Chapter 121: The Cracked Pillar

Chapter 121: The Cracked Pillar

The divine lies at the core of our existence, yet seldom do we pause to reflect upon what that means. Our thoughts are petty, and gather around the benefit that souls may bring to us in our lives. This remains a worthwhile avenue of reflection, of course.

But a bond marks both sides. Even as we are elevated by divinity, the perfect divine is likewise shackled to our imperfection - yet this is still not an evil, for it is against our rough edges that it may shape itself into something more. Our passion, delight and rage are holy, each step along our path imbuing divinity with purpose.

Imperfection, however, is ultimately still a flaw. Men stray from their paths, pervert and neglect the divine within them - and, in the end, their power cannot survive when time wears away at the solitary, mortal pillar upon which all else is built.

- Saleh Taskin, On Reclamation, 687

Michael was growing rather accustomed to the image of Gharon laid out before him, but each time he looked its profile took on a different aspect. At first it had been grand and empty, the remnants of a lost empire. Then he had known it as full of hidden, hostile life, then again as the center of a strange compulsion of fear.

Now Gharon was grand and empty once more, and Michael knew it to be the truth. The city had been murdered in quiet, slow steps, until the only one not dead or dying sat in its center.

Waiting for them to pursue. He looked over at Amira, who was quietly observing the city beside him. Saleh stood on her other side, his face uncharacteristically grim.

I dont feel as many people as before, Michael said. Hes still killing them, although hes doing it quietly.

Saleh nodded. The city has been shining with a terrible light since the heart-eater retreated there, he said. I feel it on the edges of my soul. The unique lethality of the Star is - known to us. He turned to look at Michael. You were close to him, before, though he seemed to be withholding himself during our prior conflict. The effects of the star-light are subtle at first-

He doesnt want me dead, Michael sighed. His ability to take souls is tied to my own. Hes afraid that killing me will leave him with power, but not enough to finish - whatever it is that he thinks hes doing. He shook his head, looking back out at the city. Now maybe he doesnt care - or he wants to keep me away, and fight you instead. Either of you would be able to resist his soul, as I understand it.

Saleh would be fine, Amira said. Her voice still held an odd caution, as though she was weighing each word before she said it. Its unlikely that my own soul would be as-

Amira, Saleh said firmly.

She turned to look at him. It is unlikely, she said slowly, deliberately, that my own soul would be entirely resistant against that type of harm. Potentes that work adjacent to lucigentes develop the normal afflictions, albeit more slowly. These things are science, Saleh, and they are known, and known most by Mendian - so there is little value in dissembling.

Saleh shook his head, letting out a long sigh. They are, he admitted. We have been understandably interested in learning how Amiras soul might fare against the Great Lights power. We had begun to make small tests.

Against Leire, Michael said, realizing the source of Salehs reticence. And you imagine that youll have a similar need against me - when all this is over. He managed a smile. Wed best choose our next words carefully if we dont want Sera yelling at us again.

Saleh laughed, the corners of his eyes crinkling; he wiped at them with the back of one hand as the laugh faded into a wet, hacking cough. Michael noted the shiny burns on his fingers, the red, taut skin. You have a unique way of making my fears seem ridiculous, you know, Saleh said. In councils and conferences I hear men talk about Michael Baumgart, the man who might wipe Saf from the map if he were so inclined. Standing here talking to you, I see no inkling of that man - not yet. Maybe not today, maybe not even next year. But you have the potential, waiting for the inclination to present itself - and I find my thoughts dwelling on the time I met that man in the cold city, over there, and I remember how timid he looked then.

Michael shot Saleh an exasperated look. You know that hes afraid of me too, he said. Afraid of what he thinks Ill become. Afraid of what youll do in response. He shrugged. I understand the concern. It scares me too, sometimes, and there are - indications. Flashes of things from future paths that leave me cold and shivering. But what I see in front of me-

He pointed to the quiet city laid out before them. This is real. Its here, now. Are you afraid Ill do that, or worse? Because Ill tell you what spurred him to action, in the beginning. It wasnt fear of me. It was fear of you. Fear that men like you and my father would burn the world down rather than lose control over it, and I cant say that he was wrong to be concerned. It was your use of gas on Imes that stripped him of his hope. Your murders, not mine.

Michael turned to face Saleh; the other man looked back impassively, nothing revealed in his eyes or soul.

