Page 80 of Swords of Soul and Shadow (Gate Chronicles #3)

The entrance to the cell opened, and Sergeant allowed the petite form of Petra inside. She carried a small canteen in her trembling hands, her wide eyes fixing on Anderson. “It’s true, then? He’s dead?”

Hallie rushed to her friend, taking her by the arm. “No, he’s…well, I don’t know. That’s what Lord Saldr is trying to determine.”

Taking the canteen from her, Hallie offered it to Saldr, but he put his hand up.

His eyes stared at the symbols as if hoping they’d rearrange themselves into something he’d like better, but the lines continued to deepen on the man’s face the longer he looked.

Hallie clasped the canteen in her hand as Petra knelt by Anderson’s side.

Right. Hallie had said something about Petra being Anderson’s fiancée.

“What is it, Lord Saldr?” Hallie asked, her voice tired and strained.

Saldr sighed. “It is the same. This one,” he pointed to Anderson, “no longer holds the Essence power. Stradat Loffler must have forced it from him, or he may have given it willingly. I do not know. But his soul is dying. I do not believe he will see another moonrise, but even if he defies the odds, he will live no better than a half-life.”

“I’m not sure I understand.” Jove’s brow furrowed, his good hand playing with his frayed shirt collar. “What do you mean, his soul is dying? Wouldn’t that just make him…you know, dead?”

“On Yalvara, souls are not only our lifeforce. They are also a source of energy, as the Cerls have discovered and utilized in their technology.” Saldr knelt beside Anderson and felt along his wrist as if checking for a pulse.

“Therefore, it can be siphoned off and used at will, if one has the knowledge and skill. But if the veil keeping the soul contained is rent, then your body will slowly leak the power over time, which in turn will lead to death.”

Kase’s mouth fell open slightly. Was that why he felt so cold when using the Cerl hover?

Or one of their weapons? But the blanket in the hover had made him warm again.

It seemed to counteract the cold. He looked at Anderson.

Maybe bringing him the blanket would help.

But would it heal the tear, or whatever Saldr was spouting on about?

Or would it just keep him warm as he died?

Les looked thoughtful. “But you do have some legends that speak of soul sharing, do you not?”

Hallie looked over, surprise written all over her face—and intrigue. Yes, his mother and Hallie would indeed get along splendidly.

Saldr set Anderson’s wrist aside and sat back.

“The story of Kainadr and Xera is a favorite tale told around our feast tables. It is said when Kainadr sacrificed himself for Xera, their souls entwined, which allowed them to save Yalvara during the Dawn. We celebrate their victory over Jagamot every year…in fact, it would traditionally start tomorrow. However, most of our scholars believe it to be a tale elaborated over the millennia since.” Saldr sighed heavily, the burden of his exhaustion slumping his shoulders.

“But what we do know for certain is that both Kainadr and Xera dedicated themselves to the Gates, going so far as to become their guardians in the form of two swords—one of which we have, thanks to the efforts of Miss Walker.”

Kase would’ve thought exhaustion was making Saldr confuse fact with fairytale if Hallie hadn’t indeed recovered that strange black sword from the Gate. The thing felt…off. There was no other way to describe it.

Even so, Kase drew the line at entwining souls. That was most definitely a story for starry-eyed dreamers. What he needed Saldr to tell him was what any of this meant for Hallie. She was a part of this grand mess, and he was going to get her out of it even if she hated him.

She still hadn’t looked at him since they’d entered Anderson’s little hospital cell.

Sergeant peered in again. “Apologies for the interruption, but Lady Clara Shackley has just—”

He didn’t even finish the sentence before Jove pushed past him into the ward. Kase’s mother hesitated, but Kase gestured with his head, still holding back the gray-and-brown striped bed linen that separated Niels from Anderson. “I’ll fill you in on anything important.”

She gave him a look that most definitely said, If you run off or do anything stupid, you will pay dearly for it.

It was one of the looks she’d perfected over the course of the last twenty-something years, and Kase had never appreciated it more than that moment, just happy she was there to make it.

Shocks, he’d been through it the last few days…no, months. And he still had more to go.

Once Jove and his mother were gone and the hanging sheet fell back in place, Hallie poked the floating symbols. They flashed in response, but they didn’t seem to help her puzzle out whatever problem she was trying to solve in her head. “But Niels didn’t have an Essence power.”

“He has experienced the same type of injury, as he was cut with Kainadr’s sword.

Both Master Enright and your friend have hemorrhaging souls, which is the best way I can describe it in your language.

With each passing moment, their souls lose more and more of their Spirits, and will continue to bleed until they become nothing but husks.

Your friend is not so far gone as Master Enright, but I…

I wish I had a better prognosis. Lady Fely was linked with the Cerl King, which makes her the vessel that holds Soul or Spirit when the Cerl King siphons the source from someone.

It’s a facet of time manipulation, like the other Essence powers. But without the King present…”

“So they’ll both just wither away?” Kase asked, stepping up beside Hallie. She didn’t move away. A good sign. “Lady Fely can’t help them?”

“Even if she was able to give these two men Soul, it would only be a temporary fix. The veil wounds would not heal. Ancient writings speak of this being a relatively new phenomena, but others believe it to be an effect of the Dawn.” The Yalv took a slow breath, composing himself.

“I am uncertain as to their ultimate fates. Neither one has suffered a large ripping of their souls, according to the readings here.” He waved at the floating symbols.

They flickered a little as his hand passed through. “But even a little is enough…”

To kill them. Despite being left unspoken, the words rang through the hospital room like a gong.

