“Well, then I did.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I swam out and woke up here,” she mumbled. It all sounded ludicrous to her, so she started to panic, her heart racing.
“Please, rest your mind. Breathe,” said Talis. “I’ll explain as much as I am able.” He cocked his head to the side, examining her. “My name is Master Talis Churry, and your master guided me here tonight in order to help you. You see, I possess some special qualities that he believed could help save your life.” He moved to sit on the long mattress beside her.
Arianna stared down at her now unscathed hands, turning them over, massaging her fingers. “What do you mean special qualities?” she asked, locking in on him.
She studied his unreadable face. Can I trust this stranger? His azure eyes reminded her of someone she knew, but she couldn’t quite place it. She needed answers. Waiting for him to speak, she watched as Talis’ attention flickered to Cyn who was seated on a chair by the back wall, fanning her face. Solomon immediately rose to his feet.
“Cyn, please allow me to escort you to your quarters,” said Solomon in a soft voice, walking to her side. “You must be entirely spent after such a tiresome day. The hour is late.”
Cyn stared at him with a curious expression, but his stony face told her his words voiced a command not to be disobeyed. She straightened out the wrinkles on her silver robes and attempted to collect her own whirling thoughts, standing in compliance.
“Yes, I’m rather tired,” she managed as she scuttled towards Arianna. She planted a kiss on her head. “Welcome back, dear,” she said. The two headed towards the door, but Solomon stalled, turning his attention back to Arianna.
“Listen to him,” he said. “I’ve always told you that this world hides many secrets. Well, this will be one of them.”
“But—”
He shook his head, and Arianna swallowed her words. “Don’t hinder your mind with thoughts of true and false, Arianna. Let it be vulnerable to explore all the possibilities, as it does when you dream. Do you understand?” He tapped at his temple, his expression serious, anxious even.
Arianna’s thoughts drifted to one of Solomon’s most recent lectures.
Your mind knows more about you than you do yourself, and it holds the key to your past, present, and future. If you respect that, then you can open up doors you never deemed possible. Your mind never sleeps, and that is why you dream. If you pay more attention to both worlds, rather than just the physical one, you may be in for a surprise.
Arianna nodded but said nothing. She wished Solomon and Cyn would stay. They left, and she sat alone with the stranger who called himself Talis Churry.
The door swung shut behind them, and Talis picked up the conversation right where he left off.
“I am a sorcerer,” he said with a smile on his lips. She was dumbfounded by his words. Was he joking? An elder should know not to make light of such illicit subjects. She didn’t have time for this, not now after all she’d been through.
“Sorcerers are the stars of prohibited children’s stories that have trickled to my ears, Master Churry. Why waste my time with such fairytales? Tell me who you really are.” She scoffed at him, narrowing her gaze as she tried to subdue her building anger.
Talis matched her stony stare, saying nothing as they looked upon each other in silence for what seemed like ages. His words bounced around in her head as his eyes bore deeper.
Her head started to spin, and her thoughts drifted to Solomon and his counsel. She needed him there. I am a sorcerer. The false words haunted her, but she couldn’t grasp why. Could they be true? She shook the idea from her head, but she couldn’t shake Solomon’s face from her mind. He had seemed so desperate for this stranger’s affirmation, for her to listen.
Arianna shuddered, feeling vulnerable and lost as this stranger’s eyes seemed to see straight into her soul. I am a sorcerer. His voice rang in her ears as she started to second-guess reality again.
Silent tears began to roll down her cheeks. She looked away, the staring contest over. Still, the man said nothing. She grasped onto one clear thought. If nothing else, she knew herself lucky to be alive. She reached that conclusion with ease. Something brought me back from the dead.
CHAPTER NINE
A SORCERER
“Do my ears deceive me?” said Arianna, letting her mouth explode with the words scratching at her teeth. “Have you introduced yourself as a sorcerer? I must’ve really bumped my head hard this time.” She smiled. “Please just tell me who you are and what happened.”
