Call of Descent
Chapter Thirty-Eight

Theyheaded back to into the city hours later. Ryne had cautiously come after them,his presence lost to them as they traveled through the busy streets. Malik heldReniko’s hand protectively, afraid that at any moment their resolve wouldshatter. Reniko was glad of his protection, glad that a month of distance hadnot torn him from her completely. Malik’s reassuring presence put Reniko atease, so when the frantic horse ran past them brushing past Reniko roughly shewas caught completely off guard. Startled, she lost control of herself andstumbled backward, her wings spreading wide in the sudden panic she felt. Hercloak tumbled gently to the ground leaving her fully exposed to the now astonishedcrowd that was gathered around her.

“TheGoddess,” A woman shouted dropping the basket she was carrying.

“TheGoddess has returned!” Another person shouted.

Renikofelt surrounded as the crowd pressed on, staring at her in reverence and awe. Afew of them were beginning to prostrate themselves on the ground and she wasbeginning to notice Malik’s hand slacken in her own. He was pulling away fromher, suddenly uneasy about where he stood in this situation. Reniko looked tohim pleading and clenched his hand tightly in her own, not daring to let himgo. Don’t leave me, she begged with her eyes. Malik glanced around him,very unsure, looking to his people and back at Reniko. Looking into her eyes,he knew where he belonged, by her side. He clutched her hand in reassurance andstood solidly besides her. Ryne was running up behind them once he realizedwhat was going on.

“Please,”Reniko called out, releasing Malik’s hand now that she knew he would not leaveher. “Please don’t. I’m no Goddess.” She knelt down by the nearest person andhelped the woman to her feet. The woman glanced at her in fear and when Renikoreleased her grasp she prostrated herself once again. Reniko sighed.

“Pleaselisten to me. I know you think I am the Goddess, but I am not. I’m mortal asyou are. I bleed just the same,” Reniko said and grabbed the dagger that Malikcarried at his side slicing a thin cut into the palm of her hand and lettingblood slowly drip to the dusty ground. The woman that Reniko had touched lookedat Reniko incredulously.

“TheGoddess you have so long worshipped was not immortal; she was a Levanith,mortal, as I am. She was my mother,” Reniko said whispering the last part.

“Levanith?You are an ancient?” the lady asked. Ryne stood with Reniko and Malik now andcame to Reniko’s aid.

“Please,the King will hold a meeting in the town square at sunset. Everything will beexplained there. Spread the word. All citizens of Tordaskar that are able arecommanded to be there, by order of King Zanith,” Ryne called out loudly. Murmuringstarted as those gathered on the roadside began to get up, concerned now thatthe King had called a meeting. Malik grabbed Reniko’s cloak from the ground andwrapped it around her shoulders as she folded her wings closely to her body.Ryne ushered them forward and the two of them walked briskly back to the safehaven of the castle.

“Didthe King really call a meeting?” Reniko asked as they rushed to the castlegates.

“It’shigh time he told his people what was going on. That wasn’t exactly the waythat I had figured to reveal your presence to them, but it has the same effectin the end.” Ryne said, “Dertrik will want to see you as soon as possible.”Ryne bowed low to Reniko and skittered off to attend to his own business. Heleft Malik and Reniko alone to make their way into the depths of the castle.

Renikolooked at Malik and sighed. “Complicated?”

Maliknodded.

“Youlooked good out there, with Ryne,” Reniko said suddenly, “you’ve been learninga lot while I was sleeping.”

Maliknodded and blushed. “A compliment, from you? We’ll see how much I’ve learnedwhen I fight you once again.”

“Ifyou think you can beat me, you’re sorely mistaken,” Reniko said teasingly.“After all I have a twelve year head start on you.”

“Butyou do have new problems to master now,” Malik said letting his hand traildelicately across Reniko’s wings which she had now exposed as the cloak wasmaking her increasingly more uncomfortable. Reniko pushed him away playfullyand headed into the castle. She walked a few steps in front of Malik, trying tohide the sorrow she felt. She was all too aware of the sudden turn her life hadtaken, and she wished with all her heart that she could go back to Reflaydunand undue everything that had happened since. But I can’t. Instead, asMalik caught up, she grabbed his hand and leaned against him for comfort, hewas the only good thing left in her chaotic life.

