by Lexy Wolfe
"Dear gods," Jaison whispered as he looked at the staring, empty eyes of one of the servants that would attend them. The only reason they recognized him at all was only half his body had been aged, the other untouched. He reached out to close the man's eyes respectfully, closing his own. "Who could do such a thing to another human, no matter how cruel?"
Emil put a hand on Emaris' arm to keep the infuriated giant from leaving. "He was a gypsy born. Lots o' people lookit us like we be less'n animals."
Ash's eyes flashed as he looked further down the tunnel, not speaking the truth of Emil's statement. "There is light further on. We must hurry before--" The sounds drifting back were not of fear but rage. "Before they find our prey."
"Ash, wait!" Jaison called, hurrying after the Forenten man who ran as though possessed. He grunted when, just as he reached the opening into a cavern that opened to the sky, Skyfire and Ash staggered back into him, all three sprawling onto the floor. The Desanti Unsvet groaned, rubbing his head where it had hit the ground.
"What is that thing?" Jaison demanded, pointing towards a shadow that vanished into the darkness of a crack in the far wall.
Grimly, Emil stated, "That be a Shodwyn."
"Worry about that later," Skyfire stated as he pushed himself up to one knee. He scowled darkly. "Dremmen."
The Forenten man stood between Storm and the shadowy being he protected. He attempted to cast a variety of temporal spells on the Desanti woman, but all they served to do is hold her at bay. Face flushed with anger and frustration, Dremmen seethed, "I will not be defeated by a mere, magicless savage!"
"Out of my way," Storm demanded coldly. "I will deal with you after I destroy your shadow master."
"I warned you, slave," the shadowy creature hissed, its malevolent voice echoing from the hole it had hidden itself in. "Your people are merely puppets. The warriors are the true threat to me. Keep her away!" The traitorous Guardian scowled, but obeyed, focusing on Storm.
"Puppets?" Ash whispered hatefully. Not even uttering a sound to cast his spell, Ash narrowed his focus on Dremmen. The Forenten Unsvet's body suddenly twisted grotesquely, the sounds of bones snapping and flesh tearing as though a giant hand crushed him. Released from the full impact of Ash's fury, his body fell limply, disintegrating as time caught up to him, leaving a pile of dust and mangled bones.
Storm did not even give Dremmen a second look, starting to go after the Shodwyn when she stumbled, as though someone had punched her in the gut. Staggered, trying to catch her breath, she fell to her knees. She struggled with single-minded determination to pursue the Shodwyn. Its mocking laughter drifted away as it fled.
Ash slid to his knees beside his lifemate. "Aelia," he called, desperately trying to get her attention. When she grunted, dropping her swords as she doubled over in pain, he looked up with no small amount of horror at Jaison.
"Shouldna we ha' felt whatever be hittin' her?" Emil asked Jaison blankly, all three men studiously ignoring the remains of the former Forenten Guardian. "It be like she ain't even there."
"Aelia, what is wrong? What hit you?" Ash said when she finally looked up, rubbing blood away from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand.
Ignoring him at first, she grimaced in pain as she struggled to get to her feet in single-minded focus. Managing the feat for only two steps, she fell to her knees again, arms wrapped around her middle in agonizing pain. She looked at him with such resigned despair, that they all felt their guts go cold. "A memory," was all she said before she collapsed unconscious.
"No," Ash whispered, pulling her against him and holding her tight as he rocked. "Gods, please no. I can't lose her now. It isn't the winter solstice yet. There has to be time. There has to be."
Skyfire crouched in front of the pair. "Ash, come. We need to get back to the dormitory. Make sure the others are safe." Eventually the Githalin Swordanzen's words got through to the mage and he nodded, letting him get her, Emaris picking up the weapons she had uncharacteristically dropped.
Jaison held Ash back, his concern plain on his face. "What does the winter solstice have to do with anything?" he asked in a low voice.
"I was told by a servant to the Timeless One that if I am not a Guardian to stop Storm from enduring a reliving that spans lifetimes, she will die," the mage stated flatly. "We both will."
