62: BACK FROM THE DARK

(Grizzst’s story)

The rest was shockingly easy.

Once Galava recovered, she resurrected the others.

Grizzst didn’t even have to use Grimward. Galava did it all by herself.

And in no time at all, seven gods—or at least seven beings of godlike power—stood on top of the Mother of Trees before Grizzst and Khaevatz. He probably should have had a banquet waiting.

He just hadn’t really believed it would work

Also, it didn’t feel like a celebration. The seven Guardians didn’t look at him, they looked through him, connected with reality by the most tenuous of threads.

Veils, Grizzst thought to himself. It’s just like Rev’arric. It’s just like Rev’arric all over again.

He most sincerely, passionately hoped he wouldn’t have to nursemaid seven godlike beings back to awareness again. Once was enough. He remembered Valathea’s words and feared for their mental health. Rev’arric, at least, had only been a single entity. He hadn’t been discorporated across the universe. Grizzst stepped back so Khaevatz could greet each of them in turn.

Ompher and Galava embraced and held each other. Argas sat there, blinking at nothing. Tya and Taja had an arm around each other, tears streaking Taja’s face. Khored paced, resembling nothing so much as a caged hunting cat. Thaena looked off into the distance, shuddering.

And each of them looked numb, shocked, lost. They had the distant stares of people who had seen things that could never be unseen, things that would haunt them forever.

They didn’t look like people who had been rescued or saved.

“Do you remember what happened while you were … gone?” The question slipped out before he had a chance to consider the wisdom of interrupting their recovery.

He never even saw Thaena move. One second, she faced away from him. The next, she’d wrapped her hand around his throat and shoved him up against the tree bark, rage twisting the skin around her mercurial silver eyes.

“Who are you?” Thaena asked. Her voice sounded like something from a nightmare. “What’s happened here? Are you responsible for this?”

“I … saved…,” Grizzst tried to say. His words weren’t intelligible. Frankly, what she was doing was only uncomfortable, maybe embarrassing, but at any moment, she’d turn this into something a lot more permanent.

“Kay, put him down,” Taja said. “That’s not S’arric.”

“Mother, he’s a friend!”

Thaena’s fingers started to tighten. He felt a pull on his souls. Then she hesitated and finally released him. Grizzst saw her hands shaking as she turned back to the others. “Where is S’arric? What happened to him?” She glanced around with wide eyes, as if expecting the corrupted god to appear the moment his name was spoken.

“That monster’s imprisoned,” Grizzst managed to say, rubbing his throat. He trickled a wisp of healing through his fingers, let it wash over his damaged larynx. “N’ofero and the rest of the Assembly chained him up around thirteen hundred years ago. I’ve been trying to bring you lot back to life ever since.”

“Where is N’ofero?” Khored said. “We should speak with him.”

“Dead,” Grizzst said. “Every voras you knew is dead.”¹

“That was the price the voras paid to fix Rev’arric’s mistake.” Khaevatz walked over to her mother and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “They’re mortal now. They age and grow old and die after a century at most.”

A soft, hurt sound came from Tya, the only other voras present other than himself.

She’d lost almost everyone she’d ever known.

Thaena regarded Grizzst once more, her expression now thoughtful. He didn’t think she’d try to immediately kill him again, but he couldn’t be sure. He found her attention unnerving. “So you should be dead too,” she told him.

“No,” Grizzst said, backing away from the voramer woman. “I’m still the immortal sort of voras. It’s just an exclusive club these days.”

“Who are you again?” Tya frowned at him. “I don’t remember you from the university.”

“Uh … probably because I never graduated.” He straightened. “My name’s Grizzst. Magic systems engineer, grade two. I was working on the coast when everything went sideways. I just got lucky and survived.”

“Wait, so you’re just a maintenance tech? And you put together … that?” Argas pointed toward the ritual kit Grizzst had used to resurrect Galava. Argas looked impressed. He gave Grizzst a lopsided grin. “Nice.”

Grizzst straightened himself and focused on Thaena, since she was the main threat to life and limb.

“And you have brought us back,” Thaena said softly, “and now your job is done.”

“Hey, I’ve got a funny feeling I’m not going to like how you’re about to repay me.”

“Leave him alone,” Galava admonished. “He’s done more for us than anyone else.”

“Oh, not just me. The sovereign here and Valathea had a lot to do with it too.”

Sovereign Khaevatz gestured toward the Immortals and the tree in general. “Come. Let me summon back my people and make you all welcome. Banquets or solitude, as you desire. We are honored to have you walk among us once more.”