Mother of Wolves (Evalyce Worldshaper Book 1) (7 page)

What do you seek in my Forest, little Wolf? It has been a long time since you were last here.
Gasta said.

Kalla dismounted, kneeling before the great creature. Aleister followed suit.

“We seek answers, Great One and I knew that if any could help, it would be you,” the mage said respectively. A dry chuckle filled their minds.

What answers would you have of me?
Gasta's voice was a soft rumble in their minds. Kalla settled down before the Keeper.

“I believe the Nagali is waking, Great One,” Kalla replied.

What makes you think this?

“Skycities and ground cities all over De Sikkari have been attacked by creatures enslaved for that purpose. Even Argoth was attacked, though the Empire's ships kept the attackers at bay. The creatures had been impaled with poison spikes.” Kalla gestured to Aleister, where he had pulled a slim package from his pack. He carefully unwrapped the many layers protecting the spike that they had taken from Amaterasu. Gasta brought his head closer to the spike, sniffing it. Reaching out with a claw, he gingerly rolled it around.

This is
kepfal,
a very dangerous drug that requires extensive knowledge to cultivate. I had thought the knowledge of its manufacture long since lost. I will take this. It should be destroyed.

Kalla nodded and Aleister carefully rolled the spike back up and placed it before the Keeper.

“That is not all, Great One. The day after Cove Rock attacked Sevfahl, Amaterasu and I did a fire scrying.” She went on to describe all that she and the wyvern had seen. The Keeper rumbled unhappily, tail twitching like an angry cat.

This is not good news. The seal should not have broken. You will have to recreate the binding, if you be up to the task. The Quill you need first. It can be found in the vaults of Araun, Lord of Xibalba.
Gasta said.

Kalla frowned. “How do we reach Xibalba, Great One?”

There are many portals to Xibalba, little Wolf. They are scattered all across De Sikkari. From Argoth, the closest lie in Evalyce. The strongest known portal lies within the borders of Arkaddia.

But the trials of the Underworld are many. You must be sure you are prepared to face Araun and his guardians before you venture there.

Kalla nodded. “And of the Elephant Lord?”

I am sorry, little Wolf. I do not know where the Elephant Lord dwells.
Amber eyes regarded Aleister.

Seek the Temple of Inari. It lies farther within, at the center of the Forest. My wolves will lead you there.

“We will find more answers there?” Kalla asked. Beside her Aleister fidgeted, clearly uneasy at going deeper into the Forest. Gasta's lips wrinkled, pulling back to expose sharp fangs as he laughed.

You will find what you need, not necessarily what you want. It would behoove you to go to the Temple before approaching Araun. Sleep now. My wolves will guard you. When you wake they will guide you to the Temple.

Gasta blew out a long breathe that washed over them with a scent of honeysuckle. In unison Kalla and Aleister slumped over, asleep before they hit the ground. Gasta gave them one last, penetrating look before disappearing into the Forest. He needed to have a talk with the King of Foxes before the pair managed to reach the Temple.

* * *

Kalla woke abruptly. All around the grove, eldritch lights glittered as sabre wolves flitted through the trees, but the Keeper was nowhere to be seen. She realized with a start that she had been sleeping with her head resting against Aleister's shoulder. For his part, her magister was still sound asleep. She covered her eyes with a hand. Great Balgeras. Gasta's enchanted sleep must have kept both of them still while they slept. She shuddered to think what would have happened if Aleister had shifted even a bit. In his sleep, he might be dead before she realized it was him. Then again, maybe not. She might have unconsciously realized she'd fallen asleep near him. The few times she'd ever fallen asleep near those she didn't consider a threat, the reaction hadn't been triggered if they woke her.

The mage knew she should get up, should wake him so that they could get to the Temple of Inari, but she didn't want to. She was content to stay where she was, listening to Aleister's rhythmic breathing. Beneath that, she could hear the slow, steady beat of his heart. Kalla marveled yet again at the simple magick that was life itself. What but the One could have created such a wonder? As a Healer, Kalla knew all of the intricacies of the body and still she was amazed at the fluidity of function.

