by Andi Van
He had a point, but Zaree knew what Josephina was getting at. Aldris was a pacifist, and while he’d be willing to join them against the king, he wouldn’t like it. By having him stay with Firea and Nabiha, he could be of assistance without having to fight. “Aldris isn’t made for fighting,” she said simply. “You, on the other hand, would quite happily gut someone with your toenails if you had to do so in order to protect your loved ones.”
Sireti made a face, clearly disturbed by what he’d just envisioned. “Why his toenails, of all things?”
“I was trying to describe the most improbable situation I could. Focus. I’m not going to get off track over descriptions of Kel’s podiatric hygiene.”
“I believe it is too late for that,” Falcon said helpfully.
“My point,” Zaree stressed, “is that Aldris is best left to caring for those who can’t fight. This may or may not include wounded. I’m hoping we can end this without bloodshed. I’m not expecting the king to listen to reason, but some of his men might.” She looked at Reikos for confirmation.
He nodded, as she’d hoped he would. “Maybe not many of them, but some of them. Chances are good he brought at least a few that he’s unaware are sympathetic to the plight of the magic users. Those closest to him are sadistic bastards who bully others for fun, though.” He looked at Zaree and raised an eyebrow, a wicked grin flashing across his face. The grin did funny things to her gut, but she tried to ignore it. “One of them is the guy who’d captured Tasis the first time we met. I’ll hold him down and you can kick him in vital areas until you can be sure he won’t be the one to carry on his family line.”
Zaree probably shouldn’t have found that suggestion romantic, but somehow…. It was probably because of the way it sounded like an acknowledgment that he knew her brother came first.
“We can take turns,” Kelwin said, giving a wicked, toothy grin to rival Yldost’s. “It’ll be fun.”
“Focus,” Vashk reminded them. “I’ll be the first to admit that my experience with people consists mostly of the kind, friendly sort, so feel free to laugh when I ask this, but do you think there would be any merit greeting him in a way to throw him off balance?”
“What, like greeting him and his men with a picnic?” Sireti said with a short laugh. “While it could be fun to confuse them that way, it could backfire on you. I still think you’re better dealing with them aggressively.”
“No, wait,” Kelwin said, holding up a hand. “Don’t discount the idea. It’s something to consider.”
“Are you seriously considering a picnic?”
“Oh, don’t be stupid,” Kelwin sniped. “I’m talking about greeting him calmly and peacefully. We can be ready to fight, but we don’t have to be obvious about it. I’m quite sure he expects us to be scared. If we’re not, his men are going to wonder why. It’s possible he’s too far gone to consider that, but if you were under someone else’s command, would you hesitate if your enemy seemed unconcerned by your presence?”
“It would give me pause,” Reikos admitted. “But more than that, being surrounded by elves who ride gryphons and giants who could stomp me flat would have me thinking twice. I don’t think we have to put on an act. I think we just have to show solidarity.”
“And whatever you do, don’t underestimate him,” Triv said softly. “You saw how well underestimating an insane monarch worked out for me.”
“You gave the old king the benefit of the doubt because you’d once known him to be a good man,” Josephina reminded her, crouching down carefully to be as close to eye-to-eye with the mermaid as she could get from their current positions. “And because you knew him to have been a good man, you had no warning, no time to prepare for what was coming.” She turned her head to look over her shoulder, giving Falcon an apologetic look. “I’m sorry.”
Falcon shook her head. “No,” she said softly, “please don’t. I know what he did. I just wish I knew why.”
“From what you’ve told us of what our mother said, Gisik is involved,” Vashk reminded them. “I didn’t sense him on the isle a thousand years ago, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do something to hide himself. He’s our elder, and stronger than our mother’s children, so it wouldn’t be impossible.”
