by Bryant Reil
Eunoe looked at the paper a moment. “Yes. This is his language.” She looked at Marik. “You must have known all this would happen. What are the chances?”
Marik shrugged. “I just brought what my friend gave me.”
Kyla peered over Eunoe's shoulder. “We gotta meet her. Is she a friend or a 'friend'?”
Eunoe winced. “Quiet, I have to concentrate. I'm still learning how to talk to this guy.”
“Sorry.”
A string of strange words escaped from Eunoe's lips as she read the parchment.
“He says it's legitimate. He was actually there when this battle took place. Chaos was tearing the world up and—”
Marik held up a finger. “Wait a minute. Chaos? How old is this guy?”
“Middle-aged. I can't interpret specific numbers yet.”
“No, I mean how long ago was this story? Chaos has been dormant for millions of years. Or so I've been led to believe.”
“He has no idea. To him this all happened moments ago. Anyway Chaos was tearing everything apart. He ripped souls right from their bodies. They tried a deflection spell to protect themselves but it must have backfired. He remembers a ripple of energy, and then suddenly he was with me and Eunoste.”
“What about Erebus?” Kyla asked. “The parchment talks about Erebus, doesn't it?”
“Yes. Earlier in the war Erebus had blacked out the sun. He has the power to extinguish light but they discovered one vulnerability. Liquid light infused into a-a-it's a metal. I don't know a word for it. It looks like gold, but it's much rarer. They used to trade for it from some northern country.”
“Aurichalcum.” Everyone looked at Saul. Kyla hadn't noticed his arrival. “What? It's in high demand in the alchemical community. Makes sense it would be aurichalcum. Gold and copper fused by fire spirits. Anyway I looked it up after you made me read that parchment.”
“Yes,” Eunoe confirmed. “That's right. He says there are other ingredients as well. It’s hard to read his thoughts here. There was a white metal – platinum, I think, and silver and tin. It was a challenging process, but there are veins buried in the earth that were made long ago. They used it to create lights. These were the only sources of light Erebus couldn't darken.”
Saul took a bite of an apple, opened his eyes wide, and swallowed without chewing. “There's a MAN inside your body?”
“Shush!” Kyla held a finger to her lips.
Saul looked at her. “There's someone inside her body!”
“Yeah! You weren't here for the first part so you missed it! Now shush!”
“You can't just gloss over something like this! Why aren't you all freaking out?”
Kyla tapped her foot against the side of Saul's leg. “We have more important stuff to worry about! Now quiet!”
Ignoring Saul’s outbursts, Eunoe continued to concentrate. “They used these lights to keep Erebus out. His followers would launch assaults to destroy them. They knew the aurichalcum was key to defeating him. Erebus' power diminishes with light. In darkness he grows in strength but an environment with no darkness, no shadow, would keep him powerless. Thus he relied on his mortal armies to pave the way. They slew the smiths who worked the aurichalcum.” Eunoe paused. “He was guarding one of the sites. Now he's here. He knows little else, though he assumes they must have won the war or the world would still be enveloped in darkness.”
Kyla waited a moment to make sure Eunoe had nothing to add. “We need to get some aurichalcum! I know just who to talk to!”
Saul was still transfixed on Eunoe. “You're possessed by a ghost? And everyone's ok with this?”
Kyla kicked Saul in the side of the leg. “Hey! We're talking about important stuff! So anyway, Eunoe, I bet I can go with Lug to find some auri—”
“No, Kyla!” Eunoe snapped. “You aren't going anywhere. We'll pass this information along to the right people.”
“I already tried! They aren't going to listen to me. And I'm not going to waste any time while there's people out there trying to kill me and my family.”
“Don't be stupid. Don't forget what happened last time you ran off.”
Kyla looked down, embarrassed.
Eunoe continued. “Anyway do you really think your parents want you running around putting yourself at risk? There are armies out there ready to face the enemy. You are safe here. Let them do their job, and you do yours.”
“What's MY job?”
“Do nothing. The most important thing you can do right now is go to your room and take a nap.”
