BK1 Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

Music chimed in the foyer as guests danced merrily, enjoying the evening's amusements. I sat alone on a table near the balcony, sipping my flute of champagne, glaring at Rian Thornfax.

Rian stood surrounded by handsome bachelors, all eager for her attention. She bragged of her life as a summoner in training, of the adventure she had seen. They fawned over her, rapt with her words as she described a life I could never have.

Envy raised in the pit of my chest.

Raising my fan, I fluttered it to hide my snarl as she headed towards my table. I stuck out my leg and grinned as she tripped, her blue dress pooling around her.

"Rian! Are you alright". A young noble infatuated with her offered her help standing. She took his hand, embarrassed, turning her eyes towards me.

"Cerue", she mocked. "What do you think you are doing?"

"My, oh my", my green eyes smiled, my mouth hidden as I gently tapped my lips with my fan. "What ever do you mean, Lady Thornfax?"

"You did that on purpose", Rian accused, rightly so.

"Are you suggesting I intentionally caused you to step on your dress?" I feigned shock. "How ever could I do such a thing?"

"You tripped me! Don't pretend otherwise, Cerue," she roared, causing guests nearby to look at her displeased.

"Lady Thornfax, I honestly do not know why you accuse me so. It is unbecoming" I lowered my fan just enough for her to see my smirk. "I am offended you would think such a thing of me."

Rian snapped, grabbing a flute. She moved to throw it, but a firm hand snatched her wrist.

"Lady Thornfax, I think that is enough" Callan tugged her away, angrily flashing me a look. "I think you should leave now, sister."

"If I must", I rose from my seat, my own anger flaring. But, of course, he would come to her rescue, not mine.

***

I stared at the stone ceiling above as a spider ran away into a hole. Without the morning light, I was unsure what the time was or if it was even morning. Looking over, I saw that Rian wasn't in her bedroll. I was alone in this cramped, ageing room. Sitting up, I absently rubbed the bracelet on my wrist.

So much had happened yesterday I hadn't really had a chance to digest it all. Albus, just what was he? He had described himself as a fragmented memory of the real Albus, a man who had once lived in a place called Teralia. He had died and returned like me.

I wasn't the only person to have experienced death. That knowledge alone was comforting. I wasn't unique. We had both been gifted memory stones. I had always wondered why I could not remember where my bracelet came from. If the gods gifted it, perhaps that was the reason. Maybe I was not supposed to have known.

But why did they gift it to me?

What did Albus want from me?

I sighed, tugging my legs from my bedroll and stood to stretch my limbs. Then, peeking through the hole into the temple, I saw Rian. She held her twin sabres leaning forward on her right leg; swiftly, she changed position as she practised her weapon form. Her frizzy brown hair had been neatly re-braided, keeping her eyes clear as she concentrated.

I leaned on the wall and watched her. I had always been envious of Rian Thornfax in my last three lives. She was popular, intelligent, and well-liked by the people around her. She had everything I had craved, and my envy came out in ugly bouts. I had been nasty to her. I knew that. However, seeing her upset often cheered me up, even if only for the briefest moments.

I had nightmares as a child after the incident with the rocks she had pelted me with. My confinement after and the distrust it caused in my family seeded my hatred. But we had been children. It was easy to forget that children could often do things without understanding the consequences. In all fairness, Rian had never hurt me in such a way again. In fact, I remember receiving a box from her shortly after. She had sent me an apology, likely out of guilt for lying about what had happened.

I smiled, thinking of the stuffed rabbit she had gifted me. It had been my first gift after Cassandra had died. My only gift. The rabbit had been poorly stitched, so I had thought it was a gift she hadn't cared about, something she gave me out of obligation for her actions. Now?

I had been petty.

If I had accepted her apology, things might have been different. Maybe we could have even been friends. But instead, it was difficult to let go of my anger and frustration.

"Having fun watching?" Rian called as she swiped her blades in the glow of the angel shrooms.

