by B. T. Narro
They walked along the river, away from the barbarian town. The memory of Andar’s experience there was fresh in his mind. He shuddered every time he thought of that large ugly man carrying Siki off on his shoulder like she was some prize. It was fortunate that Andar had such skill over Artistry, otherwise they would still be stuck there.
But then again, they probably never would’ve risked entering a village without scouting it first if Andar was like most other soldiers. Siki had trusted Andar to keep her safe, and she must’ve had some confidence in herself, as well, to protect the two of them.
She probably would’ve knocked out the barbarian if I hadn’t intervened, then cut her ropes with his blade and run off. Skyfire and ash, she was fast.
Andar didn’t realize he was staring at her with admiration as she looked over at him. She glanced back ahead, attempting to hide a bashful smile.
She didn’t ask “what?” this time. It was a small victory.
She must notice his handsomeness, right? Finally? She had been so cold to him until now…until they’d fought together for their lives.
Wait, she was nicer before we fought together.
Siki had warmed up to him after his apology, if his memory served correctly. Was it really just that? A single heartfelt apology? He should’ve apologized much earlier for what he’d done. He was embarrassed as he realized that he’d just smacked his forehead.
“Did you just realize something?” Siki asked with a light laugh.
“Uh.” He tried to think of a lie. There was something true, actually, that he’d been meaning to bring up. “I can’t believe I needed someone else to mention the idea of linking fish I couldn’t see. I should’ve thought of trying it.”
“You shouldn’t blame yourself. I’ve studied the energies…along with many other subjects. I study every day with my tutor, though my father has allowed some time to practice with the bow at least.”
“So you must know all about this island now that we know we’re on Disetel.”
“Yes, but I don’t know if any of it will help us. This island is narrow but one hundred miles long. It lays southwest to northeast. There are many fishing villages, but I do not know which are allegiant to the barbarian cause of taking over Aathon and which…um, I don’t know the proper phrase.”
“Keep to themselves like scared children during a brawl.”
“Yes…I suppose that is what I’m trying to say. But taking a ship from a fishing village is the only way to return to Aathon if your brother is unable to make another portal for us.”
“He will make one.”
“But when?”
“I don’t know, but Leo would never give up.”
“You’re saying it could be months, even years?”
“No, I—”
“He needs another testing stone, I know,” Siki spoke for Andar. “But all known stones were already delivered.”
“He will find another.”
“Where? How?”
“KRenn will help him.”
“He…” She paused. “You might be right, but we can’t know for sure. KRenn cared only about closing the rift. He didn’t even put importance on his own health. He might leave Leo on his own.”
Andar lowered his gaze as he thought. Siki might be right, but he knew Leo well. His brother would never give up until Andar was back in Aathon. Their father would help however he could. A testing stone would be found. Leo would bring them back eventually.
He looked into Siki’s worried eyes. “I want to return just as much as you do, but we could die trying to find a way back by boat. That is not the right choice. I’m completely and utterly sure that my brother will make another portal for us as soon as he can. Leo is out looking for a testing stone right now. When he finds one, he will try to send a message to me. I may or may not receive it. Either way, we will be near the rift location and ready to return. It could be days or even weeks, but it won’t be months, Siki. I’m certain of that because I know my brother.”
She tilted her head. “You really are sure, aren’t you?”
He nodded.
“I can’t imagine being so sure that my brother would come rescue me, and my brother is older. Leo is younger.”
Andar waited for her point, or perhaps a question. She looked to be deep in thought as she glanced ahead.
“My father would do everything in his power to help me, so long as it didn’t interfere with the destruction of the rift. That has been his priority since before I was born, since before my mother died. I can’t imagine his life without battling the rift. It has always been him against it, it against us.”
Andar was surprised to see sadness in her glistening eyes. She had not spoken of her mother before, but he didn’t feel right to ask questions. She looked as if she had more she wanted to say.
“We are all so tired of the rift,” Siki continued after a heavy sigh. “It continues to grow and consume. It has destroyed farmland, crops, entire towns, and it will one day destroy all of us if we do not stop it. I would understand my father choosing to destroy the rift before rescuing me. I would hope he would make that decision.”
Siki glanced at Andar. He couldn’t read the emotion on her face as her eyes squinted in what looked to be pain. She suddenly threw her arms around him. He was too surprised to return the embrace.
“What is it?” he asked.
“I could’ve been sucked into a rift without you. I could be alone here…and no one would come for me for a long time.”
She squeezed him tighter. He brought his arms around her and pulled her closer.
“You were holding your ground before you tried to help me. I noticed. I should’ve thanked you for this earlier. Anyone else would’ve let me go past them, but you didn’t let that happen. I was very rude to you, yet you still tried to save me. You are here because you tried to help me, and you have never once blamed me for that.”
He stepped back to look into her eyes. She glanced up at him with a spark that made him want to lean down and show her just what she meant to him.
“I can’t imagine being here alone,” she said.
He opened his mouth to say something about how he felt but found a stupid joke coming out that he was powerless to stop. “I’m better off here anyway. Imagine being stuck with KRenn all this time. Poor Leo.”
