“Yes, we were cruel, we were evil. So punish us. Strike me, hit me! I can take it…”
“You don’t think I will?”
“…do whatever you need to, only please return to us. The forest is dying.”
“Because you chose to kill it!”
She grabbed his arm. “And you can save it!”
“NOOOOOOO!”
Akar swept his arm, catching her hard in the face. Iris fell to the deck with a loud thump. Even after everything that had happened, even after so many years in exile, the sight of a man striking a woman still shocked everyone into silence.
Iris coughed, spitting out blood and a tooth that had been knocked loose.
Rockrose Teak offered to help her rise, but Iris declined.
“No, it’s all right,” she said sternly. “I deserved that”
She got back up on her feet, standing bravely before Akar. Already her face was swelling. “It’s only a drop in the bucket, compared to what I did to him.”
Akar looked down at his fist, little droplets of her blood spattered on his knuckles.
Turning around, he stomped away.
* * *
As Athel sat in the dark, the door creaked open, and Pops came in with his bucket, slowly mopping the floor before him as he backed up.
If he noticed her, he made no sign of it, only hummed quietly to himself like he always did, his old eyes focused on his task.
It was as if nothing else existed for him. Only the room, him and his cleaning tools.
“Why do you clean, Pops?” she asked, her voice hoarse. “What’s the point?”
He rested his hands on the handle and thought for a moment, as if it had never occurred to him.
“I dunno,” he shrugged. “I suppose it makes people feel better to be in a clean room. They’re nicer, more patient, they smile more.”
He looked over and gave her a friendly wink. “I like it when people smile.”
He clucked his tongue, and got back to work. She marveled at the years of quiet, selfless labor she had watched him perform. Without thanks, often without pay. It reminded her of Alder.
“You’re a good man, Pops. The world needs more cleaners.”
Before she realized what he was doing, he shoved his mop into her hand, then went out into the corridor to fetch a new one for himself.
When he came back in, he looked at her standing there.
“Left, right, rinse, take a step back,” he explained.
He dunked his mop into the bucket and began. Left, right, rinse, then he took a step back.
Athel joined him. Left, right, rinse, take a step back.
Together, they worked in silence, going from one end of the room to the other. They gathered up trash as they went, straightened the bunk, and freshened up the locker. When they reached the far end, he opened up the porthole, letting in some sunlight to check for any spots they had missed.
The room felt lighter, brighter, more wholesome. Looking at it, Athel had to admit, she did feel a little bit better.
Pops reached into his pocket and handed her a chain of prayer beads.
“I know things are grim, Athel. But, you must have faith.”
She looked at them, not sure what to do.
He placed his old hand on hers and closed her fingers around the beads. “You must have faith. Not because the gods need it, but because you need it.”
* * *
Iris found Akar working by himself in the cargo hold.
“Taking inventory?” she asked as she drew near.
“We need to know how much food and water we have, to know how long it will last us.”
“You’re a good man,” she appraised. “You look out for them. I can see why they look to you.”
“What do you want?”
“Many of the men gave their voice. They’d like to go with us.”
“The rest will follow my lead.”
“Yes, they trust you, I can see that.”
She leaned up against a water barrel. “You men have such a unique way of leading. It’s different from a woman, but not bad either. You are like the tip of a spear, the first to go, all else following behind. Our women tend to lead from afar and command from the rear.”
Akar glanced over at her bruised face. Seeing it made him pause.
“You know, it’s funny. All those years, when I belonged to your family, I dreamt about smacking you across the face like that. Sometimes at night, I’d lay there and dream about it, fantasizing about all the hurt I would rest upon you. It felt so good in my mind.”
He looked at his fist. “But when I hit you…it didn’t feel good at all. It didn’t feel good, because I realized that my anger was making me just like you used to be.”
“Used to be?”
He nodded. “The Iris Bursage I used to know would never have knelt and sworn an oath to a man like that. Not if the whole forest were burning alive and she alone could save it. You’ve changed.”
She looked in his eyes. In them she saw the fire she used to know. She had forgotten how compelling and captivating it was. “I want you to know, I meant every word of it. We all did.”
He studied her carefully. “You know, there are a thousand reasons why I shouldn’t believe you…”
She looked away. “I know.”
His gaze focused on her eyes. “…but I do.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“All right, we’ll return to Wysteria with you.”
* * *
It was an enormous underground ring, glowing fractal lines tracing about, lining up with each of the sacred constellations, ancient words of power carved into living rock.
“The island of Kwi, they are the masters of shadow.” Dev’in said as he walked by a glassy pillar. Encased within, an expression of horror on his face, was a young Kwili man.
“The island of Maliao, who can alter size, from greatest to smallest.” Dev’in said as he passed by the next pillar. Blair yawned as he passed it, flicking at the surface with his fingers to see if he could make the man flinch.
“Buleia, seers of what has been.”
