Darklight 6: Darkbirth

by Forrest, Bella

  Get us out of this place. Please.

  I tried hard to focus on anything, even envisioning the cliff with the vortex tear.

  "Don't bother," Un said sharply to me. "It's useless. If you try to send a message or anything of the kind, I’ll know and block it easily. You may think that you two are bigshots merely because you can do a few little things that proxies can't, but your power is minute and meaningless compared to my own."

  I shot a fervent look at Dorian. Okay, great, we were stuck here and couldn't even talk this out between ourselves. Tense silence fell between us. Only the cherub proxy seemed at peace, casually floating above Aurora's tank and glancing down at her. This wasn't good. I sucked in a tense breath. Un clearly wanted more than justice. He had his own warped sense of what made the world tick, and apparently part of that was that he wanted Ruk, and us alongside him, to be publicly humiliated. He wanted to be vindicated after Ruk managed to conceal Aurora's existence. His pride was wounded on a deep level, and he'd been nursing that festering wound since Ruk last fled the Higher Plane.

  If this doesn’t work… if we die, then we can never get back to our friends to solve the tear issue. I refused to allow that to happen.

  I licked my dry lips, trying to keep the rush of adrenaline coursing through me from staining the air around me with pigmented fear. In the corner of my eye, I noticed Dorian watching me carefully. He knew that I was up to something.

  "I've got a proposition for you," I said to Un, keeping my voice calm. "Why don't we settle this the way that you arbiters like best—with a bet? I'll wager everything we have on the next Game, including our own energy, just like you wanted. You can set the rules as precisely as you want, as long as those rules are clear and considered fair to all parties by all the other arbiters." My mind flashed to Xiu, Sen, and Pik. I knew they'd be on our side to fight for a fair game.

  Un paused and thoughtfully placed his fingers on his chin. "It's an… interesting proposition."

  I had him.

  "And interesting is what you always want, isn't it?" I pressed.

  Dorian crossed his arms with a feigned look of reservation, his lips pressed together in a thin line. "I don't know, Lyra… doesn't that seem to be more in his favor?"

  Yes, he was working with me by pushing back. Let Un believe that we thought this might go too far in his favor. Un's eyes darted back and forth between us. The corner of his lips twitched excitedly.

  I leaned in to seal the deal. "You can design everything just the way you want it, but… if we win another game, then you accept all of our victories, and we'll be cleared of every charge. You confess to stealing Aurora and give her back to us. You also use your clout among the other arbiters to get them to come view the tear.” It seemed like a lot, but I was counting on his overconfidence to win the day.

  Dorian let out a doubtful growl. Un pounced on his response immediately.

  “Listen to your companion’s plan," he tutted happily to Dorian. "If you lose my game, you'll be unraveled and sacrifice your soul energy to Ruk's debts, all your winnings will be given over to me, and Ruk will have to pay his entire dissolved estate to me and find other ways to pay off his debt. He’ll also serve out whatever additional punishment he owes from his crime of bringing multiple lower-plane beings to the Higher Plane." His excitement grew, despite his attempt at restraint. "In this next game, Ruk won't be present to help you. He must be far enough away that he can’t affect the outcome." His intense white eyes swept over us expectantly. Did he think we would chicken out without Ruk's involvement? It certainly seemed like he really thought Ruk had cheated last time. The idea that we could have won on our own merit wasn't even possible in his mind. That was an advantage to us for sure.

  The invisible bond between Dorian and me buzzed with understanding. We had to agree to this deal, as unbalanced as it was. We had no options left. It was either that or Un was going to end us right now. We'd already successfully bested him once. I just hoped we could pull it off again.

  "Fine," Dorian said.

  I nodded. "We agree to those terms."

  Un raised a single brow, his tight skin giving him a comic look of surprise. "Very well, but I want it formalized. Make a magically binding pact with me right now to solidify the bet."

