by Kyle West
Isaru nodded. “I promised that I would save the Radaska dragonling...the very same one you talked to when you manifested. It was the price Jorla fixed for me rescuing you. We discussed it after I got back to Haven, and she followed me here to remind me every chance she got.”
I was still reeling from the fact that Fiona and I had been dead wrong. Isaru had never gone to Hyperborea. It seemed ridiculously obvious in light of what Isaru was now telling me.
“I nearly freed it, but there were guards. With your help...with your skill at the blade...we might stand a better chance.”
I sighed. “Isaru...this is a whole lot for me to take in.”
“I know,” he said. “I imagine the Covenant is questioning your parents because they know something about you...something they’ve kept hidden all these years. If we rescue them, they can confirm everything we learned in the reversion once and for all, and save them from the Bastion in the process.”
“Confirm what?” Isa asked, breaking her silence. “All of this is just...crazy. And what’s this talk about the Prophecy? You can’t be talking about...”
We both looked at her. I had been so focused on Isaru that I had forgotten Isa was even there. I was glad neither of us had said anything that would give my identity away.
“Yes,” Isaru said. “We believe we’ve found the location of the Prophecy of Annara.”
“In Colonia? How could you possibly know?”
“We don’t,” Isaru said. “But according to Elder Isandru, that is the likely location.”
It took a moment for Isa to process these words. “And you both intend to go there? Does the Elder know?”
Isaru and I looked at each other, wondering how much, if anything, we should tell Isa.
“We have to,” I said. “My parents are there. And Isaru is right; so is the Prophecy.”
“I can hardly see why...”
“I can’t really go into details,” I said. “It’s...complicated.”
“Good. Leave me out of it again. I’m probably too young to understand, anyway.”
“Isa, that’s not what this is about.”
“What is it, then? What’s the secret? What do the both of you know that I don’t?”
If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. I couldn’t say that to Isa, so what could I say?
“Isa...you’re just going to have to trust me. If I told you, you’d think I was crazy. And I’m not supposed to say anything, anyway.”
“What does Isandru have to do with it?” Isa asked.
“I can’t say that, either. But this is something we both have to do.”
“Why this sudden need to find the Prophecy?” Isa asked. “And why is Isandru using the two of you to do it? If the Prophecy is truly in the Bastion, then why not send a contingent of Seekers there to retrieve it instead of two initiates?”
All were good questions, and I could answer none of them.
“Maybe we should tell her, Shanti,” Isaru said, at last. “Is she really not worthy of our trust? Didn’t Isandru himself say he could be wrong on some things?”
I felt myself soften. I considered Isa my closest friend, but at the same time, she didn’t know anything about who I truly was. Even in the darkness of the room, I could see the hurt on her face and hear it in her voice. If I didn’t tell her, and tell her now, I might lose the best friend I had in this place.
“All right,” I said, sitting down on the bed. “I’ll tell you. But you can’t say anything to anyone.”
“You don’t even have to say that,” Isa said. “Of course your secret is safe with me.”
“No,” I said. “After what I tell you...I really do need to ask for silence. And you have to believe every word, and if you don’t, then all of this will all have been a waste.”
“I promise,” Isa said. “Whatever you say, I’ll trust you. I’ll believe.”
She’s too young to understand, I thought.
“We can’t take too long explaining,” Isaru said. “It won’t be long until my father finds out I’m not where I’m supposed to be.”
So, I explained, as quickly as I could. Isa was clearly bewildered by what I had to say, but she didn’t protest. If anything, it seemed as if she was doing her best to believe, but finding it hard to swallow all the same. I started when I first arrived in the Sanctum, and all the dreams that led me to the reversion, and how Isaru and Fiona got mixed up in it. That was followed by the revelation that I was Anna, and that both Isaru and Fiona had been witness to it, confirmed by Isandru, who had prophesied that she would return before the last Prince of Hyperborea passed from the Earth — and that that prince happened to be Isandru.
