The rain finally ceased as Zeff neared the decadent mountain town of Rheinhal. It was one of the oldest settlements in Sair, but it hardly showed. A building older than ten years was a rare sight here, and the lush greenery combined with the first sunlight he'd seen in weeks gave the city a lively glow. It was something of a tourist trap, this place. Hotels, casinos, amusement parks, shopping malls, movie theaters, and more than a few out-of-season ski resorts sat under the immense shadow of the Waress Mountains.
They were the more impressive sight to behold, Zeff felt, living well up to their status as the fourth largest range in the world. Harsh silver-gray cliffs occasionally poked out from the otherwise high-reaching forests, only to be capped by snow at their peaks. They were the great dividing line, these mountains, between much of the continent and particularly between western and eastern Sair. The Wetlands and the Drylands. The Rainlords and the Sandlords. Ancient enemies turned modern rivals and kindred spirits.
Zeff's thoughts went to Asad and his family. It had been too long already, he knew. He remembered Asad proposing his son for an arranged marriage with Emiliana, an honorable offer which Zeff found fiercely tempting. Join houses with his old friend? Become the first bridge between the Rain and Sand in history? And he knew that merely by asking, Asad ran the risk of upsetting the other Sandlords. It was not an offer made lightly, so it had been very difficult to tell the man no. That was more than six months ago now, and Asad had still not spoken to him since. Zeff would have to try harder to make reparations upon his next visit to Kuros.
He made his way toward the foot of the mountains, where stood the oldest reminder of Rheinhal's ancestral heritage, Rhein's Keep. Previously, the name Rheinhal belonged solely to the castle itself, but as the city flourished around it and came to be arguably even more famous for its wealth, the castle was renamed Rhein's Keep to avoid confusion.
Rhein's Keep stood on a larger hill all to itself, allowing most of the city to see its four massive turrets with round crenellations and flying the blue-and-gold flags of Sair. And of course, as the central Vanguardian stronghold in the nation, the castle remained in immaculate condition despite its age. Pristine, arching windows. Fresh crimson paint for its outer wall. A groomed yard with a madega tree standing in a clear pool. Madegas were certainly not native to this region, which meant it had to have been transplanted here--and recently, too, as Zeff didn't remember seeing it when he visited a year ago.
Axiolis flew close behind him as he made for the castle's northwestern tower. They'd discussed the ambiguous nature of this visit prior to and during the drive. General Lawrence's unexplained order to arrive within twelve hours despite Zeff and Mariana having both been on leave had left everyone a bit unsettled, to say the least, especially after Salazar's departure. Zeff wondered if that was why he'd been called in. Perhaps they wanted information on her; or worse, perhaps they thought he meant to join her and wished to test his loyalty. If so, then he figured that it was going to be a very long and unpleasant couple of days. But as ever, he was prepared.
Familiar faces were everywhere, comrades and friends. The opportunity to see everyone like this had become rather rare for him, and he was glad to see most of them go out of their way to welcome him with a smile and an occasional handshake. He asked what news they had, and among their varied answers was one consistent concern: mounting problems in Calthos. By all accounts, Abolish had gained a foothold there and begun a public defamation campaign against the Sandlords.
Zeff scowled. That had to be one of Abolish's more annoying tactics, surely. The Sandlords were not all Vanguard, just as not all Rainlords were, but they did have strong ties to it. Perhaps that trip to Kuros would happen sooner than he thought.
Zeff entered Lawrence's office easily enough, passing two silent sentries outside the General's door. He supposed it was a good sign that they didn't stop and search him, at least, but then, it wasn't like General Lawrence needed anyone to protect him from Zeff. In the Vanguard, ranking tended to also denote a person's strength, and Lawrence was certainly not an exception to this.
The office itself was more functional than impressive. Zeff had never known his general to suffer any fools or excesses, and this room very much reflected that, he felt. A simple round chamber with a single window, lamp, filing cabinet, desk, computer, and two chairs. No decorations for either the wood-planked walls or the old cobble floor.
Lawrence stood as Zeff entered. The man's reaper, Dergoz, clung to his arm instead of floating freely. And since Dergoz appeared as a bat, the sight of him looked slightly awkward and terrible at the same time, almost as if the reaper were attempting to bite into the General and drink his blood. With both eyes closed, though, the reaper was probably just sleeping.
"Captain Zeff," said Lawrence. "Thank you for coming." He looked to be in his fifties, but Zeff knew the man's history to be much older than that, spanning upwards of seventy years with the Vanguard.
