Song of Blood & Stone (Earthsinger Chronicles Book 1) (30 page)

Blood magic will do what Earthsong cannot.

Blood magic may be broken only by those who bear the blood.

Yllis journeys back to the barrier he created and crosses it, using another bit of magic.

He gathers those unafraid of standing against a now impossibly powerful Eero. Those who want to learn to fight. Songbearers are peaceful by nature, but these men and women have been broken. They become something new. He crafts the words of a promise to me, one these new soldiers vow to keep.

I watch as my beloved Yllis wages war on my beloved brother, and I watch when Yllis is slain. Eero is too strong, and the stolen Songs have twisted his mind and made him far more ruthless than even the broken Songbearers.

Yllis dies with the stone in his hand.

His final spell traps his Song in the stone.

The Keepers of the Promise are supposed to take the stone, cross the border, and present it to the prince, whose touch will unlock the magic. But the Keepers he commanded to hold back and stay safe, rush in seeking revenge. None survive the battle.

The stone sits where it lies. Yllis’s gift to me, his whispered spell to bring me back to my body and gift me his own Song, lies under the rubble of the fallen city as his body turns to bones.

The archways are long gone now.

If they were here, perhaps I would pass into the World After to be with him. To thank him for trying to save me.

But being with Yllis is not punishment enough.

So I watch.

For a very long time.

Sometimes, a dream will find me and pierce the loneliness.

But more often, it is endless agony. Standing by watching while the centuries pass.

And now, Jasminda, you have heard my story. Judge me for my faults if you must. But you bear the only evidence of Yllis’s love for me. His Song is in your hands.

Release it.

Release me.

It is time for me to end this.

Jack gripped the
edge of the seat as the airship descended from the clouds. The battle taking place below belonged to his worst fears. Judging by the sheer extent of the fighting, the Mantle had already been destroyed. As the ship flew closer to the ground, he marveled at the strange change in the soil for a moment, and then focused on the troop advancement. His men were beating back an impressive number of Lagrimari. He found it odd that no environmental disasters had been unleashed as in the Seventh Breach.

The ship set down safely just beyond the Eastern Base.

“That was some bloody fine piloting, Clove,” he said, clapping the woman on the back. He opened the carriage door and tore across the ground before she even had a chance to respond.

Flying through the vicious storm had been just as difficult as he’d imagined. They’d been bandied about by the wind and rain, and nearly struck by lightning twice. But Clove was unflappable, gripping the steering wheel with bloodless hands and navigating them safely through.

Now the only thing on his mind was finding Jasminda.

They’d set down about one hundred metres from the fighting, but he didn’t see any refugees near the battle or beyond it. Could they have already been taken away? Were they even now beyond sight, well on their way into Lagrimar? He spun in a circle, desperately hoping he was not too late.

A small figure emerged in the corner of his eye. Jack whipped around to find Osar standing next to the base mess hall, beckoning him forward. Jack took off at a run, vaguely aware of Vanesse and Clove scurrying after him.

Small clusters of refugees hid behind the outer buildings of the base. He searched their faces anxiously, running over and falling to his knees when he finally found her. Jasminda’s head rested on Rozyl’s shoulder. She appeared to be sound asleep.

So absorbed was he in his gratitude over locating her, several moments passed before he registered the blood covering her midsection. He met Rozyl’s eyes with horror. She shook her head.

He turned to Osar who looked on solemnly. “Can’t you do something?”

“This—” Rozyl tapped her knuckle to the hardened ground “—is like the cave. No one can sing.” Rozyl touched Jasminda’s head gently. “It will probably win your side this war.”

Jack ignored the last bit. The war could be dealt with once Jasminda was better. “Then we have to move her.” He reached forward and hauled Jasminda into his arms. Her breathing was shallow. He took off running in a random direction, determined to find a way out of this cursed, bespelled rock.

Jasminda’s eyes fluttered open, and his pace slowed.

“Jack,” she said, a smile splitting her face.

“I’m here. I’m going to get you off this blasted thing so they can heal you up, all right?”

“Jack.” She grazed the knuckles of her closed fist against his lips. “I need you.”

“I need you, too. You’re the only thing I need. I don’t have to be prince. I’ll give it up. You just . . . you just need to say with me.”

“Stop.”

“What?”

“Stop moving.”

“I can’t. I have to—”

“Please.”

Tears clouded his vision, and he fell to his knees with her in his arms.

She turned her closed fist palm up and unfurled her fingers to show him the caldera. “I need you to help me bring Her back.”

