by Jeffrey Cook
Noriko nodded, her jaw set. “We can help them, and we will help them, but they're not going to like it.”
“Well, we'll have you with us.”
“Which will make it worse. The rest of the Storm's Light won't want my help.”
Nils squeezed her hand. "Right now, we can hope they'll take any help they can get. What are the likely targets?"
"The three treasures," Noriko said. "Amaterasu's Mirror is in the prophecy, specifically. I don't know as much about the jewel. But the Grasscutter would be awfully nice to have, too, depending on what they're doing with it right now."
"As legendary swords go, I still think Grasscutter is a terrible name," Hobie said.
"And I still don't remember asking you," Noriko said. This time there was no anger in her response. They'd had the discussion before, clearly, but usually these things sounded more like teasing, and less like Noriko was just tiredly defending her nation's historical artifacts.
Celeste let them calm again, and continued her line of thinking. "It's settled, then. We go and offer our help to defend the treasures. We try to get the Grasscutter into the hands of whoever can use it best, and we protect the mirror."
"And then we get what help we can getting to the Gisting Tower, fast," Hobie said.
Noriko looked thoughtful. "'If the Sun sees her mirrored face, then her light shall grow, and that place shall know sanctuary.' Amaterasu is the Sun. So if we save the mirror, Japan is the sanctuary? It'd be a nice to have somewhere to point refugees, anyway, right?"
“Definitely,” Melody tried to assure. “Sanctuaries are good. But let's take things one step at a time and not worry too much about the prophecy just yet, all things considered.”
“Because the prophecy also says we're doomed?” Hobie asked, because of course he did.
“I...well...” Melody wondered whether to talk about the Asimovesque millennial schemes or eighteen-year delays based on very intrusive speculation, but she figured the best chance would be reminding Hobie that the fall still mattered. She took a breath, preparing a teacherly speech in her head.
“Oedipus,” Nils said. Melody was struck by his tone. As if the word was some solemn conceptual rhyme for Eureka.
“Mom's still dead, Nils,” Hobie said drily. “And besides, you already have a girlfriend.”
“Hrobjart Bjornsson!” Melody said, grimacing.
“Not that,” Nils said. “The whole thing about the play is that Oedipus's parents got rid of him just to avoid the prophecy, and that's exactly why it happened. The whole play, most of the Greek tragedies, really, there's the protagonists taking action, and there's the chorus in the background talking about the real facts and what the prophecies really mean.”
Melody listened, trying to parse. Obviously, she was familiar enough with Greek tragedy. She'd stood in a few theaters in her time. And then there was Kirke.
“But the tragedy's already happened for us,” said Noriko.
“We're screwed. The world is screwed,” Hobie said more bluntly.
"No, they're the protagonists. Xharomor. His lackeys. Dr. Nathaniel, now. They think they've gotten the prophecy to go their way. We need to be the Greek Chorus and turn this into their tragedy." Nils said.
Melody started nodding as part of it started to click. Were it not incredibly inappropriate and mildly unhealthy, she could kiss the kid.
"How, exactly, do we turn around 'and then the Third Tower falls?" Hobie said, still looking dubious.
"I don't know yet," Nils said. "There's a whole lot I don't know. But I think Noriko is right. Amaterasu's Mirror might just be the thing, if we can protect it, to get one thing in our favor. Then we figure out next steps. I'm hoping those might involve recovering the sarcophagus, at least. We can work on it more as we go. But..." He hesitated, looking among the group. "It's something, right?"
Melody smiled at her students, and then the smile faded as a realization hit her. "I think it's a great idea, but you're missing a step."
Nils looked at her, confused at first, and then both the human and reptilian eye widened. "The defenders scatter to the winds... but we need to stick together."
She shook her head. "I like your plan. But there has to be some scattering. The point is, wherever you go, I need to go the other direction. It's practical. Split whatever they've got in the Pacific up."
"Divide et impera?" Nils said.
"No, that's for conquering. This is more divide-et-run-like-hell. I'll leave a little after you do. I need time to do some cobbling."
