by V. Lakshman
Something happened, a bubbling in his chest as pent-up emotion welled, a sudden release of the stoic constraint he’d held onto so tightly he’d forgotten it was there at all. It was like when he was a child and lost his master at the Spring Day fair. The sight of him, here, now—Arek ran into Silbane’s arms.
The crushing hug he fell into swept him up and around and Silbane exclaimed, “My boy!” Then, in a smaller voice meant only for him, his master whispered, “I couldn’t have lived without you.”
“I’m so sorry,” he blurted from behind tear-filled eyes. “I ran when you needed me.”
“Shh,” Silbane said, stroking his back. “You survived. That’s all that matters.”
Reluctantly, Arek disengaged as his master leaned him back on his feet. He hastily wiped his face with a gloved hand, now conscious of his emotional display. His cheeks burned with embarrassment, but when he looked at Ash, the man seemed to understand and politely looked away. Kisan gave him her usual stare, somewhere between uncaring and dismissive. But there was a faint tenor of happiness there this time, but that seemed unlikely. Her disapproval of Arek surely hadn’t changed.
Arek stepped away from his master and faced Kisan. He threw caution to the wind and hugged her too.
He said the first thing that came to mind, “I’m so sorry about Piter. I didn’t mean—”
“You and he were orphans together,” Kisan interrupted, but she kept holding him. “We sometimes forget you are all our children.” And then, amazingly, he felt her grip tighten into what could almost be described as a real hug. “It gladdens me to see you again.”
He pulled back after a moment, smiling at her. Then his attention was grabbed by a cheer and a whoop as Ash scooped Yetteje up and spun her around, giving her a hug that Arek thought would crack a rib. The princess was clearly as overjoyed, returning his hug with equal abandon. A sudden surge of jealousy flashed through Arek.
Ash put the princess down and turned to face them, smiling at them all. Did Tej and he have a relationship? He seemed awfully old for her. Could she be interested in him?
When their eyes met, Arek tried to convey as imperious a look as he could, giving the man nothing more than a simple nod. They were not friends and he surmised Ash must only be here because of Niall. However, Ash returned his nod with a friendly smile; and somehow in that small gesture, the warrior managed to convey that he thought Arek an equal, which deflated the possessiveness he felt. Now it felt childish, given what they’d collectively faced. Still, he didn’t relax until Tej smiled at him and moved away from the firstmark, taking her time to greet each of the others, as if they too might be apparitions who would disappear at any moment. Arek looked back at Lilyth, who seemed genuinely happy for him. He mouthed thank you, to which she politely nodded.
When the stories about their separation began to fly back and forth, it became difficult to follow any single conversation. Arek noticed that Lilyth seemed content to let things follow their natural course, as if not wanting to cut their reunion short, but he sensed she had more to say.
Yetteje introduced Thoth and his two Watchers to Silbane and his party. From the expression on Silbane’s face, the existence of the keeper didn’t seem unexpected. Silbane confirmed it by saying, “The lore father apprised us of your part in all this.”
Thoth smiled and replied, “Giridian is a worthy choice to lead your Council now, and a stalwart ally. I hope we are able to ensure peace so that he may continue Themun’s work.”
Arek had seen the dead in the bowels of Bara’cor, including Adept Thera, but a new lore father? What had become of Lore Father Dreys, and how was Adept Giridian now elevated to that exalted position? The questions hammered at him demanding answers, but it was too much to piece through that and also pay attention to what was happening here, so he focused on the conversation, watching his master. Whatever fate had befallen the lore father, Arek in his heart couldn’t say he felt sad. The look Themun had given Arek after he’d related his story about Piter had carried true malice, Arek was sure of it.
“We wish the same,” Silbane said. His eyes flicked over to Arek, as if he wanted to say something else, but a gentle hand from Kisan stayed his tongue. Silbane bowed, releasing the floor.
Arek realized his master wasn’t looking at him, but at his dwarven companion. He stepped to one side and gestured, saying, “Masters, please meet Lady Brianna. She was only recently rescued from a tomb found buried on this isle.”
