by Jeff Kish
“I have been the mayor for thirty-seven years. I have three sons and no daughter,” he says with a frown. “I’m not sure what else to tell you.”
Era is at a loss. “Di is… she’s the mayor’s daughter! She’s whiny, hates the outdoors, and is almost fourteen!” As he looks around in frustration, his eyes land on a lighthouse tower, almost identical to the tower they used as a rendezvous point in Kemplen. “There, that tower there! She used to hide in that tower growing up!”
By now, the crowd around the mayor is growing restless over Era’s insistence on continuing the conversation. “While growing up?” the mayor asks. “That tower was just finished three years ago.”
Era’s heart sinks straight into his gut. “I was told that… I mean, she’s from Canterin, and she’s-”
“Our City Hall has a department of records. If your friend grew up here, she should have a record there,” he says. “Maybe you can learn more if you take a look.”
Era silently nods, still in shock as he leaves the crowd, wondering if Di really was lying to them the entire time. He glances back at the tower, which is exactly as described by Di. Convinced she at least has ties here, he heads back the way he came, back toward the city’s center.
Chapter 19
The sun is at mid-afternoon when Era drags himself out the city gate. Annoyed, frustrated, and defeated, he finds the first tree on the path and slumps down against it. He stares back into the city he had been so desperate to reach, amazed by how things turned out.
The humming of a familiar tune prompts him to jump to his feet, which in turn makes his entire body scream in pain, and his jaw drops when he sees Jem wander out from behind a tree. She gives him a wink and does a spin. “Hey, Era! How are my new clothes?” She’s wearing a tight black undershirt with an outer leather vest tied together in the middle, and she sports a similar style on her bottom half, with black leggings and leather shorts extending to her knees. Her emerald necklace drapes loosely over her vest.
“N-Nice,” the confused Era stammers.
“It’s the latest in fashion, and my necklace looks amazing with it! This will be great for when I-”
“Jem, why are you here?” he asks, cutting to the chase.
The Allerian tries to act surprised. “Why am I here? I went shopping in Canterin! And you just happened to be here when I got done, so…”
“You came from the woods,” Era points out. “Were you… waiting for me?”
Jem frowns. “Of course not! I was trying out my new clothes.”
“In the woods?”
“That’s where I spend all my time, isn’t it?” Jem asks, getting testy.
“It’s just that I thought you were-”
“We’re partners, Era,” she says. “We don’t go abandoning each other. I… I want to help you.”
“Thank goodness!” he exclaims in relief. “Because I don’t think I can save her on my own.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” Jem says with a huff. “I’m not in this to save Di. I’m in this to keep you alive. That’s my only goal here.”
Her partner grimaces. “Sorry, but I have to get her back, Jem. I’m not going to abandon-”
“I know, I know! You’re as stubborn as ever, I get it,” she says. “I’ll help you get her back because I want you to stay alive, and you’d get killed doing it on your own.” She gives him her confident grin and says, “Don’t worry, I’m in.”
He musters an appreciative smile. “Thanks, Jem.”
She rubs her nose awkwardly. “S-So anyway, you look depressed. I take it you didn’t get far in there?”
He nods, slumping back down against the tree. “Di doesn’t exist.”
“She doesn’t exist?” Jem repeats. “Well, we know that isn’t true. We traveled with her for a week! And it was annoying.”
“I’m serious, Jem!” Era shouts, showing his frustration. “The mayor has no daughter. The hall of records verified it, plus I looked at every single birth record from thirteen years ago.” He hangs his head and scratches it. “I even checked the twelves and fourteens. If she was born in Canterin, it was with a different name, which would almost be expected considering she lied about everything else.”
Jem takes a seat next to Era. “So the princess was never a princess.” A sour look on her face, she gripes, “Girl sure played us.”
Era slaps his forehead. “I’m such an idiot. First Fire, and now Di! They both had me completely duped.”
His partner frowns. “And you still want to save her after all that?”
He reflects on her words. “I guess I do.” Relaxing, he rests his head back on the tree while chuckling. “Honestly, what was her plan, anyway? What did she think Fire was going to do when there was no reward? Maybe getting recaptured saved her life.”
A devilish grin creeps across Jem’s face. “I’d have loved to watch Fire find out.”
Era mulls the situation over in his head. “We’re facing a steep task,” he thinks aloud. “We need to go to Satari. To the barracks.”
Jem balks. “You’re not making my mission easy. The freaking military barracks!?”
He shrugs. “Di said the military was taking her to their headquarters. We know where she is, now we just need to break her out.”
“And what exactly is your plan for that?”
“I’m going to break in, of course,” he replies, insulted. “I’ll find Di and we’ll make our escape. It’ll be like any other thieving operation.”
“But with your sneaking skills, you won’t even make it past the-” Cutting herself off, she snaps her fingers and says, “Wait, I’ve got it! But we’re going to need help.” She drops a new set of clothes onto her partner’s lap and gets to her feet. “You might need to get dressed up for this, depending on her mood.”
Era looks to her in confusion. “Wait, all our money was left on the ship. How’d you buy these?”
“Come on, since when do we shop with money? Now get dressed and meet me at the train station.” With that, she starts her hike back into Canterin.
