by Rosie Scott
An ache caught hold of my stomach, and I nodded, knowing that to be true. Finding out my own lifespan was extended by being a half-breed was only bittersweet. I came from a nation of mostly humans, and I'd gone from thinking I was human to feeling sorrow that my friendships with them could only last for a fraction of my own life. It was an odd thing to get used to, and I feared I would never fully come to accept it. Right now, Hasani was only a decade older than I. Though we would always have that difference in age, his body would degrade much quicker than mine. Perhaps the next time we would see each other, he would be a middle-aged man, and I might still look the same.
“You will live forever, Hasani,” I murmured. It was meant as a jest, though the reality of the situation bogged it down.
The prince chuckled. “How I wish that were true. I envy you, you know. You could win this war just by waiting for your foes in Sera to die.”
I huffed in amusement. “No, I will win this war the old-fashioned way. By now, Terran will be married, and he may start a family. I will eventually have to contend with each child that is born.”
“And when you say that, I find I can no longer envy you.” Hasani patted me on the arm. “I have one further question for you, Kai, before you are on your way.”
“Sure.” I waited patiently for it. Nyx's laughter echoed to my ears from the hallway, where she and Jakan were joking with each other.
“I have commissioned a memorial to be placed in the fountain square farther north in the city,” he informed me, his thick eyebrows dipping toward one another. “It honors those who died in the Battle of the Dead. I meant for it to be a surprise to you upon your next visit to T'ahal, so I had gotten Theron's full name from my father off of our alliance.”
I nodded as he spoke, my eyes heating. I would not cry for Theron again. I had done so too many times. He had been dead for over half a year, but somehow, leaving T'ahal felt like leaving him.
“The problem is, many who died in service to Nahara were not natives,” Hasani continued. “When I become king, I wish to welcome those from around the world into this country, and I think honoring the dead and their origins would help to prove my sincerity. I know Theron was from Chairel, but I wasn't sure if he was from Sera.”
I understood his question. “He was from French. A small village west of Sera.”
Hasani bent over his desk, going to write it down with a quill. “I haven't heard of it.”
“That's because it no longer exists,” I said softly, remembering my deceased friend's words to me.
“Okay. Thank you.” Hasani stood back up from his papers. “I will ensure it is accurate.”
“You are kind, Hasani,” I murmured. “You will make a great king.”
“I'll certainly try,” he said, with a thick exhale. “Okay, I think that time has come. I will see you off to the edge of the city, and then I will count the days until we see each other again, sister.”
Hasani followed through on his promise. The prince accompanied us to the southern edge of T'ahal, just past the bridge that arced over the lower split of the river that embraced the city. A few civilian onlookers stood along the edges of the sandy city streets, sure that this would be the last time they could catch a glimpse of a god. I wasn't sure how long it would be until I set eyes upon the city again, but I knew I would miss it. T'ahal meant a great deal to me, as did all of Nahara. I had fallen in love, led my first army, discovered some of the secrets of the Ancients, destroyed an ancient beast, and started a war here. It would forever hold a large portion of my heart.
We left the prince standing at the edge of the capital city, the morning sun glistening off of his royal gold armor as he waved to us until we could see him no more. I finally faced west with a tug on my heart.
It had been so long since we traveled on foot, so the first few days after leaving T'ahal were the hardest. Our entire bodies ached with the fatigue of walking and carrying our gear. Having Anto along was a great relief, because the orc could carry twice the amount as the rest of us, and did so with little difficulty. Even so, our entire trip to Al Nazir would fall within High Star. Somehow, we had a penchant for traveling when it was the hottest season in the hottest country of the world.
It was a fortnight into our travels, and we were settled to the southern side of the river that carved through the desert from the coast near Al Nazir. Every night, we camped beside it. The rushing waters helped to cool the air in the proximity while also creating a hum of white noise that served to help us sleep. Across from the river, the sand dunes of the Arobe desert rose high into the sky, blocking out the lowest of stars. Behind us to the south, there was nothing but flat, golden sands. We were far enough from T'ahal that we no longer saw it, even though it felt we could see forever in most directions. I'd heard that Al Nazir was an even more vertical city, and I assumed we would be able to spot it far before reaching it.
