Honourbound: A Progression Fantasy (Surgecaller Book 3) Read online

  HONOURBOUND

  Surgecaller Book Three

  Todd Herzman

  This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  HONOURBOUND

  Copyright © 2021 Todd Herzman.

  All rights reserved.

  Written by Todd Herzman.

  Cover Designer: Germancreative

  To Robyn, you have my heart, forever and always.

  Chapter 1

  Huon rubbed at his binding.

  The Immortal of Fire had left him here. Dropped him at the front of the Honourbound army, along with Jamison, Aran and Yilda. He’d broken their bindings, handed them over to the closest Immortal, then left.

  He was ashamed. The Immortal of Fire was ashamed.

  The man had been beaten down, almost killed, by a Legend. By my father.

  Huon placed his hand over the binding. He wouldn’t burn it this time, no matter how much he wanted to. That would do no good.

  Jakob abandoned me. Again.

  Tomorrow, the army will march, and Huon will be at its front.

  He pulled his hand away from the binding and clenched his left fist. Veins formed, cutting their way through the tattoo—a spearhead, with a mountain etched upon it. It was almost identical to a binding he’d had before, but the mountain in this binding looked more defined—it was clear which mountain it was. He should know—he’d been near the highest peak.

  Huon looked up, through the flap in his tent.

  The Shurin mountains.

  Bound to the Immortal of Earth. Terr’al.

  This was where the man had trained—where he’d attained Immortality.

  Immortality. Was that what Jakob had attained? Was that why he’d been able to defeat Blaze?

  A bell rang outside. The Knight resting on the other side of Huon’s tent roused, rubbing his eyes. Jamison sighed as he sat up.

  Huon covered the binding with a bracer. He, along with Jamison, had been given new armour.

  Honourbound armour.

  Huon’s hand shook as he clasped it. He wondered when the sight of the armour would stop reminding him of Jakob.

  Jamison glanced at Huon as he pulled on his own armour, surging speed. They shared the tent. The Immortal of Earth’s Honourbound fought in pairs, to help them develop fighting bonds. Huon didn’t know why they needed fighting bonds. They had no choice but to fight. But the Immortal of Earth seemed to value such things.

  ‘You’ll have to talk to me eventually.’ Jamison stood above Huon’s sleeping mat, his full plate on.

  Huon shut his eyes. He wasn’t being quiet with Jamison for the same reasons as before. He hadn’t forgiven the man for what he’d done—for going after Huon and Liona even when he’d been oathless and had had a choice. But Huon understood him, now.

  Jamison’s footsteps receded out of the tent. Huon opened his eyes, standing to follow.

  All Huon wanted was to talk about that day, when Jakob had stood over the Immortal of Fire’s unconscious body. When he’d had the power to kill him, to free his own son, but hadn’t.

  He wanted to talk about that day, but he couldn’t. The Immortal of Fire had ordered him not to, and even though his binding had passed to another, the Immortal of Earth had repeated the order at Blaze’s request.

  Huon had found a way to fight back against the binding. He’d stopped himself from killing Bern.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  Outside the tent, Huon stood in a vast plain below the Shurin mountains, among thousands of tents like his own.

  Soon, the army would march on the Queendom of Arisalon. Huon would be forced to kill again, and he wouldn’t be able to resist—not if he wanted to survive.

  And he was just one soldier among many. One Knight among thousands. What would his resistance accomplish? That’s what he kept asking himself, at least—he needed to, to be prepared for what came when the battle began.

  Huon scanned the tents, searching for Jamison. Their week-long orientation was almost over. For the past few days, they’d learnt how to be soldiers, not merely fighters. Every one of Terr’al’s Honourbound soldiers fought in a Squad, and there were five pairs to a Squad.

  Jamison was standing beside Aran and Yilda. The two former oathless had slowly started to speak to Jamison. They weren’t friendly, but they were cordial. Did Yilda know it was Jamison who’d murdered her sister? Did she think it might be Huon?

