“Stars above.” Naythan flinched, scooping the girl up and clutching her to his chest as he backed away several paces.
Cole leashed his Rage and shrank back to his normal size, which was still two heads taller than the old man.
Naythan collected himself, the dread falling from his face. He held onto the girl, bouncing her slightly. His raspy voice smoothed into an almost normal one: “I will help you, Wisdom Walker. I will take the babe.”
Cole faltered at the title, but decided against correcting Naythan. He had Traveled of course, but it was Varka’s doing, not his. “I have to go find Chiron. Do you need anything? Anything at all?”
Naythan’s eyes flicked to the dozens of Passion stones, which were all humming with energy. “When do you think you’ll be able to fill those again? I have enough work to drain them within a week, but it would take me several months to fill them as you just did.”
Cole smiled. Naythan may have been a man of Passion, but he had the eyes of an entrepreneur. “It will take me two or three days to replenish. I’ll come back when I can. If they’re empty, I’ll fill them.”
“Then we have ourselves a contract.” Naythan’s wrinkled hand shot out.
Cole shook it. Leaning in, he gave the girl a kiss on the forehead before disappearing through the semi-solid door.
Cole left Naythan’s house, which was on the secluded outskirts of the Arts District. He made for his tree in the barracks. Though he was eager to clean the filth from himself, he didn’t call Wisdom or Rage to speed him along. He needed the time to think.
Back in his tree, Cole ran the abrasive laser-shower over himself until his skin was rashed and raw. No matter how many times he ran the shower, he couldn’t seem to wash the lingering taint that clung to his thoughts. He felt dirty on the inside. The girl’s memories kept swimming to the fore of his thoughts, sickening his mind and his heart. His own memories were no better, as his thoughts of Joshy had somehow broken free from where he’d locked them. He may have been bigger and stronger, but by Earth-reckoning he was barely an adult. Most people go through their entire lives without seeing the horrors that he’d seen. There were so many bodies. So much agony. No one should have to see what he saw. It was too much. Cole resolved to find the nearest Wisdom stone and dump everything he could.
Rummaging through his closet, Cole found an old set of armor to replace his ruined one. When he’d strapped the last buckle into place a sudden jolt struck him, baring his teeth and igniting his munisica.
Another mind rushed into his, familiar and fierce. The room faded before him as Cole saw the world through Goran’s eyes.
He was high in the Fangshards outside Oberon City. Wind and sleet bore down on him, but he was unaffected by the biting cold. Goran stood sentinel on an icy peak, gazing down to the ocean below. Horns blared over the mountains’ howl as torches flickered to life. Domina stirred on boats, crying out orders and scurrying about like angry ants. Sniffing deep, Goran’s nose beheld the cocktail of scents from the waves below. Hunger. Sweat. Bloodlust.
Crunching through the snow, Goran turned to the other side of the mountains, towards the shimmering lights of Oberon City. Filling his vast lungs with mountain air, Goran roared. It was a call to arms, a herald to the impending battle. The dogs of war had come.
Chapter 21
Confronting the Swarm
“Greetings Cole. How fared your mission in Brimhallow?” Chiron greeted Cole as he pulled himself up onto the decking of the floating house. The elder appeared to have just returned from his own mission.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Cole demanded.
“Tell you what?” Chiron asked, politely perplexed as he set a heavy satchel down on his table.
“That The Three are at the borders of Oberon City. If I could find out then so could you. Surely you must have known.” He widened his link with Eliza, making sure he had her attention.
“Did you know about this?” Cole jabbed the question to her.
“I know about it now,” she replied, ignoring his accusation. There are battle horns blaring throughout the city as we speak. Now that I think on it, this explains why Roth has been so chipper. He must have known as well.”
“Keep the bond open. Wide open.” Cole flooded her with what little Passion he had built since leaving Naythan’s.
She responded without a word, but poured her own Passion into him, replenishing a good portion of what he’d spent.
