Diamond Bonds

Diamond Bonds

The Runics Series

Jeff Kish

Diamond Bonds by Jeff Kish

© 2016 by Jeff Kish.  All rights reserved.

www.runicsbook.com

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact:

[email protected]

Encouragement from: Emily Kish

Heavy input from: Tim Kish

Cover by: Donna Harriman Murillo

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Ebook ISBN: 978-0-9976784-0-6

10     9     8     7     6     5     4     3     2     1

Dedicated to my fun and lovely wife

Who surely never expected to have a fantasy book dedicated to her!

NOTE TO THE READER:

Maps and a diagram have been provided starting on page 317.  These can be referenced at any time without spoiling the story.

They are also available at www.runicsbook.com.

Chapter 1

It strikes Era mid-jump that perhaps a train raid isn’t as easy as he had been led to believe.  Rope in hand, the teenaged thief smashes into the side of the train car, clinging desperately to his lifeline as his horse veers away.  The stinging wind forces his eyes shut as terror seizes him, but a hand grasps his wrist and gives him the assistance needed to climb to the roof.

Era collapses to his knees, his heart pounding in his ears.  “Could have done that better, huh?” he calls out over the deafening roar.

His masked companion ignores him and places her open palm on the surface of the wooden roof, and a coating of frost creeps from her hand.  Once the area is sufficiently frozen, she shatters the surface with a sharp kick and jumps into the hole without hesitation.

Era scrambles to peer into the dark car, only to find his partner safely alone and impatiently motioning for him to join her.  Obediently, he jumps into the hole, but his backpack snags the jagged edge of the shattered roof before coming loose and dropping him to the floor below.

“Hey, watch it!” his partner cries in a hushed voice while examining the pack, aided by the moonlight.  “You have to be careful with this.  You don’t want it tearing!”

“I
know
that.  Next time make the hole bigger!” he whispers in defense while rubbing his backside.

“Next time make your own ice,” she mutters, satisfied the pack is intact.  “I got through without snagging
my
pack.”

He opts not to push the issue.  “Regardless, it looks like you were right about the layout, Jem.”

The girl’s brown eyes sparkle.  “Of course I was right!  These types always load their valuables in one place, which means the prize is in the next cargo car.”

“You say that like it’s
not
our first train raid,” he says in amusement.  The treacherous boarding may be over, but he has no idea what to expect as they plunge forward.  “Biggest haul ever, huh?” he mumbles, recalling his partner’s comment the previous day.

“Darn right it will be,” she says as she unsheathes her dagger and moves to the door.  “You thought that haul three months ago was good?  Just wait till you see this.  You ready?”

Era nervously nods, and she swings the door open, flooding the car with cutting wind and the earsplitting thunder of the train on the tracks.  Jem boldly steps along the coupler to the next car, slams the door open, and charges recklessly into the unknown, leaving her partner scurrying to catch up.

By the time Era is inside, Jem is already clashing with a bewildered guard.  The thief dumps his backpack and kicks Jem’s opponent from behind, allowing her to land an elbow to the side of his head.  Their victim collapses, unconscious, and the teammates bump fists before realizing two more guards are charging them with swords drawn.

Jem deflects the leading guard’s swing as Era hurriedly draws his dagger and intercepts the second guard.  Sparks fly as the foe slams his sword into the thief’s smaller blade, and the bruising impact makes Era think his hand may well fall off if struck again.  He seizes the chance to grapple the guard, only to be forced backward into a row of crates.  Though wincing, he manages to deflect a fatal thrust, forcing his adversary’s sword into one of the boxes, where it remains stuck.  Era mercilessly bashes his handle over the vulnerable guard’s head to finish the fight, and he breathes a grateful sigh of relief.

A girl’s shriek pierces the air, and Era rushes to Jem, only to find her standing over her unconscious opponent.

“Geez, that was more guards than I was expecting,” Jem complains.  “And what’s with you pulling your dagger
after
the fight began?  Haven’t you learned anything about-”

“Never mind that,” Era interrupts, sheathing his blade.  “What’s wrong?  Are you hurt?”

“No, they barely touched me,” she replies in confusion.  “Why?”

“Well, you screamed, so I was worried.”

