“Yeah, that’s part of the problem. Normally, the summono brings twelve alterni at a time.”
Esme thought a minute on everything she’d read. Owen was right. Why hadn’t she realized this before?
Wait. No. Not every summono’s brought twelve. King Eglid. He went through more alterni than anyone, but at his last summono he only had six Devon alterni. After his last Devon died, Eglid killed himself from guilt. Then this started over with the next king. I never thought about the lower number of Eglid’s last summono… And King Nathaniel’s last summono brought eleven. King Wallace’s nine. King Vergo’s ten. Virgil’s nine. Wentworth’s three.
But this felt more personal than a history lesson. “Why were there fewer than normal at my summono?”
“When Roman cast it, there weren’t twelve Esmes remaining in all the alt-worlds. There were ten. Only ten.”
“My nine twins, plus me.” Esme remembered past conversations. “Roman summoned whatever he could get. That’s why there was a vampire at my summono and also at the fairy Esme’s summono?”
“Yeah. At the fairy Esme’s summono, we had the full twelve options. At seventh alterni’s, we only had eleven. That’s when Roman knew we should worry. At the summono before yours, he cast the net wider than ever and tried to pull alt-Esmes from every world, but we again only had eleven options – and that was only because he pulled in the vampire again. With your summono, Roman only found ten alt-Esmes left.”
Esme’s stomach tightened. “And now you’re saying I’m the last Esme in all the hundreds of worlds?”
Owen nodded.
Esme felt oddly sick. She remembered the alterni she’d met during her summono test. Since coming here, it’d been exciting to wonder about alternate versions of herself out there. Now…
“They’re dead? All of them? How?”
Owen hesitated. “The malevolenci killed them.”
Esme had to sit down, and she found a nearby log. Owen joined her and sat, giving her a moment.
She found her voice. “How is that possible? You told me malevolenci can’t cross into other worlds as anything more than ghosts.” She swallowed. “Do they possess people or-”
“No, nothing like that.” Owen wiped his face and tried to explain. “According to ancient conjuri records, there’s one species of malevolenci that can enter other worlds without losing strength. They sense the alterni just like you sense rifts, so they’re drawn right to them. The species is supposedly more intelligent than even the bentaforx. The Master Conjuri for centuries have kept secret whatever they know about the species, so even I can’t tell you much.”
“Why the secrecy?”
“If the Order knew about alterni-hunting malevolenci, it would lead to people knowing what it means to have an alterni endi.” Owen frowned. “It means we’re on the brink of losing the war. Everyone is already working as hard as they can to stop the malevolenci, and we try to avoid panic whenever necessary.”
Esme nodded.
I’m panicked, and I’m relatively new to all this. Roman kept this secret to protect people from fear… I guess that makes sense. It doesn’t sound like anyone could’ve stopped this, anyway.
She had to ask. “There’s no way we could’ve saved my alterni?”
“No. If we tried to bring all the alterni here to protect them, that’d mean all but one would be defenseless, because this world only gives one alterni access to our magic at a time. They’d be sitting ducks. And we can’t go to the alt-worlds to protect them because we’ve never been able to get into other worlds. Everything I told you about that is true. Even alterni can’t cross to other alt-worlds other than their own when we return them home.”
“Then how do these malevolenci do it?”
“Remember what I said about each world’s Bermuda Triangle? How it’s a point where all our alt-worlds connect?”
Esme nodded.
“They use their world’s connection with the Bermuda Triangles to access the alt-worlds. But it takes a lot of their strength to make rifts even in the Triangles. Once they cross, their rifts aren’t strong enough to stay open. Because those other worlds don’t have magic, the malevolenci aren’t able to open rifts to return to their world. They get stuck.”
She tried to think. “So these super-smart malevolenci sacrifice themselves and go to the alt-worlds to eliminate us alterni. They do that so you run out of alterni to summon. They’re taking us out, since we’re your only real way to stop them from taking this world?”
