Stonehand, p.23
Stonehand, page 23
Kirstin sat up a little straighter and cracked her neck. “Subtlety. Right.”
“So I am going to suggest something a little radical.”
“This is going to involve you causing me a lot more pain, isn’t it?”
“Actually, if everything works out how I expect, I assume probably not.”
“Well, that does not seem too bad?”
“I mean, it’s going to involve me straight-up killing you.”
*
Timing would be everything.
After all, the true value of an unlimited mana pool was that it made almost everything possible.
Eliud had a grudging respect for whoever had designed this trap for him. The premise was sound, and, in normal circumstances, he could imagine it would have kept him tied up for quite some time.
Over the years, he had lost far too many companions. When he had first met the Lady Darkhelm, she had persuaded him to leave his self-imposed isolation following a string of disasters. He had withdrawn from the world because he had concluded he was simply too powerful to safely be around others. Particularly those he cared about.
That the outcome of his time at Court had led to yet more bloodshed — and the loss of further friends — had made about as devastating a series of events as he could conceive.
Thus, the orientation of this room was perfectly designed to play into his greatest fear: that using his power would hurt those he loved.
But to be measured against that was the fate of Genoes.
The Dark God had taken the boy for no other reason than to cause Eliud pain. And he did not find that to be acceptable.
He needed to break free from this cage, then escape whatever the Sky Keep was, find the King and persuade him to put him on the trail of the Dark God in order to rescue the boy. And they would then find out how much hyperbole there was when people described the Duskstrider’s power as ‘godlike’.
But to even start achieving that, he would need to kill Kirstin.
“When you put it like that, I find myself being less than enthusiastic about this plan.”
“I am not saying there is no risk. I am, however, saying that waiting here until you die of dehydration is probably not an ideal alternative.”
“And you are sure this will work?”
“The theory is sound. The only thing holding us here is a minor spell that diverts any power I seek to use into the other cells. So far, we’ve been trying to find the sweet spot where I can use just enough power to get free without hurting you too much. Turns out, that’s been harder than we might have anticipated.”
“That’s one way of putting it.”
“So the only other option I can see is we go the other way. I use so much power that I overload the feedback spell. We accept this will have consequences upon you, and I trigger every Healing Skill I have with everything I’ve got. Which — I don’t know if I’ve mentioned — is quite a lot.”
“The ‘consequences’ are going to be that the sympathetic link kills me, right?”
“Yes.”
“And you think you have enough Healing Skills to bring me back? I mean, I’ve never heard of a Resurrection Skill and I have no interest in shuffling around as a Soulless. You’re saying you’ve done this before, and it’s worked?”
Eliud’s pause was its own monologue.
“Is there any other way you can see of getting us free?”
The Duskstrider shook his head.
Kirstin closed her eyes for a moment. The faces of Jak and Genoes dominated her mind. One was a brother she had not been able to save. The other . . . well, there was still a chance there.
She opened her eyes and nodded. “Let’s do it.”
There was no need for any more words.
Eliud’s eyes turned purple, and streaks of lightning surrounded him. Kirstin screamed as the feedback loop channelled all that power into her body, but this time, the Pendragon did not stop. He drew more and more deeply on the unending well of his power and increased his output.
The cell on the far right-hand side of the room exploded first. Then, the one on the other side of Kirstin. In moments, each of the cages was reduced to slag as the spell that drew Eliud’s power away did its best to keep the Duskstrider caged.
Kirstin’s burning, smoking body stopped screaming, and she collapsed to lie still on the floor — but, to Eliud’s despair, his own cage still stood.
He could not trigger any Healing Skills until he was free. However, not needing to worry about hurting Kirstin further, he ramped up his casting and, for a few heartbeats, the spell syphoning away his power held. He had just enough time to reevaluate his poor opinion of Logan when the dam burst, and the metallic bars around him liquified.
In the same instant as the restrictions upon him faded, he hit Kirstin with every Healing Skill he had. This turned out to be quite a lot.
With each triggered Skill, the face of someone he had lost appeared in his mind. He had been responsible for so many deaths in his time, and there was no version of reality — in this realm or the next — where he was willing to add the Archer’s face to this gallery of failure.
A constant stream of pure mana poured into the young woman, repairing the horrible burns the cage had inflicted upon her, resetting bones that had been shattered and restoring organs that had been ripped and torn.
And it was still not enough.
He roared in frustration and pushed more and more of his mana into Kirstin’s body. It had been decades since he pulled so deeply on his power, and still, he needed more.
Does she mean so much to you?
Eliud recognised the voice of the Goddess and ignored it. She had sought to win him to her side on more than one occasion over the years, and he had always refused her.
I do not make this offer without conditions. Should I save her, you will owe me a favour.
Eliud triggered Skills over and over again, but they had long since stopped making any difference. Kirstin was now the healthiest, most radiant corpse in existence. She had been right that there was no Resurrection Skill. But still he had hoped . . .