Dertrik,Malik, Rimca and Reniko sat in a dining hall, food before them. Dertrik hadasked that they be awarded a private meal away from everyone else. Ryne hadtold the King of the meeting he had arranged and he, King Zanith, and QueenKillashandra had been preparing since. Reniko glanced out the windowlistlessly, watching the sun as it set, thinking about the chore she hadcreated for Malik’s parents.

Dertrik’svoice interrupted Reniko’s quiet torture. “Reniko, I thought you might like toknow that your parents are aware of everything. We explained what was happeningbefore we left. They seemed to take it well, considering.” Reniko could justimagine her mother when Dertrik had told her that her daughter had disappearedto another world, which she was actually from, and that her daughter was goingto sprout wings and would be unable to come back. She could hardly see how hermother would believe a thing Dertrik said. She didn’t see how she would everknow if Dare’s words were true or not, however, and instead took Dertrik’s wordon the fact.

Athought struck her and she spoke. “What of my parents? They didn’t know aboutme? How did I end up with the Dorsalin’s in the first place?”

“Well,you are right to ask,” Dertrik said. “You were in our care, but there was amalfunction in your cryo-stasis and you woke before you were supposed to. Itwas an automatic response in case your suspended animation was in danger ofthreatening your life. When you woke, the Dorsalin’s found you before we could,and they fell in love with you. I didn’t see any harm in letting them raiseyou, especially since you seemed to have forgotten everything about your past.It was the best way I could see for you to live a normal life.”

“Dertrik,did you leave Claire and Erik behind to come after me?” Reniko asked suddenly.

“Ofcourse not Reniko, Clair and Erik came with me, as well as Skylar and his wifeSarah and their children, Garrin, Ryne, Tobias, Xanthus, and Kaia.”

“Whyhaven’t I seen them?” Reniko asked.

“Becausethey aren’t here in Tordaskar. As I said before, Skylar and Kaia are inSavonly. Claire, Erik, and Garrin are in Geoith on Raet Serac, and Tobias andXanthus are in Lrac with Malik’s brother Callum.”

“Idon’t understand,” Reniko said, “why is everyone so spread out.”

“Sothey can train your armies,” Dertrik said.

“Myarmies?” Reniko suddenly couldn’t stomach food anymore. “Dertrik this is crazy.You really expect me to lead armies to liberate this world? I’m only oneperson, a person that no one on this world knows, why would they ever followme?”

“Because,Reniko, you are Levanith, you are their Goddess, you are the symbol of hopethat every human has been waiting to replace. Your very presence inspires hopeamongst the people of this world. They would move mountains for you,” Rimcasaid.

“Believeus, Reniko, if you will lead them, they would gladly give their lives fightingfor you. Even knowing you, I know I would, especially knowing you. The peoplein Savonly and those in every city you ever walked through even before theyknew you were Levanith would follow you if only you ask. You don’t seem tounderstand the power you hold over people. You gave them hope when there wasnone. You gave me hope, when all I saw was oppression.” Malik said.

“Idon’t want a war. I don’t want them to die, not for me. What can I do? All Iwill do is lead them to their deaths.”

“Reniko,it’s your destiny, something that your parents set in motion and that thesepeople have waited a thousand years to see fulfilled. You have to do this. Youare the only one who can. You must reclaim what is yours, for the sake of yourpeople.”

Mypeople?The thought startled Reniko, she had never thought of it like that. “That was along time ago. What gives me the right to rule? Just because I’ve sproutedwings doesn’t mean who I am has changed at all. I may look Levanith, but it’sjust me inside.”

“No,Renny, you haven’t changed at all, you didn’t have to. You are what this planetneeds, you always were. I know your parents put a lot of burden on you allthose years ago, but can you really deny them? Can you really deny all thosepeople that need you? Just because the Rük are not a presence here in Tordaskardoes not mean that they are gone from this world. Have you forgotten alreadyall that you have seen? Can you really just turn a blind eye to all of that?”Dertrik asked.

