A Jewel in the Rust

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"Hey ! What are you..."

"Stupid kid..."

"Watch out !"

"Watch where you're going !"

Mak didn't listen, he just kept running. He got out of the crowded street by ducking under a collapsed girder, jumped through a hole in the wall, over a pile of rotten food, crouched down and crawled through a ruined vent conduit, scratched his arm on a rusted piece of broken metal of unknown provenance, and came out on the other side, in front of the familiar way out... Boarded by several wooden planks.

"Ugh, typical..."

He knelt down, carefully set his small artifact down on the ground next to him, grabbed another rusty metal shard and started working on the nails, blow after blow, pull after pull. The effort caused his scratch to open up and bleed, slightly stinging him, but he was used to this kind of pain. Plus, he wasn't really paying attention. All he had in mind was her. Sen. Her long white hair flowing down her frail shoulders... her deep black eyes... and most of all her smile.

"Clac", a nail popped out of its lodging.

Oh, her smile... Those kinds of smiles where rare in the heights of Czeneraz. Now, it had in common with most of the more usual things that it was contagious, but it diverged from them because it was not most likely to kill you. It was also bright, free, welcoming... And even more words that Mak wasn't used to pronounce. Or even think. Except when she laughed.

"Clac", another nail gave way.

Oh, her laugh... If her smile was the daylight, her laugh was a cool breeze on a hot day. It lifted you and for an instant cured you of any ailments you might have had. No matter how short that moment was, it always felt like it lasted forever. And again, people would sooner startle at this sound than that of an agony cry. More common, in the scaffolding of the Towers.

"Clac", yet another one.

Which is why, guided by her smile and her laugh, he had been running for most of the morning, skipping on his daily scavenging, just to give her that small shiny thing that was lying next to him, where he could see it. It was her birthday after all. Birthdays were something scarce around here. Mostly because people stopped counting, if they ever knew how to count, but also because another year in the heights wasn't much to celebrate. But still, he had found this jewel among the rust, it made him think of her, and now he was going to give it to her. Simple as that.

"Clac"

The last nail of the lowest plank finally caved. He pulled it off with some amount of difficulty, threw away his makeshift tool, carefully picked up the gift and set it in his pocket, and crawled under.

 

And now, he had reached his favorite part of the trip : the bridge. He was standing on a small slippery ledge, on which he could barely stand to his full small height, and in front of him laid one of the many meter-wide bridges that linked his tower to the one where Sen's family shack was. But that was not the best part. Far beneath him, and all around him, for miles on end, were the Ryriakki mountains. He was outside. The murderous cold and thrusting wind had bitten into his skin as soon as he had stepped out, and despite the pain, shortened breath, and life-saving vertigo, he rarely felt more alive than when he was on this ledge. He took as deep a breath as he could, and walked forward.

One step, two steps, three ste...

He slipped, and had to take a moment to regain his balance.

Three steps. Four steps, five steps, six steps, sev...

A gulch of wind blinded him and almost pushed him off, but this wasn't Mak's first crossing. He made up for the force of the wind by leaning against it, and, as soon as it stopped, regained his balance and kept going.

Seven steps, eight steps, nine steps.

Now, there was something unusual. A large ice patch had formed over the end of the bridge, probably caused by a leak in Sen's Tower. Now Mak had two choices : walk on the ice, or jump over it. Seeing as he had already almost fallen without the ice, that wasn't much of a choice for him. He took three steps back, braced himself, ran, and jumped. No. No, not enough strength in the left leg. I'm going too far right, I'm going to slide over it, and that's if I even reach the ground. Really ? Right now ? I'm going to... I'm gonna...

Then he saw her smile, and heard her laugh.

He slipped over the ice, fell straight against the ledge, used all the little strength he had in his small arms, and pushed himself up. He lay down for a moment on the small ledge, and came to a terrifying realization. He put his hand in his pocket... and sighed in relief. The lump was still there, against his leg. Mak took a few minutes to catch his breath, and rolled inside the Tower through a broken window.

