by Lexy Wolfe
Pulling Almek behind himself protectively, Mureln looked at the mages. "I don't care how you do it, but keep them here or we'll never find them." The two hesitated only a moment before they instinctively cast shield wall spells to block the charging warriors. The half mad Swordanzen ran into the invisible walls hard, staggering backwards two steps, terrified eyes locked on the sky.
Neither seemed to hear anything their companions or the Dusvet said, running into the invisible walls the mages held firmly so often they bloodied themselves. Finally, so battered they could no longer stand, they backed away on all fours until they were pressed up against the giant root wall.
Mureln dropped to his knees in front of the two, a hand on their arms, urgently speaking to them in Desanti. It was some minutes before the abject terror began to fade. "Forgive me," he begged fervently, finally getting them both to look at him. "Gods, please, forgive me. I should have prepared you both for what winter means here. I put off teaching you because you have both had so much to try to understand. I did not want to overwhelm you."
Storm held out a shaking hand towards the sky, a large flake falling in her palm, immediately melting. "It... it is just water," she said, apparently not ready to believe him until she proved his words to herself, lowering her hand to stare at the melting flakes and bubbles of water.
Mureln nodded. "I promise. Just water. Neither the sky is broken, nor are the clouds. It is called snow. One of the different forms rain takes when it is so cold here in the north."
Lyra pushed past the others, kneeling by Skyfire. "Master Skyfire, you are bleeding!" She pulled out a rag to try to clean off some of the blood on his face. "I didn't know you had never seen snow!"
Skyfire looked at Lyra owlishly, still dazed. "No, never. Never seen snow." He accepted Emaris's hand to pull him to his feet, though he barely seemed to notice, still staring at the growing number of flakes on the ground with a complex mixture of fascinated curiosity and lingering trepidation.
Emil went to Skyfire's other side, patting his shoulder reassuringly. "Trust me, lad, snow will become borin' real quick. But ye should come inside. The little lass here made some sweets an' I bet a good hot cider will be jus' what ye need t' put ye back t' rights." The Desanti man nodded dazedly, letting the two mercenaries and Lyra guide him back inside.
Taylin knelt on Storm's other side, watching her carefully as she put her hand on Storm's twisted knee to heal her. "Storm," the healer said worriedly, reaching up to touch the woman's temple. She drew back as if she had touched an open flame, looking over her shoulder. "Dusvet, something is wrong with Storm. I think... I think she is scrying!"
"What?" Almek frowned, stiffly lowering himself to one knee next to Taylin. "Storm, child," he called to the woman still staring at the drops of water pooled in her palm. "Storm, come back. Don't lose yourself in the visions." He also reached over to touch her temple, grimacing a bit. "We need to get her inside."
Mureln moved out of the way to let Ash come and lift the Swordanzen in his arms. "Will she be all right, Almek?" the bard wondered as he helped Taylin to her feet.
Terrence looked between them all, his expression unreadable. "I will inform Miss Kelafy to bring the afternoon meal to Master Ash's study." Without waiting, the journeyman hurried back to the house.
Almek did not reply immediately, waiting until they were in the privacy of Ash's study. Closing the door, he kept his face turned away when he finally confessed, "I do not know if she will be all right."
Seemingly oblivious to what Almek just said, Ash carried Storm to the large couch, holding her tightly as Taylin caught the pillows Mureln tossed to her to prop Storm up. He very carefully and tenderly laid Storm on the couch, caressing her cheek. Once he settled the Swordanzen, the mage turned on Almek with an uncharacteristic hostility towards the Guardian. "What do you mean, you don't know? How can you not know?!"
"Because I do not know what she is doing!" Almek stated heatedly, scowling. Sighing tiredly, he sat down heavily in one of the other chairs, looking grey. "She is scrying, but it is like nothing I have ever seen or done myself. Some Guardians have lost themselves in the visions when they become too engrossed in watching and cannot turn away. This..." He looked towards Storm, then closed his eyes as he looked away. "I have never sensed anything like it. As far as I can tell, she is lost to us. I cannot even hear an echo of her soul. It will only be a matter of time until her body dies."
