“You’re an afur,” Haziel said to Villia.
Villia started to shake her head, but instead, she closed her eyes and nodded once. “Yes.”
The king shook his head. “I should be mad, but with everything that’s been happening, I’ll be glad for the aid you can give. I assume you were being honest when you said you wouldn’t accept Sharim’s offer.”
She nodded again. “I was a Veilspeaker. I may not be a member of that order anymore, but I will not abandon my charge.”
Jez raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t contradict her. Instead, he raised the question that had been nagging at him.
“Do we tell the others about Sharim’s offer?”
“Why would we?” Haziel asked.
Jez glanced at Illeon, who had gone silent and was staring toward the city. Though Jez couldn’t see it, he could sense exactly where the pillar of fog containing the manor was. It was like some great hole in reality itself, though Jez suspected he could only feel it because of his link to Korand. He sighed and addressed the king.
“Because I don’t think we’re going to convince him to keep quiet, and if he tells the afur at the manor, it’s only a matter of time until others hear about it too. If that happens, they might be angry that we kept it from them. On the other hand, if we tell them, we could at least prepare for it.”
“Jezreel is right,” Villia said. “By addressing it in the open, we could prevent whispers from rising in the shadows.”
Haziel glanced at Illeon before turning back to Jez. “What if they accept?”
“I do not think there is much danger of that, Your Majesty, at least not from those who joined us. Those that most wanted to be restored...” Villia waved a hand at the silent former Lifebringer. “Went to the manor to serve the high lords. The rest of us just want to see to our purpose, and we cannot do that if we are serving a demon.” She glanced at Osmund. “I assume that is the same among the beast men?”
Osmund nodded. “If anything, it’s more so. Those that came to the forest are tired of being restricted by mortal choice, so they went where there aren’t any humans. When Aniel showed up, that just strengthened their resolve. They are free. They’re not going to join Sharim, no matter what he offers them.”
“I would not be so sure.” Illeon’s voice was quiet, though the afur drew every eye. “Those that did not come to the manor only avoided it because they believed there was no chance the high lords would restore them. They were right. Now that the chance is available...” He shook his head, and his voice cracked as he spoke. “I have no idea what is going to happen.”
“What about you?” Jez asked. “Are you going to accept Sharim’s offer?”
Illeon looked away. “I have wandered the earth for millennia. I was there when the foundation of your Academy was laid. I healed the first king of Ashtar when a plague ravaged the newly formed kingdom. A part of me hoped I would be restored, but it was never enough. Always, I have searched for a purpose strong enough to replace what I have lost, and now Andera offers one. It may not be the one to which I was originally called, but it is something.”
Villia stepped forward. “You were a pharim, created to serve a singular purpose and—”
“And I betrayed it,” Illeon said. “By helping those who had no other way to survive, I betrayed my purpose.”
“But you kept on healing,” Villia said. “Do you imagine you will be able to continue that under Andera’s rule? You saw how Mirel treated the humans. She dismissed them like they were nothing. If Andera has his way, it will be worse. There will be no one left to heal. What will your purpose be then?”
Illeon shook his head. “I do not know. I am not sure about anything anymore.”
Wings covered in objects which were as much leaves as feather sprouted from his back. In the space of a few breaths, he had launched himself into the air, flying in the direction of Randak. Jez stared after him and sighed.
“Villia, can you protect the others from the mental working?”
She shook her head. “Not everyone at once.” She turned to Osmund and Galine. “What type of afur do you have in the forest?”
“Beastwalkers mostly. There are a few Darkmasks and some Shadeslayers.” Osmund glanced at Jez. “There’s also one Shadowguard.”
Villia nodded and proceeded to tell them how to construct a ward to shield thoughts from the influence of the working. Neither Osmund nor Galine were skilled in protection or mental magic, but they both understood the basic principles well enough to convey the information to those who could actually do something about it. Lina nodded as she heard the explanation and seemed to think she’d be able to guard her own mind with a little practice.
