"Enough!" he screamed. "I will not tolerate these constant displays of bravado! Kael, our bargain with the half-fiend does not preclude him from expressing his opinions. If he chooses not to honor Ilmater as you might, that is his business. Leave him be."
Kael frowned and opened his mouth as if to argue, but then seemed to think better of it. With a single, curt nod, he withdrew his blade and leaned against the outcropping, arms folded across his armored chest.
"And you," Tauran said, addressing Kaanyr. "You will not so easily wriggle free of your obligation. The geas upon you may permit you to defend yourself should we attack you, but it will take more than taunts and veiled insults to expend our patience. Your energy would be much better served in aiding us than trying to trick us. We are not easily duped."
Kaanyr glowered for a moment then broke into a smile. It was the first time in quite some while that Aliisza could remember the cambion doing so. "Now that I know how much it galls you to suffer my remarks, you may rest assured that they will come thick and often. I will never be your lackey, deva."
Tauran stared levelly at Kaanyr for several moments. His face remained neutral, with the exception of one corner of his mouth twitching. Then he shrugged. "It will change nothing."
"So why did Ilmater depart?" Aliisza asked. "And whom did Tyr choose?"
"Tymora," Kael answered, pushing himself away from the rock to stare out past Kaanyr into the swirling weather. Aliisza wasn't certain if there was disapproval in the half-drow's voice or not.
Tauran nodded. "Yes, Tymora," he said. "Ilmater went to Sune's embrace and now dwells with her in Brightwater. Many believe Tyr holds similar feelings for Tymora and has asked her to come to him for the same reasons."
Kaanyr snorted again. "So everyone is sharing someone's bed. Hardly seems a worthy reason for raising such a storm," he said.
"There are those who believe Siamorphe would make a better choice," Tauran replied, "including Helm. The Watcher, for whatever reason, has chosen to make his feelings known. Somehow, he sees it as his duty to challenge Tyr's decision."
Aliisza sighed. "And thus their followers argue, debating the merits of each god's position."
Tauran nodded. "Such is the way of the gods sometimes," he said. "Despite your condescension, our lives are not so different from your own. There is strife in all things. We simply choose to resolve it differently."
Kaanyr chuckled. "Yes, casting a deadly squall across the entire plane is definitely a more noble and righteous means of resolving things," he said. "You should be proud."
Aliisza noted Tauran's lips purse in anger, but the deva didn't reply.
"Tell me," Kaanyr asked, "are you looking forward to victory? Will it feel good to point out to all of Helm's followers after the fact that yours was the superior position? Or maybe you're worried about backing the losing side? Maybe there's a little fear gnawing at you that you'll be the one scorned and ridiculed."
Tauran's expression darkened.
"Yes, I can see it," Kaanyr continued, "a hint of something less than wholesome. Deep down, you secretly know you're either going to be very satisfied or thoroughly ashamed. And no matter which way things are decided, you'll be forevermore scarred with the flaw of imperfection. No more glorious white light surrounding you, angel. No more air of righteous smugness that you are beyond reproach. I've changed my mind about all this." He gestured beyond their coarse shelter. "I want to stick around, just to see you fall."
Kael turned and stepped between his mentor and Vhok, facing the deva. "His words are pointless," the half-drow said. "Ignore his lies." Unlike before, when he had seemed so eager to punish the cambion for his irreverence, Kael's demeanor was stoic, pointedly ignoring Vhok.
He's recognizing how Kaanyr is trying to bait them, Aliisza realized. He's starting to see how manipulative and devious Kaanyr can be. The alu had long considered that one of her lover's more endearing qualities, but at that moment, she also felt a swelling of pride course through her for her son. Perhaps he's not as naive and idealistic as I thought.
"We have other issues to consider," Kael said, drawing Tauran's attention away from Vhok's taunts. "It will be nightfall soon, and we'll never reach the Court in this storm. We must either find or build better shelter here."
"No," Tauran replied. "We won't stay here."
"But the storm grows worse," the half-drow argued. "We can't attempt to reach the Court until things improve."
