by Emily Wilson
They learn that she’s running around the mountain somewhere, but she’s doing something specific for the Regnum that might take a while, so they likely won't see her for a couple of days. Azrian fights a laugh as Aleon’s face falls at that news, then clasps his shoulder as they start to move again and watches Ronan as he touches almost everything he passes. “How long have the Regnum lived down here?”
“For as long as there has been a Regnum. The courthouse has always been our place of business, but it has been attacked in the past. We don’t have to fear here in the Mountains.” Neginah’s voice is calming as they venture deeper inside, but her brother Hanigen’s unfortunately isn’t.
“For now.”
“Ever the skeptic, my brother. But yes, for now. And when something happens, we will be prepared. Seeing the future has its perks.”
“And its downfalls,” he argues. “The things I've seen, Neginah... it's not—”
“Anything to be concerned about.” She stops, facing her twin and squaring her shoulders. “We’ve been through this, Hanigen. The things you think you've seen are impossibilities. No one else has seen any such thing.”
The air around them seems to cool as the two stare each other down, and Azrian becomes more uncomfortable by the second. He tugs Kato to the side and pretends to show him another one of the Regnum carvings as he mutters, “I’ve never seen them fight.”
“Me either,” Kato whispers back. “They’re kind of intimidating.”
“Glad we’re not the only siblings that fight.” Teagon squeezes between Azrian and Kato, throwing his arms around them. “They’re still better than our stult brothers, huh?”
“Definitely,” Kato agrees, shoving him off Azrian playfully.
Being so short has never felt like such a bad thing — but between Teagon and Kato, Az feels like he practically disappears. “Let’s not shove the little guy,” he scolds. “I'm fragile.”
“Yeah right,” Teagon laughs. He starts to say something else, but they're interrupted by Neginah again. She takes them a little deeper until they're squeezing through a narrow hallway that opens up into a common area filled with couches and a fireplace — and before Az can even ask how that works inside of a mountain, Neginah explains it to him.
They take their seats and wait patiently as the Regnum themselves file into the room. Azrian has a moment where he feels like he's watching the scene unfold from somewhere above their heads, so when Torenia Vinthil introduces herself as the Viribus of the group, she has to do it twice before Azrian even realizes he needs to answer her.
“Oh! Sorry, hi. I'm Azrian Mihr. This is Kato, Teagon, and Aleon... and this is Ronan...” For the first time, it occurs to him that the three brothers don't have last names and he doesn't know Ronan’s, but he fills in the blank. “...Haevick.” He straightens up his spine as she leans down to meet him at eye level. “I’m not that short,” he protests. “You don't need to bend down.”
Torenia stands as her eyes sparkle with amusement. “More fire in you than in Peilar himself,” she jokes, waving a hand at the Regnum’s Igneme as he approaches with a grin. “This is Peilar Anhies.”
“You know I love a good fire,” he states, ruffling Ronan’s hair.
He’s as tall as Kato, and he tilts his head when they meet each other’s gaze. “I thought you were supposed to be a Cogitare?”
It makes Kato glance down, but he composes himself quickly. “That’s part of why we’re here.”
“Ah.”
They meet two more of the Regnum after that — Zinna Rastun, the Caelim, and Falos Geinten, the Terrare. Azrian has a feeling he’ll never remember all of their names, but the tone of this meeting had changed drastically with Kato’s announcement and he's no longer sure he’ll need to remember. This has already stopped being a social visit.
Falos takes a seat and drapes a long arm over the back of the couch. “So... why are you here? It's not often we let outsiders into our home, but we were told this couldn't wait until our next session.”
“You all know of Melior and the Venandi, but did you know he bred women there and experimented on infants?” Kato asks bluntly. The room quiets around them and Hanigen covers up his chuckle with a cough. He always did enjoy Kato’s abrasiveness.
“We’ve heard rumors but there's never been any proof,” Zinna chimes in. “My son spent some time at Deadrun, but he never saw anything of the sort.”
