The Truth about Heroes: Complete Trilogy (Heroes Trilogy)

by Krista Gossett

  “Ah, is it okay if we eat at a restaurant?” Lyria’s face suddenly fell. “Pierait, I don’t know if I brought enough wages to stay here when you go!”

  “Keep your wages but take that satchel I left on the table,” he said, pointing at it on the end table. “I asked the bellhop to exchange the pearls into the city’s currency to keep down suspicions but it will easily last you a month if need be. I meant to tell you that if I do not return in 3 weeks, you should make plans to leave or you could find a job here if you like it enough.”

  Pierait realized that despite him knowing he spoke in possibilities and scenarios, it hurt his head less this time around.

  Lyria scooted herself off the bed and stood in front of him, frowning into his face.

  “No talking like that, Pierait. Now, I know you’re anxious to leave so you can tell me what your plans are on the way to eat,” Lyria told him. He nodded and they set off from the room, down the elevator tube and onto the strange, beautiful bustling streets of Sorrow.

  They had ended up having breakfast in a floating restaurant called Skyloft and Pierait had been downright leisurely, not launching directly into his plans nor hurrying her to eat. He ate with her even and took his time at that too. Once he did bring it up, Lyria wasn’t quite so nervous after he explained it. She wasn’t happy that she was essentially in a city of liars, but it did not bother her that the ones whose thoughts she could trust would be cold to the touch. She wasn’t exactly normal and neither was Pierait so that part did not bother her. She had the tendency to prefer abnormal anyway.

  Once they had finished and headed towards the Hall of Founts, Lyria had noticed something about the people around her that made her curious. Lyria discreetly removed her glove and started to confirm what she saw. All of the ones that had a very faint milky aura were cold to the touch. She tugged Pierait’s arm and pulled him into an archway.

  “Pierait, I can tell which of them are undead without the touch,” she told him quietly and his eyebrows shot up. “I have an idea—do you think you could find a… a retirement home or something around here?”

  Pierait had nodded and stopped a man in a guard’s uniform. When Pierait came back, he nodded his head towards a street off the main one they had been traveling down.

  “He said there’s one down this street on the right. Follow me,” Pierait told her. She kept wanting to hold his arm and walk with him but he didn’t want her getting sick again. Down this street, they also saw a clothing store and Pierait had gladly purchased and bought a set of mage’s robes, cut tunic style for traveling and thickly padded for extra protection. Lyria’s breath had caught seeing him looking like a wandering prince and he had seemed much more comfortable. He was also wearing soft kid gloves in royal blue and a matching hooded cloak so he could cover his face if needed.

  “We can see if this keeps you from getting ill; it’s a thicker fabric,” Pierait had explained. Lyria did not leave empty-handed either; he had insisted she pick a gown she liked since she would be a resident here and might want to blend in better. She had picked a humble but pretty crushed velvet dress with a flared hem and bell sleeves in an emerald green color. Pierait had also bought her a silver chain belt to hang at her hips and her heart warmed a little. Most would have chosen gold with green, but she never liked gold. It seemed Pierait had some kind of instinct when it came to her. She did not want any delicate slippers though; she opted for a pair of soft boots, not very different from the kind that Rienna tended to favor, strong but not too masculine to wear with a gown. He didn’t tell her but he ordered some more selections to be delivered later—he wanted her to be as comfortable as possible while he was away.

  Lyria held onto his arm as they left and headed down the street towards the home. Pierait hadn’t asked why she wanted to go to a retirement home but then he also knew that she was the key here and he trusted her instincts. She just hoped her feeling was right.

  Once they had reached the gated building, Pierait had let go of Lyria’s arm and just followed her. She wasn’t seeing the aura anywhere and she thought that maybe it was silly to think that any of the undead would want the body of a senior citizen. Some of the younger looking ones could be several lifetimes older than any of the ones here and she started to feel silly for not thinking it through when she glimpsed an old man with a strangely swimming aura, thicker than most, and rethought her negativity. Lyria felt a little nervous but she approached the older gentleman carefully and smiled as he noticed her.

  “Hello, sir. My name is Lyria and I was wondering if I might ask you some questions,” Lyria politely told him. She saw his blank stare and wondered if he was coherent. After a few moments, the man’s eyes met hers.

  “You’re a Diviner,” the old man bluntly pointed out, but he said it softly and without accusation. “You want me to help your friend cross the Wall.”

  Lyria’s heart was pounding in her chest and she felt a little scared and exposed. He was acting a little like the Soulless and she wondered about the different and strong kind of aura.

  “Don’t look scared; I was Soulless once. I came to this city when I was reaching the end of my life, my Purpose met, and fell into the damn Fount of Death. It was a long time ago, before it was a guarded thing. You’re not going to want your friend to go, child; the Soulless aren’t returning,” the man warned her kindly.

  Lyria shook her head sadly. “I have no choice, sir; it is his Purpose to go there,” she told him miserably and the man nodded his understanding and left it at that.

