Wystan gave him an odd look but said nothing further. He was a good man, a career soldier for over forty years. He understood the military prerogative to limit the information given to politicians at certain times. Councilors were always at the beck-and-call of their own provinces, which often meant they were pressured to make populist decisions—and populist decisions, despite what the Alliance Charter might claim, were often the wrong decisions.
“It’s your call, Darius,” Wystan said. “For now, at least. But I’m not throwing myself on a sword for this, and I guarantee that none of the others will, either.”
“I know. And I’m grateful you brought this to me first.” Darius stood and shook the other man’s hand. “Trust me: I won’t keep it away from them for long.”
Wystan grunted and stood. “Then I’ll see you at Celenest in a few days. You have until then to come up with a miracle.”
He left the room, and Darius slammed his fist down on the table. Lieutenant Selwin entered a few moments later with a coffee pot in his hands. “Is something wrong, sir?”
“No,” Darius whispered. “Nothing at all.”
Chapter Eighteen
“The Divine Spark: it’s either the best hand in a game of Lepare or a quasi-mythical relic from the Godswar. Offhand, I’m not sure which is rarer.”
—A gambler outside the Emerald Visage
Night had fallen by the time Adar’s people signaled Tevek’s approach, and once the two knights entered the rebel complex it was obvious why they had been delayed. Both of them were bloodied from a recent fight, though Tevek seemed to have taken the worst of it. His clothing was burned and torn in numerous places, and his familiar face was twisted in a pained grimace. His partner’s outfit was similarly spotted with blood, but otherwise she seemed all right. The man who traveled alongside them, one of Adar’s scouts, had the look of someone who had yet to accept that he was still alive. Jason had seen the bewildered expression many times on fresh-faced soldiers after skirmishes during the war, and he had probably worn it himself on more than one occasion.
“I see Lyebel was just as kind to you as always,” Adar said, greeting the larger man with a firm handshake. “One of these days you need to learn the value of subtlety.”
Tevek grunted. “It’s good to see you, Kyle. When Olson mentioned you were in charge I almost didn’t believe it.”
“There are still some days I don’t believe it myself. Come on in—the others will want to see you, too.”
Adar started to introduce some of the others, but by that point it was obvious that the Highlord was barely listening. Selvhara swept across the room and into his arms, and before he could even speak she set to nursing his wounds.
“I can’t believe you strode into a Crell city without your armor,” she scolded him, her hands flashing with healing magic. “What did you think would happen?”
“It’s not like we had much of a choice,” he grunted back. “At least this way we didn’t have to battle our way through the front gate.”
“Not that it seemed to slow down the Crell much,” his partner put in. She pulled back her hood, and Jason did his best not to gasp at the sight of her gray-blue skin. He had never seen an actual vaeyn in person before. “They obviously knew we were in the city. I’m just not sure why they didn’t send the whole garrison after us.”
Tevek nodded gravely even as he kept his arm locked around Selvhara’s waist. The two of them looked like they wanted to say about a thousand different things to one another but were holding their tongues while in the company of so many others.
“This is my colleague, Dame Elade Devarath,” the Highlord said. “Without her, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
“It’s always a pleasure to meet another Knight of the Last Dawn,” Adar said, shaking her hand. Ria and the others kept their distance and didn’t speak, which was probably for the best. Closely-knit groups always found it difficult enough to accept new members even when they were of the same race.
“Thank you,” Elade replied, smiling faintly. She was quite tall—much taller than Jason expected—but she had the same slender figure of her elysian cousin. Her luminous eyes were a bright blue instead of violet, and she looked a bit younger than Sel. The most striking thing about her, however, was her presence. From the way she stood to the way her eyes drank in every detail of the room, she was clearly a warrior.
“Elu shala,” Selvhara said, nodding faintly. “It has been a while since I have spoken with one of your kind.”
“Yes,” Elade murmured. “I hope that won’t be a problem?”
“Not at all. If you are a friend of Tevek, then you are a friend of mine.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
The women held their eyes on each other for a long moment, and Jason wondered how much they were conveying with a single glance. Selvhara had almost never spoken about her relationship with her people’s dark-skinned cousins, but he did know that the elysians and the vaeyn had very different cultures. They didn’t make war on one another, but that didn’t mean they got along, either.
Eventually Adar went through a full round of introductions, and for a moment Jason had to struggle to repress the old memories. The Resistance, Tevek, Sarina, Sehlvara….it almost felt like he was looking through a window at the various eras of his own life. The distant past, the present, and possibly even the future, all gathered here before him in Lyebel…
“Of all the people I expected to find here, you were probably at the bottom of the list,” Tevek told Jason once they had all taken a seat. “I’m pleased to see that you’re all right. Though when I heard that Sel had taken to protecting you, I knew you were in good hands.”
“The best,” Jason said with a smile.
“King Areekan didn’t even know who was in charge of the Resistance, actually. I think he assumed it was a purely local movement—everyone believed the last of the Hands of Whitestone were killed at Tibel.”
