The Fourth Gate: Chapter Thirteen

As I stepped into the apartment, Kiran shut the door behind me. It sealed with a chunking sound, and the wards hummed to life, powerful and deeply complex. They were primarily intended to keep people out, though, so from the inside I was almost sure that they were sixth gate wards in quality. 

I had been told that a competent person in their given field can reliably jump one gate, while an expert can do two. I thought I was a good general example of that rule: I could fight Arcanists with some regularity, and could make potions… okay, well, I’d fallen a bit behind there, in large part due to rapid advancement. But I had once been able to make potions a gate higher than I could, and even now, I could make simple designs charged with more mana. 

The fact Kiran had wards that felt closer to what a sixth gate mage could manage, and yet was still in the top sixteen was rather concerning. Perhaps even more concerning was that, now that I was inside, the wards didn’t stop. I was only standing in the small entry hall, with the side table to put keys and papers on, but it was still stuffed with wards. Each of the walls had a separate ward from the exterior one built in, there was magic in the table, and even the carpet that led deeper into the apartment radiated abnegation mana, blood magic, or both. They were a bit more subtle than the castle siege wards that had been laid down around the walls of the apartment, but I had the sense that if I attacked Kiran in his house, he’d immediately be able to cover the entire area in force wards, activate a dozen stored blood spells to rip my body apart, and probably not even leave a mess. It felt like the kind of room a serial killer would have. 

“Are you working for the Lady in Yellow?” I wondered aloud. Kiran shot me a look and frowned. 

“The wandering amoral vampire?” he asked, sounding genuinely confused, then continued when I nodded. “No. Why would you even think that?” 

“You’re telling me you couldn’t shred my body to pieces without leaving a drop of blood on the carpet?” 

“Mmm. Not sure, you may be able to escape,” Kiran said. “I’m not done yet. I only have the entry hall complete.” 

He led me through the hall, and we passed by the kitchen. Since I hadn’t actually had a chance to look in my own apartment yet, I peeked in and gawked. It was larger than most apartments had any right to be, with a six-burner stove, dual ovens, and multiple appliances neatly stacked on open shelving. 

Kiran’s face actually shifted away from the flat mask or annoyance as we stepped through to the living room, with its L-shaped couch, a communication mirror that was easily four times the size of my own, and a ceiling to floor glass window wall that overlooked the city and flowed out onto the balcony. 

“You must not have come from money either,” he said as he noted my expression. 

“I’ve been very lucky in terms of resources, but my dad owned a bakery. It was in a nice part of town, but it was nothing like this…”

“Mmm. I grew up in a small village outside of the City of Sin,” Kiran said. “Maybe even a hamlet, I’m not sure. Even visiting the city was a shock.” 

He gestured to the couch, then walked over and took a seat at one of the slightly uncomfortable looking square, modern chairs that didn’t have a great view of the mirror, but would let us see each other fairly well. I sat, and Kiran leaned forward slightly. 

“Let’s start out by making something clear. I’m not intending to hand over Satya’s earring, no matter who sent you to claim that she owed a heavy debt to them.”

“I… still don’t know who Satya is,” I said, shaking my head. “I was told that the earring belonged to the Sekhem Court, and got lost or stolen a long time ago. In order to save my partner’s life, I agreed to get it back.”

“The earring was created by a mage known as Satya the Bloodsoul, though she raided their vaults to do it. Some of the materials that she couldn’t get her hands on other ways or else barter from them were stolen from their vaults.”

“That does put me in a bit of a pickle,” I admitted. “I can see why they’d want such a powerful reserve of blood magic and deep mana, and since the materials came from their vaults, there’s even an argument that they should own it.” 

Kiran blinked very slowly, and for some reason, the way he did it made me think of a fish. 

“Is that what they said it was? A mana and deep mana storage device?” 

“Oh Primes. Is it a kitten and orphan chipping machine?” 

“What? No. It’s a vessel, built to contain Satya’s soul. But it fell into the ocean a hundred and twenty years ago, and I found it after it washed up on shore. That’s why I won’t hand it over.” 

