The Sword that Binds (Book of Worlds 1) (18 page)

“Nurazor save us! What did you do?” Uckey’s voice broke through the haze in Sarena’s mind, bringing her back to reality.

Her eyes snapped open and took in the scene in front of her. The sun was setting, making it difficult to see through the shadows cast by the trees.

Really? Barely half a day? It felt so much longer.

“It’s done. I didn’t think I would finish so quickly, but I should be able to lower us down on a platform now,” she said.

“Quickly? Sarena, you’ve been sitting there for over a days. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be left alone with Uckey for almost two days with nothing around you? He spent an entire morning lecturing me about the correct way to cook a stew. Me! As if I can cook or eat anything!”

“Two days? What are we sitting around for then! We aren’t going to make it at this rate!” Sarena exclaimed.

She jumped to her feet, only to stumble forward and catch herself on Uckey’s side. Her vision swam in front of her as her body started to shake.

“Ugh. What’s wrong with me?” She mumbled.

“Too much magic with too little food and rest. You need to eat something before we do anything,” Uckey said.

Sarena reached into the pack at her side, pulling out a strip of dried meat she had purchased in town and shoving it into her mouth. It didn’t feel like she would be able to keep anything down, but she knew it would only make it worse if she didn’t try. The last thing she had eaten was the stew in the inn yesterday morning.

By the gods, I swear I’m never going to touch dried meat again once this is over. How do soldiers ever get used to this?

After washing down the meat with some water she felt her shaking subside. She wasn’t feeling anywhere near her best, but they didn’t have time to waste. They had already lost four days to this river.

Mounting Uckey, they moved to the edge of the hole Sarena had created. She had to say, it was an impressive bit of work on her part. A perfect circle of stone six feet across, leading straight down into the earth below. It only took a small portion of strength to call out a platform of stone and raise it up to them.

Uckey stepped onto it as soon as it arrived, and Sarena lowered it quickly. It took much less effort to do so than before, but it was still draining to move such a large chunk of stone so far. She couldn’t simply drop it like she had before. By the time she set them down on the pile of dirt at the bottom she was so weary that she struggled to hold herself upright on Uckey’s back. Every part of her body ached straight down to the bone.

“We need to get moving. I’ll guide us Uckey. Just follow my directions. Stay ready Sarena, if anything attacks we’re going to have to fight. As far as I can tell this tunnel just stretches in one direction with no other paths,” Tyrus said.

Stay ready? I can barely sit up. How am I supposed to fight anything like this?

“Tyrus, I need to rest. I’m sorry. I’ll just sleep on Uckey’s back while we go. You should be able to wake me up before anything dangerous reaches us, right?” Sarena said.

“That’s...” Tyrus said hesitantly. “Alright. I’ll wake you up in a few hours. We’ve wasted too much time here as it is, and we won’t be able to travel as quickly if you’re asleep.”

I worked as fast as I could, but I’m not as strong as him. He could at least acknowledge that.
She thought while she pursed her lips.
Besides, I can’t see a thing down here. If anything attacks us then it’s basically up to Tyrus to defend us. I can’t fight if I can’t see.

“
Thank you,” she said as she laid her head down on the back of Uckey’s neck, exhaustion overtaking her instantly.

T
yrus felt Sarena’s frustration, but was mystified about the reason for it. She had to know they were running out of time. Even if she was tired, they still needed to keep moving. If she was just patient for a while they could find a better spot to rest.

“You shouldn’t be so hard on her Tyrus. She’s only mortal. Using that much magic for so long puts a very large strain on the body, even with your help,” Uckey spoke up suddenly.

“I know it’s difficult, but if we don’t reach the grimoire in time she’s going to die. Shouldn’t she be able to put up with a bit of exhaustion for that?”

“What do you think she’s been doing you dimwit!” Uckey exploded.

Tyrus was taken aback at his tone. He had never heard the gnome be genuinely angry.

“What do you mean? You’re the one that’s done most of the work while we travel. She was able to go days without sleep when we were in the Godwoods, even with all of the fighting,” Tyrus said defensively.

“Have you already forgotten the aid your power gave her? It’s not normal to sleep so little!”

