by E A Hooper
“Tendrils?”
“Reaper’s power lets him move objects with his invisible aura,” Pyre explained. “However, his meta causes his aura to become visible aether. He stabbed Bastion with about twenty tendrils at once, killing him instantly.”
“We should tell Valx about Reaper’s metamorphosis,” Radu said. “That way, he’s prepared.”
“You can, but I don’t want to talk to Valx. Not after what he did to our half-siblings.”
Radu nodded. “I understand, brother. But you do understand that you might have to fight against the Northern lords, right? Our remaining siblings might not be happy about that.”
“I’d don’t want to fight anymore, but if the lords break the peace first, then I’ll have no choice but to intervene. However, the same goes for Valx. So, you better keep an eye on him.”
“I will, but like I keep saying, he seems defeated. All the weight of this war has finally broken him.”
A sad look crossed Pyre’s face, and the amber-eyed thief stared into a dark corner of the tent with a blank expression. “I guess I understand how he feels.”
Radu looked in the same direction, wondering what his brother was staring at. “You see something?”
“Oh, no,” Pyre said with a nervous smile. “Just thought I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was nothing as usual.”
“Then I’ll go talk to Valx. You can drag another sleeping roll in here if you want.”
Pyre smirked at Radu and Lullum. “I won’t be interrupting anything will I?”
“Not with Radu this anxious about the peace summit,” Lullum joked.
“Yeah, he’s doing that brow-crinkle thing,” Pyre said, looking at his brother. “I’d almost forgotten about that.”
“So, I’m not the only one to notice,” Lullum replied.
Radu sighed. “This is the moment I’ve dreaded for a year. I knew you’d both poke fun at me when you met one another.” He opened the tent flap and smiled. “I’m glad you haven’t changed too much, brother.”
Chapter 29
Valx sat in the grass, his arms shackled, at the top of a hill at the edge of the Kingsland camp. He watched as the sun set and stars appeared overhead. He tried to imagine what a star looked like up close. A great ball of aether, he imagined. Bigger and more powerful than anything I’ve ever made.
He watched the stars twinkle as the sky turned black. His eyes followed the trail of dense stars that created a milky path over the sky. I think Xulthen had a story about that. Something about it being the path the old spirits followed to reach our world. And when they left, they’d return down that familiar, glowing road.
He thought about Xulthen, recalling old times with his friend. I remember when we stole that honeybeer and ran on the rooftops to escape. We thought we could do anything. We thought good times like those would never end. Images of the attack on Tunra and the battle of Direlight crossed his mind. Xulthen said it was like following a great-hunter from wyrgen mythology. If only he knew he was following a monster into battle. Maybe he’d have avoided his fate.
His thoughts drifted to different people. He tried to remember his mom’s face, but it almost didn’t feel real anymore. It’s like a memory of a memory of her. That’s all she is now. I wish she could’ve been here for all this. She would’ve guided me down a better path. She’d be so disappointed to see what I’ve done.
Valx sighed, and his body relaxed. He almost felt like he could drift away into the stars. It doesn’t matter. They’re all gone. I can’t bring them back. I can’t go back to those good days. Hell, even the days traveling with Pyre and Radu seem like good memories now. Even though, at the time, I thought it was a nightmare. Losing everyone and running away from Northern assassins. If I’d made better choices, I could’ve walked a different path.
His eyes sharpened on one bright, white star. What was it Velumis said Bastion told him? That if I had stayed on that mountain with Roz, I could’ve lived a peaceful life? That’s right. I made that choice. I could’ve had a peaceful life. Despite everything that happened. Everything that I lost. I could’ve chosen a peaceful path.
Valx lowered his head. He wanted to cry, but he didn’t have the strength for it anymore. Just look at what Roz has done. What she’s accomplished. I’m so proud of her. She became everything I wished I could’ve been. She’s a genuine hero. And the twins—they’ve gone through as much as I have. They didn’t always make good choices, but they kept trying. Even Mil, with no power of any kind, tried to do the right thing. She wanted to help people in her way. She couldn’t connect with people, but she still tried to do something good with her life.
