Knightschurch looked like a beached iceberg. Even from thousands of feet, the single dot of white could be seen, glittering alone in the ocean.
The Aesir descended toward the island. The ocean raged around below. Enoa saw waves and whirlpools swirling in the water.
Seen closer, the island was dominated by a monolith of solid, jagged ice, surrounded by a ring of black sand beach. The sun was high in the noontime sky. Blazing reflections burned back out of the ice. The light shone in rich yellow and orange.
“Looks freaky enough to be the place,” Orson said. “And big enough. That thing’s a few square miles and at least a hundred feet tall.”
“Helmont’s information and Enoa’s letter both led us here,” Dr. Stan said. “I would have been very surprised if we found nothing.”
“Yeah.” Orson guided the ship on a slow curve down toward the ice. “I don’t know what we would’ve done if we found nothing here.”
“And I don’t see any Liberty Corps ships,” Jaleel said. “Only us moving around on the sensors.”
“No life form readings either,” Orson added. “Nothing but some signals from undersea life. I’ve never done a scan of a fantasy place like this. I wonder if they really can hide from systems like mine.”
“It would change our plans to find the island deserted,” Max said.
Orson brought the Aesir level with the top of the ice structure. He slowly circled it.
“You ready, Enoa?” Orson glanced over his shoulder. “Do you want to say hello? We’ll send them a basic radio signal. If they don’t respond, we’ll try some other signal types.”
“I guess,” Enoa said. “If they expect any of us, it’s me.” She pulled out the note they’d agreed on, written and rewritten during the flight above the clouds. “Let me know when you want me to talk.”
“Go ahead.” Orson made a chopping motion with his hand.
Enoa read.
“Hello, this is Enoa Cloud. I am the heir and niece of Sucora Cloud. I’m here to seek training and to deliver a warning. A remnant of the Hierarchia, known as the Liberty Corps, is hunting the keys to the Dreamside Road. They have a battle group of naval ships coming here now. They’re led by Shapers and Baron R.K. Helmont, also formerly of the Hierarchia.
“Archie Grant was supposed to bring me and my aunt’s key to you after my aunt’s death, but I’m sorry to say he was killed by an IHSA agent helping the Liberty Corps.
“I’m here now as part of the crew of the ship Aesir. The crew helped me survive the last few months since Archie’s death. We have a lot of information about the Liberty Corps ships and Shapers preparing to attack.
“Please let us land so we can meet and deliver our warning in person.”
Orson flipped a switch at the dashboard. He continued their circling course around the island.
“We’ll give them a few minutes,” Orson said. “We’ll leave that frequency open. Then we’ll repeat the message if we…”
A rumbling began beneath them, like an earthquake under the sea. The water frothed just below, bubbling like it had come to a boil. Orson pulled back on the wheel and sent the Aesir into the sky.
More ice, pillars white as marble, erupted from the ocean and rose into the air. Twenty pillars in all climbed from the frothing water before the bubbling ceased. They formed a clear path, rising until they met the beach.
Then, on the beach, the sands shifted as if moved by an unseen breeze. A ring began to form there.
“Ruby,” Orson said. “Magnify.”
The windshield view changed. A smaller window split from the main display. It showed that a symbol had formed in the sand, a stylized flame, partially encircled inside a crescent moon.
“Orson,” Dr. Stan said. “This matches Helmont’s report. The Seal of the Ascendant Fire.”
“Sir Merrill’s,” Orson said. “That’ll match the key he’s got.”
There came a new hiss from the dashboard. Then a voice spoke over the radio. The reception was poor, muffled by static.
“Enoa Cloud,” the voice said. “We’ve hoped to see you. Vessel Aesir, please land beside the protector’s seal. We’ll guide you inside.”
“If anybody’s got an issue with us playing along, speak now.” Orson sent the Aesir lower again. He flew them between the ice pillars.
Enoa watched the structures out the window. They were perfectly smooth, rounded like stone. Enoa sensed it then, this was Shaping, transmutation like Anemos, with all the resulting heat removed from the growing pillars and left to cook the water around them.
Orson landed the ship in the sand beside the seal.
After a season of adventures, Enoa and the Aesir had come to Knightschurch.
* * *
“We’re almost there.” Sirona drove her glamered van along a forested road, lined by giants, towering cedar and fir trees. “The best view’s coming up.”