For now, though, my friends and I sat around a small, pathetic excuse for a campfire. Our wood and calcint was limited, because we had only brought a bundle with us. We no longer had Theron in our group, so we did not have access to an alchemist. None of us knew the recipe for calcint, so our supply of fire would have to last us until our destination.
Cerin had fished for us, and we'd all eaten our share of a good meal. That didn't stop Nyx from commenting, “I'm hungry.”
I glanced up to my friend, but said nothing. This was our first time out together as a group without Theron, and his presence was sorely missed. The ranger had often shared the snacks he made with Nyx, because she was constantly eating on something. Thoughts of him led to wondering how lucky I was to be sitting here with all of the others. The war I was waging would claim lives, and as much as I hoped none of the victims would be my other friends, I knew I couldn't reasonably expect no one else to be hurt. I took in the image of my friends, like this, happy and together, trying to burn it into my mind and memories. This is how I would remember them, if anything were to happen to us.
“I have some more fish,” Cerin offered, beginning to reach for it.
“No, it's okay. I've had enough fish for the last few weeks to last me a lifetime.” Nyx exhaled heavily, and laid back on her elbows. “No offense, Cerin. I appreciate you feeding us.”
“What happened to all those snacks you bought back at the city?” Jakan asked the Alderi.
Nyx patted her stomach affectionately in a response.
“You're gonna need to buy a lot more than that when we get to Al Nazir,” I commented. “It's all fish from there.”
“Yeah...I don't want to spend all my gold, though,” she replied. “I already had to buy another dagger after losing one last year to Mantus.”
“I could have made one for you,” Anto spoke up.
“I don't ever want to expect things of my friends,” she protested.
“I'm a good smith because I enjoy it,” the orc replied. “Next time, rely on me. I'll get it done.”
“Okay,” Nyx agreed begrudgingly.
“Nyx,” I called out, and her eyes met mine. “What in the world happened to all the gold I gave you? You had hundreds when we entered Nahara, and I gave you a share of the coliseum winnings. You should still have hundreds.”
She shrugged. “T'ahal is full of brothels. So many men.” Her voice trailed off with fond memories. “I wanted them all, Kai, and I've had three moons of time to waste!”
“This is why you never have money,” I lamented.
“Yeah, but I enjoy men more than gold. At least I'm spending it wisely.”
“You had Hasani,” Cerin pointed out. “You needn't have spent gold at all.”
“Hasani is one man, bud,” Nyx replied. “And he's busy. I grow bored easily.”
“You have the attention span of a goldfish,” Anto stated with amusement.
Nyx chuckled. “Yeah, but that's why I love finally traveling again. I understand the whole alliance thing, but gods, I was tired of T'ahal. Speaking of which...” she threw her attention back to me.
“I didn't make it to your last meeting with King Adar. What happened at the border?”
“A minor scuffle,” I replied, remembering. Chairel and Nahara were now at war, but there had been no major attacks since the Battle of the Dead. “Some man and his friends came to the border from Comercio and were stopped and questioned. The man claimed he had family in Nahara, but attacked the guards before they could vet him, so he was killed.”
“Did it check out?” Nyx asked curiously. “His background?”
“Yeah, actually. King Adar said he didn't know why the guy would just attack, but people do stupid things when they panic or feel threatened. It's all just a part of war.”
“So you don't think it's anything to worry about?” Anto questioned.
“No. Nahara can handle scuffles. It's the full-scale battles and attacks I'm worried about, but Hasani is doing a good job of preparing for that.” I hesitated, looking off to the east, as if I'd be able to see T'ahal. “Terran told me Chairel was going to aid Sera in this war if he failed last Red Moon, and he did. But Chairel, as a country, hates to fail. They are the most powerful nation on Arrayis and they make sure to cement that into people's minds during war. They won't be attacking for some time.”
