The Gathering of Masters: The Bond Once Severed Book 1

7. Escape

Soldiers' boots echoed outside the hallway as Paulo and Raja walked in silence. The loud voices and slamming doors began to diminish as the two men moved further away from the inner sanctum. Paulo examined the path as it transitioned from a stone passageway to a dirt tunnel. This changeover indicated their departure from the temple grounds. Here he could use Earth magic more freely.

"Fortunately, an Earth Master created this," the Master offered after a long silence, sensing Raja's curiosity. "Even the strongest of the Earth Order would not feel this tunnel despite their bonds." He looked back and nodded at the girl. "She could, though." He stopped himself before he began to overexplain his feelings. The Master did not like silence, though he knew when to use it. This moment did not call for silence but reassurance or reinforcement.

"The Fire Priestess risks much in aiding you. The Queen may have already realized the girl is alive and harbored in the Fire Temple. Or the soldiers may be searching for you or raiding the Fire Temple for another reason. In any case, Rosemund won't get through this as easily as she may have hoped." Seeing the end of the tunnel, he quickened his pace. "But she is a strong Fire Priestess with a loyal order. Even the Queen will tread lightly around her and her followers. We can only hope that will be enough."

As they approached the tunnel's exit, the Master extinguished the light. He held up a hand for Raja to wait while he scouted ahead. The horses were waiting as planned. And, though the young man tending to them seemed surprised at his early arrival, he took his pay without a word. With a quick bow, he handed Paulo the reins and ran away from the Temple. Paulo only called Raja out of the tunnel once the tender was at a safe distance.

The Master could feel no other minds nearby. It was a relief that this one thing happened as planned. Thinking of all the things that kept forcing alterations, he frowned. Lukas had allowed himself to be captured, provoking Natalia to use her powers earlier than anticipated. Luckily, he had made contingency arrangements with Rosemund, and she had proven prepared despite the changes in timetables. But then Lukas' bondmate arrived later than expected, and the Queen's soldiers unexpectedly stormed the Temple. Paulo had hoped to have more time with Natalia and Raja in the Temple's relative safety to introduce them slowly. Now they would journey together as, at best, strangers.

Natalia and Raja's lives had revolved around Lukas in separate orbits, each doing their part to lift him. Those orbits would collide, and Lukas would not be here to unite them. In truth, Paulo did not think they needed Lukas. It was time these two focused on themselves and each other. They had much to learn and little time in which to learn it. The success of many plans depended on these three and their union.

While Raja settled Natalia onto his mount, the Master muttered at the ground around the tunnel. The opening sealed itself, and grass grew into the available space, completely camouflaging the exit. This little magic, he hoped, would blend into the general magic that surrounded any Temple, despite being of Earth origin.

Once satisfied that they left no trace other than random hoof tracks, he mounted beside Raja and Natalia and steered his horse to Azos. Though it was the smaller of the independent harbor towns and not the closest, it was more secure than its more substantial neighbors. Still, it would take a hard ride to make it there before the tide made departure impossible.

The Master looked at the lean brown man behind him and had a moment of pity. Raja was going to have to cope with so much change. Over the past few years, the Master had followed the stories of love, and respect Raja shared with his bondmate. Their enduring partnership had given many men hope, but few knew about Lukas' life before the rescue.

Paulo had felt Raja's tension when he allowed the word wife to slip out earlier. Although Natalia and Lukas had married long ago, and the Queen had ensured the union's dissolution, it could remain a strong tie between them. One that had not been severed intentionally by either. Paulo hoped that Raja's discomfort did not complicate matters more. Regardless of any hopes they may have previously held, things were changing. The Elementals were plotting something; all the strongest Masters could feel it. This concerted effort by the usually dispassionate beings concerned Paulo as much as the failure of the Council's schemes.