That done, Osmund and Galine returned to the forest. Jez went with Lina and the others back to the army camp to try to figure out a more permanent solution to the working. He, Lina, and Villia worked late into the night before Jez accepted the king’s offer of a bed for the night, having come no closer to a solution.
He slept fitfully, his dreams full of old battles. It was like he could feel every wound he had ever taken. He woke as the sun was rising, feeling like he’d hardly gotten any sleep at all. Lina wasn’t awake yet so he left her a message before heading into Randak.
The working hung thick over the city, and now that he knew what to look for, he could see that people were on edge. In more than one case, he ran into men and women on the verge of coming to blows. The first couple of times, he stopped and protected them from the working long enough for them to come to their senses, but there were just too many. He couldn’t help them all, so eventually, he just moved past them, stopping at Clont’s inn long enough to tell Kilos he was free to return to the manor at any point.
The pillar of fog swirled near the northern portion of the town. Jez could see the front door clearly now and guessed the working had stabilized. He stepped through the gate, and the fogs of Between swirled around him, though they seemed somehow more solid than the other times he’d encountered them. He took another step and found himself in the manor grounds. Instantly, the pervasive smell of demonic energy vanished. Jez almost let his shields drop, but he realized he still felt the ever-present pressure against them. It was only the smell that was gone, no doubt hidden by the presence of the high lords.
He strode across the courtyard. The massive door to the manor swung open at his touch, though no working he had ever crafted would do that. He wondered what other changes the high lords had made. The halls themselves were empty until he reached the door to the garden. There were still afur, different from before, guarding the way in, but they parted for him as soon as he approached. One even opened the door for him.
“Are they in there?” Jez asked.
One of the afur nodded. “Yes.” He glanced at his companion before looking back to Jez. “Is it true?”
“Is what true?” Jez asked.
The pair exchanged glances. “We have heard that Andera intends to restore those of us who follow him. Is it true? Can he really do that?”
Jez hesitated, but after a few heartbeats, he nodded. “That’s what Mirel said, but I have no way to know if it’s true or not. If you think that’s worth serving a demon, I guess there’s nothing I can say that will change your mind.”
One of them looked like Jez’s words were making him sick. They both obviously wanted to ask more questions, but neither of them spoke. Instead, the afur stared at him as he passed. He could practically feel their burning eyes drilling into his back. He stepped into the garden and froze.
The plants were still overgrown to the point of being nearly impassable, but their color had changed from green to the bright reds and yellows of autumn. The heat that had hung in the air was replaced by a coolness far more appropriate to the time of year, not that that should make a difference, given where he was. He walked to a nearby tree and plucked at a leaf. It came off easily.
“Aphlel is dying.”
The voice came from behind him. Jez turned to see Sar
iel. A stark contrast to his appearance the last time Jez had seen him, the luster had faded from his robes, and he had dark circles around his eyes. Jez had never imagined that any pharim, much less a high lord, could look so tired.
“Are you sure?”
Sariel nodded. His voice sounded strained. “We are part of a whole. We do not normally think about it, but we are one. The loss of one of us would be felt by all. I am not sure if we can survive it. I failed.”
The change caught Jez off guard. “Failed who?”
“Everyone. I am the lord of the Shadowguards. My purpose is to protect. Whose responsibility was it to prevent what happened to Aphlel if not mine?”
“Sariel…”
“Why have you come, Jezreel?”
“You heard of Andera’s offer?”
Sariel shook his head. He waved a hand, and the plants parted for him. He walked as he spoke. “Rumors only. Illeon never returned.”
Jez turned and looked toward the entrance to the garden. The door was closed, and he could barely make out the flaming wings of the afur through the glass. They seemed to be talking to each other, though Jez couldn’t hear the exchange. He hurried after Sariel.
“But the guards, they asked me about it.”
Sariel inclined his head and brushed at a leaf that was floating to the ground in front of him. “The rumors have been circulating for nearly twelve hours now.”
