Tobias refused to slow down. He couldn’t afford to. Dashing across the frozen fire of Loch Reòsair, battling against masked foes wielding weaponized crystal-corrupting gauntlets, he had to move as fast as possible.
Because they didn’t care if they damaged the loch. They didn’t care if they brought destruction upon each other.
He’d fought fanatical organizations before, and though he knew nothing about his masked foes — what they called themselves, what they stood for — he knew they were just the same as others. If they weren’t defeated swiftly, uncompromisingly, then they would burn the landscape around them to the ground.
They wouldn’t care who was burned with it.
Thankfully, speed was Tobias and Flynn’s specialty. They were used to fighting larger groups by themselves, and the best way to succeed in that was with an all-out, blindingly fast offense. Defeat the enemy before they had a chance to adjust, to strategize, to react to your attacks.
Dozens of masked soldiers already lay defeated. The rest were panicked, some of them turning to run, others trying to take aim, still more calling out conflicting reports, trying in vain to communicate and gain control of the battlefield.
Tobias and Flynn carved a path right through the center. They would have spread out more if they’d been alone, but Elliot and Hector battled to their left, slower but more methodical, always reliable. And to their right danced Sheena, the first warrior Tobias had met who might be able to rival his own speed. She moved with a beautiful grace, every move linking to the next in arcing, fluid movements, as if all was one long, continuous motion, no one step, slash, lunge, or thrust standing in isolation. Akko was out there somewhere, a tiny blur darting to and fro, leaping up at masked soldiers to undo the latches on gauntlets so they fell free, or knock masks off-kilter to distract and confuse.
Up on the high wave, the Sparrow-masked man had yet to reappear. The Summoner had knocked him off his high perch, and Tobias was grateful for that.
Though he did have questions.
Why was a Summoner here? What brought him to the far shore, and what put him at odds with these masked assailants?
Tobias could only think of one thing: the same machine that Maestro Brahe had found, where a star had fallen from the Cúplach. The strange device that sat at the Intersection, the machine that told of the forging of a pair of keys to Elysia, and more besides.
But how had they found out about it? When Maestro Brahe discovered it, there were clues that it had been some sort of vessel, a transport whose occupants had left it behind. But everything else spoke of a hiding place, of it being a secret.
“Secrets only stay secret so long.”
The words of his Teacher echoed in his mind. And they spurred on Tobias’ battle, urging him to swifter victory. Because if others had found the strange machine and the clues it held, considering the violence being enacted by the masked soldiers…
There was a risk of the knowledge that lay hidden here being lost forever.
Tobias already knew much of what Maestro Brahe had discovered previously. And the Intersection would still remain, a door through which Tobias and his companions would reach Ars Moran and the next clue in their journey.
But the destruction of the truth could not be allowed, even if much of it had already been unearthed. There was always more, at the source. Always something yet to be discovered.
The destruction ends. Now.
Tobias slashed through three more masked men, dispatching them and their gauntlets in an eyeblink. Flynn toppled two more, knocking them over in just the right way so that their crash to earth didn’t damage the ice underfoot. Together, the pair sprinted ahead, and subdued three more.
Tobias spun in a whirl at the base of the high wave, scanning the battlefield. The ice was clear, with all except Tobias, Flynn, Sheena, Akko, Elliot, and Hector lying unconscious, wounded, defeated. On the rocky shore, the grand mirage the Summoner had conjured up faded to reveal dozens more masked soldiers defeated — and the Summoner and his entourage gone, vanished from sight. One woman still stood, cloaked in blue, bearing a gauntlet like her compatriots, but without a mask to hide her golden hair or intense electric-blue eyes. But she didn’t look ready to continue the fight. She stood with eyes downcast, staring at the gauntlet she wore with a whirl of conflicting emotions.
“Everyone okay?” Elliot asked, taking a look around like Tobias.
“We’re all right,” Sheena said, as Akko clambered up to perch on her shoulder.
“Same here,” Tobias said. “Flynn, go find the Sparrow. See if he hasn’t run off yet — and if not, let’s get some answers out of him.” Flynn’s tail wagged twice, and he dashed off, around the wave in search of the leader of their foes.
