“Put my granddaughter down,” she said with firm resolve. Adam understood now why the woman received such respect from the villagers: she was the leader of Erebia Village, Baraluneska Repaltia, Dee’s grandmother. He also realized how his situation looked as he held her unconscious granddaughter in front of her.
“She’s fainted,” Adam explained. “We should give her some air and let her lie—”
Adam found the old woman’s walking stick in his face before he could finish his sentence. “Let her go and get away from her. Leave this place.”
Adam was taken aback and didn’t understand her protest to his being there. She was unwavering, keeping her walking stick pointed at him and giving him a death glare. Osric stepped up to defend Adam.
“Lady Repaltia, please, this man is no threat,” he tried to explain. “He was accompanying Diatyallah through the forest. She explained that he was a friend.”
Her face remained unchanged as she kept her stare focused on Adam’s eyes through his dark glasses. “Osric, you should not always be so willing to trust others. You’ve brought a terrible evil here with you.”
Adam’s heart sunk in his chest. Around him, he noticed that several other mages had begun to surround him and hold their staves out at him. He only now realized that Baraluneska’ walking stick was far more than a walking stick, and it was just inches away from him. He knew that none of them would try anything as long as he was still holding Dee. Glancing down at her face, he saw a faint sadness left in her expression. Adam turned to Osric and offered for him to take Dee. The wizard was surprised, but didn’t hesitate to take hold of Dee and lay her down in the grass behind all of the commotion. Empty handed, Adam now stood before Baraluneska for judgment. Her eyes seemed to soften at Adam’s action, but her scowl remained. Baraluneska lowered her staff and stuck it into the ground, resting both hands on top of it.
“Why have you come here, stranger?” she asked.
“We were lost in the forest on our way to the Republic of Gravell,” Adam explained. “Two of your villagers found us and brought us here.”
“What business do you have in Gravell with my granddaughter?”
“I’m seeking allies in Khanka,” said Adam. “Dee chose to come with me.”
Baraluneska’s eyes narrowed again. “Diatyallah has no business in Khanka. I appreciate you bringing her back here, but it is here she will stay. I must ask that you do not.”
The two locked stares once more. Adam could understand that after all this time they would want Dee to stay at the village, but he didn’t understand why they were being so hostile towards him. Aside from the swords on his belt that he hadn’t attempted to reach for, he posed no threat to their village. Why she had determined him to be evil was beyond him.
“Look, I mean no harm to any of you,” he said, holding his hands out at his sides. “My name is Adam Evans, and I’m the King of Magid. It’s another planet in this star system. Dee and I fled from there because of an uprising. We’re just trying to find sanctuary. I humbly ask that you let me stay, at least for the night. I don’t intend to intrude where I don’t belong for longer than necessary.”
“Yet you’ve intruded in the realms of mortal men and women for thousands of years now,” said Baraluneska. “If you are in need of sanctuary so badly, why not beg to return to Aeris where you first fell from?”
Adam was astonished. She had never seen him before but she was able to tell that he was a Legend just by looking at him. No part of his image, or his clothing or speech, gave away his divine heritage. Somehow this old woman knew in an instant what others had never figured out in their lifetimes. It was possible that she recognized his likeness from that of the Creator just as Master M had, but as far as Adam knew the Creator had never been to this village.
“Forgive my rudeness, but I must keep the best interests of my people in mind,” she said. “Please be on your way to Khanka and leave us in peace.”
“If you want me gone then I’ll leave,” said Adam. “But at least let me stay until Dee wakes up so I can say goodbye. She would be upset to know I went off without her again, just as her master did.”
Baraluneska’s expression changed. “What do you know about Diatyallah’s master?”
“A good deal,” Adam said. “And I know a few things about him that I’m sure you do not, nor does Dee.”
The crowd began to speak among themselves as Baraluneska looked as if she’d received terrible news. She looked to her granddaughter and back to Adam before stepping closer to him.
