Enemies and Allies (Bound to the Abyss Book 3)

by James R. Vernon

  The Fortralam spun at the last second, making Ean's blow land behind the creature’s knee instead of striking the side of it. The beast's leg buckled from the impact and fell backwards. Ean caught a glimpse of Dao leaping off just before having to dive out of the way to avoid being crushed as well. It crashed to the ground, its arms and legs flailing about, almost hitting both Ean and Dao. They both backed up as the creature came back on its feet in a matter of moments.

  "Now what?" Dao yelled to be heard over the growls and roars of the Fortralam.

  "Have any more knives?"

  "Yes, but I don't think--here he comes!"

  Dao threw himself out of the way as the beast went charging past him, using its front arms to propel itself at a faster speed than Ean thought possible for something its size. The handle of the dagger was still sticking out of its back.

  "Its legs seem to be its weakest point!"

  "Not sure how that will help!" Dao just barely got out of the way of another charge. "I'm barely keeping away from it!"

  "If we can get it off its feet–oh no . . . "

  The Fortralam was staring right at him.

  Then it charged.

  Ean tried to leap out of the way but wasn't fast enough. The beast clipped his legs, spinning him around in the air. He landed spread-eagle face down, his head bouncing off of the rocky ground. By the time he rolled onto his back, the Fortralam was almost on top of him.

  Azalea came out of nowhere, leaping over Ean's body. She landed in front of him, her real form revealed, pale blue body crouched in an aggressive stance, hands spread wide and her fingers with their long red nails curled into claws. The sudden appearance of the Yulari made the Fortralam pause its advance and shuffle about, letting out a few grunts.

  "Get up, fool," she growled.

  Scrambling to his feet, Ean cautiously moved to her side.

  "Why did it stop?"

  "No idea. My kind couldn't kill one of theirs, and they usually couldn't catch one of my kind to kill it. The fact that I don't have any wings is probably confusing it."

  "So how do we--"

  "You don't. It's incredibly resilient. Best bet is to get it to wander off--"

  "And possibly wander into a town? What other options do we have?"

  "Get it back through the Scar."

  "How do I--"

  The Fortralam let out a bellowing roar and charged. Before Ean could react, Azalea shoved him out of the way and then leapt straight into the air. She landed on the beast's back, a foot on each of its shoulders. The beast skidded to a halt and began swatting at his back. Azalea danced around, able to dodge the thick arms much easier than Dao had been able to do. Every few steps, one of her feet stomped down on the hilt still imbedded in the Fortralam's shoulder, causing the beast to roar and double its efforts. Despite the repeated blows, the beast didn't seem to be slowing down.

  "Try to get it towards the Scar!" Ean yelled.

  Hearing Ean's voice and probably giving up on catching the Yulari on its back, the Fortralam turned and charged at him. Azalea was mid-jump and was left behind as the beast loped towards him. Ean threw himself out of the creature's way. This time, however, the Fortralam didn't go racing past him. It came to a stop right in front of where Ean lay. Raising its gargantuan fists,it let out a triumphant scream before bringing them crashing down on Ean's prone body. All he could do was raise his hands in defense, although he knew it would do nothing to stop the crushing blow. Despite what Auz had been telling him, fear of an impending death overrode every other thought in his mind. He unleashed that fear, and the energy he held, out through his hands.

  A shimmering shield of blue energy appeared, a solid wall of light the size of Ean's body. The Fortralam's fist smashed against it and stopped. Ean felt a strong pressure as the blow pushed against the shield, but he easily held the creature off. All Ean could do was gape as he had no idea how he was doing whatever he was doing. He kept his hands up, though, and kept the energy swirling about inside him flowing out into the shield.

  The Fortralam looked down at him with a furrowed brow then began to drop massive blows against the shield. Each strike pushed down on Ean but he held firm against the assault. Then a thought crossed his mind.

