by Milo Woods
Seeko returned to hear the others muttering. He huddled down nearby and listened in.
“… He’s losing to the demon,” Keith was saying. “Every day it gets stronger.”
“He’s still Seeko, Keith,” Mori replied.
After a moment, Hannet’s high-pitched voice spoke up. “What are you two looking at me for?”
“You can see the future. Tell us Seeko’s,” Keith said.
Seeko edged closer, eager to hear this.
“… I cannot see it. The vision-branches are too crazy …”
“Are you hiding something?” Keith asked. “Does he kill us?”
Silence. Silence that destroyed Seeko. Was he going to kill his friends? He was shaking.
An unsteady Mori said, “Seeko would never hurt us.”
“But what of Kerodesis?” Hannet said quietly, almost too quietly to hear.
Silence again. Seeko stayed where he was. Did he lose to Kerodesis? Was he to take over? Despairing, Seeko shouted into the night.
Within seconds, Keith was at Seeko, claymore drawn. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. Just stubbed my toe,” Seeko lied.
Keith’s facial expression went cold. “Let’s get back to camp. Mori has been worried.”
Are you worried too, Keith? Seeko wondered as he made the march back to camp. Worried I might kill you? He dispelled the thoughts. I wish Lorissa were here. She would know how to fix this.
Sure enough, Seeko was greeted back at camp with a hug. Mori held him close and asked him what happened. Seeko didn’t respond, still angry for losing the trust of his friends. He couldn’t really blame them, but the thought still cut deep.
“Seeko,” Mori said, “I can’t pretend to know what you’re going through, but we’re here for you if you want to talk. You’re helping our world. The least we could do in return is help you.”
Hannet swallowed. “Take the plunge, hero. Trust us, if you want us to trust you.”
Even Keith had something to say: “Seeko, tell us how you’re doing. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from being with you and Mori, it’s that it’s not healthy to hide everything from everyone. Talk to us. We’re here for you.” The words were particularly moving coming from stoic Keith.
Seeko nodded. “It’s a terrible burden I bear. I’ll try to be more open in the future.”
“Why not start now?” Mori asked. “Talk to us.”
He looked away. “I’m not ready. Give me a little time.”
Even though the others wanted to prod further, Seeko retrieved his blanket and went to bed, his mind in turmoil.
/ / / / /
They made quick progress upon the kitseans; by afternoon of the next day, the quartet was leaving the forest valley, taking the wide mountain pass that headed west. The trees thinned as they reached the top of the pass, and once they crested it, they saw a woman camped on the other side. She waved as they descended.
“Who is that?” Mori asked.
Keith grunted. “I know who it is.” He hung his head. “It’s Bianca.”
The woman held her reinforced longbow like a staff, helping her stay balanced on the rocky slope. Her brown hair was wavy and messy, ending at her neck, and her brown eyes shined in an otherwise unhappy face. She wore a black cloak that covered her upper arms and chest. Dark fur boots and long gloves matched well with the black leather chest-plate and tight black leggings she wore.
She waved again as the four approached, with Hannet on the far side of the group, next to Keith.
“Keith!” Bianca shouted.
Keith looked away. “If you ignore her, she’ll go away. Like a cat.”
The company rode slowly past her, ignoring her cries for Keith. As they passed her, they heard her curse and suddenly a rock wall appeared before them, blocking them.
“Keith!” she yelled.
Keith faced her, anger in his normally calm eyes. “What?” he said.
“I want to go with you.”
His eyes grew wide, and his jaw dropped. “No. No.”
Hannet rode to the rock wall and placed a hand on it. Using her earth magic, she collapsed the section of wall she touched. “The path is clear, Keith.”
Keith turned back to the entrance. “Let’s go.” He snapped the reins and they rushed through the gap …
… only to find Bianca waiting there on the other side. She rode on a small gray kitsean. “You can’t outrun earth, Keith, no matter how hard you try.” She smiled.
“What’s wrong with her, Keith?” Mori asked. “I sort of like her.”
