by Reiter
“Please forgive me, Keth,” Valian said softly.
“And here I thought you were sharp,” the young man replied. “You’ve given yourself in service to this house, but feel you’re unworthy to receive the same dedication. It wasn’t the house that saved me five years ago. The lord-and-master-to-be didn’t bother to even get my name after I finished. No, only the man I called Pallid and his friend were there for me... and they’ve been there for me ever since that day. I think I will be there for them just to see how high this tower reaches.”
“Someone’s been reading that Olasson poetry,” Annodia commented.
“How could I not?!” Kethgeegan returned. “Those are old print books. The quality of paper... my word!”
“You see, Annodia” Valian smiled. “... he wasn’t really reading, he was keeping a weapon handy while perusing the inscriptions.” The three laughed, making their way inside.
After a few strides, Kethgeegan cleared his throat. “Do I really have to get the bags?”
Laughing louder, Valian put his arms around both of them, pulling them closer. “Of course not. I carried them to the Southeast door just before my parents’ transport arrived.”
“You’re getting good at the backstage management,” Kethgeegan remarked.
“Sometimes it is the only way.”
“Wait!” Annodia said, bringing the three to a halt. She turned and looked at where the Test Tower had stood and she could remember when it had been in front of her. Now it was behind her, but Kethgeegan’s words had struck a chord. The Test Tower had only been a preamble, the first step in the Life Tower they were climbing together.
“Gone from our eyes... but forever in our hearts,” Kethgeegan said, walking up to the young woman.
Annodia turned around and grabbed the young man, pulling him into a kiss. It was not a mere touch of the lips, and it was not brief.
Valian was very much surprised and looked away, softly scratching the cheek under his eye.
Their lips parted and Annodia smiled up at Kethgeegan. When he started to smile, she stepped away, grabbing Valian and kissing him as well. She kissed him through his brief muffled protest.
Now it was Kethgeegan’s turn to look away, but he was too mystified to do it. He stammered a question, frowning as the two parted.
“Hmmm,” she said, turning to walk into house.
“Hold!” Valian commanded and she stopped, turning around with a devilish smile on her face. “Explain.”
“I walked away from my life when I climbed the Test Tower,” she stated. “... and soon I will be walking away from my Finishing Master beginning a new climb. I wanted to know what it was like to have a farmer and a pale-skinned Middle-Rimmer.”
“But you didn’t have us,” Valian argued.
“Oh but I did, Valian... and I still do. The rules are different for women!” Annodia turned and walked away. “Like right now... I own your eyes!”
Both young men looked away, clearing their throats and composing themselves.
“You just remember who she kissed first,” Kethgeegan whispered.
“She was saving the best for last!” Valian argued.
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Brother.”
“I’m not sure either of us will be sleeping too much tonight,” Valian thought remembering the sweet softness of the young woman’s full lips. There was also something rather stirring to being grabbed and manipulated in the way Annodia had.
“I will get to the transport in a moment,” Valian said, increasing his gait as he started up the stairs.
The young woman did not know how to feel. It was as if she could feel her world spinning out of control. Shonsatah wanted to scream, and she did when someone started knocking on her door. She turned on the defense screens at her doorway and the knocking stopped. Getting up from her bed, the young woman crossed the room and opened the door, but no one was there. Closing the door, Shonsatah jumped at the sound of clamoring outside her bedroom window.
Rushing over to her window, she nearly screamed to see Valian hanging by his fingertips on a very thin ledge below. “Valian! What are you doing?!”
“Trying... not to fall,” he panted.
“Keth makes this look so easy!” the young man thought, looking for something to brace his weight. “But he is a bit thinner, isn’t he?!” Valian looked down at the ground below. “But not as thin as I am about to be!” Rope came down from Shonsatah’s window and he frowned at it. “What is she doing with rope in her room?!”
Climbing up into the bedroom, Valian had to contend with Shonsatah nearly tackling him with her charging embrace. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Abruptly, Shonsatah pushed away and started slapping his arms and chest.
“Ow... ow... ow... ow... OWWW!”
“You made me apologize!” she shouted.
Valian lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from swinging. “Can we talk now?”
Shonsatah stomped down on his foot and he released her, hopping on one foot.
“Dirty fighter!” Valian protested.
“My brother taught me that,” Shonsatah testified. “Or someone I thought was my brother.”
“I will be your brother beyond these stars and into ones we cannot even see!” Valian declared. He put his injured foot on the floor and stared into Shonsatah’s eyes. “I will never stop being your brother.
“Imagine,” he pressed, taking hold of her shoulders, “if I had faced off against Yorlson. He’d be in the infirmary and I would be in irons or worse, thrown off the property. Who then to protect my sister? We pick our battles, Shonsatah. Let him have these meaningless moments. We have each other.”
“You promise?”
“I swear it! You will be marred by these petty little needles, but when the real beast comes for you, it will only find my sword!”
“So, swordsmanship is one of those secret lessons,” Shonsatah smiled. She gave slight scream when she was thrown onto her bed.
