by R. E. Fisher
“We have not fallen so far that we would kill one of our own and call it justice. Tetra will be banished, forced to make her way among the lesser races,” Lysette said.
The voices that had plagued Tetra for centuries quieted, as though they, too, were listening to Lysette.
Lysette watched as Quensi made her way to the front of the small crowd.
“This is her punishment? You reward her for murdering one of us?” Quensi exclaimed once Lysette had finished.
“According to Tetra, Daena attacked her. She was defending herself. We should be trying to find out why. I hear no lies in Tetra’s telling or in those of her voices,” Lysette answered.
“She has heard those voices for thousands of years. You put the shielding tattoo on her yourself to save her from madness!”
“And yet she has coped with them.”
Quensi asked, “Until now, you mean—don’t you?”
Lysette began to respond to her allegation, but Quensi continued, remembering what Lavalor had instructed her to do.
“And what is to happen when she finds that she does not know all that she should? Especially of the dark arts that will be brought against her because of what she is?” Quensi spat as she turned her anger toward Tetra. “Keep Daena’s sword! You’re going to need it.”
Lysette stood up and let go of Tetra’s hand. She moved to stand in front of Quensi. “Would you take this path with her, Quensi? Would you? No, you would not! When was the last time you did anything that benefited anyone but yourself?” Lysette said, poking her finger onto Quensi’s chest.
“I resent that!” Quensi replied as she took a step back from Lysette’s rebuke.
“You attempt to draw others to you, and all the while you ignore the edicts that we placed on ourselves all those centuries ago! You attempt to lead, but you only lead those who follow you to your own selfish gains! To repeat the mistakes that our dead made so long ago! Have you learned nothing from the hardships that those beliefs brought us?”
“I’ve learned that shutting ourselves away has eliminated our control over the lesser ones!”
“You’ve learned nothing then! Go away from here!” Lysette commanded.
“If you send her, you will find that a poor decision!” Quensi spat as she walked away.
She grinned to herself once her back was to everyone, knowing that she had played her part as well as Lavalor had instructed. Tetra would have to take him with her. The rest was up to him.
“It isn’t my choice, sister. That choice was made by powers far greater than us!” she whispered toward Quensi as she departed.
Lysette returned and sat on the bench in front of her home while watching as Quensi gathered those loyal to her and walked from the village. Others began moving to their own homes while trying to understand Quensi’s reaction to Lysette’s words.
“We’ve learned nothing,” Lysette said.
“That is not true,” Tetra answered, having heard Lysette. “Some of us have learned a great deal from you. After all, you are the only one of us who has lived outside our seclusion from the young races.”
“Tetra, do you understand why Quensi hates you so?” Lysette asked, deflecting Tetra’s kindness.
“No.”
“She sees your being banished as an opportunity. Where I believe you will choose to learn, she would attempt to rule. But only because of the greatness she believes success would bring her.”
“What greatness is that?” Tetra asked.
“She left for Asmordia with Lavalor, and upon her return she still fights a battle that she never sees, struggling against it every day—as did Daena. Quensi’s evil is her own envy and pride. She fails to realize that we are no better than what she calls the lesser races, for whatever they are, we made them. To her, that means that they are here for our subjugation. I fear that she still believes as her husband did.”
“But that makes no sense. Would she subjugate the trees, or the fish, or the birds that fly? We created those too. That isn’t right! If she feels that way, why not banish her?”
“And unleash her upon the world? I do not think that would be wise! I had hoped to bring her to understand why we must guide our children to become more than they are. More than ourselves.”
“So, she is lost, Tetra stated.
“Tetra, why do you see things so simply?” Lysette asked.
“Our choices dictate who we are. Even when our choices are wrong.”
“And where lies our redemption when we choose to correct that choice?”
“In our actions after our mistakes…” Tetra said. After a pause, she then added, “…and after the mistakes of those we are responsible for.”
“You must ready yourself for your departure,” was all Lysette said as she patted Tetra’s arm.
She watched as Tetra turned and began walking home. Lysette thought about Tetra’s last comment for a moment and realized the honor that woman carried. How sad that the task before her would most likely take that from her—or kill her.
Lysette remembered having her vision of the Im’Shallene, and how she had put the tattoo on her. It had been placed, not to lessen the voices for Tetra, but to ensure that no others heard them to keep the Harbinger safe. The attempt on her life meant that she was no longer safe there. The attempt also told her that the Im’Shallene had begun, despite her own best efforts. She hoped Telerex was as loyal to her as she believed him to be, and that he kept his promise to protect her.
Tetra rose early, deciding to risk bathing one last time in the lake and to watch what she believed was going to be her last peaceful sunrise for a while.
She donned black leather clothing made of tanned drake’s hide that would hold up well to the trails. She also filled a set of saddlebags with a few mementos, water, and food for her journey. She included a rough map that her long-departed friend Rhastrashaa had once drawn for her. She slipped her dagger sheath onto her baldric, combining her weapons on her belt. She then armed herself with her husband’s last gift—her dagger—and slipped it into the sheath that he had lovingly made for her.
