She turns back to me and again all the cruelty she displays to the others disappears as though it never existed. “Such a sad and sheltered life you have led. Perhaps… just perhaps, I might grant you a transfer. Yet more to think on.” She begins humming again, the same song she hummed the first time she left us, but not the same song she hums when she approaches.
~~~
Novanus doesn’t bother to wait for the sound to entirely fade, “It’s only been what, two days, and already you’ve managed to sell us out and switch loyalties to the other side? Very impressive! Of course, I’ll still have to kill you if we get free… what a waste of talent that will be.”
Oddly, he really does sound impressed. What kind of a life have I stumbled into?
He continues, “You know, if you had been born one of us, you could have been great.”
“I don’t understand…”
Celeste’s voice replies, “No, you wouldn’t, of course. Lumina is an extremely old place, and we tend to live very long lives. We are stronger, smarter, and in every other way conceivable superior to nearly all others. After a while, life gets boring without worthy competition… so we turn on each other.” My eyes widen and she continues. “Not in important issues, of course. We never endanger our realm on purpose, and we don’t kill each other. Maim, sometimes, but not kill. We also heal quickly and completely, for the most part. And don’t think it’s just physical battles we play – many prefer political and mental games. And then, of course, there is gambling. Even servants like yourself can expect to be the subject of many wagers.”
“So… what is the purpose of your lives?”
“Officially, to protect and serve Lumina and the Spire of Order.”
“And is it often endangered?”
“No. That’s just the thing, you see. Being the source of order, it’s more real than any other object in the Universe – not much can harm it. But some insist that there will come a time when it will be threatened, and so we wait for the time when we are truly needed.”
“That sounds…”
“Boring, I know. Fortunately there is the occasional scuffle with those of our opposing realm to liven things up.”
Novanus voice breaks in, truly angry. “Fortunately?!? Wait until you lose your only child to an ‘occasional scuffle’ and then tell me it’s fortunate! Some of us would be perfectly happy without any scuffles to liven up our lives! But…” his voice drops several decibels, “such is the fate of those who are foolish enough to love. Mark my words, both of you. It is better to never love at all than to face the utter devastation caused by its loss.”
“Do not listen to him, Sarah. Love, even a secret love, can be a great source of strength.”
I want to agree with her and point out that even a single day of truly being loved would be far preferable to living a life alone, no matter how empty the loss leaves one. It isn’t a discussion to have here, though, so I hold my silence and lay my head down to try to get some more rest. Novanus' insistence on draining my strength is, after all, quite tiring.
Chapter 7
The Love of Brothers
I awake to his urgent whisper, “Sarah, are you awake? Sarah!”
What? Oh yes, my assumed identity. I whisper back, “Yes, barely.”
“Listen, I think our rescue is on its way. Come here, now – I need to touch you.” Not again… but dutifully I approach. The instant my hand touches his ankle I feel strength rush into me! He explains, “You will need your strength, and we may need your abilities. Quick, grab your pouch from behind me and eat what you can.” I happily comply, and after I’ve consumed some dried fruit and a biscuit or so and drank some water, he says, “Sarah, these chains are forged to be unbreakable by physical means, but I suspect you can help me.”
“I’ll try.” After tying the pouch strings around my left wrist and assuring my grip on it is sound, I summon a vibration blade, extending out from my right forefinger, and draw it across the chains – they fall apart. I can hear his smile in the way it alters the tone of his voice, “Thank you, Sarah.” Then he inhales sharply as we both hear it – humming, the approach song. “Can you stop her? Can you sour her song?”
What an interesting idea. “I’ll try.” I alter the notes that reach us, but that isn’t enough. I reach back through the vibrations, altering them as close as I can to the source. The volume decreases a little, then starts coming again from a different direction. It works! I throw all my concentration into the task, each time souring her song more, sending her farther away. I feel jostled, but ignore it – I have to concentrate! Finally the approach song disappears altogether and I find myself being crushed by strong arms.
