The Eighth Warden Bk. 04 Ch. 29-30

"He doesn't want to speak to you right now. Willem was his friend."

Corec looked away. "I'm sorry. I tried to plan for everything, but..." He trailed off.

"People die in war, but Trentin's never lost anyone before. He'll get over it; just give him some time. And the plan was fine--no one's ever taken out a full-sized adult dragon and only lost three men before."

That wasn't true, but Kevik was referring to the historical records kept by the Knights of Pallisur, who'd never lost fewer than ten knights or soldiers when facing an adult dragon. The battle was less impressive when compared to some of the stories Bobo knew, where the forces had fought with both arms and magic.

"Maybe, but I wish it had turned out differently," Corec said.

"We knew what we were getting into. At least we'll be able to tell his parents he didn't run away. We can pretend he died a hero, rather than freezing up."

"He didn't freeze," Ellerie said.

The knight turned to her, a question on his face.

"He didn't freeze," she repeated. "He forgot about his pike, and he forgot he was supposed to run, but he was ready to fight. He had time to draw his sword."

Kevik drew in a deep breath, then nodded. "That helps. Thank you." He clasped Corec's forearm. "See you around."

"See you around, Kev."

"Ladies," the knight said with one last bow before he headed down the stairwell.

Ellerie watched him leave. "I'm sorry," she said to Corec. "I should have gotten Willem and Nale out of there. I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late."

"It's not your fault--they knew the plan as well as you did. We trained, but... I don't know how anyone trains for that. We were lucky to do as well as we did." He was trying to reassure her, but he wasn't sure he believed the words himself.

The look she gave him suggested she knew what he was thinking, but she changed the subject. "I'll leave you two alone and go let Boktar know we're taking over the keep. He'll be happy."

#

There was a festive mood in the air as the recruits celebrated the successful conclusion of their task. They had reason to be happy--Leena and Katrin had brought their bonuses, ten gold for each man. For some of them, that was more than a year's pay. There was nothing to spend it on here, and no alcohol available this far from civilization, but that didn't seem to matter. Some played dice or cards, while others sang folk songs or told stories. Boktar and Sarette were quietly taking a few of the men aside to ask them to consider staying on.

Ariadne didn't take part in the celebrating. Instead, she found herself hesitating just outside the glow of Corec's mage light. He was sitting in a semi-circle with Treya, Katrin, and Shavala, discussing plans for how to make the keep livable again.

Perhaps this wasn't a good time. She turned to leave, but it was too late--they'd seen her.

"Come join us," Treya said, waving her over. They made room for her on the piles of stone they were using as seats.

Ariadne sighed and made her way over to the campfire.

Corec nodded to her as she sat. "Did you decide whether you want to stay here or go with the group that's heading back to Four Roads?" he asked.

He and some others had decided to remain at the keep, but Boktar would be leading the bulk of the expedition on their return to Four Roads. The group's horses were still there, and they would need more supplies if they intended to stay in this isolated location. The men they were hiring would have the chance to gather their belongings and inform their families before escorting the supply caravan back to the fortress.

"I'll go," she said. The Mage Knights' armor and weapons were still back in Four Roads, hidden away in the wheelwright's shop the group had been using as their headquarters. Ellerie had cast mage locks on the doors and windows, but the building could hardly be considered secure.

"Will you come back?" Treya asked.

It was a legitimate question--Ariadne hadn't made any commitments to the group. It was also the perfect opening to ask what she'd come to ask, but she didn't take it.

"I will, at least for now," she said. "I don't have any plans other than going to the Storm Heights with Sarette when she's ready."

Corec nodded. "We won't be doing much here other than cleaning and building, but you're welcome to stick around."

"Thank you."

Katrin stood and stretched. "I should really go find Leena and see if she can take me back to Four Roads. It's getting late and I didn't ask Nallee to watch the children overnight."

"I'll trade off with you if you want to stay here," Treya told her after a quick glance at Corec. "I'd like to visit the chapter house anyway."

Katrin grinned and sat back down. "Sure. I didn't bring a change of clothing, but one night won't hurt." She ruffled Corec's hair. "I guess you're stuck with me."

He chuckled.

Treya got up to leave, but Ariadne held out a hand to stop her.