Jack searched her face, his eyes full of questions.

“Your hand.” She was so weak. If this was what she wanted, he would do it. He pressed a kiss to her lips, then closed his hand over the caldera.

Searing pain shot through his entire body, as if being pulled apart one cell at a time. He might have screamed out loud, he wasn’t sure, but the burning agony was like nothing he’d ever felt. His blood was on fire, it burned bright and hot. Then it was gone.

Breath returned to his lungs. He was once again kneeling on the glossy surface of the unnatural ground, holding his love in his arms as she slipped further and further away.

A brittle cracking pulled his attention upward. The perfect, smooth surface of the Queen’s encasement, hovered here, out in the open, nearly a thousand kilometres from the palace. The shell was cracked open like an egg.

Below it, a figure floated, wrapped in ivory fabric. Her skin shone gloriously, her dark, curling hair swirled around her head, blown by a nonexistent breeze. She moved like liquid, spinning and stretching. She righted herself and hovered before Jack, her dark eyes piercing him with intensity.

He swallowed and lowered his head in deference.

The Queen had awoken.

Jasminda was drowning
in Earthsong. Normally, her Song was the placid surface of a well. Now, instead of being calm and still, the well was a raging river, with white-capped waves shuttling over its banks. The swell pulled her under with its sheer force, leaving her sputtering, coughing, gasping for breath.

A warm solid hand rubbed her back in gentle circles. She focused on the feeling, the comfort, and leaned into a familiar embrace. Hands stroked her head, her face. Lips brushed her forehead. She wanted those lips someplace else so she rose to meet them.

Jack.

His kiss was like air to her. She breathed him in and held him there inside her, never wanting to exhale. His arms tightened around her, and he pulled his lips away. She whimpered, wanting to keep kissing him. On his chuckle, she opened her eyes.

His smile undid her. She stared at him, drinking in the beauty of his features.

“You died again,” he whispered.

“I did?”

His expression shuddered, and he glanced down at her clothes. She followed his gaze down to her dress, covered with blood.

“You have to stop doing that. I don’t think my nerves can take it.” He pressed her back to him wrapping his arms around her as she became aware of her surroundings.

Shell-shocked refugees emerged from their hiding places, staring in awe at a point behind her. She pulled away from Jack, craned her neck around, and nearly fell backward.

Floating above them was Queen Oola, ethereal and beautiful, fierce and overpowering. Jasminda gaped at the Queen’s familiar face. Looking at the woman was like looking into a mirror.

Something hard jabbed Jasminda’s closed fist. She uncurled her fingers to reveal the bronze pendant bearing the Queen’s sigil attached to a thin metal chain. The caldera surrounding the pendant was gone, burned away by the awakening spell.

A hush of quiet descended. No bullets hissed, no canons roared. Though she could not pull her attention away from the Queen to the battlefield, the fighting must have stopped upon Her arrival.

The refugees begin to kneel. Jasminda climbed off Jack and kneeled, as well, bowing her head.

“Jaqros Alliaseen. Jasminda ul-Sarifor.” The Queen’s voice rang out, rich and thick as raw honey. “Rise.”

Jasminda darted a glance at Jack, and both of them stood on wobbly legs. Power surged along her skin as she and Jack were lifted into the air and drifted over the heads of the awe-struck crowd. The spell released her less than a metre away from the Queen, her legs even wobblier than before.

Queen Oola floated down until She was almost at eye level. The pendant in Jasminda’s hand seemed to transfix Her. Jasminda held it out in offering. The chain lifted into the air and settled around Her neck, where it belonged.

“I owe you a gratitude for awakening me. In return, you must bow before no one.”

Though she had not initiated it, Jasminda’s connection to Earthsong flared to life. The slow trickle of her weak power enlarged, and she was engorged with a rush of Earthsong. She struggled to catch her breath as the sensation shot through her. It was like being in the link all over again: everything around her sharpened into focus. She gasped as pure energy pulsed inside her.

Jack caught hold of her hand to steady her. She gripped him hard.

“Your Majesty,” she said, inclining her head. “Why me?”

Queen Oola drew closer, Her dark gaze peering deep inside Jasminda as if seeing her very soul.

The power surging within her made it hard to concentrate, but Jasminda stared at the pendant resting against Queen Oola’s chest to bring her thoughts into focus. “Why was I the only one affected by the caldera? Why could no one else see the visions?”

Queen Oola’s expression did not change, but Her eyes lightened and a breeze lifted Her hair.
Blood magic may be broken only by those who bear the blood.

