Phoenix Ascendant - eARC (10 page)

Chapter 14

Once more, Tobimar found himself hiding in shadows, watching an inn. A misty, warm drizzle of rain wet his hair and dripped from the eaves above. Poplock was on his shoulder as they stared at the Balanced Meal from the darkness of a narrow alley between a clothier and a farrier’s stables across from the main inn of Evanwyl proper. “This is going to be difficult,” he murmured.

“Why in Blackwart’s name aren’t they at the Vantage estate?” Poplock complained. “I’m sure Vanstell would vouch for Xavier, right? And it’d be
so
much easier that way.”

The problem was that they still didn’t want Evanwyl at large to know they were back. No telling what their enemy might be watching for or planning as a sort of welcome-home present. They could have gotten to and into the Vantage estate without anyone noticing easily enough—even Tobimar and Poplock had been there long enough to know the less-obvious ways inside—but walking into the Balanced Meal would be practically hiring a crier to announce their return.

“Because he’s too polite to do that,” Kyri said quietly from next to Tobimar; Rion was all the way at the other end of the alley, watching in case someone seemed likely to intrude. “He wasn’t entirely comfortable staying at the estate even when it was just him; I’m sure he’d feel that he was imposing far too much if he showed up and asked Vanstell to put up not just him, but four other friends of his as well.”

That fit with Tobimar’s memory; Xavier was, from his point of view, a bizarre mixture of the formal, casual, and utterly alien who was nonetheless one of the best friends the Skysand prince had ever had. “We’ll have to do
something
soon, though.” Tension made him feel as though he were being watched, and he glanced around, then looked back at the inn. “We know they’re in there, but not how long they’re staying, or if they’re watching the area…or if someone
else
is spying on them. Probably is. We were lucky to get this close without being seen, but who knows—”

“—what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” asked a voice that was, impossibly, behind him.

Even as he spun, swords unsheathing in a single motion, a part of him recognized the voice, and by the time his blades were parried in mirror-perfection, he was grinning from ear to ear, feeling a startling joy surging through him.
“XAVIER!”

The gray-eyed, black-haired boy grinned back, his swords crossed before him in the exact same pose as Tobimar’s. “You really have to stop saying ‘hello’ with your swords, dude. Someone could get the wrong idea.”

“Xavier!” Kyri said it quietly, but still stepped forward, caught up their friend, and hugged him so emphatically that he gave a little
oof!
sound. “I’m
so
happy to see you!”

“Same here,” Poplock said, bouncing onto Xavier’s head and looking down. “What was that stupid line you just said?”

“Oh, it’s a quote from some old show and comic my mom and dad had around. I’ll tell you later, it’s kinda cool. Anyway, who’s the guy down there?”

Kyri gestured to Rion, who was looking in their direction, but still at his post. “Come on down, Rion.”

“How in the name of the
Balance
did someone get
past
me?” Rion hissed as he approached.

“We’ll show you later,” Tobimar said with a grin, sheathing his swords. “Rion, this is Xavier. Xavier—”

But as Rion’s face came into the dim light of the street, Tobimar saw Xavier’s face go gray beneath its olive complexion. “M-
Michael
?”

As they stared at him in confusion and consternation, Xavier’s face slowly started to regain normal color. “No…no, you’re not Michael. But
Jesus
you look like him. I mean, you
really
look like him. Even sound like him, I think. Holy crap. I’m kinda freaked out here. Who is this again?”

“This is Rion, my older brother,” Kyri said. “Rion, this is Xavier Ross—who helped us clean up Thornfalcon’s final revenge, and helped Tobimar get to Evanwyl in the first place.”

“Pleased to meet you, Xavier. Balance and Justice be with you.”

“And you,” Xavier said, shaking his hand. He squinted at Rion narrowly, and without warning there was something else in his gaze. His voice didn’t sound different, but Tobimar was suddenly sure he was looking as something that the rest of them could not see. “Wait a minute.
Rion
. Your brother. Your
dead
brother?”

