Defying Destiny

by Andrew Rowe

  How does she know Vorain’s real name? Or how long she worked for me?

  Was it in the notebook...? No, I didn’t keep personal details of that nature in the same book as my sorcery notes. Another book, perhaps, but...

  It had been over a year since he’d been deposed. Lydia could have learned much in that time.

  But there was a better explanation.

  Subtle things began to click together in his mind. He tried not to allow his calculations to play across his expression.

  Should I change my approach? I need to test a bit.

  “Of course not. She’d managed to sustain him quite effectively by herself for years. He was in better condition than most. He would have been healed as soon as possible, securing Rialla’s loyalty and silence. It’s a shame you stopped me when you did. I would have cured those children. But that’s not the answer you wanted, is it? You wouldn’t have come all the way back here just for my sake. Perhaps you’re looking to clear your conscience? Has Byron done something so awful that you’re wishing that you’d kept me in charge?”

  Lydia narrowed her eyes. “No.” She balled up the paper, stuffing it back in her bag. “I don’t need validation. I need answers.”

  “Ah. Trying to finish my research, then?” He smiled. “Perhaps you think you’d make a better god than I did.” He looked her up and down, scanning for more details. Just the slightest things: the way she leaned against the wall with a single foot pressed against it, the way she leaned downward like she was taller than she appeared to be... “Or perhaps you think you already did?”

  Lydia smirked. “What gave me away?”

  “Balling the paper was the confirmation I needed. Lydia never would have wasted paper in such a fashion. There were other small things as well. Mannerisms, ways of speaking...but you generally mimicked her well enough that I couldn’t say for certain. The greatest hint was talking about Rialla. That was out-of-character for Lydia Scryer. They were never close. But you...you were willing to switch sides at her behest, Velas.”

  Velas Jaldin clapped her hands softly. She retained Lydia’s appearance, but when she spoke next, it was with her own voice. “I’m going to be honest, I was hoping you’d catch it. Maybe not this soon, though. Makes the talk a bit more awkward.”

  “Does it? I can understand why you wanted some answers. You didn’t need a disguise.”

  Velas made a dismissive gesture. “Wasn’t really about you. The old queenie thinks it’s Scryer in here. If she knew it was me, well, another former god showing up in town might be a bit difficult for her. And I wouldn’t want to end up as your cellmate.” She paused, scanning the room. “They can’t have had you in here long. Just moved?”

  Donovan nodded. “This morning. I suspect Tylan was looking for some sort of symmetry with Taelien’s imprisonment. I spoke truthfully when I said I had nothing to do with that, however.”

  “Oh, sure. I don’t really care about that, anyway. We both know he could have snapped those chains anytime he wanted.” She glanced up at the exposed runes on his skin. “Imagine that’d be a bit harder for you without any of your toys, though.”

  “Indeed. I’ll admit I’m entirely at your mercy.” He straightened up as best he could. “But you’re not here for simple revenge. What are you scheming, Velas?”

  “Might be that I wanted a few answers, like I said.” She bit her lip. “Might be that I’d actually trusted you at some point, and that it hurt when I found out what you’d been up to.”

  “Don’t play me for a fool, Jaldin. You’re no innocent yourself.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “You’re right. I have another reason I’m here.”

  “Well, then I’d be pleased to negotiate with you.”

  Velas rolled her eyes. “You don’t exactly have a lot of bargaining room at this point, old man.”

  “I do have the knowledge that you’re impersonating Lydia Scryer, at least. I imagine you wouldn’t want the queen regent to know about that.”

  Velas shrugged. “I’ll be long gone before you have a chance to chat with queenie. And I’m pretty sure I’m off her Dawnsday card list, so I’m not exactly afraid of hurting her feelings.”

  “I’d imagine that your reputation with Lydia might be more of a concern. If you’re leaving the city, and you’re wearing a paladin insignia...”

  Velas chuckled. “You’re reaching now. I could have gotten this old thing anywhere.”

