Reaping the Aurora

by Joshua Palmatier

  Kara waved a hand in dismissal and said to the server, “See if we have some kaffe.” When the boy left, she turned to Allan again, arms crossed over her chest. “Now, what happened in Erenthrall? How did Devin manage to defeat the Temerites?”

  Allan took another bite of food, but suddenly he wasn’t as hungry as before. He swallowed, the bread like a stone going down. The servant returned with his kaffe and he cupped the warm mug close and sipped with a sigh, his throat already tingling with the warmth. “They have Hounds.”

  “Who has Hounds?” Ty asked as he entered. His gaze shot immediately toward Allan. Cory entered behind him.

  “I met him in the hallway on my way here,” he said to Kara. “He was headed toward the orrery. I told him the meeting room had changed.”

  “I’m surprised you’re back from getting the Temerites settled in,” Hernande said.

  Ty took a seat and stole some of Allan’s food. “Marcus has everything in hand. And the Temerites and the others are more interested in sleeping than anything else. We can finish whatever needs to be finished tomorrow. Now, explain about the Hounds. I thought they’d all died in the Shattering.”

  “Obviously not,” Allan said.

  “It makes sense,” Hernande said. “Their den was beneath the Dogs’ in the Amber Tower, correct?” At Allan’s brusque nod, he continued: “You, Kara, Morrell, and the others survived the blast because you were in the cells beneath the tower, protected by the stone. The Hounds would have been protected as well.”

  “Then why didn’t we see them in Erenthrall before this? Where have they been?”

  “We never saw them after the Shattering either. I’d surmise they never left the tower, or at least didn’t stray that far from their den. They weren’t trained to be independent, from what Allan has told us.”

  “And then they were caught in the distortion when it quickened,” Kara said, sitting back in realization. “I released them when I healed it.”

  “Don’t berate yourself. You released everyone and everything in the distortion. Don’t forget the people trapped in the shard where we found the apothecary, the ones who gave up on being released and killed themselves. The distortion needed to be healed as soon as possible.”

  Kara’s troubled expression smoothed as she let the momentary guilt go. She scrubbed at her face with her hands. “So Devin has control of the Hounds?”

  “It would seem so. Which makes him infinitely more dangerous than Baron Aurek, if he uses them effectively. And from what I saw in Erenthrall, he’s doing just that.”

  “He must have used the Hounds to coerce the other groups into following him,” Hernande mused, “either as a threat, or he simply used them to eliminate any dissenting leaders.”

  “Like Baron Arent did during his rise to power,” Ty said. “I suppose Devin’s declared himself Baron of Erenthrall now?”

  “We didn’t stick around to find out. The Temerites used some of the old ley tunnels to escape their enclave as it was being attacked. Even then, we only survived because Dylan redirected the ley into the tunnels after we left, killing hundreds of Devin’s men. He’s been sickened over it ever since, which is why we were discussing how to handle those that can wield the ley or the Tapestry. There’s too much raw power lying about in the cities that contained nodes now that the Baronial structure has collapsed. Anyone with the ability can use it however they wish. We’ve been lucky that no one has seized that raw power yet.”

  “Except for ourselves,” Hernande interrupted.

  Everyone looked at him, but Allan continued. “Except for ourselves. I see now why the Wielders set up their college, why they gathered up from the schools those that could manipulate the ley as soon as they reached young adulthood. They couldn’t have random Wielders disturbing what they’d built. It’s too powerful. It threatens everyone. We need to create our own college, for both Wielders and mages, so that we can protect ourselves from anyone who might attempt to use the ley or Tapestry against us.”

  “All of the Wielders we know of are already here, at the Needle,” Kara said, “or at the node we established in the Hollow. They’re already being trained.”

