Bound to the Abyss (29 page)

The last man looked haggard. The small amount of white hair that remained on his mostly bald head was sticking out in every direction. His shirt and pants looked as if they had been gray at one point but now were covered in mud. The older man’s wrinkled face was bruised, and he was bleeding from a few small cuts on his face. From his appearance and how the thin man was manhandling him, the older man was clearly the source of the cries they had heard earlier.

“For an old man, this one gave me quite the run.” The newest Seeker said loudly, a dark chuckle escaping from his lips. “Ended up being a random root that brought him down. Go figure.”

“Please sir, I don’t want any troub …” the prisoner began before a swift blow from the thin Seeker shut him up.

“EliZane!” The woman pushed the thin man away. “You do not need to be so rough with the poor man. He is obviously scared.” Reaching into a pouch at her waist, the woman pulled out a cloth and began dabbing at the wounds on his face.

“So? He should be scared,” the thin man named EliZane said, shrugging his shoulders.

“You always make things worse than they need to be. There is no need to hit …”

“And you always try and coddle people we find when you know that most likely we’ll end up ….”

“I treat them like they should be treated, EliZane, like our God Alistar would want us to treat …”

“I’m pretty sure our God wants us to end this man’s life, Kaytlin. Treating him well before doing so is probably just as painful …”

“Enough!”

The larger man’s voice was an explosion of sound, silencing the two bickering immediately. Ean had almost forgotten about him, but from his commanding voice it was clear he was the leader of the three. With measured strides he moved between the two, giving each a gaze that made them both wilt. Their captive was near hysterics at this point, his head in his hands, large sobs escaping from his mouth.

“Stand aside, both of you. We will end this now one way or another.”

The other two Seekers quickly stepped back, giving the leader and older man a decent amount of space. Kneeling down, the larger man began to speak quietly. After a time the older man began to calm, his sobs softening until they finally stopped, and he was nodding at whatever the other man was saying. When the larger man stopped talking, the older wore a peaceful expression.

The other two Seekers watched the whole exchange with different reactions. EliZane watched with a wicked grin at first, but it slowly changed into a sour one as the older man calmed down. When the man stopped crying altogether, the thin man scowled and let out a disgusted sigh. The woman, Kaytlin, on the other hand, relaxed along with the man, her grim demeanor slowly disappearing. As the man stopped crying, she cast a pitying smile on both the old man and the Seeker at his side.

A tug at the back of his shirt almost made him yell out, but he slapped a gloved hand over his mouth as if he could physically hold it in. Turning his head, he scowled at both Bran and Jaslen, not sure which had almost caused his heart to stop. They both backed away from him slightly, but it was Jaslen that motioned for him to follow. So they wanted to leave now? Not likely. Ean’s curiosity had won out against his fear. With a curt shake of his head, Ean’s attention returned to the Seekers.

EliZane was pacing now, his mouth working slightly, as if he were struggling to hold in his own words. The woman, Kaytlin, was sitting again with her head bowed, eyes shut, and lips moving. The huge Seeker moved. Still kneeling next to the old man, he brought his hand up that held the dagger. Ean was surprised to see the old man look at it without the slightest hint of fear. The Seeker held out the blade for what seemed like an eternity, until the gem on the hilt again began to sparkle with the faintest light.

Without warning, the Seeker thrust the blade directly into the man’s chest. The gem flared and then blinked out, mirroring the life that the blade just took.

Jaslen gave a tiny squeak behind Ean, but he didn’t dare turn. The Seekers thankfully didn’t seem to hear. The giant of a man gently lowered the old man to the ground, removing his dagger and laying him onto his back. Placing his hands over the old man’s eyes, he uttered a prayer loud enough that Ean could hear.

“Alistar, God of Justice and Light, please forgive this man his curiosity. Allow Kaz’ren to claim his spirit and carry him to reside with his ancestors.”

Rising, the Seeker turned his back to where Ean hid and motioned for the other two Seekers to join him. They did so and all three stood around the man, conversing quietly with their backs to Ean and his companions. Still shocked at how quickly the Seeker had ended the older man’s life, Ean decided it might be a good time to sneak off. He certainly didn’t want to be around those three any longer. Placing his hands on the ground, he was about to back up when he saw the huge man raise the dagger over his head.

