Lorrek nodded. “I suppose the good news is Mordora hasn’t outright killed anyone yet, but that’s the closest she has come.”
“Wait...” Zoyra spun back around to the statue, staring at it for a moment before looking back at Lorrek. “This was a person?”
“Is a person,” he corrected as he approached it and nodded. “I don’t know if he is still alive, but...there’s a glow of life deep within it. I have not been able to unlock it or reverse the spell yet.”
“Why not?”
Lorrek just gave Zoyra a look. “I have been preoccupied.” With that, he walked past Zoyra and Vixen to take the lead. He didn’t want to recount how he hadn’t freed the statues in Serhon because, for a time, he had lost his memories and was sent to kill one of his dearest friends. He had only regained his memories once he almost succeeded in killing Vixen, and since then he had been watching over her, hoping and praying for her recovery. Now that Vixen was well, he was here, hunting down Mordora. What time did he have to study the spell and find a way to reverse it?
Lorrek shook his head. Just because he had much power didn’t mean he was all-knowing, but some people seemed to forget that.
Besides, something else preoccupied his mind—the feeling that they were being watched and followed. When Lorrek tried to investigate it through magic, he sensed no danger, but he had a hard time focusing. He couldn’t understand why this was, and that frustrated him. He went to clench his fist, only to hiss when pain flared in his arm, causing him to grimace.
Theran followed after his brother but said nothing, yet Vixen offered Zoyra a smile. “Not to worry,” she said, “We’ll get it all sorted out in time, and if everything goes well, all those turned into statues will return to flesh. If they are dead, then at least they’ll get a proper burial.”
Zoyra moved to follow, but something kept her rooted in place. She called after Vixen, “Are they locked inside the stone?”
Frowning, the others halted and turned back to her, and Vixen shrugged, not knowing the answer. She looked at Lorrek who regarded Zoyra for a long moment. He knew her unique ability given to her by the armor she wore. It was the ability to unlock the unlockable. That was the whole reason she accompanied them on this task. He cocked his head to the side and thinned his lips. “I know not if it would be considered as ‘locked in stone’. It’s more complicated than that.”
“Well, let me try.” Zoyra lifted her hand to touch the statue.
“Wait.” Lorrek’s command halted her, and she looked back at him. He met her gaze firmly. “This could fail—drastically. You may shatter that man into a thousand pieces, and that is irreversible. If he is still alive in his current state, your actions could mean certain death to him. Are you willing to have that on your conscience?”
Zoyra lifted her shoulders in a shrug. “If I don’t try, we’ll never know if it would work.” She held Lorrek’s gaze long enough for him to consider her words and then nod. The choice was hers, so Zoyra turned her attention back to the statue of a man and approached him.
Lifting her gloved hands, Zoyra took a deep breath, then exhaled and placed her hands on the statue’s shoulders.
Nothing happened—at first.
Then cracks began to snake down from the shoulders through the arms and down the torso.
“Something’s happening...” Theran warned as he stepped back.
Zoyra smiled. “It’s working!”
However, Vixen cast Lorrek a sharp look and found him staring at the statue intensely. His face was unreadable, but she could tell he was seeing something the rest of them couldn’t see.
Suddenly, Lorrek moved too fast for Vixen to see, tackling Zoyra to the ground. “Get back!”
They barely had time to register what he said when the statue suddenly exploded and crumbled to dust.
Lorrek had shielded her with his own body. Zoyra paused then looked past his shoulder to where the statue stood, but now nothing was there. Hopelessness sank into her soul. She had just killed the man.
Still braced on top of Zoyra as he shielded her, Lorrek saw the look of horror in her eyes. He waited until she locked eyes with him, and he nodded. “You were only trying to help.” Then he moved to push himself off her but groaned as pain shot through his broken arm. Unable to get up immediately, he rolled off to the side to get off of her, and he cradled his arm close to himself as pain flared through his body.
After a moment, it subsided, and Lorrek sighed then opened his eyes to see Vixen standing over him. She reached out her hand to help him up, and he hesitated but then reached up with his good hand seized her hand, and she helped haul him to his feet.