“Well, Miss Belvedor, you did have quite a fall. Or so I hear anyways,” said Talis, breaking his wordless streak.
Arianna opened her mouth to retort, but he cut her off.
“To answer your questions, yes, I am a sorcerer.” He laughed, raising an eyebrow at her. “It surprises me that you’re even familiar with this term.”
“Laws were meant to be broken,” she said under her breath.
Of course she knew the word. King Devlindor forbade imaginative subjects such as these, but gossip spread and children talked. Some got caught and paid the price, but others lived to tell the bedtime stories. Arianna, on the other hand, preferred not to think about these things at all. She valued her life, her future.
“Shall I continue?” he asked after a long pause, running his fingers along his thick mustache.
“Please do,” said Arianna, gesturing a polite wave, hoping she came across as nonchalant. However outlandish his claim might be, she couldn’t deny her eagerness to hear more.
“Let’s see… where to begin?” he mused, tapping his fingers on his knee. His eyes examined the ceiling as Arianna examined him.
He looked an odd sight with his long, silver hair and fancy robes. She assumed him a trainer like Solomon but not from her district. Where did he come from? He looked a bit crumpled and fragile. Despite his appearance, something in his demeanor made Arianna wary. She sensed that this stranger possessed more than was apparent on the surface.
“How about the last thing you remember,” said Talis. “I think that will do. You told me you were consumed by a darkness that trapped you?” Curiosity layered thick in his voice as he pried.
“Yes, I was stuck in an endless blackness. There was nothing to be done,” she said, her voice low as she recalled the struggle, the faint memory.
“Tell me more. How did find your way out of the dark?” He leaned closer, his chin resting on his hands.
As she searched her muddled brain for answers, a revelation hit her. She grasped onto her last faint memory before she returned back to life. The image seemed familiar, like a fuzzy dream she wished to savor.
“I… I followed a light. It led me back,” she said, her voice quiet as she struggled to turn the image into fathomable words.
Talis clapped his hands together. “You truly saw the light?” he asked. A hint of a smile began to form on his lips.
“Yes! Is that somehow amusing to you?” Arianna snapped, embarrassed. She didn’t even quite understand it herself. “I know this sounds absurd, but that’s my last recollection before I woke up here in this bed.” She pursed her lips.
Talis cut off her train of thought, “I’m sorry if you’ve taken offense. It’s just, you really are a miracle. Solomon was right to put his faith in you.” He nodded his head, reassured of something.
“What do you mean?” asked Arianna, annoyed by the cryptic conversation. More and more questions flooded her mind.
“What I mean is that you laid dead on this very mattress. Yet, here you are because you chose to follow a light that came to you in the shadows. You chose this path, Arianna. It led you here.” He gestured to the room around him, but Arianna knew he spoke of her second chance at life.
“I can’t be sure that I made any conscious choices, Master Churry. It’s all just a blur,” she admitted, lowering her head.
“Well, it would appear that you did. In my experience with life and death, it’s much simpler to be consumed by the unrelen
ting darkness. It’s always easier to just let go. The real struggle is holding on to what little light has been left to us.” He feigned grasping the air and opened his fist to reveal nothing. “Those of us who never let it out of our view are sometimes gifted second chances at the world.” He winked a blue eye at her as she tried to process his riddle.
Considering his words for a moment, Arianna decided to dig deeper for answers.
“Master Churry, do I have you to thank for my life?”
“Well, that I can’t answer.” He tilted his head, bemused as he continued, “I suppose I am the sorcerer that beckoned the light which guided you here. I did not, however, direct its path by any means. Nor did I choose the path for you to follow.”
She wanted to trust this man as Solomon had said, but he made it very difficult. His words baffled her.
“Forgive me, but how can you summon a light into my subconscious?” she said, almost in giggles at her illogical questions. The thrill of such forbidden talk lightened her temper a little as she continued to play along.
