by B. T. Narro
“I’m well.” But for some reason, Leo still refrained. He supposed he was worried there might be a reason he hadn’t thought of to keep his relation to DVend Quim hidden a while longer. “Are you really sure this is KRenn?” Leo asked.
“I’m as sure as I can be.”
Andar leaned close and asked, “He was in the rift this whole time?”
“Ask him,” Darren encouraged.
Andar looked at his father as if he didn’t believe it was a good idea.
“Go ahead,” Darren said. “If he’s really the same man, then he will be glad for the question.”
“KRenn, sir,” Andar prompted.
KRenn looked at him but did not reply.
“Were you in the rift all this time?”
A hush came over the audience.
KRenn scratched his ear. “I suppose an explanation is in order. The last all of you heard, I had gone north of here with an Analyte mage to investigate a disturbance, right?”
“Yes,” Dasfis said. “And when we received no word from you, I sent a search party. They found my mage dead, his body disfigured, and you were gone. That’s when we first saw the expanding rift.”
“Then I wager some of you assumed I had created the rift.” KRenn held out his hands in supplication. “I did not. It was there when we arrived. We were about to destroy it when the kasigerr attacked us. It killed the other mage and cornered me. My only means of escape was to run into the rift. To answer your question, young man,” he told Andar, “I was only within the rift for a moment. The rift is a doorway between realms, so I cannot stay within it like the kasigerr can. I was transported to the dark realm when I entered it.” KRenn let out his breath. “Many unfortunate occurrences happened there, none pertinent to destroying the kasigerr and the rift. I was unable to return here for about a year. As we’ve already determined, that was equal to about twenty-three years for everyone in the light realm. This time change brings about a whole series of questions and theories that I will not get into right now. The rift continues to grow. Have you all come here to destroy it or not?”
“We have,” Mavrim said. “We are to attack the beast again—the kasigerr.”
“It cannot be destroyed with swords and arrows,” KRenn said. “Attacking it with these weapons is like trying to take down a wall with the same strategy.”
“We have fire as well,” Erisena said. “A wall of fire made by Lane Writhe here injured the beast and sent it back into the rift when it came for us.” She gestured at a human woman standing beside her.
“That is the problem with an attack plan,” KRenn said. “The kasigerr will run into the rift and heal when it is threatened. You have to understand how it lives in order to destroy it. Something must dictate which realm it exists in when it enters the rift. Why, you might ask? Because of the same reason taking a portal back in time must be impossible. There are too many paradoxes that would arise if the beast did not exist in either realm. The rift is just a doorway, proven to me when I went into it. Who has paper on them? The larger the better. I need a quill as well.”
Soon a blank scroll was passed over to KRenn. By then, thousands of people had come to watch him. KRenn took his place at the top of a stairway leading into one of the many large buildings along the road. Analytes and humans alike had climbed onto roofs for a better view. Leo was thankful no one had put themselves in front of him near the base of the stairs that KRenn stood upon.
KRenn shaped the paper into a dome. He spoke with a loud voice as he lifted it for display. “This is the rift. It works as a doorway like this.” Using the quill, he poked a hole into one side of the paper dome. “If I were to cross here, at this hole I just made, I would come out on the opposite side, here.” He poked another hole on the opposing side of the dome. “No matter where I enter, I come out at the opposite side.” He poked a few more sets of two holes, each pair of holes opposite each other. “But the kasigerr has figured out a way to enter one side of the door and somehow stop itself from passing through to the other side—or to another realm. It now resides in this dome that is the rift. Meanwhile, within the same dome, both realms exist on top of each other. However, the light realm and the dark realm are not exactly in the same place. They just happen to share a doorway, and within that doorway, they share a spot—not physically, mind you—but in some other fashion that would take too long to describe, so you will just have to trust me. You may think of them as physically sharing the same place if that helps you.”
He paused as if to allow the thousands watching to grasp what he was saying. He had an irritated look as if displeased at the confused reactions. Leo felt that he partially understood KRenn but not yet how this related to destroying the rift.
“KRenn, might it be best to discuss this with me and the other leaders?” Mavrim posed. “It sounds as if it might go on a while.”
KRenn looked as if he might shout at the king, but he refrained. “There is no time, sire. All of us must understand the rift so we know what to do. I will skip ahead. The most important question we must ask ourselves is how: How does the kasigerr enter the rift without accessing its portal? How does the kasigerr remain within the doorway? And when it wants to move, how does the kasigerr dictate which realm it steps into? I’m almost entirely confident the answer to all of these questions is Esitry.”
Someone interrupted, “If the kasigerr can go into the rift without transferring between realms, are you saying the kasigerr is smart enough to figure out all of this better than you can?”
“No,” KRenn said with annoyance. “The kasigerr is a beast not too unlike a bear. It does not think in the same way we do. It does not use language. Everything it does is based on impulses given to it by its brain. A bear knows when to eat, when to mate, and when to hibernate. The kasigerr does not eat, it might not sleep, and it certainly doesn’t hibernate. But the way it protects itself and the rift is the same way a bear knows how to protect itself and its cubs. We are dealing with a creature that has learned how to use Esitry in ways that I can only hope we will one day learn ourselves, but it uses Esitry through instinct.”
