by Lakshman, V.
Silbane shook his head in disbelief. “What? Why?”
Piter continued, “Revenge, Master. You and the council sent him on a mission to his death. You abandoned him at the Far’anthi Stone. He was tortured by the Galadines. Now he’s aligned with Lilyth, and wishes nothing more than to rule Edyn.”
“In a week Arek goes from an unconnected person of no interest to being a vengeful warlord desiring to kill thousands and rule the world?” Silbane said incredulously, spreading his arms. “Do you take me for a fool, Piter?”
Kisan let go of her apprentice and faced Silbane. “Your ‘noble and honorable’ student killed mine. Ambushed him!” she spat. “Yetteje said she thinks he’s the son to a demon… what’s so hard to believe? That the fruit falls next to the tree?”
Silbane looked at her, noting that she was on the edge of violence. Arek was the simple offering at the altar of justice for her dead apprentice. He held his ground, noting Ash had also come ready, but dropped his head a fraction, acknowledging her position. Dealing with Kisan was sometimes like dealing with a wild animal and violence right now would solve nothing.
Instead, he addressed Piter again and asked, “What would you have us do?”
“The army he’s creating is dangerous to everyone. I wouldn’t want any harm to come to Arek, even if it meant my freedom, but this is different.”
Kisan turned back to the shade of her apprentice and asked, “Where is he?”
The shade pointed at the island floating above, which Silbane had identified as Lilyth’s, but before he could answer, Tempest said, “Draw me, beloved, and end this miserable creature’s life!”
The sword had been silent for some time and Silbane assumed it too had been recovering from whatever had drained it in their last battle. Now it seemed to almost strain in its sheath for release, saying again, “Kill it!”
Piter stepped back, his eyes turning a liquid black. Kisan and Ash had their attention on Tempest, but Silbane caught the change. He and Piter’s black eyes locked and for a moment he thought he saw a smile flit across the shade’s features. Then the creature began to dissolve.
“Wait!” cried Kisan, turning back. “Stay with me!”
“I cannot. My master summons.”
Before Piter faded from sight completely, Kisan said, “I’m sorry, Piter!”
She’d stumbled to the place where the shade had moments before stood and now knelt braced on her hands. Her head was bent, her chin to her chest. To Silbane it seemed cruel to have to face someone in death you loved in life.
“That thing is an abomination. We should have killed it,” said Tempest.
Kisan rose, wiping away tears, and snarled, “Says the sword named Kinslayer.” When Tempest did not answer she turned to Silbane and barked, “It’s exactly as I thought! Arek ambushed my apprentice and killed him.”
“It is exactly as you thought…” Silbane agreed. “Should that fact not give you pause?” He looked around the clearing and then pointed out to the floating islands dotting the skies. “Here, everything we think comes to life. The ground, firm for some but not others. A pack when I need it. Your apprentice, speaking to you the very truth you believe deep inside. Do you trust this?”
Kisan shook her head. “Maybe he’s telling the truth because it is the truth. What did your blasted vision See?”
Silbane heaved a sigh, conceding, “I saw those same particles being absorbed by whatever Piter was, just like Arek.” Then he added, “But I implore you to be pragmatic.”
The younger master ignored him, her point made, “So he’s not an illusion, but as real as Arek is.”
Silbane did not have an argument to that, and also realized that right now Kisan would bend any argument to support her view. Answering her would only escalate things. Instead, he looked to Ash and said, “That was—”
“Her apprentice… I gathered. I had not realized the boy had…” the firstmark looked at Kisan before delicately finishing, “come to harm so recently.”
“I blame him.” Kisan pointed a finger at Silbane without a pause.
Silbane felt his ire rise and made a visible effort to quell it. He reminded himself again that losing Arek to the gate was not the same as what Kisan had faced, and that this would solve nothing. He kept his attention firmly on Ash and said, “Are you ready to depart?”
