“Lead the way.” I’m apprehensive, but I work not to let it show. Leaning in, I kiss Arina gently on the forehead, then I follow behind Vaduin, Gregor behind me, and the two others close in tow.
We head toward the secret sanctuary of the Worldkeepers—the Stone Citadel—and within it the place where I will ink the vessel.
Chapter 56
Gregor makes small talk with the Worldkeepers as we enter the deep passages of the academy. But I don’t pay attention to what’s being said; instead, I studiously observe Vaduin and the route he’s taking. It’s not the one that leads to the bridge passage as I would’ve expected. Instead, we head deeper, into more and more decrepit passageways in an opposite direction of the workshop of the Fool.
Vaduin opens a heavy door, revealing a crumbling stair. “Watch your step.”
With every step, the weight of what I’m about to do settles on me. The halls become so quiet, the lower passages so still, that the tiny flame flickering in the lantern Vaduin holds to chase away the unyielding dark seems loud. My movements are measured, and with every one, I feel a presence.
Mother.
I can almost see the ghost of her walking through the tunnel where the stairway ends. For how long I’ve chased her specter. Huntingdown those who had hurt her. Searching for the answers to the secrets she kept.
It’s hard to get my bearings so deep, but my gut tells me we’re headed away from Eclipse City. Just when I’m about to ask Vaduin where we’re going and how much longer it will take to get there, the lamplight illuminates something man-made: another staircase, slightly wider than the last, ascending.
Vaduin glances over his shoulder. “Are you ready to see the home of our forefathers?”
I nod, looking back to Gregor. His eyes are wide, excitement practically vibrating off him.
We ascend, and Vaduin stops at the top, saying, “Welcome to the Stone Citadel.”
The Stone Citadel is a hidden town carved into the very heart of a mountain.
We stand in a massive cavern, its domed ceiling studded with glittering crystals that catch the light through fissures splitting the mountain’s peak. Basking in their glow, carved around the ceiling are giant statues of men and women, all bearing shields and arms. The statues flank carvings of numbers one through twenty. At the apex of the dome is twenty-one, glittering and proud.
Underneath, houses have been hewn into the rock of the walls and erected in the central area. They stack like a child’s blocks, leaning against one another. Mostly stone, but some with rooms added with wattle and daub. Given the cracks and worn wood, as well as the stylistic choices, the construction looks ancient.
On the far side of the town from where we stand, the mountainside has split in two. The fissure lets in light, and empty balconies and plazas bask in its glory. A waterfall cascades down one side of the citadel. It fuels a stream that lends fresh water to the cavernous town before disappearing.
“This…this was hidden in the mountains outside the city all along?” Gregor stands in awe. Vaduin wears a pleased smile and nods. “Why have the Worldkeepers been slinking in tunnels beneath EclipseCity and running through alleys to escape enforcers? Why not hide here?”
“We can’t risk it.” Vaduin begins to walk. “We’ve reason to believe King Naethor could know of this place, so it would be far too dangerous to frequent it.”
“Then why hasn’t he set up a permanent encampment here to catch Worldkeepers?” Gregor asks what I was immediately wondering.
“Who’s to say?” Vaduin looks around, as if it’s something he’s wondered whenever he visits this place. “Perhaps he doesn’t think it’s worth the resources. Or perhaps he knows of its existence but not its exact location. Either way, Laylis had us swear to never return outside of the rites.”
It’s eerie to cross between endless empty houses. It’s as if everyone who was once here neatly packed up all at once and left.Or like they never existed at all…It reminds me of what Vaduin said about the Worldkeepers being hunted between worlds by Naethor.
“Vaduin?” I ask as we continue to cross in the direction of the waterfall. He glances my way. “How does the World’s wish work?” Kaelis and I have spoken about it, and I’ve worked to do my own research, but I haven’t asked Vaduin directly yet. Given his personal scholarly proclivities and his position as the current leader of the Worldkeepers, he might have unique information.
“As you know, the first step is finding the Majors and having them ink their golden cards. Then the vessel must be made. Once all twenty golden cards are presented at the font of the World in the academy, in the presence of the vessel, the World is made.” As he speaks, I think of the memories Kaelis showed me. “At any time following, the World can be cast.
“The wish ends up being a combination of what is asked for by the wisher, what they envision, their intention behind the ask, and fate’s interpretation of the wish.”
“How detailed can the wish be?” I’m already wondering if there’s a way to structure my wish so that Kaelis will remember me.
“Not very, so far as our records show. It is portrayed to be a singlethought when the card is cast. But it is not as though any of us have cast it ourselves.”
We enter a narrow opening, hidden by the waterfall, that leads to a circular staircase. Mists waft inside. Icy water spills down the stairs and flows around the soles of our shoes. The roar of the falls reverberates in the narrow space, making it impossible to speak to one another.
The air grows colder as we reach the base of the stairs. Before us is a slightly curving tunnel. For a moment, there’s hardly any light to see by, and I feel like I’m back in the academy’s deep passageways.
Clara.It’s almost as though Kaelis whispered directly into my ear. I halt and whip around, searching for him. Gregor and the other two Worldkeepers look at me, confused.
“You all right?” Gregor asks.
