Chapter 38-Broken Soul
Tanui slowed to a stop, placing his hands on his knees as he paused to catch his breath. It had been two long days of traveling on foot so far but he knew they weren't even close to getting to Arxa's cave. His hand was slowly getting better, although he had accidently curled it up into a ball right as they had been setting out for the morning, the pain barely letting him hiss out a stream of curses before he had crouched down and wondered whether it would be better for him to just cut the limb off and save himself anymore agony. Ladetis had butted in just as he had slipped out a knife from inside the robe he still wore, informing him that it was unwise to slice off a valuable part of one's body. Caring less about the remark, he had stood and flung the weapon into a tree, before grumbling to himself as he later pulled the blade out and returned it to within his cloak. Now his side had finally stopped bleeding during the night, and Tanui was grateful that he had let his dragon sniff the flesh wound before the hatchling had drawn its head back and breathed on the injury. Dragons, it seemed, had an innate ability to heal wounds with their breath, something Amia had failed to inform him of during his years spent in underground training for when he was to replace Tamli and kill the original.
We cannot afford to waste much time here. The deep bass tone of his dragon surprised Tanui at first, but he was calmed when the white hatchling clawed its way up beside him, its topaz irises observing him with a mixture of held-back concern and interest.
Indeed. Tanui was surprised by how quickly it became second-nature for him to communicate with Ladetis at a moments notice, something else that only made it more obvious he was a clone of the hybrid Tamli.
Ladetis snorted in mock amusement before Tanui stepped forward to resume their journey to Arxa's cavern. Taking an initial step, he cringed as a spasm of pain jetted up from his hand. He ignored the stinging sensation and took another step, only to fall to his knees. Searing pain burned through him, his head the central point of the agonizing misery. A soft snort from his bonded partner broke his concentration and Tanui glanced at his injured hand, only to scream as more anguish poured through him. Squeezing his eyes shut, the clone cradled his head in his hands, trembling even as his dragon tried to comfort him as best it could.
Realization slowly dawned on Tanui as he fought to not be overwhelmed by the pain, understanding the reason Amia had kept their purpose of existing a secret for so long. Plagued by his half-crazed mind, the clone desperately sought out his partner-of-mind, knowing he had to tell the dragon the truth before things grew too out of hand. As expected, the fledgling was skeptical at first but eventually understood the risk Tanui was taking to speak with it.
Master, what ails you?
Tanui gritted his teeth together, straining with all his might to overcome the only lasting side-effect from the cloning process used to give him life. I need to tell you something, Ladetis, and I need you to hear me out and not interrupt, okay?
The dragon hummed, coming to stand beside his rider. Good, I'm a clone of Tamli Dragonsbane. Amia Nekita made me with the idea he might conquer Tamli and the dragons of the Compound by using a cloned hybrid army, of which I am a part of, not by choice though. When we first joined, I realized everything I had been taught was wrong. I could live my own life outside of the role I had been created for, you showed me that Ladetis. But now I . . .
Tanui, Ladetis growled, gently nuzzling the clone as he cried out in pain. Why would I leave you? You're the only family I have now, seeing as my family was nearly destroyed by you in the first place. I have since made peace with your actions and I will stand by your side, whatever path you may go down.
A faint smile forced its way onto his face, but Tanui could care less about showing emotion. His dragon, the same one he might have murdered had its parents not come at just the right time to prevent him from killing all three hatchlings, was willing to stand by him through the craziness that would come to them. Despite his current agony, Tanui was pleased with Ladetis for speaking so boldly about something that had worried him since they had escaped from the Compound.
Thank you, my friend.
The compliment was short lived as Tanui blacked out moments later. Ladetis stood guard over the unconscious rider, but stepped aside once several cloaked figures came from where they had been going to with the promise of helping the cloned hybrid. Following the robed men seemed the best option for the dragon, and so he did, all the while keeping an eye on his partner-of-mind.
Tanui jolted awake, alarmed to find that he was strapped down onto a table by thick metal bindings. He frantically scanned the area around him, searching for Ladetis. There was so much more he had wanted to tell the young dragon, but he seemed alive at least from what he could tell. A large lamp hung above his containment and the clone squinted, barely making out the shape of something human before a voice spoke.
"I see you've recovered rather well from the incident that befell you." The tone was similar to his own, if not slightly more crisp.
"Who are you?" He asked, surprised by how rough and ragged his vocal cords were.
The light was dimmed and Tanui blinked, adjusting his eyesight to the much softer blue light that gave the chamber some depth. He was clearly laying on a table against one of the walls of the room, as the other three walls where filled with large tubes big enough to hold someone his own size. Now that his vision was back to normal, he glanced around to find the source of the voice he had heard. At the edge of the table near his feet stood a near perfect replica of himself. Black hair cut short barely covered the man's head while his eyes stared eerily back at Tanui, their near-identical irises locking immediately.
