Thorn gave the mage a piercing look. “You can see that for yourself,” he replied, waving toward the northwest.
At first, Finn wasn’t certain what the problem was. There were just a few clouds hovering on the horizon… yet he froze at that thought. There shouldn’t be clouds in the desert. He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the hazy white pillows of vapor. Clouds required evaporated moisture – which was in incredibly short supply out here among the sands.
With a thought, Finn switched to his Mana Sight, and his eyes widened in shock. Not only were there clouds spiraling on the horizon, but he could see an ominous orange glow hovering dead center in the middle of that cloud cover – the fiery energy spearing up into the sky. That was fire mana. A lot of fire mana. That might also explain the clouds – possibly the heat had flash evaporated any nearby moisture and created a significant fluctuation in air pressure – thus, clouds in the desert.
“What exactly am I looking at?” Julia murmured, watching the spiraling clouds.
Although, the answer was obvious – at least to Finn.
“Lahab,” he answered softly.
Julia shot him a questioning glance. “My guess is that the Emir has begun converting the rest of the city,” Finn explained. “That’s the only thing that could create those clouds – a huge uptick in ambient fire mana. Maybe the heat of a few thousand hellhounds…”
“I hope the guilds made it out in time,” Kyyle said, his mouth curled in a frown.
Thorn’s lone eye snapped to Finn. “For your sake, I hope so too.” With that dire statement, he clicked at his mount, and the beetle’s bulky body lurched forward again.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Julia groused, her eyes following Thorn.
“If the guilds didn’t make it out of Lahab, then there’s not much use for the Forging spell… or a prophet,” Finn said, the remainder of his excitement at discovering his newfound limb fading in the face of the harsh reality laid out before them. And even if they had made it free of Thorn’s grasp, they still had to contend with a demon king wielding a god’s relic and an army of hellhounds at his back.
He could see the same realization reflected on Julia’s and Kyyle’s faces. In the pinched line of Julia’s mouth. In the tension in her shoulders. In the way that Kyyle clutched his staff instinctually, and in Brock’s own response to that anxiety as he hovered beside Kyyle protectively. Even Daniel’s form flickered erratically as they stared at the city in the distance.
There was nothing left to say.
Finn turned his beetle with a short clicking sound and a nudge of his knees, and soon they were traveling again, gliding through the sands. His fingers rubbed at his left elbow as they traveled – the action purely habit at this point – and his eyes stayed focused on those strange spiraling clouds in the distance.
It seemed he wouldn’t have much time to experiment with his newfound abilities after all. Which meant he needed to take advantage of what time he did have to practice and grow stronger. His gaze drifted down to his hand. With a thought, he transformed the limb and then reverted it back to a normal hand – the conversion just a touch faster this time.
Then he began the process again.
And again.
And again.
He just had to hope it would be enough.
Chapter 31 - Bustling
When the rocky pillars of the Hive eventually came into sight, Finn wasn’t certain how to feel. Those stone columns were innocuous at first glance, just a few dozen straight towers of rock that broke the flatness and curves of the dunes. They marked one of the many rocky islands that dotted the desert. An outside observer would have never guessed what lay beneath. And yet those simple columns represented a harsh reality, and a difficult series of questions.
Had Abbad managed to help the guilds escape Lahab?
Had they made progress in gearing their soldiers for the war with Bilel?
Had Aerys managed to bring the Khamsin under a single banner?
As the group slid to a halt, the bulky black beetles sent up a jet of sand as they shifted to the side and used the friction to slow their momentum. Finn watched Thorn hop down from his mount. There was also another more pressing question that demanded his attention.
Where did Eldawin and the Order plan to go from here?
Finn stepped down from his mount, his feet thudding against the dense stone. If Thorn decided to kill them here, at least they would be on solid ground. He’d become more accustomed to the beetles, but they still weren’t his preferred mode of transportation. Julia and Kyyle followed him, while Brock’s rocky body hovered protectively beside the earth mage, and Daniel lingered at Finn’s shoulder.