“They weren’t much,” Elliot said, sheathing his sword. He reached down and removed a fallen soldier’s gauntlet, grimacing at it in disgust. “These kinds of weapons are outlawed for a reason. What a grotesque waste of a crystal’s potential.” He pried open the cage housing the crystal and removed it, checking it over. “It’s not too far gone. We should safeguard the rest if we have the time.”
“We’ll see,” Tobias said. He noticed a flash of light from behind the wave, and then heard a quick one-two bark from Flynn, in descending pitches. He sighed. “The leader escaped.” He turned his sword on a soldier stirring at his feet, resting the point under the man’s mask. “But I’m sure someone can answer our questions.”
——
Guinevere ran at a steady, even pace. Though she breathed well, and had stamina to spare, she cursed her sluggishness.
I’ve never been a runner. A dancer, a fencer, of exceptional quality, absolutely. And I’m so swift on the dance floor or sparring floor.
So why am I so sluggish when all I need to do is put one foot in front of the other? It’s no different from childhood… Artorius and I used to run through the woods together. And he was always so fast. Not just faster than me — that was easy. He could even outrun a lot of the Knights, when he was just ten years old!
It was some comfort having Alice and Ninian alongside her, both of whom seemed perfectly happy with the current pace, not for a moment arguing for or attempting a full sprint. There was fighting going on in the distance, still. But for how long?
I’ve seen Tobias and Sheena fight a small army. They made quick work of Saoirse’s metallic soldiers, even when outnumbered dozens to one.
Please, don’t let the fighting be over before I arrive! I’m ready to put this hand to use, to show how much I’ve improved!
“Look, the far shore!” Alice cried, pointing. The trees had been thick all the way up to the shore along the path they’d been taking, but up ahead the landscape opened up, with the tree line being much farther back, revealing a wide rocky shore with tall outcroppings and rugged, leaning towers of boulders.
Guinevere sprinted ahead, but she only made it a few strides before she slowed. Her heart sank, all her efforts feeling useless now as she stood panting to catch her breath on the edge of Loch Reòsair.
The fight was over. She’d run all this way for nothing.
It was a curious sight, though, once she took the time to look around. At least one hundred robed, masked foes were laid out, many of them moaning and groaning in wounded or injured agony. Tobias stood on the ice, at the foot of a breathtaking wave of fire flash-frozen in high, dramatically cresting glory. His obsidian blade was pointed at one of the fallen soldiers.
“Oh, well done!” Alice said brightly, though Guinevere didn’t miss the way her eyes filled with discomfort at the fallen soldiers, and then quickly averted upwards to avoid focusing on them. “But who are these people, Tobias? What happened here?”
“He’ll tell us,” Tobias said, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Then there was a sudden skittering sound of something sliding across the ice. Guinevere saw it — a small object, a mirrored capsule. Before she could get a closer look at it, it gave a bright, blinding flash of light. When she looked again, blinking spots from her eyes…
The soldiers Tobias had been threatening, and all the rest of them, had vanished.
“He wouldn’t have talked,” said a voice. A woman with striking eyes and golden hair walked up to Tobias, her expression resolute. “But I will.”
“Why’s that?” Tobias asked, eyeing her cautiously.
“I and my compatriots call ourselves Reunion,” the woman said. “We don masks to show our unity of cause, forsaking our names until the day of the reunion we seek arrives.” She held up a mask, styled like the noble visage of an eagle. “I am the Eagle, one of four leaders of Reunion. But my name is Lairah.”
“Why are you telling us this?” Tobias asked.
“You’re Obsidian,” Lairah said. “From all the stories, and all we have seen of you from afar… you are one to be trusted. And I want to apologize for my allies. My… family.” She bowed her head, and let out a soft sigh. “Our ideals were noble too, once upon a time. What we seek, what we desire… it’s still more important than you can imagine. But our methods to accomplish our aims… we’ve gone too far. As you saw. Wanton destruction, threatening children, fighting those who should never be our enemies…” She shook her head. “This isn’t right. And I wish to change what we have become, if I can. But I also wanted you to understand. For you also seek Elysia, and as long as you do, it’s likely you will encounter us again.”
“Why do you seek Elysia?” Tobias asked.
