Spell Breaker

by J. A. Culican

  I pressed my lips together, narrowing my eyes as I looked around.

  Beru and Astor sat across the garden having tea with a beautiful priestess. They seemed as enraptured with her as Sade was with Rose.

  I looked away, not wanting him to think I was jealous if he caught me staring. That left only Iri to talk to. I couldn’t see him in the small garden with the others, so decided to find him while I took a walk to clear my head. I needed to figure out what to do about this new development. While I’d wanted to talk it over with Sade, maybe I’d have more luck convincing the others if I had the makings of a plan first.

  Taking the path through the woods, I used my senses to follow Iri’s energy. I realized I was enjoying the time alone and couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a moment to myself. Feeling the need to be closer to the earth, I removed my dirty, crusted boots and socks and continued along the sandy path barefoot, at one with Lynia.

  I found him around the next curve in the path.

  He was resting against a tree trunk, eyes closed, with the suspicious sound of snoring coming from his direction.

  I crept up soundlessly, sitting a few feet away while I waited for his warrior senses to react.

  He didn’t move.

  “Iri,” I whispered, hoping it was enough to trigger something.

  Another snore greeted me.

  I wiggled his foot and he jumped.

  I leaned back in case he woke up swinging. “Sorry, I need to talk to someone.”

  “I wasn’t sleeping.” He cleared his throat, stifling a yawn.

  “So, you weren’t just snoring?” I pointed to the tree where I’d found him.

  He ran a hand through his disheveled hair, then stretched. “What is it you want to talk about?”

  “I need your opinion on something.” I hesitated, wondering if he would tell Beru. I shook my head.

  He was loyal, and no matter what else, he wouldn’t betray a confidence. “Is this about the priestess?”

  “No. Well, sort of.” I stuttered, feeling foolish. “There’s something I’m having a hard time with and I need advice on how to fix it.”

  “Beru?” He leaned back against the tree trunk, a knowing smirk on his face.

  “Okay. Yes, it’s Beru.” I let out a sigh at how silly I sounded to myself right now.

  “I’ve noticed you’ve been off with each other lately.”

  That was an understatement. I knew if Beru had confided in Iri he wouldn’t tell me, but maybe he would offer advice based on what he knew. But I couldn’t tell Iri, Beru was the key, because I couldn’t risk him slipping accidentally.

  I sighed, letting my shoulders relax as I admitted a truth I could share. “I just want things to go back to how they were.”

  “Let up on him. He’s not used to living life like us. He must adapt to living on the outside without his family. It must be lonely.” His voice was warm and understanding.

  I felt completely insensitive as my cheeks began to burn. I hadn’t considered how hard it would be for him. “Does he talk about his family much?”

  Iri smiled, a knowing look crossing his face fleetingly. “He misses them.”

  I knew he wouldn’t betray Beru’s confidences, but I needed to know one thing. “Does he hate me?”

  “He knows how much pressure you’ve put on yourself. He’s forgiving. You need to talk to him about this.” He squeezed my shoulder, sharing his strength.

  I knew he was right. The simplest advice was always the hardest to follow through on. “How are you feeling?”

  “This place is magical. I’ve never felt younger.” He stretched his arms as if fully appreciating his full strength.

  “I feel the same. The air, the trees, the water. It’s all so relaxing. I hope we can stay for a bit longer.” I laid back on the grass, wondering if I should push the subject of Beru any further.

  “I’ll check in with Captain Rose. I think we could all use some rest. I’ll come back when I know more.” He stood and shoved his boots on.

  “Thanks, Iri.” I squinted against the sun, shading my eyes with one hand as I watched him walk away.

  He waved as he turned down the path. “Just give him some time. He’s coming around. He’s got things to figure out on his own, is all.”

  I closed my eyes as my thoughts turned to Beru’s family. It stunned me to realize I was jealous. I felt terrible even without saying the words aloud. How could I be jealous of what he’d lost?

