The Binding (Chronicles of Azaria #1) (30 page)

“What are you talking about?” Ryan was growing uneasy.

“You met her on your travels, didn’t you?” Navinka said. “Fell prey to her simple charms, discarding your rank and name because you couldn’t accept your fate.” How she could keep her voice controlled and have her words so venomous was amazing. “Running from our Binding, our destiny to be together, so you could harbour after a commoner like a lust-crazed dog!”

“Navinka, you
’ve got it wrong!” Ryan snapped. “It’s nothing like that. It was an accident in the Galgiza forest. I saved Eliza’s life, but she was in her Binding time. She became Bound to me. I couldn’t leave her…”

The crack of Navinka
’s palm smashing into his face silenced him. Ryan groaned, gripping his cheek.

“You
’re pathetic,” Navinka scoffed. “Do you think I’d believe such nonsense? You said yourself the Goddess Jewel protects you. The fact neither of us became Unbound is testament to its power. How can this wretch be Bound to you? You are immune to its effects!”

“
Eliza
isn’t,” Ryan said, stepping in front of me. “She’s suffered with the spell alone, driven by its compulsions as much as we were. I promised her I’d find a way to break it, so I brought her to the Vault.” His face held such defiance, I was astonished Navinka could keep her gaze. “And we might have come across a way to free her.”

“If you think I
’m that naïve…”

“Navinka, listen to me!”

“Only when you start telling the truth!”

“I
am
telling the truth!”

“Your eyes tell a different one,” Navinka snarled. “You claim you are spared the Binding, yet I
’ve seen how you look at her.” Her lip trembled. “The way you used to look at me when we were together. You are as much under the spell as she is!”

“Navinka…”

“This was never about choice, was it?” Navinka hissed. “Your words mean nothing, Ryan. I can see where your heart lies. You don’t really want to free her, do you?”

“That
’s enough, both of you!”

Navinka and Ryan turned to me. I stood up, though I had to hold the couch for support. I wouldn
’t listen to them go round and round.

“Navinka, Ryan is not lying,” I said coldly. “For some reason I
’ve become Bound to him, and the magic affects me and only me. Whether it’s because he was Bound to you first, or because of the jewel, I don’t really care. The only thing I’m interested in is fixing it.” I brushed back a loose strand of my hair. “I’ll never let some spell tell me who I’m supposed to spend my life with.”

“Is that so?” Navinka arched an eyebrow. “Does that mean you don
’t love Ryan, then?”

My face flushed. Navinka
’s smirk broadened, while Ryan held a guarded expression. Inwardly I groaned. How had I painted myself into a corner? While I wanted to be clear I wasn’t Navinka’s competition, I wasn’t prepared to do that at the cost of Ryan’s feelings. Never mind I had no idea how I felt
myself
.

“I can
’t know what I feel so long as the Binding has control,” I said, picking my words carefully.

Navinka
’s smile dimmed. Ha, she didn’t know who she was dealing with.

“Wise words,” she said, changing tact. “But while you might be determined to escape, how do you plan to do so? Think you might stumble across another Goddess Jewel or two?” She peered closer, meaning to continue, but was caught by my eyes. “What happened to your eyes? I could
’ve sworn they were blue before.”

I looked to Ryan, who simply shrugged. I didn
’t see the harm in telling her about the runes. Whether she would believe it or not was another issue. It had been hard enough convincing her about my Binding. This would surely be the icing on the cake.

“They were,” I said, deciding to go for it. “Until I read the Holy Rune in the hallway.”

Navinka’s eyes widened.

“What
? You can’t be serious.” She seemed more curious than angry. “You deciphered a sacred rune?”

“You know about them?” I blurted.

“Of course I do, it’s…my tutor’s specialist subject,” Navinka said. I couldn’t help but catch the hesitation. “How is that possible? Nobody has understood the runes for almost a millennium!”