Jez gaped for a second. “That doesn’t make sense. That was before Mirel gave the offer.”
“Mirel?” Sariel looked up into the endless fog of Between as if searching his memory. “Ah yes, the afur who deceived you a year ago. I was not aware she was the emissary Andera had sent.”
“You weren’t?”
Sariel shook his head. “Daziel is the one who decided to send Illeon. He may have told the rest of us. I do not remember.”
Jez glanced toward the center of the garden. He could just make out the sound of running water. “You can’t remember? Because of Aphlel?”
“How would we know? Such a thing has never happened before.”
“There’s something else it could be.”
Jez closed his eyes and tried to extend his protections around Sariel, but the influence of the working was thicker around him than Jez had ever seen it, as if it had to take into account the pharim lord’s great power. Jez’s magic bounced off of the working like wind buffeted by a mountain. The pain in his head buzzed anew. He opened his eyes to find that Sariel had cocked his head and was staring at him.
“There’s some kind of mental working over the city. I thought when you moved the manor, it would’ve cut you off from it, but it feels even stronger than ever.”
Sariel shook his head and spoke almost too quietly to hear. “I would have detected…”
His voice trailed off. A faint speck of blue light moved across his eyes. It grew larger until both the pupils and the whites of his eyes had faded, giving the impression that his eyes were twin spheres of blue glass. He blinked, and his eyes had returned to normal. He seemed just a little stronger, and the tiredness had lessened.
“Well, that is certainly subtle. It has been crafted in such a way as to be hidden by our own presence. I have protected myself from it.”
“Can you undo it?” Jez asked.
“Not as I am nor as it is, but it is weakening.”
“It is? I couldn’t tell.”
Sariel nodded and plucked a red leaf off a branch. “Like one of these in the first weeks of autumn. It will be some time before it is weak enough for me to unravel it, but now that I know of it, I can craft protections.” He raised an eyebrow at Jez. “I have done so for you, and it should be more effective than the crude working you have crafted.”
Jez felt his face redden. “I’ve never exactly dealt with this sort of thing.”
“In point of fact, you have. Gulakash used a similar working—”
Jez spoke up. “Is this one of those things from the beginning of the world that I don’t remember?”
The edges of Sariel’s mouth tightened. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
“You know about this kind of working, then,” Jez said.
Sariel nodded. “Of course.”
“Do you have any idea who the power source could be?”
“Power sources,” Sariel said. “Plural.”
“There’s more than one?”
“Of course. A working like this that extends over the entire city cannot be maintained by just one source of power. It would unbalance itself. That is probably why it is lessening in strength here. There is no power source to sustain it. I suspect we left a large hole in the mortal realm where the manor used to be, but with the power sources all out there, it will repair itself, given enough time.”
“But where are the power sources?” Jez asked.
“I do not know. I would have to go back into your world to find out.”
“I think it’s time for that then. We can deal with the consequences once there isn’t a working trying to make us all kill each other.”
Sariel nodded. “That might be best. I—”
He cut off as a shard of crystal slammed into his right thigh. In the next instant, his robes had solidified. He was still staring mutely at the point of impact when his entire body crystalized. Jez looked toward the entrance. Half a dozen blue-robed figures had entered the garden. One had his hands raised toward Sariel. The amount of protective magic swelling within him said they had to be in a contingent. For a moment, Jez could only stare. The lead afur stepped forward.
“Do not interfere, human. They accepted their fate when they refused to restore us.”
With an effort of will, Jez shed his human form and took on that of Luntayary. The transformation caught the afur off guard, and Jez launched a surge of terra magic at the ground beneath them. One of them formed a quick ward, and Jez’s working bounced off of it and splashed into the wall behind them. The stone shifted and groaned, and the glass door leading into the manor shattered. Jez took up position in front of Sariel.
“You’re going to accept Andera’s offer,” he said.