She took her weapons and saddlebags and proceeded to the only place that brought her peace, wanting to find a way to forgive herself for that which Daena had forced on her. Still, tears began falling down her cheeks. She undressed, setting aside her dagger and Daena’s sword. She walked into the waters to try and wash away her guilt and tears.
After she finished bathing, she walked over and sat on her favorite rock, enjoying the warm morning sunrise while her hair dried.
The sun’s early glow rose above the water, framed by the trees. It was a living painting to her mind, and it was glorious to her. She found its beauty nourishing. She was going to miss her morning ritual; a small amount of apprehension entered her thoughts.
“Are you troubled, sister?” Lysette asked as she neared and sat down next to Tetra. She also sat a covered bundle on the rock between them.
Unabashed by her own nudity, Tetra looked to her and said, “No, not at all. Simply a thought I was having. I was going to come by and say my goodbyes shortly.”
“Well, I have something for you. It’s something that I wanted to give to you for your journey. I retrieved it last night from the tombs of our brethren.”
Curious, Tetra asked, “What is it?”
“First I would ask you a question. When was the last time you used your magic?”
“I could not even tell you. It would have to be at the time that we forswore its use. Right after the Te’Namin, I believe,” Tetra said, looking at Lysette. “Why?”
“Those that you will be seeking to save have moved past us in their use of the magical art. We can still create life at a cost. We can move from place to place at a cost. We can still create that which we need to create within this realm, but they can manipulate it to their will,” Lysette answered.
“I will be careful,” Tetra said.
“You will need to be more than careful, sister; you will need to be alert to ever
ything around you. Your mortality—your very life—is tied to your use of magic now.” She paused, letting that sink in, then continued, “Like us, they pull their magic from the surrounding world. Since the world is of our design, we have a slight advantage in that we can see what they do with their magic. You will be able to see things that they will not expect you to be able to,” she said.
“What are you getting at?” Tetra asked.
“They can do things with their magic that most of us cannot. When we created the elves, we gave them a long-life span so they could learn how to best use that magic. Yet when we created man, we did not want each of them to wield magic; we crafted them so that magic would select them. But we erred. We instilled even stronger magic within those that it would select. Now, it is stronger than even our own within some of them, and they do troubling things with it. I tell you this because I do not want you to feel that your magic alone can defeat the challenges you will face. You may wish to seek out knowledge from the mages and learn to manipulate your magic as they do. As I did,” Lysette said.
“I know that we also gave magic to the dwarves. What have they done with it?”
Lysette gave Tetra a knowing smile. “The only magic we gave them is that they resist much of it.”
Tetra looked at Lysette. “I understand. Now what did you bring me?”
“Armor. We appear immortal, but we are not. I wouldn’t have you going into this thinking you are,” Lysette answered in her motherly tone.
She unfolded the blanket that covered the bundle she had set down. Tetra saw that it was a full set of armor and began examining it. She noticed that its construction was apparently the same as chain mail. It consisted of light, white stone rings, which were also interwoven with some sort of blackened metal rather than steel. How Fey had managed to blend metal and stone was beyond her, but the magic he used still resonated from the armor that lay across her lap. None of the stone links appeared to have ever been cut and rejoined to form the links of the hauberk.
She stood and lifted the complete hauberk, amazed that it weighed so little. The armor was so light that she could lift it with one hand.
She held the armor up high, much like she would any other piece of clothing. She saw that the hauberk was split up the front and the back—as well as from the bottom upward—and that the sleeve would cover less than half of her upper arm.
“That’s so you can fight or run without hindrance,” Lysette offered, seeing her confusion.
“I’ve never worn anything like this before. How will I put it on?”
“Here, let me show you. We never saw Fey without it after he made it. I think I can remember how he wore it.”
Lysette showed Tetra the proper way to don the maille in a matter of moments, and she watched as she dressed and slid the armor on over her black drakeskin leather garments. It was a comfortable fit and did not restrict her movement in the least.
Lysette handed Tetra the greaves, and she sat back down on the boulder to put them on. Unlike the maille, the greaves were stiff and firm, made from the same metallic laced stone. She laid the greave over her boot that also covered her shin and then reached behind her leg, buckling the straps that secured it to her. She also realized that they were designed with a hinged knee-cop to protect her knees while in battle. After figuring out how to secure the first greave, the second went on much quicker.
Lysette smiled and handed her the shoulder pauldrons.
Tetra looked at them, trying to determine how to put them on. She realized that the armor was nothing more than a blouse with one long sleeve. This sleeve was more polished metal than stone and would cover her sword arm. She began to slide her arm though the sleeve, pulling the rest of the armor down over her head. While doing so, she noticed that both sides were not stitched together—only one was. The other side had bindings that were like the greaves. She finished slipping her arm through and pushed her head through the neck opening. The pauldron began to fall into place, along with the raised gorget that would protect her neck. She reached down and tightened the armor in a matter of mere moments. The remaining pauldron fell to rest on her shoulder, and she tightened that one as well. Again, she was amazed at how well it fit and how it allowed her to move easily, as though Fey had made it for her.