  “Perhaps. But I also have nothing to lose by making an effort to find leverage. You present the best opportunity I’ve had in some time to facilitate change.”

  “We can talk about it. What is it that you want?”

  Donovan laughed. “Isn’t it obvious? I’d like you to break me out of here. And if you felt like looking like Lydia at the time, I would be deeply amused by the symmetry in that.”

  “As much as I might enjoy making Red deal with the aftermath of that, I don’t think so. But we’ll see how useful you are, and I’ll consider it.”

  There’s no chance she’ll actually break me out of here, but it means something that she’s trying to give me the impression that there is one. She’s always been the calculating type. It’s part of why we got along so very well.

  “Tell me what you need, Velas, and I’ll see what I can supply.”

  Velas pushed herself off the wall, walking closer to him.

  He tensed. If she chose to attack him in this position, he truly had no defense against her.

  Velas made no such move. She just walked close, turned, and then walked to the mirror. “Seems a bit gaudy, don’t you think? Ruins the décor.” She moved to the bed next, yanking the top blanket off of it, then draping it over the mirror. “Much better.”

  Donovan’s eyes narrowed. He had no doubt she was aware of the mirror’s function, but he felt the need to address it regardless. “You may have just limited the time we have available.”

  “I have a feeling that was already running short, and I’d prefer to have a degree of privacy for this portion of the chat.” She stretched. “Never know who can read lips.”

  Edon wrinkled his nose. “Shall we address why you’re here, then? I’ve already made it clear that I can’t provide you with how to reproduce my dominion marking process.”

  “No, you mentioned losing your memories, but that doesn’t mean you couldn’t offer some more information than I have available. But I’m not here about that. Tell me, what do you know about the Disciples of the First?”

  Donovan blinked, sincerely surprised for the first time in the conversation. “You could be asking me about immortality, about divine sorcery...and you’re here about a cult?”

  “Never really cared much for your brand of life extension. Wouldn’t do much for me. If I die, it’s going to be in a pile of my enemies, not ancient and decrepit.” Velas smirked. “I’m sure the real Lydia would love a sorcerous theory lecture, but my tastes tend to run a little simpler. In this case, my flavor of the day is revenge.”

  “What makes you think I know anything about a cult?”

  “You’ve already shown you recognize the name, at least. Besides, you ran a cult. I figured you’d want to be familiar with the competition.”

  “My religion was far from a cult. We had—”

  Velas waved a hand. “I remember. I was a part of it, remember? Let’s skip the semantics and get to the point. Do you know anything about them?”

  Donovan nodded slowly. “Yes...but I’m afraid my information is significantly out of date. They followed someone called the Shrouded One with apparent prophetic abilities. This ‘Shrouded One’ claimed that the world would end if specific conditions were not met, often at precise places or times. Typical cult tactics — a bit of cold reading mixed with fearmongering and prestidigitation. I didn’t consider them a significant threat.”

  Velas nodded slowly. “I have reason to believe they may be our mutual enemy.”

  “Mutual enemy? Well, I suppose I should pack my bags and gird myself for
battle, then.” He glanced left and right toward his chains. “Ah, there seems to be a small problem with that, however.”

  “I’m not convinced freeing you would be worth the headache. But I do think you could get a degree of closure if you help me with this.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Closure?”

  “Your notes said that Sytira removed your sorcerous abilities as a result of your teachings.”

  Donovan grunted. “It was her betrayal that led me down this path. The hypocrisy of a goddess who sought to keep the secrets of true power to herself.”

  “I’m not going to point out how ironic that statement is...oh, wait. Just did.” Velas shook her head. “But that’s not my point. You were wrong from the beginning. Sytira had nothing to do with it.”

  “What, you think some charlatan with a name like the ‘Shrouded One’ did? Their title sounds like something a twelve-year-old would come up with.”

  Velas snorted. “No, I don’t think the Shrouded One did anything to you personally. But they did, at one point, have a vae’kes in their employ.”

