Soul Binder (Soul Saga (Book #2))

by Todd, E. L.

  “Yes?” Aleco said.

  Melina entered. “I’m here to escort your guests.”

  Aleco rose from his seat and advanced to the door. “Good,” he said. “I would like to get some sleep in my own bed.”

  When he walked into the entryway, Natalia and the three women were downstairs. All three wore a change of clothes and new boots to weather the trail of the forest.

  Aleco nodded to them. “Melina will be escorting you back to Anastille. I hope that your visit to the forest was pleasant.”

  “Thank you for everything,” Vivian said.

  Mia nodded. “My cough is completely gone.”

  Aleco nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. Hope you have a safe journey.”

  Everyone walked to the door except Lilia. “Did you do it?” she whispered.

  Aleco stared at her. “They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

  Her eyes widened. “How—how did you do that?”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t always a Nature Priest.”

  She nodded then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Thank you so much. You’ll never understand how much that means to me.” She was quiet for a moment. “When will I see you again?”

  “Goodbye,” Aleco said then turned around without giving her the opportunity to reply. He didn’t care if he offended her or hurt her feelings. Aleco didn’t care about anything anymore.

  Canu

  22

  Accacia awoke to the sound of Zyle preparing tea on the stove. The whistling sounds of the pot caused her to roll over on her side and open her eyes. She looked out the window and saw the miniscule amount of sunlight flood the forest floor. The sun had barely risen. She assumed Zyle was an early riser.

  Zyle brought a cup of tea and handed it to her. She took the glass and sipped the warm liquid. Zyle stared at her but said nothing. He looked at her like she was a bomb about to explode. She recalled the dream she had last night and the way he shook her awake. She remembered her uncontrollable sobs afterwards. She must have frightened him.

  “I’m sorry if I scared you last night,” she apologized. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “Your apology isn’t necessary, Accacia. I’m just sorry you suffered through the ordeal. I hope it wasn’t because of the tea.”

  Accacia shook her head. “No, that definitely wasn’t the culprit.

  Zyle drank from his glass and placed it on the table. “Do you want to discuss it? It’s quite alright if you don’t. I just want you to know that I am here for you if you ever need me.”

  She tightened the blanket around her shoulders. “Thank you.”

  Zyle waited for her to say more, but no words were forthcoming. “Would you like to travel to the mountain with me today? It may be an overnight trip.”

  Accacia smiled. “That sounds wonderful. I would love to accompany you.”

  “Good,” he said. “I have much to teach you.”

  They both drank their tea as they stared out the window. More rays of sun penetrated the canopy and flooded the forest with light. Accacia heard a hum coming from the window, like the noise of a buzzing bee, but she saw nothing of the sort.

  “Here comes Koku.” Zyle smiled.

  Accacia didn’t know what he was talking about. Suddenly, a Canu bird flew through the window and landed on the table. The beautiful bird stared at them both and clicked his beak. Accacia’s eyes brightened at the sight and her lips widened in a breathtaking smile. Even Zyle noticed it.

  “Good morning, Koku,” he said to the bird. The bird nodded back. Tears bubbled behind Accacia’s eyes. She was mesmerized by the sight. “This is my friend, Accacia,” he said as he pointed to her. “She is new here, so please make her feel welcome.”

  Koku turned his gaze on Accacia then hopped over to her side of the table. She clutched her hand to her chest as she watched him move. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. She wiped a tear away from her eye. “I’m honored to meet you, Koku. The colors of your feathers are beautiful.”

  Koku clicked his beak at her.

  Zyle looked at her. “He will allow you to pet him if you ask.”

  She turned to him. “Really? How do I ask him?”

  “The same way you would ask me.”

  Accacia turned back to Koku. He continued to stare at her with his black eyes. “May I have the honor of petting you, Koku?”

  Koku nodded.

  Accacia slowly reached her hand out and rubbed his breast with her fingers. Then, she ran her palm along his back, feeling the smoothness of his feathers. Koku leaned his body against her hand when she rubbed him, clearly enjoying the massage. She laughed when he closed his eyes and cooed.

