Bonded Spirits: Book Three

by Daniel, Jake

  Daylight was approaching soon, and the roaring fire from earlier was reduced to glowing embers, so we finally called it a night.

  I stood and stretched. With my seat unoccupied, DeVito immediately pulled himself up and got comfortable. I knew he’d been waiting for my chair the entire time he was sitting by my feet. I gave him a pat on the head and nodded. “I know I still need to process everything. This world is not safe right now, and if I am the rightful heir to the throne, that will only make the target on my back that much larger.” I gave Matt a second to respond, but all he could do was rub his temples as if trying to quell the world’s largest migraine. I chuffed and slapped him on the shoulder. “Try to get some rest. We can talk in the morning over a cup of coffee.”

  Matt turned his head toward me. “I hate coffee.”

  I shrugged. “Maybe you should go home.” I laughed and motioned for Matt to follow me upstairs. “We’ve got an extra room up here. There may be a couple gnomes sleeping in the corner, but the bed should be free.”

  “Gnomes?” He shook his head. “Never mind… I probably don’t want to know.”

  DeVito watched as Matt reached the stairs and lowered his head slowly as he undoubtedly concluded that stairs were just not worth it at the moment.

  We reached the top of the stairs, and both Cress and Shah readied their weapons. Cress stepped forward. “Is he a prisoner? Why is he here?” She moved her blade toward my brother’s throat and I immediately saw the beads of sweat form on Matt’s forehead as his eyes shifted between my newly bonded women. I could see a new intensity in each of their eyes, something that assured me that if they were not already willing to die for me before, they would kill their own brother if it meant protecting me.

  I laughed and pushed Cress’s blade away gently. “It’s okay. He’s my brother. He’s come to… visit. But he’ll be heading back home at first light.”

  The lizard-girls nodded and moved out of the hallway to let us through. Shah looked Matt up and down and scoffed. “This man is nothing like you, my love. His hands look like a woman’s and he smells of spices. Are you sure he is a male?”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. If it were not so late, I would’ve let the girls roast my brother for hours. Matt was shaking with anger. I knew I needed to get him to his room before he did something he regretted or ended up dead.

  There was indeed a family of gnomes sleeping in the corner of the small room when we entered. They hadn’t said a word to me since arriving from their foggy city in the north. They carried around a little doll of what looked like a human, and whispered prayers to it each night. According to Isobel, gnomes considered themselves better than the others at the manor, and every time someone tried to join them or wouldn’t agree to worship their doll, their “spokesman” would make a scene saying they broke some sort of covenant.

  They were ultimately harmless, more annoying than anything else. They spent most days yelling at others about ‘gnome’s rules’ or some bullshit. I would deal with them when the time came. For now, they got to keep my brother company.

  Matt turned to me as he neared the bed. “They aren’t going to eat me, right?” He grabbed for his sports jacket pocket and shifted cautiously toward the bed.

  I laughed and shook my head. “Nah, I think you’ll be all right. Just keep your toes up off the ground until morning.”

  He glanced down at his feet. “My toes? What are they going to do to my toes?”

  I shrugged. “Goodnight, Matty. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  His eyes widened and moved closer to the bed and pulled back the heavy patchwork quilt that one of the village tailors had gifted me. He climbed inside and I reached the door to exit before turning around. “Sleep tight.”

  He responded with a grunt, and I shut the door behind me. I stopped as I reached the sisters. I looked back to ensure Matt hadn’t followed me out of the room and spoke in a loud whisper. “Will you two keep an eye on him tonight? I don’t want him wondering off and getting himself killed before I can get him home.”

  They both exchanged glances that told me they were about to laugh. Cress finally straightened her face and nodded. “We will ensure your brother remains safe.”

  I kissed each of them and reached for the door of my room. “Thank you. I will see you both in the morning.”

  I slipped into bed and couldn’t stop thinking about the letter I had read. I calmed slightly as Dahlia wrapped her arm over my stomach and Gwen snuggled in on my other side. I knew as soon as I dropped my brother off tomorrow, I’d need to speak to Teng. I felt a little betrayed that Teng had kept me in the dark about so much, especially about my past. I needed to know more; I needed to know the truth.

