Fireweaver

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "I take it you don't like them very much?"

  "Not particularly," Kae said.

  "Then I think I can trust you," Bradin said. "I didn't like them either." He stroked his clean-shaven chin. "But I'd still like a bit more information first."

  Rella was growing tired of this dance. She thought she'd judged Bradin's character correctly, but if she hadn't, she was about to doom them all. "If you must know," she said, "we're trying to stop what Atarin and these others are planning. They want to free Halarik from the Realm of Shade. We already stopped them once. We can't let them succeed this time either."

  "I think you're telling the truth," Bradin said. "Or at least what you believe to be the truth." He stopped at the beginning of a long shelf, then spoke softly, as if speaking to himself. "I think you're the people Kara told me to find. I think I can trust you."

  "Who is Kara?" Rella asked.

  "She is our leader, of course."

  "Leader?" Rella asked.

  "Of the Monks of Duran."

  It took Rella a moment to understand what he'd said. "Then you're saying you're one of the Monks of Duran?"

  "Yes, and I can take you to them."

  * * * * *

  Karik had always loved libraries, and that was why he'd stayed behind after Atarin and Vanara had left. It was refreshing to be in a quiet place where he could be alone with his thoughts, and with the words on the pages.

  He'd been looking for more information on the Monks of Duran, but his efforts had proven futile, so instead he'd found books on various other subjects. He perused a few pages of each, enjoying the feeling of losing himself in the histories within.

  But a nearby conversation distracted him from his peaceful endeavor. At first, he tried to ignore the conversation, but then he heard two familiar voices.

  Talin and Rella.

  So they had found a way to the Sardek Empire. Karik put down the book he'd been reading and tiptoed across the stone floor, moving closer to the conversation. At last, he stood directly on the other side of a shelf.

  "Then you're saying you're one of the Monks of Duran?" Rella asked.

  "Yes, and I can take you to them," said the young man who'd refused to help Atarin.

  Karik froze, wondering what he should do. On the one hand, Atarin needed to know this information. On the other, Karik might never have another chance to discover the whereabouts of the monks. All he had to do was follow Rella and the others.

  But how could he do that without being seen?

  "Where are they?" Rella asked.

  "Beneath this very library."

  Karik couldn't believe what he'd just heard. This young man had offered to lead Atarin straight to the Monks of Duran, and Atarin had been too proud to accept that help. Atarin would want to hear what Karik had discovered.

  Karik was about to leave, but then he decided he should get some idea of where these monks were beneath the library. He listened to the footsteps of Rella's party as they made their way down one of the aisles. Karik followed on a parallel path, sticking close to the shelf.

  When Rella's party reached the end of the shelf, they turned to the right, directly toward the aisle in which Karik was hiding. He spotted a place where a stone pillar stuck out from the shelf, providing him with a place to hide. He slipped behind the pillar and waited for the footsteps to pass by.

  Once they were a safe distance away, he moved out from behind the pillar. Rella's party was heading farther back into the library. Karik could just make out their forms. He wanted to get a little closer, but he couldn't arouse suspicion.

  They reached the end of another aisle and turned right again. Karik followed, feeling tense and anxious. He didn't want to know what would happen if they spotted him.

  So he kept a safe distance. Once they were into the next aisle, Karik started down the aisle they'd just exited. At the end of that aisle, he glanced to the left to see them standing before a large stone door. The young scholar placed a hand against the door and sent a pulse of magic at it. A few moments later, the door rumbled open. The young man gestured for Rella and the others to step through. They did so, and then the young man closed the door quickly.

  At least Karik knew where to go. He had to report back to Atarin.

  * * * * *

  Rella followed Bradin and the others through a dark corridor illuminated by only a few Sunlamps. Bradin made so many turns that Rella quickly became lost. If she had to find her way out of this place, she'd be wandering forever.

