It made her feel safe, even if only for a moment.
“You won’t have to. We will do it, Athel. All of us, together.”
“But how?”
“I don’t know, but we’ll find a way. I refuse to let Alder’s sacrifice be in vain. His death must mark the beginning of a new era, planted in the ideals he gave his life for. Nothing less will even come close to balancing the price of what he gave up.”
She was so overwhelmed by his feelings his words were almost lost to her. Ash cooed and grabbed one of her pointy ears; she had to turn her head to see him past her blind side. His little hands were glowing too as they touched her.
She could feel Ash’s emotions flow into her as well. They were so delightfully pure, a simple confidence that his mother would keep him safe and make things right. She felt unworthy of such trust.
Between the three of them, a new link was forming. Links between couples, links between families. Already their healed magic was manifesting in so many new and unexpected ways that it felt overwhelming to her.
Athel looked up at her husband. His eyes were red and puffy, and she realized he was holding back, shielding her from feeling how much he missed Alder as well.
Athel took his hand, and he helped her to her feet.
“Rachael. Do the airships still fly?” Privet asked
The question caught her off guard. “Um…I mean, no. With no one to maintain it, the flight web has failed.”
Athel turned to Milia and Veritus. “Contact JaArian and the other gods.”
Veritus nodded. “I can call a conclave, but they will want to know what is to be discussed.”
Privet shook his head. “There’s nothing to discuss. Just send them a message.”
Athel nodded. “We need a swift current to take us if we are to arrive at Madaringa in time. Tell the gods they will either help us in this fight or they will die along with us. Their choice.”
Milia and Veritus nodded. “Right away.”
Many present looked on in wonder. “Who are these people who command the gods and they obey?”
Chapter Fourteen
What remained of the Dreadnaught floated in the shallow turquoise waters. Floated was a generous term. It more bobbed in the water, held up not by its hull but by the wood it was made of. Full of holes and wreckage, and decorated with a hundred improvised repairs that had allowed it to limp back to Wysteria.
It made Privet nervous to be this close to the ocean, even now. But, there wasn’t time to think about that, he had to hurry and he knew it. He took Athel’s staff and held it before him, centering his thoughts. Before him was a tangled mess of shiyya vines that had opportunistically filled up the blightlands since the curse on the seas was lifted. Their nasty, thorny bodies choked out anything else that tried to grow, yet they were themselves suffering greatly at being exposed directly to the sun, rather than the shade beneath the forest canopy they normally preferred.
Privet found it difficult to block out their voices. It was like listening to a herd of mewling, suffering cattle.
“Just think about what you want to do before you do it,” Deutzia sparkled. “This isn’t about the words you use, it’s about clarity of purpose. Let your will command, not your words. Assert your authority clearly and they will respond.”
“Yeah, that’s the problem. I’m uncomfortable bossing them around. It makes me feel like...”
“Like a woman?”
Privet sighed. “Yeah, a little.”
“You’re going to have to let go of your resentment. We all are.”
“I know, I know. Just give it time.”
“Time we don’t have, lad,” Captain Evere said, approaching with the rest of the crew. “Can you do it or not?”
“All right, here goes.”
Privet tapped the staff on the shores, his eyes flashing for a moment. The field of shiyya vines let out a sigh of relief, then withered away to dust, their ashes falling to the ground and creating a thin layer of rich topsoil.
With his left hand, Privet drew in their energies. It was exhilarating, every cell in his body felt overflowing with life. He even rose up a few inches, floating above the sands by the power of it all. Then, he opened up his right hand and Deutzia drew some of the energy into herself.
Deutzia sparkled in elation, her roots and lower branches growing rapidly, filling in gaps in the hull, knitting themselves together into patches, forming a new prow, a new rudder of living wood. Leaves sprouted along the length, laid down like scales across every surface.
The ship was now more Deutzia than ship. A vessel made almost entirely of a single living tree. Even the sails were no longer something Deutzia held before her, but tightly woven branches and leaves, creating solid surfaces of green to catch the wind. She squeezed the excess water out of herself, the entire hull twisting like a sponge, and the ship rose, rising higher as it achieved buoyancy.
“I’m amazed you’ve learned so much so quickly,” Mina marveled. “It took me years just to learn a few basic spells.”
Privet ran his fingers over the carved wood of the staff. “I suppose it’s because of the way I was raised. Madam Tamarack had no patience for failure. You either excelled your first try or you were culled. But, I don’t think that’s the only reason.”
“What else is there?”
Privet looked out sadly at the ashes left behind. “I think it’s easier to destroy than it is to create.”
Deutzia finished expelling the water, the ship now floating high and proud in the shallows. If you squinted just right, it looked like a fairly good sailing ship. If you opened your eyes all the way, however, it was fairly lopsided and lumpy.
“Is that even seaworthy?” Captain Evere wondered aloud.
Deutzia flickered in offense.
“Sorry, that’s about as precise as Deutzia can do on her own,” Privet explained. “Only an experienced Treesinger like Athel could tease the living wood into precise shapes.”
