Tides of Fate

by Sean J Leith

  “Eryndis?” Zaedor said with a drawl.

  “Yes. I know you two have gone your separate ways, but she is still my most trusted general. If Rawling respects any trait, it is strength, and Eryndis is stronger than any one of us. Except me of course!” He flexed briefly, before grabbing his lower back in pain.

  King Faelin was once a mighty warrior whom wielded his great hammer in combat. He was said to be the strongest warrior of Amirion, crushing his competitors in training and the arena.

  But those days were long passed. “Eh—it seems my age is getting to me.” He laughed loudly before returning to his throne, taking on a more serious demeanor. “Trust me, Zaedor, our grand kingdom is safe. Tell whichever counselor sent you that we have nothing to worry about.” He returned to a relaxed posture and smiled warmly once more. “Go and sleep on it. I’m sure you shall understand soon. Eryndis will return, and we will be at peace. Shiada be with you.”

  “And with you, Your Grace.” Zaedor replied, taking his leave.

  He knew the King was not strongly associated with the church, but Zaedor was happy that Faelin respected it. The King did seem very confident in his words.

  Zaedor did not know whether he felt reassured but did know that he should not let his personal life make him unsettled. As he descended the Citadel once more, the dimly lit halls relaxed him marginally.

  The calm flicker of torches reminded him that there was always light within the city, and it wouldn’t be extinguished. In the final hall before he left there were no torches lit, except for one at the end—the lone Torch of Night. It was meant to soothe those who needed solace in the Citadel, and to symbolize the light that was Amirion, staying strong even in the darkest of times.

  In the short walk to his home, there were few people in the streets. A couple men stumbled after some time in the tavern, while a few children chased dancing lights conjured by a street magician. The banners of families were still visible from the torchlight inside the house windows. Eventually, he reached his home in the temple district near Shiada’s Temple. His family banner fluttered in the breeze above his door, a black wolf on a field of yellow and blue. Nearby, he heard a short exchange of whispers. Two individuals discussing business, it seemed.

  “After, the work in Solmarsh should finish it. That’s why it’s being done there.” One gravelly male voice said.

  “That disgusting atrocity of a town? Why there?” a silvery female voice said.

  “Quiet place, that’s why. Plus, that fool can do the work for us down there. He practically begged for it to be there.”

  “I suppose you are correct. He is very peculiar and eccentric. Let us depart. There is much to do. The Cardinal awaits us.”

  The two sets of footsteps walked off into the night. That’s peculiar, Zaedor thought. Who is this Cardinal? It was probably nothing, he figured. It was just the mutterings of common folk in the night. He shrugged his shoulders, entered his house, and lit a small fire in the stone fireplace. He quietly ate his late dinner while remembering the long day of teachings ahead, approaching quickly: his lessons of Shiada, combat training, and arithmetic.

  Zaedor put out the fire after eating and lay in his rough spun, cloth bed, exhausted from his fulfilling day. “Rawling—” he said to himself. “Eryndis—”

  Something didn’t quite fit. He had a strange feeling, but he trusted the king. He put his trust in his god, Shiada, as well. She was a goddess with real evidence of power, such that protects her people. It was a happy belief to have. It helped him get through tougher times, as he and Eryndis separated due to their divergent beliefs a little less than a year ago. He missed her still, but Shiada’s protection kept him resilient. Zaedor thought over lessons of the morrow before he passed into a deep, restful sleep.

  Wake up.

  Zaedor heard a female voice in his mind. It was soothing.

  Zaedor, wake up. You have to live.

  Why was this voice telling him to live? Was he dreaming it?

  Zaedor! Wake up! There’s no time!

  His eyes flashed open. His senses flared from electrifying triggers in all directions: alarm bells, the heat of flames, the scent of smoke, and screams.

  Chapter Ten

  Mixed Motives

  Lira Kaar

  Lira stared longingly at the boar she hunted, slowly cooking above the campfire. She hadn’t eaten in a day. Her stomach was now a rampaging Dragon, painful and relentless. She needed to distract herself, as the boar wouldn’t be ready for at least another hour, so she brought out the small sewing needles and lemon-yellow yarn from her bag and went to work.

