The Bonded: The Allseer Trilogy Book I (10 page)

“I’ll learn something else…eventually,” Burk sighed, suddenly very interested in the bottom of his mug.

“You best be learning it before winter ends.”

Abby frowned. “If it ever does. It’s barely begun and I already wish it were over. I can’t stand the cold.”

Grant laughed, a gruff bark that sounded more condescending than amused. “You’ll be too busy this winter with training to focus on how cold your toes are and too tired in the evenings to care.”

“That sounds pleasant,” Kirheen said, forcing a smile. “Why is it we are going to be training so hard this winter?”

“Because it’s too damned cold to do anything else and these winter months will drag on like a bad case of the sniffles if we don’t stay busy. Better to stay focused so we don’t lose our edge. It’s easy to lose sight of things once that chill sets in your bones.”

“You’re a cheery person, Grant,” Kirheen noted, smiling.

“I try my best.” He crossed his arms, leaning back into his seat.

“It’s funny,” Burk mused, blue eyes watching the fire dance. Everyone shifted their attention, watching him with curious eyes. “It’s so easy to forget that these powers we use have a purpose. I mean, we learn them, but I forget that at the end of all of this, we’ll be using these powers to protect people and save the world from the Darkness.”

There was a collective nodding of the head from the group, a shared agreement. It was a thought that was always there in the back of their minds, dredged to the surface from time to time. It did feel strange, to have such responsibility and to so easily forget about it. Focusing on training was well and good, but there was a much larger picture, a darker picture that could taint everything they knew if they forgot about it. It was easy to pretend that Sanctuary was all that existed, that nothing else lay beyond the borders, but things did exist. It was a dark, twisted world out there and they would reclaim it. It was just a matter of time… time and power.

“Never forget your purpose for having these powers. If you know that someday you’ll be beating back the Darkness with your gift, it makes wanting to learn it to the best of your ability that much easier,” Grant said. “You’ve got to learn not only for your own sake, but for the sake of everyone around you. To fail is to watch Sanctuary fall.”

“There are others out there now, fighting against it,” Garild asked quietly.

“Of course there are. You aren’t the first to be Bonded and you certainly won’t be the last. Those that came before fight as we speak. They are keeping you safe. And those that aren’t fighting are working hard to help keep you fed and clothed, so you better appreciate those that came before. We’d have fallen long ago if it weren’t for them.”

Kirheen opened her mouth to ask a question and a knock at the door stopped her. Trista poked her head in a moment later, her red hair bright in the light of the fire. “Sorry to interrupt, but I thought I might steal Kirheen and Garild back.”

Grant nodded, leaning forward to take the mugs out of their hands. Kirheen thanked him for the tea.

“Probably won’t see much of you this winter,” said Abby sadly. “Take care of yourselves and train hard. We look forward to seeing what you’ve learned come Spring!”

“Will do,” Garild smiled. “You two do the same.”

“In fact, with two instructors, we expect you to know twice as much as we do by then,” Burk teased. “Perhaps one of these days we’ll be permitted to test our powers against each other.”

“Sounds like a challenge,” Kirheen smirked. “Think you could win?”

“You can save your challenges for later,” said Grant. “It’s late. Kirheen, Garild, it was nice talking with you both. Train hard and remember your purpose. The time to push back against the dark will come faster than you think.”

With that, they followed Trista back outside. The night air was chilly and Kirheen watched her breath form tiny clouds in front of her face.  “How is Tomias?”

“Tomias is fine,” Trista said. “By tomorrow he’ll be feeling like himself again.”

“So, we should prepare for a lecture then, I take it?”

Trista laughed, leading them through the field. “Sounds about right.”

With Tomias recovering, training would continue. The talk they’d had with the others had both inspired and terrified them. These powers weren’t just for show. Someday, they would face the Darkness and use their strengths to heal the world. As they stepped into the warm glow of their house, they felt a new burden upon their shoulders. This was not the weight of trials and training, this was the weight of the world. Only time would tell if they could bear it.

Winter crept into Sanctuary, devouring the light and leaving the day but a brief companion. The air grew cold and windy, and before long, snow was drifting in and blanketing the land in white. Light summer robes were traded for fur lined winter wear and cold bodies sought the rare warm glow of fire that now burned in a myriad of orange, yellow and red. And all around them, the wraith woods stood silent and dark, brooding beasts waiting to reawaken.

Training started in the first few hours of day light and stretched into the inky blackness of the evening. Meals were now taken within their houses and the Bonded saw very little of each other. With little to do otherwise, training consumed their every minute. They’d moved away from the basics of controlling their powers and now were learning new ways to manipulate the skills they already possessed. Where before Kirheen had seen a wall when using her powers against Garild, the view had now shifted and she saw what he wanted her to see.

