Skyvenom: Chapters 20-21

Here are your chapters for this week.

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Chapter 20

After the feast, there was nothing to do but prepare for their assignment. Whether they chose to travel to Western or Southern Ostic, they were going up against a Stronghold in charge of an important court, so there was no sense in rushing.

Despite all the work that it had taken to reach that point, Nauda was satisfied. Every Deuxan court wanted to use them as tools, and it seemed like even Esaire was being used, but this way they could enter into agreements on their own terms. In their discussions, Theo said that finishing both missions would be ideal - he wanted them to not just run errands, but to make an impact and earn permanent allies. Nauda shared his goals, if not his optimism that it would be so easy.

So far, they had spent the first of six planned weeks preparing. Some of that involved discussing the military situation and training with Ostic soulcrafters, but it also involved being given sublime materials and other support in preparation for their mission. It seemed like they'd made enough of an impression that Greater Ostic was really investing in them.

Currently Theo was talking with some of the local Authorities. Nauda would have joined him if she hadn't noted Chlira first - always easier just to let Theo handle her. She would have gone over eventually if she hadn't been startled by Nourise floating down beside her.

"Just checking in on you," the Stronghold said, as if this was an ordinary state of affairs. "I must say, this week hasn't been quite as productive as the last."

"Because we're getting ready for your war," Nauda said. She might have been worried about angering the Stronghold earlier, but the whole court was relatively relaxed and Nourise didn't seem like an exception. "But I've been working on the same connections as before, and they'll only get stronger."

"I'm curious to see what that looks like. I'd be interested in your blueprints, if only you'd change your minds there."

"Sorry, but no. We don't doubt your intentions or your expertise, but we can't afford to reveal the edges we have in this fight."

"You aren't wrong." Nourise didn't look at her directly, instead staring out toward where Theo and Chlira were talking. It seemed like the Stronghold was working her way toward something, her elegant forehead slightly wrinkled, but Nauda spoke up first.

"If you want us to be more effective, we could use a Deuxan weirkey," Nauda said. "We already have others, so we can move anywhere on Deuxan with just one. That's better efficiency than you could get with any of your own soulcrafters."

"I must refuse. Engaging in war via convocations means that all our best soulcrafters need to travel across the continent more than usual." Nourise regarded her with an odd expression. "Theo put you up to that, didn't he?"

"I want the weirkey too, but yeah, you got me."

"That's one thing about this I don't understand. He seems to be setting policy for your group... why do you follow him? I dismissed you earlier, but you - and the Ichili, if the two of you are together - could be richly-rewarded leaders anywhere. Why throw yourself into a war as dangerous as this?"

So that was what it was all about. Nauda wasn't even sure how to answer that question. Did she explain how Theo had spent half a year risking his life to help her free Nlukoko, without even any reward he considered worth it? Did she try to describe how long they had been traveling together and how thoroughly their goals were entangled? All of that seemed too much like Deuxan bargaining and she wasn't sure she could, or should, explain it.

"It is not coercion or exchange." Fiyu appeared out of nowhere as her stealth dissolved and even Nourise looked disconcerted for a moment. "We are traveling companions, and this does not change when one of us encounters a difficulty."

This simple statement seemed to surprise Nourise, so Nauda joined in. "You aren't trying to recruit us, are you? I'm afraid our loyalty can't be bought."

"And a terrible shame that is." Nourise gave them both a wry smile and started to shift away.

"And what about you? Why stay here, where you can be countered by so many other Strongholds, instead of being an absolute leader somewhere else?"

"Because this is where the game is." Nourise smiled as if the answer was obvious and then flew away, disappearing in a subtle wind that seemed to cloak her presence.

Yet those final words... something about them rang a little false to Nauda. Perhaps that was irrelevant, perhaps the Stronghold's true motivations would be highly relevant to their struggles. Nauda had every intention of staying here, but she would also be glad to leave Deuxan and its machinations.

Sometimes it felt mad to think that she was truly speaking with Strongholds, if not as equals than at least on the same playing field. When she had been growing up, the Strongholds of lower Tatian had been incomprehensible monsters that reshaped the world as they saw fit. Of course, now she understood that there were Dominions among them, and perhaps worse. She was still nowhere near capable of confronting them.

At least not yet. A few years ago, going back to save Nlukoko had seemed impossible, yet now the city was free again.

