by P. R. Adams
The house was small and simple, with three rooms—a central gathering place probably intended for meals and two small rooms off it. They split up, with Symbra and Naru in one bedroom, and Javika and Riyun in the other. There were no interior doors, and the exterior doors had suffered through the years until they were no more an impediment to vagrants than the swollen and cracked shutters that barely clung to the outer walls. Only a pair of oil lamps remained, half-buried beneath moldering garbage.
After a quick meal of energy bars in the flickering lamp light, Naru and Quil headed out under Javika and Lonar’s protection. Alush had declined to enter the city, leaving Riyun with Hirvok and Fassyl. It wasn’t the best of company, but Riyun wanted to exploit every opportunity to gain intelligence.
While cleaning his weapons and armor, he kept an eye on the old man. “You’ve never been here?”
Fassyl had been staring out the window that looked onto the harbor. It seemed to take a second for the words to register. “Hm? The city? Oh. Just once. Long ago. Long, long ago. Tarlayn and I…”
“You were close? The two of you?”
The wizard scratched his belly. “It’s common for a teacher and student to grow close.”
“But then the student doesn’t need the master anymore, right?”
“A symbiotic relationship, I suppose. Some pairings last a lifetime.”
“You sound bitter. Did this breakup happen around the time she became Meriscoya’s teacher?”
The old man’s face darkened, and he tugged on his beard. “She wasn’t ready to take on such a problematic student. I offered to teach her one last set of lessons, to show her all I knew about artifacts and their use, but she refused. She had absolute confidence in her abilities with even the most delicate of these items, telling me they really weren’t all that important or difficult.”
Hirvok snorted. “I never thought I’d hear such dirty talk from an old man.”
“Dirty—?”
“Give her one last go with your artifact, huh?” The sergeant howled. “That’s sweet.”
Fassyl’s brow wrinkled. “I–”
Riyun shook his head. “You have to learn to filter what Hirvok says. Most of the time, don’t even listen.”
That spoiled Hirvok’s mood. “Yeah. Never listen to me. What do I know, right?”
“You know plenty. But you need to learn what is and isn’t appropriate.”
The sergeant scowled and hunched over his disassembled weapon, muttering under his breath.
Fassyl clasped his hands over his belly. “I fear that I may have become an unpleasant traveling companion. My worries about my rabbits have only grown worse. I’d hoped to tell each of them goodbye before we departed, but my favorites didn’t give me the opportunity. They were such sweet creatures.”
Hirvok froze for a moment, then he returned to working on his weapon, although now he was silent.
At some point, Riyun would have to let the old man know what had happened to his pets. Not now. “Can you sense where Meriscoya is?”
“What?” The old man’s fingers clasped around each other tightly. “You mean like Alush does?”
“He can supposedly feel the influence in the Chaos Abyss. He knows when Meriscoya is using the magic there.”
“That is something beyond normal wizard capabilities. It could be done, I suppose.”
“If you can see a way—”
“Of course, of course. I didn’t say it was impossible. Perhaps after I take a meal.”
Riyun nodded toward the door. “We’ll be here.”
The wizard grinned and stepped into the night, humming happily.
Hirvok unpacked his bedroll. “Big help, that guy.”
“He seems authentic.” Riyun poked his head into the room where he’d set his backpack. “We’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Great.”
“You don’t like him.”
“Not a bit. He doesn’t have the spine the old lady had.”
“He seems pretty sure of himself.”
“Let’s see how he does when things get hot.”
“This isn’t about his rabbits?”
Hirvok groaned. “Why can’t he leave that alone?”
It seemed as if the sergeant might never learn to accept responsibility—
The front door shuddered open, revealing Lonar’s hunched form. “A little help!”
Riyun rushed to assist the big man, taking two large bushels of food. There were more bushels, and a few burlap sacks bulging with what looked like more food. And once everything was set down, Riyun had a better sense of what they now had available: fruits, vegetables, wineskins, bread, meats, and cheeses.