“Whose blood? Mine? I’m sorry, but I don’t under—”

“Prince Jaqros,” the Queen interrupted, rising.

Jasminda wanted to push for answers, but Queen Oola had effectively ended her inquiry. She looked around. Every eye in every direction was glued to the Queen.

“You are the rightful ruler of this land,” Oola said, turning to Jack.

He deepened his bow. “I rule only in your stead, Your Majesty.”

“You are loyal and true, as is your beloved.” She swept Her gaze to Jasminda, who still vibrated with her new, incredibly powerful Song and a head full of questions. “I will abdicate my throne to you.”

Gasps sounded. Jasminda’s own heartbeat pulsed rapidly. She held on to Jack even tighter.

“My gift to Jasminda is the strength of Song she will need to be queen. Use it well. My wish is for you to unite the people as they once were. And rule. Well.”

She surged over the heads of the troops, toward the place where the two lands met. “This border is no more,” Her voice carried, strong and clear. “Singer and Silent will live as one. Be it so.”

“Be it so,” said Jasminda under her breath. She could barely think for the questions swirling around in her head. Could it really be true? She and Jack together as king and queen?

Oola rose higher into the air, surveying the land and the people. A disturbance among the Lagrimari caught Her attention, and She hovered staring at the sea of soldiers. Jasminda craned to see what caused the lines of Lagrimari to part. From this distance, all she could make out was the movement of a bright, reflective object, glinting in the sun. She pulled Jack forward, passing through the sea of stunned Elsirans to get a closer look. Every sense was on alert.

They reached the front of the crowd, and Jasminda jerked to a stop, causing Jack to plow into her back.

“What is it?”

She could only stare as dread cooled her skin.

Sunlight glittered off the jewel-encrusted mask covering the face of a man walking across the battlefield. No holes for eyes, nose, or mouth were visible—just a covering of multicolored precious stones obscuring his entire head. A heavy tunic lined with even more jewels flowed nearly to his ankles. He walked across the caldera-covered ground as if laying claim to the land. As if he had already conquered everything he surveyed.

Jasminda tapped into the maelstrom of emotions surrounding her and struggled to parse them out. The strongest by far were from Oola—pain, shame, anger, heartbreak, and finally, relief. Oddly, Jasminda could sense nothing from the man in front of her, who could be none other than the True Father.
Eero.
His emotions were a vast emptiness. Were he not standing directly on the caldera she would have thought he was blocking her Song somehow, but perhaps he had no feelings left after centuries of tyranny.

Oola lowered herself before Her twin until Her feet hovered over the ground. She reached for him and ran a finger across the grotesque mask. Jasminda once again pushed forward, drawn toward the two as if by an invisible chain. Having spent so much time inside Oola’s head, worry blossomed within her at the Queen’s reaction.

“You have returned,” Eero said. His voice was nothing like that of his younger self. Hollow and raspy, it was the sound of death. Both Oola and Jasminda flinched.

“I have come back for you,” Oola said.

They spoke quietly, just for the two of them, but Jasminda made out their words.

“You came back to take from me what is mine,” Eero grated.

Oola dropped Her hand. Jasminda was now close enough to see the tears welling in the Queen’s eyes. Her worry grew.

“I came back to right my wrong.” One tear broke free and streamed down Oola’s cheek. “What have you done, brother?”

Eero raised his hands to his mask and pulled it off his face. A silent shudder went through those on both sides. None alive had seen beneath the mask he’d first donned centuries ago. Subjugation and misery had altered the collective memory, and the Lagrimari had forgotten their leader was not an Earthsinger like them. They’d forgotten why he preyed on them and stole their power.

The jeweled mask fell from his gloved fingertips. Beneath it, Eero’s face was unchanged from the young man Jasminda had seen in Oola’s memories. The shock of the crowd was oppressive. It slammed into Jasminda, forcing her to throw up a shield against the assault.

“Will you embrace me one last time, sister?” Eero’s words echoed those he’d spoken before betraying his twin all those years ago.

Oola’s emotions sharply changed. Guilt came to the forefront, her resolve to right her wrong was slipping away under the weight of the familiarity and love she still felt for her brother. His amber eyes held a warmth that did not correspond to the emptiness inside him. Oola could not sense it, she had always been blinded to him, just as Yllis had said, and even now,
even now
, as Jasminda observed, she continued to be so.

Jasminda needed a way to get through to Oola, to make her see her brother for what he really was.

