by D N Meinster
Doren and Rikki ran to his side as Halstrom looked on. "It's fine," the King stated. "We'll have Eruc examine him. He's been through a lot."
"It's still up there," the voice whispered.
"It's still up there," Aros mumbled with his head down.
Rikki extended her staff toward the empty space where the portrait had previously hung. "Reveal!" she shouted, and the channeling crystals on her staff and around her neck illuminated the Entrance Hall greater than even direct sunlight could.
The blinding light lasted for only a second before it deserted them, leaving the group trapped in an inescapable darkness.
"What is going on?" one of the councilors demanded.
"Shut up!" Doren responded.
A twinkling light appeared, supplying a flitter of visibility with every flash. The light grew steadier by each moment, until it started to take form. A glowing image of a key was left hanging above them.
The torches lit up again, and the moonlight entered through the windows once more. They could all witness the Key hovering over them. It was a large skeleton key, reminiscent of Hatswick's creations, but it was more stunning to look at. It sparkled as much as the light that had formed it and lacked the marring present on Hatswick's design.
The Key drifted down from its location near the wall, not to the King or to Rikki, but straight to Aros.
Aros stared at it as it hung in front of him, unsure what to do.
"No one has seen this key in three hundred years," Halstrom said, overwhelmed by its materialization.
"Should I destroy it?" Rikki asked, glaring suspiciously at it.
"No," Aros answered, echoing what the voice told him. "The Keys are connected to the Door. Destroying the Key would only weaken the barrier that confines the Beast."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Doren asked.
Aros didn't have a response, but Halstrom did. "All we can do is keep it safe and keep it out of Hatswick's hands."
Aros touched the tip of his fingers on the Key but was reluctant to take possession of it. How was he supposed to keep it safe from a man that could toss him around so easily? From a man that could kill Leidess?
His hand spontaneously closed around the Key.
"It won't be enough," Halstrom said. "You will need to protect every key."
Aros looked up at the King. "How?"
"I will need to make arrangements," he said before hastily retreating from the Entrance Hall.
Rikki returned Aergo's portrait to its place on the wall before walking over to Doren and Aros. "Any idea what that means?"
Doren shook his head.
"Right." She grabbed Aros' arm while Doren grabbed the other. "Let's go see Leidess."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Fissure
1 B.N.
Chief Equestray took in the magnificence of the Enduring Mountains. He was rarely within their sights, having to remain at Terrastream's border to organize Pegasus Races. But only seeing them every few years made their presence special. So many Streamers in the area took the mountain view for granted, yet for him, they were still breathtaking. Countless peaks that stretched higher than the tallest trees, some even reaching the clouds. Stone formations that were older than any living thing in Ghumai and would outlast all of them as well. And they stretched to the very end of the world.
The haze around these mountains let up as he neared his destination at their base. The grass, so plentiful in Terrastream, transformed to gray dirt mixed with rocks. His bare feet tread carefully on this new landscape, hoping to avoid unwanted cuts. This was not Equestray's favorite location. He probably would not have even been here if it wasn't for the King. But he was on a mission, and his sense of duty overwhelmed his hesitancy.
Aergo had treated him well, often attending the Races he organized. He owed it to him, and he owed it to the kingdom he was so grateful to be a part of. It must have been a challenge to feel part of anything out here, where there were more rocks than people. This situation seemed more of an inevitability than a bombshell.
The ShadeMesa tribe tended to congregate along the base of the Enduring Mountains, but never ventured into the gorge. Only the BedCairns dwelled among the cliffs, and they tended not to mingle with the other tribes, preferring solitude in their caves. Despite his occasional trips to the ShadeMesa camp, he never once met a BedCairn. He wondered if they had started growing rocks in their hair, as opposed to the plant life that grew atop most Streamers.
