by K T Munson
“It isn’t here either!” Elisabeth exclaimed, frustrated. “There has to be a way to find the other worlds. A way to get to them.”
Nanette had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she hadn’t been paying attention to A.J. and Elisabeth’s conversation. She fumbled with the book a moment but managed not to drop it. Startled out of her thoughts, she felt her adrenaline kick in. With a depressed sigh she closed the book she had been reading and walked over to the table.
“Still no luck?” Nanette asked, leaning toward the oversized atlas.
“It only maps out parts of the Netherworld”—Elisabeth sighed as she fell back into the chair—“and we both know there is far more to it than what is in these maps.”
“We will keep trying, Miss Avery,” A.J. insisted as he picked up books that had been dissected and rejected.
“I know, A.J.,” Elisabeth said with a thankful smile.
“I’ll put these back and then look for some others that might be useful.” A.J. walked off to re-shelve the books.
As Nanette leaned toward the atlas, she noticed a rough sketch of a map to the right of it. It had been nothing but a rough outline when she’d last seen it. Elisabeth must have looked through hundreds of maps in order to draft this one. Unfortunately, she still had question marks all over it.
Nanette reached across the table and shifted it over the other maps. “What about these areas?” Nanette asked as the leaned over the table and touched a section that wasn’t marked.
“It is where the worlds overlap,” Elisabeth explained. Her fingers ran over the barriers.
Nanette scanned every section of the map. There were rough outlines of where parts of the planets connected with the Netherworld. Her fingers ran over Oran as she looked at sections that overlapped or didn’t seem to have a planet.
“And this section in the middle here. It is where the king and his court are?” she asked, pointing to the middle section.
“Yes,” Elisabeth confirmed, leaning back in her chair again.
“What planet does it connect with?” Nanette said aloud.
“None of them,” Elisabeth answered and then stopped. She looked down at the map and then slowly leaned forward. “None of them,” she repeated quietly.
“It’s still part of the Netherworld, though, so isn’t that weird?” Nanette asked as she set her book on the table.
“You might be on to something,” Elisabeth said, pushing a few books aside.
“Really?” Nanette asked, surprised.
“Yes.” Elisabeth had fire in her eyes again as she yelled, “I need a book on the king’s rule in the Netherworld, A.J. Anything about the sanctuary in the middle.”
“Very well, Miss Avery,” he called back.
“Does it have a name?” Nanette asked as Elisabeth pulled a book out.
“Technically it is part of the Netherworld and is known as Morhaven. The fortress at the center is mostly referred to as the Divine Court, but it has other names, which is strange. Why wouldn’t it have an official name? It’s as though it doesn’t want to be distinguished from the rest of the Netherworld. Could it be hiding in plain sight?” Muttering to herself, Elisabeth began frantically flipping through a book.
“What are you looking for?” Nanette asked as A.J.’s form came back down the stairs with an armful of books.
“I remember reading something about a gate. I disregarded it because it was within the Divine Court and I foolishly assumed nothing connects to them,” she said, looking up at Nanette. “I never questioned it before now. However, the Divine Court is part of the Netherworld, which means it should connect to something.”
“Here is everything I could locate.” A.J. set the books down, and the top one tumbled onto the table.
Elisabeth picked one up and handed it to Nanette. “Look for anything referencing a gate,” she said, looking positively ecstatic.
Nanette nodded and accepted the book. She browsed each page for references to a gate. All she could find was information about the gates on the planets and how they connected to each other—the only connections between them besides the Netherworld. Soon even Elisabeth lost her vigor for the search. She’d quieted down with only her fingers tapping on the tabletop. Nanette glanced behind her at the sun as it slipped to the edge of the tree line. They had been at it for hours.
“I’m going to get us something to eat,” Nanette said.
Elisabeth hardly seemed to hear her, but after a moment she nodded and replied, “All right.”
Nanette set the book down and pushed her chair out. Her body protested after having sat in one place for so long. She stretched her arms above her head, and her unused muscles protested. She was about to leave when Elisabeth slowly rose to her feet with the book in her hand. Nanette froze as Elisabeth started to read aloud.