 

Then the smell and the heat hit him. He had lived with it his entire life, and every time he came out and back in again, he was disgusted with the exact same strength. The mix of bodily odors, pollution, death and illnesses in an ill-recycled air turned into something that was most probably inconceivable for those who didn't live within the heights. To say that it made him want to vomit would be both untrue and an understatement. Every respectable Ryriakki like him felt some level of urge to vomit every moment of their waking life, that was part of their biology, something unpleasant you had to just accept as inevitable, like urinating. But the odors certainly did not help. Shaking himself away from the stun, he strutted forward into another packed walkway. In these streets, you could find a lot of different people : drunk or angry soldiers, missing one or many parts of their regulation equipment ; shopkeepers, if you could call them that, screaming at people to buy their extremely rare and invaluable treasures from the ruins, the kind Mak tossed out by the dozens when he went scavenging ; sketchy individuals, covered in too many layers considering the heat, avoiding the looks of the soldiers ; beggars who didn't seem to realize that every one had something to beg for, and of course, regular citizens. All this happy little crowd bore all their ethnics attributes : snow-white skin and hair, black eyes, and sickly looks. All these things had seemed repulsive to Mak, even within himself, until he met Sen. She sublimed every single one of these aspects. Mak resumed his running through the crowd, elbowing and bumping and thrusting, until a hand managed to grab him by the forearm, and pull him into a back alley

"What are you doing here, kid ?"

Mak panicked a bit and tried to wriggle himself free, until he turned around and saw who the angry white face looking down at him belonged to.

"Oh, it's you Var..."

The young man was much taller and stronger than him, despite his uniform that was too large for him. His short dark hair were something of a rarity for a Ryriakki, and so was the light stubble that underlined his rectangular face.

"Well I'm happy to see you too !"

"Yeah, yeah, look I'm in a bit of a hurry, you think you can let me go ?"

"Not until I know what you're doing here, how you got here, and why you're not at work !"

"Alright look, if you really want to know everything, I'm going to see Sen, I came here the usual way, and I got Vez to replace me ! So what ? Are you gonna arrest me ?"

"You're going to see... Erh..."

A strange look passed on Var's face, then he crouched at Mak's level.

"You can't just keep doing this ! What am I supposed to tell your boss ? One day it's not me they'll send, and then you'll be in real trouble !"

"Ava won't risk loosing me, I'm too valuable a finder !"

"Well that doesn't change much to the fact that you're taking way too big a risk every time you cross that bridge of yours. I mean, come on, you might fall to your death at any moment !"

"No, it's fine, I'm totally used to it ! Look I promise I won't skip again, but please, I really need to get there in time."

"Alright look, I didn't want to go there but you leave me no choice. The captain said if I failed in one more mission I wouldn't be paid this month, and you know my dad needs his medicine, I can't afford not to bring you back. Can you please do me this one favor ?"

Var appeared to hesitate a minute, and kept going.

"You'll go see her tomorrow ! I'll even cover for you."

Mak hesitated. He liked Var, he had been his neighbor for ten years and had been something of an older brother to him. He had taught him how to wield a wooden sword, scavenge efficiently, shoot an artifact crossbow, and swindle even the least gullible merchants. Then he had enlisted in the Czeneraz troops, Mak had to find a job in scavenging to support his family, and they stopped seeing each other that much, except when Var was sent to clean up Mak's messes, or to arrest him and bring him back to work. Mak saw things from Var's perspective, and felt for him. He knew his father well, a good and empathetic man, who had lived to the ripe old age of 52. He was currently sick with the Rust, and needed constant care and a lot of medicine. He couldn't let him die, of course he couldn't.

Then he saw her smile, and heard her laugh.

"I'm sorry Var, I am."

"For what ?"

Mak threw a well placed kick in Var's shin, something else he had taught him, destabilizing him and throwing him on the ground.

"Fuck ! You little..."

