by D P Rowell
“Yutara,” the King agreed. “Come.” He grabbed Ace’s wrist and dragged him to the center tree. Darkness bearing a foul odor crept into the air. He breathed it in, and it crawled through is insides like termites through wood. Dread welled in him. “Bring the elyr to your hand and touch the tree.”
He didn’t want to at first. He glanced back and forth between the dark tree and the ingling. Vinan nudged his head toward the tree impatiently. Ace smacked his teeth, giving in to Vinan’s demands. He closed his eyes a moment and thought of whatever might prompt him to do good. At an exhale, the Light appeared at his palm, tepid and flickering, and after a few hesitant reaches, he placed his hand on the tree. Darkness took him and crawled through his body. It ached in his muscles, his brain, his heart, his soul. He closed his eyes, tensing and grimacing at the horror.
King Vinan paced the ground, circling the large tree. “What do you feel?”
“D—Darkness. E—Evil. Pain. Suffering. It hurts.”
“This tree is the gateway to the Realm Unknown. Not even the inglings can open it. That tiny fire at your hand is the only piece of the Light it’s seen since the Emerson Stone left . .” He reached Ace and whispered in his ear, “And it hates you for it.”
Ace pulled his hand free. The force of it sent him falling, so his back hit the ground. He panted, feeling his body to make sure he truly lay there, and he hadn’t fallen into the dark pit the tree had placed in his mind.
King Vinan knelt beside him. “Do you sense the evil? Do you sense how great it is and how powerful it’s become? It has gobbled up all but the last piece of the Light, which the Emerson Stone entrusted to you. Do you understand your task and how great it is? Do you understand your purpose?” Ace lay flat, wordless, and wide-eyed at the Tree King, still trying to gather himself from the dark place he’d just returned from. “This is something you must understand before you return to Yutara.”
Ace gulped. He slowly helped himself to sit upright, placing a hand over his chest. “It’s . . . so . . . dark.” He said through his gradually slowing breaths. “But I could sense it . . . everyone . . . everyone is doomed! That’s why generational curses can work without someone giving themselves to the council. All of us are corrupted by the council’s deception!”
“Yes. This is what the flesh has done, Ace,” the Tree King said. “Through flesh, it has perverted the Light,” he placed a soft hand on Ace’s knee, and tranquility passed through him. “And only by flesh can it be healed.”
“What makes me so special, King Vinan? There are plenty others out there who haven’t given their souls to the council to obtain magic. Why me?”
“Emery doesn’t owe you an explanation, Ace. But you do owe him your obedience.” The boy caught eyes with the ingling for a few wordless moments. “And you’re half wrong. While many people haven’t freely given their souls to the council, that doesn’t mean their souls aren’t subject to it. When flesh perverted the Light for self-gain, flesh became cursed. Magic works on the free peoples of Yutara because they are corrupt. Witches use this curse to cast spells on people, and sometimes take control of them entirely. Witches may come from the weak spirited, who took the council’s offer freely, but those who turn down the council suffer for it. Spells take their memory, and sometimes torment them day and night. You see, Ace, there really is no escape from the council . . . yet. For some reason, Emery saw something in you. He saw the chance to break this curse and redeem Yutara.”
Ace stared at the large, rotting tree in front of him and sighed. “What if I can’t do it? What if I’m not strong enough.”
King Vinan placed a gentle hand on his chest and smiled at him. Their eyes stuck to one another. “You’re not. But you don’t have to be. The elyr will guide you.”
* * *
Ace sat and pondered the weight of his task as the Elyrian for a long moment, and Vinan had left him to do it alone. The Tree King returned with Kareena what seemed a couple hours later. He watched them approach, feeling a blissful trance come over him. His time alone to think had prepared him, and a new sense of understanding had come over him.
“The fae girl is right about you, Elyrian,” King Vinan said. “I had to witness it myself first. I wanted to test you by having you hold the Light against the source of darkness in the seven realms. Your light never faded, not until you pulled away. You are ready to enter Yutara.”
Ace stood, wiping the dirt from his jeans. “Thank you, King Vinan.”
