Chapter 496: Trust (1/2)

Chapter 496: Trust

ARTHUR LEYWIN

The rolling waves beat against the shoreline Cool ove in between the three of us, each a lord of our clan, our race In the distance, an Epheotan seabird cried a hollow,as about to happen

“Lord Indrath Welcome” If Veruhn was surprised by Kezess’s sudden appearance, he hid it well “It is a rare treat for you to visit us here in Ecclesia”

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife How much had Kezess heard? I readied myself to fend off an attack

“Arthur is needed at my castle,” Kezess said perfunctorily

I hesitated His tone bore no hostility He wasn’t seething with suppressed e There was no outward sign of displeasure, not even the darkening of his eyes If he’d heard anything dangerous, he was playing it incredibly close to the chest

His request could have been a cover It seemed unlike him to have come all this way to collect me in person, especially when Windsoo Perhaps he wants to relocate this conversation to so I’d be leaving h I trusted Veruhn and his people, it was a ready- myself in Kezess’s poas foolish

There was also the power dynaive the impression that I was distrustful or unreasonable Every exchange between us couldn’t turn into an exaggerated pissing contest, like the battle of wills above the lava fields, or I would fail in un If he hadn’t overheard our conversation, I couldn’t afford to rouse his suspicion now

“What’s this about?” I asked, watching hi the skeletal pier to stand face to face with him

“I shall tell you e arrive,” Kezess said To Veruhn, he added a perfunctory, “Farewell,” and then his porapping aroundainst h, and then ere being shunted through space, appearing in a nondescript corridor only a hlighting a clean hallith no doors and no apparent way in or out “Haulingthe humor to hide ht know about this?”

Kezess didn’t answer The tails of his jacket flared as hemy eyes, I followed

‘Arthur, where are you?’ Sylvie’s voice in ht and distant

I quickly explained what had happened

Regis’s indignation burned beneath e a heroic rescue’

No, hang tight, I urged thes here I clamped down hard on any doubt I felt about that state my companions to know just how nervous I really was

After a hundred feet or so, Kezess stopped, and the wall to his right began to unfold The stones separated like the teeth of a zipper, then rotated away and folded back as if made of cloth

On the other side was a cell It was bright, ht that extended fro in the rona

He looked just as he had when I’d last seen his cut His opulent clothes rinkled and stained, the chains and ornaether In a word, he looked truly and utterly pathetic, less than a shadow of the horror that had for so long doe then?” I asked “Don’t you have healers?”

“Of course, Art”

Turning back to Kezess, I found Lady Myre standing beside hiraceful, she wore the forure I’d first met Her powerful aura only hit me after I realized she was there

“We have access to incredible healing rona She had to crane her neck to look up at his blank face “But nothing has ed to make so much as an eyelash flicker Even Oludari Vritra could shed no light on Agrona’s condition”

“Where is the Sovereign?” I asked, surprised they had involved hie he ainst us, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew uest in my castle, for the moment”

“He is clanless,” Myre added “Lord Kothan has been happy to let Oludari reood chance the basilisks would kill hio home Perhaps one day”

I didn’t respond The Vritra clan was a blight, and Oludari was no better I was certain Kezess had only allowed hitime to address that topic “He seemed halfabout Agrona His gaze seemed to be focused well away fro “Indeed He agreed only that Agrona’s body is alive It continues to cycle enoughBut there is no mind present within the shell Our best rona hi to inside him”

“It’s as if hisher teeth, she turned around to regard“We need to understand what happened, Art What else can you tell us about what occurred between you in that cave?”

I activated King’s Gambit

Aether flooded reat tree, every branch holding its own individual thought The crown on ht over the faces of Kezess and Myre Kezess’s jaw tightened, and his eyes shi+fted to a pluaze trailing froed to h theof my eyes into what lay beyond It was unclear just how much of what she saw she could understand

My feet lifted off the floor, and I rotated around Agrona and the bea hione, not that I could see them without Fate’s presence I had cut therona’s impact on the world The result was a sudden shockwave that tore across both continents I couldn’t explain why it had left Agrona in this vegetative state, however, and even King’s Ga Theories began to pile up, though, and a gnawing concern bit atI know” Briefly, I reiterated my use of Fate, which I had already explained to Myre upon first waking in Epheotus “Perhaps hisentirely severed from his people and plans”

“But what does that rona in irritation “What you describe is not possible” He shot lance “And if you had this pohy not kill hi these ‘connections’ you have described”

Had I not been deep within King’s Gambit, I would have had to suppress a smirk at his discomfort As it was, this uncharacteristic show of emotion froht processes “Fate, as the djinn correctly surether and helps to order the universe” I purposefully kept the description vague and guessable I didn’t want Kezess to understand the full truth yet “The djinn had theorized a way to influence Fate, but it was limited

“As for your other questions, the answer is si at the potential ile path forward Rerona” Kezess knew nothing about the building destructive force inside of the aetheric realm, unless he had overheard my conversation with Veruhn I continued to hold eye contact, watchful for any flicker of acknowledgeest he knew more than I’d told him

“The way forward to what, exactly?” Kezess crossed his araze intently

“A future that serves thethe answer obtusely

He scoffed, but in his derision, I saw the truth: He hadn’t overheard the conversation It was a relief, although I did not have to try to keep the e’s Ga hiht I wondered, if I could still have seen the golden threads of Fate’s connections, what Kezess would look like Over millennia, he had forced himself into the very center of power to influence both my world and Epheotus His decisions impacted every lifeforave birth to new races Would he look like Agrona, bound in an uncountable nuolden threads, or would he lookwoven into the fabric of destiny?

“Perhaps in tily, one hand brushi+ng the back of her husband’s neck briefly Toould ask of you, Art”

“Perhaps you could release that ridiculous forhtly, creating fine wrinkles around the corners There was tension in his jaw and neck, and his irises had shi+fted toward enta He stood motionless Whatever they were about to ask, he was uncertain, either about my answer or whether to ask at all

Curious, I lowered to the ground and moved to face the pair of powerful asuras Kezess’s request was most likely an atte’s Gaive a small amount of caution on my own behalf, but I feel more comfortable with my Godrune active I wouldn’t ask that you shut yourself off from the mana that empowers your body in order to speak with me”

“It displays a distinct lack of trust,” Kezess insisted “I o so far as to call it an insult”

“On the contrary, I have allowed myself to be placed under your power because I do trust you,” I lied “You asked for me to come here, and I have You asked for rona, and I have The only reason for you to ask me to release e it provides e that only serves to put us on afield”

“If you feel ic, Art, then please keep it active,” Myre interjected

Although she didn’t look at Kezess, so passed unspoken between them He attempted to relax but wasn’t entirely successful

“Although, as soest you be careful,” she added with a kind srow beyond comfort into an addiction”

“Of course, Myre I’ll be cautious,” I said, respectfully dismissive on the outside One thread within the woven tapestry of h