The Bonded: The Allseer Trilogy Book I (6 page)

Tomias, straining to take his attention away from Trista, beckoned towards their bedroom. “She went to lie down. Thought a bed would probably be a bit more comfortable then a chair.”

“Thanks.” Garild turned away from them, crossing the small space to their room. He pushed the curtain aside gently, stepping in as quietly as possible. Kirheen lay on her bed, curled on her side. Her eyes were shut, her brows knit together in pain. Beads of sweat covered her forehead and she looked pale. At the sound of his footsteps, her eyes flickered open.

“Oh, Garild. It’s you.”

“Yeah, just me,” he smiled down at her, stepping to the bed side. “Trista mixed up something for you. She’ll be in soon. How are you feeling?”

“I feel like someone dropped a rock on me, so can we talk about something else,” she pleaded, looking miserable.

“What do you want to talk about?”

“Anything.”

“I saw Fenir smile,” Garild said, trying hard to keep a straight face.

Kirheen snorted, a sharp laugh bursting from her. “That’s funny! Untrue, but funny!”

“I’m serious! Trista made him smile. He is capable of doing so. I saw it, I swear to you!”

“I suppose if Tomias can smile then so could Fenir… but really, I cannot even imagine what that might look like on his smug face.”

“Oh, about how it usually looks on mine,” Tomias butted in, stepping into the room. He was trailed by Fenir and Trista, who held the three vials in her hand.

“Ah, my dear, Tomias wasn’t lying. You really
don’t
look well,” Trista mused, stepping over to the bedside. After shooing Garild out of the way, she set two of the vials down on the table. The third she popped open and handed to Kirheen.

Kirheen pushed herself up and took the vial, staring at it with obvious distaste. She smelled the liquid, her nose crinkling. “What is this stuff? It smells horrible.”

“It’s really not as bad as it looks… or smells for that matter. It’s really quite sweet. I promise you! Now let’s take a look at you.” She patted Kirheen on the leg and she sidled out of the way, allowing enough room for Trista to sit down on the side of the bed. “The fever and fatigue are quite noticeable. Feeling anything else?”

“I keep getting headaches. Right here between my eyes, like my skull is going to split in half.”

“Ah, side effect of a near unbinding. Oops, I mean, well…” Tomias and Fenir suddenly shot her a look, one that warned she’d said a little too much.

Kirheen, not one to miss such a subtle shift in the conversation, looked interested. “What is an unbinding?”

“Something you’ll learn about later. Much later! Please though, tell me anything else you feel.”

Kirheen opened her mouth to press the question but decided she wasn’t in top form for doing so. “I’m nauseous, if that makes any difference.”

Trista smiled. “Glad you mentioned it!” She pulled a small folded piece of parchment from her robe. When she unwrapped it, Garild could see faint traces of a blue powder which she dumped into the vial in Kirheen's hand. “Without this, that little vial in your hand probably would have made that symptom worse. This should help!”

Kirheen stared at the vial as if it had been poisoned. “Do I really have to drink this?”

“Yes. And do it all in one gulp. It’ll be easier that way. Uh, Tomias, perhaps some water to wash it all down?”

“Of course,” he smiled, disappearing from the room.

Kirheen refused to take a single gulp of the mixture until he’d returned with water. Once it was within easy reach, she took a deep breath and lifted the vial to her lips, downing the contents in one sickeningly sweet gulp. Her mouth instantly puckered and she quickly handed back the vial, switching it for the cup of water. This too she downed quickly, savoring every drop as it washed away the horrid taste from her mouth. “Sweet was an understatement, Trista!”

“I’m sorry,” she grinned. “I said it was sweet, I never said it was going to taste good!”

“So, what happens now,” Kirheen asked with a frown.

“Now, my dear, you sleep. You'll take the next vial after you wake up and the other one in the morning,” Trista said. “I warn you though, the mixture might make you hungry. Very hungry.”

Kirheen rolled her eyes. “Oh great, just what I wanted.”

Trista smiled and motioned for Fenir and Tomias to leave the room. She followed them out, taking the empty vial and cup with her. When they'd left, Garild turned his attention back to Kirheen. She was nestled in the pillows, her hands splayed over her stomach. “Feeling anything yet,” he asked.

