Elpis

by Aaron McGowan

  “It must mean that Terico can use them,” Suran said. “Isn’t that right, Terico?”

  “Yes. I’m not sure why, though.”

  “All I know is that I wasn’t able to use it,” Lanek muttered. “At any rate, that’s our story. I’m guessing the government got you to search for the Elpis piece you found.”

  “In a way,” Terico said, remembering Jujor technically worked for the royal court. It was strange to think of him that way, though.

  “How did you escape the Brotherhood’s attack?” Lanek asked.

  Terico recalled Delkol’s words of how Delkol intended to leave Terico alive. It was a terrible fact, knowing Delkol had used him for the sake of locating a piece of the Elpis. That Terico was spared by the man who killed Terico’s parents.

  “I fought the Brotherhood,” Terico said, “but I eventually got hurt and fell to a place that kept me hidden. After they finished destroying the town, I searched for any survivors. There was only Jujor, a man who helped me find the Elpis piece I obtained. He has since died, however.”

  “Nobody else survived then,” Lanek said, stating the fact more than asking about it.

  “No,” Terico said. “I’m sorry, but your parents were killed.”

  Lanek shut his eyes and clasped his hands together. “I assumed as much. We didn’t find any sign of their survival when we searched the village...” He didn’t say any more, but kept very still. The silence lasted for what seemed half a minute.

  “We’ll keep working on their airships for them,” Suran said in a quiet voice. “And build new ones they would be proud of.”

  Lanek opened his eyes and smiled. “Yes. We’ll stick together, through times of joy, through times of pain. And through times of pain we’ll turn into joy.” He stood up, gave his sister a hug, and sighed. His expression turned very tired, very worried. “This world... this world we live in...”

  “We’ll make it better,” Suran said, her voice turning weak. “We’ll make it a place... where we can all smile again.”

  At Suran’s insistence, Lanek agreed to show Areo, Borely, and Kitoh around the airship, including their quarters where they could rest over the course of the journey. Lanek set the ship to continue on its own, but asked Suran to remain on the bridge while she spoke with Terico.

  “I’m sorry about my brother,” she said once everyone was out. “He’s overprotective at times, and is still upset from when I got injured.”

  “It’s nothing,” Terico said. “I’m happy you’re both all right. And a little amazed with all you’ve been through since... we separated.”

  “I am too,” Suran said. “It’s a little hard to believe. I never expected to go on an adventure like this. It’s all so strange... And you’ve been through so much, too. Merze, Emoser Helena, Istal, and Vursa. And with so much danger in such a short period of time.”

  “And it’s not over yet,” Terico said. “But once we reach Setar, I’ll have three pieces of the Elpis to Delkol’s one. Once I’m finished with him, I’ll have the full Elpis, and the Shire armies should call off their attack.”

  “What will you do then?” Suran asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Terico said. He had been so focused on killing Delkol that he hadn’t thought much about what he’d do afterward. He just wanted to live a calm, simple life for a while.

  He remembered Turan, though. If Terico could find Turan, he would want to try using the Elpis to heal him somehow. With the full Elpis, it was said anything was possible, and Terico felt he’d be able to undo the effects of Augurc’s experimentation on Turan.

  “But you’re sure about the Elpis,” Suran said. “And about... Delkol?”

  “What do you mean?” Terico asked.

  Suran glanced away. “I know you wish to kill him. And... I don’t know how to feel...”

  “He destroyed the village,” Terico said. “He killed our parents. I saw him slaughter the weak, the defenseless, the ill, the elderly, the young. Even children and infants. He took pleasure in this, Suran. He enjoyed killing everyone.”

  “I understand,” Suran said. She looked up to Terico with a frown, slightly trembling. “I just worry. I worry he will kill you. And I worry you will kill him, and... you’ll change. You’ve already changed, and I’m afraid. I don’t know where this will all lead.”

