Earthbound, p.38
Earthbound, page 38
Emilia’s blank stare came into focus and she pulled in a long, ragged breath. The movement made her flinch. She held her left arm. The shoulder showcased an unnatural depression.
“Did that happen as we fell?” A sour taste filled his mouth at the thought.
She puffed her cheeks, detached but lucid. “A long pole caught me off a parry,” she explained.
He had seen the fight but had missed her taking a hit. The sounds of hovercraft moving and orders being yelled cut into their hideaway. They were not clear yet.
Light peeking through the branches marked the path forward. They would need to crawl and squeeze their way through the dense tangle of wood. Emilia wouldn’t be able to manage it while clinging to her injured arm. “We need to set your shoulder.”
She grimaced but didn’t argue. The sounds of blaster bolt spattering against the barricade punctuated the need for them to move quickly.
Resetting joints was something Tehran had done on Knox and himself numerous times. Healing only really took hold when a joint was in the proper orientation. He moved to grip her arm but hesitated. This was going to hurt. “Ready?”
“Now, Tehran.” Her voice was firm, despite the fact she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
He swallowed back his hesitation and gripped her wrist and shoulder to create the proper leverage. With practised movements, he brought her wrist around and flared her elbow. The joint popped back into place.
She bit back a cry.
“Done,” he said, pulling free his belt and securing the injured arm to her side. Voices and cracking branches sounded from the Tumultian side of the barricade.
“Can you move?”
She nodded and slid off the trunk. Tehran took the lead as they climbed through the tangled and broken limbs of the crisscrossed trees. Luckily, their slow progress also meant slowed pursuit. They also had the benefit of having light to guide them towards the outer edge. Tumultian curses and snapping branches confirmed that climbing down into the dark centre of the barricade was proving difficult.
They broke free into the pale overcast light of a temperate afternoon. Tehran heaved in a full breath, grateful for clear air. His eyes adjusted to see the train of caravan cars moving off. No! He shrunk back, Emilia next to him and hunkered down into the cover of loose branches. A familiar whine caught his attention, followed by the snap of bolt throwers sending pot shots off the top of the barricade. One of the Mercurial scout craft zipped into view, patrolling the barricade edge and dodging the Tumultian barrage. Thank the Sky.
“We’re going to have to flag him down,” he said, pulling back to Emilia. Can I carry her without the Sky’s strength? He knew to his core he would never be fast enough.
“I can run,” Emilia said. The ashy pallor was gone from her cheeks and her jaw set with determination.
He held out his hand to her and she took it. They crept to the cover of a large stump tipped the wrong way up. Tehran waited for the craft to head back in their direction and then pulled Emilia forward and they ran.
Shouts sounded and blue bolts of energy hit the ground around them. The craft caught sight of them, and it whined as it shot their direction. Charyls, Venier’s Acolyte, drove. He was gesturing frantically behind him to the north end of the barricade. A liquefaction was beginning to roil and churn as it transformed to liquid earth, opening the tunnel.
Emilia and Tehran jumped into the back of the craft before Charyls came to a complete stop. Bolts spattered around them.
“GO!” Tehran shouted.
“Is there anyone else?” Charyls asked.
Tehran shook his head as his chest heaved from exertion. Emilia lay flat next to him staring at the sky, tears streaming down her cheeks. Charyls made straight for the caravan.
A line of Tumultian hovercraft were coming up through the tunnel, but they made no move to pursue, instead spreading out in a line along the barricade in an impressive show.
And as simple as that, the Mercurial had a new border.
◆◆◆
Hours later, there were still no signs of pursuit, but Tehran kept the caravan moving and drivers organised for a non-stop trip. He couldn’t afford to stop before they were back in contact with the Order and safely within the mountains.
He sat in the pilot car with Charyls as he recorded an official report. The Acolyte took the news of Venier’s capture and death with stoic resolve, insisting on hearing the whole story from Tehran.
