by B. T. Narro
“I want to know exactly what you plan to do.”
“Fight, however I’m needed.”
“Did anyone ask for your help?”
“No.”
“Did anyone tell you that you need to improve your skills?”
“No.” Rygen blurted out something she didn’t even know she felt. “I have been ignored for a long time.”
“I highly doubt that. You are quite beautiful and so very alone.”
“I have been ignored…in regard to my abilities.”
“Ah, now we are getting somewhere.” Erisena walked toward the door. Ravitch followed her to where she stopped short and turned back. “The tip I was going to tell you is that strength can be felt through Esitry. The Esitren in the dark realm might be satisfied with your confidence but not your strength.”
“I heard stories of the massive beast you summoned while fleeing Jatn. It stopped the cavaliers from reaching you and the other rebels. But, and forgive me for saying this, you don’t look particularly strong, either.” Erisena was thin and not very tall. Her limbs were covered by sleeves and pants, but the width of her shoulders told Rygen that Erisena wouldn’t be winning any wrestling matches with men.
“Strength isn’t only measured by the size of your muscles.” She looked down at Jin, who still was annoyingly interested in Erisena. “When did you first summon him to our realm?”
“Years ago.”
“When you were physically quite weak.”
“Yes.”
“Well, you must be strong in other aspects for Jin to trust you and look up to you. That’s what all Esitren seek when they make a connection with us. They want guidance. If they do not seek guidance or do not care for a partnership, then there is no way to tame them. You might convince them anyway to come through a rift, but they will only attack and destroy out of self-preservation or fear. I have a creature like that; he barely listens. I have only once summoned him, and it was recently to fend off Jarrel’s ambush.”
“That sounds like the incenfiend that an army summoner brought into Jatn.”
“I heard about that.” Erisena let out her breath. “I wish I could march some troops into Jatn and hang Celia for her crimes, but we have other priorities at the moment.”
“She is dead,” Rygen said.
Erisena tilted her head as if trying to read through Rygen’s words, but Rygen didn’t want to speak about the wretched woman responsible for the death of her mother.
“How can I get stronger?” she asked instead.
Erisena paused, as if considering whether to pursue Celia’s fate. Eventually she answered, “One way is to learn a weapon.”
“I thought you said strength isn’t measured by the size of my muscles.”
“It isn’t only measured that way.” She made a rift for Ravitch to use as an exit. Rygen told Jin to leave through the same one.
“The highest potential for immediate growth is by learning a weapon,” Erisena said. “A bow should suit you better than a sword because you are small. You will never be able to shoot as far and as fast as a man like DVend, who has the superior strength to draw back the thread farther, but you will build your strength and accuracy through practice nonetheless. This should boost your confidence and dexterity. Everything matters in regard to strength, so this should help immensely. I will set up training as we wait for the others to return. If you are not ready in time, you will not fight.”
“But I want to.”
“You say that now, but you have not witnessed an army of thousands charging at you. You have not witnessed the kasigerr guarding the rift.”
Rygen started to doubt her courage.
“Rest well,” Erisena said. “I will send someone for you after breakfast hours are done.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Leo was already tired from holding a cocoon of Artistry around himself. He dreaded KRenn losing strength again, which would force Leo to keep a shell around both of them to keep the Esitry at bay. Riding KRenn’s summoned beast was uncomfortable, to say the least. Leo had to hold tight around KRenn’s waist to keep from falling off, which meant Leo was pressed against the back of a man he was quite sure had not bathed since he’d returned from the rift. How long ago was that? It seemed like at least a week had passed, with most of the days blurred together.
Fragmented moments of the battle by the lake came to Leo unbidden. The most vivid was of Aaron choking him, his throat still sore every time he swallowed. Moments of panic arose as he found himself close to dying all over again.
But the more he told himself that it was over, that he had fought and won, the more that his pride erased his fear. He had his brother to save. Leo didn’t have time to relive dreadful memories.
The beast stank like KRenn. Its fur was long and tangled. It let out a strange sound as it pushed on, the noise like a house creaking.
The land changed. The green grass was darkened by a blue tint. The trees were thin and tall, their tops mostly bare of leaves.
The first creatures they encountered had black fur with blue spots. They appeared to be feral hunters, feeding on a kill that was too mangled and disgusting to try to figure out what it was. Although much smaller than the beast he and KRenn rode upon, these two creatures stopped their feast to growl threateningly. To Leo’s surprise, they even started to approach as if they would attack.
KRenn slid down the side of his beast and pushed out his palms. “No reason to fight,” he told them.
Their growling ceased. They returned to their meal.
“Come on,” KRenn told Leo. “I sense the cave ahead.”
KRenn walked right around the two beasts with Leo close behind. The creatures didn’t bother to look up again.
Asthey passed through a copse of trees, the land dipped toward an entrance, a hole tall enough for a giant to fit. KRenn created a large rift for his following beast, then walked into the cavern as casually as if it was his second home.
