"You were forced into a magical contract?" Linus asked doubtfully.
"You lied to us," Reshi muttered. It was without much condemnation, but her intelligent eyes grew even keener. She looked at me in a way that reminded me of when we first met, as if she were sizing me up again for the very first time.
My skin grew hot. These doubts were understandable, well deserved, even. After all, we are lying to them still… even if it’s for the greater good. That had been our reason for the first lie, too, and I had to wonder, at what point would it end?
"They must've had reason," Laini added. “And the Gate Maker is here, which means someone actually exists who can deal with the tear. I’ll take that.”
Bravi pounded the table with her fist.
"I said comments and questions after." Her glare silenced nearly everyone, except for Ruk, who stepped forward. In his simple robes, he looked like a strapping monk who had rolled into town. His red skin and lavender eyes made him exotic enough to catch everyone’s eye. He met their stares calmly, carrying an ancient presence with him. He must have grown used to this type of scenario, from his days of teaching vampires. I was glad to let him take over; this was nerve wracking for me.
"You will have to forgive me," Ruk said. "I did force them into secrecy. I’m sure you can understand that I could not risk the Immortal Council learning the location of my people."
The tension in the room eased a fraction. If there was anything the people in the Coalition could relate to, it was dodging the watchful eye of rulers and hunters under Irrikus's command.
"You suffered in your friends' absence, but they provided an invaluable service to me. I needed their assistance to convince my kin to repair the tear, and unfortunately it was extremely time sensitive. You see, where I’m from, they had almost decided to completely wash their hands of the matter, which would have led to untold devastation. Lyra and Dorian provided testimony and showcased truly noble intentions in front of a jury of my kin. I'm in their debt, and therefore, at your disposal to take care of the monstrosity floating above us. I am the Gate Maker, and I have a unique ability to work with the barrier.”
Bodies straightened or leaned forward in chairs, watching Ruk with interest.
With Ruk's corroboration, I explained why Ruk took us to where he and Sen lived with his people. He’d needed our testimony to convince his kin that Irrikus and the Immortal Council were a grave threat to the world, including the other continent, where they thought they were reasonably safe. He relayed the stories of how we had been tested to prove our worthiness. Bravi processed this with an impressed raise of her brows. Reshi folded one pair of arms to give Ruk an evaluating look with tangerine eyes.
“We realize that it sounds unbelievable, but we finally found a way to fix the tear,” Dorian pressed. “They helped us collect more information that will help us defeat the Immortal Council.” Our spiel was coming to an end. I looked out to a mixture of hope and skepticism.
“I’ve never heard of another continent,” Arlonne grumbled. “How can we trust your new friends, if they can’t even tell us the name of their own people?”
“I assure you, the name is of little importance,” Ruk offered with an apologetic shrug.
Reshi pounced next. “And why would these creatures—evidently removed enough from our worries, if they live so far away—have such information? If it’s eluded us, I doubt they have the information we need, unless they have all-seeing eyes.”
My mouth went dry. The arbiters’ ability to see the lower planes in their all-seeing way was going to sound unbelievable, but it wasn’t against the Mandate.
“I assure you that my abilities extend beyond barriers,” Ruk said. “My kin and I can see things, although we’re limited in our own ways. We have been able to see a great deal of what has been going on. For instance, we knew that we were coming into an attack on the camp.” Reshi stared at him incredulously. Of all people, she knew best the limits of our current technology. It was probably hard to imagine that Ruk would’ve been able to see something like that without a physical tool or presence here.
“It’s true,” I added, trying to keep my voice calm. “We hurried back to help.”
Bravi exhaled slowly, her brows pinched together with doubt.
“I trust Lyra and Dorian,” Laini said. “The story is wild, yes, but I’ve read about the Gate Maker.” She leaned forward. “It was written so long ago. How long did he keep you imprisoned? How are you able to help with the tear? The journals said you were powerful, but Irrikus managed to capture you.” Grief for Ruk pierced me. It was such a terrible tale for Ruk to retell, but Laini was sensible for asking. I would’ve thought the same thing, if I had read the journals without any personal interaction with Ruk.
