But what if I can’t? Doubt nagged at him as he crawled through the tunnel. She was hiding something from him. The question is, what?
He wanted to believe that she would help him, that she would join him in his quest to rescue Hailen. But assumptions like that had nearly killed him in the past. He couldn’t act on blind faith. He had to keep both eyes open, even though he ached to lose himself in the momentary happiness at being reunited with his wife. Decades as an assassin had taught him to be skeptical of anything.
Yet if I can’t trust her, is there anyone in the world I can trust? A feeling of utter loneliness washed over him at the thought.
He followed Taiana and Cerran as they ran through the secret passages. At the first intersection they encountered, they turned to the right, up the incline that led to the Medial Echelon, the second level of Enarium. They moved with hardly a sound and kept up a steady pace. Yet the Hunter found himself casting occasional glances backward as if expecting to see blue-armored Elivasti flooding the tunnels in pursuit.
Only silence and darkness met his gaze.
Chapter Five
The tunnel ended at another cellar, as empty as the one they’d used to enter the passages honeycombing Enarium. The Hunter followed Taiana and Cerran up the stairs to the ground floor. The interior of this home showed similar signs of life—decorative vases, colorful blankets and throw rugs, and a few handcrafted sculptures—again in a state of suspended existence, as if the occupants had just stepped out a few moments ago. Every surface was free of dust, all but the faint traces left by their boots.
Cerran padded to the front door and shot a wary glance up and down the street. “Usual route home?” he asked Taiana.
“Only if it’s clear.” Taiana moved to stand beside him. “The Elivasti will find their dead comrades soon enough. We need to be off the streets by then.”
“Understood.” With a nod, Cerran slipped out into the street and ran for a few hundred yards before ducking into a narrow lane.
Taiana turned to the Hunter. “You’re up. Make it quick. The Elivasti don’t keep a routine with their patrols, so we can’t know how soon the next one will come.”
“You first.” The Hunter shook his head. “I may not know the city as well as you do, but I’ve got more than enough practice sneaking around.”
And, this way, I can keep an eye on you. He wanted to be on hand to help if she ran into a patrol, but he’d rather watch his own back.
“I’ll be right behind you.” The Hunter folded his arms. “With Soulhunger ready in case of trouble.”
She fixed him with a stern gaze and seemed ready to argue. Yet something within her eyes shifted and stopped her from speaking. Did she worry that he planned to disappear on her?
“You asked me to trust you, Taiana. Now it’s your turn to trust me to watch your back.”
The hard edge of her expression softened a fraction and she nodded. “Wait ten seconds, then follow me into the alley.” She looked like she was going to say something more, but changed her mind before she spoke. With a nod, she slipped out into the streets.
The Hunter watched her go. She was very different from the Taiana he remembered. A lot more flinty edges than the woman in my dreams. It would take some getting used to. Hopefully, he’d have the time to reacquaint himself with the woman that had been his wife. With the Withering so close, he couldn’t be certain. Hailen and the Sage had to be his priorities. So where does that leave me and Taiana?
Anxiety wormed into his mind as he slipped out of the house and followed toward the alley where Cerran and Taiana had disappeared. Would he like what he discovered about her?
He pushed the thought out of his mind and focused on his surroundings. He scanned every street he passed for signs of movement, but Enarium seemed absolutely devoid of life.
His attention went to the city itself. The houses of the Medial Echelon were similar to those on the Base Echelon, though taller—most between two and four floors, with a few reaching five or six. In addition to the single broad thoroughfare ringing the city tier, there were smaller, parallel avenues that ran the circumference and more adjoining streets that descended to the Base Echelon or ascended to the Prime Echelon.
Cerran and Taiana were waiting for him in the alley, and they continued on their way without another word. They were tense, wary, but not fearful. Doubtless they had made the journey enough times that they knew how to spot or evade patrols.
After a circuitous trek toward the northeast of the city, Taiana led them toward a building taller than those that surrounded it. In addition to five floors made of the silver and gold-threaded white marble, there was a sixth floor with broad windows made of the same mirrored-glass the Hunter had encountered in Kara-ket.