Leo could feel the crowd eager for answers, but he was certain Mavrim or Dasfis would call KRenn into one of the buildings soon. After that Leo wouldn’t have a chance to ask his own question. He had something on his mind that he needed to know, for he’d continued to feel something different in the air ever since KRenn arrived. This was not Esitry or Artistry. There was something else there that he could almost grab onto, and it was coming from KRenn.
Nervously, Leo blurted out his question, “What if it’s something else that the kasigerr uses, something besides Esitry?”
KRenn appeared curious as he glanced at Leo. Even with thousands watching, KRenn seemed confident as he walked down the steps and squinted at Leo, sending his nerves aflame.
“What is your name?”
“Leo.”
“And do you feel something besides Artistry and Esitry, Leo?”
Now that KRenn was close and Leo had time to focus, there was no denying it anymore.
“Yes, and it’s coming from you.”
KRenn grinned.
CHAPTER TWO
A heavy sense of vulnerability came over Leo as KRenn looked at him. The expert mage was probably capable of things that Leo didn’t even know were possible, and now KRenn had interrupted himself to stare at Leo with a crowd of thousands gaping.
Darren put himself between them. “KRenn,” he warned. “You will not involve Leo in whatever plan you’re thinking.”
The thought hadn’t crossed Leo’s mind that KRenn would plan something with him, but he trusted that his father knew KRenn well.
A look of anger flashed across KRenn’s face. He stepped to the side to look at Leo again, ignoring Darren’s large frame in front of him.
“What you must be feeling, Leo,” said KRenn, “is the bonded form of Esitry and Artistry in the form of a stalwart link. I must assume you are familiar with stalwart links because there i
s one bonding you to your brother.” He shifted his gaze. “And what is your name?”
“Andar.”
“KRenn,” Darren warned aggressively.
“DVend, you will remain quiet!”
Darren seemed too shocked to reply. “You are not the same man I once knew. You will have nothing to do with Leo and Andar, so think of another plan!”
It wouldn’t be long now that people would start to figure out that Leo and Andar were DVend’s sons. Leo supposed his father had thought this through already, though, for he usually pondered every worrisome topic and came to a solution well before discussing it with Leo and Andar. Although, that was the norm four years ago, when Leo was ten and Andar was thirteen. They had changed since then, and Darren should know this.
“I want to hear his plan,” Leo told his father. Besides, he needed to learn more about this bonded form of Esitry and Artistry that KRenn was talking about. It called to Leo like a testing stone. He needed to use it somehow, or at least see what he could do with it. He almost felt that he could pull it out of KRenn, if such a thing was possible.
KRenn stepped back and announced to the crowd, “A rift this size cannot be destroyed by just any attack. We need to determine what causes the rift to grow and destroy that part of it.”
“We can destroy it,” Gavval shouted. “We made a tear in it before the kasigerr showed up to defend it.”
“That’s like saying you made a tear in water. You must do something more drastic.”
“KRenn,” said the Analyte king. “We have believed until now that the rift and the kasigerr are linked to each other. If we destroy one, the other dies.”
“They are not linked. Something within the rift in our realm is linked to something within the rift in the dark realm. Whatever it is in our realm must produce Esitry. The rift itself could be linked to something, but not the kasigerr. The beast is probably linked to the source of the rift, but I cannot be certain about any of this yet.”
Dasfis challenged, “So do you really know how to destroy either the kasigerr or the rift?”
“I have many ideas,” KRenn said snidely, “but they need to be tested.” He glanced at Darren. “That is why I need the help of your sons, DVend.”
Leo swallowed at hearing KRenn reveal the truth about their relationship. But the mage wasn’t done.
“They have a stalwart link between them which might be the key to stopping this rift.”
“We will help,” Leo said before his father could disagree. He knew it was his responsibility to do so.
“Leo—” his father began.
“I know it will be dangerous, but it can only be us.”
“I’m with you.” Andar put his hand on Leo’s shoulder, filling him with pride.
“They are brave like you, DVend,” KRenn said. “Come, there isn’t enough time for everything we need to do, but we will do what we can.” KRenn started walking west, straight through the massive crowd. Leo and Andar bumped into people trying to stay behind him.
“Wait,” Dasfis called out. “One moment, KRenn!” he shouted when KRenn didn’t stop.
The expert mage turned around. “Sire?”
“You have been gone over two decades. There is much you do not know about our situation, and even more we do not know about you. You have said nothing of your trip to the dark realm. Your hair is short, your beard trimmed. You seem to have no injuries, yet every other man who has entered a rift has died within hours. Explain yourself so that we can trust you.”
KRenn took a sharp breath and looked like he would shout at the Analyte king, but he spoke with suppressed anger instead. “Is this not still your land, Dasfis?”
“It is.”
“Then you more than anyone should know that there is no time for storytelling. I am here, I am alive, and I can help. Do you want it or not?”
Dasfis looked at KRenn from the sides of his eyes as if KRenn was unfamiliar to him. “I have claimed responsibility for these young humans, though I did not know they were the sons of DVend Quim. Is this true?” he asked Darren.
