by Joe Jackson
“She practices the arcane by way of the divine,” Icavior clarified. He gestured for the group to follow him. “Come; let me show you what I mean.”
He led them farther into the village, and Kari saw that the place where they had arrived was not truly the center, but rather a center. The village extended much farther into the reaches of the forest than had initially been apparent, and each clearing in the area served as yet another center, rather like plazas in a city. Like the czarikk village, many of the clearings had fire pits and stone ovens for cooking, and each section of the town was arranged around these circles. Kari looked around at the structures and the people, and she could see that though the village itself was simple, the kirelas-rir people clearly were not. For whatever reason, they seemed to prefer the simple living they enjoyed in harmony with their surroundings.
Soon Icavior brought them to another clearing, and it seemed to Kari that this one fronted his own home. The larger tent was decorated with glyphs and arcane symbols. In the center of the clearing was a massive stone fountain, though whether mortal hands had built it, Kari couldn’t tell. It was flawless in its construction, not a single imperfection showing in its mortar or symmetry, and Kari and her companions stood agape at its beauty. Despite the limited direct sunlight, the fountain glowed with a radiance that was not reflected. Flowing within it was what appeared to be water, but it glowed with an inner light whose source was not immediately apparent, and it sparkled like liquid gold.
Icavior stood before the fountain. He held his hand over the water and closed his eyes, and a smile came to his face. He turned back to the group and gestured toward the fountain, but he watched silently as Grakin approached and held his hand out over the liquid. The priest’s eyes widened in shock, and when he looked at Icavior, the kirelas-rir male nodded. Grakin turned to his friends, shook his head lightly, and tried to speak, but no words would come forth at first. His siblings and friends chuckled, but Kari approached and took his hand in hers.
“This…this is amazing,” Grakin finally managed.
“What is it?” Erik asked, approaching, but he hesitated to put his hand near the water.
“This is a conduit of holy power,” Icavior explained. “It is the reason men like Gaswell have sought to capture our island since the dawn of our creation. Such men believe that having a portal such as this would give them the power of the heavens and allow them to bend the will of the gods to their own schemes. They simply do not understand that the will of the gods cannot be subjugated - certainly not for evil purposes - and that without the proper mental discipline, the power of this well is useless.”
“But Gaswell had no priests in his retinue,” Erik said. “What use would this well have been to him?”
“It is not merely a well,” Triela said as she came back among the group dressed in a beautiful black robe trimmed in light blue. With the garment blocking the view of the ribs that showed prominently through her skin, she looked much better than she had when they first rescued her. Her eyes were full of power, and when she moved closer to the fountain her eyes and the stripes on the sides of her snout began to glow with a radiant light that made Kari's jaw drop.
“This is a portal into the celestial realm, is it not?” Grakin asked Triela, and she touched his face tenderly with a smile.
“Your faith and your training serve you well,” she told him. “Yes, this fountain is not only a conduit of power but a gateway into the heavens themselves, for those who know how to tap into its power. Gaswell, like his foolish ancestor before him, likely sought to capture it, in the hopes that they could enter the splendor of the celestial realm uninvited.”
Triela turned and looked at Kari, and the terra-dracon woman almost faltered under the strength of the woman’s blue-eyed stare. “The demon that captured me also sought to use this fount for its own evil purposes,” the war wizard said. “That much I remember.”
“Is this fountain called Salvation’s Dawn?” Eryn asked. The half-brys woman’s mention of Salvation’s Dawn immediately drew Grakin’s attention.
“No; it is called Arakiel’s Chalice,” Icavior said. “Why do you ask?”
Aeligos and Eryn exchanged a glance, and it was not lost on the rest of the group. “What is it?” Kari asked. “Does this have something to do with the other demon that was working with Gaswell?”
“There were two?” Triela interjected.
“There was a mallasti there when I arrived to join Gaswell’s army,” Eryn explained. “A female named Emma that Aeligos met when he and his siblings invaded Curlamanx’s keep.”
