by Todd Herzman
What would she think of him, for doing such a thing?
‘Whoa,’ Liona said, after Huon had rambled at her for what must have been at least ten minutes. ‘That’s… a Celestial? I suspected there might be a higher advancement than Immortal… I’ve heard stories of such surgecallers, but you met one? And—’ She shook her head. ‘You’re bound to one? What is that like? You’re sure they can’t control you?’
‘I’m not sure of anything.’ Huon pulled his sleeve back down. ‘But it’s made me better, in ways I hadn’t expected.’ He explained that to her, too—the way he was suddenly proficient in water and wind, in the roar surge. The way he was able to mix his elemental essences, surging them at exactly the same time—splitting his mind to wield them simultaneously. ‘It’s like… like it’s unlocked something inside of me.’ Huon made a fist. ‘I’m not… stronger. My surges are at the same level, my core is the same—worse, maybe, now it takes longer for me to cultivate, as part of my essence goes to him. Still, I think…’ He lowered his hand, and looked at the ground. ‘I think it was worth it—I think it was the right thing to do.’
Liona took his hand, stopping him from walking any farther. She stared up at him. ‘It was the right thing to do. We might not know the consequences, but making that deal? It meant you escaped, Huon. And if you hadn’t have done that…’ She lowered her head. ‘I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get out of this tunnel, but you came to save me. If I were still in that cell, they would try to bind me again. They would try to take me back to the realm.’ She shook her head, more frantically this time, gripping his hand harder. ‘And I can’t do that.’
‘Then you would—’
‘Die, I know.’ Liona let go of his hand. ‘That means you saved my life, Huon. I—I didn’t know if I believed in your cause, if it were even possible, to kill the Everlasting King, but no matter how far we run, he, or one of his Immortals, his Honourbound… they’ll find us, won’t they?’
Huon bit his lip. He looked back the way they’d come, through the tunnel. ‘The Everlasting King is even more powerful than I imagined. He… he trampled over Arisalon, like it was nothing. Maybe there are other countries out there—stronger ones. Maybe they’ll band together, defeat him. But…’
‘He might win anyway.’
Huon nodded. ‘I don’t know if what I want to do is possible.’ Huon looked at the underside of his wrist, and for once, he looked at it with hope, not dread. ‘But this’—he pointed at the binding—‘this means something.’
Liona eyed the binding. ‘It does. I just… wish I knew what.’
Huon wished that, too.
‘I’m with you.’ Liona put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. ‘No matter how long it takes. We’ll advance together—and when we’re strong enough, we’ll strike back.’
Chapter 23
The tunnel stretched for miles. They didn’t run—the three Knights didn’t want to speed up finding out what was on the other side. Huon walked next to Liona, Sir Galen and Snow still taking the lead.
And they talked.
Of everything that had happened. She told him of the fights she’d been in since he’d lost against Jamison at the Justice Arena—the fights she’d began to win. She told him about Garl—why he hadn’t been in the palace dungeons. He’d been taken by the queen’s guards and questioned, as he’d been bound to the Immortal of Fire before coming to the arena.
Huon had been so focused on finding Liona he hadn’t even thought about Garl—something that made him feel guilty, considering he wouldn’t be alive if not for Garl sticking around to advance to Knight during the fight with the midnight-bear. It’s too late to go back now. Garl was a survivor. He’d be bound again, but he’d be alive. I’ll free him—all of them—one day.
Huon told Liona about… everything. Being taken by the Immortal of Fire, forced to hunt oathless—how Jakob had bested Blaze, then left Huon to be his slave.
Liona cursed Jakob’s name.
When they made it to the end of the tunnel, Huon wanted to hold Liona’s hand. He wanted to reach out and grab it. Feel… close to her. Why was he afraid of doing that, after all the things he’d faced? He touched his cheek, remembering the kiss she’d given him.
‘The coast is clear.’ Sir Galen patted Snow’s fur. ‘There’s no one here.’
