Authors: V. Lakshman
To see a cup fill to its fullest
with scorn and hatred for a fellow man,
Tell a young mother her child means nothing.
-
Argus Rillaran, The Power of Deceit
K
isan stepped back, her mind whirling. That their path had crossed with Duncan’s so quickly was dangerous, and the fact that he could teleport was another cold reminder of his unknown powers. Now Lore Mother Sonya Illrys, a woman whose stalwart defense of the land she’d admired from the very beginning, was standing before them and that made her question reality.
One thing was certain, the lore mother did not look the way Kisan had imagined or read described in the various writings of her legendary feats. Her features were too refined, almost as if everything about her had been somehow made to look more… enchanted. Her eyes sparkled, her hair took on a sheen Kisan could see dancing as if sunlight itself was her partner. Even her skin seemed somehow more vital, glowing with undiminished health.
Now Sonya wanted to talk to Silbane, a fact the younger master found hard to accept. Did she not realize Kisan had modeled herself after the one person who had inspired her most? Yet she would not disobey the request Sonya made and had to be content to wait.
The lore mother turned to Silbane and said, “Master, though you know it not, it was I who surrendered my son into your care.”
“Indeed?” Silbane remarked. “We’d been given the impression that Lilyth claimed Arek as her own.”
“She has good reason,” Sonya said. “She helped me send him back to Edyn where he would be found by you.”
Kisan couldn’t help herself and blurted out, “Why?”
The lore mother’s gaze flicked over and gave her a cursory glance, as if she was beneath her, and yet Kisan felt herself bared by that sudden scrutiny. Whatever she saw seemed to anger the lore mother, who said, “I do not consort with those who would bring harm to my family.”
Kisan turned to Silbane, who returned that stare with a raised eyebrow, no doubt wondering what Sonya meant. Now was not the time to answer that accusation and Silbane smoothly stepped in saying, “Nevertheless, Kisan’s question is valid. Why would Lilyth send the boy away?”
His question seemed to mollify whatever had bothered the lore mother. She looked back at Silbane and explained, “By now you must know Arek is special. He has a unique gift.”
“His resistance to the Way,” Silbane offered carefully. It did not seem he wanted to say more.
Sonya considered that and replied, “Yes, but it is more than that. If Arek is killed here, whatever is within him will spread, and destroy this realm.”
Two for one, Kisan thought, and was shocked to see Sonya look back at her as if she’d heard the remark.
The lore mother then stepped around Silbane and faced Kisan directly, saying, “Do not test me.” Her eyes were unflinching, and in the end, the younger master inclined her head in submission, a posture she seldom took.
Sonya took in the whole group then, her eyes searching all of their faces until she once again looked at Silbane. “If this realm falls the consequences for Edyn are dire. There is a larger conflict in play, one you do not perceive. Though you see Lilyth or Valarius as enemies, either of their failures will unleash devastation upon Edyn.”
Silbane seemed to consider this before replying, “I’ve heard the name Sovereign. I take it you mean him?”
Sonya nodded but added almost to herself, “I used to think Valarius was
right
. I believed and trusted him, to ill ends. Now I don’t….” She looked at him again, her eyes focusing from whatever had taken her into that moment of self-reflection, and she said, “Arek must be taken from this world or you risk the death of us all.”
“How?” asked Silbane calmly. He seemed to be trying to keep the woman talking, and was for the most part succeeding. It was another reminder that at times diplomacy was better than the blade.
“Both Sovereign and Valarius are limited by what they can do so long as the Aeris live. Lilyth’s forces engage both, keeping their power in check. If she should fail—”
“Then one or the other can triumph and can invade Edyn,” Kisan interrupted, the tactical answer plain for her to see. “The Aeris keep both in check and if Arek’s death here affects the Way, the Aeris will be destroyed.”
What seemed like a brief show of approval crossed Sonya’s face. Then it was replaced with a mask of cold regard. “I know you do not trust Duncan. I ask you to reconsider, for you will need powerful allies such as him to escape Arcadia.”
Silbane held up a hand to Kisan before she could answer, which annoyed her greatly. Her training reasserted itself and she focused on listening.
“What would you have us do?” the elder master said.
Sonya grasped her hands together and answered, “Help him find Arek.”
“How?” asked Silbane. “We are trying to do the same.”
“Join with Duncan, combine your forces,” she replied simply. “He has much power and if properly guided, can use it to aid your search.”
“Where is Duncan now?” Kisan asked.
Evidently Sonya’s annoyance at Kisan was forgotten for a moment. She looked up and to an island floating near Olympious. “There. I have sent him to a blood henge, a gate the elves use to travel throughout Arcadia.”
Kisan arched an eyebrow at that. “What is that?”
The lore mother looked at her, once again, it seemed, appraising her worth. Then she replied simply, “It is Old Lore, something you could not understand. However, know that these gates are activated through sacrifice and blood. You cannot use them unless you know how the lore works, and you have not the training nor intelligence to learn. But Duncan can. If given the chance, he can surely unravel its proper use. He may be able to use these gates to effect an escape from Arcadia. You must help him find Arek and be away from here.”
“Why does he have to unravel it? Why not tell him what you clearly know?”
“Is it so clear, Adept? Valarius was the greatest archmage of his time and fashioned the blood gates as a defense for Avalyon. Do you think I have unraveled his work?”
“Yes,” Silbane replied simply. “I think you know more than you say.”
The shade looked down, breathed in deeply as if gathering herself, then said, “If I knew how to save my son I would give you the information gladly. Find Duncan. Only he can understand what Valarius did. They both consorted in vile blood magic.”
Silbane stepped forward and asked, “Why does Duncan care about Arek?”
