My brow scrunched in confusion. “Mythology. Human-like supernatural creatures with long ears were known as elves. The details are fuzzy, but a few different cultures have their own spin on it, but the long ears were usually the same. And I may be wrong, but lamia was also a mythological creature. How come that’s the same?”
“I can’t say, but the term for my people is Elfvautem,” Meriel informed. “Elf is an ancient term, like, way before history. It’s a root word for the various races across my people. Not widely known since the origins surrounding it are considered myth— different across the races, but still myth.”
I blew out a breath and brought a hand to the gem tied to my neck. “Christ. I’d be less confused if you two were still speaking gibberish. Magic, different races, multiple worlds, and a cosmic war is raging in the background. No wonder some worlds can’t get on board with this alliance or whatever.”
Their faces grew sullen at the mention of my world and worlds beyond their reach. I pulled the women closer and let out a shallow breath.
“This… Everything is way bigger than I ever imagined. You two had your orders. I hate what happened, but scorning everyone isn’t going to help. We’re going to have a long, long talk about everything. But not now. Too much shit going on as it is.”
“That’s very big of you, Oliver,” Fell praised.
“Among other things,” Meriel snickered. She yelped when Fell reached over and tugged at her long ear. “I mean, we’re grateful for your forgiveness. We just— we’re amazed that you didn’t shun us, let alone let us get close to you like this. I was prepared for you to despise me. This is nice.”
“Almost dying, again, gave the reality check I needed.” As far as this crazy shit can be considered reality. “Got to be practical about this. You guys and the lamia are all that is there for me. Loathing you two and acting like a dick isn’t going to help.
“There’s no sense in buttering this up: we’re in a bad spot, and there’s little to nothing that can be done. With this mountain of problems on my shoulders, being angry all the time is just going to make it harder.”
Fell reached over to cup my cheek. “A wise, mature choice. And I’m not saying that because it spares us your scorn. Thoughts are things. Harboring dark, aggressive thoughts is poisonous. The longer they linger within, the more they rot and erode you away, weakening you until that mountain of burden ends up crashing down. The sentiment is weak, I know, but we’ll stay strong for whatever the future holds.” The freckles across her nose crinkled with a big smile as she reached over to hold Meriel's hand. “I wouldn’t have any other two people in my company.”
We shared a peaceful, silent moment of tender closeness, something that had a great effect on my psyche. Fell’s words rang true. Had I continued down that violent, self-imposed road of lonely rage, then I’d crack and end up—
The girls yelped when I shot up out of bed. The blanket fell away and I stared blankly ahead into the dark wall of my room, eyes wide to add to the complete overload of my brain.
“Crashing down…” I murmured.
“What’s wrong?” the girls asked in unison, their concern warranted for my sporadic motion.
“I…” My brain slowed, the thoughts transition from violent blurs to stationary thoughts. Turning around, I stared down at the girls. “I know how to destroy the Marker.”
Their faces went slack, and they shot each other a look of disbelief and concern. Before they got a word in edgewise, I sprinted out of our room and down the long corridor. As I ran, the thoughts began to solidify and compartmentalize, an idea branching out into plans—viable plans. A random abstract idea morphed into something viable.
Rounding the corner, I entered the empty and dimmed common room, the hearth in the center looked like it has been out for hours.
“Nolala! Nuna! Fucking anyone!” I yelled, trying to get my voice to carry down the expensive temple.
In no time at all, snake-woman poured in from the various halls and corridors with weapons and faces fixed in alarm. Frantically panning the growing crowd of faces, I spotted the Chieftain. I met her halfway as the crowd parted at her presence.
Sanvi and Nuna poked through the crowd and stood on either side of Nolala. Nuna’s eyes hit me only for a second before her face went blood-red, and she averted her gaze.
“Oh, not bad,” Sanvi said.
Nolala’s mouth hung open as her gaze went from my face to down south, where her eyes lingered. “Oliver… What is the meaning of this?”
“Oliver!” Meriel called from behind.
