I limped back to camp. Jorra had wanted to quietly sneak back in with Bell, gather our things, and leave without showing my face, but this felt important sohow. They needed to know that I was with them. That I was on their side. There was no doubt that so of them would co after . Likely sooner than later. But running at the first sign of adversity was practically asking to be pursued.
Or at least, that had been the logic. With the number of eyes and undercurrent of hostility I was beginning to wonder how wise returning to the heart had actually been. Jorra rather loudlystruck up a conversation with Bell on how I had pursued the culprit, and had been the only one to act.
It was a bit too antagonistic, but I understood his need to fill the silence. Things were tense, and it wouldnt take much to set off everything in a direction we could not co back from.
The conservator that had been standing guard earlier took from Jorra and helped into the dical tent. The older life magician whod been absent earlier had returned, and began cataloguing my injuries. Despite being only a few years older than , she had a motherly air, and to my relief, didnt seem hostile in the slightest. She did grill on details on the rogue arch-mage, and I was happy to give what details I could manage. She fixed the damage to my jaw and told I was lucky I hadnt lost any teeth, then presented with a simple potion. I sniffed it experintally and recognized the mix of herbs, a particularly potent anesthetic.
I took half, and felt my body relax. Within a few minutes I drifted into an almost ditative state. The things that Thoth had said, things that I had all but ignored, clawed at my mind, teasing possibilities I didnt want to face.
Id lived my first life as a fool. That was clear enough. Id been completely apathetic of the plight of those below my station and selfish. It wasnt beyond the pale to understand why soone might want to kill in the process of overthrowing the kingdom. These things were not unheard of. A spoiled noble put to the sword as a symbol. You couldnt just let the children go, as my father had so morably stated.
But Thoths hatred for went beyond that. Beyond all reasonable asure. Out of everything Id done in my previous life, I couldnt think of a single reasonand Id spent months racking my mindanyone would want to wound personally.
So, Why?
A theory began to form, as difficult to grasp as it was horrible. Thoth rembered our previous life. I rembered our previous life. But who was to say it was the first ti things had reset? The things she said implied the sort of experience that ca over several lifetis, not just one. And if that was true, if she retained all her mories, what the hells had I done to make her hate so much?
And perhaps more importantly, if she died, did things roll back for her as well? If that was true, it wouldnt be a question of getting lucky and out maneuvering her once. How could I possibly hope to defeat her? That was too overwhelming to even think about. I ntally added the note to my ever-growing list to look more deeply into the subject of ti magic. It hadnt occurred to since the Everwood, really.
A hand touched my leg. I started. Mayas face dipped into my vision, mouth set and grim. I take my eye off you for one mont, and you are already injured.
Maybe it was the drugs talking, but I couldnt distance myself the way I had in Ralakoss estate. The words just tumbled out. I missed you, Maya.
Maya blinked, looked away. And here I thought you had outgrown . What, with your councilor friends with their fancy houses and your adorable void magicians.
Experience told there was so subtext there, but I was too dicated to pick up on subtle social complexities. I laughed a bit too loud. No. You were my first friend. Its impossible to be demoted from that position.
Maya hesitated. You never told that.
I hadnt?
Thats embarrassing. I felt myself turning red. It was made more awkward by the fact that it was true. Across both lives. Id had other friends, but the delineation between Maya and them was important. So had left at the first sign of adversity. Most had left for what felt like no reason at all. Despite what felt like a never-ending trail of obstacles, Maya was still here. That felt important, sohow.
While you were gone. Even when things were darkest. And gods did things get... dark. I squeezed my eyes shut, banishing the images that bubbled up. A hand clasped mine, banishing them away. Sohow, I managed to finish. Even mired in all that, the thought of seeing you again, it stayed with . Kept going. A mont of clarity bubbled up and my mind cleared temporarily from the anesthetized state. Elphion. Sorry, Im saying too much-
Maya placed her forehead against mine, silencing . It was the sa for , Nilend. She looked as if she might say sothing more.
Vogrin cleared his throat. Maya jerked away from , as if burned, her cheeks coloring.
Sorry to spoil the mont, but I assu youll want to hear this. Vogrin didnt sound the least bit apologetic. He floated over to my bedside in my demonic form, and looked between the two of us curiously.
Go ahead. I told him, willing him to get on with it.
Thoth is on the move, making excellent ti. She seems to be teleporting. Not unexpected, for a magician of her caliberthough the sheer distance she is covering would give anyone pause. But more interesting is where shes ended up. He paused as if for dramatic effect, waiting for either of us to ask. When we didnt, he continued on with a scowl. Fine. Shes co to a rest in the Oracles Cradle.
I didnt recognize the na, but Maya breathed a sharp intake of breath. I looked to her for clarification. The oracles cradle is believed to be the birthplace of the first of my kind. Infaris. That, I recognized. The infernals referred to her on the sa level one might refer to a deity, or at the very least, a saint.
Its a hallowed place. Of spiritual significance. Nothing practical. Its sothing of a boon if were able to make our way there before the end of our term in the sanctum. On its own, its perfectly benign, but its positioned on the outer edges, and the way there is incredibly dangerous. Only the best of us make it. Most turn back before the halfway point. Maya turned back to . I cannot imagine what soone like her would want with the gods.
Its safe to say shes not looking to repent. I muttered. But the words stirred at my mory. What had she said to , all that ti ago?
The gods are dead.