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As he ran, he looked back at Var's cursing silhouette. He really was sorry, but there was no delaying seeing Sen, he had to give her the stone. Who gives a gift the day after a birthday after all ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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He was short-breathed and tired, but he was nearing Sen's shack. It was but a few hundred meters away. Then he stopped, dead in his tracks. He got dizzy, and he felt his entire digestive system burning up. He knew what was happening. It had happened before, many times in his life, but he didn't want to admit it. Perhaps if he could convince his body that it wasn't happening, he could avoid it ? No. Of course not, there is no avoiding this, it's the curse of his people, and he was one of the lucky ones : it had happened to him only nine times in his twelve years life. His body twisted into a suffering heap as he vomited a slimy black and red smudge : his polluted blood. His entire entity was rejecting what he was born with inside of him. At the end of the first spasm, he barely had time to catch his breath before the second one came. And the third, and the fourth. Each time, his corrupt bile corroded every body part it went through, damaging his organism even more than it innately was, and his now infected scratch reminded itself to him. At the end of the torture, the spasm were still there as his body was not realizing that there was nothing left to puke. He fell to his knees, leaned against a wall, in front of what he had just expurgated, and looked around with a blurry vision. No one was worried about or even looked at him. It was normal, no one would, he wouldn't. But it didn't stop him from wishing for Sen, or his mother, or Var or anyone to be here with him right now. He had to stop, had to rest, eat something maybe. A bit of sleep wouldn't hurt, right ? Then he could trade his artifact for something to eat in a shop, and he would feel much better. Var was right, he could always go and see Sen tomorrow, and she would probably forgive him for selling her gift if it was about his survival ! Yes, there was no rush... He closed his eyes...

Then he saw her smile, and heard her laugh.

Sell the gift ? Was he completely mad ? Deaf to his revolting body, he struggled upward, helping himself with the metal wall, ensured the artifact was still there, and kept going. Now people were looking. You weren't supposed to be conscious after a purge, even less stand up. You were somewhat lucky if you even survived. And here was this scrawny little child, just getting up and running like he just stopped a minute to catch his breath. Yes, people were looking, but it was too late, he didn't care now, all he was seeing was her.

 

As he limped near Sen's shack, he took heart and stood up. It was one of the rare places he actually liked within the heights. Although it was dirty and poor, like everything else, it also stank less than most other places, and mostly, it was full of fond memories. The day he met Sen five years ago being the best of them, of course. His father had taken him to see the other tower using the official bridge, if only to show him some other sights than the same four streets and twenty shacks he had seen all his life. Of course, every tower top was the same, and the streets and shacks weren't very different from where he came, but the intention was nice. But then, he had seen a girl his age playing with broken tools, giving them life, imagining stories... And suddenly the trip was a bit more worth it. Then she had looked at him, and smiled at him. And suddenly it was the best, albeit only, trip of his life. Remembering this day, he forgot for a time his pain, fatigue and hunger, and felt a new person. He accelerated towards her mother, who was sweeping the front of their shack, and greeted her with a wave and warm smile. He had always liked her. Mostly because she was Sen's mother, and nothing connected to her could really be that bad, but also because she was the only person he knew who was capable of baking something somewhat tasty with the bland vegetables that were sold as the only food available in the heights. Maybe something was cooking right now ? Maybe she would let him taste it ? Then he saw her reaction.

"What in the Ether are you doing here, you little shit ? Do you think this is funny ?"

Disheartened, and suddenly very tired again, Mak had to mumble his response.

"What ? I'm... I'm here to see Sen."

"I thought you were done, but you had to come torment me again !"

"What ? What are you..."

Sen's mother grabbed her broomstick and started hitting Mak with all the strength she could muster.

"Go away ! Go away and never return !

She was bellowing these words with such violence that tears were coming to Mak's eyes, as disbelief and incomprehension washed over him. As she started throwing everything she had on hand at him, he had no choice but to run. Or rather, limp faster. He held back his tears as he was making his way to a back alley. Blinded by the stagnating tears, he stumbled and fell into a trash hole, in which he remained for a moment. Why ? Why would she do this ? She was a nice woman. Maybe a bit stern, but always fair with her daughter and her daughter's friends. Maybe Sen had said something ? Maybe he had offended her in some way, and she had asked her mother to chase him away if she saw him again ? If his future daughter were to ask him that kind of thing, he would probably do it in heartbeat. If, of course, he ever had a daughter.

Then he saw her smile, and heard her laugh.

If he had a daughter one day, it would be with Sen. No, she couldn't have done this. She had always been honest with him, if he had done something wrong, she would have told him, right ? Of course she would have, that's what friends do. Friends...

He stood up.

