by B. T. Narro
“What happened?” Rygen asked as calmly as she could.
“I can only tell you what I saw. Hopefully that will be enough for you to figure out what happened, because you might know Leo better. I had come all this way with him, Andar, and the others of our training group. We were going to destroy the rift, but a behemoth of a creature stopped us. KRenn has named it a kasigerr.”
“KRenn really is back?” It wasn’t that Rygen doubted Leo’s letter. It was just so hard to believe.
“Yes, and he’s only one year older than when he disappeared.”
“What?”
An officer yelled at Edward, “Return to your spot, soldier!”
“Damn,” he grumbled as he took a breath before turning to shout back, “Yes sir!” He gestured for Rygen to follow him as he walked back to the group. “I have to keep marching or they will deem me a traitor. Walk with me on the outskirts and keep your voice low. We won’t be able to say much about Leo, though. I think Jarrel Marks and the prince betrayed the Analyte armies and the rebels.”
“The rebels are here as well? Is DVend with them?”
“Yes, but it’s risky to discuss them.” The officer watched them as they walked back toward the group.
“Who’s the girl?” he asked Edward.
“An old friend from Jatn. She needs help, so I thought she’d come with us,” Edward lied.
He nodded. “Fine. She can stay until we figure out what to do with her.” The officer continued watching as Edward and Rygen had almost joined the ranks of marching soldiers, many staring at Rygen with curiosity. The sound of their boots was thunderous. She even felt the ground shaking.
“All I know is that Leo, Andar, and KRenn were in the palace testing a method of KRenn’s to destroy the rift,” Edward explained. “I was called to march back to Jatn during that time, leaving Jarrel Marks and the king in the capital with five thousand to help the Analytes destroy the rift. But Jarrel and these five thousand men joined us later that night, without the king. Their weapons and armor were stained with blood as if there had been a battle, but they wouldn’t answer any questions.”
Edward and Rygen walked along the outer row of marching soldiers. The continuous thuds of boots masked their voices, hopefully.
“A lot of us noticed,” he continued. “It seemed obvious there was some kind of betrayal, but we didn’t know who was killed or even why Jarrel might’ve ordered an attack.”
“Why isn’t the king here?”
“He might’ve been killed by Jarrel’s men.”
“That can’t be right.”
Edward looked pained. “There’s so much you don’t know.”
She walked alongside him for quite some time as he told her everything he could about the situation. The king cared about rebels now and stood against his son and Jarrel. DVend had come out of hiding, making his relationship with Leo and Andar clear, which explained Leo signing the letter as Quim. Erisena and the other rebels were no longer in hiding, though they may be dead after this attack. Edward thought Jarrel was after the riches of the Analyte king, but if he took the king’s money, then Dasfis would have no hope of paying his men to battle the rift beast.
Rygen thought Edward was done after that, but he still had more. She couldn’t believe just how much had happened in the short time since the human army had come to Analyte territory. Edward told Rygen about KRenn and his theories of how the rift worked. He then mentioned that Dasfis had a daughter who was in the palace with Leo, Andar, and KRenn at the time of the betrayal. There was no telling what had happened to her. She might’ve been used as ransom.
“But what about Andar being missing?” Rygen asked.
“I don’t have the faintest clue. I asked Jarrel’s men what happened in the palace. Remember that Leo and Andar went there with KRenn to try to figure out a way to destroy the rift. When I saw Leo later during his panic, I asked what happened. All he told me was to read the letter. He had to return to the palace in a rush. But the letter doesn’t say what happened, just that Andar is missing.”
“It says he’s gone, and that it’s ‘our’ fault,” Rygen specified. “His and KRenn’s.”
“Oh, I assumed Leo was saying it was the fault of him and Andar.”
“I think Leo would’ve written about it differently if he blamed Andar,” Rygen said.
“You may be right. He sounded angry when I saw him. Who knows, he might blame KRenn for whatever happened. Your guess is as good as mine. Leo was in a hurry to return to KRenn as soon as possible.”
“Perhaps KRenn was less willing to help Leo than he wished,” Rygen speculated.
“Certainly possible.”
Rygen frowned as she realized this was all she’d find out. There was no way to know what had happened in that palace.
“I should go there now.”
“Here, take this.” Edward handed her Leo’s letter. “It might not mean anything to you, but he wanted you—”
“It means a lot to me. Thank you very much, Edward, for everything.”
He nodded. “I suppose we might not see each other again, though I hope we do and that it’s under better circumstances.”
“You are a good friend to Leo, and now to me as well.”
They shook hands, then parted.
Her stomach twisted as she continued her trip east as the last of the soldiers traveled west behind her. The land was quiet again, but it was far from peaceful. She imagined arriving at the palace to see all kinds of terrible things.
She hoped Darren was still alive after the attack. Oh, she would feel such hope if she saw him again. But she stopped as she imagined hearing the news of his death. Her eyes teared as the thought made her weak in the knees.
Soon an immense rush of anger filled her veins. She glared back over her shoulder at Jarrel. He was somewhere at the front, protected by his traitorous men.
