From Spirit and Binding

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  A rumble in the distance made my blood run cold, and I stopped dead. Easton stopped, as well. As did the others.

  “What was that?” I asked, my voice a whisper.

  “Something I really don’t want to see. Okay, boys and girls, time to use that Wielding of yours. We’ve got ourselves a salamander.”

  “A salamander?” I asked, thinking of the little lizard. “Like what kind of salamander?”

  “Oh, it’s an Earth monster,” Wyn said, shaking her head. “One made of rocks and flesh. And it usually has wings. I don’t generally see them this far into the Spirit territory, but with the unrest and the magic on all sides of the wards, sometimes they get through. This guy traveled a little farther than most.”

  I swallowed hard, my hands outstretched as I pulled on my Wielding. The elements tugged back and slapped at me, and I cursed under my breath. Of course, it wasn’t going to work right. Despite my training, my Wielding clearly didn’t like me. Not when I had four elements running through my veins. They were always fighting one another.

  I needed to figure this out. If I didn’t, then what was the point of the prophecy?

  “How do we kill it?” Luken asked, drawing his sword. Braelynn still sat perched on his shoulder, her claws digging into the leather of the strap there. He had put it there for her, and I couldn’t help but wonder how he had thought of it.

  “It’s coming,” Rhodes said under his breath, and then his hands were outstretched, Air and Water spiraling around him. The precision of the power within him was stunning, and something I needed to work on with my own elements. Only no one else had four, let alone five. And I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to learn to control them all.

  The salamander was indeed made of rock and flesh, as if it had armor that split as it moved at angles so you could see the red skin beneath.

  It shot fire from its mouth as it flew at us, its leathery wings tipped with rocks beating against its body.

  It was a grotesque representation of Earth. And the fact that it had Fire also, told me that maybe one day at some point in its life, it had been part of the Fire territory, as well. After all, everything had been one big kingdom long, long ago when some of these monsters were first created.

  Then, there was no more time to think of history and creation. Only the monster in front of us.

  “Let’s go!” Easton shouted, and then we were off. Luken and Rhodes worked together, using Air to push the salamander up and then down, strangling it as much as they could with Water. It shot fire towards them, and they ducked out of the way. Braelynn tucked tightly into Luken’s arms as he got back to his feet. Wyn and Teagan worked as a pair as well, using their Earth and Fire to try and bring down the salamander. Fire wouldn’t penetrate its flesh, but Earth could slam into it. Rosamond stood by herself, her arms outstretched as she created a wall of Water from the moisture in the air, something I couldn’t yet master, and used Air to push the Water towards the salamander. The creature rolled to its back, screeching so loudly it practically pierced my eardrums, but I ignored the pain and kept my hands outstretched, my Wielding ready. Easton looked at me, gave me a tight nod, and we both pushed out, Fire licking at the thing. It may not be able to pierce its flesh, but it could get at its eyes and mouth. I had seen that much from Teagan’s Fire.

  I used my Earth along with Easton’s, the two of us fighting side by side as if we had for eons rather than the short time we had known each other. Something tugged at me, an effervescence within my soul that begged me to reach out for Easton, but I pushed it away. Because there was no way he could do the same for me, it would only distract and hurt me in the end.

  The salamander shot fire at us again, singeing Rhodes as he pushed Luken and Braelynn out of the way. Rosamond screamed and then rolled herself into a ball of Water as the salamander came at them. Teagan and Wyn were brushed off their feet, both yelling as the salamander beat its wings harder, creating a burst of wind that pushed my hair from my face, and knocked the others off their feet.

  My Water and Air slid out of my hands, dousing the Fire and the Earth, and I cursed.

  “It’s not working!” I shouted over the screams of the salamander and my friends.

  “Then make it work,” Easton snapped. “You are stronger than this. You don’t need me. You don’t need the others. You just need to believe in the power and get your Wielding under control. Handle it.”

  I looked at him askance and growled. “If I knew how to handle it, I would.”

  “Well, you’re not doing it. So, do better,” he lashed out and then put his hands out to the sides as he used the Fire Wielding to move everything aside.

  I screamed, all four elements rushing out of me in a whoosh. I couldn’t handle it, I couldn’t control it, but I needed to. So much relied on me, and I wasn’t strong enough. The elements slammed into the salamander’s mouth, filling him up. His eyes widened, his screams getting louder, and then he blew up like a balloon and burst.

  Blood and guts spewed everywhere, landing all over the ground and us.

  I spit out whatever had ended up in my mouth, gagging, and pushed some of the blood from my face as I looked over at Easton, who casually flipped some of the salamander’s flesh from his forehead.

  “Well, that was one way to handle it.”

  I held back a glare at Easton’s tone, knowing I’d messed up, even if I’d saved us.

  “Shut up.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lyric

  * * *

  It took three more days to make it to the Spirit ruins. I had never traversed this section before as the portal from the human realm had been located to the east. I’d been in the Air territory before, but never so close to the southern border as to witness the Spirit territory from this vantage point.

