Chapter 13 #2
“Your people speak of me. They gave me many names,” Vex said.
Finley’s eyes widened. “Oh? Will you tell me some?”
“Enmesharra. Arawn. Cernunnos.”
“You’re making me wish I had my iPhone to look up those names. I do recognize the last one though. Cernunnos, a Celtic deity, supposedly of fertility–”
Despite the sunglasses, Finley saw Vex wink at him and flushed.
Finley hastened on, “Or of the underworld.”
Vex laughed.
“An antlered, aged figure sort of could be you, I suppose. The aged part might be explained by them seeing your silvery hair. They would have associated that with age,” Finley mused.
“Who knows what they thought. If they thought about it at all. I could be wrong,” Vex answered.
“All the myths and stories about elves, dwarves, fairies, orcs and more though… those must have been based on seeing some of you,” Finley pressed.
“I locked down the Under Dark, but the other planes have never had such restrictions,” Vex admitted. “And Earth has its charms. Hence the big Houses of the Aravae’s eagerness to carve it up.”
“Did you visit in modern times? See all the cities? Use a computer?” Finley asked, feeling wistful and sad suddenly.
“I have not been to Earth in some time,” Vex admitted, but studied Finley for a moment. “Much was lost, yes?”
Finley gave a tight nod. “What you’ll see in Hope is… Well, it isn’t us. Humans, I mean. It’s got charm and everything. Don’t get me wrong. Plus there are remnants of our food and music and… It’s just…”
“What?”
“It’s not real.” Finley shook his head. “Duke Rohannan–that’s the human leader–of the 401st–that’s what they call themselves–pretenda that they’re living on their own terms. That they don’t need the Empire and all that. But it’s a lie.”
He was surprised at how tight his voice had become as he spoke about it.
He had rarely considered Hope as anything other than a fun place to visit.
His focus was on Tyrael and, of course, Taranth whose gold towers gleamed behind him.
But thinking of how Hope would look to Vex, he suddenly saw it in a different, less kind light.
“If it weren’t for Aquilan having pushed the Leviathan back into the Under Dark, not to mention the continued patrols, they would all be dead.
” Finley grimaced. “None of their weapons work against the high fantasy beings. Not the selkies or the dryads or any of it. But they think that they’re safe out there because of hard work and… something.”
“I see.”
“You will,” Finley suddenly said miserably.
“They claim to want to protect humanity’s past so their children won’t forget it.
But if they really thought that–if they really wanted to do that–they would be living under the dome and working with the Aravae to send in people to the libraries, the art galleries, the museums, and the data centers.
They’d strive to make our technology work with the Aravae’s power sources so we can truly retain all we’ve learned.
But no! They built a city out of junk and live in a fading, rotting past that one strong wind could wipe away. ”
Vex’s hand squeezed his. “It’s hard to let go of the past.”
Finley’s head jerked up in surprise at the gentle touch. “But they’re not behaving rationally!”
“Of course not,” Vex chuckled and shook his head.
“When we were first swept into the highest level of the Under Dark, my father ordered the people to plant crops that required starlight. So we had to use our precious magical resources to create light sources for whole fields of crops that couldn’t even bloom in that stony soil.
Magic that took away from our very needed defense. ”
Finley took in a sharp breath. Vex was talking about long forgotten and obscured Kindreth history. He hardly dared say a word for fear that Vex would stop. There were so many theories about where the Kindreth had come from, who they were, and where they were going. But Vex knew.
“Instead of recognizing that there were plenty of crops that already existed, that the other beings there ate and that we could adapt to… he kept doing what we did before even though everything was different and it put us at great risk,” Vex continued.
“People were starving instead of eating the mushrooms that grow in abundance or fishing in the deep lakes where many tasty creatures swim. All because it was not the same as what we had before. He refused to change. Refused to bend. Countless people had to die, because of him.”
There were rumors that Vex had killed his father to wrest control of the Kindreth for himself. But maybe he’d done that–if he’d done that–to save the Kindreth and not for power at all. Or maybe it had been for both.
“I thought… I thought it was you and Ailduin who went into the Under Dark together, but your people were already there?” Finley asked when Vex went silent.
“In a way, that is true and in a way, it is a lie. We were there, but not there until I met Ailduin. As I said, my people resisted believing that the Under Dark was to be our home. Our destiny,” Vex murmured.
“They continued on in that way despite great losses. So many losses. Unable to defend ourselves against a myriad of enemies who were beginning to think of us as another food source by failing to change our magic, our very way of being.”
“Where… where did the Kindreth originally come from?” Finley asked, even as his heart was beating a million miles a minute.