"There is a village on the far side of the valley," Tauran answered, pointing toward the middle of the island of rock. "We can reach it on foot. We'll go there and wait out the storm."
Kael nodded in acceptance, and the quartet set out. Tauran led the way while the half-drow brought up the rear. Aliisza watched as Kaanyr struggled futilely against the magical bonds, but after a moment's exertion he was plodding along behind the angel. Aliisza took up a position beside him, risking his wrath in order to speak with him.
"How long do you intend to fight this?" she asked him-softly so the other two could not hear.
"What do you care?" Kaanyr snapped at her. "You can fly away home any time it suits you. If you find my struggles unpleasant, you don't have to remain and watch them."
"I chose to stay," she said, "for more than just him." She jerked her head once back behind the two of them.
"Truly?" Kaanyr asked, his voice mocking. "You have room in your heart for more than your precious son? I find that difficult to believe. He is, after all, so perfect, a creature of goodness and noble upbringing."
"So is it him you hate, because he isn't yours? Or is it me? Either way, it's pathetic. If it's him, why do you care? He was nothing more than a tool to you before, when he was the means of getting me into this place. And as for me, you didn't seem to have a problem throwing me into Pharaun's or Helm Dwarf-friend's bed when it benefited you. You cannot have it both ways, Kaanyr."
The cambion was silent, and when Aliisza risked a glance at his face, he seemed deep in thought.
"What's done is done, you always say, lover. So now I ask: Am I not still yours?" She slipped into that old familiar sultry purr and began to saunter. "Do you not desire me still?"
"You betrayed me to his trap," Kaanyr replied, scowling. "You think I'd take you into my bed now?"
Aliisza's eyes narrowed coldly. "You betrayed yourself," she spat. "You became so consumed with conquering that city, so preoccupied with unseating Helm Dwarf-friend, that you forgot your caution and abandoned your cleverness. You were willing to sacrifice everything"-she paused, giving him a pointed stare-"everything you had for that dubious prize. So do not scold me of betrayal."
They trudged on in silence for a moment more, then Aliisza continued. "Besides, Tauran took nothing from you that Zasian did not already steal. He merely forced you to do something about it on his terms rather than your own. Though I don't blame you for despising him, you ought to be thankful for the chance to work with him to undo that damnable priest. Think of it as an unexpected advantage."
Kaanyr looked at her for several long moments, his eyes boring intensely into her own. "Do not expect me to enjoy it," he said at last. "And do not think I care one whit for either of their lives. Whatever you may think of them, I do not share in it."
Aliisza laughed. "You think I've suddenly developed delusions of a conscience? You think I'm so different? Zasian did his work well, my love! All of that sickly sweet caring and sacrifice business was just a game. When all is said and done, I still serve one person only." Me, she silently added.
"We shall see," Kaanyr replied.
The group continued on in silence after that, following the path Tauran blazed through the ancient trees. Aliisza caught herself marveling at their majesty, and she was thankful for the protection they provided from the blustering wind. Beyond their tops, out of sight and muffled through their foliage, she could hear deep rumbles, as of almost continuous thunder.
Soon after, the alu realized they had begun following an actual path. It was narr
ow, little more than a game trail, but it led down into the center of a great valley. Occasionally, Aliisza caught a glimpse through breaks in the forest of a great open space in the middle of the depression. Though it was hard to tell with the swirling snow and sleet, she believed she caught sight of buildings, too. They were getting closer.
When they neared the edge of the clearing, Aliisza first noted it by the increase in the wind. Tauran led them out of the trees, still following the path, which did indeed take them toward a small gathering of simple cottages clustered together. The alu caught the faint whiff of smoke and thought she could hear a startled scream.
When Tauran sprinted forward, she knew it had not been her imagination. As one, the four of them rushed into the village. More screams erupted from among the cottages, and then Aliisza could see the flames of a fire spreading along a rooftop.
Tauran surged forward, but Kaanyr drew up suddenly, staring at the sky. "Gods and devils," he breathed.
Kael nearly ran into the cambion from behind. "Go!" he shouted. "There are folk in trouble!"