Owen looked impressed she’d sorted this out. “Yes, exactly. If we don’t have an alterni, we can’t defend ourselves half as well.”
“You’ve said this world is like a pot of sugar and they’re the ants… Do they want to take this world and use its magic to strengthen their rifts into other worlds?”
“Yeah…” Owen leaned forward and rubbed his hands together, looking grim. “It’s our wonderful, magical world’s responsibility to hold the malevolenci at bay. If we fail here, they’ll make this world one big rift and link it with their own. Using our magic, they wouldn’t need the Bermuda Triangles, which are limiting. They’d make their own new rifts right into other worlds. The alt-worlds, without magic, would be powerless to stop them.”
Esme paused.
It’s up to us to stop them. It’s up to me. I’m the only one left…
She looked at her castorca. For months she’d been both excited and scared by how strong her magic was becoming. Now the overwhelming emotion settling upon her was…sadness. Esme wasn’t sure why she was so affected by the news that she was the last Esme in existence, but it was almost more than she could bear.
It’s not just the added pressure – understatement – of now having to be the best alterni ever. I feel like…like I’ve lost family.
Esme’s butt was going numb with cold. She rose to her feet and motioned downhill. “We’d better get moving again.”
Owen stood and looked at her with concern. “You sure? It’s a lot to take in. If you’re not ready-”
“I’m okay.”
They resumed their hike. Esme noted that the trees’ shadows were at a different angle. They were losing light faster than she’d thought. She picked up the pace, and Owen marched at her side. She could tell he wasn’t sure what to say.
How much does this change between us?
Esme tried to focus. “You said I’m an alterni endi. This has happened before?”
“Yes.”
“With King Eglid and the few others who’ve had fewer than twelve at their last summono? Nathaniel? Wallace? Vergo? Virgil? Wentworth?”
A grin suggested Owen was again impressed. “Yes.”
“Why have I never read the term ‘alterni endi’ in the Chronicles of Kings?”
“Records on alterni endi are kept in a secret book, the Chronicle of Alterni Endi. Roman keeps the book spelled so only he can find it. Each Master Conjuri shares the book with each new king, and we alone carry the burden of all these secrets.” Owen sighed. “I’ve told Hakim, now you. When we get back to the Capiti, I’ll insist that Roman show you the book.”
Esme took a breath. “Thanks.”
“It’s the least I can do.” Owen smiled at her, but his eyes still looked worried that he’d broken her trust. “With your crazy brain, who better to read it?”
Esme gave him a humoring smile and continued to walk, lost in her own thoughts.
They’ve hidden this from me the whole time. Why didn’t I figure this out sooner?
Esme replayed events in her mind. She remembered her first interview with Hakim when he summed up what she was getting into. Hakim had hesitated over parts as he’d chosen what to tell her. When Esme met Owen, he’d been honest but certainly left out key information. During her training, Roman had been pleased Esme took to magic so quickly…but Roman also seemed worried by it. At her Order trial in particular, Esme remembered Roman insisting to Owen that Esme might be ‘the strongest alterni in centuries.’ She’d seen a secret unde
rstanding pass between the king and Master Conjuri…
I never could’ve guessed they were hiding this.
She went around a tree. “Will Roman be mad you’ve told me?”
“No doubt. Our Master Conjuri is a stickler for tradition. I guess that’s his job, but you deserve to know the truth.” Owen glanced at her. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
Esme nodded, trying not to touch on anything too personal. “So Roman knew at my summono that you were running out of alterni. Then you both saw my magic’s strength growing and knew my alterni were being killed off. How long have you suspected I’m the last?”
Owen hesitated. “After your first battle. There was no precedent for how you split that felicox in half.”
“But that was months ago!” Esme’s eyes narrowed as she remembered. “The whole time we were researching the increase in malevolenci attacks, you and Roman knew this was why. You knew they were taking their best shot now because I’m the only alterni left to stop them.”
“Again, I wasn’t positive you were the alterni endi at the time…but yes.”
She sighed.