"Wait," she said. "There's something I wanted to ask." She turned to the others. "To ask all of you."

"What is it?" Treya asked.

Now that she'd started, Ariadne wasn't sure how to continue. "When we fought the dragon, I should have been able to help more, like Sarette did," she said.

Corec furrowed his brow. "What do you mean? You did fine."

"Maybe, but... my elder magic has always been weak. You could change that if you bonded me." She'd said it. She still wasn't sure if it was the right choice, but she'd come to feel a sense of camaraderie with this group, something she'd feared she'd never feel again.

"The warden bond?" Corec asked. "Treya and Sarette said you were interested, but I always figured you had other things you wanted to do."

Treya gave them both a brief smile of encouragement.

Ariadne regarded the group silently for a moment, then said, "I think we all know I'm not going to find the Chosar." It was the first time she'd admitted it out loud. "I needed time to realize that for myself. I still want to find out what happened to them, but whatever it was, it was in the past. There's nothing I can do to change it. I need..."

She trailed off, not knowing how to put it into words. The wardens were the last remnants of the world she remembered, and Corec and his friends were the people she knew best in this time. If she left them, where would she go?

He nodded in understanding. "Are you sure?" he asked. "We waited for you in case Sarette and Treya were right, but you don't have to go through with it just to stay. You're welcome here either way."

"I'm sure." She'd spent months considering her decision.

He looked to Treya, Katrin, and Shavala in turn. They each gave a quick nod.

"Then let's do it," he said. "This won't take long." He closed his eyes for a moment to concentrate, then opened them again. "There's something wrong. There's..."

He stopped talking and they all stared at Ariadne's forehead.

She touched her brow. "I don't feel any different."

"That's the wrong shade of blue--it's too light. And it's not the rune I tried to use. You were already bonded."

"What? No, I wasn't! It had to be you."

"My spell failed. It felt just like when I cast it on Venni for practice. She was already Yelena's bondmate so nothing happened."

Ariadne tried to think through the implications. "Was it Hildra? Did she do it when I visited her?"

Corec shook his head. "Hildra's runes are purple, and she already has eight bondmates. Or had--two died, but from what she told me, that doesn't change anything."

"Yelena, then!" Ariadne had never met Yelena, but who else could it have been?

"Yelena's runes are red. Unless there's a way to change the color?"

"I don't know. I don't think so." Except for two brief conversations with Hera, she'd only seen the old wardens from a distance. She'd never discussed the details of their abilities with them. "I... how could it happen? Who else could have done it?"

"Maybe another warden found us in Four Roads," Corec said. "Or snuck into our camp. It could have been anyone--I didn't know Hildra was a warden until she told me."

"But why? Why would they bond someone they don't know?" Could it explain why elder magic had been coming to her more easily? Before she'd gone into stasis, her proficiency had been at a standstill. Recently, though, her skill had begun growing again. Not by much, but then, she hadn't been practicing much.

"The first few times I cast the binding spell, it was an accident," Corec said. "I didn't realize what I was doing. There could be someone else out there like me. Or maybe it's Rusol." Then he frowned and shook his head. "No, as king, I don't see how Rusol could be away from Larso for so long. Even if he's found a Traveler somehow, he'd still need time to put a plan together, and how would it help him to cast the binding spell on you?"

Ariadne didn't understand it either. How could she be a bondmate without a warden? Corec's experiences aside, wardens didn't bond people by accident.

"Can you sense what direction the bond points to?" Katrin asked. "We couldn't do that right away--it took time--but if you're not sure how long it's been..."

Ariadne tried, but she wasn't sure what she was looking for. "I don't feel anything," she said.

She stared at Katrin's and Shavala's sigils, glowing on their brows. Like her own, she supposed... but now she would never be part of their group.

What was she supposed to do?

Where did she belong?

###

Epilogue

A stone palace stood at the top of a tall cliff overlooking the Sheshi Plains in central Vestath. With the warm climate, the residential quarters along the western edge of the palace were open to the elements, their balconies offering a view of the flatlands below.