“Oh, that wasn’t me.  That was her,” she says flatly while pointing her thumb back over her shoulder.  On the ground is a girl, her wrists tied to a chair flung to its side in the chaos.  Overwhelmed and sobbing, she yanks at her bindings in a vain effort to escape.

“What the-!?” Era exclaims as he shoves his way past Jem and kneels next to the girl, who shrieks in fear of the masked intruder.  He shoots an angry look at his partner.  “Jem, why didn’t you help her up?”

“You have a long way to go if you want to be a
master thief
,” Jem scolds while striding to the wall of crates, bouncing with excitement.  “
This
is why we’re here!” she exclaims as she begins digging through the first box.

Era ignores Jem and studies the young, teenaged girl.  Her button-down blouse and knee-length skirt remind him of a school outfit, and her long blond hair is the purest color he’s ever seen.  She continues to squeeze her eyes shut as tears stream down her cheeks, her small body trembling from the turmoil.  Her wrists are tied to the chair arms, but she appears uninjured.

As Jem continues to sift through the goods, Era unties her ropes and carefully sets her against the wall.  He rests his hand on the girl’s head and says, “I’m sorry my mean partner knocked you down with all that fighting.”

The girl opens her eyelids and looks at him with brilliant yellow eyes.  Even in the dim light of the lanterns, the unusual color catches him by surprise.  “W-Wow, how beautiful!  I’ve never seen eyes like those.”  He removes his handkerchief mask and offers a goofy smile to cheer her up.  “Who are you?  Why were you tied up?” he asks, but she just stares at him fearfully.

Sighing, Era stands and turns to his partner.  “Hey Jem, I-waaAAA!” he screams as he suddenly trips and lands on his face with a thud.  He looks back to find the girl clinging tightly to his legs.  “Hey, what are you doing!?” he yells.

“They took me… They took me from school!” she cries as she chokes back tears.

Startled, Era sits and places his hands on the girl’s shoulders. “You were taken?  Kidnapped!?”  She nods with a whimper and starts crying again.

Jem snaps at her partner.  “Hey, calm her down before she draws attention!  There could be more guards in the next car over.”  Motioning to the empty boxes around her, she adds, “I’m getting frustrated over here!  Come help me.”

“She needs help, Jem!  She was kidnapped!”

“Would you stop using my name!?  Rule number one is to never use names on a job!”  Turning back to her crates, she begins rummaging again and says, “Put your mask back on and leave her be!  It’s not like we can do anything about it.” 

“That’s cold of you,” he huffs.

Jem plants her hands on her hips.  “How do you expect to get her off the train?  We’ll barely manage on our own!  So leave her be and
come help me!
”  She turns back and begins searching once more.

Era ignores her and looks back at the girl.  “We’ll take you with us, I promise!”  The girl glances at Jem, then back to Era and manages a weak smile.

“Agh!” Jem shouts as she throws her hands in the air.  “This is useless!  It’s all low-grade weapons in bulk.”

Era grimaces at another job turned sour by poor information.  “I told you it was just a shipment to the military.  No wonder it was headed to Satari.”

Jem argues, “Hey, Satari is home to more than the military.  Collectors, dealers, the
wealthy
.”  Slumping to the floor, she leans back on her hands and groans.  “This was supposed to be a great load.  Why is there nothing here!?”

“How did you even find out about this?” Era asks.

“I heard it from a train scheduler at the Yugar junction,” she recalls.  “He said the Smith’s Hammer scheduled transport on short notice.  They sent it up to Hensi, which is a known guild repository.  Things coming from there are usually the good stuff: jewel-encrusted swords, engraved hilts and blades, even diamond-tipped edges!”

Era glances at the empty boxes in disappointment.  “If not the shipment, maybe it’s the girl?”

Jem swings her head around, taking interest in her for the first time.  “The girl?”  Excitedly, she jumps to her feet and runs over.  “Of course, the girl!  The girl must be worth money, right?”  She squats and gets in the teen’s face.  “Hey, are you valuable?  Did they kidnap you for money?”

“I-I don’t know!” she exclaims in bewilderment.  “They just took me from school, and-”

“Yes, yes, they took you from school, we heard that earlier,” Jem impatiently interrupts.  “Who are your parents?  Do you have a last name?”

The girl sits silently, unsure what she should say.  She looks at Era, who gives her an affirming nod.  Staring at the ground, she mumbles, “My last name is Venelli.  Daddy is… he’s the mayor of Canterin.”

