A Sea of Broken Glass

by Sonya M Black

  “There are more flanking us.” Aeron’s lips pressed into a thin line.

  “How close are they?” I asked.

  “Who knows,” Aeron replied, “and I don’t want to find out.”

  “We’ll keep going for a little longer.” Michel nudged his horse forward.

  Gibbering laughter grew louder for a moment and then turned into a woman’s cry. “Save me!”

  Time and distance seemed to stand still no matter how fast or slow we moved. Nothing broke up the landscape. No streams. No hills or trees. The never-ending wind had swept it clean. A glittering black expanse that baked under the sun. How were we going to find the Heart? How would we find our way out once we had it?

  Guilt at bringing Aeron and Michel to the Bonelands pressed down on me. Would we die out here? Would the taint claim me before I could do what I needed to? Would I become like Ruin?

  I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. No, I wouldn’t let that happen. I would die before I became like her.

  We continued onward with the demons a constant presence. Never gaining, but never falling behind. It felt like we were trapped in a nightmare. Perhaps we were. Perhaps I was still in the Between and this bleak expanse was a dream I had failed to wake from.

  That thought sent a chill through me. Once again, I checked my bond to Bran. The braided orange and gold cord stretched to the north. Still intact, which meant he was alive so he must have returned from Between.

  “How could you?” a woman’s voice asked. “I trusted you.”

  The bitter whisper made the air around us heavy. A moment passed before I realized Aeron had stopped moving. He sat on his horse, his face pale and the reins held in tight fists.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He stared blankly into the distance.

  “I’m dead because of you,” the woman cried.

  The ghostly voice made Aeron flinch.

  “You’re a liar.” Her words fell like a blow across Aeron, and he hunched, curling in on himself.

  “Thief.”

  I dismounted and walked over to him. “Hey, look at me, fox-face.”

  “Murderer.”

  Aeron jolted upright, his face white. “I can’t do this.”

  Sand sprayed me as he turned and galloped off.

  “Come back!” I ran to my horse and scrambled to climb in the saddle. “You’ll get yourself killed.”

  Michel chased after Aeron, calling his name. Fear filled my gut with an icy ball. Aeron was racing straight toward the demons.

  Shrieking laughter followed me. An unseen hand tangled in my hair and yanked. My eyes watered from the pain.

  “Come back, little healer.”

  The voice turned into invisible blows across my back and shoulders. I hunched in the saddle and directed my magic to create a barrier around my body.

  “You cannot run from us.”

  I gritted my teeth and ignored the voices and unseen hands that tried to stop me, focusing instead on catching Aeron before he ran headlong into danger. The icy ball of fear in my stomach climbed upward and sat in my chest as I caught up to the two paladins.

  “It was a mistake to come here!” Aeron had dismounted and was pacing. “We have to go back.”

  “That isn’t an option,” Michel replied.

  “I can’t do this.” Aeron dragged his hands through his messy copper curls.

  I dismounted and walked toward him. “What is going on? Why are you—?”

  “Can’t you see her?” He pointed at the air behind me. I turned, but nothing was there. “Demon’s balls, why did I come here?”

  “She’s not real.” Michel laid a hand on Aeron’s shoulder. “Let us help you.”

  Aeron grabbed fistfuls of hair and dropped to his knees, rocking back and forth, sorrow and pain etched in his expression. “I can’t do this,” he sobbed.

  I knelt next to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. Tears streaked through the dust that covered his face. I’d never seen him this distraught over anything. “Tell me—”

  My words were cut off by excited yips. Demons and ghouls emerged from the shimmer of heat that obscured the landscape. Their pale skin stark against the black glass plains.

  Michel drew his rapier and blue flames danced over the blade.

  I rose to my feet. We’d been dealing with an endless string of demon attacks from the moment I’d left Greendale and I was sick of it. I pulled my pistols, resigned to the fight.