  “But not in a formal college setting,” Hernande countered, “like what the other mentors and I have begun to do with the old University students.” He stared at Allan as he considered what the ex-Dog had said, mouth pursed. “I agree with you in practical terms—we need to be able to defend ourselves if someone attempts to attack us with the ley or the Tapestry, especially since we now know that the two are inextricably connected. But in moral terms, what gives us the right to control the ley or the Tapestry? Look at what happened in Erenthrall when it was controlled by the Baron and the Primes.”

  Ty rapped the knuckles of one hand on the table forcefully, interrupting before Allan or anyone else could respond. “You’re getting sidetracked. We can discuss the issues of politics and the ley later. We need to focus on more immediate concerns. What happened after you escaped the enclave?”

  “We fled the city as fast as we could. A major auroral storm was descending on the central part of the city, near the University. The Gorrani were directly in its path. As we left, they were hit by the storm, which kept them from attacking Devin and his men as they secured the Temerite enclave. But it . . . changed them.” He drew in a ragged breath, suddenly feeling the exhaustion he’d shrugged off upon seeing his daughter again. Not even the kaffe appeared to help. He met the eyes of everyone in the room. “The auroral lights twisted them, as it did with the Wolves. Only the Gorrani didn’t shift into a wolf form. They changed into some type of hooded snakes. Those that survived the auroral storm anyway.”

  A heavy silence settled, Ty, Kara, Hernande, and Cory sharing startled glances.

  “Don’t tell me the bastard’s vision is true,” Kara said into the subdued quiet.

  “It all fits,” Hernande said. “We always thought the Gorrani were the snakes. And now we have Devin with Hounds. They could be the dogs he spoke of.”

  “Who are you talking about?” Allan said, the words sharper than he’d intended. The weariness had worn him thin. “What vision? What snakes? What dogs?”

  “A lot has happened here at the Needle while you were gone.”

  “Enlighten me.”

  They explained it to him in pieces, Cory, Ty, Kara, and Hernande handing the story off one to the other with only a few occasions where someone broke in on someone else. Father Dalton breaking his pledge to keep his sermons to the preaching of Korma and a return to the natural order, his incendiary vision, his imprisonment in his rooms since then, and the subsequent discontent throughout the city that led to the riot. The continued unrest had only grown since then, with the emergence of the snake-dog symbol chalked onto every flat surface throughout the Needle. Hernande related Morrell’s own experiences, from serving in the hospital, to joining the University students, to repairing part of the breach that the mentors had caused in the wall. Kara told of her attempts to increase the power of the Nexus and Iscivius’ creation of another crystal, along with their thoughts on how to work with the mentors to heal the distortion over Tumbor.

  “Iscivius?” Allan asked skeptically.

  “Yes, Iscivius. Both he and Irmona began helping with the node after you left, on a daily basis.”

  Allan glanced around at the others. “No one found that . . . odd?”

  “Of course, we did,” Cory said. “Everyone was suspicious at first. But neither one of them did anything out of the ordinary. Although Irmona remained bitter and acerbic the entire time.”

  “In fact,” Kara added, “Iscivius is still in a comatose state. We’ve tried everything. Even Morrell checked in on him. She found nothing wrong, nothing to repair. She said his body is fine, simply exhausted, almost completely drained. He’s returning, but slowly, and she can’t speed up the process.”

  “Or, at least, she doesn�
��t know how yet,” Hernande interposed.

  “Regardless, it feels heartless to question his motives when it drove him into this state. Irmona has watched over him since the incident, refuses to help us any further with the Nexus. If anything, she’s become more bitter toward us. I can’t say I blame her.”

  “And what about the Nexus?” Allan asked. “Is it powerful enough now for you to heal the distortion?”

  Kara pressed her lips into a thin line, staring off into space for a long moment. The others waited, no one daring to move. Finally, she turned to face Cory, watched him as she spoke. “I think so. It’s difficult to tell. I . . .” She halted. Cory gave her a slight nod of encouragement, and she exhaled sharply. “I’m afraid to try. I’ve been putting off the attempt because I wanted to be certain it would succeed. I’m not a Prime, no matter what everyone thinks. I don’t have the training or the experience. I don’t want to fail.”

