Sundered

by Bethany Adams

  “Perhaps we should have waited until after dinner,” Teyark murmured.

  Then Ralan was caught, stunned, in his mother’s embrace. “Laiala.”

  “I thought I’d never see you again!” she cried.

  “I—”

  “Hush. I need to look at you.” She placed both hands on his cheeks, searching his face for signs of injury. “The gods have answered my prayers. Ah, Ralan, you must not go away again, especially not without word.”

  Ralan could only stare at her. She hadn’t shown him such affection since his boyhood. He’d thought she cared little for him, but the tears in her eyes were real. They cut at him in a place he’d never realized was raw. What else hadn’t he seen about her? “I cannot promise to remain, at least in the palace, but I will not leave you so abruptly again.”

  She opened her mouth, probably to argue, but the king’s voice cut across the silent room. “Moranai Elaiteriorn i Ralantayan Moreln nai Moranaia—welcome home. We have long missed our son and now heir.”

  Ralan’s lips curved up. His father had not wasted the opportunity to confirm him as heir before they could argue over the matter, though the circlet announced it without words. The king would leave nothing to chance. “Perhaps we might speak in private?”

  Ralan followed his parents to the king’s personal antechamber, Teyark and Corath trailing behind. When they entered, Teyark settled beside his bonded near the window, his expression clearer than any mental message: This explanation is on you. Ralan gave his brother a mock salute as he took a seat across from the king. He didn’t want to be here, either, so he could hardly blame Teyark.

  Damned shifting futures.

  “You must be wondering about my sudden arrival,” Ralan began, holding back a snicker at that understatement. “Unfortunately, there is serious trouble. And it’s all caused by Kien.”

  “Kien? How could he be to blame?” the king demanded.

  Ralan’s heart pounded. The question brought back the worst memories, ones of their parting. Ralan’s visions concerning Kien had already torn their relationship apart once. “Believe me or not. I do not care.”

  The king scowled. “It’s impossible.”

  Like a punch to the gut, the words forced the air from Ralan’s lungs. When he’d first returned to Moranaia and contacted his father, the king had acted regretful. So much for that. Ralan stood, ready to leave the small reception room as he had the great hall centuries before. “I should have known better than to come here.”

  “Ralan, wait.” Alianar jerked to his feet and took a step toward his son. “Not because of you. Not…not like last time. You were right about Kien. But he wasn’t exiled to Earth. He was banished to a small colony of outcasts.”

  “Then he escaped,” Ralan bit out.

  His mother let out a soft cry. “It’s my fault. I must have done something wrong.”

  A surprising softness crossed Alianar’s face. Were his parents on the verge of another marriage alliance? He’d thought his father wanted no more children. “Enielle, you are not to blame.”

  Eyes downcast, she didn’t answer. Ralan let out a sigh. “He’s right, Laiala. But it doesn’t matter who is to blame,” he said. “Kien is on Earth, and he’s creating havoc. His poisoned energy is spreading across multiple magical realms, causing madness and sparking betrayal.”

  Ralan returned to his seat, waiting for his father to do the same before going into more detail. By the time he had finished recounting recent events, the hour had grown late. Noise from the diners in the adjoining great hall faded into nothing as disappointed courtiers sought their beds. He wondered how many lingered in the hall like statues, hoping their patience would reward them with the sight of Ralan storming from the room or with news about the state of accession. This time, they were destined be disappointed.

  “So this is why you have returned,” the king finally said, his eyes full of grief. “I suppose it is enough.”

  “To forget the past, to forgive…” Ralan glanced away. “It will take some time.”

  The silence was heavy, though not as strained as expected. Then the king leaned forward, and his shift in demeanor had Ralan bracing for something unpleasant. “You didn’t bring her.”

  He should’ve known. Ralan’s breath hissed out in a rush. “I will not bring Eri until I know it is safe. She is too important to risk.”