His heart grew heavy in his chest. Mil really believed in me. Even after I wronged her, she still believed in me. Believed I could do great things. So, did Roz. And Yahn. King Thod. Nevin. Barthlomex. Velumis. Lorkle and Pailim. Grenfei and Pyre—at least until recently. Maybe Radu, but I still can’t read that guy. I’ve let them all down, but I still have one last chance to make the right choice. I can give myself to Reaper. Not because I want to die, but because it’s the only thing I can do to help end this war. If I can make even one good decision, that’d be it.
A shape walked up the embankment toward him. He couldn’t recognize Radu in the dark until the king had almost reached him.
“Why are you in chains?” Radu asked.
“I asked for them,” Valx said. “I deserve these shackles.”
Radu sat down next to Valx. The king stared up at the stars overhead. “Beautiful night, huh?”
“It is,” Valx replied. “Been a while since I sat and watched the stars. Might be my last time, so I might stay up late.”
“Pyre just arrived,” Radu told him.
“Why are you here then?” Valx asked. “You should spend time with your brother. You’ve been separated for too long.”
“I just needed to talk to you for a minute,” Radu said. “I wanted to make sure you’d be willing to fight if Reaper tries something.”
“I’ll try,” Valx said. “However, I’d rather hand myself over peacefully. It’s the one good thing I can do. Maybe Ter’al can find peace without me here.”
Radu shook his head, and Valx thought he saw a tear. “No,” the king said. “That’s not right. After everything we went through together, I didn’t want to see you end up like this, Valx. If only we could’ve known what fate had planned for us back then. We could’ve done things differently.”
“No point in worrying about that,” Valx said. “I’ve worried too much about the past. Too much about the future. I just want to sit and watch the stars a bit.”
Radu flashed a sad expression. “Alright, Valx. I only wanted you to be prepared. Pyre says Reaper’s power lets him move objects with his aura. His metamorphosis turns his aura into visible vines made of aether.”
“So, kind of like Lilan’s,” Valx said. “Only not as gruesome. Her blood drained from her body and glowed with aether-like power. It took a monstrous form around her, but my metamorphosis let me cut through it. I’m sure I can do the same to Reaper’s.”
“Excellent,” Radu replied. “But if we’re lucky, it won’t come to that.”
“If you’re all lucky,” Valx said, smiling. “Not me, though. But I hope that’s the case. I hope by this time tomorrow, Ter’al is at peace.”
“At least until the Feyans arrive,” Radu said. “Then it’ll be more war—more suffering.”
“And hopefully, there’ll be more people like you doing the right thing,” Valx said. “You’re a good person, Radu. I know you question that about yourself, and I know you’ve done some bad stuff. However, you’ve always done the right thing when forced into a choice. You kept telling your brother that you didn’t want to travel with me, but you did it anyway. You helped me anyway. You fought General Cydon anyway. You came back to save me after I attacked you. You were a good friend despite everything. I really appreciate that. I wish I had been more like you.”
Valx saw more tears
build in the king’s eyes, and Radu remained silent.
“Shouldn’t you return to your brother?” Valx asked. “I thought you were only here to talk for a minute?”
“I guess I want to sit and watch the stars a little while longer,” Radu replied, sadly.
Valx smiled and returned his gaze to the twinkling night sky.
Chapter 30
Roz and Myamere rode as long as they could every day before Roz succumbed to the pain of her wounds. She passed out anytime she laid down to rest, and the two medical guildsmen that had followed them would beg them not to continue each morning. But every morning, Roz would rise, shout for everyone to awake, and then jump back on her horse. She rode until her side ached worse than anything she’d ever felt and kept riding beyond that. Some evenings, she climbed off the horse and felt blood at her side.
