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The Chronicle
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Bryson sat atop a tram ram big enough to seat several people. Still General Valp had been kind enough to lend them the beast to serve as a quicker journey to the kingdom’s distant teleplatforms. He even had the seating area altered, providing walls and a roof of cloth to protect them from the elements. However, if a hailstorm hit, they’d have to do more than simply rely on a cloth roof.
Olivia, Vuilni, Toshik, Jugtah, Vistas, and Titus sat near the front of the tram ram’s back. Titus had elected to travel with them, stating that since he brought them here, the least he could do was help them leave.
Bryson occupied a seat in the final row, resting his head against Thusia’s shoulder. Since the day of the battle, she had refused to return to the empire. Bryson had asked her if she’d face punishment for doing so, but she didn’t seem to care.
Following a week of recovery, the past few days had been fun. He’d spent time with his mother and aunt. And although it would take some time before his granddad could properly speak again, he at least got to meet his mother’s hero. Even last night, for the first time ever, he ate dinner as a family: him, Olivia, Apoleia, Ropinia, and Gennaio.
Yet, despite this euphoria, he still missed Shelly and wanted to see his baby—a son, apparently, who Shelly had named Leon Kawi Intel-Still. Bryson smiled at what he imagined to be a kind gesture. Leon Suadade and Ataway Kawi were beacons of moral prosperity. And the fact that she had also included “Still” in their child’s name meant even more to Bryson.
“When are you going to return to the empire?” Bryson asked.
“Soon,” Thusia said. “There is more behind my reasoning to remain here than simply watching over you.”
“Such as?”
“It’s a mess up there, Bryson. I’m trying my best to avoid it for as long as I can.”
“What’s happening?”
“There was more to this past battle than what was seen on the surface.” She paused, then said, “No matter how powerful a royal head, they cannot control a beast such as a Linsani.”
Bryson raised a brow. “So you’re saying that thing crossed kingdoms on its own accord?”
“No,” she said. “Something far worse. The Linsani entering the battle wasn’t an act of any kingdom; it was that of a very powerful individual that transcends any normal being—including myself.”
“You mean a Gefal from the Dark Empire?” Bryson asked, sitting up at attention.
“Not quite,” Thusia said, rubbing her shoulder and stretching her back, finally free from Bryson’s trap. “You know that both realms have two islands in the sky. One is known as the realm’s respective empire, which is where the Gefal or Bozani reside.”
“And the other?” he asked.
“I can’t say much,” she muttered, gazing blankly at the roof. “But think of the Linsani as pets, once loyal to kings and queens that ruled the lands before Known History. Each kingdom had one—or a few—and these beasts were their most trusted, powerful soldiers. Only those rulers from before Known History’s timeline can control them. And once the Great War happened, the one that ended the timeline prior to the current, those beasts remained here in Kuki Sphaira.”
“So someone from up there—” Bryson looked at the beige cloth roof— “interfered in a war down here.”
“Yes ...” Thusia said. “And that’s not good. That’s an act of war on a scale infinitely times larger than what’s happening down here.”
“Why are they doing this?” Bryson asked.
Thusia shook her head. “They think the Light Empire struck first, but I don’t know why. We haven’t done anything—not from my perspective at least. Then again, I’m very far down on the totem pole of relevance.”
“And you said every kingdom has such a pet?” Bryson asked. He felt foolish calling beasts by such a term.
“Of course. What do you think the explanation is for the demon that appeared during mine and Mendac’s fight with Dev King Rehn?”
Bryson sat forward. “Maybe that’s why it attacked you! It saw you battling the Dev King as a threat—as you guys striking first.”
“Fair deduction,” she said, “but in that case, it was simply defending its land. It didn’t go out of its way to find us.”
“What about the other kingdoms?” Bryson asked.
“I don’t know all of them. I only know of the obvious ones. For example, I don’t know exactly what is in the Archaic Mountains, but I know something beastly is responsible for the destruction that occurs within them.”
Bryson plopped back in his seat. “Wow ...”