Now she had another enemy.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Leo knew he could keep riding even though he was tired, but the horses desperately needed a break, and so did KRenn. Leo and the expert mage had been pursued for the last two days. What kept the cavaliers from reaching them was the heavy armor and weapons worn by the lead group charging after Leo, the extra weight slowing their horses. It also helped that the same horses had sped from the capital to the palace before starting their chase, thus tiring them.
But this group was no longer the biggest concern to Leo. The group behind them, the slower horsemen, was of far greater danger.
Leo had lost sight of the second half of cavaliers, these men without much armor and only swords and bows. The pace of their horses had been a steady trot. They had fallen far behind, as Leo and KRenn had pushed their horses to the utmost speed for a time to create some distance. After that, it had been a game of resting and cantering. Leo spent as much time as he could looking behind him with the spyglass to ensure they stayed ahead of the cavaliers on their tails.
The trees and hills had been the only reason Leo and KRenn had gotten this far, past the river. They had spent a fair amount of time riding east within the shallow part of the river, so their tracks would be masked. They’d left the river continuing straight east, toward the lakes of Gesnia. Leo had not seen the cavaliers in a while, but miles of flatlands lay ahead. He and KRenn would be spotted eventually. They could only hope to lose these men past the lakes, where the air was too thick with Esitry for the cavaliers to push on.
But what if they didn’t know they were pushing into Esitry-laden land? The effects of the Esitry took days, most likely, to weaken and eventually kill a man who was not protected by Artistry. The cavaliers would still have plenty of time to slay Leo and KRenn before they felt anything.
There was no point discussing any of this with KRenn. The man seemed more like a ghost with each passing hour. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t eat anything. He didn’t even seem to sleep during the night. Leo awoke many times and often noticed him sitting up and mumbling.
Leo checked KR
enn in daylight for signs of a fever, but he didn’t appear to be sweating, and his mind seemed in fair shape. Leo had asked him a few questions throughout this ordeal, and KRenn did have wisdom in his answers. But as the sun began to set again, he seemed to be having more difficulty keeping his head up and his bottom in the saddle. There was no shortage of food or water. They had prepared for this trip decently enough given the time constraint. But KRenn’s condition was worsening.
The river had bought them a fair amount of time, it seemed, but Leo knew the cavaliers could come over the hills at any moment.
“We’re close,” KRenn said eventually. It was the first thing he’d uttered that wasn’t an answer to one of Leo’s questions. “I feel the Esitry in the air. Make the cocoon of Artistry around your entire body.”
All Leo felt was the Taesitry trapped either within or around KRenn. It hadn’t changed since Leo had met the master mage. Leo had asked KRenn if it could be making him sick. KRenn had seemed mildly excited about the idea of Leo carefully moving it away from KRenn, but Leo couldn’t do anything with this Taesitry. He could only feel that it was there.
KRenn had never answered Leo’s question as to whether it sickened him, and Leo didn’t push the issue. If KRenn could’ve done something about it, he would’ve already.
The lake was clear and refreshing. Some rocks lay at the bottom, but there were no fish or plants, even around the edges where land met water. There was a ring of dry dirt around the water, a buffer between water and grass.
Leo had some water left, but it wouldn’t last him more than a day.
“Can we drink the water?” Leo asked as they approached.
KRenn didn’t seem to hear him. A deep crease ran across his brow.
“KRenn?”
“Did you make your cocoon?”
“Yes, a while back.”
“Let me focus on mine.”
Leo felt for Artistry near KRenn. A sphere surrounded the master mage, but it wavered.
“It’s too much strain,” KRenn said in defeat.
“Then I will keep one around you.”
KRenn didn’t object as Leo surrounded the mage with Artistry, closing all gaps and solidifying the cocoon with a few more layers. It was just like packing wet clay together, only in this case Leo had to keep holding the clay in place rather than leave it to dry. He would exhaust himself in a matter of hours.
“How far until the cave?”
KRenn answered, “Another day of riding. The Esitry should fade and then strengthen again as we ride by the other lakes.”
“Why is that?”
KRenn’s blinks were slow as if he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. “The realms are close here. The lakes are linked on both sides. Esitry passes through…” His voice was fading. “Rifts too small to see.”
Leo didn’t understand exactly how all of it worked, but he didn’t want to push KRenn. “Let’s rest here a moment. Can we drink the water?” he asked again.
“I don’t know. Yes, we rest. Help me off my horse…over here.”
KRenn picked a spot amid three trees standing alone. The fallen trunks of a couple others surrounded the small cluster. Leo helped KRenn down. He was surprised when the mage could not stand upright. Leo let him down on his back, and KRenn’s eyes shut.
Leo saw him breathing, so he was still alive. He didn’t disturb KRenn, going to the water instead to investigate. He had never seen water this color. The blue was light and vibrant. It reminded Leo of the rift, of Esitry.
Leo went back and crouched over KRenn, hoping to help the mage get up. But what could Leo do? He took a breath and sat. They had to keep going as soon as KRenn could stand. The cavaliers could be upon them at any moment.
He told himself he would give KRenn an hour to rest as he watched the hills to the north. Leo focused his mind on the stalwart link that stretched far to the southwest. He still didn’t know why it had formed between him and his brother, but he was more thankful for it than ever as it told him his brother was still alive.
