by Chad Queen
The rumors were all true, of course, which made them harder to stop. Time reveals all truths, he thought. What you did with the time you bought was most important.
Liam kept his expression complacent, with just a hint of resolve. The people looked up to their king. He was the example, a paragon of what one should strive to be. The man who could carry the weight of the kingdom on his shoulders. It was his burden, and his burden alone.
He entered his receiving room and saw the Wraith sitting there on his throne. No doubt intentional, to drive home how little they thought of him and his people.
The creature was grotesque. It was somewhat humanoid, but its skin was like tumbled obsidian. Its eyes were impassive yet calculating, with pupils like fine pinpricks. Liam did not detect any cruelty in its expression, but there was contempt, though he could not place why.
A human adorned in the red robes of an Acolyte stood beside the Wraith. Liam tried his best to conceal his annoyance. How the Wraiths managed to secure so many former soldiers after wreaking havoc on Chalice, he could not guess.
The Acolytes made him almost as uncomfortable as the Wraiths. There was something unnatural, something forced that he could not put his finger on. This one was different, however. He wasn’t as passive as the others he had encountered and did not avoid eye contact as most tended to do. There was a fierce intensity to him.
“Hello, Zeleroth,” Liam said and bowed deep in an exaggerated sweeping motion. It was best to overplay subservience when dealing with Wraiths. It was not something that came easy to him. “You honor us greatly by visiting us in person. To what do we owe this momentous occasion?”
“No need for pleasantries, human.” Its voice was methodical but heavy, as if every word was a tremendous burden to utter. “Our time on this planet is almost at an end. You have held up your end of the Accord by giving us the people we needed.”
The king, who stood now, nodded. “Yes, but it has been difficult. You have taken far more people than we agreed. I cannot hold this kingdom together if there is no kingdom left when you are done.”
The Wraith’s expression remained unchanged. “You know what we are capable of. This Accord is for your benefit—not ours.”
The king bit his tongue. What he would have given to have his caster in his hand right now. Calm yourself, he thought. You are the only hope for salvaging what is left of this country.
“Why are you here?” the king asked.
“We have one more city to take, but for this one I will need your help.”
The king’s brow furrowed. “How dare you…”
“We are taking Rynth. There is a resistance forming, however. I require your army to work with our Skex and help contain the threat and prevent any attempts to evacuate the populace.”
Liam’s face fell. “That was not part of the Accord. That is too high a price.”
“Obliteration of your planet is too high of a price. Or would you prefer that?”
Liam could see the Wraith was growing impatient. He couldn’t help but be distracted by a strange grinding coming from the Acolyte, whose jaw was locked shut and scraping back and forth. The man’s otherworldly gray eyes were locked on Liam.
The king cleared his throat and continued. “It will be done.” Time would reveal what he had agreed to, and he knew he would not be remembered kindly. Liam did not care; he did not do what he did to be portrayed as a fair and benevolent ruler in some history book. The best leaders, the ones who had to make a real sacrifice, they were the ones who were often derided as failed monarchs.
Liam loved the people of Chalice, despite what his numerous detractors thought. He was driven not by wealth or by power—he already had plenty of both. He was consumed by the need to do what was right for his subjects. They relied on him to do what was best for them. They could not care for themselves, not without him to guide them.
And as much as Liam loved them, he hated them, too. Hated them for being too stupid to understand what he had given up for them. Too stupid to understand the pain he felt for having to sacrifice his own people for the greater good. His wife hadn’t understood, either.
Elon would be the one who was well-remembered. The one who erased the horrors of the war. He had groomed Elon himself for such a role, and now it was time.
Liam kept his eyes focused on the Wraith. He was a lot of things, a failed father and a failed husband most of all. But he would be the king he needed to be to help his people survive.
33
Two Sides
Who was the Traveler? This is one of the greatest questions that has eluded researchers since the Book of the Traveler’s discovery. Originally thought to be a work of fiction, the book outlined the teachings and techniques that brought about the discovery and communication with phantoms.
—From The History of Chalice
Cade reached for the door at the rear of the railbus, but as his hand neared it, it opened itself by sliding to one side. He stepped inside the cabin of the car, and the door slid shut behind him. The roar of the wind ceased, and Cade found himself in complete silence.
The inside of the car was immaculate. Nothing looked worn or out of place. Cade had expected to find some trash or wear from the years of adventurous hitchhikers he had heard stories about, but there was no evidence to suggest anyone had ever stepped foot into the car. Cade wondered for a moment if all the stories were just that, fabrications of someone’s imagination.
He was glad he did not have to make the trip by horse. The ride on the train was almost too smooth. The cars were the latest generation technology, and they somehow hovered a few inches above of the tracks. Cade shifted in his seat. It didn’t matter how many times he rode on trains like these, he always felt uneasy. He didn’t know how something so massive could float; it didn’t seem natural or safe.
