Vortex Visions: Air Awakens: Vortex Chronicles

by Kova, Elise

  Men and women were bowed around the outer edge of the glyph. They rose in unison, slowly, chanting under their breath in time with the louder calls of the man bleeding at the dais. At least, what she assumed were louder calls, based on the red of his face and the gulping breaths he took before opening his lips wide for each chant. To her, the world was silent, just like the last time; she could observe only but not interact further.

  She couldn’t gasp in her bodiless state. But Vi felt the shock ripple through her as she saw more clearly the faces of the men and women beneath the large black hoods. Most possessed sharply angular features—not unlike the queen she had seen in her last vision—but their skin was ghostly pale and they had bright red eyes that glowed in the darkness.

  Whatever they were, Vi had the distinct feeling it was not human.

  There were some who had snouts like a lizard—identical to the man she had seen carrying the cage before her father. More, still, looked like normal humans, but with no eyebrows. Instead, glowing dots lined their foreheads.

  It was a mix of races Vi had never seen before—never even imagined—and only further cemented that what she was looking at couldn’t be some secret Tower ritual in the South. This felt like a different world entirely.

  They turned their eyes skyward, lifting their arms up. The man slowly descended from the dais, his unnaturally glowing crimson eyes gaining in brightness till they were nearly white. The moment he reached the center of the symbol, everything reached a crescendo in a bolt of blood-red lightning.

  It struck the man, sparking off and sending the other men and women around him flying back. Their bodies, dead, littered the ground. Magic arced through the air like the rebirth of a cosmos, all condensing on a glowing figure slowly rising from where the leader of this dark ritual had once stood.

  It was the same man, but changed. He wore the red light as a second skin, seeming to grow in size before Vi’s eyes. She knew she was witnessing true, but Vi couldn’t fashion words or sounds. He turned; Vi could all but feel his sightless white eyes on her. They were like the noru. They were worse than death.

  A scream—her scream—broke the trance of the vision.

  Vi collapsed back, scrambling away, as though there was something physical she could distance herself from. She pressed her eyes closed, but all she saw were the scattered bodies, and the nightmarish figure emerging from the collection of their sacrificial essence. Vi shook her head, as though she could dispel the images.

  She let out another yelp of startled surprise when a hand landed on hers.

  Opening her eyes, Vi locked gazes with Taavin. He was there, closer, sharper. His hand was on hers with a warmth that was not quite real—as if he was touching her soul, housed under her skin, more than the skin itself.

  “You actually found it… So you’re not totally worthless like most on the Dark Isle.” Suddenly, as if realizing he’d reached for her, his hand lifted and the sensation of the ghostly touch vanished.

  “Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Vi muttered. There was another retort in her mind, but it vanished when his other hand rose, hovering just above her face, as though he was about to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. Vi quickly did it herself, and he ignored the motion entirely.

  “Are you all right?”

  The question was surprisingly sincere. Vi blinked at him, swallowing, and gave a nod. The vision still lingered on her, uncomfortably heavy. Was she all right? Likely not. Her world had been shaking at its foundations for weeks now. But the only option was to press forward. She was in too deep.

  “Tell me what you saw.”

  “A ritual, men and women with red eyes, a sacrifice, a man made of lightning… I think he saw me.” Vi shook her head, trying to rattle her thoughts back into place, trying to make her words make sense. But there was no sense to be found. The whole thing felt impossible and she felt insane the second she vocalized it. Despite the fact, she tried to recall as much detail as she could for him.

  “Elfin’ra.” The man cursed when she’d finished her more detailed recounting, and shook his head.

  “What are elfin’ra?”

  “Those men and women you saw with red eyes worshipping the evil god Raspian. They should be sealed away, but with the barrier that had been holding Raspian broken…” He cursed softly under his breath again, this time in a language Vi didn’t recognize. As Taavin shook his head, his hair shifted, and Vi noticed something she hadn’t before.

