“You’ll find the nobility of Yarrington a much tighter circle than either of you imagined,” Lord Jolly said, clearly not amused. “Many families more powerful than mine claim relation. With the throne empty, they’ll all come crawling out of the weeds to start the next great dynasty.”
“Well, like Torsten says, if Nesilia wins, none of that will matter,” Mulliner said.
“It will if we win,” Torsten replied. “But we can’t let any of this get in the way of this war. We need the forces of every fortress and city west of the gorge helping us defend Yarrington.”
“Then Caleef Mahraveh must be told the truth,” Lord Jolly said. “Otherwise, they’ll see her only as an occupying force.”
“Leave her to me, and I’ll leave the court to you,” Torsten told Lord Jolly. “A King has died. We will declare observation of his passing in the name of Iam, through to the next Dawning. By then, we’ll either all be dead, or the Glass Kingdom will be reborn.”
“Perhaps, either way, it’s time for it to end…”
“That isn’t funny, Lord Jolly,” Mulliner said.
“It wasn’t meant to be.”
He groaned as he stood, then strode over to the oasis for some water. Torsten watched him go. He was a knowledgeable man. Not overly impressive in any way, but loyal. A friend to the Crown who left Crowfall the moment he was summoned to help guide King Pi.
“You know it’ll be your choice,” Sir Mulliner whispered.
“What?” Torsten asked.
“The King. Master of Warfare. Wearer of White. Whoever the King’s Shield and the Glass army support, nobody else will be able to raise an army substantial enough to take the throne by force.”
Torsten drew a long, ragged breath. It was true. After the war against Muskigo, and all of Liam’s before that, Pantego’s population had suffered. Maybe a city like Westvale could raise enough people to fight, but they’d be conscripts, not an army.
His gaze drifted back toward Pi’s body. He caught Mahraveh watching them, probably discussing their next move as well. As if any of it mattered.
“Let’s survive first,” Torsten said. “We’ve lost enough already.”
XXV
The Mystic
Tum Tum led them through the city like he’d lived there his whole life. Through alleys and caverns, and great halls filled with columns as tall and thick as the oldest trees she’d ever seen. It was impressive. Sora supposed the stories were true, the dwarves had minds like their treasure boxes. Once something went in, it would never likely leave.
Presently, they stood in a quaint living space. Each piece of furniture was a permanent fixture carved out of the floors and walls—chairs, sofas, tables. Nothing looked remotely comfortable to sit on, and the table was far lower than any Sora would be able to eat at.
“Me pa’s house,” Tum Tum said, the slightest tremble to his voice. “S’pose’n he won’t be needin it no more.”
Sora knew that feeling well. Loneliness.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Tum Tum,” Lucindur said.
Sora stared through the small window, hoping they’d truly lost the clanbreakers. Several dwarves in armor patrolled the city, and some of them actually appeared to be urgent about something. Sora wondered if there was already a kingdom-wide search party. Neither Lorgit nor Gargamane was likely to ignore her attack.
“Loss,” Tum Tum said dismissively. “Haven’t seen him in a long time. It’s sad, but he wouldn’t have accepted me back, anyway.”
“Odd customs your people have,” Lucindur said.
“Ye should be talkin!” he shouted, though his tone spoke of joviality. “I just left yer land, and it was queer as a snake in flight.”
“You don’t think this’ll be the first place they’ll look for you?” Lucindur asked.
“Don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to stay in the city, do ye?” Tum Tum said, smiling. “They’ll be lookin in all the possible exits, not some rundown old shack.”
“Still can’t believe me own father would be so callous to abandon the outside world,” Brouben said, chin to his chest.
“If the King tells the truth, it’s understandable,” Sora said, still focused on the scurrying guards. “My people stole your lands. Destroyed your world. Drove you out.”
“Yer people?” Tum Tum said. “Yer people have suffered the same injustices as me own.”
“Let’s not be coy, Dwotratum,” Sora said, turning toward them.
The use of the dwarf’s real name gave him pause, but only long enough for Sora to continue.