Chiron seemed not to have noticed the silent exchange. “The Three’s swarms were bound to break upon the temple before long. Though you are learning at a prodigious pace, let me assure you; you are still quite as vulnerable to Thee Three as when you first arrived. There was no use distracting you from your training,” Chiron said, casually plucking a blackstout from his satchel and offering it to Cole. “You look dreadful. Are you hungry?”
Cole’s stomach clawed at itself, but he declined. Try as he might to keep an even tone, anger simmered through his words. “And what about the others? My unit? Roth and Alvani?”
“All perfectly capable of handling themselves. Best not to let Roth hear that you’ve been worrying about him. The man nearly took my head off last time I wished him safe travels.” Chiron leaned back in his chair, memories swimming in his eyes.
Checking his renewed bond with Goran, Cole drew images of the thousands of ships the mirak had seen swarming up the coast. Countless bobbing sails waded through the waters, all heading for the mountain pass to the capital city. How could Chiron sit there and joke at a time like this? This was no small skirmish, or even a large battle. It looked as if every Domina and priest were packed on those ships. This could very well be a swift end to the entire war.
Cole swallowed hard, pressing his gaze to the ancient Aenerians as if staring into the sun. “Master Chiron, I’m going to Oberon City.”
Chiron bobbed his head in a pensive manner. “Well of course you are.”
“I…I am?” Cole stammered. “I mean, you’re not going to try and convince me not to?”
Chiron shook his head, rising to his feet. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I’ve been force-feeding you an ocean of knowledge through a straw, some of which has no practical use in battle whatsoever.”
“I knew it!” Cole blurted. “You’ve been stalling me on purpose!”
Chiron raised a palm, silencing Cole. “My intent was to teach you everything Varka knew. I hoped to attune your conscious-self with your subself, in hopes of bringing you closer to Varka’s state at the time of the Banishing. While you’ve made enormous progress, more than any other student as a matter of fact, I feel in my heart that you are no closer to uncovering Varka’s secrets.”
“How much more training would I need to match what he knew?” Cole asked, afraid of the answer.
“Considering your current rate of learning and the fact that you no longer require sleep,” Chiron flicked numbers off his fingers, “I’d wager another six or seven cycles would do the trick. Keep in mind, Varka had been to every local planet, most more than once. The man was a lodestone for knowledge.”
Cole faltered. He wasn’t ready. The incident at Brimhallow had nearly killed him and that was only a couple of fledgling priests. How could he hope to make a difference now? If just one of The Three made an appearance he’d be worse than useless. He’d be a liability. Perhaps that was why Chiron had kept him in the dark, so that he wouldn’t get captured and used against Oberon’s forces. Cole could feel Chiron’s eyes on him, quietly observing and calculating. From within, he could feel Goran and Eliza’s trickling curiosity from their separate bonds.
Cole broke the silence after a lengthy pause: “Brimhallow was a disaster. I was too late.”
“I would hear your tale. Unless you are in a hurry to get to the capital?” Chiron offered Cole the blackstout once more. This time Cole accepted.
Cole recounted every gruesome detail, feeling as if he were heaving a sickness from his mind’s gut. He left nothing out, watching Chiron’s rea
ctions all the while. The Wisdom Walker showed no surprise or even the slightest change in his passive demeanor, even when Cole spoke of the infants. When Cole finished, he felt no better. In fact he felt as if he needed another shower.
“Master Chiron, I don’t want these memories,” Cole said, rubbing his knuckles into his forehead. “I can feel them eating at me. I’m afraid of what’s going to be left after they’ve had their fill. The little girl’s memories alone are enough to break me.”
Chiron turned his gaze to the stars. “When I was young and full of self-righteous ambition, I made my first trip as Wisdom Walker to Allias. There was a world-war that the Unbound intended to resolve. The people were primitive, but their capacity for malice seemed all the greater for it. During my time there I witnessed atrocities that shattered and sickened my heart. We were successful in the end, but the sickness clung to my soul like a virus. When I returned to Aeneria, I found the largest Omnistone I could and filled it with every unwanted memory from my visit.”
“Do you regret it?” Cole asked.