“We will watch,” Aneirin said from behind her.
Nothing broke the line of the titanic trees, until a sudden gap in the forest, where a smaller road split off to the right. A sign arched over the road and filled the space between trees.
The Inn at the Evergreen Forest
Sanctuary to Ancient Woods and Knowledge
Sirona would always be eight years old when she saw the sign and turned onto the inn’s concourse. Even after all that had happened, she was transported to that first arrival, a scared little girl brought to her new home, a place of mystery and magic.
And this return was no different. Sirona took the turnoff. Then the trees parted onto an acres-wide clearing, filled with gardens and fountains.
The Inn at the Evergreen Forest stood at the far side of the clearing, five stories of towers and complex gingerbread.
Even the inn was dwarfed by the trees behind it. They made the great mansion-turned-inn look like a doll’s house.
But beneath the yellow siding and contrasting gingerbread – the building was more than an inn. It was a fortress, hiding foot-thick walls under its outer facade. Its towers hosted more than employee lodging and private spaces.
And it held other secrets, other enigmas and defenses. Sirona knew them now, because Ophion had vanished and the Montgomereys’ leadership had passed. The secrets were now hers, just like the inn was hers and the truce was hers to keep.
The Inn at the Evergreen Forest was her home and her castle – only hers. The old powers had left her to lead alone. There were fewer networks to support her, fewer wills to guard against the world.
She thought then of the Aesir, somewhere on the Pacific. Maybe she wouldn’t hold it alone for long.
“Merrill’s isn’t the only fortress that will defend the Dreamside Road,” she said.
“Very beautiful,” Aneirin said.
“Thank you,” she said. “Not as old as yours, I’m sure, but old for this part of the world.”
Patrons crowded either side of the concourse. Even at midweek, the wide, front lot was packed with cars. The sloping western side of the inn’s clearing was dotted with picnickers. The largest pavilion was full too, and a long line wrapped around it.
Sirona looked for Teddy at the head of the pavilion, while she waited for a crowd of guests to cross the concourse. She didn’t find him.
None of the guests spared the van more than a glance. But they likely saw it silver and new, not its rusted disguise. The air of the inn clearing showed most things as they truly were.
Then she drove her van the length of the concourse, between the lot and the picnickers. Further on, were the darkened half-built stalls, waiting for the May Day celebration. All festivities favored the western side, with views of the sprawling, ancient forest.
Sirona followed the concourse to its end, until it looped around the inn and reached the smaller lot for employees and special guests.
“We’re here.” Sirona parked and looked back to the jumper seats behind her. Aneirin and Melanthymos sat together. “Are you sure you want to pay for the Presidential Suite? Our truce lodging is smaller than Embre’s, but we’d be more than happy to host you.”
“Thank you.” Aneirin smiled. “We want the presidential. Good interest rates while I was away.” Melanthymos only nodded.
Sirona jumped from the van. She saw no shimmer to the paint under the daytime sun, only perfect silver. Its truth was revealed when it returned home.
Sirona opened the door for her passengers and the inn opened for them too. The old, wooden back door, rounded at the top, swung wide. A woman with chin-length, strawberry-blonde hair walked out through it. She wore a uniform of a rich green, and there was a clasp at her throat, adorned with the tree in crescent moon crest.
“Nen!” Sirona smiled at her. “Thank you so much for keeping watch for me. What have I missed?”
“Thirty-seven requests and incident reports, ma’am,” Nen said. “It’s been constant. There’s a lot to talk about.” She eyed Aneirin and Melanthymos.
“Nenue Lanwell,” Sirona said. “These are guests, escapees from the Pinnacle, Aneirin Aspallen and Doryssa Melanthymos.”
“Hello,” Aneirin said. “Beautiful place. We thank you.” He smiled at Melanthymos.
“Yes. Thanks,” Melanthymos said.
“You have the Presidential.” Nen nodded. “I can show you to your rooms.”
“Mervyn can help them,” Sirona said. “I need your other focus now.” She led the way inside into a small foyer, with patterned tile floors in shades of green, white, and brown. Staircases lined each wall and met on the level above.
Mervyn was a tall man. He wore the same green uniform, and he was waiting at a small desk beneath the stairs. He stood at their approach.
