The Binding (Chronicles of Azaria #1) (28 page)

The answer came sooner than expected. A mile or so on, dark speckles flashed across my eyes. I blinked, hoping to clear them, when they merged together. The darkness spread, like fire burning through paper, until it consumed my entire sight.

I took a deep breath, pulling closer to Adam. His jacket hood rubbed my cheek, and I seized onto the touch, the only sense I had to keep my bearings. So I couldn’t see anything. No big deal, right? I just had to wait it out. It would go away.

Snow danced across my face, and I clenched my teeth. The cold was merciless, but my scarf—returned after its soggy stint in the saddle bag—hung loose against my neck, too low to protect me. Yet if I tried to pull it up in my current state, I might fall.

Eventually I couldn’t take any more. Carefully, I removed an arm from Adam’s waist, and adjusted my scarf. Before I could replace my hand, light flooded my vision. The fields, however, didn’t return. Instead I was back beneath the moonlit portico, no longer clinging to Adam, but Ryan, our faces close, his lips at the corner of my mouth. My eyes went wide. No, not another flashback! And especially not
this
one!

Snarling, I fought to break free. I wouldn
’t let the curse relive this moment, not when the memory still held so much power over me. Surprisingly, my body responded, and I withdrew…only to watch the world turn upside-down as I lost my grip and smacked onto the frozen road. Pain rang through my chest, and I groaned.

“Eliza!”

Adam stopped Duke. I heard him jump to the ground, and he was promptly at my side. He tried to get me to sit, but I couldn’t move. My right side had gone numb again, though the lack of feeling did nothing to calm the fire in my chest. My ribs ignited whenever I inhaled, and it brought tears to my eyes. I hoped I hadn’t broken anything.

“Is she alright?” Ryan
’s voice; I heard him dismount. Adam’s grip shifted, cradling my dead side so I was off the freezing ground. I listened to Ryan approach, and felt his hand encircle mine. Warmth blossomed from the tips of my fingers, shooting up to my right shoulder and plunging down to my right foot. The paralysis vanished, and I clasped my injured side. “Eliza?”

“I
’m…fine,” I managed to rasp. I was caught by a cough, and doubled over. Damn, that smarted!

“Let me take a look.”

Navinka had also decided to join in. She handed Ryan her cloak to hold around me, while she removed her riding gloves. She lifted my layers and examined my chest. As she did so, I made my own assessment, testing my breathing and whether I could feel any bony prominences. It seemed I’d gotten away with minor bruising, which was more than lucky considering the hardness of the ground.

Once Navinka was satisfied—not that she
’d given more than a cursory glance—she pulled down my clothes and signalled for Ryan to step back. Slowly, I returned to my feet, when a coppery taste soured my lip.

“Here.” Ryan handed me his handkerchief. The Binding surged, about to snatch me into the memory of our first encounter in the Galgiza, so I deliberately inhaled sharply. The pain would ground me in the present.

“I’m okay,” I said, dabbing the graze on my jaw. “Sorry.”

“My girl, what were you thinking?” Navinka eyed me with mistrust. “Why did you jump off the horse?”

I pressed Ryan’s handkerchief harder, contemplating how to respond. I couldn’t let her know what really prompted my fall.

“I…I blacked out,” I said at last. “I didn
’t know what happened. I must’ve only woken up again when Ryan…”

“My dear, I clearly saw you push yourself off,” Navinka interrupted. “You didn
’t pass out at all.”

The blood drained from my face. She wasn
’t going to be so easily tricked.

“You know, I
’ve been meaning to ask, you’re not a face I’ve seen around,” Navinka went on. “Are you new to serving House Glenford?”

I swallowed, my palms sweaty. She
’d not spoken to me all journey. I assumed it was because my disguise had worked. It seemed she paid closer attention than she let on. A little more prodding and the whole façade would crumble.

“Eliza
’s not been with us for long,” Ryan said quickly. “She works in the kitchens, so we don’t see her much around the manor. But she’s good with the healing arts so I thought it’d be useful to have her come along, since the roads are so icy.”

“We
’re hardly on a dangerous adventure.” Navinka turned up her nose. “And for a healer she’s certainly clumsy. She needs more medical attention herself.”

I bristled, but remained silent. I couldn
’t let her suspicions deepen.

