Lex
Twenty-One
He could hear them talking over his shoulder. Em had clearly forgotten how well his race could hear, but Henri should know, considering he basically raised Lex.
Except he didn't, did he? No one raised him because he wasn't real. That's why he saw himself - his human self - at the docks before they set sail. He thought it was a mirage, some trick of water and sunlight, but it was him. Standing there, staring, and putting a finger to his own lips to silence Lex.
The dalliance with Em took his mind off the stranger at the dock for a few hours, but now he was back. The bastard had slipped a letter through the porthole with the anchor rope, a letter explaining who Lex really was, no doubt. To learn that there was a message, back before anything happened - back before he fell deeper in love with her - she knew who he was all along.
He gripped the wheel and fought another tug toward the dangerous swirling vortex that threatened to swallow them. How had Henri kept them afloat overnight if the water was like this?
Easy. This isn't real. This world isn't real. The water was probably as smooth as glass overnight because it had to be - the rough seas are for Em's benefit, not Henri's and clearly not his. He was a part of the scenery, no more real or alive than the planks of wood under his feet.
And she knew! The thought kept coming back, with an image of her face smiling up at him, her skin reflecting the candlelight, and the tattoo on her neck that blazed in sync with his own.
That blasted tattoo. Had it changed Em somehow? Lex let loose of the wheel for a moment as the sea beneath them quieted and held out his arms. He had long since discarded his tunic, and his tattoos were visible up his biceps to his collarbone. Was this really the only difference between him and the man on the dock? Were they keeping him from moving through the rift between Arcstone and Em’s world? Why didn’t he remember getting the ink?
Alexander, or Alex, as Em referred to him - he had a name. If Lex could trust his own memories, it had been his name at one point. When he was human - before the exile, before Le Creáteur, before Em. It was all too much. He recognized the man on the dock because that man was him. But how? The why he already knew - of course he had come for Em, but when the man learned that Lex was with her, he fled.
That could be very useful. If Lex wanted to keep Em here, clearly, Alexander wasn't going to get in the way. Perhaps he ran because he was afraid? Good. Lex noticed his tattoos flaring crimson at the mere thought. Good. Be afraid, little human. I will not let you take my Em from me. Never. Lex smiled as he thought of Em's tattoo, turning that beautiful shade of purple. The mark that would keep her here in Arcstone, Henri had said as much. And that meant she couldn’t leave him for Alexander.
Once again, the ship lurched toward the maelstrom, and Lex wondered what it would be like if he just let the water take the boat. It frightened him a bit to think that way - to think of taking Em down into the depths with him rather than risk her leaving him for Alexander. And what of poor Henri? No, that was not a good rabbit hole to go down - and it wasn’t like Lex at all. Finally able to take his hands back off the wheel, Lex rubbed his hands over his face and then back over the top of his head to his braid. He’d pulled his hair back as soon as the wind kicked up, and it was like a whip attached to his back when the wind was at its worst.
He looked back at them quickly and saw Em tuck something into her tunic before going below deck. That letter - the second one that she had received, presumably both from Alexander - that letter would ruin his relationship with her if she was allowed to keep it. He would take care of that later. Henri was approaching him, and Lex beamed a smile at his former mentor.
“Are the waters any less rough, mon fils?” Henri clapped Lex on the bicep and rubbed his arm. “Let me know if you need to take a break.”
“Henri, you can’t hold the boat steady like I can.” Lex immediately regretted the comment, but the older man nodded sadly.
“D’accord, Lex. I hope that the boat was not too rocky for you and Em last night.” The twinkle in Henri’s eyes told Lex that Em’s father knew exactly what they were up to the night before and that he approved. That would help if the time came that Em had to make a choice - more like when, now that he had spotted Alexander near the boat. “Are you all right? All of this is hard on all of us, but probably harder on you, I would think.”
“And why would you think that, Henri?”
“Lex. I know that you could hear every word that Madelyne and I said to each other just now. She may not understand all of your powers and abilities, but I do. I want you to know, mon fils, that I do not believe that you would ever hurt her or me. You don’t have it in you.”
