She turned around as if expecting me. "Perfect timing, Esther," she smiled. "I just got the last piece in place." She moved aside and I could see the perfectly shaped slot where the stone would fit.
"What will this do exactly?" I asked.
"It's the power source," She explained. "So if I've done everything else correctly, it will start the clock."
I handed her the stone. "But what does the clock do?" I asked. It seemed like an awful lot of trouble for something that would just tell time.
"Oh, of course. I've been trailing pieces of this thing for several years now. My research shows that it shows the planetary alignments that will occur during a very important event. It's very unclear the exact nature of this event, but it has been feared throughout history. Some have given it the name The Unsettling." She said very matter-of-factly.
Every hair on my body stood on end. Sybelle had a strange way at times. "You're telling me that this clock is going to tell you when something called the Unsettling is going to happen." I clarified.
"That's one interpretation," She said, all her focus driven toward getting the clock repaired. After a few tense moments, she placed a panel on the back of the clock and held her hand over it, causing it to seal shut. She turned the clock face side out and we both stared as the ancient hands began to grind into motion. There were at least twelve different hands of varying sizes that began to rotate around the clock face at different speeds.
Slowly but surely the hands all came to rest in different positions.
"Are they supposed to be moving still?" I asked.
"That depends I guess," she said, but I could see worry cross her face. "I might have done something wrong, unless..."
"Unless what?" I asked.
"Well, if the astrological alignment of the Unsettling falls within the near future. That could also explain it." She said, her tone growing tense. I stood and watched as she checked the inner workings of the clock.
"Is everything... where it should be," I asked, ignorant to the workings of mechanical devices.
"It seems that way," She said, her tone puzzled.
She pulled out a notebook and began taking notes, drawing the alignment of the hands of the clock. "It will take me a while to figure out when this alignment will take place."
"I can help do some research," I volunteered. I felt a strange sense of urgency. Whatever this was, I couldn't help but feel like it involved me.
"Would you, Esther? That would be great," She said, her voice already distracted as she scribbled furiously in her notebook.
"Of course, I guess I'll leave you to it," I said.
I had a lot of work to do it seemed. Exams were next week and I was barely ready for them. I headed to the library, preparing myself for a long day of work. It was lucky that Professor Malus had excused me from classes. I was doing okay in Alchemy and Lectiomancy, but my grades in Arcane Arts of the Gods were abysmal. I spent the rest of the afternoon buried in books. After completing my homework I tried to find information on the Unsettling, but even mentions of such an event were scarce.
I found one reference to it by a Renaissance Mage named Everett Mayweather. He kept a record of his personal letters and in one passage made passing mention of it.
My dearest Lisbeth,
I do not think I can last another minute without you. It seems that I have no talent for mercenary magic, but with the Unsettling at hand, I do not have much choice in the matter. I will await your letter and your return. My heart is with you always.
Yours,
Everett
It was absolutely no help. I put away my materials and headed back to Halewick.
12
The snow had finally hit at the Mage's Academy over winter break. With exams over, there was nothing to do but hole up inside and hope the weather changed. Last year was my first winter at the Academy and the weather had been mostly pleasant. But this was like an unending blizzard. It was hardly visible outside and I had nothing constructive to do since my housemates had all gone home. All that was left for me to wallow in my misery about exams. Somehow I had managed to pass Alchemy and Lectiomancy, but Arcane Arts of the Gods turned out to be an utter disaster as I suspected it might.
Kairn was also staying on campus, but he was frequently busy as I soon found out. The circles under his eyes were becoming more and more pronounced. Worried, I went to his house one night and found him collapsed on the couch. His shoulders were limp and he was the picture of exhaustion.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
He looked like he was living in another world. "Something's wrong," He said, his voice hoarse.
"What's going on?" I sat down beside him.
"I feel like I'm losing control," He said, not making eye contact with me. His expression was darker than I'd ever seen it. "I can't seem to control my god form anymore. The Hunt is drawing me in night after night, but nothing is there. Normally I can resist the pull unless there is something like a demon or other imbalance. Not anymore."
I put my hand on his arm and felt the ripple of his muscles. Was he resisting the change even now?
"Is that why you're so exhausted? Because you're fighting it?" I asked.
"I think so." He acknowledged. "It's never been this hard before." His angular features seemed more wild than usual. I brushed my hand across his cheek.
"What if you're not supposed to control it?" I asked. "It's part of who you are."
"I'm scared I'm going to get stuck there," He said. His gaze focused on me, his eyes carrying such a depth of worry.
"That won't happen," I tried to soothe him.
"And what if it does?" He asked. "I would lose you then."
"Maybe you should shift more often, on purpose. Then maybe it wouldn't feel so out of control." I suggested.
"Don't say that," He growled. "I'm so close to losing control of it all." He sounded angry.
"I don't mind you know," I explained, feeling oddly embarrassed. "when you change."
"You don't?" He stared at me, his green eyes causing my heart to beat faster.
"I don't," I repeated.
"Will you stay with me?" He asked, a resonance starting to grow in his voice.
