by Emily Wilson
“No. If you want to go, we’ll go. You got on a boat for me... I can go down some ridiculously steep, winding, half-broken steps to go explore a potentially dangerous but hopefully abandoned city with you.” Az forces his feet to move and passes all three of them on his way to the edge, then turns a challenging stare toward Aleon and Teagon. “Don't tell me I'm braver than you are.”
Without another word, Az starts his descent and mutters to himself until they can't hear him anymore, but Teagon’s visibly trying to keep control of himself.
“What?” Aleon asks him.
Teagon peeks over the ledge and snorts. “You could've just teleported us all down there. He didn't need to take the stairs.”
“You're an idiot, Teag.” Aleon shifts to get his footing, and even Kato loses his nerve as they begin their journey down. They’re high — maybe not as high as that horrible bridge at the Ruins, but still high enough to be uncomfortable.
“Maybe this is a bad idea. Aleon, take us down.”
Aleon shakes his head and wipes some sweat from his brow as his hand visibly shakes. “Yeah, okay. It’s not that simple, I—”
Teagon actually barks a laugh so loud it echoes off the walls. “Are you struggling to perform, brother?”
“Get faeched! Bet none of you would perform well under this pressure, either.”
“Pretend Riley's watching,” Teagon grunts, holding on to the side of the mountain with an unsure grip. “My feet are too big for these steps; I'll never make it down there.”
“Who’s the one struggling now?” Aleon mocks. “Azrian's halfway there already.”
“Azrian has much smaller feet. They fit on these rocks better than ours,” Kato mumbles, already sick of walking sideways.
Aleon giggles at something Kato doesn’t understand, but he’s too nervous with his steps to turn back and look. It seems to take forever for them to finally reach the bottom, and by then, Azrian's already staring slack-jawed at the scene in front of them. From the ground, the buildings are much, much bigger than they'd appeared to be — much bigger even than the buildings in Embermeadow. How they all fit with so much space above is beyond any of their comprehension.
“You think the Regnum will come looking for us if we don't come back?” Azrian asks quietly.
“Wouldn’t count on it. They might be glad we’re out of their way.” Kato takes Azrian’s hand protectively and pulls him closer. “Stay close.”
He hears Teagon whisper “Ale, hold my hand too” behind him, but chooses to ignore them and the shoving match that ensues. It doesn't last long though; they never do with the two being what they are. Aleon teleports to the other side of a half-crumbled wall, but yelps and immediately ends back up on their side.
“What?” Teagon asks quickly. “What was it?”
“Nothing,” he responds, but his tone suggests otherwise. “It's just... dirty over there.”
“What kind of dirty?” Kato asks, his grip tightening on Azrian’s hand. His mind instantly fears the worst and he stops walking to meet his brother’s gaze. “Tell us.”
“Uh...” Aleon scratches the back of his head and turns toward the barrier, then back at Kato. “It's the kind of dirty none of you are gonna be happy about, but don't take my word for it. Go see for yourself.”
“WHAT IN THE SHADOWS is that?” Azrian asks in a harsh whisper. “Is that what I think it is?”
Silence answers him until Teagon realizes that he's the only one that will. “Yep. That's what you think it is, alright. Touch it.”
“I'm not gonna touch it.”
“Just touch it.”
Azrian swats him. “Sweet Cettia, Teagon, I'm not going to touch the skeleton!” His voice echoes around them this time and a chill races through him as he thinks of what — or who — might be listening. The skeleton in question is wearing some sort of armor and nothing else, which tells Azrian they’ve been here for a very, very long time. “Clothes have disintegrated. I wonder what kind of metal this is, though? It looks almost like Hokrine, but even that rusts after a few centuries.”
“I don’t know much about metals, but that definitely isn’t Hokrine.” Kato walks closer and kneels down to look. “There’s some sort of design on—” Aleon pretends he’s going to push Kato onto the skeleton, but the giant hardly budges. “Shadows, Aleon!” He shoves back at him and the Itinerae has to use his powers to keep from falling back.
