Heretic Spellblade

by K D Robertson

  “But can’t that still happen?” Nathan grimaced and drummed his fingers against the table. The sound echoed around the room. “Like I said, I traded one war for another. By invading the Empire, the Federation opened a hole that allowed the demons a foothold in the middle of Doumahr. But although I’ve stopped the Federation, now my only choice is to invade them in return. What happens if I tear open that same hole in the Federation? Won’t the demons find a way through anyway?”

  Finishing the last of the scones, Kadria dismissed the empty plate and the half-empty bowls. She continued to twirl the knife in her hands, as if she wanted something to keep her hands busy.

  “That is how cause-and-effect works,” Kadria explained, not looking at Nathan. “You change something, and something else happens. How do you think the world would change if you were never born? Do you think it would be exactly the same? That someone else would spring up out of nowhere to do all the things that you did in your world?”

  “What if it was the same?” Nathan answered, a trace of bitterness in his voice.

  Kadria smirked and finally looked at Nathan. “Ah, I see what you are getting at. We call those predetermined events. They’re rare, but some worlds have them. Or perhaps you might call them archetypes of worlds.”

  Nathan didn’t have the slightest idea what Kadria meant. Archetypes of worlds? What was she even talking about? He remained silent.

  Continuing, Kadria said, “A predetermined event is something that always happens in some form. Avoiding them is complex. A world may have a war that takes place. Originally, that war is caused by a particularly charismatic leader. But if you remove that leader from the equation, a war takes place because of a different leader, and between different countries. The war is different, the actors change, and even the ideologies and the reasons for the war are different, but the fact that a war happens remains constant.”

  Kadria spread her hands wide and shook them in the air. “Predetermined events are spooky.” She winked at Nathan.

  “So, what you’re saying is that the war between the Federation and the Empire is a predetermined event?” Nathan asked, trying to follow Kadria.

  “Not this war in particular,” Kadria replied, looking at a time. “But there will always be a war around this time period. If the Federation and Empire can’t start one, then there are plenty of other nations with bones to pick with an old enemy. I may even argue that you’re better off with the devil you know, than some unknown maniac that you don’t.”

  “That sounds absurd,” Nathan said.

  “I did say that reality is far more complex than it seems.” Kadria smiled. “Don’t worry about it too much. What you should worry about are the wars taking place that you know nothing about.”

  Nathan grimaced. This was exactly why he had come to meet Kadria.

  Beyond the problems he had with Seraph and Vera were the much larger problems plaguing him politically. The Empire waged war with two opponents, and neither war had happened in Nathan’s timeline.

  The first was the war between Trafaumh and the Empire. Although the Empire had attacked Trafaumh in Nathan’s timeline, the surprise attack by the Federation had ended hostilities on the northern front. The Empire had been destroyed practically overnight by the ensuing demonic invasion, rendering the “war” with Trafaumh a historical footnote. As a result, Nathan knew next to nothing about how things might play out.

  And of course, there was this new war between the Empire and the Federation. Nathan had a better grasp of the actors here, as he now knew Leopold and had a history with Torneus. But what worried him was that this war was happening at all.

  “Trafaumh can take care of itself,” Nathan said. “I don’t have the time to worry about both wars.”

  “You’re just making excuses,” Kadria teased. “What you’re really looking for is a reason to go to Falmir, aren’t you? Your old homeland.”

  Nathan shrugged. There was no reason to lie here. “My goals here are twofold: stop the demons from invading Doumahr; and to reunite with my former Champions. If I’m at war with the Federation, then I may as well gather up those nearby. But Vala is in Falmir. I need to find an opportunity to get her back.”

  “Is that it?” Kadria asked.

  She clearly suspected more. Truthfully, he had other reasons to go back. The coup that transformed the Kingdom of Falmir into merely Falmir still stung. He knew that—given the opportunity—the conspirators would bring down the kingdom the first opportunity they had.

  Perhaps that was a predetermined event, like this war with the Federation seemed to be. Or maybe Nathan was getting ahead of himself.

  Kadria watched him, her eyes searching for something within his.

  He waved her off. “For now, I have only one real concern, and that is dealing with the Federation.”

  “Oh? And here I thought your primary concern would be all the women crawling all over you.” Kadria giggled.

