Before notes:
*During the lake scene, changes in alignment signify changes in perspective. Originally I had a three-way distinction (a specific alignment assigned to each character), but sadly this site does not allow right-alignment in text.
*This is a very important chapter, so I really want to know what you guys think. Please remember to review :).
CHAPTER 13: SWAN PRINCE
~+.:.|:|:~~~~:|:|.:.+~
Belinsk
The last night had been fitful for Nowell, as had every night before it, ever since she had arrived in this city. She had woken up in the middle of the night many times, reeling from her dreams. She remembered only the last of them.
Nowell had dreamt she was in a cabin in some foreign land she didn't she couldn't identify, but which was somehow deeply familiar. She couldn't remember the details, but there had been something she was hiding, and she had messed up somehow, causing some man to discover it. He had been furious, saying she'd betrayed him, cheated him… something like that. The two had quarreled fiercely.
As Nowell lied in bed, she couldn't make a bit of sense of these dreams. Agh, there's no darn point in this anyways, she decided. She had real-life problems to deal with, which were no less troubling. She still wanted to understand why these dreams kept happening, though.
Nowell pulled herself out of bed to get dressed. As she was doing so, she was jolted by a loud hammering on the door.
"Is Lady Nowell of Imil in this chamber?" a voice asked from the other side. It was high, but coarse, like that of a boy, or perhaps a female soldier.
Nowell, snorted. She had never heard herself addressed that way; it sounded rather bizarre. "Yeah, that's me," she called back.
Without warning, the door was flung open, exposing Nowell's half-naked form.
For a second, Nowell stared in shock at the open doorway. There stood a tall, though clearly immature, male beastman. He stood staring at her exposed chest, speechless.
The shock quickly turned into a hot anger.
"How dare you, insolent bastard!" she screamed, before hurling her book at him.
The book's pages caught on the shoulder plate of his armor, and a couple pages ripped as it fell to the ground. She had been enjoying that book.
"I'm… so sorry," he breathed, still frozen in place.
Nowell couldn't believe it. "Then why in the world are you still staring at me?!" she yelled as she hurled a pillow at him.
That bastard caught the pillow in his right hand at dropped it to the ground, probably sparing it from the same fate as the book.
"Please forgive me, madame!" he choked, abruptly averting his gaze.
Nowell grabbed her pajama shirt and put it on. She looked back at the boy. His face was as red as a tomato. The face was quite young-looking. Despite his height, that face and his high voice betrayed his youth. Nowell almost felt sorry for him. Almost.
"Why didn't you ask it was okay to enter?" she asked.
"I'm s-so sorry!" he stammered. "This has never happened to me before… Morgallians always warn if it's not okay to enter when asked if they're inside. But I'm terribly sorry for slighting you!"
Nowell recalled Kraden telling her that the traditionally nomadic beastmen of Morgal had little respect for privacy. She still considered it a lame excuse, but she let it go nevertheless. The kid was probably younger than her brother.
"Who are you," she asked coolly, "and what's your business here?"
The boy took a breath. "I'm Zarelgy, a messenger for the Queen… She requests an audience with you tomorrow afternoon."
What does the Queen want from me? Nowell wondered. She didn't want to get involved in frilly royal business. She had been planning to leave this city soon if no word of Kraden or Rief came up.
"It's about your brother," Zarelgy added.
Nowell gulped apprehensively. If the Queen of Morgal had something to tell her about Rief, it was probably bad. Nowell couldn't help but imagine all the dreadful possibilities.
"I'll come," she affirmed.
-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-
Kolima Forest, midday
"And here we are!" declared Pewter. "Home sweet home."
Just like before, Tyrell and Karis had been led by Pewter into the middle of the Kolima Forest. They stepped on a familiar patch of leaves, and the branch lifted them upward until a large face encrusted in the huge tree's trunk came into view.
"Welcome," spoke Laurel.
"Thank you for having us," Karis replied politely, as a chill went down her spine. The sense of déjà vu was getting rather eerie. "What did you wish to speak with us about?"
"Firstly, I must convey my deep gratitude to you for ending the eclipse," said Laurel.