Taiana entered the four-story building beside it, slid between the two houses, and ducked into what looked like a storm cellar.
Cerran closed the trap door behind them, plunging the cellar into darkness. The Hunter tensed, his hand on Soulhunger’s hilt. No one would take him unawares in the darkness. He could fight blind if he had to.
A moment later, light streamed from a glass globe Taiana produced from a pouch at waist. The faint glow revealed a small space with three hard-packed earth walls and wooden support beams. Wooden barrels and crates were piled high on one side of the subterranean chamber, while the other side contained only ancient shelves upon which sat an assortment of gardening equipment.
The Hunter tried to hide his nervous tension as he followed the two Bucelarii around the stored barrels. Cerran twitched aside a hanging canvas to reveal another tunnel, which ran for fifteen paces before ending at a blank wall. A wooden ladder leaned against the wall, leading up through a hole in the earthen ceiling. Cerran climbed up the ladder first, and this time the Hunter allowed Taiana to bring up the rear.
The ladder led up into another home, this one with far more elegant trappings, including a bloodwood cabinet, an ornate dining set carved from a pale grey stone the Hunter didn’t recognize, and something that looked like a massive bunch of glass grapes dangling from the high-vaulted ceiling. It looked like the grand chamber where a wealthy nobleman—or noble Serenii, if such a thing existed—would host a grand ball, like Lord and Lady Dannaros in Voramis. Yet no sound of music, laughter, or merriment met his ears. Instead of twinkling lights and festive colors, the vast chamber was filled with only darkness and silence.
“Come,” Taiana said as she strode past him. “Let us see if Arudan’s study has uncovered anything of use.”
The Hunter followed her through the grand chamber, up a broad staircase to the second floor, and along a balcony overlooking the main level. On closer inspection, the Hunter realized the odd-looking glass grapes were actually some sort of chandelier.
Taiana stopped at the first door along the balcony, which stood open. Within, the Hunter saw a sort of sitting room, complete with carved stone benches covered with thick cushions, a picture window of the same glass as on the uppermost level, and wooden shelves running the length of the room. A pile of stone tablets lay strewn across the hardwood floor, as if dropped by a careless hand. The Hunter’s eyes widened as he recognized Serenii runes etched into the tablets’ surfaces.
A large stone table dominated the heart of the room. It had been carved with the sort of masterful skill impossible on Einan. Most tables of stone were impossibly thick, for stone was prone to cracking without adequate support. Yet this table was made of a bright green stone that resembled a blend of emeralds and marble, barely as thick as his index finger. He tested it with a finger, expecting it to break, only to find it as solid as the stone beneath his feet.
A man leaned over the table, his brow furrowed in concentration. He had not a single hair on his entire face, not even eyebrows or facial hair. His skin was so pale it was almost translucent, and when he straightened, he stood nearly a full head taller than the Hunter. Even stranger, instead of the bronze armor that Kalil and Cerran wore, robes the dull brown of a Secret Keeper hung f
rom his bony shoulders and gaunt frame.
His scent reminded the Hunter of Graeme, his alchemist friend in Voramis. He reeked of strong chemical mixtures, yet underscored with rose oil and lavender. A strange scent, yet the strangest thing about him was his eyes—the same midnight black eyes that marked him a Bucelarii.
The fifth Bucelarii. He knew he shouldn’t be surprised to find another Bucelarii working with Taiana, Cerran, and Kalil, but it was still such a strange thing to get used to. Until an hour earlier, he had been the last surviving member of his kind.
“Who is this?” Arudan asked as he caught sight of the Hunter beside Taiana.
“This is Drayvin,” Taiana said.
“Drayvin, hmm?” The name seemed to register for a moment, then the man shrugged. “I suppose greetings are in order.”
The Hunter raised an eyebrow. “You a Secret Keeper?”
“Once.” Arudan gave a dismissive wave.
“I thought the Secret Keepers cut out their priests’ tongues,” the Hunter said.
