by B. T. Narro
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Map of Aathon
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
THE BONES OF TITANS
By B.T. Narro
Book 3
The Stalwart Link Series
Copyright 2019 by B.T. Narro
Cover and Map by Beatriz Rare
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is coincidental. All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written permission of the copyright holder.
Map of Aathon
CHAPTER ONE
Dear Rygen,
I made a terrible mistake. Andar’s gone, and it’s our fault. I don’t know where he is or if he’s even still alive. I’m here in Analyte land with half of Mavrim’s army. We came here to destroy the rift. Everything seemed like it would be fine when Mavrim revealed himself and declared peace with the rebels. It was so we could all fight an enormous beast that lives in the rift, but KRenn Trange came back and everything has gone wrong since.
I can’t tell if any of this makes sense. There’s no time to explain better.
I don’t know what’s happening in Jatn during this time, but I’ve heard of terrible things. If you cannot come here where you will be safe, then I will find you as soon as possible, but first I have to find my brother.
--- Leo Quim
◆◆◆
Earlier that day
Leo waited for news of what he would do now. The rift of Esitry seemed impossible to destroy without first defeating the massive beast that guarded it. The rift continued to grow every day, and still no one knew why. Soon enough it would reach the Analyte capital, where Leo, his brother, and tens of thousands of troops were staying. The most capable leaders of the two kingdoms had been strategizing all night. Leo knew his father was among them and longed to see him again.
The last time Leo had seen his father was more than a week ago. Much had changed since then. DVend Quim, known to Leo as Darren for most of his life, was no longer deemed a rebel against the crown, thank the gods. Neither were any of the people who had traveled across the continent of Aathon with him. The king—the leader of the human army, Mavrim Orello—had countered his son’s order to attack the rebels. He called for peace instead, rightfully announcing that everyone needed to work together if they would have any hope of destroying the powerful beast and its ever-expanding rift.
Leo finally felt that everything was about to be right in the world. Mavrim would make it so with the help of Leo’s father.
Breakfast had come and gone. A servant girl had entered the room of Leo and his brother without knocking. When Andar asked her why, she’d told him that Siki Meplr, the Analyte princess, had told her not to knock if Andar was present.
“We are not to show you respect,” the servant had added. Her thick accent held spite, as if Andar had lied to not only the princess but to this girl as well.
Andar had rolled his eyes but at least kept whatever remark was in his head to himself.
After eating a bowl of something with strange textures and flavors, Leo had gone back to watching the streets from his window. Like the thousands of human and Analyte soldiers here in the Analyte capital, Leo was waiting for orders about their next move. He was terrified to face again the monster that dwelled in the rift. He wished he understood how it came to be there. Did it live in the dark realm and come through the rift to attack them, or did it somehow exist in the rift itself? Perhaps knowing might provide insight as to how to kill it. Or perhaps they could at least remove it for long enough to disrupt the Esitry of the rift and cause it to collapse.
The fear of failure made Leo’s chest tight. If they did not succeed, the rift would consume this large city and everyone who did not evacuate. It would one day reach human territory, perhaps even expanding over all of Aathon.
Being just a few miles away from the rift right now, Leo felt it like a headache. It was always there, buzzing, disrupting the otherwise calm air. But there was something else that disturbed Leo as he focused on this sense.
“Do you feel that?” he asked his brother, who entertained himself by trying on the Analyte soldier’s uniform in front of the mirror. They each had been given one, but Leo didn’t want to put his on yet. The last time he’d worn it, he’d watched a thousand men die.
“Feel what?” Andar asked.
“Something among the Artistry.”
“It’s probably just from the rift.”
Leo supposed his brother might be right, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was not the rift. Something had changed recently about the air. Leo could sense it, as if someone had opened a window without him seeing or hearing. Yes, he was certain now; there was a definite change to the way Artistry moved about.
He wished his friend Edward Fola was nearby. He was skilled with Esitry, was older and wiser than Leo, and had trained with Leo and Andar for years. Edward could tell Leo if this sense really had anything to do with the rift, with Esitry. But Leo didn’t know where the summoner’s room was. It had been too chaotic after the failed battle against the rift beast to find Edward.
Leo peered out to the east, toward the rift. The Analyte capital had long, straight roads. The busy city was surrounded by mountains that blocked the rift from view, but Leo was almost sure now that something had come out of it and was headed toward them. Leo could feel its presence like a foul odor. Something was amiss; it did not belong in this world. It might even be in the capital already, it felt so close. Could it be the beast?
No, there would be signs of panic already. He watched the crowded streets and eventually saw a large group of people gathering. They were humans and Analytes, some armored and some in plain clothing. They made a large commotion as many pushed each other. The Analytes stuck out because of their hair, all different hues of violet.