“Youtold me that you would help free my people. Now that they are your people aswell, has it changed?” Malik asked.

Renikolooked around the table, from Malik’s hopeful face, to Rimca’s pleading face,to Dertrik’s burdened face. They were asking so much of her, they needed somuch from her. How can I deny them? If I turn my back on them all now thenI’ll be doing the same thing that the Tordaskans have been doing for so long. Ican’t condemn all these people to a slow life and death as slaves. If death forfreedom is all I can give them, then so be it. With a heavy sigh, Renikotook their burdens from them and weighed them on her own shoulders with a fewsimple words.

“Maybeit won’t come to war,” Reniko breathed. Malik and Rimca both brightened,Dertrik gave a half-hearted smile, relieved, but at the same time broken thathe could do nothing to help.

“TheHologram in Reflaydun alluded that Tordaskar may have a more complete record ofthe events that happened after the Rük came. I know Dertrik has supplied a lotof the information about the Levanith, but I’m hoping that the archives herewill have something we can use against the Rük. If that’s the case, maybe wecan destroy them without shedding more innocent blood,” Reniko said.

“Ifwe can replace them,” Malik said. “Rimca and I have been looking for any sort ofentrance here in the castle for the last month. So far we’ve turned upnothing.”

“They’rehere,” Reniko said. “I remember them, very vividly. But I also think that theentrance that was in the castle may have been buried. I think this castle isnot the one that stood here a thousand years ago. If that is the case, there isonly one entrance left.”

“Theone on the Cliffside,” Malik echoed, finishing Reniko’s thoughts.

“Iguess the first thing I need to do is replace Orric and take some flying lessons,”Reniko said with a sigh and resumed eating. Dertrik looked at Reniko withconcern. I’ve thrown the weight of an entire world on her shoulders. I willnever forgive myself for this. How could her parents ever do this to her?He watched Reniko, knowing the nuances of her inside and out. She bantered withRimca and Malik like nothing was happening, but Dertrik could see it in hereyes. She was shattered inside, and the only thing that was keeping her wholewas the realization that if she crumbled, so would everyone she cared about,and that was something Reniko could not bear to see happen. You have morestrength than you know. You really are the Queen you must become, Renny,regardless of what you see.

Ithad been four days since Reniko had awoken. After the initial day of shockingnews, things seemed to have quieted down. Reniko was still anxious to replace thelibrary, and every day Rimca and Malik looked for some way to it inside thecastle walls, and at the end of every day, they always reported that they hadfound nothing. Reniko was not really surprised. She decided that it was hightime that she learn how to use her wings and after several days of failedattempts on her own, she decided to enlist Orric’s help like she had suggestedto begin with. She had asked Malik where the Teoko were located, and aftershowing her a map of the surrounding area, Reniko had started off alone. Malikhad insisted he go with her, but Reniko had said that it would be better if shewent alone.

“Besides,”she reminded him, “you already have an appointment with Ryne. I don’t want youslacking off in your training for something that I can do on my own.”

Malikhad consented and had let her go off into the old forest on her own. It tookher most of the morning for her to replace the entrance to the Teoko home. As sheentered the cavern, she thought that she had, in fact, found the wrong one,until an imposing figure stepped into her view and blocked her path. Thesunlight that was filtering through the cave illuminated the massive figure. Itwas a Teoko, larger than Orric, with scales of silver that carried a blacksheen. The colour of the Teoko’s scales blended with the walls of the cavern,and Reniko realized that was the reason that she had not seen her to beginwith.

“Shylaya,your presence here honours us. Please is there anything I can do for you,” theTeoko’s voice echoed in the massive space of the cavern. She lowered her headin respect and Reniko suddenly felt uneasy.