  Pushing aside the uncomfortable sensation, I focused on practicalities. Healing Beru so he could remember his role as the key was my priority. There was only one other place to turn. One other person who could help me.

  Taking advantage of the small island which seemed immune to the magical blockade on the rest of Bruhier, I snuck off into the woods to use my one chance to dreamwalk.

  Lying down on a comfortable patch of grass, I closed my eyes and placed my hands on the sparkling red stone Astor had given me to contact Runa. I’d regained most of my strength since arriving at the temple, and there was so much energy around me here it was almost effortless to slip onto the dream plane.

  Runa looked furious as she stood from her bed and grabbed a robe. “I require notice of any dream meetings.”

  “I don’t have time. I’m not able to dreamwalk on most of Bruhier because it’s protected against magic. That includes dreamwalking. I took a chance on trying to contact you before we left the temple. I’m sorry for interrupting.” It was clear I’d caught her off guard.

  “Did you find what you were looking for?” She walked out of the room, into a hallway.

  I followed her, even though I was unsure she was the right person to talk to. She was the only one left I could think to ask. “Yes, well, no, I mean…”

  “Spit it out.” She entered a kitchen and began to make coffee.

  It felt odd to be in her personal space. She seemed so accomplished I’d assumed she had servants tending to her every need.

  I realized I must have been staring when she cleared her throat. “Sorry. Yes. I found out the key is Beru. The Light Woman told me I have to somehow heal his soul. Once I do, he’ll remember he is the key.”

  Runa appeared shocked.

  I wondered if it was because she hadn’t figured it out before me, but when she answered, it was with awe. “All this time, and he was right under my nose. What do we do?”

  Now she wanted to work as a team? I forced myself not to roll my eyes. “That’s why I’ve come to you. I need your help. I’m not sure how to heal him. He barely even talks to me anymore.” I was close to giving up on a relationship of any kind with him.

  She stopped pouring her coffee to give me a searing look. “Don’t give up now. You’ve come too far for that. Remember, you’ve felt close to him in the past. You can get there again.”

  “I’m not sure he’ll forgive me.” I leaned against the wall, remembering how many times I’d pushed him away while trying to deal with my confusion. Now to top it all off, I had heartburn from the guilt of not telling him he was the key.

  “Forgive you for what?” She looked mildly curious, but not sympathetic.

  “Never mind. Just tell me what to do.” I knew it was time to put saving him and closing the prison over my feelings about our relationship.

  “You’ve got to break him. Break him so you can build him back up. That’s how you’ll get the key.”

  Chapter 24

  Before I knew what was happening, I’d slipped from my conversation with Runa and had pulled Beru into the prison with me.

  His eyes bugged out when he realized where we were. “What are you doing?”

  “I don’t know. I fell asleep, and I guess I was unsettled about how things have been between us.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth either. I suspected Runa had somehow caused this.

  “Take us back right now.” Beru whirled around, eyes narrowed as he scoped out our surroundings.

  “I can’t.” I held my hand over my ears,
fearful of telling him the truth. I wasn’t ready to tell him all I knew.

  “What do you mean you can’t?” He stalked over, grabbing my shoulders as he tried to get me to look him in the eyes.

  I wrenched myself away and backed up. I needed space to think. I didn’t have a plan. It wasn’t supposed to happen this fast. How was I supposed to heal his soul from inside the prison?

  Wait. Something must have happened here to make him forget he was the key. “You wouldn’t have been able to come back with me unless you’re still connected to the prison somehow.”

  “I’m not connected to anything. I never wanted to see this place again.” His entire body had tensed for battle, but I moved closer anyway.

  Grabbing him by the hand, I looked up and pleaded with him. I needed him to believe me. “You’re connected to the prison. I need to figure out how if we want to keep the walls up.”

  He stared down at me for a moment then turned his head to look around. I wondered if this meant he was remembering and felt hope rise in my chest.