  Terico felt his heart start to beat a little faster, a little harder. Had he changed? How had he changed? Perhaps he did change, but it only made sense he would. Who wouldn’t change after watching his entire hometown go up in flames? After watching nearly everyone he knew die right before him?

  A part of Terico was upset with Suran’s words, but he understood she was just concerned. Terico couldn’t let his quest for revenge consume him—it seemed like an obvious thing to say. But what else could he focus on right now? He had to bring Delkol down. It was likely he was the only one who could.

  “I’ll be okay,” Terico said. “I promise. I’ll get the third Elpis piece, wait for Delkol to come to me, and I’ll defeat him. Once I have the full Elpis, I’ll threaten the Shire armies, and they will return to their kingdom. Then I’ll leave the Elpis to Rilv, who will probably want it broken apart again and hidden at new locations. And then... we can do what we wish. We can live somewhere safe, quiet.”

  “We?” Suran asked.

  Terico hadn’t even realized what he had been saying. “I mean... in a general sense. Us and whoever else would be with us.”

  Suran smiled. “It sounded like you meant something else there.”

  “Ah...” Terico said, glancing away. He looked at all the controls of the ship, a little surprised at just how many there were. Hanging above some of the controls were thin white ropes, which Terico assumed were meant to be pulled for certain tasks.

  “You and Lanek must have worked a long time on this airship.”

  “We only helped our parents with some of the parts,” Suran said. “There were workers in Plien who put the ship together. When Lanek and I went there, there wasn’t much left we had to do to get it airborne. And as you can see, it was a really quick job...”

  Terico turned back toward Suran and smiled. “I think you did great. You’ve always been a hard worker. And everything you do, it’s always for others.”

  “Oh, that’s not true,” Suran said, blushing slightly. “I do things for myself.”

  “Hardly,” Terico said. He felt nervous to go on, but knew it might be a while before he could let Suran know how he felt about her. “But that’s one of the... many things I’ve always liked about you, Suran.”

  She looked to Terico’s eyes a few seconds, a little confused. “Oh... thank you.”

  “I wanted to tell you some important things that day,” Terico said. “Back before we were separated. After defeating a monster plant, I came home with my father and Turan, and you were there cooking food for us. You had brought my mother some herbs to help treat some patients at the clinic.”

  “I... I remember,” Suran said.

  “When you were heading to your workshop, I spoke with you,” Terico said. “I wanted to ask you to go with me to the Long Shadow Festival.”

  “Oh, the festival,” Suran said. “That would have been a while ago.”

  “Yes,” Terico said. “But I was hoping to tell you more. I wanted to tell you how much I liked you.”

  Suran’s eyes widened a bit, but she didn’t say anything.

  “I still like you,” Terico said. “Seeing you again, alive and well—I can’t keep this to myself anymore. I like you very much, Suran.”

  Suran stood there in silence, just starting at Terico for several seconds. She then glanced around a bit, her blush turning a little redder. “I... I’m surprised, Terico. I mean, I’ve always been your friend, but... I never realized... I didn’t know you liked me that way before.”

  Terico chuckled, though a strange mix of emotions were building up inside him. “That’s why I’m telling you now. I’ve always been nervous about letting you know.”

/>   “Oh, I see,” Suran said. “I... thank you, Terico. But I don’t know. I’m just still so confused. Until now I didn’t even know you were alive, and... Can I think about what you said?”

  “Of—of course,” Terico said, suddenly feeling a bit foolish for everything he said. Perhaps it was all far too soon to say anything. But he still felt it was important to say...

  The door to the bridge opened, and Lanek walked back in. “All caught up on things, are we? I hope all is as it should be.”

  “Yes,” Suran said, still blushing. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She walked to the hallway in a jittery, nervous way.

  Lanek sat down in his chair and frowned deeply. He pointed to his eyes and glared at Terico. “I’m watching you, boy.”

  Which Terico thought was pretentious of him, considering they were the same age.