“Will you two knock it off?” Teagon scolds as he kneels down. “Just stay still. I'm gonna take the helmet off and see... there's something weird about the bone shape.” He slowly reaches forward and grimaces as he wraps both hands around the metal helmet, then counts down from three, and then: Crack!
Teagon screams as the entire head of the skeleton comes off, then throws it up in the air. Azrian’s brain doesn't catch on quickly enough and the thing lands in his outstretched hands like some kind of twisted sport, and all he can do is gape at it. “What is wrong with you?” he asks Teagon, a little bewildered. “You're a Viribus, for Cettia’s sake. What did you think was going to happen?”
“Shadows, how have we all survived this long?” Kato takes a moment to breathe and then grips the skull. “Pull, Azzy.”
Every single molecule in his system cringes in sync as the skull is forcefully removed from the armor. The squelching sound it makes is both disgusting and concerning, but Azrian won't allow himself to contemplate what the cause of that is. The tension between them goes slack as it clears the helmet, and they get their first real look at what used to be someone’s face.
“That is single-handedly the most horrifying thing I've ever seen, little brother.” Teagon gags and steps back, nudging Aleon forward in his place. “It reeks.”
Kato holds the skull as far away from his body as he can and frantically looks for somewhere to set it down. “Shadows! This is disgusting.” He opts to set it down with the body and then wipes his hands on some sort of weird cloth hanging from the windowsill.
“What do you suppose the purpose of a window was down here?” Azrian asks. “And if that cloth is still intact... was the warrior here naked?”
“I imagine a room, no matter where it is, does better with ventilation. And the cloth... I don’t know. It has a strange pattern. Maybe his clothes were made of a different material? Or maybe this just isn't as old somehow?”
Az shrugs. Everything about this place seems odd, and he's learned over the last year not to question things he doesn't understand. “Maybe. Are you able to make out the design?”
“Not really. It’s too dirty... should we take it back up with us to clean it and get a better look? I'm more concerned about the shape of that skull. Have any of you heard of such a person?” Kato asks, knowing he's the least informed among them.
Aleon and Teagon shake their heads, both turning their attention to Az like he's supposed to have the answers. “Do I look like the type of guy that's seen a skeleton before? For all we know, it's shaped like that because someone sat on it.”
“Sat on it.”
“Yes, Teagon,” Az says. “Sat on it.”
Teagon blinks at him a moment longer and then turns away, walking toward the door they entered. “Well, let's go see if there's any more smooshed skulls around. There could be a monster lurking around that kills people with his arse.”
Kato bites back a grin and looks around the room as if it's a struggle not to laugh at his brother's teasing.
“If we find him, we get to name him. I'm thinking Arse of Doom,” Aleon pipes up, and Kato loses his internal battle quickly, snorting a laugh as he pulls Az in for a hug.
“I deserved that,” he mutters against Kato’s chest. “But grab that armor and let’s see what else is down here.”
Retrieving the breastplate is harder than getting the helmet was, but they eventually manage it and set it by the base of the stairs so they don't forget to bring it back up with them.
The orange light that once filled the vast space is starting to dim so Azrian calls up
on his Videre light and sends it high above their heads to take its place, then follows close to Kato as they make their way through house after house.
It feels wrong to take things, so they mostly just explore the creepy ancient ruins and examine small trinkets. It's obvious whoever lived here is long gone, but they led a life not too different than people today — aside from living deep inside a mountain.
Azrian finds himself wondering what happened to them. Where did they all go? They see bones every so often, but not many of them had armor like the first skeleton they came across. Did something kill them? Wipe them out completely? Or did they simply... die out?
Aleon reaches behind a structure made of wood and seems to be struggling. “Can't... faeching... reach...”
Something clatters to the ground loudly as Aleon slips, but his Itinerae abilities have him back on his feet before he hits the floor. He reaches down with a triumphant yell and pulls out a sword — a sword still so sharp and gleaming that it doesn't look a day old.