Leo had to remind himself that KRenn had not been here before. He had said he’d planned to go there after investigating the disturbance that turned out to be the mammoth rift. KRenn might be stronger for a while now, but it still could be up to Leo to defend them if they encountered trouble.
“Why don’t I take the lead?” Leo asked as he assumed the front position.
“Because I’ll be the one guiding us with light, unless you know how.”
What light? Neither had a lamp. “What do you mean?”
“I will show you as the cavern darkens.”
Leo slowed to stay at KRenn’s side. This cavern looked like the one Leo had entered in Jatn to save Andar when he’d been trapped. Everything was smooth, glossed over as if covered in wax. A variety of browns and beiges grouped together along the walls and ceilings. Some of the natural formations coming up from the ground were layered like mounds of melted butter frozen in time. Most mounds, which took up a fair stretch of the wide tunnel, were only one color, though they varied from one to another. From the ceiling hung things that appeared to be the same material as the mounds, but these were shaped like icicles. Leo had asked his brother what this stuff was, after seeing the cavern in Jatn, but Andar had said even the commander didn’t know. KRenn, on the other hand, probably had a good idea.
“What is all of this made out of?” Leo asked.
“A variety of too many things to tell. Mostly, they are gatherings of minerals that have formed into the stalactites you see coming from the roof. They form from years of water running through the ground.”
“Stalactites,” another word Leo had never heard before. He remembered the last cavern was warm throughout. This one seemed cooler, in contrast to the heat outside the entrance. He asked KRenn why this was, for it was another question he and his brother had wondered.
“Underground caverns like this remain the same temperature throughout the year,” KRenn said as if it annoyed him to answer such obvious questions. “Their temperature depends on the area in which they are located. Thi
s cavern is probably warmer than the one in Jatn, but because of the contrast from Jatn’s cooler weather to here, this cave doesn’t seem as warm. It should still feel as humid, though.”
“It does,” Leo commented.
“Now pay attention, because this is actually important.” KRenn stopped in the dim light and turned around. He opened his palms to form the base of a circle as he seemed to concentrate on something. A glowing sphere appeared above his palms, the sight causing Leo to gasp. KRenn turned around with the moving cluster of light hovering in front of him.
“Keep up,” he said as he ventured deeper through the cavern.
Leo was too shocked to speak or move for some time. Excitement took over when he realized that KRenn could teach him how to do this.
“How?” Leo asked.
“I linked the light from behind us.”
Leo grew frustrated as KRenn seemed to be done explaining. Obviously, he had made a link, but Leo had never heard of using a link in this way. He thought a link of Artistry could only share properties between two objects, like their weight and durability. And if one was moved, the other would move as well. Simple. But KRenn’s link of light was far more complicated. KRenn wasn’t just linking it in a way that light over there and light over here shared properties. He did something to allow himself to transport the light.
A t-link was probably how, not that Leo had any idea how to make one yet.
“Please elaborate,” Leo said as he held in his anger.
“What don’t you understand?”
Everything. “How can you possibly move a ball of light?”
KRenn huffed out his impatience. “They really ought to teach you mages that there is so much more you can do than linking objects. First of all, light is always moving. So I must make it stop. I do so when I gain control over it with Artistry.”
“That—” Leo interrupted. “Gain control over it. How do you do that?”
“The same way you link anything.”
“You surround the light with Artistry?”
“No.” KRenn sighed. “First I have to understand it. Then I have to allow the Artistry I control to understand it.”
Leo felt a headache coming on. “Can you please just explain how I can do it?”
“It is not so simple for someone like you!”
Leo tried not to be offended, but it was difficult in the presence of this aggravating man.
“We have to be quiet in case there’s something in this cavern,” KRenn said to Leo’s dismay.
“Please just tell me something more,” Leo begged. “All this time we’ve spent together and you’ve never given me any tips how to improve.”
“Because I’ve barely been strong enough to keep my head up. It’s best if we stay quiet and I conserve my energy.”
“Just tell me one thing more,” Leo said.
“What?”
How the sarding hell do you do it! He tried to think of a specific question that would lead to the right answer. He supposed he had to know how to do the first step KRenn had mentioned. Then he might be able to figure out the rest.
“What do you mean by understanding light and allowing my Artistry to understand it?”
KRenn looked ahead with an expression as if Leo had just asked him to summarize all his teachings and texts into a single sentence.
“Simply put,” KRenn said, “to use Artistry effectively, it needs direction. It needs to understand how things interact in our realm before you can use Artistry to manipulate those things. Our minds are powerful, Leo. Once we understand something, we have the ability to teach it to others. We can teach Artistry something just like it was another listening person, only we cannot use words.”
“How can I teach Artistry anything without words?”
“You have already. You have taught it the simple message that two things are similar. Then you can join them together.”
Yes, that was true. He did speak with Artistry every time he made a link. He forced the energy to see two objects as the same. Artistry did the rest of the work, joining them in a way that one action affected both at the same time. It became more difficult to convince Artistry of the similarity between objects when they were very different, but Leo could still make links between them.
