The End of Surrender, page 21
part #4 of The Stalwart Link Series
“The rest of the barbarians who have come to Aathon to slaughter and steal are going to fall as well,” Andar promised.
At that, Deza smiled faintly. “You really have no idea what will happen to your people after this.”
“Why don’t you tell me then?”
Instead, rage came across the barbarian’s face. He picked up his spear and charged, locking Andar’s legs in place with a link. Andar didn’t need his legs, though, or his Artistry. He batted away the spear from the weakened man. He didn’t have to do much to plunge his sword into the open wound already across Deza’s chest. The barbarian mage already knew he was dead, probably even before charging Andar.
Finally, he came to rest on the bloody grass.
Andar knew he should be worried about the next battle, but the kasigerr was finally dead, and so was this bastard. Andar nudged him with his foot just to make sure. Deza didn’t move.
A hand on Andar’s shoulder startled him. He turned and embraced his father.
“Are you all right?” Darren asked.
“Better than ever.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Andar, Leo, and Darren gathered in a small circle, leaving space for Lane and Erisena to join them. Ravitch was still alive, fortunately, and didn’t seem to be hurt. He sat beside Erisena as he panted for breath.
“Everyone all right?” Darren asked.
They nodded.
They all eyed the flying creature that stood nearby. Erisena was first to speak.
“It’s an Esitren. One moment.” She turned to address the creature. “Do you have a master?”
The creature beat its wings but did not take off from the ground.
The conversation that followed must’ve been silent, because Andar didn’t hear Erisena speak while she gestured at the creature.
“Erisena,” Darren said eventually. “Time is precious.”
It was true, and the rift was just a hundred yards away. They had originally planned to run around the kasigerr as soon as they could, but everything had changed once Deza had shown himself. Partway through the battle, however, it must’ve become clear, and not just to Andar, that they had a chance to defeat two of their worst enemies.
“I think the Esitren is telling me that, while it doesn’t have a master, it does respect one of us.”
“Who?” Darren asked.
“I have a guess. One moment.”
Andar’s father looked to be impatient as they all stared at Erisena communicating silently. The flying creature shifted here and there, adjusting its wings and its feet from time to time.
Erisena grew a smile. “She’s going to open a rift. Everyone pay close attention. We need to figure out what we can about our allies’ location.”
“Who’s going to open a rift?” Darren asked, but Andar already knew. It was his brother who answered.
“Rygen,” Leo said with a grin.
“That’s her creature?” Darren asked with disbelief.
“It is,” Erisena confirmed. “But the creature is as much hers as that beast was mine.” She pointed to the fallen creature that had charged with them, the aggressive beast that Erisena hadn’t trusted to keep from harming the rest of them. “But this Esitren is not as combative. I have been speaking to Rygen through the creature just now. She is about to open a rift.”
A portal tore open beside the flying creature. It jumped and started into the air as it seemed frightened, but soon it landed again. Everyone circled around the rift, edging closer.
“Does anyone recognize where they are?” Erisena asked.
The image was bright and blurry. Andar recognized Rygen. She seemed to be surrounded by others, who Andar didn’t recognize. He couldn’t tell if they were wearing uniforms or plain clothing. He noticed only one thing that didn’t appear to be a person. The shape made it seem as if it was a building, possibly a home, but it was too small. Perhaps it was a little shop, but the triangular structure of the roof didn’t remind him of anything in Jatn.
“She’s in Lien,” Erisena stated confidently.
It was a small village northeast of Jatn. Andar had heard nothing about it except that some people traveled to Jatn from there, farmers usually. He worried about the strain that their army might put on a small village like that, but it seemed even stranger that they chose to reside there. Why Lien? All Andar could guess was that they had fled from the barbarian army and were forced in that direction.
“We’ve spent almost an entire day in this realm,” Darren said. “Let’s not waste any more time.”
They followed him to the rift. Andar had hoped his father would offer some sort of plan, but he supposed even a man like Darren wouldn’t be able to predict what they would see when they returned. Some twenty days had passed in the light realm since Andar’s family had come to rescue him.
Toothy was running to catch up to them. When he made it to Andar, he rubbed against Andar’s leg, almost knocking him over.
“Are you happy the kasigerr is dead?” Andar asked.
“Blargh!” said Toothy, not that Andar figured he understood.
He asked Erisena, “Can you speak to this creature for me?”
“I can’t, he’s not an Esitren. Unfortunately this will be the last time you see him because no summoner has a way to bring a non-Esitren into our realm. It’s like trying to move a human through a summoner’s rift.”
“I see.” Andar crouched in front of his pet. “I will miss you, Toothy. Thank you for your help.”
“Blargh?”
“I have to leave now. Be safe here without me.”
The creature groaned. The sound was almost human, bringing out a chuckle from everyone but Darren.
“I’ll go first,” Darren said, clearly eager for them to return, and rightly so. Andar didn’t have time to extend the goodbye. He gave Toothy one last pet down his plump back and stood up.