I turned around and saw her wrapped up in a blanket, waving my pants in her hand. Looking down, it dawned on me that I left in complete undress in my eureka moment.
It was colder than usual.
As nonchalantly as possible, I went over and took my pants form the elf, then got myself decent.
“The Marker,” I said while turning to face the Chieftain again. “I think I know how to destroy it.”
Chapter 15
It was very late in the night when I decided to run through the temple and yell like Paul Revere, so I stirred one hell of a confusion. Especially when I mentioned knowing how to take down the Marker. Dozens of lamia were all clamoring over each other to hear what I had to say, only managing to drone each other.
Nolala flexed her authority, calling for silence in a voice that even made me go to attention like I was back at basic.
Once order was established, the braziers and hearth received more wood, adding more light and warmth. The last thing brought out was a pot of tea. Soon, everyone was seated around the hearth as the floral aroma of brewing tea filled the air.
My claim had fostered a lot of tension, so I waited respectfully.
Nolala seated herself beside me, with the dressed Meriel and Fell to my left. Nuna and Sanvi were on the Chieftain’s immediate right, and familiar faces were huddle close, all waiting. Once the tea finished brewing, wooden bowls were filled and passed around. After Nolala took a sip, she passed it off for me, which I also drank from before handing it off to the girls. Not being sure of what to expect, it was surprisingly good, the brew managing to relax me.
“Now,” Nolala started in that taut, matronly voice of hers, “understand how I may hold great skepticism to your bold, nocturnal claim, Oliver. While I consider you a capable man, I do, however, also consider you quite mad to state such a thing.”
I put up a placating hand. “In hindsight, yeah, I realize I may look bat-shit crazy. And your skepticism was expected; smart leaders are always wary.”
She closed her eyes and sighed silently before giving me her total attention. “Well, what is this plan of yours to destroy the Marker?”
The weight of everyone’s eyes could be felt; some were hopeful, some were doubtful, and others looked annoyed that I disturbed their sleep. Ignoring the stares, I turned my attention to Luppa.
“You,” I said, pointing to the priestess. “Your… magic allows you to manipulate the earth, right?” Luppa nodded slowly, and then I looked to Fell and Meriel. “If she was anything like your friend Jorn, then she could help in bringing the Marker down.”
“You’re greatly mistaken,” Luppa called out. “Those two have shared their stories and information of their late comrade. Jorn went to a prominent academy on Scintillion, putting his magical ability leagues above mine.”
“An academy where?”
“Scintillion,” Fell answered. “That’s the world we hail from. And Jorn went Lucinia, a school for mages so prestigious that Chaparral doesn’t even compare.” Fell nodded her head apologetically at Luppa. “No offense.”
“Nothing wrong with stating a fact, dear,” the priestess replied.
“Jorn was ranked as a fifth-degree mage,” Fell continued, looking back to me. “The universal standard across all mage academies is the Ten Degrees. First degrees are complete beginners, and it goes up to the tenth degree, mages recognized as masters in their principle. Luppa’s ability would put he
r around the second degree.”
“My time in Chaparral was very brief,” Luppa agreed. She looked at the hearth and searched along the edge until she found a stone with a crack. Drawing in a deep breath, she pressed her fingers to the fissure, then slowly exhaled as she dragged her fingers, mending the stone. “My skills are strictly for upkeep of our temple. I possess no offensive ability.”
“If you have what I think in mind, then, no, commanding the Marker to collapse wouldn’t work,” Fell stated gently. “Markers have the likeness of stone, but stone they are not. And even if Jorn were still with us, he would’ve had nowhere near the power to disrupt the earth to compromise the structure.”
“It’s endearing to see you planning,” Nuna chimed in, “but you have to be rational, Oliver. Considering our numbers and resources, no amount of planning would make such a task less impossible.”
I gave a wolfish smile. “Be prepared to eat those words.” I turned to Sanvi. “Where are the maps?”
Sanvi nodded to a lamia in the crowd to fetch what was needed. Once she saw the woman off, the mocha-skinned warrior looked back to me with a smirk. “You sound confident.”