Sen glanced at Ruk from the corner of her eye.
“Irrikus imprisoned me for over nine hundred years,” Ruk said grimly. His sharp teeth flashed as he curled his lips with disgust at the memory. “I cannot tell you much more than that. It’s like asking a wildling or a maker how they work their magic. Or how you, vampire, know to drink darkness from those overflowing with it. We just do the things that are in our nature.”
Arlonne set her prosthetic arm down on the table with a metallic clink. “Talk is cheap from liars. Show us something.” Dread hit me. Of all people, I wanted to keep Arlonne’s respect. It had been hard to win her over in the beginning, and she was an honorable warrior. I don’t want to lose her trust like this.
Bravi grunted impatiently. “Arlonne, we can hear them out first. Be reasonable.” The table dissolved into fervent argument.
While they sized up our arbiter companions, two vampires entered to offer hot drinks. A vampire woman handed us cups of warm tea, whispering her soft thanks. I grabbed the rough ceramic cup she handed me with glee and thanked her right back. It smelled of the seaweed, which was safe for humans, but I needed the comfort of a hot drink right now. My tired muscles practically sighed with relief as I took my first sip of the bitter seaweed tea. We hadn’t been able to eat or drink in the Higher Plane. The warm cup in my hand felt like an old friend, soothing my torn emotions.
To my surprise, Sen stepped forward as the conversation grew louder.
“Perhaps you would feel more comfortable if you saw proof.” I turned to her in surprise, but she merely smiled at the restless crowd with unnerving composure. “This is something we understand. Our people are logical, and we also require evidence. Shall I provide you with some?”
Dorian and I exchanged startled glances, but Bravi leaned back and crossed her arms. She said, “The sooner you do, the sooner we can move on and get to some actual planning.”
How is she supposed to show them what she can do, while keeping the secret of what she actually is?
Sen brushed her hands together. I noticed that in this form, for the first time, she had fingernails. They were long and sharp. “Show me your magic. All of it. I found those invisible fighters, and I’ll find whatever you throw at me.” She stared expectantly at Arlonne and Reshi.
Reshi’s lip twitched with annoyance at Sen’s presumptuous tone, but she stood. “Fine.”
She led us outside. The other groups were busy with their activities, but they gave us curious looks as we passed by. Our group was unusual, but I’d gotten used to it by this point.
“I will take you to the training grounds,” Reshi said. “There, I expect you to identify every spell the wildlings, makers, and our technology throw at you.”
Sen cocked her head to side. “Excellent. I find dodging magic to be quite amusing. The kind I’ve seen so far won’t be difficult.” Arlonne let out an annoyed grumble. I winced behind Sen’s back. It was difficult for the arbiters to read emotions, which might make it hard for Sen to win the Coalition over. Yet, I was grateful that she’d offered to show off her skills. Reshi called for fighters from every rank, Arlonne and herself included. They armed themselves with vampire gauntlets, knives, and even one of the smaller mechanical jaspers.
“Are you sure you wish to do this?” Reshi asked skeptically. It was only Sen on the other side of the field against six fighters, including Reshi and Arlonne. Any reasonable person would have been alarmed on Sen’s behalf, but I suspected that Reshi was in for a surprise.
“You can come at me all at once, if you’d prefer this to be quick.”
Sen’s flippant reply might have made the fighters enthusiastic. I winced as a punishing volley of shots headed for Sen. It caused a stormy cloud of dirt to rise up around where she stood. For a moment, Sen was obscured. When the dust settled, she emerged without a hair out of place.
“This magic is an impressive work of combined technology,” she said enthusiastically, and listed off a dozen or so technical terms that clearly meant something to Reshi. She waved the mechanical jasper back, and the warriors, begrudging but awed, put their weapons away. “It modifies their bodies, but not the world around them. It’s fascinating. But there are places where I think you could be more elegant.”