Karis couldn't help but recall that Laurel had started off by thanking them the last time they'd met too. She'd thanked the Adepts for defeating Sludge, before proceeding to pry out the reason they were in the forest, and then warning them that by going forward they could help cause massive destruction. They had gone forward anyways, promising to Laurel that they wouldn't let Alchemy Dynamo be lit. However, they were ultimately manipulated into escorting Ryu Kou through the Belinsk ruins before he did the deed.
This time, Karis thought grimly, by thanking us for ending the Eclipse, she is also reminding us of how we helped start it.
"Uh, yeah… that," Tyrell mumbled awkwardly.
"Wow," Pewter exclaimed, "you really have the conversation skills of a doorknob!"
"Pewter!" scolded Laurel. "Pewter, please leave this place until my guests have departed. I won't have any more of your nonsense."
Pewter sulkily hopped away and disappeared.
"Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you're passing through?" Laurel prompted.
She probably already knows why we're here this time too, Karis suspected.
For a moment, nobody said a word.
"The Tuaparang are holding Amiti prisoner, and we've gotta rescue him!" Tyrell blurted eventually. "They're holding him at a place a bit north from here."
Karis could feel Laurel's disappointment. It was like an unbearable weight being slowly applied on her shoulders, crushing her a little more with each passing second.
"Having lived so much longer than you humans, I try not to be shocked when you fail to see things that are obvious to me," Laurel said. "But still, in my experience, humans aren't known to fall for the same trap twice, especially when the consequences were particularly traumatic the first time."
Unbearable guilt washed over Karis, as images of the Eclipse flashed through her mind.
"But we have no choice!" Tyrell protested defensively.
"Laurel," Karis explained, "we do recognize the possibility of a trap."
"And yet you are going anyways, walking right into the same trap as before, even with the scathing memory of the damage it did," Laurel observed darkly.
"Laurel, words can't express how horrible I feel about that. Please don't be mad at us," Karis begged.
"We were just used, it wasn't our fault!" Tyrell insisted. "We fought against the Tuaparang in the ruins trying to prevent it!"
"I know what happened in the ruins, how Ryu Kou lit the Dynamo while you were fighting. I don't blame you a bit for the Eclipse," Laurel reassured.
"I always blamed myself for it though," Karis confessed. "So many times, I thought 'What if there had been another way to save Eoleo and Hou Ju without entering the Ruins'. Whenever I think of that… I feel horrible."
"Well, as I said before, you did end the Eclipse, and for that I am eternally grateful," spoke Laurel.
"…Thank you," Karis said awkwardly.
"You humans have a funny habit of dwelling on the past," Laurel mused. "Having lived so long, I see how much things can change. Before long, the past doesn't matter a bit. The only purpose for remembering the past is to help one learn from mistakes, in order to avoid repeating them."
Both Karis and Tyrell knew very well what Laurel was implying.
"We expect there is a trap, but we don't have a clue what it could be," Karis said. "If you know anything, it might help us avoid whatever the trap is."
"I know not what specific trap they have laid for you, but I have seen and heard of many peculiar things here lately."
"Please tell us everything you know," Tyrell urged.
"Well, for over a month now, a ship has been hovering in the sky above this forest. It cloaks itself with invisibility, but the birds have confirmed its presence to me. From time to time, smaller airships fly out from it, and human soldiers clad in all black emerge from these."
"That's the Tuaparang!" remarked Tyrell. "They're the ones who masterminded the Eclipse!"
"A blue haired man with a mask sometimes accompanies these soldiers," Laurel continued. "They've been fanning the flames of war between the humans and the beastmen of this realm."
"That's Alex!"
"The Tuaparang started this war?" Karis asked, surprised.
"Actually, the conflict has existed for ages, but it was due to this masked man's work that it has exploded lately. You say his name is Alex?"
"Yeah, he's the same one from 30 years ago who betrayed Imil for Prox," Tyrell replied.
"He also goes by the name Arcanus," said Karis.
"If he was originally from Imil, then that would explain why his aura is similar to Rief's and Mia's," remarked Laurel, "but not why it also resembles Amiti's."
