by Will Wight
“That so? Last I checked, there were three of us. What about the new girl?”
She thought she saw a shadow of worry pass over his yellow eyes, and that cheered her.
“She's coming too,” he said, scowling.
~~~
Renfei stood in front of the room where she'd left Akura Mercy to recover. It swung open soundlessly, revealing a mass of darkness so thick it was almost palpable. If she stuck her hand past the doorframe, it looked as though it would be swallowed by endless night.
Only one thing was visible in the inky murk: a bright purple book, hovering in the center of the room. It glowed, but somehow cast no light. Only the book itself was visible, a single distinct figure in an ocean of black.
The book was spread open, its pages thick, and it pressed on her spirit with an impression of overpowering might and incomprehensible age.
Then it vanished, and Mercy hopped out of the dark.
If not for her wide purple eyes, Mercy would look more like a friendly innkeeper's daughter than a child of the mighty Akura clan. She beamed at Renfei, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward with a twinkling smile. “Sorry, sorry! I know it's gloomy. I heard you knock, but you know how it is when you're deep into cycling. You just lose your head!”
A staff fell out from the darkness. Made of what looked like polished black roots, the staff was taller than Mercy, with its top carved to resemble a snarling dragon with purple pinpricks for eyes.
...or perhaps not carved. Though its eyes didn't move, Renfei was sure they'd fixed on her, and she thought she heard a hiss.
It was enough to get her madra cycling and send a hand to her hammer.
Mercy grabbed for the falling staff, fumbled it, tried to catch it with her other hand, almost lost her balance, and ended up seizing it in both hands. She raised it triumphantly. “Got it!”
Renfei's eyes moved from her to the shadow behind her. “What were you doing in there?” she asked. She didn't intend to, but she was using her Skysworn voice: the tone of a career authority figure.
“Cycling,” Mercy said, waving one hand as though she meant to blow away the darkness like smoke. “It's not my favorite aura to cycle. Hard not to fall asleep.”
It was deep shadow aura in there, laced with some other, darker aspects that dissipated even as Renfei tried to sense them. It was a tapestry of black.
Some of the rumors about Akura Paths flashed through her mind, and she could feel her expression harden. This was a fine nest of vipers she had to babysit.
Mercy was watching her, and slowly she stood up. Renfei felt an instant of what she could only call a premonition: she was about to see beyond the mask of the cheery, innocent girl.
The Akura Lowgold reached up with one hand—gloved in slick black, as though she'd dipped it in tar—and placed her fingers on Renfei's arm.
“You must be exhausted,” she said.
Renfei searched her face for anything mocking, but found only sympathy. A trainee shouldn't speak to their Skysworn with such familiarity, and a Lowgold should express more respect to a Truegold.
But she was an Akura, so that much was to be expected. She would have grown up around people who could evaporate Renfei with a thought. Sometimes, Renfei wondered why any Akura stayed only Lowgold, even one as young as Mercy.
“You don't need to worry about me,” Renfei said, turning to walk down the hall. “Follow me, we have to meet your...partners.”
Mercy followed without protest, walking side-by-side. She twirled her staff and almost dropped it. “I can't imagine a more trying time to be a Skysworn,” she said idly.
“I certainly can't remember one,” Renfei said. Or the last time she'd actually sat down for a meal, instead of taking it on her feet or on her cloud.
“I don't know how you find time to sleep.”
“Sleep?” Renfei said dryly. “Never heard of it.”
Mercy nodded along. “You can work every hour of the day, and there's still more to do.”
“We'd be short on staff if we had twice the Skysworn we do. Recruitment will be up next year, you can bet on that, but that means even more work for the instructors and recruiters...”
~~~
Renfei and Mercy arrived first. Lindon looked up hopefully when the door opened, but when he saw it wasn't Yerin, he sank back down into his chair. The respectful thing to do would have been to rise from his seat, but he couldn't make himself move.
The green-armored Skysworn gave him a quick look that suggested she noticed. He winced.