It was a lot to take in, and I was asking her to do in seconds what I was still trying to work out after two months. She nodded numbly, seeming as if she’d been punched in the gut.
“See why I was hesitant about telling you?”
Then, she had the strangest reaction: she laughed. It was a hysterical laughter, the kind that comes when a person is really anxious.
“I don’t know what to think. I said I’d believe you...I have to believe you. You, Isaru, Fiona the Elder Prophet...they all believe it’s true. Is there anyone else?”
I shook my head. “And you. And that’s the way it has to stay. We’re not even one hundred percent certain this is true. That’s why we have to find the Prophecy. If Anna wrote it, then it will have answers. We’ll learn more about the past that has been missing ever since the Exile. That’s why we have to go. And...my parents are in danger. I could never live with myself if I didn’t try to save them.”
“You still haven’t answered me on whether Elder Isandru knows you’re going.”
“No,” Isaru said. “He doesn’t believe we’re ready.”
“He’s probably right,” Isa said.
“Whether he’s right or not, we don’t have time,” I said. “It’s now or never.”
“And Jorla will only take us if we agree to rescue the dragonling first,” Isaru said.
“Of course,” I said. “The question is...do we tell Fiona?”
“I feel as if we must,” Isaru said. “At the same time...her loyalty is to Isandru.”
That was true. If we told Fiona, there was a chance she’d tell Isandru and foil our plan. It wasn’t worth the risk.
“If we’re going, then we need to leave now,” Isaru said.
“You can’t just...leave!” Isa said.
“We have to, Isa,” Isaru said. “You can’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t say a word,” Isa said, “but when they ask me where my roommate’s gone, I’ll have to say something. Maybe you should take me with you!”
Isaru and I looked at each other, but it was Isaru who shook his head. “You aren’t ready, Isa. You haven’t even manifested yet. Where we’re going...it’s dangerous. I wouldn’t risk you.”
“As if you’re not risking yourself! It’s my decision to make.”
Isaru approached her, and she let out a squeak when he grabbed her hand.
“Isa...I promise I will return, safe and sound. So will Shanti. I would not place you at risk. That would be...”
Isa waited for him to answer, but Isaru had no further words.
“Please,” Isa finally managed, “find your way back. Shanti...you’re the only reason I’m still in this place. Having you here gives me hope. If I ever heard that you got yourself killed...”
“I’m not going to die, Isa. What you saw at the tournament...that wasn’t just me fighting. It was Anna. Sometimes, she can take control of me and make me fight a lot better than I normally would. I don’t have control over it, but I think this is something I need to do. I need to help her remember her purpose...” I shook my head. “I know this is probably making no sense. But I believe it’s the right thing to do. It’s what I must do.”
Isa sighed. “Well, there’s nothing I can say to get you to stay. Just...come back, all right? That’s all I ask.”
“We will,” Isaru said.
“They haven’t seen Shanti or me fight yet.”
“Speaking of fighting,” I said, “how are we going to get weapons?”
“I have something in mind already,” Isaru said. “We should really get moving.”
Before leaving, I looked back at Isa. “We’ll be back soon. I’m...sorry we’re doing this. If it could be any other way...”
“Just go,” she said. “But if you don’t come back...”
She never finished her sentence.
“Goodbye, Isa.”
With that, I entered the corridor and shut the door behind me.
ISARU AND I ENTERED the museum. Coming here was a risk, given how close to Isandru’s office it was, but it was a necessary risk. There was a reason to come here that went beyond the fact that Isaru and I needed something to fight with. There were lots of weapons to choose from here, and we had no other option because the Seekers’ weapons were kept in an armory connected to the wall in the Champions’ Copse, far out of reach of initiates and apprentices.
Here, however, they could be taken, if one didn’t mind getting their hands a little dirty with thievery.
