The Aether Knight

by E A Hooper

  Chapter 9

  Sweat dripped down Pyre’s face and chest as he threw punches in the air at his imaginary foe. The faceless warrior knocked away his strikes and countered with a fierce neck strike. Pyre had no doubt the attack would’ve killed him if the enemy had been real.

  The more I mimic his moves, the sharper and more defined his moves become, Pyre realized, falling back against the cold wall. The harder I hit, the harder he hits back. The faster I strike, the faster he reacts. I can’t win. I just can’t.

  He stared at the shadowy figure. When he looked too close, the figure disappeared, and he found himself staring at the wall of his dark cell. Why am I still fighting this thing in my head? It doesn’t matter. Nothing I do matters from this point. I can’t beat him, and I can’t escape on my own. I’m completely powerless. I can only wait and hope they hand me over at the peace summit. All my training doesn’t matter. All my suffering so far doesn’t mean anything.

  He gazed at the dark corner of the cell and imagined the three children that Eldsworth had killed because of him. Behind them, the corner darkened and grew in size until he thought he saw the outline of his friend Lorrick.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” he told the shadows. “Any of you. I can’t save anyone. I can’t even save myself.”

  Pyre sank to the floor, and tears gathered in his eyes. “Gods damn, I’m crying again? I thought I got all these emotions out of me months ago. I thought I’d finally grown cold and dead inside. Guess the idea of getting out of here is making me sentimental. Or maybe Eldsworth finally broke me. It’s like all he’s wanted this whole time is to break a son of Reaper. Just for the fun of it.”

  His vision waned, and the shadows of the dead seemed to merge in the corner of his vision. The faceless warrior reformed and took a fighting stance. Pyre struggled to stand, his muscles burning. He made it halfway up before falling to the stone floor. “I can’t,” he said. “I can’t keep fighting. It’s over. I’m done.”

  Pyre rubbed the tears from his eyes, and the figure vanished. He sighed and laid against the wall. He stared at the bars of his cell, which he could barely see in the dark. His mind filled with thoughts about the outside world, his friends, and his brother.

  A few minutes passed, and then a door at the end of the hall creaked. Pyre blinked a couple of times, realizing he had almost fallen asleep against the stone wall. Torchlight filled the hall, and he listened as footsteps neared his cell.

  His two half-siblings stepped into view. Bels carried the torch and stared at him with a blank expression. Tachios held her arm because he couldn’t see while Eldsworth kept powers disabled.

  “Is he here?” Tachios asked Bels.

  “Yeah, I’m here,” Pyre responded.

  “Oh, you’re awake,” Tachios replied. “That’s good. I thought I’d have to wake you.”

  “I don’t even know what time it is,” Pyre said. “There’s little light in this dungeon. They feed me at erratic times. It’s been days since Eldsworth dragged me out for his amusement.”

  “You’ll be let out soon,” Tachios said. “He’s angry that Radu and Lunori took back Eyl’Step, and I think he’s punishing you for it. However, he’s preparing for us to set out tomorrow. You’ll stay in chains during the trip and won’t have access to your powers, but you’ll get to sleep under a tent instead of in a dungeon. Quite the improvement to be honest.”

  “Is Bels going with us?” he asked, looking at his sister.

  “She is,” Tachios responded.

  “Is she healthy enough to?” Pyre asked. “She doesn’t look well.”

  “Don’t worry about her,” his brother said, dismissably. “We all have to make sacrifices for the sake of peace. You have your chains, I have my blindness, and she has Eldsworth.”

  “But when this is all over, you’ll at least see auras, and I’ll be free,” Pyre countered. “What does our sister gain from any of this?”

  “She gets to be the wife of a lord,” Tachios replied. “Most women would suffer through anything for such a reward.”

  “Not when that lord is Eldsworth,” Pyre said. “If you could see your sister—not just her aura but her face—I don’t know if you’d feel the same. She’s suffering, Tachios. Your sister is suffering. Don’t you care?”

  “Are you really suffering, Bels?” Tachios asked.

