The Havoc Chronicles (Book II): Unbound (9 page)

Next, Kara gestured to a petite woman wearing a black dress with a red and gold shawl around her shoulders. Her features were Asian and her skin was practically flawless, a few wrinkles being the only hint that she might be older than she looked.

“And this is Sunee. Both of them are from the Binder Conclave.”

Sunee’s expression was completely flat, without a hint of emotion. She nodded to me, but did not speak.

Mallika, however, stood up and gave me a hug. “It’s good to see you again, Madison. Between your play and training, I don’t see nearly enough of you.” She gave me a warm, reassuring smile and then gestured at an empty chair. “Please have a seat.”

I sat in one of the overstuffed chairs and for several moments no one spoke. The entire situation felt extremely uncomfortable, and just being in the company of these women made me feel like a preschooler sitting in on a college lecture.

Naki let out a laugh, which was so unexpected that it made me jump. I caught sight of Sunee and noticed the corners of her lips twitch. Was that a smile? I felt really confused about what was going on here.

“This is far too formal,” said Naki, a large grin making her eyes crinkle. She stood up and reached out a hand to me, helping me out of the deep cushioning of my overstuffed chair. “Let’s adjourn to the kitchen and make this more casual.”

We sat around the large oak table off to the side of the kitchen. Naki placed a hand on Kara’s and gave it a small squeeze. “Kara, dear, would you please make us something to drink? I would like some tea, and,” she peered closely at me, “perhaps some hot cocoa for Madison.”

Kara immediately stood up and began making preparations. It was the most obedient I had ever seen her. What was it about these two that made people want to obey them?

“Neat trick,” I said. “How did you know I liked cocoa?”

Naki gave me a knowing smile. “I make it my business to know about the Binders, Madison,” she said.

“And I mentioned it to her earlier when we discussed possible refreshments,” Mallika added.

“Oh, stop giving away an old woman’s secrets.” Naki smiled and there was something in the way she looked at Mallika that made me think she was much more serious than she was letting on.

We spent the next few minutes on small talk, until Kara had brought over the tea and cocoa. That seemed to be Naki’s cue to get down to business.

“The Sarolt stone is the method we use to identify Binders and Berserkers,” she said. “We rarely need it for Berserkers since it is generally quite obvious whether one can Berserk or not – that glow is a bit of a giveaway, isn’t it?”

I nodded. That was very true – ‘zerking was rather distinctive.

“Sunee here is the keeper of the stone, and has brought it with her so that we can test you.” Naki nodded at Sunee, who reached into a pocket and pulled out a small wooden box painted with bright blue, gold, and red symbols.

She opened the box to reveal an oblong shaped stone, roughly cut with hard angles and edges. The stone was the opposite of shiny – it actually sucked in the light around it, creating a strange, shadowy, aura.

“This is the Sarolt stone,” said Sunee, speaking for the first time. Her voice was high and melodious, a contrast from what I had expected given her apparently dour nature. “This stone has been passed down from Binder to Binder since the great beginning. It is our greatest treasure.”

I stared at the stone, transfixed. There was something about its inky blackness and the way it seemed to swallow the ambient light that both fascinated and repulsed me. I had the overwhelming desire to touch it.

Seemingly of its own accord, my hand lifted from the table and reached out towards the stone. Immediately, Sunee pulled the box back and snapped it shut, jarring me out of my reverie.

“Do not touch,” she said, giving me an accusatory glare, as if I had just tried to spray graffiti on a priceless piece of art.

Only after both my hands were back in my lap did Sunee open the box again and set it on the table. Obviously, she took the protection of this stone very seriously. The word fanatical came to mind. 

“I believe our first order of business,” said Naki, “is to see if you are indeed a Binder. Mallika has told us about your special circumstances, and that without training you have cast a haze. That is truly impressive.”

What I seemed to remember Mallika telling me was that no one believed I was both a Binder and a Berserker. Either something had happened to change their opinion – and I couldn’t think of anything that might have done that – or this experiment was expected to fail and discredit Mallika.

“That’s right,” I said, more confidently than I actually felt. If this failed, it wouldn’t be from my lack of trying.

“Excellent,” said Naki. If she wanted me to fail, she sure was hiding it well. “Now, what I need you to do, Madison, is to cast the beginning – and just the beginning mind you, no one wants to lose their memory – of a haze.”

That seemed simple enough. I looked over at Mallika and she nodded her approval.

I closed my eyes and thought back to what I had felt when I had cast the haze on Josh – the overwhelming desire for him to forget, the feeling of reaching out and pushing that desire out of me.

Blue mist sprayed out of my hand in a large cloud that sent everyone at the table scrambling to avoid touching it. Considering the age of Mallika and Naki, they both moved much faster than I would have expected.

While everyone jumped out of the way, the Sarolt stone lit up with a bright red light, casting strange purplish shadows through the blue mist.

“Sorry,” I said, helping Naki back to her feet. “I don’t have much control yet.”

But Naki didn’t seem upset. Quite the opposite in fact, she was practically giddy with excitement.

“That was wonderful!” she said once we were all back at the table. “Such force and volume! I’ve never seen its like, have you Sunee?”

Sunee shook her head. “I have not.” She still didn’t smile, but she appeared a bit shaken, and looked at me rather warily.

