by Meagan Hurst
That was yet another mind-boggling aspect of these cases. They were roughly the size of the average human head, yet they were also large enough to contain worlds if someone could figure out how to place a world in them. Having spent the better part of a month trying to solve that puzzle, Z turned her mind away from the thought and opened the case so she could retrieve what she had placed in it for safe keeping years ago.
“I ran across it in the mountains that border the lands between the Rangers and the Ryelentions.”
“There are no settlements near the Ryelentions, Z,” Kahreisa corrected.
“Right,” Z replied as her brow rose. “Whatever lets you sleep at night,” she added before offering Isneitane the very delicate scroll. “It looks like you were correct, by the way; the influx of magic tore the kingdom in half when it was destroyed. This half of the kingdom ended up being the foundation for the mountain range.”
“Interesting. The foundation how?”
“Can you two discuss that later, please?” Kahreisa demanded in exasperation as she glared at them both. “I’m not even supposed to be here and every time I try to have a conversation with Z, you disrupt her or make her attention vanish.”
Z raised a brow and smirked. “Actually, I think that part came with the humanity. Short attention span, remember?”
“By the feel of the blade,” Kahreisa muttered with irritation, using an Alantaion idiom.
“I think the term is random attention span. Humans will spend years studying the strangest of things, but the shortest time researching something worthwhile.” Isneitane glanced at Z as though he needed her opinion and she offered him a nod of agreement.
“You two are impossible together. No wonder the Mithane cringes when he inquires as to your location and he is informed you are visiting the library.”
“That has to do with the fact that every time I come here someone is stupid enough to believe I’m attempting to assassinate Isneitane, or he’s trying to assassinate me.”
“I’d rather not understand,” Kahreisa groaned as Z opened her mouth to explain.
Chuckling, Z turned her attention fully to the Saer. “Fine. Explain things then; why did you come to find me?”
“I need you to take a message back to the Mithane—the true one—when you leave. I cannot risk any of my command, and worse, I cannot trust them. You, on the other hand, I trust. You’ve always been on the Mithane’s side, and I know nothing sways you. Not to mention there is also the added benefit that you also know where he is.”
All business for a moment, Z straightened in her chair. “Verbal, written, or recorded?”
“Verbal. Even with all the security in the world the other two ways are not fool proof. Verbal can also be compromised, but since your defenses are so high I doubt anyone would manage to gain the message from you.” Kahreisa rose and walked to one of the public shelves of texts. “There is a growing level of magic around the forest that seems to be connected to a portal or something similar.”
“It’s not a portal,” Z clarified. “I didn’t sense any unauthorized portals in the area when I made my way in. Why do you suspect it to be a transportation type of magic?” When the Saer didn’t answer, Z’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve lost people,” she stated in a flat tone.
“A hundred in patrols. It doesn’t seem to be in any particular location per se, which is why I said a portal or something similar. Do you know of anything that could result in these disappearances?”
“A moving portal? No…but it is magic we’re talking about so anything is possible,” Z groaned as she closed her eyes. “Isneitane?”
“I haven’t run across anything in my studies that would fit that description, but I will run an in-depth search if you would like.”
“I’d be honored if you would—I’ll pay you back with transcripts.” Z pressed her lips together as Isneitane moved off to begin his search. “I don’t know all of the details, but I am aware we’ve had vanishing troops while the Islierre was trying to regain his throne. I’ll check into it more when I return, but it sounds like I need to grab some of the more powerful and sensitive mages I know and do some onsite research.”
“That could prove to be dangerous.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time. Plus, I have a natural aptitude with portals and traveling magic, so working with something of that shade shouldn’t be too much of a danger for me. It is also possible that I could shield people from it if I had to.” She pressed her lips together. “There isn’t a common location that the missing squads disappeared from on their way to Lyiastras, which could make this hard to trace.”
