by B. T. Narro
His words seemed to give them second thoughts as they stared at each other again. Crim came over and noisily slurped down some water without the ladle, tilting the barrel to get a better angle and sticking most of his flat, greasy face into it.
As soon as he was done, he stood up and, with water dripping from his chin, said, “Krepps leave now. We go to Academy. Humans?”
“Yes, we’re leaving as well,” Steffen said.
Crim nodded, then hollered something at the Krepps. They put out the fire and began to walk.
“We have to hurry,” Steffen said. “I need to be in front so they don’t choose their own route back.” He ran into the cabin, presumably to get his belongings together.
“So what will you do?” Effie asked the young couple.
“It’s up to you,” Neeko told Shara. It almost looked as if he wanted to go as he leaned toward her.
Her expression turned sad. “I don’t think we’re ready.”
He nodded with seeming reluctance. “We’re staying,” he told Effie. “I’m sorry.”
Steffen had already gotten in front of the Krepps. “Come on!” he yelled to their party.
Annah gave a quick curtsy. “It was nice to meet you both.” She turned to Basen. “Goodbye.”
“Goodbye, Annah.”
Juliana embraced Basen without hurry, then walked after the Krepps. That left Effie. She looked at Neeko imploringly.
“I don’t think you want to stay,” she said, then turned her hard gaze to Shara. “Honestly, I believe you’ll regret it.”
Shara cleared her throat. “Effie, nothing could cause me more regret than if Neeko died in this war.”
Effie let out a quick breath. She forced a bitter smile as she lowered her head. “Goodbye then.” She turned and pushed herself against Basen’s chest for a hug that ended all too quickly. She did the same to Vithos, then ran off.
“Neeko,” Basen said, “tell me something, if you don’t mind.”
“You don’t have to go with them?”
“No. Vithos and I need to take care of something away from the Academy.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Why does Effie so desperately want you to join us in this war? She went against her instructor to come here for the two of you, but mostly for you.”
Neeko sucked in a breath, looking exactly how Basen had hoped, as if he wanted to prove his worth right there.
“He’s a pyforial mage,” Shara answered. “He might be the best in the world.”
“Effie told me that, but I still don’t understand. Even if he was able to teach others how to use pyforial energy, I can’t imagine anyone learning the skill well enough to replace what they came to the Academy to do, at least not in time to be of much help. But Neeko, you should’ve seen her face when I described our earlier encounter and she realized it was you and Shara. It was as if I’d told her an entire army could’ve joined us if I’d simply asked. So I’m still wondering, what can you do…and what did you do to those three Krepps chasing after you?”
Shara looked at Neeko with surprise. “What three Krepps?”
He didn’t answer right away, instead giving Basen a hard stare. Neeko’s eyes were kind, but there was a twinkle of superiority in them, as if Basen should consider himself lucky to see what Neeko could do. Basen challenged him with the same look. Prove yourself. He could think of no better way to recruit the young man now that everything else had failed.
Neeko sighed, softened his expression, and then turned to Shara. “When the Krepps came to our cabin the first time while you were away, I left. Three of them came after me. I didn’t know what they wanted, but as I sped up, so did they. I was never actually in danger, so I didn’t tell you.”
Shara nodded. “All right.”
For someone supposedly worried about Neeko’s safety, Shara seemed surprisingly comfortable with him facing three Krepps. Perhaps Effie was right and Neeko really was special.
“I should go,” Basen said. “Forgive my earlier curiosity. If the two of you won’t join us, I suppose it’s better that I don’t know exactly what we’ll be missing. Take care.”
The hostility dissolved in an instant as both of them smiled politely and said goodbye. Basen left with Vithos. He had seen something when he’d looked into Neeko’s eyes, the same thing Effie must’ve seen during her time in Sumar.
Basen didn’t need a demonstration of Neeko’s power. That look had been enough to show he could’ve helped them in this war far greater than just another swordsman.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Basen supposed he could sneak back into Tenred’s castle at night with Vithos. It was a shorter trip than going to Kilmar, and he could use the damaged corner of the castle to get in undetected. But he had a feeling that Fatholl would want him to teleport to Kilmar, and he needed to revisit the area to refresh his memory. He didn’t want to disappoint Fatholl, especially because the Elf already would be angry at what Basen was going to tell him.
Vithos was a man of many jokes, Basen found out during their short journey. Given that he’d been raised with the dour Krepps, it came as a surprise he found humor so easily in most things. It furthered Basen’s belief that the harder people fight to survive, the more they appreciate life. He hadn’t taken time to consider this until he’d given his speech to Neeko and Shara. Now he was glad he had. Instead of fearing his encounter with Fatholl, he enjoyed his time with Vithos as they traveled through the forest.
He learned about what life was like for the Elf. He’d only recently escaped the Krepps while they were led by two monstrous Slugari, Doe and Haemon, and Vithos had Zoke—the Krepp who knew Cleve—to thank for it. Vithos believed that Zoke would help now if need be.
“There is also a pretty Elf who can help,” Vithos told Basen. “Maybe,” he added, then paused.
“Why wouldn’t she?”
“We fight often. We don’t like each other.”
