Wakespire: Chapters 34-35

I think readers will be glad to know that I've finished some minor edits to this book based on feedback. No guarantee there won't be more, but it feels better to be on top of things. Nothing huge, just tweaks I hope will make the final book read better for more readers.

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Chapter 34

Finally, the draining stopped. Theo's body was so overwhelmed with relief that he nearly collapsed. The pain hadn't been much compared to the Archive of Misery, but physically it had taken a toll. Force of will kept him on his feet until his brain engaged enough to remember that he could hover with a gravitational field. But what about the others?

When he looked back, he saw them only a step behind. They clung to one another, supporting each other on the way up, but it looked like they were at their limits. At a glance he couldn't tell how drained their soulhomes were, so he could only estimate from his own and how much they'd exhausted on the way up. It didn't seem like they had much left.

Could he use a gravitational field to lift them up? If he pulled them into the air, the increased drain might well send them out of the spire. The slope had eaten away at all his other techniques, so there didn't seem to be many choices left...

Grimacing, Theo turned around and stepped back onto the draining slope. His leg seized up in pain as the needling sensation returned, but he only needed to get far enough to reach them. He grabbed each of his companions by their cloaks and pulled.

All three of them pitched backward, stumbling through the next portal. They collapsed onto the floor at the same time, thankfully a carpeted one. For a time they just lay there, gasping for breath.

His final maneuver had split up Fiyu and Nauda, but Fiyu pulled herself up and moved over to the other woman. She carefully reached out and cupped Nauda's hand with her own.

"Thank you, Nauda," Fiyu whispered. "I..."

"I care about you too, Fiyu." Nauda looked like she wanted to say more, but they were all exhausted.

"After the Wakespire, we will speak more."

Theo wasn't sure what they needed to talk out, since he had been entirely focused on getting up the slope. Whatever it was, it sounded like it was a personal issue for them and they were setting it aside. That left him with the presence of mind to finally turn around and look into the room. As he'd presumed it was another office, with a Noveni official regarding them in surprise.

"Is this the end?" Theo asked. "Did we win?"

"Uh, this is a Room of Blessing." The official shifted awkwardly. "I'm not sure why you're here, exactly."

"Aren't we supposed to get two of each decision type?"

"I don't know, I'm not in charge of the portals."

Probably more handicaps from the judges. Theo should have looked at the model and started thinking about strategy, but he had a more important question. "Is there any kind of time limit on this room?"

"Not as far as I know." The official opened one of his drawers and began looking through a book. Theo ignored him and took a while longer just catching his breath.

Resting would let them recover physically and mentally, but it wouldn't be enough time for them to fully restore their cantae. Still, some rest could make a big difference. His singularity output more cantae than average and would at least partially fill his rooms. Nauda had a heart chamber in each tower, so she would recover a usable amount as well. Fiyu would restore the least, but her Corporeal Floor should keep her fighting fit even without it.

Eventually Theo pulled himself to his feet and straightened out his coat. The pain had faded, so he wasn't in bad shape. Definitely drained, but that was why he had put so much effort into the efficiency of his soulhome. Whatever unfair challenge they threw at him next, he would at least be able to face it with all of his techniques.

The state of the model spire made all the effort worth it. Far fewer lights glittered on it now, and there was a huge gulf between his team and the others. Terefilia struggled on, many floors below, and Gatrium was surprisingly still present. Ugustial Beta had disappeared, but Theo mentally thanked them for their assistance. Most of the others were clustered near the bottom, stalled one way or another.

"So we need to bless someone, one more time?" Stupid question, but he asked it anyway.

"Should work like before." The official finally looked up from his book. "Umm, it says that you'll be disqualified if you stay here too long. It doesn't say exactly how long, though, so it's probably up to the judges."

Theo groaned and turned back to the others. "We'd probably better go before they find an excuse."

Fortunately, Nauda and Fiyu were on their feet. They remained close together but looked focused, not as if they were going to let any emotional issues drag them down. As he'd hoped, they appeared significantly recovered and they all had a little more cantae left.