  “No.” Donovan shook his head. “I was a priest of Sytira. A vae’kes wouldn’t have dared to provoke—”

  “A vae’kes calling himself Jonathan Sterling was involved in a series of assassinations in Velthryn a few months back. He escaped, but not until after stealing some of Lydia’s sorcery.”

  Velas paused for dramatic effect. “When he did, she was under the effects of a Comprehensive Barrier spell. A variation of your own Intuitive Comprehension, with the same spell identification effect. It took some time for her to process what had happened, especially since she was being choked near to death at the same time. Later, she used memory sorcery to enhance her recollection of those moments, and what the spell had told her. She didn’t give me the whole phrase, but it contained something like ‘Eru ravel lares taris’. Sound familiar?”

  “No...” He felt his hands tightening. “It’s...that isn’t...”

  His mind raced. Was that phrase in his books? Could she have identified that it was the foundation of his studies?

  ...It wasn’t impossible. But the story she was telling mirrored his own so closely, it had such close proximity to something he knew to be true...he couldn’t dismiss it outright.

  “Now, I’m sure you’re dealing with a bit of surprise—”

  “...Surprise?” Donovan’s tone turned sharp, his body trembling. “No, child. Not surprise. You’ve cracked a foundation I did not realize existed.” He turned his head toward her, meeting her eyes. “If you constructed this story, I’ve underestimated your talents.”

  “We all have our flaws.” Velas smiled. “And you did underestimate me, but not in this regard. The story is true. It may not have been Sterling in specific that stole your sorcery, but it was probably a vae’kes, not Sytira. Your anger has been misdirected. Would you like to correct that?”

  He continued to meet her gaze. “Of course. But what’s in this for you?”

  “Sterling made the mistake of hurting someone I care a great deal about.”

  “Oh? Scryer?”

  Velas smirked. “No, silly. Me.” She cracked her knuckles. “And I’m going to pay him back for that tenfold. Maybe a hundred. Does a hundred seem excessive to you?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “Not in the slightest.” Donovan took a breath. “Free me, and I will help you with the full extent of my abilities.”

  Velas glanced to her side, looking tentative, then back to him. “Sorry. Doesn’t seem like that’s in the stars. Not for now, at least. I’ll keep the idea in mind. For the moment, if you’d like a bit of revenge by proxy, fill me in on everything you know about the Shrouded One. If I can find them, I can use them to get to Sterling. And maybe Sterling will know who did this to you.”

  “That leaves several potential points of failure between me and any sort of justice. I dislike dealing in such uncertainties.”

  “Sometimes a bad deal is better than no deal at all.” Velas glanced toward the mirror, then back to him. “I can give you my word that I’ll make an effort to find out who took your sorcery and why. That’s the best I can do right now. And I think we’re running out of time.”

  So soon?

  But there’s so much more I need to know now...so many more details that are missing.

  Donovan sighed and straightened himself.

  He glanced at Velas, a goddess he’d forged himself, and for a moment, he felt a remnant of pride.

  You’ve beaten me, he realized. I have no good options left.

  “Very well.” He lowered his head in a gesture acknowledging his opponent’s victory. “I’ll tell you what I know about the Disciples of the First. And about the Shrouded One. But under one condition.”

  Velas tilted her head to the side. “Oh? What’d that be?”

  “You have the Heartlance, I presume?”

  “Been a bit of a mess, but yes, it’s currently accessible to me.”

  Edon examined his former disciple, feeling the hint of a smile that mirrored her own. “Good. When you find the one who took my power, I want you teach them how the Heartlance earned its name.”

  Velas’ grin widened. “With pleasure.”

  Prologue II – Jonan I – Partners

  Jonan slipped out of the jail cell right after Velas, allowing her to close the door behind them.

  Well, this is nostalgic.

  He nodded to her, making a gesture to indicate his use of sight sorcery.

  She made a hand-sign for ‘understood’ in return, then spoke aloud. “You got us both hidden?”

