The Hall of Doors

by Phillip Locey

  Though she heard the sounds of both participants’ voices escalating in pitch, the intermittent phrases the wind allowed to reach her didn’t add up to anything coherent. It sounded like they were arguing, though that didn’t surprise her. Rhazine had set to braiding thin rivulets of her hair, unconcerned by Be’naj’s attempted eavesdropping. After what might have stretched into a quarter of an hour, the talking ceased and heavy footsteps led to the front door being reopened.

  Be’naj shifted in her seat to no longer face the window, hoping her intentions weren’t obvious. “How did it go?” she asked as casually as she could muster after Saffron dropped her weight heavily onto the cushions.

  “Some of these Shapers are stubborn,” she replied.

  “You don’t say?” Be’naj played along, slightly amused. “What were you two talking about?”

  “Oh, I was reminding Groilen how the Circle of Twelve still owed me for a favor I did them, and I wanted to ask one in return.”

  “What was it?”

  “I asked him to get day passes for Zygrim and Wemic, the other gladiators I fought with during my captivity. And to book passage for them to Lucnere, too.” Saffron made the statement as if it was a small thing, but stared up at Be’naj with expectant eyes.

  Be’naj chose her words carefully, torn between praising Saffron’s compassion and admitting jealousy at having to compete with others for her attention. “That doesn’t sound like it comes cheaply.”

  Saffron blew at a strand of hair that had fallen across her face. “No doubt. But I can’t leave them in there to die for the sport of others when I have a key to their collars – and the Twelve do owe me.”

  “Well, I guess we’ll have more company on the boat.” Be’naj wasn’t sure what else to say. She recognized it might be nice to have others to talk to besides Sirran. “Are we staying here tonight, then?”

  “Oh yes,” Saffron added. “Groilen said they had room for us at the cottage across from the stables, since the Twelve come and go from this house at all hours. We should be able to enjoy some quiet there.”

  “Perhaps we should retire, then? I know the two of you can’t have slept in half-an-Age, and I would like to try communing with Shecclad.”

  “I wouldn’t mind some sleep, though I’d like to be awake when Groilen gets back.” Saffron stood and extended a hand to assist Be’naj to her feet. She gave a quick explanation to Rhazine, and then the three of them headed next door to get some well-earned rest.

  Chapter 17

  Morning’s Shimmer

  T haelios gazed over the deck railing at yet another sunrise painting gold upon the western horizon. As beautiful as the light dancing off the water was, it felt like the trade barge Jaiden had put them on was crawling up the Morning’s Shimmer River at the pace of a newborn. No doubt riding along while others toiled at the oars was easier than cutting across the river valley on horseback, but it seemed to be taking forever. He was sure The Name of the Beast would be on to the next phase of its diabolical plans before they ever reached Blackfeather Perch.

  Still, the trip gave him enough time to devour nearly everything in Trigilas’s book. The Father of Spells was undoubtedly even a greater genius than eladrin legend boasted. Gradations of Immortality contained magic beyond Thaelios’s acumen, though just glimpsing the ambitious feats Trigilas pursued proved enough. While human Shapers seeking to prolong their existence often devolved to necromancy, Trigilas had taken an entirely different approach. He’d obviously gotten inspiration from dealing with immortal entities from the Outer Planes, and sought to mimic their constitution.

  While he’d not found a way to bestow true immortality, other options to extend life had proven promising. One particular ritual that fascinated Thaelios involved Shaping a new body and transferring one’s life source into it. There didn’t seem to be any requirement that the new body matched the old, though it was unclear if the Spark that allowed one to Shape magic in the first place would be transferred.

  Thaelios turned his back to the rising sun and sat upon the gently sloping prow of the vessel. The raised lip of the hull shielded him from the cold wind coming off the water, though indirect rays of sunlight still reached him. He’d have to remain content to read for at least another day, it seemed. Though the crew’s uncomfortably long stares had mostly faded over the week of travel, he’d not grown comfortable enough with any of the humans to engage in idle conversation. That included Jaiden, for whom the opposite seemed to be true in regards to Dyphina.

