Air

by Rosie Scott

  Kirek was quiet for a few moments as she took this all in. I was happy to have stumped her because she'd been so distinctly dubious of me thus far. When she finally spoke again, she appeared slightly more humble. “Then I suppose I am making the right decision by taking you to Queen Tilda.”

  Four

  68th of New Moon, 421

  Mistral was a magnificent city built in and around the Orna Cliffs. Much like the architecture of the underground, many of the buildings here were built straight into the rock of the land. The warm glow of firelight shone through slivers of windows in the cliffs themselves, giving away that the city was as high as the landscape. On top of the highlands, even more structures were built, sprawling across the afternoon sky in splashes of thick stone.

  The ground level of Mistral was also gigantic. A great lake extended off into the distance to our left, fed by the runoff of the cliffs. Many Vhiri were fishing on the lake, some simply casting their rods into the water from its edges, and others on tiny fishing boats which floated peacefully still. Past the lake, the cliffs cinched at their middle, leaving an indent of land leading to the opening of a massive gemstone mine. This was where I had my first real view of the giants.

  The giants in T'ahal had been only children standing at nine to twelve feet. Here, many of them were fully adult, standing around thirty feet tall. They were still dwarfed in size by the surrounding cliffs, but that only put the height of Eteri's land into serious perspective. The giants here were working in and around the mines, many of them moving tons of rock and gemstones around as if they were as light as simple pebbles. The few Vhiri working alongside them looked like tiny pests in comparison, even when considering that the elves tended to be quite tall themselves.

  The city of Mistral seemed to be set up in three tiers, much like Sera. The ground level of the grasslands was made up of stone buildings that housed miners and other service workers. There were also significant, elongated warehouses and some traders, though the store selection here was quite low and mostly only served travelers who did not want to stay long enough to move up into the second tier of the city in the cliffs.

  We followed Kirek and a few of her most trusted soldiers into the cliffs via an open entryway carved straight from the bottom of them, which reminded me a lot of Tenesea's tree entrance. The entire second tier of the city was within the land here, made up of long, open hallways and intersections just like they were outdoor streets. Signs were everywhere, pointing travelers to various districts and attractions, though most of the populace paid no attention to them and walked through the city with familiarity. There were no giants in here, of course, which made me wonder if the giants lived in the mines because I hadn't seen buildings which could fit them.

  All of the lights here were fire. The Vhiri apparently had little use for alteration or illusion magic, though that was a curiosity to me given Jakan was an illusionist. I decided to look further into this when I had the time. I understood that the Vhiri were mostly lovers of elemental magic, like myself, but after our war campaign in the underground, I'd learned the lesser magics were too powerful and useful to be thrown to the side. Then again, perhaps the Vhiri relied on fire because it helped to fuel their magic without using a constant stream of energy like magic lights would. After all, the fire was of no detriment here, for stone could not burn, and the constant eating of oxygen was not a concern in a city so open to the air.

  Kirek led us through the masses and to a staircase, where we climbed until our legs were sore with abuse. The stairwell around us echoed with multiple steps and conversations, many of the noises from out of view. Sound traveled easily through stone, and its vibrations continually massaged our feet.

  Finally, we reached the third tier of the city. We'd walked into the cliffs at the lowest point of the ground, and now we were upon the highlands. Though it was not quite evening yet, the large second moon of Meir hung over the stone buildings ahead like it guarded them, appearing so huge from this height even though it had barely broken into the horizon to begin its semi-annual trek through the sky. I noted the moon's appearance with curiosity; it was a little early in New Moon to see Meir, so I had to wonder if our location on Arrayis affected our view of it.

  The buildings here were substantial in both width and height. Even when the Vhiri were high up in the air thanks to their land, they sought to be even higher. Many of the men and women here looked like soldiers, even though most of Kirek's soldiers had stayed in the lowest tier of the city when we'd gotten there. Eteri loved warfare and took it seriously; I'd always known that, but even still, the number of soldiers here ready for war was astonishing.