“Shi'ahn! I was so worried about you!”
“William! I knew you would come for me!” I collapse into his embrace, melding myself against him. My beloved and warm brother.
I hear a voice I don’t recognize to the side, “Whoa Baby!”
William’s voice is much more welcomed, so caring. “You’re cold! Here.” He sweeps a cloak from his shoulders and drapes it around me – it is warm from his exertions and feels wonderful! I raise my head from his shoulder and realize he has carried me out of the cell, we stand in a hallway, and… Novanus gently cradles Aurora in his arms, but he is gazing deeply into Gwenllian’s eyes! My sensitive ears hear Novanus’ whispered words,
“Gwen… my savior yet again.”
Celeste steps out of the cell with her hair arranged in such a way as to cover most of what I doubt she wants everyone staring at.
William’s voice assumes a commanding tone, “Come – we must move quickly – this place is a death trap!” He draws a sword with his right hand and grabs me firmly with his left, and down the corridor we flee. William explains as we continue, “This place is highly shielded – transport crystals don’t work here. Gwenllian’s ship awaits outside past the canyon.”
My life consists of few things now – run with William as he holds my right hand in his vice-like grip, and hold onto the pouch with my left. Aside from listening for the witch’s song, nothing else matters. Perhaps it is the shock of surroundings change, but once we step past the gates I become aware of much more. Novanus must have handed Aurora to Celeste, who now carries her flung over a shoulder, Novanus suddenly becomes… far more than he was inside, as though the castle itself had shielded him from his true power – his wounds are fully healed and he once again radiates power, but now it is an angry, raging brilliance. There is a presence about him though, subliminally suggesting vast space, as though he is truly far more than one usually can perceive. He looks like an avenging archangel.
A vast army surrounds the outside of the castle.
William comments, “Reinforcements have arrived.”
Our plight would seem hopeless, but then Novanus draws his hand across their positions and their front lines fall dead. I would not have guessed him to be so… formidable. And he swells slightly in size. It is almost as though instead of merely killing the soldiers, he somehow incorporated them into himself. Is such a thing possible?
I tear my eyes away from Novanus and notice another figure, a man I vaguely remember seeing outside our cell. He has very short-cropped light hair, a large and yet not particularly attractive build, and a familiar, arrogant expression. I instinctively dislike him… he reminds me of the man outside the Emperor’s office, the heir Vespasian. Yes… I saw him recently at the Emperor’s table… Vespasian’s son? Nero, I believe. I pull my eyes away before he notices my reaction, and see there are some very strange features to this castle we have just escaped. The stoutest bridge I have ever seen emerges from one of the castles' turrets. It does not look natural. Neither does another bridge made out of arrows. It is perfectly straight, but the angle of its… existence makes it entirely pointless.
Enemy troops approach us from many directions, it’s easy to see that we must get away. William pulls me in the direction of the smoldering remains of a structure, as we approach it I see it was once a bri
dge spanning a wide chasm. Nero invokes a spell in a loud but not particularly resonant voice, and another very stout looking bridge appears. We run for our lives. Partway across the new bridge starts feeling… spongy. It becomes difficult to keep up with the others, Nero speaks again between gasps of air.
“There may be… a problem. This bridge will carry men… but…” I look down and see that it is only we women who are sinking into the structure.
William sweeps me into his arms without hesitation. Novanus snaps up Celeste and Aurora.
Nero complains, “Hey, don’t I get one of the naked ones?” A guard snatches up Gwenllian.
Silently I ask William for confirmation of who the ineffective cad is. ‘That’s Nero, Vespasian’s son.’