"Even if it was not important to Theo," Fiyu said, "I think it is important to do this. Esaire has caused us a great deal of trouble, and caused suffering on Tatian. The problem must be resolved, permanently."

"I don't disagree, but that sounds very final." Nauda smiled and stepped to stand beside Fiyu to take any edge out of her words. "Do you think we should kill him, then?"

"I do not know if it would be right to kill Esaire. It would seem simpler... but perhaps it would only lead to greater difficulties. The Demon Court... Vistgil... these are very substantial problems, ones I cannot fully sense."

"All of that seems a bit too big for me, too. But about what you said earlier... when are we going to repay you for all your help?"

Fiyu looked at her as if befuddled. "But Nauda, you have already helped me a great deal. You protected me when I was separated from my relative, you helped me reach the Animallight Messageplace, you have supported me every step of the way. We are traveling companions. And... and we will be more, yes?"

"Yes." Nauda squeezed her hand encouragingly, hoping she hadn't asked too much.

She did wonder at times, though. Fiyu held her concerns very close to her heart and Nauda wasn't sure that she could discern all of them yet. She strongly suspected that Fiyu wanted to help Guchiro once she was strong enough, and she also seemed very concerned about whatever power had altered her message on Ichil. It wouldn't surprise her if Fiyu would dictate their direction in the future.

"Queens where?" Krikree skittered nearby with anxious energy, antennae darting, and Nauda realized that they had been cloaked by Fiyu's ability again. It often slipped over them when they were together, as if to create a world just for the two of them.

"What is it?" Fiyu asked as she lowered her cantae.

"Krikree scout sublime! Bridge materials for Nauda-queen! Cantae source for Fiyu-queen!"

They all settled down to work on the new materials, since they couldn't let the time go to waste. The new material didn't seem quite appropriate for Fiyu, which barely put out Krikree. On the other hand, the bridge materials turned out to be perfect, so Nauda got to work.

She was slowly and surely preparing to unite her statue's legs: she'd built up the support structures for her hips and was waiting on the actual structure to unite them. But in the meantime, since the struts between towers had worked so well, Nauda had decided to expand them into semi-permanent bridges. She'd already built up the bricks to support them on all sides, and opened up doors in all three towers, even if they were only frameworks in two cases.

Once she was done, all three of her towers would truly be a united soulhome. Maybe a bit of a strange one, since it was two connected legs with random bridges sticking out of them, but the cantae flow felt excellent when she tested it. Each tower still worked primarily on its own, as she'd planned, but she could draw on the others when necessary.

Perhaps in the future she could do even more with those synergies, especially once she developed her future arms. But for the time being, she wanted to keep working on the stomping technique she had used against Nourise. It was still a bit messy and unshaped, but it felt surprisingly right. If she could combine that intuition with concrete soulcrafting, she thought it could be quite useful.

None of that would be done in a day or indeed a week, of course. Nauda had only made a little progress when Fiyu emerged from her soulcrafting.

"Would you like to journey into Central Ostic for dinner, Nauda?"

"I wouldn't mind," she answered as she finished up another brick. "Is there a problem with the palace's food?"

"No, it is nutritious and well-cooked. But we have been only fighting and soulcrafting for a long time. I fear that we will soon face more challenges, so I would like to take a moment to relax before it begins again."

"I'd like that. Do you know any-"

"Krikree eat?" The Slescan popped up between them, her antennae flicking from one to the other.

Sometimes Nauda couldn't judge what Krikree was thinking, especially since she was becoming more circumspect with her pheromones. She clearly understood their relationship, but Nauda wasn't sure how much. She was saved from having to figure anything out by shouts from the field in front of them.

It looked like the Deuxans were moving apart, forming a rough ring around a silver dueling circle embedded with emeralds. A wall of wind lit up around it, partially obscuring the two figures flying inside, but Nauda had already seen them: Theo and Chlira, apparently ready to duel. There was absolutely no way of telling whether this was a friendly fight or the beginning of another vendetta, not from the shouts of the audience or their relaxed expressions.

"Fiyu, do you think this is serious?" Nauda asked.

"Their bodies are tense for battle, but there was little previous tension in their necks." Fiyu shook her head. "I believe that it is merely a challenge."

"Well, I'm happy to leave that to Theo. How do you think it's going to go?"

"Theo-sister win!"

Nauda had to admit that the Slescan's forecast, though not unbiased, was probably accurate.