Equestray was met with suspicious stares as he entered the ShadeMesa campsite. They had paused playing their bartered drums and tossing around imported balls so as to watch the man who was unnervingly close to the other kingdoms. He understood why they didn't like him. Streamers did not treat animals as beneath them. They walked among horses, they didn't use them for rides or amusement. To all these angry eyes, he was an animal abuser who betrayed his kind for the pleasure of outsiders.
There was no way this dreary caste could understand why he did what he did. He doubted they even encountered wild horses in these parts. Every time he came here, he felt enormous relief that this was no longer his home.
Chief Wainmatter was sitting on his knees, in solitude from the rest of his tribe. He was shirtless but had wrapped his green and gray hair around his torso several times, which gave off the appearance of clothing. His grandfather had not cut his hair for many decades.
"Chief," Equestray greeted him, getting on his knees.
"Chief," Wainmatter replied, his eyes closed. His skin was a shade lighter than his grandson's, but it was twice as filthy. The wrinkles were more like cracks in his skin, filled in by the ubiquitous gray dirt. "My grandson." His eyes shot open, revealing violet iris' that matched his progeny.
"Grandfather," Equestray responded. He dropped a brown satchel in front of his only living relative. "You know why I have come."
"You rotten bastard," Wainmatter barked, eyeing the satchel. "Do you think you can buy me off?"
Equestray sighed, having expected this. "It is a gift from the King."
Wainmatter spat on it, not even looking inside. "You are a disgrace to our family, to our people."
"And yet you are the one isolating yourself from all of Terrastream," Equestray stated.
"I am trying to correct a mistake. We all made it, yes. But it is not too late to go back. After I've done it, the rest will follow."
"They won't," Equestray said. "The other chiefs stand with me. You are the one in error now."
"It would be the first time any tribe stood with the SteedWhips," Wainmatter replied. "None of them like what you do with horses."
"The horses are not abused in any way!" Equestray cried. "Don't even try to berate me. You are the one in the wrong this time. I can see it. Even the PlainsWeavers see it."
"Congratulations on being with the dunces on this matter," Wainmatter shot back.
"Is that what you think of the Great Unifier?"
Wainmatter spat off to the side, nevertheless sprinkling Equestray with a mist of his saliva. "Aergo is no longer welcome here. And neither is his loyal ass."
Equestray started to rise. "How dare you disrespect such a magnificent ruler. No chief has had any problem with him. Not even you. And yet you try to leave our kingdom."
"It is your kingdom," Wainmatter grumbled. "It is your ruler. Have you taken to calling the land Kytheras as well? Despicable. We are the keepers of the land. The land of Ghumai." The old chief scooped up the bag and emptied its contents onto the ground. "Colorful rocks. These are an insult."
Equestray returned to his knees and grabbed a few of the smooth stones in his hand. "These are valuable gems."
"Worthless," Wainmatter barked. "Aergo can assign them any arbitrary value he wants, but they are mere pieces of earth. We have plenty of that here." He snatched a handful of gray rocks from the dirt and massaged them in his palm.
Equestray sighed. "The King wants you to stay."
Wainmatter brushed the gray dirt on top of the gem
s. "My mind is made up. Not even a real gift could change that. The ShadeMesas will no longer be part of his kingdom."
"You invite war," Equestray warned. "Aergo will not tolerate this. Neither will any tribe or clan."
A high-pitched laugh escaped Wainmatter that caused his grandson to grimace. "War? It is not the Streamers that start wars. The Ghumaic Entanglement. The Manifest War. The War of the First. The Massacre. Are these not familiar to you?"
"You've conveniently excluded the Conflict of Stars and the Clan Assaults," Equestray replied. "The ones that disprove your point."
"It's still four to two," he said, raising his fingers accordingly. "They attack us twice as often and kill twice as many of us. Aergo's peace won't last. I'm the only one that can see that. I'd rather prepare for the future now than wait for it."
"You'd bring about that future with your actions," Equestray retorted.
"I would rather this be on my timetable than one unforeseen." Wainmatter's lips curled. "How many years does Aergo have left? Do you think his son will be as just and as wise? Would you follow him if he wasn't?"
