Blood Bond: The Anti-Matter Chronicles (The Matter Chronicles Book 3)

by P. G. Thomas

  Then quiet.

  Ryan looked up to see the vultures starting to circle, “We need to get back to Alron.” Looking for a wagon, he pointed to the north. The dwarves raced across the compound, finding a horse pen and wagon. Calming them down, they placed them in the harness.

  Zack, standing nude, his collage of furs exposed to all, looked at Ryan, who had not changed his clothes from the night before, which still talked about his meeting with Panry. He looked down at his naked self, “Dude, how come you get to keep your clothes?”

  “Save it for Nur and get dressed.”

  As Logan caressed his sister’s head, he spoke softly, “Lauren, do you hear me? The pain is over. You’re safe. Don’t you die on me. Do you hear me? Don’t die.” When the dwarves brought the wagon over, Logan sat on the back of it with Lauren across his lap, sliding his way to the front, “Don’t spare the horses, GO!” Feeling her getting colder, he could also feel her heart struggling, her pulse growing weaker. He called out to Sister, begged her under his whispered breath, “The prophecy, save her, save my sister.” He looked down at Lauren, “You will not die. I saw your corpse once and never again. You’ll fight this. You’re stronger than me, so don’t give up.”

  *******

  John was still giddy with excitement. Each night on the ride back to Alron, he had pulled out the crystals, hoping to see the magic. With dreams of science embracing him each night, he was still excited with anticipation when they arrived into town around noon.

  Ramy was at the front gate waiting for them, “To the Earth Mother’s house, now! Something has happened,” and the horses galloped down the streets.

  After tying their horses to what was left of the carriage in front of the house, they found Nur inside, who quickly explained what had happened. “Four days ago, Earth Mother and her brother flew off on Mountain Eagles. Somebody captured her, and she is being tortured as we speak. After Panry had commanded Mother to make Earth Mother call for help, he rode out two days ago. Ryan went crazy last night, and he made Mirtza open a portal. Zack and the Ironhouse brothers followed him in.”

  Eric headed back outside.

  “WAIT!” screamed John.

  It was not Eric, Tranquil Fury replied. “Wait I cannot. Earth Mother needs me. I ride.” Even though the sentences were short, the voice had emotion.

  John shook his head, “Wait. I’ll be right back.” He rushed into the house to retrieve the amulet Fodu had made, which Gayne had enchanted. “Your horse will take too long so take this.” Bending down, he placed the figure on the ground, and waving his hand over it, the beast materialized, “Take this and go east. If Logan lives, look for fire in the sky.”

  “If not?”

  “Have that damned sword guide you but find Lauren.” Taking to the saddle, as Eric headed for the east, John went inside, and reaching for a bottle, he took a drink, wiping the tears from his eyes.

  *******

  While Hakk knew horses best, being able to get the most out of them, right now, he just wanted to get far away from the large dust cloud, which was slowly advancing on them in the distance. The speed of the wagon was making it hard for Logan to stay in one place, sliding from side to side, so Zack changed into a large polar bear, and wrapping himself around Logan, he absorbed the sudden movements, cradling both. Sitting in the back, Ryan kept one eye on Lauren and one eye on the black-clad that gave chase. When it looked like a group of soldiers would catch up to them, he would jump from the wagon, and waiting for them, he would then vent his frustration. However, with the large dust cloud in the distance getting closer, their horses were becoming tired, slowing. As it started to get dark, they saw a storm blowing in from the west. Raising his arm, Logan shot a small fireball into the darkening sky, causing a huge white flare to erupt overhead.

  *******

  As Panry and his group raced across the grasslands, they saw the flare in the distance, and changing course, they kicked the magical horses even harder, “Her brother signals!”

  Erust pulled up beside Panry, “West, a storm grows.”

  “And its name is Tranquil Fury.”

  *******

  Another sun set, another flare. The storm from the west raced to the east. The dust cloud from the west raced to the flares. The small dust cloud from the south raced north. Another flare. All the forces were on a collision course.