  She saw Kayden’s ratty teal scarf and she decided to knit another for her to switch out. Knitting soothed her when she was stressed. She made most of her own wardrobe, as well for many people in Solmarsh. She was one of the few clothiers there. It was always something she could go to for a fun project, and it was always something new. She brought a few cloth dresses with her, even though she might not be able to wear them. It reminded her of where she came from.

  They chose a lovely spot to settle: the sun was tucking in for a night’s rest in the east, with a sky of red, orange, and golden yellow surrounding it. Thin, smooth-barked sirilius trees loosely surrounded them with branches overhead, their long, threaded split leaves leaving cross-hatched shade below. The smell of the campfire overpowered the flowers and boar thus far, but Lira didn’t mind. She liked the scent—it reminded her of fires with her family when she was young.

  The group hadn’t spoken much since they began their trip back. Vesper muttered to himself, Magnus and Domika strolled and sat side by side and whispered to each other, although she did most of the talking. She was fairly inquisitive, but he seemed quiet and dismissive—although that seemed in line with his nature. As long as Domika was apart from Kayden, she was in good spirits.

  Kayden sat alone in the tall trees near the clearing, scouting the area. She seemed to prefer the life of a lone wolf; Lira did not know why, nor understood it, preferring close relationships. Since her brother was arrested, she lived a lonelier life than she liked. The fateful day one month prior—the day she lost him—was one that laced her nightmares.

  It was all my fault. If I simply followed what he’d said, he might still be here, Lira thought. Now he might be part of the moved prisoners. I have to find him. She dropped her wool and needles, curled her knees in closer, and wrapped her arms around them. She feared the worst. Prisoners were sent for torture and ‘special treatment.’ Lira wished she knew what it meant, but at the same time, she didn’t. But the dream told her to abandon him. Souls are in the balance, it told her. You will suffer as well.

  The thought itself frightened her. She didn’t know whether to continue, or to go home to Solmarsh, safe and sound. At the same time, her guilt dug at her like a blade in her side. We know prisoners are being moved to Deurbin. I know we should go there, but who set us up? Who can be trusted? Lira knew someone in the rebellion must have set them up for capture. What if we get captured again? They had been diligent in their watch, especially Kayden. She spent hours in the trees, silent and watchful, never even closing her eyes. Sometimes Lira felt she didn’t sleep. Lira would lie awake, worrying for her brother, and Kayden would be there, watching the path.

  “What’s wrong, princess?” Kayden asked. While Lira was lost in thought, Kayden jumped down from her tree and walked over. She seemed much more relaxed than in the jail. Lira looked to the clearing, seeing Magnus on watch. Seems they switched while Lira was deep in thought. Domika stood beside him, attempting to distract him with conversation, but he gave little notice. “C’mon, you look like a lost puppy over here. Domika is talking with her silent guardian, Vesper is over there practicing being better than us, and you’re sitting all alone.” She sat down beside Lira.

  She was right—Lira was on her own, and quite unhappy to boot. “I’m just thinking about my brother,” Lira replied. “He was arrested, two fortnights ago today. He might be part of the arrests w
e discovered before Asheron caught us.”

  Kayden looked to her with concerned eyes. “Oh,” she began. It was almost like she didn’t know what to say. Of all people, she was the most surprising to see speechless. Kayden always had something to say. “I’m sorry,” she croaked out finally, looking back to the fire in silence.

  Lira glanced over to the strange pair, Domika and Magnus. He patiently listened as she talked his ear off like a young girl about the deserts, holding his arm at times when she seemed enamored by her own thoughts.

  Vesper was a curious one. He sat beside a small pond, weaving his arms back and forth practicing his spells. They varied from fox-ears, to swirling small flames, to forming tiny icicles in his hands. He was extremely methodical. He was more cautious than any magician Lira saw before. Then again, magicians always have to be careful. The Cull of Magic was a thousand years ago, and since then, strict laws have been put on the magic one can use. The Cull still frightened Lira, when wizards were found and killed in the streets, boiling up to a devastating war between those that could use magic, and those that couldn’t. In the end, magic lost. Each nation now had a Council of Magi, discerning who could use what spells, and an academy to teach proper use. Vesper created water from nothing and placed it in flagons, then moved them with his mind to a flat rock near the fire.

