When I erged from the cold storage where I’d been working on Inertia, Bevel cradled in my arms, I wasn't terribly surprised to find it was morning again. Focusing on Inertia had been important, but I realized I'd also left everything else in the lurch. There were questions I wanted to ask both her and Tresla but they were still recovering. Everyone was recovering.
Between Sarpit and Kallum… well, it could’ve been a lot worse.
With the still napping Bevel in my arms, I returned to our temporary quarters. Setting her down, I couldn’t stop from rustling her hair. She’d given the Ways Between, and I’d just… let people take it from us.
Was lucky no one hurt her. I needed to get more spell keys made. And, unfortunately, I'd need a way to keep people from getting into the rest of the mountain, so I wouldn't have a repeat of… everything.
As I made my way to the workshop, I spotted one of the Tethered Xoth had healed. That was one positive I felt I could take away from the attack. Both him and Xelinda had been there, helping, when they could’ve easily stayed on their fancy ship. He kept denying responsibility for them, but any ti the refugees had a problem, Xoth continued to step up.
Sounded like he’d already started helping with repairs to the shelters.
Despite my initial concerns, the tunnels had saved lives during the attack. The earlier issues with smoke ant that when the village started burning, the tunnels had remained clear.
As I made my way to the enchanting lab, Calbern arrived, giving a summary of what he’d learned about the attack from the refugees. Wasn’t much. There'd been a handful of enchanted bombs, used as a distraction just before they'd taken the Waygates.
Calbern had already questioned them while I’d been repairing Inertia, but I decided I’d delay making the spellkeys long enough to question the captives Calbern had taken. I made my way up the stairs only to co across the dead body.
"Suicide?" I asked, clenching my hands. First they’d attacked us, then they’d taken their own lives. I pulled back the still smoking fabric covering his chest. The sll of burning pork prickled my nose. Barbecued pork, with that cheap coal that stank. All with a bitter undertone.
Made my gut churn.
"It is uncertain, master Perth," Calbern replied, keeping several feet of distance. "The sentry on duty reported them screaming."
"Yeah, I bet," I said as I looked at the charred remains of where his heart had once been. It looked like whatever had killed him had burned its way through his skin to get there. The singed clothes were just a side effect. Once more, Perth's lessons ca to mind.
Not lessons I'd thought I'd need, at least not so far outside the Hundred Kingdoms.
"Pretty sure these are death pact runes," I said, grimacing as I pushed to my feet. There'd been a period a couple hundred years before Perth had been born when death pact runes had been used by infiltrators across the Hundred Kingdoms. Soul magic had been big then too.
Soul magic similar to the ritual Perth had used to summon . And worse.
There'd been a bunch of accords regarding both, which, alongside more effective counterasures, had led to them being used considerably less. At least in the Hundred Kingdoms. Still, part of the reason Perth had been taught about them was because there were still several factions who made regular use of both. They weren’t even particularly hard to stop, if you were a mage with the training to do so. If I'd noticed them before they activated, I might've been able to deactivate them.
Worst thing about death pact runes, and what had ultimately resulted in the accords being signed, was that they didn't need to be placed on willing people. There’d been more than one ruler at that table that had lost a child to the runes…
I tilted my head back as I leaned against the cold stone walls of the decrepit kitchen. The only room that'd been available to keep the captives in that had been half-secure.
"A most despicable practice," Calbern said, shaking his head.
I nodded, pushing away from the wall. "You did question them before it activated though. What’d they tell you?"
"Indeed, master Perth. They were not terribly forthcoming, yet we were able to confirm that Shaper Kallum hired them. For what purpose, he didn't say, but they were remarkably certain he'd had a benefactor," Calbern replied. "They indicated that Shaper Kallum barely seed to know his own plan until they were ordered to secure the facility."
"At least that's a start. Now we just need to root out anyone else with one of these marks," I said, pushing off the wall.
Luckily, checking for death pact runes was sothing that could easily be delegated. The activation took a few minutes to wind up, so I only had to be nearby. As long as people knew what to look for and we didn’t search too many people at once.
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So I went to find a Tethered to get started on yet another security fix.
"That's so real roperot, boss," Tanis said, shaking his head. "Worse than getting sand in your boots after a nice swim."
"I… yeah, considerably worse," I agreed, before continuing with my explanation of what I needed. I didn't want to check everyone. That didn't sit right with . But checking anyone who wanted to use the Waygates was easier to justify. Easier to organize too.
At least among the Tethered.
Then again, most of the refugees hadn't used the Waygates much. The people who'd been part of the attack made up nearly three-quarters of the refugees who had. Whether they'd been pressed into service because of that, or vice versa…
Well, it was pretty hard to figure that out now. I was hoping there'd be a clue in one of the two spatial storage rings. And if not there, maybe we could get answers from the Vox Knights. Not directly, according to Calbern, "While their thods are… less than forthright, the Vox Knights do have their own code. Whatever terms the Vox Knight took will be followed. To do less would be to sacrifice her own path."
"And considering how much effort they put in to make sure no one talked…" I said, gesturing in the direction of the Waygate, beyond which were the bodies of the now-dead goons who'd supported Kallum.