“Yes. In a way, anyway. It’s a long story and not suited for an alleyway. Is there any way for you to get your friends to come meet us at the Estate?”

Xavier hesitated; he glanced to Tobimar, and in that wide gray gaze Tobimar saw both a question and worry that surprised him. “Is something wrong, Xavier?”

The native of Earth looked back up at Rion, then at Kyri. “Do you know that he’s…not normal? Not like an ordinary human?”

Kyri was startled. “How can you…Oh. That sense of yours.”

“Yeah. I wasn’t really
looking
at him before, but now that I do…there’s something
wrong
there.”

Poplock bounced back to Tobimar’s shoulder. “We know there’s something weird about him, yeah. Like she said, long story. But do we want to go through that now?”

Xavier studied Rion a moment longer, then gave a shrug. “I guess we can wait if you’re cool with it. As for the Estate, yeah. We’ve been…well, arguing a lot, and letting them know you’re back will end a lot of the argument.”

Tobimar saw the embarrassed-yet-defiant expression and leapt to a heartwarming conclusion. “You’ve been keeping them here. Waiting for us.”

Xavier looked down, and his cheeks were a shade darker. “Yeah. We’ve got important stuff to do…but I tried checking out that Rivendream Pass, and knowing you guys went
there
, well…I didn’t want to go without knowing what happened to you, no matter what else was going on.”

Kyri beamed at him. “Thank you, Xavier. So yes, can you get them to meet us there…perhaps in two hours, if you’re all willing to stay up a bit later?”

“Ehh, sure, most of us don’t go to bed all that early anyway. And they’ll really want to meet you.” He glanced speculatively at Rion again, then nodded to Tobimar. “Okay, see you in a couple hours at Kyri’s place.”

With that, he closed his eyes and vanished. Rion gave a startled curse. “Invisible…no, more than that. I can’t sense him at all.”

“Nope. As far as I know, no one but me’s ever been able to sense him,” Tobimar said, now leading the way cautiously back up the alley, and trying to figure out the quickest way to get to the Vantage estate without being seen.

“And why
you
?” Rion asked, eyebrow raised.

“Because both of us were trained in the same discipline, called
Tor
.”

Rion stopped in his tracks for a moment, then resumed walking; but Tobimar thought that his face had looked
shocked
for a moment. “
Tor
? The name’s very vaguely familiar,” Rion said, in a voice that sounded faintly brittle, tense. “Is that what gives him the ability to do that trick?”

“Yes,” Tobimar said, trying to figure out what those reactions—if they were real reactions, and not just a figment of Tobimar’s imagination—meant. “He learned it in a different way than I did, from a different teacher, so each of us knows different parts of the art.”

Rion seemed to be walking normally now, and his next words sounded perfectly at ease, so Tobimar wondered if he had actually seen and heard what he thought. “Well, whatever that art is, I’m
very
impressed. I would have sworn no one could pass me unawares, not a magician, not a spirit, nothing. Yet he apparently did.”

“Or he just stepped through one of the walls without even going past you,” Poplock said. “He can do that kind of thing.”

Rion looked even more impressed.

Between the four of them, it took about three-quarters of an hour to work their way to Vantage Fortress. There was no one in sight of the front gate, but they weren’t planning on taking chances, so they went to a rear entrance concealed in an area of brush. Walking through the short tunnel, they emerged into a small courtyard that Tobimar remembered fondly from hours spent practicing and sparring.

A door opened at the far end of the courtyard, a tall, slender figure visible holding an unsheathed blade. “Who enters Vantage Fortress unannounced? Speak, or you shall pay a short and bitter price for trespass.”

“Lythos!” Kyri said, her joy clear in face and voice.

The gleaming blade vanished, and the
Artan
master of arms, or
Sho-Ka-Taida
, ran lightly across the courtyard to stop and bow before her. “Lady Kyri,” he said. “I had hoped for your return, but not looked for you to enter your own home as a thief in the night.”

