Inheritance of vigour, p.42
Inheritance of Vigour, page 42
The sound of guards rushing behind him quickened Soren’s pace. He needed distance to fire his bow, but he couldn’t trail too far behind. Veyor had to be close by now. As soon as the infuriating man claimed what he wanted to steal, they could run. Until then, they had to hold out.
***
Riti stumbled behind Veyor as the end of the spiral staircase finally came into sight. The entire ascent tortured her legs, but Veyor pushed open the door and stepped out onto the tallest platform. Riti glanced back at Gen; he’d taken the journey well, but his age showed in him now.
When she stepped out of the small building, Riti glanced around the platform and breathed a relieved sigh when she found it empty. Despite the danger, she skulked over to the edge and stared out at the darkness looming below. The sun had well and truly set during their ascent. That would help them escape, even if it promised new dangers, too. Unfortunately, looking down at the dizzying drop sent a wave of nausea through Riti and she stumbled away from the edge.
That’s at least one hundred metres! Riti thought. Maybe more.
Veyor gestured sharply for her to return and Riti eagerly obeyed. He led her and Gen to the tall building that covered half the platform. The wooden house looked no different from the other buildings she’d seen in Heartgrove, except for its size. Veyor approached the door and opened it without a pretence of stealth. He strolled in like someone had invited him.
Riti gulped and shared a worried glance with Gen, but they could only follow. The entrance looked as simple as the plain exterior suggested; a pair of ladders led up the tall walls to lofts overhanging first floor. A pair of doors led to other rooms below the lofts, and the ceiling stretched up the entire height of the tall building. The back wall was missing; in its place, an opening overlooked Heartgrove below.
None of that really mattered when Riti noticed the creature standing in the middle of the room, watching them enter.
It looked like a woman made of swirling debris; loose leaves, white and yellow flowers with showy stamens instead of petals, and woody fruits mixed in the swirl. The goddess Calypti reminded Riti of Stormrider; they shared the same lack of definition to their features, like a rough sketch of a person. Admittedly, with the different colours and materials, Calypti had some definition—when Riti stared at the swirl, it looked mesmerising…
“Who are you?” Calypti asked. Her voice emanated from her despite her mouth staying still and it dripped with arrogance. “How dare you disturb my private chambers?” There wasn’t anger in her tone, just an expectation they would regret disturbing her.
Riti tore her eyes from the goddess and shared a look with Gen. When she turned to Veyor, he stared back at Calypti with mock outrage. “Has it been so long you have forgotten me, Calypti?”
Calypti stared at Veyor—or she seemed to—it was hard to tell with her featureless face. “Mortal years mean nothing to my kind. Whomever you are, you are not one of mine, and I see no need to remember you.”
“Perhaps this will jog your memory.” Veyor rolled his shoulders and a grim smile broke across his face. Slowly, his grey eyes bled to amber like they did when he healed someone.
“You serpent!” Calypti stumbled back from Veyor. The swirling of her body intensified and her voice hardened. “Your body should have decayed centuries ago!”
“I am alive and well. Thank you for asking.”
Riti glanced between the goddess and Veyor. Am I missing something? What does she mean, centuries? He couldn’t be that old… could he?
Did healing let him live that long?
“Vigour must have put more effort into creating her abomination than I gave her credit for.” Calypti recovered from her shock and stood proudly before Veyor. “Perhaps the old lizard wasn’t as useless as she seemed, if you still haunt Dendren to this day…”
Riti’s heart froze. She stared at Veyor and watched him stiffen. Rage contorted his face for a moment, forming the fiercest scowl she’d ever seen. Then he relaxed and forced a confident smile back at Calypti. Yet he couldn’t fool her. Riti saw it again; the ravenous hunger she’d seen in Ceptin’s eyes when he helped Squall slay Stormrider. In that moment, she knew what he would do before he moved.
Veyor reached for a dagger hidden underneath his shirt. He drew it from the simple sheathe, revealing a familiar white-grey blade. The intricate etchings and graceful curves looked so different from the one Squall had used, but one look stirred something in Riti’s chest. An echo of the agonising torture Stormrider’s death had put her through.
