Savior of the Damned

July 4th

Phaedra looked around the field. She knew he was here. She could sense his presence, a live spark in a world where everything was dead or dying. Phaedra drew her weapon against her will, her hand trembling. She didn’t want to fight Eldren, but if he pressed her, she might not have a choice.

“What did he do to you, Phae?” a low voice asked, cracking with despair. She spun, holding the sword up between her and the man who stepped out to greet her. Eldren, his short red hair a touch longer than when she had last seen him, sighed as he looked at her. “You and Demeter deserved better.”

Phaedra’s hand that held the blade shook as tears welled in her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, words catching in her throat.

“I know you can’t linger, so I won’t keep you,” he said. “The old man in charge of us ragtag band of heroes said you would need this.” He tossed a small leather bag at her that Phaedra snatched out of the air, a bright flash of light visible for a moment and then gone. “I’ll go now, so you can finish scouting.” His eyes closed for a moment, a tragic expression on his face, and he turned to leave.

“Eldren, wait—” she started, but he was gone, having slipped behind the trees. Phaedra crashed after him after a moment’s pause, but behind them was a clearing with a fairy ring in the middle. He must have stepped into it.

Sheathing her weapon, Phaedra opened the bag and saw a pendant inside. It was a clear, flat stone covered in twisted silver wire that held a caterpillar. She realized with a start that it was a Godstone, and the chain length looked like it would fit under her armor and clothes. Dropping the bag and kicking leaves over it, she slipped the chain over her neck and tucked the stone under her layers. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized that, even with every obstacle possible between them, Eldren had found a way to help. A Godstone could have only come from Orso, which meant that at least some people from Temple were still alive. She didn’t know the purpose of this specific one, but Eldren wouldn’t have gifted her anything less than useful.

Sounds came from behind her, and she turned to see Torin eyeing her. Her breath caught in her throat, as she didn’t know what he had seen. “I found a fairy circle,” she said, stepping to one side and pointing.

He glanced behind her, a strange look crossing his features. “Just an old wives tale,” he murmured. “Everyone knows they’re just mushrooms.”

Phaedra looked at it herself, frowning. She had certainly seen elves using them. Torin was The Magus, so she had assumed he had too. Maybe it was because of the Temple she worked at, she mused. Elves did their best to avoid humanity, though plenty like Eldren were either stranded or trying to survive the same mess humanity was. Eldren had made it seem like some kind of secret when he told me about them.

“Come on, we shouldn’t linger,” Torin said, hand loosely encircling his sword.

“Worried you’re wrong?” she jested, forcing her hands to be limp at her sides.

Torin gave her another strange look. “And when am I ever wrong?” he asked, turning and walking away before she could say anything back.

***

“Nothing?” Torin asked.

Phaedra opened her eyes. “I can try the mirror.”

“What mirror?” Torin narrowed his eyes, looking suspicious.

She reached into a pocket and produced a small mirror that was painted black on the back, making it dark. “This one.”

He watched her, looking as if he was considering something. “Try it.”

Phaedra looked into the mirror and unfocused her eyes. The more she used her Sight, the easier it got to use, but something had to be blocking her vision. She had no idea what could have been stopping her, but it had never been this hard even before Torin removed the blocks. “Nothing.” She slid the mirror into a pocket. “It shows the location here but I can’t find it anywhere now.”

Torin ran a hand through his hair. “Someone is blocking either your vision or protecting the ’stones.”

Phaedra scowled. “That’s no magic Temple has ever used.”

“No, but the elves have that ability. As far as I know, they were staying out of it. What changed?”

“Why couldn’t you feel it before?”

Torin’s shoulders heaved. “I didn’t know what to look for.” He rubbed one of his eyes with a thumb. “We have to go back and report to Aurelius.”

Phaedra’s throat tightened. “Sounds good.”

***

“Something’s blocking your Sight?” Aurelius asked. “Interesting.” He glanced at Demeter, who stood on Aurelius’s left.

“It would make sense. While I did find one, it was extraordinarily difficult, and I wasn’t completely sure.”

“Hmm.” Aurelius worked his jaw. She resisted the urge to reach out to Torin and instead gripped her left wrist with her right hand. “This does make things difficult.” He leaned back. “Do whatever it is you two do. I’ll talk to Cristiano and send him your way.”

Phaedra felt the blood drain from her face, but turned away, wanting to put as much distance between her and Aurelius as she could.

“Phaedra.” She turned back to see Aurelius looking at her, as if he could see through her. “I trust you to be honest here.”