  She shifted back involuntary. “You… are you one of them?”

  “Do I look like one of them?”

  “You have pointed ears like they did.” Sure enough, the pointed tips of his ears extended out from the waves of his hair. How had she never noticed it before? Likely because there were about a thousand things she needed to focus on and she’d only seen him twice… but still…

  “But do I have pale skin and red eyes?” Taavin asked dumbly.

  “Well, no, but—”

  He explained as though she were a child. “I am elfin. They are elfin’ra.”

  “And that means nothing to me,” Vi stated, deadpan. She was pleased that, despite his general look of frustration and tedium, a small smile graced his lips at the remark. But it was quickly abandoned.

  “The elfin’ra are a splinter of elfin… their worship of Raspian has twisted them, changed their magic, their bodies. For it, they were banished to Salvidia over a thousand years ago.”

  “Salvidia…” Vi repeated. Her mind instantly summoned the map Sehra had shown her. “An island, far off to the south?”

  “I’m impressed you know that, being on the—”

  “Dark Isle. Yes, I get it. I’m very impressive for an uncultured swine,” Vi said hastily, trying to keep them on track. “This ritual they are performing… what is it?”

  “To give their god a mortal casing, and bring about the end of the world when he walks among us once more.”

  All she had wanted was a little bit of magic, and a little bit of control over it. She had wanted that magic to ensure that she could be reunited with her family without issue. Simple, clean, easy.

  Yet, somehow, she was facing a man with glowing green eyes, in the middle of ruins, discussing the end of the world.

  “Do you understand the severity of what’s at stake now?” Vi studied his face. His frown caused the crescent-shaped scar that ran along his cheek to shift. His eyes were serious, tired, more tired than she had last seen him. “Will you help me find the apexes without question? I need your visions to know what path we’re on, and what the future will hold, so I can prevent the elfin’ra from achieving their dark goals.”

  “The deal still stands,” Vi whispered softly. “Help me learn how to control my magic, and I’ll find your apexes.” She didn’t want a place in all of this. She just wanted to be reunited with her family.

  “Yes, you have your deal.” He gave a small nod. “Because you will need the full power of Yargen as her champion when the end of the world comes.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was almost as if the Mother herself had conspired with Ellene the night before, for Vi couldn’t imagine a more perfect day for preliminary noru races leading up to the winter solstice. The weather was good enough that Vi didn’t even feel exhausted waking early with very little sleep.

  The North was always so warm that, even in winter, the trees never lost their evergreen leafy boughs. But the heat did relent, some. The nearly perpetual stickiness of the air vanished, and there was almost something that Vi would dare call cool on the front end of every breeze.

  The changing seasons—fall to winter—brought out new smells and animals. Birds that migrated up from the south flitted between the railings of the walkways Vi traversed as she headed down to the stables. There was the usual fresh scent of greenery, mingling with the earthy aromas of wood, but as new flowers bloomed, so too did they give up their perfumes to the bouquet of the atmosphere.

  Vi worked to put her lessons and magic b
ehind her. She’d promised Ellene she’d be present in the moment during their final weeks together, and Vi would do her best to honor that promise despite all that was going on. She also, admittedly, needed a break after the night she’d had. While there had been no issue sneaking back into the fortress, her vision and encounter with Taavin had left its mental mark on her already exhausted mind.

  “Why are you following me?” Vi asked dryly. Andru hastily caught up with her.

  “It is my job to observe you.”

  “In my lessons.”

  “In general.”

  Vi sighed heavily. “I am too tired to argue with you today.”

  “Are we arguing?”

  “Banter, then.” Stupid semantics.

  “That’s what Romulin would’ve called it,” he said mostly to himself with a soft chuckle. “I hear you are going to partake in noru races this afternoon.” Andru took a step behind her, allowing Vi to lead them down one of the spiraling wooden stairwells as she made her way to the stables.

  “Where did you hear that from?” Vi glanced over her shoulder.

