Cole bared his teeth. “But those are-”
Lileth stroked the side of his face, disarming him as his eyes fell into hers. “Not everything is as it seems here. I will explain it to you when you are sober. For now, just have some fun with me?”
Still tense, Cole nodded. “After you then.”
“Worry not,” she whispered into his ear as they approached the doors. “The vapor in the club will inhibit your Wisdom, but your Rage and Passion will be all the more palpable.”
Now he was worried about committing Rage-fueled mass murder. Cole did his best to still the fiery magic while the Domina clicked their talons over his suit. He shut his eyes, opening them again when the doors opened and the music slammed into his chest. Lileth pulled him by the hand into the fog and lights.
The music was deafening. Cole attempted to cast a spell to muffle his ears, but with fuzzy realization he felt the effects of the vapor Lileth had mentioned. It was as if the fog had lifted him beyond his Wisdom, as well as his worries and doubts. His only concern was with the present. Lileth glanced back, her laughter stolen by the concussing bass that jarred his bones.
The vapor thickened along with a stifling heat as they swam their way through the crowds. Cole loosened his collar, bumping into strangers as he tightened his grip on Lileth’s hand. She gave him a little squeeze and pushed on. A flash of crimson revealed Sitra’s dress. She waved them over, standing over a grate with azure flames tickling up her legs. Eliza and Valen were there as well, circling hand in hand around her. Lileth kicked off her shoes and stepped into the flame. A faint voice in the corner of Cole’s mind told him that stepping into a fire was a stupid idea, but a river of euphoria swiftly carried the concern from him.
The blue fire chilled his legs as frozen air wafted up his jacket, the cooling touch a welcome sensation in the austere humidity. Sitra pulled them both closer, her body moving and undulating with the pulse of the music. Cole didn’t have the slightest clue how to dance, but he was beyond his inhibitions, just as he was beyond his Wisdom and reason.
Cole lost all sense of time, and even his sense of self. The music mixed with the life that burned in his blood. A limitless sense of wonder stole through him, as if all his dreams were well within his reach. His soul vibrated to the beat of the flesh around him. He poured himself out and drank the energy in. His Rage thundered, fueling his limbs as he danced. His Passion swelled with every crash of his heart. Cole’s heart and soul raced each other, leaving his mind far behind.
Amidst the maelstrom he remained intimately aware of Lileth. He felt her body pressing against his, hot and slick with chilled sweat. Wet hair whipped the side of his face as she threw her head back and pulled him closer. Her eyes locked with his, her face bathed in the flickering sapphire. Wild hands pulled and tore at his jacket, ripping it from his body. His shirt followed. Her breath was hot and quick, inching up his neck, tickling the edges of his lips. Cole’s mouth yearned and searched for hers, finding it, feeling it, tasting it. Her fingers scratched down the back of his head as her teeth pulled his lips into hers, kissing him deep and hard. Her moan vibrated through her jaw and into his own. Cole wrapped his hands around her back, fingers exploring hard muscle and sweat as he traced his way down the cut of her dress. Lileth quivered, then planted her palm into his chest, pushing him away.
Lileth’s face shifted from lusting to stony indifference as she turned and sped off into the fog. Cole swayed, dumbstruck and shirtless in the blue fire. He was suddenly aware of how cold it was.
Cole ran into the fog calling her name as loudly as he could, though the thumping music buried his cries. He collided with a group of people dancing in their own blue fire. They pulled at him, drawing him into their circle. Cole yanked himself free, sprinting back into the vapor. A thin, vertical light cut through the smoke. Cole battered himself against the double doors, throwing them open and jumping out into the clear air. He looked down each end of the walkway, but she was nowhere to be found. Turning back to the doors, the Domina pressed themselves together, creating a wall of muscle and scales as they shook their heads. Ears ringing, Cole spun and leaped off the walkway before his Rage demanded their heads.