To make sure there was no one else on board, Cade continued to travel from car to car. No surprises; each car was just as clean and perfect as the last. By the time he made it to the front of the train, he was convinced he was the first man to ride in the train since the Ancients left Chalice.
It occurred to Cade that Eos had not spoken to him since they boarded. “Eos, are you there?”
Yes, I am currently analyzing the ship’s data store and log files.
“Anything of interest?”
I am still running queries, but there hasn’t been anyone on this train in a long time. Unfortunately, some of the records have been tampered with, so I can’t verify what the data believes to be true.
The implications of tampered records aboard a runaway railbus intrigued Cade. Was it the Wraiths? If so, why would they bother to tamper with records on a malfunctioning railbus?
Cade took a seat next to the window in the first car. The windows ran seamlessly the entire length of the car. As Cade sat looking at the countryside rocketing by, the cleanliness of the windows struck him as odd. He could not see a single spot or piece of dirt, neither inside nor outside. And the train felt so still; if he closed his eyes, he could have been convinced he was sitting still. This railbus was much more advanced than the one Malix conducted, that much was a given. The progression of Ancient technology fascinated him.
Cade, there is a technique I am permitted to teach you. I do not have much time to train you, so we must make efficient use of the time we have before we arrive.
“Technique?”
Please take out your chipcoin pouch.
He took out his money pouch and emptied its contents onto the small glass table in front of him. It was mostly metal-based lower-denomination coins, but he had a few glass hexes as well.
The Ancients called these coins netcores. Though they are small, they played a key role in the first war with the Wraiths.
Cade picked up a chipcoin and looked at it closely. The coin itself was round, no bigger than a coat button, and was clear as glass. Inset within it was a tiny chip with six different sides. Each side of the chip had nearly imperceptible markings dotting the edge.
“Connect to what?”
Each of these netcores can amplify your Bearer encodings. The more you are connected with, the more amplification you have access to. And because each one can dynamically connect to those nearest them, you can chain together a large quantity at the same time.
“Does it make my encodings stronger?”
Precisely. It also offloads work your phantom must do to maintain the link between the Veris and the Firmere. This greatly prolongs the stamina of the phantom, allowing you to do more than you would normally be able to do with your pact link.
“Incredible,” Cade said, still holding the coin. “All this time…we had no idea. How does it work?”
You must form a connection with it through the Firmere, using your phantom.
“So I encode with the chipcoin, like I would any other material?”
You don’t encode with it. You activate it via the phantom. Once activated, it will attune itself to you and provide you with its amplification.
Cade frowned. “What do you mean by ‘activate’?”
I’m afraid I can’t describe it in detail, since I cannot do it myself. I have only the instructions embedded in my memory.
“Great.”
I estimate our arrival time within one hour. I would recommend you start practicing now.
Cade sighed. “Wait a minute. I’ve listened to you and taken you this far. But you haven’t explained to me what is really happening here.”
What questions do you have?
“For starters, why are the Wraiths here? Didn’t the Ancients defeat them?”
That is true. The Ancients, with the help of the Traveler, defeated the Wraiths long ago. As you know, this was a mining settlement. The Ancients were not prepared for conflict. The breakthrough of Firmere technology is what helped them advance to defeat the Wraiths’ superior combat ability. We did not expect them to find us again.
“But what do the Wraiths want with us?”
They are building a device.
Cade remembered what Karessa had told him back at the temple. “Are you talking about the Ascension Drive? What is it?”
Correct. We never learned its full purpose. What we did learn is that they wish to open a gate between the Firmere and the Ascent. One they can activate at will.
Cade rubbed his chin. “But why do they need us?”
We had one theory. When you die, you are given a choice.
“To remain in the Firmere or to go to the Ascent. They are using the phantoms that can travel to the Ascent.”
That is the theory.
Cade was quiet for a moment. They need our phantoms. That’s why they are here.
“Okay, next question. Who are you?”
As I told you before, my name—
Cade cut her off. “I remember what you told me. But why do you exist? Are you a weapon?”
Eos appeared to hesitate. In a sense, I suppose I am. But that was not my original purpose.
“What was your original purpose?”
I’m afraid that information is classified.
Cade shook his head.
“Why did the Ancients leave?”
That is also classified.
“The way I see it, the Wraiths came back for whatever was in the Thread. My family died because of it. Don’t I deserve answers…don’t they?”
Eos offered nothing more. I must recharge using the train’s energy access port before we arrive. I will be unavailable for some time, depending on the remaining strength of the core.
“Fine,” Cade said, frustrated.
Eos said she was a machine, but Cade had seen many machines built by the Ancients. He had never seen anything like Eos. Machines were precise, exact, and one-dimensional. Eos acted like he would expect a human to, albeit a very smart one. Cade knew there was more to Eos than he could understand. He hoped to live long enough to learn more, but for now it would have to wait.
