by Clayton Wood
“That's more like it,” she replied. “I'll show it to you.” She showed Kyle the pattern a half-dozen times; it was far simpler than he'd expected. Within ten minutes or so, he'd mastered it.
“Now,” Lee stated when they'd finished. “...continue with the exercise. If fire then gravity shield.”
He lowered his forehead to the cube, closing his eyes and weaving the sensory pattern. He used it to create the fire rune, then stopped. He switched to the inscribing pattern, then drew the gravity shield pattern beside the fire pattern. Then he connected them with a thin line. When he was done, he let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He glanced up at Lee then, who was leaning back in her chair, her eyes closed and her mouth open. She looked disturbingly dead.
He frowned at her, then realized she wasn't breathing.
“Master Lee!” he exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. Lee's eyes burst open, and she cackled shrilly.
“Thought I was dead, didn't you?” she asked between guffaws. “Got you!” Kyle glared at her, sliding the cube across the table toward her.
“I finished,” he grumbled.
“Took you long enough,” she opined. She snatched the cube up, staring at it intently. Then she frowned, glancing up at him. “Not bad,” she admitted. Then she set the cube on the center of the tabletop, leaning back in her chair. “Now we test it. Weave the fire pattern.”
Kyle complied, weaving the fire pattern in his mind's eye, then throwing it out in the air in front of him. A small blue sphere instantly appeared around the cube, and it jumped up from the tabletop, flying a few feet into the air. Then it fell, bouncing a few times before hovering a few inches above the table.
“Whoa,” Kyle exclaimed. “What happened?”
“You tell me,” Lee countered. Kyle frowned, staring at the cube. The lower fifth of the gravity shield was cut off, so it formed an incomplete sphere. This lower edge was touching the table, so it was the shield that was forcing the cube to float. He said as much.
“Right,” Lee confirmed. “I suppose Owens never told you that the gravity shield he taught you to weave wasn't a complete sphere.”
“No, he did,” Kyle countered.
“Well,” Lee snorted. “At least he got something right. What would happen if you tried weaving a gravity shield that was a complete sphere around yourself?” Kyle thought about it; if he did that, then the lower edge of the gravity shield would intersect with the ground below his feet...and he'd pop up into the air, just that the cube had.
“I'd float above the ground,” he concluded. Lee nodded.
“Your brain's working again,” she observed.
“But what if I wanted to fly?” Kyle asked, suddenly concerned. “If I used the shield Owens taught me, someone from below could hit my feet.”
“Exactly,” Lee agreed. “Which is why Weavers cover their legs with their gravity shields when they're flying, and use the typical incomplete spheres when they fight on the ground.”
“Huh.”
Master Lee smiled, her cheeks crisscrossing with deep wrinkles as she did so. She produced another cube – out of thin air, as usual – and gave it to Kyle. “Well done. Do it again.”
Kyle sighed, closing his eyes and leaning over the cube. But Lee pushed herself back from the table where she sat opposite him, standing up in that stooped manner she had.
“Practice on your own time,” she grumbled, pushing her chair in. Kyle blinked.
“What?” he blurted out. “Why? What'd I do?” Master Lee rolled her eyes.
“You displayed competency,” she answered. “Play with the runes,” she added. “Change their size, make them thicker or thinner. Get a feel for them.” She started walking toward the exit of the Archives, not even bothering to look back at him. “See you tomorrow.”
“Thanks Master Lee,” Kyle called out to her retreating posterior. Lee waved one hand, but didn't turn around.
And then she was gone.
Kyle sighed, grabbing the cube in front of him and putting it in his pocket. He stood up, turning around to follow Master Lee, then did a double-take. He'd almost forgotten to take the textbook Lee had left on the table for him...the one he was supposed to read tonight. It was quite thin, with a simple brown cover. On its surface were symbols that meant nothing to Kyle, but were apparently written in the language of the Empire. It was, distressingly enough, a book for toddlers...a picture book that would supposedly teach him how to read.
He grabbed the book, and walked out of the Archives.