"Good to see you, ensir."
"Please, have a seat."
Zeff sat, as did Lawrence.
'Is Dergoz alright?' asked Axiolis.
"He is just tired," said Lawrence.
Zeff tilted his head. "Have you recently seen combat, General?"
"It doesn't matter now. I'm sure you're more curious as to why you're here."
Zeff nodded.
"I apologize for not telling you. We were afraid you would not come if you knew."
"Why would you think that?"
"Because it has to do with your daughter. She has become a fugitive from the Vanguard."
Zeff reared back in his chair. A fugitive? Gema might have been reckless, sure, but he couldn't imagine her pulling anything that foolish. Moreover, he was sure that he'd found a very reasonable reaper to help guide her.
As Zeff eyed the General, he took a long breath before asking, "What did Gema do?"
"She killed someone she shouldn't have."
Zeff shut his eyes a moment. "Who, exactly?"
"An Intarian diplomat," said Lawrence. "She has upset a lot of people, Zeff. I was hoping you could tell me where she is."
"Ah..." Zeff shook his head. He was in for an embarrassing conversation, it seemed. "I'm sorry, but I have no idea. My relationship with Gema is... strained. I've not spoken to her in over two years."
"Please, take a moment to think. This is very important. Anything you can tell us about her whereabouts could be helpful. A hiding place she had as a child, perhaps."
After a beat, he frowned. "I'm sorry, ensir. I honestly have no clue."
Lawrence eyed Axiolis.
'Sorry. I don't have any idea, either.'
Lawrence threw a quick glance at Dergoz on his arm. "There must be something you two can tell me. You've both known her since she was born."
Zeff wasn't sure how else he could phrase it, so he just said, "I'm sorry, ensir."
The General's expression hardened. "You are putting me in a very difficult position, Captain."
"I wish we could be more help to you, General, but--"
'Enough,' said Dergoz suddenly.
Zeff hadn't realized the reaper had even been listening.
'I didn't think Rainlords were in the habit of lying,' said Dergoz, not sounding particularly sleepy.
Zeff raised an irate eyebrow. "I am not lying."
"Dergoz, let me--"
'Silence.'
Axiolis hovered closer to Zeff. 'Something is wrong here,' he said privately.
Zeff was beginning to get that impression, too.
'It is vital that we find Gema Elroy,' said Dergoz. 'You are her father. If you do not know where she is, then who does?'
"I don't know. She has not been home in over two years."
'Yes, I heard you the first time.'
'You seem rather desperate to find her,' said Axiolis. 'If she has broken the law, then let Zeff and I be the ones to retrieve her.'
'No, I do not think that would be wise,' said Dergoz.
'Then I don't know how else we can help you,' said Axiolis.
'Neither do I,' said Dergoz. 'Not so long as you refuse to cooperate.'
'We are cooperating as much as we can. We can't tell you what we don't know. Why are you so quick to assume we are lying? When have we ever given you cause to think we would?'
A thick silence consumed the office as the reapers stared at one another.
'Allow me to simplify your understanding of the situation,' said Dergoz. 'If you do not tell us where we can find your daughter, then we are going to ask your wife. And then we are going to ask your children.'
Zeff's irritated expression slowly melted away, turning first into blank realization, then gradually into a hard glower.
Dergoz was not finished talking, however. 'You are a good man, Zeff. We do not wish to hurt you or your family. But that is the severity of the matter at hand. Gema Elroy must be found at all costs.'
'Why?' said Axiolis. 'What could possibly be so important about Gema that you would threaten to harm our family? Innocent children!'
'Your children are not innocent. They are Elroys, and all Elroys are Vanguard.'
'Pah! You think having Lawrence as your servant gives you the right to change our laws?! Zeff's children are not Vanguard until they come of age! You are threatening the very people we are supposed to protect, you utter fool!'
"Ax, stop," Zeff said lowly, and the reaper seemed to understand.
Dergoz allowed Axiolis to settle down before resuming. 'Your disapproval is noted. Are you going to tell us where Gema is now? Or do you wish to let the situation run its course?'
Zeff tried to think. He didn't have the information they wanted, so obviously, giving it to them wasn't an option. If he lied, perhaps that would buy time, but how much? And what would he even use that time for?
'Ah, but before you answer,' Dergoz went on, 'I should also mention that we have been shadowing your family in Aguarey for the past twenty-three hours.'
Zeff gripped both arms of his chair with white-knuckled hands. "You brought me here to isolate me from them."