“Are you planning so far ahead in your immortality that you’re trying to keep the vessel for yourself?” I asked, genuinely confused by the line of logic. He’d found it, and there was some claim to it, sure, but if I found a golden earring on the ground and knew it had been stolen, then I’d try to return it. 

“No. The Bloodsoul may be gone, but there are some things in there that are important. It’s… I need it. I can’t just hand it over. Especially not to the Sekhem Court.” 

My brain began to click at his phrasing. Up until this point in the conversation, he had been calling her Satya, but now he was saying Bloodsoul. And he hadn't said Satya was dead or even that the Bloodsoul had died. He had said the Bloodsoul was gone.

He had also said there was something important in there, and that it was meant as a soul vessel for a blood mage. He'd denied it being a storage vessel for mana and deep mana.

“The Bloodsoul is gone?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Not dead. She broke her Title Crystal, didn’t she? Her soul is still in there, and she’s been mentoring you. You’re a good blood mage, maybe even great, but it’s clear your true passion and skill is in wardcrafting.”  

Kiran’s entire body went still, a sort of unnatural state where he didn’t blink, twitch, or even breathe. For all intents and purposes, it was like he had become a wax statue, or maybe a corpse. 

“Share your secret with me,” he said. “You offered, but haven’t.” 

“Let's start with a name. I am Malachi.” 

That wasn't a no, but it also wasn't a yes. Luckily for me, I had a way I could fetch some confirmation of my own, while also sharing a secret. I mentally reached out, holding out my hand. Golden light began to spark, before Dawn’s form erupted into the air. She swept her gaze across the room, then focused on the earring.

Kiran’s body jerked, and he tried to stand, but Dawn was faster. She flashed forward in a streak of light like a falling star, slamming into the earring, and a moment later, the form of a woman stumbled out. She looked to be in her fifties, with hair tied in a severe bun, and a radiating power that was a true seventh gate mage, albeit one without a title. The woman let out a gasp and raised her ethereal hand, but Dawn’s magic flared, and a shell of light, so thin and gentle that I could barely see it formed around Satya. The ghost, or rather, soul, froze and stared at the dragon, before she turned and looked at me. 

“Boy, explain. How in the thousand peaks did you manage such a stable bond with… that thing?” 

“I fed her several drops of destiny after she fell from the sky,” I said calmly. “Her debt to destiny to survive is paid, as near as I can tell.”

“You must have gotten extremely lucky to have found her in the instants before she died,” Satya said. “And considering how much other power you’ve managed to amass, you are going to have to pay for all your fortune in time.” 

“When it’s time for me to pay, I will,” I said, though I had to admit that I felt a twinge of discomfort in my stomach at the idea. “Does this qualify as a secret of reasonable quality?” 

“I don’t–” Kiran started, only for Satya to cut him off. 

“Yes. But I think you can see why I don’t want to be handed over to the Sekhem. I am attempting to repent for some of the harm I caused. I did many terrible things, so perhaps I deserve the tender care of the Sekhem. But I would sooner slip into death on my own terms.” 

“Turning over a new leaf is a good thing,” I said. “An assassin who was sent to kill me is working to defend the city of Delitone from slaughter spirits now. Far be it from me to hold your century-old crimes against your attempts define who you will one day become.”

“You don’t even know what I did. For all you know, I could have infected your companion, the one with the hag blood.” 

“You didn’t – their curse is older than you. But even if you did, I’d be frustrated. No, I’d be angry. But I couldn’t sentence you to being tortured and killed for it, not if you’re genuine about your attempts to start over and become a good person.” 

Satya sagged in visible relief, then shook her head. 

“You are a strange person. Far too soft to hold as much power as you do.” 

“It seems you’re in a rather sticky situation,” Kiran said. “I don’t want to give up my adoptive aunt, and you don’t want to hand her over. But you have a debt to repay.”

Scraps of a plan started to come together in my mind, and I tapped my fingers together in thought. 

“Well, not necessarily. What if… Hold on, we shouldn’t speak here.” 