Sera was right to say it doesnt matter right now, Michael said. Shes right. We have monsters in abundance here without pulling them forward from some imagined future, and when I am responsible for a quarter of the destruction youve caused then you can name me among them.

Gently, Amiras hand settled on top of Salehs own. He turned his head slowly to look at her, and she moved his hand to rest upon the raw stump of her maimed arm. Their eyes met for a long moment before Saleh looked away, grinning sheepishly.

I am a creature of habit, he said. And my habit has been to rise to the tests as they come. Its difficult for me to see you as anything else, because you are a test for me - only, not the sort I am accustomed to facing. He shook his head, then held out one hand. There is peace between us, and if that should change it will do so only after ample notice. Ill say it before a verifex if you wish.

Hes not lying, Sobriquets voice buzzed in Michaels ear. For whatever thats worth.

Michael suppressed a smile as he reached out to clasp Salehs hand, feeling the smooth burns under his fingers. No need, he replied. You have my pledge in return, and I intend to hold to it for as long as youll let me. He tightened his grip fractionally, meeting Salehs eyes, then let go. We could end more than Lucs violence today.

Saleh gave him a quiet smile. I think youll find that wars are old and canny beasts, who are not so easily dispatched. But - I will not dismiss the idea. The path comes one step at a time, and each one brings a different view. He nodded back towards the city. Where I stand now I see a serendipitous alignment; between the three of us, we have a nearly-perfect defense against the heart-eater. Amira to strengthen our bodies, my soul to sap the star-light, and yours to quiet his wailing voices. I will not speak against cooperation today, not when it is so clearly the way we are meant to go forward. Shall we?

Michael blinked. Shall we?

A grin split Salehs face. Attack. We have our force, and we are poised. Our enemy is an auspex, so we will not surprise him with strategy unless our strategy is also a surprise. We can leave right now.

Objections occurred to Michael, but none of them were rooted in anything solid. Sera? he asked.

Her apparition fuzzed into being beside Michael. Im not part of your perfectly-matched trifecta, she said. Ill stay with the men; well try to gain some distance from the city so he cant try the same trick twice. She leaned in close, phantom lips buzzing near his cheek. Be careful. Luc could have kept running. That he didnt means hes got some advantage here.

Michael nodded, watching as her figure straightened up and faded from view. He turned back to Saleh and Amira, who were watching with polite interest.

The screams stopped, and Luc sagged forward; Saleh let out a cry of triumph and struck out with a terrifying blast of heat, seeking to land the finishing blow-

Michael was flung backwards into a stone column, shattering it. Light erupted from the red sand, flashing blood to steam even as Saleh strove to contain it; he was the only one that had not been thrown away by the blast. His face was burnt, pale, in a rictus of concentrated effort as he funneled the energy out, away - but Luc drew it back to him, reinforcing the connection that Saleh had made. Building upon it.

A line of tangled light formed between them. Amira burst from a pile of rubble where she had been thrown, racing towards Saleh. A flash of light froze her face in Michaels vision, an expression etched with anguish and resignation.

Salehs hand came up, bloodied and trembling, its palm towards her. Amira froze halfway in her dash. The light between Luc and Saleh continued to build, casting its glare down onto melting sand. The heat coming off it was so great that Michael could feel it even from his vantage; Saleh held a fold of his robe up to shield his face.

It was dimmer near him, a tight orb of darkness that shaded the three of them from the worst of the radiance, wrapped around Saleh.

Amira! he yelled. Get clear, leave the city! A fresh blast of heat made him wince, his head turning to the side; half his face was already red and blistered. I cant-

His words were lost as the near wall of the Domus collapsed behind where Luc stood, the grand building toppling in on itself. Only one squarish corner stood half-standing, a teetering pile of scorched brick. Saleh turned to look at it, then wrenched his head back to Amira.

Belatedly, Michael ventured forth his souls, only to immediately recoil as he tasted the raw destruction growing between the two. It was incandescent, tearing everything apart by the sheer scale of its power. He was doubly grateful for Salehs shield; it was so bright that even the reflections from nearby buildings were unbearable to look at. Yet it was the burgeoning light between them that held Michaels attention, for now he knew why Saleh had told them to run.

The energy was held there in contest between the two souls, and constrained by their power. If either of them let go, then it would release - and Luc continued to feed into it, leaching Gharons heat into a single brilliant point.

