by Sara Kincaid
Chapter Thirty
Rina
Landing on the narrow slats that jutted out from the wooden structure proved easier than Rina had anticipated. Eldon neatly came to his feet and his wings tucked back into a small cube at his back as if it were a wide plain. Rina gritted her teeth, following in his wake. Her wings fluttered softly before folding behind her shoulder blades, her feet slipping on the loose dirt as she found her balance. “Getting sloppy?” Eldon quipped, laughter coloring his tone. Rina resisted the urge to elbow him.
The landing conquered, Rina made her way around the corner of the building to a narrow opening between the wall and the side of the mountain. The space between mountain and building was quite narrow and she inched along with her stomach pressed against the wall until the ground opened slightly to allow them more room. They crouched low in the shadows, and Rina drew her short sword slowly from her belt. Brown eyes met rich liquid blue as she hesitated. Fear quickened Rina’s heart. Then, determination took over. Somewhere in that palace Eli waited for her.
Eldon stepped in front of her and peeked around the corner. Beside a long wooden hallway that disappeared into the side of the mountain, he pointed to a discreet door. He slid out from the crevice between the wall and the mountain and motioned for Rina to follow him. There was no handle, but Eldon forced his fingers into the door jam and it swung open.
The room was large and silent. Rina pulled the door shut behind them. A glance upward revealed a very high ceiling. A few spark lights glimmered around the room, but the majority of the space was veiled in shadows.
Confident that there was no one about, Rina and Eldon studied the large structure balanced on a series of bow-shaped slats. The room stunk of wood stain and pitch. The walls of the structure sloped casually upward, disappearing into the darkness. “It’s a ship.” Eldon’s jaw dropped open as his eyes traveled up the side of the massive boat. Two thick beams jutted up from the middle of the deck. They couldn’t see it in the darkness, but Rina knew that between the two masts would be a series of wires bundled as thick as a man’s arm that looped in a figure-eight, the ends secured and held up by the two tree-like towers.
“It’s an airship.” Rina had never seen an airship in person, but she remembered the illustrations in books Niko showed her. Then her face grew hard and she tightened her grip on her knife. “This is why they kidnapped the Mystics. To power their airship.”
“But where are they going?”
“Who knows? Maybe they want to try and cross the gulf.”
“To the Northlands? It will take a huge amount of spark power to feed something this massive and keep it aloft. What could be so important that they would put the future of the spark in jeopardy?”
The sleeping sickness, Rina thought. Had it spread here, too?
A nearby spark light flickered, spinning the shadows into a frenzy against the facade of the ship. To the left, Rina saw the entrance to a hallway that would lead them into the heart of the castle. “Come on. Let’s keep moving.” She focused on the door, but searched the room for hidden guards. Rina began to slide along the wall when Eldon grabbed her arm. His eyes were on the ship. “No wait. I want to go up there first.”
“What? Why?”
“I have an idea. Just wait here.”
Before she could respond, he’d melted away into the darkness. Rina grumbled quietly to herself. Aviators were never supposed to separate in enemy territory. When he returned a few minutes later, she was about to lecture him until he held up a pair of red uniforms, a look of triumph on his face. “This boat is just about ready to go. There are even some provisions on board. Now we’re less likely to run into trouble.”
Rina grinned in spite of herself and hurried to help Eldon detach his wings. Once their wings were stowed in their packs, they each slipped a red tunic over their jackets. “Nice work, IceRider.” Respect filled her voice. “Okay. Where should we start?”
“The dungeons?”
“Could Master Moriyo survive in a damp dungeon?”
“It’s only been a week. Hopefully they’ve been kept in decent conditions. No matter Opher’s power, if his actions lead to the death of a Mystic, the council, not to mention the entire country, will be out for his blood.”
Rina nodded. “Well we know where Opher will be. The light coming from that big upper room was enough to illuminate the whole of Burga’s market street.”
“A festival perhaps?”
Rina gestured at the airship. “A sendoff party?”
