Fatemarked Origins (The Fatemarked Epic Book 4)

by David Estes

  “Now,” Sonika said.

  Gat grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

  She looked back. His eyes were shrouded, his expression impossible to discern. “What?”

  “I didn’t think you’d really do it.”

  “Well I am. For Mother. For Father. For the slaves.”

  He said nothing, still holding her arm.

  “You’re not scared, are you?”

  “No.” It wasn’t a flippant answer, his tone heavy and true.

  “Me neither.” Hearing the truth in her own words surprised her. Wasn’t it natural to feel scared before a deadly mission? And yet, she felt only certainty.

  “We’re still grieving. We can’t control our own emotions. Perhaps we should wait. Take more time to think about it.”

  Sonika didn’t want to do that. She was afraid the more time that passed, the more her fear would grow. “I’m doing this. I want to do it together, but if you don’t want to, I understand.”

  He released her arm and her heart sank in disappointment.

  “I’ll be back soon,” she said. “You’ll wait for me?”

  “No,” he said. She felt like she’d been slapped.

  “Oh, then I’ll try to find you—”

  “No,” he said again. “I meant I won’t wait for you because I’m coming with you.”

  A deep breath, the night seeming to breathe along with her, winds swirling. “Are you certain?”

  “Yes. Let’s make them proud.”

  Sonika stepped forward and hugged him firmly, relishing the feel of his strong arms around her. “We will.”

  Crouching as they ran, they moved silently across the desert, until the shadow of the mine seemed to swallow them whole.

  Standing on either side of the mine entrance, they heard muted voices and low laughter. Light flickered from within, fireflies dancing across the shadows. They were as patient as spiders.

  Eventually, there were footsteps, heavy and without caution. It was just another night as a mine master, boring and uneventful. As they’d planned, Sonika took several large steps back and waited. The moment the guard emerged, she cleared her throat loudly enough for him to hear.

  He whipped his head toward the sound, immediately falling into phen ru stance, his fists and feet glittering with weapons. “Sorry I startled you,” she said.

  He peered through the gloom. She took a step forward to make it easier to see her. “You’re a woman?” Though he said it as a question, her voice would’ve given that fact away already. She saw the moment his posture relaxed. He had nothing to fear from a woman, or so he thought.

  “I am a gift from the emperor,” she purred. “He values the work you do here.”

  She hated and relished the way his lips curled up. So predictable. “Come inside.” The moment the words left his lips, he sensed the attack. Sonika didn’t know if he’d heard Gat’s footfalls, or simply felt the displacement of air as he moved across the mine’s entrance, but the guard instinctively ducked just before Gat rammed into him from behind.

  To Sonika’s horror, her brother flipped over the guard’s head, somersaulting and landing hard on his back. She was already moving forward, certain of what was about to transpire, even before the guard slashed one of his bladed fists down toward Gat’s throat.

  She released a war cry as she launched herself into the air, performing a complex phen sur maneuver that was typically an exercise in body control and grace as one spun twice before landing deftly on pointed toes.

  Sonika had modified it. Each day, after she’d finished teaching the art of the womanly dance, she would practice a different version, one meant to defend, to attack, to be a weapon.

  Though still full of grace, her body slashed more than twirled, cutting the air to ribbons, her arms spread to each side and whipping around her core, building momentum. Instead of landing on one foot, she lashed out with her foot, catching the guard in the mouth moments before he would’ve slit Gat’s throat. The impact was doubled by the fact that he was moving in the opposite direction, his own force compounding the strength of the blow. His head snapped back, his feet crumpled beneath him, and he toppled over with a stunned howl.

  Gat was on his feet in an instant, landing a powerful kick to the man’s head. The master tried to protect himself with his fists, but her brother simply changed the trajectory of his kicks, landing blow after blow until the guard went still and silent.

  One down, Sonika thought, feeling half-jittery, half-numb. They moved toward the entrance. The commotion almost certainly would’ve drawn the second guard, and, sure enough, they heard footsteps pounding.