"Cobbling?" Celeste said.
"Well, I've never used seven-league waterskis before."
5
Drive the Dark Clouds
Igarashi Noriko
Noriko dragged the fully grown tree to the beach after Hobie cut it down. Having something to focus on that seemed productive helped, a little bit, in distracting her from looking either backwards, or forwards. It was only when the literal heavy lifting was done, and Celeste and Nils took over the crafting, that the recriminations set in again. She'd been the one who was supposed to make sure Marshall got where he needed to be to do his job, and she'd let him down.
Now they were going back to her homeland, where she'd disappointed a lot of other people when she’d thrown her lot in with Marshall and the prophecy. No matter how desperate the times, they wouldn't be happy to see her, and that would just make everything harder on her team.
She shook it off and called to her boyfriend, "Just let me know if you need help with anything. Or another tree, or another set of hands, or anything." She kind of wished she knew more about boat-building.
He paused, like he usually did when moving from Othertongue to a language that had logical rules, processing what she'd said. "We have oars made, in case we need help other than magic. I think Hobie is making himself a spear." He gestured just a short way down the beach where Hobie was working diligently on sharpening a stick to a fine point. "If you want a weapon, we have some spare branches. I think Celeste has the crafting down, and I'll be enchanting the rudder for a while."
She watched as Celeste took the lead with the actual crafting. Their traiteuse had a number of candles lit around her work area, and she sang quietly in Latin—or was it French? Noriko wasn't the best with telling Celeste's ritual dialects apart, much less understanding them—as she worked.
From the expression of Celeste's eyes on the tree, and how the tone of the song kept shifting, it seemed to Noriko almost like the traiteuse was asking the tree nicely to bend, twist, and reshape itself into the appropriate shape. No matter what it was she was actually doing, though, it was working. The tree, a few inches at a time, was helpfully turning itself into a wooden boat. Every time she'd get a couple of feet reshaped the way she wanted it, she paused, dipping her fingers into a bowl of clean water, and drawing blessed symbols on the boat with it.
Nils's magic, as usual, was louder and a bit flashier. The words he chanted, Noriko knew even less than Celeste's, but it was unmistakably Othertongue. As he drew runes in the air, trails of smoke and the occasional small spark followed his finger, etching the dark rune in mid-air for a few moments, before rising and dissipating. He'd spent over an hour looking out at the sea with Ms. Williams. Having gauged their direction, Nils now seemed to be...charging power. Where Celeste shaped and protected, his job was making sure the boat would go where they wanted, as quickly as possible.
He paid particular attention to the rudder as it took shape, pouring more magic into it. By the end of the rituals, he looked even more pale than usual, and Noriko had to help him back over to the fire. He rested and ate to regain his strength, since he was the only one who could guide the boat, at least magically.
“So what are our options after we've helped Japan?” Celeste asked as they ate. Noriko smiled with wry appreciation at that implicit assumption.
“Well, maybe we'll have gotten Grasscutter, and maybe we won't,” Noriko began.
“And maybe if we do, Xharomor will add it to his co
llection with Fragarach, when his lieutenants get their biggest wishes and he rules the world,” Hobie said. “Still don't know how we're supposed to subvert that.”
“One step at a time,” Nils said.
“Well, at least Xharomor's not going to touch Fragarach,” Celeste said. “Or go near it. Not only is he literally the opposite of Astral-blooded, it really hates him in particular.”
Hobie nodded disgruntledly. “Fragarach owes him a deathblow. Well, who doesn't, at this point? Figure Matvei's probably got it, then? And trying to find some very thick gloves?”
Nils shook his head. “The remote chance he could figure out how to wield the sword is why there's no way Matvei has it. Xharomor doesn't trust.”
Noriko nodded. “So Rhalissa will have the sword for safekeeping. Matvei will have the sarcophagus, because there's no way he'll wrap his head around how to do anything with it.” She sighed. “So we've got that very cold comfort. Let's see if another sword falls into our laps in the meantime.”