Owen tried to explain. “It doesn’t mean we didn’t need to research. Roman knows a lot about the malevolenci, but he doesn’t know everything. We honestly were trying to sort out their attack patterns.”
Esme nodded, accepting this. With another thought, she motioned back up the mountain. “Did that bentaforx carry us here because it knew I’m the alterni endi? It focused on fighting us because…because they want me dead more than anything?”
Hesitating, Owen looked at Esme with worry. “It’s possible. If the malevolenci are intensifying their attacks because you’re our only defense, it’s likely their objective now is to kill you.”
She recalled her last few battles. “The multiple rifts opening at once, the chiroptorx flying right at me… And now they’ve sent a bentaforx after me.” She was sure her face had gone pale. “Oh, gods… What next?”
Owen gave her an encouraging smile, though his eyes still held guilt. “Whatever comes, we’ll fight it. Your magic is powerful, and with Roman’s help I bet you can learn to use it as well as any alterni endi before you.”
Esme let out a long breath.
“I have faith in you, Esme. I mean, you just killed a freakin’ bentaforx.” Owen tried a grin, using her own words to win her over.
She humored him with a smile.
They hiked in silence for several minutes. Being the last alterni to defend the alt-worlds was overwhelming. At the same time – and Esme knew this was far less important – it was unsettling how distant Owen felt. He practically radiated guilt and fear.
He feels like a liar, and now he’s freshly terrified I’m going to die…and what it means if I do. Are we as close as I thought? I’m not really his partner. I’m a pawn in this horrible war. But I’d hoped…
Esme felt tears again. “I feel more special and less special all at the same time. This is why you’ve protected me so much. I’m the alterni endi. That’s why you’ve insisted I’m not replaceable.”
Owen cringed.
Esme took a breath. “It’s okay. I understand. If I die, you’d probably lose this war. You wouldn’t be able to detect the rifts. You sure as hell couldn’t close them. The malevolenci would overrun this world and win the war. I’m a very important weapon to protect.”
Placing a hand on her shoulder, Owen stopped walking and turned Esme to face him. “That’s not it. I mean, that should be it. I should think of you only as my alterni endi. But we both know that’s not all you are to me. I’m not hell-bent on keeping you alive because you’re my last weapon to win the war. I’m not keeping you alive because I feel guilty for losing so many alterni before you. I’d die to save you because I care about you. I couldn’t live with myself if I couldn’t save you.”
Esme swallowed.
Owen chuckled morbidly, then held his face in his hands. “Even that fits with the stupid oath.”
“What oath?”
He started to answer, then closed his lips and stomped onward.
Esme hurried to keep up. “Is there something else you’re not telling me?”
Owen said nothing and kept walking.
“Hey! Out with it!” She grabbed Owen’s arm to stop him and slipped on a rock.
Owen caught her from falling. Reluctant, he frowned before confessing, “It’s the Oath of Kings. When the Master Conjuri tell us these wonderful secrets, they make us take an oath before we become king.”
She didn’t like the intensity of his frown. “What’s the oath?”
“If a king gets down to an alterni endi, it’s up to the king to make sure the malevolenci don’t win. If you die… Well, not all the kings who commit suicide do it out of guilt.”
“What?” Esme remembered the relevant passages. “King Eglid’s last Devon was an alterni endi. When that Devon died, Eglid committed suicide by throwing himself off a cliff.”
Owen gave a single nod as she connected the dots.
“King Nathaniel had an alterni endi, and he killed himself too. King Wallace was the same. King Wentworth slit his own throat after his last Boone died.” Esme looked at her king with new concern. “If an alterni endi dies, the king is supposed to kill himself so the cycle starts over with a new king and a new origini?”
“Yes.”
Eyes wide, Esme shook her head. “You can’t.”
“I’d have to. Fulfilling this oath is the only way to ensure our world lives to fight another day. If you die, I die.” Owen gave her a weak smile and brushed hair off her face. “It sounds idiotically romantic, but it’s a war tactic.”
