“Nyson has gone too far,” Kirheen said, her eyes locking with Therin’s. “I can’t let him continue his game. He’s using Herzin to break the minds of those he can’t, or doesn’t, find worthy of manipulating and controlling and turning them into mindless husks. Him and Herzin are a danger to everyone and I intend to go back and stop him.”
Leann looked alarmed. “You are going back?”
“What choice do I have? It was my mistake that set this in motion. I left behind people that I care about deeply and I will not allow them to suffer because of me. Herzin will break them, or worse, if I don’t return. I can’t let that happen.”
“Gods, help us. She’s actually been unbinding them,” Therin sighed.
“You know about her power?”
“Yes,” he said regretfully. “It’s rare and used to only be used against those that abused their powers. It’s unstable at best. One wrong move while performing the unbinding can leave a mind permanently broken, and the only mercy left for those unfortunate souls is a swift death.”
“Can it be reversed?” Kirheen asked, her thoughts drifting to the workers she’d seen, to Isa standing frozen and empty, a body without a soul. “If you can unbind someone couldn’t you do just the opposite?”
“In some cases, but it has its own risk and requires a delicate use of power. While you can bring someone back, they aren’t always the same as they were. The longer the mind has been in that state, the worse they’ll be. Most of the time, it simply isn’t worth the risk.”
“They’ve done this to so many people, it makes me sick to even think about,” Kirheen growled. “This needs to stop.”
“And you think you can?” Leann asked, gripping her arm. “You really believe you can stop him?”
Kirheen turned to Leann, all the pain and rage she felt burning in her gaze. “I have to.”
CHAPTER 32
Kirheen was by Garild’s side when he finally woke from his herb induced slumber. He groaned as he shifted on the cot, looking around the room with confusion, eyes roaming from the dusty shelves to the sacks of potatoes and onions leaned up against the wall. They finally came to rest on the bandaged stump where his hand used to be. He reached out tentatively with his left hand and crawled his fingers across the bandages, feeling the empty space where there should have been skin and bone, the curves of his fingers.
She could see his panic growing, the realization of the pain and the absence of his hand hitting him in the same breath. He began to sputter and choke, his face twisted in agony. “What h-h-happened?” he stammered. “What is this? What happened? Where is my hand?” His last words escaped him in a terrified scream and Kirheen shushed him gently. It was hard to look him in the eyes, to see the fear and the confusion he felt, the tears that ran down his cheeks like tiny rivers. “What happened to me?” he sobbed.
She reached out to touch his arm and he shrugged her away with a growl. “Don’t touch me,” he demanded. “Don’t.”
“Garild, I’m so sorry. Your hand was…it was too late. If they hadn’t taken it, you would…you would have died. I’m so sorry.”
“Maybe that would have been better,” he spat, his eyes glittering with malice. Kirheen winced at his words and stood, taking a few steps back while he flailed on the cot, trying to untangle himself from the blankets. There was nothing she could do for him. No matter the guilt she felt, it wouldn’t bring back his hand. It couldn’t turn back time and stop the things that had happened to them. She had earned his wrath and she would have to confront it eventually, but there were others matters that needed her attention. Her friends were still back in Sanctuary, dealing with the consequences of her actions, of the lies that had ensnared them all for far too long.
“I’m going back to Sanctuary,” Kirheen said softly, her voice cracking. “Therin and Leann are going to help me stop Nyson.”
“I’m going with you,” Garild said quickly, his look shifting from anger to full blown panic. He swung his legs off the bed. “You can’t do this without me.”
Kirheen swallowed hard. “I can, and I will. You’ve just been through something very traumatic. You need to rest and heal, and you can’t do that if you go with me.”
Garild glared at her. “If you hadn’t screwed up so badly, we’d still be in Sanctuary. None of this would have happened. I would still have my hand, and my friends, and my life. This is all your fault!”
Kirheen squeezed her eyes shut and bit her tongue, hoping the pain would still the words trying to push their way past her lips. She looked down on her friend, saw his torment and grief, his anger and feelings of defeat etched in the lines of his face. “I hope someday you forgive me for this. I’m sorry, Garild. I hope to see you again soon.”
She spun on her heels and launched herself out of the room, pulling the door shut as she went. From her pocket she pulled a small key and inserted it into the lock. The sound of the lock turning echoed through her hand, the finality of it ripping through her soul. She didn’t want to leave him behind. She’d promised that she’d look after him, that she’d keep him safe, but that job had to be left to another. The healer had forbidden him from leaving, not willing to risk him getting another infection.
Kirheen jumped as Garild slammed against the door. “Kirheen? Kirheen! Don’t leave me in here like this. Please, don’t leave me. Please. Please. Don’t,” he sobbed, his words blurring together in a frantic stream.
With clenched teeth, she forced herself to turn away from the door and walk down the hallway. Everything had gone wrong. He didn’t deserve what had happened to him, and he didn’t deserve to be abandoned. She wished more than anything that there was another way, that there was something she could do to ease his torment, but the more she delayed, the worse things would get back in Sanctuary.