“So how do I begin understanding light?” Then he could teach Artistry how to understand it, and ultimately he could control it.
“Your control of light will not be necessary in our immediate journey. You should focus instead on understanding fire and steel to better defend yourself against your enemies, but most importantly you should understand Taesitry. It’s Taesitry that will be needed to create another rift for Siki and Andar. I expect us to find a testing stone in this cavern soon. I don’t know what has become of the palace and the capital in our absence.” KRenn stopped walking and faced Leo. It was easy to forget that KRenn was shorter than him by a few inches. “No matter what happens to me, you must destroy the rift.”
“I will,” Leo promised.
KRenn continued onward as he muttered to himself, “It might not be the only one.”
“What? Do you feel another rift?”
“I don’t know what I feel. My theories…I’m not sure how much I trust them anymore. I was wrong about the rift you made. I did not predict its power.” He eyed Leo. “I’m sorry. I do hope Siki and your brother are not hurt, wherever they are.”
Leo appreciated KRenn’s apology, showing so with a nod. Leo then focused on the weakened and stretched stalwart link. The cavern must be too dense for it to pass through, because the only direction it traveled was west, back the way they’d come. Before it had run south, possibly stretching over the ocean to whatever land lay past it.
Leo knew he would see his brother again. He just wasn’t sure when and in what condition Andar would return. Leo looked forward to speaking with Andar about their experiences, specifically about what KRenn had just told him in regard to understanding the things they were linking. Leo had always had a natural ability with Artistry, but it was his brother who understood it better. Andar had first taught Leo how to use Artistry, and it was with Andar’s help that Leo had become as strong as he was now. If there was any meaning to gather from KRenn’s explanations, Andar would know.
A jarring sound of something crashing deep ahead stopped Leo and KRenn. It sounded as if something large had fallen and rolled. A moment later, Leo heard a beastly howl.
KRenn started walking again before the howl had even finished. “It must be a creature from the other realm,” he said. “It probably entered our realm without realizing it. Without light and stumbling into a strange place, the creature’s certainly scared.”
It sounded too large to know the meaning of fear, but then Leo remembered some of the things he’d heard about the other realm. The creatures there could grow to be larger than houses. Everything hunted each other. Even animals that lived with little fear in this realm, like bears, would be afraid to live there, and for good reason.
A creeping fear came over Leo the deeper they went. The cavern was not wide at first, leaving only one route through the dark tunnels. One part opened into a vast chamber, however, in which Leo felt something. It wasn’t just the cool and moist air that prickled his skin. The air itself had a different aroma, causing a subtle tingling sensation in his lungs. He feared he would become sick like KRenn, figuring this was Esitry that had found its way through his shell of clear energy. But it wasn’t as if Leo could turn back now. He was so close. KRenn said he would feel when he was near a testing stone. They might have to dig it out and possibly ruin their swords, but Leo wasn’t leaving this place without one. Besides, plenty more swords were at the first lake, where they’d fought. Leo had made his enemies leave their weapons, and he didn’t expect them to have gone back for them.
They walked along the southern wall of the cavern, Leo’s hand pressed against the smooth textures. He asked KRenn, “How are you feeling?”
“Eager to finish this and return.”
“And in regard to your strength?”
“I’m weakening,” he said coldly, as if it pained him to speak about it. “When we encounter him, let me speak first. I do not wish to fight while I’m in this state, and I’m not sure who will be in here.”
Was KRenn losing his mind? “What are you talking about?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“No,” Leo answered with frustration.
“There are no corpses in here, no bones. Someone has taken this to be their home. They have swept through and cleaned out the animal carcasses that surely had produced a stench. Look there, at the base of the wall.”
A stain of red curved upward. “Blood from a carcass,” Leo realized.
“Yes. It could even be fresh. I’m sure plenty of animals are transported here, and perish here, as rifts open between the realms. The mixture of Artistry and Esitry makes it difficult for any single creature to survive. It has to be a man or woman, though I predict it will be a man based on the statistics of how often men seek to hide themselves after a crime.”
“So he must be a criminal?” Leo asked.
“Of course. If he was here to explore, he wouldn’t have taken the time to move the animal carcasses. This is certainly a powerful mage who does not want to be found. Let me speak when we are caught.”
“Caught?” Leo asked with a tinge of fear.
“This is his home after all. It is dark and unknown to us. Yes, he will catch us before we see him, but I might sense him first. Now be quiet so I can concentrate.”
The cavern narrowed to a single path. It was wide enough for a horse and carriage to pass through if the ground was a little more even. There did seem to be a beaten-down path in the center that was mostly flat, as if a man had walked back and forth here many times before. The door that came up on Leo’s side surprised him.
He stopped and pointed at it to show KRenn, who looked at it for a while before deciding to walk up and investigate it closer. The door itself was a thin slab of rock carved out as a rectangle. It rested against the edges of two walls. It had no handle, at least on this side, so the only way to open it was to reach over the top and pull it down. It was heavy for Leo, though he did manage to set it down without it crashing.
