Crystal Caged (Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles Book 5)

by Elise Kova

  She had bestowed magic?

  Someone moved her head for her. The world around her changed as Vi’s eyes looked in a different direction.

  No, she wasn’t looking through her own eyes. Because Vi saw herself enveloped in a bed of light opposite the body she occupied, staring back at her. Vi saw her body was hollow and fading. She had not been made for this world, and now she had no place in it.

  This was the end.

  Or, perhaps not.

  “Time for time,” a voice said, speaking with the force of every man, woman, and child on the earth below them.

  “Time for time.” The words echoed, but Vi didn’t know who spoke them. Was it her? Or was it the body she was in?

  She was suddenly falling. The vision slipped away as Vi reemerged into her physical form, where it lay on the cold floor of the Solaris wine cellar. She blinked several times, staring into the dim light her body was emitting.

  Just like with the scythe, Yargen’s essence had sought her out and she was helpless to try and refuse it. The magic seeped into her flesh, rejoining its other severed pieces and leaving only shards of obsidian behind. One by one, she would collect the last remnants of the goddess’s power within her.

  She would add up the pieces of Yargen until what the world had known as Vi was nothing more than that hollow, fading ghost.

  Time for time.

  “I know what I must do,” she whispered to the living goddess within her. Vi would give her time on this earth for Yargen. The goddess demanded a body—in particular, the one Vi was merely borrowing.

  She knew her true purpose now. Yargen had shown it to her. To fulfill it, she first had to peel herself off the floor. The next step was crushing the obsidian shards to dust under her boot. Then, she carefully put the barrel back where it was. Vi didn’t suspect Baldair would return so soon after ensuring the crown was safe, but just in case he did, she didn’t want him to be suspicious.

  After that, it was merely a matter of planting the fake crown for Victor. “It’s all going according to plan,” Vi murmured. She knew Yargen could hear her. The goddess was watching and waiting in that ethereal prison for the moment she could be whole and present in the mortal realm once more. As Vi’s presence faded in the world, Yargen’s brightened. “We’ll switch places, and you’ll save this world.”

  Vi ascended the stairs and out of the wine cellar. As she walked, she fiddled with the watch around her neck. It had suddenly become heavy, constricting.

  It felt more like a noose than a necklace.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “We’re leaving,” Vi announced as she entered the shared room she, Deneya, and Taavin had been using as their base of operations while in the palace.

  “You found it.” Taavin didn’t mince words.

  “I did.” Vi looked at her palm. “The power is already in me.”

  “Where was it?” Deneya asked.

  “Baldair hid it in a vault in the cellars.” Vi held up the iron key. “That’s what this was for.”

  “A miracle he kept it hidden and safe.” Taavin sounded genuinely impressed. Vi was forced to agree.

  “We’re going to take the shifted crown and place it in a treasure vault or storeroom somewhere.” Vi went to the back of the room, retrieving the fake crown from the sack where they kept it.

  “Not return it to Baldair’s hiding place?” Deneya asked.

  “No, if we put it back in Baldair’s hiding place, we risk Victor raising the prince’s suspicions when he finally moves to take the fake crown. If Baldair has reason to think it’s gone, he might raise the alarm and prompt everyone to look for the crown.”

  “Which would likely involve going to his father,” Taavin murmured.

  “Exactly.” If the Emperor thought he had a crystal Weapon before the War in the North was over, it could change things dramatically. “Furthermore, the last thing we want is Victor to feel rushed to inspect the crown, or take it to the caverns when we’re not ready, and risk him finding out its fake.” No matter how good the shift looked and felt, Vi still feared Victor would somehow see right through it.

  “So how do you propose we orchestrate Victor finding the fake crown without Baldair realizing his hiding spot was compromised?” Taavin stood from the chair he’d been sitting in. It was positioned opposite the sofa where Deneya sat, a now-forgotten carcivi board on the table between them.