“Do you think the Mystics agreed to release the spark to power the airship?” Eldon’s eyebrows rose toward his tawny hairline.
“No. But he might be able to force them.”
Eldon thought of Master Eira. She was an old woman, as old as the mountain she’d tell people. He couldn’t imagine anyone telling her what to do. “If it’s a sendoff party, the Mystics will be there too. But heavily guarded.”
“Good. Then we can follow them back to wherever they’re being kept and get them out of here before morning.” Once they escaped, Rina had no plan for getting them all back to Burga. She pushed this thought from her mind. They could easily disappear into the mountains. With any luck, Halay and Jarem made it to the outpost station. Perhaps they had a chance of reconnecting with them there and getting them all back home. She saw the questions in Eldon’s eyes, but he kept his mouth shut tight. Rina clasped Eldon’s hand. “Thank you for doing this with me. There’s no other brother I’d rather be here with than you.”
Eldon’s face softened and he gripped her hand with affection. “We can do this.”
Swathed in red, Rina sheathed her sword in her belt, but kept her hand close to the hilt.
No spark lights shone in the hallway connecting the shipyard to Bear Palace. The soft glow of the rune on Rina’s left wrist became more pronounced and served as their guide in the heavy darkness. The wooden walls were thin and the mountain wind railed against the timbers, masking any sounds coming from within. When they reached the end of the hallway, a round door blocked their entrance into the heart of the mountain and the lower levels of the palace. Eldon pushed his ear up against the crack between the door and the frame, eyes closed in concentration. After a moment, he breathed roughly through his nostrils and shook his head. “Blasted wind. Can’t hear anything. If we just shove the thing open, they’ll stab first and ask questions later.”
Rina chewed her lip. “We could just knock?” Eldon straightened, his jaw slackening for just a moment. Rina patted his arm. “There’s a celebration of some kind happening. Watch patterns get tangled up and people are less on alert. We might be able to slip through the cracks.” Rina dragged her free hand through her hair, encouraging it to waterfall over her left cheek to cover the golden scar. Then she lifted the hood of the red tunic and let it drape over her hair, further obscuring her face. Eldon quickly pulled his own hood up and delivered a heavy knock with roughened knuckles on the iron door.
A moment later, the bolts let out a protesting screech and the hinges groaned as the door was cautiously pulled open a mere inch. “Who goes there?”
“Ho there. We’ve been on patrol. Sent out to scout around the outskirts of the palace and through the shipyard. Circuit, completed, sir.” Eldon saluted smartly. “Permission to enter?”
The door slid open a few more inches and the round face of a young recruit peered out at them. The spark lights flickering behind him cast his face in shadows. “No use in calling me sir,” he replied, his voice filled with mirthful self-deprecation. “It doesn’t get lower than guarding a door that rarely opens. The Regent must be in hysterics tonight if they’ve sent you out on patrol.” The door opened wider and the guard stepped back, allowing them to enter. Spark lights flickered all along the wall, illuminating the lower quarters of the palace and the trenches where the soldiers moved within the bowels of the structure and the young face of a guard in training.
His orange hair glowed in the light and his uniform puddled around him like water, making him look skinnier than he already was.
“Did you see the party going on upstairs?” Rina stepped forward into the light, the injured side of her face still hidden beneath her swath of inky black hair.
The young soldier did his best to hide it, but surprise filled his face. Rina pretended not to notice. “I did. Something to do with the ship and the Mystics. I’m not high ranking enough to get the details.” The homely soldier shrugged, his red hair dipping over his eyes with the gesture.
“I heard that the Regent was fit to be tied this morning during the preparations.” Eldon winked conspiratorially. “That’s why we have the extra patrol route. We’re supposed to do another run later tonight. Will you be on duty?”
The recruit nodded. “Aye. I’m here all night. Guard change is at two. But you already know that.”
Rina nodded. “Excellent work. What’s your name?”
“Kain.”