“We have reason for caution, Lythos, as we’ll tell you shortly,” Tobimar said.

“I will expect to hear every detail, Lord Silverun,” Lythos said calmly. “Now, I—”

The
Artan
stepped back, his blade materializing in his hand as if by magic; only the tension of his voice and a slight widening of the eyes showed how shocked and startled he was. “…You cannot be what you appear. Name yourself truly, or be destroyed.”

“Lythos,” Kyri said sharply. “This is Rion, as best we can determine.”

“That is
impossible
,” Lythos said coldly, his blade a literal hair’s breadth from Rion’s throat; Rion stood frozen, his eyes wide and staring at his former teacher. “I saw his body, I prepared it for its final rest myself, I helped the Arbiter perform the final rites. Rion Vantage died and passed from this world. I say a second time, name yourself truly!”

“Stop it, Lythos,” Tobimar said emphatically. “We
know
there’s something wrong here. We know there are questions we haven’t answered. But—”

“Tobimar, you will stand silent, guest though you are. I am
Sho-Ka-Taida
, and I am also the guardian of House Vantage, and now thrice I say to this one:
name yourself truly
!”

Rion swallowed, and then said, slowly, “Rion. Rion Vantage, Lythos. It is me. I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but it is me.”

For a long, long moment Lythos gazed straight into Rion’s eyes, and Tobimar was tense, hands gripping the hilts of his swords. He knew that Kyri would act to defend Rion if Lythos chose to act, and that the tableau could abruptly dissolve into incredible violence. Despite Kyri’s earlier words in Rivendream Pass, he was not at all sure of the outcome of a duel between Kyri, himself, and
Sho-Ka-Taida
Lythos.

But the
Artan
’s blade was sheathed again, and Lythos bowed. “There are mysteries behind your eyes, Rion, and I think there are some not yet spoken. At the same time, I see you, and ask that you forgive my caution.”

Rion laughed. “There is nothing to forgive, Lythos; you were protecting my sister and our home.”

“Well enough, then. Welcome home, all of you—including you, oh mighty Toad.”

“Thanks!” Poplock bounced onto Tobimar’s head and bowed. “Now, we’d better get ready.”

“Ready?” Lythos looked at them questioningly. “For what?”

“For a council of war,” Kyri said. “Our friend Xavier and his four companions will be here shortly, and we all have much to tell one another. And then I will have to speak of our true enemy.” Her face was once more the cold vision of Vengeance. “And you will not be pleased to hear that truth, Lythos.”

Lythos studied them an instant, then bowed again. “Then I shall tell Vanstell to prepare. Your room, Rion, has been maintained since your…death, at the wish of your sister and aunt; as they accept you as Rion, so shall I, and thus you know where you may go to refresh yourself. I shall await you all in the grand dining room.”

He bowed and left, and the four of them left by one of the other courtyard doors. Tobimar felt tension rising in him.

The final preparations were about to begin.

Chapter 15

Kyri gave a full, formal Armed Bow to the five young people—all of them definitely younger than she was, Xavier’s age, sixteen or seventeen at the most. “Welcome to my estate, all of you.” She was dressed in the Raiment; not only was this an official council of war, with hopefully new allies, but also if somehow their enemy realized what was going on, she wasn’t going to be caught offguard.

Her companions clearly felt the same way; Tobimar had cleaned up and probably had Poplock help, but he was in traveling gear, Poplock was on his shoulder, and Rion had simply added one of his old traveling cloaks to his armor. Lythos stood to one side, watching, his sword-hilts visible on the left and right.

The newcomers bowed back, emulating the bowing pirouette, but aside from Xavier none of them appeared to be armed; fortunately, she wasn’t a Sauran, so she wasn’t going to take offense.
But how in the world could they have traveled so far and seen what must have been a great deal without weapons or, as far as I can see, armor of any significance?

Xavier stepped forward. “Thanks, Kyri. Let me introduce my friends here.”