  “I have my ways.” He looked out the windows as they strolled.

  She was too tired to pry. Even though she’d made haste after her lessons, she was still the last one to arrive at the stables.

  “Sorry, I tried to get out as fast as I could,” Vi called over to her friends the moment her feet met the packed earth.

  “Apparently you still have yet to escape.” Ellene shot Andru a look.

  Vi fought a smirk and failed. But she made sure it was off her cheeks when he could see her face.

  “Escape? Am I truly so terrible?” He looked to each of them.

  “Of course not. We’d merely planned this to be a girls’ outing.”

  “Oh, like last time.” He smiled, once again ignorant of the dismissal.

  “How are you feeling?” Vi asked Jayme quickly, eager to change the topic. Her friend looked as she always did—brown hair tied back in a bun, straight posture, sword on her hip, usual Eastern golden-tan skin, nothing betraying any cause for concern on her face.

  “Much better.” Jayme gave a small nod, recognizing the source of Vi’s concerns. “I don’t know what did me in, but I’m pleased to report that it will not keep me from performing my duty as your guard today.”

  The formality brought laughter to Vi’s lips, amusement that was mirrored by a quirk of Jayme’s own. “I am lucky to have one so loyal in my service.”

  “Now, ladies, you both know the plan for today.” Ellene clapped her hands and brought them to task.

  They both gave a nod, leaving Andru in the dark.

  “One small deviation,” Jayme started hesitantly. “After the position it put me in yesterday… I have no interest in returning to the market.” She turned to the saddled noru. “And while this beast is nimble, perhaps not nimble enough to go through the market. So I’m thinking that I’ll take it out on the main road, and meet you both on the outer circle.”

  “We can go with you,” Vi offered.

  “Don’t you want to see the market?” Ellene linked her arm with Vi’s. “A caravan arrived from the West two days ago. All the way from Norin, so there’s a whole host of unique goods to peruse.”

  That thought hadn’t crossed Vi’s mind. Just because it was near impossible to get in and out of the southern capital didn’t mean the rest of the world was shut off.

  “Just agree.” Jayme tried to fight a laugh and failed. “We all know how much you love Western spices.”

  “Fine, fine.” Vi held up her hands in agreement. “You two know me far too well and I concede.” She looked to Jayme. “You’re sure you don’t mind? And that you can handle Gormon? A noru is a lot different than a horse.”

  “I think I’ll be fine. Yours is far better trained than the one we met in the jungle.” That much was certainly true. Jayme turned to Ellene. “I’ll help build suspense for you. Talk about what a shame it is that you decided not to race this year, to allow our Crown Princess to shine.”

  “You’re the best.” Ellene threw her arms around Jayme’s neck. “We’ll see you out there soon.”

  Jayme left first, noru reins in hand. Gormon was a fairly gentle beast, so Vi didn’t worry too much for her handling him. Ellene was right: he was faster than her noru, but only because he was younger. Vi watched as his long tail swayed back and forth with the sort of prowling sashay that marked all noru.

  She looked away quickly, reminded of the last time she found herself on the receiving end of one of the beast’s paws.

  “Well, it is a good thing I’m here then,” Andru reminded them of his presence.

  “How are you so quiet?” Ellene nearly jumped out of her skin. “I’d forgotten you were there at all.”

  “I am not sure if I should take offense to that,” he muttered, then continued, louder, “You two will need an escort through the market, now that your guard is gone.”

  “We could easily get a warrior.”

  “Do not be silly. It is no trouble.” Andru smiled.

  “Thank you,” Vi said, earning a look from Ellene. “That is kind of you.”

  “Is it?” Ellene murmured under her breath.

  It was Vi’s turn to give the girl a pointed look. She hadn’t received Romulin’s missive about the importance of Andru. Vi hastily returned her attention to the man in question, hoping he missed the nonverbal layers of communication. Fortunately, he was staring off at the noru in their pen.