  She didn’t reply, but she looked at Pyre with hollow eyes.

  “Gods dammit,” Pyre said. “She’s too afraid to say anything because she knows she doesn’t have a choice. Reaper forced her into this.”

  “She could’ve said no,” Tachios said. “Lilan said no to Eldsworth before her. She had a choice.”

  “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like Lilan is treated differently from your other siblings,” Pyre grumbled.

  Tachios’s face twisted in a way that reminded Pyre of when Radu was angry but trying to hide it. “Maybe she is. It doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that the peace summit is a success. I’ve been talking with Eldsworth about Bastion’s prophecy. From what you said the other day, it sounded like you knew about it.”

  “Bastion? Who’s that?”

  “Ah, you don’t know? It’s why I came to talk to you. That and Bels wanted to check on you now that her strength has returned.”

  “Thanks, Bels,” Pyre said. “I hope you feel better.”

  She nodded at him.

  “Bastion was a friend of our father,” Tachios told Pyre. “He could see the strands of fate, and he foresaw that Ter’al would be invaded by an army of greatborn from Fey’al. The only string of fate where our nations survived was one where a descendant of Dragon and Reaper united Ter’al against the Feyans.”

  “Wait, Fey’al is real?” Pyre questioned, trying to take in the information. “And they’re going to send an army of greatborn to destroy our nations? Why?”

  “Fey’al is a land of great empires,” Tachios replied. “They rise and conquer and fall. In the millennia since our ancestors left, a new empire must’ve conquered Fey’al. Maybe they’re spreading to other continents. Bastion said he saw them spreading across the world.”

  “Reminds me of a book my brother talked about,” Pyre said, reminiscing. “About the continent of Un’al. I didn’t think it was real either.”

  “Our brother has a copy of that book?” Tachios said with surprise. “There’s only one book on Un’al. It was written by the infamous explorer Garold Brun. An Easterner that discovered several islands a hundred years ago. He was famous and well-liked until his discovery of Un’al. Only five of his shipmates made it back from the arduous journey. They were starved and half-delirious. No one believed their tale of another continent full of lizard people. King Anirew stripped him of his funds for future exploration, and he became an outcast. There were only a hundred copies ever made of his final book, Journey to a Foreign Land. Our father acquired multiple copies in his search for information about other continents. I’ve read the book myself. The most interesting part is that the lizard people Garold discovered recognized humans and wyrgen. He couldn’t understand their language, but they kept saying Fey’al as if that’s where he was from.”

  “How would they know about Fey’al?” Pyre asked. “Radu said Un’al is east from the lowest portion of Ter’al. Isn’t Fey’al to the far, far west?”

  “The world is round, brother,” Tachios explained. “Since they couldn’t understand one another, Garold tried to draw the natives a map of Ter’al and added the portion of Un’al he had explored. The lizard people then showed Garold a map of Un’al. He described it as a long, crescent shape with the lowest tip being a week’s journey from Ter’al. Un’al is several times wider than Ter’al, and the other end of the crescent might be closer to Fey’al than Fey’al is to us. Considering Fey’al is across the ocean, and Bastion claimed it was a much larger continent than Ter’al. It might even be larger than Un’al.”

  Pyre sat in contemplation. “Do you think that’s how they’ll find
us?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “That explorer guy drew them a map of Ter’al. Did his book say whether he took it back?”

  “Not that I recall.”

  “So, they had a map of Ter’al. If they had occasional contact with Feyans, the lizard guys probably showed them that map at some point. Maybe word got back to Fey’al about us. But that was a hundred years ago. I would think they’d send an exploration ship by now.”

  “It might’ve been years before that map made it to Feyan hands,” Tachios said. “Or maybe it never did. The lizard people were familiar with humans and wyrgen, but that could’ve been from Feyan explorers that rarely visited. Maybe decades went by before they saw them again. Or maybe the Feyans have known about us for years but haven’t cared to send exploration ships across the ocean. It would be an expensive journey.”

