A Soldier's Life - 387 - Separation Anxiety (edited 5-3-25 +400 words, the changes will still not make the upset people happy, but it adds more detail and reasoning)

Chapter 387: Separation Anxiety

Evie was wide-eyed as her thin frame joined us. Her feather blonde hair was plastered to her head from dried sweat. Lexi had not stirred from her slumber.

“I felt her approach,” Evie said solemnly as she walked to join us tentatively.

“Evie, you need to kill her,” Castile said more forcefully than needed. Although Evie couldn’t understand the words, her tone was clear.

I relayed her words in English. “Evie, you cannot use your power like this. The undead are dangerous creatures. Anika needs to be allowed to rest.”

“I…I don’t know how. I know it was wrong, but when she collapsed from the lightning, I couldn’t help myself—I gave her all my power. I realized it was wrong. I told her to stay still. I didn’t know she followed us until I felt her approach,” Evie said meekly in a rambling reply.

I told the others, “Evie used her power to create Anika in the plaza. She controlled Anika and told her not to move. She knows it was wrong.” I said in her defense.

“Revenants heal overnight,” Castile expounded. “They can even restore missing flesh and bone. What they cannot do is be subjected to the will of another. Anika will eventually be free of Evie’s control.”

“Are you sure it’s a revenant?” I challenged Castile, knowing there were dozens of types of undead out there. Not that it mattered at this point.

“I am,” she said with certainty. “After the bone etcher, I wanted to know what he—it—was.” She looked at Anika again. “I am certain,” she said confidently.

I got goosebumps on my arms, and an urge to scratch my forearms arose. I looked at Castile as this was another secret she had kept from me. The runescriber who had peeled away our flesh and used styles to write runes on our bones was an undead. That raised so many more questions. The pale skin with black veins and dense, dark eyes matched what I saw through his mask.

“I will only be freed if Evie dies,” Anika’s unemotional voice intoned in Latin. Castile looked dubious. “I am tethered to Evie. I think…I think she can sever the tether, but that will not kill me. I still think I would protect her even if she released the puppet strings she has over me. That is my—purpose.”

“Do not trust her,” Castile said, surprisingly angrily as she stared down Anika’s still body. “The undead value life much differently. Remember our time in Caelora.”

“Will the kettle work on her?” I asked, breaking the tense standoff.

Castile nodded, eyes wide, realizing I had it. “It should. Remove her head so she cannot fight back, and then use the kettle on her,” Castile voiced caution.

“Anika needs to be put to final rest. Evie, is it alright?” I asked the blonde girl who was shivering in the cool night air. I was not sure how she would react if we just struck Anika down. She nodded hesitantly.

“I will not resist,” Anika said in her dry voice.

Evie stepped forward anxiously, causing everyone to tense. “When we get back to Earth, is there anything you want me to tell your family?” she asked Anika fervently.

Anika tilted her head unnaturally. She seemed to be seriously considering the question. “Just tell them I died and move on with their lives.” Evie nodded but seemed disheartened with the answer.

Magebane was already in my hand, and I stepped forward and approached. Anika’s black soulless eyes watched me. “It is not my place to ask something of you, but I ask you to continue to protect the children. I am already dead, you do not need to feel guilty, Eryk.” I think she was reading my cautious approach as hesitation. 

I had not studied the undead much in the dreamscape and Hearne did not have enough time to teach us everything about the unnatural creatures in Hound training. I did know revenants were as strong as wights, and I was certain she could overpower me if she wanted. She went down to all fours and pulled her hair away from her neck, exposing it for me in submission. My blade came down fast and hard. Her neck was tougher than the flesh of a human, and I only penetrated halfway. I lamented that I should have used the heavy bastard sword from the orc warlord for the beheading.

Still, it was enough as Anika crumbled to the ground. I noted the magebane did not pull my aether for its poison like it usually did when I cut into living flesh. I assumed there was no aether in her to react to the sword’s ability.

“The kettle,” Castile reminded me as I had frozen after the cut.

I held magebane while directing the kettle of souls at Anika’s body. When activated, thick purple smoke, denser than anything I had drained before, poured from the body. The kettle grew exceedingly cold, even through my spider silk gloves and the cold froze my fingertips as it worked. It took several seconds longer than usual as well, a testament to the power of the creature. Unlike the wights, Anika did not resist her final death.

“I…I can’t feel her anymore,” Evie said in a soft whisper.

“Go back to sleep, Evie. It is over,” I said, returning the kettle to my dimensional space. Evie guiltily retreated to her tent, knowing she had caused disruption with her act. The others looked at the body before moving back inside the structure, but Castile remained behind.

