Bones of the Earth

by Jason A. Gilbert

  Laila did not speak immediately; she was trying to gather her thoughts. She could feel Casus's gaze still on her in addition to the probing eyes of Torin. Her grip tightened on her staff. This was what she’d wanted, a chance to confront Torin, but now that she was here, she was not sure what to do.

  "You know what has to happen now," Torin continued. "I have to exile your parents. Terus cannot stand united with malcontents such as them within its walls."

  That moved Laila to speak. "You can't do that. Father's a Consul. They would never let you." Her voice cracked as she spoke, and she grimaced in frustration.

  Torin smiled coldly. "Actually, I can. And I will. It was going to happen eventually. Your return merely hastens that eventuality."

  "The Consulate won't let you," Laila said, willing her voice to be stronger.

  "They will."

  That flat statement finally gave Laila the motivation she needed to speak her mind. "Why Torin? Why are you doing this?"

  "The Magi cannot be tolerated."

  "I'm not talking about me or Icarus. Why take the Consulari's seat? Why send Guardians against Ester? None of it makes sense. You're destroying a peace that has lasted for centuries..."

  "A peace?" Torin began. "You know so little of the world, child. The Confederacy is dying. We are fragile. Complacent. We cannot be weak! Not for what's coming!" His earlier desperation began to seep into his voice. Oddly, Casus reached a hand out and touched Torin's shoulder briefly. As he did, Torin seemed to calm visibly. Just as quickly, however, Casus removed his hand.

  "What is coming?" asked Laila.

  Torin stared at her. In her mind, Laila saw the vision from Grimmere again. Torin's face, looking out on the world, but being manipulated by two figures behind it. One wreathed in flames, the other, larger still, manipulating both. She still did not know what any of it meant, except that Torin was her enemy. That had been clear. She tried to match his gaze, staring determinedly back into his eyes. She could see the weariness in them, as though he had been struggling with sleep, and there was more, something deeper. Laila thought it was fear.

  But that did not make sense. Torin had maneuvered himself into the position of Consulari, and he was using the Guardians as his personal army. What did he have to be afraid of? Torin blinked and leaned back in his chair as the sense of fear and weariness passed out of his eyes; the moment had gone.

  "War is coming. Your friend, the old Magus, was right. I knew long before he showed up, of course, but he was right. There is war coming. And we are woefully unprepared for it."

  "From where, Torin? How do you know this?"

  Before Torin could respond, the door to his office opened. A young Consul came running in, and Laila turned at the movement. A girl crossed into the office, keeping her head low as she approached the Consulari's desk.

  "What is it?" snapped Casus angrily.

  "I—" she started, raising her head to face Casus and the Consulari. As she did, her eyes met Laila's. "Laila!"

  It was Selene. Laila pulled at the strength in her staff to steady herself in front of her old friend. "What are you doing here?" Selene whispered. "We'd heard you..." Her voice trailed off as she realized where she was.

  "Speak, Consul," Casus snapped.

  Selene's wide eyes held Laila's for a moment longer before turning back to Casus and Torin. "Apologies, Consulari. There is...someone here to see you. The Consulate has requested your presence."

  "The Consulate does not make demands of the Consulari!" Casus began to respond for Torin, but Torin raised his hand to stop him.

  "Why? Who is it?" asked Torin.

  "I..." Selene struggled to respond. "They claim to be an emissary... From the Aurai?"

  The last came out slowly, as Selene was clearly unfamiliar with the word. Torin and Casus's reaction was much more telling. Their eyes widened and a look of anger passed over Casus's face. Torin turned to look at his assistant, and something passed between them, but Laila could not determine what it was. Quickly, Torin turned back to Selene.

  "I am on my way. Do not let the...emissary...leave the Consulate floor. Call on the Guardians if you must."

  Selene bowed her head and quickly left with one lingering glance at Laila. Torin stood and made his way around the desk, walking deliberately toward Laila.

  "You asked where war is coming from? You may want to see this. Now is when Terus and the Confederacy come into their strength," he said, and then he brushed past her.