Ash scooped up the few supplies they had into the pack they’d found, then nodded.
Silbane changed, once again the angelic form of Azrael armored in argentium. He picked up the firstmark and turned to Kisan. “I promise we’ll find the truth for ourselves.”
Kisan shifted too, a black counterpart to Silbane’s white. She didn’t say anything and Silbane hadn’t expected her to. He looked up, then launched himself into the blue, his powerful wings beating the air and taking him up toward the island realm of Lilyth.
* * * * *
A shadow formed in the clearing they had just vacated. It coalesced, becoming Piter once more. The shade watched the two shapes winging up for the island of land above. Then it knelt and its eyes became black pools, featureless and glistening.
It reached out with one hand and touched the ground. From that touch, the grass began to darken, like a bruise on this small verdant island. It spread, crawling up trees, darkening limbs and leaves and racing across the ground, withering flowers and bushes. Wherever it touched, the darkness soaked in until the island itself had been completely taken over.
The shade stood, apparently satisfied. He looked around the grove, now so dark green it could be mistaken for black. Without a word or sound, both the shade and the small island disappeared.
Revelations
Every parting feels like
thunderclouds across the bay,
Every reunion the shining sun
on your coldest day.
- Alain the Farflung, A Guide to Westbay
Duncan’s eyes widened with fear. “What are you talking about? Valarius made our son into a weapon?”
“Something within him, his blood perhaps… if it is released here it will kill everything,” she answered in a mixture of anger and grief. “You cannot let that happen.”
“Tell me about Valarius,” he said, his goal to learn more about what had happened to the Galadine archmage after his defeat at Sovereign’s Fall. He knew this might reveal Sonya’s fate as well, but purposely ignored that possible outcome. If that happened, he told himself, he would endure.
“Isn’t it obvious? His war with the Aeris has never ended,” she replied bitterly, “and he will do anything it seems to win it.”
This was something he knew from his conversation with Lilyth, so he put it aside and moved on. “His incursions on her land are steady? Does he bring his men to her doorstep?”
Sonya shook her head. “He has been fighting a far superior force of Aeris, so his elves fight small skirmishes on the neighboring islands. They can kill Aeris more easily than Aeris can kill them so every encounter falls to them. They use a series of blood henges to travel about these lands and to Avalyon. You must be elven born to use them and…”
“And what?” he pressed carefully when her words trailed off.
She looked at him, her eyes calculating, “Blood magic. If the destination is Avalyon, the way must be opened by a sacrifice of one of the elves. Something about their blood opens the path.”
Duncan had not known about the henges or the sacrifice. If proved true, it meant a shade could extract information from what was generally known in this realm. His agile mind continued to catalogue facts while he observed Sonya.
“Does Lilyth know about this blood magic?”
“Of course, but she cannot use it. No Aeris can. Through it the elves are a living key that protects Avalyon.”
“Living key?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
Sonya looked uncomfortable answering, but nonetheless said, “Valarius uses his blood to create these elves and therefore each has within it the ability to use the blood henges, but only
through sacrifice.”
Something sparked in his mind at that, a deeper understanding he would return to later. For now, he nodded and then asked, “Why would Lilyth send me to kill Valarius?”
Sonya shrugged, her anger resurfacing, “What does this have to do with rescuing our son? Shouldn’t we be discussing that?”
Duncan held up a hand and redirected her by appealing to something he knew a mother would accept. “She has a larger plan, of that I’m certain, and it will affect Arek. Knowing why she tasks me with this is paramount.”
Her nod filled him with a sense of relief, and he continued, “Would the dwarves know of Avalyon?”
She shook her head, saying, “There are hardly any dwarves left here, and those who survive do so because they do not trust outsiders.”
He pursed his lips at that, another fact revealed, but one he already knew. Dwarves were exceedingly rare as his excursions to the Dawnlight Mountains back in Edyn had proved. He needed something else to determine Lilyth’s motivation. His thoughts narrowed to a sharp focus. It would have to be something unique to himself or to Sonya’s time here in this realm.
