Good. But not good enough. Theyd catch up with at this point. I channeled magic into the inscriptions at my legs, and the haste coding propelled faster until the scenery was almost an indistinguishable blur.
Duck. The amulet at my neck burned. I moved on instinct, dodging under a hissing tight flow of water pressurized enough to slice through skin, sliding on my knees beneath the stream.
An earlier warning would have been nice, I hissed under my breath. The erald at my neck vibrated in a pattern that was hard to interpret as anything other than laughter.
A ghost caught my eye: a thin, willowy specter that was almost translucent. It had been pacing perfectly but made a mistake, barely broaching beyond the blindspot to my left. The specter dove at , swinging her curved blade in a vicious horizontal strike. I couldnt get the aegis up in ti, but the transcription on my armdesigned to activate when I attempted to summon an aegisglowed bright yellow, burning the skin beneath, the kinetic force of the strike dispersed as heat. I struck out with my elbow hard and heard a resounding oof, as the air was driven from my attackers lungs.
I grinned. There was a clearing up ahead where a golden artifact sat on an altar, glowing brightly. So close now. I picked up the pace, hauling myself up onto what used to be a thin support rail for a large building before hurling myself down, preparing to cross the final stream
Which was as slippery as it was solid the mont I stepped onto it. I pinwheeled, trying to keep my balance as my rugged boots lost traction and I flailed across the ice, falling hard on my hands, pushing myself up again. My ghostly specter from before was back, this ti not bothering to sneak up on . She stabbed at , and I t her blow with the sword breaker, an audible clink as her blade slid between the grooves and was stuck there.
I reached for my bag and Bellarex grabbed my free arm to stop . I head-butted her but she was ready for it, lowering her chin so my forehead glanced painfully off her skull.
Fine. Ti to get serious.
I manipulated the air. Id specifically designed several pouches on my belt with magnetic lids. With a strong enough breeze emanating from inside the bag the lids would pop open, bring forth their contents.
The powder sped towards her in a granular arc. Her eyes widened and she disengaged, abandoning her blade, mory no doubt still fresh of the last ti Id hit her with a combination of stinging nettles.
But that wasnt what I was doing now. I called the fla, setting the powder on fire and flinging it at her in a wide arc. She backpedaled on the ice. I noted, wryly, that she was wearing spiked boots. They had planned this.
My mind strained as I encircled her with the powder. Then stoked the fla with pure mana. She fell through the ice into the water. I took an extra mont to extinguish the fla, so she wouldnt be stuck there.
A whip, once leather, now tal and light, lashed around my neck like a garrote. The ice beneath my feet dissolved and refroze, sticking to the surface. Jorra tightened his whip and walked towards . He was also wearing the spiked boots. I was, apparently, the only one to miss the mo.
The smart play would be to yield. But I didnt want to.
Give it up, Cairn, Jorra said.
So powder was still burning. If I could manage to call it over without looking, I could free myself. Id burn the hell out of my boots but in a real combat scenario that wouldnt matter. It
Bonk.
A blunted throwing knife infused with void bounced off my head. The void clung to , spoiling any imdiate plans of casting.
Not to ntion it hurt. A lot.
I nursed my wound with one hand and held the other towards Jorra in surrender. He released the whip. I breathed in deeply as he walked towards bell, who was still half imrsed, clinging to the edge of the frozen circle, looking soaked and miserable.
Was that really necessary? I scowled at her, rubbing the sore spot where the dagger had hit.
Was this really necessary? Bell shot back. Her teeth chattered.
I was going to surrender.
No you werent, They spoke simultaneously.
So ti later, the gold painted artifact, had been obliterated into kindling for the fire. I was trying to concentrate, speed up the process of mana regeneration, but the chatter kept distracted.
I dont understand how you got that much better in such a short ti, Jorra said. He stared into the fire, sowhat short-spoken. His arms were bare, showing lean definition where there was little half a year ago. But he was still less muscular than Bell. Her biceps could make a dwarf swoon.
Ive had more free ti than you, I said.
