Center of the Universe (Only the Inevitable Book 1)

by N E Riggs

  Niam unloaded the bandages and water, and together they cleaned off her and Conal. Though both had many cuts, none were as deep or as serious as the one Conal took two days ago. Some were still long and bled heavily. Niam judged that they probably didn’t need stitching. They went through most of the remaining bandages.

  “How’s Bellon?” David asked Anur when they were done and both Conal and Niam were back on their feet.

  “I’m fine,” Bellon said, scowling. Anur had wrapped his head up tightly, but his eyes still seemed unfocused. He had trouble standing too.

  “We need to get to the gateway as soon as possible,” Anur told him, her eyes worried. David nodded. “I’ll take this lug, you help the other two.” She pulled Bellon’s arm around her shoulders and started walking north.

  Niam had taken most of her injuries on her arms, so she was good to walk. She and David helped Conal between them; with his arms a mess, he couldn’t use the crutch. As they walked slowly, David looked up between the tree branches. It was around noon. The gateway would appear in just a few hours. Anur hadn’t said how much further they had to walk. Hopefully it wasn’t far, because they weren’t making any sort of speed anymore.

  He bit his lip as they walked. He’d have probably been okay on his own, but his back ached worse at having to support Conal. Conal kept his eyes closed and his breathing steady, depending on David to make sure he didn’t fall over. With every step, he wanted to stop, but he forced himself to keep going. If they didn’t make it to the gateway, they’d be trapped here forever.

  His heart clenched at the thought. Trapped here, in a world filled with dangerous monsters, with no one to help them with their injuries. Trapped here, with no hope of getting back to Bantong and no hope of getting back home. He closed his eyes briefly. He wouldn’t accept that. He would get back to Bantong in one piece, and he’d make sure the others got back too, even if it killed him. And one day, he’d be home again.

  He ignored his tired legs and aching back and focused on moving. They should only be a few miles from the gateway. Even in the state they were in, they could make it there on time.

  As they walked, his mind went numb. He didn’t fight it, just focused on making himself move, never stopping. If he stopped, he might never be able to start moving again. On Conal’s other side, Niam looked to be in about the same shape as him. Conal himself hung mostly limp between them. In front, Bellon still hung onto Anur; he’d stopped trying to pretend he didn’t need help. Anur held the map in front of her, consulting it frequently. David could only hope that meant they were getting close.

  Time seemed to drag indefinitely onward. David stared at the ground before him, only half seeing it, swaying drunkenly as he walked. If other barghests or other creatures attacked, they’d be easy prey. Bird song had returned to the forest, though he only vaguely heard it.

  Finally, after what felt like weeks, Anur stopped in a small clearing. “This should be it,” she said, holding the map out to compare. She then looked at her watch. “Ten minutes to spare.”

  David barely managed to get Conal safely to the ground before collapsing beside him. He groaned, burying his face in the grass and leaves. Now that he’d stopped moving, his feet, legs, and back seemed to hurt even more. He barely noticed Niam flop to the ground on Conal’s other side.

  “Are you sure this is the right place?” he heard Bellon ask.

  Barely holding back a groan, David raised his head. “It better be,” he said. With ten minutes to spare, they didn’t have time to find the right place.

  Anur checked the map again. “It should be. There’s the stone pillar right there.” She pointed to the left.

  David turned to see an old pillar, crumbling and faded, standing a few feet away. He’d been so tired he hadn’t noticed it earlier. “So there are people on this world?” he asked. Someone had to have made the pillar.

  “I don’t think so,” Anur said, shaking her head. She stood in front of the pillar, squinting at the faded markings on it. “These are Eternist symbols,” she said, even though no one else was close enough to see. “See, here’s an Aegis. There’s a sword under that. I think this world is used as a training ground for acolytes. Gateways probably appear regularly.”

  “You mean, even if we didn’t make it on time, we wouldn’t be trapped here?” David asked, suddenly angry. He was so upset he managed to sit upright.

  Anur gave him a look. “What, did you seriously think we’d be left behind on some alien world? That’s cruel and an inefficient use of human resources.”