Seeing the five closeup, she was once more struck by their impossible beauty. In their own way both the girl with white-blond hair and the taller one with locks of forest green rivaled Miri and Lady Shae in appearance, and that was without the shining rightness of Kaizatenzei to help the perception along. Similarly, the other two boys—one with hair as straight and black as Xavier’s but with brilliant blue-green eyes that seemed to take in everything about him at a glance, the other tall as Rion with golden-blond hair and exotic violet eyes—were almost otherworldly in their beauty.
I had gotten somewhat used to Xavier’s appearance, but seeing all of them together is still strange.

Apparently oblivious to her musings, Xavier proceeded with the introductions. “This is Nike Engelshand,” he said, gesturing towards the silver-blond girl whose crystal-blue eyes were set off by the unusual golden-pale skin, tanned yet far lighter in shade than almost anyone Kyri had met except Miri. “The emerald-haired girl’s Aurora Vanderdecken, this guy who stole my hair is Toshi Hashima, and the too-tall fashion plate there is Gabriel Dante. Guys, this is Kyri Vantage, Rion Vantage, and my real good friends Tobimar Silverun and Poplock Duckweed.”

“Xavier’s told us a
lot
about you,” Gabriel said, and his violet eyes twinkled at her in a way that reminded her, with a pang, of Condor—Aran—before everything changed. “I must say his words failed to do you justice, Lady Kyri, although that is perhaps not so much his fault as that of words themselves.”

Kyri noticed Aurora give him a gentle jab in the ribs with an elbow; Gabriel grinned and slipped an arm around her waist.
Together, then.
“I see you have someone capable of flattery, if not diplomacy, in your group. But please, all of you, come in. We’ve laid the table for all of us to sit and eat and talk.”

“Eating and talking sound like a good idea to me,” Nike said.

“But there
is
one other issue first,” Gabriel said, and his gaze was on Rion. “Xavier, I see what you mean.”

“And?”

Gabriel turned to Kyri. “You are aware that he is not human; are you aware that he is demonic, and something else—undead, I believe—as well?”

“Well
mudbubbles!
” Poplock said in chagrin. “You know, it took
days
for me and Hiriista to analyze all that, and you and Xavier can just
look
at him and see it?
How?”

“Let’s leave ‘how’ for later,” Gabriel said. “We have very good reason to be suspicious of such creatures. Demons do not just hunt your group, they are hunting ours as well, and the unliving even more so. What of this…being you are calling your brother?”

Kyri started forward even before she knew she was doing it, but both Rion and Tobimar caught her arms. “Kyri, calm down. Let me answer them.”

She couldn’t keep from glaring at Gabriel Dante, but forced herself to control the anger at his words. “All right.”
I
am
overreacting. I knew people would be wary of Rion’s nature, to say the least. Why am I so…touchy over what I already expected?

Tobimar faced Gabriel. “Your suspicions are perfectly reasonable—and echo our own when we first discovered Rion.” He quickly summarized the situation. “Do we
know
that this is really Rion? No. He
could
still be a spy or worse, but if so he knows Rion’s past and personality to an incredible degree—enough so that Kyri has no doubt that it
is
him. Either way…we had no choice but to bring him with us. And with that, we’ve had to trust him in our counsels or we might not have gotten out alive. If he’s what we believe, then Rion lives again, and we will be using one of our enemy’s creations against him. If he’s not…well, at least he’s not out of sight.”

Nike nodded, smiling wryly. “I see. ‘Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.’”

Gabriel bowed. “A perfectly reasonable position. I apologize, Rion; I meant no offense.”

“None taken,” Rion answered with the smile she remembered so well; she felt herself relaxing as she saw that Rion wasn’t bothered by the situation. “It was the right question to ask. But now, I think we should take our seats.”

“I’m starved,” Xavier said, heading for one of the chairs nearest the largest roast.

Toshi spoke only after everyone had been seated and served. “Xavier has, as Gabriel mentioned, told us a fair amount about you. I think it’s only fair we tell you something of us.”

