Fireweaver

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "Well, that's great news," Karik said, though he had no idea how that might have happened. That contradicted everything he'd ever learned about Sunweaving and Fireweaving, and he'd learned a lot during his time at the Temple of Aralea.

  "Perhaps not so great," Atarin said. "At the same time, they have lost their minds. They go around attacking everybody. I've never heard of anything like it."

  "Do you think it was Halarik's doing?"

  "I don't know. That seems like a logical answer." Atarin paused a moment. "So far, it seems like only the southern cities are affected, but I've received reports that it is slowly spreading north. If all goes well, that should keep the Sun Guard sufficiently distracted."

  Karik chuckled. "Well, as long as these rogue Fireweavers don't kill us."

  "Where's your faith, Karik?"

  "It's still there, but it has seen a lot of tests lately."

  Atarin nodded. "I won't argue with that. Have a good night."

  He strode out of the room, leaving Karik alone with his thoughts. More and more, Karik found his thoughts turning to Rella and, even more strangely, to Deril. Karik and Deril had never been close, but Karik did feel as if he'd betrayed Deril.

  After all, Deril hadn't known that Karik was a Fireweaver, hadn't understood why Karik felt the need to keep distance between them.

  Still, Deril was a Sunweaver, and Sunweavers were the oppressors. Maybe some of them had good intentions, but that didn't change the fact that they never stopped their people from persecuting Fireweavers. They couldn't avoid blame by staying uninvolved.

  Whatever happened, Karik had to free Halarik.

  * * * * *

  Deril stood at the edge of the trees lining the hill where they'd made camp, staring down toward the city. Karik was somewhere in that city. What was he doing right now? How did he truly feel about Deril? And why had he helped free Rella?

  Deril's father put a hand on his shoulder. "We should get moving."

  "I know. They're sure to send the Fire Guard after us."

  Deril and his father returned to the campsite, where a small fire was burning. The rest of the party was in a grave mood. Rella hadn't spoken much since returning. Kae had become reclusive, sitting apart from the rest of the group. Deril couldn't blame her. She'd lost her husband, and now she might lose her sister as well.

  Talin and Davin sat together, speaking in low voices, while Kadin, Faina, and Rella sat on the other side of the fire, laughing at some comment Deril hadn't heard.

  Deril wished he could laugh right now. Even though he'd succeeded in his mission, he still felt as if there was more to accomplish, more he could lose in the process. The world they were returning to would not be kind to Rella, Kae, Davin, and Faina. Deril knew better now, but that wouldn't change the rest of society.

  It was strange to think that everything could change and yet remain the same.

  Deril and his father joined the rest of the party around the fire. As they sat down, Talin turned to them. "Davin has some useful information for us."

  Davin cleared his throat. "When I was being taken in, I heard them discussing something about going to the Sardek Empire. It was related to another plan to free Halarik. I'm not sure about the details, but it sounded like they expect it to work."

  Deril stifled a groan. "That's not what I wanted to hear."

  All this time, he'd thought he would return to Tarileth and try to enact political reform. No doubt that was a difficult task, but at least he'd be home. He didn't want to think about crossing the ocean and chasing after Atarin once again.

  Deril was exhausted.

  Snow crunched behind them, announcing Kae's approach. Settling down beside Deril, she said, "Then we'll have to follow them to the Sardek Empire."

  "That might not be so easy," said Deril's father. "The Sardek Empire may not consider Fireweaving illegal, but they have strict rules in place. Fireweavers are not allowed to enter the empire. They're afraid that too many Fireweavers will upset their balance of power."

  "But Atarin must think he can get there," Rella said. Deril noted that she never referred to Atarin as her uncle, and he couldn't blame her.

  "I can get us there," Talin said.

  Deril leaned closer to the fire. "I'm still not sure I'm going. I know I should, but I don't think I can handle another mission like that right now. I have Kadin to help guide. I may not be a Sunlord myself, but I know all the theory." He turned to Kadin. "You have great potential, Kadin, but I can tell that you're nowhere near the Sunlord our father is. Not yet at least."

