I try to catch his eyes, “Your time of isolation should be over now, Llywelyn. We need you - Lumina needs you.” Again he takes my hand and raises it to his lips as his eyes captivate me. I could so happily stay here forever, but my attention is drawn away by an approaching harmony. “We near the barrier, Llywelyn.”
His voice becomes concerned. “What should we do, Shi'ahn – stop the ship until you have disabled the barrier?”
“No, continue sailing toward it. This barrier cannot be disabled, nor should it – but it can be penetrated. I will get us through this, Llywelyn, I swear it.” He lets go my hand and I begin the mind-centering dance. I am song, I am dance, I am Universe Dust… I reach out to the barrier, much as I did before, and try to join with it. I make its harmony envelop me, and then expand it out to envelop the entire ship. We are not intruders, not escapees, we belong – we must be free to cross the barrier. I reach out to that which is beyond, and metaphysically grabbing it, I pull us through.
~~~
Strong arms envelop me. “Shi'ahn, are you all right?”
Strength rushes back into me, though my mind still feels tired. “Yes, I'm fine. I just haven't been doing this kind of thing for very long – it takes a lot of effort.” He smiles and releases his hold on me, then looks around and seems shocked. I listen to our surroundings – we are in the oceans of Lumina!
His voice sounds strange, as though he is assailed by many emotions, but is unwilling to freely express them. “I'm home. I'm finally home.” He captures my eyes with his yet again. “Thank you, Shi'ahn, I truly appreciate your help.” The expression in his eyes is captivating, though I can't decipher it's meaning. All I know is it is the most enthralling gaze to ever hold mine, I want nothing more than to bask in it as long as possible. “And yet, I must ask of you one final thing. You have something of mine, a ring. I would ask you to return it to me before we reach the Citadel.”
His ring? His amazing eyes shift momentarily down to my power siphon, shattering the effect of his gaze. Rats! It’s so useful… He continues looking at me with a far different expression, holding out his hand expectantly. I almost stammer, “I hadn’t known. It isn’t particularly easy to remove.”
“That will no longer be a problem.”
With a sigh of regret, (and a moment of relief remembering that Cailli had severed my links to Shiral) I slip it off and hand it to him. The instant he places it on his right index finger I sense hundreds of links being re-established – it apparently has far more capabilities than I had been aware of! It’s strange, the power connections he creates aren’t nearly as… easy to sense as mine had been; if I hadn’t worn it myself I may not be able to discern their existence at all, and I can’t track them – I have no idea what he is linking to. I suddenly feel like I’ve been using the most immense, intricate pipe organ in all existence to play chopsticks… The impressive feel of power Llywelyn emanates increases dramatically. I can see why Gwenllian spoke of him with such awe in her voice; he is truly extraordinary, even for a prince of Lumina.
He smiles, “Would you care to choose something a bit more appropriate to return home in?” He glances down at my tree-created pantsuit.
“Yes, I would appreciate that a great deal.” He leads me into the ship, to the captain’s quarters, and opens a closet.
“Feel free to chose whatever you like from here.”
“These aren't Gwenllian's clothes, are they?”
“No, this wardrobe provides whatever is necessary or requested. If you do not care for any of these dresses, just close the door, then open it yourself, and clothing to your preference will appear. I will await you on deck. Oh yes, and feel free to take advantage of the bathing facilities.” He smiles and leaves.
Unlike my first visit here, there is a bath! I enjoy a quick, but decadently luxurious bath, finally washing away the last of that nasty giant fish adventure from my body. All the dresses in Llywelyn's wardrobe feature bodices that lace up either the front or the back; he must like that style. Finding myself eager to please him, I choose a beautiful gown of deep violet that laces up the front. I dress quickly and join him on deck.
He looks at me and smiles. “Excellent choice. Come, let us make a magnificent entrance into the City of Light.”
