The Bonded: The Allseer Trilogy Book I (23 page)

They set off again, setting a slower pace than before. Neither of them wanted to slow down, but in the state Garild was in, there wasn’t much else to be done. The ground grew even rockier and they found themselves wobbling over giant boulders, each step more precarious than the last. Kirheen watched Garild closely, afraid that a misstep would send him to the ground and cause further injury.

Towards the evening, hunger set in. Kirheen felt sick, her stomach a roiling pit of acid. With little to settle it, she had no choice but to try and ignore the feeling. Garild seemed to be having an easier time ignoring his hunger, his mind completely absorbed by the symptoms he was experiencing from the bite. As darkness overtook them, they chose the only flat spot they could find, setting down their packs and laying down to sleep.

Despite the heat, Garild shivered the entire night, his teeth chittering loudly. Even after she’d piled her blanket on top of his, he continued to shake. Kirheen couldn’t sleep through the unknown and she stayed by his side, brushing his damp hair out of his face with soft strokes. Every now and then, she’d help him down some water and he drank greedily, as if it was the last water he’d ever have.

Come morning, Kirheen roused him from his slumber. His fever had eased in the middle of the night, but his hand was still incredibly swollen and the skin around the wound had started to take on a shade of gray terrifyingly devoid of life.

As he cracked open his eyes, he searched for the bottle of water with his good hand, patting at the blanket covering him trying to find it. There was only one good swig left and Kirheen almost didn’t give it to him. With a sigh, she handed him the last of their water and said a small prayer as he finished it off. Whether the Allseer was real or not, she was the only thing that would see them through this. It would take a miracle for them to survive more than a few days. Without water, all hope was lost.

Kirheen packed up their things and helped Garild to his feet. He was wobbly and unsure of his footing. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I’m really dizzy.”

“I know,” Kirheen said. “I’ll help you walk, okay? Just stay close to me.”

Whatever fight had been left in him had fled during the night. He struggled with his pack for a moment and then they set off. He leaned against Kirheen as he walked, but his steps were slow and sluggish and by noon, he was putting so much pressure on her shoulder that they had to stop. She helped him to the ground to rest.

He sank back against the rock behind him, nursing his injured hand against his chest. His forehead was once again covered in sweat and his breathing was abnormal, each breath too long and ragged. After a time, he raised his head, seeking her eyes with his. For a moment he said nothing, watching her with an expression that spoke of the pain and defeat he felt.

“Kirheen, I don’t think I can go much further,” he said.

Something about the verbal confirmation of what she already knew filled her with dread. Her eyes filled with tears and she nodded her head, unable to speak. It took her a moment to recover and she hid her face in the meantime, trying to keep Garild from seeing the fear in her eyes.

Wiping away the tears, she took a great shuddering breath and rose. “Can you try to make it just a little further?”

Garild grimaced. “I’ll try.”

He allowed her to help him back to his feet. Kirheen took both packs, struggling to balance them both and also help him walk. It took a few moments to get settled before they could walk more than a few steps at a time. They pressed on through the day, though their previous pace was abandoned for one much slower. The ground continued to grow uneven and it was a terrifying experience keeping Garild steady through it all.

As the sun fell in the sky once more, Garild took a turn for the worst. Mid step, he stopped and turned away from her quickly, heaving what little was in his stomach onto the rocks next to him. He dry heaved for several moments, struggling to breath as his stomach spasmed. When he recovered, Kirheen cleaned his face with one of her tattered robes and helped him back up. “I can’t go on,” he cried into her shoulder, his weight now a familiar and reassuring burden.

“Just a little further,” she coaxed. “Please, just a little further.”

She knew it was hopeless, knew that she’d soon find herself alone. Without Garild, there was nothing left for her to do but slowly wither away. Hunger and thirst would do away with her and she’d soon join Garild, bonded in death as they had been in life.

The sky blazed in a fiery reign of orange and yellow. She could see the clouds clearly now, the trees now so sparse that their surroundings were clear. A mountain rose before them, rocky and barren. The sight filled Kirheen with defeat. Even without Garild, Kirheen had so little energy left. There would be no possible way for her to make it over the mountain.

A few more steps and Garild crashed to his knees, yanking her down with him. She stumbled as she was pulled and scraped her knees on the rocks beneath her. Gritting her teeth, she recovered, trying to keep Garild level as she did so. She unhooked his arm from around her shoulder and lowered him down. He shook uncontrollably, his face a mask of tormented pain.