All right, well, maybe he was supposed to know Sen wouldn't be here, and he forgot. Then it's normal her mother would be annoyed towards him still coming to the shack. That or she was just busy, and she didn't want to be disturbed. Yes, that must have been it. So, where was she, if she wasn't here ? He knew she wasn't working yet, her father wouldn't allow it. Maybe she was at a shop, running an errand for her mother ? Wait no, her parents wouldn't let her carry money on her own, good on them. So where ?

He wiped his wet eyes, took his breath again, checked if he still had the gift, and tested the strength in his legs.

Wait ! He knew ! What an idiot, of course he knew ! They would always play together on the northern ledge, when they were younger, near the place where no one had finished building the walls for lack of budget. She was probably waiting for him there, perhaps to surprise him when he arrived. Well, he would surprise her, this time, and she would smile and she would laugh. Confident in his theory, he started walking towards the secret door they had once found.

 

He once again walked out of the main streets and went crawling in the vents and ruined or abandoned shacks. On the way, he passed in front of many places that were full of memories. There, they had hid, trying to keep themselves from giggling, while the shopkeeper from whom they had stolen a screwdriver was looking for them, enraged. There they had tried to build a fort out of wooden planks and sheets of metal. It was when they had tried to light it up with artifact energy that things had somewhat gone wrong. There, they had fought an evil rat who was just trying to eat his radish in peace. Witnessing all these things was consoling him, meter by meter. At last, he reached the familiar door. It was a strange one, very different from all the other ones,. Its quality was excellent, completely unbreakable, comparable to the doors between the different floors of the tower, and yet it was in a place no one ever frequented, even the criminal underground. What it was guarding was a scaffolding for a an extension project of the tower, which never happened. There was an outdoor staircase, which lead to metal beams and wooden walkways no one ever used. It was a dangerous place, but a beautiful one. Mak mustered all the strength he had left, pushed the door open, and struggled out. Once again he was free. The cold air washed over him, reminding him of every wound, every imperfection, every weakness his body had, and yet he felt... pure. Right. Would he dare think it ? Yes. Good. He felt good. It had started snowing since he had crossed the bridge, making the staircase a dangerous opponent. Carefully he walked up step after step, always thinking only of her. And when he stood at the end of it, he remembered the reason they came here. No matter the danger, here, they were above everyone in the towers. They felt like they could behold the entire world from where they were. The Elder Ices to the east, the Esoteric sea to the west, with the Mirghan lighthouse towering over it... And by clear weather, if they squinted, they imagined they could see the places where "being outside" didn't mean "being dead". They would sit there for hours, talking about what they would like to see if they ever got out, what they would do together, who they would meet, the adventures they would have. Up there they felt like they were some other people.

With some difficulty, he tore himself away from the sight, and started looking for Sen.

Carefully, he walked on the wooden walkways of the scaffolding, holding himself with the metal buildings, until he saw their favorite spot : a secluded improvised bench, protected by two unfinished walls built in an angle. As he approached it, he couldn't see the inside. He laughed to himself : she was so obvious ! She had done this a hundred times, hiding behind the wall, and jumping when he approached to surprise him. Well this time she wouldn't. Carefully, he approached the wall step by step, making as much noise as he could, to let her believe he didn't know. Only four meters separated him from her now.

Three...

Two...

One...

She didn't jump out. An uneasy feeling took hold of him, which he shook away. Alright, maybe she didn't hear him coming ! Well, that's his luck then, it's his turn. Carefully, he approached the edge the wall, secured the gift in his pocket...

...And he jumped.

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 Only she wasn't there. However, the momentum of the jump propelled him forward, towards the edge, where he tripped, and fell.

That moment felt like it lasted for years.

Why ? Why wasn't she there ? Where could she be ? Had she committed a crime ? Did they take her ? Or had she managed to escape without him ? He wished it was that, he wouldn't have done it, leaving without her, but no matter. He needed her to be happy, and if leaving this place alone was what it took then so be it, he would suffer an eternity for her. But no, she wouldn't have done that... So what ? Maybe she was hiding somewhere else and he didn't look in the right place. Or maybe she was hiding back in the shack, to surprise him there. Or maybe her father had agreed to let her work. Or maybe her mother did send her on an errand. Or maybe... Or maybe... Suddenly, he didn't feel so intent on living. As he was falling, he wasn't moving. He closed his eyes. Maybe death isn't so bad after all. Why live, in such a drake-damned place ? No more illness, no more pain, no more purges, no more crying. Yes, the eternal sleep. It doesn't sound so bad when you think of it like that.

