by John Goode
“And if I refuse?” she challenged him.
“Then I would assume that since gemlings are so long-lived, their spells have different durations than ours. Which means this spell could be short-term to them but last years to us. I am more than willing to let you stand here and rot if you are going to impede me.”
She couldn’t lie, not here. If she meant to attack or to try to follow him, he would know instantly. Instead she asked a question. “What is so important to you about this dark elf? Why risk so much for him?”
The questions could have come directly from his own mind, and most likely did, given the nature of the spell.
“Because he is all that is left of my brother,” he said, putting them in a version of his house so he could sit down. “Pullus met him and just… just left his life like it meant nothing to him. You know how devoted he was to Koran, and then one day, he was just gone.”
The sadness he felt about losing his brother was thick around them as he finally allowed himself a chance to grieve. “I had no idea who my brother was, and now I never will. And that dark elf is the only person in the realms who knows.”
She knelt down next to him. “You know it can’t bring Pullus back.”
A tear fell down his face. “I know, but it is the closest thing I have.”
He could feel her mind change.
“Fine, I will not stop you nor follow you. Free me from the amber, and you may go freely and of your own free will,” she added dryly. “Personally I think it is a mistake and you will end up dying horribly, but that is between you and Koran.”
He jumped up, and they were back in the white space. “That is all I wanted to hear.” He canceled the spell, and his eyes opened.
“You can remove the amber,” he told Adamas and his men.
“If she is going to attempt to attack me again…,” the diamond warned.
“She won’t,” Kor assured him. “Trust me.”
“Huummph,” he replied, making it obvious just how much he trusted the elf. “Lower the amber.”
A light shot out from the gems, absorbing the amber back into them again. Nystel stumbled forward for a moment before Kor held out a hand and steadied her. She met his gaze and said, “You’re playing a very dangerous game, Kor. You know you can’t win.”
He gave her a grin. “Not trying to win, just trying to stay alive.”
She stepped back from him and looked over at the floating diamond. “My name is Nystel, high priestess of—”
“I don’t care,” Adamas said, cutting her off. “You, elf, said you had a spell to take us to Ater. Do so now, or I am just going to destroy you.”
Nystel looked offended but had gathered how powerful the diamond was from Kor’s mind. “Koran go with you,” she said to the elf.
“He hasn’t so far, but the day is young,” he quipped back, drawing his bow. “Get close, Your Majesty. This spell has a limited range.”
The diamond and the ambers floated closer to the elf.
“Here we go. Trouver Ater,” he ordered and let the arrow go.
A nimbus of light settled around Kor and the gems for a moment. Then they seemed to turn into light themselves. A bolt of energy shot out of the room and through the ceiling, arcing across the horizon like a shooting star.
FERRA WOKE up suddenly.
A perfectly formed arched ceiling made of ice soared over her; she could see sculptures of angels in the corners, all of them incredibly intricate.
It was exactly how Ferra had pictured hell.
“I won’t freeze!” she said, sitting up in a panic.
Molly was next to her. “I told you she would react badly to this environment.”
Caerus was floating next to her. “It wasn’t like we could remove her from it,” the sapphire retorted. “We are in the elemental plane of ice.”
“We’re where?” Ferra said, looking around.
“Niflgard,” Caerus answered. “Specifically, in the nation of Narian, I believe.”
Ferra had heard of Niflgard, of course. Her people guarded the portal that connected this plane to Faerth. It was where they believed Logos had traveled and from which he would one day return. “I’m… I’m here?”
Neither the clockwork girl nor the gemling understood what she was asking, so they nodded.
She got up from the bed, which she could see was made of different forms of ice, the mattress made of some kind of snow that held its form. The barbarian had thought she’d seen every kind of ice in existence. She realized she had barely scratched the surface. “Where are… wait, how did we get here?”
Molly began to explain what had happened in the workshop, with occasional elaborations from Caerus.
“Then Hawk and Kane, they are here?”
“I believe they are with the ice queen,” Molly said.
“Then come, let’s find them,” Ferra said, sounding as gleeful as either woman had heard before.
“Well, she got over that quickly,” Molly exclaimed, following after her.
“A WAR?” I asked, blown away. “What kind of war?”
“There is only one kind of war,” Hawk said next to me. The feeling of foreboding coming from him was overpowering.
“But why would the realms go to war over where the tree is?” I asked, sounding like I was the dumbest kid in class. “I mean, it’s supposed to be on Earth, right?”
“Because Titania proved it could be moved,” Ruber said, catching on a lot faster than I was. “And if it could be moved once, it can be done again.”
Olim nodded. “It could, but it would most likely sever the connection the Nine Realms share beyond repair. Each world would be adrift, slowly dying like my sister’s realm.”
“So, so then why would anyone do that?”
Olim looked at me like she wasn’t going to be the one to tell me I was stupid.
“Because whatever realm possesses it will stay alive,” Hawk said, sounding sadder than I had ever heard him. “And because it has power, unlimited power.”
