Andrew Rowe - On the Shoulders of Titans

I felt my heart sink. “And she asked for him to bring you back.”

“Indeed.” Tristan laughed. “It was her goal from the beginning. Tenjin knew this; he had watched her, and she had mentioned it often to the others who climbed with her from time to time. He told her that I was alive, and in his service. She was overjoyed at first, until she learned that Tenjin would not allow me to leave.”

“Tenjin’s compromise was that he let us meet. He believed that I was loyal, and that simply knowing that I was alive and healthy would be enough for mother.” Tristan shook his head. “We were allowed to talk within the spire for a single hour. Ostensibly in private, but I knew that we’d be watched. I could not tell her the truth there, but I was able to pass her a seemingly innocuous book.”

“A book like mine?”

Tristan nodded. “Precisely. It’s possible Tenjin realized what I’d given her and simply chose not to act. But I took the risk, and it worked. I wrote to her. I explained what I knew. And she began to plan, recruiting more people outside the spire to our plan. She became instrumental to our efforts, since few of those who know what I do are ever allowed to leave.”

“But why did Tenjin allow the meeting at all? Why not just tell her that you were dead, and beyond his abilities to revive?”

“It is unwise for the visages to admit to weaknesses or limitations. It undermines their authority. Moreover, I believe Tenjin thought she could be manipulated. Perhaps, up until the point where he was captured, he believed everything was still going according to plan. Even beings as ancient as they are have the ability to make mistakes. In fact, an inability to accurately anticipate how humans think is perhaps one of their greatest weaknesses.”

“Couldn’t he have just let you leave, then? Only letting you speak for an hour must have seemed like a poor reward for all of Mother’s years of climbing.”

Tristan shook his head. “I should probably explain something else. There would have been an uprising long ago if those of us within the spires had the freedom to do as we chose. But we are carefully watched and, of course, limited by other factors.”

He lifted up his shirt.

His entire chest was covered with a massive runic inscription. “Is that…a brand? Like the one Katashi had put on me?”

“Precisely. A much more complex variation. The more knowledge and access a Whisper is given, the more is added to our brand — and the more things we’re restricted from. In my case, the core function is to prevent me from ever leaving the spire. It would explode if I did, and I assure you that would be quite fatal.”

“Couldn’t Tenjin just have removed it? Maybe removed your memories?”

Tristan pulled his shirt back down, then put a hand over his chest. “Perhaps with great effort, but the brand was not Tenjin’s work. It was placed by another visage.”

“Wydd, I presume?”

“Precisely. Tenjin may have been able to remove it, but if Wydd learned of that, it may have caused a conflict between them. It was not worth the risk. Moreover, Tenjin has always framed these marks as something he disagrees with, that Wydd forces upon us.”

“Wait. So Tenjin knew you were working for Wydd?”

Tristan nodded. “Oh, of course. Working for another visage from time to time was not unusual. I may have made it sound clandestine, but any work that I performed for Wydd went through approved channels. The only ‘secret’ portion was that the Whispers of Wydd believed I was loyal to Wydd, and Tenjin believed I was loyal to him.”

“Why would he take the risk of keeping you close if there was any chance that your loyalties could be compromised?”

Tristan chuckled. “I don’t think you understand precisely how powerful these visages are. Under ordinary circumstances, no human could possibly challenge them. That has led to each and every one of them developing a degree of arrogance. Tenjin probably knew there was a chance that Wydd would try to use me against him in some way, but he would never have expected it to be a physical assault.”

Tristan shook his head. “Similarly, I suspect he believed that Mother or I would take out our aggression against Wydd, if we felt that it was Wydd that was keeping us apart. He thought he could manipulate us to his own ends.”

I nodded at that. “But he failed. You moved against Tenjin first.”

“Indeed. Not because Tenjin is the worst of the visages, but because of convenience. Once Mother had the book, I was able to explain a great deal to her. She spoke with many of the Whispers who operated out of the spire, and they made plans. When we learned that Vera Corrington was coming to the spire to test a new form of artificial attuned, it was a perfect opportunity to lure Tenjin into a vulnerable position. We took it.”

“I still don’t understand how you managed to incapacitate a visage.”

Tristan chuckled, stepping out of the doorway and finally letting it close. “A great deal of knowledge of how his abilities work, the element of surprise, and a good deal of luck.”

I hesitated now that he was approaching. I didn’t think he was going to attack me, but I was still on high alert. “That’s not a real answer.”

“No, you’re right. But I can’t tell you everything.” He tapped his chest.

I understood the gesture, but I wasn’t going to take that simple of a response. “You could claim that anything you don’t want to tell me is one of the things your brand prevents.”

“Also true. But I have no motivation to omit things like the weaknesses of the visages. I want them to be defeated.”

“Including Wydd? Or are they helping you?”

Tristan shook his head. “That’s an excellent question, not no, Wydd isn’t working with us. I’m sure Wydd is aware of everything that is happening, however, and they probably have an angle on how to use it to their advantage.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Why did you imply that you wanted me to join the Whispers of Wydd, then?”

“Ah. That.” Tristan shrugged. “I planned to have you infiltrate them to get information for me. But things change, and that’s no longer wise. The details are unimportant.”

I frowned, considering. “Who’s backing you for all this, if it isn’t Wydd? You implied you had someone powerful helping you.”

Tristan shook his head. “Sorry. Can’t talk about that. But it’s not Wydd, and I’ll say that it isn’t the Tyrant, either.”

I gave him a dirty look. “I don’t like the fact that you’re still keeping secrets.”

“You’re going to have to accept a degree of it. I’m sorry for that. But just as you don’t trust me, I can’t completely trust you with everything, either.”

That made a degree of sense, but I still felt a brief surge of frustration. “Fine, fine. But why try to attack the visages directly like this? I mean, it’s obvious you feel they’re manipulating people, but what’s your end goal here? Killing them all? Would that even be possible?”

“Perhaps it would be, but that would be a terrible risk at best.” Tristan shook his head. “No, that’s not my goal. Although it is a more popular one.”

“What do you mean?”

“As I said, I’m not in charge of this little uprising. Many Whispers have far more influence than I. I played a key part in imprisoning Tenjin, and that has earned me a degree of clout, but I am not the one making all the decisions. And that, unfortunately, has put you in harm’s way. I am sorry for that.”

He didn’t sound particularly sorry.

“You mean what happened with Mizuchi? What was that about?”

“Someone working to remove competition. The uprising has a central ideal — that humanity must be liberated from the oppression of the visages. This sounds like a good unifying factor on the surface, but there’s no agreement in how to go about doing it. This has resulted in the birth of three sub-factions, each with different goals.”