Blood Bond (The Stones of Terrene Chronicles Book 4), page 11
She held his gaze as he lifted the glass to his lips. He grimaced as bitterness flooded his mouth, coating it in caustic sliminess. His throat sent the offending liquid down.
Fulton lifted the stone in his hand to eye level with Christopher. It was brown, slightly speckled, no different than the unremarkable rocks outside. But this one mesmerized him.
Fulton swayed the stone in Christopher’s line of vision. “Christopher Saroot.” His words were soft, yet commanding. “From now on, you will not romantically touch Commando Vulpin in any way. You will not speak of your affections. You will continue to work together, and you will continue to care for each other. But you will never again act upon such whimsy. And you will never question this, nor will you remember this moment.”
Dark water from the deepest of lakes rose in Christopher’s mind, sinking his memories of Pammy. Low laughter on night watches. Quiet cuddles. Bumping elbows in the mess hall. One by one, they slipped under the waves until there was nothing left but abyss.
Christopher blinked at Fulton while he spoke to Pamela. He admired how her hair seemed so soft, so smooth in her braid. If only he was permitted to speak of such fondness to her. But something in his gut told him that wasn’t allowed.
Christopher’s stomach heaved, and he hugged an arm around the horse, trying not to double over completely. It stood solidly, letting him lean against its side.
He’d remembered her before, but not to the depth they’d had together. They had lived life together. More fully than he’d thought. His heart squeezed.
Was she safe? Was she still with Victor?
When would he see her again? Would it be possible for King Brandon to release her from bondage too?
Could they have a future together? One without being owned by those who claimed them? A life of freedom?
Christopher straightened and looked across the hanger bay, hands still trembling on the warm sides of the black mare. He had a new reason to find Victor. Not only for the sake of King Brandon on behalf of his daughter, but because Victor would know where Pammy was.
Christopher had to do all he could to save her too.
Geist and Serena were still in the skiff, now side by side, each polishing a sword or dagger, oblivious to the revelations Christopher had unlocked in his mind. He blinked away moisture built up in his eyes. It took little imagination to look at them and overlay them with himself and Pammy, relaxing together before a mission.
May those two have better luck with their friendship.
And maybe, just maybe, he and Pammy could still have a chance to be like them.
Chapter Nineteen
Jade
Jade fidgeted with the fur lining on her new coat as she stood on the time-worn tile that Victor had pointed out to her earlier. Andrea had provided everything for Jade’s journey through the bitter cold of the north: insulated winter boots, fur-lined, deep-purple pants, a thick, ink-black blouse and half-corset for the sake of mobility, and a sturdy brown coat that promised warmth even when outside. Even her hat had an extra layer of insulation.
Whatever Victor’s plans were for her, staying here didn’t seem likely. And Andrea had claimed ignorance on the matter.
And so Jade fidgeted, standing directly on the mark Victor had shown her, but leaning back against the wall, staring up at the orange-yellow colored wire of the nearest lamp. Their tech was similar to back home, the crystal-style sconce being a good example. Yet it was also different. Upon further inspection, she didn’t think it was actually a hewn crystal. But maybe it was, just something different than the luminary minerals they used back home. She frowned, itching to look at it closer, but unable to peel her feet from the spot where she’d been commanded to stay.
She noticed other small differences here on the northern side of the former barrier. How diverse could things be after a full generation of separation?
The door opened on silent hinges, and Victor stared at her across the hallway, everything in his angled features screaming determined cruelty. Predatory. Behind him, a man with hair a lighter shade than her own red watched with a disinterested air. Lord Sephirn, according to Andrea.
Jade clutched her coat closer, mouth dry at the cold anger that practically radiated from Victor. He marched up to her, inspecting her clothes. He sniffed once, then nodded. “You smell better than before. Good.”
Heat suffused her face. “Not like you gave me a chance to clean up or change or—”
“Shut up.” His simple command had her words shriveling in her throat as her mouth snapped shut. Victor held out his hand. “Your necklace. Give it to me.”