“Oh?” Reshi asked, not with affront, but the respect of one scholar to another. “How so?” And just like that, they were off in their own little world.
As Reshi and Sen bonded over magic, Bravi tapped her foot and eyed me cautiously. “There’s something else I want to know. Lyra, I saw you create a gust of wind because I saw your hand whipping around. Assuming I wasn’t hallucinating, I want to know just how you left as a capable human warrior and returned with magical powers.”
Shocked murmurs among our friends and allies broke out, and Reshi’s attention drifted from Sen as they all turned to look me. I touched the necklace around my throat.
“It’s borrowed technology,” I explained, watching their eyes for reactions. “I’m only able to use it thanks to Ruk and Sen.”
Reshi stepped forward with interest. “May I?” I nodded, and she examined the necklace. I refused to unclasp it, knowing that it was unwise to let such a gift leave my body. “This is impressive.” Her caution with the strangers gave way to fascination.
Dorian wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “And, if you hadn’t already noticed, they’ve also given us the ability to work around the curse. We can stand next to one another without any trouble.” He held back the fact that it was only temporary, since that would likely put a stain on the public opinion of Ruk and Sen. In a flash, he was on top of the watchtower. “And Lyra isn’t the only one with new abilities,” he called down.
Juneau clapped and cheered. Bravi shook her head in amazement.
“Well, they’ve certainly got a few tricks,” Arlonne muttered, grudgingly impressed. She eyed Sen and Ruk from their feet to the tips of their heads. “We are ready to accept those who can pull their weight.”
A new hope filled me. “Our new allies can help us turn the tide against the Immortal Council if we’re careful. We can win,” I urged. Laini sucked in an excited breath, her violet eyes sparking with anticipation. “We can take out the Immortal Council by cutting them off at the head.”
“It beats waiting for the Immortals to send their troops against us over and over,” Bravi said as she looked over the camp. “We grow stronger every day, but so do they.” And they didn’t even know about what we’d seen yet.
Dorian nodded. “And we know Irrikus is planning something big. He’s calling any troops he can get his hands on right now. The revenants are still spread out over the Mortal Plane, and clearly that’s also part of his plan. He’s calling all his soldiers together and fanning the revenants out for some reason.” He gave them a breakdown of what we saw in the control room.
“You said you have a democracy here,” I said. “Can we take a vote?”
Reshi cleared her throat sharply. “While I’m greatly impressed by this technology, we must be skeptical of all intelligence that we’re getting. Laini and Juneau have gone to such lengths to build an espionage network, so I think it would be wise to defer to their guidance in this.” She gestured for Laini.
“It wouldn’t hurt to verify,” Laini admitted. It seemed like she was already on our side. “I can send word to our spies. You said there are a dozen controllers for the revenants inside the monstrous green glass building?”
“Yes,” I said. “We saw them in a meeting room there. If one of your informants is on Irrikus’s staff, then they might be able to tell you more. Our sources told us that both controllers and soldiers are mobilizing.”
Juneau agreed to send word. Reshi seemed satisfied by that. It was Bravi who brought up the next problem.
“Well, it sounds like they’re moving to attack on multiple fronts. Great. We need forces from the Bureau and VAMPS camp to support us. The camp can’t afford any more losses. Our relationship with the Bureau was rocky at best when you left; they don’t want to publicly deal with the vampire topic much, since it’s fodder for controversy.” She looked up gravely at the tear looming over the camp. “Here, we protect the injured and those who couldn’t make it through the tear. I can’t risk their lives by attacking Itzarriol without Bureau support. If you want reinforcements, you’re going to have to go through the tear. It’s dangerous, as we’ve told you.”
Dorian smirked. “Have we ever turned down a task for being too dangerous?” I stared at the stormy tear above us with both dread and anticipation. I was eager to go home and see the Mortal Plane sky. If I was lucky, I would get to see my family before we had to return.