When Tehran finished, Charyls’ young face set in a grim expression as he stared out the view screen. “It doesn’t make sense. Overseers are invulnerable. How can they all be dead?”
Tehran spun his seat to face the young man. His body ached but he had escaped any serious injury thanks to Knox’s power. “The Tumultians are wielding new tech. Bolt throwers that can stop an Overseer even with their gift flared. And powered manacles that blocked access to the Sky.”
Charyls glanced in his direction. “So they disabled them, but they could still be alive—”
“They didn’t leave anything to chance. They were all beheaded.”
The young man’s eyes went wide, blanching. “How did you escape?”
Tehran sighed. This was the crux of it. How to explain that which he didn’t understand himself.
“I know you chose Ms. Emilia and laid down your oaths. You have no power.” The quickly whispered words hit with force.
Tehran’s raised an eyebrow at the boy. “Did Venier know?”
The young man shook his head. “I think she was blinded by hope. She wanted you free with your strength intact; it never occurred to her when you woke, that you had made a different choice.”
“But you knew.”
The kid blushed, the colour blending through his freckles. “Anyone watching can see how much you love her. That hasn’t changed.”
Tehran let out a snort. “I didn’t know I was so transparent.” He cocked his head and considered the Acolyte. “Did you tell your Matrem?”
A flicker of guilt crossed Charyls’ face and he gripped the controls tighter. “I didn’t think it was important. She had three other Overseers with her.”
The confession spilled from Charyls with all the self-loathing of someone ready to take on full responsibility for a tragic turn.
“She learned the truth regardless,” Tehran assured. “The Overseers were held back, but I remained at her side. Not that it spared her in the end.”
A bit of colour returned to Charyls’ pale complexion.
“But you made it out, and she didn’t?”
The question could be an accusation from other lips, but from the boy Tehran could see only a desperate need to understand. He let out a slow breath, staring out the window. “Knox was there.”
“Knox? As in Disavowed Knox? I thought he was dead?”
The questions smacked at the worn places in Tehran’s own mind. The overarching question of ‘how’ haunted him. He rubbed at his jaw, trimmed beard still caked in grime.
“He should have been. We thought he was. I saw him swallowed by the earth. And yet, the Tumultians had him—Sky knows how. They—” His voice broke, trying to push past the memory of Knox’s maimed body.
Charyls didn’t press, and they continued in silence. Finally, Tehran took a breath and let the full story spill from him. “I don’t understand any of it. This is not what the Order teaches. The power of the Sky doesn’t work in this way,” he finished.
“And now?” Charyls asked. “Do you have power again?”
Tehran shook his head. “When Knox died—it left.”
Charyls piloted the caravan along the road past a copse of silver-trunked aspens. Their leaves spanned vibrant greens to a startling yellow, signalling the change of season.
“Pardon my forwardness, Overseer. But I don’t think you should tell any of this to Elevated Dareous.”
Tehran frowned. The oaths binding him to Dareous had fallen away with his Primary Oath to the Order, but to hear the cautionary words from a sworn Acolyte hit a discordant note.
“Venier was behind the unrest in the Order, wasn’t she?”
Charyls’ mouth pinched, jaw setting as he made a decision. “It’s not what they say. There were others leveraging the chaos for position. She only wanted to stop Elevated Dareous from damaging the Order.”
“Elevated Dareous is a self-inflated, pompous ass, but his oaths are to the Mercurial.”
A tight shrug matched a guarded expression. “I only know what Matrem Venier told me. She was not trying to destabilize the Order, but to protect its Overseers and Acumen.”
“Did she make a deal with the Tumultians?” Tehran asked.
Shock jolted the Acolyte. “No. Of course not.”
“The Commander referenced a broken deal with the Mercurial.”
