With Firmeza liberated, a palpable air of burgeoning hope hung over the Empire. Even people in Trinan waited with their breath held for the next step. The entire country knew what was next: the checkpoints.
Word was spreading even further than the borders of the Empire. It had reached the other societies of the world. Melodina was still recovering from its own inner turmoil, but watched intently for the outcome. The City-States and the Moors even further to the west remained mostly ambivalent, though they did pay attention. Foresalia watched attentively. If Tyrian Southerwind won, and the Empire was lost, the king in Foresalia had absolutely no desire to start war with a man who had single-handedly revolutionized a country. Fight against destiny? No one was that insane.
People worked hard and fast at the Liberation Army base. The three gossips pulled in as much information as they could on the checkpoints and their multitude of specialized defenses. That information was fed to Merlot and Zinfandel who teamed with Rourke to go through every book they could to find an answer. Rourke was a happy camper with that system; it gave him free access to more books to read. Laia just laughed at him.
As the information came in, meetings were held from dawn until dusk. Raven attended all of them. If she wasn't standing on a chair to watch them talking over the maps, she was under the table reading her Faerie book. She was fascinated to learn about her own race, and she really hoped that her bloodline had longevity. Faeries with longevity could live up to a thousand years. Some were even nearly immortal. She wanted a lot of time with her mommy and daddy.
The first real bit of news that hit the meeting room ended up having nothing to do with the checkpoints. Ted came bursting into the meeting room and blurted, "Albanion married Blaine!"
"Here comes the bride," Ewan muttered, "all covered in blood."
"Let me guess," Kyle said curtly. "It's being touted by Albanion as the great romance of the millennia, how after so long he finally found true love. Where's Shots? Someone needs to shoot me before I choke on the hypocrisy."
Only the two Lower Generals at the table looked remotely pleased with the news. They both remembered when Albanion's first wife had been alive. The Emperor had loved her very dearly, and their happy marriage had been salt in the wounds of those who couldn't be with loved ones because of 'distractions.' That Albanion was now married and miserable was, perhaps pettily, satisfying.
"There's something more," Ted said. "One of my contacts in Trinan saw a man in Blaine's tower."
"A butler?" Cassie asked.
"It was the middle of the night, and he wasn't wearing a shirt. There's this new blond general in the Imperial Army. That's why the units were called back. He first took over the Prime Duke's duties and is now slowly taking over General Southerwind's duties, but the consensus is that he's not nearly as good as the High General is. The name was . . . Reyu. Strange name. Rather old-fashioned, actually. Merlot says it was in style about a thousand years ago. Guy must have one hell of a family history."
Matthias lightly tapped a finger on the table. "So Blaine marries Albanion to secure her position and then promptly makes the new general her lover. Perhaps part of her lethality is that very cleverness. She knows full well what she's doing. Now she has the Emperor and the, potentially, new High General under her control."
"And she removed the Prime Duke from the picture entirely, shortening the number of people she needs to keep under her heel." Ewan snorted, hard. "No sadness for losing that ass, though. He was not much better than the Emperor. Is he alive?"
"He had a heart attack."
"How convenient!"
Tyrian held up a hand to forestall more commentary. "How is my father?" he asked softly.
Ted hesitated and then sighed. "Terrible, Lord Tyrian. He has been utterly devastated by all these events. He has not left the castle. Few have seen him at all."
Unease churned in Tyrian's stomach. That didn't sound right at all. His father had never suffered in silence before. He could clearly remember when his grandmother had died, how Donald had vented all his grief by intensely training. Even if he took into account the fact that Donald loved Annareal a great deal, it just felt out of character. "Something's wrong," he said softly.
He instantly had everyone's attention. Gordon and Samantha were also frowning. "It's not like General Southerwind," Gordon said softly. "When I saw Lord Tyrian's reaction to losing Lady Annareal, my first thought was 'oh, he doesn't handle things the way his father does.'"
