“Thank you, Aleksi,” Saiya whispered softly, resting her head on his chest. “Now please, take us away from here.”
Saiya’s body seemed weightless in Aleksi’s arms. She felt so weak, even frail, but somewhere deep inside her, Aleksi felt a dormant power that threatened to overwhelm him.
“Once we reconnect with the Diamond,” Domadred said, as they started walking, “Marlen can give the priestess something for the fatigue. She was not supposed to wake up like this.”
Aleksi followed behind the captain and looked out across the icy expanse. The way before them was obscured in fog, however, and it was impossible to know how far the iceberg extended.
“Hurry . . . ,” Saiya whispered weakly. “He is coming . . .”
“He who?” Domadred asked. “I assure you, we are the only ones—”
“No time to debate,” Aleksi said, as he quickened his pace. “If she is right, we have to get away from here as fast as we can.”
Together, they quickly strode across the ice and into the fog bank ahead. The sound of cannon fire was now gone, and all Aleksi could hear was the alternating gusts of warm and cold winds blowing along with the gentle rhythm of waves splashing against the ice.
As they continued on in silence, Aleksi could feel Saiya struggling to stay conscious. Her head gently rocked from side to side against his breast and her eyes periodically closed, only to flutter open again a moment later. Despite Saiya’s condition, however, her grip on Aleksi’s neck never faltered. The touch of her skin was wonderful—Aleksi could feel the softness of her hair and inhale the sweet smell of her skin.
She is real, she is alive, and she is in my arms.
After several minutes of walking, Aleksi saw a faint glow in the mist beyond.
“The Diamond’s lanterns . . . ?” Domadred’s voice was doubtful.
“No,” Aleksi answered. Saiya had fallen asleep and the youth very gently laid her onto the ice.
“Then what?” Domadred asked, eyeing the glow cautiously.
Aleksi didn’t respond and took several steps forward, putting himself between Saiya and the light. Aleksi silently gripped his sword.
After a moment, Aleksi saw a figure approach across the ice in the distance. He was surrounded by flowing Runes and cloaked in a halo of light that radiated into the mist.
“He is here . . .” Saiya’s voice was no more than a whisper. “Aleksi, you know what you must do . . .”
CHAPTER XXIX
Aleksi tightened the grip on the hilt of his sword in apprehension as shining lights swirled around the figure approaching in the mist. Aleksi saw Runes he knew, but there were also others he could only guess the meaning of.
“Hear me, Aleksi,” a voice called out from across the ice. “I have underestimated your power. That, however, is not a mistake I will make again. Your Rune is not yet fully awakened, and you obviously do not know its true potential. But I can show you the secrets of Numen. I can awaken your Rune and teach you how to harness the might of Terra’s creator!”
“It can’t be . . . ,” Domadred said, drawing his sword.
“Silence!” Luka cried as a bright light shone out from the fog. Domadred violently doubled over, clutching his head in pain. “Aleksi,” Luka continued, as he emerged from the mist, “you do not need to wander Terra alone and confused. Accept me as your Master and swear fealty to Lord Asura. If you do, I will protect both you and the priestess Saiya. I swear no lasting harm will come to the girl, and by my side you will reclaim the lost honor of your house! Aleksi, your father was powerful, but as Asura’s loyal vassal, you will ascend to a greatness you cannot possibly imagine!”
Unless caught unaware, Luka is powerful enough to easily kill us all. If it means saving Saiya and the crew . . .
“I will go with you,” Aleksi said, eyeing Luka carefully as the man approached. “But only if you allow Saiya, Domadred, and his crew to leave this place and continue on unharmed to whatever destination they choose—”
“That I cannot do, boy. Saiya will come with me to the North with or without you. But know this—Asura has great plans for the Order of the Arkai, and once Saiya understands his vision, she will gladly follow his rule.”
Luka paused several paces away and extended his hand to Aleksi. Runes still danced about the man’s body and cast a multicolored halo across the ice. “Aleksi, do not throw your life away like the captain. Join us and live to see the dawn of a new world. You were born for this, son. It is your birthright!”