"We need to move," Nils finally said when his meal was done.
"You need more rest," Celeste said. No one looked like the one night of fitful sleep had helped much. "We could all use one more day here."
Noriko stood, shaking her head. "He's right. We need every bit of head start we can get, assuming we have any head start left." She reached out to help Nils to his feet.
The group moved to their teacher, everyone taking their turns exchanging hugs. "Be careful. Keep moving," Noriko told her.
"I'd say the same to you. Warn the third tower. You kids have always..." She stopped. All the times before were when Marshall was leading them. Noriko did her best not to wince. "Anyway, stay as safe as you can. Good luck."
Noriko nodded and started moving the boat down to the water. When he'd said his own goodbyes, Hobie came to help out. He held the boat steady, while Noriko assisted Nils in getting into the boat. Then Nils took a seat by the rudder, while Noriko assisted Celeste. When the other two were seated, Noriko and Hobie walked the boat out until the water was waist-deep for Hobie, then both pulled themselves into the boat as well, taking the middle seats.
With Nils at the rudder, the boat didn't require paddling, cutting through the water on its own after they'd pushed away from the beach. The oars were indeed just a backup plan, because backup plans felt like a good idea right now, after what they'd seen.
She couldn't help but look back as they sped away from the island, watching the form of Ms. Williams racing off across the water in a different direction while Noriko wondered if they'd ever see her again. A glance back over her shoulder confirmed that Celeste was doing much the same, and Noriko shifted, offering over a hand to the other girl. Celeste took it, squeezing lightly. Both girls watched the island until they could no longer see their teacher, then Noriko turned to look towards the horizon, while Celeste bowed her head, either praying, or perhaps just trying to hide her tears.
When they got out into deeper waters, the waves picked up, tossing the tiny boat about. Though they had to hold on inside the boat, Celeste's protections and Nils's guidance kept them moving more or less on course, despite the battering from the rolling waves. Each time the boat got turned too much, Nils, keeping a death-grip on the rudder with his good hand, leaned in to whisper to the boat. When he did, runes glowed in a sickly gray on the sides of the rudder, and the boat would steer itself back onto course.
At one point, Celeste sat bolt-upright in the ship, and was nearly thrown overboard as a large wave rocked the boat. Noriko caught hold of her, helping the traiteuse get her bearings again before Noriko had to grab hold of the side of the boat as well. "Something's not right!"
Noriko looked around desperately, having long since learned to heed Celeste's warnings when she felt something was off. At last she saw them, a trio of hazy figures, almost like humanoid smoke, with rounded heads, walking across the waves.
She knew that she knew what these were: she'd read stories about them. But she'd always found that racking her brain went a lot quicker when her physical reflexes were slower. Normally she liked to joke that the long, fit legs of her transformation took up blood the brain could otherwise use, but there wasn't much to joke about as the Umibozu got closer. Right—the legendary drowned priests. "Umibozu!” she yelled as the three came closer, walking and drifting across the water. “We have dead people who want more company!"
"All Xharomor's tearing at the fabric between realities must have woken them up!" Celeste yelled back, before she began a prayer chant, holding onto the boat with one hand while fumbling through her things for those prayer-beads of hers with the other.
Hobie started to rise in the boat, picking up the spear he'd carved, before almost pitching overboard. He might be stronger, even calm, but he didn't have Noriko's balance.
"Help your brother!" Noriko called back to him. "They'll try to tip the boat!" She didn't add that his spear wouldn't likely do much to them, fearing he might take it as a challenge. Hobie hesitated, but nodded, stumbling his way back to take hold of the rudder while Nils reinforced his spells to keep them cutting through the water towards land.
Noriko readied herself and stood, thankful for the preternatural reflexes and agility that came with her gifts. She jumped, landing on the edge of the boat, instinctively reaching for where her thunderstaff should be. As her hands grasped empty air, one wispy tendril of smoke lashed out, knocking her backwards until she was teetering on the edge of the boat.