“So, there can be no question about it,” Naki said. “The stone has verified it – you are a Binder.” She paused and looked at all of us, beaming. “Now, Mallika tells us that you are also the first female Berserker in history. Is that correct?” Her smile was bigger now. I was still torn about her motives – I couldn’t tell if she really was excited to see what I could do, or if she was just hoping to embarrass Mallika.

“Yes,” I said. “I am also a Berserker.”

“You have then actually had a full Berserking?” Sunee asked.

“Yes,” I said, doing my best to keep a measure of patience in my voice. I couldn’t really blame them if they doubted. I still remembered the shocked looks on the Berserkers’ faces when they realized I was a girl. “Would you like a demonstration?”

“Absolutely,” said Naki. She turned to Kara and put a hand on her arm. “I haven’t been this excited in years!”

Unlike my Binder skills, my Berserker skills were much better honed. In an instant, I had triggered a full ‘zerk and began glowing.

The reaction of Naki and Sunee was appropriately gratifying. Sunee watched with wide eyes while Naki leaned back, a hand covering her mouth in surprise.

The Sarolt stone glowed a deep navy blue and began to pulse with the light glowing brighter, then dimmer, over and over.

“Remarkable,” said Naki. “A Binder and a Berserker in one. We truly are living in unusual times.” 

I stopped ‘zerking, and the stone returned to its sucking blackness.

Mallika folded her arms and fixed Naki with an expectant look.

Letting out a sigh, Naki said, “I apologize for doubting you, Mallika. You were right and the girl really is something never before seen.”

“She really is something special,” said Mallika, giving me a wink.

“Well, if everything you’ve been telling us is true,” said Naki, “and I’m sure it is,” she added upon seeing the looks from Mallika and Kara, “then what I would like very much to see this, what do you call it, pre-zerk. A useful ability I must say. The capacity to heighten one’s senses and access some of one’s power without the visible signs of a full Berserking is quite remarkable. Could we see a demonstration?” 

With a shrug, I tapped into my emotions and pre-zerked with hardly any effort.

The results were spectacular. The stone glowed a brilliant sky blue and sent rays of that same blue light flashing across the ceiling. The light bounced around the room, almost playfully, as if it were alive.

Sunee gasped and closed the lid. The light winked out, leaving the room feeling darker than before.

Naki clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, that was spectacular!” she said.

“Is she the one?” said Sunee. It was very soft, hardly more than a whisper, but I was still pre-zerking and heard it quite clearly.

Naki’s excitement vanished, her eyes flashing with anger. “Do not bring up Conclave business outside of the circle,” she whispered back.

Sunee stared at Naki for a moment, and then bowed her head in submission.

“What Conclave business is that?” asked Mallika, arching an eyebrow.

Naki stood. “It means exactly what it says. Conclave business that can only be discussed in the privacy of the circle.” She pushed back from the table and motioned for Sunee to do the same.

“I believe it’s time for us to go now,” she said.

Mallika held up a hand. “Before you go, do I have permission to teach Madison the ways of the Binders?” she asked.

Sunee and Naki looked at each other a moment before Naki answered. “The Sarolt stone has spoken,” she said. “There can be no doubt that she is both a Binder and a Berserker. As such, she needs to be trained as a Binder. You have the Conclave’s permission.”

And with that, Naki and Sunee embraced Kara and Mallika, kissing them on the cheeks before leaving.

Once they were in their BMW and driving away, Kara let out a deep breath.

“I’m glad that’s over with,” she said. “Those two make me nervous. What was Naki talking about at the end about Conclave business? I didn’t catch what Sunee said.”

“Me neither,” said Mallika. “But I would really like to know.”

“I heard,” I said. “I was still pre-zerking. She asked if I was ‘the one’. Do you know what that means?”

“No,” said Mallika. She cocked her head to the side, looking thoughtful. “But I intend to find out.”

Over the next two weeks, thoughts of Naki and Sunee were driven from my mind by sheer scheduling. Between school, play practice, Berserker training, and now Binder training, I had no time for anything that didn’t require my immediate attention.

Mallika and Kara took turns teaching me basic control techniques, much like the practice that had helped me learn how to ‘zerk on command. While not physically exhausting, my Binder training was mentally and emotionally draining. Each night after it was over I would fall into bed, lucky to remain conscious long enough to change out of my clothes.

Play practice continued to be awkward. Josh had finally learned his part well enough that Rhys couldn’t annoy him by prompting him with his lines, but off stage they might as well have been a couple of dogs circling and defending their territory – me.

As stressful as it was, the one positive factor was Rhys’ increasingly visible interest in me – at least when Josh was around. When we were alone he still had a tendency to keep me at arm’s length, but it was better than nothing.

A few days before the final dress rehearsal, Amy and I sat in the audience watching Josh and Rhys practice a scene onstage.

Amy leaned over to me and said, “What’s it like having two hot guys both wanting you?”

“It’s a lot like taking out my own appendix without anesthesia,” I said. “Only less fun.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Really?” she said. “It’s that bad?” She was clearly unconvinced.

“Worse.”

“Worse than having no one interested in you?”

Now that question made me think. In some ways the stress involved was worse, but I also remembered what it had been like when I was pining after Josh with no hope of requital.