The Duelist 11, page 9
“Good morning, love,” she said as Sha-Kane passed her a mug. He passed one to Zoie as well, and the cat-woman let out a pleased noise at the smell. Her cat ears perked up cheerfully, but I was distracted from the sight as Shay kissed my cheek. “Is everything alright?”
“Just fine,” I assured her, and I kissed her temple and then brushed my nose over Zoie’s in a butterfly kiss. “And the pair of you? You arrived after I drifted off.”
“Not very long, but very well,” Shay answered as she tipped her head to rest against Zoie’s shoulders. Her new wings glittered in the morning light as if they were really made of fire, and I found myself staring at them again. “Is everything set?”
“More or less,” Jenner interjected. “I will be heading to Eng, accompanied by Bodin, Vela, Nemis, and of course young Rylan. The rest of you will set course for Alem. Frankly, I know which voyage I would prefer.”
“If we can survive the likes of Krev Alda, Archus Doler, and Teivel Tas, I’m sure we can handle an Island full of stuffy Councilmen,” I said with a laugh, but the koala-man gave me a knowing look.
“Arrogance goes before humility, Alex,” he said in the way someone from Earth would have said ‘pride comes before a fall,’ and I wondered if any famous writers or avid readers had ever come to Aventoll, because sometimes the people here quoted things just similarly enough that it threw me off balance.
“It’s not arrogance if you know you have the world’s best Crew backing you up,” I said with a grin, but Jenner was not particularly amused, so I toned down my cheekiness. “Jenner. You don’t need to worry about us. Like I said, we’ve survived worse.”
“You’ve survived different, not necessarily worse,” the koala-man corrected me. “There is nothing on Aventoll like the Asher Council. It is archaic and proud and can be extremely dangerous, even without resorting to actual combat. I would hate for anything to befall any of you, especially if I wasn’t there to help.”
“Jenner,” I said again, and I put a hand on the koala-man’s shoulder. “Please, don’t worry about us. We’ve got this. Just like you guys have got Eng. I wouldn’t have agreed to split up the Crew if I didn’t think it was for the best.”
“Hm… very well,” Jenner said reluctantly, and for possibly the millionth time, I felt like I’d just had a discussion with my father or uncle or whatever, and he was a bit exasperated by my stubbornness but also impressed by how I’d thought everything through.
“I admit, I agree with Mr. Jenner,” Sha-Kane then said. “I fear our excursion to Alem will be far more perilous than whatever awaits on Eng. Now that you’ve figured out the cuff, the Engish will be far less of a danger.”
“I wish we had a cuff to pacify the Council,” Zoie remarked wryly. “It would make this whole thing so much easier.”
“I wish we had a cuff that could make them answer our questions,” I said. We knew the Council were controlling the Scourge, and no doubt they had a hand in controlling the Red Skies, too, but we still didn’t know how.
And until we did, we couldn’t assume anything. We didn’t even know if it was something that could be stopped. Was it controlled by some artifact that could be destroyed, or a mage who could be killed? And if it was, what was to stop someone from recreating the artifact, or training another mage?
Stopping the Council’s sway over the demons was just the start. If they still had a way to control the Scourge, then all of Shay’s efforts to heal the Heart of Aventoll would be for nothing. Eventually, the Hearts would become sick again.
It was more than preventing the Council from doing something. We needed to change the whole system so they didn’t want to do it, or at least, so whoever was in charge didn’t want to do it. Somehow, I suspected the Council of Ashers wouldn’t be too open to the idea of giving up most of their status and influence for the betterment of all Aventoll.
“I’m sure we’ll get our answers, one way or another,” Horus said as he walked in. He spoke around a terrific yawn and stretched both hands up to the ceiling.
By the time he’d finished yawning, Sha-Kane was waving a mug of kolee in the falcon-man’s face, and I found I held my breath for a few moments as I watched and waited to see if Horus would accept it. When he did, I let out a small sigh of relief, and so did Sha-Kane.
