by Davis Ashura
“What happens to Daniel and Julius?” Mrs. Karllson asked.
“Their part will be done. They stay on the boat, in case the rest of our plan doesn’t work out. But if it does, they’ll return the boat to the Faroe Islands and head on home.”
“I do not like the idea of any of you facing such danger, but especially my son,” Mr. Karllson said.
“I understand,” William said.
“Do you?” Mr. Karllson demanded. He wore a furious scowl, and William faltered before his obvious anger. “Tell me that when you have a child of your own.”
“Dad,” Daniel muttered. “Come on—”
Mr. Karllson made a chopping motion, cutting Daniel off. “No. I will speak. I did not object when you went to Sinskrill to save William and Jake. I understood your reasons, and though I feared for your safety I accepted those risks. You did what was right.” Mr. Karllson glowered, and in that moment he had the terrifying bearing of his Viking forebears. His long, blond hair might have stood on end. “But this,” he waved a hand in William’s general direction, “this is to save a woman I don’t know and a troll I’ve never met. I cannot approve of this plan.”
“I agree,” Mrs. Karllson stated in tone that brooked no argument.
“I’m going,” Daniel vowed from behind clenched teeth.
“You won’t,” Mrs. Karllson declared. “The Council won’t allow it without our blessing.”
“Mom!”
“Daniel doesn’t have to go if you don’t want him to,” William said.
“Yes, I do!” Daniel replied. “It’s my choice. I believe you about Shet and Seminal. It won’t matter where I am when he arrives. If we can capture Sinskrill’s raha’asra and this troll, maybe they’ll know something more about the Spear, about how to steal it or break it or shatter the anchor line to Seminal.”
“How can they know any of that?” Mrs. Karllson demanded. “Such secrets were lost when Shokan and Sira walked the earth.”
“They might not know,” Daniel said, “but it also doesn’t change the likely truth about Shet. Even if Fiona and Travail can’t help us, what do we lose by saving them?”
“Your life,” Mr. Karllson said.
“My life is already lost if we can’t close that anchor line,” Daniel countered.
“Enough.” Mr. Zeus slapped the table in front of him. “Daniel’s participation is between him and his parents. I believe the rest of us are committed.”
“Lien cannot go either,” Mr. Karllson said.
“Agreed,” Mr. Zeus said before turning to William. “Go on with what happens after Fiona’s necklace is removed.”
William nodded. “The rest of us who go to Sinskrill will be inserted before Julius and whoever pretends to kidnap Fiona. We’ll hide close to Village White Sun. Travail’s home is nearby, and after Fiona’s necklace is removed she’ll meet us there. No one will notice because she does it all the time.
“We’ll all be hiding near the anchor line,” William continued. “That’s when Jake, Jason, and whoever is with them enter the Australian saha’asra that’s linked to Sinskrill. It should draw the mahavans like it did before. They know that we know of an anchor line linked directly to their island and will likely believe our presence to be an imminent attack. They’ll open the anchor line for us”
“Possibly,” Rukh said, “but what if they don’t? Is there an alternative?”
William shook his head. In the two years he’d struggled over the problem, another solution had never come to him.
“A large wager to make on a slim hope,” Rukh noted.
William privately agreed but remained silent.
“Can we anesthetize Travail?” Jessira asked. “Have him unconscious during the trip to the Faroe Islands?”
Mr. Zeus nodded slowly. “We could, but it would take all our strength to hold him under. Trolls are resistant to poisons, and anesthetizing agents count as poisons.”
“But it is an option if the anchor line doesn’t open,” Rukh said.
“I suppose so,” William agreed.
“The mahavans will be defending the anchor line, don’t you think?” Jake noted, returning to the original plan.
“They will,” William replied, “but I think the numbers will be with us. During our time on Sinskrill, the Servitor generally only kept about twenty mahavans at his Palace. He’ll send half of them through the anchor line and use the other half to hold it. But with Rukh and Jessira’s help, we should be able to punch through the defenders.”
Rukh wore a sardonic smile. “You’re putting a lot of confidence in our abilities.”
“I’ve trained against both of you,” Serena said. “It’s not a mistake to believe in you.”
Rukh dipped his head in acknowledgment. “Perhaps. But this is a plan requiring absolute precision. We have to review the timing as many times as needed until it’s perfect. Everyone has to know their places. Even better if we can coordinate with each other in real time.”
“We’re working on it,” Serena said.
“Are you sure five magi can hold off ten mahavans?” Lien asked. She had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the evening.
“It’ll be five against ten, but we’ll have lorasra and they won’t,” Jake said. “I’ll drain it out of the saha’asra. We won’t have any problem taking them on.”
“Unless they bring nomasras,” Jessira said. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you haven’t learned to drain those, have you?”
Jake glanced at William, who shook his head in negation.
“What about the Servitor himself?” Rukh asked. “The last time we faced him, his power was immense. How do we defeat him?”
“We don’t,” William said. “We only have to get through the anchor line and we’ll be free.”
“Unless he follows us through,” Jessira said.
“Even if he does, he won’t attack because we’ll have his mahavans hostage,” Serena said.