  "I know," Kadin said. "I feel like I'm barely doing anything."

  "I'm not going anywhere without Kadin," Faina said.

  "You do know you won't be able to stay at the temple?" Deril said. "You're a Fireweaver. You'll be lucky if the Sun Guard doesn't have you executed."

  "Then what am I supposed to do?"

  Deril hadn't considered that. He appreciated what Faina had done for them, but he hadn't grown all that close to her. Nor did he like the relationship between Kadin and Faina. Perhaps it was cruel, but Deril believed that Kadin needed to marry and have children with a powerful Sunweaver. The world needed more Sunlords.

  "The Brotherhood of Fire," Davin said. "We need capable people."

  Faina didn't meet his gaze. "I suppose that's a solution."

  "I think I'd like to go to the Sardek Empire," Rella said. "I have no place back home, no place here in the Frozen Lands. Maybe I'll find a chance to start a new life." She turned to Kae. "That and I want to get Andra back. I want to stop whatever Atarin has planned."

  Talin nodded. "I think we can all agree on that much."

  No one asked Kae if she intended to go to the Sardek Empire, but the answer was obvious. Deril could see it in the fierce set of her jaw, the determination behind her gaze.

  "We should start traveling now," said Deril's father. "We haven't seen any signs of pursuit, but we shouldn't linger here."

  "I agree," Talin said. "I know we could use the rest."

  Deril chuckled. "I don't think we'll find much rest in the near future."

  They set out immediately, leaving the city behind. Due to the possibility of pursuit, they stayed off the main roads, making their journey more difficult. At times, the terrain was so uneven they had to rest. For the most part, though, everyone kept their complaints to a minimum.

  Whenever they neared a town, they made a detour to obtain supplies. All these brief missions passed without issues. They remained alert for any signs of Atarin and the other Firelords, but none of them made an appearance.

  Deril still wasn't sure why Atarin hadn't sent more Fire Guards to pursue them. Didn't they endanger Atarin's new mission? Didn't Atarin want revenge for Faina killing some of his Fire Guards? This didn't feel right. What was Deril missing?

  Each day was torture. Step after step, they made their way through the bitter cold. On a few occasions, they spotted Fire Guards and had to delve deeper into the evergreen forests lining the road. Still, it didn't seem like anyone was looking for them. It felt much like the journey from Tarileth to Atarin's palace—boring and endless.

  At last, they reached Rindel, where they returned to the Brotherhood's headquarters. Some of the Fireweavers there had fond greetings for Kae. When they asked her about Andra and Tharik, she couldn't meet their gazes. Talin had to explain what had happened.

  The Brotherhood also welcomed Talin's return. After all, he'd been part of the same bandit clan as Kae.

  They remained silent about the specifics of their mission. Yes, the Brotherhood generally opposed Halarik's Chosen, but Deril's party couldn't take any risks.

  After the greetings, they all filtered into Aram's office. He sat down behind his cluttered stone desk, then motioned for the rest of the group to take places throughout the room. Kae and Rella sat down, but there were only two chairs, so the rest of them stood.

  Once the door was closed, Aram said, "Are you headed back to Tarileth?"

  "Yes," Deril
said, leaning against a stone wall. "There's nothing for me here in the Frozen Lands. My life's back home. I have a new Sunlord to train."

  "Well, I have some grave news for you." Aram leaned on his desk. "A strange plague has taken hold in Tarileth. Near the Snow Knife Mountains, the Lightless are suddenly turning into Fireweavers. They also appear to have no control over their actions. We are calling them the Turned."

  "That sounds completely unbelievable," Deril said, but he had the feeling it was true. Perhaps their mission had changed more than he'd thought. Could Halarik have somehow had this effect on the Lightless of Tarileth?

  "I didn't believe it at first, either," Aram said.

  Deril glanced at his father. "Have you ever heard of anything like this?"

  "No, I have not." He ran a hand through his graying beard. "It is deeply troubling."

  "Do you think Halarik caused this?"

