Earthbound, p.19
Earthbound, page 19
“It’s okay, little one,” he rested his hand on her back and gave Una a questioning look.
The older woman shrugged. “She awoke when I went to examine her and darted off the bed. We were worried she’d run right off an edge in her fright if we let her get past us.”
Loghin nodded, rubbing his shin. “Quick little sprite.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Knox asked.
“I’d say so by the way she moves, but I still haven’t had a chance to look at her.”
Knox crouched down to Kipp’s level. “This is my friend. Could she make sure you are not hurt?”
Kipp chewed at her bottom lip.
“I’ll stay right here with you.”
She bobbed her small head and gripped Knox’s hand as he led her back to the low, makeshift bed. Una clucked and tittered, giving the child a thorough once-over before pronouncing her undernourished but whole.
“She’s not from your cluster, is she?” Knox asked as she finished.
“Not one of ours. I don’t know where she is from originally, but her father must have been someone of some importance for them to keep him.”
“Is there someone here who would be willing to take her in?”
Una looked between Knox and the girl. “She was half-wild with fear moments ago and now sits here, at peace, at your side. I would say she has chosen her caregiver.”
Knox opened his mouth to protest but Loghin beat him to it. “He’s an Overseer. He cannot have children without renouncing his vows.” He gave Knox a warning look. “And he’s already been down that path.”
Una snorted. “Falling stones, what a load of burrow dung. He will be merely fulfilling his oath to protect the innocent. What do you think a Patrem does?”
Loghin grumbled something under his breath about how no one could understand the coming and goings of the Order. Knox couldn’t argue with that.
He looked down at the small child who still held his hand tightly. The grime of the day covered her, but she sat with her back straight, her eyes bright. He let out a huff. “There has to be someone here better suited.”
“Every parent feels such,” Una said with a knowing look. Her eyes flicked over the two of them, and she planted her hands on her hips. “When are you leaving then?”
“In the morning,” Knox supplied.
She gave him a critical look and turned to Loghin. “Will your cluster want a smelly ruffian like him?”
Loghin turned mock thoughtful. “It’s doubtful. They may have pity on him for the child’s sake, beyond that—” he shrugged.
Una nodded. “I agree completely.”
Knox held up his hands in surrender. “Alright, I will get cleaned up before we go.” He looked down at the child who still clung to him. “I need to go and get some things ready for us. Can you wait here with Una?”
The girl pursed her small cherry lips but nodded. Una held out a wrinkled hand for the girl. “I’ll get her cleaned up and ready. What’s your name, young one?”
Silence met them as the girl stared at Una with large, round eyes.
“Does she speak?” Una asked Knox.
“Not that I have heard.”
The older woman’s face softened in understanding. “That’s just fine. She will speak when she has something to say.”
◆◆◆
Knox found a new set of clothes in the raided supplies. They were clearly not Tumultian design and must have originally belonged to a resident of Beryl. The pants were more fitted than he was accustomed to but had several well-tailored pockets worked into them. He found a long-sleeved cotton top, similar to the one he currently wore, and a wool cloak, the type favoured in the Mercurial. The dark material hit mid-shin and gave him room to move while providing an additional layer against the colder nights they were sure to experience as they moved into the mountains.
He washed in a nearby creek, relieved to rid himself of the thick accumulation of blood and dirt, then spent the evening preparing for the trip back to Rikken. A bubble of hope buoyed his spirits. War was upon them against foes with incredible weapons at their disposal, but he was going home.
Stars
Tehran
The Capital extended before Tehran and Emilia, light rising from the mountainous isthmus as a pillar. An awe inducing sight, but for the memories it elicited. The last time he was here, Knox had been cornered into relinquishing his oaths. That had been a long, quiet trip home. The beauty and wonder of a once safe sanctuary, forever marred.
