Most of the weapons adorning the walls were old and far too rusty to be of any use. What drew Ari’s attention, however, was the chest in the center of the room. He spent a minute examining it for hidden traps before taking hold of the handle and cautiously pulling it open.
There was only a single item inside, but it was in pristine condition. A coat of pliable metal armor was carefully folded in the chest’s interior, and Ari couldn’t help but be a little awed as he pulled it out and inspected it.
The armor was incredibly lightweight and made of small, interlocking sections of crimson chainmail. From the hum of magical essence he could feel against his fingers, Ari had no doubt that it was enchanted.
“I believe this is Salamandros armor,” said Eva. “Made from metal forged with the blood of an ancient, long extinct giant lizard. It is a rarity.”
“It has an enchantment,” said Ari. “This could be exactly what we need to finish activating the wards. Though, it almost seems like a waste to disenchant such a fine piece of equipment.”
He started to shrug off his pack and cloak, intending to pull the armor on and see what it was capable of.
“I would recommend against trying to wear it immediately,” said Eva.
“Why not?” asked Ari.
“It is possible that it could be cursed,” said Eva. “Though I admit, it is unlikely. Still, attempting to use enchanted items before identifying their proper usage is a mistake that would be unwise to get into the habit of making.”
“You’re probably right,” said Ari. “Mud and blood. It looks like it would fit me perfectly, too.”
He reluctantly slipped the Salamandros armor into his pack and finished his search of the room. There wasn’t much else left of interest other than a single door with an essence lock on the far side of the chamber.
“I guess we should head back,” said Ari. “The enchantment on the armor I found should be more than enough to activate the wards. As much as I’d love to keep exploring and see what else we can find, I’m not sure how much time we’ll have before the storm hits.”
“I agree,” said Eva.
She stayed in her sword form as Ari made his way back through the labyrinth and out to the surface, which he had mixed feelings about. He had more he wanted to say to her, more that he wanted to ask. He also knew that if he tried to start a conversation about what she’d said earlier, it would only lead to her closing up and creating further awkwardness between them.
What had she remembered? The question echoed in his head, gaining weight as his curiosity fed into it. She’d said she’d seen the type of person who she’d once been. Ari’s vision of Mythril had shown Eva as a sweet little girl, desperate to stay close to her young uncle. What had happened after that?
He could barely focus on the ground in front of him as they made their way up to the surface. Eva still hadn’t said anything to him. That wasn’t unusual, but for some reason, this time the silence was almost deafening.
It was mid-afternoon as the tower drew into view on the top of the hill. Ari forced himself to relax as he made his way up the slope. At the very least, he’d accomplished what he’d set out to do that morning.
Kerys and Rin were on the rooftop, which was unusual. Ari stopped in midstep as he saw them see him, and then saw them begin to wave and shout words that he couldn’t quite make out.
A salvo of arrows struck the ground a few feet to the left of where he was standing. He froze in place and turned back to the tree line. Several figures emerged and started toward him, and he recognized the one in front.
“Jarvis,” he said. “Long time no see.”
CHAPTER 45
On initial inspection, Jarvis looked as though he’d fared about as well as Ari had since leaving the Hollow. He wasn’t overly dirty, though his clothes still bore a few reddish-brown stains that Ari suspected wouldn’t be washing out anytime soon. His shoulder length blond hair was tied up into a warrior’s knot, and he carried a sword in a scabbard across his shoulders.
The sword, more than anything else, was what held Ari’s attention. It was a greatsword, and it was suspiciously similar to Azurelight in appearance. The pommel was a large ruby with a perfect, almost sparkling gleam, similar to the sapphire embedded in the hilt of Eva while she was in sword form. Even the weapon’s approximate length was similar, though Jarvis’ blade had a slight curve to it that would have given it a different balance point.
Ari wasn’t willing to dismiss his suspicion as idle imagination, but he also had more pressing problems. He recognized the other survivors with Jarvis as Ingrid and Kevo. Each had a makeshift bow in hand, with an arrow drawn and aimed at him.
