The Bearer's Burden (Phantom Pact Book 1)

by Chad Queen

  He stood, seeing the bodies of Skex scattered around the impact crater from his landing. The power the chipcoins had lent him was immense and proved difficult for him to control. A sharp pain stabbed at his mind, and he grabbed his head, wincing. Too many voices. Focus.

  Cade stepped past the cars that had crashed into the station. They were no longer recognizable; their metal shells had melted like candles. Hot slag still oozed from the edges.

  The coins expend heat when they are utilized. If you push them too hard, especially in large quantities, they will overheat, Eos told him.

  That explained the escalating heat in the engine room. He was still connected to more than a few surviving chipcoins, though it was a far cry from what he had access to earlier. And once they were clear of the station, the chipcoins that still worked would be of no use. His phantoms remained strong, which gave him some comfort.

  Cade, I am sensing a tremendous power fluctuation building near the atmosphere.

  “What does that mean, Eos?”

  The Wraiths are likely charging their beam cannon from their ship. You are their likely target. I suggest we exit the station.

  “Wait, they are firing a weapon at us from space?” Cade said as he ran from the station. He could feel his hair stand on end. The rings on his hands began to vibrate.

  It would appear that way, yes.

  A blast of energy struck the station with overwhelming force, obliterating the entire building. The concussive force of the blast sent Cade skidding across the ground, his metal-encoded skin shooting out sparks. When he turned around, nothing remained but a smoking crater.

  “Hells,” Cade said.

  They won’t be able to do it again for a while. It takes time to charge. They will likely send fighter drones in the meantime.

  “This just keeps getting better. How far to the bank from here?”

  Take the route north from here. It will be at the end of the street.

  Cade looked north and saw not a street, but Skex. More than he had ever seen in one place. They rushed like a river through the streets, flooding forward. His heart sank. Chipcoins or no, his odds were not good.

  “If you have any ideas on how to get there, now is the time to share.”

  Eos was silent.

  He heard voices. But this time they weren’t coming from his mind.

  “Is that…singing?”

  “Captain Wraithbane he’s insane

  Captain Wraithbane feels no pain.”

  Cade saw a flaming barrel arc through the air, detonating upon impact into the encroaching Skex. Cheers erupted behind him.

  “He cuts through the Skex—one two three

  Leaves ’em dead, now we’re free!”

  Cade turned to find faces he recognized. The crew of the Manta. “Hale?” said Cade in disbelief.

  “You’d think we sit by and let Carl have all the fun? I’m cracked, not broken,” the lanky captain replied.

  Cade grinned. “I need to get to the bank.”

  “Hardly the time to be managing finances,” Hale remarked, signaling for another gunpowder barrel. “But lucky for you, we were already headed that way. We need to join with Carl’s main force. Let’s go.”

  They cut through the waves of Skex. Hale’s force was small, but many were seasoned veterans. Bearers lined the group, protecting the demolitions team.

  Cade tore a Skex’s claw off as it swung at his head. He threw the claw into the next Skex, sending a handful toppling over.

  Hale came up from behind and blasted the disoriented group with his blunderbuss. “Is that all ya got, ya filthy bastards?” the man yelled.

  A shadow fell over them. In front of them towered not one, but two brigandines.

  “Hells, I’m sorry I asked,” said Hale.

  Cade reached for his casters, when a commotion rose up behind him.

  “Captain, they’ve breached our back line. We’re wide open!”

  Cade looked down the street. They were so close.

  “Cade!” A woman’s voice. Ashlyn.

  He saw her running toward him, trying to weave her way through the army of Skex.

  “Ashlyn—no!”

  A Skex swung at her, and her body jerked forward and twisting like a ragdoll.

  Cade watched in disbelief as Ashlyn stood, grinning, her face a dark silver. She wound her arm back.

  “Cade, catch!”

