Defying Destiny

by Andrew Rowe

  Asphodel replied before Taelien had a chance. “I’ll have the blueberry cordial. Taelien will have an apple juice.”

  Wrynn glanced to Taelien. “...Apple juice? What are you, five?”

  Taelien frowned. “It’s delicious.”

  Wrynn laughed. “I think I still have some. I’ll be back.”

  ***

  Asphodel went to sleep after eating, but a few of the other late night patrons stayed down by the fire.

  Taelien steeled himself and found a moment to pull Wrynn to the side. “Do you have somewhere more private we can go?”

  Wrynn gave him a wry look. “You ought to buy a girl a drink before you ask something like that.”

  Taelien raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you own the tavern?”

  “Sure, but that doesn’t mean my time is free.” She winked at him. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”

  Taelien blinked. “...Home?”

  Wrynn took his hand and led him into a back room. Then, from there, she lifted up a carpet and uncovered a hatch.

  Taelien watched as Wrynn pulled a thin metal object out of her hair, sticking it into a mechanism on the side of the hatch and jiggling it around.

  “...Are you picking the lock on your own cellar?”

  Wrynn shrugged. “Keys are such a hassle to keep track of.”

  There was a click, then Wrynn grunted, tapped three times on the surface of the hatch, and lifted a handle on the left side.

  The hatch swung open, revealing a ladder leading down.

  Wrynn led the way. “Close the hatch above you.”

  Taelien followed, complying with her instructions.

  The ladder didn’t make it all the way to the bottom.

  Instead, it stopped at a rocky shelf, lit by a single glowing crystal embedded in the wall. Wrynn ducked down at the edge of the outcropping and felt around for a bit. “Rest of the way is down this rope.”

  “What is this place?” Taelien looked down beyond Wrynn, and he could see another pinpoint of light further on, but the floor was still out of sight.

  “Like I said, it’s home. Keep up.” Wrynn slipped off the platform and began to climb the rope.

  Taelien followed right behind her, regretting his life choices more by the minute.

  They climbed for minutes before reaching the bottom of the shaft. More glowing crystals lit a thin corridor.

  Wrynn raised a hand for him to wait. “Need to disarm a few things before we go any further.”

  She moved to the left side of the passage, ducking down and pressing her hand against one of the walls. Taelien didn’t see anything change, but he heard a click.

  Wrynn took a few steps forward, hopped, and then ducked down. It took him a moment to realize that she’d bypassed some kind of tripwire, and that she was pressing something into a mechanism in the nearest wall.

  After a moment, the wire retracted into the wall.

  “One more.” Wrynn walked a bit further, pausing at what looked like a slate. She withdrew a piece of chalk from her bag and drew an intricate figure, which began to glow. Then she wiped the slate clean.

  “All good. Head down the passage into the open room. You’ll know what I mean. I need to reset these behind us.”

  “Is that necessary? I don’t think we’ll be here long.”

  Wrynn folded her arms. “You wanted to talk. We’re going to do it on my terms or not at all.”

  Taelien raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Understood.”

  There were obvious risks to walking ahead of Wrynn in an area that was clearly riddled with traps. He knew her well enough to know that he couldn’t trust her.

  But excessive caution wasn’t really his style. He headed the rest of the way down the tunnel.

  The hall opened up into what looked like a large (but otherwise unremarkable) wine cellar. He paused near the entrance, looking for other traps, but he didn’t see any.

  Taelien waited for Wrynn regardless. It was better to be safe.

  She brushed past him a few minutes later, walking deeper into the cellar...then straight through the rear wall, as if it wasn’t there.

  Taelien followed her, passing a hand through the illusory wall before he tried to step through it. He didn’t feel anything unusual on the other side. It was a little cold, but not remarkably so.

  He stepped through.

  That led into another tunnel, where Wrynn was already running a finger across the wall as she moved.

  The architecture was different here; it was worked stone rather than looking like a natural cavern, and lit torches lined the walls.

  The particular grey color of the stone was uncomfortably familiar.

