Chapter 4 Questions He Will Not Ask #2
“Your desire to have them seen individually is commendable, Finley. But their whole culture is rife with cruelty,” Aquilan stated chillily.
“You did not seem to think so when you asked me about The Forever Hunt,” Helgrom reminded him.
“No, I…” Aquilan firmed his shoulders. “No, I didn’t. But that a Kindreth comes here and kills… The Night King comes here and kills…”
“Yes, yes, that’s true,” Rhalyf said faintly.
“Rhalyf, you think the Night King is here? In the Pedway?” Elasha’s eyes were huge.
“Dark nice,” Snaglak nodded. “Vex could be here.”
He seemed completely unbothered by the possibility. But the orcs had always allied themselves with the Kindreth. They’d been used as the muscle in many wars. Cannon fodder, some would claim. But Snaglak didn’t seem to have any bad feelings about it.
“Why do you think it’s him?” Declan’s brows were drawn together.
“Well…” Rhalyf lifted a shaking hand to his forehead.
Seeing that it was shaking, Rhalyf clenched it into a fist to stop the nervous movement.
Aquilan’s alarm rose at this. His best friend almost seemed undone by it all.
“It’s all still conjectural, but the magic used on the two dead Aravae was performed expertly.
No, no, more than that. It was perfect. Utterly, completely perfect.
But you won’t understand what I mean. You’ll think it’s all guessing and maybe I would have agreed with you before, but…
no, I don’t. I know.” He raked his hands furiously through his hair then he faced Aquilan head on.
There was no shaking any longer. Instead, his best friend looked grim and determined and different.
It was almost like he had shed the Rhalyf skin he always wore and was showing Aquilan someone utterly new.
Someone more hard edged and afraid. “I am going to ask you to trust me on this, Aquilan. Vex is near. He is watching all of this. We must stop Darcassan before he does something irrevocable.”
Again, questions died on Aquilan’s lips.
Questions he should ask. Questions like: how would Rhalyf know it was Kindreth magic used in the deaths?
How would he know the power level of the person who cast it?
What did he mean by “perfect?” Why did that cause a tremor to go through Aquilan?
And why did he believe Vex was nearby and watching them?
“I can see that Rhalyf believes this! But it’s… Well, I suppose it doesn’t harm anything if we treat it seriously. But truly, I don’t think the Night King is right here. I mean… in the dark. With us. Right now,” Elasha let out an uncertain laugh.
“He’s not here,” Declan murmured, which had Rhalyf’s head snapping towards Declan and searching his face for information. “But he’s waiting nearby. To see if we fail or succeed.”
Yes, it’s true. I feel it too. On the way here, I felt it. And now I feel him near. Did you kill my parents, Vex? Why are you here? What are you planning to do?
“Then we can’t delay any longer,” Finley said. “We need to not give him a reason to attack.”
I have a reason to attack though. I have many, many reasons. But… no, war with the Kindreth… no, no, no…
“I feel the same. That he is here. That he is… near,” Aquilan admitted quietly. “But even if I didn’t, I believe you. I believe all of you.”
Rhalyf winced when he said that. Aquilan frowned. But then Rhalyf was straightening and holding himself very tightly. His eyes were unreadable. He’d never seen his best friend like this. As if all hope was lost.
Elasha let out a slight moan. “It was bad enough when I thought that Darcassan risked being killed by Leviathan! But if Vex–”
“We shouldn’t say his name any longer. Especially if we get to Illithor,” Helgrom interrupted firmly. “It has power. It calls dire things.”
Without further discussion, all of them turned and headed deeper into the darkness of the Pedway.
Declan led them, but Aquilan made it so that there was only a foot between them.
He would not have Declan face whatever was coming alone.
Not that Declan appeared afraid. In fact, the deeper they went, the darker it got, the more danger loomed, Declan seemed more self-assured. Almost eager.
Aquilan found himself only half aware of where they were going and what they were doing.
He was distracted. More than distracted.
Rhalyf believed that Vex was here. Had killed two of his citizens.
Was looking for a reason to attack them.
But didn’t Aquilan already have a reason to attack him?
Two were already dead. Why? Why would Vex do that?
Would the Night King just slaughter people?
Like my parents. Did he do that? Is Vex here? Is he watching? Why? Why is he here? Why did he come here?