  A single chipcoin flew through the air, end over end, toward him. He heard Ashlyn cry out and watched, helpless, as a Skex claw pierced her through the chest.

  “No!” Cade flared diamond and rushed between the brigandines. He leapt, reaching for the coin as it fell.

  He hit the ground. The brigandines turned to face him.

  Cade rose, orange light pouring from his fist.

  Connection established.

  Cade clutched his head with his hands, teeth clenched. He doubled over onto the street. The relentless rush of power overwhelmed him, tore at him, angry for having been awakened. He forced it down and rushed over to Ashlyn, brushing Skex aside like they were toys. She lay on the ground, blood seeping from the wound. He shielded her with his body. The energy in him flared all of his rings simultaneously, causing his body to ripple with waves of metallic color.

  Breathing quick, she opened her eyes. “Did you…get it?”

  Cade nodded.

  She smiled, nodding faintly, and closed her eyes.

  “No. No, you can’t go,” he pleaded. His body continued to ripple through encodings, the frequency increasing, until they blended into a single state. Blasts of energy, razor-sharp claws, and brigandines continued to beat upon him as he crouched over Ashlyn. Rynthium sight overlaid itself upon reality, allowing him to see the Veris and the Firmere at the same time. From Ashlyn’s wound, he could see the light within her pouring out in thin wisps.

  “No,” he whispered, placing his hand over the wound. The wisps paid no heed to the effort and slipped past his fingers as if they did not exist.

  Cade, there is nothing you can do. We must go. Eos’s voice.

  Cade ignored her. What use was seeing the Firmere if he couldn’t change it? He looked at the glowing orange coin in his hand, considering.

  Cade, Eos pleaded, don’t.

  Cade reached into the expanse of the Firmere. He used his hands, but they weren’t his actual hands. They were something more. Something impossible. He reached to Ashlyn, catching the strands of escaping light and pushing them back into her. In the Veris, his eyes began to glow with silver light.

  You need to stop. You have too many phantoms. You’ll lose control, said Eos, voice concerned.

  His hands began to shake, his body convulsed, but he held himself in place. Strands of light escaped from his lips and flowed into Ashlyn. Her wound healed, almost as if the injury was being played back in reverse until it looked as if it never happened. All that remained was a thin silver scar where it had once been.

  Ashlyn’s eyes snapped open as she awakened, gasping for breath.

  She coughed and looked at him, confused. “Cade?”

  His body continued to shake, and his face trembled under the strain.

  “Run.”

  Ashlyn’s eyes grew wide as she realized they were surrounded by attacking Skex.

  “Cade?”

  “Run!” he screamed through gritted teeth. Blood trickled from his mouth.

  Ashlyn, still in shock, was frozen in place.

  A brigandine raised its meaty fist up high and brought it crashing down upon Cade.

  Cade, who had stood up, grabbed the arm, stopping it in midair. The brigandine, confused, tried to pull it back, but Cade held firm. His eyes were wild, and his body continued to shake from the unseen force.

  He glared at the brigandine, growling, and ripped the brigandine’s arm from its body. The brigandine fell as black blood, thick as tar, gushed from its shoulder.

  How…? Cade started to panic. Just like at the Thread, he had once again become an observer in his o
wn body.

  He turned to the other brigandine, who was already preparing its attack. Cade moved first, imperceptibly fast, and struck the brigandine with his fist. He felt the hardened bones of his fist connect with the beast’s exoskeleton. The impact of the strike reverberated through its entire skeleton, shattering it from the outside in. The brigandine’s eyes dulled, and it crashed to the ground.

  Ashlyn, taking advantage of the cleared path, cast one last bewildered and frightened glance at Cade. She could do nothing. She ran back toward Carlon’s fighters.

  Cade’s body started to spasm even more violently than before. “Eos…”

  Your phantoms have taken over, said Eos.