“You can’t keep doing this to yourself,” Myamere told her. “Please, Roz. You’re killing yourself.”
“We must make it in time,” she said, her voice quivering.
“We won’t make it,” one medical guildsman said. “Even with the path through Farwood that Reaper said would be faster. We can’t make it for the Red Moon.”
“We’ll make it,” Roz said, her eyes full of determination. “We’ll make it, even if I’m spitting up blood when we get there.
She passed out soon after, and the next morning, she arose with renewed vigor. She shouted at everyone to get on their horses, and they followed the path all day and into the night.
We’ll make it, she told herself. We have to make it.
She barely slept that night, knowing the Red Moon was less than a day away. Roz forced herself up before the sun, and their party made haste across Reaper’s territory. They rode until Roz’s side bled, and she ignored everyone’s pleas to stop and rest.
“We have to be there,” she told them. “No matter what, I have to be there.”
Halfway through the day, Roz collapsed and fell off her horse. She heard the voices of Myamere and the medical guildsmen shouting in worry. The Godblade hunched over her with tears in his eyes.
“We can’t keep going,” one doctor said, his voice straining. “We need rest. The full peace summit will likely last for a week. Today, they’ll probably only agree to continue the temporary armistice while outlining a draft to the real pact.”
“Almost there,” Roz said, weakly. “We’re almost there.”
The first day of the summit is supposed to start after the sun sets. The North will want to have an outline of an agreement by the time the Red Moon ends. The clans have always seen the Red Moon as a reminder by the gods that humans are mortal. It’s supposed to be a time for humility. If Reaper wants a truce, then that’s the most important time. It’s also the point Valx is most likely to ruin everything if he hasn’t already.
“Myamere,” Roz whined. “Please. Take me there.”
The Godblade looked at her with sad eyes. “Are you sure?”
Roz nodded.
Myamere lifted her from the ground and helped her onto his horse. He tied Cauli’s sword to the horse, so Roz wouldn’t have to carry it. “Hey, look at that,” he said. “Cauli let me hold her. If only because you don’t have the strength left to.”
He kicked his heels into the horse’s side, and they took off, leaving the bewildered medical guildsmen behind.
They traveled nonstop for several more hours, and as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, they finally saw the camps of various nations. Roz could see Fort Darkwood illuminated by torches in the distance. Her eyes could make out the shape of tents in the torchlight. When she looked up, she saw the moon had already shifted to a reddish color. It’s started. The peace summit has already begun.
Roz groaned, grabbing at her side. “Oh, gods. It hurts so much.”
Myamere stopped and stared at her with worry. “We need to rest. If it’s already started, there’s nothing we can do but wait.”
Roz grabbed Cauli’s sword. The blade felt empty and devoid of its power. Eldsworth is still suppressing everyone’s power. So, maybe the peace pact is going as planned.
“Okay,” Roz told Myamere. “Let’s figure out which of these camps is the Western one. We can finally rest. Maybe I was overreacting after all.”
She felt a jolt from Cauli’s blade, and her mouth fell open.
“What is it?” Myamere asked.
“I can feel Cauli’s power,” she told him. “Eldsworth has enabled powers. Oh, gods.”
“Don’t panic,” the Godblade said. “It might’ve been agreed upon. You know those greatborn like to show off their powers. We can’t know for sure that something bad has happened.”
Roz’s breathing quickened, and she struggled not to fall off the horse a second time that day. Her body trembled, and stabbing pains shot through her side. “No, let’s ride to the tents. Just in case.”
“You don’t have the strength to fight,” Myamere said. “Hell, I don’t either. We barely got any sleep. We must trust our king and our allies. You should trust Valx too. I know he’s let you down before, but maybe he’ll do the right thing this time.”
Roz wiped sweat from her forehead. She squinted, trying to watch the tents in the darkness. She thought she saw movement, but she couldn’t be sure with her strained vision.
