The Fractured Sky

by Thomas M. Reid

  “No, my friend,” Micus said. “Do not apologize. The fault is mine. I should have expected some trickery from them.” Then he added, half to himself, “Even from Tauran.” The angel scuffed his foot in the dirt. “He has fallen so far in such a short time. I should never assume that any part of our doctrine is still sacred to him. I was the fool.”

  “What are you going to do now?”

  “That is not for me to decide. I must report my failure to the High Council.”

  “Your heart is heavy, Micus,” Garin said. “You have experienced setbacks before in your quest to bring goodness to the cosmos, and I’ve never seen you so grim. What is troubling you?”

  Micus sighed and weighed his next words carefully. “There is a part of me that regrets all of this, Garin,” he said. “There is a part of me that thinks Tauran might be right, and that he’s the only one who can see the truth of the matter.”

  “Truly?” the other angel asked, surprise clear in his voice. “You honestly believe that?”

  “It doesn’t change a thing,” Micus said. “I still have my duties. But yes, I suspect we’re all in for much more grief.”

  “And that’s why you’re sad?” Garin asked. “Because you dread what is to come?”

  “Partially,” Micus answered. “But also because, even if he’s proven right, Tauran is lost to us. He has betrayed everything we stand for. And I grieve for him when he realizes it.”

  “How are you certain Zasian came this way?” Kaanyr asked. The cambion trudged along behind Tauran, who was leading the group. Aliisza followed Kaanyr, and Kael brought up the rear.

  As they hiked, the alu surveyed the surrounding terrain. To her, it seemed like they followed the crest of a great ridge that stretched on indefinitely in each direction, swallowed up in the odd, silvery haze that surrounded them. To either side, the ridge became a gentle slope dropping away. The path they followed passed through largely open ground, spotted in places with the occasional copse of trees or scrub. No sky showed through, nor any sense of the direction of the sun. Everything seemed isolated, enclosed in the mist.

  “There are really only two ways they could have gone,” the angel said over his shoulder. “And this path leads to other places. If we had followed the other direction, we would eventually find ourselves on the tip of this great branch, at a dead end.”

  “How can you even be sure he walked?” the cambion retorted. “For all we know, Zasian magically transported himself in an instant. I’ve seen the kind of divine power he wields. I know his methods.”

  “For the same reason we can’t just fly to where we want to go,” Tauran replied. “It’s too easy to get lost in the Astral plane if you leave the branches. The World Tree has bizarre properties; geography doesn’t work on it the way you think it should. He didn’t whisk himself away magically.”

  “We never even determined who else was with Zasian when he passed from the House,” Kael said as he trudged along behind Aliisza. “Those other sets of bootprints continued right into the passageway we took to escape. I checked.”

  “You could see prints on the ground, in the dark, while running,” Aliisza said. It was more of an incredulous statement than a question.

  She could hear the half-drow chuckle softly behind her. “I inherited my father’s eyes, too, you know,” he said. “But the ground was very soft there, and it was easy to make out.”

  “So who is it?” Aliisza asked.

  “That is a question that will have to wait a while,” Tauran said. “Until we catch up to Zasian.”

  “The important thing to remember is that he has allies,” Kaanyr said. “Wherever Zasian is going, he could accumulate even more. We must be on watch.”

  “A fine point,” Tauran said. “And one that we should …” The angel’s voice trailed off and he slowed to a stop, a look of unease on his face.

  The rest of the group caught up to him and peered where he stared into the gloom ahead. Aliisza could not make out much, but the air was filled with a cloud of gray, something slightly darker than the surrounding silver.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” Tauran replied, still staring. “But I fear it does not bode well for us.”

  “We should not all approach it,” Kael said. “It could be dangerous, or even a trap laid for us.”

  “I’ll scout it out,” Kaanyr said.

  The offer caught Aliisza by surprise. She stole a look at her companion and noted that his expression seemed genuine. He was frowning as he stared at the smudge of blackness in the distance, but he sensed her stare and turned to look at her.

