“Are you up to that?” Iniru asked.
“Except that I'm a little light-headed from hunger, I think I could conquer the world.”
* * *
Sunlight and a fresh breeze filtered through the open window into the tower's bedroom. Grandfather Kahenan was lying on his plush sleeping mat. The skin was drawn tight around his mouth and eyes. His complexion was pallid. His grey hair hung limp and some had fallen out.
Turesobei took one of his grandfather’s withered hands in his and shuddered. “He's going to die.”
“The other wizards have cast healing spells on him,” Iniru said. “They did everything they could think of. But that seems to just barely keep him alive.”
“Enashoma, summon King Ugara for me, please. Tell him I must speak with him immediately.”
His sister wiped a tear from her cheek. “Sobei, you can't. I mean, you're not supposed to summon the king that way.”
“I am the acting High Wizard, as far as I’m concerned, and I need to speak with him now. It's important.”
She rushed off. Turesobei gathered various objects of wizardry: ink and brushes, papyrus, gemstones, a compass.
“Lu Bei, can you go up into the workshop and retrieve some things for me? We must hurry. He's going to die soon. We have a few more hours at best.”
“Are you sure?” asked Iniru.
“Grandfather sensed my presence when I touched his hand. He was waiting to see that I would succeed him. Now that he knows I'm well, he's ready to give up fighting for life. I have no doubt about this. I don’t know how I know. I just do.”
Turesobei described what he needed as he drew the sheets back. Iniru cleared the room of everything non-essential and then ran to the workshop to help Lu Bei retrieve the instruments Turesobei needed.
On his grandfather’s bare skin, Turesobei drew lines in Zhura-ink, marking the energy channels within the body. Then he drew runes on Kahenan's forehead and on his chest above the heart. Lu Bei watched him paint the complex glyphs. Anytime a stroke wasn’t perfect, Lu Bei would grumble, and Turesobei would correct it.
At last, King Ugara entered with Prince Chien and two guards. Iniru bowed and spoke with them a few moments while Turesobei finished the rune he was drawing. Turesobei glanced to Lu Bei but discovered that he was lying on the floor in book form.
He stood up and bowed to King Chonda Ugara. “Your majesty, thank you for coming so quickly.”
“What is it, Turesobei?”
“Grandfather is going to die unless I act quickly.”
“Then by the gods, do it,” Prince Chien said. “You don't need permission.”
“Actually, I do. Grandfather would not approve of what I am going to do. But we need him. My training is not complete. I have talent, but there is much that I need to learn from him. The clan needs him, as well. I am too young to fulfill all the duties of a high wizard, and the other wizards of the clan….”
“Are ultimately not suitable for the task,” replied the king. “I understand. So you want me to order him brought back?”
“Yes, your majesty.”
Ugara scratched his cheek and frowned. “I have been friends with Kahenan all our lives. We speak every day. It is easy to bring back a friend, but it is hard to defy a friend’s wishes.” He took a deep breath and nodded. “Turesobei, I order you to revive High Wizard Kahenan. He is not allowed to die today.”
“Thank you, your majesty.”
“Will this take long?”
“Many hours.”
“Notify us when you are finished. May the gods be with you tonight, Turesobei.”
Bows were exchanged and the king and the prince departed. Turesobei breathed a sigh of relief and placed a hand on Kahenan’s chest.
“There's no risk to you in this, is there?” Iniru asked.
“Only a little.”
“You didn't tell them that.”
“If they had known, they would never have allowed me to try it. But I'll be fine.”
“Master will be fine,” said a returned Lu Bei, “because he says so.”
“I know,” said Iniru, smiling. “It's wizardry. I trust him.”
Chapter Fifty-Four
Turesobei worked long into the night, chanting and drawing the runes again, this time using his own blood. Just before dawn, when the kenja tides were strongest for this day, he performed the ritual of complete restoration. It was a healing designed specifically for restoring someone who had suffered from massive shock, blood loss, and other injuries. Or for wizards depleted of kenja and on the verge of dying. For the latter, there was little hope for an elder wizard who had spent years damaging his organs through the overuse of magic. And Grandfather Kahenan was decades past his prime.
But Turesobei had more than enough storm energy within him. He reasoned that if the storm energies had rejuvenated and healed him, then they might have a similar effect on his grandfather. He figured it was worth trying. He was also using risky blood magic to make it work. He believed this would have an increased effect on his own grandfather. If any of the runes were not drawn precisely, or if any of his chants were off, he would die. But he felt confident in his efforts.
He gave the final commands. A warm, blue glow emanated from his hands. He touched Kahenan's brow. Kenja flared along the meridians Turesobei had marked and down into Kahenan's heart. Turesobei's tired mind ached and energy drained from him, but there was more than enough to cast even a spell this difficult.
The glow surrounded Kahenan and remained for several minutes before it seeped into him. Kahenan opened his eyes. He smiled at Turesobei. Then he looked at the markings on his body, drawn with blood, and the storm sigil on Turesobei's cheek.
Kahenan frowned. “You are…an evil, evil child. You should not have brought me back like this.”
Turesobei grinned. “I know, but you have more to teach me.”