He'd actually turned to them to stall for more time, though. If the judges were making the decisions, he didn't think they would disqualify him if it seemed like he was actively moving toward a choice. And he did actually need to think about that.

Giving the blessing to the Ugustial Beta team would have been a nice way to thank them, but they were already out. He considered the remaining Ugustial team, but he doubted that they would be able to reciprocate. Now that he knew blessings weren't anonymous, he could grant it to the Terefilia team just to gain more approval. Then again, would two blessings really matter much more than one to them?

His eyes drifted down to the Gatrium light and Theo's lips twitched in a smile. What would the Gatrium Authority think, suddenly receiving a blessing from the team far in the lead? It could almost be perceived as an insult, but his lineage desperately needed any advantage they could get after their previous humiliation. Might as well continue his strategy of defensive friendliness.

"Bless the Gatrium team," Theo said. The official nodded immediately and bent down to his work.

That left Theo and his friends to enter the next portal. All worn and exhausted, but hopefully capable of taking on another challenge or two. They were already beyond the twentieth floor, so the judges were presumably looking for ways to eliminate them. Surely they couldn't have too many more options like the draining slope.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready." Nauda struck her staff against the ground as she spoke and Fiyu nodded.

They plunged into the portal and found themselves inside another circular dueling room. Maybe even the same one? It was difficult to tell with cantae cleaning off all signs of each fight. There didn't seem to be anyone else present, and according to the model spire, there was no one else even close to them. Would the judges really make them wait until the end of the competition?

Then the exit portal lit up... and Nifanos Dortorus walked out.

"You were so upset about waiting for someone to fight before," she said with a smirk. "I volunteered to step in to offer a challenge that might be more suited to your exalted standards."

"I... don't suppose you're going to leave your Ethereal Floor inactive and fight us with your fists?" Theo asked wryly.

"No." Nifanos grinned, her eyes blazed green, and emerald lines shot through her wings.

Her assault wasn't a bolt or beam: her cantae struck them like a wall. In such a small chamber, she was capable of blanketing the entire space with an all-out assault. Amplified by her Ethereal Floor, her cantae was more intense than even his and slammed against them with overwhelming force.

Theo fought back anyway. He generated a singularity between his hands and willed it to absorb the cantae flooding his way. For a few precious fractions of a second he actually saw it make an impact and soak up some of the cantae rushing toward them. Then the light swept around him and he slammed back against the floor.

For a while Theo just lay there and groaned. The pads in the exit room were soft, but not when thrown into them at such speed. He looked to either side and was relieved to find Fiyu and Nauda lying there as well. All had been a little burned by the assault, but they were clearly intact.

Getting back to his feet, he examined the flaming letters that declared their victory:

Wakespire: Fourth Round

1) Jadadictus Alpha - 315

2) Dortorus Gamma - 160

3) Terefilia Underclouders - 150

4) Dortorus Alpha - 150

5) Dortorus Beta - 140

6) Ugustial Beta - 90

7) Foreign Mercenaries - 60

8) Ugustial Alpha - 50

9) Terefilia Lineage - 40

Because their new points had been added to the Jadadictus team, the victory was a little muted, and there would be no point looking at the totals in the main room. It didn't matter. All he cared about was what the number meant and the accomplishment it represented: they had crushed the normal scores for the competition. He was trying to figure out how to share those thoughts with his friends when Isorales burst into the room. It looked like someone had healed his injured wing and his grin definitely looked recovered.

"That was amazing! We had to h-"

The spatial technique took hold of them again and they were all deposited atop the spire. Once more the princes of Noven stared down at them. This time, Theo saw begrudging respect even in the most stubborn. One of the Dortorus princes smirked at him, as if sending a veteran Authority with an Ethereal Floor against exhausted soulcrafters proved any sort of point.

"You are unquestionably the victors of this Wakespire," the lead prince said. "Accordingly, you will receive the largest portion of the prizes as well as one choice from the best of the sublime legacy."

