The Bonded: The Allseer Trilogy Book I (16 page)

“It was terrifying. And Nyson has this power?”

Tomias nodded. “Yes, he does. As far as I know, he doesn't use it. It's a bit of a touchy subject. People don't exactly like the idea of that level of control. As you said, it's terrifying if you aren’t expecting it.”

“Is there a way to break through that, aside from punching your bond mate in the face?”

Garild sat to her left, his fingers idly massaging his jaw where she'd hit him. It was already starting to color, a great purple and yellow patchwork of bruises. “Please,” he said. “I could do without her punching me ever again.”

Tomias sighed. “I wish I had better news, but I honestly don’t have a clue. What you did in the battle, hitting him outside the illusion, it was almost like hitting the reset switch. It allowed his body to recognize what was happening and break through it. But would that work every time? Would someone more experienced be able to prevent that from happening? We don’t know.”

Kirheen stared at the fire, mulling over his words as she watched the flames dance. As much as she hated the thought, she almost wished she were friends with Vienna. She could ask her about her powers, about how they worked. Not knowing made her feel vulnerable. It was something she didn't know how to face and until she did, she didn't think she'd be able to rest easy.

It opened the door for more questions. If this was a branch of power that existed that she hadn’t even known about, what else could exist? What other powers lurked out there waiting to overwhelm her? It was a sobering thought and she spent the rest of the evening in solemn silence, her mind trying to piece together a puzzle that wasn’t yet making sense.

The coming days were a flurry of activity with workers from the eastern villages bustling to and fro as they prepared for the festivity to come. The workers, men and woman found unfit to battle the Darkness, moved with a focused manner, their gazes never wandering from the task at hand. They rarely spoke to each other, their heads bowed over this or that as they prepared for the feast.

Kirheen watched all of this as she meandered through Sanctuary, finally feeling well enough to leave her room. The battles had been rough, taking a toll far greater than she’d ever experienced. Despite the days spent in bed, she couldn’t have been happier. Against all odds, they had won, earning the respect of the Council, Bonded and instructors alike. It was a good feeling, powerful even, and she delighted in the peace it had brought to her heart.

The celebration was to take place the following night, as the sun sank low in the sky. Food and drink and merriment had been promised until the wee hours of the morning and she looked forward to such revels.

She passed the next day quietly, choosing to keep to her bed as she flipped through a worn book Trista had given her. Its cream colored pages were cluttered with drawings and information about various plants found in the region. She came to rest on a page with a short, dark blue mushroom covered in inky black spots. It was found in dank, dark places and was incredibly dangerous to humans if consumed. Such information was interesting, but completely and utterly useless to her. She closed the book, tucking it away beneath her bed.

Several hours before the festival was to begin, Kirheen made her way to the little hut that Trista called home. She’d promised to help her tidy her hair for the festival and Kirheen looked forward to the change. Most days she wore her hair pulled back away from her face in a loose tail or wore down but unkempt. It had grown terribly long the past few months and she found it harder to care for, the wispy strands tangling and knotting despite her efforts, which were few if she were to be honest.

Kirheen knocked softly on the door of the hut and Trista appeared a moment later. She smiled warmly and ushered her inside. The room seemed foreign, so devoid of vials and bottles and burnt plant matter that she almost laughed. Everything had been tucked away neatly, leaving a room that you could actually step through without fear of breaking your neck. The smell of cinnamon filled the small space, creating a sense of warmth that drew Kirheen in.

“What brought this on? Expecting company,” she asked, raising a brow. 

“Ah, is it that obvious,” Trista asked, her cheeks turning a shade of pink that was much too obvious on her pale skin. 

“Is there a certain white haired man paying you a visit later?”

Her green eyes grew wide, her lips parting in shock. “Beg your pardon? I—he..”

“Oh
please
,” Kirheen said with a roll of her eyes. “I’m not stupid!”

It was pretty obvious the two had feelings for each other, and though unable to communicate, they shared a bond not so unlike the one seen in the Bonded around them. Kirheen had suspected it went beyond the flirting they seemed to do on occasion, though this was the first time she’d seen fit to voice that. She imagined such a thing was frowned upon greatly, but she found herself caring little for the rules and stipulations laid forth by the Union Master. If they cared for each other, she saw very little reason why they shouldn’t be together.