Coughing, Kahenan asked, “Is that Naruwakiru's mark upon you?”
“I destroyed the orb and had to take in the energies long enough to banish them.”
“Not all of it left you. Much remains.”
“I know. There's plenty more than what I just used on you.”
“Do not heal anyone else with it, no matter how minor the healing spell. You will kill them.”
“It did not kill you, master.”
“That is because you shocked my heart back to life. Trust me. My body needed that much strength.”
“Yes, master.”
“I am proud of you. Your father…would be proud, too. I knew you would come through. You did what I could never have done.”
“It marked me, though.”
“Aye, it is part of you now. But we…we will have time to figure that out later. I suppose maybe you do still need me.”
“I know, master. Now rest. I will have someone keep watch.”
* * *
Turesobei informed King Ugara of Kahenan's recovery. Then he slept until the next morning. After that, he spent nearly all of his waking time for the next three days with Iniru. Those three days were like heaven. He didn't even think about them ending until the evening they sat together on a lakeshore outside Ekaran and watched the sun fall toward the horizon.
“As far as raw capability, I'm probably the most powerful wizard in Okoro now,” Turesobei said. “My energy levels are ten times normal, but I don't seem to have any adverse reaction. Still, I can't help but think that I'm going to have a heavy price to pay.”
Iniru stroked her hand across his face. “I wish I could help you through it.” She sighed. “But you know that I cannot stay.”
Turesobei looked away, stunned. He felt as if his soul was being ripped apart. “I'll be lost without you.”
She laughed. “You'll be fine. You have Enashoma and Kahenan. Onudaka is going to retire here. You can visit him anytime. And you have Awasa.”
“Oh, yes. Wonderful.”
“You know, she really does like you. That note she left was sweet.”
“Yo
u weren't supposed to read it.”
“I think I have every right to read love notes sent to you.”
He stared into her soft eyes and chuckled. “I supposed you do.” He sighed. “The letter was kind?”
“She apologized for how she's treated you. That's a start.”
“She's just doing it because she's jealous of you.”
“Of course, but she really does like you.”
“Oh come on, Niru.”
“I'm serious, Sobei. Give her a chance. You have a bad habit of not thinking about what other people are going through. Like all the other girls here, Awasa has been pressured to become a certain type of person when she grows up. Just as you're being forced to become a high wizard, she's being forced to become a lady of Chonda society. A high wizard’s wife at that. She has fewer options and less freedom than you do.”
“I never really thought about it that way.”
“She didn't get to pick out who'd be her husband anymore than you got to pick out who'd be your wife. How do you think that makes her feel? She's frustrated, and she's trying to get power the only way she knows how, by bossing you and everyone else around, by trying to force you away from her. You were happy about the betrothal, so she took it out on you.
“Don't get me wrong. Awasa is arrogant. She's headstrong, proud, and absolutely spoiled. But those things can improve over time. Too many people have molded her into that form, and if you don't give her room to break out of the mold, who will?”
“Maybe you're right,” Turesobei said darkly, staring off at the hills beyond the city. “But I don't want to think about it. I don't want to spend my life with anyone else but you.”
“That's just not possible, and you know it.”
“But it has to be.”
Turesobei stood and took her hands in his. He kissed each finger and then brought her hands to his chest. “I promise I will find a way. I vow to you this day, that I will come and join you. Then we'll live the rest of our lives together.”
Iniru kissed him tenderly, then passionately. Sometime later, she drew his head into her hands and said, “You're sweet. And I love you. But I won't hold you to that vow. You will never be able to keep it.”
“But I will!”
“No, you won't. You'll never escape this place. You're a good man, and your people need you. They rely on you. You know that. And you really do enjoy being a wizard. Admit it.”
“Now that I feel like it's useful and I know what I can do, yes. And they do need me here. But maybe you could join me here instead.”
“I took a vow before I ever knew you, and I won't forsake it. I have a place in life that I must fill, too.”
Turesobei rested his forehead against hers and strained back the tears in his eyes. “When are you leaving?”
“I have fulfilled the prophecy given to me. I can feel that it is so in my heart. And so I cannot waste any more time. I will leave as soon as the sun sets.”
He shook his head. “Three days isn't long enough!”
“It will take weeks for me to get back home. I have duties to fulfill. And sooner or later, I will have a new prophecy mission.”
“But you haven't told everyone goodbye.”
“Actually, I did that this morning before you woke up.”
Turesobei cringed. “That's why Enashoma was so sullen at breakfast. You must have made her promise not to tell.”
“I thought it would be easier this way.”
“Nothing could make it easier.”
Turesobei and Iniru clung to each other until the sun fell below the hills. Stray clouds glowed pink and orange and purple in the pale blue sky above. Tears fell and Iniru kissed him one last time.
She stepped away, her fingers lingering in his for just a moment. Then she took a deep breath and let go. She recovered her pack from behind a shrub where she'd hidden it earlier.
“I love you,” he said.
Iniru smiled, lifted a hand to wave goodbye, spun around, and walked away solemnly. Every so often she would turn and look back. He would wave to her, and she would walk on.