  Or did she not want to know, because knowing was too painful?

  I still haven’t asked his name. Huon walked over to his Squad. The name of the man I killed. The lead pair stood, arms crossed, in front of the four other pairs.

  The lead pair were both Champions. A woman and a man. Huon was yet to see what the duo were capable of. Mostly, they just gave orders. The Immortal of Earth had commanded the rest of the Squad to follow the orders—to the word—of the lead pair. Huon had tested disobeying—it hurt the same as when disobeying an oathmaster, and he could only resist for so long.

  ‘Knights!’ Jesalla, the woman of the lead pair, commanded. ‘Assemble!’

  Huon surged speed, striding forward to form a line with his Squad mates. Jamison glanced at him as he arrived, then gazed straight ahead.

  Champion Jesalla stood still, arms crossed, as her partner, Champion Ranil, paced in front of their line, inspecting the Squad’s armour. He paused before each pair, looking them up and down, nodding before passing to the next. When he reached Aran, he stopped, frowning at the man’s pauldron before refastening the strap and slapping him on the shoulder with a harsh look. Aran’s head dropped before Ranil finished inspecting the last pair.

  Ranil never spoke. It was an interesting trait in a Squad leader. Huon wondered if it were a choice he’d made, or if he were incapable of speech. He was still perfectly able to give orders with a myriad of hand signals.

  ‘This is your last day of orientation.’ Jesalla’s head didn’t turn as she spoke. She rarely looked at them. ‘Usually, orientation would last far longer—at least a month—so we’ve had to move at a rather… rapid pace. As you’re all fresh recruits, and mostly newly-minted Knights’—her gaze flicked to Aran and Yilda, the former oathless, for less than a second—‘today is reserved for core hunting. There won’t be much time to integrate new essence into your core, but the army marches tomorrow, and we cannot delay it. Understood?’

  ‘Yes, Champion!’ the whole Squad shouted. Huon pursed his lips after he spoke. He hated being so subservient. The past week, he’d learnt not just how to follow their orders, but to do it fast and without thought—without any form of resistance.

  He clenched his fists behind him. He needed to learn how to resist—how to call on that inner strength that had allowed him to fight the Immortal of Fire’s commands—and so far all he’d done was the opposite. But he would be going into battle with these people. He didn’t want to let any of them down. He may not believe in the war—he hoped the Everlasting King’s army would be pushed back from the Queendom of Arisalon. But he didn’t wish to die because he failed to respond to an order fast enough—because of his own stubbornness.

  Besides, his thoughts weren’t on resisting today.

  Core hunting.

  He’d never done that before.

  As a Knight, he could cultivate any type of essence, as long as the essence he cultivated was at his level of advancement or lower. A Page had access to all of the physical surges instantly, and a Squire gained access to the four elemental surges.

  But to gain new surges as a Knight? One had to cultivate essen
ce from a beast’s core. He’d barely contemplated doing it himself. He’d never hunted beasts. He’d hunted for food, fought beasts to survive… but this was different.

  Excitement thrilled within him. He didn’t fancy the idea of killing beasts, not since he’d killed Shurie’s mother… Briefly, his gaze flicked to the sky, wondering if he would ever see Shurie again. She’d been left at the Immortal of Fire’s castle when they’d gone to Kamhaloth. But after Kamhaloth, they’d never returned to Glenhaven.

  Blaze had taken them straight here.

  Huon kept hoping the sky-eagle would find him—kept hoping she’d appear overheard and fly down to him. But she hadn’t yet.

  Yes, he didn’t want to kill beasts… but he wanted to become stronger. He wanted to surge new essence.

  His Squad headed out of the camp, surging speed. They were still within the Everlasting King’s realm on this side of the Shurin mountains—safe from any chance encounter with the enemy. With so many surgecallers nearby, they had to travel at speed for a couple of hours before they reached anywhere beasts would roam.