She couldn’t smile back at him. “But you’ve said you’d sacrifice yourself for me, Owen. That’s not the same thing.”
He sighed. “Well, if I can keep you alive and reset the cycle, all the better.”
“Not better,” she insisted. “You’d be dead as a hero, sure. Good for you. But I’d be stuck here without a partner, without…you. I’d be-”
“You could go home.”
Esme looked at him in realization. “You’ve thought this through.”
“Of course I have.” Owen smiled, but with sadness in his eyes. “It’s not fair that we pulled you into this war, and you risk your life day after day-”
“Stop! I told you I choose this, remember? So get this whole sacrificing yourself for me thing out of your head.” She huffed. “Because even if you die, I’m not leaving this world. I’ll stay and fight with the new king. I couldn’t live with myself if I turned my back on this world. More than that, it sounds like I’d be turning my back on every world. If I went home, I might forget all this and not have guilt, but I don’t want to forget, Owen. Not any of it. Especially…” Her throat tightened.
Owen gave her a weak smile.
Esme didn’t think he looked convinced, so she pulled herself together. “The alterni endi don’t always fail. You said King Vergo had an alterni endi. He didn’t kill himself. Neither did King Virgil.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes the alterni endi hold off the malevolenci until the next king takes over naturally. But we shouldn’t get our hopes up.”
“Yes, we should. I killed a freakin’ bentaforx.”
Owen smiled at this and nodded.
Gods, thought Esme as she looked at him with new understanding. How does he handle all this responsibility? I’ve always wondered that, and now… But I feel better knowing how he feels about me. We both need to stop overthinking this partnership. We can help each other and get through this. Somehow.
Esme sighed up at Owen and put her castorca hand on his chest. “My brave, stubborn, emo king. I watch your back and you watch mine, remember? I understand now what’s at stake if I die, so I will be careful – I admit I’ve been a little overconfident with my magic. And I’ll promise never to barrio you again if you promise you won’t do anything stupid either.”
“I promise.” Owen wrapped his arms around her in a hug and pla
ced his chin atop her head. “Thank you for not hating me. I was afraid you wouldn’t trust me now.”
“Shh. I know. We’re okay.” She frowned, her face pressed against him. “But if there’s anything else you’re not telling me, now is the time. If I find out later that you-”
“I’ve told you everything. Not even Hakim knows about the Oath of Kings. I promise, you now know everything I do about this crazy world and this horrible war.” He sounded so weary, but also relieved.
Esme nodded her trust into his chest.
They stood like that for a while. Esme was glad for the body heat, and she rested her head against his tattered shirt and exposed chest. She shivered, and Owen rubbed her back, holding her tightly.
“Florida girl can’t take the cold, huh?”
Esme chuckled and pulled away from him. “We’d better keep moving.”
They hiked downhill over snow, rocks, and fallen trees while the sun sank behind the westernmost peaks. The air was freezing without sunlight now. Esme lost sensation in her extremities, but Owen gave her his tattered cavali shirt, which at least had sleeves. Her stomach wouldn’t stop growling. They stopped a few times to cast water spells to drink. Once Esme tripped on a rock and tore her pant leg up to her knee. While crossing a freezing creek, Owen slipped and injured his casting hand.
At last, with the stars overhead their only light, they came out of the trees and found a wide open space surrounded by mountains. Esme’s exhaustion overwhelmed her, and she sank to the snowy ground. Owen looked back and put up no argument as he returned to sit beside her.
Esme leaned against him. “Too bad there’s not a spell for making a compass.”
“We’ve gotta be close to the bunker.”
She had her doubts that Owen had a clue where they were, but she said nothing.
A dead tree stood not far off, and Esme reached out her castorca and flicked her fingers. Fire shot to the tree and caught the dead wood, and soon the whole thing was aflame, lighting the night and casting warmth their way.
“Careful. Don’t start a forest fire.”
“I won’t. But we need the heat or we’ll freeze to death.”
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