  It felt like I had just closed my eyes by the time I heard a commotion out in the hall. The first signs of dawn were already creeping in through the large picture window in our room.

  I propped myself up on my elbows and looked around. Each of the girls was on alert as well, even Chloe, who could probably sleep through a tornado.

  “What’s going on?” Dahlia asked, and scooted to the edge of the bed.

  Gwen stood and pulled on her tight leather armor. “It’s probably Logan’s brother. I’m guessing he wouldn’t kiss the gnome’s doll or something.”

  Isobel, Dahlia, and Chloe all snapped their heads in Gwen’s direction. Isobel furrowed her brow and stepped forward while fastening her tight-fitting red cloth shirt, which stretched nicely around her shapely breasts. “Did you say brother?”

  I nodded. “It’s a long story. He’s going back home today.” I was the first one dressed, but the girls were not far behind me.

  The commotion intensified, and as I opened the door, I stood face-to-face with Shah. She didn’t even flinch as she met my eyes. “Logan, your brother. He’s behaving strangely.”

  Shah stepped to the side, revealing Cress with a knee in the middle of Matt’s back, pinning him to the ground.

  My immediate thought was that he had forgotten where he was. When I looked closer, I nearly choked. Wrapped around his leg was one of the gnome women, and she was completely naked. Her small ass wriggled back and forth as she clawed at Matt’s pants.

  Cress turned again while keeping pressure on Matt’s back. “He needs to take it. Gnomes do not handle rejection well. She will not stop until she receives his seed.”

  I laughed and shook my head. “Well Matt, are you ready to have your Aurilon cherry popped?”

  Matt glanced up at me with wide eyes. “Logan, you better get her off me now, so help me god.”

  I stepped over him and stopped at the naked gnome that had a death grip on his leg. “Sorry, but you’re going to have to take him on a date first.” A small part of me wanted to drag it out, but the panic in his eyes made me feel a little sorry for him. I reached down to grab her arm and she bared her teeth at me.

  I gripped her arm and gave it a swift yank. “As much as I’d love to let you have your way with him… he’s got… to be… going home... now.” I finally broke the gnome’s abnormally powerful grip free from Matt’s leg, and he scrambled to his feet.

  “Logan, get me the fuck out of here. I can’t handle this shit.” Matt’s eyes were bloodshot, and I was sure that he hadn’t slept throughout the night.

  “Let’s go outside and get you a little fresh air.” I turned to head down the stairs and realized all of my girls had been watching our interaction with a mixture of amusement and intrigue. I paused and aimed an arm back at Matt as he dusted himself off. “Ladies, this is Matt, he’s my brother. Gwen, Shah, and Cress already had the pleasure of meeting him. I’m not sure if he is too keen to stay here much longer.” I paused and looked at the snarling gnome, who was backing slowly down the hall. “But, maybe he will change his mind once he spends the day here.”

  Dahlia looked up at me with sweet eyes. “You should show him the Vale. Or maybe Teng’s temple.” She shifted her eyes to Matt. “There really is so much to take in, this is an amazing place to live. Logan
has done so much here to provide a place where we can all live peacefully.”

  “And he’s got the biggest cock in Aurilon,” Chloe interrupted before Dahlia could continue.

  Matt glanced between the women with a look of utter confusion. “Uh, good for him? Look, I’m sure you’re all great, but I really don’t think I would survive here.” He walked down the hall and stopped near the top of the stairs, where he came face-to-face with Isobel. Isobel’s ears pricked, and I knew I needed to get Matt outside before he became completely overwhelmed.

  “Let’s go, Matt.” I nudged him from behind, and we headed down to the main room.

  “Heading out already?” Wofferd called from his spot near the fireplace.

  I nodded, and Dahlia handed me my knife, which I promptly slid into its sheath. “I am going to take Matt for a brief tour of the Vale. Don’t drink all the coffee before I get back.”