“Well, yeah, but the other worlds will die,” I tried to reason.
No one said a word.
“Are you serious?” I asked, outraged. “They would kill nine other worlds just so they could have a little power?” Hawk glanced at me, and I amended. “Okay, a lot of power, but really? Nine worlds?”
“Some people would look at that as a small price,” Ruber added.
“So then, what do I do?” I asked the queen.
She shrugged. “The choice rests with you and only you. You’re destined to choose the realm, but there is no telling which one you would pick.”
Hawk answered before I could. “There’s no question about which world he will pick. Trust me.”
I could feel the restatement in his mind as he said it.
“Say what?” I asked, turning to him.
“Oh please! Of course you’d pick your world,” Hawk said, trying to block his mind off but failing pretty badly.
“You mean the world your mom stole the tree from?” I lashed out automatically. I could feel the pain my words caused him the second they hit him because they hurt me as well.
Before the fight could continue, the door opened, and Milo stood there. “She’s awake, Your Majesty, and demanding to return to Aponiviso. She says she doesn’t want to be near him.” Milo nodded toward me.
“Thank you, Milo. Try to keep her busy. I’ll be along.”
The rabbit nodded and backed out of the room.
“Wait, is he your rabbit?” I asked her.
She gave me a Mona Lisa smile. “Milo is a very well-placed operative. I know both my sisters well. Neither one of them has had an original thought in centuries.” She got up. “Obviously she has to believe I am on her side, so I must return to her before she starts looking for me. Everything I have told you, Kane, is true. You are going to have to make that choice sooner or later.”
I didn’t look at Hawk, and I knew he wasn’t looking at me either.
She walked over t
o the door, paused, and looked back at us. “I’ll have someone come for you later.” She left, closing the door quietly behind her.
The door hadn’t even clicked shut before I turned to Hawk. “What was that supposed to mean?”
His thoughts were dark, but I could feel his anger and frustration nonetheless. “Did I misspeak? Tell a falsehood? Is there any doubt what world you would pick?”
“Why would I pick another one? She just got done telling me the realms are dying because the tree is in the wrong place. Am I supposed to decide to plant another one in your world just because you want it that way?”
“What about my people?” he demanded.
“What about mine?” I shot back. “I know you have a low opinion of humans, but I happen to care a lot about them.”
He recoiled as if I had slapped him.
“I do not have a low opinion of any human,” he said quietly. “While you think my people are shallow and cruel, so of course you’d punish them for that.”
I opened my mouth to continue the argument, but Ruber stopped me.
“Both of you shut up.”
Hawk and I looked up at him in complete and utter shock.
“Kane, Hawk is simply saying what anyone would think if presented with the news Olim just gave us. My first thoughts were of my realm and people. If I didn’t know you, I would have supported my father if he had chosen to take the world tree to Djupur Byrjun for safekeeping. Most flesh-based beings I have met are fiercely aggressive. Before meeting you, I wouldn’t have trusted them to make the right choice.”
“And now?” I asked, realizing that Ruber spent an awful lot of time not sharing his thoughts, which made this moment kind of special.
“Now? Now I know you personally, and I can’t think of anyone else I would trust to make a choice like that.”
I felt humbled by his words.
“As for you, Hawk, you know as well as I do your people are preoccupied with their own self-interests. Do I need to remind you that you gave me to Kane like a possession even though you knew I was sentient?” I could feel the shame in Hawk’s thoughts. “So both of you get past this already! We need to make a plan.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, feeling like an ass. I reached out to Hawk’s mind at the same time I spoke.
“Not as much as I am,” Hawk answered, giving me a small smile. His relief that the quarrel was over was almost as deep as mine.
“I won’t just let your people die,” I said, hugging him. “I promise.”
He hugged me back, and I could feel our selves squeeze even tighter. “I trust you.”
It was a pretty sappy moment, but I liked it.
Which was when the door burst open and Ferra, Molly, and Caerus rushed into the room. “There you are,” Ferra said, concerned. “Come quickly. Something is happening outside.”
Chapter 13
“Nothing in the realms happens
by chance. The worlds are just
gears in a machine of the gods.”
Kadara
ATER AND Titania got to one of the guests rooms before the guards caught up with them.
Pushing the queen into the room, the dark elf stood in the doorway and barred their entrance. “Open the passage. I’ll hold them off,” he called out to her.
“What passage?” she asked as the first guards got to him.
He didn’t bother to answer as he parried the first sword thrust. Normally such a small space would put his fighting style at a disadvantage, but with his leg hurt, this was the best of a bad situation. No more than two foes could attack him at a time, which made their superior numbers useless. Grabbing a handful of oeil powder, he threw the pollen into the other guard’s eyes.
Instantly, the man dropped his weapon and clawed at his face as the pain began to throw him into shock. The other guards tried to pull him out of the way, but he was thrashing around too violently for them to move him. “The tapestry,” Ater screamed. “Pull it off the wall.”
Titania yanked down the embroidered rendition of the castle, revealing a small panel built into the wall.
