Discovery at Nerwolix (38 page)

“At the city?”

“With the Zingfinolds. He is not planning on
approaching the northern territory?”

“No,” Reid shakes his head. “He is only here
to assist King Hozfin in this ambush. He also assisted Queen Ravan
and Chancellor Keller when the Vermix assaulted the Northern Shore
and Southern Waters of Mybyncia.”

Barely comforted, Ehan nods. “I see.”

“We’re aware there is some… history,” I say.
“But the Fychu isn’t here for that. Any of that. He’s only here to
help protect the Gift.”

“What do you know of the history?”

“Ehan,” Norhra tugs his elbow. “It is not
time to speak of that. We must continue to clear the Hylas.”

“There are enough Nerwos covering the
mountain, Norhra. This concerns the Fychu,” he looks back to us,
his focus flickering between Reid and I. “Tell me, what do you know
of the history?”

Warze turns to us, just like the rest of the
group. Besides Walker and the Zingfinold, the others know the same
that Reid and I do—practically nothing. I’m not sure I should’ve
even mentioned Sampson was here but I can’t go back now. Selecting
my words very carefully, I glance at Reid who nods me along.

“Very little. Um… supposedly there was some
thievery.”

“Thievery…” Bhanton scoffs.

Ehan holds up his hand, cutting off his
rambling. He nods me on, urging me to continue.

“Um… that’s pretty much all we know. That
the Fychu stole something from King Thias… he said his most
precious possession, I think.”

“Is that how he phrased it?” Norhra’s voice
is soft, surprised. She steps forward, genuine interest playing
across her lovely features.

“That’s what he said,” I nod, thinking back
on the very little Sampson admitted. “He seemed… really sad about
it, actually.”

Norhra and Ehan exchange looks.

“Was there anything else?” she whispers.
“Does he… has he mentioned anything else? Any other purpose besides
assisting King Hozfin?”

“No. In fact he… he didn’t want to talk
about it. Seemed to really upset him. Honestly, we don’t know what
he stole or what really even happened.”

Still unsatisfied, Ehan tugs at his chin. “I
do not believe Jothkore mentioned that the Fychu was on Nerwolix.
If he had…King Thias may not have assisted with the Vermix so
easily. He may have sent us to expunge the Fychu from the planet
instead.”

Reid tenses beside.

“We will
not
,” Ehan shakes his head,
“as there are more pressing matters to be dealt with. I will
instruct my men not to allow word of his presence to reach King
Thias. It is the best I can do.”

“What if it does?”

“I…” Ehan starts, but closes his mouth
quickly after. A moment passes and he tries again. “I cannot
promise that we will not be forced to remove him, if he does not
leave on his own. With that said, perhaps once this invasion is
over, it might be prudent for the Fychu to seek inhabitance
elsewhere.”

“He’s really not welcome to stay?” Jace
asks. “Even with the Zingfinolds? It’s their territory.”

“It is King
Thias’s
World.”

“It
our
World, too,” Warze growls.
“Fychu allowed to stay as long as want.”

“Assuming the king does not know about it.
It is not my wish, nor my desire to remove the Fychu from our lands
but if—”

“Can you tell us what it was he stole?”
Walker asks.

Ehan pauses, his mouth still hanging open
but no words come out. He glances at Norhra next to him and she
nods, stepping forward.

“He was right,” her voice is soft, soothing.
“It was King Thias’s most precious possession. The one thing he
cares about more than anything else. You say Fychu Sympse was
saddened… I believe the king shared this heartache when the Fychu
robbed him. He wept for years at the loss and vowed the Fychu would
never be allowed near his home again. This has not changed for a
hundred and fifty years.”

“Jesus,” Walker whispers. “I can’t imagine
Sampson stealing anything.”

“It was a surprise to us all,” Ehan nods.
“Especially the king. He had high hopes Sympse would become the
next Dofinike advisor, taking the place of his father, Leader
Theon.”

“They had groomed him,” Norhra adds. “That
is why he was here. To learn the ways of the council so he could
become one of the next Leaders of Dellapalania. But while he was
here, he got distracted… he… found something he wanted from King
Thias more than diplomatic peace.”

Ehan and Norhra look at one another.

“But you can’t tell us, can you?” I ask
after a long, silent moment.

