Enemies and Allies (Bound to the Abyss Book 3)

by James R. Vernon

  "Thank you, Dee. Where do we start?"

  "We start by spending some time with Reilane. We have been away from her for too long. If a Plaguebringer has returned, we'll be away from home even longer than usual. An afternoon spent laughing about old stories will be a nice distraction before we get to more serious matters. Then, we'll come up with a plan, leave some instructions for EliZane, and we can begin our hunt."

  "Agreed."

  Whatever the plan, Kaytlin hoped she was the first to find the young man. Rubbing at her shoulder, all she could think about was getting another shot at that foul Yulari.

  Chapter 18

  Kaytlin knew it was a dream almost as soon as it began.

  She stood in full armor in the middle of a lush field of green. The grass spread out in every direction, small rolling hills of emerald as far as she could see. The sky above was a hazy grey, but the sun shone through so brightly that Kay had to cover her eyes when she looked up. A light breeze caressed her face and hair, a lock of red hair blowing into her face. Her pure white armor was covered in dew and glistened in the sunlight.

  And she found herself without either of her swords.

  The beautiful scenery was lost on Kaytlin. To her, beauty was found in doing battle for her god. Let those that serve GanZroe have such dreams of nature.

  With a thought, Kaytlin willed herself awake.

  Except she did not wake.

  She tried again.

  Nothing.

  Annoyance took hold. Kaytlin kept trying, even shutting her eyes as she tried to will herself awake. But when she opened her eyes, she still stood in the middle of the field.

  Annoyance turned to anger. Taking her heel, she carved a rut into the grass. The dirt underneath was a reddish-brown and a worm poked its head out for a moment before burrowing back down. Kaytlin removed one of her leather gloves before reaching down and digging a hand through the soil. It felt like soil. She couldn't remember a dream ever feeling this real. Or one that she couldn't escape from.

  Some larger force was at play here. Both Olleander and Waytan had told her stories of receiving visions in dreams from their god. Both men were considered almost holy because of their service to Alistar; Waytan as The Voice of the god and Olleander as the first Seeker. While it was natural for Waytan to receive visions and even hear the voice of their god, the few times Olleander had been touched in some way by the divine, he had considered it the greatest of honors. Even though Kaytlin took great pride in the service she could provide her deity, she had never thought she would receive such a gift as indirect contact with Alistar.

  But to assume this was the work of her deity without proof was foolishness. It could just as easily be the work of another deity. Or perhaps the answer was simpler than that. It was said that there were magic users that could affect a person's mind, Sparktellers that could create illusions just as well inside a person's dreams as they could in the real world. Potions and tonics also existed that could put a person into a deep slumber and hold them there for a period of time. She had drunk a glass of warm honeyed milk before going to bed. Had it tasted different? If it had been drugged, would she even have tasted the poison?

  Kaytlin kicked at the dirt again and tried to wake herself. She pinched her arm. It hurt. Was she supposed to feel pain in a dream? Would she feel it in a drug-induced dream? What was happening in the waking world--

  BOOM.

  The sound almost knocked her over. It was like a thunderclap had erupted inside her head. Kaytlin's vision swam and her knees buckled, but she kept her feet. She had no idea where--

  BOOM.

  Grass tickled her face. White spots speckled her vision as Kaytlin tried to push herself up from lying face down on the field. She spit a few blades of grass from her mouth. Her befuddled mind focused for a moment on how even the grass tasted as it should. Getting to her knees, she raised an arm to shield her eyes from the sun, which had increased three-fold in its intensity. Between her ringing ears and now this burning light--

  BOOM.

  . . .

  This time Kaytlin found herself staring up at the sky. Her head throbbed. Her muscles ached. The sun, not even directly in her line of sight scorched her eyes. Hundreds of spots swam in her vision . . . not swam. The spots moved uniformly with each other. It took Kaytlin's numbed mind a few more moments to realize they weren't spots in her vision at all. Those spots were tiny lights whirling around together like a school of fish, moving in one direction before curving off into a different one. Around and around they went above her. While they swam, the light of the sun seemed to dim, allowing the smaller lights to become distinct and clear in her vision. It was almost hypnotic.

  Without warning, the lights separated. Started to form designs in the sky. A snake was the first thing she could make out, curled around something . . . a ball maybe? Above that sat a great wall of lights, hundreds packed together that they almost formed a single square light in the sky. To the side of that, the lights formed a design that made Kaytlin's mouth dry and her fist clench. It was the same sign covering the dilapidated temple that sat on the northeast edge of the city. Ze'an's temple.

  Kaytlin's mind cleared in an instant. The snake; the Janpair family sigil. The wall of lights—must be the Unyielding Wall to the west. Together, they pointed to one place. A small village a dozen or so days’ journey from the city.

  "Shade."

  WAKE.

  The voice rocked her mind and consciousness slipped away.

  ***

  Kaytlin woke in her bed. After only a moment of thought, she got dressed, strapped her swords to her back, and grabbed her travel bags. She paused only a moment to write a quick note about her destination and hand it off to the first disciple she ran into to give to Olleander, then hurried down to the temple stables that sat at the back of the temple.