  “Thank you, sir,” Magnus called to him. He carefully grabbed a cup for everyone and passed them out. His hands twitched as he offered them; Lira remembered the torture he was put through. Domika winced as she grasped the cup as well. They had blades shoved underneath their fingernails while Lira and Kayden were left in the cells. Lira worried about them but was glad they were free.

  Vesper smiled and nodded before turning back to his spell casting with a fierce concentration, muttering the command words so quietly that Lira couldn’t hear.

  Magic was a curious thing to Lira. It was a force of nature, one of the many foundations of the world. Just like water, fire, earth, and air, magic was a separate, natural element of the world. It allowed people to manipulate the other elements to their will. Only few were born with such gifts. Lira was, in a way; she was gifted by birth with an affinity for divine magic. Divine powers could only be granted by the gods. If one prayed and did the will of their deity, their powers could range from weak to extremely powerful. There were powers of healing, shielding, and light, but also darkness, pain, and destruction.

  The difference between Shiada and Lornak, Lira thought, examining the brand of the six-pointed sun upon her hand. Lira never used hers for much because she couldn’t ever go beyond healing small wounds. Regardless, she still prayed to Shiada. She believed deities had a plan, so she chose to follow rather than reject it as nonsense.

  “Is that ring from him?” Kayden asked.

  Lira noticed she spun the silver ring round and round on her finger as she thought about it. “Oh, yes. It’s one of the few things I have from him.” Lira stared at her ring. The tiny inscription read, Devotion and Faith—words her mother said were important. “It’s really hard, but that’s why I’m here.” She gazed to the fire, taking a drink of water. “To find him—and help people.” Lira paused for a moment, glancing at Kayden. She stared hundreds of yards ahead, as if each was a thought running through her mind all at once.

  Lira hadn’t talked to many people since she’d left Solmarsh. Domika talked a bit to her, but she kept to Magnus for the most part. She wanted to try to get to know the ones she traveled with. She wasn’t sure if it was normal for rebels, but she wasn’t an ordinary criminal. “Why did you join the Scions?” Lira asked.

  She hadn’t asked anyone yet, and Kayden was the most curious one. She seemed like she didn’t want to be part of the team at all. They were forced into a team for the first mission, and it went terribly.

  Kayden blinked owlishly and looked to Lira with a reserved expression. “I don’t like tyrants.” She looked down to Lira’s yarn. “What are you working on?”

  Lira paused for a moment at the odd change of topic—then noticed she’d picked up her needles subconsciously and begun knitting again. She was quite good at talking, thinking, and knitting all at once. She was too embarrassed to say she was already making something for Kayden. “I’m knitting a couple of things. If I’m in for a long trip, I should get ready for the season of Air, right?” She let out a nervous giggle.

  Kayden chuckled. “Long time ‘til then, but I like your tenacity. What kinds of things do you make?”

  “Oh, lots of things. I made my robe, my gloves, my—well, pretty much everything. I was a clothier for the temple where I was taught my divine magic, so I took it up as my profession once I was—ah—old enough to practice on my own.” She half-hid the fact that she wasn’t accepted to pretty much all temples due to her lack of healing or magical ability as a whole.

  “I wish I’d learned some of those skills. I just practice my fighting. Not much else.” She seemed want to say more but didn’t.

  An awkward feeling filled the air around them. She decided to change the topic. “What kind of profession did you do before joining this?” Lira asked. She didn’t know anything about Kayden’s past, as she was fairly secretive. Then again, she worried the answer was going to be something nefarious.

  “I wouldn’t exactly say I have a typical past, princess.” Kayden scratched her head roughly.

  “What do you mean?” Lira inquired.

  “I lived in many different places. I lived in the east, the north, the northeast, the southeast—the list goes on.” Kayden picked at her short fingernails.

