The Stars Below, page 24
part #4 of Vega Jane Series
My parents, Delph, John and I spent time going around to all the Wugs, shaking hands and exchanging hugs, swapping stories and just catching up after all this time.
Domitar couldn’t stop shaking my hand. “I always expected great things from you, Vega.”
I wasn’t sure he was telling the truth, but I took his comment at face value.
Dis Fidus, who had also worked at Stacks, sat down next to me after many of the others had gone off to their beds. It was an amazing aspect of Empyrean that no matter how many people I delivered to it, the place seemed to swell and add new rooms as needed.
Dis Fidus stared up at me with his ancient, wrinkled face. He had long been the oldest Wug in Wormwood and a kind and gentle soul.
“What happened to the other Wugs?” I asked. “There were assuredly more than this when I left?”
“The beasts from the Quag became much more aggressive, Vega. They came into the village with far more frequency. And many Wugs were killed.”
“The Wall didn’t prevent them?”
“The Wall turned out to be a pipe dream. It was never finished, for one. And then it quickly fell into disrepair. Guards placed on the towers were attacked by the beasts so regularly that no one wanted the job. Then Morrigone became more and more withdrawn, until she was rarely seen.”
“And Thansius?”
“He did what he could, but the problems we faced were beyond any single Wug. The soil turned bad and crops failed. The water turned brackish. Stacks stopped employing Wugs. Domitar and I lost our jobs. Council grew increasingly erratic. Wugs were demanding things that no one could give. Some Wugs, including Jurik Krone and those like-minded, ventured into the Quag with their mortas and were never seen again.” He sighed heavily. “It has been a trying time indeed.”
I patted his hand. “But now you’re here. And safe.”
“I see your brother is now with you,” said Dis Fidus slowly.
“Yes, we found each other.”
Dis Fidus nodded but said nothing.
“Was John a help to all of you? I expected to hear that he was running Council.” I said this last part in jest. Well, maybe not so much.
Dis Fidus did not answer right away. “I’m too old to beat around the hedges,” he said. “So I’ll come right to it. Your brother is magical no doubt, just as you are. Just as your whole family is. I have known that, Vega, since you were in pigtails and half as tall as you are now.”
“All right,” I said a bit apprehensively.
“The fact of the matter is, I often wondered on which side your brother would eventually fall.”
“What do you mean?”
He looked at me. “Why do I think you know the answer to that query?”
“Are you saying my brother did bad things?”
“I’m saying your brother used his powers to hurt other Wugs. I’m saying he used his powers to make other Wugs do his bidding.”
“Who did he do these things to?” I demanded.
“That is of no importance. But I will tell you that two of them were never right in the head after. They wandered off into the Quag and the beasts got them.”
This shook me to my core, but I refocused. “He … had no one to guide him in the use of his powers. I … I thought Morrigone would do that.”
“Morrigone! She was but a faded image of herself. She couldn’t help herself, much less teach your brother.”
I thought back to Astrea’s cottage, when we had seen Morrigone looking a shell of herself.
“What happened to her?” I asked.
“All I can tell you is that the longer she was around your brother, the worse she became.”
“Dis Fidus, what are you saying?” I snapped.
He looked at me, undeterred by the ferocity of my words. “I think my words are clear enough. I thank you with all my heart for rescuing us, Vega. But that does not change what I saw your brother do in Wormwood. Nothing can. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am very tired.”
He rose and left me.
I could only stare helplessly after him.
After the meal, I was heading back to my room when they approached.
It was Jason and Uma. They were holding hands and looking immensely happy. My heart soared for them. It really did. It was a nice feeling to have and it helped me forget, or at least not focus on my brother for a bit.
I mean, there should be some unconditional love in this bloody world.
Uma said, “Vega, can we speak with you? In private?”
I led them into my bedroom and closed the door. Harry Two was on my bed asleep.
I turned to Uma and Jason and said, “You both look very happy.”
Uma gazed adoringly at Jason. “I never thought this would happen. We don’t know how to thank you, Vega.”
I smiled. “I’m just glad it turned out as it did. But if Astrea hadn’t told me the incantation to use, I couldn’t have freed Jason or the others.” I turned to him and said, “Why did your father imprison you and then seek to take your magic?”
“It was because of Uma.”
“How could that be?”
“I saw her, in a vision.”
I looked at him as though he were batty.
“You saw Uma, in a vision? Where? Surely not here?”
“I was in my chambers in the castle. I was about to go to sleep when I looked up and there she was, floating at the top of the ceiling. She beckoned to me, called out my name. My thoughts instantly cleared. I was no longer this awful Endemen. I was myself.”
I turned to Uma. “So you went to the castle even when I told you not to?”
She shook her head. “No, Vega, I did not.”
Puzzled, I turned back to Jason. “What happened then?”
“I called out to her, told her I loved her. The next moment, Uma vanished. A minute later my father walked in. He said, ‘So you love Uma once more, Jason?’”