Silbane’s eyes widened. “When we fell, I thought I saw something fall with us. Could it have been your tomb?”
“I don’t know,” Brianna said. “This is all new to me, but I’ve pledged my loyalty to Arek.”
Kisan tilted her head, her eyes on Brianna’s neck. “Pledged?” The way she said it, it sounded more like an insult than a question.
Brianna’s hand came up hesitatingly to touch the copper torc, then she nodded. “I’m bound by more than this,” she said, tapping the collar, “for my word is good, and I don’t give it lightly.”
Arek watched as the master’s eyes flicked down before she bowed and stepped back. “You have literally fallen into strange company.” He couldn’t tell if Kisan referred to Brianna or himself with that, but Brianna simply nodded.
Orion said, “Azrael, Artymis, it is with true joy that we greet you again.”
Silbane tilted his head, but Lilyth explained, “Know that you are the latest avatars in a long line of innumerable Ascensions. No slight is meant by addressing you by your Aeris names.”
She paused, considering something, then said to the group, “But let us respect these Adepts, who have earned the right to be called by their own names.” At that, both Watchers and all the guards within the throne room bowed, fist to chest.
Arek listened as Silbane gave a quick account of what had transpired for him since they were separated. He related the attack of the black-clad assassins on the Isle, and explained the fall of Thera and Themun. Arek knew of the former. He found himself somewhat satisfied, if in a guilty sort of way, by the fall of the lore father, and it went far to fill in the incomplete picture he’d had of the events subsequent to their mission to Bara’cor.
Hearing of all this within the larger context of the attack on the Isle gave Arek much needed perspective and mollified him somewhat that he hadn’t actually been abandoned by his master. Silbane went on to talk about his capture by the red mage, his salvation by Kisan’s subsequent rescue, Jebida’s fall, and the attack on Bara’cor by forces from Lilyth’s Gate. Arek had no idea so much had been done to try to recover him. The fact that Ash was now firstmark and that Bara’cor was likely overrun . . . it was a lot to take in.
That last thought made him realize they stood in front of the person responsible for the takeover of the fortress and the fall of its men. An uneasy feeling grew. That fact could not be ignored for very long, and knowing his master, would be addressed soon. A knot formed, a trepidation that this joyous moment was going to devolve into something more ugly.
As if reading his thoughts, Silbane faced Lilyth upon her raised dais and spread his arms saying, “Your forces now flood Bara’cor, possessing men, taking lives. How can you greet us with such welcome, and with the same hand mete out brutal actions to the people of Edyn?”
Lilyth watched Silbane from her seat like a cat, her eyes sparkling. She leaned forward and said, “Diplomacy, I see, is not your strong point.”
“Perhaps,” admitted Silbane, “but I’m unclear where we stand with you, so I’d rather be direct.”
Lilyth looked from Silbane to Arek, then leaned back on her throne. “Then we shall be direct.” She gestured to Thoth, who stepped up the dais to stand beside her. “I will admit that my forces occupy Bara’cor, but not to conquer. You face a foe far more deadly than you realize, and we are there only to help you withstand his might.”
Kisan stepped forward and said, “You expect us to believe that? We faced your demon, Baalor. He would have killed us were it not for the
king, who ransomed his own life to buy our passage.”
Lilyth raised an eyebrow at that. “No life has been taken. Some few of Bara’cor’s forces were turned, to ensure we could enter, but only enough to protect you from the true threat.” She stopped, then rose and said, “And as for the king, he still lives.”
Silence reigned.
“You’re saying Bernal Galadine survived?” Ash said, his face betraying both hope and surprise. In a way, Arek thought the normally taciturn soldier looked like a lost boy who’d suddenly found his father in the marketplace.
“Ask yourself, when you approached my gate, did any of my forces attack? I could have overwhelmed and wiped you from the face of Edyn . . . yet you were offered safe passage.”
“What about Anhur and your giants?” Yetteje snapped. “They didn’t mean us any good.”
Lilyth sighed, looking pained. “They were told to convey you safely here, all except the Kinslayer.” She gestured to the blade on Ash’s back. “Only she was to have been captured and brought to justice.”