Walking farther inland, Thorn left his men to watch the group, their eyes peering at Finn and the others above their cloth masks. The dark beetles still encircled them, and the Khamsin sat atop the insects, not bothering to dismount. Their eyes followed the group’s movements, and their hands didn’t rest far from their weapons.
Finn’s fingers dug into his pack, curling around one of his metal orbs. He saw a similar tension echoed by his teammates. Kyyle’s right hand twitched, as though he was suppressing the urge to cast, and Julia had pulled her shield from her back, making a pretense of checking and stowing her gear. But her attention was on the men that hovered around them.
Thorn made a beeline for one of the pillars, and Finn soon discovered why. Another of the Khamsin seemed to materialize out of the stone itself – his wraps allowing him to blend in so seamlessly that Finn hadn’t noticed him with his Short-Sighted active. He spoke with Thorn in a hushed voice, and the one-eyed man nodded.
Then he gestured over his shoulder, waving at Finn and his companions to approach.
Finn let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.
It seemed they had been given another pass.
“If we live through this and manage to defeat Bilel, remind me that we have a score to settle with these Order assholes,” Julia muttered under her breath as they strode toward Thorn. The Khamsin scout effortlessly disappeared back among the rocks.
“What? You don’t enjoy a rogue faction of our allies secretly pulling the strings? Yet again…” Kyyle said with a soft laugh. “Welcome to Lahab!” He swept his arms wide in a poor imitation of Nefreet’s original introduction back in that first starting courtyard.
Finn just shook his head. That seemed an age ago now. They had known so little back then. About this game. About this world. And they had been forced to learn fast. They had endured more in just a few short weeks in-game than he had ever expected. He was beginning to wonder if it might have been easier to bury his head in the sand.
“It seems that many of the guild members managed to escape Lahab successfully,” Thorn reported, a note of irritation creeping into his voice as that lone eye centered on Finn’s face. “Which means that we shall see whether you’ve told the truth about this Forging.”
“I did,” Finn answered curtly. “Although, I suspect you’ll get plenty of opportunity to see it in action soon. All the guildsmen, as well as the Khamsin who haven’t undergone the Purge, will need to be Forged to an object. That process will likely take days.”
Thorn let out a snort. “I won’t be around to witness that.” He met Finn’s eyes. “But we will have others watching. You’re never alone among the sands. Remember that.” With that dire statement, he waved at his men, and they shifted in their saddles, the beetles pushing back off the rocky island and onto the desert sands.
“Leaving already? Oh, no… How will we survive without your sparkling personality?” Julia drawled, earning a huff of amusement from Kyyle.
Thorn just ignored them, his lone eye centering once more on Finn. “Good luck, prophet,” he barked, a trace of sarcasm lacing his voice.
Finn raised an eyebrow. “And here I thought you wouldn’t be rooting for me to succeed. Not with your vendetta against magic.”
“On the contrary, while I may not
agree with Eldawin’s approach, I see the merits of his strategy. If you succeed, then a demon dies, and our people are free to roam the sands unimpeded – including the members of the Order.” A pause. “And if you fail… well, then the Crone’s avatar will be dead, but you’ll likely have weakened Bilel.
“I believe your people refer to this as a win-win situation,” he remarked.
Without another word, Thorn turned on his heel and marched back to his beetle, swiftly mounting the insect and gesturing toward the sands. The group of Khamsin immediately began to coast across the dunes, their dark forms growing smaller as they raced away from the Hive, which left Finn and his companions watching them, their expressions grim and conflicted.
“He’s just a ray of sunshine,” Julia muttered.
“At least he’s direct,” Kyyle offered, rubbing at his eyes. “I prefer that to the political bullshit and two-faced conversations we likely have waiting for us.”
This earned him a grunt of agreement from Julia.
