In Creation's Heart

by Jason Hamilton

  “Wha...what have you done to me?” Cain writhed on the ground, trying and failing to push himself up to his feet. His skin suddenly looked more loose, less attached to his bones. It seemed to almost flow around him.

  “Take a look for yourself,” said Jak, raising her head to look at the walls of the cave. Cain joined her, craning his neck to get a better look.

  The cave was covered in metal panels, fused to the rock with the help of the gnomes and dwarves, but there was one other aspect that explained why Cain was having trouble exerting any power.

  The panels were covered in Void brands.

  “This...this…” Cain had no words.

  “We started working on this place the moment I returned to Illadar several months ago.” Jak explained. “While you were breaking the Pillar of Time to your will, we were crafting the perfect trap.”

  “Void brands don’t work on me.” he said, in disbelief. “Only because you have about a hundred Anti-brands. I know, I counted.” said Jak. “I didn’t get a perfect count, but I knew enough to give an approximate guess. But I created extra Void brands to make sure. In this cave, we have over a thousand.”

  Cain raised a hand to point at her. It quavered. “But you, you don’t…”

  His voice was failing, he must be taking this harder than she thought. “I am weakened, yes,” she said, responding to his unasked question. “You have over a hundred Anit-brands. Whereas I gave myself one for every Void brand I stuck in this cave.”

  With that she turned, lifting up the dirt-covered tatters of her shirt to reveal not hundreds, but over a thousand Anti-brands on the flesh of her back. They were tiny, smaller than a common coin, but they sat next to each other in a perfect pattern, covering her entire back, reaching up to her neck, and down below her waist. No one but Seph had seen them before now, since she kept those areas covered, but she had been slowly working on it for months.

  Cain coughed, and Jak thought she saw blood splatter the cave floor. Was he dying? Had he grown so dependant on his abilities that they were literally keeping him alive? She supposed that’s why his skin had never fully healed since his first encounter with the dragon. Perhaps his Healing brands hadn’t been enough, that their healing abilities had only managed to keep his body from falling apart.

  “In a sense,” Jak went on, “you gave me this idea. Or rather your influence. The Royal Priest kept me in a Void-branded cage once, and I nearly died. You came and visited me remember? You thought that was the end of me, and that was perhaps the first time you truly underestimated what I’m willing to do.”

  Cain began to crawl, inching his way towards the exit, to where the Void brands would no longer have any effect. Blood trailed behind him, and Jak watched him go. At this rate, his body would give out long before he could reach the exit. But she was not going to give him the chance.

  She placed herself between him and his destination. He put his head down on the ground, finally acknowledging his defeat. At last, he was broken.

  He grabbed at her legs. “Please,” he pleaded. “Please, don’t let it end like this. Take me back to the world of my ancestors. I want to go back.”

  “You had that chance.”

  She kicked his grip off her leg, and he cried out as her mild effort broke the now-fragile bones in his arms.

  Jak wandered nearby to pick up the Pillar of Time, holding both staves in each arm now. She tried to communicate with the Pillar of Time, at least to give it some assurance that it was in the right hands now, but it did not respond.

  Instead, she activated it, sending the traditional mental impulse to turn on the Pillar of Time and use its power to move at supernatural speeds. And it worked, albeit slightly. Time froze around her, but it didn’t feel as still and calming as it had before. She would have to look into it later.

  Letting the magic drop, she walked back to where Cain still lay panting on the floor. She set the Pillars down against the side of the cave, then crouched down next to Cain till her arms were resting on her knees.

  Cain’s face had gone gray and pale, his skin flaking away as though made of dust.

  “I’m sorry it had to be this way,” said Jak. “We would have helped you reach any world you wanted if you had asked, and shown yourself free of ill intent.”

  He did not answer. Jak wasn’t even sure he could anymore. His mouth opened but all that came out was a dry rasp.

  “Perhaps we could have ruled side by side,” she said. “But not through slavery or genocide. These are what marked you as someone to destroy, not to join. I am sorry.”