"I'm surprised you failed to recognize me right away," the man smirked, laying a hand on Tanui's leg as if to reassure him that he was safe.
Tanui knew he wouldn't feel completely safe until Ladetis was right beside him but he played along, figuring he might find out where he was and where his dragon happened to be so they could escape and continue on to the cavern Arxa had used before she disappeared. He growled, straining against his restraints as he tried to force his way into the mind of the person standing before him. A mocking smile slowly appeared on the man's face as Tanui raged with every once of strength inside him to uncover where he was being kept.
"There's no need to get all worked up, Tanui."
He froze. The voice was from his past, not Tamli's, but from when he was still new to being a clone of the hybrid rider. Amia had done nearly the same thing, chaining him to a table after he had passed out, mocking him and slowly tearing at his sanity. It was a wonder he had survived even that, but he was strong for being what he was. Relaxing, he stared up at the man, trying to figure out who the individual might be that mocked him so much.
"Gregal," he muttered after a moment, picking up on a small scar that ran the length of the man's chin and left a ropy red line zigzagging over the once smooth feature.
"Nice to see you've rejoined the land of the living, Tanui. Don't worry, your dragon's here and eagerly awaiting you."
"How do you know about . . .?"
Gregal smiled, moving over to work on getting the restraints off Tanui. "Because he invaded my mind and threatened to kill me if you didn't survive. I think he's been talking to that phantom spirit for a few hours once I assured him you would live."
"Phantom spirit? I don't understand."
"Well, she's particularly visible sometimes and other times she looks see-through. We're calling her that because of the trait, but she is beautiful. Black hair, twilight grey eyes, a muscular frame worth drooling over . . ."
Tanui tuned everything out past the part about the spirit having black hair. Was it possible that they had uncovered the soul of Tamli's former love interest as a human? The description sounded accurate enough but he needed further proof.
"Where is my dragon?" He asked, trying hard not to raise his voice even though he was starting to get annoyed.
"Well," Gregal muttered, breaking off the restraints slowly as if to draw out the conversation longer. "He was outside the room a few moments ago but now I'm not-"
Tanui ripped his freed hand away from the table and grabbed the fellow clone by its neck, pulling it closer to him. A fierce icy stare of determination revealed his motives as he squeezed harder, nearly bringing Gregal down on top of him. He would find out where Ladetis was or whoever got in his way would be killed.
"Tell me where my dragon is Gregal or I promise to make your life miserable."
Gregal squirmed, trying to get his hands around Tanui's as it held vice-like around his throat. The clone rider sighed in disgust and let his grip go, only to finish breaking free of the restraints himself. He jumped to his feet and reached for where his sword usually hung at his side. Discovering that the sheath was empty, he focused on the fellow clone as it recovered and backed away.
Launching into a full run, Tanui rammed into Gregal, knocking the man down to the ground. His hands automatically locked around the clone's neck again, with twice the power of his original hold. In his frenzied state, he failed to recognize that the door to the room opened forcefully, admitting the very individual he had been so concerned over finding the whereabouts of since he had awoke.
Stop.
The growl ran through Tanui like an icy jolt of realization. He removed his hands from Gregal's neck and stood up, avoiding the gaze of Ladetis as the hatchling stared him down. A flurry of emotions passed from his dragon and he felt ashamed for how his bonded partner had seen him since he had regained consciousness.
"Thank you, dragon," Gregal remarked as he gingerly rubbed his neck and got his feet, keeping far from the reach of Tanui in case the hybrid rider wanted to attack him again.
I came at just the right time, I see. Ladetis focused his gaze on Tanui, ignoring the rider's averted stare. You knew better, Tanui. Had Nethial not alerted me to the danger, he would have died and you would have had more blood upon your hands. First my siblings and then nearly your own fellow clone.
Nethial, Tanui assumed it was her given the silent approach, appeared next to Ladetis, her arms crossed and her eyes barely wore a low cut black tunic with a grey belt, complete with black pants. Her hair still radiated the same blackness it had held millenniumsago during her youth in paradise, despite the untrimmed appearance. Violent grey eyes peered out from half-closed eyelids as she observed both clones before her attention shifted to Ladetis. Tanui could easily see she had some feelings toward his dragon, not surprising since Tamli had been part dragon since his birth.
"Nethial, is it? I don't want any trouble as I cannot explain why I went after Gregal in a frenzied state."
