by Clayton Wood
“Hey,” Kyle greeted, watching Ariana stand up and walk toward him. She smiled.
“How were your lessons?” she asked. Kyle gave her a rueful smile.
“Hard.”
“How's Master Lee?” she pressed. Kyle shrugged.
“She's alright,” he replied. “She's nice, but a little...brutal.”
“Are you learning anything?” she asked. Kyle nodded.
“Yeah, you want to see?” he asked. She nodded, and Kyle took a small ceramic cup out of his pocket. At the bottom of the cup, there was a small brown crystal cube, one he'd placed there after inscribing a few patterns into the cube. It had been one of Master Lee's final exercises for him to complete.
“What does it do?” Ariana inquired. Kyle handed the cup to her.
“Stream magic to it.”
Kyle saw Ariana concentrate. Within moments, the cube at the bottom of the cup glowed a faint blue, and the cup began to fill with water. Ariana's eyes widened, and she streamed magic until the cup was nearly full.
“Neat,” she murmured.
“Touch the water,” Kyle suggested. Ariana did so, and her eyebrows went up.
“It's hot!” she exclaimed. Kyle grinned.
“There's a water rune and a fire rune in the cube,” he explained. “They're connected so the water rune activates first, then the fire rune. The fire rune is really thin, so it just heats the water instead of boiling it,” he added. Ariana frowned.
“I don't get it,” she admitted. “What do you mean by the rune being 'thin?'”
“Um, well,” he began, but Ariana stopped him.
“It's okay,” she interrupted. “Why don't you teach me later,” she suggested. “Where its quieter.”
Kyle nodded, remembering that Ariana hated being in crowds...and the lobby was very crowded. The stimulation from the sounds and sights sometimes overwhelmed her; she much preferred being in the relative peace of the outdoors.
“Want to go for a walk?”
“How about we go back to Kalibar's suite?” Ariana suggested. Kyle shrugged, not really caring where they went. As long as he was with her, life was good.
“Sure,” he agreed. They made their way through the lobby and up the riser to Kalibar's suite. As they strode down the hallway toward the front door of the suite, they found Erasmus in the middle of the hallway.
“Kyle!” Erasmus exclaimed. “Good to see you,” he added. “My mother was just telling me about your progress.”
“Hi,” Kyle greeted. Erasmus pushed open the door to the suite, and they all walked into the main room. Erasmus gestured for them to sit at one of the many tables there. Ariana sat in a chair beside Kyle, and Erasmus sat down opposite them.
“I wanted to talk to you about the Council meeting we had today,” Erasmus stated.
“What about it?” Kyle asked.
“About what Goran said,” Erasmus answered. “When he said there might be more Chosen hidden among us, waiting to attack again.” He leaned forward, eyeing Kyle. “I came here to see if you had any ideas about how to approach the problem.”
“Well,” Kyle began, turning to Ariana, “...can’t you sense Chosen when they’re close?”
“I can tell if there's a Chosen nearby,” Ariana explained. “...but only when Xanos is taking over their minds.”
“So you wouldn't know if another butler was secretly spying for Xanos...not as long as Xanos didn't try to directly control him,” Erasmus clarified. Ariana nodded.
“So we need some way to screen people for shards in their foreheads,” Kyle deduced. Ariana stared at him for a moment, then shook her head.
“That wouldn't be good for me,” she countered. “Nobody on the Council knows the true source of my abilities...and if they did...”
“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. Then he stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.
“What?”
“I've got it!” he exclaimed, slamming his fist into his palm.
“Got what?”
“Why don't we put you near the K-Array,” Kyle explained, “...and see what patterns are used to keep you...going?” Erasmus frowned.
“Why?”
“Well,” Kyle explained, “...we could make a device that senses anyone using the same patterns Ariana's uses. If we put the device to a Chosen's forehead, it would light up.”
“Wait, would that work?” Ariana asked, turning to Erasmus. The Grand Runic frowned, rubbing his chin, but Kyle nodded.
“It would,” Kyle declared confidently. Erasmus’s eyes brightened.