Her heart dropped to her stomach. Her necklace? The one that Ben had given her and Zak had added the rubies to? What did Victor want with it? He couldn’t have it!
But while her mind raced and railed against his order, her hands worked of their own accord, fumbling with the latch on the chain until it came loose and she had it pooled in the palm of his hand.
His fist closed around it, and she watched him pocket it, her heart shuddering in her chest at the loss.
Victor raised an eyebrow, taking in her expression. “You will have no need of such trinkets where you’re going.” He paused and fished the necklace out, handing it to Sephirn, who handed it to someone beyond the door. “And I don’t want to carry this around needlessly. Send it down to the lab. Maybe they can melt it down and use it for components or something.”
Sephirn gestured to someone in the office, and a young man Zander’s age came into view, holding a vial out to Victor.
Her heart ached at the comparison. If only Zander was alive. Even if he was here, at least he’d be breathing, he’d be––
Victor waved the tiny vial in her face, shattering her internal heartbroken litany. “Drink this,” he ordered.
What was it? Her fingers rose to wrap around the delicate glass and she gazed into it, picking out little flecks of something that she couldn’t identify. She flicked her gaze at him, questioning, even as the body-warmed vial touched her lips. His eyes tightened in satisfaction as he watched her throat down the bitter concoction. She coughed, her tongue curling.
Victor took the slender glass from her hand, gave it to the nearby lad, then raised a plain stone to the level of her eyes. It pulled at her attention, like a magnet to metal. Brown, with speckles of black and white and shades of tan, utterly ordinary looking. Not even polished and smoothed like the medical stones back home. Yet despite that, she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away.
Was there something in that potion that made this harmless-looking rock seem like more? What was its purpose? She fought against the pull, the fascination, but she couldn’t blink or look at anything else—not Victor, not Sephirn, not even the floor. Just her and the stone. And Victor’s voice.
Motion beyond the stone informed her that Victor had moved slightly, but the stone held her attention. Victor spoke, low and soothing, as if talking to a frightened animal after a dragon attack. “You will forget all that Zak Monomi is to you, but you will remember him as our enemy.”
The moment he spoke Zak’s name, the shuddering of her heart geared up to full hammering in panic. She tried to shake her head in denial, but she still couldn’t move her head, her attention so fully wrapped around the stone.
Victor continued, relentless, “You will forget your time on the Sapphire, your heritage, all that you are aside from your skill sets. You will remember that I saved you from a life of hardship and pain in the south, and that I am your master now. Master Videl. I took away your bad memories, and you will remember that. In fact, you are grateful and beholden to me for it. You owe me.”
Jade mentally gripped onto her memories of Zak, the way he made her laugh, his silent strength in her weakness, his vulnerability and her love for him, the feel of his skin touching hers … but those slipped away, as if murky hands were pulling him under thick water.
She tried to fight, to dive after him, but the black water smoothed over, glossy and perfect as flawless obsidian.
As black as the eyes peering at her.
Had there been a stone? It was gone now.
It felt like there was a hole in her, some untouchable maw where monsters prowled.
She took a deep breath. One. Two.
Where that emptiness lurked is where his mercy shone. He’d taken the bad memories from her. She was free.
Jade smiled broadly and bowed at the waist. “Where to next, Master Videl?”
Chapter Twenty
Ben
Evergreens towered above Ben and his group as they wound their way along the spruce trail that led them to the Tastow stronghold. Christopher had pointed it out on the map right before they left the Phoenix and her crew, and Ben had the route mostly committed to memory, but he was grateful to the defector for guiding them through the wintery foreign territory. Pine needles mounded under each tree, and beyond the reach of the branches, a short layer of snow and ice crunched under their horses’ hooves.
