Chapter 10: Betrayal's Brink

Spring 20

Doug checked over his equipment one last time. It wouldn't do to get on the work trolley and find that he'd forgotten something. Since everything seemed to be in place, he shut the tool box and picked it up, along with a supply box for all the materials he needed. The marketplace clean-up was about to begun and no one would think twice of him being around vital supports to the town on the cliff's edge.

With the tools clattering around in their metal container, Doug didn't bother trying to walk down the old stairs of the general store quietly. Blossom was already downstairs, sitting at her usual rocking chair by the register and piecing together one of the canvas booth covers. "Granny, I'm off to hang for the day."

She gave a delighted smile at his joke. "All right, but don't be coming back as a shambling undead creature."

"How about if I was shuffling instead?" he added, laughing a little once she did. "Don't be working too hard here on your own."

"I probably should be saying that to you instead," Blossom said. "Oh, and I put together some lunch for you over here, in case you want to keep working."

He set his boxes down to come get the lunch pail she'd made. And to give her a hug. "Thanks, I'll be looking forward to it." Unless she'd packed a roll in there. She was always making bread of some kind and while she sold most of the loaves, there were always pieces around their home upstairs. As much as he didn't like bread, he didn't have the heart to tell her so when she kept giving these kind gestures.

"Don't be under there too late, and be careful," she said, patting his back.

After putting the pail in the material box, he took both boxes and headed out to the nearest maintenance trolley. The first time he'd come into this part of town, it had been unnerving to walk along the wooden panels lining the streets. A glance down would show just how high they were from the airfield nearby. It didn't bother him now, but he'd already found that the trolley wasn't a great place to work due to hanging over the drop. At least they had winches that would let him pull the trolley closer to the ceiling where he needed to do his work.

But when he got to the trolley station, Bado was already there, packing his own tool box and a huge bag that seemed to be filled with pipes. Doug and Volkanon had managed to comfortably move around to examine the old generator, but with Doug, Bado, and all their equipment? That was going to be too much. "Hey man, you working on this too?"

"Shut the water off to L-10 after redirecting the supply to Saint Coquille Manor so as not to disrupt them," Bado muttered, hardly noticing Doug there. He had an intense focus in his eyes although he didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular.

"Okay, I'll just find the other trolley," Doug said, stepping away to head for the other trolley station. Bado was still under the grip of thelnar, something that often happened to dwarves. Some idea would drive them to work ceaselessly until they created whatever inspiration had gripped them. And no matter what beliefs the particular dwarf followed, it was never a good idea to bother one under such mania. Doug had never been hit by one himself, but he was instantly curious about what Bado was being driven to create. Such items were nearly always considered priceless treasures immediately.

In a way, he was jealous of him, and Lest. Coming under that mania of inspiration was often the highlight of a dwarf's life, an event that had as much prestige as marriage or being granted a title of honor. Some would claim that one could never truly be a great dwarf unless they knew the feeling of thelnar. However, that inspiration was always tied to the crafting trades. Something was always produced. But Doug had never been any good at crafting with the closest being his electrical work. He'd probably never be struck by thelnar and he sometimes wondered if it made him even less of a dwarf because of it.

The other trolley was parked at the stairway near the inn, meaning he had to trek all the way across town to get there. Then again, he didn't have to steer the trolley as far to get to under the marketplace. The generator he was working on was a wind-based model, gathering energy from turbines here underneath the cliff and small windmills along the town walls. As the winds were always blowing, it was a reliable system. Even so, someone had gone ahead and built a geothermal plant at the Delirium Lava Caves. Selphia shouldn't ever have a problem with electrical power with that powerful combo.

In spite of what he'd told Lest, he'd known on seeing the diagram that they didn't need to replace this generator fully. It was built to last and all he had to do was make some common adjustments and update a few parts. Most of Doug's work today was going to be drilling holes, then laying and replacing wires so he could hook up new outlets and lights overhead. His stated job was simple.