Kareena rushed to the ingling and gave him a strong embrace. “Thank you for everything, King Vinan.”
The Tree King returned the favor, his eyes shut tightly. “Don’t you get mixed up in anything too dangerous now. I want to see you back here in one piece. You understand?”
“Yes,” she responded. They pulled from the embrace and looked in each other’s eyes. The eyes of the Tree King welled. He dismissed it and turned to Ace.
“You watch after her. Many perilous journeys await you in Yutara. Keep her safe now . . . And guard that stone with your life.”
Ace said, “King Vinan, how will I know when the armies will be great enough to wage the final war?”
The Tree King smiled and placed his hand of tree bark on the boy’s chest, “The Light will guide you.” The pale flame appeared lightly at the king’s palm, and the boy’s chest filled with warmth. “When it’s time, you will rise up, the seventh realm will come, and we will be here, waiting on the Light to call us forth.”
“Will we see you before then?” Ace said.
Vinan shrugged. “I don’t know.” Before the silence brought with it too much sadness, the King spoke again, “You will be greatly tested once you return to Yutara. With every step you take toward uncovering the council’s evil, the Light will grow, but the enemy will also become more furious.”
“Where do I begin?” Ace said.
“Gathara,” Kareena said. “Ace, if you can restore the credibility of Gathara’s government, and make the elyr known again, the Light will grow tremendously.”
The King turned to the boy. “She’s right.”
Ace turned to Kareena. “But you will help me, right?”
“I will do what I can. But remember, when we return to Yutara, we will not be together. I left Yutara from the city, and you left Yutara from Hillrun. Both of us will return to the exact moment which we came.”
Ace nodded. “I’m sure Rio and I can uncover this parcel in Hillrun. Once I get him to reveal the mole, we will return to Gathara. I will find you when I get there.”
Kareena smiled and nodded. “But we must still be careful,” she said. “Right now, the elyr is considered witchcraft, and if we’re caught together it could be trouble.”
Ace nodded in agreement. Vinan stepped forth and placed a hand on each of the them.
“Well,” The Tree King said, “the fate of Yutara rests on your shoulders, Evelander. Are you sure you’re up for this?”
Ace smiled, feeling the surest of himself he’d been since Grandpa first gave him the stone. “I have to be,” he said. “I was chosen for this.”
* * *
Ace stepped from the trees to a still night in Shywater. He hurried along the path to find himself just outside the inn in Hillrun. The town was draped in darkness, still as the pond he’d come from. The underpopulated town had an eerie nighttime chill. Animals howled far away, and the crisp, cool wind brushed the dusty ground. He hurried back to the inn before Rio would notice he had left. He opened the door to find the familiar overweight jag standing behind the counter.
“Well, that was quick,” the jag said.
Ace half grinned, scratching his head, “I thought I saw someone I knew. But it—uh—was just a bush.”
The jag squinted at him suspiciously, then shrugged. “Okay. Well, I let you know as soon as I know about when owner will arrive.”
“Huh?”
“Elly? You aksed about when you could meet her.”
“Oh! Right!” Ace had forgotten he had been looking fo
r the fae owner of the inn. After all, it had been an entire day since he’d returned to Yutara. “Uh, that’s okay. I don’t think I’ll need her anymore.”
“But you just—”
“I figured out my problem,” Ace said as he rushed up the stairs, “Don’t need her. Thanks!” The boy rushed upstairs as quickly as he could without being too loud. But behind him, he heard the jag whispering to himself.
“Weird human kid.”
* * *
“Rise and shine!” the drake said. Ace rubbed his eyes as he woke to Rio hovering over him in the hotel bed. “C’mon. Time to get up.”
Ace rolled over and sat on the edge of the bed. His smile stretched from ear to ear. Rio didn’t suspect a thing.
“What’s the plan for today?” Ace said after he yawned. Rio threw some clothes at him.
“Split up, start making friends, and keep our eyes open,” Rio said. “You’ve been trained for this, kid. You know what to do.”