  “So, we’re not worth their time until they need a new land to conquer.”

  “I suppose so.”

  Pyre sighed. “How long we got?”

  “Bastion didn’t say. The earliest point in time for the invasion would be when our father’s grandchildren are adults. Because that’s the earliest that a descendant of Dragon and Reaper could reach adulthood. However, first contact could come earlier. They’d send exploration ships before a full-on invasion.”

  “Then why is the North fighting everyone? They could work with the West, Bay Nation, and the Islanders to sink any foreign ships that enter our waters.”

  “That’s why father was adamant about working with the Islanders. It’s also why he wants to control the West. Our family is the only bloodline strong enough to lead a multi-generational task such as this. Father thinks highly of his old friend, Thod, but he doesn’t think his descendants can be trusted with the task of protecting Ter’al. Thod’s father and grandfather weren’t like him. His children might be more like them. So, it’s up to our bloodline and Dragon’s to protect Ter’al.”

  “By Dragon’s, you mean Valx,” Pyre said. “He’s the last one left, and I can’t see him marrying one of our siblings.”

  “Our sister Lilan is obsessed with him. He almost died fighting his brother, and she fixed his injury with her power. She told me in secret that she left a piece of her power inside him. She wants to find him later and marry him. It pains me to admit, but if they produce a child, it might be the hero that saves Ter’al.”

  “Why does that pain you to admit?”

  “My sister Lilan is not someone I’d trust with the future of Ter’al, and neither is Valx. That man is an animal. His brother offered him the opportunity for peace, and he refused.”

  “I don’t blame Valx for that. Wyvern was responsible for their mother’s death.”

  “And that woman killed her own husband. Now, one of the bloodlines required to save Ter’al has been reduced to a lone bastard driven by hatred. Do you realize how close we are to losing everything, brother? If Valx doesn’t fall in line, if he doesn’t put his hate behind him, then all our nations will fall. Do you understand how serious this is?”

  Pyre closed his eyes. “Why don’t you let fate do what fate’s going to do?”

  “Are you an idiot?” Tachios shouted. “We’re talking about entire nations getting razed to the ground.”

  “No one can control fate. You might be able to step in the right direction from time to time, but you can’t control everything. Reaper can’t control everything.”

  “You don’t know him,” Tachios countered. “If anyone can save Ter’al, it’s him.”

  “Look how well things are going for Reaper. His closest friend died because they betrayed their other friends. Wyvern died because Reaper pushed for this war. This war that has made Ter’al weaker instead of uniting us. Our father thought he could control everything, and he’s done nothing but fail. That’s what this peace summit is for, isn’t it? Because he realized his schemes have done nothing to bring us closer to the string of fate or whatever it is Bastion saw. If anything, Reaper’s schemes have brought us closer to demise.”

  “That’s not true. You just don’t understand. You can’t see the entire picture like he can. If you knew him, you’d understand.”

  “I’ve heard several people compare Reaper to Radu, and I know Radu better than anyone. Radu likes to control everything as well, however, he at least understands he can’t control every situation. There’s something he always likes to say: There’re always unaccounted-for variables. No matter how much you plot. No matter how smart you are. No matter how much of the power you hold. There will always be something you can’t see. Something you can’t control. Some element of chaos that can undo everything you’ve accomplished.”

  “Unaccounted variables? Like what?”

  “Like Valx’s mother killing her husband. Or Valx killing his brother. Reaper couldn’t predict those things. He couldn’t control those things. He couldn’t stop them from happening. Just like he can’t stop Fey’al from sending its army.”

  “So, we should lay over and die? Wait for extermination?”

  “No, what Reaper should’ve done is been honest with his friends. Worked with them. He could’ve told Thod everything. He could’ve worked to bring peace to the nations. The people of Ter’al could’ve spent the last twenty years preparing for the invasion.”

  “No one would’ve listened. Most of Ter’al still thought greatborn were legends by that point. Our father’s own friends didn’t want to listen to his plans. He and Dragon realized they were the only ones that could take control of the situation.”

