Day 16:
Rocket
“I expect we will be seeing them before the week is out. However, that is not anything I can set in stone. It will solely depend on how things progress over the next few days.”
A knock interrupted anything else the man had to say. Elias stood. Artemis idly stirred what remained in his bowl watching as the man crossed to the door and opened it.
There was a man on the other side, strong, tall, and who grinned a brilliantly bright smile when the two older men’s eyes met. “Thought I would find you here. Cass sent me down with this for you.” The man gestured with the bundle in his hand. Artemis wasn’t sure if it was a thin book or a stack of paper. Elias took it, flipping through the pages as the man continued, “How’s our newest guest?”
“Awake so you’re welcome to ask him yourself,” Elias offered, voice cordial and expression soft as he took a step out of the way before actually crossing to the chair.
The stranger at the door stepped in enough to close the door before smiling gently at Artemis. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thank you,” he replied politely.
“Elias been treating you well?”
“Yes, sir.”
The man laughed, startling him. He glanced at Elias but the man was busy reading. “You don’t have to be so formal. Name’s Tolnoran but you can call me Torra. Everyone does.”
“A misconception,” Elias piped in, turning a page. “There are some that scream expletives when they see you, Tolnoran.”
Tolnoran gave an embarrassed laughed. There was a flicker of something that looked an awful lot like sadness to Artemis at the edge of the man’s expression. “”Eli. The young man doesn’t need to know that.”
Elias closed the stack of pages around a finger as he looked up at Tolnoran. “He will learn it regardless of whether he is told now or not and you know it as well as I do.” Tolnoran’s expression noticeably fell at that and Elias sighed, gentle amusement coloring his expression. “Do not give me that look. I know you find immense joy at hearing a few of the expletives.”
Tolnoran’s expression relaxed, turning thoughtful even. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”
This time Elias let out a huff of a laugh. “Honestly.” Artemis met Elias’s gaze steadily. “Do not let his demeanor fool you. Tolnoran may be one of the most…powerful fighters here but he is one of the kindest souls you will interact with here. If I am not around to aid you, find him.”
Tolnoran smiled at him. “I highly doubt Eli will ever not be available but, yes, if you ever need anything and he is not able, come find me.”
He nodded.
Elias opened to the bookmarked page. “Anything significant Cass passed on?”
Tolnoran’s demeanor shifted, the joy and play that had been on the man’s face slipping into a somber expression. Artemis caught a glimpse of Elias’s implication of the man’s fiercer presence. “Not from Cass but an update from Corax has put people on edge. If Corax’s scouts are to be believed-”
“And they usually are,” Elias interjected, flipping pages.
Tolnoran nodded. “Corax’s words,” he added before continuing. “If his scouts are to be believed, there’s a cluster of Kret coming in from the north.”
“Already?” Elias looked up, frowning. “I thought our only concern were the Crell.”
“They still are. Unfortunately, there’s talk that this particular cluster was driven south but Corax’s scouts hadn’t gotten the chance to clarify.”
Elias looked back at the open pages but his attention wasn’t on the pages. “Are they planning on sending a squad out.”
Tolnoran sighed heavily. “There’s push back from the Council. They don’t think there’s much threat from the Kret cluster when the Crell are practically on our doorstep in their opinion.”
Elias let out a sharp breath, closing the bundle of pages. “Of course it is.” He stood up tucking the pages under his arm. “Let me go talk with the Council. Be ready to leave in three hours.”
Surprise flittered against Tolnoran’s face. “You think you can get their opinion changed that quickly.”
A smirk crossed Elias’s face that let Artemis uneasy. Even the fur on Dlmor’s back stood up at it. “Oh, I am not expecting it to take even an hour but I need time to prep the boy.”
“Boy?” Tolnoran asked.
“Artemis,” Elias corrected. “If we’re going out, he’s coming with. His Dlmor will be a much needed asset.” Elias patted Tolnoran’s shoulder on the way to the door. “I’m trusting you to have him as ready as possible in three hours.” Elias paused at the door, hand on the handle as he looked back at Artemis. “You want to know about the Second Plane, the best place to learn is by living it. If you do as you’re told, you’ll live to see your friends.”
He nodded.