~ ~ ~

It wasn't an easy fight, but it also wasn't a real one. Theo realized as the duel continued that he actually had the strength to control the pace: he didn't need to throw his all into it, he needed to prove himself without dominating his opponent.

What surprised him was that Chlira was actually good. He wasn't surprised that he could crush weak Authorities who had cheated their way with sublime materials or ruined their soulhomes in the ascension. But Chlira was a skilled fighter with three fully crafted floors and what felt like most of a new Ethereal Floor, which she used effectively for explosive wind attacks.

There had been a little doubt at the beginning, as he adjusted to dueling within the wind-ringed arena. At their speeds, the ring wasn't so far across, so it was like fighting in a column. A serious attack could push through the wind, but it was generally an obstacle, painful to slam against and constantly limiting movement.

Once he'd adapted to that, though... Theo kept the duel under control and pressed Chlira harder and harder until she dropped to the untouched ring below.

"Alright, I'll leave you there," she announced. "You're not bad."

"You're not bad yourself," Theo said as he dropped down opposite her.

The other Deuxans cheered good-naturedly, since an even duel didn't offend anyone's pride. Chlira looked at him more skeptically, her Deuxan eyes practically silver lines. When she spoke again, it was just for him. "When we met before, you acted like you didn't even know the Three Masterworks. Now you have a basement, and you were clearly hiding a Corporeal Floor from me."

"Why reveal anything when you don't know if someone will be an ally?" Theo asked. He didn't have the heart to tell her that his Corporeal Floor wasn't complete or that he planned to balance it with his Ethereal Floor.

"It's completely different from Urmandix Court. I almost wish we could take you and the other one to fight them, but Nourise says it isn't a priority."

"Urmandix Court? I remember the location, but I don't see how they're relevant."

"It's a balance of sublime materials," Chlira explained. "Here in Ostic, we have more materials suited to Ethereal Floors - not many, you understand, but enough that it's characteristic of our court. Urmandix Court is the best place to acquire materials for a Corporeal Floor, which is why it's unfortunate we don't have a stronger alliance with them."

"I imagine everyone is conscious of the possibility of merging the Three Masterworks. What about Occoire Court? You've given us a lot of information about troop placement, but do they have a specialty in sublime materials?"

"Well, that's... actually, they..."

Chlira wasn't usually tongue-tied, but it seemed like she was struggling with something. Almost like she wanted to lie but didn't think she could get away with it, if he read her right. But her uncertainty was interrupted by a booming sound as cantae exploded across the sky overhead.

"People of Ostic, I mean you no harm! I have journeyed here solely to resolve a convocation of souls with outsiders."

Sartozi aima Occoire hovered over the city, and if there was any doubt about his intentions, he had Esaire with him. No, it was worse than that: the man and woman standing behind them weren't Authorities, they were both Strongholds.

So much for the plan.

Chapter 21

As the battle began, Fiyu hesitated.

She was no longer a child or young soulcrafter, so she felt this was irresponsible, yet it was so difficult to discern the battle. The problem was not the combat itself - despite all the Strongholds involved, Fiyu was confident in herself and her ability to act in an environment where others were stronger than her. What made her hesitate was the political quagmire that meant that using her full lethality from the start might be a mistake.

If she understood the rules of the convocation, which she had thoroughly reviewed, killing an enemy in the middle of a sanctioned war was acceptable and not subject to vendettas. Yet Deuxan emotions might not agree with the rules, and not everything that was permissible was prudent.

Fiyu had one action she was certain of: she grabbed Friend Nauda and hid them both. She would have taken Associate Krikree as well, but the Slescan had been gravitating toward Friend Theo and then raced off toward him when things went bad. Thankfully Friend Nauda did not struggle, just looked back over her shoulder.

"Waiting to see how it turns out?" Friend Nauda asked.

"Perhaps, but I also want you to be able to begin with a surprise attack," Fiyu said.

That was the difficulty: in a battle like this, her first strike was her greatest chance to turn the tide. Thus there was a very tense decision of when to take it: she didn't want to watch her friends struggle and not act, but acting prematurely could betray her friends. By mirroring the strategy with Friend Nauda first, she could somewhat split the difference.

Before Fiyu needed to make any further decisions, Associate Nourise appeared in the skies over the city in a rush of wind.

"What is it this time, Sartozi?" she demanded. "Aren't we on even terms?"