For her arm that was not protected, Lysette handed her a single vambrace. It would protect her forearm, from her elbow to her wrist. This piece consisted of the same white, metal-laced stone as the maille. It was stiff but comfortable also.
Tetra looked down at the blanket and saw only one more piece of armor to don. It was the tasset that would help protect her hips and groin from injury. She picked it up and swung it around her waist. She pulled the broad leather strap though the double metal loops of the buckle and tied a cinch knot. She let the excess leather hang below the knot rather than securing it further. She held up her arms to show Lysette, who smiled and pointed down at the tasset. Tetra looked down and saw that there were several small pins. She deduced that if she pushed the pins through the loops of her hauberk, she could flip them down and lock them into place. She secured one, then the other, reaching between her legs and feeling around to secure the back of the tasset to the back of the hauberk.
Once she had finished, she again looked at Lysette, raising her arms and spinning in a quick circle.
Lysette saw that the pauldrons now had a floral pattern on them. Those had not been there before when she had removed the armor from Fey’s sepulcher. The armor must reflect something about the wearer, she thought, knowing that they had previously displayed an anvil and hammer.
Noticing the brief, concerned look on Lysette’s face, Tetra asked, “What is it?”
“Nothing, child. I misremembered something is all. You look wonderful, as if Fey had made it for you himself!”
“And this will stop sword and spear?” Tetra asked, unsure that they would.
“And more,” Lysette smiled and answered. “Brother Fey made this. He helped create the realm for the earth gods, if you remember. He said he crafted it in the molten hollow of this world. I’m not sure I believe him, though,” Lysette said, smiling. “He spent most of his time alone and avoided most of that other nonsense. He swore it would protect him from any of the beasts that our brothers might create. I call it Fey’s Armor, since I have no idea what he called it,” she smiled.
“It’s beautiful! I am grateful, sister!” Tetra said, giving Lysette a brief hug.
She picked up the blanket that the armor had been resting on, realizing that it was not a blanket. It was a black, hooded cloak; she threw it over her shoulders and secured it to the gorget that protected her neck.
“May it protect you well on your journey!” Lysette said as she took Tetra’s hand, patting the top of it as they walked from Tetra’s peaceful sanctuary.
Together they walked to where Telerex resided, arriving near the large cave that sat on the shore of the lake. There they saw Telerex crouched on the shore, staring out across the water.
His golden scales reflected bright shards of light with each breath he took. Though they were still a good distance away from him, he turned and watched them as they drew nearer. Tetra smiled at his choice of lounging spots. The dragon sat looking out to the sea, in the exact spot that Rhastrashaa had so enjoyed, and waited. Tetra briefly wondered what had become of Rha since he left.
Though the ancient gold dragon enjoyed the time he got to spend with Tetra, he also realized that they were about to embark on a journey that could very well kill her. Even if she failed to recognize the risk to herself, he had. His own examination of the dangers they would face had set in as soon as Lysette had explained to him what she was asking.
The two women closed the distance to where Telerex waited. As they neared, he sensed the powerful magic she now carried. The dragon noticed that she wore brilliant white armor with drakeskin leather garments, rather than that sackcloth of a dress she usually preferred.
She looks magnificent! he thought. Much l
ike an ancient hero! He had the ability to tell the difference between her innate magic and that of other magic. He knew the armor she wore was powerful; he was glad that she had decided to wear it and hoped it would make her task easier. He looked at the sword she now carried. He knew it carried some enchantment, but he was not aware of its type. Nor did he feel a need to find out from her, knowing that he was safe in her company. Still, he felt a sense of dread from it.
His concern for the sword vanished as she walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. How fond of her I am, he thought. He had met all those who lived in the village, and he cared little for the rest of them. The genuine concern this being had for all those around her allowed him to trust her, and trust was rather difficult for dragons. Telerex always welcomed her presence and enjoyed the time they shared.
“Are you ready to go, my friend?” Tetra asked him.
“Whenever you are, my lady,” he replied in his deep, refined voice. He dropped his shoulder toward her so that she could climb upon his back. She grabbed the straps that held the huge saddlebags he carried, pulling herself up and onto the magnificent beast.
“Let us begin our journey then, Tel,” she smiled as she settled onto his shoulders. With one leg on each side of his neck, she wriggled her hips to get comfortable. She had shared the joy of flight with her friend on many occasions before.
Tetra marveled at the wondrous creature’s strength as she felt his muscles shifting in preparation for flight; they became taut as he extended his wings, lifting them high. With a slight leap, he brought his wings downward, and they began to lift from the ground. With each flap of his great wings, they gained more altitude. Soon they were on a steady, even climb high above the ground. The brisk air whistled past her as she watched the ground fall away from them. She waved goodbye to Lysette, hoping she would see her again soon. A small voice within her told her that she probably wouldn’t.