But for the job that he was keeping silent on, that wasn't so simple. Once he had the wiring done, he looked around to find that Bado was busily hooking up water pipes to the location of the new drinking fountain. He wouldn't notice. Doug sat down in his trolley and opened his material box to pull out parts to put together a bomb. Even with both power plants on lower output due to spring weather, it could go unnoticed for a few days that an extra machine was drawing energy from this generator. He could install this to the main support beam holding up the generator and the marketplace, and then a second hidden above ground within the tree and moat fence around the royal farms. Either blast would destroy a good chunk of the town of Selphia; both together might nearly wipe it out.

There was the question of if it would be enough to take out Ventuswill. She was a divine dragon, as much as she didn't deserve the honor of being so. Even if it didn't, it would weaken her greatly to the point where it would not be tough to finish her off. And that might be the best way to get his revenge, rip her town away too before killing her. All he had to do was set this up, then wait for a day when nearly everyone in town would be in the marketplace.

Then again, everyone in town meant Blossom too. She couldn't do much in her old age, but she already planned on being there when everyone was working on the market together. If she happened to be on this deck when the bomb went off, it'd be certain that she'd fall to her death if the explosion didn't kill her first. The thought of it made his stomach churn.

But he shouldn't care. She was one of Ventuswill's supporters and thus he should hate her too. Doug only started calling her Granny to get her trust, as well as a job to blend in with and a place to stay. He had tolerated her love of bread because people would trust someone kind to their elders. At some point though, he began to feel some affection for her like a grandson would. She really was sweet and her bits of mischief were amusing enough to be endearing. She was also sickly, probably in her last years at this point. While that was another reason not to care, Doug found himself caring more after he'd helped nursed her back to normal in a fight with a cold last summer. Blossom didn't seem to have family in Selphia anymore. He didn't have family either, but not because they had forgotten about him in their lives.

A gust of wind sent a chill up his spine. The trolley swayed but he'd seen enough of its structure to know it was unlikely to fail. Looking down at the bomb that only needed to be hooked up to a power source to be detonated, he found himself wondering if he should do it. Could he live with himself if this killed Blossom? Or even if she survived but it killed off all the neighbors and friends she loved? If something like that happened, she might lose heart and die in sadness, never knowing that the one who caused it was someone she trusted. Even loved, like a grandson?

But he needed to kill Ventuswill.

It just wasn't worth paying for with Blossom's life.

With a sigh, Doug made sure that the bomb was less likely to go off, then put it back in his material box so he could head to the top of the platform to install the new outlets. He had a brief thought to just chuck it over the trolley's side, but that might cause a blast and an investigation would show that only he and Bado had been down here. And Bado had the excuse of mania to avoid questions about bomb parts. Doug had nothing to excuse that.

All the electrical work took up Doug's entire day, so he was able to check light coverage on the market deck at the end of it. The booths had already been pulled out onto North Street in preparation of the refinishing tasks in the coming days, but there did not seem to be any dark corners or spots now. Bado had some pipework showing above the deck's floor; neither he nor his fountain was anywhere to be seen at the moment. As Doug was shutting off most of the lights so as not to interfere with anyone's sleep, the prince came over to him. "Good work on the lights," Lest said. "Anything else you need to do left?"

He was just being polite, Doug thought. Lest didn't know enough about lighting and electricity to actually know if it was a good job or not at this point. "Nope, we're good for another five years. And then it'll just be checking some wires and a few replacements. I set up the premium spots with six outlet slots, while regular spots have four slots. It's a bit high, but I think electrical devices are going to keep picking up steam."

"And the power network can handle that?" he asked.

"Yup, shouldn't be a big burden," Doug said. "We should be good for power unless there's a huge boom in residents and devices."

"That's good." Then Lest looked at him, some worry on his face. "Are you doing all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, wondering why the prince was suddenly interested. Did he suspect him? Doug didn't know much about earthmates, but he knew many people revered them. Lest didn't seem that special, although sometimes he was uncannily keen on things in spite of a rural education.

"If you say so," he said, but he suspected something. What? "Don't be reluctant to speak up if you need any help. I'd be happy to give anybody here assistance, or I'm sure Granny Blossom would be glad to listen. She adores you like her own grandchild."

"You don't need to tell me that," Doug said. She'd packed him a delicious lunch today with onigiri, so maybe she was picking up on his tastes finally.