Rukh shook his head and frowned. “As a plan, this one leaves much to be desired.”
“Do you have a better idea?” Mr. Karllson asked.
Rukh vanished. One instant, he was present. The next, he was gone.
Bedlam erupted.
William stood, not sure he’d actually seen what he had. It had to be some kind of illusion.
“Where did he go?” Lien asked over the ruckus of everyone else’s questions.
Mr. Zeus had risen from his chair as well, and approached Rukh’s empty seat.
William’s eyes narrowed, though. Once he got past his shock and started to think again, he noticed a faint trace of Rukh’s lorethasra still present in the place where he’d been sitting.
Rukh reappeared. He hadn’t moved from his chair.
“How’d you do that?” William demanded.
“I formed a Blend,” Rukh said. “It’s a skill Jessira and I possess, but unfortunately, not one we can easily teach. Nevertheless, it might see us past the Servitor.”
“Since he cannot fight that which he cannot see,” Jessira said, “hopefully we’ll slip past him and his mahavans.”
Rukh held up a hand. “I know what you’re thinking, and you’ll have your answers. After this Trial is complete, we’ll tell you what we can about our background. For now, focus on what is required to free Travail and Fiona.”
A million questions raced through William’s mind. However, he reluctantly nodded agreement and kept his questions to himself.
The others did, too.
Several days after the meeting in Mr. Zeus’ courtyard, Serena walked to Sile’s farm and discovered him working in his garden, breaking the soil with a hoe.
Thin sprouts from young tomato plants topped the soil, along with shoots of okra and some kind of pepper. This late in the day, with twilight’s colors radiating across the sky, Sile must have finished up in the fields and decided to weed his garden.
The farmer straightened when he saw her, and his face broke into a welcoming smile as he wiped his hands on his o
veralls. “You haven’t been here in a while.”
“I’ve been busy, sir.”
He shook his head and sighed, feigning disgust. “I never could break you of that silly honorific.”
“What? Calling you ‘sir?’” Serena asked.
Sile nodded.
“Where I was raised, it’s a sign of respect,” Serena said. “I never thought you minded.”
Sile smiled in wry amusement. “Even though I told you not to call me that at least once a day?”
Serena shrugged. “I guess I’m too stubborn for my own good.”
“That you are,” Sile agreed with a grunt. “What brings you to my front step on this fair evening?”
“I’m leaving for Sinskrill in a few days,” Serena said. She held her breath and waited for Sile’s response. He had never been comfortable with her decision to go back to the mahavans’ island.
“I heard,” Sile eventually said. Unhappiness etched his face, and he returned to hoeing. “I can’t say I’m pleased about your decision. You’re risking everything you’ve become. Are you sure it’s worth it?”
“The Village Council approved the mission.”
“And as timid as they are, I suppose I should trust their judgment,” Sile said. “If they believe that you and the others need to rescue the raha’asra and the troll, then it must be important.”
“She’s my grandmother,” Serena reminded him, “and the troll saved me, William, and Jake. I can’t be truly happy until they’re free.”
“I can respect that,” Sile said. “As I reckon things, your reasons are good ones. But it doesn’t mean I won’t fear for you.”
“I know,” Serena said.
Sile straightened. “Be that as it may, you have my blessing even if you don’t require it, and my prayers for your safe return.”
Serena’s eyes unexpectedly welled. “Thank you, sir.”
Sile smiled and hugged her. “Don’t get weepy on me now.”
Serena hugged him back, loving the farmer’s solid, earthy smell. She wiped away her tears. “I spoke to my grandmother last night. I mean, I dreamed to her.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I know not everyone believes what I have to say about Shet and Seminal—”
“I believe you,” Sile interrupted. “Others do, too; and those who don’t are likely too afraid to face the truth.”
“What makes you believe?” Serena asked. He’d never mentioned this to her before.
“Your sister says it’s true. William and Jake believe you, and so does my grandmother, Ms. Sioned. She’s the most important one to convince as far as I’m concerned.”
“Thank you,” Serena said, touched by Sile’s trust in her.
“You’re welcome, but you don’t need to be so grateful when someone offers you a simple compliment. You’ve earned the person you’ve become. Now, what did your grandmother have to say?”
“She confirmed what my Isha said. She says Shet is real and that he’s coming.”
Sile’s face fell into a frown of worry. “That bad?”
“I met him once, when he was chained to the heart of a mountain. Even then, the power he possessed, the malice radiating off him, the lorasra he created … he’s the worst kind of god: cruel and bent on enslavement.”
“How powerful?”
“More powerful than all the mahavans on Sinskrill put together.”
Sile’s mouth curled in dissatisfaction. “I’ve heard enough of this Shet,” he said. “Let’s talk about something cleaner. Did you have a chance to grow the new cultivar I mentioned?”
Serena brightened. “The jasmine? I did, but I didn’t expect the pink flowers. William says the fragrance reminds him of honeysuckle. He likes it, too.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Sile said with a warm smile. “Consider it a lovely gift for a lovely girl.”
Serena kissed Sile on the cheek. “I know you said I shouldn’t keep telling you ‘thank you,’ but thank you.”
Sile hugged her again. “Be careful.”
