The Sword that Binds (Book of Worlds 1) Read online

  The darkness around him seemed lighter, and he could feel a presence nearby, a grey and green shape, one that he knew he was connected to. Moments later two others were there as well. The first one was a roiling dark cloud of anger and hate in the shape of a human, while the second was calm and held affection towards the one he attached to.

  What happened? I’m not free? How do I know all these things?

  Tyrus felt the dark cloud preparing itself to do something, and watched as the aura shifted. Certain areas of the aura seemed to weaken while others strengthened, and Tyrus reached through the link he had made and tried to give that green and grey aura the knowledge of those spots. The world started to move around him, and he felt himself rush towards the enemy. Bracing himself for the impact with that cloud, he felt a long, thin, greyish color move to intercept him. Yet when he struck it he passed through it as if it didn’t even exist, and continued on to scape against the dark cloud. The colors within it shifted wildly, and the hatred seemed to fade slightly.

  What’s going on? We attack it and it seems happy about it? Are the things I’m feeling wrong?

  Tyrus was confused and felt the world around him shifting again. Everything except that grey and green presence disappeared. He focused on it, trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing.

  The aura itself was shaped the same as a human. His mind could sense the aura itself, and translated it into an image for him, once again giving him knowledge that he felt he shouldn’t have. He could recognize the shape easily enough. It was at the edge of his mind, a memory of a time long lost to him where he could actually see, but for some reason he couldn’t remember more beyond that.

  He tried delving into the aura near him, pushing his senses through the link, and could suddenly see much more than he had expected. On the inside of the aura was a whole other world. The green and grey was gone, replaced by golden beams of light that stretched out spreading through the limbs and body. With that realization he immediately had a thought and stopped delving the aura to return to himself.

  He turned his senses inward and focused on searching within his own aura, only to be disappointed. There were the same golden beams all around him, stretching through the darkness. But they definitely were not in the shape of a human. They instead created a latticework that seemed like a shell, except long and tapering to a point. The beams within himself were far larger than the others had been. There was power running through them, rushing towards the point that connected him to the human. At that point there was no golden beam, but a fragile looking blue vine that seemed to creep into the aura and wound itself around one of the beams within his savior.

  I guess that means I’m not a human. But maybe I was at one point? He thought in disappointment. This must be how we are connected. They must be relying on me to give them power. If that’s the trade I have to make to stay out of that void then I’m getting the better end of the deal! I don’t even need that power for anything to begin with.

  Tyrus was both satisfied and dismayed when he stopped inspecting his aura. Anything was an improvement over the void, but he was still trapped.

  He pulled back to the real world, his mind going blank at what he felt. All around him were countless auras, and his perception of them was far more accurate than when he had first woken up. He could sense both the dark cloud and the calm aura from before. The dark cloud’s hatred and anger had lessened, but were still the most prominent emotions he could feel. They were directly next to his own human’s aura, while the calm one was on the dark cloud’s other side. What had truly drawn his attention and set him on high alert though, was the aura he sensed on the other side of his grey and green ally.

  It was pitch black with disdain and hatred. Evil intent was cascading off of it, almost attacking the auras around it. He could feel his partner’s aura trembling, and anger was rapidly welling up within it, even though they were trying to suppress it. Tyrus could feel his own anger instantly rush to the forefront of his mind in response, after so long being trapped with nothing and nobody to vent his anger and troubles on he couldn’t control it. At the back of his mind he knew the anger he felt wasn’t normal, but it was beyond him to stop at that point. He couldn’t let this threat stand. He had to act.

  Chapter Two

  “Your father isn’t going to be very happy with you if you plan to wear that to the dinner,” Sarena’s grandfather said. He was standing next to the door to the great hall, waiting for her to arrive with a wide grin was on his face as he spoke.

  “It belongs to me now, and no Garland is ever far from their weapon. That’s what you taught me isn’t it?” Sarena said while looking at the sword at her waist proudly, wearing a plain brown leather tunic and matching trousers. She would have preferred a shoulder harness herself - the sword was too long to fit comfortably at her side - but she hadn’t had time to arrange for one before the dinner.

  “Well spoken,” her grandfather said while nodding. “While I doubt he will see it that way, you are well within your right to do so. Although I’m not sure the prince is going to be pleased either. Going by the rumors, he’s a spoiled brat that doesn’t know his own place. Or I suppose he knows it too well. Nobody is willing to offend the great prophesied hero.”

  Sarena frowned while looking at him. “You shouldn’t say that grandfather, not here. Anyone could be listening, and not everyone within the keep is so loyal that they wouldn’t snitch to the prince for a bit of coin. And whether the prince likes it or not, I am from the Garland line, and no Garland is ever without a weapon. Even the king allows you to keep your sword in his presence doesn’t he?”

  “Yes, yes. You are right of course. Now enough of this, we have a long and boring dinner to get through," he said while chuckling. He turned to the door and opened it, striding into the great hall proudly. If Sarena didn’t know any better she would say he was in the prime of his life still, not over sixty. The old man was still better with the blade than any other in the entire keep, and possibly the kingdom.