Other such tendrils, a few extending from each hazy form, tried to latch onto the boat. The first few disappeared in small flashes of light as they encountered Celeste's wards. The next tendrils to reach for them were more opaque, as if the spirits were putting more mystical energy behind them. These, though obviously weakened by the time they latched onto the side of the boat, did successfully take hold.
Noriko recovered her balance and jumped forward again, bringing a hand down to strike at one tentacle. Though not as focused as when she’d used her staff, the gifts of Amaterasu and Raiden were still in her, letting her strike the haze as though it were entirely solid. The tentacle dissipated as she struck, and she quickly lashed out at another, having to pause to recover her balance and not tumble backwards as the remaining tendrils and waves threatened the boat further.
Another tendril wound around Noriko's leg and threatened to pull her off the boat, the wards of which did not extend to her. She fell hard, but managed to destroy the grasping appendage with a kick from her other foot before it could draw her overboard and into the ocean.
Standing again, fending off another smoky tentacle, she looked to the back of the boat. Nils was continuing to speak to the rudder, the gray glow intensifying as he fought to keep the boat moving, pulling out of the spirits' grasp.
The first time one of the tendrils of darkness managed to wind around his daemonic arm, he pitched forward, and the boat lurched when Nils's grip on the rudder caused it to turn sharply. Hobie struck at the tendril, doing next to nothing with the spear. Nils managed a quick harming-word, destroying the tendril himself, then labored to get back into position to fight for control of the boat again.
With more threats coming, Noriko saw Nils etch a quick rune on the wooden spear, smoke rising from his fingertips, entrusting Hobie with guarding him while Nils fought with the rudder. The next time they were threatened, the spear worked better, and Hobie showed signs of getting his sea legs under him, fighting more effectively, despite the violent rocking of the ship.
With Hobie and Noriko continually fighting to keep the boat free of the spiritual grasps, with help from the wards, Nils's magic managed to keep the boat moving, but the Umibozu themselves were well out of reach, and they easily kept pace with the boat, trying to tire the defenders, or catch them off-guard. Between the three, there were more than a few close calls, as one could strike while the other two distracted Noriko and Hobie—especially Hobie.
Celeste was less distractible. Throughout the fight, she kept praying, holding t
ight to her rosary in one hand, and managing to keep hold of the boat with the other. As she finished the extended prayer, the small lights that had flashed each time the spirits tried to grab onto the boat intensified, and the symbols she'd inscribed on the shore glowed bright.
The hazy figures, as one, tried to turn away from the light, but it enveloped them anyway. The arms faded away, and the figures became more distinct as humanoid, almost resembling the shaven-headed men in robes they'd once been, with just a little blurring around the edges. They knelt atop the waves, and, as one, sunk beneath them.
"Nice work; you destroyed them!" Hobie called, before turning to help his exhausted-looking brother wrestle the boat back on its correct course.
"I did no such thing. I put them to rest," Celeste responded, before turning her attentions to saying a prayer of thanks.
Unsure what to do for a few moments, Noriko finally sat, and took up an oar, calling for Hobie to do the same. The pair provided some of the locomotion for the boat for a while, while Nils just focused on the magics to keep them headed the right way.
"I see land! Is that Japan?" Celeste called, at long last, pointing out to the horizon, before whatever she'd seen disappeared as they crested and ran down the back of one wave.
When they rose again, Noriko got a better look. "It sure is,” she said, quietly adding to herself, "And now the really hard part."
6
Bad Memories
Nils Bjornsson
They found a quiet spot to land on the beach, with Nils willing the boat the last way into a hidden cove. Noriko, settled right beside him, was obviously tense, but whatever reception she might have been worried about, they were met with silence instead. Noriko and Hobie pulled the boat fully onto the land. As soon as they finished verifying that there was neither an obvious threat nor a displeased welcoming committee, Nils tried to get up.
His leg distinctly did not like the idea. It had been a long trip. Nils was used to this, used to plenty of spite between himself and his body. He thought he did a fair job keeping quiet as he rose from his spot in the boat, but Noriko noticed anyway and was quickly at his side helping him disembark.