“During the fall of King Handril, the court suffered. Handril exploited the power of the Nowhere Gate. He threw members of his court into it, and they were lost throughout the unconnected planets. The gate was moved to another location when King Othel came to power for safekeeping. The abandoned gate within the throne room became known hence forth as the King’s Gate.” Elisabeth looked up.
“This is exactly what we’ve been looking for,” Nanette exclaimed.
“I haven’t seen any mention of the Nowhere Gate in any of my books,” A.J. interjected with a frown.
“I’ll ask Malthael,” Elisabeth said, closing the book in her hand. “Perhaps he’ll know something.”
“Where is he?” Nanette asked. He hadn’t come by to check on them in a while.
“In Lyreane,” Elisabeth said quietly before she left the room.
Nanette didn’t follow her. There was only one reason Malthael would be in Lyreane without Elisabeth. He had to be continuing his search for Ki’s home. There were secrets to be discovered in the Black Council’s base, but it was hidden. Like everything else about them, the Black Council kept their home concealed. Unfortunately, their home was Ki’s home.
If she was going to find Ki, Elisabeth needed something of his. She had some of his clothing but little else. She needed something that he truly loved or that had been imprinted by him. If Elisabeth were lucky, she would find something that had been his as a child—something that bore a lifetime of his etching himself into its very fabric. But first she needed to find his home.
Chapter 8: Hystera
Kerrigan wished she could turn her head away. She yearned to run and never look back. Yet she had no control over the body she was in. Jinq could hear and feel her when she experienced extreme emotions, but he was the one who controlled the body they shared. Despite her strong desire to avert her gaze, Jinq’s will to continue to stare straight ahead was stronger.
Jinq stood to face the woman he accused. Those around them thought him an abomination, yet they respected the sacrifice he had made. It would have been easier if he and Kerrigan had died on that day when the men in dark clothes had killed Cav. Her precious and spirited owl had cried but once, and then there had been nothing else. Kerrigan knew Jinq felt the same about Hibrius, who had died that day as well. Without them, Kerrigan and Jinq should also have perished. But Elisabeth had broken the rules and had kept them alive.
As Jinq stared Hipasha down, Kerrigan knew their work wasn’t done. Her aunt started to squirm. It was difficult to look at her, knowing that her aunt had been using her for her entire life. She was cause of all of Kerrigan’s suffering. Without Hipasha, Cav and Hibrius would still be alive, and Kerrigan would still be whole.
“You stand accused, Hipasha of the Owl Clan,” Jinq said, his voice resounding through the room, “of supporting the Shadow Clan and the Black King.”
It was an indoor amphitheater with grand chairs grouped at the bottom. The twelve great clans sat in them with the Guardian of the Gate in a raised chair. Hipasha sat only two chairs away from the center chair, holding a place of honor amongst the thirteen. The idea of anyone respecting her made Kerrigan sick. On their aunt’s s
houlder sat an old tired owl that stood almost too alert.
“You have no proof or right to make such accusations, Keeper Rekis,” she replied, seeming to grow calmer.
“I have that right,” Jinq said, putting a hand to his chest. “Within me, Kerrigan exists.”
“Blasphemous!” Hipasha snapped as she slapped her hands on the arms of the chair.
“Quite the contrary,” Troy cut in. His boyish face had all the hallmarks of exhaustion. “The Spiritwalker did this. You have not forgotten yourself and our reverence for the Spiritwalkers, have you?”
Spirit animals and planet dwellers alike watched the exchange. When the Guardian spoke, people listened diligently. Despite his age, he had been chosen and deserved the respect he had gained. Troy was their guardian as much as he was the Gate’s Guardian.
Hipasha swallowed and shifted before she managed a reply. “You support their claim, Guardian?”
“I support the truth,” Troy replied, leaning on his fist. “Whatever it may be.”