“You’re right,” Aurora said suddenly, “but first—Tobimar, you’re from the country called Skysand, right?”

She saw Tobimar quirk an eyebrow. “I am—technically in exile, though don’t take that negatively.” He flashed a brilliant smile. “And that will end soon enough, if I can only get home.”

“I just had to be sure. We just came from Skysand, and—”

Instantly Tobimar was up, leaning eagerly—and fearfully—across the table. “From my home? What has happened? Even the Sauran King could not get word—is my mother all right? The city? How—”

“Whoa, slow down!” Xavier waved a hand. “Dude, get a grip. She was going to
tell
you and now you’re like all freaky.”

She watched Tobimar take a deep breath and then looked at Xavier. “I can’t blame him,” she said, realizing how Tobimar’s reaction echoed hers about Rion.
We’re both tense.
“I’d feel the same way if I hadn’t been to Evanwyl in a few years.”

“Can we do this in some sort of
order
?” Toshi said, looking slightly put out.

Nike’s laugh was a light
glissando
, a sparkling sound in keeping with her looks. “Oh, Toshi, you know how crazy everything gets. But you’re right, we should do things in order or it’ll all get confused.”

Tobimar seated himself slowly, and Toshi looked around the table before speaking again. “All right. First…what has Xavier told you about us?”

“Not
too
much,” Poplock said. “He said that he actually hadn’t known you guys all that long to begin with, but that you were all from
Zahralandar
—what you call Earth—and that Khoros had brought you all together and dumped you here.”

“And that Khoros somehow expected you to find a way to break the Great Seal itself, or you’d never go home,” Tobimar continued; at that statement she saw Lythos give a noticeable start. “We were at the Dragon’s Palace when everything went to the Hells, so we ended up seeing something of your conversations in the cells—though,” he paused and nodded to Toshi, “you should know that Willowwind Forestfist was exceedingly impressed by the way you made it almost impossible to drag meaning out of those recordings.”

“Almost?” Toshi looked crestfallen. “I’d
hoped
I had made it
actually
impossible.”

“Take it as a compliment,” Poplock advised. “Willowwind is one of the best there is, and you managed to really mess up most of his reconstruction work. Don’t get all hung up on it not being perfect.”

He shifted on Tobimar’s shoulder. “So, anyway, you got caught, broke out of prison, and scattered, leaving Xavier to watch everything and decide if he could talk to anyone. I think that’s pretty much it. Oh, yeah. You’re elementals of some kind—Willowwind figured that out—and we know Toshi’s gotta be Air, and Xavier’s obviously Spirit.” The little Toad squinted. “Somehow Aurora just
screams
‘Earth,’ to me, which makes Gabe and Nike the last two. I’m gonna make a guess and say that just because she looks cool as frost that she’s probably actually Fire, and Gabe’s Water.”

Toshi raised an eyebrow and looked over at Xavier, who was wearing a vindicated grin. “That Toad
is
good,” Toshi said finally.

“You have
no
idea,” Kyri said. “But I think that
is
pretty much we know about you. Do we need to know more?”

“
Need
, I don’t know. But there
is
a lot more to know. You are aware, I presume, that all of the simultaneous assaults around the world were part of a larger war launched by Kerlamion?”

“Yes. We also know who planned it—and that he’s here in Evanwyl.”

“The man behind the man,” Xavier breathed, leaning forward. “You know who was pulling Thornfalcon’s strings.”

“We do.” She saw that Lythos was also standing straighter; they had not yet told him, since they planned on explaining everything all at once. “His real name—at least, the name that anyone will speak—is Viedraverion. He is rumored to be the first son of Kerlamion himself. And…” She hesistated, finding that saying the last part was surprisingly hard—painful, in truth.

Lythos stepped from his position near the door. “And…?”

“And he is known to us as Jeridan Velion.”

