Victor of Tucson
Book 11: Chapter 49: Checking In

49 – Checking In

While Arona and Bryn drank and celebrated the release of months of tension, Victor sipped his drink and read through his Farscribe books. Surprisingly, the mead Arona had poured him was strong enough to affect him; she said it was from Sojourn—stuff made with ingredients chosen for their potency, designed for steel seekers and veil walkers.

She’d purchased it on the same trip she’d taken to buy his will-enhancement potions, apparently sure that they’d have something to celebrate…eventually. So, he had a pleasant buzz and some warmth in his chest and face as he perused the many messages he’d missed while he’d been incapacitated in one way or another.

Luckily, it seemed Dar had been in communication with Kynna; his messages to Victor were short and straightforward, basically wishing him luck and letting him know that he’d seek vengeance if the imperial coup was successful. Victor grimaced at the idea, wondering what it would look like if Dar brought an army of veil walker allies from Sojourn to Ruhn, intent on making war with the veil walkers there. What would his punishment for the empire look like? He was glad to have helped avoid such an eventuality.

He wrote him a quick reply, letting him know of his victory. He also took the opportunity to push against the boundaries of the service he’d promised to the Spirit Master. He told him he’d picked up a new karmic debt and may need to confront it before returning to Sojourn. If he knew Dar, he had a feeling the master would see his promise to Chantico as both important to resolve and a good learning opportunity. It wasn’t that Victor was certain Chantico would want his help immediately, but he wanted to be prepared for that possibility. He could feel his promise to her, just as he could feel she was waiting to speak to him, lingering nearby on the spirit plane.

He had updates from Rellia, Edeya, and Efanie. Rellia had made her first foray into Du’s dungeon and gained two levels. She was understandably ecstatic, and it seemed the dungeon and its management had become a new obsession for her, surmounting even her drive to civilize the Free Marches. Edeya wrote him several lengthy notes about everyone on Sojourn and what they were doing. Victor found himself smiling along as he read them, and his desire to return grew stronger with each message.

She said everyone was gaining levels and enjoying life at the lake house immensely. It was almost funny how often she brought up the lake house and their fear that Dar would grow weary of their presence, but apparently, the Spirit Master hadn’t been around at all. In fact, the staff hinted at rumors that the man was off-world doing research, something Dar hadn’t mentioned to Victor in his messages.

Apparently, Olivia, his cousin of sorts, had been running dungeons with the three of them, and they’d all been studying weapon skills, with Lesh acting as their instructor. Victor grinned, taking a big swig of his drink, imagining the dragonkin turning Dar’s lake house into a dojo for melee fighters in Sojourn. He wrote back, gushing to Edeya about how proud he was of her and letting her know, in loose terms, about his success on Ruhn. He signed off with, “Be sure to give Lam a hug for me, tell my cousin I’ll write to her soon, and make sure Lesh and Darren know that I’ll have gifts for you all when I next come to Sojourn.”

Efanie, the Fae-blooded governess he’d brought from Sojourn to watch over Cora, indicated that she’d heard rumors of his condition. How that could be, Victor wasn’t sure, but he had to assume Rellia had let something slip to his governor, who had then spilled the news to Efanie. “Something like that,” he grunted. She was concerned about him, but he had a feeling it had a lot more to do with his duty to Cora than anything else. She wrote at length about the girls—Cora, Deyni, Chala, and others, Victor didn’t know—elaborating on their continued studies.

Cora was showing promise in fencing and was learning styles from both Kethelket and Efanie. Deyni, while still fascinated with taming the animals of the wilds, had been carrying her egg—the one Tes had given her—everywhere, and though it hadn’t shown any outward signs of life, the little girl was certain she could feel something inside. Efanie thought perhaps she was already building a connection to the nascent drake.

More than lessons in hunting and fighting, the girls were learning academics thanks to Olivia. It seemed she was earnest about her plans for creating a school and higher education system in the Free Marches. She’d returned to the human colony, First Landing, more than once for visits and used the newly established portal to the Free Marches to visit with Rellia on the subject. Thanks to Victor’s encouraging letters, it seemed the women had leveraged his governor, Gorro ap’Dommic, into building the first schoolhouse. Victor smiled at the idea, imagining the Shadeni and Naghelli children sitting in a classroom with Cora and the other kids from his village.

