Eight 5.37: No More Holding Back I

Author's Note: We're getting close to the end, y'all. Only a couple more chapters to go after this one. Also, in case you didn't see it, the first chapter of Fate's Attendant is now available for Level 5 patrons.

----

We each needed to return individually to the physical world, so I moved the spear, knife, and arrows protecting the doorway to my soul’s bastion out of the way. The glade on the other side was peaceful—a stream ran through it and a fresh breeze sighed among the branches of the trees. Crossing the boundary, I made my way to a ring of beautifully ancient redwoods.

I brought forth my desire to return to my body, and I awoke on the ground of the egg chamber, the space lit only by candle stones. The red light from earlier was gone. A sense of satisfaction settled into me; my authority was gratified by Baxta’s removal.

Yuki’s lichen tendrils poked from my face and hands like a bramble. The same was true for Fala and the Deer God. The hidden mind had been watching for enemies and protecting us while our spirits had gone journeying. With our return, the tendrils withdrew back into our bodies.

The Deer God stood up at the same time I did. Fala was only about a minute after us. Somehow, she looked refreshed, like she’d taken a break to go swimming after the fight with Baxta. I gave her a wondering look, and she stuck her tongue out at me.

The Deer God shook his head at us. ‘Flirt later. The immediate need is to answer the question of what to do with the hole left behind by the egg.’

There was tear in the fabric between life and death. The damage would no longer be worsened by the Maltrans, but until it healed, others might come by to take advantage it.

‘We need to take care of Sister Moon first,’ Yuki said, ‘then we’ll have all the time we need to address the hole.’

Right, I thought, Baxta’s gone, but that won’t stop Sister Moon’s ambitions. Even if she can’t do anything with the hole, she’ll want revenge for what happened here. It’s too dangerous to leave her be.

‘I would prefer not to fight inside the fortress,’ Fala sent. ‘We will need all our advantages against the empress, and that requires we be outside.’

‘We can rule out the way we came in,’ Yuki said.

‘I agree,’ Fala replied. ‘Eight dying once seemed to be fine, but twice is asking luck for a favor.’

I’m pretty sure I’d be fine, I thought, but it was clear no one took the idea seriously.

The Deer God tilted his antlers toward the stairs. ‘Let’s plan as we walk.’

The ground trembled as something heavy smashed into the fortress. My authority balked at leaving the hole as it was, but staying in the chamber and waiting for Sister Moon’s forces to find us was just another way to die.

I took a moment to collect all the water I’d dropped for the fight, and then we jogged up the stairs to the observation deck, where Fala cleared the path to the corridor beyond by taking the stone blockade into the Hoarder’s Pocket.

‘Sister Moon likely won’t use the fortress’s entrance,’ Yuki said. ‘Why would she when it’s buried under tons of rock? More probable is that they’ve walked atop the remains of the landslide and are attempting to break through the exterior wall of one of the upper floors.’

‘Impeccably reasoned,’ the Deer God said.

I wrinkled my nose as we ran past the chopped-up carcasses of Hall’s Glory. So you’re suggesting we go down, let them pass over us, and… where do we set up the ambush?

Fala hopped into the stone that plugged the stairwell leading down to make sure the way was clear. A moment later the blockade disappeared into the Hoarder’s Pocket. No one had answered my question yet; we’d all been mulling it over.

Yuki thought out loud: ‘Obviously, we catch them on their way out, but do we start inside the fortress and retreat outside? Or start outside from the beginning? What if they don’t leave they way they came in and follow our trail down instead?’

They’re bound to have someone with extraordinary perception among them, I thought. We can’t assume they won’t find our trail.

‘We have to start inside the fortress to make sure they follow us out,’ Fala sent. Then, I felt the flare of an idea inside her, triggering a similar epiphany in Yuki. The two of them suddenly became quite smug.

We do not chew rocks in this family, I admonished. Cleverness is good, but it’s also an illusion. We test our ideas to ensure they’re solid before implementing them.

The Deer God looked at me like I was a stranger. His expression asked, “Who are you? And what have you done with our real Oliver Sandoval?”

The network between Yuki and Fala lit up as the pace of their thinking increased; the ideas flowed back and forth. In the meantime, we made our way down through the fortress.

The candle stones shone on floors empty of people. The only movement besides ours was the dust floating in the air. We heard quite a bit, though. The fortress creaked and groaned as it continued to settle into its new position, and there was the occasional boom of an exterior wall being battered.

I’d been counting, and the hits came at about every forty-five seconds, which was a slower pace than I would’ve expected. Maybe their Earth-Touched was unfamiliar with sieges? Or they were being careful of ambushes? Both and/or something else?

Fala made quick work of the locked gates we encountered, the effort worth barely a blip of her attention as she talked with Yuki.

When are you going to have something for me to consider? I asked.

Yuki’s qi practically glowed; I felt it lighting up my dantians from the creative high they were experiencing. ‘Now’s good. We have the basic outline, but need your help with the sequencing.’

And the gist is? I asked.

Fala looked at me, our eyes meeting. ‘No more holding back.’

###

We split up, with Fala continuing onward to the buried entrance while the Deer God and I stayed in place until we knew where the Maltrans were coming in from. We holed up in the upper-level infirmary, since it was a good opportunity to relieve the enemy of their medical supplies.