“Then why might she help?”
“We have much sex.”
“You what?” Basen assumed Vithos had used the wrong word. But no, the Elf was nodding enthusiastically.
“Yes, much sex. We like the sex, but not…other time with each other.”
Basen chuckled. “Well, I hope Fatholl listens to her if he doesn’t listen to us.”
“Fatholl hears everyone but listens to no one. You understand?”
“I figured he was like that. What about with the Krepps?”
“He treats them with care, but he doesn’t like them. I can feel it.”
“Can you tell when he lies?”
“Yes.”
It was good to know that Fatholl couldn’t change his energy like Sanya could.
Vithos eventually told Basen some shocking news: Vithos’ mother and father had been queen and king of the Elves in Merejic and the most powerful psychics.
“So you have more claim to leading the Elves than Fatholl does?” Basen asked.
Vithos nodded.
Even more reason Fatholl would be cautious around him. Basen couldn’t rely on Vithos to convince Fatholl to come with him, but he doubted the female Elf who’d had “much sex” with Vithos would be of much help, either.
Basen had to rely on himself. The problem was, he already was assuming so much coming into this. If Fatholl wasn’t trying to get rid of the Krepps like Basen figured, then he wouldn’t know what to expect, and surprise of any kind could be deadly. The worst would be if Basen was wrong about Yeso’s relation to Fatholl.
Confidence was everything here. Basen could pretend to be confident quite well, but psychics could read his emotions so he had to really be confident, otherwise there was no point.
“When we speak to him,” Basen said, “can you use psyche to make me seem completely sure of myself?”
Vithos’ mouth twisted. “I can, but it’s pointless. Fatholl will figure out I change your energy.”
That meant the change had to come from within. Remember what Henry said. You have to be st
ronger than the psychic.
If his mother had still been in prison, waiting to be rescued, he could’ve used his need to free her to bolster his strength and resist any spell of manipulation. He needed to think of something else.
*****
Basen felt it as they came to the spot. He’d never determined what had gathered enough energy here for him to make a portal, but it had to be something alive, didn’t it? There was no evidence of akorell metal around them.
The feeling was strange, like falling into a dream he’d had before. It seemed as if part of his memory was trapped, destined to live here forever. He supposed he had a similar feeling in Nick’s old room, now Annah’s, but Basen had attributed it to the painful loss of his friend.
Basen gulped for air. Was making portals affecting him in some way he would only find out much later?
“Are you all right?” Vithos asked. “Very nervous.”
“I’m fine.”
Earlier, Vithos had asked Basen if he liked making portals. It was difficult to answer because the thought had never come to mind. The more Basen pondered it, the more he realized he didn’t like the process at all. It put a frightening strain on his mind and heart, only to culminate with a terrible spell of dizziness whenever he tumbled through the portal.
It’s gotten easier, he reminded himself. Still, he needed to know what it was doing to him.
Sanya told me it’s destroying the spiritual world every time I make one. He wouldn’t forget that anytime soon, not that he knew what to make of it. These portals were necessary, and he did relish having the ability to control them. He’d always had a natural skill with bastial energy that he appreciated but he’d never been able to do anything like this. It made him wonder what else he might be capable of.
“Are you ready?” he asked Vithos.
“Very excited.”
The answer seemed strange, though the Elf was somewhat strange himself. Pleasantly strange.
Basen gathered a ball of bastial energy, packed it into itself as it floated in front of him, and continued to squeeze it together until it was white as snow. He drew the energy from the akorell stone, no longer surprised by the sudden weight of it on his mind. Each time it was like witnessing a terrible accident in which he had to remember every detail, his chest filling with fire, his heart racing.
While compacting the energy, he reached deep within it until he burrowed through to the other side. He’d set his mind on the Elven village, his destination, and now the image was locked and grounded, as if someone had turned him into a statue and dropped him in the center of the village.
When Vithos began to clap enthusiastically, Basen became confused. It took a moment to realize it wasn’t the thought of visiting Fatholl or the pretty Elven woman that excited Vithos but the portal itself.
Despite the strain, Basen cracked a smile. Vithos had a way of improving every situation, whether he meant to or not. The Elf let out a laugh that bordered on triumphant as he ran and jumped in. Basen calmly walked in after.
The world spit him out almost immediately. He tumbled with little sense of up or down before finally coming to a stop. Vithos was groaning yet chuckling at the same time, as if his own pain amused him.
“Feel sick,” the Elf muttered with a huge grin.
As his surroundings came into focus, Basen saw many other Elves and Krepps around him. All seemed busy with their own tasks, none noticing him yet.
“Come on,” he said as he hurried toward a large tree.
He and Vithos moved between its trunk and a nearby building that seemed to be a storage place for food. Noticing Elves working inside through the window, Basen knew he needed to move again.
“This way.” He led Vithos around the building, but a clear lane of grass made him slow to a normal walk so as not to draw attention to himself and his companion.
“Where are we going?” Vithos asked.
“Somewhere hidden, if we can.”
“Oh, yes to spy.”