“Please,don’t. You have far more wisdom than I. I should be humbling myself to you.Please call me Reniko. I’ve come to see Orric, if I can,” Reniko replied,reaching her hand out to touch the Teoko’s face with her hand. The Teoko lookedat Reniko with a toothy smile.

“Ofcourse, Orric is with his family. I’ll take you there myself. You may call me Shiona,Reniko.” The dragon ambled down a corridor hidden in the shadows and Renikofollowed after her. There were no lights in the caverns and Reniko soon foundit difficult to follow Shiona.

“I’msorry Shiona, but I can’t see anything,” Reniko said hoping that the Teoko wasnot too far ahead of her.

“Ah,yes, it has been some time since our weaker eyed kin have come to our tunnels.Wait here and I will light the path for you,” Shiona said. Reniko heard thedragon shuffle away from her and a few minutes later the corridor was brightlylit, the same lights that had been in the tunnel to Reflaydun were the sourceof the sudden illumination. Shiona poked her head around the corner of thecorridor a short time after and gestured for Reniko to follow. Reniko did,amazed by the size of the walls around her. Reniko felt so tiny in comparisonto her surroundings, like she was a doll in the land of giants.

SuddenlyReniko caught hold of something familiar, and Engaged. Shiona continued leadingher on, unaware of the sudden change, however, when Shiona began leading Renikodown a corridor to the left, Reniko turned right instead.

“He’sdown here,” she called out and wandered away from her guide. Shiona turned andwatched Reniko wander down the other corridor very sure of herself and decidedto follow.

“Whatmakes you think that?” Shiona said coming up behind Reniko.

“Orric,showed me where he was,” Reniko said.

“YouEngaged him?” Shiona asked startled by this information.

Renikoturned and frowned, not at Shiona but at Orric. “I thought he would have toldyou that,” Reniko said. Orric tried to recoil from her mind, but Reniko didn’tlet him. She held him in her mind and demanded an explanation, which he gave.

“Iguess he wanted to wait until I was here,” Reniko said simply and continueddown the path.

“Ithink you need to learn a lot about that talent of yours, Shylaya. I can’t eventouch your mind at all. I can’t even understand how you and Orric are talkingat all. Your barriers are intense,” Shiona spoke.

“Ihad some very bad experiences with the whole thing,” Reniko replied. Shiona didnot probe, but instead she followed quietly behind Reniko until they reachedOrric who was in the library paging through endless amounts of books.

“Lyss.So you have found the truth about yourself,” Orric said dropping the book hehad and came up near Reniko.

“Withno help from you, I might add,” Reniko said.

“Itwas best you hear it from the Shidenen, as you were supposed to. I couldnot interfere in something that the Levanith had set in motion so long ago.Besides, I was unsure what had happened to bring you to Vespen without anyrecollection of what you were. Surely you can see my position in this?” Orricsaid forcing feelings into her mind along with scattered images. Reniko nodded.

“Ithink I should call the other council members. It is high time that Orric tellus everything that happened on the journey that returned our Wayann tous.” Shiona said and wandered back the way that she had come. Orric began tofollow her and Reniko trailed in line.

“Wayann?I’m not familiar with that word… it’s not Vespian is it?” Reniko asked.

“No,it is Levanith, it means leader,” Orric said.

Renikofell silent. Lyss must be Levanith as well; I wonder why I can’t rememberthe dialect. It's strange that all my memories of my parents are in Vespian.

“TheLevanith language was only used as a code during the hundred years war.Vespian, as it is used now, was the common tongue of all the races before theRük invaded. Only the Levanith knew their own tongue and as they began to diethey taught it to others to use as a code, one that was unbreakable to the Rük.Not many people know it any longer,” Orric said in response to Reniko’sthoughts.

“Malikknows it then?” Reniko asked.

“Whatmakes you think that?” Orric replied.

“Lyss.It’s Levanith is it not?”

“Yes.Malik knows a few words, those which I taught him.”

“Sowhat does it mean?”

Orricgrinned. “I’ll let Malik be the one to tell you.” Reniko scowled at him. Themand their stupid games.

“Sowhat brought you here, Reniko? I hardly believe you came to rouse the Teoko tohave a council meeting.”