“I’m feeling a little sleepy,” she said, stifling a yawn.

“Maybe you should close your eyes and get some rest.”

She smirked. “Don’t tell me what to do, Garild.”

Garild watched as she fought off sleep, her eyelids drooping and her limbs relaxing. She was soon sleeping soundly. Garild smiled and reached down to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. She smiled in her sleep and his heart fluttered at the sight. With a sigh, he left the room, letting Kirheen enjoy her last free day before their training would begin.

“Are you going to eat that,” Kirheen asked through a mouthful of food, pointing her spoon towards the bowl of soup Garild was eating. He gave her an odd look, spoon halfway to his lips. There wasn't much left in his bowl, but Kirheen eyed it hungrily. Ever since she’d awoken she’d been ravenous and had practically begged to go to the eating hall the second her feet had touched the floor.

Trista had warned him he might face an impending hunger unlike anything he’d ever seen, but he hadn’t thought to take it quite so literally. She’d downed her soup, despite the heat of it making it all but inedible, in such haste that all the other Bonded looked at her as if she’d suddenly gone mad.

“I had kind of planned on it,” he said, snaking his left arm around his soup bowl protectively.

Kirheen huffed. “I’m sorry, Garild. I’m just so hungry! I feel like I could eat ten bowls of this stuff!”

“You can have the rest of mine,” Isa chirped from across the table. She passed the bowl over to Kirheen, the broth sloshing about in the bowl as she did. “I’m not all that hungry this morning!”

Kirheen barely managed to get a thank you in before her spoon was filled and diving towards her mouth. Isa smiled, though it seemed more from discomfort than happiness.

“Kirheen, are you feeling alright,” she asked innocently. Ian nudged her, shaking his head as he watched Kirheen devour her meal. “On second thought, forget I asked.”

Garild finished the rest of his soup quickly, trying to eat what he could before Kirheen finished the bowl she was working on. As she finished her meal she searched the table for any bowl left untouched, only to sulk when she found there was nothing left.

“How did your training go yesterday,” Ian asked, trying to switch the focus away from Kirheen. At the topic of training, several of the other Bonded dared to scoot closer, though they still kept a healthy distance from Kirheen. She didn’t seem to notice.

Garild frowned. “We actually haven’t gotten to do much training yet. Things have been a bit... hectic lately. We’re hoping to get some solid training in today.”

Tegan, a freckle faced boy with mousy brown hair and a gap between his front teeth, looked confused. “You haven’t trained much yet? You’re really missing out.”

“On what, exactly,” Kirheen asked, peeking at the expanse of table in front of Tegan. She frowned at the lack of food in his bowl.

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but we’ve been playing games to help us learn about our power. We’ve had to think of a simple object and have our bond mate figure out what we’re thinking. So far, I’m winning.”

Irena, his bond mate, glared at him out of the corner of her icy blue eyes. She was stunningly beautiful, with peachy skin and hair the color of honey, but her demeanor left much to be desired. She spoke little, but when she did, it was terse and spiteful. She seemed to view the rest of the Bonded the way Herzin did, as if they were all beneath her.

Garild found it amusing that she’d been bonded with someone like Tegan. Having grown up with him, Garild knew Tegan was more interested in playing in the dirt and goofing off then he was at taking anything or anyone seriously. He was carefree and friendly where Irena was cold and distant. Garild almost felt sorry for him. He could only hope Irena wouldn’t crush the kindness right out of him.

“Lying isn't becoming of you, Tegan. Why not tell them the truth? That you haven't been able to even use your powers yet.”

The rest of the table shifted uncomfortably while Tegan just stared at the table, his cheeks tinged with red. “We need to leave. Harkin will be upset if we’re late and I’m not going to disappoint him for your sake.” She stood quietly, ignoring the rest of the Bonded as she stepped out of the room, head held high. Tegan stood quickly, trailing after her as he wiped at his eyes. “I’ll see you all later,” he sniffled, following after his bond mate.

“She’s a tough one,” Ian grunted.

“Ah, but her beauty is unquestionable,” said Burk, smile on his face as he watched them leave. Burk was tall and muscular, easily the biggest of the boys and often times the most amusing. He was laid back, almost to the point of being lazy, but he was quick of wit and his jokes often had them all laughing.