Kerrigan could feel Jinq’s heartbeat as it continued on strong and sure. Its tempo gave her tranquility as she faced the woman who had betrayed her—the woman who she’d thought loved her, but never actually had. It made her feel dirty and used.
Hipasha lifted her head. “I want all of my accusers to face me,” she called out. “It is my right.”
“It is more than you should get,” Elisabeth said as she strode into the council room.
Every wrong Hipasha had committed Elisabeth had tried to make right. She’d spent every spare moment trying to find a way to separate Jinq from Kerrigan without killing them both. She had spent hours comforting her, keeping her company, and helping her adjust. Yet Kerrigan had a feeling that once the darkness was gone they would go willingly. Once the light was triumphant, Jinq would transfer his right as Keeper and they would be free to join their spirit animals in the afterlife. Elisabeth was their savior.
Right now she looked beautiful in a deep maroon dress. Around her throat was a thick stone necklace. The markings on the stones, which indicated she was a Spiritwalker, would bring her reverence throughout Hystera. Despite her beauty, Kerrigan could see soft rings under her eyes and fatigue in her posture. Whether it was their situation or that of the lost man who had saved them all with his sacrifice that had caused her exhaustion, Kerrigan wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was a combination of both.
Bibrus, the owl on Hipasha’s shoulder, repositioned himself. Kerrigan was sure his guile ran as deep as her aunt’s. It pained Kerrigan to see him, as he was Cav’s father. Her heart twisted in memory of her dear companion and she felt tears threaten. Jinq shifted as he felt her welling emotions.
“Calm down!” Hipasha snapped as her owl hissed.
“Your spirit animal is as treacherous as you are.” Elisabeth’s voice was cold. She folded her hands folded by her stomach. “He knows your guilt and betrays himself to me.”
“Bibrus!” Hipasha tried to calm him down, but the whites of her eyes were showing. She cleared her throat when he finally regained his composure. “You have no proof,” she told the group.
How could she do that? Kerrigan whispered to Jinq as she half sobbed, How could she betray her own sister?
“I am your proof,” Jinq called before Kerrigan could say more. “Kerrigan wants to know how you could do that to your sister. How could you betray her, knowing she would die in disgrace?”
Hipasha froze at those words. A range of reactions played over her face before she tried to flee. Elisabeth lifted her arms, and a translucent cage snapped around Hipasha, trapping her and her owl. People gasped in surprise. The power Elisabeth wielded still left Kerrigan awestruck, too.
Their prison crackled as Hipasha called to her clan. “I did it for us. Protect me!” Her eyes darted back and forth.
Others from the Owl Clan stood, one by one, and looked down at her in shame. Finally, a man in deep blue robes who had a crown of white hair spoke. “You have dishonored us, and we cast you out. You have no clan or home, and we defer judgment to Guardian Troy.”
“No,” Hipasha said through her teeth, but few were listening to her.
The room became was a buzz of voices. They didn’t show surprise at the Owl Clan’s decision or even at the idea of betrayal. Instead, it sounded like muttered curiosity. When Troy stood, silence fell, and Kerrigan didn’t have to think of it much longer.
Stay strong, Jinq’s voice whispered. His words wrapped around her like a blanket of protection.
He stepped down the two steps that led up to his throne-like chair and then turned and faced Hipasha. “You have two choices left to you, Hipasha.” His voice carried throughout the amphitheater. “Either you can carry on your habit of betrayal and tell us who else on Hystera you’ve been working with, or you shall be cast into the Netherworld.”
Gasps filled the room, but Kerrigan hardly heard them. Everyone knew what awaited Hipasha in the Netherworld. Once darkness fell, she would die a terrible death by whatever found her first, be it Weavers or Nightmares. Even if she managed to survive the night, she would not survive two. The Netherworld was a death sentence.
Jinq glanced at Elisabeth, their only defense. Despite the Black King having been removed to somewhere beyond the six gates, the Netherworld was still bleeding through. Troy and Jinq had discussed it multiple times. Elisabeth was the only one with enough power to stop the creatures that continued to hemorrhage into the planets. Kerrigan wondered if Elisabeth feared anything. Kerrigan studied her face, but Elisabeth betrayed nothing.
