Empire of Night

Chapter Twenty

The Road to Recovery

Inerys cursed the shakiness of her knees as she slowly rose from the bed the following evening. Rhydian stepped forward, but her raised hand held him at bay.

“I can manage,” she insisted, despite needing to lean into the bedpost to rally her strength.

“Are you certain?” He asked.

She nodded. Up until this morning, she hadn’t been able to stand without assistance and while she hadn’t been permitted to leave her room, she had managed a few trips to the privy to stare in the mirror. She appeared normal enough. A bit haggard, perhaps, but not quite as monstrous as she felt. However, when she smiled or purposefully flexed her jaws, she understood why everyone, with the exception of Sorisanna, had been so leery of her.

“Take all the time you need, there’s no rush,” the sage assured, sparing them both a glance as she unrolled a fine fur rug in the center of the room.

“You’re sure this . . .cycling will actually help?” Inerys asked.

Sorisanna raised an eyebrow, “Have I given you cause to doubt me before?”

“No,” she admitted.

The concept was just a bit far fetched. Inerys couldn’t guide her own blood at will, so why should her vital essence be any different? She supposed she’d find out once the sage actually guided her through the process, but the voice of doubt in the back of her mind would continue to whisper in the meantime.

“Then trust me on this,” Sorisanna said, taking a seat upon the rug.

Inerys sighed and shuffled over to join her. Her legs protested as she took her seat opposite to the sage and she nearly fell on her rear. She managed to catch herself at the last moment, much to the chagrin of her poor wrists. Cheeks burning, she situated herself to the best of her ability, mirroring the sage’s stance. She had explained the proper form to her before, so it wasn’t an entirely new concept. The position was far easier to maintain upon the floor than it had been while she’d practiced in bed over the past day. Her mattress was simply too soft to offer the proper support.

Looking her over, Sorisanna gave an approving nod along with her smile. Though, she leaned forward to gently correct her posture.

“Maintaining the proper alignment is important,” she said, “you’ll want to keep your chest up, shoulders back and your spine straight. No slouching.”

“All right,” Inerys said uncertainly.

“Have you been practicing your visualization techniques as well?”

She nodded. In truth, there had been little else for her to do beyond sleep and poke at her face in the mirror. Humoring the sage had at least kept her mind busy.

“And?”

Inerys bit her lip. “Nothing happened the first few times, but once Cydan explained where to look again, I found them.”

Admittedly, she’d been rather shocked when her gaze turned inward and she actually saw her cores. It was more an impression than an actual image, like those in dreams or memory, but present nonetheless. Once she knew what she was looking for, locating and visualizing the cores had been easy, at least as far as her physical and mental were concerned.

Her spiritual core had been obscured by undulating, amber planes she assumed were the shackles. She could neither sense nor see what lay beneath and to a degree, it frightened her. It was the reason her body had tried to tear itself apart. To have it swathed in mystery only heightened her paranoia and she couldn’t help but wonder if it was where her passenger also resided.

“Good. For now, we’ll be focusing exclusively on your physical core,” she said, “now that you know where it is, identifying the connected meridians should be easy. When you find them, you’ll want to tap into the flow of your vital essence to determine its direction through your channels. In order to properly cycle, you must familiarize yourself with the natural path the essence takes through your body. It may help to imagine yourself floating along a river. Relax and let the water guide you.”

Closing her eyes, Inerys checked her posture. She drew a deep, purposeful breath and slowly released it through her nose. Her attention drew inward and settled in the center of her pelvis, where her physical core took root. The hazy collection of golden essence was spherical in nature and was perhaps the size of a melon. It sputtered from time to time, guttering like a candle on the verge of dousing. Much as it turned her stomach, she maintained her focus and forced her thoughts to clear.

Instead of a river, she imagined something more familiar – the small creek that ran near Nan’s cottage. Having practically grown up along its banks, she was intimately familiar with its curving paths and deeper pools. She focused on the steady rhythm of the water as it flowed over sand and stone alike, her inner sight sinking deeper into its course. It was sluggish and stalled in places, but she could eventually discern its path.

She found the core functioned almost like another heart. Vital essence was pushed up along the right side of her body in a great loop through her chest, then back down through the left side of her abdomen where it reentered the core. Along the loop, smaller, thinner paths led through her head, legs and arms. They were simple, yet their stagnation was evident.

“I think I’ve found it,” she said.

Sorisanna hummed. “Well done. When you're comfortable, try to push your essence forward. Encourage it to flow freely, rather than fall idle. The more you circulate it, the stronger the current becomes.”

Inerys knit her brow. Pushing it was easier said than done, but she decided visualization was everything, in the beginning. She recalled the way the creek swelled during early spring, fueled by the snowmelt from the mountains. Starting in her core, she imagined the first of the thaw trickling in from upstream, coaxing her vital essence out and along its natural clockwise path through her body. Her weakened channels protested, sending sharp, throbbing pains throughout her body as they struggled to accommodate the uptick in speed. The harder she pushed, the more intense the pain. Fire sang through her veins, scorching her from the inside out with each completed cycle. Sweat beaded along her brow and slid down her temple, but she forged ahead.

