The Mirage on the Brink of Oblivion (The Epic of Aravinda Book 3)

by Andrew M. Crusoe

  “So,” he spoke slowly as the words formed in his mind, “what we were taught was a lie? The first Empress didn’t teach the people how to leave their physical bodies. It just happened?”

  “Actually, that part of the story is true,” the Empress replied. “Fact is often interwoven with fiction. The first Empress did establish this city, but she was not the first entity in this realm. On the contrary, some were here when the foundation of this city was laid, and over time she helped to calm those who were fearful of being outside of their physical bodies. She was a good woman. Now please, try some of your soup. The chef and I are quite proud of it.”

  Torin looked down at the effervescent liquid, glowing in its power, and picked up the bowl. Carefully, he put the edge of the bowl to his lips and sipped. A warmth flowed into him, and he felt a buzzing in his head, as if a great power were coursing through him.

  “How do you feel?” she asked.

  “Astounding,” he replied, “like I could sculpt an entire civilization with my bare hands.”

  “Then make something. Make something come alive.”

  “Alive? But Empress, only royalty are allowed such an honor.”

  “You have my permission. Forge life, but make it small. Make a shadow sprite, if you wish.”

  He took a slow, deep breath. “All right. If your Majesty wishes it.”

  “I do.”

  Torin cupped his hands into a ball and closed his eyes. His breathing accelerated, and his hands radiated soft light. He hummed a haunting, lilting melody for a moment before he abruptly stopped.

  When he opened his cupped hands, he revealed a tiny wispy creature, as if a shadow had been given life and formed into a vaguely humanoid shape. The sprite stood up and flew up out of his cupped hands.

  “You’ve done it,” the Empress whispered. “You have given it life. Now, you must understand the balance of life and death.”

  With its large dark eyes, the tiny sprite had spotted the bowl of ambrosial soup and zoomed down to it. Torin caught it just before the little sprite dove headfirst into his bowl.

  “I forgot how fast these little guys are!” Torin said. “What do you want me to do now?”

  “You had the power to create it, and you therefore have the right to destroy it. You are its creator, Torin. It is at your mercy. And,” the Empress squinted at him, “you know quite well the laws governing shadow sprites in our city. They feed on negative thought-forms and are therefore illegal. You know what you must do.”

  Torin tightened his closed fist that held the sprite. “So, you want me to—”

  “Kill it, Torin.”

  “But it’s at my mercy. It didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “Sometimes,” the Empress said slowly, “an entity doesn’t have to perform an action to be wrong. Sometimes its mere presence is an affront to reason and safety. Kill it. That is an order.”

  “Yes, Empress,” he said, almost instinctively. He looked over to his fist, noticing again the double-square symbol that shone on the back of each of his hands, the symbol of his position. “I’m sorry little guy, but she’s right. Your kind aren’t meant to be in this city.”

  He shivered and with one swift jolt, squeezed his fingers together in a tight fist, crushing the creature in one swift motion as if he were crushing a bundle of grass. His hand glowed brighter, and then it was over.

  The Empress nodded, a smirk growing across her face. “Superb work. The energy that left you to become the creature has now returned to you. Remember Torin, with a source as potent as this sacred soup, your manifestation abilities will last longer than you’ve ever seen them last before. This is one of the major privileges of your new position. Use it wisely.”

  This time, the Empress lifted her bowl and took a long draw of the soup. Torin did the same, and a glow of raw power flowed and pulsed through his etheric body like an unstoppable torrent.

  …

  Asha frowned as she watched.

  She was getting the feeling that they wouldn’t return to the subject of the glowing stone. What she was learning was fascinating and useful, but it wasn’t what she had come here for. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked over to Zahn who squeezed her hand reassuringly. His eyes seemed to say that somehow, all was well, and Asha wished that she could feel the same way.

  A glowing thought-nugget flew through the wall, over the table, and stopped when the Empress raised her hand. Instead of it merely flying into her head as Asha had seen happen with so many others, the Empress took the nugget in her hand and squeezed it into her palm. It grew smaller until she had absorbed it completely.

