Kingdom

by Kyle West

  I waited for an agonizing two minutes for a heap of plates to be set before me—roast beef, rice, a medley of vegetables, bread.

  I tucked into it as if a woman starved.

  “She hasn’t had a meal since before the battle,” Karai explained. “The healing alone has made her powerfully hungry.”

  I couldn’t even respond to that. I kept stuffing my mouth, barely tasting the food, and swallowing.

  “Slowly,” Karai said. “You’ve survived until now . . . you’ll still survive if you eat slow.”

  I nodded, only slowing down marginally.

  “She’ll still need to rest more,” Karai continued to say to Isandru. “Rebuild her strength.”

  “How long will that take?” Isandru asked.

  “In a few days, the hunger will recede. She will not return to her full strength for a couple of weeks. And even then . . . the damage to her muscle tissues might never fully repair.”

  “So, what are you saying?” I said in between bites. “I’m going to be weaker than before?”

  Karai nodded. “Even once you’ve healed as fully as you can. You will be strong, but weaker.”

  “I’ve never depended on my brute strength to succeed,” I said. “Always my blade and my senses.”

  “True,” Isandru said. “It just means you will wear out faster in a fight. You will notice the difference, no doubt.”

  “I’ll find a way around it,” I said. I looked at Karai. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”

  “You’re welcome. We’ve done the best we could hope to do. The Elder Council barely approved this healing with no conditions.”

  Her saying the Elder Council reminded me of what Odium had told me about Haris. “Who was against it?”

  “Haris and Lian were against it,” Draeus said. “Arminius and I for. Elder Isandru broke the tie.”

  “I suppose Elder Isandru told you everything?”

  Elder Draeus nodded. “Yes. Most everything, I would guess, except where you are going after this.”

  “We’re going to stop the swarm,” I said. “It’s ravaging the Eastern Kingdoms. There’s someone up north who can help us. An ancient being with incredible powers called the Nameless One.”

  “The Nameless One,” Draeus said. “I’ve never heard of such a being. We certainly have no record of this.”

  “Nonetheless, that’s our plan. And you would do well to keep that to yourself.”

  “It is my responsibility to report all things to the Elder Council,” Draeus said. “However, things have changed here, Shanti.”

  “Haris is working against us,” I said. “During the healing, I had a vision. A . . . message from the Radaskim. Their leader, Odium, claims Haris is his own, just as he claims Rakhim Shal as his own.”

  Elder Isandru lowered his head while Elder Draeus’ face paled. “A strong accusation, Shanti. But there is no proof, other than your fevered state.”

  “Odium is the Xenomind commanding the Radaskim swarm coming for us,” I said. “Perhaps you don’t believe that, yet, but all my crew here do. How else do you explain the awakening of the Mindless, their coordination? They seek to drive us apart, Elder Draeus. According to Odium at least, Haris plans to destroy the Sanctum from within. If he can break the Seekers apart now, before they realize the truth of my identity, then the world will be even more defenseless when the Radaskim come.”

  “If so, then why would he lay out his plans to you?” Elder Draeus asked.

  “He strongly believes that none of you will believe me,” I said. “He is confident of his position.”

  “Well, I won’t deny many often have their personal disagreements with Haris,” Draeus said. “However, you should listen to yourself. Accusing him off the basis of a dream is madness. Haris has served the Sanctum faithfully ever since his ascension. I will hear no more talk of this foolishness, and unless you have evidence, then I suggest you make no more accusations.”

  “But—”

  “Shanti,” Isandru said, “Elder Draeus is right. None of this will be repeated among anyone here.” Isandru took a good look at everyone present—namely, Seeker Karai and her two associates. “Understood?”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Karai said.

  “I know what I dreamed,” I said. “Elder Isandru—”

  “I will not repeat myself,” he said, giving me a stern expression. He turned his attention to Elder Draeus. “Thank you for all of your assistance. We have asked a lot and have nothing with which to repay.”