  The dwarves saw the magnificent silver-winged horse land, which Fodu recognized immediately, horse with wings, fly it can. As Eric waited for the wagon to arrive, the Earth Guards showed up within seconds.

  Panry raced to the wagon, “Logan, how is Earth Mother?”

  “She’s dying. We need to get her to the Earth Mothers.”

  “Panry, use the winged steed,” began Eric. “Take her back. It does not tire, does not need roads, swift as well.”

  “Logan, give me Earth Mother, and I shall take her back,” ordered Panry.

  “I have to go with her. I’m keeping her alive.”

  Reaching into the wagon, Eric lifted Logan and Lauren out and headed towards the winged horse. Panry turned to his Earth Guard, “I demand satisfaction; one hundred from each of you, not less. They must pay for their offenses committed against Earth Mother.” He then looked up to Eric, “You can have what remains, but interfere not with my bounty until the full price has been paid.”

  “Act I will not, until paid in full. After that, I claim the rest.”

  After Panry had jumped into the saddle of the large silver winged horse, Eric raised Logan and Lauren onto its back, and slapping the horse, it took to the air. High overhead, lightning flashed and thunder cracked.

  “Father’s Rage, many come. Greet them we will,” Eric called out as he looked up to the sky. “The price, small it is, the harvest large. A few, miss we will not.” Then he walked over to the wagon where the Ironhouse brothers, Zack, and Ryan waited.

  When Hakk walked up beside Eric, he kicked him in the shin.

  “Brother?”

  “Our axes are still sharp, and our thirst is not satisfied. Can we join?”

  Thunder exploded, sounding like laughter. “Enjoy as I would.”

  Pulling out their axes, the dwarf brothers joined the elves.

  Eric looked at Ryan and Zack, “If you want, join you can.”

  “She’s safe now, make them pay,” replied Ryan.

  “Pay, brother, pay like no others. Pain beyond all others, their rich reward.”

  The black-clad armies rushed forward into a hailstorm of arrows. Injured horses crashed to the ground, tripping others, slowing the advancing horde. Leaving their mounts, they approached the four elves on foot. Then on the left flank, Fen appeared. From the right flank, Fodu turned to greet the black-clad, and in the middle of the four elves, Hakk stepped out and whistled. His brothers answered, shouting ‘IRONHOUSE’ so loud, it stopped the advancing horde for a brief second. Then Ironhouse rushed the horde, seeking a depository for their unspent rage. Dropping their bows, the elves unsheathed their anger and swords, rushing the horde also, and elfin steel danced with the black-clad soldiers. Earth Guards trained by Alron himself, fueled by a vision of their dying friend, unleashed their cold anger into the warm bodies. As the black-clad fell, Earth Guards picked up the swords absent of purpose, turning them back onto those who sought death and delivered it to them. Three dwarves with axes, and four elves with eight swords; it was not a hand that could be dealt from the deck of cards that was buried with Alron, but it was a winning hand nonetheless. Behind them, the wild card stood, his sword pointing to the angry clouds, being struck by lightning over and over. After the Ironhouse brothers had deposited all of their rage, and the Earth Guards had collected their bounty, they all started to fall back behind the wild card, the smiling giant.

  As lightning from the angry sky exploded into the army, balls of lightning erupted from the sword. When Eric waded deep into the enemy, they surrounded him on all sides. Smashing their swords into the dwarven armor, they failed to make a dent. When they t
ried to pry their swords between the plates, the armor provided no access; it was dwarf forged, blessed by Father. Driving the sword into the ground, Eric twisted it, and lightning exploded from it; ripping armor from body, skin from flesh, muscles from bone. The nine at the wagon ducked inside or behind it, as the concussive wave expanded to meet them, including the black-clad sediments. Turning, Eric walked back to the wagon, as none remained standing to satisfy his blood lust.

  Erust looked upon the blood-encrusted armor, which still had electricity dancing on it, “An army invade to the south.”

  “I know. The time is not right. Chase them, I will not.” Then Eric took off his helmet and smiled, “They will come, I will greet them.”

  Erust looked at the group, “Our Earth Mother went back to Alron, so we must ride. Will you be safe? We have an extra mount?”