Amira, Saleh said. Please. He held her gaze for a long moment, then turned to Michael. Their eyes met. There was nothing to feel from within him, nothing that could pass by the overwhelming radiance of his soul, but his eyes closed, and his head inclined towards Michael, lowering until his face was fully downward-

Amira thundered into Michael, her arm looping around his waist and pulling him against her. She leapt up, screaming in brief agony as they left the protective shade of Salehs shelter; Michael felt a flash of pain from his hand that was exposed behind her. His boots were on fire again.

Then they were farther away, bounding across rooftops, Michael pinned against Amiras chest in an undignified carry. Her face was blank, blackened where tears had not streaked down through the soot. He twisted to look behind them at the old city center; against the blinding field of white he saw a glowing figure leap upward, sailing high, high-

The light that followed was beyond light, beyond brightness. Amira cried out once again, and Michael joined her; an immense pain stabbed at every part of him that was not shielded by Amiras body. Yet still he saw, because his sight was not tied to anything so fragile as eyes.

He saw the light burn away Stanzas lattice, leaving behind a disorderly skein that bucked and twisted, luminous death radiating forward and back through chaotic paths. He saw the city of Gharon die. Flame and wind scoured down to its ancient bedrock, tearing away the last vestige of an empire.

He watched through the bounding arcs of Amiras course until they reached a knoll beyond the outskirts, where she released him to sprawl into the grass. She crumpled down, curling inward; her clothing had burnt away in the back, her skin flayed down to charred muscle.

Yet she stood again, rounding on the city. The light had died away into an angry red glow underneath a flat-topped column of smoke that billowed inward at its perimeter. She screamed at it, tearing the sound from her throat until she collapsed, coughing, to the ground.

Michael heaved himself upright, stumbling over to her; she struggled to her feet once more.

Stupid old man! she screamed into the inferno, what remained of her hair whipping behind her in the furnace wind. I told you! You listened! You listened, you knew, you- She screamed wordlessly once more, kicking great furrows in the dirt.

Sobriquet materialized beside him, floating close. What the fuck, Michael! The city! Your face! Are you okay?

He frowned, then turned his sight on himself; it was not a pleasant view. His hair was burnt away save for a few singed tufts on the back of his head. The upper part of his face was raw and blistered, streaked with crimson; underneath that welling blood his eyes were a milky white.

Ah, he said, feeling his heart speed. I should probably see an anatomens. The thought struck him as absurd even before he had finished it, and he dissolved into giggles. He felt lightheaded, distant. An anatomens. But Im right here, I can-

He paused as he flooded his body with Stanzas restorative power, his mind clearing at once. One moment. He took that moment to steady himself once more, then began to work his soul as best he could. He wasnt skilled, but when he was done his skin looked less of a horror. His hair was still gone, though, and his eyes still pale and blank.

Amira let loose another choked sob; Michael decided to stand clear of her for a while longer. He turned to Sobriquet. Saleh and Luc are dead.

Id fucking say so, she muttered, turning towards the destroyed city. What was that? I couldnt see anything close to the city after Luc opened his mouth.

Michael shook his head. Light, he said. Held between Luc and Saleh until one of the two couldnt bear it.

Idiot, Amira mumbled, wavering where she knelt upon the grass. Idiot. Couldnt just be saved. Had to be you. She collapsed to the side, her arms trembling. Had to be you.

Sobriquet gave her a wary look, then returned her attention to Michael. Youre bearing up better than I expected, she said.

Michael gave her an odd look, trying to tease out the intent of her words. Oh, he said, realizing. The souls-

The souls. A sick jolt of adrenaline coursed through him as he turned his gaze inward, already knowing what hed find. There was nothing more than there had been, no bright lights to herald Smoke and Stellar.

Slowly, he turned back towards the embers of Gharon. The cloud overhead had billowed into a great tree, its crown reaching out to obscure the sky above. Yet the crown warped, twisting; the column of smoke at the center constricted inward. The wind whipped past, no longer blowing outward - but, steadily, circling around the edge of the wreckage.

And in Gharons molten center, shimmering through the haze, Michael saw a star flare into brilliance. That terrible light pulsed once - and winked out, replaced by a blot of utter darkness. The wind pulled, shuddered, the world was drawn inward by the spiraling wind. Grit pelted the side of Michaels face as the gale intensified.

The star dawned once more.