  Casus followed behind him, grabbing Laila by her arm and directing her to follow. They moved out of the Consulari’s apartments and through the halls to the Consulate floor. As they walked, Laila pulled at her staff, trying to calm herself. Events had progressed beyond anything she had expected; all she could do now was follow along until she could right herself and find a firm place to stand. As the confidence flowed into her from the staff, she felt Casus pull his hand away from her arm suddenly, as though he had sensed her use of the staff...and it had hurt him. She glanced at him, but he ignored her, pushing forward after Torin as though nothing had happened.

  Within a few minutes, they arrived at the Consulate floor. A large number of Consuls were gathered in groups around the benches, talking in hushed tones. They couldn’t prevent their eyes from following the figure that stood in the middle of the floor.

  Laila found her own eyes drawn to the visitor as well. The figure was tall, taller than anyone she had ever met. Tall and lean, almost gaunt. A flowing cloak hung from narrow shoulders, and the cloak moved and shifted as though it were blowing in a gentle wind, yet no wind blew in the hall. The figure's head was the most striking feature. The figure had no hair and the skin was pale, almost white. Long ears stretched toward the back of the figure's head, coming to a sharp point. A beak of a nose sat over thin lips. Pale blue eyes turned toward Torin as he made his way into the hall. One of the Aurai, the elementals of air. A legend, standing on the floor of the Consulate.

  Casus stopped with Laila before entering the floor itself, but Torin continued on to meet the tall figure. Laila could not determine whether the Aurai was male or female or if gender even had a place with their race. Torin walked toward the figure deliberately, stopping a few feet short, and looked up into the elemental’s pale eyes. Torin was not a short man, but the Aurai stood at least a foot above him.

  "Greetings, Aurai," Torin said, his own uncertainty broadcasted through in his voice.

  The figure tilted its head to one side for a moment, studying the Consulari. The Consuls who had gathered in the hall seemed to hold their breath, waiting.

  Finally the figure spoke. "Greetings, Consulari." The voice was soft and high, but it held a masculine timbre.

  Torin waited for a moment to see if the Aurai would continue. When he did not, Torin spoke up. "What brings you to our beautiful city, Aurai? We have not seen one of your race for centuries. Many of us believed the Aurai to be no more than a legend, told to children."

  The mocking tone of Torin's comment was not lost on the emissary. Was Torin deliberately trying to provoke the elemental?

  The Aurai inclined his head. "We have been...absent...from the world a long time. At least to the minds of humans." he looked around the hall, taking in the looks of the surrounding Consuls as though they confirmed his statement. "I have come as an emissary to discuss terms."

  "Terms of what?" asked Torin.

  "Terms of surrender." The calmness of the statement was contrasted by the sudden wave of surprise that washed through the watching Consuls.

  Torin held himself straighter, as though he had been expecting this. "Surrender? Are we at war?"

  "Not yet." The airy voice of the Aurai echoed across the Consulate floor. "But your mustering is known to us. We wish to avoid bloodshed." The words came out lacking in sincerity.

  Torin stepped back, feigning surprise. Was this the war that he and Icarus had spoken of? A war with the Aurai? Laila's mind reeled. That did not make any sense. Why would the Aurai come back to the wor
ld only to wage a war against it? As Laila tried to grasp what was happening, something else came to her attention. Casus was frothing with anger. She glanced at him and could see waves of anger emanating from him like heat.

  Torin turned his back on the Aurai, taking a few steps away from the emissary as though considering the statement. As he did, the Aurai spoke up again. "You cannot stand against us."

  The statement had been simple, but it carried through the hall with force. The surrounding Consuls seemed to stagger. Open war had not been brought against the Confederacy in generations. Torin turned away from the elemental, as though considering its words. He looked up at Laila and a frantic smile crossed his lips. This was what he had been waiting for.

  He spun on the elemental. "We will not surrender!" Turning to the gathered Consuls, he spoke with authority. "Do you see now? Do you see what I have been preparing us for?" He waved his arms menacingly at the Aurai. "We have done nothing, but here they are, asking for our surrender!" He turned back to the elemental. "We will not surrender! Not now! Never!”