  Her face darkened as she stood up. “The 5th ambrosia channel just went offline. I am urgently needed, and you are coming with me.”

  “What?” Torin’s expression fell. “Khandan assured me—”

  “Come, Torin!” The Empress said as she zoomed over to the nearest marked exit. “We must hurry.”

  Torin got up and followed after her. “Yes, your Majesty.”

  In a blink, they both bolted away.

  Only Asha, Zahn, and two guards remained in the room. The royal guards, whose faces were hidden behind familiar white hoods, zoomed over to the exit and remained stationed on either side of the exit symbol.

  Asha sighed. If they moved quickly, the guards probably wouldn’t detect them.

  She stopped herself, a realization dawning on her.

  What if, with this power, I could feel where the Breath of Life is? What if this power can lead me to it?

  Even though she was still invisible, she moved as stealthily as possible, zooming up to Torin’s bowl of unfinished ambrosial soup. She looked down to it, still half-full, and cupped some of the soup in her hand, bringing it to her mouth. It reminded her of a sweet nectar, and as she swallowed it, a warmth filled her body. A new strength came over her, and she lifted the bowl to try more.

  More of the power flooded into her. She felt as if she could do anything. Be anything. Create anything. But it didn’t give her any sense of where the Breath of Life was. Still, something that the Empress had said nagged at the back of her mind.

  “Look!” one of the guards called out. “The bowl is moving of its own accord!”

  “You idiot!” the other guard said. “We have cloaked intruders! Trap them!”

  In a panic, Asha zoomed over and grabbed Zahn’s hand. They lurched forward, through the exit and into the hall. Behind, Asha could sense movement and felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She felt like a fool. How could she have risked that?

  She didn’t waste any time, darting back through the halls the same way they had come in. Zahn made sure to anchor himself to Asha’s ident, carefully avoiding sliding into any adjacent rooms as they zoomed ahead.

  When they reached the long entrance hall, Asha stopped for a moment and looked behind. Zahn almost flew right through her before she moved aside. Both guards were right on their tail.

  “We have a breach!” one of them yelled. “Secure the exit!”

  A guard beside the exit zoomed up to it and moved his hands over it in a rapid circular motion. Asha guessed what this meant and embraced Zahn tightly, bolting upward. In a frantic moment, he realized what she was trying to do, and together they lurched toward the circular opening, shattering through a thin sheet the guard had made and through the narrow exit.

  Asha’s head ached as they flew out of the monument, and everything appeared upside down as she plunged downward toward the sea. Yet instead of hitting the water, she saw a familiar white robe just below. A wash of white folds enveloped her, and all became darkness.

  CHAPTER 26

  FRAGMENTS OF MEMORY

  Zahn awoke with a gasp, bolting upright with a clear feeling that something demanded his attention. His feeling was confirmed when he realized that a bright thought-nugget was hovering just above the bed.

  He reached up and grabbed it.

  Even before he opened it, he knew it was from Jyana.

  Hello. The Empress w
anted me to stop by after the ceremony. However, since neither of you came to the entrance when I knocked, I assumed you were resting, or otherwise engaged. Despite my recommendations, the Empress requests that I teach you both a final skill that may prove priceless during your time here in the Mirage. Since Torin is heading off to an important meeting, I’ll be around for most of this cycle. Shoot me a thought when you’re available.

  He released the nugget, and it floated upward.

  “What’s that?” Asha reached up and grabbed it.

  “You’re up! It’s—yeah, you’ll scan it faster than I can speak.”

  He watched as Asha’s expression shifted from suspicion to surprise, until it finally melted into bewilderment.

  “Hmm.” Asha turned to him. “I don’t think she trusts us at all anymore.”

  Zahn smirked. “Us? To them, we’re just strangers trying to find an ancient artifact that holds the key to their civilization. Who wouldn’t trust us?”

  Asha furrowed her eyebrows and frowned, saying nothing.

