CHAPTER 5 - STORMUNGANDR - Part 1

CHAPTER FIVE
STORMUNGANDR

Cullen dreamed.
In his dream he was on top of a mountain, standing on the peak, facing a rising sun. Clouds drifted past, some above him and some below, white mist that hovered in the air as it floated by. He heard steps behind him in the crunching snow and he turned.
Cullen found himself facing the massive wolf he had been seeing in his dreams. Asrai wolves were bigger then natural wolves, but this creature was even larger than that, big enough to shake the centipede that Cullen had fought in the Pit.
His head, at least as large as a wagon lowered itself to look at Cullen. Cullen turned about to face the wolf. The wolf had silver eyes and silver fur. It grinned at Cullen with a wolfish smile.
“GREETINGS CHOSEN ONE! ITS TIME WE TALKED,” the wolf spoke in a clear, resounding voice that seemed to echo off the mountain cliffs.
“Who are you?” Cullen asked first, in wonder and awe.
“WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THE SHAPE YOU KNOW ME AS?” the wolf asked, his voice friendly and kind. Cullen nodded and the wolf shimmered in its own mist, as though gathering clouds around it.
The floating in the sky before him, Cullen found himself looking at his Sword. It was silver and shining in the sunlight, glowing with power. Cullen then understood that it was his Sword he had been dreaming of.
“Are you alive?” Cullen asked, breathless with amazement.
“I AM. I WILL SHOW YOU MY ORIGINAL SHAPE NOW AND YOU WILL LEARN MORE OF ME AND WHERE I CAME FROM.”
The voice came from everywhere and nowhere all at once. The mist gathered around the Sword again, becoming a heavy fog and then a shape coalesced out of that fog into something even large than the wolf.
When the mist floated away, before Cullen was the largest creature he had ever seen. It dominated the mountain top, its limbs spread out to grasp the cliffs, stretching across the top of the rocks and staring down at Cullen.
The Sword had transformed into a massive silver Dragon. With silver scales and brilliant eyes, the Dragon looked down at Cullen from a long sinuous neck. The head was twice as large as a wagon and the claws were just as big. The talons on the end of each claw were bigger than Cullen by themselves.
Cullen was speechless. The Dragon smiled in its surprisingly animated face and a low rumble emitted from it, which took a moment for Cullen to realize, was laughter.
“SO NOW YOU SEE MY TRUE FORM, AS I ONCE WAS, BEFORE I OFFERED UP MY FANG FOR THE SWORD AND MY SCALE FOR THE SHIELD, MY CLAW FOR THE BOW AND MY VOICE FOR THE HORN.”
“What are you called?” Cullen asked in a small voice.
“MY NAME IS STORMUNGANDR AND I AM THE LAST SILVER DRAGON. THERE AREN’T MANY DRAGONS LEFT IN THE WORLD CULLEN, BUT I AM ONE.”
Cullen looked over the shining scale and huge silver talons of its claws and he mouthed the name to himself to record it to memory.
“Why have you shown yourself to me now?” he asked.
“ITS TIME YOU LEARNED MORE ABOUT ME AND MY POWER, BECAUSE YOUR TRIALS ARE GOING TO BE HARDER SOON AND I WOULD SEE YOU SUCCEED. I LIKE YOU CULLEN AND I WOULD SHARE WITH YOU MY POWER.”
“I am ready,” Cullen announced. “What must I know?”
“YOU KNOW EACH OF THE CREATIONS WAS TAKEN FROM MY BODY, AND THEY CONNECT TO MY POWER. THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL MAGIC, BUT I CALL SPIRIT. IT’S MY SPIRITUAL PRESSURE THAT YOU WIELD WHEN YOU USE THE SWORD. THAT’S THE FORCE THAT YOU USE.”
“Your spirit? Does everyone have spirit?”
“YES. AND YOUR SPIRITUAL PRESSURE IS GREATER THAN THOSE AROUND YOU. FAERIES HAVE MORE THAN MAN, BUT YOU ARE MORE THAN HUMAN SO YOU HAVE A VAST STOREHOUSE OF SPITIUALITY THAT YOU CAN DRAW ON.”
“Does that mean I can do something with a regular sword as well, using my own spiritual pressure? Is that possible?”
“IT WOULD TAKE TRAINING BUT YES, YOU COULD CREATE THE SAME FORCE EFFECT WITH A NATURAL SWORD. IT WOULD BE WEAKER THAN WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH MY SPIRIT BUT YOU WOULD HAVE MORE POWER THAN THOSE AROUND YOU.”
“Can you train me?” Cullen asked, eager to learn this new magic.
“I CAN. I CAN TRAIN YOU IN YOUR DREAMS BUT YOU WILL WAKE AND NOT FEEL RESTED. YOU WILL SACRIFICE THE EFFECTS OF SLEEP WHEN YOU TRAIN IN YOUR DREAMS.”
Cullen nodded and thought for a moment. It would be worth it to be able to have more power when he fought, until he got his Weapons back. He would be better able to protect those around him.
“I accept. Please train me to use my own spiritual pressure as a weapon. I must survive until we are reunited again.”
“WE WILL NEED TO BE TOGETHER TO FACE THE DARK MASTER, AND YOU WILL NEED TO BE EVEN BETTER SKILLED THAN BEFORE. THIS TRAINING WILL BE HARD, BUT YOU WILL HAVE GREAT BENEFITS FROM IT. LET US BEGIN.”

