Mortals & Deities (14 page)

“Runes!”
This was too much! She unleashed her anger as she never had before.
“You think I care of runes! Or studying and answering the riddles of the Essence?”
Stepping forward, she towered over Delmith once more.
“Did it not occur to you or my little brother that the reason the Chi’utlan has been hidden, and that only the highest of our people knew of its existence, was because it was dangerous?”
The more she raged under the full impact of what Delmith told her, the more it fueled her rage.
“And you have sacrificed our honor—the very pride of our entire race—to use others in these…experiments, just to keep your own skin intact!”
Hopefully, this had not gone too far. Hopefully, she could contain this and bring her little brother to heel.

Spinning, she stormed toward her apartment door.
“This ends now! My father—”

“Wait!”
Delmith’s word brought her up short. It was not pleading or whimpering. It was strong. Almost an order.

Turning around, she found him on his feet.
“You dare speak to me this way?”
He bowed his head in embarrassment, and she was glad to see he had not lost all sense of civility.

“I apologize, my Princess.”
Lifting his head, he peered into her eyes.
“You need to know, Aritian has gathered many friends around him. Many friends who hold power, even in your father’s court. Going there without knowing the full extent of what you are walking into may not be wise.”

Crossing back over to the Gray, she tilted her head to the side.
“And what is your council then, Delmith?”

“Caution is all, my Princess. For now, I think I have postponed any further…testing.”
His shoulders slumped and he appeared beaten, as if he had been holding back a mound of pain and remorse. He held out a hand and implored her to sit once more.
“Please. Sit. There is more you need to hear if you are to have any hope of stopping this.”

“You sound as if you wish me to succeed. What happened to saving our race?”
Still, she returned to her couch and sat. With a tilt of her head, she indicated that he should do the same.

After sitting, Delmith paused before speaking.
“I so want to believe in your brother. And mayhaps he is even correct. Mayhaps our people can take charge of Talic’Nauth for the betterment of all.”

“You do not sound convinced.”

He shook his head, and what she saw of his long white hair swayed behind his back.
“I was, in the beginning.”
Clasping both hands before him, he sighed.
“As I have said; I do not approve of the use of the Humans as they have been. I am their Vanria. Many have great potential, especially the one called Alant. He had the ability to outstrip many Elmorr’Antiens, even.”
A look of regret passed over him and his eyes wandered the room.
“I did what I could to forestall your brother. Though, I am afraid I could do nothing to save the boy.”

“So, he has expired, then?”
This was not the news she had wished to hear.

“I am fairly certain, yes.”
When she gave him a puzzled look, he elaborated.
“As I said, I think I have discovered that the Chi’utlan is actually a gateway. After Alant entered the Chi’utlan…well…he was the first subject to exit unharmed. This did not last long however, as he…imploded into nothingness.”
He finished with a shrug of his thin shoulders.
“He may very well be alive on some other Plane of existence. Though, I doubt it. We still know so little of what the Chi’utlan is.”

Leaning over the table that sat before her, she poured herself a second cup of raz. Delmith glanced at his empty cup, though she had no intention of offering the Gray seconds.
“So, the stories I heard of him vanishing into thin air have some semblance of truth.”

“I am afraid so, my Princess.”
Delmith seemed to make a point of not looking back at his empty cup.
“Still, this gave me the opportunity to forestall your brother further. His impatience is his greatest weakness, I fear. With the death of Alant, the stakes have risen too high even for him to continue. Though I am not sure how long this will stay his hand.”

Pressing the cup to her lips, she drained it in one gulp.
“You will stall him, Delmith. I will have no more Humans used in this manner. Do I make myself clear?”
At his nod, she rose and headed for the door.
“I will need time to see who my brother has convinced that this is a wise course of action before I bring my father into this. Your…assistance to me will go a long way in getting you out of this mess you have found yourself in.”

Delmith stood, though he did not follow Sarshia.
“There is one more thing you should know, my Princess.”
When she turned, he once again started wringing his hands together in front of his thin waist.
“It occurred to me that there could be other dangers. Mayhaps the Chi’utlan has been held in secret for all this time for reasons your brother is not willing to consider. Let me stress that I am not certain of this. However, in my time studying the writings in the hall that leads to the Chamber of the Chi’utlan, I think I have gleaned at least a hint of why your family has held the secret of the Chamber so tightly.”

It was obvious that the Gray did not want to continue. However, in her mind he had gone too far to stop now.
“Go on.”