  Groaning, David flopped belly first down on the ground. That was exactly what he’d thought. And now his body ached even worse. He lay there, moving as little as possible, until he heard a faint humming sound.

  “The gateway!” Niam said.

  David reluctantly pulled himself off the ground. Sure enough, there was the gateway, trimmed in a faint blue light, standing right next to the stone pillar. Beyond it, he could see Scatha waiting, her arms crossed. Beside her stood a man in a brown uniform. It was different from the ones Sword Priests or Lost Priests wore: the sleeves on the jacket went only to his elbow, leaving his lower arms bare. He had a satchel draped over his shoulder. David wracked his tired brain. He’d had to memorize how to recognize the other priest sects. After a moment, he finally realized the man was a Heart Priest.

  Scatha and the Heart Priest stepped through the gateway. Scatha pulled Conal over her shoulder and carried him back to Bantong while the Heart Priest helped Bellon. Anur, Niam, and David followed. David’s skin tingled at bit with the now familiar sensation of passing through a gateway. He sighed happily when he stepped back into Bantong.

  He would have liked to take a hot shower, eat a big meal, and fall asleep right away, but he couldn’t just leave before he knew if the others would be alright. He sat down on the floor next to Anur and Niam and watched as the Heart Priest peeled off the bandages from around Bellon’s head. He pulled out a water bottle and cleaned off the wound, then sprayed something into it – some sort of antiseptic, hopefully. Then he placed his hands over the cut and closed his eyes. A faint golden light appeared. After a moment, Bellon sighed, relaxing. The Heart Priest kept his hands in place a moment longer before pulling them back. David gasped when he saw that the injury was almost completely gone. The cut looked days old now, rather than hours.

  “He healed him,” he said. The Heart Priest continued on to Conal. Scatha had taken off most of his clothes and unbound the wrappings.

  “Of course he did,” Anur said, rolling her eyes. “You’re supposed to know about Heart Priests by now.”

  He ducked his head. He did know now that Heart Priests were healers. Specifically, their gift was being able to accelerate the body’s natural healing. That meant if the body couldn’t fix an injury, neither could a Heart Priest. But knowing that and seeing it for the first time were completely different things. “It’s amazing,” he said, watching as the Heart Priest pressed his hands over Conal’s leg.

  “Some people say that Heart Priests are the greatest of all of us,” Niam said, also watching closely. “More High Priests and Priestesses come from the Heart sect than any of the others, you know.”

  David nodded, even though he hadn’t known that. He watched the Heart Priest and wondered if he should have tried for that sect inside. Of course, when he’d decided to become a Sword Priest, he hadn’t known about the other sects. “It’s one of the bigger sects, isn’t it?”

  “Second only to Sword,” Anur said. She winced and added, “That’s because we go through Sword Priests so fast.”

  The Heart Priest finished going over Conal’s injuries. “Put him to bed,” he told Scatha. “He needs plenty of rest.” She nodded and picked Conal up and carried him to his room, because even though she was short she could easily pick up a man. The Heart Priest walked over to David and the girls and knelt down beside Niam. She held out her arms without prompting, and he started going over her cuts and bruises. She smiled as he wo
rked, her shoulders relaxing.

  “Does it feel good?” David asked.

  Niam smiled sleepily. “A little weird, but yeah.”

  “You’ll know soon enough,” Anur said. “Don’t think you can leave before he looks at your back.”

  He winced a bit. He didn’t realize she’d noticed. The Heart Priest finished Niam, then turned to David. “Your back, was it?” he asked. David nodded. “Top off.” David pulled off his coat and shirt, wincing as his back and shoulders ached with his movement. The Heart Priest inspected him for a moment then asked, “Are you sure you were injured?”

  “I got thrown into a tree a few hours ago,” David said.

  The Heart Priest tsked softly. “There are some bruises, but they look days old.” Cool hands pressed against David’s back, making him jump a bit. Then he felt a strange, tingling sensation over his back. It was like his whole back had gone numb for a moment, but it also felt pleasantly cool. The Heart Priest took his hands away after a few moments, and the numb feeling went away, but his back still felt cool. More importantly, it didn’t hurt anymore.