  I paused. It would be unwise to make a pact with Un based on his word alone; Dorian and I had already suffered from our original pact with Ruk, since we knew little of how arbiters worked and how they made agreements. We’d been forced into a corner that time, and it had led to us getting screwed over by some loopholes. We couldn’t afford to have the same thing happen again, not when so much was at stake. "We want witnesses for this, ones that we can trust to make sure the pact is honest."

  I wanted to avoid any issues about knowing the exact terms and limitations. We had been completely inexperienced before when it came to dealing with Higher-Plane beings, but now we knew better.

  "That is satisfactory to me." Un clapped his hands together. "Let's go." His spider-dog proxy scuttled after him as Un strode to the edge of the platform.

  Dorian and I each released the breath we’d been holding for far too long. Holy cow… we’d talked our way out of near certain death. I glanced back at Aurora over my shoulder, wishing we were taking her with us. I was just in time to see the cherub proxy settle on top of the clear box and give me a malicious, mocking wave. Without thinking, I took a step toward it. I didn’t have a plan beyond abstract thoughts of violence, which were cut short when we suddenly dropped back down to the roof. The mist around us cleared as Un waved his hand through the air, but a large cloud of dense fog remained above to hide Aurora. To an outsider, it would just appear that Un wanted an entire cloud hanging over his castle. Clever jerk.

  Here, at least, we could be seen by third parties. My body relaxed slightly at the prospect of no longer being alone with Un in a hidden place, but I hated that Aurora was still up there.

  "I will summon Debt Keeper. You may summon whomever you wish." Un closed his eyes briefly.

  "Jia," I suggested to Dorian, who nodded.

  "He's nothing if not completely honest. And summoning Ruk to this might not be the best idea."

  As I thought of the small golem proxy, something touched my leg. I looked down to see his deep blue eyes looking up at me.

  "Have you made enough energy with Dorian?" he asked with excruciating innocence.

  I coughed awkwardly. "Uh, yes. We just happened to run into Un on the way back, and we have a proposal to make." I stared down at him, hoping he could tell by the look on my face how grave I felt. "Can you make sure that everything we talk about here is true and accurate? I want you to pay attention to what Un says."

  Jia nodded. Excellent. It would be good to have him watch, especially given his connection to Xiu. She could be a passive witness, calling upon what Jia saw as evidence if needed. It also would be nice to let her see how far Un was willing to go. He was willing to bet everything to get back at Ruk. If she saw that… perhaps even if the game didn't end in our favor, something could be done.

  "A proxy?" Un asked with a small chuckle. It sounded like gravel was caught in his throat. "What a strange choice, but perhaps the fact that his low power level is similar to yours puts you at ease." He gave Jia a disparaging look as Debt Keeper finally appeared. She cast a pinkish glow over me as she faced us.

  "You have summoned me, Un? For a pact?" There was a beat of skepticism in her voice. Witnessing pacts was clearly not part of her typical job description. “I’m sure this has nothing do with my ruling.” The last part she said in such dry and brittle tone that it nearly sounded human.

  Un explained, presenting the idea as if it were his own. I rolled my eyes behind him but kept my mouth shut as he detailed his terms.

  "We have our own strict terms," I said as soon as Un finished speaking. I listed them out as I had for Un. Dorian chimed in at the end, so that she knew our entire trio had agreed to it. Debt Keeper listened silently to all of us.

&n
bsp; "And you understand all the implications of this pact?" Debt Keeper asked. "Your witness must also confirm."

  "I have recorded them mentally," Jia replied.

  I eyed Dorian. He squeezed my hand and nodded. This was our final shot. The fear inside me writhed like a monster. The situation was desperate and messy and had turned our plan with Ruk completely upside down. Aurora was still trapped, and Dorian and I weren’t going to be able to avoid competing in the upcoming Game by fleeing to the Immortal Plane.

  "We understand, Debt Keeper. Please witness this pact between us and Un. We agree to it willingly." As soon as the words left my mouth, the reality of our situation rested heavily on my shoulders. At least with Dorian standing beside me, I knew that we shared this burden. He smiled at me encouragingly, even though his eyes were serious with worry, like my own. Last time it hadn't really mattered if we won or not, and we'd had the advantage of surprise. This time was different.