Chapter 24
Return to Lumina
When his ship reaches the docks of Lumina, a wide boarding plank extends to the dock. Llywelyn holds out his hand for me to take, looking at me as though I am the sole reason he is now returned. I feel almost like a child on his arm, he makes me feel… safe. I truly enjoy being at his side.
Very few of the city people have ever seen me before, but many recognize Llywelyn's image – not from first hand experience, I gather from their words, but from legend. I hear, “And he will return at the hand of an Avatar.” “The long missing is returned to deliver us from the darkness.” “Llywelyn the Just – Llywelyn the Merciful.” “The very air will sing at his return.” Each phrase muttered over and over again.
I catch Llywelyn's eyes, “The people remember you.”
“It is gratifying. They seem to believe that you would be the one to bring me here.”
“I have no idea why, very few have even seen me – I haven't been here long at all.”
“Perhaps there is a legend neither of us is aware of.”
If there was, why did the Emperor look displeased when he saw what I've become?
Llywelyn continues, “It seems a good sign. I am anxious to see my father again.”
“About that, Llywelyn,” Guards from the Citadel meet us before I can complete my warning. I'm worried, the Emperor did not seem the least bit pleased when he saw Llywelyn's ring on my finger. Just exactly how does one tell a man that his father may not be pleased to see him? As I try to formulate the words, Gwenllian runs toward us.
“Father! You have returned! Llywelyn releases my hand from his arm to embrace his daughter.
I step back and enjoy the sight – will I ever share such an experience? I can hardly imagine being held in the arms of a father who loves me; it must feel wonderful. Llywelyn glances back questioningly to me, I gesture for him to continue with Gwenllian, I will follow. It's nice to see Gwenllian truly smile, her harmonies give testimony she is undoubtedly the happiest she has been for a very, very long time – if not the happiest ever. After all, when we are young and haven't been separated from those we love, we don't appreciate them as much as we do after they are gone. Someday, someday I wish to be reunited with Mathair. The Emperor's voice jolts me out of my thoughts, how did we get here so fast?
“This cannot be – Llywelyn?” His voice sounds incredulous, and not exactly how one would expect a father to greet a long lost child.
Llywelyn responds in a strong, deep voice, “It is I, Father, your eldest son finally returned to you.” Gwenllian and I both stop advancing, while Llywelyn continues to approach his father.
Vespasian, standing to Augustus’ right, bristles and steps forward. “This can't be Llywelyn – he's been gone for almost two thousand years; no one can survive, let alone thrive as this being obviously has, after having been away from the source for so long! It's a trick, he's an impostor, probably one of our enemies trying to take us down from within.” He turns toward Llywelyn, “I am the heir now, and I will not stand by and allow my father to be misled like this!” If it were possible, I'd almost expect him to explode in his rage. Llywelyn remains outwardly cool, but I can hear building anger in his harmony. There is a glittering off to his left: Cailli.
“Stand down, Boy!” That seems all the attention she wishes to spare Vespasian, she turns to the Emperor. “I assure you that this is your firstborn son, Augustus; returned to you as I had promised long ago. I expect you to hold true to your oath.”
The Emperor's chest swells with more than just air, “LEAVE US!”
I've never heard him sound this upset, everyone in the court leaves but Augustus, Llywelyn, and the Cailliach. Vespasian tries to stay, but Cailli sends him away
. A force field of some type jumps up around them, blocking most sound and light, but I have unusually good hearing; they argue bitterly. I intend to continue eavesdropping, but William runs up to me, and joy at seeing him alive and well trumps my interest in the Imperial conflict.
“Shi'ahn!” I'm caught up in his strong arms – he even swings me around!
Laughter joins the relief in my voice, “William! I was so afraid that you would come to harm.” The throne room doors clang shut behind us, but I no longer care.
“I was indeed in danger. Shi'ahn” He quits speaking aloud, 'We have lost Shiral.'
“WHAT???”
'Not here, Shi'ahn.' He concentrates on his transport crystal, and we appear in his rooms. “I'm sorry, Shi'ahn, I did all that I could. All three dynasties of Chaos stormed us: Lagash, Akkad, and Temenus. I do not know how they breached the moon shielding, although, to tell the truth, something about it reminded me of you.”