  As they ran, Huon contemplated what surges he could gain. Would he be able to surge darkness, like the midnight-bear? No. He hadn’t heard of any other beast possessing such a skill, and they were a long way from the Deep Wood. Perhaps he’d be able to surge illusion? He’d seen how useful that could be for oathless in avoiding capture.

  Oathless. Would he ever become oathless again? He knew there was a third way to break a binding, and he was sure that Jakob had done it before. But he didn’t know what that way was. Maybe, if I prove myself, he’ll come for me… Jakob will finally set me free.

  Huon hated even thinking that thought. He didn’t want his so-called father to set him free. That man was a monster.

  They entered a forest, and Huon pushed thoughts of escaping his binding out of his mind. He didn’t know if the forest had a name, but he’d passed through it with Liona. The moment his Squad stepped into the underbrush, they slowed. Hands went to pommels, stopping scabbards slapping leg armour, and boots were placed with care and precision.

  Huon didn’t know what it was like in other Squads, but their lead pair cared about stealth. Ranil most of all. He seemed to hear everything. He’d drilled them in different ways to walk in a forest for an entire day. Huon wondered why such stealth was necessary. He’d never been on a battlefield, but he imagined they weren’t quiet.

  Maybe our Squad won’t be on the front lines…

  Ranil’s hand rose in a fist. He pointed from one pair to the next, sending each in different directions. They had eight hours to venture through the forest before returning to the war camps.

  Eight hours of hunting beasts.

  Huon gripped the hilt of his sword, following Jamison deep into the forest.

  Chapter 2

  The lessons in stealth had paid off.

  Huon felt quieter than ever before stepping through the forest. Even Jamison’s steps were silent. The way they moved reminded him of Knight Kyla. She’d walked through the Deep Wood as though it were her home. Had she been taught to move like that in the Honourbound army? Why hadn’t the other Knights of House Terr’al been as stealthy?

  Perhaps she had a similar lead pair when she was Honourbound…

  Huon cultivated as he walked, attuning his senses to his surroundings. The lead pair hadn’t warned them about the beasts that roamed within the forest, they’d simply let them go on their own.

  This is just like hunting, Huon thought. I’ve done that countless times before. I’m a Knight. I needn’t fear this place.

  Jamison froze up ahead, raising his fist in the air. Huon halted, gazing about. It took him a moment to hear what had made Jamison stop—something else was moving through the trees. It was subtle—the shaking of a few leaves, a slight slithering sound. Huon had heard that sound before, or something like it.

  A serpent. A big one.

  Huon drew his sword as quietly as he could. Fire was already imbued into its blade—the lead pair had taught him how to better imbue his essence into objects. Swords, unlike surge-gems, weren’t perfect vessels for essence. But they were good enough. He barely had to think to activate the flames within it—and he wouldn’t have to use any of the essence from his core to do so. He shrugged his shield off his back, holding it tightly.

  The last serpent he’d encountered belonged to Master Inan, and had been an ice-surger. The temperature in the area hadn’t changed, so Huon doubted the beast was of the same species. Still, the slithering chilled his spine.

  Slowly, Huon and Jamison approached the noise. It was coming toward them. Huon didn’t know much about snakes or how they hunted, only that even a normal snake could kill a surgecaller if they caught them when they were asleep and low on stamina.

  What unique surge could a serpent have? Huon wondered. The ability to surge venom? He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that—poisoning others wasn’t entirely honourable. Not that Huon had ever worried about honour.

  Jamison clutched his hammer in both hands.

  Being with him here, in the forest, reminded Huon of when they were in the Deep Wood, searching for Bern. When the Knights had been captured—thought to be killed. Liona was with them then.

  Liona. She’d still be in the arena. Could she have reached Champion already? That seemed impossible, but his advancement had seemed impossible too.

  Huon wished he were there with her. It wasn’t Jamison’s fault Huon had lost, but it felt like it. Huon gripped his sword hilt tighter. Had he won that match…

  Focus. He had to stop thinking about all the ways things could be. This is where his life had gotten him—he had to deal with that, and move on.

