36 – Planning Visits

“Just a couple more adjustments,” Florent said, walking from one end of the obsidian arch to the other, tapping his fingers against seemingly random runes. Victor could feel the Energy gathering in the structure; it was a hell of a lot more buildup than he’d felt when Florent had connected the gateway on Fanwath to Ruhn.

“You’re sure it’s not going to blow up?” He chuckled, but he also took a few steps back.

“It won’t explode, Victor, but it might rip through the fabric of the universe unpredictably and pull this planet into oblivion.”

Victor was too sharp to miss the dry note of humor in Florent’s voice, so he played along. “Perhaps I should evacuate the planet. Give me a few days to send emissaries to the various vampire lords.”

“Ah, yes, your neighbors. Tell me, do you think they’ll welcome your parlay?”

Victor hooked his thumbs in his belt and shrugged lazily. “I’m not sure. The last visit I had from one of them didn’t go so well.”

“So I heard. A giant in a snowstorm is the rumor that made its way back to me.”

Victor clicked his tongue. “It’s been an hour since I got back! How are people spreading rumors already?”

Florent laughed, shrugging as he stepped away from the portal. “It’s done.”

“All right! Let’s do it!”

Florent shook his head, smiling at Victor’s enthusiasm, then pointed to a smooth, round section on the left-hand side of the arch. It was just like the one on the arch at his home in Fanwath, only larger. “Put your hand there. I’ve attuned this portal to you. Of course, you can add other users, but I thought you’d like full control at the moment, what with a war being waged and all.”

“Right.” Victor stepped forward and pressed his hand to the smooth spot. Then, just as he’d done on Fanwath, he trickled a bit of Energy into the stone to activate it. As soon as his Energy passed into the arch, a great surge of hair-raising, void-attuned Energy surged through the construct, pouring out of the dense Energy stones that Florent had planted inside the archway’s foundations.

The dark, crackling Energy coiled around the bases of the arch and then, in jagged lines that seemed to absorb the very air and light, it spiderwebbed upward to the center. When the weird lines of nothingness converged, a great rush of Energy poured through them until, with a crackling, static surge, the Energy populated the archway, and a great portal snapped into existence.

Like the archway it filled, the portal was approximately thirty feet high at its apex and nearly forty feet wide. “Big enough to march an army through.”

“That was the idea,” Florent agreed, smiling. “My divination spells indicate that I’ve been successful, Victor. This portal has connected to Ruhn.”

“All right, which of us will be the guinea—” Florent ruined Victor’s attempt at humor by stepping through the dark plane of the portal. Victor found it unsettling watching a void-attuned portal work. The way a person crackled and became sort of fuzzy as they passed through almost made him think they were being dissolved. Still, he steeled himself and stepped forward, only for Florent to reappear, a smug smile on his face.

“Success! I’ve gained a level, too, and advanced three of my skills.”

“I was wondering how I should pay you. Seems like you ought to be paying me.” Victor stepped closer. “What’s the scene like on the other end?”

“Seems to be late at night on Ruhn. Only one bewildered guard inside the Travel Hall.”

“That’s the official name? Travel Hall?”

Florent shrugged. “No idea. That’s what’s been in my head.”

“I like World Hall better.”

“Well, fine. Tell your seneschal to spread the word.” Florent turned and gestured to the gateway. “Shall we? The Energy Stones can power it for about an hour, but then they’ll need another three hours to recharge.”

“Shit, seriously?” Victor tried to do the math in his head, but there were too many variables to keep track of. “That means that transporting the army through is going to take longer than I thought.”

Florent nodded. “A few days, if I were to guess, though there are a lot of—”

“Variables.” Victor chuckled, then brushed past the man and stepped through the portal. Void-attuned portals felt different from the other kinds he’d used. In fact, traveling between worlds seemed to vary in many ways. The System teleports were fast and relatively devoid of sensation—other than the loss of sensation.