"Not any longer. Please allow me to introduce Aima Urmandix and the Masked Stronghold of the Demon Court!" Enemy Sartozi gestured to his companions, who were indeed both Stronghold-tier soulcrafters. Beside them Enemy Esaire seemed weak, and yet he might be the most dangerous of the group, considering he had caused all this.

"You're bringing warriors from off the continent?" Associate Nourise shook her head. "That's clearly in violation of the convocation rules."

"Oh, but this isn't about our personal squabbles, they are here solely to deal with the matter of the foreign Authorities. If they are permitted standing in the convocation against me, why not Deuxans from further abroad?"

Was that logic considered sound, by Deuxan standards? Fiyu misliked the idea that her companions could have changed the rules and made things worse, but she also suspected that their enemies would bend the rules as far as possible regardless. Just in case, Fiyu gestured to Friend Nauda and they began flying to a different location in case the enemy had been tracking them.

There were no further arguments: instead one of the new Strongholds unleashed a ray of raw cantae toward Associate Nourise. She responded with cantae of her own and the two raged back and forth as they struggled for mastery. Was it a rigid technique, a formal challenge, or something else? That made it even more difficult for Fiyu to decide when to act.

But as this struggle began, the rest of the air over the city dissolved into chaos. Enemy Esaire charged for Friend Theo while Enemy Sartozi began gathering cantae in his robes, as if for some new attack. It looked as though Friend Nauda wanted to act, so Fiyu flew her closer and released her.

Friend Nauda burst from stealth and grabbed Enemy Sartozi from behind, trying to bind both his arms. He was truly startled by this attack, but he responded by releasing his shockwave through his back. It clearly hurt Friend Nauda, but her defenses were newly reinforced, so she could endure a little longer.

Was this the moment that Fiyu needed to act? Enemy Sartozi was temporarily bound, but since he could release shockwaves from his clothing, he might not be vulnerable from any angle. Or should Fiyu act to assist Friend Theo? He had evaded Enemy Esaire and then out of nowhere Associate Chlira rose to join him, meeting Enemy Esaire's charge with a burst of wind.

Either of those conflicts could use Fiyu's assistance, but would that be the best use of her surprise attack? She could of course enter her stealth again, but once her opponents were anticipating such a blow, they would be more alert or even begin using auras and other techniques to inhibit her. Especially in a battle like this, she needed to choose her moment carefully.

Beyond any of the current fights, the most worrying threat might be the Masked Stronghold. Unlike the other Deuxans in their silver robes, she wore lacquered armor that covered most of her body, including a thick mask. Fiyu could not sense anything unusual behind it, so it might simply be a precaution. So far she had yet to act in the battle at all, instead standing in the air where they had arrived.

At first Fiyu had believed that Enemy Sartozi brought two Strongholds in an effort to win the convocation of souls immediately. Either she had misunderstood the rules, the Masked Stronghold was not going to act, or Associate Nourise had simply refused to surrender.

But what action would best resolve this? The Masked Stronghold was the greatest threat and did not seem to be alert for an attack, so Fiyu might be able to injure her, but that could also draw her into the battle when she would otherwise remain neutral.

A whistle of alarm broke over the battle, a mangled code indicating panic. Fiyu immediately fixated on the Ichili whistle, even as she realized that it wasn't actually the codes she knew from home. No, it was a pheromone - she had never studied pheromone communication the way her companions had, but she was gradually picking them up and her mind translated them into whistling codes.

It seemed that Associate Krikree had attempted a surprise attack on Enemy Sartozi along with Friend Theo. Unfortunately, as admirable as her ferocity was, she couldn't compete against a Stronghold. She had only served as a brief distraction allowing Friend Nauda to get free - she and Friend Theo were fighting, but Associate Krikree had plummeted into the ground. As she emitted panic and struggled to her feet, another shockwave expanded toward her...

Fiyu acted on instinct, flying in and carrying Associate Krikree away before she could be struck. They just barely escaped before the shockwave impacted the ground, destroying silver cobblestones.

"Fiyu-queen!" Associate Krikree emitted panicked and relieved whistles while gripping with her limbs that weren't holding weapons.

Ordinarily Fiyu would have been dismayed by so much contact, yet it felt strangely acceptable. Associate Krikree was only an Associate through Friend Theo... and yet, compared to all the other Associates on the battlefield, she felt much closer. In a combat scenario such as this, it was not inappropriate for them to contact one another.

