by Davis Ashura
William stepped off the porch and stared at the night sky. Stars twinkled and puffy clouds glowed ivory under the light of a half moon. He stared west to the Triplets but saw no further weather coming their way.
“I heard you cheated by draining the lorasra in front of the goalie,” Jason said to William.
William returned to the front porch. “There’s no rule against it,” he said with shrug. “Besides, my daddy always said that if you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”
“Your Irish father said that?” Jason asked.
William grinned. “I guess I must have heard it on TV then.”
“What were you watching?” Jake asked.
“NASCAR.”
The other boys groaned in despair.
“You hayseed,” Jake added.
“Didn’t you used to go to the Daytona 500 almost every spring?” William asked Jake.
“Yeah, but I don’t go around quoting NASCAR sayings like some redneck.”
“Speaking of red, I heard William and Serena had a real heart-to-heart discussion after the game.” Jason leered. “I heard she had her hands all over his leg.”
“How’s that related to red?” William asked.
“Answer the question,” Jason said.
“You never asked a question, stupid,” William said.
Jason rolled his eyes. “Fine. Did you and Serena have a heart-to-heart? Did I hear right that she had her hands on your legs and wouldn’t let go?”
“No. We didn’t have a heart-to-heart talk,” William said. Technically, his answer wasn’t a lie since their heart-to-heart had been Spirit-to-Spirit. “And yes, she had a hand on my leg, my calf.”
Jason made a noise of triumph.
“She healed me,” William said, speaking slowly as if to an idiot. “Jerry Kind hit me pretty good on the calf.”
“Someone told me the two of you were almost kissing,” Jake said with a knowing grin.
“Who told you that?” William asked. He and Serena had sat close to one another, but not enough to kiss.
“Lien,” Jake answered. His left eye twitched, a sure sign he was lying.
William shook his head. “Lien never said that.”
“Will the three of you stop gossiping,” Mr. Zeus said from inside his study, poking his head through the windows that opened onto the porch.
“Sorry,” Jason said. “We’re only trying to find out how William feels about our resident mahavan.”
“Former mahavan,” William said. “And for people who don’t like Serena, the two of you sure seem stuck on her.”
“You three should have been born girls,” Mr. Zeus grumbled as he opened the front door. “How’s the boat building going?” he asked William.
“She should be ready soon,” William answered. “I’m calling her Blue Sky Dreamer. We’re fitting her with both a jib and a mainsail.”
“What happens after that?” Jason asked.
“Then I learn to sail her,” William replied. He held up his hands. “But don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere until I’ve mastered my abilities.”
“I think it was a wise decision to have Serena teach you how to fight using the Elements,” Mr. Zeus noted.
William eyed him in surprise. Mr. Zeus tolerated Serena, but he didn’t have much good to say about her.
“She’s a mahavan by training,” Mr. Zeus explained. “She knows how to fight. It’s what they do.”
“Do you think the Council will rescind some of Serena’s restrictions?” William asked the old man.
“I doubt it,” Mr. Zeus replied.
William frowned. “But if she could dream to Fiona, it would help us understand what’s going on in Sinskrill better than we do now.”
“We don’t need Serena for that,” Jake said. “You or I could probably dream to Fiona. She loved us, too.”
William wanted to smack himself. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“And when you do go to Sinskrill, I’m coming with you,” Mr. Zeus said.
“What?” Jake blurted.
“Did you really think I would wait here while the three of you risked yourselves?” Mr. Zeus asked.
“Jake’s not going,” William reminded him.
Mr. Zeus snorted in derision. “He might still find himself in danger,” he said. “The three of you are too young to understand this, but without you, my life would have no meaning. I mean to protect all of you.”
No one seemed to know what to say after that.
Christmas was only a few weeks away, and all manner of holiday lights, flashing ornaments, and shiny tinsel festooned the Village Green. Some might call it gaudy, but William thought it was pretty. He especially liked it tonight, when hundreds of people stood packed in tight for the traditional lighting of the Christmas tree. There was a festive air to the Village Green, and the aromas of popcorn and candy carried along with strains of traditional Christmas music from a string quartet set up in front of the gazebo. All of it reminded William of holidays at home, of making popcorn strings with his family and listening to Christmas music on the radio.
Jake stood nearby. “The tree looks nice.”
William smiled in pride. He’d helped haul the Asian spruce down from the slopes of Mount Madhava and set it up next to the gazebo. He’d even participated in decorating the tree. Tonight, though, would be the first time all the lights would be lit.
Mayor Lilian Care held up her hands for quiet, and the crowd slowly settled down. “We need not waste time going over why we celebrate Christmas,” Mayor Care began in her aristocratic English accent. Before Arylyn, the matronly woman had served as a governess. “On our home, we celebrate all the major holidays from around the world. Most recently it was Diwali and Maidyarem Gahambar, the Zoroastrian winter feast. Now it’s Christmastime.” Mayor Care broke into a grin. “Besides which, we magi like parties, which means that when the world dies, the last, best party will be here on Arylyn.”