  “You wound me to imply I would hurt a child.” Alianar pounded a fist on the arm of his chair, but the terrible heat of his temper was surprisingly absent. Only hurt. “Even through your bitterness, you must know that. I’ll not ask her to use her talents. In fact, I will no longer ask you. Give what information you will, for I will not force it.”

  Ralan’s eyes widened. Before his departure, he’d worked closely with his father. The monarch always had a seer to advise him if possible. “But it is customary—”

  “I no longer care for custom.” Alianar waved a hand. “I’ve been three centuries without a seer, and Moranaia still stands. I was blind to what my demands did to you, and I will not fall into that again. Even less would I order such from a child.”

  The mention of his daughter brought tension to Ralan’s muscles once more. “I don’t fear you. Not anymore. Once, but…” A helpless laugh escaped. “Eri is a law unto herself. The futures are too fragile to bring her to our seat of power. There’d be chaos, and we don’t need that kind of distraction. If we don’t act quickly and well, even Moranaia could fall.”

  Eri skipped through the grass, morning dew darkening her slippers, as Lyr stood before the portal to see Kai and Arlyn off. Beside him, Meli squeezed his hand in reassurance while he sought inside himself for what he wanted to say. His daughter had come to mean so much in only a month. Fear for her choked the words in his throat.

  Both Kai and Arlyn hefted packs full of supplies and then exchanged a worried glance. Lyr’s daughter turned to him. “We’ll be okay. I’m experienced in the woods, and the abandoned camp should be fairly safe. It’s a national park.”

  Lyr let go of Meli and enfolded Arlyn in a hug, ignoring the jabs of weaponry and the awkward bulk of her pack. “Come back.”

  “Ralan’s vision said Kien would not return.” She squeezed once and then pulled away. “It should be a quick mission, since Ralan told us what we’re looking for. I have the crystal holding the counter spell safe in my pack, ready to go.”

  “I know. But it’s your first time going back to Earth. I…” He gripped her shoulders. “Just come back. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” Arlyn replied, her expression softening. “We’ll return soon. Try not to worry so much, okay? Moranaia is my home now. And I don’t think Ralan would send us into danger.”

  Lyr bit back a curse at the thought of the prince. “I suppose we’ll see.”

  Then he watched as part of his heart disappeared through the gate.

  Arlyn’s breath hitched for a moment as the cool, swirling gray of the Veil wrapped around her again. On her last trip through, she’d walked for…days? Years? She shuddered to consider how easily she could have been trapped here. Then Kai’s hand wrapped around hers, and he sent reassurance along their bond. She exhaled slowly before sending back her gratitude.

  “Thanks.”

  “You will not wander this time. Let me show you.”

  Merged with him, the strands of color she had barely glimpsed before flared to life. Kai’s energy expanded, seeming to wrap around a strand of palest blue. He latched on, and the world tilted askew as they hurdled across fathomless space. Though the mists caught at them, they stumbled through the portal into woods as familiar to her as her breath.

  His hand still squeezed hers. “The Veil has grown rough these past days, but not too bad. Next time, you can try it.”

  “Me?”

  He shrugged. “You’ve some sonal talents to train, if you’ve forgotten.”

  Arlyn reddened, not wanting to admit that she had. Her focus had been on her lessons with Selia. “Why did we come out
here? Is it the only portal?”

  “It’s the main one.” He studied the clearing. “Any others are connected through this one. Normally, I would have found their separate strands when we grew near, but I thought you might want to see your home. Your first one.”

  Did she? Arlyn had made peace with leaving Earth behind. She’d told her few friends and neighbors that she was moving across country. Automatic payments were deducted from her bank account for the caretaking service that maintained the yard around her house. Unsure of how her journey to Moranaia would go, she’d been hesitant to sell or rent her family home, bought by her grandfather when he moved from Ireland.

  “After three years in Earth time, I suppose I should at least check on it.” She started down the trail. “But quickly.”

  The old farmhouse, somewhat out of place in the forested hills, stood in the middle of a large clearing just as she remembered it. The white wooden siding was faded, but the lawn was well-kept. At least nothing had gone wrong with the payments. On the far side of the clearing, the apple trees her grandmother had tried to cultivate grew wild. She’d always laughed about them, saying she’d wanted some reason to live in a farmhouse.

