Mortals & Deities (9 page)

Lying awake and staring up at the patterns carved into the wooden beams of the ceiling, Arderi Cor listened to the wind gently rattle the windows of his room. For a tenday, he had haunted the halls surrounding his rooms in Bin’Satsu, exploring. Larith Rine had visited him only sporadically, and never for long. For the most part, he had been left to himself. Much of that time he spent in his rooms, recuperating. This eve, after Mir’am Yhan had brought him lastmeal, Arderi sat in one of the plush armchairs in the sitting room and watched the fire, thinking of all that had happened to him. A Mah’Sukai who could destroy the entire Plane, Traveling thousands of leagues from home with just a step, a man with wings—all these and more churned through his mind until he could no longer keep his eyes open. However, once he stripped down and climbed into the large four-post bed in the adjacent room, he could not fall asleep. Pulling the fluffy blanket up to his chin—he had never felt a quilt so wonderfully soft—he rolled over to his side and tried to regulate his breathing. He lay like this for the better part of an aurn, then in a huff, threw the blankets off and sat up on the edge of the bed.

After the warmth beneath the covers, the chill air of the room licked up goosepimples on his bare skin. Standing, he crossed to the chair holding his clothes and dressed. Upon leaving the bedroom, it surprised him to see Mir’am Yhan enter the sitting room from the outside hall. A pang of fear spread through him. “Is everything well?”

The old man smiled, hobbling near. “Aye, Aye. I am sorry if I woke you.”

Shaking his head, Arderi crossed to meet the man in the center of the room. “Nix, Mir’am Yhan. I find that I am unable to sleep. I thought to take a look around the Citadel.”

“It seems you have a kindred spirit then, young man.” The old man turned and walked to the far door once more. Looking over his shoulder, he smiled. “Young Rinear is waiting in the hall. She asked me to come in and see if you would walk with her for a bit.”

At the man’s words, fear struck him for true. He had always been nervous with girls and the thought that she waited for him made him anxious beyond words. When he made no move to follow, the old man put a hand upon his hip and tapped a foot. “Well, come on, young man. She will not bite you.”

A forced laugh escaped Arderi and he moved to catch the old man up. Exiting the doors together, Arderi’s mouth went dry at the sight of Rinear.

She is beautiful.

Her blond hair, now curled at the ends, glowed with a light of its own. It was tied back with a red ribbon, highlighting the smooth skin of her cheeks. She wore a blue dress trimmed with white lace at hem and cuffs. A white sash tied at her waist accentuated her thin hips. In the dim light of the lantern she carried, her white skin appeared almost ghostlike. He was not sure how long he stood there staring at her, yet, eventually Mir’am Yhan cleared his throat.

“If you two will excuse me, my wife is waiting.” Bowing his head first to Arderi then to Rinear, the elderly man left them alone.

Looking into Rinear’s blue eyes, Arderi felt the fool. He knew he should say something. Unfortunately, that was the only thing he could think of—that he should say something. The ‘what’ to say escaped him, and an uncomfortable silence soon fell between them.

Finally, Rinear giggled and reached out, taking him by the hand. “Come. I have something I wish to show you.”

Leading the way, she pulled him at a brisk pace through the Citadel. They headed up, and he saw much the same as when he had followed Larith. The building did not have much in the way of décor. He also noted that with the sun down, the temperature in the halls had fallen. If they were not walking so fast he could have seen his breath. They climbed several stairwells before taking a hall that headed back in the direction of Arderi’s room. At the end of this hall, they entered a door that led to one of the spire towers. The small round room held one staircase that spiraled up farther than Arderi could see. Giving him a brief smile and a small squeeze, Rinear let go of his hand and ran up the skinny stairwell.

With no railing, Arderi hugged the outer wall and refused to look down as he ascended. Up and up he followed his guide until the stairs ended on a tiny platform no more than a few spans across. He came to a stop with just his head and shoulders sticking out onto the platform. No matter what direction he cast his gaze, he saw nothing of the rest of the Citadel. In fact, he could see nothing at all save a vast darkness that stretched off into the distance. It was as if the rest of the Plane had disappeared and this small platform was all that remained. Looking to his right, his heart leapt to his throat at the sight of Rinear sitting on the edge of the roof with her feet dangling over the side.

She glanced over her shoulder and smiled, patting a spot next to her. “Come, sit. The view is breathtaking.” A gust of wind sprang up, blowing one of her curls over her eyes.

Arderi could not move. He knew he could not. This was insane! They must be a hundred paces above the roof of the Citadel. And there was nothing around them.

Nothing except empty air!

A wicked grin filled Rinear’s lips and she raised her hand to cover it. Lowering her eyes—Arderi knew she was laughing at him—she leaned back on her elbows, almost laying on her back. “You do not have to sit on the edge if you do not wish. Here…” She indicated a spot next to her shoulder a half a pace from the edge. “…sit down. You will be safe enough.”

Looking down at his hands, he realized that they were white from gripping the edge of the top stair. Forcing himself to relax, he took a deep breath to quell his fears. “I am not used to being this high.” Even as he said it, it sounded stupid. Still, it was the truth. The highest he had ever been off the ground—other than his trip into the Nektine, and that entire trip had been one long bout with terror—was to climb the occasional tree. After another deep breath, he willed one foot, then the other, to climb the last few steps.

The view is amazing!

The tiny moon, Treynor, had long passed its zenith. It cast its pale yellow light back in their direction, making some of the clouds moving across the night sky take on a burnt look. Sainor had risen several spans into the sky and cast its bright silvery light across the tops of the clouds that lay like a woolen blanket, broken here or there by the occasional rocky mountain peak. The stars shown so bright, so close, Arderi imagined he could reach up and pluck them from the velvet blackness of the sky. “I have never seen anything so wondrous.”

