by M A Price
“Is there any way to remove it?” Mara pleaded. For them as much as her.
Idyn grimaced. She thought he had expected this question.
“The Mark will only move on when you die Mara. There is no other way, there never has been.”
What that meant sunk in slowly.
If she was Kara’s Marked, then she would stay that way until The Transmitter saw fit for her life to end.
Ivloch and Idyn suggested she should have some time alone with her thoughts and stepped outside.
She was quite sure they would still be able to hear the screams of fury she unleashed as she lifted up her robe to look at her stomach and tore the image of Xave to pieces.
Seven – Camrin
It wasn’t technically his day on duty; even Ivloch demanded they have a rest day once in a while, but rest was the last thing Camrin Cassidy had wanted. He’d needed to see the girl’s face, to try and understand why Elex was gone and she was here.
It hadn’t helped. Mara had been unremarkable, clueless even.
He had never found Elex in the Facility, only a parchment for Ivloch detailing her plan. It hadn't even mentioned his name.
The part of him that had…cared for Elex, could understand her actions. Her heart had never been in this fight or the responsibilities piled on her shoulders. The more prominent soldier part of him riled against everything. Elex had betrayed her people, her orders and, more importantly, her team.
The dark-haired girl, Mara, had no idea how to fight a war or be a leader and she would mean the end of everything.
Elex should have known that, should have cared enough even if she couldn’t care for herself. Or for him.
He walked through the camp, ignoring the calls from Dexter or even Jengen, although he knew they meant well. Endless talk or questions about how he felt wouldn’t help. He wasn’t sure he felt anything but anger.
He considered stopping by the makeshift temples but decided against it. He wasn’t sure if he believed anyway, in either Kara or the mighty Transmitter. Even if he did…well they hadn’t given him any powers, had they? It had bothered him once, not being able to ‘do anything’. When he was younger, he would watch Elex and Katanya brawl, each learning to master what was inside them, whilst just a rage he couldn’t control held onto him.
Ivloch had helped him. Ivloch wasn’t ‘gifted’ like they were; yet he was the most magnificent man Camrin had ever met. Powerful in his own right. Even the Wielders looked to him for leadership, a plan or an escape. Sometimes even saving. He’d been ten when Ivloch had seen him trying to master the bow with Becca and decided he would personally train him.
Thirteen full years of moon turns. He hadn’t wished to have any other gift since then.
Until now. The ability to kill something with the raise of a hand felt like something he could welcome. Use. Help. Heal.
Past the temples he wondered about turning back, towards the centre of the camp, but his feet continued on, finding themselves in the woodland that circled one side of their camp. Maybe he would do what he always did and be a good soldier; check that the line was guarded correctly. Keep everyone safe. They weren’t prepared for anything right now; an attack would destroy them and there was more at stake than just their survival.
Camrin shook his head in dismay, as he paused and leaned against the mighty trunk before him. He hadn’t cried. Not one tear since Ivloch had come out of that prison, singed and bloody with an unconscious Mara in his arms. He had known then Elex was gone; he just hadn’t known why. He would probably never know why. She had made this choice and never even said goodbye. The scroll to Ivloch had just said ‘I'm sorry’ and vowed to make Hamill Landress accompany her to the next life. The only other thing he had found had not been for him and was still hidden in his tent. It was stupid and selfish, he was aware, but it did little to make him regret his actions.
Ivloch had him lead the assault outside the prison, to draw as many out as he could whilst he went in. Camrin had asked to be the one to go; pleaded how he was ready, but Ivloch had remained adamant.
“It’s going to be full of scared Wielders Cam, you have less experience with them than I do. It won’t help. Lex will be in there too and…we can’t ruddy well afford you to get distracted.”
How wrong he’d been. Elex had already departed on her own mission.
Ivloch’s warning had been the moment Camrin realised Elex really was in danger; not an unstoppable force that nobody could touch. The actual Unforgiven were different. They had been idiots to ever listen to her plan and let her be put in such danger.