But Kaanyr did not move. Instead, he only pointed skyward, and both Kael and Aliisza turned to stare.
Another great island of land filled the sky and grew larger as it tumbled toward them.
CHAPTER THREE
Kaanyr stood rooted to the spot, staring at the massive rock island tumbling slowly, inexorably, toward them. His sense of depth seemed askew to him. The great edifice appeared large and dangerously close, yet the haze of swarming, wind-whipped clouds still partially obscured it, revealing how far away and vast it truly was. His mind couldn't reconcile the disparity between the two.
As Aliisza and Kael ran forward, chasing after Tauran, Kaanyr shouted, "We have to get clear!"
Kael stopped and turned back, motioning for the cambion to follow. "No! We must save these people!" He shouted to be heard in the whistling wind.
Kaanyr refused to budge. "That's not part of the bargain!" he shouted back. "I agreed to help you stop Zasian, not rescue peasants!"
Kael grimaced only slightly. "For all we know, Zasian did this!"
And there it was. The half-drow had planted the seed. Kaanyr's whole world shifted. Moments previous, he could have freely risen aloft, taken to the air to escape the doom that threatened them. Once the concept had been tied to Zasian's machinations, though, the cambion could no more flee than he could sprout fins and swim through stone.
Bastard, Kaanyr fumed.
Even as he imagined ways to rend the half-drow, he found himself trotting forward, preparing to lend a hand.
Tauran reached the outskirts of the simple village and threaded his way through the outlying cottages and disappeared between them, heading toward the fire. Aliisza darted after him with Kael at her heels. Kaanyr shook his head in consternation and followed them. Once past the outer ring of homes, he could see that a longhouse near the center square had caught fire. The flames, fanned by the crazed winds, had become a great, swirling column, engulfing the building and threatening others nearby.
A crowd of folk, humans by the look of them, had gathered. Many just stood watching helplessly as others tried to douse the flames with buckets of water. Tauran moved among the fire brigade and frantically gestured with his hands. At first, Kaanyr thought the angel was telling them to get away from the conflagration. He quickly realized his mistake when a cascade of water tumbled from nowhere upon the flames. Though the divinely summoned water diminished the fire, it was not enough. Already, smoke poured off a nearby barn.
Gods and devils, the cambion silently swore. Forget the fire! Get these cretins out of here!
Aliisza reached Tauran and Kaanyr could see her grab him by the shoulder. The alu had shifted her form slightly, looking completely human, though she had not changed her features. She spun the angel around and pointed into the sky at the drifting crag that approached. Kaanyr reached them just as Tauran's eyes grew wide in disbelief. Kaanyr glanced at the huge bulwark again and saw that it was on a trajectory to pass right over them, on a course to strike the far side of the mass of earth upon which they stood.
It missed us, he thought, relieved.
"We must get these folk to safety!" the angel shouted. "Hurry!"
Kaanyr looked at Tauran, confused. "It won't strike here!" he replied, pointing downward, at his feet. "It's going over there," he said, pointing into the distance. "The hamlet is safe."
Tauran shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Once they collide, this whole island will be rocked to its core. It might begin to shift sideways, or worse yet, shatter and crumble apart beneath our feet. We have to get them off!" He gestured at the folk around them.
"That's a fool's errand, and you know it!" Kaanyr said, shaking his head. "Let's just be about our business. Surely catching Zasian is more important than dealing with these lackeys."
The villagers, their attention drawn away from the fire and toward the looming threat of the great mass of rock, began to panic. A few screamed while others raced around, running everywhere at once. A couple jostled Kaanyr as they fled.
Tauran pursed his lips. "No," he said firmly, "we must help them. I can't force you to assist me, but-"
"I already convinced him that Zasian could be behind this!" Kael interjected, shouting to be heard over the roar of the flames and the screams of the villagers. "He might have created it as a distraction for something else!"
Tauran nodded as if warming to the idea. "Yes, perhaps," he said. "We may need to investigate this fire, question these folk. You are bound, Vhok. Help them!"
Kaanyr narrowed his eyes in fury. "What the Hells do you want from me?" he yelled at the angel. "I'm no good to you dead!"
