by Kyle West
No one in the empire could match my mother’s connection, and when she used Aether, she had even more ability. Though my father was the link to House Farl, people often forgot that fact.
Isandru and I knelt before them both, waiting for what seemed an eternity before my father spoke.
“Rise, my children.”
We rose, and slowly, I met his eyes. They seemed even more amused now, and I couldn't stop my own eyes from widening when he winked. Several of the parishioners chuckled, which was quickly stayed by the growing fury in my mother's violet eyes.
When she spoke, her voice was tense. “Everyone, leave.”
There was a moment of indecision before, as one, everyone practically scurried out of the throne room, guards included. Not half a minute later, a final pair of guards shut the two doors from the outside, which was followed by a thunderous boom.
Curiously, that sound caused some of the tension to ease, but I didn't make the mistake of relaxing. My father, however, visibly slouched in his throne.
“Where did you find her, Isandru?” my mother asked.
My brother bowed his head in deference. “She was in the Eastern Glade, Mother. It wasn’t difficult to find her with my Insight.”
“I see. Yes, that Gift has always been strong with you.”
Isandru nodded graciously.
My mother then sighed, and she gripped the sides of her throne as if at any moment it might fly away from her. It was as if she was bracing herself for what she was about to say to me.
“I can only speculate as to why, my daughter, you would so directly disobey me. Again.” The word thundered out of her, making me even close my eyes. “Look at me, Mia! I am at my wit’s end. I have tried every form of discipline, but nothing works. It’s as if you forget who you are. What am I to tell my subjects when it is whispered that even my own daughter won’t obey me?” She shook her head. “What will it take, Mia? Constant disobedience is not becoming of you. Not with your age and promise...and yet you waste time tromping off in the woods, getting sticks in your hair, with no prophecies to show for it!”
The stick in my hair had actually happened once, and was likely what she was referring to. Isandru and my father had a good laugh about that, but neither were laughing now.
“How many times must we go over this? What must I do to teach the lesson you refuse to learn?”
I tried not to, but I ground my teeth. I tried to tell myself she was right, but then again, my mother never listened to me when I told her why I had to go to the glade. Prophecies didn’t come to people who spent all their time in the city. The strongest connections to the Xenofold happened in nature.
I was about to remind her of that, against my better judgment, when another, unseen voice spoke.
“Queen Liandra,” it said, pleasantly, “if I may.”
Not all had cleared from the room, apparently, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. My parents’ Chief Advisor, Lord Rakhim Shal, had been practically hiding behind my mother’s throne like a loyal dog. His smooth expression was sycophantic and eager, while his soft and pudgy cheeks, coupled with his bald head, made him look like a fifty-year-old baby. His light blue eyes were helpful and unusually bright as he looked to my mother for confirmation. That brightness could only come from one thing: Aether.
“Speak, Rakhim,” my mother said. “What would the wisest of my advisors say of my daughter’s impudence? Does your learning extend to matters of family?”
I looked to my father for help, but he remained silent, seeming to allow this. There used to be a day where he might have helped me out and diffuse the situation, but he sided with my mother more often than not, especially in matters like this where she was technically in the right. I knew she was trying to humiliate me in order to teach me a lesson, and something told me that the coming punishment was going to be more severe than ones in the past. To me, being locked in my room for a few hours was not much of a punishment, and maybe my mother was starting to figure that out.
“I advise you...not to punish her,” Rakhim said in a melodious tone, and to my mother’s surprise. “They say spare the rod and spoil the child, but I say there is nothing spoiled to begin with. It is common for the young – especially the young of ability – to be drawn to the power of the Red Wild and seek prophecies. They grow out of it, eventually, your highness, but it should not be discounted. Such strength of Inherence, such as evidenced in your daughter, has not been seen in many years.” Rakhim cleared his throat, making a slight bow toward my mother. “Except within your majesty, of course. I say that rather than punish her, that we might put her talents to good use.”
“What do you mean?” my mother asked, intrigued.