The tunnel’s exit had required the same seal to be opened. Sunlight flooded in. It was still day time. It felt like it should be later, but Huon supposed the attack had started at dawn.
When they exited the passageway, they found themselves in a forest clearing. Huon looked around at the trees, took in the sounds of the birds, the wind swaying through the leaves. The forest reminded him of the Green Way. He couldn’t help but sigh in relief.
They’d done it—they’d gotten out of danger. At least for now. He surged his acute hearing, making sure there were no threats nearby. Once he was sure, he faced the other two.
‘What do we do now?’ Sir Galen asked, looking up at Huon.
Huon looked at Liona—there was a question in her eyes, too. They’re both looking to me. ‘We…’ Huon bit the inside of his cheek. Why are they looking at me?
‘You’ve gotten us this far, Huon.’ Liona nodded at him with a smile.
‘We have to get out of the queendom.’ He looked to Sir Galen. ‘Are there any neighbouring countries that might take us in? Anywhere safe from the Everlasting King?’
Sir Galen stared at the ground, forehead creased in thought. ‘Those of Arisalon have never been fond of outsiders, which means we don’t tend to have a good relationship with… anyone. And, well, Arisalon is one of the most powerful countries in Harolan—or, was. I never thought it would fall.’ He looked up at Huon, at Liona. ‘I’m not sure anywhere is safe, not with how quickly he took down the capital. The rest of Arisalon, all the remaining cities… they’ll surrender or flee. We won’t be the only refuges moving across borders. It isn’t going to be easy.’
Huon sighed. Easy. Of course it wouldn’t be easy—nothing in life ever was.
At least we’re free.
‘What about the Empire of Solitude?’ It was the only other place on the Harolan continent that he’d heard of, and the one person he’d seen from it had been… quite ferocious. We need to learn how to be ferocious, too. We need an instructor—someone who can bring us up to Champion and beyond.
Sir Galen scrunched up his face—Liona looked dubious, too. ‘I don’t know,’ the boy Knight said. ‘I’ve never heard anything good about that place… besides, it’s a long journey from here.’
‘Isn’t that good?’ Huon asked. ‘The farther away, the better, right? We need to make some distance between us and the army.’
‘Can we leave the continent?’ Liona asked.
They both stared at her. ‘Leave Harolan?’ Sir Galen gaped. ‘I… I don’t even know if that’s possible. We’d have to secure passage on a ship…’
Huon shut his eyes, contemplating it for a moment. He’d never even thought of that. But perhaps Liona was right—leaving the continent would put the most distance between them and the Everlasting King possible. He recalled what the Celestial had said, about this continent having lost its way—using the binding in ways it shouldn’t be used, corrupting it.
How did other places operate? The Everlasting King’s realm had to be the worst of the countries here. But even in Arisalon, people were bound until they reached Knighthood. In Landor, Huon and Liona had been bound against their will—to Sir Galen. Bindings are supposed to be voluntary, the Celestial had told him.
That hadn’t been Huon’s experience.
Huon touched the underside of his wrist. He wanted to shut his eyes, surge his thoughts, gain some manner of advice—but the Celestial had said Huon would not be able to contact him again. Not unless the man willed it. Huon was still a Knight—the way it sounded, the Celestial wouldn’t speak to him until he’d advanced well beyond that.
‘If we
were to do that… how would we gain passage?’
Sir Galen looked at the ground. After a second, he pulled something from inside his martial arts robes—it looked to have been strapped about his waist underneath.
A coin purse.
The boy opened it—it was filled to the brim with gold coins and shiny gems—not surge-gems, mind. Gems that looked to be worth… well, Huon had no idea how much they were worth. ‘My parents wanted me to be safe.’
‘Your parents?’ Liona asked, then her eyes widened, finally realising why the boy was here, it seemed. ‘Landor fell, and you…’ Liona hang her head. ‘I’m sorry for your loss, Sir Galen.’
‘You don’t have to keep calling me sir… you can call me Gale, if you like. It’s the nickname my mothers used when we weren’t receiving company.’