“Come on!” Andar told Leo. He had the door open as he gestured for Leo to hurry.
They rushed out of the building and onto the street to hear one human soldier yelling as two other soldiers had him pinned to the ground.
“You didn’t tell us there was a beast in the rift! You must’ve known!” He went on to curse them. “You deserve to die for your deceit!”
Leo didn’t know who this soldier was speaking to until Leo overheard others explaining that this man’s son was killed during the battle yesterday. He had, of course, directed his comments at his leader, King Mavrim.
The older soldier was taken off, still screaming. He would no doubt be hung for treason, for the human army was very strict. Leo saw Mavrim then, along with his son, Gavval, amidst the group. Mavrim�
�s robe was dirty along its side as if he’d fallen. He looked like an old, weak man, nothing like the strong Ascendant Leo knew him to be. His son appeared unharmed but still frightened by the ordeal, a contrast to Mavrim’s disappointed expression.
“Is it true?” a soldier asked the king. “Did you know about the beast beforehand?”
“The Analyte king did mention the beast, yes,” Mavrim admitted.
The audience responded with gasps.
“We didn’t warn our army because of the fear it would cause,” Mavrim explained. “But we prepared as best we could. The deaths of so many men would not have been avoided by informing all of you of what we were about to face. In fact, more would’ve been killed because many soldiers would’ve disbanded before we arrived, leaving us to fight with less men.”
It was the prince, not Mavrim, who had gathered this army of twenty-five thousand men to storm the rift and attack the beast. Mavrim had traveled with everyone, his identity hidden. He had only revealed himself after the failed battle against the beast, when his son ordered the army to attack the rebels. But these rebels to the crown had come here to help destroy the rift, not to oppose the Orellos. Mavrim hadn’t always been an honorable leader, but Leo believed he had changed. Mavrim risked much to be here, especially after his own son had tried to murder him by poisoning, which made it even stranger that the king defended Gavval now.
“Disperse!” Prince Gavval ordered. “This conversation is over.”
But the angry crowd had grown by the hundreds. Many others had lost friends to the rift beast and didn’t appear to be afraid to voice their opinions, shouting at the two royals.
“Let me explain something!” an authoritative voice yelled, quieting the crowd.
Leo hadn’t noticed the Analyte king, Dasfis, among them until now. He had taken his spot toward the outer ring with no visible guards around him. Leo and his brother had sworn to serve him after Dasfis had prevented Andar from being sent back to Jatn and possibly hung for treason. It made Leo nervous to see the foreign king equally surrounded by angry human soldiers as he was Analyte soldiers, but everyone did quiet down to hear him speak.
“All of us here in the capital knew about the beast. Prince Gavval and I agreed that we would not inform the entire army because it was difficult enough to get half of the human army here to destroy the rift. Before all of you came, we had done everything in our power to defeat not only the rift but the beast as well, and we must remain courageous as we fight. The rift has only gotten stronger and more difficult to stop as it grows. If we cannot destroy it soon, it will be impossible to ever disrupt the Esitry enough for the rift to collapse. This has taken too long already.”
“I agree,” Mavrim announced. “It’s my fault for not acting sooner. Dasfis requested help over a decade ago, but I was too busy. I spent too long searching for men and women I believed to be a threat to my power. Many battles have been waged, lives lost. I admit to many faults, and I will spend the rest of my life making amends.”
Leo had heard Mavrim make a similar statement to Leo’s father, after a quarrel in their tent during which Darren had attempted and failed to kill Mavrim. But hearing the king, who was known for brutally murdering rebels, admit to his mistakes in front of an angry crowd shocked Leo. He worried a brawl might break out but soon saw nods of agreement among most of those assembled. Perhaps they admired Mavrim’s bravery for taking responsibility. Leo had come to appreciate the same about the king.
Many suddenly pointed to the east. They seemed to see something that caused them to huddle together as if they were frightened. One man toward the front spoke loudly in a deep voice that Leo immediately recognized as his father’s.
“He looks just like him,” said Darren to someone Leo couldn’t see from here.
Leo and his brother maneuvered through the crowd so they could stand beside their father. Leo missed Darren deeply. They hadn’t been spent more than a couple moments together since Leo was ten and Darren was forced out of the city with Erisena and her group of rebels. Leo was fourteen now and wanted to embrace his father every time he saw him.
But fear overtook him instead as Leo found the source of the strange feeling he’d had earlier. Standing before their group was a man who appeared to be in his forties. He had plain short hair of a dark shade of brown. There was nothing of his face of note, his nose on the larger side and his chin speckled with a burgeoning beard. But his eyes told Leo that he was someone of great knowledge. They burned as if a rage existed within this impatient-looking man.
“Of course I look like him,” he insisted. “I am him.”