“Damn right it would!” he exclaimed. “We could use it to screen everyone in the Tower,” he added eagerly.
“As long as no one uses it on me,” Ariana muttered darkly. “If the Council mistakes me for a Chosen, they'll try to kill me.”
“Well, we could make it have a secret rune then,” Kyle theorized. Something you can weave if you're near it, that will prevent it from lighting up.”
“Hot damn!” Erasmus cried, practically leaping out of his chair and slapping the table with one hand. “Kyle, you're a genius! One day with my old lady and you're already running circles around those stuffy Tower academics,” he added gleefully. “I'll make it myself...and I'll include that secret inhibitor rune Kyle offered.”
“Thanks,” Ariana said, giving Erasmus a relieved smile. The Grand Runic nodded, then turned to Kyle, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Any more ideas in that gourd of yours?” he asked. Kyle shook his head. “Well, I'd better get going,” Erasmus added, standing up suddenly. “Thanks to you, I've got more work to do.” He turned about and left then, the translucent door to Kalibar's suite closing behind him. Kyle watched him go, then turned to see Ariana staring at him.
“What's wrong?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You're distracted,” she replied. “You seem...down,” she added. Kyle gave her a rueful smile.
“You sound like Master Lee,” he mumbled. Ariana smiled, putting a hand on his.
“Tell me,” she insisted. Kyle sighed, pulling his hand away...which made Ariana frown.
“I can't say,” he mumbled. Ariana's frown deepened.
“You can't tell me?” she pressed. Kyle winced at the hurt in her voice.
“It's not that,” he countered, “...it's just that I'm not supposed to tell anyone.”
“You can tell me,” she insisted, grabbing his hand again and giving it the gentlest of squeezes. This time he didn't pull away. “I promise I'll never tell anyone,” she added firmly. Kyle glanced sidelong at her, feeling the sudden, overwhelming urge to confide in her. There was no doubt that she was telling the truth; when Ariana made a promise, her word was absolute.
“It's Ampir,” he admitted, feeling his heart leap into his throat even as he spoke the words. He snapped his mouth shut so quickly his teeth clicked, suddenly horrified at what he might reveal.
“What about him?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he mumbled, turning away from her. But Ariana put a cold hand on his cheek, gently but firmly turning him toward her again.
“Trust me,” she pleaded.
Kyle stared into those brown, almond-shaped eyes, so lovely against that porcelain skin, and felt as if he'd fall into their depths. He yearned to come clean with her, to tell her everything. About Ampir, about Darius...everything.
“He found Xanos,” he blurted out, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. Ariana took her hand off of his cheek, her eyes widening.
“He did?” she stated, drawing back from him. “Where?”
Kyle paused, then led Ariana to his bedroom. He peered behind the headboard, spotting the rolled-up map laying on the floor where he’d put it earlier, nearly invisible in the shadows. He tried to grab it, but it was a few inches too far away. He strained, trying to pull the bed back from the wall, but it was no use...the bed was impossibly heavy. He glanced back at Ariana, who grabbed the headboard with one hand, pulling the entire bed forward from the wall with ease.
&
nbsp; “Thanks,” Kyle mumbled.
He grabbed the map, and Ariana re-positioned the bed. He sat on the bed with her, unrolling the map in the middle of the bed. He grabbed the metallic bomb from within, placing it to one side.
“This is Stridon,” he stated, pointing to a small dot on the west coast of a huge continent. He slid his finger across a broad ocean, to another continent further west. He stopped at its eastern shore, at the small red circle there. “This,” he added, “...is where Xanos is.”
“He's sure?” Ariana asked. Kyle nodded.
“Pretty sure,” he confirmed. “Ampir's going to try to kill him,” he added. Ariana's eyes widened.
“He is?”
“He is,” he confirmed. Ariana broke into a huge grin, grabbing his hands in her own.
“That's great!” she exclaimed, pulling him in and giving him a rib-crushing hug. Luckily she disengaged quickly. “We'll finally be safe!”
“Yeah, maybe,” he mumbled. She blinked, her smile slowly fading.