  They traveled deeper and deeper beneath the library. At last, Bradin stopped before another door, which he opened with a second pulse of magic. On the other side, a few people were milling about, wearing the same black scholar's robes as Bradin. A few of them cast curious glances at the party, but no one said anything. Rella's chest felt tight as she stepped across the room. She had no idea what they were going to discover here.

  At the far end of the room, a man stood guard in beside another stone door. He also wore the same robes, but he'd strapped a sword to them.

  "Brother Bradin, who are these people?" he asked.

  "I believe Kara will wish to speak with them."

  "She isn't busy right now," said the guard. "I suppose I can let you in." He opened the door and gestured for them to step through. Bradin entered the room first, followed by Kae, Talin, and finally Rella. Her heart was pounding as she crossed the threshold.

  Inside the room, a middle-aged blond woman sat behind a stone desk. She looked up as the party entered. "Bradin, who are these people?"

  "They are seeking information about the Lost Weaves," Bradin said. "They want to stop Atarin from freeing Halarik, or at least that's what they think they want."

  Rella gave Bradin a curious look, but he avoided her gaze. She had no idea what he meant by that final comment.

  "Please sit down," the woman said. "I am Kara, leader of the Monks of Duran. Bradin, you may go. I wish to speak with them alone."

  "Of course," Bradin said. He turned and exited the room while Rella, Kae, and Talin all took seats in chairs across the desk from Kara. Rella squirmed in her seat. She didn't know what to expect, and she felt nervous around this Kara, whoever she was.

  "I imagine you have a lot of questions," Kara said. She had a strange accent. Her speech almost sounded perfect, as if she hadn't learned the language the normal way. "First of all, you're probably wondering who I am." She paused a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. "In some sense, you might say I'm a goddess. I am over five hundred years old by your calendar."

  Rella didn't know what to make of that. Kara looked perhaps forty years old.

  "I am not from your world," Kara continued. "I was born somewhere else, and through a series of very strange events, I ended up here with the powers of a god. I won't bore you with the details because they aren't relevant to anything we're doing today. I've put that part of my life behind me, and I've focused my attention on my mission here."

  "What kind of mission?" Talin asked.

  "You are aware of the purpose of the Monks of Duran?"

  "You protect the Lost Weaves," Talin said.

  "Yes, but there is much more than that. We protect some of the world's deepest secrets. Secrets that could throw everything into chaos. The Lost Weaves are just one of those secrets."

  "Do we get to learn these secrets?" Rella asked.

  Kara leaned on her desk with a thoughtful frown. "I will share what I feel I can."

  A tense silence followed these words. Rella didn't know what to think of Kara. She claimed to be a goddess of sorts, and yet she seemed like a normal woman.

  "I will start with this. There are four gods in the world, not including me. I came from a different world, so I don't think I qualify as a god of this world."

  "Four gods?" Rella asked. "But there are only two gods."

  "That's the myth the Church of Aralea would have you believe," Kara said. "But everything they've ever told you about the gods is a lie—well, not quite everything." She
paused, probably gathering her thoughts. "As I said, there are four gods. Aralea and Halarik you already know. But there are two others: Vardin and Cardell. They are the truly powerful gods. Aralea and Halarik are only a Sunweaver and a Fireweaver, respectively. Vardin and Cardell are both."

  "Both?" Talin said. "That's not possible."

  "Of course it's possible," Kara said. "Most of the monks here are both Sunweavers and Fireweavers. There is a place in the Realm of Shade. It is known as the Source, and it allows anyone to be made into a Sunweaver, Fireweaver, or both."

  "And what are you?" Talin asked.

  "Originally, I was a Sunweaver. Now I am both. It is necessary for anyone who spends a lot of time in the Realm of Shade. Down there, there is no sun. A Sunweaver will go through their reserves quickly and have no way to recover."

  "Can you tell us more about the gods?" Rella asked. To her surprise, she was interested on an intellectual level. These were secrets few people had the chance to learn. She was also curious to discover just how wrong she'd been all her life.