He never wanted to steal something, Riti thought. No, this is why we came…
Veyor strutted over to Calypti, oozing confidence. The goddess watched his approach with the arrogance of someone watching a tiny insect. “What is it you want, serpent? Surely, you haven’t disrupted my privacy to remind me of your pathetic existence? If you have, I shall remove you from my abode and grant you the entire fall to realise your mistake.”
As Calypti spoke, something rumbled in the distance. Beyond the goddess, through the open back wall, Riti watched the trees below shake. It grew worser with each passing second until two towering gum trees creaked. A second later, the trees fell. They took the platforms holding countless houses with them and slammed into another pair of trees.
All four crashed to the ground with a deafening boom to echo the Storm’s thunder.
Calypti spun around to the opening and her swirling body slowed. “What… what happened?”
The horror wasn’t finished. Where the four towering gum trees fell, something enormous emerged from the ground. It climbed into the air, soaring higher and higher. In the dark of night, it almost looked a like a new tree sprouted and grew in the blink of an eye.
Then it got worse.
Mists oozed from the gargantuan… thing.
“WHAT HAPPENED?” Calypti rounded on Veyor and grabbed his collar with a swirling hand of leaves.
“I introduced the Groves to a monster just as horrendous as I, dear Calypti.” Veyor spoke with an icy smile and his amber eyes shone with an intensity that sent shivers down Riti’s spine. “I must admit, it’s a tad bigger and more destructive than I, though…”
“You shall regret this, serpent!” Calypti tightened her grip on Veyor’s collar and slammed her swirling head into his face. Veyor reeled from the blow and blood trickled from his nose. “I will make you regret every moment of your pathetic life! How dare you kill my people? My grove? You… you abomination of Vigour’s greed!”
“Don’t worry. The Maw shall take care of your people once you’re gone…”
“What nonsense are you spouting filth?”
Veyor’s smile widened, cracking the edges of his lips. “I shall enjoy this, as horrible as that may be.”
Veyor’s arm shout out at Calypti and the white-grey dagger dug into her chest. Calypti froze and her swirling form ceased its movements. The goddess stared down at the dagger in her chest.
A second later, she let out a shrill scream and her body collapsed in on itself.
All that remained was a leafy orb.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Wy rubbed at her eyes to dismiss the dull pain, even if it did nothing. A night’s fitful sleep at the Winking Dawn hadn’t rid her of the pinpricks in her eyes. She’d hoped it would, but her father’s research held true. There were two things she could always believe in; her father’s notebook and her luck. Given the current dull throbbing in her eyes, it seemed her two pillars were at odds. That didn’t bode well for the day ahead.
The faint wisps of light streamed across the street, leading Wy across the outskirts of Solare. A crowd filled the streets, giving the outskirts a bustling atmosphere that belied its rundown appearance. It caused her followers to grunt in annoyance whenever it threatened to sweep them away. Iris’ guards, who kept their distance at her insistence, didn’t matter. But that Wy almost lost track of Iris several times in the crowd slowed their progress immensely. If she didn’t know it would lead to an argument, Wy would insist on holding Iris’ hand like she was a lost child.
Instead, Wy slowed her pace and glanced back at the pale woman. The slip of a woman squeezed between a pair of burly labourers who barely noticed her and stumbled. Wy stifled a groan and steadied Iris before she fell and made a scene. Instead of thanks, the pale woman nodded tersely and gestured for Wy to continue.
The bright morning sun beamed down on the street, promising another scorching summer day. Coupled with how the crowd pressed into each other, the street had grown so muggy it felt like a sauna. The motes of light didn’t care, however, and they trailed on deeper into the street. Wy followed the lights around a corner and stifled a groan when the stench of rotten food wafted to her nose. The reeking smell burned her nostrils, but the motes of light twisted closer to the source of the stench. Wy spared a glance for Iris and the pale woman looked even more sickly than usual, but she pressed on regardless.
The crowd thinned as they waded deeper into the stench. The lights streamed into an alley and the pain sharpened in Wy’s eyes. She stumbled and slapped a hand over her eyes, but the pain burrowed deeper into her flesh like a worm into dirt. Her vision darkened, not letting the light squeezing through her fingers banish the darkness. It wasn’t until her body hit the ground and her tongue tasted dirt that Wy realised her legs had given out.
