by Kova, Elise
Her head was still splitting. Her body still felt ravaged by the toll it took to get here. And Vi knew she should be alarmed with every step—she had more worries than fingers to count them.
But for a brief moment, her chest was tense with delight. Laughter hid behind her smirking lips as she beheld the splendor of the world in perpetual twilight. Every glowing stone and flower, person and dialect, was new.
Turning the corner, Vi scanned the various narrow storefronts. It reminded her somewhat of the market in the Crossroads, with everyone fighting over space. But there were no street sellers here—only quaint doors with signs dangling before them.
Vi looped the street twice before she finally noticed a narrow door crammed between two others. On it was a picture of a garnet skullcap and a mortar and pestle, Sarphos’s Supplies engraved next to the image. Taking a breath, Vi pushed on the door, pleasantly surprised when it opened effortlessly.
A small bell overhead jingled happily at her entrance. Vi stepped into the crammed space. There were shelves of jars stacked three deep, floor to ceiling, on either side of her. Despite being shut tight, the jars emitted the earthy aromas Vi had associated with clerical salves her entire life. Herbs of all varieties dried from the ceiling, packed between linen bags containing unknown but sweet-smelling items.
At the very back of the store was an empty desk, and behind that a door.
And nothing and no one else.
Vi slowly walked, debating if she should just take something and run while the store was unattended. But she didn’t know the first thing about what salve or potion Taavin would need. And worse, she realized she didn’t exactly know how she’d get back short of running into that seemingly infinite blackness and hoping she ended up on the other side alive.
A risk that didn’t seem wise to take more than once.
“Hello?” Vi called, resting her hands on the counter. Glowing stones hung like pendants on either side, giving the whole room a ghostly light. “Is anyone here?”
“Yes, coming!” a male voice called. Vi heard stomping overhead, then stairs creaking, before a man emerged from the dark doorway behind the counter. “Sorry about that. You caught me right before I was going to step out. How may I be of service?”
He had steel-colored eyes and the dots above them were the same sort of pale blue. His expression was soft, youthful. Kind and yet… painfully sad. Perhaps it was the dim light playing tricks on her, but there was something haunted about this ruddy-haired man.
“Are you Sarphos?”
“I am.”
“Excellent, I… I need help.” Vi folded her hands on the counter. Were she back in the Solaris Empire, she could always resort to commanding him if she had to. But here, she had no sway, no golden coin bearing the Solaris seal lingering in her back pocket to reassure her even in tough situations that there was always a way out. “Please.”
“What seems to be the matter?” His expression grew serious, the dots above his eyes scrunching together.
“My… friend. He’s in the Twilight Forest. He’s wounded… I think he has broken bones that have become infected.”
“Its difficult to diagnose someone from afar… can you bring him here?”
“I don’t think I can move him. Can you come to him?”
“I’m afraid I can’t—I’m needed at the castle.”
Mother above, she would pick the cleric that had some tie to the royal family. Vi briefly debated heading to the other cleric the men mentioned, but she didn’t want to waste time. “Please, I… I think he may die.”
Sarphos’s expression deepened into a frown. He lifted the counter where it was hinged on one side, and slipped through. There was barely enough room for them to stand side by side in the narrow shop.
“Tell me exactly what’s wrong, what symptoms he’s exhibiting, as much detail as you think would be necessary and then some.” Even as he spoke, his eyes were scanning the shelves, hands reaching for jars.
“He had something heavy fall on his chest,” Vi answered somewhat vaguely. She didn’t think going into the fact that they had been battling with a morphi—even a morphi the kingdom had exiled—would help her cause. “There’s a lot of bruising. I think at least one rib is broken. From there… lethargy, fever.”
“Infection, likely.” Sarphos grabbed three leaves from one jar, filled a small bottle with an inky substance from another, then two dried roots from a third. “Take these to him. He eats the leaves first, and then drinks the potion—but slowly. It’ll likely make him sick if he goes too quickly. But he does need to get it all down. And then have him chew on the roots for the pain as needed until I can get to him. Come back to me tonight and I’ll go out with you.”
