Diamond Bonds (35 page)

Di grows frustrated from the constant demands.  “I already opened the doors.  What else can I do?  Maybe it’s gone.”

“With this security, it’s impossible anyone managed to get in before us.  Not without you, at least.”  He studies the girl suspiciously.  “Have you been here before?”

“N-No!” Di insists.

“Then find my weapon,” he impatiently demands.

Di hurries into the small chamber and begins searching for anything interesting.  “Is this obelite?” she wonders aloud, resting her hand on the dark pedestal.  After a quick tour around the small space, she comes back to the front and finds a gaping hole in the stone pillar.  It is the perfect height for her arms, so she reaches in and feels around, eventually resting her palms on the surface of the carved out hole.

The contact triggers the reappearance of her illuminated symbols.  A loud buzzing noise begins vibrating the entire room, and the lights from Di’s hands shine brilliantly.  The bystanders shield their eyes from the blinding light as Di shrieks loudly, crying out as if in pain.

Just when it all becomes too great to bear, the buzzing stops and the light fades.  As their eyes readjust, Graff and Galen find Di leaning against the pillar, still standing under her own power.  More noticeable than the girl, however, is a brilliant ball of light sitting atop the pillar.  It glows a beautiful shade of yellow, and everyone beholds the sight in wonder.

Graff storms in and flings Di behind him.  Galen catches the girl, though his focus remains on the glowing orb.

Puzzled, Di finds that her forearms now bear bronze bands, intricately engraved with the same symbol emblazoned above the chamber.  A small but radiant diamond is embedded near each of her wrists, and she wonders how these accessories appeared.  She yanks at the armlets, but she’s unable to remove them.

“This is the weapon!?” the general exclaims.  The perfectly-formed orb is small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand.  It gives off no heat, no sound, and it doesn’t seem to affect the pillar as it rests atop it.

His curiosity piqued, the general reaches out and touches it with his right hand.  The instant he makes contact, the orb cracks loudly and disappears with a blinding flash of light.  The general snaps his hand back as a sharp pain penetrates into his flesh.  It’s all he can do to prevent himself from screaming in front of his men, and he furiously massages his hand to dull the pain until he stops and looks at his palm.  The symbol they’ve all grown accustomed to seeing is now emblazoned where the pain entered his hand, printed in the two o’clock position on his palm.

“General, are you okay?” Galen calls out.

“I’m fine,” Graff answers, staring at the place where the glowing orb once sat, “but where did the weapon go?”

“The weapon is right in front of you.”

Every soldier draws his sword and points it at the unfamiliar voice’s source, who seems unfazed by the display of aggression.  Bearing a smile, he places his hands in the air as he walks into the small chamber.  “Good to see you again, General Graff.  And good to see you too… Di, was it?  Is your guardian not with you?”  A chill runs down Di’s spine as she comes face-to-face with the young man she met in the woods outside Ugorzi.

“Ares,” Graff mutters, his voice not hiding the disdain.  “How did you get past my men outside?”

“They never saw me enter,” he explains as he casually strolls into their midst.  “More importantly, I see you’ve found the weapon.  Excellent work.”

Graff eyes Ares suspiciously.  “What do you mean, we’ve found it?  The weapon just disappeared before our eyes!”

Ares frowns in confusion.  “Disappeared?  But General, the weapon stands right before you.”  Everyone looks at the pillar again, and Ares sighs.  “The weapon is about 4’11”, 89 pounds, wears a tattered outfit… need I go on?”

All eyes shift to Di, and the small girl’s heart races at the attention.  She looks at Ares, a bewildered look in her eye.  “W-What!?”

Frustrated, Graff storms up to the informant and grabs his collar.  “What do you mean by calling this runt a weapon?  What’s she good for besides opening doors?”

“General, the proof is right there,” Ares says playfully, pointing at the general’s hand.  “The object absorbed into your hand was the key that makes you her wielder.  You own her, body, mind, and soul.”

