Beacon

by Kyle West

  It advanced from every direction, and I stood there for what seemed an eternity, frozen in place. When it at last enveloped me, all I could feel was coldness. I could hardly even breathe.

  And then, there was a pair of eyes in front of me, and the same, evil smile of my first vision. I screamed.

  That was when I woke, and it took me a moment to remember where I was. I sat up to see Isaru sitting, facing the distant ridge line, his silhouette outlined by the low fire. I willed my heart to slow down, and in time, I felt myself calm.

  Across the fire, Isa stirred in her sleep. Maybe she was having bad dreams, too. This place seemed to cast a dark pall over everything.

  It was nearly my turn to go on watch, anyway, so I stood up. Isaru jumped at the sound of my approach. He was on edge, too.

  Isaru went off as I sat on the rock he vacated. By the time he lay down, I watched in the direction he’d been gazing.

  If there was anything that was going to jump out at us, it would probably come from beyond that ridge. It was hard to believe that we were this close, that Ragnarok Crater was in sight. And yet, there was no feeling that this journey was anywhere near its end. All I felt was tired.

  As the first hour passed, I noticed auroras dancing in the sky beyond the ridge; the same thing had happened at the reversion north of the Sanctum. It was said that Hyperborea was the source of the Northern Reversion itself. The deadened land surrounding it was testament to that.

  The morning was a long time in coming. The sun, when it did come up, seemed to do so reluctantly. I had to wake everyone up, because it would be another hour or two before the sun was bright enough to make it seem like a normal morning.

  After breakfast, we were once again on our way. Everything was quiet, save the wind blowing cold across the plain. We walked quickly, knowing this was the final stretch to the Crater itself. If felt as if we were doing nothing more than walking quicker toward our deaths.

  As we approached the final rise, a few trees began to appear, but something seemed off about them. They were gray, almost completely blended in to the listless landscape. I realized then that they were made of stone. I had seen petrified trees before, but never as many as these. It was as if they were all frozen at once, while others still had been shattered, being nothing more than piles of rock. I had no idea what could have caused that to happen, but it was unsettling.

  All too quickly, we came to the ridge. There was a natural series of switchbacks, apparently carved into the rocks long ago. There was no other way up, so we followed that path, often over crumbling steps that no one had used in years.

  “It’s too quiet,” Isa said.

  The air seemed to eat her words, and it was hard to bring myself to respond. “Better than it being loud.”

  “You know what I mean,” Isa said. “For all the stories about this place, you’d think something would have attacked us by now.”

  “We were attacked, in case you’ve forgotten,” Shara said.

  “Maybe those people who looked for Hyperborea actually found it,” I said. “Only they never got out.”

  “Well, that’s just depressing,” Isa said.

  Whatever the case, it was too late to turn back now. And there was nothing in the world that would make me turn back. Not after we had come all this way and all the times we had almost died.

  By midafternoon – or what I thought to be midafternoon – we finally crested the high ridge, only to find low-hanging clouds obscuring the entire Crater below. It was completely impossible to get a sense of what it looked like, or how deep it went, but I could see the trail going down the ridge, plunging into the thick mist. The ridge stretched on our either side, lost to the horizon in the north and east. Its curve wasn’t even detectable, instead seeming like a straight line of mountains.

  That fog made me uncomfortable, mainly because of the fog in my dream. Then again, something seemed unnatural about this fog, too. It seemed more solid than conventional fog, its outer edges lapping almost like waves on the Crater’s rim. Certainly, normal fog didn’t do that.

  “We camp here tonight and keep an eye on that fog,” I said.

  “It looks wrong,” Isaru said.

  “I don’t know if it means anything,” I said, “but it’s better to be safe. I think the fog is dangerous. Maybe even lethal.”

  “You mean it’s poisonous,” Shara said.

  “Maybe,” I said. “I just think we should wait. If it’s still there tomorrow…well, we will decide then.”

  Suddenly, a giant light shot out of the fog on the horizon, a single, piercing beam going straight up into the sky. It made us all jump, but it made not a sound. The fog quivered, rippling outward from the center until, over the next half-minute, it became eerily still.

  “What is it?” Isa asked.

  Isaru came forward a few steps, staring intently into the fog. “It likely has something to do with the reversion. Beyond that…I cannot say.”

  All of us watched, transfixed, as the beam’s intensity weakened and then became completely faded.

  “The fog is going down,” Shara said.

  Indeed, it was now receding at an alarming rate. Over the next hour, we watched as more and more of the dark ridgeline became revealed. The Crater went far deeper than I had ever thought it would – deeper than even the Grand Canyon, although the slope itself was passable rather than sheer. Whatever the case, the path down was now open.

  It was hard not to feel as if the fog was guarding this crater, and something had decided to let us enter.

  Still, we remained on top, watching carefully. It was almost too dark to see anything, but by the time the fog was completely gone, the Crater bottom was visible as a teeming mass of pink-tinted forest, with sharply contrasting shades of orange, purple, green, red, and every other color, growing so thickly that it seemed just like the Selvan. If the path didn’t lead through that, there was no way we were getting through. I peered as far as I could, but there was no sign of anything that even resembled a city.