  “Before we leave, I’ll sneak into Baldair’s room and return the key to its previous hiding spot. Baldair has already checked on the crown once and believes it secure. If we don’t give him a reason to, he shouldn’t check again,” Vi postulated. “Deneya, you take the crown and hide it in a vault somewhere. Falsify some records with the guard that will leave just enough of a trail for Victor to follow over the coming months. Let’s not let him find it too quickly.”

  “You got it.” Deneya stood and crossed to Vi, taking the crown from her.

  “And I assume I’ll give Victor his first breadcrumb?” Taavin asked.

  “That was my thought as well.”

  “I approve of this plan,” Taavin murmured. “It keeps things tidy. No need for Baldair to go making waves. And Victor stays on track with the crown.”

  “We’re glad you approve. You know how important it is to both of us.” Deneya shot him a playful look and Taavin rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll go take care of this.” Deneya held up the bag with the crown. “And let you know what trail I can set up.”

  “Then tonight, I’ll sneak into the Tower,” Taavin said.

  “And I’ll sneak into Baldair’s room at the same time.” Vi remembered the servants’ passage she discovered. With her glyphs, she could slip into his closet unheard and unseen. “We can start for the North tomorrow and get the axe.”

  “There’s a stop we’ll make first in the Crossroads.”

  “For what?” Vi asked, not able to spare her voice from exasperation at the idea of another delay.

  “I’m going to let you two talk that over. Be back!” Deneya fled hastily.

  “Vhalla will head there with the army, and that’s where you must read her fortune. In doing so, she’ll charge the watch with her essence and link it to us and Yargen. That’s the key to ensuring the—”

  “Birth of a new Champion,” she finished for him. Vi stepped forward, looming over the chair in which he sat. “There won’t be another Champion.”

  “Vi, let’s not do this.” He sighed.

  “There won’t be,” she said softly. “I’ve seen it, Taavin. The crown showed me.”

  She could almost hear the echo of his heart racing. His eyes widened a fraction, their pupils dilating. The air around him thrummed with anxious energy. Her fingers twitched, begging to reach forward and take the power of the Caverns from within him.

  Return it to me.

  He stood suddenly and stepped away from her and the movement jarred Vi from the almost trance-like state she was in. Her hand was outstretched, as if she had been about to grab him. But Vi hadn’t given her body permission to move. She snatched her hand back, holding it to her chest as if it were wounded.

  “What have you seen?” he whispered.

  “The end of it all.” It ends with me, she wanted to say. She would be the last one standing, before she gave the goddess her remaining hours. “We are on the right path.” Vi studied his face as conflict raged across it. “I expected you to be happy about this news.”

  “Hope is a fragile thing.” Didn’t she know it. “For all I want to believe we’re on the right path… the stones in the river remain. Our duty remains.”

  “Seeing the birth of a new Champion is not your duty,” Vi said sharply. “Saving this world is.”

  “Part of saving it is ensuring it doesn’t end,” he retorted. “We finish things here and head West to the Crossroads. From there, we’ll rejoin the Imperial army and swap the axe.”

  Taavin started for the door, but Vi remained in place. She wished she could make him understand, wish
ed things were still simple, as simple as they had ever been, between them. But something held her back… only for a moment.

  Vi broke free of whatever tethers were holding her, raced after him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. She clutched him tightly, her cheek on his back. Taavin’s warmth seeped into her and thawed the icy indifference that had been trying to encase her.

  He felt like him, and she like her.

  Yargen’s magic was quiet.

  “There’s a point when we won’t be able to run from it anymore,” she whispered.

  “I know.”

  “Do you?”

  “I do.”

  All they had ever had was borrowed time. Eventually the choice would have to be made to risk everything, and that choice was nearly upon them. The moment she held the axe, there would be no going back. The flame of Yargen would be extinguished. Its magic would be used to restore Yargen in Vi, and its ashes used to summon Raspian.

  “Then we’ll follow along until the axe,” Vi said, sparing him the agony of spelling it out bluntly.