She chuckled dryly as she parted from him.
Andar cursed himself.
“Andar.” She didn’t seem to want to meet his eyes. “Do you know I’m engaged to be married?”
“What? To who?” Shock had made anger slip out in his tone.
“A man whose family has great wealth. After we destroy the rift, they will help us rebuild the towns that were lost.”
“So you are going to be married once the rift is destroyed?”
Siki nodded. She didn’t seem too pleased about the idea.
Andar didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to risk another stupid joke, but opening his heart to Siki would be even worse. She was obligated, for the sake of her people, to marry this man. A man she hasn’t said one word about, Andar noted. A man she clearly doesn’t love.
Siki looked at Andar as if expecting him to speak. He took a breath as he accepted the responsibility to make this easier for her, even if it was painful for him to say the words.
“I hope he treats you well.”
She stared at him for some time. He couldn’t help but tell her with his eyes how much this hurt him, but he couldn’t look away from her, either.
Eventually, her gaze drifted to the ground. “Thank you,” she said.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Rygen almost wept with joy when she arrived outside the Analyte palace. The structure seemed as if it was beautiful not long ago, though now roofs of the circular towers were charred, and the grass was stained with blood where it wasn’t burned to ash. She realized Leo probably wasn’t here, but she was still relieved to have made it. The trip had taken a month, if not longer. She’d lost track of the days. If it wasn’t for
Jin hunting for her, she certainly would’ve starved.
But dampening her spirits was the view of the massive rift behind the palace. It blocked half the sky as it rose up over the hills and even the mountains. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever seen any single thing quite as large. She remembered seeing paintings of vast and empty oceans, but the water would meet the horizon as if it and the sky were equals. The rift did not. Its highest point reached the clouds, where it drifted downward in a long oval shape, dwarfing the terrain. She wondered if a rift so large could ever really be destroyed, and if so, how?
Rygen still hadn’t found a way to convince the strong and confident creature she’d contacted to come into her realm. It seemed a little silly to her that he was frightened of a rift when Jin never seemed to mind hopping through. But perhaps the beast’s hesitance also came from the notion that Rygen couldn’t seem to convince it that she was strong. She didn’t know why that mattered, but she was confident that his question of her strength was the only message that the beast would allow to be relayed between the realms.
She arrived at the western side of palace’s large hill. Around the sloping land to the south was a camp with many tents, along with hundreds of humans and Analytes busy with a variety of tasks. She was delighted to see the men and women who had purple hair. This would be the first time she’d met an Analyte. She had used the last of her water for drinking but was starting to regret not sparing some to clean her face. She could feel a layer of filth across her forehead that she hoped people wouldn’t stare at. There was no reason to try cleaning off the dirt with a sleeve. All her clothes were filthy. She was just as eager for a bath as she was to speak to Darren.
Many Analytes and humans watched from the outskirts of the camp. They spotted Rygen but didn’t appear threatened by her. It was disconcerting to see that all wore armor as if a threat was imminent. The Analyte soldiers ignored her while the human soldiers looked on with curiosity. One woman walked off. Rygen’s gaze followed the woman as she went between tents and then came to a very familiar man.
Darren turned and spotted Rygen. She smiled so hard her cheeks hurt. Excitement made her run. She felt like a child again, unable to stop herself as she realized everyone was staring.
“Darreeeeeennnnn!” she squealed.
What voice was that? She sounded like a little girl. Control yourself, Rygen. You’re a grown woman now!
But she lost all hope of acting mature as Darren picked her up and spun her around. “Rygen! Thank the gods you’re safe. I was so worried!”
He set her down. She squeezed him as tightly as she could. Gods, he seemed even larger and stronger now. Her heart warmed as tears welled in her eyes. She was safe. Finally!
Rygen buried her face against his shoulder as she tried to stop herself from crying. But he hugged her with such warmth and protection that she had no hope of controlling her emotions. She felt as if she’d been reunited with her father, though not her birth father, who died before she was born. Darren truly had cared for her as if she were his daughter, and he still did. She felt so foolish that she’d once been afraid of him, so stupid to have believed Gartel that Darren was just some brute.
Darren would make sure nothing happened to her…something his sister stopped worrying about when Rygen had proven that she was capable of taking care of herself. That was true; she could take care of herself, but gods had she missed having someone look out for her just in case.
His sister…oh no. He’s waiting to hear. He was so worried about me, so he must be just as worried about her.
They finally parted. She could see fear in his eyes. “My sister?” he asked softly.
“I’m…not sure what happened to her.”
His face fell. “Tell me everything you know.”
Rygen recounted the story of her leaving before the barbarians arrived, then trying to go back. Her driver wouldn’t allow it, stole her money, and left her to fend for herself. She left out the other part, about how he’d attempted to…and then she’d…. Rygen didn’t even want to remember it.
Darren had a sad look as he held Rygen’s gaze. His eyes lowered. She let him have a few moments before she told him about encountering the army and meeting Edward.
He nodded as she spoke, as if having expected the very interaction she was describing.