  She stayed there and watched as Cain’s body slowly faded to dust. The man was older than old, and it seemed that even with those cryo chambers back at his hideout, and the aid of all his brands, take away his powers and he was nothing more than literal dirt.

  A head poked itself into the cave. Jak turned to see who it was, before smiling slightly and going back to staring at the place where Cain had once been. “Hello, Royal Priest.” she said. “You know, you might want to consider taking on a name, now that the queen is dead, and our civilization is basically no more.”

  The Priest didn’t reply to her comment, but instead took several steps inside, and observed the pile of rags and dust that had once been Cain. “You...you beat him?” he said, his voice quavering.

  Jak nodded, “He couldn’t withstand this many Void brands.”

  The Royal Priest stood still. “Then we are all free.”

  “For now,” Jak said, remembering something Cain had said. “We’ve removed one tyrant, but we can’t assume there won’t be others. Someday at least.”

  “When that day comes, heroes will fight in your memory. Your example will inspire them.”

  Jak looked away from Cain’s remains to stare at the Priest in surprise. “Since when did you get all sentimental like that?”

  “I’m sorry, uh, Jak,” he said her name like he wasn’t used to doing so. “But you’ve inspired many, including myself. I was once afraid of you, I hated you. But you have shown me a better way. You have given me hope of a world without hate. Where one person would save another, even when that person had done them wrong.”

  Jak smiled, remembering the time when she had rescued the Royal Priest from Cain. “You have seen more than most in your circumstances. People like Cain, they don’t change.”

  “Perhaps not, but we villains are not bound by such a fate,” he said, eagerly.

  “And you’re living proof of that,” Jak confirmed. “Tell me, what do you plan to do now that our enemy is gone.”

  He hesitated. “Do you plan to return to Earth?”

  “Yes,” she said. “To collect my armies and bring all who wish to join us back here. We should pick up what Relics we can find as well, and bring those.”

  “And after that?”

  Jak took a deep breath. “I think it best, for the safety of humanity and the Fae, that we remain separate for a time. Some of the Fae have so few members that I could count them on two hands. They need time to rest, time when they won’t fear for their lives.”

  “So you plan to cut off ties with Earth.”

  “Not completely,” said Jak. “But if it’s my choice, I would choose to put away the Pillars for a time, until the world is ready for us.”

  “That could be a long time.”

  Jak met his eyes and gave him a slight smile. “Not if there are more people like you, willing to set aside their biases for good.”

  He returned her smile, though there was a hint of sadness there. “I’m afraid it was your rescue that caused me to think differently. It might not have happened otherwise.”

  “Well then, let’s hope there are more people like me on Earth as well.”

  “In that sense, maybe. But no one will ever be quite like you, Lady Oren.”

  Jak almost chuckled as he used the honorific name people had for her. “Thank you, Royal Priest. But you have not answered my question. What do you want?”

  He hesitated. “Forg
ive me, I have valued your hospitality, and this place has opened my eyes tremendously. But I would ask that you send me back to Earth.”

  “You heard what I said. Once the rest of us are gone, it’s doubtful that we will ever return in your lifetime.”

  “I know this,” he said. “But I believe I could do more good there than I can here.”

  Jak let that sink in before slowly nodding. “I think I understand. What would you do there?”

  The Royal Priest sat next to her. “I would start by trying to rally together all who remain. Rebuild after what Cain did to our nation.”

  “You would make yourself King?” Jak asked, with a raised eyebrow.

  “King, no,” he said. “I am not meant for such a thing. I would remain a Priest.” He looked her straight in the eye. “A Priest of Illadar.”

  Jak’s mouth formed a half-smile. “Very well, Priest of Illadar. I will happily take you home.”

  20

  About an hour later, Jak had brought the Royal Priest to Foothold, but quickly left to find her friends in the Hollow Peaks. The Pillars of Space and Time were both working properly, but there was still something sluggish about the Pillar of Time. Jak’s best guess was that it was tainted in some way, after it broke under Cain’s influence.