"I remember Tret saying that Amiti's aura resembled Mia's," Karis recalled. "But how can that be? Amiti isn't from Imil, he's the Prince of Ayuthay."
"Maybe you're just sensing that they're all Water Adepts?" Tyrell suggested.
"A human's aura is directly linked to their ancestry," answered Laurel. "It seems the only explanation is that there's something about his lineage that you don't know."
"Well, we don't know who his father is," Tyrell noted.
"Nobody does, it seems," said Karis.
"That's probably the crux of it," Laurel agreed. "His father, whoever he is, must have roots in Imil."
"But who in Imil would find themselves so far away in Ayuthay?" Karis wondered. "Most Imilians never stray far from home."
After an ominous lull in the conversation, Tyrell locked eyes with Karis.
"Alex did," he stated grimly.
"Are you saying he could be Amiti's father?" Karis asked, shocked.
"Well…" Tyrell began. "Amiti's father must've been a strong Water Adept… and he must've traveled around a lot… and he must've had a reason to hide his identity..."
"And all of those hold true for Arcanus," Karis realized. A chill ran down her spine. It was terrifying how much sense it made. There's even a physical resemblance.
"But Amiti isn't a bit like Alex!" Tyrell swore.
"I think we've gotten ourselves distracted here," said Laurel.
"Right, sorry," Karis said.
"A month or two ago, the ship went southeast once and returned a few days or so later," Laurel resumed. "It left again fairly recently, and hasn't returned yet."
Karis' heart sunk. Had Amiti left with his Tuaparang captors? Had they traveled all this way for naught?
"However, your friend Amiti passed through this forest just after that, heading north," Laurel said. "He was with a female who had the aura of a Venus Adept. The pair seems to match the stories the animals have told me about the pair of adepts, one Mercury and one Venus, who came from an airship."
At first glance, Karis thought, this seems like good news.
"So, either the two escaped together, or she's his only guard," voiced Karis. "Either way, it's good for us that the ship is gone."
Even if this adept was fairly powerful and loyal to the Tuaparang, having only her to deal with would be infinitely easier than having a whole airship full of Tuaparang to worry about.
"Yeah," Tyrell agreed. "Now is our chance to find Amiti before that airship returns!"
"While I agree it's safer without the airship here, the risk remains," Laurel warned. "Unlike last time, we haven't a clue what the Tuaparang are planning for you. Do you really want to risk putting your fate in their hands?"
"It's a risk we have to take, because we have to rescue Amiti," Tyrell maintained.
"But," reasoned Laurel, "by doing so, you could potentially endanger not only your own lives, but possibly those of many others. Why are you so driven to save just one person, even with such a risk?"
"Don't put us in the same boat," Karis protested. "Tyrell insisted on going forward despite all the risks, and wouldn't be dissuaded. I figured it would be better for me to accompany him than to let him go alone, to restrain him from doing anything brash."
Tyrell shot a glare at Karis.
"What, you think I would just abandon Amiti while the Tuaparang do horrible things to him?" Tyrell asked incredulously.
"Your loyalty to your friend is admirable," Laurel said, "but I wish you would at least consider the risks for others, including yourself."
"Oh, I've thought about all this actually," Tyrell riposted. "There's a chance we can pull it off without falling into a trap. If we don't even try, he'll surely suffer or even die. Even if there's a risk I'd fall into the trap, I couldn't ever abandon him to that!"
"I wish we could've found a way to avoid choosing between Amiti and the rest of the world," Karis said.
"You humans are such emotional creatures. I would've chosen to avoid the risk to the whole world, and I wouldn't feel same bizarre emotions you have about the matter," Laurel reflected. "It seems that I can't persuade you to turn back."
"I'd never turn back after coming all this way," Tyrell stated.
"In that case, I agree that now is the time to make your move. Amiti and the girl passed through less than a day ago, so they can't be far away. I wish you the best of luck."
The two thanked Laurel and said their farewells before departing, hoping to reach Amiti before sunset.
-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-
Tuaparang Ship, late afternoon
Arcanus walked over to the window of the airship and looked down at Angara's landscape. The airship was currently passing over a mountain range. Arcanus had plenty of time before they reached Kolima, and just one major piece of business to attend to until then.
