Fireweaver

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "Maybe we're about to get some answers," Meran said, disturbing Karik's thoughts. Karik turned to see Atarin striding across the stone floor. Atarin motioned for the Firelords to approach him, and they all rose at once and crossed the room.

  There weren't enough chairs in the corner Atarin chose. Karik settled down on the cold stone floor, feeling its chill through his light furs.

  Atarin leaned forward in his chair, looking more exhausted than Karik had ever seen him. His red beard was unkempt. His clothes were ruffled and dirty. He hardly looked the image of a powerful and charismatic man, though he still was the same man beneath that. He had merely suffered a devastating setback, and Karik felt that same loss himself.

  "I know you've been asking questions behind my back," Atarin said, "and I don't blame you. I haven't been the most forthcoming in recent days. I've been spending my time with Firelord Vanara." He gestured toward a dark-haired woman Karik had seen only in passing. "She is one of the foremost scholars on Fireweaving, and Sunweaving."

  Vanara nodded tersely, looking uncomfortable in her cushioned chair. Karik remembered now that he'd seen her in the palace's library. She'd always been too busy to notice him, spending her time hunched over books instead.

  That had never bothered him, though, for he'd always seen curiosity as a virtue. If only he'd seen that Rella's search for information wasn't simple curiosity.

  But the past was the past. He couldn't change it. Atarin had plans for the future, and Karik hoped he'd play a major part in those plans. After his failure with Rella, he needed a chance to redeem himself. Without that chance, he felt as if he didn't belong here. His usefulness had passed. He'd been nothing but a tool, meant to kidnap his father and fade into the background afterward. But Karik had never been that type of person.

  He wasn't going to start now.

  While he was lost in thought, Vanara introduced herself. He caught words here and there, but he didn't pay attention until Atarin asked her to reveal what she knew.

  "There is another way to bring Halarik back," she said, and the room fell into stunned silence. Karik leaned closer with interest. This might be that chance he needed.

  "Is there really?" Meran asked. He sounded both thrilled and terrified at the prospect. In truth, Karik often wondered how firmly Meran believed in their cause. He'd been a voice of caution during the previous plot, suggesting that they find a way to constrain Halarik instead of letting him go completely free. Atarin hadn't even considered the suggestion.

  Karik would have stood with Meran, but he'd been too afraid to contradict Atarin.

  "We can bring him back with one of the Lost Weaves," Vanara said.

  Karik sat up straighter. He'd always thought the Lost Weaves were myths, but Vanara spoke about them as if they existed. Normally, he would have thrust aside such a tenuous belief, but Vanara commanded respect with her aging visage and graying hair. She looked the very image of a trusted scholar.

  "I know you might think the Lost Weaves are myths," Vanara said, her tone soft and patient. "But I've done considerable research on them. They do exist, but they are held in secret because of the dangers they pose." She swayed on her feet, looking awkward. "There are two known places that most likely hold materials relating to the Lost Weaves."

  Everyone was silent, watching her with keen gazes.

  "The first is the Temple of Aralea, but we can't go there for obvious reasons."

  There were a few murmurs of discontent. Some among the Firelords believed they could win a war with Tarileth. Karik didn't know what to think. Fireweavers had the numbers advantage, but Tarileth was more organized as a society.

  "The second is in the Sardek Empire. It lies under the protection of the Monks of Duran, an ancient order meant solely to protect the world from the Lost Weaves."

  Karik had heard of these monks. They'd appeared in a few of the books he'd read. It was said that the Lost Weaves played a major role in the war between Halarik and Aralea and that the monks had hidden them afterward to protect the people from a recurrence of such abuses.

  "But no one's seen those monks for hundreds of years," Meran said.

  Atarin gave him a sharp look. "Then we'll just have to find them."

  "I've done research," Vanara said, "and I think I'm getting closer to finding them. They are very reclusive, but they are still out there. You need to have some faith."

  Meran shook his head. "Forgive me if my faith is a little damaged. We freed Halarik, and how did he reward us? He destroyed the palace."

