From Spirit and Binding

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  I had spent decades thinking I could do everything on my own, that I had to. No longer.

  Now, all of us were going to end up bloody and beaten, so any extra power we could hold onto so we didn’t end up spent husks of our former selves would be a boon.

  “Are you ready to go?” Justise asked, giving me a solemn look. I didn’t like that expression on his face. He was always the strong one and, yes, the broody one, even though that was a word he hated. I didn’t want my uncle to have to fight at my side. I didn’t want either of my uncles to be involved in this. However, they were going to be there, just like the rest of my blooded family.

  I sometimes forgot that I had family other than Justise. “We’re ready. We’re heading towards the center area soon. As a group, though some will be staying behind to protect the court and those who can’t fight.”

  “Plus, I don’t think you really wanted to bring your entire army for this,” Justise added.

  I nodded. “You never know, this whole talking thing could actually work, and the king could suddenly not seem as if he’s working for The Gray. Everything could be fine.”

  “You know I wish that could be the case,” Justise said, his voice soft.

  “I know. And I also know that someone might die today. I can only hope it’s him.”

  I wasn’t bloodthirsty. Okay, I was a little. I was also tired. So damn tired. I’d been in some form of war my entire life, and my realm was falling. People were dying, and one of my best friends had lost her Wielding because of the crystals. Because of what we had done to it over time.

  There needed to be an end in sight, and that meant Lyric had to get close enough to pull the two crystals back together. I just hoped to hell we figured out how to do that before it was too late. Even though part of me thought it was already past that. With all the things that had happened thus far, maybe we were past the point of no return. Perhaps this was our apocalypse.

  Justise studied me before pulling me into a hug that surprised us both. We weren’t the touchy-feely types, and I wasn’t a fan of hugs. After a moment of stiffness, I returned his embrace.

  He didn’t say anything, though I wasn’t sure anything needed to be said.

  He would fight alongside us, a Fire Wielder of immense strength, as well as a weapons master. I only hoped to hell that he didn’t die.

  I hoped no one did.

  “Let’s be off, then,” I said, trying to put some cheer in my voice. We both knew it was fake. I supposed it was better than nothing.

  We went down a hallway and through the courtyard to where we were meeting. A few dozen Wielders waited for us, bowing as I strode by. I nodded at them, grateful that they were coming with us. They would be our guard, our court. We had gone last time with so few, and we had almost lost because of it. Then again, we’d still won, and with only a handful of us. I had to count that as something to be proud of.

  We had gone for a simple meeting with the king before Luken had almost died, and the King of Lumière had attacked us full force.

  I wasn’t going to risk Lyric or anyone else’s life by not having the right backup this time. My other Wielders surrounded the court and were set up in strategic places within my kingdom, ready in case the king used this moment to invade. My words were as strong as they could be, considering the strength of the crystal, and I had to hope that would be enough.

  The Lady of Air had sent word to her king that she wanted us to meet, and since she was his subject, it had seemed the right thing to do. The king had to know who would be arriving, and I only hoped to hell that this wouldn’t be the end of us.

  It’d be great if this were the end of it all, and we could find peace, though. Because my people needed it. As I looked at my Wielders, their bodies strong, their magics a force, I hoped to hell I wouldn’t lose them. There were so few of us left compared to before, and considering that I had been at war my entire life, I didn’t want my people to die because of my decisions.

  Heavy was the head that wore the crown and all that.

  I looked at the men and women around me, the Wielders who had come with us and I knew we needed to bring every single one of them back.

  I moved past those I knew but were not part of my inner circle, and stopped in front of my people.

  “Okay, better get this over with,” Teagan grumbled, and Shimmer reached out and ruffled her son’s hair.

  The fact that Teagan was a fierce warrior and at least a head taller than her didn’t seem to stop her in the slightest.

  “Mother,” he said out of tight lips. The Lord of Fire just smiled from where he stood next to his family.