In her state, she had no concept of time, nor the world around her, for the tide had fully drawn her in. It strengthened with each loop and eventually, her channels began to adjust to the new demand. Their expansion was slight, but enough. Gradually, the pain subsided until she was left with a dull ache in her bones and joints. Her seat wavered and she swayed for a moment.

“Inerys?”

She vaguely registered the voice, someone tapping at her cheeks.

“Inerys? Inerys, wake up!”

Strong hands found her shoulders from behind and drew her back, down into the soft fur of the rug.

Her eyes fluttered open, her lids heavy, gaze unfocused. “Hmm?”

“Can you hear me?” She heard the sage ask.

Inerys blinked and found herself staring up at Rhydian.

“I’m here,” she said faintly.

“For a moment there, I thought we’d lost you,” she breathed.

She held a hand to her head. Her skin was warm and tacky and she grimaced. She felt as though she’d gone through a week’s worth of a fever in the span of a few minutes.

“Did I do it?”

“Indeed you did,” Sorisanna said, her influence washing over Inerys’ body in her inspection, “how do you feel?”

“Like I just walked through my own funeral pyre.”

She chuckled. “You’ll be sore for a few days, but the flow of your essence is much stronger now. You have to maintain it though, which means you’ll have to repeat this process a few times a day.”

Inerys stifled a groan, but nodded before attempting to sit up.

“Exercise will help as well,” Rhydian said, guiding her back to her original seat.

“Gradual exercise,” Sorisanna stressed. “Nothing more than short walks, for now.”

Inerys perked up. “Does that mean I can leave the room?”

“So long as you have an escort,” he said, “it isn’t safe to wander the keep alone.”

Inerys eyed him, knowing full well he didn’t want her snooping about on her own. Which, she supposed she understood, even if it frustrated her. She wouldn’t want strangers poking about her house unattended either.

“Fair enough. I could use a change of scenery,” she said.

“Perhaps some fresh air?” He asked.

She nodded, eagerly, “Please. The air in here’s gone stale.”

Sorisanna rose, stretching her arms above her head as she leaned this way and that.

“I’d love to join you, but I’m afraid I’m needed elsewhere,” she said.

Rhydian nodded, “Are you taking Ephaxus out to the cloister?”

The sage glanced between the two in silent question, “For his stretches, at least. Were you planning on walking the balcony?”

His head tilted as he regarded Inerys and she couldn’t help but feel she was missing something.

“Viewing at a distance may be best, for now,” he said.

“Viewing what, exactly?” Inerys asked.

“The wyverns,” Sorisanna said, “They’re. . . intimidating. Especially if you’ve never seen one before.”

“Are they animals?” She asked.

“No more than we are,” Rhydian said, “They may look different, but do not mistake their intellect. They’re every bit as keen as you or I.”

She pursed her lips, wondering what she was in for. At the very least, it would be nice to finally see these creatures and know what she was dealing with. The way everyone spoke of them, she half expected some nightmare-borne spirit.

“In that case, I’m eager to meet them,” she said, even if her confidence wavered.

Rhydian chuckled lowly. “You may regret that statement in the near future, but your enthusiasm is admirable. Come, the sun should be beyond the mountains by now.”

He stood, offering a gloved hand. Inerys parted her lips in surprise. The man hadn’t even hesitated. It was a curious shift, considering his reservations around her in days prior. The gesture, though small, loosened the knot in her chest.

“I’d rather not have a repeat of the other day,” she said, taking it.

A soft grunt escaped her as he pulled her to her feet and steadied her shoulders. She wobbled, briefly, but held her own and nodded her thanks. Though, as she looked up, his height struck her. The man had been imposing before, but Spirit’s breath was he tall, even by Hound standards. Inerys was not a small woman even among her kin, but she had hardly reached Alaric’s shoulder. If she were to guess, Rhydian stood a full head taller than him, if not more.

“You and I both,” he said, “you’ll find fresh clothes in the closet. Knock when you’re ready.”

“I won’t be long,” she promised, watching the two take their leave.

She breathed a small sigh of relief as the door clicked shut. For the first time in days, she was alone. To a degree, at least. Rhydian’s steps had halted just outside the door and hadn’t followed Sorisanna’s, so her privacy was more an illusion than anything. Even so, the silence was welcome.

Inerys wasted no time in finding her way to the closet. The shift, while soft, had overstayed its welcome. She never thought she’d long for a pair of trousers, yet here she was. Her boots had been spared and polished, by the look of it, which would never go unappreciated. Thankfully, they and a pair of long black socks did wonders to hide the luminous skin of her lower extremities. Now, all she needed was something for her hands. The sleeves of the simple gray blouse she’d chosen could only be pulled down so far. She frowned down at the blueish light thrown off by her fingers, wondering if Rhydian might have a spare pair of gloves he’d be willing to part with. If she could cover the glowing fractals in their entirety, maybe she could regain some semblance of normalcy.