  The fey portion of her nature had been on full display, practically since they’d boarded back in Selamus. She’d been at Jaiden’s side nearly every time he saw them, laughing or flipping her hair from one shoulder to another. Thaelios wondered whether she could even help herself – talking to strangers seemed to come easily to Dyphina – but realized her flirtatiousness had its advantages. It took attention away from him, to start, and he was thankful for that. He knew that she could also be persuasive in a manner beyond his capability, and he’d never put much effort into learning charms.

  He pushed thoughts of his fellow apprentice from his mind, settling in against the chill morning air to give his full attention to the page. He was rereading the Selective Reincarnation ritual to learn as much as he could about what bound a body and spirit together. Thaelios was so absorbed that he lost track of time and didn’t notice Jaiden and Dyphina until they stood on either side of him, peering over the bow.

  “Looks like a storm’s rolling in from the north,” Jaiden announced, his gaze still tracking somewhere over the water.

  Dyphina shivered visibly. “It’s getting colder, too. I’ll have to get my cape from below.”

  Thaelios realized she was right. Goosebumps covered the silvery flesh of his arms. “I should do the same, I suppose. He marked his place in the book with its thin, golden cord and closed it before standing. “Thank you for the extra clothes and supplies,” he mentioned to Jaiden after a pause. Expressions of gratitude were no exception to the reluctance he felt addressing humans.

  Jaiden waved him off. “Don’t mention it. I knew you two were traveling light, given the ground you covered. It’s a shame Lady Saffron couldn’t make this final part of the journey as well.”

  “I’ll get yours too, Thaelios,” Dyphina said, stepping toward the cabin hatch, consigning him to face alone whatever awkward conversation was about to unfold.

  With the wind blowing against them, the sail of the single-mast vessel had been lowered and the steady rhythm of the oars plunging beneath the surface of the water stood out in the momentary silence.

  “Yes, a shame,” Thaelios eventually responded. “She and Be’naj had an equally important mission elsewhere, but she spoke well of you and was confident you’d give us aid.”

  “She did?” Jaiden leaned his elbows against the railing and looked into the wind. In it, the curls of his thick, dark brown hair peeled back from his face. He turned back to Thaelios so the breeze didn’t steal his words. “Well, I don’t know of anyone more capable. If it’s important, I’m glad she’s the one taking care of it.”

  “Indeed,” Thaelios replied. “I wish I had the same confidence in our success as we both have in hers.”

  “So, what’s in that book you’re always carrying around?” Jaiden asked, nodding toward the tome cradled in Thaelios’s hands. “Is it a history or something?”

  Thaelios shrugged. “I suppose one could describe it as such. It was written by a great scholar of my people, who is no longer living.”

  Dyphina emerged from the hatch with a heavy cloth cape draped around her shoulders. She carried another, folder in her arms, which she handed to Thaelios. The capes were white, emblazoned with purple crescents at their center, matching the tabard Jaiden wore over his tunic.

  “I bet this country will look beautiful come spring,” Dyphina said, looking toward the southern shore as Thaelios fastened his cape.

  “Aye, I imagine it will,” Jaiden answered, fixing his gaze to a s
imilar point. Dyphina took up a spot against the railing much closer to Jaiden than was necessary and gazed up at him. He considered her and opened his mouth to speak, but paused and turned to Thaelios instead. “I wanted to let you both know we’ll be disembarking in the next few hours. I convinced the captain to skiff us to shore before they reach Koriskon. Better to not announce our arrival to an entire city, I think.”

  Thaelios nodded. “That seems wise.”

  “Will we be on foot, then?” Dyphina questioned, her pitch high.

  Jaiden smiled. “I suppose, but we’ve got bedrolls and plenty of hard rations for it. I also brought silver. We could hire a wagon or even buy ourselves horses in a village if we need to. There should be opportunities as we near the Ifelian Corridor.”

  “Hmm,” Thaelios considered. “Yes, but we can’t vouch for the safety of the Corridor, given past experiences.”

  “Well, we can take things as they come. I’m sure Criesha will be looking out for us.”