Cade took a chipcoin from the table and placed it in front of him. He took a deep breath and focused on the chipcoin, much like he would when he would focus on a material he was encoding with. I need to activate it. How?
He spent the better part of the hour trying every idea that he could think of, but to no avail. There was too much about the Firmere he still did not understand. Eos had to know more. Frustrated, he placed the coins back in his pouch and leaned back in his seat. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, and the cushion seemed to conform to his body.
He closed his eyes and hoped he could try to sleep to pass the time. As a rule, Cade did not like to have time to think. Thinking meant facing memories he did not want to deal with.
Cade heard a noise, and his eyes snapped open. He looked and saw a young boy sitting in the seat a few rows from the front the cabin. He did not need to see the boy’s face to know it was his son, Etan.
How long had it been since his last Nocturne dose? There hadn’t been time to find any dealers in Toltaire. Dealers weren’t exactly the reputable type, either, and talking to them would mean risking capture.
Cade closed his eyes again and could hear the faint murmur of voices. They were too quiet to hear what was being said, but they were present. It was only a matter of time before thoughts that were not his own would come.
It was the most difficult part of being a Bearer, losing your identity.
When you had other people’s thoughts running through your head, and could do things you never remembered learning, it made you question who you really were. What if you liked who you had become better? What then? When the phantoms moved on, did they really ever leave, or was a piece of them left behind? Cade had helped hundreds of people Ascend. Did that mean he was no longer the man he once was? Was he a man built of a hundred other pieces, all vying for dominance within him? If he was nothing more than a patchwork of phantoms, would he even know?
Cade pushed the thought out of his mind. It was pointless to think like that. He looked down at his right hand, at the rings he wore. He was happy to have his wedding ring back after escaping the prison. He did not like being without it; it was the only thing he owned of any real value to him. He brushed the etchings on the outside of the white gold ring with his fingertip.
“Hello, Cade.”
Cade nearly leapt from of his seat when he looked up and saw a man sitting just opposite him. When had he sat down there? How did I not hear him? He would have noticed.
Cade recognized the man as the doppelgänger from his Nocturne veilings. Tal. This was the clearest he had seen the man before. The other times he had seen him, Cade had been in the Firmere. But this…Tal looked real. Even though he looked like Cade, Cade could see he was older, and the man’s mannerisms and movements were nothing like Cade’s. Tal was looking at him with a newspaper held in both hands. Tal smiled when he saw Cade start. He folded the paper and tucked it under his arm as he relaxed back in his seat.
Eos, are you there? No answer.
“Tal?”
Tal nodded toward Cade, who still had his hand outstretched. “Beautiful ring. It looks like it has a quite a story.”
Cade couldn’t help but stare at the man, unsure if he could believe his eyes. According to his own observations and Eos’s data, no one had been aboard this train in a long while. Unless…Tal was editing the train’s log.
Cade glanced once more at his wedding ring. “Yes…it has been in my family for some time.”
Tal gestured toward the window. “The sights are beautiful, but the ride can be long at times. Would you mind telling me more about your ring?”
“It’s been in my family for ten generations. Passed down to the firstborn when they get married. It is given to the spouse so they can make their own mark on the ring.”
Tal nodded, smiling. “Truly an impressive piece of history. May I see it?”
Cade hesitated and looked at his hand. The ring was gone.
“This is really something. Generations of meaning,” Tal said.
Cade looked up, panicking, and saw the man holding his ring.
Tal held the ring close and read the inscription on the inside, the marking his wife had added for Cade. “‘Reach.’ What do you suppose that means?”
Cade’s heart pounded. “Who are you, really?”
“A protector. Like you.”
“Give me back my ring.”
Tal closed his hand around the ring, making a fist. His eyes sparkled as he leaned forward, smiling broadly. “Take it from me.”
Cade encoded tungsten and swung his fist at the man’s head. The man just batted it away, never breaking eye contact with Cade.
He swung his other hand at Tal, who caught it and shook his head.
“If at first you don’t succeed…try the same thing again?”
Cade tried to wrench his arm from the man’s grasp, but the man held firm and hurled Cade against the back of the car.
He hit with a loud clang as his encoding absorbed the brunt of the impact.
The man stood, took off his suit jacket, and folded it neatly over his chair.
“Reach. That’s from the Book of the Traveler, isn’t it?” Tal unbuttoned the cuffs of his shirt and began rolling up his sleeves. “I’ve heard many translations and interpretations of the Book, and there are exactly none that I’m happy with.”
Cade stood up, encoded to aluminum, making him lighter, and charged the man. He leapt, and switching to lead, leaned his shoulder into where the man stood.
The man, feet still rooted firmly on the ground, leaned backward impossibly far. He smiled as Cade sailed past him. Dropping his encoding, Cade landed, bracing himself against the floor, and skidded to a halt.
This guy can’t be human. Is he a Wraith? Cade thought.
The man had already turned to face him. “Try again.”