Two elite guards materialized out of nowhere, walking in step on either side of Kyle. He flinched at first, then relaxed, remembering that they'd been there all along, practicing the invisibility pattern that Erasmus had discovered using the K-Array. The only time Kyle was truly alone was when he was in bed, and even then guards were stationed outside of his room throughout the night. It was a constant reminder of the fact that none of them were truly safe...that at any time, Xanos could attack.
The guards silently accompanied Kyle out of the Archives and down the riser to the lobby, where Kyle had agreed to meet with Ariana after finishing his lessons. He found her sitting in one of the many couches located along either wall of the massive room, her skin nearly blending into the perfect whiteness of the fabric. She was already following Kyle with her eyes, of course; ever since her resurrection, her senses had become so sharp it was almost eerie.
“Hey,” Kyle greeted, watching Ariana stand up and walk toward him. She smiled.
“How were your lessons?” she asked. Kyle gave her a rueful smile.
“Hard.”
“How's Master Lee?” she pressed. Kyle shrugged.
“She's alright,” he replied. “She's nice, but a little...brutal.”
“Are you learning anything?” she asked. Kyle nodded.
“Yeah, you want to see?” he asked. She nodded, and Kyle took a small ceramic cup out of his pocket. At the bottom of the cup, there was a small brown crystal cube, one he'd placed there after inscribing a few patterns into the cube. It had been one of Master Lee's final exercises for him to complete.
“What does it do?” Ariana inquired. Kyle handed the cup to her.
“Stream magic to it.”
Kyle saw Ariana concentrate. Within moments, the cube at the bottom of the cup glowed a faint blue, and the cup began to fill with water. Ariana's eyes widened, and she streamed magic until the cup was nearly full.
“Neat,” she murmured.
“Touch the water,” Kyle suggested. Ariana did so, and her eyebrows went up.
“It's hot!” she exclaimed. Kyle grinned.
“There's a water rune and a fire rune in the cube,” he explained. “They're connected so the water rune activates first, then the fire rune. The fire rune is really thin, so it just heats the water instead of boiling it,” he added. Ariana frowned.
“I don't get it,” she admitted. “What do you mean by the rune being 'thin?'”
“Um, well,” he began, but Ariana stopped him.
“It's okay,” she interrupted. “Why don't you teach me later,” she suggested. “Where its quieter.”
Kyle nodded, remembering that Ariana hated being in crowds...and the lobby was very crowded. The stimulation from the sounds and sights sometimes overwhelmed her; she much preferred being in the relative peace of the outdoors.
“Want to go for a walk?”
“How about we go back to Kalibar's suite?” Ariana suggested. Kyle shrugged, not really caring where they went. As long as he was with her, life was good.
“Sure,” he agreed. They made their way through the lobby and up the riser to Kalibar's suite. As they strode down the hallway toward the front door of the suite, they found Erasmus in the middle of the hallway.
“Kyle!” Erasmus exclaimed. “Good to see you,” he added. “My mother was just telling me about your progress.”
“Hi,” Kyle greeted. Erasmus pushed open the door to the suite, and they all walked into the main room. Eras
mus gestured for them to sit at one of the many tables there. Ariana sat in a chair beside Kyle, and Erasmus sat down opposite them.
“I wanted to talk to you about the Council meeting we had today,” Erasmus stated.
“What about it?” Kyle asked.
“About what Goran said,” Erasmus answered. “When he said there might be more Chosen hidden among us, waiting to attack again.” He leaned forward, eyeing Kyle. “I came here to see if you had any ideas about how to approach the problem.”
“Well,” Kyle began, turning to Ariana, “...can’t you sense Chosen when they’re close?”
“I can tell if there's a Chosen nearby,” Ariana explained. “...but only when Xanos is taking over their minds.”
“So you wouldn't know if another butler was secretly spying for Xanos...not as long as Xanos didn't try to directly control him,” Erasmus clarified. Ariana nodded.
“So we need some way to screen people for shards in their foreheads,” Kyle deduced. Ariana stared at him for a moment, then shook her head.
“That wouldn't be good for me,” she countered. “Nobody on the Council knows the true source of my abilities...and if they did...”
“Yeah,” Kyle agreed. Then he stopped suddenly, his eyes widening.
“What?”
“I've got it!” he exclaimed, slamming his fist into his palm.