“Okay, this is cool,” Teagon says as he tries to steal it.
Azrian walks closer with his eyes locked on the blade and his fingers slide up it in awe as he takes in the magnificent weapon. “This isn't an ordinary sword. Not even an Igneme's fire could wield this.”
Kato appears behind him and looks at the hilt. “It has those markings again. What sort of tongue is this?”
“I don't know,” he says honestly. “I've never seen anything like it. The Regnum might know... they have a library here filled with old books. Maybe there's something in there about it?”
“Who cares what it says?” Teagon attempts to steal the blade from Aleon for a second time but fails again. “Come on! We know it should be mine, I'm the warrior.”
“You're the stult is more like it.” Aleon smacks Teagon’s outstretched arm with the tip of the blade, but instantly starts apologizing when he sees the parallel cuts he left. “How! I—”
“I told you. That's no ordinary sword.”
Kato rolls his eyes and grabs Teagon's arm, healing him before he can throw a fit then snatches the blade while Aleon is distracted. “You just lost your right to hold it. It's safer with me anyway, you two are both stults.” He tilts his head and waits for an argument, but doesn't receive any even though Azrian seriously considers it. It’s not that he doesn't think Kato deserves it, but a selfish part of him wants it for his own and it's a little hard for him to ignore that.
“I think it should belong to the person that can actually get it up those stairs,” Aleon mutters, “but fine.”
From there, they agree to split up. Teagon and Aleon head west through the cracked, uneven street while Azrian and Kato head east — deeper into the city. Once they're out of earshot, Az stops again and gives Kato the most innocent and pleading expression he can muster. “Can I hold it?”
The smile that grows answers before he does and Kato hands it over without argument. “I knew you wanted it, Azzy.”
His breath catches in his throat — for some reason, he'd expected it to be a lot heavier than it actually is — but every inch of his attention is focused on the engravings in the blade itself and on the tang. They seem to glow under his Videre light, and as he brings that light closer, the markings seem to get brighter. “Kato!” he says excitedly. “What's happening to it?”
“I don't— I don't know... it's almost as if it likes you. Have you ever heard of blades favoring a person?” He tenses at Az's side, but he knows that's just him feeling protective.
“Of course not. Blades are made of metal, and metal doesn't... like people. But this?” The longer he holds the blade, the lighter it feels in his hand. He spins it in a broad circle and lunges, staring wide-eyed as the blade sinks deep into the stone. The stone. “Okay. That shouldn't have happened,” Azrian whispers and he swallows. “I've definitely never seen a blade cut through stone like it was butter. I probably just ruined it.”
“Doesn't seem ruined to me.” Kato looks it over as it slides out and then stands there puzzled. “I think we should head back soon... we can come back another day, but we should hide that in our room and then find out what it is. I don't trust they wouldn't just take it from us.”
The thought of someone taking this blade makes Azrian angry, but he recognizes that it's not theirs, either. “Which room? The one we share with Ronan, or the one we found earlier today?”
“With Ronan. We know we can trust him; he prefers to stay in there anyway because he doesn't really like the Regnum.” Kato eyes the blade another moment. “If we put it in the other room, someone else might find it. It'd be best to know more about it before showing anyone.”
Though Azrian has serious doubts that they'll discover anything else about the mysterious sword without talking to someone — Rhix, at the very least — he finds himself agreeing with Kato. He ducks into one more building that looks like it's already been looted before they make their way back to the stairs to meet the others, but they're nowhere to be found. “Do you think they went back up already or something?”
“No. the armor is still here. Teagon! Aleon!” he calls out, looking around nervously. “Maybe we shouldn't have separated?”
“I’m sure they're f—”
“What!” Teagon yells back, but neither one of them can figure out where his voice is coming from. “Up here, canches!”
Azrian shields his eyes from his own light as he glances up, and he can just make out the silhouettes of Kato's brothers. “Shadows,” he whispers. “They're already up there.”
