A Bond Broken: The Infinite World Book Two

by J. T. Wright

  It had to let her out! She couldn’t challenge this Trial! She wouldn’t! She wanted out. She wanted away from the treacherous Fey and their Garden of Death. She couldn’t face this alone. She needed Trent, or Orion, or Sergeant Cullen. She needed…

  Tersa’s natural stubbornness kept her pounding at the wall until her hands ached. Tears streamed down her face and snot bubbled at her nose as she wailed. It was only when a darker crimson stained the cheerful red of the brick wall that she came to her senses. Her knuckles were bleeding.

  Tersa slumped to her knees, exhausted. In her exhaustion, anger seeped into her despair. Anger at herself. This wasn’t the way she had been trained to react. This wasn’t how a Guardsman dealt with fear.

  Years ago, as a newly Awakened girl rescued from her fate by a mountain of a man, she had made a vow. If Cullen was willing to give a stupid, ugly, mess like her a chance, then she wouldn’t let him down. She would become the best Guard in the world!

  In Tersa’s mind, that meant becoming just like Sergeant Cullen. She would become the towering figure that could slay drunken fathers with a single fist. She would become a Guardsman that even officers tiptoed around. To Tersa, even Fairies bowed down before Cullen’s indignant bellows.

  The Sergeant wasn’t here now, but if he had been, he’d be cussing and swearing while picking her up with surprisingly gentle hands. He’d push a weapon at her and tell her to stop her bellyaching and get to it!

  Tersa scrubbed at her eyes with bruised hands. It was a good thing Trent couldn’t see her like this. That stupid runt wouldn’t say anything, of course. He’d just stand there, rubbing the back of his neck, kicking at the ground, waiting for her to recover. She wished Trent was here.

  Trent wouldn’t be afraid of Fairies. Trent was stupid and annoying, but he was never afraid of anything. He could be depended upon to watch her back. He was her best friend, not that she’d admit that out loud.

  Trent and Orion were her only friends. She got along well enough with other Recruits, but only these two were willing to put up with her long enough to form a friendship. Tersa had three older brothers, but in her heart, Trent and Orion were her real family. And right now, she was letting that family down.

  Tersa cast Self-Clean and stood up. She had found family and acceptance in one Trial. She needed to clear this one so she could brag to Trent about how easy it had been. She needed to clear it, fast, before Trent did, if possible.

  She took a long slow breath and reexamined the Garden, this time with more determined eyes. There were a lot of Fairies! They moved around too quickly to be counted, but there had to be hundreds. Hundreds of Fey that, so far, hadn’t taken the least bit of interest in her. This didn’t match up with any of the stories she had heard.

  “Stupid, stupid Tersa!” She spit and clenched her fists. She was in a Trial! These weren’t real Fairies. They were Trial Beasts! They were obstacles to be overcome, not nightmares to cringe from! Only, now what?

  Her gaze fell back on the simple table with its bug nets. Was it that easy? Couldn’t be. There was a trick to this. She’d probably need to catch lots of the flickering bug-like Trial Beasts, not just one. That was why there were four nets! In case one was broken, she’d have three backups!

  Her feet stomped along the stone walkway. Tersa squared her shoulders. The corners of her mouth twisted upwards, evilly. She'd show these Fairies who was boss! These fluttering twits thought she feared them. Not hardly! She’d faced much bigger, scarier Trial Beasts, and she was still standing!

  With a sweep of her hand, she claimed a bug net forcefully. She fumbled it a bit, the damned thing was too light. It was too bad her mace couldn’t be used to capture Fairies. It had a proper weight to it. Could she use it? Maybe if she tapped the little bastards just right. Then she could put them in the net… well, she’d try the net first.

  Tersa’s boots pounded their way towards the nearest target, an indecent little nudist who was flapping translucent wings as it watered a patch of herbs. It only occurred to her that stealthy actions might be appropriate after she was already within range of her victims. Fortunately, the Fairy never turned around despite her heavy footfalls. Too simple!

  Holding the net in her right hand, Tersa carefully positioned herself and drew back her arm. Stupid Trial Beast! Your doom has come! The net whooshed through the air as Tersa shouted wordlessly. Too easy!

