Konrad

The ocean frothed and surged on the day that the collosal island of Mir sailed out of legend to the port city of Portia on the Lost Coast. Thousands flocked to witness the marvel, and the bustling crowds were held back by a mixture of city guards and men and women wearing the sombre brown cassocks of the priory.

"Try to cheer up Kon, we’re going to the Echo. Can you believe it?" Alice said as they stepped onto the stone quay.

It had been several weeks now since Konrad had been sworn to silence by Malan, and the sooner they got to the Echo, the better. The only blessing was that, in his solitude, he had been able to formulate a plan. In his mind's eye, he saw the threads that needed to be set in motion, but it was a fragile web; if any of the fine strands were to snap, the whole thing would unravel and his friends would fall prey to the spider.

The crowd parted, and Briarstone and Issie approached, leading a gaggle of important-looking council members. Issie looked much healthier than at any time since she had been cut off. Her cheeks were fuller, and her eyes had lost their fiery fanaticism, regaining some measure of their calculating sparkle. Her rejuvenation sparked hope for Otto; if Issie could survive being cut off, perhaps she could help his brother.

Briarstone was draped in gold chains of office that glimmered in the sunlight, and at the sight of him, some of the tension in Konrad’s stomach seemed to unwind. Briarstone had always been the rock in the swirling ocean that he could cling to as the storm approached.

"Konrad, you’re even bigger than when I last saw you," Briarstone rumbled.

Thanks to the ancient power of the Lyran, Konrad was now equal to Briarstone’s height and his trousers were already several inches too short.

"I hear you have something cooking, lad; just remember what I told you."

"A good plan beats a sharp blade," Konrad recited.

Issie’s eyes narrowed as they rested on Otto, skulking at the back of the group. "Speaking from experience, I’d say he’s been cut off. Is this part of your plan to be the last champion of the gods?"

Konrad bit his tongue, only able to give a stony-faced silence in reply.

"Whats the matter? Borerabbit got your tongue?" Issie said.

"He can’t speak; Malan’s orders. I’m Alice; by the way, you must be Issie. I heard you do impersonations." Alice was smiling, but the expression was fixed in place like hammered steel, and Issie winced as they shook hands.

"My version of you was more wholesome," Issie replied, shaking her hand to restore the blood flow.

"You’re not the first person to make that mistake," Alice countered.

Konrad gaped as he watched the exchange between the two girls, thankful that he wasn’t able to say anything.

"If everyone is ready, we can go," Serena called, and she led the way down the long quayside to a crumbling tower.

Once the whole party was crammed inside, Renau coughed theatrically and produced a large hedron. "What I am about to show you," he began.

"Oh, really, just get on with it," Serena snapped.

Renau pouted and clicked a section of the Hedron into place, transforming the tower around them into the glory of its original construction. The walls rose gracefully to an open roof, and the marble floor tiles glimmered. In the center stood an archway that reminded Konrad of the carved history columns under Burly Mountain.

"Careful," Alice said, clamping a hand on his mouth just as he was about to point this out; her hands were soft and smelled like soap.

Holding the glowing hedron, Renau stepped through the gateway, followed by Serena, who pushed a hesitant Rolo ahead of her. Briarstone extended his hand in a courteous gesture, and Issie replied with a regal nod, stepping through and disappearing before Malan, Harper and Otto followed. Lastly was Alice; her nose was inches from the stone, trying to decipher every miniature carving, and Konrad had to physically pull her through.

Konrad had been here before, but it still didn’t prepare him for the shock of the Echo. The blasted landscape was dead and dry and bathed in an eery red light, and the shrill buzzing of madness permeated every stone.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"It’s amazing," Alice breathed.

Konrad took a deep breath, and the words he had been holding in for a week tumbled out in a rush. "Rolo, Harper ate your favorite axe sharpening stone. Serena, your soup wasn’t bad; Harper put something in it when you weren’t looking. Renau, we all saw your script for "the Lady of the Echo". I’m sorry we looked, but really, it was very good, and you shouldn’t be embarrassed about it. Otto, you need to find something to dedicate yourself to; I think that’s how Issie survived being cut off."

The whole group gaped at him, and Serena raised her hand to her mouth, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"Feel better?" Issie asked.

"You have no idea," Konrad replied, breathing heavily.

"You owe me a stone, Imp," Rolo said, glaring at Harper.

"Here you go," Harper replied, plucking up a pebble and tossing it at the big northman.

"You didn’t have anything for me?" Alice asked quietly, as the group set off towards the ghost city of Portia.

