Vhok rubbed his chin with his hand. “What if Zasian succeeds with whatever scheme he has developed before we catch him? What if he accomplishes his plot and returns to Toril before we can put a halt to it?”
“If we come to a point where your services are no longer beneficial, I will release you from your servitude and permit you to return unharried to your home, but you will not so much as set eyes on the Lifespring in that case.”
There was a long silence then, as the angel and the cambion eyed one another, each waiting for the other to flinch, to falter and give the other the final upper hand.
“Think of it this way,” Kael spoke at last. “He offers you a chance at revenge against your betrayer. I know your kind, Vhok. You’d like nothing more than to hunt Menz down and ruin his plans. That’s what you do, isn’t it? Disrupt and depredate?” It was the first time Aliisza had seen Kael smile. It was Pharaun’s smug smirk, and it unnerved her.
Kaanyr mused a moment longer, then turned to Aliisza. “Walk with me,” he said, and he took her by the elbow and led her away. They followed the edge of the pool of water, passing through the mist that wafted from its surface until they were almost out of sight of the other two. Aliisza began to wonder if Kaanyr had deemed their chances higher if they simply fled right then. She cast a glance back, at Kael in particular. She was not yet ready to abandon her son, despite the strange nature of his behavior. Whatever his upbringing, he was still her child.
“What do you think of the idiot’s offer?” Kaanyr asked as he stopped and turned her to face him. “You’ve dealt with him before. How cagey is he being? What tricks will he try to play upon us?”
Oh, no, Aliisza thought. You must run this gauntlet on your own, just as you forced me to do. Aloud she asked, “What’s so important about this bath?” It had better be damned exhilarating, she thought, to send me through all I’ve endured just to get yourself here. “What is this Lifespring you keep speaking of?”
“It is a wellspring of golden waters that brims with the energy and power of godhood. Though it would not make me a god, it would grant me the power to rule like I have never had before. With that magic at my command, I could enter Sundabar not as a mere conqueror but as a beloved leader, a sovereign worth worshiping. The people would cast out Helm Dwarf-friend, pull him from his throne, and kneel before me in adoration, never wondering why at all.”
Aliisza looked upon Kaanyr’s face, so full of rapturous, fervent conviction, and had to keep from shuddering. His preoccupation with unseating the Master of the Hall of Sundabar had gone beyond sensible. He was edging close to the abyss of unreason.
So be it, she thought. “Everything he will tell you is truth. Every promise he makes to you will be honored. He cannot help it. It is his nature.”
“That’s not what I asked you. Can you see any trickery in his offer? Have I established the parameters solidly enough? Is there anything I am missing?”
It’s not what you think you see that gets you, she thought. That’s only what he distracts you with. It’s what you never expected that will be your undoing. And you’ll deserve every last bit of misery from it, you bastard. “Only that the timing is so vague. All the impetus is on you to help catch Zasian quickly. Succeed admirably, and you gain all that you seek. Falter or fail, and your prize becomes less and less valuable.”
“Yes,” Kaanyr replied, stroking his chin again. “And though the angel has every impetus to accomplish this quickly—at least based on his comments to Micus—your whelp has every reason to interfere, to watch me fail spectacularly. In truth, he might already be instructed to trip me up, just at my moment of glory. We can’t have that,” the cambion said with a chuckle. “I’ll just have to make sure that sabotage is prohibited in the contract.”
With that, he turned and strode back toward the other two, leaving Aliisza without so much as a thank you. The alu stared daggers into his back then followed after him. She couldn’t wait to see how Tauran yanked the rug from beneath Kaanyr.
“You have my solemn word,” Tauran was saying as Aliisza rejoined the group, “that neither Kael nor I will do anything to thwart you from completing your duties, nor will we urge anyone else in the service of the Triad to do so. If you succeed in helping us stop Zasian, you will have nothing but our gratitude.”
“And the right to immerse myself in the Lifespring,” Kaanyr added.
“Yes,” Tauran said.
“Which will grant me the legendary powers it is renowned for. I will gain preternatural leadership qualities. All mortals who look upon me will wish to worship at my feet.”