  “Eric, go with them. They might need you. I got these guys into this, and I’ll get them home safe,” advised Ryan.

  Eric mounted the last magic horse, following the Earth Guards who raced off into the night.

  *******

  Logan just kept talking to Lauren, sending his warmth into her body, caressing her hair. For the entire flight, he kept screaming, “Faster, she’s dying!”

  The silver-winged horse raced through the night skies. Hours flew by seeming to be minutes, as Panry shivered in the cold winds. Soon the mountains of the central range came into view, as torchlight from the dwarf settlements was visible from the high altitude. In the far distance, a small light raced towards them: Alron. When Logan looked down, seeing the town, he raised his hand up, letting loose a flare. Even though it was night, for a brief moment it was day. Earth Guards sounded the alarm, as all had seen the huge winged horse, knowing that Eric had taken it out the previous day, and they now knew that Logan rode on it also. However, none knew if it carried the Earth Mother, alive. As the winged horse landed, all were in front of the house.

  Shivering, Panry jumped off the horse, accepting Lauren as Logan shouted, “She is dying! Do something!”

  As he raced inside the house with Lauren and the Earth Mothers, Logan, still atop the horse, slowly slid off one side, but Bor and Aaro caught him before he hit the ground, his eyes closed, his breathing shallow.

  “Upstairs now, get one of the Earth Mothers,” screamed John. Grabbing Logan from the dwarves, Mirtza burst into the house, taking the stairs two at a time, followed by John, Aaro, and Bor.

  After Mirtza had placed Logan in his bed, Nur came in, “What is wrong with him?”

  “He was just sitting on the horse and then slid off,” replied John, “Panry, what happened?”

  Wrapped in a blanket, he had a surprised look, “We met up with Ryan, Zack, and Ironhouse not more than eight hours ago. Logan was shooting flares into the sky, and we saw a storm from west. I figured it was Eric on a Mountain Eagle. He said to use the horse with wings to bring Earth Mother back.” He turned to Mirtza, “I want one of those beasts for all Earth Guards. It took us three days on the fast horses, but we must have taken the long route. I did not realize we were this close. All Logan said was faster, faster.”

  Nur looked up, “He sleeps now, and his breathing is growing stronger. His pulse is better, but there are no wounds on him. I have no idea on what ails him.”

  “Nur, how is Lauren?” asked John.

  She fought back the tears. “The Earth Mothers tend to her. I am afraid it is bad news as she is close to death. The wounds are extensive, and her life force is weak, but her heart still beats. The Earth Mothers have many options, and they will do everything to push back death. Her spirit must be strong, so all is not lost.”

  “What do you mean?” asked John.

  “Never have I seen one so close to death, yet still breathing. Mother does protect her,” advised Panry.

  “No. you said you met Eric eight hours ago, but it took him twenty plus to fly out there. If you flew back in eight, Logan must have tried to do something with Sister’s gift to make the flight faster. If she was dying, and he was trying to save her, maybe the transfer became confused. When Sister’s warmth wasn’t enough, it sought a different energy: Logan’s life force. If he was keeping her alive, making that horse fly faster, he might have emptied his own well.”

  “Is that why he does not move?” asked Nur.

  “I don’t know. I don’t understand this crazy world. The horse flies, but it’s not natural magic. Or maybe it is? There may have been a conflict between the two, or maybe even a harmony. Something happened, but we may never know what.”

  Lindo walked in, “Brook has taken Arora to bed, and given her berries to calm her down. She could no longer look at the wounds on Earth Mother.”

  John turned, “I need to see Lauren. I want to see how bad she’s hurt.” As he entered the room, he saw her silently lying on the bed, looking so peaceful. When he pulled back parts of the sheet, he saw her foot, being a dozen different hues of blue. With her right forearm broken, her hand was on a thirty-degree angle from where it should be. He saw the huge red wounds on her shoulder. He saw where her right calf had been cut open, and then sloppily stitched back up. Seeing so much brutality, he was without words, but when Brook went over to Lauren, lifting the sheet, she showed John the brand, and he collapsed.