“How dare you!” Hipasha began, but Troy raised a hand and cut her off.
“Choose.”
Hipasha looked around frantically as though trying to assess a way out. When she found none, she hung her head in defeat. Kerrigan felt Jinq’s excitement. He was certain she would give them information rather than face the Netherworld. Yet something inside of Kerrigan told her he was wrong; she knew her aunt better than anyone.
“They are both death sentences,” Hipasha finally replied. “I shall choose an honorable death.”
“It is good to see you still retain some of your honor,” Troy told her and glanced at Elisabeth. He nodded to her and Elisabeth waved a single hand. The prison containing Hipasha fizzled out, and Troy gestured two men over.
“For the Black King!” a young man cried and leaped over seated men and women in the audience.
He raised a dagger over his head. Out of the corner of Jinq’s eyes, Kerrigan could see that he wasn’t going for Hipasha. He was going for Elisabeth. When Jinq reached a hand out to warn Elisabeth, Kerrigan could feel it in his mind.
A flash of black passed through the air. The ground fractured as Malthael landed hard on the sandstone floor. His strange skin and hornless head still terrified Kerrigan. He looked every bit the demon he had once been. Blood splattered across Elisabeth’s skirts as the young man’s crumpled body landed just behind her feet, his sword clattering to the ground. Elisabeth glanced back at the smoking corpse. The wounds were cauterized, and his clothes were singed, but blood dripped from the man’s nose and mouth. Kerrigan was vaguely aware of the gasps and commotion around her, but her and Jinq’s attention was on Elisabeth.
“Father,” Elisabeth said, looking away from the corpse. Her eyes took in Malthael and his red-hot sword. “You’re late.”
“I’ve found it,” Malthael replied vaguely and didn’t elaborate.
Elisabeth straightened at his words. Her expression held hope and exhilaration. “Forgive me,” she told Troy. “I must go.”
Troy nodded to her. “We shall call upon you again if needed.”
As Elisabeth left, she touched Jinq’s shoulder. Kerrigan warmed to the touch; she could feel Elisabeth and what she was. She was both light and dark, life and death—a contradiction of two forces that now worked in tandem. No longer was Elisabeth filled with chaos; she was now whole.
As Elisabeth left and Hipasha was taken away to the dungeons, Kerrigan felt listless. She could
not follow Elisabeth, though she wished to, and she could not find contentment because she was trapped. Her only comfort was that Hipasha would be left to the whims of the Netherworld and would suffer for her treachery.
It won’t be forever, Jinq reminded her—he was sure Elisabeth would find a way.
With a heavy sigh, Kerrigan thought sadly, I know. I know. Can we see Mara?
Jinq thought of the loving elephant and agreed it would be nice to see a friendly face.
Chapter 9: Lyreane
Elisabeth could feel him. The cold stone didn’t deter her senses from seeking him out. He had lived here, and he had trained here. It was as though she was surrounded by him—him and something darker.
She looked around the great room that had been cut from the side of the mountain and raised her lantern. Her boots made a quiet tapping noise as she trod across the worn stone. Were it not for Ashley, they might never have found this place. The great beast had not wanted to betray its master, and it could not. But weeks later, Malthael had the idea to simply let him return home—and they had followed him.
She was thankful for the high collared shirt that buttoned up to her throat and circled high around her neck. The coat she wore buttoned across her chest and fell to her knees, giving her extra warmth in this frigid place, as her long skirts were not enough. Her hair hung wet around her head, as it had been sleeting outside. This cold, loveless place had been Ki’s home. He had grown up amongst rocks and chill.
The tiger shouldered her leg before jogging off. “Wait!” she called, glancing back at Malthael.
“Go,” he said softly, and she hurried after the oversized cat.
The great room had a hole in the ceiling, and she looked up at the harsh light that was coming through. It was fall time on Lyreane there and without the warmth of the sun the room felt forbidding. Following the switching of the tiger’s tail down the hall, she lifted the lantern.