  Deril's father nodded. "It's the most logical answer. But we can't make assumptions without seeing what's happened for ourselves."

  Aram's expression was grave. "I was hoping you wouldn't want to see for yourselves. I know this is a harsh place, but the Brotherhood would be willing to accept you. From what I've heard, these new Fireweavers are very dangerous."

  "We'll take that risk," Deril said. He didn't have to ask for the others' opinions. He already knew they'd agree with him. They were determined to leave the Frozen Lands, determined to see the world change. None of that would happen if they stayed here.

  "I understand," Aram said.

  "What do you know about the Sardek Empire?" Rella asked. "Atarin is going there. For some reason, he thinks he can find another path to freeing Halarik. Do you have any idea what he might be seeking over there?"

  Aram sighed deeply. "I know very little of the Sardek Empire, only that they do not let Fireweavers set foot on their land." He shook his head. "Though I'm sure Atarin will find a way. That man has the kind of contacts that can get you almost anything."

  Deril turned to Talin. "You said you could get us there."

  "I have a few contacts of my own. Not the kind that Atarin has. I can get us on a ship. I can't promise it will be a comfortable or safe trip, but it's a chance."

  Deril still didn't like the sound of this journey to the Sardek Empire. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he had a role to play at home. He didn't have to be the hero this time. There were plenty of people willing to take up that duty.

  He had to help train Kadin, had to watch over him. Though Kadin had grown, Deril could still see anger bubbling beneath his brother's calm exterior. How long would it take for Kadin to recover from the wrongs he'd done? Could Deril ever understand what tormented Kadin?

  There was little else to discuss. Aram and the Brotherhood provided them with their first true meal in a long time. They rested for a night, then went on their way.

  Kae led them through the Snow Knife Mountains, taking a path that would keep them away from snow giant territory. They encountered no obstacles other than the cold and the terrain, and soon they stood on the northern side of the Snow Knife Mountains.

  Deril was back home, but was it the same home he had left?

  Chapter 9: The Turned

  Kadin stood in a valley beyond the Snow Knife Mountains, trying to perform the Sunlord's weave. His weave was intermittent at best. Just when he thought he could do it without difficulty, his powers would elude him.

  "You need to concentrate," said the Sunlord. It was still hard to think of the Sunlord as his father. The only man who'd ever carried that title was now dead. Sunlord Zaren was a much kinder man, and Kadin didn't feel he deserved a father like that.

  "I'm trying to concentrate," Kadin said. "You do it so easily. It isn't like that for me."

  Deril was leaning against a tree a few feet away. "It's probably my fault. I rushed his development. Most of the time, I had no idea what I was doing."

  Kadin glared at him. "That's not very helpful."

  "You did it before," Deril said, "when we needed it most."

  Kadin avoided his gaze. "Even then, I don't think I did it very strongly. It was just enough to become a true Sunlord. I can still do the weave, but I can tell I'm barely accomplishing anything." He clenched his fists. "I thought life was supposed to be easier now."

  The Sunlord chuckled. "Life as a Sunlord is rarely easy."

  Kadin closed his eyes, focusing on weaving the colors within him. Three. Four. Five. Six. He felt the power of the Sunlord's weave as it vibrated through him, but his powers were a mere trickle compared to his father's.

  "I can't do this," Kadin said, letting the weave collapse.

  Deril's expression became stern. "That's why you can't do it. It's like I said before. If you don't believe in yourself, you'll never perform the Sunlord's weave with any consistency."

  Kadin took a few steps away from everyone, feeling on the verge of tears. It wasn't fair. Life had never stopped being cruel to him. First his father. Then Andric. Now the Church of Aralea, with its ridiculous laws against Fireweaving, would take Faina from him. What was the point of living if all he experienced was misery?

  "The world doesn't need me," he said. "It has its Sunlord back."

  Deril put his hands on Kadin's shoulders from behind. "Yes, it does need you. Remember. If you die, they can bring Halarik back by kidnapping our father again. Even more importantly, he can't continue fueling the sun on his own. Sunlords who overextend themselves will die an early death, and our father's been overextending himself for years."