His bond mate, Abby, rolled her eyes. “Beautiful and an absolute terror. I’m pretty sure she’d strike us all down if given the chance.”

“Jealous,” he chided, earning himself a punch in the arm. Abby wasn’t exactly scrawny and her punch left Burk rubbing his arm, grimacing as he tried to make the pain stop. “Ow!”

“Oh, hush! You deserved that and you know it,” she smirked. She was a perfect complement to Burk; kind, upbeat, and filled with enough wit to match Burk any day. It was easy to see why the two of them had been bonded.

“Let’s go find Grant. I’ve an abuse to report,” Burk chided, tugging on her braid as he walked by. She frowned in annoyance, chased after him and landed another punch on his arm.

“Make that two!”

“As much as I hate to admit it, we should probably get going too,” Garild said, pushing himself up from his seat. The rest of the group nodded in agreement and slowly, the room cleared of people, Garild and Kirheen trailing behind. She was unusually quiet, watching the others ahead of them with inquisitive eyes.

“Everything okay,” he asked gently, nudging her with his elbow.

“Oh. Yeah. I’m fine,” she said, smiling sheepishly. “Feeling a tad sluggish.”

“Might have something to do with all that food you just ate.”

Warmth crept to her cheeks. “Can we just forget that happened? I don’t know what came over me just then. Whatever Trista gave me really had some horrible side effects.”

Garild chuckled. “It did. But at least you’re feeling better. You don’t look half as green as you did yesterday!”

“Well, that’s a start.”

“Are you feeling ready for training today?”

The smile slipped off her face as if he'd insulted her. Her brows furrowed and she shook her head. “I…don’t know, Garild. After what happened, I just don’t know if I’m willing to go through that again.”

Garild frowned. “It’s not going to be like that, you know? You really think Tomias and Fenir would do that to you?”

“Of course I don’t. And I know that. I just…”

“I understand, Kirheen. You don’t have to explain. Just promise me you’ll try.”

She met his eyes and he could see an overwhelming fear lurking in her gaze, an apprehension that words couldn’t possibly take away. “I’ll try.”

Tomias and Fenir were sitting on the steps outside their home, eyes locked in what appeared to be a silent debate. There was a discussion taking place in their minds that neither of them could comprehend. At the sound of their footsteps, Tomias glanced up wearily.

“Ah, a most welcome distraction. How are you both doing?”

“Better,” Kirheen said. It was true, whatever Trista had given her seemed to be working. Despite her earlier episode of eating everything in sight, she was feeling well rested. She’d almost forgotten what that felt like. “I hope we aren’t interrupting anything.”

Tomias shot a glare out of the corner of his eye that Fenir ignored. “Not at all. Just having a pleasant discussion with my bond mate. I’m debating whether or not my life would be less complicated without him.”

Fenir grunted.

“Fenir would like you all to know that he is mute. He cannot speak, but he can still hear! I find it rather hard to believe with how much he seems to miss my point during our most pleasant conversations.”

Kirheen cleared her throat. “Should we leave you two to sort things out? I’m feeling a bit of tension here.”

“Of course not! Come, gather round,” he swept his arm out before him, gesturing to the empty space at the foot of the stairs.

“What are you two arguing about anyways,” Kirheen asked, folding her arms across her chest.

“Let’s just say, we have a difference of opinions when it comes to your training. I, for one, feel it’s necessary to explain a few things to you first before we get started. Fenir, on the other hand, seems to think we should just jump right into things. That strategy seems to have worked so well for Herzin.”

Kirheen winced. “Do we have any say in the matter?”

“I…suppose you could. We’ll just let you two settle this.”

Garild shrugged. “I’m fine either way. It might be good to go over a few things though. Considering we really haven’t had any formal training up until this point, it couldn’t hurt.”

Kirheen nodded. “Just what I was thinking.”

“I’m sorry, Fenir. It appears you’ve been outnumbered this time. You’ll have to listen to me chatter away,” Tomias said with a smile, obviously pleased with himself. Fenir huffed, shifting his attention elsewhere

“Your training with Herzin was cut rather short. Did you speak of anything you hadn’t already heard?”

Kirheen shrugged. “We spoke briefly of our powers, of the Allseer and the Darkness. It was all very basic though but—“

“…You still have many questions. That much I know. I’ll try and answer as much as I can, just promise to hear me out and not bombard me with your curiosity.”