  “Thank you, Koku,” she said as she withdrew her hand.

  Koku opened his wings and flew to her shoulder. Folding his wings back, he looked over at her. She smiled at him, and he cooed again.

  Zyle shook his head at the bird. “What about me? Am I old news now?”

  Koku nodded.

  Accacia laughed until tears came from her eyes. Zyle laughed along as he watched her, enjoying her smile. He hadn’t seen such a genuine smile from her before. Under the circumstances, he didn’t blame her.

  “Well, this may be a wild guess, but I am going to say Koku likes you—a lot.”

  Accacia smiled. “I’m honored.”

  “Would you like to feed him?”

  “Yes.”

  Zyle handed her a bag of seeds. “Don’t feed him too many. I don’t want him to become so fat he can’t fly.”

  Accacia stroked his breast. “I’m sure it’s all muscle, Koku.”

  Koku cooed.

  Accacia fed the nuts to him while Zyle watched the interaction. Accacia had a natural way with the animals of the island. He noticed it as soon as he met her. The animals in the forest not only responded to her, but followed her, wanting to be closer to her. He never saw so many Canu birds in the canopy at once—until she arrived. Now Accacia was taking his own bird.

  “Is this your companion?” she asked.

  “Yes.” He smiled. “Koku is my best friend.” He watched the bird nibble the seeds out of her hand delicately, not wanting to pierce her flawless skin. He was never so nimble with Zyle. “Well, at least he was. I’m not certain anymore.”

  Accacia laughed. “I would never take him away from you.”

  “You didn’t take him,” he said. “He is the one who is leaving me for someone better.”

  Koku clicked his beak.

  “Can he come with us today?” she asked.

  “If he wants to,” Zyle said. “He is welcome to come with me on all my travels.”

  She closed the bag of seeds, and Koku nibbled her earlobe, begging for more.

  “Would you like to come with us, Koku? We are going on a forestry mission,” she said. “It will be an overnight trip.”

  Koku nodded.

  Accacia smiled. “I’m so happy that you are coming with us.”

  Koku nodded again.

  Zyle smiled at the pair. “Well, it seems like Koku has completely forgotten about me.”

  Koku nodded a third time.

  They left the city of Canu and ventured across the countryside, heading towards the southern mountains. Accacia walked alongside Zyle with Koku perched on her shoulder. Zyle attained outdoor traveling clothes for her so she had something to wear in the foothills. Zyle tried to throw out the clothes she was wearing when she arrived to Suaden, but Accacia refused to toss them. She said they had a sentimental value.

  Koku whistled as they walked forward, and Accacia sang along with him after she learned the bird’s song. Zyle listened to them awed by the harmony of their voices. Then, he joined in with his own voice. Accacia was impressed by the resonance of his song. He sang a perfect pitch and was always on key. She thought it sounded magnificent. “You have a beautiful voice,” she said.

  “Thank you,” he said. “As do you.”

  Koku clicked his beak loudly.

  Zyle smiled.
“You too, Koku.”

  By midday, they approached the foot of the mountains and began their ascent. Zyle insisted she go first so he could catch her if she fell. After an hour, they made it halfway up the mountain.

  Zyle turned to the left and entered the forest of trees. “These are the Aquan Mountains, reputed for their crystal streams and waterfalls.” Zyle walked forward and Accacia trailed behind. Acadian juice dripped from the plant leaves, splashing onto Accacia’s arm, and Koku licked the drops away.

  They entered a secluded enclosure that faced a waterfall and a quiet pool of water. Accacia looked down into the small lake and saw that it was clear all the way to the bottom. It looked just like crystal. “This place is amazing, Zyle.”

  Zyle smiled. “I’m glad you find it impressive.”

  “I do,” she said. “Very much so.”

  “The soil surrounding the stream has the most vegetation, so it is an excellent place to start your herbalist training.” Zyle withdrew a small blade and chopped off a few leaves from a dark green bush. “This is aleon, a plant used to inhibit nausea in pregnant women and also to wear off blinding migraines,” Zyle said as he removed his pack. “You can guess what I use it for.” He smiled.