Tyrian closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "Ted. Get a message to my father. Tell him that he is a grandfather and that I'm not going to let him hide like a coward and shame my daughter's legacy."
Ted's brows shot up. "Er, as you command, Lord Tyrian." He hurried out, and the pigeons fluttered along in his wake.
Even Matthias and Cassie looked at Tyrian warily. "What do you hope to accomplish?" Matthias asked quietly. "I thought you did not want to face him in battle."
"I don't." His hands curled together under the table. "But there is something wrong. I don't know what. I suspect Blaine, and no doubt rightfully so. Father . . . he was teasing me when I turned eighteen. He said that if I would take pity on him, he would like to be a grandfather before he was too old to play with his grandchild. It wasn't saying much; he's only forty. But I know that if Blaine did something, this might give him the will to fight against her. I am not losing my father."
The distinct ring of steel in his voice was a testament to his powerful will and intense nature. If the power of a Kaiten Star's spirit alone could make things happen, Donald Southerwind would be on their side in no time.
Thinking about ages and the time that had passed, Cassie found herself a little surprised to look at a calendar and realize she had turned twenty a few days back. She had been so caught up in everything that she had completely forgotten her own birthday. For the next few months, Tyrian would be two years younger. She could only pray that the war ended before his nineteenth birthday, though the symbolism of it was oddly apt.
She was brought back to the conversation as Matthias said, "Resuming our discussion about Alphin, we can't be certain of what the external defenses consist of. They are kept inactive unless an army is physically approaching. The same is true of other checkpoints. Zinfandel informed me that she has some books on the origins of the checkpoints on their way to her from a secret source in Trinan."
"So we have to show up and see what we're facing right there in the open. You and Cherry will have to almost literally fly by the seat of your pants," Ewan summarized.
"In a nutshell, yes." Matthias looked at Tyrian. "You do not need to worry, Lord Tyrian. We won't let you down."
"I never thought you would."
Because Alex's army units included two magic and two ranged, Tyrian brought two of each of his as well. He assigned unit leaders without much thought behind it, automatically assigning positions based on the strengths of his Stars, something he knew intimately. The regime of war had become so second nature to him that he no longer even acknowledged there was any other way of life. It was too painful to do anything else.
He was just getting ready to mount Fay when Raven came running through the middle of the courtyard and skidded to a stop beside him. He knelt down to her height and ran a hand over her hair. "I'll be fine," he promised softly.
She shook her head, her eyes distressed. "I feel like something is bad, Daddy. I can't remember what I heard, but I heard something." She held out a pin that had a spray of rubentia flowers on it. The tiny vibrant red desert flower was where the city got its name. "Please wear this. Gramma helped me make it. It will keep you safe."
He didn't question her instincts or her need to protect him. He pinned the small clutch of flowers to the side of his shirt. None of the Stars wore uniforms into battle, and that was what made them distinct. Not a single one wore anything alike, though there were assorted similarities between same-type warriors. In fact, most wore something loosely based on what was considered the traditional style of clothing for the weapon they used.
He hugged Raven and then nudged her back out of the way as he swung up onto Fay's back. "Be good," he told her. "Mind your grandmother."
She nodded and ran over to where Serentia and Tavi stood. Both little girls huddled against Serentia's legs, and she did not blame them. It was hard to watch someone they loved as much as they loved Tyrian ride into battle and not be able to protect him.
The Mechanoportal was in fine working form and didn't seem to be spewing smoke that morning, for which all soldiers were grateful. It was only a matter of moments before all eight units landed in the fields that led to the coastal city known as Alphin. They had opted to land out of immediate range for fear of instantly triggering any number of dangerous traps that might be placed around something as valuable as a checkpoint city.
As they approached, no one noticed anything unusual at first. One soldier in every unit had been assigned the duty of lookout and was the person most intimately acquainted with reading the land and sky. Something was off but not necessarily instantly wrong.