“Most were,” Ria told him, the bitterness in her voice palpable. “But we’re harder to kill than the Alliance gives us credit for, and we’re not going anywhere until the last Crell boot has left our soil.”
Adar leaned forward. “We’ve barely spoken with the Solarians. To be perfectly honest, they didn’t seem all that interested. I understand why, but it was still…disappointing.”
Tevek nodded in understanding. “I imagine so.”
“And now he sends a pair of paladins in lieu of his own scouts,” Ria scoffed. “I can’t decide if we should be honored or insulted.”
“Areekan wouldn’t send the Highlord here just to serve as his envoy,” Adar said. “So why are you here, Tevek? What were you really looking for?”
Tevek took a long sip from his drink. “His Majesty wasn’t convinced you’d be willing to grant anyone else an audience.”
“Reasonable enough, but I’m sure that’s not all of it”
“No.” Tevek’s face darkened. “We’d also heard reports of a potential demonic infestation among the city watch. And after what happened today, I’m sorry to say the rumors were true.”
Nearly everyone in the room looked shocked, and some even gasped in surprise. Adar, for his part, merely narrowed his eyes.
“You were attacked by demons?” he asked. “Here in Lyebel?”
“We were attacked by Crell soldiers,” Elade clarified, “but one of them had been possessed. We destroyed him, but there are more. I can sense their taint lingering in the air…”
“That’s a thing?” Tam asked from his perch in the corner. “Smelling demons, I mean. You can actually do that?”
“Knights of the Last Dawn are trained to detect creatures of the Void,” Tevek said, “but the vaeyn know more about their kind than anyone. If Elade believes that more of them are here, then I do not doubt her for a second.”
“We had heard the rumors ourselves,” Adar murmured, glancing back over his shoulder to Ria. “But the city watch has mostly just been blaming us. We’re a scapegoat for everything t
hese days…”
“King Areekan must know of this,” Tevek breathed. “Immediately.”
“Will it finally convince him to help us?” Ria asked.
“A member of the Lord’s Council told us that if we found evidence of demons, he would feel compelled to act,” Elade said. “I’m not sure what that means specifically, but they should at least send you something.”
“Whether they do or not, my knights will help you,” Tevek said. “This infestation must be dealt with quickly before we’re faced with another Serogar. The warlocks responsible must be found and eliminated.”
Elade pursed her lips. “It’s possible there aren’t any warlocks involved. There could be a rift in the city somewhere, one that is allowing demons to cross over from the Void.”
“Uh,” Tam grunted as he shuffled uncomfortably in place. “I didn’t know those were real, either. And aren’t demons completely invisible?”
Tevek nodded. “To the naked eye, yes. Unless they are actively possessing someone.”
“That’s…horrible,” Tam managed. “Why did you bring us here again, Jace?”
“You can wet yourself later,” Sarina told him. “We have two Knights of the Last Dawn sitting right here. Do you really think the demons would risk coming anywhere close to us?”
Adar leaned forward. “Any assistance your knights can provide would be welcome,” he told Tevek. “We’ve done well for ourselves here—much better than anyone expected. But we’re still fighting an uphill battle. This could finally make the difference.”
“I’ll need to coordinate with the rest of the Dawn Conclave before making any promises, but I will order Gabriel to send us a squad as backup,” Tevek said. “With luck, they can be here by the end of the week.”
“We still have another problem,” Elade said, folding her arms across her chest. “Someone set us up.”
Adar frowned and glanced up to her. “I beg your pardon?”
“Someone knew we were coming into the city and tipped off the Crell,” Elade told him. “That ambush wasn’t spontaneous; it was well-planned. They knew we were coming, and they knew exactly which way we would go.”
“But you survived,” Jason pointed out. “One would think the Crell would have sent more men if they had time.”
Tevek took in a deep breath. “They had plenty of soldiers. The only reason we survived is because we detected the demon. They must not have known we could sense the creatures…or they miscalculated our range.”
“Pretty sloppy for the Crell,” Sarina commented. “If they knew two paladins were coming, I would have assumed they’d have arranged a much bigger ambush. And if they didn’t recognize you right away, someone must have tipped them off?”
Elade glanced behind her to the other room. “Olson was the one who lead us right into their trap. Do you trust him?”
“It’s pretty bold of you to step in here and start accusing our people of collaborating with the Crell, paladin,” Ria growled.
“It’s all right,” Adar soothed, raising a hand. “I trust Olson just fine, but I’ll have a talk with him later anyway.”
Elade shifted her eyes back to Tevek. “The other obvious choice is your friend, Gurel.”
“He wouldn’t betray me,” Tevek said, shaking his head. “Not a chance in the world.”
The room fell silent for a moment before Adar abruptly hopped back to his feet. “For the moment, I’m not sure there’s anything we can do other than remain cautious. I’ll make some inquiries but in the meantime I think all of you should take some time to relax. You’ve all had stressful trips, I’m sure.”
Jason frowned. He wasn’t sure if anyone else had noticed it, but Adar’s mood had shifted rather suddenly. He actually looked almost nervous. Maybe he did know who was responsible and didn’t want to mention it. Or perhaps he was just embarrassed that there was a leak in his organization.