  When they reached the end of the hallway, it opened up into a tremendous chamber, hundreds of feet across and at least fifty feet high.

  Everything within the chamber was familiar. The tall support pillars, the bright red carpeting leading straight through the room, and the depression in the ground that led to a pair of colossal metal doorways.

  It wasn’t the entrance to the Paths of Ascension, but it was very nearly identical.

  Taelien stopped at the entrance to the chamber. “Your ‘home’ is outside a Xixian Vault?”

  Wrynn paused, shook her head. “Obviously not. Nowhere near secure enough that way. My home is inside the Xixian Vault.” With that, she resumed her walk, leading him to the double doors. “We can stop here for now. You haven’t impressed me enough to earn a tour of the interior just yet.”

  Taelien glanced at the double doors, remembering his last experience with one of the vaults, and felt a bit of gratitude that she’d chosen to stop. While the Paths of Ascension had been exciting, he hadn’t exactly enjoyed the aftermath. He looked to Wrynn, then back to the path they’d come from. “The tavern is just to hide this place?”

  “Hm? Oh, no. The tavern’s one of my businesses. Not that I need the money from selling rooms and ales, of course.”

  Taelien nodded. “I take it this is a place where you deal with business that can’t be handled in Selyr? Maybe trading goods that you wouldn’t want to be seen in the city, or information you wouldn’t want to talk about in a public locale?”

  “I’m glad you’ve been paying at least some attention.” Wrynn smiled, leaning up against the ancient vault doors. “Besides, sometimes it’s nice to just have a place to stay outside of the big city.”

  “There’s a huge distance between your businesses, though.” Taelien eyed the vault doors. “Did you find a teleportation gate inside the vault, perhaps?”

  “Please, Sal. You know I’m not going to answer that. What is it that you always say? ‘It’s a trade secret?’” Wrynn rolled her eyes. “Let’s focus on the important things, like the present you got me.”

  Taelien smiled. “You’re going to like this.” He slipped his backpack off his shoulders, opened the top, and rummaged through it until he found what he was looking for.

  He pulled out a peculiar looking box. It was currently closed and empty, but several runes glowed softly on the surface. He reached out and extended the box toward her.

  Wrynn snatched it out of his hands and cradled it against her chest. “Box! You found my box! Oh, I’ve missed you!” She lifted it to her lips and kissed the top. “You’ve been away for far too long.” She glanced up at Taelien. “Where’d you find her?”

  “Sitting on a table in the middle of a ruined village in the center of a swamp. Whole place had been torn apart, with signs of a ritual gone wrong.”

  Wrynn tightened her jaw. “Someone tried to summon something they shouldn’t have.”

  Taelien nodded. “I concur. I suspect it was one of Daes—”

  “Don’t even say that name here.”

  “I didn’t take you for superstitious.” Taelien blinked. “But sure, I’ll be careful.”

  “I’m not being superstitious. This is literally a summoning device, remember?”

  Taelien shrugged. “It’s currently empty. I checked.”

/>   “Including the extra dimensional space?” Wrynn wrinkled her nose.

  “No.” He shook his head. “Didn’t know how to use it properly, nor did I want to risk opening it if something dangerous was still inside.”

  Wrynn set the box down. “That’s wiser than you usually are. Might want to get yourself ready.”

  Taelien nodded, setting his hand on the hilt at his side.

  Wrynn knelt down, put a hand on the box, and said, “Retrieve: All Items.”

  Dozens of objects appeared on the floor. Taelien tensed, but no monsters appeared, and none of the items reacted in any way that looked dangerous.

  Wrynn frowned, appraising the items. “There are some key items missing, but this isn’t as bad as it could be. And you can relax, there’s nothing here that’s going to be immediately dangerous.”

  “Your use of the word ‘immediately’ is concerning, Wrynn.”

  “It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s nothing dangerous on its own. Some of these are pretty potent if they fall into the wrong hands...but I can make sure they don’t, now.” She looked up at him. “This’ll take some time to sort through, but I can do that later. Thanks, Sal. I owe you big for this one.”

