by D N Meinster
Yveen’s single yellow eye scanned the men stationed around Wingless River. Though their caged masks concealed their faces, and their golden padding provided ample protection, their body language made clear their intimidation. They were all afraid of her.
Was it her appearance that frightened them? Not many Ladies wore an eyepatch or pants with matching boots. Most tended to show off their titles with elegant gowns embellished with the shine of fine metals or sparkling crystals. That was never Yveen’s style. The black shirt and red vest were much closer to her normal attire.
Perhaps they didn’t like that she was armed, but she never went anywhere without the mace hanging from her waist. And none of them dared to ask that she leave it behind on her many visits.
Surely, it couldn’t be her velizard that was so off-putting to them. The land was filled with them, and hers was no different than any of the other black-and-green scaled creatures. Its snout and tail length were about average. So it had to be the rider that got to them.
Lady Yveen was well known, respected by the Empress, and friend to Kytheran warriors. Had this reputation instilled the trepidation that was so palpable in these soldiers?
They averted their eyes as her gaze fell upon them. And they stepped back as she disembarked from her velizard.
No woman, not even one dressed as herself with a title, could cause that reaction in trained men. It was her reputation. And they probably spread stories about her after each of her visits, thus increasing the number of soldiers that were unsettled by her arrival.
Only General Kortermos lacked any consternation in seeing her. “Back again?” he asked as he strutted toward her. “Has it been three days already?”
Kortermos had black hair and an old face, both of which were mostly concealed by the caged mask he wore. His golden pads were streaked with red paint to denote his status.
“Any news?” Yveen inquired.
“Take a look around,” Kortermos said. “What do you think?”
Some soldiers set their crossbows on the ground as she analyzed the area. None wanted to be perceived as a threat to her.
The net across Wingless River had not been disturbed. The same number of men were all more or less in the exact spot she remembered them in during her last check-in.
“Nothing out of place,” Yveen stated. “Uneventful couple of days, I see.”
“Uneventful decks,” Kortermos responded.
Yveen flipped the hat off her head. “I can’t reckon if that’s good or bad.”
“Zen kuwaa,” Kortermos spoke. “I certainly don’t mind it.”
Possibilities flooded her mind as she again tried to contemplate the nature of the silence.
It’d been decks since Doren, Aros, and Rikki left the realm. They had two Keys in their possession upon their departure, with three remaining for them to claim. She fully assumed that they would notify Empress Simma or even Lady Yveen once they’d successfully completed their mission. Rikki’s reappearance in the imperial palace decks ago had only further instilled that impression.
However, Yveen was not sure where they’d show up to announce their victory. Would it be in the imperial palace? Or would they once again ride Wingless River’s current into Faunli?
Yveen had taken to checking Wingless River every third day, figuring it was faster to come out here than to have Kortermos march the news all the way to Radite. But there’d been no further sign of the trio since. So either they had yet to claim all the Keys and were being held up in one of the other kingdoms, or they’d failed. She would not consider that they’d merely forgotten to update them.
The lack of Thalian forces certainly inclined her into thinking that they had not yet failed. But it did not cause her to dismiss the notion entirely, as Neanthal may only announce his presence when he was ready.
“I can hear you thinking,” Kortermos stated. “Mind sharing?”
“That they haven’t reappeared yet greatly concerns me,” Yveen replied. “Either they’ve met their match in obtaining one of the Keys, or Neanthal is already free.”
“Only those options?” he asked.
“Most probable,” she said, slapping her hat into the side of her leg. “Had they collected all the Keys, we would know.”
“You could jump into the current and get an answer,” Kortermos prompted her.
“Are you trying to get rid of me permanently?” Yveen asked. Following the river into Oblivion was dangerous and potentially fatal.
“Those Kytherans seemed to get through without injury,” he replied.
“Magic,” Yveen stated, certain that was the likely reason for their survival.
“It’s foolish to doubt you, I know, but what if it wasn’t?”
“We could always send one of your runts through if you’d like to test it. Volunteers?” She looked around at the soldiers, who all stayed intentionally still. “Thought not.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you in three days,” Kortermos said.
Yveen’s eye followed the foaming waters as they crossed into Oblivion. She knew that the river continued into Kytheras, but she did not trust that it could easily let someone through to the other side. Too many had been lost to the black.
“Got a bottle?” she asked. Perhaps she could get a message to the trio, or even the King of Kytheras. Any update would be better than this silence.
“You might be in luck, my Lady.” Kortermos left her side and began to rummage through the bags of belongings they had around their camp.
Meanwhile, Yveen retrieved a quill and slip of parchment from within her hat. As she lacked ink, she poked the quill into her skin and began to write with her own blood.
To my Kytheran friends,
As the decks have gone on since your visit, I have grown curious as to the progress you have made with obtaining those keys. I would be most appreciative of any news you can provide and do swiftly offer my services if I can be of any assistance.
Lady Yveen
Yveen waved the parchment about to quicken the drying process, while Kortermos returned with a green-tinged bottle in hand.
“What’s the likelihood of an answer?” he asked as he watched the fluttering parchment.