***

High King Remus walked up the steps that led to the raised platform that looked out over the lists and fields that the many warriors would use for the tourney. The platform was tented, giving some shade from the hot sun on the cloudless day.
Remus walked to the center of the platform and sat in the large throne that had been placed there. To his right were two smaller thrones, and to his left were two more. He watched King Simon and King Adrian come up the steps and sit on his right.
King Cosmin came next and sat directly left of the High King and last came Nicu. Grimm and the Dreamweaver stood behind the High King. Grimm still held his arm in a sling, but now he kept his great battle axe close.
Adrian had his son Alin with him, but Simon had no one in the stand with him. Cosmin had Starlight and the Nightlands, while Nicu had Hafr and Hook. The Queens and Princesses were gathered in another tent that wasn’t raised but placed so they could watch the action.
High King Remus stood again and walked to the edge of the platform, placing his hands on the railing there. He looked out over the vast crowd that had gathered. There were bleachers for the nobles and wealthy merchants, positioned across from the King’s stand and then everywhere else crowds of people from all over the Realm stood to see the different events.
Remus looked out over the people, so many men and women and children. His Kingsguard was sprinkled in, standing every few feet to keep the peace. He noticed that the Godsmen didn’t seem to be abundant but it didn’t bother him.
“I welcome you all to the fourteenth King’s Tournament at Holdfast!” the High King said loudly, his voice carrying with a little help from the Dreamweaver’s spell. “Eat, drink and be merry! We are together as a united Realm, all of our people together making a whole!”
People everywhere cheered and clapped. Food sellers were walking around weighted down by their racks of foods, slipping in and out of the crowd. Remus wished Cullen was back to see this, to see the whole Kingdom come together for fun and games. It made his throat tighten to think of it.
He returned to his seat as trumpets and drums sounded. A town crier walked out into the center of the field. He was dressed in red and yellow hose with a red jacket over a yellow silk shirt. He was young and his voce was proud.
“The Games will begin with Quintain! First to the lists are the nobles of Dustan! From the Great Swamp come men who will ride and try to break the post! Cheer on your favorites!”
Done announcing, the young man stepped down off his block and carried it with him off the field. Some burly workers set up the first quintain at the end of a long run. The quintain was a cross made of wood, the post set deep into the ground with the cross bar of wood that was wide and had holes on one side and a weighted sand bag hanging from the other side.
The rider’s goal was to break the board with a jousting pole but also to get past the quintain before the sand bag came around and his them in the back of the head.
Several nobles gathered together at the end of the list, riding their horses and carrying the jousting poles. Each man would race down the list, gathering tremendous speed and strike the board as hard as they could.
Many of them hit it, but none of them broke it. While half of them were hit with the sand bag and disqualified. Then the young man reappeared and announced that men from Vess would try next.
Again, none of the noble could break it and half of them were disqualified after being struck by the sand bag. The young man announced the next set from Seawatch.
“Now you’ll see the board break!” King Cosmin said with a grunt.
“I have no doubt Cosmin!” the High King said.
“My men can break it as well,” Nicu boasted. “Rathians are the best riders in the Realm!” Cosmin didn’t take the bait and just leaned forward in his chair to watch his Knights line up.
His Knights were all well known from the war when the three Kingdoms invaded Rath many years ago. None of them were young men, but all of them were fit enough to still be dangerous on the battlefield.
