“Of course,” she said in an assertive tone. She wheeled around to Cole’s front and slapped her hands to his cheeks, one eyebrow curled as she bore into him with a motherly sternness.
Cole stared back into her with his blackened eyes, resisting both her Passion and the urge to kill. To his surprise, his Rage echoed into a seemingly limitless ocean that was her compassion for him. His Rage surged again, but he felt the red magic tapering into comfort, as if removing a heavy pack after a long march. The shroud receded into his munisica, and a heartbeat later they vanished as well. The lift stopped as the doors opened.
Cole exhaled a sigh of relief, gazing into Eliza’s wholesome smile as he retreated into his center, dousing himself with soothing waters. The Rage was gone.
Eliza flashed him a clever wink as their Passion link rang high and clear. “Welcome back.”
Cole said nothing, pressing his lips softly together as shameful tears stung at his eyes. She was too good to him.
“Eliza, please give us a moment. I’d like to talk with Cole in private,” Chiron said as they stepped out of the lift.
“As you wish, Master Chiron.” Eliza gave a little nod before turning and starting down the braided root path. Cole watched until her flame of blond hair vanished behind a stout tree.
Chiron’s hands flexed gently as a spell shimmered about them. “There. Now we can speak without worry for prying ears.”
“The others wouldn’t eavesdrop on us,” Cole said, knowing full well that they all were probably sharpening their ears at this very moment. Eliza would pick up traces of it through their link as well.
“It is not our own ears that worry me. Oberon Temple is not as friendly as I was foolish enough to assume. No one should have been able to access the Everglen without my permission, let alone a mere Corpulant. Speaking of that little mess, how are you?”
“I’m fine,” Cole replied in a hard voice.
Chiron gave an understanding nod. “I am very proud of you, Cole. To defeat one of Decreath’s minions without help takes true mastery of one’s self. If it is not too much to ask, I would appreciate a more detailed account of the ordeal.”
Cole ground his teeth. He’d known this was coming. Cracking open his Rage, he trickled a tiny stream of the red magic into his center. Just enough to keep the Fear at bay. Cole described the ordeal with pragmatic detail, as though it had happened to someone else. However, when he started to explain the inside of the Corpulant not even his Rage would steady him. He stammered, unable to find the words to describe the horror.
Chiron placed a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you skip to the part where you escaped?”
Cole let out his sick breath. “I, I mean Varka pulled me out of it. He pulled me out of the Fear. I could feel him in there with me. He was inside me all along. It was like he lit a fire made of Rage, and it burned everything away. It was so…strange. One second, the Fear was the only thing I was, then the Rage replaced it, ate it. Varka saved me, just like he saved me at the Devotion.”
Chiron drew his fingers over his chin as his eyes ventured into the distant reaches of the Everglen. “I thought as much. This confirms a few suspicions, though it tempts a few questions. One certainty is that The Three have wormed their way into the heart of our capital. I suspect they had help from within these very walls.”
“You mean there’s a traitor within the temple?” Cole asked.
“Traitors more likely. A Corpulant never could have made it this far without assistance. They are too single-minded, too easily distracted by their next meal. It had help.”
Cole’s eyes wandered unbidden to the shadows around him, searching for another ragged, lumpy figure. “There could be more of them out here! What about the others? Have you checked, is everyone safe?” His heart sank as he thought of Lileth. He wished he could just see her.
“They are safe. Roth and Alvani cleared the Everglen after you left,” Chiron reassured Cole, gesturing towards the apartments. “They are still asleep in fact, and I have no intention of robbing them of a good night’s rest. Something that I’m sure you are in dire need of as well. Take my tree, and rest assured that you will be the only living thing inside it.” Chiron waved his palm towards a stubby tree closest to them.
At the mention of sleep, the weight of the past week returned to Cole, pulling heavily at his eyes and mind. “I think I will, but my mind’s still going crazy.”
“Anything I can do to put you at ease?” Chiron asked, giving him a look of warm compassion. Cole knew Chiron would do anything within his power to help him.