“It’s improbable that they’re back in Kytheras, but we may get a response from the King.”
Satisfied that it was dry, Yveen rolled up the parchment and stuck it into the bottle Kortermos turned over. She plugged it up and readied to toss it in the river.
“Second thoughts?” Kortermos asked as she hesitated.
“What if we alert Neanthal we’re not on his side?” she stated.
“That’s what me and my men are here for,” he responded.
Yveen did not trust these soldiers to defend Faunli from Neanthal when they couldn’t even handle her appearance. But she refused to impugn them out loud.
“Let us hope you are right,” she said before tossing the bottle into Wingless River.
The bottle hit the top of the waters and bobbed about before its spun along with the current. It rushed toward Oblivion on its journey to the unseen lands. But as it neared the border, Wingless River began to slow down.
Kortermos ran from Yveen’s side, shouting to his men in Faun to retrieve their weapons and to prepare for visitors.
Yveen pulled her mace out, keeping her eye on the bottle as it drifted closer to Oblivion.
A mage had altered the current. It was the only explanation. The only question was whether it was Rikki that had done it or someone else.
And if it wasn’t Rikki, things were about to get very violent.
Her bottle had taken to floating in place, but from behind it, a white light appeared to emerge from Oblivion. Like it was moving on a current of its own, the light gushed upstream, consuming Wingless River in its blinding illumination.
She tried to keep an eye on her bottle, but the intensity became unbearable and she was forced to look away.
This was more than the precursor to a Kytheran visitation. Something else
was happening.
She peeked back toward the river, tracing the light’s path and observing that the entirety of the river appeared to have surrendered to it. After closing her eye for a minute, she shot a glance back to Oblivion.
But there was no Oblivion. The black wall had matched the river that coursed through it. There was now a dazzling white wall in its place.
“The Liberation!” Yveen shouted. It was coming undone. Ghumai was being reunited. But by who?
Would Neanthal want such an event to transpire? Would it provide for a better method to conquer the lands once more?
Or was it his enemies that desired this outcome? So that he might not conquer the lands in their isolation?
Whatever the reason might be, the cause was obvious. Neanthal had been freed. Aros, Doren, and Rikki had failed.
Yveen opened her eye once more but found the light much softer. She could keep it open and fight whatever was about to emerge. With her mace raised adjacent to her head, she readied for an immediate attack.
The white light continued to fade, allowing Wingless River to come into view behind it. But the vanishing light did not restore Oblivion. Instead, something else was fading into view. Something marvelous.
It was like Kytheras was shifting back into place next to Faunli. It was transparent at first, only growing more solid as the minutes passed. Wingless River became whole, the Faun border no longer cutting it in two. There were trees and crops growing all along its Kytheran side. And beyond that, the hint of city structures, and the tip of a black castle, all became visible.
Yveen beheld its magnificence, unable to look away for fear that it might disappear behind a black veil once again.
She thought it would have taken a lot of begging for her to ever see another kingdom. Rikki would have obliged her at some point, she was certain. But any persuasive pleading she had concocted had been rendered irrelevant.
Kytheras was right there, steps away. That meant Belliore, Terrastream, and even the Twilight Islands were now within their reach. Ghumai was whole.
When Yveen finally made to check on her bottle, she saw three Kytherans standing not too far down the river. So this was their plan.
Yveen called her velizard to her side and climbed aboard its back. For the first time in her life, she was going to leave Faunli.
Kortermos and the other soldiers watched in awe as she and her velizard trotted to the edge of Faunli. She smiled back at them before holding her breath and crossing over into another kingdom.
Chapter Twenty
Reaction
Even with his eyes closed, the intensity of the light was apparent. The insides of his eyelids were as white as the entire area. He couldn’t watch as Ghumai was put back together. He could only assume that that’s what was happening.
The Kytheras Doren had known for a lifetime would be gone the second he was able to open his eyes, not only as a result of the Keys, but because of the losses that continued to be perpetrated upon him and the kingdom.
He hadn’t yet the time to process or grieve for his father, and the longer he went without feeling much at all, the more he considered that he might never mourn for him. They’d never got on well. It was conflict-after-conflict with the King. He hardly had the same relationship with him that he’d had with his mother. Maybe he cared more about seeking reprisal for him than he did about actually losing him.
And if he couldn’t bring himself to get emotional after losing his father, he certainly cared even less about Hatswick’s demise. The traitor deserved a steeper punishment than he’d receive. It’d been his choice to let Neanthal influence him. He should face more than a brief imprisonment and a swift death.
Still, Kytheras had depended on the Tunsevs and Hatswick for so many years, so their departures would only compound the changes Kytherans would have to deal with following reunification. And they’d be worse off if Neanthal remained in charge.
Doren used to believe the only way anyone would remember Halstrom fondly was if his successor was cruel and more incompetent. It was his lifelong goal to make sure that ruler wouldn’t be himself. So it was ironic that Neanthal should follow his father, who would undoubtedly make the memories of Halstrom’s reign look all the better in hindsight.