“She
’s read several,” Ryan broke in. “This is what I was getting at. We’ve been told the runes are connected to the Binding. In fact, they have the same source of power.” His jaw tightened. “If we can turn it to our advantage, we might be able to break the spell’s hold on Eliza.”

“Wait a moment.” Navinka paused to regain her composure. “You
’d tamper with the magic that has governed our people for centuries?”

“Haven
’t I done that already?” Ryan asked, reaching for his necklace. “I’ll destroy the spell entirely if that’s what it takes.” He looked back at me. “So long as it has Eliza, I’ll never rest until she’s free.”

A long silence followed, and I sighed, twisting my finger in my hair. Suddenly I had a lot to think about. If we did go after the runes, I
’d be exposing myself to an unknown risk, for an unknown reward, and I really wasn’t the gambling type. Then again, the alternative wasn’t much better. Unless I was constantly in Ryan’s embrace, the Binding would hurt me as much as the Holy Runes. And with Navinka around, that would only become more frequent.

So, I could either sit around and remain the curse
’s plaything, or pluck up my courage and change my fate. The way Fiona, Ryan’s mother, and so many others couldn’t.

But would my body withstand the power of the runes?

Navinka sighed.

“I still find this difficult to believe,” she said, holding a hand to her forehead. “Nevertheless, I cannot deny the change in Eliza
’s eye colour. Even the most skilled lens maker could not brighten a darker iris.” She pursed her lips. “Though this leaves me with a predicament.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“If you mean to find the other runes, as Ryan claims, I can hardly allow you to run around Azaria with him,” Navinka answered. “I will therefore accompany you. I will see you keep your word, and that Ryan is returned to me.”

“Navinka,” Ryan said, “you can
’t come with us. It’s too dangerous. If anyone found out about Eliza’s power…”

“Then she will need all the more protection,” Navinka finished. “I take it that was why you brought the servant boy? Or should I say Eliza
’s protector, as I saw him escorted off the manor with her yesterday.”

Damn, she
’d seen that as well? She was
really
observant.

“Navinka…”

“Ryan, if you abandon me here, I will have no choice but to tell your father,” Navinka cut in. “You don’t want Aronzo and his men prowling after you again.” She gave a stretch. “I can inform Lord Glenford we are joining my father in Dragonvale. The East Pass is a safe route. He will not insist on sending a further escort.” She flashed a deadly smile. “I can make your life easier or more difficult. I leave the choice to you.”

Ryan sighed. I had to admit, I
’d not thought of the potential problem of Lord Glenford. Navinka was quite the tactician. Not that surprising, given the noble politics she’d have grown up with.

“Alright. We
’ll go together,” Ryan said, though it wasn’t like he could say anything else. I was starting to see why he was so keen to run away from her.

“Perfect,” Navinka smirked. She glanced to the door. “I suppose I should find that scholar again. He did seem knowledgeable about the runes
. Perhaps he could provide further guidance.”

She sauntered out of the alcove. I stared after her, brow raised. Well, that had been totally unexpected. I thought she would
’ve ordered Ryan to dump me in a ditch someplace. Yet while I wasn’t thrilled we’d still be enjoying her company, at least I wouldn’t have to hide my Binding. Goddess knew what exotic excuses Ryan would’ve conjured up.

Ryan turned to me, looking as if he
’d escaped a thrashing.

“That went better than I
’d hoped,” he said, rubbing the imprint on his face. “I thought she’d rush to tell Father.”

“She will, if we don
’t keep on her good side,” I said darkly. “You better not upset her again.”

Ryan rubbed the back of his neck.

“I didn’t plan for her to find out like this,” he admitted. “Maybe it’s better she knows already. We have nothing else to hide, then.”

“Yeah,” I said, knowing how much Ryan hated lying. Possibly because he was so bad at it.

“She’ll be a lot of help,” Ryan went on. “She has a lot of contacts. It should make things easier.”