That had to be significant. Id never put much stock in the human gods, other than a yearly sacrifice and quarterly rounds to their temples, as was considered proper. In all likelihood, Thoth would be gone by the ti we arrived. But Id be a fool to ignore a clue as blatant as this, even if it did feel like reaching.
I think we should modify our route. I said. How will you go about contacting Ozra? It occurred to that Id slipped, ntioning the na in front of Maya. Damn anesthetic.
Ozra? Maya asked.
Asmodial arch-fiend. Has a shared interest in Thoth. I answered, keeping it vague. Maya shivered.
That was next on the docket, Vogrin replied. Ill need so mana from you. Have you recovered from your earlier incident?
I focused inwards, and discovered I had. The ambient mana in the sanctum was no joke. It would have taken a significant amount of ti, before. Perhaps as much as half a day. But, in as little as three it was as if nothing had happened, injuries notwithstanding. Do it, I said.
The resulting sensation was not unlike bleeding out. It pulled from , leaving feeling tired, exhausted, and empty.
A half dozen ugly, gremlin like creatures constructed out of rune covered red stone and glowing blue connections that bound the stone together.
I present to you, your children, Vogrin said.
Excuse ?
That was a joke.
I saw Maya breathe a sigh of relief out of the corner of my eye.
Vogrin continued. Think of these constructs as ssenger birds. Only without the need to drink, or eat, or rest. Theyre surprisingly hardy for their size, but most will be struck down. So, well do this from ti to ti. Statistically, its inevitable that a few of them will eventually get through.
I poked at one, and it chittered away, bumping into its fellows, making angry squeaking noises.
Their intelligence is limited. Vogrin comnted.
I can see that.
But they are quick. Vogrin raised an arm and snapped his fingers. The creatures took off at a speed maybe two, three tis faster than Id been running pushing my inscriptions to their limits. One tore through the canvas of the tent itself, nearly ripping through it before righting itself and heading through the exit. Within seconds, they were gone.
Theyre better when I have more mana to work with, Vogrin groused.
I ignored him, turning my focus back to Maya. Heading back to your team now?
Maya shook her head. I think it is clear enough that things have changed. And if there is one constant in the world, you will be getting hurt again.
That was true enough. But still, Thoths words had crept their way into my head. That I would warp everything that I touched. Perhaps it was nothing more than psychological warfare, designed to make question myself, my use of my allies. That didnt change the fact that it was effective.
You dont have to, I said. You dont owe .
There was a flash of disappointnt in her expression, quickly buried under sothing approaching righteous indignation. What did we talk about? This is not obligation. Its a question of right and wrong.
I leaned back. But-
And what of my brother? You expect to just let you drag him to the outer-reach, well beyond any dical outposts in case things go wrong? I could see her building herself up.
Okay, okay. I held my hands out flat in surrender. Wed be happy to have you.
----
The next day was spent in preparation. It was important that it didnt look like we were running away from the heart, rather, simply setting off on an expedition to look for the arch-magician that was the source of the problem. The conservators had done their best to restore order, but they could do nothing for the dubious looks, the weight of doubt and fear that hung heavy over the camp.
But as I had already learned, the infernals were civilized folk. Just because a disembodied voice told them to co after , to take my head, didnt an they were going to do it. At least, not imdiately. The desperation would co after. In the event the barrier remained after the two-week cutoff. That was when things would get ugly, desperate. There needed to be a solution by then.
I was, in part, tempted to trigger a reset. But I rembered all too well the way the darkness had pulled at . Almost swallowing . It was possible that if I killed myself, I would find myself barred, forever lost in that black ether. Or worse, dragged to hades, arriving at my final resting place. I shuddered. Without knowing how long it took my ability to recover, it simply wasnt an option I could risk.
And just because we were trying to send a particular image didnt make us fools. Jorra went out and socialized amongst the camp, speaking loudly to vendors about the supplies needed for a supposed route following the coastal hubs and out towards the ruby plains. It was a slight change, but close enough to the route recomnded for new entrants in the sanctum.
This was, of course, disinformation. Our actual path would be completely different.
Once my mana had recovered, I sent Vogrin out to listen, especially amongst the older infernals. In part, I wanted to know how much ti we had. There were a few that were within the month. Most had three to four. I took so solace in that. I had done more with less to work with, up against enemies almost as powerful.
More importantly, we snagged a lead. I discovered that we werent the only ones looking for Morthus. The conservators were planning to send a group out to search for him in the miasmal pits. It wouldnt be a direct line to the cradle, but it wasnt in the opposite direction either.
Ready to go? Maya sidled up beside , checking with her hip. The staff Id given her was strapped to her back.
The introspective funk Id fallen into all but subsided.
I smiled. I think its about that ti.
Did your bag get even heavier? Bellarex called out to Jorra. His bag was open now, combined with another saddlebag that was tied across the top.
rchants, Jorra huffed. They drove a hard bargain.
Packrat. Maya rolled her eyes.
Jorra looked to for help. Co on, youre gonna let them gang up on like this?
With so effort, I quashed the doubt, the fear. We had trained for this, prepared for it. Thoth being in the mix changed little. It just expedited a confrontation that Id thought would co much further down the line.
The plan remained mostly unchanged. I still needed to locate Morthus and find soone to teach the fla. But the imdiate priorities had shifted to finding an elder capable of dismantling the barrier, and learning why Thoth had chosen the destination she had. I looked at my companions, and found that I trusted them, no matter the trials ahead.
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