34. Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Zeph
V iola and I went looking for Solarius and Avidor to explain what was going on in Ytopie to them. I could not be more disappointed in what we found.
"It's none of my business," Solarius drawls, arms crossed, as he looks down his nose at Viola. He's beautiful, with his dark skin, golden hair, and perfect features, but his face is twisted with cruelty. "Those fae are not my children. I need to find the humans who worship me and regain my power."
"They are your children," Viola sneers, taking a step towards him. "Your brother is escalating, imprisoning anyone who does not follow his command. I do not want to think about what is next. I will not condemn an entire city to his machinations."
"But you're not going to stop Himureal yet, are you?" Avidor says from his position on the bench pushed against the wall of the home we gave him. He crosses his ankle over his knee, crossing his arms over his bare chest. The Decay that begins from his fingertips, so like Viola's, flexes with the motion.
While the Decay looks the same, they carry it so differently. Avidor's seems to overwhelm him as if it's growing uncontrollably, and he's fighting to hold it back. It writhes under his skin like worms, searching for a path of fresh skin.
In contrast, Viola's lines of Decay are like an electrical storm at night, charged and ready to strike out. It's a decoration, a war paint, and a reservoir of power. I wonder if she can pull from it and use it as a magic source if push comes to shove. It has not grown past her wrists, staying exactly where the gloves put it when she took on Avidor's power.
She pushes a loose strand of white hair that slipped from one of her braids behind her pointed ear and moves her eyes between both Gods. "I will be putting myself at risk, traveling through a shadow vision and risking encountering Himureal, to pull two fae from Ytopie who have seen what the Frostweaver is doing. When they arrive, I will summon Amaryn, and all of us will be developing a plan to get rid of him."
Solarius begins to speak, his eyes dancing with fire, and Viola shoots a thin stream of Water into his face. He sputters, too shocked to do anything but gape at her. "I will hear no argument to this. If we are to have a safe, comfortable world for everyone, Himureal has to go." Her voice wavers a bit, and I know there is still that small part of Viola that wished Himureal could have been a father figure gasping for breath beneath her stoic surface.
She adjusts the light blue blouse that is tucked into her black trousers and places her hands on her hips. "I expect you both to have a plan for how to get rid of him. I cannot imagine it's easy to kill a God."
With that, she stalks out of the room, and I follow her, fighting back a massive grin. "You just sprayed Water in a God's face."
She laughs dryly, shrugging. "I did. He deserved it." The sun has set and the orange glow of the moon is partially obscured by clouds, leaving Rainworth more shadowed than not. Viola looks exhausted, the day's ritual and revelations wearing on her, but still, she holds herself with grace as we continue through the village. "Has Plume gotten word on where they are?"
As if summoned, Plume comes rushing up to us, panting, hair wild and face red from exertion. Mace is not far behind her. "They sent multiple messages to different places so it wouldn't be intercepted," she says between pants, "but I caught them all. They're in the winner's village, hiding."
"I know what it looks like," I say to Viola.
"Thank you so much, Plume. Please tell the others we are leaving now," she says, pulling Plume in for a light hug. Viola Mistflow willingly hugging someone is not something I ever thought I'd see, but I cannot say it is not a welcome change.
Mace wraps Viola in his arms and kisses the top of her head, whispering something in her ear before pulling away and cupping her cheek. "Be quick, numen."
Divine being. It's a fitting pet name.
"Of course," she says, waving him away and turning back to me. "Tell me all about the village," she demands of me as Plume and Mace leave the green space.
I describe the small building Cirrha and I waited in as we sent our message to Plume, both the interior and the exterior. Viola closes her eyes as I speak, attempting to visualize the place.
"I don't like going somewhere I've never gone before," she admits quietly. "And what if Himureal joins the vision?"
"How would he know you're in the vision?"
"I think it's something to do with my magic being of his. He's always found me." She pushes errant strands off her face again, but they seem determined to stick in the thin sheen of sweat she has amassed there.
"Can we Shield it?" I ask, dropping to the grass. I dig my bare feet through it, focusing on the feeling of blades between my toes. "Have you combined Shadow and Shield before?"
She wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. "I don't think I have, but it's a good idea. If the Shield can strengthen the vision enough that he cannot penetrate it, we can get them and get out, provided he doesn't know where they are and is waiting for us." She paces, her snake creeping from the shadows and weaving between her feet as she does. Never once does she trip or step on him, the two working together seamlessly.
"Would that make a difference? If he has the potential to be there, would that stop you from trying to extract them?" The question may as well be rhetorical because, for all of Viola's faults, she would not leave two people who have shown loyalty to her and helped her with such indifference to the consequences they would suffer.
