by Ben Hale
He snapped to look up, and spotted the small dragon melding through the wall above, its body twisted to point down. Just then a construct at the base of the spire smashed through the opening, crashing into the interior. Two more followed suit, and the trio clawed and snapped at each other as they pointed their jaws upward.
Jack pointed his pocket gate at the wall. The silver Gate flowed into shape and he dove through the portal. He landed in the Griffin Gateroom, and retreated to the wall as fires trickled through the Gate, the heat sufficient to scorch the walls and ceiling. While he waited he pulled a thread from his torn sleeve and used it to bind the miniature dragon in his hands, noticing as he did that the dragon’s body did not look like the one in the broken spire. Its arms angled down, curving like it wanted to grasp a spherical object. The tail too wrapped down, bending as if following the curve of a neck.
The fire subsided and Jack slung the bound Mind Vault over his shoulder. Then he stepped to the Gate and leaned far enough through to examine the opposite side. The dragons clawed their way up the interior of the spire, the queen hissing at them from above. Jack caught a glimpse of the opening below and leapt through the portal, falling into the mass of constructs.
The dragons spotted him but he was too close for fire, so they reached for him with claws and teeth. Jack used his shadowhook, casting it at the wall and swinging to the side, alighting on the back of a construct. Leaping and sliding, he slipped between them, rolling onto the back of another before finding a gap against the wall. He squeezed through and fell, and used his shadowhook at the top of the gaping hole, swinging himself into the open.
He landed in the rubble from the side of the spire and whirled, throwing a disk into the gap. Then he aimed his crossbow and fired, detonating the cyclone and filling the doorway with a wall of wind.
Leaving the constructs trapped inside the spire, Jack turned and fled, racing for the ocean. In the distance he spotted the Sea Dancer, the sleek ship already pulling into open water. Erix had left on schedule, using Jack’s distraction to flee the Shattered Isle. On its deck Sirani used her magic to turn aside the remaining two dragons, keeping them from blasting the ship. One dove into the ocean but Sirani sent a hurricane into the water, forcing it away. Jack veered another direction and aimed for the only other boat floating against a dock.
The ancient vessel.
He sprinted down the street, reaching the dock as a deafening crack resounded in the City of Dawn. Succumbing to the damage of the dragons and the hole at its base, the center spire cracked from base to peak, and four dragons burst into the open. Jack leapt aboard to find Inna and Aranis already present.
“Did you get it?” Aranis asked.
“Of course,” Jack said.
“I doubt they’ll let us keep it,” Aranis said, stabbing a finger at the Sea Dancer.
Jack turned to see the other two constructs abandoning the ship and banking toward them. With six enraged constructs bearing down on them, Aranis darted to the back of the ship and leaned out, slapping the rune Sirani had placed on the stern.
The ship punched forward, slamming them all to the deck. Skipping across the water, it rocketed away from the island. The dragons surged after them, closing the gap as the ancient vessel raced for the unseen barrier that marked the border of the ancient’s territory.
“You think they’ll stop?” Inna shouted.
“We can only hope!” Jack shouted.
They turned back and watched the dragons close the gap, their great metallic wings churning the air, driving them forward. Even with Sirani’s charm they could not outrun the constructs. Their only hope lay in an assumption that the constructs were leashed to the city, and could not go beyond its borders.
The dragons did not stop.
Six dragon constructs reared back in unison and bellowed a challenge. They gradually closed the distance, until their wings buffeted the boat and fire sparked in their jaws. The queen shrieked its fury, the sound rattling Jack’s teeth.
“You were wrong,” Aranis said, her voice tinged with surprise.
“And now we’re dead,” Inna said.
Both women drew their weapons, the gesture one of futility. As fire exploded toward them Jack did the only thing he could think to do. He yanked the Mind Vault from his shoulder and ripped the bindings, slamming it onto his head. The legs wrapped around his skull, clamping tight, the tail feathering down the back of his neck.
And the world froze.
Chapter 34: The Mind Vault
Jack stared at the flames that were just feet from his face but they were frozen solid. The dragons in the air remained fixed, their wings unmoving, their multi-faceted eyes staring at him. He turned and found Inna and Aranis equally as frozen, with both assassins standing tall, unflinching in the face of death.
He stepped to the edge of the boat and looked at the water, but found it equally as rigid. Water had splashed away from the hull, the droplets of white hovering in midair. He reached out and touched it, his fingers coming back dry.
“This is unexpected,” he said.
To his surprise someone answered.
“Specimen zero is not permitted to use this archive.”
Jack turned to find a slender man standing behind him on the boat. Shorter than Jack, the man was translucent, and the sunrise was visible through his body. His clothing was sleek and grey, with flecks of green that made it shine.
“Who are you?” Jack asked.
“I am Archive,” he replied.
Jack gestured to the frozen dragons. “Did you stop time?”
The man regarded him with a haughty expression. “Time is constant. While you are linked to me you are merely tuned to my sight. I think faster than you can perceive, so the halting of time is merely an illusion to you.”
“Can you rein them in?” Jack asked, gesturing to the dragons.