He turned to face Rief's unconscious body. It was time to wake him. Arcanus placed his hand where the dart had struck Rief's shoulder before, and beckoned forth his consciousness.
Rief's painfully opened his eyes and looked around.
"Where have you taken me?" he asked groggily.
"You're on the great Tuaparang Airship," Arcanus answered.
"Why? What is it that you want from me?" demanded Rief.
"Obviously, I wouldn't reveal that to you," Arcanus replied, smiling slyly. In truth, he wasn't sure how to answer that question to himself. There were so many different reasons.
It surely didn't hurt his goals to have another adept at his disposal. Furthermore, it had been quite convenient to fetch Rief when he was already in Ayuthay to assassinate King Paithos. It'd certainly made the job more interesting.
Rief glared at him silently.
Arcanus recalled how he had failed to bind Myalkni in the Oath of the Soul. He had gotten so close. The boy had seemed to be agreeing; he'd almost said the words, before saying he "needed to think". When he came back later and refused, for some reason it had been like a sudden blast of wind in Arcanus' face.
Arcanus knew that emotions were for the weak. Accordingly, he always suppressed and ignored his own. This usually succeeded in banishing them, but this time, he felt a cold, persistent emptiness in his chest.
Since so few emotions breached the surface, Arcanus was bad at identifying those that did. After awhile, he decided that this persistent feeling was disappointment at his own failure to secure Myalkni's pledge. He knew he'd bungled it.
Arcanus glanced back out the window, in the direction of Kolima. He knew of how Latakia had "bound" Myalkni in the oath. Or, rather, she had tricked Myalkni into thinking she had. In truth, it was a farce. Latakia's mastery of dark Psynergy had not yet developed to the point where she could oversee an Oath of the Soul. She had led Myalkni to believe that whenever he broke it, his body would erupt into immense pain, but it was actually Latakia inflicting that pain with Psynergy.
Sooner or later, Myalkni would discover that when Latakia wasn't around, the "curse" had no effect. Once that happened, he would become a liability again, and it would be necessary to keep an eye on him.
Arcanus looked back at Rief. This time, he wouldn't mess it up. Arcanus had mastered the boy's mind while it was unconscious and defenseless. He knew exactly what to do. He was going to rectify his failure with Myalkni.
-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-
Lake in the northern part of Kolima forest, evening
"The northern base of the highest peak in the land of the white doe"
That was what the letter had said. That was their destination.
Karis and Tyrell were circumnavigating Talon Peak, which was undoubtedly Morgal's highest point, albeit only because the mountain's base was on an already-elevated plateau. The title didn't really mean much. If not for its famous Roc, it'd be quite unremarkable. Talon Peak was dwarfed by many mountains Karis had seen before, and fairly thin too. After only a few hours, they had already reached its northern side.
Karis knew it would be soon. Soon, the moment of reckoning would come. They would either succeed in rescuing Amiti, or they would find themselves at the Tuaparang's mercy.
It was coming too fast and somehow also too slow, Karis reflected.
It was too fast because Karis was filled with dread for all the possible consequences of failure. Worse, she had no idea what was coming. It was like walking along the edge of a cliff blindfolded- with someone trying to push them off.
And yet, it was also coming too slow. She was getting too much time to think about the coming moment. All this anticipation was slowly driving her insane, she feared. She knew she would need a clear mind to evade whatever trap the Tuaparang were poised to pull.
"Karis!" Tyrell exclaimed. "Look ahead- it's a clearing!"
Myalkni saw them emerge from the trees. It was unmistakable.
He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms. The time had come.
"It's a lake," Tyrell observed.
"It's beautiful," Karis breathed. The scarlet sunset was being reflected on the lake's serene waters.
"Yeah, it could be a painting," Tyrell agreed. "This is definitely the place."
"Are you sure, or is this just a suspicion?"
"Well I do think Alex would choose a place like this… but what gave it away," Tyrell said, pointing downward to the fine gray sand, "is the footsteps."
There were two pairs of footsteps, faded but still visible. It matched perfectly what Laurel had said.