Hallie’s voice was heavy as she asked, “Is there anything that can possibly be done?”

“Not that I am aware of,” Saldr said as he stepped back from the two unconscious men. He nodded at Kase, who let the makeshift curtain fall, hiding Niels from view once more. “I am sorry.”

“So we just…wait for them to die?” Kase stared down at Anderson. He hadn’t moved the entirety of the conversation. Miss Lieber looked a little too pale herself.

Saldr snapped his fingers, and the glowing symbols faded away. “We must wait. Whatever the outcome, it will be the will of Toro.”

They were silent for a moment before Petra rose. “I will go inform his mother of his return. She will want to see him.”

And then she left. Only Kase, Hallie, and Saldr remained. If Saldr said there was nothing, the blanket probably wouldn’t do a thing. Right?

“But Kainadr—the original—was able to do it,” Hallie said before he could ask, sliding down the wall and taking a seat. She looked just as tired as Kase felt, and it was only probably just after midday. He needed to go to training soon, but he didn’t want to miss Saldr’s response.

“Only the strongest Chronals are honored by the Sword, which is our way of living beyond death—we leave our soul in a sword created from the Gate. Yalven Chronals are gifted with magic, or as we say, a Calling.” Saldr clasped his hands behind his back and turned away from Anderson.

“I am a Chronal, as was my brother, Rodr—as is Lady Fely. Your Calling determines the sword you will become in death. My brother, Rodr…” Saldr paused for a moment, then continued, “His sword makes the wielder excellent at hunting and controlling prey. Others can make plants grow or transport people thousands of miles in the blink of an eye. Your friend Benjamin Reiss is the Essence of Keys, which allows him to manipulate the Gate’s timelines, and with his possession of Rodr’s sword when he entered the Gate, he was able to use it to bring back that terrifying beast, the dragonar, from a land we believed sealed off eons ago. But I digress…

“Kainadr and Xera were the greatest of us all. They lived in the time before the Dawn and were raised in Toro’s light together.

Inseparable until Kainadr was drawn into the darkness, joining the forces of Jagamot.

He was an unmatched warrior with a sword forged by Toro himself.

Xera was a fighter in her own right, but her particular gift was healing.

She was also gifted a sword, one of light.

“Knowing that Kainadr was the pride of the Yalven nation, his betrayal stung, but to his wife, Xera, the wound was deeper. It drove her. Jagamot grew stronger as more and more of my ancient brethren joined his cause.

“In the Dawn, Xera and Kainadr met on the battlefield, their fighting fueled by rage, anguish, and betrayal.

In the end, Kainadr wounded Xera. As she lay dying in the dirt, Kainadr gave up his allegiance to Jagamot, giving up his power and his sword.

Losing his greatest asset, Jagamot took a near-fatal blow from Toro.

“Kainadr begged Xera to hold on, to live, but it was not only the physical wound. Kainadr was the one who dealt it. Her soul had been damaged beyond repair. Desperately, he pleaded with Toro to take his life instead of hers.” Saldr wiped his brow with the sleeve of his robe.

“The legend states that Kainadr’s wish was granted, but as for the truth of it, we do not know.

Only their swords remain, fueling the Gates for eternity—”

“Until the return of Jagamot,” an accented voice said as the curtain was swept aside.

Fely entered and looked down on Anderson.

“The General has questionable methods, but he knows combining the five Essences into the swords and then giving them back to the Gate will allow Toro to vanquish the darkness once and for all.”

Saldr shook his head. “What the Essence of Light doesn’t know is a sliver of Toro still exists inside Valora. He cannot complete the ritual without it.”

“The waiting place in the afterlife?” Hallie asked, her voice shaking a little. “But why did Correa not use the Lord Elder for this? Why make me take on his Essence? What was his intent?”

Kase ached to go to her, but he didn’t know what he could do besides holding her. And after their argument, he wasn’t sure if she wanted that. So instead, he tortured himself by standing by and watching as Saldr laid out her fate.

Fely looked at Saldr, eyes shadowed. Saldr took Hallie’s hand in his.

“Because we Yalven Chronals believe it best to reset the Aurora Gate in Myrrai, which would mean resetting time. The Lord Elder was waiting until it was known what the future held, what details the final battle would paint. And if all would be lost, he would use his power to reset the Gate. In the end, we would be better prepared to fight Jagamot. None of our prophecies or writings detail how to defeat Jagamot decisively—only theories.”

“Without Kainadr’s sword to take the Lord Elder’s Essence power, the General needed someone else who would be weak enough in the power to manipulate into his own plan,” Fely said. “And the Essence of Time can only be passed down a familial line.”

“But Navara,” Hallie said. “She was supposed to take the Essence power from him, but she ran to stop that from happening. Why do that if the Lord Elder was going to hold on to the power?”

Saldr chewed his lip. “Raern was never going to pass it to her. He’d always planned on letting her go.”

“Then why did he pass it to me? What purpose did that serve in his grand plan?”

Both Saldr and Fely were silent. Kase didn’t know what to think.

He didn’t understand much, only that it didn’t sound good for Hallie.

And his heart was breaking for her, for him, for the life they could have lived.

For the future they might never have. Because, it seemed, she was always doomed to serve a higher purpose.

Still, a sliver of reckless hope stuck in him, some spark of determination to find a way out of this. He just needed to figure out how.

Saldr looked sadly at Hallie. “I do not know, but as the Essence of Time, he certainly had a reason. We must trust his judgment…and prepare you for the end.”