Mythborn

by Lakshman, V.

  “The boy was crafted for a single purpose,” Thoth said.

  “The death of us all,” commented Helios dryly. “He can destroy us with a touch.”

  “Perhaps,” answered Thoth, “but so can the elves. They have been imbued with the same hate Valarius has for all Aeris.” The Keeper was silent, considering something. Then he looked at Yetteje and said, “I think Valarius seeks to escape Arcadia, and to do so he needs a body. I think Arek was created for that purpose.”

  “Why does he need a body?” she whispered, her mind grasping for an answer.

  “Unlike Arcadia, an Aeris must have a body to exist in Edyn,” replied Thoth.

  “Ascension gives us life in your world, a fair trade for becoming one with you,” Orion said. “Lilyth’s possession does the same, only it is you who do not survive the taking.” He looked at his companions, his gaze finally resting on Thoth. “If this is true, we cannot let Arek near Valarius.”

  “You also must protect him,” the Keeper told the two Watchers. “If he dies here, it will release the blackfire and Arcadia will be consumed.”

  “And why haven’t you sent us to rescue Niall?” she asked, as this last piece of the puzzle still felt out of place.

  There was a pause, and Thoth looked away, his eyebrows drawn together. “What do you want me to say, Princess?” The Keeper finally said, spreading his hands. “That he’s not important enough to risk any of you to Valarius? It would mean death for our Watchers and you would become a captive, to be either used as bait or ransom.”

  For the first time, his straightforward answer shocked her. It was delivered with the same flat tone the Marks used when reporting losses in battle to her father. He’d never reacted in a way that assumed their deaths were called for. It was clear Niall was a statistic to Thoth, not a real person. Yetteje remained silent.

  Something that insane mage Duncan had said before leaving them at the gate had never left her. It was clear this place was different from Edyn, and if Valarius could go from being dead to leaving here, then so could others. The thought kept reverberating in her head. A path for which her entire reason for coming was based upon. What other task did she have except this? she asked herself. Silbane and the others could take care of themselves and she had no clue as to where Arek was, and Niall…

  “—why we cannot go to Lilyth. Her command over Arcadia is nearly absolute.”

  Though she hadn’t heard everything, something clicked. Yetteje took a breath, her thoughts falling into order. She looked at the three of them and said, “Yes we can. We will go to Lilyth and petition her aid.”

  “Madness!” exclaimed Thoth. “This is why we don’t tell you things.”

  “Be that as it may,” replied Yetteje icily, “you’re wrong about Niall not being important, and that means you’re wrong about other things.”

  It was Thoth’s turn to fume silently, so she continued, “It is clear Lilyth is preparing to invade Edyn. I saw with my own eyes her mistfrights take over Bara’cor and the king’s last stand. Ask yourself, who will the land rally behind to withstand her might? Shornhelm, the other fortresses and their rulers, even EvenSea—” her voice broke at that—“are gone.” She looked at them all but her posture and attitude demanded no answer. “As far as I know, Niall is the rightful heir to Bara’cor. It is his flag that the land will rally behind and follow.”

  Thoth shook his head, but Yetteje rose and said, “I will have my say with Lilyth and then we will rescue Niall and get out of here.”

  “What can Lilyth give you, Princess, that we cannot?” demanded Helios.

  Yetteje‘s amber eyes glowed in the morning sun. She thought about her purpose in coming, about the people she loved, and knew only one decision could be made.

  “You said she’s the ruler of the dead,” Yetteje said to Thoth. “I’m going to ask her for my father.”

  The Tomb

  Long roads can make friends out of the weary.

  - Alain the Farflung, A Guide to Westbay

  Arek’s trepidation grew as they neared Olympious. The city went from being a small pyramid shape in the distance to a thriving capital city that dwarfed his own Meridian Isle incomparison. Winged shapes flew in and out, singly and in smallV formations to destinations unknown. He’d long since made Cainan and Piter stay hidden, knowing they could be at his side in less than a heartbeat.