Jorras just being sore that he cant win one-on-one anymore. Bell pushed at his shoulder. Jorra shifted away from her and rolled his eyes. His gaze shifted down to my arms, now rewrapped in bandages.
Its not just the ink. Thats part of it though, maybe, Jorra said.
Maybe, I said. I didnt bla him for being confused. In truth, I wasnt sure exactly how many iterations Id spent in the Enclave loop. More than ten. Almost all of them spent either constantly practicing magic or researching solutions. It hadnt been apparent to at the ti, as the enemy was borderline omnipotent in comparison, but I had been growing stronger, and not insignificantly so.
Bell had drawn into herself and was looking out towards the lake. I knew without asking that she was thinking about her father. Shed been told the minimal amount, and my involvent had been excluded. A spike of guilt hit .
Hey Bell.
Her head snapped up. Hm, yes?
The void state could use so work. It was a dick thing to say, and to anyone else I would have found a better way to phrase it. But Bellarex was different. She ignored complints. Instead, what she seed to value more than anything else was criticism.
Tell , she said, pulling out a piece of paper and looking around for sothing to write on, and finding nothing, slapped the piece of paper onto Jorras back, ignoring his protests.
I continued. Its almost perfect. You would have had on the approach, but you have to watch your angles. Crept up a little too fast and I saw you out of the corner of my eye. Otherwise, it would have caught out completely.
She finished scrawling her notes, tip of her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth, and then grinned. Thanks!
God youre weird, Jorra said.
Yeah yeah, Bell said.
We made our way back into the enclave. Bell departed for her duties at the void temple. It was late in the afternoon and there wasnt much left for to do other than head back to Ralakoss estate.
Agarins been asking after you. Jorra said. The strangely tentative observation seed to co out of nowhere.
I wasnt sure what to say. Is he doing alright?
Yeah, hes talking more. Though half of its still babbling baby-speak. Jorra stretched, still maintaining that strange, too-casual facade. Youre invited to dinner tonight. I know youll say no, but just wanted to put it out there.
Who extended the invitation? I asked.
Nobody. General, family invitation.
And the person who initiated it was...
Jorra sighed heavily. Kilvius.
That tracked. I didnt bla Nethtari for keeping her distance. What we went through in the Twilight Chambers, what shed seen, it was the sort of thing that stayed with a person. Nethtari was no exception. Id stopped my vurseng consumption cold after the loop and I still had trouble sleeping.
I tried to summon a smile and only partially succeeded. Perhaps another night. Tell Kilvius thank you, but I really do need to focus on my studies. The sanctum is right around the corner.
Yeah. I need to start getting ready too. Jorra looked off in the direction of the giant crevasse and chewed his lip in worry. But hes just going to keep asking. He sounded resigned. Wed had variations of this conversation for a while now and it always seed to pan out the sa way.
Well get together at so point, Im sure.
You think Bell is ready?
The question surprised . Bell? Shes fine. She could still kick my ass any day of the week.
He gave a look.
I didnt say she would win, I said, just that shed kick my ass.
She just gets that look sotis. Like shes exhausted and confused. Like more than tired: Weary. And we havent even gotten to the hard part yet.
It was true, but I felt the need to defend my future teammate. I recognized what she was going through. Bell wasnt tired, she was unanchored. Judging from what little Id seen of them, Erdos had pushed her hard. A constant hand on her back, hurtling her forwards, driving her, never relenting. And now that hand was gone.
Just be patient with her. Shes been through a lot, I said.
Yeah. Im not trying to be an asshole. I just feel like were not ready, Jorra said.
From everything Ive heard, its not the sort of thing you can fully prepare for. I thought back to Morthuss description of the sanctum, how hed compared it to birds pushing their young out of the nest. You either fly or you fall.
He tore his gaze away from the crevasse and changed the subject. Dinner. Soon. Preferably before we leave.
He reached a hand out towards at waist level and I clasped his arm. Then he set off at a brisk jog towards his ho, ducking out of the way of an errant dire mole passing on the street. I watched him go, trying to quash the queasiness in my gut. There was no helping it. This barrier between and the family Id grown so close to. It was just the way things were now.