“I know you aren’t stupid, Kirheen. I just…”

“Trista, it’s okay. You don’t need to explain. I’m just messing with you.”

Trista huffed, hands on her hips and her lips pulled into a frown of disapproval. She procured a chair from the far side of the room, and sat it in the empty space next to her bed. Kirheen sat down willingly, letting her tangled hair down. Trista ran her hands over it disapprovingly.

“This won’t do. You’ve just won the battles and you look like it. We’re to celebrate the Allseer tonight and we can’t have you looking like this. You’ll need to bathe if we’re to do anything with this hair of yours.”

Kirheen grinned sheepishly. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to keep it neat, but it’s getting so long, I’m finding it hard to do.”

“Well, we’ll worry about that later. Come on, off to the baths with us.”

They left the hut behind, weaving through the trees towards the direction of the baths. The baths were actually a set of hot springs that bubbled out of the ground just a short walk from the village. Set in a craggy nook, the multiple springs were blocked off from each other, one for the girls and the other for the boys, separated by a crude wooden fence. It wasn’t much, but it did the job.

At the edge of the pool, Kirheen stripped out of her robe, feeling slightly self-conscious in front of Trista. Trista was tall and lean, her skin pale and freckled and smooth. She was self-assured, confident in her body in a way Kirheen had yet to learn.

Trista sank into the pool, relaxing into the hot water. She rested her head against the rocks behind her, her red hair spreading out like a fan. Kirheen shimmied out of her undergarments, wrapping her arms about herself as if that would hide her naked skin. She tip toed into the water, sucking in a breath as the heat kissed her. It took her a moment to adjust but then she melted into the pool, feeling the stress of the past few days dissipate.

They soaked for a time in silence, eyes closed while they listened to the sounds of the wilderness around them. Trista raised her head, opening her eyes to look at Kirheen. “I know it was already mentioned yesterday, but congratulations. You did very well. Your bond has grown strong.”

“You think so?”

“I do. You and Garild have grown much closer.” There was a momentary pause, before Trista spoke again. “Would you permit me a personal question?”

Kirheen hesitated, fearing the question before it could even be asked. “I suppose.”

“I, I’m not sure how to ask this, but would you say your bond is of a romantic nature,” Trista asked cautiously.

Kirheen fell silent, her thoughts scrambling together into a confusing mess.  In a way, Trista was right. Their bond had grown stronger. They’d grown closer as friends, finding comfort and strength in each other’s presence .Their harsh training over the winter months had brought them closer than she could have imagined, had forced her to trust him completely with her thoughts and her feelings.  Growth had brought out a physical charm in Garild that had been lacking before and it hadn’t gone entirely unnoticed.  But for all of those things, Kirheen couldn’t see Garild as more than just a close friend.

Relationships were an odd thing in Sanctuary. Love was something Kirheen knew very little about. How much of that was taught? How much just simply existed? It was obvious that they Bonded young men and woman together for a purpose. She’d known from a young age that eventually she’d be expected to bear a child with her bond mate, though what that entailed held little meaning to her. It was clear to her that they were Bonded together not just for their powers but also for their personalities. The intention was for them to fall in love. How could a bond get any stronger than that? Wouldn’t you fight to protect the things you loved, no matter the cost?

Whatever the concept of love meant to her, she could not say that she felt such feelings towards Garild. It was hard to her to grasp what that would feel like, what it would mean. She did feel things from time to time. Sometimes the sight of Ian would set her heart a flutter, her skin would grow hot and she’d feel a longing deep within her. She tried her hardest to hide those feelings. Somehow it felt wrong. It made her feel ashamed that someone she wasn’t supposed to have a connection with could make her feel such a way when her own bond mate didn’t.

Trista smiled as if reading her thoughts. “For all we teach you, it seems the whims of the heart get left untaught. I only asked because I’m curious how much you know of such things. You’re a young woman and matters of the heart are bound to become a problem sooner or later. You don’t love Garild, do you?”

Kirheen frowned. “I… ”

“Speak freely. This will stay between us.”

“I don’t. I never have. I care about him and I trust him, but I can’t say that I love him. I wouldn’t even know it if I did. I think about things sometimes, how it would feel to hold his hand or to stare into his eyes…and I feel nothing.”