“Is that true?” Erik asked, and Aeligos nodded. “You never mentioned her before.”
Aeligos made a gesture to let the matter drop, and surprisingly, Erik didn’t push the issue. The rogue then gestured for Eryn to fill the others in.
“From what I was able to gather, Emma was looking for something called Salvation’s Dawn,” the assassin said, and Grakin folded his arms across his chest. “I’m pretty sure it has something to do with the Temple of Archons, but I’m not exactly well-versed on that. What confused me is that if it has something to do with the Temple, then why was Emma here? So I thought maybe it was this fountain...this portal that she was after. I guess not. Grakin, what does Salvation’s Dawn mean to you?”
The priest sighed lightly. “It is not something that is discussed frequently within the churches of our deities, but you are correct with regard to its connection to the Temple of Archons. I will try to be brief: the Temple requires seven ‘seals’ to unlock. Six of the seals are guarded by powerful entities that have been entrusted with never surrendering them unless the gods themselves request them. The locations of these seals are a well-guarded secret; Kaelariel will not even speak of their locations. Even were some powerful entity to find and wrest the six seals from their guardians, they would be useless without the seventh seal, called Salvation’s Dawn. For a demon to have knowledge of this is most distressing. It may mean that one – or several – of the pantheon’s clergy have been compromised.”
“But what is Salvation’s Dawn?” Eryn prodded. “Is it here? Is that why Emma was here looking for it?”
“It is not that simple,” Grakin said with a shake of his head. He thought to himself for a few moments before he began to explain in more detail. “I was taught that one cannot find a seal until the previous one in the sequence has been found. In order to protect them from discovery, they also cannot be found through arcane or even divine means. When the first is found, it will point the finder to the second, and the second to the third, and so on. Even then, when the sixth one is found, it does not lead to the seventh seal, because…”
He broke off for a moment, obviously uncomfortable sharing the secrets of the clergy, but when Kari put her hand on his shoulder, he looked at her and nodded. “Salvation’s Dawn is not a seal…it is a person,” Grakin said with a quiet sigh. “And this person is or has the means of opening the gates of a Temple that has been sealed since the creation of our world.”
Erik glanced around at his siblings, companions, and the two kirelas-rir. “Do you know who it is?” he asked the priest.
“No,” Grakin said. “To my knowledge, even Kaelariel does not know who Salvation’s Dawn is. It is the one secret his father never shared with him. Obviously, something of great power rests inside that Temple. Many of the clergy speculate that something within the Temple has the means of granting divinity: that it is the place Gori Sensullu took the great heroes of our history to make them into the pantheon we serve. Gori Sensullu must have planned for it to be opened and used one day to have bothered leaving the keys where mortal hands could find them, but just who, when, or why is anyone’s guess. It is believed that a new Salvation’s Dawn is born in each generation, else this person would have to be immortal, and their existence would be too conspicuous. That being said, if Emma was looking for it and holding Triela in the dungeon...”
All eyes fell over Triela, and the young woman seemed ju
st as shocked as the rest of the gathering. “If I am Salvation’s Dawn, that was unknown to me,” she said. “I was under the impression that I was captured because I was a direct threat to Gaswell and his demon allies.”
“No, that doesn’t make sense,” Eryn interjected. “Emma abandoned Gaswell a few weeks ago under the pretense of going to the underworld to bring back an army for him. If Triela was Salvation’s Dawn, there’s no way Emma would’ve left her shackled in the dungeon, at risk of being killed when war came to Gaswell’s gates.”
“Eryn’s right,” Aeligos said, and Kari nodded in agreement with them both. “If Emma had Salvation’s Dawn, she would’ve brought them to the underworld with her before there was any serious threat to their well-being. It’s entirely possible that she didn’t find whoever it is at all, and that she figured out that she was looking in the wrong place. What really concerns me is the thought that Emma might already have the other six seals, and capturing Salvation’s Dawn may have been the final stroke in a plan we’ve known nothing about to date.”