"Of course not," Wainmatter answered his own question. "And neither will anyone else."
"Shine is a good man," Equestray insisted. "I've met him, unlike you. I am certain he will keep our kingdom together."
"It takes more than good men to prevent war," Wainmatter said. "You keep that in mind if you ever consider hosting a race after Aergo's death."
"Many Kytherans believe Aergo will never die," Equestray passed along.
"Naive fools. They certainly live up to the old saying."
"Here it comes," Equestray said to himself.
"Fauns worship family. Streamers worship nature. Twileans worship the sun. Bellish worship science. And Kytherans worship themselves."
"You know that's inaccurate because of what it says about Streamers," Equestray said. Streamers not only hated being lumped into one group, since there were many independent and distinguished tribes, but hardly worshipped nature. They only refused to defile the land and harm fellow creatures. But the other kingdoms could not conceive how they could live under trees and inside caves without building their own shelters. They ogled those that wore dead animal skin instead of finely woven garments. And they questioned how anyone could live off vegetation alone. These aberrations could only be comprehended as "worship."
"There's a drop of truth in even the most absurd of falsehoods," Wainmatter said.
"Finally, some wisdom," Equestray responded. It was nice to hear his grandfather speak like a tribal elder as opposed to a deranged old-timer. "I know you will be able to see reason before I leave."
"I've come to my decision through such reason," Wainmatter stated. "If that is the sole cause for your visit, you can depart immediately."
One-by-one, Equestray flung the gems in his hand to join the rest he had delivered. He could not leave here without settling this matter. He would not fail his king. If his grandfather could not be swayed by wealth or family, then perhaps there was another approach he could take. "Remember the old fable about the sun? The one you used to recite to me when I was a boy?"
His grandfather was evidently caught between suspicion and nostalgia. "I recall such a tale."
"It was more than entertainment, wasn't it? There was a moral to it."
"Every decent story has a moral," Wainmatter grumbled.
"One that, I can only surmise, you've forgotten," Equestray stated. "The Sun and our land were once inseparable; their love for one another eternal. But the Sun was growing hotter each day, and the land began to wilt because of the heat. The land said the price of their continued companionship was worth it. The Sun disagreed."
"And the Sun ran far from Ghumai because he loved her so much and knew that if they were too close he would burn her," Wainmatter abruptly ended the story.
"Do you see my point?"
Wainmatter attempted a puny retort. "This isn't about love."
"And yet you are running away, from years of tranquility, from the best era Ghumai has ever known, because you are afraid of what may come."
Wainmatter's silence meant that he had either finally stumped his grandfather, or he was building an intelligent rebuttal. There was no doubting his stubbornness, but maybe the old story had gotten through. As the Chief started to rise, Equestray followed.
Wainmatter pushed himself off his knees with his emaciated arms. He straightened his legs but was still hunched over, so that he was staring only at his grandson's chest.
Equestray was caught off guard when his grandfather put his arms around him. "I am glad to know that for all those years, you were listening."
Though he had more to add, their dialogue was interrupted. A brief tremor shook the earth and nearly knocked both of them to the ground. Equestray caught his grandfather before he toppled over.
"What was that?" Equestray asked.
"Quake," Wainmatter answered. "Haven't had one in a long time."
"Where did it come from?"
Before he could get an answer, the ground began to shake once more, and it didn't stop so quickly this time. Dust and bits of rock started falling from the mountainside. Shouts were coming from the encampment as the shaking became more violent.
Equestray and Wainmatter were flailing about, trying to stay on their feet.
"To my people," Wainmatter ordered.
The size of the rocks falling from the mountains grew even larger as the shaking continued. When the two of them came in sight of the rest of the ShadeMesas, they were running from the Enduring Mountains. Boulders were dropping off the sides, and screams were cut short by the descending rocks.