The tweak wiped his brow with the back of his gloved hand. “Some of the guys down on the docks were selling things cheap.”
Everything looked intact, although some of the produce looked old. “How do you mean?”
“Quil asked them about food and drink, and the next thing I knew—” The big man waved toward the bushels. “I don’t even know how he paid for it.”
“Probably some of the money he found in Yagath.”
“Oh, yeah. Anyway, the big thing is they found someone you should talk to. The people at the bar said she knows things. Lots of things.”
“Who—?” Riyun took a step toward the door. “Where—?”
“Sorry! Um, I guess it’s best if I lead you there.” Lonar stabbed a finger at one of the bushels and glared at Hirvok. “Hey! There’s a bunch of what looked like grapes in there. Better be some for me when I get back.”
The big man headed east, moving in parallel to the harbor wall. He chattered enthusiastically, but it was all nonsense–some of the pretty women he’d seen in the bazaar, the way the wine tasted in the bar, how the ships in the harbor all seemed smaller than he would have expected. The city apparently offered a lot of distractions, especially compared to traveling across open land.
They turned north, passing a few courtyards filled with surprisingly raucous partiers, then headed uphill into nicer and quieter spaces. After a couple of wrong turns, Lonar passed through the open gate of a large house centered on a modest plot, and headed to the side. Steps led up to the roof, but beyond a small patio was a door to a second story.
Amber light leaked through a crack where the door wasn’t pulled all the way shut. As they drew closer, the door opened, revealing Symbra.
The young woman seemed confused. “She’s about to start.”
Riyun glanced from her to Lonar. “Start what? What’s this about?”
Lonar huffed. “Well, I guess she’s a mystic of some sort?”
Symbra nodded uncertainly. “That’s about as close as Naru could make of it. Some sort of seer.” The young Onath woman leaned toward Riyun. “I think it’s a scam.”
How were they supposed to tell a scam from real magic? Riyun licked his lips. “We’ll see.”
Even before crossing the threshold, the fragrance of incense and perfume nearly bowled him over. The place was a single room, smoky and hot. Candles flickered in corners, windows, and on the clutter of low furniture. Quil sat cross-legged to the left of a young woman dressed only in gossamer veils. Naru sat across from him, also cross-legged, while Javika leaned against the wall in the only corner not cluttered with candles and trinkets. Her arms were crossed defensively, and she glared at Riyun as he scraped to a stop.
She didn’t believe the mystic was real either. Riyun tried not to stare at the young woman. It was hard. She had lustrous, black hair that spilled down shapely shoulders, and when she looked at him, it was with big, dark eyes.
“Um.” He blushed, suddenly feeling stupid. “Naru?”
The hacker’s eyes were barely focused. “She knows Meriscoya! She’s seen him in dreams.”
The young woman bowed until her forehead touched the floor. When she spoke, it was the strange language of this world, but there were differences even Riyun could pick out—the local dialect, maybe.
“What’s—?” He
could feel Javika’s eyes burning into him. “How is she going to help us?”
Naru pointed to a wide, shallow ceramic bowl of water that rested on the floor between her, Quil, and the veiled woman. “She’s going to show us her dreams. In there.”
The water was still, reflecting candlelight like a mirror.
Then the young woman sat straight, sucked in a deep breath and arched her back. Quil leaned in closer, as did Naru. It took a moment for Riyun to realize the young woman was softly chanting. She quickly fell into a rhythm of exhaling, breathing in deeper and deeper, then chanting softly.
Javika pushed off from the wall and crossed to Riyun’s side. Her whisper yanked him from the hypnotic ritual. “Quil saw her dance. Now he believes she is magic.”
“She is…magical. You didn’t feel the trance?”
The Biwali warrior glared, then shoved past him to exit the room.
He turned, reached for her, then heard a gasp: Naru!
