“What’s going on?” Katie asked. Her shadows stirred restlessly. Amanda’s eyes narrowed. The fungi, mushrooms, and other life here had visibly recoiled from the girl’s shadows. “Are we in danger?”
Old Man shook his head. “I don’t think so. I can sense what’s happening. That lake – time bends and twists around it. The fog is much the same, and these images are ghosts, if you like, from our pasts and at least one possible future.”
Amanda nodded. “Don’t pay too much attention to what the fog has left behind. As Old Man said, the images are based on possible futures. The future is not set in stone. It can be changed, and there are as many different possibilities as there are stars in the sky.” She paused and looked at the swirling mass of crimson and violet above them. There wasn’t a single star that she could see. “And by that, I mean stars in the skies of our world.”
“Well,” Timmy said. “At least we’ll have something to amuse ourselves with while we try to get some sleep.” Behind him stood a small, scrawny boy with a black eye and a busted lip. If the sight of it bothered Timmy, he didn’t say a word although Katie was visibly shaken by it. She’d heard the stories about her master’s master, but seeing the truth of it depicted so starkly must have been troubling. Timmy hadn’t always been strong enough to discourage his master’s cruelty although he’d had the last laugh. Not far away was another Timmy. This one was older, and he was laughing. One of his hands was held out to the side as though he was holding hands with someone else. Based on the way his hand was positioned, Amanda guessed he was holding a child’s hand, perhaps one four or five years old. Was there a child in his future? Interesting. She doubted it was another apprentice. Her lips twitched. She might have to tell the Supreme Cleric about it. She was sure the woman would be interested in this little piece of information.
“Hah!” Avraniel snorted. “Look at the twerp! She’s still short!”
Katie’s eye twitched. Much to her dismay, the figure from her past was basically a shorter version of herself in robes that were clearly too big for her. The older version of her carried a more regal air and wore a mantle that Amanda had not seen in centuries. The family that mantle had belonged to had been wiped out in its entirety, or so the Council had believed. Was Katie a distant descendant of theirs? It would certainly explain a lot. But what had drawn Avraniel’s amusement was the fact that Katie was still shorter than all of them even after she grew up.
“Don’t laugh!” Katie cried. “That’s just one possible future! There have to be other futures where I’m way taller than all of you!”
“As if.” Avraniel grinned. “Your height is mostly determined by your bloodline and how you live. You’ve been eating and living well since you became the idiot’s apprentice, and your bloodline isn’t about to change.” Katie shot the elf a vicious glare, but she just continued to laugh. “Face it, twerp. You’re destined to be short.”
“I will stab you,” Katie muttered.
“You will try,” Avraniel corrected. “And fail – because I’m awesome and you’re not.”
Old Man had remained silent since he’d spoken, but there was a small, sad smile on his face as he looked at his younger self. The younger version of the swordsman was dressed in the famous armour of the eastern lands, and there was a blank expression on his face that Amanda knew all too well. This was a man who had killed enough for a hundred lifetimes, a man who’d grown sick of all the death and carnage. Yet the smile on his face turned into one of genuine delight as he took in his older self. He looked much the same, but there was a strange brooch pinned to his clothing. It resembled a flower of some kind, and it was wrought in shades of red, white, blue, and gold.
“It seems,” Old Man murmured as he pulled his hat down to hide his face. “That perhaps I have not lost quite as much as I had thought.”
She would have to ask him about it later. Her own images her hardly surprising. She was a vampire. Her past, present, and future self looked much the same. The same could be said of Avraniel. As for Gerald, the bureaucrat went from looking like a bookish, lanky, young man to a booking, lanky, older man although he did seem to be far more relaxed and content in the future. He was also holding a picture book of the kind often read to young children.
“This is uncanny.” King Barin glanced at his older self. He was a white-bearded dwarf laughing as he bounced a pair of dwarf children on his knees. “But not unwelcome. I wouldn’t mind living long enough to bounce some grandchildren on my knees.” He chuckled. “This crown of mine can be heavy at times, but the thought of a brighter future makes it bearable. I can only hope to lighten the load before I pass it on to my son.”
“Aye, brother.” Daerin’s future also hinted at children, if the small hands grabbing at the tools he was using were anything to go by. “Perhaps there is something to be said of peace – at the very least, I’ll be able to tinker without having to worry about getting arrested.”
Look! Spot bounced around. I get way more awesome! Spot pointed proudly to the absolutely massive dragon that was apparently him in the future. Although the exact scale was difficult to grasp, he somehow felt even larger than Black Scales, which would make the future version of Spot perhaps the largest dragon Amanda had ever seen. It was said that all dragons were descended from the First Dragon – born from the blood he’d shed fighting alongside the gods at the Dawn of Creation – and that every now and then his blood showed more truly in certain dragons than it did in most of them. Perhaps Spot was such a dragon. But what pleased her the most was the happy smile on Spot’s face. He had apparently not lost his warm nature and sense of humour despite getting far larger. Squinting, she could just make out someone sitting on top of the colossal dragon’s head. Yes. That was definitely Avraniel.