She didn't spare him more than a glance, though, continuing to talk lightly with the girl at her side. Mercy held her tall black dragon-staff behind her back, and the piercing purple gemstones it used for eyes seemed to fix Lindon with a glare. The Akura girl hopped into a chair opposite Lindon. She almost tipped over backwards, grabbing onto the table for support.
Renfei chuckled, and Lindon wondered if that was the first time he'd seen her laugh. She had always seemed stern and professional, if not cold, to Yerin and Lindon. Even before they'd come into direct conflict. Now she treated them like suspects she might have to execute at any time.
Maybe she treated Mercy differently as a daughter of the Akura clan. But then, it was hard to stay on guard against someone who was struggling to pull her chair down to the ground before she spilled over.
Once she settled at the table and sighed in relief, Mercy gave Lindon a wave. “You've been working hard too, haven't you? I've caused you trouble,” she said apologetically, bobbing her head.
She had been recovering from madra exhaustion and a collection of light injuries, after their fight against the bloodspawn and subsequent days in a basement. The spiritual healers of the Skysworn had determined that she was unfit for duty, so she had remained here to recover. She had actually protested Lindon being sent out alone, trying to struggle out of her bed before Bai Rou restrained her.
No, the strange one was Lindon, having been proclaimed fit for duty so quickly. Part of that was the speed of his physical recovery, thanks to the Bloodforged Iron body: after three days in that basement, he had already recovered almost entirely. The touch of Little Blue, the Sylvan Riverseed, had helped ease the burden on his spirit.
But there was nothing she could do about spiritual fatigue, and Lindon still felt a deep ache in his madra channels from overuse. He wondered if he had really been in any better shape than the other two, in terms of his soul.
Or if the Skysworn had simply sent him out without caring if he lived.
“No, no,” Lindon said hurriedly, “I hope you’re all right. I couldn't—”
“Quiet,” Renfei said, cutting him off. “You want to chatter, do it on your own time.”
He couldn't help but notice that she hadn't interrupted Mercy.
The door swung open again, and Bai Rou ushered Yerin in ahead of him.
Seeing Yerin in one piece was a deep breath of relief for Lindon. Her skin was covered in thin scars and her black robes were tattered, but that had always been true. Two arms of Forged silver madra extended from her back, their ends flattening into blades: her Goldsigns.
The halfsilver manacles around her wrist bothered him at first, but he understood the necessity. Her Blood Shadow was made of living madra, like a Remnant, so it wouldn't be able to manifest through halfsilver without carving a chunk of it out. Yerin wouldn't be able to cycle her own madra through her hands without great difficulty, and using a technique of any kind would be much harder than usual. She was effectively hobbled.
But without such precautions, she might not be able to leave this place alive.
Her face cracked into a half-smile when she saw him, and she started to speak, but Renfei repeated her line about chatter. Yerin rolled her eyes, then took a chair next to Lindon. Mercy waved at her, smiled, and mouthed the word 'Hello!'
Looking somewhat confused, Yerin nodded back.
Bai Rou slammed the door and leaned against it, the brim of his hat tilting down to co
ver his eyes. Was he standing guard against an escape attempt, or just generally being intimidating?
Renfei dropped a cloth sack onto the table. Its string was drawn shut, but a watery blue light spilled from its mouth. She surveyed them as though looking over a host of enemy troops. The cloud hanging over her head seemed darker and more solid than ever.
“You're all Golds,” she began. “I won't spare my words. We all know why the Captain put you all together.”
Because a Blackflame, a Blood Shadow, and an Akura were all potentially dangerous liabilities, but their backing was too strong. The Skysworn couldn't kill or imprison them without cause.
“Because you don't give two plucked hairs if we live or die,” Yerin said, propping her chin on her hand.
That was also true.
“I wouldn't put you on the same team if the Captain hadn't ordered it,” Renfei continued without acknowledging Yerin. “And even so, we had never intended to give you assignments. Keeping you out of the public eye and under our supervision would have been enough.”