Everyone clapped and hollered agreement.
Mayor Care shouted over their ruckus. “Let’s light the tree.” She waved a wand made of holly and tipped in ivory—a joke since there was no such thing as a magic wand.
The Christmas tree lit with ringing tones that ranged from high-pitched to deep as a church’s bell. Some of the lights changed color, flashing through the spectrum while others sparked like miniature fireworks. From many more came plucked-string notes forming the melody of a song, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.”
William continued clapping enthusiastically, not caring that he was grinning like an idiot. Screw it. Christmas was his favorite time of year.
“What holiday do we celebrate after Christmas?” Jake shouted above the noise of the clapping.
“New Year,” William shouted back. “The regular one. After that comes the Chinese version.”
Lien squeezed in next to them. “Have you seen Daniel?” she asked.
“I heard he and Magnus were fixing a leyline near Linchpin Knoll,” William said. “He’ll probably show up later.”
Lien scowled. “If you see him, let him know I’m looking for him.”
“Sure thing, boss,” William said, doffing an imaginary hat, and he watched as Lien wandered away.
“Is it me, or do those two seem like they want to date but are afraid of what everyone will think?” Jake asked after she left.
“Lien and Daniel?”
Jake nodded.
“It’s not you.”
Mayor Care held up her hands again, calling for quiet once more. “I’m told my speech before the tree-lighting sounded flippant,” she said, shooting a glare at Councilor Duba. “Therefore, I’ll try again, and this time I’ll aim for a more serious note.” She cleared her throat.
“Why do we magi honor all the religions of the world? It may sound puzzling, but in my view, all truths and all religions are sourced in the One who created us, in Him who granted us asra. Our magic is something that touches upon His true essence in a way that mere obj
ects and things never can. He is the ether, and our asra is of Him, of the vastness that transforms the natural into the supernatural.
“Celebrations such as this tree-lighting, held in honor of a carpenter from Nazareth, are meant to remind us to remain humble and to listen for the soft song of the Lord calling us home.”
More clapping met her words.
“Where we’re from, He’s known as Devesh,” Rukh said.
He stood at William’s elbow, and William startled in surprise before glowering at Rukh and Jessira. Those two moved like ghosts.
“What?” William asked, not sure he’d heard right.
“Devesh. It’s our name for the Lord,” Rukh replied with a smile. “Merry Christmas, William. Merry Christmas, Jake.”
“Yes, Merry Christmas,” Jessira added.
“Merry Christmas to you,” William said, his irritation ebbing.
Jessira tugged on Rukh’s arm. “You owe me a dance,” she said as they moved on.
“When have I not owed you a dance?” William heard Rukh reply. He sounded put upon.
Jessira laughed. “After all these years you’re finally learning.”
William lost sight of them when they entered the large group of folks dancing near the gazebo. A saxophone player and pianist had joined the quartet, and the band began playing something jazzy.
William tapped his foot in time to the beat.
“There’s Serena,” Jake said, pointing.
She noticed them and came over. “Looks like you want to dance,” she noted, apparently taking in William’s tapping foot. She pulled him forward. “I’ll return him in a bit,” she said to Jake. “Right now I want to talk to him in private.”
She hummed “Gloria” as she led William to the edge of Clifftop. From here, the terraces of Cliff Earth descended to the dark waters of the Pacific.
“You seem happy,” William said.
“I am happy. I have family and friends,” Serena said. “And as your friend, let me offer you some advice. If you ever want to attract the attention of a girl, you need to not always be with Jason or Jake.”
“What do you mean?” William asked, although Serena was right. Most of his time was spent with Jake or Jason.
“I mean I’ve heard some girls wondering why none of you ask them out.”
William shrugged. “I’ve got other things on my mind.”
“Like freeing Fiona and Travail?”
William nodded. While he loved his life on Arylyn, freeing Fiona and Travail was always at the forefront of his thoughts. He had to get stronger, faster, and more dangerous to pull it off. A realization occurred to him. “I spend a lot of time with you,” William countered.
“True, but for some reason I don’t count.”
William frowned in disbelief. Serena was beautiful. Even a blind person would know that. “I’m pretty sure you’re all woman.”
“Good answer,” she said with a laugh. “Now I’ve said my piece, let’s dance.”
William hesitated. Dancing with Serena seemed like more than what “friends” should do. He reluctantly let her draw him closer to where the musicians were playing some fast-paced number. Thankfully, the song ended right as they arrived.
“Well, that’s that,” William said. He stepped away from her, ready to go flee the dance floor.
“Oh, no, you don’t,” Serena said with a laugh. She reached for his hand and spun him back. “You don’t get off that easily.”
The next song started. “True,” by Spandau Ballet.
William mentally groaned. “You planned this, didn’t you?”
She answered with the amused smile he’d never been able to decipher.
William sighed and held out his hands, waiting for Serena to settle against him. They slow-danced, but William remained tense throughout. Friendship or no, it felt awkward to hold Serena, especially feeling her pressed against him.