“Could it be something like a web? Certain conditions open a hole and a portal for a brief time before it cloaks itself and falls inactive.”
Z glanced at the ancient librarian with concern. “You’ve found something?”
“You won’t like it, but yes, I have records that imply something like this has occurred before.”
“Ancient beings of power.” It was another flat statement, and Z felt her anger surface.
“Something much like that, yes. It resolved itself so there is no proof, but that is what the capable minds of the time thought.” Isneitane frowned and continued to read the scroll that had appeared in his hand. “It was considered important enough that this report was set to be found instantly when someone looked for records of a certain nature.” He paused again. “The key words were ‘vanished beings.’ You should proceed with a high degree of caution, Z—the being who took the time to record this disappeared two days later himself.”
Chapter 14
She made it back to the rooms Midestol—and it just seemed so wrong—had been granted in Arriandie. He was pacing inside the main entrance and his eyes snapped with fury when they met hers. He waved a hand without true direction, which said much about his temper, at the doors. They closed behind her.
“Good of you to return,” he snarled.
She froze where she was while he continued to seethe in silence. “I ran into some acquaintances,” she told him. “It’s not like I came back injured,” she retorted as he stared.
“I realize that,” he growled, but when he realized his men were watching him, he strolled forward, grabbed her by the neck, and dragged her into the room he had assigned as hers. Throwing her down on the floor, he glowered at her for a moment before exhaling with a hiss. “Well get up!” he snapped.
She rose, keeping a cautious eye on him. Midestol wasn’t himself and it made this interaction hard to gauge. It was taking all of her self-control not to react to him. “What,” she demanded as she settled herself on the edge of the bed, “did I do wrong this time?”
“You’re my granddaughter…I thought…” Midestol closed his eyes. “Losing you wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. Zimliya, you’re important to me, wrong side of the battle or not, and I hate that your strength was brought straight out of a weakness and a failure on my behalf. I should have known who you were right away, and I should have sheltered you. Instead we’ll be fighting to the death and the last of our family, you or me, will be slain one way or another. You’ve turned to a Dragon, of all beings, for comfort, and I cannot help but think half of this was my fault.”
Well it was, but he certainly hadn’t cared before. “Midestol—Grandfather…” that word would never feel right to her. “I’ll manage one way or another, and the Dragon is getting picked on by everyone for nothing. You have no idea what he’s like.”
Midestol snorted. “I will admit he is impressive. He’s managed to cloud your thinking in a very short amount of time.”
“You’re trying to kill me, remember? Why do you care?”
“Because you’re my granddaughter. All plans aside I don’t want you taken advantage of—oh don’t give me that look. This is your doing more than mine; you never told me who you were.”
She would never understand him. It was clear that he still wanted to play family with her, and she didn’t understand why. As far as she was concerned, this wa
s only making it worse. “Midestol…” she mumbled under her breath.
“I took the liberty of summoning the Dragon.”
“What?!”
“He agreed to make his way here in haste, though he wanted me to assure you that he would not be leaving anyone unprotected. Something about more Dragons?”
Although that was a concern, this was a more pressing matter, and Z just stared at Midestol, flabbergasted. “Midestol, this is not a good idea.”
The dark mage’s smile was bitter with self-loathing. “No, it’s not, but I plan to do it regardless. I know you won’t have a hard time killing me if in our final match the opening presents itself, but I can no longer say that for sure about myself. Anyone else? Wouldn’t be a problem, but you…you have always been someone I’ve been interested in. Talent-wise you have no equal, and you took advantage of what each race could teach you. You improved your tracking with the Alantaions, your swordsmanship with all the immortal races, your archery with the Syallibions, your skills as an assassin with the Ryelentions, your magic with the Shades—need I go on because I could list things for some time.”
Z frowned. “Did you slip in the blood of someone you were killing?” she wanted to know. Ignoring the irritated look in Midestol’s eyes, she sighed. “When is the Dragon arriving?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea. I informed him you had gone missing—”
“Are you insane?! You told Nivaradros I was missing?! Could you be any more idiotic?”