Azrian takes Kato’s hand and scoots forward. “You're looking at proof right now. Kato, Teagon, Aleon... they were all born at Deadrun to the same mother, and all of them bear the scars of those experiments. Jasestros wouldn't have seen anything like it because he was a prisoner, not one of the Venandi, and Melior had stopped the experiments by the time he got there.”
“There are more out there. More than we can probably fathom, but we’re here about one specific one. His name is Syphon. The second child my mother bore. He has a power unlike any we’ve ever seen. He literally siphoned my Cogitare abilities from me. The green you see is what’s left. I’m— was... I was a hybrid.”
Whispers break out in such a force that Azrian doesn't believe they're all coming from the few Regnum in front of them — it sounds like they're coming from everywhere. Behind them, above them... from the mountain itself.
Zinna looks to Neginah. “Is this the one you saw?”
“Yep,” Hanigen answers for her. “It's almost insane how many times we tried to warn you and you didn't listen, but you hear what you want to hear and little else.”
Torenia scoffs. “Oculare are notoriously unreliable, even you two. What you were suggesting was impossible.”
“And yet, the evidence is right here. Some of your own family members can confirm it. Jasestros, Tague... they were both there, as were others. They might not have seen the evidence themselves, but they stood witness to the depths of Melior’s cruelty, and they did know Kato when he had both powers. Syphon stole from him and another of the Deadrun children murdered a man named Slait not long ago. Syphon is hunting Videre, and I know you believe in them... your lamps prove it.” Azrian’s voice shakes slightly, but he won't be deterred. “Where are they? Are they prisoners here like they were there?”
“Of course not,” Neginah assures him. “Every one of them was given the option to go home and they chose to stay here. Many were outcasts even before their powers manifested, and here, they're given food, rooms, and they're free to leave whenever they wish. The lamps are to allow them an outlet more than anything. God-given powers have a side effect. You must use them in moderation or they will burn you from the inside out.”
Azrian jerks as a violent shudder works its way through his system. “What?”
“Use too much, it'll consume you. Leave them bottled up... and they'll still consume you,” Peilar explains. “Your Videre light is electric fire... white-hot in intensity and ever-expanding. It will bend to your will, but if you do not control it... it will bend you to its own.”
“Okay. So... I'll just get Cettia to take them back again,” Az reasons. “I don't need them.” He looks to Hanigen for confirmation but finds none there — he finds nothing at all but inky sympathy. “This isn't the point, anyway. We can't take Syphon on our own. We need help, and we've come to you for that.”
Zinna taps her long nails on the wooden arm of the chair and watches him intensely. “You've come a long way. Are you prepared to do what needs to be done, no matter what that is? Will you bow to the Regnum and go where we tell you, when we tell you in service of this particular mission?”
Azrian looks to Kato in alarm. They came here for assistance, not to sign their lives over — but from the sound of things, they may not have a choice. “Jellycrai?”
“We are prepared. We’ve always done what was necessary.”
“Then okay,” Azrian says, choosing to trust Kato like he should've done to begin with. “Yes. We accept.”
IT DOESN’T TAKE LONG for the mountain walls to begin feeling as if they’re closing in
— no, not the walls... the people. Kato still hasn’t gotten used to being surrounded by people and the fact that there is no fresh air in here gives him the strong urge to run away. He doesn’t, because he knows they need to be here planning, but he might burst if he doesn’t get a moment alone with Az soon.
It feels weird being around new people without having to try and close out their minds. It's probably the only solace Kato finds in this ordeal, yet he finds himself missing his powers once more. Nut and Axis may not be able to communicate with him anymore, but Nut pulls on Kato’s pant leg so much he finally catches on. They can’t stand it in here, either.
After asking Hanigen to escort the animals back outside the mountain, they silently make their way down that same hallway they entered through. Kato tells them to stay close and feels sad when the door seals him inside once more, this time without Nut by his side.