“Aristial Stoneblood,” said Jarvis. “You seem to have done rather well for yourself, it seems.”
“Thanks,” said Ari. “That means a lot, coming from you. Say… why are those two pointing their weapons at me?”
Jarvis smiled.
“Kerys wouldn’t let us inside,” said Jarvis. “The bird bitch seemed to take issue with our presence, as well. Interesting to see who you’ve been making friends with.”
“She’s full of interesting facts about the surface,” said Ari. “And why not make friends? The two of us are friends, aren’t we?”
Jarvis chuckled and brought a hand to his chin, furrowing his brow slightly.
“Indeed we are,” said Jarvis. “So, as a friend, why don’t you ask Kerys and the bird to open the door to your tower and let us come inside?”
Ari ran a hand through his hair slowly, taking the time to consider whether he could get his sword free from its scabbard before taking an arrow to the face. Ingrid twitched, clearly noticing what he was up to, and he reluctantly abandoned the idea.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” said Ari. “I’m sure you understand where I’m coming from, Jarvis.”
Jarvis nodded slowly. “Kerys! You have thirty seconds to open the door before I order these two to put arrows into the orphan’s chest.”
Ari tried not to let his frustration show on his face. If he’d been paying more attention on his approach, he might have noticed what Kerys and Rin had been doing when they’d tried to warn him off earlier. Jarvis and his group weren’t powerful enough to threaten the integrity of the door like the fishers could. It was a situation that they probably could have waited out.
“Kerys, don’t even think about listening to him!” shouted Ari. “He’s not the Jarvis we remember. Even after we let him in, he’ll—”
The tower’s door opened. Ari swore under his breath as Jarvis strode over to him, approaching from the side to avoid spoiling the sightline of his designated archers.
“Throw your equipment down,” said Jarvis. “The sword, the bag, and the cloak.”
“Suck on dirt,” said Ari.
“Do it,” said Jarvis, stepping in closer. “If you don’t, I’ll take it out on Kerys in ways that will make you hate yourself.”
Ari gritted his teeth, finding it hard to keep his emotions in check in the face of the threat. He made his decision and began pulling his equipment off. He decided it might even work to his advantage if he could make himself seem defeated in Jarvis’ eyes, and then summon his sword back to his hand at the right moment.
He set his pack down so it covered the sword’s hilt, which he hoped would keep Jarvis from drawing a conclusion similar to the one that he had. Jarvis didn’t seem to care about the weapon, instead opening the pack and rifling through it. He tucked the runestone Ari had put into and taken out of Eva into the pocket of his tunic, and then raised an eyebrow at the armor.
“Interesting,” said Jarvis. “You have been busy, haven’t you? This armor… it’s enchanted, isn’t it?”
“It’s cursed,” said Ari. “As far as I can tell, it immediately starts heating up when worn by anyone other than its original owner, until they catch flame and incinerate.”
“A bluff,” said Jarvis. “Though I appreciate the mental image.”
Jarvis waved a hand
at Kevo, who stayed in place while he and Ingrid headed into the tower. They emerged a minute later, Jarvis dragging Kerys out by the arms while Rin followed behind them with her head slumped and Ingrid’s bow aimed at her back.
“Keep watch on those two, Ingrid,” said Jarvis. He unsheathed his sword and pressed its sharp, gleaming edge to Ari’s throat. “Your turn, Kevo. Take any food you can find, and anything else of value.”
The process was repeated, with Kevo returning from the tower’s interior carrying what was left of the food cache Ari and Rin had worked so hard to recover. Jarvis flashed his teeth in a wolfish grin when he saw it.
“That’s everything we have,” said Ari. “Unless you plan on taking the tower itself from us, too.”
“No, I’ve no intention of that,” said Jarvis. “This place is a deathtrap. The storm coming from the south will overwhelm anyone who stays in this area. We’re heading north.”
Rin let out a small, chirping laugh. “Into the Vodakai Sands? I thought this one was a bit foolish, but you put him to shame, chala.”