  “You of all people know the Clerics’ services are free of charge,” Draeus said.

  “Of course,” Isandru said. “However, under the circumstances . . . I still must thank you. Shanti is young still, but I assure you, her identity is certain.”

  “I will be the judge of that, Elder Isandru. Now if you will excuse me . . . Seeker Karai and I must return to the Sanctum.”

  “Then we shall not keep you.”

  It took everything in me not to shout what I knew to be the truth at the top of my lungs, and instead thanked the Clerics for their help. “Thank you, Elder Draeus, Seeker Karai. Be careful. The Sanctum is not safe.”

  “I know,” Elder Draeus. “Nowhere is.”

  Karai nodded. “Best of luck to you, Shanti, in all of your endeavors.”

  Elder Draeus blinked at that, but did not comment.

  I stood and waited at the blast door as Draeus, Karai, and her helpers walked down the boarding ramp. A small crowd of Sanctum-dwellers stood outside in front of the stone bridge that spanned the chasm leading up to the gate of the Sanctum. Some of them called out to me, and for Isandru to return to them, for me to be disciplined, and even a few shouts of support. It seemed as if what I’d said on my last visit was still the subject of debate here.

  All wasn’t lost, then.

  “We should go,” I said. Despite the healing, my voice still sounded cracked and unnatural. I looked back at the food, my stomach growling. “I’ll finish my meal in the air.”

  “Let’s be off, then,” Isandru said.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  WE SET COURSE FOR THE Hollow. After two hours, navigation detected that we were getting close, even if there was no visual change on the ground. The moonlight bathed an unending sea in a fog—a fog that obscured the location of the once untouched Hollow.

  But, I had to trust that the ship was going to put us down in the correct location. Unfortunately, it didn’t know the location of the lake, and only had the Hollow’s periphery saved in the system. That meant we’d have to make the one-mile journey to the lake on foot through the fog.

  “Descending,” I said, speaking into the intercom.

  I lowered the ship, still unable to see anything. As we lowered to five hundred feet, the tops of the highest Silverwoods became visible. Their branches were completely bare, as if they had suffered a harsh winter.

  “Looks creepy,” Pallos said.

  “We’re going to need to be really careful,” I said. “After you drop us off, sustain a low hover.”

  “What for?” he asked.

  “I don’t know what’s out there, and I don’t want to risk the ship. You can land when we come back.”

  “All right, Captain,” Pallos said, a note of skepticism in his voice.

  “These monsters thrive in the fog, Pallos. What I’m asking you to do isn’t pointless.”

  He nodded. “I apologize, Captain.” He forced a smile. “Been a while since I’ve had sleep.”

  “Get some coffee. You can rest when I come back. Hold on for two, three hours more.”

  His expression tightened. “Of course. Good luck, Captain.”

  “Same to you.”

  I left the flight deck and headed for the wardroom, where the rest of the crew had already gathered. Fiona stood waiting next to the door, in her white Seeker’s robe and hand on her blade. Isa stood at the ready, her bow over her shoulder with plain traveling clothes. Isandru and his sister sat at the table, both looking intentl
y my way.

  “Everyone will go but Mia,” I said.

  Everyone but her headed for the door. She didn’t even look up from the table.

  “I can’t risk you, Mia,” I said. “Not until you’ve learned to fight.”

  “I understand,” she said. “This place feels . . . wrong. There’s danger.”

  “I can sense it, too,” Fiona said.

  “We’re going to have to be careful,” I said. “Pallos has orders to stay off the ground once he’s dropped us off. He’ll be keeping an eye on this spot, waiting for us to return.” I looked at Mia. “You should be safe until we get back.”

  “Unless there are dragons.”

  “That’s a possibility,” I said. “I don’t think so, though. I’ve been called here for a reason, and I don’t think dragons are going to mess that up.”

  Mia didn’t offer a rebuttal.

  “We should go,” Isa said. “We’re just sitting ducks otherwise.”