All of that changed within a heartbeat. The army crossed some sort of invisible barrier and every flower in the land began spewing a sort of green fog into the air. There was no immediate response from most people, but anyone wearing a relic was instantly affected with everything from sneezing to violent nausea.
"Back the mages out!" Matthias ordered sharply into his Voice Relic. "Everyone else retreat!"
The Liberation Army backpedaled as the two magic units disappeared from the field. Lane willingly resisted the transport and instead used his Wind Relic to keep the fog from getting to him. Even still, his stomach churned and a headache pounded behind his eyes viciously as he tried to make it across the field toward his Kaiten, arguably another at the most risk.
They managed to get away from the fog, and those wearing relics sat down hard in the grass. Fear rose sharply inside Matthias as he swiftly looked around and took stock. It was not hard to determine that those of the highest magical capacity had been the ones affected the worst. Laia, riding with Samantha, was completely incapacitated. She had lost all ability to walk or ride, and Ewan was carrying her to a safer location while Samantha checked her vital signs.
A sudden thud followed by Cassie screaming Tyrian's name froze everyone on the field. Without even really being conscious of it, Matthias rushed his horse toward where Tyrian's unit had been. When he saw the tableau, he paled sharply. "Lord Tyrian!"
Tyrian had fallen off Fay's back and was lying in the grass. He looked as pale as salt. Cassie knelt beside him with Dylan, who had been in the unit as well. The swordsman looked as terrified as Matthias felt. "What happened?" Matthias demanded.
"We don't know! He seemed fine initially as we were retreating. Some nausea, a headache. Same as anyone else. But then he suddenly went white and collapsed." Cassie's voice was even, but tears shimmered across her eyes. She pressed a hand to Tyrian's forehead and hissed softly. "He's burning up."
"Let me through!" Lane shoved past the soldiers and knelt beside them. He instantly lifted Tyrian's relic hand to look at the mark. When he saw the pale and fading image, his breath hissed out in a string of curses in another language. "His relic is poisoned," he said flatly. "It's called Soul Fog. It goes directly to the magical capacity of a soul, and it poisons from inside out."
"I didn't think it was deadly!" Dylan snapped. "I've heard of Soul Fog being used in battle before. It incapacitates mages. No one has ever died from it, and you can't tell me that Tyrian and Laia aren't at risk of dying!"
"Laia will recover eventually. She was speaking coherently, if sluggishly, and stayed conscious. Think of it as her having caught a particularly nasty influenza. Tyrian is different." Lane's hands curled into fists at his side. "Don't you idiots realize what the Devourer really is? It's a parasite! If it wasn't for Tyrian's iron will, it would have consumed him a dozen times by now! The influenza that Laia caught is much more deadly in Tyrian. With all his strength suddenly gone, the Devourer leapt to consume him. All his focus is on fighting the relic, and that means nothing is left to fight the influenza. One or the other is going to kill him unless we do something!"
A rising tide of terror began to move through the soldiers. The Stars still on the field shoved their way through to join the others. "Laia has been recalled to the base," Ewan told Matthias curtly. "She was coherent, but there was absolutely no strength left in her physically or magically. Halkern says it could be weeks before she recovers. Our other mages and Magicians are suffering from much milder symptoms. A week or less and they'll be back to normal."
"How'd you escape it?" Cherry asked Lane.
"I recognized it the instant it appeared. I used my Wind Relic to keep it off. I was trying to get to Tyrian to protect him when I heard him fall." Lane shook his head sharply. "We have to purify his relic, and through it, his soul. It has to be done with another Pure Relic."
"Then do it!" Ewan snapped at him.
"I can't! Both the Wind Relic and the Devourer have negative charges inside. They repel. I can't do anything for him at all."
"Miranda!" Matthias said. "The Echo Relic?"
"Negative charge." The frustration was in Lane's voice. "But maybe together we can do something, anything."