  “I don’t have the gift of my blood, not since I fell in the Fount, but I still have good perception. Your features and his told me all I needed to know. The Wailing River talked to me too when I first came and I didn’t listen. Whatever it told you, it was to help your friend and if that led you to me, then I will give you what you need,” the old man told her and his face fell. “You don’t need me to talk, do you, my poor cursed girl? The Divine Touch, perhaps?”

  “How… how did you know that?” Lyria stuttered, spooked again.

  “You started removing your gloves,” he told her with a sheepish grin.

  Lyria hadn’t consciously realized that and laughed with relief. Still, she was suddenly hesitant to touch the man. She smiled at her again.

  “Be at peace, Lyria—I’ve been an old man for several lifetimes and my lusts cooled long before I ever came here. My head is not muddy with human thoughts and you will find your answers.”

  Lyria took a deep breath and relaxed before touching his hand. Where other undead had been icy, this man’s hand was stingingly so; she felt a sharp arctic pain before she could relax. It only took a matter of moments to absorb what she needed and once it was done, she smiled kindly and bowed, waved and turned around to find Pierait watching intently. Pierait waved at the man then turned and followed Lyria out.

  “You should leave today, Pierait—I’ve kept you long enough. We’ll go to the city outskirts and I will tell you there, away from prying ears,” Lyria told him softly and they walked in companionable silence, Lyria holding his arm and Pierait staring ahead. She walked in silence for a moment before speaking up again. “He only lied about one thing—about falling in the Fount. You can’t fall in, but he is a proud man and can never admit he was too weak to face death.”

  It seemed neither of them knew what to say as they walked and Lyria’s chest swelled with the pain of realizing their separation was closing in. Once they had reached the edge of town, Lyria had bent close to Pierait’s ear and whispered what she knew. When she pulled her head back, her face was so sad that Pierait had instinctively raised his hand to her cheek and stroked it with the backs of his gloved fingers. Iric had approached them from the side and Lyria shot him a friendly smile but focused back on Pierait, trying not to cry.

  “Leaving without the lady, then? Not to worry, sir, we’ll be looking after her here; the Barrens might be a creepy place but Sorrow isn’t so bad once you get used to it,” Iric assured him, stepping back when he
realized the two of them were still gazing at each other.

  Lyria bent forward and this time, her words were from her heart.

  “Pierait… promise me you’ll come back with a soul, so I won’t have to do this again,” Lyria finally said and brought her lips to his, keeping them there until consciousness slipped away and she went limp. Iric took Lyria from Pierait and nodded his head shortly at him, trying not to beam like an idiot.

  “I’ll get the lady back to her room; you just make sure you come back to her in due time. Have a safe trip,” Iric stated, and left it simply at that as he turned away with Lyria and left Pierait to his journey. Pierait expelled a breath and turned towards the Wall where Lyria had directed him. At least she had made it easier. He wasn’t good with goodbyes and she had done a much better job than he could have imagined.

  Chapter 6: Unnatural Selection

  Rienna couldn’t quite figure out how to move her feet just yet as she stared around the dimly lit massive chamber where the beautiful winged unicorns watched her without fear. At this point, she wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to move; unicorns were larger than even massive warhorses and that horn didn’t look like it was just for decoration. She could see where Ashe would see them as “weapons,” organic ones at that. She watched the magnificent creatures and was too mesmerized to be wholly angry that she was also completely unprepared. She wondered how she would appeal to these proud creatures.

  All of the unicorns in the cavern were snow white, silver or gold and that was it. White ones had silver or gold horns, silver ones had white or gold, but their horns were never the same color as their bodies. The smallest ones were the size of regular horses but the largest were generally a full head taller, the backs of their bodies well over her head and Rienna was not short even by a man’s standards. Their bodies were covered with a short softlooking hair like Dinsch’s but it was shiny and slick in the light. Their hooves were the same color as their horns; it was their wings that amazed her most.

  In most cases, the wings it would take to lift a creature this heavy would have to be massive and hard to fold but she had watched a large female stretch out her small wings and she could see a sparkle ripple rapidly through them as the feathers multiplied and the wings rapidly grew. She had fluttered them and then made to tuck them away again and the extra feathers shed and poofed into glowing dust as they folded small and neat against her again. It was all done so quickly that the magic was almost hard to catch if you didn’t watch closely. Rienna had clutched her hands together at her breast and clenched her teeth with excitement, not realizing it until after it was said and done. She wondered why she was but she was embarrassed and tried to regain her composure.

  Maybe it was the regality of these creatures that made her want to keep her cool as one might in front of a king or queen. The King of Merschenez and the Princess had been more downto-earth sort of royalty but their presence had still made her stand on ceremony on the occasions she had met with them. She wondered now if the Princess had survived the attack, if she was now the Queen and how Ersenais Kingdom was recovering. It all seemed like a distant memory now and it was an odd thought to have at a time like this.

  Rienna’s thoughts were rapid-fire as she waited but they emptied from her head when she noticed a large silver female with gold horn/hooves approaching her. The voice that came next was in her head, a soft echo-y feminine sound.

  “Why did you come here, child? We do not see humans often…” the beautiful creature asked her, the words slow and languorous like a warm bath on her skin.