For his part, Finn found no humor in their situation and little solace in Thorn’s blunt logic. It wasn’t the immediate conflict that troubled him – at least, not entirely – but the long-term implications of Thorn’s words. His most recent conversation with the Seer was still fresh in his mind. If Finn succeeded, Rachael would become part of this world. And Eldawin was already planning ahead. If they were successful in defeating Bilel, that wily older Khamsin likely wouldn’t have much use for them. Which meant he would ultimately be a threat not just to Finn and his companions, but to Rachael.
He’d need to ponder on how to deal with that problem.
But in the meantime, he had a few more immediate issues to tackle.
“Come on,” Finn said, waving at his teammates. “Let’s see if we can find Aerys. I’m sure we have much to catch up on.” His teammates nodded, and the group started off toward the hidden entrance to the Khamsin city.
***
In contrast to their last visit, the Hive was now bustling with activity.
Khamsin were crammed into the narrow tunnels and halls of the underground city, each man, woman, and child walking with purpose and focus. The women and children carried heavy baskets of ore, heading for the surface where beetles waited to be loaded with the supplies. Finn could only assume that they were planning to transport those materials to the guild colony. The merchants could then repurpose the ore into weapons and armor.
And many more people were heading in the opposite direction, lugging baskets of food and bundles of equipment down into the depths of the Hive – supplies to feed a hungry army and equip them. Finn guessed that the Khamsin’s fighters were garrisoned deep within the depths of the Hive, likely training with their newfound equipment in pits such as the one where they had first tested Finn.
It seemed Aerys had done a good job of marshaling her people.
Although, their presence didn’t go unnoticed.
Even without the flaming crown atop his brow, the telltale bandage wrapping his eyes and his crystalline hand – his fingers aglow with firelight – were dead giveaways. And Brock wasn’t exactly inconspicuous. The earth elemental barely managed to squeeze into the tight quarters of the tunnel, occasionally shifting and repositioning the rocks of his body to allow the Khamsin to pass, pressing himself nearly flat in the process.
The group soon entered the primary chamber of the Hive, the latticework of connecting walkways appearing once again. A small crowd followed in their wake. They swarmed around the group, hands plucking at their clothing. Many of the Khamsin crowded around Julia specifically, admiring her dark metal armor and glimmering weapons. Although, the crowd edged nervously around Brock, eyeing him suspiciously, which left Kyyle relatively free from the oppressive attention of the desert folk.
Despite their interest in his companions, many, many more of those dark eyes were focused on Finn. They were filled with hope. Longing. Suppressed anger. Desperation. And with their newfound popularity came the familiar hushed whispers, rhythmically reciting the same words over and over again like a mantra. As though by saying that phrase, they were casting a spell that would defeat Bilel and end their exile, leaving no need for the war that was coming.
Najmat Alhidad. Najmat Alhidad. Najmat Alhidad.
“Ahh, there you are,” Aerys said, her guards parting the sea of humanity and a group of attendants following in her wake. Her men swiftly created a protective pocket for the group. “My apologies. Our scouts didn’t report that you were coming. Or perhaps it got lost in the chaos of everything else that’s going on,” she amended, waving at the hundreds of bodies crammed into the central chamber.
Finn saw that Julia was about to make a snide remark and placed a staying hand on her arm, his daughter biting back her response and shooting him an exasperated look. There was no sense in bringing up Thorn and Eldawin’s involvement. He suspected they had plenty to deal with without creating additional tensions among the Khamsin.
“It’s fine,” Finn replied calmly. “Could we find somewhere more private to speak? We have much to tell you, and I’d like to get a sense of how things have been going here in our absence.”
“Of course,” Aerys replied with a curt nod. “Follow me.”
With that, she set off deeper into the Hive. Continuing to shield them, her guards created a barrier between their group and the Khamsin that thronged the halls.
“It seems like there are more people here,” Finn observed as they walked.
