by Gail Dayton
“Some of them died.” Viyelle shifted position, sitting cross-legged on the bed. “But not as many as I would have thought, from the tales of your first demon."
Kallista shifted too, leaning back against—she looked to see—against Fox and Keldrey. “I saw the magic blow out, after it destroyed the demon. It didn't kill half the city?"
“Apparently not.” Joh swept his hair forward over a shoulder in a futile attempt to control it. “It—it seems to have broken something loose. Or perhaps bestowed something new."
“What?” Kallista's patience had never been long.
“Magic.” Aisse pillowed her head on Kallista's lap and said nothing more. Kallista looked back to Joh for answers.
“People are coming from everywhere,” he said, “manifesting magic they swear they never had before, hundreds of them. The High Prelate is frantic, wondering how to train them all.” He paused. “She's asked for our help."
“We'll give what help we can, of course.” Kallista idly stroked Aisse's hair as she thought. “Hundreds—half the population? A quarter?"
Joh considered. “About a quarter, I'd say. Maybe a little less. About the same as the ratio of naitani in Adara."
“So.” Kallista held up her hand and ticked items off on her fingers. “We have our son home with us. The local naitani have pried themselves out of their temple isolation. The justice system is beginning to reform. Magic has been restored in Daryath. The Adaran slaves are freed. The last demon is destroyed. Anything else we've forgotten to do?"
Everyone went still, ticking through their own mental lists, but before anyone could speak, the door opened and Lorynda peered in. The fearful expression on her face was swallowed up by joy as she threw the door wide and ran across the room, leading the children's invasion.
She scrambled onto the bed to hug her mother, then bounced off again to help Niona and Rozite lift the little ones up. Kallista hugged as many of them as she could, together and separately, not bothering to hide her joyous tears.
“See? I told you she was awake,” Lorynda announced to the nursery servants trailing behind. She climbed back up to claim a place under her mother's arm.
“Let them stay.” Kallista lifted Omri onto her lap before putting her arm back around Rozite as the servants discreetly vanished.
“I believe there might be one thing left for us to do,” Torchay said, pulling Sky into a rough embrace.
“And what could that possibly be?” Kallista hugged her children tight, worried. Had they left something undone?
“It's time we took this mob home and lived happily ever af—well, for however long we can.” Torchay cocked a significant eyebrow at Lorynda. “Depending on how many of them decide to manifest their magic early."
Was that how Lorynda—? Kallista eyed her red-haired daughter. Just what had all that magic done when she'd been pregnant with the twins? She exchanged a glance with Torchay and the others.
Their future might not be quite as calm and peaceful as she might have hoped, especially when the children started growing into teenagers. But it would be full of the gifts of the One—family, laughter, and most of all, with the eternal gift—love.
THE END
* * *
APPENDICES
* * *
APPENDIX 1
CAST OF CHARACTERS
—The Adaran Royal Family—
Kallista Varyl—Reinine of All Adara and Godstruck of the One Torchay
Omvir—ilias, bodyguard & sergeant in Adaran army
Stone Varyl vo'Tsekrish—ilias, former Tibran warrior
Obed im-Shakiri—ilias, nine-marked ex-dedicat from Daryath
Fox Varyl vo'Tsekrish—ilias, former Tibran warrior
Aisse Varyl vo'Haav—ilias, Tibran emigre
Joh Suteny—ilias, retired lieutenant in Adaran infantry
Viyelle Torvyll—ilias, prinsipella of Shaluine in Adara
Merinda Kyndir—ilias, East magic naitan
Leyja Byrek—ilias, bodyguard and ilias of current & former Reinine
Keldrey Borr—ilias, bodyguard and ilias of current & former Reinine
—The Children of Royal Family—
Rozite—age 6, daughter of Kallista & Stone, twin to Lorynda
Lorynda—age 6, daughter of Kallista & Torchay, twin to Rozite
Niona—age 6, daughter of Aisse & Fox
Tigre—age 5, son of Aisse & Joh
Sky—age 5, son of Merinda & Stone
Vonni—age 4, son of Viyelle & Fox
River—age 3, son of Aisse & Fox
Omri—age 3, son of Kallista & Obed
Sharra—age 2, daughter of Viyelle & Joh
Lissta—age 1, daughter of Aisse & Keldrey
—The Adarans—
Gweric vo'Tsekrish—West magic naitan & Tibran emigre
Edyne—High Steward in Arikon palace
Namida Chand—Adaran ambassador to Daryath
Allanda Vartain—ilias to Namida, lawyer specializing in Daryathi law
Jondi—bodyguard to Reinine
Samri—bodyguard to Reinine
Bay—bodyguard to Reinine
Kerry—bodyguard to Gweric
Genista Fynli—bodyguard to Reinine's children
Sandrey—bodyguard to Reinine's children Taylin—farspeaker & secretary to Reinine Fenetta—farspeaker & secretary in Arikon palace
Ronda Kargyll—captain of Adaran army escort
Padrey Emtal—Adaran thief in Daryathi capital, Mestada
Nanda Suverr—Padrey's sedil, also in Mestada
Penna Suverr—Nanda's oldest child