She really wasn't sparing her words. Lindon was almost impressed, but her sudden frankness made him wary. What was she leading up to?
“Now, the situation has changed. We're going to use every asset we can lay our hands on, and if it turns out we can't use you, we'll throw you out.”
“Seems to me you tried that already,” Yerin said, but before her statement was halfway out, dark fog boiled out from Renfei. Cloud Hammer madra. Though it looked like mist, Lindon got the spiritual impression of a great fortress wall.
“Do not take this lightly,” Renfei said, nailing Yerin to the spot with the force of her stare.
Yerin didn't back down or look away, but she did shut her mouth.
“We will put you to use for the Empire, or we will throw you in a cell. At best. Now, under ordinary circumstances, Skysworn teams select from the available missions together. But the three of you have to stay isolated from the public. Rumors about a Blackflame loose in the Empire are bad; rumors about a Blackflame under the command of the Skysworn are good. But only if he is under the control of the Skysworn. Understood?”
That went for all three of them, of course. The Skysworn might not trust Yerin because of her Blood Shadow, but if she did eventually earn their faith, it would look as though they'd captured a member of Redmoon Hall and compelled her to work for them. And an Akura working for the Empire, instead of the other way around, would make the entire Blackflame Empire look stronger.
No one said a word, but Mercy nodded eagerly.
“I will be brief, because we have a cloudship to catch on the hour.” She activated a script on her armored wrist, and a beam of light streamed out, projecting lines of violet light on the air. They sketched a ghostly model of an island, hovering in the middle of tossing waves.
Lindon was less than impressed. A White Fox binding could have made an illusion that looked real, and suggested sound and even smell.
“We're headed for a three-day journey into the Trackless Sea. It will be cramped and uncomfortable, and I expect you to silently cycle the entire way unless we need you to fight. Our destination is a pocket world called Ghostwater, created by the Monarch Northstrider.”
There was a general intake of breath all around the room.
“Pocket world?” Yerin asked, leaning forward eagerly. Her bladed Goldsigns tapped the table beside her. “That's where sects keep their treasures.”
Mercy rubbed black-gloved hands together. “I've always wanted to visit one! Our family has one, but it's too dangerous for anyone less than a Lady.”
“I'm sorry,” Lindon said, “but...a pocket world. That means...”
“It means a pocket-sized world. A self-contained space much smaller than our own, but separate. Exactly like it sounds.”
He wished he hadn't had to ask.
Renfei continued, pointing to the image of the island. “This world, Ghostwater, was designed to contain a research facility. The honored Monarch abandoned it almost fifty years before eventually losing his life.”
According to Eithan, most believed that the Monarch had died seven years ago. Not even two years ago, Lindon had seen Northstrider alive with his own eyes. At least that much of the Skysworn's information was inaccurate, though they wouldn't believe him if he corrected them.
Besides, the Monarch wouldn't mind them entering a world he'd abandoned decades ago. Would he?
“Now, the battle between the Akura Matriarch and the Dreadgod has damaged the anchor binding that world to our own. If our experts are correct, it will crumble within the next few months.”
Lindon was dying to ask about this “anchor,” but he suspected Renfei didn't know herself. And wouldn't appreciate further interruptions even if she did.
Reaching into the bag she'd brought, Renfei produced a jewel. A sapphire, which shimmered like sunlight filtered through water. White and green lights flickered at its heart, though it cast blue illumination on the walls and ceiling.
“We were alerted to the current problem by this artifact: the Eye of the Deep. It was left to the last Emperor in the Blackflame family for safekeeping by one of the Monarch's Heralds. It grants access to main facilities of Ghostwater.”
She held up the gem. “I will carry this and guide us around, so stick with me. Without this, you will die alone as space itself crumbles around you.”
“Forgiveness, but what is our assignment?” Lindon asked. He was actually eager to see something Northstrider had built, but there had to be a purpose for their presence there. Lindon and Yerin didn’t know how to stabilize a world.
