“Angst?” the redhead asked snappily.
His head jerked up, and he smiled. “How can I be of service?” he asked, and unfortunately continued. “Not that I’m of much service to anyone, I’m reaaaaally drunk. It’s been a long year, a tough week, and not the best day. But that’s another story, and I’d love to service both of you.”
Even before he could take it back, the blonde woman burst out in laughter. Her sister’s eyes peered dangerously, but it was more like Rose peering at him. Friendly and familiar as opposed to upset.
“You never change,” she said, her lip pulled back in a tight curl.
“You know what I mean,” he slurred, not understanding her comment. He’d never met them before; even this drunk he would’ve remembered. “Wait, how could you know that? We just met.”
Angst reached to take a sip from his carafe, but the young blonde grabbed it first and drank, and drank, and drank before her sister seized it.
“Lush,” she admonished, not quite chugging the remainder.
“I could get us more.” Angst raised two fingers.
“No,” the redhead said nervously, glancing around the room. “Uh...is Faeoris around?”
“That one doesn’t like us much,” the blonde whispered. “Not yet.”
“What?” Angst asked. “I’m confused.”
“That’s because you’re drunk, silly,” the blonde said, winking at her sister.
They both rose from the table, one dragging a chair around so they could sit on both sides of him. They rubbed his chest. At first it was nice and made complete sense, thanks to the empty bottle, but then the rubbing became rummaging.
Angst reached down to pull a hand out of his pocket. “Not that I want you to stop, but what are you doing?”
“It’s not here,” the blonde said in frustration.
“Of course not,” the redhead replied. “We were told it was too big for his pockets.”
“But it was fun to make him blush!”
“A little.” She smirked. “Maybe his room?”
They leaned in, far too close. Uh...is Faeoris around? Their breath smelled like mint laced with alcohol, and he steeled himself poorly.
“Or maybe you could ask,” he said firmly. “I don’t even know who you are.”
They were still leaning over him deliciously as they looked at each other, as if communicating without words. His eyes slowly tracked from side to side. Angst was surrounded by breasts. It was impossible to be upset, but some dim part of his brain really wanted to know what this was about.
“I’m Bella,” the blonde said, kissing him on the cheek.
“We weren’t supposed to tell him,” the other one said. “Fine. Angst, I’m Karina.”
“That’s a good start,” Angst replied. “And cheek kissing is good.” His head was spinning.
“We’re looking for a foci,” Bella said.
Angst’s back went rigid, and he sat up quickly, bumping something soft in the process. “What?”
“Too much,” Karina said, placing a calming hand on his chest.
“What’s this?” Marissa called from the stairs.
“Hurry,” Bella whispered.
“Do you have a horn?” Karina asked. “A silver horn?”
“A horn?” Angst asked in reply. “I...no, I don’t.”
“Let’s check his room,” Bella suggested.
“Where is it?” Karna pleaded. “Hurry!”
“Up the stairs,” Angst replied, dizzy from the scent of a flower he didn’t recognize. “First on the right.”
They both kissed a cheek. Cheek kissing was still good.
“Don’t forget us,” Bella whispered in that delicious accent.
“How could I?” Angst said, turning to face her.
They were already scrambling up the stairs. Angst stood, watching them rush past Marissa and Aerella.
“The twins!” Aerella shouted. “Stop them!”
“Not so loud!” Marissa called after them. “Don’t wake my patrons!”
Angst lurched from the table and stumbled up the stairs as quickly as he could with more than a little railing help. He slammed into Marissa on the way, and wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn’t be knocked down. She didn’t seem to mind.
“Who are they?” he asked, trying to pull away.
Marissa seemed reluctant to let go. “They’ve been coming here for weeks,” she said. “I assumed you’d know.”
“No,” he replied. “But I’d like to.”
She answered with a grunt and followed him to his room. Angst shook the door handle; it was locked.
“I can unlock it,” Marissa said, digging into a pocket and pulling out a large ring of keys.
