XXVIII.

Revival

An invaluable ally—or all the power in the world?

He looked to Rithi's still body, atop the faraway stones. He thought of Faunia. He thought of Marisol. He thought of Oelat and Yvesmalia.

I'm alive.

"Yes, that you are."

A woman. Someone was speaking.

"And you're all out of do-overs, now. It was hard enough to retrieve your ley last time..."

He rolled onto his back.

Rykaedi.

"Yes. Good, I'm glad you recognize me."

The Queen of Bone stood over him. Her dress was torn and disheveled. Her bones appeared to be darkened, rotting slightly. She'd been attacked, he figured.

"Wh…" He tried to speak, but found that he could only make noise.

Why?

"You're still our best bet against Kogar, weak as you may be. But with you, Ithlo, Okella, Serkukan, Tirolith… you just might have a fighting chance."

You revived me?

"Mhm!" She nodded excitedly.

But you couldn't save Liara.

"That was a great many years ago—and why do you fools all harp on and on about her? What exactly did she do that was so captivating?"

Hell if I know.

He looked to the sky. It was completely black. All of the esera was gone.

Where's Kogar?

"He fled. Likely to go raze Calamon, and Alisa, and any other nation which questions his power, now that Tartys has awoken…"

Cedric tried to stand but failed. He could barely even move. His body was rigid.

"Take some time to rest. Not too much, mind you. Things are getting serious."

Things have been serious.

"Mm. Perhaps. But not so then as they are now. I had hoped that you would be the one to kill him, before he discovered that we've been conspiring."

Conspiring...?

She tapped her cheek in thought. It clicked loudly with every strike, each strike lined up with his dull, slowed heartbeat.

What about Rithi?

"Oh, I won't bother with him. Never did like him. And I couldn't usurp Throkos like that; I think he needed it."

Cedric shut his eyes. He swallowed burning saliva.

"Alright!" She clapped her hands together. "Then, if that's all you need—"

Cedric grabbed her bone ankle as she turned.

"Rithi…" he hissed.

"Not gonna happen."

"Schematics… The devices in Haketh…"

She considered it for a second. "What would you need those for, now? You've got the Great Red One with you. Take some time to work on that, and we'll speak again soon."

Her swirling gateway opened.

"Tartys…"

"My, you are a needy one. You can't touch him, yet. Let's focus on Kogar for now, and we'll look at other options when you're ready. Okay?"

His consciousness began to fade again. He blinked, and gave a dull nod.

"Good! See you soon!"

Evra...

But she stepped away into the portal without answer. The gateway closed.

He was alone again in the silence of the Petalfall. Covered in blood and rips and tears. His face was covered in sweat. His underclothes were damp.

Did we… win?

{{We gained knowledge and Tirolith. We regained Serkukan's power, strengthened more by Kogar's doing. This is a minor victory, all things considered.}}

Throkos. Ivalié. Jirtu. Rykaedi. They were all plotting to use me. And they still are. Because of Dyosius? If it was for Serkukan, they'd have killed me and taken him. I'm left to wonder…

He looked to Rithi's corpse again.

But allies, they are not.

His vision faded to blackness under the weight of exhaustion.

Soon, there was a familiar call.

"Castelbre. Fighting your heart out?"

Akvum. You can't get enough of me, can you?

"Your spat with Rykaedi went better this time than last."

"And no damn cat got in the way." His voice was clearer. Speaking was no longer difficult.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

They were there, together, in a hazy marble garden filled with beautiful orange flowers throughout. It was surreal, vibrant, and overwhelming. An isolated moment that could only exist within his mind. A calm moment within him.

The overly tall white-furred azar turned to face him. "I merely took your prize. Though, I doubt you remember any of that."

"They're using me. To kill Kogar."

"And? You don't know how to feel about that?"

"I don't."

"So you summon me to ask my opinion, knowing full well that I am not your ally?"

"I didn't summon you."

"I don't come to your mind of my own volition."

Akvum plucked one of the flowers. It wilted immediately. "Calamity takes hold."

"What is it?"

He took a deep breath. "It is the end of all things. One of the many things I had tried to prevent in dealing with The Twelve. Tartys has long slept, but now… everything in that path of ley will die."

"Everything?"

"The grass will blacken. The sky will darken. The trees and flowers will wilt and collapse. And then the people will grow sick. In time, if it continues to expand unabated, all of Caloria will be consumed by it."

"Then there's no time to hesitate in stopping it."

"You intend to kill Tartys? An impossible feat."

"Not with Dyosius. It could have killed Kogar."

"But it didn't. You failed, in that regard."

"But now I can bend reality to my will."