  “Kirek!” A man's booming voice called our attention to the side of a tall stone building, where a Vhiri man of seven feet leaned back against a wall. His skin was so bronzed it held a tint of orange, and his hair was a bright red much like my own. He grinned with a set of perfect wide teeth as the subject of his greeting looked over to him.

  “Altan, hello,” Kirek greeted, waving an arm toward the man. “Kai Sera, this is Altan Marcet, the first Sentinel.”

  Sentinel. Kirek had used that word before. I held out a hand as Altan came to greet me, appearing much friendlier than Kirek had been.

  “Kai Sera! Holy shit! You're here!” Altan exclaimed with much enthusiasm as he neared me. Instead of taking my hand, he took both, holding them in his own. I noticed that his eyes were a sharp red, and were surrounded by the slight creases of age. I figured him to be at least four hundred years old because if he were human, he would have probably been in his early forties.

  “Ahh, that beautiful red hair,” he said with a smile. “You can't fight fire with fire, but do you know what you'd get if you joined them?”

  I chuckled softly at his attempt at a flirtation. “Double the fire,” I replied.

  Altan laughed heartily. “That you would, my lady.”

  “You are a fire mage as well,” I surmised.

  “I am,” Altan replied, finally letting my hands go when he noticed Cerin's glare. “And between you and me? I would have loved to have seen Sera burn. How beautiful the city must have been in orange! Had you invited me, I would have brought the finest cuts of meat, and we could have bonded over a barbecue.”

  “Altan,” Kirek protested, impatient.

  Altan's red eyes flicked to the other Sentinel. “Loosen up, Kirek, and be grateful you have not scared away this new friend of ours and her...” He scanned over my friends. “...interesting posse.”

  “Kai Sera is no friend of ours,” Kirek replied. “Not until Queen Tilda decides it.”

  “Pfft!” Altan scoffed before he looked over and raised his eyebrows as if to share his exasperation with me. “I follow the queen, but that does not mean I am her child. Gods, you can be such a—”

  “Altan, I have no time for petty insults. Tell me where the others are if they are here, and tell me about the queen's schedule.” Kirek paused. “And be mindful of our new friends.” I frowned, wondering what she could have meant by that.

  Altan crossed his bronzed arms over his chest. Though he wore no armor for now, his tunic was made of yellow and white cloth and did little to hide his muscles. As he spoke, he avoided our gazes and stared directly at Kirek. “Bhaskar is currently with the queen in her royal hall, discussing some recent happenings with a new arrival. Uriel is here, and last I saw him he was healing my men in the hospital. Cyrus is here, though I don't know where. Zephyr left with her army to Scirocco mere weeks after you last year. And Naolin is on her way to Esen by ship from Makani.”

  That was too many names and happenings for me to fully understand at first since I didn't know who Altan spoke of. Even so, I took this information in with interest and tried to remember it.

  “And the new arrival?” Kirek questioned.

  Altan cocked his head at her. “You told me to be mindful.”

  “Very well.” Kirek glanced at me. “I am taking Kai to see the queen, but would you mind keeping her company whil
e I get the hall prepared?”

  “Will do,” Altan replied evenly.

  Kirek nodded to him, before she said to me, “Wait here. I will inform the queen of your presence and bring you to her as quickly as I am able.”

  “Thank you,” I offered, though the woman did not respond. Kirek hurried off with her few guarding soldiers, heading toward a giant stone and glass castle looming in the midst of the highlands.

  “How long have you traveled with her?” Altan questioned, as I watched her disappear through the crowds of soldiers.

  “We came across her army on the Ternion Trail a week ago,” I replied.

  “A week? How did you survive?” Altan laughed.

  “I'm not sure. She doesn't seem to like me very much,” I mused.

  Altan appeared thoughtful for a moment. “Kirek does not like people in general, but only because she has no time for it. I would not take it personally. She has lost many people to war.”

  “And yet she continues to partake in it,” I pointed out.