“Wait, what do you mean?” she pressed. Kyle shrugged, glancing at the clock on the wall nearest them. He'd learned to read numbers in Doma, enough that he could see it was already after five o'clock.
“He said if he didn't come back by tonight,” Kyle admitted, “...that it would mean that he'd failed.”
“What do you mean, failed?”
“That Xanos had killed him,” Kyle clarified.
Ariana stared at him for a long moment, her mouth slightly open. She snapped it shut, then opened it again as if to say something. But no words came out. Finally, she shook her head, pulling back from him.
“So if he doesn't come back tonight,” she mumbled, “...we're on our own.”
Kyle nodded mutely.
Ariana stood up from the bed suddenly, walking away from him and putting a hand to her mouth. Kyle slid off the bed, walking to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Ariana,” he began, but she turned around suddenly, and he shrank back from her gaze. There was something in her eyes that made him suddenly afraid.
Of her.
“He has to win,” she stated firmly, clenching her fists at her sides. Kyle took a step back reflexively, feeling his butt strike the edge of the table behind him.
“He will,” he stated hastily.
“He has to,” she repeated. “I can't go on like this,” she added. “I can't keep waiting for Xanos to come back and destroy everything I care about!” She turned away then, clenching and unclenching her fists. Kyle paused, then approached her slowly. He hesitated, then reached out to touch her shoulder, half-expecting her to spin around and smack him clear across the room. But she didn't move.
“He will,” he repeated, more confidently this time. And with a heck of a lot more confidence than he felt. Truth be told, he felt the same way as Ariana. With every hour that passed – and Darius still having not returned – he felt himself becoming more and more ill-at-ease. It seemed impossible that Darius could lose to Xanos, but if he did...
Ariana sighed, deflating somewhat. She turned around, leaning in and wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.
“I hope you're right,” she murmured, her voice muffled by his shirt. He smiled, giving her a squeeze.
“I'm right,” he insisted. For her sake, and for his own, Kyle desperately hoped that he was right. Ariana pulled away, brushing a strand of her dark brown hair from in front of her eyes. Despite himself, Kyle yawned.
“You're tired already?” Ariana asked. “It's not even six o'clock.”
“I got two hours of sleep the night before last,” he admitted. “And Master Lee had me wake up at five this morning.”
“Why don't you sleep,” Ariana offered.
“I don't know if I'll be able to.”
“I'll have Jenkins get you a dreamweaver pillow,” Ariana stated. Kyle nodded; sewn into the fibers of the pillowcase, dreamweaver silk would gently lull anyone to sleep. It was worth a shot. “I'll call him,” she declared. She walked up to the crystalline communication orb resting on Kyle's nightstand to summon the butler.
“Wait,” Kyle blurted out. “I can't leave you alone while I sleep,” he protested. She paused, turning to glance at him questioningly. “I don't want you to worry alone,” he clarified. He suddenly regretted telling her the truth, knowing that he'd ruined her evening...and her peace of mind.
“It's okay,” she replied. “I worry about it every night,” she admitted. “I've worried about it ever since we escaped the Arena.” She smiled ruefully. “The only difference is, now I can't get away from my own head by sleeping.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I shouldn't have told you.” But she shook her head.
“I'm glad you did,” she countered. “I'd rather know the truth than have you feel like you need to keep things from me.” She gave him another hug, then reached for the communication orb. “Let's get you that pillow.” Kyle watched her activate the orb, unable to help himself from yawning again. When she was done, she stared at him with her lovely brown eyes, and he found himself staring back, his heart fluttering in his chest. Ariana frowned.
“What's wrong?” she asked. Kyle blinked.
“What do you mean?” he countered.
“Your heart,” she answered, putting a hand on his chest. “It's beating really fast.” Kyle slunk back from her hand.
“Uh,” he stammered.
“You're blushing,” she observed.
“I'm fine,” he mumbled.