The dagger was still covered in blood, but what caught Ean’s attention was that gem on the hilt. It was still glowing, pulsing being a better word, an almost hypnotic rhythm to its dark blue flashes. He couldn’t move, he could barely breathe. It felt like his entire body was made of stone. Ean felt something tugging on the bottom of his pants, but he couldn’t even turn his head to look. Numb. That was all he felt, cold and numb.

“Ean, I really think we should go.”

Jaslen’s voice sounded muted to his ears, as if someone had stuffed them with cotton. The giant man still had his back to them, but the other two were slowly looking around. For what, Ean had no idea but he didn’t want to find out. His mind strained with the effort to get his body to move, but nothing happened. With nothing left to try, he did the only thing left that he could think of to do.

The energy from the Abyss flooded into him. He had only meant to take in a small amount at first to see if that could free him, but with his numbed sense he apparently had no control over it at first. Warmth flooded his body, the feeling returning to previously petrified limbs. His body felt like it had been run over by a wagon, all of his muscles sore from being locked in place for even such a short amount of time.

At the same time as his strength was returning, the gem on the man’s dagger flared to life, the glow brightening to the point where the three Seekers had to shield their eyes. After a few moments it lessened, but the pulsing of the light grew faster.
 

That was enough to get Ean to back away on hands and knees, keeping an eye on the Seekers the whole time. If they could just get a little further away without being noticed, hopefully that gem wouldn’t lead the Seekers to them. Ean had almost made it behind the tree when EliZane’s eyes came to rest on him. The man’s eyes widened and his mouth spread into a wicked grin, leaving Ean no doubt that he had been spotted.
 

“Run,” he said harshly, pushing himself up onto his feet. The other two followed suit, taking off in the opposite direction of the strangers … and also away from the road.
 

Chapter 20

FLIGHT OR FIGHT

With a grunt Ean took off after his companions. It was probably better they didn’t go back towards the road, but he had no idea how they would find it again. The other two pulled ahead of him, both being in much better shape. But it was only for a moment. With the energy of the Abyss still flowing in him, he found an extra supply of strength and speed. In a matter of moments he had caught his two friends and passed them. He dodged around trees and over stumps with ease, not feeling the slightest bit winded.
 

Enjoying this new feeling of freedom and prowess, he got quite a ways ahead of his two friends before stopping and turning around to check on them. They were still running hard, but thank the gods, the Seekers weren’t in pursuit. Both Bran and Jaslen were breathing heavily, but Ean felt like he could run all night without getting winded. He was about to call back for them to hurry, when he saw Jaslen stumble and fall to the ground.

At first Ean thought she had just lost her footing or had gotten caught on a wayward branch. As he sprinted back to where they were, however, he found Bran trying to unwrap something from around her ankles — a piece of rope with weights attached at the ends. Once he got it off of her, Bran held it up for them to see. Ean was about to ask what it was when another one wrapped itself around Bran’s ankles, knocking him over.

“Now, now, little rabbits,” a baritone voice called out from the shadows. “Don’t scamper away without introducing yourselves. That would be incredibly rude.”

The man called EliZane approached them confidently, his chin held high and a swagger in his step. His hands were empty, but they hung in easy reach of any of the knives strapped around his waist. The Seeker was trying to put on a friendly expression, but Ean wasn’t buying it.

“My name is EliZane, and as you can clearly see,” he said, moving his hands to outline his armor, “I am a Seeker. Your parents should have taught you never to run from the Seekers, children. It’s very rude, and makes us think you have something to hide.”

Jaslen was still on the ground, watching the man with cold eyes as she rubbed at her ankles. Bran had paused in the middle of untangling his own ankles, a defiant look on his face. Ean hoped that Bran didn’t do anything rash. As for himself, he tried to put on a relaxed expression. He held on to some of the energy of the Abyss though. Just in case.

“Now,” the Seeker continued, “if you would be so kind as to accompany me back to where my two friends are waiting, I would appreciate it.”
 