“Does Diatyallah know the truth?” she asked. Now it was Adam’s turned to be surprised.
“What truth do you mean?”
“That it is impossible that Amadeus Morgan is still alive.”
Adam frowned. It was starting to seem like Dee was the only one still in the dark. “She doesn’t know.”
Behind them, Dee’s soft groans broke the tense discussion. Adam and Baraluneska looked back to see Dee raise her hand to her forehead and shake her head as she regained consciousness. Baranluneska gripped Adam by the sleeve and pulled him closer.
“You and I have more to discuss,” she said. “Do not breathe a word of any of this to my granddaughter. You may stay for the night and we will settle all of this later.”
Adam nodded and Baraluneska released him. She used her staff to help her walk over to where Dee was lying in the pale grass. Dee sat up and took a breath as she recovered. As she opened her eyes, Dee saw her grandmother kneeling beside her. The two kept solid eye contact until Baraluneska dropped her staff and pulled Dee into a tight embrace. Dee was overwhelmed with emotion and returned the hug as both began to cry. Adam could hardly imagine that this loving grandmother was the same hard lined village chief who had just stood up to him and spoken to him as she had. It was clear to him that Baraluneska Repaltia was a woman concerned only with the well being of the people she loved, and he couldn’t fault her for that.
After the initial excitement of Dee’s return calmed down, the villagers returned to their business so as to give Dee her space and have time to get reacquainted with the village. Baraluneska sent Osric and Eben on their way and stayed with Adam and Dee as they made their way up the hill into the village. Adam noticed that a lot of the anxiety that Dee seemed to harbor on their way up to the village was gone and that the joy of being home after so long and letting all of her memories come back distracted from the thoughts of her master. Those thoughts were sure to reemerge soon and Dee would have to answer to the villagers, even if they seemed slow to ask at all. In the meantime, Adam was happy to see Dee getting along well.
Baraluneska bumped against Adam, pushing him further away as she walked in between him and Dee. Adam shot her a miffed look, but she was already dodging his glance and pointing something out to Dee. It was clear to him that even though she had allowed him to stay in Erebia she didn’t feel comfortable with him at all. From the moment Dee woke up, she had managed to always be in between the two of them. The lack of trust was understandable to a degree, but it was starting to annoy him. If the Creator himself had felt comfortable leaving Dee alone with Adam for nine months, it wouldn’t be so out there to let the two of them walk side by side.
As the trio walked through the village, Adam realized it was much bigger than he had pictured it from Dee’s descriptions. The lower level seemed to be made up of agrarian buildings and farmland while the upper village was largely residential, featuring lengthy and often interconnected wooden homes with carved roofs line with straw. Tall torches lit by magical fire stood all along the dirt footpaths. Adam noticed them starting to spark up as the sun descended lower in the sky. He had no idea what time it actually was, but as winter approached the days were getting shorter all the time.
“Nothing’s changed,” Dee said, turning her head every which way as they walked towards the center of the village. A stone fountain featuring a long haired woman holding an overflowing vase stood in the town square. Adam was taken by the simple beauty of
the carving and paused as the three walked by it. Baraluneska noticed and stopped too.
“Do you recognize her?” she asked.
“No,” said Adam. “Should I?”
“Perhaps,” the old witch said. “She is a Legend like you, after all.”
Intrigued, Adam stepped closer. He studied the smooth face of the stone but found he had no idea who she was.
“That is Astrum,” Baraluneska informed him. “She is one of the three original Seraphos shaped by the Creator’s hand at the birth of the universe. I would have figured you must have known her.”
“The three original Seraphos were dead by the time I split off from the Creator,” Adam told her. “And I have no memories of the Creator’s from before that time.”
“I see,” Baraluneska said in a tone that would suggest disbelief. Adam decided to ignore her and continued looking at the statue.