There was the Bull, called the Defender of the Coast in red armor with the shape of a bull’s head on the breastplate complete with horns that stuck out to grapple with another man’s armor.
There was Olivir Strongbear, Keeper of the Path, in dark gray armor with a bear’s face on the breastplate. He was a tall man where the Bull was short and he had a long braided moustache that he had to tuck into his helm.
The Seawolf was there, Lord of Ships, the only man to make ships large enough to go out to sea; he was always searching the ocean for something. His breastplate had a pair of fighting wolves on it. He was one of the eldest and had long gray hair.
Behind them rode Bjorn the Stag, who wore antlers on his helm and carried a hand and a half sword over his shoulder. He was called Lord of the Cliffs. With him was Gedda the Lion of the Cliffs with golden armor, golden hair, as perfect as a man could be. Women swooned over him as he entered the lists.
The Destroyer, Starlight and the Nightlands all took their places as well. Each of the Knights broke the board and it had to be replaced each time. None of them got hit with the sand bag. All of them were quintessential knights, men who wore armor all day, who fought against each other to keep their skills sharp and they defended their small Kingdom to the death.
“And that’s how it’s done,” Cosmin said afterwards.
“A truly great display of riding and jousting! I can’t wait to see them joust against each other!” The High King cheered.
Nicu glared at them both but kept silent. When the Rathians lined up, ten of them broke the board, none of them were hit and Nicu cheered louder than anyone at the display.
The High King complimented him, and was quickly followed by Adrian and Simon. Nicu scoffed at all of them but kept his peace. He glanced at Hook as if their shared a secret. Grimm watched them very carefully. Cosmin leaned back into his seat in a huff and Nicu moved forward to call support to his warriors.
A wine seller appeared on the platform and Grimm bristled but the High King waved him forward. He presented wine to all the Kings and each of them complimented the man’s service and taste. He offered to return with food as well and the King granted him leave to do so.
The successful Knights, nobles and Rathians set up another challenge to try and get their jousting poles through a tiny ring hung from the quintain post. Many of the nobles missed, but the Knights and the Rathians did fairly well.
Then the Rathians went one step further to show their superiority at the games. They would ride their horses without their hands and used a bow to place arrows through the ring. Every one of the Rathians got the arrow through the hole.
“That’s amazing!” the High King exclaimed. “I had no idea the archers were so skilled!”
“We rarely miss a shot,” Nicu boasted.
“Except in Dustan,” Grimm grumbled. “Those Rathians missed their chance.”
“I had nothing to do with that!” Nicu protested right away. “My men did not do that!”
“Well somebody sent them King Nicu,” Grimm said, dripping with sarcasm.
“I will not be insulted like this!” Nicu yelled, glaring at Grimm.
“Enough!” Remus commanded. “Grimm, leave it. We don’t know who sent those men. Nicu, I’m sorry, Grimm should’ve kept silent. It won’t happen again.”
Grimm turned to face the field while Hook seemed to find the whole thing amusing. Hafr moved closer to his King and whispered something in his ear.
“We have started an investigation and when we discover which Horse Lord attacked you, we will hang them ourselves,” Nicu said to Adrian. “You can be sure of that.”
Adrian simply nodded and then turned away. The platform was very tense until the man returned with food. Then things seemed to calm down some as everyone sampled the different foods.
The young man stepped out onto his block again and yelled, “We will take a short break and then we will have the Jousting for the rest of the day! Cheer for your favorite hero!”