  When he looked back at me, it was with a new calmness. “What do you need me to do?”

  “I need you to remember why you’re tied to this place, beyond the obvious.” I had no idea what I was saying, only that my gut, and Runa, were telling me to push now.

  Beru sighed, sitting down on a fallen log, and resting his head on his arms. I waited, letting him think as I watched emotions flash over his face. Maybe he’d be able to remember something I could heal him with.

  “There’s nothing. I don’t know how I’m connected to it. Every night I have nightmares. The idea my family thought the worst of me…” He sat up, not finishing his sentence as his eyes swam with tears.

  Instantly, I knew his connection. His family. Or at least his thoughts about disappointing the people he loved most. I didn’t have time to figure out anything else, because Beru stood and looked over to the side. Three massive ur’gels were headed our way.

  Neither of us had any weapons. We searched the ground and our surroundings for anything we could use to hold them off. I found two long sticks with some girth to them. They’d have to do.

  “You take the one on the left, I’ll take the one on the right.” He said quietly, obviously not wanting them to hear his plan. “Whoever kills first gets the leftovers.”

  “Well, look who it is. Dag’draath’s plaything.” The ur’gels laughed unpleasantly, serrated teeth glinting in the light.

  We separated slightly so we’d have more room to fight.

  They wasted no time, and the smallest of the three launched at me.

  I knew size didn’t mean anything, holding my stick like a sword and praying I would be quicker.

  My opponent laughed and I vowed to use his overconfident attitude to my advantage. He pulled out his sword and swung it cleanly back and forth in a figure eight in front of him, clearly able to disable me at any point.

  I dodged his attempts to knock the stick out of my hand as we danced around each other. Every time I retreated, he lunged with his sword. Around and around we went, as I tried to hold my own against a larger opponent with a better weapon.

  I glanced at Beru.

  He was fighting both of the other ur’gels masterfully, making the stick against sword look a lot more equal than I was. He caught my eye and called out while keeping his eyes on his opponents. “You okay?”

  “I’m holding. You?”

  “Same.” He cracked his stick on one of the ur’gel’s wrists, causing him to drop the sword. In one smooth roll, Beru dove. Catching the sword, he rose up beneath the disarmed ur’gel and plunged it into his chest. “One down.”

  The loss seemed to energize my opponent. He sped up his jabs and landed a solid blow, scraping my arm.

  My stick fell from my numbed fingers even as I healed my injury. It tingled and ached but worked. Unfortunately, I was now weaponless.

  The ur’gel smiled as he approached, his dark blue-gray skin tight against the sharp teeth, his eyes full of a dark joy.

  I crouched, preparing to duck and roll when Beru appeared behind him, ramming his sword into the ur’gel’s back.

  As it fell to the ground, I grabbed his sword. “Two down.” I looked for the third, determined to make him mine now I had an actual weapon.

  “He’s gone. Likely for reinforcements.” Beru sat down, breathing heavily. “How’s your arm?”

  “I healed it. How are you?” I looked him over for injuries.

  “I’m good.” He threw his sword down by his feet. “They’ll be back soon.”

  “We need to find a place to hide. You have one?” I looked at him for direction.

  “I have many. Let’s go.”

  He stood, and making sure to keep the swords handy, we cautiously approached a nearby building.

  “This will do.” He forced the door open and we barricaded ourselves inside with a chair. He dusted off a couple more to sit on, pushing a large box into the middle to use as a table.

  “Cozy.”

  “It’ll do.” He took a seat, looking tired. “They’ll be back eventually. We need to get out of here.”

  “I think I know why you’re drawn to the prison.”

  Beru had taken off one of his shoes and was dumping out the rocks.

  I waited, but he didn’t reply, so I pressed on.

  “Your family is the anchor keeping you here.” I waited for backlash.

  Instead, he took a deep breath and looked up from the ground. “Go on.”

