Blood Bond

The cold from the stone floor pierced through the thin soles of the sandals that I had been given. It was a sharp, physical reassurance that I was no longer encased in a stone tomb. My legs moved. My body had finally adjusted to being upright, and blood flowed into the stiff muscles that had languished for far too long.

I felt full, and it had nothing to do with the bare meal of stew and bread I was given at the site. The ravenous void inside me was now sated. But the depths that held it had grown, again, more vast than before, and I shuddered at the cause.

Those points of life I had sensed back then… I had fed on them all.

"How many?" I asked with my gaze fixed down the length of the empty hallway.

Stonehand's deep voice came from beside me. "How many what, girl?"

"Men." I closed my eyes. "Soldiers… how many were there?"

There was a loud snort. "Titus took around three hundred men, an entire battalion, to hunt down a small squad."

The number struck me like a physical blow. Each one of those points ebbing away, was essence that I had drained. A life I had taken. That many… it can't be!

"All gone?"

"All except one." There was a light, gruff laugh. "He must have really pissed you off!"

I stopped dead, my breath catching in my throat as my body shook.

"Strip her."

Titus's voice rang in my head. I was there again, being forced down, my knees scraping against the debris-covered ground, cloth tearing against my skin as my dress was being ripped off of me.

A large hand squeezed my shoulder, pulling me back to the present. Stonehand hissed from above me. "He deserved what he got then."

I could only nod, and we continued on our way.

We entered the antechamber, confronted again by the statue of an Aethelwing tearing a calf apart. It wasn't a welcoming sight, but the anxiety I'd felt last time was gone.

I know what's coming.

Just before the doors to the throne room, Stonehand stopped me. He reached out and adjusted the oversized wool cloak on my shoulders. The rough fabric chafed my bare skin reminding me that it was still the only thing I wore.

He gave me a final nod. "Alright. Look sharp. Remember what I told you. Give nothing."

—

I followed Stonehand into the throneless throne room. The atmosphere was more somber this time. The spaces between the large stone-block walls felt empty, devoid of energy, even though there were still four of them remaining.

Quintus sat at the table as before, his hands folded. He wrinkled his nose and snorted. "So you lived while Titus perished. Luck really is on your side, princess."

A knot of tension in my stomach loosened, but I kept my expression blank. They don't seem to be blaming me for Titus's death.

Lelian spoke from her place behind Quintus, her face once more a mask of unreadable serenity. "We're glad you survived, High Princess. Can you tell us what happened?"

I shook my head. "I don't remember much, just a flash of light, a boom, and everything going dark."

Lelian dipped her head gracefully. "Did the Prince of Veridia aid you in any way?"

"Saleic?" The mention of his name confused me. "I might've said something to him." Last I recalled, I was telling him to throw up his 'Wind Wall', but revealing that here would be foolish. Give nothing.

"Yes, we believe he might've saved you."

When? How? I didn't recall him doing anything other than picking himself up off the floor.

"He and you are the only ones who survived the explosion," Lelian continued, her voice smooth as silk. "And of the two of you, only he possesses magic that can protect against such a blast. He's also been repeating your name quite often since we found him." Her long, delicate fingers swiped at the air. "It seems you've charmed another one."

"I… wouldn't know."

Her eyes drifted lower, to where the red orb of my Soul Seed lay hidden beneath the cloak. "Of course not dear. One thing we'd like you to know though, is that we believe we've found the perpetrator."

I stared at Lelian, trying to figure out where this was going.

"You see, we studied the aftermath of the event, and excluding the prince's magic we found no traces of mana, fire-affinity or otherwise. Though powerful, the explosion was caused by a precise mixing of a small amount of mundane elements. This is an art few practice in this world. In fact, there is only one possible culprit."

I blinked.

Is she implicating herself? The elves were the only ones who knew advanced chemistry here. They made that chemo-like poison after all.

But the name she so confidently uttered next hit me like a splash of cold water. "High Prince Theron. Our sages inform us he broke the Seal of the Forbidden in the Sage Records. It seems he has been dabbling in dark and profane knowledge. He has gathered quite a unique arsenal from across realms, even bringing in a few renegade elves."

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WHAM!

A hand slammed against the table. Quintus seethed, baring his teeth. "The boy oversteps himself! If he even dares to use forbidden arts on the level of Celestial magic, we would have no choice but to rouse the rest of the Concord." He stabbed a gnarled finger at me. "This is an accord put forth by your family! Does he not realize he'd drag all the kingdoms of the realms into this conflict."

I wanted to scream at his hypocrisy. They were the ones who brought those abominations against us: the bodiless 'Soul Seeds' embedded in steel instead of flesh, a mockery of the living.

My hands clenched into fists under my cloak.

If those things aren't forbidden, then nothing is!

But then I noticed a flicker in Lelian's eyes. It was just a faint, fleeting glint in that pale ghostly blue, but I caught it: the barest hint of a smile.

In that instant, everything connected.

