> There are old reports of lands where names hold meaning, or of foods granting emotions. The Iteri wrote about these lands and wondered if the Jaan were something unique as no matter where they went, they saw souls.
>
> - Of Myth and Legend, The Jaan.
William knelt beside his tree until he felt he could move. Often times he felt the need to just get away from everything, a habit he picked up as a kid. He didn’t have a mother or a father and often kept to himself whenever he could. He didn’t miss those days, in fact, they were horrible, but every day for as long as he could remember had been horrible. One long chain of events where he would suffer, rest, and then suffer again. It never truly stopped.
He closed his eyes and pressed the back of his head against the tree, and recalled the Jaan, and how familiar they felt. They talked about Sin, and how great she was. William never met her, but based on what the Jaan talked about, she sounded wonderful. A great woman who accepted everyone no matter their life choices. While William felt he could never forgive Rykard, or himself, he thought of Sin in the same way he guessed people thought of a mother, as someone who loves without conditions.
The wind pressed against his face, the crickets chirped, and the sound of the trees swaying danced through his ears and into his mind. A moment of clarity, a moment of solitude. He breathed deeply and heard nothing. The crickets stopped singing, and the rustling of the leaves and wind ceased, too. Moving to the side he crept to a crouching position, ready to run, but right before he managed to sprint away, he found himself unable to get up, move, or run away.
In the distance, past where the moonlight allowed him to see, he heard the sound of leaves crunching. It took only a moment for an old woman followed by Sonverte, and other people William had never met before arrive. They numbered ten in total, including the woman and Sonverte. William glared at the band member, wondering what this was about, and why he couldn’t move.
“Sorry, Will. We’ve had our eye on you for a while. We couldn’t exactly get to you with your weapons beside you.” Sonverte scrunched up his shoulders as if what he had just said made the most sense in the world. William couldn’t move but felt pure confusion strike him. What weapons? What was he talking about? As if sensing his confusion, Sonverte continued, “the undead were always near you, Will. They’re terrifying, but we need that if things are going to change.”
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
More confusion. William felt certain that they didn’t understand what he could do, or that the undead weren’t weapons, they were people. Did they think he would control them? He looked at the group as best he could, and saw that the old woman was the same one he and Elena met, the Royal Tree. She still held an air of ancient wisdom, a knowing presence.
“We’ve been following you,” she said as she walked closer to William. “Especially today. We saw your allies get taken, and knew we only had moments to strike before the church got you.” She got so close that William realized with utter fear that he couldn’t move because of her. She knew how to use the binding technique that the Iteri used to enslave him. Why? How did she know? How could she use it? “We knew to look for you because of that girl, Elena. You got so close to me, and still couldn’t tell that I felt for your soul. I thought it was a mistake at first, but you’re truly unable to fathom your own power.”
She looked at him through wizened eyes, almost pitying. “I would’ve taken you at that time, but taking a random person, and being discovered, that would have proven unwise. So, we followed as best we could. Now, we have you.” The Royal Tree turned back towards the group, her figure grew taller, her skin more vibrant and full of life. Her lose clothing tightened, and clung to her figure, and her posture corrected.
With dark skin, green eyes, and hair pulled back by a scarf, she looked every bit as royal as she felt. Her demeanor felt commanding, imposing, and powerful. “Come now, Necromancer. There is work to be done.”
William rose to his feet. Unnaturally, he walked, feeling as though his body were no longer his. He nearly stumbled before the Royal Tree altered the connection, letting him move more naturally, but still well within her control. Thoughts, fragments, and information dripped into William’s mind. His capture was not from this place. The images he saw didn’t make sense, and the impressions he felt made it feel as though her home was far away, too far for him or anyone to get to. One thing was for sure, she needed something, and she was the Royal Tree.
William then felt a familiar presence in the memories, one of the Jaan he knew and protected. The creature could change its shape to that of any other creature, living or dead. A part of William knew that the woman before him was her true form, and another part knew that she had either killed or found that kind of Jaan’s bones. Even in death, they accept anyone. She must have found a loophole. William recalled the Iteri saying that only people from this land could use the Iteri magic, but Rykard and now this woman knew a way around the limitation.
He tried to resist, to go against her order, and free himself. But, just as every other time he found himself in this trap, he could not force the bond to turn on the caster. Just like every time before, his soul reacted as if it were a Jaan, forced to obey, forced to accept the other soul, just as Sin herself accepted everyone.