by J. Cee
Ceph rose to his feet and looked away from the scene. For a heartbeat, he considered running away by himself.
“Ceph! Ce—” Nikola was cut off abruptly by an explosion.
“Please, Ceph.” A gentle voice spoke. “If you had another chance to save her, what would you do?”
Ceph looked at the woman in surprise. “What? Do you know me?”
“We can talk later. Ceph, we need to go now.” A blood-stained hand pulled at his ankle. “Please.”
As Ceph searched for the best direction to run, a silhouette on the far side of the plaza caught his eye, its small dark shape contrasting sharply with sun-bleached white stones behind it. Was that some sort of fey creature? Here now?
Ceph didn’t have time to think. He grabbed the woman’s hand, but she was too weak to stand. He instead threw her over his shoulder and began running away with unsteady steps. A childhood of hard labor had honed his strength, but Ceph’s nerves were still unsettled from everything that had just happened. He faltered twice, nearly dropping the woman.
Ceph risked a quick glance behind him. At least three more men were dead, while the Everborn was still yelling curses and threats. With a fresh surge of fear-driven speed, Ceph raced around a corner and off into the city’s shadows.
Chapter 2
It took fifteen minutes for Ceph to make his way to his destination. He first heard the cries of sailors and hawkers growing louder. Soon, the musky scent of river water reached him. At last, the forest of tall buildings gave way to open docks and the sight of the East Line, the waterway that cut through the heart of the city. Ceph shaded his eyes from the glint of sunlight reflecting off the river’s calm surface, searching for the Waterwalker.
Ceph walked closer to the line of riverboats along the dock, then turned right, peering at each vessel as he passed. After a few minutes of searching, Ceph worried that Nikola had sent him on a fool’s errand. No one knew how far the East Line stretched. Xero was the Endless City, after all. Should he turn back? There was nothing to the west, except the Firewall.
Ceph stopped. His legs trembled and his back ached from carrying the girl. While catching his breath, he puzzled over his actions. What was he doing? This was crazy. Ceph considered dropping the woman off at a hospice when he saw the house-sized boat with the name Waterwalker painted across its bow in uneven lettering. A crew was in the middle of hitching a team of horses to the riverboat’s towlines.
A squat man seemed to be in charge of the workers. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of the ichor-coated Ceph carrying a half naked girl over his shoulder.
“Kaine,” Ceph gasped. “I need to see Kaine.”
At that, the man barked a series of short commands. The men who had been handling the horses and towlines surrounded Ceph and the woman, taking them into the docked riverboat. A flurry of activity found Ceph and the woman quickly washed, dressed with simple but clean clothes, and sitting together in a small cabin in the riverboat. The door opened and a bearded man with flowing gray locks entered, flanked by two men armed with swords.
The bearded man didn’t bother to sit in the remaining open chair. “Who are you and why are you here?”
“I’m Ceph. I, um, don’t actually know who this is,” Ceph said.
“My name is Aerielle,” the girl replied with a nod. “You can call me Aeri.”
“Are you Kaine?” Ceph asked. He held onto his stomach as the boat lurched. “Are we moving?”
“Who told you to come here?” the man replied, ignoring Ceph’s questions.
“Nikola. We were working on a city cleaning crew, when…” Ceph’s chest tightened at the memory. “The Everborn showed up. Someone called the Word, too. It was messy. I think Nikola is dead. I don’t know. They killed Sarge. Nikola said to come here and ask for Kaine.”
The man’s face darkened at the mention of the Everborn. “Call me Kaine for now. I need to know, what exactly happened?”
Ceph described the events as well as he could while Kaine listened with a fierce intensity. Ceph didn’t think Kaine had blinked during the entire time he recounted the events.
After Ceph finished, Kaine turned to face Aeri. “Nikola died because of you.”
Aeri bowed her head. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
Kaine slammed his fist into the wall. “Damn it. I don’t want your sympathy.” He lowered himself until his eyes met Aeri’s. “Are you the Beastspawn?”
“Yes. That is what some would call me,” Aeri said.
Kaine was silent for a moment. “Then why are my men dead?”
