Bloodcrete (The Weirkey Chronicles Book 6), page 16
Nauda wasn't convinced they could brush past all the consequences so easily, since demon attacks dismissed by leaders could often be real problems for local soulcrafters. But the mention of House Crimson fully seized her attention. She had gotten no hints at all from Tythes, so she could only imagine how bad the situation could become.
"What's most puzzling about this is that it doesn't make sense from a military perspective," Dhan continued. "They don't seem to be extracting resources or making contacts, and House Crimson does not have the forces to control a claim in such a contested region. If others discover their involvement as we have, they will be in a dire position."
"Unless they recruited all the wild tribes soulcrafters they captured before," Nauda suggested. Dhan immediately shook his head.
"While that's possible, it seems unlikely to be effective enough. If control of the Dustwind Plateaus is decided in battle, both sides will send Stronghold-tier soulcrafters. Wiltur has been expanding his House for a long time, but he must know that he can't fight equals without significant support."
"What about Tythes? Could this be the work of a faction within House Crimson?"
That one made Dhan pause for much longer before answering. "We are... less certain. Officially, every faction is unified in helping fight the Asplundat Movement if they go to war. Our spies suggest that Wiltur himself is behind the push into the Dustwind Plateaus, so we're still sorting through his basic motives."
Given what Tythes had been doing on Slest, Nauda had no doubt that he was working against his father again. She didn't trust him far at all, but she did believe the intense statements he'd made when they traveled together. Of all the problems growing on Fithe, she didn't think those two were the biggest, and secretly hoped they would eliminate one another.
"You implied the Asplundat Movement withdrew," Theo said, "but we still don't have any evidence to offer Homez. Shouldn't that be a higher priority?"
"It pains me to say it, but we may not understand the shape of this war." Dhan gestured and a map of Fithe descended from the ceiling - a much larger map than Nauda had ever seen before, with lands beyond the Norron continent. "Our evaluation of the military potential of Tymetron is that they have Dominions so powerful that they could annihilate the Ruling Cities and the Asplundat Movement together. We don't know if they aren't serious about their offense, if they think this demon ploy will work, or if they're waiting for something else."
"Can't you just..." Abruptly Nauda put together the pieces. "Tymetron is one of those places where you can't just jump in via a weirkey without causing trouble, isn't it?"
"That is correct."
"So that's why you wanted to investigate the gate." Nauda turned away from Dhan to catch up Theo. "While I was looking for the weirkey, I found a gate between Slest and Fithe. Dhan thinks that it comes out in Tymetron, so that might be our path in."
"Not the continent," Dhan corrected. "That would have been too much to hope for. The gate comes out on a large island called the Gold Wastes - too small for the empire of Tymetron to conquer, but still reasonably powerful. We hope that investigations there might reveal more."
"But you haven't gone yourselves," Theo said, "so you must want one of us to do it."
"Correct. Your Ichili companion might have been ideal, but she has not been in contact for some time. We believe that a Ruler traveling from Slest might be able to avoid attention in a way that we could not."
Nauda glanced at Theo at exactly the same time he looked at her. It might have been fun to go together, but she quickly realized that it wasn't to be. She had what she currently needed from Slest, and she had spent enough time searching. If she wanted to avoid falling behind her friends, she needed to focus on regaining strength.
"I... want to ask a favor," Nauda said. "I want you to take me to Tatian."
Dhan frowned. "Unless there is a pressing military need, that's out of the question. The Landguard is always zealous about policing their world, and they have grown tenser as of late. Besides, we have the gate just outside the city."
"Then I want a swift vehicle and supplies to make the journey as quick as possible. I need to cover a lot of ground."
"That can be done. In preparation for the war, the Ruling Cities are producing a larger number of flying chariots."
"And I need another weirkey in exchange for mine."
"...you must discuss the rest of this with the administrators."
If Nauda got permission from an Authority, she hoped that Antha would be able to connect her with a suitable vehicle. For that matter, she hoped that she had time to catch up with Antha and her other friends in the city. Before that, Dhan wanted to discuss the remaining details with them. Curiously, he never even asked why she wanted to go to Tatian - apparently she was in the good graces of the House again.
Theo definitely wondered, based on his glance toward her. They'd need to discuss that and many other things once the meeting was done. With a minimum of fuss, they agreed that they would take several days to prepare, and unless Fiyu returned, Theo would go investigate the Gold Wastes. Nauda hoped that Fiyu did return, and not for military reasons.
Business complete, Dhan vanished. As soon as they were alone, Nauda hugged Theo again.
"I didn't realize how much I missed this," she said softly.
"Are you telling me that you didn't share your warmth with any Slescans?"
Nauda jabbed him in the ribs, but she didn't let go with her other arm. "Shut it. You can't embarrass me with closeness, since I'm so much better at it. You and Fiyu are the family I have now."
"I know." Theo rubbed her back with a bit more vigor. "We have a lot to talk about, not least what you've been constructing in your soulhome."
"Ugh, not soulcrafting already. Surely there's something else?"
"Senka is back."
Finally pulling back, Nauda cast him a sharper glance. "And herself?"