  Struggling to his feet, Ean tried to push back against the beast. Whenever the Fortralam reared back to strike, Ean moved forward. This gave the beast less room to swing its massive arms and lessened the force of the blows even more. Eventually the shield pressed up against the chest of the creature and Ean pressed on.

  And the creature was forced to take a step back.

  Over the creature's right shoulder, Ean could see the top of the Scar.

  Running on pure desperation, he forced the creature back. Ean had no idea how he was creating the shield, how it was stronger than the beast, or if it would eventually disappear but he didn't care. He had one goal. Get the creature back through the Scar and close it.

  Each step was a victory.

  Every few steps, he angled their direction more towards the Scar.

  Each blow he withstood made him move faster.

  Before he knew it, the edges of the Scar framed the back of the Fortralam. The creature seemed oblivious to how close it was to the portal or simply didn't care. Its attacks continued, without showing even the slightest sign of growing tired, as Ean pushed it back into the glow.

  A brief flash of light was the only warning before the Fortralam was gone.

  But Ean didn't stop pushing forward. He thrust his hands into the Scar until he felt what he hoped was the source of its power. Gripping its barely substantial form in his hands, he pulled back on both the energy that had made up his shield and all of the energy at the heart of the Scar. It all flowed back into him in a rush, but it was a rush that he had complete control over. As the last bit of energy left the center of the Scar, there was a loud pop, and Ean pulled his hand back just in time as the Scar imploded in on itself.

  Standing there, Ean let the energy of the Abyss swirl around inside him. It made him feel powerful. He should have been terrified after everything that just happened, but he felt more alive now than he had since his body had been returned to him. Ean from a year ago would have been frozen with fear at the sight of such an imposing creature. But he had not only acted, he had attacked. His confidence surged as he stood there for a few moments more, letting himself smile at the man he had become.

  Then he released the energy he held. His legs gave out and he dropped to his knees. His arms felt like they had received every blow the Fortralam had landed. He felt empty, the colors of everything around him seemed dull and lifeless. He wanted to seize the energy again, let it fill him, let it explode out of him. But he didn't. Despite feeling horrible, that feeling of confidence remained. He didn't need to be connected to the Abyss to hold on to that confidence. He was strong enough without it.

  Ean stood back up on shaky legs. When Dao appeared at his side and slapped him on his back, Ean almost fell back over but manages to remain on his feet.

  "Well," Dao said with a laugh. "If this is just a preview of what our trip is going to be like, I can't wait to see what happens next."

  Shaking his head, Ean joined in with the man's laughter.

  Chapter 10

  Kay Aubrune awoke in her tent with a start. The noises of the forest around her, the hum of insects and a gentle wind rustling the trees, were scarce comfort to her tattered nerves. Despite the chill of the air, her tendency to overdo it with the blankets atop a heavy robe left her body covered in sweat and her jet-black hair drenched. In the past year or so, her duty to the Temple of Alistar had kept her away from her home in Lurthalan, and constantly on the road. Her friends, El and Zee, had been off chasing rumors and solving problems elsewhere. Problems seemed to be popping up all over the land, keeping her and her companions spread out. The last time she had seen them, after that unfortunate battle with the four-armed creature, El had expressed his concerns. He had felt that it was a sign of something dark and da
ngerous coming to the land. But if the Voice of the temple wasn’t worried, that was good enough for Kay.

  El and Zee.

  She hoped they were both safe. Zee was on an exploratory mission like herself. While she had been sent to check out Rensen and the surrounding area, Zee was sent to check on a report in the Northeast corner of Ven Khilada. With his constant sour mood, it was best he was out in an unpopulated area. Especially with how . . .

  No, best not to think about that, Kay reminded herself. He was chosen just as El and I were chosen. If he was stepping out of line, there would have already been consequences.