  With deep conviction, he continued. "Return to your people. Tell them our decision. Tell them that Terus will never surrender. Not under threat of war! Not for anything!"

  The Aurai faced down Torin. His face showed no response to Torin's exuberance. He simply looked down at the Consulari, waiting. Without saying another word, the elemental turned and began to leave the floor. No one moved to stop the emissary. His long legs glided across the floor and toward one of the several sets of stairs leading off the floor.

  "No!" Casus shouted. Laila turned in surprise at the young Consul. His eyes were wide and anger could be seen in every muscle of his body. "Stop!"

  Torin spun and stared at Casus. "Casus, no," he said, almost pleading.

  "No!" Casus said again. "You cannot leave this place, Aurai! I forbid it!"

  As Casus's anger washed over him and through the hall, Laila felt something else. A physical heat began to emanate from the young Consul, as though his anger were oozing out of him like fire.

  The Aurai stopped and turned back to face Casus across the floor of the Consulate. Torin stared at Casus, fear in his eyes.

  "Don't do this. Not now, after everything we've accomplished." The strength had completely left Torin's voice, and his words hung uselessly in the air as the rest of the Consuls watched.

  "I cannot let this...creature leave!" Casus snapped. "I have waited too long!"

  The Aurai stared at Casus, but Laila could not read the elemental’s face. He seemed to stare at Casus unchangingly. The heat Laila had felt began to increase. Casus had clenched his fists at his side, tightly enough that his knuckles were turning white. The muscles of his face were strained, and his eyes burned as they stared across the floor at the Aurai.

  For a moment longer, the floor of the Consulate was silent. The Consuls stood motionless, unsure of what was happening, the Aurai continued to stare across the floor at Casus, and Torin's pleading eyes watched the young Consul.

  Finally the Aurai spoke, his airy voice still not hinting at any emotion. "Who are you to forbid my departure?"

  Laila felt Casus reach a crisis point. The Aurai's words hung in the air like a premonition.

  A blast of heat burst from Casus, knocking Laila off her feet. She landed heavily, her hands still bound. Her staff clattered to the floor beside her. Her eyes filled with tears, the heat obstructing her vision. She heard a cry of surprise from the gathered Consuls. She rubbed furiously at her eyes with her bound hands, trying to clear her vision.

  "No, no, no. We were so close..." she heard Torin say softly, a few feet from her.

  Finally she was able to rub her eyes clear, and she saw what had caused the cry from the Consuls. Casus stood burning! Flames danced along his body, worming their way around his arms and legs and up to his head, burning like a crown over his brow. His eyes were burning embers with no trace of humanity.

  "I am Nuriel! You will obey me, Aurai!" The voice that echoed from Casus only held a hint of the young Consul's former voice. Now it was powerful, and it burned through the air like the fire that covered his body. Laila turned away from the incredible sight, glancing at the Aurai’s response. A slight raise of the pale eyebrows and a widening of the elemental’s eyes was the only sign of emotion she could discern.

  In a flash of movement, the elemental bolted up the stairs. The Aurai was almost imperceptible, a blur to Laila's eyes. She did not know something could move that fast. But it was not fast enough. Casus raised his hand and a spout of fire ripped through the air, blasting the stairs in front of the Aurai and creating a wall of fire, stopping the elemental in his tracks.

  The Consuls scattered, trying to get free of the conflagration that Casus had become. Torin was on his knees, still staring at his assistant, muttering incomprehensibly. Laila could feel the heat singeing her robes. She pulled desperately at the bindings on her wrists, trying to free her arms, but she could not. Casus stepped forward, his burning feet leaving scorch marks on the floor of the Consulate. He moved past Torin, ignoring the Consulari, and faced the Aurai.

  The elemental had turned from the wall of fire and watched as Casus approached. Laila turned on her side and reached for her staff. As soon as her hands landed on it, she felt a surge of power pour through her, abolishing the pain from Casus's heat and helping her stand on her feet.

  "You are not a Mander." The Aurai's airy voice just barely carried over the sound of Casus's fire. "Where does your flame come from?"