They heard rustling in the room while Marissa failed to unlock the door with wrong keys. She finally opened the door to see the room in shambles. Bags were opened, clothes everywhere, and the twins stood over a passed-out Faeoris. He wanted to ask what they were doing, but was too drawn into those large eyes, and pouty lips, and curves he couldn’t even believe. Bella blew him a kiss, and Karina winked at him playfully. They held hands, and light flashed so brightly Angst was momentarily blinded. When his vision returned, the twins were gone.
18
“Really?” Angst shouted. “Again?”
He held his arms out and crouched slightly to steady himself from the sudden shock of being in the middle of a large field. He turned around slowly, warily scanning for oncoming hordes of, well, everything. Every step crunched noisily underfoot, and a warm, gentle breeze brushed his cheeks. Angst took in a full, calming breath and sighed deeply. The field was empty of dragons and gargoyles. Mermen didn’t clash with Tribesman, nor did Nordruaut fight with men of Unsel. In the far distance, easily a mile away, stood tall cliffs that encircled the valley like a giant salad bowl. Maybe that was why he hated being here—he hated salad; there couldn’t be anything worse than vegetables.
Angst shielded his eyes from the high noon sun and sought the others who typically attended this dream. The last time he was here, representations of each element stood at five points of the valley. Fire blazed like an enormous human volcano, throwing balls of flame the size of his house. Earth, the large stone maiden, lobbed boulders across the chasm as though tossing the top of a mountain was nothing. Water had drowned the entire valley, and Air stood in a dark, cloudy mess of tornadoes. At the far points, directly across from each other, were two broad beams of light—one so bright it hurt Angst’s eyes, leaving spots in his vision after he glanced at it, and the other so black it chilled him to the bone. It should’ve been horrifying, but this was a dream, and what could possibly be scary in a dream? Other than everything.
Unlike past dreams in this place, this was boring. There were no battles being fought, no lessons to be learned, and even worse, he stood here alone, in the middle of all and none. That was what he hated the most. The last time he’d stood here, in this particular dream, was with Tori. Amidst the chaos of battle, as every nation on Ehrde warred with each other and all the creatures the elements could muster, they’d argued. Throughout their adventure, Victoria had been trying to guide their dreams to confirm whether or not her mother, Queen Isabelle, had been killed. Their last visit to this field had been a foci dream, where he had some modicum of control over what they wore and what they discussed. He had, more or less, forced her to admit being in love with him.
Angst had only ever wanted to be friends, but she was so forward, and it felt so right, and Heather was always so upset, that Angst couldn’t help but wonder if there was something more. There was, and when he finally realized it, he also realized that relationship wasn’t for him. He loved Tori as a friend, as family. A part of him wanted her, but he also knew that she was meant for someone else, and certainly someone younger. But yet, there it was. And before Alloria had stabbed her through the chest, she’d said, “I want you to be my...” He longed to know what those words were. The memories wrenched at his heart, and he wished more than anyt
hing she would appear so he could hold her and tell her how much she meant to him. How sorry he was that she was hurt because of his failure to protect her. But, she wasn’t here.
Why wasn’t she here? This was his dream. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. This wasn’t right. He could barely remember his dreams, and was now remembering all of them. If this was his dream, he would’ve looked more fit, and heroic, and thin, and there would’ve been a beautiful woman nearby, probably lots of them, and they wouldn’t have been wearing much. Because, you know, dreams. Angst took a step forward and something else crunched underfoot. Sound. He wasn’t floating. This wasn’t a foci dream; it was something else.
“What’s this?” he called out. “I’ve got to go save the world soon, and I need some sleep!”
Nothing, not even the kacaw of a bird or gurgle of a dying monster.
“Okay, now I’m bored,” Angst shouted.
Energy crackled loudly behind him—it sounded like the lightning that spewed from Chryslaenor. He spun about. The wide beam of dark light appeared in the distance, reaching high into the sky, approaching faster than Angst on his swifen. In spite of the distance, there would be little time to step free of the charge. Angst reached out and wielded...nothing. His hands didn’t glow blue, he couldn’t feel earth or air around him, and he suddenly felt powerless.