“Mine grew back.” The pale, hairless man’s eyes grew unfocused and his gaze wandered aimlessly past the Hunter.
“Arudan.” Taiana’s voice was sharp and firm, but not hard. “How goes our progress?”
The words seemed to pull the man back from wherever his mind had gone. “Progress?” His brow furrowed as he looked at Taiana, then his black eyes brightened and he smiled. “Ahh, yes, progress, of course!”
He gestured toward the stack of books on the ground. “From what I have uncovered, we should be able to collect the harvest well before the autumn chill. The Serenii had a fascinating method for speeding up growth using the power of the sun to—”
The Hunter raised an eyebrow at the man’s strange answer.
Taiana’s face hardened. “Arudan, did you get distracted again?”
The pale-skinned man’s brow furrowed. “Distracted?”
Taiana walked over to the ancient-looking stone tablets and studied one. She discarded it back onto the pile, then lifted another and turned to Arudan. “You were supposed to be looking into how to get into the Keeps, not reading about the harvest.”
“Oh.” Arudan’s face fell, and embarrassment glittered in his black eyes. “I-I am sorry, Taiana. It seems I…er…forgot.”
“No, it’s fine, Arudan.” Taiana drew in a long breath, and her expression became that of a longsuffering parent as she handed the tablet to the man. “But I need you to find out as much as you can about the Keeps. Can you do that for me?” She rested a hand on his shoulder.
The Hunter had heard that gentle tone before; Ellinor had used it with Little Arrlo, and he’d employed it himself when talking to Hailen.
“It shall be done!” The pale man took the tablet from her with a grin. “I will not rest until I find what we need.”
Taiana smiled and squeezed the man’s bony shoulder. “Thank you, Arudan. But first, I need you to take a look at this.” She turned to the Hunter and held out a hand. “May I?”
The Hunter stared at her, not understanding what she wanted.
“Thanal Eth’ Athaur,” she said.
The Hunter hesitated a moment. The discovery that Soulhunger’s gemstone could serve as a resonator stone to the Keeps had clearly excited Taiana, but he wasn’t certain what she intended to do with the dagger.
“I just want Arudan to take a look at it,” she said, her eyes meeting his. “If he can confirm that the gemstone truly is the resonator stone we seek, it would greatly accelerate our efforts.”
The Hunter drew Soulhunger and handed it to the woman, who passed it to the pale-skinned man.
“Hmm,” Arudan mused as he stared down at the dagger. “Hmmmmmm?” He drew out the sound of his musings to an irritating length, which only added to the strangeness of his pale skin, his precise manner of speaking, and his habit of losing focus.
The man gripped the blade in long, slim fingers and toyed with the gemstone. He drew a two-pronged U-shaped steel bar from the clutter piled on the table, and when he tapped it against the table, it produced a low hum. The moment he placed one of the steel prongs against Soulhunger’s gemstone, the humming grew loud enough that it seemed to echo from the walls of the room.
“I’ve found it!” Arudan shouted, and his face broke into a beatific smile. He raised his eyes from the dagger, then startled as if surprised to see Taiana and the Hunter. “Oh, hello. Who are you?” He gave a dismissive wave and turned to Taiana. “It is good you are here, Taiana! You will never believe what I have just uncovered. The stone set into this dagger seems to be the very thing we are looking for.”
“Is that so?” Taiana’s gentle tone held the tolerance of a parent speaking to an infant. “You’re certain?”
“You heard the humming, did you not?” As if to emphasize his point, the pale-skinned man tapped the two-pronged steel bar on the table and set it against the stone once more, producing the loud, vibrating sound. “See? This tuning fork is tuned to the specific pitch and resonance of the stones that the Serenii used to lock the Keeps.” He bounced back and forth on his heels, as if barely able to restrain his excitement.
“So the gemstone should open the locks?” Excitement edged Taiana’s voice. “All of them?”
“All of them!” Arudan laughed, a childish sound filled with wonder and merriment. “Any stone that resonates to this frequency should open every locked door in the Keeps. All we need to do is find such a stone, and you will have your key to access the Chambers of Sustenance.”