  The demons and ghouls slunk across the sand, their movements sinuous and predatory. Unlike the paladins, my magic didn’t coat my weapons in flames. It hummed beneath the surface of my skin, a song of fire and water, ready to scorch and drown.

  I nudged Aeron who was still curled on the ground. He needed to snap out of it. If he didn’t, there was a good chance the demons would kill him. “Come on, fox-face, get up and help us fight.”

  The tainted creatures ignored Michel. Their red, hungry eyes roved over me as their tongues darted out to lick thin lips. I was a meal served up on a platter for them, but I refused to let them dine.

  My magic built to the point of pain, ready to rip the corruption out of them. The demon on my right lunged, and I blocked. My left hand swept up, and I loosed my magic, the notes of my healer’s song a flurry of silent music. I latched onto the taint inside the demon and ripped it out of its host. The demon’s eyes widened in horror as it dissolved into wet ash.

  The remaining creatures paused, their red eyes no longer filled with hunger, but fear. I grabbed the closest demon, and my magic swept through it, carrying my attention away in strains of exultation as the song destroyed it.

  The taint in the land called to me. I could cleanse it. I could rid the Bonelands of the corruption just as I had the demons. The twisted song from the surrounding wasteland crooned temptation, spicy and savory. It wrapped delicate, silken threads around my heart and mind.

  Cleanse it.

  The music changed tempo to match my heartbeat.

  Thud-thud.

  “On your right!” Michel’s voice broke the trance the song had on me.

  Shaken out of my reverie, I raised my pistol and fired. A ghoul screeched as a hole the size of my fist opened in its chest. It fell to the ground, its black blood blending into the sand.

  The world narrowed down to the next demon that appeared in front of me. I ripped away its corruption and ignored everything else. Ignored the thrum of the song from the Bonelands that wove its way into my thoughts. Ignored the scent of rotting flesh, the sweat that slid down my brow and into my eyes. Ignored the screams and howls of the other creatures that were out there, carried to us by the wind.

  More demons. More ghouls. I destroyed them all. I became the fire that lived in my veins as I unleashed it on the taint surrounding me. Michel danced around me, his rapier weaving blue flames through the air in counterpoint to the music I created. Aeron continued to huddle beside me, caught in the trap his misery had created. I refused to let anything get near him. I would protect him as he had me for all these years. One by one, the demons and ghouls fell. One by one, I destroyed them and relished their deaths.

  And then it was over. The last demon dissolved into ash as the corruption inside of it burned.

  My hands trembled as the excitement from the fight began to ebb.

  “Are you hurt?” Michel stood with his hands on his knees, his breath coming in a rush.

  I shook my head. Aeron hadn’t moved. He lay curled in a ball, his arms wrapped around his head.

  “Maybe we should go back.” I knelt next to Aeron and placed a hand on his shoulder. My heart broke to see my friend in so much pain.

  “I’m not sure that’s possible.” Michel crouched on the other side. “We’re surrounded. The demons have been close enough to attack us for a while, but they didn’t until Aeron made a run for it.”

  Regret settled in my chest as the pieces started to come together. All along I’
d been driven forward by these constant attacks, as well as the visions the Lady had shown me. I’d taken the bait and walked right into the trap. Did the Lady show me the vision of destruction to warn me, or to entice me to do what the Darkness wanted? She told me that he wanted the Heart. She’d also protected me from the Darkness, but I’d seen the shadows that infected her.

  I rubbed at my forehead. “Light, they’re herding us toward the Heart.”

  Michel gave a slow nod.

  “They’ve cut us off, and now we don’t have any choice but to move forward.” I glanced at Aeron. His shoulders heaved as he sobbed quietly. “What can we do for him?”

  “Nothing until we leave this tainted place.” Michel’s jaw tightened. “He’s reliving something from his past.”

  I ran my fingers through Aeron’s hair, brushing the sweaty curls from his forehead. I didn’t know how to help him fight whatever held him in its grip. All I could do was support him as he had me.