If Knox had kept his strength, everything would be different. Emilia wouldn’t have lost her child or herself to grief. They would not be bound like mismatched poles, straining away from each other even as forces pulled them closer. And it would have been him and Knox charging into a snake’s nest of trouble together.
Yet, here he was with Emilia, asleep with her head propped up against the door, entering the heart of the Order with a frail bond and all the Reaches counting on them. They had kept their conversations to safe territory, which meant after several long days of travel, there wasn’t much left to speak of. Silence had punctuated the hours, interspersed with stolen glances.
He eyed the sky warily; they were cutting it close. It was early evening, and they were to meet their contact in only a couple of hours. He took advantage of a clear length of road and accelerated.
The rocky strip of land that separated Wyvern Lake from Euryale Lake bore a dense population. Anyone with the means lived on the isthmus. It was the safest place in all of the Mercurial. Not even small earthbound lived on the mountainous land bridge; their absence was evidenced in the broad cobbled streets and buildings built directly on the ground, much like Rook. Giddon had the additional advantage of a temperate climate with mild temperatures throughout most of the year.
While clusters clung to hillsides and nestled in deep valleys, a wide clear road ran the length of the isthmus, gaining altitude as they moved toward the great mountain. At the centre, the Capital etched itself into the craggy heights with tiered roads and homes chiselled in stone.
Tehran always felt it an odd tribute to the Sky to make her city so full of earth, but at night when the city turned to a thousand lights, it looked like stars funnelling up into the heavens.
This same light had washed over a hundred different memories, but none stood out, glaring and sharp, like his last trip home with Knox.
◆◆◆
“Did I make a mistake?” Knox asked, his face creased in thought. “It feels like I’ve betrayed everyone, the Order, Patrem Solace, the people of Rikken”—he paused—”you.”
Tehran examined his friend’s troubled features. “You’ve given the Order your whole life; choosing a different future is not a betrayal.”
Knox swallowed hard and nodded. “Would you ever walk away?”
Tehran glanced sidelong at his friend; this uncertainty was not like him. He chewed at the inside of his cheek. Knox needed honesty. “No, I don’t think I could.”
He saw Knox’s posture slump.
“Not for the reasons you think,” he rushed to follow. “I’d be too afraid. This is all I’ve ever known. All I am. To leave it behind, I would be stripped of myself. I can’t imagine a reason compelling enough to do that.”
Knox looked off into the black waters of the lake, silent. “Emilia’s pregnant. We found out a couple of weeks ago. We’d only told Patrem Solace and her parents.”
Tehran’s stomach soured, and he wished he could take back the words of moments before. “Stones. Knox, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
It wasn’t an issue of a hard choice—for his friend there had been no choice.
“If I’d known of the assurance before, I would have made the same decision. We’ve always wanted children and I would never take that from Em, but now? I worry she’ll never believe that given my own free will, I would choose her.”
“You’re not going to tell her what they put you through, are you?” Tehran guessed. The grand gathering of the Conclave and ritualized ceremony had been hard to stomach. In the odd circumstance a member of the Order chose to voluntarily lay down their oaths, it was dealt with quietly. Power surrendered and oaths relinquished. The end.
This had been a drawn-out affair, treating Knox as if on trial. Discrediting his honour and declaring him disavowed, which effectively cut him off from the larger community. Knox had borne the indignity in silence. Tehran assumed his own desire for a family had kept Knox resolute throughout the ordeal, but the truth was, he had been powerless to do anything else.
Knox turned back to him, his gaze heavy with guilt. “I haven’t let you down?”
“Stones, no.” Tehran’s expression darkened and his voice dropped low. “The Order should never have implemented that new assurance. If Emilia was already pregnant, and the Sky didn’t hold it against you—why should they? If anyone has failed, it’s the Conclave. The Elevated.”
Knox turned sharply.
“You know I’m right.”
His friend let out a breath and rubbed at his trimmed beard. “We can’t expect the Order to change for an individual.”