“If by ‘convey’ you mean kill,” Silbane said.
“Are you so sure?” inquired Lilyth. “From what I understand, you attacked when they attempted to detain you. They fought to defend themselves, and even with an immense loss of life they stayed their killing blows for all except the Kinslayer and her wielder.” She turned to Ash and bowed. “I apologize, but Tempest has left years of ruin and pain in her wake. We, too, can be swayed by emotion.”
The group was quiet, thinking through what had been said. It seemed to Arek that neither Silbane nor Kisan looked convinced, but then Lilyth continued, “How did you react when someone took those dear to you? My men overstepped their authority in trying to bring Tempest to justice, and I will deal with them, but nothing stopped you from finding your lost apprentice. And who have you spared in your noble quest?”
Silbane looked uncomfortable, not answering right away. Kisan harrumphed, but said nothing. Finally, it was Ash who said, “If it’s the blade you want” —he loosed the scabbard— “you can have her.” He tossed the sheathed sword onto the marble floor. Silbane seemed about to say no, but it was too late. It sounded like a body when it fell.
“Beloved, do not forsake me!” Tempest cried. “I am yours! Draw me, please!”
Ash’s only answer was his jaw tightening and his eyes turning hard. They flicked away from the blade and if he’d not been in a throne room, it was clear the firstmark would have spat upon the ground and cursed the day he met Tempest.
Lilyth’s eyes measured Ash before saying, “We thank you, Firstmark, for not making us demand it.” She looked back at the group as two guards came and picked up the pleading blade, who had not stopped begging Ash to draw her. “She will find little comfort in our care, but no worse than she has afforded others.”
Ash shrugged. “Good riddance. She has brought me nothing but misery.”
“Betrayer! I will eat your heart! No one abandons me! I will slice—”
Tempest’s cries where cut short by the door closing as she was taken from the room.
There was a moment then, an indrawn breath of time. Tempest’s outburst had cast a pall over the group. Arek wondered if Ash’s easy dismissal reflected the rest of the group’s character? Would they leave behind anyone who became a burden?
Arek’s doubtful introspection was interrupted by Lilyth.
“There’s much I need to explain. It might be best started from the very beginning.”
Silbane’s face quirked into the semblance of a smile when he replied, “That would be appreciated.”
“By now,” Lilyth began, “you must realize there’s more at work than a simple attack on your Isle.”
Kisan stepped forward and said, “We have heard the name Sovereign. It’s clear the Conclave and your forces are somehow involved. It is difficult for us to understand, but most of it seems to focus on Arek.”
Arek looked at Kisan, surprised by her perspective. Since when had he become the center of attention? It was only when Lilyth nodded that he decided to wait and hear more.
“At the very dawn of time, a mistake happened,” the demon queen said. “We—the Aeris and you—were separated. It was not intended, but was the result of an accident we call Sovereign’s Fall. Since then, we have followed an inexorable desire to reunite. For some, it has been through Ascension.” She looked at Thoth, who nodded.
“For others,” she continued, “it has been through possession.” At that, she paused, looking down as if contrite. However, Arek suspected that Lilyth was a master of her own emotions and anything he saw was by her choice alone.
When she looked up, her eyes glistened with what appeared to be sincerity.
“Thoth and I are trying to find a way that will yield a different outcome than what has occurred repeatedly over the past millennia.”
At that, Thoth stepped forward and said, “We have waged a war against Sovereign, the Maker of this world and Edyn. He sent the assassins that attacked your Isle and took the lives of Thera and the lore father. Believing things are corrupt, he seeks to reverse the mistakes made eons ago. We seek to stop him and protect our way of life.”
Lilyth said, “But Thoth’s Conclave and I have been opposed, squandering our resources against one another while Sovereign continues to send weapons against us: those who can unmake the Way.” She looked pointedly at Arek, who felt a sudden vertigo when faced with the possible reality being described.
Without hesitating she continued, “There is a better path.”
Silbane held a hand up and said, “You think Arek is a weapon? How?”
