Spellshift
Page 33
“Stick close to her,” Idrian offered.
Garen wasn’t expecting advice and rolled his eyes. “Easier said than done.”
“I know. But the world doesn’t know yet how much it needs you two. Don’t be as clueless as them.”
“Okay,” Garen said, feeling the faintest trace of a smile somewhere. He left the palace and decided paying Naia a visit wasn’t a terrible idea. As usual, he found her tending to the wounded. Between her time aiding Vikar-Tola’s refugees and the past week here, it was more than magic at this point. She’d learned how to clean and soothe the hard way, and she’d probably seen more wounds go fatal than half the sheltered physicians of the court. Much like the last couple of times Garen thought to check in on her, she was surrounded by those who needed her more.
He didn’t judge her for it. If anything, he wished he could do the same. But the city felt toxic to him. He knew little about Kalyx, and most of it he learned from watching it crumble. He waited until she noticed him. Naia put him to use with a few of the more mundane injuries. She wasn’t ready to talk beyond necessities, and his magic from the Gate of Truth couldn’t do anything time wouldn’t.
It became obvious that anywhere would be better than Kalyx. The excavation efforts had turned from rescue to recovering bodies. There was another city Garen would feel better putting back together.
He set out on foot with what little rations he could arrange for. The sight and smell of the rotting Apatten stacked outside the wall kept him from touching food for the first day. He considered spellshifting to Belen instead of walking, but the open countryside was more calming than an eleven-year-old’s questions would be. He plodded along until he needed to make camp.
The next day, Garen sped up his pace with light-shifts to distract himself. It still took two more days to reach Vikar-Tola. Once he arrived at the refugee encampment, he took a nonchalant wander through the sea of tents and stone huts. He crossed through it until he reached the barracks. Garen had to steel his nerves before stepping any closer. He had no concept of who returned from the Battle of Kartik alive. Garen didn’t recognize the first few soldiers. They were dressed like Vikar-Tola guards.
One motioned for Garen to stop. “What’s your business?”
“Captain Renyld!” a young man called out from the barracks. The soldier rushed out to greet him. Garen recognized him as one of the Centralians he fought alongside. At one point he’d saved the man’s life in Kartik.
“You made it back,” Garen said. He felt like they were the right words, but he spoke them too plainly to convey happiness. It came across as merely an observation.
The Centralian’s joy turned sour as well. “Not many of us did. Once we saw what they’d done to Tragus, we called for the retreat. It was just a few dozen of us by then.”
A question popped into Garen’s mind. “Did you notice one of your soldiers outside the walls during the retreat? She couldn’t move her legs, and I’d hate to think—”
“Oh, Elise?” the soldier asked. “Yeah, she’s still recovering. Was that your doing?”
Garen sighed. “It wasn’t enough.”
“It was the only goffing miracle we got that day. She couldn’t remember too much about how it happened. You should let her know.”
Garen nodded and told the soldier he would, but those weren’t eyes he was prepared to face yet. Garen turned to leave. The soldier called out with another question. “Is it true? Did those creatures really kill themselves in the thick of battle?”
Garen stopped and thought about how he wanted that day to be remembered. He took a few steps back toward the soldier. “Here’s what I want you to tell every person who asks that. Morgan Talia was a Fire Spellsword as legend-worthy as they come. She held the walls by herself. She burned up the minds of every last Apatten. And she gave her life to save that city. So, if you’re ever feeling like making up a story or two about her on a drunken whim, go for it. She did whatever you can imagine and more.”
Garen said farewell and took a stroll through the remains of Vikar-Tola. They had cleared huge portions of rubble from the streets. The city looked traversable again, even if only half the blocks contained any intact buildings. Some of the salvaging crew recognized him and met him with more undeserved joy. Garen had enough depth after his travels to assist for the day. The hard work eased his conscience when the time came to accept some of their rations.
Garen knew he should meet up with Belen or Elise, but he couldn’t imagine what he’d say to either. Elise was easy to avoid. After a few days coming in and out of the camp, Belen spotted Garen.
“You’re alive!” Belen shouted and ran up to him. Garen resisted the urge to spellshift anywhere else. “Is Miss Naia okay, too?”