  Thankfully, it was the Pillar of Space that she needed to travel between worlds. Using it, she set off in search of Skellig, Naem, and her husband.

  She arrived outside the cave, which was the first thing that surprised her. She had intended to go back inside, to the last place she had seen her comrades. But instead, she was just outside the crack in the mountain that led to Cain’s secret hideout.

  “Jak!” came a yell from behind her. She turned to see Seph bounding toward her. Behind him stood both Skellig and Naem around a small campfire, both of them scrambling to their feet and looking overjoyed to see her.

  Seph barreled into her, his arms crushing her in a literal dragon-like hug. Jak, happy to have so many Toughness brands, hugged him back just as hard.

  “We weren’t sure if we would see you again,” Seph said as he broke the embrace.

  “What happened after I left?” she asked after leaning on her toes to kiss him.

  “Well…to be honest,” Seph rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. He looked a bit embarrassed.

  “Immediately after you left, his dragon fire and unchecked tail brought the entire mountain down on us.” Skellig said, coming close enough to place one hand on Jak’s shoulder. “Naem and I barely made it out with the bodies,” she waved a hand back at their camp fire.

  Jak’s face fell as she spotted the corpses of Naman and Jamilla. Their bodies and faces were covered, but Jak knew that they would appear as demons now after what Marek had done to them.

  “Seph came flying out of the top of the mountain, pushing through all that rock and everything.” said Naem. “Then he insisted that we stay here for when you returned.”

  “And what of Marek?” Jak asked, turning to look back at the crack in the mountain.

  None of them spoke at first. “We...uh, didn’t have a chance to retrieve his body,” said Seph. “He was still unconscious when the mountain came crashing down. There’s no way he survived.”

  “And Cain’s starship?”

  “Also caught in the rubble.”

  “Good,” said Jak, bottling up her emotions for now. “It’s time I took you home, then.”

  “Jak,” Seph rubbed her shoulder. “It’s okay to mourn for him despite what he’s done. He was taken in by Cain, but he was your friend.”

  “He deserves none of my pity,” said Jak. “He’s no better than Cain, and his body can stay buried along with my memories of him.”

  “Jak,” Seph began.

  “I won’t hear another word of it,” she said. “Cain is dead. It’s time for all of us to return to Illadar.”

  The revelation that Cain was dead was enough to shut them up. Jak said nothing more for the time being, not wanting to relive her battle with the demon king. Not yet. Instead, she took Seph, Skellig, and Naem back to Foothold, where they made the announcement that they had won. There were no more demons, and their great enemy had been defeated at last.

  For some reason, Jak did not feel the cheer. She waited for everyone to prepare themselves to leave, a process that took about a day, before finally emerging from her quarters to open a portal back to Illadar. Almost everyone in the fortress agreed to go, though a few stayed behind, including the Royal Priest. As Jak walked through the portal, he stood on the side, watching. She spared a glance and he waved at her just before she disappeared through the portal.

  The Royal Priest was, oddly, what gave her the most hope. He was evidence that a bad person could change. Hopefully that change would aid him in rebuilding the kingdom as a place of peace for all who lived there, though she would discourage any Fae from visiting in the near future. The world wasn’t ready for them.

  Over the next few days, she spent most of her time aiding in the recruitment process. They had to travel all over the nation to find the Sky Fae scouts she had left, not to mention anyone who wished to join them on Illadar. All were welcome for now, but that door would not stay open for long.

  “What do you think will happen here,” said Seph one day as she kept a portal open for the latest recruits to enter. They were set up at Riverbrook, her old home, a place she had always had an easier time of reaching with the Pillars of Eternity. Something about the magic just connected well with her hometown.

  “I don’t know,” she said, staring off at the distant river where she had once played as a girl.

