Bound by Fire

by Ronald Craft

Chapter 28

  Rodach followed behind Lochien as they walked towards a room off to the side of the pit. He glanced down once more and caught a glimpse of the creature before the flames died out. The room was small, and carved out of the earth. There was a table and benches, shelves, and what looked to be a storage area in the back.

  The scholar turned and faced him. “They used to have guards posted to keep watch at the pit. This was a rest area where they'd take their meals.” He sat down on a nearby bench and beckoned for Rodach to do the same.

  He cringed at the thought. “Why would anyone want to eat their meals down here?”

  Lochien sighed. “They weren't sure if the creature was safe to be around or not. Guards rotated out once a moon. They essentially lived down here during that time.”

  Rodach shuddered. What a morbid guard duty that must have been.

  He took a seat across from Lochien. “There's more to this, isn't there? I want you tell me everything.”

  Lochien nodded. “I intend to, as it is your right to know.” He cleared his throat with a cough. “There is a way to extract a skiima before it takes over the host. It will trap the skiima in a soul stone and prevent it from wreaking havoc on the world. There is one complication, however...” He looked away.

  Rodach leaned forward. “Tell me.”

  Lochien nodded. “There is a chance you may not survive the procedure.”

  Rodach smashed his fist on the table. “What? I'm not giving up my life for this.”

  “It's not an easy procedure. The skiima is inside of your body. The longer it's in there, the harder it is to remove. It grows stronger by consuming your spark. Eventually, you will be no more than an empty husk left to rot.”

  Lochien held up a finger. “But, there's still time if we act now.”

  “I—” Rodach squeezed his hands together. “What are my chances for survival?”

  “Slim at best.” Lochien placed a hand on his arm. “I know it's hard. Either way, the skiima will be contained. It cannot be allowed to take over your body, or return to its own.”

  “So,” Rodach met the scholar's gaze, “what happens if I won't go through with it?”

  Lochien pulled an axe from his belt, and slammed it onto the table. “I'll have to use more forceful measures. I guarantee your survival rate will be zero at that point.”

  He chuckled. “I figured as much. It seems I haven't much of a choice.”

  The scholar unfastened his satchel and set it on the table. “I'm glad you see things my way. I'll explain the process, so you know what to expect.”

  Rodach nodded. “Go ahead.”

  Lochien pulled a clear orb from his satchel, and sat it on the table between them. “This is a soul stone. It's clear as glass, but it is not to be trifled with. It's skiima bait, to put it simply. When they try to absorb it, the stone instead absorbs them.”

  “Wait,” Rodach held up his hand, “why don't they realize it's just a stone and not a person?”

  Lochien shook his head. “skiima don't see. They sense. All they know is something that feels like a powerful spark is in front of them, so they try to take it.”

  Rodach ran his hand through his hair. “I see. So, what am I going to do with that?”

  “Well,” Lochien picked it up between two fingers, and held it in front of him, “you're going to swallow it.”

  His eyes widened. “Swallow it? What for?”

  “It's already inside of you, Rodach. The only way to get it out is to give it something more enticing than your own soul.”

  He rested his head between his hands and stared down at the table. I really got in over my head this time. What have I done? I meddled with things I didn't understand, and now I'm practically a dead man walking.

  “Lochien,” Rodach looked up, “what happens after that?”

  The scholar set the soul stone back down. “Well, assuming everything goes smoothly, you'll regurgitate the soul stone, and be free of the curse. If things don't go that way, then... it may accelerate the skiima's growth and I'll need to step in.” He eyed the axe laying on the table.

  Rodach followed the scholar's gaze. “I get it. If the skiima wins the battle, I get axed.” He chuckled half-heartedly.

  Lochien's expression was grim. “It's best if you laugh while you still can. Treat these moments as if they were your last.”

  “I appreciate your honesty. Can I have a moment?”

  Lochien nodded.

  He stood up and walked outside the room. The pit was dark now. He couldn't see the creature that was chained to the bottom of it, but he could still see it in his mind's eye. Those fangs, the depthless eyes, and the black ooze.

  I'm really going through with this. I've never been one to believe in miracles, or the gods, but in this moment I pray that I survive this. I'm far from perfect. I've made terrible mistakes in my life, but I've always tried to learn from them.

  Rodach blinked away the stinging in his eyes. I don't want to die. I want to live on and make right the wrongs I've committed.

  He picked up a stone and tossed it into the pit. Like this stone, I too will be falling into darkness. I can only hope that I can climb back into the light.

  Rodach sighed. No sense in delaying the inevitable.

  He took one last glance into the pit before returning to the room. Lochien had several containers laid out on the table next to the soul stone.

  “Everything's ready, Rodach.”

  He firmed his resolve. “As am I.”

  “Once you ingest the soul stone,” Lochien held up a strip of cloth, “I'm going to cover your eyes with this. If you lose to the creature, and it takes over your body, this will disorient it long enough for me to dispose of it.”

  He swallowed. “I hope, for my sake, that it doesn't come to that.”

  Lochien placed the orb into Rodach's palm. “Whenever you're ready.”