  The Fairy never noticed the approaching net. Or rather, it did but paid no mind. Its wings fluttered, and it floated up. The net passed harmlessly beneath it, and the Fairy continued sprinkling. The flow of fluid from its tiny jug didn’t cease dispensing the plant nurturing water.

  Tersa gritted her teeth. This Trial Beast was a crafty little bugger. She tried to forcibly calm herself, her right eye and nose twitching from the effort. Her net swung out again, and achieved similar results. Only, this time, the Fairy cast a disparaging look over its shoulder.

  Another person might have rethought their plans at that moment. The blood that rushed to Tersa’s freckled face said she hadn’t. If one swing wouldn’t do, then she would try two. If two failed, then three. If three wasn’t enough, maybe it was time for her mace and a little bashing time!

  “Bloody! Flaming! Piss!” Tersa roared as her net swished through the air continuously.

  The Fairy danced unconcernedly in the air, seemingly oblivious to the assault from the bug net, continuing to water the plants in its charge. When Tersa saw this, she became even angrier. She took the net in both hands and brought it over her head. With a lunging step forward, she activated her Skill, Crushing Blow! This time the Fairy would be captured or killed. Tersa was done playing around.

  The Skilled strike got the Fairy’s attention in a way Tersa’s previous efforts hadn’t. An annoyed trill was issued as the Fairy lifted a hand. The pole with its net burst into splinters before it ever got close to the winged figure. Wooden shrapnel pinged off Tersa’s hands, arms, and face. Only her high Constitution kept her skin intact.

  Tersa stared open-mouthed at her now empty hands. How had that even happened? Was it a Spell? It couldn’t be! Even a charm needed a second or two to build up before being cast. Only a high-leveled Mage could instantly deploy magic.

  Tersa’s stomach sank. Had she underestimated these Trial Beasts? The Fairy’s translucent wings, which were now tinted red, said she had. The tiny figure floated up to eye level, and Tersa focused on it. Seeing it had her attention, the Fairy glared pointedly downwards. Confused and apprehensive, Tersa risked a quick peek down to see the source of the Trial Beast’s displeasure.

  It was her foot. When Tersa had lunged forward, her boot had left the walkway and crushed a delicate-looking blossom. Tersa hurriedly lifted her leg and put it back on stone. She hadn’t meant to harm the plant. It was entirely accidental. Looking around she noticed that all the Fairies in the Garden had stopped what they were doing to stare at her. Hundreds of pairs of wings glowed red, and Tersa felt a pit forming at her center.

  She swallowed hard, and nervous eyes flickered back to focus on the original Fairy. It still hovered there, hands on hips. Was this when the knives came out? Was she about to become one of the helpless, back-talking victims in her Gran's stories?

  The Fairy’s wings buzzed as it rushed forward. Tersa winced and shut her eyes. This was it. This was the end! At the last second, her eyes popped open. She could face her fate. That was what Sergeant Cullen would do.

  Contrary to her expectations, it was a tiny foot that touched her face, not a knife. The Fairy’s diminutive leg kicked, and Tersa opened her eyes in time to see that that kick was aimed at her chin. What did the Fairy expect to do with such little limbs?

  A lot, apparently. When the foot connected with her chin, Tersa stumbled backward. Her teeth clicked together, and her arms wind-milled as she tried to keep her balance. Tears flooded her eyes. That had hurt!

  Jaw aching, Tersa stumbled backwards three steps. The force of the kick had snapped her head back hard enough and f
ast enough to strain her neck. Blinking back tears, she prepared herself to go out fighting.

  Her hand reached for her mace. It was a futile gesture, but it had to be made. It was futile because the Fairy was too fast, and because the Sergeant had taken away her mace days ago. She was supposed to be training with the spear. She currently had no idea where that long weapon was to be found.

  She was unarmed except for a belt knife! How had that happened? Briefly, her thoughts turned to the punishment that awaited her for entering a Trial unarmed. The Sergeant was going to be so pissed!

  No, no time to worry about that. She had to survive this before she could survive the coming catastrophe. Her hand moved to her belt knife. It was a tool more than a weapon, but it had an edge, and it was all she had.