“Had the other six seals been uncovered, the pantheon would surely have known, and others like ourselves would have been sent to intervene,” Grakin assured his brother.
“Even with the Apocalypse going on?” Aeligos returned.
“It is more likely that Emma sought Salvation’s Dawn first so that she would have a distinct advantage when wresting the seals from their guardians,” Grakin argued calmly. “If she began collecting the other seals, she would have attracted far too much attention to ever complete her quest, even with the Apocalypse reaching its climax. Consider it: if she had Salvation’s Dawn in her possession when she began seeking the other seals, then only she would know her next destination as each one was captured. I believe she sought Salvation's Dawn first; one person going missing in the midst of or shortly after a war would hardly draw much attention, especially when one considers that no one even knows who Salvation's Dawn is. Clearly these developments will require research and consultation with the Demonhunter Order and the temples, but again, it is more likely that Emma did not find Salvation’s Dawn here at all.”
“But then why did she leave? Did she take anyone with her when she left?” Erik asked.
“Not that I’m aware of,” Eryn responded. Normally such an answer would’ve left a lot of doubt, but given her work over the previous several weeks, Kari was satisfied that had Emma taken a hostage to the underworld with her, Eryn would’ve known. “As for why she left...I think this whole situation was a dry run.”
“A dry run? What does that mean?” Erik prodded.
“It was a test,” Eryn continued. “The demons are after Salvation’s Dawn and the Temple of Archons, but Emma was testing how the gods, the temples, and the Demonhunter Order would react to her meddling. And what she discovered is that the gods and the Order were willing to send one of the greatest heroes in our history to come see to this personally. The gods threw down their hand before the bets were even in.”
“What if...what if Salvation’s Dawn is a priest, or a demonhunter…someone that would get sent to deal with this sort of uprising?” Aeligos ventured. “Is it possible Emma expected a specific person – maybe Kari – to be sent in response to her presence, and that this specific person also happens to be Salvation’s Dawn? A world war could have been part of her intent - it would have covered up her hunt for the other six seals quite nicely - but think about it: she sat on her haunches long enough for opposition to arrive. It seems like Emma knew someone would come, and that perhaps she believed that Salvation’s Dawn would be among their number.”
“Maybe Salvation’s Dawn is standing right in front of us,” Typhonix said, and then he chuckled. “Hell, maybe it’s me.”
“Gods help us,” Sonja muttered, and Kari had to put her hand over her mouth to stop from cackling.
Kari looked around at her companions, and when she glanced toward Triela and Icavior, they were both considering the strangers before them. She turned back to Grakin and gave his hand a squeeze to get his attention. “How would we even know for sure?” she asked. “Is there some way to find out, other than collecting all of the other seals and then seeing if they can open the door?”
“I am not certain,” Grakin answered. “Then again, perhaps we are best off if we do not know for sure. If Emma knew, would she not have intervened in the battle, to carry off her prize while the rest of us fought with Gaswell's people?”
Eryn grimaced. “I don’t know. If Emma was intent on winning that battle, even after you killed the sylinth, I’m pretty sure she could have, with or without an army. If Emma had been in the fort when you invaded, I think we all would’ve been killed,” she said. She eyed Triela briefly. “Triela may have been able to stand against her; I’m honestly not sure. But just walking past that mallasti girl made my hair stand on end, and she didn’t keep her sorcery a secret at all. If she hadn’t abandoned Gaswell – intentionally or not – this would’ve been a total disaster. Despite your orders, none of us would’ve been prepared for that kind of fight.”
Erik held Eryn’s gaze for a silent minute. Kari and the others watched closely, but then Erik gave an appreciative nod. “I guess we owe you our lives,” he said.
The assassin made a dismissive gesture. “Comes with being part of a team,” she said.
That seemed to shock Erik, and Kari laughed along with his siblings and friends. Erik took their chuckles in stride, but his eyes settled on Kari and he nodded his head toward her. “Maybe it's Kari,” he said quietly. “How often do you hear of someone being resurrected?”