  "But I'm not helping," Kadin said, fighting back the urge to hit Deril. It was nice to have a brother who cared about him, but did Deril always have to be right about everything?

  Deril stepped away from Kadin. "You can help, if you believe in yourself."

  Kadin didn't feel like arguing. "All right, I'll keep trying."

  * * * * *

  Karik stood around a campfire in the sparse forest north of the Snow Knife Mountains, looking toward another fire in the distance. Did that fire belong to Deril's party? Karik felt the strangest urge to go over there and investigate.

  But that would be foolish. Karik was a Fireweaver. He had kidnapped their father. Deril would not accept him back with open arms. Surely Deril would try to kill him.

  Then again, Rella would be there as well. Perhaps she would step in and help him.

  No. Why was he even thinking about seeing them? He had his own mission. He believed in Atarin, believed in freeing Halarik. There were risks, yes, but he had to take those risks. He couldn't let any trace of affection for Deril and Rella stop him.

  Firelord Narine put a hand on Karik's shoulder. Her touch felt warm and comforting. He wished he could have shared something like that with Rella, wished she had made a different decision, but there was no point wishing. It couldn't change the past.

  "You look troubled," Narine said. "Anything I can help with?"

  "I'm just thinking about what might have been."

  "You aren't talking about Halarik, are you?"

  Karik chuckled without humor. "Am I truly that transparent?"

  "I saw the way you looked at Atarin's niece. I bet you were relieved when she somehow escaped." She smiled at him, and there was an accusation in that smile. Did everyone suspect that he'd played a role in her escape?

  "Yes, a part of me was." He took a few steps through the snow. "I didn't want to see her die. Is that such a horrible thing? Or have we become so focused on our goal that it's all right to kill anyone who stands in our way?"

  Karik thought back to the first two men he'd ever killed. Two Sun Guards. They'd been guarding the Sun Chamber while his father did the Sunlord's weave. At that time, Karik was so lost in his hate that he didn't even consider their lives. They were merely obstacles.

  But those were men he'd grown up with, men he'd laughed with, joked with. And he had killed them without a thought.

  They would have killed me if they'd known what I was, he told himself, but his reasoning
felt hollow. After all, his mother had lived her entire life without being discovered. He could have done the same. He could have accepted that society was brutal toward his kind.

  No. He couldn't have. He was better than that.

  But sometimes he wished he didn't have to sacrifice so much for a better world.

  "I'm not the person you should talk to," Narine said, after a lengthy silence. "No matter what happens, no matter what we have to sacrifice, I will always believe in the cause." She narrowed her eyes. "I'm not sure you will."

  She walked away, giving him one last disdainful look. How had she turned against him so quickly? Was she that intent on freeing Halarik? Once, Karik had felt that way, and he still tried to convince himself that he did, but it was growing more difficult with every passing day.

  He sought out Firelord Meran at the edge of their campsite. Meran had always seemed more conflicted than the other Firelords. Maybe he would have something to say that would help Karik sort through his troubled thoughts.

  "You look like you want to talk about something," Meran said.

  "Do you think I helped Rella escape?"

  "Well, I didn't do it, so you were the obvious choice."

  "And it doesn't bother you that I did it?" Karik asked.

  Meran shrugged. "She didn't deserve to die."

  "I wish Narine felt the same way." In truth, Karik feared he had lost a long-time friend. It was strange to think that Atarin had been more accepting of Karik's decision.

  A part of Karik still wondered how Atarin truly felt about him.

  "She'll forgive you," Meran said. "In time." He stroked his few days' growth of beard, as if deep in thought. "I'm not sure that she's upset about you freeing Rella because of what that might mean for Atarin's plan. No, I think she's upset because you care about Rella."

  Karik almost felt like laughing. "She's jealous?"

  "Maybe you haven't seen it, but she has feelings for you. It's perfectly understandable that she would be jealous. How could you love a traitor over her?"

  "Well, when you put it that way, it's hard to disagree." Karik began pacing. "But I've never felt anything more than friendship toward Narine. She has to know that."