What had he been thinking? His arrogance again. No problem his power could not solve, right?
To be in the debt of the Goddess, though? That was a weighty thing. He had avoided that for so long because he well knew the possible consequences. But looking at the young woman’s body, he considered his choices for barely a second. “I consent. I will owe you one favour. Bring her back.”
*
The first thing Kirstin noticed when she opened her eyes was that she felt the best she ever had in her life.
The second thing was that the room they had been kept in had been absolutely devastated. There was no longer any sign of the cages and even the iron doors at either end of the path had been blown off their hinges. Eliud certainly could bring the fury.
The third and final thing that caught her attention was a notification flickering in her vision.
Chapter Forty-Two
“A Girl Needs a Little Distance”
“Eliud!”
The Pendragon breathed a little easier at the sound of the young woman’s voice. He had no reason to believe the Goddess would have gone back on Her word; after all, She had been seeking to entrap him in such a trade of ‘favours’ for almost as long as he had been alive. However, it was reassuring to have it confirmed that the Archer now lived.
Although, he said “Archer” . . .
“Well, would you look at that!”
A soft, green glow surrounded Kirstin, spilling out to illuminate the corners of the shattered remains of the room. What was more, as the melted iron of the cells had cooled into a vast puddle around the girl’s form, its reflective surface was flinging light upwards so that it seemed like she was, herself, shining from within.
In a way, Eliud considered, that was not too far from the truth.
“What’s happened to me? I have a message that my resurrection is complete. Did I die?”
“A little. Not so much that we need to make a fuss about it.”
“And you brought me back to life?”
Eliud shrugged and avoided her eye. Fortunately, she was too overwhelmed by things to notice. “Something like that.”
“It says I can make a Class Evolution!”
He was not surprised. Although such a change of status might feel like a fairytale to the general population, Class Evolution — at least for the more powerful members of society — was not an especially uncommon phenomenon. In his experience, anyone going through a particularly traumatic series of events (and, of course, surviving) was likely to meet the requirements for some sort of Evolution. With the involvement of a god, and the Goddess herself had interceded for Kirstin, it was almost a foregone conclusion there would be an opportunity for the Archer to advance her Class.
Following Gallant Stonehand’s descent into madness, he had himself briefly held the position of Mentor. In that role, Eliud had been charged with finding and training those for whom Evolution would be of desirable benefit to the Kingdom. However, even before his own fall from power, he had struggled to put the young people in his care through the sort of rigorous and dangerous programme required. Whilst a surprising number of people were more than willing to pay the price in torture and near death in order to evolve, he had certainly not been the right person to oversee that process.
“That’s fantastic news, my dear. And all you needed to do was be kidnapped, tortured and then accidentally murdered. The world is truly a marvellous place.”
That she did notice. “Are you okay?”
He waved away her enquiry. “If we are lucky, Savage and Josul will be able to locate us soon.” He looked around at the room he had destroyed when overpowering the sympathetic link that entrapped him. “After all, what’s the good of intelligent animal companions if they need more than a giant explosion to orientate themselves back to their Masters?”
He gestured to a large piece of fallen masonry, which turned itself over to provide a serviceable bench. He sat upon it and patted a space next to him for Kirstin to do the same. “So, let’s hear about your options.”
“Options?”
He closed his eyes and tried to remember how he had once explained things to the newly evolved. It was so very long ago.
“You have moved beyond the threshold of your Class. Although there is some disagreement as to the whys and the wherefores, it is generally held that actions above and beyond the ‘norm’ . . . Understand that I do not use that word slightingly. The world only exists because it has enough people in it who fulfil that ‘norm’ day in, day out. Do you understand me?”
Eyes wide at his suddenly harsh tone, Kirstin nodded.
“Good. Well, when an event, or a series of events, occurs that requires someone to move beyond those ‘normal’ expectations, it is not uncommon for them to be allowed to advance their Class. As you know, the Lady Darkhelm was of Farmer stock before her own Evolution.”
“So I can become a Knight of the Road?”
He instinctively laughed at that, then, seeing the hurt on Kirstin’s face, softened his voice. “Not a Knight of the Road, no. In all such things, there are thresholds. Daine had the genes of Farmers immemorial running through her veins. Her evolved Class needed her to have significant Strength and Endurance at its core. I am afraid it is not in your path to become one of the Knights.”
A moment of disappointment flashed across Kirstin’s face, and Eliud could understand that. Who would not dream of being one of those terrifying, unstoppable warriors of myth? He recognised the significant irony that he was sure that Daine would profoundly disagree.
“How can I tell what I can choose, then?”
“First of all, you need to find your calm. I cannot tell you how many people make a rash choice at this moment. For those who have been working their whole life for the chance to Evolve, when it comes, they snatch too quickly at a half-understood dream. This is a choice to be made with a sober mind and a settled heart.”