Chiron’s face remained a stony mask. “Every time I look upon one who has survived evil. My cowardice was an insult to their suffering. The survivors had to live with their burdens to the end of their days, while I carried on with no trouble at all. I tell you this not to persuade you one way or another, but to give you the perspective of a very old man. You are young, and must carve your own path through this beautiful madness we call life. You answer to no one but yourself in the end.”
Cole walked to the edge of the decking, resting his arms on the railing as he gazed out towards Naythan’s house. He would answer for what he did to the girl, of that he was sure. His first step in making things right wasn’t going to be dumping her only memories into a cold, uncaring rock.
“I will bear the burden. She deserves it,” Cole said.
“That is very brave of you.” Chiron patted Cole on the shoulder with a soft hand. “And I wouldn’t worry on the babe overmuch. There is no telling what damage has been done until she is much older. By then you very well may have discovered a means to alleviate the infirmity. In the meantime, Naythan will take perfect care of her. He’s been alone far too long anyhow. I daresay he has the most to gain from their relationship.” He gave Cole a squeeze and turned him so they were face to face. “Now, how does Varka’s only descendant intend on getting himself to Oberon City?”
“I hadn’t thought about that part yet,” Cole admitted. “I could run there, though even with my Rage it will take me weeks. I don’t suppose you’re ready to teach me how to fly?”
Chiron beamed at him: “My dear Cole, you’ve known all along. I shall ferry you to the capital, only this time I want you to pay closer attention to my spells.” He laughed, seeing the eagerness in Cole’s face.
Cole bounced on his heels. “Are you serious? I’m going to have wings like the others?”
“Heaven’s no.” Chiron gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Wings are dependent on one’s control of the wind and air, though they do grant superb low-speed maneuverability. Here, this is much more efficient.” Chiron swept his hands over his shoulders and removed his cape, which changed from slats of wood to flowing glass. “This was Varka’s. I give it to you now.”
“Master Chiron!” Cole gasped, taking the cape into his hands. It felt like warm, flexible glass. “Thank you, but how will you fly?”
“I learned the secrets of this garment long ago,” he said, helping Cole fit the cape around his neck. “I was merely holding on to it for safekeeping. Now if you would give attention to my spells. Let us see if what lies at Oberon City can’t coax a little more of Varka’s charms from you.”
After filling his pockets with the rest of Chiron’s stock of blackstouts, Cole opened himself to Chiron’s spells. Through Passion they formed a temporary bond so that Cole could feel exactly how it was done. To his astonishment, the spells were not nearly as complex as he’d thought, they simply required a mind-boggling amount of focus.
Their feet left the decking, floating in the same exact manner that Cole might levitate a small object. The difficulty was in trusting the magic, and not letting worries or stray thoughts interrupt the spell. Cole wished they had wings. Then at least he could feel the wind under him holding him aloft. This empty floating was disorienting.
As they gathered speed, the wind quickly became unbearable. Cole’s cheeks rippled as the air howled painfully in his ears. Chiron’s next spell was a bit more complex, but then again it was nothing he hadn’t done before. Cole had woven a similar spell about himself to keep the wall of hands from touching him back in Brimhallow. Chiron spun a hull of thought all around them, crafted by a simple yet ironclad idea: No air shall pass through. The web was long and frictionless, ending in an infinitely sharp point, and once it solidified, their acceleration took on new fervor. It was like an invisible fuselage had formed around them.
Two spells, two rivers of focus to maintain. Cole sensed Chiron shift his attention, ready to hand off the reins.
Chiron pressed the ideas into Cole. “You saw how I did it. Now I shall pass the spells off to your mind. Maintain the air-shield and keep yourself moving. Do not worry about me.”
Cole hesitated. “What happens if I slip? I’ve never done this before.”
Chiron let out an audible chuckle. “Then you will have to manage a fall into the water, though I would advise against it. At this speed the waves may as well be boulders. Do not forget the cape.”
“But how is a cape supposed to-” Cole’s stomach lurched.