  She was a Guardsman! She would come through this. She had to! It was too bad she didn’t have a shield, or mace, or spear… but she didn’t seem to need them. Tersa drew her knife and set her feet, but no further attacks pummeled her. All the Fairies in the Garden had returned to their tasks. They acted like she wasn’t even there.

  She was amazed to still be living. One kick to reprimand her was all the punishment the Fairy doled out. It had already resumed watering its patch. The flower Tersa had crushed had been restored, and in the Fairy’s eyes, the event was over.

  Gran Cromwen was so full of shit! Yeah, that kick had stung, and maybe Fairies were no pushovers, but they didn’t even have pointed teeth! You couldn’t eat babies without pointed teeth! Tersa sheathed her belt knife with a huff.

  Rubbing her chin, her thoughts were a chaotic swirl of condemnation and self-recrimination. Slowly, she got her head in order. The ache in her jaw settled down, and as she continued stroking her chin, an insane idea occurred to her. She wasn’t known for well thought out plans, and at first, even she found the thought in her brain disturbing. However, the more she turned it over, the more the plan appealed to her. It would utilize all her strengths and accomplish her goals. If it worked, and it couldn’t possibly fail, she could catch dozens of Fairies in one go!

  A glint appeared in Tersa’s eye. Her hand dropped to her side. She chuckled to herself as she calmly strolled back to the table and collected a second bug net. This was why there were four. The sneaky little twits had the startling ability to destroy wood. That ability wouldn’t help them now!

  Nonchalantly, Tersa walked further into the Garden. Her head twisted from side to side. She bit her tongue in concentration as she tried to judge the perfect place to implement The Plan. Settling on a location where two pathways met, she was surrounded by ten Fairies, all going about their lives obliviously. Perfect.

  With a deep breath in and pole held in both hands, Tersa activated Iron Skin. That Skill was meant to protect against blades rather than blows, but it couldn’t hurt. In the back of her mind, Tersa still knew Fairies favored knives when dealing with impudent little girls.

  This could work! This had to work. She would endure a couple of kicks, but once she had caught enough Fairies, Tersa would have cleared the Trial. Then she would be safe. A second thought was called for. Tersa didn’t bother. She settled into a fighting stance and did what came naturally. Enraging Aura was activated!

  It had been the scene of all the Fairies looking at her with wide eyes and red glowing wings that had made The Plan occur to her. The first plan had been for her to leap into a flowerbed kicking and stomping to draw the creatures over. She decided that wasn’t enough. What if one Fairy kicked her multiple times in response?

  She needed all the Fairies to become mad all at once. She needed a mess of them to charge over. Once they did that, it didn’t matter how fast they were, all she had to do was spin in place and hold the net out. Blinded by anger, the winged figures would fall into her trap. It wasn’t long before she realized she had the perfect bait.

  Enraging Aura was Tersa’s highest-leveled Skill. Sergeant Cullen had previously forbidden its use, but these were special circumstances. The man had never said why she shouldn’t use the Skill. Cullen was always short of explanations. He wasn’t here now, so why shouldn’t she use it?

  Enraging Aura had long surpassed the point where it just served to keep the enemy’s attention on her. Now its area of effect spread out for dozens of feet, actively drawing foes in from far away. Tersa’s own anger boiled up, and her eyes turned red with fury as she suffered the side effects of her own Skill.

  Her eyes were a pale reflection of the red glowing wings of hundreds of Fairies. The white stone walkways turned blood-colored as every wing in the Garden lit up with an intense light. This wasn’t what Tersa had expected. How could she have known that her Aura Skill, fueled by her Stamina, would be interpreted as a magical attack by the Fairies? How could she have known that when one Fairy was attacked, they would all respond?

  That was exactly what happened! Instead of the ten Fairies she expected to draw in, hundreds swarmed towards her. Trilling angrily, every one of the gardeners came to the defense of the assaulted Fey. The rush of winged figures was enough to break through Tersa’s rage in a way the Undead never had. This flood of nightmares sobered her up quickly, and her only thought was to run.

  She turned rapidly in circles, seeking an escape. She found none. The Fey surrounded her completely! She also wasn’t pleased to discover that Gran Cromwen had been wrong. Fairies didn’t use knives. Oh, how she wished they did!