  “I’m healed now?” he asked, trying to crane his head around enough to see his back.

  “You should be fine,” the Heart Priest said. “Take it easy for a day and don’t sleep on your back. Any injuries for you?” he asked Anur.

  She shook her head. “Just a few bruises.”

  The Heart Priest nodded. He put his things away in his bag, shaking his head. “The things they make Sword Priests go through,” he said to himself.

  David, Anur, and Niam shared a look. “We’re not Sword Priests yet, brother,” Niam said.

  “That makes it even worse,” the Heart Priest said with a huff. “Well, Vicar Draste told me you’re having your test soon. Good luck, I guess, on passing it. If you get injured, come find me in Thul, or another Heart Priest. We’ll put you to rights.”

  They nodded, and the Heart Priest left. Scatha returned from leaving Conal in his room. “No training tomorrow,” she said. “Good work.”

  Anur and David grinned, and Niam smiled tiredly. They helped Bellon to his feet, since he had nearly fallen asleep. After dropping him in his room, David left the girls behind to finally enjoy a long, hot bath. He spent nearly an hour in the bath, scraping off dirt and grime and dried blood. Finally, he felt clean and human again. He went to his little room, dropped his things on the floor, and fell into bed. He was asleep in less than a minute.

  11

  The Test

  David peeked around the corner. On the far side of the gymnasium sat seven Sword Priests. Scatha was there, and he recognized Chirn Hifen, the man who tested him to become an acolyte. The others he didn’t recognize, but four had the black cuffs and collar of a Vicar and one was dressed all in black – a Bishop. David swallowed hard at the sight.

  “Why are there so many people here?”

  Anur rolled her eyes. “They’re testing us, obviously. What, did you think it would be up to just Vicar Draste?”

  “Maybe,” David said, meaning yes. “I definitely didn’t expect a Bishop.”

  Conal leaned around the corner for a look. “That’s Bishop Iwel Longar,” he said, sounding awed. “He’s famous, you know. He’s the best spear fighter alive.”

  “Bishop Longar is far more than that,” Bellon said. He leaned casually against the wall, arms folded over his chest. Of all the acolytes, he alone didn’t look worried about the test. “Ten years ago, he saved the people of Rome on world 8320 from an army of vampires. When the city was destroyed, he helped them found New Rome.”

  David frowned. “Rome?”

  Bellon scowled at him. “You think you know better?”

  David quickly looked away. “No.” He thought Bellon must be mistaken though. Rome was a city on his Earth, and it had never been attacked by vampires. Maybe Bellon had misremembered the name. Or maybe there was more than one city in the cosmos called Rome – Brigid mentioned a second Boston. He peeked at Bishop Longar again. He was a powerfully built man with dark brown skin and short, orange hair. He had a square jaw and narrow eyes. Even looking at him from a distance made David nervous.

  He had little time to worry over it, because Scatha walked up to the group. They all stood straight and pretended they hadn’t been snooping. “Your test to become Sword Priests begins today,” Scatha said, looking at them each in turn. “Don’t embarrass me.” She walked back out into the gymnasium, and they followed her.

  The test would continue for three days, getting progressively harder. Today would be basic stuff: shooting, fitness and flexibility, weights, survival skills, general knowledge, and unarmed combat. Last night, the others had spent their time in the gymnasium, perfecting and polishing their skills, but David had been buried in books. His knowledge of Bantong was so limited – he still hadn’t opened The Condensed Tome of Ages, and he had been so panicked he’d read a few pages of it. He hadn’t gotten far; the writing was painfully dry, and the section he read had talked about founding some city thousands of years ago. He doubted there’d be much history on the Sword Priest test. If there was, he wouldn’t be passing regardless.

  Bellon walked confidently, his stride long and his shoulders high. Conal, Anur, and Niam moved more slowly, and, while they held their heads high, they looked liked they wanted to run and hide somewhere. David tried to imitate them and was sure he failed. His legs felt like jelly, and he wanted to cringe when the priests turned their gazes on him.