  Atarin's look became sharper. "There is no proof that was Halarik's work."

  "Who else would be powerful enough?" Meran asked.

  "That's enough," Atarin said. "This is a discussion for another time and place.

  Meran, be quiet, Karik urged silently. He didn't want to see his long-time friend run afoul of Atarin. Karik knew, after watching the way Atarin had treated Rella, that he could become downright nasty if you stood in his way. That side of Atarin had shocked Karik and forced him to consider if he was on the right side.

  In the end, he knew he was. Fireweavers were oppressed, and to fight against that oppression, Karik would have to make alliances he might not like.

  "I'm sorry," Meran said. He turned to Vanara. "Please go on."

  Vanara pursed her lips, then continued. "The weave we are looking for is Red and Green. It opens a gateway to the place of Halarik's imprisonment. This is a place known to most as the Realm of Shade. It is said to be full of monsters, but also some people: those who were on the losing end of the war between the gods."

  Karik scratched his head. He hadn't heard of the Realm of Shade, and he'd always thought he read a lot. Of course, he wasn't a scholar on the same level as Vanara.

  "If we use this weave, we can't be sure where it'll take us," Vanara said. "There may be great dangers involved, but we're Fireweavers. We can handle a little danger."

  "We sure can," Narine said, leaning forward, her gaze eager. Karik wished he could share her enthusiasm, but instead he felt queasy.

  Atarin strode over to stand in front of Vanara. "So this is our plan. We're going to travel north to Tarileth, and eventually to Hyrandel. From there, we'll take a ship across the ocean. Don't worry. I have a contact who can get us passage. Once we make it to the Sardek Empire, we'll begin our search for the monks."

  He made it sound so easy, but Karik had his doubts. He always did.

  Footsteps sounded at the edge of the chamber, and everyone turned toward the sound. Four Fire Guards strode through the doorway, leading a red-haired woman between them. For a moment, Karik was confused, but then he recognized Rella. She looked pale.

  Atarin smiled widely. "Well, isn't this interesting?"

  Chapter 3: Captured

  Rella shivered as she stared across the room of Firelords. She recognized Atarin immediately, then spotted Karik sitting on the ground behind him. Karik gave her a strange look, as if he were upset to see her there, but the look was gone an instant later.

  "Bring her to me," Atarin said, and the Fire Guards led Rella forward. She didn't struggle. If Atarin wanted to kill her, she couldn't do a thing about it. She hated feeling powerless, hated that she'd been foolish enough to get captured.

  Karik met her gaze and shook his head. He didn't look as confident and relaxed as she remembered him. It appeared that the burden of failure had fallen heavy upon his shoulders.

  Atarin gripped Rella's arm roughly. "Let's head down to the cells."

  No. Rella couldn't be Atarin's prisoner again. She still had nightmares about the torture she'd endured the last time. Surely he would kill her now, once he asked her some questions.

  The Fire Guards and Atarin led her into an adjoining corridor lit by only a few Sunlamps. The place smelled dusty, and her steps echoed—a sad and hollow sound.

  "Are you going to kill me?" she asked.

  Atarin hesitated, chewing on his lower lip. "I don't know."

  He had a lot of faults, but Rella didn't thi
nk he was lying right now. Did their blood relation still hold some significance for him? It was the only reason she saw that he wouldn't kill her right away.

  Without the heat of Sunlamps, the corridors were bitterly cold. Even her thick furs didn't keep her warm. At last, they reached a row of small cells. Only one cell was occupied.

  "Andra?" Rella said, glancing at the person in the cell.

  The prisoner looked up weakly. "Rella, is that you?"

  "Yes, it's me." Rella hated the hollow sound of her voice, but there was no point pretending. She couldn't fight back, and once they placed her in a cell, she'd be too weak to counter the shield around it.

  The Fire Guards led her into the cell across from Andra. To their credit, they didn't treat her roughly or shove her into the cell.

  The barred door clanked shot behind her, and one of the guards turned the key in the lock. She felt as if a heavy weight had settled over her, and the memories of her last imprisonment came rushing back, like fire sweeping through a forest.

