Branded (Master of All Book 1)

by Simon Archer

  The dryad’s tense form relaxed a bit under my touch and words as her wrist-vines pulled free from the ground. I guess even though she ate food, she still got more nutrients by ‘rooting’ herself. As she sat back on her calves, she finally turned her gaze back up to meet mine, uncertainty in her eyes.

  “I know you say that, and I trust you,” she said softly as she wound her arm around my waist. “It’s just… I did many horrible things under the control of the Black Runes. First by order of Uruk’s master, then the orc himself.” A shudder ran through her as her brow knit in the same look of pain and fear I had seen when we first met when she was under Uruk’s control. “I feel like… I feel like I cannot do enough good swiftly enough to make up for it all.”

  That’s when my concentration slipped on the lead chain because all my focus was on Petra, her fears and frustrations, and what I could do to alleviate them. The tingle of Libritas’s magic ran up my spine again, and as with Wodag, the chains that bound my beautiful dryad sprang to life in my eyes.

  It shouldn’t have been a surprise that a golden one soared off to the south, no doubt to the Treison Woods that were her home, while other precious ones of silver and copper weaved towards the west, where Reggie and the villagers were working. A thick, terrible black chain still hung from her heart and lead off not simply to the northwest, but also arching high into the sky, but while it was thick, it was… corroded, missing bits of many of the links, and close to fraying entirely.

  All of that was overshadowed by the pure, shining platinum weave that ran straight from her and the spiraling rune on her chest right back to Libritas and me both. Though the beauty of that chain was almost overwhelming, I shook it off to focus on the ponderous black one.

  “Though we have set her free from Uruk’s master’s Brand,” Lib whispered softly in my mind, “the trauma lingers, as you can see… but you can finish the work we began, not with any magic, but with your strong heart, William.”

  I nodded at that, a gesture that made Petra blink in confusion before I smiled at her. “I know it may be hard to believe after all you’ve gone through, but you’re stronger than you know.” I reached past her and took her free hand in mine. “In just a day and a half, you’ve done so much good… and we won’t stop doing it until we’ve done more than save this village. We’re not going to stop until we end the Black Runes for good.”

  Petra bit her lower lip, the furrow in her brow deepening further and made all the more apparent by how smooth her skin usually was. “I will be by your side until then, but… will I be strong enough to help against the great Brands?” Her hand slipped out of mine to touch the shining spiral on her chest. “I was enslaved by them once. What if…?”

  I cut off her question by putting my hand over hers. Her warmth mingled with the subtle charge of magic from Libritas’s rune, and two together ran through me, drawing me in as if Petra was my center of gravity. As I shifted myself forward and pulled her in to do the same, our foreheads bumped together, another conduit for that same undeniable spark of attraction between us.

  “It won’t happen,” I assured her. My eyes were locked on her lush green lips as they worked to counter my words, but I kept right on going. “If they were to come for you now, even if you didn’t have Lib’s power to protect you, you’d beat them back. You’ve touched your true power now thanks to her… and even if you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be alone. You’ll never be alone again.” One hand still on hers, I shifted back a hair so that I could tilt her chin up with my free hand. “You know that, right?”

  I could almost hear the cracking of chain links, but I didn’t look up to follow them, because my eyes were only for Petra at that moment. There was more than the heat of desire in her gaze, but the strength I knew that was there burning with a heat all its own. While the black chain did not fall away entirely in that moment of realization, I could sense it weaken, shrivel up like a vine in a desert, and I knew for certain that what Libritas said was true, that we would break that last hold of trauma the Runes had on Petra and that moment would be soon.

  And that knowledge is what prompted me to lean forward, slip my hand around to the back of her head, and pull the dryad into a kiss. To be fair, it didn’t take any real prompting on my part as she eagerly met my lips, and for a long moment, we stayed there, locked in that embrace.