When Fiyu set Associate Krikree in a safer location, she immediately drew more spears from her soulhome and began skittering to enter the battle again. This time it seemed she was targeting Authorities, which was much more reasonable. But that still left four Strongholds on the field... and Fiyu in the same situation of uncertainty.

Had they seen her act to save Associate Krikree, or presumed her existence after Friend Nauda appeared? For that matter, Enemy Esaire could well have told them about her abilities. Fiyu generated a blade of cantae around her hand, determined not to wait and do nothing, and yet she could not see where it was best to act...

Perhaps it was most important to assist Associate Nourise, who was still locked in battle with Adversary Urmandix. Fiyu slipped around behind him, avoiding all the shockwaves and cantae bolts, and prepared her blade. Did she strike to kill? Could she afford to do otherwise against a Stronghold?

"Enough of this!" The Masked Stronghold suddenly raised her voice and her cantae swept over the battlefield. Not just cantae, but massive sharpened shards of what felt like demon carapace. "You are outmatched, so surrender at once!"

Her announcement made everyone on the battlefield hesitate, even Associate Nourise. As the cantae struggle began to fade, Fiyu panicked, wondering if she had waited too long and they were about to surrender.

Before the battle could end, Fiyu struck, slashing through Adversary Urmandix's raised arm. It drew significant blood and he flinched in pain, so Fiyu used that moment to hold her cantae blade against his throat.

She wasn't sure if it would actually be lethal if she tried to strike, since a Stronghold had much stronger cantae and no doubt other defenses. But after drawing blood, the blade itself to his throat might be a more potent threat. Her adversary froze as if he took her threat seriously, and even the Masked Stronghold paused as if Fiyu had disrupted her planned announcement.

Everyone turned to look at her and Fiyu froze - it might have looked determined, but in fact she hated to have so much attention focused on her. Associate Nourise watched, Enemy Sartozi hesitated, and Friend Theo's eyes flickered around the battlefield as if reconsidering.

And then, just when Fiyu thought it couldn't get any worse, more soulcrafters began to appear.

~ ~ ~

As far as Theo understood it, there were no real rules except for the balance of power. Sartozi couldn't show up and annihilate the city or he'd be sanctioned by everyone on the continent, but he would push the rules as far as he could. Even bringing in an outside Stronghold was dubious, despite his rationale, but he would get away with it if he won the battle decisively enough.

So this was all about demonstrating their power... and that demonstration had just frozen into a tense standoff.

Nourise and the new Stronghold had been matched with one another, though Fiyu now held a blade to his neck. Theo and Nauda couldn't beat Sartozi, but her increased defenses and his intensified cantae meant they couldn't be overwhelmed, either. Esaire and Chlira were basically canceling one another out - he might have been able to win, if his focus on Theo didn't hamper him.

All of that left the Masked Stronghold as the single most dangerous element, especially because the Demon Court could entirely change the game. Fiyu's action had interrupted things, but if the Demon Court didn't care about any soulcrafters in Socirro, it might not be enough.

Could Theo tip that balance? Given enough time to build a large singularity, he might be able to, but Theo again regretted that he hadn't been able to enhance the technique for use at this level. If everyone did start fighting, he would likely be needed every second and building a large enough singularity would be a challenge.

Then, just when it looked like the standoff might calm down, several more Authorities leapt in by weirkey. Some were clearly from Occoire Court, including the angry woman who had attacked them earlier, but others he didn't recognize at all.

Before they could attack, a new Stronghold arrived in the air. Theo felt their cantae first and half-expected another member of the Demon Court, but this one was somewhat local judging from the eyes. It was an older man with radiant silver hair and armor half-again the size of his body, so he must represent some other force.

"This is getting out of hand," he said mildly. "Outsiders interfering in our affairs? The Demon Court entering a convocation of souls? Enough of this. All of you must stand down and come to Accilonia to resolve this formally."

So the largest power of the region had gotten involved - that would have been a relief, if not for everyone who was involved so far. Just as Theo had feared, the Masked Stronghold waved a hand as if to dismiss the new Stronghold.

"The Demon Court does not acknowledge your interference," she said scornfully. "You can see the balance of power, so you know how the war must end according to your rules."

"I count two Strongholds standing for disorder, and now that I have arrived, I count three standing against you."

"You miscounted."

When she spoke, another Stronghold arrived in the air. It was impossible to tell anything about them from within the armor and mask, but the red lacquer made it clear that they were another representative from the Demon Court.