“I’m as much a woman of the Glass as anyone born in Yarrington,” she said. “You’ve spent more time in Panping than I have.”
“So, ye a mystic, then?” Brouben asked.
“Not in the sense you might be thinking,” she answered. “Though my mother was a powerful one.”
Tum Tum and Lucindur shot looks at one another.
“I thought ye didn’t know who yer parents were,” Tum Tum asked.
“I didn’t… not until recently.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “But that’s not important right now, is it?”
“Aye, mystic or not, that’s some power ye got,” Brouben said.
Sora smiled as she sat on one of the hard, stone chairs by the table. “Just tricks I’ve picked up.”
“Ever modest, Sora is,” Tum Tum said, taking her spot at the window, looking out for guards. “All right. So what be the plan?”
Sora’s smile faded. “I don’t know.”
“This all seems like a bedtime tale,” Brouben said. “Don’t feel real.”
“Sounds like your people have strange bedtime tales as well as customs,” Lucindur said.
“Greater truth ain’t never been told!” Brouben said. He strode forward and grabbed Sora by the hand. “Ms. Sora, on behalf of my people, I’m sorry for how ye been treated.”
Sora thought back to all her encounters with dwarves, starting with Grint. Most of them weren’t memorable for good reasons. But then she regarded Tum Tum, standing by the window. Since the moment she met him in Winde Port, he’d been kind and helpful. He took care of her while she sulked on Kazimir’s ship.
“You’re not all bad,” she said, placing her own hand atop his. “Thank you.”
“We’ve got to find Whitney and get out of here,” Lucindur said, breaking the moment.
Tum Tum swore, looking out at the city beyond. The chaos had stopped, but now, the streets filled with dwarves prattling on about the event, cleaning up the results. Guards marched by in a constant flow.
“No way we’re goin out there right now,” he said. “The thief’s on his own.”
“Anyone sees him, he’s dead on the spot,” Brouben said, joining Tum Tum at the window.
“He is not dying,” Sora said matter-of-factly. “I’ll lay waste to this place if I have to.”
“She’s scary,” Brouben whispered, though loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Sora, dear,” Lucindur said, “are you all right?”
Sora thought back to the feeling she’d gotten just before unleashing her fury on Gargamane. How she’d done it without even hesitating. Brouben was right. She was scary. It scared her, too. However, she also knew that without her power, the chances of them ever getting out of Balonhearth were slim. And what if they did?
Out of the frying pan. Into the fire, she thought.
“All right?” Sora laughed mirthlessly. “I think ‘all right’ is the last thing any of us is, don’t you? What are we supposed to do, Lucindur? We’re stuck inside a mountain with an army after us. Whitney and Aquira are out there without even the knowledge that they are being hunted down—“
“Some things are just out of our hands, Girly,” Tum Tum said.
“Not this,” Sora said. “This is my problem, and I’m going to fix it.”
“Your problem?” Lucindur scoffed. “Last I checked, this was all our problems when we agreed to take on Nesilia, together.”
�
�You weren’t the one possessed by her. Made to look on while she slaughtered the Strongiron—“ Sora noticed Brouben in the corner of her eye and stopped herself. Luckily, he was focused on the window while they argued amongst each other.
“But it isn’t your fault,” Lucindur said. “None of it.”
“That’s right,” Tum Tum added. “Not even what happened on Kazimir’s ship. That wasn’t even yer magic.”
“I know,” Sora said. “Whitney told me it was the Sanguine Lords. But, I just can’t help thinking I could’ve stopped it.”
“I saw them Lords—nothin but mist and smoke. Wasn’t no stoppin it ye could’ve done.” He took a seat beside Lucindur. “Ye know what’s the worst?”
Lucindur and Sora eyed him suspiciously.
“When someone fightin gods and yiggin goddesses thinks they’re weak for havin lost. Ye know what makes em gods, eh? They’re shog-shuckin gods!”
Sora chuckled again. This time, she felt a little relief, but it was gone just as quick.
“I fell right into her hands, again,” she said. “That vile woman, Freydis… she was the one he saw. Nesilia sent her here already, and we just walked right into it.”