  “It’s not like I can blame her,” he continued. “She was right; we didn’t tell her everything, but we have our reasons.” He stood up and glided over to the tall container in the corner that held the energy packets. Even more red oval shapes floated within it than before, and he pulled one out and drank it.

  “Everyone has their reasons, Zahn.”

  Zahn glided back over, offering some of the red liquid to her. “Want some?”

  “No. Actually, I feel really good. Not drained, at all.” Her eyes widened. “Zahn, the ambrosia! I didn’t get much, but even two drinks was… indescribable.”

  He grinned. “It looked like it! I think its power was the main reason we broke through the barrier the guard was creating over the exit. Come to think of it, what happened after that? How did we get back here?”

  Zahn suddenly felt embarrassed at the realization that there was a gap in his memory.

  Asha looked around. “Manu must have caught us and left us here to recuperate.”

  “Good point.” Zahn took another drink from the energy packet. “Next time though, could you please be more careful when we’re invisible?”

  She sighed. “Sorry. I guess I shouldn’t have messed with the ambrosial soup. If I hadn’t, we probably could have gotten out of there without much hassle. I endangered both of us.”

  Zahn turned to her and took her hand, admiring her warm brown eyes. “No, that’s not what I meant. I’m glad you took the opportunity. This ambrosial energy could be really helpful later on.” He massaged her hand. “Just be careful, okay? And try not to be so hard on yourself.”

  She looked up to meet his gaze. “Okay, I’ll try not to.”

  “We’re in this together, Asha. You don’t have to do it alone. Remember that.”

  “I will.” Asha stood up and took a deep breath. “So, are you ready for me to call Jyana back?”

  “Let’s see what she has to say.”

  Asha nodded and closed her eyes for a moment before a ball of light shot out of her head and through the wall at great speed.

  “I should get a reply soon.” Asha looked down to the half-full energy packet that he was holding. “May I?”

  “Sure.”

  She took it and drank the rest of the red fluid.

  “I don’t really need it, but it calms my nerves.”

  Another ball of light zoomed through the walls and back into Asha’s head. “Wow. She’s already here.”

  Zahn and Asha glided over to the exit and flew through, finding Jyana clad in a shimmering indigo dress that glowed at the edges.

  “Hello,” Jyana said. “I want to be perfectly clear that I am only here by request of the Empress. Whether you two will regain my trust remains to be seen.”

  Asha winced. “Ouch. I’m sorry to hear that. But I hope you realize why we couldn’t tell you everything. We were under orders. But the good news is, we found our friend.”

  Jyana’s expression stiffened. “I, too, am under orders, and I want to be transparent with how I feel. In the Mirage, feelings become obvious quickly, and I would rather speak them first. I’m sure you understand. May I come in?”

  “Sure,” Asha nodded.

  Inside, Zahn noticed how Jyana glanced around before taking one of the large cup-like forms in the corner and sitting inside it, making it quite clear that what he had mistaken for art was actually a chair. All the while, Zahn got the feeling that Jyana did not want to be there.

  “Pull up a cup,” Jyana said.

  They each did, and Zahn found that with some effort, he could make the cup-like chair spin around.

  “Forgive Zahn,” Asha said. “He can’t help himself.”

  “Hey!” Zahn said. “It’s a fun chair.” He slowed it down and faced Jyana. “Okay, I’m done now.”

  Asha rolled her eyes before turning to Jyana. “I’m ready.”

  “Well,” Jyana narrowed her eyes at Zahn, “since you both seem comfortable with communicating with thought-nuggets in the present moment, the Empress believes it is time you both learn how to share information from your past experiences.”

  “Memories,” Zahn said. “You’re talking about memories, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Jyana nodded, “complete with full sensory information. Everything you heard and felt—everything is included. At least, if you can recall it clearly. Observe.”

  Jyana closed her eyes, and a white ball of light, much smaller than the others, formed in front of her face and hung in the air. Her eyes flashed open once more, and she took the ball of light and offered it to Asha.