  Rodach rolled the orb between his fingers. It looked like glass, but was much lighter. Instead of reflecting the light from the amulet, it seemed to emit its own luminescence.

  The calmness from before was gone, and his hands shook. He didn't know what would happen after he swallowed the stone.

  I'm scared.

  Rodach gulped. It's now or never.

  He placed the orb into his mouth, and swallowed it as quick as he could. It slid down his throat and dropped into his stomach.

  Nothing happened.

  This is odd. I expected something terrible to happen to me by the way he described it.

  Lochien walked up behind him and wrapped the cloth around his eyes. Everything went dark.

  “How long is this supposed to—ugh!” Rodach's words were lost as his abdomen heaved. His insides were on fire.

  Feels like I'm being ripped to pieces from the inside out. Gods...

  The skiima latched onto the soul stone inside his body. The stone pulsed with an intense heat inside of him. Sweat poured out of his skin, and soaked his clothes. He fell backwards, but Lochien grabbed onto him and held him fast.

  What's happening to me? I can't breath!

  Rodach's entire body spasmed, and his bladder emptied into his trousers. He grit his teeth so as to not bite off his tongue. There was a loud hiss in the back of his mind.

  I can't—can't bear this!

  “Stop! Stop!” Rodach shouted.

  The hissing noise in his mind grew louder, until it was deafening. Lochien lips moved, but Rodach couldn't make out what he was saying.

  Then, all at once, the hissing vanished and the pain subdued.

  “...almost over! Hold on!”

  His body slumped, and Lochien leaned him forward. Rodach emptied the contents of his stomach onto the table. The orb rolled across the table top and settled into a crack near the edge.

  It was over.

  Lochien lowered him onto the ground. He rolled onto his side, and laid there for a time without moving. Hiss legs a
nd arms were cramped, and the wetness between his legs had become uncomfortable.

  “Wait, what is this?” Lochien said from above him. “This isn't right.”

  Rodach mustered some strength, and pulled off the blind fold. His hand flopped back onto the floor. “What's going on?”

  Lochien was bent over the table, his gaze fixed on the orb. “It's gold.”

  “I don't understand what you're getting at, scholar.” Rodach squeezed his eyes shut. His head throbbed, and his throat was sore.

  Lochien picked it up and held the soul stone above Rodach. “I've never seen one come out like this before. They've always been black. I'm not quite sure what to make of it.”

  Rodach opened his eyes and gazed upwards. The soul stone gleamed brighter than Lochien's amulet, and yet it seemed to illuminate only the stone itself. There was an inner brightness that drew him to it.

  It was almost beautiful.

  I survived, and that's all that matters. I don't care if it's blue or pink, so long as that thing isn't inside of me anymore.

  “I'm not quite sure to make of—” Lochien howled and dropped the orb. It bounced several times and rolled into the corner of the room. “It heated up. Burnt me.” Lochien sucked on his fingers.

  He stared at the soul stone. “Heated up? Is that supposed to happen?”

  Lochien took his fingers out of his mouth and waved them in the air. “I've never seen anything like this before. There's something...”

  There was a loud crack that reverberated around the room. The soul stone shuddered with another ear piercing crack across its surface. A moment later, it shattered and the golden glow burst outwards, swirling into the resemblance of a woman.

  Golden strands of hair danced in the air around her. She glowed with the same inner light as the soul stone, save for her eyes. Her eyes were dark as the pit that lay outside the room.

  Lochien's face was ashen. His lips quivered, and his hand dropped to his side. “How can it be? What sort of joke is this?” He dropped to his knees next to Rodach.

  The woman followed his movements, but didn't say a word. Her face was unreadable.

  Rodach pushed himself up, despite the protest of his muscles, and leaned against the table. “Lochien, what's going on? What is this thing?”

  The scholar continued to stare at the figure seemingly without hearing him.

  He grabbed Lochien by the shoulder and shook him. “Snap out of it.”

  Lochien turned and faced him. He looked as if he had just woken from a nightmare. “It's her. She was supposed to be dead. They're all supposed to be dead and gone. Not a single one of them remained.” The scholar's eyes were glazed over, as if he were reliving a nightmare.

  Rodach slapped Lochien across the face, and grabbed him by the collar. It took all the strength he had in him not to fall over. “What in the gods are you talking about?”

  Lochien blinked. He grabbed onto Rodach's arm. “Gods. That's what I'm talking about. I'm a traitor to the people, Rodach.”

  He lowered himself onto the bench at the beckoning of his weakened legs. “To whose people?”

  “To everyone.” Lochien met the woman's gaze once more. “I conspired with Dagfinn to usurp the other gods powers a long time ago. It all began with his brother, Bale. Dagfinn didn't stop there. No, he couldn't. He was blinded by the madness that drove his desires.”

  And here I thought this day couldn't have become any worse. Now I have a mad man babbling about dead gods to deal with.

  “I participated in his plan,” Lochien continued. “I helped kill the gods.”

  Rodach's jaw dropped. “You what? Then, the spark floating before us is...”

  Lochien's voice was rough. “Urania, goddess of the wind.”