“It’s not simple to explain.”
Kaine pulled a blade from his side and held it to Aeri’s neck. “Make it simple.” The two guards with Kaine placed their hands on their sword hilts.
Aeri sighed. “I can only enter Xero like this.” She showed Kaine the cut on her arm from earlier. “Anything else would be too dangerous. Ceph and I need to become Onceborn. Like you did.”
Ceph started at Aeri’s words. What did this have to do with him? He didn’t like being included in this unsavory business. Something else bothered him. Where had he heard some of those names before?
Kaine turned away, his back to Aeri. He re-sheathed his knife. “So, you know about that?” He gestured to the men on either side of him. “Kill her. We’ll question the boy. He looks easier to break.” The men drew their swords and advanced.
Ceph cried out in surprise. Aeri yelled as loud as she could. “Wait! I can prove it. Prove I’m the Beastspawn!”
Kaine held up his hand, motioning for the guards to hold. “I’m waiting.”
“I know why you fear me.” When Kaine didn’t reply, Aeri continued. “You saw a flicker of the future when you passed through the Flames. I’m the reason you will die.”
There were gasps, and one of the armed men took a step forward with his sword. Kaine turned around to face Aeri again, motioning the guard away.
“So it’s true.” Despite his words, the grizzled man looked defeated. “What about him?” Kaine pointed at Ceph.
Aeri reached out to touch Ceph’s hand. “I need him. He saved me once already, and he’ll do far more before this is over.”
“Whoa, whoa.” Ceph pulled his hand back from Aeri’s grasp. “I remember now. The Onceborn. That’s the suicide cult. Twenty men and women burned themselves to death in a house last year. The town crier wouldn’t shut up about it for a week.”
Kaine’s eyes narrowed. “I assure you that’s not what happened. Councillor propaganda as usual.”
Ceph pointed a shaking finger at Kaine. “You, you must be Kaine. Kaine the First Believer. And Nikola attacking that Everborn with fire. I get it now.” Ceph looked around him. “This is that suicidal fire cult. It’s all making sense.” He stood up. “Can I go now?”
“Nikola saved your life,” Kaine said through clenched teeth. “Have some respect. He knew the dangers of his mission.” Kaine placed his hand back on his knife. “And you leave when she says you can leave.”
Ceph sat back down. “Okay, okay, no need to get hasty.” He turned to Aeri. “Please. Can I go now? I don’t even know you.”
“Ceph, we need to be purified by the Flame Rite. It’s the only way to save our people from the Everborn. It’s our path,” Aeri said.
“Please. I really want to go now.” All the talk about fires was starting to make Ceph sweat. The gentle rocking of the boat on the river wasn’t helping, either.
“I can explain.”
“I’m sure this is a big misunderstanding. I don’t even know why I helped you. If you’re grateful at all, please let me go. I’m begging you.”
Aeri looked at Ceph, her large red eyes filled with sadness. “I can’t force you to stay.” She turned to Kaine. “Let him leave.”
“Where will you go? If the Word’s involved, you won’t be safe in any of the first ten Zones. The city guards are likely looking for you as we speak,” Kaine said. “You need to be purified by the Flame Rite. It’s the only way to survi
ve.”
“I… I can go further east,” Ceph said.
Kaine scoffed. “You wouldn’t survive more than a day past the Tenth Zone. No human would.”
“Fine, I’ll stay in the First Zone. It doesn’t matter. I’m a nobody. I don’t have anything to do with the Everborn, and I want to keep it that way.”
“Fool. The Everborn have spent a year hunting for the Beastspawn. It’s why they kill every dragon they can find. Soon, every man, woman, and child in the city will be looking for you.”
“I respect your religious beliefs but I don’t share them. I see the Rebon, I run. That’s it.” Ceph stood up again to leave. “May I?”
Kaine stepped aside, his brows furrowed in irritation.
“Thanks for letting me freshen up, but I sincerely hope to never see you again. Bye.” Ceph strode out of the room and headed towards the room’s exit.
His feet stomped loudly as he climbed the wooden steps leading back above deck. He stomped back down and poked his head into the room.