Gateways, though, were distinct, based on the type of gateway and the Energy used in it. Some took a long time and created a sensation of falling the entire way through. Others blasted your senses with lights and vertigo, and it felt like you were being yanked through the universe as you passed through. Void gateways weren’t like that, though, at least not Florent’s. To Victor, it felt like he stepped out of one world and into another. It was instantaneous, which was all the more impressive, considering the distance.

As Florent said, the newly constructed hall on Ruhn was empty save for a single guard staring with wide eyes, his polearm held defensively. Victor waved to him. “Go and report my arrival to your watch commander.”

The guard slammed his polearm onto the marble floor and thumped his fist over his heart. “As you command, Your Grace!” With that, he turned on his heel and double-timed it out of the World Hall. Meanwhile, Florent stepped through the portal.

“You should deactivate it,” he said, standing before the giant maw of emptiness.

“Right.” Victor turned and pressed his hand to the smooth spot on the side of the archway. As soon as he trickled a bit of Energy into the stone, the portal crackled and then, with a pop that displaced enough air to ruffle Florent’s hair, the gateway vanished. “Good work, Florent. I’m glad the System rewarded you for your efforts.”

“It was a pleasure, Your Grace. Empress Dar was insistent upon my cooperation, so, really, no need to thank—”

“Oh, quiet. I appreciate your efforts, and I’m going to keep my eye out for a treasure that will be suitable for a master of the void.”

“Ah…” Florent held up a finger. “Actually, please don’t forget that I have another affinity that’s even a bit rarer—spatial Energy. If you ever find anything at all related to it, I’d certainly be in your debt.”

Victor nodded. “Noted.”

“Well, if that’s all you need from me at the moment, milord, I’d sorely love to crawl into my own bed for the rest of the night.”

Victor clapped him on the shoulder, giving him a gentle shove toward the open archway leading toward the palace gardens. “Go on. Thanks again for your hard work.”

Florent only took one step before snapping his fingers and ripping a person-sized opening in the fabric of reality. “I’ll take this shortcut. Call on me if you have further need!” As Victor nodded, Florent stepped through the portal, and it crackled shut.

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Meanwhile, bootheels sounded on marble, and Victor looked up to see Bryn and half a dozen retainers hurrying his way. He smiled and put his hands on his hips, watching her approach. “Lady Bryn! Did I wake you?”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “You think I can sleep with all these logistics to work out? You’ve given me a weeks-long headache, Vi—” She glanced over her shoulder at the retainers, scowling. “Back up! Wait by the exit.” They hurried off, some of them looking mortified, while others appeared amused. Bryn turned back to Victor. “Your Grace.”

Victor put his hand on her shoulder, smiling warmly. “Well? Are you surprised? Did you think something would happen and the gateway wouldn’t open?”

She pursed her lips, looking toward the black stone archway. “I admit some misgivings. I thought perhaps the war wouldn’t cooperate, and you’d find yourself on another campaign before you could establish the gateway. Arona was convinced some trouble would find you as you traversed the System stones.”

“Such a lack of faith!” Victor jostled her, then pulled his hand away. “First things first. I need to give you control of this portal. You’ll be in charge of transport between worlds for now.”

“But I—”

Victor held up a hand. “No arguing. You know I’m going to be busy doing diplomatic things, so I’ll need you to get things moving. Come here.” He walked over to the archway and put his hand on the smooth section, moving it to the left to make room for Bryn’s. “Press your palm here beside mine.” When she’d done so, Victor said, “Now send some Energy into the stone. Nothing will happen at first.”

Bryn nodded. “I have a connection.”

Victor channeled Energy into the stone, and suddenly the portal sprang to life. Bryn looked up, eyes wide with wonder. “So much Energy!”

“Yeah, Florent really outdid himself. He says we can keep it open for about an hour, but then it will need three times that long to recover. I want you to organize the troop and support personnel into groups according to that schedule.”