  “What?” he asked. “I can avoid being seen when I wish it. You know that.”

  “Yes, of course. But since when have you volunteered to do anything around here?”

  Kaanyr’s smirk was fleeting. “Since the three of you came back for me,” he said. At Aliisza’s widening eyes, he added, “I’ve come to figure that perhaps the best way to survive this escapade is to make sure it succeeds. Don’t go thinking I’m getting all soft and caring, fool girl. I just don’t want to spend the rest of my days trapped here.”

  Tauran studied the cambion for a moment. “Very well,” he said. “Sneak up a little way and see what you can find out. But at the first sign of something dangerous, you slip away again and return. No exceptions.”

  Kaanyr’s smirk returned. “Well, since you put it that way, I guess I have no choice, do I?” he said. “I’ll be back in a moment. Make yourselves comfortable.” With that, the cambion slipped away, quickly disappearing among the lush growth.

  Kael led the three of them down into a partially concealed hollow surrounded by scrub brush and trees. He sat and pulled a bundle free of one of his satchels. He unpacked some dried meat from it and popped a chunk into his mouth. He held the bundle out to Tauran, but the angel just shook his head. Kael next proffered some of the meat to Aliisza. She took a couple of thick strips and nodded in thanks.

  Tauran turned away and found an outcropping of rock. He plopped down on it and hunched over, placing his face in his hands. The weariness in his body made him wilt in the alu’s eyes. He sat there unmoving for several moments.

  “Rest, my friend,” Kael said, rising to his feet again. “You’ve pushed yourself hard and need the respite.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Tauran mumbled. “Everyone else is tired too.”

  “Tauran, I mean it,” Kael said. “The grief wears you down. I know. I’ve been there.”

  Aliisza started when she heard that. She looked up at her son’s face. What have you grieved for? she wondered. Me, perhaps? That thought strangely comforted her.

  “Please,” Kael said. “You’re no good to us exhausted. I’ll keep watch for a while.”

  Tauran sighed. “Very well, but only for a few moments. Wake me when Vhok returns.”

  With that, the angel slid down from his rocky seat and stretched himself on the ground, using the stone for a pillow.

  “I won’t be far,” Kael said to Aliisza softly. “I’ll stay in sight. You can rest too, if you want.” He turned and climbed out of the little depression and walked a few paces out from it, where he proceeded to begin circumnavigating in a casual stroll.

  Aliisza watched her son for a few moments, but his gaze seemed always outward, away from their hidden haven. He was an enigma to her, and one that piqued her curiosity in new ways every day. For what do you truly grieve? she pondered again.

  Aliisza turned her attention to Tauran. The angel lay still, and the alu wondered for a moment if he actually slept, but just when she decided that he must be dozing, he sighed and shifted around. In his new position, Aliisza had a better look at his face, and what she saw wounded her. Lines furrowed his expression, and his eyes seemed clouded and watery. He stared at nothing, sadness radiating from him.

  Aliisza got up and moved close to the deva. She knelt down next to him and took hold of his face. He raised it up to look at her, and she leaned forward to kiss him
on the forehead.

  “Aliisza, I can’t—”

  The alu placed her finger upon her lips. “Shh,” she said softly. She guided his head toward her and urged him to place it upon her lap. “Just rest,” she whispered. “Close your eyes.”

  She began to stroke the angel’s head, then, twining her fingers in his golden locks. Occasionally she would run her hand down the back of his neck, squeezing gently in a reassuring way.

  At first, Tauran lay rigid, his body stiff and his muscles corded. He couldn’t seem to get comfortable. After a time, and with Aliisza’s gentle caresses, he began to relax. He let out a series of small sighs, and his body seemed to melt into hers and into the ground. In another few moments, his breathing had become the slow and even exhalations of one asleep.

  I can’t begin to imagine what you’ve sacrificed for this, Aliisza thought. Or even why you would do it. Nothing can be worth that, can it?