After he wrote back to her, letting her know how pleased he was and assuring her that he was well, he put the book aside and picked up the one he shared with Valla. He had just turned it to a new message when Bryn, stumbling drunk, tripped over the coffee table and crashed onto the couch beside him. “Oof!” she grunted, while Arona giggled.

“Arona, you didn’t give her this mead, did you?” Victor held up his nearly empty glass.

She shrugged, affecting an innocent pout. “Just a sip of mine.”

Victor sighed and helped Bryn sit up. “Are you all right?”

“Fine,” she mumbled, but her eyes were narrowed to slits and the word sounded more like, “Frie.” Victor chuckled and gave her shoulder a gentle shove, watching as she collapsed in slow motion onto the pillows. He pulled her feet onto the couch so she lay there, curled in a fetal position, already mostly asleep. He glared at Arona. “There goes your company, and dinner hasn’t even started!”

“She’ll come around; her vitality is good.” Arona gestured to the book on his lap. “You have much more to read?”

“Just Valla’s.”

She nodded and walked toward the balcony. “I’ll watch the sunset.”

Victor watched her go and lean on the railing, looking toward the mountain, then off over the town where the sun was turning the sky shades of orange and red. Bryn shifted and grumbled something inarticulate, and Victor, smiling and shaking his head, read Valla’s note:

Victor,

I’ve heard from Rellia that you’ve been to the dungeon you set up in the mountain a few times, but it’s been weeks since then. I know things must be hectic for you, but, knowing you had that curse to deal with and then being faced with months of silence again, I can’t help but worry. Of course, when I feel that way, I wonder if I’m being unreasonable.

Wasn’t it I who decided we needed time apart? Do I have any right to expect you to write? After our last conversation at my mother’s house, I felt good about us. I felt we’d reached an understanding and that your love for me, while strained by my choices, remained. That makes this silence all the more worrisome. I don’t think you would intentionally leave me to wonder your fate, and so, my mind has begun to drift down dark paths. Did that curse get the better of you, Victor? Am I writing to a ghost?

I feel powerless, as you might guess. I know you’re on Ruhn, but I’m so distant from that world! I’d need to beg leave of my mentors here and then travel to Sojourn to seek passage from there. I have the funds, but… Oh, why am I writing this? I should strike it out, but then you’d wonder what I had written. The point is, I’m feeling desperate, and I’ll do what I must to learn your fate. I hope I hear from you soon. I know some patience is in order—didn’t you tell me you slept for nearly six months from the last natural treasure you consumed? Perhaps you’ve done something similar.

I pray, to whom or what, I don’t know, that I’ll hear from you soon.

I love you, Victor.

Valla

Victor sighed and looked up, glancing first at Bryn, snoring away, and then at Arona, who was still leaning on the balcony, watching the clouds drift through the colorful sky. They looked like hunks of cotton candy to Victor. Shaking his head, he picked up his pen and wrote a reply:

Valla – I’m sorry to keep you waiting. You were right; I was out of it, having consumed a potent treasure. The good news is that I beat the curse, and I’ve finished my work here on Ruhn. I want you to know that I’ll never begrudge you the right to know what I’m doing or how I am. You know I love you, too. There’s nothing that will change that. I consider you family, whether we’re together or not.

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There’s a lot going on here at the moment, so I don’t feel like I can really focus on writing you a proper letter. I wanted you to know that I’m safe and your love isn’t unappreciated. I’ll make time to write you a lengthier update soon. I’m sure you might be interested in the details of what happened with my curse and how things ended up here on Ruhn. All in all, it’s a happy ending, though many good people lost their lives.

Stay safe, and regardless of my upcoming, lengthier letter to you, let’s make plans to get together again soon. We can meet on Fanwath.

Love,

Victor

He closed the book, sent it into storage with the others, then stood, approaching the balcony doors. “Hey, Arona?”

She turned, cheeks flushed from alcohol, the glow of the sunset behind her. She looked ethereal and beautiful, and Victor wondered how he might feel about her if his heart weren’t so damn busy with Valla and Tes. “Yes?”

“Um, can you give me a few minutes to commune with a, uh, spirit mentor of mine? I’ve got time before dinner, still, yeah?”

“Yes. Kynna said she’d be along an hour or two after sunset.”