I was doing that? I thought that all humans were like that...How could I have missed it?

“
You- How could you not realize that! She’s been pushing her limits ever since she gained her own core! Even if you can’t remember what it’s like to be human, you should have been able to tell from her aura!” Uckey said furiously. “If it wasn’t for our need for haste I would never condone the use of magic she just did! It may be effective in raising her strength, but every time she reaches her limit like that she is endangering her life!”

“Did you forget that this was your idea in the first place? I’m not the one who told her to dig a hole like that!” Tyrus yelled back at the gnome. How dare Uckey try to throw all the blame onto him after all the trust he had put into the crotchety old bag of wind.

“I had no choice! Sarena is the only one who can use magic here! I’m crippled in this body or I would have done it myself! If you weren’t there to sustain her then I would never have suggested it. Not with the risk of shattering her core,” Uckey said.

Did he really just say what I think he did? I can’t believe this. Maybe Sarena was right to not trust him.
Tyrus thought. He knew what it meant. When he was expanding her channels his magic had given him the knowledge of it. A shattered core was a death sentence. Even with the bond her body would reject
all
magic. And with no core of her own anymore she would wither away and die in minutes.

Yet Tyrus still couldn’t bring himself to hate the gnome. He would have done the same even if he had known beforehand, and he knew Sarena would have also. Oh of course, there would have been all kinds of arguing, and she would have hurled abuse at the gnome. But she would still have done it in the end. Sarena was angry at the lot life had thrown at her, but she never shied away from what needs to be done. It was what he admired the most about her.

His anger settled at the realization.
I should have known. She would never ask to rest unless she had to. Nobody is as hardworking as she is.

“Let’s go Uckey. And not a word of this to Sarena. She dislikes you enough as it is; we don’t need her actively trying to kill you before we even get there,” Tyrus said.

“Humph,” Uckey said. “She should be grateful that I felt she was able to handle the risks. If it was any other apprentice I would have tossed them out with nothing but the clothes on their back for even suggesting it!”

“Uckey, you’ve never had another apprentice.”

“Exactly! Both of you should be honored! No other has ever been worthy to learn from me!”

The two of them continued to bicker back and forth as they traveled along the stone tunnel. Tyrus kept his perception extended as far as he could in both directions, but he never felt anything besides more stone. There wasn’t even a single offshoot from the tunnel they were in. It was just one, long, straight tunnel, wide enough for five carriages side by side, with the ceiling around twenty feet above them. The only flat part was the ground beneath them, while the walls curved over them in a half circle.

Tyrus had no idea how long they had been traveling for when Sarena finally began to stir. There was still a pit of guilt in him over how hard he had been pushing her, so he let her sleep as long as she wanted.

“How far have we come?” She asked.

“It’s impossible to tell, but I’m guessing you slept for at least half a day. There’s really nothing to judge time by down here,” Tyrus said.

He felt a spike of confusion in her aura that faded away immediately before she answered.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

“Now that you’re awake we can pick up the pace. Ideally we want to get out of this tunnel, but I don’t think we can afford the time for you to make another hole. Can you check how close we are to the surface?” Tyrus pretended he hadn’t heard her at all. He didn’t feel like he deserved any thanks, and he wasn’t sure how to answer it.

Sarena’s aura changed as she drew on her power, becoming a stony grey color. It wasn’t until that moment that Tyrus realized something very important.

He wasn’t giving Sarena any power.

She was surviving completely on her own, not drawing on his strength at all. The abnormal growth from pushing her own strength had increased the power from her core to the point that Uckey had predicted. Now that her core was able to sustain her on its own the bond should be broken. Yet Tyrus could still feel its existence.

“I can’t even feel the surface. Everything past around one hundred feet is blurry, but I can say for sure we are at least several hundred feet down. How are we supposed to get out of here at this rate?” Sarena said, a hint of panic in her voice.

“Uckey! You bastard! You lied to us!” Tyrus raged.

“What- Tyrus I’m not too pleased with him either but I don’t think he did it intentionally,” Sarena said.