“You think there was a Harmony wielder involved? I wonder, Lagash is the house that Novanus hates so, and he hates me; could it be Harmony that he hates?”
“I don't know, but Lagash was the worst, they came in ships and bombarded us from space!”
“No! How many did we lose? How is Gaea?”
He looks down. “I'm so sorry, Shi'ahn. I was unable to stop them. We lost over half the population, and the deaths continue, primarily in the Lagash holdings; and Gaea… she has gone insane with the pain.” The look in his eyes expresses his pain far better than words; I take him in my arms, much like I used to when we were children.
He feels… slightly wrong, as though he is keeping something from me. I pull back slightly, “William, is there something you are not telling me?”
His pain swells. “I had hoped I wouldn’t have to hit you with everything at once, Shi'ahn. I'm so sorry.” He pauses, unable to continue.
“Tell me, William. I need to know.”
“Zah-Ha'Gor… she was injured. Badly. She chose to enter the stone sleep. We took her to the crystal chamber she had led us to, which I worked extensively to further shield. She melded her mind with Gaea in an attempt to restore her sanity, or at least ease her pain.” I collapse back into his arms, crying for our world, our people, and my beloved Zah-Ha'Gor. The tears surprisingly soon change to resolve.
“At least some survive; as do you. Mark my words, William, we will return. And when we do, we will make them regret their actions. They will wish they had never heard of Shiral.”
He looks up, seeming troubled. “But you cannot return home, you will be instantly discovered.”
“William, I have listened to you, you have grown in knowledge and skill – and so have I. Between the two of us, we will work out a way to shield that cavern so that no one could penetrate it. And once we are back, they will learn that Shiral is ours.” I will hope to fill him as I make it fill my soul, and see the fire of it catch in his eyes. We spend the day plotting our return and how to drive the invaders out. He also explains what he had learned about what had happened to my computer. Apparently Lucian had attempted to use my override code for Shirallian computers in his final attack. My computer had been linked to Gaea at the time, and she began to react. My computer destroyed itself to keep Lucian from gaining access to Gaea. For a computer, it had become almost noble. I vow to myself to restore it; such service, even from a machine, deserves all I can do for it.
In the evening a servant knocks on William's door.
“Excuse me, Lord William, …Lady Shi'ahn, I am to inform you of a war council to convene at 9:00 tomorrow morning in the command chambers.” He leaves, William yawns, and I suddenly realize the time.
“I should be leaving you to get some rest, I'm sorry.”
“You should get some too, Sis.”
“I don't sleep well these days.”
~~~
When I enter my rooms I see one of those odd technological servers. Listening to it reveals nothing dangerous, but it reminds me of Lucian. There is a knock upon my door; it's Lucian, perhaps that's why he had jumped to mind. “Why are you here?”
“I have been sent by the Emperor, of course – to question you. May I join you?”
I sigh, “I suppose there is no avoiding this, is there?”
“No, there isn't; but it need not be unpleasant.”
“Really? Then why don't you leave me a written list of your questions, and I will send you my answers at my earliest convenience?”
He smiles, but not happily. “That will not do, Shi'ahn. The Emperor wants to know how you came to rescue Llywelyn, and he is not willing to wait for answers.”
“Then why don't you just take me to your interrogation chambers and force the information from me? That would be the Emperor's preference, wouldn't it?”
“He did not specify the means, only the outcome. Please, Shi'ahn, just tell me what happened.” He sounds almost tired, or perhaps careworn?
“Oh fine. The truth isn't really all that interesting anyway. William and I had attempted to transport to Shiral to prepare her for the war, but Cailli intercepted me, imprisoning me on a strange, highly shielded world that she described as 'a safe place'. During my explorations I found Llywelyn, who had been trapped in a heavily shielded cave.”
“And how did you manage to free him when he could not do so himself for so long?”
