Magic's Genesis- Reckoning

by Rosaire Bushey

  “And Alabast? Are there others like him as well?”

  “There are. Alabast comes from a race of people who dwell at the very bottom of the world, the Fandersh. Their world is cold and unwelcoming and their people cunning and ruthless – hard climates make hard people; I think you will agree.”

  “Thank you, Karjan, for your hospitality. If I find your people, I will speak well of you to them.” Hokra raised himself up and kissed her and was caught off guard when she wrapped him in her arms and tail and kissed him back, lowering him to the floor and flicking both sets of her eyelids rapidly for a moment, before setting his feet back upon the floor.

  “I would meet some of the Wisken before you mention my name. I have learned much here that I did not know when I was alive, and perhaps the name Karjan does not command the respect on Eigrae as it does in the Nethyn Plains.” She turned her attention back to the group at large and asked who would choose the path.

  “Perhaps we would do well to let our leader make this choice,” Hokra said. “I think she can keep us on the right path.”

  Karjan smiled and held out her hand for Abulet who desposited the fire ring in her palm. Putting the ring on the fingers of her left hand, she pressed it into the large table and moments later a gem path covered the table like a fine silk cloth.

  Hokra winked at Lydria who touched the paths as Hokra had and held the small statuette in her hand. After a quick glance to Karjan she said, “we will take the sapphire path.”

  Lydria didn’t wait for anyone else or more goodbyes as she stepped onto the table and walked along the blue gems and was gone. The others followed quickly, Haustis accounting that she felt it fitting the wielder should choose the blue path to find her way home.

  The gem path continued far from the table, entering woods that were a long way from Karjan’s home, before disappearing altogether and leaving only the dirt footpath and soon, a circle of brick and stone where the paths diverged, back to where they had started. They had come back along a different path than the one they had taken, and when Lydria pointed this out to Haustis she began to laugh.

  “I think Mistress Karjan’s paths all lead here – at least when they are being used to take someone out of the kingdoms. I do not think the paths were ever made for such a journey.”

  Dravud walked at the front with Lydria leading them through the forest and into the palms and finally the beach itself, where several empty huts stood as silent sentinels near the golden dock. As Dravud’s feet touched the sand, Lydria watched him, expecting to see a transformation take place. He turned to her and held his hands out to his sides.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint, but this is me now. I can no longer change from a young man into a wise guide – only from what you see, to my other true form.”

  They walked past the huts and along the sand to the gold dock and then to the end of that, looking across the glass-smooth surface, waiting for the boat to take them across the Placid Abyss.

  Dravud waited at the end of the dock with them. “It is odd, I have never been able to come onto the dock before. Always I waited on the shore. If I needed a surety that Griffis was gone, this must be it.”

  Lydria could see the faint outline of a shape on the water and turned to their guide, “Dravud, after Wynter opened a path here, and you …”

  “Died? There is no shame in a death with purpose, Wielder. Only a life without.”

  “After you died, we spent time on our journey north with Sanprax Viridian and Synca. Though they had no idea we would ever see you again, she expressed her sadness at your loss. And Sanprax, he said he was proud to be your son and that he would always remember what you did. I wanted you to know that there was much purpose in your life, and that you live on still on Eigrae through your mate, and your son.”

  Dravud nodded his head and said nothing. He didn’t look up for a long time, during which the boat drifted ever nearer. When he did raise his head, he breathed deeply though he did not need breath, and there were tears in his eyes. He cried openly and freely, and Lydria opened her arms to accept him, offering soothing words to the King of the Nethyn Plains.

  “Thank you,” he said at last, raising his head from Lydria’s shoulder and turning to Hokra and Haustis who stood nearby but did not look directly at him out of respect. “Thank you all. You have done a greater deed here than you can ever know, and it saddens me that by way of payment you will be subjected now to the torment that has endured here for time untold.” He looked directly at Lydria and held her by her shoulders, “bring my love and remembrances to Sanprax Viridian and Synca. She is strong and wise. She will help you against Griffis and all who would work on the side of darkness.”

  The boat bumped gently against the golden dock as his words died in the air and he nodded cordially to the boatwoman. “Something new for you – return passengers. See them safely to the other side so they might return to Eigrae.” Dravud stepped forward and moved close to the boatwoman, speaking but producing no sound. The boatwoman inclined her head in a bow and motioned for the others to stand aside as a passenger they hadn’t noticed stepped off the boat and onto the dock. It was S’rolek and he looked at the others as if seeing them all for the first time. Dravud smiled broadly and pointed out the cottage on the beach, assuring the Chag that he would speak to him shortly and help him find his way.

  The king then held out his hand toward the boat for the others and Hokra and Haustis went aboard and stood with their backs to the beach, facing the expanse of open sea. Lydria faced the shore – maintaining contact with Dravud until the dock and the island simply disappeared.

