by Lexy Wolfe
Not knowing what else they could do, the group picked a direction and walked. Mureln stopped, hushing them as he listened. "This way!" he stated, changing their direction slightly.
They emerged into normal caverns, Terrence casting mage light to brighten the area. They found Storm, curled in a corner, her breathing little more than a death rattle in her chest. Ash staggered away from Mureln and Terrence, falling to his knees by Storm. Shaking, he pulled her into his arms. "Aelia, what did they do to you?" Brushing her hair back from her face, he grimaced at a sharp pain in his chest. "Aelia, stay with me. You can't die now. Not after we have found each other again."
Taylin knelt across from Ash, taking Storm's limp hand in hers. "I can heal her body, but the rest is beyond my skill."
"Do what you can," Ash whispered as he moved to settle Storm against him. "She gave me everything. I must..." He closed his eyes as he cupped her cheek in one hand. "I can do no less for her."
"They both be too weak after all th'shit we been through t' get here," Emil stated grimly. "We gots t'help 'em." He looked up at the others as he pulled out his divinely given Desanti knife. "We all be na'Zhekali. We takes care of our own." He knelt cutting his palm and driving the knife into the rock floor as he focused on the bayuli-volsha to impart life energy to the weakened Storm and Ash. The others followed the normally irascible gypsy's lead. The silence stretched on for what felt like an eternity.
How much time had passed, no one knew. Storm's whisper carried in the dead silence of the cavern. "Beloved?" She opened her eyes, reaching a shaking hand to touch his cheek, his eyes closed. "Ash?" Everyone looked up hopefully.
Ash smiled tiredly, clasping her reaching hand in his tightly. "I am here, my heart. We are all here. Together." Storm blinked to look at the circle of their small tribe with a tiny smile. She closed her eyes as Ash hushed her, falling asleep without any need for him to use a spell.
Ulani's aristocratic voice broke into the weary sounds of celebration. "It is now as it should have been then." They looked up to see Ulani and Kendle approaching them. As Ulani paused in front of each person, she caressed their right cheeks, leaving a metallic mark upon them in colors that spoke to their heritages, her caress lingering on Storm's cheek. "Be at peace, Zhekali. The future is yours to choose now."
Kendle followed his sister, giving each na'Zhekali the second of the Guardian marks. Hesitating a moment, he knelt by Storm and Ash, unable to meet Ash's eyes. "Avarian, forgive me. If I had not allowed my jealousy to... I thought I loved her. I only caused untold torment to you both."
Ash shook his head. "Zhekali has always been a beautiful, pure soul that one cannot help but love." He smiled gently. "But you do love her. If you did not, you would not have tried to right the wrongs of the past." He looked down at Storm, kissing her brow. "Thank you for her life." He looked up at Kendle as the Roylat lightly brushed his fingers along Ash's right cheek, leaving the second color of a Dusvet Guardian, then watched as he did the same for Storm.
Kendle's touch on Storm's cheek lingered a moment before he drew away. "You are still lifemates. Her love for you began before the attack that nearly destroyed you. Before she gave up part of herself to save you. But your living no longer depends on the other living. You are free of the curse of one dying when the other does."
"I do not know if I would want to live without my Aelia," Ash said softly.
Tilting his head to one side, Kendle was silent for a moment. "I know she feels the same way about you. Treasure that gift, Avarian." He rose to his feet and stepped to one side as he waved his hand, a portal to the clearing they had been in appearing. "Go home. You have all earned the right."
"Where is home?" Terrence asked bitterly. "I am not even sure who I am anymore."
Ulani turned back to Terrence, putting a comforting hand along his chin to draw his eyes to hers. "Where is home? Everywhere. Nowhere." Her small smile was sad. "You are Dusvet Guardians now. You belong to all peoples, all lands. And the world belongs to you." As Terrence started to look away, she turned him back to face her. "But remember, no matter how many lives you have lived before or may live in the future, this is the life you are living now. Treasure it."
Silently, Emaris went to Ash's side and offered to carry Storm. Ash hesitated, reluctant to let Storm go, but he knew he could barely stand himself, let alone carry her. He nodded once, letting Emaris gather Storm into his arms. "Thank you," Ash whispered. Emaris just smiled and nodded. Ash leaned on Mureln as he got to his feet, stumbling a few steps.