  “Come on, fox-face. Ride with me for a while.” I wove a simple song of healing around him, a lullaby to ease discomfort and stress. The tension left his body, and his breathing eased. He took hold of my hand and squeezed.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

  “Care to talk about it?” I asked. The sorrow in his eyes as he looked at me broke my heart.

  He shook his head.

  “Will you ride with me?” I wished I could ease whatever ate at him. Michel met my gaze and gave a brief nod of encouragement.

  Aeron let me help him to his feet. I mounted and scooted as far forward in the saddle as I could. He slipped behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and rested his head between my shoulder blades. Warm tears leaked through my shirt, and my heart broke for him a little more.

  “Let’s go.” Michel tied the reins of Aeron’s horse to his saddle and then mounted. “We’ll keep riding south for now.”

  We turned and resumed our search, my heartbeat echoing in my ears.

  22

  Heat swallowed the land, cloaking it in restless waves of light. Worry ate at Michel as he watched Aeron’s descent into madness. First demons, then this. What would go wrong next?

  Ghostly figures teased the edges of Michel’s vision, vague, ethereal shapes along with the faces of those he held dear. Ollie appeared off and on, covered in streaks of blood, his mouth open in a silent scream. A knife of guilt lodged itself in Michel’s chest every time he recognized a face. Sorrow wormed its way through his thoughts. He pushed the feelings away and fell back on his training.

  Focus on the moment. Let everything else go.

  Michel had an idea of who troubled Aeron. Much like Ollie’s death, the woman might have been saved if Aeron had made different choices. Guilt, like the ghosts that surrounded them, was something that haunted a man past the point of reason.

  The Bonelands had become a miserable place. A land full of nothingness. The broken glass that made up the landscape glittered like stars in the black sands. It would be beautiful if not for the corruption that seeped into the air. It hurt to see what had been lost.

  The demons still lingered, far enough away to not be an immediate threat, but close enough that returning to the Copper Hills wasn’t an option. Not that he could tell where the Copper Hills were anymore. They could be wandering in endless circles and they would never know it.

  They had stopped for the day, but Michel doubted any of them would get much rest. Between the wailing wind, the shrieks of laughter from long-dead people, and the intense heat, there was nothing restful about the place.

  The horses wouldn’t last much longer. They would die with nothing to graze on and no readily available water. He’d been able to pull some water up from beneath the sand, but not enough to do more than take a few sips and fill their water skins. He wondered how long before all of them were nothing but bleached bones resting in the black sand.

  Aeron sat with his shoulders hunched and his forehead resting on his knees. He’d been a useless lump since he’d tried to run, and he wouldn’t be any help until he came to grips with whatever he was seeing. Michel doubted that it would happen without some sort of intervention, but he was at a loss as to what would be needed.

  Michel sipped the cold soup that Ris had made for dinner. It tasted dull and flavorless. He closed his eyes and imagined he was eating at the Bear and Buzzard, surrounded by music and cigar smoke.

  A muffled grunt of pain brought Michel’s attention back to the present.

  “Let go of me.” Ris struggled to push Aeron away. He held her by the arms as he tried to drag her to the horses.

  “No, Addie, we have to get out of here. He’s going to kill you.” Aeron’s voice held a note of hysteria.

  Michel jumped to his feet and pulled Aeron off Ris. “That’s not Addie.”

  “I won’t let you hurt her.” Aeron lunged at Michel, swinging a fist.

  Michel dodged the blow. “Demon’s balls, snap out of it.”

  Ris grabbed Aeron’s arm, pulling him off balance. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “What’s wrong with me?” Aeron shoved Ris away from him, his face twisted into a snarl. “Why do you always take his side?”

  Light, this isn’t going to end well. Michel’s stomach tightened at the thought. All the original paladins knew Aeron’s story. It had caused quite the stir amongst their ranks. If Aeron was reliving that particular moment in his life… Michel didn’t want to think of the potential outcome.

  He grabbed Aeron from behind and held him in a headlock. “That’s not your sister. That’s Ris.”