“How’d they learn something modern like that?” William asked, more to distract his mind than from any real interest in knowing the answer.
“There’s a saha’asra at the London Library,” Serena explained. “They copy all sorts of books and music from there.”
The song ended, and Serena thankfully stepped back. “This is for you,” she said, drawing forth a small box from a pocket.
William opened it, and discovered a chain and a locket.
“Mr. Zeus made a copy of the one you gave Selene,” she said.
William cracked open the locket, and a picture of his smiling family greeted him. He smiled in appreciation. “Thank you,” he said. “But I don’t have anything for you.”
“You forgave me,” Serena said. “That’s enough.”
MASTERIES
January 1988
* * *
Serena grunted with effort as she strained to hold a board in place so William could hammer it home.
Over the past few months, they’d been building Blue Sky Dreamer in a sheltered cove near Lilith Beach. A sandbar etched the border between green land and aqua water, and a long pier stretched into the bay. A handful of boats remained tied at the dock while many more could be seen sailing the waters around Arylyn. Fluffy, white clouds drifted like stately castles in the sky.
This afternoon they’d started out with William doing the lifting and Serena doing the hammering, but she’d smashed her thumb one too many times and didn’t want to risk hitting it again.
“Only a few more pieces to go and we’ll have the exterior shaped up,” Serena said. “Then we attach the masts and complete the finish-work inside.” She leaned against the hull, wiped the sweat off her brow, and rolled the soreness out of her neck. She ached all over and needed a breather.
William smiled at her, an expression he now wore more frequently in her presence. The tension in his shoulders whenever she was around, and the veiled distrust in his eyes had faded away. Nowadays, their relationship was almost like it used to be during the simplicity of life as seniors in high school.
“Too hot for your Sinskrill blood?” William teased.
“Like Sinskrill was too cold for yours,” Serena said.
She chided herself the instant the words left her mouth. Why couldn’t she remember to keep her tongue still and not remind William about Sinskrill? It brought back nothing but bad memories for both of them.
William surprised her, though. Rather than respond with anger, he disregarded her reminder and stretched his bare back—he worked shirtless—and groaned. “I hate the thought of going back there.”
“I know. I wish you didn’t have to, either,” Serena said. She paused and shifted in uncertainty, not sure how he’d take the thought she had.
He noticed her hesitation. “What?”
“You don’t have to go back if you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, I do.”
“I figured you’d say that,” Serena said with a wan smile. “Have you heard if I’ll be allowed to go?”
“I doubt it,” William said. “Maybe someday, but not now.”
Serena’s interest sparked. “Did you hear something?”
He grinned. “Only some rumors. Mostly about how everyone’s life will be easier if you’re gone for a few weeks.”
“Very funny.” Serena punched him lightly on his shoulder.
He smiled again before resuming his hammering. “How much longer will it take to finish?” he asked.
“A month, give or take,” she said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the work has gone faster once you learned to use some of your skills.”
“I want to be done in three weeks.”
“That’s pushing it,” Serena said. “You won’t have time for training with a schedule like that.”
“I’ll figure it out.” William stared at her with the disconcerting intensity she normally associated with Isha. The resemblance between their gazes was startling.
He must have recognized her surprise. “What?”
“For a moment you looked like Isha.”
“How do you mean?”
“The way you were looking at me. The intensity.”
He laughed. “Really? You look at me like that all the time.”
“I do?” Serena hadn’t realized. “I guess Sinskrill has touched us both.”
William grimaced. “Another reason to hate the place.”
Serena smiled faintly. “Then let’s get Blue Sky Dreamer done. I’ll teach you to sail. You’ll go to Sinskrill, steal Fiona and Travail, and come home. Maybe we can forget about Sinskrill then.”
William eyed her in speculation. “Home? Is that how you think of Arylyn?”
Serena tilted her head and considered his question. “It’s the first real home I’ve ever known.”
William fingered the large, open-faced, leather helmet that Ward passed to him and stared at it in confusion. “What do I do with this?”
“Put it on,” Ward said. “It’s called a governor. It restricts how much lorethasra you can source.”
William continued to examine the helmet. The two of them stood in an empty field north of Linchpin Knoll. The sun had burned off most of the morning dew, but some of it still glistened on the grass. Birds and other animals called out from the surrounding forest, and a squirrel darted along the undergrowth. The air carried a moldy scent from fallen leaves decaying on the ground.
“What’s it for?” William asked, gesturing to the governor.
“I told you,” Ward replied. “It’s supposed to restrict your lorethasra. Your control has improved, but it’s not nearly good enough to train without a governor. You still source too heavily, and as powerful as you are, I’m not sure I can block everything you throw at me.” Ward broke into a sardonic grin. “You wouldn’t want to burn your teacher to a crisp, right?”
“We’re really going all out in a fight?” William asked. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.
“That’s the plan.”
Ward slipped a governor onto his head, and William followed suit. He nearly pulled the helmet off when it tightened on its own and created a snug fit.