Garild would have to wait.
Leann was waiting for her when she stepped outside. The woman took one look at her face and smiled sadly. “He’ll forgive you someday. It may not be as soon as you’d like, but he’ll come around. Time will heal his wounds. And yours.”
Kirheen sat down on the steps and sighed. The sun was starting to disappear along the horizon, painting the surrounding hills in burnt oranges and fiery reds. It was a beautiful sight, but she couldn’t enjoy it, not while knowing what she was going to face and what she was leaving behind. “How I wish that were true. You didn’t hear him just now, Leann. I don’t know if that wound can ever be mended, no matter how much time passes.”
“He’s been through a very traumatic experience. It will take time before he is himself again,” Leann reassured her. “Just be his friend and he’ll come back to you.”
“I can’t even see that far ahead. I try to picture a future, but all I see is what is directly ahead of me, what I have to do. I don’t even know if I’ll return from this or if I’m even strong enough to fix the trouble I’ve caused.”
Leann chuckled and Kirheen gave her a questioning look. “You don’t give yourself enough credit, girl. You made it all the way here with barely enough supplies to see you through. You stood by your friend through his suffering, and you’ll continue to stand by him, even if he hates you for it. You had the courage and the strength to leave Sanctuary, to keep pushing until you could find a way to right the wrongs that were done to you. And now, you are sacrificing everything to go back and save the people you care about the most.” She took a seat next to Kirheen and slung her arm around her shoulders. “You are a remarkable young woman. Don’t doubt yourself. You made it this far, you can make it a bit further.”
“Thank you so much, Leann,” Kirheen said earnestly. “I don’t know what would have happened to us if Therin hadn’t noticed me that day. You’ve taken us in without question and show us such kindness. I’ll never be able to repay you for this.”
“If you succeed, it’ll be payment enough.” She smiled. “Just see to it that my husband comes home. We both owe you a debt for not ending Sanctuary when we had the chance, and you’ve paid for that mistake.
Therin will help you see it ended, but I won’t have him pay for that end with his life. He tries to do anything foolish, you stop him.”
“Of course,” Kirheen replied. “I’ll do my best to keep him safe.”
Leann nodded. “He’s out gathering who he can. They’ll gather in the barn come nightfall and we’ll see who is willing to help. Many of our old friends turned their back on Sanctuary long ago, but a few have remained close, as unable to leave as we’ve been. Maybe we all knew this moment would come. We left you to that fate. The least we can do now is free you from it.”
Kirheen thanked her and they fell into a comfortable silence. She looked to the west, to the line of mountains separating two worlds. It would only be a few days before she’d be back in Sanctuary, back in a forest of glowing trees. She hoped those she’d left behind were safe, that she wouldn’t be too late, that they hadn’t suffered because of her. Pushing the doubt from her mind, she looked across fields painted red by the fading sun and steeled herself for the road ahead.
“You’re asking a lot from us, Therin,” a portly man said from the back of the barn. He had a thick dark mustache, heavy brows, and cheeks as red as ripe tomatoes. He stood tall and proud, muscular arms folded over his chest. “My father journeyed here with you to escape from Sanctuary so we could be free of it once and for all. He wanted us to be safe, to be able to have a family, to love freely. You’re asking us to throw that away.”
Therin eyed the crowd gathered in his barn with care, taking his time as his gaze traveled from face to face, acknowledging each of them with a slight tip of his head. He was asking a lot, of that he had no doubt. He was asking them to leave obscurity, to use their powers once again, to own up to the mistakes of their past even if it cost them dearly.
When he finally spoke, he was firm but cautious, hoping to inspire those in the room without bringing them to anger. “I know I ask much from you, Zith. I ask this of you all. It is regrettable that things have come to this, but it is necessary. When I started the rebellion that freed us from Sanctuary so long ago, I was young and foolish. I’m a man grown old now. The days of thinking only of myself and what I want are far behind me. When we fled, I didn’t think of those that remained. I didn’t think of the consequences they would suffer as a result of our actions”
“My brother, my own flesh and blood, has turned Sanctuary into a place of suffering. The children there were raised to believe that there was nothing but devastation beyond the walls of Sanctuary. They’ve been stripped of their freedoms, brought up to fight a phantom enemy. Those found to be unfit for what Nyson has planned have been forced to undergo the unbinding, becoming mere shells of themselves in order to serve those with more potential. How is that any life for children to live? How can we be comfortable with our lives here on the other side knowing that this is what we left behind? Those children did not ask for this. They did not ask to be left behind. They never got a choice, but I say it’s time we gave them one.”
His words carried through the room, rippling over the crowd like a wave. Whispers swirled through the currents, drifting from person to person, sparking a light inside of hesitant eyes. Zith looked for an ally in the crowd and found himself wanting. With a loud huff, he leaned against the wall, his cheeks gone even redder.
Therin let the words settle into the hearts of the men and women gathered before him. Satisfied that they’d had the desired effect, he continued on. “I know I ask a lot of you. I ask you to leave your families, to embrace a power you’ve all tried so hard to hide. I ask this of you because I believe in each and every one of you, because I believe we can make a difference. We can finally put Sanctuary to rest. So, I ask you now, who will stand with me?”