“Garild, come on. Are you okay?”

He sunk down in the rocks without a reply, shivering as if it were snow bearing down on him and not the heat of the sun. He burned with fever; she could feel the heat radiating from his skin as if it were alive with fire. She pulled at his arm, trying to get him back on his feet but he couldn’t move. This was it, the moment that she had been dreading. The venom had done its job and now she’d be left alone.

She tried to get him back on his feet, pulling his arm roughly. He groaned loudly, his arm heavy and useless. She dropped it in defeat, sinking down next to him. Hunger and defeat ate at her like worms on a corpse and there next to the friend she’d betrayed, the friend that lay dying because of her, she cried.

Great sobs wracked at her body, her shoulders shuddering with the force of her cries. She didn’t want this, didn’t want the death of her friend or the death of Ian on her hands. There was nothing more she desired than to return to the way things had been before.

Anger quickly replaced her grief and she stood, racing across the rocks towards the slope of the mountain. She picked up a rock as she went, throwing it into the distance with all the strength she could muster. The rock crashed against others, the sound echoing loudly in her ears.

She took one step too far and the ground took a sudden dive. She rolled forward, sliding down the slope in a flurry of robes and dust and pebbles. She earned a few new scrapes and nearly broke her finger on a rock as she fell. It throbbed angrily. She may have paid it more attention if it weren’t for the great stone face staring down at her.

It was a great round piece of stone, the edges smooth. It had been delicately carved with the face of a woman, her hair billowing around her in thin, wispy tendrils. Her smooth cheeks were puffed, her lips forming an ‘O’ as if she were blowing the very wind through the trees.

Blue glowing eyes, staring into her soul. There was a familiar feeling, a searching, tendrils prodding the walls of her mind. A voice spoke then, low and soft and feminine.

“Ah, a visitor. It has been so long since your kind has ventured through my halls. You are of the mind…If I’m not mistaken?”

Kirheen blinked, trying to clear her mind. Surely she’d hit her head on the way down. The statue didn’t move but where else could a voice be coming from? She staggered to her feet, dusting off her robes.

“Fear not, your head is intact. Perhaps an introduction will still your trembling, girl. I am Akra, guardian of the Whispering Woods. Only those with the power of the mind are free to wander this place.”

“What do you mean this place,” Kirheen asked aloud, feeling foolish.

“The caves behind my face, they whisper secrets…so many secrets.”

“Where do the caves lead? Do they go beyond the mountain?”

“They lead to the land beyond, but that place is dark and corrupt. Hunted you are and many more like you…swaying with the breeze. Picked apart.”

The face wasn’t making sense to Kirheen but neither was the situation she now found herself facing. Perhaps thirst and hunger had driven her mad.

“The main chamber is open to you, child. What lies beyond, only your mind can say.”

There was a scraping of stone on stone, a jagged crunch that shook through her bones. The great circular slab of rock rolled aside and a blast of cool, damp air blasted her face from the cave beyond. She could taste water on her lips, could feel it in the breeze that carried past her. She stepped into a cool, misty cave alive with sparks of blue light. The room was large, stretching far and wide.

Up on a ledge, the massive tangled roots of a wraith wood tree could be seen. They curled and twisted about the room, lending a soft glowing light that scrapped at the darkness. The rest of the tree, the biggest she’d ever seen, broke through the roof of the cave. Where it went, she’d probably never know, but she could only imagine it stretched far and wide through the mountainside.

The sensation of moisture in the air and on her skin grew stronger. Stepping further into the room, she gasped. Beneath the ledge that housed the great tree, water trickled from the cave walls, forming a large circular pool at its base. The water was cool and fresh and churned and swirled, blue and clean and crisp. Her feet carried her faster than she could believe and a moment later she was on her knees before the water, dipping her hands in and splashing her face with wild abandon.

The water kissed her skin, washing away the dirt of travel, easing the pain of scrapes and bruises. Her parched lips lavished in the feel of it as she brought a cupped handful of water to her lips. She didn’t think she’d felt anything so wonderful. She lay for a time next to the pool, her hand in the water. She was lost in her discovery, lost in the blue twinkling lights of the cave, the gentle glow of the tree.

