“I will surrender!” I shouted after the scorching heat settled. “I will use the Radicle to leave.” There was silence outside for a few moments and I grew impatient. “I need an Ovule.”
“If we give you an Ovule, you will leave?”
“I will leave through this Radicle,” I clarified and prayed that they did not press the question.
There was murmuring outside, but I could not discern their whispered words.
“Fine. Be gone from this world, Kaiyer.” I heard feet approach the door and a leather satchel was set at the entryway.
I exhaled in relief and felt cold sweat trickle down my back beneath my armor. As I intended to trick them, I assumed they were doing the same. I stepped out of the stairwell and moved to the darkest side of the wall. My armor was finely crafted, but it was still over seventy pounds of plated steel and I could not move in complete silence. When I made it halfway across the room I took another deep breath to steady my nerves and dove for the leather sack.
As I expected, dozens of crossbows sang out, but none found a home in my flesh. The satchel contained an Ovule and I sighed in relief.
“I am sorry, Fehalda. Please pass my apologies to your sister.”
“Just leave!” She was furious. Telaxthe must have left. The empress would never have believed me.
Now I just had to get the Radicle to reveal its secrets before Fehalda sent more warriors. I wasted no time dashing down the melted stairs and into the room carpeted in dead Elvens. I set the Ovule in its place on the dais and tried to focus my mind. The walls of the Radicle began to glow in the spider web pattern and I smiled under my helmet.
I rested my gauntlets on top of the sphere and wondered if I needed bare skin to use the device, or if the Ovule could send me to another Radicle on the same world.
I pulled Earth into myself instead of pushing the magic into the orb. The knowledge of the Radicles struck me like a memory that had always been in my mind. There were five on this world, and I knew where they were and where they led. My consciousness expanded outside of the gray-green walls of the Radicle where I stood. I saw the hundreds of Elven warriors who lay in wait to murder me, clad in deadly black and red armor.
Another Radicle in the distant Northlands was also heavily guarded by Elven soldiers. In the far east, past Losher, in the land Paug had called Astical, a Radicle was nestled high in the desert mountains, far beyond the reach of any human. There was no life for hundreds of miles in either direction.
The fourth was deep in the caverns under Nia’s castle. The leather pack holding the other Ovule was still waiting where I had left it many months ago when I had journeyed through the dark place with Greykin, Danor, and the other Nia soldiers.
Nadea’s Radicle was deep in the Teeth Mountains, concealed behind a dense forest that guarded a steep valley. The Radicle sat upon the edge of a large crystal clear pond of glacier water. It was a peaceful place, secluded and secret. I could understand why Beltor had been unable to find it again, but I could.
This was where my daughter had been sent.
All I needed now was her name.
And an Ovule to power the magic that could bring her to me.
Fortunately, both the knowledge and the Ovule were in Nia’s castle. If I could figure out how to get this Ovule to send me there instead of another world I would have a few weeks lead time on Telaxthe. Even if Nadea did not know the name of my daughter, I would have escaped the Elvens. I could work with Nadea and maybe we could decipher her dreams together.
I heard boot steps above me and gritted my teeth. “Send me to this Radicle.” I realized I did not need to speak the words aloud. I pictured the Radicle under Nia’s castle and felt a warm pulse beneath the armor in my hands.
I tied my mace to my armored belt and then lay on the nearest stone bed. I cradled my shield on my chest and then breathed another nervous sigh. There were six Radicles on this world. I had not found the one that sent me here.
The boot steps were closer now. At least a dozen.
Fuck. There was no time to think about a sixth Radicle. I needed to get through this one. I almost got up and prepared for battle, but my armor started to feel warm. The room spun and my vision changed from darkness to bright yellow light, as if I was staring directly into the sun, or the base of a fire, or the creation of life.
Then I traveled through the Radicle.
Chapter 42-Iolarathe
“Why didn’t you tell him her name?”
I opened my eyes against the pain, but it was gone. There was no heat, no flame, no angry, screaming O’Baarni.
There was nothing here but a small, strange human staring up at me.
And a thousand floating islands.
“What?” I gasped out. My breath tasted of smoke, but the world tasted of fertile earth, water, and wet tropical leaves.
“Why didn’t you tell him her name? You could have solved a lot of problems with one word.” He smirked and shrugged his thin shoulders. The human was old, mostly bald, with long, twisting wisps of white hair scattered across his liver-spotted head. The same white hair grew from his chin in ugly patches. His scent was surprisingly young and familiar.
“Where am I?”
“Where do you want to be?” He stopped smiling and I stared into his eyes. They were the same color as mine and the sight confused me even more.
“Am I dead?”
“Is that the last moment you remember?” He held a cane of bamboo.
“I was chained to a piece of metal and the O’Baarni burned me.” I looked at my hands and then down at the rest of my body. I wore the deer-leather clothes that Vaiarathe and I made a few years ago.
“Ahh yes! I am glad that you remember that. So now does my question make sense?” He nodded his head like an owl.