“Wy!” Gentle hands rolled Wy onto her back. “What’s wrong?”
“N-nothing.” Wy twisted her head and spat the dirt out of her mouth. She couldn’t tell if she spat at Iris or not, but the other woman didn’t complain. The pain in her eyes sharpened again and Wy stifled a groan; she wouldn’t let Iris know. She couldn’t.
“Wy?”
“Ma’am? Is she alright?” a familiar voice asked. It sounded like Iris’ door guard.
“We should get her somewhere private. No, don’t draw your blade. We won’t make a scene. Get her on her feet and—”
No, I’m not doing this! Wy scrunched her face and pulled her hand off her eyes. Light pierced her eyes like a hot poker, and her eyes watered. But she could see. This will do!
Rough hands grabbed Wy’s shoulders, and her blurred vision slowly cleared to show Iris’ guard looking down at her. The disdain in his eyes was almost comforting. It gave her the strength to shove his arms away. “Get off me. I’m fine.”
“Wy,” Iris said, “I don’t think you are.”
“I said I’m fine.” Wy sat up, almost head-butting the guard, and winced. The pain in her eyes hadn’t eased at all, but she could bear it now. Iris stared at her with an inscrutable expression—so much for the concern in her voice earlier. “Don’t give me that look. I just didn’t sleep well last night. Add this stench and my hangover… It’s a wonder I’m not throwing up right now.”
“Oh…” Iris’s stare chilled to ice, and she shook her head. When the pale woman stood, she turned her look on the thin crowd watching them and the passers-by fled. “Come. We don’t have time to waste on you.”
“Right you are.” Wy pushed off the dirt with a shaky arm and got her feet underneath her. Despite her bravado, the constant stabbing in her eyes threatened to knock her down again. She desperately wanted to lean on something for support, but Iris watched her and she stubbornly forced herself to stand tall. The motes of light streamed into the nearby alley. They seemed brighter, but that could just be wishful thinking. “This way.”
Iris nodded to her guard, and the man stepped back to keep his distance. Then she jerked her head for Wy to lead the way. Wy stifled a groan and stepped unsteadily into the alley. It really felt like she was hungover, but she didn’t get to do the fun part last night to earn it. That was the worst part—if she ignored the implications of her worsening condition.
Each step deeper into the alley caused the stench to worsen. Wy kept herself from gagging by sheer force of will, but Iris coughed twice. She tried to act like it was nothing, but Wy grinned to herself. When she emerged from the alley, Wy spotted the source of the stench and groaned. Piles of rotted food stacked up in the street, from vegetables to meat. Flies swarmed the piles and their buzzing threatened to drown out her thoughts.
Where are you? Wy scanned the disgusting street and groaned when she spotted the wisps of light. The motes of light streamed past the piles of food to her right, weaving through a wall of flies. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…
“This way.” Wy nodded to the wall of flies and glanced at Iris from the corner of her eye. “Might want to keep your mouth closed. And your nose. Just keep everything closed and try not to think about it.”
“Is this revenge for…?” Iris shook her head and squared her shoulders. “Never mind. Lead the way.”
“Acting tough?” Wy mumbled. Iris must not have heard her because she gestured for Wy to hurry without a change in expression. Wy turned back to the wall of flies and a knife twisted in her eyes. “Agh…”
Wy stumbled closer to the flies and refused to lift her hand to rub at her eyes. It wouldn’t do anything, and she refused to show weakness in front of a client. Before Iris could question her stumble, Wy forced herself upright and strode past the piles of rotten food. The buzzing grew so loud it deafened everything else. Flies bounced off Wy’s face and she covered her mouth and nose with a hand. Each step brought her closer to freedom and Wy trudged on until she burst from the wall.
