The Bones of Titans

by B. T. Narro

  KRenn went in first, his ball of light illuminating the small space. An animal skin covered the floor where a mattress of stuffed fur lay with no pillow or blanket. There was a smooth rock for sitting and another rock nearby that seemed to serve as a table. Upon it was a bowl made out of stone, with a stone grinder sitting nearby.

  “He’s here,” KRenn whispered, though Leo saw no one.

  KRenn spoke into the dark room in Analyse.

  A middle-aged man stepped out from the shadows. He held a spear at his side that he looked ready to use.

  The man replied in Analyse with a rough tone.

  KRenn seemed annoyed by whatever the man said, growing angry as he replied.

  The man appeared to consider KRenn’s words for a moment, then glared at KRenn before he shifted his gaze to Leo. He pointed and asked something.

  “What’s he saying?” Leo asked KRenn.

  But KRenn stepped toward the man without answering, drawing his gaze. With the dome of light near the Analyte, Leo could see that the thin hair he had was gray with streaks of purple. He had deep lines down his cheeks and across his forehead. He wore no shirt, boasting a defined chest albeit for an older man.

  KRenn nearly yelled, shocking Leo into reaching for his weapon. The Analyte yelled back, pointing at KRenn as if blaming him for something. KRenn’s reply was as if he was shocked, muttering a few words before he held a long silence. The Analyte nodded as if in confirmation.

  “Do you speak common tongue?” Leo decided to ask the man directly, for KRenn was of no use to him.

  “I do,” said the man with a heavy accent. Then he gestured at KRenn and said something with frustration in Analyse. KRenn replied with the same frustration as he gestured at Leo.

  “The boy should hear the same story,” said the Analyte.

  “You haven’t finished telling me yet.”

  “I might as well tell both of you.”

  KRenn gave Leo a long look as if he didn’t trust Leo all of a sudden. He spoke to the Analyte in Analyse again. The Analyte shrugged and said something back.

  “Whatever it is,” Leo told the Analyte, “you can trust me. I only care about helping my brother and destroying the rift. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

  The Analyte looked at KRenn, who eventually nodded and said something with a comforting tone.

  “I have not spoken my name for some time,” said the Analyte as he glanced again at KRenn. “But I suppose that time is over now if what KRenn tells me is true.”

  Leo had listened closely to the Analyse spoken between them. KRenn hadn’t told the man his name. These two certainly had known each other before KRenn’s disappearance.

  “My name is Teyro Isik.”

  There was an ominous silence as if this name should mean something. Both men looked at Leo as they awaited his response.

  “I have no idea who you are.”

  The two of them laughed. KRenn approached Teyro. They shook hands before KRenn gestured at Leo again. “This is Leo Quim.” He waited for Teyro to react.

  The Analyte’s eyes opened wide. “The son of DVend?”

  “One of them. He has a stalwart link with his brother, Andar.”

  “I thought that was coming from you!” Teyro told KRenn. “How old is this boy?”

  “Fourteen,” Leo answered for himself.

  “If anyone is going to help me destroy the rift, it will be him and his brother,” KRenn said. “And now you.”

  Teyro put up his hands. “I told you I cannot go back.”

  “And I told you that you can! Dasfis is not the same man as he was before. He will understand your actions.”

  “The Analyte king sent you here?” Leo asked.

  “No,” Teyro said. “The king would’ve had me killed if he found me.”

  “What did you do?”

  “So your father never spoke of me. I’m disappointed. I would’ve hoped men like him knew the truth. Tell me, Leo, what happened after the battle was lost? I had thought DVend to be dead.”

  “The battle against King Mavrim’s army?” Leo asked.

  “Yes. Have there been other battles?” Teyro asked with concern.

  “There is much we need to discuss,” KRenn interrupted. “But we have to return to the palace with a testing stone. It’s the only way to bring Leo’s brother back. We came here looking for one.”

  “You certainly came to the right place, but I don’t understand how a testing stone would be of use to anyone.”