  It took longer than I’d thought to get here, but as these lands hadn’t been traveled in what could be eons, we were making our own paths through the desert rather than following a man-made road or even a stream like in any of the other territories.

  We’d had to fight two more salamanders along the way, the others taking care of them before I’d been forced to use my Wielding.

  I tried not to be resentful, but the idea that I couldn’t control my powers just proved that I wasn’t ready for this.

  I didn’t feel like I was ready for anything.

  I could only hope that perhaps what lay within these ruins would provide some answers. Because I was all out of them. Only questions remained, and even those seemed murky.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever seen these ruins,” Wyn said, the awe in her voice surprising. I’d assumed that I was the only one who hadn’t been here. After all, my friends, the people who were by my side, who had helped to aid me through these waters and paths, had already been through so much in their lives. They were warriors, travelers, seekers. They were protectors.

  Apparently, they were learning something new, as well.

  It was good to know that I wasn’t always alone—even if that was just in my mind.

  Something I had to continually remind myself if I was going to be okay.

  The ruins were made of some white stone that had been dulled with age and neglect—brown and yellow and even a few red clay stains on them. It looked as if it had once been a great and large castle, like the estates the other territories had on their lands.

  It was large, yet it seemed more like home than any of the others I had seen—other than the Air territory.

  That one had felt like home to me, even on the tall cliffs where it seemed as if only birds and angels could reach.

  This, though, even with its neglect and dereliction, felt as if there could be children running in the streets, families with big smiles and hearts all around.

  I was probably just kidding myself, though. Wanting to see something that wasn’t there.

  I was doing that more often these days. But I couldn’t help it.

  I wanted to know more about the blood running through my veins.
The only Spirit Wielder I had met, other than in my dreams, had been the one up in the northern Spirit territory. And he seemed more out of his mind than rooted in the present.

  In fact, I didn’t know if the Spirit Wielders who had come into my dreams, who’d saved me and tried to teach me even though they hadn’t been very clear with their lessons, were even alive.

  “So, there’s supposed to be something in these ruins?” I asked, coming to stand beside Easton.

  He reached out, brushing his hand against mine. I froze just a bare instant before he turned away, looking out across the distance.

  Had he done that on purpose?

  Or had it only been a reflex?

  Why was he so confusing? Why couldn’t I focus on the here and now and not on what could be?

  “I hope so. There has to be something etched on these walls or hidden away in a cupboard or something. Somewhere obscure. That’s what all the texts have said up ‘til now, that there’s something here. It’s just hard to get out here, so not everyone can make it.”

  I thought of the salamanders and the countless other monsters we had hidden or run from or walked past.

  I had several of the strongest Wielders in the entire realm at my side, and even though I was the one who held some of the greatest powers, they had more training.

  I knew that we had survived because of each other, and mostly because of their experience. Maybe not everyone could survive like that and weren’t willing to take the risk. I knew I wouldn’t have made it without them.

  “Then I guess we’d better go inside,” I said, taking the first step.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Wyn said, rolling her shoulders back.

  “A few of us should stay outside just in case there’s an attack. We don’t know whose forces are against us. Those who are working for The Gray, or those who are perhaps even working for my uncle.”

  I looked at Rhodes and frowned.

  “Have you sensed them at all?”

  “No, and that worries me,” Easton said, his eyes narrowing as he studied the place. “If I can’t sense it, and if Rhodes can’t either, that means either they’re cloaked, or they’re waiting for us to do something.”

  “I’m going to ignore the fact that you didn’t mention the rest of us,” Wyn said, shaking her head. “But they’re right.” She let out a sigh and looked at Teagan. “Let’s take first watch. Sound like a plan?”

  Teagan shrugged, his stance one of readiness. “Makes sense to me.”

  “I can stay, too,” Luken said, and Rosamond shook her head quickly. “No, I think Braelynn needs to be with Lyric. I don’t know why, it’s not a vision, just a gut feeling. I’m learning to pay attention to those more than I used to.”

  “I can carry her in,” I said, and Braelynn nuzzled Luken’s neck.

  Okay, then. Maybe I wouldn’t.

  I just turned away, wondering exactly what would happen to Luken’s heart if we never found a way to either bring Brae back or figure out exactly what to do with a cat who could apparently spew fire but couldn’t quite fly all that great yet.

  “Stay by our sides,” Easton ordered, looking at Rhodes.

  “Was that an order for me?”

  “It’s a good one,” Rhodes agreed, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “Really? You’re both going to act as my protector?”

  The two shared an unreadable look, and I held back a growl. Okay, then. Two against one.

  The fact that they were right and I knew I couldn’t protect myself from everything didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

  I would just have to get used to it. And grow stronger so I didn’t have to lean on anyone anymore. I refused to let anyone else get hurt because of me. I wasn’t going to let anyone else die.

  We made our way through the tall archways, and I gazed at everything surrounding us.