“Then what will they do?” Jakan asked, curious for my opinion.
“Collect their power. Chairel will probably get started in amassing its armies and requesting support from Hammerton and the Celds. Sirius will probably start espionage activities, because it's what he's best at. Underhanded bullshit.” I couldn't help but notice the edge of bitterness to my voice. In a sense, my adoptive father's decision to try to have me assassinated had jump-started all of this.
“Start? He's already started, Kai,” Nyx protested. “How many Alderi assassins did T'ahal's castle guards kill? Four? Five?”
“Six,” Cerin answered, sifting through the sands with both hands out of a need to fidget.
“Terran told me he was trying to get the support of the other gods, as well,” I added. “And that was, what? A year ago? If any of them have agreed, they're already on my trail.”
“What about the Celds?” Cerin asked, bringing the conversation back to Chairel's allies. “How influential will Silas be in keeping them from the fight?”
“Not very,” I replied, begrudgingly. “He is royalty, but he is only one of sixteen Galan children. Celendar is unique in Chairel...it's set up like its own nation, with hierarchies of important families. He is one of sixteen, and his family is one of three. Besides, the Celds hate necromancy. Silas is no exception, hence why he is no longer with us. He will abide by the wishes of his family, and his family will eventually have little choice but to join Chairel.”
“Forgive my ignorance of your home country, Kai,” Jakan began, “But why would the Celds have any choice at all? Celendar is a city of Chairel, isn't it?”
“Yes, but the history between the humans and Celds is long and complicated,” I explained, remembering the texts I'd read on the subject. “Wars were often fought between the two centuries ago. Chairel wanted to expand its territory eastward, but the Celds hated its domineering ways, so they did not agree to join them. They also love their forest, so they wouldn't leave it. Eventually, after much bloodshed and little progress for either of them, they came to a peaceful agreement. Chairel absorbed Celendar as its territory, but the Celds were given full control of it. Celdic elves still do not appreciate Chairel's warmongering, but for the most part, they are kept out of having to participate to keep relations peaceful.
“In a sense, then, the Celds have an advantage when it comes to dealing with Queen Edrys's orders. Chairel knows how they hate war, and the country has come to rely on them for imports of Celdic wood and rare herbs. The Queen avoids pissing them off by requesting their support, because she doesn't want to lose Celendar. Even still, in this case, the Celds will have their own reasons for joining them. They might rise up in defiance of me simply to protect their forest from the horrors of necromancy.”
“As if you or I were of any danger to their precious forest,” Cerin mused.
“People fear what they do not understand,” I murmured.
“I still fear necromancy, and I understand it plenty,” Jakan commented.
I smirked. “What is there to fear?”
“The dead,” the Vhiri replied, as if it were obvious.
“Says someone who just ate a plate full of dead fish,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, but that's...different.” Jakan frowned. “Somehow.”
“Corpses are corpses,” I said. “The only difference between you and the fish in your gut is that no one will be eating you after you die.”
Anto chuckled low. “Well, depending on whether we can make it to Al Nazir without coming across the Blades of Meir.”
I huffed, remembering hearing of the cult's cannibalism. “Very true.”
“Kai...” Jakan leaned toward the campfire across from me, capturing my gaze. “I have a serious question for you.”
“Shoot,” I replied.
“Let's say we were to travel north of T'ahal, and you were to use your necromancy.” I nodded along as the elf spoke, knowing where this was headed. “And, let's say you were to raise Theron from the dead. How would you feel?”
“You frame this as a hypothetical question, but it's already happened,” I informed him. “In Sera...during my attack...I was not in my right mind. After Bjorn was executed, I raised him from the dead. Unintentionally, but I did it all the same.” My stare did not relent from through the flames. “It did not make me feel great.”
“Well, then you are not a hypocrite,” Jakan admitted. “Still, you can see my reservations?”
