Bound by Fate (Cauld Ane Series Book 10)

by Piper Davenport

  My heart raced and my tattoos burned. I focused my attention on keeping them from glowing using the techniques that Isla and I had been working on together. These guys had no idea who I was and that gave me an advantage. As soon as I saw an opportunity to make a move against them I would. But for now, I had to keep my cool. For Isla’s sake.

  “What is the meaning of all this?” Haddi asked.

  “It is time for Gunnar Egilson, the true king of the Kalt Einn to reclaim his throne,” Sindri replied.

  “You were never king,” Haddi ground out. “Kaspar is the rightful king of the Kalt Einn, and Kade the Cauld Ane.”

  “Kaspar is a false ruler,” Erik seethed, “Who would never have been able to overthrow me if my brother hadn’t betrayed me. He has no right to the Kalt Einn crown.”

  “You’re delusional, old man. You betrayed our people, that is why you were exiled to Scotland and forced into hiding,” Kade said.

  “Every decision I made was for the good of the Kalt Einn.”

  “You married Alice to improve your political influence even though she wasn’t your mate,” Kade said.

  Erik pointed to a woman who looked remarkably like Kade, only a much, much older version. “I married your mother in order to secure peace between the warring tribes.”

  Kade scowled at the woman. “Alice is no longer recognized as our mother, nor are you the king of our people.”

  “Our people?” Erik scoffed. “My people are Kalt Einn.”

  “We are of your bloodline,” Kade said, motioning to his brothers.

  “You are traitors who’ve chosen to hide in the shadows and weaken my bloodline by mating with humans.”

  “Have you forgotten your true mate is human?” Haddi asked, pointing to Abela, trapped inside the binding circle.

  “Another betrayer. Just like the rest of the pathetic species,” Erik replied. “That is why her body is dying. Her days, slipping away faster and faster like the human that she is.”

  It was chilling to hear Erik spit out the word human with such venom. Even though I knew I wasn’t technically human, I still felt like one in my heart.

  “She chose to age rather than bend to your will. Abela is stronger than you’ll ever be,” Kade replied. “Had you been a better man, neither of you would be aging right now. Neither would you, Alice. Abela chose to lose her life than to follow in your treachery.”

  “You treated her like a mother while I rotted on that island,” Alice said. “I’ll see to it she pays for that.”

  “You’ll harm no one else here,” Kade said. “You may have escaped from prison, but you are both still bound to the authority of the oracles. You can’t hold us forever and once released, Haddi and I will make sure you are returned to your place of exile. Sindri’s dark magic won’t last, and you’re outnumbered.”

  “You’re assuming since they’re brothers, Sindri’s power must be like Haddi’s. You’d be wise not to underestimate him,” Erik said. “You’d also be wise not to assume I’d come without proper reinforcements.”

  Just then, six fully armed guards appeared, carrying several items from the castle.

  “You see, Kade? I still have many Kalt Einn who remain loyal to the cause and the true king.”

  “There are several Kalt Einn relics here, just as you suspected, sire,” one of the guards said.

  “What have you found, Captain?”

  “These books, a mirror, a suit of armor, and this sword,” one of the guards said, handing the enchanted blade to Erik, who smiled wide before dramatically thrusting it into the ground in front of him.

  “Very good, Captain. Were you able to find the rings of time?”

  “I’m afraid not, your majesty, but we’re still searching.”

  “Keep searching. I last felt their presence coming from somewhere in the southern United States, but they could be anywhere now.”

  “Yes, sire.”

  “You see, Kade. We not only have the numbers to fight you, but we also have an oracle who’s not beholden to the antiquated times of the past.”

  “He’s still bound to the law,” Kade shouted.

  “Whose law?” Sindri’s voice boomed. “Your law? Cauld Ane law?”

  “The same law that I am bound to, brother,” Haddi said, stepping out in front of us. “The law of the original council of oracles.”

