The Bones of Titans

by B. T. Narro

  Darren read over the letter.

  “Missing?” he repeated, then looked at Lane for answers.

  She shrugged. “We’ll need Erisena to read it. Perhaps she can make sense of the letter.”

  “I can bring it to her,” Rygen volunteered. It was the best way for her to stay involved in this, and Rygen had wanted to meet the Analyte summoner and leader of the rebels for years. Though Darren’s tone through all of this made it seem as though he might’ve taken command. No, it would’ve been given to him, not taken. Darren wouldn’t have had it any other way.

  Lane and Darren looked at each other with disapproval of Rygen’s request.

  “Please,” Rygen added. “I want to meet her.”

  “Our hesitance has nothing to do with you,” Darren explained.

  Lane added, “Erisena is very busy at the moment. She continues to plan with the king as to how to destroy the rift. Darren and I have taken on the task of rescuing Leo and KRenn while monitoring Gavval’s army.”

  It was hard to hear that Leo was not as important to Erisena and the king as he was to Rygen.

  “Didn’t KRenn say that Leo and Andar are needed to destroy the rift?”

  “KRenn said a lot of things,” Darren said. “Some of his statements were too complicated for us to verify, let alone fully understand. He didn’t appear himself, either, often snapping in anger. He might be unstable—a different man than he was before entering the rift.”

  “All the more reason to help Leo as soon as possible if he’s running from soldiers with KRenn as his only ally!”

  “Rygen.” Darren put his hand on her shoulder. “He is my son. I am doing everything possible to help him. The only reason I didn’t ride after him myself is because I am that confident in the riders I have sent. They are truly masters—they understand the limitations of horses better than I do. They will catch up and save Leo.”

  Rygen took a breath to attempt to relax. Over the past few years, she had regretted not coming to Darren more often for help. He was the most capable man she’d met. She was nearly certain her mother had feelings for Darren a lifetime ago, for Rygen remembered the efforts she’d put into her appearance and the way she’d discussed him with affection at times. Rygen noticed now that Darren was handsome for a man his age, which surely wasn’t lost on her mother. But Darren had not reciprocated these feelings, most likely. He had seemed as if he couldn’t care for anyone but his sons. Although he’d been swept up in this mess, he was still the same caring father. She would trust him as she wished she had when she was younger.

  “I understand,” Rygen said. “But do we at least know that he and Andar are safe right now?”

  “I’m awaiting a message from my riders,” Darren said, “but I do believe they are safe. Once Leo returns, I’m sure he can tell us where Andar went with Siki. They will all be here soon enough. Have a bath, clean your clothing, relax and eat. I will have a tent set up for you here.”

  “I’d really rather see Erisena myself in the Analyte capital.”

  Lane raised her eyebrows at Darren. “It is a beautiful place to see. I could take her and find a room for her.”

  “And if Jarrel returns while you are gone?”

  Lane made a face as if she saw his point. She really must be as powerful as Andar had heard.

  “I’m happy to walk there myself. I did come all this way on my own,” Rygen reminded them.

  “The dishonorable men have all left with Jarrel,” Lane told Darren.

  “There are dishonorable men everywhere hiding behind good manners and a shaved face. Even among our rebels, I have met some of them.” There seemed to be more he wasn’t saying. Perhaps they had made comments about Lane.

  The mage let out a slow breath. “That is a shame.”

  “Which is why I didn’t want to tell you.” He turned to Rygen. “I will have someone we trust escort you to the capital.”

  Rygen decided it was time to stop holding back. “I already have someone we can trust.” She opened a rift and out jumped Jin. He circled around Rygen’s waist as he watched Darren and Lane carefully.

  She held in a smile as she watched Darren’s eyes go wide with shock. She couldn’t remember the last time she had seen him make any expression besides one of hard determination or frightening anger.

  “I had heard from Leo that you were a skilled summoner,” he said, “but the way you opened that rift was like that of a master.” He eyed her creature cautiously. “Is he trained?”

  “Yes,” she said, keenly aware of Darren’s misunderstanding of summoned creatures. They did not need to be trained. They shared a connection with their partner.

  Darren didn’t seem to fully believe her as he looked at Jin with uncertainty.

  “He is,” Rygen emphasized. “Jin, open your mouth to show them your sharp teeth.”

  He opened without growling, clearly showing his fangs.

  “They are friends, Jin,” Rygen said. Jin walked over and nuzzled against Lane, then made his way over to Darren. Both stroked his back while showing expressions of shock.

  Rygen held in a proud smile.

  Lane seemed to snap out of her shock first, leaning down in front of Rygen. “Aren’t you something! We’ve very happy to have you here. Aren’t we, Darren?”

  Rygen watched Darren, hoping for the same grin that Lane held. Finally, it came like the sun after a storm.

  “Just come to me first if you need anything, all right Rygen?”

  “She can do it herself,” Lane interrupted. “She came all this way.”

  “Lane, she—”

  “I will come to you Darren,” Rygen said, glad to have someone worrying about her for a change.

  “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you both.”

  “I’ll arrange for a bath for you in the palace where you’ll have more privacy,” Darren said. “Then you can wait in the capital until Erisena is available.”