“For reunion,” Lairah said. “We, all of us…” But she trailed off, and Guinevere realized that Lairah was now looking at her, noticing the new arrivals. She showed a flicker of surprise at Guinevere, but then she looked at Ninian, and that surprise grew. And then she looked at Alice…
“My Lady…?” Lairah asked in a soft, awed voice, as she gazed at Alice.
“Finally, someone acknowledges my importance,” Alice said cheerily. “But, well, why are you calling me that? I don’t believe we’ve met before.”
“You…” Lairah started, staring. “No. You’re not her. But you aren’t Lacie, either. Who…” And then her eyes widened. “I see.”
“See what?” Alice asked, pouting slightly. “Don’t keep your revelations to yourself.”
Lairah looked at Ninian again. “Why are you here?” she asked. “Surely you were there when the doors shut. Why would you ever leave?”
“Don’t change the subject!” Alice said. But she went ignored, as Ninian sang in response to Lairah’s questions. Guinevere could hear the honest confusion in her song, even though she didn’t understand the words.
There was a look of empathy and sorrow in Lairah’s eyes. “I see,” she said, bowing her head. “I’m sorry. For your sake, I truly hope you find Elysia. But if you are to enter…” She looked up, now at Guinevere, and then looked from Guinevere to Tobias. There was something odd in her eyes, as if comparing the two, yet another hidden revelation dawning in her mind.
“What is it?” Tobias asked stiffly. There was something nervous in his eyes, unsteady.
Lairah settled her gaze on Tobias. “You made a choice,” she said. “I suppose I can understand. But the truth finds its way to the surface, one way or another.”
“What do you know?” Tobias asked. Still stiff, cagey, unsettled by whatever it was Lairah hinted at.
“Finding Elysia is only the start,” Lairah said. “Perhaps you can succeed. Even we have yet to find it again. But to open its doors, you’ll need the keys. And they have departed.”
“Why does everyone keep talking about multiple keys?” Guinevere asked, frustration bubbling over. “There is only one key to Elysia: Excalibur!”
Lairah stared at her, blinking in confusion. “Yes, Excalibur is the key to Elysia,” she said. “But to open its doors, the twin keys are required.”
“What…” Guinevere was more perplexed, and annoyed, than ever, now. “A key unlocks a door. Excalibur opens the door to Elysia. What are you talking about?”
“What do you want from Elysia?” Tobias asked, annoyingly taking the conversation away from Guinevere’s questions.
“Reunion,” Lairah said softly. There was reverence in her voice, and longing. “That… should tell you everything.” She looked at Guinevere, and nodded, a small bow of respect. “It does my heart well to see you traveling with able companions, Your Highness. Stay safe. And good luck.”
“How did you…?” Guinevere started. But then Lairah pulled out a small hand mirror, hummed a short tune, and was sucked into the mirror, and the mirror into itself, vanishing into thin air.
She was gone. And all the secrets she still held with her.
“She could have stuck around to answer all our questions,” Alice said with a frown. She looked at Ninian, and frustration gave way to empathy. “Elysia was your home.”
Guinevere stared in shock at Ninian, and her shock was not only shared by Tobias, but even Elliot, who had been traveling with her for years as her Knight-Protector. Ninian bowed her head and sang a sad song, which Alice translated. “ ‘I was present in Elysia when the doors were shut, and the realm locked away from the world. We were supposed to sleep, all of us who remained, to awaken only when the Promise was fulfilled. But I woke early. Alone. A song called to me, the voice of one who needed me. Not from within Elysia — from without. So I left. And I have not been able to return ever since.’ ”
Guinevere couldn’t find her voice. Ninian was from Elysia? The clues had been there all along, she supposed — she only ever spoke in true Elysian, and there was something awe-inspiring about her, like she belonged to another world, a higher world, from Guinevere’s. But to know for a certainty the truth of those suspicions was astonishing. And also empowering. She felt so much closer to the realm she sought, now, to the truth of the world and what had happened to it. Elysia was real — of course it was, she’d always known that. But for her whole life, there had only been stories. Now, standing before her, was physical proof. Elysia couldn’t possibly be out of reach, if one of her children had left her hallowed halls for the earthly realms left behind.
“Have you found the one who called to you, asking for your help?” Sheena asked.