  “The Taesitry,” KRenn said as he pointed at Leo.

  Teyro exclaimed something in Analyse, then said, “You can use it, young mage?”

  “I can.”

  “This way. This way.” Teyro breezed past them, turning back only to wiggle his fingers at KRenn’s ball of light. It whisked over and stopped in front of Teyro as he took the lead through the cavern.

  Gods, I have to learn that.

  Leo tried to remember every detail he could of the tale of Mavrim’s aggressive attack against Leo’s grandfather. Teyro had mentioned the battle specifically, but details had been lacking in the book Leo’s aunt had written. Leo remembered how Dasfis had sent thousands of Analytes to Leo’s grandfather, DFaren Quim, to ask for an alliance. It had been difficult to determine if these Analytes could be trusted, but eventually DFaren came to the decision that they were desperate for an alliance for some reason, and they would go to Mavrim’s side in this short war if DFaren turned them away.

  So he had agreed and plotted with them. But when it came time to face Mavrim’s army, the Analytes turned on DFaren’s men. Leo knew now that the reason they’d desired an alliance was because they’d needed troops to destroy the growing rift. Mavrim had killed DFaren, imprisoned Leo’s father, and killed many others. But the men Mavrim did not imprison or kill, he sent with the Analytes. To every human who heard this tale, these men were said to be farmers, slaves to the Analyte land. Leo found out later that these men were probably sacrificed in an attempt to disrupt the growing rift.

  But how did Teyro fit in? He said that the Analyte king would’ve killed him if Dasfis had found him.

  That meant only one thing.

  “You must’ve fought against the Analytes who betrayed my grandfather,” Leo said.

  Teyro stopped. His shoulders sank. “It was terrible what Dasfis did. I was an officer at the time. It was just before the battle that Dasfis gave the order to kill our allies, to strike at them from behind as soon as Mavrim charged. I tried to refuse, but he would’ve had me killed. He watched me as I had to give the order to my men…but he did not join us on the battlefield. I later told my men I would be disobeying the king’s order. What they did was up to them. Many fought with me against our own kind, but there were just too many. I watched many loyal men die. Others told me to run so I could…jesi na faria.” He looked to KRenn for help.

  “There is no direct translation,” he told Leo, “but it’s basically to escape so he can fight for revenge later. There is honor in it in the Analyte culture.”

  “So I returned to the capital before the rest of the troops returned. I knew a bird with a message of my betrayal had beaten me there, but I didn’t care. I rode into the city as guards tried to stop me, but they had taken my wife. I had to fight against even more of my kin, but I did free her.” He let out a great sigh. “Is she still alive?” he asked KRenn.

  “I don’t know. We will find out together when we return.” He gestured for Teyro to keep moving.

  Teyro walked on. “The only way we would could stay alive was to separate. I had to go where I could not be found, or my wife would be used to lure me out. So I told them to find me in Gesnia if they wanted me. I would remain there unless I found out my wife had been harmed. I told her I would leave one day and make my way to a human city, perhaps Jatn, for men like me could actually survive there if I shaved off my hair and posed as a human. But I never went. I couldn’t bring myself to leave this land. I planned instead to take the life of Dasfis. I was
just going to wait until the rift was destroyed, for it is the only thing more important than justice for his actions.”

  “But you can feel that it is still there,” Leo assumed.

  “Yes, and growing fast.”

  Teyro seemed like someone who had given up on living a joyous life. But why was that?

  “I don’t understand why you don’t try to reunite with your wife instead of seeking revenge.”

  “Because she is free while I am here. If I join her, the life we will lead will be one of fear and misery.”

  “I’m telling you, Teyro,” KRenn said, “Dasfis is not the young and frightened king he once was. He cares only about destroying the rift. He will forgive you for your rebellion if you help us.”

  “Even if that is true, I don’t know that I can forgive him. So many soldiers died that day, all on the wrong side.”