At times it was a forest, filled with glowing wraith wood trees and alive with the sounds of bugs and birds. Sweet smelling flowers blossomed all around, luring her in with their fragrance. Lush grass, tall and green, tickled her as she walked. The forest was designed to lower her guard, to make her feel safe and complacent, and it did a fine job. There were times where she’d lose her purpose and find herself wandering the forest aimlessly. Other times she’d come face to face with some wild creature that would chase and attack, forcing her back into the safety of her own mind. 

It proved difficult for Kirheen, headstrong as she was. Her tendency to keep her eye on the goal left her open to manipulation and Garild did it well. So intent was she on the bigger picture that often times, she missed the little details. Subtle shifts in the forest went unnoticed and reality and the dream distorted into one until it was difficult to tell the two apart. The weeks went by slowly, leaving Kirheen feeling weak and defeated.

Recognizing this, Tomias worked on showing her how to seek out the traps, to move slowly and deliberately to her goal without leaving herself open or losing sight of what she was after. It was different from blocking. Blocking was the act of keeping someone out of your mind or deliberately cutting off their power.  What he taught her was something else, a kind of counter manipulation that involved using their projections against them. When the creature would attack, she’d have to focus hard on the fact that it wasn’t real. Then she’d shift her power and drive the creature to do her bidding, forcing it to seek out other traps and drive away other creatures that would seek to harm her. It was difficult at first, but eventually she could keep pace with Garild.

With their training came changes, both physical and mental. Over the cold winter months, they grew taller. Garild lost some of his boyish chubbiness, growing leaner, his jaw and muscles becoming more defined. As he’d grown more confident in his powers, so too had his confidence grown in everything else. He was still humble and obedient, but no longer was he so naive and pliable. Now he was the manipulator and that power gave him strength.

Kirheen blossomed, her tall, willowy figure giving way to the curves of a woman. As she learned control and patience, humiliation and defeat, she softened to the world. No longer did she fear her powers or the powers of others. She was confident enough to keep herself guarded and that comforted her. She’d learned a sense of humbleness that she hadn’t known before and it showed. She smiled more willingly, communicated more openly and was friendlier with Garild than she’d ever been.

They grew closer, their friendship solidifying and strengthening their bond. Where before their teamwork had been clumsy, they now worked together, powers blending into a seamless mix that left Tomias and Fenir defeated more often than not.

On a chilly winter night, Nyson gathered them within the hollowed tree where they’d been bonded. A large fire burned in the center of the circle, and the Bonded crowded around it, basking in the warmth it provided. With them all gathered, Nyson announced a tournament to be held after the snow had thawed.

The tournament would pit the bonded against each other, testing their abilities to an extent they’d never been tested before. It would be an opportunity to learn, to grow and to show the Council all they’d learned during those winter months. And at the end of it, a grand celebration would be held to honor the Allseer herself.

The room exploded with electric energy that crackled and surged as the Bonded discussed it among themselves. A fire had been lit, the promise of competition bringing out a new sense of purpose for many of them.

The reign of winter came to an end, and green dominated the landscape as it thawed. Flowers bloomed, filling the air with fragrance and hearts soared with the sun as it rose, once more becoming the dominant force in the sky.

And on a dark, moonless night, the trees came alive with icy fire once again. 

“Wait, you never told me you told them,” Tomias frowned, pressing his hands to the sides of his head. “When did this happen? This might just ruin everything.” He flung his hands out, shaking them as if trying to rid himself of the disappointment he felt.

Kirheen shook her head, completely baffled at his concern. It had been casually brought up in conversation that they’d talked with Grant, Abby and Burk. She never dreamed it would turn into the rant they now faced. “It can’t really be that big of a deal. They told us what they were learning! Besides, we told them at the beginning of winter, I highly doubt they remember.”

“That is where you are wrong. Grant doesn’t forget anything! He’s a sly old fox. I bet he’s been training to counter us all winter! And that, them telling you what they learned, it was probably a lie! Just because he looks like a bear, walks like a bear, and talks like a bear does not necessarily make Burk a bear. For all we know, he’s actually a highly skilled manipulator and that won’t bode well for anyone.”

Garild sighed. “I think you may be taking this a little too seriously. Isn’t this meant to be fun?”

Tomias spun on his heels and approached Garild, pointing his finger in his face. “Fun? Yes! But you think I spent all winter training you day in and day out to have you lose? Uh-uh! It’s not happening, especially not to Grant.”