  The slithering stopped. Huon grabbed Jamison’s arm, making him halt. Jamison glared, but only for a split-second. They may not be friends yet, but they were a fighting pair. Jamison would trust he wasn’t making him stop for no reason.

  Huon raised a finger to his lips, narrowing his hearing to a point.

  The serpent had been close when the noise stopped. The beast is stalking us back.

  A hiss sounded from behind them. Huon whirled, sword slashing out at the beast, its long fangs dripping a dark green liquid. Huon surged a fireball at the serpent, its body thick as a tree trunk. Despite its size, the serpent was fast.

  Faster than them.

  The ground shook. Jamison stomped the earth, shuddering it with surges. Huon appreciated the help, but it barely fazed the beast. It reared back, dripping fangs bared.

  Huon surged three more fireballs in quick succession. The beast dodged each one. He’d never encountered a beast this fast—everything he’d come across in the wilds had been Knight level or below.

  This thing felt beyond Knight level.

  ‘It’s too fast!’ Huon shouted, surging ever more fireballs.

  The serpent lashed out, its head snapping toward Huon. Huon dived back as Jamison clobbered its snout with his two-handed hammer, the hammer head encased in a thick layer of rock.

  The serpent shook the strike off like Huon would wave away a fly, its scales as strong as it was fast. It opened its jaws wide, forked tongue slipping from its mouth.

  Then it sprayed them with a dark, tar-like substance. Huon raised his shield; the liquid splattered it as the beast hissed.

  No. Huon glanced down at his armour. That hissing wasn’t the serpent.

  His breastplate, his shield—they were melting.

  We have to run, Huon thought. But what good would running do? This thing was far faster than them.

  Only one of them would get away.

  No. No more running. This wouldn’t be his final stand. It didn’t matter if this beast was stronger than them. They were two, where it was one, and they’d just spent the last week learning how to fight together—they could do this.

  ‘Pair up!’ Huon shouted.

  Jamison triple-surged speed, forming up in front of Huon. A rock wall sprout
ed between them and the beast at a stamp of Jamison’s foot. Jamison’s armour, unlike Huon’s, looked unscathed. He’d surged a thin layer of rock over his Honourbound armour, and the layer had taken the damage from the acidic venom.

  As a dome of rock formed around them, Huon surged water, cleaning his own armour and shield before the acid melted it further. The beast circled them, slithering through the underbrush, rustling the leaves, spraying venom onto the wall.

  ‘This wall won’t last long,’ Jamison said. ‘What’s the plan, Huon?’

  Huon shut his eyes, trying to concentrate, thinking about their abilities. Huon could form rock walls, just as Jamison could, though he was far slower. But working together… ‘We lock it up. Box it in.’

  A hole formed in the dome—then something thudded against it, and an entire side crumbled.

  Jamison nodded sharply. He touched the other side of the dome, crumbling it completely before escaping to the other side of the clearing. Huon followed at his heels. The second he’d caught up, Jamison began running in a circle, surging earth as he went, creating a rock wall on each step.

  Huon followed suit, running the other way. He threw a glance over his shoulder, knowing the serpent was faster than them. But it was still back at the original rock wall, shaking its head as though disorientated. Had it smashed through with its head?

  Huon and Jamison surged earth until they met on the other side of the clearing. They created a dome around the beast. Huon thrust his hands against the rock, imbuing it with strength essence.

  The beast thudded against the dome wall. Huon felt the wall shudder, the earth crumble. ‘Close the walls in!’

  Huon heard Jamison slam his hands against the wall beside him.

  The beast thrashed against the wall, its violent hisses heard even through the rock. But each time part of the wall crumbled, the two Knights surged ever more earth and strength essence into it. Huon had never triple-surged so much of his essence at once. His reserves were falling fast. He hoped they’d have enough to finish this—he wasn’t sure if they’d be fast enough to sprint away from this thing.