Skyfire went to Terrence, putting his arm around the younger Forentan. "Come, tlisan," he said gently. "There is much work ahead of us." Terrence blinked and smiled at Skyfire, nodding without a sound as they left the mountain for the clearing outside of the Proving Grounds' entrance.
As they emerged from the tunnel, Jaison came out from the building with Izkynder on his hip, Bella, Almek and Tyrsan just behind him. The boy's shriek of happiness spoke for everyone as he held out his arms towards the recent arrivals and declared, "All good!"
Epilogue
"Storm?"
The Desanti woman groaned softly as she roused, blinking at the bright sunlight streaming in the window. She squinted towards the sound of her name. "Dulain?" She accepted the extended hand to help sit up. Gratefully accepting the cup of water, she drained it and offered it back to him.
"We have been getting worried about you," Tyrsan said quietly, refilling the cup. "It is unlike you to sleep for so long. Even after the shli’zarii, you did not sleep so long or deeply. None of us could feel you with us until a day ago." She squinted questioningly at him. "Five days solid." When she looked at the others in alarm, he added reassuringly, "The others sleep. You have all needed to recover from your ordeals. From my understanding, it was quite traumatic."
Curiously, Storm reached up to touch his right cheek lightly. "Two marks. You are Dusvet now?"
Tyrsan chuckled quietly as he poked the fire in the hearth before using the poker to pull back the kettle. He carefully poured hot water into a small teapot, the aroma of the tea filling the air. "We all are, actually. The Kings and Queens now welcome Unsvets to return if they feel ready to test again. Or even simply to visit them." He held the cup out to her. "A new age is upon us. I can feel it through the ether."
The woman blinked several times, looking around the room at all the sleeping people, then touched her right cheek, feeling the smooth texture of her marks. Looking at her hands, she said, "I am a Dusvet like Almek?"
"You are." Tyrsan's voice was even, watching her from the corner of his eye. "The others told me of your past."
"So you know... who I once was..." Closing her eyes, she asked in a small voice, "Now what do I do? The Shodwyn needs to be dealt with. Dremmen's allies must be found. But..." Raising her green-gold eyes, she stared into space. "So much is different now."
"A great deal of change has come to Fortress. It has been a long time since there was more than one Dusvet. And never in memory have there been god-touched among the Guardians at all. But we will figure it out, because mortals adapt to survive." Tyrsan poured tea into the empty cup, offering it back to Storm. "Drink. Mureln thought you might need some of this once you woke up."
Sniffing it warily, Storm blew on the liquid before sipping lightly. She visibly relaxed. "Ilsa's brew. Thank you." With her mind fully alert, she jumped up in a half panic, scanning the room until she spotted Izkynder sleeping between Mureln and Taylin before she relaxed again. "Kendle kept his word. Good. I do not need to hunt him down."
Tyrsan watched her in amusement. "You are a fierce protector of your tribe. I will make a note to remember tribal lore for when I travel to Desantiva someday." He offered her some of the food he was making, taking a plate for himself. "Almek told me of your and Ash's oaths to him. And of the... adventures you had on your journey to come to Fortress. This time without obfuscating the parts about visiting the Desanti and Forentan gods."
Storm waited until he took a bite of his
food before she started eating her own. "I learned the patterns. I mastered them. As a Swordanzen, I knew my duties to my people and to my god. I followed my instincts to go where the land needed me, where the tribes needed me." She lowered the plate, staring at nothing. "And I-I broke them. I broke them to follow Almek." She looked back at her hands, her expression one of a lost soul. "I did not know who I used to be. Who I was to Father and the other Totani."
"You didn't know the Raging One did not simply take in a lost child, did you?" Tyrsan asked gently
"He never told me who I was. None of them did." Storm closed her eyes as she reached to cover her tattooed shoulder. "I am not what I thought I was."
"What you are does not matter," Tyrsan stated evenly, thumping his fist over his heart demonstratively. "It is who you are that matters. Has that changed?" He leaned forward to pick up her plate, handing it back to her. "Since I have known you, you have been fiercely devoted to those around you. And they possess an equally fierce devotion to you." He quirked a rueful smile. "You do not know how precious a gift that is."