Then he saw her smile.

He reopened his eyes. No, not death, not without seeing it one last time. He started panicking and waving around, but right now he was falling and there was nothing much he could do. What would he do ? What should he do ?

Then he heard her laugh.

A hand grabbed him by the ankle, stopping him in his fall, and banging his head on the wall, plunging him into unconsciousness. 

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 "Hey Mak, buddy ! Look, your mother and I think that you are now at an age where it's important that you start to get some responsibilities. So I asked my cousin, Ava... Oh, come on, of course you do ! Remember, you know her, you used to call her aunty Ava when you were younger ! So anyway, she's directing a scavenging company two floors down... What ? Oh that means people who go search the ruined floors, the sewers and the air vents to look for valuable that they can trade for artifacts. Right ? Right, so guess what ? I recommended you to her, and now you get to go treasure hunting ! What ? No, I know you're not an idiot but... Look, you want me to talk to you like an adult ? Fine ! this, what I got you, this is good, honest work, which doesn't get you into trouble with the law, and it might even lead you into the ranks of a dynasty ! Imagine that ! Mak Czeneraz ! Just like your friend Var ! Oh come on most people would kill for this ! Alright that's it, I'm your father and I am telling you to take this job. Yeah well, your dreams of escaping, that doesn't put food in your belly, but it certainly might put you in jail ! What ? Okay that's it, you know, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't... No... Look, I'm sorry Makki, but this is what it is, so you better make your peace with it !"

 

"No..."

 

"Hey man ! I've got to tell you something ! Nope, no fencing, today, sorry... Mmh ? Ah... No, no shooting either. Hey, no, look listen to me ! I'm going to go away for a time. Where ? See, I had a chance to enlist into the army and I took it. Yes. Well you've got to admit it makes sense, I taught myself how to fight, I'm stronger than most, I mean I'm not like most of our neighbors, I deserved this ! Yes. Oh come on, don't do this... Hey look, this is my life ! I'm 21 ! What do you want me to do ? Just sit around all my life playing with some kid ? Hey... Look, no you're right, I shouldn't have said that but... No ! No it's got nothing to do with... No hey, that doesn't mean we'll stop seeing each other, it'll just be a bit less. Ow ! Hey ow ! No, you know I already said yes, I don't have a choice in the matter anymore. Well yes, I used to have it, and now I made it. Oh come on this is unfair ! Look, why can't you hear this : it's. Too. Late ! Sorry but you should make your peace with it."

 

"No..."

 

"Alright kid look, this job, it's thankless. You're gonna go in there, you're gonna get dirty, you're gonna hurt yourself, you might even die, and if you're not good enough, it will all be for nothing. Because there's a hundreds kids like you ou there, some tougher, some smarter, some faster, some meaner and some just better than you, and if you can't beat them, you'll go home with nothing to give to your parents, and you guys will go hungry for that night. Don't think just because your dad's family I'm gonna go easy on you. But ! If you can be better than them, there's a lot of artifacts to be made. You know; I knew a kid once, when I started this gig, he brought me more artifacts than anyone ever did. Well now he's wearing that fancy dynasty title, and I'm still here sending kids to dig for loot. And don't go telling me it's immoral or some shit like that ! You guys are the only ones who can do this job, and I'm feeding you. And if you're not happy you can scram, there's always another runt ! So you better make your peace with it."

 

"No, no..."

 

"You know, you hear people talking about happy, but you don't really understand what it means right ? I mean looking at this, I see something so gigantic, so vast, and I think... It can't be all there is, you know ? What we have I mean. Like... look ! Over there ! I think that's a ship, but not one of ours. Yeah, and I... I just cannot believe that the people who are on this ship live like us, you know, where they come from. I want to go away from here. But not alone. Well I don't know, who would I want to go with ? My mother maybe, yeah she'd probably love the idea of leaving, what with her being uneasy leaving her home floor and all. Oh ! Or maybe I could go with Var ! Yeah, he's allowed to leave since he's in the army, plus he's strong so he would protect me... And he's pretty good looking too ! Ha ! You should see your face ! No, you idiot, it's you I wanna go with ! I don't wanna go anywhere where you're not... Hey. I was talking about happy before. Yeah. you know, I think I understand the word. But like, only when I'm here, with you. No. No what I'm trying to say is... Ehm... Haha, this isn't as easy as it seemed in my head... I think I..."