Liona gave a small smile. ‘Gale it is.’ She put a hand on his shoulder. ‘I know what it’s like to lose parents to the Honourbound, Gale. I promise’—her eyes became hard—‘one day, no one else will know that loss.’
Sir Galen—Gale—nodded sharply. He tied the coin purse full of gold closed.
‘Is this really what we all want to do? Leave the continent—sail into the unknown?’ Huon asked.
‘It’s only a matter of time before the Everlasting King takes over everything. If we run to the next country, or the one after that… we’ll just have to keep running as he expands his realm. It’s going to take years for us to become strong enough to face him,’ Liona said.
Years. Huon had known that, but hearing it aloud… it hadn’t even been a year since he’d been a Page, and he’d already moved up two advancement levels. The next won’t be so easy.
Huon looked at Gale. ‘It’s your money—are you sure this is what you want? You don’t have to follow us, if you don’t want to.’
Gale narrowed his eyes. ‘I want to.’ He clenched the coin purse in his fist. ‘I want him to pay.’
Huon touched Jakob’s ring. He hadn’t thought about the man who was his father all day. He wondered—did he think Huon was dead? He let him become a slave… had he been keeping tabs on him? Had he known he’d become Honourbound? They won’t have accounted for me, after that battle.
He didn’t know why he was thinking about Jakob now. He’s strong—stronger than us, and he wanted me to become strong, even if he went about it the wrong way… Huon disagreed with everything Jakob had done, but was leaving the continent truly what was best for them? I might be able to convince Jakob to train me.
No. Huon shook those thoughts away. He wanted nothing to do with his father. He wouldn’t receive the man’s training if Jakob begged him to.
I’m just afraid—afraid of what might be out there.
‘Okay.’ Huon nodded at Liona and Gale. ‘Let’s do this—let’s sail somewhere far away.’
~
The three Knights travelled to the nearest country, training along the way. They moved at a run just faster than a surge march. They didn’t need to exhaust themselves getting away.
Once Gale informed them that they’d crossed the border—a fact he knew from studying maps in his teaching to take over Landor—they relaxed a little.
They needed to get away from the continent—but that didn’t mean they couldn’t slow down. The Everlasting King’s army wouldn’t be able to move faster than them, and it would be back in Arisalon, securing a foothold.
Huon wrapped his arms around himself, pooling fire essence to his extremities. The farther they’d travelled this way, the colder it had become. It reminded him of the Shurin mountains, except the snow didn’t just fall at high peaks—it was on the ground, too.
Gale called this place Ganadon. Though they weren’t allies with Arisalon, they were the least antagonistic of their enemies.
They took their time reaching civilisation. Huon and Liona sparred. Huon tested his new abilities during the matches, while Liona showed off her deepening expertise in wind and water. She was still the better fighter, but with his ability to juggle his surges, the sparring matches were as close as they’d ever been.
Gale didn’t join in—he seemed to prefer spending his training time alone. He’d wander off as they fought, astride Snow, and come back a few hours later. Huon had to assume the boy was training while he was gone, as he never came back with any caught game.
As they travelled and trained, Huon felt his core… expanding. Though he wasn’t sure if that were the right word. They hunted beasts along the way, though they didn’t spend much time on it—long enough to get Liona some unique surges, something she’d been unable to do from within the arena.
They skirted around the main cities of the Ganadon Kingdom, until they made it to a large port town. By the time they reached the port town, Huon felt strong in every one of his surges. He could manipulate the wind in ways he’d never thought possible, create ice shards almost as easily as Liona, and he was even beginning to be able to form rock armour. His fire breathing had come along, too, and he’d successfully coupled it with his roar surge.
Every day, he’d grown stronger—every day, he’d found that he didn’t need to focus on a single surge—he could focus on multiple surges at once. He no longer felt like fire was his strongest—they were all becoming strong. That’s what my advantage will be, Huon thought. I won’t just be good at one thing—I’ll be good at them all. It was a tall order, and he wasn’t sure how true it was, but he knew his abilities were unique—at least among surgecallers he’d seen. The boy Knight had been surprised at what Huon could to. Those of a higher advancement may be able to juggle surges, but according to Gale, they never utilised it to its fullest like Huon was trying to do.