  I nodded and opened the door. Once the door slid back, thick fog began to creep in, its tendrils spreading. It was as if it was seeking out anything untouched by it, to make it a part of the reversion.

  I was the first one out the door. As I walked down the boarding ramp, I could see that visibility was low. I could see as far as the tree line, perhaps fifty feet away. After that, there was nothing.

  Once everyone was on the ground, I said, “Lake is that way, a straight shot. Stay alert.”

  That part of the order was probably unnecessary, but it didn’t hurt to remind everyone.

  I set off into the fog and plunged into the trees. Looking back, Odin was no longer visible. Its engines sounded, thrumming and vibrating off the surrounding trees. Within a few seconds, it was rising off the ground and safe from the ground attacks.

  I wished I could say the same for us.

  The trees here, once so beautiful, were now sinister. Not a leaf remained on their limbs and it had scarcely been a week since we departed. Death had come far faster than anyone could have guessed. Beyond that, there was a deep sense of gloom that went beyond the scenery. The Hollow was now part of the Northern Reversion, dampening the reach of the Xenofold. Connecting to it here was more difficult, and it felt as if a part of me was missing. It was hard not to feel despondent.

  We slogged through the soggy, brown leaves that had been on the tree limbs not a week ago.

  Isa broke the silence while drawing her bow. “Look.”

  This action caused everyone else to ready their weapons.

  Then, I saw it, a clear path through the leaves, made by someone . . . or something.

  “It’s the way we need to go,” I said.

  “It just . . . starts,” Fiona said. “Right in the middle of the trees. Why?”

  I looked up, peering at the limbs. “Can crawlers climb?”

  Silence followed that unnerving question.

  “Let’s just say probably,” Isa said.

  “Keep moving nonetheless,” I said. “We might see some as we get close to the water.”

  That trail was my cue to reach out for Silence, just in case. It didn’t come easily here in the Reversion, but my training allowed me to touch the Xenofold all the same. Once my mind was swimming in the blackness of the void, I reached out with my senses, trying to sense nearby threats. There was nothing, only the trail leading inexplicably into the darkness and fog.

  Following the trail made things go faster since there were fewer leaves to go through. After ten minutes, we reached a downhill slope that told me the lake was near. If anything, the fog grew even thicker, as if the lake was the source.

  “Stay alert,” I said.

  I could only hope my words carried enough for Isandru to hear me, who was last in our line to the lake.

  Finally, we were upon the water. I hadn’t even noticed it because of the mist, almost stepping inside. The surface was still as the surface of a glass pane.

  “Perhaps we should have waited for daylight,” Isa said. “It’ll be pitch black in there.”

  “Well, we’re here now,” I said. “I remember Alex telling me there had been a light at the bottom. I didn’t see that light last time, but if he’s right and the way is truly open, then it’ll be there now.”

  “And if it’s not?” Isa asked.

  “Then I was wrong. Then I’ll be wet and cold, but we’ll get out of here and try to think of something else.”

  Deep down, though, I knew my vision was true. The Nameless One was here, waiting.

  I took off my boots and socks, along with my katana, but left everything else on.

  I wrapped myself in Silence. Even if I couldn’t reach the Xenofold well, Silence protected me from the outside and would make it possible to push myself hard enough to reach the bottom. From last time, I knew the lake to be deceptively deep.

  I walked into the lake, up to my knees. It was icy cold, but in my meditation, this sensation only registered as a fact, not an insurmountable discomfort.

  Alex had done this same thing four centuries ago. I could do it, too.

  “Wait here for my return,” I said, turning to face the others.

  “We’ll be here,” Fiona said. “Don’t push yourself.”

  Isandru looked at me quietly, worry written on his face. “We believe in you, Shanti. Good luck.”

  I nodded and turned back around.

  I took a series of deep breaths until I drew one last one, held it, and dove under.

  I started swimming, skimming along the lake floor. Within moments, I was in pitch darkness.

  The light, I thought. Search for the light.