His mind was in a tumult. He needed time to think. But there was no time. He felt time, in fact, sliding through his fingers like sand. It was escaping him.
Declan suddenly lowered himself almost down to his haunches and held up a hand to stop the others.
They froze. There was a broad set of steps directly ahead of them with a dual handrail in the center.
There was debris in the corners. Old crushed, styrofoam coffee cups, candy wrappers, creased pieces of paper and other random detritus. They stirred in a suddenly cold wind.
The smell of stone and old magic flowed over Aquilan.
His eyelids fluttered nearly shut as that scent filled his nostrils and, for a moment, he had a vision.
It was of soaring purple towers. Golden rivers of magma.
Boats with crimson sails gracefully cutting through night shrouded water loaded down with everything from stone to build with, scrolls to murmur, and delicious food and drink to delight.
“We should move to become more self-sufficient,” a rich, warm male voice intoned. “All this need for trade makes us weak.”
“Not weak. Strong. Connected.” Another male voice answered, filled with affection.
“Every boat that comes to Illithor’s docks sails from some far flung corner of the Empire.
It connects us to them and them to us. Don’t you see?
Silk from Shimmershield! Wine from Emberview!
Fish from Clearcoast! Parchment from Elderhand!
It is harder to go to war with people who purchase your goods. ”
“Until we do not pay them enough,” the first voice answered, but there was a trace of laughter there. “But I see your point. I understand. And I am glad that you see things in such a positive light.”
“And you will continue to see the shadow,” the second voice answered sadly. “I know you too well to think otherwise.”
“Yes, but that will allow you to see sunlight in this undying darkness,” the first voice whispered.
Aquilan stumbled. But Declan already had a hand out to catch him. The young man studied his face for long moments.
“I’m fine,” Aquilan mouthed.
He was.
The moment was over. The strange vision… imagining… whatever it was… was over. Gone as if it had never been. The scent of old magic was still there. It was like icy water on his tongue. But the sights and sounds it had conjured were gone.
Declan made a movement with his fingers to indicate that he was going to scout ahead and would return to them. But Aquilan shook his head. Declan frowned and tried to indicate he would go alone.
“Darcassan will not know you,” Aquilan whispered. “He will not heed you.”
Declan stilled. Aquilan couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but finally, the young man reluctantly nodded.
“Snaglak want smash,” Snaglak moaned. “Glom hungry.”
Declan threw a smile at the orc who frisked happily. He nodded. The orc and the naki would get their wishes.
“Smash, smash, smash,” Snaglak whispered.
Glom’s tail swished happily.
Aquilan caught sight of Rhalyf speaking softly to Finley. It was clear he was telling the young man to stay well away from the action. He didn’t want Finley to get hurt. Finley was nodding in response.
They started down the stairs. Declan out front.
The young man moved utterly silently. The kitchen knife was out and seemed to have a faint blue-white glow on the edge.
Declan’s other hand kept moving to the back of his neck as if something was bothering him there.
But that didn’t stop his fluid movements.
They were down the first flight when he caught sight of a few footprints left by Darcassan. They looked fresh. Aquilan hoped that meant that Darcassan had not come down here too long ago. Maybe a rift hadn’t opened yet. Maybe he was stuck waiting to get past the Leviathan.
You took first blood, Vex. If not my parents then the people you killed in that copse. You cannot find justice in going to war over a stolen sword or whatever Darcassan thinks to find there.
They were down the second flight. And there was a jog to the right.
The walls were tiled. The floors were too.
They had been white or off-white. Now it looked as if the Leviathan’s darkness was ground into them.
Staining them. Aquilan kept his clothing tight to his body, not wanting to touch it, not wanting any of the others to touch it either as if they would be contaminated.
Vex… are you here?
Declan flattened himself against the wall next to where the wall turned and likely opened up onto the platform of this train station.
There was silence from the next room. Maybe the faint stirring of garbage, but nothing else.
And dark. Perfect darkness. Even his eyes were having difficulty piercing it.
So when the crackling blue-white light of a rift reflected against the dirty tile, it was blinding. He squinted his eyes and lifted a hand up to shield them from the light. The terrible light that did not come from the Sun. The slithery sound of Leviathan filled the air. So many coils.
And then the shouting began.
Someone was shouting a spell.
It was Darcassan.