She had taken one with her at least. One less monster to hunt and kill them.
Their last night would be something he would never forget. He wanted that memory to be the one that played before his own time came. One perfect night before she went undercover; the only one they would ever have now. No word of her ridiculous plan to die uttered.
There had never been any promises of forever with them; it was what it was. In some ways they had found each other just a warm comfort in a continuously bleaker world. In other ways, for him at least, there had been a bond that he believed would never be broken. Never the sibling relationship he’d shared with Katanya or Idyn. Something more, something less, and everything ten times more explosive.
Toxic, Katanya had called it once, with Idyn refusing to comment, but not looking like he disagreed.
Love had never been broached or even whispered about but he knew denying something didn’t mean it didn’t exist. He would never truly know how she had felt, he could only ask himself if he had truly loved her. The enquiry that bounced around his mind constantly, unable to answer itself.
Now the rage was back, fuller and meaner than ever.
He let the tears finally fall down his face, checking quickly to make sure nobody was nearby. He’d only ever cried one other time he could remember. Twelve moon turns ago Becca had been taken. Snatched on the return from a rescue mission in Torlung. There had been nothing him or Elex could do to stop the Wielders sworn to Jefferson who took her. Horrible powerful nightmares that had forsaken their people.
He could only imagine the power those bodies would hold now if The Unforgiven got access to them. It had been Katanya leaving that caused the tears. The screaming had just made him sad, her demands to go wherever she must to save her and Ivloch’s horrified refusal. To save Becca would mean to risk The Guild; the one thing his wife would never want, besides, they were in no state to attack the Torlung Facility back then. They had only managed in Tonkara because of Elex being on the inside and the trickle of new recruits that found their way here.
No pleading or apology had stopped Kat from climbing on her damned horse and leaving.
He had stayed, cried for them both and done his best by Ivloch, yet nothing seemed to make him whole again.
He could blame the King or The Unforgiven for those tears; and some of the present ones.
He knew he should also blame Elex. This one was on her too. It made him wonder if Elex had ever really cared for Mara. If taking her under her wing when she’d gone to the Facility had been nothing but a calculated play. Her Mark would always have had to pass on to someone. She had played them all in the end, hadn’t she?
He still couldn’t help but hate Mara and her round inexperienced face. That too small nose that screamed innocence. They needed a soldier, not a door mouse.
The footsteps instantly roused him from his misery. He wiped at his face to try and remove any evidence of wetness, instinctively placing his hand on one of the knives adorning his belt. He looked up and sighed with relief as he saw Idyn traipsing towards him. His best friend looked sombre, like a dark cloud was following every step.
“I thought I’d find you near here,” Idyn remarked, coming to a stop.
“…And I thought you were shepherding her new holiness.”
Idyn looked at him and raised one eyebrow to form a look Camrin knew well. They had known each other since he was eight year
s old, Idyn four. Since the day a messy and yelping Idyn had been brought to the camp, an orphan found after his house had been burnt down by The King’s Men, they had spent time together every day. Training, hunting, learning, attempting to talk to women, working and everything in between. Words weren’t always necessary between them anymore; hadn’t been necessary in anything to do with Elex.
Camrin had the decency to look at the floor. He knew Idyn well enough to know he was objecting to two things.
He didn’t like the way he was complaining about him simply following orders and knew Camrin himself would have done exactly the same. Orders were life. You followed them or you were a bad soldier and they weren’t tolerated in The Guild. He also hated the fact he was diverting his ire towards Mara. He had only just met her and would have no love for her, but Idyn was often to Camrin’s utter frustration, a hideously good person. He would believe she deserved to be treated with all manner of pleasantries and respect. Her position alone was enough for him. Camrin wanted people to earn them first; it had been their major clashing point of the last few years.
“Sorry,” he finally said, slowly looking at his friend again.
