EPISODE 67: A GIFT OF A COIN

Vash drifted in the endless void of the Thought Cage. Sight, sound, even most of the feeling in his body had long evaporated. His only link to anything solid, outside the broken mind of Zakarias Meng, was the cool fingers intertwined with his. Cass' form and energy tingled against the skin of his hand. It felt similar to when Sera cast blessings with Celestial mana, but not quite the same.

Maybe she's some sort of demigoddess. Vash mused. Or one of the en'kaeli, Celestial warriors who fought the Drae and the shadow when the world was young. I'll have to ask her when we get out of here.

Cass remained silent. After the darkness swallowed them both, Vash hadn't heard a word or sound from her, just the reassuring presence of her hand in his.

Time was passing. Vash could tell by the thundering of his own heartbeat. He was still alive and the Thought Cage did not impede the flow of time.

At least, that was what he hoped.

For now, he could rest for a moment. There was no use struggling against a void of infinite nothing.

Is that what the shadow really is? Vash wondered idly. Just a huge void of empty, nothing? If that's true, then why fight it? This isn't so bad.

"This isn't the shadow." A voice said from somewhere in the darkness. "This is just what happens when your mind shuts down and your body hasn't had the good sense to die beforehand."

Vash looked around, craning his neck in all directions, trying to see who had spoken.

Am I hallucinating already? I can't have been in here that long.

"No, you're not hallucinating." The voice said, sounding tired, like this was a conversation it had been through many times before. "I'm trying to…wait, I've got an idea that will make this easier. Hang on a moment."

Vash blinked. At least he thought he blinked. It was impossible to tell in the absolute darkness. He waited, not sure what he was waiting for, and feeling a little silly.

The voice said it wasn't a hallucination. Vash told himself, trying to banish the creeping unease he felt. But would a hallucination tell you it was a hallucination?

A small knot of pain was forming in Vash's temples, the beginning of a familiar headache he got when stressed or exhausted. That's good, right? Pain means I'm not dead or incorporeal…I think?

The void was getting to him.

With breathtaking suddenness, Vash felt the world move around him. In a heartbeat, the black, formless void vanished, replaced by a familiar spot. Vash stood on the sandy bank of the Summerwine River. Smaller and calmer than her sister, the Obrun, to the west. The Summerwine had been a fixture of his life until being forced out of Durron's Ford a few years back. Vash stood on a hidden stretch of sand on one of the lazy bends in the river. Enormous boulders loomed above him, cutting off this beach from the hill above. Sheltered by the rocks, the little beach was a perfect place for him to come and think. None of the other boys from the village, not even Corwin, knew about this spot. His mother had shown it to him when he was little. Shown him the tricky path that wound through the boulders, which branches to hold on to and which roots to use as steps, until they stood on their own little stretch of peace.

Looking around, the beach was just as he left it. The smooth driftwood log that first his mother, then he had used as a chair. The huge willow that overhung the riverside, giving shade and further hiding him from the outside world. Up among the rocks next to the willow, he spotted the crudely carved wheel with nine spokes. Below the wheel stood a ceramic urn, lid sealed with wax and wrapped with strips of oiled canvas.

A stab of pain struck Vash at that moment. When his mother died, Brother Enrick refused to bury her in the Temple graveyard. "She sullied herself with elves. Let her rest among them as well."

Vash was too young to understand what that really meant. He thought he was going off to find his father on some grand adventure to raise his mother from the dead. Then they would all live together as a happy family. He scoffed bitterly at his foolishness.

What really happened was that Mari was cremated. Nora Walker organized the pyre and said a few words from the Book of the Path. When it was over, she had the ashes gathered and given to Vash. He hadn't understood what he was supposed to do with them. So Vash had brought them here for safekeeping until he figured out what he needed to do to start his quest to find his father and resurrect his mother.

In the years that followed, he came to this place often. Usually just to sit and be alone. Vash took great care to let no one find his secret place, not even Corwin. He had been on his way here after the robbery went wrong when the guard caught up with him.

It's a lovely spot, but why are we here? Cass' voice came from beneath the willow branches. She stepped out from beneath the tree, still translucent and glowing blue.