Her thoughts drifted back to reality, to what lay back outside the cave. Feeling renewed, she rose from the cave floor and ventured back out. Darkness would overtake the world soon and Kirheen had to somehow get Garild inside before that happened. She rushed back to where she’d left him and her heart sank when she found him. He had pushed himself up to a sitting position in her absence. One of the empty water containers lay close to his open hand. His eyes were closed, his expression troubled, chin tucked against his chest.

Kirheen ran forward, chest tight with fear. She bent down next to him, reached a hand towards his face. She quivered, her fingers shaking as they touched him. He lurched awake, grabbing her wrist with his good hand. Gasping with fright, the realization dawned on her that he was still alive. It was a slight thing, he looked awful, but he was alive. She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry and the sound that came out was a mix of both. She choked and sputtered and wrapped her arms around his neck. He protested, trying to push her away with his good hand.

When she released her grip, Garild was looking at her with bleary eyes. “What happened,” he coughed, keeping his injured hand close to his chest.

“I found something,” Kirheen said with a bright smile. “You just need to make it a little further.”

Garild looked pained but he allowed Kirheen to help him to his feet. She gathered up their packs, making sure to retrieve the empty water jug. Stars twinkled overhead as they made their way over the rocky terrain, using the fading light of the sky to help guide them. When they made it to the entrance of the cave, Garild perked up. Just as Kirheen had, he could sense the water and it awoke a primal thirst.

She guided him to edge of the pool, helped him down to his knees before it. He cried out with surprise as his fingers found the cool edge of the water, and then he cried in earnest when he brought that water to his lips. He drank and kept drinking until Kirheen raised a hand to stop him. Water dripped from his chin and for the first time since she’d betrayed him, he smiled.

They slept that night in the cave, the sound of trickling water lulling them to sleep. Hunger was still on their minds, but the water had satiated them for the time being. They slept soundly, momentarily protected from the elements in their blue sanctuary.

Kirheen woke first, feeling refreshed for the first time in days. She was hungry, but she filled herself with water, trying to push the need for food to the back of her mind. The darkness of the room seemed more absolute, the bright sparks of blue looking like stars on a night sky. She peered towards the entrance of the cave, fighting down a wave of panic as she realized the stone face had rolled back to its original position, blocking them from leaving. The only way through was to keep moving through the cave. 

She roused Garild from his sleep. He awoke slowly, his eyes following the blue specks of light hovering around him.

“How are you feeling,” she asked.

“I’m okay. My hand is numb but I’m feeling a bit better. I think I’ll be okay.”

He drank water from the pool, scooping the water to his lips with his good hand. He seemed more alert, the effects of the venom having subsided for the time being. She hoped it meant an improvement in his condition. She didn’t want to be left alone in this.

Kirheen walked the edge of the cave, searching for another path that would take them through. She found one on the left corner of the room, a small, jagged pathway in the wall that was small enough that they’d have to side step their way through. She gathered up their packs, keeping a hold of both so Garild wouldn’t have the burden of the weight.

“I’m okay,” he protested, reaching for one of the packs.

“Let’s not chance it, Garild,” Kirheen said firmly, swinging away from him so he couldn’t grab the pack. He opened his mouth but shut it abruptly, choosing instead to narrow his eyes. Kirheen led him to the path she’d found and slung the packs off her back, holding one to either side as she side stepped through the narrow pass. The craggy surface of the cave walls scratched at her skin and clothing but she was through a moment later.

The next room was darker than the one before and Kirheen had to squint to make out the surroundings. The walls were slick with moisture and they glistened in the sporadic blue light. Roots of the great wraith wood tree could be seen weaving through the floor to their right, the soft glow lending a bit of sight to the otherwise dark cave. There was a deeper spot of darkness in the far corner of room, a place where the light seemed to be devoured. Kirheen led Garild towards it, carefully stepping over rocks and roots alike.

Another narrow passage led them to an even darker part of the cave, one filled with a strange buzzing. It was a low, steady sound and soon Kirheen found it plucking at her nerves, driving irritation up from her pool of stifled emotions.

“Allseer, what is that sound,” Garild said, his hands rising to cover his ears.

“I don’t know,” Kirheen said. “I don’t think I want to know. Let’s try to find the next room.”