“I happen to have a tremendous amount of power available to me for use, it took a lot to free him.”
“Do you expect me to believe that it was just a matter of available energy?”
“No, I suspect Cailli wanted him to be freed, and so allowed it. She similarly allowed me to slip past the outer barrier soon thereafter, even though she would not let me do so earlier.”
“If what you say is true, why didn't she just let him free herself?”
“I don't know! She said I would not be free until I had done all that I needed to do. You're so superior, you figure it out!”
He pauses. “So…you are willing to admit that you were merely a tool used by the Cailliach to bring about her will?”
I hold out my glowing arms, “Is that such a stretch of the imagination?”
He shakes his head, “No, it is not; being a tool of another's will is certainly not an unusual occurrence here. If that is your final word, it is what I will report to my father.”
I don't even bother to answer, I just stare it him in affirmation. He turns to leave and I decide to listen to him. His harmony sounds odd, sad and angry, and helpless? It doesn't seem right, not for Lucian. The ice in my heart momentarily melts.
“Lucian, what has happened here while I was gone?
His harmony swells with discord, he turns back and his face drops the mask it always wears. I see and hear… unbearable pain and regret. “Much that you will not wish to know. Get some rest while you can, Shi'ahn; tomorrow you will learn more than enough.” He looks as though he wishes to continue, but he holds his tongue. The mask of neutrality returns before he leaves, I get the feeling he is hiding behind it. “Don't forget to eat. Your body may be filled with energy, but it still needs nutrients; possibly even more than before.”
Our strange interaction confuses me so completely that the door is re-closed before I fully realize he is gone. The food server remains, though, and its contents smell wonderful. Well, I suppose there is no reason to refuse it.
After I finish a delicious meal, I turn my attention to my computer, or, what remains of it. The burned out processors fill my heart with sorrow. It was a good computer, loyal to the end. I wish I had studied it more carefully before, I don't even know where to start in repairing it. Wait, William's computer is – was, almost exactly like mine after Cailli altered it. I wish I still had Llywelyn's ring so I could study William's computer. If I could examine it, I could use it as a template for repairing mine. I hate leaving mine as it is, but I don't know what to do to help it. Instead I drop the shielding around it, cut open the casing and carefully remove the processors and memory crystal. At least the crysta
l doesn't seem damaged, probably because there was no way for Lucian to decrypt it. They are not large, I add them to the pouch that conceals my transport crystal, then do my best to shut my mind down, to rest.
~~~
In the morning I expect to see the server gone, but it remains, and opens as I near it; it's covered with a very nice breakfast. It must be a more efficient way to feed everyone in these new, uncertain times. And yet… it abounds with many of my favorite fruits and berries, and a cereal comprised of exotic grains. The yogurt is the creamiest I've ever tasted, and is sprinkled with wild raspberries, strawberries and blueberries – perfection! It seems strange that they are providing such wonderful foods given the uncertain nature of our current circumstances. I'd think they would be preserving such things for later use. Well, they must have some reason, I quit wondering and just enjoy.
William and I walk to the war council together. He smells of sausages, eggs and hash browns – the servants must be targeting our preferences. “Did you enjoy your breakfast, William?”
“Yea, but the kitchen staff sure are on edge lately – they've been burning things. I was surprised not to see you there, has your… condition finally curbed your appetite?”
“No, not at all, the servants have continued delivering meals to my rooms, really wonderful ones, but now they serve them on an odd device called a converting server. It combines technology with sorcery. I figured it must be a more efficient way of serving us.
No, considering the numbers showing up in the kitchens, having us show up to be served is the most efficient.”
“Maybe they feel uncomfortable with my presence. After all, the first time they saw me like this, many either feinted or ran away.”
“Don't take it personally, I think you're beautiful.”
I can't help but smile, then I try to return my thoughts to more timely matters. “Do you have any idea where this Command Chamber is, William?”
“Yes, this isn't the first council, but I expect it will be the most interesting to date!”
Between Darkness and Light Trilogy Page 33