“You mentioned it being almost two hundred years since we last saw each other. That would make our son nearly the same age. How is that possible?” He moved a bit closer and looked out over the expanse, careful not to force her to answer.
“Something about the concentration of the Way here slows or stops those who are not Aeris from aging, in body or mind. Arek never grew more than a year over the time he was here… forever my babe,” she added wistfully.
Duncan had asked himself the same question about the children in Lilyth’s castle. How had they not aged? Sonya’s explanation made sense. The Way rejuvenated those that used it. Here, in a place of such raw abundance, what would not be possible? Wasn’t his thinking clearer than it had ever been, his mind cleansed and healed because of the Way? In such a place would not the body heal, perhaps from the very infirmities of age itself?
He thought for a moment then asked, “What happened when you came here? When we last saw each other you were with child and within months of giving birth.”
Sonya looked at him, her eyes wide and faraway, as if she was reliving an old memory. Then her voice floated in and she said, “I fell through the rift to blackness and awoke in Valarius’s care. He nursed me back to health. I spent every moment from then until the day of our son’s birth dreaming of his safety.”
“And he grew in the womb normally?”
She turned to him for a moment, then said, “Yes… I had not thought that strange until you said it just now.”
Duncan quickly reassured her by saying, “You did well. You sent Arek to Edyn and he was found and brought to the place you knew to be safe.” He said this gently, but inside a fear was building that Valarius had had more to do with Arek’s birth than she knew, so he was very careful about how he worded his next question.
“How have you and Valarius fared, together?”
She turned to him, one delicate eyebrow raised. “My relationship with Valarius has nothing to do with rescuing our son.”
Duncan nodded, a part of him relieved at her not wanting to answer, and another part feeling weak for not confronting her right there. She was his wife, no? Was that crazy?
Instead of starting a fight, he said, “Let’s get back to him then.” He phrased the next question so as to not draw unwarranted attention to it. “And Arek is truly our son?” He looked at her sidelong, waiting for her to respond.
“Yes, of course! He may have been born here, but he’s your son without any doubt.”
A small part of Duncan felt immediate relief at that, despite the fact that he had nothing but the shade’s word to go on. Still, nothing Sonya said sounded deceitful, and the potential he was the father filled him with a joy he had not anticipated, as if a part of something broken within him had also just begun to heal. “How long ago did Arek go through the rift?” he asked.
“Almost sixteen years...”
“He lived as a baby with you here and then you decided to send him to Edyn? Why?”
Sonya looked uncomfortable and did not answer. Duncan took a knee in front of her and looked up. “You understand that we cannot aid or rescue him if I can’t figure out what Lilyth is thinking. Please, tell me what you know.”
Sonya looked up at the sky and put her hands over her eyes. Then she pulled them away, wiping tears that would not stop. “I thought our son safe, then I learned he was instead to be used against the Aeris, to be possessed as sacrifice! I didn’t know what to do, but knew only one other who would see the danger of him dying here.”
She paused, and Duncan’s heart pounded in his chest. Then she finished, “I went to Lilyth and she opened the rift.”
His thoughts now focused in on his last encounter with Lilyth. She had paraded children around him, deliberately leading him into thinking his son was a child amongst them. His mind caught on something then. Why had she not revealed his identity as Arek? If she had him, what harm would it do? She had the power to stop him, and clearly had no qualms demonstrating it.
No, Duncan thought, if she had Arek she would have shown the boy to his father. It would have been a certain way to compel his obedience. Instead, she had kept his identity a secret, which meant… Duncan’s eyes widened at the inescapable conclusion—Arek was free!
Despite her clever ruse Lilyth did not have his son, which meant his first priority was to find Arek before she did. Doing that would make finding Avalyon unnecessary.