A hand slid against the back of Doren’s fingers before interlocking with them. He knew right away that it was Rikki’s. Even though they’d only been together a short while, he was already vastly familiar with how her hand felt in his.
He wouldn’t have anyone left without Rikki. She was his only family. Even Linus was dead.
Well, he also had Aros. And though they were obviously friends, he wouldn’t have asked him to stay with him and Rikki forever, even if they’d return to live in Castle Tornis. Besides, he was certain Aros wouldn’t have accepted even if they offered. He wanted to get back to Terrastream and for good reason.
“Open your eyes,” Rikki whispered to him.
Cautiously, he obeyed her command. The white light had mostly faded, though it left spots in his vision. Nearby, on the border of Kytheras, an entirely new environment was taking the place of the desert. It was transparent at first, but it eventually solidified after settling into position.
Faunli. Doren recognized it immediately, mainly because they’d been there before.
“Uh, someone’s coming,” Aros alerted them, swinging the clawblades off his back.
This someone was on the back of a velizard, and as Doren reached for his shield, he paused, noticing the hat upon the rider’s head. He should’ve been more suspicious of the approaching Faun, especially since it had not been that long ago that she’d kidnapped him. But he dropped his arm to his side and told Aros to lower his weapons.
“The Lady Yveen!” Doren shouted, greeting her and announcing her arrival to his friends.
Lady Yveen stayed atop her velizard as it slunk closer. She looked down on them from her higher position, crossing her arms and tsk-tsking. “You three should’ve sought my help before it came to this. Tell me, how long has Neanthal been free?”
The trio shared glances amongst themselves before Rikki answered. “I’d bet you can figure that out.”
“But I’d prefer a more precise answer, or I wouldn’t have asked.”
“We don’t know,” Doren said. “A deck. Maybe two.”
“He only needed one Key to escape,” Rikki stated.
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Lady Yveen said, sliding off her velizard. “History misled us, or underestimated him.”
“I would say my great-grandmother is the one that underestimated him.”
Yveen took her time reviewing the trio’s appearance as she meandered between them. “I’ve seen those cloaks before, but not on you three.”
“We’ve been to Belliore, Terrastream, and the Twilight Islands,” Aros informed her. “A lot has happened.”
“Something that has put you in better spirits despite Neanthal’s return?” Yveen stood still as she analyzed his face. “Or someone?”
Aros sputtered but didn’t get out a reply.
Doren didn’t see how Aros’ romantic life would matter to her. Plus, Aros hadn’t been referring to that when he’d spoken. “Most of the Roamers are dead,” he clarified.
“And you need new allies,” Yveen stated, her eyes moving onto him. “Is that why you’ve reunited the kingdoms?”
“Together, we stand a chance,” Rikki asserted. “But only together.”
“It wasn’t enough when Aergo ruled.” Yveen reached toward Rikki and rubbed the cloak’s fabric between her fingers. “Enchanted, I take it?”
“You’re not getting one,” Doren told her.
Lady Yveen smirked at him. “I can already tell you’re going to fail. You ended the isolation but that was as far your plan went. What next? Call upon kingdoms that haven’t seen each other in three hundred years and ask that they fight together?”
“But that is the plan,” Aros replied.
“We’ve established a rapport with t
heir leaders,” Doren stated. “Mostly.”
“You’ve already lost Kytheras I take it,” Yveen said. “Empress Simma owes you, I’ll give you that. But what of the others?”
Doren thought back to how they’d left things in the other kingdoms. “Versil might feel obliged to help, but he’s not in charge anymore, is he? And I’m not sure the others are grateful for our help with the MR.”
“The Directorate should be willing to spare some peacekeepers for us,” Rikki said, her tone less than certain.
“And Lestrapel promised us weapons!” Aros loudly recalled.
Doren was impressed Aros remembered. “He did.”
“Hopefully they vote to give us them,” Rikki sighed.
“You all really thought this through before undoing the Liberation, didn’t you?” Lady Yveen sarcastically remarked.
Doren wasn’t going to admit to her that they’d acted rashly, though they obviously had. But what other choice could they have made? Neanthal had already been freed. They needed to react, not spend decks conspiring.
“What about the rest?” Yveen asked.
“Loraya and M’dalla will come to our aid,” Aros stated. “As will any Revolutionaries that have joined them.”
“Two people from Terrastream and hypothetical gifts from Belliore, was it?” Lady Yveen flipped the hat from her head. “Things are worse than I would’ve guessed.”
“Azzer’s still around,” Rikki said. “And there are some Twileans that are in our debt.”
“Wouldn’t they want to stop Neanthal anyway?” Aros asked.
Doren wasn’t going to comment on Aros’ naivety, but Lady Yveen wasn’t so polite.
“Ignorant child. Have you really traveled so much and learned nothing?”
Aros was clearly offended but had no rejoinder.
“We want it to be that easy,” Rikki said.
“It won’t be,” Yveen said. “If not for your friendship with Simma, Faunli might even side with Neanthal. Or did you forget that Neanthal’s Hamlet existed? That town received many visitors over the years. Fortunate that you meddled, isn’t it? I suspect most Fauns will follow their new empress.