Kyla opened her mouth to protest but her words came out as a yawn. Perhaps a nap was a good idea.
***
Kyla sat up. The nap had worked. She threw on her clothes and rushed to tell Eunoe, who was eating dinner with Saul and Aspen.
“It's brilliant!” Kyla gushed. “It's like Kyle's fridge but backwards. See, I'll just make a little ball of that aurichalcum. It'll be hollow and there will be a little door and when the door is open it's dark inside but when you close it the light turns on! Then we just need a room that's all light and he'll go into the ball to escape but then I'll close it and trap him inside with the light on!”
Kyla smiled and waited for a wave of compliments. They weren't forthcoming.
Saul wore a smirk that made Kyla want to punch him. “Yeah, I don't think Erebus is going to just walk into a giant ball of aurichalcum. How big is he, anyway? Aurichalcum isn't easy to come by and you'll need a lot! Anyway if it would work, someone would have done it already.”
“Shut up, Saul! It's a great idea.” Kyla turned her attention back to Eunoe. “See, I saw Linkin traveling through the shadows. He didn't really have a size. He can be as big or small as he wants while he's in the dark. I think so anyway. I just need a little ball. It's worth a try, right?”
“I think so!” Aspen gave Eunoe a hopeful glance, though Kyla was sure Aspen was just trying to be polite.
Eunoe's response was simple but firm. “No.”
Kyla stood in her seat. “But it's a great idea! Look, no one's going to take me seriously but—”
Eunoe hardly looked up from eating her soup. “Drop it, Kyla.”
“But—”
“No. Even if you could get the ball made, how are you going to lure him into a room full of light?”
“Well, I haven't worked that part out yet.”
“It's an important part.”
Eunoe set her spoon on the table and clasped her hands under her chin. She tried to grab Kyla in her gaze, but Kyla looked away. “You can't do this, Kyla. There are experts on the case. You need to stay here.”
“Why won't anybody listen to me?”
Saul put a hand on Kyla's shoulder. “Hey, it's not like that's the worst idea you've come up with. It's dumb, but it's not the worst. Eunoe just wants everybody to be safe!”
Kyla shoved Saul's hand off her shoulder. “It's none of your business, Saul!”
“Hey! Just trying to help!”
“I don't want your help! I just want you to agree with me!”
Kyla stood in a huff. Eunoe crossed her arms. “Don't think of running off. Tell your plan to Professor Ciana. I'm sure he can pass it along. You aren't leaving campus. Clear?”
Kyla turned red and looked at her shoes. They hadn't told Saul or Marik what had happened with Aspen. “Clear.”
***
Marik hummed the melody of The Aria of Elisima the Dragon-Queen as he headed to the Administration Building. That song had been Carmin's favorite. He caressed the hilt of his sword with his thumb. A chipper voice interrupted his serene thoughts.
“Very pretty! What song is that?” Kyla asked, though she didn't wait for an answer. “Where are you going?”
“Oh, hi Kyla! The Director has been looking for a job for me. I thought Equinox would be a nice change from working in a prison.”
“That's where I'm going! I thought of a plan to stop Erebus. I couldn't find Professor Ciana. Anyway he already told me the army won't listen to me.�
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Marik frowned. “I doubt they will. To be honest I think they'll probably just take the parchments I gave you and suck that soul out of Eunoe. They have their own plans, and they aren't going to risk letting you run around causing trouble.”
Kyla stopped walking. “But it's a good idea. Do you want to hear it?” Again she didn't wait for him to respond. “I got the idea from a fridge in Whitehall. I'm going to make a ball out of aurichalcum and put a little door on it and infuse it with light, but when the door closes the light turns on, and then we'll trap Erebus inside. See, he'll lose all his power!”
Marik raised an eyebrow. “Very clever! But what if someone opens it again?”
“I'll have to hide it somewhere. Anyway once he's captured maybe someone will finally listen to me and I can give it to King Oberon and he can worry about it.”
“That is brilliant! But you know, I've served in the military. They seldom listen to civilians. They prefer to come up with their own ideas.”
