Fire Within: Book Two of Fire and Stone (Stories of Fire and Stone 2) (17 page)

“You’ve been alive all this time?” he asked.

“Well, sort of. Not really. More like a few weeks. It’s complicated,” Esset replied awkwardly, but Toman barely even heard him. He dropped his blanket and crossed the short space of the room to embrace his brother. Esset didn’t need encouragement to hug him back.

“I’m so sorry,” Esset whispered, his throat tight with emotion.

“Me too,” Toman said back.

After a few moments, Sergeant Warthog loudly cleared her throat. The brothers parted, and Toman found his cheeks were wet again. Esset grinned sheepishly and wiped the excess water from his eyes as well.

“What a couple of girls we are,” he said, a bit of a laugh in his voice.

“I—” Toman shook his head. He didn’t even know where to start.

“What happened?” Toman asked.

“It’s a long story,” Esset replied. “But I’ll tell you everything.”

“Well, I’ve heard this one before,” the sergeant interrupted, rising to her feet. “Nassata, come with me?”

“Sure, I’ll leave you two to it,” Nassata said, giving them a smile.

“Thanks, guys,” Esset said as they left. Toman just waved. Then he bent and picked up his blanket again before sitting down on the bed. Esset took the chair Sergeant Warthog had abandoned.

“You’re right in front of me, and I can barely believe you’re alive,” Toman said, resting his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. He was shaking.

“It was the phoenix,” was all Esset could say. Instinct, nothing else, kept him from placing a hand on his brother to reassure him. “But I should start at the beginning.”

Toman kept his head in his hands as Esset told the story, starting with Esset’s “death” and ending with Toman’s release from the geas. Esset had originally planned to leave out his new troubles with controlling fire, but he found himself telling Toman everything, like he couldn’t help himself. He guessed his couldn’t—this was Toman, his brother, after all.

“I’m so sorry this happened,” Esset finished. “I tried to stop Moloch and failed. I never should have summoned the phoenix.”

“No, Esset, you’re wrong,” Toman said outright, startling Esset into meeting his eyes. “If you’d done that, you’d be dead, and I’d be dead, or even worse off, too.”

“I could have escaped, and then rescued you sooner,” Esset objected.

“I doubt it. Esset, you did a lot of damage to Moloch,” Toman said. “You don’t even realize how much. The phoenix didn’t kill him, but it did cripple him. When we teleported back to his castle, he was screaming and writhing on the ground, and no one would come near him.”

Esset only barely managed not to squirm at the vicious pleasure in Toman’s voice when he described Moloch’s pain.

Toman continued, unaware. “He was in agony for days, and I was forgotten about in that time. After that, using magic still caused him pain. He had underlings torture me instead of doing it himself. He couldn’t really use magic for months, and even now it still hurts him—I could tell. He used me at his side enough for me to learn his behavior.”

Toman went silent, long enough that Esset thought he wasn’t going to continue, but then the animator spoke again. “He’s almost back to his full power, but you knocked him down a notch or two, Esset. And when some of the other Dark Mage Lords caught wind of that, they tried to take him out. He won, but only barely, for all the show he put on afterwards. All this kept his attention away from me, and I’m willing to bet it kept him away from hunting down everyone we’d ever known, including Mom and Dad, the Nadra, the sergeant, everyone…and I’m fairly sure I’d either be dead or so thoroughly insane there’d be no helping me.”

Esset didn’t know how to respond, so Toman continued.

“I was never angry at you,” he said. “I was only ever angry at myself, for driving us to pursue Moloch in the first place.”

“You couldn’t have known about the dormant geas,” Esset objected—he didn’t have to think about that response, at least. “And we would have had a chance if not for it.”

“You can’t know that. If not that, it would have been some other trick he had up his sleeve. I know that now,” Toman replied.

“No, Toman, he’s just a man. A powerful man, but just a man. He’s had you in his thrall for
two years
, and he’s gotten inside your head. He can be beaten, Toman,” Esset said firmly. Toman didn’t reply; he just dropped his eyes to his hands. Esset didn’t want to fight—he left the matter for another time.

“Toman, I have to go for a bit. I’m worried that if Moloch realizes I’m alive and rescued you, he’ll go after our parents, so the Nadra have agreed to let them stay here. I just need to go get them,” Esset said.

“I understand,” Toman replied. “That’s something you’d best not delay.”

Esset had only been waiting for him to wake up to go, but he still hesitated. There were many logical reasons for Toman to stay—ill health among them—but he’d still half expected an objection.

“I’ll be here when you get back,” Toman reassured him. Esset smiled, not doubting that.

“I’ll bring Mom and Dad to see you as soon as we get back,” he promised. Toman just nodded, and Esset turned to go. At the last moment, Esset hesitated, remembering something, and he pulled Toman’s Animator gloves from his pockets.

“Here,” he said, holding them out to Toman.

“Thanks,” Toman replied. He took them, but he didn’t put them on just yet.

“Good luck.” Toman watched Esset go. Esset gave his brother one last, long look before giving a nod and leaving.

Esset landed his two massive, smoky birds a short distance from the entrance to Salithsa. He banished his own mount before dismounting and dropped lightly to the ground with the ease of long practice. Then he went over to the other bird and helped his mother down; his father slid off the bird’s back before Esset could help him too.

“Well, I’ll have to wash our clothes again to get this smell out,” Mrs. Esset said, wringing her hands and looking at the fierce black creature until Esset banished it.

“Yeah, sorry,” Esset said. “The fiery ones are just so obvious. These ones attract less attention when we fly high.”

“Wise,” Mr. Esset agreed.