 

"NO !"

 

Mak woke up in a panic, sweating and trembling with fear. Then as he calmed down, he felt miserable. Adding to the usual stench, his entire body was reminding him of how it felt. Everything hurt : his forehead, his forearm, his throat... all his muscles were revolting. Then he examined his surroundings. He was in a dirty bed, in a room full of them, packed with personal belongings, and rather raunchy images on the wall. Pretty women, yes, but not as much as Sen.

"You, Makki, are an idiot, you know that."

Mak jumped as he heard the voice coming from behind him. He turned around to see a very troubled Var looking down at him. Again.

"Var ! Where... Where are we ?"

"We're in my war-house, in the dormitory."

"How did I... How..."

"No no, YOU did nothing, I followed you around while you were doing elders-know-what, I kept you from falling to your certain death, and I brought back YOUR cold ass right here"

"I... I don't know... I..."

"Well thanks would be a start. And then sorry'd be a nice follow-up."

"I have to go."

"Well see we're gonna have a problem here, because my mission is to bring you back here, and then keep you here until your boss comes to give you the appropriate sanction. So now that I know about your little asshole tricks, I tied you to the bed."

"What ?"

Mak pulled on his left arm , only to discover that he was, indeed, tied to the arm of the bed. Then he remembered something.

"The stone ! Where is the..."

"You mean this ?"

Var pulled out a stone from his pocket. It was shining brightly in the gloom of the dormitory.

"Give it !"

Mak snatched it quickly from Var's hand, and held it against him.

"Ouch ! Elders... When I found it it had almost fallen off your pocket, but even unconscious you were clenching it hard. That made me think you were dead for a moment. What's so special about that stone anyway ?"

"I've got to give it to Sen."

"You really don't remember, do you ? And here I thought that was over..."

"What ?"

"Come on, kid, you're smarter than this ! What happened ? Why did your parents send you to work for Ava ?"

"Shut up."

"Why did I have to go enlist ?"

"Shut up."

"Why did Sen's mother beat you up ? Think !"

"SHUT UP ! SHUT UP ! SHUT UP !"

Mak took the stone, and repeatedly hit the wrist on which the rope was attached. It hurt a lot, but he didn't care.

"No ! Hey, what are you..."

In a few blows, the rope gave way, and Mak hit Var in the face with the gift.

"Ow ! Bloody f.. Come back here !"

But Mak was already bursting in the next room, full of guards who didn't have time to realize what was going on before he was already out on the streets. He vaguely heard Vak's voice yelling at the soldiers to catch him, but he was running as fast as his adrenaline and the crowd would allow him to, and he didn't hear or feel anything.

"...You should have..."

"No !"

"...please calm down..."

"No !"

"...she didn't..."

"Nooo !"

As he was running, his bandages detached themselves, the adrenaline lowered and the pain made itself heard again. Soon enough, he was trotting more than he was running, and it wasn't long until he tripped and fell head first into another trash pile.

 

"Unfair ? You should have been in her place, you little shit ! Then it would be fair ! An angel she was ! Promised to a great future she was ! With her looks, she could have become Sen Czeneraz, maybe even marry high up into the dynasty ! But you had to take it from her ! No I will not calm down, just because he's a kid doesn't mean he's innocent ! What ? Who are you to tell me what my daughter would have wanted to do with her life ? With you ? You little punk, she didn't deserve this, not anymore than she wanted to be with you, and she deserved much, much more than being even near you ! You back off ! This is as much your fault as it is his ! If you had watched your runt more closely, maybe he wouldn't have poisoned my daughter with his lies ! And now you're pulling the amnesia act ? You drake-damned son of a whore ! Yes, you're the whore ! Let me be perfectly clear : if I see your boy or his taller friend anywhere near my house ever again, I will report you to the guard for conspiration against the dynasty and blasphemy against the Elders ! I don't care what you do, you tie him up, you throw him down the tower, you make him work, I never want to set my sight on him again ! Too harsh ? He fucking killed my daughter !" 