It was into one of these suites that Pallisur appeared, expending most of his power to craft a mortal body for himself as he passed through the barrier between realms. As his mind locked into its new vessel, his abilities to Travel and cross over to the divine realm were blocked from his reach. His arcane magic became restricted once more to those spells he'd known during his mortal life as a battle wizard. Not all of his new abilities disappeared--he still carried the divine magic he'd been gifted during his ascension, but that too was diminished. He could no longer send visions to his followers, and trying to read potential futures would become hazier and difficult to interpret. While he could bless new priests, his ability to See them and choose them was now limited by the proximity of his other blessed priests. To choose new priests from outside the Order, he would need to encounter them in person.

It was the price the gods paid for the gift of life.

With his last bit of strength, he crafted a rough robe to wear before that ability, too, was locked away from him. Manifesting physical objects, so easy in the divine realm, was nearly impossible in the mortal world even under the best of circumstances. But the robe would do until he could obtain something better.

Pallisur held his hands in front of his face and flexed his fingers, allowing himself a moment to savor the movement of the bones and muscles and tendons, the strain of his legs standing on a solid surface. When he was in the divine realm, it was always the little things he missed.

The man he was seeking stood at the balcony staring out across the plains. Tormardar, the capital city of Ti Kunja, was visible as a smudge on the western horizon. On the other side of the palace, to the northeast, lay the Salt Desert, a place devoid of nearly all life and uninhabitable to any but the sunborn. That was a travesty that should never have been allowed to happen, but thanks to Zachal's treachery, Pallisur had been slower than the others in recovering from the ritual. By the time he had full control of his powers, the future had already been set.

"I always know when it's you," the man at the balcony said before turning around. He had the dark skin and hair of the te-Vestathi people, and he was shirtless to welcome the sun. There were warden runes along his upper arms but half of them had burned out. The First raised an eyebrow when he saw Pallisur's appearance. "What's with the ears? Are you supposed to be seaborn this time?"

"Something like that," Pallisur replied. He'd created a copy of his original body. The real one was buried beneath the rubble of Fortress West in Tir Yadar.

Badru grinned and clasped his arm. "I've missed you, old friend. It's been a long time since you walked this world in the flesh."

"I felt it was time," Pallisur said. "How have you been?" The simple question hid a deeper meaning. Would Badru answer truthfully?

"Oh, the people make sure I want for nothing," the man said. "I do a bit of healing here and there, but mostly it's just a show to convince me I'm still useful. The dravim keep watch over me like mother hens, as if they're worried I'll hurt myself somehow." Badru's mood darkened in an instant, a scowl coming over his face. "I built this kingdom!" he shouted over the edge of the cliff, toward the massive city in the distance. "You were nothing but wandering shepherds before me! I gave you everything, and how do you thank me? You put me out to pasture! You banish me to the edge of nowhere!"

The rage vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and Badru turned back to Pallisur. "Is my father well?" he asked as if nothing had happened.

"He hasn't visited?" Pallisur said. "I thought he was living as a mortal." Allosur had been the first to discover how to create a new body for himself, and had always preferred to continue his work from the realm of his birth.

Badru shrugged. "It's been a while. After four millennia, what's left to say?"

Pallisur nodded. That meant Badru couldn't have told Allosur about the impending ritual. The former researcher had so far remained neutral amongst the new gods, but that didn't mean he wouldn't warn the others if he realized Pallisur was close to achieving his goals.

"I haven't spoken to him either." Pallisur paused for a moment. "And I'm not here to talk about your father."

"Ahh, yes, the little ritual you cooked up with Four. You came all the way here for that? I told him I'd participate, but then I couldn't reach him in the dream. I figured he'd delayed things again."

"Leonis is dead," Pallisur said. The other man should have known that already.

Badru crinkled his brow. "What? How?"

"Rusol. I suppose you know him as Seven. Or Six, now, with Leonis dead."

"The sniveling little demon wretch? He killed Four?"

"Leonis was arrogant. He never really understood how to use a warden's strength. You can't apply the same tool to every problem." Pallisur didn't mention that Rusol had somehow mastered three of the magics. He wasn't sure how Badru would react to that bit of information.

The other man hummed, then spoke in a sing-song voice. "Too many wardens, too many, too fast. Seven and Eight, now Six and Seven. Where do they all come from?" His tone returned to normal. "Someone's cheating. Someone changed the choosing."