As if having a sudden realization, her attention snapped to Brouben. She stood, hands balled into fists. “Did you know Freydis was here?”
“No idea,” he said.
“Are you playing us?” Sora demanded.
“I swear. She must’ve come when I was on me way back from White Bridge. How could I not’ve seen this?” He groaned.
“Stop all this blaming,” Lucindur said, placing her hand on Sora’s shoulder to sit her back down. “You didn’t ask for Nesilia to possess you, Sora. None of us knew she’d sent the Drav Cra warlock here.”
Sora supposed Lucindur was right. There was no way for any of them to know that King Lorgit had been turned. And he had been. Even if he thought staying out of things was his choice, Sora knew the fear that Freydis could inflict upon people, and it was evident in his eyes when he spoke of her.
Even if they’d known Freydis had been here, what could they’ve done anyway? The Brike Stone was their only hope.
Then a thought hit her.
“Why did she do that?” Sora asked.
“What?” Lucindur said.
“Why did she send Freydis here, of all places?”
“What are you getting at?” Lucindur asked.
“Ye think she knew about the lot of ye bein after the stone?” Brouben asked.
Sora shook her head. “I think if she knew that, she’d have just taken it herself.”
“Or destroyed it,” Tum Tum added.
They all nodded in agreement.
“She might have sent her followers all over Pantego to gain more,” Lucindur said. “To build her army.”
“Mmm, perhaps,” Sora assented her agreement.
“However,” Lucindur said, “I don’t think there’s any help to be had by questioning such things or worrying about who’s on her side now. We need a plan.” She took a seat across from Sora and removed the salfio, her enchanted musical instrument, from her back.
“Right, but what if she’s expecting this? All of this? What if we are just enabling her plan?” Sora bit her lip. “You think Whitney is okay?”
“He’s always okay,” Tum Tum assured her. “Like a plague ye can’t rid yerself of.”
Sora closed her eyes and took a breath.
“It was a joke, Lass, I swear,” Tum Tum said. “Truth is, if that dirty thief’s successful, his little plan might’ve saved the whole yiggin world.”
“When,” Sora said. “When he is successful.”
Tum Tum left his post by the window and placed both palms against the table.
“Right, so that be it, huh?” he said. “I say we move forward like he’s already done it.”
“What do you mean?” Sora asked.
“I mean he ain’t failed none of us yet, has he? Yiggin Exile, I bet that quake was his causin too! The next step be to find Nesilia, aye? Well, how were we gonna do that?”
Sora’s stomach sank. She knew everyone would be counting on her to somehow tap into the Buried Goddess’ thoughts and find her, wherever she was. But even in the time it took for them to travel from Glinthaven to Balonhearth, Sora hadn’t seen any signs of Nesilia. Even her dreams had been pleasant.
They looked to her, nonetheless.
“She’s in Yaolin, right?” Sora said, thinking it out for herself.
“She was in Yaolin,” Lucindur corrected. “That was weeks ago. If we were able to make the trip here, she could have made it halfway across Pantego by now. Probably further with her abilities.”
“Restricted by the upyr host, though,” Brouben offered. “I’ve seen her.”
“Right, so she can’t go out into daylight,” Sora said. “But when she was… me, she traveled from Winter’s Thumb to Brekliodad completely underground. We have to assume she could do the same now if she wanted to. Maybe that’s why she wants the Three Kingdoms on her side.”
“Damn,” Tum Tum swore.
“I’m sorry,” Sora said, head bowed. Then, looking up, tears forming, she said, “I’ve got nothing.”
She could see the disappointment etched on their faces, but like any good friends, they comforted her. Brouben, too, even after she’d snapped at him, telling her they’d figure something out.
But what if they didn’t? Part of her wondered if her fear of Nesilia was keeping her from being able to tap in. It was a genuine concern that, by allowing her mind to be totally freed, she would find herself right back in Nowhere and under Nesilia’s control. It might’ve been selfish, but Sora would rather be dead than be back in that place.