  “It is great tidings that have been heard from throughout the Nethyn Plains, and it is said it was you three who have made such tidings possible. You have my thanks.” The boatwoman said nothing else for a long time and the others asked nothing of her. They were enjoying the shining sun and the motionless water, happy to be away from the Plains. When there was no land in any direction, the boat stopped, and the woman trilled. Soon the enormous beast Komesoh rose from the depth and repeated the process of putting his tongue onto the craft and Lydria thought they would be asked for payment once more, but she had nothing she would part with – least of all the sword she carried. The boatwoman stepped onto the beasts’ tongue and walked into the cavernous mouth. It was an uncomfortably long time before she returned, carrying with her the model sword the beast had swallowed when they traveled to the beach the first time.

  “I should not accept payment from those who have given so much and asked for nothing in return. I will return now what I took from you.” She turned to Haustis and handed the hilt to her. “Last of the Haustis, take this, craft of your kin, and use it to return yourselves to your home. Choose the time of your passage carefully, as you will have but one chance, for after the blade cleaves the air in two, and you three pass, the doorway will close forever and the weapon will return to me, to live out eternity in the belly of Komesoh. You will need no stone for this – it is the last gift of Wilmamen.”

  Haustis accepted the weapon with reverence and held it to her chest. “Thank you.”

  “I would ask a boon of you, though I have no right to such a prize.” The boatwoman looked uncomfortable but met the gaze of each of them in earnest. “I would have you name me,” she said.

  The request came as a shock, but Lydria gathered with the others and quickly provided an answer. “I do not know your brother, but he was called Sol, the sun, and your father Wynter. I should name you after your brother, and the opposite of your father, and name you Summer. Will you accept this name?”

  The woman bowed, but this time from the waist, her trim figure bending easily like a sapling, and her arms spread out like wings. “You do me honor, and I accept this name gladly.”

  Summer returned to the prow of the small vessel and moved them forward. During their journey she spoke happily and easily with each of them and told them some of what little she knew of the people of the Nethyn Plains. “They do not often spea
k with me, so what little I know, I learn from watching. However I came to be here, and in this position, I can easily say, that very few of those who ride the lake deserve what awaits them. Perhaps that is something the elders of the Melting Grae should consider with Griffis no longer among the dead.”

  Very soon, too soon it seemed as Summer was very good company and seemed to enjoy being able to converse with passengers who looked forward to their destination, a dock was outlined on a thin horizon, and soon it was in plain sight, and a breath later, they were pulling alongside.

  “Go well, Wielders, and the Last Haustis. I pray you will not need my services again.” They thanked Summer for her help and stepped onto the dock. Lydria stepped onto the dock and turned toward Summer, expecting the woman and the boat to both be gone, and was surprised to find her standing still on the prow of her boat.

  “I wait for another. He will come soon. Perhaps you should wait before you make your way inland.”

  They sat on the dock as they had when they first arrived, putting their feet in the water and absorbing the warm rays of the sun so long hidden from them. Their wait was not long before a man appeared by the beach and ignoring G’Brin entirely, made his way straight to the dock.

  “He seems very sure of himself,” Lydria said.

  “He has made the journey before,” Summer explained. As she said it all three noticed the burned face and pale skin encircling his neck and they moved quickly to their feet. “Be at ease Wielder, he is no threat to you now. His spirit will journey to the Plains and his mind will be at rest so long as he remains on the beach.”

  The man arrived at the end of the dock and looked at the three living beings who stood between him and the boat. He was casually interested, but not impolite. He seemed willing to wait so that he would not interrupt them. As she watched his face and his eyes, Lydria saw something of the man Wynter could have been had fortune not turned his hand and taken his family from him. She leaned forward and whispered to Hokra who, after several seconds, nodded his agreement, and then to Haustis, Lydria asked if they should tell Wynter who piloted the boat that would take him to the Nethyn Plains.

  Haustis considered the question and saw in her sister the desire to do something nice for the man who had sworn to murder her and everyone she held dear. She smiled, pleased by the light within her kin. “Would it be a kindness to allow them this time together – the one who has never known the other, and the one who as he stands here, barely knows his own name? Or would it be a source of regret and bitterness to have such a short time with each other only to never see each other again?”

  “This is the Grey again, is it not, sister? If we choose to do good, we may harm him; and if we choose to do what we think is unkind, he will be free of the burden.”

  “Wielder.” It was Summer and she motioned for the women to come to her by the side of her boat. “Dravud said that when we arrived on the dock and this man arrived, I was to give you this.”

  Lydria took a small piece of parchment and saw upon it in green ink that looked as if it were etched in metal, a seal with a dragon’s head and the letters DW. Suppressing a wave of emotion, she cracked the seal to find a letter written in a flourishing green script. “If you are reading this then I have not underestimated you, for you are filled with an abundance of mercy and are an example for all kings and queens. The boatwoman does not know of her father, and he similarly is unaware of her. I’m sure there is consideration to his fate and your consideration is the sign the boatwoman looked for to hand you this note. I would not have you leave the Nethyn Plains with a heavy heart, or a soul that might one day wonder if it had done right, so please, be at peace. Introduce your fallen foe to the daughter he never knew, and his daughter to him. With my residence now in Vul, the Nethyn Plains are in need of a new lieutenant on the beach. The boatwoman has another letter that she will provide Wynter when he arrives at the dock. Father and daughter cannot be together, but they may see each other for all time. So long as Wynter remains on the beach, he will never encounter those memories of his time deeper within the Nethyn Plains. I will assign a new guide to join him on the beach, and to escort travelers inland. Let Wynter be what he has never had the chance to be – at peace.”