“Navinka, I
’m sure it was an accident,” Ryan said. “Let’s patch her up and be on our away again.”

Navinka frowned. With a huff
, she stormed back to Sandy. Ryan gave me an apologetic shrug, then returned to Cielo. Adam fished in Duke’s saddle bags, producing some gauze, and once I was treated, we remounted the old horse. This time I sat in front, so I would stay in place. I gripped Duke’s reins. He twitched his ears, not expecting a new set of hands on the reins. I stroked his mane, whispering words of encouragement. He gave a contented snort, and we set off again.

But the Binding wasn
’t finished yet.

A couple hours later, we came to the half-way mark. There, my arms started shaking. And not because I was cold or nervous. These were proper convulsions, so violent that every muscle in my limbs cried out with each twitch. I tried to keep hold of the reins, but it was becoming harder to steer Duke.

“What’s wrong now?” Adam reached over, taking charge of the horse.

“It
’s not me, it’s the curse!” I hissed back. My arms were aching beyond belief, and my ribs had flared up again as well. Honestly, why wouldn’t the stupid spell leave me alone? Hadn’t it done enough already?

The pain became too much, and I begged for a stop. I dropped to the ground, clenching my fists, stretching my arms, yet nothing would make the tremors cease. Well, I knew
one
thing that would cure me, yet with Navinka breathing down my neck, I didn’t dare step close to Ryan. Her disdain was not unnoticed as she looked on from atop Sandy.

“For a kitchen girl
, you seem to have quite a taste for the wines,” she said coolly. “I bet the bottles are missing their mistress.” She looked to Ryan again. “Tell me why you thought she should come with us again?”

“Eliza
’s…not acting like herself today,” Ryan said. He looked like he would dismount. I flashed him a warning glance, praying Navinka wouldn’t notice. If he healed me with his touch again, she’d know something was up. This symptom had to wear off soon. Surely the curse couldn’t keep it going forever.

‘
Soon’, though, wasn’t soon enough for Navinka. She threw her hands into the air, her braid flying to one side.

“We can
’t sit here all day because of her!” she exclaimed. “My tutor expects me at the fifteenth hour, and he will not wait. If she cannot control herself, send her back at once!”

Ryan
’s mouth twisted. He’d made his choice. He wheeled Cielo around, and stopped behind me. In a more than obvious gesture he reached down to adjust his bootstrap. His fingers happened to brush the spot above my shoulder-blades, sending a pleasant shiver down my spine.

The result was immediate. The shaking stopped, and I wrapped my arms around myself. I felt like I
’d run a marathon.

Navinka
’s face contorted.

“Will someone please explain what is going on?!” she snapped. “She
’s been sneaking glances at you all day, Ryan, and this is the third time she’s gotten better after you’ve touched her. Who is
she
?”

Ryan hesitated. He looked to me, unsure. I shrugged, ashamed I
’d let the curse expose me so quickly. We couldn’t let Navinka know the truth. Not that she’d ever believe it, but still…

“Alright, Navinka,” Ryan said. “I promised I wouldn
’t keep anything from you. I’ll tell you everything.”

My jaw went slack. No, no, no! What was the idiot thinking?!

Ryan caught my look, and responded with a sigh.

“Eliza, I
’m sorry, but she has to know.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but Ryan held up his hand. I couldn
’t change his mind. Gulping, I edged closer to Duke. This wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Navinka, this might be hard to believe, but Eliza has some…attachment problems,” Ryan said. “Her mother used to lock her up for weeks at a time, so she gets a little agitated if she
’s not touched regularly. It seems worse around certain people, hence why we employed her in the kitchens.”

It was all I could do not to bury my face in my hands. Really Ryan, we
’d have been better off telling the truth. Even that had an element of
believability
.

“So why did you insist on bringing her?” Navinka asked. “Marietta would
’ve been a better choice. At least she is competent at her work.”

“I…I felt sorry for her,” Ryan said. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. “She
’s had such a hard life, and she’s never been out of the manor since she started to work for us. I thought it would be a kindness to take her out.”

Navinka
’s scowl lessened, though the scepticism remained in her eyes. I tried to keep a neutral expression, though I doubted she’d fall for it. Seriously, Cielo would’ve given a better alibi.