Her gaze flickered over to him but she merely said nothing in reply. Tanui collected his hands behind his back and turned his attention to Ladetis. The dragon ignored him for a moment before it allowed them to speak to each other in the confines of their minds.
I'm sorry, Tanui admitted, briefly averting his gaze again. As I told Nethial, I don't know what came over me. One minute I was perfectly fine with being restrained and then-
You were restrained? The surprise in his dragon's tone startled Tanui before he realized the hatchling knew nothing of what had happened after he had regained consciousness.
I was, although I'm not sure why. Ladetis growled, flickering the tip of his tail. Okay, maybe I went on a similar frenzied state and they had to confine me to the table?
Nethial shook her head, pointing a finger toward the tubes Tanui had seen on the three sides of the room. It was easy to get the message without words being spoken. There was something about her that made Tanui uneasy, something he couldn't put a finger on.
One should not force another to give out information they wish to be kept secret, correct?
The voice was not Ladetis's but still held a faint growl to it, a trait of the scaled beasts. Every eye turned to the entrance to the chamber and Ladetis let out a low hiss at seeing who stood in the doorway. Another clone, its hair speckled white and having purple irises, leaning up against the doorframe with a slight smirk. Before Tanui could do anything, Ladetis had turned around and leapt over to the second copy he had met. The dragon tore into the unsuspecting clone, blood staining its claws and fangs, even as its teeth shone with a faint green tint. No screams could be heard because the poor man had no time to even realize he was being ripped apart by a fledgling dragonet.
"Poison," Tanui muttered under his breath, watching as Ladetis splattered the once clean walls with droplets of blood.
Nethial glanced first at Ladetis and then at Tanui, seemingly interested in his reluctance to interfere and quell his dragon's rage. She muttered something inaudible, yet Tanui could tell the babble was directed toward Ladetis. He wasn't sure what she had said but he felt it might be better not to know.
"Why not stop him? He's as worked up as I am. This place does that to you," Tanui replied, motioning to Gregal who was massaging his throat and avoiding any glance sent his way.
Nethial seemed reassured by the answer, returning her gaze to Ladetis as the dragonet finished his bloody moment of rage and licked his jaws clean. Tanui chuckled, amused by the behavior as it so closely reflected his own following the murder of Ladetis's siblings. He had acted as if nothing was wrong, that was how he escaped the first time from the Compound. Leaving with the fledgling had been more of a challenge but he was still surprised Sitedal had not taken after them.
Forgive me for that, Ladetis snorted as he returned to his master's side, regret clearly visible in his expression. As with my master's own experience, I had no control and merely lashed out. To lose another clone is a pity but I cannot say the deed was done out of pure rage . . .
Tanui knew the hidden meaning behind the dragon's words, noting that Ladetis still held tightly to the family he had left, despite his words before they had come to where they were now. He figured the hatchling would despise him for his actions, yet Ladetis was gentle with him and refused to place blame on him even with knowing what had been done. Doing the same action again would be difficult now with the calming presence of his mentally-bonded partner by his side.
"You used poison during that encounter," Tanui remarked, addressing his verbal words toward his dragon so all could hear what he had discovered during the fight.
Ladetis snorted, glancing down at his claws. Poison? How, since I have barely entered the world?
"It's simple. He is a descendent of Arxa and Tamli so there's no telling what element the hatchlings might have possessed . . ."
Tanui couldn't bare to say any more on the subject. He still blamed himself for the destruction he had caused out of malice. Meeting Ladetis had shone unnatural warmth into his life, leading him to rethink the brutal double murder he had inflicted upon Sitedal and Verdra. Out of the darkness of that tragedy had come his poison-welding partner, the only one he could truly call a friend.
"I believe you are needed in Arxa's cavern, Tanui and Ladetis," Gregal commented, motioning for them to leave the room and continue their journey, sliding Tanui's sword into its sheath as they passed.
"Fine," Tanui muttered under his breath as the former rider's spirit led them out of the room and onward toward the darkness that had tore so much from what had once been a peaceful dragoness.
Tanui stopped just outside the room, putting a hand on Nethial's shoulder to get her to stop. She glanced at him angrily, then her expression changed to one of confusion. Ladetis snorted, nudging Tanui to move on, but a simple remark within their joined minds convinced the dragonet to let things be.
"You don't have to keep up the illusion, Nethial," Tanui whispered, giving her a soft smile of assurance. "How long have you stayed here by yourself?"
'Years, and years, and years,' she muttered, crossing her arms over her mid-section and shivering as if the temperature had dropped severely, which it hadn't.
Do you know who you are? Ladetis added, realizing his master's intent to get her to talk to them.