Theron had said Deepwood had written works on other worlds in the Sage Records. Why would they do that? It wasn't to share knowledge, but to lay a trap. They were planting seeds of forbidden knowledge to ensnare someone desperate enough to use it.

"Prodding…"

Jarlen had said Theron needed prodding, just as the cold metal of his dagger pressed against my neck. Sending my severed head to my brother wasn't meant to give him pause; it was to push him over the edge.

The elves don't want peace. They're arms dealers. They want war.

A World War.

"Peace for our time…"

The phrase Quintus had used. The one I knew from Earth—the famous, hollow promise made right before the world was plunged into chaos. Had Lelian fed it to Quintus to repeat that history here?

And Theron… my poor, broken brother. They are using his desperation as the fuse to ignite the fires that would engulf all of Aetheria.

A sharp, female voice jerked me out of my spiraling throughts. "Prince Theron has an army encamped just a few days' march from here. We have sighted several of his strange weapons, but their nature remains unknown." Eris of Serephos sat on the corner of the table closest to me, her posture poised.

"You wouldn't happen to know what he has in store, would you princess?" She leaned forward with her head tilted, drawing out her words. "If there was a repeat of that explosion in, say, the commoner quarters… It'd be devastating to those subjects you care about so much."

I stilled my body and the pulse racing within. The explosion had been mine, and yet, I knew Theron was capable of similar destruction. Her words weren't totally off the mark.

"Please, Commander Corin," Lelian's soft, conciliatory voice settled over us. "Her Highness has been buried under a pile of rock. She would have no way of knowing."

Lelian's gaze then found mine, her eyes full of a pity that looked far too genuine. "Now, dear, I understand this must be difficult to hear, but your brother used you as a lure to draw out General Valerius and then tried to kill you both. He abandoned you. If not for Prince Saleic, you might not be here with us at all."

She clutched wistfully at her chest, the very picture of a forlorn tragedy.

Before I could respond, Quintus cut in, waving a dismissive hand. "Yes, yes, so you see, Your Highness. You have been forsaken, and your brother is now a danger to us all. Given the circumstances, our position is… a sensitive one." He paused, chewing bitterly on the words.

"You have been rather obstinate," he continued, "but that has earned you some favor with the populace. We require your help to settle them, and spread the word that your brother has gone rogue. In return, we are prepared to offer concessions."

My body stiffened. I couldn't believe my ears. "You want me to betray my own blood? And what could you possibly offer to make me do that?"

Quintus looked over his shoulder, his amber eyes roaming from Eris, to Stonehand, and then finally Lelian. She nodded back at him.

He gave a tired sigh, as if his age was finally weighing down upon him. "First, you will have unrestricted access to the keep. That includes visiting your parents and your sister."

Then he leaned forward, resting his chin upon his joined hands. "And second… from this day forward, you will be declared one of the four Regents of the Concord."

—

"You knew about this!" I heaved the accusation at the large figure before me, stopping him in the hallway on the way to my room.

"It was discussed, and I approved," Stonehand said, turning to face me.

I fixed my gaze on the giant dwarf's yellow eyes. "Is it safe to talk here?"

Those eyes darted around the empty hall for a moment before he gave a curt nod.

"I will say the words. But you know there's no way I will turn my back on my brother."

A grin spread across Stonehand's face as he stroked his beard. "I already told you what I expected of you."

I closed my eyes. I don't want to reforge this world, but I do want to save my family.

Four more days, that's all I have before Theron attacks. If I could at least take control by then perhaps I could convince him to stop. I thought of Lelian and the elves and what they are after. No, I need to seize control to stop all of this from escalating into a world war.

My eyes snapped open, and I stared up at Stonehand. Should I tell him about my blood within him? I could threaten him with it and force him to do my will. But then I remembered the way his eyes gleamed when he told me what he saw in me. There is something more powerful than fear.

I will trust in hope.

"Then you will stand with me when I do what I must."

Stonehand's face turned grim. He nodded. "I will. But the odds will be against us. I'm unsure of the extent of your powers, but it will be three against one and perhaps a half."

"I remember you mentioning that your forces rival Rodinar's. So your strengths should cancel."

Stonehand inclined his head, his eyes regarding me curiously.

"And with Titus gone, Saleic is now the Lord of Veridia, is he not?"

"That boy is a blubbering wreck right now."

I thought of my own catatonic state after what happened with Aunty May. It'd be nice to have Annie here. I quickly shoved away the disturbing thought. No, I won't resort to that.

"If he's asking for me, then perhaps I can reach him. And there's one more piece that you have which can tip the scale."

Stonehand raised a thick eyebrow.

"Scrap Crow. He can help find the ships of Serephos. I have ways of neutralizing them. And more importantly, he knows the escape tunnels beneath the walls. My brother's army can enter through there, without destroying a single thing."

A low whistle escaped Stonehand's lips. "Was this your plan all along, Your Highness?" He chuckled, a low rumble in his chest. "I do remember saying you're scary enough as is."