‘I was afraid of that.’ Once we reach the end of the bridge Nero speaks yet another spell, and the bridge we just crossed explodes in flames. I think to William, ‘Well, he’s good at burning bridges.’ He sets me down with a laugh and we continue running, just in case our pursuers are also good at building bridges. Novanus, however, hands Aurora back to Celeste and holds his ground, looking intensely back to the other side. A tortured scream splits the air, I’m pretty sure it belongs to our captor; I look back and see Novanus pointing at a burning figure. I hear him somehow project words to the burning woman, she is the only one intended to hear: “This is for Aurora.” Her scream continues for an unnaturally long time, given the manor of her… execution.
We finally come to the most beautiful sailing ship I've ever seen, a large, three-masted schooner. The sails are much the same colors as the Citadel, pale blue shot through with traceries of indigo and violet. Oddly, it sits on bare rock and we must climb a rope ladder to get aboard. I can’t help my look of concern. Gwenllian smiles, “She’s more versatile than she looks.”
Novanus suddenly rejoins us, and without even the slightest shaking, we begin to rise into the air. William laughs, “You haven’t seen anything yet!” Soon we are streaking into the sky, the air becoming thinner; there is a sort of zap, and a barrier strengthens around the ship.
Novanus once again takes Aurora up, cradling her tenderly in his arms, and carries her away into the ship. Gwenllian walks over to me and says,
“I suspect you’d like to freshen up?” I unconsciously sniff the air.
“Oh yes… Novanus was right, you do get used to it, but right now I can think of nothing I would like more than a bath.” She nods understandingly.
“Then come this way.” She leads me to a small but not uncomfortable room. “You will find some spare clothing in the closet there – chose whatever you wish.” I close the door behind me and toss William’s cloak and my bag to the floor as I almost run to the bath. What I find is a shower, but a very nice one. It even massages.
Ah, what luxury, to be clean and warm once again… I could stay here forever. My stomach loudly disagrees; time to get dressed and find some food! I chose a midnight blue dress, but before I finish dressing I notice that smell again – the cloak and bag! A quick cleaning spell should do it. The cloak is soon fine, but the bag takes several spells. When it is presentable most of the food has also been cleaned out of it… Rats! There’s a knock at the door.
“Shi'ahn?” I open it and am almost hit by the wonderful smell of food.
“Thank you William! Come in, come in!” It’s amazing how urgent I suddenly feel, but the smell, it’s so… enticing. William laughs.
“Geez, Shi'ahn, I’ve never seen you so…”
I pause, realizing that I’ve been stuffing food into my mouth, barely pausing to chew before swallowing. I use my music to project my thoughts aloud, “Unladylike?” He laughs again. “Honestly, William, I’ve never been so hungry before in my life.”
“This is new. Has Novanus been showing you party tricks?”
“Hardly, though he is partially responsible for my hunger. He kept draining my strength from me so I would appear to be a servant, instead of another member of the Imperial family. It worked, but… I’m famished.”
“Yes, I see that. Shi'ahn, how long were you in that dungeon?”
“About three days or so… I’m not really sure. Novanus had been there for weeks before we arrived.”
“Weeks! Was he given any food during that time?”
“No – no food or water. He was in pretty bad shape when we arrived. He had even, and I know this sounds strange, but he had shrunk. Fortunately, I’d stuffed much of my unfinished breakfast into that bag I was carrying, and the cell was very damp, so I condensed some water for him. With that and the energy he kept taking from me, he recovered quite a bit. And then, after you rescued us and he killed so many of the soldiers, he regained much of his mass. He is a strange and frightening man.”
“Wow.”
A disembodied voice suddenly fills the room. “Folding space in thirty seconds.” I look questioningly at William.
“That means sit down or hold onto something, you’re about to feel sort of… well, weird.” I put down my grapes and make sure everything is swallowed properly.
“Five, Four, Three, Two, One, Follllddddddiiiiiiiiinnnnnggg complete.”
Whoa, what was that? For a few moments I felt like, well, like I was turned inside out, scrambled about a bit, then poured back into my skin? I swallow hard, just in case some of my meal hadn’t been entirely returned to my stomach.