"Their contract would have shrouded whoever was truly behind this effort," Calbern finished, inclining his head slightly. "However, a Vox Knight is not so vagabond they could pay off with a few thousand Waves."
"Which ans soone with money. And given how recently we started accepting refugees, that ans soone close," I said, leaning against the nearby net as I stared down into the bottom of the chasm.
"Indeed, master Perth. And as the refugees have reminded repeatedly these last few days, we are the only harbor within a week's travel of Spellford. By sea, at least."
"So soone there decided it was worth killing a dozen refugees and five Tethered to…"
"To gain access to the Keeper. And whatever ancient knowledge it keeps locked away," Calbern said, taking a long breath as he moved to stand beside . "A most callous opponent."
Collateral damage.
Perhaps they’d thought it was 'necessary'. Arcane secrets didn’t belong in the hands of the weak, after all. That's what Perth had been taught. I wondered if Nexxa would’ve agreed with that. I doubted it.
Didn’t matter.
Once more, I’d failed to keep the people who relied on safe. It was one thing to read about it, to know that no matter what I did, I’d always fail. It was another to feel it.
And this ti it was worse. At least with the guards, they’d felt like they deserved it. To lose people like the young guard Dethi. A man who’d only begun his training…
Selvi ca running up, drawing out of my thoughts. I glanced over at Tanis who was already attempting to explain my instructions. He was botching the job magnificently, so I stepped in and relayed what I actually wanted to her. Calbern kindly offered to assist her in getting things set up.
With that underway, I made my way back inside the mountain to where Keeper sat along the wall.
"Ah, hello, young omnivore," Keeper said, its head breaking free of its nook. "What sort of feast have you brought today? Did you perhaps wish to sample another fragnt of the glorious past?"
"Much as that sounds interesting, was actually hoping to find out what Shaper Kallum was trying to get out of you," I replied, holding up a copy of one of the books I'd made for Inertia. "If this is enough for that."
Keeper reached forward, its bladed fingers grasping the book as it flipped through the pages with startling quickness. After making it halfway through the book, it snapped the book closed, its purple eyes glimring for a second. Then the book disappeared. "Your feast is… acceptable," Keeper said, its eyes shifting back to . "The Shaper wished many things from . Spells to overco his master. Knowledge from the Altean Empire, both about their transit systems and security asures. He didn't ntion it to directly, but he also desired a way to raise his daughter, who died several years ago."
Before I could so much as ask for clarification, Keeper continued, "While I have not consud much related to Altean security, I do have several tos on their trade networks." It produced said tos, handing them to . "And while retrieving a departed soul is challenging, so long as the body is intact, I do have several spells allowing such a feat. Considering how he balked at providing a fair al in exchange for even the simplest of knowledge, I doubt he was prepared to provide the feast I required."
"I… you have spells that can raise the dead?"
"No," Keeper denied, its black tongue flicking out and running along its glistening teeth as it shifted forward. "Once the soul has departed, all that a body is good for is creating a flesh golem. But Kallum knew this. He trapped his daughter's soul in her body."
"Damn," I said, a shudder sliding down my spine. "That's brutal. Wait, does that an I can revive the people who died in the attack?"
Keeper shook its oversized head back and forth, the horns making audible swishing sounds in the air. "Unfortunately, only ensouled stay close to their bodies after death. It would be so much easier for my little brothers to feed, otherwise."
"I… what are your little brothers?"
"Now that, is a very, very expensive question, young omnivore," the Keeper said, its eyes glinting, a sinister chuckle filling the room.
A tingle ran down my spine. I was reminded just how dangerous this being was. It had withstood Balthum’s attacks, then taken what it considered a fair price in exchange for the inconvenience. Even if he’d been reduced to a Pegasus-souled tier of strength, I didn’t imagine he’d been ill-prepared. Not with how thorough his notes were.
"Right… Back to raising people. It sounds like that's… soul magic," I said, the thought only just dawning on .
"Of course," Keeper said, reaching a hand forward, an image appearing over its boney palm. One of Shaper Kallum.
The image flickered as it played out Kallum's death, the pair of Lightning Bolts I shot into him appearing muted in comparison. As we left the room, I saw a faint wispy form rise from his body, floating away. For a second, it looked like it was going south, towards Terra Vista. Then it was stopped, floating back towards the body. And towards Keeper. The wisp started flailing, as though aware of the fate that awaited it. Finally, it was drawn between Keeper's teeth. Which was where the image ended.
Then another flicked into place. Again, it showed Shaper Kallum getting blasted by lightning. Except in this one, I leaned down and healed him. The wispy soul snapped back into the body imdiately. Suddenly, I realized why the Vox Knight had taken Kallum's body. They'd been planning to revive him.
The shudder that went down my spine had nothing to do with discovering that Keeper ate souls. Nor was it at the idea that, whoever my enemy was, I couldn't simply rely on them staying dead.
It was that soone would do all this just to get to Keeper.
Yeah, I'd already been planning, but this just confird it… visitation rights to the peak were officially rescinded.
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