“Sobei?” a voice called from behind him.
He turned and saw three figures. One was Awasa walking toward him. The other two were her attendant Marumi and her bodyguard Zaiporo, both of whom stood uphill, just within sight. He wasn't sure how they had found him out here. He didn't really care. Turesobei turned back and watched Iniru walking away.
Awasa stopped just behind him. “I'm not intruding am I?”
He shook his head, and she stepped forward and held out a string of bright yellow flowers wound together. “I hadn't heard from you the last several days, but Enashoma said you were doing fine. Did you get my letter?”
Turesobei took the flowers and looked at them in confusion, as if he didn't really know what they were. “It was very kind.”
He held the flower-chain absently and stared back at the distant figure, nothing more than a shadow cast by the setting sun. Awasa seemed to just then realize why he was standing here.
“Who is—”
“Iniru. She's going home.”
“Well, good—” Awasa drew in a deep breath. “I–I’m sorry, Sobei. I…I know you will miss her.”
He twisted the flowers in his hands then looked up at her and strained a smile. “Terribly,” he said. “But this is the way things must be.”
Epilogue
Iniru walked as far as she could before she slumped down beside a gnarled oak, and hunkered over—body shaking, tears streaming from her eyes.
Leaving Turesobei was the hardest thing she had ever done. And the thought of never seeing him again was unbearable. But she had to return to her clan. She had a vow to fulfill, and giving up her life as a qengai for a boy was not an option. Duty was more important than love. It had to be.
Still, to never see Turesobei again….
Heart aching, she glanced back toward Ekaran. It would be so easy to turn around and go back. Turesobei and happiness were so close, while her clan and her qengai obligations were so far away.
Iniru took a deep breath and shook her head. No. She couldn’t.
She had spent ten years training to be a qengai. She’d promised herself she’d become the best, and then she had set out to prove it to everyone in Yasei-maka who doubted her. Most importantly, she had vowed to make her mother proud, no matter what it took.
From a pocket, Iniru drew the pebble with her mother’s name etched into it. She kissed the pebble and clenched it tight. She had to go home. She had to give up on Turesobei. That was the way it had to be.
It just wasn’t their destiny to….
Iniru perked up. Her destiny!
Through the whirlwind of adventures, she had completely forgotten about her vision in the Cavern of the Prophet. She pocketed the pebble then fumbled through the hidden compartments of her uniform until she found the stack of twelve sketches she’d made, wrapped up tight within an oiled-leather pouch.
Despite several desperate battles, a tremendous rainstorm, and her traipsing along the bottom of a lake, the paper squares had remained in good condition. She thumbed through the eleven featuring Turesobei and found the one with the exact look on his face the moment she’d first seen him on the rope bridge.
She glanced at the other ten squares featuring him, ignoring the one of her alone with the stone arch, the one that made her sad and uncomfortable. For a few moments, the intense feelings she had experienced in the visions rushed through her again. She laughed through her tears, then wiped them from her cheeks.
Like the Prophet and the Acolyte with their destinies tied to their cavern, hers was tied to Turesobei. If one of the visions could come true, then all of them could. She nodded. Yes, unless something terrible happened, she and Sobei would meet again. They had to. She was certain of it.
Iniru kissed the stack of images, wrapped them up, and tucked them safely back into her uniform. She stood and gazed back toward Ekaran. She smiled into the twilit horizon.
&n
bsp; “We’ll meet again soon.”
The Maker’s Brush
Storm Phase Interlude
David Alastair Hayden
Copyright © 2015 by David Alastair Hayden
All Rights Reserved
Version 4.0 | November 2015
Cover illustration by Leos Ng “Okita”
Graphic Design by Pepper Thorn
No part of this work may be reproduced or distributed through any means without the written permission of the author, except for short quotations in reviews and other articles. Please purchase only from authorized sellers, and please do not participate in the piracy of copyrighted works. The author deeply appreciates your support.
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Chapter One
A dragon … well, a tiny dragon … arced through the sky, bouncing from cloud to cloud like a bolt of playful lightning. Actually, he rather was lightning, at least in part, with his body formed from a condensed storm cloud … well, a tiny condensed storm cloud. Never before had so much power coursed through him. Never before had he been so free. He was completely untethered from his master and able to do whatever he wanted. He could soar as high as he wished. He could zip from place to place, going wherever he liked, whenever he liked.
He could follow his dreams for once. He could make his own destiny for a change. Nothing could stop him — not distant, exotic locales, not inflated market prices, not even angry harvesters. He could acquire the best tea leaves and herbs the world had to offer. He could blend and brew the greatest teas ever tasted. And he would. He hadn’t a doubt in his mind — even if his name was fuzzy and his memories all jumbled about.
The little dragon frowned. Now that he considered it, what was his name? He’d known it just moments ago. He gritted his fiery teeth and rained hail down onto the land below. Losing a name was one thing, but what if he forgot how to blend teas? What if — perish the thought — he even forgot how to brew a proper bowl? This pondering led to the darkest of all thoughts: could he even drink tea anymore?
Storm Phase Series: Books 1-3 Page 30