Equestray turned from the dying, guiding Wainmatter further from the mountain. Neither of them wanted to see the death brought on by crumbling stone.
A horrible rumble cut through the air, louder than thunder and overwhelming the pleas for help. It echoed around them and sent shivers down Equestray's spine. He reluctantly looked back, only to see the mountain behind them split in two. The crack ran down the ridge, creating a fissure in the still trembling earth.
Equestray stopped running. There was no reason to go further, because the expanding crack was gaining on them, and would be beneath their feet in less than a minute.
"Out of its path," Wainmatter commanded, and he dragged his grandson off to the side of the incoming rift.
The emerging gap caught up with the retreating ShadeMesas and swallowed several of them as it expanded.
It became impossible to stand as the shaking worsened and the earth broke apart. Equestray and Wainmatter hugged the ground, hoping for the quake to end.
As the fissure neared their bare feet, the tremors ceased. An eerie quiet followed, as they all held their breath in anticipation of another seism, but none came.
Equestray cautiously returned to his feet and examined the damage. Dust still hung in the air from the fallen rocks, decreasing visibility. Yet from what he could make out, the crack in the earth had spread from the Enduring Mountains, far into Terrastream.
"Do you think it's over?" he asked his grandfather, still laid out on the ground.
Equestray was too distracted to hear a response, as an enormous pillar of smoke emerged from the crevice. It was blacker than a starless night and might have given the impression of solidity if not for its wispy fringes. At its peak were five spires, lined up next to each other like fingers. It was an odd configuration for smoke, and Equestray noticed its similarity to an animal's claw.
Another pillar sprang out from below, identical to the first, with the same claw-like apex. This was not a coincidence. The columns of smoke were arms, and those were actual claws at their end.
"Grandfather," Equestray meekly begged.
The pillars bent downward, and the claws fell to the earth. The creature below sprang out from the crack, it's head emerging into sunlight.
Despite its massive size, this beast was not unlike a velizard. Its snout was long and fierce, though its
neck more elongated than its worldly counterpart. Its body was less bulky, and free of scales, but was made up entirely of thick black smoke. As it raised itself up from the pit, it's hind legs were revealed, as was a tail that stretched back to the Enduring Mountains.
The beast took in its surroundings while the few survivors of its emergence gaped at the monstrous terror. Its eyes were like two flames burning on each side of its head, and Equestray nearly fainted when they focused on him.
Equestray started shaking as though another quake had begun. The creature lowered its head towards him, revealing rows of black teeth previously concealed by his snout. But it was not the incoming lacerations that so unnerved the Chief. It was the fact that this beast appeared to be grinning.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Greater Heights
"I know it's true, but I still have trouble accepting it," Rikki said. "I was Hatswick's only student for years. We weren't exactly close, but he never tried pushing me toward Thalianism. Wouldn't that have been the time to indoctrinate me? And I don't think he ever did that to Milo either, and he loved that boy. So what am I missing?"
Mirabelle gave a slight whine in response. Her wings were tucked up against the sides of her body, but every now and then she would spread them out, like she was checking to make sure she still had them.
"I know, he might've gotten caught if he even tried." She stroked the top of Mirabelle's head. "I just don't want to believe it. I want this all to have been a dream. I'd like that ending much more."
Rikki flipped on top of Mirabelle, her brown pants and beige top clinging to her so tightly they threatened to choke her. She didn't feel much like wearing a dress today. She had spent enough time in a blood-soaked one.
She brought her lips close to Mirabelle's ear. "Let's ride," she said softly.
Mirabelle's wings flew open, and she galloped a few steps before launching into the air.
There was nowhere in particular they needed to go, but it was great being free to go anywhere.
The castle shrank as they reached greater heights, though even from above, the black stone stood out from the less robust structures that defined Kytheras. The tops of the other districts were indistinguishable from each other; only the Outer’s dilapidated appearance broke up the monotony. But there was no missing Castle Tornis and the multiple blocks that it occupied.