Seeko agreed. “We could always use another fighter. It feels better when there are five, you know?”
Keith sighed. “Why do you want to come?”
Bianca directed her answer to Seeko. “I know the Halcyon Empire well. I know how they dress and act and I know how to get into Vornal Castle.” Bianca rode up beside Keith. “I’m also going to tease you of course, Keith!” She punched his shoulder. “I do know a lot about the Halcyon, though.”
“Why would we need to get into Vornal Castle?” Seeko asked.
“Because there’s a demon portal there?” Bianca said as if stating the obvious.
Hannet rode on the other side of Keith, and when Bianca saw this, her cheer disappeared. “Hannet,” she said, her name rolling of her tongue like venom. “I didn’t know you survived.”
Hannet gave her a nervous smile. “Nice to see you too, Bianca.”
Bianca sent back a smile that could scare a snake and then went silent. The company of five traveled on, Seeko revising his view of Bianca. There was something wrong with this woman, something Seeko couldn’t place.
/ / / / /
As the days trudged on and the group got closer to Vicussa, Seeko became increasingly aware of the strange dynamics within the company. Both Bianca and Hannet were vying for the quiet Keith’s attention, with Hannet winning for the most part. Bianca would scowl and protest when Keith was taken away, but Keith ignored her when he was with Hannet.
The pouting Bianca would then annoy Mori, who liked her less and less as the journey continued. Mori would complain to Seeko, who in turn would nod and agree sycophantically.
“She’s like a baby,” Mori was saying. “Baby can’t get her way? Boo-hoo. Tell it to someone who cares.”
Tell me about it … Seeko nodded. “That is so right. She shouldn’t be like that.”
“And she thinks I care? Just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I care about your failed romance.”
It was all Seeko could do to keep interest. “Yes, Mori.” He watched her lips move, talking more and more. It was mesmerizing. He lost focus, thinking about kissing her.
“Seeko? Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes,” he said.
She didn’t skip a beat. “So like I was saying, Bianca should do …”
He rolled his eyes. Oh my God.
/ / / / /
The dynamics on Seeko’s end were simpler. He was, like usual, getting along well with everyone, even Bianca. However, he still detected that the others were growing increasingly distant. As a result, he tried to open up to the company, telling them about the demon voice and how he was constantly fighting it. This only sent them further away. Once more, Seeko would wander away from them when they camped, losing himself in the beautiful Kismetian nights.
I’m just a monster to them. Seeko sat on a large rock, knees to his chest, watching the stars. They’ll never see me the same again. He thought of Mori, thought of her revised opinion of him, and frowned. Stupid!
He was so involved with his pouting that Seeko did not notice someone sit down beside him. Only when she cleared her throat did he notice, jumping.
“Mori! You scared me.”
She grabbed his hand. “I’ve been looking for you. Where do you go when you leave?” She drew close.
“Uh … the stars are beautiful tonight.”
She giggled. “You don’t come out here to stargaze, do you? What�
�s on your mind?”
Seeko took a deep breath. Take the plunge … “Uh … You, Mori. You’re always on my mind. I can’t stop thinking about you! Everything you do is just …” He took his hand from hers. “I … I want to …” He looked away.
She placed a hand on his face, turning him to her. Then she kissed him firmly on the mouth. They closed their eyes and the kiss lasted for an eternity.
Seeko drew away. “Please stop torturing me! I can’t be with you!” His eyes watered.
She held tightly on to his shirt, which Seeko hadn’t noticed until then. “Seeko! Why do you say that? Can’t you see what I’m doing for you?”
“I’m a monster. You all think it; I can see it in your eyes when you look at me.”
Mori looked into his red eyes. “I’m afraid of you, Seeko. But not for the reason you think.”
Seeko looked away, a tear rolling down his face. “Then why? Why are you afraid of me?”
“Because I … I see things. In your eyes.”
“What? Do you see the lives I’ve taken, the pain I’ve caused, the—”
Mori covered his mouth with her hand, silencing him. “I see a future.”
