Chương 93: Chapter 94: Reunion

Ferris Einion wept. Sol stood nearby, unsure of what to do. His friends had all exhibited different emotions throughout their time together - rage, despair, regret. But none seemed quite the same as what he was seeing now as Ferris knelt over the body of two Crockern warriors who had fallen to the Iron Dead in their latest scuffle. The elder Crockern clutched the bodies of these fighters to his chest and roared, a keening sound that assaulted Sol's ears in a way that felt deeper than its volume could explain.

He stood there, unsure, as the other Crockern averted their eyes, as if this display of emotion were too private to acknowledge. Sol himself felt emotions. Constantly. But he was becoming aware that he felt them differently than other people. For him, they seemed more muted. Like, they were there, he could acknowledge them, but they didn't touch the spark of who he was enough to make him act on them.

He could just accept the emotion and choose to ignore it if he wanted, the way that he suppressed Ultán's hate for Cormac early on. He sometimes wondered what fury felt like. None of this introspection told him anything about how to handle an enormous Crocken weeping over his fallen friends. A while after Ferris had collected himself, Sol thought it might be the right time to ask if Ferris was all right. Ferris had sighed.

"Have you never lost anyone, Sol?"

"Well… sort of," Sol said.

"I have a few friends who are… not dead, but not really okay at the moment. I was sad when that happened, but not… sorrowful." Ferris chuckled.

"Sol, you are such an interesting person. I suppose that was an embarrassing display for the Regent-Elect of Teilgcheárta, wasn't it?"

"I don't mean to suggest that."

"No, it was. And if I'm being honest, it wasn't about those men, not entirely. I've been balancing this city on a knife's edge for the last year. I think once I let the tears go, everything I've been holding back came flooding out. The worst thing was that there was almost a feeling of relief in imagining the worst case scenario." Sol frowned.

"What is the worst case scenario?" Ferris's eyes went distant.

"That this is all almost over." They walked through a series of seemingly unending tunnels, though Ferris seemed to know the way as if he had been born here.

"We're not far," he said under his breath as they walked. They had oddly not run into any more pockets of the Iron Dead, which seemed to worry Ferris more than their presence would have.

"Doesn't… this seem a bit odd?" Ferris said, stumbling against another Crockern. That one fell flat on his face. Sol looked around to see that all the Crockern he was with seemed to be impaired in some way, their limbs unusually uncoordinated.

"Sorry," Ferris mumbled, wiping drool from his lips.

"Need an out?" Róise said, appearing from the dark to wrap Sol in a hug. Sol was startled, but found himself hugging her back desperately.

"Oh, Róise! It's so good to see you. Is this Seven Drunken Nights?"

"Of course," the pixie replied, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"I assumed you were a captive."

"Sort of," Sol admitted.

"But I think we'll be best served if we work with them. This is Ferris Einion, the Regent-Elect."

"Sol, who're ya talkin' to?" Ferris said, slurring.

"Yeah, he's the hardest to keep hold of. Fourth, isn't he?" Róise grimaced.

"Well, we'd better choose. With him and how many others there are, I'm burning fórsa like no tomorrow." Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Release them," Sol said.

"But," he dropped to a whisper, "don't reveal that we're only here because Sailleach sent us to take something. He might not like that." Róise nodded and Sol could feel some tension in the air that was her technique at work fade. One of the Crockern came back to his senses and noticed her first, yelping in shock while thrusting a spear at her. Róise sidestepped the strike and caught the spear in one hand.

"Easy. I'm not here to fight."

"Ferris," Sol said quickly.

"This is Róise. She's my friend. She's working with Eoin Daithi." The Regent-Elect shook his head as if to clear it.

"You. Did you do something to us just now?"

"Just a befuddlement technique," Róise said calmly.

"If you were holding Sol against his will I would have rescued him." Ferris grunted.

"You're wearing Séarlait garb. You're not one of them?" She bared her teeth.

"If you're asking if I am with Caolán Séarlait, no, I'm not. It was just a way to get me into their crew."