“So, why doesn’t she do it?” Ryin asked thoughtlessly.
Everyone scowled at him.
Mina smacked him in the back of the head.
“Ow! What?”
Privet looked out. In the distance, he could see Athel sitting by herself, quietly rocking little Ash in her arms. Even from here, he could feel her reliving it over and over again, tormented by a moment in time she could never move beyond.
“Do you know how cruel it would be to ask her to use her magic again, Ryin?” Privet asked firmly.
Ryin looked out, then his eyes went wide. “Oh…”
Evere shook his head. “All right guys, she’ll do. We don’t have time to waste, take only what we need, we leave in one hour. Let’s get the ship loaded.”
Deutzia sparkled urgently.
“Remember to bring extra water for her,” Privet cautioned.
As the crew began hurriedly loading the ship, Privet found himself looking out at Athel. She seemed so alone, so lost. Even out in the open, she looked like she was trapped in a cage.
Captain Evere gently put hand on his shoulder. “When this is over, there will be a time to grieve, lad. We’ve only got three days to reach Madaringa. Right now, we need to work and make sure that the time to grieve comes.”
Privet nodded. “All right.”
* * *
Ellie worked as fast as she could, stacking the crates of food into the cargo hold, filling up every nook and cranny. Deutzia’s root system and the dirt it required, left space a scant commodity onboard the Dreadnaught, though Ellie thought it silly to call it the Dreadnaught at that point. It was really just Deutzia.
Crates of apples, oranges, potatoes, winter squash, and a special berry bred as a concentrated traveling food whose name she couldn’t pronounce. She had never seen so much fresh produce on a ship before. Now that the Wysterians had their magic restored
, the amount of food they could grow seemed endless.
Ellie tried to grab a crate of berries, but struggled with it due to the weight.
“May I help you?”
“Yeah, sure, thanks.”
When she realized who it was, she dropped her end of the crate.
“Oh! Ryin…it’s you, I…”
It had been so long, she hadn’t recognized him at first. Seeing him brought back a lot of old memories she thought she had buried.
“I know, from your perspective it’s been a while,” he chuckled. “I didn’t even recognize you at first until Mina pointed you out to me. You’ve gotten so much taller.”
As he looked her over, it made her feel uncomfortable. She tugged at her long sleeves, trying to hide the scars poking out from within.
“I heard what you did back on Madaringa…” Ryin stuttered. She didn’t know why he seemed so nervous, and she didn’t understand why it made her feel better that he was, but it did.
“…What you did was very brave, Ellie.”
Ellie looked away. “I really didn’t do anything. Dwale took all the risks.”
“Where is Dwale, anyway?”
“He left with Setsuna right after we got back. She didn’t say where.”
“Yeah, that sounds like her.”
Ryin stepped a little closer. Had he always been this imposing? She couldn’t recall.
“You know, I was wrong about you, Ellie.”
“No, you weren’t. But it is very kind of you to say that.”
Ryin struggled with his words, scratching the back of his neck. “You know, you once offered your apologies to me…”
Ellie balled her fingers, trying to push out the memory.
He looked up regretfully. “Is it…is it too late for me to accept?”
Ellie stared at him in surprise. “Um…yeah, I…I guess it would be all right.”
Ryin awkwardly held out his hand. It was kind of adorable.
She reached out and took it. It was just a simple act, but it was amazing how much better it made her feel. She felt lighter, realizing only then how heavy she had felt before.
“You know, I…I spent so long being treated like a pariah,” she admitted. “I thought I had gotten used to it. I even wore it like a badge of honor. But the truth is I hated it. I wanted so badly to make up for the evil I did, not just to everybody, but to you and Hanner particularly. I know it sounds silly, but I kind of thought of you two as my friends, and I think I regret hurting you the most.”
She looked at him softly. “Thank you.”
“Uh, can I have my hand back now?”
She realized that she was still holding onto his hand.
“Oh, right, sorry.”
She snatched her hand away, blushing with embarrassment.
Ryin reached down and grabbed crate. “In the end, I figure nearly everybody here used to work for the enemy at one point. That includes me. So, in a way you’re in good company.”
He hefted up the heavy create and slid it into place like it was nothing. Had his shoulders always been that broad? Had his arms always been that solid? She couldn’t recall.
She caught herself fidgeting with the tips of her long hair as she watched him.
“You know, Ellie, I know a trader that makes a really good potion that reduces the appearance of scars. I’d be happy to get you some if you’d like.”
Ellie shrank away. “Please don’t look at them.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’re hideous.”
Ryin chuckled as if it were no big deal. His tone kind of irritated her.
“Nah, you look fine, Ellie. You’ve got…character. I only bring it up ‘cause it seems to bother you.”
“Well of course it bothers me! Why wouldn’t it?”
“I think it makes you look unique. I mean, guys love girls with scars, right?”
“No, they don’t! That’s the other way around!”