“Your tone is becoming offensive. Please refrain from testing me tonight. I have already had a very, very long day while you were off conversing with friends.”
“They’re not friends…” Z began but, at that moment, she tensed with surprise as the door to her room opened, and a familiar feel of power flooded the room.
“I take it you found her,” an amused voice rang out. “Am I interrupting something important?”
Nivaradros entered the room as though he owned it, but he also managed to enter with caution. His eyes fixed on her and he seemed to read her mood without quarrel. Undiscouraged by what he read, he decided to test her by sitting down beside her. He laid an arm over her shoulder, which surprised her, but she found a small amount of comfort that came with the familiarity of that position. Leaning her head against his chest, she listened to the uneven beats of his hearts with her eyes closed. She could almost taste Midestol’s astonishment, but for once she didn’t care what he learned from this. She was tired of having to watch everything she did or said. Plus, she knew Midestol’s end game when it came to her existence.
“She was wounded…” Nivaradros rumbled as his feel began to shift toward dangerous. “She is healed, but her clothes are stained with blood, and I can sense the air of discomfort surrounding you. What happened? Was my warning of her arrival not enough for you to act upon with haste? I thought I was quite specific, far more than you deserved.”
Z’s eyes flew open in amazement. “You told Midestol I was here?!” she demanded to know in shock. She was getting tired of people being in contact with the Dragon and pretending they didn’t know about certain events. Shalion had done it, now Midestol. She wondered who else that she was unaware of was in contact with Nivaradros.
“The Mithane was in contact with the Arriandin for a brief allotment of time, and the Arriandin implied you had offended him. Since it resulted in him delivering you to the Alantaion who stole the throne, I thought it would be prudent to reach out to your grandfather since the usurper is his puppet. I made a bargain of sorts. As you are alive—and relatively well—I am going to assume it worked out fine.”
“Had Nivaradros not contacted me, I wouldn’t have known you were here until it was too late to prevent much more from occurring. As it was, Zimliya, I was late, and you suffered for it. Despite the fact it was due to your own stupidity, I still regret the harm you allowed yourself to accept.” She decided Midestol was pleased over the fact he had managed to keep his knowledge that Nivaradros was still alive hidden from her and had been able to pretend to disapprove of her association with him. Another game. She was so tired of the games.
“Besides, there are a few things we need to discuss,” Nivaradros added. His expression was unreadable, and his tone gave nothing away. Instead, he stroked her back as he held Midestol’s gaze. “I want to know how you arranged for parts of an army to disappear without leaving a magic trace. Which ancient power did you manage to make an agreement with—foolishly, I might add—so they could have limited access to this world? Whoever it is will one day start stealing your people if we don’t stop them.”
Z’s eyes narrowed and she shifted her position. She was furious. If Midestol was behind this—and if it was for the reason Nivaradros had just alleged—she was going to have a long talk with him. She began to stand.
Nivaradros grabbed her left arm as she started to rise and pulled her down as Midestol shifted with unease.
“What makes you so certain you know what is going on?” Midestol asked.
“Simple, I’ve done the same thing myself before—long before you were born,” he added to Z, who shrugged. “There was a race of mortals that was problematic, and I desired a way to get rid of them that would not be traced back to me. I came across one of the ancient beings that are both present and not present and offered to make a deal. They would get rid of the mortal race and I would grant them limited access to this world for a time.”
“So that explains how the Gsentians disappeared,” Z murmured as Midestol gave her a look she knew all too well. “What?!” she asked crossly. “Curiosity is a crime?”
“I will never understand your way of thinking,” Midestol remarked with a frown.
“You’re not supposed to, it’s my way of thinking.”
“Is she always like this, or does she only share this mood with me?” Midestol questioned Nivaradros.