“I mean this, your majesty. I have been having a bit of a problem I’ve been trying to work on, concerning the Hyperfold.”
“A problem?” she asked.
“Nothing serious, mind you, but it’s a theory I have. As you know, it was created, originally, for the express purpose of allowing Faded individuals access to their Gifts. And it has worked wondrously, as we all know. However, non-Faded Elekai have also seen great benefit.” Here, his eyes turned upon me. “I know she is young yet, but I would like to have a bit of Princess Mia’s time to test the Hyperfold’s capabilities, with someone of her raw potential. Tomorrow morning, if at all possible.”
“No,” my father said, speaking for the first time. “She is too young, Rakhim. Far too young.”
“I fear I may have been too bold,” Rakhim said, “however, in someone of her Inherence, Aether poses very little risk at all, even at her age.”
“Go on,” my mother said.
“That’s all, your majesties. I would merely like to have a bit of Mia's time to perfect some of the details of my current project. Call it punishment, if you will, but really it is an opportunity that I won’t get to have for a few years yet. And depending on what I may learn, the possibilities are truly exciting.”
“What possibilities? One of those new applications for the Hyperfold you were telling me about today?”
“Plenty have volunteered their services already, with fantastic results,” Rakhim said. “But so far, I haven’t found one of the princess’s potential. The royal blood of House Farl is among the most powerful of the Three Tribes. I would never presume, of course...such a difficult thing to ask. However, unorthodox methods are oft-required to tackle particular problems.”
My mother looked at me, seeming to consider. I couldn't believe she was buying this. Then again...maybe I could believe. She listened to Shal when he spoke, and there was a reason he was confident enough to remain behind, even as the rest had scattered.
“I don’t want to,” I said.
It was the absolute wrong thing to say, because my mother gave a small, prim smile. She looked at Shal, her face containing the serenity of solving a problem that had long plagued her. “There are no risks?”
Rakhim shook his head. “Good gods, no. The details I have already told you, but I would require merely an hour of your daughter’s time each week. That should suffice.”
“Each week?” I nearly shouted. “Please, Mother...I will never go to the grove again when I need to be somewhere else.” I was beyond all dignity at this point. I even considered begging on my knees. I disliked Shal that much. He was weird, and he had too much of a hold over my parents, and he gave me a slimy feeling every time I had to be around him, which was far too often.
“Let it be done,” my mother said. She looked at me, her eyes no longer angry, but victorious. “It will only be this once, Mia. I am tired of not being listened to. I will not stand for it. Not another day. Whatever I must do to have you respect me...that is what I will do.”
My father looked at my mother. It was hard to read his expression, but he seemed troubled. And yet, he didn’t say anything.
“Forgive me for interrupting,” Isandru said, “but if you need a volunteer, allow me to help.”
My mother and father looked to Rakhim f
or direction.
“Of course,” Rakhim said. “But I would still need one of greater potential than you, Prince Isandru. Meaning no disrespect, but Princess Mia’s connection to the Xenofold...it is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Shal looked at me with an expression that could best be described as hunger. I suppressed a shudder, and I felt the urge to throw up. My father looked at me, his expression even more worried. But not enough to stick up for me and cross my mother.
Isandru bowed graciously, but only I could detect the strain in the movement. “As you wish, Lord Shal.”
I kept my eyes to the floor and tried to keep the tears from coming. It wasn’t fair. I had been doing nothing wrong – not really – and I had gotten the worst punishment imaginable. I couldn’t explain my misgivings about Shal – it went beyond his creepiness and thirst for power. He had served my parents ever since my youth, and owned sizable holdings in the northwest. And the counsel he gave was almost always wise. Over the years, my parents had come to trust him in almost every respect, to the point where they rarely questioned him.
Perhaps that was the main source of my trepidation. In some cases, people went straight to Shal rather than my parents, knowing of his efficacy, and it seemed each passing year, more and more power slipped into his hands.
I purposefully tried to avoid Lord Shal as much as possible, but of course, this was hard to do. He was part of the reason why I liked to get away from the city so often. Perhaps even most of the reason.