  Sarena followed after him and walked toward the head of the table. The great hall was set up with one long table that stretched almost the entire length of the room, platters of food resting on it the entire way down. Altogether it was enough to seat and feed almost one hundred people, but barely half of that number were seated there tonight. They rarely used the great hall for anything besides festivals and feasts, and even then it was almost never entirely filled.

  The great hall was near the center of the keep, which meant there were no windows to let light in. Torch sconces lined the wall, while low hanging chandeliers were situated down the center of the room, casting a dim flickering light. Suits of armor were spaced evenly along the wall, with banners and tapestries between them. It was one of the most decorated rooms in the austere keep.

  Seated at the head of the table was her father, glaring at her as she walked towards her seat. Her grandfather would be seated to her father’s right, while to his left would normally be Sarena, but since the third prince was here tonight that seat would be for him, with her being one seat further down. She sat down and glanced at her father, waiting for an outburst about the sword at her waist. She had no doubt that he had seen it. Contrary to what she expected though, he did nothing but continue to glare at her for a moment before smirking. That was worrying. Anything that could make him happy enough to hold back a scathing remark could never be good.

  Soon enough the large double doors at the end of the hall opened and a group of soldiers entered, positioning themselves along the wall periodically, surrounding the entire hall. Sarena’s father stood up and motioned for the rest of the hall to follow. Within moments a short man in a ridiculous striped outfit entered and began to introduce the prince to the hall.

  “Make ready for the prophesied hero! Third Prince of the Realm! Future slayer of demons! Single-handedly won the battle of Veridia! Savior and saint...” The tiny man droned on for at least a full minute about all of the prince’s supposedly her
oic achievements.

  Ha! And I’m sure that he managed to fight off ten assassins on his own when he was only three...And didn’t that war end before he was born? Was he commanding from the womb?

  After what seemed like an eternity to Sarena, the striped man stepped to the side and bowed so low that it looked like he was about to fall over. Behind him so pompous she knew he had to be the third prince stepped through. He was young, and of average height, with a generous stomach and flaxen hair that loosely fell over his ears. Dressed in a purple and gold outfit that should have embarrassed even the most confident of men, he strode into the hall and somehow managed to look down his nose at every person within. His otherwise bland face was made even more repulsive by the sneer that was a permanent fixture. When the prince finally arrived in front of her father, he stood and waited, expecting something from Adralin. Silence reigned throughout the room as the two stood staring at each other.

  “Is this how you treat royalty here in this run-down keep? Not even a bow for those above you?” The prince said while the sneer on his face deepened. “If it wasn’t for the fact that you promised me your daughter tonight I wouldn’t have even considered coming here. But how could I pass up a chance at tasting the famous warrior’s own heir?”

  Everyone within the hall stared in shock at the prince. It was common knowledge that the Garland line was not required to bow to the royal family - the throne relied on them to keep it safe. Not even the prophesied hero could demand them to lower themselves before him, especially when the only part of the prophecy he had fulfilled was being the third-born prince. Yet the shock they felt from his lack of decorum was nothing compared to the words he said after that. Sarena stared at him with her jaw hanging open, dumb-founded. Does he actually think my father would stand for him to say something like that? There may be no love between us, but I am still part of the Garland line. She looked at her father expecting to see the familiar rage lighting up in his eyes, only to freeze in place.

  Adralin smirked as he glanced at Sarena for a moment, then spoke to the prince in a calm tone. “Normally it would be improper to do such an act right after arriving, but since you two are to be betrothed tomorrow I think that taking her one night early can be forgiven.”

  The prince turned and looked her up and down, lingering at her chest and leering the entire time. “Certainly not the best looking, but it could be far worse. The novelty of it will make it worthwhile I suppose. We’ll have to see about the betrothal though, it depends on how she does tonight after all.”

  Sarena felt her face turn red, not from embarrassment, but from the sheer rage that was boiling within her. Her own father was betraying her like this? There wasn’t time to set this up after giving her the sword. He had been planning this all along. The walls seemed like they were getting closer as she stood there fuming. This creature thought she would just go along with him because her father said so? Not on her life. She would see him dead before he so much as touched her. Without her realizing it her hand had crept toward the sword along her waist for comfort. It was a habit formed from years of practice. Whenever she encountered a situation that made her worried or uncomfortable she would grasp the hilt as hard as she could.

  The moment her hand touched the hilt her entire world changed.

  She felt a tug on her arm for a moment, as if something had pulled it to the side, and the sound of a sword being drawn could be heard throughout the silent hall. Sarena’s face changed from anger to surprise as she stared at the sword in her hand, the sword that had moved on its own and pulled her arm along with it. The sword had sliced through the air so fast that nobody had been able to see it move. Horror began to enter her as she realized what had just happened. A thin line of red appeared around the prince’s neck. His eye’s betraying the shock he felt. His body collapsed, his head rolling off under the table. All around Sarena the world slowed to a crawl.