Vithos took the lead, guiding Basen through the village at a normal pace. They passed by many groups of Elves and Krepps, but Basen never saw the two races working together as they had the last time he’d been here. He kept his head down, like Vithos, in hopes of not being recognized.
Fortunately, it was a short trip to an Elven house that seemed to be Vithos’ destination. It was identical to many of the other smaller buildings, with short walls made of brick painted white and a red sturdy roof. In fact, it looked like the homes Basen would find in any human city.
Vithos knocked and a beautiful Elf answered the door. The corner of her mouth curled at seeing Vithos, then the other corner came up to form a wide grin as she glanced at Basen.
Expecting them to speak, Basen grew confused when only silence followed. Their expressions changed from smiling, to confusion, to understanding as the female Elf nodded.
She opened the door farther and stepped aside. Basen followed Vithos in with a nervous feeling in his stomach.
“Thank you,” Basen said.
“You’re welcome.” She had a different accent from Vithos. His was Kreppen, rough like rocks tumbling down a hill, while hers was clearly Elvish, as smooth as a ribbon dancing in the wind.
She looked at Vithos. Her eyebrows lifted as if posing a question. He began to shake his head, then stopped and put his hand on his chin in thought. Then he nodded as he shrugged his shoulders.
Basen cleared his throat as he realized they might’ve been discussing whether to venture into the bedroom. The woman pointed at Basen, then looked back at Vithos with her eyebrows raised again.
Vithos put up his palm and shook his head.
The woman laughed. “Jealous?”
Vithos laughed snidely to imitate her. “No.”
“Do you know about my promise to Fatholl?” Basen asked her in hopes of steering the conversation to where it needed to go.
“No. What promise?”
“He gave us Krepps and armor in exchange for my return to do some task for him. He wouldn’t tell me what it was. Now that I’m back…” Basen looked at Vithos. “Can we trust her?”
Vithos squinted as he stared at the woman, tilting his head from side to side. She folded her arms, clearly insulted.
“Yes, you can trust me!”
“All right, we trust you,” Vithos said. “You not tell Fatholl we’re here?”
“Why?”
Basen explained, “I need to get a sense of what he has planned for me.”
“Why?”
Fatholl clearly wasn’t the same threatening Elf to her that he was to Basen. She wasn’t the right one to go to for information.
“I think we should see Zoke,” Basen whispered to Vithos.
“All right, we try. But his house is farther. We might get seen.”
“Wait,” the woman said. “Tell me why are you afraid, handsome human?”
“I’m not afraid. I’m just trying to figure out what he wants.”
She showed Basen a sly smile. “You are afraid, but I find out for you. Wait here.” She hurried off.
“Was she lying?” Basen asked.
“No, but I don’t trust her,” Vithos said.
“Then why are we here?”
“Less risky than finding Zoke. He not often in his house. She might know something. He won’t.”
“She doesn’t know anything. She just said so.”
“She might find out something,” Vithos corrected himself. “Zoke can’t.”
Basen supposed it was settled, then. They would wait here.
In the time that followed, Basen began to wonder why this woman was the one Vithos went to first. “Don’t you have other friends here besides her? Perhaps someone else would have less reason to betray you.”
“She has no reason to betray me.”
“You told me she doesn’t like you, and that seemed obvious from your interaction.”
“She likes my body. If she betrays me, she doesn’t get it anymore.”
“That’s not…” Basen stopped himself. Actually, he supposed it was relevant, and he had to admit he knew nothing about this woman. If Vithos says she’s our best option, she must be.
A short time later, the woman returned. She looked apologetic as she entered with her hands clasped. “I tried,” she said.
Basen muttered a curse as Vithos blurted out an expletive in Kreppen.
In came Fatholl behind her, not at all pleased to see Basen. A couple other Elves walked in after him and stayed close behind as their leader approached.
“Give me the akorell stone,” Fatholl demanded.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Fatholl said nothing after he took the stone. The other Elves grabbed Vithos by his arms. They said something in Elvish to him, his surprise changing to disappointment. He walked out of the woman’s house with them, but not before giving Basen a worried look over his shoulder.
Basen didn’t have a chance to figure out what to ask Vithos before everyone, even the Elven woman, was gone.
“Wait,” Basen said as he went for the door.
To his surprise, it was unlocked. He went after the Elves. “Where are you taking Vithos?” And my akorell stone?
“He’ll be fine,” Fatholl called over his shoulder.
It didn’t seem so much that they were running away from Basen but that they were in a hurry and Basen and Vithos’ arrival had inconvenienced them. In fact, Fatholl didn’t even threaten Basen to stay in the woman’s house.
“What’s going on?” Basen yelled at the now distant Elves, drawing the gazes of many more.
No one answered him. He looked around for a clue, but the Elves pretended he didn’t exist. He hurried after Vithos, and that finally drew the attention he’d expected earlier.
“No,” one Elf said, putting out his hand. He was not part of the group escorting Vithos.
All the Elves are part of this, Basen realized as he noticed none of them appeared surprised by what was happening. Their eerie gray and green eyes, their damned perfect, creamy skin, irritatingly beautiful…was this how it felt to be a Krepp in the Academy? All of them looked at Basen as if he didn’t belong, waiting for him to return to the empty house.