Idyn nodded, sweeping his dark hand through his darker hair.
“I know you’re hurting man, but this isn’t her fault…she’s suffering as much as you,” Idyn sighed. Camrin knew how much he hated standing up to him. It was part of why it was so effective when he did. “She has no idea what’s gonna happen to her or what she’s gonna do,” another head shake “…and for your information… Ivloch told me to come find you and make sure you were ‘coping’, to use his words.”
Camrin felt a slither of shame go through him. Ivloch had ordered Idyn to find him. He had known he would be a mess somewhere and taken pity on him, despite his actions in the pavilion. It also meant Idyn wasn’t here by choice.
“I know she didn’t do this, Lex did, but Idyn…she’s travelled with a troupe all her life, she likes telling ruddy stories! She didn’t even know about The Unforgiven until she got taken to Tonkara! She can’t even use her power. If she can it’ll be nothing compared to Elex or even ‘Kat's.” He couldn’t understand why everyone was refusing to see what this meant. How truly Elex had screwed them over. “I’m not angry because it’s her specifically, not angrier than I would be if it was anyone else untrained and useless. I’m angry because I’ve spent my whole life working to save these bloody people and stop what’s coming and we can’t.”
He stroked his throbbing temple with his left hand. “We can’t win this war with Mara Lars as our only hope.”
Camrin lowered himself to the ground, still using the mighty trunk behind him to support his body. There were no more tears and somehow getting the words out, especially to Idyn, made the hole inside him feel a little smaller. He knew it would be back, it wasn’t that easy and there was too much grief, but the small respite was allowing him to think a little more clearly. He just needed Idyn to understand-
Idyn crouched to sit before him. Camrin watched him glance at his leathers and the wet dirty floor, evaluating the cleaning that would occur later. He couldn’t help but appreciate how calculated Idyn’s every action seemed to be; how easily he could predict them or know what passed through his narrow head.
Did Idyn predict him so easily? Anticipate whatever mistake he was about to make next? It would probably keep him quite busy. He had certainly known where to find him; had said only that morning that he should stay away from Mara today, that it would be a mistake to be near her. It had been. All these angry thoughts. Memories of Elex twirling where they weren’t meant to be.
“Maybe,” Idyn finally conceded “…Maybe we can’t win this war, maybe we never could, Elex or Mara or ruddy anyone. We’re gonna be fighting an army of pissed off Wielders who destroyed a planet and killed millions of their kind. They are way more powerful than any User alive now.
“Kara locked them away, as did the Seven Worlds, now they want to come back and the only thing stopping them is us; a bunch of half trained soldiers who actually give a damn about this world, but you know what Cam? It doesn’t matter. I’d rather be on the losing side knowing I tried, rather than sit by this tree and give up and let them have it… If we do that then Elex died for nothing, Becca’s gone for nothing, … and we will all die for nothing.” Idyn’s gaze locked into his “…and I love you brother, I really do. We have to make this mean something.”
“What if we can’t stop them Idyn?”
Idyn smiled, it was a beautiful sight. A smile no one could ignore or fail to return. Camrin even felt his own lips twitching.
“Then Brodanna falls and hopefully we hurt them enough that the Seven Worlds stand a chance.”
“I don’t want to die to save the people that left us here in the first place.”
“Neither do I, but what else are we gonna do exactly?”
Eight - Katanya
There were few things in life Katanya Leshi hated more than travelling.
She’d been riding Ballaca for two moons straight, only pausing for the briefest of rests. Always taking the longer way, through forests, through villages that The King’s Men wouldn’t patrol, always hiding and never approaching another soul.
It was horribly boring.
Twelve moon turns since she’d travelled the opposite way; since Becca had been taken and Ivloch had stood there helpless, refusing any action to save the woman they both loved. Ivloch and Becca had never birthed her, Elex, Camrin or Idyn but they had been their parents in every other way. Each of them devoid of their own families and adopted by Becca's kindness.