“Death magic is grimy and frightening to work with sometimes,” Cerin admitted. “But death is also the most powerful element. Treat it like the other elements. It is a tool. Each element has its own moral detriments. I would rather raise a corpse that doesn't know any better than light a living man on fire. Which is more horrifying? I'd argue the latter.”
Anto raised a hand. “As someone who has burned himself many times while blacksmithing in my earlier days, I would agree with you.”
“Looks like you're outnumbered,” Nyx smiled knowingly at Jakan.
“You feel the same?” The thief asked.
Nyx huffed. “I'm not gonna give a shit about anything when I'm dead. 'Cause I'll be just that. Dead.” She nodded her dark face toward the east. “If your little hypothetical situation were to ever be true, and Kai were to raise Theron, it wouldn't really be him. What makes a person a person?” She twirled a dark purple finger near her head. “Not the body, but the mind. Or the soul, if you believe in all that bullshit.”
“You don't?” Jakan inquired.
She scoffed. “No. At least, not in the sense that myth tells me to believe. Myth says many things about our past, and it's rarely correct. It tells us to worship those who do not deserve it, and it tries to educate us on why things are the way they are, when the people who made up the myths know just as much as we do. I was told as a child to worship many gods, one of which is Kai's mother, and she was a colossal bitch.”
Jakan exhaled heavily, his gray eyes coming to find mine. “Befriending you has made me question everything I thought I knew.”
“I hope you mean that in a good way,” I commented.
“I do. Or else Anto and I would not still be here,” he replied. “I still remember when I found out you were a god. I had befriended you and you offered to help me free Anto, so I trusted you. But then you said that, and I inwardly wondered if you were insane or just didn't know what you were talking about. You didn't seem like a god. You are powerful, but you are also so...human.”
“Trust me, I was as surprised as you,” I informed him. “I didn't believe in the gods. I argued with my mother for a bit before trying to come to terms with it.”
Anto chuckled low. “You must have a bucket list to argue with all the gods, then,” he murmured.
I thought back to
my screaming match with Malgor in T'ahal, since I knew it was what the orc spoke of. I smiled softly. “Yeah, well, they deserve it. They are all arrogant bastards.”
“As are you,” Cerin teased beside me.
“You like it,” I retorted.
“Yep.”
Nyx laughed at Cerin's reply. She teased, “Well, let's just hope the only arrogant bastard we have to deal with on our way to Eteri is this one right here.”
How I hoped that was true. Somehow, I knew it wouldn't be.
Three
“Guys! Attack!”
Nyx's scream jolted me out of my slumber. My eyes were heavy with fatigue as I rushed to pull my armor over my underclothes to join the fight. I heard metal clashing against metal, and an odd humanoid hissing that rose above my friend's labored grunts.
Ffzzz...!
My heart thudded in my chest as the canvas of the tent Cerin and I shared caught fire. I wasn't fully dressed yet, but it didn't matter. As Cerin hurried forward to pull our tent open, I built water energy in a palm. Scrambling out of the tent behind him, I threw the water at the top of it, squelching out the flames.
It was only then that I could focus on our enemies. There were two dozen men and women running into our camp from the north, their skin the bronze and dark brown hues of native Naharans. They were clearly no fans of clothing, wearing no more than scraps of it which left little to the imagination. Red war paint was splattered in streaks of random designs across their faces. Pieces of bone and metal were pierced through skin, many of the adornments gaping skin in displays which were clearly unhygienic and created through immense pain.
I'd had no time to pull on armor other than my leggings, so I would need to be mindful of my torso. Our enemies were only human. Other than us being outnumbered, I had no expectation of loss here. Whoever our attackers were, they clearly didn't understand who they were messing with.
Cerin's death magic fogged over the sands in a blanket of thick black smoke, but the spell fizzled out, dissipating before it could split into tendrils. Somehow, there were no corpses beneath us. At first, I found this astonishing. I had never seen an area-of-effect death spell fizzle out due to a lack of resources, particularly in the desert. Then, as the smell of metallic blood hit my nostrils, I realized just who we were dealing with.