That drew Triela and Icavior’s full attention. “You were resurrected?” Icavior asked.
The revelation didn’t seem to surprise any of her companions, and Kari guessed they had all figured it out or been told the truth by now. She folded her arms across her chest lightly and shrugged. “I don’t think it’s me,” she said. “Firstly, I wasn’t born in this generation, so what Grakin said about a new one being born in each generation doesn’t fit. And it would’ve all hinged on Trigonh even asking for me to be returned in the first place. Seems like something Gori Sensullu would’ve planned for well in advance, and not left to chance.”
“She makes a valid point,” Aeligos agreed. “But Grakin’s right: maybe it’s best if we don’t know. If we simply alert the temples and the gods to the fact that they need to find and protect whoever this person is, it’ll mean Emma will have the full weight of the pantheon to contend with if she’s still intent on abducting this person.”
Erik turned to their hosts. “Is there anything you two would like to add or suggest?” he asked politely. “Since this entire plot dragged your people into it, you’re as involved in it now as the rest of us.”
Icavior deferred to Triela, and the young woman shook her head negatively. “Not at this time,” she said. “Given our seclusion here, this conduit is the only divine structure of which the Night Runner informs me. However, in the future I shall pray to be kept abreast of the goings-on surrounding this Temple of Archons, that should Emma become a problem once more, I may lend my aid in subduing or killing her.”
“The Night Runner?” Ty echoed.
“Garra Ktarra,” Grakin clarified, and he bowed his head respectfully toward Triela. She returned the gesture, and Grakin added, “Clearly, Triela’s involvement in this matter, no matter how awful, has been to our benefit. The involvement of a high priestess of the god of the night means that now, with the pantheon’s attention focused on Emma and her underworld schemes, little that goes on even in the shadows of night will escape notice.”
“Indeed,” Triela agreed.
“Clearly, there’s a lot we’re going to need to discuss on the voyage home, and then pass that along to the Order and to Kaelariel when we get to DarkWind,” Erik said, and there were nods of agreement all around. He turned to Triela and asked, “In the meantime, will your island and this conduit be safe?”
“I believe so,” she said. “Now that
I have felt the sting of a sylinth’s mental attack, I will be better able to defend myself against them. If they try to capture me in the same manner, they will find a much different result, and our people as a whole are strong in the ways of the arcane. Even if it turns out the demons are also interested in this conduit, they would be fools to invade here, where we are at our peak strength.”
“There are two other questions that linger,” Serenjols said, surprising his siblings and friends. “First, we still must find how Emma and this sylinth were even summoned to this world. But more importantly, if it turns out that the demons were interested in this conduit, we must consider that Sekassus does not possess the power to invade the heavens on his own. If he is trying to break through into the heavens, then he either has more allies in the underworld willing to aid him, or…he has someone in the heavens helping him.”
Kari wasn’t sure what surprised her more: that Jol had said so much or what he’d said. “Is that even possible?” she asked, and an involuntary shiver coursed through her.
The eldest Tesconis male nodded. “You know there has been bad blood between some of the gods since the Koryonite pantheon joined with our own. Do not forget that with the Koryonite pantheon came gods who sit among our deities above, but also on the Council below.”
Kari was at a loss; the merging of the pantheons had happened between her two lives, but Jol seemed to realize that after a few moments. “The merging of the pantheons happened before your resurrection…suffice to say there are two deities that came with the Koryonite pantheon that are also considered demon kings, and they sit upon the council below, just as Lord Chinchala does,” Jol explained. “It is possible that Emma serves one of them, and they have agreed to help Sekassus in exchange for help unlocking the Temple. If this is the case, then whatever is in the Temple must be of great value, particularly in the wrong hands.”
Grakin answered with a shrug. “These things, we will learn them in due time. For now we need only know if Triela and this conduit are safe again.”