  “There are no more Gifters here,” said Seph. “They all either came with us, or were killed by Cain. Magic on Earth will die out.”

  “I’m not so sure,” said Jak, feeling the magic of the Pillars of Eternity hum under her fingertips. “Magic doesn’t exactly work that way. We have brands and Relics that channel the magic, but they aren’t the source of that magic.”

  Seph nodded, “I think I understand. Creatures like dragons are beings of magic, though they have no brands.”

  “The Fae as well,” Jak said. “Some of their changes were triggered by proximity to Relics, but it was the magic that changed them, not the Relic itself.”

  “So you think Earth will continue to have branding and Fae transformations?”

  Jak shook her head. “I don’t think so. This world has been wounded by all of this, I can feel it. It wants peace. I imagine if magic does ever manifest itself here again, it will be more subtle, more elemental. It will lack the channels our ancestors created in the form of brands.”

  “I suppose that’s good then,” Seph said, placing his arm around her. “So what will you do now?”

  Jak swallowed, knowing what he meant. But all she said was, “I will go back to Illadar.”

  “Neither of us will be able to go back to our old lives,” he said. “There are six thousand people looking up to us, not to mention the future of Illadar.”

  Jak closed her eyes and a tear dropped down her cheek. Once, there had been seven thousand. They had lost so much in their battle against Cain and his demons. Too much.

  “I know,” she said.

  “They will need a leader.” Seph continued.

  “I know,” she repeated.

  A pause, then, “Are you up for it?”

  “Do I have a choice?” Jak ran a hand over her cheek to catch the tears.

  “You always have a choice,” he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

  “Do I?” she said. “All the talk about destiny, particularly when we were on Mt. Knot, and I went through the trials there. Yes, I can choose to shirk responsibility, let others suffer or die while I spend my time indulging myself. But I know that’s not going to happen, and whatever force of nature is out there knows it too. If I’m placed in situations where my values dictate what direction I take, is that really freedom to choose?”

  “Well,” Seph hesitated while he ch
ose his words carefully. “I suppose it might seem like that, especially if you’re frequently faced with such choices. But it’s still you who chooses them, Jak. At the very least, you chose to accept the values given you by your father and others. And sure, those values dictate what you do now, but you could choose other values.”

  Jak shook her head. “I’m not sure I could. I don’t know how much of who I am was my choice, or just the way I was shaped.”

  “Yet if your choices do align with your values, with all that is good and right, does it really matter if your choices are dictated or not? The outcome is ultimately good. After all, you chose me.” A soft laugh escaped her throat. “One of the few times the choices I was given resulted in something I wanted for myself.”

  “I’m glad you chose me too,” he said. “But I also chose you. You’re not alone in this.”

  He was right. She had made some tough decisions, some that set aside her personal comfort in favor of helping others. But she wasn’t the only one doing that. All of them: Seph, Skellig, Naem, even those like the Royal Priest had all eventually chosen to follow her, to put their paths in line with hers. Many others, like Gabriel, her old teacher, or Karlona, her mother, had died in pursuit of the same goals.

  “What more do the prophecies say about Illadar?” she asked, leaning her head into his shoulder.

  Seph shrugged. “The Book of Illadar and the writings of Abel do not specify much. Most of his prophecy has been fulfilled.”

  “Most?”

  “Well, there’s still one more race to form, at which point there will be twelve. And there are hints at other heroes that will fight for the world. But for now, all it says is that Illadar will be a place of peace.”

  Jak took a deep breath. “Illadar cannot have peace if it is built on anarchy.”

  “Indeed,” said Seph.

  She stood up, feeling a new sense of determination in her. She looked down at Seph. “You will be with me?”

  He rose to meet her, “every step of the way.”

  Jak set her jaw. “Then I will choose to be the first of Illadar’s rulers, to set the laws that govern the people, and hopefully avoid tyrants like Cain or even Queen Telma in the future. I will make peace. No,” she corrected herself, “I will help others to choose peace.”