  Thoughts of the lessons he had tried to teach her, when she had been his prisoner, crossed Aliisza’s mind. The only way to truly know love is to give in to it, she recalled. You have to be willing to expose yourself, make yourself vulnerable, to reap the rewards.

  Whom do you love so much? Tyr? Is a god worth loving like that?

  A pang of jealousy hit Aliisza. She wasn’t sure why she would be jealous of Tauran’s love for Tyr, but slowly, as she dug deeper into the emotion, she realized that she wanted the angel’s love for herself.

  Why not me? she thought. Am I any less deserving of that kind of devotion and dedication? At least I’m not some lofty, mysterious, obscure being no one understands, she sniffed.

  And I would love you back, she silently told the angel. I would give you everything you ever wanted. Let’s just leave this place, find a home somewhere, and love each other.

  “What are you doing?” Kaanyr asked, quietly entering the hollow. Kael stood right behind him, peering over the cambion’s shoulder.

  Aliisza started at Vhok’s sudden appearance. “Nothing,” she said as Tauran stirred and sat up. The angel looked first at Aliisza, then he followed her gaze to Kaanyr.

  The cambion’s stare was emotionless, and at the same time, his eyes glittered dangerously. He looked at Aliisza for a long time.

  The alu swallowed, wondering why she felt guilty. What have I done?

  Kaanyr turned his attention to Tauran. “It’s smoke,” he said, his voice a bit colder than usual. “There’s some sort of village up there, and it’s been burning. I see no signs of life.”

  “Oh, no,” Tauran muttered, rising to his feet. “We must go there, see if anyone survives.”

  Kaanyr shrugged, then turned to look at Aliisza once more.

  The alu shuddered beneath his pointed stare. At the same time, she felt herself growing cross with Tauran. He seemed oblivious to Kaanyr’s displeasure. Why? Why does that bother me?

  Because he wasn’t thinking of you enough even to feel guilty, she realized. Damned angel. Damn both of you! she fumed.

  The cambion turned and walked past Kael back out of the hollow.

  The half-drow shifted his stare back and forth between the angel and the alu. His expression was grim, and he shook his head in disapproval. Aliisza climbed to her feet as Tauran pushed past Kael, his focus turned entirely on whatever was burning.

  The alu returned her son’s stare for a moment. “What?” she said. “You, too? What is your problem?”

  “Leave him be,” Kael said. “He doesn’t need your wicked, twisted games playing with his head right now. He has enough to deal with.”

  Aliisza barely restrained herself from slapping his face. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said. “Stay out of it.” I’m your mother, she silently added. How dare you speak to me that way. But the words rang false, even in her own mind.

  “I won’t,” Kael said. “I watch his back for him, and I’m not going to let you hurt him.” With that, the half-drow turned away and left the hollow.

  Aliisza bit back the insult she wanted to hurl after him and instead took a deep, calming breath. Then she understood something, and she almost laughed. That’s not it at all, my son, she thought. What you really mean is, you won’t let me hurt you. I’ve become a threat. You don’t want to share. The thought almost made her laugh again, but there was a deeper emotion, too. Hurt. You can’t see room in your life for two parents.

  That realization made her clench her teeth till they hurt. She climbed up and out through the scrub into the open.

  Tauran was already at the head of the group, walking briskly in the direction of the black smudge, which had dissipated somewhat since they had first spotted it. Kaanyr was right behind him, and Kael’s rapid strides were catching him up to the other two.

  All three of them, leaving me behind, Aliisza thought wryly, trying to make herself feel better. Isn’t that always the way with men?

  The alu hurried after them.

  Tauran led them to the outskirts of a tree-house village. He didn’t hesitate to enter it, walking along the ground beneath the dwellings high overhead. Much of the place was in ruins, and Aliisza noted that many of the means to get up into the bowers of the trees had been destroyed or removed. The singed remains of rope ladders and bridges hung uselessly down from the structures, out of reach of those on the ground.