Ash sat heavily on the edge of the couch beside Storm, touching her cold cheek. He gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb, stricken. "Storm," he whispered, agonized.
"Lost?" Mureln looked at Storm's empty, staring eyes and shuddered. "I thought... the only time you risked becoming lost in visions is after you have mastered all the scrying techniques. You had only just introduced us to the art..."
Taylin looked down, hands clasping and unclasping in nervousness. "Dusvet... Storm told me she-she has been able to scry all the elements since-since Ganessi." The three men turned to stare at her. "I was upset because I was having so much trouble getting past crystal. She said... she said it is not hard if you... if you think of the elements like Swordanzen think of swords."
"'If you wield a sword, you fight with a sword,'" Ash whispered, echoing Storm's words. Looking at the Desanti woman, he said, "'When I wield a sword, I am the sword.'" He tenderly brushed the displaced strands of hair, his posture strengthening with purpose. "I will find her, Master Almek."
Almek started to raise a hand to stop him, then sighed, sinking back into his chair as he saw the resolute determination in Ash's eyes and knew the futility of arguing with him on this matter. "Be careful, Ash. We cannot lose you both."
Soberly, Ash nodded before looking at Storm. Placing his hands on either side of her head as if cradling her skull in his palms, he closed his eyes as he sought the magic he needed to retrieve her.
The three waited, their worry reflected in their fidgeting. After a time, Almek finally spoke softly, certain Ash was so deeply in the thrall of his spell he would not even notice them. "I need to learn to understand things as a Desanti does." The Dusvet Guardian accepted the glass of wine Taylin brought him. "If I realized the depth of their beliefs was rooted in a natural ability, I would not have been so negligent in her education. I assumed they spoke in euphemisms, not so literally."
"But Skyfire hasn't been so..." Mureln's voice drifted off as he sought the right words to describe the difference between the two Githalin Swordanzen. "...Intense."
"Skyfire had not been forged in the same fires as Storm. Nor has he been a fully fledged Swordanzen for as long as she has been, much less Githalin." Almek sighed wearily. "In time, he could be just like her. So attuned to the world, he would not see himself as separate from it, but wholly a part of it. It is why Storm and her drizar seem to know each other's minds." He took a long sip from his cup, rubbing his mouth with the back of his hand. "Because they really do know each other's minds."
Mureln whistled softly, looking at the Swordanzen and mage. "I thought the Desanti stories about their Swordanzen's abilities used to be fanciful exaggerations about the achievements of their ancestors. It seems I have some reevaluating to do myself."
"They have such incredible talent and strength." Taylin sat next to Mureln, cradling her own glass. "How can they possibly see themselves as less than everyone else?"
Mureln smiled sadly at her. "Because we of Desanti descent are less than the northern peoples." He took her hand, drawing it to his lips to kiss softly. "What Ash had to do to his former journeyman? Is what his ancestors had done on a grander scale to the Desanti, and what had caused the Second Sundering. The Vodani fractured away from the Desanti during the assault, sparing us the depth and breadth of what they suffered. What happened to them echoes within the Vodani. The hole within us is something we can only push back from our minds when we focus on something else. Anything else. Otherwise, it would drive us mad." He looked away. "Sometimes it does anyway."
Taylin looked at Mureln with wide eyes, putt
ing an arm around him. "Oh, beloved..."
"The Desanti made up for their lack of magic like the blind make up for the lack of sight. The other senses become stronger. More sensitive." Almek looked at Storm and Ash and said quietly, "But I think they are born sensitive and only strengthen as they train."
"And they start training so young," Taylin said softly. "So they can survive."
Almek smiled wanly. "In their own way, the Desanti developed their own magic." He looked at Mureln. "Is it the same for the Vodani?"
Mureln shrugged one shoulder. "Yes and no. Vodani have adapted to survive life in and on the water. We are more sensitive to motion and sound." He smiled faintly. "Why do you think most bards are Vodani?"
"It seems even after five hundred years, there are still things for this old dog to learn," Almek stated drolly. "I had just not been asking the right questions all these years."
"Ash?" Storm's whispery voice cracked. Almek, Taylin and Mureln's attentions focused on the pair, breaths held.