"Of course not," she answers, waving her hand. She sits on the grass in front of me, and Shadow slithers over to us, climbing her body and wrapping around her wrist, placing his head in her palm. "Are you coming with me, Zeph?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.
"Maybe we should ask Avidor or Solarius for help again? Just in case?" I ask, looking around the village.
"They won't, and you know it. Plus, I am not sure I could transport everyone."
I take the hand Shadow has not claimed and nod my head. "You're right. Let's go get our friends."
Quiet magic swirls around Viola, and we are plunged into a shadow vision. It looks different than it did the last time I was in one with her. The edges shimmer with an iridescent sheen.
"The Shield," I say quietly, walking towards the glimmer. I reach my hand out towards it, and it is firm, impenetrable. "You did it, I think."
"Well then, let's move fast," she says, dragging me to a door at the edge of the vision. It's weathered, the wood buckling and soft in places. She wrenches it open and we step into a small room to sounds of shock.
Before my eyes can even adjust to the light of the space, warm arms wrap around my waist, and hot lips kiss me passionately.
Cirrha.
"You came," she says quietly, mouth still pressed against mine.
"Of course I did." I pull back to look at her, her deep brown eyes shining with unshed tears, and grab her face with both of my hands. I did not realize just how much I missed her presence until now. How could I ever have thought the feelings for Viola were this?
"This is cute, but we have to move," Viola's voice says sharply. "I'm not sure if he'll detect the surge of my power or not."
I step back from Cirrha to take a good look at her. She looks exhausted, with deep purple bags under her eyes. Her yellow jumpsuit is smudged with dirt, and her feet are bare.
Taegan stands just behind her, an orb of Light in his hand, his face thin and gaunt in the shadows it casts. He forces a smile when he catches me looking at him and shrugs as if to say, "What did you expect?"
"We can catch up back in Rainworth. Hands on me, please," Viola says, interrupting my thoughts. The three of us step to her, and I place my hand in hers. Cirrha rests a hand on her forearm, and Taegan places his on her shoulder. Shadow hisses ominously, and Viola nods at the snake. "I'm going," she says quietly, as if in answer to a command.
Once again, magic swirls in the air around us, and the Light in Taegan's hand is extinguished. We're in the shadow vision again, the edges shimmering with Shield magic, and Viola points at a door on the edge of the vision. It looks newly built, and a faint orange glow pulses around the edges.
The edges of the vision start to ripple, the iridescent sheen of Shield magic blinking in spaces. "He's trying to get in," Viola says with a snarl, running towards the door. We follow, tumbling through after her as she wrenches it open.
We run into Rainworth, the moon lighting the grassy common area Viola and I vacated just minutes before.
Viola looks harried, eyes sunken, and my chest twists and aches with the realization that I have failed her as her high priest. "Shadowweaver!" I shout, catching her in my arms as she collapses. Her eyelids flutter, and she grumbles something under her breath, trying to force herself from my arms. "No, stay fucking still, Viola. Taking three people through the vision and doing the visions so closely back to back seems to have drained you. I have to help you replenish."
I close my eyes and search Krillium for the threads of devotion that weave through it. I can see them, light and infrequent, leading to me from Ytopie, and I smile. Taegan and Cirrha's work was paying off. Strong threads weave through the Lowlands, but it's not everyone, and probably not enough for what lies ahead of us. Not even close.
But here, in Rainworth, the devotion is blinding, a beacon of support and adoration from all who reside here.
Except for two dark, black holes in the home that we exited not long ago.
I pull the bright threads from our town, weaving them together into an object of pure fealty that I push into Viola. She gasps, chest jolting up, and looks at me, eyes wide.
"That was a lot of devotion, high priest. Are you going to collapse now?"
"I was careful, Shadowweaver. I didn't pull it too quickly. You need to remember this is what I was made to do."
"I don't want you to burn yourself out, Zeph," she says. "I didn't need to be fully restored at once."
"I know my limits," I say, exasperated. "I don't tell you how to be a God. Don't tell me how to be a high priest. "
She rolls her eyes and scrambles from my arms, smoothing her clothing and looking at Cirrha and Taegan. "I won't interrogate you now. You look exhausted. Zeph will show you to homes you can sleep in and get you some food. We'll talk in the morning."
Cirrha takes two steps closer to Viola and bows her head, a hand on her chest. "Thank you for saving us, Shadowweaver."
"You helped save me first, so I guess now we're even," Viola says with a chuckle. Taegan wrings his hands in front of him, saying nothing, but the movement must catch Viola's attention because she steps in front of him, pulling his chin up with two fingers. "Taegan, right?"
"Yes, Shadowweaver."
"I only met Loris once," she says quietly. "But I heard what he did for me. It will not be in vain."
Taegan's eyes swim with tears as he looks into the smokey grey eyes of the Shadowweaver. "I know it wasn't. I can already tell."