Straining at Binds

Melorandious' bowed before the spirit. Danielle looked at him askance.

"I was desperate," he said. "Our situation wasn't one I had the confidence to survive if I took the time to explain to her, so I didn't. But she was there too, and if she feels so slighted by my trickery you can ask her!"

"All such useless words," the spirit said. "I was wrong to ask in the start, without trust to validify them they are only air. Well? Will you defend him?"

Danielle gritted her teeth as she stood up.

"I was arguing with him," she said. "I don't want to kill him."

The lake's hand reached down toward Danielle.

"How curious," she said. "You trust this man with your spirit?"

Danielle froze. She took a step back, away from the hand held out.

My spirit? Danielle thought. Maybe with my mana, maybe for now.

"I trust him more than you," Danielle said.

She winced. Melorandious felt his heart push blood through him with a beating.

I don't even think that's true, Danielle thought.

But the face of water's lips turned up slightly.

"Son of earth what do you say?" she said.

"We were stuck in between dimensions," he said. "Danielle doesn't know to cast a spell, so I tricked her into making a mana chain."

"You traveled across the dimensions?" The spirit said. "Inconceivable."

The last word was uttered without the condescension that dripped through the rest. Melorandious shivered. Danielle saw his fear as he shook.

"I summoned her," Melorandious said.

"Just because you think something is impossible doesn't mean it's not real," Danielle said. "If you ask him, I bet he can explain how he did it."

But the spirit turned away. Her murmured response came as much from the water lapping the cave floor as it did the figure.

"This mana isn't enough for that, and a summoning spell that crosses dimensions—what kind of artistry and mana would be required that teleportation didn't? Unless already being between worlds made the pulling to such a place easier than pushing back into reality. Perhaps, it is not, entirely, preposterous."

She turned her attention back to Melorandious.

"But then quite the skilled scoundrel stands here," she said.

Forehead to the ground still, Melorandious felt his nervous grin.

"I am skilled," he said.

"Perhaps that skill has value," she said, "so let the disgusting thing prove your value."

She held out the orb and let it drop to the ground. Melorandious' head jerked up at the harsh sound, his jaw locked. Danielle watched it roll, seemingly whole, across the ground to stop before him anyways.

"Whole enough," the spirit said. "It seemed your skill has saved you."

Her body twisted towards Danielle.

"If you ever want him to die, or the chain to be broken, just tell me."

Danielle nodded.

It can break the chain? Danielle thought.

"For tonight you may rest here," the spirit said. "But come the sun's full height tomorrow you will be gone, one way or another."

Saying that the spirit merged back into the lake in steps. Danielle felt like even the waves of the lake withdrew. She walked over to Melorandious.

He clenched one hand above the orb, still kneeling, eyes on the water.

"Are you OK?" Danielle said.

Melorandious looked at her, an odd expression passing by his face.

"I'm still breathing," he said.

And Danielle remembered how Melorandious had sat next to her and waited for her, back after that horrific first day. Her heart softened, just a bit.

"I don't think you deserve to die," Danielle said.

Melorandious blinked.

"You don't know what I deserve," he said.

Danielle scowled as she sat next to Melorandious.

"Well, I'll feed you to the next spirit then," she said.

The next words she said with a lowered voice.

"Are all spirits so—

"Careful," Melorandious said.

They both spared a glance at small waves lapping harmlessly at the edge of the cave.

More of a ledge than a cave in reality, though some of that had to do with the submerged edges under the risen water level. The entrance was a slice of a door, with the bottom far wider than the top. That bottom too, was under the water's surface. The wild rain spattered through it, but the ledge rested too far to the side to catch any.

Their things were there. Most of them were in the bags. Many of them scattered across the ledge. Danielle felt the smooth rock underneath her as she readjusted her seat, thinking of how to word it.

"Are spirits' personalities connected to their natures?"

"I don't know," Melorandious said.

He paused, unintentionally trying Danielle's patience.

"Most Magi would treat this with disgust," he continued. "The old ideas of mana being the soul. And she is all mana and water. Perhaps it's not surprising."

He still didn't loosen his hand from the orb. Danielle's eyes passed a glance for the weird thing.

"Is that orb corrupt or something, how does she know it was made by trickery?"

Melorandious held the orb up to Danielle with both his hands.

"What do you notice about it?" He said.

"It's smaller," she said.

"Other than that," he said.

"It's got that streak of orange through it," she said.

"That's what she noticed, the lack of equality in the mana chain," he said. "It doesn't affect that much in the actual utility of it, but anyone with practice in mana wouldn't make such a thin or undirected streak."