“W-Wait, Jem! What do you mean, ‘depending on her mood’?” Getting no response, he looks back to the clothes in his lap and feels an incredible relief wash over him. He’s sure glad she came back.
* * *
This southern country is far less generous than the hill countries Di and her guardians traveled. There are few trees to offer shade, and the ground is hard as rock. They have long passed the last of the quarry fields, which are the only reason the tracks extend so far south.
As they come to the crest of a hill, Di takes in the view of the surrounding area. The arid land sports patches of green here and there. Rock formations dot the landscape, but to the south is a flat horizon, where the hills end and an endless expanse of sand stretches as far as she can see. ‘Is that the wasteland?’ she wonders, recalling the legends of the Third Kingdom are based primarily on ruins found far out into that region.
They come to a rock formation consisting of two massive boulders leaning into each other, towering high into the air. The shade they provide is welcome as the group heads between the rocks, where another troop of soldiers is waiting. They salute the general and move aside, revealing a passage cut into the side of one boulder.
The general is handed a hefty light rune, and he leads the way, motioning for Di and Galen to follow. The three step into the entryway, and Di marvels at how precisely the rock has been cut. While she’s gawking, she nearly trips and falls as the ground disappears beneath her. Galen steadies her shoulders, allowing the girl to regain her footing as the steep decline takes them underground.
After descending the ramp, Graff holds the rune out to illuminate a dead end. Di observes the large wall, and she instantly notices the elemental dodecagram etched into the rock, though four circles are notably more prominent: one water and all three air. However, the symbols are different from what she learned at the Academy, and her academic mind searches for answers to the strange diagram.
�
�We’ve made no efforts at displacing this wall,” the general explains.
“You’re supposedly the only one who can open it.”
Di is startled. “Me? How am I supposed to open it?”
“That’s what we’re here to find out.” Graff motions for Di to step forward. “Please, see what you can do.”
“I have no idea how to do this, even if you ask me to-”
“I’m not asking you,” the general corrects, his voice turning aggressive. “I’m ordering you to open this door.”
“B-But that doesn’t change anything!” she argues. “I can’t just-”
“Our source was accurate about everything, even down to your description. A small, blond-haired Academy student who pretends to be the daughter of the mayor of Canterin.”
Her brow furrows. “What did you just say?”
“I’m afraid your story doesn’t check out, my dear,” Graff explains. “I just learned the mayor of Canterin has no daughter, and he’s been in power for over thirty years.”
Galen is taken aback. “Then why did she head back to Canterin?”
“Because Daddy is the mayor!” Di insists, not backing down.
“Look,” the general sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose, “I don’t care who you are. Perhaps you’re an illegitimate child he kept secret, or otherwise some kind of adopted heir. All I’m saying is that we have compelling evidence you’re the key to whatever lies beyond this door. So I expect you to open it.”
Di swallows hard, shaken by the accusation. Faced with little other choice, she extends an open palm out to the general. “L-Light, please.” He reluctantly hands it to her, and she studies the inscribed etchings. The symbols are different than what she studied at the academy. If there’s a puzzle to be solved, she’s stumped, and she rests her hand against the carvings to apply force to it.
The moment her fingers touch the cold, stone surface, the back of her hand begins to glow. Startled by the bizarre phenomenon, Di jumps back, her heart pounding as the glowing disappears. “W-What was that?”
“Again!” Graff shouts, stepping forward and grabbing the rune from her. “Do that again!”
Di obeys, and the back of her hand once more shines. Staring at it in wonder, she realizes one of the foreign symbols is emblazoned on her skin: an outer circle with a diagonal chord and two inner circles tangent to it, one large and the other small. As it glows, the matching symbol on the wall glows in tandem. Despite her heart pounding with anxiety, Di finds herself in awe of the unexplainable occurrence.
After a soft rumble, the entire wall abruptly loses its shape, crumbling and turning into a pile of dust, rock, and sand. Everyone coughs from the dust plume that rushes out from the collapsed wall, waving their hands in front of their faces and trying to get a breath of fresh air.
As the dust clears, the small girl finds the glowing symbol has vanished. She stares at her hands in wonderment, trying to process what just transpired until the sound of clapping breaks her thoughts, and she turns to find Graff displaying his approval. “Well done, Di! Looks like you were special after all.”
“Sir, that was…” Galen can’t find the words to describe what he just witnessed. “Did you know?”
“I’m learning right alongside you,” Graff admits. He turns back and whistles loudly, signaling for troops to descend the ramp and proceed into the corridor with light runes. Stepping over the pile of sand left behind by the door, the group plunges into the catacombs. Di glances at the general’s back, but he shows no sign of awe or reverence. He marches with a purpose, his intention set on finding his prize.
Di follows the soldiers until she finds herself on a platform overlooking a large room, filled with an eerie glow produced by four distinct barriers of light against the far wall. The soldiers mutter amongst themselves at the strange sight.
“What kind of place is this?” the general mutters, running his hand along the smooth walls as he descends the stairs to the floor below.