Tommey—servant in household with Nanda & Penna
Serysta Reinine—Adaran ruler previous to Kallista, killed at end of rebellion
Penrith Ko—long-dead legendary member of Tayo Dai, Islander
Hoban Felessan—long-dead legendary member of Tayo Dai, from far north
—The Daryathi—
Bekaara il-Shakiri—Obed's cousin & heir to Shakiri Line
Thalassa il-Shakiri—Bekaara's daughter
Thiben—Bekaara's ex-husband, father to Thalassa
Shaneen il-Shakiri—Obed's deceased mother, Bekaara's younger sister
Shakiri Shathina—Bekaara's mother, Obed's aunt, Head of Shakiri Line
Habadra Khori—Head of Habadra Line, rivals to Shakiri
Chani il-Habadra—Khori's daughter & heir to Habadra Line
Night Varyl-sa—gift from Habadra Khori to Varyl Line Nur im-Nathain—West magic “nathain,” Truthsayer
Maathin—Head justiciar in Mestada
Murat Konethi-ti—Grandmaster of Edabi Skola
Ruel Dobruk-sa—champion & dedicat-candidate at Edabi Skola
Athen im-Nuredi—dedicat at Edabi Skola
Yanith Nabili-tha—dedicat at Edabi skola
Kassid Penthili-tha—"fuzzhead” at Edabi Skola
Farrin Chosidi-sa—champion at Edabi Skola
Jaget—gatekeeper at Edabi Skola
Cori—Elder of Edabi village
Lutha—Elder of Edabi village
Sothi—Elder of Edabi village
Sadim—metalsmith in Edabi village
Falon One-Eye—Dockside thug in Mestada
Kerik—champion-for-hire in Mestada Zyan
Habadra-sa—housekeeper to Habadra
House
Zatha Penthili-ti—housekeeper to Penthili House
—The Demons—
Khoriseth
Zughralithiss
Tchyrizel (destroyed in Tibre)
* * *
APPENDIX 2
ADARAN CALENDAR
The Adaran year has 389 days, divided into forty-three weeks, plus two days for year's end and beginning. The weeks are nine days long—six weekdays, which are numbered (Firstday, Secondday, Thirdday, etc.), and three days for the week's end: Graceday, Hopeday and Peaceday.
There are eleven months in the year. Seven months are 35 days long, four have 36 days—exactly four of the nine-day weeks. The m
onths are: Donis, Lutis, Terris, Miel, Katenda, Norenda, Vendra, Silba, Orade, Forende, Tyrell.
Miel, Norenda, Orade and Tyrell are the thirty-six-day months. The year being slightly longer, the seasons are slightly longer as well. The year changes at midwinter in Adara with the two-day year's end holiday.
* * *
APPENDIX 3
COMPASS MAGIC
The magic is represented by the compass rose symbol. The red rose in the center stands for the One God from whom all things come, including the gifts of magic. About twenty percent of women and ten percent of men have a magic gift. A person is born with magic, or they are not, but whether one is gifted is not generally known until puberty when most magic manifests.
South is represented by a yellow flame. South magic is the magic of hearth and home, and thus the origin of fire magic, as well as more practical magics like those that preserve cloth or food, pest control, brewing and so on. The majority of those with gifts of magic have South magic.
East magic is the next most frequently encountered. East magic has to do with living things, with birth and other beginnings. In the compass rose symbol, it is represented by a green twining vine. East magic is agriculture and animal husbandry, fertility, health and medicine and similar sorts of things.
North magic has to do with non-living things, such as earth, water, wind, electricity and metals. It shows up in the compass rose as a blue lightning bolt. North magicians are relatively rare. They have talents for mining, controlling winds, forging, earth moving and other things of that sort.
West magic is the rarest of the four. It is represented by a black briar, and has to do with death, endings and mysteries. Some West magic, such as far-speaking and far-seeing, was folded into North magic when West magic and naitani were suppressed, because it was too useful. Other types of West magic, such as foreseeing or speaking with ghosts, vanished. West magic is not easily explained and makes most people—even others with magic—uneasy.
* * *
APPENDIX 4
NUMERIC SYMBOLISM
+ One (1)—Number for the One God. The One is made up of many parts, but is still One.
+
+ Two (2)—Humanity, and by extension, all creation, because of duality of sexes, two arms, two legs, two eyes, ears, etc.
+
+ Three (3)—"Perfection,” humankind plus God.
+
+ Four (4)—Family, human community.
+
+ Seven (7)—A “bad” number, indicates imperfection, falling short, flaws. A number for demons and bad omens.
+
+ Eight (8)—Two fours, the number of human completion, human understanding.
+
+ Nine (9)—Three threes, perfection completed.
+
+ Twelve (12) has a faint symbolism, a feeling of family completed—which is perhaps why it's considered the maximum number of adults married into an ilian—but it's not as important as the other numbers.
Numbers have less symbolism than colors. Most Adarans wouldn't necessarily consider having seven in an ilian bad luck, but having three, four, eight or nine of something would be a good omen.
End of Appendices
* * *
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