"So your mana is the dark purple color?" She said.

"Yes, but it's more like the orb has been stained with my mana," he said. "Even my mana glows."

Melorandious lowered the orb again, a ghost of a familiar crazy smile tugging his face.

"I'm stating the obvious, but you really like magic, don't you?" Danielle said.

"Yes," he said.

The smile broke over on the speaking of the word, and it disappeared nearly as quickly as the sound did. Danielle turned away.

"I'm sick of everything being explained to me," she said. "If all this magic crap just stays as more lengthy lectures then I'm not that interested in it."

"Magic can do so much more than swords, it's not just an implement of violence."

"Hah, all the magic I've seen has been pretty violent," Danielle said.

With that offhand comment, the little amount of warmth the conversation between the two had fostered drained. They sat, soaked. Melorandious looked far more relaxed to Danielle than he did a few moments ago.

She scowled.

"Why were you there, in that disgusting dimension pit, anyway?" She said.

Melorandious let out a breath.

Everything circles back to this, he thought. I guess the lady brought me back to the foreground of her notice.

"I made a mistake," Melorandious said.

"A mistake?" Danielle said.

"A few mistakes, and then maybe a few more," he said. "I don't know when the mistakes started. All I wanted, well, I thought it was good. It ended, though, with me running away. As far as I could get."

"Wow, so vague," Danielle said. "I think you might've told me something, but I'm not so sure!"

"What do you need to know?" Melorandious said. "You don't get to know my life's worst tragedies because you asked for them," he said.

Danielle threw up her hands as she stood up. She strode to the edge of the ledge, but her path ran out. Turning around she strode back.

"I'm owed the stories of your past mistakes because your bullshit has become my bullshit!" she said. "I'm a fiend now, so it would've been nice to know we were in a place where they're burned at the stake! Especially if you wanted to take me through miles of it! The fact that random spirits, or magi, might try to kill you over that orb, and just the whole mess of this fucked up situation going on with you would be nice to have!"

Melorandious stood up too, but it was a wearier movement. His height reached above Danielle, and suddenly she remembered what those sigils tracing across his arm were for. His arms stayed by his sides.

"I didn't know the spirit would care about our mana chain," he said. "I don't know everything. Shocking really, I know. At first, you didn't even want to listen about the world, and I didn't want to push you into a river when you didn't know how to swim—

"Oh, come on!" Danielle interjected. "Don't act like it's entirely out of the goodness of your heart! I'm here because you needed a battery, and the reason you're dragging out at least some of your explanations is to make me easier to manipulate. And I almost wouldn't mind all of that if I had any clue what your goals are. It's not like I chose you as a guide, and you didn't call me over here for my personality! So spill it."

Melorandious' eyes widened a bit as he looked down at her. He went to trace a finger across a horn, only to drag fingers through his hair.

"You're not in a position to strong-arm me," Melorandious said.

Danielle laughed.

"Idiot," she said, "you don't realize what you've gotten yourself into, do you? Just cause I can't kill you, doesn't mean I don't realize you can't kill me. As long as you want to use my mana. You. Are. Stuck. With. Me. I'll be a way better battery if you can convince me we're not going straight to hell, or back to that half-baked egg place."

This time Melorandious raised his hands, and his eyes to a sky he couldn't see.

"Of course!" Melorandious said. "We'll trade secrets and afterward we'll be the best of comrades."

"I'm not the one who's giving any answers," Danielle said."My bullshit is all back home. It's not your problem."

His eyes slit as he softly smiled.

"You don't have one thing you're ashamed of? Not a single thing you regret?"

Danielle swallowed. Her silence stayed her answer.

"Yes, you suddenly don't want to talk," Melorandious said. "Neither do I."

Danielle stood there for a bit. All taunt and ready to fight. Her lips opened only to be shut without anything spoken. Ultimately, she turned away. She picked up the sword from the scattered items on the ground.

Melorandious sat back down in his corner of the cave, trying his best to ignore her. He'd gotten the closest thing he could to peace, and he should settle for it.

But he had yet to write a sigil within sight of Danielle, and he didn't want to provoke her curiosity now. Nor could he navigate in the cave. He watched her out the corner of his eyes, wringing his sleeves.

Danielle swung with abandon and fury. Not even trying at this point, her lack of technique had never been more apparent. Melorandious winced at every flailing movement.

The sword slipped from Danielle's hands. With the momentum it flew. Danielle essentially threw the sword at the lake.