“Elevated Dareous saw an opportunity and took it. He always hated that you chose the Reaches over his offer of an appointment in the Capital. It’s no secret he blames Emilia.” A growl rumbled in Tehran’s chest. “The day Dareous was elected as Elevated was the day the Order stumbled.”
“Careful,” Knox warned. “We don’t need both of us disavowed.”
Tehran rolled his eyes and snorted. “Let them try. My heart is the Sky’s, but Dareous as a man doesn’t hold my loyalty.”
“Stop,” Knox said, turning sharp. He caught Tehran’s eye and fixed him with a fierce look. “Emilia, our future, is worth my vows, but this grievance is not worth yours.”
“But—”
“Tehran,” he pleaded. “This was my choice.”
Choice. The ironic word echoed between them unchallenged.
◆◆◆
Tehran let out a long breath at the memory in the quiet cab. What would Emilia say if he admitted harbouring misgivings about the Order’s motivations, yet remaining silent before the Conclave? She’d blame my vows. The strange tightening sensation returned to his throat, and he pushed the thought from his mind.
He navigated the winding roads and pulled the craft into an empty lot overlooking Wyvern Lake. By the light of day he knew the lake would be a dazzling stretch of cerulean, but it now sat as a black canvas reflecting the lights of the Capital.
Tehran scanned the empty lot as he powered down the vehicle. If Emilia’s transmission worked, they were tantalizingly close to finding who’d been sabotaging communications in the Reaches.
He touched Emilia’s arm. “We’re here.”
She woke with a small intake of breath and sat up, pushing her hair back from her face. “It’s beautiful. Is this the meeting point?” she asked, peering out into the darkness.
He looked out again at the view, having a hard time seeing the beauty for the unsettled memories it stirred. “It is.”
She stretched, tipping her head side to side to work a kink from her neck. “What now?”
“We wait and hope they show.”
She puffed her cheeks with a pensive look. “I should have taken the time to find the other signature and sign-off properly.” This particular point had clearly been gnawing at her since leaving Rook. ”If Breakwall is using an alias, his contact will be as well. He’s going to be on the lookout for trouble.”
“Let him look. It’s not going to stop me coming for him.”
As if on cue, a pair of lights cut across the dark lot, another craft joining them in the empty space. Emilia’s face lit in the passing beam. Her eyes widened in apprehension.
“Be careful,” she said and squeezed his hand.
“I will.” He released the door and stepped out. Her emphatic statement rang in his mind. Her care for him was growing. What have I done? Guilt washed over him in a crushing wave. He was here to confront a traitor and the sudden irony was clear. I’m the biggest traitor of them all.
Revulsion roiled in his gut as he stepped out to meet the figure emerging from the twin beams that now sat pointing towards them. The figure was at least a head and a half shorter than Tehran, with narrow shoulders. He lifted his hand to try to cut the silhouette but it was useless, the figure remained veiled. His muscles tensed as he readied himself.
“Are you the contact?” the voice called, an incongruent tenor muffled by fabric.
“First, your name,” Tehran demanded.
The figure stopped in their tracks and silence fell between them for a span of beats. “If the information is urgent, stop wasting time.”
Tehran frowned. The intonation of the voice sounded familiar. “You first.”
Without warning the figure crouched low and came at Tehran with inhuman speed. Were it not for his tuned reflexes, he would have been caught flat-footed. As it was, he had barely enough time to throw himself up off his feet and into a front flip, clearing the charging assailant and landing behind him.
He spun to face his attacker and blocked a flurry of lightning fast blows. The improbable, quick adjustment to his dodge was reminiscent of something Knox would have done. Tehran’s own fighting style had been honed over the years by Knox’s speed.
The two traded strikes and Tehran’s mind reeled at the implication. Another Overseer.
“Why are you here?” the man snarled as they traded blows.