Ninian sang in the affirmative. “ ‘I have found them’,” Alice translated. “ ‘And I am glad that I followed the call, and honored that I was deemed worthy enough to aid them.’ ”
“So now you’re trying to go back home,” Elliot said softly, looking at Ninian as if seeing her for the first time. “We must succeed, then. As soon as possible. For your sake more than anyone else’s.”
Ninian smiled, but shook her head. “ ‘Thank you,’ ” she sang, with Alice translating. “ ‘But I am in no hurry. And there are others who need Elysia even more than I. Let us all continue our journey, to find it again, together.’ ”
“Reunion,” Tobias murmured, gazing out across the shore. “Lairah and her allies.” He looked at Ninian. “They were also from Elysia, weren’t they?”
Ninian nodded, and sang, with Alice translating. “ ‘It does appear that way. Lairah seemed to know me, though I confess I did not recognize her. My memories are not entirely intact, however. A long sleep, and a power upon the barrier that sealed Elysia away, have left me somewhat adrift. I remember much, but not all. We may have known each other, long ago.’ ”
“Well,” Alice said for herself, “they could have tried to get back home with less violence. You’d think citizens — or former citizens — of Elysia would have more class. Like Ninian.”
“They’re desperate,” Tobias said. He was looked up the shore, eyeing one of the stone outcroppings suspiciously. “She said the keys have departed…”
“There’s only one —” Guinevere started angrily.
“Yes, we all know,” Alice said placatingly. “Excalibur is the key. But perhaps there’s more to the truth than we realize. No one’s been able to find, or re-enter, Elysia for eons. If Excalibur was all that was needed, it would be a bit… simple, don’t you think? There’s more than what we know. Do you want to find the whole truth?”
“I…” Guinevere started, then sighed. “Fine. We should at least try to discover what she meant, what the Librarian meant, what Maestro Brahe meant — they all spoke about this pair of keys. They must exist. So we should find out what that’s all about.”
Alice beamed. “Right you are, Guin! The truth is most important. Tobias, what are you looking at?”
“There was another group here, fighting Reunion, when we arrived,” Tobias said. He pointed towards a strange, leaning tower of large rocks. “They were close to that. But then they escaped, disappearing from the battlefield in the confusion. I think they might have gone there.”
“A fight on the far shore of Loch Reòsair suggests there are more who know about the same things we seek,” Sheena said. “Were they fighting over the clues Maestro Brahe spoke of?”
“Let’s find out,” Tobias said. He started up the shore, and the others followed.
Guinevere was the last to move, slowly taking up the rear. She had an awful lot to think about. There was much that Lairah had suggested without outright stating, much that had been glossed over as Guinevere and her companions asked questions, focusing on some details while ignoring others.
She knew a great deal about us. All of us, it seemed. She knew who I was at a glance. She knew Alice, though she thought she was someone else at first. She knew Ninian.
And she looked as if she was comparing me and Tobias. Recognizing some link between us. What was that? “The truth finds its way to the surface.” She said that to Tobias. And Saoirse wanted to know all of Tobias’ “secrets.” Others have suggested things about him, too.
Who are you, Tobias? What “choice” did you make? What truths have you chosen to hide, and why?
She knew about Tobias’ past, to a point. His parents murdered in front of him, Flynn almost dying to save his life… and she’d seen signs of the trauma that still haunted him in the time she’d traveled with him. The scars of childhood remained, almost as fresh sometimes as if the wounds had been inflicted yesterday.
But there was so much he hadn’t said. So much he refused to divulge. And she could understand someone so wounded wanting to avoid the subject of his past, wanting to put on a brave face.
But so many know about you, in one way or another. And secrets… they don’t stay secret forever, do they?
When the truth about you comes to the forefront, will you be able to bear it? Or will it hurt more deeply than any hurts you’ve yet suffered?
She watched Tobias — the firm set of his shoulders, the resolute strides he took up the beach — and she saw a physical strength that tried so hard to bear the wounds of the heart. And though he’d protected her multiple times, though he’d shown a greater strength than Guinevere could ever hope to possess…
Who protects you? Flynn, surely. But you need a person, too. To guard you when you’re in trouble. To help you bear the weight you can’t quite bear alone.