Jem’s eyes widen, and she cracks a massive grin.  “She’s the daughter of the mayor of
Canterin!?
” she whispers in Era’s ear, not making much effort to keep her voice down.  “That city is huge!  No wonder they kidnapped her.  Think of the ransom!”

She again squats in front of the girl and places a hand on her shoulder.  Her demeanor completely changed, Jem says, “Don’t worry, little one.  These men have done a terrible thing to you.  We’ll get you back home.  I promise.”

Though the girl is taken aback by Jem’s sudden empathy, she releases Era’s leg and excitedly hugs her new friend.

Era can tell Jem is already dreaming of an immense reward, but at least now she’s more accommodating toward bringing the girl along.  He feels like it would be wrong to leave her behind.

“Well, it’s not quite what I expected,” Jem says to Era, “but I’m glad we’re getting
something
for our trouble.”

He nods as he looks to the unconscious guards, and he squints in the faint light of the lanterns.  “Jem!  These guards… are they wearing military uniforms?”

She smirks confidently.  “Why would the crown be ransoming one of its own cities? This is a standard customs trick.  Even the guild has to pay railroad taxes, so this is just an attempt to pass it off as a military shipment.”

Her words fail to ease his concern.  “To the capital? Jem, what if-”

“Stop worrying!” she exclaims.  “It’s a Smith’s Hammer train, I’m sure of it.  Military trains look different.”

“I suppose you’re right about that,” he says, trying to shake off his concerns.  “It’s just, you know, getting on the military’s bad side would make life difficult.”

“To say the
least
,” Jem agrees.  “Either way, no turning back now!  Let’s get this princess back to her castle.”

He looks to their new friend.  “So what’s your name, little one?”

For the first time, the girl acts irritated with Era.  “I’m not
little
.  I’m almost fourteen!  And my name is Di.”

“D?” Era repeats, confused.  “Like the letter?”

“No, like D-I.”

“Oh.  Is that short for something?”

She shakes her head, growing more annoyed.  “My name is Di!”

Era happily ruffles her hair, much to her dismay.  “Well, nice to meet you, Di!  I’d tell you my name, but my boss here won’t let us use our names while on a mission.”

“And how many times have you used my name?” Jem grumbles as she retrieves her bag.

Di quietly beckons Era to lean in close.  Staring at Jem, she loudly whispers, “The lighting makes it hard to tell, but isn’t your partner a… she’s an…”

“Yes, I’m an Allerian.  Got a problem with that?” Jem abruptly calls out.

The girl jumps in alarm, but Era says, “Easy, Jem.  I think she just now noticed is all.”

Jem holds her hand out, comparing her skin tone to Era’s.  “I guess it’s hard to tell in this light.  I might just have a good tan.”  Shrugging it off, she looks at her pocket watch, surprised by the time.  “Era, your watch is official.  I show just over ten minutes.”

Era checks his watch, quietly amused by the use of his name.  “Twelve twenty-four, to be exact.”

“Okay, let’s get ready for the drop off.”  She heads to the door with an obvious spring in her step.

The girl studies Era, squinting in the light.  With a warm smile, he says, “Don’t worry, I’m Valvoran, and Jem is a good friend.  You can trust her.”

Di nods.  “Th-That’s fine, it’s just that I’ve never been so close to one before.”

Era decides to change the subject while strapping his backpack tightly around his shoulders.  “Anyway, this part might be scary.  We have to get off the train, and we don’t exactly want to wait for it to stop.”  The girl swallows hard at the thought, but her eyes reflect a determination to go along with her saviors.  She grabs Era’s hand and follows him to the back of the train car.

*              *              *

Commander Galen finds himself enjoying the small taste of extravagance by reclining in such a luxurious dining car, the likes of which would never be found on a military train.

The young man sports a high rank despite his age.  As with all officers, his dark blue coat is buttoned tightly over a leather tunic, and his slacks match the color of his outer jacket.  Always one to take in every detail of a mission, he flips through his orders yet again, his keen eyes carefully pruning every line for a hint as to the nature of the task.  His directive is to deliver the schoolgirl directly to General Graff at the nation’s capital.  Further adding to the mystery, the order called for her to be bound. To his frustration, no other details were provided.