“Ah…” Wy stumbled away from the flies and heard Iris spit and cough behind her. She probably swallowed a fly, not that Wy felt much pity for her at the moment. “Keep up, Iris. We need to go—”
Wy froze. Light seared her eyes like she stared directly at the midday sun. The pain in her eyes sharpened to new heights, and a scream built up in her throat. Then the pain disappeared. Wy stumbled, but she couldn’t tear her eyes from the street in front of her. Slowly, the light faded and gave shape to a young man sitting with his back against a crumbling building. He looked boyish, like he bordered on maturity. Pointed ears poked out from his shaggy black hair and he stood just as tall as her, but he was all skin and bones. Despite his worryingly gaunt frame, the sun had tanned his skin a healthy colour. The rough condition and style of his clothes stood out from the Lithyans Wy had seen earlier. From what little she knew, they came from the Howling Forest.
“What are you looking at?” the young man asked. He narrowed his brown eyes at her, suspicion etched into his face.
Wy straightened her back and ran a hand through her long black hair. The pain’s absence made everything feel better. Sure, she felt tired, but she’d worked through her exhaustion plenty of times. She felt lighter than a feather with the weight of her impending doom eased from her heart—that had to be what happened, right? The pain disappeared along with any implications of how a voice had forced her to Track someone.
If only father’s notebook had more to say on this, Wy thought. But I guess he never encountered something like this…
A grin parted Wy’s lips, and she stuffed the warm feeling in her chest to the side for now. She had a job to do, and she’d earn her pay. Wy glanced at Iris, who stared at her suspiciously, and nodded to the young man. “This is him. Row.”
“Huh? How’d you know my name?” The young man leapt to his feet and reached into his pocket.
“Hey now, don’t be like that. We’re not enemies.”
“I’ll handle negotiations, Wy.” Iris pushed past Wy and a gentle breeze brushed her long black hair. It also drifted the stench over to them in a fresh bout, and Iris wrinkled her nose. “To confirm, you are Row from the Howling Forest?”
“Yes…” Row eyed them both and his hand shifted in his pocket. He found something, whatever it was, and some of the tension left his body. A weapon, it seemed. “Who are you?”
“You can call me Iris, not that it matters. What matters is who sent me. Do you know of a voice wishing for its freedom?”
“You’ve heard her?” Row’s eyes widened, and he stepped closer.
Too young, Wy thought. Letting his guard down already.
“Then you’ve heard… her, too?” Iris’ blue eyes flickered to Wy and narrowed briefly. Wy nodded at the message left unspoken; she wouldn’t reveal anything unnecessary. That should be a given. “Good. The voice wants us to bring you with us when we break her out.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Row pulled his hand out of his pocket, but it didn’t look like he held anything in it, and approached them. “Where is she? She only told me to come to the city.”
Iris’ eyes flickered to Wy again, but she didn’t wait for any confirmation as she lowered her voice. “She’s waiting in the Sunset Palace. Lith’s abode.”
“I’ve heard of it. Let’s go.” Row stepped past Wy and approached the wall of flies.
“Uh huh.” Wy grabbed the young man’s arm and pulled him to a stop. “We’re breaking in tonight—not in broad daylight.”
“But we need to—”
“Wy is right,” Iris said. “I need time for last-minute preparations. A few hours won’t change what we plan to do.”
Row narrowed his eyes at Iris and all but ignored Wy. “Fine… But we go at sunset.”
“Actually, we’ll wait a little longer than that,” Wy said. Row glared at her, but she shrugged off his displeasure. “It takes time for the streets surrounding the palace to empty. We’ll sneak in when the time is right. Now, let’s get something to eat. I’m starving!”
“How can you be hungry right now?” Iris mumbled with a pointed stare at the piles of rotted food. Wy answered her question with a wink and strutted away.
***
Lyon approached Solalyn’s private rooms and lifted his hand to the door. He hesitated before he knocked and replayed his tactics in his head. An apology wouldn’t work, not when he didn’t know what he’d done. Not even Saris could figure it out for him. Instead, he would offer a chance to put things behind them and have some fun. Perhaps they could laugh and joke over a meal like old times.
Creak. The door opened and Solalyn stepped out, bumping into Lyon. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth, but it closed into a thin line when she recognised him. Lyon stepped back to get out of her way and Solalyn deliberately pushed past him, hitting his stomach with her elbow.