'Provided you simply cooperate, then--'
"If you think my wife is going to let you take our children into custody for any reason, then you are sorely mistaken."
'She is no longer in Aguarey, either,' said Dergoz. 'As soon as we confirmed that you had left the city, your wife received orders to report to Lagemoor. And we all know how dutiful Mariana is.'
'At least tell us why it is so important that you find Gema,' said Axiolis.
'Why? I am sure you already know.'
'But we don't!'
'More lies.'
Zeff was at a loss, growing equal parts desperate and furious, but he kept his voice steady and quiet. "General Lawrence, ensir, how can you condone this action?"
The older man couldn't meet the Rainlord's gaze.
'I don't believe them,' Ax said privately. 'If Mariana left for Lagemoor while you were away, she would have called and told you.'
Zeff squinted. 'You think she ignored the order?'
'Yes. She and Shenado were already suspicious, so it would make sense.'
Dergoz was becoming annoyed. 'Are you trying to buy time? To what end? I hope you are not thinking of fighting Lawrence. You must know that you stand no chance against him. Especially not here.'
The reaper was probably right, but given that none of Zeff's comrades had acted suspiciously when he talked to them earlier, it was a fair bet that they didn't know about the actions being taken against his family. Once upon a time, Rheinhal had been a stronghold of his ancestors, before House Rhein met its end. That this place was now being used against him only made the circumstances sting all the more. But it also reminded him of something.
"If you seize my family, the other Rainlords will not sit idly by," said Zeff.
'They will if they know what is good for them,' said Dergoz.
'Are you mad?' said Axiolis. 'You would risk war with the Rainlords just to find Gema?'
Dergoz chose not to answer.
'We have to run,' Ax said privately.
Zeff wished he had a better idea, but they were already short on time. And by the strained look on Lawrence's face, the man had probably hoped Zeff would volunteer Gema's whereabouts and thereby avoid a confrontation. Zeff certainly didn't want to fight, either, but he wasn't seeing much choice.
If nothing else, he was sure that Mariana would keep their children safe. That woman was prepared for everything. How he wished that he had stayed in Aguarey with her. At least then, they could have faced this together. "Perhaps I should call my wife," said Zeff. "We can hear what she thinks of the situation." He reached for the cellphone in his inner coat pocket.
'I would not advise that,' said Dergoz. 'Lawrence will be forced to stop you.'
"Why? Is she not in Lagemoor like you said?"
Again, Dergoz did not respond.
"Fine. We will tell you what you wish to know. But not here. There are too many people around who could overhear."
Dergoz wasn't buying it. 'I think we will risk it. Tell us where Gema is now.'
Zeff sighed and nodded. He relaxed his grip on his chair and shifted his feet.
The ability to materialize more than a single element was a tremendously rare thing, to be sure. There was no learning it. A person could either do it, or they couldn't. It was hardly a coincidence, however, that Zeff ended up with the ability to materialize hydrogen and oxygen together. His was a historic power, one that cropped up every few generations among Rainlords. The Redwater Twins famously both had it at once.
Zeff flexed both arms where they lay, making minimal movement, and immediately, a white cloud materialized all around him, filling the room in a blink. He leapt from his chair and bolted for the exit, all the while pressing his soul into the cloud. Axiolis latched onto him as he ran.
In front of the door, a sudden wall appeared, brilliantly white and massive. Solid radium, it was. Lawrence's deadly ability. Its pearly surface began to blacken with air exposure, creating an outer layer of radium nitride.
It would take more than that to stop Zeff. He launched a tide of water with enough force to shove the radium wall straight through the door, the subsequent radium-water reaction hissing violently and producing streams of hydrogen gas. A single spark could set the gas off at any moment, but that was the last thing Zeff was worried about as he pressed through.
'Do not let Zeff Elroy leave the premises!' shouted Dergoz for all to hear.
The two sentries from earlier were there in the cloud. Even without a clear view, Zeff was able to materialize ice inside their mouths, and in the next instant, frozen spears burst out of their skulls and killed them both. He mumbled an apology to their on-looking reapers. Any servant without a certain level of passive soul-defense might as well have been dead already for all the threat they posed Zeff. He estimated that there were fifteen servants currently within Rhein's Keep whom he could not kill with this strategy, the most problematic of course being Lawrence.
Zeff made it all the way out to the courtyard before encountering his next resistance.
'All guards!' Dergoz was shouting. 'Take Captain Zeff into custody immediately!'