After shaking off Lest (why was he so nosy?), Doug headed back to the general store. Blossom greeted him warmly and had supper hot and ready for him. It was meatloaf and mashed potatoes with some early spring greens for a salad, a meal he was happy to share with her. And yet... also a meal that his mother had favored. It had been one she made for him for lunch before a trek to the traditional dwarven town in order to exchange goods with them. He'd made the trek many times before, every time tolerating the traditionalists' tunnel vision on what dwarves should be for the sake of his town's traders; they depended on him and others willing to act as contacts. But that one time, he returned home to find the trader's fort smashed apart, as if the wind itself had gained weight and crushed it in an instant. It was all Ventuswill's doing.

He got startled when Blossom gripped his arm. "Is something wrong, Doug? You have such a sad look on your face."

"It's..." nothing? It was nothing that he'd nearly destroyed her life today, except he'd chickened out? It was nothing that his life had been crushed to pieces while he'd been away? That he'd hurt this sweet but frail lady for any reason, even as a bystander to destroying the one he hated most? Doug shivered and looked down at his lap.

"You can tell me anything, dear," she said. "I won't tell a soul if you don't want to."

She sounded like she couldn't imagine him doing her any harm. "I..." he rubbed a tear from his eye, but it seemed that wouldn't be enough. "I should... visit home for a bit and, um, take care of my family's graves."

"Of course, they'd appreciate that," she said. Which set him off into crying, but at least this time, he wasn't alone.

"That was a close call," Ventuswill said softly to her quiet room. "Doug... where does your hate and pain spring from?"

"Lady Ventuswill?"

Startled, she opened her eyes wider and noticed Vishnal was standing there puzzled. "It's nothing!" she insisted. "Just listening to things on the wind. Although," she looked down at him wondering. This would be a difficult thing to ask of him. But then, he might be the only one she could ask.

"What is it?" he asked when she hesitated on saying it.

She leaned down to speak quieter. "It's mostly a hunch, but I've been concerned about Doug lately."

"What about him?" he asked, quickly becoming concerned himself.

"I can't really tell you," Ventuswill said. "Sorry, but it's something that would be best if Doug would tell you himself. You're one of his rare friends, you and Kiel. I can tell you this: everyone has their secrets and many people will go to great lengths to avoid them being found. Even so, a painful secret might never heal and in time, the person may become so lost and hurt that they no longer know what to do. They need someone else to know, be it a friend, family member, or lover. It is a hard thing and I'm not certain if he's even near that point. You'll need to be discrete about it, but if you continue being his friend and keep his trust, there might come a time soon when you'll need to be there for him and help him find his way."

Fortunately, he took the advice seriously. "I see... I'll do my best, although it sounds like a difficult thing."

She smiled. "At least you can tell it's so. Thank you Vishnal. You're the best one I could trust to this."

"I don't know, Lest seems like he'd be really good at dealing with people in trouble," Vishnal said.

"It might not hurt to ask him for advice, but I'm afraid we can't involve him in trying to help Doug yet," she said. "I don't want to say why entirely. If Lest could get as much trust from him as you have, then maybe."

That should do it, a few nudges to get people to help each other. Hopefully it would end up helping all the people involved. It could be good for them all. It could also go terribly wrong... no, she had to have faith in them. Mortals were entirely capable of solving most of their problems on their own. While she cared greatly for them, this was for the best. She'd step in if she absolutely had to.

Spring 21

Hate. It was a crushing oppressive emotion, narrowing the mind and blinding one's judgment. At one time, Lest had felt hate. It had lasted several long weeks, a poisonous fire in his chest that warped his reason. But it was a poison, causing him to feel sick and paranoid. When he finally let it go, he swore to himself that he'd never hate again. Love opened up the mind and healed the heart, bringing others closer and healing them too. That was his element and he'd realized that if he had continued to hold that hate, it would have truly killed him in tearing his runes apart.