Glowing veins ran beneath the lake of black ichor at the center of the ring, dimly bubbling up. The tar boiled in the shape of screaming faces, ripples rising up like hands calling out for mercy.
“Ronesia, seers of what will be.”
From each of the pillars, channels pulled inward, like a budded flower ready to unfold and blossom. Into these were laid long carved caster stones, expertly created by masters from each island, the bonded spells ready to activate as soon as energy was channeled through them.
“Kirdish, masters of fear.”
A second inner circle sat inside the first, containing earthen jars of soil and water from each island. The surface of the jars pulsed with glowing veins that strobed in unison. The entire cavern was like one great mighty heartbeat, the heartbeat of Valpurgeiss, father of all creation.
“And the two that started it all, Boeth, masters of stone, and Stretis, masters of the wind.”
Dev’in stood back, admiring his great circle of stones. “Seventy-eight in all, and when combined using the magic of the void, you restore the light of creation that was shattered and stolen so long ago.”
He looked proudly at a second pillar containing a Stonemaster. She would act as sacrifice for the Water Tribe, whom the gods destroyed to prevent Valpurgeiss from resurrecting.
“All is ready. Thousands of years of planning, sacrifice, scheming and war is about to bear fruit. A new era of everlasting peace and harmony for the children of Valpurgeiss. A paradise that will last till the end of time. A paradise for me…”
He glanced over sadly at the lovingly preserved remains of a woman lying on an altar, surrounded by black candles.
“…and for
her.”
Blair’s brow furrowed as he noticed something. “Father, you installed a 79th pillar. This is not the time to make senile blunders. Everything must be perfect.”
“It is perfect.” Dev’in looked up with old withered eyes. “Yes, there is one final connection that must be made for the Night of Rebirth to function.”
“What?”
“A connection must be made with Valpurgeiss himself, so that the light may be returned to him.”
Blair’s sharp eyes went wide. “And that means…”
Dev’in shoved Blair backwards. The surface of the glassy pillar parted like water as he passed though, becoming solid again once he fell inside.
Blair stood up and banged his fists. He struck the pillar with all his strength, but it withstood him. “Are…are you actually going to sacrifice one of your own? Your own flesh and blood?”
“I am.”
Blair threw his head back and began to laugh. “Oh, how marvelous! Tell me, how does it feel, right now? How does it feel to betray your own child?”
“It feels…terrible.”
“Oh, it does for me too. Oh, what exquisite pain. To be betrayed to death by my own father, what an incredible color. Oh, I treasure this moment!”
Black fire rose up inside the pillar, consuming Blair in an instant. His silhouette within the flame disintegrated into nothingness.
“You deserved a real father, and a real mother,” Dev’in said as he watched dispassionately. “If the gods had never invaded this world, you would have had them. Instead, all you got was a monster.”
Flames rose up inside each of the pillars, and the entire room was filled with light. The black ichor flowed outwards into the channels. The jars of earth and water were consumed, releasing a white -flame that energized the caster stones. The stones shrieked with power, spinning faster and faster, then each released a beam of energy which struck the pillar before them. All the energy of the pillars moved through the beams, drawn through the channels into the center, where the black shakes combined with it, growing brighter and brighter, and brighter…
Dev’in held up his wrinkled hands triumphantly. “It’s begun! The process has begun! Soon, the Night of Rebirth will arrive! At long last, Valpurgeiss will live again! The evil gods who invaded this world will be vanquished, their diseased children purged. Aetria will be cleansed, and become a paradise once more!”
As the light grew brighter and brighter, he stumbled over to the altar, and took the skeletal hand in his.
“And I will finally get to hold you in my arms again, my love!”
He placed a gentle kiss where her lips once sat. “I told you, I told you I would do anything to bring you back, and I have! I became a monster…I did it for you. Soon…soon I will hold you again. And then we will have the life of peace we were meant to have…the life that was so cruelly denied us!”
Dev’in looked up, satisfaction on his face. “Gods of Aetria, your time will soon come to an end!”
* * *
Alder stirred slightly beneath his heavy covers. Something was pressing against his chest, and tickling his nose. He felt so weak, so tired. He couldn’t tell how much time had passed. He fought to open his eyes, but the lids just felt so heavy, it exhausted him just to try.
Slowly his lids rose, and he found Athel sitting next to him, laying her head on his chest, listening to his weak heartbeat.
“Athel…” he whispered, his lungs burning from the effort.
Athel raised her head. Her eyes were red and puffy, her knuckles white from clutching the prayer beads. “Aldi? Aldi, hang in there.”
She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. “You scared me so bad. You had me praying all night for you. I’ve never prayed that hard before.”
“I am sorry for causing you pain.” His voice was so soft, barely audible above the sound of his breath.
“What can I do for you, Aldi? Anything, just name it, and I’ll do it.”
He looked on her lovingly. “I already have more than I ever wanted.”
His heartbeat slowed, and he struggled to remain conscious.
“Athi…did I…did I do a good job? Was I…a good husband to you?”