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"Grab my hand !"

"I don't want to die !"

"You won't, just grab it !"

"I'm slipping !"

"No you're not, look at me !"

"Makki, I'm scared !"

"You'll be fine, just don't let go !"

"Makki... I'd have wanted to... I..."

"You will ! You... No !"

 

Then he saw her... and heard her...

No. No he couldn't see or hear her anymore. She was gone. She had fallen. When they were above the tower, planning their future together. She had fallen. She just slipped, like anyone ever could. Except she didn't fall onto the ground. They hadn't recovered her body. Why waste resources and risk the lives of good men for the corpse of one kid from the heights ? Var, after enlisting, had tried to mount up an expedition, but as a novice he simply did not have the pull. And Mak, well he just did as his father told him, and went to work for aunty Ava. Most days, after the... event... No. Most days after her death, he had gone into denial and refused to remember what happened. He had been going to Sen's house, risking the future of his entire family, believing that he would find her there, getting beat up by her mother every time. She probably wouldn't actually act on her threat, she was still a fair woman, if a grieving one. But still. And then, after a months or two, he had started seeing reality for what it was. He went to work more regularly, revealed himself to be excellent at it, thanks to Var's teachings, became Ava's pride and joy. But today was a special day, was it not ? It had been one year. Precisely one year. How could he not wish to see her one last time ? Relive his dreams once more ? But she was gone and so were they.

 

Then, as he was lying in a pool of his own blood in the trash he had fallen it, not having been found by the soldiers who passed right by him, he started to cry. He was already starting to forget her face, the smile and the laugh were slowly but surely vanishing from his mind, and soon she would fade into a distant memory. A forgotten jewel in the rust. As he was loudly crying all the tears he had in his body, he felt a warm feeling coming from his hand. At first he thought it was some sort of pain coming from one of his multiple wounds. Maybe he had broken a bone ? But the pain did not come. In fact, the feeling was rather pleasant, and it somehow washed over him, drying his tears. He looked at his hand and saw the jewel shining more than usual. He looked at it, deep within it, and then he saw.

 

He became a bird. He saw the Towers, small in the gigantic Ryriakki mountains chain. Beyond them he saw the Zrenne Steppes, littered with trees, small ruins, and nomadic tents. Further, he witnessed the colorful city of Serenade, nested within the nefarious Archonic Mountains, from which flowed the Archon River. He saw the white stones of Ulther, the thousands birds of FeatherRoost, the eternal Elder Ices, the The Esoteric Sea , the ever floating ships of Kyanshen, the mixed town of Vale-Harbour... He flew among the trees of the Ultherian Forests, around the southern reefs, as one with the seabirds of the Broken Ocean. And it felt right. And it felt pure. And he belonged in and knew every single place he passed through. And he knew that was where he had to go. 

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He ducked under a table as he heard a patrol pass by. The guards of Czeneraz, especially in the bottom floors, were rarely very aware, and were mostly used to wipe the asses of nobles and scientists. He waited for the cheerful voices to be far away before he crawled out from under the table. Making himself as small as he could, he kept going along the wide, clean and deserted corridors, attentive to any sound coming from a soldier or citizen. Years in the ever-crowded heights had damaged his hearing, and he had to be particularly careful not to be surprised. And, at a turn, surprised he was. This drake-damned scholar, so little gear on him that he wouldn't have made a sound had he been running. Before the man had the time to open his mouth, Mak had him pinned against the wall, artifact sword drawn and pushed against his throat. The small man tried to wriggle himself free but Mak was too tall, too strong.

"You sure you want to try that, bookworm ?"

Terrified, the man indicated "no" with his head as best he could, and started crying. Mak pitied him. But then he remembered his entire life, and the pity disappeared quickly enough. In one swift movement, he hit him on the side of the head, accompanied his fall, and set him down on the ground and quietly as he could, and made sure he was breathing.

"You should be fine, runt. But you won't wake up to sound the alarm."

Mak continued as quickly and quietly as he could, until he reached the end of the corridor. At last, the ruin's exit. That place was almost never guarded, as most people would use the underground tunnels, to avoid walking in the dangerous wilds. But those undergrounds were constantly packed with soldiers from all the Tower Clusters in the confederation, and Mak wouldn't have lasted a day in those. Plus, the less time he spent imprisoned in those dark towers, the better off he would be. So, the outside world it was, and that was good enough for him. His heart beating, he pushed open the door to the exit anti-chamber... And found himself facing five fully equipped soldiers, deep into a game of cards.