“Mervyn,” Sirona said. “Please welcome the Aspallen Party. Masters, I hope I see you both for lunch. Our visiting chef is excellent. He can cook anything.”
“Wonderful!” Aneirin beamed. He took Melanthymos’s arm. She held on limply.
“Hello,” Mervyn said. “Welcome to the Inn at the Evergreen Forest. Please follow me.”
“They’re escapees,” Sirona said. “And they have almost no luggage. Please give them anything they need, our gift to them.”
“I’ll see to it you’re both thoroughly pampered,” Mervyn said.
“Thank you!” Aneirin said again. “You are very kind.” He and Melanthymos followed Mervyn up the nearest stair and out of sight.
“Updates, please.” Sirona turned back to Nen. “Anything dangerous?”
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
“You have two requests from protectorates.” Nen retrieved a clipboard from the desk. “Seven from voting members. The cleaning team at Gertrude’s cabin found another storage compartment she forgot about. We needed to hire a plumber for level four, broken valve. The invoice is waiting for you.” Nen flipped through pages on the clipboard. Then she set it aside.
“You had one call on your private line,” Nen said. “Not the truce number. Orson Gregory expected to speak with you two nights ago, about a work problem. He seemed very surprised you weren’t here and chose not to leave a message.”
“He called?” Sirona asked. Orson had looked so upset when she’d found him at the lodge, so confused and disappointed. Even after five years, Orson’s globe-trotting adventurer shell fell away. For her, he revealed the same lost boy he’d been when they’d met, sad and sweet and brave. Sirona failed to keep the smile from her face. “We’ve talked since then. We already discussed his work problem.”
Nen gave her a knowing look. “The rest can wait,” she said. “There’s also been a Liberty Corps update since you left the Eldest Oak this morning.”
“What happened?” Sirona asked.
“The Manifest Destiny pulled back from their new perimeter. They’ve taken a holding pattern over the former I-80 corridor. Fighters have also pulled back. All of the marshaling forces have gone quiet. The Pacific Alliance Liaison’s Office hopes for your opinion on the matter.”
“I’m sure they do,” Sirona said.
“They seem to believe,” Nen said, “that it has something to do with a fast-moving aircraft that passed over Oregon territory early this morning. They seem to think you know something about that.”
“I don’t follow air traffic,” Sirona said. “My information doesn’t go to the Oregon coast. They should know that.”
“They should,” Nen agreed. “And off the record?”
“Off the record,” Sirona said. “I think our enemies must have almost reached our long-lost brother, out at sea.”
“Our friends are going there as well?” Nen asked. Sirona did not reply. “Do you think they can get there first?”
Sirona thought again of the Aesir blasting away, Orson at the wheel, flying at all speed.
“I think they’re there already,” she said.
* * *
Enoa watched a gap appear in the ice wall. Knightschurch had no outer door with hinges to swing open. The walls simply changed. An area of the wall melted until it widened. Then it steamed as it refroze. Enoa knew this was Shaping.
A group of seven emerged from the wall. All wore heavy, hooded parkas.
“Most of you,” Orson said. “Stay where you are. Enoa and I can say hi to them, and we’ll go from there. Does that work for you, Enoa?”
“Sure.” She unbuckled herself and stood.
“I wish I brought my disposable camera,” Jim said. “I want a picture of this for my photo album.”
“If everything turns out alright,” Orson said. “I’ll take as many pictures as you want, Jim.”
“You are a kind captain,” Jim said.
“We’ll see what you think in a day or two.” Orson walked to the door. Enoa followed him.
“This welcoming committee,” Jaleel said. “They look just like regular guys, like ski bros or something. I expected something crazy.”
“Clothes aren’t everything,” Dr. Stan replied.
Orson waited for the group to arrive beside the ship. Then he opened the door.
“Hello,” he said. “I’m Orson Gregory, Captain of the Aesir.”
“And I’m Enoa Cloud,” she said. “Thanks for talking with us.”
“I’m so happy to see you’re finally here, Enoa.” The man in front spoke with a slight accent. He had black hair and a neatly-trimmed beard. He gave Enoa a small bow. Then all six behind him copied the gesture. “And thanks to your escort.”
Enoa returned the bow.
“We have to deliver our warning to whoever’s in charge here,” Orson said.
