Surfacing Ch. 24

Tamuril hissed a curse that actually caused Jael to blink her eyes and laugh.

"You told me you were sent to kill him, Sirana," the Druid said, ignoring my Sister's snickering, "that's why I took you there."

"I was," I replied.

"And because she didn't, everything changed from the Valsharess's vision," Mourn pondered. "Tamuril left the forest to come here. Jael survived. Isboern survived. And Gavin left being Sarilis's apprentice to become what he is."

While Sarilis was left to dig in deeper at his Tower...

"What about you?" Jael asked Mourn. "Sirana was sent with a compulsion about you."

He nodded. "Neither capture nor kill, but seek information. Wasn't that what you told me, Sirana?"

"Yes. She said you would be too powerful for me to handle."

He smirked. "And if you had killed Sarilis first, as you were supposed to, we would have found each other at or near the Tower. I would have killed the Ma'ab, but the question of what to do with either you or Gavin would have remained."

Was that a vague was of saying he might have killed Gavin and me?

"Gavin would not have left the Tower," Krithannia mused, "not in time to come here to help the Godblood, if ever."

Mourn proved to be retracing the steps of that journey, the same as I was. "And then there is Gaelan. She passed very close to Brom's Inn but he missed her. Brom also wanted Mother's Cult destroyed, he has always hunted them when they crop up. A clear intersection. Perhaps the queen had a vision about this as well."

But not one I knew anything about; the queen hadn't mentioned Brom to anyone but...Rausery. However, I did catch that other hint, and I flicked my eyes to Jael.

*There 'is' Gaelan. Is. Not was.*

"Why did you leave without killing Sarilis?" Tamuril asked abruptly, and I blinked.

Thinking back on it, I knew. I lifted my chin and met her gaze. "I was trying to catch up with my Sisters. So they wouldn't have to die."

The two Noldor stared at me, trying to read the truth of that. I stared back. It was true. That was the one restriction set down by the Valsharess I was not supposed to break, and it was the first thing I done.

Krithannia tilted her head curiously. "Do you think you would've done that if you hadn't been pregnant?"

I was embarrassed how obvious it was that I swallowed. My heart beat harder as I imagined returning as quickly as I could after killing Sarilis, to become that "Sola" rank the Valsharess had mentioned and fulfill my then-ambitions. Without a child...yes, I would have done exactly that, mentally bid farewell to Jael and Gaelan and traveled back to continue the Game underground into which I had been born.

Yet there was a child. I had chosen not to end the pregnancy when it would've been easiest, standing in front of D'Shea right after the Purge, which also meant I would go straight into the hands of the Priestesses upon returning home. I knew that.

My baby would go to those son-fuckers, and I would be in prison for almost two years, always near the Draegloth who would smell my fear of them, before I might return to being a Red Sister. Might. Unless the Valsharess had some other plans for me. Considering the changes of my psyche, the psionics and the new soft spot with the Draegloth she could exploit...I had been naïve to believe it even for a moment.

"No," I murmured. "I was giving myself more time by searching for Gaelan and Jael. Maybe enough time to...figure out what to do. I had no plan, only knew that going back to let the Valsharess discover I had caught would be...it wasn't what I wanted."

Tamuril's gaze softened significantly toward me, and she smiled a little. "To think now I accused you of exactly the opposite then when you first told me."

"That was just to throw you off balance," I said, "so you didn't release your arrow."

"It worked," she replied with a wry laugh, but the gentle smile remained and Mourn, Jael, and Krithannia all shared a look.

"We should think on what comes next," the Guildmistress said.

Mourn nodded in agreement. "I must fulfill the final part of my contract with Sirana, and that is to take her and Jael to where I took Gaelan. After that, Sirana and Gavin must leave to confront Sarilis, by the Grey Maiden's bidding, I believe."

I nodded confirmation. More than a few eyes blinked as they tried to imagine how this might be done.

"Well, obviously I'm going with you and Gavin to help you," Jael said, irritated that Mourn had left that out. "And so is he."

*Are you?* I didn't voice or sign the thought, but I looked at Mourn. He said nothing and waited for a response, perhaps to see if I wanted to re-open negotiations.

"Let's wait until we've seen Gaelan," I said. "Plenty of time to talk about Sarilis if he's already gotten what he wanted, and we're too far away to do fuck-all about it."

