Broken Arrow (Darkened Destiny Saga Book 1)

by Azaria M. J. Durant

  I put the pieces together on my own. “And they kill the followers of Zeldek.”

  She nods, then gasps from the pain it causes her. “They want to destroy Zeldek once and for all, and I don’t blame them. Before he lost most of his power, he almost burned the world down. They do what they need to do to keep him from rising again.”

  One of the guards clears his throat impatiently. “Is everything alright?”

  “Yes, everything’s fine,” I reply.

  “You’d better go,” she mutters.

  I quickly pull on the leather gloves. They are too big for my hands, of course, but at least they conceal the brand. “I’ll be back to check on you in a while.” Turning to the guards, I order, “Get a physician in here at once to tend to her wounds.”

  One hurries away to follow my order, while the other escorts me from the room. As he leads me to my room, my thoughts process the information that Bellator just gave me. But my mind also lingers on something else. As I turned to leave, my eyes caught on the palm of her left hand. Zeldek’s mark had been burned into it as well. It isn’t red and blistered like mine – it must have been given to her many years ago – but it is distinctly the same one. And I have the feeling that there’s more to Bellator than just her will to survive.

  Chapter Eighteen

  T wo days pass before Bellator begins to insist she’s fully recovered from her wound, but it is three before the physician pronounces her well enough to get up and walk around. She is still very pale from the loss of blood and her composure isn’t nearly as put together as usual, but she is tough. I make sure to check on her every few hours for the first day and a half, which annoys her greatly, but as she grows stronger, it becomes clear that the council will respect their word not to harm her.

  Uri and Annalyn, on the other hand, are very much enjoying their stay. Annalyn’s knee has been tended to and is on the mend. Uri complains constantly about the grey robes they’ve provided for us to wear, and Annalyn says that the place is too cold and bare for her liking. But the council allows them to explore every little bit of the underground stronghold, which they take the liberty to do, and that makes their dispositions more cheerful. Since even dinner is served to us in our respective rooms, I rarely see them.

  As for me, I spend most of my time in my room, at Bellator’s side, or pacing about alone in the corridors. Both the council members and the very few Vaelhyreans they preside over try to avoid me as much as possible, and if they do end up running into me, they apologize profusely, anxiously avert their gazes, or just completely ignore that I exist. And I haven’t seen anything of either Banner or Ulmer since the day we arrived. I’ve never been treated quite so strangely in my entire life.

  It is on the fourth morning since our arrival in this solemn place that I am finally able to speak with Banner again. I am pacing in a long, ghostly hallway of unlit torches when he limps into view, carrying an armload of scrolls and parchments. He stops when he sees me and smiles the first genuine smile I’ve received from any grey-robed figure in days. He seems to have grown less pale since I saw him last, but he is just as thin and haggard as ever.

  “Ah, Elroy,” he says, tucking the parchments under his arm. An amused smile flickers through the weariness that clouds his face.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  He chuckles, shaking his head. “You’re a wonder, you are.”

  Not sure what to say to that...

  “Um... thanks?”

  “You certainly have a way with people, at any rate. The council’s scared half to death of you, you know.”

  “Yeah, I think I’ve noticed,” I say, scratching my ear. “What I don’t understand is why? What is it about me that makes them so nervous?”

  “It’s nothing about you, per say,” Banner says dubiously. “It’s more the magic you possess that has them in a tousle.”

  “My magic?” I echo. “But aren’t you all Vaelhyreans? Certainly the lot of you could outmatch a novice like me, no matter what the circumstance. I really don’t have a clue what I’m doing.”

  “Perhaps,” Banner admits. “But, Elroy, you did defy Ulmer before the council the moment you arrived. He is our leader, after all. And you challenged him. This does not bode well to the others.”

  “You understand, though, don’t you? I couldn’t let him kill her.”