"Gather the folk in the meadow outside of town," Tauran said to Kael. "Keep them there until I return. I'm going for more help." With that, he took to the air and hovered there a moment. "Citizens!" he shouted, his voice magically amplified and echoing across the village above the sound of the wind and flames. "Stay calm! My companions and I will aid you, but you must do as we ask. Follow their directions, and I will return soon!" He looked down at Kaanyr and gave the cambion a pointed look. "Do it," he said. Then he whirled, beat his wings furiously, and soared off into the storm-tossed sky.
"Cursed angels!" Kaanyr shouted after the rapidly diminishing figure. "So blasted arrogant!"
"Just get them-" Kael said, but a deafening rumble cut his words off. The ground pitched beneath their feet, knocking them both down.
The two islands collided.
Kaanyr felt the shock waves as tons of rock ground together. The earth buckled and shifted. The force of the collision sent trees flying. Soil shot into the air and then, caught in the wind, began swirling and darkening the sky like some terrible black rain.
"By the Blind One!" Kael bellowed, scrambling to gather himself. "Watch it!" He leaped toward Kaanyr, grabbing the cambion and yanking him to one side.
Where Vhok had been sprawled a moment before, the remains of a chimney attached to the longhouse came crashing down, sending shards of stone and dirt everywhere. The bits of debris stung Kaanyr's face and eyes. The longhouse, already mostly an inferno, collapsed a heartbeat later. The implosion sent a shower of sparks up and outward, pelting those nearby with embers and spreading thick, black smoke everywhere. The screams of burned folk rose in pitch and intensity.
Kaanyr looked at Kael for a moment, torn between his disdain and a grudging appreciation for the half-drow's effort to rescue him. But the holy warrior was already on his feet, moving off to shout instructions to the people and heal the wounded.
"Kaanyr!" It was Aliisza shouting from across open ground. The cambion looked in her direction and saw her near a collapsed dwelling. She was kneeling as though she had been peering into the interior of the structure. When she caught his eye, the alu motioned frantically for him to come to her.
Vhok scrambled to his feet and moved toward Aliisza even as the ground rumbled and shuddered again beneath him. Already, the cambion could sense a
change. It was tilting. Tauran had been right; the collision was slowly upending the whole island.
"What?" he demanded, reaching the half-fiend. He squatted next to her. "What is it?" he asked, staring where she peered.
"I think there's someone trapped in there," Aliisza said, pointing. "I thought I heard a scream just as it began to fall."
"Probably already dead," Kaanyr said, rising. He reached down to take Aliisza by the arm. "Nothing more to do here," he added. "Come."
"Wait!" Aliisza said, resisting his tug. "I can hear crying. I think it's a baby."
Damnation, Kaanyr silently groused. Everywhere she turns, she thinks she sees a child that needs her. That fool angel has addled her brain. "Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully. "I don't hear anything."
"Just help me," Aliisza insisted, grabbing hold of a timber that jutted from the wreckage of the home. She tried to hoist it up, but it didn't budge.
Sighing, Kaanyr took hold of the timber. Together, they lifted. The pile of ruined dwelling shifted slightly, but they couldn't move anything. "No use," Kaanyr gasped as he eased the piece of lumber back down. "Too heavy."
"Hold on," Aliisza said, reaching into a hidden pocket within her armor. She pulled something out. Before Kaanyr could see it, she brushed it against him and muttered an arcane phrase. He felt a surge of raw power course through him and knew she had enhanced his strength. She quickly did the same to herself. "Try again," she said.
Shrugging, Kaanyr grabbed hold of the timber and heaved. Aliisza joined him. Together, they forced the length of wood upward, shifting the pile of destroyed home with it.
As the hoisted lumber reached its apex, Kaanyr could see a hollow space near the center. A girl of perhaps fourteen summers lay sprawled there, a bloody gash across one cheek. A smaller child, little more than a baby, squirmed beside her. It appeared unharmed.
"Can you hold it?" Aliisza asked. "Keep it off me!"
Before Kaanyr could even answer, she released the timber and darted into the remains of the dwelling.
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