“Great. Thanks a lot, Kain. We’ll be seeing you.” Eldon grasped Kain’s hand and shook it heartily before moving to the stairs. Rina followed closely in Eldon’s shadow.
The stairs wound precariously upward, carved into the bedrock of the mountain itself, reminiscent of the fortress occupied by the Brotherhood of the Spark. Bear Palace was one of the oldest in Mantinea. Built in the days when the spark was abundant and the numerous tools and amenities powered by it were prevalent, the heart of the Kaldarian stronghold was carved out of the ancient rock of the mountain. Additional structures that formed the palace and other important buildings were built out as attachments.
Eagle Palace was constructed just decades after the war. By that time, the ancient tools of convenience had been abandoned in favor of spark preservation. Thus, Eagle Palace was built alongside the mountain and not into it.
As Rina and Eldon made their way upward, the air grew warmer and the stairwell opened into a wider hall decorated with the bear claw symbol they’d seen replicated in the Kaldarian weaponry. Servants hurried past carrying trays laden with food and glasses of wine. The head butler ordered people about. “You there, up to the hall, now! Don’t keep the Regent waiting. The main course has been served. The guests will be wanting second helpings.” Then he spied the two soldiers shrouded in Kaldarian colors. “You there. Out of the way. We’re putting on a feast. And there’s no samples here for you, so don’t even think about it.” He gave them a severe look from beneath heavy black eyebrows, his angular face leading to thin lips pursed with indignation.
Rina nudged Eldon and he waggled his eyebrows in response. It seems they couldn’t have arrived on a better night.
Chapter Thirty-one
Eli
The Mystics ate in relative silence at a round table laden with a thick silver cloth, goblets of wine, and plates brimming with goat meat, hearty bread and vegetables. Eli itched to talk to Moriyo after what Thea had revealed to them earlier. Around them, conversation buzzed and there was an undercurrent of excitement.
Gaela sipped the glittering wine in her cup. Her face was long and narrow, her eyes wide and green as emeralds. She leaned forward. “How many in Burga are affected?”
“None so far as we know.” That was the strangest part of it. Eli had no explanation and neither had Moriyo or Eira when they’d conversed with Thea in the Regent’s personal quarters.
“None?” Her mouth dropped open in surprise revealing a neat row of pearly teeth between thin lips.
“This is the first we’ve heard of such a thing. How many in Novo?”
Gaela wiped her mouth daintily with her napkin. “At least two dozen.”
“Two dozen? With so many around Mantinea, why would the Council of Peace refuse Regent Opher’s request for help?”
Gaela shrugged and placed her napkin back on her lap. Opher sat at the high center table surrounded by courtiers, Thea, swathed in silk and tulle, her feet smashed into dainty heels, at his elbow. “Novo didn’t refuse. Regent Oda sent me to Thea following the vote, hoping that we two could figure out what was going on.”
“But an excursion to the Northlands? No one has been there since the war.” And none in Mantinea had been in contact with the Northlanders since that time either. They’d parted on such poor terms, a gulf so deep between them that no one had ever seen the bottom. Eli hadn’t seen it himself, but he’d heard that the land was scorched so badly that it crystalized much of the ground, turning it slick and shiny as ice.
“I expect it was the ship.” When Eli looked at him blankly, Rhett leaned forward on his elbows to peak around Gaela’s right shoulder at him. “The ship. We’re to power the airship.”
Eli’s eyes rounded and he drew in a sharp breath. The sight of the sleeping woman and child had cracked his facade, but that old instinct to protect the spark quickly took over. “But that’s madness!” He swallowed, reigning in his tone and volume as heads at nearby tables were beginning to turn their way. “There’s not enough spark left to power such a machine.”
“What concern is that to the man who’s lost his wife and child?” Rhett’s eyes twinkled with drink. “And to those of us who have lost loved ones to this plague?” Eli fumbled for a response, but remained mute. “Opher might be one stop short of mad, but who can blame him for trying when he’s lost so much?”
“And with his people demanding answers,” Gaela added.