  “You know what you’re doing?” Brianna asked carefully, the sight of such an immense place bringing with it a sense of foreboding to their small party.

  Arek looked at her sidelong, then challenged, “No, do you?”

  Brianna looked down at him and something in her eyes told him his remark had been hasty and ill-mannered. So before she said anything he added, “I don’t know what to expect. I was invited here but then dropped amongst enemies. There’s so much going on I don’t know much.” He looked a little sheepishly at her and then said, “Sorry.”

  Brianna gave him a small smile and replied, “Try waking up to a dream like this.”

  Arek looked at her quizzically, and her only reply was to reassert the guarded mask she’d been wearing since they’d met. It was almost as if she’d momentarily forgotten where she was and spoke her mind, then suddenly realized her choice of words. Arek was tempted to force an answer but realized whatever secrets Brianna held would come out naturally, and likely be more dependable if voluntarily given. What he need to understand was why Lilyth had captured her in the first place.

  “What do you know about the men who held you captive?” he asked, starting once again for the majestic city.

  “Nothing,” Brianna said, following behind him. “I woke in chains and they claimed me for someone they called, ‘The Lady.’ ” Brianna tugged at the collar still around her neck, but Arek couldn’t tell if she was testing it or making herself more comfortable. He still had no doubt that if it were removed, she would phase into the ground and disappear. So for now, the collar stayed.

  “Lilyth is the Lady,” he offered. “We are going to see her now.”

  Brianna stopped, shock plainly written on her face. “You’re taking me to the person who captured me in the first place?”

  Arek cocked his head at her then replied, “Lilyth claims she’s my mother and that I’m a prince in this world.” He spread his arms slightly and executed a small, mock bow, noting Brianna did not look particularly pleased.

  “I’m confused. Then why kill your own men?” she asked after a moment of silence.

  The question caught him off guard and he had to think for a moment before answering, “Lilyth claims. I did not say I believe her, but if I am in fact a prince here, you’re safest with me.” She looked entirely unconvinced and it occurred to Arek that she had no context with which to judge his actions. So he nodded and gestured for them to continue walking and said, “Let me tell you about the last week of my life.”

  Arek began, starting with his fateful encounter with Piter, the hasty departure to investigate the gate of Lilyth with Rai’stahn, what he perceived were the council’s orders to use him and his master’s choices, his flight to Bara’cor, and finally appearing in Arcadia. The telling took some time as Brianna asked pointed questions here and there to clarify his tale. When he was finished, the walls of Olympious were considerably closer.

  “Do you think your master would have let you die?” Brianna asked softly.

  The question trailed off and Arek couldn’t help but stop and look down, his thoughts heavy as he had endlessly wondered about this very same thing. In the end, he spoke his heart when he replied, “I don’t know. I don’t think so… but there are times when I wonder if anyone should choose one life over saving their world from invasion.” He looked up at Brianna with clear, pale eyes and asked, “What would you have done?”

  The question could have been taken many ways, but it seemed Brianna chose to interpret it as it applied to his master. She sighed, then simply said, “I probably would have asked you.”

  “Asked?”
r />   Brianna nodded. “You said you adepts take an oath to serve your land. I would have asked you to stand by that oath for the good of the people.”

  Arek paused, considering her words. It had not occurred to him that the council could have asked his permission, and a part of him remembered it was the very same advice he’d given the king of Bara’cor. Was he so used to listening to orders that it had never occurred to him that he had a choice? He couldn’t imagine the lore father asking him anything, so he said, “And if I had said no?”

  The dwarven prisoner looked away, not meeting his eyes. Then she began haltingly, “You really want me—”

  “Just answer,” Arek said more forcefully than he’d intended.

  Brianna looked at him and said, “Where I come from, you would have been designated an enemy of the state, a willful collaborator. Your denial would cause the deaths of thousands. As such you would be forced to comply.”