“I cannot promise that each and every one of them will be enslaved to your charms, but your influence and charisma will be august.”
“And the freedom after that to return to Sundabar and claim its throne, with no interference from you or anyone else within this realm.”
“You may leave here unmolested at that time, but once you return to your home, how you choose to wield your newfound powers and the Court’s reaction to it are beyond the scope of this agreement.”
“Good enough,” Kaanyr said. “I accept.”
Tauran nodded and closed his eyes, as if in prayer. When he opened his eyes again, Aliisza wondered if he had woven the coercive magic upon Kaanyr. “It is done,” he said. “You are now bound to serve me until your appointed task is complete.”
The cambion frowned as the angel turned to the alu.
“And you?” Tauran asked.
Aliisza shrugged. “I have no need to bathe in the Lifespring,” she said, smiling in bemusement. “I see no reason to agree to anything other than what you offered me before. In exchange for what I know of Zasian—which is quite little, actually—I am free to return to Toril.”
Kaanyr gaped at her for several seconds. In return, she smiled at him. “How does it feel?” she asked in her sweetest, most innocent voice.
“You treacherous, conniving little—”
“Help us anyway.” It was Kael who had spoken, and he looked at his mother with a strange expression.
Aliisza wasn’t certain what it conveyed.
“Why?” she asked, a sense of caution sweeping over her. “What’s in it for me?”
“The chance you wanted before, back in the garden,” the half-drow replied. “The chance to know me.” Aliisza wasn’t sure how to respond. It was almost as if he were baiting her. “If you return to Toril, to your home, that will be it. Whatever chance you have of showing me your maternal love will be lost to you. I will be lost to you.”
Aliisza peered into those garnet eyes and felt a deep pain in the core of her being. Despite the notion that her transformation into a being of goodness had all been a lie, a deceit of Tauran’s from which Zasian’s magic had shielded her, there was still some truth in that message of selflessness. If she walked away, no matter how much fun it would be to spite Kaanyr, she would never see her son again.
“Very well,” she said in a small voice. “I will remain here and help you.” Then she quickly added, “But of my own volition. I do not submit to any magical coercion, Tauran,” she said, giving Kaanyr another smug smile. He only glared at her in return.
“As you wish,” the angel said in answer. “You serve of your own free will. But know this; should you interfere with my efforts at some point in the future, I will also have no compunction against dealing with you.” There was a hint of something dangerous in the deva’s tone as he said that.
Aliisza nodded.
“Now then,” Tauran said, “it’s time to explain to you all that has happened since you escaped the garden. Incidentally, because of the nature of the portal you traversed to get here, time has flowed quite differently for you two than for Kael and me. Twelve years have passed since the day you entered the storm dragon’s maw.”
Kaanyr’s howl of anguish and betrayal made Aliisza clamp her hands over her ears.
Chapter Two
Zasian reared back from the half-dragon sprawled before him. The priest expec
ted the whelp of Clan Morueme to attack him the moment he became lucid, but Myshik only writhed upon the grass in obvious pain.
He burns, Zasian realized. Already, terrible lesions had formed on the bluish skin, ugly and red. Some had begun to fester, becoming yellow pustules. Vhok and Aliisza had had the benefit of the water, he remembered. The foul bile from the dragon’s innards did not punish them as severely.
Myshik groaned and tried to wipe away the caustic fluids from the storm dragon’s stomach that coated him, but each touch made him twitch and recoil. Zasian merely watched for a moment, wondering what had possessed the creature to follow him and the cambion through the portal. He’s either a fool or totally devoted to his cause, the priest decided. Either way, I cannot have him interfering.
Zasian rose up, prepared to lash at Myshik with a rake of his claws. He would rend the draconic hobgoblin into pieces and be done with him. But Myshik saw the movement and sprawled forward onto his stomach as if in supplication.
“Master,” he said, almost plaintively, “heal me and I am yours to command.”
Zasian halted his impending strike. “Serve me?” he asked. He had not thought of such a possibility. “Why would you choose to serve me now, after. …” Suddenly, he realized that Myshik did not recognize him as the priest accompanying Vhok. The half-hobgoblin only perceived him as a great storm dragon.