  "Do you not know, Aurai? Do you not recognize my name?" Casus's voice burned.

  "Nuriel?" the Aurai paused, considering. "That's impossible." Still no inflection to his voice, even in the face of Casus's conflagration.

  "Is it? What about your master? Is he not the same as I? He will not stop me. I will see this world burned, cleansed! And I will start with you!"

  Casus's form was engulfed in his fire, blurring his profile in the blaze. The Aurai stood face-to-face with the inferno.

  "No. No. No. Why? We were so close..." Laila could hear Torin's voice over the flames, still pleading to the air. Laila's vision finally made sense. Casus was the figure behind Torin, the one manipulating him. Could it be true? An Aspect of Fire? There had always been legends and stories… Yet, here he was, burning the floor of the Consulate in front of her. Laila gripped her staff tightly, calling on her full power. This was the wrong she had felt on Mount Obrussa. The ill that was effecting the very earth itself. Strength flowed into her from the staff, the strength and power of the earth. She felt the slithering sensation as the earth coated her limbs, granting her its power.

  "Stop!" she shouted at Casus. Her voice carried through the inferno and resonated with the young Consul.

  The burning form turned toward her. Casus's face was no longer recognizable in the flames. All she could see was the burning embers of his eyes glaring at her across the floor. The Aurai looked at her, the subtle hints of surprise crossing the elemental's face.

  "You wish to be first, child? The first to be cleansed!"

  "No!" Laila shouted. "You have already caused enough harm."

  The eyes shook from side to side and laughter emanated from the flames. "I have not even begun, child! Who are you to stand against me?"

  Laila took a step down, onto the floor. With the strength of the earth in her arms, she easily pulled her wrists apart, snapping her bindings. The question rolled through her, and, finally in the full embrace of her power, Laila found she was no longer afraid of the answer.

  "I am the Magusari!" Her voice resonated with the power of the ground beneath her.

  Casus paused for a moment, the first sign of hesitation he had shown. "Magusari?"

  With a flick of an arm, flames erupted from Casus's inferno and burned through the air toward Laila. Instinctively she brought her staff in front of her, trying to deflect the jet of flame. It struck her staff, knocking her back a step, but quickly dissipated, burning out in the air around her.

&
nbsp; Casus's flames rose higher, and he stepped back onto the floor, facing her. Both arms reached toward her, and a wall of fire burned across the ground. Laila tightened her grip on her staff and called forth her power, trying to protect herself from the flames. They engulfed her, raged around her, but they did not touch her. She could feel the heat, but it did not burn her. The earth protected her.

  But, even as the stone protected her, she did not have a response to Casus's inferno. She did not have the knowledge or the skill. As her resolve faltered, she could feel the heat seep through, singing her robes and the hair on her head. The wound on her arm, the bite from the Mander, ached and began to burn. Pain broke through her strength, dropping her to her knees. Casus took a triumphant step toward her. The entire hall seemed to be burning, leaving only her and Casus behind.

  "Fool!" shouted Casus.

  Icarus had told her to trust her instincts, that her power stemmed from her anger and passion. She embraced it now. This was her home, and she would not see it destroyed, not by Torin, not by Casus, not by this creature of fire!

  "No!" she shouted over the flames.

  She brought her staff up and slammed the tip of it against the floor. The ground shook beneath her feet. Torin fell to one side, unable to keep himself upright. Even Casus faltered, and the wall of fire surrounding Laila sputtered and burned out.

  Laila gasped for air, and while the heat singed her lungs, the strength of her staff was renewed. She took a few steps toward Casus, her staff raised again. Casus stood for a moment, his fire sputtering slightly.

  "A Magusari has been born. So be it. You will not stop me, Magusari! I will see this world cleansed of its sins! And I will start with the Aurai!"

  The flames burned higher and brighter for an instant, obscuring any view of Casus's form. They stretched toward the Aurai. The lithe creature tried to move away, but the burning wall behind it cut off any retreat. The elemental let out an airy scream that ripped through the Consulate hall as Casus's flames engulfed it. Laila could do nothing to stop them.