“Father, are you offering to go first because you think a trap might be waiting?” Andar asked.
By the look Darren gave him, it was clear that this was the case but he did not want to say the words.
“Allow me, Father,” Andar volunteered. “Whatever happens, I think I can handle it the best out of any of us. At least until I teach Leo, and Lane if she wishes, how to make a t-link.”
“He’s right,” Lane told Darren. “I felt things during that battle—Artistry moving in ways I’d never felt before. Andar truly is an Ascendant now.”
He was shocked by Lane’s words. They had gotten to know each other somewhat during the time in the Analyte palace as they had waited for the injured to recover, but to hear her—a mage whose story had inspired Andar to become an Ascendant and fight against tyranny in the first place—made him proud.
Darren nodded with a smile. “Aye.”
Leo caught Andar’s gaze. “Good luck.”
Andar stepped in front of the rift. It was black within. The only light he could see were streaks shooting across the sphere. He knew he didn’t need a running start. The rift would suck him up as soon as he entered.
Andar braced himself as best he could for the painful feeling of his body being pulled through a tunnel of energy at an incredible speed. He hopped in and was quickly whisked deep into the tunnel. He felt his muscles stretching, his bones aching, and his heart burning. The worst was just before he passed out, when it felt like he couldn’t breathe.
He awoke as he rolled across the hard dirt, glad that was over. It took him a moment to realize through his disorientation that there wasn’t a single lamp lit. The only light came from the rift itself, a green glow that illuminated only the ground below the sphere.
Andar lay completely still as he listened for signs of a possible trap. Finally he looked up but could see nothing.
He mentally called for his Artistry to search for a heartbeat, for it was one of the many things he had taught it to look for now. This Tisary within the cavern was large, but it did not compare to the entire length of the cavern, which was at least a few miles long. It took only a moment for Andar to realize that there was nothing alive nearby.
He got up as he made a link to the little light that was being produced by the rift. He transferred it into a luminous cluster that hovered in front of him. He grew the ball of light until the heat made him stop and shed some off.
Leo tumbled across the ground as he groaned. Andar gave him some time before he helped him up, using the delay to find the massive hole that Andar had contributed to making three years ago. He leaned over it with his light, but it was far too deep for him to see the bottom. He could feel that some form of Artistry was there and knew it to be the source. Deza had said it was a pure river of energy that ran for miles underneath the earth and was responsible for all the Artistry, at least in this realm.
It was strange to think that Deza had been lowered down there and touched it. How long did it take for him to safely descend miles downward? What had it felt like? What would it do to someone who was not sick with Esitry poisoning?
Deza had been the most powerful mage Andar had heard of. Should the source be something sought after for someone like Andar? No, he didn’t believe it was worth the risk. He felt strong enough as it was, and this was only the beginning. He just hoped there was enough time to hone his skills before the next battle.
He helped up his brother and said, “The cavern seems empty. I doubt they expected us to survive. Hopefully that means Jatn is safe for us as well.”
“Hopefully,” Leo agreed.
One by one Erisena, Darren, and then finally Lane rolled out of the rift and eventually climbed to their feet.
Leo said, “I wish there was some way of telling how much time has passed before we leave this cavern.”
“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Darren said. “They did not expect us to survive.”
“You don’t think the barbarians are in the city anymore?”
“I don’t. You saw them marching eastward to face our army. I’m sure they drove our soldiers back and have turned north to support the rest of their army near the capital. They might’ve left behind only a small brigade to escort Deza after they expected him to return. We can handle something like that.”
Lane asked, “Is there another way out of the cavern?”
“Not since I was here,” Darren replied. “Andar, did you hear of one when you worked in this Tisary?”
“No.”
“Then we take the only exit we know. Andar, can you keep up that light all the way?”
“I think so, but wouldn’t it be better to take some time for me to teach Leo and Lane to make their own t-link?”
Leo had a hopeful look as he glanced at Darren, but Lane didn’t seem too interested.
“I don’t believe I can make one,” she said. “I have tried many times.”
“I suppose we can spare an hour or two,” Darren said. “Lane, you should try as well, just in case.”
“How do I begin?” Leo asked quickly, bringing a laugh out of Andar.
*****
Andar didn’t know how much time had passed, but his brother learned the t-link much faster than Andar had taught himself. It was exactly as Andar had expected, but unfortunately Lane hadn’t shown any progress. Even with the dense Artistry within the Tisary at her disposal, it didn’t matter. She seemed incapable of making a link to the light as Andar had taught Leo to do.
As they were leaving, Leo asked a question that made Andar pause. “If you’ve taught your Artistry to search for heartbeats, and you know how to make a t-link, do you think you can transfer the strength of one heartbeat to another? It might…uh,” he stammered.
“Kill someone?” Andar answered for him.
“Yeah.”
“That won’t work,” Lane said. “Strength is the measurement of the capability of a muscle. It is not something tangible that can be transferred.”
Andar realized that made perfect sense. “Like the light,” he added as he gestured at the cluster in front of him. “I’m not transferring the power from one light source to this. I’m actually transferring the light itself.”