  “I thought you were glowing when we met,” she teased.

  Zyle laughed at her words as he stored the green leaves in his pack. He continued to show her other specimens hidden in the grasslands. “If you ever find yourself on the verge of starvation, eat this.” He held a thick stalk of grass that was such a light shade of green, it appeared to be white. “It is very bland, but it will fuel you. You can find this plant anywhere on the island.”

  Accacia nodded. She walked under the trees and examined a plant that was similar to Roslyn’s blade on the Continent, but the leaves were serrated. She pulled a handful of the herb and returned to Zyle. “Is this the plant you ingest to develop night sight?”

  Zyle examined the plant. “Yes, it is.” He placed the leaves into a small jar in his pack then returned his gaze to her, a look of surprise on his face. “How did you know that, Accacia?”

  Accacia pointed to the veins in the leaf, which branched out randomly. Plants on the Continent were always chiral, mirror images of each other. “The veins of the leaf are different than the others.”

  Zyle nodded. “I am very impressed, Accacia.” He stood up then walked through the stalks of grass. “I overestimated your ignorance. You will be a great forester.”

  Accacia smiled. She continued to examine her surroundings, looking at the various bushes and plants, and attempted to identify plants with her own knowledge. Koku began to chirp loudly as she approached the stump of a large tree. “What is it, Koku?”

  Koku nodded towards the tree. Accacia approached the stump and found an immobile bird lying on top of an uplifted root protruding from the soil. The medium sized bird was sprawled across the ground. Its left wing was bent at an odd angle and its eyes were wide open. Accacia rushed to the bird and saw that it was still breathing. She looked over her shoulder. “Zyle, please come.” She couldn’t hide the panic in her voice.

  Zyle saw the look of terror on her face as tears streamed down her cheeks and sprinted towards her, fearful of what she found. “Are you alright?” he asked when he reached her.

  Accacia didn’t look at him. Her eyes were downturned to the bird with the broken wing. Koku hopped down from her shoulder and stood next to the bird, clicking his beak into its ear and reassuring the bird that help was here. She heard the high pitched cries overhead and saw a nest hidden in the trees. A basket of small birds chirped, looking for their mother. She turned to Zyle. “Please tell me you can help her, Zyle.”

  Zyle examined the wing without moving it to prevent any further pain from coming to the winged creature. “Yes, I can.” Zyle removed his shirt and Accacia gasped at him in surprise. “This will be an excellent way to demonstrate the first ability of a forester, the ability to heal.” Accacia stared at the muscles of his body. He wasn’t as large as Aleco, but he was still beautiful and unscathed. The muscles of the Asquithians weren’t as prominent in size, but the lines of their form were more pronounced because of their lean diet.

  “What are you doing to do, Zyle?”

  Zyle leaned against the tree and placed his hand over the heart of the bird. He looked at her. “Please don’t panic. What I am going to do may scare you, but it will be over soon.”

  Accacia felt her heart quicken in her chest. “Okay.”

  Zyle closed his eyes and concentrated. Accacia heard the snap of a bone and watched in horror as Zyle’s shoulder snapped into two pieces, one end pressing against the skin of his arm. His face grimaced, but he didn’t cry out in pain. Accacia watched in amazement as the arm of the bird realigned itself and came back together. She turned back to Zyle and saw the sweat drip from his brow. She knew he was in pain. She retrieved her water from her pack and moistened a handkerchief then pressed it to Zyle’s forehead to comfort him. He remained motionless with his eyes closed. Accacia saw the bird return to its feet and hop to Zyle, where it clicked its beak at him then rubbed her head against his arm.

  “You’re welcome,” Zyle whispered.

  The bird opened its repaired wings and flew to the nest hidden in the branches. Accacia smiled as she watched the bird return to her babies. They cried loudly at the return of their mother. Koku hopped to Zyle’s shoulder and cooed into his ear, bringing him a quiet comfort.