  Arlyn had been afraid she might feel some draw or regret, but she didn’t. Only the glow of pleasant memories. Another lifetime, removed but well-remembered. Her father’s house was the home of her heart. She squeezed Kai’s hand, realizing what it had cost him to bring her here. Even with their bond, he worried that she would want to stay.

  “Looks like it’s being well-maintained. I wonder if I should sell it.”

  He relaxed. “Do you need to? It would be useful to own the land the portal is on. Are there laws that say you must live here?”

  “No.” She frowned as she tugged Kai back toward the gate. “Though when too many Earth years have passed for me to look so young, I’ll have to figure something out.”

  “That’s easy enough. There are a few Moranaians who live here, and I’m sure Ralan knows how to handle that sort of thing.”

  Their trip through the portal was faster this time, so much so that she barely saw the strands he grasped. They emerged into a more mountainous area, the forest here wilder. Untouched. The lack of human inhabitants was a sense she couldn’t describe, but she knew it to be true.

  At least the portal opened onto a fairly flat area. They were cupped in a large valley that stretched ahead of them until it ended at the foot of another mountain. If Kien’s base was down there, they wouldn’t have to do too much climbing.

  Arlyn glanced at Kai. “Did Ralan say how far away the camp is?”

  “Not to me. I’d hoped he told you.” He peered up at the sun, midway across the sky. “It would be nice if we could make it before dark.”

  They crept through the forest, searching for any sign of life. Kai held his sword unsheathed, and Arlyn had taken out her bow. Tourists rarely hiked this deep in the Smoky Mountains, but they wouldn’t risk their lives on it. Besides that, the wild animals present in the park cared nothing for their mission. Vigilance was key.

  When they found the camp, the sun had hardly moved. The smell hit first, the scent of decomposition clear. She gave Kai a look of concern. He’d gone pale, and his hand squeezed the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned white. Was he remembering what he’d seen on Neor? Arlyn gripped her own bow, dread rising through her. Dread that ended in vomit when they reached the perimeter of spikes, body parts of all kinds speared at the top.

  The pack pushed heavy against her back as she bent to empty her stomach. Kai held her so she wouldn’t topple, his fury flowing through their bond. After a few moments, Arlyn wiped her mouth and struggled to stand against the awkward weight of all she carried. Kai helped her balance and then pulled her into his arms. They stayed that way for several minutes, gaining strength.

  Never in her life had she seen such a thing. Though killing Allafon had been gruesome, it had also been quick and necessary. Body parts… Arlyn forced those thoughts to a halt before she became ill again. Then she searched for her courage. Stopping Kien was just as necessary as stopping Allafon had been. More so, really. There was no telling how many camps he had established, how many people he had murdered, in pursuit of his dark spell.

  Arlyn pulled away from Kai and faced the gauntlet of spikes, trying not to look at what they displayed. Feeling Kai’s resolve, she started forward. Into insanity. It was impossible to avoid evidence of torture and depravity, no matter how hard she wished to dodge them. In the center of the camp, Earth-style tents sat abandoned, specks of blood staining the sides of the light green nylon. On the far end, a headless body stretched between two trees.

  She glanced away quickly, but the sight had already burned into her memory. Nausea churned with every step, but Arlyn forced herself to hunt for the source of Kien’s spell. An iron rod with a crystal on the end, Ralan had said. She and Kai split up, albeit reluctantly, to search faster. Arlyn snagged a stick from a pile near the abandoned fire pit and used it to push aside anything questionable. She didn’t want to consider what some of those things were.

  After a mercilessly brief time, Kai called from the other side of the camp. Arlyn rushed over, ready for the task to be over, and almost sobbed at the sight of the crystal the size of her fist jutting up from the short grass. This area was clear of blood, although she could see more gruesome spikes not far away.