  If we lost, we’d die.

  Debt Keeper asked us to stand on either side of Un. He lifted both hands in front of us, one hovering above me and the other above Dorian.

  "This pact is officially sealed," Debt Keeper announced, after a moment in which nothing seemed to happen. "I advise that you make immediate preparations for the Games. I have a feeling every arbiter will be at this one."

  After the last word, she faded to nothingness. Un smiled, pleased with himself. His proxy snapped his mandibles together as if delighted at the prospect of facing us again. I refused to look at the creature, the memory of it shoving me off the floating island to fall to my death fresh in my mind.

  "I'll send word to you when the course is prepared," Un said. “Enjoy your time in the ruins of Ruk’s estate until then.”

  Dorian and I remained silent. I merely urged Jia forward as we left the estate. Since we couldn't return to Ruk's estate, we would follow the plan and head for the tear, but right now I just wanted to focus on the gray until we got far away from Un. We stepped into the mist, and I let out a heavy sigh.

  "It was all I could think of," I blurted to Dorian. “The Games just popped into my brain. All I wanted was to get out of Un’s clutches.” Dorian rested his hand on my shoulder.

  "It was a good idea," he assured me. "What else could we do? We’ve always relied on our instincts when there’s no time to devise a full strategy. I’m glad you suggested it."

  We took a step forward, but I realized Jia had stopped walking. I glanced back at him. "Is everything okay?"

  His blue eyes regarded me with the smallest touch of disappointment. It was a brief flicker of such human emotion that my breath caught in my throat.

  "You lied about your reason for wanting privacy." He glanced down at the ground. "Please do not tell me falsehoods. It is not conducive to allowing me to safeguard you."

  Oh, Jia. I didn’t want it to end up like this. But intentions mattered little if I’d already hurt him. I hadn’t thought about hurting his feelings because I hadn’t realized it was possible. "I'm sorry, I—"

  Jia merely lifted a small hand. His voice and face composed themselves back to their usual neutrality. "I merely request that you do not lie in the future. I have no opinion of your actions or requests, but, as I have expressed, it will interfere with my duty if you do it again. I am here to safeguard you and to be of aid, if you so need it."

  His words hit me like an arrow of guilt straight to the heart as I recalled the several times that he had acted in a capacity beyond just doing his job. He’d helped pull Dorian back from the edge of cliff near the vortex, he’d complied with our genuine requests for privacy, and he’d helped us train despite the damage it had caused to his own form. I gave a stiff nod and agreed. Dorian did the same.

  "Let’s try and send Ruk a message again," I suggested. "Maybe it'll work now that we're off Un's awful estate."

  I tried to focus on telling Ruk a brief summary of what had happened, knowing Dorian might be doing the same. Hopefully, between the two of us, he could piece everything together. My shoulders sagged with disappointment, and this time I was unable to stop my emotions from seeping into the mist around me. While I had no desire to be followed around by a storm cloud of sadness and regret, especially one I’d made myself, I didn’t have it in me to lock it away right now.

  As we walked, taking the time to process before we tried traveling to the cliff via intent, a message came through from Ruk telling us to return to the estate. Apparently, he wasn’t quite done dissolving it yet.

  I thought about Ruk's estate, trying to picture it. The image in my mind seemed fainter than usual, but I reached for it. We took a few steps forward, setting our intent, and we appeared in front of it. All the towers were gone save for the one Dorian and I sometimes slept in. Only the basic shape of the core shell remained besides that. Ruk waited for us at the entrance, a stricken look on his face.

  When he looked at us, I saw a storm of barely contained emotions on his face and in the several colors in the air above the estate. He was shaken. Ruk, the being who even at his weakest still had immense powers beyond my understanding, was truly shaken.

  He shook his head from side to side. "I'm so angry at myself." A red mist grew above us. "I thought I’d accounted for all possibilities. I didn’t know he would have spells blocking travel and messages. I’m sorry you got stuck there and had to make such a huge decision." He ran a hand over his bald head, his lips working wordlessly as he pondered.