“Hmm… this will take much time to explain. Why don’t I start a pot of tea?”
“Please, let me,” said Arianna. She pushed herself off the bed. Her body felt tense and she wobbled at the sensation. Moving towards the small stove near the back of the room, she lit the gas to start boiling the water in the kettle. As it heated, she sat at the foot of the bed like a child, waiting for a story to be told before sleep.
“I’ll start somewhere near the beginning, I suppose. As I’ve already confided to you, I am a sorcerer of sorts, mostly talented in the art of healing,” said Talis.
Arianna clung to his words.
“My duty is much like that of Master Bell. I train a young woman such as yourself. I’m a notable figure in my area of expertise. Do you follow?”
Arianna nodded. So he is from the Jar.
“What do you know of magic, girl?” he asked. Arianna snapped back to reality from her wandering mind. Magic? Sorcerers? Her reflexes flinched at the words, but, after a moment, she answered the question.
“Well, in the Learning Center, the educators only taught us that the notion of magic comes from an old fable thought up by those who let their imaginations run astray. These people aren’t fit for our world,” she said. “Those who told the lies and stories that alluded to a strange existence before King Devlindor have been, and will continue to be, eradicated from the Olleb. That’s why the subject is so forbidden.” She chewed on her bottom-lip as she gazed to the ceiling. “Yet, I’m still quite unsure of what magic is really supposed to mean, even if it is just part of someone’s wrongful fantasy. I’ve heard different tales here and there of such talk, of magic making the impossible happen, but they’re just old stories made up to defy the law. They’re not real.” She peered into her childhood for the scarce information. “Actually, I know nothing of a life before King Devlindor, but, if this so-called magic did ever exist, it doesn’t anymore.” She knew it was all just an elaborate lie regardless.
“Well, take a guess. What do you suppose it means?” Arianna laughed nervously, the subject matter making her paranoid.
“I suppose, if I had to make a theory, I would say magic was something intangible to the touch since it’s linked to the mind.” She remembered Solomon’s words. A mind is a mystery to both man and magic…
Talis nodded.
Arianna continued, “And it must be uncontrollable if the King felt the need to make the topic punishable to speak of, even it was only a figment of someone’s imagination. He controls everything, even life,” she said. Her brow furrowed. Even now, her life sat in his hands.
Talis nodded his head in agreement, his expression solemn. “A wise conclusion. You really are bright for your age and predicament. It’s good you stick with your instincts,” he said, leaving her more to speculate about.
Talis moved to cross a leg at his knee and leaned his face closer to Arianna, as if to whisper a secret.
“You are absolutely right, you know. Magic is intangible and irrepressible, but you’re wrong about just one thing.” Arianna arched an eyebrow at his enigmatic demeanor. “Magic is real and has survived the destruction of the Olleb. It burrows through the trees and the mountainsides. It runs deep through the waters and in the sky. Magic energizes this world and can never be fully destroyed or oppressed because… well to put it simply, it connects us all. It brings balance to the world, and I can see it’s had plenty to do with your creation.
Her mouthed dropped at his verbose explanation of such a felonious theme. Magic does not exist. Sorcerers do not exist. He rambled on as Arianna tried to block out his words.
“Although King Devlindor would have you believe there was never a trace of enchantment in this world, he can’t deceive us all,” said Talis. “He knows himself this is an impossible endeavor. Without magic, the world would cease to exist, and there are still people who know this truth.” He sighed. “Regrettably though, he has wiped out a large portion of the magical entities that used to reside on this land and has hidden these atrocities under centuries of lies. The balance of the world is no longer equal. That’s why we suffer. As his tyrannical grip tightens, the magical properties of the Olleb weaken, possibly forever.” Disgusted by his own story, his lips tightened in a hard line.
Talis’ mind formed a picture that Arianna could not herself imagine. She had never known a better world. Yes, she hated the King, but she accepted it. The people who trained and slaughtered them in her district had all once been slaves just the same. This is life. For centuries, people lived this way, and anything before this time seemed irrelevant now.