Jaison froze, staring at him for several heartbeats. "She sent a warning directly? And you still have not been called?" His expression darkened. "Something is very wrong with all of this. Come on. We need to talk to the Dulain and the Dusvet."
Chapter 27
"We have all passed the training required to become Guardians. We have proven we can command time nearly as well as any Guardian alive. There is nothing more to be done until we have our colors! How do we know when we can test? Maybe we already have been called and we haven't recognized it because you won't tell us." The table in the Dulain's quarters shook with the impact of the Illaini Magus's frustrated blow. Ash's features were flushed with his aggravation. "It is almost the winter solstice!"
Almek arched an eyebrow, studying the uncharacteristically emotional Forentan. "I know you have all been through a very harrowing ordeal. But you of anyone should know you cannot demand anything from the divine and expect an immediate response. Don't let your pride override your good sense. Be patient, Ash. I know you will hear the Kings' and Queens' call soon. There is no mistaking it once you hear it."
He blinked in surprise when Jaison crossed his arms and rolled his eyes in frustrated exasperation from where he leaned against the wall. "Now I understand my tlisan's antipathy towards not questioning anything."
Ash growled under his breath, fists clenching as he tried to calm himself. "You do not understand, Master Almek. I am not being arrogant and it has nothing to do with my pride. Storm will die if I do not become a Guardian before the solstice. I cannot allow her to suffer such a pointless death!"
Almek regarded Ash with a slight frown. "You are so certain of this. How can you be sure? Not even the most gifted of scryers can see anyone's end of days with any certainty. Even I was mistaken when it came to the outcome of Storm and Skyfire's shli'zarii, and my temporal vision is sharper because I bear both colors."
Ash sighed, sitting heavily on the chair, rubbing his cheeks as Tyrsan and Almek regarded him with unreadable expressions. Jaison put his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Tell them everything," he advised grimly. The mage nodded as the senior pair traded puzzled looks.
"In Issonia's grove, I spoke with a servant of the Timeless One named Selina the day we took the Desanti to the archives." He did not see their startled expressions. "Storm's soul is trapped in a reliving that recurs every time she is reborn. In some distant time, she suffered a trauma that was to be healed during that lifetime. But before it could happen, she died. Since then, she only lives for the span of time from that first life between the trauma and her death." He looked up at the men. "That time in this life will be on the winter solstice. Selina said only a Guardian can help Storm, and that Guardian had to be me. No one else would be able to help her."
"Damn it." Tyrsan pushed himself to his feet, walking over to the painting of the pair of twin mountains called Kings' and Queens' Peaks. "Ash, listen. It is not merely tradition to wait for the Kings and Queens to call the Adepts to them. The only reason we have not taken any of you to the Kings and Queens to be tested is because the Kings and Queens punish those presumptuous enough to demand testing from them. In ways that cannot bear repeating."
"I am willing to take that risk for Storm." Ash fixed Tyrsan and Almek with a hard look. "We all would be. You know that."
"The journey to the entrance of their domain is nearly a full day on horseback." Tyrsan turned back to regard Almek. "Dusvet, you know the mind of the goddess and Her divine servants better than anyone. Would there be punishment if we at least took them to the waypoint at the foot of the mountains? It would diminish the time required to reach it when the Kings and Queens finally do call them. T
here is really nothing more they can learn here as Adepts."
Almek frowned, rubbing his chin. "I cannot say with any certainty. The Timeless One is normally evasive, but She's been even more so when it comes to my students. And She rarely interferes in the duties She has given the Kings and Queens." He looked up. "And there is the child to consider. The na'Zhekali will not be parted from Izkynder. None trust that we will not try to spirit him away to a foster family."
"Then we take Izkynder with us and I can watch him," Jaison stated firmly. "I have already endured my tests."
"I'm willing to face the wrath of any god," Ash affirmed. "All of them if I must. I won't stand by waiting to lose my lifemate. I'd prefer dying in the attempt to save her." He laughed bitterly. "What do I have to lose? I will die anyway if she does."
The Dulain and Dusvet traded troubled looks before Almek finally relented. "Very well. I am loathe to leave Sanctuary while there may still be a Shodwyn in our midst, but until the will of the Kings and Queens becomes known, it would likely be prudent to lessen the distance between the Adepts and the Proving Grounds. The Timeless One would not have released me if the time was not soon."