I tilted my hand and opened a portal into Dusk’s realm, into my much humbler living room, then rose and stepped through. Dawn began to float over, and Satya did as well, clearly not wanting to risk losing the protective bubble that Dawn could maintain to let her remain manifest in the outside world without passing on. Kiran looked very uncomfortable, but he stepped in as well. As soon as we were out of the Storm King’s potential hearing range, I turned to look at Satya and Kiran. 

“There is a woman, gathering power. A healer, sixth gate, named Keerthana. I believe she stands to challenge the Sekhem. The Court doesn’t have a true Occultist at the moment, let alone a Titled. What could happen if Dawn maintained your spiritual integrity while I handed over an empty earring?” 

“Are you certain this woman, Keerthana, would accept?” Kiran asked. 

“Certain? Not at all. But I’ll be honest, while I don’t have a fundamental opposition to the existence of vampires, I do have a problem with the rulership of the Sekhem Court over its territory. I’m confident if Satya could help Keerthana ascend to seventh gate, even without a Title, she’d be able to overwhelm the Sekhem Princes.” 

“Set aside your plans for shaking apart the whole Sekhem Court for now,” Satya said. “Even if nothing comes of it, how long can your spirit hold me outside of the earring?” 

I glanced at Dawn, then tried to make an estimate based on the mental feedback she sent me. She once again sent the measurements in inter-planetary movements, and Hannah saved me.

“Roughly three or four hours,” I said. “Less in combat. Maybe half an hour.” 

“I will visit this healer woman, and we will see what comes of it,” Satya said. “For now, do you think a spatial mage of your ability could break into their vaults? I could train you in some Sekhem defenses from my time.” 

“Maybe? I have a few tricks, but nothing concrete. I know one of my mentors has been itching to teach me wardbreaking.” 

“I could help you practice against blood magic wards, and other, modern wards,”  Kiran offered.

“Three conditions,” Satya said. “If you can agree to them, then we can play along. If not, you’ll have to find some other way to assist the Sekhem and pay your debts.” 

A part of me was tempted to argue, but Satya would quite literally be putting her immortal soul into Dawn’s hands for the plan, if it stuck to roughly the same shape as it was now. 

“First, burgle my earring back, along with whatever else you can. Perhaps someone can help us distract the court, perhaps not, but you will need to do this. I have no wish to die” 

“If you give me time to learn wardbreaking, and help me as you said, I don't think that is unreasonable,” I responded. “Second term?” 

“Second, I’ll need to implant a portion of my Bloodmind into you. Are you familiar with the Dreamrealm?”

“Vaguely?” I said. 

“The Ba Vampires have spells that call upon blood, not as a physical substate, but as the concept within the Dreamrealm, within the hearts and minds of others. I can create a Bloodmind from these spells, tying my Intent to a portion of that blood. If a Bloodmind is placed in someone, its effects can range from simply allowing communication with the caster, to acting as a method for the Ba to be reborn, to turning the implanted person into a servitor. Before you hand me over, you will take a Bloodmind into yourself, to serve as a temporary emergency anchor in case the earring is destroyed, and as insurance against your spirit simply dropping the shielding. I will remove it after.” 

“That’s quite the hefty price, but I can understand your desire for insurance,” I said warily. “I'm not agreeing now, I need to speak to my mentors. What is the third price?” 

“Mana from your Starsoul dragon, with a chance to study her,” the woman said. “After the deal is done, I wish to incorporate her Soulshield, or whatever you call it, into my earring. It could offer me significantly more mobility and freedom.” 

Dawn pulsed in gentle agreement, and I bit my lip. The desire for the spell made sense, and if Dawn was in agreement, I wouldn't protest. Honestly, if not for the fact we’d need to trick the Sekhem into thinking she was dead, I’d have suggested that we make it now. The modification would be far too much of a tell, though, so best to leave it for after.

No, that condition wasn’t the problem, nor was the first. Robbing the Sekhem Court was the kind of thing that I could get behind. The problem was the bloodmind. 

“Take a bit of time, if you need it,” Satya said. “We can all promise to keep one another’s secrets, but we still have a few weeks until the end of the tournament.”