"The bloodglass sculpture." Nauda didn't even need to look at him before speaking, just announced their decision. That was what they had been doing all this for, after all. Even though the reward didn't help him personally, Theo smiled as the rewards were brought out.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the bloodglass sculpture, as it was unquestionably the most powerful. An artisan had put together thousands of jagged pieces of glass into a statue of a winged beast that looked like it could murder someone by falling over on them. Each piece appeared to be formed of a different type of glass and they all strengthened aspects related to physical combat.

Some of the other sublime materials would be more useful for other people. Theo had his eye on some metal bars that were white gold on one side and black on the other, plus he saw a number of undercloud materials that might be suitable for Fiyu. And there was yet more local money, not that they particularly needed it.

Isorales didn't seem interested in any of them, instead looking to his grandfather at the end of the arc of thrones. Jorotafes Jadadictus stared over the group as if actually looking at them for the first time, then settled back with a strange repositioning of his wings.

"You actually made something of my useless grandson." His gaze passed over the group skeptically, but when he settled on Isorales, the old man nodded. "Sacrificing yourself was the correct decision in this contest. Just don't do it in real life."

That made Isorales beam and he bowed several times to the old man. Theo edged closer to him. "Is that actually a compliment?"

"From grandfather? Some in our lineage would kill just to be called 'not idiots'."

Some of the other princes congratulated them as well, even the woman from the Dortorus lineage. Theo thought about bringing up the issue of the room of darkness, but decided that it was best not to push their good will. Noven's systems might be corrupt, but they weren't malicious. The best strategy was to grin and find a way to keep winning.

Only one of the princes said nothing: Ractifus Terefilia sat on his throne in grim silence. That was little different from his apathy after previous rounds, but there was something new in his eyes. Theo met his gaze and wasn't sure what passed between them. He was just about to raise the issue when the lead prince announced that they were done and they were all sent back to the base of the tower.

Guchiro met them and offered his quiet congratulations. They said farewell to Isorales and made plans to discuss further strategy before they all fell into the sleigh. On the way back they said almost nothing as they took time to recover from the entire experience.

Only once they were almost back to their rooms did Nauda speak up. "I suppose you already have another strategy for us, Theo?"

"Not this time." Despite what he said, his mind started working on it. "The next round is the very last of the Wakespire and I'm not sure what strategy everyone will use. If the trouble between lineages is going to boil over, it's likely to happen then. We should just prepare for anything."

"Meaning more soulcrafting. Wonder of wonders, joy of joys." Despite Nauda's tone, she was grinning.

It sounded like Nauda and Fiyu had things to talk about, Guchiro was holding his tongue about something, and Theo still had work to do with Senka. Theo tried to arrange everything in his head while they returned to their rooms. Maybe it was futile to make any plans for the time being and he should just sleep first.

Before he could rest or even soulcraft, there was a knock on the door. Guchiro answered first and Theo wanted to ignore it, but not long afterwards he was called forward.

A black-winged woman stood outside, offering a sealed letter. "I bear an invitation from the Terefilia estate," she said. "You are encouraged to join us at your earliest convenience."

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Chapter 35

Just in case the invitation turned into another drawn out battle, Theo let the group take a full day to rest. Between Nauda's healing and simple time for heart chambers to restore their cantae, they were in decent condition by the time they headed out. Since then they hadn't been contacted by any of the other factions, so the invitation remained a mystery.

Unlike with the Jadadictus lineage, there was no vehicle to take them there, or even anyone to guide them. Fortunately, Guchiro had apparently learned more about the city than anyone had expected, because he knew the location. Once they were all in the sleigh, he flew them over the city toward the Terefilia estate.

Once, the brilliant pools of light concentrated by the glass panels overhead had blinded Theo. He hadn't even realized that his acclimatization chamber was helping him adapt until he was enjoying the brilliant sunlight as they passed through one. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know what purpose they served in the city. Gaining power in the Wakespire and traveling more of Noven with Senka meant that he'd invested little in Ugustial itself.

It was an observation, not a conclusion. Theo simply considered everything they needed to do as the sleigh made its way across the city.