“How did you know this was here?” she asked, pushing the panel in, revealing a small passageway that led downward.
That was when Ater knew his doubts hadn’t been simple paranoia.
He took his dagger and plunged it into the remaining guard’s thigh and spun him around toward his allies. Pushing him into the crowd, he tried to close the door.
Oberon’s voice echoed from down the hall. “Put down your arms.”
Ater ignored the command as he tried to push the guards out of the way so he could close and lock the door.
“Guards, put down your arms and step away from the prisoners.”
Ater paused as the guards looked to their leader and back to the dark elf in confusion. One by one they sheathed their swords and stepped back from the door, allowing Oberon to pass. “There is nowhere to run, assassin. You have to know that.”
“Get down the tunnel,” Ater called out to Titania, who was staring at him, frozen.
“B-but, where does it lead?” she asked hesitantly.
Oberon was seconds away from the door.
Ater slammed the door shut and hobbled across the room to her as fast as he could. The door splintered as the king kicked it open. Ater moved past Titania for a moment, as if to examine the passage. Once behind her, he slapped her sword down and put his to her neck. Looking Oberon directly in the eyes, the assassin said, “One more step, and I slit her throat.”
Oberon paused, holding his hands out to halt him. “No,” he cried out. “Do not harm her.”
That was when he realized he had been right.
His hand began to move, pressing the knife into her flesh as he cut, when a piercing whine filled the room, followed by a burst of light.
Kor and the gems appeared in the middle of the room.
Though the elf seemed winded, the diamond was not. “Guards, shield us.”
The ambers put a field between the door and them.
“Ater, are you okay?” the gemling asked.
“What are you doing here?” the assassin asked Kor, confused as he had ever been.
Kor gave him a small smile. “We weren’t done talking.”
Oberon interrupted them. “I don’t care how many people you bring, there is no escaping the castle alive.”
Kor looked over at the fairy king. “Don’t bet on that.” And he pulled his bow back. “Where to?” he asked Ater.
“We need to get to the boys, but before you cast it—” he started to say when Adamas spoke up.
“Ruber is with them. Save your strength, elf. I can get us there.”
The dark elf pushed Titania away and called out, “Wait, don’t take—”
And they dropped through the ground and out of the realm.
FERRA AND Molly were following Caerus as she tracked her brother’s location.
Most of the inhabitants of the castle seemed to be intelligent animals who didn’t question where the strange trio was headed. They had just reached the fifth floor of the castle when people began to panic on the floors beneath them, and several folk sped past them, spreading the fear. Guards made out of living ice began to assemble downstairs. From what the women could make out, something had just appeared unexpectedly in front of the castle.
“That cannot be good,” Ferra said as another squad of ice men passed them.
Caerus seemed lost in thought. “He can’t be here,” she said to herself, turning back toward the stairs and hovering in place for five seconds before catching up with Ferra and Molly, just as they opened the door of the boys’ room.
Ferra burst through the door and saw Kane and Hawk sitting on a bed with Ruber hovering above them. “There you are! Come quickly. Something is happening outside!”
Both boys got to their feet as one. “What now?” Hawk asked, grabbing his pack.
Molly began to explain as they made their way out; the gemlings stayed back to talk.
&n
bsp; “Father is here?” Caerus asked Ruber.
“I sense him too,” the ruby admitted as they made their way down the stairs. “He never leaves the court.”
Pushing past the assembled troops, they were able to see two human figures on the hill outside the castle, with a squad of floating gems around them.
“That’s my mother!” Hawk cried out in excitement. “And Ater! He rescued her!”
The prince got two steps out of the castle when Ater plunged his sword into the queen’s gut, its point bursting out her back as it passed completely through her.
There was no sound save the twin roars, Hawk’s and Kane’s, one signaling a battle cry seeking revenge on his mother’s murderer and the other echoing it. Hawk pulled his sword and attacked.
I KNEW something was wrong the moment the door opened.
Maybe it was the look on Ferra’s face or the way Molly hovered just outside the door, like she was ready to run at a moment’s notice. I can’t tell you what it was, but I felt my stomach lurch when they told us something was going on outside.
He followed them, of course, because saying “Guys, I have a bad feeling about this. How about we just sit here and wait for the moment to pass?” wasn’t part of his script.
Scores of ice warriors were lining up in groups seven wide by seven deep in the courtyard, and I wondered exactly how large Olim’s army was. We pushed our way through them until both Hawk and I could see Ater standing on the low rise with Hawk’s mom in front of him and another guy on his left. I had to assume that the giant diamond floating on Ater’s right was Adamas. Ruber had once told me his father never left his realm, but the amber guards flanking him told me things had changed.
The instant Hawk saw his mother, there was an explosion of light and joy in his mind, and I felt myself choke up from the emotional echo I could feel through him. He wasn’t the prince of Arcadia, heir to the throne, or any of that; he was a child who wanted very badly for his mother to tell him everything was going to be all right.
I knew just how he felt.