***

Captain Cezar woke with a nasty headache and rolled over so he could sit up. He found himself in a dark room, inside a hutch house that had no windows and one door. A candle was lit and with the meager light he could see another figure in the room with him.
“Who?” he asked as he got up to a seated position.
“Oh! You’re awake! Good,” the man said as he turned. Cezar realized he knew that man, as it was none other than the High Priest of the Dustan castle, Aegidius himself.
“Aegidius, what are you doing in this storage room with me?” Cezar asked, rubbing his head from where the weighted arrow struck him.
“I am a prisoner, just like you my friend,” the Priest said quickly. “Rathians have taken over the castle; hundreds of them came storming in after your men were attacked. There was nothing we could do! They killed many people!”
“Alright, calm down,” Cezar said, waving his hands in the air. “So the Rathians came and killed my men and then attacked the castle? And now they’re in control?”
“That’s right. Most people have just decided to do what they say but I spoke out against them! And they threw me in here with you.”
Cezar wished his head didn’t hurt so much. “I don’t suppose you got a message out before you were captured?”
“It all happened so fast Captain; there was nothing I could do. They killed most of the birds and they control the rest.”
“So that means we have to get out of here and away from the city to get word to the High King. How many men guard us?” Cezar stood up, a little shaky but he needed to listen at the door.
“I don’t know Captain, there were many men when I was brought here, but I couldn’t say how many are still outside.” The Priest moved away from the door and towards the back of the room.
Cezar was leaning on the door when it suddenly opened and he tumbled out. Two tall Rathians grabbed him and threw him back in onto his rear.
“Oh Ho! Trying to escape are you?” one of the men shouted. The two men stepped into the room, both of the carrying knives and Cezar thought to himself, I don’t want to die in this room. He started gathering himself up to try and get one of the knives when a third figure walked through the door.
“Easy boys, he’s not going anywhere!” the third man said confidently. “It’s just feedin’ time for them!” the man placed two large bowls of some kind of gruel with bread floating on top and a couple leather sacks full of water on the floor in front of Cezar.
“My name is Abjorn, and I now rule Dustan while my King talks to your King about some changes in the High Kingdom.” Abjorn was tall, like most Rathians, wearing leather pants and the classic Rathian vest over a bare chest. His hair was long and had many finger bones braided into to shop he had won many challenges.
“You killed all of my men?” Cezar asked in a growl.
“Those were my orders Captain, to kill the Kingsguard and capture the Captain. We took Dustan and other men have taken the other Kingdoms. We’ve had word, so you’d better believe it! You’re stuck with us now!”
Cezar looked at the Priest, but he would be no help. He was huddled in the corner looking terrified. Cezar tried to gage whether he could take all three men at once. He moved his feet under him so he could spring.
“I see you twitchin’ boy. Don’t do it,” Abjorn said in a rumble. “I will kill you if you make me. I’m supposed to keep you alive, but what’s one more Kingsguard to me?”
“Why do you want me alive? I’ll never accept you as a leader of this city!” Cezar said proudly and bravely.
“King Nicu said keep you alive, as well as the Priest. We’ve got no battle with the Church as long as they stay out of this business. You will live here for now until I say different. You will be guarded day and night by five men. You can’t break free or take them all down, so just accept that you’re stuck for now and we’ll see what happens down the line.”
Cezar grimaced and stared at the floor.
“I’m not a cruel man Cezar,” the Rathian Captain said last. “Don’t make me chain you up too.”
Then he left the room, followed by his two men and Cezar stayed looking at the floor. He didn’t know if he really could just wait. He might have to try and escape, even if it cost him his life, he should try to reach the castle in Holdfast. Someone had to warn the King.
He reached for the bowl of food and handed the second one to the Priest. “Might as well eat while its warm,” he said as he started scooping up the wet substance with his bread.
He would try an escape that evening and see how far he got.