His munisica erupted from his hands and feet as he dropped like a rock through the chilly night air. He landed clumsily in the street below, shattering the pavement beneath his obsidian claws. The shredded remains of his shoes landed around him, a large chunk striking a man on a nearby bench. Cole ignored the protests of the gathering crowds, charging through them. He didn’t know where he was headed, but the effects of the vapor started to thin. His mind began to clear. A crazed, shirtless, munisica-wielding man tearing up the streets was not the type of attention they needed the night before the trial. Rounding a corner into an alley, he ducked out of sight and made his way back to the hotel.
One glance through the hotel doors revealed a large group of nobles gathered in the atrium. Ushering the crowd along were a pair of men dressed like security guards. Cole darted away from the door before they could catch sight of him.
Hiding his munisica the best he could, Cole trotted around the hotel. He made a left, then another, stopping at the rear of the building. Cole arched his neck, glancing at the peak of the pyramid, where he saw the lights of the penthouse beaming from the balcony. Gauging the height, Cole uncorked a bit more of his Rage until he felt the shroud cover his shoulders and hips. He planted his munisica in a bronze-plated walkway and launched himself into the air. Passing by the third, fourth and fifth floors, Cole realized all too late that he’d overshot. He flew past the sixth and seventh floors, as well as the peak of the pyramid. He gathered what little Wisdom he could and slowed himself to a shaky halt. Struggling through the liquor and vapor, he guided himself down to the rear balcony, sheathing his munisica as his bare feet plopped down on the cool stone.
“Lileth!” Cole’s shout echoed throughout the penthouse. He called over and over as he searched every room. She was nowhere to be found. Cole swore, kicking the leg of a heavy wooden table. He swore again, clutching his unarmored toes and falling to the ground. He flexed and rolled his foot, wincing and inhaling sharply as he heard the pops of his broken foot. He tried calling Passion to his aid, but he was too angry. His munisica came back, sending horrible shocking pain up his leg as the shroud moved the bone and ligament back into place.
Cole stood, wondering if he should go back out and try to find her. She probably never left the club in the first place. What had he done to offend her? Hadn’t she come on to him? He recalled everything he knew about her, as well as everything they’d shared together. All the long walks and talks, the quiet jokes, the way they always ended up side by side. Everything pointed to her having feelings for him. Not to mention the only times she was ever able to wield Passion was when he was injured. That fact alone meant she had to have some kind of feelings for him. What the hell did he do wrong?
Before he could break any more furniture or bones, Cole punched open the balcony door and stepped outside. He didn’t want to go back to the club and he certainly didn’t want anyone finding him. He severed his links with both Goran and Eliza before leaping above the balcony, clinging to the wall of the hotel with his munisica. He crawled his way up to the peak, gouging the shiny exterior with his claws. As long as no one looked straight up from the balcony, no one would find him. The peak of the hotel had a nice flat spot at the top, with spotlights facing outwards. He looked around, satisfied no one would see him behind the blinding lights.
Cole laid himself back on the warm stone, determined to repeat his meditations until he was truly in his center. His efforts only rewarded him with frustration, however, as he couldn’t find his mental room he’d made with Alvani. He could only vaguely recall its construction, so building it from scratch was out of the question.
“I’m never drinking again,” he vowed to Oberon. He stared into the moon, imagining it staring back into him. Oberon now had great swaths of blood-orange swirling amid indigo. His tried
to pick a color that best matched his current Rage, muttering to himself all the while.
“Talking to moons now? I hope you haven’t lost your mind. You’ve a rather remarkable one,” said a voice right next to him.
Cole bolted upright as one of the spotlights shifted and wheeled around, blinding him. The spotlight flickered and dimmed, revealing itself to not be a spotlight at all. It was the back of a man who looked as if he were wearing a cloak made of the same dark stone as the hotel exterior. The man turned, his cape grinding lightly over the shiny rooftop as Oberon illumined a familiar pair of sweeping eyebrows and the sharp beak of a nose.
“Hello, Cole Carter,” Chiron said, greeting him with a polite nod.
“Master Chiron!” Cole blurted. Panic chilled his limbs and set his heart fluttering like a baby bird. He glanced down at his naked chest and bare feet, hoping he didn’t sound as drunk as he looked. “I… I didn’t see you there.”