“You are much too compassionate for your own good,” Navinka said at last. She turned Sandy around, so she was side by side with Cielo, and rested her hand on Ryan
’s knee. “I feel you’re not telling me the complete truth.” Ryan swallowed. “Much as I would like to get to the bottom of this matter now, time is not on our side. My tutor has travelled especially for our meeting, and it would be a great dishonour to keep him waiting. We will discuss this later.”

Her eyes fell to me.

“And do not think your ‘illness’ precludes you from my judgement,” she said. “Ryan may be sympathetic, but such kindness does not extend to me. Do not forget he is my betrothed, and I will not tolerate this behaviour towards him, no matter your excuse.”

Her glare was so fierce, it could have melted stone. I was just glad she wasn
’t within reach of any weapon.

“My apologies, my lady,” I said, bowing low. “I will try not to trouble you again.”

“Not try,” Navinka said. “You
will
not.”

With a flick to Sandy
’s reins, she went off ahead. The moment her back was turned, I glared at Ryan.

“What were you thinking?!” I mouthed. “That was the stupidest thing I
’ve ever heard!”

Ryan gave a defensive shrug.

“What else could I say?” he uttered back. “She’ll…”

“Come, Ryan!” Navinka called. “They can catch up at their own pace.”

Ryan sighed. He waited for me to remount behind Adam, then clicked his tongue, hurrying after the chestnut mare and her brooding rider. As I clasped my arms around Adam, he shook his head.

“Attachment problems?” he muttered, urging Duke into a trot. “What will the great maestro think of next?”

I cowered beneath my hood.

Begara couldn
’t come soon enough.

CHAPTER TWENTY

‘
...so she took his hands, whispering her promise as they determined what path their love should take...’

—
Tale of the Binding

By the time we rode into Begara, a light snowstorm had started. I huddled against Adam, shivering as the flakes danced over my nose. The Scholar’s City was the northern-most settlement in Azaria, and unlike any in the kingdom. Filled with architects, scholars and inventors, it was much more developed, rivalling the capital Viens with its technology. Steam turbines heated the buildings, and a lot of stock transportation was semi-automated. There was even talk once they were going to build an airship, but the Begarans were known to be a little arrogant. Either way, it was the centre of knowledge, and the best place for me to find a way out of my predicament.

If there actually
was
one, that is.

We entered a road flanked by rails, passing buildings of stone, glass and metal. The horses
’ hoof beats echoed in my ears, and I took a slow breath. The Binding hadn’t tried any more tricks after Navinka’s outburst, but I was alert for its next move. So far, the worst it had managed was an oscillating heart beat and random blushes; nothing I couldn’t handle.

The lack of stronger ailments, however, hadn
’t made the rest of the ride any more comfortable. My ribs ached, and I was almost too scared to breathe, fearing sharper pains. I could only pray I could get some pethirine somewhere before it became too much.

Adam brought Duke to a halt, and I hissed as my chest brushed his back. We
’d come to the main inn,
The
Clockwork Falcon
. The most expensive place to stay in the city, famous for its mechanical interior and glass ratchet lift. Where Fiona had bought my birthday present…

“Please make the necessary arrangements for our overnight stay,” Navinka said, dismounting Sandy. She offered the reins to Adam. He stared, until she pressed them into his hand. “Ryan and I shall go to the Vault of
Knowledge to meet my tutor. See that the horses are tended to, as well.”

Adam twitched, trying not to explode. If I wasn
’t so edgy, I might have found it funny. He’d not taken to his servant role very well—almost blowing our cover when he refused to pass Ryan the water skin earlier. And if there was one thing he hated, it was cleaning horses after a long ride.

I tugged at his sleeve, reminding him to keep in character.

“…yes, my lady.” I didn’t need to see his face to know he was grimacing.

Ryan dropped to the paved stones, but didn
’t hand over the reins. Navinka flashed a disapproving stare.

“I
’d like to see Cielo’s taken care of myself,” Ryan said, rubbing the white horse’s cheek.

“You told me these two can be trusted,” Navinka said. “Despite their…less than adequate etiquette, I
’m sure they will not let any harm befall Cielo.” Adam gripped Sandy’s reins a little too tight, and the mare flinched. Navinka ignored it. “I cannot keep my tutor waiting.”

Ryan sighed. Knowing that arguing would only aggravate things, he passed me Cielo
’s reins. The muscles in my arm stiffened, but I made sure our fingers didn’t touch.