***

Captain Oana woke chained in a cell. He was restrained in his own barracks prison cell, where they kept prisoners that needed to be held for grave offenses. His hands were chained together as well as his ankles. He could sit up but nothing else.
He listened and heard a lot of noise of many men still in the barracks but it couldn’t be his men, he watched them get cut down like wheat at harvest. He was wounded but someone had dressed them.
So, he thought, they want me alive, but for what purpose. And if they’ve brought me back to Vess and my own barracks then that means they’ve taken over the entire city! That thought came with alarm. Could the Rathians have taken the city already?
“Oy! Hello!” he called, hoping to get someone to tell him what was happening.
“Oh, you’re awake,” he heard from around the corner. He heard footsteps approach and then a man stepped into his view from around the corner. It was the High Priest of Vess, a man named Ludovicus.
“You’re free? Then does that mean the city is safe?” Oana asked in a rush.
“No, my friend, the city has been taken by the Rathians. I am only free because I choose not to fight them. They have killed everyone who would oppose them, well, except for you of course.”
“What? Why aren’t you fighting?” Oana asked, his voice a bit sharp.
“Because I don’t want to die Captain,” Ludovicus answered. “There are literally hundreds of men out there, all armed and ready to kill any citizen that doesn’t comply with their demands. What could I do?”
“You could send a message to the High King and tell him what’s happened! You could at least do that!”
The Priest smiled and shook his head. “They control the castle, everything. They control the birds and the messages. I’ve been told that it will be settled in Holdfast, and then we’ll know what’s going to happen next. We just have to wait it out I suppose.”
“Who the hell is in charge here?” the Captain yelled, disgusted with the Priest.
“Is he awake them?” Oana heard the call come from further in the barracks. The Priest turned to face the hall and nodded to whoever had called out.
Oana heard more footsteps, loud boots on the wooden floor and the clinking of weapons as a third man entered the room where his cell was.
The Rathian before him was tall, with long braided hair, filled with bones, a bright blue leather vest and dark leather breeches. He carried a sword and a long dagger and had a bow over his back.
“So this is the Chief Killer!” the man said as he came to stand before the iron bars of the cell.
“You’re the man that led the attack?” Oana asked right away, wanting to know his enemy.
“I am,” the man said with a lewd grin. “My name is Hakr, but my men have been calling me the chief killer catcher all day!” His laughter was rich and cheerful.
“You butcher! You killed all my men but left he alive? Why would you do that?” Oana shouted at the man, infuriated that he was making a joke out of the death of the Kingsguard.
“I was commanded by my King to keep the Captain alive, so that is what I did. We had to kill the competition, surely you understand that? But perhaps my King will have a place for you after he settles things with Remus.”
“You’re King is trying to take the whole Realm?” the Captain said incredulously.
“He already has!” Hakr boasted. “I took Vess, while other Chieftains took the other Kingdoms. We’ve already won! You are a prisoner and so you will remain until I say differently. In the meantime, if you behave, I’ll remove the shackles and get you something to eat.”
Oana was so surprised by this information; he just nodded his affirmation to the man who had taken him prisoner. And anger was brewing in him and he was already thinking crazy ideas of how to break out and get word to the High King, but he knew he had to heal first and for that he needed to act like he would cooperate.
“Good!” Hakr said after a moment of silence. “We’ll have the cuffs off soon and I’ll have some food brought to you. You would do well to learn from your Priest here, he knows there’s been a shift in power and he’s made no trouble. That’s all I want, a peaceful resolution.”
Captain Oana didn’t say a word. But he memorized every part of Hakr’s face, so that he could remember the man he needed to kill. It might not happen right away, but Oana swore to himself to kill this man one day or another.
He needed time to heal from his wounds, but even if he had to challenge him in front of his men, Oana would kill that man someday.