He faced her, and before he knew it, she was on top of him, kissing him. Their simple kissing evolved into something more and the couple forgot all their worries, if only for a night.
/ / / / /
They made it to Vicussa after a week of easy riding. The weather, while hot, was easy on the heroes, for there were no sudden thunder or dust storms. Seeko thought he might have seen a thunderbird once during the journey but did not get the chance to investigate.
As they approached the city, Seeko looked to the spire towering above the city and thought of Kazuma. He had deserved to see his hometown liberated. Instead, he was buried half a world away, never again allowed to step foot in Vicussa.
In Vicussa, Mori bought new clothing for Seeko, garbing him in dark gray and black. Seeko removed his Irenic colors and attained a black cotton tunic, a dark gray underskirt, and black britches. The clothes were of fine quality and were elaborately trimmed with gold.
The others switched into darker, gold-trimmed clothing as well. Keith kept his scarf, saying it still matched the Halcyon scheme of the black and gold. Somehow, Bianca managed to get a new cloak, even though Mori did not pay for her and everyone knew that she had little, if any, money.
Seeko saw a nice oak shortbow while shopping around for supplies. Intrigued, he picked up the bow, examining it. Then he glanced around, seeing Bianca and her longbow. Nah. He placed the bow back on the shelf.
When he looked around to catch up with Bianca, she was gone. Scanning around, he found her leaving the dusty market clearing and heading down a crooked road, taking her away from Keith and Hannet. It wasn’t like her to separate herself from Keith. Intrigued, Seeko pursued, staying far enough behind to stay hidden.
After rounding a couple of corners, he found her talking to a man garbed in a black robe. In Halcyon territory, this robe was a common enough sight, but something about this man was off. He stood too proudly to be seen with a weasel like Bianca. Seeko moved into the shadows to try to hear something, but he couldn’t make anything out.
Bianca handed the man a small pouch and after a slight nod was gone.
“You aren’t very good at tailing someone, Seeko,” Bianca said once the rogue was gone.
Seeko moved out of the shadows and approached. “Who was that?” he asked.
“Him? He was an old friend from the Shadow of Dawn. I owed him money.”
He didn’t buy that. “Really? For what?”
“For this cloak,” she said. “He made it for me.”
What was she hiding? She wasn’t going to tell the truth, so he relented. “Let’s get back to the others,” he said, gesturing behind him. “After you.” He wasn’t about to turn his back to her.
She nodded and went ahead. Seeko followed after, sure to keep watch on this bandit. I’ll kill her if I have to. If it came down to her or the others, I wouldn’t even hesitate.
“Why wait?” he heard someone say within. “Her back is turned and she surely plans nothing but pain.”
Seeko hoped that wasn’t what she planned, but meant what he thought: “If she does, she dies.”
But he hated himself for thinking it.
/ / / / /
A couple of days west of Vicussa, the company came upon the scratch on the earth named the Renthdra Gorge. The gorge cut several hundred feet into the ground, where a dry riverbed meandered far below. Vibrant colors ran along the cliff edges, red, orange, and pale green being the most prominent. A simple suspension bridge crossed the thousand-foot gorge, its weathered anchors and worn decking made of a hard black wood.
“We have to cross this?” Seeko asked, glancing to a fraying rope.
“Scared?” Bianca countered. “I’ve walked this way a thousand times. It’s safe and quick. The next fastest way requires us to go into the canyon.”
“On kitseans?” Seeko asked. “I don’t think so.”
“Exactly! So go on across, fearless leader!” Bianca said.
Seeko took a deep breath. Then he goaded his kitsean to move onto the bridge, which it did after a moment. Just don’t look down just don’t look down just don’t look down …
The bridge rocked with every step. Seeko thought he could feel it sag as Keith, the second in line, trailed behind him. Soon everyone was on the bridge, each step wobbling the surface and reminding Seeko that he was only one misstep from a horrible death.