“What did you think we were gonna do! You stole the blade; you bring it up! Have fun!” Teagon waves with a cackle and disappears, followed instantly by Aleon.
By the time the echo of his voice fades, Azrian realizes they're genuinely not coming back. Things suddenly get a lot colder, but he's thankful that Teagon sounded like he wasn't mad... just playing a little prank. “Well, Jellycrai... I have no idea what time it is up there or if we missed dinner or not, but if we want to make it to the top anytime soon, we’d better get climbing.”
11 The Council
Luckily for them, they make it back just in time to grab some dinner. The brothers are already at the table with Ronan and bickering about the sword that’s now safely tucked away in their room.
“Where is it?” Aleon whispers, looking around the room nervously.
“Where’s what?” Kato retorts, hoping Aleon gets the hint to drop it, and when his brother just narrows his gaze and looks down at his plate, he knows they’re on the same page. “Looks like we missed the twins. Were they in here when you two arrived?”
“Where were you all, anyway?” Rone asks, and Kato decides to tell him a half-truth.
“We found a room.” It’s not the answer Ronan is looking for, but he doesn’t press for more even after Kato mouths “we’ll tell you later.”
Teagon’s still chewing when he answers Kato’s previous question. “They were just leaving when we got in. Were you planning on asking questions or something?”
Knowing he shouldn’t go too deep into it, Kato simply shrugs and lets Azrian decide how much to say.
“Aren’t you curious at all about that city?” Az asks. “I don’t really know the other Regnum well enough to ask or trust whatever answer they give us, but I feel like the twins would be honest.”
“True,” Aleon agrees. “But I’m not sure anyone will know about the sword or the armor. There wasn’t anything else like it down there.”
“We don’t actually know that. We only made it through a fraction of those buildings.” Teagon tears off a piece of meat with his teeth and points to his brother. “Gotta go back, see what we can find. Bet there’s loads of good stuff we didn’t see.”
“And another sword maybe,” Aleon adds, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Is that all you can think about?” Kato chuckles at his brother’s one-track mind. “We do need to go back though. I think it’s the only place that we’ll find answers.”
The pr
ospect of finding answers has them all silent and contemplative as they eat. Eventually, some of the other Regnum file in and Azrian seems uneasy in their presence — something that hasn’t really happened yet. He tugs on Kato’s sleeve as Teagon, Aleon and Ronan head outside for some fresh air. “I don’t really want to stick around here. Can we go find Erante? We haven’t gotten a chance to talk to him yet and I really think we should.”
Kato stands without question, not wanting to stay in there any longer either. “I’ve been wanting to talk to him as well. Hopefully just him without the others around. If even he feels like a castaway in a place like this, how do we even begin to change the world?”
“You and your plans,” Azrian says fondly. “I'm beginning to think we don't know enough about this world to change it.” He glances around them as they walk toward the door, dropping his voice so low that Kato has to duck down to hear him. “I mean... I feel like I don't know anything about Athoze anymore. There are gods I didn't know about granting powers I'd never heard of, forgotten cities, gems I've never seen. It's making me feel a little off balance, but I guess that's what I get for not leaving Embermeadow much before all of this.”
Kato has to laugh at all that, especially because he knows exactly how that feels. He wishes he knew something more comforting to say, but in this situation, he’s just as lost as Az is. “I’ve felt that way about every place we’ve ever been, Azzy. Everything I learned at Deadrun was a lie.”
“We make quite a pair, you know that?” Az grins as he takes Kato's hand and leads him through the corridors and toward the common room. Erante isn't in there, but a quick conversation with Peilar has them changing course and heading outside — and sure enough, they find him sitting just outside the door and staring at the horizon. “Erante?”
He glances over, but nothing about his expression suggests he's happy to see them. “Kato and Azrian, isn't it? I'm terrible with names.”
It makes Kato hesitant to press for information but only increases his desire to know more about the strange human. “Yes. I’m Kato, this is Azrian. Can we join you?”