  "I'll try to explain the best I can," Kara said. "Some of what you know is true, but there is a great deal you do not know about the history of this world—of all the worlds, really."

  Talin frowned. "All the worlds?"

  "As I told you, I come from another world. There are many, many worlds out there. I don't know how many. But they are all connected through the Realm of Shade. There is a place within this realm. It is called the Nexus. By going through the Nexus, you can be transported to another world, but this is a random gateway. You have no idea where you'll come out. That's how I first discovered your world. I went through the Nexus, and I've come up with the theory that my natural Sunweaving talents drew me to this world."

  "You came from another world," Rella said, "but you were naturally a Sunweaver. That makes no sense. That goes against everything we've ever been taught. Halarik made Fireweavers, and Aralea made Sunweavers. Are you telling me that none of this is true?"

  "I am," Kara said. She hesitated a moment, a distant look in her eyes. "There was a first world, a place that we all came from. In this world, we developed the ability to make people into gods, or at least what you might call gods. In truth, I think we're just really powerful magic users. We did not have divine origins. For my first eighteen years of life, I was a normal person. I had no magic, and certainly no divinity."

  Rella tried to sort through this explanation, but it was proving difficult. Perhaps she should simply pay attention and figure out what she believed later.

  "But then I was made into a god, or perhaps the term 'immortal' would be more accurate. There was a great war on my world, and at the end of the war, I helped us achieve victory, but in the process, I stranded myself here. Since then, I've been working to make this world a better place. It hasn't been easy, though."

  Rella leaned forward in her stone chair. "You still haven't told us about the gods."

  "You obviously know about Halarik and Aralea," Kara said. "You would call them the Sun God and the Fire God, but that's not accurate. In truth, they have little to do with the sun or the planet's core. They're just a very powerful Sunweaver and Fireweaver, respectively. That's how these kinds of things work. Those who were made into gods back on the first world are going to be much more powerful than those who developed these abilities naturally from living on a planet that grants each type of magic. At least that's what I've determined. I could be wrong. I know little about the universe at large. Most of what I know is more conjecture than anything.

  "But I do know quite a bit about the gods of this world. Vardin and Cardell are the most powerful by far, because they're both Sunweavers and Fireweavers. I wish I were as powerful, but I've had a lot less time to develop my abilities, and perhaps I wasn't as strong in the first place. Halarik and Aralea are still powerful, but nowhere near Vardin and Cardell in terms of strength. That's a problem for us because Vardin and Cardell are not perhaps the kindest of gods."

  Rella was still struggling to take in all this new information. "What do you mean?"

  Kara sat silently for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. "You know the official history. According to the Church, there was a war between Aralea and Halarik, and at the end of this war, Halarik weakened the sun, and then Aralea imprisoned him in the Realm of Shade. But this could not have happened. Halarik couldn't have weakened the sun because doing so requires one of the Lost Weaves. Only someone who is both Sunweaver and Fireweaver can perform the Lost Weaves. Now, there was a war between Sunweavers and Fireweavers. That much is true. But this war was more a result of manipulation by Vardin and Cardell."

  The room fell silent. Rella glanced over at Kae and Talin. They had distant looks on their faces, as though they were sorting through their thoughts too.

  "What did happen?" Rella asked.

  "Halarik did not weaken the sun," Kara said. "Cardell did."

  Rella was surprised to find she believed this story. "Then I'm guessing Aralea imprisoned Cardell, not Halarik."

  Kara nodded.

  "That means that it was Cardell who almost came back in Atarin's palace." Rella's mind was spinning, trying to keep up with all the revelations. "Does that mean Halarik is out there somewhere? Does that mean I no longer have to feel ashamed of what I am?"

  "Halarik is out there," Kara said, "but I don't know where. Ever since the war, he has remained out of sight. I've tried to find him, but all my efforts have been in vain." She met Rella's gaze. "And you should never feel ashamed of what you are. You were born a Fireweaver, and there is nothing wrong with that."