Mourn smirked just a little bit and nodded.

"The Guild waits for me," Krithannia said with her arms crossed. "I can see I will be commuting between Augran and Manalar quite often for the next few years."

Tamuril looked straight at her. "What about the Shae'goth?"

Oh ho, I liked the bluntness. The Druid glanced at me for support but I could only shrug. I knew nothing more than she did, probably less as far as where Noldor traditions were involved.

"Forgive me, my dearest, but you will have to let that go," the elder Noldor spoke calmly, watching her with steady, iron-grey eyes. "Rest assured I have not promised myself to anyone."

"That's part of the problem," the blonde replied and Krithannia gave her a stern look which told her to be still.

Obviously Jael and I were listening with big ears. A glance at Mourn told me nothing more, whether he knew what she meant or not. Transparency always only went so far, which I could interpret to mean I didn't have to share the "hows" of my homeland any more than they.

Tamuril swallowed, her arms crossed and tucked close. "What about Deshi?"

"Gavin wanted us to wait and not plan anything for him," I said.

The Druid gave me a sharp look I thought was probably intended for the absent necromancer. "So just ignore him?"

"No. He said all messengers of death must be self-reliant. I think he was trying to say that Deshi must make his own choice."

"I agree," Mourn said. "Give him time without pressure, we have a few days. He still has not spoken to Nianzu or Peng lok, there is much left unsaid. His choice will become clear to him after he has done this."

Tamuril eased down and thought this over, ultimately nodding in agreement with the half-blood. "Alright."

Meanwhile, during all this, Soul Drinker remained pressed to the floor while the Godblood prayed and dawn approached. Sooner or later I would have to pick it up again.

That would be a fun conversation.

******

A few of us drifted, one at a time, into a light reverie while waiting for the dawn. Including me. The sense of power and energy coming from the pool remained constant without significant surges, so even though we all felt it through the night, it was soothing. Or at least to me. Whether I "hastened the process" or not, I did not know. I had no explicit dreams even as I remained inside the temple.

Willven's blonde hair was dark with sweat by the time he drank from the pool. At first I thought it was a mistake, someone desperate for water after being so long dehydrated, and he hadn't realized what he'd done. I watched as he cupped his bare hands and lifted them to his mouth, then I glimpsed words on his lips and an answering, warm glow from the pool and the water in his hands, and he drank. I could've read lips if it was in Drow; it definitely wasn't.

The drink seemed refreshing, or even more, from the way strain and concentration slipped from his face; he closed his eyes, smiling.

*All of you, please drink.*

Those of us who were awake - Mourn and Graul, myself, Jael, and Tamuril and Pilla - turned our heads at once, and Krithannia stirred as well. So did the dwarves and Humans, finally shifting and their breath changing from sleep to consciousness. I looked out of the main doorway and confirmed that bit of pink and light blue on the horizon. It was dawn.

Most wore gloves; all of them were removed before dipping their hands into the sacred pool and taking a single drink. No one went back for seconds that I could see, and it was surprisingly orderly. People were groggy, blinking and waiting their turn patiently for that clean drink. Isboern stood watching over the others and when they were nearly finished, he beckoned us.

*Please. The Elves and your animal companions as well.*

This should finish the process, but...

*On your honor, Godblood,* I heard Mourn ask, *will it change us?*

*Not by itself,* Isboern replied, and it seemed all of us heard him. *On my honor. Any change is up to you. By drinking, you give your blessing to what we've accomplished here together.*

*And Gavin?* I asked.

He shook his head. *Deshi represents the Grey Maiden's blessing, her pact, and her welcome here. Gavin has chosen to forego this claim.*

Because of the Tower, possibly. Or something to do with the Ley Lines and whatever details the God and Greylord talked about to which I wasn't "privy."

Jael was most resistant, attempting to stay behind and remain silent until Mourn and I paused. I stepped back to gently take her arm.

"I don't like him in my head, telling me to trust him," she whispered, though she took a hesitant step with me.

"Yet if not for him," Mourn said, "you would not have a path open now which frees you from a life forever tied to your Priestesses and your queen. He tells the truth as he knows it. You agreed to the ritual at the beginning. He only asks you to finish what you promised."