“It is, sire. No one knew until now, to protect them from rebel-killing kings.” He eyed Mavrim as if posing a question about their safety. Mavrim gave him a firm nod, then Darren told Dasfis, “Fortunately, that time has passed.”
There were many sounds of shock among the crowd. Murmurs passed by with Leo and Andar’s names attached to them.
“They will not be harmed,” KRenn announced. “Now may I take them, Dasfis? I require a small room that can be sealed. I know there was one in the palace the last time I was there.”
Leo didn’t like the sound of being sealed in a small room with KRenn, but he felt better when he met Andar’s gaze and his older brother nodded to him. They would get through this, no matter what KRenn had planned.
Still, something wasn’t right about this mage. And it wasn’t just the strange, alluring energy emanating from him. Dasfis had a good point: Why was his hair short and beard trimmed? How did he survive the oppressive Esitry for a year in the dark realm? Did time really pass twenty-three times slower in there? There were so many things KRenn could’ve been lying about.
Why was he really here?
“Yes, that room still exists in my palace,” Dasfis replied. “You are welcome to use it.”
“I also require all the rift gems you can acquire and bring to me today. I expect the rest to be brought as soon as possible in the days to come, but there must be many within the first few hours of our arrival to the palace. Can you arrange that, Dasfis and Mavrim?”
The kings looked at one another. “We can arrange that,” Dasfis answered for them both.
“Choose someone now who you trust, Dasfis,” KRenn said. “They will go to the palace with us and ensure we have everything we need before and after the rift gems are delivered.”
“I will go, Father,” the Analyte princess announced.
Leo had gotten used to Siki involving herself with the affairs of Leo and his brother, for they were servants to the Analyte king now. It was Siki’s hatred of Leo’s brother that he still hadn’t gotten used to. Her feelings seemed too intense and way out of proportion to Andar’s transgression of entering the palace without permission and lying to her about his purpose there.
Andar had gone into the palace for a good reason. The leader of the human army was a selfish and power-hungry man named Jarrel Marks. He had most likely killed the previous commander to be promoted to his position. During that scuffle, many people saw the murderer running off with a long gash down his leg. There should still be a scar. Andar had gone into the palace, without permission, and then lied to Siki about his purpose there when she caught him. Andar had needed to find out where Jarrel Marks would be staying so he could plan some way to see Jarrel’s leg. Andar had told this to both the king and the princess later, but Siki still held a grudge while her father did not.
Dasfis, at hearing his daughter’s proposal, held his gaze on KRenn for a little while. “Will it be safe?” he asked eventually.
“I will ensure it is, sire,” KRenn answered. “We will all return once the testing is complete.”
Leo’s father put his hand on Leo’s shoulder as he glared at KRenn. “You will not take them anywhere until you explain what it is you plan to do in this sealed room.”
“We are all here to destroy the rift, DVend!” he snapped. “I may have a way to do that without anyone dying, and your sons are needed. Now let them go. They are both clearly men. They can decide for themselves if they want to help or stay here and do nothing with the rest of you!”
A silence came over the crowd.
KRenn’s face of rage turned to sadness. “Forgive me,” he said. “My year in the rift was extremely difficult. I’m eager to put an end to all of this so I may start grieving for my son. I realize many of you may be thinking that I am not the same man who entered the rift twenty-three years ago, but I am. You all must be curious about what happened to me in the dark realm, but it’s not impo
rtant to destroying this rift.” Leo grew nervous as KRenn looked right at him. “Will you help me destroy this rift, young man?”
“I will.”
“And you?” KRenn asked Andar.
“Of course,” he said, then turned to their father. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
With one arm around each of them, Darren pulled Leo and Andar close for an embrace. “Be careful. This temper of KRenn’s is new.”
“We will,” Leo answered as he hugged his father. Perhaps this would all be over soon and no one in power would want his father’s head anymore. Leo would face the kasigerr again to make that happen.
KRenn was speaking with Dasfis and Mavrim as Leo and Andar approached him. When KRenn saw them, he turned away from a worried-looking Mavrim as the king was speaking to him. KRenn started toward Leo.
“KRenn, you still haven’t told us what you need from us!” Mavrim reminded him sharply.
“To fight back the kasigerr while we destroy the rift,” KRenn replied. “We attack together as early as this evening, so prepare your troops.”
He stopped and turned around as he seemed to notice something. KRenn smiled at the king. “So you’ve finally let people know your skill and knowledge with Artistry.”
“Like I said earlier, a lot has changed since you were gone.”
KRenn nodded to him. He turned as if to leave, but Mavrim called out once more.
“So not all my troops are needed here?”
“How many soldiers, mages and otherwise, are here in the capital?”
“There are twenty-five thousand soldiers of mine,” Mavrim said. “About five hundred mages I believe, many with only a small grasp on Artistry or Esitry.”
“And you, sire?” KRenn asked Dasfis.
“Eight thousand soldiers. One hundred mages.”
“That is far more soldiers than we need,” KRenn said. “Most will get in the way of each other. Keep most of your archers here, Mavrim, and all of your mages. You can send most of the other soldiers back.”