Victor nodded. “Perfect. I’ll be in the workshop with my vault.”

“You won’t lock yourself inside and disappear for half a year, will you?” she asked, her raspy voice light and teasing.

Victor laughed. “Nah, not this time.”

She smiled, pointing toward Bryn. “We’ll be fine, but don’t miss dinner.”

“I won’t.” Victor left her, still looking out over the balcony, and walked through his chambers to his workshop, where he’d left his vault. As he went, he thought about Valla’s letter and his response. It didn’t seem that long ago when they’d been living together in Sojourn, unsure about what Dar would ask of him or the future in general. It didn’t seem long, yet, at the same time, it felt like a hundred years. He’d been through a hell of a lot since then, and the gravity of the things he’d accomplished made them seem all the more prominent in his mind, overshadowing his past. If a year could make such a difference, what would ten or a hundred do?

He unlocked his vault, stepped inside, and found the crystal containing Khul Bach’s spirit. He sat down and channeled a little Energy into it. As always, the world changed instantly, shifting onto a flat plane with angular shades of white and gray, making it feel like he was inside a house of broken, jumbled glass shards. As usual, Khul Bach sat before him, though, for a change, he didn’t speak right away. His face looked almost troubled as he gazed upon Victor.

After a while, Victor cleared his throat. “Are you all right, Khul Bach?”

“You’ve changed so much. Has it been so long? Will my people still be there when you return to Zaafor?”

Victor chuckled, shaking his head. “It hasn’t even been a year since I last spoke to you. I’m still on Ruhn, though I’ve just finished my task here. That’s why I’m speaking to you. I wanted to give you an update on my plans.”

“Only a year? And here you sit with a spirit that outweighs my own! You’ve grown beyond my tutelage, Victor.”

“Well, that’s all right. You’ve still lived a lot longer than I have; your experience makes you a valuable advisor, Khul Bach. That’s another reason I’m here.”

“Oh? Do you intend to return to Zaafor now? Will you conquer the Warlord and free my people?”

Victor smiled. “I want to, and I will, but there’s another I owe a favor to, and her need may be more pressing. I don’t know that, but I feel it”—Victor slapped his stomach—“in here.”

“Another with a need more pressing than mine?”

Victor sighed. “As I said, I don’t know. She’s an ancestor of mine, and she helped me to achieve the growth you’ve noticed. Without her help, I might have drifted for centuries trying to figure out how to make use of a potent treasure I consumed. All the people I cared about would have died or moved on. Your people would have languished longer. Do you see why I might feel the burden of my debt to her?”

“I do. Meanwhile, it is I who bears a debt to you, not the other way around. I promised to guide and mentor you, but I did very little—certainly not worth asking you to go to war for an entire species.”

“I made that promise to you regardless of any help you offered me, Khul Bach. I intend to keep it. Still, allow me to talk to my ancestor and determine the order of events. I promise you, the Warlord will feel my wrath; it just might have to wait a little longer.”

Khul Bach nodded, lifting his eyebrows as his usually stern expression lightened and his lips curled into a smile. “Already, I feel you could stand against him. If he still stagnates, if he’s the same…” He shook his head and chuckled. “I have true hope for my people again, Victor. Thank you for remembering your promise to me.”

Victor assured the old spirit that he was only doing what was right, and then the two of them spent a little while catching up. Victor told him about his struggle against the curse and some of his duels, but as the conversation dragged on, he worried that he’d miss his dinner appointment with Kynna and the others. He made his excuses, promised to visit again soon, and then cut the flow of Energy to the shard, snapping himself back into reality.

As he blinked his eyes and saw the diffuse amber sunlight coming in through his open vault door, he remembered the shard’s uncanny effect on time—he’d only spent an instant of real time speaking to Khul Bach. “Huh,” he chuckled, suddenly a couple of hours richer.

He figured he could spend the extra time with Arona and try to get Bryn to sober up, but that pressing urgency in his gut told him he had a more productive way to spend the next hour or so. For the first time in a long while, he summoned his coyotes and, as they came into the world, yipping and snarling at each other, he said, “Wake me up if anything happens.” They gathered around him, lying on the vault floor or sitting just inside the door. Feeling very secure with Arona out in the parlor and his coyotes watching him more closely, Victor cast Spirit Walk.