  Wofferd scoffed and waved a hand dismissively. “Why don’t you take this dog with you. We nearly had a battle this morning about my spot.”

  I smiled and looked at my sleeping dog. “Good luck with that.” I paused and turned back to my girls. “We have a new resident at the manor. I want you all to be careful not to be sucked in by his handsome looks.” The bulldog ripped a loud fart right as I finished, as if he’d timed it. The girls rushed over and squeezed his rolls. I shook my head as I reached for the front door. “Lucky bastard.”

  Chapter Ten

  We spent the next several minutes tacking up my favorite of the massive black draft horses around the manor. We’d grown quite the stable over the past week and were up to about fifteen horses total.

  The girls went about their daily tasks, helping around the manor and the Vale, each giving me a kiss before heading off. The kobold clan was already busy with their digging tasks, as they had been for the last week. I had the kobold clan digging escape tunnels strategically around the lake, and they’d nearly completed five separate routes. The caves themselves were still crude, but would work if the residents needed a quick escape.

  Dahlia waved as she wrapped her arm in Chloe’s. “We’re off to check on my newest crop of flowers. I planted some that only take a couple of days to harvest. I’m hoping they’re ready so we can make a few new healing recipes.”

  Across the lake, Gwen and Isobel were sparring. I put them in charge of training our growing defense force, at least when I couldn’t provide the training. It only took one session for all the men to realize that they had to listen to what the women said or they would get their asses handed to them.

  Shah and Cress passed with arms full of materials for the goblin builders. Each time they passed us, they eyed Matt curiously. I knew they didn’t quite trust him.

  Matt watched as the lizard-sisters walked toward the back of the manor with a stack of lumber propped up on each of their shoulders. “Don’t they ever sleep?”

  I shrugged. “I try to get them to sleep all the time, but they always refuse. They’re the hardest workers I’ve ever met.”

  Matt placed his hands on his hips and looked around. “There sure are some strange women here.”

  “They are all amazing and unique. Even that gnome that wanted your nuts this morning.” I laughed and thought about the death grip she had on his leg earlier.

  Matt let out a long breath. “Well, are we ready for this little tour?”

  “Almost. I need to speak to Teng before we do anything else. Feel free to stop in the tavern to grab a bite to eat. Gwen’s sisters will take good care of you.”

  Matt turned and walked over to the tavern with his hands on his hips. “Okay, I suppose a little food would be a good idea.”

  I left him and hurried up to the temple. “Teng? Master Teng? Are you up here?”

  I was about to turn around and head back down below when I heard his voice come from behind the temple. “Back here.”

  I rounded the corner and spotted Teng hovering about five feet in the air. Out of all the strange things I’d seen during my time in Aurilon, I still wasn’t used to seeing the occasional floating centaur. “Master Teng, I fear you’ve neglected to tell me a few things.”

  Teng kept his eyes closed and continued focusing on his levitation as he responded. “Yes, I may have omitted a few details. It was not the right time to tell you before.”

  I felt the anger rising inside me as I tried to control my breathing. “Teng, being the rightful heir of a strange kingdom that you only learned about two months ago is not something I should’ve discovered in a letter from a man who I thought was my grandfather my entire life.”

  “Everything has happened in this sequence for a reason. When you have lived for as long as I have, you understand this. What is meant to happen, will happen. It was not the right time to tell you before. Nor was it my place to tell you.” Teng lowered to the ground and was slowly surrounded by a brilliant display of energized spirit.

  My mind was racing, looking for some sort of excuse on why he should’ve told me, but I knew deep down he was right. I took a deep breath and refocused on Teng.

  He opened his eyes and smiled at me. “I can tell you that your mother was an amazing woman. Her kindness brought hope throughout Aurilon. Your father, Henry Whitehall, was one of the bravest human men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. You seem to have picked up his knack for hunting as well. He was one of the best huntsmen in all of Aurilon.”

  “Is it true that Striker was the one who sold them out to Corlinius?” I already knew the answer, but I had to hear it from someone in order for me to believe it.