  “Can’t…” When he tried to pull back his reach on the chipcoins, other hands, not his own, just added more. Tremendous power surged through him. He could feel it, but it was disconnected from him; like an echo without sound. The frustration, the hatred, it burned within, though it was not his own.

  His phantoms ran wild, and he could do nothing but watch.

  47

  Incoming

  Jace collapsed to the floor of the ship as the light from the purple orb extinguished. Cold sweat covered his entire body, and he held a handkerchief up to his nose to wipe the blood that had accumulated.

  He had done what he could with his Skex. They were only Skex, but he thought he could feel them in their final moments as they protected his ship. There was so much more to those creatures than he ever knew. He noticed movement on the screen above him.

  “What are those?” he said as two bright dots flew by on the large screen on the bridge of the ship. As if in reply, the screen showed a close-up of the dots. “Are those…starships?”

  Two incoming Wraith fighters, Eos’s projected voice warned from inside the ship.

  48

  Forever

  Cade held up a hand, and the Skex that surrounded him hesitated for a moment. The bodies of the Skex appeared to shudder and then move toward him, though they were not advancing under their own power. They were being pulled toward him by some unseen force.

  The collecting Skex built up momentum and began to fly toward Cade. As the first Skex reached him, his free hand struck out at incredible speed, disintegrating it. He pivoted and spun to kick the next one, sending its lifeless body careening into the distance.

  The possessed Cade laughed, eyes wide and hungry, and he shredded the helpless fodder one after another.

  Eos’s voice cut through the cacophony of the battle. Cade, you must regain control.

  Cade would have laughed if he could have. What could he do now? Who was he really? For all he knew, maybe this version of him was more Cade than the tired scrap of consciousness from before. Even with the slurry of Nocturne administered back at the Thread still racing through his veins, he wasn’t sure.

  The questions.

  His body looked up as a shiny metal object streaked overhead, and a giant ball of white fire struck him in the chest. He careened through the crush of Skex and slammed into a nearby building.

  What is my name?

  Cade…Cade something. Hells. He tried to look at the tattoo underneath his arm, but his body continued to ignore him.

  His body sprang to its feet. His head flung back and an unnatural howl roared from him. He leapt to the top of the building he had struck, encoding to its steel. He crouched and bounded for the small flying ship that was now streaking toward him.

  The ship swerved, and Cade missed it by inches. He fell to the ground and sent a group of Skex scattering like bowling pins. He swung his fists in rage, destroying a corner of the nearby building like it was nothing more than plaster. The man-made building, freed of crucial support, began to crumble and fall, burying Cade in its rubble.

  Where was I born?

  Names of cities raced through his mind. Kayvant, Toltaire, Grinolt. They all sounded familiar, yet alien. Are any of these mine?

  Cade’s body punched at the wreckage, sending it flying in all directions. He heaved a beam from the building, revealing a woman. Lying amongst the rubble, her eyes were vacant, and the last of her light escaped skyward.

  No…he wanted to scream, to make it all stop, but he could do nothing. Was this really what he wanted? He didn’t remember.

  His body once again rocketed backward as white fire engulfed him. He felt a cold rush all around him, swallowing him whole. Everything was dark and silent. His body emerged from a pool of water, and it gasped for air.

  What color are my eyes?

  His face was reflected in the pool in which he stood. Silver. Silver eyes. Is that right? He couldn’t remember.

  What is my promise?

  Elegy, I need you to encode with me, Eos said, her voice faint among the other voices. I can help you control the phantoms.

  That name, he thought. Elegy. It was important. He reached for it, like a man clinging on to the hope that the next dune would reveal the oasis.

  Elegy. A song for the dead.

  Fragments of memories flashed by him. Faces and names of phantoms he had borne. All of them had left an impression on him in some way. Pieces of him. That was why he had so much trouble putting himself together. Who he once had been was no longer recognizable to him.

  Faces began to surround him. He knew them all. He knew their names, their stories. Etched into him.

  Pieces of me. Part of me.