You’re a Knight to everyone. But someone ought to be your Knight, in return. Perhaps… that could be me.
She didn’t dare voice any of this. Tobias wasn’t one to accept aid, and if she called out his needs, he’d only put up more walls and pretend to be all right.
But he didn’t need to know. She just needed to be there for him, when his need finally arose.
“Here we go,” Tobias said. Around the far side of the rocky tower, there were…
Rocks. What a surprise.
“What is it?” Alice asked. Flynn was nosing the rocks, tail wagging eagerly.
Tobias smiled. “He’s found what they tried to hide,” he said. He touched one spot on the rocks, then another, then traced a line between two other points, and hummed a soft tune. How in the world he discerned that pattern, Guinevere couldn’t imagine — and that only made her realize even more how fantastic a dog Flynn truly was.
The rocks shifted, then slid aside, revealing a small opening, a sort of doorway, not quite six feet high. There wasn’t a dark cavern that awaited them within, however, but warm lights gleaming from around the corner.
Tobias headed through the entrance, able to pass beneath it even when standing straight up, and then turned back to Elliot with a cheeky grin. “Watch your head,” he said.
“Ha-ha,” Elliot said dryly, rolling his eyes. Tobias’ teasing warning wasn’t unwarranted, however — Elliot was the only one of their group taller than six feet, and his impressive height meant he did have to duck down to enter, and remain somewhat crouched as they all trod single-file through the tunnel and around the corner towards the light.
They emerged into a spacious domed chamber. Crystal lamps were set around the walls, casting a lovely warm glow, illuminating the stunning, alien machine situated in the chamber’s center.
It was a sleek vessel, all elegant, curving lines and white, glossy surfaces. About ten feet long, it was slender, with a compartment in the center where two people could sit, with a little space for cargo. The compartment was open, revealing a computerized console beyond Guinevere’s understanding at the front. Tobias knelt at this console and rummaged around, before finding a latch that opened a compartment. He looked within, then stepped back, shaking his head.
“They got to it before us,” he said. “The memory drive’s been removed. No wonder it’s so easy to open. They didn’t bother to lock it back up, because they didn’t need to.”
“Who’s ‘they’?” Guinevere asked.
“The other group,” Tobias said. “There was a Summoner with them. Two other adults, and two children. I didn’t get a good look before they were gone.”
“Do you think they went through the Intersection?” Alice asked. She looked around. “And on that subject, where is the Intersection? There’s no way out of here.”
“Look a bit closer,” said a dreamy, lilting voice over Guinevere’s shoulder that made her yelp and jump, spinning around to come face-to-face with the insufferable, grinning face of the Cat.
“Chesh!” Alice said happily. “Where’ve you been? You disappeared once all the action started.”
“I always have an eye on things,” Chesh said, spinning lazily in the air. “And I’m a guide, when it suits me. So I listened in the right places for what I might see.”
“You don’t listen to see,” Guinevere said, glaring at the Cat.
“A Cat does many things,” Chesh said with a chuckle.
“So the Intersection’s here?” Alice asked, looking around.
“Connections link together in the most surprising places,” Chesh said.
“Speak plainly, Cat!” Guinevere said. “Just show us where it is. Must you be insufferably evasive?”
“I must,” Chesh said. Guinevere’s glare intensified.
“Oh! Flynn’s found it!” Alice said. “No surprise there. Good boy, Flynn!”
Flynn was standing at the far edge of the chamber, tail wagging. He raised a paw and touched the wall, where the stone rippled, like water. Guinevere stared, her eyes struggling to make sense of what they were seeing. In the ripples were visions of Loch Reòsair above, but also the streets of Ars Moran, as if the two were blended together, one and the same.
“Good boy,” Tobias said with a smile, petting Flynn’s head. Flynn leaned into his hand, his tail wagging faster.
“Let’s go, shall we?” Alice asked. “One step closer to Elysia!”
“Farewell, dear Alice,” Chesh said.
Alice turned back, looking up at Chesh. “You’re not coming with us?” she asked.
“Albia doesn’t suit a Cat,” Chesh said.
“There are plenty of cats in Albia,” Guinevere said. “You’re just being silly.”
“My speciality,” Chesh said. And, with a giggle, he vanished — body first, grin last.
