there?
Escape with Core armour… it sounded like a good plan. Of course, Huon still had no idea how he was going to escape in the first place. That was what he needed a plan for. He needed to figure out how Jakob had escaped.
Before he was made to kill someone again.
When the army of Honourbound soldiers had been outfitted in their individual allotments of Core armour, it was finally time to set foot in the Queendom of Arisalon. Huon looked ahead. They were close to where he and Liona had encountered Sir Galen.
The Forest City of Landor. Would that be the first place this army attacked? As far as Huon knew, the city only had one Immortal—and he didn’t even know that much. The masters of all the schools were Legends—he knew that for certain. Master Yal’Nara had been a Legend of the third order—something he still didn’t know the meaning of.
But Lady Helayn had to be an Immortal. Huon hadn’t thought so at the time, but it made sense. How else would she rule over a city full of so many Legends? She would have to be the strongest.
Huon had counted five of the Immortal Seven among the army’s ranks. Five Immortals, and thousands of enhanced Honourbound? Huon couldn’t see the forest city, but he knew it wasn’t far—especially if the Immortals ordered them to surge march.
Are we just going to march right up to the city? Then… what? Kill anyone who refuses to be bound? Huon swallowed, once again searching for one of his new unique surges—fearlessness. Just observing it within his core brought some manner of comfort.
Though, not much.
What if… what if I’m forced to kill Sir Galen? Huon looked at the underside of his left wrist as he marched. He couldn’t see the binding beneath his bracer. He clenched his fist.
Escape. I must escape.
‘Surge march!’ a soldier at the head of their line shouted, his voice strong and powerful, reaching down the countless ranks of Honourbound.
Huon jogged, single-surging stamina and speed as he’d been taught by his lead pair. Jamison and the rest of his Squad ran beside him. He looked over at Champion Jesalla. He wasn’t one to ask questions—Danieja back at the Justice Arena had trained that out of him—but he couldn’t help himself. ‘Champion Jesalla, where are we going?’
‘That’s not something for us to know, Knight,’ Jesalla snapped. ‘Do not speak unless necessary.’
Huon shut his mouth. Orders. He gritted his teeth. One day I won’t have to obey everyone’s damned orders.
As he gained a sense of where they were, he realised he knew where they were headed.
The Forest City of Landor.
I’m sorry, Sir Galen.
Chapter 6
The army was divided into separate battalions. Apparently, there had been a reason Huon’s Squad had focused so heavily on stealth tactics. Different Squads were given different focuses as part of the wider army.
Huon’s Squad, along with four others, were being headed by a Champion pair. They looked like they’d been through far more fights than most surgecallers—which was quite a feat. Champion Harlan and Kurcha both had greying hair and a myriad of scars over their faces. They led the five Squads away from the main army, then laid a map on the ground.
Huon peered at the map, along with the other Honourbound gathered. His Knight-level perception let him see it clearly from ten feet away.
The map detailed the entire forest city and all five of its schools. One of those schools was marked with a red X. The School of Druina, Master Inan’s school…
Master Inan had been… horrible to him and Liona. He’d set them an impossible task, one that had almost gotten them killed if not for Sir Galen. But that didn’t mean Huon wanted to see the man die. Huon looked at the battalion leaders. Champion Harlan and Kurcha wore more items of Core armour than anyone Huon had seen yet. It wasn’t just their pauldrons and gauntlets, they had Core armour greaves, too.
Enhanced like that, they should be more than strong enough to take down a Legend, shouldn’t they?
Huon swallowed, remembering the giant ice serpent, Sasalani, that the master had bonded. He didn’t fancy fighting that thing.
The Champions delivered their instructions—the five Squads were to surround the school as quietly as possible. Champion Harlan handed a map to each of the lead pairs, then addressed the Squads all at once. ‘Our orders are clear. We are here to conquer, not kill. The rules of engagement are thus: capture if you can, kill if you can’t, and don’t let anyone escape. As for the Legends, we’ve been ordered to kill them on sight. The Everlasting King does not want any of Arisalon’s leaders to survive—even bound.’
Ranil took the lead, commanding his Squad with hand signals alone.
Huon glanced at Jamison. The other Knight looked as nervous as Huon. Aran and Yilda were stone-faced. Perhaps they’d accepted their fate. The other Squad pairs looked determined. Huon didn’t know what their histories were—he hadn’t cared to ask. He looked at Jamison again and opened his mouth, wanting to say… something.
Kill if you have to.
The command wasn’t as definitive as the Immortal of Fire’s had been. That, at least, was a relief. If we capture them all, no one has to die. But he knew capturing every one of the enemy was… impossible. There were always casualties in war.
He just didn’t want to be the one to cause them.
Huon shut his mouth. He was supposed to be silent, and besides, he couldn’t think of a single thing to say.
My life is not my own.