Riyun twisted around, and…froze.
The surface of the water no longer reflected candlelight but showed fires burning in a deep valley. In the middle of the valley, a long, dark lake caught the moonlight until the surface bubbled, and a wedge-shaped head crested and sent water flying away.
One eye was milky where scales had been burned away.
The giant reptile crawled onto the lake shore and shook out its wings.
It was Niyalki, the giant dragon Tarlayn had wounded.
The seer bowed toward the bowl, then rose, then bowed again. She was still chanting, but now it was almost impossible to hear.
Light flared somewhere outside of view, then the mad wizard appeared not far from the dragon, which turned toward him. They spoke, and Riyun realized that Meriscoya had suffered exactly the same injury as the dragon–one eye now milky on the half of the face that was scarred black. The dark hair was completely gone on that side and had thinned on the other side.
Riyun couldn’t make out anything familiar about the valley or the lake, although the overall impression was very similar to the ruins where Fassyl lived. “Where is it?”
Naru shushed him. “She’s not done.”
“But we are. Just ask her where that is.”
The hacker rolled her eyes. “It’s risky. She’s in a trance.”
“So trance-talk to her.”
“Is that…a thing?”
“Let’s find out.”
Naru reached a hand out tentatively. “Euqava? Can you hear me?”
The veiled woman continued her slow wave but at one point spoke out loud.
“Where—?” The hacker glanced back at Riyun, who nodded. “Where is this? Where are they hiding?”
This time, the seer didn’t respond. She continued the hypnotic undulations that seemed to draw Riyun into the reflection in the bowl.
Naru tried again. “Euqava, where is this valley?”
“Quayir Yvar!” It burst from the veiled woman’s lips. “You see the ruins of Quayir Yvar!”
She knew their language?
And then the water in the bowl boiled and splashed onto the floor, and a mighty gust of wind snuffed out the candle flames. The bubbling water formed a single bulge that took on the shape of a head.
One side was burned, the other had long hair.
The seer jumped to her feet and backed away from the head. She mumbled something over and over. Quil held a hand up to placate her, all the while digging out a pouch that jingled softly. He put it on the floor, then bowed toward the young woman and backed out.
Riyun followed Naru outside. “What was that?” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Tell me that was real.”
Naru and Quil glanced at each other, then nodded. The hacker chewed her lip. “I think we have our destination now.”
Quil frowned. “We do. But there is no doubt that we have lost any chance at surprise.”
That was what Riyun had feared. “That water boiling? That head.”
“Meriscoya. Like, in the stream.” The pseudo sagged. “He knows we saw him, and he is waiting for us.”
51
After leaving the seer’s place, Riyun spent most of the night on watch. In the moment where Meriscoya’s head had risen from the bubbling water, Badonosk had transformed into a city overrun with threat. Drunken voices drifting by weren’t just sailors returning to their ships to sleep off too much drink, but agents working for the mad wizard. Smoke drifting through the windows wasn’t merely fires being stoked by the night watch, but the work of dragons preparing to destroy the modest house.
Imagination running wild wasn’t a bad thing. It could save lives.
But with the first hint of light touching the sky and no attack, Riyun accepted that in this particular case, the fear was misguided. Fog and the evening chill were the biggest danger they faced.
He shook Quil and Hirvok awake and curled into the waiting bedroll to nap beside Javika’s warm form.
They slipped out of the city before noon, stopping by the bazaar on the way out to listen for rumors. There were none. No stories of a dancer who imagined she could see the future being slain in the night. No tales of a dragon circling the sky in search of prey. No whispers of a mad wizard demanding the whereabouts of a group of Outworlders.
After filling their bellies with milk, sizzling fish, and nutty rolls, they headed out the north gate. But going the night without ambush didn’t take the edge off for Riyun. He kept everyone close and primed for anything until they were clear of the crowds, then he had the team spread out to ensure they didn’t present an easy target.
