by G. H. Duval
It was Savantha’s turn to bow. The style, though not identical, was very similar to Mori’s own, low and deep from the waist, but Savantha’s arms were folded behind her back.
“Beg forgiveness, Mistress in Waiting,” Savantha murmured in a smooth, respectful voice while remaining prostrate.
Mina sniffed but relented. “Forgiven,” she said. “You may rise, Warden.”
Savantha did so, seeming to flow upright rather than simply rise from her bow. She was more impressive in person than he had imagined, which was surprising considering the heights of his imagination.
“He almost lost consciousness, Warden,” Mina continued, and though she seemed mollified, her rebuke was clear. “Can you not control your animal any better than that?”
Savantha winced and the dog at her side sat back. He issued a sharp, high-pitched bark before allowing his mouth to fall open, his tongue lolling to the side. Mori could not say how, but he knew the dog was enjoying himself at their expense.
“Again, my apologies for any offense, Mistress,” Savantha said, dropping a hand to once more stroke the top of the dog’s massive head. “But Breal is not ‘my animal.’ He is Kindred. He is my bondmate, and we are a matched pair. I am less without him and he without me. He meant no harm in speaking to your friend.” Her voice was respectful, but firm. Apparently, her deference to the next First Seer had limits. And that limit was named Breal.
Savantha turned to Mori, perhaps truly seeing him for the first time. Her eyes did not simply regard him, they assessed him. He did his best not to squirm. He reminded himself that he was being groomed by the Formynder. Surely, if Mori could withstand the weight of his scrutiny, he could bear this. Projecting a surety he did not feel, he returned the Warden’s gaze. It was a short-lived appraisal, for she spoke almost immediately. Mori was surprised to hear genuine contrition in her voice.
“He meant you no harm, Brother.” She held out a hand to him. “It is good to meet you,” she paused, the question hanging between them.
“Mori,” he offered, baffled by how she had addressed him, but taking her hand nonetheless. Mina elbowed him, harder than he thought necessary, but he let it be.
“Mori au Ciele,” he added.
It was Savantha’s turn to blink. “Pardon?” She looked incredulous as she turned to look into Breal’s eyes. Breal, for his part, shook his head slightly and let forth another yip. He stood, shook himself all over as dogs do after a bath, and moved closer to Mori. Wagging his tail exuberantly, he pressed his head under Mori’s palm until Mori understood the gesture and stroked him. Again, Breal yipped.
Savantha looked from Breal, to Mori, to Mina, and back to Breal. “Are you certain?” she asked. Another yip. “I’m afraid Breal seems to think otherwise, Pupil,” Savantha explained. “He says he can smell your Earth affinity. It is why he so easily slipped into your mind. He even shared his awareness with you.” She paused, letting that sink in. “Did your dark vision not improve? Your sense of smell not sharpen?”
Mori’s mouth gaped. He forced it closed with a snap, his teeth meeting sharply and his jaw ringing with a small stab of pain. “Well, yes…it did. But –”
“Precisely,” Savantha interrupted, her tone final. “That’s simply not possible without a shared affinity.”
“But he can’t be,” Mina protested, which was especially helpful as Mori found that he had lost his voice, too dumbfounded to say anything on his own behalf. “He’s au Ciele. There can be no doubt about that. Shava –” she paused, clearing her throat. “The Formynder has confirmed this and has been personally training Mori.”
“The Formynder, what?” Instructor Formynder Shavare moved to join them from where he’d been observing the final preparations for their departure. He looked at Mori then at the Warden. “Little Sister,” he said, nodding to Savantha, his voice pleasant. “I believe I heard someone mention me?”
Of course, Mori thought sourly. He hears everything.
“I did,” Mina offered, voice firm and clear. The Formynder smiled, ruffling her hair before resting his hand, which looked obscenely large in comparison, on Mina’s shoulder.
“Beast Warden Savantha was just telling us she thinks Mori is au Terre. Or maybe it’s her bondmate who thinks it.” Mina shrugged, as if this made no difference. “But, that’s impossible, because we know that Mori is au Ciele. I was just explaining that you are Mori’s instructor, so there can be no mistake.”