“Take us to your leader!” Jaleel called.
“Basically.” Orson nodded.
“I’m Gabriel Jendring.” The leader of the welcoming committee smiled. “I’m our foreign relations representative. I’m afraid we can’t extend a welcome to all of you, quite yet. We don’t know you. But we will see Enoa immediately, and the rest of you are welcome to stay on our grounds and wait for the council’s entry decision.”
“I don’t think you understand,” Orson said. “The Liberty Corps could be here at any time. They could have thousands of troops and whole squadrons of boats and airships.”
“And they have a weapon,” Enoa added. “A weapon Sir Merrill might know about. Is he here?”
“He does not leave us,” Jendring said.
“Then maybe he’d know about the Eye of Balor,” Enoa said. “Baron Helmont has it. We think this weapon could kill everyone and everything on this island. We hurried here, all of us, to help you defend yourselves.”
Jendring eyed them. And he looked beyond them into the ship. Then he turned away and walked back to the group of six. They spoke in hushed tones. Then Jendring removed a translucent oval from his pocket. He raised it to his lips and spoke more.
“Huh,” Orson murmured.
“You recognize that?” Enoa whispered.
“Talking Stone,” Max said, behind her.
“Yep,” Orson said. “They’ve got the real stuff.”
“Good sign or bad?” Kol asked.
“No idea.” Orson said.
“What’s a Talking Stone?” Jaleel asked. “This guy is talking into a rock? Does somebody else with their own rock hear him? Like he has a cell phone?”
“Pretty much.” Orson looked back at him. “A set of those is also how the typewriters work.”
“Why didn’t you say that before?” Jaleel asked. “We have a rock-powered typewriter. How does that work? Let me guess, that’s in the memoir too?”
“The stones are,” Max said. “But not the typewriter.”
Jendring returned to the door, before Orson could respond.
“We will take your full ship inside,” Jendring said. “Knightschurch Council is convening now. They will decide how many may meet and speak for you. Now, I will ride with you, aboard your ship, and show you the way.”
“That’s very nice of you,” Orson said. “Come on in. I’ll introduce everyone.” Orson and Enoa stepped out of the way.
Jendring made a quick motion with the last two fingers of his right hand. His six compatriots turned around and hurried back to the ice wall. Then Jendring climbed aboard.
“Gabriel Jendring,” Orson said. “This is Jaleel Yaye, my first mate. Dr. Sophia Stanislakova, who uncovered the Liberty Corps information about your island. Those are the Maros brothers, Kolben and Maxwell. They’re experts in the kind of hardware the Liberty Corps might bring here.”
“And I am Jim!” Jim called. “I am sightseeing.”
“Automaton.” Jendring’s eyes widened. “Hello.” He spoke stiffly. Then he turned to Enoa. “You choose unusual traveling companions. You’ll need to tell us all about Archie’s last days. We have mourned him for a season already.”
“You knew?” Enoa asked.
“Of course.” Jendring sounded puzzled. “He was a wonderful man and a dear friend to so many of us.”
Orson looked around the ship’s cabin. His eyes settled on the only vacant seats, on the couch beside Jim.
“Jaleel,” Orson said. “Do me a favor and sit over here with Jim. We’ll want a front seat for our guide.”
Jaleel turned around. Jim began to pat the couch beside him. “Sure.” Jaleel walked from the copilot’s seat and sat next to Jim.
“This vessel,” Jendring began. “Can it travel well on land? It will be easier if all of you stay aboard your ship.”
“That won’t be a problem.” Orson gestured Jendring forward to the copilot’s seat. The man hesitated before he sat. His eyes lingered on Orson’s sword of fire, positioned through its hooks on the wall.
Then Jendring lowered himself into the seat. He found his restraints and fumbled with them until he fit the buckles together. Enoa returned to her own seat.
“Once you are inside,” Jendring said. “You will drive aboard our barge for the trip to the council’s meeting.”
“We don’t need a barge.” Orson patted the dashboard. “The Aesir handles the water just fine.”
Jendring gave Orson a long look. Then he reached up and made another quick motion with his hands, this one toward the ice wall.
The hole in the ice expanded, stretched outward until it formed a yawning opening and a long tunnel.
Enoa looked inside and expected darkness or odd shadows. But there was a warm glow like natural sunlight at the end of the tunnel.