The Hunter struggled to conceal his surprise. The man had forgotten about Soulhunger mid-conversation, even though he held the dagger in his hand.
“Thank you, Arudan.” Taiana smiled. “May I see that dagger?”
Arudan seemed surprised to find Soulhunger in his left hand, and he flinched back. “O-Of course.” He handed the weapon to Taiana without hesitation. “A beautiful piece of work, crafted by the finest Serenii artisans, it seems. And that stone set into the pommel.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at the gemstone. “Hmmmmm. It bears a strong resemblance to the gemstones locking the doors to the Keeps. Could it be that—”
“I will bring it to you for examination later,” Taiana cut him off quickly. “For now, perhaps it’s best you continue with your research.”
“Research?” Confusion twisted the man’s pale face, then his expression brightened. “Ah, yes, of course. I must find a way to speed up the harvest if we are to bring in the crops before the autumn fall. Perhaps there is something in…” His voice trailed off as he turned and began digging among the stone tablets piled on the floor.
The Hunter turned to Taiana. “The Illusionist’s touch?”
Taiana shook her head, and sorrow filled her eyes. “The burden of a long life.”
“What does that mean?” the Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow.
Taiana hesitated a long moment before speaking. “It has been said that we are the sum of our memories. Every experience shapes us, defines who we are. Every man, woman, and child in the world is unique because they have lived something different, their minds are filled with memories particular to them alone. But for those like Arudan, like us”—she searched his eyes, as if seeking something within him—“the weight of memories can grow too great for the mind to bear.”
The Hunter had heard something similar from Imperius, the insane Illusionist Cleric that had tried to erase his memories in Al Hani.
“There comes a time,” Taiana continued, “when the mind is filled and cannot retain any more. As water flows out of an over-filled bucket, so, too, memories are lost. The greater the burden grows, the greater the strain.” She motioned to the pale-skinned man who sat in a stuffed armchair poring over a stone tablet. “There are always consequences to our long lives.”
In Al Hani, the Illusionist Cleric had spoken of other Bucelarii going mad, turning feral. He had called the ritual a kindness. The removal of memories served as a rebirth for the long-lived Bucelarii, a clean slate. A chance to mak
e new, better creatures.
The Hunter stared at Arudan, and horror roiled in his gut. He’d believed the erasure of his past a curse, the act of fearful men afraid of what he would do if he remembered who he truly was. Yet perhaps, as Imperius had said, it had been a kindness, in a way. He, too, could have ended up like Arudan, or something far worse. The loss of his memories had kept him away from Taiana and his child, but in the end, it had kept him alive for thousands of years.
The Hunter turned to Taiana and searched her eyes. She held his gaze unflinchingly, and he saw no sign of the same madness or mental decay that gripped Arudan. So what was different about her? She had lived as long as he, but she clearly hadn’t lost her memories or her mind. The question was: why not?
Before he could speak, Cerran bustled into the room. He carried a plate of dried fruit, nuts, and what looked like bread, with a shred of some dried meat beside it.
“So? What’d he say?” the red-haired man asked, not bothering to close his mouth as he gnawed on the meat. “Anything useful?”
Taiana motioned for them to follow her from the room and leave Arudan in peace. “He confirmed the gemstone is the resonator stone we seek,” she said when they stood in the hall outside.
“Good.” Cerran turned to the Hunter. “Looks like pissing off the purple-eyes to save your life wasn’t such a stupid idea, after all.”
The Hunter growled, but that only made Cerran’s grin broaden.
“Then as soon as Kalil returns from the dead drop, we get back to it.” Taiana fixed the Hunter with a firm gaze. “We’ll need Thanal Eth’ Athaur if we’re to get into the Keeps and search the Chambers. One more pair of eyes to watch our backs will come in handy.”
The Hunter’s jaw clenched. “And what of the boy?”
“Garnos ought to have the information we seek,” Taiana said. “He’ll be the first stop, then we’ll figure out what to do with what he brings us. But we must keep searching the Chambers of Sustenance. There is nothing more important than that.”
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