She sighed, letting the sound of heart and breath lull her nearly back to sleep. She pondered over Gasta's advice to seek the Temple of Inari. Inari was the father of the forest
kitsune,
the fox spirits of Argosian legend. She remembered hearing tales of the Temple hidden in the Forest, but she'd never been to it, nor even seen it despite her many excursions into the Forest. Kalla's eyes drifted closed, drawing her back into sleep.

Aleister woke, stifling a yawn, then froze when he realized that Kalla was curled up beside him, head resting on his shoulder. He frowned, giving the sleeping mage a sidelong glance. Since he didn't want to risk gaining closer acquaintance with the hidden knife she bore, Aleister decided to be patient and wait for her to wake rather than wake her himself.

He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest. Despite the danger, he found comfort in the mage's presence. Kalla had given him a new lease on life, doing more for him than any other, save the Argosian with whom he'd spent a great deal of his life. Melaric Wolffsson had treated Aleister as a son, giving him the comfort of a family and the benefit of fatherly guidance during a time in his life when he could have gone seriously astray. He remembered Kalla's comment regarding her cavalier attitude in regards to her own life and well-being. Aleister knew what it was like to not have anyone care if you lived or died. His own life had pretty much been like that since Melaric had passed away. He only hoped he could live up to her expectations.

Kalla blinked, going very still. She hadn't intended to fall asleep again, yet that is exactly what she'd done. Something was different now and the difference had woken her.

“Good… morning, milady. I wondered how long I might have to stay still before you woke. I didn't want a repeat of last night.” Her magister's voice was light, but there was a hint of reproach in his thoughts. The odd emotion chased after it, disappearing before she could catch it. She stirred and sat up, yawning.

“My apologies, Aleister.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I… uh… meant to move earlier, when you were still sleeping. Guess I fell back asleep,” she said.

“No apologies needed, milady. As long as you don't try to kill me again!” He stood and stretched, glancing around the clearing. Their vykr stood placidly nearby, apparently not bothered by the wolves that still haunted the woods about them. Aleister snagged a pack. “I'm guessing you want a cold breakfast, so we can get moving, yes?” he asked with a slight grin. She nodded, conjuring balls of magelight to aid him as he poked around in the pack and pulled out a loaf of brown bread and a half a wheel of hard, yellow cheese. The Sky Fox broke them in half, passing part to Kalla. They ate quickly and mounted their vykr. Kalla conjured more magelight globes and fixed one to Aleister's essence, ensuring that it would stay with him. The others she left free. Since she had conjured them, they would follow her anyway. As if by some unseen signal, a wolf entered the clearing, coming to a halt before them.

Follow.
The command in the unheard voice was clear and Kalla nudged her mount into an easy trot. Behind her, she heard Aleister murmuring softy to his vykr. As they rode, Kalla noticed that the trees grew ever larger. At the center of the forest, the massive trees were so big that it would have taken several people to come close to circling one with outstretched arms. Their branches soared overhead, forming a graceful, vaulting arch of emerald high above the Temple that stood in the clearing. Weathered blocks of stone told the tale of the Temple. Vines covered most of the building, obscuring the true size of it.

The Temple doors were likewise covered, as were the two immense stone foxes guarding the entrance. On the far side of the clearing a small brook bubbled merrily. The sabre wolves melted back into the forest and Kalla sent a silent thanks to Gasta for their aid. Mage and magister dismounted and tethered the vykr near the brook, leaving the leads long. There was no telling how long they would be inside the Temple, so Aleister provided them with what he hoped would be ample food. Unlike Rang'Moori horses, the Arkaddian vykrs weren't prone to overeating. There was little danger they would eat all of the food in, say, a day and the Magister had left enough food for several days.

The pair shouldered their packs and moved to the entrance. Aleister tugged the vines loose from one great wooden door. Beneath, he found a massive brass ring. He pulled, putting all of his effort into it. With a groan, the door swung open, leaving a gaping black hole behind. The magister sidled through the door first, wary of hidden traps and dangers. The light globe bobbing above him illuminated a long dark corridor. He took a few more steps into the gloom. Working with Melaric, he'd been in his fair share of ruins such as these and one never knew what might be waiting. A wave of anger hit him and he spun around, wondering what had made the mage so upset. He was greeted by a blank stone wall. The door was gone and Kalla was nowhere in sight. He pushed against the wall, thinking it an illusion, but his fingers touched cold stone. Well now. This was a nice predicament. Aleister weighed his options. He could wait here and see if Kalla showed up or he could find another way out. He decided to seek another path. He didn't know how he'd ended up here, but if the mage wasn't with him now, she likely wasn't going to show up later.