When she was finished, he said, “We have scouts watching them, Rygen. Everything is under control.” He spoke as if she shouldn’t worry.
“I’ve grown up a lot,” she informed him. “I had to do things in Jatn to protect myself. I am capable of helping.”
“You have grown up; I barely recognized you at first!” Darren said the words as if he was patronizing a child. “But you are still young, Rygen. You cannot be involved in this and be safe at the same time. There are plenty of other ways you can help, though. There are many men and women assisting us in fortifying our defenses. There are plenty of tasks you can do.” He gestured at the young woman who was standing nearby. Rygen had been so enthralled to see Darren again, she had barely noticed.
“I’m Lane Writhe,” said the woman as she extended her hand. She was pretty, but in a tough way, like she didn’t care about her appearance, yet her beauty was evident anyway. Her lush hair was in complete control, resting on her shoulders. Her dark eyelashes brought out the spark in her brown eyes. Faint freckles were scattered across her cheeks. She seemed confident in the way she carried herself, as if she could easily be responsible for Rygen along with many others, if needed, though she was busy enough as it was. Rygen immediately wanted to be more like this woman.
“Your name is very familiar,” Rygen replied as she shook the woman’s hand.
Lane smiled without answering and changed the subject. “How about you come with me and we get you cleaned up?”
Wait, it was Andar who had mentioned Lane Writhe. She was the woman he spoke about so long ago!
“Gods,” Rygen murmured. “I know you!”
For the last four years Rygen often thought of a woman Andar had heard people speaking about in the market. Rygen had forgotten her name, but what the woman had gone through had stuck with Rygen so clearly. Lane was young when she first realized her ability with Artistry. She’d been very poor, just like Rygen. She’d worked on a farm for many years, just like Rygen.
Eventually, Lane was recruited by the Farmers’ Guild, Andar had explained. She became a mage in training within the guild, no longer a farm worker. She spent years claiming allegiance to them, learning enough about Artistry to become a well-paid Ascendant. This all happened before she turned thirty. Lane was probably past that age now, though just barely by the looks of her. She appeared younger than Darren, who Rygen knew to be in his early thirties. Lane had been plotting with Erisena’s rebels during much of the time she’d worked as a mage for the Farmers’ Guild. She’d joined the rebels officially when the king’s army attacked Jatn.
The reason Lane’s story was so memorable was because of the point Andar had been trying to make, a point that Rygen had now come to believe was correct. He’d wanted her and Leo to accompany him to the army recruitment station the next day. They would join the army, where they would receive food, housing, payment, and of course training until they were ready to betray King Mavrim’s army and join the rebels.
Rygen had thought much about how she could’ve been like Lane. Rygen wouldn’t have had to kill anyone. She would’ve been a much stronger summoner. She would’ve been with Leo this whole time.
She wished so strongly that she had done that, but part of her knew the truth. The three people she had killed would still be alive if she’d taken the easy path. She hated that she had to be the one to take their lives, but she would do it again if given the choice.
Lane looked at Rygen with curiosity. “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
Rygen shook her head. “I’m sorry. I just meant that I’ve heard much about you. I respect what you have done.”
Lane nodded in a show of gratitude.
; “I would appreciate a bath and a way to clean my clothes, but…” She looked at Darren. She wasn’t sure if he was the leader of this group outside the palace, or what exactly they were doing out here, but he had always been a man who cared about Rygen. He would be the only person who might actually listen to her pleas.
“Please tell me what Leo is doing so I can help him.”
Darren let out a sigh. “He is running. There is nothing you can do for him at this time. I’ve already sent my best riders after him.”
“But what happened? Why is he running?”
“It’s the same reason we are out here watching for signs of an attack. Jarrel and Gavval mean to take power away from us. They do not want us destroying the rift. They plan to use it to pillage from the Analyte people.”
“How can they use the rift?”
“It’s the threat of the rift that they’ll use. It’s because of the rift that we cannot chase their army around Aathon. The rift will sweep through the Analyte capital in a few years, if we leave here. First we must destroy it. Then we can destroy Jarrel and Gavval’s army, but they know this. They have tried and will continue to try to kill our most valuable allies.”
“Leo and Andar.”
Darren nodded sadly. “When KRenn announced that my sons would be used to destroy the rift, they were added to a long list of targets.”
“I heard about the other targets. Edward feared the king might’ve been killed.”
Lane spoke. “He is alive thanks to Darren.” She glanced at him as if sharing a secret. Rygen figured Lane and Darren had been targeted as well. “Jarrel failed in many ways. He attempted to use Darren’s children and the Analyte princess as ransom to take the treasure of the Analyte king, but Darren noticed Leo and KRenn escaping on horseback before Jarrel took the palace. Darren rightly assumed that Leo wouldn’t abandon Andar, and neither would leave the princess on her own with a threat imminent. Andar and Siki must’ve left the palace earlier. But we cannot figure out where they went or why they were left on their own.”
“They didn’t choose to go anywhere.” Rygen took out the letter from her pocket. “Andar went missing, and it doesn’t seem to be by his own volition. I assume whatever happened to him happened to Siki as well.”
