Chapter 11 Overload #2
Everyone ignored him. He’d heard all their discussions before they went through the rift to Illithor. Evidently, whatever his nephew had experienced hadn’t shaken him out of his beliefs as to what was and wasn’t possible. Or he just didn’t want to accept it.
What will he think when he finds out that I am Ailduin reborn?
“He’s the Night Prince, Darcassan. They told us that earlier. And after what we just saw… how can you doubt it?” Elasha swallowed convulsively.
She’s afraid of him. But Declan has been nothing but good and kind to her!
And yet Aquilan understood. The power that Declan had just shown them was overwhelming. For those who had grown up on scary stories of the Kindreth like his niece and nephew, this must have seemed like one of those come to life. Yet this was Declan. His Shadow.
Iefyr. From the beginning, I knew who and what he was on some level. The Ailduin in me, perhaps?
“It’s Declan, Elasha. The young man who cared enough to listen to your fears about Darcassan. Who came all this way to save your brother,” Aquilan reminded her. “Despite… despite the risks of coming here for him.”
“Risks?!” Darcassan let out a choked laugh. “If he’s a Vex what risks are to them here? This is home! Like he said.”
“If you think that Declan is safe here then you are a bigger fool than I thought you were and that is a feat, I’ll have you know,” Rhalyf growled.
His nephew and niece winced at the angry, arctic tone in his best friend’s voice.
But Aquilan was not sorry for it. He was glad.
Rhalyf clearly understood that being the son of Xelroth Vex and wielding this much power was a double-edged sword.
His eyes met his best friend’s. There was an opaqueness there, but Aquilan could see that Rhalyf and he were on the same page about this.
Did Vex come to see him? He supposedly saved Finley. And the young man looks… fine? Rhalyf found Finley. We will need to speak, but when we get home.
“I just don’t see how he’s in danger,” Darcassan persisted.
“Because, lad, he just announced who he is to all of the Under Dark,” Helgrom broke in with a grunt. “They may not realize yet who he is, but they’ll know someone is out there. And then the Night King…”
Helgrom bit off whatever he was going to say. Aquilan remembered Declan saying something about Vex thinking about killing him.
Would Vex see Declan as a threat?
“Declan’s always been special,” Finley whispered grimly. “I didn’t realize how much. Being the son of… of who he is, people will come to kill him or try and recruit him. Won’t they, Rhalyf?”
Rhalyf looked grimmer still. “I’m more worried about… someone closer to home.”
Does he mean Vex? I think he does. No. Vex couldn’t hurt his own son!
“Good gods, Declan, you just had to be an overachiever. Helgrom is right that you rung the bell. Everyone heard it,” Rhalyf muttered to the young man with a touch of genuine affection, but also exhausted worry.
His best friend scrubbed his face with one hand then to the rest of them, he said, “His magic is, in fact, the issue or rather the glamour that’s fighting it.
More than a bloody glamour. It’s almost like he’s been restrained.
His appearance. His memory. His magic. It wasn’t just to disguise him, but to keep him from using magic and… and doing this.”
Rhalyf gestured to the now completely clear cavern.
“So that’s why he looks human?” Darcassan asked, eyes narrowed.
“Yes, Darcassan.” Rhalyf cast an even more narrow-eyed glance back. “Brilliant observation. But that’s the least of what this spell is doing. Didn’t you hear me? Or rather, didn’t you understand what I said?”
Darcassan flushed. “I… I heard you! I just don’t understand how it’s still restraining him after–after that!”
“There are just shreds of it left, but as his own magic seeks to eliminate the restraints, it’s harming him.” Rhalyf shook his head.
“Can you undo the spell? Or will it just fail on its own?” Finley asked.
“His magic will explode out of him if we let it fail on its own,” Rhalyf warned.
“Explosion bad,” Snaglak nodded sagely.
“Exactly, Snaglak. You understand better than Darcassan. No, we have to release the pressure,” Rhalyf said, but he was stroking his chin anxiously and his eyes flickered all over Declan’s body.
“But how to do that without… This should never have been kept on him for so long! We’re lucky he didn’t lose it during the war and take out a continent. ”
“You’re not serious?!” Darcassan stared.
“Never more.” Rhalyf pinched the top of his nose. “They must have been bloody desperate to… fools. Fools…”
“But can you fix it, Rhalyf?” Aquilan asked intently.
We’re all looking at Rhalyf as if he has the answers. He normally does. But about this? Yet he sounds so sure. And in my heart, I feel he is right.
“Whoever did this didn’t plan on leaving him alone this long. Couldn’t have,” Rhalyf explained vaguely. “He’s gotten way too strong and… damnit!”
Declan’s body arched again and his feet beat a tattoo against the ground. He pulled himself completely out of Aquilan’s arms. Aquilan gasped and tried to grab him and pull him back down.
“Declan, hang on!” Finley cried even as he gripped his best friend’s shoulders, trying to do the same. “Rhalyf, can you do–”
“Rhalyf, please do something!” Aquilan begged, adding his voice to Finley’s.
Rhalyf whispered a spell and his fingers went a brilliant green.
He swiped them over his eyes, leaving trails of glowing green light.
His gray eyes went red. Those eyes flickered over Declan’s shaking form.
More muttering then Rhalyf reached down and plucked something in the center of his chest. There was a bright flash of red light.
“There! That should relieve some of the pressure until I can figure out how to unwind all this,” Rhalyf gasped.
Declan let out a long sigh before falling back supine against Aquilan’s chest. The eye movement slowed then stopped.
The unearthly chill that had been radiating off of Declan eased as well.