"A little", I smirked. "What form are you practising?" I asked. Seeing her skill with her blades made me envious.

"It's called the soaring tempest" She spun and swung the blades in a jolted movement. "Albertine taught me."

"I'm envious", I admitted drawing my Jian. "I'm hopeless with the flowing water method" I began the first movement inspired to practice by Rian's dedication.

"Don't be", Rian sighed, completing her final stance. "My father didn't give me a choice but to learn". She sheathed her blades and wiped her forehead from sweat. "You're lucky you could enjoy being a child."

"Right…" I said grimly. My childhood had not been enjoyable.

"Hey, I um..." I started a little fidgety leaning into the second movement. "I never thanked you for the stuffed rabbit you gave me when we were kids."

"Oh," Rian paused, surprised, "that". She scrunched her eyes, scratching her head awkwardly. "That's okay. You don't need to thank me", she hesitantly looked at me.

I spoke, a small smile on my face. "Did you... make it yourself?" I asked, my incline guiding me.

Rian's face turned beetroot red as she tried to avoid my smile. "Yeah", she whispered, embarrassed. "Sorry, it was bad."

"No", I shook my head. "I'm sorry I didn't realise sooner."

She frowned, looking away. "I should never have treated you like that back then." Her voice was laced with guilt. "I'm sorry for being so... small-minded."

I stumbled a little and silently took in her words. No one had ever apologised to me before.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

***

I continued to practice for a while whilst Rian rested nearby. I tripped on the fourth movement and lost my balance breaking apart the movement. I tried it again, and after a few more times, I finally completed all seven movements. A familiar tingling echoed in my body as I did so. I was beginning to recognise the feeling more now. I seemed to feel it when my understanding of something improved and my level grew.

Holding my palm forward, I called, "Sign."

Blood Sign

General Information

Name: Lynette Heversham

Age: Twenty-One

Rank: Daughter of Viscount – Talbour

Traits: Beast born Hidden

Occupation: Trainee of Zopan Empire Army

Covenants: Zopan Empire Army Blood bond: Guidance of Vishka Hidden: Knowledge of Albus

Progression

Core Innate Grade: 0.02

Core Condensation Grade: 0.02

Affinities: Unknown

Skills

Aether: 1

One With All - Gathering: 1 – (Novice)

Combative: 2

Jian - Flowing Water: 5 – (Novice)

Dagger strike: 8 – (Novice)

Body: 3

Poison Resistance: 15 - (Initiate)

Pain Resistance: 23 – (Apprentice)

Stamina: 8 - (Novice)

Mind: 3

Research: 12 - (Initiate)

Herbology: 57 - (Adept)

Alchemy: 7 - (Novice)

Spirit: 1

Beast Taming: 1 - (Novice) Hidden

General: 1

Social: -1 - (Novice) Hidden

I studied my improvements and was surprised to see my social level had increased. I hadn't been expecting that. I also had not been expecting to see a new covenant. I hadn't signed a blood contract with Albus. Our agreement had been more permanent than I thought. I quickly decided to will that covenant hidden. Probably best I keep that a secret. My Jian skill had increased, but only by one level. At least it was improving.

"Do you use sign every time to check your skills?" Rian asked me as I lowered my palm.

"Is there another way?"

"Yeah, just say sign update. You will only see the changes". Rian informed me with a shrug. I thanked her and noted that for the next time I felt that strange tingle.

"I think we should look around, try to see if this cave goes anywhere else". Rian pulled up from her resting stance, wiping some grime from the back of her trousers.

"I don't think we have any other options", I agreed.

We split up and began to search the temple and the caves surrounding it. There were a few offshoot tunnels, but they weren't long, and we could see they were dead ends without walking far. More craven bats were snuggling in each of them. I headed back to the temple to try and find another way whilst Rian explored the runes etched on the walls.