At that moment the teapot screamed from the corner as steam billowed from the opening. Talis left Arianna on the floor to contemplate his history lesson. Moments later he returned with two hot cups of tea. She let hers steep and cool before attempting to taste the flowered water. It refreshed her dry tongue, and her body welcomed the nourishment after such a catastrophic day. After a few moments of silence, the conversation picked up again.
“This magic you speak of… you think it’s why I’m here now, don’t you?” asked Arianna. Half of her stubborn-self thought it best to stick to the dull reality she’d always known. The other half wished with all her heart that his words spoke a truth about a world once filled with color. She closed her eyes.
“Yes and no,” replied Talis. “You’re here because I sent the magic to you, but you had to make the choice to accept it. Do you understand?”
“I suppose,” she said, unsure as she stirred her tea.
“Magic is everywhere. This, I tell you, is true. Some, like me, can summon it more naturally than others, just as some are affected by it more easily. I sense that you’re strongly connected to this enchanted side of nature.”
“Why?” she asked, taken aback by his assumption. Everything in her mind and body rejected the idea that something, regardless of what it was, could be connected to her without her knowing. Yet, she still wanted to believe in something more. Her mind fumed, tugging to both sides.
“When Solomon brought me to your bedside, I looked upon a corpse, Arianna. You were dead. The spell that I conjured to heal you failed in front of my eyes. You were gone,” said Talis.
Her heartbeat quickened at his recollection of what happened after the battle. Finally, he provided the answers she searched for.
He continued, “Then, minutes later, you were glowing like a star! It was as if the spell I had called for sank into your soul and waited there for you grasp it. And so you did!”
His infectious excitement made Arianna smile, but the story was ridiculous. How could this be true?
“The light blessed your body and healed you inside and out.”
Arianna let her fingers graze her stomach where she remembered Grinda stabbing her with the sword. Although faint, she could feel the scar there.
“You must be flowing with the magical blood of your ancestors,” he said. “I would guess you’re a descendent of so
meone very powerful for the spell to work so miraculously. Like I said before, Solomon was right to put his faith in you.” He took another sip of his tea.
She raised a curious eyebrow at this last statement and decided to veer the topic off track once more. “Tell me, Master Churry, what faith has Solomon stored in me? You’ve mentioned this several times.”
Talis looked up from his tea and stared into space for a moment. Arianna wondered what he saw in his mind’s eye as a wounded expression flickered across his face.
“Another day, perhaps,” he said in a masked tone. “You’ve had enough wonderment for one night, I take it.” The expression wiped from his face.
Before Arianna could form the next question on her lips, the door to the Well Room swung open. Arianna’s body clenched at the sudden intrusion. It took an interruption for her to remember that this discussion committed an act of treason. They had violated so many rules.
She relaxed. It’s only Solomon. He had just returned from escorting Cyn back to her home.
“Please sit,” said Talis, gesturing to a chair as Solomon strode across the room.
He nodded, removed his cloak and sat down. “So, what’ve we learned?” he asked, turning to Arianna. A wary expression settled on his face as he crossed his legs.
“Too much,” she said, shaking her head. “Solomon, how can any of this be true? It’s all very overwhelming. Have you heard his explanation? Do you believe him?” She placed her head in her lap as her hands tried to massage at the headache her mind suffered from.
She glanced up, waiting for an answer. She wished that someone would tell her exactly what to believe. In the end, she knew she would have to make the decision on her own, but she wanted Solomon’s trusted insight.
“Yes, I know,” he said, his voice solemn. “I’m sorry. You must be shocked at all of the information, but don’t bid it unwelcome. Just give it time to settle.
Solomon turned to Talis who finished his last drops of tea.
“We need to get you back to your district before anyone misses you,” he said. “I can never thank you enough for your help.”
Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1) Page 8