'I am power, I am useless, I am broken,' Nethial babbled as she erupted into mad laughter, sliding to the floor.
The darkness has consumed you, broken you into frail pieces that cannot find a way of relief, Ladetis hummed, reaching over to nuzzle her in comfort.
Nethial shrieked at the contact, sliding away from Ladetis as if he had hurt her. Tanui glanced his dragon and Ladetis snorted, glancing at Nethial with sympathy.
"Nethial," Tanui commanded, squatting down next to her as she brought up her hands to shield her face from him, "let us help you. Ladetis and I can work with you to restore what was once yours."
'Never,' she raspily hissed, revealing that her perfect-looking clothes had been another illusion she had created. Rags tied around her wrists, legs, and chest prevented Tanui from seeing most of what he recognized as large burns. How she had gotten them, he had no idea.
Ladetis growled, wrapping his tail around her leg. Tanui watched as his dragon locked eyes with the tortured former rider, realizing that she had been killed in the war between Corruption and the ones that wanted peace, over ten thousand years ago. If she had spent that length of time locked within the darkness, it was obvious what had happened. Rehabilitation would be much more difficult for her, possibly even unattainable.
'You know nothing about me!' She cried as Ladetis glanced back at Tanui and let loose a small puff of smoke.
"You died in the war to save our ancient home. Tamli held your body and watched it perish. I should know, I have his memories."
Nethial seemed to perk up somewhat, her attention turning to Tanui. 'Tamli.' She trembled, lifting a hand to her head. 'It's been so long without comfort . . . without Attor's touch on my mind. I'm useless, I'm nothing more than a frail shell of who I once was.'
You hold secrets about Corruption we could use to destroy its control, Ladetis snorted. Tell us, what do you want most of all?
'Revenge,' Nethial whispered, softly at first then her tone darkened. 'It took my mind, my link to everything around me. Darkness everywhere, unbearable silence . . . no contact with anyone.' Her eyes focused on Tanui, the grey irises lit with an unnatural fire, something they hadn't seen from her since they had forced her to drop the illusion.
Ladetis hummed, standing between the two. Tanui managed a light smile, helping Nethial to her feet. Most of the skin she still had was blackened, either peeling away or barely holding on, hidden mostly by dirty bandages. He tried his best to ignore her wounds, realizing he would eventually have to treat them if they were to begin her recovery. Healing her mind would be difficult, getting her over her apparent fear of contact from Ladetis also had to be solved.
"How are we going to get out of here?" Tanui asked, placing a hand on her back.
Nethial quivered but said nothing, closing her eyes as she dug her fingers into her arms, releasing fresh blood that oozed down the blackened limbs. Tanui glanced at Ladetis, unsure of where to go, when the dragon hissed, turning its head back toward the direction they had come from. No words were needed to understand that Gregal was coming after them, probably still enraged over the brutal attack from Tanui.
Hurry! This way! Ladetis growled, leaping ahead as Tanui followed without hesitation, grabbing one of Nethial's arms and dragging her along behind him. Their path led them through twisting corridors and finally they came to an area where a small tunnel branched off of the main path.
Within moments, several pairs of hungry eyes shone through the blackness that had shrouded the hallway, on either side save for the offshoot. Tanui made the mistake of letting go of Nethial and, no sooner had he barely lifted his hand from her arm, she took off down the narrow path, shrieking madly all the way. Ladetis growled, crouching on the ground as both he and Tanui observed their enemies that hid within the shadows.
Go and comfort her, the dragon commanded, snarling as the eyes moved closer, nearly surrounding them. I will fight for a way free. She needs someone there to help her regain who she was and you seem to be fit for that task.
Tanui shook his head, drawing his sword as he pressed tight to the dragonet's left side. I'm not leaving you here, Ladetis. She'll need a dragon's help to conquer her tortured mind-
No she won't, Ladetis contradicted, whipping his tail around in the space between them that led to the hall Nethial had fled into. Now go!
With that, several clones jumped to attack them, most of them springing for Ladetis. Tanui slipped past the ones that were trying to attack him and hurried down the hallway in search of Nethial, sheathing his sword as he did so. The hall opened into a circular room with several broken pillars of stone, making them perfect seats. The center of the room was lower than the surrounding area, the pit the ideal shape to build a large fire. Nethial huddled in the center, stroking burned-out coals to life as she alternated between fits of laughter and sobbing. Tanui realized this was where she had gotten the large burns from, self-mutilation for the damage within her mind. As she got the flames going, he took a step forward, only to send her scrambling back behind a pillar.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he promised, squatting down at the entrance to the room, twitching as he felt Ladetis get clawed in the face by a clone that had taken Tamli's dragon forme.