“Are you nervous?” she asked, giving him a look he couldn't read. Kyle tried to laugh nonchalantly...and failed. Ariana was about to say something more when they both heard the front door of the suite open suddenly. A moment later, Jenkins entered the bedroom, a pillow clutched in his arms. Kyle breathed a sigh of relief, eagerly taking the pillow from the blue-clad butler. Jenkins bowed before Kyle, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn himself.
“Can I get you anything else, sir?” he inquired. Kyle shook his head, thanking Jenkins. The butler left, and Ariana gently prodded Kyle toward his bed. Kyle found himself yawning, the dreamweaver pillow already starting to exert its influence over him. He'd barely made it into his bed before his eyelids grew too heavy to keep open, and sleep claimed him.
Chapter 8
Sabin withdrew from the ancient memory he'd recalled. The all-too-familiar sensation of countless nerve endings screaming in pain greeted him, arms of fire encircling him in a burning embrace. It was indescribable, this torture that served as his eternal penance.
This was his prison, this body. The Hell he'd more than earned.
Sabin stopped that train of thought, refusing to allow himself to wallow in self-pity yet again. He knew all too well where that path led; he'd been down it many times before. Spending months, sometimes years bemoaning his fate, yearning for death.
Pathetic.
He tore his mind away from those thoughts, checking the internal clock he'd created within the network...a mere half-second had passed during his reverie.
If he'd had been able to sigh, he would have.
Ahhh, Ampir.
He was an enigma, that one, and always had been. And though his appearance had barely changed in the two thousand years since they'd last seen each other, Ampir had grown extraordinarily powerful, far exceeding Sabin's expectations. Even the runes he'd placed in that girl's bones had been absolutely incredible, sophisticated beyond anything Sabin had ever seen. But utterly useless against the power of the Void.
Sabin smiled inwardly, remembering the last time he'd seen Ampir as a mortal man. They had not parted on the best of terms.
Sabin hesitated, then reached out again, to another Chosen he'd stored his memories within. His plans were progressing nicely. He could spare this indulgence now, another fraction of a second reliving the past, memories that he hadn't considered in centuries. A luxury, to reflect on one's own life. To relive each bittersweet moment in a way that no mortal ever could.
Now was the
time to remember.
* * *
Central Square in Stridon is bustling with people as Sabin makes his way down the sidewalk, his gold-tipped cane clacking on the cement as he walks. A hovership zooms by a dozen feet above the rooftops around him, angling upward toward one of the three floating islands in the sky. Sabin looks upward at the floating island, or “skyland” as Renval had dubbed it. With five city blocks on each rocky surface, the skylands were an amazing invention, one of Renval's finest creations. The old Runic had certainly salvaged his family's name after his father had gone mad, babbling about alien planets. In fact, Renval was the only other inventor alive who had been awarded the same ring Sabin wore, the onyx band with its diamond-shaped emerald in the center. Renval's dream was to build an entire city in the sky – a bold goal, and one the brilliant man would no doubt achieve if he lived long enough.
Sabin lowers his gaze, watching the smaller hovercars zipping a mere foot above the wide city roads. He rarely used hovercars, much preferring to walk. He came by his best inventions when he walked, and despite an old knee injury that had necessitated his cane, he took these walks daily.
Now, however, instead of coming up with yet another idea for an invention, he finds himself thinking of Vera. He'd seen her often these last few weeks, and each visit had felt like the first. He was entirely smitten with her, and had nearly asked her out a week ago. The only thing that had stopped him was a conversation he'd had with his sister, asking her if it would be poor form to date a much younger student. His sister had stated quite definitively that such a scandal would ruin his reputation.
Sabin sighs, then jerks to a halt suddenly, nearly falling over. His left foot is numb and tingling, as if asleep. He stomps the foot on the ground to wake it, but the sensation persists. He looks around, realizing that he's blocking pedestrians from using the sidewalk, and moves to the side to sit on a bench to let them pass. The tingling in his foot intensifies, crawling up his calf. He massages his leg briskly, and the sensation subsides somewhat. He leans back on the bench, watching the crowd go by, his thoughts returning to Vera. If he'd only ignored his sister, he muses, he'd have a beautiful woman at his side.