The Heartstone Saga by Archibald Bradford (short novels in english .TXT) 📕

He felt a surge relief to see Milly and the others alright, but was still dreadfully afraid from what he still felt from Erica.

She was alive, but from the mess of emotions he felt from her, he knew she’d been found by some of the Antlions.

“My soldiers will hold the rest of them here!” Queen Julia proclaimed; “Lead me to my daughter young Aegis!”

With Erica fighting for her life, he didn’t need to be told twice.

“This way!”

The tunnel had many smaller passages that broke away from it, but following her heart in his mind, Nameless led them through the many twists and turns until they arrived at a spacious dome-ceilinged room with numerous crates pushed up against one wall and countless tiny ovular husks set against the opposite one.

Inside Erica was fending off two Tenebrae, relying on her superior speed and reflexes to evade their shovels and picks while her tail behind her was bloody and hanging at an odd angle.

Her stealth had failed her quite spectacularly.

“I cannot reach her!”

Near where the rest of them entered Volka was fighting through a half dozen more Antlions to try to get to her bond-sister, but they were holding her off too well.

When one of the Antlions became aware of the Katje, they all had, so a group of them had rushed to protect their dark queen and they fought with even more ferocity than before to protect her.

Frantic to save Erica, Milly got creative.

“Jez! Help her!” She seized the tiny monster off of the back of the soldier she’d been riding.

“Wuh-oh.” The Gripau ribbited once just as the Minotaur flung her over the heads of Volka and the Tenebrae locked in combat with her.

The flying froggy sailed through the air towards the embattled Katje, and right before she landed she shot her tongue out to wrap around one of them, dragging the dark girl down with her.

“Milly!” Jan growled out a whine at the cow’s side; “No throwing things!”

Now that he fight was suddenly one on one, Erica began to fare better, pulling herself close to the Antlion so that she couldn’t bring her shovel to bear and using everything she knew to grapple with her until she had her on the ground in an arm-lock, the Katje’s chest rising and falling rapidly.

“Kid!” Miranda shouted from one side; “Here! The queen is here! End this!”

Slumped to one side of the room was the Antlion Queen, her dark eyes were vacant as she directed her horde of workers in their losing battle against her mother’s forces.

With his girls protecting him from the Tenebrae in the room, Nameless pushed his concern for Erica down and rushed to save the queen.

Surrounded by the same broken husks that were adhered to the walls, she looked dreadful; her eyes were shallow in her skull, while her flesh was emaciated.

“Get it done Nameless!” Miranda barked from beside him.

With others having taken up her struggle, Volka joined her husband and together they loomed over the defenceless queen.

She still hadn’t reacted to their presence.

“Poor and wretched creature.” The Valkyrie declared as she took up the girl’s crown and handed it to Nameless; “Come back into the light, your mother awaits you!”

With her heartstone in Nameless’s hands, they entered her mind together.

__________

Immediately they knew something was off.

Just as they had discovered in Kettering, the Antlion Queen’s mind was paired with another.

But this was in the mind of one who already shared her thoughts with that of her colony. And this time the added layer of torment from being forced to share someone else’s thoughts had happened after she was already a Tenebrae.

More of Jonathan’s experiments.

As a result of the mental chaos Nameless’s mind was forced through a faceted kaleidoscope of sensations, emotions, and broken memories.

Not for the first time, and sadly not for the last, his Valkyrie saved him.

Husband, be calm. You are in control here. Govern her mind with yours, show her stillness. The pond by our cottage in the early morning. Water as calm and sacred as glass.

With each whisper the fragmented imagery faded from his thoughts as he focused on what she directed, drawing upon the light of his bond-mates’ hearts to hold himself steady.

Soon they floated together in the middle of the maelstrom within a safe bubble of their own creation.

Then Volka let out a mental chuckle.

Hey. That actually worked. Cool.

You didn’t think it would?!

I’ve told you: Empathic magic is new to humans. And you have done more with it in a few short years than most before you. Breaking new ground comes with risk.

Nameless sighed as he looked upon the madness still happening outside their bubble, able to focus on it now without fear of being torn asunder.

Now she tells me. How do we do this?

His angel’s golden presence at his side was as warm as ever, though he definitely felt her concern for the creature whose mind they had invaded.

Just as with Jonathan, it may be necessary for you to put her mind back together for her. To sort out what emotions and memories are her own, and cast aside those forced upon her. But this time we need not move about within her fractured psyche. Jonathan was human, while she is a monster without a bond. Her mind is more flexible. She will seek us out if we give her reason to.

That explains how I ended up bonded to Erica and Nina. The rules for this magic crap seem to change every time I get into it.

Together they watched as all around them scenes from the battle played out while the Antlion workers strove to overwhelm their enemy.

Why are they your enemy, um, Queen?

Nameless cast the thought out into the maelstrom; a clumsy