“Got what?”
“Why don't we put you near the K-Array,” Kyle explained, “...and see what patterns are used to keep you...going?” Erasmus frowned.
“Why?”
“Well,” Kyle explained, “...we could make a device that senses anyone using the same patterns Ariana's uses. If we put the device to a Chosen's forehead, it would light up.”
“Wait, would that work?” Ariana asked, turning to Erasmus. The Grand Runic frowned, rubbing his chin, but Kyle nodded.
“It would,” Kyle declared confidently. Erasmus’s eyes brightened.
“Damn right it would!” he exclaimed. “We could use it to screen everyone in the Tower,” he added eagerly.
“As long as no one uses it on me,” Ariana muttered darkly. “If the Council mistakes me for a Chosen, they'll try to kill me.”
“Well, we could make it have a secret rune then,” Kyle theorized. Something you can weave if you're near it, that will prevent it from lighting up.”
“Hot damn!” Erasmus cried, practically leaping out of his chair and slapping the table with one hand. “Kyle, you're a genius! One day with my old lady and you're already running circles around those stuffy Tower academics,” he added gleefully. “I'll make it myself...and I'll include that secret inhibitor rune Kyle offered.”
“Thanks,” Ariana said, giving Erasmus a relieved smile. The Grand Runic nodded, then turned to Kyle, a twinkle in his eyes.
“Any more ideas in that gourd of yours?” he asked. Kyle shook his head. “Well, I'd better get going,” Erasmus added, standing up suddenly. “Thanks to you, I've got more work to do.” He turned about and left then, the translucent door to Kalibar's suite closing behind him. Kyle watched him go, then turned to see Ariana staring at him.
“What's wrong?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“You're distracted,” she replied. “You seem...down,” she added. Kyle gave her a rueful smile.
“You sound like Master Lee,” he mumbled. Ariana smiled, putting a hand on his.
“Tell me,” she insisted. Kyle sighed, pulling his hand away...which made Ariana frown.
“I can't say,” he mumbled. Ariana's frown deepened.
“You can't tell me?” she pressed. Kyle winced at the hurt in her voice.
“It's not that,” he countered, “...it's just that I'm not supposed to tell anyone.”
“You can tell me,” she insisted, grabbing his hand again and giving it the gentlest of squeezes. This time he didn't pull away. “I promise I'll never tell anyone,” she added firmly. Kyle glanced sidelong at her, feeling the sudden, overwhelming urge to confide in her. There was no doubt that she was telling the truth; when Ariana made a promise, her word was absolute.
“It's Ampir,” he admitted, feeling his heart leap into his throat even as he spoke the words. He snapped his mouth shut so quickly his teeth clicked, suddenly horrified at what he might reveal.
“What about him?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he mumbled, turning away from her. But Ariana put a cold hand on his cheek, gently but firmly turning him toward her again.
“Trust me,” she pleaded.
Kyle stared into those brown, almond-shaped eyes, so lovely against that porcelain skin, and felt as if he'd fall into their depths. He yearned to come clean with her, to tell her everything. About Ampir, about Darius...everything.
“He found Xanos,” he blurted out, feeling his heart hammer in his chest. Ariana took her hand off of his cheek, her eyes widening.
“He did?” she stated, drawing back from him. “Where?”
Kyle paused, then led Ariana to his bedroom. He peered behind the headboard, spotting the rolled-up map laying on the floor where he’d put it earlier, nearly invisible in the shadows. He tried to grab it, but it was a few inches too far away. He strained, trying to pull the bed back from the wall, but it was no use...the bed was impossibly heavy. He glanced back at Ariana, who grabbed the headboard with one hand, pulling the entire bed forward from the wall with ease.
“Thanks,” Kyle mumbled.
He grabbed the map, and Ariana re-positioned the bed. He sat on the bed with her, unrolling the map in the middle of the bed. He grabbed the metallic bomb from within, placing it to one side.
“This is Stridon,” he stated, pointing to a small dot on the west coast of a huge continent. He slid his finger across a broad ocean, to another continent further west. He stopped at its eastern shore, at the small red circle there. “This,” he added, “...is where Xanos is.”