“I’ve already prioritized everyone. It will be a simple matter to adjust to those windows.”

“Good. Now, see if you can close the portal alone.” Victor pulled his hand away.

Bryn concentrated briefly, and then the portal sizzled and snapped shut. “It worked!”

“Okay, now, needless to say, don’t go around giving anyone else permission to use this thing. So far, it’s just you and me.” He nodded to the archway that would open a portal to Fanwath. “And Rellia has permissions with that one.”

“Rellia…” Bryn looked puzzled. “I think you’ve mentioned the name…”

“She’s kind of like a partner of mine on Fanwath. Between her, Lam, and me, we control most of the land in the Free Marches.”

“And Lam is…”

Victor laughed, shaking his head. “You’ll meet her soon enough. She’s coming to Dark Ember.”

Bryn looked around the hall, toward the opening that overlooked the path to the gardens. “Is she here?”

“No, she’s one of my friends on Sojourn. I’ll be gathering them after I finish my rounds here on Ruhn and then on Fanwath. Speaking of rounds, have you heard from the empress?”

“Yes. She should be back at the capital in Gloria. Are you going right away?”

Victor rubbed his chin, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, I think I’ll head out. You can start the transports tonight. I’ve briefed my people on Dark Ember about you. They know what to expect.” He turned toward the end of the hall, where the arched opening gave him a view of the sea of tents out on the field. Unsurprisingly, people were standing around out there, peering inside. “I’m sure plenty of the troops woke up when this portal crackled to life.”

“Undoubtedly. Well, in that case, I’ll begin organizing things. Pardon me if this is out of line, but you might want to check with Arona before you leave. I think she’d enjoy accompanying you while you conduct your diplomatic travels.”

“Yeah, I hear you. Don’t worry, I was going to stop in to see her.”

“And when should we expect you on Dark Ember?”

Victor folded his arms as he scratched his chin, contemplating. “A day here to meet with Kynna… No, I'd better plan for two, in case she has some state event she wants me to attend. Then, say two or three days on Fanwath and a day in Sojourn—”

“So, I’ll plan for a week. That will give you some leeway.”

Victor nodded. “Sounds good. Meanwhile, I would like you to select the best candidates available for scouting missions. Let’s see how much of that world we can get mapped.”

Bryn saluted, thumping a fist on her chest. “Already a part of the plan, milord!”

Victor smiled and held out a hand. When she took it, he squeezed warmly. “I’m damn glad Kynna saddled you with me back when I first showed up here on Ruhn.”

Bryn had an “all business” sort of face, but when his words registered, her slightly scowling brow relaxed and her lips softened into a smile. “I’m very glad, too, Victor. I never could have imagined what it would mean for my life when I got that assignment.”

###

Thoargh, Warlord of Zaafor, cringed inwardly as he clutched his flowers, awaiting an audience with Vessa-dak. It was his own fault. He’d grown so obsessed with piercing the veil and moving to the next stage of power that he’d completely ignored the woman. Now that he might have a use for her, he’d have to eat a little of his pride and play the adoring suitor again.

He glanced at Blue—well, the new

Blue. He was a handsome young man, nephew to the most recent Blue. His good looks, unfortunately, took up the vast majority of the positive qualities the fates had allowed him. He was a passable fighter, though not unusually strong for a newly made steel seeker, as the people of Sojourn would categorize him. His wits had proven to be lacking, however.

“Is there something you want to say, Warlord?” Blue frowned, folding his bare, tan arms. He could feel the judgment in Thoargh’s glare, but he apparently didn’t understand the source of the barely hidden animosity.

“I sent you here with the task of smoothing things over with this woman.”

“I tried, sir, but she was quite cold toward me. Her brother told me to leave before I’d even begun to describe the terrible duties that kept you away.”

Thoargh snorted. He’d given the fool that guidance: think of the most weighty of duties a Warlord might face in the course of his governance and use those as excuses. He supposed it was too much to ask that his messenger would be quick enough on his feet to find the right opening to offer those excuses.