“They’ll be fine out there,” Hanigen says in an attempt to comfort him, but that isn’t the only thing bothering Kato.
“Yeah, I know. They’re pretty resilient.”
They walk in silence a little longer before Hanigen breaks it again. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to warn you about your fate.”
Fate, Kato thinks, chuckling bitterly. “I guess this was going to happen regardless?”
Hanigen stops walking and looks him over. “Yes. But that isn’t always how visions work. Sometimes they change based on what the person’s decisions are. I didn’t see what happened to you until it was already happening. There was no time to warn you; last I checked in on you, you were staying put in Embermeadow.”
The decision to leave with Tripp was abrupt, so Kato can see how that makes sense. He takes a moment to think about that and wonders how it would have played out if he decided to listen to his boyfriend — the boyfriend that has always been much smarter than he is — but he pushes those thoughts from his mind. He can’t dwell on what ifs. “Do they hurt? The visions?”
“Odd question. One only a Praediti with a gift such as yours would ask. No, they don’t hurt. Not anymore. When we were children, the sudden ones would hurt, but you learn to recognize the signs early on. Neginah gets them more often than me, but she’s also a lot more perceptive than I am.” Hanigen looks as if he wants to ask Kato a question but is holding back, but Kato is much too nosey to let him.
“Ask what you want to know.”
The Oculare laughs and shakes his head fondly. “You really are my favorite Cogitare. Even without your powers, you can read a person with ease. I’m curious... are you happy to be rid of the burden? Or do you miss your gift?”
The strangest part of the question, is that Hanigen doesn’t stick around for the answer. He asks, and then turns on his heels, leaving a very puzzled Kato behind. On one hand, he’s glad he left. Kato truly doesn’t know the answer but the question swirls in his mind as he aimlessly walks back to where they stayed the night. He’s looking for Azrian, he had been looking for him when Nut demanded a personal escort outside, but now he’s lost in more ways than one.
Before he can settle on an answer, Azrian rounds a corner, his face etched with concern. “Jellycrai?”
Kato snaps his gaze up and forces a small smile on his lips. “I was looking for you, did you find somewhere we can have some alone time? Sharing a room with Rone is hard.”
“I might've talked to Alstro,” Azrian says playfully. “He's the Sana here, but he's the nicest one I've ever met next to you. There’s apparently another room a little deeper into the mountain that would be perfect for what we’re looking for. He gave me directions.”
The sparkle in Azrian’s eyes has Kato reaching out to grab his hips right there, but Teagon appears out of nowhere and groans. “Gross, get a room.”
Kato rolls his eyes and just tugs Az along. “We’re trying.” He has no idea where he’s going but when he gets a good distance away from his nosey brother, he stops dead in his tracks. “Am I going the right way? Maybe you should lead.”
“Add that to the list of things I never thought I’d hear you say,” Az replies. “I think we’re going the right way, though. He said to follow the weird noises and the orange light until the air started to heat up, then there will be some sort of a hallway we need to go down. There's a couple of rooms at the end of it that used to be used for something else, but now...”
With a grin, Kato moves Az along again like he didn’t just offer for him to lead and tries to remember the directions. When he feels the change in temperature, he knows they’re on the correct path. The hallway is long and narrow, but when Kato finds an open door to an empty room, he lifts Az off his feet and kicks it closed behind him. Waiting even a second more sounds like torture.
“Yeah,” Az says breathlessly. “I think I’ll keep letting you lead.”
THE ROOM ENDED UP NOT having a bed, but that proved not to be as necessary as they thought it would. Afterward, Az lays his head in Kato’s lap while he plays with his hair, and while the couch is stiffer than the one back home, they both still find comfort in the normalcy of it. “I wonder why it’s hotter over here. I assumed it’d get colder the deeper we went into a mountain.”
“I don't think I wanna know, honestly. Feels like the heart of the mountain is just a raging fire and I'll pass on that. I wouldn't put anything past the Regnum at this point.” He tilts his head to breathe a little better and studies the ceiling above them. It's mostly dust and broken, jagged rock, but every few feet they can make out the remains of some kind of design. “I wonder what used to be here?”