Cold nipped at Ben through his jacket despite the blue sky and shining sun. No one else seemed affected by the cool weather—Geist and Serena chatted amiably behind him, Raine and Samantha rode beside him in focused silence, and up ahead, Finn and Zak peppered Christopher with questions.
“It’s an important research center for training Void Born and other skilled bonded in the military.” Christopher’s voice carried back to Ben, and Ben urged his horse closer so he could listen in better.
“Just how many Void Born are there, would you say?” Curiosity colored Finn’s words.
Christopher’s lightweight leather armor creaked as he shrugged. “When I was training, there were only a couple dozen or so.”
Zak made a strangled noise in the back of his throat.
Ben gawked. A couple dozen Void Born? Compared to the few hiding in Southern Terrene, that number seemed outrageous. Then again, back on Earth, how many tragedies occurred regularly where not everybody was accounted for? If the theory was true, then it made sense just how many had crossed over to Terrene. And those folks were dropped in the north, where they were used like chattel? Ben shuddered.
He and Raine had been lucky to be in the south. Raine had been given a chance at a normal life. Ben had been found by friendlies. Nothing like the mockery of the hollow life Christopher had grown up knowing.
“They have an entire shelf of activation stones like King Brandon’s, and they have a research division that may be of interest to you.” Christopher nodded at Finn. “I was under Commander Fulton while here, and he’s on the same level as Master Enforcer Victor and King Brandon.” Christopher twisted in his saddle to look at Raine. “I was able to choose between obeying Victor’s or Brandon’s orders, and Brandon freed me from having to remain under Fulton’s compulsion. So I’d assume it should be the same for you, but I’d rather avoid testing it. If you see a blond man in a red lab coat, go the other direction. As fast as you can. And Lord Sephirn outranks King Brandon. Avoid him.”
Raine nodded once, her throat bobbing.
Christopher faced forward again.
“What is it like, being controlled?” Ben’s question left his mouth before he could stop the thought from forming on his lips. Raine’s gaze weighed heavily on him, and he hastened to clarify. “Would she be able to recognize the danger before it happens? Would we have any signs or clues?”
Christopher’s shoulders twitched, and he idly scratched at his jaw line. “I haven’t asked others what they experience when under command, so I can’t really say much aside from my own experiences. It varies for me, depending on what I’m supposed to do.” He dropped his hand to lightly hold his horse’s reins. “Sometimes it’s just a light burning in my arm and the pull, the urge to complete whatever the task is. Sometimes it’s like a mist that obscures my vision of what I want to do, and the orders are a sunlight that blind me.” Christopher’s voice lowered and a small puff of visible air showed his sigh, though Ben couldn’t hear it. “Sometimes it’s a dark wave that buries all you love in its murk.”
The naked sorrow in Christopher’s words tugged at Ben. What could he say to that?
Through the trees, Ben could just make out what seemed like unnatural lines—they were getting close to their target. One more question. “Do you remember your home?”
Christopher hesitated. “I remember my childhood home that was here, in Terrene.” He shook his head. “Whatever my life on Earth had been, I don’t remember it.”
Ben exchanged a sorrowful glance with Raine.
What had happened to both of them, for both to cross over so young that they had no memory of where they’d come from? How many children, how many orphans, here in Terrene, were like them?
Christopher waved a hand at the evergreens in front of them. “Welcome to Tastow.”
Ben leaned over his horse and caught a glimpse of a pale-yellow building through the trees.
Christopher motioned to Zak, and they both dismounted, then crept forward, their movements fluid and natural as they stayed in the shadows of the trees. Ben slipped off his horse with less grace than the others, and took a few moments to check all his effects –– sword, dagger, steam rifle, steam pistol, pouch of bullets, canteen of extra water. He was as ready to face the situation as he’d ever be.
Zak reappeared. “Based off first impressions, our first plan might work.”
“But there’s a possible hitch.” Christopher stepped out from the trees, brushing melting snow from his black hat “There’s an airship here that’s from one of the border stations. It could be another scout reporting in. It could be Victor. It could be anything.” He looked grim. “There may be reports already of my being captured. It’s hard to know.”