I moved a large block of earth to roll the body into. Castile was at my side as I prepared to bury her again. “Evie cannot come with us. She is starting to realize it herself. This,” she indicated Anika’s body, “shouldn’t be possible. At least, I do not know of any necromancer who can create a revenant without a ritual circle.”

“Is that how the bone etcher was made?” I asked tersely.

Castile bit her lip, realizing I was angry. “No. I…I think.” She paused for a long moment. “We think it was Caracalla Lepidus.”

“Who?” I asked, irritated.

“We are guessing. Caracalla was a medicus in the First Legion. We think Antonia recruited him to help heal the Empire. It is wild speculation on our part, but he wore a ring of the First Legion, and his face was terribly scarred from magical fire in the annals.”

“Why would a revenant help Antonia?” I asked, my anger subsiding and curiosity taking its place.

“Because he doesn’t want to see the Telhian Empire die and wither away,” Castile said. “Evie needs to be dealt with.”

“I am not killing her,” I asserted.

“I am not asking you to. Take her to one of the Death Hunter Strongholds. There is one in Esenhem, but I recall their primary stronghold is in Nausis—but I do not remember where. They recruit and train hunters there and should be able to send Evie to the Death Sentinels if they cannot train her,” Castile advised cautiously.

“The pair will not be separated,” I said, which caused Castile to frown.

Castile said slowly. “Lesna is learning your language, and she is good at explaining things. I am sure she can make them understand. It would be temporary—maybe a few years.” I knew too little of the organization to be sure that was the case. Castile obviously didn’t know much other than they did have necromancers in their order.

“And what if Lexi wants to come with Evie?” I countered and watched for Castile’s reaction.

She pursed her lips. “I will not stand in her way if that is her decision, Eryk. You know me better than that.” I didn’t say anything because I knew Castile was pragmatic above all else. With Octavian dead, she didn’t need to press for vengeance, but she didn’t want to see Lexi’s talents wasted. Castile left me to my grizzly task when I didn’t reply.

I rolled the body into the grave and covered her with the soil I had taken to create it. The night was quiet, except for a few noises from our camp. I felt compelled to say something. “Anika, I’m sorry you died. I will take care of the children in your place. Rest peacefully, and I hope your spirit can return to Earth now.”

I returned to my perch on the old oven and didn’t sleep as I had planned. In the morning, I rubbed down Ginger and handed out the last of my apples to all the horses. They had worked extremely hard to cover a lot of ground yesterday to get us a safe distance away.

When we continued, Lesna was between the girls most of the day, giving them language lessons. Lesna had an affinity for languages and was trying to learn English from the girls while teaching Telhian to them, which she herself had only learned in the past month and had been accelerated by her lengthy conversations with Benito. Her accent in Telhian mirrored Benito’s crass accent in the speech, which I found somewhat humorous.

Castile frequently interrupted to talk to Lesna, and I frowned as I could tell that Castile was getting Lesna’s help to plant the seeds to separate the girls. I might regret my decision later, but I didn’t interfere.

Two days later, we reached the outskirts of civilization and the eastern edge of the Dragon Spine Mountains. We began to head north. We were at the southern boundary where two kingdoms overlapped. These small communities existed mostly in limbo. If they needed protection, they belonged to the other kingdom; if they became prosperous and available for taxation, they earned the right to belong to the greater kingdom. The only good news for these people was that they did not have a lord governing them. Although these types of communities were often wiped out by the harsh creatures that roamed this world. 

We passed through a village burned years ago, and another that appeared abandoned. A walked the outskirts, and my earth speak told me dozens of human bones were just below the surface, but without a visible threat, we gave the town a wide berth.

Two days later, I sat on watch late at night on a rock overlooking our camp. Evie came out of her tent and joined me. She remained silent as she gazed at the sky for a long time. I wanted her to ask whatever question was on her mind.

“Are we ever going home? Lexi thinks we will one day, but will be so old that no one will remember us,” she said, rushing out the words in a whisper.  

“I promised I would try to get you home, but I cannot guarantee it.” I should have told her right then and there that it was impossible, but I didn’t have the heart to shatter her hope. As she grew up, she would come to that realization, like children stopped believing in Santa Claus.

“Would you come with me to the Death Sentinels? And not leave me there alone,” she finally asked. I could tell this was the question she had wanted to ask me. I wanted to get back to Raelia, but we had a long future ahead of us. A year or two away would not disrupt our relationship, as it was probably like a passing season to her elven longevity. I could send her a message sending to let her know I was just delayed and not avoiding her.