And, sometimes, I could swear there were people watching me. A servant in the kitchen, or even a noble. And instead of their eyes, I always felt like they were his. It was whispered that Shal had a vast network of spies, and if anything new happened, he always seemed to be the first to know and capitalize off the situation.
“You are dismissed,” my mother said. Her violet eyes rose above us, and somehow, the guards on the other side knew to open the doors. People began to filter back in, at a much slower speed than when they had left.
Once Isandru and I were outside the throne room, he turned to me. “That went better for you than I hoped.”
I resisted the urge to correct him; eyes were upon us, and you never knew what one of the nobles might overhear and repeat to the others. If I were truly unlucky, everyone would know about my punishment by nightfall. They would find out, anyway, but it was better to not show how much this was hurting me.
We circled around the Dome, taking a stairway which lead to the highest tier, near the ceiling. From there, the royal apartments could be accessed. Upon reaching the top floor, we found ourselves before a vast spread of magnificent, clear windows which covered the entire floor. Called the Heavenly Windows, they overlooked the entire city, offering the highest inside view from all angles. Below, we could see the Highstreet which led to the Palace’s gates, and beyond, the high towers interlaced with bridges and more streets. We were even high enough to see beyond the city to the Southern Grove.
“Princess Mia.”
I jumped, and hastily turned to see Chief Elder Marius, the tutor whose lesson’s I’d shirked. Embarrassed, I curtsied quickly, a habit as engrained as breathing. There were few the Princess of Hyperborea had to show deference to, but an instructor who also happened to be the Elder Prophet was definitely one of them. Like all Elders, his face was wrinkled and his beard gray – and while his face was stern, his brown eyes were not unkind.
“Elder Marius...forgive me for missing my lesson. I felt the call of Annara, just like we talked about, so I hurried to answer it.”
He raised a skeptical, bushy eyebrow, his face a maze of wrinkles. His eyebrows were so thick and dark that they looked like caterpillars, nearly connecting in the middle. “Annara has called you often of late, Princess Mia.”
“I felt her presence today, Elder,” I said, ignoring his skepticism. “I have no doubt that it was her I felt.”
He watched me, neither encouraging nor discouraging me. That wasn’t his way. In his view, telling them what was or wasn’t possible in the realm of prophecy would only serve to hinder, as the Gift of Prophecy was little understood even by those who practiced it.
“That is good, Mia. I encourage you to write everything you learned – not only what you felt, but what you think of them now. We can discuss them when next we meet.”
Isandru remained quiet though all of this. Though he said nothing, I could feel his skepticism, though it wasn’t of me. Like so many, Isandru was skeptical of the Gift of Prophecy itself, believing it had little practical application. Admittedly, the Gift did have a reputation for delivering false prophecies just as often as real ones, and the real ones just as often could have been lucky guesses.
Elder Marius gave my brother a friendly smile, even as my brother gave a terse bow.
“Elder Prophet,” he said.
“Prince Isandru,” Elder Marius said. “Your studies with Elder Darei are going well, I trust?”
Isandru nodded. “Yes. Just yesterday, he showed me some sequences of a new form he is developing.”
“Really?” Marius asked, intrigued. “What is this for?”
“He calls it Shadowform. It is only possible with Aether, of course; without it, a Seeker wouldn’t have the required flexibility or strength.”
“I see,” Elder Marius said. There was a note of disapproval in his voice; Marius was among a minority of Seekers who distrusted the use of Aether.
“Are we still meeting tomorrow?” I asked.
“Of course,” Elder Marius said. “I will be in the Highgrove, as usual. And I expect you to be there as well even if Annara returns tomorrow,” he said, to let me know he was joking.
“I’ll be there,” I said.
He gave a small bow before turning for the stairs. As the Elder withdrew, Isandru watched his going with suspicion. After a moment, Isandru turned once more to the Heavenly Windows, looking at the thousands of towers interconnected by arched bridges, some so slender that it was a wonder that they didn’t collapse. The ichorstone buildings sparkled in the sunset. While Isandru gazed at the buildings, I was watching him.