“Yes,” Lane said. “There is nothing to transfer regarding a person’s heart that could kill them, unless you have the capability to move blood or tissue. But if you were that strong…”
“Then there would be easier ways to kill someone with a t-link,” Andar concluded.
“But,” Leo said, “when Andar was trapped in the hole back in the Tisary, I went to help him, but neither of us had the strength to climb out. It was only after I somehow gave him my strength that he made it out. I always thought that was from a t-link.”
“That must be something related to your stalwart link,” Lane answered. “Because a t-link is just a normal link of Artistry, but one of the two things that are linked are transferred from one end of the link to the other. They are still linked together, forced to share the same movements and properties. You couldn’t have given Andar something that isn’t tangible, like strength, at least not through a link.”
“So what is it about our stalwart link that allowed him to do that?” Andar asked.
“I have no idea,” she said. “Erisena? You’ve studied stalwart links more than I have.”
This came as a surprise to Andar. “You have?”
She nodded. “I was hoping we had time to test some theories, but I have either been too busy or you have been separated from your brother.”
Andar looked at his younger brother. He was very glad to be back. It was strange to think that Leo had walked for more than a month with the rest of the army, from the Analyte palace to Jatn, in the short time Andar was in the dark realm.
“I guess you’re a little closer to my age now, aren’t you?” Andar realized.
“Hopefully that won’t have to change again.”
Andar could feel from the stalwart link at what Leo was saying without words. He liked being Andar’s younger brother.
Good, because I always want to be your older brother.
Everyone quieted when they finally reached the end of the cavern. Darren was first to investigate.
“It’s clear,” he said.
Wanting to sprint into the city, Andar found it hard to keep his legs at a slow speed as they tried not to draw attention to themselves. The cavern was located just outside Jatn, with rows of empty houses marking the city limit.
They walked into Jatn with only one clue so far telling them how long they’d been in the dark realm: the weather. Andar didn’t see what it was like here before they left, but everyone else seemed to agree that it was colder and the smell of winter was in the wind. It was entirely possible that more than a month had passed, but that seemed unlikely.
Hungry and thirsty, Andar didn’t voice a complaint as he was sure the rest were worse off. After he had a hearty meal and a long drink, he felt like he could sleep for two days.
It was strange to be back in Jatn. He had gone into the dark realm in Analyte territory, through the great rift. If he had known where the portal to Jatn was in the dark realm, he could’ve made it here in a day. It would’ve been much shorter than walking all the way here from the Analyte palace, but Andar still felt that he was missing a trip. It was almost as if one had been stolen from him.
He thought of Siki. Had she gone back or was she still with their army? She was so beautiful that the thought of her was always either encouraging or painful, depending on whether he would see her again. He told himself she was waiting for him in Lien, with Rygen and the others. He would receive such a welcome, especially from her.
Darren had already announced where they would go in this city to find out what had occurred here after the barbarians had come. They would speak to a man that all of them trusted and should be easy to locate. Even Erisena had heard of him before meeting Darren for the first time. The bookbinding guild master, Gartel, might’ve had a grudge against Andar when he was young because Andar stole some golden ink and refused to admit the truth to anyone. But so much had changed since then. Andar was nearly certain they would be on good terms now, but he would still make sure of it with an apology.
Jatn was a large city, but it did not compare to the capital in the north. The dirty streets and small homes looked just as how Andar remembered. The only difference was that everyone seemed to be staring at him and the others.
His father took the lead. They moved at a quick pace. Andar recognized no barbarians. Everyone’s tattered clothing and lack of tattoos signified these were citizens of Jatn, but he supposed barbarians without tattoos could be impersonating them.
As they went north, they made their way over one of the bridges spanning the river that ran through the city. The northern side of the city was usually different from the south, not only by the cleaner streets and the larger buildings, but by the clothing worn by the citizens. However, now there was clear evidence of pillaging, with burned homes and shops, and cracks and holes in the walls and ceilings.
Even the people here didn’t appear any better off than those in the southern side of Jatn. They all looked poor, or perhaps those who had retained their coin after the barbarian invasion were just wearing robes of poor quality to keep from losing what they had. However, Andar doubted this. It was their expressions that spoke to him most. Dejection was easy to spot. He was used to seeing it everywhere growing up, but not in the northern side, like this. Everyone stared at Andar’s party as if they didn’t belong in the city. Andar wanted to ask why they glared like this, but people moved aside when they saw the group coming.
Andar wanted to shout at them. We are not your enemies! Now tell us where my aunt is. But he knew it would do no good. Gartel should clear everything up. It was just a little farther to the Bookbinding Guild.
Andar feared the building would no longer be standing, so he was pleased to see that it was not only intact but seemed unharmed. The door was closed. Darren walked up to it and raised his hand as if to knock, but he stopped.
“We were followed here. Don’t look,” he added quickly. “I’m going to wait outside in case they are planning a trap. Everyone else in, and shut the door after you.”
Andar knew not argue with his father.