“Oh?” The Formynder asked, raising one brow. “It is not possible for a Shepherd to possess more than one affinity, dear one?” That stopped Mina short. It stopped them all.
He cannot be suggesting…Mori began the thought but did not, could not, finish it.
“Lord Formynder,” Warden Savantha said, her voice alarmed. “You cannot mean –”
“I do,” he said, his voice unequivocal. “I’ve suspected for some time and knew the truth of it would become clear soon enough. All in Hirute’s time, after all. Mine is but to wait and be useful.” He held their eyes, one at a time, before continuing. “I, myself, expressed my second affinity not long after my first. Nearly of the same age as Mori is now.” His tone was that of a man commenting on a blue sky or a lovely sunset. Mori reeled.
“But!” Mina protested at the same time that Warden Savantha said, “Impossible!” Breal yipped, turning in a circle.
Mori simply stood there, mute. He thought he might faint.
“Why,” the Formynder asked, his voice rising and distinctly annoyed now. “Do I keep hearing that word?”
“A Formynder not of Coerdom?” the Warden asked, her eyes saucers. “Impossible is the right word, my Lord!”
“I tell you, it is not.” With that, he made a clicking sound and patted his upper thigh. Without a moment’s hesitation, Breal leaped passed the stunned Mori, cleared Mina, and threw himself against the Formynder. The Formynder caught the giant beast in his arms, muscles and tendons flexing; a bellowing laughter escaped as he bent to kneel on the ground. The two tousled, and for a moment, all Mori could see was a giddy boy at play with his pup.
Mori shook his head, returning to himself.
“Instructor Formynder Shavare,” he called, nearly shouting. How could this be? How could the man say such a thing as if it were nothing remarkable…imply something so utterly shattering and simply move on to roughhouse with a dog! It was unacceptable.
“Explain yourself.” All traces of Mori’s usual subservience were gone. Grudgingly, he added, “Please.”
The Formynder stilled. With one hand, he made a cutting motion and Breal ceased his mock attack, hopping back. Again, he shook himself thoroughly and returned to his Warden’s side. Savantha, as dazed as Mori, barely acknowledged his return. She absently rested a hand atop his head, stroking it out of habit. The Formynder seemed oblivious to their consternation, rising in a fluid motion from his crouch, the dust he had picked up in his romping swirling away. Try as he might, Mori did not feel the slightest tug on their shared Aspect, such was the command of his Formynder.
The gall he had just displayed came back to him like the slap of cold water. Had he just raised his voice to the Commander of Coerdom’s forces? When he dared seek the Formynder’s eyes, he was met with nothing more than a considering look and a slight smile.
“All this time,” the Formynder mused. “I wondered about you and your restraint. Your formality. Your rigidness. During our time together, I watched your talent grow. I succeeded in sharpening you. Yet I failed, repeatedly, in gaining your trust…in relieving your fear. Your fear of me, I can bear. I am accustomed to being feared. But what must be mended is your fear of yourself.”
Mori said nothing, for he could not refute what his Instructor was saying. “Imagine my surprise to learn that all it takes to prod you into being and not following is to name you my equal. How interesting.” There was a look in his eyes that Mori could not decipher. A look as if he were seeing something new, and Mori was not certain if the Formynder liked what he saw.
> “I would never,” Mori began, stammering. “Never dream of equaling you, Honored First. I never dreamed of being a Shepherd at all! How can you think this of me? I am Kirin!” He had completely lost his footing now. His blood pulsed in his ears as his heart raced. The pounding, knocking at his skull grew louder, painfully louder. He could not think and fight the pain. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his temples as the searing, pounding pain continued to increase. Sudden, stinging tears trailed from his eyes.
Mori gasped, falling to his knees, Mina clutching at him. She may as well have been leagues away. The hammering sped up, impossibly fast, beating at him…pounding at him.
And then he let go.