  "Are you worried about my proposal?" I asked.

  "Of course." He looked up at the red sky, and for a moment I saw a glimpse of his younger self—vulnerable and hopeful in the moment when Irrikus betrayed him. "I might be able to nullify your pact with Un, but it could take the equivalent of years and years in your lower-plane time. There is a way out of this, I know it, but—"

  Dorian took a deep breath. "Stop your plotting. As much as I appreciate you trying to find a way out of this for us, the fact is we don’t have the time. We have to go through with it.” He paused. “If Lyra and I lose this bet and are unraveled, I need you to promise me you’ll use our energy to defect and fulfill our pact. Seal the tear across all the barriers." His outburst made me jump, but as he said it, I realized he was right. That was exactly what I would want Ruk to do if we lost. I would rather Ruk double-cross the arbiters once again to finally seal the tear.

  Ruk's brow wrinkled with guilt. "This is a fair request and one I will honor, if it comes to it." He swept an appraising, almost proud gaze over us. "You truly stand by your friends. It amazes me. Despite the danger you were in, you included my freedom and Aurora in your bargain. I will do anything to seal the tear, no matter what it takes and no matter what happens to you and Lyra in the next Games." He bowed to us.

  "Thank you," I said, my voice shaking. This moment felt even heavier than the end of our trial.

  Ruk raised his head. A fire I hadn’t seen before danced behind those purple eyes.

  "And now, we must devise a means to win this final game using tactics that even Un and his fellow competitors won't be able to quibble about. We must create strategies that nobody can say are illegal in any capacity. Un will use every trick in his book to stop you. Lucky for you, I know all his tricks." A faint trace of a sly, determined smile bloomed on his face. "It's time to train."

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  In the crumbling base of Ruk’s estate, we dove into our preparations. Ruk had dissolved most of the structures before he found out about our new pact with Un, so only the desolate, crumbling ruins were left. A handful of labs, some random cellars, and a few odd storage closets remained. I was thankful Ruk hadn't yet dissolved the tower Dorian and I spent most of our time in. The roof was officially all gone, but the tower itself and our makeshift bed were still there. I checked all the rooms before we gathered together.

  Ruk worked fast to secure the remains of the towers, and we hunkered down in the core of his estate, using what was left of his laboratory to talk about our plans in hushed voices. I trie
d not to think about the odd jars of floating objects shoved into dusty corners, knowing they would eventually be dissolved into energy and go back to Ruk. Not four minutes after we tucked ourselves away to discuss these strategies, Ruk tensed. "Debt Keeper. She’s here."

  He made his way out of the lab, and we followed him outside. Sure enough, Debt Keeper floated in front of the estate. Ruk stepped forth to meet her. Dorian and I waited in the doorway of the tower holding the laboratory. Although she had no eyes in her glowing orb form, I imagined that she was sweeping a gaze over the mostly dissolved building with an analytical air. She had eons of experience with collecting debts. Could she sense the urgency behind our tight faces?

  "I see you've greatly reduced your home already," Debt Keeper noted. Ruk merely nodded. "In light of the announcement from the majority of arbiters that my original ruling has been overturned, your repayment schedule has officially been placed on hold in light of the new bet.” Her tone was more than a little salty. “I'm sure the mortals have told you that this new bet ties up all your energy in these upcoming Games. I've ensured that the pact between the lower-plane beings and Un was created on fair terms. I wanted to let you know. But—" She paused for a moment and floated an inch closer to Ruk. "I will warn you not to try to squirm out of this deal or to escape the consequences if it goes badly. Don't make this harder than it has to be if this doesn't end well."

  "Of course not, Lohb," Ruk said. "I respect the position you’re in, and I wouldn't want to make things difficult for you."

  The use of her name sounded so intimate. A tense silence passed between them while Debt Keeper said nothing. I wondered how far back they went. The beginning of time? My heart thumped hard inside me. So Debt Keeper was skeptical of us after all. Her pink form moved around Ruk to get a better glimpse of us. We stepped forward.