  Rygen grinned.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  The Analyte capital was nothing like Jatn. Rather than a scatter of empty homes marking the outskirts of the city of Jatn, the Analyte capital had a definitive beginning where the dirt road changed to a paved one. It ran between enormous mountains, paths branching out to wrap around structures that surely were too large to simply be called buildings, though Rygen didn’t know what else to call them. Some were four stories high, but it was their width that was most impressive. Rygen counted the steps she took as she walked beside one. She stopped at a hundred, when the counting had begun to distract her.

  The structures themselves were made of wood, rich in color. The greens, browns, and beiges blended with the gray stone of the mountains to create a peaceful mood that did not at all match the only thing similar between here and Jatn—the bustle of the people. Rygen figured it had to do with the armies staying here. At least a few thousand rebels camped outside the palace. She’d seen many walking around inside the palace, as well, before she’d taken her bath. But the rest were sure to be here. The number of soldiers in the capital surely had to be at least close to the number of human soldiers she’d seen marching west, when she’d met Edward.

  Well, she hoped their numbers were close. She hadn’t asked Darren, but it didn’t seem as if he was too worried about losing a battle against Jarrel and Gavval. His concern was about finding his sons and destroying the rift.

  Rygen became furious whenever she thought about Leo needing help. Jarrel’s men could still be after Leo at this very moment. They would murder him, for nothing! For trying to do what was right!

  She tried to reach the strong creature again as she walked through the capital. She needed to find a human who she could ask about Erisena’s whereabouts. Darren had told her, while getting her bath together in private quarters, that most of the Analytes didn’t speak common tongue. He’d also warned her that a message wouldn’t reach Erisena unless it was important, so it was up to Rygen to stress the importance of Leo’s letter. Darren had told her she shou
ld find other human rebels deeper in the city. Many were staying in a white building on the northern side. It was near a waterfall that she looked forward to seeing.

  The creature in the other realm seemed disinterested in her at the moment. She beckoned to it many times as she noticed Analyte men and women looking at her with curiosity. They wonder what a young human girl is doing here. But Rygen already felt more at home in this place than she had in Jatn after Leo and Andar had left. There were people here that she cared about, who cared about her.

  Eventually, she came across the waterfall crashing down the mountainside. It fell into a hole beside the mountain wall, where it seemed to become an underground stream that ran beneath the city. Rygen realized then that the pumps, barrels, wells, and spigots she’d seen meant that these Analyte people had their water needs taken care of far better than the citizens of Jatn, who all relied on the river that ran through the city. Rygen had to be careful using that river water at times, for it wasn’t always clean, having passed through much of the city before reaching her. Here that wouldn’t matter. Rygen looked forward to learning what other luxuries would be available to her. No, she looked forward to Leo showing her.

  She couldn’t fathom the idea that something could happen to him. She’d shed tears if she let herself imagine his struggle as he fled on horseback. She’d already discussed it with Darren. There was nothing she could do but send out silent prayers and hopes with all her heart that he would be safe, and that wherever Andar was, he would also return unharmed.

  Rygen was greeted by a human man outside the white building who was clearly surprised to see a girl here as young as her. After explaining who she was and why she’d come here, she got on with her business: Leo had written a letter that he’d handed to Edward while the soldiers were marching off. The letter described how Andar had disappeared and that Leo needed to help him. Rygen had spoken with Darren and Lane, who’d sent her here. She wanted to deliver the letter to Erisena and speak with her as soon as time allowed.

  “You won’t speak with her because she doesn’t have time,” said the man. “I’ll take the letter and ensure she gets it.”

  Rygen wanted to argue, but Darren had warned her that Erisena would be busy. She was too important to talk with Rygen about Esitry and summoning, and Rygen wouldn’t force her to reprioritize even if Rygen could. She handed off the letter and asked about where she might be able to stay.

  The man seemed somewhat sad as he mentioned, “There are rooms available for you.”

  Because some of the rebels were killed. It was a concept that would take some getting used to. They died in combat, here in the city. Rygen hadn’t noticed signs of battle here like she had when she’d arrived at the palace. Either the people here had cleaned up or the battle itself had been of a clandestine nature.

  Clandestine, that was it. Specific people were targeted, then Jarrel’s men ran. She should’ve asked how Darren had defended the king and Erisena as well as himself. She was certain there was a story there, bringing her back to her childhood as she read about the Quims with Leo.

  Leo had no idea, until later, that the book had been written by his aunt and that it was about his family, but both he and Rygen had sensed something important to the story right away. They knew it would become part of them in ways other stories had not.

  She wanted to be stronger than she currently was. She wanted tales to be told about how she became as powerful as Erisena.

  But most of all, she ached to see Leo again.

  The cold moisture in the air came as a relief to the hot weather, but it dissipated as she entered the white building where most of the rebels were staying. The man led her up to the top floor and brought her to her new room. The door was already open. The bed wasn’t made. There were even some clothes lying on the ground that didn’t appear to have been washed recently.

  “No one is staying here?” Rygen asked to make sure.