He gritted his teeth, clamping down on that thought. No. This was his chance to defy commands. This was his chance to fight as hard as he could to strengthen his will. He still didn’t know if that was how Jakob had escaped his binding, but it didn’t matter.
Huon didn’t want to be responsible for another person’s death, not if his own life—or that of someone else’s—wasn’t being threatened. But my life will be threatened—I’m walking into battle. Those we fight may not deserve to die, but they will try to kill me in return.
Maybe he should just let them. If he were dead, he couldn’t be used to kill anyone.
Huon let out a breath. Jamison frowned at him—they weren’t supposed to be breathing naturally, not while being stealthy. But Huon couldn’t help it—too many things swirled through his mind. Too many decisions. Too much thought.
Control.
He needed to be in control. That would be the only way he could fight the commands. He had to stop being so unsure. So indecisive.
This was war. He needed to fight.
Only kill if you have to.
An hour passed as their Squad quietly made their way to the School
of Druina. Huon recognised his surroundings. He hadn’t been on the ground often while in the Forest City of Landor, but parts of it were quite memorable. The clearing they walked through, he’d soared past on the back of Snow, Sir Galen’s giant white wolf. The pack will be near here… but they’ll avoid a group of surgecallers this large. He’d only been a Squire then. Now he was a Knight with unique essence, and Core armour enhancing his abilities.
Ranil raised a fist. The whole Squad stopped. The school was near. The Champion looked to the sky, through the canopy. The sun neared its height—almost noon. The entire army would be in position in mere moments. Huon was glad he wouldn’t be in the city for the main attack.
He hoped Sir Galen wouldn’t fight too hard. Don’t be stubborn, young Knight. But he knew the boy would, because if Huon had his freedom he’d do anything to keep it.
Then a realisation hit him—Sir Galen’s mothers. The Everlasting King wanted their leaders to die.
They would both be killed.
Huon gritted his teeth so hard they chipped, and he had to surge stamina to heal them. Even if I were free, I wouldn’t be able to stop it. I wouldn’t be able to save them.
Ranil opened his hand, then closed and opened it twice. The entire Squad readied their weapons. Huon drew his sword quietly, then shrugged the shield off his back. This is it. He felt the essence in his core, once again feeling for the fearlessness essence. But right now, the thing he was afraid of doing was killing. If he used that, he might not fight as hard as he needed to.
The sun had reached its zenith. Ranil curled his fingers one at a time, counting down from five.
Before he got to one, the air around them shifted. A man appeared out of nowhere in front of their Squad. He tilted his head in a snakelike way. ‘You’re not supposed to be here.’
Master Inan.
Champion Jesalla and Champion Ranil exchanged a glance, then stared at the Legend. ‘Surrender, and you will be spared.’
Did they not know he was a Legend?
Master Inan surveyed them. His eyes rested on Huon. ‘That’s not going to happen.’
The clearing became suddenly cold.
‘Behind us!’ Huon shouted, whirling around with a triple-surge of speed. Sasalani, Master Inan’s giant ice-snake, slithered toward them with terrifying speed. The serpent sunk her teeth into the closest Honourbound soldier—Matti—before he’d even raised his shield.
That’s when the shouting began.
Huon turned to Jamison. ‘Box it up!’ If he had to choose between facing the Legend or his beast, he would choose the beast.
The beast’s fangs sank right through Matti’s armour, but the fangs weren’t just sharp—ice crawled over the Knight, encompassing him completely until he was frozen solid.
Huon ran to the left, surging earth, creating a wall to lock the snake down. Jamison ran to the right. Huon could no longer see him, but he trusted his partner to be doing the same.
Aran and Yilda ran at the beast head on. They both wielded spears, and they had much experience fighting beasts. Huon glimpsed how fast they moved—they must have been surging essence from their pauldrons. Huon hadn’t even thought to do that. They hadn’t had a chance to train with the things, and his instincts took straight from his core.
The ice-serpent tried to sink its teeth into Aran, but Aran shattered its fangs with a slash of his spear. The force of that strike… is that what Champion-level essence could do?
A shout rang out as Yilda struck the serpent just below its head, her spear digging deep into its body.
Huon ceased surging earth. The beast was still alive, but Aran and Yilda seemed to have the situation under control. He turned, looking at the rest of his Squad.
Only to find his lead pair bloodied and lying on the ground, Master Inan standing over them. He had no weapon Huon could see, but the way he held his hands at his sides, fingers tensed and curled, made it look like he had claws.
Master Inan stared at Aran and Yilda, at his beast companion. Then he disappeared.
No, he didn’t disappear. He just moved so fast it was hard for Huon to track. Huon tapped his pauldron, surging the speed essence he found within.
Quadruple-surging. The essence was Champion-level.
For a brief moment, it made Huon feel… invincible. He could now clearly track the master’s movements. But it wasn’t enough.
The master snapped Aran’s neck.