“You have never seen me in a fight, Henri, or you would feel differently.”
“She has, Lex. She has run with you for a while now, hasn’t she? And she is not afraid of you, is she?”
Lex smiled despite himself. “She is not afraid of anything, really.” Henri chuckled as he nodded. “But you are right; she has had two letters to warn her away from me, and all she has done is get - closer.” Henri laughed out loud at that and clapped Lex on the shoulder.
“I could not wish for a better mate for my daughter, Lex. I mean that.” He leaned over the bow and had a long look into the swirling sea. “And what of this? The map will run out soon - are we sure there is anything past this?”
“The last time I was here was before I met Em...I think? " He frowned. “I don’t remember that as well as I feel that I should, but I know I have navigated through this storm before.” He paused - should he tell Henri about seeing Alexander on the docks? Perhaps Henri knew him? “I do have a question for you, mon pere,” Lex began, but Henri was leaning over the bow again and didn’t hear him. Lex shook his head. Henri was too curious for his own good, but perhaps this once, it was good that he hadn’t heard what Lex was about to tell him. “Henri! Don’t lean over so far or you will fall -”
And with that, the old man slipped over the edge with a heart-stopping scream, disappearing into the center of the whirlpool.
Twenty-Two
“HENRI!” Lex leaned out as far over the edge of the boat as he dared, but there was no sight of the older man. He heard Em’s footsteps coming up fast behind him and braced for what he was going to have to tell her. He stood back up and faced her - and her expression told him that she had seen her father slip from the boat.
“Where is he?” Her tattoo was flashing between crimson and white - the color of fear and submission, a color that Lex’s tattoos had not shown in many years. She was like a warning beacon, running back and forth from one side of the bow to another and looking over the edge. “WHERE IS MY FATHER?”
Lex lunged for her to keep her from following him into the churning waves. “I don’t know, Em, he just slipped away, but we won’t leave until we find him.”
“The maelstrom will take him!” She struggled as Lex held her up in the air to keep her from slipping out of his grasp. “Let go of me! We have to go in -” Lex wrestled her around until he had a chance to clamp one of his hands over her mouth to stop her from talking, even though he knew he was risking a bite.
“We are not going into the water, Em. Henri would be furious if I let his daughter jump in willy-nilly after him!” In truth, Lex’s heart was breaking because he could not see Henri anywhere in the water. The waves were so strong that Henri had gone immediately under, and Lex was certain he could not have survived being battered against the hull of the boat. But for Em’s sake, he had to keep up a brave face. They had to try. “I’m going to let you go now, and try something, but I need you to swear that you will not jump into the water.” Em glared up at him. “Do you swear?” She nodded, and he let her go. “Now, grab the wheel and try to keep the ship moving in a straight line, can you do that?” She nodded again, biting her lip against the tears that glistened on her eyelashes, and then moved to the wheel and planted her feet before taking hold of it.
Lex walked up next to her and held
his hands out in front of him. He recited the words to a spell that would bring them aid in their time of need and called out to the Prophis elders and ancestors to find Henri and bring him safely back from the water. The boat slowed as the water smoothed, and Em looked over her shoulder at him, her mouth forming a perfect O in surprise. “Don’t let go of that wheel!” He hadn’t meant to bark at her, but he couldn’t afford for her to decide it was safe to do something stupid. Lex leaned over to look, but there was still no sign of Henri. He repeated the words of the spell as he reached out and rubbed Em’s back. She was watching the waves intently as she clung to the wheel, and didn’t seem to notice him.
Bright light behind them caught Lex’s attention, and he turned to see what had happened to find a young woman standing on the deck. She was Prophis, like him, but much older. She wore a long robe made of a dark material that looked as though she had cut out a part of the night sky to craft it, and her short, ebony hair was pulled up into two buns on the top of her head. A silver band encircled her forehead, and in the center was a navy stone that seemed to writhe - a small mirror image of the maelstrom itself. “You have summoned me, Lex? I am Soliene, ancient of the Prophis race. How may I assist you, brother?” Em turned around slowly, but Lex held up a hand to caution her to remain still.