“You sound pretty confident about this,” I said, resting back against the couch.

“Aren’t you?”

I sighed, fingering my scarf. My doubts had resurged again.

“You’re putting a lot of faith into the runes when we don’t know they’ll even work.”

“They
’re the best lead we have,” Ryan answered. “Other than the Binding and the Goddess Jewel, there’s no other magic source in the kingdom. It’s the only thing that has a chance of rivalling the spell.”

“How am I going to do that exactly?” I shot back. “I
’ve not been able to do much other than reading. And threatening the Binding with bedtime stories isn’t going to shatter it.”

“Eliza, you
’ve only found seven runes,” Ryan said. “Their power is spread out, so you won’t be able to match the Binding ‘til you’ve found the rest.” He gripped my hands. “I don’t understand. This is what we were searching for. What are you afraid of?”

I bowed my head. I felt stupid, having never been one to share my feelings, but something compelled me to speak up.

“I…I don’t know what the runes will do to me,” I whispered. “After the shrine fire in Lanaran, I was unconscious for three days, and in Dhjerba I thought my stomach was going to burst. If I have to read more…”

“Eliza, don
’t be scared.” Ryan reached up and stroked my cheek. I leant into his hand, comforted by his touch. “You might’ve been overwhelmed the first time, but you didn’t pass out in Dhjerba, and you’ve recovered more quickly from this one. Yeah, it’s changed your eye colour, but it’s not altered anything else about you.” His fingers lingered on my chin. “You’re strong, Eliza, and more than able to master the runes. You need to believe in yourself.”

I glanced to my lap. He had a point—I wasn
’t anywhere near as ill as in that smoky sanctum, and my recovery times had speeded up considerably in just three encounters. If this kept up, I’d be able to brush off my symptoms with no problem. And I’d have more time to focus without the curse interfering, too.

“You won
’t have to face this alone,” Ryan went on. “I’ll be right there with you.” He brought my hand to his chest. “I won’t let you get hurt.”

“What if we go too far?” I asked, as an older thought struck. “Breaking
my
Binding is one thing, but the runes might affect everyone else. We can’t play with people’s relationships like that.”

“Would it really be such a bad thing?” Ryan stroked my wrists. “If we destroyed the spell, everyone would be free. There
’d be no more Parting or becoming Unbound, no more accidental Bindings between different classes or extremes of age. No more forced Bindings separating families and causing endless heartache. Everyone could choose who they want to be with, and their feelings would be genuine.” He pressed close to my ear. “And you’d finally see the truth inside your heart.”

I closed my eyes. That was what I wanted most of all—the freedom to choose who I loved. My failure in Lanaran had dashed my hopes, yet by the grace of the Goddess I
’d been offered another chance. It wouldn’t be a simple fix, but one thing was certain. I couldn’t forget how the curse had destroyed Fiona, and ripped away my future. Running would mean the spell had won, and I’d never forgive myself for giving up.

Braving a smile, I squeezed Ryan
’s hands.

“Thank you, Ryan,” I said. “I was wrong to doubt you. Sorry for…”

Ryan pressed his finger to my lips.

“It doesn
’t matter,” he said. “Have faith, Eliza. We’ll get through this, I promise.”

I could only nod in response.

We remained in companionable silence, our fingers entwined. This should have set alarm bells ringing, yet I couldn’t detect the curse’s presence at all. No blushes or palpitations, no errant thoughts, no sudden urge to throw myself into his arms; the rune had definitely worked its magic. Nonetheless, I couldn’t be sure how long this protection would last.

That d
idn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy it while it stuck around.

Sooner than I liked, the alcove door opened. Navinka waltzed in, looking smug, though that vanished when she saw Ryan holding my hands.

“The scholar is making the necessary arrangements,” she said, frowning. Ryan swiftly released me. “In the meantime, we should go back to the inn and rest. It’s a long way to Ornixa, and we need to be suitably prepared for the journey.”