Ace repeated the obvious response. “Look for power. Don’t be too obvious.”
Rio shot him a glance of approval as he made his way out the door. “Let me know if you find something suspicious. Do not go after a parcel yourself.”
“Got it,” Ace said.
“You’re okay with splitting up, right?” Rio said.
Ace grinned. “Perfect.”
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
Grudge and Lag
The town had a lively piece about it, allowing Ace to become immersed in it and forget his recent days in the sixth realm. He kept his eyes peeled, but nothing suspicious appeared to him. Only families and friends running about their day with glee. There were those fishing in the river, others enjoying a family picnic, and some shopping. His mind wandered elsewhere despite his attempt to stay focused; his newly discovered ability at the front of his thoughts. He wondered how he would use the elyr to start revealing the witches and parcels in Yutara. How he could find the parcel in Gathara and take the position as the Halder. His heart raced. He was going to be a hero. And Rio. He could convince Rio the Light was good. Convince him the elyr was going to win the war! It might take some persistence, but the drake would learn to trust him; and finding the parcel in Hillrun would be the first step toward earning it.
Which was why he needed to focus. He shifted his attention back to his task. He needed to make a friend. Start asking questions. But didn’t it seem a little suspicious to just start asking questions to strangers? He would have to start a conversation naturally. With someone who. . .
Grudge! Ace thought. The male jag and his wife, Lag. He remembered meeting them from his and Rio’s first day in the city. There they were, fishing on the riverbank. Ace stepped from the dirt road and followed the slope of the bank toward the river.
“Hey friends!” Ace said warmly. Grudge and Lag turned at the sound of his voice and smiled. Lag waved hello from her seat on the grass. The large male jag stood at once and walked to meet Ace halfway.
“Well, hey there! Enjoy first night in humble town?” Grudge said. The jag stuck his hand out. Ace grabbed it, but his hand was completely swallowed up by the meaty jag hand as they shook.
“I have,” he said, wincing at the jag’s grip.
Lag stuck her head out from behind the jag’s large frame. “Where Pebbles?”
“Who?”
“Your driver. Pebbles,” Grudge said.
“Oh!” Ace had forgotten their fake names as well. “Uh, well . . . we split up. Wanted to walk the town on our own.”
“Ah,” Grudge said, “well, how about tour, yeah?”
Ace brushed aside the offer with a half frown and a tilt of his head. “Oh, I wouldn’t want to bother you two.”
“Nonsense!” Grudge said, slapping Ace on the shoulder. It may have been an attempted friendly gesture, but it felt like getting smacked with a boulder. “We nothing to do today. We seen this river hundred times. It not every day we meet friend.”
Ace smiled. Maybe a tour would be exactly what he needed. Perhaps Grudge’s tour could offer the boy clues. Ace accepted the offer.
Lag and Grudge took him through the city, filling the boy with tales of history and lore as they passed by the buildings and statues. A lot of stories in such a small town. Ace attempted to get information about townspeople, in search of something suspicious. However, nothing proved out of the ordinary, and neither did he see a jag he thought might be a suspect. Eventually, they reached the familiar statue water fountain of Chug the Traverser.
“Oh, that Hillrun’s founder,” Lag said with glee, pointing at the statue.
“Yes, indeed,” Grudge replied. “They say he only one to have traveled every inch of Yutara. Founded Hillrun centuries ago, before Gathara been founded. Last known jag to speak both common tongue and morlogen. Now no one know old jag language.”
“That’s pretty neat,” Ace said. He groaned a moment later. Their walk had taken about an hour by then, and he still had no luck discovering who the parcel was. “Well, thank you for the tour, but I—”
“Oh, our house is around corner here. Would you join us for lunch?” Lag said.
“She makes best gizzard sandwich you ever taste,” Grudge said.
No one else in Hillrun seemed to be as welcoming as Grudge and Lag. Ace remembered how the smaller Eveland towns didn’t welcome other races as much as the bigger cities. He wondered if the same was true for the smaller towns in Heorg. And if so, what made these jags like him so much? The way they persisted he join them and gave up their entire day to show him around town seemed strange. Something was off. Something . . . he could call out. Something they might be lying about to do something bad. Something like an immediate truth.