  Rienna paused and tried not to frown. In truth, she didn’t exactly know why she was here; she needed them to join her, needed them to find a reason to join the cause, but all of those things seemed so silly and trivial. She wished Ashe had at least told her that much. She knew what she wanted, but what did they want? Telling them they needed weapons was hardly a good answer and she hoped that although the voice was in her mind, her thoughts were not bared. She was at a loss for words.

  “I… don’t really know. Do you… happen to know what is going on in… my world, I guess I should say…?” Rienna offered, hesitating for sheer lack of answers.

  The unicorn’s laugh sounded in her head and it tossed its snow-white mane back.

  “The unrest. The machinations. The elementals and the old gods. Even here, we feel ‘your world’ stirring. And Calderon was to be the pot the gods stirred but the worlds have gone awry,” the unicorn informed her. Rienna was not entirely sure what the creature meant by this, but it seemed that magical beings all had a tendency to speak cryptically.

  Rienna nodded, still frantically grabbing at words. “Yes, and… I’m not sure how to ask. I came here with a friend, but he is male and said your kind doesn’t speak with men. I… suppose I should ask if you would help us stop Myceum, but then it seems like a petty thing to ask one such as you. However, there is something upsetting the balance of the world that they seemed to have awakened and it may affect us all before long. There are… tales about what might happen if the elementals can’t handle their duties and the old gods must awaken from their Dream before it is time… My friends and I worry more than most since…”

  “Since you were chosen by the elementals and know they are more anxious to stop the offenders, more than most. For whatever reason those unreliable elementals have, they either can’t or won’t stop the threat by themselves and sent you to do their work. All the same, our kind may not like the elementals but we owe our existence to the old gods and we know that waking them too soon would not be a good thing,” the unicorn had finished.

  Rienna watched as the unicorn went back to the others and the ones that gathered appeared to be having a conversation that she could not hear. She waited anxiously but did not dare to move just yet. A young golden one with white horn/hooves approached her, carrying a pitcher of glowing dewy water and spoke with a young male voice in her mind.

  “Drink, please, you must be thirsty. This water is magical and it will take away your weariness as well,” the young male told her. Rienna bowed gratefully and did as he asked, handing it back to him once she finished, thanking him kindly. No sooner had it hit her stomach that she felt well rested and vigorous again. It was a sweet drink that smelled of honeysuckle so she could not help but smile.

  The unicorn she spoke to earlier came back with the group behind her.

  “We have decided that 50 of us will go with you. We leave our children, bearing women and some of the men behind in case something goes wrong and we do not return. If there are any females among your group, they can hear us, but you will need to speak to the males on our behalf. Your kind may ride upon us if needed, but there is a danger in that; our primary goal is to destroy their army so our riders will need to hold on tight. The cave will lead you back out; allow us to follow so that your friend does not worry for your safety.”

  Rienna felt positively giddy as she led them out and had to quell the urge to skip or bounce on her feet. She could see the mouth of the cave ahead and noticed that the sky out there was an orange color now, as if the evening was creeping in here after all. She did not realize it might have been a while since she had left and had quickened her pace to reach the maw and see how Ashe was faring.

  Once she was there, she could see Ashe was patiently sitting on a log and gazing at the sky. He could hear her feet before she said anything and stood with a smile when he saw her, his eyes widening as the unicorns became visible behind her.

  “They are coming with us?” Ashe asked, his voice low with awe.

  “Yes; they asked that I speak on their behalf. They want to help us destroy Myceum,” Rienna told him, trying to bottle her own excitement. The female had stepped forward again to speak with Rienna.

  “My child,” she began. “We will sleep here in the cave’s maw for the night and you and your mate can find camp in the gully if you like. We will meet up again after some rest.”

  Rienna had blushed at the ‘mate’ comment but
was relieved that Ashe couldn’t hear it and had nodded, looking to Ashe now.

  “We should find camp and come back for them later,” she relayed, using a translation she found more comfortable.

  They had been able to find a spot through some trees with a good canopy and plenty of soft flat ground and room for a fire. Ashe had set about making a fire, but Rienna had heard the sound of a waterfall in the distance and craved the cool water. The cave had been a bit humid and warm and her skin felt sticky. She told Ashe she would be back in a bit and took off towards the sound.

  She was still vigorous from the water the young one had given her so she took off running once she walked a short distance so she could enjoy more time bathing before he could get worried enough to go looking for her. She found the waterfall and it was more beautiful than she had imagined, a gentle slender fall on a shallow spot that would work as a shower and she could bathe in the deeper pool once she let the water slough away the sweat and dirt.

  She had stripped off her clothes and boots as quickly as she could but she placed and hung them carefully on lower branches, propping her weapons up properly on the trunk before diving in and swimming to the fall. She only spent a few minutes letting the falls massage her before slipping into the pool. When she stood in the center, the water only came up to a spot low on her hips, right where the swell of hips started to slope to a slender waist. She had covered her breasts modestly with her forearms even though she was sure she was alone and was startled when all along the rocks of the pool, algae was starting to glow as the light dimmed to night. This place did not have suns or moons, but it simulated the cycles well enough. The blue-green glow about her made her feel otherworldly and her eyes flickered closed as her mind centered on the feeling of the water subtly lapping at her hipbones.