  The pressure deepened, pressing in on my skull. I swam on. My skin was cold, even as my lungs burned.

  And then, there it was. A light, like a shining star.

  I swam toward it.

  I had been under for a good minute. But still, I kept swimming, going forward and down. The light drew closer. If I let go of Silence now, I knew panic would overtake me. I could sense it forming beyond Silence and soon, I would pass the point of no return. I was lightheaded and my lungs ached for air.

  The light grew larger and began to illuminate my hands.

  There was a vibration in the water, seeming to come from the light itself. A hundred tinier lights surrounded the one in the middle, only these were white. They looked oddly like eyes . . .

  In horror, I realized they were eyes. And they were coming toward me.

  The first shapes materialized from the murky dark.

  Crawlers.

  I resisted the impulse to turn and flee. I was already here. The crawlers were surprisingly effective swimmers with their legs tucked in and those long tails sweeping back and forth. They would intercept me before I ever reached that light.

  Despite my weakness, despite my lack of connection to the Xenofold, I had to try and break through.

  I’m supposed to be here, I thought, reaching out. You will not stop me!

  The thought did nothing . . . even if they could hear me, they were not beholden to me.

  That had to change.

  I was swimming, even as I felt my arms and legs weaken, from both lack of air and the icy cold. The eyes were closer, seeming to combine into one.

  I was grabbed on my right arm and pulled down deeper. As I fell, the light rose above me.

  No . . .

  I could feel the crawler’s chitin shell on my skin. And with that contact, I could feel its mind.

  Control it, I thought.

  I could feel its consciousness there in the dark. I could only draw a trickle of power from the Xenofold . . . but I had done this before. A trickle would be enough to control it just long enough to reach the light.

  To my relief, the connection was strong and sure. I saw the world through its eyes; I could see my own face, eyes closed, skin pale. I looked like a corpse floating in the water, half-dead with no hair and a scarred face.

  In that moment, I became the crawler, picking myself up with mandibles and swimming toward t
he light with my long, swerving tail. The other crawlers didn’t attack, not at first. They didn’t recognize what was going on.

  By the time they did start moving, I was already being swallowed by the warm, bright light.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  AWAKEN.

  MY EYES OPENED AND I found myself in a cave, lit only by a luminous, floating sphere suspended in midair. My feet were still in the water, and looking back, I could see that they were submerged off the edge of the cave floor. The cave was small, covered with pink, glowing xen on all sides. There was no sign of the crawler and no sign of the Nameless One.

  But, staring at that strange light, I came to a startling realization.

  “You’re him,” I said.

  Yes.

  The voice entered my mind, strong and sure. It was understandable but didn’t sound human.

  I stood. My clothing was damp, which told me I had been lying there for a while. “You have a message for me.”

  The Xenomind Odium offered you a bargain, the Nameless One said. Did you accept?

  “I refused,” I said. “And I refuse it now.”

  I waited for the Nameless One to speak again. When there was no answer, I realized I was going to have to take the initiative.

  I felt silly just talking out loud, so I switched to speaking with my thoughts. You wouldn’t see me before. Why?

  The time wasn’t right, the Nameless One said. The power of the dragons had to first wane in the Hollow.

  And as soon as it did, you called me.

  Yes.

  I waited a moment for this to sink in. I felt I had no choice but to believe it.

  What is your role in all this? I finally asked. Who are you, exactly? What did you talk to Alex about all those years ago, and how can you help me now? I hesitated. At least . . . I’m under the impression you can help me.

  Many questions, the Nameless One said. Leading to yet more questions.

  And you have answers, I would assume.

  You have met my nemesis.

  Your nemesis? You mean, Odium?

  No, he said. Shen.

  That came as a surprise. Shen. He’s your nemesis, why?

  Almost two hundred years ago, he launched his war against Hyperborea. His goal was not only to destroy the Xenofont and the Hyperfold . . . it was to destroy the Xenofold itself, unrealizing of the horrible consequences.