“We are not allowed to speak of the Fychu’s
crimes. It is known throughout the Three Worlds what he did… but it
is forbidden to speak of it.”

“Do you know?” I turn to Warze.

He nods only once.

“Shit—it must’ve been bad,” Jace frowns,
glancing to the rest of us. “Sampson’s a good guy. I can’t imagine
him doing anything bad,” he looks to Norhra. “Whatever he did… I’m
sure he didn’t mean it disrespectfully.”

Ehan steps closer. “If you can guarantee he
stays away from the Nerwos’ kingdom, I promise King Thias will
never know about his presence. Perhaps then… he can stay here,” he
glances at Warze, “until the unrest on Dellapalania ceases.”

“It is too dangerous…” Norhra shakes her
head. “If the king were to find out—”

“He will not.”

“But if it he does, you will be killed,
brother.”

“I trust my men.”

Norhra tugs Ehan closer. “But what if the
Fychu cannot resist himself? What if it happens again?” she peers
over us with a frown. “The proximity may be too much. After this
assault is over, what distraction is left?”

Ehan exhales, looking between me, Reid and
Warze. “My offer stands. Keep the Fychu to the Zingfinold territory
only. If he passes the northern part of the Hylas Mountains, I will
be forced to remove him.”

“We can make you that promise,” Reid
nods.

“Then it is settled.”

“Ehan,” Norhra pulls him back, lowering her
voice. “You are making a mistake.”

“It is only until Dellapalania rights
itself. Once the Fychu can return home, he will. I am correct?” he
turns to us.

Hesitantly, Reid nods.

“You see? There is no reason to bother King
Thias when the Fychu is merely here to assist in the assault. He
may stay on with Hozfin for a bit, but only until he can return
home. I do not see the damage it will cause.”

“Because you are not seeing the
danger
. There is much,
much
possibility that—”

“Norhra, please. My mind is made up,” Ehan
turns. Glancing at the night sky, he looks back at us. “The Ludins
have all gone. If you say the assault is far from over, please
understand that King Thias has ordered everything be done to keep
the Gift protected and hidden. Despite our troubled history,” he
focuses on Warze, “we are at this moment allies in our common
goal.”

“Do you know where the Gift is hidden?” Reid
asks.

“
I
do not, no. But the Hylas are not
open to outsiders. With the Vermix intrusion, we are granted every
opportunity to expunge them.”

“And how many Nerwos has King Thias
sent?”

“We are a few thousand ourselves. Once the
Ludins went up, it was obvious how dangerous the threat had become.
King Thias wants them gone immediately. We expect the Vermix to
have retreated by morning.”

“Which is how far away?” Booker asks. “I
have no concept of what time it is.”

“It is mid-night. Morning will be here in
only a short while. By then, the Hylas will be empty again.”

“Well then let’s get them,” Jace nods. “I’m
ready.”

“We do not need human or Zingfinold
assistance,” Bhanton scoffs. “We are a few thousand. What need are
you to us?”

“You always need allies,” I retort.
“Especially when working toward the same goal. And if King Thias
needs this threat gone
immediately
, every bit helps. Even
from the Zingfinolds. Even from the humans.”

“We cannot protect you,” Norhra frowns.

“That’s okay,” Reid says. “We’ve been doing
fine on our own. We just want the Vermix gone as much as you
do.”

Norhra and Ehan nod at each other.

“Okay,” she says, gesturing over her
shoulder. “The top side of this mountain is covered. Many still
linger by the north but Ehan and I have been assigned the south.
Come, if you wish, but our orders are not to stop until every last
Vermix is gone.”

“Anyone assigned the north?” I ask.

“Ghion and Leoh—they are to push the threat
south while we push them north so we can suffocate them in the
middle.”

“But many have fled to the beach,” I
say.

“If they are not gone, we will chase them
into the waters and kill them there.”

“Well that sounds like a good plan,” Jace
smiles.

“It is,” Norhra nods, scanning the rest of
us. “Good luck. We will see you on the field,” she takes off with
the rest of the Nerwos in a tidal wave through the trees. Like the
Zingfinolds, they leap from trunk to trunk, a few racing over the
forest ground, sprinting past the Yulus. Only Ehan remains and he
looks between Warze, Reid and I.