Your Majesty.
Jasminda thought a message, the way Osar and the Earthsingers of old had. She did not know if it would work, she had little control over the vast power now bursting beneath her skin, but she had to try.
He is not the boy you knew any longer
.
You must not allow him to sway you.
If the message had gone through, if Oola had heard her plea, she gave no acknowledgment. Instead, her self-condemnation seemed to grow.

Jasminda trembled. History could not repeat itself again. “We have to help her,” she whispered to Jack.

“Help
Her
?”

Jasminda never took her eyes off Oola. They’d thought her a goddess, but she was a woman, a woman with a broken heart who had nothing left in this world. A woman caught in a vortex of pain.

“She can’t do it. Even after everything . . .” Jasminda wrung her hands. She too knew heartbreak. She too knew loss. But somehow Oola had allowed those emotions to overtake her resolve, and now she faltered when she needed to act.

“We have to stop him before he harms her.”

Jack’s expression was incredulous, but he nodded. The True Father was now bound from using Earthsong by the caldera, and if Oola’s feet touched the ground, she’d also become powerless. But in the final vision Jasminda had seen through Oola’s eyes, Eero had even then been bound by Yllis’s blood spell. The bracelets on Eero’s wrists had been calderas. But those bracelets had not stopped him from stealing his sister’s Song. To do that he must have used pure blood magic, Jasminda surmised. And blood magic had allowed him to destroy the calderas.

If the True Father were to access his power now, there was no telling the amount of damage he could do.

Jasminda strained to remember the words Eero had spoken after he’d stabbed his sister, words Oola had not understood for they had been in the tongue of the Cavefolk. The words invoked the blood spell, and if Eero used it, so could Jasminda.

She stooped next to a fallen soldier and pulled the knife from his belt. Jack’s gaze was questioning, but he made no move to stop her. She squeezed the knife’s handle and moved closer to the standoff between the twins with Jack on her heels.

Oola’s face was clouded in misery as Jasminda circled around Eero and approached him from behind. His shoulders stiffened, but he did not turn. Instead, he took a step closer to his sister and wiped the tears from her face, then wrapped his arms around her waist.

With a yell, Jasminda ran forward and plunged the knife into his back, then whispered the string of words that would bring him to the brink of death and release his Song.

The stolen Songs inside him catapulted at her, their attack violent. She kept a hand on the knife but her knees buckled under the onslaught. The Songs were tainted; they battered ruthlessly. Her connection to Earthsong flared as her own Song fought back. Like a virus infecting her, the stolen Songs wore away at her shield, dragging her under. They were oily, slick with a layer of malevolence from their former host. Jasminda took them on, having no other option, but feared she would not survive the struggle.

Her knees hit the ground, and blackness swept over her vision.

Suddenly, another Song brushed against her consciousness. Oola was trying to link with her. Jasminda gladly gave up control of her Song, and the practiced strength of Oola’s immense power took over. The queen funneled the stolen Songs away from Jasminda. Her hand, still clutching the knife impaled in Eero’s back, was covered by Oola’s. Blood ran down Jasminda’s arm.

Using the same spell Yllis had discovered to trap his Song in her pendant, Oola manipulated the energy to force the stolen Songs into the knife before pulling the blade from Eero’s back. The sickly taste of blood magic fled Jasminda’s tongue as the Songs were imprisoned.

Oola pulled both their hands away, and the knife clattered to the ground, the blood on it spreading, hardening, transforming into the red stone of a caldera.

Jasminda fell back, gasping for breath, as Oola released their link. Jack was there behind her, propping her up, his arms buoys in the whirling sea, keeping her afloat.

Eero crumpled to his knees screaming, his brittle shell pierced at last. Jasminda slammed her shield into place as the man’s emotions sprang free of their bonds. She did not want to experience the suppressed feelings that five hundred years of ruthless brutality had forged.

Oola’s tear-stained face stared blankly at her brother’s weeping body. Her attention moved to Jasminda, eyes heavy, but grateful. “It is done,” she whispered, then shot into the air, soon becoming a dot against the sky.

"
Your Majesty." A
phalanx of uniformed men approached, each bearing stripes marking them as generals. Jasminda pried herself from Jack's arms, intending to give him space to deal with the endless duties that must await him in light of all that had just happened.

"One moment, if you please,” Jack said, holding up a finger. He extended his hand to Jasminda who grabbed it without thinking. He pulled her forward, away from the men and towed her along, moving swiftly through the multitude of people, all of them in various stages of confusion or awe.