  “Careful,” Sindri warned and the circle around the women grew brighter. “That’s close enough.”

  “The council that forbade the use of magic for war or political gain,” Haddi said.

  “Lack of proper perspective has always been your problem, brother. Even when we were younger, you were so blinded by the pursuit of virtue that you missed pathways that were clearly open to you.”

  “Because I chose not to walk a path doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of it. Some roads are simply not our destiny to take.”

  “How can you say that?” Sindri asked, his anger clearly rising. “You were chosen to serve as Tor Olufsen’s apprentice. The highest honor a young oracle could be given.”

  “I know all too well what being Tor’s apprentice meant,” Haddi said.

  “It meant sitting at the feet of the most powerful magician ever.”

  Haddi nodded. “Já.”

  “And in all that time you learned nothing?” Sindri asked, his voice dripping with disgust. “Nothing at all about harnessing the power of our ancestors?”

  “He taught me a great number of things about magic, including the most important lesson. Showing restraint.”

  “Wrong. He taught you to hide your gifts and never nurture them to their full potential.”

  “The Council knew the only way to peacefully co-exist with humans was to protect our abilities,” Haddi said. “To keep them a well-guarded secret.”

  “Abilities,” Sindri scoffed. “You and the Cauld Ane have allowed the magic of our people to be reduced to simple tricks used to help humans go about their pathetic, futile, existences.”

  “This world belongs to the humans. We are here to help them. The Council taught us this. You must remember your earliest training.”

  “The council lied. They saw the rise of mankind as inevitable and rather than resist, they ran and hid.”

  Haddi shook his head. “They chose peace instead of war.”

  “They were cowards who lacked vision and it was my pleasure to kill each of them myself.”

  “What?” Haddi asked in horror. “How could you?”

  “I used a blade enchanted with red fang,” Sindri sneered.

  “The oracles were right. Enhancements are dangerous and shouldn’t be used,” Haddi said.

  “Wrong! They wanted to keep the power all to themselves. To keep the apprentices weak so we wouldn’t be able to stop their cowardly schemes.”

  “So, you murdered them all? They were our teachers.”

  “How do you think Erik was able to eliminate the council members so quickly?” Sindri asked. “As a young oracle in training it was easy to gain access to them. I’d show up at their dwellings, scared. Claiming I was being chased by whomever had been hunting us. One by one they’d let me in, and one by one they died by my blade.”

  “I don’t understand,” Haddi cried. “Why didn’t the oracles warn each other?”

  Sindri smiled. “That was easy. I’d already been practicing my cloaking skills for months by then. I used them to hide my true emotions from the oracles as well as block them from ‘reaching out’ to one another as I killed them.”

  “How could you do such a thing?” Haddi sounded as heartbroken as if these events had happened yesterday.

  “Do you still not understand, brother? The council were the traitors. They refused to share their knowledge with future generations and prepare us against the human onslaught.”

  “That’s not true, Sindri. Erik twisted your mind against the oracles when you were young. He used you as his personal assassin like Alice enslaved and used me once the Council was gone.”

  “It’
s you who doesn’t understand, Haddi. You don’t understand the pure power the oracles kept you from. The Kalt Einn are gods on this earth and humanity should be made to serve us or perish by our hands.”

  “You murdered the oracles at the behest of a mad wannabe king because you craved power?”

  “I spared your life, brother. In hopes that when this day came you would join me in forming a new council of oracles. One that will serve the king in ushering a new dawn of Kalt Einn. Just as the prophecy foretold.”

  “I will never serve this false king or stand by your side,” Haddi said.

  “So be it,” Sindri seethed. “Let their deaths be on your head.” As Sindri spoke, the glowing of the chalk intensified and the Cauld Ane women inside it huddled closer together. I could see tears slipping down Isla’s face.

  “Shall I let you hear their screams?” Sindri asked.

  “Please don’t hurt them,” Kade pleaded.

  “That’s what I want to see,” Erik said. “You, begging.”