“
Own
her?”

“Your will is her will.  Diamond is a
weapon
, and you, my good general, are the conductor of this weapon.”

“
Diamond!?
”

“Right.  The weapon’s name is Diamond.”

“You’re making no sense!” Graff shouts as he shoves Ares back.  “You have five seconds to-”

“Look, let me start over,” Ares calmly interrupts.  “Diamond here is the weapon you sought.  As her conductor, you now wield this powerful weapon, and you can use her in any way you desire.  Go ahead and give a command!”  When it’s apparent Graff’s confusion persists, he adds, “Order her to do something out of the ordinary.  I promise you can lock me up if it doesn’t work.”

The general’s nostrils flare.  “It will cost you far more than that if you’re trying to make a fool of me.”  He turns to the girl, tying to make sense of Ares’ claims.  He clears his throat and states, “Diamond, go… do a backflip.”

Di just stares back at the weathered soldier.  “I-I can’t do a backflip,” she squeaks.

Graff turns and glares at Ares, who already has his hands in the air waving.  “Hey, hey, you can’t just
tell
her to do something.  You need to
will
it.  Use her like you would a weapon.”

Furious, the general moves at Ares aggressively.  “I’ve had enough nonsense out of you-”

“Your sword is an extension of your body, right?” Ares asks.  “You don’t
ask
it to do something.  You take it in your hand, and you
make
it do what you want.  The sword is an extension of your will.”  Motioning to Di he says, “Do the same thing with the girl.”

Graff looks at his hand, again eyeing the symbol engraved into his palm.  Somehow, what Ares says feels right.  He extends his arm toward Di’s forehead and meets her eyes.

Di feels a heavy sense of dread as she finds herself unable to look away from the intimidating war veteran.  His presence exudes a dominating authority, and she wants desperately to run away.

The general opens his palm, and the symbol on his hand begins glowing.  The symbols on the back of Di’s hands reappear and glow in response as he forcefully speaks.  “Do… a…
backflip
.”

The order barely escapes his lips before Di leaps vertically into the air, performing a perfect backflip.  She lands gracefully on her feet with her arms poised out to her sides, her demeanor one of great satisfaction, as if the act was nothing abnormal to perform.  However, the moment passes, and a bewildered expression returns to her.  “What?  How did I just…?”

“Diamond is a weapon like no other,” Ares chimes in.  “If you want her to sing, she’ll sing.  If you want her to dance, she’ll dance.”  His grin not fading, he looks into the general’s eyes and adds, “If you want her to kill, she’ll kill.”

Di is horrified by his words as she tries to figure out how and
why
she just performed the backflip at Graff’s command.  It wasn’t that she was forced to do it.  She
wanted
to do it, and she took great pleasure in doing so.

Graff doesn’t seem impressed with Ares’ suggestion.  “What’s she going to do, scratch someone to death?”

“Did you not notice the backflip, general?” Ares asks while extending a finger and spinning it around in the air.  “Flawless.  Perfectly timed and executed.  Complete control of momentum and balance.  This isn’t the weak little girl who’s been slipping through your fingers.  This is a
weapon
, designed to kill.”

“I’m a
person!
” Di cries out, tears welling up in her eyes.  “Stop calling me a ‘weapon’ and talking about me like I’m not here!”

Ares frowns.  “I expected you to remember everything the moment you received your bonds, but I guess there was no such revelation.  Needless to say, you’re not the person you think you are.  You’re Diamond.”

“And stop calling me
Diamond!
  My name is Di!  I’m just… I’m just a normal girl from Canterin.”

“You’re not the daughter of a mayor, Diamond,” he says.

“Then who is she?” the general barks at Ares.

“Isn’t it obvious, General?” Ares asks.  “She’s from the Third Kingdom.  A weapon used in the war three hundred years ago.  She’s been asleep in this very chamber ever since, having only resurfaced two years ago.”

“You’re speaking nonsense!” Graff contests.  “How is it possible for someone to sleep for three hundred years without aging?”