For all of his captivity, the dream of this moment had been Myalkni had to cling to.
Arcanus and Latakia had extinguished his resistance and all his hopes for escape.
This small flame, standing alone in the black abyss, had been the only one they failed to smite.
"Speaking of things that could be in paintings," Karis gasped, "is that a person chained to that rock over there?"
"Is that him?" they both asked simultaneously, sharing a glance.
They took off toward Amiti's chained body.
And yet, now, that same flame's light brought Myalkni dread, not hope.
It threatened to burn him- or worse, its light could expose him.
He could neither run nor hide.
Amiti was clothed by a robe of swan feathers beneath the mass of chains, his crown adorned with the full regalia of Ayuthay's prince. It really did look like a work of art. Karis could easily imagine it in royal halls. It'd be titled something like The Agony of the Swan Prince, and its painter would probably be famous for his peculiar tastes. The great Arcanus' works could be done by no other.
It sickened her.
Myalkni had to bite his lip to stop himself from warning them to stay away. He knew he couldn't do that.
He hadn't cried in ages, but now his eyes threatened to deepen the lake by an inch or two if the floodgate opened.
That gate wasn't his to control. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Before he knew it, his head was shaking frantically back and forth as his lips mouthed the words "Get away!"
The perfect painting is tarnished though, Karis thought, by those two unsymmetrical sets of footsteps.
Wait a minute…they left the footsteps!
Karis looked at the sand in horror. The girl was an Earth Adept. If they had been fleeing together, she would've erased them all to avoid getting caught.
The only reason the footsteps were still there was to guide them right into a trap. One source was chained to a rock while the other while the other was conspicuously invisible. And yet, like a lamb for slaughter, she had just followed the footsteps. Why had she followed them?
Oh, who am I kidding, Karis thought, I've been being led into this trap ever since I left Belinsk.
She tried to warn Tyrell of the ambush, but she was drowned out by an earsplitting scream.
Myalkni had immediately realized what he'd done, but immediately wasn't soon enough. He writhed and screamed as the curse plunged him into the boiling pit of torment.
I must look pathetic beyond belief here. My screams are the worst sound ever heard, and my face the worst sight ever seen. I know I evoke nothing but pity and disgust.
This isn't just any disgusting person screaming pathetically, it's me. I'm that person. Myalkni hated that fact so much.
"Hold on Amiti, you'll be out of there in no time!" Tyrell called before sprinting across the remaining distance.
Karis had to stop herself from chasing after Tyrell. She stood back, and drew her bow. That was the best thing she could do. At least this way she might be able to intercept anything that assailed him.
As Tyrell gripped the black chains that bound Amiti, he peered into the boy's eyes. They were so beautiful, yet so sad.
Tyrell wanted- he wanted so desperately- to be able to be happy in this moment. He had come so far. He wanted to be happy because he didn't want to acknowledge the reasons not to be happy. He didn't want to acknowledge the likely possibility that he'd come all this way to fall into a trap.
Tyrell wanted Amiti to be happy in this moment, but tears continued streaming down the boy's face. Tyrell couldn't admit it, but deep down he knew very well that Amiti's lack of joy quite likely implied the presence of a trap. He dreaded that.
Tyrell easily pulled off the chains, which were oddly cold to the touch. It was disturbingly hard to imagine that they could have actually restrained Amiti. And why were they so cold?
"Amiti, you're free…" Tyrell said weakly, desperately hoping for his fears to be assuaged. "Why are you still so sad?"
Have I been wrong all this time? Tyrell wondered, his mind itching terribly with the fear.
Myalkni choked on his words. He wanted this moment to be over as fast as possible, but it seemed to drag on forever.
"I'm …sorry, Tyrell," he managed to push out. "I'm…so… very sorry."
"What...?" Tyrell asked fearfully. "For wha-"
Before Tyrell could finish, the chains flew into the air and pounced on him. They took him by surprise, nailing him to the ground.
-~:|~~|:-:|~~|:~-
Next Chapter: The Cage
*Please take a few seconds to review if you have something to say. I'd really appreciate it :).