“No,actually I came to ask a favor of you,” Reniko said.

“Askand I will see if I can acquiesce,” Orric replied.

“Well,I’ve got these wings you see,” Reniko said smiling, “and I have no idea how touse them.”

“Ah,I see. It seems you have a lot of learning to do,” Orric said.

“Howso?”

“Flying,fighting and Engaging. I’d say that is quite a full slate.”

“I’mgathering that is your condition, that I learn how to Engage in exchange forlessons in flight.”

“Howquickly they learn,” Orric said.

“Iguess it’s a fair deal,” Reniko said with a sigh.

“I’lltell Brium that you accept,” Orric said.

“Brium?”Reniko said feeling suddenly tricked.

“Wellyou don’t think I would have waited until we got to Tordaskar to educate you ifI could do it on my own all along.”

“No,I guess not,” Reniko replied. “So Brium knows about me?”

I donow, Renikoheard a voice in her head say. She was startled when she realized that it wasnot Orric’s.

Theyentered a large room at that moment and Reniko was met with the faces of threeother dragons she had not met. She locked eyes with one of them, his scaleswere a shimmering emerald green, he smiled and Reniko knew that this was theface of the sudden voice in her head.

“Iam Brium. It is a pleasure to meet you, Levanith Shylaya.”

Renikonodded in his direction and glanced at the other Teoko in the room. There was acharcoal gray Teoko who was introduced as Ordenn, and another, very old Teoko,Baothin. Baothin had snow-white skin and his eyes were glazed over, his sightlost to cataracts.

“Pleasecall me Reniko. I’m not used to being called Shylaya.”

“Asyou wish, Mistress Reniko,” Baothin said reacting by what Reniko could tell tothe images from one of the other’s mind.

“Shallwe get started,” Shiona said as she took her place at the empty spot on oneside of Baothin. Orric began telling them of Reniko, and their experienceEngaging. Reniko however, was preoccupied with Brium.

A long time ago, when Teoko first came toTordaskar, they did not have the ability to Engage. We were a reclusive race,and although we actively participated in the affairs of this world, we nevermixed with the other species. Instead, we built and dwelled in our own citiesapart from the others. When my ancestors found this place, they were the firstTeoko to settle near a human inhabited city, and their interactions with humansshowed them unexplored regions of their own minds. The humans were not aware ofthis bond. However, the Levanith that wandered the streets of Tordaskar seemedto harbour this same ability, not with their own kind but with mine. It wasthen that the Teoko, Levanith, and humans of this place realized that they hadcreated something special, something that no one else on this world was privyto. Instead of living together in tolerance, we had gained a balance, auniting. We had begun the union of the species of this planet. The Rük’sarrival shattered that harmony, that precious connection and balance we had begunwith the world. Your return with this ability may be the force that we neededto mend the tear that the Rük created. We have a chance to begin again.Brium’s words were like a soothing balm in Reniko’s head. It reminded herincreasingly of her connection with Penumbra.

“Howdo you do that?” Reniko asked, halting the four other Teoko’s conversation withher sudden outburst. “How do you form words in my head?”

Briumsmiled. “I accept the proposal, Orric.”

Renikosuddenly realized that Brium and her were not alone in the room and turnedtoward the other Teoko with embarrassment. She bowed low, apologizing, and whenshe rose, she realized that the others were smiling at her.

Youtruly are a unifying force, Brium said as the gathered assemblydispersed.

Renikowithdrew into herself. She was afraid of the treatment she received; afraid ofthis person that everyone thought her to be. No one ever asked how she feltabout it. They just expected her to be what they had imagined her to be. Theydidn’t understand at all how she felt. She was scared, alone, and overwhelmedby these sudden responsibilities.

Letus try. Let us help, Brium said, we don’t ask you to doit alone. We never would. Reniko felt Orric’s reassuring presence in hermind and she conceded and understood, despite the fact that she wanted toforget, she understood.