“You may want to sit now.”

Her words brought him back to where he stood. Looking around, he peered down the tops of steeples and spires in every direction, like being surrounded by giant spikes. Between them ran the sharp peaks of the roofs of the many wings that radiated out at odd angles from the central building. Feeling lightheaded, he sat where Rinear indicated.

Turning her head back to the view, she sighed. “This is one of my favorite places. It may very well be the highest place on the Plane.”

Joining her in her silent survey of the area, Arderi had to agree that there was nothing in sight that was taller. Though, thinking back to his time in the Nektine, an odd thought struck him. “I do not think so. I think the Nektine are higher.”

She laughed. “Is that so? Tell me, oh great scholar, how it is you come by such wisdom?”

With her eyes focused on him, all thoughts vacated him once more. Tearing his gaze away from her, he looked back at the billowy clouds that stretched to the horizon. “When I traveled into the Nektine, we did a lot of climbing. The higher we went, the harder it was to breath. The man I journeyed with, Clytus Rillion—”

“I knew Master Rillion.” Her interruption caused him to glance at her. “He would bring me gifts from Mocley when he visited.” A sadness crept into her voice at the end.

“I am sorry. I knew Master Rillion for only a few moons. Still, I came to know him as a good man.”

She nodded. “He was.” Smiling up at him, she waved a hand. “You were saying?”

It took a moment for him to remember what he was saying for he had once again become trapped in her eyes. “Master Rillion told me that when you were high in the mountains, the air became thin, and thin air is very difficult to breath. When we were up in the Nektine, it felt like I had ran a race even sitting still. It was very strange.” He rotated a hand in a circle around them. “This air here tastes fresh. Crisp and clean. Yet, it is not hard to breathe like it was in the Nektine. So, I think they are taller mountains.”

“That is very fascinating.” She did not sound fascinated. Crossing her arms, she looked out over the cloud cover. “However, from where I am sitting, it looks as if I am on the top of the Plane. And I do not see any Nektine Mountains around here.”

He had to agree. Sitting next to her and glancing around, it did seem like they sat at the pinnacle of all that existed. Who was he to say they were not? It did not matter which way he looked, for as far as he could see, there was nothing above them. “I think you are right. This could be the highest spot on the entire Plane.”

For some reason this made her grin at him and he could not help except smile back. Reaching out, she brushed away the lock of hair that had blown into her face. “You have cute dimples.”

His face caught fire. He had never been very good around girls. Well, except for Mag. She did not count, however. They had grown up together in the same public house, and even though everyone had thought they would marry, Mag felt more like a friend. Still, he had to admit to himself that he would have been happy with her as a wife.

A wife! Since when did I start thinking of marriage?

Looking into Rinear’s big blue eyes, he knew the answer to that. Once more, whatever he was going to say fled from his mind, and he found himself staring at her for longer than he thought appropriate. When he realized this, he cleared his throat and looked back down at the Citadel. “How long have you been in Bin’Satsu?”

Rinear sat up, and even though Arderi was sitting cross-legged a half a pace from the edge, the way she leaned over and looked directly down made him queasy to the stomach. “I have been here my whole life, since just after my parents died when I was a babe.”

“Wait. I thought Larith was your father.” Arderi felt sure he had heard the man make that claim.

Rinear laughed until a gust of wind whipped up and she turned her head to avoid the brunt of it. “He has been since I was brought here. Yet, no, he is not my birth father.”

Arderi felt as if he was trespassing on her past, except he had so many questions he could not help himself. “Then who is Saven, the man with the wings?” Turning his head, he looked out at the stars. “I can scarcely believe that is even what I saw!”

She laughed again, this time so hard he feared she might fall off the edge of the platform. “You really do not know, do you?”

The question struck Arderi as odd. “Know what?”

“If my father has not told you, then it is not my place to.” Standing, she held out her hands to help him up. “I am sure he will tell you when he is ready.”

Taking her hands, he let her pull him up. He kept his eyes on her face so he would not have to look around. Two small steps and they were on the stairwell heading down. “Where are you taking me now?”

She did not look back. “To your room. It is late.”

He was not ready to part from her company just yet, though he did feel tired. Questions still filled his head that he wished to ask her. He had to admit, even if only to himself, he liked being around her. Once they reached the bottom of the spiral stairway, they headed back up the hall. “How long has Larith Rine been here at the Citadel?”

Letting out a laughing sigh, she stopped and turned to him. “Arderi. I know you have questions. However, I am afraid I cannot help you.” When he frowned and looked down at his feet, she reached out and lifted his face up to meet hers. “My father is a very secretive man. I am not trying to avoid your questions. There is much even I do not know about what goes on in this place.” Taking his hand—her fingers felt strong and warm intertwined in his—she led him back through the halls of the Citadel once more. “You are the first person of my age that has ever visited my home and I am just pleased you are here.” Glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, she pouted her lips out. “Can we not leave it at that?”

Despite himself, he smiled. “Aye. We can at that. Except now you are taking me back to my room, so our time is coming to an end.”

This earned him another of her wonderful laughs. “Aye. It is late and I am tired. Hopefully, you will be here for some time to come. There will be other eves we can spend together.”

The thought of being near her, spending time with her, lightened his burdens. He had ridden a whirlwind since leaving his home, hidden in Clytus Rillion’s wagon. He very much wanted to stay here for as long as he could. Whatever or whoever this Mah’Sukai was, he would just have to get along without Arderi Cor. Besides, he was no hero. He had just passed his seventeenth naming day. Who could expect him to track down a man with the power to destroy the entire Plane? Anyway, that was an issue for the morrow. For now, he desired to enjoy his walk with Rinear, even if it was almost over.