The hallway was full of noise but none of it stayed when the door closed. For a moment he sat in that room with a new stranger and he wasn’t sure what he should do.
“Are you done?” He looked at Tolnoran, finding the large man had settled at the side of his bed and had bent over. The man’s hand was gesturing towards the bowl still sitting in his lap. He handed it over. Tolnoran placed the bowl on the table, offering, “You’ve kept Elias’s attention pretty well for the last three days.” The man sat in the chair by the bed. “He’s told me some of what has transpired but I was hoping you would share what I’m missing.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry but I don’t know you. I barely know Elias and I have no idea what he may or may not have told you, let alone what may or may not benefit me in having you know.”
Tolnoran chuckled. “He mentioned the resistance. Has he told you why he pulled you from the First Plane? Beyond it being part of the promise he made to your mother?”
He frowned. “How much do you know, Torra?”
Tolnoran took a deep breath as he sat back in the chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Not everything, that’s for sure. And what I do know isn’t the full picture.” Tolnoran’s gaze drifted back to him. “I knew your mother, Ellen, but I only knew her in passing. I didn’t get on better terms with Elias till a few years ago, some time around him showing up here. We caught up and he told me he had made a promise to his sister to watch over her son should she ever have to follow through with a plan and it come to fruition. He never told me what that plan was till almost a week ago when he told me he was going to pull you from the First Plane.”
“You know why he kidnapped me, then?”
Tolnoran let out a heavy sigh, looking sheepish. “Eli is a good guy. As much as he says I have a heart of gold, so does he. He’s just…a bit detached from it all after everything he’s been through.”
“But the kidnapping?”
Another sigh, though this one was sharper. “I don’t think it had started out as a kidnapping. I think he had truly wanted to meet you and introduce you into the Second Plane in a more neutral way but then you were attacked and he saw the damage that you sustained. It…” Tolnoran’s words petered out. “He told me that he knew you had sustained an injury but he hadn’t realized how bad you had it till the Healers had checked you through. Before this whole thing with you, he was a rocket - constantly moving, always one of the first on the field and quickest to get things done - but he hasn’t done much more than sit in here waiting for you to wake up.”
“He’s not lying.
A knock interrupted anything else the man had to say. Elias stood. Artemis idly stirred what remained in his bowl watching as the man crossed to the door and opened it.
There was a man on the other side, strong, tall, and who grinned a brilliantly bright smile when the two older men’s eyes met. “Thought I would find you here. Cass sent me down with this for you.” The man gestured with the bundle in his hand. Artemis wasn’t sure if it was a thin book or a stack of paper. Elias took it, flipping through the pages as the man continued, “How’s our newest guest?”
“Awake so you’re welcome to ask him yourself,” Elias offered, voice cordial and expression soft as he took a step out of the way before actually crossing to the chair.
The stranger at the door stepped in enough to close the door before smiling gently at Artemis. “How are you feeling?”
“Better, thank you,” he replied politely.
“Elias been treating you well?”
“Yes, sir.”
The man laughed, startling him. He glanced at Elias but the man was busy reading. “You don’t have to be so formal. Name’s Tolnoran but you can call me Torra. Everyone does.”
“A misconception,” Elias piped in, turning a page. “There are some that scream expletives when they see you, Tolnoran.”
Tolnoran gave an embarrassed laughed. There was a flicker of something that looked an awful lot like sadness to Artemis at the edge of the man’s expression. “”Eli. The young man doesn’t need to know that.”
Elias closed the stack of pages around a finger as he looked up at Tolnoran. “He will learn it regardless of whether he is told now or not and you know it as well as I do.” Tolnoran’s expression noticeably fell at that and Elias sighed, gentle amusement coloring his expression. “Do not give me that look. I know you find immense joy at hearing a few of the expletives.”
Tolnoran’s expression relaxed, turning thoughtful even. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”
This time Elias let out a huff of a laugh. “Honestly.” Artemis met Elias’s gaze steadily. “Do not let his demeanor fool you. Tolnoran may be one of the most…powerful fighters here but he is one of the kindest souls you will interact with here. If I am not around to aid you, find him.”
Tolnoran smiled at him. “I highly doubt Eli will ever not be available but, yes, if you ever need anything and he is not able, come find me.”