"Thank you for talking to me even though I couldn’t answer."

"As if I don’t know exactly what you are going to say most of the time," Alice quipped.

The group walked through the Echo’s version of the Lost Coast city of Portia, arriving at the huge domed building where Athir already waited with a tall Faelen, having pulled open her own window to the Echo as soon as they disembarked and informed her friend of their arrival.

Serena and Renau hurried forward to greet Yroh, and he embraced each of them. Konrad had heard about their own trip to the Echo weeks before, but seeing them greet the Faelen prince as a friend was mind-blowing.

"A real Faelen! Let's go say hello; I have questions," Alice hissed, jabbing Konrad in the ribs with her elbow.

Introductions were made, and there was equal wonder on both sides. Issie became uncharacteristically humble. Perhaps she had not really believed that the Echo was real or had imagined that this had been some kind of trick, but now as she gazed on Yroh, Konrad felt that he was as close to seeing the real Issie as he had ever come.

When everyone was seated in the circular chamber, a silence fell, and Konrad realized that everyone was looking at him.

"Say something," Alice hissed.

"Me?" Konrad replied.

"Who else?"

Konrad licked his lips. He had faced down demons, champions of the Father, and ancient gods, but being a leader was a role he had never felt comfortable with. Each time he had entered the caverns below Rhendra’s falls, he had tried to explain why his group should keep together, but the words had sounded hollow in his ears, and each time they had ignored him; he wasn’t like Briarstone, Rolo, Renau, or Athir. Why should they listen to him?

From across the chamber, Otto gave him a subtle nod.

"Uh, I want to thank you all for coming. Most of you don’t know what our goal is, but you still came."

Konrad had heard great leaders give speeches before and he wondered how they sounded so sincere, but now as he looked around at his friends, he realized it was easy; these words were true, every one.

"You came out of friendship, trust, faith, and loyalty, and all of you are owed an explanation."

Masked by the mad buzzing of the Echo and aided by Yroh and Athir, Konrad told his companions everything he had learned. He told them about how the Faelen had discovered how to bond living creatures and give them power, and how the gods had abused this technique when the Faelen were confined to the Echo. He recounted the sad story of Cloda and the fiction of the Mother, and when he was finished, the silence in the chamber was absolute.

"There's no Mother?" Rolo asked.

"If it helps, there's no Brother either, well not any more," Athir supplied, briefly explaining Ostred's doomed mission to the divine plane.

"It was all him, all this time," Serena whispered.

"All of the evil that we have seen, all leads back to one place and I have a plan to put an end to it. I’ll share with each person what I need them to do, but It’s really important that you don’t discuss your part in the plan with anyone else. Malan can explain better than me," Konrad said.

The small elven boy cleared his throat.

"Listen up!" Harper growled, glaring around at them.

"Millions of fates exist, each of them promising a possible future. These threads are created by the intention of living things."

The light in the chamber faded, and glowing images swirled above their heads, forming the continent of Parthanea, covered with innumerable pinpricks of light. The concentration of light was the most dense in the area of Tajar and along the Lost Coast, and Konrad realized that they were people, each pinprick of light representing a living being.

"Thank you," Malan said, with a nod to Yroh, who gave a formal bow.

"When more than one person intends to do the same thing, the possibility of this fate coming to fruition is increased," Malan continued.

The image reformed to show an angry crowd gathered at the gates of a temple, weapons in hand, then a ship of warriors approaching a distant fortress.

"These are the ties that bind us, when strands of individual intention weave together and the threads of fate becomes more visible to those with the skill to read them."

The room was bathed in golden light as delicate strands leapt from everyone in the chamber and wove together, forming a thicker thread that rose up to join hundreds of similar strands.

"We need to keep our threads as small as possible. Only Konrad can know the whole plan because he sits outside of fate."

The final image was of a dark-shadowed figure who rose above the fates, reaching out to manipulate the possibilities that flowed in golden threads.

"I don’t know who did this to me, but whatever they planned, I’m choosing my own destiny, and I need your help," Konrad said.

"So keep your mouths shut, alright? If anyone wants to leave, now’s the time," Harper concluded.

This was the moment Konrad had feared. That his companions would be overwhelmed and leave him. But no one wavered; every strong gaze a firm indication of their decision.

"Then I’ll start with Malan; Athir knows the order for everyone else."

The group exited the domed building in silence, leaving Konrad and Malan alone.

"I need you to tell me everything that you see, Malan."

"We’re going to defeat the Father, aren’t we?" Malan asked, his young voice quivering with excitement.

"Yes, we are," Konrad replied.