  Teng nodded slowly. “Yes, it is true.” He ambled toward the front of the temple and I followed. “Striker was madly in love with your mother. When she chose Henry over him, well, his ego couldn’t handle it.”

  “And what about my scar?” I asked, still shaking slightly.

  “Yes, your scar. Your mother, father, William, and I used some ancient magic to protect you. Even though William and Henry were human, they still contained spirit, which they transferred to you during the ceremony. It forever tied you to them. It was enough to ensure your survival in the otherworld. It was already predetermined that the spirit would eventually fade and you would find your way back to Aurilon. We just didn’t know when.”

  My thoughts fell on my grandfather. “So when I came through that tunnel with Gwen, I used up the last bit of spirit that was keeping me alive on Earth? Removing what remained of the spirit in his core.”

  Teng nodded. “That is correct. He lived a long, full life. Unfortunately, Liliana’s core was severely damaged, and so cursed by the other Sali, that by the time we finished that ceremony, she sealed her fate. She stayed alive long enough to ensure you would remain safe as you grew. I can guarantee if you asked them they’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”

  “What about my father, Henry?” I asked.

  “Henry held off Corlinius long enough to get your mother and William through the tunnel. He fought bravely and actually saved my life. However, it wasn’t enough, and by the time it was over, Corlinius destroyed the tunnel, believing he had taken out every remaining Whitehall.”

  My hands were sore from clenching them so tightly. Their plan had worked, and I returned. I knew it wasn’t just a coincidence. Now it was time for me to earn what they had so freely given to me. “Thank you, Teng.” I paused and pulled the scroll from the chest out of my bag. “Before I forget. Are you able to read the language on this scroll?”

  Teng reached out and grabbed the paper from me and rolled it out carefully. “Logan, you must not let this out of your sight. It is very ancient magic. There is significant history… and power, held in that scroll.”

  I was about to ask him more about it but I sensed something moving behind me. “Matt?”

  Matt stepped out of the shadows and looked awestruck by Master Teng. “Uh, Logan, ready to show me around?”

  “Yes, I was just about to head back down. Matt, this is Master Teng Shun. He has been an amazing instructor a
nd friend.”

  Teng stepped forward and I thought for a second Matt was going to shit himself. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  Matt reached out and shook Teng’s hand. He stammered slightly as he tried to respond. “And, you.”

  A strange expression flashed across Teng’s face, but disappeared in an instant. He nodded and eyed Matt carefully for several seconds. “I hope you enjoy your stay here. I’ll be interested to see if you enjoy it as much as your brother does.”

  Matt stepped backwards and smiled. “It has surprised me at every turn. I’m honestly not sure what I think yet.” He let out a small, nervous laugh.

  “Thank you, Teng. I have a few more questions, but I will save those for after I take Matt for a little tour.” I still needed to know more about the events leading up to my parents’ deaths. I also wanted to know what led to the Corlinius rise to power.

  I started down from the temple a short distance behind Matt and was stopped by a brilliant flash of yellow. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the bright light, and by the time they did, I was able to clearly make out the small, yet beautiful face of the fairy queen, Jun. “Hello, Jun. What brings you down here?”

  Jun hovered in front of me for a few seconds before taking a seat on my shoulder. I looked over and her body turned translucent. “I had a dream last night, and I felt like I needed to check on you. Did I overhear that we have a visitor?”

  “Yes, my brother is visiting from the other world. I wanted to show him a little more of the Vale.” I paused and looked through the queen’s body. “How are you able to do that? That is amazing.”

  She let out a sweet laugh. “You should know, it’s one of your skills. I’m able to take on the skills of anyone I am touching at any point. You have so many to choose from, it’s amazing.”

  I’d almost forgotten about the camouflage skill I picked up from the sisters. I’d been so thrown by my brother’s arrival that I hadn’t tested it out or worked on ranking it up. “That is a very useful skill to have.” I reached over and scooped her into my palm. I closed my eyes to read her thoughts or even get more information about her, but her mind had basically a steel door, which I didn’t have the key to.