***

Captain Ion woke to being kicked by someone standing over him. He bent double and tried to protect himself but as soon as he started moving the kicks stopped.
“He’s awake now!” a voice said from above him. He felt cold stone beneath him and it was dark everywhere except for beyond him where someone held a guttering torch. He looked there and saw a man with long braided hair and an open vest.
Rathian! Then he remembered. Remembered the ambush and his men being killed. Now where am I, he thought, where is this place? He glanced at the man standing over him but all he could see was that it was another Rathian. Then he tried to move his hands to sit up and he realized he was chained, both hands and feet. He shifted and wiggled until he could sit upright and look at his enemies.
“So now you see what a predicament you are in, eh Captain?” the man with the torch said. “My name is Bergulfr and I am your keeper. I have killed your men and many others. I have taken the castle here at Seawatch and now we Rathians run the Kingdom. There is nothing you can do about it. Do you understand me so far?”
Ion watched the man as he talked. He was totally sure of himself, without any doubt at all. Ion realized where he was now, in the dungeon of castle Seawatch, alone without help.
“I understand. Why did you kill my men and keep me alive?” he asked, still watching both men at once.
“My King has a plan, and wants you kept alive. But I think a Kingsguard Captain would do anything to escape and get word to the High King. So you will remain here, in the dark, alone until things are settled. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Ion said. What else can I do? There’s got to be a way out of this, but it will be difficult. To get out of chains, out of the cell, out of the dungeon and away on a horse would take a miracle.
But a man can’t give up hope, he thought. I will have to find a way.
“I will send food down three times a day with water. You can have a torch to eat, but you will remain in the dark the rest of the time. I suggest you pray. My men are not like the others who took Dustan and Vess. My men have been fighting the Knights and you all of their lives. They want you dead.”
“I challenge you to do something that gets you killed,” he said as he turned away. The second man walked out of the cell, closed the barred door and locked it with a large padlock. Then the two of them walked back up the stairs into the upper reaches of the castle.
Captain Ion of Seawatch was left alone in the dark. He was trapped; his men were all dead, his Kingdom taken and no way out. He let his head hang as he thought about the High Kingdom.
What could he do from this position?

***

Captain Emil was dragged through the village on top of the hill. He was brought into the main building where King Nicu usually sat on his throne. Near the throne and a second large seat, sat a man he knew, a man named Askr.
Askr was one of a handful of Chieftains that followed Nicu. Emil knew his men were dead and he was taken prisoner. He had to assume that it was possible this attack had occurred in other places. Was he being held captive, or would they kill him now?
“The great Captain Emil, brought low by savages!” Askr laughed. “That’s what you call us, isn’t it?”
“I have never called the men of Rath savages,” Emil stated. “Why did you kill my men?”
“I killed them because my King commanded me to kill them. That’s also the only reason you’re alive, by his command.”
That was good to know, Emil thought. Maybe I can get word to the High King still, even if I have to ride there myself.
“I’ve been told to keep you prisoner here until King Nicu settles things in the west. You should know that men have taken Dustan, Vess and Seawatch in the same manner. Your fellow Captain all live, but the Kingsguard has been wiped out!”
Emil blanched at that. All those men, working for the peace of the Realm, all of them killed by these – dammit, they were savages! Emil had been in Rath for years now, and he saw how they lived, how they ruled. They were savages! And now they’ve attacked the Realm itself?
“I can see by your face that the situation is becoming clearer to you!” Askr laughed. “You’ve got nowhere to run little rabbit! You are surrounded by lions!” his men all laughed with him.
Emil drew himself up proudly. “You say things will be settled in Holdfast. The High King and Grimm will never let this go! You could have had freedom of your country but you reach too far! The High King will bring the axe down on you all!”
He was answered with more laughter. The Rathians thought it was a good joke. Emil broke down. He wanted to shout at them and make them tremble but he wasn’t sure what would truly happen. The King doesn’t know his Realm is being taken from him.
He had to bide his time and try to get a message out somehow. He would wait, and be calm, and let their guard down before he tried something. If only he had more time. Nicu could already be there, the tourney had probably started already!
Emil was led away to be imprisoned in his own barracks on top of the hill. He was given food and water and kept unchained, but there was five men guarding him at all times. He knew it would be some time before he could come up with a trick or way to get free. He worried for the Realm. And he mourned his men.

