Chapter 19 #3
“Yes. Much to the disappointment of the Order—and Argoth—I’m sure.
One could surmise from this that Calista didn’t truly hate Lorien, at least. But that’s conjecture on my part.
Whatever the reason, she spared his soul even as she cursed it.
” He glanced up, studying the wooden plank ceiling for a moment before continuing.
“And so the Order was forced to create other weapons who would keep working to dismantle the Vaeloran Cycle.”
“…Create?” Something about the word made the hairs on the back of my neck lift.
Orin’s eyes flicked toward the window again, another flash of lightning highlighting the tired lines of his face.
“Most of the Void Order are brilliant students of Vaeloran magic. They have extensive knowledge, and some even have traces of that magic for themselves—the chosen Aetherkin like me, you know.”
“But Aetherkin who stopped being loyal to the Vaelora, in this case?”
“Correct. Instead, those who pledge themselves to the Order have spent generations developing their own corrupted kinds of power. An occult science, a twisted alchemy, rather than the divine-blessed power that governs so much of our world. But much of what they’ve done—and are doing—is experimental, part of a fanatical attempt to establish a new world order.
The spells you witnessed in the Hollow Grove are examples.
The roads that have been forged between the realms, like Nocturnus, are a result of their experiments as well.
And…” He trailed off, gripping the mug tightly in his wrinkled hands as he bowed his head.
Though I didn’t want to, I asked, “And what does this have to do with Aleks?”
After a weighted pause, he finally met my eyes again. “I believe Aleksander is another one of their experiments. A corrupted entity—a weapon whose ultimate purpose is to consume and nullify Vaeloran power.”
All of the air seemed to leave the room.
Orin continued before I could catch my breath enough to reply.
“Actually, I believe all the descendants of Argoth have been heavily subjected to this weaponization. The Void King, Argoth was sometimes called by those closest to him—by those who knew his true plans and desires. Because he was hellbent on draining away the powers that sustained the balance between realms. And the Order has honored his vision and legacy by continuing to try and create the ultimate destroyer out of his bloodline.”
I stared at him, my vision blurring at the edges. “Aleks is not a destroyer of anything. He wasn’t created like some kind of…of…”
“Molded is the better word, maybe.” He paused. “A being that isn’t truly Shadow or Light, but capable of manipulating both.”
“He isn’t any of those things. He hasn’t manipulated me, he—”
“What do you know of his past? The things he endured, and was shaped by, as a child?”
Anger flared through me at the question. At the way it sounded more like an accusation.
But I found myself fumbling for a reply.
Orin waited patiently.
I forced myself to look him in the eyes as I quietly said, “We…we don’t talk about his past much. Because he doesn’t remember most of it.”
There were tortures he’d endured, I knew.
Things that had left scars both mental and physical.
Things that the so-called Keepers of Light had done to him that he never really managed to tell me about.
I’d always assumed the silence was trauma leaving emptiness in its tracks, as it so often did.
I rarely pried. It was his story to tell when he was ready to tell it—that’s what I’d always believed. But what if…
What if the emptiness wasn’t just from trauma? What if they’d deliberately erased parts of him? The parts that didn’t serve their plans for him?
Orin was watching me with something like pity in his ancient eyes.
I got to my feet, the chair scraping harshly against the floor. “You’re wrong. His magic strengthens mine. Compliments it. It doesn’t void it.”
“Maybe not yet.”
“Not ever.”
He studied me for a long moment, his weathered face unreadable.
“He’s certainly…an enigma. I’ll give you that.
One who’s managed to fight his programming in many instances.
And I don’t think the Order counted on you being as powerful as you are, either, or the two of you developing the bond that you have.
But things are shifting back toward their ultimate goal, now.
And Aleksander’s true purpose and power—”
“You’re wrong,” I repeated. “You have to be wrong about all of this.”
He continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “As Lorien and his life are restored, I fear Aleks might change even more. If both Vaelora are fully awakened to their power, the true purpose he’s been molded for is likely to awaken as well.
His own power will become even more unpredictable—a void that hungers for what it was designed to destroy. ”
“Then I won’t restore Lorien. I’ll stop that quest this very instant.”
“I think we both know it’s too late for that. The Order is already on the move. They may have lost track of Aleks while he was trapped in the depths of Noctaris, but now he’s in their sights again. So they’ll be wanting him back.”
I started to argue, but the heaviness in my chest and lungs made it impossible to force words out.
“You must have realized, too, that without Lorien whole, you can’t fully restore Noctaris.
Calista was short-sighted in her decision to fragment him; as long as he’s scattered, the balance of magic and the survival of the Below remains in jeopardy.
You can’t shift the flow of magic entirely on your own. He has to play his part.”
Thunder rumbled closer this time, shaking the windows.
“So I have to choose between saving the world or losing Aleks.” My voice came out hollow. “And if Aleks truly does awaken into this monster you’re describing, I might not be able to save either. That’s what you’re telling me?”
Orin gave me another sympathetic look, but it only made me angrier.
“How do you know all of this, anyway?” My tone was bitter.
Furious and bitter and determined to find some flaw in his logic that would unravel this nightmare.
“You said yourself that history changes depending on who tells it. How do I know you’re not just another manipulator?
Another person using me for their own ends? ”
He didn’t flinch at the accusation. “I know all of this because I’ve spent a very long time studying the Order and their methods. Intimately, in some cases.”
“Intimately…” It took the meaning behind his words a moment to sink in—because I didn’t want it to sink in. Didn’t want to acknowledge yet another lie of omission. Another betrayal.
He sighed. “The problem with living a very long time is that you see all the sides occasionally blurring into one another. Lines get crossed. Allies become enemies and enemies become…complicated. “
“You’ve been working as a double agent, in other words.”
He met my eyes steadily. “I had to infiltrate their ranks to follow their movements. To understand what they were planning.”
I backed away, shaking my head. “The Light Keepers, the Void Order, the network of allies who’ve supposedly been protecting me…” I tried and failed once more to truly catch my breath. My voice cracked as I said, “How am I supposed to know who’s really on which side?”
He didn’t answer.
“Orin. Whose side are you truly on?”
“Yours.” He held my gaze without wavering. “It’s made a lot of people very angry but…I’m certain I was always meant to be on yours, in the end.”
A pause hung between us, heavy with a thousand unspoken things.
I didn’t like the way he’d said end.
I swallowed hard. “If you’re on my side, then tell me how to fix all of this. Tell me there is hope.”
He offered a sad smile. “There is always hope.”
My hands shook. I stepped to my chair, gripping its backing, trying to steady myself. “Tell me I can save everything I love.”
His smile faded.
Before he could answer, a crash echoed from somewhere outside, followed by shouting.
“What was that?”
He jumped up, suddenly moving with the speed and purpose of a much younger man. “Go get your sword, Nova.”
He was already pulling knives from hidden sheaths in his coat.
“Orin?”
“There’s no time to explain anything else.” His eyes met mine one last time, and I saw something in them I’d rarely seen before—fear. “They’ve found us.”