“I will,” she said, and wondered how she was going to explain all this to Selene.
That evening, Serena took a seat next to Selene on the outdoor patio swing that hung from the porch ceiling and faced the ocean. The sun had set by the time she’d returned from Sile’s farm, and the night had already grown dark. She noticed the new moon, and how the Milky Way’s wash of light smeared across the majestic firmament. The stars provided a dim but humbling illumination, and their light sparkled now and then upon the whispering waves lapping against the shore. The smell of the briny sea mixed with the clean, lush aroma of jasmines from Sile’s newest cultivar.
“You’re going back to Sinskrill,” Selene said.
Serena paused in the motion of clearing Selene’s hair off her face. “Who told you?” she asked in surprise.
“Everyone knows,” Selene answered. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I am telling you. Now,” Serena said. Selene must have had her ear pressed to the island’s gossipy grapevine.
Selene frowned. “Why do you have to go?” she asked, her tone worried rather than upset.
Her reaction surprised Serena, who had expected far more drama and anger. “To save our grandmother and Travail,” she said. “Neither of us would be here if not for them.”
“I don’t want you to go,” Selene said. Her head bent as she began picking at the covering of the swing’s cushion. “I’m scared.”
“I’m scared too,” Serena said.
She drew Selene into her lap. Her little sister barely fit. Selene had reached that awkward, coltish stage where she seemed to be all legs and gracelessness. Nevertheless, the beauty she would some day possess could already be seen in her features.
“This is something I have to do,” Serena continued.
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“I don’t want to be alone,” Selene murmured.
Serena kissed Selene’s head. “You won’t be. You have family here. They love you.”
“Other than you, I don’t have any family,” Selene said.
“Jake and William love you. They think of you as their sister.”
“You’re my sister,” Selene said. “Besides, William’s going with you and Jake’s helping. They might not come back, either.”
“I won’t be gone long,” Serena said, “and while I’m away, you’ll be staying, with Emma Lake and her family.”
“If you don’t come back, do I stay with them forever?” Selene’s affect had gone drone-flat.
“That’s not going to happen.”
Selene faced her. “You’re lying. You know it could.”
Serena had no answer to Selene’s concerns. They swung in silence as they stared at the water. The wind whispered amongst the palm fronds and shrubs, setting the leaves rubbing softly, like quiet cicadas.
They sat in gentle quietness, but Serena’s heart trembled at what she intended. All this time she’d pushed aside the notion of danger. She hadn’t let herself dwell on it. Now, with Selene curled against her, those perils reared their ugly heads. She could die on this journey. Worse, she might be captured and enslaved.
“You know I’m right,” Selene said.
“I know,” Serena said, “but it doesn’t change anything. Sometimes when you love someone, you do what’s needed, no matter the danger.”
“Are you sure you’re doing this out of love and not out of guilt for kidnapping William and Jake?” Selene asked.
Serena shook her head, unsurprised by her sister’s adult question. Selene had always been precocious. “My guilt drove me for a long time, but saving our grandmother and Travail isn’t because of any guilt I feel toward William and Jake.”
“I guess,” Selene said, “but maybe before the two of you leave, you should tell William what you really think of him.”
Serena forced her limbs to remain relaxed, though inside she stilled. She’d spent the past year and a half burying whatever fe
elings she might have for William underneath a façade of mere friendship. Ms. Sioned’s advice to leave William alone until Serena figured out what she wanted. It was for both their sakes. William didn’t need her distracting him, and she didn’t want to be the reason he failed at his task.
“Whatever you think you know about William and me is wrong,” Serena said to Selene. “Keep it to yourself.”
Her sister levered herself off Serena’s lap. “You don’t think of William as anything more than a friend?” Her eyes shone challenge in the darkness. “You should—”
“Let it go,” Serena said, her words barely short of an order.
Selene took no notice. “The way the two of you look at each other—”
“Enough.” Serena placed a finger on Selene’s lips, annoyed at the turn in their conversation. This late, right before leaving for Sinskrill, she couldn’t afford to allow doubts or unspoken desires to cloud her judgment. “None of this matters. Not now. He and I have other things to worry about.”
Selene finally relented and remained quiet. Peace settled over them again, and the night’s tension drained away. Serena found herself wondering what would happen to her on Sinskrill. Would she ever see Arylyn again? “I love this place,” she said.
“It’s heaven,” Selene agreed. She stared Serena in the face. “I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I think you should forgive yourself for what you did to William and Jake. You’re not that person anymore.”
Serena smiled sadly. “That’s the thing about memories. We can say we aren’t the person who once did awful things, but we can’t forget about them.”
“That’s the thing about forgiveness,” Selene said. “You don’t have to. Jake and William have forgiven you. Maybe you should forgive yourself, too.”
Serena viewed Selene through wondering eyes. “When did you grow so wise?”
Selene grinned. “Wait until I turn thirteen.”
Serena laughed. “I’m sure the world will tremble at your wisdom.”
Selene rested her head on Serena’s shoulder. “You’ll make it back,”’ she said, speaking with quiet confidence.
Serena wished she felt such certainty.
“You have to trust,” Selene added.