“Enough!” Domadred yelled as he struggled to his feet and stumbled forward. “You cannot have her! I don’t care what power you possess or what abilities you wield. This ends now!”
“No,” Aleksi shouted to Domadred. “Don’t!”
Not heeding the youth’s warning, Domadred rushed toward Luka and swung his blade. Luka, however, effortlessly dodged the attack and struck the captain in the chest with his fist. Upon impact, there was a flash of light and a hollow thud, followed by a deep moan of pain. Gasping for air, Domadred tried to recover and swing again, but Luka easily evaded the slash and struck out with his fist in another flash of light.
Aleksi clenched his teeth as Luka continued to toy with Domadred. Dodging the captain’s attacks and countering with his own fisted strikes, Luka smiled as he struck Domadred harder and harder. Seeing the captain in pain, Aleksi felt anger swell up within his gut. The youth pushed it away and tried to clear his mind. Aleksi knew he would have only one chance to defeat Luka and he must not waste it.
“Do not suppress your power, Aleksi,” Luka shouted as he hit Domadred again. “You must learn to force it to do your bidding. Shackle your rage and enslave your wrath, and its fury will be yours to control. Broken like an animal and beholden to your will, it will be at your command, ready to be unleashed to consume your enemies!” Luka then hit the captain again, and Aleksi heard the sharp crack of broken ribs. Domadred’s eyes rolled up into his head and he wheezed and fell to the ice, unconscious.
Aleksi felt anger rise from his stomach to his chest. The youth desperately pushed it down and forced his mind into stillness. Taking a deep breath, he took a silent step toward Luka. When caught unaware, all men bleed the same. The youth knew he had to get closer; with one explosive draw of his blade, Luka could be defeated.
“You know, Aleksi,” Luka said, looking down at Domadred disdainfully, “I have another way of awakening your rage—another way to awaken your Rune. I had not wanted to resort to this, but there are many ways of making that girl behind you suffer. Although not becoming of a Master, there are many ways to hurt her—many ways that I would greatly enjoy . . .”
Aleksi’s grip tightened on the hilt of his sword as his jaw clenched in disgust. His Rune sent fiery pain up his arm as he took another careful step forward.
“What do you think, Saiya?” Luka continued with a thin smile. “Would your Arkai forgive me for breaking your vow of purity and claiming your maidenhood for myself?”
Aleksi felt a hot frenzy swell in his body as a deep growl rose in his throat.
“Now, would you give it to me willingly, Priestess?” Luka continued, watching Aleksi closely. “Or would I have to thrust myself upon you, wrenching the innocence from that sweet young body of yours by force?”
Aleksi’s Rune began to spasm uncontrollably as he clung to the hilt of his blade and took another stalking step forward.
“Either way, girl, I will make you hurt! Now spread your legs!”
Channeling the power of his Rune with a throaty shout, Aleksi rushed at Luka and drew his sword. As the blade flashed out, Luka leaned back and Aleksi’s blade sliced the very tip of Luka’s nose. Aleksi’s rage had gotten the better of him and forced him to strike too early. But as he swung his sword again and felt anger surge through his body, he no longer cared.
“Yes . . . ,” Luka whispered, dodging Aleksi’s attacks. “That’s it. Let it flow, boy! Feel your anger soar!”
Aleksi pressed forward and felt his frenzy consume him.
It gave him both strength and speed. There was no hesitation and no thought—just the urge to kill.
“She is sweet, is she not?” Luka said, as he continued to evade each of Aleksi’s strikes. “Do not worry; after I am done, I will share her with you!” Aleksi let out a guttural cry and his blade moved even faster as it sliced through the air. “Or if you like, we can seize the innocence from her together!”
Molten fury flooded through him as he swung his sword with a fervor he did not know was possible. With each strike the air around his blade parted with a shimmering static discharge of light. Aleksi realized that just like the Masters of ages past, he was swinging his sword so powerfully that his Runic energy was severing the air’s atomic bonds, causing electrons to shear off in the form of light.
“That’s it!” Luka cried. “Channel your anger and let it flow into your Rune! Awaken it to life!”