“Does Valarius have Arek?”
Sonya hesitated, then said, “His elves are escorting him and the King of Bara’cor’s son back to Avalyon. I don’t know where they are now.”
“Niall…” Duncan thought about that, then said, “Escorting them back? Why not use the blood henges?”
“They are few and far between,” Sonya replied. “Another safety measure to protect the elven city.”
Another thought occurred to him and he wondered why Lilyth would bring Arek back. If the boy could destroy them all, why risk her realm? The princess of EvenSea had been quite clear that Lilyth had taken Arek through the portal. Duncan was missing something, but Sonya’s sobs pulled him away from his contemplation. With as much sympathy as he could muster he offered, “I will find and save him, Sonya. Do not despair.”
She looked at him then, her eyes shining with tears, but mixed in with what must be relief was the odd feeling of anger emanating from the shade. He could feel himself react to it, for the mystery of her change in attitude towards him was still not solved. A part of him knew however, that now was not the time. If he meant to make good on his promise, he would need to unravel where Arek most likely would be.
As if she read his mind, Sonya said, “I cannot help you find Avalyon. As I said, elves are the living key to the henges, but it matters not. You need to find our son before Valarius does.”
“Is there no help you can provide? He’s your son, too.” Duncan implored.
Sonya stood silent, her stance clearly emoting that something warred within her. The conflict showed in her eyes and her body as she stood stiff and erect. Then Sonya’s eyes flicked to a spot behind him. He was tempted to turn and look, but held himself in check. There was a fragile thread growing between himself and her and he did not want to endanger it.
Then the shade looked back at him and asked a strange question: “You came here with others?”
“Yes, but no allies. Perhaps one has the honor to help me, but the rest might just as easily attack. There’s no love lost for me—” he looked at her with a bit of his anguish showing through—“with anyone, it seems.”
Sonya searched his face, finally saying, “I will try to help, but under no circumstances can you bring Arek to Avalyon. It will be the end for him.” She pointed at an island floating off by itself some distance away, “There’s a blood henge hidden there. Wait at it for my help, but stay alert. Elves will not be your friends, any more than Aeris a
re.” She said this while her eyes pleaded for him not to ask her for more. In the end, her eyes won.
Duncan nodded, his shoulders slumped with weariness. He knew finding Arek was his highest priority, and any help would be welcome. Clearly Valarius and Lilyth were opposed, but where did the dwarves fit in? The dwarven prisoner Lilyth charged him to free would also be important, if for no other reason than to provide him some context, but she was no longer a priority either. Then the air changed and he was struck with the feeling that his time with Sonya was coming to a close. He turned to her and asked, “Will I see you again?”
Sonya tilted her head at him but didn’t answer. Instead she said, “Find our son, first.” Then a small smile lifted the corner of her mouth, yet it somehow made her look sadder. Without another word she faded from view. For a moment the world seemed to stand still, then a breeze wafted through, shifting his robes with the fresh smell of spring.
He slowly got up, his mind exhausted from the encounter, and brushed himself off. Then he looked up to the bluff she’d been inspecting. Nothing moved or showed itself. He spent a moment longer tracking across it, trying to discern any movement. Then he realized he was wasting time.
His first task was relatively simple for one who knew the Old Lore. He reviewed the memories of Silbane he’d pulled from the mindread while the adept had been prisoner, and then purged the ones he deemed unnecessary. The act was done quickly and without much discomfort, but he kept anything the man knew about Arek, knowing the blank spots in his memory were about his son. Perhaps he could figure out a way to pierce whatever magic obscured his son.
He then pulled out the lens and placed it within his palm, opening the map of the islands. He could see many near the one Lilyth had indicated, but focused instead on the one Sonya had pointed out. Sonya had said she’d send help to him. He needed to find his son and if Valarius had indeed used something of his blood in Arek and these elves, that had sparked an idea. He selected the island and touched its icon.