Aleister set off down the corridor, thankful for the magelight that Kalla had tagged to him, since he didn't have a torch handy. Keeping a watchful eye out for traps and other hidden dangers, he followed the path until he came to an intersection. Trusting in the instincts that had made him such a good thief, Aleister headed down the left-hand path. Several intersections and an uneventful thirty minutes later (save for the simmering anger from his still absent mage), he was stopped by what appeared to be a dead end. A pair of giant stone frogs flanked the corners of the blank wall.

The Arkaddian frowned. The statues looked like the smaller stone frogs known as 'prosperity toads' to the Argosians. Melaric had kept one. But these frogs didn't have the coins in their mouths common to the smaller ones. He leaned closer, running his hands over one of the stone frogs. There was a groove in the mouth, as if disks might have once been there. On a whim he reached into his coin pouch and fished two coins out. At the very least he could leave an offering in the hopes he might find a way out. He pushed a copper coin into the mouth of first one frog, then the other. As the second coin slid home, the ground rumbled and the 'wall' before him slid up, revealing the continuation to his path. Beyond lay a vast room, barely illuminated by the ball of magelight. Water trickled in the distance. As he stepped into the room, the door slid shut behind him, sealing the exit off.

Kalla snarled angrily, pacing around in tight circles before the doors to the Temple of Inari. Though she had been right behind Aleister when he'd entered, she had found herself back outside. Each and every attempt she had made to enter the Temple resulted in her being cast back outside the doors.

Likewise, her attempts to teleport to Aleister met with the same misfortune. The Temple would not let her enter and she'd drained a great deal of energy trying to reach her magister. Through the bond she could feel that he was a bit anxious, but other than that, his mind was occupied. A few times alarm shot through the bond, never lasting very long.

Kalla sighed as her stomach growled. The mage had been pacing outside the doors for several hours and her body was letting her know she needed to eat and to rest. Grudgingly she set a camp near the Temple, fixing a simple soup for dinner. Afterwards, she drowsed near the fire, wondering how she was going to get to Aleister. As she thought of him, a feeling of loneliness filtered through the bond. Wherever he was, she could tell he had at least eaten and that he was tired and grumpy now.

Aleister sighed and trudged his way down yet another dark corridor. From the vault of the stone frogs he'd had only one option to leave. He'd taken it and followed his previous habit of taking every left turn he'd come across. There had been a few traps along the way, but those he avoided easily. More stone frog doors had taken more of his coin, yet he was still trapped in the Temple.

He'd been here for several days and his food was running low. He felt sure his bones would end up gracing the Temple in a tribute to a treasure hunter's folly. He wondered where Kalla was and if she would be affected by his death. He could still feel her, though the bond seemed to be getting weaker. She was tired, angry and frustrated. Aleister came to a halt before another blank wall guarded by stone frogs. He grimaced as he fished the last two coins out of his pouch. Shrugging, he shoved the coins in the frogs' mouths. The door rumbled open and he stepped through.

Kalla sank to the ground in frustration. She had spent the previous day making her way around the Temple, trying to find another way in, but the only entrance to be found was the one Aleister had gone through. She bit her lip with worry. He had grown more and more dejected over the last two days. She sensed that he'd given up hope of getting out. More disturbing was the fact that the bond between them seemed to be getting fainter, which could only mean they were separated by a great distance. She perked up as a sense of sudden fear came through the bond. It faded, to be replaced later by an intense sadness, leaving the Mage wondering what her Magister was going through.

