Book 5: Chapter 5: Counsel
Victor woke the following morning feeling very rested and relaxed. He stretched, unwinding the soft, white sheet from his torso; he’d somehow gotten quite tangled in the night. He glanced to his right, saw the empty bed, and wondered where Valla had gone. “Probably breakfast,” he sighed, arching his back in another stretch.
When he realized he was sleeping in nothing but his underwear, a brief panic rushed through his mind as he scrabbled at the blurry memories of the night before. He laughed at himself as he remembered getting drunk, stumbling upstairs with his friend, and then stripping down and collapsing into the bed. “Nothing to worry about.” Talking aloud reminded him of Lifedrinker, and he jerked his head to the side, a wave of relief washing over him as he saw her leaning against the wall next to the bed.
He sat up, swinging his feet to the floor, and yawned again. He was tempted to follow Valla down to the common room, assuming that’s where she was, but he decided it was an excellent time to get some conversations in with some other people. He found his pants on the floor, clean, thanks to their enchantments, and pulled them on, along with the loose, comfortable button-up gray shirt he’d been wearing. That done, he went into the hallway and walked down to the bathroom to wash up.
When he returned to the room, Victor locked the door and sat on the floor at the foot of the bed. He turned his wrist to better see the pink gem set in his bracer, then activated it, sending Energy into the stone. As always, the ancestor shard pulled a torrent of Energy from his Core, and Victor felt his surroundings displaced by the weird, grayscale realm that existed in the crystal. Sharp angles changing the gray to white or darker gray were the only features of the strange place. Other than the hulking, brooding giant that sat before him, Victor revised.
“Welcome, scion. It’s been long, but I see you’ve progressed in your hunt for power.”
“Hello, Khul Bach.” Victor smiled, noting that his “self” in this strange plane was not reduced by the spell he’d confined himself with back in the normal, physical plane. It felt good to be himself, and he wondered if he’d grow to enjoy being a giant of a man more and more the longer he constrained himself with Alter Self. “Did you notice we left Zaafor?”
“We did? No, I had no sensation of the change.”
“Well, we’re on Fanwath now—the warlord tried to pull some kind of stunt on Valla and me. Even Tes was surprised by him, I think. We had to run, but I’m more determined than ever to go back there someday.”
“As you should be, scion. A Titan does not flee from his destiny.”
“Right. Speaking of destiny, I came to you for some advice. You remember how I told you about my ancestors’ kind of strange habit, you know, eating the hearts of their foes?”
“I do.”
“Well, I have a couple of potent hearts I’m supposed to eat, but I’m not sure I’m ready yet. I also have something called an ‘epic racial boost.’ Should I use that before my race is ‘epic?’”
“Why do you hesitate to consume the hearts?”
“It’s something Tes said. When she gave me one of the hearts, a night brute prince’s heart, she told me to wait until I was ‘stronger’ to eat it. Since then, I’ve gained four levels, but I don’t know if that’s all she meant.”
“Your ability comes from your bloodline, yes?” When Victor nodded, he continued, “I would use that epic racial boost now. To answer your earlier question, it won’t hurt to use it before you have reached the epic tier; you’ll gain a great deal from any sort of treasure of a tier that’s your equal or higher. It’s lower-tiered treasures that would be wasted on you.”
“And the hearts?”
“Once your bloodline has advanced, you may well feel powerful enough to take on the heart Tes warned you about, but why not start with the other?”
“Valla said something similar.”
“So, the small blue friend you told me about is still with you?”
“Yes . . .”
“Good. Gather your allies. Learn from them, form bonds, and lean on one another—you’ll need fellowship to achieve greatness.” Khul Bach nodded to himself, then shifted and asked, “Well? How go the other tasks I set you on? Has your axe skill reached the epic level? Have you made strides with your Sovereign Will?”
“I’ve been using Sovereign Will almost all the time, really only dropping it when I sleep. It’s still only ‘advanced,’ though. As for my axe skill, I’ve practiced a lot, and Karnice, before I killed him, thought it was near epic, which was a surprise to me. I thought I’d be working for years on that, considering what Polo Vosh told me about his own advancement.”
“We each face a journey unique to our own experiences and talents. Is this Polo Vosh a powerful warrior?”
“He’s one of the strongest in this world,” Victor said, then scratched his chin and shrugged. “I mean, I think he is. Really, I’ve never met anyone from the capital, and I got the impression that’s where all the oldest, strongest people live.”
“Very well. If Vosh has more axe skill than you, seek him out, and practice with him. It’s the best way to advance. What are your plans? Do you not have lands to conquer here? Put Vosh in your army!”
“I’ll do better than that, Oynalla,” Victor said, his voice growing thick with emotion. “When I honor my ancestors and send Energy their way, I’ll count you among them. I don’t know how it will work, but I know it will. Take my offerings, and use them to make yourself great in your next life. Will you promise me?”
Oynalla’s eyes narrowed, and her lips twisted as she wrestled with his words. Finally, she nodded and said, “Shrewd one, aren’t you, warrior? You’ll keep a hook in me, but I’ll gain a benefit. Well, then. Should your spell work and connect you to me with gifts of Energy, then I’ll seek to return the favor. Should I grow powerful, ‘great’ as you put it, I will send you aid when I can.”