  Only it didn’t sound like one set. More like two. At least.

  The guards emerged at the same time, their heads swiveling around. Moments later, a loud bell started clanging from within. A moment after that, the guards spotted her and Gat, their eyes dancing from one to the other before falling on the unmoving guard behind them on the ground.

  “What in the Void?” one said.

  Sonika charged forward, springing off her hands. Even as she flew backwards, she tracked the guard she was targeting, who raised his bladed fists, preparing for her to launch through the air as any master of phen ru might do.

  But she was no master of the art of the red moon god. No, hers was the art of the sun, and even in the dark of night she knew the goddess would shine upon her. Instead of propelling herself into the air, the second her feet landed she angled them forward, allowing herself to slide, using her arms to cushion her landing. Still, it jolted her body. The man tried to readjust his positioning, but was a half-beat too slow.

  Her heels slammed into his ankles, sliding just over his blades. Like a felled tree, he toppled, landing on her but rolling away as he clutched his shattered legs.

  She rolled back and then launched her feet forward, snapping them like a whip. She landed on her feet, turning to find Gat on top of the other guard, using his powerful knees to hold his hands at bay while he rained punch after punch into his face.

  We can do this, Sonika thought. Three down. Though she’d always held the self-belief necessary to be successful, until this moment she’d always thought of it as a dream more than reality. But now?

  She nodded at Gat and he nodded back. They flew toward the mine entrance, where the bells continued to toll.

  Wall torches cast a flickering orange glow across the interior of the cavern. Inside, there was evidence of a game, the board littered with various colored gemstones worth a small fortune. Half-empty tin cups sat nearby, as well as plates of half-eaten food. Several tunnels branched off from the first cave. Three were silent. One contained the distant echoes of shouts, which was a concern, but far enough away to save for later. From the final tunnel burst shouts and more footfalls, loud and frantic. Torchlight preceded the noises.

  “Three more at most,” Sonika reminded Gat. It was as much a reminder to her as him.

  “You take the one that goes left, I’ll handle the other two.”

  She nodded grimly, adrenaline roaring through her veins.

  The masters shot from the tunnel like boulders from a catapult, skidding to a stop when they saw who waited for them.

  “Who are you?” the one in the center said. The leader, presumably.

  Without thinking, the words poured from Sonika’s mouth. “We are the liberators, the bringers of freedom and justice. We are death to our enemies, blades in the emperor’s side.”

  Gat stared at her, his mouth slightly open.

  Sonika ignored him. The man’s eyes narrowed. “Rebels,” he spat. “Wait. A man and a woman. Yes. You fit the description. You’re the missing Vaids, aren’t you? The ones who escaped?”

  The response took Sonika by surprise. She hadn’t considered the fact that masters in the mines would already know about what had transpired in Phanea. No matter. It didn’t change why they were here.

  “Come for vengeance,” she said. Anger pulsed through her. These men were no different than the ones who kil
led their parents. They deserved what was coming to them.

  The echoes from the other tunnel grew louder.

  Gat exchanged a look with her and she shrugged. All of the guards were already accounted for. Perhaps the slaves had been riled up by the bells? Then again, she’d never known slaves to get excited about anything—their slave marks seemed to prevent that kind of emotion.

  “We have the advantage of numbers,” the leader said. “Submit now, and perhaps the emperor will be merciful.”

  “You had the advantage of numbers,” Sonika said. “Three guards are down. We will make short work of the rest.”

  The man smiled now. “As you wish.”

  Without command, the two men on each flank moved forward, circling wide to the sides, while the leader eased toward them more cautiously. He’s the one to watch, Sonika thought.

  As agreed, she turned to the left to face her foe, a tall, wiry man. He’d hastily donned leather armor, though the straps were loose, untied. It gave him the appearance of an armadillo.

  She tried a different tactic this time: She began to dance.