  Aeron fought desperately to free himself, but Michel tightened his grip, praying that he could contain Aeron before Ris got hurt. It had been a bad idea to come to this forsaken place.

  Ris’s magic filled the air with a gentle song of comfort. She placed a hand on Aeron’s chest, and Michel felt the moment when she released it. The edges of it brushed his skin in a silken caress that sent a shiver through him. The pang of desire that followed nearly drove him to his knees.

  Aeron tensed, his body shaking with the effort, before he collapsed, sliding bonelessly to the sand.

  Demons. Ghouls. A wasteland full of twisted magic. That was what Michel had expected to face. Not losing his friend to madness. How long before both he and Ris succumbed to it as well?

  “Why is this affecting Aeron so much more than us?” Ris asked.

  Michel glanced at Aeron and then stared up at the sky unable to continue looking at his friend. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because he didn’t become a paladin in the normal way. He was sentenced to death for a crime he didn’t commit. The Lady spared his life on the condition that he serve her.”

  “The normal way?” Ris sat in the sand next to Aeron. She ran her fingers gently through his hair. It was a tender, sweet gesture that sent a stab of jealousy through Michel.

  Focus on the moment, he told himself.

  “Most paladins were given to the Lady’s service as children,” he replied. “We spent years training our minds and bodies. Aeron was an adult when he started serving.”

  “He was a thief before he joined the paladins,” Ris said. “He’s told me that much.”

  Michel glanced at her. “Yes, well, that’s only part of it. He was convicted of—”

  “You don’t have any right to talk about that.” Aeron curled into a tight ball. “No right.”

  Ris laid a hand on his shoulder. “Aeron—”

  Aeron brushed her hand away. “It’s in the past, and the Lady forgave me. I didn’t deserve it, but she forgave me.”

  Michel narrowed his eyes. “Are you afraid Ris will break the bond if she knows the truth?”

  Aeron flinched.

  “You’re useless right now.” The words were cruel. Michel knew it, but he needed Aeron to focus on the present. To snap out of the memories that held him hostage. “Do your job and forget about the past.”

  “You’re one to talk.” Aeron
jumped to his feet and faced Michel. “You’re nothing but a spineless coward, unable to face your responsibilities.”

  “Stop it!” Ris glared at Aeron. “You’re acting like a child.”

  “I’m acting like a child?” Aeron sneered down at her. “Look at you, dragging us into this forsaken land on a whim. Who’s the child here? You’re a spoiled brat playing at being grown up.”

  Ris stood slowly, visibly shaking, fists clenched at her sides. Anger rolled from her in waves, icy cold in its intensity. Michel wasn’t sure if he should interfere or not.

  Aeron leaned in close to her. “If you knew anything at all, you wouldn’t trust Michel or me to protect you. Demon’s balls, if you—”

  Ris punched Aeron. A right hook that landed squarely on his jaw. He staggered back a step, eyes wide with surprise.

  “Shut your mouth.” She clutched her hand to her chest.

  “What did you say?” Aeron wiped at the blood that trailed from the corner of his lips.

  “You heard me. None of us will survive unless we work together.”

  Aeron snorted. “We wouldn’t be in danger if you didn’t drag us here without a thought for the consequences.”

  “I know that,” Ris whispered.

  Michel placed himself in between the pair. “Why don’t you calm—”

  “Stay out of this.” Aeron forced his way around Michel.

  Michel grabbed Aeron by the collar of his shirt and yanked him backward. “Stop it.”

  “Why are you taking her side?” Aeron shoved Michel away. “Finding the Heart is impossible. We’ll end up dead. But, maybe that’s what you want. Are you finally tired of being the lone wolf rebel? Are you hoping I’ll die so you can have Ris all to yourself?”

  The words hit Michel like a blow. He stood, mouth agape, stunned by the accusation.

  “Enough.” Ris grabbed Aeron by his collar and pulled him close. A series of brash trumpet notes built around her, hard and clear. “You will stay with me and you will help me find the Heart.”