“There are plenty of opponents we’ll have to deal with. I don’t think they are the only ones we need to worry about. Besides, we’ve learned a lot these past few months. Garild is more than competent when it comes to manipulating and I’d like to say that I’ve learned some interesting blocking variations. We could win this if we really nail down a strategy,” Kirheen explained.

Tomias frowned, rubbing his chin. He’d kept his stubble, claiming he liked feeling different from his brother, but they all knew it was a thinly veiled attempt to annoy Fenir and Trista alike. So far, it had worked. “You’re right. I don’t mean to undermine your efforts. You’ve both gone above and beyond my expectations. This is just the first time we’ve had a tournament like this. It’s exciting!”

“Can we not forget stressful,” Garild added.

“Yes, it’s been that too. You’re both feeling confident?”

Garild nodded. “As Kirheen said, we’ve learned a lot. We manage to take you both down from time to time and you’re far more skilled than we are.”

“I was hoping you’d forget about that. You have grown a lot and I won’t deny you have a level of finesse that we sometimes lack. Being almost the same person makes for a rather one sided perspective, wouldn’t you say? Your teamwork is quite enviable. With that said, we can’t let our guards down. You’ll be facing Bonded you’ve never faced before. You’ll see variations of techniques that we couldn’t possibly teach you, things that they learned from their instructors that we don’t know. They all have an edge, an advantage, and they will use every bit of it to win.”

“Does it really matter? It’s not like we get anything out of this.”

It was true. Aside from getting to show off to the Council, the only reward was a self-gratifying one, a chance to show the other Bonded that they were better. Perhaps it would push everyone to work harder and that was the goal, but Garild couldn’t help but question the point of it all.

“There is no physical reward for your efforts, true. But it offers you a chance to impress the Council, a chance to show that you really have what it takes to face the Darkness in the coming years. Remember, not everyone goes off to fight the Darkness. Some of you will end up as workers, working hard to provide for the Bonded that come after you. Plus, bragging rights. Can’t deny those. I, for one, would have a splendid time rubbing our victory into the faces of the other instructors.”

Kirheen snorted. “Of course you would. How long do we have exactly until the Union Battle?”

“Three weeks. It’s not a lot of time, but it’s enough to get ourselves prepared.”

“Will they be telling us who we’re going to be up against,” Garild asked. Details about the competition had been kept to a minimum. The only thing they knew was that they’d be using their skills to take down whoever they happened to go up against. Beyond that, they knew very little and it wasn’t much help in keeping Tomias calm.

“I don’t think we’ll know until the day of the competition.”

“So, let’s use these three weeks to work out every possible scenario. There are only so many skill combinations we’ll face. Between the four of us, we can at least practice facing what we have here at present,” Kirheen argued.

“We have all the bases covered. Garild and myself as manipulators, you and Fenir both for blocking and Fenir again as a pusher. You’ve at least experienced all three. Not everyone will have that advantage and that will work in your favor.”

“What would be the hardest for us to go up against?”

“Manipulators are by far the most difficult. There are so many ways to manipulate the mind of another that it can be difficult to counter. You’ve had a bit of practice with that, Kirheen, but not everyone will use that power the way Garild does. They do have a weak spot though, and that is where you will come in. Manipulators can only shift your attention, but when they are focused by a pusher, things can go wrong very quickly. You’ll want to use that and also watch out for it. If you aren’t keeping Garild’s mind safe when you’re attacked, you’ll both lose. Remember that.”

Kirheen sighed. “Well, this isn’t stressful to think about or anything. What do you think, Garild? You think we can do this?”

Garild smiled, rubbing his hands together as he leaned forward. “As a matter of fact, I do.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Tomias smirked. He clapped them both on the shoulder and then took a seat between them, huddling close to further discuss the battle to come.

A week before the Bonded would see themselves pitted against each other, Nyson called for the Council to gather. They gathered in the Temple of Union, just as the sun began its slow descent in the sky. All of the instructors were present, as well as Herzin and Trista.

Tomias hated meetings. Such things required him to maintain a firm hold of his tongue, something he’d found near impossible when he’d joined the Council years ago. It had become easier, mostly because he spent the majority of the meetings conversing with Fenir in his head. It gave him the feeling that he was voicing his opinions without getting the scolding that usually came along with it.

Fenir grunted, eyeing the other instructors around him.
“Lot of bodies in this room. We’re in for quite the competition.”

It was true. The Council had swelled in size over the years. There were eleven of them now, including themselves. And there would be more to come. Eventually they’d need a bigger space to conduct their business, but for now the glowing wraith wood tree sufficed.