"I am... not used to having others being devoted to me," Storm confessed. "Not like this. Swordanzen are expected to sacrifice themselves for others, not have others sacrificing anything for them."
"It is not easy, especially when someone sacrifices their life for you," Tyrsan agreed quietly, drawing Storm's attention back to him. Not looking at her, he said quietly, "There are good and bad ways to die. But there are good and bad ways to live." He looked at her fixedly. "Remember that, Dusvet Storm."
Storm looked away after a moment. "Yes, Dulain."
Tyrsan laughed quietly. "Dusvets hold no ranks within Sanctuary, only among all Guardians of Time. Those smaller tasks have always been for Unsvets. Benilus will be taking my place fully. At least until he feels ready to come back to the Kings and Queens for his second mark." He scratched his right cheek unconsciously. "Though if the number of Dusvets increases significantly, that tradition may change as well." The man chuckled softly. "Seems we all have our futures to discover."
The pair sat together in silence for a time until Storm grimaced, dropping her fork and plate to press the heels of her hands against her temples. Tyrsan set aside his own plate, moving to the young woman as her anguish roused the other na'Zhekali from their sleep. "Storm?" he said intently, grabbing her shoulders. "What is it?" He moved aside for Ash as the Dusvet Illaini pulled Storm into his arms, hushing her soothingly.
"Don't think about the future, beloved," Ash murmured, stroking her hair. "No matter what, you are still my Aelia."
"But the divine laws," Storm protested, tears on her cheeks. "It is forbidden for divine servants to... to be with mortals." The simple statement made the na'Zhekali's hearts sink. "I knew giving up my immortality was only supposed to be temporary. I knew our time would end, and then I would have to return to what I was. But the promise of that time, that short, precious time with you... it meant everything to me. It was everything and they stole it from me." Pushing away from Ash, she yelled incoherently, as she released all her emotions through hitting the table. Everyone covered their eyes instinctively as the wood shattered. "I do not want to be Zhekali! I do not want to lose you, Ash."
"Ye mean, after all this...?" Emil began, shaking his head sharply at the stricken look on Ash's face at the thought of losing the woman he fought so hard to stay with.
Terrence grabbed Storm's wrist, pulling her around to face him, catching her other wrist before she struck him. "Storm, you won't lose Ash," Terrence stated firmly, drawing the Desanti woman's gaze to him with his absolute certainty. "You won't lose any of us. Your soul may be Totani, but you were born a Desanti human. You are still Githalin Swordanzen Storm il'Thandar. You are Aelia na'Zhekali. Our tlisan. It does not matter how many or what lives you have lived, or however many you might live. This is your life now. This is the life to focus on. This is the only pattern you need to focus on." Putting his hands on Storm shoulders, he said, "There is nothing to worry about until your soul has fully healed."
"And once it has?" Storm asked. "Then what?" But to her question, no one had an answer.
GLOSSARY
A
a'alisna — (ah-ah-LIS-nah) Vodani term for the nomadic urge to move from place to place
Almek Two-Tones — (AL-mek) The last living Guardian of Time bearing two colors on his divine mark Oldest wandering Guardian at over 500 years old; Sevmanen-Vodani halfborn
Alysha — (ah-LISH-ah) an Unsvet Guardian of Time who is an herbalist and caretaker of the terminally ill
Amelana — (ah-MEH-lah-nah) Formerly great grandniece of Ellis Avarian who was stripped of her family name for her crimes; Ash Andar's former journeyman student
Ancestral agony — Vodani term for the Psia Re
Ancient Triad — The first gods, Creator, Destroyer and Time, see also ancient trinity
Ancient Trinity — The first gods, Creator, Destroyer, and Time
Andar — Ash's birth home, uninhabited due to the disaster that left him orphaned
Anton Ganessi — Head of the noble house that rules the port city of Ganessi
Arrowhawk — A black falcon with blue markings used by the Vodani people to carry messages
Ash — Forentan man, master mage and Illaini Magus
A'tyrna Ulan — (ah-TIR-nah OO-lahn) Stone pillars that are the remains of ancient Desanti-Forentan halfborn
Avarian family — (ah-VAH-ree-ahn) One of the oldest of the Ancient Houses in Forenta
B
Bard — A wandering minstrel and neutral arbiter, usually Vodani-born
Bayuli-volsha — (bah-YOO-lee VOLE-sha) A Desanti term for a bond between souls, considered extremely sacred to Desanti
Before Time — Desanti term for the time before the Great War
Bek — A crude Sevmanen caravan worker
Bella — A Vodani Unsvet Guardian
Benilus - (BEN-i-luss) A Guardian of Time, second to the Dulain of Sanctuary
Bennu Avarian — (beh-NOO) Deceased Forentan mage, Ash's former master and grandfather, twin to Ellis
Berrik — (BEAR-rik) member of the Morlaiz clan
Black water — The ink produced by squids
Blisarj leaf — (BLIH-sarzh) A toxic Desanti herb used to treat pain
Blood crystal — A crystal made from blood by a Totani that ties the life force of a Swordanzen to another
Blood Oath — A mystical bond created between a Forentan and another
Blood magic — The Desanti equivalent of magic
Blue Rose Inn — A tavern the travelers stay at
Bo-alia — (bow ah-LEE-ah) a dice game related to cross bones, except the dice are eight-sided.