“The answer is simpler than you’d think,” Ares answers, his smile twisting into something more sinister.  “Diamond isn’t human.  She’s a rune.”

Chapter 20

Everyone turns to Di.  Tears now stream down the overwhelmed girl’s cheeks, her expression one of intense confusion.

“Well, she’s technically a very special kind of rune,” Ares explains.  “She’s a runic, created and programmed by the Third Kingdom.”

The poor girl can only manage to stammer weakly in defense.  “That… That makes no sense!  I’m not three hundred years old.  I was born in Canterin!  Fourteen years ago.”

“Your memories are nothing more than a construct meant to strengthen your alibi,” Ares explains.  “They are not real.”

Di’s gaze turns wild.  “I’m from Canterin!  Daddy… Daddy is the mayor!  I GREW UP IN CANTERIN!”  She collapses to her knees, overwhelmed and dizzy.

“Stand up!” the general barks, and the small girl’s hands glow in response as she instantly jumps to her feet.  Her eyes are filled with sadness as she chokes back tears.

“Remember, General, she’s a weapon.  Use her like one,” Ares points out, clearly enjoying the attention.  “Don’t forget about her air shaping ability.  Use that to your advantage!”

Graff grows annoyed with the informant.  “We’re done here.  Ares, you will be escorted back to the capital.  You’ve clearly held back critical knowledge until now, and you
will
tell us everything you know.”  The soldiers surround Ares with weapons drawn.

Ares drops his smile.  “I’ll play along for now, but don’t leave me bored for too long.”  Graff waves them away, opting not to give him the satisfaction of a retort.

Commander Galen studies Di, fuming at the turn of events.  Never would he have imagined that
this
was the reason he was pursuing a child.  He looks to his superior and says, “Surely you don’t take him at his word, General.”

“I would be crazy to do that,” Graff says.  “However, we’ve seen for ourselves that something strange is going on here.  I want another test without that aggravating man present.”  He pats the commander’s shoulder and says, “You’re going to fight her.”

Galen is aghast.  “Sir!  You can’t possibly expect me to spar with a
child.
”

“Whether she’s a child or not is what I want to verify,” Graff explains.  “We must validate his claims.”

“General, I cannot-”

“You
will
do this, Commander,” Graff orders, giving his subordinate a look that fully explains how serious he is.  “Now give us some space as I prepare the weapon.”  Frustrated, Galen storms to the other side of the room.

The general looks at Di in the pulsating light from the three other walls illuminating the chamber.  “What do you know of all this?  Surely you must know something.”

Di lowers her eyes.  “I know nothing.”

Not satisfied, Graff extends a hand toward her, the symbol on his hand aglow.  “Tell me what you know about yourself.”

Her hands shine in response, and Di looks up with sadness.  “I know absolutely nothing.”

Graff sighs, annoyed that Ares remains his only source of information.  He had hoped to make him irrelevant, but it seems he’ll need to keep him around.  “Well, regardless, I want to see what you can do.  Your opponent is one of my most elite soldiers, so you’d best not hold back,
Diamond
.”

The small girl shivers at the name that seems so cold and foreign, and she glances to the diamonds embedded into her new armlets.  Her mind wanders to her father, growing up by the sea, hiding away in the lighthouse, the beachside festivals every year…  She yearns to break away and run home.  She can’t begin to imagine a scenario where her father isn’t waiting for her with open arms.

“General,” Galen calls out, interrupting her thoughts, “with all due respect, I wish to decline this order.  Please have respect for my dignity.”

Di finds a devilish grin spread across the general’s face.  “Perhaps your appearance is one of your greatest assets as a weapon, Diamond,” he suggests.  “Go knock him unconscious.”

Graff’s words penetrate her mentality as her hand symbols glow in response to the command.  Suddenly, nothing else matters to her: not her father, not her humanity, but only the mission to take the commander out.  Inwardly scoffing at how weak Galen now appears, she wonders why she was ever afraid of him.