“I’m not bored anymore!” Angst cried out.
Angst squeezed his eyes shut and covered his face with both arms to block the dark beam, but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and jumped back at the sight of a tall, ageless, bald man.
“I’m glad to hear that,” the man said, in a voice unexpectedly high for his height. “I’d hate to be blamed for being boring.”
Angst lowered his arms and stood up straight, though he hadn’t realized he’d been crouching, and was pretty certain that wouldn’t have helped much if the dark beam had actually crossed his path. The man stood very close, making Angst look up, way up, as he tried making eye contact. His opponent was easily a head and a half taller than Angst—his height rivaled Tarness’s. Unlike his enormous friend, though, this man was thin and gangly, with long arms, and long legs, and long fingers. His movements were exaggerated, unnatural, as if he were still figuring out how his limbs worked. His head was shaped like an egg, with the wider part at the top. Everything about the man was awkward and made Angst’s stomach roil with discomfort.
“Um, hi,” Angst said with a nod. “I’m Angst.”
An empty laugh accompanied a wide smile that felt as fake as this dream. “I am well-aware of who you are,” he said in a haughty voice.
“And you?” Angst urged.
The man’s forehead crinkled, and his lack of eyebrows raised curiously.
“Are you the bad guy?” Angst asked, placing his hands on his hips. “It really feels like you’re the bad guy, and let me tell you how I feel about bad guys these days.”
“I’m aware of this as well,” the man said.
“Are you?”
“What constitutes being this ‘bad guy’?”
“Killing people is a start,” Angst said. “Manipulating people.”
“You kill people, Angst,” the awkward man replied. “And don’t you manipulate?”
That stung. It was completely untrue. Mostly. A little.
“You aren’t going to use ‘a means to an end’ as justification, are you?” the man asked.
“Probably,” Angst said.
“You may call me Vivek,” he said.
“As in, ‘by the Dark Vivek’?” Angst asked.
“Dark Vivek, Vivek, what’s in a name?” Vivek said slyly.
“Well, if your name was Jackass, I’d say a lot,” Angst said, feeling clever.
“Or if your name is Angst,” Vivek replied darkly.
“I think that’s already been established,” Angst said. “Or maybe you forgot and you’re older than you look?”
“Maybe you aren’t as old as you look,” Vivek said. He made a flourish with his hands. “I wish to sit, and chat.”
Angst hadn’t noticed the long table and chairs appear beside them. The table was made of a dark marble, and parts of it were melted away.
“I guess I don’t have a choice,” Angst said cautiously. “I seem to be at a disadvantage.”
“Oh?” Vivek asked.
“I’m without my foci...you know, Chryslaenor and Dulgirgraut?” Hopefully, reminding the Dark Vivek that he was bonded to two foci would make him appear formidable. “It makes it harder for me to clean up like I did with the others.”
“The others...”
“You know, Earth, Air, Water,” he said, flippantly. “I hear she used to win...”
Vivek winced. “There won’t be any fighting today,” Vivek said.
“So, what’s this about?” Angst demanded. “I really do need to start saving Ehrde tomorrow.”
Vivek walked to one end of the table as Angst approached the other. This felt like a negotiating table, and he didn’t feel like negotiating.
“And why here?” Angst asked, unable to hold back his impatience. “Again!”
“Because this is where it will all end,” Vivek said, crossing his arms. “Or, where it all could end. But you already knew that.”
“Tori is a seer. This was the future she saw,” Angst said. “Are you a seer too?”
“Isn’t everyone who wields the magics?” he said mockingly. “Haven’t you had the occasional glimpse in your little dreams of things that could be, and they eventually come true.”
It was true, he had. Throughout his life, things happened that felt like he’d experienced them before—little, inconsequential things he’d dreamed about came true. Angst had never considered this seeing the future like Tori could. He’d called it coincidence, or maybe even fate, if there was such a thing.