  It was hard to imagine exactly what we were looking for. Something etched into stone? A piece of paper floating on the wind that had somehow survived what felt like eons of disuse?

  I wasn’t sure. I had to hope that when I saw it, I would know.

  Luken, with Braelynn on his shoulder, and Rosamond followed us. Luken’s sword was out, and Rosamond looked off far into the distance every time I glanced behind me. I knew Luken would protect her, and Rhodes was keeping an eye on her, as well. Rhodes and Easton were mostly paying attention to me, though. As if they were afraid that I couldn’t handle whatever we might see. Either that, or they were afraid that something was going to jump out of the darkness and attack me. Considering that things kept doing that, I really didn’t have a leg to stand on with regards to denying that.

  We walked through hallways of dusty stone, the cobwebs in the corners the only sign of life.

  A gentle breeze flew through the open windows and the holes in the wall where either an attack had taken the building down, or gravity and age and time itself had taken its toll.

  I wanted to ask what had happened. I wanted to know the real reason it looked like a storm had wrought destruction here, instead of the Spirit Wielders fleeing for their lives during the Fall.

  I couldn’t. It felt like walking on someone’s grave, as if I would be hurting those around me, even their ghosts, by speaking when I shouldn’t.

  We turned a corner, and the others went still, their hands outspread, their Wielding ready. I didn’t move, though, because I knew this woman. I knew the ghost that stood in front of me. Not that she was actually a ghost. I really didn’t know if that was the case or not. Regardless, I knew this soul—living or dead. I’d heard her voice. Had met her in my dreams. She was who I called Seven. Because each of the twelve Spirit Wielders from my dreams had stood around me like the numbers on a clock.

  She had stood at the seventh position, had warned me. Had prodded me.

  And now, she was here, though I didn’t know if she was actually here at all.

  “It’s you,” I said, my voice a whisper.

  “I knew you would come. You’re a tad late. Only you’ve come exactly when you needed to.”

  Rosamond took a few steps forward so she was standing right next to my left shoulder, with Luken on my right.

  “Are you the one who sent us here?” Rosamond asked, her voice breathy.

  “Perhaps. Maybe it’s the bracelet on your wrist, Lyric. Or perhaps it’s all of us. Everything. That’s just the way of the Spirits.”

  Oh, good, it looked as if we were going to be talking in riddles again. Just what we needed.

  “Can you help?” I asked. I took a step forward, my knees shaking. “Can you tell us what we need to know? Explain what we need to do?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Perhaps, what?” Easton asked, his voice a growl.

  Seven didn’t look at him, but I saw the tightening of her eyes.

  “The shadow’s son is close.”

  “What do you mean by that?” I asked, taking another step forward.

  “The shadow’s son, his blood. He’s close. It’s merely those on his strings that you must worry about. The shadows will find who they need, but those against him are strong. They must come together for you to realize what side you stand on.”

  “Are you saying we can win?” I asked.

  “Or are you calling me the shadow’s son?” Easton asked.

  “The shadow’s son does not know who he is. You, King of Darkness, are not of his blood. Of the blood of the forefathers, the bearers of stains and blood and Obscurité. You must find your path if you’re to help her. To keep her alive. For she must keep the world alive, and those surrounding her must support her. If not, you will all crumble because the weight of those who carry the shadows in their veins will be far too much for any one Priestess to bear.”

  “So, I can’t do this on my own?” I asked, my throat dry.

  “You were never meant to, Lyric.”

  “Then why do you call me the Spirit Priestess? Why is there a prophecy that says I’m supposed to save the world?”
/>   “You are the beacon. Not the only. Do you not remember the personal prophecy?”

  “It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It will.”

  “What do we do?” Rhodes asked, coming to my side as Easton did, as well.

  “You must gather your forces. You must train. You must look at the connections you already have. And remember.

  “The Spirit Priestess will come of five, yet of none at all.

  She will be strength of light, of darkness, and choice.

  You will lose what you had.

  You will lose what you want.

  You will lose what you will.

  You will lose what you sow.

  Then you will find the will.

  Find the fortune.

  And then you will make a choice.

  A choice above all.

  A sacrifice above will.

  A fate left denied.

  And a loss meant to soothe.”

  I wanted to scream, wanted her to dissect each line for me like I had tried to do. I knew she wouldn’t. That wasn’t her job. The fates or gods or whoever pulled the strings were not going to give me answers.

  We needed to find those for ourselves. And in doing so, I was afraid we would never come out of the darkness, or even the light. Because there wasn’t merely light or darkness anymore. There was both. There always had been.

  “We know that part,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know what we’re supposed to do.”

  “You will make the choice. You will fight your fate.

  And once you find the one you choose, you will have more to lose.

  When the crystals fall, the end is near.

  When the crystals shatter, you will fear.

  Then you will fade, you will choose, and the crystal will shine.

  Though the world cries, and the one you love is in shadow,

  The world will burn.

  The world will live.

  And you will know the end.

  The end of all, the end of nowhere.

  But the end.”