Jael studied his face and I studied hers. Mourn's words had a great deal of weight now, I could see it. Finally she nodded once and went with us. We were the last to drink of the pool but none of us seemed in the mood to make a grand show of it; there were even several chuckles as Graul waddled up to the edge and dipped his lower jaw into the clear liquid, scooping some up and letting it run down his throat while he smacked his tongue and lips.

I could only say that it was the best drink of water I had ever experienced. If any others might have expected something else, they did not seem to get it. I did, however, notice that all three circles of runes had reformed on the floor. We stood within and upon them, but for the moment this caused no harm.

The earliest Sunlight now touched the threshold of the open door and the top of the shattered Skylight, and Isboern looked up and around in awe, then to all of us in appreciation.

"And so now the New Work begins," he said.

The "New Work"...which proved at the start to be nothing but practical necessity: delegate, repair, collect, distribute. The Guild was willing to invest heavily in the supplies, and the Templars the labor. More than one kind of message was going out from Manalar as tasks mounted one after another, their answers to come as quick as may be. I overheard from one of the Guild that by the end of this day, we would even see a bedraggled Manalara regiment, which had fled from the walls at Isboern's first command to retreat. They were coming, and I had no doubt their healing at the pool would be some of the swiftest and seemingly most effortless anyone had witnessed.

The legend of the Godblood that Gavin mentioned may have already begun.

My first task would be to pick up Soul Drinker once again. It was good that neither Isboern nor Mourn underestimated this moment as they stayed nearby, though I truly intended not to madly swing the blade. Still, each of them explained how they had a method to neutralize me without harming me, so I could focus on control within, while the temple and those passing into it would be safe by their efforts.

For the moment the place was mostly empty. I had asked Jael that she find something to do away from the temple; she wasn't happy but well understood why. The Guildmistress and the Druid both said they could use some help, and despite her expression Jael went with them.

Isboern had released the three relics from their psionic shield and moved Gavin's items himself, setting them into a small chest someone had brought from deep below, which had avoided most of the fire, and let that sit within a few steps of the outermost ring of runes by the pool.

"You will return those to him, right?" I said curiously, trying to ignore the pull just beginning to rise within me from the dagger.

Mourn looked at the Captain as well; I didn't think the sudden waving of his tail was directed at the Godblood, but probably more what I felt. The aura of the Drow relic was getting stronger.

"We will talk again," Isboern said noncommittally. "I think it is calling for you, Sirana."

Damned so. It was. I had to answer. Those eternal cries coming from so far away flickered in and out of my hearing while I felt pressure on the cheeks of my face and around my neck and my hands as it tried to draw me forward.

I might be pitting the blade's compulsion against To'vah and Varasa in making sure I didn't stab myself in the gut, like in my very first dream... And yet I had no good reason to resist, did I? It was inevitable and no one else could take this burden. It was mine, and mine to carry.

I walked up to the dagger naturally as I could, noticing the deep red aura around the black blade, the runes the color of blood, and I kneeled down to take hold of the hilt and lift.

It was heavier than normal, and the first feeling I absorbed was...glee. Challenge.

*Draww mmeee...*

*I know, I know.*

I drew.

*****

Innathi was livid, her arms straight at her side with fists clenched, her spine rigid, but she kept her distance as I expected. She began the confrontation with her back to me, probably so that she could turn around dramatically and try to convince me that I was no threat to her. I didn't buy it, and we locked gazes with several paces between us, me in my red uniform and her in a more ornate version of her white silk dress with golden jewelry.

Her lips were tight and she watched me in silence, making me wait. I spoke first.

"You still want to go belowground, your grace, and I still mean to take Soul Drinker there and hand it to the Priestess-Sorceress Lelinahdara. Is there a problem?"

Innathi blinked and then bared her teeth. "You dare?"

"Dare what? By our agreement, I am the sole carrier. There was never a discussion where I promised you are a welcome presence in everything I do to fulfill our goal."

"Fool," she said. "If you start leaving the dagger unattended, someone will take it!"

"You and Soul Drinker have some say about that, as I understand it, and you were quite attended. I can trust Musanlo's messenger and his word more than I can yours."

I felt her aura surge, even if I didn't see it. I didn't understand why I could see any aura only now and then, when most of the time I merely felt it.