However, hate still hurt him even if it was not his own. When someone else near him was filled with hate, he felt that venom as sharp spikes in his skin, clamping on and not wanting to let go. Hate came in various forms just like love, but he knew its venom all the same. Sometimes it was just an unnerving itch, when someone had a good reason to feel hate but was open to letting it go. Other times it cut right into his heart and left him unable to remain conscious. The first time he'd felt that kind of hate was when he'd only been five years old; the memory remained almost fresh in his mind in spite of the fifteen years since then.

The hate he felt now was frail. It was an ancient hate that was beyond reasoning with, but its spikes lacked the potent venom and sharpness that a living hate attacked him with. Lest recognized it from the one he'd felt in the orchard. What had Ventuswill said? It belonged to Storgane. Storgane was an old name of a long passed away being, but it was one he was familiar with.

What Lest felt now... he was dreaming, but it was a special kind of dream caught up in the ether sea, aware beyond his body's reach. What happened here was real, just not physical. But that meant he could run into anything in a human's imagination and beyond. Even a being as long dead as Storgane.

Storgane's hate whipped around Lest like a sharp biting wind straight out of winter. "Still not as bad as a living hate," he said, bringing his hand up to try keeping his bangs out of his eyes. His chi was visible as plainly as when he cast magic, the golden lines giving him a glowing halo of light in the darkness of this hateful gale.

"It won't be so for long," a deep voice said around him. "I only need one heart in total despair to revive my curse and fulfill it at last. I hold six hearts in powerful despair."

"You won't succeed," Lest said. "My family has the key we've been looking for all along."

Storgane laughed at him. "It will fail. You have already failed and ruined your plans. You also don't know enough to stop me. You will fail. You should just run away now. Get out of Selphia, abandon your magic, destroy the rune spheres. What can you do against a god?"

"You're no longer a god," he said, clenching his other fist at his side. "Yes you were once the divine wind dragon, but you're dead! You should have entered the Forest of Beginnings and put your hate to rest. But now that your hate has consumed you, you are no longer a god or even the ghost of a god. You're just a corrupted devil. I serve the living divine wind and I will help her triumph over you at last."

That rankled Storgane and he sneered in hate. "That husk? She never stood a chance against me and only survived so long because I don't have a physical form at this time. But the despair she gives me is exquisite, something you wouldn't find in a strong god."

"I'll stop you from hurting Venti!" Lest declared, not thinking for a second of taking it back.

At his words, as binding as any oath, he suddenly became of four points of light around them. They were also caught in Storgane's hate, separate but aware of each other. And now aware of him arguing with their tormentor. The spiteful ghost growled and tried to dim their lights.

He couldn't do that. "I've come to help you!" he called to them. "I've been delayed, but I will come to awaken you. Hang on and don't give up hope. We can be the ones to triumph with love."

"Don't speak of love around me!" Storgane hissed, his hatred beginning to crackle as if starting up a powerful spell.

But love described the natural flow of life and the bonds of magic. Storgane was perverting nature in clinging to what little remained to him. Lest raised both of his hands and cast a counter magic to break apart the spell being cast at him. The ether sea composing this dream was then filled with golden sunlight, stopping Storgane's magic dead and causing him pain instead. However, he had spent centuries clinging to hate and this would not be enough to defeat him. He lurked back to the stagnant parts of the ether sea, the remains of his curse of hate.

"Don't give up hope," Lest said again now that it was just him and the lights of the guardians. "You will be freed of your obligations before long."

He couldn't decipher a response, if they were given a chance to respond to him. Instead, he opened his eyes to find himself lying in bed. The glow of the predawn sky spilled into his room along with the spring breeze through the windows he had left open. Lest held up one of his hands and found that his chi was still glowing. After watching the lines fade away, he got up and stretched out his body in preparation for the day ahead. The day's work would begin with farming, but soon turn to work on the marketplace. However, he had to be thinking ahead to when he would go out searching for the rune spheres and the guardians.

Storgane's spirit was truly still around. He'd need to write Frey and inform her of the dream. Even so, he had a good idea of what she'd say in response. Storgane had been the divine wind dragon before Ventuswill was born and ascended into divinity. According to tales in his mother's family, Storgane hated humanity so much that he was willing to betray his duty to make the ether sea fall still, making magic impossible for most mortal beings until Ventuswill's birth. Perhaps such an event would destroy all life in time. What was certain was that Storgane's curse was a powerful part in why Ventuswill was having trouble fulfilling the same role he had held.