----
A servant greeted at the door, taking my belongings and peeling off my coat. He confird that there hadnt been any letters. That was disappointing, but to be expected.
Id been writing to my mother and sisters for a few months now. It was a big step. When I first ca to the enclave, so part of had been frightened of communicating with them. In my mind, the possibility that they were alive seed a tentative one, and acting as if they were without seeing them first felt like hubris. But fear ant sothing entirely different now than it did then, so I had picked up a pen and begun to write.
There were never any responses, of courseI was sure my father was taking a hardline stance when it ca to any potential leaks of information to an enemy faction, but I hoped they at least read them.
I thanked the butler absentmindedly and headed to my room.
The last six months had flown by.
My ti in Ralakoss estate was lonely, but pleasant enough. Ralakos was constantly busy with council matters and dealing with the fallout from Ephiras disappearance, which ant I saw him less than I had before Id lived in his ho.
I filled my ti the only way I knew how. Obsessive studying and practicing. Habits once foreign and laughable to had beco my universal constants. Even though Id long since given up the sleepless nights, the days started early and ended late, often leaving with the feeling of waking the mont my head hit the pillow.
My demonic was getting better. I was hardly fluent, but I could understand most simple sentences, though innuendo and double-aning were often lost on , much to Vogrins irritation. My magic was stronger, but my spell work was still behind where it should have been for an infernal my age. The constant business was therapeutic in a way. Staying focused helped fill the void and occupy all conscious thought, preventing my mind from wandering to places it was best to stay clear of.
For the most part, the intentional business worked. The flashes of pain and torture no longer plagued during the day. There was, however, nothing I could do about the dreams that ca to at night.
I removed my shirt and bandages and looked over myself in the mirror. The growth-spurt that had marked my later teen years had inexplicably arrived early. I was lanky for the first ti in my life.
But that was hardly the most significant change. Jagged demonic scrawl that stretched up my arms and across my chest in angry looking black text. It covered much of my body now. The inscription process was painful and hideously slow. The more inscriptions you had, the more likely it was to cause so sort of soul-imbalance, leading to all sorts of particularly nasty outcos. Akios, my inscriberthe sa one that had originally worked on the suicide inscriptionmade co up with a list of everything I wanted before he even began to work. After that, Id been under the knife every two-weeks, like clockwork.
I traced the text near the center of my chest, probing my most recent addition for pain or discomfort, any sign of infection. Id gone back and forth on whether I wanted the kill switch: the way it had beco almost automatic under duress during the worst of the previous loop weighed heavy on my mind.
Rather than forgo it entirely, I opted for a compromise, a modified version of the original design I had broached. It wasnt all that different, but slightly harder to activate, not unlike a crossbow trigger with a heavier pull.
Hopefully, that would be enough.
I discussed the afternoons training session with Vogrin. He kept it constructive, but it was clear he wasnt happy with , with us. Hed made his feelings known on the topic on more than a few occasions: The sanctum was a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity. I needed to be using my increased power and position to insert myself into a group that was stronger and more experienced.
Despite understanding where he was coming from, I couldnt have disagreed with him more. Trust was paramount. Now more than ever. Jorra might have been sowhat immature and occasionally surly, but he had my back. And despite only knowing her a short ti, I felt I understood Bell. Even the entertaining the idea of ditching them for another group felt wrong.
There was a sharp rap at my door. The butlers voice called out Young master, you have a guest.
Just a minute. I threw on a shirt. That was unexpected. The timing was strange. I didnt have many guests these days.
I opened the door. There was a blur of movent, and soone tackled in a hug. I tensed in a mont of fight or flight before a familiar scent caught my nose, and the panic faded entirely.
Dont you have a family dinner to get to? I asked gently.
You kept them safe. Maya said. Her voice was muffled, face buried in my chest. I am so sorry I was not here. They told . You kept them safe.
My breath hitched and my vision swam in a well of emotion that I only just managed to push back down. I hugged her back.
I did.
Reviews
All reviews (0)