Finn scratched his beard and glanced at everyone gathered around. “Any thoughts?”
Serena stepped forward. “I’ll take care of the airship.”
“How?” Zak’s eyes narrowed. “We can’t blow it up without knowing who could be on it.”
She waved her hand at him, nose wrinkled. “Nothing like that. Just something that will slow it down if they take off in it. If they have Jade with them, she’ll be able to fix it easily, but she’ll know that we’re close and coming for her. And if not …” she shrugged. “Well, it’s subtle, and it may take them some time to find it. She’s complained about this particular problem with steamies.”
Christopher watched Zak and Finn before nodding at Serena. “Sounds like a good plan.”
A devious smile brightened Serena’s face, and she sketched a small bow to Zak. “I’ll meet you here.” He dipped his head, and she tossed Geist a quick salute that he returned with a smirk. She stopped and looked back at Zak, her expression serious. “Promise to leave, if I don’t make it back. Jade comes first.”
Silence blanketed the group as Zak and Serena stared at each other, each with their head high and proud, severe. Zak finally nodded, lips pressed together.
A glimmer of a smile etched across her lips before she turned away.
Ben clenched his jaw as he watched Serena disappear into the trees like a doe into a forest. “Should we send someone with her?”
Geist shrugged. “She prefers to work alone when it comes to sneaking around.” He used the sharp of his shoulder to nudge Ben. “She’ll be fine, you granny-worrier.”
Ben snorted and pushed Geist away. “Pretty sure you’re the granny. You’re older than me.”
Christopher rolled his eyes at them, then motioned to Raine. “You ready?”
She nodded, head high and eyes clear. She walked past Ben, her fingers trailing over the back of Ben’s hand as she reached Christopher’s side.
Ben flexed his hand subtly, all too aware of the electricity tingling across his skin. Going home wasn’t an option anymore, so she had no reason to give him an answer as to earth now. But there was still as small part of him that hoped she was still considering it, just because it meant she was considering him.
Christopher and Raine pushed through the bushes, leaving Ben alone with Finn, Zak, and Geist. Zak immediately started pacing while Geist pulled out a rag and started to polish his sword for the umpteenth time. Finn stretched only once, then settled in to stare at the trees that his granddaughter had vanished beyond.
Ben bounced lightly on the balls of his feet. Christopher had given solid reasons for Raine going in with him—less intimidating than two men; she could go into places he couldn’t as a male; she had a bond tattoo as well, if they needed to prove their position there. Solid reasons or no, Ben hated waiting.
Looking for Jade in the north was like looking for a needle in a haystack––there was far more land than resources available to search for her––and right now, their confidence resided in Raine and Christopher finding garments that would allow the rest to sneak in, attain information, and then find clues that would lead them to what they so desperately needed to find: hope.
Chapter Twenty-One
Christopher
Christopher decelerated his steps and tried to match his breathing to the slower pace. He felt like his entire body was vibrating under his skin as he led Raine into his old home. He couldn’t mislead her or the rest of the group. He couldn’t risk them getting caught. What Sephirn could do to any of them — what Fulton would do to any of them — let alone him if he got caught again …
Christopher swallowed hard. He’d already warned her who to avoid, and how to discreetly show her bond ranking, in case of any suspicions thrown their way. He’d warned her that some doors might have extra security, where they would have to show their bond tattoo. What was he forgetting?
“Oh.” His quiet noise caught Raine’s attention, and he grimaced at her questioning look. He waved his hand between them. “If we get stopped and questioned, treat me as your superior. I’ll take care of it.”
Raine gave him a shallow nod before looking ahead, taking in the towering building they neared. “I was already planning to let you do the speaking,” she said after a long moment. She tilted her head sideways, lips quirking down. “If they try to order us, control us … kill me first?”