It was a struggle to see her surroundings. The glow of the tree wasn’t there to guide them and the steady hum of the noise echoing off the walls was distracting. She couldn’t get a sense of direction without the sounds around her. She felt along the wall to her left, letting her fingers touch the surface of the cave. Walking forward slowly, she stepped out, feeling with her feet and hands to find where they needed to go. Garild remained behind her, pacing back and forth as he tried to ignore that all-consuming humming.

A few more paces and her fingers slid into something sticky. She pulled her hand away with a gasp, shaking it to get rid of whatever foul substance clung to it. She couldn’t make out what it was and the humming continued to fill her head, continued to pick at her nerves, skeletal fingers strumming on the strings of her sanity.

She rubbed the goo onto her robe, not bothering to care about the state of it. It was filthy anyways and she could only reason that something else added to it wasn’t going to do much to harm her appearance. As she moved forward, her eyes kept fluttering to her hand. Her throat tightened, a feeling of dread sweeping through her. And the buzzing… it was a terrible sound. Another step and she stopped and raised her hand in front of her face. The tar like substance was still on her finger tips but it was moving, slowly crawling towards her wrist in twisting black tendrils. It was dark, so terribly dark. Black as night, corrupted.  It doesn’t exist.

“Kirheen,” Garild called, but she could barely hear him over the sound reverberating through her skull, through the fog of fear that surrounded her, thick and heavy as a blanket.

It’s not real…The Darkness isn’t real.

She tried desperately to reign in her fear, to still her nerves, but her thoughts spiraled out from her, scattering into the dark. She swore she could hear them hit the ground, tumbling away from her into the unseen corners of the cave. The Darkness was moving. It was now halfway up her arm and no matter how much she wiped away it kept crawling, like vines taking over a tree. She staggered back in the dark towards Garild.

She could hear him speaking but she couldn’t make out his words. Her legs gave out to the fear, driving her to the ground. Garild was at her side a moment later, his hand grabbing her arm. His eyes went wide as his own hand came away dark, dripping with the darkness that had tainted her skin.

“No, no, no, no. This can’t be real,” he whispered.

His panic ignited hers and they both huddled in the dark, feeling the strange creeping sensation work across their skin. The buzzing grew louder and another sensation entered the fray, a strange prickling in her head. It was a familiar feeling, one she’d felt before, as if someone were trying to break through her mind. Dripping black hands flung aside pieces of her mind, digging through as it searched for the fear, that deep primal fear that made all the hairs stand up on her body.

She squeezed her eyes shut and flung up her defenses, paying no mind to the amount of power she used. Grasping out, she extended her power to shield Garild as well. The buzzing in the room stopped, the ink on their skin shattering away before their eyes.

Kirheen sighed in relief, rolling onto her side and letting the smooth cold stone beneath her cheek calm her. It took several minutes before her heart calmed enough for her to stagger to her feet. She knelt down in the dark, grabbing Garild by the arm and helping him to his feet.

              “Allseer what…what was that?”

“There is someone in this cave, Garild. Or maybe something. The door... it talked earlier. It pressed into my mind as if it were alive, as if it had our powers. I thought I was imagining things, but I’m starting to think it was real. It had to be real.”

“That…doesn’t seem possible,” he said.

“I know, but I’m telling you the truth. I don’t think we’re supposed to be here. Let’s move. I want to get out of here as quick as we can.” Kirheen shielded herself with her mind, forcing her powers out and over Garild. “I’m going to need your help. This thing isn’t going to stop attacking our defenses and we’re both too weak to do it alone. Hold on to the packs. I need you close to block out this thing… whatever it is.”

She readjusted the packs on her back and waited for Garild to latch on to them. When she felt the weight of his hands and the added resistance in her mind, she crept forward. With little choice, she placed her hand back on the slick surface of the cave, shuddering as her hand touched the wet walls. Though the buzzing had stopped, she could still feel the pressure in her mind, a steady strum of energy forcing itself against their walls.

When her hand found empty space, she nearly fell over into the gap in the wall. She recovered quickly, steadying herself so she wouldn’t pull Garild down with her. Entering the next part of the cave was like entering a dense fog. There was a power there, something dark and dangerous that made her hair stand on end. The force against her mind strengthened and the buzzing could be heard once again, though not as loud.

She was filled with an intense need to be rid of the cave, to be back in the sunlight, away from the buzzing that threatened to burst through her walls. She hurried forward, stepping as quickly through the dim light of the cave as she could without falling. The last thing she wanted to do was get them killed in her haste.