  She chose to focus on El instead. He had been sent to investigate the events that had happened in the Deadlands three seasons ago. The temple had grown tired of hearing nothing but rumors and speculation about the incident. The Hawkpurses had a hand in the temple's sudden interest as well, although the priests would never admit to acting because of the words of the followers of Drenks. All of the Hawkpurse families had been quick to pick at the bones of the fallen Ciantar family, but once they had had their fill, they realized the full implications of what had happened. If one of the oldest Hawkpurse families in recorded history could be brought down so easily, what was to stop the rest of them from being destroyed as well? Now, they scrambled to find answers and pull the rest of the temples into their search as well.

  Politics. She let out a grunt then jumped at the sound of something right outside her tent went scampering away. Kay lay back and wrapped herself up in the blankets. If she let her mind race around much longer, she would never be able to fall back asleep. And she certainly didn't want thoughts of El to bleed into her dreams.

  She needed a good night’s sleep for a change, because it was a long horseback ride to Resen. Her goal, and the goal of those she worked with, was to ensure the safety of the entire realm. Even so, she was sure to get an unwelcoming reception at the inn where she planned to begin her next round of inquiries.

  People were often less than receptive. Tales of her group had soured a lot of minds, and while some of those tales were exaggerated, others were true. Especially the ones where Zee had played a predominate role. Kay, on the other hand, preferred to keep things pleasant for as long as possible. It just happened that sometimes a show of force was the only way to accomplish her goals. Either way, the fear and mistrust most felt towards her group made the task before her all that much harder.

  "Enough thinking, Kay," she said aloud. "Get some rest."

  Even after she closed her eyes, it took Kay a while before her mind slowed and eventually drifted off to sleep.

  ***

  The next morning, Kay pulled her yellow tunic over a green shirt, pulled on a pair of brown trousers, and packed up camp. She strapped two swords across her back and packed away the third with her formal armor.

  “Ready, Rook?”

  Rook, her beautiful onyx mare, whinnied and shook his head as if he understood. A muscular animal bred from some of the strongest horses in the realm, Rook had been Kay's horse for the past four years. She had been a gift from the temple, after they had put the horse through a year of martial training. Rook could follow some simple commands and would perform them even if its life was threatened. Kay had never put that fact to the test and hoped she never would be in a position to find out if it was true. She had grown attached to the horse. Besides El and Zee, she trusted the horse more than she did most people.

  Mounting up, Kay took a few moments to get her bearings. She had camped on the east side of the road that ran from Lurthalan to Rensen, far enough that her camp wouldn't have been visible from the road even during the brightest part of the day. The canopy of the trees here was too thick to allow her to get a good idea of whether it was early morning or closer to the middle of the day. Giving Rook a little nudge, she began guiding him through the overgrowth. Once she reached the road, she saw that the sun had cleared the horizon and knew it was mid-morning. Another nudge got Rook to speed up to a trot and they headed south.

  Despite the chill in the air as the Freeze season came to an end, it was a beautiful morning. Kay let herself relax and enjoy the ride. She even let a smile touch her face. But only for a moment.

  She knew what people said about her. That she was emotionless. That she performed her duties regardless of who got hurt. That she killed without remorse. The last was the most difficult to hear. Ye, she and the others in her group had to kill. They did it for the safety of the land. But that didn't mean that each person they had to put down wasn't a scar on her soul.

  And she might have to do it again once she reached Rensen.

  She shook the thought from her mind. It wasn't a certainty. She was just going to investigate. It might be nothing. After all, her amulet hadn't been glowing when she woke up that morning.

  Reaching down the front of her shirt, Kay pulled the sky-blue oval stone attached to a silver chain out and held it up. The stone, made of an unknown material, was smooth to the touch and cold. It remained dark, which was a good sign. If it started to glow, that meant trouble. If the gods were being generous, it would stay dark once she reached Rensen. Then a few questions around town, a patrol of the area, and she could be back on her way to the capital. If not, or if it flared up extremely bright . . .

  No, that wasn't going to happen. It had been a particularly bad couple of seasons. She was due some good luck. Placing her amulet away, she tried to think of happier things.