It seemed to be creating more confusion than anything, and Zeff intended to capitalize. He ran for the main gate.
A radium dome fell over him, which would have encased him in darkness if not for the element's faint blue glow. But after a moment, it wasn't so faint. The thing that made the General's power so dangerous was unquestionably the way the man could strengthen the element's radioactivity by empowering it with his soul. It made the radium decay more quickly, but that was a meager price to pay for the waves of debilitating pressure that it sent through the opponent's body. Already, Zeff could feel the weakening effects, bathing him and Axiolis in so much radiation that his regeneration was having a hard time keeping pace.
Zeff armored himself in ice, empowering it with his own soul as well. It only offered partial protection from the radiation, but he didn't intend to stick around. A string of geysers shot up around him and flipped his radioactive prison into the air. Blood oozing from the eyes and nose, Zeff kept running.
Scores of servants were afoot, and he had each one's attention now. Only moments ago, they'd been in the midst of training or en route to another part of the castle or simply standing guard atop the walls. The latter were the first ones to mobilize, but by then, Zeff had already summoned a tidal wave to clear a path to the gate.
And clear a path, it did. Broad enough to envelope the whole courtyard and taller than the highest tower, only a handful of servants managed to get out of the way. The raging waters consumed everyone else and smashed them against the castle's unflinching walls. And before that was even done, Zeff loosed another wave behind him, just to give Lawrence something to do.
'Can you escape underground?' said Zeff.
'I sense a soul net below us,' said Ax, 'but it only goes as far as the castle walls.'
And the reaper didn't have to explain any further. The most efficient means of escape was to have Axiolis phase through the ground. At full speed, the reaper would be protected by a hundred meters of rock within seconds; and within a minute, he'd be completely out of Lawrence's range, at which point, Zeff would be able to spear himself through the skull and be revived at Axiolis' leisure.
This was the plan. He just had to get Axiolis to the other side of the wall first.
Zeff launched himself into the air with a sudden ice platform. He would have been able to clear the wall then and there if not for the gigantic radium dome that materialized to stop him. There would be no shoving this one out of his way. It covered the entirety of Rhein's Keep, supplanting midday sunlight with a dim blue gleam.
But Zeff had expected as much. Anything less would have been downright lazy on the General's part.
Still mid-flight, Zeff made a fist and half-extended his middle and index fingers. On its own, the hand gesture had no great meaning, but to Zeff, it was a code of muscle memory, a thing that had helped him develop, memorize, and train a particularly difficult usage of his power.
Just beyond the knuckles of his two fingers, a self-sustaining jet of water materialized--thin and precise and inheriting an overwhelming amount of forward velocity. It was a pressurized water drill, strong enough to cut through solid metal under its own power, and when he strengthened it with his soul, even Lawrence's radium would give way. So when Zeff collided with the dome, he pressed the jet into it like a needle into a pincushion.
With nothing to hold onto, Zeff let himself drop back to the ground, but he kept the water jet exactly where it was, and on the way down, made two more and pressed them into the wall as well. He'd created three points of structural weakness, which wasn't much, but it was a start. He knew that if he used only one jet to cut a large enough hole for himself, Lawrence could just fill the thing back in before Zeff even finished cutting. Multiple jets were more efficient and would prove difficult for Lawrence to get rid of, since they would cut through anything they touched. The only difficulty was keeping it all straight in his head. They were tiny burning dots in space, held in place by his mind alone, and he needed more of them, but he first needed to buy more time for himself.
Radium tried to clap around his body, but the ice armor that was already there resisted, and Zeff broke free with a storm of crystalline spikes. He ran alongside the blue wall, throwing another tidal wave with his left hand while readying a fourth jet with his right.
A cliff of radium rose to Lawrence's defense, and the water broke upon it, protecting not just the General but also the other servants rallying behind him. The chemical reaction sent huge, sizzling streams of hydrogen gas into the air. And then, without warning, the gas detonated.
An enormous fireball lit up the whole castle. There was no way to tell what ignited it; many different servant abilities could have been the trigger.
Zeff shielded himself with water.
The force of the blast pushed him back against the dome, but he was far enough away that it didn't even break his concentration. Not everyone was so fortunate. When the air cleared, the castle's barracks were half-gone.
'God, I hope there aren't any normal people here,' said Axiolis.
Zeff took the opportunity to plant more drills. He got out four more within close proximity to one another before a trio of servants attacked him in unison.
'Don't kill Axiolis!' ordered Dergoz. 'We need them alive!'