Once that was done, we waited and listened to the banging reverberating through the fortress. It was a strange time, actually—the place felt like it should be haunted, but it wasn’t. Instead, it felt like we were stuck in limbo, the space between fights, and I realized that I was feeling anxious. Not worried, but just wanting this task to be done. It’d been an interesting challenge, but the puzzle was nearly complete. Only a few last steps were needed.

I started to think about afterward, of going home for a while and then leaving again to explore the world with Fala like we’d talked about. There was so much more to see than what the Maltrans could offer us.

‘I’ll likely have to stay here,’ the Deer God whispered to me.

Because of the hole? I asked.

His antlers dipped. ‘Someone has to guard it until it closes.’

We might seal it up tight, I thought. Fill the space with water, so that even burrowing animals can’t get to it.

His head tilted in consideration. ‘That might work.’

It’s your decision, I thought, and you should do what you feel like you have to.

‘You would use the water from the nearby mountain lakes?’ he asked.

Between Fala and me, we’d manage it.

‘Mmm.’ he replied. ‘Of that, I have no doubt.’

I leaned into his flank; his warm body in opposition to the cool air. A comfortable silence settled between us, punctuated by the Maltrans’ efforts to breach the fortress and Yuki’s reports on Fala’s progress. She’d gotten outside and was starting to dig her traps.

I was starting to wonder if the repeated banging was meant to lull to sleep when the Maltrans finally broke through. We heard the crash of stones above us.

Finally, I muttered.

The Deer God snorted, then he disappeared into the herd.

I crept through the fortress once more, carefully this time since enemies were about. Up I padded, listening with Owl’s Ears and sniffing the air with White-Tail’s Senses.

As I approached the stairs to the research level, Yuki said, ‘There’s qi moving above.’

I paused mid-step, but didn’t sense anything. How many? I asked.

‘We can’t tell for sure, but the volume’s a lot,’ Yuki said ‘There’s some serious spellcasting happening.’

‘They’re worried about an ambush,’ the Deer God sent.

I nodded. It was the most reasonable explanation, I’d decided, for the slow pace of their breach. Then again, the soldiers had an empress to protect. In their shoes, I’d also be paranoid.

The stones around me trembled as something heavy landed upon them. Surprisingly, there was still enough dust on the ceiling for some to fall onto my hair. The trembling came again, and then once more, beginning to repeat every few seconds.

I crept up until the herd’s boundary intersected with the floor above. The Deer God moved upward toward the edge of his range.

‘I see two soldiers remaining to guard the stair’s landing. The others are moving cautiously past the offices; their destination appears to be the observation deck. One of them is tossing a large rock onto the ground in front of them. With each hit the rock shoots splinters at the walls and ceiling, then the splinters return to the rock before it’s thrown again.’

Earth-Touched, I noted. Do you see Sister Moon?

‘Mmm,’ the Deer God. ‘She’s fetching for a human.’

You don’t feel drawn to her? I asked, making sure he wasn’t affected by her Charm.

‘I do,’ he replied, grudgingly, ‘but my distaste overwhelms it. Even if she’s not a sorcerer herself, she employs them to get what she wants. That… that is anathema to one such as I.’

I slowly released a sigh. The Deer could safely act as our eyes on the empress; the last piece of the puzzle was in place.

We’ll let them get to the observation deck before we act. Are the two guards wearing alarm stones?

‘Not obviously so,’ the Deer God answered, ‘but they are wary.’

Yuki popped up in my thoughts to caution, ‘You should assume they can see through Camouflage.’

Yeah, I thought. That’s probably a given in their profession. How’s Fala doing? How much more time does she need?

Yuki had an answer ready for me: ‘Ten minutes.’

That’s quick, I thought.

‘None of the work requires fine detail,’ they said. ‘She’s just shoving earth around, and she’s had a ton of practice at it lately.’

Okay, I replied. Ready ten minutes.

It took about that long for the clatter of stones from the floor above to go quiet, the silence thickening afterward. A sense of heaviness descended on the area—a feeling of immense displeasure.

‘The guards have turned to gaze in the direction of Sister Moon,’ the Deer God sent. ‘They appear shocked.’

She must’ve found what’s left of Hall’s Glory, I thought.

‘Or the empty chamber,’ the Deer God offered.

One or the other… I started.

‘Ready twenty beats,’ Fala sent.

A thrill ran through me, an anticipation. My weapons and gear were already in order, but I check them again—a habit to prepare my mind for what would come next. I also quickly rehearsed my first few steps, and got my Dog’s Agility running.

My skin tingled as Yuki layered a second cast of the spell onto the first, then they reinforced my body with an Iron Heart. The Deer God’s blessing came afterward; the herd looking after me.

I shifted my weight forward; the Dog’s Agility urging me onward. My hands eased their grip on the stilettos, so that it was just right—not too tight, not too loose. A breath moved through me.

Neither of the guards above were sweating, but that was okay. The Deer God had eyes on them. He’d direct me…

‘Ready five,’ Fala sent.

My thoughts still. Ready five, I replied and counted down the beats.

In.