Chapter 114 – Event Horizon
“You’re lucky I was on this side when you called,” Shirasil’s voice echoes through the black.
I can’t even see my hand held before my face. It’s like when I first arrived on this world, stuck in the bowels of a cave. I blink rapidly, summoning a flame to my hand, but its light is swallowed by the unnatural dark.
“You’ll need to move quickly,” Shirasil continues. “Lorata herself might respond. We’ll know for sure in the next few minutes.”
“WHAT’S HAPPENING?” Ollie’s mind is tinged with concern, but he’s keeping carefully still. “WHY CAN’T I SEE?”
“Don’t worry,” I tell him. “It’s just a friend. You’re doing great, Ollie. Hang on just a minute longer.”
“Shirasil?” I call aloud. “What is the meaning of this?”
“Oh no, please, no need to thank me,” the god says in a sarcastic, exaggerated tone. “You’re quite welcome. In fact, it was no trouble at all! I’m delighted that you reached out.”
A message appears in my interface from Kanin.
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: er, sorry]
I frown, briefly confused. What is he apologizing for? I’m the one who contacted the god to ask for help. Unless…
[Fyre: Did you message Shirasil?]
[K̶a̵n̷i̶n̸: already regretting it]
Great minds think alike, it seems. Despite Kanin’s regrets, I’m quite relieved by the intervention; I’m not sure how much longer we would have lasted, especially if more champions had arrived. More than anything, I’m surprised Shirasil is willing to stick his neck out for us like this. He’s been very clear that he won’t do anything that might endanger his plans before now.
“What’s the matter?” the god asks. “Cat got your tongue? I must say, it’s fascinating to see you this way. I’d love to pick your brain if we had more time. But why are you all still just standing there? Hurry up!”
Kanin’s voice is garbled and staticy when it comes through the translator. “We can’t see.”
“Oh!” Shirasil laughs. “My apologies. I forget how dependent you all are on your sense of sight. Completely understandable for Noli, I mean, no disrespect intended. But honestly, the rest of you should really consider branching out!”
Abruptly, my vision clears. The Spark in my hand blooms into existence, and I have to squint against the sudden light.
Shirasil is perched on top of a broken wall in his godly form, eyes and hair wisping with black smoke, donning robes that seem to be made of shadow, swirling with opalescent silver details. Aquenno is sprawled on the ground at my side, alive but too injured to push himself upright. Zeyaelid and Mura Tal are nowhere to be seen.
Ollie rumbles in surprise. “WHO ARE YOU?”
Shirasil rests his cheek on his fist with a faint smile. “A family friend. I’m surprised Fyre hasn’t told you about me.”
I’m more surprised Shirasil has respected my wishes to leave Ollie alone. In one of his early visits I asked the god to keep his distance from Ollie, so the boy could stay as removed from the affairs of the Heavens as possible. I hadn’t actually believed Shirasil would take it to heart.
Ollie narrows his eyes, then they go wide a moment later. “ECHO SAYS YOU’RE A GOD! I’VE NEVER MET A GOD BEFORE.”
“Well, I’m delighted to be the first,” Shirasil says. “You’re a very unique boy, do you know that, Ollie?”
The dragon shifts uncomfortably, shyly dipping his head. “OKAY.”
“What do you mean we don’t have much time?” Kanin asks Shirasil, diverting the god’s attention. “Are you holding Lorata back?”
All the various ways Kanin had split himself are now amalgamating back into one form, though he’s still more of a mass of glass and shadows than anything humanoid. Even so, he retrieves his prismatic head and forms a couple disembodied hands, at least.
Shirasil laughs. “Absolutely not. I’m just accounting for the time dilation. How long has it been since those champions showed up?”
“A few minutes,” I say. Time dilation? What is he talking about?
“How many exactly?” Shirasil presses. “Be precise.”
“Five and a half minutes,” Dizzi says, popping up behind Ollie’s neck. “Since the dhampyr arrived. Three minutes for the arachnoid. Also, hi!” She waves. “Big fan! Don’t tell the other Fyrethians. I mean, I guess we’ve met before, technically, when you presented as Lisari. Um, almost six minutes, now.”
Shirasil grins broadly at Dizzi’s interjection. “Oh, the feeling is mutual, I assure you. But I’m afraid we’ll have to catch up at a later date. You all have perhaps four minutes to flee, and I’ll be leaving before then.”
“How do you know?” I ask as I help Aquenno sit up and maneuver him over to rest against a nearby chunk of debris. “What happened to Lorata’s champions?”
Shirasil waves a hand in a bored manner. “I just moved them to an inconvenient place to escape from. They shouldn’t know it was me, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. And I know we have about four minutes because Lorata would have noticed the moment I displaced them. Time dilation between the Heavens and Lusio is sixty to one. One minute out here is one second in there. From Lorata’s perspective, she was probably notified that her champions were engaged in some sort of fight six seconds ago. And one second ago, they were removed from it. I give her another five seconds—ten, tops—before she comes here personally to investigate, unless anything distracts her before then.”
“Here?” Kanin asks. His void swirls nervously around him. “To this very spot?”