  The simple statement rocked Arek to his core. Though he would like to believe he would have welcomed the opportunity to volunteer, to know that his choice might have been nothing more than an illusion seemed somehow unfair. Perhaps this was why his master had looked ashamed, because of the inevitability of the outcome regardless of Arek’s decision. He remembered the lore father, those eyes at the end of the council meeting. He would not have hesitated to do what he thought best, including Arek being used to close the gate, even if it meant his life.

  His agile mind continued building upon Brianna’s fresh perspective. The lore father would not have left anything to chance and mission protocol would require a backup. Who would carry out the order if his master had failed or refused? He thought through what he knew, trying to tease out the most logical choice amongst the adepts.

  When the answer came, it fairly leapt out, it was so painfully obvious—Master Kisan. Had there been any hesitation, Piter’s death would remove any lingering guilt and Arek knew the lore father would use Master Kisan’s anger to send her unerringly at him. No doubt she was trailing them at the Far’anthi Tower, forcing his master to try to evacuate Arek back to the Isle. After all, he’d told him to remain hidden. The fact that Rai’stahn had also chosen to attack… Arek’s eyes widened. His master had often told him there were seldom coincidences.

  He did not know much about the dragon, only what he’d been told in preparation for their journey. Yet the dragon made a home on the Isle, which meant this was not the first time he had collaborated with the Adepts. Silbane had remarked that the dragon owed them a favor. The dragonkind helped in the war against demons, that much was known. Could Rai’stahn have been in league with the lore father too? Perhaps ridding the world of Arek had been repayment in full. The thought brought a pit of fear coiling in his belly. So much had been arrayed against him. A more paranoid thought then made its way to the forefront of his mind. Anyone he met from the Isle may have orders to kill him, which meant his need for allies here was paramount.

  He looked at Brianna again, warm gratitude in his eyes. For her part, she looked as if she thought she’d signed her own death warrant with that bit of honesty, so he gave her a small smile meant to reassure and said, “I’m happy I didn’t kill you.”

  “I guess that makes two of us.”

  “Right… so, shall we keep going?”

  When she didn’t respond, he turned and made his way across the lush surroundings leading closer to Lilyth’s domain, his mind still whirling through the events but now from this more distrustful vantage. Without realizing it, he covered the distance to Olympious without saying another word to Brianna, so deep was he in thought.

  When they were close enough to see the outer walls in detail his dwarven prisoner interrupted his thinking by tapping him on the shoulder and saying, “Look.”

  As she did that, two winged soldiers detached themselves from perches high on the wall facing them and glided smoothly down. They were alabaster white, like living marble, armed and armored. They landed lightly and bowed, then clasped hands to make an archway. To Arek’s amazement, the air under their archway flexed and became opaque, then a portal leading to another area appeared. Through it they saw Lilyth standing in what looked like a garden, a welcoming smile on her face.

  Arek breathed out once, knowing he was committing them both, then stepped through with Brianna in tow. The transition was instantaneous, a literal step through a door. He found himself standing in a garden situated on one side of the main pyramid along a stepped terrace. Lilyth stood there, still smiling. No one else seemed to be around, making this first meeting since Bara’cor seem somehow more private, and despite his anxiety, an undercurrent of excitement ran through him. Still, what was foremost on his mind was the circumstance of his appearance here with Niall, far from Lilyth’s domain. Trying not to sound accusatory, he nonetheless asked, “Why did you send us to the elves?”

  Lilyth arched an eyebrow at that, then said, “Be welcome.” She ignored Arek’s question, instead nodding to Brianna and following that with, “I see you brought a guest.”

  Arek realized his error in decorum, and though his mind was still full of questions he found himself trying to please Lilyth. He shuffled a bit and then gestured with his hand saying, “I present the Lady Brianna of…” He looked at her realizing he did not know from what House or family she hailed.

  Lilyth smoothly covered, giving Brianna a regal tilt of her head. “Be welcome, Lady Brianna.”