“Andera offers us what the pharim never did. I wish it could be another way, but it cannot. Now, will you stand aside, or will we have to fight?”
Jez had fought all manner of beings since he’d come into his power, creatures both older and more powerful than he, but somehow, this made him worry. It wasn’t just that he was outnumbered six to one. Luntayary was a Shadowguard, and their robes and crystal swords marked them as once belonging to that same order. These had been created as guardians, as those who stand against the darkness. All the skills and workings that Jez knew, these creatures had mastered before there was even such a thing as humans. Though their fall had severely curbed their power, he couldn't stand against six of them, not alone, but neither could he leave Sariel and Aphlel to their mercies. He drew his sword and stepped forward.
“You can’t have them.”
The lead afur inclined his head. “Very well.”
As one, they moved to attack.
CHAPTER 22
Before they had moved more than a few inches, twin balls of red flame shot through the shattered doorway leading into the manor. Each crashed into the back of an afur which then flared as bright as the noonday sun. When the fire faded, only piles of ash remained. The remaining four afur looked at the remains dumbfounded before turning to the door.
The two Shadeslayer guards stood there, ruby robes shining as their swords blazed. One motioned with to the broken door behind them.
“We let them through because they had been trusted advisors to Lord Sariel, but when that door broke, we heard everything. Maleel, how could you?”
“How could you?” The lead afur threw his words back in his face. “Look what they have reduced us to, and yet you turn against your own kind when we try to be something more.”
The former Shadeslayer rose into the air a few inches, sending out waves of heat every time he flapped his wings. “One
who could move against his own high lord was never my kind. Stand down, or you will suffer the same fate as your friends.”
“My friends?” Maleel shrieked. “My friends? You knew them, Rellan. The least you can do is use their names.”
Rellan’s eyes burned a deep red so that they almost looked like blood. “They lost the right to the name the Creator gave them when they turned against their cause. Drop your weapons and free Lord Sariel, and I will intercede on your behalf. Perhaps you can avoid punishment.”
“No, I do not think...”
A ball of fire rushed at Maleel, but he had been expecting that. A glowing wall of blue energy rose around the Shadowguard afur. The fire sizzled as it splashed into the barrier, but the Shadeslayer afur were already moving. Rellan’s sword cut through the ward as if it wasn’t there, and the blue energy sputtered and vanished. Two of the traitors launched the crystal binding at Rellan and his companion while the other two moved in to strike with their swords. The Shadeslayers batted aside the working with their own weapons, but the motion had given enough time for the traitor Shadowguards to get close. The battle became a flurry of crystal and flame. Shadeslayers had been created as warriors to strike out against evil, but the purpose of the Shadowguard was to defend. As individuals, they seemed evenly matched, but outnumbered as they were, the Shadeslayers couldn’t last long. Maleel’s sword streaked toward Rellan, but the former Shadeslayer had just deflected two attacks from a different direction. He wouldn’t be fast enough to turn aside this attack as well.
Jez threw his hands forward, pulling water out of the air and forming it into nearly solid bands which constricted around Maleel’s sword arm and pulled it back. It took barely half a second for Maleel to dispel the working, but that was enough time for Rellan to get his sword into place. Maleel scowled and spoke to the former Shadowguard next to him, who broke off her attack and moved to engage Jez.
She dashed toward Jez with a grace that made her seem more liquid than flesh. Her crystal blade sliced through the air. He met the strike with his own weapon, but the afur’s blade hit him with the strength of a mountain. His arms rang with the force of the impact. She struck again, but this time, Jez managed to move out of the way. His sword darted out, attempting to bite into her stomach, but she was too fast, knocking it aside with a casual ease. Her next attack drove him to his knees. She would’ve taken his head next, but a quick application of terra magic changed the stone beneath Jez to mud, and he sank in. The sword hissed as it cut through the air mere inches above his head. At his mental command, the mud launched him forward. He crashed into the afur, and they went to the ground in a tangle of limbs.
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