Vi accepted Sarphos’s supplies, realizing two things at the exact same time. The first was that she had no way to pay for this. An Imperial “I owe you” was likely not going to cut it here. The second was that she had no idea how to get back to Taavin.
Sarphos was sidestepping away, already halfway the door.
“I don’t know how.” Vi hated how weak she sounded, and felt. She hated being forced to rely on the goodness in this stranger’s heart because she had no other option. “I don’t know how to get back to him.”
“You lost a dying man in the woods?” he asked incredulously.
“No, I don’t know how to get back to the woods.”
“What?”
“I’m not supposed to be here.” Vi pulled the cloth from her forehead.
Sarphos took a step back, and for a brief moment she was afraid he’d bolt for the door. He looked at her like she had begun speaking in tongues—like she was going to attack him at any moment.
“How are you here?” he whispered. “Only morphi are allowed in the Twilight Kingdom.” Well, that confirmed one of her suspicions.
“Were it not an emergency, I wouldn’t have trespassed on your lands,” she assured him, trying to emphasize she meant no harm. If he raised an alarm, Vi doubted she could escape in time. “I just want to get medicine, that’s all.”
“No.” He shook his head, still not taking his eyes off her. Like she was some kind of apparition. “How are you here?”
“There was a tear in the… shift, I believe. I fell through.” That was technically correct. Still, Vi gripped her watch on instinct, remembering the full details of the ordeal.
“A tear in the shift? The shift doesn’t tear.”
“It can, and it is,” Vi insisted solemnly. “I doubt you’ll believe me if I tried to explain why, but—”
“What would a human know of the shift?”
“Frustratingly little.” The statement was somewhat snappish. But Vi would practically kill for a decent explanation of the morphi’s magic. “But I do know there are nefarious forces at play, and the world is rotting from the inside out.”
“I can’t say I believe you… But the fact that you’re here at all is proof enough something is amiss.” Sarphos looked her up and down. “Will you show me this tear you speak of?”
“Only if you help my friend. Come and heal him, and I’ll show it to you.”
Sarphos chuckled, and a small smile crossed his lips. In a world full of liars and backstabbers, the seemingly genuine kindness caught Vi off-guard. Don’t trust it, a voice in her mind cautioned. Everyone was out to get something. Everyone had a goal. And she had no idea what this man’s were or what he’d do to get them.
“I was going to help you anyway.” Sarphos pulled a bag from a cubby near the floor by the door. He took the items from her, and Vi begrudgingly released them. It felt like she was letting go of Taavin’s lifeline by relinquishing them back to him. “That’s what a healer does, you know… heal people. It’s my oath.”
“I’ll still show you the tear.” Vi much preferred a clear this-for-that agreement. The idea of giving someone good faith grated against her new base instincts, re-aligned by Jayme’s betrayal.
“And I appreciate that. The morphi need to know of it.” Sarphos m
otioned to the rag. “You may want to wear that again until we’re out.” Vi nodded, donning the cloth once more. “Right, this way then.”
With her stomach clenching with worry to the point of pain, Vi followed him back onto the streets.
Chapter Nine
They ascended the main street of the Twilight Kingdom. On one end was what Vi assumed to be the palace, given its grand gate, overall opulence, and positioning at the center of the city. On the other end, the road sloped upward over the ridge that surrounded the tree-line to a large archway that was the only break in the ominous black trees.
“Take my hand.” Sarphos paused and extended his palm to her. “I’ll need to guide you through the shift. Don’t let go, or you could find yourself trapped in the in-between.”
Vi still didn’t fully understand the shift, but she did as instructed. She didn’t need in-depth knowledge to know she wanted to get through as quickly as possible. Given her last experience, Vi didn’t want to spend any extra time in the space that was neither here nor there.