When they reached the Terefilia palace, it was as grand as any of the others, but observably barren. Most estates of major lineages would have had petitioners meeting, guards training, and non-soulcrafters going about their business. The Terefilia estates sat golden and vacant, with only a single guard to meet them at the door.

"The invitation was only for three." The young man, barely a soulcrafter at all, stared at Guchiro nervously. "I can't stop you, but the prince will punish me if I disobey..."

"Very well." Guchiro glanced once at Fiyu, then returned to the sleigh to wait.

"Would he really do that?" Nauda asked. The young man immediately looked away.

"I shouldn't have said anything. He's been getting better recently, truly. And I think your visit will cheer him, which we'll all appreciate."

Who exactly that "all" was, Theo wasn't sure. They were led through a massive but empty entrance hall deeper into the palace without any other residents showing themselves. Once past the main hall, Theo did see some signs of the late Katarikus Terefilia: paintings of black-winged Noveni, ornate statues, and a few rooms that might have been inhabited in living memory. As a whole, however, the palace was desolate until they reached a sitting room.

"Welcome!" Ractifus Terefilia rose from a plush armchair and greeted them with a surprisingly broad smile. "Apologies for anything harsh I may have said to you previously. This Wakespire has been so exhausting, I barely know myself. But your performance this round - ha! You should have seen the faces on all the princes as you shattered their records!"

Could the grim man who stared at them after every round really be this cheerful in private? Theo was taken aback, so it was Nauda who spoke first. "Thank you. We did the best we could, given circumstances."

"And you should have done even better!" Ractifus walked to a well-stocked cabinet and poured himself a glass of violet wine. "The fact that they forbade you from using soulcrafted abilities in the dark room is simply absurd, shameful, scandalous. These fools fear anything that wasn't already old when they were growing up."

"But you couldn't do anything about that decision?" Nauda asked.

"I am but one voice on the council... and, to be perfectly honest, I wasn't going to stick my neck out for a bunch of outsiders."

Despite the strangeness of it all, Theo smiled. Ractifus was more charming than he'd seemed at first, and Theo still remembered how the prince had made a good point about his singularity. Apparently the old man had more facets than had been apparent at first, and those might be useful to them.

"Do you think you could convince them to allow me in all the rooms?" Fiyu asked.

"We could, but that's a losing strategy, dear girl." Ractifus took a long drink of his wine, murmured appreciatively, then began pouring more. "They were actually discussing further restrictions, such as changes to the method of removing contestants. They weren't particularly happy about your trick to get through the dueling chamber."

"Then... what do you suggest?"

"You've already proved you can win the game they put forth, so why not prove you can win the real game?" Ractifus turned to look at them again, finally showing a little of the grim expression he wore at the council. "Let me tell you a little of the truth of this conflict. I'll give that to you for nothing, but in exchange, I hope you will be willing to help me."

That seemed more than reasonable, so the three found chairs. Ractifus returned to his plush armchair but only sat on the armrest, swirling his wine while he apparently gathered his thoughts.

"Katarikus Terefilia came to Ugustial from below, believing that he could establish a new lineage and change the political landscape. By the time my dear uncle was old, he was a bitter old man who had seen his designs come to nothing. Too much prejudice from the sunside Noveni, or at least that is how it appears to me."

"There seems to be a long-standing conflict between them," Nauda agreed.

"But not one that's relevant for now. What matters is that when Katarikus died, he left behind a rather substantial sublime legacy. The vast majority of it is useless to me, because I'm soulcrafting a different blueprint. But there is a single item in it that I very much want, a material called a lineagegem. For complex reasons that would be tedious to explain, I can't get my hands on it until the very end of the Wakespire... the real problem is that the Dortorus teams plan to steal it."

"Dortorus?" Theo frowned as he considered what that meant. "They seem to want the entire legacy."

"Perhaps they do, but they want the lineagegem most of all. When it comes time for the final round, they will leave nothing to chance. Instead of risking losing everything in the competition, they intend to attack the spire itself. That is the reason they have been causing so much trouble: to weaken their opponents. They don't care if they ruin their reputation, as it will be ruined anyway once they steal the lineagegem."