“Yourmind is full of questions, and of burdens. Let us see if flying can lift someof those things from you, at least for a little while,” Orric said. Renikosmiled at him warmly. Orric always seemed to know exactly what to say to pullReniko away from spiralling thoughts, she was glad of that and followed him upthe winding path toward the light of afternoon.

Malikstepped from the ring, perspiring from the afternoon heat. Ryne looked almost refreshed.Ryne was wearing the same patient expression that Reniko had always worn everytime that they had sparred, but unlike Reniko’s, which had always made himconfident in his growing ability, Ryne’s made him feel childish. Malik sighedand flopped onto the ground, too tired to even stand.

“You’relearning well, Malik,” Ryne said coming to stand over Malik, his shadow fallingover Malik, refreshing him from the constant beat of the summer sun. “Renikotaught you a lot.”

“Shedid,” Malik admitted. Another presence entered the clearing at that moment andMalik looked passed Ryne at the face of Dertrik. Dertrik, upon seeing Malikgazing at him smiled.

“Justthe person I was looking for,” Dertrik said as he stretched out his hand tohelp Malik to his feet.

“Wenever really got a chance to talk, since Reniko’s rebirth.”

“Nowe haven’t,” Malik admitted. Dertrik made a gesture for Ryne to leave them andthe younger man bowed slightly before disappearing into the surrounding trees.

“We’veboth been very busy,” Dertrik said.

“Ihave to admit,” Malik said, “I was avoiding you.”

Dertriknodded, not surprised at all. “I understand. What I told you must have beenpretty hard to accept, being as close to her as you are.”

Malikthought back to those moments, when Dertrik had burst into his room hisattention on Reniko, Reniko’s recognition and his words, words that Malik hadnever wanted to here.

“Myfriend Orric, when we were in Reflaydun, told me that he didn’t tell me thatthe Goddess was Levanith because he was waiting for me to be able to have hopein something else. He knew all along though, that he wasn’t giving me a newhope, just the one I always had in a new form.”

“Shecares for you, Malik. In ways that I know must be hard for you. I know youstill see her as something unreachable, as something holy. I know it frightensyou that she isn’t perfect, that she isn’t just going to, with one sweep of herhand, make all the problems of this world disappear. But as much as thatfrightens you, think how much more so it must be for her. The entire world islooking to her for answers. Answers that she feels she doesn’t have. I knowthat this is all very confusing for you, but she has chosen you. I’m glad thatyou haven’t abandoned her.”

“Iwanted to. I wanted to run far away from her, from everything. You’re rightabout everything, I am frightened. I’m terrified. But when she came to me, Iremembered that she was just Reniko, and I love her. I couldn’t run away fromher. I couldn’t leave her. She bleeds as I do,” Malik said looking at his hand,remembering Reniko cutting her hand with his blade, her drops of blood drippingto the ground.

“Malik,I come to you today, to ask you something. For Reniko’s sake, you must bestrong. I ask you, please, to be her strength through this. Without you, I haveno doubt she will crumble. Be her strength, as I know she is your hope. Shecan’t do this alone. She’s chosen you to help her through this. I ask you, Itell you, because she never will. She would never ask any of this of you. She wouldnever dream of giving you any sorrow, any pain. She will withhold it from youto spare you. Malik, I ask you to be there for her through her hardships, evenwhen she does not ask, be there to help her. If you love her, as you say youdo, stand by her.”

Maliklooked at Dertrik, this man that had suddenly come into his life and changedeverything and clasped his forearm in an oath. “You need not ask, Dertrik. Itis already done.”

“Don’tgive me reason to doubt you. Prove to me that you are worthy of her,” Dertrikreplied and released his grasp. He turned and walked away, his heart heavierthan ever. They are too young to deserve this. Is my fate to only serve themup to more and more affliction? I feel like the executioner in all of this. Ido my duty as they will do theirs, Dertrik thought and sighed. Who wouldI burden with these chores if not me? I would not think to let this slide tosomeone else, for it would, regardless of what I wish.

Malikwatched Dertrik’s retreating form, his own thoughts echoing those of the olderman’s.