A Gleaming Path

by Jeffrey Pawlak

  The lush sights reminded Raissa of the Gracereed Wetlands, which seemed like a lifetime ago after the last few days of slogging across the sandy, barren land. As much as she appreciated every bit of beauty that the spring offered, she did not appreciate it quite like Elisstriss and the Aesur soldiers did. For Raissa, it was refreshing, relieving; for the Aesur, it was fascinating. They came from a world where vegetation never formed so voluminously and so vividly. Skyscape was a realm among the tallest mountaintops, where the air was chill, and the most common sights were ice and rock. The plant life around the spring was like natural artwork to the Aesur, a wonder for them to behold.

  Raissa and her companions collected a plethora of colorful flowers, most of which would be used to decorate various spaces about the barracks, but Maro saved three to courteously offer to Raissa, Elisstriss, and Dayneth. Even after they finished, they stayed at the spring to enjoy its comforts. Maro went off to play with the other children in the shallows. Raissa was content to sit by the edge of the spring and keep her feet dipped in the waters; simply being submerged up to her ankles was soothing enough while enduring the desert’s perpetual heat.

  Dayneth eventually gathered the other Aesurs’ attention. She had seen such vegetation before during her time spent on the continent, and her kind’s admiration for the foliage prompted her to begin recounting more of her experiences from over the years. Every set of eyes and ears were drawn to her as she told stories of what incredible things she had seen on the surface world while working to build relations between her people and the other races. Raissa could not decide if Dayneth’s fellow Aesur were more amazed by her stories, or just by her mere presence. At a certain point, even Aydri sat down to listen to Dayneth’s tales.

  There was one person absent from their gathering, though, and it spurred Raissa’s curiosity once she noticed it. She stopped and glanced about the spring, soon spotting Elisstriss.

  The younger of the Highfeather’s daughters sat alone, on the opposite side of the spring. She was far away enough from the other Aesur that there was no way she could hear anything that Dayneth would have said. Elisstriss never even glanced in Dayneth’s direction, showing no interest in what her sister and her fellow Aesur discussed as she sat quietly, eyes settled on the waters.

  Raissa eventually stood and went to join her. Even as she came near, Elisstriss still seemed to be unaware of anything around them. “I’m surprised that you’re not listening to Dayneth with the rest of them,” Raissa finally said when she was within earshot.

  Elisstriss’s eyebrows jumped momentarily, suggesting that she was startled by Raissa’s presence. The Aesur’s smile seemed to mask her embarrassment as she looked back at her sister and the soldiers. “I have already heard many of the stories that she is telling them,” Elisstriss said. “During my sister’s few visits to Skyscape years ago, when she brought news of her exploits here on the surface world, she mostly spoke to just my parents and I. She tended to keep her distance from the rest of my people.”

  As Raissa sat next to Elisstriss, she chuckled softly. “That sounds like the Dayneth that I know. After all of the years that she’s spent at Tordale Castle, she has yet to say a word to most of the soldiers and attendants who live there.”

  Elisstriss’s eyes shifted. “If anyone would know her well, it is you,” she added.

  Although Elisstriss did not display it outwardly, Raissa could not help but feel that there was some pain in those words. It was a fairly innocuous statement, but the implication behind it struck Raissa hard, mostly because of the truth that it carried. Elisstriss was Dayneth’s only sibling, someone actually connected to her by blood, and yet it seemed that Elisstriss hardly knew her.

  Raissa suddenly felt a new understanding of what Dayneth meant to her, a new, greater sense of appreciation. She was not even of the same race as her guardian, but their relationship was infinitely deeper than anything Dayneth maintained with her own family.

  “I’m definitely lucky for her to have been such an important part of my life,” Raissa said, deliberately speaking with reverence in her tone. “I hope you know just how appreciative I am of her.”