  “Yes, because the loss fuels her. As I have heard is true for you.” Altan's red eyes searched mine. “There are many rumors which have reached us about your rebellion, Kai. Some say you seek to ruin your father with a lust for ultimate power. Others say that your relationship with his executed general reached depths many people did not previously realize.”

  “Both are technically true,” I said.

  Altan chuckled. “I admire your honesty! And I am sorry for your loss, though I am years late. Was Bjorn a lover of yours?”

  “Oh, gods no,” I blurted quickly, making Altan and a few of my friends laugh. “He was like a father to me.” I jerked a thumb to Cerin. “This is my lover, and the reason any of that happened at all. Bjorn sought to aid me in Cerin's escape from the dungeon.” I hesitated. “You knew Bjorn's name.”

  Altan nodded. “Yes, we all know him by name. Bjorn was well liked by my people for being a Seran. He fought well on the seas during our spat near the Narangar harbor back in...say, how many years ago was that?” He thought for a moment. “I believe it was in 403.”

  I would have been eight years old at the time. I remembered that Bjorn had been gone for nearly a year, and as a child, that had felt like forever. I knew that Bjorn had been reprimanded upon his return, though I couldn't remember why. “Sirius was not happy with him when he returned.”

  Altan chuckled dryly. “I suppose not. Bjorn saved us from a war when we couldn't afford one, and he returned our injured, even though the dwarves would have preferred to torture them with their ungodly machines.”

  “I thought the Vhiri loved their war,” I teased, taking note of his words.

  The Vhiri grinned at me. “We do, but we were low on gold and morale at the time. Our trading vessels to Nahara kept being sunk just south of Narangar. We thought the dwarves were at fault, so we sent our navies out there to retaliate and sunk a few of their ships and attempted to burn down their harbor. Bjorn arrived before long, and instead of sinking all of our ships, he started boarding them to take them.”

  I listened intently, trying to imagine Bjorn's strategy. It intrigued me to hear stories of him that I'd never heard before.

  “So, he took one of our ships, had his men hold ours hostage, and had it maneuvered as a defense before the harbor. He flagged us down, so Uriel and I tried negotiating with him from our separate ships. Bjorn told us that the dwarves were also having trouble with sinking ships and that Chairel was not declaring war on us. Turns out, there was a whole family of krakens that had made their home in the seas just south of Narangar. Must have moved there in the recent moons, because we'd never had any problems there before.” Altan shrugged. “Bjorn returned our ships and our men, and we returned what we had that belonged to the bastards of Narangar.”

  “Did you kill the krakens?” I questioned.

  “Not us. We left that to the dwarves.” Altan smiled. “It affected them more than us, anyway. We simply had our trading vessels take a longer route until we heard the threat was gone.”

  I chuckled.

  “So, yes, our people liked Bjorn well enough. He was fair in the game of war, and even though he spoke like a dwarf, he didn't act like one. It always confused us that he worked for Sirius. The two had completely different mindsets.”

  “He told me he loved his job,” I said. “It paid well, it brought him recognition, and his closeness to Sirius and the University granted him access to me, and he loved me like a daughter.”

  Altan nodded slowly as his eyes rolled over me in admiration. “That speaks highly of you.”

  “My actions also speak highly of me,” I retorted in jest.

  Altan smiled. “I like you already, Kai Sera. I hope your talks with the queen go well tonight. I would love to fight alongside you in battle.” He glanced around at the others. “And who are your friends?”

  The others introduced themselves one by one, and the Sentinel shook each of their hands, asking each of them questions about their relationship with me. So far in Eteri, everyone I had seen was either Vhiri or a giant. Perhaps that was why the Renegades were attracting extra attention everywhere we went.

  “Altan,” I spoke up when the conversation had died down. “What are the Sentinels?”

  “Ah!” Altan beamed at me. “Glad you asked. Our queen has seven Sentinels. It is the highest honor you can achieve in Eteri's army. Many of us battled and worked for decades, if not centuries, to obtain the title. We are all generals, but we all have different strengths and abilities.” Altan shrugged. “As I told you, I am a fire mage, but I also wield a chain in melee.”