  Time passed, and Terico spent much of his time going over details of his travels with Suran and Lanek, and hearing more from them about how they’d been keeping things running on the airship. The vehicle apparently required constant attention, and there were still things they were working to improve in various ways. Terico had trouble following it all—he had never understood much about mechanics, with all its gears, steam, and latches. It just wasn’t something he was exposed to, like Suran and Lanek were.

  As the hours passed, Terico noticed that Areo and Borely would never stay in the same room as one another. Perhaps it was pointless to try working something out between the two, since they were likely going to separate as soon as the airship reached Setar. Terico was curious to find out if either of them had worked out what they wished to do once at the capital city. Perhaps Borely would go find some work at the riverside port, and perhaps Areo would go off to travel on her own.

  Terico found Areo in the quarters Lanek had lent to everyone to rest in. She was sitting on one of the small cots that filled up most the room, leaving only thin slots for people to walk between. There was a strained look on Areo’s face, which she hid shortly after Terico walked in.

  “Good day,” she said.

  “You looked troubled,” Terico said. “Not that I blame you. We may be facing the Brotherhood some more.”

  “I’m only contemplating a few things,” Areo said, turning to the far metal wall.

  Terico sat down on a cot opposite of Areo so she was looking at him again. “What about?”

  “Just some things Jujor said,” Areo replied.

  “He said a lot of things,” Terico said. “And I was never too sure if many of the things he said were true.”

  “He was a bit mysterious,” Areo said. “I only knew him for a short period of time, but I’m glad I met him. Jujor was a good man, and a friend of my father. I wish I could have known him sooner.”

  “It’s strange,” Terico said. “Jujor lived in my town my whole life, but I don’t think I ever really spoke with him until the day it was destroyed. And now I feel he really was an important part of my life... I wish I could have known him better.”

  “You never know when people will die,” Areo said. “It’s something my mentor always made clear. You can’t assume you will still be alive the next day. You have to live each day to the fullest.”

  Terico placed his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. “That’s a harsh way to live.”

  “I had a harsh mentor,” Areo said, still straight-faced. “You’d know—you met him.”

  “I remember...” Terico said. “You were thinking about some things Jujor said, though?”

  “I’m trying to decide what to do,” Areo said. “My father was killed, and I knew I couldn’t just do nothing. After so many years of training to pass the Rite, I was looking forward to seeing Father again. To be honest, I was hoping to get advice from him... I wanted to know what to do with my life in general. I wanted to leave Istal—to travel the world for a while. But then what? I didn’t know, and I still don’t know. I’ll never hear Father’s voice again, for as long as I live...”

  “It’s what Jujor said about revenge,” Terico said. “You’re still trying to decide if you want to seek out the one who killed your father.”

  “Yes,” Areo said, sitting up a little straighter. “My master said to avoid seeking revenge. And Jujor’s words implied that revenge wasn’t worth the trouble. And it’s something I’ve been thinking about quite a bit lately... I imagine myself killing that masked boy, and I feel nothing. I don’t think killing him would satisfy me. No amount of blood can replace my father. I wish to do something, but I feel that whatever I do would be meaningless.”

  Terico let each of Areo’s words sink in. He immediately disagreed with each of her statements. In Terico’s point of view, killing Delkol would relieve him of immeasurable pain. Obviously revenge wouldn’t bring Terico his parents back, or restore the village. Terico wasn’t so naïve to believe that killing Delkol would erase all of Terico’s sadness, or even all his hate.

  But there would be justice. Terico could imagine killing Delkol, and obtaining that reassuring feeling that an unspeakable wrong had been avenged.

  Terico thought of sharing this with Areo, but he knew to hold back. It was Turan that Areo would need to kill if she desired revenge. And Terico was still determined to find a way to save Turan. It wasn’t Turan’s fault that he killed Febraz—he only acted in accordance with the experimentation Augurc performed on him. If Terico could keep Areo from killing Turan, then all the better.