He landed a hit square to his opponent’s chest. The man flew back at the impact and crashed to the ground. Before he had time to move or rise, Tehran was atop him, his forearm pressing into the soft flesh at the base of his throat.
Lights flicked on from a third vehicle tucked into a far corner, previously invisible in the shadows. Both men stilled as the mystery vehicle rushed past them and out of the lot at full speed. The brief illumination clearly lit the man beneath Tehran. It can’t be. He pulled his arm back and scrambled to his feet. Moving instinctually, he assumed a posture of respect and deference, head bowed and hands crossed over his chest. “Patrem Solace!”
The man rose with slow deliberate movements and dusted himself off. In the deep shadows of the night Tehran couldn’t make out his expression beyond the tension in his jaw. “What is your primary vow?” The older man’s question came out slow and heavy, like he was reprimanding an errant child.
“Excuse me?”
“Your oath, Avowed. Tell me now.”
A flush of anger rushed up Tehran’s neck. “I should ask you the same, Patrem.”
Solace shook his head at the statement. “Bold as ever.” He stepped toward Tehran with his hands up in a supplicating gesture. “I ask again, what is your first vow?”
“To protect the innocent.”
Solace nodded. “Why are you here in the Capital?”
“I’m here because the Reaches are in trouble and the Order has been silent to our calls for help.”
“And so you joined those orchestrating this discord?”
Tehran bristled. “No. We discovered those blocking the transmissions to the Capital and used their encryption to draw out their co-conspirator, Breakwall. Is that you? Are you working against the Order?”
“You felt my strength. My oaths to the Order, to the Sky are intact. Stand down, Avowed.”
“I’m going to need more than that. We’ve been dogged by trouble, every step of the way. Convince me, here and now, I haven’t found our traitor.”
Solace was close enough now Tehran could make out his features. His bright, deeply set eyes were framed by high cheekbones. A neatly-trimmed beard cast his jaw in shadow. He dropped his hands and sighed.
“It’s all documented and signed off on by Elevated Dareous himself. I’ve been watching for rogue transmissions since the reports of wide communications failures in the Reaches. We’ve held suspicion that Tumultian raids are to blame. Before the first outages, there were reports of increased raiding activity. But this is hardly the place to speak of such things.” He glanced pointedly around the dark lot. “I’m guessing the individual we both wanted is the one who slipped through both of our fingers so neatly.”
Tehran eyed his Patrem warily. It could be the truth or a convenient misdirect. This is Patrem. His father in every way but blood. Solace reached into a small pouch at his waist and held out a data slate.
“Use your credentials and confirm my story. We don’t need to spend the night out here staring one another down. If it is as you say—we have important matters to catch up on.”
Tehran took the slate, keeping an eye on the man before him and navigating the familiar interface.
“Who’s protecting your cluster?” Solace asked.
“The Rikken Council is setting up defences.” The slate beeped and with a cursory glance he confirmed his Patrem’s story. Tehran sagged in relief.
Solace’s expression dropped in disappointment. “Foolhardy, Tehran. If you were truly concerned, you should have sent Knox to me.”
Suddenly, all intrigue and questioning fell away. Tehran dropped his head, unwilling to meet Solace’s gaze. “He’s gone,” he whispered.
Solace’s weathered face hardened. “Where? Did the cluster push him out?”
Emilia’s voice cut through the night. “No. He’s dead.”
Tehran hadn’t heard her join them. Distracted and stretched.
Solace’s head whipped toward the sound of her voice. In the harsh light, Tehran saw the remaining colour drain from his mentor’s face.
“Emilia.”
She stepped into the light, casting moving shadows. “He fell while helping Tehran fight a great earthbound who entered the cluster.” She stepped next to Tehran and placed her hand on his arm defensively. “And I would think the only one who is foolish here is the one who jumps to conclusions without hearing the whole story.”
Tehran glanced down at Emilia. Her shoulders were pulled back and her chin was held high in challenge, but he didn’t miss the tremor in her hands.
