Aurix the Bold

They heard the roar of the river long before it split the wood like a wide, winding scar. The waters were crystalline, marred only by the occasional fallen leaves and twigs drifting along on its surface. As Alexa had said, it held no reflection whatsoever. It was strangely surreal, as bizarre—if not more so—than the specters of the Unremembered. It played such tricks on Aurix’s mind and understanding of reality that he had to double-check his hands to make sure he hadn’t winked out of existence somehow.

Iryk chuckled. “You’re all there, friend. Don’t worry.”

A light drizzle fell through the canopy that overhung the Stryk as they made their way along its banks. As amazing as the Wraithwood was, Aurix was glad to see the sky when the trees parted. It swept away the mild claustrophobia brought on by the constant close surroundings of the forest.

The embankments were wide enough in spots for short gallops and sprints. In others, the trees seemed to sprout from the very edges of the river, and they’d pick their way through the woods again. Occasionally, they’d have to ford a tributary or stream branching its way deep into the forest; others were narrow enough for the stags and caples to leap.

A hill sloped upward ahead of them. As they climbed, the roar of the rapids smashing on the rocks beneath the Stryk grew so loud they couldn’t hear one another even at a shout.

After several difficult arcs that wore out their steeds, the shoreline finally leveled out again. Nova was high and the sky a clear and pale orange when Aurix first saw the break in the forest in the distance.

“Is that the edge of the Wraithwood?” Aurix called to Alexa.

She nodded.

“It has to be between there and here,” he said. “We’re close.”

They forded another rivulet barren of reflections and kept on. As they neared the end of the forest, Aurix dismounted Aoni and walked along the river’s edge, his hand extended above the water.

Iryk rode ahead to make sure there were no surprises coming for them and that they were out of sight to anyone who might be wandering past. He returned after a few minutes and gave the all clear.

Aurix was about to give up, sure that the enigma must somehow apply to the whole of the Stryk when his arm appeared on the rippling surface. It was such a sudden change he nearly missed it. He sucked in a startled breath and felt his heart start to race. He took two steps back and watched his hand disappear. With a step forward it was there again.

The river was calm here but wide, and it flowed over a stone shelf about a foot beneath the clear surface.

“This is it!” Aurix called to the others. He found a branch for Nyx to perch on and helped her onto it. He stripped off his leather armor and most of his clothes and stepped into the gentle current.

Regulus followed and waded out into the waters in the middle of the river. At its deepest point, it rippled around his armpits. Aurix realized that he’d be completely submerged at that depth. After another few minutes, Inanna joined them, heedless of getting her dress wet in the process.

“What are we looking for?” she asked over the metallic jangling of the river’s flow.

“I’m not sure,” Aurix said. “I assume we’re looking for Xandra’s Tear. If it were any of the other relics, we’d see it already. Try standing very still. Maybe we can see the water moving around it.”

It didn’t take long. “Could this be it?” Regulus called.

Aurix dove in and swam over to the colossus. He treaded water to stay afloat. “What am I looking at?” he asked.

“You can’t see it while you’re churning up the water like a drowning braka.” Regulus hooked a massive arm that felt like rock around his back and held him up. “Quit your kicking and look.” He pointed with his free hand.

Aurix relaxed and stopped moving. As the water stilled, he spotted a small eddy about the size of his fist whirling beneath the clear surface.

“Let me go,” Aurix said. He took a long breath and let himself sink. He scooped his hand into the riverbed beneath the swirling water and brought up a handful of sand and small pebbles. The tiny vortex hadn’t moved. He let the detritus drift back down and settle. He dug deeper into the dirt and stones the second time.

He knew he had it in hand without even seeing it. He could feel it. A constant, gentle thrum ran through his body. He surfaced with a grin. “Got it!” he called.

Everyone splashed back to shore. Aurix stood ankle-deep in the river and opened his hand. Settled in among the tiny, river-polished pebbles was a perfectly clear, teardrop-shaped gem about the size of an acorn. He took it between his thumb and forefinger and held it up to the late-afternoon light. The air curled and bent and vibrated around the flawless, crystal stone.

“The Tear,” Alexa gasped. “It is real. May I?” she asked.

He handed it to her and watched as she admired it. The awe in her eyes was, to Aurix, lovelier than the artifact itself.

“I can feel it…humming. What does it do?”

“I’m not sure,” Aurix said. “Shlee said no one knows. But it’s all we have, and it will have to be enough.”

She handed the gem back to him.

“Alexa, you understand that taking this from the river could change everything about the Wraithwood, right? Whatever power it generated through the waters will be gone.”

She looked at him seriously. “I do know,” she said, a little sadly. “I’ve thought about what might happen to us—to them, the Unremembered. But if we do nothing…” she trailed off.

“There may not be any of us left to forget.” Iryk finished what she’d left unsaid.

“What will you do now?” Alexa asked.

“Ride for Glynn,” he said. “I don’t know if the Tear will help us or not. The only thing I know for sure is that it can’t stay here, or they will come for it and none of you will be safe. And running is pointless. It’s only a matter of time before we’re caught.”

“So you’re just going to deliver it right into Xu’ul’s waiting hands,” Iryk said. He didn’t bother trying to mask his discontent with the plan.

“If you have a better idea, we’re all ears,” Regulus said, his voice a low rumble.

Iryk shrugged. “I don’t,” he admitted.

“Maybe we should just let them come to us. Fight,” Alexa said.

Aurix admired her courage. “You and everyone here would die.”

“Odds are we will anyway. We can send an army to Glynn,” she tried.

“It won’t matter. It’ll be the Cleaving all over again. Let me try, Alexa. Shlee believed in me. Your father believed in me. I don’t know why, but there must be a reason. Let another war be the last resort.”

She was quiet for a long minute, trying to find an argument that didn’t exist. She nodded. “Okay. But I’d kinda like it if you didn’t die, all right? Don’t die.” She wrapped her arms around him—getting wet in the process—and kissed him on the cheek. “Save Valeria, Aurix. I believe in you too.”

Iryk slipped his quiver from his back and held it out to Inanna. “There are no better arrows than these,” he said.

“Thank you,” Inanna said, surprised by the gesture.

“It’d be all right with me if you didn’t die either,” he said, a barely visible smile on his lips.