  Elisstriss peered at Raissa through the corner of her eye. A moment later, she turned and faced Raissa, a look of concern coming over her. “Forgive me if I sounded bitter,” Elisstriss said. “I wasn’t trying to express any kind of resentment about my sister, or the duty she took upon herself. Please believe me when I say that I hold no kind of blame against you or your family.”

  Raissa smiled. She was moved by how meek and selfless Elisstriss could be. “I know that you don’t, I am sure of that.” Raissa let her expression level. She prepared to venture upon a heavier subject. “However, there is something I must ask you, if you don’t mind.” She paused. Raissa was reluctant to bring up the question, but her curiosity was too great to leave unsated. “Why have you and Dayneth said so little to each other? I apologize, since it is probably not my place to say this, but it almost seems that you two are avoiding one another…”

  Raissa’s voice trailed off as she felt her nerve evaporate after making the bold statement. To her relief, Elisstriss showed a soothing expression.

  “Don’t feel guilty; it is a fair question for you to ask,” Elisstriss replied, clearly aware of the apprehension that Raissa harbored. “After all, there is much truth to what you said.”

  Even though she suspected that her intuition was right, Raissa was still stunned by the confirmation. “Why do you both do that, then? Why distance yourselves from one another?”

  “I cannot speak for my sister, but I am confident that she would agree with me when I say that our different duties cannot allow for us to become any closer with the other,” Elisstriss answered.

  Raissa could not comprehend the explanation, but before she could press further, Elisstriss continued.

  “You must understand—I love Dayneth very much, and I know she feels the same of me. But the ultimate reason why we have remained apart is because of the choices that we have both made. It is our individual aspirations—mine to be a master Airtamer, and serve the Aesur, while Dayneth’s is to serve your family and unite our peoples—that have placed us in two different worlds. It is our own doing.” Elisstriss looked at Raissa, then. The Aesur wore what Raissa found to be a strange sense of calm over her features, given the subject at hand. “Perhaps there is no harm at all in exchanging more words then we have thus far, but what we are not willing to risk is any kind of longing for one another’s presence. I cannot become accustomed to seeing Dayneth, or hearing her voice, because I know that it will not last. It would only keep me from offering my full dedication to Skyscape and the Aesur.” Elisstriss laughed softly to herself. “I know that must sound so cruel of me to say, but this is the fate that has been bestowed upon us, certainly by our own choosing. Our duties are worlds apart; no matter how unfortunate it is, we can never share a bond as normal sisters if we are to remain in service to the peoples we have dedicated ourselves to.”

  Raissa shook her head. “It’s not cruel at all; it’s tremendously wise,” she noted, and it was a genuine insight. “I can see it in you just how much you admire Dayneth. You two may not know each other quite like family perhaps should, but you love one another just as much.”

  Something of a sheepish grin briefly formed through Elisstriss’s lips. “I am sorry to say, though, that it was not always that way. There was a time years ago where my love for Dayneth was far more possessive. I did not understand the work that she did or the good that it brought to others. I was upset that I could not have my older sister in my life, while others who were not even related to her or of our race were lucky enough to.” Elisstriss looked at Raissa, a veil of guilt falling over her eyes. “I was very jealous of you. I questioned why you got to have my sister by your side growing up, while I was left with very rare—and very brief—visits. Eventually, for many years, I didn’t even have those—only scarce memories and my imagination of her. I was a very foolish
young girl back then, too selfish to realize the comfort that Dayneth must have brought you after the terrible plight that befell your family.”

  Elisstriss did not need to say precisely what that plight was. Raissa knew what Elisstriss referred to. “I am forever grateful for the guidance that your sister has given me over the years,” Raissa said. “I want you to know that her sacrifices made my brother and I far better people. Not having my mother there to care for us as we grew older, it made me appreciate every last thing Dayneth ever did to instruct and protect us.” Raissa’s gaze hardened somewhat, her eyes sinking into Elisstriss. “Dayneth is an incredible woman. You should be honored to call her your family.”