  Zyle smiled with his eyes closed. “So you haven’t forgotten me, after all?”

  Koku clicked his beak.

  Accacia leaned against the tree and traced her fingertips along his arm, trying to comfort him in any way that she could. His actions were heroic and unselfish, and she was moved by the effort. Accacia was impressed by his generosity and unparalleled skill. Her respect for him reached new heights. Any person willing to take the complete suffering for another creature was someone she admired.

  Accacia heard the sound of his bones realigning in his body, and she was surprised to see that it was completely healed as if it was never broken. The sweat disappeared from his brow, and he finally opened his eyes. Zyle rotated his arm to ensure it was correctly pieced back together then dropped his arm to his lap.

  “I need a moment,” he whispered.

  “Of course,” she said. “Take all the time you need.”

  “Thank you.”

  “How did you do that?”

  “It is a form of healing we have used for generations,” he said. “We take the burden of the injury onto ourselves then our body heals the trauma using the energy from our bodies, which in turn heals the original victim—it can be very dangerous.”

  “Are you alright?”

  “Yes, Accacia,” he said. “I’m just a bit tired now.”

  Accacia dug in her pack and gave him her package of nuts. He ate them quickly.

  “What you did was amazing, Zyle. You must teach me.”

  “Yes, of course I will.” Zyle finished the bag of nuts then handed the empty package back to her. “It is a very dangerous art. If you don’t do it correctly, it can kill you.”

  “How?” she asked.

  “If you take an injury your body cannot withstand, or you don’t have the energy to complete the transformation, your body will fail you. It is very important to take on only what you can handle—I’ve broken my arm at least a hundred times, so I know I can survive it.”

  “Does the spell work on humans as well?”

  “No,” he said. “It is possible, but far too dangerous. The injury of a human who is dying will obviously kill you as well. It would be pointless.”

  Accacia nodded. “Thank you for showing me.”

  Zyle nodded.

  Koku still cooed and chirped directly into his ear, checking that his companion was alright.

  Accacia smiled. “I told you Koku didn’t forget about you.”

  Zyle reached up and stroked the feathers of his companion, his closest friend. “I’m okay, Koku.�
� He reassured him. Koku nibbled on his ear in response.

  Accacia continued to rub his arm with her fingertips, gently stroking the skin of his body. “Does this bother you?” she asked.

  “No, not at all,” he said. Zyle leaned closer to her, and she moved her ministrations to his previously injured shoulder. “You would know if you were bothering me. My life partner used to do the same thing when I was upset or in pain.”

  Accacia’s hand froze. “You said you weren’t married.”

  “I’m not.” Zyle looked at her. “I used to be. She passed away twenty years ago.”

  “In the flood that took the island?” she asked.

  Zyle nodded.

  “I’m very sorry, Zyle.”

  “I know you are,” he said. “Thank you.”

  Accacia thought about the loss of her own love. She missed him terribly. What was more painful was her lack of knowledge about him. She didn’t know if he was dead or alive, when he would meet his end, or if he would die happy. Accacia would never know if he found someone else to love, if he fathered children of his own, or if he would still remember her in the years to come. Accacia doubted he would ever love another. She knew he would never forget her either, but the doubt still plagued her mind. “I lost my love as well,” she whispered.

  “Is that what your nightmares are about? Aleco?”

  She stared at him. “How did you know his name?”

  “You talk in your sleep.”

  Accacia looked away. “Yes.”

  “Does he know you are here?”

  Accacia didn’t know what to say. She had already stated Father Giloth was the only person who knew of her whereabouts, but she thought it was better not to lie. “Yes. He was the one who told me to go.”

  “Why did he want you to leave?”

  “He knew I would be safe here.”

  “Safe from what?” he asked. “Could he not protect you?”

  Accacia sighed. “It’s a very long story. The man who imprisoned me as a slave was the murderer of my parents. He was obsessed with me, and when I finally escaped, he searched for me endlessly. Now the fiend has been crowned king.” Accacia hugged her knees with her arms. “Aleco knew I would only be safe off the Continent—he forced me to leave.”