Not two hours out from the city walls, the drone approached from the west, skimming just above the ground, creating a wake in the wispy fog.
Fassyl waddled along beside the lieutenant, gnawing on one of the dozen skewers of fire-blackened vegetables purchased at the edge of the market. “Our rescuer approaches.”
Riyun stroked the barrel of his carbine. “It’s good to see it, actually.”
“After last night? You saw something that disturbed you.”
“That’s very observant of you.”
“Age isn’t only a curse. I have a keen eye thanks to my years.”
“May we all live to see such gifts.”
“Mockery? That seems uncalled for.”
“Sorry. I didn’t sleep much.”
The old wizard tossed the greasy skewer aside and licked his fingers. “Care to share what troubles you now?”
“Better you hear it from—” Riyun waved Quil in closer. “—the source.”
“Something the silver-eyed child saw?”
“He’s no child.”
“Younger than most of you.”
“And he’s seen more than you would imagine. Quil, tell our wizard friend here what happened last night.”
Quil pinched his chin. “I find myself questioning my memory, Lieutenant.”
“Share what you recall, please.”
After a moment, the pseudo bowed his head. “We went into the bazaar, then into the taverns around it, asking after possible information about Meriscoya without mentioning him. The questions were vague enough: Has anyone heard rumor of fires? Has anyone spoken of choga or other animals going missing in the night?”
Fassyl frowned. “Animals go missing all the time. My rabbits—”
“We focused on livestock and herd animals. Our interest was in the inevitable impression a dragon would leave upon an area. They must drink water, and they must eat. Since animal flesh is the most efficient energy source, it would make sense for their presence to be felt in that way.”
“A safe enough assumption.” The wizard smirked. “But hardly enough to make your leader here nervous. He was gone when I returned from the market myself, and when he came back, he was obviously troubled.”
“Because of the dancer. I mean, the seer.”
The old man’s head whipped around. “You spoke to a seer?”
“I saw her dancing.”
“A veiled dancer?”
“She was…hypnotizing.”
“Oh, they are, indeed. I have seen a few.”
“And when she finished, she came to me and told me that she could see the mad wizard in my eyes.”
“They are master grifters, repeating what they’ve heard you say and reacting to how you respond. Even their physical allure is deceiving, a part of their act.”
Riyun had seen plenty of women in his life. The dancer hadn’t been hiding behind candlelight and alcohol. “Listen to him, Fassyl.”
The wizard plucked a piece of greasy vegetable from his beard. “Go on.”
Quil sucked in a breath. “She told me that she dreams, and that in her dreams she connects with a soul. This is how she sees things. Some time ago, she connected to a soul in her dream who spoke of Meriscoya.”
“This is the way they draw you in. Did she ask for money?”
“A few coins.”
“A few coins for quick glimpses at her flesh and some ridiculous chanting, no doubt. Did she offer to show you a dream in smoke or in a bowl of water?”
“Water, yes.”
“Then she’s not even one of the truly skilled ones.”
The pseudo’s brow wrinkled. “I am aware of how grifters operate. She knew things she could not have known.”
“Go on.” Fassyl shook his head at Riyun.
“She revealed that this soul from her dreams was a student of Meriscoya. He killed her. An Outworlder.”
That softened the condescending look on the old man’s face. “Did she have a name, this student?”
“Not that I heard. Maybe Naru did. But the soul said that the wizard has done as much as he could with wizardry and has reached out to otherworldly patrons for access to greater power.”
“Other—?” Color faded from the wizard’s face.
Riyun shook the older man. “What?”
“He—” Fassyl bowed his head as Alush settled alongside them.
The hum of the drone’s motor softened. “Good morning.”
“Nothing good about it at all.” The wizard scowled. “And our friends here have some terrible news.”
“Survival furthers our endeavor to strike against the threat, so—”
“A seer told them that Meriscoya has aligned himself with a patron.”