Then, she realized that it wouldn’t just be her that would be dead if she couldn’t find Nesilia. Whitney would die too. And Aquira. All of them. Everyone in all of Pantego and anything beyond—all dead because of Sora’s fear.
“We could just wait,” Tum Tum said. It sounded like a question.
“For?” Lucindur asked.
“Beats me. Her to strike, or attack, or whatever she’s plannin?”
“We can’t do that,” Sora said. “By then, it might be too late. By all accounts, she’s already gathered her army. She has Queen Bliss and all the demons. There won’t even be a fight.”
“She’s right, it might already be too late,” Lucindur said. “We will need a solid plan in order to get close to her.”
“Didn’t ye say she came to ye in yer dreams?” Tum Tum asked. “Can’t ye do that again?”
“I can’t control it,” Sora said. “And what if she can see into my mind and learn about the stone? What if opening up to her like that lets her take control of me again? I…”
Lucindur gave her arm a comforting squeeze. “We can’t risk the unknown.”
Sora swallowed hard. She knew what needed to be done. Instead, she just didn’t want to do it. Thoughts of Nowhere tortured her. The thought of getting stuck there again, so close to Nesilia—it was more than she could bear. But everyone was counting on her.
“This could be our last chance,” Sora said.
“For?” Lucindur followed Sora’s gaze to her salfio.
“Let’s find her.”
“And risk her and her army of monsters finding us first? What about all these people?”
“You mean the people who just tried to have us killed for trying to save them?” Sora asked. “They can take care of themselves… or not.”
Sora couldn’t believe her own words. It was that feeling again inside of her, that new, ruthless version of herself that she could only imagine was leftover from when Nesilia was in there. Or… was Nesilia still in there?
She pushed the thought away. There was no time for it. Whether she liked it or not, this was the way.
“My fire didn’t cause the distraction we needed,” she said, counting off on her fingers. “Whitney is sneaking through the vault with no idea that if he’s found, they’re going to kill h
im on the spot. King Lorgit thinks Nesilia will leave him be.”
“And?” Lucindur said.
“So let’s show him that she isn’t and bring her monsters here.”
“Oh, I like this one,” Tum Tum said.
“What’s this about monsters?” Brouben asked.
Lucindur pointed toward the city. “You are really going to let these people fend for themselves? We know what my power does. This place will be crawling with her slaves in seconds.”
“We’re running out of choices.”
“It’s not so simple,” Lucindur said.
“None of it is,” Tum Tum argued. “Don’t mean we can’t try.”
“The clanbreakers won’t be able to stop us in the chaos. And maybe, just maybe, it’ll convince Lorgit to help us.”
“People will die,” Lucindur said.
“They’ll die anyway!” Sora argued.
“Stop,” Tum Tum said firmly, standing on the chair and drawing all of their attention. “This ain’t yer home, or mine any longer. If we do this, knowing what it’ll bring, then it be up to Brouben to decide.”
Sora and the others all looked to the Prince, whose attention had returned to the many dwarves roaming the streets outside the window. He watched his people with a thousand-meter-gaze.
“Yer sayin ye have a way of finding Nesilia, but it’ll reveal where we be?” Brouben asked.
“Yes,” Lucindur said. “It draws her creatures like moths to a flame.”
“Goblins. Grimaurs. Probably worse,” Sora added.
“And she’ll wanna come get ye?”
“Without a doubt.”
He exhaled slowly and scratched his beard. “So, the Three Kingdoms can either wait around for her to turn on us or maybe, join the fight today.”
“Nesilia only cares about getting to me,” Sora said. “All she’ll know is that we’re hiding here. She won’t have to know your people are even involved.”
“And yet, we should be,” Brouben said. “Ye say Nesilia slaughtered the Strongirons to send a message, and for whatever reasons, I trust ye. We dwarves pride ourselves on bein excellent judges of character, me father excluded.”
“I tried to tell em that,” Tum Tum chimed it.
The Nesilia's War Trilogy: (Buried Goddess Saga Box Set: Books 4-6) Page 141