His Aspect poured into him, banishing the pain in an instant. It flowed as it never had before. He submitted completely, abandoning himself to his affinity in a way he had not known existed. He could no longer feel his body—it was only a vague part of himself, far removed. His vision sharpened and his eyes tingled, this time pleasantly. He knew they must be glowing, the iridescent blue he had witnessed in his Formynder when working Air.
Am I? A voice asked in his mind. Am I your Formynder, Mori?
For some reason, the sound of Shavare’s voice in his mind did not alarm him. It did not seem strange at all, so he ignored it. His Aspect roared within him—feeding and yet sated. The power of it pushed through every part of him, parts he could not name. Gradually, the sensation of his physical form returned to him. Skin tingling, hairs raised, he rose to his full height. He let his head fall back, spread his arms wide, and surrendered. He knew his Aspect would catch him and suspend him. With a sliver of thought, the winds lifted him, swirling his robes as he rose into the air. He continued to rise, heedless of where he was or who might be watching.
Let them see! His Aspect crooned.
This was his true nature, his true inheritance. His fear fled once and for all. Shavare rose to join him, hovering an arm’s length away. His eyes glowed a brilliant blue, and Mori grinned, reveling in their shared Aspect. He glanced down to see Mina and Savantha staring up at him, openly gaping, while Breal appeared bored from where he’d settled at their feet. Others were also stopping amidst their chores to stare. Mori saw his father stumble as he emerged from his carriage in a flurry of robes. The Headmistress moved toward them.
“As you were!” Shavare said, channeling their Aspect so that his voice moved through the courtyard like a whip—stopping those who had been moving toward them and snapping to attention those who had stopped to gawk. They obeyed, returning to their duties as if two glowing forms were not hovering above them.
Yes, Mori thought, these Coerdans are a strange people.
Are you not Coerdan now, Mori? One of these ‘strange’ people? Shavare asked through their bond. For Coerdom has certainly claimed you. And today, for the first time, you finally accepted her call.
Mori said nothing. He had channeled his Aspect many times before, yes. But floating in the pulsing warmth of his affinity as he was now, swelling with power, he knew Shavare spoke the truth. He could never go back to being just Mori—his father’s son, his mother’s pride. Nor was he “just” a Shepherd. Looking over the people gathered below—hardworking people who trusted so completely in their peculiar leaders, in Hirute, in each other—he accepted that he was now a part of them. They would be his burden. And he would carry it. Oh yes, he would carry it.
“Yes,” he said, aloud, for he was not yet certain how to speak through their Aspect bond. “As of this day, I am Coerdan.”
From the corner of his eye, he saw his father falter, slumping against the carriage. Culari moved to assist him, and Mori felt a pang of pain and guilt. His true self could not carry the weight of belonging to his father. Not anymore. This day had become his Declaration day, as unconventional as all else had been with him.
“You did not answer my first question,” Shavare reminded him, this time speaking aloud. “And I require an answer.”
“Yes,” Mori echoed. “You are my Formynder, Shavare.”
Good, he responded. You understand now that we are the same…equals save for experience. Only time, the too-many years I’ve been on Avelare, set us apart.
Mori nodded. Shavare reached out, palms up, and Mori placed his palms against them.
Look inward, he instructed. Clear your mind, listen only to her, to your Air Aspect.
Seeking his Aspect purposefully—not simply letting it emerge when he was scared, or angry, or tired—was something Shavare had long since taught him. The power was still coursing through him, but regularly now, more modulated. She came to him, and in his mind, he saw what Shavare had led him to: The Aspect node. To Mori, it appeared as a giant marquise-shaped diamond, pulsing with white light. It was so bright that, had he been using his physical vision, he was sure he could not bear to look upon it.
That is not a fancy. You are not imagining it. That is the heart of where your essence—that which Hirute has made—joins with the au Ciele of Nature’s domain. This is what binds you to her and to Hirute.
Mori accepted for the moment that Hirute had, as Shavare claimed, “made him.” This was something he would have to question and understand better at a later time. For now, reassured by his Aspect, he stilled and listened.