  “Does she … always?” Dyphina asked, not breaking eye contact and sliding her hand over on the railing until it touched Jaiden’s arm. “Look out for you, that is.”

  Thaelios wished he had half of Cauzel’s skill and could take the shape of a caterpillar so he might simply crawl away. Instead, he decided to put Dyphina in her place. “Did I hear correctly that the knights of your Order swear a vow of celibacy?”

  Jaiden clenched his teeth in an expression somewhere between a grimace and a smile. “Well, uh, yes, they do now, but that’s a somewhat recent development.”

  “Is it?” Thaelios played along, not truly interested in the details.

  “Criesha requires my complete devotion as her Champion. The most devout within the Rising Moon have taken on a similar oath as a way to show their dedication to our Goddess and the cause.”

  Dyphina turned her head slowly to Thaelios and smiled, then just as deliberately returned her attention to Jaiden. “That must be so hard, having to give up the needs of the flesh.” She shifted to assume a position that mirrored Jaiden’s, her elbows nestled firmly on the railing. Dyphina arched her back and her chest thrust out as a result. “I’m not sure I could give all that up so easily.”

  Jaiden licked his lips and swallowed, his eyes taking in the half-fey’s reclining body. “Oh, I never said it was easy …”

  “Alright. Good talking to you,” Thaelios interrupted. “I’m just going to go finish reading somewhere else and look forward to getting back on land.” Not waiting for a response, he made for the aft of their ship.

  He just couldn’t understand why people felt compelled to act in such ways. Thaelios didn’t have a problem with sexuality, specifically, but it was something best expressed behind closed doors … Though he’d fought hard not to linger on them, memories of Zygrim taking him into the private chamber within the Den of Sin surfaced.

  Thaelios walked nearly blind past a pair of sailors headed in the other direction and settled into a corner on the opposite end of the ship from Dyphina and Jaiden. He was too busy remembering how, despite his impressive musculature, Zygrim had so delicately undressed him. They had both been drunk, Thaelios justified to his own subconscious – buying enough leverage to indulge his memories a little longer.

  Up until the point it was actually happening, there was not a moment during his six decades of living that Thaelios had contemplated sharing such intimate experiences with a human. Like many Eladrin, he grew up thinking most humans would just as soon slit his throat as hold a conversation. Cauzel had changed that, though it turned out his mentor was Eladrin after all.

  He’d been trying to keep the memories of that evening in the Den of Sin locked away – what good could come from dwelling on them? And yet, he didn’t think the intoxicating heat Zygrim had filled him with was something he could ever forget.

  The rhythmic crash of the oars upon the water suddenly stopped, drawing Thaelios’s attention back to his surroundings. “Drop anchor!” the captain shouted from the bow. Finally, Thaelios could focus on something else – like getting his feet back on dry land.

  He closed the book he hadn’t even started reading again and made his way to the hatch to gather his belongings. Thaelios didn’t bother saying farewell to the sailors, who he assumed would be glad to see him off their ship. Jaiden had emerged from below deck wearing a suit of polished plate armor, the silvery metal accented by the same purple as his tabard.

  “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until we’re ashore to don that?” Thaelios asked. “If our boat were to tip, you’d sink like a stone.”

  “I trust my balance,” Jaiden responded. “Besides, the alloy is actually fairly light. I can march at full speed while wearing it, without tiring.”

  By the time they stepped off the skiff into the ankle-deep water that lapped the southern shore of the Morning’s Shimmer River, the rolling clouds had blanketed the sky and a light snow began to fall.

  Dyphina thanked each of the rowers with an embrace while Jaiden transferred their packs from the boat to the beach, one by one. Thaelios found his and checked to be certain Cauzel’s spellbook and Trigilas’s tome were both present and secure. Reassured by the sight of his now prized possessions, he hoisted the heavy pack onto his back and waited for his fellows to do the same.

  “Are you sure you’re going to be able to manage in that armor?” he asked Jaiden once more. He was almost tired at just the thought of walking around while encased in metal.

  Jaiden chuckled. “I promise I’m fine. Willem enchanted it.” He watched the skiff returning to the cargo ship for a moment before facing Thaelios. “Are we ready, then? If we continue following the tree line west, we should eventually reach the Corridor.”