  What-Did I just kill the prince? Or was it Heartseeker? Sarena thought. Her eyes darted across the room as the soldiers drew their swords. I have to get out of here!

  Sarena knew her father would either have her killed or use her as a scapegoat to try and not be punished by the throne. With no other options she sprinted for the entrance to the great hall on the opposite side of the room. She could feel the world was still moving slowly around her, yet she felt lighter than ever before. The soldiers at the doors were the only ones able to get in her path in time, and Sarena prepared herself to fight through them. Without slowing down she charged straight into them. The sword in her hand flashed and knocked aside their weapons before they could react, leaving a glowing blue line in their vision. An opening appeared between them for a moment as they were knocked off balance by her lightning fast blade, and Sarena took the chance to slide between the two. Adrenaline was pumping through her, and she continued running down the hall toward the main entrance as she heard her father’s voice resounding behind her.

  “Stop her! I don’t care if she’s dead or not, just don’t let her escape! Close off the keep before she gets out!” Yelled Adralin. His voice was deeper than usual and the words seemed to be drawn out. Low-pitched screams followed from the rest of the hall as people began to react. Sarena could hear the bell in the north tower begin to ring, sounding for the portcullis and all entrances to the keep to close. The sound seemed somewhat distorted, as if it was coming from underwater, but she knew it still meant that she was almost out of time already.

  Doubling her effort she sprinted through the halls and made it to the eastern courtyard in record time. She was surprised when she saw that the portcullis was just starting to lower, and it looked like it was crawling along at that. Maybe I’ll be able to make it! The portcullis was only halfway down when Sarena dashed through, turning to the south immediately and heading straight toward the forest. She would never be able to escape them on foot out on the plains, while the mountains were just a dead end. Her only hope was to hide within the forest until they thought she was dead, then try and sneak through the kingdom and escape to one of the neighboring countries. It was far from the best plan, she knew that, but it was all she could come up with in the short time she had. The only downside was that the forest was just as likely to kill her as anywhere else, but at the moment it was her only hope.

  While Garland keep may boast the greatest warriors in the kingdom - if not the world - it was not a very prosperous land. Sitting right on the edge of the Godwoods, and with the White Mountains directly to the west, it was considered the most backwaters location in the entire kingdom. Without assistance from the throne they would never be able to survive. Practically everyone in the keep was a warrior of some sort, even the cooks could wield a weapon better than most ordinary soldiers. Creatures from the forest would often wander out and roam the areas within a few miles of the tree line, killing anything they encountered. If bears and wolves were the only problem it wouldn’t be difficult to handle, but the creatures of the Godwoods were never so simple.

  Her grandfather used to regale her with tales of the creatures that emerged from the deep woods. He even boasted of defeating a reaver on his own during the prime of his life, but Sarena wasn’t sure she could trust that story. Reavers were notoriously malicious, even for the Godwoods. She had seen the drawings in the library. It was a lizard that three times the size of a man that stood on two legs, with four long arms in the shape of scythes. An ordinary Godwoods creature would require an entire squad of soldiers to subdue, but a reaver meant that a full company of one hundred veterans would be sent out. It was considered a great victory if even half of them made it back alive.

  It was because of those creatures that nobody lived outside of the keep. Which meant that Garland keep was forced to import all of its food from other areas of the kingdom. At most there were five hundred people within the keep at any one time. The other five hundred were sent to work for the crown in the north.

  And now her only hope of survival was to travel straight into the home of those creatures.


  Suddenly the sword in her hand jerked itself free, sliding out of her grip with ease. There was a clanging sound behind her and the sword was suddenly back, as if it had never gone. Sarena stopped for a moment and turned, expecting to see a sword coming at her from behind, only to be surprised by the shattered remains of a crossbow bolt lying on the ground behind her. She stared at the sword in her hand while continuing to sprint towards the tree line. Heartseeker wasn’t supposed to be able to do that. It acted on its own without her even holding it. All the legends of her ancestors told of how it made the wielder unmatched with a blade, but it only enhanced what they had naturally. Never did it act out on its own.

  Before Sarena even realized it, the sky darkened and she was surrounded by the trees of the Godwoods. It was eerily quiet and peaceful under the trees - almost silent besides the wind rustling the leaves and her own running footsteps crunching along the fallen branches and undergrowth. There were rarely any of the famous creatures this close to the edge of the forest. Only a handful were seen each year. Even that was enough to prevent anyone from living near the forest. She knew if she was going to hide she would need to go deeper, and the panic within her didn’t let her slow down at all.

  For hours Sarena continued to run at full speed, the forest thickening around her to the point that it was difficult even to find a path to walk along. She had calmed down not long after entering the forest, at least enough to know that she shouldn’t have been able to keep the pace she had set for so long. Especially in a forest she had never set foot in. Every step seemed to find the perfect foothold, even in a forest full of roots and branches that would trip the most expert of woodsmen. It was only because of Heartseeker that she was able to maintain that breakneck speed for so long.