“You can’t be,” Darren argued. He seemed to be too mesmerized by the thin man in dirty robes to even notice that Leo and Andar were standing at his side now.
“I am KRenn Trange.”
“KRenn Trange disappeared twenty-three years ago!”
“What?” The man suddenly appeared angry. “Of course I didn’t. It’s been about a year. Is my son among you? HSon! Are you here?”
“It has been twenty-three years!” Darren maintained.
“I don’t have time for your incorrect statements.” The man claiming to be KRenn stood on his toes to look over the crowd. “HSon?”
“Hson is dead,” Darren told him coldly. “But the grandson of KRenn Trange is here.”
Leo had never seen his father this pale.
A young man with blonde hair stepped out of the crowd. “Grandfather, is that really you?”
KRenn took in a sharp breath. “FLip?”
“Yes.”
“But…oh.” KRenn’s face twisted as if he might cry. “Twenty-three years you said?” Suddenly uncertain, he looked at Darren.
“Yes,” he confirmed in a softer voice.
“Time must pass twenty-three times slower within the rift.” He stepped close to Darren. “Wait…then that means…DVend, is that you?”
“It is.”
“Gods.” KRenn looked around, noticing Leo and cocking his head curiously, as if he felt the same strange energy in the air that Leo did coming from KRenn. When their gazes disconnected, Leo felt a sudden fright at standing so close to KRenn that he couldn’t figure out. He looked at his brother, but Andar just appeared pale and shocked like their father.
KRenn glanced around the crowd for a long while. By their silence, it seemed that everyone was too stunned to speak.
“My son is dead?” he asked Darren but shook his head before getting an answer. “There’s too much to do to dwell on the past right now. After. We’ll do it after. What have all of you determined about the rift beast?”
When no one answered, KRenn looked at Darren again.
“DVend, is your father here?”
It was sad for Leo to see KRenn’s disappointment when Darren told him the news that his father had died many years ago. Leo didn’t know why it hurt so much to hear this again, now, for it was so long ago that he’d first heard about his grandfather’s hanging after the lost battle against Mavrim and the Analytes who’d betrayed DFaren Quim. There was just something about seeing KRenn’s gaze fall that sapped Leo’s strength. The news seemed to strike KRenn harder than the ill tidings about his own son. Leo’s grandfather really must’ve been a great man.
“His death is my fault, KRenn,” said Mavrim.
“And who are you?”
“Mavrim Orello. I realize I look very different and may even sound like a different man now. I barely survived a poisoning attempt.” He glanced over at his son, who looked down. “But I am a changed man from the king you once knew. I have joined with men like DVend here in order to destroy this rift.”
It seemed strange at first for Leo’s father and even the king himself to report to this man, but this was KRenn Trange! Some considered him part god. Even those who didn’t believe that, like Leo’s father, knew that KRenn’s talent with Artistry was many levels above the best Ascendants. What’s more, he outskilled every other summoner. Supposedly, he could speak to many beasts of the oth
er realm.
By the crowd’s silence as they looked at KRenn, it seemed obvious to everyone that he knew more than any of them. He’s just come out of the rift. He should have all the answers we need. Relief washed over Leo.
“Do you at least have a name for the beast?” KRenn asked.
“No,” Dasfis answered.
“Then we will call it the name I made for it, a kasigerr.”
“Why that?” Dasfis asked.
“Because everything must have a name, even the terrible things. We shall not call it something fearsome like doombringer or something monstrous like killagore. We’ll give it a name to give it a name, one that does not elicit emotion and especially not fear.” KRenn went on without pause. “If you would like to know what I’ve determined so far, it’s this. The kasigerr lives within the rift. That means it can exist in our realm and in the dark realm, but no matter which realm it chooses to live in, it stays within the rift. It does this in the same way that it feeds off the rift, because it has control over Esitry in ways that we do not. It might even be able to do things like repair the rift if we were to damage it.”
“One moment, KRenn,” Dasfis said. “Our translators are having difficulty keeping up.”
Leo then noticed many Analytes murmuring to each small group of soldiers, who wore confused expressions.
KRenn folded his arms and looked at Dasfis with impatience. At least it gave Leo a moment to address his father.
“Are you well?” he asked.
Darren smiled down at him. Although Leo was tall for his age, he still had a little ways to go to reach his father’s height. “I am, Leo, thank you. And you?”
Leo held back the urge to embrace his father. It was not supposed to be known that Leo and Andar were the sons of DVend Quim.
But the more Leo thought about throwing his arms around his father, the more he realized there was no reason to hide the truth of their family anymore. Mavrim now protected the rebels from his son. Also, the Analyte king claimed responsibility for Leo and Andar after the commander of the army had attempted to expel Andar. So there should be no risk to letting people know who they really were.