“You bet we will,” Shay said firmly. “The Council and the Order have been manipulating Aventoll and its people for centuries. They have to pay for taking sacred things and turning them into puppets for their own greed.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Anwaar said with a nod. She’d walked in right behind Horus and looked considerably less tired than he did. Possibly, she’d just slept more, but I suspected the ibex-woman was just slightly incapable of looking anything other than serene and composed. “The Ashers were the blessed favor of Mercedes, a gift to be cherished. Not a…”
“A ticket to obscene luxury while the rest of Aventoll suffers?” I suggested, and the ibex-woman blinked at me, because I’d probably been harsher than she would have, but then she nodded.
I was familiar with the basic history of the Council by now, but I remembered the massive textbook Jenner had shown me when I’d first come to Aventoll. ‘The History of the Duelist Uprisings’ had sounded like a dry, boring civics textbook at the time, but even if it was, it would probably help me if I was to read it. The Ashers on Alem, and especially the Councilmembers, would have intimate understandings of even the most insignificant customs, and I didn’t want to undermine our mission by coming across like I had no idea what to do.
“Even ordinary Aventollians have noticed an uptick in the number of people being blessed each year by Bhraya,” the ibex-woman said. “The Council tries to insist the People are becoming greedy, or that their sinful lives are causing more demons to rise up.”
“But the truth is probably that the entire Council is rotten to the core,” I said grimly.
It was looking more and more likely that burning the whole system to the ground and starting over was the way to go, but I still wanted to try and save it. Once, all those Ashers, their ancestors, had been the noblest and fiercest warriors Aventoll had to offer. They’d fought alongside Natavian sky warriors, until they’d grown paranoid and jealous, like dragons protecting their hoards.
“Aventoll has lost its way in many aspects,” Anwaar agreed, and her gaze bored into me like she could literally read my thoughts. “But there are still those with true loyalty in their hearts, and those who will fight to see balance restored. Do not become demoralized by the selfish actions of a few. The wider population are good and kind.”
“I know,” I said. “That’s why we have to save them, before the Council gets them killed with greed or apathy.”
“Healing the Heart will have done a lot to curb innocent deaths,” Horus pointed out. He had his arm around Anwaar’s shoulders, as he often did, but right now it looked like the ibex-woman was the only thing keeping him upright as he swirled his kolee around in its mug. Despite his extremely sleepy disposition, his voice was clear. “The Council will be panicking about what’s going on, and they’ll be scrabbling to maintain control. Now is the best time to strike. We stand a chance at real change.”
“Provided no one gets to the Heart of Aventoll, no one will ever have to worry about demons again,” I said. “The Council will probably know that, though, if they’re working with Kavo Alda. Our only advantage is that they physically can’t access the Isle of Hearts without a Lakuna child or the Incarnate.”
“In that case, would it be better if Nova and Sera came with us to Eng?” Jenner asked me, and I frowned as I thought about it.
I didn’t really want to leave Nova behind again, and I didn’t want to separate her and Sera, but Sera had been imprisoned on Alem for years. Complicating matters, Sha-Kane obviously had to come with us to Alem, but he was the only other person who understood any Lakuna, so if we wanted to translate Esta’s diary, he needed to stick with Sera and Nova.
“Why don’t we ask them?” Zoie suggested as she took a sip of kolee, and her ears twitched as she nodded to the doorway. “They’re both adults. They can be trusted to decide for themselves.”
A little while later, Nova and Sera walked into the kitchen. They were actually the last of the Crew to arrive, probably because they’d been chatting in private about Lakuna stuff. Sera looked at the mug of kolee with some confusion when Sha-Kane offered it, but when she took a sip, her teal eyes went wide, and she began to gulp it down in earnest.
I tried not to think about what she’d been eating for the past eleven seasons. Teivel Tas hadn’t seemed like the type to prioritize prisoner comfort.
“Miss Sera,” Sha-Kane said when the older Lakuna woman had finished her kolee, and Nova nestled herself between Zoie and me and was nuzzling my shoulder while she sipped at a mug of her own. “We were wondering where you would like to go?”
Sera blinked up at the osprey-man, then looked over at me, then looked at Nova.