Di’s shift in demeanor doesn’t go unnoticed by the general.  He raises his eyebrows, wondering if this is really going to work as the girl sprints at her opponent with a burst of speed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Galen mutters to himself as he shifts to a defensive stance.

Di lunges at him, her fist extended.  He sidesteps the attack and reaches to restrain her, but she reacts quickly and slaps his hand away.  She punches at him twice, which he blocks, though he’s taken aback by the force she delivers with each blow.  Di sweep kicks at his legs, which he barely manages to avoid in his effort to refrain from fighting back.

As she continues her one-sided assault, Galen calls out, “General, please stop this!  I’m not interested in-OOMPH!”  Di lands a successful punch to Galen’s gut, prompting him to take a defensive swipe at her.  She dodges and punches her target forcefully in the chest, then kicks his knees out from behind, grabs his uniform, and yanks him backward.  He hits the floor with a slam that echoes throughout the chamber.

The commander groans, revealing to Di that her mission is not yet complete.  She raises her foot above her downed opponent’s forehead, but Graff calls out, “Diamond!  Stop!”

As her mentality returns, Di stares at the man who had pursued her relentlessly, bewildered by how harmless he now seems.  She feels proud of the victory and her newfound capabilities until the general exclaims, “Well done, Diamond!  I think things are starting to become clearer.”

The girl’s excitement fades as she’s reminded of the greater reality of her situation.  She looks at her hands, noticing again the armlets around her wrists, and her mind starts spinning at everything that has just transpired.  She never lost awareness as she executed the general’s order, though everything in her mind gave way to her desire to accomplish the mission.  It’s as if the general’s will became her own until she accomplished her directive.

With Galen on the ground, it strikes her that only one of her captors remains.  Seizing the opportunity, she charges at Graff, catching him by surprise as she throws a punch straight toward his gut.

The general looks down at Di with irritation.  “What was that supposed to be, Diamond?”

Di is panting heavily, her fist mere inches from the general’s stomach, but she can’t force herself to make contact.  Blinking back tears of frustration, she tries to uppercut his chin, but her fist swings wide and misses, as if a mental barrier is preventing her from landing a hit.

The general backhands Di across the cheek, sending her to the floor.  “Fortunately, it seems you cannot attack your master, though apparently the inverse isn’t true.”  He places a foot on Di’s hand, making her squirm as he presses down on it.  “Insolent girl, I will not let such an act go unpunished.”

As Di cries out in pain, Galen calls, “Sir!  She’s just a child!”

Graff pauses and looks at Galen, as if contemplating his words.  Ultimately, he steps over his new weapon and motions for her to follow.  “We’re headed back to Satari.  Come along, Diamond.”

The order isn’t a forced one, but Di knows there is little point in disobeying.  “Satari,” she whispers to herself as she slowly follows.  Whatever brief joy she experienced by her new powers is now gone, and she sobs as she comes to grasp the hopelessness of her situation.

As they disappear into the tunnels, Galen slams the ground in frustration.  He looks to the pulsating barriers, trying to process Ares’ words, Graff’s actions, and what he believes about it all.

*              *              *

Era sips his water, once again enjoying a small amount of luxury.  He happily watches as the bartender returns to the kitchen to retrieve his stew.

“And just how are you planning on paying for that?” Jem asks in annoyance.

He leans forward, keeping his voice low.  “I already ate here twice, and I paid for it
both times
.  The way I see it, they owe me a free meal.”

“But we’re not here to
eat
, you dummy!”

“Then maybe we should have stolen some food earlier.  I’m hungry.”

Jem sits back with a groan.  “We need to get some cash.  We barely had enough to pay for the train ride to Duroshe.”

“And that was only after spending an hour shoplifting,” Era admits.  “Good thing the pawn shop didn’t ask too many questions.”

The door opens, and Jem and Era find their guest has arrived.  The silver-haired Pearl sees Era and excitedly waves to him, though she scrunches her nose at the sight of Jem.