  Petra’s lips tasted of walnuts and strawberries, sweet yet earthy, and unlike any human woman I had kissed in my life. I could have stayed in that kiss for far longer than we did, but the small part of my mind that wasn’t lost in the bliss of the moment managed to butt in to remind me of how little time we really had. Finally, reluctantly, I pulled away from the dryad, who smiled brightly at me as she licked her lips.

  “You always will be with me, William,” she breathed out huskily as her chest heaved in a deep breath. “I know that for sure now.” She trailed a light touch across my shoulder and down my arm, her vines following like velveteen in her wake.

  “And I know you’ll never let me down.” I took both her hands in mine as I began to stand, pulling her along. “I want to talk to you more about… us tonight, but right now, if you’re feeling better, I need your help.”

  Petra stood easily, her colors fully returned with an added blush of green on her brown cheeks. “Yes, I am feeling… wonderful.” She smiled brighter. “And I would love to help with whatever you wish of me, William.”

  “Good!” I nodded, keeping a hold of her right hand as I thumbed over my shoulder towards Sullah’s house. “Let’s go see if we can get to the bottom of our friend’s hardened heart.”

  “Suli told you what her father’s woes are?” Petra tilted her head inquisitively as we began to cross the square to his home.

  “No, but she did us one better,” I began. “Let me tell you what I know…”

  13

  Sullah Sona

  The map of the region around my village was spread out before me, and my ears twitched as I tried to force it to gift me with some divine insight as to how to save my people. It was not that I distrusted the gift the gods had already given me, sending the wielder of the Brand of Freedom and his companions in our time of greatest need, but I knew first-hand how many ettercaps were part of the Weaver’s tribe.

  Perhaps William Tyler was right. Perhaps it was time to try to let the old pain go and reach out a paw to the Wyrmtooth orcs.

  And every time the thought crossed my mind, I felt the old wound on my heart open once more, and the fresh crimson blood of grief flooded my veins. How could I forgive those savages for the death of Siri?

  Without thinking, I found myself pulling out the spidersilk necklace from under my jacket, eyes drifting to the polished rosewood ring hanging from it. Siri’s ring. No, I couldn’t forget, couldn’t forgive. I would find another way…

  It was in the midst of that bloody thought that a steady rapping echoed through the main chamber of my home from the front door. As I stood, I carefully tucked the ring back into my jacket before padding towards the door. With one last deep breath to compose myself and to still my swishing tail, I slid the door open to see who had come to visit.

  To my surprise, I was greeted by two, well, three to be accurate, of my Gods-sent new friends. William Tyler stood before me, thumbs hooked in the same Uplander belt with its many pouches and pockets he had worn when he came to us, with Libritas gleaming gold at his side. I was again amazed at the vitality of the young human. Though he was not the largest of his kind that I had encountered, William moved with strength and grace that many that towered over him had. More than that, I was surprised at how well he wore our garb, almost as if he had been born here in Etria and knew our customs almost by instinct.

  Beside him was Petra the dryad, as beautiful in her spring greenery as I was certain she would be throughout the seasons. Though I had never had the honor of meeting any of her seed before, the history of the Treison Woods and their guardians had been passed down through the Suli family for generations. It had been a
disaster for all of Solanna when Khaba va’Khem, master of the Black Runes, had branded the last of the dryads, and I couldn’t help but smile at the sight of her and the gold-and-silver spiral rune that signified her freedom.

  “William! Petra!” I shouted in greeting as I eagerly clapped them both on the shoulder. To both their credits, neither stumbled from my large paws. “I was simply continuing to plan our defenses.” I stepped back and spread my arms wide to offer them my hospitality, as was our custom. “Please, enter and tell Sullah Sona what he can do for you.”

  “Thanks, Sullah,” William replied with a salute. He led the way, Petra close on his heels as I closed the door behind them. “Considering what is going on, it’s not really a coincidence that what we came to talk to you about has a lot to do with those defenses.”

  “No, no, I suppose not,” I said solemnly as we took the conversation to the table.