My eyes narrowed at the little human. I did not have a sword, but I felt strong enough to kill. This man did not look like one of the O’Baarni, but even if he was I could kill one of them without a weapon. “No.”
“Why didn’t you tell Kaiyer Vaiarathe’s name?”
I felt like he slapped ice water in my face.
“How do you know her name?” My jaw clenched.
“Maybe if you answer my question, I will answer yours.” He grinned. I felt my anger rise to an uncontrollable rage.
I stepped toward the man and drove my palm into his nose with enough force to snap a tree in half. He was surprisingly quick; I could hardly see him shift out of the way of my strike. This asshole must have been an O’Baarni.
My elbow jabbed toward him, but was met with empty air as the old man ducked. He crouched on the ground like a monkey and I spun my left leg around to take his head off with a shin kick. The spritely man dodged by jumping backward into a handspring that I would never have imagined someone so small could execute. He was definitely an O’Baarni.
I pivoted my back leg and thrust my front foot out toward the small human. It was a solid kick aimed at his chest and it should have connected with enough force to shatter his rib cage. It would not kill an O’Baarni, but I would at least have the satisfaction of hearing his body break around my strike.
He was gone. It was as if the man had vanished as soon as my foot approached him. I spun around and felt fear grip my stomach. He knew about my daughter. He knew her name. If he told his kin, they would hunt her down.
“We should try this again!” I heard a shout far above me. I looked up and fought against my amazement. Thousands of islands floated through the air, stretching infinitely into a blue sea of sky. Plump white clouds danced between the blots of brown islands. Some had water pouring from them, and the spray disintegrated into the blue sky with a rainbow spread of misty color.
It was exactly like the dreamscape I had once painted.
“What is this place?” I yelled my question to the man. He dangled from the side of a small island two hundred yards above me, his gray hair falling from the edge like the waterfalls.
“It is the place between death and
life. It is the place of dreams and birth.” He smiled and then stuck his tongue out in an incongruously childish move that reminded me of Vaiarathe. “Can I come down now and talk?”
“How do you know about my daughter?” I could not reach the man. Just as I spoke, a flock of large white birds flew between us and I wished I possessed their wings.
“I know many things about all sorts of people.” His head moved back behind the ledge of the island and he disappeared from my view. “But Vaiarathe is important.” His voice was behind me and I spun to face the man.
“How did you do that?”
“We can do anything here.” He bobbed his head. “Will you answer my earlier question? Why didn’t you tell Kaiyer his daughter’s name?”
“I didn’t want her to hear me.” I crossed my arms and sighed.
“Ahh. I see.” He frowned and nodded once. “It was a wise decision after all.”
“Who are you?” Another group of birds flew by and they let out a chorus of squawks.
“Who do you think I am?” He smiled again and his tongue lolled out like a dog.
“Someone who is fucking annoying, but I cannot seem to kill.” It was worth a try.
He laughed from his small round belly and fell on the ground. Then he rolled around like a dog and twisted with howls. I took a step toward him and contemplated attacking again while he was distracted, but then I stopped myself. The man seemed overjoyed by my comments and tears were actually streaming down his round cheeks.
“You always made me laugh.” He got up after a few moments and let out a long sigh. Then he giggled a few more times before he finally gained control over his amusement.
“As of late I’ve been called Entas. Sometimes I am taller and am called Warc.” He stepped toward me and held out his old, thin hand. I looked at it but kept my arms crossed over my chest. The second name sounded familiar, but I could not place it in my memory.
“Are you an O’Baarni?” I asked.
“No and yes. It is an old name. I did not like the humans that first used it, but Kaiyer and his friends were pleasant.”
“They killed my entire race,” I growled.
“You would not have liked the earlier O’Baarni either.” He winked at me and smiled.
“How do you know of my daughter? Why did you say that she was important?”
“I think of her as a kindred soul. Would you believe me if I told you that I want to ensure that she lives and meets her father?”
“Why would I believe this?” The wind changed and my stomach dropped. The strange human had a unique scent about him. He smelled of oil and smoke. It wasn’t as strong as Kaiyer’s scent, but it reminded me enough of my lover to surprise me.
It also reminded me of Vaiarathe.
“Who are you?” I growled at the man again. “Where am I? Am I dead?”
“Do you remember dying?” He raised a gray eyebrow.
“Yes,” I said and the finality of the words made my arms drop from my chest with exhaustion. I felt the flames burn me. I tried to use the World to heal, but I could not escape their desire. The pain was too great.
I had screamed for Kaiyer.
“Then maybe you are dead.” He shrugged his shoulders and the movement oddly did remind me of Kaiyer.
“Are you dead?” I asked the strange man.
“I’ve died many times!” He laughed again. “I hope this is the last time, but I haven’t given up on living yet.”
“You are strange. I don’t understand half of what you say.”
“I don’t mean to confuse you.” He bobbed his head again.
“You said this was the place between death and life?” I asked.
“Or your dream?” Entas raised an eyebrow.
“But I am dead? This is the afterlife? Am I not supposed to join the Dead Gods in their slumber?”