“Do you mean he was watching you?”
“No, he was the one who conjured the image of a fake Uma. To test me. And, in his eyes, I failed that test.”
“You’re sure it was he who had done it?”
“He told me himself. He was very proud of his deception,” he added bitterly.
“That’s when he locked you up?”
Jason nodded. “After you came to the tower room and I fought Necro to help you escape, he had me placed in the mirror. I was almost finished, I could feel that. And then you came along to save me.”
He put a hand on my shoulder and directed those beautiful eyes of his to mine. “I owe you my life, Vega. I owe you everything. And I’m sorry for having fought you for so long as Mr. Endemen.”
“You couldn’t help it, Jason. Like you said, you weren’t in your right mind. Now, what can you tell me about Necro’s plans? I know something significant is in the making.”
“That’s true, but I don’t know what it is.”
“He must know that there are more Maladons than there are of us.”
“Yes, but he also knows it’s not a simple matter of numbers. He will not underestimate you, Vega. And you must not him. He is incredibly resourceful. He sits on his terrible throne and thinks deeply of things.”
“I have no intention of underestimating him.” I looked between him and Uma. “What are your plans?”
Jason shot Uma a glance, and she nodded.
Jason said, “I have been kept alive solely by magic.”
“The Elixir of Life?” I said.
“Well, at least my father’s version of it. Now that I have broken with him, the end cannot be far off. And I could be with Uma.”
“I understand.”
“No, I don’t think that you do, Vega.”
I stared at him.
He gripped Uma’s hand. “We have discussed this. I am going to fight with you against my father.”
“I am thrilled,” I said. “We can always use another wand, particularly from so powerful a sorcerer. But are you sure that’s what you want?” I looked between them.
Uma answered for them. “We are very sure, Vega.”
I nodded. “Then I thank you with all my heart. But now I believe that there is one thing you need to do.”
He looked at me curiously. “What is that?”
“I’d rather show you, Jason. If you will trust me.”
“I do trust you.”
I held out my hand to him.
WE PASSED THROUGH the gates and immediately entered the mists of time.
“Where are we, Vega,” Jason said as he followed me over uneven ground.
“Normally, I could tell you that we were back in time. But that’s not the case now. Nor are we in the future. Those are the usual choices when you pass through Eon’s gates. But where we’re going now is a third option I didn’t realize existed: the present.” I added, “A very special present.”
Jason looked bewildered, but simply nodded.
“Take my hand,” I said.
He did so, and we lifted off from the ground. With the power that the chain of Destin gave me, we sailed higher and higher until we alighted on the same tall mountain, next to the singularly tall tree where Alice Adronis had received her wand.
And next to the tree was the small cottage that I had already visited. I thought now that it was a humble place for even a near goddess to reside. But perhaps it was fitting, for a near goddess in eternal bereavement. What would a grand home mean to such a being?
We approached, and I knocked on the door. It opened of its own accord, and I was prepared to see the image of Necro, as last time. I was about to warn Jason of this, but there was no need.
The false Necro was not there.
But she was. She wore the same pale blue gown as before. She was seated in the same plain chair.
Elythia saw me first, and I saw her mouth curl in displeasure. She no doubt thought I was back requesting additional help that she would refuse.
But then she saw who was with me.
I saw the curl of displeasure give way to an expression of sheer astonishment.
She slowly rose, her features trembling, her limbs quivering.
“Jason?”
He was as astonished as his mother.
He stumbled forward. They met in the middle of the small room.
Their embrace was spontaneous. I saw Elythia’s fingers curl into her son’s back.
And when I looked at her face over Jason’s shoulder, I saw what I expected to see.
Even with an almost goddess.
Tears. Tears of a mother finally reunited with a son she thought gone from her forever.
I went outside to give them some sense of privacy.
A great deal of time passed.
“Vega?”
At the sound of my name, I snapped my head around to see them both standing in the doorway of the cottage looking at me, their hands clasped together.
Elythia said, “Jason has explained all. You have given me back my son.”
“I was glad to be able to do it.”
Jason smiled at me and said, “I have told my mother of my plans with Uma. After I help you defeat Necro.”
She looked at me. “Jason also told me that it was your idea that he come here.”
“I thought it was the right thing to do,” I said. “You’re his mother. You deserved that. It allowed you to …”
“To cry?” she finished for me, wiping at her eyes. “People do not expect beings like me to have emotions. I am not a pure goddess, so what is inside of me, in essential elements, is what is inside all of you.”
“But now it is your time to be with your son,” I said. “And I’ll wait here. For as long as you need.”
Much time went by, but it didn’t matter, I knew, because when we returned to Empyrean, only seconds would have passed. That was just how things worked beyond the gates.
When Jason finally came out of the cottage, his mother was with him. She kissed him on the forehead and then took my hand in hers and led us away from Jason.
There was such warmth, such ethereal power, in her grip, that it took my breath away.
We stopped near the edge of some trees, and she turned to face me.