“Uh, so can you stop the boat?”
Kaine nodded at the other men in the room. They went above deck, crying orders to land the craft. Ceph left again, trying to avoid the woman’s red-eyed gaze.
* * *
Aeri watched Ceph leave a final time.
“Ceph,” Aeri said, letting out a long breath.
“The boy? Forget him,” Kaine said. “What use is he?”
Kaine pulled back the sleeve of his left arm, presenting the inner forearm to Aeri. Blue sigils glowed on the surface of his arm.
Aeri examined the symbols. “Rank ninety,” she said in an even tone.
“Anything he can do, I can do better,” Kaine declared with a thump of his left fist into his right palm.
Aeri shook her head. She had seen Ceph’s thread in her visions, the bright orange thread that wound in a spiral around her own violet line of fate. He would be the second member of the Trinity. The third had yet to appear to her visions.
“I’m sorry, Kaine, but you have another path.”
“But I’ve been preparing my whole life, my Onceborn life, for this,” Kaine said, “To be ready. To serve you.”
Aeri closed her eyes. She ripped her eyes away from the calamity awaiting Ceph and found Kaine’s thread instead. She followed the many paths Kaine’s muted red thread traced into the future, each one a possibility, each one ending soon.
“You know how this ends,” Aeri said.
The boat lurched, signaling that it had reached a dock. Kaine stumbled, but he transferred his momentum into a smooth forward motion, leaving the room.
Aeri remained seated with closed eyes, her attention returning to Ceph’s fate. Her eyes watered, on the verge of tears.
“I’m truly sorry, Ceph,” she said, “for what will happen next.”
* * *
Ceph muttered to himself as he left the East Line and headed back into the city. He didn’t know what had gotten into him at the cleaning site. Why had he saved that woman? It was probably the terror and adrenaline. He knew better than to get involved with the Everborn or heroics. And why did he have to remember her. Ceph pushed the memory of his mother’s death out of his mind.
Ugh, now he needed a new job. He probably needed a new name. But he didn’t want to think about any of that. Ceph closed his eyes for several seconds, as if to make a bad dream disappear. What he really needed right now was a plate of that marinated beef rib stew from his favorite pub, The Fig Leaf, and maybe one of those new iced bubbly drinks they had recently begun serving. Yes, that’s what he needed.
Ceph’s mouth watered as he thought of the spiced meat tenderly flaking off the bone and the rich buttery marrow in the middle. After a good meal to cheer himself up, he could figure out what to do next. Ceph had been heading home but changed directions to head towards The Fig Leaf instead.
The sun was setting as Ceph entered the pub. A signboard displayed the usual Friday special, fish and loaves. He sat at a small table and flagged down the serving girl, Rhoda. Ceph was a regular and knew most of the servers by name.
“Be right with you.” Rhoda looked at him oddly.
Ceph plucked self-consciously at the strange cultist clothes he was wearing. She probably thought he was weird now. Ceph sighed. So much for his secret hope to ask Rhoda for a date one day. Ceph leaned back in his seat, tapping his foot, while he waited for Rhoda to return. The bartender walked over to his table instead.
“You’re Ceph, right?” the bartender asked.
“That’s right. Didn’t know you remembered my name,” Ceph said.
“Look, I’m only telling you this because you’re here often and seem like a decent guy. Plus, Rhoda says you always leave a generous tip. Anyways, the city guards were in here a little while ago looking for someone by your name.” The bartender looked around uneasily. “There was an Everborn fellow with them.”
Ceph froze. “An Everborn?”
“Yeah, scary-looking guy with glowing mouth. You know him?”
“No, that must be a mistake. I don’t know any Everborn.”
“I don’t want trouble here.” The bartender made a meaningful glance towards the exit. “No hard feelings. You know what it’s like, with the Everborn and all.”
“Sure, sure. Thanks for the advice.” Ceph’s stomach growled, disappointed as much as he was about the spoiled dinner plans. He got up to leave when the door opened and three city guards in crisp white uniforms marched into the bar. The guards separated to the side, revealing the robed Everborn from earlier in the day behind them, the one called the Word.