"My Swordanzen," Ash murmured.
The Swordanzen and mage were oblivious to the others, looking into each other's eyes. "Thank you for finding me," she whispered, a haunted fear lurking in her eyes.
Ash tsked, no less tired than she was as he put his arms around her. "What? Did you think I would not go find you, my Swordanzen? I had already done so more than once. I am not stopping now." She only laughed weakly, putting her arms around him in return. She turned her face into his chest to hide a shuddering sob.
As if on cue, the door opened and Kelafy swept in, two others carrying trays of food and drink, as well as cups and bowls. "Enough of that," she teased. "You children need to eat lunch before light can pass through you and a stiff breeze carries you off into the upper branches."
Taylin looked at the small window, realizing how much time had passed. "But it has been hours since lunch time... Oh." She smiled at the headwoman, understanding. "Thank you, Miss Kelafy."
Almek merely arched an eyebrow at the woman. "'Children,' Miss Kelafy?"
"Five years. Five hundred years." The woman dared to pinch Almek's cheek lightly. "You could be five thousand years old, Dusvet Almek. You will always be a child at heart." The others chuckled as Almek's cheeks actually seemed to color as the woman said cheerfully, putting a plate on his lap and a glass in his hand before she left the room, "A very handsome child who needs to eat his lunch."
Eventually, Storm's sobs eased and she slowly loosened her embrace from around Ash. It took a moment longer for him to release her, his eyes searching her face as he brushed the hair out of her eyes. "I think Miss Kelafy likes Lord Almek." Storm let Ash help her sit up. The mage absently concurred with her observation, fussing over the Desanti woman as if she were made of glass, making sure she'd her own food before getting his own while the others served themselves. "Lord Almek," Storm began, lowering her eyes in shame.
"No. Do not apologize. You are still a student, and students make mistakes. We are lucky this mistake did not turn out to be fatal to you or to Ash." Almek smiled faintly. "But, you can apologize for not telling me you could scry so well. I did not expect any of you to master it for at least another year or two, else I would have modified your lessons accordingly."
"I apologize," Storm replied obediently with such childlike sincerity, no one could even find it in their hearts to be angry with her. "It is just... I thought I saw something and I had to try to find it again."
More seriously, Almek stated, "You must be careful, child. The currents of time are very strong. It is easy to become lost." She lowered her eyes, shoulders slumped slightly. He sighed. "What did you see?"
"I am not sure," Storm finally said. "But I will not seek it out again. I will never, ever scry again."
"No, Storm," Almek admonished lightly. "Do not stop using your gifts completely. You just need to be more cautious. Now that I know you can run, we will go back to walking and work your way up."
Ash touched the back of Storm's hand gently. She looked up at him and nodded mutely to the silent encouragement. "I will be more careful in the future," she stated, reluctant even to try again. Leaning against Ash, she half closed her eyes. The mage put his arm around her, hugging her close, looking no less exhausted.
Mureln studied the pair and suggested, "Perhaps we should take our discussion to the main room, Almek." The Guardian smiled faintly in understanding and nodded. Setting the serving dishes on the small table, Taylin gathered their plates and glasses, following Almek. Mureln looked back at the two with an affectionate smile briefly before he shut the door.
"Storm." Ash opened his eyes to look at her. Caressing her cheek, he murmured, "It is okay to be afraid. It is the gods' way to make sure we don't do anything too dangerous without considering the risks first." She looked up at him, her expression dubious enough to make him chuckle softly. "Anyone who thinks you are weak because you are afraid is a coward and beneath your notice." She blinked then shook her head, unable to suppress a small smile completely.
"I am so tired," Storm whispered even as she tried to pull away to stand and leave. She resisted as he kept her beside him. "Please, I must go sleep—"
"Shhh." Ash clasped her hand and kissed it gently. "Stay here with me. Nothing will harm you here." She struggled for a moment more before relaxing with a resigned sigh. He tugged the folded blanket from the back of the couch, draping it around her as he held her close. He murmured quietly under his breath, carefully casting a spell.