  “You shouldn’t grumble,” Shimmer said.

  “Your mother is right. We’re here to fight. And win.”

  “We’re here to try and talk reason into that man,” Shimmer corrected. She patted her leather-clad hips and gave her son and husband tight nods. “However, we will probably end up fighting because that’s what he likes.”

  “Oh, believe me. I know,” Lanya said as she came over. She wore camel tan leathers over her lithe body, her hair braided back. However, the pieces that had fallen forward over her face blew in a wind that only she could feel. I had seen some of the other Air Wielders do that in the past. And even Lyric. I wasn’t sure if she knew she did it. Because I watched as she stood in transfixion as she looked at Lanya and then Rosamond at her grandmother’s side. No, Lyric didn’t realize that she had that same effervescent quality. It would be interesting to see what would happen when she realized the extent of her powers and abilities.

  “This is a waste of time,” the Lord of Dirt snarled. His wife patted her husband’s arm, both of them still pointedly ignoring Wyn at their side.

  Wyn had two swords strapped to her back, something I didn’t see much from her. Sure, she was trained with them, as we all were, but they usually got in the way of her Earth Wielding. She didn’t have her magic anymore, though. She was a Dane now, and I hated this. We had to find a way to bring these powers back to the people. Because Wyn without Wielding was like a sunny day without the sun. It just didn’t make any sense.

  “Are we just going to stand around and do nothing, then?” Wyn asked, trying to keep some lightness in her tone.

  Her parents stiffened, but they still didn’t look at her. Not even a glance. Didn’t acknowledge her in any way. When this was over, I was going to kill them. First, I needed their help to kill the King of Lumière. Details and all that.

  “We should get going. No doubt the king already has his spies waiting,” Rhodes said, rolling his neck. Luken stood by him, his sword at the ready, and Braelynn on his shoulder. I wasn’t quite sure why they thought bringing the Familiar would help. She was very protective of Luken. Lyric, as well. And I could tell she was growing in power, something I was grateful for. It would be interesting to see what happened when she came into herself.

  Lyric had no idea what she was in for.

  “You’ll do the talking, then?” Lyric asked the lords and ladies. “Because we already tried talking, and he won’t listen to us.”

  “We will,” Lanya said, tucking a piece of hair behind Lyric’s ear. Lyric had put her hair into two braids down her back, trying to keep it out of the way of any passing Wielder who wanted to use it as leverage. We knew we were going into battle, even through the farce of peace talks.

  We would find a way. We had to.

  “We will try to make the king see reason. However, we know he won’t. He never does.” Layna looked off into the distance as Shimmer nodded at her.

  “As a young boy, he always wanted more. Even when we were all children of the courts, watching our parents make the same mistakes we seem to be making still.” Shimmer turned to her husband, gripping his hand.

  “The time has come. We must go, or we’ll be late. And if we are, then we have resigned ourselves to our own fate,” Rosamond said, shaking her head. “I hate when they come to me in rhymes.”

  “I think I would hate having them inter
rupt my speech at all,” Emory said, looking at all of us.

  I raised my brow and looked at my uncle. “We’re bringing her?”

  “Her is standing right here. And, no, I’m not going. I’m staying here. I just wanted to wish you all luck. Because I’d rather not have this be the last time I see you guys. Come back. Whole.” She reached out and squeezed Lyric’s hand before walking away, and Lyric just shook her head, confusion clear on her face. She wasn’t the only one. But I knew we didn’t have time for that.

  “Let’s get going, then,” I said and went to stand by Lyric. She reached out and gripped my hand, and I tangled my fingers with hers. I knew the others were watching. I wasn’t going to pull away. She needed me. As a friend and an ally. I could do this.

  “Let’s do this.”

  “Yes. Let’s.” And then we took a few steps, and I turned around suddenly, remembering that there was something else I needed to do. I was the king, after all.