They stared each other down for a moment.
A grin slowly crept across Ryin’s face, and then he started to laugh.
She closed her eyes, and began to laugh with him.
“What are we doing?” he chuckled.
“I know. We just can’t help but fight, can we?” she laughed.
It was such a silly thing to argue about, they couldn’t help but laugh out loud. It was a good, long, cleansing belly laugh. The kind of laugh that lets every pent up anxiety drain away. Ellie couldn’t recall the last time she had laughed so hard.
Mina watched them from across the cargo hold, a little twinkle in her lavender eyes. As they laughed, she sauntered off with a satisfied grin on her face.
* * *
Captain Evere found Hanner sitting beneath a tree, eating lava pepper with Strenner. “There you are, you big oaf,” he said, crossing his arms.
Hanner winced and looked up. “Hey, cap’n.”
“The other ships won’t be seaworthy in time. Deutzia was the only tree willing to become a ship, so we’re setting out now. That leaves me in the unusual position of needing to hand pick our best people.”
Hanner ground his teeth. “Look, I’m sorry about…”
“You wanna come?”
Hanner looked up in surprise. “Me?”
“Well, last time I checked, you were a member of my crew.”
“Yeah, but I…”
“Yeah, I know.”
Captain Evere hunkered down on his haunches. “But, you know, there was a time, before I met you, when I hurt a lot of people. I even hurt those who trusted me.”
“So, what happened?”
Captain Evere grinned. “Someone gave me a second chance.”
Hanner was so touched he didn’t know what to say.
Captain Evere smacked him on the shoulder. “Come on, you ready to save the world again?”
Hanner grinned. “Depends. Do I get to shoot Queen Sotol?”
“Yup.”
Hanner pulled out his mortar launcher and chambered a round.
“Then I’m in.”
“Welcome aboard.”
Captain Evere stood up with a painful grunt, and began to walk back towards the ship.
“Hey, cap’n?”
“Yeah?”
Hanner stood up and placed Strenner on his shoulder. “Thanks.”
“You bet.”
Evere began to walk again.
“…And I’m sorry I ate your parrot.”
Evere spun around. “I knew it! Blasted Iberian! I knew you ate my bird!”
“I said I was sorry.”
“That was a pet, a blasted pet! You don’t eat someone’s pet!”
“If it makes you feel any better, I was really hungry, and it wasn’t any good.”
“No, that doesn’t make it better!”
* * *
Atop the Ascension Tower, the black beast of tar shivered as it pushed and shoved the final stone into place. The tower began to hum with impossible power, the entire island vibrating, sending ripples out into the ocean beyond.
“That’s done it.”
The beast looked up at the eclipsing sun. The sky was growing darker as the light was snuffed out. It could feel the essence of Valpurgeiss being drawn near from the void. The veil that separated the world from the prison growing thin.
“It has begun!”
The beast coughed and doubled over in pain, clutching at its ruined body. Black goo dripped free from its deep wounds. It grabbed a flask of black shakes and gulped them down, but the liquid seared its organs and spilled free from the holes. It painfully vomited up the rest.
“Why?” it hissed, wiping its muzzle. “Why won’t my wounds heal?”
It gripped at torn, dripping blackness with clawed hands.
“Because I won’t let them heal,” Spirea answered back.
The beast staggered as its body rippled and pulled from within. “How…how is this possible?”
Its tormented body pulled grotesquely, as if it were a membrane and a person was trying to tear itself free.
“No,” it wrestled. “This body, this world, the entire cosmos, it belongs to me! No one can stop me.”
The back goo of its chest stretched out into a screaming face from within.
“I will stop you!” Spirea screamed.
The sun above dimmed further, and the tower began to glow from within. Millions of channels and circuits came alive with a sickly light that hurt to look at. From top to bottom, the tower began to pulse with dark energy.
“You’re too late,” the beast laughed as it rose to its full height. “Too late!”
The air became cold, metallic to the taste. The tower began to resonate like a tuning fork, distorting the sky above, as if the very heavens were being pierced by an invisible blade, threatening to puncture them.
“Tomorrow, I become the one true god of this world!”
The beast’s leg took a step.
“Wha--?”
Its other leg stepped forward.
“Stop it!”
Its body warped and stretched, its tail thrashed about. From within, Spirea fought, forcing the monster to step again and again as it struggled.
The beast reached out and clutched a column of stone, but the other hand slashed into its wrist, cutting deeply and releasing a spurt of black blood as the clawed fingers broke free from the material.
The beast looked on in horror as its body stepped closer and closer to the edge of the tower.
“What are you doing?”
“You killed Alder, you foul witch!” Spirea screamed, her face stretching out through the black ooze. “You hurt Tigera, you destroyed Athel! You nearly destroyed my forest! You have been a parasite, a festering poison at the head of the Sotol family for generations! I will fling you down and break your ruin at the base of your own temple, and avenge every woman of my family that you have consumed!”
Isle of Wysteria: Throne of Chains Page 41