“Great One, a member of our crew, has fallen overboard and into the sea. We cannot help him on our own.” Soliene nodded and closed her eyes as she lifted her arms in the air.
“His name?”
“Henri Laurent.”
“You will both close your eyes and lend your energies to me as I attempt to locate this Henri and retrieve him from the water.” Lex did as she asked, and then cracked an eye to look at Em. She was glaring at Soliene, and he elbowed her, pointing at the ancient one who was softly chanting.
“Do as she says, or your father has no hope, Em,” he hissed at her. She rolled her eyes but then closed them. Lex took hold of her hand and then closed his own eyes as he focused on lending Soliene energy.
“He has gone to the heart of the maelstrom.” Em, let out a strangled cry at Soliene’s words. Lex had chosen correctly by deciding to hold on to her because she lunged at Soliene, hands raised toward the ancient’s throat. “I am sorry, but I cannot extract him from there. That is a different - existence, and I cannot move your Henri from one to another.” Em collapsed onto the deck of the boat, sobbing.
“Great One, is it possible to send us to Henri?” Soliene shifted her gaze to him and wrinkled her brow in confusion. The tattoos that wound around her neck and down into the collar of her robes glowed a bright blue.
“Of course it is possible, all you must do is jump into the water.” She cocked her head to one side, confusion written on her face.
“I meant to exactly where he is, Great One. My apologies for not being clear the first time.” Lex was losing patience just as fast he was losing his grip on Em - she was crawling toward the side of the boat. “I fear that if we jump, we may not make it to him in time to save his life.”
“Ah, yes, I can do that. Please gather up your woman and hold still.” Em’s head swiveled around at being called his woman, but Lex was relieved that she got to her feet and wrapped her arms around him. “Shall I stay here and bring you back once you have found him?” Lex nodded, but Em turned back to Soliene.
“So, you know where he is?”
“Yes.”
“And you can bring us back here after we find him?”
“This is what I have told you already, Tyraelian.” Soliene looked at Lex. “Does this one not speak our language, Lex?”
“The one that fell overboard is her father, Great One.”
“Impossible. The one that fell was human, and this female is Tyraelian.” Lex closed his eyes and hoped that Em had not heard what he heard.
“He WAS human?” She heard it. Lex sighed loudly.
Soliene moved closer to Em and touched her on the lone tattoo on Em’s neck. It flared white as Soliene’s tattoos produced a blue glow. “I am dreadfully sorry, Tyraelian, but the man that you seek was killed in the ocean. That is why I would not have been able to bring him back. I cannot - move someone that is not able to give me consent.” Em’s bottom lip trembled as the tears finally escaped her eyes. Soliene looked up at Lex. “I can take her pain away - make her forget about her father.” She pointed to the tattoo on Em’s neck. “Though I see that you have already learned that trick - is this your work?”
“Yes, Great One.” Lex hung his head. “I know that it is forbidden to mark one that is not Prophis, but I had to - I love her.” He gathered Em into his arms and held her as she cried.
“I know you do, Alexander.”
“What did you call me?” Lex’s eyes narrowed. “My name is Lex.”
“Of course it is.” Soliene looked around as though making sure no one was listening. “I know that. I must depart, Lex and Em. Others need my help. Again, I am sorry for your loss, Em. May your journey be safe, and your quest successful.” She raised her arms and faded away before their eyes.
“I’m going below for a bit, Lex. I need - some time.” He nodded and released her after planting a soft kiss on her forehead. “I will be back up...in a bit.”
“Take your time. I will keep us on course.” She nodded and padded across the deck toward the stairs that led below. Lex watched her go and then turned his attention back to the water head of them. He had no idea where to go - Henri had been the navigator. Forward, Lex supposed. He would have plenty of time to wonder about Soliene calling him by the wrong name. Perhaps she was just responding to the same memories he had been given about his life before he became Prophis? Or maybe she knew the other Alexander - the other him that lived outside the game. He should have pressed her for an answer, but what good would it have done him now? Lex looked back at the water ahead and took hold of the wheel. The least he could do was keep the ship as smooth as possible while Em was below.