It splashed and sank from view.

Danielle and Melorandious stopped breathing. A few heart-pounding moments passed. But nothing rose from the depths. Danielle took a few steps toward the water's surface.

Melorandious quickly moved to her side, grabbing her arm.

"Don't—

She yanked her arm from his grip and took another step forward. He slid around in front of her, halting her. He held up his hands.

"I'll give you my sword to practice with. Let's not rile up the waters more than we have already."

Danielle looked at the ground with fists right by her side.

"But what am I gonna use if a real fight comes along?" She said.

Melorandious groaned.

"You should run!" He said, loudly and close to her face.

Danielle blinked.

I guess even he shouts, she thought.

He grabbed her ear.

"You should run! You should run as far as you can as fast as you can!"

Danielle batted his hand away with hers.

"OK, alright, already!"She said."I get it."

"Fine," Melorandious said.

He picked up his sword and stood in front of her. Danielle scowled. He raised it.

"This is how you hold it in one hand," Melorandious said.

Then he gripped with both.

"This is with two," he said. "One-handed. Two."

He demonstrated again. Danielle looked on, trying to figure out how her grip had differed. Melorandious held the sword out to her again. Danielle snatched it without a voiced cue.

She held it with one hand, the way Melorandious gripped it feeling odd to her. Then she tried it with both. She lifted the sword for a swing.

"Ouch," she said.

The sword clattered to the ground. Danielle held her wrist and glared at Melorandious.

"That hurt," she said.

"Well, if a sword cut your hand, it would hurt more," Melorandious replied. "When you went to swing, grip tighter."

Danielle picked up the sword again.

So, he's decided to teach me, she thought. Even if he's being an ass about it. Doesn't that mean I win? Kinda? Now how the hell does it go again?

She held the sword again, and slowly raised it, watching Melorandious all the while. He drily watched her with his arms crossed.

"You should focus on holding it in both hands," he said. "Your hands are small enough for that grip to be comfortable, and it should make your swings steadier."

Danielle quickly readjusted her grip.

"I was just copying what I had seen," she said.

You don't observe much then, Melorandious said.

"That would be a fine start if you were the same size and build as the Aldsians or me. But you aren't," he said.

"Come on," Danielle said. "Not every swordsman fights the same. Aren't there rapiers and scimitars in this world?"

"Certainly, just like in using spells, there are many different types of swordplay," Melorandious said.

His voice softened at the mention of magic. It cut back to reserved irritation at the end.

"And just like in spells, the amount of experience and study behind the mage or swordsman empowers the swing or spell," he said. "Anybody with two decades of practice on the sword will eviscerate you into ribbons."

His hand shot out. The sword clattered to the ground. Danielle rubbed her wrist.

"A Magi would do the same thing to me, and you, if you weren't using my mana," she said.

"That's true," Melorandious said. "That's why you should trust me."

Danielle, sword already in hand again, raised her eyebrows.

"Tell me again that I can trust a mystical, cryptic, and deadly kidnapper?" She said.

Melorandious bent his head in acknowledgment of her words.

"Trust might be the wrong word," he said. "In certain situations, like when it comes to your life, you can rely on me to save it. Because I need you."

Danielle looked up at him, her eyes expressing her lack of reassurance.

"Needing me and needing my mana are two different things," she said. "For all I know, there could be a way to spookily transfer all my mana into you, and you're just waiting for the right opportunity."

"Hah, if I could have stolen your mana, I would have done it," he said. "Actually, I already did that."

"Yes, figure two on why I'm not trusting you," she said.

Melorandious rubbed his face. He was as tired, dirty, and soaked as Danielle was, and lacked the fighting spirit to ignore it.

"Then don't trust me," he said. "I don't require it."

He went to sit down.

"Hey," Danielle said, "weren't you teaching me?"

"I was," he said.

He pulled out his blankets from the bag to go to sleep. They were wet. His shoulders sagged.

"That's playing dirty," Danielle said.

She walked over to him.

"And you play fair?" He said.

"Come on," she said. "I'll lie and tell you I trust you."

"No," Melorandious said. "I'll teach you how to use the sword more if you help me wring out my bedding."

Danielle's eyes widened at the soggy cloth.

"What about my blankets?" Danielle said. "And my clothes!"

Melorandious closed his eyes. He'd forgotten about the clothes in his bag.

"We can do it all," Melorandious said.

"And you'll teach me how to use swords and magic later, right?" she said.

"I'll teach you how to swing a sword," he said.