“I am lost in this place, and you are kin,” Myshik said, looking up. “Why would I not? All I ask is that you reward me for my faithful service, that I may some day return to my clan a hero.” He grimaced in pain.
Zasian wanted to smile. Yes, he thought, I’ll reward you. But before I destroy you, perhaps I can make some use of you after all.
“Why are you here?” he demanded, letting the deep, rumbling voice of the storm dragon wash over Myshik. “How did you come to be inside me?”
“I—I followed someone,” the draconic hobgoblin replied, sounding uncertain. “The foe of my sire, a greedy fiend.” Myshik paused, grimacing. When the suffering lessened, he continued. “He and another entered a most peculiar passage, perhaps a portal to this place. Did any others arrive as I did?”
“Why do you seek this fiend?” Zasian asked, letting his borrowed voice continue to boom. “What interest does he hold for you?”
“It is my uncle’s bidding that I slay this fiend. Back where I come from, he and his army encroach upon my clan’s territory. If I were to defeat him and return home with proof of the deed, I would be honored among my kind.”
Zasian considered a moment. “Very well,” he said, “I will accept your servitude. Our purposes might not be so crossed, it would seem.”
Do you know the efreeti saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Zasian wondered. But he kept his identity to himself.
The priest contemplated how best to heal the creature abasing himself before him. Between the battle within the sultan’s palace and the unexpected fight with the angel and his sidekick upon arriving on the plane, Zasian had exhausted the majority of his divine magic. After fleeing from the deva, he had needed the rest of it to treat his own wounds. He had nothing left to give, at least for the moment.
Besides, he thought, I don’t want to give too much away about myself. He wouldn’t suspect a dragon of such divine power as I have, so why tip my hand? Zasian had an idea.
“Can you travel?” he asked Myshik.
The hobgoblin nodded.
“Then I will bear you to a place where you can bathe in the very energy of the gods. The waters I know of will cleanse you of any taints and poisons, scour away your wounds, and fill you with the power to aid me as only a suitable servant should. In return for this boon, I expect you to hold to this bargain we make here. If you break our agreement, I will hunt you down and destroy you. Is that understood?”
Myshik nodded. “I so swear it.”
Without further deliberation, Zasian scooped the draconic creature up and hoisted him into the air. Once aloft, he began beating his powerful wings, flying into the howling wind, taking them both toward the heart of the House of the Triad.
“We can’t stay out here in this!” Tauran screamed, but Aliisza could barely hear him. The chill, biting wind stole his words away as it lashed the four travelers. Stinging sleet pelted them as they descended through gray, roiling clouds, making the alu squint. When a particularly vicious gust pummeled her, Aliisza went tumbling and nearly lost sight of her companions.
This can’t be right, Aliisza thought, struggling to straighten herself. We should have left those storms behind by now.
Nearby, Kaanyr also fought to remain aloft. The howling gale buffeted him, spinning him like desiccated leaves churned up from the forest floor. His cloak whipped around his body, periodically enveloping his head. He yanked it free and pushed onward, seemingly oblivious to the stinging pellets of ice.
Through it all, the cambion never stopped scowling.
It’s his own fault, Aliisza thought, flapping her own wings with furious strokes to close the distance between herself and Tauran. She had to stay close enough to avoid losing sight of the deva, but not so close that they might collide because of the storm. He’s so bull-headed lately.
The cambion had screamed and ranted at the other three for several long moments after Tauran’s shocking revelation. Stunned herself, Aliisza hardly noticed his reaction at the time.
Twelve years? she had thought. How is that possible?
But Tauran had been forthright, and Kaanyr realized that he had been duped, had been played despite all his careful scrutiny of his deal with the angel. He had yanked Burnblood free, but even with all the rage spilling from him, the cambion was unable to strike at any of them. The magical coercion that Tauran had woven into the bargain prevented Vhok from interfering with the objectives or its participants. Aliisza realized only later that her decision to aid in the quest had spared her from Kaanyr’s attack.