"Yes," I answered easily. There was no choice to be made. Of course, I would stay.
He began to change as if he could no longer maintain his grip on this reality. His god form began to take over. His whole body shifted until he was that ancient and frightful god. I blinked and Kairn was gone, replaced by the Lord of the Wild Hunt. His claws were long and inky black. His skin was covered in ever-shifting tattoos. His breathing took on the cadence of a predator at rest. His face was covered by the bone-white mask of the beast, and horns crowned his wild black hair. I took him in, breathing in the scent of moss and cedar that emanated from his skin. He was glorious.
I lifted my hands carefully to his face. I wasn't scared anymore. Grasping the haunting mask of death, I lifted it from his face. He was almost unrecognizable. Almost. His once green eyes had turned golden and animalistic. They had the color of warm honey and the glow of candlelight, but the pupils were strange and elongated. He had the eyes of something primordial and undomesticated. His facial structure too had changed, now impossibly sharp and fearsome. He was a majestic hunter, and he was mine.
He said my name. His speech was not in English, but I recognized it all the same. There was care in it. I couldn't describe his voice, his tongue that spoke words of power.
"Kairn," I responded, studying every detail of his face. Before when we had kissed, there were times where he shifted between God and Human. Even then, I had not fully understood what it was to stare into the face of a God. I lifted my eyes to meet his with joy. I couldn't believe that of all the others, he chose me. I pressed my lips against his. We kissed for countless hours that night. I stayed with him, not afraid of what he was. Eventually, I awoke to daylight, with Kairn, fully human again, but no less magnificent.
We spent every hour together for the next week.
It was one of the happiest times of my life. But eventually, I knew it was time to get serious. If Sybelle was right, something was coming. I had seen it with my own eyes. What happened to Aria, and what was happening in the Liminal World was no coincidence. It was a harbinger of something, something that was yet to come.
Classes resumed. I was doing everything I could to bring my grades up, especially in Arcane Arts of the Gods, but I was preoccupied with my research. It was impossible to find out anything about the Unsettling. There had to be a way. An idea came to me while I was working on an essay for Lecctiomancy. It was on ancient techniques for summoning the Watchers. It had all been theoretical of course. Professor Flickwind didn't intend for any of us to actually perform the rituals, but desperate times called for desperate measures. The watchers at least would provide me with an answer. I tried to justify it to myself. I was using the resources available to me.
The main ritual that was documented through history was quite simple. It involved a meal of bread and dandelion wine served in the dark to the watchers. Then an incantation to follow. The one performing the spell had to turn and face away. Nobody knew what would happen to someone who saw the face of the watchers, only that it was urgently forbidden.
I baked the bread in the manner recommended in the old texts and I found a bottle of dandelion wine hidden away in the cupboards of the Herbarium. There was no turning back. When the night came I was prepared. I gathered all my items and entered the hallow. That was when I hit my first snag. It was supposed to be dark. I set out the offerings on the table, carefully laying out the bread and wine. In the hallow, I could bring anything into being. Did darkness count as anything? I visualized the darkness, willed it to happen. Nothing. The odd light still penetrated the room. I would have to get creative. What would allow the room to become darker that I could bring into existence? I would have to create curtains. I again visualized darkness, this time the darkness of heavy fabrics hanging closed. The room darkened noticeably. Heavy panels of black velvet had manifested in the hallow. They were draped elegantly along the ceiling. I continued until the room was fully in shadow.
I rotated my chair and began the incantation. The strange words came stumbling from my lips. It sounded harsh and foreign. I wasn't sure if I was saying it right. I repeated the words over and over until they no longer sounded real. I was struggling to maintain the rhythmic sound without tripping over my voice. Suddenly my voice cracked and I stopped. The silence was overwhelming. There was an electricity in the air that hadn't been there before. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I knew they had come. What was I supposed to say? I suddenly became very frightened. I had summoned creatures of unknown strength into my inner sanctum. Then suddenly two voices rang out in the domed room. They spoke in unison.
"Daughter of the Ancient One, we have heeded your call." The sound was strange and feline. It had a smoky elusive feeling like it might slip away at any moment. "How do you address us?"
"Watchers," I said hesitating. I didn't know anything about the ancient customs, but I didn't want to offend them. I tried to come up with a title of respect. "I call on you, Who Read the Luminous Fabric of Time.”
"Well Met," they purred. "To what end can we offer our sight?"
'I need to know about the Unsettling," I stated plainly, trying not to imagine what kind of faces might go with the alien voices that I was hearing.
"Ahh yes," They hissed, "You want to know about the changing of the gatekeeper."
"Is that what it's called?" I asked.
"What do you wish to know?" They said, never faltering in their united voice.
"I would like to know what it is if it is happening here and when it will take place," I asked, trying not to sound as meek as I felt.
"The changing of the gatekeeper is a rare alignment that occurs when the Guardian of Souls shifts to somebody new. The one who leads the dead to their end has passed into a new existence. Now the burden must be carried by somebody new. When this happens the dead will wander freely over the face of the world. Only the next Guardian of Souls can put an end to it." They finished somberly. Something clicked into place and I remembered my strange divination at the beginning of the year. The restless dead will roam. How long had this been coming?