'No,' she spat, peering out from the column. Tanui chuckled, placing a hand out before him to balance himself.
He waited until she darted to hide against another pillar before he stood back up and walked to the center of the room, kneeling next to the roaring blaze. "There's no danger to you," Tanui assured her, trying to coax her out into the open.
Nethial hesitated before slowly inching away from the broken formation of rock, keeping an eye on him while she neared the fire. Through the flames that helped to cast light on the dark rocks, her grey eyes seemed lit with insanity, something Tanui realized might be the case. He briefly wondered how Ladetis was faring in the fight, ashamed he had left the dragon to deal with the twenty clones that had tried to ambush them.
'Victory frees me. But these . . . chains . . .' Nethial snarled, lifting a hand to her head as she closed her eyes. 'The chains are the easy part. It's what goes on inside that's hard.' She descended back into another fit of hysterical sobbing.
"Then you must work harder to eliminate them." The voice wasn't Tanui's, in fact he barely had time to register that knowledge before Nethial lunged at him, knocking him to the floor as she ripped his sword free from its sheath, back on her feet in seconds with her eyes open and alert for danger.
Craning his neck, Tanui caught a glimpse of white hair and red eyes, a clear sign that one of the clones had escaped Ladetis and had come to kill both him and Nethial. He rolled onto his stomach, glancing up as he saw Nethial drive the copy backwards with a fierce blow that nearly broke the imitator weapon her foe wielded. She inched forward, shifting her hold on the metal as she switched to a backhanded grip, something he had never seen before used by anyone other than what Tamli's memories revealed.
'Liar,' Nethial hissed as she threw herself at her enemy, sending him into a wall as she pinned him there with her right arm, her left holding the blade she had snatched from Tanui.
Tanui watched as she twisted her wrist, plunging the steel into her victim's chest even as he cried out for mercy. Nethial gave the metal a twist to make sure he was dead before she ripped the blade free, letting the body slide down the wall and land in the debris left by the rocks around them. Somehow, she still had that ability to kill ruthlessly, a skill all riders had possessed with varied accuracy. Even with the memories in her mind distorted, her muscle memory was incredible.
He forced himself to his feet, watching as she knelt near the still warm corpse, lifting up one of its arms. "You aren't going to eat it, are you?" He asked, worried she might have become cannibalistic during her long exile.
Nethial snorted, chuckling slightly. 'No.'
"Good, I was worried," Tanui admitted as she put the sword on the ground and started to unwrap the bandage on her left arm. After a while, she tore the fabric off, retying the material back into place, and picked the weapon back up, using the dirty cloth to wipe the blade clean of blood.
'Here,' she muttered, passing him back his blade, the metal as smooth as when he had copied it from Tamli's own sword.
Tanui accepted the sword, sliding it back into place in its sheath as Nethial turned from the dead body to the fire, gazing long into it before her gaze briefly rose to the entrance of the room. He heard the sound a moment before she looked up and he halfway turned, watching as Ladetis slowly came in. The dragon's fangs were bright red with the blood of his foes but long scratches marred his once glistening scales. Four particularly deep claw marks had bloodied the right side of his snout and teeth marks lined his neck, his scales deflecting most of the stronger bites.
'He will send more,' Nethial remarked as she returned to gazing at the fire, Tanui walking over to place a hand on Ladetis's shoulder.
I knew I shouldn't have left you all of those to fight, he admitted as the dragonet snorted softly, the wind from the exhale tossing his hair around and leaving it speckled with drops of blood.
You did what was right, Ladetis hummed, gazing down at Tanui before shifting his attention to Nethial. You seem better, healthier than you were.
'I am.' Her reply was bitter, leaving Tanui to turn and cross over to where she stood. He was about to place a hand on her arm when he noticed she was unwrapping the bandage on her right arm, revealing fresh, normal looking skin that seemed out of place with all her burns. 'This is the truth,' she growled, giving him a brief glance out of the corner of her eye. 'I may have been . . . alone for many years but some of who I am remained, prompting me to wait until someone came who I felt worthy to help me. Hear me out, poison-wielder Ladetis and cloned hybrid Tanui, I want one thing. Help me find my dragon, the one I lost at my bodily death. I will help you then defeat the . . . shadows.'
But your mind, Ladetis argued, isn't it still damaged? Do you even know what your dragon's name is anymore?
'I remember, deep inside,' she replied, holding the cloth she had taken from her arm, dangling it over the flickering fire. 'Will you?'
"We shall," Tanui answered after a moment. Nethial sighed out of relief and dropped the wrapping, letting the hungry flames devour the thin fabric. "I promise you, we will help."