“I’ll show you a secret lesson,” Valian sneered, rushing in to tickle his sister. It was all fun and games until the heel strike – another offensive measure he had taught her – found his chin. Valian rolled off of the bed and down to the floor.
“I think I might have a future as a Praeceptor!” he thought, rolling on the floor.
“Are you alright?” Shonsatah asked.
“Did I teach you how to hit someone softly?”
“No.”
“Then, no, I’m not alright!”
Shonsatah scampered out of the bed and to Valian’s side. Blue flames erupted from her hand and enveloped his body, concentrating on his face and foot. He was locked in the euphoric sensation of her restoration charm. According to the Duke, she had applied it the night his parents had died. In relation to the report Vaiyorl gave, Shonsatah had obviously grown stronger in her ability.
Valian looked up at her, and though she looked like she had put forward some effort, she did not appear to be spent.
“Much stronger,” he thought.
“Thank you, Sister,” he said.
“I should be thanking you,” she returned. “In many ways, you taught me how to be better at that too.”
“I did?”
“You told me, ‘don’t put so much effort in trying, just focus on doing and trust nature to take its course. I’ve even gotten to where I can work the charm without physical contact.”
“Should I ask how you came to have to practice that?!”
“All siblings have their secrets,” she smiled.
“No!” Valian exclaimed. “You set Pirion up to get hurt?!”
“Pirion was going to hurt himself with or without me,” she argued. “And that’s entirely your fault! Ever since the Test Tower he’s been trying to do what you did.”
“Yes, I remember his race,” Valian admitted.
“Well... he was a lot more reckless before then.”
“Ugh!”
“But I was looking after him
and everything is alright!”
“And the projected charm?”
Shonsatah stammered for a moment before saying, “He... might have... been unable to swim... after breaking his legs on the rocks!”
“Shonsatah!”
“But he’s alright!” she quickly replied. “I was able to help him and he’s fine. And after that night he was a lot more careful. I promise.”
Valian wanted to argue the point, but he did not know how to begin without being a hypocrite. Getting up from the floor, the two exchanged smiles and shared an endearing embrace. “Pick your fights!”
“Always come for me?”
“Every single time, Sister!” Valian backed away, receiving a blown kiss before turning to leave. He was reminded in the worst way that Shonsatah had set door defenses and since his hand did not have her bio-signature, she needed to restore her brother again so that he could get to his transport.
“Certainly not what you expected to feel, eh, Phytos?” Ulreejun asked, watching Valian gaze out of the window as the transport circled the property.
“Not at all,” Valian said softly. He tried to smile when he saw Pirion on his balcony performing the Champion’s Embrace... but only tears would come. “I love you too,” he whispered. Closing his eyes for a moment, Valian moved his hand to the portal controls, lowering the blind. He put his head to the center of the headrest and started his metered breathing.
“Mind if I ask what you’re doing, Phytos?”
“Filling my tanks,” he replied. “Not sure I’ll find a stronger fuel.”
The Elder KnighT sat down, handing his Phytos a glass of wine. “Aye, it’s a good strain of propulsion, I’ll grant you. But here’s to you hopefully being so very, very wrong, Phytos. There are many fuels out there in life waiting for you.”
After drinking to the toast, Valian looked over at Jorkethian. “Question for question?”
“That is how we have been doing it.”
“Where are we going?”
“Why to see your Uncle Travis, of course!”
As his student sat awestruck, Ulreejun finished his wine and got up out of his seat. His Phytos was going to need some time to himself. He was about to endure the longest month of his life.
I’ve always had a ‘Work hard, play hard’ attitude to life – I still do – but sometimes you get involved in something that needs a calm, methodical approach.
Damian Lewis
(II)
(Rims Time: XI-4804.15)
The transport for the Duke and Duchess cleared the atmosphere and engaged the propulsion systems for interplanetary travel. As it turned to set its course for the border of Primuson, Kantren turned away from the scrying mists feeling aggravated. He had been called away from a rather pleasurable encounter with a displaced Soboree female. Both she and her symbiont were in a most uncomfortable situation and he had been enjoying watching her plead for her release... even if that meant her death.
“My Lady and Mistress, is there anything of specialty regarding these Vohlterrans?” Kantren asked.
Lirtelzi chuckled, walking by her Powerkin and softly stroking the side of his face where she normally struck him. He was still very impatient, but he was learning. “With respect to who and what we are, no. However, with respect to our aims, you could say that they are... part of the plan. They are, of course, oblivious to the fact that they are about to be abused and then used.
“Shall I show you more?” she inquired, taking her seat.
“Please, my Lady!”
“Do you recall the stone we took possession of in the Enacranite vault?”
“I do recall that venture into the Rims.”
“Good!” Lirtelzi said, waving her hand over the cloud of reflective mists. “Let us shift the scrying mists and see what can be seen.” The gray vapors swirled about, slowly turning black.
“The scry-field is changing to touch upon the Time-Space Bridge,” Kantren said, folding his arms. “We are looking into the past.”
“Well, it has been over ten years. But it appears we are only going back eight of them.”