Kirstin nodded and took a few deep breaths. Eliud smiled as the green glow around her intensified. For all her resurrection might prove to cost him in the future — damn the Goddess and her favours — he was not sure he would trade this moment for the return of that cost.
“What next?”
“The answer is inside you. You have been notified that an Evolution is possible. Possible, mark you. There is nothing to say you cannot decide to stay an Archer. If so, all your capabilities in that Class will be enhanced. The potency of your Skills will increase, you may even pick up some new ones, and you will, undoubtedly, become one of the premier launchers of pieces of sharpened wood by the method of kinetic energy in the whole Kingdom.”
She laughed. “But I can become more?”
He winced at that. “You have the opportunity to become ‘different’, not ‘more’. There are those who would disagree with me on that point, but I hope none of them are within this room. Do you understand me?”
Kirstin nodded. “Yes. Not better. Different. I understand.”
She closed her eyes and let her mind drift. She had no idea what she was seeking, but she trusted Eliud enough to follow his advice.
And then . . .
She found herself running through a vast field in pursuit of a dark-clad figure. Her Speed as she moved was extraordinary as if blown by the wind itself. In moments, she had nearly closed the gap, and in desperation, her quarry turned and threw a knife towards her. Without hesitation, she took a step into the air, then another, and then she was floating as the knife passed harmlessly beneath her. Still hovering, she drew an arrow and shot it towards her prey — the projectile moving with an explosion of energy that far exceeded anything she had ever experienced. As the vision faded, she understood she could choose to evolve into a
Immediately, the scene changed, and Kirstin found herself perched on the battlements of a tower, staring down at the crowds beneath. She appeared to be looking for someone. But no, this was not a good vantage point. She was too high. She glanced to a house below and . . . teleported onto its roof. As soon as she reappeared, she craned her neck and continued her hunt.
There she was!
She drew her arrows and launched two shots in quick succession at a scarlet-cloaked woman striding down the street. But, as soon as the arrows were in motion, the woman seemed to sense the attack and rolled to the left, both arrows flying past helplessly. Kirstin just smiled and rewound time for a few seconds, adding a third shot to hit the target in the head as she rolled away. Her second option was to become something called a
The final shift in perspective took Kirstin to the middle of a battle. She was surrounded by three men, all armed with swords, who were doing their best to cut her to pieces. She was dodging and blocking, where necessary, but was clearly overmatched. Finally, she misjudged something and a slash cut into her.
However, it did not.
At the moment of contact, Kirstin suddenly became incorporeal, and the blade passed straight through her to drive through the chest of one of the other men. Taking advantage of the confusion, she drew an arrow and fired it into the ground beneath her, causing an explosion of starlight that blinded and completely disorientated her attackers. Finally, as the two surviving men stumbled away, Kirstin drew a second arrow and, without aiming, fired it into the air. The second it left her bow, she gestured at the two men and clenched her fist, triggering a Skill. They were instantly snatched off into the air, flying behind the arrow as if tied by a leash. This final choice was termed
She opened her eyes.
“Well?” Eliud’s eyes were twinkling.
“All amazing options.” However, she already knew the choice. Growing up with a brother as unpredictable and aggressive as Jak, there was one thing more than anything she wished over and over again she could do. “You see, when push comes to shove, sometimes, a girl just needs to be able to achieve a little distance.”
Archer → Celestial Harbringer
Kirstin accepted the Evolution.
Chapter Forty-Three
“Balance in All Things”
“I demand to be heard!”
The Goddess sighed at the wheedling, peevish voice pressing at the boundary of her realm. She considered pushing him away; however, it was a rare enough occasion that her youngest son sought an audience. It would have been peculiarly churlish of her to refuse.
With a sigh, she allowed the Dark God to breach her defences and moved swiftly to meet him near the edge of power.
Yes?
“You are breaking the rules!”
Are you aware of how childish you sound?
If anything, the mild chastisement caused his volume to increase. “It is not me that insists that we conduct ourselves in this ridiculously restrained manner. If you insist that we all obey your many and varied diktats, then it is only right that you are bound by them, too!”
I sense you are perilously close to stamping your foot . . .
The Dark God’s form shimmered, instantly moving through different versions of his aspect. He eventually stabilised as a young man, no older than his mid-twenties.
“Do you seek to bait me, Mother? Are you so unconfident in the rightness of your argument that you cannot win any other way?”
And you seek to blame me for your own emotional incontinence. How you respond to my words is entirely within your power to decide. That you are most comfortable in the form of a child perhaps speaks poorly to your own confidence in holding a rational conversation.
His face darkened in rage, and he opened his mouth to retort, then paused. His form blurred again, and he was suddenly a much older man, matching the presentation of the Goddess. He dipped his head in acknowledgement.
“I apologise.”
Accepted. Now, what brings you to my realm with such haste?
“I think the time for games is over, Mother. You are perfectly aware your intercession with the Archer was inappropriate. The board is finely balanced, and you have sought to weigh things in your favour most outrageously.”