  “Your family was the only thing keeping you human. It kept you sane, kept you going. But because of that, it’s like some part of you is still stuck here, with them.” I reached over and touched his arm, but he flinched and pulled away. I waited for him to speak, but when he hadn’t after several long moments, I broke the silence. I knew he wasn’t going to like what I thought, but it needed to be said. “We need to break your connection.”

  “I’ll never break the connection to my family. I don’t care if I see this prison every time I close my eyes.” He stood and began to pace back and forth in the cramped space.

  “I’m not asking you to break your connection with your loved ones, just remove the prison from your memories of them.” Even as I said it, I knew it didn’t make much sense. I needed Runa to help me, but I couldn’t talk to her from here.

  “All right. So how do we do that?” He stopped in front of me, eyes full of shadows.

  I could see his pain in the way he was studying me, like I had all the answers to remove his turmoil, if he could just find them in my eyes. It made me feel competent and like a complete imposter. I knew so little but for his sake, I had to pretend.

  I stood up, taking a deep breath as I went for it. “Hold my hands and don’t let go.”

  He lifted his hands flat in front of him and I placed mine on top. “Close your eyes and try to relax.”

  I closed my eyes after him. I needed to bring him back to that day in the village when his family got attacked. I’d never heard of a dreamwalker going back in time, but I had to try. It was the only thing I could think of to break the connection.

  I prayed only the link to the prison would break, not his connection to his family. Or his sanity. I pushed my fears out of my mind, focusing instead on bringing us back to the village where they had lived and worked, relying on his energy and memories to take us there.

  Inside the cabin, the fresh wind buffeted my face and the smell of heavily spiced beef tantalized my nostrils. I opened my eyes to see tears streaming down his face.

  “How?” His eyes were wide, then he looked beyond my shoulder and his face went completely white. I turned to see what he was looking at as disbelief filled his voice. “It’s Melinda.”

  An attractive blonde held a basket on her arm as she led two boys and a little girl behind her through a busy market.

  Beru tried to pull away to follow them, but I grabbed his hands more tightly.

  “You can’t let go, I’m sorry.” My heart stung watchin
g him.

  Such a depth of love. It was hard to restrain him, but necessary.

  “I have to speak to them again. Please, I have to.” Tears spilled out of his eyes.

  My eyes stung as I shook my head. I wanted to let him go, but I couldn’t. “They can’t see us. We can’t interact with them. I’m so sorry, I have no control over it.”

  As he called out to them, I saw him for the first time without his guard up. He was more beautiful than I could have imagined. “Melinda! Thurston, Jahron, Vivi!”

  “I’m sorry.” I wanted to end it. I couldn’t bear to witness his heart shattering all over again.

  He turned to me then. “We have to stop the attack.”

  “There’s nothing we can do to stop it. We have to watch it happen.”

  He turned to me, blinking rapidly and frowning.

  I knew he was confused and didn’t understand the fact I’d let him watch the attack if he couldn’t help, but the fighter within him wouldn’t accept my answer.

  “Try, Aria.” His voice was firm, ordering me to change my mind.

  Then we heard the screams.

  I had to struggle to hold on to him as his instincts told him to run toward them.

  Ur’gels teemed over the small village in numbers they couldn’t have fought off even had he been there. It was clear they were there to destroy Beru’s family.

  I watched helplessly as Melinda dropped her basket and turned to Thurston and Jahron, wrapping her arms protectively around them even as she searched for Vivi, who was missing from sight.

  Ur’gels descended on them. A single arrow pierced her back and she fell to the ground noiselessly. The boys shrieked with fear as they tried to pull her up, crying when she didn’t move again.

  Beru’s silent sobs racked his body and I felt them deep in my soul. His pain was unbearable now he knew how his family died. He had lived on while his wife and children died young. There was no mystery anymore, no reason for his connection.

  I held on to him as he turned away from an ur’gel approaching his sons with a sword. I couldn’t watch either, so I scanned the crowd for his daughter. Perhaps she’d escaped?