He nodded.
Elias opened to the bookmarked page. “Anything significant Cass passed on?”
Tolnoran’s demeanor shifted, the joy and play that had been on the man’s face slipping into a somber expression. Artemis caught a glimpse of Elias’s implication of the man’s fiercer presence. “Not from Cass but an update from Corax has put people on edge. If Corax’s scouts are to be believed-”
“And they usually are,” Elias interjected, flipping pages.
Tolnoran nodded. “Corax’s words,” he added before continuing. “If his scouts are to be believed, there’s a cluster of Kret coming in from the north.”
“Already?” Elias looked up, frowning. “I thought our only concern were the Crell.”
“They still are. Unfortunately, there’s talk that this particular cluster was driven south but Corax’s scouts hadn’t gotten the chance to clarify.”
Elias looked back at the open pages but his attention wasn’t on the pages. “Are they planning on sending a squad out.”
Tolnoran sighed heavily. “There’s push back from the Council. They don’t think there’s much threat from the Kret cluster when the Crell are practically on our doorstep in their opinion.”
Elias let out a sharp breath, closing the bundle of pages. “Of course it is.” He stood up tucking the pages under his arm. “Let me go talk with the Council. Be ready to leave in three hours.”
Surprise flittered against Tolnoran’s face. “You think you can get their opinion changed that quickly.”
A smirk crossed Elias’s face that let Artemis uneasy. Even the fur on Dlmor’s back stood up at it. “Oh, I am not expecting it to take even an hour but I need time to prep the boy.”
“Boy?” Tolnoran asked.
“Artemis,” Elias corrected. “If we’re going out, he’s coming with. His Dlmor will be a much needed asset.” Elias patted Tolnoran’s shoulder on the way to the door. “I’m trusting you to have him as ready as possible in three hours.” Elias paused at the door, hand on the handle as he looked back at Artemis. “You want to know about the Second Plane, the best place to learn is by living it. If you do as you’re told, you’ll live to see your friends.”
He nodded.
The hallway was full of noise but none of it stayed when the door closed. For a moment he sat in that room with a new stranger and he wasn’t sure what he should do.
“Are you done?” He looked at Tolnoran, finding the large man had settled at the side of his bed and had bent over. The man’s hand was gesturing towards the bowl still sitting in his lap. He handed it over. Tolnoran placed the bowl on the table, offering, “You’ve kept Elias’s attention pretty well for the last three days.” The man sat in the chair by the bed. “He’s told me some of what has transpired but I was hoping you would share what I’m missing.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry but I don’t know you. I barely know Elias and I have no idea what he may or may not have told you, let alone what may or may not benefit me in having you know.”
Tolnoran chuckled. “He mentioned the resistance. Has he told you why he pulled you from the First Plane? Beyond it being part of the promise he made to your mother?”
He frowned. “How much do you know, Torra?”
Tolnoran took a deep breath as he sat back in the chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “Not everything, that’s for sure. And what I do know isn’t the full picture.” Tolnoran’s gaze drifted back to him. “I knew your mother, Ellen, but I only knew her in passing. I didn’t get on better terms with Elias till a few years ago, some time around him showing up here. We caught up and he told me he had made a promise to his sister to watch over her son should she ever have to follow through with a plan and it come to fruition. He never told me what that plan was till almost a week ago when he told me he was going to pull you from the First Plane.”
“You know why he kidnapped me, then?”
Tolnoran let out a heavy sigh, looking sheepish. “Eli is a good guy. As much as he says I have a heart of gold, so does he. He’s just…a bit detached from it all after everything he’s been through.”
“But the kidnapping?”
Another sigh, though this one was sharper. “I don’t think it had started out as a kidnapping. I think he had truly wanted to meet you and introduce you into the Second Plane in a more neutral way but then you were attacked and he saw the damage that you sustained. It…” Tolnoran’s words petered out. “He told me that he knew you had sustained an injury but he hadn’t realized how bad you had it till the Healers had checked you through. Before this whole thing with you, he was a rocket - constantly moving, always one of the first on the field and quickest to get things done - but he hasn’t done much more than sit in here waiting for you to wake up.”
“He’s not lying.