“I think we should still force him to tear his way through the shield,” Kelwin said. “If he’s got magic users working for him voluntarily, that would exhaust them. When they get through, we meet him peacefully on our own terms. If he forces our hand, then we fight. We can spread some of the more experienced fighters who might join us through the trees to watch our backs, but we face him as a whole.” He looked at Reikos, worry lines etched deeply into his forehead. “You’re the only one here with experience fighting,” Kelwin remarked. “Are we doing the right thing?”
“You’re not soldiers,” Reikos said with an uncertain frown. “I don’t think anything I was trained on would apply to a situation where one side is trying to wage peace. Oddest battle I’ve ever heard of, that’s for certain. But I like the idea of waging peace far better than waging war.”
“You know you are likely to be king when this is over, yes?” Falcon asked him, looking him over as if placing a private bet on how he’d react. “Whatever has happened to the current king, he is no longer fit to rule, and you were the one appointed heir.”
“I never wanted to rule,” Reikos admitted with a shake of his head, his body tensing at the thought. “But that was in part because I assumed I’d go mad too. If that can be prevented… maybe I can help the rest of you calm the chaos that’s taken over. No matter what, though, you have my sword.” He chuckled a little and shrugged. “If I had one.”
“We have weapons on board,” Sireti informed him. “You’ll be armed when the others arrive.” He hesitated, which Zaree knew to be completely out of character, then continued. “Look, it’s not my place to say, but you might think about splitting up the kingdom. It’s far too big for one person, even if said person wasn’t a power-crazed monster. I don’t mean to step on any toes, but….”
“That would be a first,” Zaree muttered before she could stop herself, earning a glare.
Reikos waved a hand. “No, you’re right. I already figured that if it were forced on me someday, I’d at least want to split Archai and Chadar up permanently. But that’s neither here nor there until my father’s been deposed.”
“I think we have a general plan,” Vashk said, looking out of the cavern and into the stormy darkness beyond. “You should get some rest. You’ll want clear minds in the morning.”
I will watch the mirror in case Jorget should contact us before dawn, Daro promised. Vashk is right. You need sleep. Plans can be firmed up once the rest arrive.
“I suppose you’re right,” Kelwin said, reaching into one of his pockets for moment before pulling something out. He leaned down and held it out for the merfolk to see, and Zaree realized it was the fossilized shell the dolphins had given him. “Nirena told me this was a symbol that the ocean dwellers trusted me,” he said. “Is there any chance you can take a message to some of them for me? I have no idea if you can talk to them, but….”
“We can,” Corrin confirmed as he took the shell from Kelwin’s hand. “What would you ask of them?”
“I’m not sure it’s a request so much as a suggestion,” Kelwin admitted as he straightened. “Just let them know that if they’d like to be a distraction and cause a little trouble for the king’s ship, it wouldn’t hurt our feelings.”
Corrin snickered. “Understood. The dolphins rather like causing trouble, so you should at least get help from them. And we’ll be there, too, of course. We might not be able to be of assistance on land, but this is still our home, and we want to help.”
“Thanks,” Kelwin said, giving Corrin a genuine smile before turning to the others. “Let’s go get some sleep.”
SHE WAS standing at the top of the sandstone cliffs, rain pouring down on her, but something didn’t seem right.
“How did we get
here?” Zaree turned to see that she wasn’t alone. Kelwin, Jorget, and Emlynn were there. It was Jorget who’d spoken, and he looked around, his face the picture of confusion. “Last I remember, we’d gone to sleep. And why does it look different?”
“Because it’s long before our time.”
The voice made Zaree’s heart leap, and the group looked toward the door of the guild to see Tasis standing there, Rin at his side. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He left the doorway and joined them in the open field, looking quite content to have Kelwin wrap him up in a tight embrace. Tasis leaned against him for a moment, then took a step back so he could address them, though he grabbed one of Kelwin’s hands and kept a firm grip. He held out the other to Zaree with a smile, and she took it gratefully.
“Are we dreaming?” she asked.
Tasis nodded. “I felt you should see this. I know I’ve told you about it, but it’s different to witness it yourself. Nirena finally agreed to it when I convinced her it wasn’t really breaking the rules if you’d already had it described to you.”