  “Then let’s get started,” Dyphina added merrily, holding her hand out to catch falling snowflakes. “Moving might help warm me up.”

  Jaiden nodded and led the way, heading inland just enough to get off the softer earth along the riverbank. His metal boots left clear imprints in the ground, and Dyphina seemed to be making a game of walking exactly where he stepped.

  Thaelios flexed his fingers to test their circulation, taking up the rear as his mind wandered to the new spells he’d been focusing on from Cauzel’s spellbook. His old master, while not as gifted as the Father of Spells, displayed an impressive ingenuity and had clearly possessed a passion for transmogrification magic.

  Thaelios worried about the possibilities of taking the wrong shape or getting stuck in another form, and didn’t have much desire to learn the same kinds of tricks. Having thought back on his recent experiences and his expanding grasp of the types of adversaries he was likely to have confrontations with, given their mission, he was leaning toward a specialization in abjuration. Though the Celestial fountain had healed him, he could not forget the pain of Gullagion’s acid eating away at his flesh. Preventing such harmful effects seemed a prudent course of study.

  In the thick of his considerations, Thaelios wasn’t sure if the ragged sound of a horse exhaling somewhere behind him was real or imagined. He looked over his shoulder to be sure, and stumbled into Dyphina as his feet reactively hastened him forward.

  Four feral-looking humanoids sat atop chestnut steeds a good stone’s-throw away, but moved with a slow gait toward overtaking them. The gently falling snow obscured their appearance, but Thaelios saw enough to know they were neither human nor Eladrin. “Jaiden, we’re not alone!” Thaelios called.

  When it was clear they were noticed, the riders stopped. Two of them held short, curved bows, and Thaelios spied spiked shields and fur-wrapped scabbards on the flanks of the horses. An uneasiness passed down his throat into his stomach and his fingers started twitching, eager to assist in casting.

  Jaiden strode a couple of steps past Thaelios and Dyphina, interposing himself between the Shapers and the mounted quartet. “Orcs,” he said quietly. “We’ve had problems with them in the Black Hills, but that’s far from here. I’ve not found them to be friendly.” He placed his hand on
the hilt of the sword, sheathed at his side, but did not draw.

  For a long moment, both groups remained rooted in place, assessing one another. In his head, Thaelios went over the chant for the new shielding spell he’d been practicing, anxious to see if it truly worked. Without a word, the lead orc spurred his horse into a gallop and the others mirrored him – the two armed with bows raised them and knocked arrows as they approached at speed.

  Jaiden rushed forward to meet them, creating more distance between the initial point of attack and where Thaelios and Dyphina stood. Thaelios extended his elbows sideways, freeing them from the overlap of his cape. “Stay behind me,” he said to Dyphina without looking back. He felt her shifting position but put all his concentration into Shaping.

  The first pair of arrows were foolishly fired toward Jaiden. Without hope of penetrating his plate protection, they nevertheless deflected before even striking its surface, as if some invisible hand had swatted them away. Thaelios ducked as one of the ricocheted projectiles whisked past.

  The grandmaster had lowered the visor of his helmet, which was set with an ivory, spiraled horn resembling a unicorn’s. He’d also drawn his sword, and its blade shone with a pale green light. The archers had slowed their steeds to draw again while the other two orcs, curved falchions in hand, bore down on Jaiden.

  Finishing the words required for his spell, Thaelios was ready for the next round of arrows. A subtly shimmering disc of force, about an arm’s length wide, floated a similar distance in front of Thaelios’s chest. It moved in accordance to his hand gestures, just like he’d practiced, but he had yet to test its strength against any substantial impact.

  The first arrow was on target, heading straight for his torso. He didn’t need to make any adjustments and watched as the arrowhead snapped off its shaft, which spun into the air, harmlessly redirected. The second arrow was an overshot, but Thaelios had no way of knowing if Dyphina was in danger. He slid the disc quickly up and to the right, catching the arrow before it whizzed past him, likewise separating the metal from wood.