  Elisstriss nodded. “I very much am, and that has helped me learn how to be grateful for what she has blessed my life with. You see, Dayneth is viewed differently by my people from myself; she may be a daughter of our father, the Highfeather, but she is spoken of as something like a mythical figure. Even though she has not stepped foot on Skyscape in many years, the Aesur hold her in great regard. My people have grown to revere her for her efforts upon the surface world. I am proud to say that I eventually grew to have that same understanding of her. We may not look upon one another or speak to one another, but Dayneth’s goals, and her commitment to them, it all inspires me. It compels me to be just as strong as she is, and to do as much good for my people as she does elsewhere in the world. That is not bizarre to you, is it?”

  Raissa’s smile reached far across her face. “Not at all,” she answered. “It is not so different from how my mother and my father continue to guide me.”

  Elisstriss returned a smile equally as warm as Raissa’s. “I think that we are both being guided very well, then.”

  They reached out and took one another by the hand, sharing a loving clasp that contained all of the respect, understanding, and admiration that they had managed to gain for one another in such a short amount of time.

  Raissa felt that her life had been blessed, again.

  17

  Waking up the next morning was much more difficult than Raissa anticipated. She slept comfortably for the second night in a row, which she attributed to her sleeping in an actual bed. Since leaving Geldiar, her nights were spent on the cold, hard ground, within cramped cots aboard swaying ships, or on flat cushions that hardly lifted her from the rocky floor of the Bachu Caverns.

  Two nights’ sleep in a spacious, soft bed, and in a room that stood still was a luxury during this journey, one that she wished she could indulge in longer.

  But she was the reason why that could not be. She was the one who decided that her party would leave the Azure Sands Outpost after just two days’ rest to continue their trek to the Sandstone Mausoleum. Raissa forced herself out of bed shortly after Dayneth roused her from her slumber, and she hurriedly readied herself for their departure. If she was to be the reason why her companions had so little time to rest, then she could not appear weary or disgruntled; she would have to at least appear as if she tolerated her quest’s rigors.

  She also did it out of respect for Joth and his family. Raissa still harbored a measure of guilt that the man was leaving his wife and son once again, and so quickly after reuniting with them. Joth, as well as Aydri and Maro, were making a tremendous sacrifice for the quest to claim the Radia—a far greater one than a few extra hours in a comfortable bed.

  When Raissa, Joth, Dayneth, and the rest of the Aesur were ready, they gathered at the Azure Sands Outpost’s main gate, where Mayor Barlov and several townsfolk and soldiers gathered to see them off on their journey.

  Aydri and Maro were also there. They were surprisingly stoic about Joth’s departure. But then again, Raissa remembered, Joth had said that this was a circumstance that their family was accustomed to by now. Still, to see a wife and such a young boy regard the situation without a single tear amazed Raissa. Aydri and Maro accepted the reunion’s end with quiet dignity as they said goodbye to Joth that morning, also spending a few minutes with Raissa to offer her their best wishes. The tight embraces that they gave Raissa in farewell were as if they came from lifelong family members.

  It was the Azure Sands Outpost’s soldiers who seemed to be the most upset at Joth’s abrupt departure. They withheld any frowns, but there was no mistaking the disappointment in their faces as they said goodbye to their respected captain before he embarked on a dangerous journey without them.

  Mayor Barlov was the last to speak to Raissa’s party, making a special note to thank her for the brief, but uplifting presence she brought to the town. When Barlov was finished, Raissa and her companions set out, the last goodbyes being shouted as they passed through the main gate and ventured into the Arid Reaches, once more.

  Within a short time, their trek took them far enough that the fort was a vague shape of brown and white stone behind them. Raissa glanced back at one point and was just able to make out some of the palm trees rising next to the town’s walls. Not long after, when she looked again, she could hardly discern any of it.