Aquilan ran his fingers down Declan’s forehead, cheeks and chin, murmuring gentle words to him.
Finley stroked his hair as well, breathing hard.
“You’re all right. You’re safe. We’re here with you, Declan,” Aquilan said over and over again.
Rhalyf leaned back on his heels and passed a slightly shaking hand over his forehead.
What he’d done had appeared easy, but Aquilan knew it hadn’t been.
“That’s as much as I dare try here.” His eyes–gray again–flickered around them.
They landed on the city and his lips flattened.
“He needs to be away from this place. Illithor is a power booster for his family.”
“But where do we go?” Elasha cried. “There are monsters everywhere. And if, as you say, what Declan did will bring others here to investigate then–”
“We need a rift,” Helgrom cut her off firmly. He was staring at Rhalyf. “To get back to Tyrael.”
“Wait, you mean to bring Declan back to Tyrael? To the Aravae Empire?” Darcassan stared at all of them as if they had lost their collective minds.
“That’s his home,” Aquilan said quietly.
“No, it’s not!” Darcassan snapped back. “Forgive me, Uncle, but his home is here.” He gestured back towards Illithor. “His father is somewhere around, isn’t he? He’s here for his son. So–”
“So what, lad? What are you suggesting?” Helgrom’s voice was deceptively low.
“Well, the Night King sent us a rift just when we needed it to get out of Xrdatha, right?” Darcassan looked between the dwarf, his sister and Snaglak.
“No more Australs to kill,” Snaglak sighed sadly.
“And your point?” Helgrom pushed.
“I’m betting that once we do what the Night King wants another rift will open. One that leads us home,” Darcassan proclaimed.
“What do you think the Night King wants?” Elasha asked.
“What does he want?” Darcassan stared at her and then the rest of them as if they were dull children. “His son! We just need to put Declan somewhere relatively safe for Vex to come get him.”
“Leave Declan… here? When he is unconscious and suffering?” Aquilan finally found the ability to get words out.
“Well… yes. He’s home. And if we want to go home ourselves, we need to make clear to the Night King we don’t intend to take his son with us!
Weren’t you all telling me–rather hysterically, I might add–that to take even a dagger of the Night King’s was to risk war with the Kindreth?
” Darcassan challenged. “What do you think taking his son will do? Now that would be stealing something important! Right? C’mon!
You have to agree with me here. My logic is sound!
” Darcassan’s cheeks flushed hotly when no one said anything.
“I was the one who knew the Leviathan were massing in the Under Dark! No one believed me! But I was right! And I’m right about this!
Taking Declan or Prince Rahven or whoever he is with us is a mistake!
We need to leave him behind! Or we’ll never get out of here! ”
Aquilan knew that there was a terrible bit of logic to it.
Declan, above all, was his father’s. Declan had such power that he could be a threat to Vex.
Or, at least, a perceived threat to Vex by the Night King’s many enemies.
Vex had said nothing about letting his son leave him.
Why would he allow the Sun King to take him?
Even the reincarnation of Ailduin? But Ailduin and Vex had a falling out.
Ailduin and Vex had disagreed about something huge.
He didn’t remember what it was. Maybe it was something like this.
But it didn’t matter if there was that bit of logic to it.
It didn’t matter if Darcassan was right.
He wasn’t leaving Declan here.
Aquilan lifted Declan into his arms. He cradled Declan’s head against his shoulder. He was a warm, light weight. And Aquilan thought he would never feel right if that weight was gone from him.
“Thank goodness, Uncle!” Darcassan allowed a broad smile to cross his face. “I knew you would see reason! We can put him in one of the buildings–”
“I am not leaving Declan here,” Aquilan said, but not really to his nephew. He was speaking to someone else. “Vex, do you hear me? I am not leaving Declan here!”
The use of Vex’s name–calling out to him in this way–was very unwise. The Night King’s name echoed.
“Damn you! I will not leave him in the dark!” Aquilan shouted. “I will not!”
More echoes. No answers.
“He won’t let us leave, Uncle. There’s no way to get back,” Darcassan cried. “You need to–”
“There are other rifts out of the Under Dark,” Rhalyf said quietly as he stood up. He wouldn’t meet Aquilan’s gaze, but his voice was steady and sure. No prevarications. “They don’t lead to Earth, but we can plane jump until we get to the Lieran Plane and then–”
“You can’t be serious?! And how do you know this, Rhalyf? How do you know this?” Darcassan shouted.
“Because, lad, there’s plenty of us who left the Under Dark without the ability to open rifts ourselves,” Helgrom cut in. “There are rifts that are always open. Too big to close. I know of a few myself. It is a trek, but–”
“Declan does not have the time for any of that,” Aquilan answered. “But thank you, my friends. Thank you. Vex! VEX!”
“Uncle, please stop! Don’t call him!” Elasha was covering her ears and there were tears in her eyes.
Aquilan ignored her. “Vex… do this for me and… you can ask a boon of me.”
The silence was different at that moment. Aquilan swore he heard a soft chuckle. Not malevolent. Maybe amused. Maybe sad. Maybe imagined.
“It will never work! And what are you offering, Uncle?” Darcassan now sounded as hysterical as he claimed they had been. “He’s not going to–”
“Look! Rift!” Snaglak pointed at the rift that clearly led to a spot outside of the Thompson Center.
Their horses along with Helgrom’s pony, HT, were swishing their tails and whinnying at them, seeing them through the rift, too.
Snaglak immediately slapped Glom’s butt, which had the naki jumping and hissing before he said, “Home now. Home, Glom.”