He nodded his thanks to her and looked at Zoyra, who was clearly disturbed by what had happened. He sighed and wasn’t sure what to say, so he said the only thing he could think of. “You tried.” And then he walked away.
Vixen gave Zoyra an apologetic look then moved to follow Lorrek, but Theran lingered, watching the fellow Guardian. He saw the way she looked at the shattered pieces, and he could relate. “I know how it feels.”
“How could you...” Zoyra began but then paused when she realized who she was talking to. Of all the people here, of course Theran would understand. She hesitated but then looked around at the remnants of the statue, and she raised her hands with a helpless shrug. “I...I’ve never killed anyone with my power before.” She looked at her gloved hands.
Theran wasn’t sure what to say to make her feel better. Apologizing seemed useless. Telling her that ‘now they knew better’ seemed cold. It just didn’t seem to matter, so he sighed and motioned for her to follow after Vixen and Lorrek. “It won’t happen again,” he promised her and then fell into step with her.
Ahead of them, Vixen walked in step with Lorrek but was silent. She knew he was also disturbed by what had just happened, but he had had no way of knowing what exactly the outcome would be. If it had worked, it would have been an easy solution, but of course nothing could be that simple.
“You can’t blame yourself,” Vixen told Lorrek. “You didn’t know what would happen. None of us did.”
Lorrek heard her, and he was amused. He had guessed what would happen, could have prevented Zoyra from acting, but he didn’t. He had decided to let someone else take the risk and make the decision, and as a result someone died. Strangely, Lorrek didn’t blame himself. Maybe that would come later, but at the moment, he had another important matter weighing on his mind.
He sensed the presence of someone up ahead—someone who was alive, moving, and not trapped in stone. Slowing his steps, he signaled for the others to be quiet as he drew near. With magic, he identified the presence of at least three—maybe five—people.. By the way they banded together and spoke in low tones, Lorrek suspected they were bandits, and he wanted a visual on them before making his presence known. He sensed this was what had been nagging him for several hours now. These individuals had been following them.
Suddenly, Theran was right next to him and told him, “Five signatures—three male and two female. One male is keeping watch on this side of the camp. One female is on the other side keeping watch. They’re cleaning their weapons. The other three seem to be formulating a plan of some sort, and one of them is...” Theran paused as if surprised, but then continued, “Prince Kinnard of Talhon.”
Lorrek just gave his brother a look. Had Theran truly thought that Lorrek didn’t know this information? Was Theran trying to prove that his technology was superior to Lorrek’s magic? Lorrek didn’t care. All he knew was one truth, and he spoke to Theran in a lowered voice. “If you continue to speak, you will give our location away. I am trying to work.”
“I think our location is already discovered,” Vixen pointed out as she lowered her stance and took a black scale from her vest. She watched the blade emerge from the scale, and she smiled. She hadn’t had the chance to break in this new vest of blades, and now would be a good opportunity. Her eyes remained on the people hidden in the trees around them.
&nbs
p; Lorrek and Theran straightened as they took in the threat.
Theran balled his gloved hand into a fist, ready to fight.
However, Lorrek spread out his uninjured arm and said calmly, “We come in peace.”
One archer in a tree grunted. “We saw what you did to Burcalk back there. You shattered him into a million pieces! Why should we believe you?”
With her rifle in hand but lowered, Zoyra stepped forward, gaining the attention of the archers. “We didn’t mean to kill him. I was only trying to help.”
“By breaking him? I don’t think so—”
“Stand down, Mathis,” A voice from behind Lorrek and the others commanded, and they turned to see a young man dressed like a commoner but carrying himself with regality.
While Theran remained indecisive as to who the real threat was and who to trust, Lorrek turned his full attention to the man who had spoken. “Prince Kinnard of Talhon.”
“Prince Lorrek of Cuskelom.” Kinnard nodded. Though Talhon had little dealings with the other kingdoms, every noble knew the members of each royal family.