“You know,” Ace said, “that sounds lovely, actually.”
“Oh, wonderful!” Lag said. The jags took him to the third road of the roundabout. Just a block down the path, they took a right down a narrower road. The street was nothing but houses on either side. Mostly buildings of clay and stone. One of which was Grudge and Lag’s home. Their house had a round roof and a wooden door.
Grudge opened the door and let them in. The air cooled right away and sent a refreshing chill along Ace’s back. The doorway led to a narrow hall, not but a few feet long. To the right it opened to a humble dining room. The left was a staircase, and the hall ended with an opening to a living room. A couch and loveseat surrounding a television mounted over a fireplace. Gas torches lit the walls.
Grudge invited him to sit on the couch while Lag prepared lunch in the kitchen. The jag turned on the television to the local news and they conversed in small talk for a while. Ace waited for the opportunity to start calling out the things he thought strange about them. Just as he’d been trained. Talk about anything out of place.
After Grudge had finished joyfully rambling on about his and Lag’s wonderful life in Hillrun, he paused for a moment, and Ace made his move. “I really appreciate you inviting me for lunch and giving me a tour today. It’s awfully nice of you,” Ace said.
“Oh my, it no problem. We love visitors.”
“Yeah, well. Others haven’t been so welcoming,” Ace said.
Grudge leaned in. “What you mean?”
“I don’t know,” Ace said, “it just seems like others don’t like strangers as much as you two. It’s nice to know there are some friendly people around here.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it,” Grudge said, “the people of town will grow on you before too long.”
“Did you see our hovercraft approaching?” Ace said.
“What?”
“When we arrived. You two walked out of the city just as we landed. Had you seen us flying in?”
Grudge sat back in his chair, a keen eye focused on the boy. “Well, yes. We were on our way for walk like we told. Just thought we’d say hi to new strangers. Hope we didn’t bother you.”
Ace waved his hands as if to push back Grudge’s words. “Oh, no, no. I didn’t mean anything by it. Just curious is all. You know, like I sa
id. Others haven’t seemed so friendly. It’s almost like you’ve been going out of your way to welcome us.”
“Sure we haven’t been bother? I would hate it if were so.”
“No, of course not!” Ace said. The jag’s tone grew harsher. Maybe Ace was onto something. But if he was, he didn’t want to push it too far. Especially if he was there alone. At least the boy knew when he met with Rio again he would have some suspects. He sat back and tried to change his thinking. No snooping. An awkward silence was finally broken by Lag coming to the living room with plates of gizzard sandwiches.
“Shall we take to dining room?” Lag said.
Ace and Grudge nodded and stood to follow her. But as Grudge walked by the boy, a temptation came over him he couldn’t resist.
The Light of the elyr doesn’t burn the flesh if the innocent, he remembered Kareena’s words and It was as if his brain simply took over and made his decision for him. Ace brought a dim, pale light to the palm of his hand and touched the jag’s skin lightly.
“Ow!” Grudge yelled. Following a sizzling noise, a thin line of smoke rose from the area where Ace had touched him. The boy went numb. What had he just done? Why would he test him right then and there? No back up to help him. Grudge was a parcel. And maybe Lag was a witch! He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the door. Should he run? Confront them? Was this it for him?
“What wrong, ug?” Lag said as she rushed to Grudge’s side.
“Oh, nothing,” the jag said. He looked at one of the gas torches alongside the wall, “just not watching where I going. Must have got burned.”
Ace’s heart slowed, and his body calmed from its trembling. Grudge didn’t know he’d just been burned by the elyr. Maybe he didn’t even know what the elyr was. Ace needed to escape. Get out of there. He could attack when he had Rio’s help, but it was foolish to stay there any longer knowing they were members of the council.
“Oh!” Ace yelled. “I’m so sorry, but I just remembered. I was supposed to meet Pebbles a half hour ago at our inn! He’s probably worried sick. I really should get going.”
