“Wait, you mean to bring Declan back to Tyrael? To the Aravae Empire?” Darcassan stared at all of them as if they had lost their collective minds.
“That’s his home,” Aquilan said quietly.
“No, it’s not!” Darcassan snapped back. “Forgive me, Uncle, but his home is here.” He gestured back towards Illithor. “His father is somewhere around, isn’t he? He’s here for his son. So–”
“So what, lad? What are you suggesting?” Helgrom’s voice was deceptively low.
“Well, the Night King sent us a rift just when we needed it to get out of Xrdatha, right?” Darcassan looked between the dwarf, his sister and Snaglak.
“No more Australs to kill,” Snaglak sighed sadly.
“And your point?” Helgrom pushed.
“I’m betting that once we do what the Night King wants another rift will open. One that leads us home,” Darcassan proclaimed.
“What do you think the Night King wants?” Elasha asked.
“What does he want?” Darcassan stared at her and then the rest of them as if they were dull children. “His son! We just need to put Declan somewhere relatively safe for Vex to come get him.”
“Leave Declan… here? When he is unconscious and suffering?” Aquilan finally found the ability to get words out.
“Well… yes. He’s home. And if we want to go home ourselves, we need to make clear to the Night King we don’t intend to take his son with us! Weren’t you all telling me–rather hysterically, I might add–that to take even a dagger of the Night King’s was to risk war with the Kindreth?” Darcassan challenged. “What do you think taking his son will do? Now that would be stealing something important! Right? C’mon! You have to agree with me here. My logic is sound!” Darcassan’s cheeks flushed hotly when no one said anything. “I was the one who knew the Leviathan were massing in the Under Dark! No one believed me! But I was right! And I’m right about this! Taking Declan or Prince Rahven or whoever he is with us is a mistake! We need to leave him behind! Or we’ll never get out of here!”
Aquilan knew that there was a terrible bit of logic to it. Declan, above all, was his father’s. Declan had such power that he could be a threat to Vex. Or, at least, a perceived threat to Vex by the Night King’s many enemies. Vex had said nothing about letting his son leave him. Why would he allow the Sun King to take him? Even the reincarnation of Ailduin? But Ailduin and Vex had a falling out. Ailduin and Vex had disagreed about something huge. He didn’t remember what it was. Maybe it was something like this.
But it didn’t matter if there was that bit of logic to it.
It didn’t matter if Darcassan was right.
He wasn’t leaving Declan here.
Aquilan lifted Declan into his arms. He cradled Declan’s head against his shoulder. He was a warm, light weight. And Aquilan thought he would never feel right if that weight was gone from him.
“Thank goodness, Uncle!” Darcassan allowed a broad smile to cross his face. “I knew you would see reason! We can put him in one of the buildings–”
“I am not leaving Declan here,” Aquilan said, but not really to his nephew. He was speaking to someone else. “Vex, do you hear me? I am not leaving Declan here!”
The use of Vex’s name–calling out to him in this way–was very unwise. The Night King’s name echoed.
“Damn you! I will not leave him in the dark!” Aquilan shouted. “I will not!”
More echoes. No answers.
“He won’t let us leave, Uncle. There’s no way to get back,” Darcassan cried. “You need to–”
“There are other rifts out of the Under Dark,” Rhalyf said quietly as he stood up. He wouldn’t meet Aquilan’s gaze, but his voice was steady and sure. No prevarications. “They don’t lead to Earth, but we can plane jump until we get to the Lieran Plane and then–”
“You can’t be serious?! And how do you know this, Rhalyf? How do you know this?” Darcassan shouted.
“Because, lad, there’s plenty of us who left the Under Dark without the ability to open rifts ourselves,” Helgrom cut in. “There are rifts that are always open. Too big to close. I know of a few myself. It is a trek, but–”
“Declan does not have the time for any of that,” Aquilan answered. “But thank you, my friends. Thank you. Vex! VEX!”
“Uncle, please stop! Don’t call him!” Elasha was covering her ears and there were tears in her eyes.
Aquilan ignored her. “Vex… do this for me and… you can ask a boon of me.”
The silence was different at that moment. Aquilan swore he heard a soft chuckle. Not malevolent. Maybe amused. Maybe sad. Maybe imagined.