“Had what described to us?” Jorget asked. “And couldn’t we at least dream that it was a sunny day?”
“Oh.” Kelwin looked around, swallowing hard. It seemed he’d figured it out. “Where is Triv?”
At this moment, she’s saying goodbye to the few who survived, Rin said mournfully. I was already back in the astral plane when this happened. It’s raining too hard for you to see the ship sail away, which was the point. The king couldn’t see it, either. But it will leave, and Josephina will watch as the woman she loves turns to face her death, having promised Triv she’d raise her daughter.
“Oh, great Maker above,” Emlynn whispered. “You’re showing us the death of the guild. Why?”
“Because you need to know what not to do.” Tasis squeezed the hands he held and closed his eyes tightly. “I hate watching this. It’s given me nightmares, and likely will for some years to come. But it may help you in the long run, and I want to give you every advantage I can get away with.” He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. “She’s coming. Don’t be frightened. Your mind will try to convince you you’re going to drown, but I promise your breathing won’t be hindered so long as you stay calm.”
He turned to look at the stronghold, and Zaree turned her head to watch as Triv, as alone as anyone could be, left the building and headed toward them. She stopped a few feet away and kept her eyes on the sandstone steps that led to the beach.
“Where is Vashk?” Jorget asked, surprising Zaree. He had a point. The dragon’s absence was conspicuous.
“He followed the ship to make sure it got clear of the king’s. Now he’s waiting out there as well, preparing to wash the isle clean. What Triv doesn’t know is that he’s also preparing to try to bring her back to life as one of his people. He had no idea if it would work or not, given Qelmar’s Rule.”
“But it did.” The knowledge eased the knot in Zaree’s belly, and she took a breath that was mostly clear of the tension she’d been fighting. She knew how this ended; she didn’t need to fear it.
“It did,” Tasis agreed. “Luckily for us.”
“All of us,” Kelwin said, his eyes fixed on the lone figure who awaited the worst. “Not just the magic users, but the world. What would we have done without her?”
You would have muddled through, I suppose, but I agree that she needed to be here.
“I’m not certain we would have,” Tasis told Rin. “She’s the beginning of the end, as far as this world is concerned. Either she’s the beginning of the end of Gisik’s assault, or she’s the beginning of the end of the world itself if Gisik wins.” He shuddered, and Zaree knew it wasn’t from the cold rain pouring down on them. “Nirena has shown me dead worlds. I don’t want that to happen here.”
“What happens if Gisik loses, though?” Jorget asked. “I mean, he doesn’t stay dead. We already know that.”
“According to the rules, he has to leave us alone,” Tasis explained. “Whose rules, I don’t know. I’m just telling you what Nirena told me. This doesn’t prevent him from trying the same thing on the next world she creates. And we already know he’s started breaking rules, so I don’t know if that means he’d break that one as well or not.”
“Look,” Emlynn said, and Zaree watched as a man who was obviously the king, given his ridiculous robes, climbed to the top of the cliff, followed by a few of his guards.
“I can see the resemblance to the current king,” Zaree said before narrowing her eyes in thought. “No, I take that back. I can see the family resemblance to Falcon and even Reikos, but he looks like a once-handsome man who’s gone wrong. Like when you look into a mirror that was made with uneven glass and the reflection you get is a little off.”
As the madness twisted his mind, it also twisted his form, Rin agreed. I wonder if that explains why the current king of Archai looks like his father had a tryst with an aging mare.
Zaree couldn’t hold back a snicker at that, but she fell silent the moment the king began to demand the power of the guild, whatever he meant by that. She assumed that, in his madness, he’d convinced himself there was a source to magic that he could control. An immense wave began to gather in the sea behind him, heading for the isle like a hungry animal hunting prey.
Watch, Rin said to her. You’ll like this part. It reminds me of something you’d say.