  Arlyn examined the ground, nonetheless, before shrugging off her pack and lowering herself to the grass. The energy that pulsed around the crystal added more churning to her already upset stomach, but she tried her best to ignore it. Such a beautiful thing to be a source of poison. The iron pole was short but wrapped delicately around the base of the crystal, obviously wrought to hold the stone.

  She bit her lip as the iron pulled at her power. Could she convert the metal while it still held the crystal? She wouldn’t be able to perform the second spell unless she did. Kai placed a hand on her shoulder, offering silent reassurance. Arlyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she gathered her energy. There was no choice. If the poison were to be disrupted, she would have to succeed.

  Arlyn stretched out her hands, hovering them around the iron. The dark energy of the spell within the crystal buffeted her, but Kai’s presence steadied her against the sensation. She shoved her energy resolutely forward. Sweat beaded her brow from the effort, from the heat of the sun pounding down. From the nausea that still rode her. Still, she pushed.

  When she finally succeeded, the snap was audible, a sound like a stick breaking underfoot. The black bar of iron looked the same, but energy flowed around it without impediment.

  Arlyn slumped back against Kai’s legs, her breath coming in sharp pants. That was the most iron she’d ever converted, and her muscles shook from the effort. Yet she still had to activate the spell to disable the crystal. A groan ripped from her throat at the thought, but as she sat, energy began to trickle in, restoring her.

  Arlyn frowned up at Kai. “Don’t give me too much. You still have to guide us back to Moranaia.”

  “This is more important,” he argued.

  “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather not be stuck near this nightmare.” Arlyn leaned forward, steadying herself for a moment with a hand in the grass. “I’ll be okay. I already feel a little better.”

  Arlyn pulled a pouch from her belt and upturned the contents into her palm. An apple-sized crystal, round and almost impossibly clear, reflected a shimmery circle of sunlight into her hand. It was a powerful piece, imbued with a counter spell by Selia and Corath, but she didn’t have time to admire it. She scooted close to the iron pole, her crossed legs not quite touching it. Again, she gathered her energy.

  It pooled in her hands like water from a stream, and she visualized it flowing into the stone. After a few heartbeats, the crystal began to glow. The spell trapped within hummed to escape, and the force of it numbed her hands. But she held on, shoving in as much of her own energy as she dared. When the magical press
ure built until she could barely contain it, Arlyn lowered the stone over the poisoned crystal. Even her breath stilled. She had only this chance.

  She received another wash of energy from Kai, but she had no time to rebuke him. Her focus was on the power that clamored to be free and the moment—now.

  As the spell broke, Arlyn slammed the two crystals together and did her best to hold on. From within the globe, the energy of Moranaia shot free to light the surrounding area in a golden glow. Her hair whipped about her with the force of it. From around her, she heard the clatter of falling spikes. And other things she would rather not consider.

  The Moranaian energy fought for a moment with the poisoned stone, a clash that tested her strength and her stomach. Her arms trembled, and she sensed Kai behind her, steadying her. Still, the light and the battle raged on until she could see nothing but gold. Arlyn had no idea how much time passed, but finally the poisoned crystal gave way to her stone. One final push of energy from the Moranaian globe pulsed through the crystal. Then the light winked out.

  Arlyn’s numbed arms dropped into her lap and the globe rolled away as Kai plopped down heavily beside her. When the Neorans had entered Moranaia, the poison had been purified from their systems without any ill effects, so it had seemed a simple thing to use that same process to disrupt the spell. So much for that. She laughed, the odd, choked sound breaking the silence.

  Incredulous, Kai gaped at her. “What?”

  “I don’t think even Selia expected…that.” Her chuckles subsided as she stared at the dull stone now useless on the pole. “Do you have enough power to take us through the Veil?”

  He paused to consider. “If I drew in energy, yes. But even with the spell disrupted, I’d rather not do so here.”

  Her gaze landed on an arm that had fallen a few feet away, and she almost gagged. “Me neither.”

  “I can return us to your house, I think. A few moments and some energy, and I’ll be ready to take us through.”