Shit... Just my luck...

"Get him !" cried one the soldiers.

Before the others had the time to stand up, he drew his short artifact crossbow and shot the one who had yelled in the shoulder, propelling him on the ground. All at once, his four friends drew their weapons and threw themselves at Mak. As quickly as he could, he put away his crossbow, drew his sword, and parried the first two blows... That were coming from the same side. Ill-trained soldiers, apparently, thought Mak between a lunge and a strike, noble sons, probably. He dodged one strike, and took another one to the flank. Ah ! Damn... He countered another blow. They must have expected to spend their days drinking and and using their uniforms to force themselves on unaware girls. A bolt scratched his cheek. Well too bad ! You won't be raping anyone today ! In one violent blow, accompanied by a roar, he separated one guard from his arm, who fell to the ground, screaming. Couldn't have been more than eighteen... Oh well, he should live, if he's treated soon enough. The soldier with the bolt in the shoulder had managed to push himself upward, and threw himself at Mak, who, surprised, was staggered by the blow. Well, well, a resilient one... Must have been working out. One of the three intact guards left tried to exploit the momentum by striking at Mak, but too slowly. He was knocked out by the body of his resilient teammate, propelled backwards by a kick. Trying to use their surprise, Mak ran towards one of them, but froze. He started to feel dizzy, and an intense pain came up from his stomach. He fell to his knees.

"Well isn't someone having a little purge right now", said one of the two remaining guards.

"Awful timing, that", said the other.

The first one stuck his sword into Mak's shoulder, and the second one planted it in his left leg. Screaming in pain, Mak felt his insides coming up. They want to make me suffer. I guess I'm lucky that way. As the first one aimed his sword towards Mak's head, he started making his peace. Then, he felt a warm feeling coming from his left pocket. The feeling spread to his wound, then to his belly, then to his shoulders. Suddenly he didn't feel so much pain and the vomiting wasn't that urgent. He rolled between them, grabbed the fallen crossbow of the arm-less one, still kicking around in the ground, aimed it at the still surprised guards behind him, and fired a bolt in the one on his right's knee. That's an arrow in the... He parried the blow of the last one, drew himself up to his full height, disarmed his frightened opponent, and stuck his sword through his side. The man screamed in pain, and Mak released him, kneeling the guard before him. Lit by the outside light behind him, his long white hair flowing on his back and his dark eyes burning with fury, he was both magnificent and terrifying. With the point of his sword, he lifted the man's chin.

"When you tell this story, remember that it was Mak-Sen who beat you, and the Jewel in the Rust who spared you."

With a swift blow, he knocked out the bleeding man. Then he turned around, towards his long-awaited freedom... Only to face a familiar man.

"Var"

"It's Var Czeneraz now"

"You're getting bald"

"You put on some weight"

The silence that followed was a long one. It was true that Var had lost some hairs, but he had also grown a full beard, a rare thing for Ryriakki men, and it seemed like his officer uniform fitted him better. The last conscious guard waved to his captain for help, and passed out. It was Var that broke the silence.

"I will have arrived too late, the criminal Mak-Sen will have escaped after beating five of my men, and I will accept full responsibility for that mistake."

"Thank you"

"But know this : If ever we meet again, I will not jeopardize the years it took for me to legitimize myself as a member of the First Dynasty's army to protect you one more time. When next we meet, it will be as enemies."

"Alright then. Go tend to your riff-raff. They'll need to be in better form, when this day comes."

Without another word, Var passed behind Mak-Sen, and started picking up one of his fallen men. Without looking back, Mak-Sen walked forward, and into the mountains. The cold bit his already healing wounds, his skin, his entire being. He took one deep breath, as he felt the freedom washing over him. Before starting to walk on the narrow and ruined path, he put his hand in his pocket, and took the Gift out of it. He looked in its heart, saw what laid before him, felt the warmth washing over him, and walked forward.

Then he saw her smile, and heard her laugh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 -Translated from the RyriakkiNna by Knight Gustav, First Historian