  He opens his mouth, closes it, then tries again, speaking his words with conviction. “I think the girl is dangerous. She has caused us much sorrow in the short time she’s been in Zeldek’s service. But you did what you felt was right. I cannot judge you for that. Who knows? You could be right about her.”

  “I believe that I am.”

  “Only time will tell. Fair warning, though, the council has labelled you reckless. They will be keeping a close eye on you from now on.”

  “That’s just my luck,” I mutter.

  “Don’t be so quick to judge them for their caution, child,” he chides. “In the days of old, there were many half-races. The mixture of Vaelhyrean and human blood created unusually strong and powerful heroes. But many were corrupted by the promise of power that Caderyn offered them, and they turned against us in battle. It was because of their betrayal that we almost lost the war against him. It isn’t in our nature to be trusting anymore.”

  “But I’m not like that,” I protest. “I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

  “I know. You are the only half-race that I know of in existence, and that is why I chose to protect you; to keep you from being discovered and used by Zeldek. That is also why we fear and respect you so.” He heaves a great sigh. “But we have lived in fear for too long. The curse weakens us more every day. I fear that if it remains unresolved for much longer, we will cease to exist.”

  “What curse?” I ask.

  He clears his throat, shifting the bundle of scrolls to under his other arm. “Many years ago, during the great battle between the forces of Gaiztoak and us, there was a very powerful Vaelhyrean on our side. She was our queen after Emyr’s death. Holding power over the element air, she could only be challenged in strength by Zeldek himself.” He pauses. “She was our sister.”

  “Oh!” I exclaim. “You mean Batuel?”

  Of course, she would be his sister too. I didn’t think to make the connection until now.

  He looks surprised. “Where did you hear that name?”

  For a moment, I almost tell him about my deal with Bellator. But no, I shouldn’t. Not only would Bellator quite literally kill me if I did, but I would rather that the council not find out about it. Ulmer would disapprove of letting Bellator near such power and would probably take action to prevent us from leaving.

  I clear my throat. “Zeldek mentioned her. I know that because of her death, the goddess of life – it’s Irla, isn’t it? Because of her death, Irla cast a curse that weakened him.”

  “He has no right to speak of her!” Banner growls. “I suppose you know what he did to her?”

  I nod. “I heard that he killed her and her family.”

  “Her husband and children, right before her eyes,” Banner confirms. He’s angry, bitter; emotions I’ve not yet seen in him. “Then he cursed her soul so that it would live on and forever feel the pain of losing everything she loved.”

  I rest a comforting hand on his dusty, robed arm. “I’m sorry.”

  “It was barbaric! The work of a monster. Irla was kind simply to take his power from him.”

  “But... I don’t understand. How does Irla’s curse on him have anything to do with you?”

  “Irla didn’t only curse Zeldek with the removal of most of his magic. She cursed us all, leaving us with only enough magic to survive.” His eyebrows draw upward as he observes me. “Don’t look so horrified. She had every right to do so. We Vaelhyreans, together as a people, brought war to the land. We swore to her when we came that we would maintain the peace we disturbed by our presence, but we broke that oath. Starting with Caderyn’s revolt and continuing for centuries afterward, ther
e was much bloodshed. The misery and pain caused by our feuds tore her apart. Zeldek’s massacre of Batuel’s household was merely the last straw. Many of the others won’t admit it, but we are all to blame.”

  “And the spell remains to this day?”

  He nods. “It is probably for the best that it does. Irla was merciful in saying that if the spell on Batuel’s arrow is removed, thus revoking Zeldek’s curse on Batuel’s spirit, our magic would return to us. But I fear that war would follow swiftly.”

  “It doesn’t really seem like the war ever ended,” I remark. “Perhaps it would be best just to allow it to play out.”

  “What do you mean?” he asks.

  “Well, what if one of Batuel’s children escaped? What if their descendant breaks the spell? A war to get rid of Zeldek wouldn’t be all that bad, would it?”

  His brow darkens. “The war would spread across Theara, whether you wanted it to or not. No one would be left untouched.”