"Intermittently. We have a lot to talk about."
"State of Rest?"
"State of Rest."
They departed to the restaurant to finish catching up. She had some questions to ask about his impressions of Slest, and to her surprise he wanted to ask her about the Fithan farmers on the plateaus. Despite his apparent focus on himself, he cared about them more than most Fithans.
Of course, they did talk about soulcrafting sooner rather than later. Over the next several days, as Nauda prepared for her journey, they hashed out blueprints and made plans for sublime materials. Almost immediately, Theo arranged for her to view a wide variety of Arbaian rocks for use in her staff tower. Honestly, his ability to get things done scared her more than his combat ability. He would no doubt be very popular on Slest.
At one point, while discussing ways to improve her cantae flow up her three towers, Theo stopped and stared at nothing for several seconds. When she tried to press further, he only said that she'd given him an idea. She couldn't think of any possible comparison, since their soulhomes had such radically different flows, but apparently it had helped him in some way.
Even before that, there hadn't been a shred of begrudging when he helped her. He clearly enjoyed soulcrafting, but underneath the surface he truly seemed to like her as well. And Nauda had to admit that she was going to miss him, when they went their separate ways again. It was a shame that Fiyu didn't return as well, or those days could have been a wonderful reprieve.
The one thing they didn't do was discuss the far future as much as she wanted. She'd hoped that she could discuss the balance of power on Slest, in particular its vicious system of castes. From her view, it was impossible to make changes with her power, and maybe impossible for anyone, but she'd hoped to get his perspective. Unfortunately he was far too focused on his upcoming ascension to Authority. Given how many of her hopes rested on that tier, Nauda couldn't blame him.
Eventually they were prepared and Dhan returned to provide transport. All three of them went to Slest together so that she could introduce him to the forces she'd left around the gate. Theo confirmed that he could use his techniques to safely clear the landslide on the other side, so they left him there to investigate.
Maybe he would find out some secret of Tymetron that would change the war, maybe not. Nauda had been focused on Slescan wars and weirkey hunting for too long. Dhan at least had the decency to place her just beside the gate out of Norro Yorthin with all her supplies.
"I hope you find what you need in your home," Dhan said as he turned away. "Please return as soon as you can. Blacksilver needs to see that Tatians stand with them even at a time like this."
"They think I wouldn't?" she asked.
"It's said that, when it comes to war, Tatians will always choose their own families. They don't have enough examples from the upper side of your world." To Nauda's surprise, Dhan turned back to her and placed a hand on her upper arm in the Tatian fashion. "I know that a House is not a family, and that you don't know me well. But I look forward to your return."
An instant later he turned away, his Ichili mask covering his face and his posture entirely warlike Fithan. The warmth of his fingers on her arm lingered and Nauda found herself wondering how far Dhan had explored on Tatian. But a moment later he had vanished through the gate, so Nauda turned back to her home world.
It had been almost three years since she stepped through that gate and left Tatian for the last time. Back then, she had been glad to be done with it and see new worlds, yet now she found herself immensely glad to be back. The long list of tasks she wanted to accomplish was important, but it paled in comparison to standing beneath an appropriately warm sun.
Nauda stepped into her chariot to begin, since she needed to hurry. But there was time to take a very long breath first.
Chapter 15
Now that she was a Ruler, Fiyu wanted to do nothing but soulcraft. She had mastered most of the basic skills long ago, but she needed to build up her spiritual muscles now that she had broken through to a new level. Just crafting sublime materials into bricks for her third floor was a strenuous yet satisfying activity. Given how she had only just caught up to her companions, she had no shortage of work.
And yet, for reasons that she couldn't possibly deny, her relative insisted that they leave Ichil. So Fiyu found herself packing up all of her things. At least that was easier, now that she could store mundane items within her soulhome.
"We will be visiting the Fithan city of Nondol," her relative told her. "I believe it is the best location for you to acquire several types of materials for your Ruler floor."
"But I already have various materials," Fiyu said. "Will I need even more?"
"You do not know how far you may travel, or if we will be separated again. I wish for you to have all the core materials you might require to survive, even if you are on an incompatible world."
Fiyu disliked that implication, but she supposed that his argument was prudent. In a sense, it didn't matter where they went, which was why she had only asked about their destination right before the trip. She checked everything stored within her soulhome, then stepped closer to her relative.
"This is a delicate trip," Relative Guchiro said. "There is little danger, but I need to take care. Do not be alarmed when we arrive."
Then her relative activated his borrowed weirkey and the darkness was torn away from the world. Fiyu did her best not to swallow her heart as they crossed the void, and she held tight to her relative to avoid stumbling. It seemed to take longer than usual, then they stood on firm ground again.
Instantly Fiyu was overwhelmed by the immense weight all around her. A world of dense pressure, crushing toward her from every side. She would have been alarmed, if her relative had not advised her against it. On her second pass with her senses, she reassured herself that none of the density was moving any closer to her. They stood within a perfect sphere of ordinary air.
Her first reaction had been so overwhelming that Fiyu had not even looked around her. Now that she did so, she found her environment at once familiar and strange. They stood on a floor of stone with unremarkable buildings: except for being formed of darker rock, they could have been from Norro Yorthin. All of it was lit by soft blue lights held within elaborately carved spheres.