  A chain. My mind traveled back to the gladiatorial battle in T'ahal when Bien the Child-Eater had wielded a chain. I eyed Altan's muscles. “That explains the muscles.”

  The Sentinel grinned with pride. “Yes, do they please you?”

  “They can please me,” Nyx blurted. I snorted a laugh as Altan looked at her with renewed interest.

  “I'll see what I can do,” Altan purred.

  “You all wield more than magic, I assume,” I said, trying to get the man's mind back on to battle.

  “Yes,” Altan replied. “Mages battle best in the open and energetic air, but as you know, that's not always possible. Besides, many of us battle with both at the same time. My chain is extra intimidating when it is imbued with fire.”

  “I'm sure,” I agreed, imagining it. “So tell me: why are each of the Sentinels numbered? Kirek called herself the third, and she called you the first.”

  “We are awarded our number based on our achievements and time of service,” Altan replied. “When I was first promoted to a Sentinel I was number six because we had lost a few in battle. Cyrus and I were promoted to six and seven. As the Sentinels die in battle or retire the others are moved up, and more are promoted. The better the number, the more time someone has been a Sentinel.”

  “That means you are the best,” Nyx commented.

  “It does.” Altan grinned back at her.

  “Hot.”

  “Nyx,” I hissed.

  “I haven't had any since Hazarmaveth,” she retorted, glaring back at me. I heard Jakan chuckle.

  “You will get plenty from me,” Altan offered, before frowning. “Wait, did you say Hazarmaveth? You all came from underground?”

  I hesitated before telling him the story since Kirek was marching back toward us with purpose from the castle. “You will hear the story soon enough.”

  Kirek came to a stop before us. I realized then just how long she had taken since the sun was preparing to set, leaving the glare of its light in a halo around Kirek's head from the west. It was already clear that Kirek had been quite secretive with us. Given the troubles we'd had the previous years after leaving Nahara, I tried to be watchful of anything suspicious, and the long wait was something I noted. I had no reason to expect anything untoward from Eteri, but I couldn't discount the possibility.

  “The queen is prepared to meet you all,” Kirek told us, before loo
king to Altan. “You were summoned as well.”

  “Am I in trouble?” Altan teased.

  “No, she simply wants all of the Sentinels there.”

  “I was joking,” Altan said with chagrin.

  Kirek led us slowly through the masses of soldiers and toward the castle. It was a giant construction, built many stories tall above the already towering highland cliffs, and it was built out of giant slabs of gray stone. There were hundreds of soldiers all around it, walking to and fro, and training on both sides with magic and melee alike. It was a beautiful place to train, for the castle sat quite close to the outer edge of the cliffs facing west. As we neared it, I could see the grasslands of Eteri stretching beyond for many miles, before the height allowed me to see miles of the ocean beyond even that. Even this far away from its waves, I could hear them. It was as if the constant breeze of Eteri carried the ocean's song to all who would listen to it. The view here was incredible, and I had to grab hold of Azazel's arm to pull him with us, for his awe of the scene was causing him to dally.

  The interior of Mistral's castle somehow made it seem even more extensive than it had appeared from the outside. It was set up much like a tower, with the center of the main square room free of ceilings, allowing one to look up and see through at least two dozen floors. Like the rest of the architecture of Eteri, the building was spotted with wide, clear windows, which allowed its occupants to see the view while enjoying the warmth of the trapped sunlight. In the higher levels, I could hear the breeze moving through open windows.

  The main square hall of the castle was only the beginning of the magnificent structure. Queen Tilda's castle stretched far in each direction, leading to hallways and rooms of various description. Kirek paid little attention to these and led us up a stairway of the main room, where it continued to circle around the square hall until the top, allowing access to each floor via a landing. As we climbed the castle behind Kirek, the large picture windows allowed us a gorgeous view of the west. The higher we got, the better the view became, allowing us to get so far above the land and the cliffs that it almost felt like we were back in Whispermere, when we had been above the clouds.