“And keep quiet as we pass. It looks like Ruie is on duty today. At least it’s not Arwin…”
She nodded, not even daring to speak now as they continued their approach.
A woman lounged at the side of the archway, arms folded, looking bored. She had bright golden hair that reminded Vi achingly of Romulin’s, though hers was cut shorter. Billowing fabrics tucked into simple boiled leather armor covered her lanky, lithe form.
“Sarphos… didn’t Arwin want to see you today?” she said dully, by way of greeting. “She’s back at the palace.”
“I realized I was low on a few supplies I’ll likely need for her.”
“Need a few things or…” Ruie pushed off from the stone column of the archway. “Are you ditching my sister to take someone special out for a late-night stroll?” She grinned wildly. “I don’t think Arwin will take too kindly to playing second-fiddle.”
“Wh-what? Stroll? You mean—no. Me?” Sarphos blubbered. Vi couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed, or worried about what this Arwin may think. Either way, she committed the name to memory.
“Someone special perhaps?” Ruie took a few steps forward. “What’s your name?”
Vi opened her mouth to answer, but Sarphos spoke too fast.
“She’s no one. J-Just an apprentice of mine.”
“I didn’t think you took apprentices. You sure it isn’t something more?”
“I don’t mind if you say something.” Vi gave a grin and a wink to Sarphos, trying to mirror Ellene’s voice and facial expressions when teasing Darrus.
“I-I—”
Ruie roared with laughter. “Oh go on, then, don’t let me keep you. She’s clearly eager.”
Vi gave a tug on his hand, taking a step forward. Let him fall into step, Vi pleaded mentally. She could almost feel the uncomfortable, nervous energy radiating off the healer who was now scarlet from the crown of his head down to his collar.
Luckily, he didn’t actually die of embarrassment, and instead kept moving.
“And good for you Sarphos!” Ruie called after them. “It’s good to see you happy after so long!”
Sarphos shot a glare over his shoulder before turning back to Vi. “I thought I said not to speak.” He had the audacity to sound bothered.
“It got us through, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, but now she’s going to tell all her sisters,” he muttered. “Oh, never mind.” Sarphos sighed. “We’re past it anyway. Now, to get through the shift—stay close.”
Vi did as she was told, and they continued to walk into the darkness.
She squeezed his hand tightly, not caring if she hurt him. Better that, than allow him to feel her tremble. The last thing Vi wanted to do was go back into this void. But Taavin waited on the other side. At least this time she had a guide.
There was a pulse of magic so faint Vi wasn’t sure if she imagined it. Vi took a deep breath and held it, remembering the thin air that came next.
“Not far, now,” Sarphos said, low and steady as another pulse thrummed against her, then another, and another, as the world wobbled back into existence from the darkness, like ripples across a pond.
They stepped out between two trees and Vi took a deep breath.
“That was much better than when I did it,” she said with relief.
“I’d imagine,” Sarphos said. “The shift transforms things from what they are, to what they can be—though that shift is a special one made only by the royal family. We call the transition ‘the between’—which is a place you don’t want to be stuck in.”
“I believe it…” Vi looked behind her, but there were just the same pale trees of the Twilight Forest standing sentry to a quiet night. All traces of the Twilight Kingdom were gone. The shift transitioned what was to what could be. She still had many questions about the magic, but they could wait. There were more pressing matters now. “Come on, this way.”
Luckily, they’d come out in a location where Vi could hear the stream. She just had to hope they hadn’t emerged too far from the cave… and that it was the same stream.
“So what brings a human to the Twilight Forest?” Saphos asked as they walked. “We don’t get too many in our borders these days.”
“I’m just passing through.” Vi had no desire for small talk. This was business. She wasn’t about to be his friend. “I would’ve been gone by now if it weren’t for my friend’s injuries.”
“Where are you going after you pass through here?”
“I have to find my father.”