But beyond that, the city was nothing like she had seen before. All of the buildings were contained within a giant sphere of glass. In every direction she could see, there was only crushing blackness: the pressure she had felt at first was the entire ocean pressing in on them. The lights illuminated some distance beyond the glass, but endless fathoms of ocean stretched beyond.
It was somewhat relieving to note that the glass was incredibly dense, far more than the water around them. And it only stood to reason that if the city had survived this long, it would not be harmed by a little more water. Still, she could not help but look to her relative to ask the obvious question.
"If you had used your weirkey less precisely, would we have ended up in the water instead?"
"It would have taken a grave error, because of these." Relative Guchiro walked to the edge of the empty plaza and set his hand on a stele that stood at the corner. There were four, and though they were intricately carved from a sublime material, they had been so ordinary compared to the glass bubble that she had barely noticed them. "Certain materials not powerful enough to become weirkeys have other effects on such inter-world movement. They are often used to prevent weirkey travel in a region, but they can also be used to guide it."
Before she could ask anything else, a Fithan woman approached them. She seemed somewhat troubled by their arrival, despite the fact that she wore a uniform and emerged from a small tower like she was posted to guard the plaza. Perhaps they received visitors at a more sensible rate than the Fithan normal.
Fortunately, her relative was prepared to speak to the guard, and their conversation was brief before the two of them were permitted entry. Wondering if the others would be as open, Fiyu stepped closer to her relative to whisper to him. "Ask her if the Order of the Deepest Blue preaches against outsiders here."
"I do not think it's necessary, but..." Relative Guchiro asked the question indirectly and the official just gave him a strange look. Soon they were ushered onward without any trouble, and her relative leaned closer to her. "Remember that Fithe is an entire world. Nondol floats in an entirely different ocean, so they have never even heard of the Order here."
Chastened, Fiyu remained silent and resolved to simply observe. There was certainly a great deal to see.
As they approached one side of the glass sphere, Fiyu began to sense what she had already expected: they were only inside one fraction of the city. The sphere extended into a glass tunnel at one end, large enough for many to walk side by side without touching unnecessarily. On the other side, the tunnel merged into a far vaster sphere that was only one of many.
Since it was beyond her more precise senses at first, Fiyu stared at it with her eyes. The city of Nondol floated like a cluster of sapphires glowing in the darkness, yet the spheres were so large she couldn't make out any individuals from her distance. It showed a trilateral symmetry, so she looked to the side and found a thin line of light: another tunnel and exterior sphere similar to the one she walked in. No doubt there was a third on the other side, hidden by the city.
"How does it remain in place?" she asked. Her relative started to loosen his jaw, then paused instead.
"Your senses are now a part of your body. I think you will be able to tell."
After building her Corporeal Floor, her senses had come so naturally that she rarely needed to exert herself. Now Fiyu did so, stretching around the edges of the city to find the answer. Along the way, she discovered a surprising number of animals. Few neared the tunnel lights, but there were schools of dense fish moving in strange patterns. Far larger creatures swam further out, and she briefly feared what would happen if they rammed the tunnel. But they were soft, slow-moving, and apparently peaceful.
Beyond them, Fiyu brushed against something far denser beneath the central city. She frowned and focused on it, slowly making out rings of what felt like a sublime metal, more durable than any she had felt since the Yorthin Coliseum. Gradually she realized that it was a vast chain, each link larger than her body. The top piece was fused to the bottom sphere of the city and she guessed that the other end was anchored to the ocean floor. How to construct such a thing, on the other hand...
"What happens if the city is damaged in battle?" she asked. The idea of a crack appearing in the glass troubled her deeply.
"The depths Fithans are a people of war," Relative Guchiro said, "but even more focused than their relatives on the surface. Unsanctioned dueling and other reckless actions are strictly outlawed. Individual sections of the city can seal themselves in the event of a disaster, and there are other precautions, but obviously they hope that none of those will ever be triggered."
"And they all live like this?"
"Only some of them. There are other cities closer to the surface, unpleasantly bright by our standards, and a few live on floating cities far from land."
Though the city wasn't too bright for her, Fiyu actually found its light more troubling than even the Fithan sun. They were surrounded by darkness, yes, but they broadcast their sapphire light in every direction. On Ichil, everything would have been carefully cloaked so that the city didn't announce its location. No doubt the oceans contained predators, so she could only surmise that they were not drawn to the light for some reason.
As they entered the first sphere of the city, they received a few strange glances but continued untroubled. That left Fiyu to wonder at everything around her. She noted large clusters of tiny fish at certain points and realized that they were eating waste released from the city. There were so many people and buildings... she wished that she had her companions present and wondered what they would have noticed.
After so long on the land, it was a little strange to be surrounded by depths Fithans. Their bodies were a bit smaller and more wiry than their counterparts on land, they generally wore their hair shorter, and with her new senses she could feel how their horns were firmly rooted in their skulls. Their clothes tended to be made of less porous materials and adhere closer to their bodies.