Cassie, who had been silent the entire time, asked softly, "The Pure Shrieking Relic. Is it positive or negative?"
He paused as he thought about it. "Positive. It would certainly be able to aid Tyrian, but it hasn't been seen in a few hundred years. The nature of the Shrieking Relic is to create silence that nullifies sound, so you can't even sense it, no matter how powerful you are." He suddenly stopped as another thought occurred to him. "Wait. How did you know about the Shrieking Relic?"
She looked at him, and a spirit that was not much less for strength than Tyrian's stirred in her eyes. "It has been in the possession of the Monk Clans, passed down from leader to leader, for those hundred years you mentioned. It has never been worn. No leader ever felt the need for it. My adopted father is currently its keeper."
"That's the eternity you said was yours to claim," Dylan said softly. "If you were strong enough. Why wouldn't you be, if it is rightfully yours?"
"There is a trial for me to face." She gently brushed Tyrian's hair from his eyes. She could feel the battle waged within his soul, but she would never let him be devoured by his relic. She would never let him go. "It may bring me to the breaking point. It may break me entirely. I still have to try. I will go now." She straightened.
"Hold up!" Leonard held up a hand. "Not alone, you won't. We're going to support you. Your father owes us some army units, and we need to collect on that debt too."
It was against the rules to bring in outsiders, but the rules could go to hell. Cassie nodded instantly. "We will bring Tyrian there as well. We have a clan doctor, Doctor Kelan, who will be able to care for him while I face my trials."
Matthias nodded briefly. "You, Leonard, Ewan, Dylan, and Lord Lane will take Lord Tyrian to the Monk Clan stronghold. While you are there, we will research how to either get around the Soul Fog or find another way into the city entirely. Hurry," he urged softer. It made him sick to think none of them had realized just how heavy Tyrian's burden was.
"What's the quickest way to get there?" Ewan asked Cassie as he lifted Tyrian. He instantly grimaced. Tyrian weighed less than the last time he had been carried, and that was not a good sign at all. Perhaps his lack of hunger was as much a product of the relic as it was the stress of the entire situation.
Cassie didn't get a chance to answer. A swirl of clouds appeared in the air and Miranda tumbled out. She was right over Leonard, but the mayor was quick on his feet and caught her before she fell far. "Honey," he told her, "your aim needs improvement." He gently put her down.
She waved her hands in agitation and narrowly missed hitting Lane in the head with her wand. Luckily, he was well used to her and smart enough to move out of the way. "The soldiers coming back said you were going to take Lord Tyrian somewhere and I was hoping I could make it faster because I really don't like him being sick and if where you're going is somewhere you've been before then I can transport you!"
"It is," Cassie told her. "It's my hometown. The Monk Clan Stronghold. Do you know where it is?"
"No, but that's not important. Long as you know where it is, I can send you." She swung her wand in a looping arc that narrowly missed hitting more than one person. "Here we go! Hang on tight!"
There was a bright flash of light that made everyone blink rapidly as everything around them started looking like a double—or an echo—of itself. When the light faded, they stood at the edge of what looked like a small city in a mountain valley. As the others continued to stare in fascination at the lingering double-echo, Lane said, "And now you know where the relic got its name. It'll fade quickly enough."
It had cleared just as a young man suddenly appeared from out of nowhere, and he wore the familiar gear of a monk. "Master Cassie!" he said sharply. "Why have you brought these outsiders?" He planted himself physically in the middle of the path to block them. "Leave!" he said heatedly. "You don't belong here."
"Ernest," Cassie said softly, her voice cool, "get out of my way. I wish to see Doctor Kelan, and I wish to speak with my father."
He shook his head. "Master Kotan will not permit you to come into town with these . . . these heathens!"
"Stand aside." It was no less than a sharp order. "Stand aside, Second Class. You would prevent us from bringing in an ill man just because it isn't protocol? You are an embarrassment to our code."
