“We know all of those things, Highwarden Caria,” said Gabriella. “We are the ones who catch the fallout of this war. Remember that.” She glanced at Sophia. “We have lost people we care about too.”
The Highwarden nodded. “And I have no doubt that you would do whatever it took to keep your friends alive. Except here we are not just talking about friends, we are talking about the entire Luminar species.”
“I hear what you are saying, but I always trust my instincts, Highwarden. And right now they are telling me what you are doing here is very, very wrong.”
Aegis dabbed the corners of his mouth with his napkin and cast it down on the table. “I grow tired of this verbal onslaught. As soon as you have spoken to the Elders and agreed about your next course of action, I want you to leave the city. You are no longer welcome in Fenodara.”
I saw Gabriella’s face darken. “Absolutely fine by me. I don’t want to spend one more minute than I have to in a place where they kidnap those in need and force their children to fight in wars. But before we go, I think I will mention to the Elders exactly how you and your Lightwardens conduct yourselves. You say they have no clue what happens down here? Maybe it’s time they learned.”
Aegis gave a humourless smile. “You have every right to do so, and I cannot stop you. But I would think twice about it. Your Warren needs our technology and magic more than we need anything they have to offer. I control this city and can easily cut off trade to Earth. I am an Elf, Huntmaster. My race lives for a very long time, and I can hold a grudge for as long as is necessary. Isn’t the Warren the main hub for Pandemonian activity? Without our support, how long do you think it would be before your base is bought to its knees?”
Like the reverse side of the coin, I could see glimmers of the opposite aspect of the Lightwarden, the one that conflicted with his desire to save his race. The ruthless dark side that would cut off its own nose to spite its face.
“Threats don’t work on me, Highwarden. We are far more capable than you give us credit for. We could trade and gather resources from other bases, and can get technology from the Sciath outpost. They still deal with other Luminar strongholds on this side. Don’t think for one second that we need your support to survive.”
Aegis placed a hand on the table. “Perhaps. But are you really willing to take that risk on behalf of your entire organisation, to cause it issues on such a large scale? Would you be willing to leave yourselves vulnerable just because you can’t control your anger? To serve a petty grievance above the greater good of your entire organisation…that seems like a decision that a very poor Huntmaster would make.”
I could feel Gabriella bristle at his words.
“My advice would be that you go about your business and that you leave me to mine.”
The Highwarden drained the last of his drink and stood up, setting the chalice firmly down on the table with a thump. “We have nothing more to discuss here, so I shall leave you all to finish your meal. I will forgive your crimes this time and this time only. However, my Lightwardens will be tracking your every move until the moment you leave Fenodara. I would strongly recommend that you refrain from any more disruptive behavior, or I shall have you all thrown out of this city, minus your supplies. I shouldn’t imagine you would survive very long.”
“Then you clearly haven’t met my team before,” Gabriella replied.
Aegis gave a smile and then with a swish of his cape, departed the table, his silent wardens following behind him like faithful dogs.
11
Alex
The morning light of the twin suns poured through the porthole windows of the homestead. Despite the comfort of the luxurious bed, I’d barely slept, my mind whirring with all the things that Aegis Caria had said and the harrowing events we’d witnessed in the city the day before. For me the most disturbing part wasn’t the child soldiers, slave workers or class system that had been hidden beneath the beautiful surface of Fenodara. It was the fact that I didn’t really blame the Highwarden for what he was doing. I had mentally wrestled with myself all night, but kept circling back to one repeating set of thoughts.
During desperate times, people do terrible things out of necessity…and the Luminar cause is beyond desperate – an entire Pandemonian class facing total extinction at the hands of their natural enemies. If Hades invaded Earth and it was the human race facing annihilation, could we honestly say that we wouldn’t act in ways that we would otherwise view as despicable? History seemed to agree with me – humans were happy to treat each other like animals during wars if it meant survival. But it was the very fact that I could even justify the Highwarden’s dark actions that was really gnawing away at my stomach.
Has my time as a Guardian hardened me? Is this who I’m becoming now – someone who just accepts that bad things must be done for the greater good? The thought chilled me to the bone.
I took a deep breath and forced myself to let it go. Right now, worrying about what was happening was both useless and unproductive. There were probably a million messed up things happening throughout Pandemonia that could easily distract us if we paid attention, and to focus on them would be to lose sight of the main reasons we had come to Pandemonia in the first place. Find out what my marking is, and if my father is still alive. We can fight for those children when we return home and have the support of the Alliance behind us.
My stomach rumbled and some part of me accepted that I was hungry. The team had lost their appetites after the intense debate with Aegis last night. We’d all left the Atrius soon afterwards, barely a word spoken between us as we’d made our way back to our respective Homesteads. Gabriella had been distant and difficult to gauge the entire journey – no doubt poring through and picking apart every single word spoken by the Highwarden. She’d barely even said goodnight – just a halfhearted kiss that had grazed my cheek. I’d returned to my pod and heard a disturbingly thick bolt lock my door a moment after the third chime of the Great Clock had sounded. I knew I could have forced my way out if I’d wanted to, but causing more trouble wasn’t on the top of my agenda. All I wanted now was to sleep away the long day and meet the Elders, collect Iralia and get the hell out of Fenodara. The quicker we find out what we need to do and get it done, the quicker we can return home.