“He unmakes the Way,” she replied, sounding as if she were talking to a dimwitted child, “as you have seen.”
“Then why not kill him?” Kisan asked, her tone such that Arek felt he wasn’t even there. At least her question didn’t surprise him. It was delivered in the same way Kisan would have asked if you wanted butter on your toast.
“Sovereign’s weapon is ingenious,” Lilyth replied. “Destroy it and you release a contagion that destroys the Way, and every living thing here in Arcadia.” Then she seemed to change her tack and asked, “What do you think stays Sovereign’s hand?”
Silbane shook his head. “What stops any god—?”
Lilyth held up a hand, interrupting. “Do not speak of gods. Are we not more enlightened than this?” She breathed out slowly, as if gathering her strength and trying to remain calm at the same time. “Sovereign needs energy to remake this existence . . . energy we use every day. Only our use of the Way holds Sovereign in check. With Arcadia gone, he would have the energy he needs to begin the end for Edyn.”
Silbane leaned back, comprehension dawning on his face. “He’s killing us off.”
Lilyth nodded. “Why else create a genocide using magehunters? Why pull us into a war with each other that cannot be won? Sovereign has agents everywhere cleverly guiding us. Valarius is unknowingly one, as are we, so long as we continue to fight. Most do not know they’re pawns in his deadly game of Kings.”
“Arek is a weapon,” Kisan stated, “but we can’t destroy the weapon.” She paused, then asked, “What do you suggest?”
“Arek, do you know who your true father is?” asked Lilyth.
Arek shook his head, abashed.
Lilyth continued, “While I can claim to be your mother because part of what you are stems from me, you’re not of my seed. Nor are you the seed of Valarius, as you may have been led to believe.”
“Even the dragon Rai’stahn said my apprentice is the creation of Valarius,” Silbane said. He looked at Arek apologetically. “I would have told you but we got separated.”
“Jebida and the king commented on how much he looked like a young Bernal,” Ash volunteered, “as if he were of the Galadine family. You’re saying he’s not?”
“Valarius influenced his growth,” Lilyth said. “Brought here in the womb, he became the instrument of vengeance born of the highlord’s demented desires.
Why should he not resemble the Galadine that shaped his purpose? Yet Arek’s true parents are not any of us.”
Arek nodded, his mind numb. He at first had dismissed the suggestion that he was sired by Valarius, only because he had been sure the man had died so long ago. After his encounter with Gabreyl, however, that certainty had waned, and a secret part of him wondered if the archangel had truly been taking him to meet his father.
“Duncan and Sonya Illrys are Arek’s father and mother,” Lilyth said.
“What?” exclaimed Kisan. “The red mage!” There was a moment of silence, then the master started laughing, one hand straying up to her brow as if she’d suddenly developed a severe headache. “Oh gods, of course he is . . .”
Arek didn’t know who that was, but Silbane was strangely quiet. He thought he heard his master mumble something, but he couldn’t be sure.
Kisan had gone from one hand holding her head to both palms pressing against her eyes, as if trying to push them out the back of her skull. Clearly she was struggling with the revelation, but it was Thoth who spoke.
“The boy is pivotal, but even more so his father. Hear Lilyth out.”
Lilyth turned to Silbane with solemnity. “You brought Duncan here, knowing of his quest to find his wife and son. He’s convinced Valarius holds them, and despite my attempt to stay his hand, has infiltrated Avalyon on a rescue mission.”
“Avalyon exists in phase.” Orion said. “How does this man breach her walls?”
“It is my fault,” Lilyth replied. “The price I offered Duncan in return for helping me secure Bara’cor against Valarius’s imminent invasion was a lens.”
That drew some looks of consternation, to which Thoth answered, “This lens allows for travel. It is a personal portal, much like your finder spell, except it can be reused.”
“I knew he would use it to look for Sonya and Arek,” Lilyth said, “but I thought he would fail. Valarius has shielded Avalyon from intruders quite successfully.” Lilyth breathed in, then said, “Yet somehow, Duncan found a way in. I did not anticipate this.”