“I will not,” Archive said. “They serve to protect the installation built by Ero and Skorn—and if I am not mistaken, you are stealing from it.”
“Your constructs have killed thousands,” Jack said.
“They fulfill the purpose of their creation,” Archive said.
“Their purpose is to kill?”
“Constructs were created to punish criminals,” the man said, his expression flickering with disdain. “And thieves.”
“Is that what the ancients did?” Jack asked. “Kill criminals?”
“Is that what humans do?” Archive countered. “Steal?”
Jack laughed. “Only the good ones.”
The man cocked his head to the side and regarded him with curiosity in his eyes. “Who are you?”
“Jack Myst,” he said, and bowed. “Guildmaster of Thieves.”
“I am surprised you survived this long against the constructs,” he said. “Do you possess a powerful magic?”
Jack folded his arms. “Why would I tell you?”
“You don’t have to answer for me to know the truth,” he said.
Archive passed a hand between them and light flashed across Jack’s body. The light did no harm as it scanned his torso, its touch warm but brief before it was extinguished. Archive didn’t seem to notice Jack’s irritation.
“Interesting,” Archive said. “Animal magic, bonded to a panther. The animal’s power now resides within you, an as yet unseen ability, but not overly powerful. Your chances of survival against a construct are negligible.”
Indignant, Jack stabbed a finger at the man. “I’ll have you know, I’ve fought a construct before.”
“Boasting is a common trait for your kind.”
Jack scowled and described Myra, the lightning construct he’d battled in the Vault of the Eternals. By the time he finished, Archive’s expression had turned curious. Abruptly he stepped forward and peered into Jack’s eyes.
“You should not be alive.”
“Death is like a spoiled child,” Jack said. “He always thinks he gets his way.”
“I believe Ero would be pleased with
you,” Archive said. “As would Skorn.”
“I’ve stolen from both,” Jack said wryly. “I don’t think either is pleased with me.”
“So why come to the City of Dawn?” Archive asked.
“I came for answers.”
“My purpose is to record and answer queries,” Archive said.
“Even if it comes from specimen zero?” Jack asked.
The man’s lips tightened. “From anyone.”
“What is the Necrolith?”
Archive swept his hands apart and the entire vista went white. The dragons, the assassins, the boat, even the sea, all were gone in an instant. In its place an obelisk appeared. Extending from the top of a pyramid, the structure rose hundreds of feet high. A burst of light exploded from the top, piercing the sky and illuminating the stars.
“The beacon of ending,” Archive said.
“What does it do?”
“Summon the krey to the harvest.”
“What are the krey?”
The scene changed again. As if they stood on the deck of a flying ship, they soared above an unending city that resembled the City of Dawn. Towering spires and white structures were interspersed with blue waterways and purple vegetation. Boats soared through the sky, their hulls shaped like swords.
Millions of people lined the streets below. At first glance they appeared human, but their eyes were bright, their luster as striking as Ero’s. Other eyes were purple or gold, the coloring vibrant and sharp, matching the shine to their skin.
Some were hulking, their bodies layered in bone armor. They resembled rock trolls but were smaller, their skin hardly visible beneath the bone. Sword hilts extended from their shoulders, suggesting they were warriors of some kind.
Humans were also in abundance, most carrying heavy loads as they strode between the krey. Jack then spotted a construct, and then another. The glowing figures were made of different magics, their coloring varied.
A flicker of silver drew his gaze, and he spotted a krey activate a pocket Gate. He aimed above a building and cast it again, and strode through, appearing on the roof of the building. A human bearing a load followed him and the Gates closed.
“Where is this?”
“You would call it another realm.”
“How many realms are there?”
The scene changed to another city, this one with a green glow in the sky. Then the vista shifted gain, this time to a city with an abundance of glowing blue plants. Again and again the vista changed until Jack jerked his head.
“Stop,” he said. “Give me a number.”
“Your system of measurement does not contain that answer.”
Jack wiped a hand over his face, his confusion mounting. Then he turned back to Archive. “You said that when the Necrolith is activated, the krey come for the harvest. What do they harvest?”
Archive regarded him for some time. “You.”
“Me?”
“Humans.”
Jack recalled the prison he and Aranis had discovered. “And the other specimens?”
“The other specimens are not known to the krey, just as Lumineia is unknown.”
“And if the beacon is activated, the krey will know?”
“And they come for the harvest.”
“Where is Skorn’s Necrolith?” Jack said.
“My knowledge is limited to what is given to me, and no krey has returned to the City of Dawn for four senteniums.”
Jack had hoped for a different answer, but supposed that it was to be expected. “If Skorn’s Necrolith is destroyed, can he build another?”
“Not without a beacon’s core,” Archive said.
He lifted a hand and an ethereal pyramid appeared. Jack recognized it as the beacon he’d thought he destroyed at Margauth. He scowled, wishing he’d ensured its destruction then.
“Is there another Necrolith on Lumineia?”
“Not one he can access.”
Jack folded his arms, considering whether he’d gotten all his questions answered. Archive waited, his expression patient. At Jack’s request the vista returned to reality, and the dragons hovered nearby, their fire reaching to him.