  “Maisons, we will try to find peace. I promise. If that cannot happen, fight for your people. Fight for those we have to leave behind. Fight for those who have already lost their lives and their powers.” I refused to look at Wyn, I could feel her eyes burning into me.

  “We have the Spirit Priestess, we have the lords and ladies of more than just our kingdom. We will be strong. We will find a way to make this work. This will not be our end of days. Fight for what is right. Use your brains, your Wielding, your skills, and each other. Lean on one another and work together.”

  There were murmurs as people nodded and shouted their agreement. Well, that was one way to get the morale up.

  “Fight and come home.” I said the last as an order, wishing to hell people would actually listen to it.

  Other than the lords and ladies and those in my inner circle, everyone here was a Fire or Earth Wielder. I knew we’d have to have more than just this for the next battle. When we got through this, we would need Water and Air Wielders who believed in fighting for what was right and wanted out from under The Gray’s control.

  However, that was for another time.

  For now, we needed to make our move.

  Lyric squeezed my hand and then let me go. And we all moved towards the wards. They slithered along my skin as if trying to hold me back and yet saying goodbye at the same time. I knew that, one day, the wards would fall completely. With the way our crystal was running out, there would be no more power left for them to rise at all. It was inevitable.

  Maybe that was a good thing. Because if we were going to fight with those on the Lumière side who agreed with us, then perhaps there shouldn’t be wards separating us. I let those thoughts go away because, first, we had to win. We had to prevail before we took any next steps.

  The King of Lumière stood on the other side of the clearing as soon as we passed through the wards. This was neutral ground. One where we’d had countless meetings over the years, and even some battles. It stood right at the southernmost tip of where the two courts met and was heavily guarded so no one could go in and out of either court without us knowing. My guards were already there, slowly moving into formation behind us.

  As I looked at the battle leathers the king wore, and his immense army that he had gathered, I knew this was not the time for talking.

  He wanted to end the Obscurité. Wanted to be the king of all, and he had come prepared.

  Well, so had we.

  “Lanya, Rhodes, Rosamond, come to my side. You are not with the Obscurité. You are the Lumière. You are of light and goodness and power. Not the scum of the realm that has forsaken all goodness. I am your king, and you will listen to me,” the King of Lumière called out without preamble.

  There had to be over four hundred Lumière Wielders behind him, all in their gold and silver armor that looked as if they’d just shined it that morning. So many Wielders…and yet, they couldn’t see what their king was doing. I recognized a few from when we had fought the Lord of Air, and knew that there would be no reasoning with them. Not when they knew their lord had used bone magic to kill so many innocents.

  The League and the Creed stood with Brokk, as well, though their ranks weren’t as full as they had been when we fought the king’s brother. Either they were not all here for one reason or another—perhaps in my territory or theirs being spies and assassins like always—or not all of them wanted to follow the king. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure about that. I knew that they would be our fiercest competition. The king also had his own circle, the strongest of his Wielders. Unlike my mother and me, he did not like to keep powerful Wielders at his side. He preferred to rule from a place of power of his own making, rather than having knights and warriors like we did. So, he did not have someone like Wyn or Luken or Teagan. He did not have my uncles, who were healers and weapons makers and fighters. He had himself, and capable warriors. Mine were stronger. And though I had brought fewer people with me, we were a force to be reckoned with. We had all trained together, even Lyric. And we would prevail.

  We had to.

  “Come now, Brokk,” Lanya began. “Don’t you see we must discuss what’s happening with our realm?”

  “If you do not come to my side now, you will be labeled a traitor, and you will die by my hand.”

  “I am the Lady of Air. You cannot strip that title from me. It takes more than a decree from a mad king to do so,” the Lady of Air spoke, her voice echoing throughout the land as Air slid over her, her tunic billowing ever so slightly over her leathers. She looked like a goddess, and I was really glad she was on our side.

  “I will do whatever I need to do in order to protect my kingdom,” Brokk snarled.