“Indeed, there are,” Aerys replied over her shoulder. “I sent runners to the other Khamsin colonies – calling them to fight under a single banner.” A pause and a wince. “Not all responded to the call to arms. They were content to see how this battle played out without placing themselves at risk. However, most of our people answered the call,” she offered, waving at the Khamsin around them.
“We’re nearly at the capacity of the Hive, and we’ve been forced to accept some… assistance from Abbad’s earth mages to expand the tunnels to accommodate all of these additional bodies and form more training pits.” Aerys waved at a woman as she passed the group, a basket of food supplies held in her hands. “This city also wasn’t designed to accommodate this many hungry mouths, and so we’re relying on the water mages to accelerate the growth of new crops. Mostly tasteless algae, but it’s sufficient for now.”
She glanced at Finn as they rounded a corner, her voice filled with frustration as she continued, “Although, I’m certain this aid will eventually come with a cost. The guild representatives have already seemed to forget what our people have done to help them escape Lahab and establish a new base camp. They’ve been complaining that the flow of supplies and services is too lopsided – our people only able to offer the raw ore they mine from the tunnels below us.”
A sigh, and then, “I can only hope your trip was successful?”
“Yes…” He trailed off as they rounded another corner, and a meeting room came into view – several familiar figures already occupying the chamber. “Although, it may be best if I explained it once for the whole group,” he finished.
“Abbad, it’s good to see you again,” Finn said with a small smile, grasping the librarian’s hand as he approached.
The man looked more weathered than when they had left, dark circles hanging under his eyes. But he was alive. His gaze drifted to the earth elemental hovering beside Kyyle, his brow furrowing, and a quizzical expression briefly flitted across his face.
But his attention soon snapped back to Finn. “It is good to see you as well,” Abbad replied with a bow of his head.
“Yeah, yeah, we’re all still alive. It’s fantastic,” Kalisha drawled sarcastically from nearby, tapping her foot impatiently. “But if we could skip the pleasantries, that would be ideal. There’s work to be done and little time to do it.” Malik stood beside her, the fighter’s expression stoic as always.
“It’s good to see you too,” Finn replied with a raised eyebrow. “Although, I wasn’t expecting you and Ma
lik to be here now that the guilds have relocated. Are your guild leaders not available?”
She frowned and opened her mouth to reply, but Malik beat her to the punch. “There’s too much work for a single person. Our leadership is already stretched thin, addressing living accommodations, food production, equipment production, and training for the upcoming war. The guild leaders decided that we were best suited to continue acting as liaisons between the guilds and the Khamsin.”
“They have also already been to the Hive… which means it would be a liability to release them,” Aerys interjected. “It was safer to keep them here and allow them to use Abbad to communicate with the guilds remotely.”
“What she means is that we already have such a wonderful rapport,” Kalisha said with a wink at Finn. “Now… down to business?”
Finn nodded but hesitated as he saw the Khamsin guards ringing the room. His recent encounter with Thorn was still fresh in his mind. It seemed news traveled quickly among the desert folk, and they couldn’t be certain which of the Khamsin were feeding information to Eldawin and the Order. He was going to need to be more circumspect from this point forward.
He waved at the guards. “There’s no need for security here,” he said. “You are dismissed.” He saw that Aerys was about to object, but Finn shut her down quickly. “What we will need to discuss should be kept among this group only.” She hesitated, but eventually nodded and waved at the guards, who quickly exited the room.
Finn made a gesture at Kyyle, and the earth mage picked up on his instructions, swiftly sealing the entrance with a barrier of sandstone, thickening the walls. Another brief spell and a table rose from the center of the room, ringed by simple stone chairs.
“And could you please soundproof the room?” Finn asked Abbad. The librarian cocked his head quizzically but complied. His fingers glowed a soft yellow, and a rippling sheen of amber energy soon coated the walls.
Awaken Online: Inferno (Tarot #3) Page 36