“Astrum is the mother of all good magic in the Other Universe,” Dee said. She went to join Adam beside the statue but was intercepted when Baraluneska got ahead of her. She touched her grandmother’s shoulder and the old woman smiled at her.
“All of our magic stems from her powers that were left behind in the stars,” Baraluneska jumped in. “And some families can trace their lineage directly back to Astrum herself. Of course the bloodline is so dilute that any sense of immortality is long gone. But even after countless generations there is still an extra spark in those mages that if properly developed leads to incredible power.”
“Is that so?” Adam asked.
“You tell me,” Baraluneska said. “If you’ve been around my granddaughter long enough you must have observed that.”
Adam turned and raised an eyebrow. “Your family is part of Astrum’s bloodline?”
The old witch cackled. “You don’t get to be village chief for nothing.”
“Our family has been in control of Erebia Village for generations,” said Dee. “No one really objects to it. We get a lot of respect for it, though sometimes I think it goes to my grandmother’s head.”
“It does not!”
“Only joking,” Dee said with a smile.
“You said Astrum was the source of all good magic,” said Adam. “Does that mean there is also evil magic?”
Baraluneska’s lightheartedness vanished and she became quite serious again. “Where there is light there will always be shadow,” she said. “Just as Astrum is the beacon for our magic, Fatum is the inspiration of sorcerers and malcontents.”
Dee pulled out her wand, now appearing as a plain stick as it was at rest. “Astrusian magic uses wands and staves to draw on magical forces from the universe,” Dee explained. “Sorcerers, who practice Fatusian magic, channel their powers directly from their bodies. It’s an especially dangerous path because having that kind of supernatural power flowing through you can do terrible things on the body as well as the soul. In my travels I encountered an exiled wizard from this village who had turned to sorcery and channeled dark forces into his body that took away his humanity.”
Baraluneska became very pale when Dee said this and gripped Dee’s hand. “What wizard?”
“Sek’hai Khigal,” Dee told her. “I ran into him during my travels and ended up having to fight a duel with him.” Baraluneska looked as if she would faint. “Don’t worry, Baba, I made it out safe. I was with friends who helped me and made sure I was okay.”
Dee’s explanation only seemed to trouble the old woman further. The two began to squabble with each other about how reckless such an act was and how Dee was capable of taking care of herself. Adam tuned out and left the family matters to the mages. He turned back to the vacant face in the fountain, contemplating what Dee had said about the Legends who came before him. All three had been lost in a terrible war that divided Aeris and brought evil into the Other Universe. Both Astrum and Fatum shaped the lives of countless magic users, and in a way they were like his siblings. Yet he knew nothing of them, nor would he ever. The ancient immortals were long dead, left to live on only through those who worshiped and remembered them. Adam could only pray that should he suffer the same fate that he might be remembered too, not for his mistakes or shortcomings or for his darker days, but for the good he had done and for all the wrongs he had fought so hard to make amends for. As the days seemed to be growing dimmer, he hoped that in the end he would be remembered at all.
Chapter 11
A Wicked Aura
Darkness settled over the mountain and in the far reaches of the wilderness the sky was clearer than Adam had seen in years. There was substantial light pollution in Takuda Central that left the sky dark but hazy. As he stood outside of a longhouse he could see the countless stars dotting the sky’s palette, overlaying the amorphous cloud that was their galaxy. The full autumn moon was visible in such detail that Adam could make out the craters that dotted its surface. It was no wonder that Dee would spend her childhood nights staring up at the sky. It was a thing of beauty, a reflection of all the mysteries of the universe hanging up for everyone to see, to wonder, to dream about.