“I…suppose I can handle that.”

“So, you know two of the major points. You at least have a basic understanding of what it is to have these powers. It’s true, while your bond is powerful and unique, what is required of you once you’ve mastered your powers will be the most important thing to come from your union. It is with your powers that we hope to save the world, to bring it back from the Darkness.”

“If it’s all about strengthening our powers to defeat the Darkness, then why match us up,” Garild asked.

“A valid question. Up until now, you’ve hardly used the power you have. With no training in the matter, it’s hard to focus your power enough to use it for anything useful. But, even without training, some innate ability has shined through even in your youth. The Council has been able to see that through the years and matched you up not only by your personalities, but also by the initial strengths of your gifts. You are meant to work in tangent. Your strengths are their weaknesses, both in personality and in power. You’ve got to be able to overcome that, hence why you are paired. You help balance each other.”

“So, what are our strengths? We’ve done so little with our powers, how can you tell,” Kirheen asked.

“You’ve been using your powers a lot more than you think,” Tomias said with a smile. “You know how many times you’ve successfully blocked me out over the past week?”

“You’ve been trying to read my mind?” She felt slightly betrayed by the intrusion. She hadn’t expected Tomias to stoop to such a tactic.  

“Not in the way you think,” he said quickly, his hands rising in front of him as if to block her anger. “I’ve been scoping out your powers. If I have to teach you then I at least have to know what I’m dealing with.”

“You should have told me,” she said with a scowl. “I can't believe you!”

“That would have defeated the purpose, my dear. Simmer down, I wasn't trying to dig through your mind! I was trying to see how you would naturally react! This brings us to your question. You, Kirheen, have the innate power of blocking. You’re able to feel someone entering your mind and react accordingly, even when you aren’t aware of it.”

“That’s useful. Means I can keep my thoughts to myself without any unwanted intrusion,” she snapped, making it clear she hadn’t approved of his actions, no matter the explanation.

“In time and with proper training, yes, but right now if Fenir wanted to break into your mind, you’d have a hard time stopping him. His strength lies in breaking those barriers. Don’t overestimate your own abilities. Against someone skilled, you’d crumble.”

“Wouldn’t Herzin be considered skilled,” Garild asked.

“Yes, and she is, but she underestimated you; a dangerous mistake. She wasn’t expecting you to reinforce the barriers of your mind and push her out and it cost her.”

“If her strength is blocking, then what’s mine? Attacking?”

Tomias frowned. “It seems the logical answer, but your power is far more subtle. You don’t have the brute strength of Fenir. You don’t just hammer down the walls and let yourself in. You, Garild, have the power of influence. You sneak into the mind and influence the emotions and thoughts of others without them even realizing you’re there. As you become more experienced, you can shape the landscape of what they see.”

Garild looked concerned. “I’ve been doing this all along?”

“At times. You feel emotions more than others. Your power latches on to those emotions and you tweak them, ever so slightly. Most people wouldn’t even realize it was happening unless they were looking for it. You did it when you walked in here. You saw our tension and latched onto that, tried to change it.”

“How could you tell?”

“Because it’s my strength as well.”

Garild and Kirheen fell silent, both piecing together what they’d learned. It was Kirheen that spoke first. “So, if we’ve been using our power without knowing, how do we get it under our control?”

Tomias leaned forward, propping up his chin with laced fingers. “Practice, my dear.”

Kirheen looked down at the cards in her hand, trying to decipher the meaning of them. She held five cards, each one with a different symbol. Tomias sat to her right, holding a different set of cards, though instead of symbols they were numbered. She suspected Fenir and Garild held the same, but from her angle, she couldn’t tell.

“The rules are quite simple. You are going to take turns figuring out which card your bond mate is holding. This isn’t a guessing game. I want you both to try very hard to concentrate and use your powers to your advantage. I want you to
know
what the other person is holding,” Tomias said, taking the cards from Kirheen. He shuffled them together, took the top card and flipped it for him and Kirheen to see. It was a symbol; two blue vertical lines with a circle between them.

“Start out gently. I want you to concentrate on your opponent, study them. Once your concentration is locked, you should feel a slight change, a gentle pressure here,” he tapped between his eyes with a finger. “Don’t let it alarm you. You’re just feeling the natural resistance of their mind.”