“You okay, Mom? Are you ready for this?” Esset hovered around his mother, but he glanced at his father, too. “I mean, I know you’ve never left Sedina…”

“I’m fine. Sedina’s a big place, with lots of different people,” Mrs. Esset replied, peering past Esset at the snake-folk waiting in the distance by the entrance to Salithsa. “Besides, you boys are always going on adventures, maybe it’s time for one of my own.”

Esset looked at her skeptically. “Mom, you’ve never even wanted to go with Dad on a trip to one of the towns near the city, and that’s just a day or two away.”

“We shouldn’t keep everyone waiting,” Mr. Esset interrupted, putting a hand on his wife’s shoulder and steering his son towards the waiting Nadra. Mr. Esset gave Esset a “look” when his wife couldn’t see, and Esset could’ve kicked himself. Of course Mrs. Esset was scared. She was just putting on a brave face.

Esset smiled to reassure her. “Of course. Don’t worry, Mom, the Nadra are a very friendly people. You’ll love them.”

They walked towards the Nadra, and Esset realized that Tseka was in the mix. He sent up a quick prayer that she would behave, but it was in vain. Tseka went right up to Esset and gave him a hug. Then she moved towards his parents as if to give them the same treatment, but Mrs. Esset stepped back so quickly she almost knocked her husband over. There was no little mischief in Tseka’s grin as she watched them steady each other.

“Really, Tseka?” Esset muttered in her direction. Her smile only widened, but at least she didn’t try again.

“You are Esset and Toman’s parents, then. I am Tseka, and it’s good to meet you,” she greeted them, tapping her spearbutt on the ground.

“Yes, Edric and Anita Esset,” Mr. Esset introduced himself, stepping forward with his hand extended. She took it, but in a warrior’s clasp instead of shaking it. Mr. Esset took the change in stride; he hadn’t had much more experience than his wife with other races, but he was a little more world-wise. Esset was also pretty sure he was already onto Tseka’s game; she liked to haze people, in a way. In her defense, it was a decent way to find out what people were made of. Toman had caught on faster than Esset had when they’d first met her—Esset was more book smart than socially adept—but Mr. Esset was better with people than his biological son.

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Nassata added, coming up from behind Tseka. “And it will be our honor to have you here. Please, won’t you come into the tunnel? The Shapers would like to close off Salithsa as soon as possible.”

Everyone was herded inside and then stepped back to watch the Shapers work. All three Essets were fascinated—even Esset the younger hadn’t seen Shaper magic in action except for the understated skill displayed by Sosen in removing the geas. This was totally different.

The four Shapers waiting at the entrance—Sosen was among them, Esset noticed—moved in perfect unison, raising their hands as they called upon their magic.

There was a long, long pause, and then the Shapers jerked their hands back; the earth responded. The floor swelled up to meet the roof and joined with it seamlessly, like it had always been there. A few paces back from the entrance, the ground everyone stood on remained perfectly still.

“Good work, Shapers,” Nassata said. To their visitors, she added, “Now we can relax. The Shapers’ magic moved the magics protecting our city as well. With every exit sealed off, our shield is impenetrable.”

“How many exits are there?” Esset asked. He realized that, even with all the time he and Toman had spent defending the Nadra, he had no idea.

“Four,” Nassata replied.

Esset’s eyebrows rose. “Only four? I’m surprised you weren’t able to lock out the Reshkin when they attacked. Well, before they developed tunneling abilities.”

Nassata shook her head. “Salithsa is vast, her tunnels many, but there are only four tunnels by which one can reach the surface. When the Reshkin attacked, we were only able to block one before the creatures got wise and started swarming our Shapers when they tried to work magic. As you saw, their magic is powerful, but slow. Besides, the Reshkin had been pests for generations before they turned dangerous. They were already hidden away within our maze of tunnels.”

“Huh.” Esset supposed that made sense.

Nassata turned to his parents. “Now, Mr. and Mrs. Esset, would you care to see Salithsa?”

The group of Nadra and their human guests made their way down the dark tunnel. Nassata and Tseka bore lanterns to light the way for their human guests. Mrs. Esset kept glancing at the Nadra, curious about them but too polite to stare. Mr. Esset, on the other hand, was so fascinated that he’d forgotten his matters and studied their serpentine companions openly.

“So I see where Esset got his curiosity from,” Nassata finally remarked dryly.

“Ah, yes, I apologize if I seem rude. I have a very academic mind—there is so much to know, and so little time to learn it, you see,” Mr. Esset replied, adjusting his glasses on his thin nose. The gesture attracted Tseka’s attention to them—never a good thing.

“What are these?” she asked, swiftly swiping them from his face. Mr. Esset stopped dead in surprise—he’d barely felt them leave his nose.

“Ah, they’re spectacles. They help me see. Please be careful with them, they’re very fragile,” he replied patiently. Tseka had hoped for more of a reaction, but she really was curious about the glasses, so she took a moment to inspect them. She turned them around, then looked through them the wrong way. She drew back, blinking as the distorted vision brought tears to her eyes.

“See better. Sure,” she said skeptically, passing the glasses back. Mr. Esset just smiled.

“They are made for my eyes in particular. I’m afraid my vision is rather poor without them,” he said as he put them back on. They started walking again with Tseka eyeballing Mr. Esset, no doubt trying to figure out how she could get the better of him. He wasn’t an easy man to fluster.

“Well, at least you don’t ogle anymore when they’re taken from you,” Tseka said primly. “I will have to keep that in mind. I know we had to take measures with your son to lessen his curiosity. I believe we stuffed him in a dark tunnel full of evil spiders. Does that sound about right?”