Lorrek regarded this man for a moment. Obviously Kinnard didn’t recognize Theran due to Theran wearing his helmet, but Kinnard seemed troubled, and Lorrek decided to address that first and determine why the prince of Talhon was in the middle of the woods with what appeared to be bandits. “Prince Kinnard, why are you here? Is not the royal palace further east?”
Kinnard nodded and gave a sigh. “Aye, but I was visiting Stagatron Castle when she came upon us.”
“She?” Theran voiced the very question on Lorrek’s mind.
“Aye. At first I thought it was Princess Mordora of Nirrorm, yet...she had magic.” Kinnard seemed confused as he meandered to a log and sat down. “She looked just like her, but she...” And he trailed off, getting lost in the horrid memory.
Vixen drew near to him and locked eye contact with him. “What did she do?”
Kinnard wordlessly gestured to where the statue of the bandit had been. “She started turning everyone into stone. Anyone who crossed her path immediately became stone. When we realized what was happening, we fled without looking back, and we’ve been finding statues everywhere. Other than ourselves, you’re the only people we’ve come across who haven’t been turned into stone.” He motioned to them then lowered his hand with a dejected sigh. He was prince of this land, but he felt like a failure to his people.
However, Vixen had another question for him as she glimpsed around, taking in his company, and she looked back at Kinnard curiously. “And what exactly is the Prince of Talhon doing with a bunch of bandits?”
“The same thing a Prince of Cuskelom is doing with an assassin.” One of the men stepped forward, and Vixen narrowed her eyes.
“Dustal? Really?” She crossed her arms. “I assume Aradin is somewhere around here too.”
“Here, love.” Aradin hopped down from a tree with his bow in hand. He smiled at her. “Been a while.”
“I suppose” Vixen couldn’t remember the last time she had seen the brothers, but she knew it was over a year ago, before the Battle of Cuskelom.
“What are you two doing here?” Theran stepped forward.
When Dustal and Aradin looked at him surprised that he would address them, Vixen realized they didn’t recognize Theran even though they had spent the better part of ten years traveling with him. He still wore his helmet and Jechorian Guardian armor. She gestured between them. “That is Theran.”
“Theran?” They widened their eyes. “Where did you get that armor?”
“Jechorm.” Even by the tone of his voice, they could tell Theran narrowed his eyes as he folded his arms over his chest. “But you didn’t answer my question. What are you two doing here?”
“I pardoned them.” Kinnard stepped forward.
“Excuse me?” Lorrek lifted his brows, and Kinnard nodded.
“A woman—a sorceress to be exact—named Radella claimed to be my half-sister and demanded I assist her by using my father’s signet ring to pardon all assassins and thieves who agreed to help her cause, which was to free the Guardians of Jechorm.” He then gave an unconfident gesture toward Theran and Zoyra. “But seeing you two here, I’m uncertain she was successful.”
“Wait.” Vixen cut in front of Kinnard and looked him in the face. “You’re the one who sent Aden, Tobias, and my parents to Jechorm to fight for the Guardians? You’re the one who summoned all the thieves, assassins, and bounty hunters to the same location?”
Kinnard looked at Vixen, puzzled, and he shifted his gaze back to Lorrek for help, but seeing none, he fixed his gaze back upon Vixen. “I...know not who your parents are, Milady, but aye, I did summon them. And yes, several thieves and assassins agreed to aid us and went with Radella to Jechorm. After that, I know not what became of them as I was busy pardoning so many people. As for Dustal and Aradin...they’re a pair of wanderers.”
Everyone nodded because this was true, yet Lorrek latched onto something else Kinnard had said. “You said Sorceress Radella is your half-sister?”
Kinnard shrugged then sighed. “That is what she claimed. I have no magic to determine if it is true, but she often spoke of having a connection with my sister, Inecha. And then one day she appeared with Inecha dead in her arms, and she apologized for not being able to save her, saying she had done everything she could.” Kinnard’s voice softened as he spoke of his sister. None of this made sense—it never did. He found it helped if he didn’t think about it, but sometimes he couldn’t help but think of it.