  “You wouldn’t condone the removal of the curse, then?”

  There is a pause, and his eyes slide closed. “I wouldn’t say that,” he says amid his contemplation. “I’ve spent a lifetime living a half-life because of that curse. I long to feel alive again. But would it be best for Theara? I don’t know. I’m not sure that anyone but our warrior is qualified to make that decision.”

  I raise an eyebrow. “Your warrior?”

  “There is a prophecy,” he says. “One which we have all studied over the years since Zeldek’s rise to power.”

  “Go on,” I urge.

  He turns to look at me with a weary smile. “I won’t bore you with the details, but the gist of it is that one day a great warrior will come, fight hand to hand with Zeldek, and destroy him once and for all. Once we have seen that happen, we may have hope of atoning our sins to Irla.”

  I try not to sound as sceptical as I feel. “When is this warrior going to come?”

  He shakes his head. “Like all prophecies, this one is vague.”

  So that’s why they’ve remained hidden for so long. They’re waiting for some phantom warrior to come and save them. Typical.

  Banner’s voice breaks a lengthy moment of silence. “What price has she set out for you?”

  “Hmm?”

  “The girl. What price did she set out for rescuing you?”

  I avoid his gaze. “Who says there’s a price?”

  “I know her kind,” he says. “They never do something like this unless they’re getting something in return.”

  “She did,” I admit. “Set forth a price, that is. But it’s between her and me.”

  His brow darkens. “You’re a smart lad, and very brave. In my years keeping watch over you, I know that much. I trust you know what you’re getting yourself into. I only worry what her influence might do to you.”

  “I’ll be fine,” I reassure him. “I promise, I have everything under control.”

  “Half-wit!” Bellator’s voice suddenly booms from somewhere up the hallway. “Half-wit, get over here now!”

  I cringe. “Well, almost everything.”

  “It’s a complicated road you tread upon,” he warns with a sad smile. “Please, be careful.”

  “I will,” I promise.

  Pulling out his papers again, he observes them with a yawn. “Well, I’ve got to get to the library with these. I look forward to our next meeting,” he says, and walks away.

  “Half-wit, I’m waiting!”

  I follow the sound of her shouting and soon find her leaning against the doorframe of a nearby corridor. The last time I saw her, she was wearing the grey robes that the elders provided for us. Now, she is dressed once more in her black armour, which she has mended and cleaned. The hole in the shoulder-guard has been patched over, and the newly polished metal glints in the light.

  She straightens up as I approach. “What took you so long?” she demands.

  I gesture back to where I came. “I was—”

  “I wasn’t asking for an answer, half-wit,” she says irritably. “It’s time for us to leave this place and get back on track.”

  “Are you sure? I spoke to the physician this morning. Your shoulder is still on the mend...”

  Bellator glares at me. “I’m stronger than that fool realizes. We leave today. The ezixs will have lost our trail by now. We only have a short window of time to get out of here before they decide to retrace their steps. We’ve wasted enough time as it is.”

  I suppose if anyone could bounce back so quickly from such an injury, it would be her. But I also worry she might put her own health aside to fulfill her goals.

  “I agree,” I say, lightening my tone. “But you might have a hard time convincing Uri and Annalyn.”

  She smirks. “Actually, they’re already packed. Even little Ann is getting tired of this barren place.” Looking around with growing vexation, she adds, “Besides, if we stay here any longer, I doubt I’ll be able to remain civil to these magical imbeciles for much longer.”

  “I doubt that too,” I agree.

  Her irritation grows. “I know you fancy to have saved my life the other day, but that doesn’t give you leave to be friendly with me, half-breed! If you hadn’t stepped up, I might have died, yes. But I would’ve taken the whole place down with me!”

  “Then I saved everyone else’s lives from you.” I flash a grin. “You’re welcome.”