Her foot struck something hard and she watched a faintly glowing object clatter across the slick surface of the cave. It was long and white and her eyes grew wide with terror as she realized what it was. She reached back, grabbing Garild by the hand and pulling him along quicker.

“What is it,” he asked and then his breath left him. There were other bones littered over the cave floor and several whole skeletons could be seen leaning against the cave wall. It was obvious many of them were old, long since cleaned of the flesh that had once covered them.

There were multiple points of pressure in her mind and she reinforced the wall. If that thing got in… she didn’t want to think about the results of such an intrusion. She stepped over the bones, shuddering at the thought that they might soon be joining them.

She found the next weaving corridor and pulled them through, ignoring the pain that flared up as the cave wall scraped her face. She caught a flash of movement from her right and flung herself forward, breaking her grasp from Garild just as a man dove through the space where she’d been standing.

As the man turned back around, she could see how terrifyingly thin he was. The dirt streaked clothing that clung to his bony frame was tattered and stained. His cheeks were gaunt and covered in long, thin scratches, the bones protruding out with more emphasis than they should. She could see madness in his eyes, an urgent violence that flung itself against her senses. He gave a sickening smile, showing a row of blackened teeth, a few of which were broken or missing entirely.

He let loose a sound that wasn’t entirely human and flung himself at Kirheen. The weight of the packs kept her from keeping her footing on the slick surface and she was pulled down to the ground by the man. The ground behind them must have sloped because before she knew it, she was rolling down an embankment, the fingers of her captor digging painfully into her arms as they fell. She landed on her back, the contents of the pack poking against her spine. Her breath left her in a rush and she gasped for air, though each attempt sent shooting pain through her sides. The man was above her and he quickly found her hands, pinning them at her side. His face was inches from her own, his foul breath filling the air around her.

“You can’t get out,” he laughed. “The buzzing will keep you here. You can’t leave. You can’t. You’re trapped. Stay. Stay. Stay here with us.”

“Get…off…me,” she struggled. Despite the look of him, he was freakishly strong and he kept her pinned easily.

“No! No! The darkness will take us all. The darkness will find us, even here. You can’t leave. No. You can’t leave. Never. Stay with the buzzing. It’ll protect you!”

The fall had shattered her concentration and she could hear the buzzing louder than ever, cutting through her skull like it was butter. The smell of the man’s breath, the sound in her ears, it was almost enough to drive her crazy. She pushed hard against him, trying to free herself before he pulled her into madness with him.

As the pressure in her skull grew stronger, the figure above her changed. No longer was the man a stranger. Now it was Tomias, his eyes and teeth dripping with black goo. His white hair was streaked with black and it tickled her face as he leaned close. “Stop struggling, Kir. This is what is meant to happen. This is how it ends.”

“No! It isn’t real,” she screamed, flailing wildly. She could feel her walls begin to crack, could feel the buzzing oozing into every fiber of her being. There was a feeling of fading, of being pulled into a comforting pool of water. She was about to let herself go when there was a loud crack above her. The illusion shattered and the skeletal man slumped to the side, eye wide with surprise.

Garild stood in front of her, hand holding a rock that was now slick with blood. He closed his eyes, stretching his mind out to protect her. The buzzing retreated and she pushed herself up off the ground quickly. Garild dropped the rock and ran to her side, grabbing her hand tightly.

“Are you okay,” he asked, brown eyes wide. “Did he hurt you?”

Kirheen shook her head. “I’m okay, Garild.” It was a lie. She didn’t feel okay and she suspected she wouldn’t until they were free of the cave. She regathered her strength and patched up her mind, helping to keep the noise at bay. “We’ve got to get out of here. Now!”

“Not going to argue about that,” Garild said.

The slope had led them to the entry way of another room filled with light like the first one they’d entered. Kirheen had thought that first room was welcoming, but the illusion of it had been shattered and she now saw the truth of the cave. Across the room from them, another round door glowed in the far wall. As they approached, Kirheen could make out the same delicately carved face of the first door, the one that had spoken and called itself Akra. As if sensing her thoughts, the eyes began to glow blue.

“Ah, children of the mind. You’ve survived your trials. I am pleased,” the door whispered, and her voice was genuinely excited. Garild looked to Kirheen, his eyebrows high.

“I told you,” Kirheen said, keeping her eyes on the door before them. “You seem surprised we made it through.”