“There you are, little brother!” Chantico said, immediately.

Victor stood up, inhaling deeply as he looked around the spirit plane. Iron Mountain soared into the cosmos not far away, and it was hard to stop staring, but he forced himself to turn his attention to Chantico. She stood not far away, her skin faintly luminescent as she regarded him with a broad smile. “Hello, Chantico.”

“I’ve waited for you, as promised. You’ll need my help to find Dark Ember—they’ve yet to open any of the stones your System has provided.”

“I could feel you,” Victor said. “It was like an itching in my gut, an urgency. Were you doing that on purpose?”

“No, not on purpose, though we’re closely tied and my impatience might have bled through while I lingered this close to you on the spirit plane. I sensed your victory and was eager to congratulate you. Did you crush a mighty foe?”

Victor nodded. “I think so, but with what you helped me accomplish, I didn’t find it that difficult.”

“Good! You’ll need every ounce of strength when you visit my son’s world.” She frowned, her red, bow-shaped lips turning downward and her eyes unfocusing as she battled some inner turmoil. “I feel so cowardly sending you off to deal with Xelhuan, but I simply can’t do it. Do you understand? I feel fate connected us for this reason. You’re my chance at redemption. By aiding you and convincing you to take on this burden, I can lift this weight from my spirit.”

Victor nodded. “I’ve never had a child, though I can imagine what it’s like. I don’t think I could harm Deyni, for instance, even if… if she’d done something terrible.” Victor couldn’t even wrap his head around the idea. Deyni wouldn’t.

“Thank you for trying to understand, Victor. Are you ready, then?”

Victor laughed. “No! Can’t you wait a while? I have other obligations—people who want to see me, people I promised aid to before you helped—”

“Victor! I can wait a while, but you must understand something: my body is a universe away! It is quite difficult to linger here! My mind was adrift, lost in a millennia-long meditation, but now that you’ve focused me, now that you’ve awakened my spirit and reminded me what it is to be alive, I yearn to move on! If my cause is not urgent enough, think of the millions suffering on Dark Ember. I promise you, there is no need that is more urgent than theirs! Think of the thralls you freed during the invasion of your lands. Think of the stories they told you! Millions are suffering worse on Dark Ember even as you and I speak!”

Victor chuckled, shaking his head. “You don’t have to do that. I had a feeling your request would be urgent, and I’ll be ready to help you soon. I just want a little time—a few days at most.” He suddenly remembered Arona’s desire to come with him. “Will I be able to bring allies?”

“If they are well-versed in spirit walking, aye.”

“And if they aren’t?”

She frowned. “If I were present in the flesh, I could help transport your allies. As it is, if you want them to come, you’ll need to open a proper gateway. You can use the System that holds sway in this part of the universe. Conquer one of the cities on Dark Ember and take control of the System’s stone.”

“I mean, I think I can do better than that. I have a portable teleportation array…”

“I think you fail to grasp the distance between Dark Ember and this part of the universe. Even a Void Master would struggle to open such a gateway. I don’t mean to say it’s impossible, but I think your chances of using the System would be much better. Still, try your array when you get there—perhaps I’m underestimating it.”

“All right. So, give me a few days and I’ll return to the spirit plane here. Agreed?”

“Go, then! The sooner you handle your business, the sooner we can depart!”

Victor smiled at her impatience, watching as she clenched her fists. He had to remind himself that she was a being on par with Azforath and that he owed her almost everything. That reminder helped to keep his face respectful as he nodded and, again, promised, “I’ll be back soon.” Then, he cut the Energy to his spirit walk.

His coyotes were quick to crowd around, licking his face, and he laughed, giving them all a good pet before sending them back to the spirit plane. He still had a lot to do, and he wasn’t quite sure how he was supposed to conquer a bunch of old-school veil walkers, but his outlook was good as he exited his vault and turned the key, reducing it down to a bauble he could hang around his neck.

He’d faced so many threats on his life, yet managed to come out stronger every time, that the idea of tackling some enemies whose power seemed almost unfathomable just didn’t daunt him the way it might once have. Hanging the chain over his head, he clenched and unclenched his fists, nodding to himself. Then, as he stared at his heavy, powerful fist, he remembered his fight with Dro Vah. “Hey! I need to find my gauntlet!”