“I will follow Nova,” she said. “I have spent too long without my people, and you, poor child, know so little of them. I would be glad to tell you about your mother, and our culture.”
“I want that, too,” Nova said, and she looked at Sha-Kane and me. “Can Auntie Sera come with us? You’re not going to leave her here, are you?”
“Mercedes, no!” Zoie said, and her blue eyes widened. “We just meant… Sera, we’re going to be traveling to Alem. And obviously, that place will have painful memories for you. If you want, you can go to Eng with Jenner’s group, and you’ll be far away from Alem.”
“I see,” Sera said, and she was quiet for a long moment as she thought this over. “Well. Where is Nova going?”
“I… wanted to go with Alex and Maya,” the Lakuna woman admitted, and she pressed herself a little closer to me. Her expression was sheepish, and almost apologetic. “But if you want, we can go to Eng!”
“Eng is dry, but Alem is verdant,” Sera said. “And I would hate to separate you from those who love you, little one, even temporarily. I will go to Alem with you, if that suits.”
“It suits just fine,” I said honestly. “You won’t even have to leave this vessel if you don’t want to. It’s entirely up to you.”
“I have spent eleven seasons in a prison,” the older Lakuna woman told me, and she pursed her lips with a grim determination. “I am not about to resign myself to another. I will not be haunted by the deeds of dead men.”
That was admirable, and I honestly wasn’t sure if I could have said the same. If someone had murdered everyone I’d ever known and loved, and then held me prisoner for over a decade, I would have done everything in my power to never go there again, even as a free man.
“Alright, then,” I said with a nod. “Jenner, it looks like your group is just going to be the five of you.”
“That’s just fine,” the koala-man assured me, and Nemis gave me a small salute.
“A small crew travels faster,” the Captain assured me. “We’ll have found the Archived records before you even set foot on Alem!”
“I admire your confidence,” I said with a grin and pointed at the raccoon-man, who just shrugged.
Somehow, everything Nemis did seemed large and flamboyant, even a shrug. I supposed part of it came from the fact that, on rough waters, you had to move a lot in order to be noticed. A small gesture would be missed when everyone was rocking back and forth on a ship.
“And I look forward to sailing a ship that apparently does not require a crew!” the Captain replied with a mad sort of glee in his eyes.
I wondered for a moment if putting Nemis in the Eng group had been the wisest decision, and from the slight dread on Bodin’s face, I suspected it hadn’t.
But, if anything was going to get them to Eng quickly, it would be Nemis on Teivel’s ship. Between its peculiar engine room, insane captain, and small size, the vessel might even have been faster than the Manta.
We all finished our kolee, and then Jenner’s group began to pack their things. Zoie actually had to remind the koala-man to take clothes, because he’d filled two enormous suitcases with books and notes, and I wasn’t sure if that was because Jenner was excited to finally get a chance at saving his people, or because he was nervous to be returning to Eng once more.
Rylan was packed in record time, though, because he came to find me in the family room, and I knew something was up when he knocked.
“Dad?” he said, and he had a hand on the doorknob, like I was going to order him out because he’d interrupted something. He hadn’t, because it was just me in one of the chairs, and Zoie was curled up in her mothering nest. “Mom?”
“Yeah, buddy?” I asked, and Rylan cautiously stepped over the threshold.
“You’re not mad that I’m not coming to Alem with you, right?” he asked us both.
“What?” Zoie frowned. “Of course not. Why would we be mad?”
“Because… because I’m not facing my fears, but Miss Sera is,” Rylan said as he dropped his gaze, and I saw how it was taking more effort than normal for him to keep his face straight. “And-- and the two of you are gonna have real kids soon. So maybe you won’t be as-- as forgiving of me--”
“Whoa, now,” I said, and I rose from my seat so I could pull the boy into a hug. “Rylan. Just because Zoie and I are having kids doesn’t mean we don’t love you anymore. It doesn’t make you not our son.”
“And there’s nothing to forgive,” Zoie said fiercely, and she waved Rylan over, into her mothering nest. The boy’s face finally crumpled as he went gratefully into her arms, and I followed so Zoie and I had Rylan snuggled between us. “You are our son, and nothing will change that. Even if we have a hundred children.”