  Brianna for her part looked even more uncomfortable, giving an awkward half-curtsey as if remembering it from a play she had seen. Not knowing what to do or say next, she remained still, a hulking figure that became even more noticeable because of her size and her desire to remain unnoticed.

  Arek looked back at the demon-queen and demanded again, “Why abandon me and Niall to the elves?”

  Lilyth looked at him, her face set in a soft smile. “You ask as though I did so knowingly. While I was right that your powers would not close the gate between Edyn and Arcadia, where and when you appeared was less predictable than I expected.” She paused, then stepped forward and took Arek by his arm, carefully grasping his uniform so that no bare flesh touched. “I’m sorry for the loss of your friend to Valarius and his elves.”

  Arek looked at her without blinking and said, “He chose to go.”

  “Really?” Lilyth inquired with a raised eyebrow.

  “He could have stayed with me, but instead he went with Gabreyl.”

  Lilyth was quiet while it seemed she was considering what to say. When she finally spoke, it was with soft reassurance. “We each must choose our own path. I said he would be a boon companion to you, and perhaps his choice opened the door to another friend.” She paused, looking meaningfully back at Brianna, then carefully asked, “And how is it you escaped the elves?”

  Arek looked at her with surprise, then said, “I thought you’d know. Something called nephilim attacked us, turning anything they touched into one of them.” His eyes grew distant as he relived the memory, inwardly feeling the heady rush of energy as he consumed the dark elf. When he opened his eyes he caught the merest hint of something in Lilyth’s gaze, something he could not identify before she quickly looked away.

  He masked his own thoughts carefully and continued, “Two armored angels appeared, fighting their way to us. In the confusion one of your men, Cainan, rescued me.”

  “And where is Cainan now?” Lilyth asked.

  Arek thought about how to answer that. She’d said he was a prince, so were not her men under his command as well? Should he tell her the truth or keep his actions to himself? In the end caution won out as there seemed no tactical advantage to bearing his heart. Despite her claims of his special birthright, his time here in Arcadia had eroded some of the awe he’d felt when she’d first appeared. It was slowly becoming clear to him that the only person without an agenda would be his dwarven prisoner, and again he found himself thankful for his decision not to turn her.

  Still, staying close to the truth was probably most advan
tageous, so he said, “Cainan and I came across some others holding Brianna prisoner. I ordered him to help me free her. A struggle ensued and Cainan fell.” He looked at Brianna, catching her eye enough, he hoped, to command her silence. Whatever she saw must have worked, for Brianna said nothing.

  Lilyth looked at him, patiently waiting for any more. When Arek did not respond she sighed and asked, “Were there any survivors?”

  Arek shook his head. “Why did your men imprison her?”

  “A pity.” Lilyth looked at the two of them, then continued her walk through her garden to a small cove where she gestured for each of them to have a seat before continuing, “We found Lady Brianna in a metal tomb floating near Olympious. We could not decipher the markings. It seems she had been inside it for a very long time.”

  “What makes you say that?” inquired Arek, looking at Brianna. The dwarven woman seemed just as interested in the answer as he was, so he surmised this was new information to her as well.

  “It seems her tomb had been encased within rocks. We found it encrusted with the hard minerals that grow within caves. I do not know how long it lay there before being freed by some sort of cataclysm. Centuries at least by our account.”

  “Centuries…” breathed Brianna softly. She was clearly at a loss for words and began to look slightly sick.

  “We did not imprison her,” Lilyth continued. “She was disoriented and phasing in such a way that we feared she would be lost. The collar that she wears was for her own protection.”

  Arek couldn’t tell if Lilyth was being truthful, but her demeanor certainly seemed forthright. He turned his attention back to Brianna and asked, “What’s the last thing you remember?” He’d wanted to press Lilyth more about his arrival, and more importantly, about meeting his father. The specter of his presence here felt somehow more palpable and real but something about Brianna’s plight pulled at him. She looked so alone.