  Her voice had grown more and more ragged as she spoke, the effort to admit what she feared obvious. Cory shifted and wrapped his hand in hers, their fingers intertwined.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Ty said, breaking the fragile silence. “You’re the closest thing to a Prime we’ve got. Can you make another crystal? Can you increase the power of the Nexus any further?”

  “Marcus and I have been practicing what we saw Iscivius doing, but we aren’t even close to being able to replicate it. We don’t have the speed and finesse required. And even if we could do it half as well, look at what happened to him. If we tried, I think it might kill us.”

  “Then you have to make the attempt with what you’ve got.” Ty’s tone left no room for argument.

  “There’s no rush,” Cory said. “There hasn’t been a significant surge of instability since the distortion over Erenthrall was healed.”

  “There’s no reason to wait either,” Ty countered.

  Kara tightened with resolve. “No, Ty’s right. Waiting won’t give us a better chance. I’ll start preparing the Wielders tomorrow. We need to start coordinating with the mentors and the University students. We’ll make the attempt as soon as everyone is ready.”

  “How long will that take?” Ty asked.

  “A few days. No more than a week.”

  Ty turned to Allan. “Dalton predicted that the Gorrani and this Devin would converge on the Needle. Did you see any signs that Devin and his forces were following you and the Temerites? What about the transformed Gorrani?”

  “We kept scouts trailing a good distance behind us as we moved. They saw nothing. The last we knew, Devin was consolidating his forces in the Temerite stronghold, bringing in most of the more violent groups that had claimed territory in Erenthrall. The Gorrani who survived the auroral storm had retreated into the fissures and cracks in the southern cliffs.”

  “I don’t think the snakes of Dalton’s vision represent the transformed Gorrani in Erenthrall,” Hernande interjected.

  “The Haessan,” Allan said. Then added in answer to the questioning looks: “That’s what the Temerites are calling the transformed Gorrani. In the Temer language, it means snake.”

  “The Haessan, then.” Hernande shifted forward and leaned both elbows on the table. “I know it makes sense that the Haessan would be the snakes in Dalton’s vision, but his visions have never been that literal before. It makes more sense that the snakes represent the Gorrani to the south. Not only do the snakes in his vision come from the south, but we already have strong evidence that the Gorrani there are working their way northward.”

  “We’re receiving more and more accounts of Gorrani attacks on settlements from my scouts daily. They’re getting closer. And growing bolder.” Ty turned to Allan. “We’ll need to send out heavier patrols to the north, to keep an eye out for Devin and his forces. He may be settling into Erenthrall, but we know he has reason to hate you and the others here at the Needle. You killed Aurek. He’s bound to come here eventually.”

  “We should warn those at the Hollow as well,” Hernande said. “He may attack them, out of spite, if not revenge.”

  Allan attempted to stifle a yawn, but failed. He swallowed another gulp of kaffe, but it was cold and he could tell it was doing him little good. The weariness from days of walking and little sleep had accumulated too heavily. He heaved himself up from the bench, his body like a dead weight. “I need to rest. I can barely think, and I’m about ready to collapse.”

  Everyone else rose as well.

  “We can speak more about Devin and what happened in Erenthrall tomorrow,” Ty said. “I’ll want to know details from both you and Bryce so that I can prepare the Needle if they do come.”

  Allan pushed back from the table. “You’ll want Grant there as well. He and his Wolves explored more of the city than we did.”

  “How many Wolves did he find while he was there?” Hernande asked. “I saw two with him when you arrived, and one of them was new.”

  “Ten. He was going to give them the option of returning to human form again, but I suppose that will have to wait until my daughter recovers. There were a few others, but some had gone feral and refused to come with him.”

  He headed toward the door, but a wave of weakness washed through him and he was forced to lean against the table. Both Hernande and Cory reached forward to support him, but he waved them away. “I’m fine, just tired.” Straightening, he gathered what remained of his strength and strode from the room.