  “You may begin,” Chirn said. They bowed and started the test. They went through one exercise one at a time. Bellon went first, then Anur, then David, then Conal, then Niam. David was just glad to be in the middle, where he hoped to stick out less. It was bad enough having to watch Bellon and Anur while waiting for his turn. There was nothing he could do better than them. Of course, Bellon was the best at everything, so they’d all look bad in comparison to him. David tried not to think about it too much.

  He probably didn’t do his best, but he thought he did okay – if he didn’t compare himself too closely with the others, at least. He hit near the center every time during the shooting, even though the target moved. Fitness and weights were fine, possibly the only things that would go well. He managed survival skills without too much trouble: he could start a fire, tie knots, navigate, and perform basic first aid. When asked about poisonous plants, he mumbled something vague about bright berries being unhealthy.

  Of course general knowledge was his downfall, despite the amount of time he spent reading. He could only remember the names of four of the priest districts of Pardis – Valal for Sword Priests, Kumarkan for Lost Priests, Thul for Heart Priests, and Jod for Law Priests. Bellon and Anur hadn’t been asked that question, and he wondered if he’d only been asked because he was a traveler. They stopped asking him questions after that, and he knew he’d done horribly.

  He hoped to make up for his dismal performance with unarmed combat, but of course that wasn’t to be. Each of the acolytes were paired up with one of the Sword Priests running the test, with only Iwel Longar sitting out. David got paired with Scatha, and he knew his chances of doing well were gone. He’d barely spoken with Scatha since returning from world 7841 a few days ago. They hadn’t slept together, either. As he stood across the mats from her, waiting for the fight to begin, David couldn’t help but remember what she’d said to him that last night. She’d said that he wouldn’t become a brother, save for some miracle.

  He should have never slept with her. He’d thought it might help his chances, thought that she genuinely liked him. But they rarely talked, and she’d been openly contemptuous of him on that last night. He still didn’t know why she started the affair. She’d never said, and he’d never asked. Looking back now, he was sure she’d only come to him because of Bramira. The first night had been after she learned about Bramira. Like everyone else, she thought he was someone special. Once she’d learned he wasn’t, she lost interest.

  Any lingering resentment and disappointment she h
eld for him was sure to come out during this fight. Well, in fairness, even without any of that, he knew she wouldn’t hold back. He could only hope he wasn’t expected to win this fight. Anur hadn’t won her fight, and hadn’t seemed too disappointed. Of course, Bellon won his, and Bishop Longar had looked deeply impressed, but Bellon was sure to pass the test regardless.

  “Begin!” Chirn called. Scatha launched herself forward, faster than she ever had in practice. David swore and threw himself out of the way, barely in time. He rolled over quickly, springing back to the balls of his feet. Scatha turned in her crouch, sweeping a leg out. He jumped over it, landing just in time for her to kick him in the side with her other leg.

  He grunted and stepped back, trying to get some space, some room to breathe. She refused to let him, following him and throwing punches at him. He held up his arms, catching most of her blows. A few got through, and he grunted at each one of them. For a short woman, Scatha could really hit.

  Her arm lashed out again but, instead of hitting him, she grabbed his arm and twisted. He tried to break free, but she turned him and grabbed his other arm. Almost before he knew it, she was behind him, holding him a choke-hold, his arms pressed awkwardly against his back. He strained against her but couldn’t get purchase.

  Scatha held him for only a moment or two before letting go and stepping back. “Next!” Chirn said.

  David stood slowly, wincing. He glanced at the clock on the wall. The fight had lasted for barely three minutes. He walked off the mats, not looking at Bishop Longar or the other Sword Priests. He’d needed to do well, and hadn’t. Even Anur, who’d ended up losing, lasted a good ten minutes and got in a few hits.

  He collapsed on a bench beside Anur. She patted him on the shoulder. “There’s still two days of testing,” she said. He nodded listlessly. “And they haven’t seen you use Bramira.”