  “The woman who was here fell in combat. People have come by to claim her belongings. You’re welcome to anything you want.”

  Rygen was shocked at the disregard to the woman’s things.

  “She was buried with the others,” the man went on. “It was a simple but elegant ceremony. Both kings gave a speech. It was tasteful.”

  “What did they say?”

  “In the speech?”

  “Yes.”

  The man thought as Rygen looked around. A dresser stood next to the bed on one side of the small room. A table with a single chair took up the other side. There was no window.

  “It was about how we will get revenge and destroy the rift,” the man finally said.

  Doesn’t sound elegant or tasteful. She imagined the burial was just like this room, disorganized and eliciting a mixture of emotions.

  “I have to return,” said the man.

  Rygen didn’t want to be stuck in here alone. This room didn’t belong to her. Who was this woman who’d died? Was she important and targeted? Did she have friends or family? If so, where were they now? But the man was already leaving.

  “Please try to get a message to Erisena that I want to speak with her after she reads the letter,” Rygen called after him.

  “I’ll try,” he said without turning back.

  Rygen glanced around the room, unsure what to do now. She hadn’t come all this way to sit in a dead woman’s room. She went through the dresser to find a few other garments that she ignored for the time being. She soon found a sack stuffed into a corner of one drawer. It smelled clean enough.

  She took all the clothes, the dead woman’s and her own, stuffed them in the sack and set out to ask the doorman for a place where she could wash them. But the man was no longer there, so she walked through the streets with the heavy bag, asking each human she saw about a place to wash garments until she was directed to a long ally. It ran between the mountains and one of the buildings. She found the washing station there, a busy and cramped place, but it would do.

  She spent a long while scrubbing all the clothing, then hung it to dry in the hot sun. Most people seemed to be waiting here for their robes to dry, so Rygen figured there might be a chance of theft if she left. She stood there among chatting Analytes, all of them women, most of whom paid close attention to anything Rygen did. She tried speaking with a few. Either none of them knew common tongue, or they didn’t care enough to speak with her.

  She grew bored and nervous, wondering if this would be her life for the next week as she waited for Leo to return. What if Jarrel and Gavval attacked before then? Would she fight? If she did, might she be confused for an enemy by her Analyte allies?

  If her allies tried to destroy the rift before Leo arrived, would Darren allow her to join them? She had chosen not to bring up the enormous beast that Leo discussed briefly in his letter. Edward had mentioned it as well, but she had been too distracted by Andar’s disappearance, Leo’s turmoil with Jarrel, and KRenn coming back at the same age as when he’d left.

  But now that she thought about this beast, it started to frighten her. Edward had explained that all the armies combined had tried to fight it. Many died as the rest had to retreat. How could one beast defeat thousands of soldiers? Weren’t powerful mages and summoners with them?

  Just how big is this monster?

  Come evening, Rygen found lines forming outside certain buildings. She figured that food would be served to her and the others, so she took her place in line. It was a long wait as she listened to Analyse spoken all around her.

  She was starting to regret coming to the capital. If she’d stayed at the camp outside the palace, she could at least speak with other people.

  The line turned down hallways and eventually led to a large dining room. Rygen was given a plate with food she didn’t recognize. It was a lump of mush that spread into a flat circle. It smelled somewhat like potatoes and butter, with a hint of a spice she didn’t recognize. She was surprised when she sat and took a bite to find out that it tasted sweet and savory. There were small ch
unks of something in it she deemed to be meat, though she didn’t recognize the animal.

  No one spoke to her, but that didn’t stop many of the Analytes from looking at her. At least they didn’t stare with the same kind of expression she often found on the faces of men in Jatn. She might be bored here, but boredom was a blessing when compared with worry. Or was that only because she’d spent so much time worrying? Her trip here had been so long that she had feared many times that she might not make it.

  If Leo and Andar would just come back safely, she could relax completely. Well, until it was time to destroy the rift. She hoped they would at least have one day together before then.

  A strange tingling spread through her body as she thought of seeing Leo again. She didn’t know where this feeling was coming from, though. She might not even know Leo anymore. He could’ve changed in the time they’d been apart. She certainly had.

  He was just so caring the last time. And he was the most handsome boy she’d ever seen. Perhaps that’s where this feeling came from that was quickly taking away her appetite for food and replacing it with the memory of his lips.

  The sun was setting by the time she made it back to her quarters. She had traveled all this way alone, but it was only here, in this dead woman’s room, that she felt lonely. She beckoned to Jin across the realms, curious about what he was doing. He was usually hunting or hiding in that dangerous world of his. Right now he was hiding. He gladly took the rift Rygen opened for him to join her.

  KRenn had been to Jin’s world. She wished she could speak to him, for she had so many questions. What had he seen there? How had he stayed the same age? But it was Erisena who Rygen knew would provide the real information she needed. Curiosity was unimportant right now. Rygen needed to figure out how to summon this strong creature.

  Battle was coming.

  Her heart raced as she thought of fighting. She could defeat one unsuspecting man easily, but what about a whole army whose entire purpose was to destroy her and her allies? Everyone in these parts, friends and foes, had had training—something she was sorely lacking.