“It’s funny how Rage sometimes does that,” Chiron said, placing his hands behind his back. “Though the magic sharpens the eyes, a master of Rage could be very blind indeed.”
“I might have a Master’s strength, but I don’t have a Master’s control,” Cole said, mimicking Roth’s words. “I am no Master.”
Chiron frowned thoughtfully, nodding as he paced in circles around Cole. “Wise words, especially given your current state. Did you find the Tunnel Rat to your liking? The artwork in the restrooms is quite charming.”
“Uh, the Tunnel Rat?” Cole asked.
“The nightclub from which you made such a ceremonious exit,” Chiron said, stopping behind Cole.
“Oh.” Cole’s eyes dropped to the roof. “We went out for dinner, then Sitra took us dancing. We had a good time.”
“It seems so. Though I didn’t expect your unit to stay entirely out of trouble, I did hope for a modicum of discretion, what with our trial only hours away. Your unit may be small, but that hasn’t stopped you from making a large splash in our capital city.”
Shame flooded Cole’s cheeks. He wasn’t sure if he should stand or not. “Master Chiron, I’m so sorry. Master Alvani told us not to go out. It’s our own fault. It’s my fault actually. We’ve been-”
“Inundated with an astronomical amount of stress for weeks on end,” Chiron said, cutting him off. “You’ve seen one of your own fall prey to the worst of our magics. You are the sole survivors of a mission that none of you were ready for. You’ve been fighting for your lives since you left The Sill so very long ago.” His voice softened as he bent down and picked Cole up by the shoulders. “I am the one who owes an apology.”
“Master…” Cole breathed.
“I want to tell you it’s going to get easier, but this war has only just begun.” He gave Cole a gentle clap on the shoulders, bolstering him. “I won’t fault you for taking a night to enjoy yourself. The council might, but I’ll see if I can’t give them a little nudge towards leniency.”
“I hope this stuff wears off in time.” Cole rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I can’t have my head all fuzzy tomorrow morning.”
“With your recent increase in body mass, I estimate the liquor will run its course long before the trial.” He then gave Cole an appraising look. “You have grown like a tower fungus since last I saw you.”
Cole laughed, measuring himself next to Chiron. “If I were to go back to Terra tomorrow, I’m pretty sure I’d be the tallest person in history. It’s almost as if I’m more Aenerian than human. But that’s just another part of the great mystery, isn’t it?”
“What mystery do you speak of?” Chiron asked politely.
“Why the council wants me, why The Three are after me,” Cole said, hoping he could pry some answers from Chiron. “Why you won’t tell me why I’m special.”
“Oh, that one,” Chiron said with a casual wave of his hand. “Why that is no great mystery at all, my dear friend. At least not to Masters Roth and Alvani and me. Ka Reine knows too of course. She’s the one who confirmed it in fact.”
“What do you mean?” Cole asked while silently looking for a trace of a lie on the ancient face.
“I have a theory as to what makes you so special,” Chiron explained as though talking about something as mundane as the weather. “Or at least it was a theory until Ka Reine took a peek into your mind. Your actions in Costas further solidified our conclusions. The information is now one of the most guarded secrets of The Sill, as it affects the security and safety of countless souls. To put a blunt edge to it, you are something of a big deal.” Chiron flashed a small smile and a wink.
Cole’s hands balled into fists. He clenched his jaw to keep from yelling. “You’re being vague again. I’ve been kept in the dark since the day I got dumped here and I’m sick of it. If you know something then I deserve to hear it, all of it, especially since I’m about to be drilled by a bunch of old Wisdom Walkers in a few hours.”
Chiron’s smile didn’t falter. “You do indeed deserve to know. I would give you a torch to light this darkness, but I Fear your drunken Rage will prevent you from accepting it.”
Cole’s mouth fell open. “Really? You’ll tell me?”
“Of course,” Chiron said.
“Everything?” Cole asked, cocking his head.
Chiron gave a single nod. “Everything.”
“I…I’m sorry,” Cole stammered, shamefaced.