  Despite how tired most of the company appeared to be, Joth had them march across the desert at a brisk pace that morning. He explained that he wanted them to cover as much ground as possible in the day’s early hours, when the heat was not so oppressive. Raissa and the Aesur complied with Joth’s urging, showing no issue with moving swiftly, even after their truncated stay at the Azure Sands Outpost. Every member of the party kept their feet moving as they followed their resolute guide further into the barren realm.

  Still, it seemed that the Arid Reaches’ sweltering temperatures began to arrive just a short while after they commenced their journey. It was as if the desert made a deliberate attempt to thwart their sound strategy for travel, like a conscious effort by the unforgiving environment to make their march as trying as possible.

  Raissa was nearly convinced of this when they came to an area of the desert were the sand lay in a thick, heavy carpet, like the very same that they waded through after the dust storm days earlier. Joth had said that the violent squalls only occasionally touched the area of the Arid Reaches where the Azure Sands Outpost stood, but evidently one managed to move into those parts recently. Just as it had been before, the packed sand impeded their hurried strides, slowing their each and every step with its coarse, choking grip.

  At least, that was until Elisstriss offered her magical abilities. She summoned the air currents around her and joined them into a single, concentrated stream that she used to push aside the layers of sediment from their path. By clearing away the dense floor of sand, Elisstriss made it so that they walked on empty, nearly flat terrain, allowing them to move much faster than if they were to trudge through the sand.

  Elisstriss maintained the incredible spell for more than an hour, only stopping the act of Airtaming when it was clear that her body and spirit could expend no further magic without dire ramifications. She expressed regret at having to rest when she did, but Joth assured her that it allowed their group to cover a vast distance in good time, while Raissa and Dayneth marveled at her immense magical capabilities, and her endurance for them.

  As predicted, they were forced to slow their pace in the afternoon when the heat was at its worst, and the blazing sun stared down at them with its harshest rays. Joth did not hurry them after that. He seemed content for their group to move leisurely throughout the rest of the day.

  He called for them to stop once twilight approached. They camped at the base of an especially large sand dune which served as a wall against the chill wind that night. They built a pair of small fires, but the tempered flames were barely able to ward off the cold that fell over the desert when the land grew dark.

  The next three days of their trek were not much different from their first, with the exception that Elisstriss never needed to move the sand from their feet again, although she did attempt to generate gentle breezes around their group to keep them cooler during the afternoons, when the sun’s rays were almost unbearably hot.

  On the fourth night,
they were unable to find any kind of shelter, forcing them to camp out in the open wasteland, where there was no protection from the cold winds. That night more so than any other made Raissa long for the warm bed she slept in at the Azure Sands Outpost, and she suspected that everyone else in her company felt the same.

  They resumed their trek very early the next morning, if for no other reason than that most of them did not sleep much throughout the night, and there was nothing to gain from trying to fall asleep once dawn came to the land. With the sun just beginning its gradual ascent into the sky, they set out along what Joth said was the last leg of their march to the Sandstone Mausoleum. His claims that they were just hours away from the ancient resting ground seemed to inspire the rest of the party; even after a night where hardly any of them slept for long, the group remained lively and upbeat during their march.

  Raissa did not look at it as any sort of conclusion, however. It may have been the endgame for their tumultuous journey across the Arid Reaches, but it did not mean the end of their quest to save Tordale.

  No, she realized, there would still be much to do afterward.

  Their journey dictated that they navigate the Tower Mountains, find the Spirit Shrine in Skyscape that would take them to Ralu and Xogun, and, eventually, face Baldaron and the nightmarish Scourge that he wielded.

  Of course, all of that would come to be only if they managed to obtain the Radia of Hope, but that was not what Raissa considered the most difficult task.

  Alamor.

  Her mind became wrapped around the thought of him as she and her party closed in on the Sandstone Mausoleum. He was still out there, somewhere in the heart of the vast, cruel desert with likely no inkling of where to go aside from what her magical signals told him, if he truly understood them at all.