by C. Night
“Two are hardly better than one.”
“Their affinity is Persuasion,” Thom said simply.
Rhyen looked at his master, and Cazing finally met his gaze. The old sorcerer looked weary with burden. Rhyen was speechless for a moment. “Still, it’s only a Lesser Element,” he countered. “How powerful could it be?” But he thought about it. Persuasion was one of the most complex ideas in the world, and yet very simple, and even though it was an Element of a Lesser god, it was arguably one of the most powerful Elements there was. After all, if wielding was bending magic to your will, Persuasion was bending people to your will. It was the one Element Rhyen could think of that would actually increase in ease when wielded against live creatures like humans.
Nobody spoke for a long while. “Did you know all this?” Rhyen asked his master, finally breaking the silence.
Cazing leaned back. “Thom has shared his theories with me before,” he slowly answered as though he were choosing his words with great care. “And now it finally appears he has proof.”
Thom and Avarek looked curiously at Cazing. “What proof is this?” the father asked.
Cazing reached across to the bag he always wore at his hip and slowly opened it. He pulled out the sharp triangular stone, purple and glittering dangerously at the point, and set it on the table. Thom and Avarek both gasped, their mouths dropping open. “The Zirites are looking for this,” Cazing said darkly.
Rhyen looked at it and at once understood what his master feared. “That is a piece of the Pankara Stone,” he guessed flatly.
“It is,” breathed Avarek. “And he is searching for it!”
Thom reached out but did not touch it. “There is but one way to be sure it is a shard of the Stone.” He looked seriously at Cazing. “There is a basin of water on the end table.”
Cazing nodded, and his face went blank as he wielded the basin through the air, the water sloshing a little. He landed the basin in the center of the table, beside the shard, which he warily picked up and dropped in the basin. Rhyen leaned forward and gasped. The rock was floating on the surface of the water!
“It is the Pankara Stone.” Thom clutched his chest and fell back against his chair.
“How can you know?” Rhyen asked, watching the rock floating in the water.
Cazing answered, his eyes wide and fear plain on his face. “The gods sent the stone in through the River Pankara, in the waters that flow from Heaven. The Stone defies water, Rhyen. It will not sink.”
Rhyen swallowed hard and looked at the purple shard floating on the surface of the water. “So it proves it is a shard of the Pankara Stone. But how can you say for sure it is Taida?” He was scared. If Taida, the Faceless One, the most powerful sorcerer who destroyed kingdoms and single-handedly slaughtered thousands, was alive and searching for the pieces of the Stone, none of them were safe.
“He never completed his task,” Cazing said slowly. “His spell was interrupted.”
“Was part of his deal with the Fallen One contingent on his harnessing the power of the Stone for himself?”
“We think so.” Avarek put his head in his hands. “How else would he have power enough to procure for her the crowns of the Elemental kingdoms?”
It was silent once more. Rhyen discovered he was suddenly tired. He had supposed the war would call for his and Cazing’s services because his master had always taught him that wielders, especially sorcerers, had a responsibility to try and maintain peace. He had guessed that this war would be one of the times to interfere and use magic to solve problems. But he’d had no idea of the enormity of their undertaking—not only would they have to help Conden and the rest of the world defend again Zirite attacks, but they would have to stop Taida from completing his deal and delivering the seven crowns of the Elemental kingdoms to the Fallen One. And, it seemed, that involved keeping him from resurrecting the Pankara Stone. It was all too much right now, and it was so late.
Rhyen looked up wearily. He saw haggard expressions on the exhausted faces of his master and the two gnomes. They still had much to discuss, but none were at their brightest. “Shall we continue this tomorrow?” Rhyen suggested, his voice a little creaky.
“That’s a capital idea,” Cazing yawned. “I’m too tired to plot governmental overthrow or magical thwarting.”
Thom stood up, much heavier on his feet this time, and Avarek quickly stood to help him. “This problem will not disappear overnight. Tomorrow we will be refreshed and can tackle this dilemma with vigor.”
“I’ll show you to your rooms,” Avarek added.
Rhyen and Cazing followed the younger gnome through the grand doors and up another flight of stairs. Cazing went through the south door and Rhyen through the right. His room was done entirely in blue and gray silks, with a large bed and a myriad of pillows elevated in the center. Rhyen opened the balcony and let the salty ocean breeze fill the chamber.
He threw off his clothes and crawled into the bed, but even though sleep was weighing on his eyelids, he could not stop thinking about Taida, and Zirith, and the broken Pankara Stone. Then, unbidden, he remembered that the Zirites were searching for him, for Rhyen specifically. They knew he had a shard of the Pankara Stone, and they wanted him—and it. It was too much and all blurred together in his mind. He cupped his hands behind his head and stared out the window at the black sky and twinkling stars, his thoughts a torrent, until at last sleep came.
Chapter 24
The next morning, directly following breakfast, they assembled together again, the two sorcerers and their hosts. Thom had thoughtfully arranged a guide for Caliena to take her through the market, and consequently out of earshot, for the day. She was surprised but excited at prospect of shopping, but wilted somewhat when she realized she would be going alone. Cazing gave her a heavy bag of money and patted her on the cheek before the guide whisked her away.