"So." Ferris turned to Sol.

"Clearly you all have other motives than coming to Teilgcheárta for work. Makes it difficult to trust you."

"We're here to liberate Shirren," Róise snapped. The Regent-Elect blinked.

"You're what?"

"We're going to drive Shorinu out of Shirren, no matter how long it takes," Róise said.

"We saw something suspicious going on here, and when I saw that Séarlait was involved we needed to get to the bottom of it. This was an investigation of opportunity, but so far it has not disappointed." Ferris laughed.

"You've got stones, girl, that's for sure. Liberate Shirren? Shirren doesn't even want to liberate Shirren. But no matter to me. We're not an independent city-state because we love Shorinu. What are your intentions?" Róise crossed her arms.

"Make sure Caolán doesn't get what he wants here."

"And what would that be?" Ferris looked at her suspiciously. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It would seem to be the Heart of Iron."

"Godsdamn it!" Ferris roared.

"Useless trying to hide a bloody thing, isn't it?" He turned to Sol.

"Did you know about it too?"

"I still don't." Róise held up a hand.

"Hey. Ease up. I found out about it from a Séarlait patrol I ran into down here. There are four patrols in these tunnels, each looking for the Heart of Iron. They're equipped with these." She tossed Ferris one of the gem shards the Séarlait patrols had been carrying. He caught it easily, staring.

"How did they make this?" Sol peered up at the object in Ferris's hand.

"What is it?" Ferris shook his head.

"I do not know enough about gemcraft to say for sure. I can tell you that it feels a lot… a lot like the Heart of Iron. I fear their maker may be someone I've long suspected of betrayal."

"They're using it to fend off the Iron Dead," Róise said.

"They won't come near these things." Ferris perked up.

"Do you have more?"

"A few." Róise palmed him a handful of the gems. His eyes narrowed.

"They just gave you all these?" She grinned.

"They weren't in a position to refuse." She walked up to Ferris, standing comically small in comparison but utterly unafraid, glaring up at him.

"Now I think we deserve some answers. Why was a mine housing an artifact that could create iron out of nothing running out of iron?" Sol put a hand on Ferris's arm.

"I think the time for secrets is at an end, sir. Trust us or not, this Heart of Iron seems to be at the center of everything that's been happening in Teilgcheárta. We - well, Róise - has found out so much on her own already. Let us go in fully armed with the knowledge we need. Just as you said - you can kill us at any time." Ferris huffed.

"You, maybe. Her, I might have trouble with. But no," he said, sliding down the cavern wall to sit on the floor.

"You're right. One way or another… I think today might spell the end of Teilgcheárta." Sol exchanged glances with Róise.

"That seems to be a pattern around here. Many things that have always been are changing - or disappearing forever."

"Indeed. Only a few weeks ago I heard a rumor that Cianán's Walk vanished!" Ferris said, shaking his head.

"I didn't think it unusual at the time - what would be normal about that place? But perhaps it speaks to a larger pattern of unrest coming to the Tír. It's in all the histories. That's how cataclysmic upheaval always starts… very small."

"We… can verify that the Walk is gone." Róise said.

"Or, it's in my friend's backpack. You really don't want to know. We just don't have the time." Ferris bellowed another loud laugh.

"Very well. Time for just one story then. The very small thing that has doomed Teilgcheárta." He gestured for his men to sit down as well.

"Some of the men don't know all this either - and you're right. The time when secrets were helpful has past." Sol remained standing, his hands clasped firmly behind his back, his right gripped firmly in his left. He was trying to appear calm and attentive, but all his energy was spent trying to prevent his right hand from grabbing one of the gem shards. Solas grows better all the time! The voice inside him cackled. This marionette's strings are on the inside!

Sol remembered his conversation with Ferris about removing his infected arm. At that moment, he would have done it in a heartbeat, but with sinking acceptance he knew it wasn't the hand that was infected. Perhaps Ferris was right not to trust him with his secrets. Sol couldn't even trust himself.