Leo wondered where Andar and Siki were exactly. What was far to the southwest of here besides ocean? Could they have been transported into the water? No. More than a couple days had passed since then. They would’ve drowned. They had to be on land somewhere.
Could they be on Disetel? Where precisely was the barbarian continent? Leo had not learned much about Aathon and the islands around it, but he knew the barbarians resided on one of them to the south.
Usually Leo could sense things from his brother when he focused on this link, but right now all he could feel was his own worry. Hopefully, Andar was safe. He might even be in a better situation than Rygen, who might’ve still been in Jatn when the barbarians arrived.
Leo couldn’t help feeling some anger toward her. He had asked her to leave the city and find him. He would’ve taken care of her by paying for her housing and giving her all the coin she needed. She would’ve been happy. He’d thought they’d shared something when he’d visited her on her fourteenth birthday. He’d never had a kiss like that one with any of the other girls…well, any of the two other girls he’d kissed. He ached to relive the feel of her lips.
He’d thought Rygen felt the same way, but was his memory playing tricks on him? Was it just another kiss to her? Had she met someone else since he’d left to go back to the human capital? Perhaps she’d even had her eye on another boy before Leo saw her. That didn’t seem likely, for she hadn’t mentioned anyone, but he had to admit to himself that she might’ve changed a lot in these last four years.
Rygen did have a valid reason for not going with him, something he’d reminded himself many times. She was a strong summoner. The army—the same people who were responsible for the death of her mother— might use her and Jin to kill rebels.
But after the kiss, it had felt as if that was no longer important if they could be together.
“I’ll find you,” Rygen had said.
In his mind, he’d heard her say it again and again. He remembered the way she’d looked at him after their kiss. Finding him was something that mattered, something that needed to be done. “I’ll find you.” He could hear her soft voice in his ears.
Maybe she had left Jatn sometime after him. Maybe she had come north to find him in the capital. She could be out of Jatn. She could be safe.
Leo watched in horror as horsemen came over the distant hills. He stood, his breaths rapid. This could be the end of KRenn.
Leo shook the mage. “KRenn. KRenn.”
He grumbled but would not open his eyes.
“They’re coming,” Leo said. “We have to ride.”
KRenn cursed as he sat up. He blinked with heavy eyelids, then tried to stand. He started to fall back, but Leo caught him. A moment later, KRenn went limp in Leo’s arms.
“It’s over for me, Leo,” KRenn said. A tear slid down from the corner of his eye. “You go on.”
“I’m not leaving you here! Come on, I can get you on your horse if you help just a little.”
“I have nothing left!” KRenn said in anger, pushing Leo back. KRenn fell forward and barely got his hands out to brace himself. With great effort, he sat up and looked at Leo with glistening eyes.
“I cannot keep myself on a galloping horse,” he uttered. “I don’t have the strength.”
“You have to try.”
“I can’t do it.”
“You’re a summoner, aren’t you? Can’t you bring a creature here to carry you?”
“I don’t have the strength!” KRenn wavered as he shouted. “Please, Leo, just listen to me. There isn’t time to argue, and I’m going to die soon anyway.”
A dark cloud came over Leo. This wasn’t just any man. This was the renowned mage, KRenn Trange, the greatest summoner and Ascendant in the world. Leo would be lost without him. They would all be lost without him.
Could Leo really leave him here to die? Did Leo have any other choice?
They could share Leo’s horse…but the cavaliers would the
n catch up to them before they realized Esitry was hurting them here.
KRenn seemed to realize Leo had accepted his answer, nodding at Leo as if in gratitude. “It might be my time, Leo, but it is not yours. Fate has ended my path, but you are not meant to die here. The rift must be destroyed if humanity is to survive. You will continue east. Your path to the caves weaves through the hills, though it cannot be seen. Trust your instincts. You have good ones. Enter the first cave you come to. You should feel a testing stone when you are close. You might need to dig it out. Just keep your cocoon intact and you should be safe. Go now.”
“KRenn, I wish I could’ve done more.”
“You can by staying alive. Don’t be a fool. Leave now while you still have a chance to make it to the caves.”
Leo looked back at the horsemen. This was the second group of cavaliers, the men in light armor who had not pushed their horses. Leo would have to leave now to stay ahead of them. He looked back at KRenn.
“Go!” KRenn yelled. “You will die here!”
With a torn heart, Leo got on his horse and rode east.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
For some time, Leo looked back at KRenn as he rode, but there was nothing more to see. KRenn had either passed out or laid to rest as the cavaliers approached in the distance. Leo rode to an eastern hill and took out his spyglass. He watched KRenn for signs of fight or even just a small sign of life, of hope. The cavaliers would be there in less than an hour.
KRenn rose up and took the sword out of his sheath. He gave it a practice swing. It looked good, until KRenn clutched his chest and fell to a knee. He stayed there, head bowed, for quite some time.
He got to his feet and took a swig from his water pouch. Then he threw it on the ground without bothering to close the lid. The dirt darkened around him as he held his sword and waited.