“Is something wrong?” I asked.
It was a long moment before he answered. “He...has changed, Mia.”
I had never heard Isandru say anything disparaging about the Elder, so I was a bit taken aback.
“What do you mean?”
“Surely, you’ve sensed it. The other Seekers laugh behind his back; he is old-fashioned beyond belief.” He looked at me, his light gray eyes seeming all too serious. He continued. “If you follow his advice, you risk being left behind as well. His views may have been right, once, but we have come a long way since the Third Generation. Aether has shown us just how limited we were. And here you are, getting to test something new in the Hyperfold...and nearly crying about it!”
“Isandru, if I could let you, I would...”
“That just makes it worse,” he said. “You truly don’t know what an opportunity you have. And yet, you’d rather go off dancing in the trees!”
“I don’t dance,” I said.
“You know what I mean. You go around acting like you have some sort of higher purpose just because you’ve chosen to study prophecy.”
“No, I don’t! Why are you talking like this?” Then, I realized. “I get it; you’re jealous I have to help Shal, aren’t you?”
“No,” Isandru said. “You’re just young. You don’t understand what’s valuable and what’s not. Anytime I’ve told you about Hyperfold, about Aether, you don’t give it any credence. You’re letting that old codger shape your opinion before you even give it an honest look.”
“Old codger? That’s the Elder Prophet you’re talking about!”
A couple of people passed us at this point, which made me aware of just how loud I was talking.
“Besides, like you know anything about it. Haven’t you noticed it changes people, Isandru? Haven’t you noticed Father is different ever since he started using it? And Mother?”
Isaru shook his head, vehemently. “You just don’t get it, do you? Well, you’ll be getting your first taste tomorrow.” He smiled at this. “Then, you’ll see the truth of things.”
“Well, you’re right about that,” I said. “The truth I arrive at might be different than what you expect.”
“You’ll see that the Elder is wrong. There is nothing bad about Aether, Mia. It’s been tested. We’ve been using it for ten years. And nothing has happened!”
I remained silent, knowing arguing with Isandru would do no good. I had to admit that it did do some good. Faded people could use their Gifts, and without it, most Prophets couldn’t even prophesy.
Despite its uses, Marius never used Aether. He never openly criticized it to me, but I got the impression he didn’t like it. The Elder had never used Aether himself, or at least, so he claimed. However, pretty much everyone of age used it, at least on occasion, while a few were heavy users. Isandru was on the way to becoming a heavy user, defined as at least once a day.
Maybe Isandru was right in that I didn’t know enough to form an opinion, and maybe Marius had shaped my view. And the fact I didn’t like Lord Shal only intensified my distrust of Aether.
“I better go,” I said.
“Think on what I said, Mia,” Isandru said. “I know I can be harsh at times, and brash...but I only say this because I want you to see the truth.” His eyes were serious, now. “I...well, forget it. I’ll talk to you later, all right?”
I nodded, stiffly. I wanted nothing more than to be on my own.
Isandru turned and continued to stare out the window, brooding.
I walked the long corridors toward my chambers by rote, passing silver-robed servants with the Twin Dragons sewn on their breasts. They stopped, bowing or curtsying as I passed. I didn’t stop until I’d reached my rooms. With a light touch on their surface, the doors swung open of their own avail, revealing the entry hall inside.
The doors gently shut, and despite that gentleness, the sound echoed through the cavernous space. The opulent hall, for all of its needless space and its ceiling of murals, still felt confined in comparison to the treetops of the Eastern Grove. I used to feel guilty about not being grateful for all the luxury of the palace until I realized that such opulence was needless. The towers of Hyperborea, which had once so awed me, now seemed more like trophies of excess. And with each generation, we strayed further and further yet from who we once were. Were we still the same children of the Red Wild as we were during Annara’s time on Earth? Something told me that the time of miracles was over. It was all about Aether and what could be done with it.