He gave her a weak smile.
“It is my belief that the walls contain a warning. That the Chi’utlan was never meant for one of our people.”

“Are you saying it will kill my brother if he attempts to use it?”
The thought was not wholly a bad one. She had no desire to see her brother expire. Still, it would solve much of this problem. The rest—the fact that many people now knew this secret—could be dealt with at a later time. And with a discretion that would go unnoticed and unquestioned.

“Of that, I am not certain, my Princess.”
Delmith crossed the room to stand next to her.
“I do not think it will be as your brother hopes, however.”

Scenarios ran through her mind. She had been home for less than two days, and already it seemed as if she had more to do than she could bear. Still, she was a Blue. And the Crown Princess, no less. Her duties were to maintain the image of House Mocley, as well as that of the entire Elmorr’Antien people.
“You will continue your research into the Chi’utlan. You will not, however, mention to my brother any concerns you may have of the dangers it may hold.”
Reaching out, she gripped his arm just below the blue silk sleeve of his serota.
“You will not speak of our discussion to anyone.”
At his nod, she continued.
“You will also report to me before any other…questionable activities are taken by my brother.”

Inclining his head, his bow befitted his station.
“As you say, my Princess.”
With that, he turned and left her apartments.

He would still perform his duties for her brother. That was not only a certainty, it remained a necessity if she had any chance of containing this situation before it blew up into something that would embarrass her House and father. However, with his admittance to her of his involvement, he could not betray her now. Any chance of him getting out of this alive rested with her.

And I am not so certain he will survive this, no matter how it plays out.

Racing down the hall with a shoulder pack stuffed with the clothes gifted to him while staying at Bin’Satsu, Arderi Cor slid to a halt just before smashing into Rinear, who came running from the other direction. She wore the blue dress with white lace she had worn on their first walk together, and even in her rush, still managed to look perfect.

“I thought I had missed you!” She was breathing hard, as if she had run for some distance.

“Nix. Although I am not sure how much time I have. Your father wants me to meet him in front of the Citadel.” In the rush to pack, he had thought he would not see her again for a very long time. Not wanting to say goodbye to her—he hated goodbyes—he had hoped he could leave before she found out.

“I have heard. I am sad that you are going, Though, I know you must.” Taking him by the hand, she turned and headed toward his destination. She did not walk slow, yet he knew from past walks with her that this was far from her normal pace. “Will you come back and visit me?”

He thought he heard a quiver in her voice that edged on tears. The last thing he wanted was to upset her. Coming to a stop, he pulled her around to face him. “Mocley may feel like it is far. Yet, it is only a Sending Stone step away. Besides, I have not finished my training. I cannot get that in Mocley.” Placing a hand under her chin, he smiled, hoping she would take strength from it. “I shall return.”

His words got the desired effect he hoped for and then some, for she leaned in and kissed him full on the lips. Uncertain how to react—it was the first time she had been so intimate with him—he blushed. Before he could speak, she reached up and pulled the red ribbon from her hair. “Here, take this so you will remember me.”

Taking the ribbon, he laced it between the fingers of his left hand. “I do not think I will be forgetting you anytime soon.”

“You best not, Arderi Cor.” She brushed past him, now walking away from the front of the Citadel. Without looking back to him, she spoke over her shoulder. “And you can believe I will hold you to your promise to return. I will, Arderi Cor.” With that, she turned down a side hall and Arderi stood alone once more.

Adjusting his pack, he stared after her until the thoughts of Master Larith waiting on him pricked his mind into action. Launching into a run once more, he left the corridor and entered the main hallway. Ahead of him stood the massive twin doors he had entered on the first day he arrived in Bin’Satsu. Seeing them now filled his heart with sorrow. He glanced down at the ribbon in his hand.

As excited as I am to return to Mocley, I feel I will be leaving a piece of myself behind.

When he entered the main courtyard, it made him happy to see that he was the first to arrive. Letting his eyes follow the small path that led up the grassy hill, he looked at the stone pillars and arched roof of what he now knew as the arrival platform. He could not believe that a mere two tendays had passed since he arrived, and again a sense of sadness gripped him. He knew he had to leave, of that, he did not question. Still, he felt unprepared. There was so much he needed to learn.

A shrill whistle from behind pierced his ears and he spun. The doors to the Citadel sat closed and he saw no one who could have made the sound.

“Up here, boy.”