“I can’t believe I told them about Varka!” Cole blurted, unable to hold it in any longer. “I’m sorry, I know you told me not to, but the Rage… I don’t want anyone getting into trouble because of my stupid mistake. I’ll go back to the Council and face the trial alone.” He brought his eyes to Chiron, wincing as he prepared himself for reprimand.
Chiron gave a slow nod. “What’s done is done. The choice was yours, and you only have yourself to answer to. But don’t worry yourself overmuch. The Council won’t bother the others while Roth and Alvani are here.”
Worry crawled its way up Cole’s gut. “You make it sound like they’re all staying here. I thought we were all going to fight The Three.”
“We are indeed, but you know as well as I that the rest of the unit will not follow us.” Chiron’s words rang with both reason and finality.
Cole’s eyes fell to the knotted roots at their feet. “I know. I’m still going to try and get them to come. Offending the Council is the least of our worries.”
“I would have to disagree, respectfully of course.” Chiron flashed him a small, uplifting grin. “They may seem a hindrance to us, but the Council is an invaluable asset. We may yet be able to placate them while furthering our aims.”
“But how?” Cole asked, but he didn’t want to hear the answer. His heart gave a sudden pang for Lileth.
“That remains to be seen,” Chiron said, turning as his cape of woven roots creaked behind him. “Get some sleep, Cole. I’ll be back after the sunrise tonight.”
“We’re moving into a different house already?” Cole asked. It seemed like the last sunrise was only days ago.
“As this day dies, we will leave the house of Dunhaven and enter Rhunam. I rather like Rhunam.” Chiron stared dreamily up through the canopy. “It has more stars than any other local planet. I advise you to find yourself a nice spot to watch the show. The sunrise from beneath Oberon is quite a treat. Now, go rest.” He waved his hands towards the fat tree before disappearing into the double doors of the lift.
Cole leaped up into the entrance of Chiron’s tree, which had no ramp leading up to its second-floor doors. He pushed through the liquid rock door, popping into a room that looked very familiar. The walls were lined with turquoise mushrooms whose roots chased down to the floor, soaking up a runnel of water that trickled under his feet. The room was sparsely decorated, with a single bookshelf, a table for one with matching chair, and a sleeping mat. Flicking on a few of the mushrooms, Cole plopped himself down on the mat. As he lay his head down, the room’s familiarity became clear to him. It was almost identical to the cabin where he’d met a much smaller Goran. Instinctively, he groped the reaches of his mind, trying to find his brindle-furred friend. However, the mirak’s mind was nowhere to be found. He could feel Eliza’s fraternal link, quiet and waiting to be strummed. Cole scoured every corner of his mind, but still Goran evaded him. He would try again with a clearer mind when he woke. Goran couldn’t be gone.
Eliza’s link flickered as if struck by a gentle feather. “Need some help falling asleep?”
Cole replied with a sad grin, “Yes please.”
“Go to your center. I’ll follow you there,” she replied in a soft tone.
Hours later, Cole woke feeling light and refreshed, though his body was sore and stiff. Rage always took a toll on him, as if every moment spent fully shrouded were a marathon for his entire body. Standing and
stretching out his weary muscles, he left Chiron’s tree and made for his own.
When he popped through the door to his room, the stench of death and gore assaulted him. The Rage Stone was still thrumming, bathing the room in a bloody glow. Flicking on a few of the white lights, Cole found pieces of the Corpulant spackled on every surface of the room. A few flies still buzzed about, searching for warm flesh. Drawing a bit of Rage to steel himself, Cole snagged a shirt from the armoire and wrapped it around his face to block the smell. Then he drew upon his Wisdom and pulled heat from the rest of the tree into the room, roasting the flies as sweat beaded and poured from him. With all the flies grounded and dead, he fumbled with the liquid stone door, using his Wisdom to nudge it to open. The door obliged, sinking into its frame and allowing fresh air to rush in through it. Cole cleaned the rest of the room with his munisica and a wet shirt, calling upon his Wisdom to move the bigger chunks to the drain hole in the shower room. After an hour the apartment looked as if he had never been there. Cole took another double shower before tearing off the Underkin wrappings and donning a wardrobe from the armoire.