“Somebody has to listen.”
“They really don't. They certainly won't let you and your friends run off to confront the enemy. I don't really blame them. I don't know if you understand what you're dealing with. Just let the army do its thing.”
Kyla frowned. She pulled the translated parchment from a bag. “It's a great idea. They'll have to listen.”
Marik shrugged. “I hope so. Why don't you go ahead and run it by the Director? I'll come with you.”
Kyla beamed. Marik grinned. He loved her enthusiasm. Too bad Anh-Bul was about to crush it.
***
“How would you like to go on a trip with me?” Kyla felt terrible sneaking off again after what had happened with Aspen, but she was hurt and angry after Director Anh-Bul's rude rejection of her idea. He had called the plan stupid! And called her juvenile!
Burburt squirmed uncomfortably. He was sitting on the grass with a pretty little sprite who glared at him as Kyla spoke.
He directed his response at the sprite rather than Kyla. “I swear I don't even know this girl.”
The sprite put her hands on her hips. “That's what you said about the other one!”
“I met you on the first day! Orientation. It's me. Kyla.”
“Oh. Right.”
The sprite frowned. “And you want to take him on a trip, why?”
Kyla stepped back and held up her hands defensively. “Oh, no! I'm sorry. Not like that. I'm trying to track down some aurichalcum. You're in alchemy, right? You gotta know where to get some.”
Burburt looked at the sprite carefully. “I don't have anything to do with aurichalcum. Pretty hard to get, nowadays.”
“Ok, but there's gotta be some around here.”
“No. Look, I can't help you. The earth elementals stopped trading it years ago.”
“Oh. Earth elementals. Well, that's a start.”
Kyla walked away quickly as Burburt and the sprite resumed an animated and weighty discussion.
***
Lug stared back at Kyla. He had the picture of the unicorn she had bought him in Whitehall posted on his locker, so things had eased up at work.
Heff looked at her and snorted. It sounded less angry than the snorts he used to give her.
Lug thought for a moment. “I can no leave work.”
“But it's so important! We can stop Erebus!”
“Who is Erebus?”
“The—he's the bad guy that made the stars disappear. You haven't heard?”
“No.”
“What? How? Every army in the world is—”
A deep laugh interrupted Kyla. It was Heff. “He doesn't talk to anyone outside work. When you get a job—a real job, like this—you don't have time for anything else.”
That sounded horrible. “But I need him!” she pleaded. “I HAVE to stop Erebus or he'll black out the sun and make the world go dark and cold and everything.”
Heff emitted a throaty chuckle. “And you don't believe the armies of Oberon can stop him? But you can?”
Kyla stood up defiantly. “I don't know if I can, but at least I'm willing to try. That's more than a lot of other people are doing!” The Director hadn't just said horrible things about her idea but he wasn't even going to mention it to the military!
Heff smiled. “You are right about that.” He looked at Lug. “You are going with the elf. We can manage without you until you return.” He looked more amused than confident, which annoyed Kyla somewhat, but to her happy surprise Lug obeyed. The change in the relationship between the two since Kyla's first visit was impressive. They weren't quite friendly, but they were professional, though Heff still called the shots.
“We'd better debrief here,” Kyla whispered as she followed Lug through a long, branching corridor. “This is a secret mission.”
Lug perked up. “Oh! Secret mission.”
Kyla filled Lug in on her recent adventures, and her need for aurichalcum. He listened eagerly, like she was telling him a story. “Yes, I can find aurichalcum! Digans have.”
“Digans?”
“They made of stone, but different. Very strange. They make earthquakes. Live in north.”
“Yes! That's right!” Kyla laughed as she recognized that point from talking to Eunoe. She was excited now, as her plan was so quickly taking flight. “Can you take me to them?”
Lug thought a moment. “Far away. Portals closed. Digans no like Oberon.”
“That's fine.” Kyla hadn't thought of it before but now that it had been mentioned, she doubted she would be granted access to the portals anyway. “Is there another way?”