  Talin cleared his throat. "I still don't understand. Why would Cardell weaken the sun, and why wouldn't Vardin restore the sun? For that matter, why can't you?"

  "I've tried," Kara said, "but I am not all that powerful. Perhaps I can do the same work as a Sunlord, but the weave to restore the sun has eluded me all these years." She brushed a hand through her blond hair. "As for Cardell's motivation, he was driven by his rivalry with Aralea and Halarik—well, that and his own insanity. Back in those days, the world's religions formed: one supporting Aralea and the other supporting Halarik. As a more powerful god, Cardell believed the people should worship him, and Vardin as well. But Cardell took this to an extreme. He believed he could gain worship by becoming even more powerful, so he went to the Source and tried to make himself into something even greater. In the process, something went wrong, and the power of the Source made him insane."

  Rella couldn't help but notice that Kara hadn't quite met anyone's gazes during parts of this explanation, as if it wasn't the complete truth.

  "As for Vardin," Kara said, "he is sane, at least as far as I know. But he shares some of Cardell's views. After all, he and Cardell are brothers. Deep down, I think there's still some good in him, but his views have been warped by the same kind of jealousy. He also believes he can save his brother, take away his insanity. I have no idea if this is possible, but Vardin believes it is, and he has grown angrier and angrier over the years because of his brother's imprisonment."

  This was a lot to take in, but it did make sense. If only Rella didn't suspect Kara was concealing some parts of the truth.

  "What about Aralea?" Rella asked. "Where is she?"

  "She is Vardin's prisoner."

  "And restoring the sun?" Rella asked. "Do you think it's even possible?"

  "I'm not sure. If it is, I think it has to be done by Cardell himself. If it could be done another way, I think Vardin would have done it. He is jealous, yes, but he wouldn't put the people through all this suffering. Deep down, he still cares about the people."

  "Then maybe we should free Cardell," Talin said.

  Kara shook her head. "It's too much of a risk."

  "What about the Plague of the Turned?" Talin asked. "Is there a way to stop that?"

  Kara shook her head again. "Cardell started it. Only he can stop it."

  "Then I guess we'll have to pay him a visit," Talin said.

 
Chapter 31: An Unexpected Meeting

  Deril stood on the rocky streets of a small settlement. Even here, the mist wrapped around him as if it sought to strangle him. The man with the wagon had left them here. He had business to attend to, and he'd done all he could for them.

  Deril's mind was still spinning with some of the things the man had revealed to them. He'd told them of a place known as the Source, where anyone could gain the powers of a Sunweaver or Fireweaver. This went against everything Deril had ever been taught.

  Everything the church had always lied about.

  "I don't like this place," Kadin said. "It makes me nervous."

  Deril's father nodded. "We need to be careful. Unless we can find this Source, we have to conserve our Sunweaving."

  Deril hated to think he might lose all his reserves down here. Whenever he'd expended all his reserves back home, he'd always known that he could replenish them by standing in the sun. At worst, he'd have to wait until the next morning.

  Here, there was no sun, and there never would be. Deril had always thought living in a world with a dying sun was depressing, but he'd gladly stand beneath that sun again.

  The settlement they'd entered featured about a dozen small stone buildings. One looked like an inn of sorts. Another might have been a shop. At least all the signs were written in Tarilethi. Deril had been worried that this place would be alien to him. In many ways, it was, but from what he'd seen, the people were the same. They struggled to get by.

  The party of four stepped into the inn, where Deril hoped they'd find some answers. The merchant hadn't known much. He preferred not to focus on the deeper questions of the world. Deril had no idea how anyone could live like that. The world's strangest mysteries had always interested Deril. In fact, that was the one thing he and Karik had in common.

  Strangely, Deril missed Karik. Though Deril should have hated his brother, he also wanted to see him again. Whatever Karik had done, he was still Deril's brother, and he was still a good man, deep down.

  But those were concerns for another time. There was no telling if Deril would ever see his brother again. Right now, he had his father, Kadin, and Tyrine. They were all that mattered.