Shirasil sighs. “That is why I’ve been telling you to flee back to the palace.”
“Good luck with that,” Aquenno mutters as he rests his head back against the stone with a wince.
Sixty to one. My mind is already spinning at this single tidbit of information. An hour here is one minute in the Heavens. One week for us is three hours for them—one mortal year is six heavenly days.
No wonder the gods hardly ever visit Lusio. Even if they visited the mortal realm every day from their perspective, two months would pass out here between their visits.
And that’s also why their stays are so short. Just spending an hour with us means they’ve missed days in the Heavens.
But, wait. Wouldn’t that mean—
“Noli, go back with Dizzi and Ollie,” Kanin says to his friend. “I’ll be right behind you.” Then he turns to me. “Fyre! Help me destroy the circle.”
“What?” Noli objects. “No. I’m not leaving you.”
“I’M SUPPOSED TO PROTECT FYRE!” Ollie adds. Dizzi also objects along with the other two, but her voice is lost beneath Ollie’s translator.
Shirasil tips his head. “Circle?”
On the square between us, what had once been the middle of the fight, is a giant spell circle—the results of Kanin and Dizzi’s efforts over the last month of work, no doubt. It’s chiseled into the stone, but I’m not surprised it was too shallow for Shirasil to see.
Kanin freezes at the god’s question. “Er. It’s not—”
“It’s a Planar Linkage spell,” I interrupt, gesturing to the ground. Trying to hide Kanin’s ploy now is pointless; Lorata’s champions have already learned of us, and Lorata will soon as well, if she hasn’t already been informed. Shirasil deserves to be as informed as possible.
I turn to Kanin, next. “And the Dungeon Core’s range doesn’t reach this high, so I can’t use it to obscure your circle. Shirasil, if you are here to help, now is the time.”
For a moment, the god looks genuinely surprised. Then he leaps down from the wall and lands in a crouch, running his hand over the nearest lines and rune. I brace for the inevitable accusation of betrayal.
“Hah! What’s this? You were going to break in without me?” The god laughs. “I can almost respect that level of arrogance. But how would you link it to the Heavens?”
Kanin slumps in defeat. Then, Lisari’s hairpin appears in one of his hands. “This would have been the focus.”
Shadows wrap around Shirasil’s form, and when they clear, he’s standing in front of Kanin, plucking the hairpin from his grasp.
While he’s speaking with Kanin, a message appears in my Contact interface.
[L: So are you going to help this sentient ink bottle from getting shattered, or what?]
I pause, glancing over at Shirasil, but he’s still embroiled in a conversation with Kanin and Noli, as if he’s not simultaneously having a private conversation with me.
[Fyre: Help? What do you mean?]
[L: I mean if you all want to activate this spell circle, now’s your chance.]
Break into the Heavens now? He thinks we have time? Wouldn’t that be dangerous? Then again, if Lorata is on her way here, then sneaking in to free the Travelers the one time she’s not in the Heavens may be our best bet.
[Fyre: You think I should go with Kanin?]
[L: The selfless ruler of the city that opens its doors to anyone and everyone? I’d be shocked if you didn’t.]
I dislike how correct his assessment of me is.
[Fyre: You know I can’t. My Role Requirement will prevent me from getting too far from the Fortress.]
[L: Not with that Greater Barrier spell active. Have you checked your range since the full spell system went up? The Fortress doesn’t need your protection—especially if you leave the Dungeon Core there.]
I cast a nervous glance down the Isles, where the red glow of the Barrier spell illuminates the lower clouds.
[Fyre: It will be dangerous. That will trigger Ollie’s Role Requirement.]
I can almost hear the smile in Shirasil’s text.
[L: Now you’re just trying to make excuses. The gods are about to show up at your gates. You won’t be in any more danger in the Heavens than you will, here. In fact, you’ll probably be in less danger if you stick close to Ollie. He’s more powerful than you treat him.]
He’s still just a kid. But Shirasil is being suspiciously persuasive.
[Fyre: Why do you want me to go? You said the choice would be ours.]
[L: And it is! But if it’s bluntness you’re after, then here you are: I’ll do what I can to tip the scales, but Kanin can’t do this by himself. He’ll almost certainly be captured. Your kingdom will do just fine without you—you designed it that way, after all. But Lorata is about to discover your little city, and my ability to covertly slip you all into the Heavens will disappear at that moment. If you want to free your fellow Travelers, then it’s now or never.]
I chew my lip, looking back at Dizzi and Ollie. It’s true I want to help free the other Travelers, and I hate the idea of letting Kanin go in there alone.
But is it fair of me to make that choice? To leave the Fortress, the Dungeon Core—Mirzayael.
I reach out to her mind. Her attention is laser-focused on the Dungeon Core, attempting to sort through all the spells it’s interfaced with. Magic isn’t her specialty, like it is with Dizzi, yet she is putting everything she has into it.
“Are you watching over my shoulder?” Mirzayael teases.
Despite everything, I can’t help but smile. “You’re doing a great job.”