And there it was… The truth she’d tried so hard to hide and it was spilling out of her, as real and tangible as the water bubbling around her. Trista studied her, her expression guarded.
What must she think of me…

She was supposed to be happy about her bond. Love was something that was just supposed to happen to them. It would reach in and grab her heart and her soul and make her see something in Garild that she was missing. But it wasn’t happening, it hadn’t happened, and Kirheen feared it never would. Could she pretend? Or would doing so kill something inside of her that she was trying so hard to protect? It was all so complicated.

“You’ll learn in time. I just want you to be aware, you’re going to go through changes, both physical and mental, and I want you to be prepared for them. I know you’ve already experienced some of these changes, but be mindful. Your body will do things you don’t expect, will want things you can’t have and you need to be prepared to fight those temptations. For better or worse, you are Bonded to Garild and even if you yearn for something or someone else, you can never break that Bond. Do you understand?”

Something about her words brought Ian to mind. Tousled brown hair and eyes the color of the forest, warm and welcoming and smelling of spices. Something she could never have… “I understand,” she said, breaking the image from her mind. She’d have to lock away her feelings for Ian. Lock them away or be pulled under by them. She wasn’t sure it was a battle she was willing to fight or if she even
could
fight it. Trista nodded, accepting her answer. She pulled herself from the pool, allowing the water to drip from her body. She dried herself with a length of fluffy cloth and then left one on the edge of the pool for Kirheen.

Kirheen pulled herself from the water, grabbing the towel and wrapping it around her body. She dried herself quickly and slipped back into her robes. She followed Trista to her hut, trying to fight away the feelings of melancholy dripping into her soul. A veil of silence fell over her as they entered the hut and she took a seat without a word, letting Trista get to work.

Trista didn’t seem perturbed by her silence in the least. If anything, she seemed to willingly give Kirheen distance, to let her work through her thoughts without interruption. A small basket was pulled off a shelf and Trista took to brushing her hair. She was gentle but firm, working through the tangles of her ashen hair until it was smooth.

As her hair was left to dry, Trista took to applying strange things to her face. Kirheen was unfamiliar with makeup, having never been exposed to it before. She stared cautiously at the strange jar Trista held, its contents dark red and creamy. Seeing her confusion, Trista laughed. “This is just for your lips. It will add a bit of color.” She ran her finger in the cream and tilted Kirheen’s head up towards her. She pressed her finger against her lip, dragging it back and forth until they were coated in the red substance. “Rub your lips together like this,” Trista demonstrated. Kirheen did as she was told, her lips feeling odd coated in that unfamiliar substance. Next came a dark, chalky substance that Trista ran along the line of her lashes. Trying to hold still enough for her to do it was nearly impossible, but she did her best, allowing Trista to have her fun.

“Do I even get to see what I look like,” Kirheen asked.

“Of course, but only after I do something with your hair! You’re looking beautiful!”

Trista went back to work on her hair, loosely braiding her hair on either side and pinning it in the back with a beautiful bronze clip crafted to look like a butterfly. When she had completed her masterpiece, she procured a small mirror, something that Kirheen saw very little of in Sanctuary. She handed her the polished surface and Kirheen held it up, her jaw dropping at the changes she saw reflected back at her.

It had been a while since she’d looked in a mirror. She’d been so consumed by training and the stress of the battles that her personal appearance had been left by the wayside. But now, she looked at a young woman. Her cheeks had smoothed, revealing a set of high cheek bones. Her upper eyelids were artfully lined and the dark contrast made her gray eyes look brighter. The tinge of color on her lips contrasted with her pale, smooth skin and hair and she took a moment to admire herself in the mirror. She looked clean and fresh and happy. Lowering the mirror, she smiled up at Trista.

“Thank you, Trista. I look beautiful!”

Trista grabbed the mirror, safely tucking it away. “You always have! We just made it more obvious. You feel ready to be in the spotlight tonight?”

Kirheen shrugged. “I suppose so. It’ll be nice to celebrate and relax for once instead of stressing over battles. I think I’ll enjoy myself.”

“Good,” Trista said with a smile. “Be careful changing into fresh robes later. Don’t mess up your hair! Oh! Before I forget—“ She rummaged through a basket, pulling small bottles out and sniffing the contents of each. Settling on one, she handed it to Kirheen. The bottle was small and the liquid within clear. When she opened the top, the smell of vanilla wafted into the air. “Put a little of that on after you’ve changed. Just a little dab here and there will help you smell nice for the evening.”