"We should not—" Storm argued, then went silent as the sleeping spell overwhelmed her stubbornness. Making sure the magic had no ill effect on the Desanti woman, he directed his attention to the window and door, the bolts sliding into place on both. Satisfied it was as safe as he promised her it would be, he closed his eyes in sleep, tightening his arms around her.
Chapter 38
Terrence grimaced as he walked down the path from the Academy. "Petal, will you stop doing that? People will notice if I start going bald!"
"I pull hair because you are not listening! Se'edai Magus want you to talk to Warrior Skyfire." The sprite zipped around to hover in front of him as he walked. "No one sick! No one lost. No more excuses!" Pointing imperiously, the six-inch forest sprite stated, "Now! Go do!"
Terrence paused, frowning at the small creature before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I wanted to get things sorted out in my head before bothering Skyfire. The flashes of foreign memories aren't just in my dreams anymore. They're happening when I'm awake."
Petal put her hands on her hips. "Things in head are from Desantiva. Warrior is from Desantiva. Who better to ask?" The scolding frown melted to worry when Terrence grimaced a bit, pressing his fingers to his temples. "Go find Warrior. Or Petal go find."
The journeyman mage scowled at the forest sprite. "You make my life difficult, you know."
"Is good I do! How you learn if you not have to work at it?" The tart answer was followed by tiny giggles as she flew out of reach of his playful swat.
Terrence sighed a little in resignation, pausing at the rise to scan the great tree that was home to the Illaini Magus. Knowing the Swordanzen tended to recluse themselves when they were not in training, he nodded to himself when he determined the Swordanzen man was perched on one of the highest branches of the tree, several measures above the highest windows or balconies visible on the ancient tree.
The young mage nimbly climbed the tree's craggy surface and network of heavy vines to reach him. The Swordanzen glanced over at the young mage, then back out to the distance. "You have not sought me out for many days," Skyfire stated by way of greeting. "I began to think you no longer wished to learn any more of Desantiva."
Terrence looked chagrinned. "Goddess, no, Skyfire! I do want to learn. There have just been... other things distracting me." Before Skyfire's unspoken question could be verbalized, Terrence asked, "How is Storm doing since... the incident? Se'edai Magus Ellis asks about her welfare constantly."
Skyfire did not respond immediately
. "You were at the ceremony at the Academy?"
Terrence nodded as he sat next to the taller man. "I was."
The Desanti man sighed, closing his eyes. "Then you know what your goddess told Storm."
The implication that what Terrence knew, so did Ash, made Terrence flinch. He reached out to squeeze Skyfire's shoulder reassuringly. "No one but you knows I can still understand Swordanzen. Not even Master Ash." He sighed a bit. "And no one will until I have no choice but to reveal it. I would never betray your trust."
The Desanti man finally turned to look long at Terrence. "You are taking a risk? Keeping secrets from your master?" His words were less a question than a statement. "He does not seem the sort to tolerate such from anyone."
Terrence shrugged, looking away. "I think Lord Ash would understand. But that is a matter to worry about later." He paused a moment. "I value your friendship, Skyfire." He looked towards the motes of light that was the heart of Ithesra in the distance. "I have never had many friends. Real friends I could trust completely. I would rather die before risking losing that."
Smiling faintly, Skyfire said quietly, "A Swordanzen may choose to allow those he trusts completely to call him by his First Name once his Totani has deemed him worthy of a Warrior Name." Terrence looked over in surprise as Skyfire paused. "You may call me Radisen, if you wish."
The depth of the simple offer resonated within the young mage, knowing it was no small gesture for the Desanti man. "You honor me. Thank you, Radisen." Both men returned their gazes towards the lights. After a time, Terrence finally broached the subject he had been avoiding. "Se'edai Magus Ellis asked me to relay a message to you." Turning to watch him, Skyfire waited patiently for the young mage to continue. "The Se'edai wishes to thank you for helping his people to learn about the Desanti people, to return to the old traditions of seeking knowledge, not hiding behind lies and ignorance. He begs forgiveness for not telling you himself."
"Truly? I would not have expected such gratitude from anyone other than Lord Ash," Skyfire stated frankly. "And Ash's gratitude is rarely spoken. He shows it in his behavior. It is better now since he and Storm discussed his views."