Yilda screamed, striking out with her spear. The master—the Legend—grabbed the shaft in one hand and snapped it in his grip.
He was too powerful. Whatever strength these pauldrons granted them, it wasn’t enough. Champion-level essence was nothing compared to Legend-level.
Once Yilda’s spear had been broken, Master Inan kicked her in the chest, sending her flying into a tree. He rushed over to Sasalani, who was thrashing on the ground.
It’s still seven against one. Like Huon, the rest of his Squad had barely done a thing, the battle had moved so fast.
Huon called upon the fire essence within the pauldron, surging as much as he could in rapid succession. Fireballs launched from his shield, shooting toward the Legend standing over his thrashing beast.
The fireballs impacted the master’s martial arts robes, hitting the man dead on. But they did… nothing. The Champion-level fire essence just dissipated on contact.
Huon wasn’t the only one of his Squad who’d had this idea.
The ground shook as Jamison stomped. The earth around the master crumbled.
Ice shards formed in the air, slashing at the master over and over.
Arrows were loosed… but they were just deflected.
The Honourbound soldiers—all of them Knights with access to Champion-level essence—couldn’t even dent the Legend.
Master Inan turned. Not with a surge that befitted his level, it looked like he was using the natural speed of his rank. He stared at them, one at a time, until his gaze rested on Huon. ‘You should not have come here.’ He stepped toward Huon, flexing his fingers. His nails were longer than Huon had realised. Long, and sharp like talons.
Are his nails… reinforced with essence? Huon dared not turn his head to look at the downed lead pair—he wasn’t even sure if they were still alive—but he’d seen the gashes in their Honourbound armour. The master had made those gashes… with his nails?
Huon wanted to back up. He wanted to run, but he couldn’t. He had no choice but to fight. No longer was he worried about killing others. No longer was he worried about following orders. All he wanted was to see this man dead and be safe.
Huon gripped his sword. ‘There’s an entire army at your door, Master Inan. We are not the only ones.’
The master tilted his head. Sasalani stopped thrashing, the wound she’d taken healed. She rose up behind Master Inan.
The other Knights had paused in their ranged attacks, just as Huon had. They were readying their weapons, hesitating just as much as Huon was—they knew they couldn’t take this man. They knew running to meet him would mean their death, but they had no choice, like Huon had no choice.
Master Inan’s eyes pierced into Huon. ‘I should have killed you myself, instead of letting you escape from the wolves.’ The master stepped toward Huon. ‘You’re all children. You came to a land you don’t understand, with people far more powerful than yourselves. I don’t care what enhancements your army has. I don’t care if I die today, if Landor falls. I don’t care if you’re here against your own will. Know this: by the end of this war, you will all be dead. You will not take the Queendom of Arisalon.’
The master walked toward him almost casually. The other Knights ran at Inan, attacking him with spears and swords and axes, but the master only had eyes for Huon—he seemed to blame him for the army being here simply because they’d met before. He slapped away the other Knights’ strikes, pushing them back so hard they flew through the air.
The ice-serpent was in the fight again, freezin
g the thrown Knights one-by-one.
Huon swallowed, holding his sword in a shuddering grip. Control. He couldn’t win this. He couldn’t defeat a Legend even with the Core armour. They should have packed it with stronger essence. But if he were to die today, he wouldn’t die with his hand shaking his sword—he’d die with dignity.
As Master Inan was two steps from striking distance, Huon reached into his core, finding the unique essence within, and surged fearlessness.
Chapter 7
Huon’s mind cleared.
The fearlessness essence flowed through him.
Every emotion holding him back dimmed almost to nothing, shoved down so far he barely felt them anymore. Every worried thought disappeared.
It didn’t matter that he might die in this fight.
It didn’t matter that if he won, it would mean causing someone’s death.
It didn’t matter that he was a Knight, and this man was a Legend.
He would stand his ground.
Huon surged every physical surge at once from the pauldron, and smiled.
Master Inan paused, almost imperceptibly, at Huon’s emotional shift.
Huon struck out with his sword, aiming his slash at the man’s exposed neck. He felt more in control than he ever had. His technique was perfect, and the Champion-level essence made him feel so much stronger than before.
Master Inan casually caught Huon’s blade in his bare hand, then ripped it from Huon’s grip.
No matter. Huon stepped forward to shield bash the man.
The master performed a push kick at Huon’s shield.
Huon went flying. He slammed into a tree, back cracking. Surging stamina, the wound healed as he slid to the ground and landed firmly on his feet. Jamison—the only other member of Huon’s Squad still standing—ran at the master, his hammer in the middle of backswing.
But it was no use.
That’s when Huon saw Champion Jesalla twitch on the ground. She’s still alive. Huon didn’t fear facing this man—facing his death. But he wasn’t stupid. He knew he couldn’t win this, and even with the fearlessness thrumming through him, he still cared about surviving.