Looking up, he saw Saven, white feathered wings sticking over his head, standing on a strip of stone that jutted out between two spires. Attached to his chest, he wore a series of leather straps. “You need to come up here, boy.” Leaning over, he pointed down at a door on one of the spires. “In there are stairs that will bring you to me.”

Opening the door, Arderi found a spiral stairway much like the one he and Rinear had taken their first time together. Halfway up, he found a small access door cut into the wall that let out onto the platform where Saven waited. Now that he stood up here, he noticed it formed a balcony off one of the rooms in the Citadel. Two glass-paned double doors stood open off a sitting room from quarters similar to those he occupied. Only, this balcony had no handrail around it like the one off his room. A second winged man stood behind Saven, buckling on a leather harness much like the one Saven wore. Looking out over the balcony, Arderi noticed he was now higher than the arrival platform. On top of the platform’s roof sat a low dome of red crystal made of the same substance as the Quay’ka’gana. Just thinking of the Sending Stone reminded him he would be using one again very soon. He cringed inside at the thought. He also noted that the wind had picked up, and this made him uncomfortably aware of how high he stood. “What are we waiting on? Do we not need to leave this plateau soon?”

Laughing, Saven stepped forward and clapped Arderi on the shoulder. “Yes, boy. That we do.” He guided Arderi away from the edge and toward the other winged man. “This is Jinro. He will be…” A big grin split his bird-like features. “…helping you make your descent from Bin’Satsu.”

The man’s statement confused Arderi until he took a closer look at the straps that now hung from both of the men with wings. With hands up in front of him, he backed toward the open sitting room. “Now wait just one moment. If you are planning to use those harnesses as I think you mean to—” He jumped as a hand clapped him on his back.

Larith smiled at him, and with a hand still on his shoulder, guided Arderi back out onto the balcony. “There is nothing to this, Brother.” He indicated to the second winged man. “Jinro is a strong flyer. You will have nothing to do except enjoy the view.”

Still shaking his head, Arderi remained voiceless. There was no way he would allow this to happen. “Master Rine. You cannot expect me to do this?”

The smile on Larith’s face began to broaden. “I am sorry, Brother. There is no other way off Bin’Satsu. You have seen the cliffs that surround this Citadel. They are unclimbable.” Reaching up with his other hand, he turned Arderi around so his back was toward Jinro. “Besides, what man that has ever lived has not dreamt of flying?”

Jinro stepped up and pressed his body against Arderi’s back. Reaching around, he handed several ends of the leather straps to Larith before buckling a few himself. Swallowing the lump lodged in his throat, Arderi looked out over the vast mountain range surrounding them. “Me.” He croaked the word out.

Once all the straps were cinched tight, Larith busied himself, going over each one again, pulling hard before moving to the next. When he finished, he grabbed the sides of Arderi’s head, forcing Arderi to look him in the eyes. “Listen, Brother. Do not struggle once you are in the air. If you do, you will doom both you and Jinro to a messy death on the rocks below. And that will make Jinro’s new wife very upset.” Laughing, he patted one of Arderi’s cheeks. “You will be fine. If it makes you feel any better, Brother Rillion did not like this any more than you.” Turning, he stepped in front of Saven and helped the winged man buckle the straps around him.

“Heed his words, Arderi.” Jinro’s breath blew hot in his ear. “Do not flail about when we are airborne. We do not have far to go. Besides, Larith is wrong. If you make this trip too difficult on me, I will cut you free long before you have a chance to take me to the Aftermore with you.”

Pressing toward the edge of the balcony, Jinro forced Arderi to shuffle forward. Reaching the edge, the full weight of what he faced fell on him. “Wait. I do not think I can do this. There must be—” The ground raced up to meet him. Flinging his arms out before his face, he screamed. The sudden grip of straps biting into his chest told him he no longer fell. He was ascending. Opening his eyes, he relaxed a bit. The brown grass that lined much of the plateau whizzed by just below his reach. They flew no higher than his own height off the ground, until the ground vanished with a stomach-wrenching drop. Hundreds of paces below him, jagged rocks waited to mangle his flesh. The sight made him want to sickup. Pulling his arms and legs in, he attempted to curl into a ball.

A laugh from over him reminded him that he was not alone. “You walkers have no head for heights.”