  Before she knew it, tears were falling from her eyes.

  "What do you want from me?" she demanded, glaring at Atarin through her tears. The Fire Guards were marching away.

  Atarin shuffled his feet, looked away for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure. I don't know. Maybe there's a part of me that still hopes you can be family. That's the only thing keeping you alive right now, so I suggest you keep any hateful comments to yourself."

  "The guards said you wanted to talk to me, so talk to me."

  Atarin settled down on a chair in the corridor. He looked weary and disheveled, completely unlike the man she'd first met. "I don't really know what I want to say to you. Maybe I just want to know why you turned against me. I treated you well."

  "You had to see what Halarik did to your palace," she said. "This is the god you freed: a god who tried to harm the very people who freed him." She looked into his eyes, praying he'd see sense. "Doesn't that prove I was right about him?"

  Atarin ran a hand through his red beard. "I don't know. I'd be lying if I told you I didn't have a few doubts now. But it doesn't matter. Halarik's our only hope of fixing the world."

  Rella fought back tears, feeling on the verge of panic. "What about cooperation? What about talking to Sunweavers? There are some of them who don't believe we're abominations. Look at all of us who were with Deril, trying to stop you. If Sunweavers all hate Fireweavers, then why'd he choose to have us on his side?"

  "Because he needed you. Nothing more."

  "I don't believe that," she said. "I know Deril. He might have once believed that we were the enemy, but he doesn't anymore. He's an important man back in Tarileth. After this, they'll welcome him as a hero. He can make a difference."

  Atarin laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, how I wish I had such idealism yet. Yes, they may welcome Deril as a hero, but he won't change their minds, not unless he eradicates their church, and I don't see that happening. He'll fall back into old patterns. It always happens that way."

  "It won't this time."

  "You don't know that." Atarin stood, turned away from her, and marched back toward the corridor's entrance, his steps fading into the distance. That weight upon Rella felt more oppressive than ever. This had been her one chance to convince him, and she'd failed.

  "You had to know it wouldn't work," Andra said from the opposite cell.

  Rella felt the beginning of tears again. "I know, but I had to try."

  "I tried for a while. There's no point. Atarin believes he's doing the right thing, that he couldn't possibly be wrong about anything."

  "How'd you end up in here?" Rella asked. "I thought Soren would keep you safe."

  Andra leaned against the bars, looking thin and exhausted. "He did at first, but Atarin never trusted me. They kept me under guard in one of the palace's guest chambers. They treated me well enough, giving me food and whatever I needed, but I was still a prisoner." She shook her head. "I heard about what they did to you. I'm sorry."

  "There was nothing you could have done. You don't need to apologize." Rella wiped away a tear, wishing she'd stop crying. "Do you know why they haven't killed you yet?"

  "Atarin wanted me as a hostage so that you and Deril and the others would follow him. I think he holds a grudge against all of you and wants to see you all dead." She frowned. "Well, maybe not you because you're his niece, or maybe because he sees you as another hostage."

  "That seems like a risky move," Rella said. "If I were Atarin, I wouldn't want Deril and the others following me. They might ruin whatever plans he has now."

  "I thought the same thing, but maybe he has his reasons."

  "I wish I knew what his plans were."

  But there was little Rella and Andra could say on that subject. After a few moments of silence, Rella said, "Have you seen Davin?"

  Andra shook her head. "He hasn't been taken here."

  "Then where did they take him?" Rella felt sick at the thought. What if they'd killed him already? She figured Atarin would leave him alive for the same reason he'd spared Andra and Rella thus far, but there was no guarantee.

  After a while, they ran out of topics to discuss. Rella tried to fall asleep on the bedroll, but she tossed and turned, her mind racing. She doubted anyone would come to rescue her.

  Just when she thought she might fall asleep, footsteps approached. She bolted upright and peered through the bars to see Karik approaching from the end of the corridor.

  "What do you want?" she demanded, perhaps a little too sharply.