  She kicked one leg high in the air, swooping to the left as she brought it down gracefully. Her toes were pointed, her arms forming perfect circles, like haloes of sunlight cascading through glass.

  The man stopped, unsure of how to proceed. He’s never fought a woman before, she realized. None of them have. I am an enigma, just like Mother was.

  She spun, whipping her head around ahead of the rest of her body, using her foe to spot, ensuring she wouldn’t grow dizzy. Around and around she went, twice, thrice, four times, five.

  She used her right leg to keep her momentum going, kicking it in and out, in and out.

  Eight spins, nine.

  Ten.

  She saw the moment the man made a decision, growing tired of her games. It was the way he leaned back slightly, seeming to gather his own momentum for a strike the instant she spun away from him.

  Eleven.

  He came—

  But she was already kicking out, striking him in the throat, sending him staggering backward, gagging.

  She pursued the advantage, coming out of her next spin in a full sprint, slightly dizzy but not enough to prevent the arrow-straight charge at her foe. She threw herself into a spear kick, her head, arms and torso the handle, her feet the blade, hitting him full force in the chest. It was another modified maneuver, though, if anything, she felt more graceful doing it this time, rather than less.

  He stumbled backward, colliding with the rock wall, hitting the back of this head. His eyes rolled into his skull and he fell face forward, his jaw ratcheting off of Sonika’s well-placed knee.

  His tongue lolled out as he lay prostrate on the ground.

  Sonika turned to find Gat embroiled in a struggle with the other two. He held one from behind, holding his own blade to the man’s throat, using him as a threat and a shield to the last guard, the leader.

  “It is over,” the leader said snidely.

  Sonika realized then that the sounds from the other tunnel were closer now. Too close for comfort. They didn’t sound like the shouts of excited slaves. They sounded like the rough yells of guards in a frenzy. There were only supposed to be six.

  Realization hit her so hard she took a step away from the tunnel.

  “There’s another entrance.”

  “Reinforcements,” the leader said. “What sort of mine would only have half a dozen masters?”

  Sonika felt like a fool. This was supposed to be her first mission, the continuation of her parents’ rebellion, and she hadn’t even checked the back of the mine for another entrance. She’d let them down, let her brother down, and, worst of all, let all the slaves down.

  Gat said, “Sonika. We have to go. Now!”

  “You’re not going anywhere,” the leader said, stepping between Gat and the entrance, which was now their only way out.

  “Kill him,” Sonika said, anger and frustration coursing through her.

  “What?” her brother said.

  “The guard. Kill him. It’s our only chance.” Even to her own ears, her words sounded cold, without feeling or remorse.

  I don’t care. They killed my parents. They ripped out my heart without thought or feeling…

  “I don’t—I’ve never—”

  She sprang forward and grabbed the man’s hand, raking it across his throat. His eyes shot open, blood spurting. Gat’s mouth was open in horror, and for a moment he held the man up, as if struggling to comprehend what she had just done. But then, slowly, he released him, the body slumping to the floor.

  The leader said, “You will pay for that with your own blood.”

  “Let’s go,” Sonika said, grabbing her brother’s arm.

  He flinched, seeming to snap out of his stupor. “Let us pass and we won’t kill you,” Gat said.

  The leader seemed to consider, glancing at the tunnel, which was beginning to lighten as torches approached. Then he stepped aside with a wave of his arm. “We will hunt you to the ends of the Four Kingdoms. No, the ends of the earth.”

  “Good luck,” Sonika growled. They sprinted forward, out into the night.

  Her legs were aching, her lungs burning. There was nowhere to hide in the flatlands, save for a handful of rocky outcroppings that were useless to them because their pursuers could see them.

  They’d been running for what felt like half the night, and still their enemies followed. They took turns harrying them, one sprinting forward, closing the distance, forcing them to run faster and tire themselves out. Then he would drop back and allow another to give chase.

  The effect was exhausting, and Sonika didn’t know how much longer she could keep it up.