Arderi felt the winged man chuckling through his back, and his face flushed. This quelled his anxiety somewhat, and he took the chance to look around at the distant mountains. His eyes beheld a truly magical sight. The wind whipped past him, and other than the straps holding him to Jinro, he felt weightless. Never had he felt so free. Allowing himself to relax more, he held his arms out to his sides and soon the pure joy of the flight filled him. “This is not as bad as I thought it would be.”

“There is nothing quite like it. I cannot imagine going through life being trapped on the ground.”

Glancing off to his left, Arderi watched Larith hanging below Saven. “They seem like they do not always get along. Why is that?”

“That is the way of brothers. Sometimes they do not see eye to eye, yet they are still family.”

Jinro’s words shocked Arderi. “Larith and Saven are
real
brothers? How can that be? Larith does not have any—” The memory of Arderi’s first day in Bin’Satsu bubbled up in his mind. When he and Larith had walked out onto the patio overlooking the mountains he had seen two things twitch on Larith’s back. “Larith lost his wings.” Arderi had not meant to say the words aloud.

“Yes. My heart weeps each time I think on it.”

Banking hard to the left, Arderi and Jinro swooped in behind Saven and Larith. They had flown level since they left the plateau. Now the two pairs dove down at a sharp angle heading for the first trees Arderi had seen since arriving at Bin’Satsu. The trees covered the steep slopes of a small valley, not much larger than his home stead and mayhaps some of its surrounding farmland. A small lake—more of a pond really—sat nestled near the center. From where Arderi lay looking down upon the valley, he could see no path or pass which would allow admittance to the area if one approached by foot.

Skimming just above the jagged rocks that guarded the valley, both flyers pulled up a few score paces above the tree line that blanketed the valley floor. As they raced across to the far side, Arderi saw a large structure carved from the rock itself, running up the face of the far valley wall. What appeared to be statues—now little more than worn boulders on pedestals—lined a large open archway that led into the side of the mountain.

Flaring out their wings, Jinro and Saven pulled up into a vertical stance a pace from the ground, then with one last mighty flap of their wings, came to a stop in midair. They hovered for a moment before dropping to land on their feet.

Larith, already unbuckling himself from his harness, looked over at Arderi. “And how was your first time soaring through the sky?”

Arderi felt Jinro reach around him to unbuckle his own straps. “It was wondrous! It truly was.” He was not certain he wanted to repeat the adventure. Still, he had to admit it was one of the most exhilarating things he had ever done. Reaching down, he helped Jinro release the straps holding them together.

With both unharnessed, Larith headed for the mouth of the building. Knowing what he knew now, Arderi could make out the stubs of wings beneath the older man’s long white robe, and he felt sorry for what the man had lost. Turning, he held out a hand. “Thank you, Jinro. I hope I was not too much of a burden.”

The young winged man let out a grunt. “I did not cut you loose, did I?” Laughing, he took Arderi’s offered hand, then glanced at the building Larith had disappeared into. “I wish you well on your journeys, young Cor.” With that, he walked over to Saven, who nodded a farewell to Arderi before turning to speak with Jinro.

Returning his nod, Arderi started after Larith. The dirt path leading up to the entrance contained the occasional tuft of grass or a flat stone that looked like it could have been a paverstone long ago. When he entered the side of the mountain, the paverstones became more abundant. Soon he was walking down a wide tiled hallway. The light filtering in from behind him failed to illuminate the passage ahead, though a flickering red glow from within cast enough light for him to at least see where he needed to go. The glow looked very much like a campfire, though he knew it was no fire. He knew he walked toward a Quay’ka’gana like the one in the Undercity of Mocley that had brought him here.

The hall ended in a massive archway. Carved stones, each with a rune etched into it, lined the top of the arch. Arderi did not recognize any of the runes. Still, he recognized them as the same ones as those on the archway that led to the Sending Stone in Mocley. Stepping through, the sight that greeted him looked hauntingly familiar. A raised platform surrounded by stairs sat in the center of the room. Six jet-black pillars, each covered with more runes and glyphs, arched in from the top edge of the platform to grasp a large red Crystal about the size of a child. The Quay’ka’gana pulsed through Arderi, matching the beating rhythm of his own heart. He stood, mesmerized by its call.

“Saven said he saw the storm front as we flew in, so I must be more brief than I intended.” Larith placed a hand on Arderi’s shoulder and turned him so they faced each other. “I am going to give you a Questing. This is something that will allow you to feel when a Mah’Sukai is near.” Reaching up, he placed a hand on either side of Arderi’s face. “This will not hurt, though it will feel…cold. Are you ready?”