Ikoria
Page 18
A small group of Citadel Guards were visible on a side street, and Vivien pushed in that direction, threading her way through the crowd. The soldiers closed ranks at the sight of her, but Jirina waved them away. She had a neat new uniform, as befit her new rank of colonel, and a few nights of real food and regular sleep had left her looking considerably improved.
“Vivien,” Jirina said. “You’re back?”
“Only briefly, I’m afraid,” Vivien said.
“Did you find anything?”
“I did.” Vivien had journeyed back north, to the former site of the Ozolith, hoping to find more evidence of what had happened there. What she’d uncovered had confirmed her suspicions. “But the person responsible is…gone, and I must follow.”
“Ah.” Jirina grinned. “What will you do when you find him?”
“That depends on him, I suspect,” Vivien said. “At the very least, I will give him a serious talking to.”
“Then I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes,” Jirina said. “Thank you for everything. Without you–”
“Without me, Lukka might not have escaped in the first place,” Vivien said, with a slight smile. “Let us say that my role in this affair was…mixed, and leave it at that.”
“Lukka.” Jirina shook her head. “When the Ozolith exploded, he just…vanished. Do you think…”
“I don’t know,” Vivien said. It wasn’t quite a lie.
“If he… survived, somehow, and you see him.” Jirina took a breath. “Tell him… I don’t know. That I’m sorry things had to be this way.”
“I will tell him, if it ever comes to that,” Vivien said solemnly. She gestured at the market. “And this? Do you think your citizens will accept this alliance with the bonders and their monsters?”
“For now,” Jirina said. “Everyone saw what the bonders did for us. But people like my father have been teaching everyone in Drannith to hate monsters for generations, and that’s hard to change. And the unbonded monsters are going to keep coming. In the long run…” She shrugged. “Who knows?”
“I look forward to my next visit, then.” Vivien held out her hand, and after a moment Jirina shook it. “Good luck, Jirina.”
“Good luck, Vivien.”
Vivien turned away, shifting the Arkbow higher on her shoulder. She walked around the corner, down a narrow alley, and into another world.
***
Lukka awoke in a swamp.
He raised his head, slowly, black muck dripping from his face and hair. It was dark, and the air was warm and damp and smelled of rot. Overhead, leaves rustled.
I’m…alive? He remembered…
He sat up, shaking his head. His mind felt like it had been shattered and glued back together, so fragile that the slightest movement might shake it to pieces. His uniform was thick with the dark mud and scorched underneath that.
In spite of everything, Lukka was a captain of the Specials. Get moving, he admonished himself. Figure out where you are, find shelter, food and water. The rest can come later.
He clambered to his feet, shaking off the mud. A moment later, a low, dangerous growl froze him in place.
Red eyes gleamed in the darkness of the swamp. One set, then another and another. The creatures came toward him, long and canine, paws splashing in the mud. The growl deepened.
Lukka’s hand went to his sword. At the same time, he reached out automatically with his will, wielding the power the Ozolith had granted him. Then he remembered the Ozolith had been destroyed, but at the same time—
The creatures responded. One of them did, at least, its mind opening to him. It turned, growling deeper, and when one of its fellows raised its hackles the creature pounced. A rolling scuffle ensued, ending with the two beasts not under Lukka’s control fleeing back into the swamps. The creature he’d taken hold of waited for him obediently, bleeding where the others’ jaws had torn it. Lukka stumbled over and put his hand on its furry shoulder.
This isn’t anywhere near Drannith. He wasn’t sure, in fact, that he was still on the same world. What Vivien had told him—
It wasn’t important. What mattered was that he was alive, and some remnant of the power he’d wielded clung to him still. It wasn’t as strong as it had been, but it would be enough. Lukka found his lips curling into a bitter smile.
Someday, I will make it home.
Django Wexler graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh with degrees in creative writing and computer science, and worked for the university in artificial intelligence research. Eventually he migrated to Microsoft in Seattle, where he now lives with two cats and a teetering mountain of books. When not writing, he wrangles computers, paints tiny soldiers, and plays games of all sorts.
Other Magic: The Gathering® Fiction
From Wizards of the Coast ®:
Theros: Godsend, Part I by Jenna Helland - wherever eBooks are sold
Journey Into Nyx: Godsend, Part II by Jenna Helland - wherever eBooks are sold
Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest by Kate Elliott - wherever eBooks are sold
From Del Rey Books:
War of the Spark: Ravnica by Greg Weisman - Available Now
War of the Spark: Forsaken by Greg Weisman - Available Now
From Viz Media:
The Art of Magic: The Gathering series by James Wyatt, including Concepts & Legends – Available Now
From Abrams ComicArts:
Magic: The Gathering: Rise of the Gatewatch: A Visual History with an introduction by Jenna Helland – Available Now
Also By Django Wexler
The Wells of Sorcery Trilogy:
Ship of Smoke and Steel
City of Stone and Silence
The Shadow Campaigns Series:
The Thousand Names
The Shadow Throne
The Price of Valor
The Guns of Empire
The Infernal Battalion
The Forbidden Library Series:
The Forbidden Library
The Mad Apprentice
The Palace of Glass
The Fall of the Readers
John Golden Series:
John Golden: Freelance Debugger
John Golden & the Heroes of Mazaroth