  “Mavrim has changed as well,” Leo said.

  Teyro stopped and turned around. “Impossible.”

  “He has. He declared peace with the rebels. His own son and army commander might’ve killed him for it.”

  “Might’ve? You don’t know?”

  “There is so much to explain,” KRenn jumped in. “Are we almost to where you’ve found testing stones?”

  “No, so you might as well explain it all. Start with how fahesh iyugan you look like you haven’t aged in all this time.”

  “First let me deal with this.” KRenn stepped ahead of Teyro and spread his arms. Out of the darkness came an oily-skinned creature that sped at KRenn on four legs as it let out a hissing sound. It stopped short and uttered another hiss, this one of confusion. KRenn made a sweeping gesture. The creature looked at him, nearly at eye level—the thing was so large—then jetted past all three of them.

  “You should not have to remain here any longer,” KRenn told Teyro.

  “Ey higalat etli, I’m leaving with the two of you.”

  Leo didn’t know what that would mean for Dasfis, but he was just happy to get a testing stone and return to the palace. Whatever had become of it while he was gone, he could handle. He would see his brother again soon enough.

  Just take care of yourself a little while longer, Andar. Leo felt bad having wished nothing for the princess. And Siki, please keep putting up with my brother.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Andar and Siki had to walk up a tall hill to finally find the coast they were looking for. Besides the distant shoreline, something else came into view that shocked Andar. It was nearly the same blue as the ocean water, a dome of shimmering Esitry that rose up over a sparse line of trees a few miles off the coast.

  “Skyfire and ash. There really is a growing rift here as well.” He turned to Siki. “I think the barbarians mentioned this.”

  Realization struck her. “You’re right.”

  Apparently, the two of them had tried to block out much from that event.

  In comparison to Jaktius Perl, this rift was small, but it was still significantly large. Tall rocky hills surrounded the rift but failed to reach higher into the sky than the arcing dome.

  Andar didn’t know how long he stared at the rift in wonder before he noticed a creature emerge.

  “Look,” he said as he pointed.

  Siki gasped. “The kasigerr must not guard this rift.”

  “How do you know?”

  “My people have watched Jaktius Perl for years. We have never witnessed a creature coming out because the kasigerr kills any that come close.”

  Even without a spyglass, Andar could see that the creature was blue and black, an animal of the dark realm. It wasn’t too large; it would probably run at the sight of them if it did not die from Artistry poisoning by the time they got there.

  He was surprised when he saw Siki not following him. “Come on,” he said.

  “You want to go toward it?”

  “Of course.”

  “Why?”

  “Don’t you see how great of an opportunity this is?”

  “No.”

  “Siki, I have to destroy the massive rift on your land. I have no idea how well that’s going to work, especially with KRenn pushing me and Leo to go now, go now, go now!” He imitated KRenn’s coarse tone as best he could. “I need to see what I can feel from this rift, especially without the kasigerr here.”

  “Even without the kasigerr present, other creatures from the dark realm clearly can come through. And some of them are very dangerous.”

  “You can stay back if you’d like.”

  She looked insulted. “I do not speak only about my own safety. Additionally, there aren’t only creatures to worry about. It’s dangerous to be close because of the Esitry.”

  “All the more reason for me to go alone. I should be fine. I will surround myself with Artistry like KRenn taught me.”

  Her mouth scrunched. “You won’t go alone.” She muttered something in Analyse. “Just warn me before you decide to do something dangerous.”

  “When have I not?”

  She thought for a moment, then nodded.

  Andar had expected her to convince him that this was a poor idea. He grew nervous as he set his gaze on the rift and started toward it.

  The following silence gave him time to focus on the stalwart link to Leo. Andar had never been able to relay messages to his brother, but he had been able to tell what Leo was feeling if Leo was close and his emotions were strong. It seemed hopeless to try to tell Leo anything from this distance, but Andar had to try.

  “Siki and I are safe. We are safe. Don’t do it yet. Don’t open the rift. This is important. Important.”