  “Of Loughran?” she asked, thinking it was just this province.

  Kayden let out a quick laugh. “No. Renalia.”

  Much bigger. Five times that. “Why so many places? I’ve only lived in two towns, despite us being the same age.” Lira wondered about all the places Kayden had been. It all seemed so wondrous.

  Kayden’s face was a blank canvas. “It was my job.” She looked at Lira with a curious eye.

  Lira felt her lingering stare, and finally looked over. Kayden’s narrowed amber eyes analyzed her as if reading her mind. Lira looked around, not knowing what to say. “Is everything okay?”

  After a strange pause, Kayden sighed. “Yeah, everything’s not too bad, actually.” She looked back into the fire. “I worked for the Guild of Shades. Heists, collections, and smuggling—” her voice dropped off. She almost said another word, but held back.

  “What made you leave?” Lira asked. She wasn’t that surprised at Kayden’s past, but didn’t consider it a problem. She felt Kayden was a kind person at heart.

  Kayden shook her head and narrowed her eyes once more. “You talk as if you aren’t even fazed by it.” With a sigh, she said, “I left for a stupid reason. Should have left long before. Sometimes you just don’t see what’s right in front of you. It’s the best decision I ever made.”

  Lira nudged her. “Well I’m glad you did. If you hadn’t, you wouldn’t be here, and I might still be in jail.”

  “Yeah, I guess you owe me one,” Kayden said bluntly. “But you’re the one who got us out of the hall.”

  Lira just smiled and looked at the dirt beneath her feet, glad she contributed. “What’s it like in the east? I hear the sands are beautiful,” Lira asked. She dreamt of them sometimes in her childhood, seeing the streets of desert cities, jumping, running, and seeing all sorts of wondrous things.

  “They can be. They can also be unforgiving,” Kayden replied. “People don’t care about the laws—the few there are. There’s a lot more discrimination. There’s some in the north, too. Here as well, from what I hear.”

  Lira was taken aback. She’d spent all of her life in the west, living only in her hometown of Ordana. She also recently lived in Solmarsh, since her father moved to the Orinde Monastery. She heard the sands in the east were almost white, gleaming with the sun’s rays every day of the year. In the marshlands, it rained non-stop. Thunderstorms were plentiful, and the forests were full of beas
ts. She dreamed of the sands at times, imagining the beautiful sandstone cities of the desert. She pictured their cultures and festivals, all the wondrous colors of clothing and banners and all the fun events they had. To hear they were discriminatory was a bit of a shock. Lira decided to press further, as discrimination could mean many things. She knew of the discrimination against the Broken and their kin due to the wars ten years prior, and the savage past they had. What else was there? “What kinds of discrimination do you mean? Blaziks?” she asked.

  “No.” Kayden brushed her mane of hair with her fingers. “In the north and west, some aren’t a fan of runts.”

  “Runts? What do you mean?” Lira normally heard the term associated with mixed bred wild dogs and other animals. What’s so bad about them? she wondered.

  Kayden sighed, “Damn, you really are sheltered.” she rolled her eyes and brushed back her hair, revealing a brand—a line with a snake coiled around it behind her ear. “Low-borns.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I don’t think—”

  “I know, princess. I can tell you don’t care who we are—since you’re low-born too, I guess. They’re treated much better in these parts.” Kayden sported a stony expression. “Although your need to reassure everyone is a little irritating. That, and your incessant questions.”

  Lira took a sip of water during the silence. She wasn’t sure of what to say. Some gave her a different look when she came to a noble region of cities, but she thought nothing of it. She had a few negative comments directed toward her in cities outside her own, but she didn’t travel much. “What about the east?”

  “Slaves,” Kayden added. She stared blankly into the fire. Her scarred olive skin glowed in the light of the fire, nearly making the marks non-existent.

  Lira barely held back a gasp. “Slaves? How?” Now Lira was more curious than ever, and slightly afraid. She noticed some travelers from the east coming with multiple workers, but thought they were simply paid help. They were all so nice, she thought.