  Lydria’s affection for Dravud grew more than she thought it could and she held the note to Haustis and said, “Summer, I would like to introduce you to someone - someone who loved you greatly.”

  Lydria motioned for the man on shore to come out to the end of the dock and she shook his hand and smiled, moving forward to hug him, tears in her eyes.

  “What have I done? Have I offended you?” Wynter asked. Lydria laughed, thinking nothing the man could have said would have confirmed to her how he had changed more than that simple question.

  “You have not offended me. But though you don’t know me, I am aware of you, Wynter.” Her use of his name caused him to step back slightly and look warily at her and her friends, not from distrust but merely out of curiosity. “I would like to introduce you to someone; someone you may not remember yet, but whom you might remember by the time your journey has ended.

  “Wynter of Eigrae, it is my pleasure to introduce to you to Summer. A long time ago, you had a girl child, a child you never knew because her time with you on Eigrae was so short. Summer is that child, and you are her father.”

  Wynter stepped forward slowly, unsure of how to react, but he held out his hand politely and smiled at the boatwoman, his expression changing measurably as his skin touched hers.

  “It can’t be…”

  “Hello, father.” Summer’s voice shook, as if she had felt something when they touched as well. Without another look to Lydria or the others, Summer held out both her hands to Wynter who took them and stepped into the boat. Together they sat facing one another and the boat moved very slowly away from the dock.

  “At that speed they will never get to the beach,” Hokra said.

  “I think that is the plan, my friend.” Haustis placed her hand on the Chags’ shoulder and they watched the boat move away until they could no longer see it.

  “Where do we go now? How do we know when or where to slice the air to make our gate home?” Hokra seemed anxious to go and Lydria couldn’t blame him. She too was looking forward to seeing Kimi again and her friends, and watching her sister become a queen.

  “There is nothing to do but move forward,” Lydria said. “We could consult the stone?”

  “No,” Haustis said. “Let us walk for a time. I’m sure Dravud has made arrangements for us.” On the beach, they spoke for a moment with G’Brin who was more than surprised to see them again, but their time in his hut was short. “You must go,” G’Brin said after a brief reacquaintance. “Another guide awaits you, although one far more to your liking, I’d wager.” Lydria and the others said their good-byes and left the cottage, hiking up the small rise that they knew would lead to a grassy plain full of wildflowers.

  And surely, after cresting the rise, a young man came to meet them on the road. He was alone and happy to find them. They shared the trail and the young man told them how he had only seemed to have just arrived and did not know anyone.

  As they walked the young man introduced himself formally as Sol. Lydria hugged him and they sat together on the field and begged him to tell them of his journey. His tale was swift as he remembered little of either his life on Eigrae or his time in the Melting Grae.

  “I am afraid,” Sol said, “that I do remember something. I remember my father and how he killed my mother. After that, there is darkness.”

  Haustis and Lydria sat on either side of the boy and each wrapped an arm around him, their soothing light embracing him. He looked up and smiled and asked if they knew his father.

  “As it turns out, we do,” Lydria said. “And I know this as well – your father did not kill your mother. He eased her pain.” Together Lydria and Haustis told Sol the story of the plague of Thrushton and how it hurt Wynter dearly to ease the passing of his wife. “They lov
ed each other, and they loved you. And your sister,” Lydria added.

  Haustis told the boy of his sister, and how if he were to go to the beach, he would find a man named G’Brin who would be happy to have a friend and when the boat docked, he should introduce himself to the boatwoman, Summer. “Tell her your name and she will know. Your family cannot be together, but your sister will be a link between you and your father.”

  “And my mother?”

  There was a moment of silence before anyone spoke. It was Hokra who stood up and held out his hand for the boy to take and together they walked toward the beach leaving Lydria and Haustis in the field.

  When Hokra came back he held out his hands for them to stand as well to continue their journey. They did not ask what he had told Sol, but they knew by his face that he had told the boy something close to the truth.

  They began walking again and soon, another man came to them, and embraced Haustis and Lydria, happy to see his granddaughters again. More came soon after, Nethyal, and the penultimate Haustis. They shared a fire and the women and Hokra told their stories and the story of Sol.

  “We will go to the lake and speak with Sol. If he wishes, he can join us,” said Ghern. “He will be among friends and we will make sure he understands the pains his father went through to find him.” Ghern rose and the others followed suit, each saying their farewells, and Ghern leading the travelers up the road.

  “The next time we meet we will all be together again,” Ghern said. “But now is not that time. You have done well as Haustis. We are very proud.”

  “But I am Haustis no more, and I will return to the name given by my tribe,” she said.

  “No. As the last you should keep this name and honor it. You will no longer be the Haustis, but you will be Haustis always. The knowledge you have gained from generations of your people will not be lost to you. Now,” he said, turning to Lydria, “it is time for you to leave. Your home awaits.”