  *******

  When John woke, Nur was applying a cold compress to his forehead, “Tell me it was a bad dream.”

  “Friend John, I fear the bad dream is just starting.”

  Checking in on Lauren, Lindo was sitting with her, who just shook her head, as there was no change. Being numb from the visions of the previous night, when John went downstairs, he found Brook, Arora, Nur, Aaro, Bor, and Panry sitting in the backyard.

  “Panry, what did she hear that makes her fly out like that? What did you see?” asked Arora.

  “Midlander, elf, and dwarf march with the Royal House. We saw them on the second day, but the distance was great like our speed, but not all those that march this way are black-clad.”

  Arora was shocked, “Why would they?”

  “Earth Mother, we did not stop,” Panry’s shoulders were slouching, his head bent forward, “The Earth Bond compelled us, and only of Earth Mother did we think.”

  “Panry, your forefather was a smart man,” began Nur. “We all thought the story was a legend.”

  “To be honest, I did also. Mayhap Mother needed a reason to help her bend the rules. I do not know, but I was desperate. I tried to Invoke, but she would not answer, and it was the last card in my deck. What I do not understand is why those that the black-clad defeated now march with those that defeated them?”

  “Because she won’t harm Mother’s children.”

  Everybody looked at John, “If you stage an army in front of her, she can destroy it. They know it now. Stories of Tranquil Fury have most likely reached them also. They might not know about Logan, thinking it was her, but they know she can crush any army that stands in front of her. Where we came from, terrorists would use innocents to make a human shield, protecting them from a swift justice. I doubt if even Tranquil Fury could attack innocents. They’ll march their army up to our front door, but Earth Mother won’t kill innocent people, and Tranquil Fury won’t know what to do. Mixed in with them will be black-clad soldiers, and slowly they’ll break through any defenses we set. Even if we fight a traditional battle, those in the west will find it hard to kill those they once called friend, maybe even family.” John turned, going back in the house to think, leaving the others to sit in silence.

  *******

  Sky elves had landed the day before, looking for their clan members, and John had told them what he knew, so they flew to the east in search of answers. When they returned this morning, all three Ironhouse brothers jumped off of the eagles, kissed the ground, before going straight to the basement of the house. As they sat in the cold, they wished they could get deeper underground. Having flown beside them, Zack landed into Nur’s arms, and after Ryan had dismounted from the third eagle, he went up
to her.

  “She lives, Ryan, but the damage is great.”

  “I know, I saw it. Can I go see her?”

  “Wait.”

  It was after the last meal when John went up to Fodu’s room, showing him the bags of crystals. Explaining the mechanism that he needed, he advised how it should function, and what it should look like. “Fodu, this can help change the balance of this conflict, and it can give us an advantage.”

  He failed to understand what colored crystals could do, but he did understand advantage, and taking the bag of crystals, he started to examine them.

  Panry walked up to Ryan sitting in the front room, “I wish to thank you friend. Your actions saved Earth Mother.”

  “Have we, Panry? Her body is broken. I saw it. I carried her out of that torture chamber. There wasn’t one part of her body that I could touch, that didn’t make her moan in pain. I had bad injuries like that at one time, but mine compared to what those sick bastards did to her are like a hangnail. Now a freaking army marches this way. What have we done? Nothing.” Ryan took his anger outside.

  Panry went over to Fen and Hakk, “Tell me everything.” They repeated the story of the previous days, which ended with, ‘Then meet you we do. You, Logan, and Earth Mother, to the flying horse go. Head back to Alron.’ The story was what Panry expected. He knew Zack could change shapes, but this one was larger than any before. He knew Ryan, when filled with rage, was not one to tangle with, but he was secretly hoping there would be some other piece of information. After walking up the stairs, he gazed at Lauren sleeping on the bed. When Gingaar stood, he sat down and caressed Lauren’s cheek. “I tried to warn you of the moths, my precious flame.” He wiped the tears from his eyes, “You have put me through too much. You need to finish what you started, Moth Flame,” and as he lowered his head into his hands, he began to cry.