  “You say that, and yet here you are, letting The Gray control you. We can see the shadows amongst your members. We can see them in your eyes,” Rhodes spat.

  I looked at Lyric, who gave me a tight nod. The two of us did not need to speak yet. No, we would let the family hash out what they needed to and make sure our side was ready. And then, we would fight.

  “Lies! You speak lies. I know it’s the taint of the Obscurité. They have the dark ones. They are the ones who must be in league with them. Come to us, Rosamond. Be our Seer in truth. Don’t let their dark lies and seductions take you from your family. They’ve already killed your parents, don’t let them kill you, too.”

  “I am on the right side of my destiny. It appears, Uncle, you never were.”

  “Just kill her, Father,” Eitri snapped. “They’ve always been weird. You know that they must have been working with the Obscurité all this time. They’re the reason your brother is dead. Come on now, let’s get this over with.”

  Eitri folded his arms over his chest, and I resisted the urge to shake my head. This boy was not future-king material. He was not a warrior. His leathers fit him perfectly. They weren’t worn, had probably never been used. Eitri was coddled by his father, and with the way his mother stood off to the side, I knew that the Queen of Lumière, Delphine, couldn’t fight her husband or son. There was something off about her that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. She wasn’t going to fight today, that much was clear in what she wore, her long, flowing gown rather than battle leathers. She looked at Rhodes, at Lanya, at Rosamond, and Luken, and I saw yearning there.

  When we got out of this, if we got out of this, we would have to use that. Figure out exactly what Delphine thought. Because there was something there. Something in my gut told me that.

  “Enough,” Brokk snapped. “You said you wanted to meet to talk, so…talk.”

  “The Gray has always been a thing of nightmares,” the Lord of Earth began, and I let him speak.

  “I do not care what the lords and ladies of the Obscurité to have to say.” Brokk waved his hand. “They are the enemy. Don’t you see this? They’re just going to spew lies at us. They have spent so much of their lives in darkness, in horror, that they do not know what is happening to our realm. It is their fault that so many are losing power. And now, they stand against us. They are not us. Don’
t listen to what they have to say.”

  “Then listen to me,” Lyric said, and I straightened, walking beside her as she moved forward just a bit from the ranks.

  “What do you have to say, girl?” Brokk sneered.

  “I am the Spirit Priestess. I hold the five elements.” There were murmurs on both sides of the lines, and I remembered that not everyone knew who she was or how many elements she held. She was a thing of legend, just like The Gray was. Like the prophecies themselves.

  And she was coming into her power. She had to be our beacon of hope, because I sure as hell knew I wasn’t.

  She was exactly what we needed, and as soon as she figured that out, there would be a reckoning.

  “Lies.”

  “I’m not lying, Your Majesty,” she said, and I held back a smirk. No one used “your majesty” in this realm. I liked it.

  Brokk looked as if he weren’t sure if she was serious or if it was meant as an offense, and I had a feeling she’d intended it to be a bit snide.

  That’s my girl.

  The oil slick over my heart iced over, one pulse, then another, and suddenly I couldn’t feel a damn thing anymore when it came to the power at my side.

  “All of your childhood stories and prophecies were about this moment. About the moments that are coming. We need to come together, and I’m here to help that happen. You need to help, as well. We cannot do this without you, King Brokk. We need to use both territories to fight as one realm against the darkness.”

  “You’re with the darkness, or don’t you know what Obscurité means.”

  “Obscurité is the kingdom. It’s The Gray who holds the darkness. We are not just light and dark. We’re a mix, just like The Gray is. We need to figure out exactly how to defeat him. And if we keep fighting amongst ourselves, we won’t survive. Help us. Stand with us. Don’t waste time. He already has his claws in us. In all of us. We must win. Or the realm will crumble.”

  “Pretty words for a girl who can’t even hold her own head up high with her powers. I mean, the King of Obscurité has already shunned you, why should I have you?”