“I swear to keep every word of the Fychu’s
presence from reaching King Thias. But he must not pass the
northernmost tip of the Hylas. I am afraid if he does…”

Reid shakes his head. “It won’t happen.”

Ehan nods, comforted. “I have great respect
for Fychu Sympse. The good he has done…what he stands for… he has
been an inspiration to us all. If-if there was a way to make the
past right, to change it so that it could benefit
everyone
…”
he inhales, but stops himself. More words are itching to drop from
his mouth but instead it curls up, into a smile. “Thank you, mighty
Warze, Reid and Fallon. We will see you soon.”

Ehan takes off after his sister,
disappearing through the Eckles in seconds. Once he’s gone, our
tight circle turns in on itself.

“Jeez…” Jace shakes his head. “Wonder what
all that was about.”

“What could Sampson have possibly done?”
Walker asks. “For real? What could be so freaking awful?”

“I can’t believe he can’t even be on the
same planet.”

“Like he’s banished,” Booker nods.

“Well we knew that,” Reid says. “Back on
Mybyncia. He told us he wasn’t welcome.”

“Ehan is nice for sticking his neck out for
him,” I look around the group. “You heard him—he’d be killed if
Thias finds out Sampson’s here.”

“Ehan knows Fychu.”

“He does?” I quickly turn to Warze.
“How?”

“Ehan and Norhra children of high ambassador
– stay in castle when Fychu live with Thias. Fychu teach many
things about Dellapalania, spend much time with them.”

“Well it’s a good thing Ehan remembers and
likes Sampson,” Reid says. “Otherwise this could’ve gone very
differently,” he looks around the group. “Let’s take a moment to
relax. I want to join up with them but I want us going in fully
charged…”

Fallon?

It hits me off guard. For a second I think
someone said my name aloud but Reid’s still talking, addressing the
group about a break. Still watching him, I focus, tuning out his
voice to concentrate on my own internal one.

Sampson? Is that you?

Yes—what happened with the Ludin? Were they
able to clear out some of the Vermix?

Some, but not all.

Did Walker and Tucker find you?

Yes, they’re right here with us. Where are
you? Still back at Zinnollo?

“Fallon?” Reid’s snapping his fingers in
front of my nose. “You okay?”

“It’s Sampson. I just need a minute,” I walk
away, just beyond a nearby Eckle. I close my eyes and concentrate
again, listening for his voice.

Yes, we’re still here. I told Hozfin I would
stay with him through the course of this assault. With your help,
I’ve been giving him updates about what’s happening. It’s actually
been quite beneficial. But the city has quieted down for now.
Everyone is safe.

Good.

And you? You say only some of the Vermix
were cleared out?

Yeah. Tucker said he still thinks there are
a lot more near the northern tip of the Hylas.

Well help is finally on the way. Jothkore
informed me that Thias has finally agreed to lend some assistance.
Once Hozfin released the Ludins, Thias finally understood the
severity of the Vermix assault. The Nerwos should be arriving
soon.

They… have.

Oh?

We’ve met a few already. We were surrounded
and they arrived at the right time. They sort of saved our
butts.

Good… that’s good.

A long pause.

Is there something else?

We… we met Ehan and Norhra.

Another long pause.

I see… do they know I’m here?

Yes—I’m so sorry. I-I forgot there was a
history between you and the Nerwos.

What did they say? Did they want to know if
I was coming to Thias’s Kingdom?

Yes. They were nervous. Frightened,
almost.

Another silent moment.
And then
what?

Ehan said if you promised to stay with the
Zingfinolds, he wouldn’t alert Thias that you were here, on
Nerwolix. Reid agreed.

Good.

Sampson…did you plan on going there? Do you
want to?

Fallon, it is not something I can easily
explain. Not at the moment…. But you can let the others know that
no, I did not plan on going. I made Thias a promise I would never
return, not until he allowed me back into his kingdom and although
I’m only half alive because of it, I will not betray him again.

Will you tell me what happened? Someday?

Someday… yes.

Silence.

Please let the others know everyone at the
city is safe. Able and Werzo—and most especially Pratt—want to
rejoin you. In a little while I may be able to relocate them but I
wanted it safer first. You will let me know when the Nerwos have
suffocated the Vermix to the center of the mountains?