Chiron released the spells, letting the ideas run wild through Cole’s mind. Before they could flutter off, Cole grasped them with every bit of focus he had. His sight dimmed to nothing as his hearing faded to mute. He hadn’t even the focus to spare for his senses. He drifted from the world as the spells took more and more from him. The two concepts dominated him, became him. As his sense of touch began to fade, he felt Varka’s cape flap over his back. How was he supposed to use it?
Just the thought of the cape caused something to click into place. It felt as if Chiron’s ideas were a foreign language, and the cape translated them to better suit the workings of Cole’s mind. Cole had no idea when it happened, but the cape was suddenly inside him, as if his very consciousness was wearing it as well. It tickled him with a sense of wonder, daring him to try the impossible.
As his senses returned, he beheld Chiron, a look of pride on the old Wisdom Walker’s face.
“That truly is your cape,” Chiron said aloud, leaving Cole’s mind entirely.
Cole was slow to speak, as the spells still took a good measure of his focus. “I think I’d still rather have some wings. They look cool.”
Chiron chuckled and nodded. “I’ll surrender to that argument. There is still time for me to show you that aspect of Wisdom before we arrive at the capital.”
Excitement threatened to unseat Cole’s spells. He quieted himself, putting a larger portion of his mind in the stony room of his center, where he could better conduct Wisdom. He spoke in a passive, subdued tone: “That would be great, Master. Varka’s cape should make it a breeze. Why didn’t you give it to me earlier? I could have learned so much more.”
“You weren’t ready to learn how to learn,” Chiron replied, holding out his palm and conjuring a crystalline version of Cole’s dagger.
Cole reached out, grasping the familiar phantom. Aside from being crafted from glowing emerald magic, the dagger was identical in every way to his own. Cole recalled the moment when he’d received it many months ago. It was his first gift from The Sill.
Cole hefted the blade, drawing the original from his side and comparing the two. It had the right weight and balance. It was sharp too. Cole was about to test the edges against each other when Chiron’s phantom dagger twisted itself into a little emerald bird. The creature flapped out of Cole’s hand and flew alongside them.
Chiron kept his eyes in Cole’s: “The summoning of objects requires an act
of direct focus. You are bringing forth your own thoughts into the mundane. These are the most costly of spells. Once mastered, your conjurations can take on a life of their own.”
To demonstrate his point, the crystalline bird sprouted azure feathers. Its beak painted itself yellow and its eyes black. It was no longer translucent, but solid, completely indecipherable from a real bird. The bird dove through the air shield, swirling and twisting about.
The concepts began to take shape in Cole’s mind. He nodded to Chiron, ready to learn.
“Now, join minds with me once more. Allow the cape to attune my Wisdom to yours,” Chiron said, floating around Cole with his arms crossed.
By the end of their flight Cole was able to conjure small objects without fail. None of them had the detail Chiron was capable of, but he could create a crude copy of his dagger without dropping the idea. Cole was confident that had he not been so taxed by maintaining the flight spells, he could have crafted a marvelous pair of wings that would certainly catch Lileth’s eye.
Oberon temple came into view first, a gargantuan monument piled to the heavens. Oberon loomed close above as if drawn to its snowy peak. Cole only just now realized that the temple shouldn’t exist at all, based on Chiron’s lessons on geology and physics. The structure was several times larger than the planet’s crust could support, and should have collapsed under its own mass. He couldn’t fathom the Wisdom required to defy so much gravity.
As the city’s lights winked up from the horizon, Cole felt Goran tugging him towards the Fangshard Mountains. The toothy ridge wasn’t as tall as Oberon Temple, but its jagged peaks were still well above breathable air. Goran was still perched somewhere in the snowy summits. The mirak felt different in Cole’s mind. His thoughts were no longer sharp and instinctive, but methodical and patient, like an ancient tree that cares for nothing less than the passing of seasons. The change was alarming and invoked a deep worry in Cole. Even though he was reconnected with his furry comrade, he’d never felt more distant. Goran was only dimly concerned with Cole’s imminent arrival. What could have caused such a change in him?
Saving The Dark Side Book 2: The Harbingers Page 45