Saphos fell silent. The quiet made the walk seem even longer, fraying the nerves at the ends of Vi’s patience. All she had to go by to find Taavin was the stream, so she nearly wept tears of joy when her eyes landed on something familiar. She recognized a boulder—at least she thought she did. She picked up her pace.
“Wait, why are we running?” Sarphos called.
Vi’s feet flew over the wet stones, slipping and splashing in the water. Her pant legs were damp up to her knees. But Vi paid it no mind. She was used to running in forests.
What she wasn’t used to was this overwhelming, sickening, lightheaded feeling of worry and fear and excitement all wrapped into the shape of a single man.
She came to a stop at the unassuming cave, her chest heaving. “He’s in there.” She hoped. “Let me go first… there’s not much room.”
“All right.” Sarphos leaned against the large boulders, catching his breath. “Call me when you’re ready. I’ll just be… you know… recovering from the most exercise I’ve had in months. Don’t mind me.”
It was easy to ignore his mutterings due to the racing of her thoughts. What if Taavin was gone? What if she’d somehow gone to the wrong place? What if he was…
She didn’t finish that last thought.
Vi rested her hand on the rock, took a breath, and pushed through the narrow opening. She emerged into the near darkness, immediately aware of Taavin’s form. But he made no sound or movement.
“Taavin?” Vi whispered, summoning a spark for light. “Taavin, please.” She crouched down, shaking him lightly. But for the first time, he didn’t respond. Her hand flew to his neck, seeking a pulse and breathing a sigh of relief when she found it.
“Sarphos!” Vi shouted, deafeningly loud in the small space. Taavin still didn’t wake. “Sarphos, he’s not moving!”
Sarphos pushed his way through the opening with a grunt, holding out one of the faintly glowing stones she’d seen illuminating the Twilight Kingdom like a lantern. Vi barely had time to shift herself onto the other side of Taavin to give the healer room. Her hands wrapped around Taavin’s, clutching tightly, as if he’d slip away from her for good if she let him go. Her eyes drifted up to the morphi as he finished pulling his bag through.
“This is him?” Sarphos’s expression darkened as he stared down at Taavin. His eyes narrowed in a way that Vi could describe as nothing other than pure loathing.
“Yes. You said you
would help him,” Vi reminded him, the statement coming off more as a curt demand. Then she added, softly, “Please help him.” Taavin’s pulse was so weak underneath her fingers. It felt as though he could leave the mortal realm any moment.
Sarphos’s eyes dragged away from Taavin’s prone form, turning to Vi. They stared at each other for several quick breaths—Vi’s hastened in panic, Sarphos’s in what looked like rage. She braced herself, ready to outright threaten the man’s life if that’s what it took.
She was ready to burn down the whole world to save Taavin.
“You told me it was your friend… You didn’t tell me your friend was the worst, most despicable, wretched creature on this earth: the Voice.”
“Wretched?” Vi would’ve been more angry if she wasn’t so confused. “He’s not—”
“Was this your plan all along, to lure me here?” Sarphos looked over his shoulder, through the crack in the rocks. “Where is your legion of Swords?”
“I don’t want to kill you. I don’t wish you ill at all.” Vi made every attempt to speak calmly, but Sarphos’s rising mix of panic and prejudice was making it difficult.
“Then why would you bring me before the Voice? You’re one of them, aren’t you? Faithful?”
“He’s dying!” Her shrill voice echoed in the small cave. Taavin didn’t stir. “Does this look like a man who is trying to kill you? He’s fighting for his life.”
“Good,” Sarphos said darkly. “Let him die. Better for the rest of us.”
Sarphos turned, about to squeeze through the opening. Vi stood, and with her rose a wall of flame, filling the narrow opening, licking the healer’s face and clothes. Sarphos jumped back, patting a spot on his shirt that caught fire.
“What magic is this?” His eyes darted between the singed spot and her. But Vi ignored the question. Let her powers remain mysterious. There was danger in the unknown.