“I will ensure you get there safely and stay with you until you are comfortable,” I said reassuringly. It was what she wanted to hear, and I caught her nodding and smiling. I was not going to lie to her, so I would stay with her through her acclimation. How long it would take for them to train her to control her power was an unknown factor. Surprisingly, we talked about her family for the rest of the night and into the morning.

The next day, on the ride, I was not surprised when Castile was next to me. “It is done,” Castile said without any smugness. “Evie is willing to be trained by the Death Sentinels, and Lexi will come with us to Gramney to master her magic.” 

Two days later, we reached an intersection on the road and read the marker stones. The road north was the quickest way to get back to Gramney by heading to the capital of Gesedmuria, but east was the coast and the quickest passage to Nausis. I had decided against going to Esenhem as the Death Hunter castle would likely send us to Nausis anyway. 

I dismounted Ginger and rubbed her neck as I spoke to my companions. Everyone knew this separation had been coming for the last two days. “I will be taking Evie to be trained to control her gifts,” I announced to everyone.

“We are going with you,” Benito said excitedly, surprising me. The “we” was him and Lesna. Lesna had been privy to Castile’s machinations to convince the girls, so I was surprised she was coming with us, but I wouldn’t object to the help. The halfling illusionist had proven reliable and capable, although she was still finding her legs outside the urban environment. 

“I am going with you, as well,” Blaze announced, and I turned to him. My throat tightened a little, and I nodded in thanks. As soldiers were lost if we didn’t have a purpose. I was grateful they were willing to align their purpose with mine. I was sure Selene and Blaze had developed more than a purely physical relationship. There were enough social cues between them during the day that even I could pick up on them. However, Selene did not volunteer to come with us.

I waited, but apparently, that was all who would join us. We then had to wait while Lexi and Evie said their goodbyes. I was surprised that Evie was strong while Lexi cried an endless stream of tears. It was heartbreaking as the pair was the only one left from their group, and now they were forced to split up.

Castile, Selene, Helena, Sylph, and Lexi headed north toward Gramney. Blaze, Lesna, Benito, Evie, and I headed east toward the coast. The roads were poorly maintained, winding through sparsely populated lands. It was three days additional days of riding before we closed in on the coast. Lesna spent her days teaching Evie Telhian and helping her with her aether shaping. The ease at which she picked it up, was remarkable. Lesna even tried to help me with my own aether shaping at camp in the evening, but the best I could do was a thick, twisted string of aether. My aether sight helped tremendously, but I still couldn’t write out spell forms.

We passed through a small town and knew the coastal city was just a few miles beyond. We would get passage to Nausis from there, and I would have a chance to explain my delay in meeting her family in Raelia with a message sending. Benito and Blaze were a dozen yards ahead of us, and I had told them this was coming. “Evie, it is time for you to reenter my dimensional space. You don’t want to be discovered in the city, and I can get us to Nausis quicker this way,” I explained patiently. I hadn’t told Evie this was the plan, but I thought I could make her to understand.

She nodded and dismounted smoothly. She had become an excellent rider in the last two weeks. I think she was grinning, which caused me some confusion. I dismounted as well and reassured her. “No time will pass for you, and I will make sure it is safe before introducing you to the Death Hunters.”

Evie nodded, and I tried to move her to my space. There was a strong backlash like getting punched in the gut, and I stepped back, confused. Evie’s blue eyes widened, but she was not surprised.

I regained my composure quickly, and Benito looked confused. “Evie, what did you do?” I asked tersely. Had she picked up a dimensional object? No, that would have been a more violent rejection.

A little sheepishly, she replied. “Lexi and Lesna helped me learn your trick,” she added happily.

“You created a dimensional pocket space?” I asked incredulously. I growled a little more angrily than intended, “Did you know it would prevent me from placing you in mine?” She recoiled slightly, and her guilty look told me she did know. She looked to Lesna for support, who had conveniently vanished. This was going to be a very long trip to Nausis. If all children were this devious, I would not have any of my own.

I swung onto Ginger’s back. At least she was trustworthy. “No more spell forms, Evie. And Lesna—we will talk later.” I kicked my heels softly, and Ginger jolted forward, sensing my irritation. It was going to be a very long trip indeed.

Not everyone was thrilled with the second half of book 6. Make sure to leave comments in the chapters with thoughts but be nice. I read all the comments in Patreon and will do so for each chapter before I edit them. I start editing book 5 next week.

END OF BOOK 6 (still Renna’s epilogue coming (with Octavian’s death scene) and finishing the second half of the intro chapter of the otherworlders)

BOOK 7 The Isle of Dead will be started soon….

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