Deep down in Aleksi’s mind, a voice told him to stop, that this was not the right way—but it was too late. Aleksi suddenly saw a vision of his mother’s severed head roll across the snow. The youth was filled with a scornful fury as he remembered how her loving arms had wrapped around him right before she was decapitated. Aleksi then saw the splattered blood and lifeless eyes of the man he had killed in Mindra’s Haven—the nameless soldier with a sword stuck in his skull, whose erratically twitching fingers had fumbled at his cleaved face.
Aleksi swung his sword faster and faster as more memories flooded through him. They caused power to flow in the youth’s veins, giving his blade speed like never before. Aleksi saw the broken students who had attacked him in his youth. He felt the easy dislocation of their joints and the pleasure of dominance as he broke them. Next, he remembered the intoxicating bliss of swinging his sword down upon the last student’s head and feeling the hollow crack of the boy’s broken skull. Aleksi recalled the numbness his arm had felt on impact and the secret smile that had spread across his lips.
As Aleksi saw the boy’s dark blood oozed upon the floor, however, his gut churned with nausea and shame. He then remembered Kefta’s battered face and his own bloody knuckles. No, this is not the right way. But a memory of Nataraja’s condescending smile snatched away his regret. Aleksi heard Nataraja’s callous laughter and scornful reproaches as he remembered the feeling of his teacher’s wooden training sword beating his young body over and over again.
Lastly, Aleksi saw Rudra, and his heart roared with an even greater rage. He saw images of his Master simultaneously abandoning him at the Academy while also standing over the slain body of his father. Rudra: the one who had supposedly rescued him as an infant—the one who was supposed to have protected and taught him.
No! Instead, Rudra has betrayed and abandoned me. Rudra was the one who butchered my parents and condemned me to this life of killing!
Fury leapt up within Aleksi’s chest, and he held all of his dark memories tightly within his heart. The youth savored the sharp pain of them and felt anger surge into every facet of his being. There was power here, more than he had ever imagined!
As Aleksi and Luka danced across the ice with increasing speed and fury, they both cast shimmering halos in the mist. The rage in Aleksi’s chest seeped into his arm and infused his Rune. With each swoosh of his sword, there was now a bright afterglow from the arc of the blade, and the light momentarily hovered in the air before fading in the wind. The glow splayed across both Domadred and Saiya, who continued to lie unconscious several paces away. Aleksi could feel the mist across his skin and the slick ice beneath his feet—but most of all, he could feel that his Rune had almost reached his spinal cord. His Rune had nearly awakened.
“Yes! It empowers you!” Luka shouted. “It engorges you with strength! Now bind it!”
Luka then stepped in and, using his left palm, struck Aleksi’s hands with a flash of light. Luka’s Runic strike caused the youth’s blade to be flung from his grasp and slide across the ice with a clatter. Aleksi watched in horror as Luka reached out with his right arm with incredible speed and gripped Aleksi’s throat. With his left hand, Luka grabbed Aleksi’s bandaged wrist and lifted the youth’s Rune-covered arm high into the air.
“Bind it to your will!”
Light and flames burst across Aleksi’s arm, burning away his bandages and exposing the slithering, dark Runes etched across his skin. Aleksi felt even greater power flow into his body as Luka infused the Rune with his own wrathful energy.
In quick succession, bolts of lightning struck the iceberg around them, causing shattered ice and steam to explode into the air. Pain surged through Aleksi and he let out a scream as the Rune pulsed with new life. Domadred and Saiya continued to lie prone on the ice as clouds swirled in a thunderous vortex above, causing violent gusts of wind to blow back Aleksi’s hair.
It’s happening! This is it!
“Awaken!” Luka called out over the torrent. “Awaken and ascend to your rightful place as a god among men!”
Aleksi felt uncontrollable power surge within him as anguish tore through his body and into his mind. Through tears of pain, he saw the tendrils of his Rune fully slide across his arm and into his shoulder. Aleksi then felt the Rune’s filaments flood up through his spine and neck into his head. Their roots dug deep inside of his skull, penetrating his brain. After grounding itself into Aleksi’s mind, the Rune sent fiery pulses of energy farther down his spine.