“Because I am. And, Nuna, something is only impossible until some jackass manages to actually do it.” With impeccable timing, the other lamia returned with the map, going out of her way to unfurl them for me. I gave her a thankful nod and turned my attention to the white triangle standing in for the Marker. “I didn’t plan on having Luppa undo the foundation to knock it over; I planned on her knock down the mountain.”
When I looked up from the map, there was nothing but wide-eyed stares and blank faces. Several long beats of silence hung until Nuna spoke up.
“Wren,” she called out to the nearby bleary-eyed doctor. “You never checked his head, did you?” She turned her gaze towards me, her mouth opening and closing a few times. “Surely, you understand how knocking down an entire mountain is even more impossible than knocking down the Marker. It’s— it’s— I…” Nuna took a moment to rub her brow. “Your madness leaves me with no words.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “Which is why I want to knock down part of the mountain.”
Only the crackle and popping of the fire disturbed the silence while all the women still wore incredulous faces.
I cleared my throat. “I’ll spell it out.” My eyes fell to the map, and I pointed to the Marker. “Building in a narrow valley within a dense mountain chain is nothing short of genius. It can only be seen by staring down the straight portion of the valley, making it practically invisible. Not to mention protected. But,” I said, pausing to make sure people were paying attention as I pointed to one side of the valley. “This advantage is also a huge flaw.”
To my surprise, Meriel was the first to gasp once the quarter dropped.
“You want to collapse the neighboring cliff!”
A cacophony of voices erupted then. Some were excited and hopeful; others were opposed and skeptical. All that it took for order to return was Nolala raising her hand. She looked down at me, her purple gaze calculating avidly.
“Encouraging a sort of rockslide does appear more doable,” the Chieftain admitted, crossing her arms under her generous chest. “Managing a feat of that scale would require someone greatly skilled in earth magic. That brings us back to the lack of Luppa’s capacity.”
“My plan isn’t for her to cause a massive collapse, just to encourage it.
“Sanvi, you mentioned to stone was very brittle when you told me to watch my step. Does the same sort of rock make up the section near the Marker?”
“Yeah, the stone is mostly uniform here,” she said slowly, digesting the idea. “How can one encourage a collapse? And would that even be enough to topple the Marker?”
I knitted my fingers and held them to my chin. “That’s where things get complicated. To know how likely my plan is, I have to see the cliff nearest to the Marker. If it is possible, then several thousand tons of stone slamming into the Marker will not only knock it down but bury it.”
The dark obelisk was guesstimated at maybe five hundred feet, but the cliffs on either side of the valley were a few hundred feet higher. Of course, it’ll only work if a big enough portion of the cliff can fall.
“Question,” Fell said without looking up from the map. “I’m still unclear on how Luppa’s modest skills can cause something of that magnitude.”
“That’s why I have to see the cliff.” I looked over to the mature priestess. “Essentially, Luppa, I want you to do the opposite of what you do to maintain the temple.”
Her violet eyes widened with clarity. “Stress fractures,” she breathed out, clearly awed.
I grinned. “Bingo.”
“I’m sorry?”
Suppressing a groan, I waved it off. “Nothing. But getting back on point, do you think you can make big enough reliefs in the stone to cause the cliff’s own weight to shear away?”
Luppa’s eyes darted from side to side as she thought. “Breaking down stone requires far less energy than mending it,” she said more for herself. “The only problem I can see is the amount of time it would take. To produce a crack of sufficient size to carry out what you have in mind could take a few days, maybe more.”
“In extremely hostile environment,” Nolala added vehemently. “The depth of your plan amazes me, Oliver, truly, but the risk far outweighs the reward, which is only speculation on your part.
“In light of the arrival of flying Corruptions and Haya’s death, I can’t approve of a venture that involves something as dangerous as sidling next a grand monument of dark power. Braving the cliffs and summits are favorable because the beasts aren’t lurking around in great numbers. If aerial Corruptions have started appearing, they hold a deadly advantage over us. I cannot condone your plan.”