"If that is the case," she murmured very low, "why do we keep any agreement?"

"So I don't draw you out of the Elsewhere only to kill you."

She chuckled. "I wonder whether you could do that, now. Quite an interesting creature you healed from death. Except that wasn't your doing, was it? You are just the incubator. Maybe I *would* take a male body if it was one with power like that one. I would add so much more, enough to change the power balance down below in favor of males instead."

"You wouldn't survive to try."

"You'd kill your own child?"

"He wouldn't be my child anymore. He'd be you."

Her eyes blazed. "You're bluffing."

"You won't risk finding out. You would rather I be killed and take Jael instead."

"That was part of the 'discussion,' wasn't it?" Innathi said with a sneer. "That we cannot orchestrate your death."

I huffed a laugh. "Oh? The Ma'ab Hellhound slapped Soul Drinker out of my hand, your grace."

She smirked. "He has a powerful slap, I must suppose."

I felt like spitting on the sand stone. "Lying slit."

"Watch your tongue!" she snapped, her pupils dilating. "That was not my doing, Sirana! There are some souls the dagger *will not* take. The Hellhound was an abomination, an Elven soul tainted with necromancy! While you did not feel the powerful relic inside him, we did! The two colliding would have been like a stopping up a portal to the Abyss with one to the Greylands! It would have killed you, or if it didn't, you certainly would have lost your son! I held to our bargain and the dagger acted according to its nature to preserve its carrier!"

My heart pounded in anger while she shouted, as I stared at her, wishing Gavin was here to judge the truth of that possibility. Why was I not surprised that one of my own kind claimed the relic had deliberately put me in physical danger so that it would save my life?

Cris-ri-phon had alluded to something similar when he suggested tossing Soul Drinker into the Greylands through the rift; either she might've heard that, or she may be working on a similar basis of knowledge.

"Did you know as well that Kreshel would want me alive?" I asked. "Or were you just lucky?"

"You must agree this has all been far more than luck," she spat. "Cris-ri-phon finding you, to give me to you, your alliances with Death, Dragon, and now the Sun. More than just myself seek to reset the balance, we're all on the same quest."

"You never mentioned Soraveri in your list of names of all those worshipped in your time."

"I gave you the names I knew when I lived," she replied. "Some deities go by multiple names."

I tilted my head at how quick that was. "You have thought about this. Why anticipate that defense? To justify thinking you are on the same quest with me?"

"My destiny is intertwined with yours. You are the messenger, like that Human is for Musanlo! It is time for Ishuna's reign to end and I will bring the Drow back to the Surface where we belong! The others are even preparing for it!"

"Others," I repeated; I noticed my stance had loosened, my knees slightly bent as she grew more animated in her speech. Ready to respond to anything sudden.

"Don't act stupid, Sirana," Innathi barked, beginning to pace. "I have said. Your allies want to see you succeed. They are helping you, protecting you better even than I can. You have promised there is an appropriate vessel of divine and arcane power and of a good age, just waiting to be claimed. You need me to destroy Ishuna. No one else has the power or the knowledge of her sins and her weaknesses that I do. With me to help you, she will tumble down before she has the chance to destroy her own people out of spite."

I frowned and Innathi smirked.

"Oh yes," she said, "why would she not do this if her own death seemed unavoidable?"

"You think this only because it is what you would do in her place?"

"How dare you," she hissed. "I sacrificed myself so her sins would not be forgotten. Without me waiting an eternity, none of you would know, and she would hold you in that web with the Spider Demon below for all time!"

That part, whether I liked it or not, was true.

"Which names would have corresponded to the Sisters of Musanlo in your time?" I asked bluntly. "If they go by multiple names?"

Innathi straightened abruptly, thrown off her rant. "Well." A moment of blessed quiet. "I cannot be sure, it has been so long. Ianca and Fathiren, perhaps."

"Who were they?"

"Goddesses of Air and Water. The very things we need to live. If Ianca is Soraveri, then your breathing life in that new creature would make sense."

"No one has mentioned Ianca to me, yet presumably that is a newer name."

"You are presuming. Where did you get 'Soraveri,' anyway?"

"From Nyx. And Musanlo's own avatar."

Innathi went silent; clearly she didn't want to believe me but could not think of anything to refute it.