And why did they leave there? But he didn’t dare ask that. Not yet.
Vex gave him a fond smile. “A place where the stars reigned and double moons–one red and one blue–crossed the sky.”
“And–”
“Enough, Finley, enough for now” Vex said gently. “You have gotten more information out of me than most scholars of the topic have ever known.”
Finley was grinning. He couldn’t help it! Vex had chosen to speak to him of things that few knew. Knowledge shared by the great Night King! And Vex wasn’t saying he would never say more. Only that it was enough for now.
For now. I can wait. I am patient.
Still giddy from what he’d heard, Finley found himself gazing at Lake Michigan–or Calicea–just like he had when he, Rhalyf and Gemma had made their way to Hope only a few days ago.
Was it only a few days? It feels like decades.
But while before he had been scanning the blue waves for selkies out of fear, now he simply observed the water neutrally.
Would the selkies still have power over him with the book and dagger on his person?
He wasn’t certain, of course, as he had not yet tested it out, he didn’t think so. He felt armored by the magical items.
The Drethes Umbra and The Dark Gift draw out innate power, Finley, the professor whispered.
Professor! You’re back! You got so quiet–
And I must remain that way as long as you keep him as your companion, the professor sounded quite put out that Vex was there.
Why?
Finley glanced over at Vex out of the corner of his eye. The Night King jauntily wore his sunglasses and was smiling while humming a soft tune under his breath. For all the world, he appeared unconcerned and happy.
He will not tell you this, but he and Ipraxus Kane were enemies, the professor answered crisply.
Finley actually was not surprised by this as he imagined anyone with power that Vex could not control would likely be placed in the enemy bucket.
He realized that he could be, too, if he actually became a Necromancer.
But only if their friendship was compromised by seeking power.
He thought there was a way to thread the needle with Vex.
Ailduin had done it. At least for a very long time.
So? I am not Ipraxus Kane nor any friend of his and neither are you, Finley answered. He lived over 50,000 years ago from what Vex has hinted. So neither of us have any dog in that fight.
But you walk in his footsteps, the professor pressed.
Vex sent me to get the dagger and the book. I highly doubt he is looking to make an enemy by his own hand, Finley pointed out.
He thinks he can control you, the professor muttered.
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Finley considered this. I am not so foolish to think I can outwit him, but–
Are you sure about that? The professor sounded outright peevish for a moment, but then his tone shifted back to its normal gentle cadence, Finley, I do believe you see the good in Vex. And, for now at least, he is content to bask in your adoration.
Bask? Maybe. He is worth the adoration, Professor. Surely you can see that!
A sigh. Perhaps. But he is dangerous. Never forget that.
Finley chuckled. Of course, he is! All the more reason to “adore” him.
Tsk, the professor though sounded more amused again than angry.
He’s Declan’s father. I could not treat him otherwise even if he were not Vex, Finley admitted. Because though both of them claim not to need the other, I don’t believe that is true.
Says the boy whose parents left without a goodbye, the professor murmured.
Finley grimaced. Yes, well, I had you then Declan and his parents and now Shonda, Michael and Gemma. I have had good people in my life.
So has Declan.
But he is the Night Prince. I would imagine that the only role more lonely would be to be the Night King, Finley sighed.
The two of them could understand one another in a way that no one else truly could.
There’s a part of Declan and Vex that is inaccessible to everyone but each other. If they open up–
They would be nigh unstoppable, Finley, if they banded together, the professor whispered. Such power in anyone’s hands without a counter… Well, think about it.
I trust Declan’s good sense and good heart. He has no desire to rule. He is Vex’s counter. So is Aquilan, Finley said, but he knew what the professor was saying and the warning he was giving.
Just keep your eyes and ears open, Finley.
Always.
He looked over at Vex once more. There was no sign he was hearing their conversation, but Finley knew that meant nothing.
The professor hadn’t pressed a thorn to Finley’s side with this talk.
In truth, he admired Vex’s ruthless side, too.
He would expect no less from the Night King.
Some might find that surprising. His parents had found such lack of moral approbation alarming.
In truth, they just claimed to feel that approbation so he hadn’t really cared what they thought.
It was the hypocrisy that had stung most of all.
“Is that the Sun King?!” Someone shouted from the junkyard walls of Hope.
“Holy crap, it is!” Another shouted.
“The king has come to Hope!” A few added in shocked whispers.
“Someone get Rohannan!” Finally was the call. “Get Rohannan!”
Vex erupted with a gust of laughter and grinned. “Ah, let the games begin!”