It was cold outside high up on the mountain. Adam relied on his power over fire to help keep him warm. Just as in Kyoto, his Khazaki jacket was too thin to offer any real protection from the cold. Aside from the view of the sky, he would much rather be inside the well-heated longhouse, but Baraluneska had demanded he wait outside while Dee bathed and changed her clothes. To wait in another room would have been enough in his mind, but Baraluneska was taking no chances with Adam. Even though Dee had been very open and positive towards him from the moment they got to Erebia, Baraluneska had yet to dismiss her reservations towards Adam. Likewise, he had noticed that whenever Dee had her back turned, the other villagers gave him odd looks and whispered amongst themselves. He was likely the first stranger they had seen in a long time, and Baraluneska had given them a reason to fear him.
The door creaked open behind him. Adam saw Dee poke her head outside and shiver as the cold air touched her freshly bathed skin.
“You can come inside now, Greg,” she said. “You must be freezing out here.”
“It’s not too bad,” Adam said, following Dee back inside. The warmth of the room flooded over him as soon as he entered and he sighed in relief. The room was well insulated with the thick furs of animals that hung from the walls and lined the floor. A shallow cauldron in the middle of the room held a flame that spread heat throughout the longhouse as smoke floated upwards to a hole in the roof. Smaller lanterns were hung from the walls to light the room, but they burned with a magical flame that produced no smoke and seemed to present no danger of burning anything at all. The rest of the room was filled with plush furniture and a short table where meals were had. It was not what Adam expected and seemed very rustic and old fashioned. He imagined that Dee developed her knowledge of modern living during her travels and in her time spent with the Creator. Still, the old longhouse was a far cry from the luxuries of Magid Palace.
“Make yourself at home,” Dee said, gesturing to the cozy looking furniture. She had already gotten comfortable after her bath, changing from her dressy outfit to a woven robe. Her hair, still drying, was braided and hung down her torso to her midriff. She seemed to be taking advantage of the soft fur rugs as she walked about the house barefoot. All in all she seemed to be settling back in nicely. Baraluneska, sitting and waiting in the corner, seemed less comfortable once Adam entered the longhouse.
“Actually, he’ll need to be going now,” she said, rising to her feet. “He and I need to discuss a few simple matters. You should get your rest, sweetheart. We’re going to be having a celebration tomorrow night to commemorate your return, and I don’t want you fainting on us again.”
“I promise it won’t happen again,” Dee said. “Just don’t keep him up too long. He’s had a very long day and I’m sure he wants his rest too.”
“So he’ll have it,” Baraluneska replied. “Sleep well, my dear.”
“Goodnight Baba. Goodnight Greg. Sleep well, oka
y?”
Adam nodded and gave her a quick smile before Baraluneska walked by and escorted him back out into the cold. Once outside, Baraluneska tapped the door handle with her staff and heard the heavy click of the lock sealing itself.
“You’re taking a lot of precautions with her,” Adam pointed out.
“My granddaughter has been gone for four years, and I had already accepted that she may never return. Understand that I will take no chances with her and will see that she remains safe and happy.”
“Dee’s grown a lot since she left this village,” said Adam. “She’s demonstrated to me many times that she’s skilled and capable of holding her own against the dangers the world can throw out at her.”
“You’re trying to get me to trust you, yes? You want to be on my good side? Then don’t question the decisions I make as that girl’s guardian.”
“My apologies,” he said, a bit taken aback by her bluntness. She started walking away and motioned for Adam to follow her. Wherever they were going now would be far away from Dee. That way they could both speak freely with each other and not hold back for Dee’s sake.
“You said you’re her guardian,” Adam said, breaking the silence. “What about her parents?”
“My son and his wife are diplomats of our village,” said Baraluneska. “While magic villages like ours are few and far between, there is still a need to cooperate with our brothers and sisters across the continent. As such, they often leave the village for gatherings of mages, and if necessary, negotiations with the non-human tribes that we share our borders with.”
“So they weren’t around much when Dee was growing up?”
“They didn’t neglect her or her brother, if that’s what you’re getting at. They loved their children and cared for them well. When they were called away, as they are now, I cared for them as any grandmother would.”
Fallout (Tales of the Other Universe Book 2) Page 13