"And is it happening here?" I pressed, feeling desperate for answers.
"Oh yes," They answered promptly and my heart fell. "It has already begun."
They broke the silence once again. "But there is one way to achieve a quicker end."
"How do I do that?" I asked.
"Find the next Gatekeeper," came the reply. I was preparing to ask how, but they were gone. I did not have to look to know that they had left. I removed the curtains and saw that the bread was gone and not a trace of the wine remained.
13
The first thing I do is go to see Sybelle. She's still preoccupied with the clock. I find her in the library, buried in a stack of books, cross-referencing things against the alignment she found on the clock.
"Sybelle, I need to talk to you," I interrupted her work. She looked up at me with a dazed expression.
"What is this about? I'm really busy," She responded. I could tell the strain was getting to her.
"It's about the Unsettling." I started, speaking quickly so I wouldn't lose her. "It's happening, now."
"What- how do you know that?" She asked. "I've been trying to understand what's going on for weeks. You can't just declare that it's happening or it's not happening."
"I talked to the watchers," my heart picked up when I thought about that interaction with unknown spirits.
"You did what," she cried out. I was taken aback.
"The watchers. I've been researching them heavily for Lectiomancy, and so I thought I'd give it a shot." I explained.
She looked as if she was about to cry. "That was a very stupid thing to do." She hissed at me. Her rebuke shocked me.
"What are you talking about?" I felt myself growing defensive. "They gave me answers. Nobody else is signing up to do that."
"Let me explain," She said slowly. "There's a reason people don't talk to the Watchers anymore."
"I know Professor Flickwind said they might be unreliable or something," I admitted.
"It's not that, although that may also be true. The thing about the Watchers is that time is not a perfect line. Things change and twist. It's a river flowing, constantly moving, never the same."
"I don't quite understand." I was out of my element. She was bound to the God of Time, and clearly, she had a better grasp on it than me.
"I know." She sighed heavily. "The thing is the alignment on the clock gave us a wide range. The Unsettling was going to happen soon, but in the grand scheme of the universe soon can mean a lot of different things. It could mean anywhere from tomorrow to 800 years."
"What does that have to do with the watchers?" I asked.
"Well, it's like this. When you take a picture of something, nobody can deny that for those few seconds at that time in history things existed exactly in the way that they are depicted. The watchers are like that. They produce an image of the future rather than the past. So when they tell you a prophecy it becomes set in stone. No longer can it flow or be changed by the current of time. It is undeniably so." She said, her eyes brimming with frustration.
"Oh," I said.
"Yeah," She hissed. "By talking to the Watchers you basically guaranteed that things would unfold in a certain way."
"I'm sorry," It was all I could say. This didn't seem like something I could fix easily. Then I remembered the last thing the watchers had said. "But they did tell me one thing that might help us."
She raised her eyebrows at me. "And?"
"Well, they said that we could stop it if we found the next Gatekeeper, whoever that is," I said. I explained everything they had told me. About the Guardian of the Underworld passing the torch to the next keeper.
"Hmm, that would be a good solution, if we had any idea who that was," She sou
nded exasperated.
I apologized again, "I'm so sorry, I'm going to try to make it right."
She huffed and went back to her research. That had not gone at all how I had planned.
I arrived in Professor Atwood's office first thing in the morning. I dragged Kairn with me. We had to figure this out.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Esther," He greeted me kindly.
I smiled sadly, knowing I was going to have to own up to what I'd done. "It's good to see you too Professor, but I have to admit, the reason I'm here is not so pleasant."
"Hmm," he questioned. "And what is the reason?"
"I messed up," I dropped my gaze. It was hard to acknowledge, but I had to do it.
I told him everything that I had told Sybelle.
"That is quite a tangle isn't it," He said, a glint in his eyes.
"You don't seem angry at me," I asked. Kairn was smiling too now. "Why aren't you upset?"
"Based on what you just told me," He pushed his glasses up farther, "I think I can make an important deduction about the identity of the Gatekeeper."
"You can?" I was blown away. "Who is it?"
"In my personal opinion, I believe that the most recent guardian of souls is your mother, the Queen of Witches, Goddess of Magic and the Crossroads. For many thousands of years, she has been associated with the dead and their journeys to the underworld." He seemed pleased.
"So what you're saying is, my mother is causing the Unsettling by giving up her role as Guardian of the dead?" It seemed too crazy to be true.
"If I'm right, which I believe I am," he added with a wry smile, "then yes, that is exactly what I'm saying."
Kairn chimed in, "You need to find her."
"I know, but I don't know how," I admitted. "I've only seen her once in the Liminal World."
"Then I think we should go to the Liminal World." He said.
"We?" I was surprised. Was he going to try to come with me?
"I've been thinking," He said, "if I'm in my God-form I may be able to come with you to the Liminal World. It's not so different from the place that I am from."
Unbroken: Mage's Academy II Page 7