Six Strongholds on one battlefield... had Theo ever experienced anything like that, even in his heightened first life?

"Do you seriously intend to invade Socirro in violation of our treaties?" the Stronghold from Accilonia demanded. "Sending one Stronghold is a provocation, but attacking us directly would mean war. If you send a Dominion, don't forget we have our own."

"The Demon Court could sweep away your pathetic Dominion, if we so chose." The Masked Stronghold appeared to be gathering her cantae as if she intended to keep fighting. All around the battlefield, everyone who had paused tensed up and Theo wondered if the standoff was about to become a bloodbath - or could someone else show up?

"You may not respect Socirro, but you might respect our guests," the old man said. "We have Strongholds from Mercury Court staying with us, and they warned that you might seek to interfere. Tell me, oh masked one, how far are you willing to escalate this?"

Theo still didn't know much about the Mercury Court, but judging from how both Strongholds from the Demon Court hesitated, it must be a powerful one. It was implausible that there was some higher court yet that could dominate all of these, so likely the Mercury Court was a power on par with the Demon Court. These Strongholds might be authorized to interfere with anyone on the continent, but they couldn't start a war with another major world power.

For several ominous seconds, everyone remained in place, still willing to attack. Then, surprisingly, Sartozi floated higher toward the new arrivals. As he did so, all the violet cantae bled out of his robes.

"I take responsibility for this chaos," he said toward the old man. "As far as I was concerned, this was a simple local matter I expected to be resolved. But whoever has become involved now, this is still fundamentally a convocation of souls. Can we not settle this like civilized soulcrafters?"

"That would certainly be our preference," the Stronghold from Accilonia answered. "There is no need for this infighting. If the Demon Court has some interest in Socirro, why not come to Accilonia and participate formally?"

The two foreign Strongholds floated together, speaking briefly, then the woman turned to him. "We will respect your jurisdiction, but we have our own concerns in this matter."

"I know that you do. There have been whispers of the Salebrante interfering in our courts... but I don't see them now. Let's negotiate before you overstep yourselves."

The name "Salebrante" resonated in Theo's memory, but he couldn't remember exactly where. Whoever they were, the reference caused a visible flinch in both Demon Court soulcrafters. It seemed to have scored a point and both of them stopping burning their cantae.

All across the battlefield, the standoff finally eased. Sartozi gestured for his backup to stand down, Nourise finally turned off her Ethereal Floor, and Fiyu retracted her blade. Esaire looked furious, but with this level of overwhelming power around them, he couldn't unilaterally attack again.

It seemed that the rules of war had held, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. Against one Stronghold, or maybe even two, Theo would still bet on himself and his allies. With this many involved, their power couldn't turn the tide. Going forward, they would have no choice but to play the game and negotiate with allies.

"The Demon Court isn't the one at fault!" Esaire flew upward, still furious but not attacking. "This all began with him: an outsider who sought after the forbidden Teraeves vaults and threw our court into disarray. All I've done, I've done to protect Deuxan!"

Everyone was looking at Theo and he wished he was still wearing his Deuxan robes, since just as Senka had said, they would have been a better defense. Instead he remained calm and met the eyes of all the Strongholds around him, refusing to give an inch.

"I don't know all of your politics," Theo said, "but an investigation will make clear we have never struck first and have always followed the rules of the convocation of souls. I won't be slandered as an invader."

"Both of you will have time to make your case in court." The old man waved a hand and it seemed like he was confident in his authority again. "As I said, come with us to Accilonia. We can all make war there without unnecessary bloodshed, and who knows? Perhaps you'll resolve the Teraeves dilemma once and for all."

The others had seemed to relax, but Theo felt a chill run through his entire body. This was what he had feared: he was drawing attention on a global scale, directly related to his past. Maybe Brigana's family was no longer being watched by Vistgil and this was just another passive trap, but he wasn't willing to bet on it. He was proud of his progress as an Authority, but it was far too early for this.

As everyone returned to the ground, Theo's memory finally supplied what he'd forgotten earlier: the name "Salebrante" had been spoken by the fleshmasker who Theo had fought on the Dustwind Plateau. They'd been implied not just to be a dangerous on Deuxan, but implicitly involved with inter-world organizations. Just when he thought the problem had scaled as high as it could, it ratcheted up one notch further.

He'd reentered Deuxan in order to find out the truth... it seemed like he was going to get what he wanted, the only question was whether he could survive it.