  His hand covered hers. “Thank you.”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. For a little longer, they could enjoy these fleeting moments of peace; they could enjoy each other.

  Because if what Vi saw truly came to pass… neither of them was long for this world.

  It took the army a few months to finally arrive in the Crossroads. The military arrived carried on the back of desperation, a sandstorm on their heels.

  Tales of Vhalla Yarl were whispered on every tongue in the days following. People spoke of her bravery, of the power of the Windwalker, of her running into the storm head-first and saving them all. Vi was certain there were embellishments here and there; much like the rumors Taavin heard in the Tower of Sorcerers, every story was more fantastic than the last.

  But there was also truth there.

  Vhalla Yarl had performed a feat that had endeared and indebted thousands to her.

  Then, one morning, out of nowhere, Vi woke up from a tortured dream feeling filled with purpose. She slipped out of bed, well before Taavin or Deneya rose, and silently dressed. Her two companions didn’t so much as stir as she donned the traditional robes of a Western future seer.

  She traversed down the stairs and silently began to get the shop in order, placing things just so on instinct. Her hands moved like a puppet’s, obliging silent commands she’d been ignoring since absorbing the crown. An hour had passed when she realized she wasn’t alone. Vi didn’t know how long it had been, but Taavin stood at the foot of the stairs that led up to their apartment.

  “What is it?” The man was shirtless, his broad chest and sculpted abdomen on display. Vi knew it well. Her fingers had run over those carved muscles countless times since the day she’d made them. Seeing him sparked yearning. It sparked emotions in her that wouldn’t serve her well today. So she looked away.

  “It’s today.”

  “What is?”

  “Vhalla Yarl will come to me today.”

  “How do you know?” He approached.

  “I just do.” Vi shook her head, staring at the door that led to the main market of the Crossroads. It seemed so long ago that they’d purchased this place and she’d sculpted roses in honor of Fiera.

  The sentimentality made her weary.

  “Then today it is,” he said without a trace of doubt, slipping his fingers into hers. Vi faced him.

  “I need to do this alone,” she whispered.

  “You’ve never operated the shop alone.”

  “I know.”

  “What will you do about the illusions for your eyes? How will she believe you’re peering into the future without them to make your eyes glow red?”

  “I’m not sure.” Vi shook her head, trying to shake off the creeping, crawling hands working their way up her spine. They’d grab hold of her mind and who knew when they would give it back. Her fingers tightened around his, holding onto Taavin like a tether. “Please, trust me,” she whispered.

  “I do.” He cupped her cheek thoughtfully, bringing her eyes to his. “Immeasurably and completely.”

  “Thank you.” She leaned forward, kissing his lips gently. “You and Deneya wait upstairs. I’ll come up when I’m finished.”

  He nodded, his nose rubbing against hers. But he didn’t step away. “Is everything all right?”

  “What?”

  “You haven’t been the same since we left Solarin… Is everything all right?”

  “I’ve been fine.” She rubbed his arm reassuringly. At least, she hoped that’s the impression she gave.

  “Don’t lie to me.” He pulled away, staring down at her. “I see you.”

  “You always have.” Vi looked back to the door. The market was setting up for the day. “I’ll be better once we have the final crystal weapon in hand.”

  “Do you really think that?” he murmured under his breath.

  “What?” Vi wasn’t sure she heard correctly.

  “Nothing, it’s nothing.” Taavin smiled. “Good luck today.” He finally retreated.

  Vi returned her attention to her preparations. She opened the shop for the day by unlocking the iron gate and pushing it aside.

  “One more thing,” Vi murmured. She unhooked the chain from around her neck and slowly placed it into a box on one of the shelves. How Vhalla was supposed to see it, of all things, Vi didn’t know.

  But this was how it was meant to be. Of that, she was certain.

  There was nothing more to do but wait.

  “Let’s look in here,” a man’s voice said in the afternoon near her doorway. The sound shot electricity up her spine and she stood straighter, pausing her pacing to look.