Seeko was halfway across the bridge when he noticed movement in the otherwise still grass on the other side. He squinted, summoning a fireball to launch in case it was an enemy.
The bridge sagged beneath the company. Bianca, last in line, cried out, “Bandits!” Seeko turned to look back when an arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. Facing back forward, he found three men standing at the other end of the bridge. One of them Seeko recognized instantly.
Yoshino!
The demon summoned a blade of air while the bandits behind him fired more arrows into their party. Seeko’s kitsean froze in place in the chaos and he tried to kick it forward. When that failed, he turned into fire to burn the arrow out …
… which only scared the kitsean more. Seeko converted back into his body and heard someone scream as his hearing returned. Then he heard Keith’s roar and the rush of wind.
Yoshino looked directly to Seeko. “Clumsy me,” he said as he swung the blade of air toward the ropes supporting the bridge.
The ropes snapped and Seeko’s heart dropped to the canyon floor. The bridge flipped sideways, casting everyone down toward the canyon. Weightlessness took over Seeko and company. He lost hold of his kitsean and morosely remembered another time when he was falling …
Take the plunge … and the ground rushed up to meet them.
30: Shima
22 Seek, 112 AV: Day 211
Seeko’s sense of feeling returned first. He felt cool dust between his fingers.
Next was his hearing.
“… kill the girl. You had one job!”
“The demon sage put us up to it—”
“You weren’t supposed to destroy the bridge!”
“But we couldn’t disobe—”
“Just shoot some arrows into the body, fool!”
The words seemed a jumble to Seeko’s mind as his heavy eyelids finally strained to open, but through their narrow gaps, he could only see dust.
“I’m sorry—” But the words turned into gurgles. Seeko examined himself and was surprised to find that he had only been bruised. He recalled that the ground had seemed to rise up toward him, catching him, and now he was buried in a fine layer of dust.
“Hey!” he called out. “Hey—” He coughed up dust. “Is everyone okay?”
Bianca approached, cleaning what looked like blood off her knife. “Seeko, you’re awake.” She didn’t sound happy.
He bolted upright, ignoring the protests of his
body. “Where is Yoshino?”
“Who is Yoshino?” Bianca asked.
“White hair, red eyes, master magician?”
“There wasn’t anyone like that down here. There were only a couple of bandits, waiting for us. I killed them off already.” She sheathed her knife.
“Is everyone okay?”
A wall of wind brushed the dust away as if to answer Seeko’s question. The dust rushed past, and Seeko saw Keith nearby, kneeling beside another person: Hannet. She wasn’t moving, and several arrows pierced her upper body. Bianca and Seeko rushed to them.
“She’s gone,” Keith said. A tear rolled down his face.
Seeko watched the man weep, not noticing the hand placed on his shoulder at first.
“She … She saved us,” Mori said from behind, her voice raw with emotion. She held Seeko. “She saved us with her earth magic—caught us before we hit the ground. The strain and … and the wounds from the arrows … It … It must have been too much—must have put out her spark.”
Keith spoke again. “She said she was leaving, but I didn’t know it would be this way.” Keith buried his head in her still chest.
Another friend gone … When will the death end?
“Never!” Kerodesis responded. “As long as you hold the power you do, others will try to take what you have! Nothing is safe!”
“You’re right. But I have to keep going. I can’t just give up.”
Bianca looked to dead Hannet. “Good riddance,” she said before stalking away.
Mori moved to help Keith up, but Keith blasted at her with wind. “Go away. I want to bury her alone.” He looked up, his normally sober face broken. “Follow Bianca.”
Seeko and Mori obeyed, leaving the miserable man to his task. They caught up with Bianca, who was wandering deeper into the canyon.
“What’s the plan now?” Bianca asked.
“Kazuma said the fourth portal was in this canyon,” Seeko said. “So maybe it’s not all bad.”
“So it was good that we fell into this canyon for more than one reason,” Bianca said.
Mori snapped, getting in Bianca’s face. “I don’t care how much you hated Hannet; to be happy that she’s dead is wrong!”