“Like I said, it feels weird. Finished eating for a while?”
“Ah, yes, yes I think I’ll just let everything settle for a bit.”
“Well then, care for a tour? This ship is fascinating!” Without waiting for a reply he jumps up like a child who’s just been offered a trip to a chocolate factory. “You’re going to love this!”
His excitement, as usual, is contagious. My discomfort all but forgotten, I follow him out. He leads me deeper into the ship, while explaining the capabilities of this amazing vessel.
“This ship is larger on the inside than the outside, and can take on different forms when needed. It can sail the seas, dive below them, fold space or, as we are now doing, cross deep space.”
“But, if we just folded space, shouldn’t we be back home now?”
“According to Gwenllian, you can’t fold space from just anywhere, at least not when you’re as far out as we were. You also can’t do it very close to Lumina – it’s too real, to fixed.”
“William, just how far away were we?” His expression of mixed amusement and of being impressed sends a chill down my spine.
“Pretty far out. Reality was only marginally stable there… you were deep in Chaos, nearly half way to what they call the Rimall.”
“The Rimall?”
“All I know is that it is just this side of the end of everything.
“But then… how did you ever find us?”
“That’s an interesting story, actually. You see, while we were out searching for you, we picked up a distress signal from Alma. I wasn’t very pleased with the detour, but as it happened, while we were rescuing her I felt, well, I felt your presence. I've always felt something I can't describe when you work your version of not-quite-sorcery, and soon after we landed it was like alarms going off in my head. I just knew you were in that castle.”
“That’s almost too lucky to be believed. So Alma is on the ship as well?”
“Yes, but you don’t want to see her now – trust me.” Just then, Gwenllian enters the room.
“So, Shi'ahn, what do you think of my ship?”
“It’s… amazing. It has so many functions, so many fascinating capabilities, and yet… it’s absolutely beautiful.”
My words strike a favorable chord with her, she caresses a wall before responding. “Her name is Hiraeth. My father created her… he was, even for one of us, a prodigy. Not many have successfully created devices that can fold space – let alone all the other wonders of this ship. And yet, he also loved the simple life, he loved sailing.” I recognize the longing in her voice, she still misses him tremendously.
“Wh
at happened to your father, Gwenllian?” She frowns.
“He… disappeared. I have asked the Emperor, but he will not speak of it. They were close, you see, and Father was his heir. Maximus firmly believes that he will return, but he has been gone for a very long time, I fear I have lost hope.” There is a chiming alarm, and she says, “Excuse me, we will soon reach the transition point. We will be in Lumina within the hour.”
William leads me out to the deck.
“You're going to love this, Sis.”
He's right, the night sky surrounds us – space. It still looks like a sailing ship, but I was right about the shielding around the ship, it's quite impressive. We seem to leave the majority of stars and planetary systems behind us, there is but one planet ahead – a water world. We approach it rather quickly.
“This is going to be so cool!”
He sounds excited, whereas I… prefer to fly dragons. Safe, dependable. Nearly indestructible. We plunge into the water – deeply.
“That was amazing!”
He sounds like the little boy I remember so well. I can almost hear him ask if we can do it again, but he restrains himself. I think, now that I know it's safe, I'll enjoy it much more the next time. I must admit that being underwater with the shielding around us is intriguing. There are some pretty large fish in these waters. We surface too quickly to properly enjoy the sights, and set sail for the Citadel.
Chapter 8
A Less Than Warm Reception
Immediately upon our return, we are met by three separate escorts; one consists of medical personnel intent upon taking custody of Aurora. Novanus moves to go with them, but the second escort intervenes. “The rest of you are to be taken to the throne room immediately.”
“She is my sister, and I will see that she is given proper care!”
One of the medical staff steps forward, “Count Novanus, I understand your concern for her, but I assure you we will give her the best care possible.”
Between Darkness and Light Trilogy Page 9