I rubbed my hands against the brittle stone, trying to feel for any structural weakness. I didn't find much success. There was no opening I could find. Our situation trapped here was looking grim. We only had a day's worth of food rations left, and I had no more water. We couldn't survive long down here. Going back the way we had come wasn't an option. Neither of us could reach the tunnel in the cave ceiling we had fallen from.

Heading back into the old room we had slept in, I slumped on the ground where my bedroll lay. I leaned my head in my hand as I looked around the room. From the remains of the furniture here, it may have been the living space for a priest. Maybe, it was where Albus had lived.

Standing, I walked to the broken desk and tried to open a drawer. The wood creaked, and with a harder tug, it stubbornly opened. It was empty. I slammed it shut again with a frown.

Just what were we meant to do?

If this was where Albus had lived, would his memory know?

Did I want to talk to that creepy man again?

I sighed heavily. We were out of options.

Closing my eyes, I centred my breathing, trying to enter my mindscape. I don't know how long I stood there before I felt a sinking familiarity. Then, I opened my eyes and stood in the vast empty space, my tiny core floating at the centre of the darkness. My rune was still working, slowly pulling Aether from the outside world. They were the only source of light in this space.

"Albus?" I called and received no response.

"Albus, do you know a way out of this temple, out from this cave," I asked again into the silence.

I waited, but no reply came. Sighing, I hovered my hand above my core, feeling its warmth. It was a strange thing, this tiny orb. Its centre glowed gently, a swirling mass of cloudy liquid. It looked similar to the evaluation globe I used to join the army during the test.

"Desk", suddenly Albus' voice echoed, jolting me from my core.

"Desk?" I quickly responded, confused. I had already checked there.

"Behind it". Albus' voice quietened with each word, his presence disappearing. He sounded strained, as though talking had taken a lot of energy. That's when I remembered he had told me he needed to replenish. Perhaps he wasn't able to respond to me at the moment.

"Thank you!" I called, willing myself to leave my mindscape.

I returned to the room and quickly grabbed the corner of the rotting desk. I tried to shift it with a haul, but the wood had a solid line of mould clinging to the wall it rested against.

"Rian!" I shouted as I tried to shift the desk, my grip slipping.

"What?" she appeared, ducking under the hole into the room.

"Help me move this. I think something is behind it". I said, and Rian raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Why do you think that?" she asked, approaching the opposite end of the desk.

"Just help me move it", I sighed, making her roll her eyes.

"Fine, on three", she counted, and we lifted together. Unfortunately, the wooden legs broke as we did, and the desk crashed to the floor in a cloud of dust enveloping us. We coughed, waving it away as it settled around us. As it did so, I saw nothing special on the wall where the desk had been. I frowned disappointedly.

"Wait…" Rian narrowed her eyes, "Do you feel that?" she asked, leaning her head against the wall and tapping it. Her eyes widened, stepping back with a smile.

"What?" I asked, hope rising.

"There's a breeze, and it sounds hollow. I think this may be our way out," she explained, rummaging into her backpack, still on the floor. "Hold this", she handed me a bottle of ink. It was bright red. I almost mistook it for blood. Next, she took out a metal pen. It was thin with a pointed nip.

"What are you doing?" I asked, watching her take the bottle back and dip her pen in the red ink. She raised her hand to the wall and began to draw a series of runes. She was careful and delicate with her work.

"It's a rune to break this down. I'm not very good at them yet, though, so it may explode" Rian sent me a sheepish look.

"I-I'll pack up our stuff," I said, nervous. What kind of explosion was she talking about? Quickly I rolled up our bedrolls and stuffed them back into the ties on our backpacks. Next, I put my cloak back on and made sure to stand far back from the wall Rian was enchanting.

"Shit", she blurted out, jumping back. "Cover!"

She didn't need to tell me twice. We both scrambled out of the hole in the wall as the red runes began to glow. The light grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly a bang shattered the quiet, a rush of stone collapsing as the small room fell apart. We sheltered our eyes, ducking behind one of the god's statues as stone chunks flew out toward us in sharp shards and billowing dust.