“Will you stop your constructs?” Jack asked.
Archive seemed amused at the answer. “I will not defy my purpose. The moment you remove the link, you will be killed.”
“Can I persuade you to assist me?”
“I cannot be persuaded. And as intriguing as you are, I have no directive to save your life.”
Jack sighed and reached up to his head. “Then you leave me no choice.”
He wrenched the small dragon free. All at once the fire came at him, the sound of Inna’s defiant scream and the rush of wind exploding in his ears. Then Jack twisted and hurled the Mind Vault into the dragon’s fire.
The Mind Vault shattered, the pieces disintegrating in the flames. At the exact moment the Mind Vault died, the constructs shattered, their fires cutting off. The pieces rained into the sea and sank to the depths. In the distance the spires of the Shattered Isle trembled and crumbled to the earth. Every wall, roof, and fragment of the city went with it, and the entire City of Dawn turned to dust. Then the boat they were standing on dissolved, plunging Aranis and Inna into the ocean. Jack landed on the surface of the water, his boots keeping him dry.
Shocked by the sudden change, Inna managed to sheath her sword. She wiped water from her face and stared at the destroyed city. Then she turned to Jack. “What just happened?”
Jack shrugged. “I destroyed the Mind Vault.”
“You destroyed it?”
“It was that or we all die.”
“I’ll take living,” Aranis said.
“I always end up drenched around you,” Inna said. She splashed at Jack but he skipped out of reach.
“Get your own boots.”
“Then it was all for naught?” Aranis asked.
“No,” Jack said, and shared what he’d learned about the Necrolith.
Deciding it best not to reveal everything he’d witnessed, he held his tongue regarding the krey. He didn’t understand it, and had no desire to voice the implications of krey realms until he did. Turning to the Sea Dancer in the distance, he waved and watched the ship bank in their direction. Thirty minutes later they were climbing onto the deck and Jack was forced to explain anew. When he finished Erix issued a bark of laughter.
“You destroyed an ancient city that has endured for forty thousand years.”
“Not by intention,” Jack said defensively. “I figured the Mind Vault controlled the constructs, so destroying it would destroy them.”
“At least the Shattered Isle will claim no more victims,” Rezko said.
Aranis wrung the water from her cloak, muttering about how long it took to dry. “I hate the ocean.”
Jack grinned and sank into a seat on the rail. “It’s always full of—”
“ADVENTURE!” boomed Sirani, and the rock troll bounded to a position behind the mast. Slapping her hands together, she sent a gust of air into the sails, propelling the ship to even greater speeds.
“I think she’s ready for another one,” Inna said, a smile on her face.
“We barely survived the last one,” Rezko said.
“I’m ready for a nap,” Jack said, and yawned. “Wake me when we get to Woodhaven.”
With that he left and descended to his small bunkroom. He shut the door and stared at the bed, yearning for its warmth. With a reluctant sigh he cast his pocket Gate and left the ship behind.
Chapter 35: Ero’s Intrigue
Beauty arrived in Azertorn and left Axe in the same stables she had before. Dismounting next to Ursana, she stretched her back to ease the strain and removed the saddle. Then she grabbed a brush and wearily rubbed the horse down. Ursana leaned against the stall.
“It’s so much easier to rent a steed,” Ursana said. “Why keep them yourself?”
Axe tossed his head and whinnied, causing Beauty to grin. “I agree. You can’t rent loyalty.”
Ursana laughed and turned away. “I want to visit a friend. Can I meet you at the temple?”
“Friend?” Beauty asked. “Does he have a name?”
“How do you know it’s a he?”
“Am I wrong?”
“No.”
Ursana grinned and turned away, and Beauty watched her go. Ursana had joined the guild as a fifteen-year-old child, but now she was a young woman with the skills of a veteran. Tall and slender, she carried herself with grace and intelligence, and Beauty guessed a large part of her confidence had come from Gordon.
But that confidence had been shaken with the appearance of Gordon’s family. On the journey to Azertorn, Beauty had tried to coax her into talking, but the girl had dismissed the topic. Still, Beauty could see the worry in the young woman’s gaze.
When she was finished with Axe, Beauty ascended to the city and made her way to the Temple of Ero. To her irritation the crowds were twice what they were before, and throngs of potential patrons clogged the streets. Elven soldiers were in abundance, their presence maintaining order.
Beauty threaded her way through the crowd until she reached an entrance, and found the same abbot she’d encountered on her first visit. The man swallowed as he caught sight of Beauty and motioned her through, giving her a wide berth. Beauty climbed the stairs and strode through the nine circles of the upper offices until she reached the high abbot’s private quarters, where she found Thalidon standing in the hall with his brother. They turned at her appearance.
“When did Ero get back?” she asked.
“Three days ago,” Thalidon said, and scowled. “At least that’s what we’ve been told.”
She raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t follow him?”
“We never found him,” Roarthin said. “We tracked him as you asked, but he disappeared in a village outside of Herosian.”
Thalidon grunted in irritation. “We searched all the way to Azertorn, where we discovered he’d already arrived.”