  “We’ve done what you asked. We’re standing down and we’re listening. Please, release the women,” Kade said. “It’s me you’re angry with.”

  “You still think everything is about you,” Erik said with a laugh. “This is about the Kalt Einn taking our rightful place in this world.”

  “This is about you taking the throne,” Kade challenged.

  “My rightful place,” Erik shouted, before quickly composing himself.

  Erik then motioned to Sindri, who, with a wave of his hand, calmed the intensity of the circle.

  “You see? I can be a merciful ruler,” Erik said.

  “You crave power, but how long can you keep it? You’re aging rapidly and the effects will only speed up. Even if you manage to steal the crown, you’ll be dead soon enough.”

  “Not soon enough for me,” Connall growled.

  “Once again, my sons both dishonor and underestimate me,” Erik replied. “Soon, you will bow to me as I sit on my throne, alongside my true queen. Both of us restored to perfect health thanks to Sindri.”

  “How does your pet wizard expect to pull that off?” Connall asked.

  Haddi echoed Connall’s thoughts. “Your powers have grown strong over the years, brother. But surely even you do not possess the power to do such a thing.”

  “Not by myself,” Sindri replied. “But I could with the help of a heimsgöngumaður. With the help of my old apprentice.” Sindri spoke a single word in Icelandic, “Muna.” Remember.

  Isla

  “WHAT THE HELL is going on?” my mother growled, pulling me and Chelsea close.

  “I don’t know,” Sam said, wrapping her arms around the three of us.

  Thank God Billie wasn’t here. She’d headed into Edinburgh with a couple of friends and wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

  We’d decided to walk up to the house to get changed, having to rely on a skeleton crew to remove the dishes down in the field. The tradition was to give most of the staff the week off after the games, so my uncle only had a small security team and servants to run the house at the moment.

  As we’d crested the hill, we noticed Gillian lying on the ground, and we panicked. Gillian hadn’t joined us down on the field as she was feeling under the weather, so the fact she was now lying on the gravel of the driveway spurred us to help her. The only problem was, she wasn’t hurt, and the second we’d helped her up, a man unknown to any of us, pulled her from our circle, waving his hands and creating a barrier we could not get out of.

  “I cannot bring my fire,” Mum ground out.

  I tried to reach out to Arric, but it was no use.

  “Whatever’s preventing the use of our powers is also blocking telepathic communication,” I said.

  “Who’s squashing our powers like this?” Charlotte asked.

  “My bastard of a mate,” Abela hissed, pointing to a man standing in the distance.

  “Wasn’t he banished?” I asked.

  “He should be rotting in a prison cell as we speak,” Abela replied. “Somehow he’s managed to escape.”

  “He’s working with an oracle,” Andi said, placing her palms on the invisible barrier. “An extremely powerful oracle.”

  “Are you certain?” my mother asked.

  “He’s trapped us in a binding circle. I saw this in one of Haddi’s books. It’s a spell known only to oracles. No one gets in or out until the circle is broken.”

  “You’re an oracle,” Charlotte said. “Can’t you break it?”

  “Even if I knew how, the strength of this spell is far too strong for me to break.”

  “If only Soph was here, we might have a fighting chance as the trifecta.”

  “I don’t know that that’s true, love,” Abela countered. “It’s quite possible she’d be in just as much danger, so it’s good she’s not here.”

  “I’m going to kill Gillian,” Payton snapped. “God! She was always a bully when we were young, but she seemed to grow out of it. Apparently, that was all an act.”

  Just then our men showed up to find us trapped. We tried to call out to them, but they were clearly unable to hear us.

  “I need to reach Arric,” I breathed out. “I can feel he’s in pain and I can’t do anything about it.”

  “I know, honey,” Samantha said. “I feel Kade as well but can’t communicate.”

  I tried so hard not to completely freak out as I held onto my mother and sister. “I can’t lose him, Mum.”