“You may drive inside,” Jendring said.
Orson drove the Aesir up the black sand and into the opening through the ice wall. Eerie lights reflected around them, like incandescent spirits were dancing in the wall. Enoa sensed them, as though each light was alive. She wondered if the others could see the movement around them or if she was viewing the unseen, as she saw through glamer at the lodge or saw the Shaping powers of others.
The Aesir reached the wall’s other side. Everything there was bright with the morning sun. The sunlight filtered hundreds of feet down from the ceiling, falling in beams, like spotlights.
Enoa blinked her eyes, dazzled.
“Welcome,” Jendring said, “to Knightschurch.”
The sunlight bathed a vast community all around them. They viewed the real island, with grassy fields and hills. The inside of the iceberg was lined with raised earth and stone – a second, hidden rampart that stood nearly to the ceiling.
Some of the hills rose in steps, with each level covered in green plants or tall, thin trees with blue bark.
Almost all of the buildings she saw were made of a white material, rounded and smooth. They reminded Enoa of pictures she’d seen long ago, during Wintertide, from a traveling merchant with photos taken in remote Mediterranean villages.
Smaller structures dotted the ground level and the steps built into the earthen rampart. Enoa saw only five larger buildings. Four were great, square, columned structures that stood in a line at the center of the community. Beyond these towered the only building made of ice, like the outer wall.
It was a cathedral, and it stood tallest of all the island’s buildings. It stretched from the ground to the frozen ceiling. Enoa leaned to the side, and she followed the cathedral’s tallest steeple with her eyes. It rose and rose, out through a clear gap in the ice, far above. Enoa saw the glow of true sunlight there, though the gap could not be seen from above.
The cathedral walls were gilded and ornate. The ice gleamed yellow where bronze or gold might decorate a traditional building. And the windows were like stained glass, alive with color.
“That church,” Kol said. “Shaping made that entire building.”
“Yes,” Jendring said. “The cathedral was built with the first defenses. By the sorcery of House Dommik, Sir Merrill’s ancestors, now lost to time. As are all our buildings. Though the cathedral is the only structure carved from their warm-air ice. Everything else was shaped from volcanic stone, risen from the water.” Then he gestured to a gap between the nearest buildings, where a long canal ran down the center of the island. “That way.”
No solid roads or paths ran inside Knightschurch. No roads led toward the cathedral or the other large buildings, only canals of dark water.
Boats of the same blue wood as the thin trees were moored at the sides of the nearest canal. A barge also waited there, wide and flat, likely the craft that would have ferried the Aesir.
“Straight ahead,” Jendring said. “You will meet the council in the Hall of Laws. That is the second temple on our left.”
“You’re fine with us going right into the water?” Orson asked.
“Yes,” Jendring answered. “Proceed.”
Orson drove the Aesir to the canal’s edge, where a ramp led into the water. The dashboard lights turned blue, and they continued up the canal. Some houses stood close to the water’s edge. Enoa saw faces at windows, but no one outside.
Enoa reached out to sense the residents, the same way she had felt the powers at the Pinnacle or the lodge. When she looked, really looked, she saw a second glow across the community, like a heat mirage.
“I’m sorry if we scared everyone,” Enoa said. “They’re… hiding?”
“We are all hidden here,” Jendring said.
“Did you deliberately hide your people?” Max asked. His voice was neutral. Enoa had heard that same tone from him, when he’d questioned Orson the day before.
“We receive few visitors,” Jendring answered.
“You made quick work of hiding everyone,” Max said.
“We heard you before you spoke to us,” Jendring said.
Orson drove them the full length of the central canal. They passed between more rows of small houses and boats. Six bridges stretched across the canal, just above them. Each time, Orson reached up to the sensors on the dash.
And each time, Jendring answered, “You’ll fit.”
“An entire city enclosed in ice,” Dr. Stan said. “Miles of buildings – incredible!”
“I want my disposable camera too,” Jaleel said.
“We ask no images be made of our sanctuary,” Jendring said. “We removed ourselves from this world, and we prefer to remain removed. You may already have endangered us, just by being here.”
“You’d be in a hell of a lot more danger if we’d let the Liberty Corps get here first.” Orson guided the Aesir up another ramp and out of the water, arriving on the city’s central island. He parked in the shadow of the second temple.