Her mind recedes from the Fortress’s spell interface as she focuses more on me. “Something tells me you’re not here to monitor my spellwork.” Faint concern seeps into her thoughts. “Is everything alright up there?”
“Yes.” I watch Shirasil as he taps a finger to Kanin’s chest, both illuminating in a purple glow. Kanin’s Bonus Mana begins to skyrocket. “Shirasil is here. Lorata’s champions have been expelled—for now.”
Mirzayael hardly even feels surprised by Shirasil’s interference. “But?” she prompts after a moment.
“But this might be our only chance to free the Travelers,” I admit.
I can feel Mirzayael’s fondness for me; she’s not even trying to hide it. “And you want to go.” It’s not a question.
“I want to,” I agree. “But I don’t know if I should.”
Mirzayael chuckles. “Come, now. I know you better than that.”
I raise my eyebrows. “You’re not going to stop me?”
“Nothing can stop you,” she teases. Her amusement turns to faint heartache. “But that’s why I love you. You are fierce in your own way: fiercely protective, and a fierce pursuer of justice.”
My chest aches at her words. Somehow, I think she knew this would happen before I even left the palace. “Stay safe,” I tell her.
“Come back alive,” she replies.
It abruptly strikes me how reversed our roles should be; how strange it feels that this time I’m the warrior charging into danger, while she’s the protector staying home to guard our people.
I breathe out a grounding breath.
“Ollie,” I say, turning to him. “Take Dizzi and Aquenno back down to the Fortress.”
“Now, hold on,” Dizzi objects. She swings her legs over the side of Ollie’s saddle and slides awkwardly down his back, still holding one of her wings at a bad angle. I hurry over to help her so she doesn’t fall.
“Dizzi,” I start.
“Oh, don’t give me that Mom-tone!” she objects. “You’re planning to break into the Heavens, aren’t you?”
“YOU’RE WHAT?” Ollie asks. “YOU CAN DO THAT?”
“I don’t have time to argue,” I say. “We may only have a minute or two left.”
“Argue?” Dizzi repeats. “No way! I want to help you.”
“Dizzi, you can’t,” I say, reluctantly. “You’re hurt.”
“Oh, yeah, don’t I know it.” She winces as she flexes a wing. “I am not cut out for fights. Learned that one the hard way. But that’s not what I meant.” She holds up her hands, wiggling her fingers. “I was thinking more along the lines of magical support.”
The light from Shirasil’s spell flickers out, and the god steps away from Kanin. “Best hurry, now,” he calls to us. “Less than three minutes left.”
“Step back,” Kanin adds, retreating to the edge of the spell circle with Noli, though Shirasil remains at its center. “And no one try to move through the portal without me. I’ll be bringing us to the brink of the Between.”
Dizzi squeals in excitement. “I didn’t think I’d get to see it activate!”
“Help me with Aquenno,” I tell her, mostly so she has something to do and won’t go leaping into the Planar Linkage spell head-first. Together, we move the nereid over to Ollie and off of the spell circle’s markings. Ollie also edges back, rumbling in concern.
“YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LEAVE ME, ARE YOU?” he asks me privately.
“It won’t be for long,” I assure him. At least, I hope that’s true.
“CAN I COME WITH?” he asks.
I hesitate. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I’ll serve as the focus,” Shirasil is saying to Kanin. “Your hairpin plan was clever, but it would have taken you to me, not The Sanctum. I’ll direct the path of the spell so it opens somewhere more convenient.”
“Er, thanks,” Kanin says, crouching. Two glass hands settle on the spell circle, and the lines illuminate with a dark, inverted light.
“BUT I WANT TO,” Ollie insists, even as he tips his head at the spell in fascination.
“It’s going to be dangerous,” I tell him. The air above the circle ripples, like heat refracting light.
“THEN THAT’S EVEN MORE REASON I SHOULD COME,” Ollie insists. “BECAUSE OF MY ROLE.”
Shirasil had said the same. Would it be better for Ollie’s Role if he stayed close? This time dilation complicates things. If he stays, and I do get into trouble while I’m in the Heavens, then just a few minutes of being in trouble from my perspective will activate his Role Requirement for several hours for him. Splitting us across temporal reference frames is dangerous. But he’s so big. Not only would he be a massive target if he came with me, I don’t see how his presence could be subtle.
I jump as the air before me rips open. Dizzi gasps in delight, squeezing my arm, as darkness swallows the night sky. The tear in space consumes the square in a black dome until all that is left is the stone beneath our feet. The air feels unnervingly thin. Like I’m on the edge of reality: one step back would take me into the Drifting Isles, while one step forward would carry me somewhere else.
An event horizon.
Ollie lowers his nose until it bumps into my shoulder, and I reach up to give him a pat.
A pinprick of light appears in the dark. Even though the spell circle isn’t more than fifteen meters across, the light feels strangely far away. Then it grows, racing toward us until it fills the entire space, threatening to swallow us whole. A white, marbled room appears before us, so close and vivid it seems like it would only take one step to pass through.
I peer into the realm of the gods, and months of nebulous talks and planning abruptly feel very real.
This is it.