“That is a silly notion.” He leaned on his cane and appeared to think about what I had just asked. He did not speak for a few moments.
“Why is it silly?” I felt no further anger toward the human. I felt tired and terribly alone. I missed Vaiarathe. I had missed her every minute we had been apart and now that I was in this strange place, I knew I would never see her again. Never hold her again. Never tell her that I loved her again.
That truth was devastating.
“Because this is not the place for sleeping.” He scrunched his face up to make his lips bigger and the strange man looked even more like a monkey. “The Dead Gods are not sleeping. Nor are they dead.”
“How do you know the business of the Dead Gods?” I was thinking about Vaiarathe and this man’s ridiculous answers were bringing back my anger. The emotion was more comforting than my despair.
“How do you not know their business?” He laughed again and it was a burst of glee. The man danced around his cane like it was his partner. He continued this way for half a minute before he realized that I was watching him. Then he stopped and stuck his tongue out at me again.
“I thought that was a funny reply, but you obviously don’t agree,” he said at last.
“You aren’t giving me the answers to any of my questions.” I choked back the scream and tried to focus on something other than the strange man until my anger cooled. I noticed that there was a brightly colored object in the distance. When I focused on the red, orange, and teal of it I saw that it was a floating sea vessel with sails that resembled fish fins. In fact, the entire ship looked like a fish swimming away from me. There were Elvens and humans on the deck, but they didn’t seem to notice the two of us standing so many miles away.
“You should ask better questions.” He noticed me looking at the ship and he turned his head slightly. “If you are interested in sleeping, then that is the route to travel. Or you can stay here with me.”
“Are they dead?”
“More dead than us.” His smile faded and he bobbed his head like an owl again.
I finally got a hold of my anger and pondered my next question for Entas. The man was not trying to attack me, but he had some strange agenda that prevented him from being direct.
“Can you help me?” I asked.
“That depends.” His smile grew bigger. “What do you need help with?”
“Earlier you said that my daughter was important.” I paused to gauge the man’s reaction. His scent still bothered me, but I did not want to speak to him about it yet.
“I did.” His smile was gone now.
“What did you mean?”
He hesitated for a few moments and then pursed his weirdly-shaped lips.
“She is a creation of you and Kaiyer. Is that not a good enough reason?” He smiled again and seemed delighted by his own response. It was not a good enough reason, but I had already learned enough of the man to know that he would only say something cryptic or ridiculous if I pressed for clarification.
Exhaustion hit me suddenly, but it was only in my mind. This man was exasperating, but he was the only one here. He was my only hope for answers.
Even if he was not giving them to me at the moment.
“Will you help me save her?”
“Of course.” His smile grew larger. “It will not be easy though. Even now, your enemies plan to kill Kaiyer before he can obtain an Ovule.”
“I am used to challenges.”
“No. You are used to slight inconveniences. If you really want your daughter to live, the path will be the most difficult you have ever traveled, and we may not be successful. If you also want to save Kaiyer, that will make it even more challenging.” He bobbed his head and the smile grew larger. “But it is not impossible.”
“I am willing to do whatever it takes.”
“Even if it means she will never see you again?”
My chest fluttered and my breath caught.
“Well, nothing is impossible. You can do anything you want.”
“You said earlier I could stay here with you. Is there a way we can save my daughter from here, or do I need to return to my world?”
“Our creations?” He was confusing me again and I felt my anger rising.
“Oh. That was a slip of the tongue, my dear. Perhaps it is better to talk of what is happening than what could be.”
“Can you just fucking make sense for five minutes?” I yelled.
“Kaiyer is looking for the Ovule. Your executioners know of his intentions. They will attack him.”
“But I can’t do anything about that while I am here with you!” My lover was known to be invincible in combat, but I doubted even he could stand against all of his ex-generals.
“There is little we can do. But even a little is better than nothing. Enough drops of rain can carve through the hardest of stone in time.” He held his hand out to me. “Do you wish to see what transpires next? It might be hard to watch, but perhaps it will inspire your actions.”
“Fine.” I took a step toward the monkey man and grasped his left hand with mine.
Then we were burning.
But I felt no pain.
It was not my body that was burning. It was the bones and flesh of the city that had been Shlara’s Rest. A strange green and purple liquid flame coated everything. The heat did not reach me. I had to squint my eyes to see more than twenty feet in any direction. The air smelled of fire and ash.
“How did we get here? What has happened to this place?” I heard thousands of screams filling the city as humans tried to flee the flames or perish in them.
Entas pointed across the cobblestone street to a massive structure being consumed by flames.
“That is Malek’s estate.” As I said the words, I saw a horrible armored figure sprint down the street. The fire danced off the screaming demon skulls of his armor. The asymmetrical helmet hardly swayed as the figure ran with impeccable form. There was a wall around Malek’s home, and while it was mostly there for decoration, it still stood twenty feet high. The armored terror did not even slow its gait and leapt over the painted barricade with fluid ease.
The Destroyer Book 4 Page 53