“So you support this venture?” He looked from one Mystic to the other. Both were resolute. He could see it in the hardness of the lines of their mouths, the jut of their chins.
“You and the rest of the Burgans have given your warriors the gift of flight. Who’s to say that together we couldn’t accomplish the same thing for a ship?”
The spark required to lift one warrior into the air was a pittance in comparison to what was needed to raise an entire ship. “And risk losing the spark completely?” There had to be a better way.
Gaela and Rhett exchanged glances, Rhett snorting rudely. “You sound like the old ones.” He nodded toward Moriyo and Eira who sat like statues, staring out across the hall. “The spark is going out. This we know. But if I have to choose between risking it all and sitting back and letting it die, well I’m going to pick action.” He paused to take another long swig of the wine before setting it on the table with a decided clunk. “What are you going to do?”
Eli leaned back in his chair. Was it simply the Burgan Mystics who refused to budge? But surely it was the Regents from several city-states who had refused Opher’s request. Otherwise, Regent Arayna would simply have been overruled. “What is it that the Regent believes we’ll find in the Northlands? A cure to the endless sleep?”
Gaela grinned broadly. “You’ll have to ask Thea about that.” The woman in question was in the process of waddling across the hall to them. The undulating movements of her hips were accentuated by the tulle she wore around her waist. When she arrived, Gaela turned her smile to the gray-haired woman. “Thea, tell Mystic Eli what we’ve discovered in our research.”
Thea’s mouth puckered slightly before opening into a slim smile. “Manna.” At Eli’s blank look, her smile widened. “In an old pile of papers taken from Vitus Croy’s personal quarters and kept by Mystic Knox, my predecessor and trainer, we found an interesting series of correspondence between Vitus and Delia.”
Gaela clasped her hands together, eager to continue the narrative. “It seems that the source of their disagreement wasn’t simply a lover’s spat. Delia’s mistress, the illustrious Lady Jade was quite the explorer and found the source of an ancient substance that enhanced a Mystic’s power, thinning the veil between Nia’s realm and our own world.” When she finished, she settled her hands in her lap and narrowed her eyes at Eli. “What do you say to that, Mystic Eli?”
Could it be true and not the stuff of legends? “The honey of the heavens,” Eli whispered, lost in the river of his own
thoughts. Believed to have given the first Mystics their power, the sap of this long-lost tree was administered to those chosen by Nia to awaken their powers. Such a substance would easily explain the ferocity of the war between Mantinea and the Northlands.
Eli glanced at Moriyo across the table. The old man stared back, brows creased as if he wondered what they were discussing. His master had told him the story of the tree and the origin of their powers, but to Eli, it felt more like a legend than history. Wouldn’t such a plant be on Mt. Yama where Nia had created their world? “And you know what this tree looks like?”
“There were drawings of the leaves in the correspondence.” Gaela flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder before grasping her wine glass. She frowned at Eli’s dubious face. Rhett turned back to the conversation. Once Thea appeared, he’d seemed less inclined to participate or pay much attention. Perhaps the details didn’t interest him and he was merely satisfied by the opportunity to take action against this illness that ravaged his countrymen.
The conversation fizzled then and Gaela gazed into her wine glass as Thea moved off in the direction of Regent Opher. Eli returned to his plate, filling his mouth with a forkful of meat. If their sources were sound, a trip to the Northlands seemed promising and worth the risk. He tapped the handle of the fork against his cheek while he chewed. Across the hall, Thea and Regent Opher talked quietly, leaning close together. He’d ask Moriyo what he knew about a brotherhood later when they returned to their quarters.
The rune on the inside of his left wrist began to bristle and itch. Eli glanced down from his plate and caught the flash of light that danced across the thin white scars. It seemed stronger now. He gasped, dropping his fork to cover the glow with his other hand. The room was lit throughout with spark lights, so someone would have to be watching him closely to notice the light emanating from his wrist. Still, his heart hammered wildly in his chest and a flood of nervous excitement filled him. He scanned the room. Rina was here.