Thusia shook her head. “There’s more to this world than you know, and people like Agnos are trying to discover it all.”
* * *
Toono sat at the head of a dining table. He had no food in front of him; he wasn’t hungry. The woman on the far end of the table, however, was ravenous, scoffing down a meal that Toono could only blanch at. Thrumming his fingers against the polished table, he observed her. Since he had freed her from the Confines, she had bathed and slept in a proper bed. Now her hair was tied into a single braid that fell down the front of her shoulder.
After finishing her food, she leaned back and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Seeming to notice the tactless nature of such a gesture, she grabbed a napkin and wiped her hand and mouth. “Forgive me,” she said. “I have forgotten etiquette.”
“Nothing to forgive,” Toono said, smiling at her. “You’ve done no harm.”
She gave him an empty look. The length of the table made them seem miles apart. “I can sense Illipsia, but I cannot connect just yet,” Homina said.
“Once again, in due time,” Toono said. “No rush. A couple days ago, I didn’t think I’d have such a connection. While I believed in Illipsia’s ability to get the job done without me proctoring her, I feel reassured now that I know I’ll have a way to communicate with her.” He paused, then added, “And I’m excited for you to speak with your daughter for the first time.”
Homina reached for a glass and raised it to her lips, taking a sip of water. “And she’s a good person?”
“As good as you can be in a world such as this,” Toono said.
The doors behind Homina opened. Toono glanced just above her chair, where two unexpected visitors stood in the background. “Welcome back, Warden Gala,” Toono said. He eyed the other lady by her side. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Tazama.”
* * *
Agnos awoke in a hammock, blinking the haze from his vision. He was alone in his grand cabin, which was dimly lit by a lone lantern atop his desk. Through the grand window, he could see the moon just above the sea’s horizon. How long had he been unconscious?
He tried to escape the hammock, but it proved difficult. His arm was wrapped from the tips of all five fingers up to his shoulder, yet he had no sling or brace. It simply hung listlessly toward the floor. He had forgotten about the damage he had sustained in the cave.
He kicked out his legs, using the momentum to twist himself free. He stood up, woozy and lightheaded, which he attributed to a couple factors: the lack of oxygen his body had received during his dive and the drainage of his energy. He scanned the cabin, searching for the chronicle. Based off a quick glance, he couldn’t find it. As he began a more thorough search, the door to his room opened. Gray Whale’s stout frame stood in the doorway.
“Ah, you’re awake,” she said, stepping inside and closing the door.
Agnos backed up, placing his butt against the front of his desk to use it as support. “Why are you not on your ship?”
“Are you mad that I tried to help you, Agnos?”
“No.” His response wasn’t that convincing, even to himself.
She chuckled and shook her head, standing still in front of the door. “Well, it wasn’t I who helped you, although I tried.”
“Then how did I get to the cave?” he asked.
“That creature took you there,” she said. “Just shook off my whales like they were a school of tuna before taking off toward the island’s base, where it then disappeared.”
“Why would it do that?”
“Perhaps it had waited a long time for someone to dive into its waters.”
Agnos gazed down at his useless arm. “I needed so much help to achieve this dream,” he said. “If I had tried doing this on my own, I would have died several different times ... starting way back when I visited the Chasm to find a quartermaster.”
“And so goes the story of every great adventurer,” Gray said. “I wouldn’t have lived past my first whirlpool had it not been for the help of my crew. Nobody does it all alone.”
Agnos looked up at her. “Where is the book?”
She smiled. “I suppose we’ll talk later then. Top drawer of your desk. You’ll find your glasses next to it. I’ll admit that I tried using them to decipher the language, but even I can’t weave that well. You are beyond gifted.”
As Agnos rounded his desk, Gray left the room. He slid open the top drawer, his heart pounding against his ribs. He picked up the book and placed it on the desk, then grabbed his glasses and put them on. Looking directly across the room, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. A long moment passed before he finally glanced down at the cover to read its inscription:
Erafeen.
