“And what?” he asked.
“Vir, how’d you move like that? You slit those two bandies’ throats like it was nothing. Like you’d killed a hundred bandies before. I’ve never even seen you train with knives before, Vir. And I’m pretty sure you haven’t killed a single thing in your whole life. Have you been secretly training or something?” she said with a searching gaze.
“I…”
What had happened back then? His memories were still hazy. The young man looked at his hands. Had these hands really felled two bandies? They certainly hadn’t felt like his hands when he’d done the deed.
“I don’t know, Maiya. Honestly don’t have a clue. One minute, I was me, and the next… I wasn’t. And now my eyes are all messed up.”
“Messed up? What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain, but I see things now that I hadn’t before. And it’s driving me crazy, if I’m honest. Makes no grakkin’ sense.”
Words like Primordial, Garga, Iksana, and Clarity filled his head, but he couldn’t figure out what these words all meant. The one thing he remembered clearly was Ekanai.
The voice that wanted me to kill Maiya…
He averted his gaze.
“What’s wrong, Vir? Are you in pain?”
How could I have even thought that?
Vir shook his head. It wasn’t him. It was Ekanai. Ekavir didn’t want to hurt Maiya. He wanted to protect her. His best, only, and dearest friend in the entire realm. Of course, he couldn’t even manage that. Rudvik was gone, and without Ekanai, Maiya would be as well.
He had to ensure such a thing never happened again. If Ekanai ever possessed him in the future, he’d have to make sure it was he who won, and not the Reaper.
A small voice at the back of his head told him that next time, he wouldn’t win. That he was going up against powers he couldn’t possibly fathom.
Vir squelched that voice with the weight of an anvil.
Grasping for anything to distract himself, he turned his mind to Ekanai’s memory. When he’d fought, Ekanai’s presence had felt so vivid. Almost as if he’d transformed into that gangly gray warrior himself. But now, he could hardly remember anything. The memories felt so distant. Like something he’d once known and had long ago forgotten.
Was that why the knights were hunting him? Because he was possessed? For all he knew, he very well might be. Ekanai was strong. Did the knights know something he didn’t? Did Riyan know something?
Vir shook away those thoughts. He needed to figure out his immediate situation first.
“What happened to the knights? Are they still looking for me?” he asked.
“No, Riyan says they’ll be heading back to the capital soon. Especially after losing one of their own.”
Vir’s eyes narrowed. His mind was foggy and all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and forget everything. But he couldn’t do that. To do so was to avoid reality. He forced himself to converse with Maiya, though his heart wasn’t in it. “How do you figure? They’ll know we killed him when they find his body, won’t they? That’ll just give them more reason to come after me.”
“No. Riyan, he, uh… he mangled the knight’s corpse, Vir. I couldn’t bear to watch. Said that this way, it’ll look like the knight lost control of his bandies and succumbed to them.”
“Does that actually happen?” Vir asked.
Maiya shrugged. “He says the other knights’ll believe it. And that you’re not worth risking losing any more of their number…” She paused. “We, er… we brought Rudvik back as well. But we’ve been waiting to perform his last rites. I… I insisted that you’d want to be present.”
Just like that, all of his efforts to stop thinking about his father fell apart.
Rudvik… Tears welled up in his eyes again. Father’s really gone.
The man he’d always looked up to, who’d never once fallen sick or been injured. Dead. Just like that.
Vir clammed up. The walls closed in on him and the earthen dome might as well have been collapsing on his head. He began to hyperventilate. He couldn’t stay here.
Panicking, he jumped to his feet, nearly losing consciousness from the pain.
He needed out. Right now. He pushed through the discomfort.
“Vir, no! You’re not well. You need to rest!”
Neel barked, as if agreeing with her.
Vir ignored them and hobbled to the door. Every inch of his body throbbed with pain, his back the worst of all. Even now, it felt like it was still burning, smoldering under the bandages, even though that couldn’t possibly be true. He didn’t even want to know how horrible his back must look.
He finally made it to the door and reached for the knob. Locked.
“We’re prisoners, then?” I should’ve expected this, he thought, his panic rising. He needed another way out. There had to be another way out.
Maiya sighed and made her way to the door. She rested her hand on the knob, which clicked and turned effortlessly. “Magic Lock, Vir.”
Oh… right.
“We’re not prisoners. Riyan said we’re free to leave if we want.”
Vir walked into a common area with a much taller roof than the bedroom. This room also had a dome of clay, just larger. Silk rugs with intricate patterns decorated the hard earthen floor, while leather sofas, wooden tables, carved bookshelves, and various knickknacks furnished the space. The rich scents of spices, incense, and sandalwood all mingled together and tickled his nose, reminding him of Apramor’s temple.
Whoever Riyan was, he had refined—and expensive—tastes. And he was organized. Not a single thing was out of place.
Vir wandered the home in awe, his panic overridden by curiosity. Each room connected to each other through large open archways, giving the space an airy feel, despite its lack of windows.
Maiya followed him silently, staying close in case he collapsed or needed help.
“We’re underground?” he asked. All the skylights and windows were high above, and the entire home gave off a subterranean feel. Though it somehow felt cozy and warm at the same time. Maybe because of the Magic Lamps embedded in alcoves on the wall and which hung from the ceiling, filling the room with their soft amber glow.
“Yep. The entire home’s built into a hill. It’s practically invisible unless you know it’s there. I didn’t even realize we’d arrived until we were less than ten paces away.”
“This is incredible,” Vir commented. Most of the rooms and halls had hard clay floors, while some had sand, making them feel wild and exotic at the same time. In these rooms, sunlight from the skylights reflected off the sand, casting a warm glow on the earthen walls.
“I know, right?” Maiya said excitedly. “I wouldn’t mind living here…”
“Are we in a desert?” Vir asked, itching his bandages.
His friend nodded. “A few hours’ Ash’va ride from Brij. I’m pretty sure we’re somewhere north of Brij, but Riyan took a lot of turns to get here so it’s hard to know for sure. Said it was a precaution against any pursuers.” Despite the open floor plan, Vir couldn’t find the exit. He’d gotten lost within minutes.
“You’ve got no clue where you’re going, do you?” Maiya said with a giggle. “Here, lemme show you the way out.”
“How can I help it? I feel like half the village could fit in here!”
She took his hand and led him through another couple of rooms before activating the orb lock on a door, leading them through.
Vir belatedly realized he actually was trapped in this home, since he couldn’t open any of the locks. If Maiya wasn’t here to help, he’d be in big trouble.