“It’s a deal,” Victor said, something like relief rushing through him; he was losing Oynalla in this world, but he’d still have a connection—he was confident his spell would work, though he really didn’t know why; he might think of Oynalla as a surrogate grandmother, but she wasn’t really related to him. Did it not matter? No, it didn’t matter, he decided. His intent was enough. “I’m going to miss you, Old Mother.”
“Young Mother now,” she cackled, then stood up and smashed him into a hug, pulling his head into her belly and stroking his hair with her small, shimmering hands. “Such a big man you’ve become! Your spirit is so bright; you’ll see a hundred thousand more sights than old Oynalla ever saw. I’m proud of you! Don’t forget about Thayla and Deyni! Visit them in this realm and, if possible, in the physical world. Promise me.”
“I promise!” Victor said, breathing in the scent of spices, campfires, and herbs that clung to the spirit. Tears burst into his eyes when he realized it would be the last time he ever smelled that particular combination of scents. “Do you have to go now? Couldn’t you linger for a while?”
“Don’t ask that of me! I don’t want to become one of these sad old spirits that loiter here, watching the living, waiting for a way to interact. I want to see what’s next, Victor!”
“I understand,” he sniffed. He reached up, wrapping his arms around the little woman, squeezing her tight until she grunted and laughed.
“You can’t keep me here that way, either!”
“I know, I know. I have my own adventures to get back to.”
“Yes, you do. I know great things await you and great challenges, too, warrior. Be careful, use this,” she gently tapped his forehead, “as much as you use that thirsty axe of yours. Promise me!”
“I promise!” he said for the second time. Then Oynalla pushed against his shoulders, worming her way out of his grasp. She hefted her glittering, translucent bow and offered him a quick wave.
“Wish me luck now, warrior.”
“Good luck, Old . . . Oynalla. Good luck, good hunting, and may you find what you seek.” He stood up and waved as she turned and started jogging away, following the little, babbling stream, and Victor felt the hollowness return with a vengeance when he wondered if that was the last he’d ever see of her. He sighed, his heart heavy, and looked around Oynalla’s special place. He memorized every detail, from the stream to the trees, to the little shrubs and the soft grass. One thing was certain; he’d ensure this place was visited regularly, and if Thayla and Deyni didn’t know their way here, he’d show them.
After taking one more long look around the vale, he bent to drink deeply of the brook, then stood and ended his Spirit Walk. When he opened his eyes, Victor saw his coyotes, shimmering and bright, sitting around him. Beyond them, sitting on one of the little stools the youngsters brought in the day before, was Valla. To his immense surprise, she was petting one of his coyotes sitting near her feet.
“Welcome back,” she said, not looking up.
“Hey,” Victor said, and some of the emptiness in his heart must have seeped into the word because Valla looked up sharply, and her reddish-purple lips turned down in a frown.
“What’s wrong?”
“Bet you’re getting tired of hearing about my problems. It’s nothing to worry about; Oynalla has died and moved on. I’m sad, but it was what she wanted.” As he spoke, his coyotes grew agitated and paced, their whining intensifying. “Hush!” he said, chuckling and shaking his head. “Okay, pups, time to go. Do some hunting in the spirit plane, hmm? Catch a spirit rabbit.”
As his companions disappeared in clouds of glimmering mist, Valla stood and walked over to him. Once again, he found himself embraced from a sitting position. Valla, though, knelt and rested her chin on his shoulder, hugging him tight. “I’m sorry, Victor. I know you enjoyed speaking to her, and I know she was more to you than just a mentor. It’s a lot you’ve been through lately . . .” Victor thought she might have kept talking, maybe mentioned how he’d realized his abuela might be long-dead, too, but he didn’t give her a chance.
He stood up, careful not to bump her, then, when he was on his feet, he gently hugged her back and said, “I’m all right. Really. I’m sad, sure, but how many people get to speak to their loved one’s spirit before it departs? She’s off doing something she’s dreamed about for longer than I’ve been alive. I can’t begrudge her.”
“If you want to talk . . .” Valla pressed, pushing away from him, still holding his shoulders at arm’s length and looking up into his eyes.
“Maybe, but not right now. We’ve got a lot to do in this world before we move on, Valla, and I think it’s time we get a start on things. I’m going to take that epic racial boost now. Will you watch over me?”
“I will, but when you say ‘before we move on,’ can you elaborate a little?”
“Yeah. You’re starting to scratch at greatness the same as I am. Are you content? Will you be content to live in the Untamed Marches after we tame them with Rellia and her clan? Me? I want to see more worlds. I want to see more wonders, and I want to go back and beat the shit out of the warlord in Coloss someday.”
“I’d like to see Tes’s home,” Valla said softly.
“There you have it then. We’ve got a lot to do,” Victor chuckled, reaching into his ring and pulling out the heavy silver flask that contained the boost he’d purchased in Coloss.The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.