Chiron waited a moment with a patient curiosity on his face, as though waiting for Cole to interrupt him. When Cole did not, he asked, “How well do you remember Ka Reine’s story?”
“The one she told in the Arts District?” Cole asked.
“The very one,” Chiron replied.
Cole was quiet for a moment, sifting through his drunken mind for the memories. “She talked about how the war started over the soul flies’ abuse, and the forming of the Council. Then she talked a lot about Varka and his Unbound, who were like the forefathers of The Sill.” Cole pulled his eyes away, realizing that one of the Unbound was standing right in front of him.
“I daresay Ka Reine would have waxed on a bit more than you did, but that is the short of it.” Chiron paused, waiting for Cole to bring his eyes back up. “Do you remember anything else? Anything about the one called Varka?”
Cole pressed his lips together as he raked through his memories. Ka Reine’s story seemed like a lifetime ago. “He was the first one to start using more than one school of magic. He mastered a couple, and helped others do the same. They were the only ones able to hold off The Three before the banishing happened.”
“And how did the banishing happen?” Chiron asked, encouraging him.
Cole dug deeper, feeling as if he were taking an exam he hadn’t studied for. “Varka went into the Chamber of Wisdom to look for answers. Ka Reine didn’t come out and say it, but I think Varka was the one who made the barrier, and banished The Three. Which means he was the one who sent the soul flies away.”
“That is precisely my guess.” Chiron waved his arm out to Oberon Temple, which was so vast that Cole had once again mistaken it for the sky itself. “I was standing guard on one of the lower tiers when it happened. Varka had been inside the chamber of Wisdom for so long that our budding Despair had blossomed in full. Sorronis broke through first, filling our hearts with Hatred as we turned on each other. Grotton and Decreath soon followed, sweeping through our forces like a swarm of starved locusts. Even I thought all was lost. But then, quite suddenly, I was lost. I could see nothing, feel nothing, and hear nothing. In the abyssal quiet, I sensed a shifting of this reality. Someone was changing the rules. When I regained my faculties, The Three were gone, and so was Varka.”
“I…I can’t imagine… facing The Three.” Cole shivered at the thought. “In Costas, I only felt a part of Decreath and it almost killed me. I wished it had at the time. It was the worst thing I’ve ever felt.” Cole fell silent as he waited for his Rage to burn away the memories of his Fear. “But what does that matter now? What does that have to do with
me?”
Chiron brought the full weight of his ancient gaze down upon him. “I believe that some fragment of Varka stands before me at this very moment. He is within you, Cole Carter.”
Cole’s head swirled faster than the liquor. “I…How? How can someone else be inside me?” Even as he asked, he felt the answer approach from the shadows of his periphery. It was Him.
Chiron gave Cole a moment to collect himself before continuing. “When Oberon expelled its energies into the temple, Aeneria was in Terra’s zenith. The sun had just kissed the peak of the temple as we entered the house of Pastori. I believe that some part of Varka made it to Terra before the banishing was complete. Somehow, that part of Varka made its way into you.”
At the edges of Cole’s thoughts, he felt Him, watching and measuring each of Chiron’s words.
“I scoured every inch of Oberon Temple, including the Vault of Wisdom,” Chiron continued. “I was certain Varka was not on this planet. Though the banishing prevented me from leaving Aeneria, I had Wisdom enough to probe the aethers. It wasn’t until we next entered the house of Terra that I felt the palest shadow of Varka’s essence, merely a hint of a hope. I watched Terra very closely for nigh on thirty cycles. Sometimes I could feel him, though other times there was nothing. During his last cycle however, his whisper was so potent it was almost tangible. Then you appeared through the aethers, body and all.”
Cole’s vision flashed back to the forest outside Costas, to that little cabin where he met Goran. “So…I was brought here…I lost everything…because some stupid alien wanted a ride back to his planet? What, is he in my soul or something?” Cole asked, realizing he was addressing Him as well. “Well he’s here now, why doesn’t he just jump back out and live his own life instead of ruining mine?” barked Cole, snapping his head around, trying to catch Varka in the light.
Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers Page 27