  He made it to his rooms, although he didn’t recall anything about the corridors in between, and collapsed into bed without removing his clothes.

  He was asleep before even the thought of removing his boots could register.

  “He looked like death warmed up at the hearthside,” Kara said as Allan left.

  “I’m surprised he lasted as long as he did.”

  “It sounds like escaping Erenthrall was hell.”

  “I’m sure it was,” Ty said, turning to face the rest of them, his expression grim. “And he didn’t bring us good news. I was a Dog before the Shattering. I’ve dealt with the Hounds before. If Devin has Hounds, I’m not certain there’s anything we can do to keep him from seizing the Needle and destroying everyone and everything here.”

  Marc hesitated at the door, uncertain, Armone already moving inside the smoke-hazed room and greeting those within. The nape of Marc’s neck prickled with unease as he noted his fellow enforcers—the elderly Trenton, puffing on his pipe, and red-haired Cerena—sitting with Darius, Dierdre, and one other enforcer he didn’t know, although he knew he was one of the twins. The lone twin looked enraged.

  “They took Jonnas!” he spat. “Right off the street! Along with three others who have been helping us.”

  “Who took them?” Dierdre asked.

  “Ty and his gods-damned enforcers!”

  Cerena shot everyone around the room a startled look, then returned her gaze to the twin—Javers, Marc remembered, now that he’d heard the other twin’s name. “Did you see them? Are you certain it was Ty and those loyal to him?”

  “I didn’t see the commander himself. And the men who grabbed them weren’t dressed as enforcers. They were waiting for them, though. They leaped out of an alley as Jonnas and the others passed by, threw sacks over their heads, and then dragged them into the alley. It took less than thirty seconds. But you know Ty was behind it. Too many of our own people have disappeared over the last few weeks. He’s hunting us down.”

  Trenton, who hadn’t glanced away from Marc since he’d appeared, blew smoke into the air and asked, “Can we trust Jonnas not to talk? The others taken don’t know any of us, not directly. But Jonnas could expose us all.”

  “He won’t talk. You know him as well as I do. But what are we going to do to get him back?”

  “Nothing.” It was the first time Darius had spoken. Javers looked shocked, as if he’d been gut-punched. Before he could begin to protest, Darius add
ed, “We don’t know where Ty and his enforcers are keeping them, and asking questions will only draw attention to our own people. Jonnas won’t talk, as you say. So we leave him. For now.”

  “Jonnas and these other three haven’t been the only ones to disappear,” Trenton said, still watching Marc. “Two others who aided us at the riot in the square vanished a few days ago.”

  “They’re likely the ones who fingered Jonnas and the others.” Darius raised a hand to forestall any more commentary, nodding toward Marc. “Who have you brought with you today, Armone?”

  “Marc, the one I told you about earlier.”

  Darius’ eyes narrowed. “I recognize you. You were sent out with Cutter’s group to scout the area east of Tumbor.”

  Marc stepped into the room and everyone tensed. He halted and held up both hands, palms facing outward until everyone relaxed, then continued. “It should have been my group.”

  “And why is that?” Trenton asked.

  “Cutter is one of those bastards from the Hollow. He hasn’t been trained to be a Dog. He shouldn’t be out there, leading scouting parties. He should be here, getting the shit beat out of him on our training grounds. Let him fight his way up the ranks like the rest of us.”

  Everyone nodded, even though Marc knew that not everyone here had been a Dog before the Shattering; at least a few of them had been enforcers in Tumbor under Baron Leethe.

  Armone grinned, snatching up the dice and a cup. “That’s why I brought him in,” he said as he rattled the dice and then rolled, the bone cubes skittering across the table. They came up double snakes and Armone crowed. “Please tell me someone had already bet on that roll?”

  Cerena snorted. “You aren’t that lucky, Armone.”

  “Can we trust him?” Darius asked, and both Cerena and Armone fell abruptly silent, everyone now looking at Marc, hands on swords or fiddling with knives. All except Darius and Dierdre.