  We decided to follow the path while there was still light left, and if the fog returned, the person on watch could let us know we needed to move. If anything, the path was broader and clearer here than outside the Crater. At times, paving stones were visible, poking through xen or earth, but other than that, there was no sign that any sort of civilization had been here. I wouldn’t have been surprised if that thick forest had completely swallowed everything.

  No…I had seen the visions. The city was large. Unless it was completely leveled, there would be some sign of it. More than a sign. It would be obvious.

  Still, the Crater was large, but as long as we followed the road, it would probably lead us straight to where we needed to go.

  The sun had long dipped below the Crater's rim, making the space below much darker than it would have been otherwise. We made camp about one-third of the way down. There was actually wood to start a fire, but even its light seemed subdued in the dimness of the Crater.

  When full darkness came, however, the entire forest came to life. The trees glowed, and dancing lights swirled above. We all watched it, Shara included.

  “It’s beautiful,” Isa said.

  It was, in an eerie way. Even the edges of the cliffs seemed to glow with the growth of xen. At the far edges of my sight, a large lake glowed pink in the night. A lake of raw ichor. Perhaps one of the seven of Hyperborea’s fabled lakes.

  The view was something none of us had been expecting. I had expected a wasted land, completely inhospitable, like the Plains of Decay or the Waste. It was hard to believe this place was the source of the reversion. If anything, it looked untouched. As night came on, the clouds finally cleared, revealing countless stars interplaying with the thick, multicolored auroras.

  “I can see why they built a city here,” Shara said, after it had been quiet for a while. “It’s paradise.”

  That was what confused me most of all. It was as if we had entered an enchanted land, but that made me uneasy. Th
is place was supposed to be dark and dangerous.

  “What if the fog comes back?” Isa asked. “You saw how quickly it left. Perhaps it can return just as quickly.”

  And suddenly, I realized why no one ever returned from here. Perhaps they even made it as far as here, finding the Crater empty. But by the time they were too far in, the fog would come and kill them.

  “The fog is a defense,” I said. “This place is protecting itself.”

  “Why would it let us in, then?” Shara asked.

  That was a good question. A question for which I didn’t have a clear answer.

  “Maybe we’re expected. Or maybe it’s waiting until we’re too far in.”

  “All the same,” Isaru said. “We’re here. We have to try.”

  He was right about that.

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  WHEN I AWOKE THE NEXT morning, it was to find the day clear and bright. The clouds remained absent, leaving the Crater basked with golden, morning light streaming from above, catching the pink treetops and casting them in a fiery hue. The thick forest set in the deep bowl of the Crater was truly a sight to behold, and the glittering of the distant lake made it look like a sea of fire.

  We watched it as we ate breakfast, and then continued the rest of our way down, snaking back and forth. The road was surprisingly clear, given how long it had been since anyone had used it, though at points it was overgrown with xen or covered by fallen rocks.

  At last, the road flattened and headed into the trees. From above, the forest had appeared impenetrable, but here, there was enough space between the trees for it to not seem claustrophobic. The path wasn’t overgrown, in any case, and walking was easy enough. I tried to keep my guard up, because it seemed far too easy. Just because this place was beautiful didn’t mean it wasn’t dangerous. In fact, many beautiful things in nature had a tendency to be dangerous.

  There was one thing that was strange about the forest, though, and it was something I had noticed ever since the Red Mountains. There were no animals. Surely, that fog would kill animals as surely as it would kill a human, but that would mean the plants had to be impervious to it.

  As we walked, the forest felt familiar. Even if it had been a hundred and fifty years, this place wasn’t much different than when Mia had lived.

  Little by little, as we continued walking, the land lowered while the air warmed. With the change in elevation, the forest became more untamed. The trees grew thicker and the forest floor grew darker from the thickness of the treetops.

  Even as the forest thickened, the trail remained completely clear of overgrowth, which I thought was strange. After all, people were needed for trails to maintain themselves. It reminded me too much of the Forest of Mazes.

  When it became too dark to continue, we set up camp in a nearby glade. I was beset with a feeling of emptiness. At first, I thought it was just the early darkness, but I soon realized it went beyond that. Feeling it once was enough, and it wasn’t so much of a feeling as a lack of one.

  I looked at Isaru and Isa, both of whom were staring at the ground. It was affecting them, too. Shara, however, was already gathering wood for a fire.

  Which made sense; being non-Elekai, she wouldn’t know a reversion just from intuition.

  “The city is close,” I said.

  Isaru and Isa looked up from the ground toward me.

  “I knew I felt something,” Isaru said.

  “Felt what?” Shara asked, dropping the wood she had just gathered into a pile.

  “The Xenofold is weak here,” I explained. “I suspect tomorrow, our sensation of it will be gone completely.”

  “Ah,” Shara said. “And without the Xenofold, you are weak.”

  I nodded. The Xenofold fueled the Elekai’s Gifts. Most Elekai couldn’t even use their Gifts unless they were in the Red Wild. Outside the Red Wild, an Elekai’s power was limited, unless their connection was especially strong.