Garen nodded. “Yeah, she’s still helping them in Kalyx.”
“That’s good. I heard the city had a lot of buildings fall down. Not as bad as here, but still, a lot.” Belen seemed burdened by another question. Garen had a guess.
“The tower we snuck into is still standing,” Garen said. “All eight towers at the Geonode Guild are untouched. Once the dust settles, maybe our new emperor can help us get your sister back.”
Garen didn’t feel like the news was particularly bright, but Belen smiled wide. Whatever tragedies the boy had been imagining from traveling news, this outcome was better. Garen still felt like he’d betrayed Belen by not returning with his sister hand-in-hand. Belen’s lack of judgement helped soothe that ache.
Garen stayed with them in Vikar-Tola for a week. He often considered popping back to Kalyx, just to update them where he was. But there was a private comfort in being unreachable for a while. He also assumed an emperor in search of him would have no problem tracking him down.
They made steady progress clearing debris and reshaping roofs. The winter snows would come, and the people needed more than tents to survive. It felt good to be making a difference again, the kind he couldn’t mess up and get anyone killed doing. But the familiar streets forced him to relive some of those past failures. Clearing the ruins meant disposing of corpses.
The work was important, but it grated on him like everything he tried in Kalyx. He admitted neither of the cities had been the issue. The problem was much more personal. He didn’t have the solution yet. He’d tried enough of both running and hiding to know that wasn’t it. Garen gave a proper farewell to Belen, promising him the time to find Sis was closer than ever. He spellshifted to Naia. Her soul’s thread of wounded resolve was easy enough to find.
“Well that answers that,” she said, stopping her walk down the wide road. The geonode streetlamps glowed to life as the sun set. They made the city feel warm and inviting despite its marred skyline.
“Answers what?” Garen asked.
“I told Micah we’d never see you again,” she answered. “He said I didn’t know you well enough yet, that you’d appear when you’re needed.”
The way she quoted Micah in his own voice made Garen miss the happier times even more. But it was a comfort to know these little pockets of it still existed. “I hope you didn’t wager too much on it.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered. We were both wrong.”
Garen raised an eyebrow.
She sighed. “It’s just…we don’t need you. The city is coming along fine.” She started walking the way she was headed before.
Garen had to step quickly to keep up with her. “I’m not here to save anybody. You and I both know how bad I am at that.”
“Then why come back? Everyone on the Council but Idrian actually liked the idea that you’d gone into hiding. They suggested I do the same, until we know what Therov’s intentions are.”
Garen hadn’t considered that. “What did you tell them?”
“I told them that murdering sack of scum can find me whenever he likes. I don’t care if he calls himself Drake or Therov. I won’t hold back when he does. Same goes for Aethis.”
Her resolve encouraged him. It helped answer why he didn’t feel right lay
ing low. “I’m with you, but I don’t think you have to worry about Aethis for now.”
“What do you mean ‘for now’? Is she alive?”
“She is,” Garen said. “But we parted on somewhat neutral terms. I’m not putting off freeing the slaves in this city any longer. That should keep us from butting heads anytime soon. I also think the Gate of Truth forced her to reconsider a few things about how she alters her appearance.”
Naia stopped walking suddenly. She stood under the streetlamp’s glow and waited. Garen stopped after a few steps and looked back at her. “Were you not headed this way?”
She touched the scar that ran along her face. “So, you were the one who changed it back?”
Garen didn’t know what to say. He stammered briefly. “Kind of. Not quite intentionally. It was just a thought.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What was the thought?”
Garen shrugged. It wasn’t something he could put into words yet. “I…didn’t want you to end up like her.” Naia didn’t retract her piercing glare. “You know, afraid to look like yourself.”
“Uh huh,” she said, burdened with her own thoughts. Naia seemed satisfied for the moment. She stared out at the heaps of stone rubble where proud towers once stood. “I have no idea how much of this we can fix. Honestly, you’d be last on my list of people to fix it with. But even if this is all for nothing,” she forced the words with a calming sigh, “thanks for sticking through it.”
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36