“Oh, crap,” Xavier muttered. “The big boss of this whole country? The
Watchland
? He seemed like a pretty cool guy while I was here.”

Lythos had simply closed his eyes as though in sudden pain; when his eyes opened, they had clear understanding. “Of course. It answers many mysteries. But you do not look as I might expect you to look, having finally found the architect of this evil.”

“Because I am also sure that there is a
real
Jeridan Velion, Lythos. That many of his words and deeds are as honest and true as those of any in this room.”

Toshi’s head tilted. “Possession? A duplicate?”

“Something possibly more complicated than that,” Tobimar said. “Look at Rion for one possibility. I think we will need to tell each other our stories, since at least the time that Xavier left us, and ours might be the more urgent here. But, please,” he looked intensely at Aurora, “tell me at least—my mother, my brothers and sisters—are they all right?”

Aurora looked at Gabriel for a moment, then shifted in her seat. “Your mother Talima is well. Most of your brothers and sisters are also. But…Terimur and Sundrilin fell defending Skysand. Sundrilin…defending me.” She looked down. “I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

Kyri’s heart felt pierced through as she saw the stricken look on Tobimar’s face. Then as his expression relaxed, with an effort only she could sense, she thought the pain was worse from her love for him in what he said next.

“Aurora…” A hesitant glance up. “Did Sundrilin know what she was doing? Did she
choose
to do what she did?”

“I…” Aurora’s swallow was audible across the table. “Yes. Yes, she knew what she was doing, and why.”

“And did she achieve what she hoped?”

For an instant, Aurora’s face was transformed, to one of anger and certainty. “Yes. Oh, yes, she did.”

“Then do not apologize.” The hint of tears in Tobimar’s voice could have torn Kyri apart, but there was only gentleness in his voice. “We are
Silverun
. We are the defenders of our people, of our lands. We know our duty and the peril of our lives, and the most any can ask of their deaths is that they gave their lives
well
. And it sounds to me as though Sundrilin died well.”

“As did Terimur,” Gabriel said. “Both of them died very, very well, and gave us the time we needed.”

“That
I
needed,” Aurora said quietly. “Gabe, I know you’d like to take part of that responsibility, but it
was
my fault.” She looked up, eyes shimmering with tears, but she smiled. “But…thank you, Tobimar.”

“You are welcome.” Tobimar sat down slowly, and his head bowed; Kyri saw Poplock pat his friend’s head gently.

“More of that story in its place,” Lythos said. “Kyri, I believe you were going to tell us all of what has passed since last we saw you.”

She took a deep breath. “Yes. Well, first we traveled back to the Spiritsmith…”

The tale was long and involved—longer, now that she had started, than she had realized. As time passed and dishes were cleared and refilled, Tobimar roused himself from his private grief and began to help, giving his keen observations, with Poplock adding key insights along the way. Even though the five visitors—for the most part—listened quietly, it was still a long time before she was finished.

In a way, she was reminded of the night they had first met Tobimar, and each had told their stories to the others.
It
is
similar. We are on the same quest, in a way, and guided by Khoros’ phantom hand, and I think now is one of the most crucial moments of all our lives.

Finally she reached the climax, the duel against alchemy and madness culminating in a battle of gods and magicians, and then the recovery and rebuilding where it was possible. “…and then we made it back through Rivendream and, well, here we are.”

For a few moments, the room was silent as it had not been for over two hours. Nike broke the quiet with a sudden laugh. “Well, I thought
we
had had something of an adventure, but I’m not sure it compares. Mad scientists and dragon-gods!”

“It compares,” Toshi said calmly. “I think we are of rather equal footing overall—which is frightening in its implications.” He looked at the others. “Our own stories might take even longer to tell. There are aspects that I think would be best kept to ourselves, as well. Meaning no offense,” he looked at Rion, “but if there is even a
chance
that one of the people here could be—willingly or not—a spy, there are details we shouldn’t discuss. I am presuming Rion was already familiar with your own story, so it was not an issue there.”