  We announce our intentions to leave to the council within the hour. It seems as if they are both reluctant and eager to let me go; reluctant because I’m not going to be under their constant surveillance, and eager because they won’t have to be afraid of my ‘spontaneous’ bursts of magic.

  Ulmer appears to be masking boiled rage, and his words are thick with resentment as he bids us farewell. I hope that I’m not right, but I’m certain I have made another powerful enemy.

  Once the four of us are together in the same place, we are blindfolded and magically transported back to the clearing they found us in. We find our horses saddled and waiting for us. They have been well fed and groomed until their coats are sleek and glossy, and their packs have been stocked with provisions for our journey.

  As Bellator gives orders for us to mount up, Banner pulls me aside. He speaks to me in a low tone, so as not to be overheard by the others.

  “I know I’ve already said this, but please, be careful. Do not trust that girl.”

  “I don’t,” I assure him.

  He puts his hand on my shoulder. “Whatever she has told you to do—”

  “I’m going to do it,” I say. “I gave my word.”

  “A noble gesture, but I worry she’ll take advantage of your honesty. She will put her own interests above anything else, above any cost – even if that cost is your life.”

  I ponder that. He has a point, I will admit. I know she’s probably going to take the arrow from me the moment I break the spell, and that she’ll use it to exact her revenge against Zeldek. But even if my life is the price for my freedom, I’m willing to risk it.

  “I gave my word,” I repeat firmly.

  With a friendly squeeze to my shoulder, he lets me go. “Whatever the future holds, it was an honour watching over you. If you ever find yourself in a tight place, know that I will always be on call. I am your guardian, after all.”

  “About that,” I glance back at the others to ensure they aren’t listening, then lower my voice considerably. “Why do you and the others keep calling me Elroy?”

  He shrugs, and says simply, “It’s your name.”

  “Come on, half-wit!” Bellator calls impatiently. “We want to leave today.”

  “Go on,” he says with a nod. “You will understand all in time. A word of caution; don’t pull on that string just yet. It will only cause you pain.”

  What could hurt worse than not knowing?

  “Zeldek told me that my father abandoned me,” I prompt. “But I was never told who he was.”

  His smile is a poor mask for pity. “Now is not when you learn t
hese things. Allow your mind the ease of ignorance for a little while longer.” He nods solemnly, folding his arms in his robes. “Farewell, child.”

  And then he disappears into a puff of purple mist, leaving me even more confused than before.

  Chapter Nineteen

  T he Master paced slowly along the rampart atop the circular wall surrounding his fortress. Lava simmered and spat in the pit to his right, rearing up occasionally to spout a fountain of glowing obsidian into the air. But even in this state, it was calm.

  His hands were clasped behind his back and his composure was one of dignity, though there was nothing dignified about the present crisis. His plans had been momentarily put on hold. But of course they had been! He would have been a fool not to have expected something like this to happen. This Ealdred had only proved himself to be what Zeldek already knew – formidable and, in time, a dangerous asset.

  The two servants, however, were a surprise. He had not thought his staff to be so ungrateful for his hospitality. Perhaps that was a failure on his part. But the fact that Bellator had taken them along was what surprised him most of all. Perhaps she saw something in them that he had overlooked.

  Bellator’s escape was, regrettably, inevitable. It was natural for one so young as she to have longings for a different life. Such fancies would fade in time. She would be bound to despair and resign herself to her destiny at some point in the future. Then her mind would be clear enough to unlock her full potential.

  A horn blast rang out across the vast plain of pits, disturbing the Master’s contemplations. The rumble of the gate opening in the distance followed.

  The Master smiled to himself.

  They had returned, then. The ezixs had not failed him, as the outlaws had. Soon he would be welcoming his guests back from their unprecedented travels.

  He’d let the servants off with a minor scourge, he decided. They had most likely been goaded into fantasies of freedom by the two ringleaders. Them, he would have to deal with more harshly. They would find themselves cellmates in the abyss for a couple of years. It may pain him, but they had forced his hand.