Aleister gasped as his heart leapt to his throat. Each stone frog door had led to a vaulted room and this one was no exception. The air in this room was warmer than the rest of the Temple. At the far side of the room a form moved, shrouded in darkness. Aleister took a step forward and the magelight illuminated what looked to be a pair of giant paws. The paws shifted and nails scraped stone as the huge creature stood. It advanced and the magister retreated until his back hit the smooth stone wall. He swallowed hard as the figure came into view of the bobbing magelight. A giant fox, black as midnight, sporting nine fluffy brushes. He laughed weakly.

“Inari, I presume?”

The figure regarded him for a moment, a sly grin upon its furry face.

Indeed. Welcome home, child.
The Fox King's voice was warm in his mind.

Aleister tilted his head, brows furrowed.

“Home? I don't understand. Argoth is not my home…”

Inari regarded him for a moment before turning away and striding off into the darkness.

Follow me, little Fox.

Nervously, the magister followed the Fox King through the room. They went down a short corridor and into an open courtyard within the Temple. Moonlight glittered on a pool of water in the center. Aleister looked up and saw the sky for the first time in days upon days, stars spangling the inky expanse like diamond dust. He nearly wept for the sight of the open sky instead of the trees that had shadowed them all this time. Inari stopped before the pool.

Gasta has told me of the Nagali's awakening. I can give you no answers to help you in your search, but I can, perhaps, give you something that you will find useful. Look into the pool, my child.

Aleister came up beside the Fox King and knelt before the pool. At first he merely saw his reflection staring back at him. The King of Foxes touched a paw to the still waters and the scene shifted. He saw a great frost wolf, the grizzled and scarred alpha of a pack. The scene dissolved into a vixen trapped in a bear trap. The trapped fox spirit begged a hunter not to kill her. In return she offered him her heart.

A ripple and the
kitsune
was gone. He saw a family in Kymru. The father, a sheepherder. The mother, a well-beloved herbalist. A young boy took great pride in helping his father with the herds. An older girl helped the mother make her rounds and tend the house. The entire family seemed the height of happiness.

Another ripple and the family was engulfed by scenes of an Argosian captain and his gunner, a scene flashing by that looked eerily familiar. In the end, the ship was destroyed, both captain and gunner lost. The style of ship was some 150 years out of date. The fireball of the ship's destruction led to scenes of an Arkaddian war party, in the time when the great Arkaddian Empire was just being forged. The vykr warriors were at the van of the great Khan Arkaddia's army. He saw the conquests of his ancestors through two of the vykr warriors' eyes. The warriors became generals in the army and went on to die of old age, well respected. These faded into scenes of a merchant family in Ishkar. Husband and wife ran a small textile shop in the city of Calderi. This family, like the one in Kymru, were happy and content.

The scene shifted again and Aleister gasped for what he saw was Melaric, when the Argosian was much younger. A beautiful young wife succumbed to childbirth. Though mother died, the child survived and the father doted upon her. The child grew and father and daughter traveled the length and breadth of Argoth, spending much time in the Forest.

The young child lived with her father on various military outposts. In several scenes Aleister recognized the Admiral from the
Kujata.
As she grew, he taught her to fly his ship. By the time she was ten she could fly the ship as well as her father. One day a pair of magi came to the outpost where father and daughter lived. They tested the girl-child and found her to have the gift of magick in her blood. They took her away and left the father both full of pride and grief.

Realization dawned on the magister- Kalla was the child taken from Melaric. Now he knew why she looked somewhat familiar. Melaric had kept a picture of himself and his young daughter. The Argosian had never shared the story and Aleister had never pressed him on his past.

The waters rippled again and the Arkaddian saw scenes from his own past. He tried to turn away from the painful memories, but found his gaze locked on the pool. He saw his mother and a much younger version of himself subject to an abusive husband and father. He grew older and the abuse got worse. In a fit of rage, husband killed wife. In revenge a young son killed his father and fled, for patricide was a crime punishable by death no matter what the cause. Lost and alone, the young boy was taken in by an elderly Argosian thief who happened to be wandering Arkaddia. For many years Arkaddian and Argosian roamed the lands of Evalyce and the surrounding skycities, treasure hunting in ruins and finding bigger and better tests for their thieving skills. The Argosian became ill and in the end passed away. His young apprentice cremated his body, casting the ashes to the winds in honor of Argosian practices. The boy grew to man, surviving daring exploit after daring exploit until one day the fox was trapped and sentenced to execution. The last scene before the waters turned black was of Kalla approaching him in the depths of the Inferno.