Alexander
Twenty Three
Alexander pushed back from the laptop. He had almost told Lex who he was when he got called in during his GM shift. But it made more sense to hide behind Soli’s avatar since he was filling in for her anyway. What were the chances, though?
Em broke his heart when he had to tell her that Henri was dead - it had broken his heart to lose the old man, actually. Alexander had always felt bad about trapping Val’s friend in the game. It had not been a surprise when he heard that Em’s mother gave up on him. She knew that he wasn’t really her husband. Must be where Em got her intelligence.
He looked back over the information Val sent him - he was meeting with his boss that afternoon via video conference and needed to be ready for the test that he had been warned about earlier. He opened the chat program almost precisely as it rang. “Good afternoon, sir.”
Val’s face filled the screen. “You’ve been in the game again, Alexander?”
Alexander frowned. “Yes, I was working today. Soli texted me that she was going to have to miss her regular rotation, so I took her shift for her.” He couldn’t imagine what Val angry about this time - it was one of the frustrating things about his employer. he would ask very open-ended questions and then remain silent as the other person offered answer after answer until arriving at the solution Val wanted. “You want to know if I saw Madelyne and Lex and Henri?”
“I know that you did. I want to know what happened. Why is my oldest and dearest friend dead?”
Alexander swallowed hard. “All I know is that he went overboard on a boat, sir. That’s why they called a GM. He went overboard, and they called me - well, Lex called Soli, but I was filling in - they called me to try to bring him back to the boat, but he was already gone. Well, I mean, I couldn’t contact him, so I told them that he had died.” He paused, realizing that he was rambling.
“But you did not see him die?”
“No, but forgive me for asking, sir, how did you know any of that happened? Were you in the game?”
“That i
s none of your concern. But I do want you to go back into the game, under whatever guise you prefer, and find Henri Laurent. I need to know that he is dead for certain. If not, then keep that to yourself and message me so that I can come and retrieve him. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir. What about the material I was supposed to memorize to be tested on today?”
Val stared back at him for a moment before the memory seemed to dawn on him. “Ah, yes, well, another time.” Alexander breathed a sigh of relief. Now, you must get back into the game. À demain, Alexander.”
“Yes, sir.” The connection ended - Val was finished with him and was gone. Alexander took a deep breath before clicking on the icon for Arcstone. When the login screen appeared, he typed in his information but drummed his fingers on the table for a few minutes before clicking. When the zone list appeared, he clicked on the Roxsevain Abyss, and the screen went dark. The sound of the water came through before the image appeared, and he let his mind wander to previous missions with Em - before he lost her to the game and to Lex. He was still remembering jumping off the deck of a crashing ship, her hand in his as they hit the churning water. Would she remember that?
Using his GM credentials, he skipped the part of the zone where one had to swim around on the maelstrom and wait to be pulled under at just the right point that you slide through unharmed and land on the beach of the next zone - a secret zone that only those that win the event get to access. After several failed attempts by prominent players, Val shut the zone down, so all that happened was that if you weren’t fished out of the water soon enough, you died, just like Henri did when he fell in the water.
The screen went dark as he changed zones, and when it lit back up, he could again hear the sounds of the waves and seabirds. His avatar was standing on the beach, and a few feet away was Henri’s body. Alexander exhaled sharply. Val was not going to like this - but his childhood friend was dead. He moved closer and inspected the body. Henri’s eyes were wide open and staring, and his arms were crossed in front of his face as though he was shielding himself from something. Probably the last bit of the fall, when he came out of the water. Alexander’s stomach flipped over. It was a horrible way to die, and for someone as lovely as Henri had been, it didn’t seem fair. He turned the avatar away and started typing up his GM report to send to Val.
Rift Page 13