“There is one more thing Tevek needs to know,” Selvhara said as she squeezed at his arm. “Your timing here is fortuitous. We just arrived in the city, and we’re also on the run from the Crell.”
“Some things never change,” the old paladin whispered with a wry smile. “What are they after this time?”
Jason took a deep breath and eyed Selvhara for a long moment. He had planned on waiting a bit before bringing this up, but really there was no good reason to delay it any longer than they had to. One way or another, Tevek needed to know the truth.
“A little less than a week ago we were exploring an old Hassian tomb south of Taig. One of the relics we found inside is…interesting.” Jason reached into his pouch and withdrew the cube. “I’ll spare you the details, but suffice to say the Crell came after us to get it, first with thugs, then with a Shadow. We’re lucky to be alive.”
“And so you brought it here as a last resort,” Tevek reasoned. “Do you know what it is or why the Crell would want it?”
Jason sighed. “They’re related questions,” he said, glancing around at the others in the room. “Our working theory is that it’s a divine spark.”
***
Silence descended across the room once more, and Elade felt her breath catch in her throat. Even the vaeyn had heard of divine sparks. They were a quasi-mythic relic that could instantly cause any mortal being to Ascend—or, just as likely, destroy their mind and kill them outright. Since the end of the Godswar, most civilizations across Obsidian relied on some form of a ritualistic exchange of powers and memories between ruling generations. One king or queen would pass on his or her powers to another, and the line of history would remain unbroken. When the exchange faltered, however, such as when the potential Ascendant was overwhelmed by the raw power, what remained was a divine spark—a glowing ball of concentrated, coalesced Aether.
If this cube resting in the young human’s hand truly contained a spark…then this might have been the most important discovery in centuries. Judging from the reactions of everyone in the room, they had already debated the issue quite thoroughly—and it didn’t appear like they had come to a satisfactory resolution. That was hardly surprising. They were talking about the power of the Old Gods in physical form, and everyone from here back to Calhara would wish to get their hands upon it. The rebels in particular could use it to advance their cause well beyond a mere guerilla war inside a single city. It could completely revitalize the Galvian people…assuming it could be controlled. And assuming it was actually real.
“You’re sure about this?” Tevek asked into the silence.
“I don’t know if there’s a way to be absolutely sure,” Jason said. “But some of us are more convinced than others. It does happen to fit the facts.”
“Surely you can sense the power emanating from the cube,” Selvhara whispered.
I can, Elade whispered into Tevek’s mind. Whatever it might be, it’s dangerous.
More than you know. Even spoken in thoughts, she could sense the gravity of his words. “I can, yes,” he replied aloud. “But nearly all Aether-infused relics radiate an aura of power. It could easily be something else.”
“There’s a whole history here I can tell you about later,” Jason said, “but right now I think we should focus on the main issue at hand: the Crell desperately want this thing, and we can’t allow them to have it.”
“Indeed,” Tevek whispered. “If they’ve attacked you before, do you believe they can track it?
“No,” the red-haired Asgardian woman put in. “Both times they found it they were relying on ground-level information. If they could track it, they would have already taken it from us.”
“But they probably know you’re in Lyebel,” Elade said. “They’ll be combing the city for you, and we already suspect you have a mole in your organization.”
“Which is precisely why we should be using it and not sitting around yapping about it,” Ria replied. “We can use its power to destroy them!”
“I’m afraid it’s not that simple,” Tevek murmured.
“Everyone keeps saying that, but
I don’t see why. If this thing has the ability to create an Ascendant, we have to take advantage of it. We can use its power to rebuild the Hands and then restore Galvia!”
Tevek sighed. Years ago, he told Elade all about the Hands of the Whitestone and their battles during and after the Ash War. Several of the people in this room, including Ria and Adar, had probably been Bound at one point. Their powers had been ripped away from them with the death of their king, and Elade couldn’t even imagine how traumatic that experience must have been.
“It’s not like turning a key and opening a door,” Tevek explained. “Merging your consciousness with a spark is a life-changing process. The subject’s mind is irreparably altered, and most don’t survive the process. Imagine giving a forty year-old blind man the ability to see for the first time—he wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with all the sensations assaulting his mind, even if you spent days explaining everything to him beforehand.”
“Some of us used to see just fine, and now we’ve been blind for over a decade,” Ria reminded him bitterly. “I’m sure we can handle it. You can’t just sit there and pretend we should ignore this kind of weapon, Tevek. We can’t beat the Crell without an Ascendant, and everyone knows it whether they want to admit it or not!”
The others fell silent, and the old man in the corner—Aidan, if Elade remembered correctly—reached out and held Ria’s hand. She started to struggle away but then stopped herself.
“Believe me, I understand how you feel,” Tevek said softly into the silence. “You can say the others don’t understand, but you know that I do. I’ve fought with all of you before—I’ve bled with all of you before. I am a friend to the Resistance, and more importantly I’m a friend to all of you.” He glanced back over to the cube. “This isn’t the magic arrow that will solve all of your problems overnight. In fact, it may very well make them worse.”
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