Jarvis shot a glare at Rin.
“Kevo,” he said. “Punish her.”
Kevo was taking his pick from what remained of Ari’s gear. He tied the Feathercloak around his shoulders and lifted a small club as he approached Rin. She recoiled in fear, pulling her arms up to block her head. Kevo let out a chuckle as he pulled his arm back.
Rin kicked him between the legs in a sudden, clearly planned movement, surging forward assisted by a flap of her wings. Ingrid loosed an arrow, but it struck where Rin had been, not where she was. Rin’s hands went of Kevo’s neck, or at least, that was what Ari initially assumed.
She took the Feathercloak, undoing the tie with nimble fingers and then pulling it onto herself. Ingrid was notching another arrow, but Rin was already leaping upward. Ari realized what she intended at the same moment as it happened.
The wind enchantment on the Feathercloak was weak on its own, but when combined with Rin’s own wind affinity and the lift generated by her wings, even marred as they were, she could apparently manage to fly. She took off into the sky, and for a couple of hopeful moments, Ari waited for her to veer back in their direction and come to their aid somehow.
It didn’t happen. Jarvis began laughing as he realized the situation. Ari gritted his teeth, trying to keep the sense of betrayal he was feeling from showing on his face. Jarvis’ sword was still pressed against his neck, preventing him from doing anything but observe his worsening circumstances.
“I thought you’d enslaved her, or perhaps traded her something for her aid,” said Jarvis. “It looks like she was just waiting to steal from you, in the end.”
“You’re a bastard, Jarvis!” shouted Kerys. “Why are you doing this? What did we ever do to you?”
“That’s a fair question,” said Jarvis. “Nothing, really. For a while, I harbored a grudge over Ari taking Harris’ place amongst the Chosen, but my dear friend would not have fared well out here. There’s nothing that either of you did to inspire this, Kerys, other than exist within my field of view.”
Jarvis blade dug into Ari’s neck a little harder, drawing a trickle of blood. Part of him was tempted to summon Azurelight into his hand and try to knock Jarvis’ blade back, but he knew that it would only get him killed. All Jarvis had to do was lean into the swing he’d already started, and Ari would never get his weapon up to bear in time.
“You can have our stuff,” Ari said, enunciating slowly. “But why kill us? Didn’t you say that our fight wasn’t over yet?”
There was a flicker of something in Jarvis’ expression. Interest of a violent sort.
“You’re afraid,” said Ari, seeing if he could get a taunt to stick. “It’s one thing to fight the orphan when you’ve got all the other boys in the Hollow at your back. But out here? When it would just be me and you? You’re terrified of the idea of facing me.”
Jarvis drew his sword back abruptly and tossed it to the side. He extended a single finger and pointed it at Ari’s chest.
“I’ve always found you interesting, Aristial,” said Jarvis. “It’s hard for me to explain exactly why. I’m not scared of you, but you are correct about one thing. Our fight is not over yet.”
Ari rubbed his neck, feeling a sting from where Jarvis’ sword had left a razor thin cut.
“I’ll even make it more worthwhile for you,” said Jarvis. “If you win the fight, I’ll let you and Kerys live. But if I win… you have to watch me kill her. Just her. I’ll still let you live.”
“You really are a bastard,” muttered Ari.
He didn’t see a point in sparring verbally with Jarvis when he could do the same with his fists. Again, Ari resisted the urge to immediately summon his sword and attempt to catch him off guard. Kevo and Ingrid still had their bows drawn, now with one less target to aim at after Rin fled the scene.
He took his shoes off, slowly and deliberately, ignoring Jarvis’ mocking laugh. Ari couldn’t help but smile at how much had stayed the same amidst all the changes. Jarvis began circling around him as soon as he’d risen back to standing, and Ari stared into his eyes with the same intense focus he’d relied on down in the dueling ring of the Hollow.