Utter disbelief gave me pause as I stared at her.
“Nolala, it’s risky, I know, but—”
“But what?” she interrupted harshly, her eyebrows taking on a hard angle. “My heart aches for what has happened to you, Oliver, and attempting to harm the Null as they’ve harmed us is a very enticing prospect, but I will not gamble my people’s lives for your contrived plan of vengeance.”
It felt as if all the planets lined up for the seedling of an idea to grow into this semi-practical plan. All the pieces are within reach, I just a handful of variables to make everything concrete.
So fucking close.
I opened my mouth to argue, but Nuna beat me to it.
“We should try, Mother.”
Nolala turned her head slowly to her daughter, carrying that firm look that could make a diamond crack. Yet Nuna maintained the icy gaze and kept up her defiant expression. The pressure in the air made my ears want to pop. The details of how things worked in the Isusi tribe were still a mystery. However, a blind man could see the absolute authority in Nolala’s orders; anything she says goes, leaving no room for backtalk.
“No,” Nolala said heavy-handedly. “I want to preserve our people if possible.”
“And how will we do that if the Marker is completed and opens the floodgates for the black tide?” the daughter asked raucously. A cloud of fear touched her face, but she pushed on. “Hoping for a breakthrough in the north will see us dead. Either the forces near Elesrora succumb to the Null, or the Marker is completed, forever condemning us to this temple.
“Time is fleeting, Mother. I want our sisters to carry on, but I also want our neighbors to live on. None of it will matter if there’s no world left.” Nuna looked to me. “How true are your words?”
I did a slow pan, watching others hanging on my words, then gave a single shoulder shrug. “No idea, but I’m willing to put my life on the line to make it work. Get busy living or get busy dying, right?”
A smile tugged at the corner of Nuna’s lips. She got serious and returned her attention to Nolala.
“I’m putting my faith in Oliver, Mother,” she said resolutely. “I’m willing to make the sacrifice if millions
of others can live on.”
“As am I,” Luppa agreed. “Yetzirah sacrificed herself for the greater good. If tilting the tide of war costs my life, then I’ll gladly give it up.”
“Third to that,” Sanvi said, giving a wide grin.
“We stand by Oliver as well,” Fell said, taking Meriel’s hand in hers and setting a hand on my shoulder.
Gradually, more murmurs of agreement came from the surrounding lamia.
Being faced with such apparent opposition, Nolala closed her eyes and drew in a great breath. “The risk is still too great. Traversing the mountainscape to get above the Marker leaves my people too vulnerable, even more so now that aerial Corruptions have migrated to the area.” The Chieftain reached over to cradle her daughter's cheek. “Understand that I cannot approve of an idea that will send my people, my only daughter, to their doom.” Nuna’s eyes grew glassy, and she held her hand over the one on her cheek.
“Actually,” I said, raising a finger to ruin the tender moment. “I also have an idea for that, too.” I made a line with my finger on the map. “Are there any tunnels near the Marker? No sense in exposing ourselves if we don’t have to, right?”
Sanvi leaned over the map and squinted, rubbing her chin in thought. “Perhaps. We’ve only had time to explore the straight most paths from the temple to the outside. Then again, there may be nothing.”
“I think not,” Luppa interjected excitedly. She slithered closer and spun the maps and stared hard. “The winters here are very mild; however, the tallest mountain accumulates great blankets of snow,” she said, pointing to the neighboring peak. “All the excess snow melts every spring, the water flowing down and in the surrounding mountains. Following the natural terrain…” She trailed off and ran a hand through her silvery hair. “It’s very likely some natural paths have formed over time.”
Staring down at the maps, I realized Luppa made an excellent point. Going off what I saw outside, the mountain peak in the north was the largest out of the chain. A river can cut through anything if given enough time. Snow runoff flowing downhill can seep into cracks and gradually erode the stone away. Their tunnel networks may be a mess in my mind, but we’re downhill from the peak; there must be one junction that’ll bring us near the Marker.
Heart of the Resonant- the Soldier's Tale Page 21