The thought of taking Anna’s blade had never crossed my mind — never, until Isaru had mentioned it on our way here. Even if it was technically “mine,” I doubted that anyone else would see it that way, including Elder Isandru. The only reason I was doing it was for my parents. It was the only blade I could safely get, and taking Katan, the very sword on which all Seekers’ blades were modeled, might bring me a bit of luck.
The problem was, both Katan and Berett were covered in a glass case in the center, but that was nothing Isaru couldn’t take care of with the large rock he’d brought in from the Grove. Those rocks were used for strength training among the Champions, and Isaru had chosen the largest one he could manage to carry. After I’d gotten Katan, Isaru would use the rock to retrieve another blade in a nearby case, then we’d dash for the wall where Jorla was waiting.
“Ready?”
Before I could even answer, Isaru lobbed the rock with a grunt, and it seemed to fall in slow motion. We both backed away as the case was utterly shattered. Shards rained on the stone tiles below. As I went for the blade, he picked the rock back up and smashed another case, grabbing the sword contained within.
“Go,” he said.
With Katan in hand, I sprinted after Isaru. Within moments, we were in the back Grove making our way to the wall. I could hear no shouts of alarm — it might be minutes yet before we were discovered.
It only took a couple of minutes to weave our way through the trees toward the wall’s last tower. We entered the tower, climbing the circular steps until we reached the rampart above.
We dashed out the door, only to come face to face with none other than Seeker Haris.
I couldn’t fathom what he was doing up here; perhaps he was on guard duty against the dragons. His eyes widened as his hand went to his sword. He recovered quickly, removed the hand, and gave a strange smile.
“So, the Princeling has caught you up in his schemes, Initiate Roshar.” He chuckled. “Both of you back inside. I’m afraid we have much to discuss with the Elders.”
“Seeker...” I started.
Haris’s eyes next went to our weapons, and his eyes went so wide that I thought they’d pop out of his face. Next, his expression darkened, and he did draw his sword.
“Thieves! Drop the artifacts, at once!”
Isaru and I stared across the rampart at Haris. Even with the both of us, there was no way we could take him on. I was about to ask Isaru what we’d do, but before I could speak, a sudden gust of wind blasted from above, knocking Haris over. Jorla descended from the sky so quickly that all of us had failed to notice her. All of us, save Isaru, who was now the one smiling.
“Hurry!” Isaru said.
Both of us quickly mounted. Haris, now up, started forward, but was stopped when Jorla let out a high shriek.
I had to give Haris credit, though. He stood his ground, blade at the ready. “Stop at once!”
Already, Jorla kicked off from the two crenellations she had roosted on, flapping her wide wings to gain altitude. Haris reached for his side for something, and when he put it to his lips, I realized it was a hunter’s horn. He blew a long, low note, sounding an alarm that echoed off both the Sanctum and the mountainside. Shortly after, the bell in the Sanctum’s tower started tolling, again and again, not seeming to lose volume as we gained distance to the north.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS, Jorla followed the curving line of the Colorado River as it snaked its way through cliffs and canyons. She veered west, away from the river’s southward flow, where the Red Wild truly lived up to its name. A tangled web of xenotrees spread from horizon to horizon, covering the flat expanse studded with silver mesas glowing in the night. Within those trees was a glowing pink pond, and it was a moment before I realized what it was.
“Ichor,” Isaru said.
“A reversion?” I asked.
Isaru shook his head from in front of me. “No. Jorla would have felt it and mentioned it.”
“It’s just a natural spring, then.”
“It would appear so. They are incredibly rare, and it’s a wonder that this one has never been found.”
Should we rest here? Jorla asked.
“Yes,” Isaru said.
Jorla glided down toward the spring, and I watched as the trees approached, feeling the warm air on my skin as we descended. The shore of the pool was silver, and its surface was as still as glass.
Gently, Jorla alighted upon the spring’s bank and Isaru and I jumped off. Isaru stood, transfixed, gazing at the pool’s ethereal surface. He stepped forward, kneeling next to the ichor, placing a hand over its surface, but not touching it.