Inecha had been his older sister. Their father was never supposed to be king, but when Kinnard’s uncle had suddenly died, the High Court told their father he would be king only if he divorced his wife because she was of a lower class and therefore a stain in the eyes of royalty. They exiled her along with Inecha but kept Kinnard as heir to the throne. Kinnard had been very young when all this occurred, so he didn’t remember much of Inecha except that she had always been kind and soft-spoken. It wasn’t until Radella suddenly showed up, claiming to be his half-sister, that he wondered again what had happened to Inecha.
Radella gave him a brief explanation of Inecha’s activities—how she ended up in Jechorm helping Countess Verddra but then how she fled to Cuskelom where she was safe. Kinnard didn’t understand what his sister needed protection from, but when Radella suddenly magicked into his chambers in Talhon with his sister in her arms, he realized there was something much bigger happening beyond the borders of Talhon.
“Your sister fought well.” Vixen broke Kinnard’s thoughts, and he looked at her, confused, so Vixen nodded. “I was there when she died. She died protecting King Honroth.”
Kinnard looked torn, as if he wasn’t sure how to respond, but finally he looked at Vixen. “I wish I had known her better, but I was only six when she was exiled.” Then he moved on and fixed his gaze on Lorrek, squaring his shoulders. “Did you come to stop this sorceress?”
Lorrek nodded. “Aye, and it is Princess Mordora.”
“But how? She never had magic.”
“It’s a long story.” Lorrek didn’t feel like explaining how only a year ago he had unlocked Mordora’s magic and began teaching her the basics of how to use it. If he hadn’t done that, they wouldn’t be here today. Nevertheless, he focused on the task at hand. “Do you know where she is?”
Kinnard rubbed the back of his neck. “I know where she was—Stagatron Castle, but she could be anywhere now.”
“Besides,” Dustal interjected, “I think most of us would prefer not to get in the way of a princess-turned-sorceress with a morbid habit of turning people into stone.”
“You always were a coward,” Theran stated, crossing his arms, not at all surprised by Dustal’s words.
“I believe I speak for the rest of us, but we don’t have any magical powers or suit of armor.” Dustal gestured widely at Lorrek, Vixen, Zoyra, and Theran. “And we’d very much like to stay alive.”
Lorrek locked eyes with Kinnard. �
�You know this land better than the rest of us. Will you accompany us? We will protect you.”
Kinnard nodded. “I will do what I can. I hope to return to my father as soon as possible though, because I fear he will completely disregard Princess Mordora and not deem her to be a proper threat until it is too late.”
Aradin frowned when he heard this, so he asked, “And what of the rest of us?” He motioned to the other bandits and himself.
At first Kinnard opened his mouth to give a response, but he closed his mouth and frowned because he wasn’t sure what to say.
Lorrek seized this opportunity and turned to the bandits. “Are you familiar with the caves of Talhon?” When Aradin nodded, Lorrek went on. “Prince Jaegar of Ceraleo and Lady Radella are in one with a fellow sorcerer, Skelton, who is dying due to a magical poison. The two magic users must continually channel their magic into him to keep him alive, but this could leave them open for attack. Go there and protect them until our return.”
Dustal looked doubtful. “How do we know you will return? What if Mordora comes first?”
An amused smirk tugged at Lorrek’s lips. “The princess will come with us. Only she can reverse the spell that is poisoning Skelton, and that is why we hunt her down—one reason at least.” The prince of Cuskelom glimpsed at all the others gathered around them. “The choice is yours.” His eyes landed on Kinnard, and he nodded. “But we could use your help.”
Drawing in a ragged breath, Kinnard gave a curt nod then looked at the bandits. “Go. If you wish to remain in good standing with the royal family of Talhon, you will go and do as Prince Lorrek has commanded.” He looked at Lorrek. “As for myself, I will help you, but we should leave—now.” He turned on his heel and took the lead.
Lorrek followed after him with Theran. Zoyra shared a look with Vixen before heading after them as well. Vixen lingered and shot Dustal and Aradin a glare. “Prove yourselves to be men and do as Lorrek requested.”
The Chronicles of Lorrek Box Set Page 85