“The portals,” I muttered. “You said they became dangerous. What does that mean, exactly? Has the tear caused them to destabilize?”
“Likely, and I say that because we can’t get close enough to actually reach them anymore. Irrikus was smart enough to guard the nearby portals with patrols. We used to get scouts through occasionally, but it’s become too dangerous. They’ve managed to cut us off.”
So, how would we get through a tear that was three times worse than we’d left it?
“I might be of some assistance,” Ruk offered. He flexed his hands. “I can get you through in one piece.”
“Are you sure?” Bravi pressed. “I just said hello to them again. I don’t want to explain to Zach how I lost them so soon.” For a moment, I was touched by her caring… and her obvious reluctance to lose two fighters for the cause. She’d said somebody had lost limbs on a crossing since the tear had worsened, but who better to bring us through than Ruk?
“Your chance of success is higher than failure,” Sen piped up coolly. “I estimate an eighty percent chance that one of you will lose a small finger.”
I cringed. “That’s… comforting.”
Ruk snorted. “They’ll get through just fine.” He met Bravi’s gaze. “What do we need to do once we’re there?”
“Get more supporters and bring them back through the tear. If you can do that, the Coalition will support a mission to take on the Immortal Council,” Bravi promised. The leaders around her nodded.
Laini offered a small smile. “What a greeting. You just got back, and we’re already putting you to work.” I laughed, unable to help it, and nodded. I met Dorian with a decisive look. If we could gather support for our mission to take down the Immortal Council, we were one step closer to finishing the war Irrikus started. I had human connections left in the Mortal Plane that we could call upon. We would unite and be stronger together. The knowledge of that drove me forward like a stubborn ship in choppy, uncertain seas.
10
Lyra
So, it was decided that Dorian and I would go on this journey. Ruk radiated new strength, making me confident about our journey through the tear, even if it was unstable.
We had gathered in the war room to discuss moving forward with our plans.
"Your bracer needs a polish," Reshi pointed out. "May I?"
I let her gently take the weapon off my arm, and she promised to fix it up. After scanning reports with Bravi at the table, I leaned back in my chair to search for Dorian. I found him speaking with Reshi, who still held my bracer in her hand. He gestured outside, and she nodded before th
ey both left the room. Obviously, Dorian had something he wanted to discuss with her. New technology?
I returned to my conversation with Bravi and the others. Juneau exuberantly broke into a long tale of woe about how rough the Coalition had been on his precious vests. Bravi smirked and promised him that he could mend the vests if he wanted, since he was desperate to work more. Juneau decided against that, remarking with a sudden realization that there was no time for keeping up appearances in a war. Spying, he said, was every bit as interesting as threadwork.
Reshi and Dorian came back with my bracer as good as new while I was deep in discussion with Bravi and Juneau about the espionage network. I’d have to ask him what they talked about later.
* * *
Bravi showed us to the barracks. She told us that they had a small room they could spare for Dorian and me until we left. It had previously housed two injured vampires, but they'd recently healed up enough to move back to the communal bunks.
"The camp feels alive. It’s like the Hive on steroids," I muttered, once we had a moment to ourselves. "I appreciate the private room." A cracked mirror above a small washbasin showed off my dirty face. I used some of the water to scrub at my face and hands, since the medics had already disinfected my cuts. Our battle with the invisible hunters had gone much better than I’d expected. Still, my body was exhausted. I flexed, feeling how sore my arms were after only using a few gusts of wind. The arbiters hadn’t been kidding when they said using our powers in the lower planes would be difficult. I would have to be careful in the future.
I wrung out the cloth and then collapsed into bed. Dorian threw himself down beside me. The bed was small but large enough to hold both of us. With the power of our necklaces dulling the curse, we slept peacefully together. I dreamt of flashes of rainbow and reflective floors that went on for ages. The flash of Irrikus’s face cut my rest short. I woke up, panting.
Darklight 7: Darkfall Page 9