  “Handle it carefully,” she said. “Memory nuggets can be some of the most densely packed information you’ll come across. Start by making a cursory scan of the nugget. Then, when you’re ready, you can go deeper.”

  “Got it.”

  Carefully, Asha brought the sphere up to her forehead.

  When it touched her skin, Asha shivered, and Zahn wondered what images and sounds were flooding her senses. Still, she kept her calm.

  Abruptly, Asha jerked her head, and after another moment, she slowly opened her eyes.

  “What happened?” he asked. “Are you okay?”

  She turned to Zahn. “It was the ceremony seen from Jyana’s perspective. But I felt her emotions, too. And Torin was there.” She turned, locking her gaze onto Jyana. “You fear that Torin is growing distant, don’t you?”

  Jyana’s expression fell. “You can infer that?”

  “No, but I think I felt it.”

  Jyana turned away to break her gaze. “Let’s continue.”

  “But what did you see?” Zahn asked.

  Asha turned to Jyana. “Can he see, too?”

  “Fine,” she said and closed her eyes again.

  With a sharp inhale, a small ball of light once again formed in front of Jyana’s face, and she handed it to Zahn, who took it without hesitation.

  He closed his eyes as dozens of sounds and images flooded his senses, and he took a couple deep breaths to balance his mind. Within his mind’s eye, he saw fragments of memory floating around. Within one was a short glimpse of the ceremony, and Zahn watched the proceedings from Jyana’s perspective. He noticed how Jyana had looked over and saw him and Asha sitting at the far end. But there was much more here then mere sensory data. As he watched, a feeling of anger mixed with surprise within Zahn’s heart.

  Abruptly, the memory ended, and Zahn peered within another memory bubble nearby. Inside, he saw Asha near the pedestal being honored by the Empress.

  A wave of anger washed over him again, but that feeling also faded, replaced with a twinge of guilt.

  In the final bubble, Zahn saw Torin floating just in front of him, explaining that he had to go but would send a message when he knew more. As Torin skipped away, a sadness came over him, and he closed his eyes and pushed the memories away.

  Zahn opened his eyes once more, feeling sadder than before.

  “I see. In a memory, emotions ar
e just as important as what you see and hear.” He turned to Jyana. “I think I know what Asha means, but I want you to know something. Torin does love you. It’s there. I can see it in the way he looks at you.”

  “Thank you, Zahn, but that wasn’t the point of the exercise. I’m trying to show you both how powerful this ability is. It’s one of the primary tools for education in our society, and learning this skill will be necessary if Asha wishes to stay here.” She turned to Asha. “Your turn. Choose a memory to share. Consider your choice carefully, choosing something that rings vividly in your mind. Then, I want you to slowly roll your focus over that memory. Once you’ve completed the portion of memory you want to share, imagine it pressing down, ever smaller, into a ball of light. And everything will become clear.”

  “All right.”

  Asha closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.

  As Zahn watched, he got the distinct feeling that she was doing the breathing meditation that they’d learned during their last adventure and tried to be as silent as possible. As she meditated, he felt a new calmness permeate the space around them, and he couldn’t help but close his eyes and meditate along with her for a moment.

  When Zahn opened his eyes again, a hazy glow had formed between her eyes. The glow grew brighter and brighter until a ball of light, a bit smaller than Jyana’s had been, popped out of her forehead.

  “Good,” Jyana said. “You are a fast learner, Asha.”

  She blinked her eyes. “And that’s it? That’s my memory?”

  “An energetic copy, you could say. Your memories are always woven into your being, inseparable. This process merely renders them into a sharable form so that others may experience them.”

  Zahn laughed to himself. “Incredible. And could you experience another person’s whole life this way? I mean, do people trade memories often? How far does this go?”

  “Memory is part of our shared wealth.” Jyana turned to Asha. “I shall open your memory now.”

  To Zahn’s surprise, Jyana popped it into her mouth instead of her forehead and closed her eyes. After a few moments, she opened her eyes once more.