  They both settled onto the same cushions as they had at dinner the night before, though I couldn’t help but notice that Petra consciously scooted her cushion a bit closer to young William’s side. It was no surprise, of course. I was familiar with the blossoming of young love. I nodded approvingly as I took my proper place at the head of the table.

  “So, do either of you require refreshment before we begin, or--” I began graciously, but before I could finish, William raised his hand.

  “No, thank you, Sullah.” He clearly caught my slight frown and bowed his head slightly. “Sorry, it’s just… I’m realizing more and more that we don’t have a lot of time, a week at most, and what we need to do is going to take up all that time, so…” He shrugged apologetically.

  “Of course.” I laughed and smiled, the minor slight forgotten, a byproduct of the impetuousness of youth. “Well, then, speak your mind, heroes.”

  Though William’s hazel eyes were sharply focused on me with an intensity greater than I had seen before, it was Petra who spoke, her hands steepled in front of her as she did so. Among our people, it was a placating gesture, a sort of pre-apology when one was about to broach a sensitive topic, and I tried not to let my hackles raise or my ears to flatten instinctively.

  “Sullah Sona, we know that you are a wise and kind headman,” she began, her honeyed voice taking a measured, diplomatic tone. “So, it is because we know this to be true that we beseech to let us journey to the northern hills to obtain what we need--”

  It was rude of me, very much not the measure of the compliments laid at my feet, but all the same, I crossed my arms across my broad chest and shook my head. “No, fair dryad. As I intimated before, I have seen the horrors caused by the northern tribes and their fiery weapons. I will not sully my people with such terrible knowledge.” I tried to look immovable, as set in stone as the mountains themselves. “We waste more time now as you ask me this again when we should be seeing to the village’s salvation.”

  Petra’s jaw tightened, and her expression hardened. My grandmother told me that when challenged, a dryad was a terrifying thing, but it was clear my friend reined in that anger. “We will be facing a draconian on the field. Though I know William can free her if she is a slave, before he has that chance, her dragon-fire will lay waste not just to your village and people, but any possible defense I can muster. Even bronzewood burns, as you well know.”

  I was about to retort with my nascent idea to gather sufficient well-water to make burning the wood more difficult, but William took that moment to insert himself into the discussion, his gaze clear and his voice strong and steady.

  “Look, Sullah… I talked to Wodag.” Those simple words made me freeze, all that grief and anger and pain welling back up to the surface as I stared at William. “I don’t know what happened, but--”

  “What did he tell you?” I snarled, a hiss roiling in the back of my throat despite my best efforts to thrust it down as I leapt to my feet. “I should never have let that miserable savage--”

  Petra was to her feet in the blink of an eye as well, and her vines began to writhe like snakes in defense of her savior, but William intervened. His hands up and arms out towards each of us in a bid for peace, he raised his voice to a commanding tone that made even me pause.

  “Stop! Cool it, people!” He glanced at Petra. “It’s okay, I appreciate that defensive reflex there, but it’s okay.” As she blushed in embarrassment at the realization of her actions, William turned his eyes to me. “And he didn’t tell me anything personal about you, Sullah. He didn’t tell me what hardened your heart, what’s chaining you down, but he told me about wyrm-fire and the pain his own people are going through because of Uruk.”

  As quickly as my fury had come, it bled away, replaced only by the empty ache in my heart. I let out a pained sigh as I slumped back onto my cushion. “Gods save me, how could I be so rude to any under my roof, and to you, the one who saved my daughter’s life, most of all?” I bowed forward so low that my forehead thumped the table, and I only wished I could have plowed through it to meet the floor. “I can only beg your forgiveness, Master Tyler, Mistress Petra.”

  “And I am sorry as well, Headman Sona,” Petra added though I didn’t raise my head in my shame. “I simply… I cannot possibly let William come to harm, but I should have known you would not have actually attacked him.”

  William laughed in an easy, light-hearted tone. “Cool. Now we’ve all made up, so let’s move on.” I felt his hand on my shoulder. “I accept your apology, Sullah, so can you just pick your head up about of the table? If you keep pressing on it so hard, you’ll break the thing.”