  A reversion, however, was a complete hole in the Xenofold. Even now, trying to find Silence was like trying to grab something just out of reach.

  We ate the remainder of our food for dinner. No one really mentioned it was the last of it; there was no need for the reminder. If we didn’t find the city tomorrow, and the Prophecy, soon, we might not live long enough to make it back out of the Crater.

  * * *

  I had first watch. There wasn’t much to see in the darkness of the forest, but I could still listen. There was nothing save the sound of the fire, crackling low.

  It was easy to nod off, and the only thing that kept that from happening were mental exercises I’d learned during my short time at the Sanctum.

  I closed my eyes, just for a moment, only for a sudden brightness to shock me to awareness. As with last night, the beam of light shot directly into the sky, visible even through the thick treetops.

  And then, the darkness of the night almost appeared blurry. I put my hand on the hilt of my blade. The same blurriness swirled around my feet, eddying like liquid.

  “The fog,” I realized.

  I turned toward the fire, where everyone was still sleeping peacefully.

  “Wake up!”

  But no one moved. The fog grew thicker, almost completely obscuring their sleeping forms. Sleeping, or dead?

  I realized then that there was no escape, already the fog was crawling up my sides. Tendrils of it seemed to consciously reach for my face. A scream came to my throat, but never made it past my lips.

  My legs weakened and I fell to the ground.

  * * *

  When I awoke, it wasn’t day and it wasn’t night…it was something else entirely that I had no word for. All was black save the outlines of the ground and surrounding trees. It was the same spot as before, only I was alone, and ebbs of light followed the lines, streaking toward the sky. The sky was filled with thousands of stars…far more stars than there should have been. The only sound was a low hum, so subtle that I wasn’t even sure it was there.

  “We meet at last,” came a deep, slow voice, “or perhaps I should say…we meet again.”

  I spun around to see a man, whose appearance was ghostly and ethereal. He had shining blue eyes, a vaporous beard, and a hard countenance. Despite his appearance, he seemed familiar to me.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  I drew out my sword, and gasped to see that it was bright, shining light in the darkness. The dark figure chuckled deeply.

  “You know me,” he said, with a strange, yet familiar accent that was almost musical. “You have seen me in your dreams. Don’t think I didn’t know you then, Anna. You watched from behind her eyes. She didn’t know it, and I didn’t at the time. It was here, in this place, that I have realized many things that once were hidden.”

  “I’m not…” My grip tightened on the blade. “How do you know about that?”

  He chuckled again. “You really don’t remember? Well. It is no matter.”

  I couldn’t get past the feeling of familiarity. My memory eluded, and I wanted desperately to know what it was I was supposed to remember.

  “What is this place?” I asked. “Did you bring me here? Am I…”

  “Dead? No. Not quite. But you’re not quite asleep, either. You are here because we have things to discuss.”

  “I want you to let me out,” I said. “Let me out, or…”

  I trailed off, not really sure where I was going with that. I didn’t know what I was doing here. He was in control, not me.

  “Put that blade away,” the man said. “It will avail you little in this place. We have things to discuss.”

  “What things?” I asked.

  “Hyperborea. The Prophecy of Annara. Your Prophecy, Anna. Or have you forgotten that as well?”

  His voice was mocking, as if he knew that I had indeed forgotten it.

  “Get to the point. You said we had things to discuss. So, discuss them.”

  “Of course. I have an offer for you. The fog kills, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.
But I can hold it back and keep it from fulfilling its purpose.” The man’s eyes were baleful, and I didn't know if the upward curve of his thin lips could be called a smile. “All I ask is for you to hear me out.”

  “I saw you in a dream,” I said. “Is that what this is? A dream?”

  “It is like a dream, but not,” he said, his voice echoing into the darkness. “It is a place where I hold great power. Power over nature. Power over time. Even power over death.”

  I was getting more confused by the minute. “What are you talking about?”

  “I have moved to a place beyond death, into immortality. It was my work that made this possible, even though the city I helped remake is now dead.” He paused. “You need my help, Anna.”

  “Don’t call me that. Why do I need your help?”

  “Only I can help you pass the fog.”

  “You mean the fog will kill me unless I agree to do what you want.”

  “All who have sought the city of Hyperborea have died for it. But I need you as much as you need me. Perhaps even more.” He watched me, those blue eyes calculating. Where had I seen him before? “In the waking world, your body is slowly being poisoned. Within the fog is a toxin, the work of which is slow, but effective.”

  “You sent the fog, didn’t you?” I said.

  The man shook his head. “No. The Xenofold here is…twisted. A complicated matter. It kills any who it perceives as a threat. There are almost two Xenofolds now, like a split personality. One half embraces humanity. The other wishes to prune it as it would a rotten branch. Here, in Ragnarok, it perceives all who enter the Crater as a threat. However…I can save you from that.”

  “And what about my friends?”

  “Your friends will be safe, too. Of course.”

  “What do you want? I don’t even know who you are.”