Ashamed color climbed his face as he actually saw that the very large man was carrying another person. In fact, when he looked a second time, the color left his face as he recognized Tyrian's dark hair and green scarf. "Doctor Kelan!" he shouted as he whirled and ran into the city. "Hurry!"
"He's not very controlled for a monk," Dylan noted.
"He's only a Second Class. He has a long way to go." Cassie lifted her chin and led the way into the city. "Stay with me."
The others, even Lane, couldn't help but look around curiously at the city. It was even smaller than Teasarn, and built with a style that none of them had ever seen. The buildings had been elevated and made from interesting pieces of round wood. Many children ran around, but it was obvious that every person who called the city home was either a monk or a monk-in-training.
At the end of the city, against the mountain, sat a much larger building. Cassie glanced toward it but diverted to go into one of the regular buildings first. Inside, Ernest stood talking to a man in his mid-twenties. He wore the familiar white coat of a doctor. "Doctor Kelan," Cassie said. "Please."
"Bring him in," Kelan urged. He looked at Tyrian's face as Ewan put him on one of the medical beds and promptly grimaced. He recognized Soul Fog poisoning. "I've never seen a case so severe." He spotted the flowers pinned to Tyrian's shirt and also recognized them instantly. "Well, interesting."
"What?" Cassie asked.
"Those flowers. Rubentia are a flower known to negate the effects of Soul Fog. They might well have saved his life." He picked up Tyrian's wrist to check his pulse and saw the state of the Devourer. He also recognized the relic symbol. "I see. Ernest, fetch the Land and Water Relics from the cabinet."
"Why me?" The monk gulped as Kelan glared at him. "Yes, sir." He hastily scrambled over and opened the cabinet to pull out the two relics. He handed them over and asked, "What for?"
"They're positively charged," Lane said. "They might help stabilize the Devourer long enough for Cassie to get the Shrieking Relic."
Ernest bristled. "You told them about it?"
"Would you shut up?" Cassie snapped at him, causing his eyes to widen significantly. "I don't have the time for you to play stupid games. Tyrian needs me to save him, and I'm going to do whatever it takes."
"You're sleeping with him!" It was an accusation.
"I'm marrying him!" she shot back.
His mouth opened and then closed several times in utter shock. He had never seen her like this before. "What's wrong with you? You should never have gone to the capitol! It's completely ruined your life!"
Ewan had had enough. He grabbed Ernest by the back of his scarf and lifted him a foot off the floor. As the monk kicked and flailed, Ewan snarled, "Kid, you have one hell of a big mouth, and coming from me, that's saying something!" He swung him around and forced him to look at Tyrian. "Just look at him, would you?"
Ernest didn't want to look at anyone, but Ewan wasn't putting him down anytime soon, so he gave in and looked at Tyrian. Emotion immediately punched into his heart. He could just somehow see that Tyrian needed Cassie. And he couldn't shake the feeling that Tyrian needed him too. He stopped struggling and lowered his gaze. "What is that?" he asked, visibly subdued.
Ewan put him down, suspicions confirmed. Those of the Destined Stars who had been around the longest were beginning to recognize each other in the way Raven did because of her age. "Destiny," he said simply. "Tyrian's our Kaiten Star. We share the skies with him. You were born under a star, meant to be there to support him. But it's more than that. He loves us as much as we love him. If he believes in you, then you can do anything."
Ernest said nothing. He had nothing he could say. He felt small and petty. Cassie barely spared him a look as she headed for the door. "Ernie," she said softly, "his life is priceless. Do we have an understanding?"
He straightened up and bowed deeply. "Yes, Master Cassie."
"Is there anything we can do?" Leonard asked Cassie.
"Just stay here and protect Tyrian." Without looking back, she walked out of the doctor's office.
In a murmur, Leonard said, "I can't imagine why she's the Kentei Star."
Even Ernest had to agree with that.
©Stacy J. Garrett. Do not reprint or redistribute without permission.
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