"I was wondering the same thing." Vash said, confused. "You didn't bring us here?"

Cass shook her head.

"Then what are we —" Vash began, but stopped short when he heard splashes coming from just up the beach. He reached for a weapon, but his belt was empty. Looking down, he saw he wore the same homespun tunic and breeches that he did in Durron's Ford, his belt a simple braided leather cord. Glancing at his feet, he felt a surge of relief.

At least I have my shoes.

A few moments more of splashing and cursing, and a figure rounded the bend in the river and came into Vash's view. The man was stocky, with the look of a vigorous man who had gotten a bit plump when his life had softened. His bald head shone with sweat and he was flush with the summer heat and exertion. The man took a handkerchief out of the pocket of a rich, purple suede coat and mopped his forehead before looking at Vash and Cass.

"Why do folk always think of these places in summer?" The man asked, his tone a mix of rhetorical and grousing. "It's always so damn hot, especially in the south. Why not late autumn? Harvest time? Nice nip in the air and the possibility of a bottle of cider?"

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Vash simply stared, unsure of what was being asked of him.

The man gave Vash a weak smile and sighed. "Ah, well, I suppose we have to work with what we're given."

Vash took a step back as the man waded ashore, boots squelching with each step. "Who are you? Did you bring us here?"

"Did I bring you here?" The man asked, looking at Vash with a confused expression. "Not exactly. Technically, you brought us here. I simply made the space available. It was getting a bit chaotic back there, with the sorcerer's mind fracturing—impressive work on that, by the way—and the Dungeon Heart forming. I thought it would be best to take a step back so we can have a quick chat."

He still didn't tell us who he was. Cass said, her voice icy with suspicion.

"Must have slipped my mind, Cassadia." The man said, giving her a very pointed look. "It's been a long time. You're looking…less solid than the last time I saw you."

"You know him?" Vash asked, turning to Cass, confused.

Everyone I knew is long dead, Vash. Cass said, not taking her eyes off the man in the purple coat.

"Apologies. I have a very forgettable face." The man said, taking a seat on a rock and pulling off one sodden boot. Water poured out onto the ground along with one small, flapping fish. The man made a face, scooped up the fish and tossed it back into the river. "But I remember everyone, the good and the bad. Now, I don't have a lot of time here, that Dungeon Heart is forming at an alarming pace. If you absolutely must have a name, then you can call me Matris."

Vash scowled. The name seemed familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"Yeah, that one's going to bug you, I can tell." Matris said with a grin, pulling off his other boot. Water sloshed out, but this time no fish. "Anyway, there are a lot of things up in the air right now with what you and your friends are doing. Dungeons, soul bindings, artifacts — I mean, this could get messy. So, I wanted to nudge everything in the right direction, so to speak."

Unsure how to respond, Vash glanced over at Cass. She hadn't taken her eyes off Matris. Vash could almost see the gears of her mind working. "And what is the 'right direction'?"

"Good question." Matris said, giving Vash a proud smile. He wriggled his toes in the sand and mopped his brow with the handkerchief again. "Once you leave here, your friend Galia will break the Thought Cage open. She's really quite clever, get to know her better. When that happens, you'll be back on the material plane and it will be…well, it will be very busy. Get your friends out of the Dungeon. Get all your friends out of the Dungeon. Don't leave anyone behind. You may have to make some sacrifices, and they may be scary. Just remember, fate is on your side for now."

Vash blinked in confusion, unsure what to make of this person who seemed to know so much about him, his companions, and Cass. "I don't understand any of this."

Matris gave him a wry smile. "That's pretty common. Really, all you have to do is trust yourself. Don't overthink things, your instincts will serve you well."

Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance, even though the sky remained cloudless. Matris looked up at the sky, frowning at the empty azure expanse. Absently, he put his boots back on while intensely studying the sky.

Cass moved to stand between Matris and Vash, hands on her hips. You yanked us into another pocket dimension just to tell Vash to 'believe in himself'? I don't buy it.

"What's there to buy?" Matris asked, standing and letting out a slight groan of effort, as though age were making such actions difficult.

Things with that sort of power don't just use them to have little chats. Cass said, voice hard with fear and suspicion.