“I will never forget this act of kindness, Vega. Never.”
I wanted to ask her to use her powers to vanquish the Maladons. She could do it, easily, I believed. I looked at her, and she looked at me. And then she glanced toward her son with an expression that made me curious.
“I know what you wish to ask, Vega. And I am sorry that I cannot fulfill that request. Not even now, after you have freed my son.” She pulled something from her robe. It was a small package. “But take this and do with it what you need to do.”
I was so angry and bitter that I accepted the package without opening it.
As we flew away, Jason and I looked back once at Elythia. She stood there, on the tallest mountain I had ever seen, her gaze directly on us. She raised her hand in silent good-bye.
And then she was gone.
As we passed back through the gates, I looked at Jason.
“I’m sorry you didn’t have more time with her.”
“It was time enough, to say what needed to be said” was his reply.
We flew on back to Empyrean.
Even without Elythia’s assistance, I felt a sense of hope that I had not experienced in a long time.
Unfortunately for all of us, it would not last.
WHEN WE GOT back to Empyrean, I explained to Astrea what Jason wanted to do. She provided him with some of her Elixir of Life.
“I’m glad that you want to fight, Jason,” said Astrea. “We will need as many wands as we can get to have a chance.”
“Speaking of,” I said as I handed Jason a new wand.
As he gripped it, he said, “From where did this come?”
“It was in a package that your mother gave me before we left her.”
I could see Jason’s focus intensify. “Then I will not let her down.”
I turned to Astrea. “And I have some good news for you. Necro has a hundred fewer fighters.”
I explained to her how I had accomplished this.
I had only rarely shocked Astrea Prine. This was one of those times.
“A hundred Maladons!” she exclaimed. “Not even Alice ever managed to topple a hundred Maladons in one fell swoop.”
“Well, if she’d had the chance I did, she probably would have toppled at least two hundred of the foul creatures. I plan to tell the others. I hope it will lift their spirits.”
“It has surely lifted mine, Vega.”
DINNER THAT NIGHT was a raucous affair.
The Wugs were amazed at the opulence of Empyrean, and my fellow magicals were gracious and friendly hosts.
As my eyes strayed over so many familiar faces from my past, I somehow felt heartened. When I told the others of the one hundred vanquished Maladons, a cheer ran around the cavernous room. Mrs. Jolly and her team had a right time of it delivering the food, but they made an excellent effort, and the meal was enjoyed by all.
The only ones absent were Jason and Uma. Uma didn’t eat of course, and Jason had had his meal delivered to his room, where, no doubt, he was with Uma.
I caught Thansius in deep conversation with my parents. When they caught me watching, they quickly changed expressions and smiled before returning to whatever it was they were discussing.
I frowned, for I thought their clandestine behavior was certainly strange under the circumstances.
After dinner that night, my mother approached and asked to talk in private. She led my father and me to the library and shut the door. With a flick of my wand I created flames in the fireplace, for dear old Empyrean could be nastily drafty.
We sat in chairs around the fire while I looked expectantly at my mother.
“What do you plan to do with all the Wugs?” she asked.
“I have given that some thought. They need to be taken to a place of safety. I was actually thinking of Jasper Jane’s castle in the Quag. And then —”
I stopped speaking because my parents were shaking their heads.
“What?” I said. “And what were you talking to Thansius about at dinner? You were all acting very odd.”
As if on cue, the door opened and there was Thansius. And behind him … was the spirit of Morrigone. This was the first time she had ventured to the main level, at least that I knew of.
I said, “Thansius, Morrigone? What are you doing here?”
“They came at our invitation,” said my mother, though I could tell by the way she avoided looking at Morrigone that she was not pleased with her presence. And I was not surprised by this. After all, Morrigone had cursed her and my father.
“Your invitation?” I said. “Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“Vega believes that the Wugs will be safer away from the war with the Maladons,” said my father.
Thansius shook his broad head. I then noticed there was an immaculate silver sword hanging from a leather belt around his waist. I believed I recognized it from a collection of weapons hanging on a wall of Empyrean.
“We will not leave the field of battle,” said Thansius. “We will stay here and fight.”
I rose from my seat. “But the Maladons are sorcerers, Thansius.”
“It matters not to me what they are. So long as they can be killed, I will be happy to accommodate them.”
“You saw what they did to Wormwood. What they did to all of you.”
“They caught us completely by surprise. This time they won’t.”
“It would be a slaughter,” I said. “I can’t allow you to make that sort of sacrifice.”
“You saved us, Vega,” he persisted. “And I hope you did not save us to watch us flee the battle that you will have to fight, because that is not in my nature.”
“I didn’t save you only to see you die unnecessarily at the hands of the Maladons.”
“It would not be unnecessary.”
This came from Morrigone. We all turned our attention to her wispy form.
“I was the only Wug the Maladons killed,” she said. “I thought us all dead, but now I know that the Maladons took the other Wugs to torture them for eternity. Why did they do this?”