  He walked past the people in his mind, the familiar faces. He reached a young boy and a young girl. He knew them from somewhere. He couldn’t remember their names, but his heart was filled with an unspeakable joy just by seeing their faces. They each grabbed one of his hands, and the world around him seemed to fade and reconstruct itself. He knew this place.

  He recognized the brick pathway leading to the small house. He was just outside the house. The day was sunny and clear. Home, he thought. Cade was on one knee, looking into the eyes of his small daughter. Jessa, he remembered. Next to her was his son, Etan. He knew exactly what day it was. The day he left to join the war.

  “Daddy, why do you have to leave?” the girl asked.

  “There are some bad people out there, sweetheart. I need to help stop them so you’ll be safe.”

  “But why can’t someone else do it?”

  “If we all let others fight our battles, there would be no one left to fight for us.”

  She bit her lip and then nodded. “One day, Daddy, I will fight to protect you, too.”

  He hugged her close. He pulled back and looked at her one last time.

  “Daddy…Etan and I are going to help you one last time,” the girl said, her voice sad. This was not part of the memory of that day.

  Etan walked up and put a hand on his dad’s shoulder. “Will you be okay without us?”

  “No,” was all he could offer.

  The girl put her small hand on his cheek. “You can do it, Daddy. We believe in you.”

  Etan nodded. “And we will never really be far, remember?”

  Cade shut his eyes and whispered, “Forever my song will play.”

  “And with you my heart will stay,” his children said.

  Time stood still as the Affinity froze time around him. It weakened the control of the phantoms of the Acolytes that had usurped control of his body. He remembered that he needed to encode to Eos. That she could somehow help him keep control.

  He tried encoding to Eos. Small bits of crystal shot out from Eos, skittering across the ground. It reminded him of Eos’s reaction to the energy beam of the Thread.

  That’s it, said Eos.

  Something deep within him stirred. His skin was a whorled and shifting mixture of tungsten, diamond, aluminum, and lead. The encodings were too strong, and his body was already rigid from the stress of it. He battled against the stalemate with the phantoms, and he felt his hand begin to tremble and then shake as it moved under his command.

  He focused everything he could into the control of his arm as he pulled Eos from her sheath. He gripped the shattered edge
of the iridescent blade with white knuckles. Encode, Cade commanded. He pulled at it with his mind, and larger splinters of crystals grew and fell from Eos. I need more power, he thought.

  Connection established.

  He reached for more chipcoins.

  Connection established.

  More.

  Connection established.

  The flying metal object once again appeared on the horizon and hurtled toward him at an alarming speed. He gripped Eos in front of him as a scream, his scream, erupted from his lungs. It echoed through the streets with concussive force, shattering lamps and windows as it swept past.

  Encoded to Eos, he felt himself becoming one with the ancient machine. Jets of crystals, like bolts of lightning, shot out from Eos, rooting themselves into the ground around him.

  He could not explain what happened to him at that moment. His mind…woke up. Whatever he had been before seemed a cruel joke: clumsy, ignorant, crude. Colors around him grew richer, sounds became clearer, his vision grew sharper.

  Cade looked around, awed, as if seeing the world for the first time. Not a single detail escaped him. He knew the Skex before him would step forward with its right claw and attack using its left hand in a sweeping motion. He knew there was a fly two feet from him and that one of its wings was injured. He knew the names of the phantoms that still haunted the world around him. He could feel their sorrow, their loneliness, their longing. He could see even himself with more clarity than he could ever remember.

  The questions.

  “My name is Cade Elegy.”

  “I hail from the city of Gallance.”

  “I was born with brown eyes.”

  “I sing the songs of the dead.”

  He did not need to look at his tattoo to know that he was right.

  He was in control.

  49

  Lift-off

  Jace sat on the bridge of the ship, or at least the part that he thought was the bridge. Outside, he heard barrages of pulse blasts raining on the ship. He shook his head. He was helpless.