“All who wield are seers,” Vivek said, his high-pitched voice drawn out and sounding wise.
“So it’s true?” Angst questioned. “That all wielders can use all forms of magic?”
“On some level. It’s all about how you channel magic, Angst,” he said. “Sometimes the river flows down a different path, but it’s still a river.”
It was poetic, and made sense, but didn’t help.
“What do you want?” Angst asked. “I’m getting tired of this place.”
Vivek placed his long fingers on the table and leaned into it. “Please, join me,” he said. “We have much to discuss.”
Angst really wanted to lift a leg over the back of the chair to be cocky and threatening, but he was too short and instead shuffled into it. The chair was heavy, and scratched on the limestone ground. When he looked up, the valley was gone, no battle had taken place, and he was in a large room. The room was mostly dark, with the fire crackling in the distant fireplace illuminating the side of Vivek’s face. The tall man waited patiently.
“Neat,” Angst said to the sudden change.
“I’ve been doing this for awhile.” Vivek nodded politely, lifting a chalice.
Angst picked up his own and smelled its contents. He eyed Vivek suspiciously.
“If this was about killing you in a dream, I would be much more creative,” Vivek said, and Angst took a sip.
It was unlike anything he’d tasted. Sweet to his tongue, thick on his palate, and heavy in his stomach. A familiar warmth filled his body as the alcohol immediately took effect, and he wished to be lost in a dance with Tori on tables. He took several long draws before returning the chalice to the table.
“It should always be this good,” Angst said with an acknowledging nod.
“Few mortals have tasted this fruit,” Vivek replied graciously. “I’m glad you enjoy it.”
Angst studied his opponent for long moments without gleaning any insight. Vivek was so awkward looking, there was barely an indication of his temperament, much less his age. He had the cool, stoic face of an experienced gambler, with only the barest of thin-lipped smiles. Angst felt like the man, the creature, would ha
ve waited forever. But Angst wouldn’t.
“What’s this all about?” Angst asked.
“Winning, of course,” Vivek said.
“If you aren’t an element, why do you even care?”
“Who said I wasn’t an element?” The Dark Vivek looked uncomfortable. “Either way, let’s just say I have a stake in matters.”
“Then you’re all doing it wrong,” Angst blurted, drinking from the chalice again. The booze was strong, and his inhibitions quickly waned. “Rather than going to war, why don’t the elements work together? Why do so many people need to die? Ehrde could be even more amazing if it were in balance!”
“It’s always been the way of things,” Vivek replied, his face curious. “Erosion, volcanoes, tidal waves, tornadoes, earthquakes...the battle always goes on.”
“But at what cost?” Angst said too loudly. “So many lives lost. I’m done with people dying.”
“That’s why we are here,” Vivek said. “So I can ease your conscience.”
“Oh?” Angst asked, taking another drink. The chalice should’ve been empty, but it remained full, which was his favorite.
“You’ve done your duty, Angst,” he said. “You’ve sacrificed everything to be a hero.”
“Not everything,” Angst replied.
“No, not your life,” he said. “But why that? You have a family now who needs you. A wife who needs her husband. Two beautiful children who need their father. Don’t they want you home? Aren’t you tired?”
Vivek was right. He wanted it to be done. Angst felt tired in his bones, as if the burden were too much, as if his losses were too great. He felt old, and didn’t he deserve a break? This heroing thing wasn’t what he’d expected. It was so much harder, the cost was so much greater, than he’d ever thought.
“I can promise their safety,” Vivek said smoothly.
“But what about my missing friends?” Angst asked, his tongue feeling unnaturally thick. “Dallow, Tarness, Hector, and Rose?” He struggled to focus, the words seemed reluctant to leave his tongue. “And Tori is still trapped!”
“All of them,” Vivek said.
“That’s all I ask,” Angst said. “I want the people I love to be safe.”
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