A Burning Sea by Theodore Brun (i am reading a book txt) 📕

The emperor’s tongue was erect and quivering. There was panic in his eyes. His face was turning blue. Lilla pulled at Erlan’s shoulders but to no avail, and then a fist flew in from nowhere, slamming into Erlan’s skull and snapping back his head. He lost his grip on the emperor and went sprawling to the ground. Einar flung himself on top of Erlan, smothering his head and shoulders with the full mass of his brawn. ‘Work your bloody magic, priest!’ he bellowed. ‘Quickly now! I can’t hold him for long!’

Domnicus ignored the bloody stream from his nose and kneeled over Erlan’s writhing body. He lifted the gold cross high and then pressed it down hard again on Erlan’s chest, crying, ‘Azazel! In the name of Christ, I command you once more – COME OUT OF THIS MAN!’

Erlan saw only a dark shadow hovering over him, a great span of black spread above him like an eagle’s wings; he felt sharp talons tight around his neck, choking him and choking. His body was filled with pain and black despair. And then all of a sudden a beam of light pierced like a spear-shaft straight through the huge hovering shadow, driving deep into his stomach, ripping through the wall of muscle and flesh, opening up a great cavity in his abdomen that sent blood gushing out of him. He looked down and was bewildered: the shaft of light was now a pair of hands buried deep in his body. He felt heavy. So heavy. The hands pulled and suddenly in their strong fingers they held the links of a massive chain. They pulled and pulled and a long length of chain poured forth from his stomach. The hands pulled again and still more came – blood-slick black metal, brute and scarred, link after link, yard after yard, it came out of him, absurdly long – and all the while he felt lighter and lighter until the hands stopped with a jolt. They pulled again hard but could not budge the last of the chain. Instead they reached inside him. He felt the hands moving in his innards, yet there was no pain now. They lifted and tore and tugged and all at once it was as if they had torn away roots sunk deep into him, and they had in their palms a massive metal lock, sharp-edged. They strained with one final effort and the lock dislodged at last. It was out of him. And then he watched and saw the hands dump the lock into something like a forge fire. At once the metal melted into a silver pool of liquid until out of the pool rose a blade. . . a sword. . . a weapon of such shining, silvered beauty that it took away his breath. . . Above him, the shadow was gone.

He lay completely still. For a few moments, all was silence in the octagonal hall. Lilla wondered, was he dead? Then he opened his eyes.

‘Erlan?’ said Lilla in a whisper.

‘Lilla?’ he croaked. It was his own voice again.

Domnicus was kneeling over him, panting for breath. Einar was there, breathing as hard. He grunted and flopped back on his arse, shaking his head in mute wonder. Lilla pulled Erlan upright and wrapped her arms around his neck, squeezing him tight to her chest.

‘Praise God,’ Domnicus murmured. ‘Praise God, praise God. . .’

‘What happened?’ said Erlan.

‘You’re free.’ The priest smiled. ‘The blood of Christ has set you free.’

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

‘You should be resting,’ said Lilla.

‘I can’t rest. Not now,’ replied Erlan, prodding gingerly at his throbbing skull. He winced. ‘The emperor needs me.’

‘You’re in no state to fight.’

He shook his head and immediately regretted it. ‘What can I do?’

They were alone. A last concession from the emperor before he went to his duty. She reached down and put her hand against his cheek. ‘Your eyes are different,’ she said, her voice softening. ‘Like a storm has passed. Do you feel it?’

‘Yes.’ The truth was, he felt as though a great stone had been lifted off his heart. ‘Just don’t ask me to explain it.’ She frowned and looked away. ‘Did you know what you were saying? When you were—’

‘No. What did I say?’

She shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter,’ she murmured and flicked away a stray lock of her hair. ‘Why did you try to kill Leo?’

‘I don’t know.’ He shook his head blankly. ‘I can only think that wasn’t me.’

‘I hope he believes that.’

‘Well, I can’t change what he believes. All I can do is fight for him.’

‘Gods, haven’t you done enough for him already?’ she blurted. ‘It’s madness that you go so soon. What just happened – you can’t pretend it was nothing.’

‘I’m not. I. . . Maybe in time I’ll understand what it was. But the battle that is here now is just as real.’

‘I know it is.’ She reached out and turned his chin to her, to look into her eyes. ‘But you must live, Erlan. And so must I.’

He stood and turned his back to her, knowing what she meant and why. ‘Lilla, I love you but. . . I don’t think I can go back to the north.’

‘What?’ she murmured, pulling him back to her. ‘Of course, you—’.

‘Look about you. Do we lack anything here? We could make this our home. There is a fight that needs to be won here. A fight that is worth fighting. I can’t go back to the north.’

‘You must. We must. Especially now I know where you’re from. Don’t you see? Your people can help mine. Already we are allies. With your people, we have the seed of an army.’

‘My folk don’t want me back. Nor would they follow me. I betrayed them. That bridge is burned. My father. . .’ He shook his head, staring into the air. ‘I cannot return there, I told you.’

‘I knew it,’ she scowled, her jaw hardening in disgust. ‘You’re still bound as tight as ever