“Yes, you did.” Amanda smiled as Avraniel cooed over the dragon, most likely imagining how much property damage the pair of them could unleash once he got that big. “I knew you’d get even better, Spot.”
“This is all very interesting,” Amanda said. “But perhaps we should try to rest now. Visions of the future are, at the best of times, still quite troublesome.” Slowly, the fog began to lift, and the images faded with it. The sky had begun to darken, growing a tad less turbulent. “It feels as though whatever passes for night here has fallen. Shall we move at dawn tomorrow?”
“Aye,” King Barin said. “Dawn – or whatever passes for it here – seems as good a time as any to keep moving.” He frowned. “But we should keep a stout watch tonight. If these creatures are less active and alert during their night, then perhaps we should rethink our plans and rest during the day while moving at night.” His gaze drifted to the gigantic cosmic fungus hunched over the Sky City. “Two hundred against such a foe… it will make a fine tale, I think, provided some of us survive to tell it.”
Daerin clapped one hand over his brother’s shoulder. They might squabble and bicker, but they were still brothers, and they had greater concerns as well. “We’ll win this. There is no foe that can withstand the power of a vengeful dwarf with time to plan. These bastards took the Sky City, the pride of our people. What better way to prove ourselves and avenge our ancestors than to take it back?”
The king chuckled. “Yes. What better way?”
The night, if it could be called that, passed swiftly. Amanda found herself watching the sky. It was almost hypnotic. The swirls and eddies of crimson and violet would have been truly mesmerising and beautiful if not for the things she could see wandering across the land and sky. When dawn came, the sky brightened and grew more turbulent again. The others awakened, and they set out. They would travel during the day, but they would only make their attempt to retake the Sky City at night. Although there was still more than enough light for them to get by, the cosmic fungi and their ilk seem more placid during the night. Vampires would like this place. Whatever unearthly light filled this place, it wasn’t similar to sunlight. Even a fledgling would never have to worry about the sun here.
The group spoke
fairly little as they continued their journey toward the Sky City. It was actually closer than they had initially thought, and she wondered if they really had been mistaken when they’d first estimated its distance or if space had bent and twisted to move it closer. Given the creatures that dwelt here, she couldn’t rule out the latter. Once they were close enough, they camped again and waited for night to fall, so they could make their move.
Fortunately, the vast, towering fungus that had ensnared the city had either not noticed them or simply didn’t care. The former was as likely as the latter. After all, what threat did they pose to something so large? She doubted they worried it. She doubted anything worried it. Strangely enough, the gargantuan creature was also being avoided by its lesser kin. Did they have to worry about cannibalism, or was it simply unwilling to share the energy source it had found? And for that matter, what was it doing with the Sky City? It was clearly feeding off the energy the Sky City emitted, but was that all? There had to be a reason the other cosmic fungi had altered the Hearthgate. Perhaps they were planning to somehow transport this gigantic cosmic fungus back into Amanda and the others’ world. She could scarcely begin to imagine the damage it could unleash. The dwarves would fall – that much was a certainty – and even Everton itself, and possibly the rest of the world, would soon be in danger. In any case, she’d get her answers soon enough.
“Can you feel that?” Timmy asked as they began their move to retake the city.
Amanda nodded. It was a low, rhythmic humming on the very edges of her awareness. She might not have noticed it or paid much attention to it if he hadn’t mentioned it. “Yes. There is still magic at work here.” She searched her memories, glad that her already excellent memory had been rendered essentially flawless by her transformation into a vampire. It made both the good times and the bad times all but impossible to forget. “There were rumours – rumours that the dwarves never confirmed or denied – that the power source of the Sky City was a huge star crystal. Artefacts made of star crystals are rare and powerful. It could explain why no one else has ever come close to replicating their success.” Her eyes flared crimson for a moment, and she shifted her senses to better observe the massive eldritch entity above them. “I can definitely feel something inside the Sky City. When they appeared here, they must have drawn the creature’s attention.”
King Barin frowned, and his hand tightened on his axe. “I can feel it too, and it gives me hope. Even with that monster absorbing its power, the Sky City is still radiating plenty of energy. If the engines still function, then we should have the power to use them. Likewise, we should have enough power to use the teleportation device and the weapons, assuming they still work.” He shook his head. “I’d not like to fight that behemoth without a city at my back, and even then I wouldn’t be confident.”
Daerin grinned. “What did I tell you, brother? The Sky City is dwarf engineering at its finest. It doesn’t matter if it gets dragged into another dimension and attacked by monsters. It’ll still work even centuries later.” He nodded fiercely. “My brother is right. If the Sky City can still radiate this much energy, then we should have no problems powering all of its systems. It’s simply a matter of repairing the damaged ones and hoping that nothing essential was destroyed.”
“Let’s not celebrate too early,” Timmy warned. “We need to get up there and look around before we can draw any firm conclusions.” He gazed at each of them. “Whatever you do, do not pick any fights! The first thing we need to do is to work out what works and what doesn’t. Do not attack that thing until we are completely ready, preferably with every single weapon we can find pointed in its direction. Understood?” He looked at Old Man. “Is it safe to go up there, or are we going to get frozen in time or something?”