"Didn't one..." Fiyu trailed off and looked toward Nauda, who picked up her question.

"A Dortorus team member claimed that someone had murdered someone in their clan."

Ractifus smiled wryly. "Perhaps it was a murder, perhaps it was internal conflict - I certainly have no way of knowing. For now, they're only using the death as a bludgeon to excuse their actions. Anything will do, so long as it puts them in a better position to steal the lineagegem.

"And you don't need to trust me on that." Ractifus paused to take another sip of wine. "Mark my words: in the final round, they will again adjust their teams. Their Authorities will be mysteriously absent, which only the judges will know. Then, when so many of the city's Authorities are weakened from the competition, their strongest will strike! Years of reputation burned, but they believe the lineagegem will be worth it."

"Is it?" Theo asked simply. While what was being said made some sense, he felt certain that Ractifus didn't want to give them the whole story. Most obviously, why couldn't he have simply taken the lineagegem from the sublime legacy?

"It is a powerful and exceptionally rare material. Fortunately, their efforts have been significantly hampered. Not least by your little team, since you've robbed them of two different victories. Their Authorities will not be as powerful as they had originally hoped, so their task will be far more difficult."

"Do we need to be worried about their more powerful soulcrafters participating?"

Ractifus waved his free hand idly. "No doubt some of them will, but you don't need to worry about any Strongholds interfering. The lineagegem lies within the spire itself, which is a significant ward on its own. Most likely, the theft will be accomplished before the judges or any other powers of the city have time to react."

"You said you wanted us to help you." Nauda leaned back in her chair and examined Ractifus thoughtfully. "What can we do about this? Why not go to the other princes?"

"Other than the fact that two of them are in on the scheme? No, no, that's not a possibility." Ractifus waved it off while taking another drink. "What I want is for someone to catch them red-handed. So this is what I propose: pretend you will remain in the Wakespire, then withdraw all but token participation at the last moment. Instead of facing another challenge, under even more unfair odds, you can ascend the spire by another path and stop the Dortorus theft. Believe me, that will earn you the greater rewards."

The whole story was plausible, especially as in Theo's experience powerful institutions would rarely play fairly all the way to the end. What appealed to him most was the chance to shift the game. After fighting his way to the top of the spire only to be eliminated by an unfair challenge, he didn't want to simply repeat the process for more points. Better to begin playing the political game and earn something more lasting.

"What is this other path you spoke of?" Fiyu asked.

"That would be this." Ractifus revealed a thin metal key from his robes with a flourish. "This is my key as a judge of the Wakespire, which will allow you to leave the central path. If you're found with it, I'll deny everything, of course, and they'll assume you stole it from an official. But I hope you can use it to ascend ahead of the Dortorus thieves and stop them."

"That all makes sense," Nauda said, "but you're asking us to risk a lot. In exchange for what? You said you wanted the lineagegem for yourself."

"Ah, but I can help you immeasurably in the meantime. As a prince of the city and a judge of the Wakespire, I can grant you access to many areas and resources. I can ensure the contest is judged fairly. Then, once all the fighting is over, I can ensure you are compensated accordingly. Bear in mind, you will be the saviors of the Wakespire and I will be a very wealthy man."

Theo looked at the thin metal key, then between his allies. Interesting as the suggestion was, he didn't want to make any decision so quickly. "We appreciate the offer," Theo said, "but for now we want to keep preparing ourselves. Contest or battle, we need more soulcrafting."

"That would be so terribly disappointing, but it's your choice. I had really hoped that it would be you. After so many other disappointments, you impressed me so much."

"What about the primary Terefilia team?" Nauda asked. "They aren't working for you?"

"No, they represent the Terefilia lineage from below the clouds." Ractifus waved his glass again and rolled his eyes. "They don't know me and don't trust me. Actually, I wouldn't have been surprised if they were working with the Dortorus lineage to steal the gem from me, at least until the two started fighting each other so much."