“Don’t feel honored. She shares that mood with everyone, but we do try to tolerate it.” He smiled as she stuck her tongue out at him. “I am not sure I have ever seen you do that before…”
She was shocked. She had expected a zillion questions or for her action to register as an insult. Instead, Nivaradros seemed to be entertained. Her attention turned to Midestol, who was watching the Dragon with something akin to awe. Though the two of them were getting along better than Crilyne and Nivaradros ever had, Z wasn’t certain it was safe to say the meeting was a success, but it was clear there was a level of comfort between the Dragon and the false-immortal human. She wasn’t sure she trusted, liked, or knew what to do with it.
“Relax, Zimliya,” Midestol advised a long last. “You look ready to attack me at a moment’s notice. Your Dragon arranged this. He has been studying you for some time, and he has been fooling us all. Regardless, it is not a concern for the moment.” Midestol’s eyes flickered with danger as he turned his full attention to the Dragon. “You are correct in your assumption,” he admitted. “But I fear the deal you struck with the power was much more in-depth and thought out than mine; I am starting to suspect I did not cover what I should have.”
“Then what you did cover? I can come up with counters and Z can work on figuring out all the loopholes such an ancient being is likely to come up with and use. Won’t you, Zimliya.” The last was not a question, and Z managed to refrain from arguing.
“Sounds fair enough, although quite a lot of work.” Midestol began to lay out just what he had been offered and had negotiated in return for his cooperation. Z winced as the story came out. Midestol had made a choice that had, and would, damage her forces. The unnamed and unidentified power seemed to have been granted access to take any number—and it sounded to Z as though the number of beings the power could acquire had been much more important than the type. Since this meant there was a good possibility the missing individuals from the many races affected were still alive, she tried not to become too furious at her grandfather for starting this.
It was hard when Nivaradros’s suspicions were proven co
rrect; there were a great deal of loopholes such an ancient consciousness could take advantage of. Z turned her attention to these while Nivaradros patiently—to her continued astonishment—began to work his way through what he could advise Midestol on. As she added the tidbits she uncovered, Nivaradros nodded and offered her a sly smile of approval before he added her information to his discussion.
And she did involve herself in that as well. She was used to outthinking others on the battlefield, and this fell right into her talent. Her mind began to pull up thoughts and images faster than she liked, but as she’d had a few months to adjust to this immortal strength, she managed to negotiate her way through her thoughts with relative ease.
“No, no, Nivaradros, whoever this is—they are not after sacrifices,” she interjected for the seventeenth time. She was certain her voice betrayed the frustration of having to repeat herself.
“Yes, you keep saying that,” the Dragon replied. His eyes were bright, but still very deep in their shade. “Perhaps you will offer enlightenment as to why?”
“Whoever we’re dealing with is after beings,” Z repeated with a grimace. “They either want to repopulate an old empty world, a world that has recently lost a lot of its people, or they want to create a new world and need someone to populate it. Rather than go through the effort of creating a race, they are taking from those already in existence. I hate people who prefer shortcuts. Your ally is lazy, Midestol.”
“And why our world? Our races?” Midestol asked in a tone that implied he expected her confidence to falter with the question.
Since it was a part of Midestol she knew well, Z’s lips turned up in a dark smile. “Because you invited him in, and because most of the races that populate this world are not native to it. Dragons aren’t, neither are the humans, the Alantaions, the Dralations, the Ryelentions, the Satyelians, the Vyenrians, or the Nialtians. None of the immortal races had any interaction with each other before they came here.”
“And the mortals?”
“The Satyelians came from the same world the Vyenrians did, though they came about three centuries before the immortal race decided to follow. Humans were known by most races. Not that this comes as a shock; we are the universal vermin. We get into every world at some point.” Z squared her shoulders while glancing at the Dragon. “Though the Dragons who came here didn’t meet humans in their homeland, humans may have found a way there since then.” Well, that was a lie, she knew they had made it there.