“We go as scouts,” Renfei answered. “We will determine if Ghostwater is really damaged. If it is, we will secure as many treasures as possible for the Empire and then report back. At that point, the Emperor will decide what to do with the time we have left.”
One of Yerin's sword-arms raised. “And how heated do we expect this to get?”
Bai Rou's yellow eyes narrowed on her, and Renfei's brow furrowed in confusion. “It's a relatively cold sea, and it's almost winter. Bring a coat.”
“Not what I meant.”
This time, Bai Rou answered her. “The world's defenses are down. Could be scavengers.”
Yerin nodded, as though that was exactly what she'd wanted to hear.
“Is there anyone living inside?” Mercy asked.
“No,” Renfei said, tucking the Eye of the Deep back into the bag. She gestured to Bai Rou, who stepped away from the door. “Now, we are entering into an unknown situation with an unknown number of enemies outside the boundaries of the Empire. If you aren't prepared, feel free to stay in a cell.”
Before leaving the room, she turned to Lindon. “We need all the boots we can get on the ground. Go get your turtle. Half an hour.”
Then she was gone.
~~~
The flight to the island was quiet, boring, and more than cramped. Their cloudship was covered, but hardly large enough for six people. Orthos took up most of the upper deck himself, and he spent most of the journey tucked away in his shell, pretending they weren't in the sky.
Yerin and Mercy, at least, could cycle aura on the ship. There was no way to start a fire without killing them all, so Lindon just focused the Heaven and Earth Purification Wheel on his cores. It felt like spending three days with iron bands around his lungs.
After the first full day of being packed into the cramped, dark confines of the cloudship, Mercy scooted over to Yerin and Lindon. Orthos snored behind them, and the two Truegolds were up on deck.
“What do you think the pocket world is like?” Mercy whispered, full of excitement.
Lindon exchanged glances with Yerin. She was sitting next to the wall, Goldsigns curled down over her shoulders to avoid scraping the ceiling.
“I suspect you know more about that than we do,” Lindon said politely. He and Yerin hadn’t figured out how to handle Mercy yet. She had acted like they were all friends almost from the moment they’d first
met. It was disconcerting.
“Oh, I don’t know anything about our family’s pocket world. And now we get to see one!” She clapped a hand on Yerin’s shoulder, and Yerin shrugged it off.
“Have to wonder what Eithan would think about us getting hauled away,” she muttered to Lindon.
“If he didn’t want us here, he’d show up and take us away.” Eithan had left them to the Skysworn for a reason, and he rarely explained himself. Lindon relished the chance to make decisions for himself, but at the same time, the Underlord still hadn’t taught him any pure madra techniques.
“My master used to leave me to take risks for myself too,” Yerin said. “Can’t make it far without taking any risks.” She hesitated, then added, “Especially if you’re trying to make it…so far.”
Lindon knew what she was referring to. Eithan had shared his ambitions with them in the form of a vision from the heavens. It had sharpened Lindon’s aims, but he hadn’t had a chance to discuss the vision with Yerin yet. Even now, Mercy was with them all the time.
She leaned closer, eyes sparkling. “What are we talking about?”
Yerin ignored her, and Lindon made up a flimsy excuse.
Finally, they reached the island.
It was larger than Lindon had imagined from the sketch in the air; big enough that from their vantage point hovering just above the trees, he couldn't see the opposite shore. It was heavily forested except for the beaches, with one prominent hill in the center doing a decent impression of a mountain.
Renfei put them down on the beach, the dark green cloud beneath their ship hovering inches over the sand. Withdrawing the Eye of the Deep, she headed for the treeline.
Lindon, Mercy, and Yerin leaped out of the ship at the first opportunity, all groaning at the chance to stretch their legs. Orthos followed them a moment later, landing in the sand like a boulder. He didn't stretch his head out. In fact, after falling, he pulled his legs in as well.
A shadow lay across the turtle's spirit. Lindon could feel it through their contract. He needed Little Blue to balance out his spirit, and soon, or he would become a problem for all of them.