Kato lets his head fall back to stare up at it too. It looks as if it was destroyed — whether by accident or on purpose, who knows. “No clue. I used to be able to answer these types of questions with one look into people’s minds. Now I’m just as clueless as the next guy.” He doesn’t know why he said it, even before Syph stole his powers he had stopped reading minds without permission. “Sorry. That was stupid to say.”
“It's not stupid, Kato. Hurtful, maybe... but not stupid.” Az sits up, rubbing his shoulder and reaching for his shirt. “We should probably get back before someone comes looking for us. We’ve got a council meeting soon... I just can't remember if they said today or tomorrow. We shouldn't miss it.”
With a quick nod, Kato stands and dresses too, excited to finally sit down with every single member of the Regnum. They’ve already met them all individually, but they need a true council meeting. Everyone must be on board.
The walk back seems a lot shorter than the journey to that room, and they find out that they came back for nothing when they get back to the common area. According to Aleon, the council meeting isn’t until the following day and Azrian had been wrong — but that suits them all just fine. There's an entire mountain surrounding them that's begging to be explored, and Teagon’s already halfway down the opposite hallway before Aleon even gets the full question out: “Want to go see what we can find here?”
It's obvious that Aleon is simply using this as an excuse to go hunt for Riley, but Azrian seems interested in the idea so they set off once more.
The hallways begin to twist and turn as they go deeper into the mountain, and the heat worsens but it’s still bearable as they venture on. “We better not get lost in here,” Kato warns, looking up at a particularly high ceiling where there’s more jagged rock which just brings on more questions.
“Why not?” Teagon asks with a mischievous grin. “I think we can survive here, don't you?”
“No,” Az snaps, then blushes and crosses his arms over his chest. “Can’t see Cettia.”
“My love needs Cettia, so no. I go where he goes.” Kato kisses his cheek with a grin so his brothers will look away.
“Didn’t you two just sneak away? You really need another room already?” Teagon asks, and Kato can hear the jealousy on his tongue.
“What’s wrong, Teag? No willing participants here?”
He scoffs. “There are willing participants. I'm just... pacing myself, that's all. Showing restraint in
a new place.”
“What he means,” Aleon says, “is that he lacks the social skills to be invited to stick around after and doesn't want to run out of prospects before it's time for us to go home.”
“Ahh... smart.” Kato chuckles and shakes his head. “Why have that worry when you can find yourself one good one? I mean, we all know I have the best one, but you can find someone decent at least.”
Even Azrian rolls his eyes at that. Teagon answers only with a barked laugh as he starts moving again, and they don't stop again until they come to the end of a series of pathways and the mountain opens up in front of them. Every single one of them is speechless as they take in the stairways carved into the rock, the wooden lifts built into the walls, and what looks like an abandoned city down below. There are whole buildings below them — broken, dark structures, but buildings nonetheless — and it’s like nothing any of them have ever seen before.
“What in the shadows?” Aleon asks. “Did you guys know this was here?”
“How far off did we stray? This shouldn't be the heart of the mountain; we were told to stay away...”
He hears Teagon’s words, but Kato’s inquisitive nature kicks in and his feet begin to move forward of their own accord, much too curious to stop now.
“Kato!” Aleon calls from behind him, finally pulling him from his trance.
“What?” Kato asks, his head tilting. “Aren’t we here to explore?”
“Yeah,” Azrian agrees, but he's still standing as close to the hallway as he can without disappearing into it. “But that's a long way down. And doesn't it strike any of you as odd that we can see? Where’s the light coming from?”
He hadn’t thought of that, so he looks around and then makes his decision. “I’d like to go find out. No one has to come but... I’d like you to.” Kato meets Azrian’s eyes and feels bad that he sees even the slightest bit of fear. “We don’t have to. I can go ask about it instead.”