“You wanted power, you filthy son of a pig?” Triv screamed at Archai, soaked to the bone and looking no less fierce for it. Her rage was so palpable that Zaree was a little surprised she didn’t burst into flame despite the storm. Or, perhaps, it had become fuel for the storm, because the rain seemed to pound even more intensely, and the wave she knew would end the confrontation began to look like a living thing. How had anyone survived to tell of what happened here?
There’s a second ship in the distance with more of his guards, in case they were needed. They’ll witness it and go back to tell the tale.
“Here it is, King of Donkeys!” Triv continued. “My master is waiting for you to join us!”
They heard Vashk call Triv home as the wave pounced, and suddenly they were in the ocean, having been swept off the land with everything else. Zaree felt her breath catch, and she twisted in panic.
“Calm down,” Tasis said, and she looked over to see him breathing normally. Right, he’d told her she could breathe. It was just a dream. She sucked in a mouthful of air and nearly wept with relief.
“Is that…?” Emlynn sounded ill at the words she couldn’t finish, and Zaree looked over to see her staring at something that floated near them. It was a body.
“Keep watching,” Tasis told them. “You know how this ends too.”
They watched as Triv’s lifeless body was suddenly enshrouded in a light so bright they had to close their eyes. When they opened them again, there was Triv as they knew her, looking remarkably surprised to be alive as she stared at her hands, her tail, and the ocean around her. Vashk approached her slowly, and she threw herself at his snout, giving it an awkward hug for a moment before they swam off together.
“He’s taking her to gather the others that were similarly changed,” Tasis told them before looking up to the surface. They could see sunlight reflected against it, rippling as it filtered through the water. “The storm is over.”
“And another has arrived,” Kelwin said. “The storms protecting the isle began before we took to our beds. The king is near.”
“I….” Tasis hesitated, then let out a heavy sigh that made Zaree want to hide him away from the rest of the world to keep him safe. “I’m not allowed to tell you anything specific. I guess it’s part of those rules I don’t understand. But I know you’ll do the right thing. I know you’ll figure out why I showed you this.”
Zaree was fairly certain she knew. She’d speak to the others when they awoke, but what she’d taken from the tragedy they’d witnessed was that they were stronger together, and that they needed to go a different route than
Triv had. History could not repeat itself, and that included Triv’s actions. But what route were they supposed to take, exactly? Was it enough that they were setting out to face the king and live, instead of facing him knowing they were about to die?
Tasis turned his head, and he appeared to be listening to something the others couldn’t hear, though Zaree felt she might be able to if she knew where to focus. The voice was just out of reach, silent but there. “Rin and I have to go,” he said with another heavy sigh. He looked at each of them, his coloring looking washed-out. Zaree didn’t know if it was because of the fact they were underwater or if it was due to fear. “Please, be careful. I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to any of you.”
“We’ll see you soon,” Kelwin said firmly, pulling Tasis into another hug. Zaree joined them, and then Jorget and Emlynn.
They stayed there in their group embrace, not wanting to let go, until Tasis gently pushed them away. “Remember,” he told them. “There is always hope.”
As the dream faded, Zaree heard herself cry out for him, reaching for someone who was no longer there.
Sleep, daughter.
And with those two soothing words from the Maker, Zaree slipped into a dreamless slumber.
Chapter 19
THERE WAS a crowd when Zaree descended the stairs to the main hall the next morning. Ulminara stood with her people, looking perplexed as Firea fawned over them and tried to convince them to join her in the kitchen so she could feed them. When she heard Zaree’s footsteps, Ulminara looked toward the stairs and her expression transformed to one of intense relief.
“Zaree,” she said in greeting, giving a short bow. “We have just arrived.”
“It’s good to see you all,” Zaree said. “Please, stop with the bowing. Whatever your duties may be, I’m still just Zaree. Where are your mounts?”
“They’re outside playing with Mistral in the rain,” Firea answered for her, grinning widely. “They’re all so adorable.”