  “I know, baby girl.” She stroked my hair. “Daddy’ll figure something out.” She glanced up at Sam. “I hope.”

  * * *

  Arric

  The instant Sindri spoke to me a veil was lifted and the memories of hundreds of years merged into a single point of bright white light burning at the very center of my mind.

  My tattoos burned with an intensity unlike anything I’d felt before and I screamed out in agony, as my knees hit the ground. During my time in the wilderness, I’d psychically shared lives with hundreds of humans. I was now experiencing the birth and death of each of them all at once. Payment for use of their memories.

  Arric Mann, descendant of first-generation Scottish immigrants, died in a railyard near Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska, but not before I befriended him. He was a transient with no family who’d had a rough upbringing. The perfect type of identity for me to assume. His Scottish heritage made him an excellent candidate for a strong link, and when he died, I was there. There not only to comfort him, but also take from him the memories necessary for my survival. He was the last of many identities I’d assumed.

  Haddi was right. I was in fact a world walker and as such, had the ability to hide myself by assuming the psychic identity of others. What Haddi did not know, was how his brother Sindri had used my own gift to imprison me for centuries.

  Sindri, my master.

  “What are you doing?” I demanded, waking up to find my master leaning over my bed.

  “I’m doing what has to be done, boy,” Sindri said, placing his right palm on my forehead. In his left hand he held a small green stone.

  “Why can’t I move?” I asked, unable to budge an inch.

  “The king has ordered me to kill all of the oracles,” he replied.

  “And you have,” I said. The horrifying events of the night now revealing themselves to me through my master’s thoughts.

  “Yes,” Sindri replied, emotionless.

  “Now you’ve come to kill me. So, get on with it,” I said, unwilling to display even the slightest hint of fear, even though he’d know exactly how I was feeling.

  “You don’t understand, Ketill. I’m not going to kill you. I’m going to hide you.”

  “Hide me? Where?”

  “In plain sight. In the world of men,” he replied.

  “The council were fools,” Sindri said. “Their blind loyalty to the kings of old is what led to their downfall. They sealed their own fate when they turned their back on magic in pursuit of the things of man. Now, with the
old council out of the way, and every known oracle dead, King Gunnar is free to name me Head Oracle. Then, once the political dust has settled, I’ll bring you out of hiding and appoint both you and my brother as members of the new council of oracles.”

  “Haddi still lives?”

  “My brother and I may not always share the same ideology, but I could never kill him,” Sindri said. “I spared my brother, just as I am sparing you. However, unlike him, I can use your gift to hide you away.”

  “Not like that,” I said.

  “It’s the only way to be sure you can’t be hunted down by means of magic. Any other way will leave a trace of a spell or incantation.”

  “You know what I am. You know what kind of life this will condemn me to,” I pled.

  “Only for a few short years,” Sindri said. “A couple of decades at the most.”

  “Don’t make me forget who I am, Sindri.”

  “The only way to keep you hidden is to hide you from even yourself. You’re too powerful an oracle to lose to the king and too precious an apprentice for me to give up. By using the dark ways combined with your gifts, we maintain the power. The new council of oracles will rise, as foretold in the prophecy of the ancients, so it shall be.”

  “Ég býð þér að gleyma hver þú ert.

  I command you to forget who you are.

  Fram að þeim tíma sem ég býð þér að muna.

  Until the time I command you to remember.

  Ég býð þér að afneita eðli þínu.

  I command you to deny your nature.

  Fram að þeim tíma sem ég býð þér að muna.

  Until the time I command you to remember.

  Þú skalt klæða þig með minningum manna.

  You shall cloak yourself with the memories of men.

  Þú skalt skikkja sjálfan þig.

  You shall cloak yourself from yourself.

  “You’ll never get away with this.” I said, using every ounce of strength I had to try and raise my hands, but Sindri’s magic was too strong.

  “Don’t fight it, Ketill.”

  “You’ll never get away...”