  “Damn him,” Tauran murmured, gazing around helplessly. “He didn’t have to do this.”

  “Where is everyone?” Aliisza wondered. “There aren’t even any bodies.”

  “Oh, by Torm,” Kael muttered softly. He reached for his sword.

  The other three followed his stare upward into the trees.

  There, scrambling down the thick trunks like strange, smoky spiders, were shadowy beings. They looked human in shape, though they crawled on hands and feet. They had no real faces, only red, glowing eyes. Aliisza could hear a strange sound emanating from them, a kind of hissing.

  When they dropped to the ground, they charged the four visitors and those hisses became unnatural howls of misery, rage, and death.

  Kael took a single step back and rotated away from the nearest of the shadowy assailants. Its red eyes glared, but Kael could tell the creature had once been a dryad, a fey being native to the World Tree. Whatever magic had been used to slay her had transformed her into a force of dark and evil hatred, bent only on his destruction.

  The half-drow’s maneuver brought him just far enough back to evade her lunging attack, and as she leaped through the point in space where he had stood a moment before, Kael completed the pivot, bringing his sword up and around to slash at her from behind. The blade glided easily through her shadowy, insubstantial form, its divine enchantment crackling against her malevolence.

  The shrieking wail of the shadow-dryad rose in pitch, changing from a scream of fury to one of agony. She arched her back as she tumbled through the apex of her leap, landed awkwardly, and went sprawling. She stumbled as she tried to right herself.

  Kael was still angry, but he didn’t want to be. Seeing his mother within that glade, entwined around Tauran, had infuriated him, but he shouldn’t have allowed it to creep into his thoughts and disrupt his concentration. Yet that’s just what was happening. He could not get the image out of his head. He felt … something. Something he could not name.

  Two more of the disfigured dryads rushed at him. They began their charge shoulder to shoulder, but as they drew closer, the twin phantoms diverged so as to come at him from either side. Kael adopted a defensive stance, blade out and to his left side. As the left-hand creature leaped at him, he shifted forward, dragging the blade up and under his foe. The sword raked her from knee to shoulder without any resistance at all as she passed him. He fought to control the momentum of the heavy blade, unused to dealing with incorporeal opponents.

  As he fought to regain his balance, the other shadow-dryad struck his shoulder and raked her claws against his armor. Though the holy protection of his plate mail repelled most of the blow, he felt a numbing cold pour
into his flesh. Kael grunted and swung his blade the rest of the way around as he shrugged her off. The sword came down hard upon her back, passing completely through her torso as she tumbled in a heap.

  Learning from the fight as he went, Kael let the momentum of his strike carry the blade down hard to the ground. He used it as a brace to spin himself back the other way, then hefted the weapon into a defensive position and surveyed his foes.

  The two abominations that had just assailed him writhed upon the ground, shrieking in pain. The first creature that had rushed at him circled, wary of the magic of his blade. He shifted to keep her in front of him and checked on his companions.

  Aliisza and Vhok had taken positions back to back, each with a weapon in hand. The cambion wielded a pair of enchanted daggers the alu had given him after the loss of his own blade. Three shadowy dryads circled them. On the far side, Tauran stood before two more of the transformed fey, his shining mace gripped in both hands. One lunged at him and he batted it away with a well-placed blow to the head.

  A dozen more bounded down from the trees above, rushing to join the battle.

  “Let us just fly away and be done with this!” Vhok snarled as he sliced at one of the creatures opposing him. “This isn’t getting us any closer to Zasian!”

  “We cannot leave these poor, cursed creatures as they are,” Tauran replied, panting as he swung his mace back and forth in large arcs. “They must be put out of their misery.”

  Vhok snorted and slashed with both his daggers at the nearest of the shadowy beings. He struck her squarely in the chest and head. Her wail of rage split the air as she fell back, clawing at the wounds. “Get your priorities straight, fool angel,” he grumbled as he turned to slash at another of the things attacking him. “We’re no good to you butchered by these wretches.”