Surrender (Book 1 of The Baneseeker Project)

Chapter 9 - The Bane Core

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That night, after having taken care of a few loose ends in Tanazu, Lyna made her way north and found refuge under the low branches of a lively sycamore tree. It stood out, being one of the only trees with all its leaves this close to the Territories of Sij.

She put her back against the trunk and let her head rest. Ahead, a light mist was slowly zigzagging between the thick vegetation of the jungle. Above the foliage, the lone spike rose, completely black now that the sun had disappeared. Tiny snowflakes floated as if undecided if they wanted to land or not.

There would be no trance tonight. Lyna envied humans, who could sleep, who had to sleep, falling into a deep unconsciousness for hours on end, a pause from reality.

Trances could be pleasant, when one had good memories to revisit. Lyna had not been able to disconnect from the turbulence in her mind for more than a month, bringing her struggles with her every night. The nature of her trances had become darker and darker, depressing to the point where they drained her more than they reinvigorated.

She needed the rest. She needed to recuperate as much as she could, because tomorrow morning, she would face the bane core. In some ways, she wished she had kept her room for one more night.

Instead, she was going to sit in the shadows of Sij, with time unaltered, and contemplate what had happened here, think on it, as much as she could with what she knew, in honour of her lost kin.

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With the dawn the next morning, Lyna made her way to a clearing east of Tanazu, far enough from the Territories of Sij that it was not possible to see the jungle or its spire.

The night had been surprisingly serene. For most of it, she had kept her eyes closed, the woods hidden, its dancing lights unseen. For all of it, she had not called upon her power. In fact, she had almost forgotten about it. She could not remember the last time she had felt so at peace.

And because of this, she felt confident about facing the core. She felt ready.

Kneeling by a fallen trunk in the middle of the meadow, Lyna spoke a few words and removed the illusion that she had placed two nights ago. A hole appeared in the lifeless bark and from it, Lyna pulled out the original bracelet.

Manipulating a bane core was never pleasant. There was no pain, but Lyna felt a tingling in her fingers. She couldn't help imagining the bracelet covered in a thousands bristles that passed through the leather of her glove as if it didn't exist. The creeping sensation gave her the impression that some poison was being passed from the object directly into her body.

She deposited the core on the trunk and stood back. She then took out her dagger—which had once belonged to her mother. As she paced in front of the accursed object, she played with the weapon, making it roll between her fingers.

For reasons Lyna had yet to fathom, only the silverite weapon could penetrate a core and break it open, freeing the tortured spirits inside.

She studied the bracelet and pulled on time, stretching it gradually, deliberately. As she did, blackness started to appear, seeping out of the bracelet, floating wisps of liquidized gas, barely moving. Around, the morning breeze had slowed and leaves hung in mid-air.

The cold followed, the cold that betrayed the presence of a core to Lyna. When far from one of the accursed object, she had to concentrate to feel it presence. But this close, the frigid sensation penetrated through her skin, taking hold of her bones and her being, licking it with its frozen tongue.

On top of this, the energy of her ability was raw and tempestuous, straining Lyna almost to the point of overtaking her. The bleeding core amplified the power's intensity, widening its influx. Lyna concentrated, ensuring she kept control.