Navinka encircled her arm around Ryan
’s, and they set off down the road. The Binding snarled, and it was all I could do not to jump across and tear them apart. Nonetheless, my arm still jerked in reflex, and Cielo grunted, hurt from the pull on his bit. I stroked his mane.

“Sorry boy,” I said. Cielo nuzzled my shoulder.

“You can play with him later,” Adam said, removing my hand from his waist. “If you don’t go after them now, they’ll get too far ahead.”

“What?”

He rolled his eyes.

“You do remember the Vault of Knowledge is a mile across town, right?”

My heart leapt to my throat.

“Why didn
’t you say so?!” I thrust Cielo’s reins into his hand and disentangled myself from the stirrups. Before I bolted into the snow, I looked back to him. “Can you manage the horses yourself?”

Adam waved his hand.

“Please, I’ve had to look after the Bane regiment’s mounts. These three won’t be any hassle.” He bent down and gave my hand a squeeze. “I’ll be waiting for you. Stay out of trouble, yeah?”

I stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek.

“Of course. See you later.”

Tightening my scarf, I sped off down the street. Through the falling flakes I spotted the clock tower in the near distance. It marked the entrance to the Vault of Knowledge, Begara
’s esteemed library. Back when I came with Fiona, we’d gone on the tour, marvelling at the books and ancient carvings dating back to the Era of the Goddess. They also had a wing dedicated to holy relics recovered from the shrines. That day I’d almost broken a vase, if not for Fiona’s quick reflexes…

I shook my head. I
’d never missed my sister as much as I did right now. So many questions I wanted to ask her, so much uncertainty I couldn’t face without her support. But she was miles away in Estovan. Much as I was struggling, I’d have to find my own strength to carry on.

The snowfall grew heavier, so it was easy to stay out of sight and follow the prints to the Vault of Knowledge. Soon I was upon the library, and I waited behind the gate as Navinka and Ryan ascended the entrance steps. Navinka didn
’t so much walk as glide, practically floating across the stones. Ryan’s pace matched perfectly, his head held high and shoulders square. Heck, they might as well have been practicing for the wedding aisle.

Acid bubbled in my throat, and I swallowed. Why did the curse always choose these moments to eavesdrop on my thoughts? Before it would send me on a tangent, I studied the library. The iron and sandstone goliath stood in the shadow of Mount Ymir, the largest peak in the Furosta Mountains. It had been constructed about four hundred years ago under Queen Helena, who wished to house the city of knowledge far from the seat of royal power. Just as well, as my original plan to get to Viens had been so rudely quashed.

I crept to the nearest pillar, glad for shelter from the wind. Scholars were scattered beneath the heated porticoes, clutching books and quills. Some read quietly, while others chatted with friends, or sipped hot drinks. I trudged past them to the main doors, swallowing back my jealousy, and pushed through the glass panels.

The warmth was delightful, and I rested against a copper pipe. I wasn
’t too worried about being spotted. I was young enough to pass as a student, and if anyone asked annoying questions, I was confident my healing knowledge would be about on par for a second year. Otherwise it was a twenty-five silver coin fee; a bit out of my reach given that my ‘investments’ were still in Aronzo’s care.

Keeping an eye out for Navinka, I stepped into the main hall. The varnished floor bore the stag and shield emblem of House Kinslet, and multiple passages and staircases branched into the library sections. I caught sight of the healer
’s archive, and spent a long moment staring, wishing I was here because I wanted to be, not because I had to be…

A light touch brushed my shoulder, and I squealed. Heart doing overtime, I spun around. Ryan stood behind me, looking puzzled.

“Goddess, don’t sneak up on me like that!” I snapped.

“Sorry,” Ryan said, swiftly removing his hand. “I called your name, but you didn
’t answer. I didn’t know how else to get your attention.”

My eyes darted around the hall.

“Where’s Navinka?”

“Upstairs with her tutor,” Ryan said. “She said she
’ll be at least a couple of hours.” He pointed to the east passage. “The books about the Binding are on that side. Shall we?”

He offered his arm. I hesitated, knowing that if I took it the spell would burst into life again. But if I didn
’t, I’d hurt his feelings.