  Rook seemed restless as Kayltin saddled her stallion and secured the travel bags to its sides. The sound of the temple bells, distinct from the bells of the other temples, reverberated the wood of the stable. To Kaytlin's ear, they seemed to toll at a greater speed than normal, which combined with the unusual time of day they were ringing at, struck her as odd. But she had more important matters to worry about.

  "He was recently fed?" She didn't pause in what she was doing to look at the stable boy that had brought Rook out of his pen. "And rubbed down earlier today?"

  "Yes, miss."

  Kaytlin could hear the fear in the boy's voice. It was normal for those that were used to preparing her horse to be nervous around her, but flat out fear usually was a sign of a new addition to the stables. The boy probably was one of the many orphans they plucked off the street to work at the temple. The children were quick to accept the offer of a roof over their head, safe place to sleep, and three meals a day. It wasn't until they arrived that the possibility that their service including being around the Seekers put fear into their hearts. It could take days if not an entire season for that fear to dissipate.

  Sometimes longer if EliZane was in one of his moods around the workers. But that was a different problem all together.

  "She seems well groomed." She turned to face the boy. He was dressed in a simple tunic, trousers, and cloth shoes. Although they showed the dirt of a day's work, there wasn't a single frayed edge to be found. New clothes for a new worker. "Thank you very much—"

  "Vess, miss."

  "Have you worked with horses before, Vess?"

  "No, miss."

  "Well, you've done well so far." Routing around in her bag, Kaytlin found her coin purse and pulled out a few coins. Of those she brought out, she chose a silver piece and handed it to the boy. "For your good work."

  He looked at the coin as if it were a full course dinner. "I . . . we're not permitted to accept wages or tips . . . "

  "Which is why this is a test."

  "A test? You were testing me on whether I would take the coin or not? Did I pass?"

  "No, that is not the test," she said with a laugh. "Althou
gh it might be from someone else. For me, the test will be how well you spend this single coin. Will you waste it all on sweets? Maybe a few toys to play with at night? There is enough there for both and then some if you’re smart. Or you could use it for something else."

  "Something else? Like what?"

  "That's for you to figure out. I'm going away and when I return, I expect to see or hear about how you spent the money. Understood?"

  "Yes, miss."

  Kaytlin mounted her horse, letting a small smile touch her lips. The boy stood below her, his eyes downcast as he rubbed at his head. The boy would eventually ask others for what he could buy, and in doing so would learn. That search for knowledge was a better gift than anything he could buy with that single coin.

  Or he would spend it on whatever children his age would buy given a silver piece. Either way, getting to find out which path the boy took gave Kaytlin something to look forward to whenever she found herself back in Lurthalan. Little things like this made Kaytlin's travels just the smallest bit more bearable.

  The bells of the temple distracted Kaytlin from her thoughts. It was very strange for them to toll at such lengths. In fact, she couldn't recall a time in the past that they had rung in the same manner. She also wasn't a priest and despite her duties, knew very little about the inner workings of the church. And Kaytlin liked it that way. It made her mission pure and not bogged down by most of the politics found behind the scenes in any of the temples. She was courteous and patient with the priests and major figureheads of the church, but the only people she had to answer to was The Voice and Alistar himself.

  Turning her horse, Kaytlin was careful not to bump the stable boy. Vess was still standing there deep in thought. He'll make the right decision. She put a gentle heel to Rook's side and he trotted towards the stable door. Just as they were crossing the threshold, a temple servant came sprinting up to her.

  "Seeker . . . " The man tried to take in a quick breath before continuing. It was clear he had sprinted all the way from the inner temple to the stables.

  "Take a breath. Unless the matter is dire, a few moments rest will not be the end of us all."

  The man nodded as he sucked in air. Kaytlin didn't recognize the man, but that wasn't unusual. There were dozens of servants with various jobs throughout the temple. After the man had regained his composure, he rose and addressed her.

  "The Voice requests an audience with you. He said it is most urgent."

  Saying it was a request was Waytan's way of being polite. When The Voice wanted to see you, you went, no questions asked.

  "Where is he? His office?"

  "No, miss. He is waiting for you in the main sanctuary. He has had the entire room cleared so it will only be the two of you."

  Most strange. Kaytlin dismounted and handed Rook’s reins to the man.

  "Take him back into the barn and take the bags off of him but leave the saddle on his back. I expect to return here after speaking with The Voice."

  "As you wish."

  Climbing the stairs into the back of the temple, a flutter of nervousness seeped into her stomach. While it wasn't strange for The Voice to request an audience with her, the location he wanted to speak in was out of the ordinary. Waytan's office was where he usually saw those he wished to speak with, as it offered the most privacy. The main sanctuary, even if he had cleared it, had plenty of places the odd servant or even a random worshipper could wander into without being noticed. Kaytlin's intuition, honed to almost a sixth sense from her years living on the streets of Lurthalan, told her something was wrong.

  When the temple bells grew silent as she entered back into the temple, she was glad that both of her swords were still strapped to her back.