Leaving the door open, he hopped off the ramp and felt for Eliza.
“I hoped you’d be ready soon,” Eliza said. “We were waiting for you to watch the sunrise. Hurry to me, the others are eager to see you. Especially Lileth.”
Cole was about to ask where she was, but he felt her presence tugging him deeper into the Everglen. He drew his munisica and tore off into the forest. After running a quarter of an hour he found her with the rest of the unit against a dense wall of vines and bushes.
“‘Bout time you showed up.” Sitra greeted him with a rough hug. “You look pretty damn good for someone who passed through a Corpulant. Looks like you got taller again too.”
Cole hugged her in return, noticing his head was now level with her shoulder. “So you heard?”
“Only after you were snoozing in Chiron’s tree. Roth told us what happened and then had us search the entire Everglen,” Sitra huffed, releasing him. “He’d already scoured the place with Alvani, but we still had to climb every tree and look in every pond and cave. We were at it for hours! You had it easy. Probably ripped that Corpulant in half in about two seconds.”
“Master Roth likely wanted to keep us busy,” Valen interjected. “The elders are up to something.”
Eliza and Sitra murmured their agreement, though Lileth kept her back to him as she gazed out through a gap in the vines.
“So how’d you do it? Did the Corpulant try to swallow you?” Sitra asked, looking both disgusted and intrigued.
Cole stifled a gag, wrestling his throat in to a dry swallow. “I was all the way inside it before I could fight my way through the flies’ venom. Rage saved me.”
“Ha!” Sitra boomed. “Rage gets results! See that Val?”
“It certainly did in this case,” Valen replied. “I’m glad to see you made it out unscathed, Cole. We all are.”
Cole thanked him, but his heart and thoughts drifted to Lileth, who hadn’t said a word. She still wouldn’t meet his eyes. Casting his doubts aside, he strode towards her and spun her around, hugging her. Her hands crept over his lower back and pulled at his shoulder cape. Cole felt something wet drip down the side of his neck.
“You nearly died,” she whispered into his ear.
Cole squeezed her tight. “I’ve never felt more alive.”
He held her for a moment longer, forgetting the others around them.
Sitra gave an obnoxious cough. “Sorry to break up your romantic reunion, but we’ve got a sunrise to catch. I’ll be damned if I’m going to miss this one. It’s not every day you get to see one from Oberon Temple.”
Lileth withdrew, giving him a weak, wet smile. “We should be going. I’ll carry you, but you’ll need to make yourself lighter. You’ve had another growth spurt.”
“Why would you have to carry me? I thought we weren’t allowed to leave.” Cole followed Lileth’s gaze to the gap in the leaves. There was a glow of such a vibrant pink that he mistook it for a Passion Stone.
The gap was a window to the outside world. Cole pushed the branches aside, revealing a blazing horizon and shimmering ocean. A cool salty breeze whispered through the leaves, caressing over Cole’s hair.
“Is this a window?” he asked, squinting as he tried to make out toothy mountains on the far side of the water.
“Found it during our search,” Sitra replied, sidling up next to him. “And I found us a place to watch the sunrise. Keep up will you?” She flashed him a wolfish grin before diving out the window. A second later a pair of emerald wings rushed up as she cut her way up towards Oberon.
“Better hurry!” Eliza said with a bit of childlike eagerness. She took a galloping leap and followed Sitra.
“Indeed,” Valen added, hopping onto the ledge and shooting off like a winged spear.
“I hope you still trust me after our drop into Costas,” Lileth said as she bent to pick him up. “Ready?”
Cole flashed her a mischievous grin. “Catch me.”
Faster than she could react, Cole dug his munisica into the dirt and launched himself out into open air. Seconds passed as the roaring wind pulled the laughter from his mouth. He waited until he felt strong arms wrap firmly around his chest before he called his Wisdom to action, reducing his weight by magnitudes. As light as he was, he still felt his face droop with the force of Lileth’s emerald wings as she willed torrents of air to carry them higher.
Cole shivered. The upper tiers of the temple were covered with a thick blanket of snow and ice. The air was frigid and thin. He could feel it icing the insides of his nose and throat. Lileth pulled him closer.