  The curtain to the shop lifted and Vhalla appeared, followed by Daniel. Vi watched as the brown-haired woman entered the room, running her fingers over the cases at its center.

  “Irashi, welcome.” The western tongue put her into character, and Vi sauntered over to Vhalla and Daniel. She leaned against the cases containing all manner of objects gathered for future telling. “Welcome to the finest curiosity shop in all the land. And what can I help you with today?”

  “I think we’re just looking.” Vhalla stepped back, as though Vi was about to bite her.

  “No one is ‘just looking.’ All desire.” Vi folded her arms. “Tell me, what is yours?”

  “Sorry to disappoint. Let’s go, I’m hungry.” Vhalla grabbed Daniel’s arm, steering him to the door.

  “There is not one curiosity you have, Vhalla Yarl?” She stopped short at Vi’s use of her name. Daniel stepped forward, holding out an arm, as if to guard her. Vi smiled thinly at the unnecessary protection. “I know your winds will not tell you what the flames will tell me.”

  “How do you know my name?” Vhalla whispered.

  “I can know many things, and tell more, if you wish it. The fire burns away all lies.” She spoke on instinct, giving herself to the sensation that had roused her from sleep and had guided her all day.

  “You’re a sorcerer.”

  “I am a Firebearer.” Vi nodded.

  “What’s your name?” Vhalla found some bravery, pushing away Daniel’s arm and stepping forward.

  “I’ve had many names. I could give you one, or I could let you choose a name for yourself. Then it will be something we alone can share.”

  “Tell me the name you would like me to call you. Invented or otherwise.”

  “Vi,” she said simply, after little debate. If anyone in this world was to know her true name, it would be Vhalla Yarl. “Would you like me to read your curiosities?”

  “Read our curiosities?” Daniel chimed in.

  “I am a Firebearer. I am one with the flames, and with my eyes I can see into the future. You come to me with curiosities, questions, in your heart, and I will give you the answers.”

  “I’ll do it,” Vhalla said suddenly. It brought a smile to Vi’s lips though the smile didn’t feel quite like hers. This wasn’t her joy. This was the con
tentedness of the goddess within her.

  “You must pick four things: three to burn, one to hold.” She motioned around the room.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Daniel whispered into Vhalla’s ear.

  “It’ll be fine. Why not live a little? I am here, and somehow she knew my name,” Vhalla replied as she scanned the items available to her.

  The first thing Vhalla chose was a silver plume from a jar of quills.

  The next item Vhalla chose was a bunch of wheat, followed by a handful of rose petals.

  But the most important thing was the last thing—something to hold.

  Vhalla lifted a chain from a box and Vi let out her breath slowly as not to be an audible sigh of relief. The woman had selected the silver watch Vi had worn through time, and the one that would ensure the birth of a new Champion.

  Time for time.

  “This… this is what I will hold.” Vhalla crossed back to her.

  “An interesting spread. Come.” Vi took the goods to burn and led Vhalla to the back room where a fire burned in a pit on the floor. “Are you certain you wish an observer?” Vi looked pointedly at Daniel who had followed them. “I will read the futures as I see them.”

  “I suppose… if you don’t mind?” Vhalla said to Daniel.

  “I’ll wait right out here.” Daniel got the hint, and slipped back out the heavy curtain and into the main shop.

  With that settled, Vi knelt before the flames. She raked her hands through the coals and Vi began by making a few soot marks on Vhalla’s cheeks and brow. She hesitated for just a moment, staring into the brown eyes of her mother.

  No, this wasn’t her mother. Focus. Don’t get lost in old memories. She didn’t want to feel anything toward this woman.

  In that moment, Vi didn’t want to feel anything at all. She gave herself fully over to the guiding hand of Yargen.

  “Vhalla Yarl, blessed bird of the East. The one who can soar without wings. The first chick to fly the cage. The first to return to our land.” She leaned back and began to throw the items into the flames. With each one, she poured her magic into the fire to make it roar.