My Biomote crackled and I fished it from the side table. My soulmates’ voice drifted through the microphone, wiping away my incessant thoughts.
“Alex, it’s Ella. You awake? Over.”
I pressed down on the communication pad with my thumb. “I’m here. You okay? Over.”
There was a pause. “I guess. Anyway, one of Aegis’ henchmen just left. The Highwarden is going to meet us by the Great Clock in half an hour and take us to the Tower of Ascension to meet the Elders. Over.”
Guess breakfast is off the table then. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and slipped out of bed. “Alright. I’ll just get myself dressed and be at yours in ten.”
“Don’t worry, I’m already dressed. I’ll come to you.”
“Okay catch you in a minute, over and out.” I clicked off the Biomote and threw it down on the bed.
After washing myself quickly in the warm water of the spa and then using an impossibly soft towel to dry my hair, I got changed into another set of the plain white robes and the same dirty sandals I’d kicked into the back of the wardrobe the previous night. For a moment my hand hovered near the bag that contained my Crimson blade, and I fought the urge to pick it up. After last night I don’t think Aegis would appreciate me walking around his city armed.
There was a knock at the door. I closed the wardrobe and walked over, discovering when I pulled it that it had unlocked itself at some unspecified point overnight. I opened the door expecting to see Gabriella, but was shocked to see Aran there instead. The Urisk didn’t ask to be invited in, or say anything, she just stood on the threshold to the pod, looking at me.
“Um, is everything okay, Aran?”
The Luminar folded her arms behind her back bef
ore speaking. “Aran noticed that Huntmaster Gabriella and the other Guardians of Orion were somewhat distressed by the conversation with Highwarden Aegis Caria. It was deemed that many of the issues arose from the desire to check on the welfare of Guardian Iralia Desquien. So Aran felt it prudent to locate the White Keep and check on the individual’s status.”
My mouth fell open. “Wait…what? You got into the White Keep?”
“Aran swam through the waterways until the area mentioned was located and then used natural camouflage to avoid detection upon entering the area referred to as the Partition. The White Keep is a sizeable building and the total endeavor took around three human hours, but eventually the room containing Guardian Desquien was located. Upon looking through an adamantine-barred window, Aran can report that whilst the conditions of the room are not of a particularly high standard, no harm has been bestowed upon the Succubus.”
Relief poured through me. “Aran, you’re incredible!” I almost shouted, grabbing her into a tight hug, which she accepted with straight arms and a bit of confusion. “But how did you get back into your pod last night? The doors lock themselves.”
The Urisk nodded. “Aran noticed this when returning to the Homestead. As entry without causing detection was unlikely, Aran spent the evening meditating on the docks. The conditions were quite acceptable.”
“I-I can’t believe you did all that. Thank you.”
The Urisk considered my words for a moment and then gave a single nod. “Orion is a unit. The definition of a unit is an individual, regarded as single and complete, but also something that can form part of a larger whole. Thus, when specific parts of the overall unit cannot function well, the other parts must compensate and help to restore balance.”
I smiled at her awkward, robotic explanation. “So what you’re basically saying is that you were looking out for us.”
Aran just stared at me blankly.
“Thank you, Aran. Really.”
The Urisk gave a second nod and then as quickly as she had arrived, she had gone. I shook my head in disbelief. I can’t believe she did all that by herself…put herself in that much danger just to help. Urisks were still a bit of a mystery – no one really understood the way they thought and their motivations, but in my book, Aran’s actions had been as selfless as anything you could ever ask of a Guardian.
I was about to close the door when I saw Gabriella walk up to it. She was dressed in a robe and bangles that the city had supplied. As pretty as she looked – with her raven hair piled up on her head, an unruly strand cascading down to her olive cheek – her face was fraught with worry lines.
“Come in,” I said. “You’ll never guess what just happened.”
I could tell she was distracted, lost in her own thoughts. “Can we just go? I didn’t get any sleep last night. I just want to get today over with so we can move on.”
“Sure.”
I stepped out into the blistering sunshine from the twin suns and closed the door behind me. Gabriella was staring out across the skyline of the lake, a strained expression on her face.
I wrapped my arms around her. “Ella, it’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I can’t get what I saw out of my head.” She sighed and then pressed her head into my chest. “Everything is so screwed up these days. Before, it was simple – protect innocent people from the bad guys. It was black and white. But now…we seem to spend our entire lives in the grey area.” She glanced up at me. “What you said yesterday in the Partition really stuck with me. How can we know that we’re the good guys? I mean, we just do what we’re told.”
I pulled back and placed my hands on her shoulders. “Ella, your compass has never faced any direction but true north. You are one of the good ones. Never forget that.”
“Thanks, Alex.” She was silent for a moment, until finally she said, “We can’t tell the Elders what we know, can we?”