Ash turned on his heel to follow Jaison out, stopping only when Almek called to him. "Illaini Magus, the only reason I am allowing this is because I have no wish to lose you and Storm." He added grimly to the Forentan man's expression. "I was aware that both of your lives are at risk. The Timeless One will not permit me to understand specifically why."
The Forentan man turned on his heel to stare at Almek. "You have known?" Ash asked incredulously. "You have known all this time the risk waiting posed to Storm?!" Tyrsan moved quickly to put himself between the enraged Adept and the Dusvet as Jaison grabbed his arm from behind. "After everything we have done for you, how could you just sit by and watch knowing she will die soon?!"
"Do not presume to understand everything about the world, Illaini Magus," Almek snapped. "Now go, both of you. Prepare the na'Zhekali for travel. The weather is cold and you know the Desanti are particularly sensitive to it." The two men glared at each other before Ash turned on his heel without a word.
Tyrsan watched Ash stalk out after the Desanti Unsvet, flinching only slightly as the outer door slammed shut. "He is unusually passionate for a Forentan." He looked at Almek. "He and Storm are well matched, especially for a Forentan and Desanti pairing."
"They are, yes," Almek agreed. He was silent for a time, thoughtful as he drank his wine. "Jaison and Bella had chosen to accompany my students when it was time to depart. Do you still intend to go as well?"
"You may have brought them to Fortress and taught them initially, but they had been my responsibility while you were gone. Your return does not make me care any less about them. And it has always been tradition an Adept's mentors can choose to accompany them to the waypoint at the entrance to the mountain." Tyrsan smiled faintly, putting his fist over his heart. "And as na'Zhekali, I stand with my tribe."
"And what of Sanctuary? I shudder to think what havoc Dremmen's accomplices may do in your absence."
Tyrsan snorted softly. "Dremmen's authority was long gone within Sanctuary. His constant, petty drivel had gone beyond the pale and everyone knew it. I'd already tapped Benilus as my second shortly after you returned and with the irrefutable evidence of Dremmen's crimes against Sanctuary, he has already organized a search to ferret out others in this secret society of 'purists.' He is well capable of performing the Dulain's duties as my second without needing my presence." The large man went to a cabinet, taking down a glass and brandy bottle.
Almek frowned, drumming his fingers. "He could still face trouble. There are others who thought like him."
"Do not worry. They will keep their heads down for a while. I have ordered those who can be trusted to not so quietly collect anyone who is known to have shown Dremmen any sympathy to be examined for taint. Those of his known faction have already been detained." Tyrsan refilled his glass, draining it halfway. "Benilus is of the same mind as I, and his faction is trustworthy."
Almek nodded approvingly. "Benilus is a good man. And I would welcome having you traveling with us. The na'Zhekali had grown to respect you. Enough to make you one of them." He smiled faintly. "Earning the Desanti's respect is no easy task."
"No more easy than it was for them to earn mine, Almek." The broad shouldered man turned back to the cabinet, filling both glasses with water. Handing one to Almek, he held his up to him. "To the na'Zhekali tribe, your students."
Almek smiled faintly, touching Tyrsan's glass with his. "To the na'Zhekali. Your tribe."
Chapter 28
After a long day of travel, the group entered a wide clearing bare of grass from centuries of feet trampling it flat. An old, well-kept stables and longhouse sat nestled in the trees. Opposite the buildings, an ornate archway framed the entrance into the darkness of a tunnel into the mountain.
The group stared at the elaborate carvings with odd expressions. Mureln approached the yawning maw of stone, touching a sunburst design reverently. "This place is so familiar to me. It is like I have seen it before."
"You feel it, too?" Taylin asked as she dismounted. "The whole ride seemed like I had done it before. I thought it was just me."
Terrence traded a look with Ophilia. "It was familiar to us until the fork that led to a different part of the World Spine. It was very odd, but..." He shrugged as he dropped off his horse and started to take his gear off.