  Kay rode the rest of the day without incident. This time of year would bring little traffic. Lumber didn't come out of Rensen until the Thaw season was in full swing, and the trade caravan that ran down to the Shadaer Umdaer lands didn't travel during this season. With the cold weather, it would be rare to see anyone making a pilgrimage from Rensen to one of the temples in Lurthalan. There had been a sharp decline in the number of pilgrims in general this past year.

  Most of the priests attributed the drop to the mess of rumors going about. Groups of death worshipers in the forests on the east side of the Melcoi River. Multiple bandit groups making their home in Rensen forest. Gangs slowly taking control over Wethrintir. The Living Dead in the north planning an invasion. The Shadaer Umdaer in the south wanting to enslave everyone. This, combined with a rumor that a dark power had risen from the Abyss, had put a damper on commerce and travel across that land.

  It was all ridiculous.

  The people of Ven Khilada always needed to make the world more dangerous than it really was. Every rumor could easily be explained away if the people were willing to listen. The temples made sure to discount the rumors in their sermons each day, and if the local priests in each town were doing the same, the rumors would be less of a problem. Be faithful to your god or gods, and they will handle the evils of the land. But the average person would rather tell ghost stories than listen to their spiritual leaders, and so the people lived in fear of rumors and shadows. Meanwhile, the one thing they should fear, the one thing proven to be a constant danger to them all, was often ignored and forgotten. It was a sad affair, and part of the reason her group was more often feared than praised. Kay hoped one day to change the people's views so that they saw her group in a more positive light. Her trip to Rensen might even be the first step to that end.

  When the small town started to come into view, Kay directed her horse off to the side of the road. She could try to go into town dressed in the simple clothes she wore now, but after two decades of performing her duties, her face had become well known in even the farthest corners of the Ven Khilada. So, she found a nice clear spot off the road, dismounted, and began to pull out the pieces of her armor and her second sword.

  Her armor was a work of art. Made from the sturdier leather of the Gravelback Chargers from the south, it had been crafted to fit her perfectly. The main chest piece connected to the sleeves and leg coverings. It was bleached pure white and shone in the sun. The symbol of Alistar, a set of scales set inside a sun, was painted in bright gold on its chest.

  With the armor on,
Kay felt confident and powerful. A sense of calm settled the butterflies that had been fluttering around in her stomach since she woke. She was an instrument of her god, and nothing would stop her from performing her mission.

  Climbing back onto Rook, Kaitlyn Aubrune, known to many as the Ivory Dawn, and Seeker for the god Alistar, rode into Rensen just as the sun started to set on the day.

  Chapter 11

  For Ean and his companions, the rest of the trip to Rensen was, thankfully, uneventful. After they had rested from their little encounter, Ean tried again to open his Pocket. He was careful, paid close attention to the summoning rune, and only let as much energy flow into it as was necessary. The Pocket opened without a problem, and they were able to enjoy a quick meal before setting up their large tent and getting some sleep. They allowed themselves to sleep in the next morning and then set out to finish the first part of their journey.

  Ean had mixed feelings as he walked down the road and into Rensen. The last time he had been here had been a whirlwind of different experiences. Seeing a Taruun for the first time and a Vithalos the size of a large building. Spending a day treating the injured and dying from a raid. Having his first experiences with a girl and then having to clumsily save her from one of the raiders. Transforming that same raider into . . . something horrible . . .

  He had been a different person back then, both mentally and physically. This was actually the first time he had entered the small village of his own accord. The first time, he had been unconscious, overwhelmed by the changes taking over his body. When Zin and Azalea had passed back through after the events in the Deadlands, he had been . . . well, as far as he knew, he had been dead. So much had changed in less than a year's time–

  Something struck his shoulder, making him stumble a few steps before regaining his balance. When he spun around to find the source of the blow, he found Azalea smirking at him. She had taken on her human illusion, appearing as a simple, albeit beautiful, woman with dirty blond hair. Ean couldn't perform the same trick to hide his tattoos and their constant glow. He had put on a long sleeve shirt, short coat, and gloves that reached almost to his elbows.