***

Tik was conflicted. He knew he should be looking for weaknesses and watching for possibilities of escape, but as he quickly learned the Hive was very capable of keeping them watched and they were always aware of everything Tik and Sonia did. Even at night, when they slept, they were guarded.
Tik was conflicted because he never imagined he would be living with Sonia and holding her at night before she went to sleep. If he thought he loved her before this experience, that was nothing compared to how he felt now.
He was with her all throughout the day and they slept in the same room, in the same bed even, and he was surrounded by her scent and her presence all the time. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and she seemed to rely on him more than ever.
Tik tried to focus on learning about the Host and how the Hive operated, trying to find a time when they weren’t watched all the time, but he never found an opening. When they were brought to the Pit is when he felt worst.
Watching Cullen fight for his life, just to survive another week, while he, as his best friend, fell deeply in love with the woman his friend partnered with, was driving him crazy. He felt awful about his feelings on those days, but he couldn’t deny them during the week.
Sonia noticed on those days that he wasn’t his usual supportive self, but she guessed that he was just trouble by watching Cullen fight. That was part of it of course, but the conflicting feelings of wanting Sonia while trying to keep her safe for Cullen was getting to be too much.
He was starting to fear that he would have to confess soon and tell Sonia how he felt. He worried that he was essentially lying to her by not telling her, and that by holding her and not explaining how he felt, he was misleading her somehow. It was all getting to be too much.
Tik was sitting with Sonia, again underground, watching the Champions practice. He supposed that watching them was meant to intimidate them, but it just made him want his lost sword more. Seeing their cursed weapons made him wish he still had his own.
He believed that it wasn’t lost in the tavern fire. He had been having dreams about a man, who said he was the sword and would teach him how to use it in ways he hadn’t known before. The man talked about spiritual pressure and being able to pull the spirit out of the air around him, out of the people around him and use it as a weapon.
Tik and Sonia were sitting against the stone and dirt wall of the chamber underneath the castle, where the Champions fought against each other. He saw that two new Champions had new magic, using some kind of molten rock that caught fire if it touched anything and the other was the opposite, using ice to do battle.
Tik was thinking about how to fight against both styles when Sonia touched his arm. He looked down at her and tried to smile, even though he was distracted by the weapons before them.
“Do you wish you had your sword?” she asked, and he realized she almost always knew what he was thinking at any given time. Then, somewhat alarmed he wondered if she knew that he loved her? She was intelligent and around him all the time, how could she not know?
“Yes, if I had a weapon, maybe we could get out of this!” he said quietly, trying to keep Jorinde’s attention off them so they could speak.
“Even if you had it, there are too many of them. You would need help,” she said sadly, lowering her head again.
“I need Cullen!” Tik said quickly and loyally. “He’ll find a way out of this, I know it!”
“Oh Tik, you’re so loyal and you believe in him so much, but we’re trapped here, and here we’ll remain until she tires of us. It’s been three months already and Cullen is stuck fighting for his life in the Pit!”
“Sonia, I know it feels like we’re stuck, but I promise you, we’ll get out of this!” Tik put his arm around her and pulled her in close.
“You really believe that, don’t you?” she asked, looking up at his face. She thought about how much he meant to her, how important he was to her.
“I do Sonia. But in the meantime, we have each other. You’re stronger than you know, and you’ll survive this too.” He looked down at her and in that moment, she knew she loved him. More than his being a friend to her, he was always with her, and always supportive.
She missed Cullen but something had changed. She know thought of Cullen as just a friend and Tik meant something more. She didn’t feel like she was betraying Cullen, because she was never going to see him again anyway. He was trapped in the Pit and she was here.
She had to make a life for herself, in any way that she could, even as a prisoner. She felt Tik’s strong arm around her and she knew he would die to protect her, and just her. Tik wasn’t distracted by a need to free the Xho people, like Cullen was. Cullen felt strongly about everyone around him, but Tik whole focus was Sonia.
“Tik, I –“ she began.
“Sonia, I have to tell you something,” Tik interrupted her. “Something I’ve been feeling for a long time. And I’ve got to be honest about it because I feel like I’m lying to you by not telling you.”
Sonia looked in his eyes and she knew what he was going to say. They were so connected by something stronger than both of them, some force outside of herself that drew them together and made her want to be with him.
“I love you Sonia, and I have always loved since we met in the Orphanage. I should have told you then but I didn’t, and then you were with Cullen and I –“ Tik started to babble but Sonia put her finger to his lips and stopped him.
“I love you too Tik. I just realized it now, but it’s true. I love you. And I’m glad you’re the one here with me.”
Tik looked at her with a blank stare. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. He thought she was going to – well he didn’t that she would return his love. Suddenly his heart swelled with joy and he almost burst out with a cheer, until he remembered where he was.
“Truly?” he asked her, in a whisper.
“Yes Tik, truly,” she said. She leaned up and gave him a kiss and he let his head fall back against the wall. Now he had to get them free. Somehow he had to get Sonia out of this underground cavern and castle and city and back home to where they lived. He had to take Sonia home.