However, there was a big mystery now that Storgane revealed himself. What was he still doing in the world? Even the gods returned to the Forest of Beginnings upon death.

"Will you... be my friend?" She sounded so sad and timid.

"I would be your friend," Xiao Pai said, turning around and trying to find her. But there were so many butterflies, in all colors she dreamed of, swirling around and around, up and down, surrounding her.

"We can fly away to the rainbows, out of this sadness and guilt." She seemed like she would cry.

"If it would make you happy, I'd fly away," Xiao said, finally seeing a form other than the small butterflies. Instead of little clover-shaped leaves, the form had huge wings like the petals of an iris.

"My friends have all wilted away and I cried and cried. Wilted away, all but the dragon and the birds in the darkness." Her voice quivered.

She was like a fairy princess, a beautiful girl with butterfly wings. Xiao was entranced. "Your friends are still with you, yes?"

"NO!" She shrieked as the butterflies turned into biting flies and the golden sunlight turned to silver moonlight. Xiao shrieked herself when the flies started biting. "I hurt her bad, I didn't mean to, she was so sad that I found tears of blood and I couldn't go back to her because I made a big promise that was supposed to save her and now she's wilting even more than the others and I want to help her but I can't help anymore, I want to go home but I can't because I promised!"

There was a wail and Xiao fell out bed. But it wasn't her wail. Things were hushed in the inn, just the sounds of her ending up on the floor. She rubbed her arms where she could remember the flies biting. While she could nearly feel it under her skin, there were no marks on her skin of such bites.

"Just a dream again," she said to herself, wrestling herself out of her blanket in order to get back in bed. "But why does it keep coming back, so powerfully?"

It was early morning just before dawn, but Kiel found himself unable to go back to sleep. Memories from yesterday kept coming back into his thoughts. When he'd gone over to to Bado's place to check up on him and do a few small chores, the dwarf had snapped at him and driven him back out. He had been testy this whole time while in the grip of thelnar. Yesterday had been particularly bad as he'd said some things that cut deeply.

Kiel still worried about him. From his studies, the inspiration usually didn't last this long. It might be that the fountain he was making really took that long. Or it might be that his health was starting to suffer from being pushed so long, keeping him from working as quickly even under divine inspiration. Bado hadn't eaten all that much. The udon and cheesecake from Porcoline that he'd usually polish off even in large portions had remained untouched, even unsealed. There was no way that he could have meant what he'd said.

With those thoughts in mind, Kiel got a jacket and headed out down the street to check on him again. The sun wasn't even above the horizon yet, although it would be before long. Selphia had a mystical silence at this time, one that caused prickles on his skin even with the jacket's warmth. Without anyone else in the streets, there was only the rustle of new leaves in the breeze, the ripples of water in the moats, the call of a few birds, and his own footsteps to disturb the quiet. But he knew it was all at rest, merely awaiting the rays of the sun to begin wakening all. Except maybe Bado; there was still smoke coming from his furnace.

He hesitated a moment at the door, worried he might get yelled at again. Bracing himself for that potential, Kiel gave a few knocks and waited. When he didn't hear anything, he turned the knob quietly and entered the building. "Bado?' he asked.

It was still in here too. Kiel came in and shut the door behind him, then quickly spotted his friend on the floor. With a fright at his condition, he hurried over and knelt to check on him. He seemed to be asleep, the energy of his runes rather low. It reminded him of Lest's condition after he'd come out of his inspired state. Letting out a sigh of relief, Kiel tried to shake his shoulder lightly. He didn't wake up immediately, but mumbled something.

Feeling that he should be okay, Kiel took his jacket off and went around the rooms seeing what chores needed to be taken care of. He saw the fountain again and thought about what a wonder it was, but decided to avoid it for the time being. Instead, he turned down the furnace and opened up all the windows in order to let out the heat and let in fresh air. The meal from Porcoline was still untouched and unsealed, so he took that into the dining table and cleaned up how he could.

He had the door open to sweep out some ashes and dirt when his sister came by on her morning patrol. "There you are," she said, a little annoyed and a little relieved. "I was worried when you weren't in the house."