  As much as I wanted to express my shame for the rest of our discussion, William was likely correct. As I had told him, the people of Kaulda were strong from our lives of hard work, and I was no exception. With a deep sigh, I pushed myself back up to a normal sitting position to see William right next to me, a smile on his lips and his hand still on my shoulder. It was a comforting thing as was Petra’s radiant smile beside him.

  “I suppose, if Wodag spoke to you with honor and good faith, I can do no less, can I?” I said slowly. Neither of my guests interrupted me, they only gave me supportive looks, so I took one last deep breath and withdrew the ring from under my jacket. “When Uruk and his foul orcs first moved down from the mountains and into the Treison Woods, they stopped here in Kaulda. As you might imagine, they did not come for a shaded rest or for our famous cholla.”

  “They came for wealth and slaves,” Petra intoned darkly as her hand moved to her blessed glowing rune.

  “Indeed.” My paws clenched into fists, and I only barely kept my claws from unsheathing. “I was not yet headman then, though I had already…” I had to take a moment to steady my emotions as every bittersweet memory of my lovely Siri flowed through my mind. “I had already wed. Siri Sona was… she was everything I could ever have hoped for. She was beautiful, perhaps as much as you, good Petra, kind, caring, with a sharp wit. Siri could have been headwoman herself, and she would have made the finest partner I could have hoped for.” I managed to relax my fists and tenderly put a hand around her ring. “Most of all, she gave me Suli, the light of my life.”

  I sucked in a shuddering breath, surprised at how quickly my control was breaking down as grief flooded in. I knew it was because I had not told my story to anyone for many cycles. All the village knew my story, and with the darkness that had covered the barony, there were no travelers to tell it to, not that I would.

  “It’s okay, Sullah,” William said softly, his voice full of understanding. “I think we know what happened from there. You don’t need to hurt yourself in telling us.”

  “I appreciate your kindness,” I said through a long sigh as I calmed myself. “But I must. Perhaps… perhaps I need to tell it to try to move beyond it.” I closed my eyes, gathered myself, and continued. “As you may have guessed, Uruk wanted Siri as a slave, even though he had no true Brand with which to take her. Whether he did or not, I did not care, for I would not stand for it. It was the only time we tried to fight back against the Rune
s… and it cost me the love of my life.”

  I could no longer hold back the tears, but as they came this time, there was… a release that came with them. “I wasn’t the only one who lost in that battle. Many of us did, and Wodag… Wodag had been one of Uruk’s followers, but when he saw first-hand the horror that Uruk meant to spread… he fought back as well, and he paid for it.”

  Petra’s eyes widened in shock. “But did he not lose his leg to a rock wyrm?”

  “He did,” William cut in before I could answer as the light of realization dawned in his eyes. “He didn’t lose his leg to Uruk… he lost his wife, just like you did, Sullah.”

  I fell silent at that. It was such a simple fact, so plain and obvious, and yet, in the ten cycles since that terrible day, I had refused to see it. Wodag, an orc, that which I thought I hated, had suffered by Uruk’s hand as much as I had. How many more of his kin had Uruk slain and tortured and enslaved?

  I should not have looked at the Wyrmtooth orcs with fear and hate. I should have opened my village to them.

  “I have been such a fool,” I mumbled as I slowly shook my head before focusing on my two friends. “I… please, Petra, William… forgive this old man for his foolish ways. My mistake may have already cost everyone if the orcs do not help us.”

  Petra had already risen from her seat, but not in defense of her savior this time. Instead, she rounded the table and put her arms gently, comfortingly around me as William held out a hand. I found myself taking it. It was if his strength and her compassion flowed through me as he smiled.

  “It’s not too late, Sullah,” William said confidently. “It just means we’re going to have that talk of ours on the road, Petra.”

  I wasn’t sure what that exactly meant, but the most important part was plain. “Yes, Master William, we must prepare you for your journey. The mountains are not a place for the faint of heart or the ill-prepared!”