“The bond is still there! Can’t you feel it Sarena? You aren’t drawing on my power, but the bond hasn’t shattered like Uckey said it would!” Tyrus yelled. He couldn’t believe the gnome had lead them on like this.

Ever since he woke up he had felt somewhat repressed, as if his emotions were stunted. He
knew
he should be able to feel more than he did, but it wasn’t until that moment that he understood what he was missing. An invisible barrier that had been pressing down on him shattered, letting his anger boil up to the forefront of his mind.

How dare he lie to us like this! He risks our lives constantly without even telling us, and now this!

Sarena’s aura shifted back to its normal state as the power drained out of her. Tyrus could feel elation within her. Probably because she could survive without him now.

She drew Tyrus right away and hopped off Uckey’s back. He knew what she was planning. If he was in her place he would have done the same. Even through his anger he was curious about what would happen also.

Setting Tyrus onto the ground, she withdrew several feet back. The elation in her aura grew the further she went.

“I’m free!” She shouted while laughing. “We’ve done it! I can’t believe it! Ankaros was wrong!”

When she was ten feet from Tyrus she abruptly stopped backing up, as if she had struck a wall. She spun around, staring at the space behind her in confusion. Tyrus was no different, his own anger forgotten for the moment. Sarena stretched her hand out to the empty air behind her until it halted. The elation in her aura changed to despair instantly.

Tyrus watched her feeling along the invisible wall, walking along with it as she circled him. A full ten foot circle, with him in the dead center. There was no denying what it meant.

“Well. This is...unexpected. I never thought there would be a limit to the range of the bond,” Uckey said.

Sarena turned and walked to the gnome, silently staring him straight in the eye from just inches away. Tyrus could feel the fury within her matched his own, but surprisingly it started to drain away. After a few minutes of glaring at Uckey she dropped her head and sighed before walking back to Tyrus and sheathing him.

“You’re not angry Sarena?” Tyrus asked.

She shook her head. “What’s the point? Maybe he lied, maybe he was wrong, but it’s not like he’s the one who pushed us into the bond. Even if it’s not perfect, it’s at least better than before,” she said.

“It looks like my theory wasn’t quite right. If the bond hasn’t shattered at this point then I’m sure there is some meaning to it! How exciting!” Uckey said as Sarena mounted him again.

What use does the bond have at this point? I can’t help her in any way now, and instead I’m just limiting her freedom. Just what do we have to do to get rid of it?

Time crawled by slowly as they continued down the long tunnel. Uckey had increased his speed to a ground-eating stride far faster than they would risk traveling on the surface. He claimed his eyesight wasn’t affected by the total darkness that much, probably due to the glow horse growing up in the dark world of the Godwoods. Sarena’s worries about how deep they were had been put to rest when Uckey explained that the branch they were in had an exit in some ruins within the elven forest.

Tyrus almost felt like he was trapped back within the sword again. He had no way to tell how long they had been in the unchanging tunnel, and he could feel it making him anxious. When he finally felt a change in the tunnel in front of them he almost didn’t believe it.

“There’s something ahead,” he said.

“The exit already? It should take us two days to get there at this rate. There shouldn’t be anything else on the way there,” Uckey said in confusion.

“No, not the exit. Definitely not the exit. You’ll just have to wait and see yourself, Uckey,” Tyrus said.

It wasn’t long before Uckey slowed down to a stop.

“Impossible!” Uckey exclaimed before charging forward again. “How could this be here?”

“What is it?” Sarena asked.

Uckey must be able to see further than she can sense down here.
Tyrus thought.

“It’s a wall. The tunnel ends,” Uckey said, his voice trembling.

Wait. What? That’s not right.

“What are you saying Uckey? There’s no wall there; it opens up into a cavern,” Tyrus said in confusion.

“Ah! Uckey is right. It’s a dead end. I can’t feeling anything but more stone behind it,” Sarena chimed in.

Tyrus
knew
they were wrong. The closer they drew the more he was able to feel of the cavern. It wasn’t very big; maybe only twice the width and height of the tunnel. But there was no question it was there.
How come Sarena can’t sense it? Even if she can’t see it, her stone magic should be able to feel it.