Before he could belittle Blue further, the gilded door leading to the ladies’ solar opened, and a young woman with crimson skin and a face hidden behind a yellow, silken veil announced, “Lady Vessa-dak will see you now, milord.”

Thoargh glared at Blue and, under his breath, hissed, “Think on your failings,” as he turned to follow the girl. She led him down a long hallway with plaster painted soft pink. Vessa-dak had taken over the entire floor of a fairly upscale hotel, and the décor, as she’d been quick to point out when he’d first met her, was entirely her doing.

The girl opened a glass-paned door on the right and gestured for Thoargh to enter. “She’ll see you in the solar, milord.”

Thoargh walked through, squinting against the bright sunlight amplified by the enchanted windows. The blazing yellow glare was uncommon on Sojourn, but it reminded him of Coloss. In fact, it put him at ease, and he smiled more easily as he spied Vessa lounging in the sunlight, her bosom barely concealed by a loose silken robe. “Vessa, thank you for seeing me.” He approached, holding out his bouquet of rare, Zaaforian blossoms.

To his relief, she smiled as she took the bundle, sniffing the strange purple and yellow flowers. “I’ve never seen these.”

“They’re from my home—rare flowers that must be harvested along the banks of the Beshad river where it emerges from the underground.”

“Well, I’m suitably impressed. Thank you, Thoargh.” She set the flowers on the table beside her lounge, gesturing to the empty chair beside her. “Will you sit with me awhile?”

“My pleasure.” Thoargh sat, though the chair was too low, and he had to tuck his wings very tightly in order to keep them from knocking the lightweight thing out from under him.

“I messaged you several times with no response.” Vessa fluttered her lashes, her brows turning up at the center of her big, golden eyes.

“I’m so sorry, perchal. It’s the—”

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“Ah, a term of endearment on my world; it’s the name of a lovely little bird.” He held out his fist. “Smaller than my hand with soft, pale-yellow feathers. Children keep them as pets.”

“Lovely!”

“As I was saying, you’re aware that I rule the world of Zaafor, yes? Well, I had to cope with a rebellion, and communication was interrupted by hostile magics. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive my inattention.”

“That sounds like it must have been stressful.” Vessa yawned, exposing sharp, brilliantly white teeth. “Do you need help? I’ve never been to Zaafor…”

“No, no. All is settled there now. I wonder, though…” Thoargh trailed off, waving a hand. “No, it’s foolish.”

“What’s foolish?” Vessa pouted, leaning toward him. “Come, Thoargh, don’t be coy now that you’re making amends.”

“Well,” Thoargh cleared his throat. “As I was saying, things are at peace back home now. It’s the perfect time for me to do a bit of traveling. Do you recall inviting me to see your home? Did you not say your relatives there were due a visit?”

“Thoargh, things have cooled between us considerably since then.” She picked up a fluted glass, sipping something orange.

Thoargh didn’t need to be on good terms with Vessa-dak, though he thought it would be wise to be seen as an ally, at least at first, among the ruling elite of Fanwath. He had every intention of ruling over them, eventually, but he had to navigate the complex, interwoven latticework of relationships between the Ridonne of Fanwath and their much more powerful relatives on Sojourn. It wasn’t just the Ridonne, either; the ones on Sojourn had agreements with many of the great masters there. No, caution was the order of the day, and Vessa was his political in—his window into the machinations of that family.

“That’s very true, Vessa, but despite my absence, my feelings for you have not cooled. I’ll shout it from the balcony if you don’t believe my earnestness!” Thoargh started to stand, eyes fixed on the glass-paned doors that led to the balcony.

Vessa caved, taking hold of his wrist, her smile far more genuine than earlier. “That won’t be necessary. As you said, I’ve been meaning to visit home, and perhaps a bit of quaint, country life would give us a chance to rekindle our brief, but very interesting little romance.”