“Of course you were. Why would you even ask such a thing?”
“Oh good. I’m glad. I always hoped…that if I worked as hard as I could…perhaps Milia would take pity on me.”
“Stop it! You’re going to get better, do you hear me? We’re going to fix this. We’re nearly at Arianis Kultur. We’re going to free Veritus, and then you will be able to heal yourself. Look, look!”
She gently turned his head so he could see the dozens of potted plants covering the floor of his bunkroom.
“I’ve already gathered up a lot of sick plants for you. Their time has come, and they agreed to it. I already asked them. Once you have your own magic, you’ll be able to absorb their energies, replenish your life force, like our son can.”
Alder squinted. He was so exhausted, he could barely understand her words. “Athi, would you do something for me?”
“Anything, anything at all.”
“Ask her for me, would you? Ask her to forgive me.”
“Forgive you? Who? What for?”
“Milia, she listens to you, because you are a woman. Your prayers matter to her. Tell her…tell her that I’m sorry…”
“Whatever for?”
“For being born a man. I hoped that…if I worked hard enough…if I was good enough…she wouldn’t hate me anymore. She wouldn’t ignore…my prayers…anymore…”
“Oh, Alder…”
She took his hands in hers. They were so cold and limp in her grip. She never noticed before how knobby his knuckles were. With his skin as pale as it was now, she could see how swollen and red they were.
“It’s all right,” he whispered, noticing her staring at them. “They finally don’t hurt anymore.”
“You were in pain?”
“The ruper spice my mother took…damaged my joints while I was still in the womb. It has always hurt to move.”
Athel’s lip quivered. “You did all those chores, all those tasks I gave you, and you were in constant pain? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t want to trouble you.”
“Alder, I’m so sorry. Please, stay with me, I’m so sorry!”
She reached out and touched his cool, sunken cheek. He turned his face to press against it tenderly.
“Please don’t be. If I hadn’t been born this way, we never would have met.”
“Alder...”
“You were worth it, Athi. You were always worth it. Being with you…made me happy.”
Athel dropped her face onto his chest and began to cry.
There was a gentle knock at the door, and Privet stuck his head in.
“It’s time, Athel. We’ve arrived.”
“I don’t care,” she whispered. “I can’t leave him.”
Alder tried to lick his dry lips, but the attempt left him exhausted. “Athel, I want you to go.”
“No. I can’t. There’s no way I could leave you like this.”
“But, I want you to.”
“Why? For heaven’s sake, why would you send me away?”
Alder took a moment to gaze upon her face. His eyes were full of love. “Because...I don’t want the last thing I see in this world, to be your face in grief. I want to remember you smiling, the way you used to.”
Athel whimpered in pain, but forced herself to nod slowly. “All right, I’ll do what you say. But you have to promise me something.”
“Anything, my lady.”
“Promise me you’ll hang on till I get back. Fight as hard as you need to, harder than you can, if necessary, only stay alive until I return to cure you.”
“I will.”
“Swear it to me!”
“I swear.”
Athel forced herself to stand up and walk out of the room. She could not recall her scar ever having burned as deeply as it did in that moment.
Chapter Twelve
“I don’t like meeting like this,” Ryberts grumbled as he shoved a meatball past his wrinkled lips. “It looks disloyal.”
“You’re a secret Kabal, shouldn’t you be used to it?” Tigera asked, sipping at his wine.
“We are not an organization of shadow, we are an organization of light,” Jennat argued, dabbing the sauce from her scaly face. “We exist to serve the one true god. It’s the false gods who are the villains. They took a paradise and destroyed it, turned this world into a place of deceit and death, of hate and war. We are those who oppose their darkness, and we will restore this world to the paradise it once was.”
“Why did you call us here?” Marc asked, biting off a piece of bread. “You’ve never showed any initiative before.”
Tigera looked around. This plaza was the most isolated place in Arianis Kultur. His animals had spent hours sniffing and searching every inch for unfriendly eyes and ears. Even now, with dozens of small critters standing watch at the perimeter, he still did not feel completely safe. Some deep-seated doubt clung at the edge of his senses, but he was out of time.
Taking an extra-large gulp of wine for courage, Tigera leaned in close, keeping his voice barely above a whisper.
“Queen Sotol plans to betray you.”
“I knew it!” Ryberts snarled. “I told you. I told you, didn’t I? She’s reduced our organization at every opportunity. The League Navy, the Himitsu secret police, the Stonemasters. We used to number in the millions, now we’re only a handful.”
“She has lied to you about the Ascension Tower,” Tigera continued. “It won’t just destroy the gods, it will destroy Valpurgeiss as well, transferring all their power, all their authority, their very essence, everything into her.”
Marc’s eyes went wide. “It can’t be…”
“She plans to become the new and only god of this world. We have to move immediately to stop her.”
Ryberts stretched his arm out and grabbed Tigera by the collar. “Why have you not told us this before now?”
Isle of Wysteria: Throne of Chains Page 33