  “Well, they were wrong. Dragon died. Reaper has torn Ter’al to pieces trying to control everyone. He failed. Reaper failed.” Pyre opened his eyes, and he could see anger on his half-brother’s face.

  “He didn’t fail. He won’t fail. Our father is—”

  “You’re kind of pathetic,” Pyre interrupted.

  “What’s that?” Tachios shouted into the cell.

  “Stop trying to defend everything Reaper’s done. Just because he won’t open his eyes to his own faults, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. You’re only trying to appease him because he raised all of you to do whatever he says. He’s a controlling monster. I’m freer in this cell than you’ve been in your entire life. At least my thoughts are my own. I’m my own man.”

  In the torchlight, Pyre could see Tachios tighten his fists. Then the half-brother’s arms fell limp at his side. “You don’t know what it’s like in his shadow. Father has accomplished so much. The other lords look up to him. The clans revere him. All I ever wanted was his respect and to be like him. When he told me about Bastion’s prophecy, it’s like everything made sense. The way he treated his children. His coldness. I wanted to use that as an excuse for him being a bad father. Because saving Ter’al is more important than how happy we are.”

  “You really think he’d be any different if Ter’al weren’t in danger?” Pyre asked. “You see what he’s putting Bels through? Her forced marriage has nothing to do with the prophecy as far as I can tell.”

  “You might be right, but I need to believe in our father. I need to believe he can save Ter’al because I don’t think anyone else can. If he can’t control fate, then what chance do we have? You and I are pale imitations of him. The rest of the lords and kings and queens of Ter’al can’t compare to his genius. What chance does Ter’al stand against an older, more powerful civilization? If he’s not in control, then there’s no such thing as control. We’re living in a world of chaos where everything important can be taken in a heartbeat. Just like my sight and your freedom.”

  “All we can do is make the best of the situation. I’ve used my captivity to grow stronger and faster. I’ve been developing a new fighting style too. And Eldsworth keeps switching my powers on and off, so I’ve become really attuned to feeling for my power. Sometimes, I can almost feel it bubbling up when he has them disabled. I can’t use them, but I feel it. I try to compress it like when I used that metamorphosis thing. Every time he lets me use my power,
I can feel my fire getting hotter and hotter. Something about losing my power gives me a different view on it.”

  “I suppose my power has grown considerably since I lost my sight. I’m not even that angry about what Valx did to me anymore. Except when Eldsworth won’t let me see.”

  “It’s still there. Like my fire. I can almost feel it even now. I can’t draw out the flames, but it’s there. Can you feel your sight at all?”

  Tachios stared with glazed eyes across the cell. His face stopped as it found Pyre. “I think—I can’t see your aura, but I can almost see a dent in the darkness. Like a vague shape. Is that you?”

  “Yeah,” Pyre replied. “You see? Eldsworth suppresses powers, but he can’t get rid of them completely. Now, the next time he allows you to use your power, focus on that impression you got. If you can find it like you did now, your power should be even stronger. That’s how it worked with my fire at least.”

  “Interesting.”

  “You understand, now? You can’t control everything, but you can make the best of it. Maybe with this prophecy, everyone should just do the best they can to prepare. Hopefully, fate will take care of the rest. The more Reaper tries to control fate, the more it seems like it spits in his face. Maybe he should worry about himself and his people instead of the rest of Ter’al.”

  “He’ll never listen to that sentiment, but I’ll keep it in mind for myself. Maybe it’s time I step out from his shadow. Find my own path.”

  “Good thinking. You should start by helping Bels get away from Eldsworth. That man is a monster. Surely, you’ve realized this.”

  “Eldsworth is a close ally of our father.” Tachios paused. “However, he’s no friend of mine. I’ll see what I can do. Would you like that, Bels?”

  The silent girl reached over and hugged her brother.

  “Oh?” Tachios said, surprised. “You can stop that now, but I’ll take it as a thank you.”

  Pyre grinned at his half-siblings, and Bels flashed a slight smile.