Kirheen looked at him uneasily, remembering the overwhelming pressure she’d felt when Herzin had entered her mind. The thought made her mouth go dry and she felt sweat on her palms. She wiped her hands on her robes, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.

“Kirheen, don’t fret,” Tomias said softly, reaching out to steady her hands. His touch was gentle and reassuring, his fingertips pressed softly against her skin. “It's not going to be like that.”

“How do you know,” she questioned.

He smiled. “Kirheen, we use these powers every day. You’ve
been
using them. Don’t let that experience control you. I won’t lie, this will strain you, but it won’t hurt you. Not like that. Please trust me.”

She studied him, searching for a lie hidden within his brown eyes, but she saw nothing. If there was a lie to be found, she couldn’t see it. “I’ll try.”

“Then let’s begin. Study your card and keep the symbol firmly in your mind. Once you’ve done that, we’ll hide the card and begin.” They took a moment to commit the card to memory and then shuffled it back into the deck.

“Think of their mind as a wall. Feel the resistance of it, feel it push back against you. But every wall has a weakness. Find it and you find a way in. Stay focused on the information you seek, avoid distraction and you’ll be victorious. You may begin.”

Garild glanced at her momentarily, uncertainty clouding his dark eyes. He fidgeted nervously, eyes scanning the room.
Distracted.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to reach out, feeling for the resistance she’d felt before. There was a slight vibration, a gentle tingle between her eyes but it wavered, faltering as she tried to push further. She frowned.
Well, that didn’t work.

It was clear he was unsure what to do, his focus wavering between her and Tomias. She sat quietly, studying him, her expression revealing nothing. She pushed again, this time with more strength. The vibration returned, but this time stronger. She could feel the pressure building, the thread connecting them pulling tight. And then she was there, against the walls guarding his mind.

It was an odd sensation, a feeling of floating outside of yourself. It made her feel dizzy. She closed her eyes, trying to block out anything that might distract her. She visualized the wall, millions of glimmering blue threads, tightly bound together. There was no weak point that she could see, and it seemed to stretch on forever, an endless wall holding back a tangled web of information.

Reaching forward, she touched one of the threads. It glowed brightly, sending ripples of light along the wall. She watched it dance across its surface for as far as she could see. After a moment, the light returned, glowing in the same thread she’d touched. The section of wall she stood in front of lit up, it’s blue light blinding. She stumbled back, felt the vibration waver and suddenly she was back in her own mind. She gasped, eyes flying open as she tried to regain her sense of self.

“Are you alright,” Tomias asked.

She took several unsteady breathes, looking bewildered. “Y-yeah, I’m fine. That…that is just a very odd sensation.” Tomias smiled knowingly.

Garild was focused on her now. “You were just in my mind, weren’t you? I could feel something, a slight shift.”

“She was,” Tomias confirmed. “Did you try blocking her?”

He shook his head. “No, I couldn’t find her. It was all just noise and light.”

“You’ll need to focus harder. Envision your walls and find the source of the intrusion. You’ll need to push her out or she’s sure to break through. Be gentle about it though. And Kirheen, his natural defenses were enough to push you out. Push harder. Go ahead, you two. Try again.”

This time it was Garild that pushed first. She could barely feel it, a slight tingle, like a fingertip traced across her skin. She closed her eyes, envisioned her walls and found him instantly. He stood before the threads, hands hovering over them uncertainly. He reached out, touching the wall gently. The wall shimmered, tendrils of light radiating out in all directions. There was an increase of pressure and a thread darkened, its glow fading. The darkness spread quickly, infecting the other threads around it. There was a loud snapping sound as one of the darkened tendrils frayed. It held for a moment before it gave way, leaving behind the smallest of gaps in the wall. Others followed in quick succession, a loud series of pops sending Kirheen into a panic.

Think, think, think. You’re a natural blocker, so block him!
She steadied herself, honing in on the gap quickly forming in the wall. She focused on the healthy threads, trying to pull them closer together to seal the gap but they wouldn’t budge. As the gap widened, she felt a surge of fear. Her thoughts, her feelings, they were all she had and only a wall stood between them and Garild; A wall that was quickly disintegrating before her eyes.