Which brought to mind the Dortorus Ruler who had been brutally crippled during his ascension, by a Noveni presumed to be paid by the Terefilia lineage. Theo had almost been wondering if Ractifus had been behind it, given the hardness in his eyes. Now, it seemed more likely that he was simply struggling to acquire his uncle's sublime legacy in difficult circumstances.

"Still holding your answer? Pity." Ractifus finally withdrew the key. "I don't have many options left, so I hope you'll change your mind. But I should warn you, it would be better to make your decision within two weeks. There will be an interesting little event you'll only be able to enter with my approval. I suppose, since I respect you, I should tell you that you might be able to get the Jadadictus prince to agree."

That was a curious promise, one that Theo couldn't interpret. He wanted to ask more, but Ractifus seemed to be finished with the conversation. They only said a little more, a few pleasantries of farewell, then they left the palace. The soulcrafter from the gate didn't even escort them on their way out.

Once they emerged in the outer courtyard, Guchiro visibly relaxed. They all entered the sleigh and said nothing until they were flying back over the city.

"I don't completely trust him," Nauda began, "but I kind of want to accept his offer. It would be nice to have a judge on our side for once."

"Not being involved with the politics hasn't stopped everyone from accusing us anyway." Theo turned from Nauda to Fiyu. "What did you think?"

"He holds himself very stiffly." Fiyu shifted in her seat with an odd expression as if she needed to work the words through her entire body. "Like someone who wants to give nothing away. It is unusual to have such control, for any world."

At that moment, Guchiro's staring at them became too much to ignore. Since Theo wanted the older Ichili's opinion anyway, he explained everything that had been said. The others joined in, so Guchiro soon had a complete recounting. He considered the matter only briefly before beginning at an angle that Theo hadn't expected.

"I believe that Ractifus is mistaken about the lineagegem," he said. "I have been conducting my own investigations while you competed. This contest does not exist merely to distribute a sublime legacy. Does it not seem strangely elaborate to you?"

"Not excessively," Theo said. "I've seen tournaments fought over sublime legacies before."

"Did they include towers filled with traps and techniques that required vast quantities of cantae to operate?"

"I suppose you have a point there."

"The spire is in fact a sort of combined armament." Guchiro turned slightly, looking away from the city as if he could see the spire. "It gathers all of the cantae spent inside and brings it to bear on a single point. I had been investigating it, but based on your evidence I believe that point to be the lineagegem."

"How very strange," Fiyu said. "Did they build an entire tower for one sublime material?"

"No, this has been done before. If this 'lineagegem' is what I believe it to be, it is a material built and tempered by cantae forged in battle. When its owner fell, the gem went silent. They now need to rekindle it in successive steps. Everything about the competition, from the length of time between rooms to the individual challenges, is dedicated to this goal."

Nauda raised an eyebrow. "Surely not everything. I don't see how a big puzzle room could help out the giant armament."

"I meant the totality, not every detail. Of course they also seek to strengthen the soulcrafting capacity of their city." Guchiro looked back to the group and shook his head. "But the lineagegem is more important. A fully kindled material inherited from a Stronghold is the quality of sublime material a soulcrafter could use to ascend to Dominion or beyond."

So Ractifus had been withholding some information from them. In a strange way, it made Theo trust the man a little more. He hadn't pretended to be anything other than self-interested and offered them a deal that benefited them, but benefited him far more. Theo could respect that sort of directness.

"Are we considering this?" Nauda asked. "The Dortorus teams have been so brutal this entire time, I'd like to stop them from just stealing what they want."

"But it would mean fighting all of their forces for real." Fiyu lowered her head. "And in only one month. That would be a great challenge."

"But Guchiro would be able to help, right? He could fight Nifanos, which will just leave the new Authorities. They've been so focused on the Wakespire, I don't think they're actually that formidable."

"It doesn't change what we need," Theo said. "We keep soulcrafting, build on our strengths, shore up our weaknesses, and make allies in the city. That will get us through the Wakespire or the battle."

The others nodded in agreement and Theo began making plans. He was glad that he'd rephrased himself. Originally he hadn't been planning to say anything about making allies. What they really needed, no matter how it was phrased, was power. As always.