Freezing minutes passed in rising agony as Cole attempted a few spells to warm him, but he was only capable of summoning a meager windshield in front of his face. He tried pulling heat from around him, but there simply wasn’t any. They continued their ascent for another ten minutes until Lileth finally slowed, revealing their destination.
The others landed ahead of them at the top of Oberon Temple. They wasted no time working spells over the surface, melting snow and erecting wind barriers. Cole’s breath rushed in and out in panicked gasps, trying to pull the thin air into his burning lungs. He hoped one of their spells made the air more breathable.
As Lileth carried him through the barrier, warm air rushed into his lungs, alleviating his headache and soothing his lungs. His icy feet clapped the top of the warm temple stone, which felt like it had been baking in the sun for hours. Lileth released him as he wobbled over towards a fire Sitra had conjured in the center.
“Those flames will ruin our vision,” Valen said, warming his hands. “May I?”
“Go for it,” Eliza replied.
Valen caressed his fingers over the fire as silvery water fell from his hands. The fire seemed to douse and vanish, but the steady hiss of the flames and radiating heat remained. Cole stumbled close to the invisible fire, his limbs thawing instantly as his breathing returned to normal.
Lileth pulled his hands into hers. “Never mind your frozen fingers, it has started.”
She guided Cole to the edge, where the others were huddled. A brilliant golden aura beamed from the horizon, its center white and pure, a beacon heralding the end of a long day. The halo reached up to the sky, painting the clouds with swaths of supple pinks and feathery reds. The stars were invisible now, washed out by the imminent sunrise. Such a mundane event reminded Cole of Earth, hitting him with a pang of longing for his previous life. Remembering Habbad’s explanation of the local planets, Cole swung his gaze away from the rising star to the darkened sky opposite. There he beheld a swirling marble of salmon and azure floating just above the horizon; the planet Dunhaven. Teeming rivers of soul flies pulsed their farewell to the inky canvas as they raced through the aethers back to their home. Multi-hued dust drifted from the snaking rivers, flowing and collecting above them on Oberon’s ever-watchful eye.
The others turned, followin
g his sudden twist.
“I always forget to look for the local planet,” Sitra said in a dreamy voice. “It’s like a little bowl of soup.”
“Look at them all!” Eliza gushed. “All those dreamers spiriting through the aethers! I couldn’t begin to guess their numbers. It’s too bad they have to wait another cycle to visit again.”
Valen hummed his agreement. “The greater tragedy is the number of souls tainted by The Three during their spell here. How many monsters have we released upon Dunhaven?”
No one answered. They contented themselves to embrace the sad beauty of the scene.
Cozy sunlight kissed the back of Cole’s head. He turned back around and saw the crest of Dunhaven’s star. Squinting, he threw an arm up to block the light, which ran down his body in a neat golden line. As soon as the starlight met the black stone, the star flashed so brilliantly it appeared to have exploded in a supernova. Just as quickly as it flared, the star was gone, and so was Dunhaven.
For a few eerie seconds Aeneria was in between worlds, in between realities. They were in utter darkness. Cole whipped his head about, unable to see even his nose. Above him, Oberon had the faintest glow, like a half-remembered ghost against an infinite backdrop of nothingness. Tiny winking dots began to poke through the blackness, few and far apart. Cole moved his head around and rubbed his eyes to be sure he wasn’t just imagining them. More came, timidly at first, flickering to life next to their fellows that had been brave enough to appear first. Soon there were swirling arms arching across the entire sky, each filled with puffy star clouds and twisting galaxies. The wondrous spectacle eventually roused Oberon. The rainbow moon returned brighter than before, as though refreshed from a quick nap.
While the others were occupied with the newborn starscape, Cole wove his fingers through Lileth’s and tugged her out of earshot. She followed without a word. Cole shut his mind so that not even Eliza could hear him.
Whispering over his beating heart, Cole found her eyes in the starlight. “I’m leaving soon. Will you join me?” He felt himself laid bare by the question. His words carried more weight than their meaning alone.
Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers Page 35