“I never heard her talk about the Tumultians at all. If there was a deal, it came from someone else in the Order. Everything Matrem Venier did was to bolster those who served.” Looking stricken, he asked, “Do you think the Order, the Conclave, will believe she turned traitor?”
“It could be spun that way when we present our report.”
Charyls gave a tight nod. “Whoever is responsible will want my Matrem to take the fall.”
Tehran nodded but privately harboured scepticism. The Elder, while outwardly compassionate, had also purposefully driven him into fracturing for her own benefit. Whatever game these Elders were playing in the Capital needed to come to an end before more Overseers were lost. And Charyls could be a helpful ally in unravelling all of this. “We will have to walk the halls with our eyes open.”
As Tehran hoped, Charyls welcomed the invitation. “I agree, Overseer. What now?”
“Do you know who she was working with?”
“No. She kept me from most of her dealings.”
“Do you know anyone who would want weapons, technology that could control Overseers?”
“Like the ones that killed Konr and the others?”
Tehran nodded.
Charyls went pale, and Tehran leaned forward and keyed in a sequence, setting the convoy on autopilot. The boy leaned back in his seat with a breath. “I swear, I don’t know. Whoever ordered such a creation, though, will pay.”
“Careful with vows,” Tehran admonished.
The Acolyte bowed his head with a slight nod. The young man’s reaction highlighted one thing; they were going to need to have a rehearsed story by the time they returned to the Capital.
Some colour returned to Charyls’ face, and he seemed to brighten. “You’re not going to let them get away with this, are you?”
Tehran’s jaw tightened and he met the boy’s eye. “I don’t want to play politics; I want to protect the Mercurial. Can I count on your help?”
“Yes, Overseer.”
“You know that title is long gone.”
Charyls shrugged with an impish look. “But the Order doesn’t.”
Burn Brighter
Emilia
Emilia claimed Venier’s personal quarters and no one argued. More than anything, she’d craved the additional privacy. As the final car in the caravan, instead of a hall running up the centre with narrow quarters on each side, this whole car was a dedicated room. Even in the quiet she couldn’t shake the numb detachment that had taken hold of her since escaping the barricade.
A knock sounded and Tehran pushed the door open, balancing a tray of drinks along with a small basket of fruit.
He awkwardly angled through the narrow door. His golden eyes caught hers, searching her face. She gave him a tired smile and awkwardly set aside a data slate she’d been reading. The medic had seen to her injured arm and given her something for the pain, but it remained strapped to her torso.
“How many times do I have to tell you, you don’t have to knock.”
He grinned and put down the tray. “Probably a few more. Old habits and all that.”
They both fell into an easy silence, remembering days where knocking on the door was a long-standing joke and they had all been together. Subdued, Tehran handed her a ceramic mug of tea.
He picked up a mug for himself and sat across from her in a short, overstuffed chair. The blinds had been pulled shut against the dark landscape passing outside, and the small wall sconces cast the room in a warm glow. They’d both cleaned up from their escape. She was surprised to see Tehran had shaved the stubble that had followed them since Knox was first lost. He looked like himself. Her heart squeezed at the thought.
“I told Charyls.”
“Everything?”
He took a sip of the hot tea, nodding. “He deserved to know what happened to his friends. To Elder Venier.”
She raised an eyebrow. “I guess we have to start somewhere.”
“It’s going to get messy when we reach the Capital. You don’t need to get involved. You could stay with Patrem Solace—or we can even get you your own place. I have enough money laid aside so you could live comfortably.”
“This is my fight as much as yours,” she said, expression stoic.
He didn’t argue any further.
“The Order won’t fight for the Reaches, will they?” The question spawned its own grief.
“No.” He paused, expression grim. “We’ll have to convince them it’s in their best interest.”
The unsettled feeling in her gut didn’t subside.
“What did the Tumultians do to Knox? If he had power, why didn’t he heal?”
Tehran’s warm complexion paled. “This new technology they are using. I don’t understand it.”