Zeff knew each attacker. Oscar Murray, Adam Leroy, Davin Echer. All decent, loyal men in his mind, and unfortunately, they were all too strong for Zeff to kill instantly.
But that didn't mean they were strong enough to stop him.
Oscar sent a path of destruction at him while Adam and Davin tried to flank him with an arm of freezing gas and a flashy silver sword, respectively.
An ice platform flung Zeff up and over their attacks, and he formed another hand sign--middle and index fingers fully extended, this time with both hands. Literal hand guns, they were, both in shape and in function. Bullets of empowered ice shot out in rapid clusters. His three opponents scattered, but Zeff still mowed down Oscar and Adam. Davin only survived because of sudden silver armor, which had still taken a beating.
'Look out!' said Axiolis.
A long stretch of radium reached all the way from across the courtyard, and Zeff used a block of ice to knock himself out of the way. But it wasn't enough. The radium branched out after him and gored him through the stomach. It continued branching downward, trying to find its leverage against the ground in order to keep Zeff suspended in mid-air.
Again, Zeff had to multitask. A water jet to cut himself free. A shower of frozen bullets to keep Lawrence busy. Zeff hit the ground with a thud and yanked the rest of the radium out of his chest, thankful he couldn't feel the awful burns it had left in his flesh.
It was time for another tidal wave, he decided. Water raged across the courtyard, dousing scattered fires, tossing rubble and battered servants around.
It bought him the extra bit of time he needed. After one more water jet pressed into the dome, he was at last able to punch through with an icy gauntlet. The castle wall lay on the other side, and he immediately launched himself over. As soon as he landed on the outer steps, he started running. 'Go!' he told Axiolis.
Thankfully, at least, Lawrence's enhanced radiation didn't affect reapers as strongly as living things, so when Axiolis broke away from Zeff, the reaper was only suffering from a bit of ghostly smoldering. He vanished into the ground.
Zeff saw the radium dome disintegrate and knew that Lawrence would be on him any moment. He lowered his own soul defenses in order to be able to kill himself. The ice formed in his mouth, about to pierce his brain.
Instead, a bladed disc sliced through his mouth, severing the top half of his head from the rest of his body. And he saw Lawrence standing there on the wall with a clenched fist.
Still conscious, Zeff could only watch as the radium clapped around his head. Axiolis had escaped. He had not.
-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-
Lawrence carried Zeff's radium-coated head under one arm as he reentered Rhein's Keep. Upturned earth, shattered stone, and regenerating bodies abounded. He immediately had Lieutenant Adam Leroy freeze Zeff's head for him--or rather, for Dergoz.
'You let Axiolis get away,' Dergoz said privately.
'Zeff was stronger than I anticipated,' said Lawrence.
'You are lying. You held back.'
'Of course I did. You wanted them alive.'
'That is not what I mean, and you know it.'
General Xavier Lawrence refrained from further argument. He knew there was nothing to be gained from it. And besides, the reaper wasn't exactly wrong. He couldn't disobey Dergoz overtly, but occasionally, small victories were still possible. For all of Dergoz's threats, Lawrence knew that the reaper didn't want to release a servant with his level of power. It would mean starting over from scratch, letting nearly eighty years go to waste.
Dergoz growled. 'Axiolis will contact the other Rainlords and rally them against us. We must acquire the Elroys as soon as possible and interrogate them. If they give up Gema's location, then we can simply surrender Zeff's brain to the Rainlords and avoid unnecessary conflict.'
Lawrence didn't think it would be so easy but decided to keep his opinion to himself.
'I know you are displeased with me and with what I am forcing you to do,' said Dergoz. 'But if we don't find her in time, they will kill us all. Do you understand that? Not just you and me. Our whole division will be destroyed. Everyone who works under us. Extinguished.'
'Then perhaps you are being loyal to the wrong person. If we tried to help the girl--'
'It's much too late for that. When Sermung falls, there will be no one to protect those loyal to him.'
'And if he doesn't fall?'
'Then the Vanguard is doomed, anyway.'
And therein lay the source of their disagreement. Lawrence wasn't in the mood for another futile debate, however, and started back for his office. He didn't want to give the order to take the Elroys into custody, but unfortunately, it wasn't up to him. And knowing that it would take Axiolis at least two hours to reach Aguarey--if that was indeed where the reaper was headed--then Mariana and her children would have no warning when the ten servants shadowing them took action.
Lawrence's mood only worsened as he walked.