Not that he hadn’t tried, she remembered. In his moment of unreasoning outrage, she had seen the burning hatred in his eyes, watched as the muscles corded in his neck from the strain of wanting to kill her then and there. For whatever reasons, real or imagined, he blamed her for his predicament.
He let himself fall into Tauran’s trap, I had nothing to do with it. Well, that’s not exactly true, she admitted, feeling a rather uncomfortable emotion.
It surprised the alu that she could experience such a debilitating thing as guilt. In the past, she had always blamed such silly frailties on the human side of her and then promptly buried them, but she found herself reluctant to tamp down her own emotions at that moment. Perhaps the time spent in Tauran’s care had affected her more than she might have liked.
Never mind, she told herself. Just keep up!
Tauran was saying something and gesturing downward, but Aliisza could not hear the angel’s words. Nonetheless, she nodded and tried to follow, her flight made clumsy in the gale.
Just beyond Tauran, Aliisza could barely make out Kael’s form. Her son was also fighting the wind, working to fly where the deva directed. Wings that had sprouted from his boots bore him, and though to the alu’s eye they seemed incapable of effectively bearing the half-drow, they served their purpose well enough. He seemed at ease, following his mentor as if he had trained for it most of his life.
He has, Aliisza reminded herself, reflecting on the angel’s unwelcome news from yet another perspective. He’s spent a dozen more years following Tauran around.
That thought made the alu profoundly sad and jealous all at once. Her mind had a hard time accepting the idea that she had been trapped within the storm dragon’s gullet for more than a decade. It had seemed like mere moments to her and Kaanyr.
I had already lost his childhood, Aliisza lamented, and now this.
During all that time, Kael had grown up under Tauran’s care, studying with the angel and embracing the teachings of the gods who dwelt within the House of the Triad. Tauran had been given so many years of Kael’s life to mold and sc
ulpt, making him a being of goodness and light.
And now he’s some soldier devoted to Torm, Aliisza thought, feeling the sadness and resentment wash over her again. A divine champion, chasing after Tauran and all the fool causes he embraces. And I missed the chance to let him see the truth.
Aliisza vowed to change that. She promised herself that she would unmake what Tauran had crafted in her absence. Though she wasn’t sure how, she would not go down without a fight. Kael was her son, not the angel’s.
A burst of wind rocked Aliisza again, dragging her from her thoughts and resolutions. Tauran had surged far ahead, with Kael close behind him, and she and Kaanyr had lagged behind, she lost in her contemplations and he fighting his cloak. The angel and the champion vanished within the thick mists of the nearest cloud. Fearing that she would lose them, Aliisza went into a dive to try and catch up. Angling her body and folding her arms and wings in tight, she descended like an arrow. She tried to ignore the flecks of ice that stung her face, squinting for some sign of Tauran and Kael.
She plummeted into the cloud and lost all sense of depth or direction. The disorientation lasted only a moment before she was out the other side. Below her stretched the vast panorama of the plane, with its myriad floating masses of land, all of them uprooted clumps of earth with raw, jagged undersides. She spotted Tauran and Kael too, not so far ahead as she had feared. They drifted toward a particularly large island of rock, one that sported several ridges with a hollow in the center, like some mountain valley surrounded by aged, weathered peaks.
A forest dominated the terrain, and as she drew closer, the alu could see that many of the trees were mighty elder things, akin to the tallest specimens she had seen in the ancient forests of Toril. Even so, the wind lashed at their branches, sending the crowns of the great trees whipping back and forth in the maelstrom. Aliisza also noted that a thin veneer of white had begun to accumulate upon the massive floating mass, swirling sleet and snow pellets combining with a glaze of outright frost.
Tauran led the way into a small meadow in the midst of the ancient trees. He came to rest near the center of the clearing but immediately moved off to one side, seeking shelter beneath the bowers and trunks. Aliisza fought the swirling, slashing wind and managed to follow him down. The moment her feet touched solid ground, she huddled against the blasts of frigid air and trotted after the angel. Kaanyr and Kael followed close behind.
The Fractured Sky Page 3