“But bringing Knox in—he was their proof of concept, wasn’t he? To demonstrate they could kill Overseers.” Emilia felt sick even saying the words.
Tehran’s expression hardened. “Whatever they hoped to prove, we’re going to make those Tumultian monsters pay.”
A thrill rose in Emilia’s chest, even as an equally determined warmth filled her limbs, strengthened by Tehran’s commitment. Together, they would set things right.
A final, nagging question still burned.
“How did he end up in their hands?” she whispered. There were no true answers to the question, but it alone caused her the most distress. They should have searched longer, dug deeper. They left him to soil and rock, and something much worse had claimed him. The Earth god herself took him and ground him into something unrecognizable.
Tehran’s expression turned troubled. “I don’t know.”
This last image of Knox, broken and disfigured, would forever be seared into her mind. The Earth had stolen her vibrant husband and returned him as the tortured being they’d found.
Meeting Knox’s eyes in that moment, her soul had cracked.
“Did you see his body?” she asked, voice strained, tears welling. “Why did they push him so far?”
“It’s unforgivable. There is no reason under the Sky—” Tehran stilled before his eyes lit. “What if he was fighting them?”
Emilia wiped a tear from her cheek, feeling a small thread of hope.
He sat forward, suddenly animated. “He must have cost her something valuable. I hope he rained death down like a plague.”
The thought bolstered Emilia. It could be nothing more than wishful thinking, but it fed hope to her failing heart. “Let that be the case.”
She needed to believe he hadn’t spent their time apart tormented. Emilia took a shuddering breath, clearing the pressure on her throat. “He spoke of the Sky. Was that from the Book of Oaths?”
Tehran shook his head. “I’ve never heard anything like it before. He said: the Sky has no bounds, and she holds us. She cannot be emptied. Cannot be drained.”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know, but it feels important.” Tehran turned thoughtful as he let out a breath and took a drink. “Knox had strength I’ve never felt. Overseers can’t do what he did.” His voice dropped. “Survive what he survived.”
Emilia put down her cup and picked up a quot fruit from the basket, trying to break off a small segment with one hand. She struggled for a moment.
“Here, let me do that,” Tehran offered and moved next to her on the short couch. She shifted to make room for him and gave him a sheepish smile as she handed the quot to him. He divided the small purple sections and handed one to her.
She ate the small segment and brightened. “They are so sweet; you should try one.”
He gave a short shake of his head. “I can’t.”
Reality crashed back as she recognized the significance. The assurances. She swallowed and forced a smile. “Knox did the same thing.” Her face clouded. “He released me from our vows, you know.” The words dropped as a chasm stretching between them.
“I heard.”
“I never deserved him,” she said, shaking her head.
Tehran wrapped his hands around hers, keeping his eyes on their entwined fingers.
She struggled to find the words. “I don’t deserve your oaths, either.”
The worry in his expression lifted, and he gave a soft snort. “You think I’d face the Sky herself only to be cowed by you, Emilia?”
She scowled and sat back. He didn’t release her hands. “I’m not teasing, Tehran.”
He laughed, infuriating her further. “I know.” He took a clearing breath, mirth still in his eyes. “Our shared bond is broken. I’m already free.”
Emilia smothered the spike of pain at the words, pushing forward. I need to hear him say it. “And you don’t love me anymore.”
He chuckled. “Ah, woman, make up your mind. You want me to let you go, but you want me to love you?”
Heat filled her face. “I don’t want you bound against your will.”
He let her hands go, leaning forward and cupping her face. “It was never against my will. It may have been under terrible circumstances, but I chose you. And I chose to extend myself and be a covering over you. I promise, my will is free.”
“But the way the oath worked—” she said, fighting back tears. She couldn’t restrain an incredulous huff. “In every way possible, I failed Knox. I will carry guilt until the day I die, and even then, my bones will sink under the weight of my shortcomings. I won’t fail you in the same way.”