I knelt beside him as he pulled his hand back. The ichor seemed like a living thing. Perhaps it was.
“It’s like what was at Hyperborea and the reversion,” I said.
Isaru nodded. “Yes. We saw it — an entire Sea of it. It was the fuel that built Hyperborea into the city it became.” Isaru sighed. “And as we both know, it was also its downfall.”
“And it’s dangerous.”
“It can be,” Isaru said. “Though it contains great power, ichor is liquefied memory, binding all that is Elekai together. It’s why Hyperborea’s crime was so heinous. It’s why the Elder Dragons forsook the human Elekai. They destroyed history, even as they made it for themselves.”
Behind us, Jorla was now moving toward the pool, stepping inside of it.
“What is she doing?” I asked.
Isaru watched the dragon for a moment, who was immersing herself in the tranquil liquid. Her wings folded, and I was surprised to see the deepness of the pool; the ichor reached her shoulder blades while completely immersing her wide wings.
“Dragons can survive for a while eating only xen,” Isaru said, “but without the ichor, they lose their entire sense of self.” His face grew dark. “This is how many believe the Mindless first came about. There wasn’t enough ichor for the dragons to bathe in. Many Radaska went mad and became violent, while the Askaleen became shells that could only be guided by the promise of pain and reward.”
“They can’t be healed?”
“People have tried — with dragonlings, mostly. However, they cannot be healed, even if made to go into a pool like this.” He paused. “In fact, dragons found their aeries around pools and springs of ichor for this very reason. This place might have once been the location of an aerie, or it might have been passed up for other reasons — perhaps it is too close to civilization, or it’s too low to the ground. Dragons like high places, like mountains.”
Jorla’s eyes were closed now, as if asleep. She seemed to truly be at peace.
“They need the ichor,” Isaru said. “It’s a part of them, and without it, they lose themselves. But to us, it is dangerous. Touching it can scar the skin.”
“Why didn’t it do that to us at the re
version?” I asked.
Isaru shrugged. “I don’t know. Perhaps it wanted us to enter.”
I hadn’t known about dragons needing ichor. Now, so much more made sense. If there were suddenly a lot less of it, it was easy to see how there could be so many Mindless dragons. The worst part of it all was that we did it to ourselves.
“We should get some sleep,” Isaru said. “I don’t think we’ll be found if we were to sleep out here, but it’s probably better to hide in the trees.”
“Won’t the Seekers try to track us?”
“Probably so. If any dragons approach, Jorla will sense it and wake me. Although, I doubt that they’ll check in this direction. Jorla flew us deep into the Western Wild, on a route that isn’t in a direct line to Colonia. We should be safe.”
We left the shoreline and headed for the trees. They looked truly wild and untamed, and I didn’t see a way to even enter them. I felt as if anything could be hiding in there. I remembered, what seemed so long ago, the monster that had been floating in the river...the crawler, as Isaru had called it. That was the very same monster Anna had ridden in my dream.
If Isaru was right, though, we were nowhere near a reversion and probably had nothing to fear.
I followed Isaru into the trees. We only went a little bit in until we found a small clearing with just enough room for us both to sleep. The xen formed a natural padding on the ground, and wouldn’t be uncomfortable to sleep on. It felt strange to have Isaru sleeping only a few paces away from me. It would have been unheard of in the Sanctum, where the sexes were separated. Out here, though, that didn’t matter.
“Thanks,” I said.
“For what?” Isaru asked.
“For coming. I owe everything to my parents. They were captured while I was allowed to escape. For all I know, they think I’m dead.” I sighed. “Without them...I never would have come here.”
“We’ll get them out,” Isaru said. “I don’t know how, but we will. And we will find the Prophecy. We will return as heroes to the Sanctum.”
At this moment, with Haris having caught us red-handed stealing Anna’s sword, that seemed like an impossible prospect. It would require explaining everything...and I wasn’t sure if the Sanctum was ready to hear it.