“I have been nothing but.”

She felt Torin stiffen, but Aurelius didn’t seem to notice. “On your way,” he said, waving a hand in the air.

“What now?” Phaedra asked, as the doors closed behind them.

Torin let out a shaky breath. “We go do our thing, and hope that Cristiano takes his time. While waiting, I was going to see what I could do to solve this.” He looked at her. “You’re welcome to join me. Since I’m not gifted the way you are, it would make it easier.”

Phaedra looked at his honest expression and couldn’t find a trace of anything sinister. “Lead the way.”

***

Phaedra was leaving the magic lab when Cristiano rounded the corner. “Oh good, you’re here.”

The hair rose on the back of Phaedra’s neck. “Did you figure something out?” Her mouth felt dry as she thought about the ’stone around her neck. He didn’t seem to notice the hum, though, as he smiled at her.

“Trying to see the ’stones won’t work, due to how the elves crafted the magic hiding them.” Something darker crossed his face for a moment before he perked back up. “But you can look for the last locations of each. It’s at least a place to start.”

Phaedra forced herself to breathe. “That’s it? Just look for the last location?”

Cristiano’s thoughts were far away from Phaedra, judging by his distant expression. “I know it’s not perfect,” he said, tapping one long finger against his cheek, “but it’s all we have right now.”

“I’ll get on it right away,” she said and turned to go.

“You’ll tell us if you find anything else useful, right?” Cristiano asked.

Phaedra turned to face him. “I’m not stupid,” she said. “What do I stand to gain by hiding anything?”

His eyes narrowed, but after too long a pause, he nodded. “You’ve been helpful so far. I’m just curious why you keep finding and losing them is all.”

“Bad luck I guess.”

“Indeed.” Cristiano turned and walked away, and Phaedra sagged against the wall for a moment. She resisted the urge to reach under her clothes and pull out the pendant. It was too dangerous to examine it on the fortress, and she was playing a dangerous game wearing it. But the subtle magic it held vibrated with her frequency and not of its own. No one had noticed, as a result, not even Torin.

Torin. Phaedra looked at the door to the magic lab and swore. Under different circumstances, they would have been friends. Even now, she found she enjoyed his company. But was he safe to trust? She didn’t know, but now that she had the ’stones, she was running out of time to decide.

Pushing off the wall, Phaedra walked over to the door and opened it. Torin looked up at her, the distant expression fading as he wrested himself away from his task and put down the item he was holding.

“Is everything all right?” he asked, blinking a few times as he came back to the here and now.

Phaedra looked around. Small models powered by magic lined the walls. They were small because Torin was using them to test the efficacy of the magic weapons on a miniature scale. She looked at the clockwork pieces, assembled by skilled hands, and shook her head. “Everything is fine.”

She wandered around the lab, checking out various other magical implements as Torin shook his own head and looked down at the table in front of him. Phaedra watched as he lowered his goggles and went back to examining the item on his table, a wand of some sort, with a crystal set into the widest end. “You’re a skilled engineer,” she said, coming to a stop beside him.

Torin put the item to one side and made some notes in a journal. “It’s a hobby. Most of it was made by the last engineer but Aurelius hasn’t been able to find a replacement. I can only do small things, nothing intricate. Luca has made some as well, though we’re on par skill wise.”

Phaedra thought of Eldren, and she found it suddenly hard to breathe. “I’m still impressed. I never had the skills to do it.”

Torin grunted. “It’s just practice.” he mumbled something that Phaedra didn’t quite catch. “Don’t give Cristiano the time of day if you can help it,” he said, turning the next item over and over in his hands before writing some more notes. “Treat him like a rabid dog.”

“I mean, I’m already dead. Can’t get much worse than that,” she said.

Torin pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled slowly. “Just steer clear. He’s bad news.”

“I noticed.” Phaedra pushed off the table and wandered around some more. As a magus, she sometimes spent her time here with Torin; the problem was her magic differed from his. Torin was an excellent magus in his own right, and his skills were impressive. But their magic was also different. Phaedra’s use of Command Words was a secret Temple held close, and as a result, she used as little as possible around Torin or anyone else. She looked at him, at the back of his head as he slouched forward, examining the dagger in his hands, and shook her head. She knew it was a bad idea to trust anyone, but at least Torin seemed on the up and up.

“I think I figured something out,” Torin said. “I need to run some tests with you, to be sure.”

Phaedra looked at him, at his downcast eyes and the way he bit his lip, and the fight went out of her with a rush that surprised her. “Of course. Tell me what to do and I’ll help.”