  Instead of tiny blades, spears and bows formed of magic appeared in their minuscule hands. Fairies swooped and drove as they threw tiny missiles from a distance. The Plan had called for the Fairies to come within range of her net. It was only now that Tersa found out kicks were not a typical Fairy fighting technique.

  Like small bolts of lightning, arrows and spears were flung at the cowering Brute. Tersa’s Constitution didn’t stop them. Her chainmail and Iron Skin Skill provided no protection. Tersa was entirely at the mercy of the Fairies, and it seemed those winged terrors had none!

  Tersa screamed and covered her face with her arms. The weapons of the Fey were no larger than needles or splinters, but they dug in deep. Faced with an assault from all sides, Tersa was soon covered in wounds. They may not have been gaping wounds or life-threatening injuries, but they were piling up. And they stung!

  Shrieking shrilly, eyes covered, Tersa started to run blindly. She paid no heed to the flowers that were being trampled beneath her feet. She didn’t care about the herbs that were destroyed by her passing. She only thought of getting away.

  Pins pieced her calves, causing her to stumble. Her foot caught on a stone, and she fell face-first into a bed of roses. Spitting leaves and petals, Tersa ignored the thorns that clawed at her hands as she forced herself up. Thorns didn’t hurt nearly as much as Fairy weapons. She had to get away!

  Covering her face again, Tersa fled. Only there was no escape. Stumbling time and again, she ran into the Garden's wall and fell backward onto her ass. Picking herself up, she screamed and continued her headlong, futile rush. Why wouldn’t they stop chasing her? She hadn’t done anything to them. Was it the plants? She was only crushing the plants because they were chasing her! Why wouldn’t they stop?

  What she didn’t realize was that she had yet to deactivate Enraging Aura. That Skill, which had caused numerous problems for her and Trent in the past, still blazed away. The Fairies didn’t mind the destruction of their Garden at all. They were too caught up in the effects of Tersa’s own Skill to notice.

  Screaming and crying, Tersa ran in circles. Bleeding from a hundred pinpricks, she knew how the characters in her Gran's stories must have felt. Fairies killed slowly. These Fey seemed determined to cause Tersa to bludgeon herself to death. Was that the third time she had hit the wall or the fourth?

  This time had been different, though. Softer, the wall had some give to it. She had bounced but not fallen. Risking her sight, Tersa uncovered her eyes to see what had changed.

  She hadn’t hit the wall. She had run into that hedge at the center of the Garden. It was
softer than brick, but that wasn’t too comforting. She hadn't just run into the hedge; she had passed the opening and was now surrounded by it. There was only one clear way to run. She could only go further in, the way back held Fairy Archers.

  Tersa re‐covered her face and ran. There were many twists and turns to the hedge, and she was forced to discover them bodily. It would be a long time before she found her way through the maze at the center of the Garden. Many times, she was forced to run back through the crowd of angry Fairies when her headlong rush led to a dead end. By the time she reached the center, she was a bloody bruised mess, traumatized physically and mentally. She never did think to turn off Enraging Aura.

  Chapter 13

  Maven, Keeper of the Garden of Clarity and Queen of a small tribe of Fairies, was having the time of her life. Normally, life as a Keeper was drab. If Maven had realized how mind-numbingly dull life in a Trial could be, she never would have become a Keeper.

  In truth, she was unsuited for the role in the first place. Changes in the World that had made mortals dangerous to the Fey had caused her to be here. It was not a calling that led to her tribe’s imprisonment. It was her own fear. Fear of Alchemists grinding up her wings for their potions, fear of Adventurers capturing her for poorly defined reasons, and most of all, fear that victims of her pranks, previously helpless, now had the power to seek revenge.

  Over the centuries, Maven had come to regret her decision. The World had not placed the Fairy Queen in charge of a typical Trial. The Garden of Clarity was not a Trial of monsters and puzzles. She wasn’t allowed to place deadly traps in her maze or poison the flowers that decorated her home. No, instead, Maven was expected to guide challengers into recognizing their own weaknesses. She was supposed to help them overcome the problems that held them back. She empowered the very Adventurers that she feared!