  “It’s difficult to know what to do sometimes,” Terico said. “If you can help us keep Delkol from obtaining the Elpis, then I think you will have dealt a greater blow to the Brotherhood than killing one boy would. I believe Febraz would be pleased with any effort you make on his behalf.”

  “I just hope to keep the Brotherhood from making more people suffer as I have,” Areo said. “But regarding my father, he would be pleased with me no matter what I did. I don’t think there was a time he was ever truly upset with me.”

  Terico smiled a little. “My parents were that way too. I mean, they didn’t approve of many of the things I did growing up... I tended to sneak off and throw myself into danger on a pretty regular basis... But they were the type of parents who could never be really angry at me.”

  “I can tell,” Areo said. “You have a good heart.”

  “Thanks,” Terico said. “I think everyone on this ship has a good heart.”

  Areo frowned, surely thinking of Borely.

  “I know a lot of the things Borely said were uncalled for,” Terico said, “but I’m sure you understand the reasoning behind his words.”

  “Of course I understand,” Areo said. “It doesn’t make any of them right, though.”

  “Indeed,” Terico said. “And I’m sure he will work that out as well.” He stood up and walked to the door, while Areo simply sat still and quiet.

  When Terico opened the door to leave, she spoke up. “It’s ridiculous how he’s handled himself. Borely acts like an idiot, but there is more to him.”

  “There’s more to everybody, it seems,” Terico replied. He shut the door behind him and found his own words haunting him.

  More to myself as well? he thought.

  She says I have a good heart. But would a good heart seek to kill?

  At the end of the hallway Terico found the room he and the others had entered when first boarding the airship. There were thin, rectangular windows looking out to the distant fields below, but Terico didn’t wish to look out them like Borely was. It was unnerving enough as it was just walking around in this airship, knowing the fragile structure was being held up by an even more fragile balloon. He trusted in Suran and Lanek’s ability to finish putting the ship together, but the fact they had to rush through things at the end was an ever-present thought in Terico’s mind.

  He stood about a meter from Borely and looked back toward the hallway. “An interesting view?”

  “Pretty intense,” Borely said. “Really makes you feel like a bird, seeing things from this vantage point
. I’ve been up in tall crow’s nests at the top of ship masts, which I think is a bit more worrisome at times. At least when there’s a good storm. Then again, I wouldn’t want to be in this airship in a big storm, either.”

  Terico hadn’t thought of that. What if a lightning storm erupted around the airship? The balloon would surely explode, and send everyone in the airship all the way to the landscape below. Certain death for everyone. He tried to not think about the possibilities any further.

  “Hopefully the weather stays clear,” Terico said. There were some clouds out, but there wasn’t anything too menacing looking.

  “Hopefully,” Borely said. He turned around to face Terico. “Anything you needed me for?”

  “I just wondered how you were doing,” Terico said. “You’ve been dragged into a lot more than you bargained for, I imagine.”

  “It’s strange how things can just... not go the way you want them to,” Borely said. He forced a weary smile. “I mean, it wasn’t so long ago that I was thinking I had found myself a nice little adventure, some interesting travel companions, and a chance with a beautiful woman! Instead I lose my boat and all my belongings, the old man I was just getting to know ends up dead, and the woman turns out to be a vampire.” Borely kept smiling, but shook his head solemnly. “I mean... how does that happen? The feeling is just... It’s like you meet up with a friend you haven’t seen in ages, and instead of shaking your hand, he punches you in the stomach. As hard as he can.”

  “I know what you mean,” Terico said, a little amused by Borely’s analogy. “I mean... with things not going the way you want them to. But you know, things can get better.”

  “I get that you’ve been through a lot,” Borely said, “but you’ve got to understand... That boat was everything to me. That was like my family to me. All I had left to connect myself to them.”

  “There’s still yourself,” Terico said. “Well, I guess it’s not much comfort to say ‘At least you’re still alive’ in a situation like this. But I’m sure you’ll figure out where to go from here.”