  He settled down on the nearby chair. "I wanted to talk. Is that too much to ask?"

  "You betrayed me. We have nothing to say to each other."

  "I had to tell Atarin what you knew," he said, running a hand through his long hair. "You were putting the mission at risk. I hoped you'd realize your mistake once you were caught, but you had to be so stubborn. You didn't need to be tortured." His expression twitched. Was it sympathy? Regret? "You could have told Atarin the truth right away."

  She glared at him. "I don't betray my friends."

  "I'm not sure we ever were friends, Rella. Did I have some feelings for you? Yes. But if you were intending the foil our plans all along, then you're no friend of mine." He shook his head slowly. "How can you support them, Rella? They're Sunweavers. They've persecuted us for hundreds of years. We're your people. Why can't you see that?"

  "I don't think in those terms," Rella said. "Fireweavers are my people. Sunweavers are my people. As long as we choose sides, there will never be progress."

  "As long as Sunweavers hold all the power, there will never be progress."

  "That's why we need cooperation," Rella said, growing frustrated.

  "If only it were that easy." Karik rose from the chair, walked away a few steps, then turned back to Rella. "No. The only answer is to free Halarik, and we've found another way. In the end, all your interference won't matter. Halarik will bring justice to the world."

  Rella leaned against the freezing bars. "Do you truly believe that?"

  He hesitated a moment. "I do, and if you were smart, you would too."

  "Halarik destroyed your palace when you freed him? Are you really so foolish that you'll try it again? Aren't you afraid of what he might do?"

  Again, he hesitated. "He's our god. He won't harm us."

  He walked away, leaving Rella to the cold, to her misery and disappointment.

  Chapter 4: A New Mission

  Faina sat next to Kadin on a hill overlooking Kalindel. A bitter wind blew, and Faina wondered if she'd ever feel warm again. She'd shivered all the way down to Haladel, and now she'd shiver all the way back.

  If only she knew what she was going back to.

  She was a Fireweaver. Nothing would ever change that. There was no place for her in Tarileth, no way she could escape detection for the rest of her life. And however much Deril thought he could change Tarileth, Faina knew better, knew she would never live alongside Kadin. She leaned against him, wishing she could change
the world.

  "You feeling all right?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her. She'd seen a lot of growth in him. He still struggled with his guilt, but perhaps he was learning to move past it.

  "I'm just thinking about the future," she said. "Or how I don't have one."

  "We can protect you," Kadin said, but his voice lacked conviction.

  "No, you can't. It's too dangerous for you anyways. You're a Sunlord, Kadin. You don't need someone like me in your life. If we had a life together, we'd risk producing more children who won't be Sunlords. The world needs Sunlords more than you need me."

  "I don't care," Kadin said, his expression tight with anger. "I love you, Faina."

  Faina opened her mouth to respond, but said nothing. She wasn't sure she could bring herself to say she loved him, to admit that she wanted a life with him. It would only give her false hope, and she was too practical for that.

  She pulled away from Kadin, leaving him to stare after her in confusion, then crossed their small campsite, reaching the place where Deril and the Sunlord stood, almost hidden from view by a thick cluster of evergreen trees.

  "I'm worried," Deril said, gazing east toward the city. "They should be back by now."

  "Be patient," his father said. "I know it's never been your greatest strength."

  Deril chuckled. "True."

  Faina cleared her throat as she approached. "You think they're all right?"

  "I don't know," Deril said, wrapped tight in thick furs they'd acquired in another town. "I wish I could be there with them. I hate feeling like I'm not in control. All this time, I felt like I had a goal if nothing else. Now I'm going home to an uncertain future." He shook his head. "How can things remain the way they've always been?"

  "It's easy," Faina said. "The Church has made people hate Fireweavers for so long. You don't think this one mission will change that, do you?"

  Deril leaned against a tree. "I want to believe it, but I fear you're right."

  The Sunlord's expression was grave as he ran a hand through his graying beard. "Rescuing me was the easy part. Trying to change our nation is a completely different kind of task. I once believed it was possible. Now, I'm not so sure."