  The steel tips of her boots rung out on the stone floor as she moved down the hallway. The back of the temple on the main floor consisted mostly of offices and storage areas. At the moment, not a single servant or priest moved about. With the halls empty and the bells at rest, the temple felt unnaturally quiet. Paintings of past Voices and other former members of the temple covered the walls, their judging eyes seeming to follow Kaytlin eyes as she strode down the hallway. A voice in the back of her mind screamed at her to be on her guard. It was the voice of her youth, when she had simply been known as Kay. A voice she trusted above most others. Despite the fact that no one would dare shed blood in Alistar's temple, Kaytlin reached over her back and made sure her swords would come free of their scabbards with ease if needs be.

  Turning down one last corridor, Kaytlin reached an area that held three of the dozen or so doorways into the main sanctuary. At each doorway, two robed and hooded priests stood stoic on either side. So this was how The Voice planned to keep their conversation private. She could picture a pair of priests at every door, barring entrance to anyone that came upon them. As Kaytlin approached the nearest entrance, one of the priests silently opened the door and held it ajar for her. She gave the man a nod of thanks, then felt foolish as he wouldn't see the motion with his head bowed and covered by the hood. With a quickened pace, she walked past the men and into the inner sanctuary.

  The rectangular room was massive, close to two and a half stories tall with a semi-domed ceiling and dozens of hanging steel chandeliers. Smooth marble pillars ran along the walls, a lit sconce on each, bathing the room in light. Sixty pews set in two rows of thirty took up the middle of the room, a blood-red carpet running the length in between them, while a dozen balconies looked down on the room from above. At the front of the room, two spiral staircases wound up on either side to the main altar and pulpit almost a floor above the pews below. The simple stone altar was covered with a cloth as white as winter's snow, the golden sun inlaid with scales seemed to glow in the room's light. Behind that, set up against the wall, was a statue of Alistar himself. Made of the whitest marble she had ever seen, Alistar's statue stretched almost to the ceiling, his sigil carved into his armor and a scabbard as long as his legs stretching to the floor.

  Waytan stood behind the altar, both of his trembling arms spread out before him, his head bowed.

  She made sure her steps were loud enough so that the man knew she had arrived, moving towards the stairs of the altar. Waytan didn't move. She lost sight of him for a moment as she climbed the left stairs, but as she reached the top, she found the man in the same position. A single piece of parchment sat next to his still trembling hands. A line of blood trailed down from his ear and the entire right side of his wrinkled face wore an ugly purple and black bruise.

  "Most Holy! What--" Kaytlin cut off as the man raised a single hand.

  "I am fine." His voice shook and was marred with the strain of a man in pain. "There is no need for concern . . . or for you to ready yourself for battle."

  Kaytlin's hands dropped from her weapons as she crossed the space between her and The Voice in an instant. She stood a step away from him, indecision freezing her in place when what she wanted to do was wrap an arm around the man and check him for other injuries. Instead she remained in place, her body stiff while her thoughts and emotions raged about inside her.

  "Most Holy," she finally was able to get out. "Who did this to you?"

  "Kaytlin, I need you to listen closely." His voice had changed to iron and even though pain touched it, his words carried the weight of his authority. "Some of the things I will tell you will undoubtedly raise questions, but for many, I will not have an answer. Listen to my words and do not interrupt me until I give you permission. Understood?"

  "As you command, I obey."

  "Good." Waytan took in a deep breath and held it for a few moments before exhaling. After what felt an eternity, he finally spoke again.

  "Alistar has given me words to pass on to you. A great honor, especially given what I must say first . . . "

  Another pause. Kaytlin appreciated this one as shock had taken hold of her mind. If the man had continued right away, she might have missed his next words.

  "I am to commend you for your service so far. Alist
ar has been proud of all that you have accomplished in your battle against the Abyss and continues to send his blessings to you."

  Warmth and pride filled Kaytlin like never before. The best part about it was that it seemed to come from outside of her, from a presence she could not even begin to comprehend.

  "Secondly, I am to give you his praise in recognizing this new threat. You were correct in worrying about this man you ran into in Rensen. The man is more than just a puppet of a creature from the Abyss or one corrupted by the energy leaking from a Scar. Ean Sangrave wields the energy of the Abyss in the same manner as the Plaguebringer before him. He is a true threat not only to this realm, but also to everything created by the gods. The fact that you recognized this and held firm to your concern even after my dismissal is a clear demonstration of your faith and intelligence."

  Pausing again, Waytan reached up and gently touched his bruised face. His body seemed to shake for a few moments before continuing on.

  "Finally, it is to be your mission to find this man and erase him from the world. Many obstacles will arise in your path but you must stay true. Already, forces have attempted to shield the man from you. Alistar is aware of your dream and wanted to inform you that it was a false vision. Ean has not headed to Shade as you have been led to believe. He has instead headed off towards the Deadlands, his purpose unclear but as surely as the sun will rise, his trip there puts us all in danger. You must pursue him into those accursed lands and stop him from accomplishing his dark goals. We must put an end to this threat before he can grow in power to rival the evil creature that came before him and almost destroyed everything we hold dear."