The tone of his voice made it clear that he wasn’t asking. Ean took a good look behind the man. The other two Seekers were nowhere in sight. Once all three Seekers were together again, they would be impossible to overcome. This might be the last chance for them to escape.
 

EliZane laughed as he caught Ean looking around. “No, boy, the other two didn’t come running after you as well. They know I can handle two scrawny boys and a little girl easy enough.”

“We are older than we look,” Bran said, rising to his feet. “And I see no reason why we should follow you anywhere, not after what you did to that poor man.”

Ean grimaced as his foolhardy companion placed a hand on the hilt of his sword. Instead of getting tense or angry, EliZane smirked.

“If you want to go about playing like a man with your weapon, feel free. But I doubt you will enjoy the game, boy.”

Ean swore he could see the anger bubbling out of Bran. EliZane was trying to goad him into a fight and was succeeding. Of course, they couldn’t go back with the man, or at least Ean couldn’t. Facing the man with the jeweled dagger meant death at least for him, and Jaslen and Bran might just get killed for being with him.
 

No, a fight was their only option.

Jaslen rose to her feet and readied her bow. Bran and Ean spread out to circle him. EliZane seemed more amused than concerned about their efforts to surround him. He stood still, picking dirt from beneath his fingernails.
 

“So,” EliZane said. “We’re going to do this the hard way? Very well, I suppose a bit of exercise won’t hurt.”
 

Letting out a laugh that held no warmth, he let his arms drop to his sides casually. “Well, here is hoping you will surprise me.”

EliZane’s hands moved so fast Ean almost missed it. In a blur, the man snatched two finger-sized blades from his belt and hurled one at Jaslen and the other at Ean.

The energies from the Abyss enhanced his reflexes enough that he dropped back before the blade hit. He felt it whiz past the tip of his nose. Missing its intended target, the blade sank into the tree behind him with a loud plunk. At the same moment, Jaslen let out a startled yelp.
 

Rolling to his feet, Ean scrambled to go to Jaslen’s aid but quickly realized that she was more scared than hurt. The second blade had sliced through her bow string, leaving her unscathed but weaponless. The rasp of a sword blade coming unsheathed made Ean shift his attention again. Bran was holding his sword defensively in front of his body. EliZane was sauntering toward Bran with that same amused expression.

Jaslen had recovered from her shock and was on her feet as well. She had discarded the bow and instead held a single arrow in her left hand. She took careful, deliberate steps, not making a sound as she tried to catch the Seeker off guard.

“This really is foolish,” EliZane said to Bran. “You’re just going to make me hurt you more than needs be. Best if we just get you back to my companions so we can test you for the corruption and then act from there. If you haven’t been touched by the Abyss, you will be sent on your way. If you have, then you have to die. It’s as simple as that.”

Bran grunted and moved towards the Seeker, keeping his blade aimed at Elizane’s chest.

“Very well,” the Seeker said with a feigned sigh.

“You’re going to leave us alone,” Bran said, a mixture of anger and hesitation on his voice. “We just want to leave and don’t want any trouble.”

“Listen to you, trying to sound all tough.” EliZane still sounded at ease. “Are you trying to impress someone? The girl, perhaps?”
 

He waved a hand in the direction of where Jaslen was trying to creep up on him. “Is she your girl? Oh that’s a shame. Especially if one of you is corrupted and the other one isn’t. Then you’d have to sit and watch while the other one was put down.”

“Don’t you threaten
−
”

In one swift motion, the Seeker knocked Bran’s blade aside with one hand and delivered a strike to the boy’s throat with the other, effectively cutting him off midsentence. The younger man dropped to the ground, a gurgling noise coming from his mouth as he gripped his throat with both hands. EliZane stood over him, shaking his head.

With a yell Jaslen charged in, holding the arrow in both hands like a spear. The Seeker easily dodged out of the way of her clumsy charge. As she stumbled past, he stuck a foot out and tripped her. She fell, face first, the arrow thankfully flying from her hands instead of ending up embedded in her stomach. Hitting the ground hard, she let out a muffled moan. She immediately tried to push herself up with her hands to regain her footing.