“Ceph, is it?” The Everborn’s musical voice carried through the entire pub.
Since all eyes in the pub were on him, Ceph had no choice but to reply. “So everyone here knows my name? Haha. Not as pleasant as I would have thought.”
The Word’s mouth grimaced into what might have passed for a smile on a more human face. Light flickered out from between the tight lips. “Not pleasant at all.” It turned to the guards. “Seize him.”
The city guards rushed towards Ceph. He chose not to struggle as calloused hands closed on him. A canvas bag descended over his head. The last thought he had before something hard knocked him senseless was that he had forgotten to bring money to the pub.
Chapter 3
A large dragon flying towards Ceph, brandishing its teeth in a roar. He couldn’t move. As an orange glow grew stronger in the dragon’s gaping maw, he noticed a small girl straddling the serpentine neck. Then, a blinding torrent of dragonfire consumed his flesh.
Ceph woke up screaming.
“Aahh!”
Ceph’s right hand was on fire. Was he still dreaming? He looked down.
“Aahh!”
Someone had impaled a dagger straight through his right hand and into the wooden armrest underneath. Tight bonds held him in a sturdy chair.
“Help! Somebody help! I’ve been stabbed!”
A shadow fell across Ceph’s view.
“Hello, Ceph.”
It was the Word. That’s right. He had been captured.
“Please. This is a mistake. I’m nobody important.”
“Tell me where she is,” the Word said, “and you will live. Disappoint me, and you will suffer.”
The Word leaned closer. Ceph whimpered as the burning mouth came closer and closer to his face.
“Harming your kind without killing is difficult,” the Word said, “but I will do my best. Where is she?”
There was no heat from the Everborn’s mouth of fire, but sweat dribbled down Ceph’s temples.
“I… I don’t know.”
The Word stepped back. Was it smiling? Between the pain of the dagger wound and the otherworldly sight of the Everborn, Ceph couldn’t concentrate. He bit his tongue to focus.
“You’ll kill me anyways. I won’t tell you here. Somewhere public. In front of a city magistrate.”
A high-pitched laughter echoed off the walls of the small stone room. “A magist
rate?” Using a single gray finger, the Word drove the dagger further into Ceph’s hand until the hilt touched his palm. Ceph screamed. “Before we finish, you will beg me to kill you. Tell me where she is, and I will grant you this mercy.”
Ceph struggled to get his words out. “I don’t know. I left her behind.”
“Lies.”
The Word reached to its side and produced a piece of rope. Ceph stared in confusion as the Word tied the rope around his right wrist. Then the Word pulled sharply on the knot, cracking the bones underneath. Ceph cried out in pain. What was it doing?
The Word held up a jagged knife. Ceph couldn’t think. He couldn’t breathe. “No!” He bucked in his chair while shrieking.
“I could kill you with one finger,” the Word said, “but your kind taught me the virtues of patient labor.”
The Word pulled the knife’s serrated edge in a slow and deliberate motion across Ceph’s wrist. Skin, muscle, and tendon tore unevenly until the knife’s teeth grated against bone. The Word started sawing back and forth, metal grinding against bone to the sound of carpentry.
Ceph thrashed in the chair, but his bonds were tight and unyielding. He screamed louder until something in his throat ripped, leaving him to make loud hisses. Darkness came.
A girl stood before him. Did he know her?
The girl was crying. “I’m so sorry, Ceph.”
Ceph woke to the sensation of burning in his left hand. His eyes wandered down. A dagger pierced his left palm. Not again! Ceph tried to scream but could only cough.
Wait, hadn’t something happened to his right arm? In a panic, his eyes turned to the other side. Laying on the armrest was a bloody stump, tied off at the wrist. Ceph stared in shock. His hand was gone.
A gray hand grabbed Ceph by the throat. A hooded face appeared in front of his face, then a mouth on fire. An eerie voice spoke.
“Where is she?”
Ceph sat in a stupor. Gradually, he became aware of a tight pain in his left arm. His vision blurred, and when it refocused, he saw that the Word was setting a jagged knife against his left wrist, just past another knot.