"Well versed in those sorts of things, are we, Cassadia?" Matris replied, keeping his eyes on the sky and not meeting her gaze. Vash could see a dark wall of cloud appearing on the horizon. The wind picked up, making the willow shift and flutter in the breeze.

Cass didn't respond immediately, going still and choosing her words carefully. I have underestimated powerful beings before. I do not intend to make the same mistake twice.

Matris glanced at her, the jovial, carefree exterior falling away for the moment. Vash saw shrewd appraisal in the man's eyes, along with a sense of great age and power. Whatever Matris was, it wasn't a simple traveler.

"It's good to know that you learned from your mistakes." Matris said, his tone grave. "I just have concerns you will fall back into old habits. Things are delicate at the moment, and my family and I can't have too many variables running around loose."

Cass shrank back slightly, her face still a carefully constructed mask of serene calm, but Vash could see a growing fear in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Vash asked, frustration and impatience rising within him.

"Just a messenger," Matris said, turning a sad smile towards Vash. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

Matris dug into a pocket of his coat and rooted around for a moment. His face brightened as his fingers closed around whatever it was he was looking for. Matris pulled out a tarnished copper penny, slightly larger than the copper coins used in Galadon. With a flourish, Matris tossed the coin to Vash, who caught it easily.

Vash looked down at the coin in his palm. It was old, covered in years of tarnish, with only the raised device of a head in profile still gleaming bright copper. He frowned, looking at the coin. It seemed familiar, but wasn't any form of currency he'd ever seen before. Vash flipped the coin over. The other side had the same device of a head in profile, but looking in the opposite direction.

"Where have I seen that before?" Vash thought, his head a muddle of confused thoughts.

The storm rolled in fast. Dark clouds filled the sky. Thunder crashed, but there were no flashes of lightning. Vash looked up from the coin as a huge BOOM shook the ground around him. Matris was walking away, heading towards the small path that lead up past the rocks and into the woods above.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Vash asked.

"Keep it!" Matris called back over his shoulder. "For luck!"

Clouds roiled above Vash's head and the light faded. Pale mists rolled in from the river, surrounding Vash and Cass. As their circle grew smaller and smaller, Cass came up to Vash's side, taking his hand again.

Whatever happens, I'm with you. Cass said, meaning to be reassuring, but her voice was tight with anxiety. She didn't know what would happen next, and it frightened her.

I fear no death, Vash thought, running through the Hunter's litany in his mind. For I am death.

Again, he felt the cool touch of the anointing oils beneath his eyes and upon his brow, where Byar had marked him for Kyrinos. Now there was something else, the weight of the two-headed coin that he held in his hand.

What does that mean, I wonder? Vash thought, as the mists swallowed him.

Thud…THUD…thud…THUD…

The rhythmic sound pounded in Vash's head. He opened his eyes to see Galia kneeling above him, her eyes closed in concentration, hands held up with fingers in precise positions, the faint glow of arcane energy shimmering around her hands.

Across from him was the twisted form of Zakarias. The sorcerer lay on one side, blood running from his nostrils, eyes open and glassy. His chest still moved, which was the only way that Vash knew Zakarias was still alive.

"Tell me that throbbing is from a hangover, and isn't a gods-damned Dungeon Heart." A gruff voice said from somewhere close by.

Vash turned his head the other way. Corwin stood over the sitting form of Jabez. Black streaks of lizard-man blood painted Corwin in random spots. Several Scaleback bodies lay slumped in death all around. On the altar, behind Corwin, Vash could see a large crystal growing, forming an irregular egg shape.

Mana flowed all around the Dungeon Heart, so thick that Vash could almost taste it. With an effort of will, Vash pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Galia gasped and let her spell drop, the surrounding glow winking out immediately. "You're awake!"

"Unfortunately." Vash groaned. He lifted his hand to massage his temples. Opening his hand, he found a copper coin lying in his palm. The coin had a face in profile on both sides, each one looking in the opposite direction of the other.

Cass? Vash thought.

I'm here. Cass replied in his mind.

Was Matris real?

I think so. Cass said cautiously.

Then I'd better be careful not to lose this coin.

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