The people of Ganadon—fortunately for the three Knights—weren’t as distrustful as those from Arisalon. There was a guard at the gate to the port town, but he didn’t even stop the trio—he didn’t talk to them, let alone ask to see their wrists. Strange. It was unlike anything Huon had experienced before—there were plenty more surgecallers entering the city, pushing carts and leading caravans stocked full of goods. These people walked in and out of the gates freely—it was such a contrast to the Everlasting King’s realm, to Arisalon, that it almost made Huon uncomfortable.
Gale’s hand kept lingering around where his coin purse was underneath his martial arts robes as they passed through the crowded port town toward the docks. His eyes were darting about, and Huon didn’t blame him. As trusting at the guards seemed to be of people moving in and out, the people themselves looked… well, unsavoury seemed like a cruel word to describe them, but Huon wasn’t sure he had a better one. He’d never seen so many taverns so close together—even in Glenhaven, where there’d been one on every street corner. Laughter spilled out of these establishments, and it seemed like a fight was close to breaking out everywhere—though they’d yet to see any start.
The closer they got to the docks, the more Sir Galen’s hand clutched the coin purse. ‘Many of these men and women are pirates.’
‘Pirates?’ Liona asked. ‘What’s a pirate?’
Gale stared at her, blinking.
Huon had been holding the same question, but kept quiet.
‘You don’t have pirates in Glenhaven?’ Gale stopped himself. ‘No, of course you wouldn’t. Every surgecaller there is bound… Pirates sail the high seas, but instead of hunting sea monsters—beasts under the surface of the waves—they steal from other ships, or pillage coastal towns… all they seek is power, and money. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. There are no pirates in the forest.’
‘Surely we’ll be able to find a ship that doesn’t have pirates?’ Liona said.
‘I hope so,’ Gale said. ‘I’m starting to think we should have gone somewhere else.’
As dangerous as the people here seemed to look, Huon was glad they were far away from the war in Arisalon. These past few weeks, he found himself doing something he hadn’t for… well, for years—since his days of being trapped at home, hidden away from the w
orld.
He’d relaxed. He hadn’t stopped training, but he’d felt the tenseness in his shoulders—in his entire body—ease.
That tenseness returned in an instant as the three Knights found themselves cornered by a group of thugs on their way to the docks—three men and one woman, wielding strange, curved swords. They surrounded the Knights in an alleyway, popping out of the shadows as if from nowhere.
The one who appeared to be the leader—a man with a massive scar over his left eye—pointed his sword at Gale. ‘What is it you’re clutching so close, boy?’ A smirk pulled at the side of his lips. ‘Hand it over, and none of ya will get hurt.’
Chapter 24
Huon exchanged glances with Liona and Gale, then eyed the thugs. He clenched his fists—he had no idea how to tell what their level of advancements were. No idea how to know if they were Knights, Champions, Legends… The leader looked to be in his late twenties, maybe ten years older than Huon, but Huon didn’t know how old people advancement in Ganadon—he’d gotten that wrong in other places before.
Snow growled low in her throat. Gale’s hand left his coin purse, resting instead on his sword hilt.
Liona assumed a fighting stance. She still had no sword of her own, but she fought well enough with Huon’s spare dagger.
Huon stared at the leader. I don’t know what advancement this man is… but he doesn’t know what we are, either. He wished he still had access to his Core armour—he’d lost that when he’d had to bury it before entering Caralor.
He had nothing but his ability to surge everything at once—something that was beyond the abilities of a typical Knight. As long as they can’t tell what level of essence I’m surging… Huon surged fearlessness, he couldn’t let his true feelings reach the surface—he had to look cold. Cold, like Bern. Like Jakob. ‘You should walk away.’
The lead thug’s smile only grew. He stood taller than Huon, by at least a head. He stared down at him with that wild smirk.