A small force in light armor walked from the building. They each held an antique rifle with a long bayonet.
Jendring stood and drew the translucent Talking Stone. Enoa heard faint speech from the object, like distorted conversation on the other end of a telephone.
“I will tell them,” he said. “We will meet you shortly.” He pulled the stone from his cheek. “We will meet with one representative, along with Sucora Cloud’s heir. Do you all accept Captain Gregory as your spokesman?”
Orson stood and exchanged glances with Max and Dr. Stan.
“If they agree,” Orson said. “I’ll meet with your council.”
“You are the wielder of Thousand Destiny,” Jendring said. “We’ve heard of you, Gregory, but not by name. You’re Ophion’s pupil, the one who was gifted his sword.”
“I wasn’t gifted anything,” Orson said. “I earned it. And it isn’t called Thousand Destiny anymore.” Orson took the sheathed sword from the wall and fit the strap across his back. “Lead the way.”
Enoa followed Orson and Jendring back to the ship’s door. Jaleel caught her eye. She offered a small wave before they stepped out from the ship.
She’d expected biting cold, like a deep winter day when snow and ice can transform the world. But it was only chilly. The air felt autumnal, not cold enough to hurt.
Jendring led them up a wide stair and into the temple. The guards with their rifles parted for them and then followed behind. The temple’s doors were already thrown wide.
The building inside was actively warm and filled with light. There were ornate sconces made to look like cast-iron oil lamps or lanterns, but Enoa knew there was no flame.
The entrance hall led off in many directions with stairs leading both up and down. And even though the outer walls were stone, the floors were hardwood, all from the strange blue tree.
After the entrance hall, they arrived in a round room with a long table in its center. Five people sat along the table, three women and two men, wearing robes like judges. Another group of the armored guards stood along the rear wall.
And there were two others in the Council Chamber, an old man with a short white beard, and a young woman. Both wore brown homespun tunics and pants. Both of them were tall, with eyes of the same piercing gray. But where the man was pale, the woman had a darker complexion.
“Sir Merrill?” Orson said to the man.
“Hello,” the old man answered. He had a slight English accent. “You’re perceptive, young Captain.”
“Hello,” Orson said. “We’re here now to help your people.” He looked around the room. “But we’ve been hoping to meet you for a long time.”
“Well met,” Sir Merrill said. “You are the first student of my colleague ever to set foot on this island.”
“I’m honored,” Orson said.
“Sir,” Enoa added quickly. “Before she died, my aunt left instructions for me to visit you here. I’m sorry for how long it’s taken to see you.”
The woman beside the knight seemed about to speak. But Sir Merrill rested his hand on her shoulder.
“I’m happy to finally meet you, Enoa Cloud.” Sir Merrill smiled sadly. “And let me offer my condolences. I was heartbroken to know Sucora’s death. She was far too young. Too many lights have been extinguished, these last years. You’ve faced a painful time in the wide world.”
“Thank you,” Enoa said. “We all have.”
“We will speak soon.” Sir Merrill turned toward the council. “Please begin, Chairwoman Carliss.”
“We thank Sir Merrill Lucas for his attendance here.” Chairwoman Carliss spoke from the center of the table. “As this is a problem that ties to arcane matters. And to you, Captain Gregory, Shaper Cloud, we thank you for your warning.”
“Hopefully, we came with enough time for you to mount a defense,” Orson said. “There can’t be much time to swap stories, right now. But my crew all has expertise that can help you. We don’t know what you can do to fight, but we know a lot about what the Liberty Corps might try to do here. Whatever you—”
“Captain.” Chairwoman Carliss raised her hand to interrupt. “You misunderstand. Your warning may have averted a very great loss of life here. But we won’t be fighting. Our mundane population has no standing defense force, outside a small handful of guards. And our Arcanum is very skilled, but they use their talents only for learning, never for warfare.”
Enoa looked to Sir Merrill. He inclined his head.
“What?” Orson said, his voice sharp with shock and anger. “You can’t surrender. Helmont will torture your people. He’ll march his forces in here and kill everyone who doesn’t bow down, and then use the survivors as guinea pigs for his experiments. You have to fight. We all have to fight.”
“You misunderstand again,” Carliss said. “We will not fight. We will flee. The evacuation has already begun.”