I will now guide you to the au Terre node. Very soon, you will be able to find her on your own. But you need to see it—it will make it easier as you learn.
A sensation pulled at his belly as if he had suddenly fallen from a great height, but Shavare held him firm. They were still suspended—safe. When the sensation passed, Mori was looking at another large gem. An emerald this time. Unlike the diamond, it was not brilliant, not shining. Only a soft glimmer of light, barely detectable, burned within.
This will grow as you do. Your physical form has yet to develop before this Aspect can fully blossom within you. The others are dormant and will remain so for some time yet. Do you understand?
“I think so,” Mori muttered, bemused. He was too absorbed with examining the node to fully concentrate on Shavare’s words, but he trusted what he was told. Linked as they were, Mori knew he would sense if Shavare dissembled. “How is it possible for me to hear you this way? We are not of the Spirit Aspect...”
True, Shavare agreed. But those who share an Aspect may speak to each other through their Aspect nodes. Recall the way in which I’ve instructed you and Dodge to link and work together. It is similar to that. Once linked, you can share as much, or as little, as you wish of yourself through your bonds. This you will learn in time—and time is something of which you have plenty. Ours is a natural connection of body to body, mind to mind. Those of Spirit do not do so from a natural or bodily connection. Theirs is a connection made solely from that which Hirute has created. Our souls.
Mori nodded, but again, his belief in Hirute and in what He was supposed to have created and what He should mean to Mori required much deeper examination. For now, he simply accepted Shavare at his word.
Out loud, Shavare added, “Why don’t we rejoin the others?” Both his voice and his eyes, no longer glowing, were filled with humor. “I think we’ve created enough of a distraction, no?”
Mori glanced down at those gathered below. The Shepherds in the retinue were mounted, ready to depart, and clearly bored, perhaps even irritated at the delay. Clearly, they did not realize what had just occurred and had no notion that this young boy from Kirin would be their next Commander. Mori shivered as the full weight of the morning’s revelations dawned on him. While his body and the Aspects within thrilled at the knowledge of who he was—who he would become—his mind was struggling to keep pace. Numbly, he nodded. Subduing the throbbing power at his disposal, he slowly lowered himself to the ground. Shavare mirrored him, landing softly at his side.
As soon as their feet touched ground, Mina came running. She launched herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Without thinking, he caught her, holding her tight. Her hair tickled his cheek and he smiled, enjoying the faint
herbal aroma of her. Too soon, she regained her composure and released him, sliding back down to stand on her own. He liked that she remained close to him, though, one hand wrapped around his while she searched his face.
“Are you certain you’re alright?” she asked. Her voice was small, uncertain. “You can’t know how you looked up there, Mori. You were glowing…Not just your eyes, I mean. You were glowing all over. For a moment, I thought you might be—I don’t know…consumed or something.”
He chuckled softly, squeezing her hand. “Consumed?”
Mina nodded. “Mother says it can happen. That an Aspect can be too strong for the body at first. It’s why so many Shepherds don’t express until after they mature. But, sometimes, the talent is so strong, it can’t wait. It’s why we need instructors to guide us when we start out. Why governing bands exist. Mori,” she paused and for a moment, she did not meet his eyes. “I was frightened. You’re certain you’re well?”
“Physically?” he began, “Yes. The rest of me will need time yet to understand what all of this means. But, he was right, Mina. The Formynder. He showed me. I do have the Earth Aspect. And Fire and Water as well, though he did not take me to those just yet.” He shook his head, releasing her hand to rub both of his across his face. “I have no idea what to do next.”
“It’s a good thing that I do,” the Headmistress said, her voice calm but firm as she and Siare joined them.
Siare looked at her husband briefly before turning her eyes on Mori, equally calm and unruffled. “So you were correct in your suspicions,” she said, and Mori understood that while she was regarding him, she was not speaking to him.
“It would appear so,” Shavare replied, placing a hand on Mori’s shoulder and drawing himself up. Mori mimicked him, bolstered by the Formynder’s display of pride.