“I have some questions,” Rhyen said quickly before anyone else could speak, “and I’d like some clarification.”
They looked at him. Rhyen had thought so much last night that when he woke this morning it was with a headache. But in all his musings, he had kept returning to a few basic queries that had kept him wondering. He cleared his throat. “First, what are we going to do about the Pankara Stone? Our companion’s home was destroyed by Zirite soldiers searching for the pieces, and her family was killed. She found it first, fortunately. But should we focus on stopping the soldiers before trying to stop Taida?”
Thom and Avarek looked at each other with their eyebrows slightly pulled together, just enough change in their wooden expressions to register confusion. “How did the soldiers know to search for the pieces at her home?” Thom mused.
Cazing leaned forward. “Caliena gave us that information, though she didn’t realize its value.”
Rhyen nodded his assent. “She overhead a conversation between the soldiers. It seems that the shards of the stone glow when they are near another shard.”
All four of them looked at their triangular shard, which Cazing had kept with him and produced again once Caliena was escorted from the room. Rhyen noticed that the very tip was just a shade lighter than the rest. Avarek had noticed the same thing. “South,” he muttered, checking the windows. “The next piece must be to the south.” His expressionless voice was as close to excited as Rhyen had ever heard it.
“So that’s how he’s doing it,” Thom said, leaning back in his chair. “Very clever.”
“Convenient, you mean,” Cazing sighed.
“But it can work to our advantage as well,” Avarek almost exclaimed. “We can find the pieces before Taida does and keep him from recreating the Stone.”
Rhyen looked away, his enthusiasm untouched. “Except we might be hunting shards forever. The Stone probably broke into a million pieces.”
“You mean a thousand pieces,” Avarek corrected him.
“What?” R
hyen asked, taken aback.
“The Stone broke into a thousand pieces,” the younger gnome said, surprised. “Didn’t you know?”
Rhyen shook his head. “No, I didn’t. How do you know?”
Thom shrugged. “One piece for every god. All seven High gods and all the Lesser gods put their energy into the creation of the Stone, so that every magical Element was represented. All that happened when it broke was that those energies divided from a whole into their original state.”
“If only we knew how many Taida had left to find,” lamented Avarek throatily.
“I think Caliena can help us with that,” Cazing said. He surveyed the table in front of him, deep in thought. “She didn’t tell us everything when we asked for her story. She only told the details I Persuaded her to, but she was able to hold back anything she didn’t deem important.” He looked up at Thom. “The soldiers were sent out intentionally to seek the shards of the Stone. They must keep track of the number they have collected, and they must report it back to Taida somehow. I think Caliena might have seen or heard something to give that information away. And now that she is our companion, I believe she will tell us.”
Rhyen put his elbows on the table and cradled his aching head. “What if Taida sent out more than one group?”
Cazing shrugged. “Then we might not have the exact number, but we will have a better estimate.”
“It’s a good plan—” Thom began, but Rhyen interrupted.
“No, it’s not.” He said tiredly. “If our goal is to keep Taida from being able to put the Stone back together, we’ve already achieved it. Caliena found a shard, and as long as we keep it, he’ll never be able to piece the Stone entirely together. He’ll always be one piece short. Why would we go hunting for the rest if we need to focus on preventing world war?”
The two gnomes and Cazing exchanged a long, hard look. It was as though they were holding a mute conversation. Rhyen was annoyed. “Look, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but we are only four people. We can’t possibly hope to find all the pieces, prevent war, provide assistance to those who have been attacked, and still stop Taida. I want to help defeat him as much as you all do, but I’m trying to be reasonable here.”
“There is only one way we can defeat Taida,” Thom said, weighing each word carefully before choosing it. “We must piece the Stone together first, and harness the power against him.”
Rhyen stared at him. “You want us to remake the Stone for ourselves?” he asked incredulously. “That’s what Taida is trying to do!”
The wizened old gnome shook his bald, domed head. “Not take it for ourselves, Rhyen. It will heighten your wielding abilities, and together with Cazing you will have a chance to finally defeat the Faceless One.”
“How can we put it together before he does if he has so many pieces?” Rhyen felt like he was stating the obvious. “We are missing all the pieces he has, and he is missing the one piece we have. Neither party can put it together. So why are we even talking about doing this? We can’t just steal his shards—we don’t even know where he keeps his pieces! Or do we?” Rhyen asked, looking around the table. He was not altogether surprised to see Cazing and the gnomes sharing another round of meaningful looks with each other. He pressed his lips together, annoyance rising.
“The Stone will have to be put together again in Pero, where it was broken,” Thom said, finally. “So yes, we know that is where he is storing the pieces.”
“And it is safe to assume that he is piecing it together as he finds them,” Avarek mused. Cazing nodded his head.
Rhyen took a deep breath to steady his anger, which was creeping up quite unrelated to his Opposite. He was actually becoming enraged as the conversation progressed. Everyone was acting as though Rhyen was the final authority on the decision, on their plans, and he was just the apprentice. Why should the burden of judgment fall on his shoulders? Why were they all trying to convince him to go along? And if they were so eager to have him agree and decide, then why were they not bothering to explain? “Why is it safe to assume that?” he hissed when no one clarified.