  Her foot crawled up his leg, her toes pressing into his calf. Higher and higher she crept, until her foot found a familiar location, and pressed into his crotch.

  “Don’t you appreciate having the opportunity to shape them to your whims? You can make them yours in a way that you never could before,” Kadria cooed. She massaged his length, and it slowly hardened under her attention. “I know that you enjoy their constant attention. Aren’t they adorable, fighting over you like that?”

  He grabbed her leg and pushed it away. Kadria grinned and simply placed her foot back where it had been. He didn’t bother trying to stop her this time, choosing to let her have her way.

  He had learned that if he pushed back against Kadria too much, she did one of two things: fled, if he got the upper hand; or threw a tantrum and restricted his movement, so that she had free rein over his body.

  Right now, he knew that she would do the latter if he annoyed her. He needed to wait until he had a chance to overpower her.

  “I am seeing new sides of them that I have never seen before. But they love me for who I am, not because I am manipulating them,” Nathan said. “Rather than shaping them, I’m strengthening them. You’ve proven to me that my Champions need to be far greater than they were when I fought you. The paths they walked down in my timeline may not have been the right ones. As risky as it is, I need to take them down new paths.”

  Kadria’s eyebrows shot up. “Curious. I had thought you would be more resistant to changing them. You seemed so keen to have their memories back. To have them restored to who and what they were in your world—pristine and whole. But it seems that you have come to terms with who and what they are now.”

  Her eyes seemed to glitter, and Nathan saw in them an emotion he struggled to describe.

  He felt that he could describe this emotion were Kadria a normal person. But she was a Messenger, and he wasn’t stupid enough to attach human emotions to her.

  No more food or drink seemed forthcoming and he had his answers, so Nathan stood up. Kadria whined. He ignored her.

  “You are going to return soon, right?” Kadria asked, a plaintive note in her voice.

  Nathan glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. “You want me to visit you more often?”

  “If you like, I can add color to the bed.” Kadria waved a hand at the bed, while refusing to answer his question directly.

  Nathan expected something to happen. Maybe for the bed to burst into bright colors, or another bed to melt into existence. Nothing of the sort happened, and Nathan realized that Kadria had simply gestured in its direction.

  “Why do you think that matters to me?” Nathan asked.

  “You humans tend to like having a better atmosphere for this sort of thing.” Kadria placed a hand in front of her mouth and moved it back and forth in an obscene gesture.

  Nathan rolled his eyes. So that’s what she was interested in.

  “If you’re thirsty, then I suppose I can make some time for you. Later.”

  Kadria grinned and clapped. “Fantastic. Oh, before I for
get: remember that the twins will visit you sometime soonish.”

  Nathan paused as he walked toward the door. “The twins?”

  Who were the twins? The name suddenly clicked.

  “You mean those messengers you warned me about?” he asked, turning to face Kadria again.

  Kadria threw herself onto her bed, her hands wandering over her body in a blatant attempt to tempt Nathan into staying. “That’s right. They’ve been asking me about you.”

  What?

  It took every ounce of Nathan’s will not to leap over and grab Kadria by the shoulders. “They know about our connection?”

  Kadria rolled her eyes. “Of course not. But they know that I’m here. Think of it like when you ask a Bastion about another Messenger. They’re asking advice from a colleague. After all, they have an interest in you. Or maybe more like a crush? They want to look their best when they first meet you. First impressions are rather important. They don’t want to ruin that first date with you.” Kadria giggled.

  Nathan ran a hand over his face. He had forgotten about those Messengers. Another headache for him to deal with while he handled the Federation.

  He slipped out of the door and into his office. Nobody was in here. Not that it mattered. For whatever reason, no one seemed to comment on his absence while he was in the void room or where he came from. Kadria’s magic somehow prevented others from even noticing her mere existence.

  Night had fallen while Nathan had spoken with Kadria. He gazed out at the lamps that lined the battlements. The trees stood bare in the cold, dark night beyond the fortress.

  He resolved himself. He didn’t know what would come. War was certain, but little else.

  What Nathan knew was that he would do anything to get back his former lovers. Narime was the closest that he knew of.

  No matter the cost, he planned to get her back. Even if it meant he had to destroy the Federation.

  END OF BOOK 1

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