The large garnet stone sat on the gem-cutter’s table, locked in the vices the artisan used to insure that his canvas could not move. The view of the Vythe was that of the interior of the stone looking out. Thusly, nothing seen was in its correct hue, and the material they were looking through attached its color to every beam of light. But it was clear that the artisan was an aged Terran. Another figure stood behind him, a tall and slender figure, standing with its arms folded.
“Reveal,” Lirtelzi commanded, waving her hand across the face of the cloud. The garnet tones were removed and the two could see clearly. Kantren snorted in disgust, seeing what he considered to be another sorry excuse for a SpellCasteR. But in the corner of his eyes, the Powerkin could see a smile forming on the face of his Mistress.
“You know him!” he concluded.
“I do indeed,” Lirtelzi chuckled. “He is the student of one of my operatives. One of the more accomplished students. I believe the term applied to his ilk is Light Mage.”
“Light Mage?!” Kantren challenged and Lirtelzi quickly lifted her hands to calm him. “What in the Ten Furies is a Light Mage?! I swear, what these Terrans have done to MajiK is nothing short of sacrilege!”
“And it is through their gaps of ineptitude that we slip in and out of their realm, Kantren,” she countered. “Put the Ten Furies away and be grateful for the opportunities their shortcomings afford us.”
“The artisan at least appears to know what he is doing,” Kantren offered.
“If that were true, he would have discarded the stone as hexed,” the female Vythe pointed out. “His ignorance is as great as the one for whom he toils.
“Yes, you feel the light coming from the stone, don’t you?” she whispered. “You feel its incredible potential and what it can bestow upon you. What is it that the artisan is crafting for you, child?”
The two continued to watch as the artisan took slow and steady measurements before making his first cut. When mallet fell to spike, the gemstone was pierced and it split into ten stones; three of equal size and incredible quality... seven smaller fragments of various size and shape. The glowing light remained with the three stones while the seven grew dark, turning nearly black in color.
“Success!” Lirtelzi cried out, startling her student. Her left hand clutched at her right fist, bring both slowly to her lips as she continued her viewing. “You have what you want, don’t you?” she spoke to the image. “And you are very pleased with yourself.”
“That was a masterful cut, Master Artisan,” the Light Mage said as his back came away from the wall he had been leaning up against. “Truly masterful.”
“Thank you, Master SpellCasteR,” the aged gem-cutter replied, coughing and slapping his own chest. The outcome had not been his intention, but he was more than pleased with the happy accident. “It isn’t often I am called on to work a cut for one who has championed a quest for the Enacranites... especially for one not of their rank. I hope they will soon rectify that point.”
“Perhaps they will, old man,” the Light Mage said, patting the shoulder of the aged craftsman. “Which of the three will be mine?”
“It seems they have fallen in the best manner possible,” the gem-cutter laughed. “Two fell to my left, and here you stand to my right. You shall have the one that wishes to be with you. Give me a moment to smooth the edges and give it an even brighter shine.
“My, I can feel the power surging through the stone already,” the old man observed. “It would seem that this one is quite eager to serve you.”
“It is a fine lady, gem-cutter, and it is often an insult to keep a lady waiting too long,” the young man said as he turned to take his leave. “But take your time. That part we should not hasten. My new light will shine when she is with me, but it can wait for the harbinger of her delivery to make his final preparations. I will go now and speak with the Arch Mage to see when I might be abl
e to take possession of that chiseled star you have just crafted. You have my gratitude, gem-cutter.” Stepping back into the light coming from the far wall, the Light Mage was gone.
Lirtelzi was still so very anxious, taking another slow step forward as she looked at the artisan. “Seven fragments,” she said softly, tapping the side of her hand against her lips. “They are near black... useless... discard them!” Lady Lirtelzi closed her eyes and sighed in tremendous relief when the artisan’s long brush was taken out and used on the cutting platform. The fragments fell into a leather bag along with dozens of other shards. To the community the artisan served, they were useless, but the gemstones were still of worth on the open market, and being able to sell them at his discretion was among the chief perks of working for the Enacranites.
“Yes!” Lirtelzi said just before sharply turning and walking for the doors to her viewing chamber. “Stay here, Powerkin, and keep a watchful eye on the mists. We are allowed few glances into the realm without notice, and I would rather not have to work this spell again.”
“What am I to look for, Lady Lirtelzi?” Kantren asked.
She stopped inside the doorway, turning to look back on her student. Kantren could not remember when he had seen such light in her eyes.
“And again she demonstrates her mastery over the moment,” Kantren thought. “Something vital has happened and I cannot even see the first marker.”
“The incantation is attuned to monitor every facet of the stone,” Lirtelzi explained. “We know the fate of only one of the three stars. We must know where the others will wind up. As for me, I must go and report this development to the Eromzunn. The Order of Approach may have to be amended, my Powerkin.”
“Truly?!” Kantren nearly shouted. “Because of this?”
“Just keep watching, gifted one,” she said warmly. “I shall return as soon as I have engaged our master and ministers!”
Kantren stood there for a moment, watching his Mistress exit from the chamber, moving in such a way that was very much unlike how she had been acting the past two days – beleaguered and often dizzy. Now she was alight with newfound energy.