“He's sure?” Ariana asked. Kyle nodded.
“Pretty sure,” he confirmed. “Ampir's going to try to kill him,” he added. Ariana's eyes widened.
“He is?”
“He is,” he confirmed. Ariana broke into a huge grin, grabbing his hands in her own.
“That's great!” she exclaimed, pulling him in and giving him a rib-crushing hug. Luckily she disengaged quickly. “We'll finally be safe!”
“Yeah, maybe,” he mumbled. She blinked, her smile slowly fading.
“Wait, what do you mean?” she pressed. Kyle shrugged, glancing at the clock on the wall nearest them. He'd learned to read numbers in Doma, enough that he could see it was already after five o'clock.
“He said if he didn't come back by tonight,” Kyle admitted, “...that it would mean that he'd failed.”
“What do you mean, failed?”
“That Xanos had killed him,” Kyle clarified.
Ariana stared at him for a long moment, her mouth slightly open. She snapped it shut, then opened it again as if to say something. But no words came out. Finally, she shook her head, pulling back from him.
“So if he doesn't come back tonight,” she mumbled, “...we're on our own.”
Kyle nodded mutely.
Ariana stood up from the bed suddenly, walking away from him and putting a hand to her mouth. Kyle slid off the bed, walking to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.
“Ariana,” he began, but she turned around suddenly, and he shrank back from her gaze. There was something in her eyes that made him suddenly afraid.
Of her.
“He has to win,” she stated firmly, clenching her fists at her sides. Kyle took a step back reflexively, feeling his butt strike the edge of the table behind him.
“He will,” he stated hastily.
“He has to,” she repeated. “I can't go on like this,” she added. “I can't keep waiting for Xanos to come back and destroy everything I care about!” She turned away then, clenching and unclenching her fists. Kyle paused, then approached her slowly. He hesitated, then reached out to touch h
er shoulder, half-expecting her to spin around and smack him clear across the room. But she didn't move.
“He will,” he repeated, more confidently this time. And with a heck of a lot more confidence than he felt. Truth be told, he felt the same way as Ariana. With every hour that passed – and Darius still having not returned – he felt himself becoming more and more ill-at-ease. It seemed impossible that Darius could lose to Xanos, but if he did...
Ariana sighed, deflating somewhat. She turned around, leaning in and wrapping her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder.
“I hope you're right,” she murmured, her voice muffled by his shirt. He smiled, giving her a squeeze.
“I'm right,” he insisted. For her sake, and for his own, Kyle desperately hoped that he was right. Ariana pulled away, brushing a strand of her dark brown hair from in front of her eyes. Despite himself, Kyle yawned.
“You're tired already?” Ariana asked. “It's not even six o'clock.”
“I got two hours of sleep the night before last,” he admitted. “And Master Lee had me wake up at five this morning.”
“Why don't you sleep,” Ariana offered.
“I don't know if I'll be able to.”
“I'll have Jenkins get you a dreamweaver pillow,” Ariana stated. Kyle nodded; sewn into the fibers of the pillowcase, dreamweaver silk would gently lull anyone to sleep. It was worth a shot. “I'll call him,” she declared. She walked up to the crystalline communication orb resting on Kyle's nightstand to summon the butler.
“Wait,” Kyle blurted out. “I can't leave you alone while I sleep,” he protested. She paused, turning to glance at him questioningly. “I don't want you to worry alone,” he clarified. He suddenly regretted telling her the truth, knowing that he'd ruined her evening...and her peace of mind.
“It's okay,” she replied. “I worry about it every night,” she admitted. “I've worried about it ever since we escaped the Arena.” She smiled ruefully. “The only difference is, now I can't get away from my own head by sleeping.”
“Sorry,” he mumbled. “I shouldn't have told you.” But she shook her head.
“I'm glad you did,” she countered. “I'd rather know the truth than have you feel like you need to keep things from me.” She gave him another hug, then reached for the communication orb. “Let's get you that pillow.” Kyle watched her activate the orb, unable to help himself from yawning again. When she was done, she stared at him with her lovely brown eyes, and he found himself staring back, his heart fluttering in his chest. Ariana frowned.