Sonya looked at him in shock. “You don’t know?”
The master shook his head.
“Duncan is Arek’s true father,” Sonya replied softly.
“What?” exclaimed Kisan. She was about to argue more but Duncan’s eyes came to mind, the same pale blue that was identical to Arek’s own. Something in what Sonya said rang true, so Kisan held her tongue.
It was Silbane, looking as though he was going to be sick, who replied, “Then Arek is not a demon as Lilyth would have us believe?”
Sonya didn’t answer right away, her expression one of shame. When she did reply it was without meeting their eyes. “He was born here in Arcadia and that has made him part of both worlds. You cannot unravel the fabric of what he is without destroying the very essence of his being.”
Silbane nodded, as if he understood something Kisan did not. Then he said, “You will accompany us?” While he said this he casually picked up a handful of loose dirt, smelling it as he sat on his haunches, his eyes never leaving Sonya’s face.
Sonya shook her head. “I cannot. I’m beholden to Valarius, still at his beck and call. He but has to summon me and I will have no choice but to obey. You must move quickly before he learns of this and moves to stop you.”
Silbane tossed the dirt at her, watching as it fell to the ground without adhering to her skin or clothes. He looked apologetically at the group. “Sorry, I needed to confirm something.”
Sonya shook her head and said, “You could have just asked. Had I been real you would have ruined my clothes.”
“He doesn’t think that way,” interjected Kisan. “Wish he did sometimes, though.”
That brought a smile to Sonya’s face, a strange reaction given her obvious dislike of the younger master. Kisan filed that away and remained silent. Clearly this shade wanted to speak with Silbane and she’d support whatever got her the most information.
Silbane nodded, but changed the subject. “Tell me truly, what turned you against your master? Why come to us?”
Sonya did not reply at once, her hand on her throat as if covering something. Clearly Silbane’s question had stirred up some deep memories. When she looked up there was a fierce light in her eyes, as if grief and madness wrestled each other for voice. She opened her mouth, then shut it again and brought herself visibly under control. When she finally spoke, it seemed grief had won. Sonya sounded like another person to Kisan.
“I’m angered by the word ‘master.’ I was never chattel.” Then Sonya seemed to draw within herself, and her next words came out softly, “A lamb may come to love where she is kept, open green fields to run and every day better than the last. Yet when the farmer comes with blade in hand for the dinner meal, she becomes aware of her true circumstance. Hope often blinds one to their own peril.”
Kisan bowed and said, “You must know I’ve admired you since I was a girl. You were so independent and strong. How could you have been misled?”
Sonya’s stance softened a bit, but her eyes turned hard. “You will do anything for your child, brave any burden. Hope is most deadly to those who do not know who they are.” She looked at Kisan directly and said, “Something you know nothing about.”
Kisan was about to reply with her loss of Piter, but Sonya turned away and addressed Silbane, pleading, “With your help added to Duncan’s lore, finding Arek will be a simpler task.”
Kisan regained control over herself, her mind now working quickly through the facts. It was clear that
if
Sonya spoke the truth, killing Arek might mean the death of Edyn. She could not carry out her orders here without confirmation from the lore father. Recovering Silbane’s apprentice was the highest priority, whether he was some kind of weapon or an errant apprentice, he needed to be taken back to Edyn to face whatever the council demanded. Still, her heart dwelt on Piter and justice.
Silbane looked at Kisan, his eyes asking her to agree. She gave a hesitant nod, though finding the red mage again was the last thing she wanted to do.
At that, the elder master looked back at Sonya and said, “We will try.” He looked over at the island some distance away and pointed, asking, “There?”
Sonya nodded, relief and gratitude written plainly on her face. Then her eyes widened and she turned to something they could not hear. She looked back at them, her face in a panic as she began to fade from sight. Her voice floated back, “I am summoned. Hurry, we do not have much time!”
Then she was gone.
Ash cleared his throat and said, “I can’t tell if this is good or bad.”
“Perfect,” replied Kisan, “just what we need, that insane mage to deal with again. Hope you’re happy.” This last part was addressed to Silbane.
The master met her gaze unflinchingly, his eyes darkening a bit as he nodded, “We don’t know anything yet. Sonya could be telling the truth.”
Kisan looked up at the sky, pointedly ignoring Silbane’s last remark. Ever the armchair strategist, he would always wait and think. This, in her opinion, was his weakness. He did not act quickly, wanting certainty first. She had come to learn a truth. Certainty was for fools. One did not have the luxury of a complete picture, but rather had to act on limited information decisively. It was true in combat and truer still in life. The fact that her former master did not understand this simple fact irritated her more than a bit.
Instead of getting into a debate about the circumstance caused by Silbane’s mercy for the archmage, she looked in the direction they’d been traveling before this detour. “How far do you think this blood henge is?”
“Judging by our speed it would take us the afternoon, and it did not seem Sonya wants us to delay.”
Kisan said, “We still need to eat.”
Ash gestured to the area where they had landed. “Well, look at that.”
Where he indicated a small tree had appeared, with overlapping scales for bark and ending with a top of small green fronds. Hanging below were clusters of dark, orange-brown oblong globes. Kisan could not say for sure that it hadn’t always been there, but it certainly seemed new. She moved closer to inspect it.
Dates!
She plucked one and sniffed. The skin was soft and the meat inside promised a sticky, chewy mouthful.
“We call these,
sayir
,” said Ash, moving up beside her. He plucked one and took a bite, the expression on his face becoming one of delight. “Very good,” he said as he spit the stone into his hand.
“And conveniently placed,” added Silbane, also coming to inspect their sudden bounty. He plucked a few and began to eat, clearly happy to be filling his stomach after what could only have been quick bites here and there from his depleted pack.