"This is the entrance to the domain of the Kings and Queens," Almek stated, his voice hushed in reverence. "Until you are called, you cannot cross the threshold. They are particularly strict about only allowing those they invite within their home."
"Their prison," Storm corrected tonelessly.
Tyrsan and Almek frowned at each other. "Why would you call it that, Adept Storm?" the Dulain asked brusquely.
The look in Storm's eyes startled those looking at her when she raised them to the two men. "They cannot leave. No one can enter without their permission." Focusing on taking her gear off the drizar, she said, "It is what Desantiva is to my people. It is our prison."
Approaching the arch, Ash reached out to touch the polished rock lightly, staring in awe. "It is beautiful." He frowned slightly as he studied it. "But the familiarity... bothers me. If this was not necessary, I would turn and go back. Right now." His words drew the attention of the others. While everyone's attention was focused on Ash, Storm started to lead the drizar back down the road.
Watching her over his mother's shoulder, Izkynder stared at the quiet Desanti woman with a worried look. Just as she reached the treeline, he reached over his mother's shoulder and called out in a happy voice, "Sta-im! No go!"
Storm flinched, freezing for a moment before turning back, feeling everyone's eyes on her. She did not raise her eyes to Taylin as the healer approached. Izkynder leaned out to Storm, the Desanti woman accepting him and settling the boy on her hip. He tugged on the beaded tails of her headband playfully. "Sta-im, be happy." Storm closed her eyes with a sigh, turning her face away as he wrapped his arms around her neck and hugged her tightly.
Taylin studied Storm for a moment in silence. "You were running away?" she whispered in disbelief. "After coming this far? But why?" Storm did not reply, pressing her lips together as she flicked the hissing chitan's nose lightly to behave. "Are you afraid of failing? You shouldn't. You will do fine, Storm. I know you will! You will probably be the best of all of us. You do not need to fear failing."
"I am not afraid of failing," Storm stated tonelessly as Izkynder tried to tug her headband free. She firmly pulled the ends out of his hands.
"Then what are you afraid of, Storm?" When Storm did not reply, Taylin put her hand on Storm's arm. "Please, talk to us. We're na'Zhekali. We take care of each other. We can help," the healer started to say when Storm interrupted her.
"You wouldn't understand." Storm's voice was tight with rigid self-control as she shifted Izkynder so he clung to her back. "No one would."<
br />
"We can't understand if you don't talk to us," Taylin stated louder than she intended. "You are not alone anymore. We are your tribe!"
"Dizar! No bite!" Izkynder scolded, swatting the drizar's nose as he nipped at Storm's shoulder. He giggled when the beast lipped his hand playfully.
Storm finally growled, eyes flashing as she fixed Taylin with a hard look. "I. Don't. Want. To. Remember!" Turning to the tree line, she stalked into the evergreens with Izkynder on her back and the drizar trotting after her.
"Remember?" Emil looked at Emaris and Mureln in confusion. "Remember what? Ain't none of us but th' Guardians been here b'fore."
Tyrsan clapped his hands, getting their attentions. "Give Adept Storm time to acclimate. She will return when she is ready," he stated with confidence. "Let's get the animals stabled and the rest of us settled in for the wait." He headed towards the old building. "There should be plenty of firewood stocked from the last group to have come here."
Ash paused by his horse as he took off his gear, frowning to himself. He jumped a little when Mureln rested a hand on the mage's shoulder. "She isn't alone, Mureln." He looked towards the forest. "I don't want to remember, either. Something about being here... There is something terrible I am afraid I might remember. No…" He sighed softly. "I know I have to remember."
"Lyra's offered to make supper. Come on inside and try to relax a little," Mureln suggested encouragingly. "Storm won't go far. Not with Izkynder."
Ash managed to smile. "That boy of yours, Master Bard, is very clever. In the mood she's been in lately, she'd likely have stabbed anyone else trying to stop her. If anyone else would have even noticed anything before she would have disappeared."
Mureln chuckled indulgently. "He's got good instincts. He will make a fine bard someday." Patting Ash's back, he said, "He might even be able to keep up with your and Storm's children. Maybe." Ash looked sideways at him before laughing as well.