“Yes. Go by boat.”
Kyla jumped up and down and clapped. “Oh! I've always wanted to see the ocean!”
“Ocean? No. No ocean. Boat sails on magma.”
Kyla's clapping slowed down and her smile faded. “What?”
***
The harbor—if that was the proper term—was smaller than Kyla had expected. It was smaller than the chamber room at the center of the earth, and the boats didn't look like they could hold more than a dozen people. They weren't wood, as she had always pictured ships, but rather insulated metal, which made more sense for sailing down magma, though their gritty and dark appearance took a lot of the romance out of sailing. Indeed, there were very few people awaiting transport.
“Elementals dig through earth very quick,” Lug explained. “No need boats, usually.”
“Can't we just dig straight to the Digans?” she asked. She was a little excited to try one of these boats, just for the experience, but already the heat from the magma was making her unsettled. And the prospect of a sinking ship was frightening.
“I can but you will be squished.”
Well, she didn't want to be squished. Kyla sifted through her bag as they waited for their departure. Light orb, clothing, pots and pans. She had thought to bring food from the cafeteria but Eunoe and Aspen had been inside so she would need to forage. She had no idea how long this trip would be. She hoped it wouldn't be too long as people were going to be worried. She dreaded returning because she didn't think she could survive another rant from Eunoe. She took her yo-yo out and strung it to her finger to help push the thought to the back of her mind.
***
Eunoe stood over Kyla's bed with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. That elf was going to get a whooping.
“I'm not sure when she left,” Aura told her. “She must have gone while I was asleep. She might have had an early meeting or assignment. I'm sure she's fine.”
“She took her bag. And her light orb. That girl's up to something.”
Eunoe felt a spiritual rumbling. The spirit inside sensed her anger. She had taken to calling him Aias, as he had finally realized all his friends and family were long dead and was understandably wracked with grief. It was hard not to let some of this rub off on her, and so there was an intense worry and sadness mixed with Eunoe's fury. She wasn't accustomed to such a tumult of emotions and didn't care for it. She needed to find a
new host for her guest.
“Are you going to class today?”
Eunoe turned quickly. Aspen was peering into the door. Eunoe was supposed to meet her in the courtyard but had forgotten.
“I must get to my own class.” Aura turned invisible and Eunoe felt a blast of wind as she flew through the slightly-open window.
“Kyla's gone,” Eunoe frowned.
Aspen gasped. “Maybe she went to class early?”
“She packed for a trip. Look, her bag is gone. That stupid little brat took off last night.”
“Where?” Aspen thought a moment. “Maybe she went to see her family.”
“Maybe. I don't think so. I bet she went to find some aurichalcum.”
Aspen looked confused. “Some what?”
“Aurichalcum. We talked about it yesterday. It's a metal. She thinks she can use it to fight Erebus.”
Aspen looked worried but said nothing. Her expression told Eunoe she was trying to think of a plan but wasn't coming up with anything.
“Aias said aurichalcum came from the north. At least, back in his day. Millions of years ago, for all we know. I don't know if that's valid, but that's the information Kyla has. I'll bet that's where she headed.”
“North is very big,” Aspen noted.
“Yes, it is. We just need to find out the stupidest, most dangerous place Kyla could have gone, and that's where we'll find her.”
***
The Digans of Alfheim.
It took some searching, but after a few hours of asking questions and flipping through reference books in the library, Eunoe found the answer. Long ago the Digans had been the primary source of aurichalcum to the rest of the world. However, centuries ago King Oberon and the Digan Chief had a falling out. The Digans were reportedly an inhospitable folk, and several of the King's merchants and messengers had disappeared during their visits. No explanation had ever been given by the Digans, but they took offense at some accusations and cut off contact with the rest of the world. They continued to fulfill their primary function of moving the tectonic plates in the earth's crust, but socially and politically had fallen off the map. Yet some daring alchemists and explorers still sought them out in hopes of finding the rare and valuable aurichalcum. Few returned. Now there were only a few known colonies left, the closest of which was below the mountains of Alfheim.