She wasn’t sure where The Guild would be camped, but she knew a few hours away, would be someone who did. Another face she would prefer not to recall.
He would be surprised to see her; she’d sworn not to come back. He didn’t live with The Guild, but he would know their whereabouts and the anger or resentment would be there. From her about Becca and from him at her for leaving. Even if he had done the same himself.
She didn’t care about the rest; let them wage their war whilst she stayed away from it. She could deal with whatever came after when it happened, it was the easiest way to live. You didn’t have to care about anyone or watch them die that way.
Katanya couldn’t apply that mentality to Becca though; an anchor to a previous life she did her best to ignore. She didn’t let herself think on the other faces that came to mind. The reactions to Elex’s death that would be occurring. Whether this new girl would-
Ballaca neighed slightly as they trotted down a dusty, often unused path. She was strong but she was tired of taking the harder road and Katanya rubbed her neck in understanding. They had been lazy the last few moon turns; hadn’t trained as much as they used to…
Katanya sighed and gnawed on her own lip, she should have taken Ballaca out more, she’d known this trek was coming since Elex came to the Spykelands but had somehow wanted to avoid the reality. It had been foolish of her and nothing irked her more than her own mistakes; even the travelling. There were too many to regret.
It was the travelling, she thought, that let her mind wander. All the maybes, what ifs and love yous spilled out of their box within her mind. Old pains renewed.
Ballaca made another noise of discontent, her usually black shining coat looking dustier than Katanya could remember seeing it. She thought about stopping or getting off and walking beside her. The mare would find the strain easier without her weight, the bags were practically empty, but they were so close to a stopping point and some answers. So close.
She rubbed her aching thighs, and wished, not for the first time, that her power included some healing ability. They were blistering and covered in bruises already. It was pathetic from someone who had been so used to riding, a life of constant movement. The annoyance made her grip Ballaca’s impressive mane and plunge on.
“We can do this girl, I promise.”
They needed to see this through. Caring wasn’t something she allowed herself
anymore, but the Katanya who had, the girl she had once been, still clung on despite her objections. There was the debt to repay after all and she’d be damned if she wouldn’t pay it for her.
Maybe then she could let her go.
***
Night had fallen by the time she neared the little house, if calling it a house was correct.
It was more like a large wooden shed, built across two ginormous trees, rooms between various branches.
She’d walked Ballaca the last mile, exhaustion tugging at them both, her power too drained to give either of them another boost.
Only a fool would expect there to be no traps, no warning signals – there had been last time she was here, more moon turns ago than memory could recall and the world had only gotten worse since then. She remembered some of them; things that would have her dangling in the air or falling into a hole she wouldn’t be able to escape. Ballaca’s tail nearly got caught by flying spikes but the frightened mount moved just quick enough. Katanya tried to hide the wash of relief. Somewhere along the line Ballaca had become her only constant in the ever-changing mess.
As she drew nearer, she double checked the area and tied Ballaca to a tree, making sure to give her some food and water.
“I’ll be back soon girl,” she promised patting her flank. Katanya hoisted her bag onto her back before beginning the tentative steps forward.
She didn’t get far before she heard rustling and the sound of a sword being unsheathed, her own was already in her hand glinting slightly in the starlight.
“Well, well,” a voice laden with irritation came from behind her, a voice she recognised. She whirled around, the weight of her bag nearly pulling her over; the mix of her tiredness and hunger had affected her more than she’d realised.
He stood stroking Ballaca, who was happily munching some form of fruit from his hand. Katanya had disappointed herself further by letting him get the better of her. He looked older than when she had seen him last, his dark brown hair, perfectly matched with his skin, fell down his back, as long as her own red. There was a line of stubble across his jaw, and his ever present sneer still dominated his face. The armour of yesteryear was gone, replaced with a loose-fitting brown smock and breeches, it seemed out of place, different than the picture from her memory.