Jarvis rushed forward, throwing a punch that missed and then trying to get a hold of Ari’s shoulder. Ari spun, throwing an elbow aimed at Jarvis’ chin. It caught his neck instead, but from the noise Jarvis made as the blow impacted, he knew that it had still been a good hit.
Jarvis retaliated with a kick to Ari’s thigh, followed by an attempt at pulling him into a wrestling hold. Ari knocked his hand aside and threw a punch that Jarvis ducked under at the last second. Jarvis slammed his knee up, aiming for Ari’s groin in what would have been a cheap blow down in the Hollow. Ari twisted, blocking access with the side of his leg.
They traded a quick series of punches, each taking and giving a few to the face. Ari tasted copper from his split lip, but could tell from the swelling around Jarvis’ eye that it had cost him something in return.
“This is stupid and pointless,” said Ari. “Look at the sky, Jarvis! How long do you think we even have before the storm gets here?”
The afternoon sun had already been partially occluded by the thick curtain of clouds approaching from the southwest. Jarvis shook his head, not even bothering to glance up.
“Let’s finish it now, then,” he said. “Come at me.”
Ari feinted and launched himself forward, unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks that had more to do with his anger than sound strategy. Jarvis was a better fighter overall than he was, but something was different this time. Ari was fighting for more than just himself and his honor. He wasn’t about to watch Kerys die.
Jarvis was a fraction of a second too slow. Ari’s resolve carried the punch forward as much as his strength. He left himself completely open, throwing his entire weight behind the blow. It struck Jarvis in the chin, stunning him. Ari pulled back to follow up with the hit that would end the fight.
Jarvis extended a hand and light flashed within his palm as his sword disappeared from the scabbard on the ground and appeared within his grasp. Ari had been expecting that, and he was already moving to dodge the oncoming slash as he summoned his own blade.
Jarvis, by comparison, was caught completely by surprise. Ari held Azurelight in a double handed grip and slashed with enough strength to knock Jarvis’ weapon aside, repeating the exchange that had just played out in unarmed combat.
“Aristial!” screamed Kerys.
Pain unlike anything Ari had ever experienced before stabbed into the back of his shoulder. He blinked, staring at Jarvis in blank incomprehension, and then glanced down at the arrow tip protruding from his arm.
He should have seen it coming. It was always this way. Jarvis had been conditioned to take all the advantages he could get, up to and beyond accepting help from people outside the fight. It had been the same on the last day in Golias Hollow, and out on the surface, the stakes were even higher.
“Eva!” he shouted.
The blade flashed, and Eva continued her path through the air, landing within striking distance of the two archers. She slammed a fist into Ingrid’s stomach before stripping the bow out of her hand, and then spun, knocking Kevo to the ground with a vicious roundhouse kick.
Jarvis’ sword also flashed with light, apparently of its own volition. A woman dressed in a black bodice and skirt similar to Eva’s stood in front him, except her clothing was dark instead of light. Her hair was flame red, and it hung across her shoulders, curling slightly at the tips.
“You…” said the woman. “I know you, don’t I? I can’t remember you, but I know that I know you. Oh, this is just wonderful!”
“I do not know you,” said Eva.
“Of course you do!” said the woman. “They called me Bloodrose. I remember your face. Your name… Oh, I can almost remember it! It’s on the tip of my tongue.”
“I want nothing to do with you,” said Eva.
“Azurelight!” shouted Bloodrose. “That’s right! Mythril made you, just like he made me. We were both his servants. Though it’s so hard for me to remember what that means.”
“Do not… say… another word,” said Eva.
“Come with us,” said Bloodrose. “Once we’ve finished killing these two, you’ll have no reason to stay here. You can bond with Jarvis alongside me! He’s a gentle boy. He won’t hurt you, and we’ll both remember together what we’ve forgotten. We can become who we were before—”
Eva moved faster than Ari’s eyes could easily track. She closed on Bloodrose and seized her by the hair, pulling her off balance before delivering a furious punch to her face. She didn’t stop there, either, following up her initial attack with a salvo of brutally efficient blows.
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