Reborn From the Cosmos

Not so rebellious now, are you?

I have the presence of mind to know it’s an ugly thought, but I can’t deny the smug satisfaction I feel watching my future brother-in-law tremble as he stares at the world with underserved wonder.

It won’t last; soon enough, he’ll remember the simple act of existing was mundane for all his life. But for now, he’s grateful for everything, even the ant crawling over his nose. He stiffens as we step into the estate but he doesn’t fight, neither my grip or with words. As expected, his excitement fades and what’s left is something heavy I can’t quite name.

I feel the first resistance outside the door of the room chosen for the summoning; Khan sets his feet before the last step. It doesn’t stop me for a moment, but I turn to him, hot emotions surging in my chest at the thought of having to correct him, again. The indignation dies as I take in his expression. “What?”

“I won’t fight what happens next,” he whispers, pitiful as a blind puppy. “You’ve shown me that I can’t do that.”

Saints, he makes me sound like some heinous villain. I could almost laugh. Almost.

“For that, answer me one question. Truthfully.”

“…sure.” He hasn’t earned it, but if family doesn’t deserve a little leeway, who does?

“What do you want from me?”

I stare at him but find nothing but earnest desperation; hasn’t he heard a word I’ve been saying this whole time?

“Nothing,” I say slowly, stressing every syllable. “Khan, you have nothing to offer me. This is so far beyond you, there are days when I wonder if I have any business getting involved. All you can do is complicate things. That’s why you have to go. I want you to go far, far away where I don’t have to worry about you.”

“…do you despise me?”

The laugh that bursts out of me is sharp and harsh. “How can I? I don’t know you.”

“You haven’t tried.” There is the tiniest hint of petulance in his tone, but the fear is pushing it down, warning it not to agitate me. “We’ve spent weeks in the same home and the only time you’ve shown your face has been to lay down demands. Is it any wonder I don’t trust you? That I might feel…”

He stops as his voice starts to rise, dropping his head. “It’s not fair.”

Fair? This has nothing to do with fair. “Someone messed with your brain, Khan. Maybe you let them, maybe you didn’t. Doesn’t matter. I know more about the horrors of the mental affinity more than most. The second your mind was compromised, you stopped being you. I thought my succubus was going to put you right, that whoever I was talking to would disappear. No point in getting to know a living script. But then, she failed and now you’re a living complication. No, Khan. I haven’t gotten to know you because you are a problem to know. I can’t bring myself to make the effort because I’m not sure there’s any point.”

I take a deep breath. “At least, not now.”

Khan hesitantly raises his head.

“I need to speak to this Esowhatever. Hopefully, the estrazi don’t try to block the family reunion and this is settled by winter. If not, it’ll take a bit longer. But it will end. I’m pretty sure ending the war will earn me enough forgiveness for not executing you. Then you can return to the north, though the saints only know why you’d want to. You can do whatever your heart desires, I couldn’t care less. But being reckless right now can get you and others hurt and I won’t allow that.”

“I…understand.”

Huh. I think he does.

Where was all this understanding earlier? But it’s too late. I can’t measure a change in heart. Against that, his attempt to escape is clear evidence of his distrust. If he can’t trust me, there’s no way I can trust him.

I open the door, nose wrinkling at overpowering smell of blood that flows out. Even Khan is affected, his nose wrinkling as he takes a step back.

I push the door open wider. “Come on.”

“What’s in there?”

I drag him into the dark room. Khan is as tense as a taut rope but he forces himself to move, letting me guide him to the chair placed here for this reason.

“I’m guessing you’ve asked about summoning.”

“The basics,” a strained voice answers.

“Hey.” I grab his chin, turning his gaze to the open door. “You’re not trapped. You can go out and take a break anytime you wa—” I have to stop him from rising. “Whoa. Okay, you’re free to leave after I finish talking. For this to be successful, you have to try. Understand? You have to accept your partner. Connect with them. This one’s pretty forgiving of complicated circumstances, but if you don’t want this, it can’t happen.”

“And if it doesn’t—”

“Alana might take your head. But that’s not going to happen because you want to live. You wouldn’t have been so damn happy coming out of the ground if you didn’t.”

He scoffs, but the sound lacks any heat. “How does sitting in a dark room help? This…being isn’t here.”

“This particular elemental is fond of the dark. Dark roads, to be specific, and thoughtful silences. You have to find your calm, here. That’s what will resonate with it.”

“…if so, your punishment was ill-timed.”

“Not at all. Just because it lives in darkness doesn’t mean it isn’t afraid of it. It’s seen the scariest things that dwell in the void, you know. It once said, the more you know of what lurks in the dark, the more reluctant you’ll become to close your eyes. Pretty dramatic, huh?”

“…this doesn’t sound like a stable person.”

“Not a person, don’t start thinking like that.”

“Is this wise?”

That does inspire a genuine chuckle. “Wise?” Please. A hasty summoning with an unwilling contractor? In what realm would this be wise? “The only thing you need to worry about is will it work, your life being on the line and whatnot.”

“So you keep reminding me.” He shifts on the seat. “You’re the summoner but it seems…unreliable. Finding calm? Why not tell me about this creature? You’ve read something—”

“Do you think knowing more will make you feel better?” I snap. A long breath dampens the worst of my flaring temper before I continue. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It couldn’t hurt.”

“Yeah, it could. I’ve told you what you need to do. You know what’s at stake.”

“But—”

“Breathe,” I say over him. “Just breathe.”

I don’t give him the chance to respond, almost jogging out of the room and speeding up once I’m past the doorway. The idiot is going to ruin everything with his questions.

The elemental I’ve chosen for him is a wandering soul. A predator that skulks through the darkness, dodging threats. A survivor that understands bending not to break under the demands of the strong.

Sure, Khan could understand more about his lifelong partner if I loan him the records and give him a night to immerse himself. As a summoner, I agree he should have the right to know the being he’s binding himself to. This is backward and wrong in so many ways.

But I meant it when I told him it’d only hurt his chances. Elementals, at least the ones that actively travel the realms, are terrifying. Why would these powerful beings leave their worlds? Because of desire. Sometimes, those desires can be harmless, like Rolly’s obsession with stories. More often, it manifests in dangerous predilections, like Geneva’s all-consuming ambition to devour me for eternity.

What gives summoners the confidence to contract these things is the belief, correct or not, that they’re in control; the right contract can protect them. Khan doesn’t have that.

If he learns just how much his new minder loves the blood of intelligent beings, how it stalks prey for several nights so it can taste their fear when it finally feeds, saints, if he learns what that thing worships, well.

He’d fail. Then what are we going to do? Am I going to drag around a man in chains everywhere I go? Plying him with elementals until one sticks? This is his best opportunity which may as well make it his last. If he fails…

No, he won’t. He’s got the greatest summoner in the world behind him.

We’ll have this wrapped up before sunrise and the wanderer will be free to find another wasteland to lose himself in.