The swordsman nodded. “The creature has stopped time for most of the city. However, its method is different from the smaller ones we’ve encountered. Perhaps to save on the amount of power it uses, it hasn’t created an area of frozen time. Instead…” He paused, searching for the right words. “It is like it has soaked parts of the city in its power. Until its power is removed, those parts of the city will remain stopped in time. However, we should be fine since its power only seems to be affecting what it initially froze in time.” He pointed at some of the spores that filled the air. “Notice how the spores in the air are still able to move in and around the Sky City? If everything that entered the city was frozen in time, they would be as well.”
“That’s a relief.” Timmy peered up, way up. “That’s a long way, Old Man. Are you sure you can reach it?”
Old Man chuckled. “These old bones still have a few good years left in them, Timmy. I can reach it.” He gestured for them to stand back. I’ve never been to the Sky City, so I’ll aim for the edge, which is something I can see. I could avoid using line of sight, but that might be… unfortunate. Without better knowledge of Skygarde, I could easily put the other end of the portal somewhere unpleasant.”
“As long as we get up there in one piece, it’s fine.”
“Then stand back.” Old Man focused, and the space beside him began to twist. It folded in on itself over and over, and he gestured at the Sky City far above them. There was a sound like a metal container being crushed, and a circular gateway appeared beside him. Amanda could sense a matching gateway appear at the edge of the city above them. “Quickly! I do not know how long I can keep the portal active before it is noticed.”
They hurried through the gateway, and Old Man was the last one through. It vanished with a quiet hiss, and Amanda looked around. They had appeared on the edges of the Sky City near a courtyard that looked to be in remarkably good condition – perfect condition, actually. Old Man was right. Time really had stopped here. The only imperfections were in the places where the cosmic fungus had seized the city with its tentacles and other, less easily described, limbs. And though she should have expected them, it was still startling to see the dwarves of the city there, frozen in time as well. That monster hadn’t even bothered to kill them… it had simply stopped time for them too.
“Our kin!” Daerin cried. “They’re still here!”
“Aye.” The king walked to one dwarf and tried to shake him, only to find that he could not be moved. Despite bracing his feet and pushing with all of his considerable strength, the king couldn’t budge him even an inch. “It seems that creature’s ability to stop time is even more formidable than we thought.” He looked at Old Man. “I know we cannot afford to free all of them, but this one is wearing a uniform I recognise.” He pointed to the symbols on the dwarf’s clothing. “We still use those symbols today. He is the chief engineer. He must have run out here to see what had happened when that creature attacked.”
“Then we must free him!” Daerin said. “With his help, we would no longer have to puzzle out the workings of the city. We would be able to talk to an expert on how to repair them.”
“Stand aside,” Old Man warned. “I think I can free him, but he may react poorly. Remember, his last memory was of the creature.” Terror was plain to see on the dwarf’s face, and his gaze was locked onto the titanic eldritch horror that loomed over the Sky City, its vast shadow covering them all. “He may not have been able to stop it, but he got here in time to see what was about to happen.”
Amanda studied the dwarf. The long, long years since the First War had not dulled her memories of those days. “I know this dwarf. His name is Marden Stonesmith. If need be, let me speak to him. He may not know any of you, but he should still recognise me.” Her comment drew questioning looks from some of the dwarves. They all knew she was an ancient vampire – it was impossible to ignore the blood she’d used in her attacks back in Diamondgate – but only King Barin had grasped her exact identity.
* * *
The final day of Marden’s normal life had gone spectacularly poorly. After manoeuvring the Sky City to a suitable location, the fortress’s commander had given the order to test its ability to retreat using long-range teleportat
ion. Marden had argued against it. He firmly believed that there were still some kinks to be worked out, especially since some of their smaller tests had revealed some puzzling results. Everything had come through in one piece, but there were strange energies on some of the rocks they’d sent through, and several of them had come back covered in a strange kind of glowing fungus. However, the commander – one of the king’s brothers – had insisted. They needed to have the city fully operational as soon as possible, and Marden was the chief engineer. In the end, he didn’t have the authority to refuse his commanding officer. All he could do was explain as best he could and hope for the best. Unfortunately, the need for a trump card against the empire won over his calls for caution.
His biggest concern with the system – something he’d tried to explain to Jerod Ironbinder – was that although travelling through other dimensions was convenient and consumed less energy, it was also tricky and dangerous. Small objects like the rocks they’d sent through could travel safely enough since whatever lived in those dimensions was unlikely to notice or care about a small rock. The Sky City was another story. At its heart was the largest intact star crystal the dwarves had ever found, one that had been tirelessly honed and worked on until it could produce absolutely phenomenal quantities of energy once certain conditions were met. Moreover, the process did not destroy or consume the star crystal. Instead, it turned the star crystal into a conduit, drawing power from other worlds, dimensions, and places. That was great for their purposes but absolutely awful if they ran into something sensitive to that sort of energy. It would be like lighting a torch in the middle of a dark cave. They would definitely be spotted, and there was no guarantee they’d be able to deal with – or even escape – what they ran into.
Still, he had his orders. They were going to use the teleportation device, and he was going to pray to his ancestors and the gods that nothing awful happened.
Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City Page 48