Deciding to err on the side of caution, I ignored the gesture and headed towards the left-hand corridor. Ryan followed, though I was too ashamed to check his expression. Surely he would understand why I had to act like this. Then again, with our Binding totally inconsistent with its compulsions, he might not. Either way
, it was a lose-lose situation. If I touched Ryan to placate the spell’s demands, my emotions would spiral out of control, and if I didn’t, I’d get physically abused until I relented.

He didn
’t know how lucky he was to escape the curse a second time.

The scent of leather and old pages were thick as we stepped into the ancient history section. Rolling ladders stood at the bookshelf
’s edges, and desks, candle-lamps and chairs were strewn about every corner. They didn’t call it the Vault of Knowledge for nothing; this area alone rivalled the entire Lanaran archive. Two hours would not be nearly enough time to comb through everything.

I walked down the first row, scanning the spines. Ryan took the aisle ahead, and everything fell silent again. Most of the books were too generalized, or didn
’t date back far enough, but with so many to check through, it would be easy to overlook what we needed. My eyes began to blur, and I wiped them in frustration. This would take ages, and we hadn’t even started reading yet.

“Hello there, you look a little lost. May I help?”

My ears pricked up. That voice sounded familiar. I turned to the edge of the row, where a chubby scholar perched on a ladder. His bald head glimmered in the candle-light.

I gasped. It was the scholar who
’d shown me around the Lanaran archives! What was his name again?

“Bergundy?”

“Elle, is that you?” Bergundy asked, stepping back to ground level.

“Sure is,” I smiled. “Fancy meeting you here!”

Bergundy grinned.

“Well, after your visit in Lanaran, I was so inspired by your drive for learning, I thought I would spend some time quenching my own thirst for knowledge,” he said. “I see you have not
curtailed your endeavours, either. Truly admirable!”

“Ah, you know how it is.” I flicked a loose strand of my hair. “But the Vault is more extensive than I imagined. It
’s taking me a while to find what I want.”

Bergundy nodded.

“Perhaps I may be able to point you in the right direction,” he said. “Are you still after information on the Binding spell?”

“Yes.” I had to quell the urge to tackle him in a hug. This was perfect! With a scholar to guide us, we
’d find what we needed in no time. Especially since asking the library staff would result in bothersome questions regarding the entrance fee.

Bergundy led the way back to the master corridor. Ryan was nearby, flipping through a dusty tome.

“Ryan, I’ve got a friend to help us,” I said.

Ryan closed the book.

“Oh?”

“This is Bergundy. I met him back in Lanaran. He
’s in charge of the archives there.”

“A pleasure,” Bergundy said, managing a small bow.

“Likewise.” Ryan shook the scholar’s hand. He leant closer to my ear. “You went to the Lanaran archives?” He was frowning slightly.

“Preliminary research,” I muttered under my breath. “
I thought I could find a way to break the spell.”

Ryan huffed.

“Why were you so quick to turn your back when I suggested the same, then?”

“Because I didn
’t find anything useful, and I didn’t feel like gearing myself for disappointment again.” Goddess, why wouldn’t he let this go? I’d agreed to come along in the end. He had nothing to complain about.

Bergundy started to look uncomfortable, so I shot Ryan a warning glance. We could argue later.

“So, Bergundy,” Ryan said, catching the hint, “do you know if there’s anything on the Binding spell’s origin here?”

“That there is,” Bergundy said, his smile returning. “Come this way.”

We followed him to the back of the row, where he began picking out books, seemingly at random. Soon he’d gathered a pile of about twelve, and he dropped them onto the nearest desk.

“These I think would be the most relevant,” he said. “The two rows here are all concerned with the Binding in some way, but these focus on its creation.”

“Thank you.” That must’ve saved us several days of searching.

“I will be around this section regardless,” Bergundy said. “Please, don
’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.”

“You
’re very kind,” Ryan said. Bergundy nodded, before he waddled back to the front rows.

Ryan sighed.

“I guess it was lucky you met him after all.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“It
’s okay,” I said. It had been a tiring journey. No wonder we were both a bit short-tempered. “Come on.”

We took a pile each and sat at the desks. Fortunately the texts were much easier to skim through than that paper in Lanaran, and I lapped up the words. However, while I gleaned a lot of interesting information, it wasn
’t quite what we were looking for. I read another rendition of the
Tale of the Binding,
more on the theory that the spell had a physical location somewhere in Azaria, and further details on its laws.