“How do you think we’ll do,”
Tomias questioned, casting a suspicious glance at Grant. He stood silent and stoic, blue eyes gazing off into space. His arms were crossed and his expression was grim, sign of a man that had better things to do. Things like practicing to best them in combat.

“We’d do better if you’d quit worrying. We might not even be against them.”

“I am worrying too much, aren’t I?”

“Yes. You need to stop. Kirheen and Garild are doing far better than we ever expected, so quit worrying. You’re stressing me out.”

“Sorry, sorry. I just…”

The conversation was cut short as Nyson entered the room. He looked calm, a rare expression on his haggard face. Most days the man looked like he was ready to snap, like he was a frayed rope being pulled too taut. All it would take was one good tug and the man would unravel. Today was different though. His usual frown had disappeared from his face, his eyes shone, and the harsh wrinkles of his face seemed softer somehow, as if he’d suddenly reverted back to a version of himself that was ten years younger. It was almost unsettling.

Nyson took his place in the center of the circle. Never one to stand still, the set up afforded him the ability to move about the room and address whomever he wished face to face.               “Thank you for joining me today,” he spoke, sweeping his arms out as he turned a slow circle. “As you well know, the Battle of Union is almost upon us. Today I’d like to discuss details with you so we all know what to expect. For the battle itself, I will be splitting the Bonded into two groups. Each group will consist of eight students. These Bonded will face each other in pairs and try to secure their spot in the final competition.” Nyson motioned for a servant and a moment later, a young woman arrived at his side, holding a bundle of scrolls. He took them from her and nodded approvingly before dismissing her. She wandered to the far corner of the room, face devoid of emotion.

“On these scrolls is a breakdown of the battles.  We will be doing one battle at a time with Herzin and myself overseeing each. Please review your scroll as it is passed to you.” The scrolls were passed around the circle and Tomias unraveled his, eyeing it curiously.

The scroll showed a breakdown of whom each pair of Bonded would be up against as well as the official rules for the battle. On the left hand side, he found his students names. A line connected them to the group they’d be battling and he sighed, nudging Fenir with his elbow.

“See, I knew I was worried for a reason.”
The first battle was against Abby and Burk, the very team he’d been agonizing over in the first place.
“If we go up against them first, this could end badly.”

Fenir shrugged.
“Doesn’t look like we have a choice. No point whining about it now.”

Tomias let the scroll snap back together and looked around the room just as Grant finished reading his. He met Tomias’ gaze and the deformed corner of his mouth rose in a smirk. Tomias looked away in disgust, but not before giving him his best glare.

“
We’re going to lose.”

“Would you shut up? I didn’t deal with those two all winter just to let them lose the first round.”

“Right, shutting up now.”

Nyson clapped his hands twice, bringing the attention back to himself. “These scrolls are yours to keep. While the breakdown of the battles is yours to review, please keep this information from your students. The matchups will remain a surprise for them. Please make sure to review the terms of the battles and discuss the rules with your students. Any Bonded found breaking the rules of the competition will be immediately disqualified and face disciplinary actions as decided by Herzin. This is a chance for your students to prove their worth, to prove they have what it takes to defend us against the Darkness. Do not let them disappoint.” Nyson met the eyes of each instructor as he said this. “That will be all today. Please use this next week to practice. The Bonded, as well as yourselves, will have the day before the competition to rest. Use your time wisely.”

As Nyson left, the Council trickled out after him, murmuring softly to each other. The sun had sunk low, leaving the world drenched in vibrant streaks of color and Tomias took a minute to soak it in before the ghastly blue glow of the trees dominated the night.

“It really would be a shame if this place fell to the Darkness,” Tomias mused.

“It would,”
Fenir agreed.
“That’s why we have to train them the best we can. They are our future.”

“When did you get to be so optimistic? You’ve been around Trista too much.”

Fenir grunted, walking away from Tomias before the conversation could go further. With the brisk pace set by Fenir, the walk back was a short one. Kirheen and Garild were quietly discussing strategy, playing through possible scenarios as they sat across from each other next to the fire. They hardly looked up when they entered the room and Tomias felt his heart swell with pride. Perhaps he was being overly paranoid about the battle to come.

“Having fun,” he asked his students, taking a seat in an open chair next to them. Fenir followed suit.

Kirheen smiled sweetly, but her smile faded once she saw the scroll in his hands. “Uh oh, what did you find out?”

“I found out all the boring rules you get to follow so you don’t get disqualified and punished.”

“And?”

“You’re doomed.”

Kirheen and Garild both sneered, showing their obvious distaste for his lack of enthusiasm.

Garild spoke first. “And why exactly do you say that?”