C
Ceremony of Choosing — a holy Forentan ceremony where the mortal servants of the Knowing One are publically chosen.
Chaining — method of multiple users of the same energy work in unison, increasing the effect through focus and sharing the resulting backlash
Change Winds — A post-Great War event that mutated all remaining living things in Desantiva
Chase — A Swordanzen who had been Storm's th'yala.
Chitan — (cheh-TAHN) a four-limbed, winged, omnivorous reptile native to Desantiva the size of a gerbil
Chlayxin — (CHLAY-zin) the buildup of pressure in the skull caused by channeling life energy, also called magic backlash
Chok — A crude Sevmanen caravan worker
Clarissa — Headwoman of the Avarian household
Claire — Forentan child
Corast — (KOR-ahst) A Forentan-Vodani border port city
Council of Elders — The ruling council of Desantiva comprised of the oldest members of the Desanti people
Creator, the — One of the Ancient Triad; The Unchanging One
Cross bones — a dice game played with five six-sided dice
Cross the Sword — A Desanti euphemism for significant life changes, such a becoming an adult or dying. Also, 'Cross the blade'
Crysalin — a crystalline stone found in the World Spine disruptive to temporal shifters
Cursed child — A surviving child of a dead Desanti tribe, usually left to die for fear of contagions
D
Dahla — (DAH-lah) Title for a Guardian of Time who scrys individuals to determine their potential
Darkborn — A human born with the soul of a darkling
Darkling — An entity that crosses into the physical plane from the River of Time that preys on the souls of the living
Davin Nadeesi — An ancient Dulain of Sanctuary
Deliah — (deh-LIE-ah) Great grandniece of Avarian
Defiler — A derogatory Desanti term for a Forentan
Dinnais — (dih-NAY-ss) A Desanti term for a darkling
Desanti — (deh-SAN-tee) Singular or plural term referring to a human from Desantiva; adjective describing anything from Desantiva
Desantiva — (deh-san-TEE-vah) The barren wasteland southern territory claimed by the Desanti people; The name of the Desanti's dragon god
Dessa — (DEH-sah) Ash's only servant, companion since childhood; Killed by a darkling
Destroyer, the — One of the Ancient Triad; The Changing One
Donu — (DOH-noo) Guardian Unsvet and follower of Dremmen, stripped of the Timeless One's blessing
Dove and Lily Inn — Upper class establishment in Ganessi
Dragon — six-limbed giant reptile with wings
Dremmen — (DREH-men) A Forentan Unsvet Guardian
Drizar — (DRI-zahr) The term for a full male drizzen, synonymous to stallion
Drizzen — (DRI-zen) Vicious, reptilian omnivores that replace horses in Desantiva
Dulain — (doo-LANE) Senior Unsvet in charge of the Guardian city in Fortress
Dusvet Guardian — (DOO-sveht) A Guardian of Time marked with a metallic mark of two colors on the right cheek
Dylar — (D'EYE-lar) Guardsman captain of Ganessi
Dzee — Rainbow wyvern Totani
E