Metallic furniture is strewn about the room, intact and ready for use despite one corner of the facility having collapsed. Glass panels dot the walls, and a multitude of consoles rise from the ground before the four barriers. Each pulsating barrier is translucent, revealing a small chamber on the other side. Above each barrier is one of the four symbols from the first wall, as if providing a unique label to each of the protected chambers.
“This must be it,” the general says aloud.
Galen frowns, wondering about the meaning of the symbols and their respective barriers. “Are there four weapons, then?”
“Regardless, it appears the girl matches with only one of these symbols.” He motions for Di to move up. “If you would.”
Di is far more intimidated by the wall of light than the wall of stone. Cringing, she reaches her hand out to the barrier, and a large bolt arcs to her hand the moment she touches it. She shrieks and jams her finger into her mouth with a whimper.
“It didn’t work?” the general asks, not showing any concern for the injured girl. “Then how are we supposed to get in there?”
Galen’s eyes fall to a dark panel on the wall separating two of the light barriers. “Sir, what is this?”
The general studies it before glancing to Di. “Come take a look.”
With tears still in her eyes from the jolt, Di approaches the panel, eyeing the barriers of light to either side as she carefully reaches for the glass pane. She touches it with a single finger before resting her entire palm on it, and the cool surface begins to glow.
The light barrier corresponding to Di’s symbol disappears with a loud buzzing noise. A large, cylindrical pillar with a flat top is at the center of the inner chamber. It stands about as tall as Di, and a section is carved out of the back wall, where metallic instruments and restraints are left hanging open. It reminds Di of a small torture chamber, as if a prisoner was once held here against his or her will.
The general studies the pillar and the area around it with disapproval. “Nothing in here looks like a weapon. Perhaps the key needs to work more magic.”
Di grows frustrated from the constant demands. “I already opened the doors. What else can I do? Maybe it’s gone.”
“With this security, it’s impossible anyone managed to get in before us. Not without you, at least.” He studies the girl suspiciously. “Have you been here before?”
“N-No!” Di insists.
“Then find my weapon,” he impatiently demands.
Di hurries into the small chamber and begins searching for anything interesting. “Is this obelite?” she wonders aloud, resting her hand on the dark pedestal. After a quick tour around the small space, she comes back to the front and finds a gaping hole in the stone pillar. It is the perfect height for her arms, so she reaches in and feels around, eventually resting her palms on the surface of the carved out hole.
The contact triggers the reappearance of her illuminated symbols. A loud buzzing noise begins vibrating the entire room, and the lights from Di’s hands shine brilliantly. The bystanders shield their eyes from the blinding light as Di shrieks loudly, crying out as if in pain.
Just when it all becomes too great to bear, the buzzing stops and the light fades. As their eyes readjust, Graff and Galen find Di leaning against the pillar, still standing under her own power. More noticeable than the girl, however, is a brilliant ball of light sitting atop the pillar. It glows a beautiful shade of yellow, and everyone beholds the sight in wonder.
Graff storms in and flings Di behind him. Galen catches the girl, though his focus remains on the glowing orb.
Puzzled, Di finds that her forearms now bear bronze bands, intricately engraved with the same symbol emblazoned above the chamber. A small but radiant diamond is embedded near each of her wrists, and she wonders how these accessories appeared. She yanks at the armlets, but she’s unable to remove them.
“This is the weapon!?” the general exclaims. The perfectly-formed orb is small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand. It
gives off no heat, no sound, and it doesn’t seem to affect the pillar as it rests atop it.
His curiosity piqued, the general reaches out and touches it with his right hand. The instant he makes contact, the orb cracks loudly and disappears with a blinding flash of light. The general snaps his hand back as a sharp pain penetrates into his flesh. It’s all he can do to prevent himself from screaming in front of his men, and he furiously massages his hand to dull the pain until he stops and looks at his palm. The symbol they’ve all grown accustomed to seeing is now emblazoned where the pain entered his hand, printed in the two o’clock position on his palm.
“General, are you okay?” Galen calls out.
“I’m fine,” Graff answers, staring at the place where the glowing orb once sat, “but where did the weapon go?”
“The weapon is right in front of you.”
Every soldier draws his sword and points it at the unfamiliar voice’s source, who seems unfazed by the display of aggression. Bearing a smile, he places his hands in the air as he walks into the small chamber. “Good to see you again, General Graff. And good to see you too… Di, was it? Is your guardian not with you?” A chill runs down Di’s spine as she comes face-to-face with the young man she met in the woods outside Ugorzi.
“Ares,” Graff mutters, his voice not hiding the disdain. “How did you get past my men outside?”
“They never saw me enter,” he explains as he casually strolls into their midst. “More importantly, I see you’ve found the weapon. Excellent work.”
Graff eyes Ares suspiciously. “What do you mean, we’ve found it? The weapon just disappeared before our eyes!”
Ares frowns in confusion. “Disappeared? But General, the weapon stands right before you.” Everyone looks at the pillar again, and Ares sighs. “The weapon is about 4’11”, 89 pounds, wears a tattered outfit… need I go on?”
All eyes shift to Di, and the small girl’s heart races at the attention. She looks at Ares, a bewildered look in her eye. “W-What!?”