Aleksi let out a wordless howl as the Rune completed its synchronization and fully merged with the nerves of his body. Although originating in his hand, its tendrils now lay deep within him, embedded in the fabric of his flesh and bone. Aleksi could feel the Rune pulsing with life—pulsing with his life. It was no longer a thing outside of him—it now was him. The gift of Terra had been fully given. The Rune was now truly his.
Suddenly, Aleksi felt Luka’s grip around his neck tighten. Anguish once again assaulted the youth’s mind. However, this pain was different—this was an attack.
“Now swear yourself to me!” Luka shouted. “Bind yourself to my will and I will teach you how to harness this new power. Without a Master, you will never understand your Rune; it will forever be outside your grasp and lie dormant within you, threatening to burst forth and rend you asunder at any moment. But fear not, for I will take you as my Apprentice and teach you the secrets of Numen. Swear your heart to mine and you will be a ruler of nations and command the armies of men against the darkness! Aleksi, become my Apprentice, and by Asura’s side, together we will cast aside the Arkai and claim our rightful place as the true Guardians of Terra!”
“No!” Aleksi screamed, trying to force his body back under his own control. “I will be no man’s pawn, for my will is my own!”
“After all of this?” Luka shouted incredulously. “After I told you the truth of your parents’ death and even awakened your Rune, you still reject me?! You have been given the gift of ultimate power. Do not throw it away!”
“Although you may not be black of eye yet,” Aleksi screamed through the howling wind, “yours is the path of a fallen Master and I will not succumb to the darkness!”
“Such a young fool you are,” Luka shouted as he tightened his grip. “Asura was right about you.”
Aleksi felt a new agony surge into him through Luka’s palm. The energetic attack caused Aleksi’s skin to feel as if it were being flayed from his flesh as his bones were set ablaze. Anger swelled in the youth’s chest as his torment intensified, but that only strengthened Luka’s control and deepened the man’s flow of destructive power.
Aleksi urgently tried to channel his anger into his Rune and use it to lash out at Luka. Luka, however, still held Aleksi’s right arm high into the sky, and all Aleksi could manage was to cause another salvo of erratic lightning bolts to shoot down against the iceberg around them. As broken bits of ice exploded into the air, Luka smiled wickedly and Aleksi’s vision grew dark.
“What a waste!” Luka said, tightening his grip on Aleksi’s neck. “You had such potential—but just like your father, you
now will know nothing but oblivion!” Aleksi then felt Luka’s flow of energy begin to reverse. Through his hands, Luka sucked the life out of Aleksi’s body and claimed it for his own.
Aleksi’s vision went black and fear took hold of his chest. For all his new power, for all his anger and rage, Aleksi was truly just afraid and alone in the darkness. And now, that darkness was going to take him into its murky embrace.
Suddenly, Aleksi felt soft arms wrap around him from behind. As Saiya’s hands held him tight, Aleksi heard her sweet voice whisper in his mind.
“Aleksi, you need not give into anger, suffering, and despair. There is always another way. Let your heart guide you. Once you quell the chaos of your rage, underneath it all you will find strength greater than you could ever imagine. Trust in your heart, and you will realize your true power and potential—for power stems not from anger but from love. Love is the well source of creation, and its flow is the foundation of authentic action and all true mastery!”
Saiya squeezed him tightly and Aleksi felt her heart shine into him. It awakened something in his chest, and life flowed through him once again. Aleksi felt his chest surge with hope.
As Luka’s terrible pain tore through him and the winds howled about them on the ice, Aleksi probed into the depths of his soul. Yes, Saiya was right. In that majestic place, Aleksi did feel love—but he also felt something constrict it. Something was keeping it back and tainting its flow. There was something else there in his heart, something dark and sinister, and it was powerful.
Aleksi looked past the pain of his memories, past the anger of his youth. And there, amid the torrent of lightning, ice, and agony swirling about him, he finally understood what gave his dark memories form and feeling—it was fear. Fear was holding his love in a tight-fisted vise of rage.
Aleksi saw it clearly now. His fear was overwhelming in its naked totality and childlike simplicity. But this fear, what was it for? Why did it have so much sway over him? Why did fear fill him with so much anger?
Rune of the Apprentice (The Rune Chronicles) Page 41