An elderly woman named Sarah stepped forward, regarding him with sunken blue eyes. Her skin was sun kissed and leathery, her white hair piled in a messy bun atop her head. “In my youth, I joined your rebellion to win us our freedom, and I have enjoyed that freedom for many years now. Like you, I did not give a thought to what we were leaving, to the future that would be shaped by the hole we created. I regret that things have gone so far, that those we left were made to suffer so. I am prepared to follow you again, Therin, wherever this path leads.”
The next to step forward was a gruff looking man with a shock of salt and pepper hair named Falren. “Sarah is right. We’ve enjoyed our freedom, but it’s been long enough. It’s time to bring a stop to Nyson. I stand with you.”
With them setting things in motion, the others were quick to follow. In the end, even Zith committed to seeing Sanctuary fall. Therin smiled to himself, feeling the familiar burden of leadership and responsibility press down on him. It should have frightened him, but instead he found it filled him with a strange sort of glee. It had taken courage and strength to turn his back on his brother and leave Sanctuary, and it was going to take even more to go back and face him. This time he planned to do things right. He’d return to where it had all started and put an end to Nyson’s madness once and for all.
CHAPTER 33
Kirheen looked over the small but formidable team accompanying them to Sanctuary. Though they’d received many offers of support, they were forced to keep their numbers small. The noose was only ever so far away for those with powers and traveling in a large group was only going to get them into trouble. They settled for a team of six, including Therin and herself.
Leann stayed behind to care for Garild, though Kirheen could see it in her eyes that it pained her to do so. She packed their supplies with care, making sure it was brimming with food, water, and medical supplies and bid them farewell in the early hours of the morning. Garild had not made an appearance, choosing to stay hidden in his room. His silence pained her, but she clung to Leann’s words and hoped that time would fix what had broken between them.
With everything in order, they took to the road in pairs, leaving at set intervals to avoid any suspicion. The last thing they needed was to draw the attention of people like Clive, people that would see them murdered and strung up for the birds to pick clean. Once they’d gotten clear of the village, they headed deep into the woods, heading ever upwards towards a cave that Kirheen had come to fear. She could vividly remember the strange illusions, the endless hum of a dangerous energy, and the crazed man that had attacked her, his rotting breath hot against her face.
Akra was delighted to have visitors again so soon. The great stone rolled aside, allowing them to enter the cave, but it was a far less perilous journey with more people and a torch to light the way. They kept their barriers strong, blocking out the archaic hum that threatened to lure them into madness. When they reached the other side, Akra had become agitated, their swift departure leaving her sullen and annoyed. Her words were sharp and bitter, trailing them as they made their way down the other side of the mountain. Kirheen imagined if she’d looked over her shoulder, she would have seen the stone face staring back at her with a pout.
They rested at the bottom of the rocky slope, settling down with their packs to eat and drink. Kirheen nibbled on a piece of dried meat and paced back and forth, unable to calm her restlessness. A man named Erick watched her, his green eyes trailing her back and forth. He was the youngest of those that had joined them, having been just a baby when his family had fled Sanctuary. “You should rest,” he called to her. “We’ve got a long day of walking ahead of us.”
His remark earned her the attention of the group. She felt self-conscious under their collective gaze, so she wandered back over to their haphazard circle and took a seat next to Therin. They had to be just as nervous as she felt, but they did a much better job of hiding it.
The woman across from her, her white hair piled atop her head, reached over and handed Kirheen a thin slice of cinnamon bread. She couldn’t remember her name, but she thanked her for the bread and took a small nibble, savoring the sweetness of it as it coated her tongue.
“It’s Sarah,” the woman said, giving her an amused grin. The rest of the group laughed and Kirheen
turned her attention inwards. “You can guard your mind fully now. There isn’t a soul alive willing to cross through that cave that doesn’t have powers.”
It was strange how quickly the paranoia of using her powers had settled in. After what she’d witnessed in the town, she hadn’t dared to use them. Focusing, she strengthened her barriers, her power settling over her like a comforting blanket. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly.
They finished eating and packed up, setting a pace through the forest that felt much too slow for how anxious she felt. They wound their way west, weaving between glowing wraith woods and dense underbrush. Everything had been such a blur when they’d fled, an endless swirl of blue and green as they’d tried to put as much distance as they could between themselves and Sanctuary.
After they’d covered a good distance, Therin called for them to stop. He turned to Kirheen, his eyes brimming with questions. “You said they’ve been unbinding the adults, and those without adequate power, right?”
“As far as I’m aware,” Kirheen confirmed. “When a bonded pair reach a certain age, they are expected to have a child. I don’t know much about it, but I know after the child is born, those people usually just disappear.”
Therin nodded. “We’re going to head north from here. I want to see the villages where you say the unbound are sent to. It isn’t too far out of the way, and I think it might be good for us to see what has been happening here.”
The Allseer Trilogy Page 28