  Gat said, “There,” the word coming out a gasp.

  Emerging from the shadowy wasteland was a much larger outcropping, one that seemed to continue all the way to something else, a dark emptiness that seemed to…move.

  “What…is…it?”

  “The Burning Sea,” Gat said. “And the Red Spires. We can make it.”

  Renewed energy and hope flowed through her. Yes, we can make it.

  They’d cut the distance in half when disaster struck. Sonika’s foot caught the edge of something hidden in the dark. A half-buried rock or the wind-weathered skull of some long-dead desert animal.

  She fell.

  Training to be a master of phen sur, she knew how to fall, but this was so unexpected she hardly had time to lower her shoulder and extend her hands in the right way. Still, she managed to land at a decent angle, somersaulting and avoiding breaking her wrists. Her foot, however, flopped down awkwardly, her ankle twisting in a way it wasn’t meant to twist.

  Pain flared up her leg and she cried out. Gat skidded to a stop and pivoted back toward her. He grabbed her under the arms, helping her to her feet, but when she took the first step her ankle buckled. He steadied her, but she could see the fear in his eyes. “Can you hang onto my back?”

  “No. Leave me,” she said, a pang of fear snaking through her at her own words. And yet she felt right about this. She’d been the one to drag him into this fool’s errand. “You can get away. Please.”

  “Never,” Gat said. “I will never leave you. Now, can you hang on or must I carry you in my arms? The former will be faster.”

  “I think so,” she said, her vision blurring, both from the pain and her brother’s loyalty. She hazarded a glance behind them. Their pursuers were so close now, the closest they had been, increasing their speed upon seeing their quarry stopped.

  Gat crouched down and Sonika climbed aboard, wrapping her good leg around his torso and her arms across his chest, being careful not to choke him.

  He ran. Despite the fight and the long gallop across the desert and the exhaustion he must have been feeling, he ran. His powerful strides bobbed her up and down, drawing the rocky spires ever closer. The Burning Sea wasn’t so much burning as churning, whitecaps frothing along its night-dark surface.

&n
bsp; Sonika didn’t look back. Didn’t want to look back. I will never look back again, she thought. If we survive this, I will only look to the future. A better future, of my own creation.

  Gat began to grunt with exertion, huffing out heavy breaths. She could feel the sweat soaking through his shirt, feel the pounding of his heart from within his strong chest.

  And then they were there, rounding the first spire and pounding up a low rise leading into a land of boulders. In the daylight, Sonika knew, these rocks would be as red as fire, but in the dark they might’ve been sleeping monsters as dark as the Void. Gat seemed to choose a random path through the boulder field, meandering left and right, always ensuring his pursuer’s view would be blocked by at least one obstruction.

  He was groaning now, and Sonika felt lower to the ground, his form beginning to hunch from her weight. “Gat,” she said. “Please. Just leave me. We can’t both be caught. I can’t let that happen.”

  To her surprise, he stopped, seeming to consider her words. “Slide off,” he said.

  She did, slowly, favoring her uninjured leg.

  “Here,” he said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

  “Gat…”

  “You have no say in this, Sonika,” he hissed, silencing her. “I listened to you, now you’ll listen to me.”

  She said nothing, allowing him to help her hobble to an odd formation of rocks. They seemed to huddle together, boulders of various sizes. The shadows were the thickest between them.

  “Crawl in there,” Gat ordered. She obeyed, dragging her injured leg behind her. The space was small and pitch black. And yet…

  “It’s wide enough for both of us,” she whispered excitedly.

  No response.

  “Gat?”

  Wind whistled through the rocklands, taking her voice with it.

  Realizing what Gat had done, she started to crawl out.

  Voices stopped her. Not her brother’s.

  Gat was gone.

  Gat Vaid

  Gat peered at their pursuers from behind a nearby boulder. They had slowed now, and were picking their way through the rocklands, talking in low tones he could just make out.