  He nodded. “As much as I’m sure the paladins would have wanted to keep the legendary Jaden Box, it’s got your name on it. I couldn’t justify keeping it.”

  “I’ll compensate you fairly.” She paused, considering. “Give me time to come up with something appropriate.”

  Taelien wasn’t sure what she’d consider to be a fair trade for a legendary artifact like the Jaden Box, but he was curious what she’d come up with. “Thanks. For the moment, I could use some information to start with.”

  “Ah.” She smirked. “One of my specialties. Is that why you’re here? I figured you wouldn’t be in the area just to see the local wildlife.”

  He’d considered how best to present his situation several times, but dancing around an issue never appealed to him. He’d decided on ‘direct’. “Lady Aayara asked me to retrieve something. I’d like your help with that.”

  Wrynn’s eyes narrowed. “You’re working for Aayara...? I don’t know if I should be laughing or crying right now.”

  Taelien raised a hand in a warding gesture. “I don’t work for her. I work for the Paladins of Tae’os. But she’s offered me information on someone who killed one of our members in exchange for an item.”

  Wrynn sighed, shaking her head. “Some sort of valuable artifact, I presume?”

  “The Mask of Kishor. Apparently, the Prime Lord of Stone has it in his possession. As a prime lady yourself, I was hoping you might have some insight on how I could get him to relinquish it.”

  “Hmmm...” Wrynn made a contemplative expression. “Kyestri has the mask, eh?” She raised a hand to her chin, frowning. “No.”

  “...No?”

  “This isn’t about the mask. Aayara doesn’t need it.” Wrynn shifted some of the objects on the floor to the side, waving for Taelien to sit down.

  Taelien sat across from her. “She did mention that Kyestri was hosting an auction. Maybe she’s having me focus on the mask as a distraction, while her agents obtain something more valuable? Or maybe she just wants me to trade the Sae’kes to him, then she’ll get my sword from Kyestri.”

  “Maybe...” Wrynn went silent for a moment, her gaze growing distant.

  Taelien gave her a moment, considering possibilities.

  Wrynn could be wrong. Aayara might want the mask even if she doesn’t “need” it. Or maybe it has abilities Wrynn is unaware of.

  It’s also possible that she’s right. If she is, I have to wonder if I’m being set up to fail. If the mask isn’t her goal at all, she loses nothing by sending me on a fool’s errand.

  It’s also possible that she wants the mask, but it’s just a bonus, and something else is a higher priority for her.

  Taelien loathed these sorts of situations. He couldn’t afford to just ignore Aayara’s request outright, but without a clearer idea of her motivations, he had no way of knowing if he was simply playing into a larger plot or wasting his time.

  “I have some ideas.” Wrynn gestured at his backpack. “What’ve you got to trade me?”

  He folded his arms. “I did just return one of your favorite possessions.”

  “I’ll get you something for that later. Trust me. Let me see what you’ve got. I can make you a good deal.”

  “I’m not in a position to offer you anything valuable for just ‘ideas’. Can you help me get the mask, or get ahead of whatever Aayara is planning?”

  “I can get you into the auction, at least, and I have some baubles that Kyestri might be willing to trade.”

  Taelien nodded. “You have some kind of disguise or false identity that I can use?”

  Wrynn scoffed. “Oh, you’re just precious. No, I have an invitation. You can come along as my escort. Provided you can afford my time.” She looked him up and down. “And that you wear something a little nicer.”

  Taelien sighed. “I don’t exactly have formal wear with me.”

  “I’ll make arrangements. In the meantime, let me see those toys you’ve been hiding.”

  Taelien reached into the backpack again, and he felt a momentary sting from stretching the injury that War had given him. It still hadn’t completely healed. “Give me a moment.” He set his mundane supplies on his left side and then began to unload the dominion bonded items he’d been collecting on his right.

  His shoulders tightened as he began setting the objects down. They represented nearly a year of his work, tracking down relics hidden in old ruins and buying curious with long-forgotten properties. He didn’t like the idea of giving any of them up for a nebulous potential reward, but he had limited options.