“And no one is blaming you for not wanting to go to Alem,” I said. “You have to remember, Sera’s a grown woman. You’re still just a kid. And we wouldn’t have judged her at all if she didn’t want to go to Alem, too.”
“But I’m giving in to fear,” Rylan said tearfully, and he balled up his fists and pressed them to his eyes. His shoulders were shaking with sobs. “I’m letting-- letting the deeds haunt me. I’m being a coward.”
“You’re not,” I said firmly. “You’re relying on the people who love you to support you. It’s not like you had a super important job to do on Alem. So you deciding not to go, for the sake of your own peace of mind, is a sensible and healthy choice.”
“B-But--” Rylan began.
“Do you really think your father and I would ever call you a coward?” Zoie asked him as she stroked a hand over his hair.
“N-No,” the boy sniffled, but he didn’t sound very convinced.
“You’ve faced down demons, buddy,” I said. “You helped me fix Jenner’s mind. There’s not a shred of cowardice in you, okay? It’s perfectly normal to be scared of someone who did something bad to you. And until you’re ready to face it on your own terms, no one is gonna force you. And Zoie and I will still love you just as much. Nothing is ever gonna change that.”
“Nothing,” Zoie agreed, and she squeezed Rylan in a tight hug and nuzzled her temple against his, which made him giggle. “You just do your best to help Jenner on Eng, alright? He says you’re a very helpful assistant.”
“He does?” Rylan asked, and he instantly brightened. “I really like helping him out. All the stuff he knows is so interesting. I wanna do what he does when I get older, solving old mysteries and reading about ancient secrets.”
“If you do, you’d better really pay attention, then,” I advised with a smile. “Go on, give Nemis your things so he can load up the ship. You’ll be leaving soon.”
Rylan nodded excitedly and sped out of the room, and there was a strange, charged silence in the space he left behind. I looked over at Zoie and smiled.
“You’re okay about Alem?” I asked her, and I pulled her closer to me so she was sitting between my legs, with her back to my chest. It was almost stiflingly warm inside her nest, but it was also very cozy, and I wondered how she resisted sleeping in here every night.
“I wouldn’t say ‘okay’ about it, but I’ve come to terms with it,” the cat-woman replied as I nuzzled one of her velvety cat ears, and I smiled when she gave a soft purr. “I’m not going to let you and Shay deal with it without me. I’ll see this through to the end.”
She turned around in my embrace and laid her head against my shoulder, and I could feel the steady, warm huff of her breath over my collar.
“I mean it,” she then said quietly. “To the very end, love. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”
“Of course,” I said, and my voice was a little hoarse, but I held her tight against me. Zoie was the first friend I’d made in Aventoll, the first woman I had loved. I could no more imagine my life without her than I could imagine my life without color. “You’re mine, and I’m yours.”
It felt bigger than it should have, when Zoie and I walked out onto the beach, toward Teivel’s ship, where Nemis, Bodin, Vel-Rala, Jenner, and Rylan were all boarding. I had no idea for how long we would be separated, but I knew things would have changed radically when we were next reunited. So maybe because of that, it felt like some grand farewell.
“You be good for Jenner, alright?” Zoie called up to Rylan, and she and Shay stood with their arms around one another for support.
I had my arm around Nova, who stood proud and firm, but I could tell she was nervous, and I was impressed by her commitment to not let it show.
“I will!” Rylan called back.
“And you two behave,” I added to Bodin and Nemis, as if they were rambunctious boys and not fully-grown men.
Nemis laughed uproariously, and Bodin stuck his tongue out like a teenager, which made Vel-Rala giggle daintily. Jenner was probably going to have his hands full wrangling the two raccoon-men, the cockatoo-woman, and Rylan, but I was sure they would make plenty of progress regardless.
“Be well!” Jenner yelled down to us, and I figured he must have been standing on a crate or something, because his head poked over the top of the ledge around the ship’s upper deck, and he was almost level with Bodin. “Keep us informed!”