"Sorry sis," Kiel said, smiling. "I was worried about Bado and decided to check on him when I couldn't sleep."

"How is he?" Forte said, stepping into the store herself to see.

He pointed out where he was still on the floor. "I can't really move him, but he's just asleep. Looks like he finally finished his work and was released from inspiration's grasp."

"Oh good," she said, just as relieved. "I know you told me about it the first day, but this was getting insane. Well I'll leave him to your care, but if he's still not up by noon, you should probably get Jones just in case."

Kiel nodded. "Right. We won't be able to help with the market cleaning, I guess, unless he gets up and feels well enough to install the fountain. I want to stick around to make sure he eats once he wakes up."

"That's a good idea," Forte said, then opened up her bag. "An envelope came for you yesterday, but we were so busy that I couldn't get it to you."

"Thanks," Kiel said, taking it once she handed it over. It had a familiar seal on it, one that made him frown. "Oh this."

Forte shifted and for a moment looked nervous. "It's from the knights in the capitol, so, it's probably about you..."

"I know, I've gotten them before," Kiel said, tapping it against his hand. "I'll check it, but if it's the same as the rest, I'll just give the same answer as before." He chuckled. "I might even have the draft from last year, so maybe I'll send the exact same answer."

"Kiel?" she asked.

He smiled at her. "Whatever they think, I think you're best for the job. Besides, if I accepted their offer a knighthood, I know it's only because of who our father is. I'd have to give up my alchemy studies and I don't want to do that, or take the job you're so dedicated to."

"I just hope the fact that you've been denying them doesn't come back to bite us," Forte said, but she smiled at his words.

"I've got your back and you've got mine, so I don't think we have to worry," he said to reassure her. "I'll see you later then."

"Right, good luck with Bado." She nodded then headed on to continue her review of the town.

It wasn't long after that when Kiel heard a groan out of Bado. He left the room that was used as living space to come check on him. Bleary eyed, Bado was sitting up on the floor and looking around. The intensity that had gripped him was no longer there, leaving Kiel feeling safe in saying, "Hey, good morning. How do you feel?"

"Like I've got a wicked hangover," Bado replied. "What day is it?"

"Spring 21," Kiel said, stopping by the shop counter.

"Good lord," he replied, rubbing his head. "What about the fountain?" He got up and turned to look in his forge.

"It looks amazing, a real work of art," he said, following after him. Bado mumbled something and looked over the fountain silently for a couple of minutes. Coming closer, Kiel said, "You really should eat; I've got one of Porco's meals waiting on you on the table."

"It's not installed," Bado said finally. Then he sighed. "All right, you're probably right. I'll eat and then see about getting this over and attached. Hope I can do that properly now that this has passed."

"I can help you out with it if you need it," Kiel said.

"Yeah, that'd be good. I don't think I'll feel completely settled down until it gets in. Oh ****." He clapped his hand on his forehead with a grimace that seemed in pain.

"Headache?" Kiel guessed, tugging at him to go eat now.

"Well yeah, but," he shook his head then turned to him. "Kiel, you've been over to check on me all this time, haven't you?'

"I tried to visit once or twice a day, to take care of the house and try to take care of you," he said.

"I don't remember clearly, but I must've treated you horribly," Bado said, upset now that he realized that. "I'm really sorry, I probably said some crazy stuff to you."

He had, but Kiel would readily forgive him. "It's okay, I kind of expected it," he said. "You weren't exactly yourself, being enthralled in the act of creation."

"Yeah. In that case, thanks for trying. Man, but I really should make it up to you somehow."

He smiled. "Well first you can eat so I can stop worrying about you passing out from hunger."

Bado laughed at that, a good sign that he was back to his usual self. "All right already. You're a great guy, don't let anyone tell you any differently." He patted Kiel on the head then went to have his first breakfast in nearly two weeks.

There's a lot of lines to juggle when you're writing about a community. But I like the challenge. Hope it stays easy to follow.

Storgane is a being I brought in to cover some stuff that's only vaguely explained. Plus, he's a closer antagonist than who pops up in Arc 2.