  Taelien laid down the first item, a sheathed dagger. He unsheathed it briefly, showing a silvery blade with a faint glow. “Silverbrand. Bonded to the Dominion of Radiance. Some people say it was blessed by the God of Swords himself.”

  Wrynn snorted. “Not likely. Probably just something a priest threw an enchantment on to pawn for a few extra gold.”

  “I don’t think most priests do that sort of thing.”

  Wrynn shrugged. “Why not? I know I would.”

  Taelien sheathed the dagger, but kept it out. “I don’t think most priests can do that sort of thing. Dominion bonding requires extensive knowledge, and radiance callers are rare. And regardless of the origin, it’s useful. Well-balanced for both close combat and throwing, and the enchantment makes it effective against creatures of shadow.”

  Wrynn raised an eyebrow. “You do remember who you’re talking to, right?”

  “Of course. You’re the ‘Witch of a Thousand Shadows’. Very fancy. But you’re a sorcerer, not an elemental. You can use things opposed to your dominions.” He nudged the dagger closer. “And I know you like knives.”

  “Guilty, I admit it.” She picked it up, testing the weight. “A little boring, but I’ll think about it. Got anything juicier?”

  Taelien removed two spheres from the bag, each just small enough to fit in a palm. The balls were filled with liquid, with a single object suspended within each — a metallic arrow, like the point of a compass.

  “These are useful.” Taelien lifted one, and the arrow swung to point toward the other orb. “Very simple. The arrows always point toward the location of the other orb.”

  “For tracking?” Wrynn twisted her lips. “Not bad, but a bit too big to plant on someone.”

  “They’re built for giving to friends, so you can find each other at a distance, not tracking your enemies.”

  Wrynn shrugged. “Wouldn’t be useful to me, then.”

  Taelien set the orb down. “Why?”

  Wrynn set Silverbrand down, looking at the spheres. “Only had one person that was worth keeping an eye on, and she’s already dead.”

  Taelien’s heart sank. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Wrynn gave him a curious look. “Because it ma
kes it harder for you to sell me an orb, or do you actually care?”

  “Little bit of both, but mostly the latter. Must have been difficult to lose someone that close to you.”

  “More than you know.” She sounded wistful. “Maybe I’ll tell you about her at some point. She would have liked you. Or hated you. Maybe both.” Wrynn nodded to herself. “But enough of that for now. Show me something interesting.”

  Taelien put Silverbrand away, then removed a lantern with a white metallic frame.

  “Ooh, I think I know that one. Is that Ulandir’s Ghost Lantern?”

  Taelien nudged the lantern closer. “It is. Have a look.”

  Wrynn lifted the device, inspecting it. “Fascinating that he managed such a complex effect with a bonded item, rather than a marked one. Must be several different bonded components here. Have you tried it? Does it work?”

  “It definitely illuminates spirits when it’s lit, but I wasn’t able to find any that I could interact with. Some of them looked at me, but I couldn’t get any of them to talk.” He frowned. “And now I’m seeing them even with the lantern off. Which is irritating.”

  Wrynn gave an appreciate hum. “That’s quite impressive. Spirit dominion items aren’t cheap or easy to come by. And it’s probably better that the spirits didn’t take an interest in you. I doubt you have any defenses against them if they proved hostile.” She paused. “And those lingering effects are...odd. You’re sure you’re still seeing actual spirits? Maybe you just need to have your eyes checked.”

  Taelien shook his head. “I’m pretty sure. They’re still there when I do turn the lantern on, and they seem to notice me if I use it, but not before.”

  “...That...definitely shouldn’t work that way. But okay, you’ve got me somewhat interested, at least.”

  “So, you’ll trade for that, then?” He tried not to sound too hopeful.

  “Keep going.” She set the lantern down. “I’ll tell you what I want when I’ve seen the whole inventory.”

  Taelien laid out the next item.

  “One spool of silk from a Lightweave Spider. Extremely resilient and inherently bonded to the Dominion of Light.”

  “Boring. Next?”