“Well, he’ll pop in again,” Alice said, smiling. “When it suits him. Come on, friends! To Albia!”
She started towards the rippling Intersection, but Tobias stopped her. “I’ll go first,” he said.
“My noble Knight-protector,” Alice said, beaming at him.
Through the Intersection Tobias and Flynn went, the wall rippling around them, their forms flickering and melding with visions of both Loch Reòsair and Ars Moran, before vanishing entirely.
One by one, they all went through. Alice, then Elliot, and Ninian. Finally Sheena and Akko, and Guinevere and Ava followed right behind.
It was a strange sensation. The wall was cold, like plunging into an icy lake, but without any of the wetness. Guinevere’s vision blurred, and she heard a song in the air, two different songs melding with each other, melody and counter-melody. For a moment, her feet stepped off of solid ground, and she cried out at the sudden weightlessness.
And then her feet landed on a city street. Her vision refocused.
She was in Ars Moran. In a rather narrow alley, in a section of the city she didn’t immediately recognize. Up above, the sky was dark, a few twinkling stars visible in the blackness. It was nighttime in Ars Moran.
Ars Moran was… dim. The vibrant colors of Wonderia were replaced now by drab stone walls and dull stone roads. The lights that beckoned out on the street ahead were hazy.
Guinevere was home. But after spending so much time in Wonderia, home felt… changed. And not in a good way.
“Flynn?” Tobias asked, and Guinevere realized Flynn was just returning, as if he’d gone off on a reconnaissance trip. Flynn gave Tobias some silent, subtle body-language reply, and Tobias sighed. “Well, no sign of the Summoner’s group. Flynn never got their scent, so there’s no tracking them long-distance. Guess the information from that ship is lost to us.”
“That’s all right, though, isn’t it?” Alice asked. “We can just head for Ars Umbra, like we planned.”
“Right,” Tobias said. “Come on, let’s get going.”
They headed out onto the streets of Ars Moran, and Guinevere felt an odd dread settling over her. She was home: the last place in all the realms she ever wanted to return to.
——
“That worked out better than I’d hoped,” Roland said.
He sat with his companions in his favorite café, Café Somnus, right alongside the Miridian River that ran through the center of Ars Moran. At Roland’s request, they’d been granted a private room — he was good friends with the proprietor and several of the baristas, and they were more than happy to oblige him. Here they could talk in privacy, which was key — for along with some lovely pastries and warm drinks, in the center of their table sat a small mechanical box: the memory drive from Erika and Enrique’s ship.
“All thanks to the timely arrival of Obsidian!” Tsubasa said, stars in her eyes. “I never thought I’d ever see him in person! And I can’t believe he’s so young — he’s not much older than I am!”
“You knew about that Knight, too?” Erika asked.
“Of course!” Tsubasa said. “He’s a legend in Wonderia, hero to so many. A true Knight Jouerve, vanquishing vicious monsters, rescuing people from danger, and even helping with tons of mundane troubles and challenges. There are songs sung about him all over Wonderia, by the many people he’s saved and helped. Him and his trusty dog, traveling the realm, doing good for all. I always expected him to be some old, grizzled veteran, but he’s, I mean… he’s so young! And so fast. Did you see him move?”
“No,” Erika said, and mimed her head spinning. “He was too fast to see move! I’m not surprised he’s such a legend. Though I wish we’d been able to stay and thank him for helping us.”
“It was better that we left as soon as we had an opening,” Muirrach said. He took a sip of his tea. “They would have had questions for us, I’m sure. And even if we could trust them, it’s better that we don’t draw them into our own troubles. I’m sure they have enough troubles of their own.”
“But you have to wonder why they were on the far shore to begin with, right?” Tsubasa asked. “I mean… there really isn’t anything else out there. It’s certainly suggestive that they knew about the ship. Or the Intersection. Or both.”
“I wondered the same thing,” Roland said. “Perhaps we’ll find out someday. But for now, we should see what we can learn from this.” He looked at the twins. “You two have waited for answers long enough.”
Enrique nodded, and he and Erika together reached forward, and pressed a switch to open the box. To lay bare the secrets within, and find the truth they so earnestly sought. About their parents. About New Elysia. And about themselves…