Thom tilted his head. “Because the more pieces he acquires, the more powerful the Stone becomes, and consequently the more powerful he becomes. He wants to increase his power.”
“And that is why Zirith has been steadily gaining in strength for the past decade—Taida must be close to recreating the Stone, and his power increases with each new shard he adds. As he gains power, Zirith does as well, and you have seen for yourself how bold and strong the Zirites have become,” Avarek added.
Rhyen ran his browned hands through his golden hair. It was true that he’d thought his own abilities had been stronger lately… they were heightened as soon as he met Caliena and came into contact with the Stone. Maybe the gnomes and old sorcerer were right…
“This is insane,” he said harshly. “But let’s just say we do decide to put the Stone together again. How do we even do it?” He looked up at them. Anger was seeping into his aching head, his Opposite now flaring up alongside his own feelings. He wielded the tray of breakfast fruits across the table to him, just to release some of the pent up magic. He felt a little better.
Thom actually laughed, a guttural chuckle, and shook his head, clearly amused. “That is the least of our worries, Sorcerer.”
Rhyen frowned at him, confused, and Cazing quickly interjected. “Taida’s spell destroyed the Stone when he was not able to complete it, yes? And what is the key in magic?”
“Balance,” Rhyen answered automatically. “But—”
Cazing talked over him. “Yes, balance. So to undo any spell, you need to balance it. You simply recreate it, using the exact same components, and then—and only then—can you undo it.”
Rhyen held up his hand. “Hang on. Shouldn’t the Stone have repaired itself, since Taida broke it with magic?” As soon as he said it, Rhyen realized that, in a way, the Stone was trying to mend itself. The pieces had a way of finding each other, did they not? They glowed when near each other…
His master smiled humorlessly. “Spells and magic were more potent in the days of the Pankara Stone, Rhyen. And Taida performed the spell against the Stone. If ever a spell was to endure, it would have been that one, because he was wielding against a magical object—think of how strong just the shard we have is! Imagine almost a thousand more, all combined and working together. Everything wielders did lasted when they had the power of the Stone behind them. And it will be so again, once we put the Stone back together.”
Rhyen considered this. If the Stone truly was that powerful, and they put it together first, they could use their heightened wielding abilities against Taida, and defeat him once and for all. “If we do this, would the Fallen One be able to resurrect him again?”
“She didn’t resurrect him last time,” Thom replied, shaking his great head. “She just kept him alive, kept the shards of the Stone from exploding through him. She cannot bring him back from the dead. No god of yours, Lesser or High, can bring the dead back to life—that would destroy the balance of the world. If you kill Taida, actually end his life, he will be gone.”
A pregnant pause filled the room following this pronouncement. Rhyen understood now the value of finding the shards and piecing them together before Taida, but he was reluctant to abandon the people of Conden when the war was so near. “If we leave to do this, who will help the people here in Conden? Or in any of the other lands, for that matter?”
“We will still speak with the king,” Cazing assured Rhyen. “We will warn him and make sure that he gets the Condenish army as prepared as possible.”
“We can send out urgent letters to the other kingdoms, too, warning them,” Thom added.
Avarek nodded. “But remember, Rhyen, the fastest way to end the war is to end Taida, and the fastest way to do that is to put the Stone together on our terms and harness it’s power first, using it to kil
l him.”
Rhyen felt his stomach twist at the thought of killing someone, even someone so horrible as the Faceless One. He frowned down at the fruit tray. Which is the lesser evil: doing something bad for a good reason or doing something good for a bad reason? Surely Taida deserved death for all the destruction and despair he had caused, but Rhyen honestly did not know whether he could deal out such a sentence. But he knew that his master would need his help and that he would have to put aside his personal convictions for the good of the world. He pushed the fruit away. He was no longer hungry for it.
“What do you think, Rhyen?” Cazing asked. His voice was queer, and Rhyen looked up at him to see if he was ill. But nothing was wrong with the old sorcerer, and Rhyen was astonished to see that his master was urging him to make the final decision. He had hoped his feelings in this regard were wrong, that they were not hanging on his approval. The enormity of the responsibility was staggering. In effect, Rhyen would be deciding the shape of the war.
“You want me to decide?” he asked quietly, searching his master’s face. “But I’m just your apprentice.”
“You are so much more than that. I trust your judgment completely. So tell me. What do we do?”
Rhyen glanced around the table. There was determination etched in every one of their faces, and the gnomes seemed just as adamant as Cazing that Rhyen make the final decision. He sighed. “It seems we have no choice, then. We remake the Stone before Taida does, and use its power to end him.”
He felt strange. At his words, a great swell of relief filled the room, and immediately the other three relaxed. How did he come to be the leader of their little group? He was the youngest and by far the least experienced, but there had been no mistaking their intent—they wanted Rhyen to decide their course of action. And they were pleased with his judgment. But, though he reluctantly agreed that his decision had been the right one, he felt sickened with himself. He had just played executioner. Because of his decision, one man was condemned to death.