"To an extent. In battle, the footing is always yours. In life, the advantage is always yours. You'll never go hungry. You'll never go cold. But that doesn't mean that killing Kogar is as easy as snapping your fingers and making it so."

"If I can get those schematics—"

"That is your intent?" Akvum turned back to him in surprise. "Reach the devices, use them to kill those who remain?"

"If there's one that fits my needs, yes."

He scoffed. "Open your eyes, boy."

And he did.

They were outside Calamon. Not Akvum—Cedric stood beside Okella, beside Ithlo, and beside Tirolith. The sky was black and cloudy, even with the golden sun plastered in the center. He thought he could see Hemah's silhouette there, in the center of it all. The grass all around the massive city was completely darkened and gray, like it'd been burned out. The trees were already leafless and dying all around.

"How far will this reach?" he heard his own voice. He looked down and flexed his hands. It was like he wasn't even there.

"This will reach all places, in time. It's likely already reached Aeon and the Alisan Way." Ithlo answered.

Tirolith rubbed Cedric's back. He thought he might fall into her arms. He said, "Then we know our goals. Enter Haketh. Kill Throkos. Kill Rykaedi…"

Serkukan growled inhumanly in his mind.

"...and then Hemah. Tartys. Kogar."

Cedric tensed up. The desire was overwhelming.

"Kill Ivalié." he added to the list. He glanced between the group. Ithlo'vatis was glum. Okella was sad, but not crying. Tirolith smiled softly, kindly. "No time to waste. Let's…"

He thought of Marisol. He turned his back to Calamon.

"There's one thing we have to take care of, first."

And they blinked away.

Marisol was asleep in her bedroll. She was calm, and quiet. Unlike when she was awake, and when the screams and nightmares wouldn't end.

What was the cost of repairing her? Blood, which cruel Serkukan held in endless amounts? Or a mending spell, from dear Tirolith? Maybe a delve from poor Okella, to intercept the memories? What would be the most effective? The least costly?

Which would rouse the least detection from Kogar?

Cedric stepped out from the black shadows of the room. He took his torn leather gear off, and gently set it down on his own bedroll. He wouldn't need it anymore. Not with the Heretic at his beck and call.

He strode up beside her, knelt down to take her hand into his own.

Tirolith?

A cool glow washed over Marisol. Her eyes began to open.

And then the gasping began. She couldn't see Cedric. She could only see the horror. She could only watch her sister die, again and again.

Okella.

Tendrils reached out for her mind. Cedric shut his eyes and looked away. He squirmed as the nightmares began to rattle him as well.

Serkukan.

A red glow replaced the effects of the other two.

Her breathing slowed. She pulled her hand away from Cedric's hand, reached up, brushed his cheek…

"Thank you." she muttered.

And she fell back asleep.

He nodded.

The ley began to twist around them.

Did Kogar feel it? Or something else?

He felt it. Not Kogar. An eye. Something was watching him. The leylines constricted in its direction.

He stood and turned around to where the gaze should have been. He glared at the empty ceiling.

"Tartys. I'm going to kill you."

And he blinked away again.

X

Talek awoke. Talek, a man with no name. A man who surrendered his name, and surrendered it again when another time had come.

His back was against a dead tree. His body was held all around by the gray, dying strands of grass.

His black hair was long, and covered his eyes. He pushed it aside.

"This is Calamity, then?" His voice was softer than he remembered. "Or is this the Moment?"

He procured a journal. Not his own journal. A journal scrawled on a lone adventurer's way to Alisa. It was filled with notes on so-called Etherians and beasts and flora alike. But on the last page, there was his own panicked writing.

TALEK

MOMENT

EVERLASTING

THE GOD OF FIRE

THE GOD OF MARROW

"They've returned? It's been quiet in Etheria…"

He procured a quill. He reached into the same bag and pulled his inkwell, began scrawling onto the pages. The writing came out just as hectically, even as he was calm and composed.

PETALFALL

CALAMITY

BATTLE

DEATH

"So we won? Tell me more…" He flipped to the next page. He continued to write…

WAR

That was the only word that came out. The quill would move no more. He scrambled back to the inkwell and dipped, slipped and dropped the notebook, then clumsily knocked the inkwell out all over the notes.

"No!" he cried out. He rushed to recollect the journal. By the time he managed to rescue it, those last three pages were all soaked with ink. He tore them out to prevent the rest of the book from damaging, then angrily crumpled them and tossed them away into the grass.

A hiccup. He grabbed his chest. Then his eyelids became heavy.

"Again?" His eyes shut. "I am… a drowsy god."

And he was fast asleep.

And yet I still dream.