I took a deep breath. “No, we can’t. At least not yet. Sharing what we know is only going to potentially destabilize a city that is already holding on by its fingertips and cause us and the Alliance serious problems. Once we return home, we’ll tell Sage Faru everything and leave it for him to decide. He’s one of the good ones too. I know he’ll do what’s right.”
Gabriella gave a weak smile. “Okay. Come on, let’s go.”
“Not before I tell you what happened.”
“Please tell me its not something bad.”
“Oh no, it’s good.”
“So…what happened then?”
I glanced around to make sure there were no Lightwardens in earshot. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something like a certain Urisk sneaking into the White Keep completely undetected last night and confirming that Iralia is okay.”
Gabriella’s eyes went wide. “What?”
“I know, right? She just came and told me.”
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
Her face cracked into a genuine smile. “Oh my god, I could kiss her! I mean she should have asked me first, and she could have made loads more trouble for us had she been caught, but…who cares! Where is she now?”
I shrugged. “Do we ever know?” With a grin, I added, “I’ll happily take that kiss for her.”
Gabriella laughed and then threw her arms around me, kissing me full on the lips. “God, I needed some good news.”
“I know. Kind of wish we’d thought of using her before. Probably could have avoided some of this mess.”
Gabriella’s expression darkened slightly. “Then we wouldn’t have seen for ourselves just how corrupt this city is.” I didn’t say anything in response. “Come on, let’s go,” she added in a lighter tone.
We broke apart and walked down the raised wooden platforms. I relished the warmth of the suns as their light played on my skin, coupled with a cool breeze that ruffled my robe and hair. Several of the Asrai were already hard at work, brushing golden leaves that had blown in on the night air into the water, where they sank as if they were wafer-thin stones. I noticed several Citizens standing around the various walkways, couples holding hands and a few families with children pointing out the various fish in the crystalline water. A Displaced was waist deep in the pond-like area, and under the watchful eye of a few Lightwardens was spearing fish with deft skill before loading them onto a floating weaved basket attached to his waist. The whole scene looked like some snapshot for a hidden paradise brochure. Except pictures never told the full story.
“Where are the others?” I said as we walked.
“Del, Grey, Danny, Hollie and Troy have gone to the Atrius to get breakfast. Mikey and Scarlett are still in their homestead pods, I think. I saw Sophia wander off into the city with Midnight earlier. She seems to prefer her own company these days,” she added with a sigh.
I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “She’ll come around.”
Gabriella cleared her throat. “Anyway, I told the others we’d catch up with them once we’ve spoken to the Elders and got Iralia out of the White Keep. At least we know she’s okay now.”
I let my hand fall away. “It makes sense that she’s unharmed. It’s not like Aegis could have justified hurting her in any way. She’s a member of the Alliance, after all.”
Gabriella made a low noise in her throat. “I have no idea what that man is capable of.”
We made our way between the stone walls that led back out into the decking area of the Homestead District. A Lightwarden was positioned there – wearing his full armour and clearly struggling under the intense heat of the suns. He ran a hand up his neck and wiped away some sweat, pulling a few silver strands of damp hair free of his helmet in the process. He noticed us and gave a smile as we approached – it seemed far more genuine than those we’d seen plastered on most of the other wardens– and I instantly got a better vibe from him. As we drew closer, I recognised him as one of those who had joined the Highwarden in the Atrius.
“Good morning, Guardians, I’m Lightwarden Vendal Larone. I have been ins
tructed to bring you to Highwarden Caria at the Great Clock, who will then take you on to the Tower of Ascension.”
“Didn’t trust us to make our own way there?” muttered Gabriella under her breath. Either the Lightwarden didn’t hear her, or he pretended not to, because he simply stepped to the side and gestured towards a waiting Valoon that bobbed gently on the waterway. We climbed aboard and waited for the Waterwalker to push away from the side and activate the motor. Soon we were cruising down the passage, watching as the buildings and citizens of Fenodara swept by.
I glanced up at the Lightwarden, who was sitting opposite us on one of the padded benches. He seemed nervous, his head bowed slightly and his hands clasped together.
“Have you lived in the city all your life, Lightwarden Larone?” I asked in an effort to spark conversation.
The warden raised his head. “For as long as I can remember. I was still a child when I came here with my family.”
“Are they still here?” I asked.
Vendal gave a slow shake of his head. “Sadly, I lost my family and my three siblings in one of the great battles that took place here some two hundred years ago.”
Gabriella shook her head in sadness.
“What happened?” I asked.
He ran his hand down the side of the boat in a movement of self-reassurance. “Fenodara was…different back then. More at peace. The war hadn’t spread as far as it has these days, and for the most part the Lightwardens were used simply to maintain order in the city and give support to refugees. We…we just weren’t prepared when the Umbra attacked. They took us by complete surprise and many of us lost people we loved.”
I could feel the emotion of his words swimming just below the surface. It was a subject that clearly still felt raw for him, even after so long. So much for small talk.
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