Aleister felt tears on his cheeks and wiped a hand across his face. He looked up at Inari.

“I am sorry, King of Foxes. I don't understand. All except for the fact that Kalla is the child Melaric lost. And my own past…” Aleister said sadly. Inari chuffed softly.

No matter. You will understand in time. I will grant you the form that truly belongs to you, my child. I will also grant you proper weaponry, for your role as magister.

Aleister yelped as he felt a tingling sensation running through his skin. A pair of slender, long-bladed daggers materialized in his hands, almost as long as a vykr warrior's blades.

Very good, little Fox. Now will the weapons to change.
Aleister frowned in concentration and the daggers became a vykr warrior's blades in truth.

You may make them whatever you wish them to be. If you wish them gone, simply will them to be gone.
Aleister followed the Fox King's advice and concentrated. With the same tingling sensation, the blades disappeared.

“I thank you for the fine gift, Fox King. I pray I am worthy of such.”

If I did not think so, I would not have offered it. It will help you in the coming days, of that I have no doubt. As for the form that truly belongs to you…

Inari bent down, touching his nose to Aleister's forehead. The Sky Fox sank to his knees, dizziness gripping him. He felt his bones shifting, though no pain came from it, and his world seemed to shrink and get smaller. Aleister held his hands up, only to find they were no longer hands but paws.

Fear thrilled through him and he turned to look over his shoulder. He was graced with a back covered in reddish-brown fur. Three plush fox brushes gave a weak wag. He opened his mouth to speak, but only a yip came out. Dry laughter filled his mind.

Do as with the weapons. Simply will yourself back.

The magister turned all his attention to returning to normal and with the same odd sensation of bones shifting he found himself back in his 'normal' form.

“Why do you say this is the form that truly belongs to me, Fox King?” Aleister asked.

It is the form of your soul, thus it is your true form. You will find it useful, never doubt that! You do not have all of the powers of a
kitsune,
yet,
but you will find those you do have useful as well. If things progress as they should, you will regain all of your rightful power.

Now, I will return you to your mage before she brings the very stones of the Temple down on my head.

Amusement filled Aleister's mind as the room spun around him. He closed his eyes tightly against the disorienting sensation. A weight slammed into him and his eyes flew open to find the mage wrapping him in a hug. He returned it with some uncertainty.

“You're back! I was beginning to think I wouldn't see you again! The Temple wouldn't let me through. I've been trying for the past two days, but nothing I did worked,” Kalla said.

“You… Wait, two days? I was in there for a week at least! I'm out of food and out of coin,” the Sky Fox said ruefully. Kalla's brows drew down.

“How are you out of coin…? Food I can understand, but what did you spend coin on?” she asked. He made a face.

“I was feeding frogs,” he replied, deadpan. This earned another puzzled look and he felt a gentle probe to his mind, testing his sanity.

“Okay… I'm not asking… The Temple is most likely in a small pocket dimension. The
kitsune
can manipulate time in such ways. That might also explain why the bond between us grew weaker,” Kalla said. Aleister shrugged.

“I'm just glad to be out of there. I did manage to meet Inari, in the end. Unfortunately, he could not provide answers in aid of our quest.

“However, you'll be happy to know I now have proper weapons, courtesy of the Fox King.” He concentrated and the magickal daggers shimmered into existence. He shifted them through several different forms for her. She nodded approval.

“Well, now. That's certainly a useful gift,” Kalla murmured. Aleister grinned, happy that she was pleased and let the armor disappear.

“I gained more than that from the Fox King.” He concentrated again and, with the painless shifting of bone, slipped into the fox form. Kalla's eyes widened and she took an involuntary step back. The fox's ears wilted and he changed back, unhappy and confused by her reaction. Aleister took a step towards her and Kalla stepped back, keeping away from him.

“You are
kitsune
,” Kalla whispered, burying her face in her hands. “Great Balgeras, I have enslaved one of the fox kin.”