She ran a hand through her foreign locks in the mirror, studying the way the once honey-blond hair had lightened. It held a silvery cast in the right light with a few rogue strands of black sprinkled throughout. Her hair was wavier than she remembered, though it still fell just shy of her collarbone. The changes were disconcerting, yet not as glaring as her teeth.

She debated fashioning it into a braid as she made for the door, but ultimately decided against it. She knocked and resisted the urge to fidget. She didn’t feel like a prisoner, exactly, but needing both permission and an escort to leave the room was rather restricting. She almost felt like a scolded child. Of course, there was no reprimand when Rhydian opened the door and stepped back to grant her passage.

“The clothes seem to fit you well enough,” he said, an echoing quality to his voice, courtesy of the halls, “I was worried we might have to find something smaller, but you and Sorisanna are close enough in size. You’ll have to thank her for the spare garments.”

Inerys glanced down at herself. “These are hers?”

With her sense of smell being what it was now, she would have expected to catch the woman’s scent somewhere along the fabric, but apparently whatever was used to wash them eliminated any trace. She could think of a fair few purebloods who could benefit from whatever soap they used here. Maybe a few Hounds too, like Kardin after a night at the tavern. She could only imagine how horrible he would smell to her now.

“She assured me she wouldn’t miss them,”he said, drawing her from her thoughts.

“That was rather generous of her,” she said, glancing down the corridor.

She hadn’t fully registered how massive it was when he’d first carried her to this room. Who, or what, had these been made for? She imagined the only logical conclusion was these mysterious wyverns. Sorisanna had mentioned them being particularly intimidating and Inerys was beginning to piece together her meaning. If there were more than even a handful of levels, this keep had to be massive.

“Do they have strongholds where you’re from?” Rhydian asked as he stepped off.

“None like this,” she said, hurrying after with a slight wince.

The cycling had taken most of the edge off, but she had to remind herself her constitution wasn’t the best at present.

“I grew up in a place similar to this,” he said, “I’m afraid I was so young, I can’t remember what it was like to first look upon the grand corridors.”

“You did?”

He nodded. “Along with every other rider in the aerial wing.”

Inerys blinked. Aerial wing?

“Wait, do they fly?” She asked.

“A majority of the hall space is made to accommodate their wings.”

“Spirits’ breath,” she breathed, surveying the corridor anew, “How big are they?”

Rhydian chuckled. “Perhaps not quite as large as you think. Two females can walk abreast with room to spare.”

Even by half, they were still too large for comfort.

“Why only females?”

“They’re larger than the males.” he said, “Sometimes twice over.”

Her brows rose. “I’ve hardly heard of such a thing,” she admitted, “I take it it makes them easier to tell apart?”

“It does, but their coloration is what really gives them away. The males have brighter, bolder colors and are usually metallic in appearance to some extent. The females are more reserved.”

“So they’re similar to birds? In that respect, I mean,” she asked.

“I suppose they are,” he said, tilting his head, “but I wouldn’t make the comparison in front of one. They’re vain creatures.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” she said, suddenly as excited as she was hesitant to meet one.

She scented the world beyond the keep long before they reached the door to the balcony. Crisp, open air greeted her, brushing her hair back and drawing a smile. Moisture tickled her cheeks, not yet dense enough to shroud the world, yet tease its coming.

Night had indeed fallen and Inerys was taken aback by how keen her eyes had become. Her sight had never been poor, but when the sun had well and truly set, she was no better at blundering about in the dark than anyone else. Now, she could make out sights and shapes at a distance with little obscurity. The world did not fade to black the further she looked, it simply continued as if it would in daylight.

She found herself high upon a mountainside, upon a balcony that was closer to a terrace than anything she might be familiar with. The floor was not wood, but stone with a waist-high railing of rough cut rock. She spied the level below and the next. Each grew larger as it descended down the natural slope of the craggy face. There were few man-made structures to be seen, save for a large, rectangular courtyard three levels below. There were no lights beyond those of the courtyard, no torches or fires. The mountain was quiet, mundane, even. Except for what she realized must have been the cloister. Large arches appeared to flank the rectangular space on all sides with two clear, intersecting paths sectioning the grassy ground into four equal sections.

“You’ll have a better view over here,” Rhydian said, gesturing down the terrace.

“A better view of what?” She wondered, still rapt by how well the stronghold had been set into the mountain itself. She was fairly certain this was only the half of it, given how long the hallways were.

Wordlessly, he gestured to the cloister below.

Coming to his side, she braced her hands upon the stone rail and leaned out over the edge as if she’d missed something.

As she did, a great, winged beast crawled out from one of the arches.