Stay conscious, Roz. Just a little while longer. You can rest when the war is over.
She squinted her eyes harder, focusing on the tents. Just as Myamere pulled the reins for the horse to trot forward, a flash of green light appeared from the tents. A white light followed soon after.
Chapter 31
Radu and his entourage approached the tents as the sun neared the horizon. He’d impatiently waited all day for the meeting to begin and didn’t like the idea of starting the peace pact at night. The other nations hadn’t even gathered their representatives yet, but he wanted to be there as early as possible.
Pyre, Lullum, Grenfei, Beldivare, Gelmont, and Vastalt followed alongside him. Valx trailed behind their group, his arms still shackled.
An aristocratic-looking man stood in front of the tent and nodded when they approached. From his gray hair to his form-fitted clothes, Radu guessed his identity.
“Lord Embry, I presume?” Radu asked.
The man looked at Radu with wide eyes. “That’s right,” he answered. “And you—you really are the image of your father. You look just like Reaper when he and my father made their alliance. It’s like history is repeating all over again.”
Embry looked over the group. “Welcome, all of you. You’re a little early, but that’s okay. Most the lords and Northern generals are already here and waiting. Except for Reaper. He’ll be out of the fort shortly.”
Radu looked at the group of Northerners seated around five large tables under the tents. He guessed right away the two men at the center table were Cyril and Eldsworth. He supposed the others to the left and right tables were their generals. Except the two younger people sitting at the farthest table on the right. He looked at the glossy-eyed young man and the gloomy-looking girl beside him. That one’s obviously Tachios. So, the girl must be Bels. Why’s she here?
Embry stared past their group at the shackled man with white hair. Most the Northerners seemed to be glaring at Valx.
Valx kept his eyes low to the ground and didn’t speak, but he seemed calm despite his certain death sentence.
“It’s good you brought him,” Embry told Radu. “We were worried you might change your mind, or that he’d run away. Reaper is beyond furious at what he did.”
“I couldn’t care less if he’s mad or not,” Radu replied. “He only gets Valx if he makes a good offer for the peace pact.”
Eldsworth chuckled. “No wonder my men couldn’t hold Eyl’step,” he told Cyril. “This young king is something else. Wish I could’ve had him in my arena. Oh, Pyre! How are you?”
Pyre glared at Eldsworth and Cyril.
“Nice to see you again,” Cryil told Pyre. “I hope you’re not still mad
about your friend. It was his own fault after all.”
Pyre clenched his fists, but Radu placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder.
“Are you all going to act like bastards this whole summit?” Radu questioned.
“Oh no,” Embry said with a look of embarrassment. “I apologize for my fellow lords. Their clans never developed any kind of manners. Mine, however, knows how to treat guests properly. I’ll send for servants to bring food and wine if you like.”
“I’d rather not get poisoned,” Beldivare said to Radu.
“We already ate,” Radu told Embry.
“Well, come sit down,” Embry told them. “Only the leaders of each nation get a seat at the center table. Your guests, representatives, guardsmen, or whoever these people are can sit at the tables to the left and right. Pyre, you may have a seat at the center table if you’d like.”
Radu and Pyre sat at the center table across from Eldsworth and Cryil. Lullum and Grenfei sat at the table right of center. Vastalt, Beldivare, and Gelmont went to the first table on the left.
Embry stared at Valx. “I suppose you should sit at the center table. You’re almost like our guest of honor.” The lord laughed, nervously.
Valx joined the center table without a word.
Thelmia stepped from the entrance of the fort and approached the tents. She sat down at the center table and stared at Valx with hate in her eyes. “Why’s that monster at our table?” she asked. “He should be on his knees with his head on an executioner’s block.”
“Lady Thelmia,” Embry said, joining the main table. “Please, most the people at this summit have reasons to hate one another. Let’s work through our problems and figure out what’s best for Ter’al.”