Era hopes his face isn’t crimson as he fights off the memory of that magical moment on the sky boat.  He stands and pulls a chair out for his guest.

“Ugh… Era, you’re not on a date tonight,” Jem bemoans, resting her chin on one hand.  “Get over yourself.”

“You’re just mad I didn’t help you to your seat,” Era snidely responds as he sits.

“Darn right, I am!  What’s the matter, am I not feminine enough for you?”

“You?  Ha!  You act like you were raised by a bunch of men.”

Pearl sits back as the two bicker, and the bartender comes to deliver a water.  She politely turns down anything more and waits for the pair to finish their argument.

“Fine, whatever,” Jem finishes with a huff.  “Pearl’s here, so let’s talk business.”

“Yes, please!” Pearl jumps in.  “The note you left in my pilot seat said nothing other than where to meet you.”  She shoots Jem a piercing glare and quietly adds, “You didn’t mention you had company with you.”

Era scratches his head.  “Sorry for being so secretive.  We didn’t want to approach in plain sight and get you into more trouble.  I assume your father was angry about taking us to Kemplen?”

“Oh, he was furious!” Pearl exclaims with her gray eyes open wide.  “But that’s my fault.  If I’d not overslept, I would have been back in time to conduct business.”  Pausing, she realizes, “You haven’t been gone long at all.  Why are you back?”

Era looks to Jem to get the go-ahead to fill Pearl in.  “Well, we… When we were here last, we were kind of on the run.”

“Yes, that was obvious,” Pearl says.

“From one of the four commanders.”

She crosses her arms and smirks.  “Was he in league with the water monsters you dispatched so bravely?”

His brow furrows.  “N-No, and it was just one water monster,” he corrects matter-of-factly.  “He was after Di for some reason.  They ambushed us in the forest outside Canterin and took her to Satari.”

“Fortunately, they started the trains back up once they recaptured her,” Jem says.

“That was because of
you?
” she asks in disbelief.

“It was no coincidence,” Era insists with an edge in his tone.  “They sent nearly a hundred soldiers to surround and capture us.  They were desperate to get her back.”

“So, wait, all this is the truth!?” Pearl gasps.  “How did you escape?”

Era’s head droops, and Jem jumps in.  “F-Fire saved us!  But she wasn’t able to save Di.”

“Oh yes, the mean one,” Pearl recalls.  “She was mean.”

Keeping his voice low, Era leans close to Pearl and says, “We’re going to get Di back.  We want to raid the military barracks.”  Pointing skyward, he adds, “From
above
.”

Pearl laughs aloud.  “You want me to land on top of the military headquarters?”

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Jem scoffs.  “Your death trap makes far too much noise to land on it.  All you need to do is fly us over it.”

Excitement creeps across her face.  “You’re going to
jump?
”

Era shrugs.  “We know this is risky.  We’re storming the military
headquarters
of all places.  There’s no easy way to do it.”

Pearl studies him closely.  “You two are taking an awful risk for this girl.  Just what is she to you, anyway?”

Era frowns as he searches for the answer.  “It’s complicated, I guess.  She’s a friend.  One worth fighting for.”

“But Satari is a trip,” Jem says.  “Can you sneak off for that long?”

“It’s a sixteen hour flight,” Pearl agrees.  “Still, the timing isn’t bad.  I’m taking a haul to Pigo in two days.  From there it’s just a three hour flight to Satari, so it’s doable.”  She contemplates the idea before shaking it off.  “No… No, this isn’t a good idea.  I mean no offense, Era, but this just seems too dangerous.”

Era leans forward, placing his hand on her arm.  “Pearl, I know this is a lot to ask.  We’re asking a
huge
favor we could never repay.  But if you don’t help us, we’ll sneak into that barracks the hard way.  Dropping us in might actually help us to live.”

Pearl blushes at his touch.  “You want to save her that badly, huh?”