  Andar could feel that his stalwart link was there, an unmalleable beam of Artistry that was as thin as a string. It led north, over the ocean. It had not changed direction since Andar arrived here, though he did feel that it had strengthened a bit.

  Leo had always been quick to learn everything having to do with Artistry. Not just Artistry, Andar told himself as memories of their childhood made him think of a simpler time. Sometimes he had to remind himself that Leo was nearly as tall as Andar was. Leo was strong as well, probably able to match the power of most grown men.

  Andar still thought of Leo as his younger brother, but he no longer needed to worry about taking care of Leo, he realized. During all this time with Siki, he never once figured that Leo might be in trouble.

  Andar cursed himself as he realized that there was something to feel upon the stalwart link, and it was nothing good. There were emotions in the form of…memories? At least that’s how it felt as Andar focused intently on the energy. He felt waves of frustration, dread, and aggression. Were these Andar’s memories or were they Leo’s?

  “Is something wrong?” Siki asked as she touched Andar’s arm.

  His concentration shattered. He wished she hadn’t touched him. Every thought turned to her, his gaze fixated on her beauty. Why wouldn’t she drop her hand?

  He had to remember what it was he was doing. “My brother. I think I might’ve felt something from him, but I’m not sure.”

  “What did you feel?”

  She finally dropped her hand, allowing him to concentrate again. “I think Leo might be in trouble.”

  She whispered in Analyse, then said, “I do not understand how the stalwart link works, but I am amazed by it.”

  “You shouldn’t be. I could be imagining all of this.”

  “Is there anything we can do for your brother?”

  “We can give him more time.”

  Siki nodded.

  They turned their attention back to the rift. The closer they got, the stronger Andar felt emotions he deemed were not and never had been his own. It seemed to be that the buzzing rift enhanced the stalwart link in a way.

  “Leo?” he tried. “Can you hear me?”

  Andar picked up on nothing but a river of fear and anger that sent his heart racing. He found himself looking around in terror, expecting to find barbarians charging, for it was this same type of panic that usually alerted him
of such things.

  There was no one. He was scaring Siki.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “I’m sorry. I’m just confused about what I’m feeling, I think from Leo.”

  “Leo, please be safe.” He imagined his brother rushing to find another testing stone, putting himself in danger. “Take your time. I will be fine.”

  It felt as if his messages were wasted. Andar had no idea how to relay any sort of communication back to his brother.

  Soon they were close enough to the rift that they could see that it was in fact growing. It expanded slowly, reminding Andar of the way one’s chest rises with each breath, only the rift did not exhale. Why did it seem so familiar to him?

  Then he remembered—the rift in the cavern outside Jatn. Andar had thought of it as a living, breathing thing. There was something else he remembered, though. When he had moved quite close to the rift, his proximity had caused it to distort. The rift had shaken and wobbled as if it might collapse. Shortly after, Andar had felt sick.

  After everything KRenn had explained about rifts and energies, now the answer was clear. It was Andar’s stalwart link to his brother that had disrupted the rift outside Jatn, and so too did the rift distort the stalwart link. With it damaged, he felt as if a fever had come on until it repaired itself.

  Links and rifts clearly did not play nicely together.

  The rifts discovered in caverns were created by an even flow of Esitry and Artistry. This rift, however, was made purely of Esitry. Normally, rifts collapsed when one energy ran out. They did not grow except to shrink a moment later, usually remaining the same size over the years.

  This rift was different in the same way that Jaktius Perl was different. Esitry in the dark realm formed a link with more Esitry, not with Artistry. According to KRenn, something in this realm, probably at the center of this rift, was making Esitry.

  What did that mean in regard to Andar’s stalwart link? He figured it meant that the link, made of Artistry, could not exist near a rift. But as he stepped closer to the giant rift of Esitry, he felt nothing. It was as if the Esitry of this rift did not interact with the Artistry of his stalwart link.