  “You have yet to properly see the city, right?” Vi dared to ask.

  “I have been out a few times.”

  “Well, allow us to show it to you from our point of view.” She didn’t know when, exactly, he’d been out.

  “Is it very different? Your point of view?”

  Did he want to come or not? Vi plastered on a wider smile. “I shall let you reach that conclusion on your own.”

  With that, they started off with Andru in tow into the city proper.

  They wound around the many unorthodox structures of Soricium. Some short, some as tall as tress. Some made of masonry, others of carved woods, and most magicked into existence with the help of Groundbreakers. Vi did her best to point out things along the way to Andru. In the back of her mind was her brother’s letter—he was important, and she had to be on her best behavior. She’d done an admittedly poor job of it so far, so perhaps she could recover some ground today.

  There was an amphitheater to the north of town where most of the performances and lectures for the solstice would take place. The area around it was mostly residential, unused for most of the year, but built with wide roads and space to accommodate the city converging on the spot for those special times. That made it a logical place to pop up the market for the solstice.

  “It’s even larger than last year,” Vi appraised.

  “Mother says it’s the biggest year yet. The merchants filled all the open space here, they’re overflowing—some are even forced to stay back by the main road. I can’t imagine how full the city will feel when others come in for it.” Many of the smaller towns and cities in Shaldan poured into Soricium for the solstice events.

  “What do you think?” Vi asked Andru as they started down the makeshift market stalls.

  “It is very different, indeed.”

  “Different… in a good way?” She tried to lead him along.

  “I think so. It is a shame your brother will not arrive before this festival is over. I do think he would enjoy seeing the collection of so many cultural notes.”

  Vi folded her hands before her thoughtfully. She’d never thought of what her brother would think of the market—of anything in the North, really. It had always been such an impossibility for him to be present that she never even considered what he’d enjoy about the life she’d lived.

  “Does my brother enjoy learning of different cultures?” Vi knew the answer already, but she was curious what Andru would say. How closely had he positioned himself to the royal family?
>
  “Oh, incredibly so. He practically bounces off the wall when a new batch of texts arrives from the library in Norin, Hastan, or sent from you. Especially if it’s sent from you.” As Andru spoke, he looked nowhere in particular, eyes darting from stall to stall. His words were fond, but his eyes were distant.

  Did he care for her family or not? Vi couldn’t put her finger on the answer.

  “Do you spend—”

  “Oh, look at that,” Andru interrupted her. More like, hadn’t even realized she’d started speaking. “Now that is something Prince Romulin would find fascinating.”

  Andru wandered off toward a leatherworker’s wares. Vi started in his direction but was stopped by a hand on her sleeve.

  “There’s a Western spice seller.” Ellene pointed in the opposite direction. Vi looked between the two locations. “Unless you’d rather go with him?”

  She was curious what Andru thought her brother would find so fascinating. There was an uneasy feeling about the notion that Andru might know things about Romulin she didn’t, merely by virtue of his usual proximity to her brother. That fact soured her stomach.

  “No, no… he’ll be fine on his own for a moment. Besides, I want to get Uncle Jax something.”

  “I thought you might.” Ellene hooked her arm with Vi’s leading her toward the stall.

  A woman sat in a folding chair, surrounded by baskets that Vi recognized as Northern make, but filled with the bright colors and smells of the West. There was a pile of what looked like sand, next to small hard black nuts. Vi didn’t know what half of it was for, but she did know that Jax loved almost all of it; whenever he prepared food with these spices, it had the most magical taste.

  “Hello, young princesses.”

  “I’m not a princess,” Ellene insisted. “I’m a future Chieftain.”

  “Good day.” Vi gave a small nod of acknowledgment, ignoring how, exactly, the woman had identified her as a princess. She wasn’t wearing any sort of circlet or other royal regalia, though perhaps proximity to Ellene was enough. “May I have a scoop of this one?” Vi pointed to what appeared to be a coarse-ground, reddish spice blend.