"We have enemies, but the ritual will stop their interference." Pallisur had his own suspicions about the choosing spell, but he couldn't voice them. Badru knew Herasis, and might get it into his head that he should try to speak with her.

"Yes, yes, yes," the First said. "Too bad you didn't stop their interference before Four got himself killed. I thought you sent that sword-witch of yours to watch over him."

Ephrenia was a complicated topic. Pallisur kept his response simple. "She wasn't there when it happened. She wants revenge, but Rusol commands the armies of Larso. Blue Vale can't hope to make any sort of direct assault, and Ephrenia's enough of a general to know that. She's hoping Rusol will make some sort of mistake and give her an opening."

Badru raised an eyebrow. "Four's people making war with Larso? Your priests are going to be very confused when they find themselves fighting their own order."

"I've advised caution, but Ephrenia isn't listening."

Why the Mage Knight was so personally offended by Leonis's death was still a puzzle, but the woman had always been hard to predict. She was Arodisis's bondmate, but the two had some sort of falling out soon after the Burning. At first, Pallisur had assumed she was angry at the old wardens for the destruction the ritual had caused. When he'd encountered her centuries later, though, fighting as a mercenary alongside his own bondmate, Thedan, in the wars that had eventually reshaped the world, she'd been friendly. And eventually, more than friendly.

Badru nodded, then seemed to forget Pallisur's presence as a dragonfly flew past, landing to sun itself on one of the white stone slabs lining the balcony. The First stared intently at the creature, humming again but careful not to make any movement that would startle it.

Pallisur gave him a moment before clearing his throat.

Badru turned to him and spoke as if the interruption hadn't occurred. "With Four dead, I suppose you need a new plan."

"The plan will still work." Pallisur could take Leonis's place. The new body he wore wasn't a warden, but that wouldn't matter--the spell didn't require physical contact.

"And the others?" Badru said. "I thought you needed more of us."

Badru didn't know the gods were wardens. He didn't know about the Chosar, beyond what he might have encountered in his reading. He didn't know about the ritual or what had happened after. Some secrets had to be kept--even Herasis agreed on that point.

"There may be a way around that," Pallisur said. "I'm still working on it."

Badru nodded, then returned to staring at the horizon. "Tell me about this ritual again. You say you want to merge the four magics, but Leonis said something about..." His brow furrowed as he thought. "Something about controlling access to them."

Pallisur scowled. Leonis had never known when to keep his mouth shut.

"The ritual will merge the four sources." At least it would do so for Pallisur, allowing him to ascend again and gain mastery of elder and demonic magic. "Blocking access to them is just a side effect, but wouldn't it be worth it to ensure you'll never again have unknown mages popping up, threatening the order of things? No more demon incursions. No more warlord mages like Vinris bringing Ti Kunja to the brink of destruction. No more hidden betrayers like Sheeloo or Daceus."

"Sheeloo wasn't so bad in the end," Badru said with a half-smile at the memory. "But I get your point. And once all the sources are combined into one, the gods will be able to bless others with those powers?"

"Yes," Pallisur lied. To prevent another Burning, and the wildstorms that came with it, he would make sure the gifts of magic were given only to those he trusted would use them safely.

"It sounds dangerous. It sounds... familiar." Badru tilted his head to the side. "Someone told me a story once..."

Pallisur tensed. Had Allosur broken the pact of secrecy?

Then the First shook his head. "No, never mind. It was just a stray thought. It's gone now, whatever it was."

"Then you'll still help?"

"You're certain it's safe?"

"I've investigated it from every angle."

Badru nodded. "Then yes, I'll help. But I'm still surprised you came here in person after so long."

"I had to. You no longer visit my world."

The other man lost his smile. "I've forgotten how to dream," he said, touching his fingertips to his temple. "There are bits and pieces floating through my mind, but then they're gone."

"How?" Pallisur asked. "What happened?"

Badru shook his head. "Nothing. It's just old age. Five came to visit about a year ago, and after she left, I thought of something I'd forgotten to ask her--but I couldn't remember how to reach the dream. It's been gone ever since." He gave a sad smile. "The dravim are relieved. They don't like it when I sleep too deeply to be awakened."