  “Of course. What sort of amateur do you take me for?” He glanced back at the door. “I assume you cut off the sound around us?”

  Velas scoffed. “Please. I did it the moment the door was closed.”

  “Good.” Jonan reached out an open palm.

  Velas rolled her eyes. “Ugh, fine. You win. I don’t think he noticed you at all. But for what it’s worth, I should get credit for being extremely distracting.” She reached into a pouch at her side, fishing out a silver coin and pressing it into his palm.

  “I never doubted your performance abilities. That was a part of why I made the bet in the first place.” He tucked the coin away. “Are we going to help him?”

  Velas shook her head. “Not directly. Too much risk, too little potential for reward. And given what I just told him, he might even cause some trouble for us.”

  “That’s a pragmatic response, but I know you were close to him at one point. You don’t feel bad about his situation?”

  “He’s a good talker, but he knew the risks with what he was getting into. And they’ll let him out of this particularly gilded cage soon enough and throw him somewhere he’ll be more useful. I think Tylan just moved him in here to give Lydia the impression she was in complete control. Edon would be dead if she didn’t have further uses for him.”

  “Very well, then. Shall we continue this chat somewhere more comfortable?” Jonan gestured to the hallway that led back toward the keep’s entrance.

  “Sure, but you should make me visible again. I think that went smoothly enough that people should see Lydia leaving. We don’t need an emergency exit.”

  Jonan made another unnecessary gesture. “It’s done.” He considered telling her to make sure she adjusted the sounds around them again, but he stopped himself. She knew what she was doing.

  They made their way to the exit without any difficulty. Jonan smirked as Velas checked in with Captain Shaw to let him know she had finished her visit. Shaw had been one of his first contacts in the city, and the one who had helped him arrange for Taelien to be put in that particular cell along with the mirror.

  He’d felt pretty good about how things in Orlyn had turned out, at least initially. He’d accomplished his goal of overthrowing Edon with minimal difficulty. Rialla had been his biggest threat, and he’d ended up recruiting her to his cause. He’d maneuvered Taelien and Lydia into doing the heavy lifting, and thus th
e Thornguard hadn’t been implicated in the slightest in the regime change. He’d even managed to secure the Heartlance, a valuable artifact.

  But every victory was earned on behalf of someone else. Every resource he’d obtained had lined Aayara’s coffers further, just as they always did.

  And given Velas’ presence in the city, and the fact that Edon’s sorcery had likely been taken from him by a vae’kes many years before, it was abundantly clear that he was just one of many pieces Aayara had in play.

  How many more opponents would Aayara have to take off the board before the game was over?

  And, perhaps more importantly, what was her true goal?

  Even as one of her personal servants, he had little idea of her true motivations. There were too many masks. Was she Vaelien’s loyal daughter, securing entire kingdoms on his behalf? Was she the Lady of Thieves, delighting in organizing heists of impossible scale? Was it her rivalry with the Blackstone Assassin that motivated her?

  Without knowing that, he couldn’t determine what her next moves would be. And, on a more personal note, he could never be certain how expendable he was.

  Velas finished talking to the guard captain without incident. Jonan followed her out of the keep, down a familiar path toward the city proper. After that, they made their way to a small house. Not the same one Jonan had used during his last time in Orlyn, fortunately. That would have been far too reckless.

  Jonan unlocked the door and they stepped inside. After closing the door, Jonan dropped his invisibility and the illusion over Velas. His eyes itched, but that was nothing new. He’d have to change his glasses if he wanted to read anything, but that wasn’t an immediate concern.

  Velas stretched and laid down on the nearby couch. “Not a bad use of a day. You get what you needed?”

  Jonan pulled up a chair next to her, retrieving a notepad from his pouch. “Copies of all the runes on his skin. We can compare them with his notebook later to figure out his exact capabilities, as well as whether or not there are any on his body that weren’t listed elsewhere. Both will be useful for determining what sorts of other items he had access to.”